"I think we're clear," Leon said in a low voice, standing up but keeping his pistol ready as he stepped around the corner.

Scarlett followed with relief instantly setting in, The Terminator in tow as they looked around in wonder at the warehouse. The entire building was filled with walls of the gas cylinders, extending so high and so far down that Scarlett couldn't even imagine how much of it there was. Various forklifts and trucks sat parked between the walls, silent.

"I'm guessing we know what's in these," Leon said, looking around.

"This is insane," Scarlett said simply as she examined one of the cylinders a bit closer. "Why would you need this much of the stuff? Especially after already doing so much harm."

"We probably don't want to know the answer to that question, but it's pretty obvious that Gotham won't be the only target," Leon said, pointing up to an enclosure at the far end of the center path through the building. "That looks like an office, maybe we can find some more information about this stuff in there."

"Good idea," Scarlett said, noticing a faint letter 'J' stamped in the side of the cylinder. Suddenly, she jumped as a loud screech filled the air. It persisted a moment, then went to static as a PA system in the warehouse came to life, a familiar voice starting with a devious chuckle.

"You know, locking your doors used to be enough, but I guess that just isn't the world we live in anymore. You know what I'd really love? Just one little home away from home that isn't constantly being broken into by heavily armed brutes. Is that too much to ask?"

Scarlett's heart filled with terror, the familiar laugh and sick voice of The Joker all too close for comfort. Still, they needed that antidote, and this was no time to be scared. She stood beside Leon, The Terminator readying his weapon as the three took a stand in the center of the building. Scarlett looked around, assuming that the villain must've been on the system from the office Leon had just pointed out. She steeled herself, channeling as much confidence as she could. One of the benefits of being an actress, after all, was being good at bluffing.

"You're The Joker, right?" Scarlett called out loudly, putting a strong edge in her voice. "You've got a lot to answer for! Hand over the antidote to this poison and we'll make things easier for you! We're not going to ask nicely again!"

There was a pause for a moment as Leon gave her an approving nod, then the speakers squealed with maniacal laughter. Scarlett could hear what sounded like someone slapping his or her knees.

"You know, girlie, you've got the attitude, I'll give you that," The Joker continued, finally calming down a bit. "Speaking of all tough and no play, where is ole' Bats? Out haunting a belfry somewhere? Making mean faces at himself in the mirror? It's really quite rude of him not to come greet me in person, though I suppose you three look a lot less...punchy."

"Batman is on his way right now," Scarlett said, doing her best not to show any weakness. "You're already beaten!"

"Give it up, clown," Leon called along with her. "It's three on one, and somehow I don't think throwing pies and pulling scarves out of your sleeves is going to help!"

There was a loud sigh from the speaker.

"Well, when you put it like that, you're right," The Joker said with another chuckle. "I'm outnumbered, and I only brought two pies! I surrender!"

Expecting a forklift to come crashing through a wall or to be met with a hail of gunfire, Scarlett was surprised to see the office door simply open, and a pale man in a purple suit walking calmly out. For someone who dressed like a pimp from about sixty years ago, The Joker was more than intimidating. His tailored suit hung perfectly from his lean but clearly capable frame, with long pointed coattails following behind him as his two-toned black and white dress shoes clicked ominously across the floor. His white painted face was wrought into a sick smile, showing off cutting white teeth and a burning stare from focused yellowing eyes that seemed to pull at Scarlett's very nerve from under a head of slick, green hair. Even with a highly experienced federal agent and an indestructible cyborg at her side, Scarlett could feel the slow sensation of dread creeping over her senses.

"Stay back," The Terminator said to Scarlett, raising his shotgun and aiming at The Joker. "This man is carrying several weapons, and scans indicate rising adrenaline. Immediate termination is the most optimal course of action for mission success."

The Joker chuckled. "Me? Speak for yourself, you'll shoot someone's eye out with that thing!"

"We can't just shoot a defenseless man," Scarlett whispered to The Terminator. "Plus, we need him to tell us if there's antidote."

"Get down on the ground, now!" Leon barked, training his gun at The Joker, clearly a bit unnerved himself.

Leon's request was met with a simple frown from The Joker, shooting him a mean look.

"You know, you've got some nerve, buck-o. You come into my warehouse, demand I leave my office, then point a gun at me? Just who do you think you are, anyway?"

"Definitely not your tailor," Leon said with a stupid smirk. If Scarlett weren't already terrified, she would've smacked Agent Kennedy herself.

"Oh, a real cut up, are you?" Joker said, his crazy eyes narrowing. "Well, I think you need a little lesson in manners."

