+5 minutes later+
The Batwing landed within the Batcave annex without any hindrance, with the stark contrast obvious between the pitch black of the night air along with the harsh orange lights in the city outside, and the mostly grey environment with regular intervals of soft white lights within the refuge. Both men climbed out of the aircraft at the same time, with Batman already estimating how many minutes it would require for his wound to be thoroughly bandaged to guarantee a stop to the blood loss and safeguard against an infection. Always making it his priority to not take a moment longer than the time he had mentally allocated for the task, especially tonight.
"Master Bruce! You're hurt!", was the first declaration the two men heard as the mansion's eternally-loyal butler was seen running towards them from the heart of the Batcave.
"It's only a type 2 injury, Alfred", Batman flatly announced in a lower voice as his feet landed on the smooth ground below.
"Right away, sir", the dependable, oldest man there veered course, heading in the direction where the up-to-date first aid and emergency equipment was kept within this section of the caves.
"Thanks", the caped crusader whispered under his breath, uncertain if Alfred had even heard him, and realizing that it didn't make any difference for the butler.
The bald man who only sported a greyish-white mustache had been the one stable factor that he and Nightwing could always count on throughout the years, having been there for the two men during times when even the two crimefighters had been at odds with each other. That was no easy feat, considering that both individuals spent months living separately and had refrained from communicating with each other, but they had been able to rely on their aged friend to always visit them in person or contact them via telephone. And true to his nature, Alfred had also constantly informed both men how his counterpart was doing during that rift, even though he had never been asked for the information. Having always assumed that he'd had both Batman and Nightwing inform him that they were no longer interested in the news, he had continued doing so until the two finally got past their pride and admitted to themselves that the city would be better protected when they worked together rather than separately.
"Hmmm…", the younger of the two combatants was already crouched in front of the rear section of the Batwing that had been struck during their flight, keenly examining the damage done, so he removed the eyepiece that served as protection from water and tear gas, as well as the function of a mask, from his face, "This bird definitely shouldn't fly again without getting some serious rehaul, Bats. Once I get the right tools, shouldn't take me more than half a day's work to get it in tip-top shape, though. But before then, we stay grounded. You still have the Wing's tools here, right?".
He looked up at his comrade as he finished talking, to which Batman simply nodded his head in agreement as the older man had his left forearm still pressed against his midsection and then used his right hand to remove his own mask from his head. It was then that Alfred appeared near them, jogging in the pair's direction with all the supplies he'd need for a more thorough care of his employer's wounds.
"Here you are, master Bruce", the butler handed him the new medical supplies, and then from a distance, inspected the bandage that was wrapped around the wound in the jet plane, pretending to not pay as much attention to the wound as he really was.
"Thank you, Alfred", the crimefighter repeated, louder this time.
"Not a serious injury, sir, but better safe than sorry", he announced to both persons there after several seconds while Nightwing was returning to a position of standing at his full height.
"Are you OK with me starting an in-depth on the net while you finish up here, Bats?", the young man inquired as Batman applied a fresh binding over his stomach, satisfied that the damage to his stomach was appropriately dealt with.
"Sure thing", the Batcave's full-time resident agreed, "I'll be there in a minute. Once we find out what we're dealing with, assuming the computer has anything on these foes, we need to get back out there".
"In that case, sir, allow me to bring you a replacement for that part of your costume", the butler announced while remaining still, "And you should also know that miss Quinn has been awaiting your arrival in the Batcave's main chamber for the last ninety minutes now".
His last statement grabbed both men's attention.
"Harl's here?", Nightwing asked, feeling more surprised than anything else at the news.
"Is she alright?", Batman added without as much disbelief to his voice.
"Yes to both counts, sirs", the butler flatly told them, "She arrived a short while after master Dick's departure. She was quite upset, worrying about the Joker's unscheduled release and your pursuit of him while alone, master Bruce. I suspect she didn't follow me here because she believed it was master Dick who was returning to base alone".
The elderly man turned away to walk towards the wardrobe closet without waiting to hear an acknowledgement from the unmasked crusader.
"Flabbergasted?", Batman asked of his former second-in-command once the two of them were alone.
"To be honest, yeah", Nightwing admitted, "But I'd like to see what she has to say for herself".
"She had nothing to do with Joker's escape, Dick", the older man patted him on the back before they both began walking towards the heart of the Batcave, where the supercomputer was located, Batman no longer wishing to dress his wounds within the cave's annex when he had a visitor who was anxiously waiting for him elsewhere.
