Here we go with chapter 16 and last time we saw Batman going up against Shiva. Batman defeated her and she is now gone, leaving four assassins left for him to deal with. Can he stop them all and the Joker before something bad happens? Well, you know what to do.

I want to thank again everyone for the support on the story and the reviews. I appreciate it guys and thank for the reviews as well. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story and will like what happens here. And I hope you all like who appears in the story too.

Now, it's time for the disclaimer. I don't own anything from the DC or Star Wars universe just my OCs. Enjoy the third chapter everyone and I hope you like it. Also: Bold- means thoughts & Italic- will mean what an alien is saying in their native language. And now let's continue with the story.

Chapter XVI

Coruscant

Ahsoka continued keeping an eye out near the Jedi temple, while Ventress had left to get a closer look at the Temple to see how good its security has gotten. Ahsoka knew after Cad Bane had snuck into the Jedi Temple and after what Barriss did. Security had increased to make sure it didn't happen again. She recalls Abigail offering some security systems for the Jedi to use, but wasn't sure it would be enough against the Joker.

She lets out a small sigh as she continued staring at the temple she once called her home. She knew though she couldn't go back. Not after everything that happened. Not after no one trusted her and believed in her innocence.

Anakin, Obi Wan, and Padme were the only ones who did believe her. Master Plo, Master Yoda, the Council, and even Rex, none of them believed her. It hurt her so much that the ones she thought were her friends turned on her. Barriss betraying her though hurt her the most, especially how she used her and tried to kill her.

Still, if things didn't turn out how they did she wouldn't have met Daniel, Abigail, or Alfred. They put their trust in her when they first met her, trusted her with their secret, and they put their trust in her to help them fight crime. In a way, maybe it was for the best how things turned out. It has put her on a better path and helped her regain trust in herself again.

"Tano," she turns around to see Ventress has return. "It seems security has tightened much since last time I was here. That might be a good thing for your little friends."

Ahsoka however wasn't convinced. "If we know that, then chances are so does the Joker," she could sense something is not right and something is going to happen. "I got word while you were out that a friend is coming by to inspect the temple from the inside. That way we can see if anything was set up while we're out here."

"Or you can go inside to check it out yourself," Ventress suggested as she notices Ahsoka's expression changed. "I know you're still not comfortable going inside, but if the Joker is up to something this is something you'll need to get over."

Ahsoka knew Ventress is right, but she's still unsure if she could go back and see the others. "I don't think that's a good idea, especially with…" she stopped when she sensed something nearby. "Do you hear that?"

Ventress wondered what Ahsoka meant, but then hears what she hears. "Sounds like…a rocket pack. It's not far from here?"

Ahsoka takes out her binoculars and sees someone using a rocket pack to fly towards where the Clone army is stationed at. She takes out her com-link and begins contacting her friend.

"Oracle, we see something heading towards the ships and the bunkers. I think it's one of the assassins."

"Got it. I'll hack into the security cameras and get a better look," Oracle replied as she begins hacking into the cameras to get an idea of who it is. "It looks like…Firefly. Whatever he's up to, it can't be good."

Ahsoka knew that was true, especially since the guy seems to enjoy explosives and fire. "I'll go check it out. Tell Katana to assist Ventress with anything she might need," she then turns towards Ventress. "Can you please stay here and keep an eye out?"

Ventress would have probably say no and ask her what she is up to, but for some reason, she didn't. "All right, but again you owe me for this."

"I know," Ahsoka heads towards her speeder and begins taking off as she heads to a safe place to get suited up.

Steel Mill

Meanwhile, Batman continued making his way through the place looking for where Black Mask is being kept. He passed by the factory floor where he sees vials of a strange green substance being put inside small containers. After analyzing them, he discovered they are the Joker toxin. He placed several explosives around the room and detonated them to destroy everything in the room.

After that he continued making his way around the factory, while coming across the Joker's men. He manages to take them out and tie them up as he finds an elevator that leads him down. He finds the body of one of the Joker's men, dead. It appeared he was poisoned with something, but couldn't get any more information from the body.

