Just letting you know that this isn't meant to be the actual Cameron Riley Monaghan even though I used part of his name and the guy has red hair. I just used a mental image of the actors looks as my head canon for my own character.

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Cameron came from a family full of cops. His father was a cop. His grandfather was a cop. And so on and so on. A long line of cops. If you were born into the family they just expected you to be a cop too. So Cameron became a cop. The fact that he wasn't sure he even wanted to be a cop didn't factor into it. He'd have much preferred if he was an actor. He always loved theater when he was in school. He loved to pretend to be someone else. He would watch his favorite movies over and over as a kid, star struck at all the greats. Mark Hamill, Al Pacino, Heath Ledger, and Basil Karlo were some of his favorites. But when he graduated high school he went to the police academy. He never really had a choice. Not if he wanted to fit in with the rest of his family. He did well at the academy even if he was known as a bit of a goofball. And when he graduated from the police academy he became a pretty good cop. His family was proud of him. He was happy that they were proud. But he wasn't happy overall. Until he heard of the most amazing assignment and decided to sign up for it immediately. The GCPD needed intel on the Penguin and the only way they could get that info was if they had someone on the inside. So they sent Cameron in undercover as a low level thug. He had found his dream job. He could do what he loved to do and still be a cop. He was damn good at his job. No one suspected that the cheerful easy going redheaded Jerome was a cop. He fit in with the other thugs. They saw an inexperienced yet eager kid who was thrilled by the violence and danger of being a criminal. Even after the assignment was over no one had suspected him of anything and all the thugs assumed Jerome was arrested by the police along with them.

When Arkham City was built and the prisoners and Arkham patients all thrown into that place, Commissioner Gordon was very concerned. He never liked the sound of it. It seemed like so many things could and were likely to go wrong. So he decided to send in a few of his own in there undercover to keep an eye on things. Cameron was one of them. The story was that the low level thug named Jerome had indeed been caught by the cops and was now being transferred to Arkham City along with all the other prisoners. He pulled on the jumpsuit that all the prisoners were given and got in line to get into Arkham City.

"Hey there pretty boy." one of the rougher looking thugs leered at him from the line next to him. 'Jerome' just rolled his eyes and ignored the man. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Don't ignore me, you little shit!"

"I'll stop ignoring you when you stop being boring." Jerome said, not even looking over at the man. "And you definitely need a breath mint because your breath stinks like shit." He looked over at the man. "Stop breathing on me you fucking neanderthal. You think you're at all intimidating? Try me, fucker."

"You are so dead when we get inside Arkham City. There will be no guards to protect you in there." the thug said, sneering.

Jerome smiled at him. "Yeah, but you'll be needing those guards, not me. Like I said, try me."

Cameron knew what his job was. It wasn't an easy one. But he was the only one of the undercover cops that might fool the Joker. He knew there was a very large chance the psycho would know instantly that he was a cop and he'd be a dead man. But that didn't deter Cameron at all. It thrilled him. It was a challenge. If he could fool the clown prince of crime he'd be a legend. So he was playing up Jerome's viciousness. He was trying to make himself look like the perfect lackey for the psycho. He was fully prepared to do things he might regret later in order to commit to the role. He'd make his childhood hero, Basil Karlo, proud and totally lose himself in the role.

Jerome was let into the walled off prison city along with the rest of the prisoners. He noticed that some of the prisoners who had likely been there longer were waiting near the entrance, likely as recruiters for the various big name villains in there. He noticed a few in clown makeup or masks. Joker's thugs. He pretended he was considering his options, looking from the clown thugs, to the thugs with penguin accessories, to the thugs with outfits burnt on one side. He knew he couldn't be too eager or he'd make people suspicious. And he had a show to put on first anyway. He smiled when he saw the thug from earlier walk up.

"Get ready to die, pretty boy." the man snarled as he launched his fist at him.

Jerome sidestepped the blow and grabbed the man's arm, twisting it in a painful way until he heard something pop. The thug screamed and fell to the ground clutching his arm. "Finished? Or do you want any more?" He kicked the man hard in the gut a few times. "Just because someone is smaller than you doesn't mean they are weaker, asshole." Jerome smirked as he walked away. The Joker thugs had seen it all and it seemed they found it entertaining.

One of the thugs was laughing as Jerome approached them. "That was beautiful. I know that asshole from Blackgate. I loved seeing him get taken down a notch. What's your name, kid?"

"Jerome. I figure it would be hazardous to my health if I didn't try and get hired by one of the big names. I'm guessing you're recruiting for the Joker if the outfits are anything to go by."

"Yeah. We are. I like you, kid. So just a little warning. Not all of our recruits end up surviving long enough to actually work for our boss. So I'd make sure you know what you're doing. Having a death wish is kinda required for this job given how unpredictable our boss is." the thug said.

"I get that. But Penguin kinda just seems boring from what I've seen and done with him so far and Two Face doesn't seem much better. I'm looking for a bit more of a thrill. And I doubt anything involving the Joker is boring." Jerome said.

"Well you aren't wrong. I'm never bored." another Joker thug said. "Stick around with us while we gather a few more recruits. Then we'll head out. Hopefully welcome to the gang."

They stood there and gathered several more potential recruits and then started walking through what used to be Old Gotham before it was Arkham City. The buildings were all still there. They were mostly boarded up or sealed off. It looked so surreal to see Old Gotham look that way. Apparently Joker holed up in the Sionis Steel Mill so there was a bit of a walk. They encountered a few thugs from other gangs on the way but nothing they couldn't handle.

Jerome stared up at the steel mill when they arrived. It was show time. He couldn't afford to slip up. It was literally life and death for him now. And Joker wouldn't make it painless if he ever found out the truth. He'd have to give the performance of a lifetime. He sighed and entered the mill.

"Wow. So many new recruits!" a cheerful and high pitched voice said. Harley Quinn herself walked up to the group of recruits and smiled. "That's great!"

"What do you want us to do with them today, Harley?" one of the Joker thugs said.

"Mista J's actually in a good mood today. So he said that the recruits can live. Just get them up to speed and give them something to do. I'm too busy to worry about that right now." Harley looked worried about something. She walked away and left the thugs to train the new recruits. One of the thugs made sure Jerome knew how to fight before sending him out on guard duty. Jerome wasn't surprised he was given guard duty. He was a low level thug just starting out. He'd have to prove himself to get closer to Joker.

Jerome quickly moved up the ranks in the short time he was there. He proved himself as a vicious and capable fighter. He got to stay inside the mill more and more. He still hadn't been in the same room as the Joker at all yet. But he was making progress.

"Hey you!" someone yelled at Jerome one day as he was on his way to his post in the mill one day. Jerome turned around and saw the thug from before. The rude one he had beat the shit out of. And he wasn't alone. He had brought his equally as vicious looking friends. "You little brat. You think I'm just going to forget what you did to me? Want to try it again? I'm not alone this time."

Jerome just stared at him with a bored look. "You really going to try this again? You must be a masochist."

The man snarled at him. "Teach this guy a lesson, boys."

One of the thugs went up and punched Jerome in the face, making him stumble a bit. But only a bit. Jerome just smiled at him looking unfazed by the punch. "You need to learn some manners." Jerome sidestepped a few punches from the other thugs and grabbed a pipe lying on the floor. Then he proceeded to beat the men senseless with the pipe. By the time he was finished he realized that two of them were dead. He hadn't actually intended to kill them. Cameron felt bad about that but he couldn't afford to show it. Because Jerome wouldn't care. And it proved to be a good move not to show it when a few seconds later he heard a very familiar chilling laughter. He turned around to see Joker standing there looking very amused with the sight. Jerome tried not to look nervous at seeing the deranged clown in person but failed. No one told him how he was supposed to act around the guy.

