It'd been a week since Alex sent that intel to General Anderson to be analyzed and a new assignment given to him. Things were relatively quiet while Alex waited and he hadn't gone out for any late night ops in an attempt to stay out of Batgirl's attention. The General had told Alex the same thing when he asked for his guidance, avoid contact if possible but take her out if she jeopardized the operation.

It seemed harsh at first but he guessed that's the reality of things with these types of ops, but then he got the notion that instead of hiding and potentially harming them that instead he could talk with them and make my intentions clear without implicating the government so that at least we could operate in the same AO without having to trade blows with each other and focus on a common enemy instead. The idea sounded good in his head until he remembered that they took a different stance when it came to accomplishing their goals, being that they generally frowned upon shooting the bad guys. So he put that idea on hold for now until he could actually talked with them first.

Other than that Alex focused on maintaining his cover as the friendly neighborhood recruiter. Recruiting at the library was a gold mine with it being so close to the university, he'd talked several kids into enlisting just by hanging around the front desk and socializing with the students. A part of him felt bad for suckering these kids into giving away four plus years of their life but then again it would probably do them good to become confident, disciplined individuals instead of the entitled brats' today's youth are becoming.

Staying at the library also meant spending more time with Barbara who had sort of become Alex's only friend in the city. Alex had other friends than Harleen growing up in Gotham but they've long since moved on and he wasn't exactly going out looking to rekindle any old friendships at the moment, at least not while he carried a loaded weapon. Anyways, he and Barbara seemed to be getting along well though she kept asking him questions about his training and deployments to Afghan. It was a bit odd that she was taking such an interest in his career but he just figured that she was a naturally curious person. After getting to know each other for a few more days they made plans to hangout outside of work, but just as friends, Did he like her? Yes, and she was definitely attractive, but the last girl from Gotham he had gotten close to tried to kill him, so not going to take any chances. For now, at least.

But their get together would have to wait because right now Alex was sitting in an empty Conex overlooking the shipping yards. When General Anderson finally got back to Alex on the intel he'd sent him he was immediately sent back out. The guy Dent had met with was named Viktor Ivanovsky, a former KGB operative turned arms dealer after the fall of the Soviet Union. The Generals intel guys learned that the two would be making they're next transaction at the shipping yards where Dent's gang would take ownership of several crates of Soviet arms and munitions. General Anderson had tasked Alex to break up the deal, destroy the shipment, and capture Ivanovsky alive for interrogation by the CIA. As a bonus the General would be acting as his eye in sky with UAV drone and walking him through the op.

Alex arrived an hour before the trade would be taking place, setting up in his Conex and observing the shipping yards for the best possible escape route once he had Ivanovsky in custody. Alex had brought along his usual gear with the addition of a pack full of thermite grenades on his back to destroy the weapons and ammo coming in. His plan was to sneak onto the transport barge coming in, blow the weapons, and snag Ivanovsky in the confusion. Simple enough, but nothing ever goes as planned. Once his plan was set Alex saw vehicles start pulling into the yard below.

"Overlord this is Knight, vehicles pulling in now. Requesting permission to engage, over." He called over the radio to General Anderson, or Overlord as he had dubbed himself. The General didn't want to risk exposing themselves over the radio so he had come up with these call signs for them to use before the mission.

"Roger, you are cleared to engage. Good luck Knight." Came the reply and with that Alex was off.

Alex quietly made his way down the stacks of Conex's, dropping to the ground and heading towards the incoming barge. On his way there he had to take care of some of Dent's guards who had begun to patrol the perimeter, dropping them with suppressed hammer pairs (two trigger pulls, one sight picture) from his IAR. The General had told Alex that Dent was also a priority target but that he didn't need to be taken alive. Worked in his favor cause managing one EPW would be trouble enough as it was. Alex was about to reach the barge when the General contacted him again.

"Overlord to Knight, be advised I'm seeing multiple vehicles on fast approach to your AO, ETA about five mikes."

"Copy Overlord, is it the GCPD?"

"Negative, we're feeding the GCPD false reports to cover you. Someone else is about to crash your party."

