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This is a momentous day in Gotham. But Alex Knox doesn't know that. He knows that it's a sad day. CIRCUS TRAGEDY is spelled out in big letters on the front page of all the papers. Three dead, one teenaged boy left all alone. Sad, and (given Gotham) probably suspicious.

But as for how Dick Grayson is and who he might be, that is something Knox can't know.

Come say hi.

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"Yeah, I know it. And I think that there were side effects. Lots of people in Gotham who aren't entirely with it from time to time. Like the whole town is just a little crazy." Pause. "Crazier."

Renee considers this.

"You mean the supervillains?"

"A little bit, though we don't seem to be getting that many yet. More..." He finds some words. "More that Gotham just seems a bit odder some days. Restless.

"Like a lot of us don't sleep well. And laugh at the strangest moments. And trust a guy dressed in a leather bat-suit more than we trust God."

"Well, that bat-suit is very inspiring," Renee admits wryly.

She's had her faith in both tried in the past. For the most part, it's come through.

"Do I want to know what the Joker's like in your Gotham?" He probably should not be asking.

"No."

He probably doesn't. Or at least, Renee doesn't want to talk about it.

"He's killed a good many of my friends. But so has Two-Face, and the Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze."

"We don't have the last two." Yet? "Two-Face...he's been a killer but selectively so far. That whole coin flip thing is apparently true.

"But I'm sorry about your friends. Can't be easy to be a cop with that kind of thing going on." His Gotham has been lucky in that way so far. Though an average of eight cops are killed every year just by run of the mill criminals.

"Victor Fries and Jonathan Crane," Renee says. "Look out for the names."

Not that they're definitely going to be villains, but forewarned, as they say, is forearmed.

She doesn't want to talk about her friends.

"Fries? Strange little man with a German accent?" Uh oh.

"Cryogenics specialist?"

That wasn't a good tone she heard in his voice.

"Yeah. I talked to him a few years ago. When Luthor did his blizzard stunt." Seems like a lifetime since that happened.

"Which blizzard stunt was that?"

"Maybe five years ago, Luthor decided that what Metropolis needed was an April Fool's Day snowstorm. As a lesson to Superman. Only the storm engulfed the east coast, and we got a worse dose of snow than Metro. Supes and the Bat teamed up for the first time, to handle the crisis and to handle Lex. They even made Baldy apologize. I have no idea how they managed that."

Renee raises an eyebrow.

"That's kind of crazy even for Luthor."

"Luthor's...he's nuts, yeah. But in that dangerous kind of way. I don't think he even knows what he wants. Besides fame."

"Least he hasn't run for president."

She pauses.

Right?

"Him, president? I think convicted felons can't run for office.

"First you get elected and THEN you commit the crime. Not the other way around." As always, Alex is the cynic.

Renee gives him a rueful smile.

"Your world is already so much better than mine."

"How'd he get elected? Some sort of crazy deal with backroom Chicago crooks? Or did he hypnotize everyone?"

"Don't ask me," says Renee. "I was more concerned with local business to be worried about national elections."

"That's kind of how I see things, too. Not ideal for a reporter. But until the League was formed, I didn't have ten seconds to spare for Washington."

Renee suspects that it's not quite for the same reasons.

"How long've your League been together?"

"About three years now. There was a big hurricane in Florida that brought them together in the first place, and they took it from there. Though it took about six months for them to admit it."

Renee holds up a hand, fingers spread, and starts counting on them.

"Batman, Superman. Flash. Wonder Woman? Green Lantern?"

"I think I know about someone called Wonder Woman from here. But we don't have her.

"The rest, we have. As well as Elongated Man, Nightshade, the Huntsman, a few others."