Now that Dwight was busy getting ready to bring Jerome back to life, J had to make sure he knew what progress had been made. J had Jongleur and his friends pose as Jerome fans. They didn't really have to pose. They were already fans. But they were loyal to J first and foremost, not Dwight. Jongleur helped rally the fans together a bit to help Dwight keep order. Dwight was not the most creative guy and so he needed a little help in motivating them all. Dwight was grateful to Red Hood for helping find equipment he would need. If he hadn't had the help, he probably would've had to cobble it all together himself. And that would've made the process a whole lot more unstable. J found it amusing that over time, Dwight turned the Jerome fans into a cult of a sort. Whatever worked he supposed.
J learned that Alice Tetch did die and Jervis blamed it all on James Gordon. So that was an entertaining bunch of news programs. Jervis made James squirm. He made it very personal. J had to hand it to him, it was effective. Jervis infected the fiancé of Gordon's ex and Gordon shot the man on their wedding night. J found it to be a masterful scheme. Jervis planned it so Gordon's ex would hate him. And it worked.
Several other things were happening in the city. But J barely paid attention. He heard that Oswald and Edward were having issues but he didn't really know the details since he barely spent time with Oswald, he was so busy with Dwight and the Jerome fans. He was determined to see his brother again. Nothing would stand in his way.
Around the same time the Jerome fans got everything nearly ready to bring back Jerome, something odd started happening in the city. Something that no one could understand. Well, no one but J could understand. People were appearing in the city, claiming that it looked very different from the city they were used to. Like they were from another world. It would seem as if another world was touching the one he was in again. And J had a sinking feeling it was the one he had escaped from. Joker was coming. He wouldn't pass up the chance to see if he could find his lost protege. J needed to prepare. What an inopportune time for him to have to prepare. He was busy!
J heard rumors. Rumors that a dark figure was in the city. He seemed to be looking for someone or something. But it was probably someone. Because the dark figure was clearly Batman. And if he had gone to the trouble of going to a completely different world, then chances were good that he had followed Joker through and was now searching for him. J kept his lackeys on high alert...and also warned the Cult of Jerome to keep an eye out for danger. From two different places. Joker could try and mess with them, perhaps thinking that Jerome was his lost protege. Or Batman could decide to help the cops out while he was there. J assumed that Batman had at least contacted Detective Gordon. Since the other world's version of Gordon had always seemed closer to Batman than any of the other cops, Batman knew he could trust the man. That didn't bode well for the cult if Batman decided to help the cops. They needed to make sure the cops wouldn't find out until Jerome was already back.
Dwight was ready to bring back Jerome. His loyal little cult members had just helped him take Jerome from the storage facility. He was in a great mood as he started thawing Jerome out. He was so focused on it that he again jumped a mile when Red Hood appeared. The man was staring at Jerome's body silently. Dwight wondered what the man was thinking about. He couldn't exactly see the man's face.
"Are you going to stay to see him return? You helped a great deal so it's only fair." Dwight asked. "It shouldn't be long now until he's at the right temperature. And then we can bring him back."
"I don't think it would be prudent for me to be here right when he wakes up. I need to catch him at his best. It's a long story. Jerome and I have a lot to discuss and I prefer it not be done during his welcome back party. This is about him, not me. I don't want to spoil his fun with what I know will be a difficult conversation." Red Hood said. "But I have confidence in you. Don't let us all down. The cops still seem to have no idea so that's in our favor."
J had tried to keep the cops off the cult's scent. Because he knew if they knew at all, Batman would probably help them stop the cult. But he also knew that he didn't seem to be the only one helping keep the cult's work a secret from Batman. It would seem, according to Jongleur, that Joker might be trying to keep Batman distracted and away from whatever the cult might be doing. J now knew for certain that Joker thought Jerome was his protégé. Because he had no idea there were two identical Valeskas. And he was still trying to see that the world had a Joker someday. J tried to view all that in a positive light but it was hard. He hated the man. But he was an effective distraction he had to admit. The fact that Detective Gordon seemed to have Zsasz after him, helped too. It would seem that Carmine Falcone did take his son's death personally. And Zsasz was always willing to help out his old boss.
