Snow still continued to fall weakly as it had most of the night. Commissioner Gordon stood by his police car staring at the doors to the theater. Rumblings had been heard for the last ten minutes, but no one dared enter. They all knew Batman was inside with the Joker. Of course what they didn't know was that Clayface was in there as well. Another five minutes passes as the snow drizzle continued. Finally, the doors to the theater opened and out walked Batman with a man in his arms.

Batman's steps were slow and methodical. His face bore a grimace like nothing Gordon had ever seen. As Batman walked closer, Gordon was able to make out the distinctive green hair, the obnoxious purple striped suit, and the diseased face of the Joker.

One thousand thoughts immediately began to course through the police commissioners head. Did Batman kill him? No, Batman doesn't kill. If not him, then who did, did he kill himself? Did the Titan overdose win? Did Batman deny him the cure?

Gordon ceased his mind's running and just continued to stare at the masked man who slowly approached. Batman made no effort to talk or to explain anything. He simply set Joker down on Gordon's police cruiser and continued forward, his pace returning to what it was before he laid Joker on top of the cruiser.

"Batman, what happened?" Gordon asked. Batman did not reply, he simply kept walking forward. Batman did not halt his walk or misstep once as he continued away from the collection of cop cars. It wasn't until Oracle came into his ear that he fumbled ever so minimally, not noticeable to anyone but Bruce himself.

"Bruce, are you all right, what happened in there?" Oracle's anxiousness greatly affected her voice. His vitals were reading normal, but she worried for his psyche now.

"Joker is dead Barbara. So is Talia. I'm coming home. It's been a long night." Bruce's deadpan monotone did little to ease the concern that was now plaguing at Oracle. She knew Bruce felt just as bad to see an enemy die as a friend. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but still, Bruce didn't like to see anyone die if he could help it.

"Okay Bruce, I'll see you when you get here. We can talk." Barbara put a hopeful inflection in her voice that Bruce caught.

"There is nothing to talk about Barbara. You might as well head home yourself." Oracle began to argue, but Bruce switched off his comm. Batman then grappled up to the nearest tall building and summoned the Batwing. Thirty seconds later it arrived and Batman headed home for some much deserved rest.

Gordon and the GCPD units were now combing the inside of the theater for anything that could help them piece together just what the hell happened in Arkham City this night. A massive hole laid center in the large theater, and down below was a nice glob of frozen brown muck inside of a formerly green pool. Next to the hole was the outline in debris of a thin, arguably female body with a blood stain in the midsection. Gordon glanced down and around and noticed footprints, flat and even, no pattern whatsoever. It was like someone has cut out a sole design and traced it on the dirty floor. Upon further inspection, marks could be seen along the knee area and neck area of the debris outline. Gordon surmised it was knuckle marks from someone picking up the body, but who had caused the debris outline, and who had picked the body up. Was it Joker? No, couldn't have been. Batman's soles have a very distinctive pattern which Gordon noticed when Batman left just a few minutes ago. So who could it have been? Gordon landed on the idea that it must have been the woman whom Joker was seen entering the building with. But then what of her? Who was she? Was she dead or just injured? And who moved the body. Picking the person up in the manner with which it looks, the person was carried "bridal style" which suggests care. If the person didn't care, they most likely would have grabbed one hand and slung the person over their shoulder. The footprints trailed off through back entrance of the theater. Since the snow was not sticking to the pavement, there were no more footprints to follow after that. Gordon knew odds were high that he may never know the exact details of the night's occurrences, but at least, according to Batman, everything was under control. Gordon ordered his men to round up all the pieces of Clayface and get him ready for transportation.

"Sir, we have Joker loaded up in a body bag and in a paddy wagon. They are headed to the city morgue now," one of Gordon's subordinates informed him.

"Good, good, I think I will be heading back to the precinct now anyway. I've got a lot of paperwork to get started on." Gordon cracked a half smile and headed back out to his cruiser.

12 hours later

Bruce Wayne was sitting in the Batcave, along with Tim, Dick, Oracle and Alfred. There were leads that needed chasing down, and enemies that needed to be pursed that had eluded Batman the previous night.

"Tim, Dick, we have some information on Thomas Elliot. I want you two to chase him down. He will be easy to find visually, he looks like me." Bruce finished his little explanation and received odd stares from both Tim and his predecessor.

"Why does he look like you?" Dick asked.

"Revenge is the short story." Bruce said plainly. "He was…I was just spotted outside Gotham Central Station. See if you can nab him now and stop a bad smear campaign against me." Both Tim and Dick nodded a mere instant before the BatComputer's alert monitor flared to life. Gordon appeared on the screen.

"Batman, come quick. Joker's not dead. He just killed the coroner and raced out of the city morgue." Gordon was not one to show a large amount of fear, and this time was no different. However, Bruce knew Gordon's concern was great.

Bruce raced over to his new prototype Bat suit and started to put it on.

"Are you sure that's a wise idea sir," Alfred piped in. "It's hasn't been fully tested." Just like when Alfred mentioned lack of testing on the grapnel boost, there really wasn't much concern in his voice.

"Don't worry Alfred, I know it will work out just fine," Bruce smiled his confident smile.

"Hey, we're coming with you," Dick exclaimed as he grabbed Bruce's shoulder. Batman, now fully dressed shook his head.

"No you're not, I asked you to chase down Elliot." Bruce turned away again only to be accosted by both Tim and Dick this time.

"You're going to need our help," Tim shot in as both he and Dick held a shoulder of the Batman. Batman shook his head then nodded to Alfred who pressed a few buttons on the BatComputer console. Next to Batman's prototype suit container was thought to be solid rock. However two containers rotated around and yielded a prototype Robin outfit and a Prototype Nightwing outfit.

"Working behind our backs again Bruce?" Dick asked.

"Eventually I will get to old to do this, and inventing tech will be the only thing I will be able to do." Bruce said this in his regular deadpan voice, but the idea of Batman getting old sent an odd feeling into the stomachs of both Tim and Dick.

"Well," Batman said, "Suit up, or shut up." Both Tim and Dick Suited up and followed Batman to the city morgue.

Gordon walked determinately up to Batman and noticed that both Nightwing and Robin were in tow. After a second he figured the more the better.

"We haven't the slightest idea how he faked death Batman, but now he's loose in Gotham City again." Gordon's composure never failed as he explained.

"This is what he wanted, to get out of Arkham City, everything from last night was all a big show, a diversion for him to create an elaborate plan to escape."

"I thought this was over after last night," Gordon said calmly. Batman looked hard at him before speaking.

"Sadly Commissioner, I'm thinking it's just begun."