The Tarots Mirrored

by spottyatbest

The Phantom Thieves are brought back together by a mysterious god to fight against twisted versions of themselves. Will they be twisted by the darkness of their reflections? Or will the Dark Knight that protects the town with an iron fist put a stop to these thieves? Current Arc: Clayface/ Vain Persona 5 Royal and Strikers Spoilers

39. Thriller

AN: Writing block is a bitch at times. Sorry for such a delay and missing releasing this chapter for Halloween as planned. But we all know I'm not the best at scheduling things by now lol.

I'm currently in the planning phase as of writing this little blurb. For any curious the palace will be mostly inspired by the Winchester Mystery House in California. Tanuki suggested it and it fit perfectly so thank her for not .or that! Also obviously John Carpenter's "The Thing" and some bits of PT are thrown in for color. Hopefully this challenge I set myself to try horror is entertaining and not overly try hard.

Sometimes I swear I put too much thought into the maps. I'm literally driving around the map of Arkham Knight just to be like " hm yes! This is a good place the Phantoms would use for a hideout." As if I didn't plop Leblanc in the middle of Chinatown just because I liked the setting so much. But honestly it the most detailed description of the city we'll get anytime soon so fuck it. Let me know if you guys like that or if I'm nuts for spending so much time fleshing out the city. Ugh…

IMPORTANT: there are some retcons for any of those paying more attention to the overarching story. After a long planning session I've made the following changes and it will be fixed in previous chapters to avoid confusion:

Riddler is no longer the Star arcana. He will now be Emperor.

Cyclops is no longer Emperor obviously, his arcana will be revealed in time.

The star arcana will be revealed at a later time. No spoilers!

The only reason Riddler remains revealed is due to the need of upkeep for story pacing. Sorry if I ruined the immersion for any of you guys with this decision. It was not made lightly I assure you.

FEEDBACK:

The AnimatedGamer: Thanks man. It feels good to be back

Gamelover14592: Thank you!

Gakiatheart: Thanks!

Dakota Bruder: I thought the joke was obvious but yes Electricutioner was a reference to the Arkham Origins "battle".

Guest: No killer Croc right now sorry. We'll see with Nightwing and Raven.

Constantine: Yeah Deadshot knew they were coming eventually for sure. Zenkichi will have his hands full with him and Harley. Alfred pretty much is the only thing left that can talk sense to Bruce, we'll see how long that'll last. I'm glad you like the Superman stuff, it's hard to get him just right in writing. But it was worth it.

Guest: Again no Killer Croc right now, he's busy doing things

Guest: Booster Gold is spoilers right now, no comment.

Guest: No, this palace is Vain, not Emperor.

Guest: No Booster Gold answers right now, sorry.

Guest: Two to three months is the usual wait time.

Guest: Zatanna's house was burned to the ground not much use even if Constantine has the key to it.

Guest: Yes, Zenkichi still has a persona.

Guest: I've already shown them doing showtime. It's just not lined up to happen again, I'll try to include the attacks more when fitting.

Guest: Interesting theory. We'll see with Zur En Arrh, maybe. It sounds cool. I don't know much about Green Lantern lore to answer the question about Parallax versus the Pts. They'd handle it like they would handle everything else, adapt and conquer.

Guest: A stage can be anything, friend.

Guest: We'll see in the future.

Guest: Hey Bats is still of value here. It's less now for sure though.

Guest: No persona using Titans. I can confirm that here. It's too OP and unbalanced for what I'm trying to do here

Guest: Lavenza will help where she can. But she does already have her hands full at the moment.

Guest: Eh, we'll see when we get to the end if the PTs stay in Gotham or not.

Guest: Yeah Sophie makes sense helping Futaba with Barb.

Guest: Good point with Lucius, but right now is still on Bruce's side. Albeit with a lot of arguments ready for his boss.

Guest: Yeah, Robin is getting out of hand. Honestly still planning when that will change. It is happening though.

Guest: Deathstroke will teach them combat in his own way. Trying to kill them.

Guest: Thanks

Guest: No jails, just palaces

Guest: No promises, I'm going to try and push this out for Christmas.

Guest: I'm overworked and struggling to meet deadlines with just one fic on my plate man. Anyone is more than welcome to run with a Marvel/P5R crossover and I'll read it if its good. But it isn't going to be me. Sorry.

Guest: I'm only adding suggestions of music in this fic. So probably no.

Guest: I've left hints all over the place for Futaba's and Makoto's palaces. Fox is next most likely, but at the same time it's getting boring going on the strict list I have. I won't spoil Joker's palace or Batman's palace, so no comment.

Guest: Yeah Croc and Skull can be buds, I like the idea. Throw in Beast Boy as well and a good trio of idiot bros can form. It would be more of a background thing though, there's already so much going on.

WARNING: We're doing horror now, boys. And you should know by now I don't hold back with violence and gore.

Enjoy!

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June 2nd, Early Morning

Miagani Island

Hot Sunny

Miagani Island was only second in line to Hollywood when it came to movie premieres. The area was one of the few in Gotham that kept crime relatively under control. That was mostly due to the major tourism of the area, one of the few things keeping the city from falling into economic collapse. From the botanical gardens, the small Newton Fairgrounds on the nearby docks, to the famous Wayne Tower dwarfing all others in terms of notoriety.

Maxwell Street was the most populated intersection in the city for good reason. The four corners each housing one of Gotham's most premier entertainment destinations. Each contributed greatly to the Gotham elite's legacy.

The Orb Theater, known for promoting the most celebrated musicians across the decades from all genres. They also had a little side cinema, the only affordable one in the area for the more poor tourists, and dirty commonfolk.

The Wesker Theatre was the number one spot for snooty elites. The building was adorned with its two stone spartan statues holding the building's flags. The famous silver Wesker Woman stood head held high, and arms wide spread, as if to praise the holy elites for degrading themselves to a theatre in such a filthy city. Operas and plays of old were its main attraction, one of the few theatres outside Broadway to draw in sold out shows to whoever could pay the outrageous entry fee.

The Klyce Theater only rivaled Panessa Studios in terms of the legacy in Gotham's movie industry. Now with the studios gone, millions still flocked to its seats for the latest premiers of mediocre oscar bait movies. The whole building shined with classic casino-like lighting of a bygone era.

The Black Canary Club was the most exclusive club in the city. Lines wrapped around the block for just a chance to gain entry to the club, now owned by a famous League member. It was where the rich could party and network with others; where actors and singers could get drunk off expensive liquor, and where the League maintained a foothold of Gotham's inner workings, one of the few Batman allowed.

Storefronts and bodegas crowded the streets, almost stacked on each other as summer was in full effect. Millions of people crowded the sidewalks, traffic was jammed with horns blaring effortlessly to make it to their destination faster. Trains rushed overhead on rails that could be at the height of some of the buildings. People crammed into old and dirty train cars that needed upgrades years ago.

Advertisements littered every nook and cranny of the ground and buildings. But the ones plastered on almost every electronic billboard and sign was the up coming horror movie "The Terror." Basil Karlos' face was plastered on every corner of Gotham as of late.

The famous remake was predicted to make at least a hundred million domestically. The old movie was a staple of Gotham's history and a classic to horror fans everywhere. Producers were itching to make bank on a remake made on a shoestring budget. But that was before the news hit on every channel…

"BREAKING NEWS! A massacre of epic proportions! Dozens were found dead in actor Basil Karols' home. Police described the scene as graphic and sickening. Due to this we are unable to show the pictures obtained by multiple reporters. It is unknown how Karlos killed so many under the nose of numerous media members interviewing him the last few months. But one thing is for sure: we know now who the true terror is. With reports of clay being found all around the house, police put out the warrant for Basil Karlos' arrest. This is for the notable killings found by what the people on the street now call Clayface. With the-"

The news rambled on the findings as Joker ran over his game plan. Even with Nightwing notifying the police, Karlos was still out there. The producers and cinemas were dragging their feet on canceling the movie, mere days before its premiere. But there was a lot of protesting for it to be removed; there were thirty dead people in Karlos' apartment. More were missing from his killing spree. It was only a matter of time before the higher ups pulled the plug. Nightwing's attempt to destroy the killer's plan worked.

But the police still couldn't find the killer. Clayface was still out there, and he must have been furious. Who knew what he was planning now, but people were now wary of the demented man. The GCPD had no idea where he was and had no leads on tracking him. A ray of despair and fear rained over the sunny city.

But some people didn't need to know where he was to stop him.

The Phantom Thieves and the Titans were now crowded in the storage room of a jazz club that was in a building connected to the Wesker Theater. Eduardo's Jazz Club was a small but popular place given its location. The connecting general store called Stanler's Groceries was enough of a cover for teens to pose as retail workers. The small club was a comfort for the teens similar to Jazz Jin back in Kichijoji. The owners of both businesses were itching to split town due to the noise the Phantoms were making. Stanler and Eduardo had ties to Penguin and his crew, dealing drugs and hiring cheap mercs for the rich on the side.

