章節 66: Chapter 66 Let There Be Light
"Come on Batsie, where... are ya?"
The video fitzed in and out on several occasions.
"I never... Took you for the shy type?"
"All this marvelous chaos and you're still nowhere to be seen.... What's the matter?....".
"Don't want to play? Or maybe my incentive isn't enough anymore.... Haha hahaha.....".
"Well, I'll just have to up my game a couple of notches. You know what I mean, work more on my.... Persuasiveness".
"... You know what our little dance routine for so many years has been about... You won't kill me unless you want to change yourself permanently..... And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun..... You can't walk away from this. Not anymore".
"You started this, and you either continue the game, or you finish it". The chalk white face on the video footage looked particularly hideous.
The crazy grin looked almost terrifying.
"So... You want me to be more persuasive. Well, take a look at my progress report and give me a rating".
The Joker stepped aside, leaving the screen clear for two henchmen wearing clown masks to take the stage.
Both stood at the sides and held a figure in their middle with one hand each.
The commissioner was unconscious, carried in the middle of two thugs.
"So whatcha think? A five star would be the best, but I wouldn't mind a four.... Three and half would do just fine".
"Many people have died tonight in my wonderful little joke. Of course, I can't let myself have all the fun, so I'll leave this one for you to decide, will the commissioner be one of them? Let's have a meetup to find out".
"Since you can't find me after all this time, I'll give you a clue. Head towards the old church at Anton street. Let's have a Merry Gathering in God's presence. Seek forgiveness for our sins.... because I've been a very naughty boy lately ..... Hahaha ha..... Also, do hurry up".
The Joker said, his green eyes and facial expressions showed all the perfect signs of a psychopath.
Watching the scene, Barbara clenched her hands into fists.
"The old commissioner wasn't exactly unscathed when we came to pick him up. He's currently bleeding really bad..... And I don't have any nurses to patch him up. So if you happen to delay.... He might just die without me having to do anything. Once again, I'm waiting Batsie".
"You Damn clown!"
That was the end of it. Barbara's fist tightened as she yelled in rage.
Her face was grim, contorting to show anger, sadness, a bit of loss..... before reverting to decisiveness.
"Hold on dad… I'm coming". Saying this, she dashed towards the exit, completely ignoring the wounded officers who were still alive.
They would have to wait for officers who had gone out to control the chaos to return in response to the distress signal.
Some might live long enough to get help. As for others...
"Batgirl, come in. What's your status?"
"Robin?" Barbara called out with a frown on her face. Her footsteps didn't cease in the slightest as she arrived beside the Ricochet, opening the hatch on the roof.
"You were right, the precinct was hit. Officers in the building are either dead or wounded. The Joker's got the commissioner".
She tapped several buttons and turned on the ignition.
At the docks, Robin took deep breaths as his body bent forwards. His hands rested against his knees, with sweat adorning his neck and forehead.
Looking at the multiple unconscious bodies scattered around the dock, Dick sighed with relief.
"Glad that's over". It truly wasn't easy to defeat a group of armed thugs while making sure he didn't kill them in the process. The No Kill Rule of the Bat family was quite a pain in the ass at times.
Even accidental deaths weren't an option.
Dick knew that Bruce would definitely be on his case if he found out that someone died at his hands while the caped crusader was taking a rather long nap.
"Still.... What the hell are assassins doing in Gotham?" Dick fell into contemplation.
Of the two ninjas he had fought, only one was taken down. The other had successfully escaped.
However, he didn't have time to fall into deep thought. Barbara's words coming through the earpiece was enough to make him frown deeply.
This... This wasn't good.
Barbara's dad was in the hands of that madman?
"I'm heading back to the Bat cave. I'll send out drone scans all over the city. We'll find him".
Dick smoothed his messy hair to the side. He straightened his back as he took three steps forward, only to fall to the ground in a kneeling posture.
"Huff... Huff…" Exhaustion. Dick could feel it. His body had gone into overtime, fighting so many goons at once by himself. His body conveyed perfectly the message to him. Too tired. At this point, he could barely walk.
"No need...". The Ricochet took off into the Gotham streets.
"I know where he is". Barbara said solemnly.
"What? Where? How?"
"He left a message on the security footage..... Said he'd be at the Cathedral".
