Attack of the Clowns!
In the hideout, Logan had invited Red Robin and Bluebird over to help him with the scrap pile. They had discovered that Lex used his own motherboard design to combine the different technologies instead of one of the different planets'. Tim and Harper looked at him in a curious manner, figuring he found something…well, Tim was. Bluebird was looking on the monitors for a closer look at the circuitry as well as trouble in the city. So far, there was none of the latter, but a news broadcast was on one of the screen. She knew which channel it was on since Bruce had her and Tim watching it to keep up with current events. She looked at the clock and shook her head, knowing that a certain critic was about to do his usual rant against the Justice League. "Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to another episode of The Godfrey Globe," said a host, catching the guys' attention. "I'm your host: G. Gordon Godfrey."
"Oh not this guy," Logan complained. He has a major dislike for political news, mostly showing favor to the weather, but Godfrey took the cake since he has shown major criticism against the Justice League, even though the Assassin wasn't part of it.
"Today, we're here to talk about one of the Justice League's most unexpected members. This has come to a head since a TV studio has decided that Logan Washburn, St. Louis' vigilante and staunch member of the Assassin's Guild, needed an archenemy to boost their ratings."
"Oh come on, you jerk! Logan's not even in the League because of his killing record!" Bluebird exclaimed.
"This, folks, is what these Leaguers care about: their image. I said it before and I'll say it again. Image is all that matters to them. As long as they can cash in on their image, they feel that they can do what they want. Well it looks like the young Assassin has decided to do the same. It's sad to see how many saps have lined up to be an archvillain to a man whose killing record has stained the Justice League's so-called 'no-kill rule'. I bet they do that in secret and have him set it all up. Even the Batman must be cashing in on this."
"This guy is a real pain," said Red Robin.
"He's making this baseless crap up to get on our nerves, Tim. And it's sad to say this, but it's working. Unfortunately, Godfrey's entitled to his own opinion. My question is what's Batman going to do about it, especially since this is the first time that blowhard in a business suit called him out as well?"
"…oh, and it looks like the results are in for the new supervillain that will be Logan's archnemesis. And the result is…oh dear. Ladies and Gentleman, if you have coulrophobia, you might want to stay indoors. The selected supervillain is Captain Clown, a man who possesses similarities to the Joker and Firefly. Armed with tricks inside of his clown suit, he has a tendency to burn everything in his destructive path. You people need to wake up! This insanity is why Logan Washburn doesn't need an archenemy! They'd only cause destruction everywhere they go! It's madness, I tell you!"
Bluebird switched off the TV, still ticked that Godfrey was bashing Logan, even though he wasn't in the Justice League. "That guy is really ticking me off! He sees you helping other heroes and he automatically thinks you're in the Justice League!" she exclaimed, mainly to the Assassin.
"Take it easy, Harper. Nothing Godfrey says will affect me one way or the other. Still, I do agree with him on one thing," he said, getting looks of confusion from the two Bat Family members. "With this business with Lex Luthor going on, the last thing I need is an archenemy, especially a clown who likes to play with fire."
"So what are you going to do now?" Red Robin asked.
"I'm going to step outside for a bit. Care to join me, guys?"
When they got outside, the three vigilantes were looking around for any sign of Captain Clown. This was to make sure they caught him off guard so he doesn't hurt very many citizens. Logan knew that there were a few that could get hurt, so he wanted to minimize the casualties as much as possible. He may be an Assassin, but it's not like he enjoys it. Sadly, since he was drafted on account of his dad (much like Conner, Ezio, and Altair), he didn't have much of a choice. Still, he took the opportunities the Guild gave him to protect his friends and loved ones like any vigilante. It really disappointed him that Godfrey would try and turn the world against him and the League.
Red Robin saw something, so he zoomed in and activated the Detective Vision built into his domino mask. He saw a figure that looked like he was juggling something. He switched the Detective Vision off and saw a slim man wearing an evil clown mask juggling torches. He wore a captain's hat and a jumpsuit that had four different patterns. On his upper-left, he had a blue-and-orange striped pattern; his upper-right was red with white polka dots; his lower-right had a candy cane pattern; and his lower-left had polka dots that were white with a blue background. "Logan, I think I found your new clown," said Red Robin.
Logan and Bluebird looked and saw the same thing. "Huh," Logan said. "He looked much scarier on TV. Still, if he throws those torches, we're going to have one big barbecue. That is definitely something we don't need."
"I'm already on it." Red Robin threw a birdarang, which hit a fire hydrant that was near Captain Clown. The birdarang had a mini-bomb on it, which exploded and caused water to hit the pyromaniac, putting out his torches in the process. He looked and saw the trio jump down to surround him.
