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in
vintageflame
Face-to-Face [TDK]
Title: Face-to-Face
Fandom: TDK
Summary: Jim Gordon and the Batman work via Virtual Reality.
Characters/Pairings: Jim Gordon, Batman
Rating/Warnings: PG
AN: For my cliche_bingo challenge "virtual reality".
Word Count: 522
Face-to-Face
"This isn't real," Jim Gordon told himself for the hundred time as he slipped the earbud into is ear. It was a private line, so private that the technology to break into the encrypted data stream was accessible to few people. It had come to Jim by way of a gift.
"It is real," a deep, rasping voice spoke in his ear, "And real time. It's just not face-to-face."
"I can't know that." As a detective, Jim trusted what he saw, felt, smelled. He knew that the likelihood of someone breaking into, decoding, and re-encrypting this information was nearly impossible, but not actually impossible. The Batman's voice that he was hearing might in reality be someone's sick idea of a practical joke, or worse. The thought brought to mind some movie he'd liked back when they really thought computers could make the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. blow each other up.
"There's no any U.S.S.R. any more, stop being paranoid," A voice spoke in his ear. "And I believe the movie you're thinking of is War Games."
"Good movie," Jim grunted. He hated the way the Batman lifted his thoughts from his head. He knew the device allowed that, and that it was only surface thoughts, but it still felt... rude. With anyone else it might be a violation. With Batman it was simply rude.
"I wanted to give you a reciprocal pa--"
"I don't want a goddamn reciprocal," Gordon growled.
"You can read my thoughts well enough without them," the Batman mused.
"Like hell I can. Just tell me what I need to know and let's get this over with."
"Fourth and Wacker," Batman answered.
"How would you like to be the man named 'Wacker'?" Jim was talking to himself as he opened his laptop and began to type.
"Carbon Copy Giamatti."
"Why?"
"He's the leak we need to seal."
"You know," Jim sighed, "I wish leaky police departments could be fixed with a good roll of duct tape."
The Batman laughed in his ear. "Not even leaking plumbing can be stopped with duct tape, Commissioner. The water pressure's too high."
"I know the feeling," Jim muttered.
He was answered by a yawning silence, and then Batman answered slowly, "Is your health holding up?"
"I'm still alive, if that's what you're asking."
"It's not."
"Eh."
"Jim," There was an urgency in the Bat's voice that stopped Jim's typing momentarily. "You are an inspiration, the way you never let them get to you--"
"Who says they don't get to me?" Jim shrugged.
"Close your eyes, I've encrypted a new feature," the Batman answered instead.
Jim hesitated, eager to finish with his messy work, but he was also curious about this feature. He leaned back and closed his eyes. "Yeah?"
Suddenly, the scene behind his eyelids, stark blackness, seemed to take on a shade of a more unnatural blackness. Then a piece of the blackness split away and moved towards him. "Jim."
"Some sort of virtual reality?"
"All reality is virtual," the figure answered, but its voice is smiling.
"I would prefer to speak face to face."
"I know," the Batman sighed. "I do know. But it's not possible right now. Until then, maybe this will do." They both knew it wouldn't, but neither could say that.
"Yeah," Jim nods. "Yeah, it could do."
Fandom: TDK
Summary: Jim Gordon and the Batman work via Virtual Reality.
Characters/Pairings: Jim Gordon, Batman
Rating/Warnings: PG
AN: For my cliche_bingo challenge "virtual reality".
Word Count: 522
Face-to-Face
"This isn't real," Jim Gordon told himself for the hundred time as he slipped the earbud into is ear. It was a private line, so private that the technology to break into the encrypted data stream was accessible to few people. It had come to Jim by way of a gift.
"It is real," a deep, rasping voice spoke in his ear, "And real time. It's just not face-to-face."
"I can't know that." As a detective, Jim trusted what he saw, felt, smelled. He knew that the likelihood of someone breaking into, decoding, and re-encrypting this information was nearly impossible, but not actually impossible. The Batman's voice that he was hearing might in reality be someone's sick idea of a practical joke, or worse. The thought brought to mind some movie he'd liked back when they really thought computers could make the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. blow each other up.
"There's no any U.S.S.R. any more, stop being paranoid," A voice spoke in his ear. "And I believe the movie you're thinking of is War Games."
"Good movie," Jim grunted. He hated the way the Batman lifted his thoughts from his head. He knew the device allowed that, and that it was only surface thoughts, but it still felt... rude. With anyone else it might be a violation. With Batman it was simply rude.
"I wanted to give you a reciprocal pa--"
"I don't want a goddamn reciprocal," Gordon growled.
"You can read my thoughts well enough without them," the Batman mused.
"Like hell I can. Just tell me what I need to know and let's get this over with."
"Fourth and Wacker," Batman answered.
"How would you like to be the man named 'Wacker'?" Jim was talking to himself as he opened his laptop and began to type.
"Carbon Copy Giamatti."
"Why?"
"He's the leak we need to seal."
"You know," Jim sighed, "I wish leaky police departments could be fixed with a good roll of duct tape."
The Batman laughed in his ear. "Not even leaking plumbing can be stopped with duct tape, Commissioner. The water pressure's too high."
"I know the feeling," Jim muttered.
He was answered by a yawning silence, and then Batman answered slowly, "Is your health holding up?"
"I'm still alive, if that's what you're asking."
"It's not."
"Eh."
"Jim," There was an urgency in the Bat's voice that stopped Jim's typing momentarily. "You are an inspiration, the way you never let them get to you--"
"Who says they don't get to me?" Jim shrugged.
"Close your eyes, I've encrypted a new feature," the Batman answered instead.
Jim hesitated, eager to finish with his messy work, but he was also curious about this feature. He leaned back and closed his eyes. "Yeah?"
Suddenly, the scene behind his eyelids, stark blackness, seemed to take on a shade of a more unnatural blackness. Then a piece of the blackness split away and moved towards him. "Jim."
"Some sort of virtual reality?"
"All reality is virtual," the figure answered, but its voice is smiling.
"I would prefer to speak face to face."
"I know," the Batman sighed. "I do know. But it's not possible right now. Until then, maybe this will do." They both knew it wouldn't, but neither could say that.
"Yeah," Jim nods. "Yeah, it could do."