"The church? The one on Aston's?"
"That's the one. And that's where he's got my dad held up". The vehicle took a sharp right, swerving in another direction.
"He left a message for you?" Dick was slightly stunned.
Barbara was silent for a second before replying.
"Not me, Batman. He wanted Batman to meet him at the cathedral".
"Something's not right. Hold on, I'm heading there right now". Dick frowned.
The Joker leaving a message to head to the cathedral, something was definitely up.
"There's no time. He's got my dad, the longer I wait, the more horrors he'll have to suffer at the hands of that maniac".
Barbara shook her head without hesitation.
"Batgirl, he left a message. It's pretty clear he's luring you there. It's obviously a trap meant for Batman. You can't handle it on your own. Bruce asked us not to engage the Joker by ourselves under any circumstances".
Dick yelled anxiously. Without regard for his weary body, he dragged himself towards the place where he placed his red bike.
He had been under Bruce's apprenticeship for four years and when it came to dealing with the Joker, Batman was more stern than he was with any other villain.
He remembered the rule of the bat family that Bruce repeatedly emphasized after the no kill rule. Never, ever, go after the Joker on your own.
Hearing his tone, Batgirl had a bit of hesitation.
She knew what she was about to do was dangerous. It was the Joker, after all. Ten times out of ten, she was walking into a trap, but then again... What choice did she have? Her father was bleeding out, and who knew how long it would take Dick to get to the location.
Did she still have to wait for backup to save her father's life from a psychotic maniac? Then what was the whole point of her training with Bruce?
Even now, she was still a fledgling?
Her eyes turned towards the timer she had set up on the monitor. More than twenty minutes had passed by.
It was now thirty-seven minutes, forty-three seconds remaining.
"It's my dad.... What choice do I have?" And with that, the network was disconnected.
"Batgirl?..... Batgirl!" She wasn't answering. Robin gritted his teeth with irritation.
He hastened his steps as quick as he could.
"That's it. I'm definitely calling the team".
....
Gotham Cathedral, Church of St. Lozeren
"The stage is ready, the set-up is ready..... The Main Protagonist has been riled up…. The audience is almost set, The bait...". On the roof of the building, Joker swaggered and sat next to the roof cross.
Looking into the chaotic city in the distance, his smile was blooming.
"... The bait is perfect". He turned around to look behind him.
A group of thugs stood a distance away, all of them dressed up in clown like costumes and masks.
They all circled the wooden cross on which a middle-aged man was tied to.
Commissioner James, Jim Gordon.
"You're gonna pay for what you've done you bastard". The man uttered with a pale face. His voice sounded weak and his face was dull, but his eyes shone with strong conviction, disgust, and hatred.
"My My Mr. Commissioner. I wouldn't speak much if I were you. Your blood loss is rather severe after all". The Joker replied with a smile.
"You wouldn't want to lose too much too fast. It'll be no fun if you die before Batsie gets here. That will make the whole set imperfect... No, no no... We can't have that".
Joker stepped closer to Gordon on the cross.
His eyes gleamed with excitement, about to continue his grand speech, when something wet hit him on the face.
What was that?
Spit mixed with blood? Seeing that the Joker was within range, Gordon spat out his blood mixed saliva straight on the Joker's face.
Realizing what had happened, Joker felt slightly humiliated.
He raised his right arm and threw a punch across the face of the commissioner.
Pow!
"How rude!" The clown uttered as he took out a handkerchief from his suit pocket.
"You're a dignified police commissioner. Have some manners". He rebuked with a stern tone.
Pui!
Gordon spat out a mouthful of blood. Still, his expression remained unchanged as he continued to glare at the clown with undisguised hatred.
"Haha... You should save your energy for later. The show will soon begin. Cheer up pal…". He came beside the cross, leaned on it with one hand and out his gloved hand on his chin.
".... You need to pay attention to your image later. After all, you're gonna be on live television. Isn't it great? Hahahahaha, you're gonna be a star". The Joker laughed hysterically before coming to his senses and contemplating.
"Ok, maybe not a big star. You'll be a very important supporting role, though, cause tonight.... The attention of the world will be fixed on this..... Handsome face". His pearly white teeth were full on display.
"... Um..... Boss".