He tilted his head upwards, calling out above them. "What do you think, poo?"

Scarlett shielded her eyes as the warehouse was suddenly flooded with a bright light, and a loud engine roared to life. Scarlett could hear The Joker cackling wildly as her eyes readjusted and she saw the giant steel prongs of a forklift coming down atop them. Before she even had a chance to dip out of the way, The Terminator's arms came up, his shotgun clattering to the floor. He grabbed the prongs, the engine of the forklift straining heavily as he stood, his form wavering slightly as he held them in place.

There was a loud, obnoxious whine from over the noise, and Scarlett looked up to see an odd, jester girl at the forklift controls. She wore a tight, black and red leotard and a big jester hat. Her face was painted white just like Joker's, and she wore a slim mask over her eyes.

"Let go, ya big lug!" the girl shouted in a thick, east coast accent that Scarlett could tell was going to get annoying very fast. "You're gonna break my toy!"

"Well, that was quite the failed ambush," Leon said over the engine, still smirking as it stalled and quit. "Are you ready to cooperate? Scarlett and I have a busy schedule."

"Scarlett?" the clown girl said in wonder, climbing atop the forklift to peer down at them. "You're Scarlett Johansson! Oh my god, we've been waiting for you forever, I couldn't tell with the goofy get up you're wearing! Harley Quinn, big fan, will you sign my copy of 'Ghost World'?"

More than caught off guard, Scarlett simply answered as she always did.

"Of course," she said, feeling the heat flush to her face at her stupid answer. "Wait, waiting for me? What do you mean?"

Her heart nearly skipped a beat as The Joker began laughing again, placing a hand on his forehead.

"You know, I've never been too in touch with all you Hollywood types," he said with a sigh. "I'll admit I liked that 'Don John' movie a bit, but Harley and my new business partner are much bigger fans than I am."

"Cut the crap," Leon demanded. "There are people out there dying because of you. Hand over anything you have that can help cure them right now!"

"Always looking to play the hero, aren't you, Agent Kennedy?" came a new, cold and dry voice from behind them.

Scarlett saw the heat drain from Leon's face as she turned to see behind them. A trim, blonde man in all black paced towards them in a slow arc, his face focused towards them. He had pale skin with crisp, slicked back blonde hair and thin sunglasses that completely blacked out his gaze. Though she couldn't see his eyes, Scarlett could practically feel his stare as he strode ominously towards them. He wore a tight leather bodysuit and pants and a long leather jacket that stopped just at the ankles of his sleek boots.

"Albert Wesker," Leon said softly, seeming to barely be able to get the words out. "It really was you."

There was a low, amused chuckled from the man as he continued to walk ominously towards them. "In the flesh, though I don't believe we've ever been properly introduced. Miss Wong always spoke so lowly of you that I never thought it necessary. And I see Miss Johansson is with you as well? How perfect."

Scarlett steeled herself as the man got closer. Clearly, Leon was more afraid of this man than The Joker and his crazy little helper.

"You're supposed to be dead," Leon said, his voice growing intense again. "Chris Redfield killed you himself."

"You've got quite the penchant for stating the obvious," Wesker countered (though Scarlett noticed his upper lip twitch at the name 'Chris'). "As you can see, it's far from possible for someone as simple as Chris to kill me."

"What do you want?" Leon demanded, aiming his pistol at Wesker. "I'm guessing this new virus is your doing."

Wesker smirked. "The J virus is a masterpiece. The pinnacle of bio-organic weapon development. I'd love for you see what we've got planned beyond Gotham City, but unfortunately for you, you've already fulfilled your role and must be disposed of."

Leon bared his teeth, and Scarlett saw Wesker simply reach up to readjust his sunglasses. There was a blast as Leon fired his gun, but instead of Wesker getting hit, he simply vanished in a wispy cloud of black smoke. Scarlett's eyes widened as Wesker was suddenly standing several feet to the right, looking as though he was breaking into a run. Leon fired at him again, but just as before, Wesker vanished and reappeared far out of the bullet's path.

"Shit!" Leon cursed as he continued firing, Wesker teleporting swiftly in a path up to the agent. The Joker began laughing wildly, digging into his jacket and retrieving a gun of his own: a heavy magnum revolver.

"Let the good times roll!" he shouted with glee, raising the gun and firing a deafening round at The Terminator. The machine stood strong as a large, bloody wound exploded from his chest. Other than that, however, The Terminator showed no signs from the impact.

"Scarlett Johansson," he said, ignoring the displeased clown who was currently perring inside the barrel of his gun for defects and turning to Scarlett. "We must get you to safety."

