Chapter 53: Choosing a Leader
Selina was right in saying that she intended to turn Gotham into a war zone, and that was exactly Thea's plan. She had no obligation to help Gotham and volunteering was already going above and beyond. Did they expect her to be morally bound to stay and do their grunt work for five years? Ridiculous.
The Bat-Family suffered from a severe case of hero syndrome, believing that the citizens were fragile and they had to be at the forefront of every major and minor event. The reality was that the citizens weren't that weak, and the villains weren't that strong. With the vast number of people mobilized for war, in a place like Gotham with low levels of firepower, victory was almost guaranteed.
Heroes were willing to take responsibility, and their guiding principle was "with great power comes great responsibility." This approach wasn't necessarily bad, but timing was crucial. With the city crawling with bad guys and on the brink of chaos, attempting to take them down one by one as a small team was unrealistic. The Top priority should be to restore order and unite the citizens. After all, there are only a few villains, and the majority of citizens want to live in peace.
"I have a suggestion. We should elect a leader, especially now that Batman is not here." Thea said, seeing that they were still silent, she had to give them a strong push.
"Huh, so that's your true intention," Barbara mocked with a smirk, as if saying, 'You finally showed your fox tail.'
Thea didn't directly respond to Barbara's question. Instead, she looked at the others, curious about their dissenting opinions.
Robin remained silent as usual. Selina wanted to support Thea but remained quiet out of concern for team unity. Commissioner Gordon was like a ghost, always present at these meetings but never speaking.
It wasn't that the Bat-Family didn't value Commissioner Gordon; it was just a long-standing habit that the heroes fought the villains, while the police cleaned up the mess afterwards. Commissioner Gordon, considering various factors, had also tacitly accepted this collaborative approach.
Was this the daily state of affairs for the Bat-family? Whatever the boss said, the subordinates did? Seeing their lackluster response, Thea took it as their silent agreement.
"Alright, I propose Commissioner Gordon to take charge of the overall situation, while we form a small team directly under the Commissioner's leadership. What do you think?" Thea said, surveying the group and taking a moment to appreciate their expressions.
Barbara's expression was the most interesting. She had been a bit dazed, vaguely hearing "Gordon" at first and thinking Thea was suggesting her as the leader. But as she replayed the whole sentence in her head, she realized the "Commissioner" title at the beginning. Unsure whether to agree or object to her father taking charge, she remained conflicted.
Robin, who had been silent all along, responded quickly this time, expressing clear support for his future father-in-law to take charge. He nodded eagerly, "Miss Thea is absolutely right. Commissioner Gordon leading everyone is a great idea." He even flashed a pleasing smile at his future father-in-law.
Selina had even less reason to object. She had known Gordon since she was a teenager just starting out as a thief. Although they weren't related by blood, Gordon had taken care of her like a father figure. If it weren't for the Commissioner covering for her, given her penchant for thievery, she would have been caught a long time ago.
Felicity also nodded, expressing her presence in the conversation.
Commissioner Gordon was a bit bewildered by the sudden change in dynamics, going from being a participant in the meeting to suddenly taking charge. The world was changing a bit too fast, but seeing that none of the others, especially the members of the Bat-Family, objected, he accepted this new reality.
At his age, leading a group of youngsters without any objections was a clear indication of their trust in him. In fact, he could have also led the Batman, as Bruce used to follow his instructions when he was a child. It was only later when Bruce returned from his training and his fists got bigger that the dynamic shifted. Ultimately, it all boiled down to strength.
Thea felt relieved seeing Gordon smoothly take over leadership. If she had tried to seize leadership, they would have been unwilling, and even if she had forcibly taken over the team, it would have inevitably led to a split.
Moreover, she didn't need to rush to the forefront just to prove herself. With an elder willing to take on this challenging task, it was the best-case scenario.
As for Commissioner Gordon potentially attracting hatred and endangering his life, Thea believed he had already attracted enough attention over the past thirty years. With no missing limbs or loss of life, adding a few more days of burden wouldn't pose any additional risks.
After handing over the heavy burden, Thea leaned back in her chair feeling relieved. She had sensed the urgency of the situation on the helicopter, but now that she saw the state of Gotham, she realized it was even more critical.
Being thrust into the role of a squad leader immediately upon joining the team, with the main tank taken away, made her feel quite uneasy.
The original plan was to select a commander from among the existing team members, but after observing their behavior, Thea had no choice but to abandon that idea. Consequently, she had to select a leader from the reserve squad, and that turned out to be Commissioner Gordon.
Compared to Batman, he might be more like a minor support, but he could still play a crucial role.
Commissioner Gordon inwardly agreed with Thea's previous suggestion. If they relied on those few superheroes to deal with every crisis, what was the point of having a police force? His lifelong struggle would have been in vain. However, due to the strained relationship between his daughter and Thea, he refrained from openly supporting her idea.
Although Thea didn't express her dissatisfaction explicitly, Gordon, with his experience, could tell that she was dissatisfied with the Bat-Family's approach. In fact, Commissioner Gordon didn't approve of Batman's method of using fear to combat evil. He had gone through a series of mental struggles from initial incomprehension to anger, numbness, and finally, compromise.
Now, seeing this young heiress from Starling City approach things with a different, more positive, and rational approach, Gordon felt a glimmer of hope reignite. Perhaps she would bring a new way of handling things to Gotham.
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