It was an unusual collar, to be sure. Detective Harvey Bullock lit up for a brief smoke- it was tough to find any time for a smoke these days. The Commish had every cop out on the streets looking for leads on the Bad Candyman- that's what the press had nicknamed this mess, Bad Candy, it made him sick. Bullock was a veteran cop, he'd dealt with junkies long enough to know that most of them were just people with a killer habit. They could be good people, bad people, crooks or cops… the stuff worked the same on everyone, 'til now. So Bullock understood why Gordon didn't want to see cops loitering around GCPD headquarters- but that didn't mean his own habit didn't need fixing. So, while his partner Detective Montoya used the Mister Donutz bathroom, he'd ducked out back for a smoke. He'd taken a few puffs of his cigar when he heard the sound of metal on stone. A quick glance behind him revealed that someone was moving a manhole cover in the alley, to allow them to exit the sewer. Bullock knew as well as any how many dangerous things lurked in the sewers of Gotham, and ducked behind a nearby Dumpster. He quietly pulled his gun from its holster and watched as three large men wearing Halloween masks emerged from the manhole. A small, balding man who wore glasses and carried a wooden doll followed them.

"Awright youse mugs, head to da moutha da alley and ckeck fer witnesses. Dat job was poifect, no need ta go spoilin' it now gy gein' sloppy."

"Right, Scarface" the biggest thug said, and moved to the mouth of the alley.

Bullock could move suprisingly swiftly for a man of his age and size. In a burst of speed, he leapt from his hiding place and snatched the doll delinquent from it's servant's arms, knocking Arnold Wesker away. "Awright, dirt bags, drop the guns or your boss gets drilled" He yelled, holding his pistol to Scarface's head.

"Mister Scarface!" Shrieked Wesker, his face filled with panic.

"Gullock, ya stupid pig, d'ya know what my boys're gonna do to ya?" The dummy's gruff voice was very disturbing when it came from a closed mouth. People much tougher than this, however, had threatened bullock.

"Quiet Pinocchio, or we'll see how well ya talk with an extra orifice. Tell your goons to throw down their weapons. NOW!" the hefty cop punctuated his request by shoving the barrel of his gun into Scarface's eye.

The doll spoke without moving it's mouth "Shaddup, dummy! Goys, drop da heaters and do what da gastard says."

'Biggest arrest of my life' Bullock thought 'and I only wanted a smoke'

Back at Central, Bullock basked in the glory of his arrest. To be fair, he admitted that it had all been luck. He'd had no way of knowing that Scarface and his gang had just robbed the Kane Street branch of Gotham Financial, escaping through the sewers. Strangely, the admission only increased his fame among the other cops. As one guy put it "How many of us would have jumped Scarface alone? And how many of us would admit it was an accident?". Even Gordon had laughed at that, the first smile the older man had had in days, before bringing Bullock into his office for a private talk..

Bullock broke away from the crowd to greet his partner. Montoya emerged from the questioning room with a grim smile on his face. "Little wooden bastard doesn't know a thing about the killings- didn't even know they'd been happening. He and his boys've spent the last few weeks counterfeiting- tonight they broke into the bank to swap the phony bills for real ones. Genius, in it's way- there was no sign of a break-in, and even when the fake cash was discovered, it would never have been traced to them. So, what'd Gordon have to say, Lucky?"

Bullock grunted , but smiled at the nickname "Jealousy don't suit ya Renee. Some of us are just fated to make the big arrests, others are fated to be in the can. The Commish says five more victims were found- including Jordan Hill, the old mayor's son."

