After giving Mary the transmitter Batman returned home. The following night he was Batgirl in the Batcave, discussing the current situation.
"Any evidence that Mary could come up with five million dollars?" Batman knew the likely answer but it never hurt to have a thorough check.
"No way, that's insane." Batgirl answered, having checked through Mary's admittedly few records to know she could never come up with that much money in such a short amount of time.
"Joker's insane." Batman glanced down at her. "But not stupid. He must know something about Mary that we don't."
"So what do we do?" Batgirl asked.
"We play along until we get to the bottom of this." Batman answered.
Just as he had finished speaking the Bat-Computer began beeping and a map appeared on the main screen.
"The transmitter you gave Mary last night. It's coming from Gotham Bridge." Batgirl said, zeroing in the source of the signal.
"Right." Batman turned away from the computer and walked down to the Batmobile.
It was likely a trap, especially considering this was the Joker they were dealing. However Batman had long ago realized that sometimes to best way to deal with a trap set by the Joker was to spring it.
Xxx
Homing in on Mary's distress signal Batman headed to the loading docks of Gotham Bridge. The bridge was long since due for demolition and was almost complete. The middle of the bridge had been removed and what was left was slowly being stripped away. However right now it seemed the Joker's henchmen were patrolling the docks.
As he stepped onto the bridge he pulled out his communicator and contacted Batgirl. "What's the status of the bridge?"
"The bridge's demolition is nearly complete. The structure is pretty unstable. Be careful, there's bound to be plenty of explosives for the Joker to get his hands on." Batgirl answered. "This feels like a trap."
"But one I'll have to spring." Batman replied. "Call me the minute you find anything about Mary?"
"I'll try but I'm not sure if there's anything to find."
Batman ended the call and put his communicator away. He could already see a couple of armed guards patrolling the docks and knew he would have to take them out before proceeding any further. Moving quickly he quickly socked it to them and cuffed them, taking them quickly before they knew what was happening to either of them and immediately cuffed them afterwards. Batman then headed to the far end of the loading docks, hoping over an orange and white barricade by the last truck.
He backed up against the trailer and slipped through the narrow passage way. On the other side he peeked around the corner, spotting Mary about ten feet with a thug holding her hostage. Both were looked up at the Joker…
Who was standing on top of a wrecking ball with the body of a young body propped over his shoulder.
"Then my dear, you're about five million dollars short of motherhood." Joker said with a laugh as the wrecking ball started to rise.
"Yeah!" The thug laughed with his boss as Mary lowered her head, looking utterly shattered.
The wrecking ball rose to the top of the bridge, obviously the point from where the Joker would toss Toby off the bridge and into a deep watery grave.
"NO!" Mary screamed, struggling against the thug holding her.
Having enough, Batman walked out of his hiding spot into clear view of the thug.
"Hey!" He shouted, shoving Mary away. "Batman!"
The thug rushed at him, putting up a small fight before Batman swiftly and utterly defeated him. Once he cuffed him Batman looked around, seeing Mary had fled.
He took out his communicator to inform Batgirl of the news. "The Joker's retreated to the top of the bridge. I'm going after him."
"Be careful, the bridge's demolition is nearly complete. The structure is pretty unstable." Batgirl cautioned. "Where's Mary?"
"Hiding on the bridge. I'll worry about her, after Toby's safe." Batman said, putting the communicator away.
Targeting a grappling point on the bridge, Batman reeled himself in and quickly did battle with the thugs on the catwalks. He climbed up the ladders until he reached the very top of the bridge.
"HA-HA-HA-HA!"
And the Joker was waiting for him.
Grappling to the very top of the bridge, Batman quickly sought shelter as he spied the Joker swinging around the bridge on his wrecking ball.
"Gotham Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. Gotham Bridge is falling down, my dead Batsy!" The Joker dementedly sang as he swung by.
Well this was just great.
Batman took cover behind one of the two towers at the top of the bridge. Keeping his eye on the Joker's movements he timed so that when the Joker's wrecking ball flew at his tower…
SLAM!
Batman side-stepped the wrecking ball hit his tower and tossed batarangs at the Joker to stop him. One sliced through the cable holding the wrecking ball up and leaving it to fall into the Gotham River below. Joker barely had time to grasp the cable at the shredded end to save himself and Toby from falling to their deaths.
"Look out, Mary!" Joker called out, keeping his demented smile. "Toby or not Toby, that is the question. Catch the Joker or save the boy." He lowered Toby down, holding him by a leg. "Aye, there's the rub."
"No!" Mary shouted from the nearby balcony. "Batman save him!"
With that, Joker let go of the boy, leaving him to plummet to a watery grave. Batman immediately jumped down to save him, diving down after the boy. Avoiding hitting the Gotham Bridge and the structural remains of the gutted bridge Batman narrowly managed to grab the boy before he hit the water and grappled back up to the bridge. Only when he was safely back on the bridge did he have a good look at Toby.
It was a dummy.
A literal decoy with a smile on it.