It happened then, a nearby thug in a clown costume holding binoculars suddenly exclaimed.
"..... Huh?..... What? You just interrupted my secondary monologue... Do you know how hard it is for a villain to get in the zone every so often? This better be good". The cheery tone of the Joker suddenly turned dark, his eyes gleaming with cold light.
The clown thug shivered subconsciously.
"..... Sorry, boss…. It's just..... we have company". The thug sad, pointing towards the distance timidly.
"Oh Oh! Is he here? Out of the way, outta the way. Let me see". The Joker yelled and rushed forward, snatching the binoculars from the henchman excitedly like a child who just spotted candy.
Putting the binoculars in front of his eyes, the sight a far distance away was magnified in front of his eyes.
Sure enough, he saw a vehicle speeding towards this direction. It didn't look like a regular car or a vehicle used by the police, FBI, CIA, or the likes..... Meaning, it could only be one person.
"Haha.... Batsie's here. Everyone, take your places. Get ready, the show's about to begin".
Joker said excitedly. He seemed to remember something at that moment and turned to the Henchman who previously had the binoculars.
"Hey…. You".
"Um…. Yes, Boss".
The Gotham Cathedral was a high-rise building with a very tall tower. It towered over the majority of buildings in Gotham city.
If anyone at this moment looked at the Cathedral from a close distance, they would see what looked like a male figure, dressed up in a clown outfit, being thrown off the building while yelling and screaming.
"That's settled". Joker grinned refreshingly. Ignoring the fact that he had just tossed a Henchman who had done no moral wrong down to his death, he turned his gaze back to the commissioner, pointed his finger forward and uttered.
"And someone get this man on the set".
....
Several minutes later....
Vroom!
The Ricochet sped towards the direction of Gotham Cathedral as fast as its engine would allow it.
"Over there... I see it". A clown thug stationed at the church entrance yelled out loud, alerting his fellow employees to the approaching vehicle.
There was no need for him to shout, as the others had already noticed it.
The Ricochet continued to charge forward in a straight line, moving towards the building at an astounding speed of two hundred and fifty-seven miles per hour.
"It's Batman".
"Then what are you waiting for? Blast that thing into Oblivion".
And so, with a clear order, more than a dozen clown thugs opened fire with the loaded rifles in their handles.
The Ricochet was immediately pelted with numerous bullets but continued to move forward undeterred.
It wasn't until it came with a certain range that numerous bullets hit the tire areas of the vehicle.
With the tires burst, the vehicle spun out of control and crashed to the floor, still its forward movement carried on as the vehicle tumbled on its sides towards the gang of clowns.
"Take cover". Seeing this scene, the leading thug immediately yelled and dashed out of the way. Seeing that the vehicle had no plans on coming to a halt, the others also did the same, getting out of the way as fast as possible.
And so, the vehicle slammed into the church gates, causing a loud explosion and causing it to go ablaze.
"Damn! What was that?"
"Suicide..... Suicidal I tell you".
The clowns who had gotten out of the way cursed incessantly.
"Is he dead?"
"Has to be. No one can survive that?"
"Not even Batman?"
"Hey .... Was he even in it?"
"..... No way….".
While the clowns continued to look at the flaming church gates with a vigilant expression and their weapons held firmly within their grasp, a figure glided high in the sky with wings, stretched out like a bat.
A clown thug stood guard on a balcony, watching the whole chaos below.
"Shit.... The Bat's here .....". He cussed, as he steadied his grip on the desert eagle within his possession.
It happened then, he saw a black shadow flying in the distance.
".... Hey, what's that?" The moon wasn't out and the area surrounding the church had no streetlights. It was difficult to tell what was flying in the sky.
Was it a bird? Or a kite?
The thug couldn't help but wonder. He saw the dark shadow make a graceful curve in the air before.... Nose diving towards his direction.
"..... What a second!" The Thug went wide eyes as the flying silhouette rushed towards him at full speed.
"There". Upon getting closer, Barbara immediately spotted an open balcony aside the church. Controlling her gliding wings, she steered herself in that direction.
The thug on guard immediately raised his weapon to fire. Unfortunately, he was a step slower.
Two thin wires shot out from the black shadow, stabbing straight towards the enemy.
