Navar
A/N: Once again, to FalconHorror: I'm sorry the chapters aren't very long, there's probably a lot more room for elaboration, I'm just not very good at that, I will try my hardest on this chapter! Oh and BTW… Maroni is one of the crime bosses that came into power during the comics.
Fowl Play
The Rooftop of Gotham Police Department
There they stood, cop, District Attorney, and vigilante. All bound by a promise to stop a madman. Batman didn't like the fact that he had just promised something that he might not be able to deliver, but what was done, was done. He looked at Dent. He looked different from the man who stood before reporters, making his promises only a couple of weeks before. The job had already taken its toll. He was ruffled and he had a mad gleam in his eyes, close to insanity. The area under his eyes was all in shadow. Batman couldn't trust him very much, but he had to work with him, so he decided put all doubts to the side… for now.
"So, what information did Crane give you?" he asked. He surveyed his two allies carefully.
"Well," Gordon said, "he told us that the Joker was affected by the fear gas in a way that is different than the rest of the Narrows. To him it acted as sort of a twisted laughing gas that causes him to think violent actions are funny. He doesn't care about the law, and he's intent on making Gotham his amusement park,"
The air around them was silent for a moment. Batman was deep in thought.
'Why did the gas act this way on the Joker? Why did it make him a violent, comical serial killer?' He asked himself, 'And where the Hell is he hiding? Well, I have one up on him. He thinks I'm dead,'
"Did Crane give any details about how Joker was going to do this?"
"No, but he kept telling us that the Joker said it was going to be 'comedic genius'. Any ideas Batman?"
"Maybe… What's the situation on Maroni?"
Dent was the one to answer this time, "He just came from Italy. He was there indefinitely, visiting family. He left Falcone in charge. I'm guessing that since things went sour, he wants to take up his line of work again,"
"Can you arrest him?" Batman asked, hopeful for an easy answer, but he knew if Gordon and Dent were telling him about it, there wouldn't be one.
"No," Gordon replied, "The case on him was closed shortly after I started work in Gotham PD,"
"So what do I need to do?" Batman asked.
"Nothing really, just keep an eye out, and if there's a growth spurt of crime in Gotham, we wanted you to know who the boss was, so that you could maybe trace it back to him," Dent said.
"Understood, anything else?"
"Yes, were you aware that the bridge into the Narrows is scheduled to be destroyed?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Were you also aware that recently, a decision was made to not blow it up by the mayor?"
"What?"
"That's not all of it either, the day after the announcement was made that the bridge would stay standing, our fine mayor got a new Aston Martin DB9," Dent said with a hint of venom in his tone.
"I think it's time I paid the Mayor a little visit," said Batman, and he left the two, gliding to his tank which the papers had dubbed, The Batmobile.
The Mayor's Office
Mayor Robert Johnson, in his late forties, was hosting a party at his office building to raise spirits for the upcoming election. Everyone was there, except his new District Attorney, Lieutenant Gordon, and Bruce Wayne.
He was five foot nine, and weighed about 230 pounds. The light-brown hair on top of his head was thinning. He used canes when he walked, not because of injury or medical issue, but because he liked them.
"Yes, I will be sure to take care of that," he called to someone across the room, "I'll be right back, I have to grab something,"
He walked into his office to get a smoke in. His wife disapproved and so he told her he had kicked the habit. He grabbed a cigar, and went to open the balcony doors. He opened them, stepped out onto the balcony, and realized he didn't have any matches. He turned around, went to his desk, and grabbed some.
When he turned again to go back to the balcony, a tall, dark figure obscured his way. He fell over his desk trying to back away.
"Who are you?!" he screamed at the figure.
"I'm Batman,"
"What are you doing barging into my office like that?! That's breaking and entering!"
"The door was wide open, Mayor," he walked closer to Mayor Johnson. Suddenly he reached out and grabbed the mayor's suit-jacket and picked him up. "Who paid you to keep the bridge to the Narrows standing?" he growled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, that decis-aaaaaaaaaah!"