"Oh don't stop on my account. Finish the job and kill the rest of them." Joker said laughing.

The two thugs that were still alive, including the rude one, looked over at their boss in shock and fear. "No! Please! I don't want to die!"

Jerome hit the rude one in the face with the pipe. He shut the little part of himself that was Cameron off in a safe part of his head so he didn't have to deal with the murders he was basically committing. Then he hit both of them until they were a mess of blood and bone and very dead.

Joker looked very entertained. He laughed maniacally until he started coughing painfully. When he got the coughing under control he grinned at Jerome. "That was quite the sight. Don't worry, kiddo. I don't care that you killed some of my own. I didn't like any of them anyway. You on the other hand are a hoot! I like you, Red."

"Thanks, sir." Jerome said nervously. Joker walked away laughing.

After that Jerome got to see a lot more of Joker. He had finally gained Joker's favor with that display of violence. So Jerome got to see the truth. Joker really was sick. But it was odd. Sometimes he definitely looked sick. But other times he looked totally fine. The times he looked fine were mostly when everyone else got to see the Joker. How was Joker hiding his illness?

One day as Jerome was dragging in a doctor that a few other thugs had captured elsewhere into Joker's private rooms, Joker was there lounging in an armchair in a good mood. He looked healthy that time and was watching a movie on a small tv as he waited for them.

"I like that movie. Basil Karlo was amazing in that." Jerome said as he handed off the crying doctor captive to another thug.

Joker beamed. "I agree. One of his best films." Joker got up and smiled at him. "I've got a job for you, Red."

"What's the job?" Jerome said. He wasn't really all that fond of the nickname Joker had for him. Just because he had red hair Joker insisted on calling him Red.

"I found an undercover cop trying to pretend to be one of my lackeys." Joker said grinning.

Cameron nearly shit himself when he heard that but didn't react.

"I have him locked up at the moment but I want to make a show of his death. And I just love your enthusiasm, kid. I want you to kill the pig." Joker said.

"Sure thing, boss." Jerome said, not reacting to all of it. Inside he was freaking out. He didn't want to kill one of his own colleagues. He might know the guy. "How do you want it done?"

"Oh I don't really care. Just make it a good show. And don't make it quick. Have fun with it. Go ahead and get him and bring him to the main room so everyone can watch. I'm looking forward to the show."

Cameron made his way to the room the cop was locked in trying to figure out a way to help the man escape without blowing his cover. He wasn't sure there was a way. He probably just needed to get the both of them out. He took a detour to grab some spare Joker thug clothing. Then he headed to the room. He unlocked the door and went in. He saw the cop lying on the floor barely conscious. He looked pretty beat up. Cameron looked around the room to see if there were any cameras then went over to the cop.

The cop flinched when Cameron got near. "Please. No more."

"It's ok. I'm going to help you. Can you walk? We'll need to get out of here as quick as we can if we want to live." Cameron said.

The cop sat up and looked at him with confusion. "Why are you helping me? Is this a trick?"

"The name's Officer Cameron Riley. I'm undercover too. But if I'm going to help you we both need to get out of here. I can't help you and keep my cover. We need to move. Joker wants me to kill you and probably won't be patient for long."

"Oh thank god. I was sure I was a dead man." the man said getting up. "You really survived this long undercover as Joker's lackey? How'd you do it?"

"I'm a great actor." Cameron said as he helped steady the man. He gave the man some new clothing and helped him put on some Joker lackey clown makeup. Then they made their way through the building trying their best to look like they belonged there.

Suddenly the cop was shot in the head from behind and he crumpled to the floor dead. Cameron turned around to see Joker grinning at him menacingly. Cameron knew he was screwed.

"Oh Red, you disappointed me. I was hoping you'd really commit to the role and actually do what I told you to do. But you just had to act the hero. Don't get me wrong. I am very impressed with your acting abilities. But I was hoping I'd get to see your act for a lot longer."

Cameron opened his mouth to spin a tale involving him trying to cruelly trick the cop into thinking he was on his side but he never got the chance to say anything. He was knocked out from behind.

When Cameron woke up, he was tied to what seemed to be a wheelchair. And he was up in Joker's private rooms. He was going to die, wasn't he? Joker walked into the room and grinned at him. Then he started coughing and sat down in frustration. Cameron noticed him cough up some blood that time.

"You are dying. It's not just a rumor." Cameron said, surprise briefly taking the place of terror on his face.

"I suppose given your current situation I'm not angry that you know that secret, Red. Since you might not be living for much longer either." Joker said after he finally stopped coughing.

"I suppose there's no point in me coming up with a lie to get out of this, is there?" Cameron said, knowing how screwed he was.

"No. There isn't. I've known you were a cop for awhile now, Red." Joker laughed. "I just enjoyed seeing the persona you put on to hide it. It was very convincing. You really lost yourself in the role. Or were you finding yourself?"

"You kept me around even after you learned I was a cop?" Cameron asked, very confused.

"Of course I did. You were very entertaining. You really actually believe that it's just an act on your part. That you didn't enjoy all the things you've done while you were here. But you did enjoy it. I could tell. The real you, the one that's not an act, that's the you I got to see. The violent monster just under the surface. And I was rather impressed. In fact, if it wasn't for that annoying belief of yours that you're a good person, I'd see a little of myself in you. I still do really. So it's disappointing that you're a cop." Joker sighed.

"I am a good person! That was all an act! I did what I had to do to make it convincing! I'm nothing like you." Cameron sneered at the clown.

"See what I'm saying? You are so far in denial that I'm not sure you will ever stop believing that. Which is very disappointing. So much wasted potential." Joker said with a disappointed sigh.

"Then kill me. What are you waiting for?" Cameron asked with a snarl. If he was going to die then he'd rather it be quick. Not this horrible anticipation.

"Oh I am, Red. I am." Joker said with a vicious grin. "Look down at your arm. I'm surprised you didn't notice."

Cameron looked down at his arm that was tied to the arm of the wheelchair and saw an IV in his arm. He followed the tube with his eyes up to a bag of a red substance that looked suspiciously like blood. "What is that? What are you giving me?"

"When I said I saw a little of myself in you I was being both metaphorical and literal, kiddo." Joker grinned wider. "Now, if I can't find a cure for the poison in my blood, at least I won't be dying alone. Because you'll die too."

Cameron's eyes widened in shock. Joker had poisoned him with whatever was killing him? "Why me?" This was worse than just a gunshot to the head. This was likely to be slow and immensely painful. Joker looked like he was in agony so pain was likely. "Why do this to a no one like me?"

"Why not?" Joker said like it was an obvious question. "You were around. And it gives you a chance to live. If I'm cured, you'll be given the cure too and can go on your merry way. I think I'm being more than generous considering you are a cop."

Cameron was so confused. Why was Joker giving him the chance to live? "Am I really supposed to believe you of all people will let me live and go free? You never let any cop you see live."

"I did say I like you. I wasn't lying about that. You're young. You still have time to figure out the real you. The… entertaining you. I know potential when I see it, kid. Why would I deprive Gotham city of that? I just want to be alive to enjoy the show. So if I die, you die. It's as simple as that."

Cameron was taken out of the wheelchair at some point and handcuffed to a pipe in the corner of the room. He could feel the infected blood burn through him. It really was killing him, wasn't it? He was left alone mostly. Joker seemed to forget he existed half the time. The odd thing was that whenever he saw the healthy looking version of Joker, the psychopath acted nicer to him in small ways. Like he wasn't Joker at all. Cameron couldn't figure it out. Finally he said something about it when the healthy Joker gave him some food.

