Author's note: I first will admit that I do not have an editor so any grammatical and spelling errors are on me and may be corrected over time. As for inspirations towards who I'm writing, my versions of Penguin and Two-Face are inspired by their counterparts from the Arkham games, the members of the JL are primarily inspired either by the comics or the early 2000s cartoon. I would also like to add that, as per the usual, I do not own any of these characters nor claim ownership of any properties within this writing. I really hope people enjoy this pet project of mine as it unfolds.
CHAPTER 1
Pandemonium, it was the only way to describe it. All over the globe, the Justice League was facing foe after foe, one threat after another. The moment they thought they had a chance to breathe, a new problem came up. Only Batman was seeing a pattern, but he was incapable of sharing it.
"Now, now, Bats, you know as well as I do that you're looking for some way to spoil the big fun. But remember, one little peep and I turn this good Samaritan here into red paint staining the walls! Are you there yet, Bat?" Joker taunted him on his intercom. How he hacked into the Justice League's personal communications and signal him was a gnawing question on Batman's mind, but he kept silent, thrusting his jet's engines to the old ACE Chemical plant, which was slated for demolition next week. Batman had a feeling why Joker chose that building, and it was unlike him to be this transparent. He switched communication channels.
"Alfred, I am approaching the factory. Have Robin and Batwoman be ready to infiltrate on my signal," he ordered.
"Sir, I'm don't mean to alarm you but Robin is currently dealing with Mister Dent's robberies and Batwoman is attending to the matter involving Mister Cobblepot and his gang of ruffians," Alfred told him over the comms. Batman's eyes narrowed. This was planned, it was all too convenient for it not have been. Whatever the Joker was planning, he wanted Batman alone. A single hostage held at a place shared between the two's past; it was too much of a coincidence.
"Alfred, what day is today?" a pause.
"Sir, I'm afraid it's the anniversary of when you foiled a robbery attempt at ACE Chemicals. The day –"
"The day is the day Joker fell into the vat. He's sending me a message."
"What would that be, sir?
"I'm about to find out," Batman replied in a grunt, evacuating the Batplane to land at the main entrance to the factory. Kicking the rusted doors in was largely unnecessary, but it served a purpose. Joker was fully expecting him and would not be surprised at all so it was best to play things rough an get the hostage safe as fast as he could. He scanned the skeleton of a factory; most of the facilities and structures were gone, and only a barebones foundation remained. One wrong move and the whole building could come down in a matter of moments. He saw no sign of the Joker or the hostage.
"Yooo hoooo! Up here, Batman!" he heard the Joker call out in an echo. Switching his cowl's vision to infrared, he saw two heat signatures in the area that used to be the manager's office. He quickly grappled himself up to the edge and got on his feet. "Stay right there, Bats. We don't want to spook our guest into blowing us all up now do we?" he heard the Joker yell from across the floor. Glancing ahead, he saw a middle-aged man shaking as both hands held tightly against an electronic switch that was wired to a bomb strapped to his chest. The man's mouth was taped shut and his eyes were wet as he stared at Batman. "I mean, I wouldn't mind it but you obviously would feel absolutely horrible at how you failed to save three kids' old man."
"What's this about, Joker?" Batman growled. Joker's smile vanished and he appeared genuinely hurt.
"You've really forgotten, have you? You actually started to push me aside like a wet rag, have you?!" the madman stomped away from the hostage in a huff. "I mean, first you send the twerps at me again and again, then you stop replying to my calls, and now you've forgotten OUR special day?! You're breaking my heart, Bats!" Batman stealthily began to close the distance between him and the hostage as the Joker became distracted, only stopping each tome the Joker turned to face him as he paced back and forth. "I mean, it was years ago when we first met, and it was practically a match made for the ages! It was our game, our fun little back and forth that we would play to the end of our lives! But you then brought along help, that birdbrain who's now in Blüdhaven! Don't act like that's not him, I've seen the footage! So of course to deal with that nuisance I got Harley so it would still just be you and me, just like it was meant to be! Then, ohohoho, then the Batgirl came and made things worse! Sure, she disappeared a few years ago, but a Batwoman?! Come on, Bats, even I admit that's a bit much! Robin Number Two got a bit too big for his breeches, so of course cutting him down a size was necessary, but then you just had to bring in a third Robin not a year later! It just never ends with you, does it? Does our connection mean so little that you have to find children to play the part of adults?!" Joker kept talking, not paying attention around him, absorbed in his own mind as he paced around, not looking at Batman as he disarmed the bomb.