Batman had rammed him against a bookcase.
"That's not good enough Mayor. Who paid you?!"
"I'm telling you I wasn't paid!" he yelled back. "Who do you think you are?! I am the Mayor of Gotham City. You don't have any idea what you're doing to your reputation right now!"
"My reputation doesn't matter much, but I can leak an anonymous tip that our Mayor is taking bribes! Now WHO PAID YOU?!"
"A short, fat man in a tuxedo, said his contact didn't want the bridge going down, because it would stop his 'fun',"
"A name, Mr. Mayor?"
"Cobblepot, Oswald Cobblepot," he breathed, giving up completely. Batman threw him to the floor and left the building. He needed to run a search on Cobblepot and catch him. Fast.
The Bat-Cave
Batman sat at his computer. His determination kept him from taking the suit off, even though it was 3 AM. If he could just find Cobblepot, he would have a link to catching the Joker.
He had found a record on Cobblepot. Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot. The FBI classified him as an arms-dealer, though he was never arrested and tried, let alone convicted.
He was a rich man, and like Bruce, he hadn't really worked for his money, he came into it, and kept it increasing. Batman inferred that this was by buying and selling the best weaponry. This was the guy who was supplying the Joker with his bombs and his guns, Batman was sure about it, but he didn't know how to catch him.
"Master Wayne," Alfred called, as he came up to him at his computer.
"Yeah Alfred?"
"This arrived for you while you were out, it's an invitation to the grand opening of the bird exhibit at Gotham's Museum of Natural History. Shall I dispose of it?"
"No, I think I'm gonna go to that, when is it?"
"Tomorrow sir. Actually, I suppose it would be today, considering that it's 3 in the morning,"
"Okay, could you RSVP for me please?"
"Absolutely sir,"
"Thanks Alfred,"
A bird exhibit was the place to find this Penguin guy, and Bruce Wayne was going to put a face to a name.
Joker's Hideout
Rachel was tied up in a room that was pitch-black. She couldn't help, but think that if she had taken a different route home, she wouldn't be in this mess. She resolved that if she survived, she would never take the subway again.
A door opened into her room, and two thugs in clown masks picked her up and carried her into a room with lights all around, like a television studio.
"Ms. Dawes, thank you for joining us," said a maniacal voice. She looked around to find the source, it didn't take long to spot him. The Joker. His make-up was on and, sure enough, there was a camera pointed at the area he and Rachel were standing in.
"I'm sorry we couldn't get you in sooner dear, but don't worry, you don't have any lines," He smiled, and his grin sent shivers down Rachel's spine with a magnitude she had never felt before, she would have spit on him, but the tie-up job was complete with a gag. "All you have to do, my dear, is lie on that desk and look terrified!" he cackled.
The thugs laid Rachel on his desk. She began squirming.
"Don't squirm too much dear," Joker warned. "If you fall off, I'd hate to have to clean up the blood!" He shrieked with more laughter.
She looked around the desk. Spikes, EVERYWHERE, she stayed absolutely still, eyes-wide, looking in the direction of the camera. Why was this happening to her?"
"Are we ready?" Joker asked the air in front of him.
"Yeah boss,"
"Then, here we go! LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!"
The Bat-Cave
Bruce had just taken off the Bat-suit, since he was just going to wait to catch Penguin until he met him later that day. He walked over to the television he had installed that was running CNN. He was about to turn it off when.
"Good evening once again Gothamites!" The Joker had interrupted television signals once again. "I saw the news this evening which means that I know you're still alive Batman!"
'Well there goes my edge,' Bruce thought.
"So Bat-brains, I have something to show you!" He stepped to the side, and Bruce saw his worst fear come to life. Rachel was tied up, at the hands of a lunatic. "Check, Batman! Your move,"
