Chapter 5: Chapter 5 – Death of a Clown
Barbara Gordon/Batgirl POV
The Next Day
Batcave
He always had been strange, ever since their first encounter in the library, but only strange as everyone else, he had some secrets he didn't wanted the others to know about. Except that, he was someone normal, quite smart and with a doubtful sense of humor.
Yesterday, Bruce investigations finally paid off, they finally discovered the identity of the 'Gotham Tormentor', and it was shocking.
"Barbara, are you listening to me?" Bruce somber voice called her out of her thoughts.
"Yes, did you find a lead as to who killed his parents? It could help a lot when I talk to him."
"No, I still don't know who were his parents before their change of identity. His father opened a clinic and his mother worked as an assistant. So, they learnt medicine, I'll launch a facial identification with all the medicine school of the country. It should take some time but it's all I have.
"I hope it will work. I have to go, hope that our conversation doesn't turn bad." Taking her bag, she left for the school ground. She remembers when Starfire came on Earth, Batman saw her as a potential threat putting her on his list of people to keep an eye on. Was it not for Nightwing involvement to resolve the situation, it could have become worse.
Hoping that this time could play out just as well, else with Aiden power, the Justice League will need to intervene, and she didn't want it.
With the sound of the elevator taking off, Bruce resumes his work, searching for Aiden or Arthur's parents' origin.
It was tiresome, he didn't become rusty, but he was used to Tim flawless abilities in term of investigation. He still remembers when he came to find him, he had discovered his and Nightwing true identities. He saw that boy potential, a true diamond in the rough.
Tim became busy with the missions of the team, and now he had to take care of his relation with Cassie Sandsmark alias Wonder Girl. It was quite reassuring to see that his protégés were different from him in term of emotional relationships. All the relations he had were rather ambiguous.
His investigation bore no results, and he had to take care of his duty as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Lucius is great at his job, but sometimes he has to make act of presence to reassure the shareholders.
Several hours later, he came back from Wayne Enterprises, he saw his algorithm of facial recognition show his results, a big red square `No Match'. Sitting down on his seat, he tried something else and found something interesting about the clinic created by Aiden parents.
Meanwhile. In the bus, she looked outside the window, the car glasses were frosty and peoples wore warm clothing, clearly winter has arrived. Today was the first cold snap, surely not the last. Mister Freeze and all the Icicle family may enjoy the weather.
At school, Barbara waited in the chemistry class but he never came. As the teacher came in, no one sat beside her. (He ditches school again. Did he know his secret is exposed? Did he know who I am? Or is he doing something else?)
Even if his antics were annoying, she starts to miss it. Perplexed by Aiden miss, she took her phone out of her pocket during the break and hacked the camera network of Gotham City. She found one camera located in his neighborhood which showed his apartment, she saw Aiden through the window in the kitchen with his computer scrolling with a bored, even desperate look.
(At least, he didn't flee or isn't breaking the law.) Putting the phone back in her pocket, she headed toward the history class. Usually, school was rather interesting, even if to her, it wasn't a challenge and was a tad boring. Today, with her conversation with Aiden planned later on, she was anxious and everything seems slow. Maybe she could add this fact to Einstein's theory.
Finally, the end of the classes came, she took the bus and stopped at the library. As she stepped off the bus, snow started to fall from the sky pretty. Covered in snow, that surely the sole times that Gotham looked brighter, as bright as Gotham can be. To her, who lived in Gotham since birth, winter was the best season of the year, white cover the dark streets and the city become almost cheerful, even if it is only in appearance.
Aiden was waiting by the entrance of the coffee shop in a dark warm coat and a blue jean. Crossing the road, she headed toward him.
"Hi, Barbara. How are you? Classes were interesting?" He seems quite jovial, different from the dark expression she saw on the monitoring cameras.
"Hello, I'm fine. Let's go in. I don't want to talk in the middle of the streets with these freezing temperatures." Truth be told, she wanted to stay out there, enjoying the snow like a child but she cannot avoid to have this conversation with him.
Passing the door, a little bell hanged above the door. Hearing the bell sound, the salesman greeted them before asking for their order.