"Screw that!" Scarlett spat. "They're trying to kill us, and they made that virus! We need to deal with them!"

The Terminator turned as the forklift roared to life again, Harley giggling maniacally. The forklift prongs lowered, and she slammed the truck forward, in turn slamming it into The Terminator. Scarlett screamed, narrowly slipping out of the way as the forklift lifted her indestructible bodyguard off his feet and continued driving until they crashed into a large crate.

She looked to Leon, seeing that Wesker was upon him. Leon immediately let his gun drop to the floor and with one swift motion, produced a combat knife from his belt that he slashed towards his assailant. Unfortunately for him, it seemed Wesker was not only fast, but incredibly powerful. The man stopped Leon's swipe with his forearm, then delivered a swift jab to Leon's jaw. Before Leon finished reeling back from the impact, Wesker teleported behind him and sprung forward, practically flying across the ground on one foot and kicking Leon in the back. The agent grunted loudly in pain, flying forward as though he had just been hit by a car and smacking into the concrete floor while rolling. Wesker simply chuckled to himself in amusement.

"Poor performance indeed," he said, starting another slow walk towards the clearly outmatched Leon.

A pair of psycho clowns and teleporting super soldier. For the first time, Scarlett felt as though her indestructible cyborg and top government agent were fighting a losing battle. They were going to need her help. All her weapons training from her movies and practice with Batman was about to be put to the test. Clicking open a pouch on the utility belt the caped crusader had given her, Scarlett grabbed a clutch of smoke pellets. Even with all the stories she had heard about The Joker, Wesker's speed and power made him the target. If she could distract him long enough, she could get The Terminator to deal with him and leave the clowns to her and Leon. She tossed the light pellets at Wesker, watching them rain down like marbles about his feet. He glanced down just in time to see them explode, instantly clouding a wide area around him in thick, gray smoke.

"You'll pay for that!" Wesker spat, waving his hand about in the smoke as The Joker laughed behind him.

"She got you, Al," he said. "I told you, if you come to Gotham, be prepared for this sort of thing, but did you listen?"

Scarlett immediately broke into a run, heading for the forklift as the jester girl did her best to smash The Terminator to pieces between the prongs and the crate.

"What's the matter with you, huh?" She complained loudly. "You're not screamin' or cryin' or nothin'!"

Between the prongs, The Terminator strained to reach forward and pick himself up as he looked forward with his characteristic, unchanging expression. Being pinned against the crate without any footing, however, was clearly making it difficult. Scarlett ran past Leon as he doggedly made it back to his feet, making a bee-line for Harley. Scarlet caught the first step of the forklift, lifting herself with all her might. Her momentum carried her straight into a shoulder tackle that caught the red-and-black clad villain off guard. She screamed, instantly flying from the operator seat and landing a good distance away. Scarlett couldn't help a small smirk of satisfaction as she grabbed hold of the controls, throwing the lift into reverse and pulling away from the crate.

"Are you okay?" Scarlett asked, peering over the controls at The Terminator.

"Our present situation has become too dangerous to ensure mission success," The Terminator said, slipping down from the prongs. "We must eliminate hostile targets or seek a new safe location."

"Then hostile targets it is," Scarlett said with a wry smile. "You take the guy with the sunglasses, Leon and I will handle the others.

"Understood," The Terminator said, starting into a slow, lumbering run towards Wesker as the man made his way out the smoke. Scarlett watched as the cyborg wound his arm back for a powerful punch aimed straight for Wesker's face. To her horror, the blonde man held up his open hand, catching The Terminator's fist mid-swing. Wesker slid back across the floor as The Terminator pushed forward, but his grip had stopped the punch cold.

"Nice sunglasses," Wesker said as The Terminator gave him a look up and down. "A bit more than an ordinary bodyguard, are we?"

"I am a Cyberdyne Systems model 101, Series 800," The Terminator said. "And I am programmed for termination. Your enhancements have not completely eliminated your organic weaknesses, and you will be terminated."

Wesker smirked. "We'll see about that."

With his other hand, Wesker delivered a swift, open palmed strike to The Terminator's stomach. The machine reeled back, though he again continued marching towards the smaller, blonde man. Wesker didn't stop his assault either, darting forward with his super-human speed and crossing his forearms in an 'X' to hit the cyborg with both his palms. This time, The Terminator was knocked off his feet and slammed down into the floor, flipping over once and landing on his stomach. Wesker darted forward, making a jagged, zig zag pattern with short bursts of speed. By the time he reached The Terminator for another strike, however, the machine had gotten to his feet and was ready. Wesker made an angry grunt as he attempted another powerful open-palmed strike. This time, The Terminator met Wesker's strike with his own gloved hand. The cyborg gripped Wesker's hand and yanked him forward, smashing down with a blunt headbutt. Wesker grunted in pain, his sunglasses cracking and his forehead spurting a trickle of blood as he stumbled back.

