The next day Joker, along with his new allies in the Underground, engaged in several attacks throughout the city. Disappearing almost as fast as they appeared. Even with assistance from the Spiders, Robin and Batgirl the police were only able to capture a couple of gang members. In less than twenty-four hours the total property destruction was over a million dollars. There was hardly any time for rest when they regrouped on the roof of the Museum of Natural History.
"Joker hasn't been in town a week and already he's less welcome than the Boston Red Sox" Spider-Man said, the others could sense his exhaustion.
"And all these targets feel like small potatoes; what exactly is his game here?" Batgirl added as she leaned against the gargoyle. She and Robin relied on Batman to psychoanalyze the Joker but their caped mentor was still out of commission. They wonder how long he'd be benched.
"The Underground have always thought of themselves as the future but most of the other gangs and crime families still see them as newbies. Tinkerer got to be their leader by promising them legitimacy; so Joker probably promised them the same" Gwen added.
"So how does this make them better?" Robin asked. "There's got to be a pattern we're not seeing!"
"I'll check with my source at the Daily Bugle; you guys rest a little longer then get back out there. I've got a feeling Joker's not done yet, and we still have no idea where Doc Ock and the others are" Spider–Man said before webbing away. As he swung down the street he called Mary Jane.
"Peter, are you guys ok?" she asked.
"Yeah, but the Underground keeps coming out of nowhere, and disappearing. We need to figure out the connection between all the locations they've struck."
"I was already looking into it; all the buildings and construction sites seemed to be owned by different shell companies and developers. But they were all set up and financed through the same bank. I'm still digging."
Before Mary Jane could continue Peter got a beep on his communicator and switched over to Miles. "Pete! We just heard from my Mom, Batman is on them lamb. He went out the window in between doses of pain medicine. Robin and Batgirl aren't surprised. Say we can track him via his belt."
"You gotta be kidding me, he's in no condition to be out here!" Spider-man replied.
"Remind me, how many hours have you gone without sleep?" Miles replied.
Peter skipped the response, "just tell me where the Bat is, whoever's closest goes and gets him."
Batman was now back at the Feast center watching from the rooftop as the volunteers packed up the donations from the day's clothing drive. His eyes locked on a blonde volunteer in a red beanie, she was pushing a laundry cart despite being very pregnant. She took it into the back room where she began sorting the men's and women's coats and arranging them by size. She zoned out as she worked and did not notice as the dark knight approached behind her.
"Working late Harley?" he asked.
Harleen Quinzel turned and gave a slight gasp of surprise. She quickly regained her composure. "Kind of wondered how long it would be before you found me Bats," she said.
"I've known you were here the whole time. Didn't think it necessary; until now" he replied.
"Well, he has no idea I'm here and I plan to keep it that way. I've been running since I got my sentence commuted by Waller, I'm never going back to prison. Got to think about my little one," Harley said with one hand on her belly. "Before you ask, the answer is no." She said with a smile, thinking she had predicted the question in the hero's mind.
"After Joker left you for dead, I was sure that the bridge was burned for him. It's Poison Ivy, I'm more interested in" Batman replied. "I'm sure you saw her in the news as part of the jailbreak."
Harley frowned. "Yeah, I had no idea she was gonna do that. We had wheat cakes after she broke out. This place won't turn anyone away. She's probably gone now, she said she had one thing to do then she'd be heading back to Gotham. The Sinister 6 has something big planned and keeping you out of town is part of it." She looked back at Batman with pleading eyes, "are you gonna tell the police where to find me?"
"It's best for you that no one else knows you're here" Batman said, not wanting to bring her to Joker's radar. "You've been given a second chance, not many people get."
"Wish I had a way to thank you; but none of these coats go with your cape" Harley said with a smile but when she turned around after looking at the clothes Batman was gone. She chuckled, "classic Bats."
Outside Batman was surprised to find Spider-Man waiting on the roof. "Well well, did not expect to be chasing fugitive hospital patients on top of everything tonight" he joked. "Hope your visit was worth it!"
"She said the Sinister Six left town; they're heading for Gotham City. They were using Mr. Freeze, Tinkerer, and now Joker as decoys to keep our attention here" explained Batman.
"Supervillain exchange program? As if things needed to be more complicated."
"Now we need to," Batman stopped mid-sentence as a sharp pain coursed through his injured body.
"Right now, we need to get you back to the hospital for another dose of meds" replied Spider-man picking Batman up. "I promise I won't tell them I carried you."
He contacted Mary Jane who was waiting for him in the hospital's coffee shop. After dropping Batman off with Rio Morales, he changed into street clothes in a broom closet and then took the elevator down to join her. After a warm embrace she laid out everything she found. "If my hunch is correct, all the shell companies were set up by Wilson Fisk. I got a source to hack the street cameras, outside the locations last week before the underground attacked. I've identified at least a dozen suspects with ties to Kingpin's operation."
Peter sighed, "this just keeps getting worse. Joker said he has big plans, and taking shots at the biggest crime boss in town certainly qualifies."
"We also have this. An article the bugle published two months ago. Fisk announced he was suing the Gotham Gazette for fabricating a story where he bad-mouthed Gotham City. Among his extremely negative opinions, he called Joker a humorless huckster."
"And now Joker is here to take it out on him? That's kind of petty." Peter said
"Yes, especially since Robbie just approved the article saying Fisk won the lawsuit. His lawyers proved he was in Italy when the reporter claimed he interviewed him. Joker's starting a gang war based on a lie. What were they thinking?"