"May I take your order?" The salesman, a slim woman in her mid-thirty wearing the coffee shop uniform asked them.
"A Café au lait without sugar and…" Barbara started to order before turning toward Aiden.
"A mochaccino, please."
Inside, Christmas decorations were displayed, a Santa Claus, a village and a mini size Christmas synthetic tree illuminating the counter and several light garlands arranged all around the shop.
They found a table by a window and sat down after taking off their coats. Several male gazes were directed toward Barbara, but she was used to it. Usually, all those who didn't backed off after being asked politely to suffered a beating.
He looked rather relax, her anxiousness seemed unnecessary. She planned the content of this conversation since yesterday, when Bruce told him his discovery.
"So why did you call me here? You were strange on the phone. First time asking for a date?" He started his antics once again with his joking tone.
"You ditched school again." Her voice was stern, even if she tried to appear calm in confronting her friend.
He passed his day searching on his computer, for someone active twenty years ago either in the police or the army, scanning for the highest graded. He knew it was pointless, but he did it, to put aside his thought that told him he will have to interrogate high graded member of the army and the police if he wanted answers. After this, all the League will have him on their radars.
"Yeah, I had some personal matters to settle, but don't worry I'll come back to school tomorrow. The director will surely give me an earful. It's Gotham maybe I should try corruption."
"I want to talk seriously, stop joking please." Taking a slight pause, she resumed her words. "I know who you are Arthur, I know what you're doing at night."
His expression fell, clearly not used to maintain the appearances. He said nothing for several seconds before asking her a question: "How did you discover it? Your father knows?"
Barbara wanted to pursue their conversation, but a waiter came with their coffees on a tray.
"A café au lait without sugar and a mochaccino." Putting down the cups and the bill, the waiter head back to the counter. Watching him leave, she resumed their conversation.
"No one know. You said it yourself several times. I'm a genius, and one of my hobbies is to hack my father computer to investigate the cases of the GCPD. It took me time to discover who the other you were, but I found you Arthur Reed." That story was her cover, she couldn't tell him she was Batgirl, you could think that her intellect could lead to Batgirl easily, but it's in fact a marvelous cover.
"What is your plan? Handing me over to your father, handcuffed and ready to confess? If you made your research about me, you know I won't surrender without a fight." Keeping his tone low was difficult, it agitated him. Batman didn't discover him, the GCPD neither, it was the only friend he had in town that found the truth.
"No, I want you to stop. You helped Gotham when you put the secrets of the Dimitrov on the Internet, you could do it again and become a hero." Her tone was calm as she said that before sipping her coffee.
"Green Arrow told me exactly the same thing, and my answer was no. What make you believe I would accept your offer?" Sipping his mochaccino, he raised an eyebrow "Delicious, I'll come back, if I'm not behind bars by tomorrow morning."
"I can offer to work with you, with my hacking skills we'll be able to find who did this to your family. In exchange, you won't kill your target. We will hand him over to the police and get proper justice." Barbara was frank, she was ready to help him get justice. She created this plan with Bruce to bring the `Tormentor' to their side. It wasn't devoid of flaws. Whoever was the murderer, he was influential in the political and military circle. The League don't want to take on the politicians now, Luthor was annoying enough by himself in that domain.
"Huh, it's not to denigrate your skills Barb', but the difference between hacking your father computer and the database of the pentagon is quite huge. Furthermore, I don't want to implicate you in all that shit. I'll settle it my way and we will see later how the consequences unfold.
"If you continue like this, you know how it will end. You're not stupid, you can weigh pros and cons, my offer is the best thing that can happen to you now. There is no choice to do, it's clear as the day, let me help you. Otherwise, I won't have any other choice than give this information to my father, and the police and the Justice League will come after you."
"Are you threatening me?" His voice sounded heavier; he was more used to talk with criminals than with his friend.
"I'm stating the obvious, nothing more." She told him before emptying her cup of coffee. Barbara seemed impassible, but inside she started to worry if he refuses all help, it will be necessary to stop him. Even more so in Gotham under Batman watch, maybe other would let it pass but Bruce has a zero-tolerance policy.
"Are you not worried that I reduce you to silence?" Aiden asked her lightly, it was more curiosity than a threat.