"I already succeeded when I tested it on that girl. She came back to life and is still doing well as far as I know. We let her go home after keeping her for a few days to see if she stayed alive. Your suggestions have helped a great deal. If it worked on her it should work on Jerome." Dwight said. "Don't worry. We'll all get to see him alive soon. We'll have him back."
"I'm not worried. I'm looking forward to his big reintroduction. When he's back, tell him I'll be in touch." Red Hood said before leaving. Dwight stared after him with a confused look. He still didn't know what to think of the Red Hood. Who was the guy? And why did he care about Jerome so much? The guy seemed far too polite and well put together to be a Jerome fan. Dwight shook himself out of his worries and got back to work.
J had been eagerly waiting for when his brother would take over the news studio. He was sitting and watching the news, staring at the screen intently. Ecco and a few lackeys were sitting there watching as well. Jongleur and his friends were out with the cult so they couldn't be there. Soon the news programming cut out and then a figure was sitting there ready to address the crowd. ...But it wasn't Jerome. J sat there completely still as he watched Dwight spout his bullshit at the camera while wearing Jerome's face. Ecco and his lackeys were staring at J nervously. They could tell when their boss was about to lose it and never wanted to be in the room when it happened but didn't dare draw attention to themselves by trying to walk away. He just sat there completely still as he watched Gordon tackle Dwight and the news cut out.
"Mr. J?" Ecco asked nervously. "Are you alright?"
J looked over at her and his eyes held dangerous levels of rage but outwardly he still seemed calm. That was almost worse than an outburst. "Dwight is going to die." He said calmly yet coldly. "I think first though, I'll give him the same look he gave my brother's corpse. Yes. I think that will be satisfying and justified after he defiled Jerome's corpse instead of bringing him back to me. Ecco, contact Jongleur and inform him to detain Dwight as soon as possible."
"Sure thing, boss." Ecco said. J walked out of the room without another word.
A few hours later Ecco rushed into J's room where he was sitting in the dark brooding. "Boss. You need to see this. Come quick."
"What is it? I'm not interested. Leave me alone." J snapped at her dangerously.
"It's Jerome! He's alive!" Ecco said.
J looked up at her with wide eyes. He got up quickly and followed her into the common area where the tv was currently showing a very familiar, if a bit mangled, face. Jerome was talking to Gotham. J stared at the screen as Jerome lit a fuse and then walked out of view of the camera. Dwight was in the middle of the room surrounded by explosives that Jerome had just lit the fuse of. And then the feed cut out as the building that was shown went boom. And right after, the lights all around the city started going out, plunging the city into darkness. It was beautiful, J thought. Jerome had obviously blown up a major power plant. He was so proud of his brother. This would truly plunge Gotham into chaos.
"Jerome…" J said all choked up. He didn't care about the black out. He had his own generator in his lair. He liked to be prepared. Seeing his brother again was all that was on his mind. "Welcome back, brother. I'll be seeing you soon."
Once Jongleur got back to J as to where Jerome had decided to have his big welcome back party, J headed to the local carnival that Jerome's fans took over for Jerome. J wore a mask but not the Red Hood mask. He tried to blend in with the rabble. Let his brother have his big night of chaos and darkness. He deserved it. This was all about him and J didn't want to disturb that. So he watched from the sidelines and enjoyed the show. Jerome had gotten ahold of Bruce Wayne and was toying with him. J was sitting in the audience as Jerome had tied Bruce up with the intention of blowing him up with a cannon, when he noticed that another of the people in the audience might not belong as well. He didn't look like a normal Jerome fan. He was dressed almost too normal. And the clown mask the guy was wearing was too derivative to be a coincidence. He couldn't stop staring at the man that was obviously Joker. He knew why Joker was there. He was there because he wanted to see what he thought was his protege in action. And J thought that Jerome probably didn't disappoint despite not actually being his protege. Jerome was every bit the chaotic nihilist that Joker could really be proud of. J had to make sure that Joker was not allowed to talk to Jerome. Or get near him. If he learned the truth, then Joker could use it against J. An emotional connection was a weakness.