While it was certainly a dangerous situation, it looked as though The Terminator could handle Wesker for the time being. That simply left The Joker and Harley. Scarlett hurried to Leon, seeing him crouched behind one of the pallets of gas cylinders with his pistol ready.

"Well, this could've gone a lot better," Leon said as Scarlett dropped down to a knee beside him, glancing around for The Joker or Harley and spotting neither.

"We can take em'," Scarlett said, smiling faintly at him. "They're just clowns, right?"

"I think I broke a rib," Leon said. "Plus, I hate clowns."

Suddenly, The Joker popped out from behind the corner, a sledge hammer raised above his head.

"That's not very nice!" he shouted, his smile wide and his eyes full of malice as he swung it down. Scarlett barely tossed herself back out of the way as Leon pulled his legs up, the hammer smashing the concrete floor where they had just been sitting.

"Too slow," Leon said, aiming his gun at their attacker.

"Oh, wait wait, don't shoot!" The Joker said, dropping the hammer and waving his hands. "If you hit one of these gas tanks, we'll all have very permanent smiles and very bad complexions!"

Leon froze, realizing he was right. In the second he doubted himself, however, The Joker swept his leg up, kicking Leon's gun from his hand.

"Hoo hoo, too easy!" The Joker laughed, giving Leon two hard kicks to the ribs and pulling out his revolver again as the agent reeled in pain.

"Drop it!" Scarlett shouted instinctively, flipping one of Batman's batarangs from her belt at The Joker. She hadn't quite perfected her aim yet, but with her target only a few feet away, she didn't have a problem. The batarang caught The Joker's hand, knocking the heavy gun from his grip.

"Ow!" he cried, clutching his hand in pain. "No fair, those don't belong to you!"

Scarlett dove forward into a roll, snatching the revolver off the ground in the process and turning around to face Joker as she caught her footing.

"If stopping you means poisoning all of us, it's worth it," Scarlett said, feeling her adrenaline pumping through the roof as she readied herself with the heavy gun aimed at the still smiling Joker. She pulled the trigger, hoping the bullet wouldn't hit any of the tanks while knowing she didn't have a choice. She was surprised and confused, however, when instead of an explosive gunshot, a blast of confetti and flag that said 'BANG!' simply popped from the gun barrel. The Joker immediately burst into laughter.

"Good lord woman, you should've seen the look on your face!" he laughed, tears rolling from his eyes. "That was priceless! I never get to do that to Batman because he's too stuck up to use a gun!"

Had he really just tricked her into using a useless gun? Scarlett could feel anger and helplessness setting in. She was starting to see that behind the foolishness and the madness, what made The Joker so dangerous was his cunning genius. She hurled the joke gun at him, then flipped another batarang towards him, hoping one of them would connect and give her a window of opportunity. Instead, The Joker strafed between the projectiles and grabbed her hand, twirling her around into, of all things, a waltz arch.

"Get away from me!" Scarlett cried, trying to stand and free herself from his grip.

"Oh, I'll bet you say that to all the boys," Joker said, a slim grin on his face. There was a hiss of gas, and Scarlett looked down in terror as the flower pinned to his jacket sprayed out a noxious cloud of green gas. She could feel it immediately stinging at her eyes as she began to tear up. Scarlett coughed, the gas clearly some sort of aerosol mace. She struggled harder, bringing her knee up and catching The Joker between his legs. He let out a loud grunt, instantly dropping her and doubling over in pain.

"That's just cheating!" He complained, his voice a tad higher than normal.

Scarlett fell to the floor, scrambling to crawl back to her feet as she coughed and tried to blink away the mace while rubbing her eyes. Touching them only seemed to make it worse, however, and as she turned around she could already see The Joker getting back up. Scarlett looked over to The Terminator, seeing Wesker teleporting behind him and locking an arm around his neck, then delivering a rapid series of jabs to kidney. She looked back to Leon, who had finally gotten back on his feet and was running for his gun. The Joker laughed, reaching into his jacket for yet another revolver, though this time Scarlett guessed it was likely the one he had shot The Terminator with earlier. She went for another batarang, but this time she wasn't fast enough. With a killer smile and a piercing yellow gaze, The Joker turned to Leon and fired. The heavy magnum round hit Leon in the back, somewhere near his left shoulder blade. Scarlett watched in terror as Leon crumpled forward without a sound, blood splattering down onto the floor.

