Gotham City

Parking Garage, August 18, 9:32 PM

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Two black SUV's pulled onto the top floor and out stepped a large man with a thick-accent – the Chechen, one of the crime lords of Gotham. One of his bodyguards pointed at the bat-signal that lit up the sky again. The Chechen shrugged. "This why we bring dogs." Another bodyguard opened the back door of one of the SUV's and three enormous rotweilers bounded out, growling.

The Chechen walked to the second SUV and, from the trunk, dragged out a skinny, wild-eyed, scared junkie by his hair. The junkie was babbling because of hallucination: "No! NO GET 'EM OFF ME! Off me!!!"

A battered white van sat opposite the SUV's. The Chechen dragged the Junkie to the van, whose rear door opened. Two armed thugs came out with barrels, and a third man hid in the darkness within the van.

"Look! Look what your drug do to my customers!" the Chechen yelled to the dark figure.

"Buyer beware…" said the voice. The figure emerged from the darkness – it was the Scarecrow, Dr. Johnathan Crane, wearing his mark. "I told your man my compound would take you places. I never said they'd be places you wanted to go."

The Chechen grimaced, then retorted – "My business is repeat customers."

"If you don't like what I have to offer, you can buy from someone else," the Scarecrow said, walking closer. "Assuming the Batman left anyone else to buy from."

The Chechen frowned, angered. Suddenly the dogs began to bark. The silhouette of the Batman stood in the shadows behind the white van. Oh, shit… unless… The Batman was slouched… couldn't this be an impersonator? There were plenty of copycat wannabes of the Batman running around Gotham at night. "Pity there's only one of you!"

BANG! A thump resounded from behind the white van. There was another Batman. Or not.

Then three more appeared. BOOM! A hole tore open in the SUV next to the Chechen. The first batman walked into the light with a shotgun.

"That's not him," said the Scarecrow. Batman doesn't use guns…

"How you know?" the Chechen asked.

"We're old friends," the Scarecrow muttered.

Suddenly the crunching of cars sounded as the entire group of people turned to see a huge black shape slamming onto a row of parked cars. It was the Batmobile.

"That's more like it," said the Scarecrow.

The Chechen's men began shooting mercilessly at the Batmobile but to no avail – they just bounced off the bulletproof outside of the Batmobile…

…inside, it was empty. No one sat in the cockpit. One of the small screens read "Loiter… Loiter… Loiter…" finally, the shooting outside stopped. The men stared at the Batmobile for a couple of quiet moments when – BOOM – the screen read "INTIMIDATE!" , the Batmobile blasts a car behind the men.

As one of the Batman posers walked into the light, aiming his shotgun – CLUNK – a black gauntlet grasped the barrel and bent it down. The poser looked up to see the real batman. The Batman punched the poser, pushing him out of the way of three dogs, who attacked the next poser. The Batman jumped atop the second impersonator and pulled off two of the dogs, but the third dog jumped on Batman. It locked its jaws around Batman's forearm, but then SMASH – Batman flung the dog against the ground. He stood, breathing, over the railing as he waited for the Scarecrow to drive the white van in the levels below. The Batman jumped and fell ten stories…

CRASH. The Scarecrow's van stopped as Batman landed above.

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Gotham City

Parking Garage, Back Railing, August 18, 10:28 PM

The Chechen's men, the fake Batmen, and the Scarecrow are lined up, bound with zip-ties, against the railing. Somehow the Chechen escaped with his dogs. Batman walked to the Batmen and in a scolding voice, said, "Don't let me find you out here again."

He ripped off the Scarecrow's mask, threw it over the railing, and walked to the Batmobile.

"We're trying to help you!" yelled one of the Batmen as Batman mounted the Batmobile.

"I don't need help."

"Not my diagnosis," said the Scarecrow with a maniacal grin.

"What gives you the right? What's the difference between you and me?"

"I'm not wearing hockey pads." As the Batmobile roared off, the "Batman" looked down at his makeshift costume and sighed.

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Gotham City

Gotham First National Bank, August 18, 10:36 PM

Through the barrage of press and passersby, Lieutenant Gordon and his Latino-American colleague, rookie Detective Anna Ramirez, walked into the bank. Ramirez handed him the blown-up picture again. "I'll hold on to the files, I've got some work to do…"

"Uh huh," said Gordon, looking at the grainy picture, with sweating clown make up plastered thick.

"He can't resist showing us his face," said Ramirez. "Ugh."

"Put this out, by morning we can put a big top over central holding and sell tickets…" Gordon muttered. "What's he hiding under that makeup?"

They stepped over Happy's dead body, which was being examined by Forensic Experts, and into the vault. Batman stepped from the shadows. Ramirez looked questioningly at Gordon, who nodded.

"Could you give us a minute, please, people?" Ramirez walked out, shooing others from the area. She left.

Batman nodded his head at Gordon as if to ask, Who's behind it?

Gordon handed Batman the blow-up of the Joker.

What? Second night in a row, thought the Batman. "Him again." Ugh. "Who are the others?"

"Another bunch of uh… small-timers." The Batman pulled out a device from his belt and moved to the bundles of scattered cash near Happy's body. PING! Batman picked up a bundle and handed it to Gordon.

"Some of the marked bills I gave you?"

"My detectives have been making drug buys with them for weeks. This bank was just another drop for the mob. That makes… five banks. Which means we've found the bulk of their dirty cash." Gotham First National Bank, thought Batman. This Joker couldn't've been hired by the mob, draws too much attention.

"Time to move in," said the Batman. Gordon waved the photo of the Joker.

"What about this Joker guy?" He's starting to get on my nerve.

"One man or the entire mob? He can wait," said the Batman.

"We'll have to hit all banks simultaneously. SWAT Teams, backup." Gordon held up the bundle. "When the new DA gets wind of this, he'll want in."

"Do you trust him?"

"It'll be hard to keep him out." Gordon bundled the cash. "I hear he's as…" Gordon looked up. The Batman was gone. Again. "…stubborn as you."

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[A/N: PLEASE DO REVIEW!!! I depend on them, highly. I don't know how my stories go unless I have reviews, and I need to put the Joker in more, because he is my favorite but the rule goes: the more reviews, the more Joker appearances. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ahaaaa….]