But Joker wanted to be close to the most prime spot Karlos would enact his scheme. So he tasked White Rabbit to pull some strings. It was not cheap but now they had more means for legal money, and cover for laundering the more illegal cash flow. The employees were uncaring of the new owners, enough money, and anyone could ignore some dropouts.

Dick took it upon himself to handle the mercs and drug dealing. With everything going on, Penguin would chalk it up to another loss and move on. The cops handled the arrests quickly, now all that remained were the annoying customers.

Being so close to the Wesker Theater brought rich assholes demanding service after their play. With the fall of the casino and King Tut, White Rabbit was tasked with managing the place.

She filed her nails in a fancy manager outfit watching for anything suspicious as soft jazz music played. She quickly took charge of both businesses with ease. Working with the rich was nothing new and the employees were warned to ignore the business in the back. Again, nothing new for them being in Gotham for years.

The setup for the heist was straight forward for everyone involved. With Nightwing's intel and a mandatory watch party of all Karlos' movies, Joker was confident in his plan. Karlos was a man with a very fragile ego, if his autobiography filled with rants was anything to go by. So he drowned himself in Gotham's movie industry. Fame was all that mattered to him and the incident years ago that scarred him ruined his career. The desperation for attention grew exponentially with lack of jobs coming his way. Whatever chemicals that were in his brain made the desperation much worse. The need to be the best actor he could be at whatever cost.

At least according to Crow's interpretation of his book.

"So we're clear to go?" Joker asked.

"I don't like this Joker." Queen shivered as she remembered Nightwing's report. "I don't think my heart can handle such…depravity."

"Ah come on, I've seen worse online," Oracle chimed.

"What exactly are you looking up in your free time?" Violet sweated.

Skull rubbed the back of his head. "Is-is there any way for me to take the day off first?"

"I would not prefer Superman to meet one of the more idiotic members first." Crow huffed.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Skull roared.

"Enough. Skull, you're the strongest guy I got. Karlos is unnerving but even if he gets a hold of you I don't think he could do much." Joker comforted his friend.

"I'm-I'm not afraid. The guy has nothing on me!" Skull defended himself.

"We all agreed the best foot forward with Superman is with Queen and Violet. We only have a limited amount of time before Bruce busts down the door to that library. And I think those two are the best way to introduce him to our beliefs." Joker huffed.

"What happens when he gets to Crow over there?" Mona pointed to the glaring boy.

"We get there when we get there, Mona. But for now we all need to focus on Karlos. Zauriel, Donna, make sure the two get to the library safely. Anything suspicious happens, you and the Phantom Stars know what to do." Joker ordered.

"Of course." Donna answered and Zauriel nodded. Diana would meet them all there. Despite being certain Superman was honest in his intentions, there was no telling if Batman would suddenly change his mind.

"Be safe in there everyone. Make sure to watch over Sophie." Violet waved.

"I'm quite capable, Violet. But thank you for your concern." Sophia smiled sweetly.

"We should be back by sunset. If not, send in the reinforcements." Joker knew it was the worst case scenario, but should anything bad happen, the Titans were right here ready for action. They were spread across the city, laying low for now helping Diana clean up the remains of the riots. Joker didn't want to test his luck with Bat-mite right now; he already had a feeling sending in non-Thieves was a bad idea. Sophie had to beg to help them when he said maybe she should stay back so they could get to know her like they apparently used to.

Joker didn't like it but relented being down two other party members today. If he had time, he would have brought her to the upper layers of Mementos to safely get to know her abilities. But the sooner the demands of the little bastard imp were met, the better.

Plus, Fox made a good point in the discussion; looking a gift horse in the mouth was a bad move with someone like Bat-mite.

With that, Noir offered her phone to Nightwing in the event that the Titans needed access and the Thieves were truly in danger.

With that, Joker entered the correct keywords in the Nav, putting a hand on Noir to make sure she made the trip with the rest of the group.

After the group disappeared, Dick sighed as he hoped the failsafes weren't needed. He saw enough of Karlos' mindset to last a lifetime. He ignored the slight embarrassment of being handed a notably feminine but expensive phone.

Noir gave him the password pin to it, warning him sweetly not to mess too much with it. Underneath that sweet and innocent routine, he felt a surprising amount of sadism in her eyes.

So he ignored the wallpaper of the bloody cartoon bunny holding an ax and put the phone in his pocket.

Maybe Crow wasn't the only one Superman would raise an eyebrow at.

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June 2nd, Morning

Cloudy Night, Blood Moon

Karlos' Palace

The full red moon in a cloudy night sky shone down on the Thieves as they appeared into Karlos' palace. The cityscape surrounded them with no difference other than the famous Maxwell Street.

The entire intersection was replaced with a massive dilapidated Victorian mansion. Turrets and towers of varying sizes over took the four blocks of road meant for tourists. Wide and small windows in old cathedral colors and styles lit dimly in the night, each and every roof decorated with trendy red spanish tiles. The walls were either a dark wood or a cream brick.

The Phantom Thieves stood across the road to the grand entrance garden with a walkaround sidewalk. The only entry point was a giant iron gate, stood tall and wide open. Every other possible way was surrounded by large walls or shadows. Movie lights shone down on the garden's lushious palm trees and impractical red carpet. In the center of the garden stood the famous Wesker Woman, its arms outstretched and praising the great actor's home. A plaque sat under it with bold words:

"In honor of Basil Karlos. The greatest actor to ever live."

"How humble." Fox huffed.

"I don't like this. This is the only entry point with no shadows. And you guys noticed their looks too right?" Mona asked.

"They all look exactly like him. Not a single blank black face for the more low level guards" Noir nodded.

Panther crossed her arms. "What a narcissist."

"It's clearly a trap. But none of the horror movies he was in opened this way." Crow glared.

"Just watch your backs and stay together. Wouldn't want to give the guy any ideas." Joker ordered. Everyone else murmured in agreement.

Statues littered the gardens, many in disrepair; Basil Karlos was the face of each of them, but many had craters where the face should be.

A lone shadow stood in front of the gigantic doors leading inside.

The shadow bowed. "Welcome to the glorious Karlos mansion. Tours are self guided and each group must split into groups of two in order to go inside."

"Why's that?" Panther cocked an eyebrow.

The shadow turned its head and eyed the girl up and down. It smiled creepily and answered.

"Why, I must admit selfish reasons, my dear. As an actor in the horror genre, I like creating an…" There was a pause for dramatic effect."atmosphere that frightens and disturbs. Especially for one like you." The shadow chuckled, causing Panther to shiver in disgust. The man's eyes analyzed every one of them like a piece of meat.

"If we refuse?" Crow glared.

The shadow's smile stretched, the corners reaching almost inhuman lengths.

"We all have parts to play. I will not permit any bad takes. But there are always ones who die first due to stupidity. Do you wish to be that part?" The shadow tilted his head.

"We ain't playin' any parts creep! Now let us through or-ACH!" Skull choked as suddenly, a hand reached and grabbed him by the throat. Everyone got into battle formation, but all the shadow did was laugh maniacally.

"I don't believe you realize what it means to make a blooper, young man." The shadow snapped his fingers.

The giant gates behind the thieves closed forcefully behind them with an abrupt clang. They were trapped inside.

"Now, Phantom Thieves. I believe I was saying to play your parts." The shadow said.

"IT'S THE RULER! BE ON GUARD!" Mona yowled.

"Let Skull go!" Joker ordered.

"HAHAHA! You have no power here, Joker. Did you truly think you could waltz up to my domain and steal my heart? No,no,no! You'll be the perfect rehearsal for what's to come during the premiere of my magnum opus. You will feel the- ACK!"

Skull had enough as he unleashed his thunderstruck attack on Karlos. The severe electricity attack was resisted by the shadow but allowed Skull to wiggle free. The man's hand spasming into a blob of clay.

"So it's true what Nightwing said. The chemicals truly did make you entirely made of-"

"Renuyu and Daggett are dead. Only the Terror known as Clayface remains. These powers are the perfect instrument to my work. I will make everyone believe I'm the best actor in the world! Starting with you all." Karlos started to melt and dissolve into the cracks of the floorboards.

"We're gonna stop you! Just you wait!" Skull yelled.

"Then come in and try to take my treasure. I-AHHH!"

The entire palace started to rumble. Statues crumbled and windows shattered. The entire building shook as if affected by an earthquake. Karlo's shadow deformed immediately and dissolved into a puddle of clay. The floorboards seemed to absorb it as his screams echoed throughout the entire plane.

"What was that?!" Noir shrieked.

"Don't tell me that…The mental degradation is worse than Nightwing thought. His very palace is on the brink of collapse at any moment!" Mona screamed.

"Problem solved. If his mind is unstable we simply trigger a shutdown and-" Crow was interrupted.

"NO! We can't just let him die! We have to help him!" Panther scolded.

Fox glared at Crow. "Even if he dies, then we can't deliver our required treasure to Bat-mite. I believe that would yield unwanted results."

The rumblings stopped, the entire building started to rebuild itself slowly, as if made of a thick liquid.

