Legal Bat - (Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, Lawyer!SI)

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When I was reborn in this version of the DCverse, I had been mildly annoyed. As a proud Marvel Fan (ignoring some of the fumbles of the last decade or so), I wasn't as familiar with DC-Comics' lore as many others.

In fact, it would be fair to say that it created a very awkward situation in understanding what version of this universe it was.

All I knew when I was born as Jay Mercer was 1) I was born in Gotham (which was bad) and 2) Becoming a cop was something my parents had vehemently opposed when I first offered that as an idea.

In their own reasoning, the GCPD was too corrupt at the time and then it became too risky to join it when Commissioner Gordon took over as there were too many 'super-powered thugs' for me to not fear a degree of death or worse.

So, since I wished to entertain a fairly backgroundish but still legal business to take those bastards down, I decided to become a lawyer and... it was tough.

Going through law school is not easy, and with a meek scholarship barely helping me through that advanced education for as long as I needed, I felt myself very lucky I came out of that experience with a successful confirmation and acceptance as a prosecutor.

It was disgusting to be called the 'Second Coming of Harvey Dent' considering I wasn't afflicted by any mental issues and I wasn't driven by a sprinkle of arrogance.

I knew I couldn't fix it all on my own and I didn't intend to start a Crusade on Crime, but it was about time someone did try again to deal with that mess known as Batman's villains.

Starting with the worst offender, and the one which I had built upon a fairly solid case for two years now, starting from my last year in Law School.

The Joker was someone that I had been most worried to spar with so early on, but since he was current in Arkham and had been recently taken back there after his usual stint with Batman and his family, I thought it feasible to hit him now that he was 'recovering' from his latest loss.

To open up a case against the Joker, I had to be careful over two major hurdles: first, the Joker had exploited the 'non compos mentis' status that had spared him from jail as he was 'insane' and thus impossible to fully fault for his crimes and, second, the lawyers he paid with dirty money.

The former was the biggest of my headaches since it was a loophole that wasn't used just by the Joker, but also other supervillains and... gang leaders.

To outright remove the loophole meant alienating the entire underworld against me, and that would be outright suicidal.

No, I could not crash on the notion of amending the loophole via petition... but I could find some loopholes within the loophole since there were circumstances where this wasn't applied to a more federal level.

What I am referring to is cases beyond Gotham that could argue that the Joker's unique personality held some comparisons with specific individuals which insanity could be argued as 'non-relevant' to the magnitude of their crimes.

And, to do so, I had to open up a specific case tied not on mass-murdering, but on the basis of domestic terrorism.

This was a bit of a new circumstance when compared to the fairly old handbook of legal options in Gotham, but it was indeed the kind of accusation that became a thing on a more national level.

So, it took me a while to compile all the proper arguments and retrieve the proper documentation and witnesses to pull through this trial.

But after several months of living on a shabby flat, and handling some minor cases to keep myself afloat, I was ready to tackle the beast itself and I presented my papers to the judicial circuit.

Not even a week after that, I received an answer: I could go ahead with the procedure.

The rest was a bit of a rush, really. The defense team, that was immediately warned of the circumstance, tried to have the case dropped since 'the other attempts had already proved them right', but the judge assigned to this, a Mr. Peter Shaffer, rebuffed this effort on the basis that 'this was an entirely new approach from the prosecution'.

The truth was quite simple - my entire assault was based on myself acting as spearhead, and the rest of the State wanting the Joker holed up somewhere he wouldn't have an easy time escaping and returning to the streets.

I wasn't meant to be successful if it had been a fair game, but this was Gotham - fairness was never an aspect of its legal system.

Two weeks since the paperwork was confirmed, I found myself pacing within the tribunal.

The GCPD had to dispatch several agents to garrison the building out of fear of a potential attack to free the mad clown, but I had also seen that Batman and co. had been lurking by the perimeter as I watched from a few windows around and seen 'shadowy figures' darting by the rooftops.

So yes, something was going to happen but, hopefully so, it didn't go as far as disrupting the trial and didn't see anyone hurt or killed in the process.

I felt fairly uneasy over the circumstances as the media had picked up on the situation a few days ago and I had given two interviews where I was as stiff and formal as possible, all without giving up any information (no matter how inconsequential) to the journos.

I couldn't afford being too laidback on the process, and I found myself still rattled that this may end up poorly due to comic logic.

"Coffee?"

I froze up and turned to see someone offering me a steamy cup of the bitter brew. Commissioner Gordon appeared to be as tired as I was, but he was handling it better than me.

"Commissioner," I greeted curtly, nodding as I took the cup from him. "I hope my case didn't appear too suddenly with your busy schedule."

"Mr. Mercer," He bluntly greeted back, giving me a serious look. "Can you bring the Joker down?"

"If there is not a major interruption? Yes. He will be sent to Blackgate by the end of the day."

"You sound more... confident than I expected," He pointed out. "Do you believe your effort will hold?"

"Yes. I have formed a solid thesis and I have the right kind of witnesses and evidence to drive it through."