While J was trying to figure out how to get Joker out of there without any interaction between Jerome when Batman swooped in and tackled Jerome. At the same time, the GCPD and Gordon showed up. Jerome fans scattered. J got up and kept his eyes on who he thought was Joker. He quickly contacted Ecco and had her pull the van around.
J grabbed Jongleur as he tried to run past. "Jongleur, see that guy in the mask? Make sure he's seen safely to the van would you? You can rough him up to get him there if you want to. But take a few of you to do it. He's clever. Cut off his vision in some way. It will disorient him and get him overpowered easier."
"Sure thing, boss." Jongleur said, before he ran off to go find the others.
Joker POV
When Joker heard the rumors of people coming to Gotham from another world he became very interested. That's what Little J had told him when they met. That he was from another world. And now it was happening again. There was a place nearby where his world touched another world! And from what one of the displaced people described of their world, at least what he'd managed to torture out of the person he captured, it was a world very similar to what Little J had described. Little J. His younger parallel self. He was out there and he had no doubt he had found a way back home. He missed the little tike. Though he wouldn't be so little anymore, would he? Maybe he should pay him a visit. See how his lessons stuck. He hoped JJ hadn't disappointed him. Yeah. He thought he'd head over there and have a little visit. And maybe give his Little J a hand.
Joker searched the city relentlessly for where the two worlds touched. He was determined to find it. When he set his mind to something, he saw it through. He was getting so frustrated when he got a lucky break. He had gotten bored by that time and decided to go bug the Bat and there Batman was investigating the portal between worlds. Trust the Bat to sniff out exactly what Joker wanted. He hadn't even planned it that way. It was just a pleasant surprise. So he was in a pretty good mood at the time and was a little easier on Batman during their fight than he would've been normally. Batman was knocked out but not for long and so Joker had to deal with Batman following him through the portal. Joker didn't even care. Lets see how much chaos they both could create by being in a world they both didn't belong in. He laughed maniacally as he fell through the portal and ran through the alleyway. He managed to elude Batman though. He considered that a win. He made his way to a dingy bathroom and put on the makeup he brought with him to hide his face and changed into some boring and normal looking clothes. He could blend in if he wanted to. He knew how. He would often do so to piss Batman off so Batso was driven up the wall having a hard time finding him. Joker was supposed to stand out so it was always a hoot to surprise Batman by being unpredictable. He slid back out into the city and blended in rather well. No one noticed him when he looked like that. When he looked normal he didn't look remarkable. So no one paid attention. Really one of the whole reasons he became what he became. He wanted people to notice him. And after he looked different, what was the point of being normal? He wondered how his young parallel had dealt with his own unique look. Did he hide it? Or did he embrace it? As he walked through the city he walked past some graffiti that stopped him dead in his tracks. It was a grinning face with the teeth as red "ha"s. It was so like a Joker grin that it couldn't be anything else. As he walked, he kept seeing it all over in graffiti. It was a popular symbol. It intrigued him. Had his Little J embraced his destiny? He couldn't wait to find out.
Joker discreetly asked around and found out that there was a former mental patient named Jerome Valeska who was becoming rather popular as of late. The young man had vivid red hair just like his Little J used to. And when Joker saw a photo, he was overjoyed. It was Little J! He'd recognize that face anywhere. He was grinning at the camera with a deranged look that made Joker feel proud of the kid. But there was something off about the photo. Why did Jerome's face look so normal? Like he hadn't gotten chemical burned. He supposed it was fixable in some cases. But likely an expensive operation. And not likely to be something Little J's parents could afford if it was true they were circus performers. Maybe they had a rich friend? Who knows. But that was his protege's face, no doubt. It was unmistakable.