"The quake stopped. Approximately thirty seconds, the symptoms most commonly seen in brain seizures." Sophie chimed.

"The little layout of the palace I gathered has totally changed! Hallways that lead nowhere, entire rooms destroyed!" Oracle panicked.

"For real? The chemicals really are melting his brain. What are we gonna do?!" Skull asked.

"We keep going. We're used to the Metaverse changing all the time. Try to stay together and find his treasure. It still has to be in there somewhere." Joker said.

"I can still sense it so yeah. But be careful everyone. One wrong step and we could fall right out of the palace." Mona advised.

"Right. We don't have much time. Let's go." Joker opened the door. The grand foyer revealed itself to the Thieves as they walked inside. Behind them, the doors closed.

The actor lost in his own vain has the thieves right where he wants them. But, will his degraded mind allow him to carry out his role on stage? The entire palace rumbled slightly again, as the buildings fell, they rebuilt themselves again and again. Losing what remains of Basil's sanity, as the clay cannot perfectly replicate what was lost.

Who knows what would be left of a man after his mind melts for such an extended period of time?

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June 2nd, Morning

Wayne Manor Gardens

Hot Sunny

The early morning shined down on Bruce as he sat shirtless on a yoga mat in deep meditation. His body completely collapsed on his bed and wouldn't budge for twenty four hours. It's been years since he had gotten that much sleep.

Alfred claimed he tried to wake him up multiple times. Bruce didn't fully believe him, but that didn't matter. The man trained his own body for years to run on as little sleep as possible. No matter what was thrown at him, he managed to do it with as little as one hour of sleep within a twenty four hour period.

It brought the reality of Alfred's words crashing down on the hero. Bruce was wearing himself down too hard in his rage. His body was tired and starving, so he slept hard and ate a massive meal. Alfred was very pleased at such a development.

The general in his subconscious landscape was a dull hum. After being in a blind war-lusting state for too long, he had to retreat and regroup. Bruce took multiple deep breaths, logic and reason back in the forefront of his mind.

In his haze of rage, he failed to take account of multiple things, but the first thing that popped into his mind was his stupidity and rashness.

Why was he trying to hunt down the Phantom Thieves at all given the present state of things?

He has it all under control with Clark going to the source and getting detailed intel on the Thieves. He would surely not give any combat methods they use. He wasn't stupid, he saw the Knight's rage after the Watchtower invasion. Nor would he get anything on their demon lord.

But he would get their story and personality assessments. Bruce could work with that, use it to deduce massive weak points. Not for their powers, but their very soul.

His multiple battles with Scarecrow has improved his skills in fear tactics. Some metas require a more personal touch to strike them down for good. What better way to prepare an ultimate capture protocol than hearing their pasts and learning what was hard for them and what wasn't?

Clark basically offered to do his prep work for him. Bruce smirked at the thought.

But with his rest brought the other most important thought of clarity. The whole world saw their broadcast, that meant the rest of his enemies had surely gotten word.

The clown was surely gearing up for a war. Especially if he got word the Phantoms needed a name to even try to change a heart. Effectively right now, Joker was untouchable and enraged.

His men would hunt every corner Batman couldn't think of to find the kids. He'll torture them, break them, make them beg for mercy, before finally killing them. But the clown was always a showman at heart; so he'll can't resist showing them off…possibly. The Joker was also known to be unpredictable. He might shoot at the first sight of them.

One route is to watch out for any goons in clown makeup bragging about nabbing a Thief. But that was too risky, Bruce still wanted them alive.

Penguin up the bounties for them to ten million dollars a head. Even with the Phantom Stars on the streets now, his mercs were everywhere trying to get paid. They were never the smartest group in Gotham however; Black Mask's men were the only men beneath Penguin's in terms of average intelligence. The bird didn't think his goons would get them. So that means more professional assassins were on the table showing up on the streets. Another risky tactic to try and sniff out any of the teens.

That left…

"Riddler." Bruce opened his eyes as the idea struck. He recalled the egomaniac complaining about some wannabe heroes actually succeeding one of his traps. That was before the Phantom Thieves truly got the fame on the streets they have now.

And now he had a hunch. It was the Thieves fishing out targets way back at the beginning of it all. Batman couldn't hope to find him without scavenging the entire city for his traps. But there were always shortcuts to finding them.

Riddler has informants on every block of the city. He has agents in every gang, police district, and elite circles. Whether from blackmail, bribery, or espionage, Riddler has intel on everyone.

And right now Batman knows without a doubt, knowing nothing about the Phantom Thieves is driving him mad. He knows what every rogue, new or old is up to. Even Joker has to keep his plans close to the chest because of him.

Perhaps Bruce would get intel on the Phantom Thieves' combat abilities after all. If they solved a riddle it means now Nygma views them as a challenge to his intelligence.

He must be already planning something for them then. So now every informant is fighting to get intel on them behind the shadows. Nygma also records every puzzle to get a grasp on his opposition. Batman could use that. As soon as he finds Nygma and takes down his network, he grabs everything he can on the Phantom Thieves from the rogue's files.

But he needs something to draw them out. The Amazons might be hard to get a hold of with some goons or a robot and King Tut's gang had all been killed by Quinn and her men.

Akechi, whoever he was, must have fled town or have the Phantom Thieves hiding him.

That only leaves Anarky. The teen has been silent ever since the Watchtower attack. Bruce had to let Aqualad quit his post, so he didn't know where the kid was, but Riddler most likely does; even if not…Riddler isn't above kidnapping civilians to test the heroic principles of the Dark Knight.

What's stopping him from employing the same tactics on the Phantom Thieves? What's stopping him from giving them names of the corrupt to test their skill, just out of curiosity of what they can do? Or making a list of names, dozens for them to change or he'll kill them all?

Bruce had his priorities straight. After he confronts the Titans and sends Cyborg home, he's going after Nygma.

It might be the best lead to new information.

Bruce was interrupted by Alfred opening the door with a tray of food in hand.

"Sir, it seems a killer is on the loose. Basil Karlos seems to be the prime suspect in a string of murders taking place over the last month. They are calling him Clayface. Should I call Mistress Cain?" Alfred asked as he set the tray right in front of Bruce's lap.

"She's preoccupied. Do you know where they are?" Bruce calmly asked.

Alfred sighed at that. "I've received the Titans' last known locations. Master Damien took it upon himself to track them down while you were unaccounted for. I'm afraid your orders for him were left unfollowed."

Bruce nodded and sighed as he started to eat. He needs to regain his authority over all the younger heroes.

Tim obviously wanted to fix things to quell Bruce's anger. While Damien, just was plain reckless.

"Well then, I'll track Karlos down and bring him in. The Titans better hope they're staying under disguise and not using powers while I'm busy. How many dead?" Bruce asked.

"They found thirty in his apartment. Ten more have been confirmed to be linked to the modus operandi of the suspect." Alfred held a sorrow filled frown.

"Too many." Bruce closed his eyes, the guilt overtaking him. While he was dead set on taking out the Thieves so many suffered under his nose. He took a deep breath to calm himself. The general inside was now ashamed of his actions, and his rage.

"My hubris… In my rage I forgot there was more than one enemy. Careless," The general rumbled in quiet fury, the shame of failure building into Bruce's outer emotions.

Bruce took another deep breath and planned his next actions. The taste of Alfred's tea calms his nerves.

"I'm heading to Cassandra's main hideout. Pull up everything Cassandra found on Clayface, names of the victims, and Karlos' last known locations. While she's preoccupied I'll find the killer."

Alfred raised a brow. "So to be clear, you're not going after the Titans?"

"Gotham is my priority before my legacy. I forgot that until recently." Bruce sighed in shame.

Alfred was taken aback. But quickly nodded his head in agreement. Seems his ward took his advice to heart.

"The Titans won't do anything stupid. At least they better hope they don't. Let Damian keep an eye on them for now. He'll face the full consequences of his actions, as will the rest of the team. Tim better not test my renewed patience," Bruce glared towards his food, lacking his target's presence.

"While I'm gone, pull up a list of all known Riddler associates," Bruce replied calmly as he took quick bites out of his meal.

"Sir?" Alfred raised a brow in confusion at the order.

"While Superman digs into their minds, Nygma will dig into their moveset. He has to be scared of them by now, but also competitive. It's only a matter of time trophies show up just for them." Bruce finished his meal and rose to his feet.

Alfred put the pieces together as he followed his ward towards the Batcave.

"Ah, understood sir." Alfred nodded.

"Thank you Alfred. For everything." Bruce put a hand on Alfred's shoulder. The man then entered the piano room and pressed the correct keys to open one of the secret entryways.

Alfred stood still and smiled at that. The response was an apology of sorts from his ward. He must have seen reason after his body collapsed on itself. It was a small step forward in Bruce getting better in terms of mental breakage, but a step forward nevertheless.

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June 2nd, Morning

Hot Sunny

Kingston Library

The abandoned library was remarkably calmer from the day before. Diana made it very clear to the Phantom Stars that Clark was not to be attacked unless he did so first. Which was incredibly unlikely given the circumstances of their current agreement.

