Chapter 14 - Will The Real Batman Please Stand Up?

Third P.O.V.
Lieutenant Gordon and his men were hunting downevery single man that was in Lau's client list. Memebers of the Maroni Clan, The Chechen, Sionis, Flacone Clan, everyone from the mob were taken inside cop cars to the courthouse.

Judge Surrillo was the woman holding the gavel, during the case.

There were 712 counts of extortion, 849 counts of racketeering, 220 counts of fraud, 87counts of conspiracy murder, and 527 counts of obstruction of justice.

Every last defendand pleaded not guilty of course, but as for now the streets were looking better than before. But there was still one big problem.

The Joker.
549 criminals at once!" Mayor Garcia was leaning back against his chair inhis office, facing Commissioner Loeb, Lieutenant Gordon, and Harvey Dent. "How did you convince Judge Surrillo to face this farce?" he asked Harvey.
"She shares my enthusiasm for justice," Harvey replies with a smile, "Afterall, she is a judge."
"Well, even if you blow enough smoke to get convictions out of Surrillo, you're going to set a new record out of appeals for quickest kick in the ass!"
"It won't matter. The head guys make bail, sure; but the mid-level guys can't. They can't afford to be off the streets long enough for trial and appeal. They'll cut deals and include some jail time. Think of all you can do at eighteen months of clean streets." The mayor had absolutley no problem imagining that. He was already picturing himself walking home from work, knowing that a thug won't pin him at gunpoint. For the first time in forever, he will feel safe. but that dream was unfortunatley interrupted by Loeb.
"Mayor, you can't-"
"Get out," the mayor commanded calmly. "Both of you," he gestured Loeb and Gordon to leave. They complied as the mayor ushered Harvey to sit down across his desk.
Harvey did just when Mayor Garcia started standing. "Look... The public likes you," the mayor began, "No doubt about it."
"Oh, here we go..." Harvey thought to himself, knowing where this conversation was going. Every time Garcia started off something nice and complimenting, it went downhill fast. "That's the only reason that this might fly, but it's going to be on you," Garcia warned. "They're all going to come after you now, and not just the mob." He looks stern. Politicians, journalists, cops, and..."
"And Joker?" Harvey assumed. Garcia sighed, resting his hands on his desk, lowering his head, but nodded. "Yes. Even Joker. Are you up to facing him? If you aren't, that you better get ready."
He turned away to face the Gotham view thought his glasswindow, "Because if they have anything on you, and these criminals are back on the street, followed swiftly by you and me..."

BAM!

Garcia jumped back into his chair with fright, facing something hanging infront of his window. Harvey quickly approached the window to get a good look at what it was. He was shocked to discover a lifeless person hanging with a rope around his neck, dressed up as Batman with his face like Joker.

Did the Joker kill Batman? He noticed a card attached to the Batman's chest. It revealed to be a Joker card with a written message on it.

'WILL THE REAL BATMAN PLEASE STAND UP?'

"What the hell is going on now?" The mayor had trouble speaking from the scary image in front of him. Harvey and Garcia quickly recovered as they rushed down to see the police already lowering the body to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked from the couch in the batcave. Bruce had been sitting in front of his computer for several hours without saying a word and Elena was bored out of her mind.

After she told Bruce about her encounter with Joker a year ago, he insisted that she stoped going to work until they found Aria and Joker. Bruce thought that Joker might have been after Elena the whole time and that Aria was just collateral damage. She knew that he was worried and only wanted to protect her, but she had never felt so trapped. Surley, Aria must feel the same way, and the thought alone drove her crazy, because she knew how weak and fragile her little sister was. How was she supposed to survive Joker's madness?

"There was a body placed outside the mayor's window. We don't know much about the victim yet, but he was carrying a Joker card that said 'Will the real Batman please stand up'?"

"Do you think he knows...?"

"No. He can't possibly know that," says Bruce conscientiously. He has done everything humanly possible to ensure that no one could find out. There were only a handful of people who knew his secret and he knew that not one of them would betray him.

"And this victim?" Elena stood up and walked over to Bruce.
"They're doing an autopsy right now, Gordon will get back to me as soon as we know for sure who he is."Well, Batman, actually.

Bruce turns in his chair to face Elena, "But that's a good sign."

"Bruce a man is dead, how on earth can that be a good sign?"
"No, it's tragic and I wish I could have saved him in time, but only a week after Harvey puts half of Gotham behind bars, Joker sends us a message. And if we play our cards right ... Elena?"

Torn from her thoughts, she stares at Bruce with widened eyes. "Aria was kidnapped almost two and a half weeks ago. How did time slip away from me like that: Two and a half weeks, Bruce. Usually after 24 hours ..."

Bruce immediately jumps up and takes her hands tenderly in his. "Hey. Elena. Don't think like that. Your sister is alive! I'm doing everything I can to find her. Gotham is doing everything possible to find her." But Elena pulls away from his touch. "Face it Bruce ... I know you do, but this town. These people. They simply just don't care. Gotham is full of criminals, criminals and the mentally ill and this city would rather protect them than US!"