"Where is this guy now? This Jerome guy?" Joker asked someone as he was trying to get to the newspaper article that talked about his JJ.
"Are you kidding? You don't know? You must not be from around here. He's dead. Theo Galavan stabbed him in the throat." said the newspaper seller. "But it's so odd. People are talking about some gang of weirdos that seem to love him. They sound like some sort of cult. I have no idea how wacko you have to be to idolize Jerome Valeska, Gotham's most dangerous psycho. He shot up the GCPD. Totally massacred the place. And these people act like he's psycho Jesus."
"Psycho Jesus? Really?" Joker asked, impressed. He felt awful that JJ was dead. Before he even really got started as Joker. But he may have started something that lasted well after his death and at least the world would have that. Bravo, Little J, Joker thought to himself as he stared at some of the graffiti. He figured he might as well help the cult along a bit in achieving their goals as a gift to his dearly departed protégé. And then he would go home and mourn all the lost potential. He hoped that JJ's fanclub didn't bungle up his Little J's legacy. He would have to come back in a few years if he could and see how they were faring.
Jon and a few others had come through the portal later and they met up.
"How's JJ? He doing alright?" Jon asked, but immediately wished he hadn't when he saw the dangerous look on Joker's face.
"He's dead. I wish I could kill that smug bastard that did it. It was clear in the tape of the incident that they were working together and he double crossed my JJ!" Joker snarled, in a rage. He took a deep breath and let it out, calming himself down. "It's fine. Someone in this world tortured and murdered the bastard. And then Penguin blew him up with a rocket launcher when the guy came back from the dead somehow. This world's Penguin has a bit of style. And it's not a total waste. I found out a cult of maniacs have formed that worship my JJ as their idol. So even though he's dead, he's still made his mark on the city and will be remembered forever. And I couldn't be prouder."
"JJ died? That's awful." Jon said dismayed. He had liked the kid. He was actually really happy when JJ escaped. He deserved to actually enjoy his life. But it looks like he hadn't had a life of his own for very long. Not if he was now dead. "I'm glad people remember him. At least he got that."
"And in that spirit, we are helping this cult. Discreetly of course. I don't want to steal his thunder. This isn't my world. Or my audience. So I'll have to stay out of sight as much as possible. Especially since Batman is also in this world looking for me. He's likely told the GCPD by now about me. They'll be on their guard. How reckless of him to come to a world several years behind ours. Batman doesn't exist here yet. If Batman is not careful, there will never be a Batman here. And that is unfortunate. But since there is no JJ there may be little point in a Batman. So who cares?"
Jon sighed. "What do you need us to do, boss?"
"I want you to shadow the cult as much as you can. Try to make friends with them. Tell me what they are up to and how we can help. And keep Batman off their scent. It's not fair to them that he's here. They shouldn't have to deal with a Batman yet. Batman here is probably some bratty teen right now. Not nearly as intimidating." Joker said staring at a nearby Jerome symbol and smiling at it.
Joker was shocked and a bit excited when he heard what the cult was up to. They were trying to bring his Little J back to life!
"Does the guy that is claiming all of this seem intelligent or is he just crazy? Do you think he could pull it off?" Joker asked Jon.
"Seems that way. Do you have any idea how odd it was to talk to a person that looked like a young version of me?" Jon asked. "That Jongleur guy is uncanny. And he's also higher up in the Jerome cult hierarchy. But he's convinced this Dwight guy can do it. Another guy said they have help from another criminal. Some bank robber or something. He didn't say much about the guy. So I don't know if he's a big name but he seems to be funding most of it. I guess JJ had friends in interesting places. With this mysterious criminal's help and Dwights knowledge I think they can do it."
"Wonderful! I can't wait! We must crash the welcome home party. Let me know when they plan on accomplishing it." Joker said. "It's time to distract the Bat. We can't make a big deal out of it. Or go over the top. We aren't here to be remembered. We are here to make sure my JJ gets remembered. So we are going to distract and annoy Batman but do it so it seems to the public that the cult has done it."