The elevator took him to a room where he finds Roman Sionis, strapped down and with bruises along his face. There is no signs of the Joker, but some monitors that showed what the security cameras are showing. It looked like whoever was here wasn't gone for long. Probably around the time the vehicles left the factory.

"Get me out'a this thing," Roman ordered.

Batman freed him, only to grab him by his shirt collar and lift him up. "Where's the Joker?"

"Go to hell," Roman replied refusing to talk.

"Wrong answer," Batman begins kicking him, unaware he's being watched from above. "By my count, there are still nine more ribs I can break."

He punches him in the side of his body and then in the face as he picks him up by his shirt collar. "You think that'll make me talk? After what he's put me through?" Roman asked recalling what the Joker did to him during his capture. "The torture…turned my men on me. Stole from me. Murdered my woman. He's my kill, not yours."

Batman punches him again and goes for his wrist gauntlet as Copperhead makes her way down from the ceiling and approaches the Batman slowly. "I can control your pacemaker remotely. Want to see what two hundred and fifty beats per minute feels like?"

But before Roman could reply, Copperhead runs at Batman and delivers a head-scissors moves on him knocking him across the room. "Copperhead," said Batman as he sees it's one of the assassins.

Copperhead charges at Batman, but he grabs her arm and gets it in a hammerlock. However, she breaks free after twisting her body and kicks him right under the chin. She slithers on his shoulder and tries to stab him. He blocks her attacks with his wrist gauntlet, while Roman gets on his feet.

"Kill him and I'll pay you whatever you want," he ordered to Copperhead. "Make him suffer and I'll double it."

Copperhead turns her attention to Roman as she grabs Batman's arms and flips her body upside down with her legs pressing against his neck. "Hmph, an empty promise from a fallen king. I know about the Joker."

She kicks Batman under the chin again and gets off of him as she backs away from him, while Roman makes his escape. Batman tries to attack her, but she was too quick and her body moved so fast. It moved and slithered around him like she's a snake. She managed to cut him on the side of his face and backs away from him knowing she got a hit in.

Batman felt the cut, but didn't let it stop him as he got into fighting position. However, he soon began feeling something flowing through his body. It made him feel lightheaded, woozy, and his vision getting a little blurry.

"What did you do to me?" he asked towards Copperhead.

"I killed you. And in a few more minutes, your body will realize it," she replied as she climbs on the ceiling and makes her way out as her voice can be heard echoing towards Batman. Every effort you make, will hasten your end."

She soon disappeared and Batman knew he had little time to get a cure for the poison. He scans the room to find any trace of the poison so he can find a way to cure himself. He looks over the room and finds a bit of the poison on the metal pipe that she used to come down from the ceiling. He was careless and was so focus on trying to get information off of Black Mask that he didn't sense her in the room.

He analyzed the poison and got what he needed. "It's a powerful neurotoxin. If I don't hurry and get a cure for it…Oracle, can you hear me?"

"I hear you and your vitals are acting up. What happened? I leave the room for a few minutes and…" Oracle was soon interrupted by her brother.

"Listen to me. I ran into Copperhead. She poisoned me with a powerful neurotoxin. I uploaded the analysis of it to the computer and I need you to synthesize an antidote."

"Understood, we'll work on it as fast as possible," said Oracle as she turns over the com-link to Alfred.

"Sir, get to the loading docks and wait for the ship to bring you the cure. Once that is done come back here so we can get a look at you," said Alfred, worried for Daniel's safety.

"I'll be there," said Batman as he begins making his way out of the room and to the loading dock, while encountering what he believes is hallucinations of the poison.

He sees a shadowy figure of Copperhead, mocking and laughing at him. He tries ignoring them, while also keeping his guard up to make sure he isn't attacked again.

As he heads to the next room he sees an image of Alfred appear before him. "What would your father say if he could see you now? Throwing your family's hard-earned fortune on these frivolous nightly escapades! Risking the life of you, your sister, and your friends. And for what?"