He took a look at them and laughed, which turned out to be more menacing than the Joker's. "You three don't look very impressive, not even you, Assassin!" he exclaimed. "Still, if you come to watch my fireworks show, you guys have earned yourselves some front-row seats!" The maniac jumped up and sent bombs flying towards all three of them. Red Robin threw a birdarang while Logan sent a Trick Knife at his bomb. Bluebird couldn't draw her gun fast enough, so she got sent back by the shockwave. As Captain Clown was about to plant his foot on her, Logan grabbed him with the chain blade and drug the clown towards him. This was followed up by Logan flipping and slamming Captain Clown to the ground. "Oh, now you're making me a very sad clown."
He reached into his sleeve and, against the laws of physics, pulled out a very large flaming hammer. By this point, Bluebird had already recovered and was prepared to dodge the hits. Logan gave her and Red Robin each a smoke pellet to throw on the ground. As Captain Clown was about to hit the area between them, they threw their smoke bombs down and disappeared. He was getting frustrated, but put on a smile—not that anyone could tell on account of the mask. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, children. Captain Clown just wants to play."
As soon as he got over a manhole cover, Logan saw his chance. "Shoryuken!" he shouted. The uppercut sent Captain Clown a little into the air along with the lid, giving the Assassin enough time to get out of the tunnel wearing his Titanium knuckles. Bluebird and Red Robin were on the rooftops with a string stretched in the landing zone. The clown saw this and pressed a button on his suit. "Oh great, it's the Trickster all over again!" Logan exclaimed, remembering his team-up with the Arrow Team from an alternate dimension.
Captain Clown did his maniacal laugh again. "I guess it's true what they say: Some folks are just filled with hot air!" Logan, Bluebird, and Red Robin were mad since the plan didn't work. However, they also knew to try and come up with a different plan. Time wasn't on their side since Captain Clown was by far deadlier than the Trickster.
Suddenly, they heard a familiar laugh, so they looked at the rooftops and saw a man with bleached skin, wild green hair, and red lips. He wore his iconic purple and green suit and a perpetual smile. Even a complete idiot would know that this was the Joker, the Bat Family's most frequent foe, especially Batman and Nightwing's. "Tell me, kids. How did you like my latest discovery?" he asked. "You know, I found him at a comedy club. A real laugh, that one is."
"Joker. No, we don't like him. It's a wonder he doesn't have tomato stains on his suit," Bluebird joked, getting a smirk from the psychotic clown.
"Well, now that you mention it, he wasn't the most popular comedian out there. I should know. I've been there before."
"Was this before or after your little bath?"
"Oh who remembers, bird boy? Hey, stop me if you've heard this song before: Jingle Bells, Batman smells. Robin laid an egg," Joker began before being attacked by an enraged Red Robin.
"He must really hate that song," said Bluebird.
"Considering he's the third Robin and Nightwing was the original, yeah. He hates it," Logan said. "You help him deal with Joker. I'll have to put in a special call to the Watchtower."
Bluebird nodded and joined Red Robin in chasing Joker down. She took out her smaller gun since it was better for these types of chases. She fired at Joker to throw him off balance, but he kept making her miss, ticking her off. Red Robin had the same results, which cost him a few birdarangs. Joker, in response, pulled out a bottle of acid and squirted it at the two of them. The Clown Prince of Crime was increasing the gap between him and the heroes, but they weren't about to give up so easily.
Red Robin touched the bird symbol on his chest and activated his jet pack while picking up Bluebird by the hand. The two of them caught up to the Joker and Bluebird fired a couple of shots to divert him. She was behind him while Red Robin was in front of him. "Oh come on. I had just escaped Harley's wrath and Batman's grip. I think I could use a day without dealing with his pet bird brains. And without the original Robin, things are a whole lot easier," he said.
"For once in your life, just shut up!" Red Robin exclaimed.
"Now why is it that the even-numbered Robins always have the worst luck? I killed the second one while the fourth one's clone killed him. Lucky for the former, he was resurrected by that al Ghul fellow." He saw that Bluebird was confused, but Red Robin was even more ticked now than he was before. He charged at the psychotic clown with his electrified Bo staff, but Joker got him with Joker Gas from the flower on his lapel. Bluebird fired a couple of shots at the villain, but only one hit him on the arm before he got away.
She went to check on Tim, who was about to have a laughing fit. She got on the comlink to call Logan in order to report the bad news. "Logan, I'm afraid we have a problem," she said.
"What is it, Bluebird?"
"Joker got away, but not without giving Red Robin his own version of the chuckles. He's out of commission."
"Don't worry. I just called in Superboy and the Watchtower's going to bring in a special ex-member of the Suicide Squad, much to her reluctance. Take Red Robin back to the hideout and meet us in the alleyway near 30th Street."