The day arrived. The cult had already gotten Jerome's body and were in the process of reviving it. Joker heard that they had plans to take over a news studio so Jerome could announce to Gotham that he was back. What loyal and helpful fans he had. Joker was impatiently waiting and watching the tv for JJ to come on. He couldn't wait to see him in action.
But when someone else very much not JJ came on screen looking to be wearing his late protege's face he got a dangerous look on his face. A look that had the nearby lackeys of his quickly deciding it was time for a smoke outside. How dare they desecrate his protege's corpse like that! Oh he was going to murder whoever this Dwight guy was! Maybe give him a similar look as Jerome's corpse was probably sporting now. He raged around the abandoned warehouse he was squatting in. None of his lackeys wanted to be there at the moment. They valued their life too much. Only Jon was brave enough.
"Sir. What do you want us to do? I'll murder this guy myself if you ask me to." Jon said with an almost as angry look on his face. He had taken care of JJ. He had grown fond of the tough little bastard. For there to be so little respect shown for JJ after his death by the people that claimed to practically worship him... it made Jon burn with rage.
Joker looked over at how his favorite lackey was acting and put a hand on his shoulder in a rare show of empathy. "I know. I saw how much you cared for the kid. We can kill Dwight together. I'll let you help me. He would've wanted that I think. Get in contact with that parallel of yours. See what he thinks about what Dwight has done and see if he wants to help punish him. The cult will have a lot to answer for if they continue to follow Dwight. There may be a very large group of people we need to kill soon. That should be fun."
"I'm looking forward to it." Jon said enthusiastically. "I'll call Jongleur right away. See if he'll help. I hope he will."
Jongleur informed Jon that while they wanted nothing more than to make Dwight pay, they had no idea where the guy was at the moment. They thought the cops got him but apparently that wasn't the case. Joker found that odd. Had Dwight escaped and gone into hiding? Well then Joker would just have to hunt him down.
"Mr. J, come quick. You gotta watch the tv!" Jon said skidding into the room Joker was brooding in.
Joker launched himself at Jon and pinned him to the wall with a snarl. "Didn't I tell you I wanted to be left alone?!"
"It's JJ!" Jon said, frantically. "He's alive! He's on tv!"
"What?" Joker asked with wide eyes. "That bastard Dwight actually did it." He ran out into the living room to see Jerome light the fuse to a whole room full of explosives on tv. And Dwight was sitting tied up in the middle of it all. And Jerome's grin was perfectly deranged the whole time. Joker found the whole thing beautiful. And the scars that his JJ would now likely wear the rest of his life once his face was properly reattached, they were very fitting. They made him seem to have a permanent grin. It added to the whole effect. Joker wanted to hug the brat, he was so proud. And then right after Jerome left, the explosives went off and the feed cut out. But Joker knew very well what JJ had done. Because shortly after, the power went out all over the city. That was a power plant. How clever. And what Jerome had said made it seem like a call to cause chaos to those fans of his. They would take it to mean that. And would overrun the city. Joker was so pleased he could witness this all. It was masterful!
It would take several days to get power back. In the meantime, most of the city would be dark, with only the essential buildings getting generators. It quickly became a city on fire. And it was overwhelming the police. Even Batman couldn't slow it down all that much but to be fair he was trying not to draw attention to himself. When Joker heard where Jerome was holding court he headed over there, in disguise of course. But he chose a mask that he hoped JJ would find derivative enough that he would instantly know it was him. He didn't want to stand out and distract people but he wanted his protégé to know he was there. He headed to the circus and blended in with the other crazies. The cultists had somehow gotten a generator for the power to the circus. It was all lit up and beautiful. The rides were all running. And there were some interesting carnival games that involved innocent bystanders. They seemed rather fun. He was enjoying himself and then he saw who he had come there for. There he was. Jerome Valeska. JJ was all grown up and seemed to totally embrace his destiny as clown prince of crime. But there was something off about him and not in the good way. Joker didn't know what it was. Jerome seemed every bit a Joker. He was currently tormenting a young Bruce Wayne for some reason. Nothing out of the ordinary for a Joker. But he didn't seem like what Joker thought his protégé would end up as. JJ had always been a bit of an academic. He always greatly enjoyed the science lessons Joker decided to teach him. He seemed like he would've turned out more cool and collected even if he did end up embracing his destiny. But Jerome was wild and nearly feral. Not at all like he thought the little nerd he had met years ago would turn out. This did seem to be the right world but now he wasn't so sure. Something didn't add up.