Gordon nodded, and he retreated to speak with some of his subordinates while I waited the few minutes left before the trial started.

I got inside the courtroom just five minutes before the beginning, and the Joker was there within a minute before the Judge appeared. The smiling bastard spared me a look, but I made sure he was aware I wasn't planning to look at him at all during the process.

I took my seat, ignored the crazy laughs coming from the side, and I felt relieved when Judge Shaffer arrived safe and sound.

The old man spared a bitter look at the Clown Prince of Crime, and then the usual procedure of raising to the judge and delivering opening statements was followed.

Since I was the one meant to prove the 'burden of proof', I had the first round to lay out what I intended to do. Standing up from my chair, I turned to the jury.

"Members of the Jury, today here we are presiding a trial against an individual that, for more than a decade, has shaped Gotham City's nature into one of despair, madness, and of constant fear. We are talking about an individual that had been willfully kept out of courtrooms with the excuse of insanity, a matter that could be justified if there were some blatant cases where the defendant had masterfully concocted plans that were each more complex than the previous ones. His mind is indeed rather perplexing, a mystery for those doctors assigned to him to Arkham as no known mental disorder can be fully diagnosed out of the defendant's current state of mind," I paused a brief moment to claim some air for my lungs. "Which is why the prosecution's main focus is to prove, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the insanity case can't be applied to this particular defendant due to some strong material of evidence suggesting that there is more than just what we have been made known and that the defendant had purposely and unashamedly exploited this circumstance to perpetrate some of the worst acts of terrorism against Gotham City and its citizens."

I wanted to add more, but I needed the Joker to be aware of just enough to feel tense but still confident.

His lawyers' statement was longer and far too saccharine in nature. It felt close to what they had used during the first trial ever the Joker had been put through, which highlighted a degree of laziness or impreparation for this situation.

Considering their confidence, I was also keen to imagine they thought this enough. And I was going to make them regret that level of incompetence.

With the statements delivered, the next round saw the beginning of my offensive. I could tell the Joker had expected me to start with a specific witness in the room who was really not too pleased to be there and was currently leaning on her girlfriend, who appeared just as jumpy but very punchy.

Still, that wasn't my plan of attack as the first witness I called to the stand was.

"Doctor Jeremiah Arkham, Director of Arkham Asylum."

Jeremiah Arkham was a man that loathed the Joker. Not only had the clown made him snap once enough to put his career in jeopardy, but he was somewhat responsible for his daughter, Astrid (also known for a time as the Arkham Knight), to die.

After delivering the proper oaths of telling the truth, I started my interrogation.

"Dr. Arkham, I wish to start with some questions to affirm your presence here not as a normal witness but as an expert in psychiatry and for being the long-standing element in Arkham Asylum that has verified the reports from various doctors assigned to the defendant."

The man nodded, glancing at the Joker briefly as he adjusted his glasses. "Sure."

"Good. Let's start with... you have been practicising for roughly three decades, yes?"

"Twenty-seven years," He corrected, and I nodded. "I am not as active as I used to be, but I still offer my expertise to other doctors if they so request it."

"I am glad to hear this, so would it be fine to say that you still keep track of your residents' wellbeing and therapy sessions? You make sure that no form of negligence or cruelty is allowed within the Asylum."

"Yes."

"And there have been cases of doctors doing just that, but you have acted with utmost speed to make sure they were removed from the Asylum as quickly as legally feasible."

"Correct."

"...I think this should be enough to validate Dr. Arkham as an expert witness in regard to the defendant's state of mind and-"

"Objection!" One of the Joker's lawyers spoke up. "Your honor, Dr. Arkham's reputation is tainted by the facts that he has suffered a mental breakdown while masquerading as the defendant and his late daughter was also a criminal."

"Your honor, Dr. Arkham has undergone trial and has served his sentence more than five years ago," I argued back. "I have also added as proof of the matter several reports from his therapist arguing the witness is of lucid mind and capable of providing mere confirmation of documentation recognized by the law as legitimate medical paperwork."

"I will allow it," Judge Shaffer nodded, but then looked at me with a frown. "But keep the questioning relevant to said paperwork, Mr. Mercer."

I nodded, "I will, your Honor."

I saw some unease starting to appear on the defending side.

"Dr. Arkham, is it true that you had to handle multiple requests due to some residents which were shown to be quite peculiar due to their unique powers, which meant an extra layer of care to avoid widespread issues in the Asylum?"

"I had to provide assistance where it was possible and I would request further support if the normal equipment to keep the residents' restrained wasn't enough for some of the residents."

I nodded, "Would it be fair to say that the defendant had hardly warranted any request of unusual equipment during his stays at Arkham?"

"He was given proper treatment within the traditional parameters offered by the asylum, yes."

This had me smiling. "And I suppose this is because he lacks any particular superpower to require extra equipment, with the principal concern being... his own unique circumstances."

"His mental disorders, yes."

I nodded, then took a moment to think on how to phrase this crucial bit of the interrogation.

"Has there been attempts to determine the mental disorders afflicting the defendant through the years?"