"Exactly. Joker and Kingpin leave the city in chaos as they trade blows; draw Batman and company out of Gotham City which becomes free for the taking by the Sinister 6!"
"But if Joker isn't working with the Six, why would they trick him into going against the Kingpin?" Mary Jane replied. "Cui bono? Who benefits?"
"Somebody who wants to sweep in after the dust settles and take a bigger piece of the pie after both gangs have been beaten down. But who?" Peter replied, sipping on his warm coffee.
"Not really a shortage of contenders; the question is how many of those have enough connections to work with the Sinister 6? Not only that, they have to have some sort of pull in Gotham to get Bane and Poison Ivy to work with them." MJ scratched her temple with one finger in frustration.
Just then Peter's phone beeped twice in quick succession. The first text was from Spider-Gwen to say the Underground was attacking a big factory building down at the docks; the second was Rio saying Batman wanted to see him.
Meanwhile at the docks the Underground was tearing deep into the crates at the docks. Joker was happily surveying his minions as they ransacked. "Remember folks just the first hundred million. Then flambé this place like the human torch." Joker laughed with absurdity. He looked out the window to see the younger heroes' silhouettes dashing across the adjacent rooftops. "Look alive folks this place failed the health code violation you know. So if ya see any little bats or spiders scurrying about, blast them."
The Underground primed their weapons while one finished prying into a second storeroom with a crowbar. "Uh, boss, this is weird" he called. This prompted Joker to leave his perch and peer into a room filled with things covered in tarps and a large computer monitor with a webcam in the center. The moment they stepped inside the lights turned on, and then the tv turned on. A large man in a crisp white suit and bald head.
"Well well well, you must be the clown who's been meddling in my affairs" grumbled Wilson Fisk as he leaned forward with his fingers steepled.
"Finally showing yourself fat man! Bet I'm more than just a humorless huckster now" Joker snapped into the camera.
Kingpin's frown tightened then relaxed into a smile. "There is nothing else to say until you guarantee me your cooperation and surrender."
Joker burst out in laughter. "Oh, that's rich."
"Let us see how insistent you are in carrying on after this" Kingpin pushed a button, the tv went off and a loud chorus of humming sounds began. The tarps rose into the air then fell off revealing dozens of armed drones that immediately attempted to lock onto the intruders.
The explosions and gunshots erupted. The heroes could hear it from across the street. A rocket from a drone blew a section of the roof to smithereens. "Well I guess we found our way in," Miles said. Inside they found a ballroom blitz of Underground soldiers squaring off against Kingpin's armed drones. The rockets targeted anyone attempting to hack them. One locked onto the heroes and they jumped before the rocket hit the ceiling. Miles webbed the aiming drone and swung it into a second drone like a wrecking ball causing both to explode on impact. As he and Gwen focused on the rest of the drones, Robin and Batgirl tried to stop the Underground who had begun a coordinated retreat after the drones changed focus.
The troops had the young heroes in both number and weaponry. So they zeroed in on the isolated gunners on the catwalks to take out first. The first two were easily knocked out, but a third pulled Batgirl down with her as she fell down onto a big box below. Before Batgirl could get up she saw the barrel of a pistol pointed right at her chest. Looking up she saw it was Joker holding the gun. "Say hi to Batman for me!" he grinned. But a web on his elbow yanked the gun hand away, sending the bullet in another direction.
Spider-Man then kicked Joker across the room. "Are you ok?" he asked her.
"Thanks," Batgirl said as she shakily got to her feet.
"You get back and help the others. No more clowning around with this guy!" Spider-man said as he shot towards Joker.
"I thought you'd be happy. What with me bringing down the cueball of crime! Spent too much with Bats I guess." Joker said, swinging a crowbar at Spider-man.
"Enough time to know he figured you're a patsy!" Spider-man said dodging the swing. Joker was listening but did not stop his assault. "The Sinister Six knew you were uncontrollable so they planted seeds to get you to focus on a fight you can't win. Taking you out while crippling the biggest criminal empire in the city." He finally got an uppercut to connect and Joker knocked out the window and into a pile of garbage. "Didn't see that punchline coming did you?"
Joker growled, "I hate it when you goodie two-shoes types makes sense. He then looked up and saw a car parked on the side of the road with a man with binoculars watching them. Spider-Man's spider sense was overwhelmed as a half dozen Underground troops surrounded him with energy rods. They tased him to the ground and kicked him away. "You two, with me!" Joker ordered "the rest of you, stomp that bug!" As Joker left the Underground soldiers surrounded Spider-Man, gloating about having the drop on him. But while they were busy prodding him like an animal, they did not see Miles, Gwen, Batgirl and Robin swing in and knock them all out.
"Call it even?" Batgirl asked, offering the web crawler a hand. She hoisted Spider-man back to his feet. The police were already on the scene and had begun arresting the Underground troops. "Where's Joker?"
The five heroes headed in the direction where Joker had gone. They found the man with the binoculars who had been spying on the battle; he had been gassed. "Is this guy one of Kingpin's gang?" Miles asked.
"No, that lapel pin is for the old Falcone family; they used to run Gotham," Robin replied as things began connecting in his mind. "But after their big boss got taken down the organization all got absorbed into Penguin's gang."
"I thought he said he was out of the crime business," Miles replied.
"That's what he wanted us to believe," Spider-Man explained. "Batman figured it out. Penguin's been the one pulling strings the whole time. Unfortunately, this means Joker knows too. We've got to leave these Undergrounders for the cops." Webs and grappling hooks launched into the air and the heroes headed back to the Penguin's lair. They had to get there before what they were afraid was gonna happen, happened.