Batman knew this had to be a fake, but it felt real despite telling himself it isn't. "You're not this city's savior. You're a Wayne. And a spoiled, wasteful, disappointment of a Wayne at that."

Batman knew he had to keep moving, but he feel on his knees and coughed loudly as the hallucination continued. "You have forgotten what your family name stands for? You disappoint me…you disappoint me."

Batman balls up his fist and gets as the illusion was gone. He continued walking towards the elevator, while also passing by another illusion. This time in the form of his sister and Ahsoka. Both of them standing in his way towards the elevator as they spoke to him like Alfred did.

"Why didn't you help stop him? Why didn't you help stop that man from killing our parents?" Abigail asked in an upset tone. "You could have helped our dad stop him. They could have lived if you had just did more than standby while they got shot down."

Batman remembered that night when the criminal appeared from the shadows of the alleyway and pointed his gun at them. His dad tried to calm him down and gave him their money. But then the thief went to grab his mother's necklace, which caused his father to attack the thief. He did nothing but watch his father struggle with the man, before he got shot.

Hs mother screamed as his father fell to the ground. The thief grabs his mother's necklace, breaking it and then opened fire on her. The pearls bounced off the ground as his mother fell and lies there motionless next to his father. The thief then turns towards him, but he didn't do anything.

He didn't scream, he didn't cry, he just stood there shocked. Shocked and in disbelief at what happened. The thief pointed the gun at him, but never pulled the trigger. Instead he puts it away and takes off running into the shadows never to be seen again.

"Why didn't you save them?!" Abigail screamed at him again. "Why did you stand there and do nothing?!"

She is right. Why didn't he do anything? Why didn't he try helping his father? Could he have saved them if he had done anything different that night?

He didn't have much time to think as Ahsoka spoke out next. "Where were you when I was being framed for murder? Why didn't you come help me when I needed help to prove my innocence? You claim to be a hero to the people, but you did nothing to help me and because of that I got kicked out of my home. You stood by and did nothing like the coward that you are."

He was asked that same question, but not in the same way she was talking to him about. Not in that tone. He had heard of the bombing and who was behind it, but was busy rescuing the kidnapped Twi'lek people from the Zygerrians. By the time he got to Coruscant, it was over.

Ahsoka was freed of the charges, she left her home, and was no longer a Jedi. He felt bad for her because if he had been there he could have helped her. He could have kept her from being kicked out of the Order. And maybe she wouldn't have suffered so much.

"You're not hero. A real hero would have done helped, but instead you did nothing," she replied as the illusions were gone and Batman was able to make his way into the elevator.

He began to think about what both the girls said and how maybe what happened was his fault. His parents being murdered and not being there to help Ahsoka. If he had been there things could have been different and maybe he wouldn't have given up on his chance to be with…No, keep it together. He thought knowing that his sister and Ahsoka would never say anything like this to him.

He knows his sister doesn't blame him for what happened that night and Ahsoka doesn't blame him for not being there to help her with her innocence. He had to keep fighting the effects of the poison and get the antidote.

As soon as the elevator began to take him up, the body nearby which was the body of the Joker began to move. It began to speak to him in the voice of a woman. He looks over and sees its Padme's body. Her skin pale, her eyes looking dead, and a familiar large grin appeared on her face. The same grin that was on the banker, who the Joker poisoned and killed.

"Daniel, how could you? How could you let me die? How could you let the one you love die like this? Where were you?" she asked as her head moves back and forth. "You never loved me did you? That's why I died because you didn't love me. You couldn't fight hard enough to save me. Just like you didn't fight hard enough to keep our relationship together."

She began getting up and moves towards him. "You quit on us and you let me die. How many more must perish before you realize you're no savior. You're a curse on the galaxy. Leave us alone!"

Batman knew this was not real. That this isn't the real Padme and it's all in his mind. He tries to focus as hard as he can to get rid of these illusions. To keep fighting so he can save everyone.

"We were better off without you. I'd still be alive without you. You couldn't stop him and you couldn't save me. Why?" she asked before the illusion was gone and Batman looks down to see the Joker henchmen's body where it was before.

