Chapter Eight: Anarchy

From the confessions of Bruce Wayne

It was later that night on April 13th when I once again met with Gordon on the GPCD rooftops. It was raining something ferocious, and there were rumbles of thunder in the distance. While my plans for the evening were well and truly something to be roused about, I felt my mood dropping more and more as my cape soaked up the rain and became increasingly heavy. Having neglected to utilize the polychloroprene one, I would have to wait to test that one out at another time. Luckily, Lucius had designed my gloves with a soft rubber grip, and the water was of little consequence while making my climb to the top of the police headquarters.

“You were right,” Gordon yelled overtop of the constant pattering of water.

“The mutilations?” I verified.

“Missing ears, kidneys, fingers, and some heavy scarring on all of them. None of them were willing to snitch though. Can’t confirm any kind of ring involving children.”

“It wasn’t just children, it was all kinds of unfortunate souls. A loan shark by the name of Tommy Bilicko worked in tandem with a trafficker of the impoverished who called himself the Red Hood. This was unbeknownst to those beggarly followers he offered shelter to,” I explained. “The victims were sold out to rich men who used torture for pleasure and power, and were free to do as they wished. Some were coerced, others were tricked. When the loan shark wanted out, he had the Red Hood killed. His followers, believing he was working to better their situations, now wear their outfits as an homage to his memory.”

“Christ…”

“Either the Joker is one of these victims, or he’s merely carved his mouth to fool them into believing he was. In any case, he has inserted himself as the new figurehead of this group, and is using his position to bend them to his will.”

“Yes, but… to what end?”

“Anarchy.”

The rain picked up even more, and the thunder and lightning were getting closer. The silence between us, however, was deafening. He turned away to look out over the city streets, veiled as they were in the torrential downpour. I watched as he wiped the wetness from his brows in vain, and slumped his shoulders in defeat.

“I don’t get it. How does someone dedicate themselves to a cause that… isn’t even a cause? What is there to gain from total and absolute chaos? No one wins in that.”

“For all the Joker’s smarts and carefully laid plans, I still somehow can’t bring myself to believe we’re dealing with an entirely rational actor, Jim. Pandemonium is his endgame, whether we see fit to try and understand it or not. He’s made all of Gotham his foe, and he intends to tear it down one piece at a time until there’s nothing left. You, the local hero; Dent, Gotham’s Knight-in-Shining Armor; Klass, the head of government; and Loeb, the head of the police. You all represent different cornerstones of society he wants taken away. The more noise and renown he can gain along the way, the greater the resulting turmoil in their wake.”

“And you, who he apparently just wants to play games with. That leads me to our next problem. Dent’s missing. For more than a day now.”

Something struck me at that moment, a sort of pang of trepidation. Dent was not scheduled to die until tomorrow night. The Joker was changing the rules to favor himself more than he’d dared to before. I took a few slow breaths in order to calm my nerves, and shook the feeling away. We had to stay focused.

“I know how to find the Joker in time.”

“What? How?”

I took out a piece of paper and clenched it tight in my hand, lest the rain soak it completely. I said, “Here’s the address of the red hood hideout. It’s where they receive their orders from the Joker. I need you to order a raid of the place shortly after 11pm tonight.”

“How am I supposed to get a warrant in time for that?” he grabbed the paper from me and stashed it protectively in his jacket.

“The building is abandoned. Not private property.”

“The Joker will be there?”

“No, but his second in command will. A one-eyed man that goes by Bob,” I spoke slowly, and with great intention. “Jim… when you apprehend him, I need you to let him escape.”

Gordon looked agasp for a moment, but then he caught on to where I was headed with it all. “You’re asking a lot. If anyone realized what I was doing…

“I can track him. Especially on a night like tonight, he won’t be able to see me. Get him far enough away that your men won’t be able to catch him. At some point, he’ll retreat back to wherever the Joker is hiding.”

He breathed, barely loud enough to hear over the rainfall. Angry, ragged breaths.

“There’s a lot riding on you if we do this,” he warned.

“If he has Harvey, we don’t have any other choice.”

He nodded in agreement, “Less than two hours. I’d better get moving then.”

“See you soon,” I turned and vaulted over the ledge.

“Wait,” he called. “How will you know when I let him go?!”

I didn’t answer as I slid down the side of the building. It didn’t matter, as my plan was to trail close behind the GCPD units when they began their assault. Hidden in the shadows, and yet still a participant of the greatest import.