"Roger that Overlord I'll handle it, Knight out." Shit, he hadn't counted on this. As long as Alex could get to Ivanovsky before these guys did he'd be fine. While he crept slowly over to the barge the guards of both parties started to tense up as the sound of engines could be heard approaching. Several of Ivanovsky's men left the barge to reinforce the others, giving Alex a window to sneak onboard. He climbed over the rail and shot another guard on the barges deck before dropping his pack and getting to work setting up the thermite grenades.

One by one Alex popped the grenades, sending molten metal burning through the weapons crates and melting whatever weapons were inside. He had just started setting up the grenades on the ammo crates when he heard shouting and gunfire from the yard and looking over he could see Ivanovsky and his men retreating for their ship. Alex quickly popped smoke on the last grenades and ran off the ship before explosions lit up the deck as the ammunition detonated from the heat of the thermite, crippling the barge. Upon seeing their ship go up in flames Ivanovsky and his men changed course and ran off into the maze of shipping crates.

"Overlord, targets destroyed! HVI one bolted I'm in pursuit, no PID on HVI two, how copy!?" Alex shouted into his mic as he gave chase.

"Overlord copies all Knight; I'm tracking Ivanovsky heading west through the shipping crates."

"Roger moving now!" He shouted as he ran into the firefight now raging in the shipping yard.

"Knight I'm seeing lots of small arms fire, what's going on down there!?" Anderson asked frantically.

"Ivanovsky and Dent's men have been engaged by…clowns?" Alex quickly reported. It was indeed an odd sight, clowns with machineguns firing at Ivanovsky's soldiers and Dent's gangsters, Alex had never seen anything like it before.

"Come again, did you say clowns?"

"That's an A-firm Overlord. Clowns on site, most likely Joker's crew." If they were here Joker couldn't be far Alex thought as he gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his rifle as he ran through the yards. Ivanovsky be damned, if Joker was here he was going to die.

"Understood, they've most likely been tipped off about the exchange and are trying to get ahold of those weapons. I'm updating your objective, extract Ivanovsky and kill the Joker if you can, he's too dangerous to be left alive."

"Wasn't planning on it Overlord."

All around Alex the three factions fought, bullets flying close overhead, as he fired his IAR at anything that got in his way as he chased down Ivanovsky. The bastard was starting to annoy Alex, leading him in circles around the yard until finally he slipped up and ran into a large group of clowns. Alex quickly stopped and ducked into an open Conex as the clowns fired at the approaching group, there were way too many clowns for him to fight off on his own.

Alex peeked out of cover and saw that the clowns had cut down Ivanovsky's guards and were surrounding the man who was now lying on the ground out of breath and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the gut. The clowns then parted revealing a man in a purple suit with pale skin and green hair. It was him, Joker in the flesh standing not even a hundred meters from Alex wielding his trademark Thompson SMG and smiling down at his newly caught prey.

He was talking to Ivanovsky but Alex couldn't hear the words over the battle raging around him but suddenly his rifle was in his shoulder, sights level with the Clown Prince's chest, and safety off. It would only take 7.6lbs of pressure to pull the trigger and end his wretched life. Finally, Alex could avenge his friend.

As he began to pull the trigger his rifle was suddenly knocked from his hands, discharging a round into the deck as it clattered onto the floor. Alex swore internally, reaching for his Berretta but was shoved out of the other side of the Conex and into another empty lot, landing on hard on his ass. He looked up at his assailant and saw that it was none other than his old friend Harleen, or Harley Quinn now he guessed, dressed in her jester costume and wielding a rather large mallet.

"Your that guy that offed poor Eddie aint ya? And now your try'n to off Mistah J? Not on my watch pal!" She says, walking over to him as he picked himself up and drew his pistol. She clearly doesn't recognize him due to the balaclava he's wearing again but Alex recognizes her well enough even with her mask and face paint. Last time they had been this close to each other had been four years ago and he had been staring at her through the sights of a rifle as she clutched her hand that was bleeding from the bullet he'd shot through it. Not this time though.

"Wow, nice to see you too, Harleen." Alex sneers, taunting her with her real name as he cocks the hammer on his pistol back. She recoils at hearing her name and stares at him confused.

