Gotham Harbor was smelly, polluted, and downright disgusting. In fact, it was just the place one would think to look for a slimy denizen of the Gotham underworld. That is, if one were unfamiliar with the way the underworld worked. Oh it was all too true that the lowest citizens occupied these dank spaces. But the powerful criminals…the masterminds and overlords…they were smart enough…not to mention rich enough…to escape from the area.

Batman scanned the area, keeping his attention on the case at hand, but constantly aware of the young man by his side. Their "falling out" earlier had been a shame…especially since it hadn't seemed to deter him from the case one bit. Batman supposed he should be used to it. But there was something…something in the air tonight. Batgirl and Robin had disappeared, apparently at the hands of the Joker, and who knew how many casualties the night would bring. Was it really any wonder he had wanted his…son out of the line of fire?

Well, but then again, that had been the problem for too long. Dick was an adult. If he wanted to put himself in danger that was his decision. Besides, as much as he wanted to bring Joker down by himself…they had possible hostages to worry about now. He needed Nightwing, much as he hated to admit it.

"See anything?" Well. At least Nightwing seemed to be willing to let him take charge. They'd see how long that would last.

"No." Now it was Nightwing's turn to be surprised. It wasn't often that Batman admitted that he didn't have the answer. He glanced over at his mentor, wondering vaguely if he was feeling all right. Only a few years ago he probably would have asked him if he felt all right…needing to joke to release nervous energy. Heck, even a few hours ago he would have had some wisecrack. But suddenly the night seemed more ominous, and he probably couldn't have made a joke if his life depended on it...which it might very well do before the night was over.

"Look, there!" It wasn't much, a flash of light, caught out of the corner of his eye. It could have been a passing car…though there weren't any out and about at the moment, or light glinting off a puddle…except that it was unseasonably dry. Batman nodded once and it was as if the years fell away. They may no longer be the dynamic duo, Batman and Robin, but some things were hard to forget, and working in such unison, in tandem, as a team…well, that just came naturally…whether Batman would admit it or not.

They landed on opposite sides of a door...one with a window at just the right height to have caught the moonlight when it was opened. The two crimefighters exchanged knowing glances. They didn't need words to make their plan. As one they burst into the building…an old fish cannery…ironically one of the brands Joker had tried to get money out of by copyrighting "Joker Fish". It seemed their adversary was running out of original ideas.

This should have been encouraging…after all, if there was a chance he was resorting to old hideouts, then perhaps he would be up to his "old tricks"… as in, tricks he'd already tried and been defeated whilst attempting. Yet…some of his old tricks had been successful…he had managed to ruin countless lives before being returned to Arkham.

"Um, do you notice anything…off about this set up?" Nightwing had come to a sudden stop just inside the entrance. Batman had to pull back a step in order not to run into the younger man. But his reprimand died on his lips as he took in the scene before him.

It was hard to resist the urge to rub his eyes. For he found himself standing inside the Batcave. Not the real Batcave, of course. Not even a very good likeness. But it was obvious to anyone that this…this…thing that Joker had created was meant to represent a secret lair of a crime-fighting bat! The fake cave had some eerie similarities to the real one. It was a little disturbing…to say the least…that Joker seemed to understand Batman so well. There was a central computer, with any number of smaller terminals. Bat-themed motorcycles, planes, boats…even a remarkably realistic Batmobile! Yet for all it's similarities… it was quite twisted.

"What the…?" Nightwing grinned as even Batman was unable to completely contain his bewilderment. The walls were spattered with what looked like blood…Nightwing told himself it only looked like blood, as any other answer was too much to contemplate. There were multiple stuffed Batmen scattered around. Some were little…stuffed toys that could be bought at any Gotham souvenir stand. Others were nearly life-sized. All were mutilated in painful and bloody…fake blood, he hoped…ways. It seemed that every death trap Joker had ever come up with was represented in some way. Nightwing sensed Batman stiffen beside him, and he glanced over, then followed his gaze.

"Damn…" There was a display…all too similar to one in the real cave…a Robin costume…this one torn and blackened...as if Joker had been reminiscing about his victory over Jason Todd. At some unspoken signal Batman and Nightwing moved into the room. This looked to be the place…where it would all come down. Then again, it could just be another decoy…an elaborate one, but a decoy, nonetheless.


Batgirl leapt sidewise at Tim's sudden charge, mentally berating herself. Stupid…stupid. She had allowed herself to be distracted by the water as it gushed out of the pipes and began to cover the floor. Although his will was not his own, she could see Tim's mind at work. She may be the better fighter, but he was the thinker… he surely had enough tricks up his sleeve to make it a difficult fight.