From the audio logs of Dr. Hugo Strenj

Strenj: This is Doctor Hugo Strenj of Arkham Asylum, audiolog number twenty-nine. April the thirteenth, nineteen forty.

My dear friend Jonathan is not in a good way today, I’m afraid. He was feeling quite temperamental this morning, and then he was rather ill, I’m afraid. Hhhh… two steps forward, one step back, as they say. I shan’t allow it to get me down, although I am not making the kind of progress I had hoped to by this point.

How am I to bring up the subject of the Batman if he is unwilling to place his full trust in me? We’ve merely begun to scratch the surface of his issues, and he has great hesitations in exploring the deeper roots of his crimes. Would it be unethical for me to venture forth, knowing it may hinder his abilities to deal with his inner struggles? Or do I continue on the current path, and risk delaying my own professional curiosities? What to do, what to do…?

What’s more, I keep seeing news articles purporting that the Batman may be working alongside the police in an attempt to catch this Joker character. It simply cannot be true, for surely, they must realize the dire consequences this could yield in the future. I just cannot believe they would do such a thing. If only I could do something to make them all see… he belongs here, with me, in Arkham.

I need more time. There is no other way around it. Jonathan is not ready for the next phase of his rehabilitation. As for the Batman… I think I may have thought of a solution to this particular development.

From the confessions of Bruce Wayne

There had been no time to make further preparations. I slipped back through the streets towards Alfred, who had been waiting patiently in the driver’s seat for my arrival (willingly, this time). We drove in silence towards The Village area, both of us reflecting on the plan and searching our minds for any possible contingencies. When we arrived, he tipped his hat to me as a gesture of well wishing, and I departed from the vehicle into the sanctity of the nightly shadows. I waited across the street from the red hood headquarters, crouched behind the corner of a similarly ramshackled structure with a sufficient view of the entranceway.

The first police vehicle stealthily rolled in front of me shortly after 11pm struck, and continued on around the corner, so as not to be immediately spotted by patrons of the shelter. 6 More followed after it, sirens halted as they moved. After a moment, the officers appeared and began lining up outside of the entrance to the building. Gordon was with them, leading the charge as they all began filing inside, leaving only three officers behind to guard the exit.

I waited sixty seconds, counting down in my head and giving them enough time to maneuver their way down to the depths of the fort. I then darted out from my hiding place and ran straight for the entryway, tailing after the raiding party. Alerted by the sound of my wet footsteps amidst the puddles, one of the officers called out a warning to me, and I felt their guns trained upon my person. However, they did not shoot, but simply began chasing after me. I had to be quicker! And lucky for me, I knew exactly where the tunnels were located, and had no difficulty navigating through the dark enclosure.

When I reached the secret passage in the wall and slid through into a black as pitch footpath, I waited for my pursuers.

“It was the Batman, I’m telling you!”

I struck the first officer roughly to the head, and he went down. Enrapt in utter confusion, the second one stopped in his tracks long enough for me to take hold of him and pull him into a sleeper hold. As he fell into unconsciousness, I sensed the first man stirring in the darkness, and performed the same action on him.

Shouts suddenly could be heard from further ahead, and panic ensued. When I emerged from the tunnels, I stuck to the shadows, creeping my way to the next area while trying not to be seen amongst the ruckus. Officers grabbed hold of anyone they could see, whether they seemed to be a threat or not. There were cries of fear ringing out, shouts and threats, and the whiffing sounds of fights breaking out. I could not allow myself to be distracted as I ventured further inside.

Finally, I had come to the main chamber, and made a dash for the lowered ground in order to stay better concealed from the unfolding turmoil. I peered overtop of the trench and scanned around for any trace of Gordon. It was dark, however, much darker than it had been during the day, and there were many bodies moving to and fro within my line of vision. And then I heard Jim’s voice, hollering atop of the frenzied sounds echoing around us.

“You’re coming downtown.”

“I didn’t do anything!” his captive complained as Gordon slapped his cuffs around one wrist. I could vaguely see it then, he looked down as he put the other cuff around the other hand, and ensured that it did not click into place properly. He then grabbed the man, Bob, by the elbows and began leading him to the far side of the chamber. It was a risky move, as this was the opposite direction from where they’d come from. I believe he was hoping our friend Bob knew of a secret entrance he could escape to, but after a moment of holding him in place, he did not attempt an escape. The unlocked cuff dangled freely behind the man’s back leg, and he acted as though he was not aware of it.

