Red Hood stood several blocks away from the Joker's funhouse. The Joker distinctly said he wanted Batman to come alone, and he didn't say what would happen if his instructions weren't followed. Knowing the Joker, he'd probably blow up every maternity ward in Gotham, or something along those lines.

"I've seen Bruce when he's angry… this is a hell of a lot worse."

Red Hood needed to get to the Joker before Batman. He had thought he could take him out from a distance, he certainly had the firepower to do so. Unfortunately, a quick drone sweep revealed that something was hiding any heat signatures within the building, and the Joker wasn't so stupid that he'd step in front of a window.

"And we still don't know where the hell Quinn is."

Dick and Kory had been moved to another location. Batman was presently going through the Joker's little nut-house. For the moment, all the Red Hood could do was wait for his opportunity.

As Batman made his way through the Joker's funhouse, he saw even more decomposing bodies lying about. This, combined with the painkiller he had taken, made him forget about his fight with Deathstroke. He was going to end this insanity if it was the last thing he did.

"You know, Bats, I've been talking with Scarecrow, and we both agree that you're just as crazy as the rest of us!" said the Joker over the PA. "We break out, cause a little chaos here and there, you always send us back to the godforsaken asylum, and the cycle repeats. You keep doing the exact same thing over and over again but expect a different result each time! According to Albert Einstein, that's the definition of insanity! Doesn't it ever get boring? Repetition is one of the things you absolutely need to avoid if you want to make people laugh! Now me, I do something different each time I break out. I poison the Gotham reservoir, I skin a man alive, I beat your little bird brat within an inch of his life and blow him to kingdom come, I shoot Gordon's daughter in the spine, trying to get Bird Brat number one and his intended to kill each other, what will I think of next?!"

"There won't be a next time…"

Batman was so angry, he didn't realize that he wasn't alone. As he made his way through the maze of hallways to a large staircase, something leapt down from the upper floor and stabbed him in the neck.

"AH!"

Batman threw the person off, and it turned out to be Scarecrow. He had stabbed Batman with the syringes that he wore like claws on his hand.

"A concentrated dose, more potent than anything I've ever made before, injected directly into your bloodstream. In a few minutes, you'll die screaming!"

Scarecrow leapt back up the stairs, and Batman followed after him, ignoring the sharp burning pain in his neck.

"I've been doing some research on you little bat… and I've noticed that you always prioritize saving the innocents over catching one of us. Why is that? Is it because at some point… there was someone that you FAILED to save?"

Batman reached the top of the stairs and found himself back in Crime Alley. It was exactly how he remembered it, right down to the smallest shadow and the faintest aroma. He saw his younger self and his parents come out of the theater and go down the alley.

"NO! DON'T GO IN THERE!"

All of Batman's muscles seemed to go numb. He fell to the ground and watched helplessly as his parents were gunned down in front of him again.

BANG! BANG!

Batman had promised his parents that he would rid Gotham City of the evil that had taken their lives; but despite his best efforts, it seemed like things only ever got worse.

"You can't save them all Batman," said Scarecrow. "Not even Superman can be everywhere at once, and you're just a mortal man in a cape. YOU WILL ALWAYS FAIL!"

Batman blinked his eyes and found himself at Haly's Circus, the fateful night when Dick lost his parents.

"NO!"

Batman watched helplessly as the trapeze rope broke, causing John and Mary Grayson to fall to their deaths. He saw young Dick crying on the ground in front of them, a perfect reflection of Batman himself. Despite Batman's best efforts, there were always people like his parent's killer. He made damn sure that Tony Zucco was brought to justice, but it didn't bring back Dick's parents.

"How many times have you failed over the years Batman?" asked Scarecrow mockingly. "How many people has the Joker killed? You always return him and the rest of us to Arkham, but we ALWAYS escape. Have you ever stopped and thought about how much blood is on your hands?"

Batman made it his business to know every single one of the Joker's victims. Every one of them had lives, hopes, and dreams; only to be cut short by the Joker's love for chaos, and he thought it was funny.

"HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Batman saw the Joker shooting Barbara, he saw him savagely beating Jason with a crowbar and then leaving him to die in an explosion, he saw the Joker shooting Sarah Essen-Gordon in the head. Finally, he saw Dick and Kory fighting each other, each believing that the other was the Joker. Eventually, Kory got the upper hand, beat Dick, and then blasted him with a starbolt. When Kory realized what had happened, she screamed even louder than Batman remembered.

"This is all your fault!" she said, turning to face him. "Why didn't you stop him?! Instead of ending that monster's reign of terror, you just kept returning him to the madhouse so he could break out and do it again!"

Kory was joined by Bruce's parents.

"You should've stopped him son… like a man!"

"Bruce, how could you let all those poor people die?"

Batman saw all the other countless people that the Joker had killed with no regard.

"Why didn't you save me, Batman?"

"You could've stopped him!"

"You're the reason I'm dead!"

"Does it hurt little bat?" asked Scarecrow. "Does it make your blood run cold to realize just how powerless you are? How many more people are you going to fail?"

Batman rose to his feet and screamed. Before the Scarecrow could move, Batman rushed over, grabbed him by the throat, and hoisted him off the ground.

"This is impossible! You've been injected with enough toxins to kill an elephant!"

Batman threw Scarecrow into a wall and proceeded to savagely beat him. The whole room was filled with the sounds of bones being either snapped or crushed. Scarecrow begged for him to stop, but Batman didn't stop until he was satisfied.

"You're just lucky that I'm after the Joker, not you…"

All of Gotham just witnessed Batman's brutality, but he didn't care.

"Guys… I'm scared," said Beast Boy.