"There's a stairway to the far right, move as quietly as you can," Batman instructed in a whisper. The man nodded and crouched as he fled. Batman stood up and looked at the Joker, who was still rambling. "The hostage is gone, Joker. It's just you and me now.
"And that's all I ask for, Bats," Joker smiled as he got into a fighting stance. "No sidekicks, no partners, no one but you and me. You know, it's been six years since that last Robin went kaput. I still have the crowbar too! I never saw your face when you dragged him out from the warehouse. Did you cry? Well I certainly did. When you brought in the help! It was just to be you and me, Bats. Mono e mono, best friends for life! And just when I thought things couldn't get worse, you team up with the Justice Losers! Do you know how long it's been since we tussled? Three months, seven days, fourteen hours, fifty-two minutes, and twenty-four seconds! And not for a lack of trying mind you! But you just sent in the birdboy and the redheaded knockoff! I thought we had an understanding Bats! I thought you got the picture when I sent Robin Number Two packing! Well, consider this my form for divorce!" the Joker shouted as he charged at Batman, ripping open his vest and jacket to reveal a second bomb, one with a ticking clock. Batman's eyes widened as he fell to the ground when the Joker tackled him. His mind raced as he saw the red lights of the numbers count down from five, to four, to
"Just you and me, Batman. Together for all time!" the Joker yelled, laughing. Bruce Wayne blinked, seeing darkness, and when he opened his eyes, everything went white.
*/*/*
Superman took too long, he needed to speed up. An emergency call from Diana told him that Batman had ceased contact when he went to confront the Joker at ACE Chemicals, and immediately Superman started flying in that direction. He could see the building getting nearer and nearer. He saw the Batplane on standby hovering just slightly above it. He would be able to make it, he could help Bruce and have Batman help out the other members of the League that were struggling with the chaos of every villain and criminal suddenly going on a crime spree. Just a few seconds and he
Superman noticed a flash and felt the shockwave before he saw the blast. He stared wide-eyed and stunned at the obliterated wreckage that was suddenly on fire. "BRUCE!" he yelled. Disregarding all regard for any traps or the fire around him, Superman entered the collapsing building and scanned for any signs of his friend. He found nothing, not even charred remains. He reached for his comms.
"Superman to Batman, come in Batman!" he yelled. There was no response. He repeated himself; no one replied. A third time and still no reply. "Bruce! Come in, Bruce! Answer me, damn it!" Superman could feel his eyes starting to water.
"Superman? Is everything alright?" he heard Diana ask, her voice quiet and wary. How could he tell her? How could he let her know that he failed to save their friend? How could she be told that the man she had come to love and grown attached to was nowhere to be found, with the chances of him never coming back high?
"Diana…" he tried, but his voice cracked as he slumped to his knees. He looked up high into the Gotham night and roared with pain and fury, primal and anguished. Batman was gone, never to return. Superman had blinked on his way to the factory, and now it felt as though he never opened his eyes at all.
*/*/*
Tim finished bundling up Two-Face and his goons and tying them together for the GCPD to grab. He reached for his comms.
"Hey Oracle, got Two-Face all packed and ready for pick up," he said.
"Okay great, I'll let the GCPD know. Right now, Tim you need to get to the ACE Chemical plant and–" Barbara started to say but was cut off by a distant explosion. It came from the direction of the old ACE Chemicals factory. That…couldn't be good. "No, no, no, no, no. Tim, get over there now!"
Tim, already moving to his motorcycle, could feel his heart racing. Barbara sounded worried. More worried than usual, almost bordering on sheer panic. "Barbara, what's going on? What happened?"
"The Joker just set off a bomb at the plant, with Batman in it!" she stressed. Well, time to break over a dozen speed limits and do his best to avoid traffic, Tim understood as he tried to keep calm. He only stopped to notice that Two-Face was starting to laugh quietly.
"Something funny?" Tim asked.
"The clown actually did it. The coin said to give him the chance and he actually pulled it off! He actually pulled it off!" Two-Face was shaking uncontrollably. Okay, it was time to get to the factory ten minutes ago. Blinking as the vehicle shot off into the distance, Tim wondered what awaited him when he would see the road before him.
