Part 1

The symbol of a giant bat was in the air as rain and thunder came down like tears from countless of children. The headlights of the police cars reflected the rain a sit fell through their blue and red headlights. Three stood in front of an alley where yellow police wires set up the crime scene.

A greying man cursed as he tried to light his pipe. " Son of a..."

A young officer lit his lighter and lit the pipe.

"Thanks, kid." Gordon said before he inhaled the sweet, sweet smoke.

"You think he'll be here soon?" the rook asked.

"You don't know with him." Gordon replied." He can be here in an hour, or the next second."

"Jim." A heavy dark voice sounded above them.

Both officers look up and shielded their eyes as the search light of a blimp blinded them, save for the silhouette of the caped crusader. His long black cape waved in the heavy winds as pointy horns came from his head. White eye slits protruded from his head as he glided down from the rooftop to the alleyway. The man was well built under the black and grey Kevlar vest with a black cat covered on his chest.

"My god..." the rook whispered." It's the Batman..."

"Took you long enough, catching a cold here." Jim inhaled one more time." Come on."

"Problems out of town, couldn't be helped." Batman folded his cape around himself as he walked alongside Commissioner Jim Gordon.

"Your newest Robin?" Gordon asked.

Batman gave a small nod." He and the other Batman had a small problem, I helped."

The 'other' Batman was Nightwing, the very first Robin and the current one Damian, his son. Dick Grayson was more of a father figure to his son, then he was. He shrugged it aside." What is the problem?"

"We got an anonymous tip of a homicide." The commissioner guided Batman to the body.

She was about thirty years old, red haired. Her dress was blue, short skirt, now drenched under the rain. The wall behind her was curved with strange runes in a circular motion, he had seen them before somewhere...

Her black purse with an laptop indicated she was a business woman. A ring was on her finger, married presumably. Beneath her hideous grin she had a necklace with white pearls.

Batman's mind went back two decades to a similar alley. The sound of white pearls hitting the floor, two gunshots, two thuds.

Batman knelt down to the corpse and let his scientific mind take over, shoving the memory aside. "Any ID?"

"Sarah Gilderman, Lawyer. 32 years old. She had a husband and two kids. "

He didn't have to had taken an blood sample to know when he saw her face a few moments before.

"This is not Joker's venom." He said.

"We noticed." Jim said." She's not the first one we found. Similar like her though, grinning and all...but." he pointed his pipe to the body." No pale skin."

"Amateur-work perhaps..." Batman took out a small photocamera from his belt and took some pictures before he placed it back and pulled out a syringe." You said others?"

Gordon nodded." Two more. A rich business man and a trailer trash deadbead."

"A lawyer, an business man and a lower middle class man...I don't see any connection."

" Those runes are also written near the other corpses, but other then that there is no real connection except one...they all had kids, Batman."

Batman stood up as other officers covered her body with a white sheet.

"Also this."

Gordon gave three plastic coversheets to the dark knight. The Batman looked at it and knew what was written on the sheet of paper.

"We found them at each of the corpses."

"Amadeus Arkham's diary." Batman said. The runes made sense now, they were the same as in Amadeus Arkham's cell where he scribbled the entire cell, from floor to ceiling, with those runes.

"Arkham?" Jim asked." The guy who made the Asylum?"

"One and the same. The diary was missing after that outbreak on the 1st of April a few years back."

"Is someone from the Asylum doing this?"

"That is what I'm going to try and find out." Batman said." But first...i need to see an old friend."

Arkham Asylum

Joker's cell

"Batsy!" the insane clown smiled with a hideous smirk." Long time no see, buddy!"

The Joker was in his cell put behind bulletproof glass and surrounded by five camera's both inside and out of it. The words 'ha-ha' were written all over the walls in red. His purple suit was dirty and he was thinner then their last visit, Arkham personnel didn't risk feeding him anymore.

Batman threw down three pictures on a shelf and slid it towards Joker's side of the cell.

The clown prince of crime took a look at them.

"Oh, I didn't know you were so photogenic. You caught their sides oh so well, although your lighting is much to be desired..."

"Three people have been killed by an cheap imitation of your venom, Joker. Only you and me know how to make this to be even remotely deadly."

"Still got an stick up your rodent behind, eh?" Joker giggled." Your wondering if I told someone how to make my little love juice."

"I'm not wondering, I know. The only reason why the venom doesn't have the same white skin effect is because the lack of the same venom Bane has running through his veins. I need an name."

Joker rubbed his chin and mocked as if he was pondering. He laughed out loud five seconds later and slapped his knees." Sure I'll tell ya! See it as a early birthday present, or birthday present I don't know when your birthday is. A few weeks ago, before you caught me again after my latest killing spree at the park where I killed...oh how many people was it again?"

"Sixteen people, including two children-"

"And a puppy! Would've made it four children of it wasn't for you. I like my round numbers you see. Anyway before all that, I met an very interesting character. He slipped/killed my guards as he came to me, asking to be my second. He even had a clown mask on and everything! Harley of course was caught by you and spilling the beans no doubt, and since I was bored I decided to give him a chance."

Joker took a chair and sat down. He crossed his legs as he leaned his head on his arms.

" The kid was smart Bats, like you wouldn't believe. He knew how to make poisons, how to assemble a gun, hack computers, make explosives and survived all my deathtraps..." he smirked." He even spared my life after I fell into a trap of his own making."

"Careless." Batman replied.

"Oh puh-lease Batsy, your not the only one who can drive me into a corner. But yeh, you can say the kid has a certain skill...he became my prodigy of sorts."

"Then why didn't I see him when I caught you at the park?"

"He had the brains to leave when he could." Joker replied." That...and he figured out something not even you could."

"What?"

"My name, my real name." Joker giggled manically." He's the future Batman! The next me! Fresh talent, new blood!"

"Not while I can help it." Batman replied." Now...a name."

"He gave me one...Harkam U Damas."

Batman took the pictures and walked off.

"Oh, give the boy wonders back home In your cave my warm regards!" Joker shouted after him." I'll be seeing them REAL soon! Hahahaha!"

Batman passed by others in their cells as his mind pondered. Harkam u Damas, an anagram for Amadeus Arkham. An Obvious nod towards the Arkham clues. When he got in his Batmobile he contacted the homefront.

"Alfred, you there?"

"I'm here sir, as always." Alfred replied on the other end.

"Start up the Batcomputer, load up any and all files on the Arkham family tree."

"What for, sir?"

"Either Someone is playing an exellent copycat...or Amadeus Arkham is killing from the grave..."