"C'mon! What's the point of it all? I want to know! Why dress up? Hm?" Joker asked loudly as he swung at Batman with the heavy tool.

"Why do you feel that every soul you come in contact with must die?" Batman replied, the crowbar swinging over his head.

The Joker laughed as he continued to swing and Batman groaned in pain when the crowbar cracked against his back and he fell into the broken container. The clown took his switchblade and threw the crowbar down, jumping on Batman's back and putting the cold blade against his throat. Batman tried to throw him off but was too weak to get rid of him. Joker kicked him in the head three times and turned him around while stabbing his left arm twice.

"You call me a psychopath when you play dress up and hunt down Gotham's worst scum? What kind of mental issues must you have to make you think that was a good idea? Ha-ha! And really... what happened to you? Were you a homeless orphan? Mommy and Daddy die in a tragic car accident? Huh?" Joker asked as he continued to stab.

"It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that I'm going to stop you!" Batman replied finally, kicking the Joker off of him and running at him.

"You want to know why I kill everyone I meet?" Joker asked as he was kicked in the chest.

"It's because this whole world's one big garbage bag and I have taken the dirty job of cleaning it out. Yes, I have let innocents die but honestly... who's to be the judge on innocence? Especially in Gotham!"

"There is no authority. I've taken the place of a judge because this city deserves justice." Batman said as he approached the injured psychopath.

"Ah... justice this, justice that! That's really your excuse? You don't do this for justice! It's the same reason I didn't accomplish all this for money! We're drawn to a high calling that we aspired ourselves to. We made our own Bibles and laws to follow from and we think that's the proper thing to do in this day and age. But really, we're just a bunch of hypocrites, you and I. I dress up as a clown because I have a compulsion to kill and cause panic and you... you wear a bat costume because you need to hide from the reasons you hate yourself for. I know the truth, Bats. It's actually quite simple to see when you have the same mindset!" Joker chuckled, running up the catwalk staircase with Batman quickly behind him.

"Here we are! This is the spot where me and you made a decision that brought us to this moment. It was always going to end like this. It's funny how things work out."

"This was all planned. It's not a coincidence! There's no such thing as a destiny or fate. It's impossible!" Batman yelled, stopping as Joker pulled out a large double-barrel pistol and pointed it at his head.

"Oh no, Batman. You're wrong. I may have planned this but you and I were made for this moment right here. Tonight... you and I both will change the face of Gotham forever. We've crossed the point of no return. Me and you are stuck in this hell and we're never getting off this ride! Do... do you think I wanted to be like this? Huh? Do you think I wanted this life?" Joker said, his voice becoming normal for a moment as tears began to come from his eyes.

Batman stood up straight and looked deep into Joker's eyes. The real story was inside of them. His emotions were real. He was a man in despair. A sick man who couldn't control what he did. A true monster. But what made Batman better than him? Him and Joker were one and the same on an emotional level. Two men with bottled-up emotions and desires that went down different paths after a tragedy. The Batman and Joker were the same. Split right down the middle.

"No. No I don't. Just tell me. Why did you do all this? Batman asked, watching as the Joker was about to pull the trigger.

"I don't know! I can't control what's inside me. I keep hearing all of these voices and it's driving me crazy! He's telling me to do things, Batman. Like hurt people. And do other horrible things. I can't take it anymore. I don't... I don't even know why he wanted you here." Joker said with tears running down his eyes as he leaned against the catwalk railing.

"Who told you to bring me here?" Batman asked softly.

"The... man with the scars. He told me to look like him and that's why I have these on my face. I had a family, Batman. But he took them away from me! He made me kill them and run away. And then... he told me I was no longer Jack. That I was the Joker from now on. He said I needed to become him. So I did. I... I just..." Joker said, sounding like a normal and sad man while turning to Batman and putting the gun down.

"I just want it to end. I want him out of my head. He gets inside and tell me that I am not- shut up! You stupid piece of shit! He's the enemy here! Don't you see that- no! Get out! You've hurt people! I want you gone, you demon. You demon from hell- are you doing? Kill yourself? No. No. No. You've got longer to last. Prove that he will tear this city apart. You! You! You!"

Batman was in shock and slightly disturbed by the Joker's true psychosis that had just been revealed. He slowly approached the Joker as he fell to his knees in tears and tossed the gun off the catwalk. As it hit the ground, the Joker hung his head and began to cry uncontrollably, Batman able to hear the disturbing whispers that chimed through violently as he cried. Batman prepared a Taser in his right hand and walked up closely behind him.

"It's okay, Jack. We... we can get you help. We'll get that demon out of you, okay?" Batman said.

Suddenly, the Joker gave a twisted smile and slowly reached for a thick knife inside his jacket pocket. He could feel Batman coming closer and then, when the wind from his boot fluttered the back of his jacket, the Joker around and tried to stab Batman in the stomach. He was met with a Taser to the neck that paralyzed his whole body momentarily and drop the knife. He growled in anger as Batman stood above him and lifted him above by his bow tie that began to strangle him.

"Did you really think I was that dumb?" Batman growled, banging the Joker's head into the railing before making him stand up and punch him in the face.

"Wha-?" Joker began to reply before he was uppercutted and hit the railing again.

Batman picked him up and continuously kicked and punched on the catwalk, kicking him hard in the groin when the Joker could barely hang onto the railing of the staircase. Batman jumped up and kicked him in the shoulder, watching his half-limp body collide with the metal stairs as he tumbled the entire way down and landed hard on the tile floor, his face next to a piece of one of the dead men's skulls. Batman slid down the railing and landed on Joker's back, picking him up and holding him by his hair before hitting his face with his knee.

"After hearing your various origin stories... I learned the truth about you. You have no idea who you are. That acid bath changed your appearance but you've always been the same underneath. You have no truth to your name. You're a drifter and a thug without a story." Batman said as he picked up the dazed villain.

"Hey..." the Joker replied.

"If you're gonna have a story... why not make it multiple choice?"

Batman threw the Joker into the floor and circled him.

"But you are not a psychopath. You're too smart and in control to be anything else. You're a sociopath with a bloodlust like I've never seen before. A very unique specimen. You can give a hell of a performance and you know how to act crazy but you're not... are you?"

"Insanity is the emergency exit, my friend. You should know about that." Joker replied, spitting out a mouthful of black blood.

"What do you mean?" Batman growled, hearing that the gunshots outside had stopped.

"With insanity... you never have to worry. I... I wish I truly was insane. Life would be bliss and wonderful. Just go through my days thinking everything in life was a carnival ride that I rode for free. The only difference is... this ride never ends. But no, even the sanest of men can lose their sense of what's rational if their day's been bad enough. That's the big question I've had for you, Batman. What was your bad day? Hm?" Joker asked as he chuckled slightly.

"You'll never know. And you'll never get away with this." Batman replied.

"Are you sure? What if I'm so lost that I'm convinced I'm normal? Hm? Am I really aware of everything or did that bump on the head change it all? Do I really know who I am or do I just play along to keep everyone on their toes? That... my dearly departed bat... is the question that you'll never know." Joker said with a smile as the doors to the chemical plant were barged open and Detectives Gordon and Bullock sent their men all over while they ran straight through.

Gordon shoved himself through the vapors room and saw the Joker lying on the ground, beaten and bloody yet laughing as if he'd heard a joke. Beside him was Batman's tracker. Gordon put his gun down and Bullock quickly handcuffed the Joker and read him his rights.

What the hell happened here? Where's the Batman? And why is he still alive?