"Why are you being nice to me? You aren't a nice person. You're the fucking Joker."

The Joker just tried to ignore the question.

Cameron's eyes widened when he realized the truth. "You aren't really him, are you? I wasn't imagining it. You're just pretending to be him so Joker's enemies don't know he's dying."

The not Joker snorted in amusement. "You're a pretty observant guy, I'll give you that."

"But how is this possible? You look just like him." Cameron suddenly connected the dots. Who was the only person in Gotham that could look like anyone he wanted to? "Oh my god, you're Basil Karlo!" He couldn't keep himself from geeking out a bit.

"Shh!" The not Joker said to shut him up. "We don't want everyone to know I'm not really him. But yeah. That's me. Joker hired me to act like him in front of his lackeys."

"Why are you being nice to me? You aren't known for being nice either." Cameron asked the former actor turned shapeshifting mudman.

"You said you enjoyed my performance in one of my favorite movies I've done. You're clearly a fan. And a pretty good actor yourself. I don't feel right being mean to you."

"I am a fan. A big fan. You inspired me. I loved how you would just lose yourself in every role. It made it feel like you really were those characters." Cameron said a little starstruck. His childhood hero was in the same room as him! "If my family weren't all cops I'd have tried to be an actor just like you. This undercover work is really just my way of trying to have that and not be a pariah in my family. But look how well that turned out. I guess I'm not as good an actor as I thought."

"Don't sweat that, kid." ClayJoker said. "Joker is insanely observant for someone who's this insane. No matter how good you are I doubt it would take him long to figure you out. I personally enjoyed your performance. I had no idea you were a cop until he told me. Even after he told me I just couldn't see it. You do seem to know your stuff."

"You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear that coming from you of all people." Cameron said with a small smile. He actually got to meet his childhood hero. He never thought he would. At least not in a way he could actually speak with him. He had figured, and secretly hoped, that he would meet Karlo while he was called out to deal with whatever mayhem the claylike villain decided to pull. But in that case they wouldn't exactly be able to speak with each other in a meaningful way. This was so much better. His hero actually liked his performance! Cameron felt so happy in that moment that he didn't even mind that he was dying for a few minutes.

"I guess at least you can die happy." ClayJoker said, with a very out of character sad look on his Jokery face. "Sorry that I can't help you get out of here. It would really mess with my reputation."

"It's ok. Just stop acting out of character. Seeing the Joker look sad is just weird." Cameron said with an uncomfortable look.

"I guess even us greats have our off moments." ClayJoker said, clearly not realizing he had slipped out of character. He quickly got back into character, laughing maniacally before smiling at Cameron and then walking out the door.

By the time Batman came to Arkham city, Cameron wasn't really strong enough to try and escape. He was alive and not quite dying yet, but he wasn't well. They didn't bother handcuffing him to anything anymore. The day that Batman arrived, Cameron could hear him fighting in the room below and hoped he was going to be rescued. But what was the point anymore? Unless someone found a cure, he was going to die no matter where he was.

"Hiya! Just sit there in the corner quietly until we're done, ok? Don't get any dumb ideas." Harley said when she walked into the room. Joker came in after, along with ClayJoker. They were clearly about to put on a show for Batman. Sure enough, Joker sat down in a wheelchair and acted like he was on the verge of death. Then they make the heart monitor beep like he flatlined and Harley sat at Joker's feet sobbing.

"Leave us alone! Haven't you done enough?!" Harley cried out to Batman when he entered the room like a dark avenging shadow. Batman seemed to see nothing else but Joker. He walked forward, knocking Harley to the side to get to Joker. ClayJoker stood behind Batman as the man stared at Joker in shock, until Batman could sense him and turned around. ClayJoker and Harley quickly knocked him out.

"It was all a lie. There's nothing wrong with you." Batman snarled at Joker when he woke up tied to the same wheelchair Cameron had been tied to at one point. Cameron stared in horror as Harley had attached an IV to Batman and put a bag of Joker's blood up. How was Batman going to save him if he was dead? And who else could find a cure to what was killing him? Cameron really was screwed.

"Nice of you to say, Bats." the real Joker said as he walked up to him. "But you of all people should know, there's plenty wrong with me." Joker laughed before violently coughing. When he stopped, Cameron got to watch as Joker let Batman know just what he had just given him an IV of. Joker really was crazy, Cameron thought to himself. Joker actually thought it would be a good idea to infect the guy that he was going to then ask for help from. Well, he didn't really ask. More just threatened. Then he pointed out all the bags of blood he donated to Gotham hospitals. Cameron's eyes widened in shock as he heard that. It was bad enough to know he was dying from whatever was killing the Joker, but to know that other people, possibly kids, might die as well?

"You fucking psycho bastard!" Cameron snarled weakly. "Wasn't infecting me bad enough?"

"What did Harley tell you about sitting there quietly?" Joker sneered at Cameron.

Batman had just noticed Cameron in the corner and looked over in concern. "Are you Officer Cameron Riley?"

Cameron looked over in surprise. "Yes, that's me. How did you know my name?"

"Gordon let me know of his missing undercover cops. You match the description he gave." Batman said. "How seriously are you injured?"

"A few bruises and cuts. Nothing else of note other than Joker's poison. He infected me like he did to you. Please, Batman, when you get out of this, please remember I'm here. Get me the fuck out of here." Cameron said weakly.

"Yeah yeah. You and I are going to have a talk later about interrupting people when they are having a private conversation, Red." Joker said with a dangerous look. "As for you, Bats. You know what you have to do. Time is running out. None of us have long, do we? So you better get to it." Joker then shoved Batman's wheelchair out of the window.

"What if he doesn't survive that? You just pinned all your hopes of a cure on Batman and you're actively trying to kill him at the same time? You really are crazy!" Cameron snapped at Joker with irritation. He was dying anyway so fuck it with walking on eggshells around the psycho. Maybe if he got Joker angry enough, he'd kill him quickly.

"Yes. I think I've clearly established that fact." Joker said with a grin. "This way, if Batman fails, and I die, he dies. Batman without me is like a joke with no punchline. Or is it the other way around?"

"But with him running around and getting his blood pumping faster it's going to kill him faster! He might not live long enough to find your damn cure!" Cameron yelled. "Fuck! It's like you want to die!"

"There's the Red I like to see." Joker said smiling, not at all bothered at Cameron's outburst. "Dying has given you a little perspective, hasn't it? You can almost see the truth."

"What truth?" Cameron asked.

"Nothing matters. Living. Dying. None of it matters! So why care about any of it? Even fear. Why fear anything if it doesn't matter anyway? You used to fear me. I don't think you do anymore. I'm not mad about that. I'm proud of you, kiddo. Maybe there's hope for you yet."

Eventually, Batman did find a cure. And he tried to bring it back to Joker to cure him in time but failed. Joker died. Cameron only found out about that after, when Harley sobbed her eyes out to him about it. She kept him trapped in the steel mill until Batman managed to save him and give him the cure. Cameron was kept in Gotham Hospital for a month. After he got out, everyone at the GCPD treated him like some kind of hero. The only cop to survive being trapped by the Joker for an extended period. Cameron thought it ridiculous they considered him a hero for something like that. He was a hero simply for surviving? He didn't feel like a hero. And he definitely didn't feel like a cop anymore. The silver lining was that he got a significant amount of time off of work with pay to recover both physically and mentally. The commissioner had pushed for it himself, partially blaming himself for what had happened. Gordon asked for the undercover work. He knew how dangerous the Joker was and he sent two of his men into that psycho's lair anyway. Cameron appreciated the time off. But he didn't feel traumatized at all by the experience. He had felt alive for the first time…even when he was dying. And that's what scared him. But he tried to pretend that he was ok. That he was pulling through. And over time, he did pull himself together for the most part. But he knew he wasn't the same person he used to be.