"For her sake, I hope not, boss", the young man replied, choosing his words carefully, "Because you know what I'll do if you're wrong about her. But either way, you're right that we have bigger fish to fry tonight".
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+2 minutes later+
Dr. Harley Quinn, PhD, was busy pacing the floor of the Batcave's main chamber, walking back and forth near the supercomputer that was connected to the city, state, federal and international mainframes, and updated on a regular basis. She had been in this dark and mostly quiet environment for what felt like ages, but upon the twentieth time she stared at her wristwatch, she objectively knew it had only been just over an hour.
She had already used half a box of tissues via drying her tears or blowing her nose, and tossing those worn items into a wastebasket that was one of the few additions to the otherwise spartan Batcave that had been made to accommodate her visits to it.
Ever since arriving here, almost hysterical due to the news of the infamous escape, she had found the place to be empty, except for the presence of Alfred, who as far as she could tell, never left the confines of either one of the many branches of the Batcave or the mansion above it. The older man had welcomed her inside, of course. Whether this was because he had familiarized himself with her presence and began trusting her after all this time, or simply because his employer had mandated him to, she wasn't sure. Though if she had to bet, she would guess that it was the latter.
But she wasn't planning to whine about her lack of acceptance in mainstream society due to her criminal, and mentally unstable, past. Not when her former consort had broken out of the mental asylum that was supposed to keep him from preying on society in general and herself in particular, and her current consort was pursuing him, and both men were currently missing. In addition to that, Alfred had mentioned that Batman's former sidekick and part-time partner had flown off after the caped crusader, maintaining radio silence with the Batcave, but promising to inform their butler if there's any news.
That was more than an hour ago, and since then, half a box of tissues and a quarter a bottle of scotch later, there was nothing heard. That only made the young woman more and more nervous, tugging at the two blonde ponytails that stuck out perpendicularly away from each other at the top of her head. When that became boring, she tugged at the red tie that had been fastened neatly around her neck at one time to compliment the business dress of the same color, but was now a jumbled mess.
While she was still marching up and down the floor to this dimly-lit cave, Alfred had gone to check on Grayson's return. With only the sounds of bats flying overhead keeping her company, she wondered why Wayne had been so adamant that she leaves all nonessentials items out of this place. It's not as if the Batcave couldn't use a woman's touch to become a slightly brighter and more cheerful place. If given the chance, Harley would've preferred to have some pots carrying flowers here and there, some framed pictures of herself with Wayne sitting on the computer terminal. And while she was at it, she'd definitely add her three most important certificates on the cave walls. The first would be the documentation from Arkham Asylum which stated that she had successfully finished the years of counselling sessions, and was officially sane. The second was the paperwork that re-instated her PhD degree in psychology from several years earlier, which took about eight months of work on her part, as well as a lot of influence and money from Wayne, of course. And lastly, the third was the license which described that she was a counsellor at Arkham Asylum, being the first member of that mental institute's clientele to return to that building as a member of the staff.
As she was trying to distract herself from the worry on her mind, and only partly succeeding, she wished that Wayne would allow her to leave some pictures of them together in his base of operations. Instead, the masked crimefighter had insisted that she only keeps crucial possessions in the Batcave. Those consisted only of a bed, a closet for clothes, and a filing cabinet within one of the rooms that was attached to the heart of the cave, for those nights when she was sleeping over and waiting for Batman to return. That meant all her personal items, which included all objects of a color that was not grey, including smiling photo frames of herself and Wayne together, had to stay either in the mansion above or in her apartment.
The Arkham doctor pulled at her hair again, realizing that the mental diversion just wasn't working on the long run, as the dread she felt in the pit of her stomach upon hearing that Joker was loose hadn't eased up by even the tiniest degree. And she knew it wouldn't be alleviated, either, not until she knew that Batman's safety was confirmed, and Joker's re-incarceration was verified after that.
Looking towards the direction where she heard footsteps, the tense expression on Harley's features turned into a smile when she noticed that Batman and Nightwing were making their way towards her at the same time. She could immediately tell that Wayne was injured, but from the way he carried his face indicated to her that he was more concerned about something that had occurred earlier tonight than on the physical wound he had been dealt.
"Hey sweetie!", were the only words out of her mouth before she bolted in the older crimefighter's direction and they embraced.
"Hello, Harley. I'm glad you're here", Bruce replied prior to her planting a passionate kiss on his lips.
"I didn't know where else to go, Bruce!", her high-pitched voice replied as they parted from the hug, "I was soooo worried! Are you OK?".
"Definitely", the formerly masked man replied as he placed an arm at her lower back while continuing towards the CPU, "Have a long night ahead of us, though".
