Lifetimes
By Carla
DISCLAIMERS: All the characters and locations belong to DC or Warner, I'm just playing around with them. Helena-oriented, but other characters play a big role as well.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi guys, thanks for the patience, but I'm back now, so here's the next chapter. Also, I promise I'm near the end already, so enjoy it!
Chapter IX: Sacrifices
"Are you sure about this, young master?" the old man asked. He didn't even turn his head as he nodded, he was busy, he had to be ready, "But Master Bruce, why do you feel the need to put your life in such a great risk?" he didn't answer. There was no time to discuss this any further, the mission was set in motion now.
He noticed Alfred left. Good. He was distracting. He knew Alfred was concerned about him, but it was unnecessary, he could take care good care of himself, plus, he couldn't be distracted, time was probably the only luxury he couldn't afford right now. As well intentioned as Alfred Pennyworth was, Bruce Wayne was relieved when he left. He continued working on his computer.
It took all ten minutes for Alfred to come back with a tray, carrying juice and a sandwich. Bruce didn't turn and ignored the food, there was simply no time.
"Master Bruce," that was Alfred's no-fooling-around voice, "If you insist on this course of action, it would be wise to eat." No response, he was busy, BUSY... What did he have to do? Tattoo it on his forehead? "Dr. Thompkins called." There was no time for Leslie Thompkins either, at least not right now. "Also, Mr. Fox needs you to contact him as soon as possible." Lucius Fox was a smart fellow, he could handle Wayne Enterprises and allow Bruce some TIME, T-I-M-E!!! Something Alfred wasn't apparently willing to do.
Alfred had raised him since the day his parents had been murdered, the day that started every other day that had followed. Bruce respected him a great deal, as a second father, and even loved him in his own special way. He also knew Alfred like the back of his hand, so he had not doubt Alfred would simply stand there and distract him with all kind of news the old butler knew he didn't care about right now, until he had got what he wanted.
Better give it to him right now.
Then, maybe he would be able to get back to work.
He took a bite of the sandwich.
He took a sip of the juice.
He saw Alfred smile.
The old man turned to leave but this time it was Bruce that called him.
"Alfred, wait. Come and see this." He was smiling at his computer screen, a really proud of himself smile at that. Alfred approached him, "This," Bruce Wayne stated proudly "Is the Batmobile."
Along his life, Bruce Wayne had had a lot off opportunities to question his mission and wonder if it was actually worth it. Now, seeing the man that had raised him in the claws of the Joker, a gun pointed at his head, Bruce wondered why he kept going. The cost was getting to high, and he was getting to old. But all that mattered now was to bring Alfred Pennyworth back home. The screen shut down, the transmission ended. Everyone at the Clock Tower remained in silence.
"That son of a bitch!" Helena was the first to speak as she threw a clenched fist against the nearest wall. Bruce could empathize with her daughter, they just never saw this coming. Alfred was the only one that had never chosen this life, and in more senses than he could count, the old man was their heart and soul. Alfred held them together and, ironically as it was, he was the one who always took care of them.
"How did he get to Alfred!" Dinah was next. Youth is like that. He could see that if the decision was either Helena's or Dinah's, they would be out the door, kicking assses all the way to the manor. Luckily, they were there with them, who had experience and had fought more battles than they could count.
"They probably figured Bruce is Batman and went to the manor, found Alfred there and took him hostage." Barbara concluded. Bruce took a second to feel proud of her, she was a fine detective herself now.
"This is my fault," Helena closed her eyes, "Harley played me."
"There's no use on this discussion now." Bruce cut the conversation, they had to get to business and fast, "We should be able to do this. Joker and Harley Quinn have taken over Wayne Manor with Alfred as bait. We should assume that sooner than later they'll get access to the Batcave."
"At the Batcave, they get the Batmobile and more weapons and tech supplies than they'd ever dreamed of." Dick concluded.
"We're talking of quite a huge mass of deadly force on the hands of a pair of loons." Carolyn agreed.
"Exactly, that's why we have to take them down before they figure out how to work everything at the cave." Batman finished.
"Two people taking stronghold, probably in the Batcave. We have here Batman, Nightwing, Huntress, Black Canary I&II and myself." Barbara breathed, "We can do this, it's only a matter of planning."
"Reese." Helena said.
"What?" Nightwing asked.
"Detective Jesse Reese, we work with him a lot, he'll help and we do need a liaison with the cops here."