After Joker died, crime went way down. Gotham finally seemed like it was breathing a sigh of relief now that the worst of the worst was dead. Life went on. For Cameron, he finally felt well enough to go back to work. And, despite the boredom at being a regular cop again and the odd rash he got recently, things seemed to be going well for him. Things at least made sense. But that would change drastically one day. Cameron woke up that morning, not feeling any different. He got up, went to the bathroom and at first he didn't even notice the change. But then as he glanced in the mirror, he saw it. Some of his hair had changed color. But it wasn't just any color. It was green! The same shade of green as the Joker's hair. Cameron stared at his reflection in shock. Why was his hair changing color? And to that shade of green? Did it have something to do with the Joker?

Cameron didn't know what to do. Who could he even go to for something like this? He was intelligent enough to know that hair didn't just turn green for no reason. He needed help. Maybe Batman could help. But how could Cameron even contact him? He didn't want to tell anyone at the GCPD. He was worried at how they'd view him. They'd be terrified at the implications. And might do something Cameron would not find pleasant.

Batman swept down onto the roof of the GCPD after he noticed the bat signal was on. "Gordon?"

"He's not here." Cameron said, walking out of the shadows. "I turned on the bat signal."

"Officer Riley. What's wrong?" Batman asked.

"I didn't want to tell anyone else about this. I don't even know what it really means. But I figured you could help me figure it out. I don't know who else to go to that won't come to the wrong conclusions. Although, I'm not actually sure they would be the wrong conclusions. And that's kind of what has me freaking out."

"What is it?"

"I guess the best thing to do would be to show you." Cameron before taking off his hat and revealing the streaks of green in his hair. Batman didn't actually look as surprised as Cameron thought he'd look. He just looked worried. "It isn't dye. I woke up one morning and it was green. What does it mean? What's happening to me?"

"Officer Riley, I think you should come with me." Batman said with a concerned look.

"You know what's happening to me. I can tell. Please tell me."

"It's Joker's poison. Your body is reacting to it." Batman said.

"But that's not even in my system anymore. How can it still be affecting me? And why would it do this to my hair?" Cameron asked.

"It will likely do more than that. Please, come with me. I will explain more after I get you somewhere safer."

"Somewhere safer? I'm at the GCPD. How is this place not safe for me?" Cameron asked, very confused.

"I'm more worried about their safety. It's just a precaution. It doesn't seem to be affecting your mind yet. That's encouraging." Batman said.

"My mind? It's going to affect my mind?" Cameron asked, confused. Then he realized just why Batman didn't want him around people and his eyes widened in shock. "Oh my god. It's going to make me as crazy as the Joker, isn't it?"

"It might not. And I am looking for a cure. I am hopeful I can find one. Please. Come with me. It will be safer for you as well."

Cameron had a look of dread on his face. "Ok. I'll go with you. As long as you find some way to stop this. I can't end up like that psycho."

Cameron walked into a building he had always wanted to see the inside of ever since he was a child. He had stars in his eyes. Panessa Studios. He was actually inside Panessa Studios. Some of Cameron's favorite movies were filmed there. But it seemed it's heyday was over. Wayne Enterprises bought it after it closed. Cameron hadn't known why until now. Wayne set the building aside for Batman to use. Cameron walked into the room that was set up as a lab with five high tech containment cells. Containment cells that Wayne Enterprises had designed to contain dangerous people. Cameron had seen a few similar ones before back at the GCPD. These cells only had four people in them. The fifth cell was empty. He looked at the occupants in shock. They looked to be affected much worse than he was. There was a man that he vaguely recognized as a semi well known boxer or wrestler. The man was pacing back and forth with an angry look on his face. The man glared murderously at Batman as he passed. The man had an odd discoloration to his skin. Like a rash. Cameron looked down at his own arm with a worried look. Maybe his rashes weren't rashes. The figure in the second cell was also vaguely familiar, Cameron thought. A singer maybe? Johnny Charisma he thought. He never really paid much attention to the guy but he did see him on billboards. The man was dancing to music only he could hear. The third cell had a woman who seemed to only have eyes for Batman. She kept trying to get his attention. Both the singer and the woman were as pale as the Joker and their hair was completely green. Was that what Cameron had to look forward to? Would he really end up looking like the Joker? He was having a hard time coming to terms with the realization that it was what was happening to him. He was turning into the Joker. It boggled the mind but was the exact sort of situation you'd expect when it involved the Joker. Something mind bogglingly weird. The last occupied cell just had a normal looking older man who looked a bit annoyed that he had to be there. He wasn't acting at all crazy like the others.

"Officer Riley, if you would sit down, we will need a blood sample." Batman said.

"Another Joker infected? This is getting bad." Robin said, sounding worried as he walked into the room.

"Thankfully, Officer Riley doesn't seem to be affected by it mentally. " Batman said as he watched Robin take a blood sample.

"That's a relief. Three violent psychos are more than enough." Robin said with visible relief on his face. Cameron guessed that the three other infected that were visibly affected by the poison were pretty hard to deal with, especially since one of them looked like he could tear a man in half, so he understood Robin's relief at not having to deal with a fourth psycho.

"I'm guessing that empty cell is for me?" Cameron said with a complicated look as they analyzed his blood.

"It was not put here for you specifically but yes, I would like you to stay inside of it while you are here. I know that you aren't as affected by it as they are. This is just a precaution." Batman said.

"It is not as uncomfortable as it looks." Robin said reassuringly. "Don't worry. We are making a lot of progress in finding a cure. Henry Adams over there, he has the same condition as all of you but it isn't affecting him at all. We are hoping to find out what's making him immune to the symptoms. It might help us find a cure."

"Let's hope that you can find one before I end up looking like them. Will these changes be reversible you think? Red and green hair don't really go together. At least not in a non festive way." Cameron asked, a bit depressed.

"There are things doctors can probably do to reverse some of this. But we have to cure it before any of that will help." Robin said. "The tests say you're affected just like them. Odd. At this stage the others were already having mental issues. Maybe you won't develop any. Let's hope anyway, right?"

"I just pulled myself together after having to deal with being held captive by the Joker for an extended period of time. I really don't need to start thinking like him. So yeah, let's hope." Cameron said with a sad look.

"If you would follow Robin to the cell, please." Batman said.

"Ok. Hopefully this won't be a long term thing. I never thought I'd be locked up myself, being a cop and all." Cameron said following the teenage vigilante to the door of the empty cell.

"If you want you can speak with the people in the other cells. The cells are soundproof but there are coms installed. But you can mute them if you want. I'd recommend it for those three. They are not likely to provide much in the way of sane conversation. Henry is alright though. You might cheer him up by talking to him a little. He needs that." Robin said. "And if you need me there's a button for that too. This isn't like jail. I want you to know that. We are trying to make all of you as comfortable as possible while you're here."

"Thanks." Cameron said as he was shut into the cell.

The cells were small. They had a cot that had straps on it. He supposed that was just in case he needed to be restrained. There was a chair and a small table, a toilet, and some medical equipment in the corner. And there was a TV. He sat on the cot and put his face in his hands. He was definitely not in a good situation. At least though, he wasn't alone in it. Batman was trying to help. If anyone could, it would be him. That made him feel a little better about all of it. Because Batman refused to fail.