He knew that she was right. Batman was a sign of change, but unfortunately this city stopped believing in miracles a long time ago. But hopefully the people of Gotham will find their faith in Harvey again.

"Then please don't lose hope that everything will be okay again." He could see more than clearly how the whole situation was affecting her. The otherwise so strong and self-confident woman was only a shadow of her former self and Bruce didn't know how to bring her back.

"Bruce I..." but before Elena could finish speaking, the Batcomputer started beeping. Bruce turned away from her and started typing on the keyboard. "It's Jim, they have news about the victim. I'm sorry, but I have to go." He quickly puts on his suit, but before he puts on his mask, he turns around again. "Please promise me you'll stay here. Joker is still outside and we don't know if he'll come back because of you."

"I'll stay here," she promised him. "Please be careful, Bruce."

"You called?" Batman grumbled at the lieutenant in his absorbed quickly turns in Batman's direction. No matter how long he had known him, he would never be able to get used to this. "We know who the man is now. Brian Douglas. 35 years old. Single. Lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Chinatown. Works as a cameraman for various reporters."
"Any connection to the Joker?"

"You tell me," Jim returns befor continuing on. "None that we know of. No conspicuous behavior patterns, no criminal background. Basically a nobody."
No. Bruce knew that everything Joker did had a greater origin. He wouldn't just kill a random person and ask Batman to reveal his identity. Bruce was missing something, but he didn't know what to look for in the psychopath. His other enemies were much easier because Bruce could always see through them,butJoker ... he was different. Nothing he did made any sense, but what if it did? There's more to it than meets the eye, but what did he miss?

"Time of death?"
"Our guys are still working on that. But it looks like he's been dead for a few days now." Slowly, the older man turns away from the glass window where Brian is being examined and turns to the self-proclaimed vigilante."Listen. I know we have a lot to do, but don't you think we should take care of Harvey Dent. He just made history and there will be enough people trying to make him disappear for that."
"I'll take care of Harvey." Batman assures him. "What do we do about the Joker? He has to be stopped Jim and the missing girl ...?" He takes a moment. Jim and he had worked together from the beginning and he could always rely on him, but it was far too dangerous to tell him who he really was.
"Aria. Aria Brooks. Only 17 years old. Bruce Wayne came to see me with her before she disappeared. He said she'd just moved here. If you need more information on her, I can try calling Mr. Wayne and..."
"No need," he quickly interrupts him. "I have my way of getting information."
"Of course. Hey, tell me, the card," he lifts the Joker card, which is wrapped in plastic. "You're not really thinking about it, are you? You know I'll watch your back as much as I can."
"I know, Jim. May I have this? Let's hope there is something on this card, that will help us." Jim hands him the card, but before he can talk any further, his walkie-talkie goes off.
"Lieutenant Gordan, report. Lieutenant Gordon, please report, over."

"Gordon here?"
"We have discovered another body near Robinson Park. Request reinforcement."
"I'm on my way. Nobody touches anything without my permission!" Jim turns to Batman as he plugs his walkie-talkie back in. "Will this madness ever stop?"

Batman and Gordon drove to the crime scene in the Batmobile. On the way there, the lieutenant couldn't help but marvel at the car and wonder why no one had ever heard of such technology.

Batman lurks in the shadows as Jim knows that he works in secret, but somehow still nothing escapes him. He stopped asking questions for a long time. Asking why a man would pinch himself into a skintight bat costume and then fight the bad guys at night might as well have him committed to Arkham. But one thing was for sure, whether he followed the rules or not, he was glad to have Batman as an ally rather than an opponent.

"Lieutenant, over here!" Ramirez called out to him. There were already several police officers and forensic experts at the crime scene, but at least as many reporters. Great, Gordon thinks to himself. They were still missing.

"What do we know?" but at the sight of Swayer he already suspects the worst.

"Luieteant, it's a young girl, black hair, dressed in black shorts and a white ripped tank top. A passer-by spotted her in the water, but forensics will have to confirm more details. We think it could be the missing girl." All the blood drained from Jim's face at the sight of the dead girl. She was completely soaked. Her clothes were torn, but that wasn't the worst of it. No, it was her face that was painted completely white, her eyes were black or had been before the water had washed most of it away and her mouth was cut wide open to match Joker's scars.

Jim turns his head slowly, looking at the woman's body in shock.

Aria Brooks was dead!

*A/N: Hey Guys. Um Merry Christmas ?... Please don't hate me!
Aria is actually dead! How will Elena react to the news? And will Batman be able to stop Joker before he buries the whole town in chaos and madness, without breaking his one rule?
Thank you to each and every one of you for your support so far. I really appreciate it!So with that, I'llbid you farewell for this yearand wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! :) *