"Ti…no, Ro...um…don't!" Batgirl ducked again as she tried to reason with him…knowing it probably wouldn't work. And the fact that she wasn't sure what to call him…what with his mask removed, yet still technically 'Robin'…wasn't about to help matters. He swung at her head, obviously trying to knock her unconscious, or at least off her feet where he could hold her under the rapidly rising water. She flipped backwards but slipped a little upon landing. She and Tim circled each other, each looking for the opportunity to attack.

"I…" Batgirl hesitated as Tim cut off his short outburst. Was it possible…could he break free of Joker's commands by sheer force of will? She could see flicker's of his own personality fighting the control…more than she had noticed in the other victims. Then again…she blocked another punch…perhaps she could just recognize it in Tim easier than she could in the strangers. Whatever bit of him had tried to escape moments ago was now firmly back under Joker's control.

"Fight it! This…this…is not you….whoop!" Apparently the reasoning technique wasn't going to work a second time. Batgirl found herself dodging a swift kick and ducking under a following lunge. Enough was enough. She may not want to hurt Tim, but if she didn't he could end up hurting her…and most probably himself in the process. She had no illusions that Joker would necessarily allow his instrument to live on after completing his mission. He could…it would be a wonderful 'joke'…making Robin live with the guilt of killing his friend. But the temptation may be too strong for him to resist killing yet another Robin.

The water was making her sluggish…uncoordinated. Fortunately… it was having the same effect on Tim. Batgirl lunged, missing the precise area she needed to hit, but connecting with his shoulder. Tim lost his footing and splashed downward. He came up quickly, sputtering a bit, with a wicked glint in his eye. Batgirl stumbled back a bit…that look wasn't from Joker! Though his intent was still lethal, she could see Tim's own mischievousness aching to break through…Joker's control was just twisting it into a more violent form of retribution.

"Ha!" Batgirl managed to twist away from his grasp…mostly. He caught her cowl by the ear, pulling her mask off and very nearly chocking her in the process. She was sincerely glad Batman had insisted on fail-safes for capes…it would be too easy for a cape to become caught or entangled and end up strangling one of them. So when the pressure of Tim's pulling reached a certain strength the cowl disconnected from the cape. In theory the mechanism would cause the cape to fall away, leaving her masked…since Tim had hold of the cowl instead of the cape, well, both came undone.

"Hey!" She clenched her fists, glaring at him. He glanced at the mask in his hands, a bare hint of a smile reminiscent of the "real" Tim playing at the corners of his mouth. "Tim?" Maybe…maybe she could break through…she could see him there…right below the surface. Maybe Cassandra could succeed where Batgirl had failed. He blinked for a moment, as if confused.

"Ca…um? Buh…" She frowned. He wasn't making any sense! Suddenly his face hardened, control once again lost. Cass prepared to block another attack, calculating the fastest way to bring him down. Unfortunately she hadn't really counted on Tim's mental abilities being brought to bear against her…physical yes, but not mental. Who would have thought that Joker could control you and you could still think!

She had moved to attack…intending a quick nerve-strike to knock him out, never mind the fact that the water was rising quickly and she still hadn't figured a way out. Yet instead of connecting with the precise nerve to render him unconscious, she instead discovered that he had anticipated her. She was getting sloppy. She should be paying more attention to his thoughts and movements than the rising water or the fact that this was Tim…her friend…and…and...why was it so hard for her to bring herself to attack him!

Her hesitation had cost her. Tim may be her friend, but Joker certainly wasn't. And right now she had to remember that Joker was calling the shots. She had to treat Tim like he was the Joker…well, maybe not so harshly…she was liable to beat Joker into a pulp. Of course, if Tim didn't let go of her hair…she may be tempted to beat him to a pulp!


They had expected traps. In truth, how could anyone familiar with Joker not expect traps? They knew what they were in for the moment they entered the fake Batcave. Which just made it all the more frustrating when, after nearly ten minutes of careful investigation, they had still not run across anything remotely resembling a Joker-death-trap.

"Anything?" Nightwing straightened from where he had knelt at the foot of the giant computer. He considered carefully whether Batman's query had truly been in search of an answer or purely rhetorical. When Batman glanced his way he decided it must have been the former. Had to have been…why else would he be on the receiving end of a Bat-glare? Nightwing quickly hid a smile at the inner commentary. Was it any wonder that he and Batman didn't always see eye to eye? Even he admitted he could be a little…well, irreverent at times. Didn't mean he agreed with all the problems Batman seemed to find with him…just meant he recognized their differences.