"Fine." Batman accepted, "So, we basically have four goals to achieve: One, rescue Alfred; two, take Joker down; three, take Harley down; and, four, surround the manor in order to conduct the arrests."
"They probably have henchmen with them," Dinah offered.
"Yes, but we can take them easily. They'll work mainly as a distraction before we reach either Joker or Harley. It would be also a good precaution to assume Harley and Joker are at different locations." Batman said.
"Then we strike, every group at the same time." Dick concluded.
"Exactly. Oracle," Batman was in full commanding voice now, "Call Detective Reese on behalf of Bruce Wayne, inform him that the manor has been taken and that we need a police cord to make sure the criminals don't escape, also, remind him that discretion is needed. Carolyn and Dinah, you two go to rescue Alfred. If I'm not mistaken, the Canary Cry should keep the henchmen at bay and Dinah is quite good at physical combat. Dick, you should be able to take down Harley and whatever she's got under her sleeve on your own. Helena, you are with me, we take down Joker. Barbara, we need someone to keep us in contact and direct the mission... Once we're down there, you're the boss. Everyone got this?" Everyone nodded, Helena and Dinah were just a bit stunned at how fast Batman's mind worked. "Good, be ready in fifteen minutes." And with that he was gone to don Batman's costume again.
"Unbelievable!!!" the Joker exclaimed as he, Harley and the old butler made their way into the Batcave, after he had blown to pieces the Grandfather's Clock. Never in his wildest dreams... and man, they were wild, had he ever imagined a place quite like this. Sure right now it looked like a typhoon had just passed, but it was still an amazing place. All the machines and funny looking liquids... no wonder Batsy was able to take him all those years. Well, that was about to change right now. He knew Batman's identity, after so many years, and Batman didn't know his... ha! He actually knew something Batman didn't! Well that was a kick on the head! He was winning... he was unstoppable.
Harley was tying Alfred to a chair. The old man was the bait, he had made his research: Bruce Wayne was some poor rich kid, his folks had been killed in front of his eyes by some amateurs when he was a little boy. After that, little Brucie had been raised by his butler and grown up to be an infamous playboy in the jet set of Gotham. Searching a bit more, Joker had found out that Bruce Wayne had dated a beautiful business woman by the name of Selina Kyle... Now, Joker knew Selina very well, the magnificent Catwoman. After around a year Selina had disappeared. Bruce had stayed. Batman had stayed. So, he was indeed Batman, no doubt about it.
Bruce Wayne was Batman.
So, he and Harley had come to Wayne Manor. The place was creepy, just his kind of place, abandoned, Harley mentioned... well, it was good enough to become a safe house. He had been lucky, really lucky, the butler was home. The same butler who had raised Batman. It had been just so darn easy! Now it was only a matter of waiting, specially once he found the cave.
A matter of waiting.
Harley was chatting and chatting. He just ignored her. He hated waiting, but this would be worth it.
"Everyone in position?" Oracle asked, monitoring on the screen in front of her the progress of each member of the rescue party. She was tense, and nervous, although she would never admit it. This was a really personal matter, saving Alfred. But also, she was used to work with Helena and Dinah, even Reese. Now, she was imparting instructions to Batman, Nightwing and Black Canary as well. For their plan to work, the timing had to be perfect, orders should be precise and execution must be excellent. Now, everything was starting.
::I'm in position, Oracle,:: Reese's voice was the first to answer, ::I'm outside the manor. The moment you signal I call the SWAT team. It will take them thirty minutes to get here, after that we're entering the manor.::
"Fine, at that point, Joker and Harley should be taken care of and Alfred freed. Canary?"
::We're both in position, Oracle.:: Dinah's voice came on, ::We're and the main cave's entrance, it will take us approximately ten minutes through the galleries to get to the Batcave.::
"Then you have twenty minutes to free Alfred and disappear. Joker and Harley should be dealt with by then. Nightwing?"
::All set, the henchmen never saw me. I'll lure Harley out of the Batcave and back into the house. Shouldn't be hard.::
"Don't be so cocky. Batman? Huntress?"
::Here, Oracle.:: Helena's voice answered, ::we're on the manor's rooftop. We'll probably have to take down Joker in the Batcave.::
"Make every effort within your power to get him out, do you copy me? As far from Alfred as you can."