Clark smiled politely at the young woman across the table as he calmed his wife over the phone. With the limited time given, it made sense for Joker to plan a couple meetings with more than one member, but he wanted to speak up close and personal with each and every member. And it seemed his read on the boy was correct, he sent his more moral and upright teammates first.

Predictable, but not unwelcome either. It meant Joker was taking this assessment of character seriously; but it also meant some of the other Phantom Thieves might have some more leniency in terms of justice and morality.

But that was for another day. Queen was one of the Thieves Lois was pulling his ear to question the most. Due to her going public as the Masked Rider before the Thieves showed themselves, she was second only to Joker in terms of popularity to citizens. Wild theories and rumors flooded the web about her since the saving of that officer in April and Lois of course wanted the first scoop, calling dibs on whatever Clark managed to get out of her.

Clark complied, knowing Lois always had a soft spot for strong young girls like Queen and it wasn't often when he heard her get trapped in the mass hype any new group had earned. But it was clear to her, even with the little Donna's report covered; Queen was a very principled and strong young woman.

"Yes, honey. Of course. But I have to actually ask all the questions you have at some point. I have to go…Love you too, bye." Clark hung up the phone and rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. My wife is a bit of a fan of yours it seems." Clark admitted.

"It is no problem, erm…Mr. Kent. I'll admit I'm not quite used to being called an 'inspiration to girls seven to eighteen,'" Queen couldn't help but overhear Lois' loud voice over the phone.

"Oh Lois always hides behind her job to mask any feelings she might have towards any potential story. She said the same to me when she first interviewed me." Diana smiled.

"Moving on, I have many questions for you, miss. I'll keep the more tabloid stuff out of it. Let's start with your story. How did you come to join the Phantom Thieves?" Clark asked, clicking his pen to write down whatever she says.

"Of course." Queen nodded.

The thief would spend the next thirty minutes or so going over how she came to join the team. The challenges laid upon her as student council president by the principal after Kamoshida's change of heart. She went into detail about how she managed to corner the current members and challenge their justice to see if what they said was true. Of course she left out the more intimate things like personal names, and things of that nature.

"I see. So you wanted to see if Joker's justice was up to the task. That's commendable of you." Clark complimented.

"I don't understand why the principal thought a teenager would do better work than the police. It disgusts me even more than he outright blackmailed you to do so. I assume he was covering up the coach's malicious crimes?" Diana questions. Queen sighed but nodded.

"Who was this person who you wanted the Thieves to change exactly?" Clark questioned.

Queen went through Kaneshiro's whole extortion and money hoarding schemes. It was frankly embarrassing looking at how foolish she was at the time, but it was necessary to be honest to people who had many means to tell you were lying.

"I don't condone your actions, young lady. But your recklessness could have led to your death." Diana scolded her like a mother.

"I-I've learned my lesson since then. I won't deny my faults but I've become much better due to my team's care. I know without them, I wouldn't be alive to talk to you today. I…finally feel like I've found somewhere I belong." Queen admitted seriously.

"That's sweet miss, but we're talking about before you've gained whatever power you have now, correct? Which brings me to my next question. What exactly are your powers, and how did you gain them?" Clark asked.

"Um…I'm not the best at explaining the ins and outs about our powers. Nor do I think revealing specifics would be wise. This whole conversation is going to be read to the public and more importantly-"

"Bruce. I wouldn't recommend such things either. I think Clark and I can both agree that him learning that would be unwise. Don't we both remember a certain protocol he created that was used against the League?" Diana raised a challenging eyebrow at Clark. The man frowned but understood.

"I understand. Don't go into specifics right now, miss. But please tell me how you at least joined the group officially and how the powers manifested." Clark smiled apologetically.

Queen nodded and described what awakening her first persona was like. The way Kaneshiro, her sister, and society's expectations pushed her to the breaking point. The emotion behind gaining such power was notable enough to write down. And while the palace heist and magic behind it were left vague, she went into detail about how she joined the team, and why she remained.

"This 'Persona' of yours is such a novel power. I don't think I've heard of such a thing in our world before." Clark put his pen to his mouth in thought.

"Indeed, it's almost like a god blessed you with the strength to overcome your strife." Diana added.

"I feel Mona would offer a better explanation on the specifics. But even so, I don't know if we're…allowed to offer such insight." Queen nervously ran a hand through her hair.

"I believe we should stop while we're ahead then. But in…better circumstances, what would you say the Phantom Thieves stand for and what should they accomplish?" Clark asked.

"I believe we stand for justice where there is none. There are so many criminals hiding behind the corruption and slow turn of reform. The thieves offer immediate relief to those abused by such criminals. What we aim to accomplish is freeing the abused from their abusers, and finally offering some relief. Relief to people who feel even the League cannot truly help them." Queen replied.

Clark took his notes meticulously. As he asked more questions Queen's character was painted even clearer. Joker's advisor and strategist was a very principled young woman.

It showed in her very posture. The very prim and proper way she sat and spoke. The unwavering gaze that was held beneath her metal mask. A girl who came from a family who upholds the law strongly and carries those beliefs without yield.

"I think I have enough for my wife's story, Queen. I'll make sure the more personal matters are omitted of course. I think we can call this interview done as well. Thank you for being so cooperative." Clark concluded.

"If you don't mind, dear. Me and Clark must further converse privately. Please go get Violet ready for her interview." Diana smiled politely.

Queen offered a tiny bow and went to retrieve her teammate in another room.

"I think so far I like what I'm hearing." Clark admitted.

"In a better world she would immediately be admitted to a Titan HQ. Every mark of a potential hero is there." Diana sighed.

"Yes, but she does have flaws. I do see a lot of pain and anger in her past though. Specifically with her sister's sudden passing." Clark added.

"We all have pain in our past Clark." Diana was quick to defend her new ally.

"Just a note to make. Nothing that dissuades me of her character. I think it's good for groups like the Thieves to have such a good right hand. I don't think Queen would offer much deviation from what their claimed goals are." Clark noted.

The two conversed further before settling and asking for Violet to come in. They were eager to further discover the thieve's other members.

As the next meeting took place the rest of the team were just getting started on their heist.

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June 2nd, Morning

Karlos' Palace

Foyer

The grand foyer was made entirely of dark brown wood, intricate designs spread on every inch of the walls. Numerous hallways and staircases were laid out in front of the group. Some of the staircases led to nowhere or were destroyed from the seizures. Hallways were the same, with debris filling them or leading to a dead end.

On every wall laid at least ten photos of Karlo's, whether a newspaper clipping, a professional photograph, or painting. Shelves and display cases littered the walls filled with trophies and ribbons. The entire palace was filled with unnecessary modern furniture and rugs. All sharp edged leather, what wasn't leather was an ugly bloodied metal.

Above them, expensive chandeliers hung dangerously. At any moment they could fall, as shown by the damage done to the center of the foyer. A chandelier destroyed a giant vase on display, the debris spread along the ground.

Water dripped from the ceiling, mold and dried ancient blood covered the walls. The floorboards were splintered and uneven. Trails of gore led in various directions, some going up the walls and ceilings. Pulsating masses of clay gathered in corners and filled random rooms.

Televisions from new to antique, monitors, and even phones littered every other nook of the palace. Some dangerously hung from the ceiling, walls, or floor. Whatever wasn't static was one of Karlos' movies or presentations of his image.

The cluttered chaos of the palace showed greatly the levels of degradation Karlos' mind had suffered.

"Where do we even start?" Panther sweated.

"This place is massive, I can't get a full read on any level." Oracle sighed.

"We should split up. We-" Skull was interrupted.

"No you fool. This entire place is a trap for victims of a serial killer. Splitting up is exactly what he wants." Crow chided.

"Crow's right. Karlos is unstable. He could pounce at any moment and try to kill us." Mona added.

Noir nodded. "I would rather not play into the role he wants."

"Everyone, stick together. This palace will be slow going for sure. Skull, watch our back. Noir, Fox, watch the sides. Mona, keep an eye on Oracle and Sophie. Crow, Panther, up front with me." Joker ordered. Everyone got into the ordered formation and started along a random hallway.

"Joker…I feel like we're being watched." Noir shuddered as the group kept traversing the hallway.

"The pictures' and paintings' eyes. They follow our movement." Fox noticed.

"How cliche." Oracle dryly said.

"Ignore them. Nothing we can do about it right now." Joker courageously kept going.

The lights in the hallway flickered. Every door the team has found so far has been locked. Even Skull couldn't break them down. As they continued, clay and blood flowed under the doors. The hallway just seemed to get longer and longer.

No turns, no rooms, nothing changed.

"I don't like this. How long is this freakin' hallway?!" Skull yelled.

"Karlos has such a strange palace layout. I've never seen anything quite like this." Sophie hummed.

Crow stopped suddenly, holding out an arm to stop the rest of the group.

"What is it Crow?" Joker asked.

"We've already fallen for a trap." Crow glared towards the neverending hall.