"You're not a murderer and you never hurt an innocent before. Your sole target is the murderer of your parents and no one else." She stated matter-of-factly, on a flat tone.
"Right. Sigh. You're always right, and coupled with your computer skills, you could become analyst at the NSA. You're losing your time in Gotham, get yourself a job in it, my arrest may earn you a big promotion." Emptying his cup in one big gulp he stood up and put on his coat. "I'll pay for the coffees."
"You can't go. Our discussion isn't over yet." She stood up and caught him by the arm. "Please, sit down and listen to me."
Sigh "Okay, I think you already know that after our chat, I'll disappear from Gotham. So, you'd better sound convincing." He sat back down.
"Listen, I know that it's hard to have your parents murdered. Several of my friends are in that case, but they got over it and resumed they life with a newfound determination." She chooses to talk from experience and something she knows had worked.
"It's different, you didn't exper…"
They were interrupted by a loud sound of brake, as a purple van stopped in front of the coffee and five goons disguised as clowned stepped off the van.
Leading them was the nightmare of all the inhabitants of Gotham, the Joker in the flesh.
Watching this notorious criminal approaching, everyone was petrified, this monster was a harbinger of death. He had surely the highest count kill in Gotham not without reason. The Joker, Batman nemesis. A crazy psychopath.
Green hairs covered by a purple hat, skin white as the snow and displaying a huge and insane smile. The joker was wearing a purple suit with a green and yellow shirt underneath and a purple pants. His gait was strange as much as the character is himself.
Boom
He took out a gun from his pocket and shoot the glass door before passing through it, gun in hand, stepping on the glass shards, he stopped, and looked around before stopping on a beautiful girl. Followed by two if his goons he walked toward Barbara and Aiden, the others kept watch outside.
"Hello Barbara. How my you're on a date. Sorry for the interruption. How is she, boy? Now, back to my affairs, I want to show Barbara's father my private amusement park, but first I wish him to spectate as I turn his daughter into a coffee table edition..."
"You really think I will let you do as you wish, crazy bastard. Batman should have shoved your gun deep into your ass before pulling the trigger. I would want to see if you can still smile in that situation." Aiden's voice was extremely dark, and he seemed pretty agitated. She saw his mood through the camera, even if he is hiding it well, with the presence of the Joker here, he will soon explode.
Barbara knew it took a turn for the worse with the Joker unexpected arrival. Two persons in the same room, a mass murderer and a vengeful man with superpowers.
There was a good chance that this coffee end razed to the ground under Aiden's anger. The Joker is strong with his gas, all his gadgets and his strange way to cheat death every time, but he doesn't know Aiden has powers.
"Oh, I smile in every situation, you can ask the Bat. Little boy wants to be the knight in shining armor saving the damsel in distress? Noble but stupid. Or are you more interested in what her skirt is hiding?" He pointed his gun between Aiden eyebrows. It surprised him that the gaze of the boy didn't waver.
She couldn't show her abilities as Batgirl here in front of the public. She took out her phone stealthily to alert Batman, but the Joker kept an eye on her. "Gordon girl, give me your phone. Don't worry I'll take care of calling daddy. After all he has to come to the party I prepared for him. Now follow me."
"If I come with you won't kill everyone here?" She knew that negotiating with the Joker was pointless with his sick mind, but she had to give it a try. Aiden would surely take action if the situation became deadly.
"You're clearly the daughter of Commissioner Gordon. Playing the hero in every situation, even when your life is threatened. My mood is great today, so… I'll kill everyone here, it will make my day even brighter. Starting with you, I changed my mind. I'll record your agony and show it to your daddy over and over. I'm sure he will love it."
Boom
One shot, to lower abdomen near the spine, doomed to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. It would have happened if the bullet didn't stop in mid-air, still turning on herself slowly but non-moving forward.
"Oh, that's new." Boom, Boom, Boom. He started to shoot once again, but all the bullets were floating in the air, non-moving.
Suddenly, everyone was surprised, as if a flurry of wind blowed in the small coffee shop. The Joker, his goons, and all the furniture's were sent flying.