"The discoloration of your hair is spreading a lot. Your hair is almost completely green now." Robin said as he was examining Cameron one day a week later. Cameron still acted completely normal. But his appearance wasn't normal. The physical changes were spreading across his body like the others. His 'rash' had spread across his skin, leaving pale discoloration behind as it healed. His hair was the same.

"I know. I hate it. I hate looking at any reflective surface right now. I wish it would stop spreading. I dread the day that the rash spreads to my face and I start looking just like him. I can't stand the idea of looking like the Joker. I can't look like that." Cameron said, upset and depressed.

"It hasn't spread to your face yet. It probably won't for awhile." Robin tried to reassure him but it didn't seem to be helping.

When Cameron was placed back in his cell he lay down on the cot and brooded.

"It doesn't look that bad. Your hair, I mean. And you could probably dye it when we get out of here." Henry said over the coms.

"Thanks, Henry. But it's more than just my hair and you know it. You're lucky that it's not affecting you like this." Cameron said.

"I wouldn't call it luck." Johnny Charisma said, smirking at him from across the room. Cameron hadn't muted any of them. He could only watch so much TV before he got bored. Listening to them banter psychotically with each other was a lot more entertaining. "Not good luck, at least. I mean, just look at this lovely mug of mine. I like my new look."

"Shut up, Johnny." Albert, the big boxer guy snapped. "You're always talking. Nonstop. If I couldn't mute you I think I'd go even crazier. You're the one that's lucky. Lucky that I can't get out of here."

"So boring, the lot of you. When do you think Batman is coming back?" Christina, the businesswoman who was infected, said pouting a little at the fact Batman wasn't there. She was obsessed with Batman to the same extent Joker used to be. Cameron thought it was interesting that each of them seemed to take on different aspects of the Joker's personality. Albert was the violent and vicious part of the Joker. Johnny was Joker's showmanship. And Christina was Joker's obsessiveness. Maybe they took on those qualities because they already had them to some extent. Johnny Charisma was a flamboyant entertainer long before he was infected by the Joker. Albert was a professional boxer that literally made money from being violent. He had no idea what Christina did for a living, but Cameron wouldn't be surprised if she was always a bit of the obsessive type.

"What are you staring at, pig?" Albert said, glaring at Cameron from across the room.

"Real original, calling me a pig." Cameron said, rolling his eyes.

"That is what you are. You're a cop. If I wasn't in here I'd make you suffer." Albert snarled at him.

"Leave the boy alone." Henry said. "He isn't a cop anymore. He's in a cell just like you."

"Big deal. So his hair is turning green. He still doesn't act like any of us." Johnny said. "He's not really part of the club. Neither are you for that matter. I mean, look at you. So boringly normal looking."

"We're all locked in here together. So what does it matter what we look like or act like?" Cameron said annoyed. "What's the point in arguing about that? Who cares? It doesn't matter."

"He's right." Christina said. "All that matters is getting to see more of Batman. Do you think he'll show up today?"

Cameron rolled his eyes again. Christina definitely had a one track mind.

One day someone visited Panessa Studios that wasn't Batman or one of his young sidekicks. It was Commissioner Gordon. Cameron could see him walking through the lab having a look at all the Joker infected people in turn. Cameron didn't want Gordon to see him at this point but he knew it was inevitable. When Gordon got to Cameron's cell he looked shocked to see Cameron sitting there in the cell.

"Officer Riley?" Gordon asked with wide eyes. By that time, the infection had spread to Cameron's face. Enough to where he looked just as infected as the others in the room. It was probably not a pretty sight.

Cameron got up and stood at attention, a little of his cop training kicking in. "Commissioner Gordon, sir." Cameron looked down in shame when he saw the shocked look on his boss's face. "I know it looks bad. Hopefully Batman will be able to fix this."

"You went missing. I thought one of Joker's old lackeys got to you. What is going on here?" Gordon asked.

"Gordon." Batman said, appearing behind the commissioner.

"Batman. What's happened to all of these people?" Gordon asked. "What is this place?"

"Before it killed him, Joker sent his infected blood out to all the hospitals in the state." Batman said.

"I know. We tracked it all down." Gordon said.

"We missed some." Batman said.

"How?"

"Hospital errors. Transfusions that went unrecorded. And Officer Riley here who was held captive. Six people were affected." Batman said. "Untreated, the blood's gestated too long. It's altering them. They're becoming…"

"Joker..." Gordon said with a very unnerved look. He looked back at Cameron with a guilty look. "I never should have sent you there. It's my fault this happened to you."

"It's not your fault, sir. I asked for the job. I wanted to prove myself." Cameron said.

"Officer Riley hasn't been affected much by it mentally like the others. But the physical changes are still spreading."

"You could say that again. A week or so more at this rate and I'll look exactly like the Joker. You have got to figure this out, Batman. I can't look like this forever." Cameron said with despair in his eyes.

"How is this happening to them?" Gordon asked.

"It's a form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, but mutated beyond anything on medical record." Batman said.

"What about that one?" Gordon asked, pointing at Henry. "He doesn't look like the others."

"Henry Adams. He's been infected the longest besides Officer Riley but he's symptomless, immune to Joker's blood." Batman said. "I've got Robin running tests to find out why. One thing's for certain, Henry's the key to all of this."

"I've co-operated. I've done everything you asked." Henry said. "You said it would only take a few days!"

"You can't hold him there against his will." Gordon said.

"We're close, Jim." Batman said. "We can't let him go until we save the others."

"Wait. You said six." Gordon said with a confused look. "I only count five. There's one missing."

"He'll be here soon." Batman stared into the empty sixth high tech cell he brought in a week ago.

Cameron watched the news program showing Gotham city being evacuated due to Scarecrow threatening the whole city with his fear toxin. Scarecrow was up to something big. He could tell. He just hoped it wouldn't destroy the whole city. They happened to still be in it.

"What are they saying? I want to know!" Johnny asked eagerly.

"You shouldn't have thrown your chair at your tv then." Cameron said, sighing. "They've finished with the evacuation. I think that was what Scarecrow wanted in the first place. Which is weird. Only the criminals will stick around and it's like he knew that. He made a big deal about the threat and gave plenty of time for people to evacuate. Since when did Scarecrow care about innocent people?"

"You think he wanted all the innocent people out of Gotham city? That doesn't sound like him." Henry said watching the news too.

"No. It doesn't. The soldiers and high tech tanks that moved in after don't sound much like him either. It doesn't actually sound like it's his plan at all. He must have an ally." Cameron said. "And it looks like every lowlife in Gotham is already out there vandalizing everything in sight. Like vultures on a corpse."

"Scarecrow had better stay away from Batman! Only I'm allowed to kill him." Christina said, looking upset.

Albert was raging around his cell. "There's chaos in the streets and I'm stuck in here and can't be a part of it!"

"Shut up, Albert, or at least mute yourself." Cameron said with an annoyed look. "I can't hear the news over you tearing up your cell."

"Shut up yourself, pig!" Albert snarled. "You're lucky that you're in here instead of out there getting ripped apart like the rest of you pigs. Your buddies aren't doing so well out there."

"They're doing the best they can. And Batman will sort it out. Like always." Cameron said dismissively.

"Alright Mr. Adams. I need to do another scan." Robin said, walking up and opening Henry's cell door.

"Haven't you done plenty already? I am so tired of getting poked and prodded." Henry said dejectedly walking over to the full body scanner.

"Hey, Robin. Shouldn't you be out there helping Batman with the literal army that's attacking the city?" Cameron asked. "It looks like a lot for one guy."

"He wants me here working on the cure and watching over the studio. I do what he says." Robin said, sounding like he would rather be out there helping Batman.

