I was supposed to be patrolling the streets, seeing if I could pick up any clue of who really wanted the necklace. But my mind kept going back to Melanie, she was back in neo Gotham at the same time her family stole a priceless ancient power battery. From our conversation she believes that they are being controlled by someone, that they are acting out of character but I didn't see it. Dawn was near and I hard to get some sleep couldn't be caught sleeping in math again, but I doubt that I would get any sleep with Dana and Melanie both on my mind, I wanted to save my relationship with Dana if I could and I wanted to know that Melanie was telling the truth and had nothing to do with her parents and for her sake that they were really being mind controlled. A thought hit me, the only mind controller that I know of was n old councilor that we had a school that start going by the name 'Spell Binder', and last I heard he was still locked up tight. "Hey old man, Spell binder still locked up?"

"He is still in jail, why do you ask?" had to tell him about Mel, he was better at this clues puzzling thing than I was. "I see and you think that if she was telling the truth that the only person that was capable of that was Spell binder?"

"Yea Bruce it all would fit, but why would he want the necklace? I'm still trying to figure that out. What would boosting his power of mind control do for him?"He would have a wider ranged that for sure I thought but why would he want to fool more people? "Don't think he was ever power hungry" I said out loud, "most of the villains you know are just plain greedy" Bruce said "mine were….. A little more ambitious."

"Well Bruce I'm going to go to the prison just to check, on him maybe he knows something that can help us."

"Ok report what you find"

I got into the prison and found where Ira Billings was kept cell number c3 658. Hopefully after his third time in jail he would learn to stay there. I manage to get to his cell, apparently he was on lockdown for some reason but his file didn't say what which I found odd. I looked in and saw a man lying in his bunk he seemed to be sleeping but I wanted answers. I got into his cell and made my way slowly towards him. But something felt wrong. I got a closer look at his face n saw that he wasn't Billings. I got in touch with Bruce who was waiting for me to confirm that walkers were messing with Mel again. I got him to run the cell number and face recognition. Turns out that the was a guard that was reported missing a few months ago. "This is becoming too weird" I said to myself. It was now probable that spell binder and the royal flush gang were related to the necklace but I had no idea what the connection was. Nobody on the ground was talking about a sale or a purchase. And why would spell binder's escape be connected to that necklace. What would he gain from the power of the necklace? Mind control on a large scale was even frightening to even think about, but the way how things are going it might just be a reality. "Bruce this doesn't look good, there are too many gaps that I can't fill in." if world domination was his goal if magic lady was right about that necklace power he could have everything in his back pocket money power, "your thinking there may be a third party?" the old man must have seen where my thoughts were taking me. "World domination doesn't sound like spell binder. He hasn't gone pass revenge and a big score to move into your villain playlist.''

"Agreed someone else is pulling the strings"

"Could that al Ghul guy still be around or does he have a second in command or something?" I know I was grasping at straws. I saw him did in the explosion on the island. But Bruce thought that he was dead before why wouldn't the lunatic have faked death this time. "wouldn't put it past he to have survive since he used Talia's body to survive before. " he sighed most of his super villains were dead or should have been dead long ago, the fact that this case is looking more and more like something one of them would do was starting to worry him. Since I had taken up the mantel of Batman the closest we ever came to world domination was when the cobra king had kidnap Max. This look like it was going down that path maybe further. Just great, loved how complicated my life has become in just one night Dana and had a big question mark beside our relationship, and my secret. Melanie was back in town don't know if I should be worried that I was happy about that, and last but definitely not least there may be a mad man out there with a very powerful ancient jewel that had some many fail safe that it couldn't be destroyed in the first place. All I want is to have to take care of Matt for a whole month and I would swear I had won the darn lottery.

Dawn was fast approaching and I had no sleep, math class was going to be fun. "Wayne I am calling it a night. Update me when you find anything. I headed back to my apartment to get as much sleep as I could. If I could get any with Melanie and Dana running around in my head. My phone started to ring and I saw that it was Mel. I answered even when I knew she was going to ask about her parents, and would have to tell her that it could be possible that they were being mind controlled, and next I would tell her I am the batman when she asked how I knew. Even thought I didn't like it I knew I had to lie. I couldn't have two out four women in my life angry that I'm the batman. "Terry hi," her voice was breathy like had been crying none stop. She was worried about her parents even though they suck at parenting even when she had gotten Jack a job they had called him back to a life of crime. I guess it the curse of being a family, even through me and my old man never saw eye to eye I never wanted him to die, I did love him. "You ok" I asked but I knew she wasn't, not knowing if her family was in real danger must be eating at her. "Could be better you know, just want to know that their jerks cutting me off cause we don't see eye to eye and not in some kind of real trouble."

"Mel you just have to wait and see" I couldn't give and better advice than that, I felt awkward given our history. "Look Mel I will see you later I got to sleep, ill link with you tomorrow and we will talk and just hang ok"

"Ok" the world was on her shoulders and its weight could totally crush her this time if her family was willing participating in some world take over. She ended the call without saying goodbye. The tension was still there, we didn't know exactly where we stood not after how we left things the last time she was in town think she still feels shame that she was a criminal and that I found out. Wonder if she would be just as mad as Dana if she knew I was the one that put her in jail in the first place. That even when I knew it was her behind the mask I didn't let her go. I tried calling Dana but she wouldn't answer my calls, I really didn't want a broken relationship with her not again.

That this moment I think that my life is being to seem just as complicated as Bruce Wayne, great just great