Montoya winced. She remembered Jordan from her earliest days in Gotham- a sweet kid who'd once been kidnapped by the Joker and lived to tell about it. "How'd that happen? Jordan seemed like such a nice kid"

Bullock motioned for her to follow him outside "Yeah, but nice kids are still just kids. Seems Jordan went to a rave with some friends and decided to try some E. Tainted E, which kinda killed the party if you know what I mean. Big Daddy Hill is up in arms, yelling about how we ain't doing enough to catch this sicko. This whacko's been killin' people for god knows how long, but the minute one of theirs dies, the bigwigs suddenly care"

Montoya nodded. Despite having lost the Mayor's Office some years back, the Hill family was still one of Gotham's premiere families. Rich and powerful, with a number of friends in city hall and the press, Hill could and would bring a lot of heat to bear on the department. If others joined him…"Is it bad, Harv? No jokes, I want the truth"

Bullock paused beside their beat-up old sedan, and sighed "They're talking about making Gordon step down if he can't produce results fast. Like this week fast, though Scarface's capture might buy us a little more time. Still, the heat's on, and now the press is gonna be runnin' stories on this guy 24/7" He seemed to brighten as he climbed into the car "Which means it's up to Lucky Bullock to save the day, once again"

Montoya laughed and climbed in after him.


That night found Batman and Batgirl sneaking in to a large greenhouse on the outskirts of Gotham City. It was an odd sensation- leaving the bitter wind and biting cold outside and suddenly entering the steamy heat and muggy air of the greenhouse. Batman motioned for his partner to be silent as they moved down the rows of rare and exotic plants- Poison Ivy's 'babies'- and headed towards the end of the greenhouse.

Their progress was slow, as they briefly examined the plant beds for danger. Poison Ivy often used altered flora to attack her enemies, and Batman had an intimate knowledge of such. In addition, they looked for toxic plants which might be used against them. However, their progress to the back of the greenhouse was unimpeded.

Once there, they found a large laboratory set up on an old plastic table. Beside it, a green chalkboard was filled with scribbled notes and formulae and question marks. Batman carefully examined the equipment, noting not only what was present but where it was and what was in it. Occasionally he grunted to himself, as theories arose in his mind and others were cast aside. Batgirl, meanwhile, scanned the greenhouse, wary for attackers. The plants had been harmless, and Poison Ivy wasn't normally one to use human muscle, so theoretically they were safe. However, as a true disciple of Batman, Batgirl knew that this only meant that Poison Ivy likely had some new method of attack.

This theory was proven correct when a wall of green slammed into her side, knocking her over. With incredible skill, Batgirl turned her fall into a roll, and came up in a fighting stance. She found herself facing one of Ivy's plant/human hybrids, an eight foot tall monster that looked strong enough to tear her apart. It's greenish skin was as hard as tree bark, and covered in knots, while it's humanoid hands sported inch-long spines emerging from the knuckles. Huge eyes dominated its face, which was mouthless. A small flower grew from the top of its head, and she realized how it had evaded her notice- the beast had been buried in one of the flower beds waiting for intruders, and she had only noticed its flower as she passed.

She called out a warning to Batman before she launched her attack. The daughter of David Cain struck the monster's knee hard enough to cripple a normal human, but the green behemoth ignored her blows and struck again. Batgirl leapt out of the way, intending to lead the beast outside where the cold would destroy it. Instead, she found her path blocked by a second beast, emerging from the plant beds.

Batman moved to aid his partner, but found himself caught in the grip of a third monster. Poison Ivy, descending from the ceiling perched on a massive vine, laughed. As usual, her laugh seemed to be a mere echo of human laughter, performed by someone who has heard laughter but never seen anything truly funny.

"Well, well… prowlers. You should know that breaking and entering carries a hefty penalty. Death."

A/N
I finally saw the Dark Knight. Now, I'm a heterosexual male who's never really been tempted to bat for the other side. That being said, when the Joker did his pencil trick I knew I was in love. My holy god, what a movie. This is by far the best movie I've seen in years, despite some fairly serious flaws. Mainly, Batman's ridiculous growl and TwoFace. The guy who played Dent did a phenomenal job, but why was he in this? Did they just think that Joker couldn't carry the movie alone? With Dent gone, we've lost a terrific villain who could have taken Heath Ledger's place for a little while.

Extra points for anyone who can tell me where Jordan Hill comes from.

I guess I should explain why this ISN'T a Joker fic. In light of the Movie Of The Year, the Clown Prince seems to be a hot topic on this site right now. Thing is, I'm using this to practice a traditional adventure story. I'm hoping to improve to the point where I can send my work to DC along with a job application. So be honest in your reviews! Tell me what's good, and what to work on.