::The moment he sees us,:: now it was Batman's voice, ::He'll make us chase him.::
"Whatever you do, it has to be ready by the time the SWAT teams comes. We cannot delay calling them, they're our backup plan."
::Understood.::
"Alright..." Barbara took a deep breath. No way to turn now. Precise planning and excellence execution, now it was the time to put it all to the test. She prayed to whatever God listening to protect every member of the team and started her chronometer, thirty minutes. "Now!" she finally ordered, as everyone got to the job at hand and Reese called the cops.
30:00 minutes.
Nightwing waited until there was only three henchmen in the living room. The others had gone back to the Batcave. Apparently, Joker and Harley didn't quite get the hang of the security cameras just yet. Probably they did now, but it was too late. Nightwing was in. The henchmen didn't notice him. Good. He jumped on them, still, he couldn't knock them unconscious just yet. There had to be some commotion to attract Harley Quinn's attention, so she would leave the Batcave. He decided to play with the henchmen for a while, with a series of kicks and punches that were meant to make them scream.
Finally, two more henchmen emerged from were once was the Grandfather's clock, and after them was Harley Quinn.
"Oracle," he called over the com system "Rabbit's out of the hole."
25:00 minutes.
Huntress followed Batman through the window. They were now inside the manor. She took in a moment to see her surroundings.
"Where are we?" she finally asked.
"My bedroom. Alfred knows I like to have the windows open, I figured he kept the tradition even after I left."
"Of course he did." She smiled, and continued following Bruce through the corridors, avoiding henchmen wherever they found them. She hadn't been at the manor in so many years, this was sort of overwhelming, but there was no time for that. They had to get to the Joker.
"We have to get him out of the Batcave." Batman commented. They were near the entrance now. She could see Nightwing squaring off against some henchmen, Harley Quinn was out already. He had the situation under control and luckily she didn't notice them.
"I'll go." She started to go.
"No! It's too dangerous! I lure him out, you wait here."
"I can do it!" she demanded.
"I know..."
::There's no time for this!:: Oracle's voice took the decision away from them, ::Huntress, get to the cave. DO NOT face off against Joker on your own, get him out of the cave. Understood?::
"Sure." Huntress answered after starting her way to the Batcave. She could feel her father's eyes on her the whole time, she turned for a second to give him one last smile.
20:00 minutes.
Black Canary and Carolyn Lance were finally at the Batcave, still hiding in one of the galleries. No one could see them, good. Dinah scanned the room. Joker was still there, surrounded by about four henchmen, no Harley, Alfred was tied to a chair nearby.
"Oracle," she called "We can see Joker and Alfred now."
::Wait until Huntress gets him out.::
"Won't have to wait long." Dinah commented, as Huntress appeared in sight.
20:00 minutes.
The henchmen were now all down. Nightwing stood tall. Harley Quinn looked at him. A lot had changed. He was no longer a little kid. And she was no longer just a sidekick. She was going out with a bang. She pointed her gun at him.
20:00 minutes.
"Well, well, well..." Joker nodded appreciatively at the woman in front of him, "You're back."
"Quite observant." Huntress teased him. He could see her eyes turned, now they were cat-looking. Amazing. She was amazing. It was going to be a pleasure to destroy her. The henchmen were approaching her now, he had other ideas.
"Wait!" They stopped. "This one is all mine!" he laughed frantically as he shot her one of his bolts. She avoided it and got to safety climbing over a wall and hanging on the roof.
"Why don't you come and get me clown?"
"I don't know, kid-cat, maybe I should just had them kill you, maybe even stab her like with your mommy. Wouldn't that be something?"
He had to admit he never saw it coming. The kid was fast as hell, she kicked him square on the jaw and landed easily on her feet. He was down. He threw her another bolt and this time grazed her arm. She screamed. It wasn't so bad, barely a scratch, but he took her by surprise. He jumped to his feet and attacked again. This time she avoided the blast. She practically materialized at the entrance to the manor.
"You want me, Joker? Let's make this fun."
"Don't have time for the previews, sweetheart. Where's daddy?" Batman, he wanted Batman. Huntress smiled.
"You want to get to him? You have to come through me first. And I'll give you warning: I'm better than you think, and definitely better than he is." She disappeared. Joker was starting to get annoyed with that. So Bat Jr. wanted to play? Well, she was about to get more than she bargained for...
He followed her, leaving the henchmen to take care of Alfred.