"Wha? How'd ya know my name? Who are you!?" She shouts angrily, raising her mallet. Alex didn't answer her as he leveled his pistol with her and time seems to come to a halt. For the past four years he'd thought of nothing else but this moment where he'd pull the trigger and kill the monster that was making a mockery of his friend, four years of pent up anger finally about to be released with the movement of a muscle. She's charging at him now, mallet raised, ready to swing, and Alex feels his finger press against the trigger.

he was about to finish it, honest he wanted to so badly but at the last moment his talk with Barbara came to mind, when he'd said that he'd save Harleen from what she's become and in that split second Alex didn't see Harley Quinn standing before him but his friend Harleen Quinzel. As the hammers falling towards the firing pin Alex jerked his wrist up changing the path of the bullet that explodes out of the barrel sending it off harmlessly into the night. No tonight would be different...

Alex tossed his pistol to the side and threw his shoulder into Harleen, crashing them both into a pile of cardboard boxes. She quickly recovers and kicks him off of her with a grunt, reaching again for her mallet but Alex swept her legs out from under her as she stands. Once she's on the ground he scrambled to the mallet and threw it over the Conex's but then she jumped onto is back and starts pounding him with her fists. She's gotten stronger over the years Alex realized, as her punches actually hurt now. He quickly ran backwards slamming her into the side of a Conex repeatedly until she fell off his back and grasped her head, no doubt a splitting headache taking over.

With her momentary distracted Alex felt like he'd gained the upper hand but he realized too late as he approached her that she was faking and he suddenly found himself on the ground again with her straddling his waist, and his discarded pistol in her hands pointed at him.

"Ya put up a good fight guy, but it ends now." She says as she presses the muzzle against Alex's forehead and clicks the safety off. A million thoughts raced through his mind, all of them different ways that he could have prevented this scenario but as he laid there staring into her eyes he found himself not angry or sad but just tired.

"Then do it, finish what you started four years ago." He tells her. She stares back at him, stunned by his words and he sees her blink in recognition as she stares into his eyes, a look of horror spreading across her features.

"Alex?" She whispers, lowering the gun. "Is that you?" She seems surprised that it's really him and he notice that her accent is gone.

"Yeah, it's me. Long time no see." He answers, removing the balaclava and looking back up at her.

"I…I thought you'd died. Mistah J told me that you killed yourself and that it was my fault!" She cries running a hand down the side of Alex's face to see if he was real or not. It was true that he had contemplated that, but his want for revenge pushed those thoughts aside. Bastard must have gotten ahold of his records somehow and told her that he'd gone through with it though, probably to fuck up her mind even more and give her nothing to go back to.

"That bastard lied to you, but your right. I did consider it after what you did."

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd never come back?" Her face has shame written all over it and he could see that it was indeed Harleen talking to him.

"Believe me I didn't want to but plans change apparently."

"So you're…you're here to kill us?" She asks nervously.

"If I have to. Let me take Joker out and we can try to fix this Harleen!" Alex pleads hoping that she'll see reason, but her reaction is the exact opposite.

"No, no you can't! Nothing can fix what I've done!" She's panicking now and he can see that he's losing her.

"Look I don't know what that psycho did to you but he's fucked up your mind! He doesn't care for you, you're just a tool to him! Come back Harleen this isn't you!" He pleads again, trying to breakthrough to her again.

"No! You don't understand! I can't be saved! Just...just leave me to my fate!" She screams but he can see her struggling with herself as she tries to make a decision.

"That's bullshit Harleen and you know it. You think I didn't keep tabs on you all these years? I know what he's done to you, what he's made you do, and I'm not going to allow that to happen anymore! You're not evil Harleen and I will save you, one way or the other!" Alex could see it in her eyes that Harley wanted his help, but for whatever reason she wouldn't allow him to. After another second she throws the gun to the side and runs off into the maze of Conex's. Alex let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in and rested his head on the ground for a second to get ahold of himself.

After a moment he got to his feet with a grunt and collected his weapons from where they laid on the ground and walked back through the Conex he had come from. As he stepped out he noticed that the gunfire has stopped and that the yard is eerily quiet as he looked around, finding himself surrounded by the bodies of slain gangsters and clowns, shell casings and discarded weapons litter the ground and he stumbled over to where he had last seen Ivanovsky. Joker and his men must have fled once they found out the weapons shipment was destroyed and Dent was long gone. Alex foundd Ivanovsky unconscious but alive, bound his wrists together, and patched up his wound before hauling him over to an open area of the yard.