"Leon!" she screamed, her own eyes still burning as she looked at The Joker with bleary-eyed horror. The Joker laughed a low, ominous laugh as he turned back to her, starting a slow walk towards her.

"What's the matter, red?" Joker said tauntingly, flipping open the revolver cylinder and spinning it. "Not so easy to be one of the bat's little helpers, is it?" He chuckled, flipping the cylinder closed again and aiming the gun at her. "You're not the first of his friends that have failed, and you won't be the last, so don't beat yourself up," he said, grinning wildly. "Besides, that's my job!"

While Scarlett's mind scrambled for a way out, part of her braced herself for the worst. She couldn't believe that their push to save Gotham had been quashed before they had even gotten started, or that her career was about to end due to a freak in a purple suit. Suddenly, there was a thunderous blast with an explosion of heat coming from above them. Joker and Scarlett both looked up, seeing that a giant hole had just been blown through the roof of the warehouse with a cloud of dense smoke in it's wake. Then, through the cloud dove a dark figure with a black cape fanning out behind him: Batman.

"Finally!" The Joker exclaimed, instantly aiming his gun upwards at the caped crusader. It seemed Batman had been ready, however, and immediately fired a pair of cables down at the clown. Joker immediately cringed, seizing up in pain and toppling over after being hit with what Scarlett guessed was some kind of taser. Her heart swelled with hope as Batman landed, his cape draping down over his back as he stood.

"Sorry it took so long," Batman said, helping Scarlett to her feet. "Though I did tell you not to go on without me in the first place, so we'll call it even. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she gushed, wiping at her eyes again as the stinging finally started to die down. "But Leon's been shot."

"We'll need to get him back to the Batmobile," Batman said, swiftly turning and heading for the downed Agent Kennedy.

"I'm fine, really," Leon called as he rolled onto his back. "I just need a few hours to rest. And maybe a massage."

Scarlett heard a loud clang of metal, The Terminator's fight against Wesker popping back into her mind. She and Batman looked past Leon, seeing the machine deliver a heavy backhanded smack that caught Wesker across the side of his head. Where a normal man would've likely died, Wesker simply crumpled to the floor on one knee. As Scarlett looked closer, however, she could see that The Terminator wasn't fairing that much better, if any. His face was beaten to a pulp, with large hunks of skin having fallen away to reveal shiny chrome, lights, and hydraulics. While she hadn't doubted that he was machine in the first place, somehow seeing the actuality of his cyborg body sent a cold numbness through to Scarlett's core. He took a step forward, limping a bit as he approached Wesker.

"Not bad," Wesker said, glancing up at the machine as Batman and Scarlett closed in, his gaze turning to them with a pair of red eyes glowing through his sunglasses. "But I think we'll have to continue this at a later time."

In a swift wisp of smoke, he vanished and reappeared behind The Terminator. Before the machine could register what was going on, Wesker grabbed his arm and pulled. The Terminator was lifted from his feet, then hurled into the scaffold of purple cylinders. His weight easily smashed the support bar, sending the cylinders cascading down in an avalanche of steel. Scarlett's heart immediately filled with dread; if one of the cylinders was punctured, the leak could turn every one of them into grinners. To make matters worse, it took Wesker only a moment to draw out a sleek, silver handgun and fire two shots into the pile. There was a hiss of gas immediately.

"I've been waiting to fight you since I arrived here," Wesker called, looking to Batman with a smug grin which the crime fighter met with a stone-faced stare. "Though I suppose I can wait a bit longer."

With that, he broke into a rapid run, practically disappearing from Scarlett's vision all together.

"I'll get Leon and Joker," Batman said, clearly having the same fears as she had. "You go get the Batmobile!"

Scarlett had to stop herself from arguing, knowing that trusting Batman and helping however he asked was the best course of action.

"Right!" she called back, turning and running towards the front doors. She dipped past another wall of purple, rounding a corner and coming face to face with The Joker and Harley.

"Hiya Scarlett!" Harley exclaimed, holding a large red and black mallet in her hands.

"We think it's best if you hang out with us for awhile," Joker said. "Especially since you owe Harley that autograph."

Scarlett's boots skidded on the ground as she went to run the other way, but it only took Harley a second to swing the mallet. Scarlett felt it smack the entire side of her head, and she lost consciousness before she hit the ground.