Suddenly, to the right of the group a door busted open and dozens of owls swarmed the Thieves. Fox took the most of the attack as he was knocked on his back, prone. As the owls violently pecked at the thieves, their attacks did nothing to reduce the numbers. A pure white, wrinkled hand took hold of Fox's leg and started violently and forcefully dragging him into the door. Its long talons drew blood on Fox's leg.

"They're going for Fox!" Mona yelled.

"Someone grab him!" Joker ordered as everyone shot various attacks on the owl swarm to quell their numbers.

The element of surprise gone, the owls morphed into shadows with wings for arms. The hundreds of enemies kept the Phantoms from saving their friend.

"It has to be the monster from 'Owls of the Mountain!' But I didn't see this part in the movie." Crow glared as he took down dozens of shadows by himself with his sword.

"Sophie! Get Fox!" Joker yelled as he called upon Ares and took on dozens of shadows. He violently slashed through the monsters as he roared a thunderous warcry.

"Right!" Sophie quickly ducked under her attackers and charged up her lazer beam with holy power. With her calculations she shot at the door with critical accuracy.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWW!" The entire army of shadows roared in agony. The infinite hallway's monitors changed to a screaming Karlos, his head violently contouring and melting.

The hallway lights flickered, changing from a dim yellow to a menacing red. Bloodied clay bursted through every door and swallowed the army of owls into its mass in its wake. The Phantom Thieves had nowhere to go as the clay formed into textureless melting tentacles moving to grab them.

Fox had just got his bearings before a massive hand slammed down from a door and pulled him inside. The door violently slammed shut as he yelled for his team.

"FOX!" Sophie yelled. The tentacles were quick to take their revenge on her as they wrapped around her body. The girl was then thrashed around the hallway, the thieves tried in vain to dodge the massive attack as Sophie shrieked and struggled to get out of the hold.

"Watch out!" Mona yelled.

Noir reacted too late as the tentacle slammed into her. The girl slammed into a television on a wall and fell on a trophy case, shattering the glass. Immediately offended, a mass of clay swarmed on top of her body. She tried to escape but was quickly pulled into a separate door.

"HELP!" Noir cried, but the door slammed shut just as Mona reached her.

"NOIR! Shit what do we do?!" Oracle yelled, having to duck from the tentacle's attack.

"We get out of this and rescue everyone, just hold out!" Joker tried to keep order.

"DAMMIT! We have to retreat and regroup! Joker we-NYA! LET ME GO!" Mona hissed as a tentacle managed to grab his tail.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Skull roared as he charged up his hammer with all the electricity he could.

Oracle tried to stop the boy. "No, Skull, wait!"

SLAM!

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWW!" The same scream echoed through the palace.

The entire hallway rumbled and twisted. The clay spasmed violently, the tentacle that held Sophie dropped her as it crashed into the wall. By now Sophie had lost consciousness and laid on the floor out cold. The whole room started to turn sideways. What wasn't nailed to the floor immediately slid and crashed into the left wall.

"Everyone try to get to the wall! Don't let Sophie just lie there!" Joker yelled. He was already down two members, he couldn't afford to lose anymore.

Sophie's body was picked up by Skull before the wall could fully become a floor.

But Oracle wasn't so lucky as she tripped and started sliding into an opened door.

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" Oracle tried to grab on to something but had no luck.

"Oracle!" Panther tried to make in time with her flight but she was too late.

"Panther!" Oracle screamed as the door slammed shut.

"NO! Dammit, open up!" Panther tried desperately to open the locked door but it was no use.

"Get away Panther! Clay is everywhere!" Mona yelled. Clay seemed to rain down from the doors above. The clay dripped violently down like a raging downpour

Joker clenched his teeth. Panic and fear seeped into his brain. He just let one of his weakest members get captured, too distracted from the chaos of the palace. They had to find a way out of this hell. But the earthquake only got worse and worse.

Panther didn't react in time as the rain increased to a waterfall. The force pushed her into the closed door. She gritted her teeth as she almost drowned in the clay.

"SALEM!" Panther cried. The girl casted her Ignite spell, sending a superhuman fireball upwards. The clay was quick to heat rapidly, the force of Panther's blast sending it back where it came. The girl rolled to the side and out of the way of the door. A massive pile of ash seemed to shoot back down, quickly overtaken by the clay as it continued to pour down.

She got up and met up with the remaining team.

Joker was trying to calm Crow and Skull before they started fighting.

Crow roared at Skull. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT IDIOT!?" The young detective was infuriated at the current state of things.

"I WAS TRYIN' TO SAVE SOPHIE ALRIGHT!" Skull tried to avoid the rivers of clay pouring down from above and into other doors, Sophie lying prone in his arms.

"ENOUGH! Both of you! This is no time for pointless arguments!" Joker roared.

"Shut up, Joker! It's your carelessness that led to all of this!" Crow hissed.

"Watch your mouth, Crow. You had as much intel as I did going in. We all fell for the trap. Frankly I think any direction we could have taken would have given the same result." Joker glared at his rival, his red eyes started to glow in anger.

"Stop it guys! We have to get out of here! Karlos is too unstable!" Mona yelled.

"WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE! OUR FRIENDS ARE IN DANGER!" Skull roared back.

"Hey guys…the clay is acting weird again." Panther pointed to the waterfalls of clay starting to bubble.

Everyone stopped in their tracks as they stood in defensive formations. Amorphous figures started to form from the puddles of clay. They lacked any resemblance to Karlos or any of his roles. They shrieked as they surrounded the Thieves

"H-hey! Back off! BACK OFF!" Skull yelled as they all jumped at him. The ones that grabbed him fused together and managed to overtake his strength.

"SKULL!" Panther was quick to attack the creatures. They started to hiss at her ability to render them out of existence.

"Fire works! Make sure to-" Mona started.

"I GOT IT MONA THANKS!" Joker yelled as he called upon Demeter. His persona was quick to deal out massive fire damage on the creatures around the group. The Trickster was on edge trying desperately to come up with a solid plan to get out of this and save his captured friends.

The shrieks of the clay figures reached deafening levels. They started to morph into each other and build a stronger and more resilient army. Mona and Crow had to dodge their attacks as they lacked the proper methods to deal with the creatures.

"It's no use there's too many of them." Crow coldly remarked.

"WE CAN DO THIS!" Panther yelled as she tore apart every clay figure in her sight.

Skull was powerless with Sophie in his hands.

"Mona quickly, revive her!" Skull shouted.

"NYA!" Mona tried to concentrate and revive his friend. But they were surrounded, and one wrong move was too dangerous. While he tried to multitask dodging and concentrating on his aid he was grabbed by the massive chunk of clay.

"MONA!" Panther shouted.

"Don't worry about me!" Mona unleashed his heavy wind attack. The force sent the figure flying into a falling stream of clay but Mona was still in its hold. Only the arm stretched as the rest of the body flew away.

The arm violently pulled the cat towards the stream.

Joker noticed and tried to free his friend with fire, but more and more clay figures got in his way and fused together to trap him. It was pointless, hopeless. Even with the mass of ash overtaking the room, his fire was not enough to fully destroy his captor. It wasn't even enough to keep the monsters off himself.

The Trickster could only watch as one of his closest friends was pulled closer and closer to massive downpour.

"JOKER!" Mona yelled back as he was swallowed by the waterfall of clay.

"NOOOOO!" Joker shouted. His eyes glowed red as he obliterated his clay prison. The figures surrounding him stepped back in fear. Both of his hands engulfed in fire, his knife red from the heat.

"YOU'LL PAY! YOU'LL ALL PAY!" Joker roared as he attacked every monster around him with massive force. Ash and clay surrounded the room, mixing into small puddles that started to build up into little ponds.

"Dammit! *pant* I'm low and these things keep coming!" Crow hissed. He could only use his almighty and curse attacks so much and pure physical strength means nothing to these creatures. They just melded together more and more to get stronger.

Panther was starting to pant, but she and Joker were quick to re-enforce Skull, Sophie and Crow. The four of them stood back to back as more and more monsters surrounded them.

Joker held them back with a murderous force but he knew the rest of his team was worn out.

"We have to retreat and bring in the Titans. Come on!" Joker unleashes a blazing hell attack, turning all enemies in front of him into ash.

Skull, Crow and Panther followed their leader to the best of their ability. Skull was still holding Sophie The team were drenched in watered down clay as they made their escape.

As they tried to get by the first waterfall of clay. The clay on Skull and Sophie shot back and connected with the falls. Immediately the hold slowed Skull down. He cursed as shadows surrounded him. He couldn't let them take Sophie, but he could barely take care of himself.

"SKULL!" Panther cried out in worry.

"RAAAAAAAGH!" Electricity flowed across Skull's body. Clay spasmed and seized but it wasn't enough for the sheer mass around his body and Sophie's. As the team tried to save him and fight off other shadows, some disassembled and shot right at Skull's body. Every part of his body was surrounded by clay except his head and feet.

Sophie was quickly buried within. Only parts of her head were uncovered. Skull resigned himself. He wasn't making it out.

"SKULL!" Joker tried to free his friend but he also had to dodge hundreds of shadows trying to attack him.