Batman entered the room. He looked like he had been working hard. And the night wasn't even over yet.

"I'm guessing this isn't a social call." Robin said. "Is it as bad as it sounds out there?"

"Worse." Batman said.

"But nothing you can't handle right?" Robin asked, concerned.

Batman didn't say anything and walked over to the computer to work on something.

"You promised you'd let me out of here." Henry said. "What will my wife say? How many more tests can you possibly need?"

"Probably not many more, Mr. Adams. We'll have you back with your wife before long." Robin said. "Thank you for your patience with us."

"I don't know how much more patience I'm going to have with all of this. You won't even let me talk with my wife. Please just let me tell her I'm alright. Heck, I'm worried about her too. What if she's still in the city with all this violence going on? I need to hear her voice." Henry begged him.

"I'll see what I can do, Mr. Adams." Robin said before leading him back to his cell and closing him in. "Maybe I can let you speak with her."

"That's all I ask." Henry said before sitting down with a huff.

After Batman left the building, Robin walked back over to the computer and got back to work.

"Hey. You said I could speak with my wife. When are you going to let me do that? Please let me speak with her. I'm sure she's beside herself with worry at this point." Henry said.

Robin sighed. "Fine, Mr. Adams. I'll let you make a call to her. But it can't be long and don't give her the details."

"What details would I even be able to say that would be believable anyway?" Henry huffed. "This whole situation has been so weird. I just want to hear her voice so I know she's ok."

Robin took Henry out of his cell again and gave him a phone. "Keep it quick."

"Thank you so much." Henry said with a grateful look. He took the phone and called someone.

"Honey? It's me. Yeah. I'm ok. I can't tell you the details right now but you don't have to worry. It's been like some awful movie. The situation is so surreal. Hopefully we'll be able to see each other again soon though. Are you ok? Are you still in the city? Really? I'm so glad. I'm looking forward to that. Bye." Henry said, speaking to what Cameron assumed was his wife. He ended the call and handed the phone back to Robin. "Thank you for that."

"No problem. Is your wife safe outside the city?" Robin asked.

"She's safe. I'm so glad I got to hear her voice." Henry said as he was led back to his cell.

"I'm glad she's somewhere safe." Robin said.

After Robin walked away Cameron spoke with Henry. "Is she really ok, Henry? That sounded like a lie." He looked over at the wall he shared with the man with a worried look.

"She's fine. My girl is pretty tough. I wasn't that worried. It was just good to hear her voice. It was helpful." Henry said with a small smile.

"I'm glad to hear that, Henry." Cameron said, staring back at the tv. None of the reporters were actually reporting from inside of the city. The bravest ones hovered helicopters at a safe distance away from the city limits. It would seem that the soldiers kept to the city limits. So those reporters were safe. But they still looked really nervous to be that close to the drones flying menacingly around the city. Cameron sighed in boredom and turned on some music, pausing to mute his room from the coms beforehand to be polite. He just lay there listening to some music for awhile.

There was a commotion near the elevators that had all of them straining to see if they could see any of it. They couldn't see much at all. Robin ran off to deal with it.

"What's going on?" Christina asked with a hopeful look. "Is Batman involved? Is he here?"

"Let me out. It sounds like there's a party I'd love to join." Johnny said with an excited and mad grin.

Albert was just pacing menacingly like a big cat at the zoo, riled up by the sounds of violence he wasn't a part of.

"This isn't good." Cameron said with a worried look. "Who do you think it is? Do you think it's those soldiers?"

"It's not the soldiers, don't worry kid." Henry said, not sounding at all concerned.

"You know who it is? How?" Cameron asked.

"Hiya everyone!" Harley Quinn skipped into the room cheerfully, several thugs following her. "Wow! Look at all of you! You all look like Mista J!"

"Shit." Cameron said, not believing his awful luck. He had just escaped being her fucking captive not too long ago and now he was going to be held captive yet again by the same annoying highly unstable woman.

"Hey, I know you!" Harley said with a pleased look. "You're Red! Only you're not so red anymore, are you? More like a lovely shade of green. You look great. You look just like my puddin now! Only a lot younger. I could get used to that." She smiled flirtatiously at him then looked around the room and beamed at all of them. "I'm so happy I have all of you. It's almost like I've got him back now."

"Shut up, Harley." Henry said with an annoyed look. "I didn't call you here to talk."

"Like I said, it's like having him back." Harley said with a love struck look.

Cameron looked over at the wall that he shared with Henry with wide eyes. "You called her? That wasn't your wife on the phone, was it? It was her. You were more affected by this than you let on."

"Obviously. It's called acting, kid. I thought you were fond of acting. That's what you go on and on about. I might not have his looks but my brain is all the Joker." Henry said, sounding more and more like the Joker as he kept talking.

"Why let yourself be caught by Batman then?" Cameron asked as he watched Harley have trouble figuring out the door locks. "If you have Joker's brain then you could've found a way to stay away from him in the first place. You wanted to be here. Why?"

"That's enough exposition. This isn't a James Bond film." Henry said. "Honey, I'm home!" The bat computer flashed with an image of Joker laughing.

"Activating Jailbreak Protocol." The computer said as it opened all the cell doors. Henry grinned as he exited his cell. One of the thugs dragged Cameron out of his cell. "You are a big disappointment, kid. If we were going just by looks alone, you'd be the closest of us to being the Joker. You look the part perfectly. From the perfect shade of completely green hair, to the completely pale skin to those red lips. You look like the Joker. But you don't act like the Joker. You're completely sane! It's infuriating."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Cameron said, rolling his eyes. "I'm a cop. If you aren't able to hold it together in a town like this then you aren't going to last long in my job."

"Let me tear him in half." Albert said with a sneer.

"No! We aren't killing or harming any of you! You are all special to me. Even the difficult ones." Harley said. "But Batman is going to come here soon. We need to get you all stashed away in a defensible spot so he doesn't snatch you all from me. Boys, could you take care of that?"

The thugs led all of them but Henry away into the rest of the building. They initially kept them all together but after the thugs had to separate several fights between the Joker infected, they split them up. Johnny was the one who seemed most on board with all of it. None of the Joker thugs had problems with him. He enthusiastically went along with it. Christina was a bit less ok with them leading her around. She ended up killing a few of them. And Albert, well they just tried to stay out of grabbing distance and let him do his own thing. They were too afraid that he was going to tear them in half. Cameron, though, managed to get away and hide.

Batman arrived in the elevator to a fight between several of Harley's lackeys and Robin fighting. He opened the locked gate and joined the fight.

When they had one left conscious, Robin held them down until Batman could interrogate him.

"The infected, where are they?" Batman snarled.

"They're not infected! They're Joker!" the thug said. "Harley's got 'em. And they ain't leaving this place until you're a corpse."

"How did she find us? How did she get in?" Batman asked angrily.

"I'd let him know if I were you. He's not always in such a good mood." Robin snarked.

"How should I know? I guess she's smarter than you think." the thug said.

"Not likely." Batman said before knocking them out. "Let's check the bat computer."

"Good idea." Robin said.

"I'm locking the whole building down. No one leaves until we account for the infected." Batman said.

"She just walked in. No alarm. No warning. Something's wrong with the voice recognition." Robin said.

"Maybe. There's no trace of a hack. If they're still here then the facial recognition software will find them." Batman searched for the Joker infected. "Got them."

"Albert King's in the Wild West set. Looks like he's gearing up for a comeback bout." Batman said. "They took Christina Bell to the haunted house set. Harley's left armed guards to protect her. And Charisma's on the sound stage. I can't tell what he's got planned."