The elevator door opens and he makes his way through it as the entrance to the loading dock is blocked by three Copperheads. He knew two were fakes and one is real so he summoned any strength he has left to fight them. Two of the illusions charged at him, but using his Cowl-vision he is able to detect which is the real one, despite the poison going through his body.

He ducks both attacks and kicks the real one from the middle right into the room, but she lands on her feet and begins to laugh. "Is that the best you can do? My venom will break your mind, and then I will break what's left of you."

She charges at him, but Batman is ready as he blocks her attacks, but she is still too quick and manages to damage his cowl vision. He knocks her off of him and knew he would need to rely on whatever senses he has left. Looking around him he sees several other Copperheads surrounding him. He knew one of them was the original and needed to find her.

Remembering what he learned during his training long ago he closed his eyes and knew he had to rely on one of his senses. His eyes are useless, his ears, same thing they are not working, but his nose. Yes, his nose could detect a familiar smell coming off of her when they fought earlier. He can recognize it and focused on that to help him find the real Copperhead.

The Copperheads attacked, with the real one charging in as well. Batman however is able to detect the real Copperhead and blocks her attacks, while the fakes phased through him. She tries slashing at him, but he kept his distance and couldn't allow her to use her quickness to get on him again. She moves in to try slithering around him, but he moves out of the way and throws a few flash bomb pellets that blinded her.

He moves in and begins punching her in the face, while one in the gut. She throws a strike, but he grabs her arm. He twists it, brings it down on his shoulder breaking it, and drives his elbow to the side of her head. She hisses at him in anger and is able to get part of her vision back as she tries climbing up the chains to get a height advantage on him. The chains echoed around the room, giving Batman an idea where she is at.

He kept his guard up and when he could smell where she is at, he waits to make his move. She jumps at him, but he jumps up and delivers a kick right to the face knocking her towards some crates, that fall on top of her. Once he is sure she is down, he falls on his knees, and begins coughing loudly. The adrenaline he was feeling during the fight is beginning to die off and he could feel himself breathing heavily.

Suddenly he hears something flying above him and something crashing through the ceiling. "Sir, the drop container has arrived. Can you see it?" Alfred asked speaking to him through the com-link.

"I see it…" Batman goes towards it and gets the antidote. He injects it into his neck as he feels it working.

His vision begins returning to normal, his body begins feeling less weakened, and his strength is coming back to him. However, before he has a chance to recover, Copperhead breaks out of the crates and sees what Batman did.

"You think you're cured? My poison, is still in your veins and it will remain there as long as you live-which won't be very long."

But before she can attack him, long black whip wraps around her other arm and pulls her towards another crate. As she tries to recover a woman dressed in black appears kicking her right in the face and knocks her to the ground, unconscious.

"Didn't anyone ever say to you, you talked too much?" said the woman as she helps hogtie Copperhead as Batman approaches her. "So, you're the Batman I heard so much about? I got to say, you're a lot cuter than I expected."

Batman got a better look at the woman, who was very attractive. She had on a black leather jumpsuit, with cat ears on her head, and red large goggles. He was told about Ventress's friend and how she would be arriving to assist him. Though he didn't expect her to be dressed like this.

"I take it you're the friend, Assajj Ventress send?" he asked getting a nod from her as he picks Copperhead up. "You're late."

"Sorry, had to take care of something else," she explained as Batman tosses Copperhead into the back of an empty trailer. "Still, it looks like I got here on time. You don't look so good."

"I had it under control," he replied as he makes sure the restraints are locked and tight.

"Sure you did," she replied as she walks over to him. "My name is Catwoman, by the way. And if you have everything under control, then I guess I'm not needed then anymore."

Before she can leave, Batman stops her. "Hold on, I still have some questions for you," he said as he prepares to close the door on Copperhead, when she began to speak to him.

"I know what you are looking for. The Joker, I know where he is," she replied getting the Batman's attention.

"Tell me," he asked wanting to know where the Clown is heading to.

"He's called a meeting. All the assassins will be there," she lied trying to get him to set her free. "When you set me free, I'll tell you where."

"No need," said Catwoman interrupting Copperhead. "I know where that meeting is at, but he isn't there. The clown is heading to the Senate with some of the trucks that left here, while the other half left somewhere else."

Batman turns towards Copperhead who begins cursing at Catwoman. He closes the door and begins contacting Oracle.

"Oracle, let Batgirl know where the Joker is heading and see if you can alert the Senate," he replied knowing it will take him some time to get back to the city. "I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Roger that," said Oracle as she begins contacting Ahsoka.

Catwoman approaches Batman and begins hitting on him. "Why do you want to deal with the Clown? I say you and me go somewhere more private and let the Jedi handle him."

She asked as she places her finger on his chest and moves it around. He knew she is flirting with her, which he didn't have time for.

"That madman has already killed too many people. I've got to stop him before he hurts more innocent lives," said Batman as he gently moves her hand away from his chest. "If you want to help, then you can tell me what else you know about what the Joker is planning."

Catwoman was surprised to see that Batman wasn't interested in her. At least to her not at the moment. The stories she heard about him is true. He isn't like the other men, which makes him more interesting.

"I don't know. What's in it for me?" she asked.

Despite him being interesting and cute, she wasn't going to risk her life for the Republic. Not after what she went through with them and how much she hated the rich who control much of the Senate. However, unbeknownst to her a red dot appeared on her chest and moves up to her head. Batman though noticed this and tackles her down just as shots opened fire from a nearby window.

Batman kept her head down as more blasters continued opening fire. They begin to crawl away from the attacks as rockets are head firing at them. Batman grabs her hand and they begin making a run for it. The rockets hit the walls, machines, and floor causing a large explosion to erupt behind them.

Batman sees the exit, but knew whoever is shooting at them is waiting for them. He activates the Batjet as it flies towards them.

"Batman! I'm hearing shots being fired. You two okay?" Oracle asked worried for her brother.

"We're fine. Can you see who is shooting at us?" Batman asked.

Oracle hacks into the security cameras and sees who it is. "Looks like its Deadshot, along with some armed men. I suggest you get out of there and deal with him later."

"Agreed," said Batman knowing they don't have time for games.

Catwoman lets out a small sigh as they wait for their ride, while wanting to speak to Batman. "Well, this is fun I guess…thanks for saving me back there."

"No need to thank me. Though I would appreciate it if you told me what the Joker is planning," said Batman hoping to get some information out of her.

Catwoman sighed before replying. "Even if I tell you, what makes you think you can stop him or his assassins? After what you went through, what makes you think you can win?"

"I'll find a way," he replied knowing the odds are stacked against him, but he didn't care. "If you don't wish to get involved. That's fine, but I still need the information."

She sighed again knowing this was pointless to help a man who is probably going to die. However, she couldn't just ignore the guy who did save her from getting shot and blown up, especially one who wasn't like the other men she knew.

"I supposed I could return the favor, but just know I'm not helping you fight the Clown or Bane," she replied, since she didn't want to risk getting killed by either one of those psychos.

"Deal," the Batjet flies over the two as Batman wraps his arm around her waist and uses his grappling hook to head up to the jet.

They get inside the jet as Batman begins to take over manually. Catwoman was surprised by him wrapping his arm around her, but didn't seem to mind. It's been a while since she met a man that caught her interest, especially one so mysterious and dark. Perhaps there is more to him than meets the eye.

"Hold on," said Batman as they fly back to the city.

There we go. That's the end of the chapter and I hope everyone liked how this went. I want to thank everyone again for the support and reviews from the last chapter. I appreciate it and hope you all liked the debut of Catwoman.

She is now in the story and has assisted Batman in subduing Copperhead. Now he has to deal with three more assassins and the Joker. Will he succeed? Or will things end in chaos?

Check out the next chapter to find out. If you all liked how this chapter went then please leave some reviews. If you didn't like this, then don't leave a flame review please. Take care everyone, be safe, and see you all next time.