They seemed confident, but so was I, the street light that was illuminating us getting smashed to pieces.

"Joker ain't here to protect me? Good."

I moved, my body visible, but I wasn't solid, not until my fist connected with one of their noses, breaking it with a crunch, the goon getting knocked on his ass.

"So, who's next?" I asked, bullets shooting through me, the flashes illuminating them.

I taunted them, closing my eyes and laughing.

"You don't know? Superpowers kicked in."

One of them got strung up in the darkness, and I figured I should be serious for a minute, the two of us knocking out all but one of them.

"What is Joker planning!?"

"You don't scare me, kid. Now Batman, and the old Robins? They were scary." She spat at him, and he broke her arm.

"You got fingers and toes and three more limbs." I reminded her, but she gave in. Damn. I was having a good time.

"He's got us moving it to the harbor! Oh God, just make it stop!"

"Why!?"

He's wants to poison the water supply, I swear!" She cried, Robin knocking her unconscious.

I had to admit, Joker was a lot of shit, but at least he was an equal opportunity employer.

"Huh. Besides Harley, she's the first woman I've met who works for Joker. Neat."

I was a smart young man, or I liked to think I was. Recent events had done a ton to change my mind on that.

"There's too much for a simple poisoning scheme. A couple of barrels could do it. This? This isn't just overkill. It's nuking an ant farm."

I tapped a barrel, smelling the dried toxins. It was definitely the same kind Joker used.

"Batman, we've secured a truckload of toxin. Joker planned to have his goons poison the water." The kid spoke, a square projection of Batman appearing on his arm.

"We've just gotten information that he plans to release it at the locations I'm sending you now, turning these key locations into centers of madness." Batman replied, he and his sidekicks talking as I put my hand to a tree, asking it to contact Ivy, begging her and my mom for help, a simple message getting passed back.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked, looking like I'd gone crazy. How could I? I'd already been crazy for as long as I could remember.

"Asking Miss Ivy for help. She said no."

"You talk to trees?"

"Long story. I can talk and have them pass messages to Ivy, but I can't control them. Yet. Ivy mentioned this "Green," but it's so much clearer now." I muttered, putting my hand to the tree and asking it to ask Ivy what would be left when Joker poisoned everything in Gotham, moving my hand away before looking at Robin and steeling myself for what I had to do.

"Move away. If any gas escapes, burn it, blow this place sky high. I'd rather go out in a blaze of glory than a cowardly clown."

A smile I didn't feel, fear shaking me, a voice calling to me, a hand pulling me, but I turned to gas, quickly solidifying and shutting the door, locking it behind me.

Taking a crowbar, I popped open a canister, then another, and another, finally getting all of them before turning into gas, letting myself get mixed in with the gas.

The sheer size of myself now, I wondered if this was how Plastic Man or Martian Manhunter felt when they transformed, right before I solidified, bigger, taller, more muscular, falling over in pain, my breathing labored as the door burst open.

Robin looked at me, scanning me and sending the results off.

"He-Help me t-to my feet. There's mo-more gas out th-there." I told him, struggling to get to my knees before taking a deep breath, prepared to do it myself before he came over and gave me support.

"We'll be taking my own transport from here. I'm not carrying you across the city." He told me, leading me outside, waiting a moment before a dune buggy from hell showed up, red and huge, the Robin symbol plastered on the hood.

"Holy shit, kid, that's awesome." I muttered, chuckling softly, then harder, the sheer insanity of a kid with a toy that big made me laugh until fear and panic replaced my joy, gas starting to leak out of my left nostril.

There was too much, enough that even i couldn't hold it all, my body shimmering as I floated up, moving away from the kid. I was immune, but he wasn't.

"Five miles up, the toxins will disperse in the troposphere! I'll have anti-toxins sent after! Go!" He yelled, and I took off, trying my best to keep myself together, as high as I could until I couldn't hold it anymore, the gas spilling out of me, dispersing as I tried to call back the pieces of me, right up until I solidified entirely, falling right up until i was feet from the ground, bursting into gas before I reformed again.

"When they said passin' gas was natural, I took that seriously." I joked, already back on my feet and floating off the ground.

He pointed a finger at me, his tone even as he chastised me like an angry father.