"Uh…I haven't found anything significant…yet. Well, unless you consider the incredibly horrific twist on the…"

"Nightwing…" he should ignore Batman's warning growl…he could ignore it…just let it go…he could work with Batman without fighting with him…Nightwing blew out a breath.

"Yeah, well…" he cut the retort off, deciding to let the matter drop. No point in arguing, not now. Instead he focused on the most eerily similar aspect of the "cave"… the Robin costume displayed in a glass case. Of course this one was without the memorial plaque, and had been burned nearly to a crisp, though it was still recognizable. Nightwing grimaced. Whatever his weaknesses, Joker did know how to pull the right strings…the right buttons to push. One would think he wanted to die…which, in fact, was probably true…with stipulations, of course. As he had proven after shooting Barbara, he would like nothing more than to cause a hero to become as crazy as himself, to cross that line…to kill, even if it meant his own death. Well, perhaps the death of Batman would be his ultimate goal, but driving them all crazy was a very close second.

Nightwing shook his head…and look how close Joker had come…so many times…to succeeding! His own actions had killed the clown, thought Batman had brought him back. Gordon had managed to maintain his own sanity, though probably just barely, as Joker forced him through a torturous funhouse full of images of Babs. Batman himself had come close to the edge after Jason's death.

Now…Batgirl and Robin were missing…how close would Joker come to succeeding this time? Would they ever see either of the youngsters again? A sharp pain in his hand made Nightwing glance down in surprise. He hadn't realized he was clenching his fist so hard. He looked back to where Batman was inspecting a dummy Batman that had been half-eaten by…something. Probably a shark. Nightwing remembered that he had used a shark to try to kill Batman at least once. A shark, or piranhas…something aquatic, since the dummy was also draped with a few strings of seaweed. Other dummys were similarly decked in ways assumed to represent various failed death-traps over the years and how they should have succeeded.

"Look at this." Nightwing moved to Batman's side. There was a door…a false wall panel, obvious to any amateur detective. Most likely the trap they'd been waiting for. Batman pried the panel open, both of them tensed for an attack. They weren't disappointed. A loud explosion threw them backwards, but was more bark than bite, as neither of them found themselves injured. And indeed, it seemed that may have been the point, for behind what had once been the fake panel was a brightly painted sign that read: GOTCHA!

"Well. That's original." Nightwing dusted himself off, glaring at the colorful sign. Batman simply grunted. They both stood, wondering what other surprises were in store for them. They didn't have to wait long.

"Do you really think so? Why, I'm touched!" Nightwing whirled and Batman tensed at the sound of Joker's voice. Scanning the room they saw no sign of him, but the echo of his laugh grated against them.

"Touched in the head, you mean." Nightwing muttered.

"Ohhhhh. Now that's not very nice! And just when I had thought to bring you a little present!" Joker appeared as a portion of the wall slid away. To give the clown credit, this opening had escaped their immediate notice. Nightwing prepared for whatever nasty concoction Joker had come up with this time as a "present"…he and Batman had already been prepared for any attempts at gaseous poisoning…both by wearing masks and by smoothing a special salve all over their bodies to prevent any attack by gas that would absorb through the skin.

"Don't even think about it, Joker." Said with such a matter of fact and forceful air that Nightwing was hard-pressed not to grin. Batman knew Joker would never comply with his orders, yet he always insisted on giving them.

"Why Batman! I don't know what you're talking about! HEEhehehehehe!" He did a little jig then whirled suddenly, hurling something at them. Nightwing instinctively ducked out of the way, but Batman reached out a caught the projectile. The object dangled from his fingers…not the deadly missile Nightwing had assumed…but a rather familiar utility belt. Batman handed it to Nightwing without a glance, intent, instead on the Joker who was cackling and jumping about.

"Where are they, Joker!" If Batman's voice seemed a little deeper, more gravelly, more intense, one could attribute it to the distortions of the gas mask…but Nightwing knew better.

"What? Who?" Joker laughed again and began skipping down the corridor that he had entered from. Batman ran to follow…Joker wasn't going to get away this time! Nightwing hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the belt in his hand. Batgirl's. Joker hadn't apparently tried to get in to the belt…there were defense mechanisms in place to prevent their technology getting into the wrong hands, and none had been triggered…but the fact that it was no longer attached to Batgirl's waist didn't bode well. Nightwing looped the belt through his own, trying to think positively…when they found Batgirl, she'd want it back. His eyes narrowed as he followed Batman and the Joker through the corridor.

"If so much as a…" he growled to himself. The tunnel suddenly veered sharply to the right and Nightwing slowed to take the corner in a more cautious manner. He rounded it without incident but was brought up short by the sight that greeted him. Well…crap. This was unexpected.


To be continued…