15:00 minutes
The moment Huntress got Joker out of the Batcave, Black Canary made her move on the henchmen. She could take four men any day of the week, but then again this was not just another day of the week. This day, she was on a mission with her mother. So, she should have seen it coming while she was finishing the second guy.
"Alfred, Canary! Your ears!" she wanted to scream to her that she didn't need the help, that she could take them on her own, but Carolyn wouldn't listen and there was no time, any way. She just covered her ears and went to protect Alfred as Carolyn Lance used the Canary Cry to finish the henchmen for good.
"That was totally unnecessary!" she said as she started untying Alfred.
"It was the easiest and fastest way."
"I could take them!"
::Canary!:: Oracle's voice was heard, ::Discuss this later, get Alfred out.::
"You're right, Oracle." Dinah answered, "You okay, Alfred?" she asked as she finished untying him and helped him stand up.
"I am now, Miss Dinah, thanks to you and Miss Carolyn."
"I'm glad you're okay, Alfred," Carolyn started, "But for this plan to work, we should get out of here now."
"You're right."
"What about Joker and Harley Quinn?" Alfred asked.
"The rest of the team is on it. Come on, let's go." Dinah smiled.
"Not so fast, little girl." She froze. She slowly turned. Out of nowhere, ten henchmen were surrounding them.
"Damn," she muttered.
::Get Alfred out, now!:: Oracle instructed.
"I'll take this." Carolyn said.
"No, get Alfred out..."
"I can do this faster than..."
"Yeah, they keep coming, you keep taking them on and maybe they'll keep coming. You have to go with Alfred, we don't know if Joker has secured the tunnel as well. I use physical contact on my attack, that leaves Alfred without protection. You have to go." She could see her mother was about to object, so she just gave her a pleading look. "Please." Was all she said. She looked at her mother for an instant. This was their mission, and as hard as she knew it would be for Carolyn to leave her, she had to. It was the only way.
"Take care."
"I will." Dinah smiled as her mother started rushing Alfred to the tunnel. The henchmen were about to follow, but Dinah froze them telepathically. There were ten of them, she could do this for only so long. It was enough, Alfred was off with Carolyn. The henchmen unfroze. "So, gentlemen," she smiled, "Let's play."
12:00 minutes.
Nightwing fell flat on his back. He had to admit it to himself, he never imagined Harley Quinn getting this good. Apparently, she had now mastered the martial art skills. Alright, she may had gotten better, but he was still Nightwing. He stood up.
"So, Miss Quinn," he started, "I can see what you have been doing all these years."
"Oh, you've changed a lot yourself, Wing-Boy. You're past adolescence now! Kudos!"
She shot at him. Luckily, he had grown up at a circus, he knew all about jumps and playing on the edge. He avoided the bullet. That didn't help him at all, Harley decided to start shooting all around her, how many shots can a gun have? Nightwing did all he could to avoid it until she was done. He sighed. Still in one piece.
::Nightwing, less than ten minutes to go.:: Oracle indicated.
"Understood." He had to finish the job and finish it now.
"Am I too much for you now, Nightwing?"
"You wish, Quinn." Bruce Wayne raised his son to be who he was now: A superhero, a crime fighter, a detective, but above all, Bruce had raised him to be a gentleman. That last part was particularly hard when you have women like Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, who were ready to blow up your brains. Not for the first time in his life, Dick took a deep breath and decided to do what he had to do. Harley had recharged her gun, now was pointing at Nightwing straight to the forehead.
Nightwing was fast. So fast that Harley Quinn never noticed the batarang that flew to her hand and sent the gun flying out of her reach. Neither did she notice that Nighwing held another batarang on his hand. This one, he sent straight to the candlelight hanging from the roof, just above where Harley Quinn was standing.
The candlelight fell. Harley only had time to look above her before it crash landed. She let out a scream and that was it. Nightwing run to her side.
"Quinn is down!" he absently contacted Oracle. He lifted the candlelight. She was bleeding. He searched for her vital signs.
::Is she okay?::
"She's gonna be." He finally allowed himself to let out the breath he was holding, he carried her in his arms, "She's unconscious." He took her to the sofa.
::Tie her down and get the hell out, Wing.::
"Already on it, Oracle." Nightwing quickly tied her with a rope her was carrying, he also put a pair of handcuffs on her, just in case. He was pretty sure that she wasn't going to be able to move if she came to, and he was satisfied that she was not badly injured. "Done, she's all wrapped for the nice Detective. I'm leaving the premises."