"There have been."

"Has any of those attempts led to some concrete diagnosis?"

"To some extent, yes."

I frowned. "Could you elaborate this answer?"

Dr. Arkham fidgeted a bit, fixing his glasses again and he sighed.

"While we have made much progress in determining some of the possible disorders, there have been shifts in the Joker's personality in his time spent in Arkham that it had been difficult to pinpoint which is truly genuine and which is not."

"Objection! Hearsay. Dr. Arkham has not directly interviewed or done any sessions with our client."

I was a bit surprised by this objection, but I had a defense ready for that.

"Your honor, what Dr. Arkham has answered to was based on reports that he has received as part of the procedure at the Asylum as the director has to be made aware of these reports through tapes. Which have been added to the evidence already as part of this witness' testimony."

"...Overruled, but I want to hear those tapes now, Mr. Mercer."

I nodded. "I would like to bring up Evidence A1, A2, and A3 to the attention of the court."

A TV with a video recorder was brought up and the tapes were played in regard to the final reports of the doctors assigned to these sessions, with the rest of the tapes 'redacted' as it would invade the Joker's privacy.

It was something smart from the defense if I had been interested in hearing the same spiels of the bastard, but I just needed the doctors' remarks to work my case through.

What came up from the three reports was... none of them seemed to match in their overall diagnoses. In fact, it was clear that the Joker had said different things from some similar questions. And the way the doctors thought they had 'cracked' the case really added to the degree of manipulation going behind their backs.

"Now that we had the opportunity to listen to these reports, I assume I can state that the defendant has a tendency to produce answers that may or may not be honest due to the different ones he gives to the same round of questions."

"Correct."

I hummed, then turned to the side.

"But it would also be fair to say something does stick out from these reports which amount to the truth," I pointed out, then glancing back to Dr. Arkham. "The defendant holds a strong obsession towards the Batman."

"Yes."

"Oh please!" The Joker finally spoke up, huffing and rolling his eyes as he said that. "I don't obsess over bats."

I half-expected the judge to call him out on speaking out of order, but this was a difficult trial and while decorum dictated that, I decided to spare the man that issue.

"Your honor, I would like to bring up Evidence B1, B2, B3, and B4 to the court's attention."

A large board was wheeled into the courtroom, replacing the TV with the recorder. On it, papers reporting headlines and police statements were stamped, with various words highlighted in green.

Followed by this, were three similarly big boards with the same amount of reports and newspapers' titles.

"What this evidence is here for is to confirm this suspicion and guess elevated by the doctors assigned to the defendant. Mr. Arkham, would you agree that with material proof of the defendant's interest to focus on The Batman, there is a high chance that he is obsessing over him?"

"It would be a fair statement."

"Would it be enough to work a diagnosis? In regard to said obsession?"

This time Dr. Arkham hesitated to provide an answer.

It was less about being nervous and more about this being a rather complex topic for psychiatry.

"Possibly, but all that came up would be tentative at best."

"I have heard of 'OLD'. The 'Obsessive Love Disorder', a form of obsession over which an individual can gain an obsession over an individual or the thought around said individual."

"It's not a recognized disorder, but there have been some notions suggesting this may be a possibility," the Director answered readily, and I half-expected the Joker to react as he did just now but... silence.

I briefly glanced at him, and I saw his scowl. This was never good news - an always-smiling clown without a smile...

"Still, working through a diagnosis around his obsession with the Batman, you would be able to form an understanding of the defendant's overall honesty in regard to his habits. From which you can determine what is real or not from the sessions involving the defendant."

"Correct."

I nodded. "I have no further questions, your honor."

I sat down and the Joker's lawyers tried to dismantle Dr. Arkham's credibility.

I had to object a few times, but the overall counteroffensive was too tame and too ill-planned to put a dent on the witness' expertise.

One can make the case he loathes the Joker and that this may influence his personal opinion, but I had to state multiple times, with the Judge's own confirmation, that the witness was interviewed as an expert and had to answer within the notions of factual matters rather than outright subjective opinions that can be tampered with.

So, for the first day of the trial (because the day was over with this first witness' cross-examination), I could tell that I had scored a huge win in the long process ahead of me.

I was stopped by Commissioner Gordon while leaving, the man telling me I would have two police cars keeping an eye on me while I was at my flat.

A reasonable request, but he also told me to not be around windows for too long and to not answer to any unusual package delivery.

Usual stuff, amped up by the fact I was stepping on the clowny shoes of the Joker. Still, I left shortly after, thinking of what to do for the next day, and deciding to have lunch at home rather than trouble the cops by leaving for somewhere too exposed.

And while I basked in my first big victory while dodging the media for the time being, I could tell I was soon going to receive a visit from a certain Caped Crusader.

I just didn't expect for that visit to not be Batman in charge of it...

AN

So, I have finally mustered the 'courage' to read Batman: Wayne Family Adventures' 100+ chapters and I fell in love with it. I just love this kind of webcomics!

Still, the series will have a rather unusual pairing for MC, so prepare for a shocking surprise in that front.