Joker grinned under his mask as Batman swooped in as always, tackling Jerome. The man did love to make an entrance. Joker got up and shoved a few cultists out of the way to get away. He didn't need trouble from Batman just yet. He needed to know why JJ didn't seem like JJ. The mystery would eat at him forever if he didn't find out. He ran out of the circus and stopped to catch his breath where he figured the cops might be less likely to see him.
A young man who looked remarkably like Jon walked up to him. Joker was still in his mask so perhaps the man was just trying to rally cultists together to take down the cops?
"Don't bother trying to act nonchalant. Our boss told us to detain you so I assume you aren't just part of the cult. Come quietly and we won't have to get violent." the young man wielding juggling knives said.
"Did he happen to tell you who I am, then?" Joker asked, amused. "I assume not or you would've brought more thugs to support you. Well, come on then. Let's see what you've got."
"Alright then." the man said smiling.
Suddenly a bag was shoved onto his head from behind and he was knocked out from behind.
When Joker came to he found himself tied up in the back of a van. There was a girl dressed in a black jester's outfit with a mask on sitting in the back of the van staring at him. The van seemed to be going somewhere because it felt like it was moving.
"Well hello there, doll face." Joker said. "You must be my protege's little sidekick. Funny how i didn't see you out there with him. In fact, there's a lot of things that don't make sense about this whole thing. Mind clearing those up for me, doll? Or is JJ going to clear that all up himself? When do I get to see him?"
"My boss has other things on his mind tonight. You'll forgive him if he doesn't really have time for you at the moment during this special night." the girl said coldly. "But make no mistake. He does want to pay you back for all the torture you put him through. You will die. Just not tonight. He has a surprise for you. Something he thinks you will appreciate. He wants to give you time to appreciate it before he kills you."
"Oh, he's still being ungrateful I see. That would piss me off but what you've said has actually put me at ease. I was almost certain that this was not the same world that belonged to my JJ. That Jerome was just another parallel. But I'm relieved to find out that's not the case. It has been several years since I last saw JJ. People can change a lot in that amount of time. But I have one little question. I wonder if you have the answer to it."
"What is the question?" the masked jester asked.
"How did he fix his chemical burned skin? That has been bugging me this whole time. A bunch of circus performers couldn't have coughed up nearly enough to pay for that kind of medical procedure. So how did he do it?"
"That is up to my boss to tell you. Perhaps he will. In the meantime, we have reached our destination I believe. Time for you to get out." the jester said. The jester got up and walked to the back door, grabbing Joker as she did and dragging him with her. She opened the door to the van and Joker saw they were in the back alley of what seemed to be the GCPD. Right next to where Batman was currently standing. She shoved him out of the van and the van sped off. Joker tumbled to the ground and rolled over onto his back to find Batman staring down at him. He smiled up at his long time foe.
"Hiya Bats." Joker said cheerfully. He was in a good mood despite JJ confusing him so much. It was intriguing and he couldn't wait to see what surprise his protégé had for him. He would wait as patiently as he could. But he hoped he wouldn't be kept waiting long. He let Batman drag him away and take them back to their own world.
J POV
"He suspects something is up. That's very clear." J said when Ecco told him later how the meeting with Joker went. "It would be odd that if Jerome was his 'Little J', that Jerome wouldn't have chemical burns. It doesn't take a genius to find that suspicious. But does he still seem to think Jerome is his protégé overall?"
