The circle tightened around him, the Jokerz were organized and coming at him in groups. Batman kicked and punched, but no matter he threw off, there were instantly more to replace them. Batman barely had time to gather his thoughts. He had been lured here, that much was clear. These guys were working for her. Where were the rocket launchers?

Batman leveled a round kick and realized suddenly that there were only about twenty Jokerz left. He knew he had not taken them all down, some had left, where had they gone?

He did a backflip to get away from the twenty and looked around, panting. Bruce had stayed silent on the line, he knew he couldn't help Batman, and speaking to him might put him in worse danger.

Suddenly a smell reached Batman's nostrils, the dark metallic smell of gas. And from somewhere behind the boxes he heard the crackling of a fire. In a moment in connected, but it was a moment too late.

The Jokerz grinned at him and approached him, but there were only ten of them suddenly. Where had the other's gone? He leapt upwards, trying to escape, but something grabbed his ankle and hurled him hard onto the floor. A Joker he hadn't seen earlier came forward, wearing enormous electronic arms. Then from his other sides, three more came into view, the ten Jokerz he had seen were suddenly gone.

"You didn't plan this did you?" He growled as he faced down his opponents.

"Naw, our anonymous benefactor did, but well, we were more than happy to help." One smiled and punched, Batman ducked out of the way and tried to go for his attacker's legs but two of the arms suddenly extended and grabbed him by both wrists, and raised him high in the air. One let go, Batman struggled to get free as the arm suddenly whirled him around like he weighed no more than a rag doll and smashed him into the ground.

"Batman!" Bruce yelled, no longer able to hold his silence, and frightened for Batman's life- no Terry's life- but to both the voice was far away, and unimportant. The arms hauled him upright, and grabbed his free arm. Two other arms grabbed his legs and a fifth delivered punch directly to his gut. His breath came out in a gasp, and he was certain he heard several ribs snap, or was that his spinal cord? Then there was a roundhouse to his head.

"I'd leave if I were you…" Batman heard a female voice say, from somewhere, as the figures dropped him onto the ground.

"Oh, right boss." They pointed their arms towards the ground and shot upwards towards the ceiling, propelled by rockets from their iron fists. The air was beginning to get chocked with smoke. Batman tried to breathe but the air only seemed to sear his lungs.

"Terry!" Bruce called frantically.

"I'm here…" he groaned.

"Are you hurt?"

"Uh…" He tried to sit up, but just doubled over in pain, "yeah… but Bruce, I'm in bigger trouble…" The air was getting hotter.

"Batman!" A voice appeared from out of nowhere. Batman looked around trying to place it, it seemed familiar somehow, but strangely that thought wasn't comforting. Suddenly a tall figure appeared out of the flames.

"Stalker…"

"I told you before… you would die by my hand, and my hand alone." A part of Batman wanted to sigh, if it hadn't hurt to breathe, people had been repeating past sentiments a lot today.

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

Batman stared at Stalker through bleary eyes, he was leaning up against some sort of stairway watching the warehouse he had just exited burn to the ground, as firefighters rushed to put out the fire.

"I think I owe you my thanks," Batman rasped out.

"Are you badly injured?" Stalker asked.

"I'll live," Batman said, although he wasn't sure at the moment. Bruce had stayed incommunicado on the transceiver, but Batman knew he was listening. "Why are you here?"

"I need your help to find someone…"

"Who?"

"My daughter…"

…bet you can guess who that might be…