"So what else is new?", the young woman giggled, not bothered that her paramour's comrade-in-arms hadn't even looked in her direction yet, but even Dick's bad opinion of herself wasn't enough to bring down her mood now that she knew Bruce was safe.
"I didn't know what happened to you since Joker's escape", Batman continued as the couple had locked eyes and the oldest of the three individuals there sat down in front of the main computer screen, "Neither the Arkham staff, nor the Police had any idea of your whereabouts since he broke out".
"Well, you see… I had, well, I'm really sorry about that, but I just panicked and, well, I don't want him around me and didn't want to be easy to find. I can't believe he got out!", the blonde continued talking at a faster tone than him, "I got soooo scared when I heard that he had escaped. I supposed I just panicked that he may be coming after me again. I wasn't too worried about it when I heard there was an escape attempt initially, but then the security guys told me the combination of two things that I was always dreading, sweetie, which was that it was the Joker who had tried to bust out, and then that he succeeded!".
Nightwing only rolled his eyes at her tone of voice as the doctor continued talking while Batman started to type on the keyboard.
"I'm so sorry I worried you, sweetie", Harley continued, nonchalantly sitting on the workstation, near where Batman was entering information, so she could be next to her soulmate while facing him, "And I hate how scared I became when I heard the news. I just ran out of there, left my office, didn't tell anyone where I was going, didn't clock out, didn't even cancel this afternoon's appointments".
"That's not what's important, Harley", Batman quickly looked away from the screen and squeezed her knee, before returning his attention to the machine in front of him, "All that can be made up tomorrow. The imperative matter is that you're safe".
"Thanks, sweetie", the doctor subconsciously hugged herself as she anxiously replied, "All this time, and that clown still has me feeling like a scared adolescent who's afraid of the schoolyard bully. I've just been waiting to hear that you're OK so I could stop tearing my hair out. It's lousy because I work and I work and feels like every time I get up he just kicks me right back down!".
"Uh, Harl", Nightwing finally spoke up, remaining on his feet and pointing to an area away from the trio, "You were so worried in this entire ordeal that you found the time to stop by a bar, I take it?".
Both Batman and Harley turned to see that he was indicating the partly empty bottle of scotch that was sitting on the cave floor and next to her suitcase, about a dozen yards away from the workstation.
"Oh, that?", the doctor giggled again before turning her attention back to her lover, "It was just something to calm my nerves, sweetie. It was either that or I'd be going nuts right now. You understand, don't you? Just a little nightcap to calm my nerves. Was either that or I decorated this place. Didn't want you to come back and find all mess everywhere. You understand right?"
"Yes, I do", the older crimefighter addressed her first, "But Nightwing's also correct that this place needs to stay with the bare essentials".
Batman then turned his attention to his comrade, speaking to both individuals.
"I need you both behind me on this if I'm to stand a chance of solving the riddle behind our deadly friends earlier tonight", the group's leader went on, switching his gaze from one person to another, and then back again, "What happened earlier tonight should prove that I alone don't have the ability to handle Gotham's new visitors".
"Of course, Bats", the younger man slowly nodded once.
"Definitely, sweetie", the Arkham doctor clasped her hands as new urgency appeared on her face, "From what you're describing, are you saying you ran into Mr J? Does he have friends?".
"Yes and no, to answer your questions", Batman returned his attention to the computer screen, trying to find some report on the creatures he had seen earlier, "He was snatched up by a creature the likes of which I had never seen before. And then more of those creatures attacked me. And I'm not finding any information here about them, Dick".
"Jesus Christ!", the younger man brushed his left hand through his long hair in exasperation, "What does that mean? Who were those things? Some type of fairy tale monsters who are pumped up on Venom, maybe? Bane is still at Arkham, right?".
"Yes, and I doubt this is Venom we're dealing with", his former instructor informed him, "All Venom does is increase someone's muscle mass. I've never seen anything like the animals I faced tonight. When I was up close with some of them, I noticed they had a small mouth inside their jaw. These beasts are all natural".
"A mouth inside the…", Nightwing repeated, absorbing the new information, "This is getting more and more interesting as time goes on. Really, it is".
"I still haven't heard anything on the Police scanner about them, which means that they're either keeping a low profile…", the older man continued with a sigh, "Or are doing to every one of their victims the same thing they did to Joker. That one organism carried Joker through the air within an instant. It wouldn't be beyond their capability to kill and remove all evidence of their acts".
"Yeah, the result is that we have a low-priority missing person's report and not a high-priority murder being reported", Nightwing added as he began pacing the floor next to the computer mainframe.