"No sign of Officer Riley on the cameras though. I wonder what they did with him." Robin said.

"Watch out for him, Batman." Henry said, stumbling to his feet. "I think it's finally starting to affect him mentally. I don't know where he went but be careful. He wasn't looking all there upstairs when he ran off."

"Are you alright?" Batman asked.

"I don't know. I think something hit me in the back of the head." Henry said, rubbing the back of his head.

Batman and Robin went through the door to the rest of the studio. "Henry, lock this door. Only let Robin or myself back through."

After dealing with Christina and Albert, Batman headed for sound stage C where Johnny Charisma was hiding. As he was making his way there, he ran into Officer Riley. Almost quite literally.

"Boy am I glad to see you. Woah woah. It's ok. It's just me!" the man who was chillingly similar looking to the Joker now. "I'm still sane. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Henry told me that you were acting unstable." Batman said with a wary look.

"Yeah, he would say that, wouldn't he?" the man said with an annoyed look. "He's lying to you to discredit anything I would say about him. That bastard was the one that called Harley here and messed with the voice recognition. That call to his wife wasn't actually with his wife. It was with Harley. He played you for a fool. And I've had to run around this place to try and stay away from that crazy bitch, Harley, until you got here to deal with her and the others. It's been a nightmare."

"Come with me back to the cells. We'll sort it out." Batman said, still looking wary.

"I'll head back to my cell if you'll deal with Henry. It's even creepier to see a relatively normal looking guy act like the Joker." Officer Riley said with a nervous look. "Look, I know you have no reason to trust me. Especially when I look like this. But trust me on this. Henry is bad news. If you don't want to trust me that's ok. But whatever you do, don't trust him."

"What do we do with him?" Robin asked.

"Wait out here while we deal with Charisma." Batman said as he worked on the door lock and Robin went to a vent grate.

"Sure thing. Oh and I managed to see what the code to the door is. It's 0539. Good luck with Johnny." Officer Riley said.

Surprisingly, when they were done subduing Charisma, they saw that Cameron had actually waited for them. "You got him. So is that everyone? Or everyone but Harley and Henry I suppose."

"Yes. Come with us. We'll take you back to the cells." Batman said.

"Ok. Thanks for not just tackling me or something when you thought I might be psycho. I was worried there for a sec." the man said with relief in his voice.

Harley's thugs were waiting for them behind a locked gate. They were jeering at them. Then they noticed Cameron standing there.

"Holy shit. He looks just like the boss." said one of the thugs.

"Naw. He's too young looking."

"I'm talking about his pale face and green hair, stupid. Not his age." the thug said. Batman took that time while they were distracted to double back a bit and hop into a floor vent. He crawled until he came within view of the gate and pointed his voice synthesizer at the thugs and the button for the gate. It sounded like Harley was ordering them to open the gate. The thugs looked pretty confused but went to comply. Until the actual Harley walked through the door with an annoyed look.

"It's some kind of bat trick. Show yourself, B man! Unless you ain't got the guts!" Harley said. She noticed Cameron and smiled with a love struck look. "You do look so much like my puddin. You're gonna make a girl swoon." She then noticed Robin. "Look who it is, Batman's little helper. Looks like he left you all alone."

"Nah. He figured I could handle you by myself. He doesn't take you very seriously. Neither do I." Robin snarked.

"Ooo. He's asking for it!" a random thug said.

"Think you're funny, huh?!" Harley said with an enraged look. "Open the gate! For real this time!" She aimed her gun at him with a snarl. "If you think you're taking either of my Jokers back to the cells, think again! They have the Joker in them. They all have. Which means they're mine! I'm taking 'em!"

"That would be highly irresponsible of me to allow that to happen." Robin said.

Cameron was grabbed by two thugs and he thrashed in their hold. "Let me go!"

"It's kinda nerve wracking how much he looks like the boss." one of the thugs said.

Harley walked around Robin taunting Batman who was hiding in the floor vents. He popped out just in time to surprise Harley from behind, both him and Robin working together to knock her unconscious. Her thugs rushed at the two vigilantes. Cameron fought off the thugs holding him and joined the fight alongside Batman and Robin to knock out the rest of the thugs.

When the thugs were all knocked out, Batman picked up Harley and put her over his shoulder to carry her to the cells.

"You're pretty good in a fight." Robin said while he picked up Charisma, impressed at how well Cameron held his own in the fight.

"I was nearly top of my year at the police academy. Especially in my hand to hand training." Cameron said following them.

When they got to the room with the cells, Henry looked happy to see them until he saw Cameron follow them into the room. Then he looked nervous. "Why is he not restrained or anything? He's just as dangerous as them."

"He told me the truth Henry. That you were the one that tipped off Harley and messed with the voice recognition." Batman said.

"Of course he'd say that. He's crazy. He's lying to you Batman." Henry said, really going all out with his act.

Cameron walked over to one of the cells. The fact that the privacy windows were opaque was a red flag he couldn't ignore. He pressed a button and saw just why they were opaque. To hide the dead bodies. Both Christina and Albert were dead. "If you're the sane one, explain this then. You were the only one here."

Henry rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance. "You really are such a disappointment, you know?" Then he grinned menacingly, revealing the truth. "He's right. Honey, I'm home!"

"Activating Jailbreak Protocol." the bat computer said as it opened all the cell doors. He pulled out a gun and aimed it at Batman. Harley woke up and went to stand next to Henry like some loyal puppy. "Now, if you would be so kind, stand over there where I know you won't be able to reach me. Both of you, stand near the bird brat." he motioned for Cameron and Batman to stand over near Robin.

"Go to hell." Batman said sternly.

Henry aimed his gun at Harley. "Now."

Batman went over to stand next to Robin. Cameron stayed where he was.

"You too. Stand over there with them." Henry said to Cameron.

"Why should I care if you shoot Harley? She's a criminal." Cameron said.

"Please, Officer Riley. No matter what she has done, she doesn't deserve to die." Robin said. Cameron went over to stand with them with an annoyed look.

"Evolution is a funny thing." Henry said before wiping some of his blood across his face to make a joker grin and then laughing maniacally. He walked over to Charisma's unconscious form and kneeled down next to it. "No matter how many obstacles get in its way, the strongest always survives." He leaned over to see if the man was alive the he got back up. "Still, you know what they say about evolution? Even amoebas can do it." He shot Charisma in the head.

Harley freaked out. "What are you doing?!"

"Purifying the gene pool." Henry said with a smile.

"In that case, you missed one. I can help with that." Cameron said suddenly, before shooting Henry in the chest with the gun he just pulled out.

Blood came out of Henry's mouth and he crumpled to the floor. He stared up at Cameron in surprise.

"It's called acting, Henry." Cameron said, parroting Henry's own words back at him, before grinning menacingly. "And I am a great actor. Much better than you anyway. I saw you coming a mile away."

Henry laughed as he coughed up blood. "You really had me going, kid. I actually thought you were sane."

"Yeah, well I've had years to perfect my sane act even before the Joker poison. So much time in fact that I didn't even realize it was an act myself. If we are going by your whole evolution thing, I'd have to say, you aren't even close to being the best Joker. I mean, look at you. You couldn't even tell I was crazy." Cameron said laughing.

"Clearly you are the superior Joker." Henry said, smiling as he wheezed in pain. "I'm glad to see our legacy is in good hands."

"I'm not really talking about me." Cameron said grinning. He looked over at Batman with a knowing grin. "Am I, Bats?" He looked back over at Henry and Harley. "Don't get me wrong. I'd like to say I'm as close as you could possibly get to having Joker back again in the flesh. And I am. But there's someone who will be far better than that. He will be beautiful. Something… new. And how can I compete with that?"