"It's ok guys. I know you'll come back for us. I'll try and keep Sophie safe." Skull tried to lend an easy going smile.

His legs gave, and he and Sophie were pulled into the falls. Another door slammed shut. The floors were starting to flood with clay. Panther started to sob. Her tears made of magma dropped to the floor in little drops.

"We have to keep going." Crow panted.

Joker tightened his fists as Demeter took down the entire army of clay in seconds.

"I didn't ask for this, I didn't want this. Is this how Bat-mite wanted us all to go out? Was this whole palace just a giant trap to get rid of us? If so, what's the point of fighting? We aren't strong enough to take him on. Not yet, not now."

Joker shook his head and gritted his teeth as they ran back through the hallway. Every photo and painting of Karlos was screaming now. The hallway walls above and beneath started to crack from the long mental seizure. All of the clay shadows dissolved screaming in agony.

Debris fell and melted into the ground, the clay was up to Joker and Crow's ankles. Panther flew above it all but was in hysterics. The entire palace was near collapse. Karlos must be near death who knows where.

Joker had to change tactics. It was clear the man's mind was in a very sensitive state right now. He prayed the palace wouldn't completely collapse, leaving all of his friends dead.

"MAKE IT STOP!" Karlos' voice screamed in desperation. The entire hallway started to melt.

Crow hit a particularly soft spot and tripped.

"AH! Dammit all!" Crow tried to claw his way to solid ground.

"CROW!" Joker hesitated for just a second. Crow wouldn't allow it.

"KEEP RUNNING IDIOT! Make sure to kill Bat-mite for me!" Crow demanded.

Joker knew Crow was willing to die here. He wouldn't say that if he wasn't. The ground under Crow gave in. The prince detective fell into the dark abyss of Karlos' mind.

"YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR PROMISE JOKER!" Crow's rage echoed as the boy disappeared. Joker gritted his teeth, his rival was right. This was all his fault. He had to make it right.

Joker kept running. The ground behind him collapsed as Karlos' palace experienced a borderline mental shutdown. Panther was quick to pick her leader up with Demeter's absorption of fire allowing it. Just in time as the entire wall underneath caved in as the wall above collapsed behind them. Clay shot down violently into the deep depths of Karlos' palace.

"Just a little further!" Panther raced down the infinite hallway. She hoped desperately it would end so they could get out of there.

Joker held on tight, unable to do much but hope Panther gets them out of there. The massive earthquake thankfully started to slow down. The collapsing clay behind them seemed to slow.

"I-Is it over?" Panther panted as she flew.

"I don't want to stick around and find out." Joker sighed.

The hallway started to morph around them. It turned back to its original state. The floor was now filled with wooden tiles instead of doors and paintings. Panther was starting to pant more and more.

"You're running low. Put me down." Joker ordered.

"I'm not losing you too. Even the floor isn't safe here." Panther's fire was starting to turn to ember.

"I know, but you're close to passing out." Joker sighed.

"Am…not." She weakly landed them both on the ground and collapsed. Joker was quick to pick her up in his arms. She used up all of her energy trying to save others. He would be ashamed not to do the same.

"I-I'm sorry for all this." Joker hung his head low as the grief overtook him.

"It's not your fault, Joker. Please believe that." The girl whispered, her mind and body becoming limp. Her head laid in his shoulder as she tried to stay awake, but passed out within minutes.

Joker took a shaky breath. With no one around to encourage, the mask of a leader slipped.

"I can't believe that. Not at all." The boy's voice cracked. He had to pull himself together, at least for Panther's sake.

Joker ran quickly through the hall. Static flashed on every television in sight. Doors were now all open, shadows were passed out on the floor, reforming. Karlos' mind must be recovering. A miracle at work it seemed.

Joker finally arrived at the Foyer. The doors were still closed. In front of the closed doors sat a faceless Karlos. The body twitched and seized as clay moved to form the figure. Only the suit and salt and pepper hair showed any trace of the man. It looked up and saw the two intruders.

It shrieked, the face opening up to an enormous mouth showing no innards of standard autonomy. It tried to get up, but its legs shook like a newborn. It fell to the ground. The head shifted violently morphing, as if trying to find its identity.

Joker stared at the thing for a moment and kept walking. Right before he reached the doors the creature grabbed his leg, Joker looked down.

The morphing face whimpered like a puppy. It tried and failed to assemble a face, but just couldn't. Its hands pulled on the boy's leg like a lost child. Eyes, lips, noses all formed and melted over its head. The eyes expressed immense pain and suffering, begging for it all to stop

Joker spared a shred of empathy for the man that once was human.

"I'll try to save you. That's all I can promise." Joker declared.

Whatever Karlos did, he didn't deserve this kind of hell. Joker wouldn't wish this kind of condition on his worst enemy. But that still didn't change the situation at hand.

Its grip tightened. Almost in desperation, it shrieked back, almost angry at the lack of promise.

Joker kicked his leg out of its grip.

"You might be dying. But you still captured my friends. Bring them back and we'll talk." Joker offered.

It angrily slammed it fist down. The whole limb splattered in a puddle of clay.

"I'll take that as a no." Joker went to open the enormous doors. Only for it to lead to a dark abyss.

"What the-"

The shadow tackled Joker to the ground and it clawed at the Trickster's coat in anger. Joker tried to fend off the creature but more and more clay melded into it. It turned into a massive blob, its arms and legs as thick as Joker's whole body.

"GET OFF ME!" Joker shot hot fire at the massive being.

It only left a hole that was quick to rebuild. It slammed its fists down on Joker's face and body. The immense pain from the fire only encouraged the monster. Joker struggled as more and more clay surrounded and trapped him.

The shadow screamed in anger and agony as the Trickster blasted the being with every fire spell he could think of, trying in vain to take advantage of the one weakness the shadow had. But much like Skull, the clay would not let up.

The shadow swung Joker around the room, destroying all of the surrounding furniture. Meanwhile, the being grabbed the unconscious Panther and dangled her upside down.

"LET HER GO!" Joker roared, struggling against the massive amounts of clay rushing against his body. With his panic the shadow smiled, a wicked, slimy mouth appearing on its face.

It took pleasure in projecting its pain onto others. It violently threw Panther into a door on its right. The hinges broke from the force, but another was quickly reformed in its place from the clay.

"NOOO! DAMN YOU!" Joker was beyond infuriated, all logic left his mind. Demeter unleashed a constant string of chaotic attacks. Fire, ice, wind, anything that would hurt the shadow that took his friends away from her ward.

"DIE VERMIN!" The goddess roared in hysterics, the rage flowing into Joker's movements as he went feral. The fire and wind did nothing to abade the monster's grip on the teen.

But ice was a different story. The clay around him turned into a brittle and fragile mass. It cracked as Joker struggled in his rage, his eyes a blazing red.

He was a failure. A leader unable to save a single team mate from this shadow's trap. A leader who couldn't keep his composure in the face of such an unavoidable trap. He would make Karlos pay. He would make Bat-mite suffer for putting him in this predicament.

Joker broke free as Demeter floated behind him, her hair alight in her rage, but hands turning into long claws of ice. The pair grinned wickedly as the shadow roared in fright.

The boy dodged all the tentacles launched at him in retaliation. Dozens of clay arms destroyed in seconds.

"I'm such an idiot. I grasped on the first weakness we found too tightly. Foolish. Stupid. INEXCUSABLE!" Joker rushed the shadow. He wasn't going to hold back anymore.

The boy concentrated on his attack and unleashed a critical Diamond Dust spell on the massive beast. The entirety of the shadow froze in place, leading to Joker quickly summoning Ares for a massive technical attack.

"ARES! SHOW HIM YOUR MIGHT!"

Ares charged up and roared as he delivered a colossal physical to the shadow before him. The god unleashed an unyielding punch right into the monster's torso.

The entire palace started to scream in pain again as the shadow shattered into a million pieces.

Joker couldn't spare a single moment of empathy for Karlos' mind right now. But even with the monster defeated there was still no way out. The abyss stared back at the boy beyond the grand doors. Panther's door melted away and morphed into a wall.

The boy cursed at his luck. There was nowhere to go that guaranteed safety or escape. The only way forward was the open doors before him.

The defeat didn't lead to another seizure, something Joker immediately took note of. Seems lighting was a last resort then. Fire was a waste of energy as well, only Panther seemed to have enough power in her to keep the clay back with it.

So ice it was then. Physicals had no effect otherwise. He'd have to test the others out to seek out any further weakness to exploit.

But that still left him without his team, with no way out. Joker took a calming breath. It's a good thing they were prepared for such an event. The guardian granted to him and his mental link.

"Zauriel. Operation Reel was a failure. Commence Operation Grapple." Joker took a minute to relay all the information he could to the angel. Especially the palace's weakness to ice.

"Tell Makoto and Sumire I'm okay. I only have one way forward and it's down. I'll try to keep in touch."

Joker shoots his grappling hook to the edge of the doorway. He began his descent into the abyss. He quickly found that was a useless idea as he ran out of rope.