::Mission accomplished. Nice work, shortpants."
"Ha, ha," he answered and got to the nearest window.
10:00 minutes.
The first thing Batman noticed as Huntress came running to the entrance was that her arm was bleeding. He was about to behave like a concerned father, but when she stopped and crouched on the floor, he remembered they were in the middle of a mission.
He was also shocked by her whole pose, crouching as he had seen her mother do it so many times, her eyes completely like hers, her whole demeanor... She was so much like her. He looked forward to spending more time with the young woman in front of him the minute this whole mess was over.
Joker came out of the entrance. He didn't realize Batman was present until he was standing between him and Huntress.
"Glad you could join us, Joker," he said. Joker was started and turned inmediately to face the intruder.
"Well... aren't I between a rock and a hard place? Good one Bats. Who do I kill first? You or your girl? Wanna see her die?" Bruce's blood was starting to boil, which wasn't a good thing, since he was supposed to remain calm enough to stop Helena from shredding Joker into little pieces. Joker laughed and looked at Huntress, then back at Batman, "Should be interesting... She has Selina's eyes, doesn't she?" That did it. He was about to kick his sorry ass, but Huntress beat him to it. She jumped on Joker with a series of movements that would've made Dick Grayson jealous. Bruce joined in the fight. They were cornering Joker...
Something hit him on the back. A henchman. Where had he come from? Never mind, it took him about ten seconds to rend him unconscious. When he turned, Joker was gone. Huntress was already pursuing him, they were going for the rooftop. He ran after them.
****************************************************************************
05:00 minutes.
Nine.
Black Canary finally stopped.
There were no henchmen left. She saw the bodies lying on the ground, she had knocked out every single one of them. Pity Huntress missed it.
But there was still a problem.
Nine.
There where ten henchmen and she had taken down only nine.
Damn it!
"Oracle, one of the henchmen in missing." It took a couple of seconds before Oracle answered.
::He got outside the cave. Batman already finished him.::
"Alfred?"
::Carolyn and Alfred are still in the tunnel. They're near the exit. Reese will get them out of here.::
"Everything okay?"
::Quinn is down, Batman and Huntress are hunting down Joker. It's done, Black Canary, get out of there.::
"Shouldn't I help them?"
::The cops will be there in five minutes, GET OUT.::
"All right."
::Nicely done.:: Oracle added. Dinah smiled, then she started her way through the tunnel out of the batcave.
03:00 minutes.
Why was it everything ended on the rooftops? That was just all of her life these days. It was only fitting that Joker had chosen the Wayne Manor's rooftop for their final fight. Her father was standing behind her, it felt nice in a way, she was not alone. Joker was smiling, why was he always smiling? It just made her madder.
::Three minutes.:: Oracle's voice stated.
This had to be done, and fast. Joker threw a bolt at her, she jumped away. Then he tried to knock down Batman, but he also managed to avoid her. Barbara was worried, Batman was getting older, would he be able to pull this one? He had to be. He was Batman.
Batman threw a batarang at him. It knocked him to the floor, which led to another burst of blasts. They escaped from them, but she couldn't get close enough to finish him. She could see Batman was having the same problem.
Time was almost up, there had to be a way...
02:00 minutes.
"You alright?" Reese asked as he saw Alfred Pennyworth and Carolyn Lance coming out of the entrance of the cave. The older man looked exhausted.
"Yeah, thanks." Carolyn answered.
"Okay then, you have to get out of here. Come on." His car was in front of the entrance, he handed the keys to Carolyn. "Get back to the Clock Tower."
"I can't..." Carolyn started, "Dinah is still inside..."
::Dinah is on her way out.:: Oracle's voice interrupted.
"Look, the police are almost here, you have to get out before someone sees you." Reese insisted.
"Can't we just wait?" Carolyn asked.
"I'm sorry, but there's no time." Reese tried to get them into the car.
::Don't worry, Carolyn, Dinah is out of danger. Just get Alfred here. Canary will regroup with Nightwing and they'll come to the lair together.::
"Alright," she finally conceded. Carolyn and Alfred left. Reese was still standing at the entrance of the cave.
"Where is she?" he finally asked.
::Huntress and Batman are cornering Joker on the rooftop.:: Oracle's voice came.