After a while, Bluebird put Red Robin in bed and used an anesthetic to get him to stop laughing. She met Logan in the alley where he said and saw a black-haired teenager wearing a black shirt with an 'S' shield logo, blue jeans, and a pair of brown boots. They were also joined by a pale-skinned girl who wore a black-and-red look consisting of a corset, a pair of short shorts, and boots. She even had her hair red on the right side and black on the left. "Do you mind telling me what's going on? Why's the Joker's girlfriend here?" Bluebird asked.
"Ex-girlfriend," Logan corrected. "We had them put Harley Quinn's sentence on suspension until we get Joker and Captain Clown in the pin. J'onn and I took a risk regarding her psyche due to her wanting revenge on the Joker for years of abuse. As for Superboy, I think it's pretty obvious since Captain Clown's a pyromaniac."
"Pretend it's not."
"Kon-El's physiology—or at least, the Kryptonian side—is resistant to fire, similar to the jackets we're wearing. He'll be able to endure the fire that Captain Clown dishes out."
"But who's going to make sure Harley doesn't double-cross us or kill the Joker?"
"We'll have to work that one out," Superboy said before leaning in to Bluebird's ear. "I will tell you this, though: she tried to kiss Logan on the cheek. I think she was trying to flirt with him." Bluebird was shocked at the revelation. She didn't know why, but either she felt jealous of Harley or protective of the Assassin. Either way, she shot the ex-psychiatrist a glare.
"Since Captain Clown and the Joker are here, I know a good place to check out," said Harley.
"Where at?"
"Well Joker did enjoy the carnival. And if I recall right, the circus is in town."
They had a look around the circus, but they weren't exactly going at the fastest pace, mainly due to kids and fan-girls admiring Logan and Superboy. While they were cute, Conner was dating Miss Martian again while Logan had Cammy and Chun-Li. The ones who didn't know Conner were admiring his shirt while the ones that did were either taking a selfie with him and/or Logan or asking for their autographs. Bluebird's fear at the moment was also Harley's frustration. Luckily, Superboy rectified that by grabbing on to Logan and jumping out of the crowd and to the big top. "Now that's one way to get out of the dog pile," said Harley.
Bluebird hummed in agreement before going with her to catch up to the boys. As soon as the four of them were regrouped, they went inside the tent to take care of the clowns. They had a look around, but couldn't find them. Logan resorted to kicking in his Spirit Sense to find them. The end result was a shock. "Joker's above us! Move!" he announced. Everyone moved out of the way and saw Joker on a pogo stick with a knife where the base was supposed to be. "Oh great, now you've got a killer pogo stick."
"Now who says that we're too old to play kid's games?" said the clown before he went after the Assassin. Logan was about to prepare another 'Shoryuken', but the Joker got knocked off his pogo stick with an oversized mallet. He looked and saw his third worst nightmare behind Nightwing and Batman. "H-Harley? What are you doing here? Still can't get enough of your old Mister J? And to think, I got you some flowers." They saw that he had flowers in his hand, but Harley knew Joker all-too-well.
"I don't want any of your flowers, Joker! What I want is to see you suffer for making me into this!" This concerned the others, but Logan and Conner knew that Harley would live up to her end of the deal. "You will pay for all those years you've used me, left me to the cops, and for every cake and pie you shoved in my face! You may think that I don't have any friends, but I do. There are people who care about me. There's Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Logan, and even Bats. But you, you never cared! I should've never met you!"
At the mention of Logan and Batman's names, Joker grew frustrated. Harley tried to flatten him with the hammer, but this time, Joker backhanded her to the shock of the three heroes. "I can't believe that they tried to get me to face my old punching bag." He grabbed her by the hair and took a knife out. "Now, let's put a smile back on your face."
"Do your worst." Joker smiled, but before he could do anything, Bluebird shot his hand while Logan Flash Stepped and clotheslined him. Before the Clown Prince of Crime could touch him, the Assassin did a backflip, which was followed by Harley sending him to the strength tester. While he was recovering, she jumped and brought her hammer down on the machine, sending Joker up to ring the bell with his head. Once he was knocked out, Harley took deep breaths to calm herself down. "You should be happy I'm not going to kill you, you psychopath!"
Logan placed a hand on her shoulder in concern. "Are you okay, Harley?" he asked.
"He has caused me many years of abuse and it snapped months ago. So to answer your question…yeah, I'm much better," she answered before hugging him. He was shocked, but he eventually hugged her back in comfort. Suddenly, she felt him tense up. "What's wrong? Is your girlfriend here?"
"No. It's Captain Clown. This is where you come in, Superboy."
"You got it," said Conner.