"Sure wish I could fly right about now." He huffed and looked downward. There was no end in sight. Joker weighed his options, but before he could decide…

RUMBLE

All throughout the palace the televisions changed the channel constantly. As Karlos' mind tried to repair itself, the palace melted and morphed. It tried desperately to find its sense of self. The actor was losing all sense of reason and rational thinking.

The grand doors above started to disappear, leading the hook holding Joker slipped as the ground turned to clay.

Joker sighed in resignation. He quickly started to fall into the abyss and into the unknown, Hoping something would form to break his fall.

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June 2nd

Kingston Library

Hot Sunny

Morning

As the rest of the team struggled inside of Karlos' palace, everyone in the library was unaware. Joker's plan was to return by sunset and it wasn't even nearing the afternoon. For Violet there was nothing to worry about.

Except impressing the Man of Steel across the table. Violet put on a good front, sitting almost as proper as Queen did, with a welcoming smile; but to Clark it was clear the girl lacked the confidence the other girl had. Her shoulders were stiff, her welcoming smile was twitching with anxiety, underneath the table she fidgeted with a ribbon.

"This will require a lighter touch. Poor girl, she's starting to sweat." Clark thought.

Diana was of the same mind. She didn't know much about the girl. With her short time aligned with the group, she barely had any talk with any of them. Even Joker's story was a bit in the dark. The woman put a hand on the girl's shoulder. Violet jumped a bit, but composed herself, smiling apologetically at the attempt of comfort.

"A-apologies Miss…er Woman. I'm a little nervous." Violet admitted.

"There, there, honey. Diana is just fine." Wonder Woman chuckled at the girl's attempt at formality. Diana then looked to Clark in warning, the man nodded in understanding.

"So Violet was it? I must admit your performance at the gala was quite a spectacle." Clark complimented to ease the girl in.

"Ah, thank you sir. I'm glad everyone liked it." Violet lit up in appreciation.

"Yes. Your moves are some of the most graceful I've seen. I'm curious, were you always a dancer?" Diana asked, aiding Clark in the interview.

Violet smiled proudly with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Oh well, gymnast actually. Ever since I was a little girl, me and my sister trained to become professionals. Though admittedly she was always the better performer."

Diana and Clark immediately picked up on the past tense in her wording. But before they could say anything the girl continued. She picked up on the tense atmosphere in the room.

"It's fine. You are here to judge our character right? I know how important this is for Joker-senpai and the team. I'm not afraid to tell my story."

Clark nodded and got his questions ready. "Thank you, Violet. Well, to start off, what exactly is your role in the Phantom Thieves?"

"Role? Um, a fighter I suppose. I only officially joined the group at the near end of their year-long career. Aside from Sophie I'm the latest member to join. I really don't have a role outside anything Joker-senpai orders. I, uh, taught him some acrobatics, but that's about it." Violet looked downwards, feeling inadequate. Sophie already did way more than her in the limited time she joined up.

"Don't sell yourself short, honey." Diana cooed, trying to calm the reserved girl.

"Who exactly is Sophie? I don't have her name anywhere in my files." Clark raised a brow.

"Oh, sorry Clark. I forgot to mention the new addition. She was a…"gift" from their captor, for entertaining him with the Watchtower rescue. She'll come here soon, I assure you. I believe Joker has questions for her as well." Diana clarified.

Clark waved away the issue with that. With everything on their plate, he understood why they were forgetting to tell him something. But a new member of the group is pretty big. But with Diana's wording, it seems like a surprise to the Thieves themselves. He made a note to ask Joker for an explanation.

But that isn't the topic at hand.

"Moving on then, how did you come to join the team Violet? Batman's files said it was by accident, yes?" Clark continued.

"It's a long story. But I suppose it's necessary. I guess I should start from the beginning." Violet closed her eyes in sadness.

Violet went into detail about her depression and self-doubt brought upon by her sister's superior talent and overall perfect nature. How her jealousy was further by Kasumi deciding most of both of their daily lives. Kasumi was so perfect that Violet reached the point of either dying or becoming exactly like her.

It took everything in her not to say her dead sister's name during the interview. The memories of suicidal depression and stress did a number on her. But she couldn't help but shed a tear when she went into how Kasumi died, and how guilty she was for not dying in her place.

"Oh, sweetie. We should stop I-"

Diana was interrupted by the girl. "No. It's ok. I'm ok now. Thanks to Joker-senpai." Violet rubbed her eyes, strengthening her nerve.

"I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am. But that uh…didn't answer the question." Clark tried to push the girl along at her request.

"I felt I caused her death. I felt I stole her dream away. I didn't want to live with her gone. So I…took her place." The girl admitted.

"How did you manage to do that?" Diana asked gently.

"I didn't. The therapist my parents found did. He was the palace ruler I joined over. Everyone called him a 'reality-bender'. I guess that is a good word to use." Violet mumbled.

"So he made you take her place?" Clark asked, disgusted at the implications.

Violet was quick to defend the man. "He just wanted me to be happy. I was so lost at the time. He only wanted to give me some comfort."

Violet went into detail about how Maruki warped her memories to think she was her sister. What followed was a telling of the entire year from her perspective. How she met Joker, and how they made a deal to help each other.

She admitted how she disagreed with the Thieves standpoints at first. Then how she accidentally discovered Maruki's palace with Joker and Mona. How she awoke her persona by seeing herself as a shadow in the palace.

"I couldn't stand how everyone branded me as a failure. I couldn't stand how they spoke so badly about me and my sister's dream. When Cendrillon called upon me, it was so painful, but so freeing at the same time." Violet explained.

Clark was taking notes at a quick pace. He started to notice a pattern with how the Thieves awaken their power. Intense mental stress and the desperate need to break the cycle of the circumstances causing it. But why her? Why any of these teens over anyone else? It was as if a god chose them as a guardian to protect them. Clark and Diana found all that fascinating.

Violet continued on about her journey. Denying the opportunity of becoming a Thief, but coming back to save Joker during the casino palace. How she confronted Joker concerned about the whole thing before and how worried she was when he faked his death. She explained Maruki's ascension to power on New Year's Eve, how much power he wielded and his goals to change reality.

"All of this and you still haven't joined yet. Why?" Diana asked.

"I noticed the emergence of the doctor's palace. I knew right then something was wrong but I didn't know what. It wasn't until I went inside I discovered the truth. I couldn't take it. I was in denial and wanted to accept that I was my sister. It took…a lot of convincing to get me to wake up." Violet took her of her 'betrayal' as she called it.

Clark and Diana didn't buy the wording. It was clear, despite the doctor's good intentions, he was taking advantage of the girl to prove his point. She was driven insane by his power and used as a puppet. Diana was relieved Joker managed to escape and convince the girl to follow the truth, no matter how hard it was to do so.

Violet described how they defeated the man, and thankfully the world reverted to its normal state. Until Bat-mite appeared and destroyed everyone, and everything she fought for. With that Violet ended taking a sip from a glass of water for her throat. It really was quite a long and complex tale of tragedy.

"Thank you, Violet. Your account was very helpful in putting a lot of pieces together." Clark smiled.

He now had a basic timeline to the Phantom Thieves career. Violet connected a lot of dots missing from the story due to the lack of time to tell it. She didn't have all the answers to the events outside of her joining, but provided a much needed outsiders perspective of what happened during that time.

Honestly only more and more questions in his mind were raised about how exactly their powers worked. If the doctor too had a 'Persona' then there was an age gap to gaining such power? Which brings the question, why were children the majority that popped up with them in their dimension? How are they picked and why does it require such anguish to unlock it?

Violet sweated and stuttered in confusion at those questions. She didn't know either, nor did any of her teammates. She stated Mona might know some of those answers, but even he didn't have everything. Clark dropped any further questions regarding powers, he knew Bruce would demand all his notes to read over them. He didn't want to stoke the flames of their dispute any further.

"So Violet, to end it all off. What do you think the Phantom Thieves stand for and what should they accomplish?" Clark asked.

Violet put a lot of thought into her answer before responding.

"I still hold the belief that people could come to overly rely on us. I honestly think the same of the League at times. But here one thing is more clear and more obvious. There are people here too powerful and corrupt that need us to stop them. People who a normal citizen could never hope to defeat. I don't want the Phantom Thieves to be worshiped and held to such a high pedestal that we become mortal gods. But people outside of us clearly have the means and drive to try and to achieve such. If no one dares to challenge such power, then it is our job, our duty to do so. Otherwise the world would surely fall into the depths of despair, like I did so long ago." Violet explained.

"Thank you Violet. With your answers, we have much to discuss. But ultimately, I think you are right." Wonder Woman smiled as she politely told her to join Queen. The two heroes had much to discuss in private.

"The more I know, the more questions I have." Clark admitted.

"This isn't an interview for the mechanics of their powers, Clark." Diana scolded.

"I know, I know. For her, I say overall there shouldn't be a problem regarding corruption. With her and Queen it's clear a priority for Joker and his team to stay humble." Clark noted.

"Indeed. I believe a critical mind like hers is necessary. For them and most of all us." Diana sent a challenging stare.