"Ow!" The thug felt two needles prick into his chest area... Yet before he could do anything else, the wire lit up with electrical arcs.
"Argh!" A roar of pain escaped his lips as he was shocked with the zapper.
Two slender legs covered with durable Kevlar encasing slammed straight into the thug before he could pull the trigger.
The gun flew out of his grasp as the thug was kicked to the ground.
Batgirl retracted her wings and landed firmly on the balcony. She looked at the thug who laid on the floor unconscious and then turned towards the church gates.
"My baby...". Seeing her beloved vehicle getting blown to bits, Barbara's teeth itched with anger, frustration, and helplessness.
There's no way.
The vehicle was a necessary sacrifice at this point. She needed something to draw attention away so she could sneak into the church unnoticed.
This was the best way she could think of.
Thinking back to the process, she also felt a little annoyed. The guard had screamed out loud before she could silence him.
The stealthy infiltration she planned had gone up in smoke as her presence had been made known.
Sure enough, the sounds of footsteps rushing in her direction could be heard.
"Well, plan B it is". Saying so, she rushed forwards at full speed, throwing her stealthy operation to the wind.
A clown thug appeared from the corner in sight. His weapon, however, was different from the last thug.
"…hey!'
Seeing Batgirl approach, he hurriedly raised his gun to open fire, but Barbara suddenly slid down, dodging the gunshot.
BANG!
Only, what came out of the weapon wasn't a bullet but an energy blast. The blast came in contact with the wall in the distance, causing it to explode.
The female Bat slid right between his open legs, slamming her fists on the ankles as she slid past.
Crack!
"Agh!" The thug screamed and plunged to the ground in pain. Before he could process his situation, a heavy punch landed on his face knocking him unconscious.
Barbara straightened her posture. She took a look at the weapon on the ground, fallen from the thug's grasp before looking at the wall a distance away that had been blown to smithereens.
A deep feeling of fear enveloped her, causing her to feel goosebumps.
"The damn thing looked like a gun". She uttered with a heavy frown. That situation was too dangerous. If she hadn't dodged subconsciously when she saw the raised muzzle, she would probably be dead right now.
Even if the Kevlar suit could block the attack, and she wasn't sure it could, the impact would have heavily shaken her internal organs.
Her fighting ability would be reduced to zero the next moment.
The constant thought made her break out into cold sweats.
She took a look to her left, then her right, before heading in that direction. She had checked the church schematics.
She needed to take the stairs down by her right.
However, she failed to notice a figure standing a distance away from her the moment she took a direction.
"I have to admit, she's better than I expected".
The black-haired male muttered with a slight smile. His body was in hollow state, looking completely illusory.
"She is Batman's apprentice. She should be able to do this much". Alice replied candidly.
"I suppose so". He swept his gaze across the floor, his vision spotting commissioner Gordon, tied up to the cross in the church auditorium.
"That's a new development". Amari said with surprise.
"The time left is within ten minutes. Under the cover of darkness, as long as she plays her cards right, she has a slim chance of defeating The Joker. If she completes the task before then, you will have to keep your word".
Alice reminded him.
"She won't". Amari said while shaking his head.
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because he's The Joker".
He replied indifferently. From what he was seeing with his eyes, unless she figured out what was going to happen ahead of time or had reflexes as fast as the flash, Barbara Gordon would definitely fail.
"Aren't you giving him too much credit?"
"No. You can never judge what a madman does. As long as you give him some Kryptonite, Joker could definitely kill Superman. Barbara's good, but only Batman can react to Joker's insanity".
The Joker's mind was a world of chaos. Without any powers, skills or training of any kind, he could tussle with Batman for several rounds of hide and seek. Many times, fooling The Dark Knight again and again.
No one could guess what the Joker would do next. Not even the Joker himself.
"Still, it wouldn't be fun if she just took down all the thugs under the cover of night. So...".
Amari removed himself from hollow state ad placed his hand on the wall beside him.
A wisp of florescent energy escaped from his fingertips, drilling into the wall. And then....
The sound of electricity wiring could be heard.
The Thugs, Batgirl, Joker, Commissioner Gordon. They all heard it, and then...
"..... Let there be light".
All the lights came on.
Barbara Gordon: "shit".
.....
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