Seeing an occasion, everyone escaped, running at full speed and didn't look behind and run into a hiding. It was chaos, fear make people act differently, and the Joker was an enormous fear maker.
"Did our miss Barbara hidden her secrets from everyone? Bad girl." The Joker bounce back, his crazy smile still on his face despite this setback.
Inside, Aiden was boiling with rage. Since the death of his family, the only persons he has left are Trent and Barbara, and today someone dared to threaten her life.
She was grateful; he saved her life but when she turned toward him, what she saw was hatred, it was almost written on his forehead. Maybe it was intentional but everything was trembling, his powers were almost out of control, and if his last string of rationality snapped, the consequences would be dire.
"Aiden, snap out of it. You can't let your emotions control you. It's not you." She tried to stop him before it was too late.
"It's me. Since we know each other, my hatred was pushing me forward." He said nothing else, but she heard sound strangely familiar.
He broke the bones of all the goons, and soon their limbs started to rotate and were pulled until they finally separate in a geyser of blood. It looked extremely gore, five torso and twenty limbs all over the place as a smell of copper invaded the room.
"Aaaaahh." He was laughing, the Joker was laughing as he saw his men being dismembered.
He kept him for the end. Barbara knew it, he would torture the Joker as he never did to someone before, maybe he would kill him.
"Aiden! Stop! hand them over to the police. You're not a murderer!"
What she didn't saw was the joker taking out small gas bottle before throwing to them. Joker Venom! They would die if they breathe it.
With a telekinetic bubble, he stopped the gas and kept it inside. No one can take him aback within his detection range. The joker was done for.
"No, I will not, the Joker is a monster! He killed over a thousand victims and each time he escapes, it starts again. I won't let it happen anymore, not to my friends! Not like it happen to my family!"
The Joker was raised in the air and was gripping his neck as if to stop a hand to grip his neck.
"Aiden, please stop this madness. It's not in your nature. I know you ever loved superheroes. It goes against your principles."
"You are talking about Arthur Reed and he died several months ago! I will do what's need to be done."
Boom
A sound of glass breaking was heard. He destroyed all the windows and made float the shards in midair. In a flash, all the glass shards were stabbed in the Joker body. He looked like a porcupine, blood was running down the shards, and soon the floor was red with blood.
The Joker died. He died standing and with his iconic smile on his face.
"Now I am one. Farewell, Barbara." Putting on his coat, he made his way through the shop now littered with corpses and whom the floor was covered in blood. The goons of the Joker were groaning weakly, they would soon die from hemorrhage.
He finally took off the ground. Watching him leave and the scene that became their amiable conversation, she bites her lips and took out her phone before pressing Batman logo. It was an alarm linked to the Batcave. He made his choice. Now, it was time to act.
Her mood was low. What would be Batman reaction? She always had a hunch that Bruce relationship with the Joker was strange. What will he do when he will learn the death of his rival?
His new bank account has been frozen. Seems like Barbara hold her promise. Batman was coming.
(What do I do? I should find a military base somewhere, but before that, I have to leave Gotham.)
"You're interesting, extremely interesting."
A male voice sounded behind him. Aiden was flabbergasted, no one should be able to bypass his detection range. Maybe the Flash could, due to his absurd speed, but it was not the Flash. What was behind him was far more terrifying.
Turning around he saw it, and he knew was done for.
Doctor Fate, the lord of order and strongest sorcerer on Earth.
"You changed the fate of these people and your fate has been altered. You are an anomaly."
He didn't seem hostile. Aiden decided to talk to him.
"What do you mean?"
"The joker shouldn't die today and that girl should be in a wheelchair by now. As for you, you should have died all those months ago. Not even a lord of chaos would be able to do this." These revelations were shocking, he knew that Dr Fate has a long list of powers, but learning that you should be dead is shocking. Calming down, he resumed their talk.
"Why do you tell me all this? Aren't you here to throw in jail as a member of the Justice League?"
"No. I can't see your fate anymore; I'll watch what you will do from now on."
After saying that, he disappeared into thin air.
Batman POV
Evening
Batcave
He just came back from the watchtower.
The death of a criminal as notorious as the Joker didn't go unnoticed by the public.