"You're insane. You risked your life twice, with the first being needlessly, leading to the second. I just sent anti-toxin into the atmosphere, and now we might not have enough to neutralize the rest of it! If you do this shit again, I will neutralize you, am I clear?"

"Crystal. Now let's move, kid."

There was no point in waiting for him to say something, flying off to where the next would be. This was big, bigger than maybe all of Gothams heroes and allies could handle alone.

What I did next was stupid, crashing through a window of the GNN, interrupting a news report with a laugh. I was dressed like a clown in Gotham. No one would stop me.

"Helloooooo Gotham! This is Slapstick, the latest costumed kook to plague our streets. I'm not gonna beat around the bush, Gotham is in some serious shit thanks to Joker. Like, no more city if everyone working on saving us isn't fast enough. I bitch, moan, groan, and overall just complain about Gotham, but guess what? Gotham City is my home, and I'll be dammed if I let it fall. I need everyone with a costume and something to prove to help me find Jokers toxin. Or don't. Just remember, other cities, other superheroes, they won't let our fun fly. You'll be put in well-funded jails, or put down permanently, or thrown in the phantom zone. So get off your rear ends and get to looking!"

If that didn't get the cities attention, nothing would, and tonight would be considerably more difficult. Good thing Gotham Pride was a real thing. There was a reason we didn't leave this city of the dammed.

Turning into gas and flying off, I was surprised to find my vapors were clear, a question I'd have to answer later. Right now, the whole city was working together to keep it safe.

A giant kite flew past me, a man yelling at the top of his lungs.

"KITE MAN! HELL YEAH!"

"HEll YEAH!" I yelled back, forming my body enough to wave, Robin honking his horn to hurry me. He was right. I had my part to play as well in protecting Gotham.

Warehouse by warehouse, hideout by hideout, location by location, we cleared Joker toxin and goons, each giving us a different reason for moving the chemicals.

Poisoning the water, torturing orphans, turning hospitals into chaos. No one answered the same. Maybe they were all telling the truth. Maybe Joker planned to bring the city to its knees by making Gotham just like him. Deranged, smiling, insane.

Robin called the big bad brooding bat, letting him know about our process.

"Batman, we've cleared all the Toxin in our side of town. What's next?"

"Robin, head to the cave and start synthesizing more anti-toxin. Slapstick, you're needed here, now." He ordered, Robin pulling up a map to show me how far the bat was.

My body was already vapor, holding my image together enough that he could see me.

"I can get there, but it'll take a few minutes."

"Hurry!" He demanded, and I took off. Whatever he needed, I'd do. I'd been partly responsible, ignoring everything Joker did, letting myself fall into his game.

High above the city, Batman knelt over something, turned away from me.

"Reporting for duty, Batman, sir." I saluted, and he leaned back a little, Red Robin laying on the roof, his veins bulging in his face.

"Oh God, what happened?" I asked, kneeling on the other side.

"He's fine for now, but in a few minutes, the anti-toxin I injected in his will be overpowered by the sheer amount of toxin in his system. I want you to remove it." He told me, but I didn't know how. I didn't know how to save his sidekick.

"How?"

Touching his cheek, I watched his smile grow. It wouldn't be long now before his body began to go into shock.

Vines crept up to the hero, bringing him over to the master of nature, Harley hitching a ride with her vines.

Batman pulled his arm back to hit her with a batarang, but I stopped him.

"She's the only one who can save him."

Ivy looked pleased with that, checking out his symptoms before speaking to Batman.

"Don't worry, I've got this one covered."

"Oh God, save him, please." I begged, Ivy smiling softly at me before messing with her plants, mixing something together before taking presenting Batman with the concoction.

"It'll stabilize him and neutralize the toxin in his system." She tried to assure him, and tonight, he had no choice but to trust her, taking a medical device from his belt and filling it with the anti-toxin, injecting it straight into his neck, seconds passing before he struggled for a moment, groaning in pain before going in limp, the veins retracting.

"Thank you." Batman told her before pulling out handcuffs.

"Not tonight, Batman. Every villain not locked up is helping us, helping protect their city. Tonight, there is no good and evil, just people doing what's right. Ain't that right, Miss Ivy?"

"Kid, I'm only here because Harley wouldn't stop bugging me."

"Liar." Harley told her, grinning wide at her.

"So when do I get two moms?" I asked the green woman, Ivys face getting greener.