So that was the punch line.
Batman reached into his utility belt and pulled out the pocket knife with the name 'TOBY' inscribed onto it.
Beep-Beep
Batman barely had a chance to react as 'Toby' suddenly exploded, knocking him into a beam. His Batsuit protected him from the worst of the blast but he was still slightly disorientated.
"Oh Batman, you saved my little booby trap. I don't know how I can ever thank you!"
That voice…
It sounded like Mary but the joyful tone in it.
Not Mary.
Harley Quinn.
"You blind as your namesake, do-gooder moron." Above him, Harley was dressed in her regular outfit and make up now, having changed surprisingly fast and held her mallet over Batman's head. "Say good night, Batsy."
Luckily, depending on how one might look at it, the mallet was just mere inches from hitting Batman's head before it was caught.
By the Joker.
"Careful, Harley. You'll kill him." The Clown Prince of Crime scolded his sidekick who looked shocked by what he had done.
"But-"
Batman managed to jump and roll away as the Joker tossed the mallet aside, glaring up at its owner. "You are my henchmen. You catch him, I kill him. Less wench, more hench."
Harley gasped at what her boyfriend was implying.
"You molly, guzzling little twit. Nobody kills the bat but me." The Joker turned and faced Batman, hands curling into fists. "Like so."
This was rare.
While the Joker wishes to be the one to kill him, Batman instantly recalled the number of times he faced the mad clown in the past and none of those times did the Joker ever seek to fight him directly unless he was sure he had the upper hand or was waiting to spring a trap. The plot had already thickened as Toby was revealed to be a decoy and Mary revealed herself to be Harley Quinn.
So why engage him directly now with no henchmen or even Harley to back him up.
Like he said before: Joker was insane but not stupid.
He had to know that by saving him from Harley and taking the time to scold that Joker had allowed Batman time to recover.
"Daisy! Daisy!" The Joker called out, squeezing the flower on his purple suit, and releasing acid at the Dark Knight.
Whatever the reason, Batman will beat him first and then see if there was more to this. Charging forward Batman dodged the incoming acid and engaged Joker in hand-to-hand combat. In a straight up fight Joker possessed little more than average physical strength, albeit enough to hold his own against Batman.
"Yeah! Strike him in his pretty little face!" Harley called out from the beam she was sitting on.
However Batman was easily the winner in this fight as he hammered Joker with powerful punches and a few kicks in between, knocking the clown themed villain back.
"Oh!" Joker staggered back, rubbing his face. "Harley, a little help here, slugger."
Harley didn't seem intent on moving. "Oh, so now he wants my help. 'Less wench' he says. 'More hench' he says." Harley mockingly echoed her boyfriend's words. "You're on your own, Puddin."
Joker couldn't help but grin as he rolled his eyes. "That Harley, won't kill for you, can't kill without you."
He started the fight again with another blast of acid from his flower. "Daisy! Daisy!"
Batman dodged them and rushed in, punching and kicking as he hammered the Joker's guard.
"Not so pretty now are you?" Harley called out just as the Joker was slugged in the face.
Joker managed to keep his guard up and his on the bat as he replied slowly. "You're not helping, Harley."
"No can do, Mr. J." Harley talked back, ending in a sing-song tone. "Send me a post card from Arkham."
Having enough Batman delivered a powerful that sent the Joker to the ground. He landed near the pocket knife that acted as part of the Tobey decoy. Chuckling he grabbed as he looked up, seeing the menacing glare of Batman staring at him. Joker jumped back up to his feet, brandishing the knife as he attacked.
Batman jumped, somersaulting over the clown before he could grab and stab him. He then jumped back over the Joker who ducked and then jumped again, delivering a kick to his chin. Batman leapt up, launching a spinning kick that Joker immediately ducked, almost completely crouching to the ground as he did. As soon as he landed Batman delivered a devastating upper cut that sent the Joker staggering back.
Harley gasped and leaned forward, watching in fear as the Joker staggered back over to the yellow and black police tape at the very end of the bridge. The Joker fell over and let out a cry as he grabbed tape while Batman rushed to the edge, managing to grab police tape in time.
"Give me your hand." Batman held his hand out to the Joker who was smiling dementedly back despite the danger he was in.
"Seems like old times, hey bats?" The Joker said conversely. "You, me, a vat of chemicals."
The Joker let out a laugh that echoed though the demolished bridge.
"You're slipping Joker." Batman warned as the police tape stretched and would not up for very long.
Joker grunted as he slipped further down. "Oh oops! All right, Bats. You win."
Putting the knife in his mouth so he would have a free hand that Joker reached up and took the offered hand of Batman…
Only for Batman to grab hold of the hand buzzard he kept hidden.
Taken by surprise that came with electric shock Batman cried out as he knocked back, letting go of the tape that was keeping the Joker from falling.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" The Joker laughed as even as he was falling from the bridge and into a watery grave.
"NO!" Harley screamed in absolute horror.
Batman managed to get just in time for the Joker's laughing to cease…