"Which means we go back out and keep patrolling for them", the caped crusader declared as he stood up from the workstation, "Can you find out if Alfred has fuelled up the Batmobile, Dick?".
"Sure thing, boss", the less experienced combatant marched off in search of that information.
"Uh, sweetie, where did Mr J hurt you?", Harley jumped off the surface of the computer terminal and planted her feet on the floor, gently placing her right palm over Batman's heart.
"Not him", the crusader corrected as he replaced his mask over his head, "It was one of the beings I met after Joker was forcibly removed from the scene. It's a shallow wound just above my waistline, nothing to worry about".
"I got some painkillers in my bag to make it all go away, sweetie", the young woman followed through, walking towards the suitcase from work that was waiting several steps away, "You should take a couple before you're heading back out to do battle".
"No, Harley", Batman declined the offer by turning to face the direction that she was heading, "Too much of a chance that any medication could make me drowsy. I can't afford to be less than 100 percent at any night, but especially at a night like this".
"It's non-drowsy, sweets", the doctor insisted, picking up her suitcase and rummaging through it, "It can only help, really".
"Harley, no, I mean it", the older man held both his hands in front of his own chest, arms bent at the elbow and palms facing her, "Now is not the time or the place. I won't take any chances".
"Me neither", Harley insisted as she found the medication she was looking for and walked back towards him, bag in one hand and the bottle of pills in the other, "Either take two of these or stay in bed for 24 hours to recuperate. If you don't want to do either, then you'll have to remove me from the front of the Batmobile before you drive off, sweets".
She reached an area that was within an arm's reach of him and stood her ground, looking up into his eyes, both individuals' determination clashing as neither person spoke for several heartbeats.
"Sweetie, I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize your performance, you know that", Harley finally offered as she raised the container of drugs closer to his face, "But this is silly. Personally, considering you're running off to try to find my tormentor, I'd rather go with you two".
"That's definitely out of the question", Batman countered as he snatched the bottle out of her fingers, "And thank you".
He kissed her on the lips before he unscrewed the cap of the bottle and swallowed two of the pills inside before returning the closed cylinder back to her. He then turned away from her and began marching towards where he knew the Batmobile would be waiting as bats were heard fluttering overhead.
"I'll keep in radio contact once every hour, whether there's anything to report or not", he mentioned as she began following him, more out of instinct than because she had any new arguments to make regarding her reasons to accompany the pair on their patrol, "Stay here and try to get some rest in between our status reports. You've been MIA for a day now. You must be in requirement of rest".
"You love me?", the psychologist asked, still hiking after him.
Batman temporarily turned around and faced her as he was walking backwards.
"Of course", the combatant informed her with a smile, "But you're still staying here".
"Sweetie!", the blonde complained as her consort turned back around and continued marching away, and going towards Nightwing, who was approaching him from the direction of the parked Batmobile, "I feel bad enough at having panicked and running away from my job today. I'm tired of hiding from him!".
"Harl, as much as I appreciate the personal demons you wanna exorcise by facing Joker down, I'm afraid I have to agree with Bats on this one", the younger man addressed her as the trio stopped moving, Nightwing addressing her as he adjusted his own mask back in front of his face, "And this isn't just about the Joker, either. We saw other things out there tonight that I'm still trying to get my head around. Until we know what those guys want and what danger they pose on the streets, you're better off not placing yourself in undue…".
An explosion blew inward from the doorway at the top of the ascending staircase that led to the passageway back to the upstairs mansion through the grandfather clock. Rocks and glass were sprayed in the trio's direction. Nightwing dove for cover, protecting his head, as Batman wrapped himself around Harley's screaming figure before using his fireproof cape to reduce any possible damage to himself.
Standing back up as the effect of the blast dissipated in the large cavern, the two crimefighters saw a giant figure stepping through the hole that remained where the uphill doorframe was. The intruder stood at approximately seven feet tall, emitting a mixture of clicks and hisses as he visually surveyed the area that laid before him at the bottom of the staircase, whose apex he was currently standing on. In addition to the strange armour that his massive body sported, he also wore a metal mask over his face, with what appeared to be long strands of hair at the top and back of his head. His left wrist carried a set of two, nearly-straight blades that protruded several inches past his clenched fist, while the identical knives on his right arm had been broken. Finally, his left shoulder held a horizontal gadget, which Batman remembered as being the projectile-firing weapon that the masked human had disabled by throwing a batarang towards it about half an hour ago.
Without a doubt, this was the same creature that the caped crusader had fought against earlier tonight.
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