"When are you gonna kiss the bird brain?" Harley asked me, and I looked at him waking up, moving a strand of hair from his face before grinning back at her.

"When he holds my hand." I told her, feeling a hand on mine.

"Good nap?"

Red Robin looked up, his eyes tired but smiling confidently. Oh God, I liked that look on him.

"The best."

"You heard what I said?"

"Yeah."

I put my hand on his cheek, Ivy letting him down slowly and into my arms.

"Good."

I pressed my lips to his, feeling him put his arms around my neck, deepening it.

Harley could be heard squealing in the back, Ivy making gagging sounds as we pulled away from one another.

"We've still got a city to take care of." Batman told us, unimpressed with us.

"Guess the moments over. Call me." I told him, winking before turning to Batman.

"Oh, captain, my captain. What are your orders?"

"We've pinpointed where the gas was being manufactured, but we don't have enough anti-toxin, and protective clothing means nothing. It seeps through in less than a minute."

"Red, how far up would someone like, oh, say Superman or someone have to fly to disperse the toxin to the point it wouldn't hurt anyone?"

Red Robin thought about it, the gears of his mind turning before he found the answer.

"Fourty one point seven miles."

The number was way bigger than the one Robin had given me, but if I had a little help, I could do it.

"Ivy, start working on anti-toxin. Batman, prep your jet and give me your hazmat suit. I'll get in, stop production, and absorb as much of the gas as I can before you fly me up. The rest of the way, I'll go alone and disperse the gas. Just make sure you have Superman on speed dial. And for the love of God, someone order me a Soder Cola Shake from Big Belly Burger." I

It was stupid, reckless, and oh, so dangers attached. But it was the only thing to do. There was still so much toxin on the streets that had to be dealt with, and Ivy would only be able to make so much to clear out the source.

Harley was the first to say something, arguing against my plan, coming over, and grabbing my shoulders

"No way! Nuh, uh! Not happenin'! I thought I lost you once, and I can't do that again."

She had tears in the corner of her eyes, holding them back for now, but I smiled and took off my mask, letting myself see into my eyes.

"Last time, I was ready to die for you. This time, I'm ready to live for you, Gotham, and Red over there in his silly helmet mask thing. I ain't gonna die, I'm gonna live forever."

Family, someone I wanted to see again, and a place I was proud to call my home. Reasons to come back in one piece.

"But if Batman can't do it, how can you?"

"When we met, I was afraid of the world and who I was going to be. I thought I'd end up working for someone like Two-face or the Penguin. You gave me a home, a family, people that right now, I have to keep safe. You made me into a hero despite your best efforts."

She hugged me, taking a moment to steady her breathing before pulling away.

"Come back to us."

"I have too much spite to die." I replied, turning to Batman and nodding, getting a small one in return before he offered me a hazmat suit he'd somehow kept on his belt.

"How?"

He gave me a rare smile as he said nothing. Everyman had to have secrets, I suppose.

It took a little time to get everything ready, but soon enough, it was time, looking at Red Robin with a grin.

"When I get back, you owe me a date, Timmy."

He opened his mouth, closing it and ignoring whatever he was going to say. Probably a denial.

"What gave me away?"

"Your voice and smile. I've thought about you since the yogurt shop."

I laughed before he could reply, jumping off the roof, entering through the vents of the toxin factory, feeling the place out and finding the control panel, reforming there, and hitting the big red button that said "Stop!"

Production stopped, and I gassed up again, taking as much toxin as I could and leaving, reforming long enough to get in the passenger seat of the Batwing. Sweet ride. I'd have to steal this thing one day.

I slipped on the jetpack Batman had, going as high as we could before being ejected, Batman flying in circles as the jetpack did what it could be it ran out of juice.

With assistance, I was already thirteen miles up, my body already aching, moving quickly, pushing up against the suit, forcing myself up higher and higher, my body getting cold and freezing enough to let me keep going, then higher.

The pain was starting to get to me, pushing my physical self so much was awful, my muscles on fire, my soul begging me to give in before i silenced it and kept going.

So high for so long, until the suit beeped, and I let myself go, letting the gas blow the suit in a green cloud. For a few seconds, I watched the earth from so high up before reforming my physical body and falling.

The air was so thin, and now that I was solid, I needed to breathe, my eyes closing as I blacked out, a shooting star in the sky.