*/*/*
"I swear when I get free, I'll make your life a living hell!" Penguin roared. Kate rolled her eyes.
"I'll never understand why someone so business smart can be so stupid. Maybe it has to with that piece of broken glass around your left eye?"
"Screw you, bitch! You'll get what's coming to ya! I swear on it!"
"Keep talking, Penguin."
"It's Oswald Cobblepot! Oswald! Cobblepot!" Kate smiled as the bulbous man struggled and raged.
"Oracle, Batwoman. I've got Penguin tied up and all ready to be shipped off to jail," Kate said into her comms.
"Great, Tim is just finishing up with Two-Face. I just got a message from Alfred that Bruce is meeting the Joker at the old ACE Chemicals plant. Alfred thinks he might need some backup," Barbara said on the other end. Kate laughed.
"Come on, it's Batman, he doesn't need backup," she said.
"Either way, might be a good idea to head on over there to see if you can help. I'll send Tim, hang on that's him right now," Kate shook her head as she walked over to her motorcycle.
"Alright, I'll head on over there and see if I can –" she stopped talking the minute she saw the flying man speed towards the plant. "On second thought I don't think that's necessary as I just saw Superman head in –" Kate never finished her sentence as she heard the sound of a large explosion in the distance. Without another word, Kate was heading towards the factory, barely noticing the cackling of the crime boss tied up sitting on the sidewalk. A moment's respite as Kate blinked felt as though the world was about to change for the worst.
*/*/*
Diana had sat out the massive global conflict of villains and heroes, choosing not to put too much stress on her body at such a delicate stage, but she kept her Justice League comms on so she could listen in to the whole ordeal. At one point she noted that Batman had gone particularly silent - which was not at all that uncommon, but the lack of updates was worrisome – and tried to get a read on his location. He was headed towards Gotham at an alarming speed; something had gotten his attention that he couldn't delegate to Batwoman or Robin. She switched the channel to Oracle's comms.
"Barbara, it's Diana. Bruce is in Gotham; do you know what it's about?"
"The Joker has a hostage, Alfred is coordinating with Bruce for now," Oracle replied.
"Why hasn't the League been informed? They could help," Diana enthused, looking over to her costume. She could - no, no it was not the time to get out, not this soon. "I'll try and see if Superman or someone else can get the Gotham in time to give him some help."
"I'm currently coordinating with Tim and Kate in apprehending Penguin and Two-Face, once they're done, I'm sending them to meet Bruce," Barbara informed her, which eased Diana some. Switching channels as soon as she thanked her, Diana reached out to Superman.
"Kal, Bruce may be in trouble in Gotham. He's being led by the Joker to the old ACE –"
"Chemicals factory, got it Diana, I'll head over there as soon as I finish up with Luthor," she heard on the other end.
"Is there anyone who is available?" Diana only just realized how concerned her voice sounded.
"Diana, it's Bruce, he'll be fine," Superman said, but even he didn't sound convinced. He too started to piece together that this was all too convenient. Everything was in the Joker's favor and it would come as no surprise if he had something even bigger planned for Batman.
"Just, please Clark, please hurry," Diana said quietly, knowing that addressing Superman by his human name meant she was more worried than he initially thought. She began to wonder of the possibilities, of the worst-case scenarios, but stopped herself from going any further than a crippling or severe injury that incapacitated Batman forever. She wouldn't go beyond because it was unthinkable for him to not find some way out, to have a backup plan. It couldn't happen; not to Bruce, not to the Batman. Moments passed, and there was nothing but agonizing silence. It was all broken by Kal-El's voice through all League channels.
"Superman to Batman, come in Batman!" he sounded pained, worried. He repeated himself two more times, his voice growing coarse as Diana could hear the agony increase with each word. "Bruce! Come in, Bruce! Answer me, damn it!" Superman yelled through the comms, desperation in every syllable. Slowly, Diana reached for the device, dread filling every fiber in her body.
"Superman? Is everything alright?" she asked, pushing away every dark thought that tried to rise.
"Diana…" was all she heard before tears welled up and her knees collapsed under her. It couldn't be true. There was no way that her life had changed so drastically in the blink of an eye.