"Yes. I think he does. There's no reason for him to come to any other conclusion." Ecco said. "How are you going to let him know to come back when you are ready for him?"
"I have some ideas for that. I think our world always touches in small ways. Even here in Gotham city. But most of the time the portals are so small and out of the way that no one notices. A missing person or two here and there. A person who's considered crazy because the world doesn't look the same anymore. We just need to find a stable portal and keep track of it. It might move around a bit but it shouldn't be too hard to keep track of. And when we are ready for Joker, we send him an invitation." J said. "I have to get back to work. The city wide blackout has given me a great idea."
It took awhile for the GCPD to restore order to the city. J figured Gordon would've probably loved if Batman had stuck around to help clean up after the party. But that wasn't Batman's style. Gotham did rebuild even if it took awhile and the city officials were overjoyed when an anonymous benefactor donated next generation power generators to the city. The generators ran clean and stable and didn't require much cost to maintain. They were prototypes and no one knew who invented them but they ran well and seemed much safer than the old and cost inefficient power plants. Soon, nearly half of Gotham city was entirely powered by the prototype generators even though there were only a two of them. It really sped up the rebuilding of the city.
J had a contact in Arkham that let him know that Jerome was biding his time and talking a lot with the other crazies like he was recruiting for something. It was a good explanation for why he had not tried to escape Arkham yet. It's also why J didn't bother with a rescue plan of his own. Let his brother do his own thing. J did know that Jerome would likely try looking for him at some point when he did finally get out of Arkham. And that meant that J would have to factor that into his plans. Perhaps after Jerome got out of Arkham, he might want to be involved in his plans. J had to hope. It would make him so happy.
Edward Nygma finally took his title as the Riddler. J was so pleased as he saw the green suited villain on tv. He actually got to see it. One of his favorite of Batman's villains and he actually got to see him become the villain he was meant to be.
And then J actually got to meet the man in person.
"Can I help you?" Ecco asked the small group of people that showed up at J's lair. Two of them were rather beautiful yet deadly looking women and the third was Riddler. The other two seemed like random lackeys.
"Yes. We would like to speak with the Red Hood please." said the confident and classy looking blond woman.
"And what exactly do you want? I am rather busy." J said walking up, wearing his Red Hood mask.
"Geez. Do you ever take that mask off?" the rather violent looking brunette woman snarked.
"On occasion. But I do like to keep my business life and personal life separate things at the moment. Now onto my question. Why are you here?" Red Hood asked.
"I am aware you've taken a step back from organized crime so I'm not sure if you are aware of the changes in leadership that have happened recently." Riddler said. "But I do know that Penguin considered you an ally. He's dead now. And so I was wondering where you stood on things now."
"Penguin's dead? Are you sure?" Red Hood asked, amused. It was unlikely Penguin was really dead well before he even got a chance to face Batman but J decided to humor them. "Whether or not it's true, I don't really care. Penguin and I bonded a bit over a torture session with someone we both hated. That does not mean I will go out and avenge his death or anything. And like you said, I've taken a step back from organized crime. And I have no real intention of going back to it. I have plenty of other things taking up my time. So if you are here worried that I might be your enemy, there's no need. I don't give a shit about you or what you decide to do with the underworld. I wish you luck with it. But if this is you coming to ask for my help then well, I'm just not interested."
"That's exactly what I told them you'd say. But they insisted on coming here and finding out in person." Riddler said to the women. "But the thing I have always wondered about you, and the reason why I decided to come along, is why Penguin actually seemed a little frightened of you. Now why would he be frightened? You don't seem very different from Zsasz and Penguin was fine with him. What are you hiding?"
"That's not really any of your business. And I can't control how someone else feels about me. He got to see me at my worst. If he was a little unnerved by it that was his problem, not mine. Rest assured, unless you truly piss me off, you won't get to see me the way he got to see me. At least not directed at you. Now I have plenty to do so if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to it."
"What makes you think we are at all intimidated by you?" asked the brunette woman that was looking more and more familiar the longer J looked at her.