To avoid encouraging criminal acts, the death of the Joker was put under the credit of commissioner Gordon who came to save his daughter from the Joker which led to the death of the said criminal.
It was on every news channel. All media was talking about it, Commissioner Gordon became the new hero of Gotham. At this rhythm, he'll soon get a promotion.
Seeing the Joker dead body was strange for him. More than once the Joker escaped death, but not this time. His body was filled with glass shards, he looked like a porcupine. The policemen at the crime scene were cheerful after seeing their worst nightmare finally dead. All the inhabitants of Gotham were happy to hear this news, and commissioner Gordon was hailed as a hero.
Everyone cheered after the Joker's death, everyone except Bruce Wayne. All these years of rivalry with the Joker were over.
It was a strange feeling. He wouldn't break down because of it, he has other villains to take care off, but it was strange.
The consequences still need to be taken care of. He was sure that a new villain or some group would appear to honor that crazy clown at some time.
Harley Quinn reaction is to be anticipated. Even if they broke up, and that she had beaten him up after that. Harley Quinn stays unpredictable; the Joker played with her mind for a long time. She found stability in her love story with Poison Ivy, but who knew what sort of mess the Joker death could create in her mind.
Sitting down on the chair, he closed all the news channel of the Batcave computer and resumed his search about Aiden's parents. He found an extremely interesting lead, something that even Aiden might not know.
His parents bought identities from the Dimitrov's, but before that he found nothing about them, even after searching all the databases of intelligence agencies. The truth appeared when he investigated the clinic founded by Aiden Father.
After their murder, Arthur inherited the clinic, but he sold it before coming to Gotham. Bruce searched everything about this clinic since the inauguration and found something interesting. Therefore, he asked Nightwing who is now active in New-York to investigate the clinic, and here it was the link to found Aiden parents past.
It was only a new lead but with sufficing hacking skills, and a little security breach of the Pentagon computer network, he found everything.
It would be an understatement to say that their origin and the situation that led to their death was messed up.
Anticipating a negative reaction from Aiden part, he went to the Watchtower to obtain help from the Justice League.
Aiden's full abilities were never seen, if he wants to kill, he may become extremely dangerous.
He showed his cruelness when he tore apart the limbs of these five goons, letting them die slowly of blood loss.
Currently, most of the members were occupied with their own responsibilities and even Superman wasn't on Earth actually, but he obtained support from two members of the League to stop the `Tormentor'.
If they engage in combat, the collateral damages risk to be great, but he hopes to avoid it with the revelations he has to say to Aiden.
The team that will act against him would be a trio: Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman and himself.
He was searching Aiden. After his chat with Barbara and the murderer of six people, he tried to take some cash out of his bank account.
Fortunately, he hacked into the system and froze his bank account. The last time he was seen, was by a camera before he took off the ground and disappeared in the sky.
Now knowing Aiden's identity, he searched his Internet history and found something interesting. The name of a general active twenty years ago in the army and with public ties to high grade officer of the New York Police Department.
(He will attack everyone who has an apparent link to the case, he is worsening his case.)
"Still thinking Bruce?" The voice of Diana echoed in his ear as she stepped out of the elevator.
"No, I just found where he could have gone after his disappearance of Gotham." Typing on the keyboard, a picture of Coast City appeared on the screen. "He is tracking a retired general of the US Air Force. Previously, he never was hasty…" He was interrupted by the voice of an unannounced guest.
"But he knows we are on his traces." A tall green man appeared out of the ceiling.
"J'onn, I already told you. I prefer when you use the door, and yes you're right." Looking toward him, Batman seemed a tad harsher.
"All is clear. It's time to go. We can't lose time, if he isn't stupid, he will disappear again after interrogating his target. We have to be there before him."
"There is something else, his abilities are improving each time I saw him. Be wary if you try to use mental attacks against him. Now, let's take my plane."
After short travel through the tunnels, a plane with the colors of Batman flew out of an unknown cave somewhere hidden in the vicinity of Gotham City.
Some time later, this same plane landed near Coast city and three of the most famous heroes of the Justice League stepped out of it.
"Too bad Hal is temporarily unavailable, Coast City is his home, he could have given us a hand."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone