At Gotham City elementary school, the fourth grade class all piled onto a large, yellow bus for a long awaited Field Trip to the amusement park. A good two dozen kids were chatting happily, talking about what rides they were going to ride or the games they were going to play. Among these children was Timothy Drake, talking with his best friend Bernard Dowd.
"I'm telling you Tim, the Vomit Comet has to be our first stop when we get there." Bernard insisted.
"I don't think I want to go on a ride with the word 'Vomit' in its name." Tim replied, shaking his head.
"Oh come on, where's your sense of adventure?" Bernard asked.
Tim chuckled to himself, imagining Bernard's face if he only knew how his sense of adventure had grown in the past year alone. As the two boys got on the bus, the driver closed the door with a snap. Once they took their seats, the bus monitor made her way to the back of the bus, putting herself between the kids and the emergency exit.
"Alright kiddies!" the monitor cheered in a thick jersey accent. "Who's ready for the ride of a lifetime?!"
Tim went pale at the sound of that unmistakable accent. He wasn't the only one who recognized it, as all of his classmates turned around to see the rip off the ball cap she had been wearing, revealing a red and black jester hat underneath.
"Harley Quinn!" Tim hissed.
That's when the driver began to laugh. If Harley's voice hadn't sent shivers down the kids' spines, then that laugh did. The driver stood up, tossing away his own hat to reveal a head of green hair and a huge, yellow-toothed grin.
"Good evening boys and girls!" he cried out. "You're about to take a ride on the Joker's public transport of terror! So fasten your seatbelts and hold onto your lunches, it's going to be a bumpy ride!"
He then let out a maniacal laughter, causing the children to cower in fear. Tim swallowed his ever growing sense of panic, reaching into his pocket for the cellphone Bruce had given him. He pulled it out, then hit a button hidden in the decal on the case.
...
Lucius Fox stood before the Wayne Tech Board of Directors, giving a long winded presentation about the company's latest stock prices. Amongst the various trustees attending the meeting was Bruce Wayne himself. However, the billionaire appeared to have dozed off, though to the trained eye, you could see that he was merely faking.
A soft buzzing in his pocket pulled Bruce from his faux slumbers. He discretely opened his jacket pocket, sliding his cellphone slightly out of the inner pocket. A symbol shaped like a red and gold R was flashing on the screen. Bruce recognized who it was immediately and was curious as to why Tim was using his personal Bat-signal.
He gave a stretch, acting like he had just woken up. He made a show of checking his phone while turning off the signal.
"Excuse me, Lucius." he said, holding up his phone. "Seems Tim got into trouble at school again."
Lucius gave a wordless nod, then resumed his presentation as Bruce left the room.
"Tim?" Bruce asked, answering the phone. "Is everything alright?"
Tim didn't reply, nor did he have to. In the background, Bruce heard a laughter that sent shivers down his spine.
"Why the long faces, kiddies? Field trips are supposed to be FUN!"
The phone nearly slipped out of Bruce's hand at the horrifying realization. Immediately he bolted down the hallway, already putting in a call to Alfred.
"Aren't you supposed to be in a meeting?" Alfred questioned upon answering the phone.
"There's been a change of plans." Bruce told him. "Tim's in trouble."
"Caught "playing hooky" again, sir?" Alfred inquired.
"It's Joker." Bruce let out.
There was a moment of silence, then Alfred spoke again.
"I'll send the car with your suit immediately." he informed Bruce. "Should I call Master Grayson or Miss Gordon?"
"Yes." Bruce confirmed. "I'm not losing another one to that madman."
...
The Batmobile arrived just as Bruce made it to the main floor of Wayne Tech. He immediately grabbed the suit, throwing it on before jumping into the car. The second the hatch closed over him, Barbara's voice filled the cockpit.
"Batman, it's Oracle." she told him. "Al gave me the synopsis. How can I help?"
"See if you can get a lock on that bus." Bruce told her as he pulled his cowl on.
"Way ahead of you. I already tried to track Tim's cell, but the signal got disconnected. Best guess, Harley or Joker probably smashed it."
"Just do what you can." Batman insisted.
The Batmobile peeled down the road as the sound of typing filled the car. After a minute, Oracle spoke up again.
"We're in luck. I was able to patch into the onboard security camera. Footage is choppy, but it's all we've got."
"What did you find on it?" Batman asked.
"Not much I'm afraid. There's no audio, and the footage focuses on the kids, not the outside world…. Hang on."
"What is it?"
"Tim… he keeps making this weird symbol with his hand whenever Harley has her back turned… I think he's saying… Cone knee?"
"Coney Island." Batman deduced. "Their field trip was to Coney Island. Look up any abandoned amusement parks, especially those near Coney Island."
"On it, Bats." She replied, typing away.
An onboard computer lit up, a few points appearing on a map of Gotham.
"We've got three possible locations. The first is the old Ringling Brothers circus, but it's mostly just ratty tents and empty animal cages."
"No. Joker's a showman, but an old tent isn't his style."
"Alright..." The first dot disappears. "The second is the 'World of Tomorrow' fair from a couple years ago."
"Joker used that hideout a long time ago, and he's never been one to repeat old jokes."
"Right." The second dot disappeared, leaving only the third and final dot. "That just leaves the 'Adventure Island Fun Time Park'. Closed down because their rides didn't meet safety regulations."
"That's him." Batman replied.
"Dick's already on his way." Oracle continued, pausing for a moment. "And Bruce… Tim will be fine. He won't end up like Jason."
"I know." Batman replied. "I'll make sure of that."
...
Batman made it to Adventure Island in record time. Upon arrival, he could see the bus parked in front, empty of not only the kids, but Joker and Harley as well. Batman just scowled at his current situation.
"Where are you Tim?" he whispered.
About that time, all of the lights across the park began to turn on one by one. The cheesy music began echoing through the speakers, as if welcoming the Dark Knight.
"And here he is folks!" a voice called out over the intercom system. "The man of the hour. The caped clod! The deranged detective! The deluded Dark Knight, the Batman!"
Batman straightened up, walking into the park as his eyes scanned the various rides for any sign of the kids and the clowns.
"Hey Mistah Jay, I thought of Bat-fart wasn't supposed to get here until tonight!" Harley's voice echoed. "Ain't bats nocturnal or something?"
"One would think Harley." Joker remarked. "But as long as he's here, we might as well make him feel welcome."
"Okie Dokie Mistah Jay!" Harley cheered.
All of a sudden, a large mallet collided with the back of Batman's head, knocking him to the ground. As Batman slowly picked himself up, Harley readied her hammer for another strike Batman quickly rolled out of the way and kicked her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She stumbled back, growling.
"It ain't nice to hit a lady!" she yelled, going for another swing.
He quickly stepped out of the way as she swung. He then grabbed the tassels on her head and tossed her back, sending her tumbling on the ground. The mallet went flying out of her grip as she sagged down, semi-conscious and groaning.
"Good show, Batsy!" Joker complimented.
"Where are the kids Joker?!" Batman demanded.
"Come now Batman, I thought you were a detective." Joker chastised. "Where do kids always go when at an amusement park?"
The lights on one of the largest roller coasters lit up. Sparks danced from the lightbulbs as the old wooden structure groaned in agony. A long line of cars full of tied up children lurched forward as the brakes gave way, the chain clattered and cranked with the awful sound of rusted machinery as Joker stood at the controls with his trademark grin
"They're on the rides of course!" Joker shouted before breaking out into his loud laughter as he pulled the lever. "The ride of their lives!"
As the cars climbed up the track, Batman shot out a grappling hook onto the back car and zipped towards the coaster. He didn't get far before a razor sharp playing card severed the line.
"Oh no you don't!" Joker declared. "That ride's full."
Batman quickly turned around and socked Joker in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Joker recovered quickly, squirting acid from the flower on his lapel at Batman. The Dark Knight easily dodged, allowing the acid to land on the controls.
"Whoopsie." he said with a smirk.
Batman bolted towards the ride again, and this time, Joker ran and tackled him, bringing them both to the ground.
"Why do you always have to ruin my fun?" Joker whined, punching Batman across the face. "Besides, I'm sure the little kiddies are gonna have a BLAST!"
Knowing all too well what he was talking about, Batman launched a grappling hook at a pole and attached it to Joker's shirt, sending him flying back. While Joker collided with the pole, Batman leapt onto the ride and climbed up to the top of the track. When he saw the car heading towards a loop, he leapt in its direction, gliding towards it. He managed to land on the top of the head car, but the second he touched it, electricity coursed through him, nearly electrocuting him. He instantly fell off, landing on the ground with a thud.
"Oh, did I not mention my little buzzers stuck to the underside of the cars?" Joker mocked. "My bad."
Batman just scowled as he turned back in the direction of the coaster, the whole structure shaking. Beams fell loose and brought down older, rotted boards, a small preview of things to come. He scanned the tracks, seeing that there was a particularly large hole after a rather steep drop, and it didn't take a genius to know what would happen if the cars went off the rails. In desperation, Batman ran back to the controls, but Joker's acid had completely destroyed them.
"What's the matter, Batsy?" Joker questioned, getting to his feet and straightening his jacket. "You seem a bit flustered? Things not going your way?"
"Maybe he's just upset he didn't get a ride." Harley suggested, having recovered her senses, and her mallet.
Before she could swing it though, something came out of nowhere and hit her on the head. She fell hard as a figure landed next to Batman.
"Sorry I'm late." Nightwing apologized. "Traffic was a-"
"No time!" Batman interrupted. "We have to stop that rollercoaster!"
"I'm on it!" Nightwing called out.
He jumped over to the tracks, pulling a pair of metal sticks off of his back before landing on the broken part. Joker saw this and growled.
"Your brats are really starting to get under my skin, Batsy." He snarled, pulling a rather oversized gun from his jacket.
Batman quickly pulled out a batarang and threw it at Joker's gun, knocking it out of his hands. Joker yelps, then grabs another, shooting at Batman in rage. Batman quickly ducked and rolled out of the way of the gun shots. He got in close, grabbing Joker's wrist and disarming him before delivering a punch to the face. Joker retaliated with a knee to the groin, followed by a punch of his own.
With the two duking it out and Harley still seeing stars, Nightwing was left alone to put his plan into action. He extended his poles quickly, embedding them into the tracks and doing makeshift repair job.
"Let's hope this works!" he shouted, diving to the side as the cars came barreling down the tracks.
The cars sped across the tracks with the poles slightly buckling under their weight. Nightwing held his breath, crossing his fingers and praying right up until the last car passed safely over his poles. He practically sighed in relief, turning back to Batman.
"They're okay Batman!" he shouted. "This ride will come to a smooth landing!"
"Well we can't have that now, can we?" Joker let out, pulling a detonator from his jacket. "Time for plan B."
Before Batman even had time to react, Joker hit the button, setting off packs of C-4 strapped to the bottom of each car. One by one, they each blew up with a loud bang. The multiple shockwaves sent Nightwing, Batman, Joker and Harley all flying backwards, the four of them falling to the ground hard. The coaster buckled under the sudden loss of a good chunk of its structure, crumbling in on itself and falling into burning pieces.
Batman sat up, staring in horror at the burning wreckage, the image merging with one of a burning warehouse in Bosnia. His arms fell limp as he stared, Nightwing feeling equally helpless and horrified.
"No..." Nightwing gasped.
A low laugh began to fill the air, drawing the two heroes' attention. Joker was slowly sitting up, his laughter growing ever louder as the fire burned. The sound pulled Batman out of his trance, his fists clenching and a feral growl escaping his lips. He charged at Joker, grabbing him by his neck and lifting him up off the ground. Joker's laugh turned into a choked cough as he clawed at Batman's hand. Harley tried to interfere, but Nightwing intercepted her, holding her down at Joker dangled from Batman's grip.
"You…" Batman growled, his eyes misty as his grip tightened.
Despite barely being able to breathe, Joker was still grinning, eying Batman with a cruel gleam in his eyes.
"You really gonna do it this time?" Joker asked. "Or are you just gonna put me in another body cast for six months?"
Batman had never felt so tempted to break his code. He had come close on two other occasions, and for a moment, it looked like the third time's the charm. But, despite the overwhelming urge to snap Joker's neck, Batman dropped him. Joker gasped for air for a few seconds before a swift kick to the side of his head knocked the clown unconscious. Nightwing, who had just finished cuffing Harley to a pole, approached Batman with a somber look, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry..."
Batman remained silent, just staring at the burning fire as the sounds of sirens approached.
...
Commissioner Gordon surveyed the damage as Bullock and Ramirez loaded Joker and Harley onto a prison transport. The firefighters were slowly putting out the last of the fire while an ambulance looked after Batman and Nightwing. Gordon was surprised to see the dazed look in Batman's eye, like a man consumed with grief.
"What happened here, Batman?" Gordon questioned, approaching the duo.
Batman remained silent, but Nightwing looked up at the Commissioner.
"Joker hijacked a bus of fourth graders." Nightwing said, his anger evident. "They were on the roller coaster when-"
Nightwing's fist clenched and he turn away, gritting his teeth.
"I think I get the picture." Gordon pieced together.
"Twenty four kids..." Batman let out. "Twenty four..."
Gordon went to say something, then a firefighter approached the group.
"Commissioner, we put out the last of the fire." he informed them
"Good." Gordon declared. "Begin scavenging the wreckage for bodies."
"Umm, sir… there are no bodies." The firefighter clarified.
This through the trio for a loop. Together, they all ran over to the wreckage of the roller coaster, where the firefighters were working on excavating the cars. As they got close, Batman and Nightwing were both shocked to see the cars were completely devoid of children. There was no sign of them whatsoever.
"How is this possible?" Batman gasped.
"Are you sure the kids were on the coaster?" Gordon questioned.
"I saw them with my own eyes." Batman answered. "They were there."
"Could the blast have disintegrated them?" Nightwing asked.
"No, there's be some trace." Batman answered. "But they're just… gone."
...
Tim let out a groan as a distant voice began to slowly fill his ears. After a minute, the voice became somewhat clearer, calling out his name as someone shook him. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing Bernard standing over him.
"Tim!" Bernard shouted. "Finally, I was starting to get worried."
"Hey…" Tim let out, sitting up. "What happened?"
It was then that he got a look at where he was. He'd expected to wake up in a hospital bed, or not at all, given the circumstances. However, he seemed to be in some sort of large bedroom full of rows of bunk beds. The rest of their classmates seemed to be spread out across the room, none of them appearing to be hurt in anyway.
Before Tim could fully breathe a sigh of relief, his instincts kicked in as he took stock of the rest of his situation. The walls and floors were made out of grey stone that seemed to bend and shift in the light, and the large door looked like something straight out of a medieval castle.
"Where… are we?" He added.
"Dude, I have no idea." Bernard answered, walking over to a window next to Tim's bed. "But one thing's for sure, we're not in Gotham anymore."
Wondering what Bernard meant, Tim got up and approached the window, his jaw dropping when he saw the outside.
The entire world seemed to be in different shades of black and grey, everything rippling and shimmering as if it wasn't fully tangible. There was a large field surrounded by a tense forest of strange trees that seemed to form a barrier around the building. Tim backed away from the window in shock, rubbing his eyes.
"I don't think we're on Earth anymore." Tim said quietly.
"How do you think we got here?" Bernard asked.
"I don't know… I honestly don't know."
All of a sudden, there was a light knock at the large door of the room. Every kid in the room suddenly fell silent, fearing who or what could be on the other side of the door. Bernard glanced at Tim.
"I think we're about to find out." he whispered to Tim.
Tim swallowed hard, then approached the door, slowly opening it. On the other side of the door stood a young woman, probably in her late teens. She had long black hair that seemed to wave in some unfelt wind. Her skin was the color of charcoal and her eyes were bright red. She wore a dress that started out pitch black at the collar before slowly transforming into a light grey at the edge of her long, billowing skirt and sleeves.
The girl smiled warmly, waving at the group. Tim looked at her in confusion, her kind actions not fitting her off-putting appearance.
"Uh… hi?" Tim said hesitantly.
The girl then began moving her hands in a strange pattern, her fingers flexing slowly before pausing. It took Tim a moment, but he quickly realized she was speaking in sign language.
"Is everyone okay?" she signed, her kind look never fading. "Nobody's hurt, are they?"
"No… we're okay." Tim answered, his fingers moving to match his words.
"Dude, you understood that?" Bernard asked amazed.
"I took some ASL classes." Tim replied before turning back to the girl.
"There is no need to sign, Timothy Drake." The girl told her, a playful smirk on her face. "I can hear you just fine."
"Oh...ok." Tim replied surprised. "So, where are we?"
"You are in my domain." she answered. "The Realm of Shadows."
"Why did you bring us here?" he asked.
"I brought you here for your own protection." She replied, her face dropping a bit. "The Joker has taken far too many lives, and was not going to allow him to add yours to his resume."
"But how?" Tim continued.
The girl appeared to chuckle, though no sound escaped her throat.
"I'll show you." she signed.
...
The Batmobile returned to the Batcave just as the sun began to set. Nightwing's motorcycle followed close behind. As the two abandoned their respective vehicles, Barbara rolled herself up the ramp, immediately hugging batman around the waist.
"Bruce..." she let out. "I am so sorry about Tim..."
"He wasn't on the ride when it blew." he told her. "None of them were."
Barbara blinked, then released Batman.
"What? But, that's impossible." she insisted. "I was watching the entire thing from my drone."
"You have a drone?" Nightwing questioned.
"I built it while I was recovering." she replied, turning her wheelchair and rolling over to the Batcomputer. "I used it to keep an eye on what happened."
"Did it record what happened?" Batman asked, pulling his cowl off.
"As a matter of fact, yes." she replied.
The trio approached the computer as Barbara began typing away. Off in the distance, the sound of whirring motors began to approach until a large drone appeared in the cave. It landed on the computer, allowing Barbara to pull out a cord and attach it to the terminal. A few more keystrokes later and a large video file was brought up.
"Alright, here's the video." she declared.
The two masked heroes huddled around her as the footage of the day's events began to roll. The footage was shaky and the voices were distant, but it showed a bird's eye view of Batman's fight with Joker and Harley. Nightwing's timely arrival soon played, as did his quick rescue attempt. Then, the entire screen went to snow as the bombs went off, only to return moments later, looking down at the burning wreckage.
"Rewind to before the explosion." Batman told her. "Go frame by frame."
Barbara nodded, then rewound it to before the explosion. Going frame by frame as instructed, the three could see the kids sitting in the coaster cars in one, then in the next, they seemed to be surrounded by a strange black field. In the very next frame, the children were all gone, right as the bombs were detonated.
"There!" Batman pointed out. "Go back a frame."
With a click, the footage rewound to when the kids had been surrounded in the strange black field.
"What in the world?" Nightwing said. "What is that?"
Barbara squinted at the screen in confusion.
"Bruce… how many kids were there?"
"Twenty four." Bruce answered.
"Then why are there twenty five fields?" Barbara asked.
Bruce raised an eyebrow at the question before looking back at the screen. Sure enough, on the very back row of the cars was a lone field of blackness, slightly larger than the other twenty four.
"Go back one more frame." Bruce insisted. "Let's see who this field belongs to."
The footage rewound one more frame, uncovering all of the children, and revealing the mystery figure. The footage was too grainy for a detailed shot, but the figure was pitch black, and seemed to be feminine.
"So, she's the one who caused the kids to disappear." Nightwing deduced.
"The question is, what did she do with them?" Bruce inquired.
...
Back at Adventure Island, Gordon was overseeing the last of the evidence being gathered up. The only thing left to do was tow the school bus away. He climbed into the driver's seat, preparing to back it up onto the truck that had come to haul it away. As he glanced in the rearview mirror, he suddenly saw every seat on the bus full of kids. The twenty four kids that were supposed to be dead.
"What the hell?" he let out, turning towards the back of the bus.
Tim stood up from his seat, giving a small wave.
"Hey Commissioner." he greeted, rubbing the back of his head. "Uh… Can I borrow a phone?"
…
Alfred rushed down into the Batcave, the mansion's landline in his hand. He seemed somewhat frazzled, and more than a bit surprised.
"Master Bruce!" he called out, pausing to catch his breath for a moment.
"What is it, Alfred?" Bruce asked.
"Commissioner Gordon on the line for you." Alfred answered, holding out the phone.
Bruce took the phone to see what was so urgent.
"Commissioner?" Bruce answered.
"Ah, Mister Wayne. I'm glad you picked up. I'm assuming you heard about what happened with your ward, Timothy Drake, and his classmates."
"Yes it was… devastating to say the least." Bruce responded.
"Well, I can happily say that the reports of their demise were greatly exaggerated. All of the children have been recovered, unharmed and safely in police custody. We're taking them to Our Lady of Mercy hospital for a quick check-up, but once the doctors clear him, you're free to take him home."
"That's...wonderful." Bruce let out. "I'll head over right away."
Bruce hung up, a look of relief on his face.
"What is it, Bats?" Nightwing wondered.
"Tim and the others have been returned to Lady of Mercy hospital." Bruce told them.
"That's great!" Barbara cheered.
"Guess this chick's one of the good guys." Nightwing surmised.
"We'll ask Tim once Alfred and I collect him." Bruce replied, shedding his bat suit. "You two keep looking into this shadow girl."
The two nodded, then got right into it as Bruce exited the Batcave with Alfred hot on his tail.
...
Our Lady of Mercy Hospital was abuzz with activity. All throughout the lobby, kids were being embraced by their parents, some of the kids retelling the events to a few cops. Bruce marched right past them, his eyes glued on one lone boy talking with Commissioner Gordon.
"I'm telling you, we were in another dimension or something." Tim declared. "Everything was like and old moving, shimmering like a mirage. I swear."
"Okay son, okay." Gordon replied.
"Tim!" Bruce exclaimed.
Tim turned, his face lighting up.
"Bruce!" Tim cried out, running towards him.
The two embraced, hugging each other tightly. Bruce seemed to lose a few years off his face as his hands ruffled Tim's hair, an action he'd feared he'd never be able to do again.
"Are you alright?" Bruce asked.
"I'm okay, I promise." Tim assured him. "But you will not believe what happened to us."
"Oh boy, here we go." Gordon grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I'm telling the truth, Commissioner." Tim insisted. "We were pulled into the Realm of Shadows by the Dark Woman. She took us to this weird looking castle, and once she was sure we were all okay and that it was safe, she put us back on the bus."
Bruce digested everything Tim had said before placing his hands on the boy's shoulders.
"Thank you for everything, Commissioner." He said. "Can I take Tim home?"
"Sure, go ahead." Gordon replied, waving his hand. "I'll uh… call if I have more questions."
Bruce nodded in agreement, then he ushered Tim out of the hospital. Alfred was waiting by the car, his face cracking a rare smile as he laid eyes on Tim.
"Master Drake." he said in relief.
"Hey Al." Tim greeted, throwing his arms around the old butler.
Alfred returned the hug gratefully, then usher him and Bruce into the car. Once the two were safely nestled in the backseat, Alfred took up the driver's seat and set a course for home.
"You know I was telling Gordon the truth." Tim declared bluntly.
"I believe you." Batman replied. "Considering some of the strange things we've encountered, I've learned to not doubt in the supernatural."
"So… what happens now?" Tim questioned.
"Now, we talk to an expert in the field." Batman replied simply.