"Overlord… this is Knight…precious cargo is secure…requesting helicopter extraction at the shipping yard…how copy?" he says into the radio once he had an LZ set up.

"Overlord copies all Knight, mark your position with smoke and standby for extract." Comes Overlord's reply. Alex slumped back against a Conex after tossing a green smoke grenade, exhausted from tonight's events.

While he waited he sensed that he was no longer alone and readied his rifle in case one of Dent or Joker's men comes around but he needn't have bothered as a dark figure swooped down in front of him.

"You didn't kill her." The figure says as it steps into the light revealing the Dark Knight himself.

"I…I couldn't. I wanted to, so badly but when I looked at her I saw my friend in front of my sights." Alex replied, resting his weapon back in his lap.

"Why are you doing this Sergeant? I can handle these criminals myself." Fuck, Alex realized he hadn't replaced his Balaclava and that Batman now knew his identity.

"Criminals, is that what they are? Cause the President and the DOD sees them as terrorists now and they've had enough. They brought me here because I know the city and they want me to resolve this problem permanently. Believe me I wouldn't have come if I didn't think this was the right thing to do." he says as he pushes himself off the ground and stand.

"I understand that Sergeant, but there's better ways than killing."

"And how's that worked out for you so far huh? My best friend became a psychotic criminal because Joker wasn't dealt with. As long as they're alive it'll never stop. Look I respect everything you've done and I don't want there to be any hostilities between us but there's only so much we're willing to take before we push back. I'll admit I didn't have to kill Riddler, I could have taken him alive but I needed to make a show of force and send a clear message to the other criminals that I mean business."

"Believe me Sergeant I want them off the streets as much as you do but I can't condone your methods even if they are authorized by the government. No more killing." He warns, pointing a finger at the exhausted Marine.

"I can't promise that Batman; I wish I could but I just can't. Like I said I don't want hostilities between us and the DOD isn't after you but I have orders not to let you interfere. Please understand that for the sake of you and your friend's safety we'll have to agree to disagree on my methods and leave it at that."

"I believe you Sergeant; I know you mean well and I don't want to fight you either. Perhaps we can compromise then, you try to minimize your casualties and we work together to bring them in alive."

"Yeah I can do that, so long as you keep my true reason's for being here secret from the public."

"Of course." He agrees before readying his grappling hook.

"And one last thing before you go. Do you think Harleen can be saved or is she too far gone?" Batman's had more contact with her in the past four years than Alex and he wanted to hear his opinion on the matter to help make a decision.

"I'd like to believe that she can be redeemed. She's not inherently evil like the Joker, just misguided by her infatuation with him. It'll take some work but I do believe that with time we can bring your friend back."

"Thank you Batman, that's actually very reassuring for me to hear. You should probably get going, CIA's going to be here soon and I doubt you want to be caught by them. And don't worry, I never saw you tonight."

"Of course, we'll be in touch Sergeant." He says before firing his grappling hook and disappearing into the night.

The helicopter arrives shortly afterwards; CIA agents form a perimeter around the bird to cover Alex as he throws Ivanovsky into cabin before settling into his own seat. Once they're both secure the agents load back up and they quickly fly away from the yards just as GCPD arrives on scene. The bird stops above a building a block away from Alex's apartment and he rappels down onto the roof before it flies of into the distance towards whatever base it originated from. Alex made the short walk through back alleys back home. Once inside he didn't even bother storing his gear in the armory instead just throwing it onto the chair besides his bed before lying on top of the covers. He didn't fall asleep immediately as he had hoped, the night's events replaying in his mind. He'd captured an arms dealer, came so close to killing the Joker, fought his old friend, and came to an understanding with Batman all in the span of a few hours and that was just his third mission. At least with the Bat on his side for now things would be easier, however he had failed to mention that he would most definitely by killing the Joker. How that goes over with Batman is yet to be seen but he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

…Mission Complete…