"How long has it been affecting you mentally?" Batman asked, looking very upset that Cameron was crazy too.

"It's hard to tell. After I got home from being that bitch's captive I felt different. But I don't actually think that had anything to do with the Joker infection. No. It was all me. Joker saw it back when he was alive. He could see the real me. I was well on my way to becoming a psychopath all on my own. I was hoping to make my own name actually. But then my hair started turning green and I knew I was fucked. I hated the fact that he was stealing that from me. That I couldn't develop my own legacy instead of taking up his! Now, looking like this, I can't be anyone else!" Cameron snarled at the thought. Then he perked up and grinned. "But I have had time to accept my fate. Being the Joker will be entertaining at least."

"Puddin!" Harley said happily. She rushed over to hug him and he slapped her away with an annoyed look.

Cameron went over to Henry and looked down at him with a cruel smile. "Your innocent act wasn't awful. I have to give you props for that. But you just don't measure up, old man." Cameron shot him in the head.

Henry smiled happily as he was shot. "Glorious…" he said quietly as he died.

"This doesn't have to end in violence, Cameron." Batman said.

"True, but when does it ever not end in violence when it comes to us?" Cameron said, grinning widely. "But it would be a shame to kill you before I get to see the show. So I'm just going to walk out of here. You have enough to deal with right now."

"You really think we're going to just let you walk out of here?" Robin asked. "You really are crazy."

"Obviously. But yes, that is what you are going to do. Or I start pressing buttons. And you probably don't want to see what this button will do." He held up a detonator.

"You rigged the building to blow?" Harley asked.

"Not this building. You think I was going to walk right into Batman's custody without a plan to get out? I set up some rather big explosives around town before I gave myself up. Sadly, there will be a much lower death count with the city evacuated. But there will still be a death count. Especially since one of those buildings I rigged up is the GCPD and none of my former coworkers have left. It's helpful to be a cop." He laughed maniacally.

Harley was practically swooning.

"Why did you give yourself up?" Batman asked.

"For the same reason Henry did, I assume." Cameron said, shrugging. "Joker really is a one person act usually. I knew that if I was going to be the Joker I couldn't let any other Joker live in my city. And I knew, logically, that if this was happening to me it was probably happening to other people exposed to Jokers blood. So I had to find them. And who was the one most likely to know where all of the infected were? You. So I let you find me. I knew you would take me right to them. And you did." Cameron waved his detonator around. "Sooo are you going to let me walk out of here or are you going to let all those coworkers of mine get blown into tiny pieces? It's up to you. I'll be happy either way."

Batman frowned as he stepped aside and let Cameron walk out of there with Harley. Cameron smirked. "See you around, Bats. You'll be hearing from me." He walked away with a smug look, Harley following him like a lovesick puppy.

When Harley and Cameron left the building, a few of Harley's thugs had woken up and were waiting for her. They stared at Cameron in surprise.

"Isn't he the sane one?" one of the thugs asked. "Where are the others?"

"Do I look sane to you?" Cameron said getting in the thug's face and staring at him with a menacing look. Then he backed up and laughed a laugh that had them a little unnerved. It was just like the Joker's laugh. "The others won't be joining us. Since they're dead. No big loss. I really am a one person act and they didn't measure up. They never would've made it as the Joker. I will."

"He's the new Mista J. And you'll follow him as loyally as you would've the old Mista J, or I'll shoot you all myself." Harley said. She tried to hug Cameron again and again he slapped her away with a sneer.

"What now then, boss?" a thug said, looking to the new Joker for orders.

"Now, we go back to whatever lair Harley's got at the moment and regroup. Then I'll plan my next move. Let's move out, boys." the new Joker said grinning just like the old Joker. It was really like he had come back to life.

Batman glided down to the orphanage to participate in another of Riddler's absurd games. Catwoman was in danger and so he had to play along. As he was walking up to the entrance, he saw that there was someone waiting for him sitting on the steps.

"Hiya Bats. Figured you'd be by here at some point soon. Damsel in distress and all that." Joker said with a grin. Batman wasn't sure at first if it was just another hallucination. The man was even dressed like the Joker.

"Oh, you're not hallucinating. I'm really here. Do you see him when you hallucinate or do you just hear him in the back of your head? Don't worry. Riddler won't hear any of this. I jammed his camera systems temporarily. So your secret is safe between us." Joker asked with a knowing look. Batman didn't say anything. "Oh don't deny it. I can see him in your eyes. Not to mention that mechanized tank you're calling the batmobile nowadays. Can you honestly say the Joker in your head didn't have a hand in that? It makes sense. You were infected with Joker's poison for a long time too. Long enough to set the ball rolling. Why else would you be in such a rush to find a cure?"

"I was rushing to look for a cure because I wanted to help all of you before the damage couldn't be reversed." Batman said.

"Bullshit. You did want to help us. That's very you. But you wouldn't have gone to such lengths if it was just us. But if it was you, then you'd feel the urgency. Because, as good as I am as the Joker, you'd be so much more. You'll make such a beautiful monster. And sadly, I could never measure up to that."

"Then why insist on being the Joker? I thought you were a one person act." Batman asked.

"Why would I kill myself and miss the show? As much chaos is out there in the city right now, it is nothing compared to what's coming. I want to see it. I want to see what your Joker will look like." Joker said with an excited grin. "You never answered my question. Do you see him when you hallucinate or is it just a voice? Do you see him right now standing here with us?"

"I have to admit I'm impressed with how much he looks and acts like me. He's perfect. It's too bad he'd never measure up to us. But at least he realizes that." the Joker hallucination said with a laugh.

"He does show up, doesn't he?" the new Joker said with a smile. "Hi there, hallucination Joker. I'm looking forward to when you finally chip away the last bit of his sanity. It will be an entertaining show. Once you have taken control of him, I will let you take the Joker title from me. I only ask that you let me watch as you tear apart the city."

"Maybe I'll keep him alive, if I'm feeling generous. Ooh. I could make him our new Robin! And it is nice to know I have a spare in case you get yourself killed by that guy with bat envy before I can take over." Hallucination Joker said.

"Let me take you into custody. I can get you help, Cameron." Batman said.

"You can't even help yourself. How do you think you could help me?" Joker said, laughing. "And you and I both know my name isn't Cameron anymore. It's Joker. There's no changing that at this point. It's the role that's been given to me and I intend on giving a good performance while I still have it. The show must go on. Good luck with saving the city, Bats. I'm rooting for you. Really."

Epilogue

Batman ended up defeating both Scarecrow and the real leader of the soldiers swarming the city, the Arkham Knight. Gotham was safe again, or as safe as Gotham ever could be. But Batman was no longer there. He revealed to the world his true identity as Bruce Wayne and burned down Wayne manor with him still inside it. Batman's allies and sidekicks took over his duties as protectors of the city and did pretty well. But they were not Batman. Things seemed different in Gotham after Batman went up in flames. There was an absence that everyone could feel. The city mourned him. But there was one man in the city that felt his absence the most. It ate at him. Not only did he miss out on what Batman would look like as the Joker, now he didn't even have a Batman. Joker hated the fact that Batman took the easy way out. Now he didn't have someone to entertain him. The bird brats weren't enough. Well, there was the new Red Hood. He was entertaining. When Jason Todd hung up his Arkham Knight title, he took up the name Red Hood. And Jason absolutely hated him. Joker thought it was such a hoot. He wasn't even the Joker that tortured the bird and yet Red really had it in for him. At least Joker had that to entertain himself.