"Understood. I'll survey the zone until they're both out." With that, Reese went back to his position. He could already hear the police cars on the distance.
01:00 minutes.
How do you approach an enemy that throws energy blasts at you with his hands? Usually, the best way to go about it is try a series of jumps to avoid the blasts, hoping to get lucky at some point, and be able to get close enough to deliver a good blow. At least, that's what experience told Batman.
The problem was, since they were on the rooftop, there was nothing he could jump around or use as a barricade. Also, he was not in his prime anymore, his jumps came slower.
Huntress came in handy on that department, she was having better luck. Right now, Joker was distracted with her. Batman took this opportunity to get close enough to the Joker's back. The Clown Prince of Crime was about to deliver a couple of blasts to Huntress, but Batman got a rope around his chest, pulling him towards himself. Then, everything happened very fast.
Joker was already preparing the blasts when Batman trapped him.
Huntress was already on the air, to jump on Joker.
Batman pulled Joker close to himself.
Huntress managed to land close to the Joker without hitting Batman.
The three of them were so close.
Joker's hands where glowing.
Suddenly the blast sent all three of them flying.
Joker landed next to the edge.
Batman was on the middle of the rooftop.
Huntress was sent to a distant corner.
Batman started to stir, all his body ached. He stood up, Joker was already coming to, Huntress, who was laying on the floor.
He approached Joker. His vision was blurry from the impact, he never saw the blast coming straight to his chest.
00:00 minutes.
Dinah Lance, a.k.a. Black Canary finally breathed. She was out of the cave. She could hear the police cars. No time for rest yet. She continued running, away from the Wayne property.
00:00 minutes.
Huntress opened her eyes. She was dizzy. One minute she and Batman had Joker good to go, next Huntress knew, she was lying on the floor and her body ached like hell.
Batman!
She could see him now.
He was facing the Joker. But something was different... He was probably as stunned as she was. He didn't notice Joker preparing a blast. He wouldn't miss, his hands were free, they were close, he wouldn't miss.
"Father..." she whispered, allowing herself to call the man in the bat gown that.
There was no time, Joker had already fired his blast. She couldn't reach Joker. She couldn't reach her father. There was just one thing to do.
She was faster than a bullet. Sometimes people thought she disappeared in thin air. Still, she wasn't fast enough to stop the Joker from shooting. Well, she had already lost her mother to this psycho, she was not about to lose her father, the only chance left for her to have a father.
As she jumped between the blast and her father, many thoughts crossed her mind, more than she thought possible. Carolyn Lance, Dick Grayson, Dinah Lance, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon, Jesse Reese... All she had never told them, all she had never lived with them... Finally, she thought about her mother, Selina Kyle. All she had learned from her, all Selina had given up for her. Helena now understood. All this people in her life, everyone, had given her something. And when you care about someone, like her mother had cared for her, like she was starting to care for her father... well, then life without them just didn't make sense.
She regretted the time she wouldn't share with Reese, not getting to know her father, not seeing Dinah grow up, but now, what she regretted the most, was not having enough time to tell Barbara Gordon that she knew now she wasn't alone, to thank her for all Barbara had done for her, and to tell her she loved her too.
The blast impacted her body.
00:00 minutes.
So fast. He couldn't make a movement, he was too late. Joker had sent a blast, he didn't even notice. It would have been his end, that blast was huge and meant to kill.
Then, his daughter fell to his feet, all he needed to register what had happened was the scream she let out. She was on the floor, convulsing. Bruce fell to his knees and took her in his arms. His daughter... not her, not her too... for all the lives he had saved, for all the lives he had lost... not again... not her... not ever again.
Joker was a dead man.
He raised his eyes to meet his greatest foe. He was now taking a couple of steps back. He raised his hand, glowing.
"You're about to join your family, Batman." Joker said.
Then, he stopped, screamed, his shoulder was bleeding. He lost his equilibrium.
Joker fell from the rooftop.
00:00 minutes.
He only had time to register four facts: One, the police was almost there; two, Joker was standing near the edge; third, he was about to blast someone; four, Huntress and Batman were the only ones left in the premises.
There was only one thing to do.
He pointed his gun and shot him on the shoulder.
Joker fell.
Reese ran towards his body and was relieved to find a weak pulse. The police were not there. He looked up and what he saw stopped his heart: Batman was flying away with a rope, carrying Huntress in his arms.