"Wait. I know you." Red Hood said. "Oh... You're Theo's sister. Tabitha, right? And you're Barbara Keen. I loved your little magician's assistant performance by the way. I see you are moving up in the world. From psychotic pawn to crime boss. Quite the step up. Now, Tabitha, if you had come up to me shortly after your dear brother killed the only person I care about, then I'd probably try and find some interesting way to make you suffer. But I've moved on. And no harm done now anyway. So I'll let it go. But know that it wouldn't pain me at all to see you suffer if you decide to threaten me. I could do a similar thing to you that I did to your brother. I don't think he enjoyed it at all. But I certainly did. I have it all recorded if you want to see it some time." Red Hood said it all rather cheerfully and all three villains looked a bit uncomfortable. "Now what do you think? Are you intimidated now?" he asked Tabitha in a mocking voice.
"You're the one that killed Theo?" Tabitha asked, surprised.
"Yeah. With a little help from Penguin of course. I didn't want to deprive a man of his chance at revenge. But I am the one that ended his life. The first time. The second time was all Penguin." Red Hood said smugly. "Why? Looking for a little revenge yourself? I do understand being in such a position."
"I don't really care that he's dead. He wouldn't have cared if I died so why should I waste the effort on caring about him? He was greedy and unstable and made too many mistakes. And he paid the price for it." Tabitha said. "I just always wondered who did it. When the Jerome cultists revealed themselves I thought it was them that did it. There was a banner with 'Jerome has been Avenged' on it. Was Jerome the one you cared about? Why? You don't seem like a Jerome fan. They all look as deranged and wild as him. And you're wearing a tailored suit."
"It's not really any of your business why I killed Theo. Or what Jerome is to me. You are right though. I'm not part of those feral little psychos that call themselves his fans. But right now, I'd rather not reveal just what my connection is to Jerome Valeska. Just be satisfied with the knowledge that I don't consider you at all responsible for Jerome's death. I have no doubt you knew it was going to happen. But you didn't kill him and it would've been laughable for you to try and stop Theo for someone you had no emotional connection to. So I have no ill will against you at the moment. But know that I won't weep at your grave either."
"That's reassuring...I guess." Tabitha said uncomfortably. J could tell he unnerved them and he loved it.
"So as far as what is going to happen now is you are going to go do your organized crime and I'm going to do my own thing and we aren't going to interfere with each other. I don't care what you want to do with the criminal underworld. I have my own plans and concerns now. And unless you get in my way they don't really involve any of you. I have said my bit. Now get out." Red Hood said, snarling a bit at the 'get out'. "Oh and, Riddler?"
"Yes?" Riddler responded as they were going to leave.
"I'm a big fan of your work." Red Hood said cheerfully. "That's all. You can go."
"Thanks?" Riddler said awkwardly before turning around and leaving with the women, all three of them looking very unnerved.
Something J hadn't anticipated suddenly happened to the city. A shadowy organization set off a gas bomb in the middle of the city and the gas was filled with the Tetch virus. Alice's blood was a dangerous virus that could turn people in deranged feral maniacs even worse than his brother. And people all over were getting infected by it. He scrambled to protect his lackeys and important cultists. They all took precautions. Some were already infected in the initial bombing but the cultists that weren't infected managed to keep themselves safe mostly. And they managed to restrain their infected friends and family, hoping that a cure would be found. They may be maniacs already but even they had their limits. And this was beyond that.
Thankfully the incorruptible Jim Gordon managed to help find the cure to the virus while infected himself. J had to hand it to Gordon, he was a tough and stubborn bastard. To hold it back that long despite being infected by his ex fiance Lee Thompkins was impressive.
After Gotham city started rebuilding after the virus was gotten under control, the city officials were overjoyed to find that their anonymous benefactor sent them three more generators to help. Now they could power the whole city without the power plants. The remaining power plant was shut down and the new generators were hooked up. And now Gotham city was the first city in the United States to be entirely powered with clean and safe energy. They felt like the envy of the country and loved it.