"Aw, and I was hoping to surprise you!" said the pyromaniac. They looked and saw that he was standing on what looked like a junk pile. "Still, I've got a little present for all four of you! What happened to Red Robin? Did he fly the coop? Maybe Batman should've given him the name 'Chicken'!" Since Red Robin was like a brother to the three heroes (Logan through Nightwing), they charged at Captain Clown, only to be sent back by the flames that emerged from the junk pile, most notably from a large metal sphere. They looked and saw the scrap pile begin to take form.
What Captain Clown stood on now was a machine that was in the shape of a clown's body. It had a white torso and arms, red legs, and blue shoulders. The torso was where the flames were coming from. On the top was where Captain Clown stood. "That is one big bozo-bot," said Logan. Conner agreed with him on that while Harley and Bluebird were still shocked. The robot walked past them, nearly crushing them as he left them behind, Joker included. "Superboy, are you ready to dead-leg this thing?"
"You better believe it." The cops came to retrieve Joker as the three heroes and Harley went after the robot. "Harley, I'm going to need your hammer!" Superboy exclaimed. Harley didn't understand why, but complied anyways. After grabbing the hammer, Superboy did a long jump and smashed the hammer behind the robot's kneecap, sending its knee away and causing it to lose balance. Bluebird followed up by firing a missile from her big gun at the other leg, destroying the kneecap on that. Superboy gave Harley back the hammer, jumped up, and knocked the robot face-down.
Captain Clown got knocked off and was pretty ticked about it. He took out a portable Gatling Gun and fired burning 'BANG!' flags at the three of them, not even noticing Logan. The Assassin tried to do a takedown, but Captain Clown managed to get out of his grip. The villain tried to punch him, but he grabbed his fist and twisted his arm. This was followed by a knee to the stomach and a push down to the ground. Captain Clown was faking being out cold, however, as he grabbed Logan's ankle and tripped him up.
The new clown took out his giant burning hammer and was about to hit his foe until he felt something hit his foot. It turned out to be the heel on Logan's boot. The vigilante pushed up with one arm and kicked Captain Clown in the chin. Before he landed, Logan followed that up with a series of attacks in quick succession. Eventually, Captain Clown was beaten.
After Captain Clown and the Joker were arrested and Harley turned herself back in as part of the agreement, Logan, Bluebird, and Superboy went back to the hideout to check on Red Robin. They saw that he was fully awake and at the scrap pile of Luthor's robots. "How are you feeling, Tim?" Conner asked.
"Welcome back, guys. I'm feeling much better. What happened to Captain Clown and the Joker?"
"We caught them with a bit of help from Harley Quinn," Bluebird answered, getting a chuckle from Red Robin.
"Dick's favorite villainess," he said.
"What did you think about Captain Clown, Logan?" asked Conner.
"I know I originally said I didn't need an archenemy and I still hold on to that philosophy. However, if he breaks out of jail, then Captain Clown is a fun one to face. I need to let loose every once in a while."
"You're also going to have to take him seriously like we do the Joker," said Bluebird. "I know you don't underestimate your opponents. This should apply to Captain Clown as well." Even with the domino mask on, Logan saw the concern in her eyes.
"Okay, Harper. I'll be careful from now on," he said after a bit. "But now, we have to get back to the scrap pile and see what Tim found. Maybe it'll help us beat Luthor."
"After I calmed down from that laughing fit that the Joker put me in, I managed to find these among the robots," Red Robin said, getting Logan, Bluebird, and Superboy to join him. They saw five circuit boards with the same design and logo on them. "Instead of combining the circuits on different motherboards, Luthor managed to get these robots up and running with some of his own design. That's how they were able to stay running."
"Then all we need to do is send a virus to LexCorp's networks and disable the robots. Normally, I'd want to take it down from the inside out, but I don't want the Atom or the rest of the League to get in trouble, especially since Lex doesn't pay much mind to the Covert Ops Team or the Assassin's Guild."
"I'll go tell Superman and the rest of the League. That includes the Team," said Superboy.
"And we'll tell Batman. Logan, you need to keep below the radar as much as you can if you don't want Godfrey to slam you again."
"You got slammed by Godfrey?"
"He slammed me and Batman, Conner," said Logan. "He even accused me of being in the League itself instead of just assisting them."
"Sounds like I better let the League know about that too. Green Arrow, Flash, Hal, and John aren't going to like it, though."
"I'll live."
CHAPTER 10 END
Okay, so now, I have brought in Logan's new archenemy Captain Clown, as well as the Joker and Harley Quinn for the villains and Superboy for the heroes. The next chapter is a Nathaniel chapter with two more heroes and another villain I have yet to bring in. Also, for anyone wanting Dick Grayson to return or have Logan or Cloak team up with Batman or Batgirl, I'll get to that later. Since this is like a New 52 version of Batman: The Brave and The Bold with the OCs being the main focus as opposed to Batman, Batgirl has a higher chance of teaming up with one of them than the Dark Knight does. The same goes with Superman and Wonder Woman.