"Normally that would fall to Bruce's paranoia. But I see your point in this regard." Clark agreed with a sigh.

"Her past as well. Some Titans have less trauma than her, maybe even some in the League." Diana shook her head.

"She really acts way more mature for age. Any lesser girl would have surely gone mad from such delusions. It's a miracle frankly." Clark tapped his pen to his paper in thought.

"I think she would have. If Joker and his friends didn't come in. So what do you think of them after all that? Still think they can't be trusted?" Diana raised a brow.

"Oh Diana. You think so much of them. It really borders on bias. I need you to think critically for these things. You've only interacted with them for days." Clark crossed his arms.

"The more I hear, the more sure I am. They literally save the world and actions speak louder than words. Both Queen and Violet haven't done anything irredeemable or illegal. Even in the standards for a Titan initiate test. That says a lot to me." Diana huffed.

"We've only seen two of them. I'm remaining as neutral as I can in this matter. It's only fair to all the other Titan initiates." Clark retorted.

"Oh? So you are considering it?" Diana smiled.

Clark rolled his eyes, but allowed himself to show a smile in good faith.

"We'll see."

Zauriel stood silently as the Leaguers discussed. Donna left to look after the two girls. The angel made sure to stay silent during this discourse. He gazed at nothing as Phantom Stars patrolled the library in absolute silence.

That ended when his charge called upon him. The angel silently looked in the direction of Grand Avenue and scowled. Diana and Clark stopped their conversation as they heard Zauriel draw his burning blade.

"The Trickster calls for assistance." The angel moved towards the room where Queen and Violet were sitting. He slammed open the door, they both jumped but Donna just turned her head.

"Operation Reel is a failure. Commerce Operation Grapple." The angel repeated verbatim to the girls.

Donna glared and immediately reached for her burner to contact all of the available Titans to meet up at the Jazz Club.

"WHAT?!" Queen shouted, concerned.

"Is everyone ok?!" Violet asked, frightened.

Zauriel took a moment to get all of the information Joker had.

"The Trickster is alive. All other ally locations are unknown. Electricity is forbidden, fire is useless, mere fists are no use. Only ice has yielded any fruit in taking down his foes." Zauriel relayed.

"What's going on?" Diana walked up to the group with Clark behind.

"We have to go! Everyone is in trouble!" Queen yelled as the team of four moved past the heroes.

"Where, I'm coming to help them." Diana said with finality.

Queen just nodded, Joker trusted the woman enough to save her so it should be fine.

"Do you require backup?" Clark asked simply.

With that Queen paused. Joker only wanted to meet up with Superman at the library, but this was an emergency and he was right there willing to help. Violet sweated beside her, unsure what to do. Only a few Titans had the powers that would aid in this mission.

Donna looked to Queen, as she was the second in command if Joker was MIA. Queen closed her eyes and sighed. She hoped Joker could forgive her for this.

"Yes, as much as you can give." Queen answered.

"Lead the way then." Clark smiled.

Everyone rushed to the hideout to plan a rescue attempt. In the back of Clark's mind he was intrigued. Of course he'd help save them, but he also had questions regarding how exactly they steal hearts.

In their panic they allowed him a first hand account of inside the metaverse. It wasn't an easy decision. Queen clearly didn't trust him or the League nearly enough to show him more than allowed. But desperation won out. He had to make sure to ease her concerns.

"Queen?" He called as they neared the entrance to the jazz club.

"Y-yes?" Queen responded, gathering her wits for planning tactics.

"Just for a while. Let's say all of this is off the record." Clark smiled as he took off his glasses.

Queen was shocked but cautious optimism and a nervous smile was shown on the worried girl's face.

The group entered through a discreet back alley to the meetup spot. Clark took the opportunity to unbutton his dress shirt, showing the emblem of his people underneath.

Dick was already waiting for them in the storage room. The phone from Noir that was in his hands didn't feel as embarrassing anymore. He looked up and glared at the Man of Steel.

"What's he doing here?" Dick asked simply.

"Easy, Nightwing. I'm only here to help." Superman stood in his full costume and offered a polite smile.

In the Phantom Thieves desperation, stood one of the only men who could offer them hope.

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June 2nd

Somewhere in Gotham

Hot, Sunny

Karlos barely kept himself together as a massive headache struck him out of nowhere. They were getting more frequent and way more painful.

He screamed and yelled in a trashy alley as people callously walked by, paying him no mind.

The actor morphed and changed faces, sizes, clothing, and accessories violently. He couldn't control it, he could barely remember his name.

In his mind multiple voices shouted out in anger, laughter, despair. He didn't know what his actual thoughts were anymore.

"I HAVE TO GET HELP!"

"KILL THEM ALL, SHOW YOUR TRUE TALENT!"

"NEED MONEY TO HIDE!"

"SHOW THE WORLD WHAT THEY DID TO US!"

"HELP THE PEOPLE THEY HURT!"

"THEY WILL NEVER ACCEPT YOU BACK!"

"PUNISH THOSE WHO DID THIS TO YOU!"

"RAAAAWWW AGGHHH!"

"JUST KILL ME ALREADY!"

"THIS IS MY SHOT! I'VE FINALLY GOT THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME!"

"Who am I? Where? Please someone help me!"

So many voices yelling, desperate to get out. The man on the outside couldn't control them all. His body morphed and grew into a massive behemoth, unsure what his true self was, he lost all his facial features. They changed into an amalgamation of all the voices and motivations. Only as people saw him and screamed in terror did the being left hear a name.

"AHHH! IT'S CLAYFACE!" A woman shrieked.

"CALL THE POLICE!"

"CALL BATMAN!"

"CALL THE PHANTOM THIEVES!"

The haze of listening to a thousand voices led the creature to walk aimlessly. The voices only got control of the body for a second at a time. Basil Karlo's mind was no more, as a war broke out in his psyche to choose what the man should do next.

The palace was now a labyrinth, only bits and pieces of his true goal intact. His treasure was lost to even the palace ruler.

Sirens and screams filled the area, the headache subsided. Clayface melted and fled into a sewer grate as bullets from GCPD started to go through his form.

"Call Gordon, Karlos is in the area!" Officer Hardy yelled.

"How are we going to capture him sir?! We can barely touch him!" Officer Anderson asked.

"Either he'll find out, or Batman will!" Hardy answered.

The city of Gotham was flooded in fear and excitement. The newest Rouge has made his debut, and no one knew what he was going to do next.

Not even himself.

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AN: I can already feel it. This arc is going to be the next May 30th. Long as hell to read, long as hell to write. But god dammit, I love making fake movie plots. Please be patient with me. We're still technically in a hiatus, as in I'm borrowing a computer. Love you all. Enjoy a bonus.

BONUS:

GOTHAM HERALD WEBSITE PAGE:

Marty's Movie Reviews: Owls of the Mountain

Basil Karlos stars in his first role in the true horror genre in this mediocre flick.

The plot follows an eccentric poet named Haruto Lee trying to find his muse. An associate writer suggests he should take the journey to his log cabin in the poet secludes himself in the log cabin, taking note of all the owls in the area.

The rest is filled with the standard formula plaguing the genre today. The shoestring budget really shows in this one. Bland camerawork, excessive and cheap jump scares from owls and their keeper are thrown around the movie. The writers scraped at the bottom of the barrel to push this stuff out folks. The poet is weird and out of touch, clearly a self insert of the director struggling to stay relevant. Not to mention the horror monster himself…ugh.

The 'Keeper', they didn't bother to name the guy until the credits, is dull as can be. A pale wrinkled and burnt man in a robe. Karlos looks like he was simply painted white for the role and pushed on set. Ever since the accident he has had to cover his face for the "craft". The owl mask was a bit much for my taste, dear reader.

Karlos looks so awkward standing ominously in the shadows and in corners. Apparently he and his owls follow the orders of a great evil being or something. So scary guys, great job!

Karlos for all his ups and downs doesn't deserve this trash. His only lines are squawking loudly at the poet to scare the guy. You could have picked any guy off the street to play this villain.

But no. You got Karlos, a guy who always wanted a role in dramatic and gothic horror, to do this. You put the man begging to be Dracula for years, into an owl getup with no lines. Throw the poor guy a bone.

He must have pissed off some higher up in Hollywood. This reeks of a humiliation tactic for the guy. I know he's gotta be desperate for work with his face all messed up, but come on!

This movie, dear readers, sure is not a hoot.

Final notes:

The protagonist deserved to die honestly.

The dramatic reveal of the higher evil came out of nowhere.

The actors besides Karlos were barely awake, let alone playing their part.

Owls aren't scary guys. Stop throwing them at the screen and at the protagonist. I honestly felt sorry for the poor things. They should have made this movie about bats instead.

Critical Score: 4/10

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AN:

Rest in Peace Kevin Conroy

You were always my favorite Batman, sir.

May your work and legacy live on in the hearts of many.

For truly no one could take your place.

Thank you for introducing me to such a great world of characters.

For allowing me to meet such great people who also admire your work.

And for giving me something that I feel such passion for.