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Defeated, Gordon then steered Bob around the crowd towards the tunnels. Most of the homeless men being arrested put up more of a struggle, so Gordon and his prisoner exited without followers. That is, aside from myself, of course. I kept as close as I could as they navigated their way through the darkened paths and into the pitch black passage leading out to the main building’s halls. That is where Bob made his move and attempted to escape.

“Hey!” I heard Gordon yell as I entered the blind corridor.

I sprung into action, sensing Gordon as he slow-jogged forward, and darted around him just in the nick of time. I had miscalculated somehow, and Bob had too great a lead on me. He ran outside and straight into the arms of one of the waiting police officers. It seemed a few had managed to drag their prisoners outside already. I had no choice but to act.

I grabbed for one of my batarangs and flung the thing ahead of me, clipping the struggling officer directly in the side of the head. Free once more, Bob hesitated and turned to see me as I cleared the entranceway before sprinting away from the other two officers close by to him. One was too busy struggling with his own captive, while the other focused his attention upon me, raising his gun in my direction while he kept hold of his cuffed prisoner. I dove at him, and we three tumbled to the ground in a heap, the officer’s gun clicking and clacking as it bounced away.

In a heart’s beat, I was on my feet and kicking the weapon further out of the way, and then hastening off in pursuit of Bob and the officer who trailed after him. I watched as the policeman gained within two lunges of the fellow, and grabbed for another of my batarangs. I launched it towards the cop’s feet, catching him in the calf with the throw and sending him sprawling forward to the ground. I jumped over him and he rolled around in pain, slowing my steps and allowing Bob to gain more ground ahead.

As he whipped around each street and alleyway, I made myself scarce behind the veil of rainfall. The wet pitter-pattering of his footsteps allowed me to track him, despite the loss of visualization. He traveled north, towards the segment of the city known as Amusement Mile. Of the northmost islands comprising Gotham City, this district was at the very top, lining the river. This area was home to an amusement park, though it remained closed until mid-May and was thus all but abandoned at this time. Most of the rides were not currently set up, although there were some that were too big to be put away for the cold seasons and thus remained in their place. A giant roller coaster, for instance, a large warehouse where farm animals would be kept for show in the Summer season, and various ticket booths scattered throughout the premises.

Bob jumped the gates to the park, stopping only momentarily to catch his breath along the way. I remained out of sight, kneeling behind various oversized signage. He never left my sight from the moment he reached those gates, however, as I knew the Joker would lie somewhere within the area. Eventually, my prey reached a large madhouse display, and he entered cautiously. This was it, I knew I had finally found the vicious rascal!

I crept my way through the entrance, and then slowly and quietly wound my way through smothering corridors in total blackness. When I happened upon the main room, a bright light illuminated the area. Harvey Dent was strung up by his wrists, dangling almost lifelessly by a small cord, looking bruised and exhausted. I discerned movement to the right of him, and Bob fell backwards upon the floor, cowering.

PLUNG!

It was then that the Joker appeared into the light, a crowbar in his hand, stalking after his poor second-in-command.

“What do you mean they raided the place?” Joker demanded.

“The coppers showed up right after I got there and started arresting people! Wasn’t anything I could do!”

“Yet you managed to escape somehow…” the Joker lowered his weapon slightly and peered around the darkness beyond.

“The cuffs were loose -”

“Quiet,” the Joker ordered, taking two steps away from the man and staring harder into the nothingness beyond. “You’ve led someone here… but who…?”

I saw no reason to continue hiding, and stepped forward into the glow of the light. We came face to face, only a few feet from one another, and stared at each other in challenge. Within seconds, however, he shuddered slightly, and fell into a fitful torrent of laughter.

“Hoohoo… hllllhllhllhllhllllll… Oooooohoohoohoohoohoo…. Eeeeheeheeheheeheehee!”

“You…” Harvey wheezed at me from the corner.

“OUAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Bob crawled backwards away from me in a panic, but there was nowhere for him to escape to. The Joker, on the other hand, had keeled over, and rested upon one knee as he tried to calm his uncontrollable fits of convulsions.

“You just keep on surprising me,” the clown smiled, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Are you alright, Dent?” I ignored the Joker’s juvenile prattling.

“Dandy,” he replied hoarsely.

“Dent’s’s O---kay… and Bob’s K---O’d!” Joker snarled suddenly, swinging the crowbar briskly down across his henchman’s head.

PRINGGGG!

It had caught me off guard, and I moved too late to stop it. Blood splashed the walls, soaking Dent as he hung impotently in place. I grabbed for the crowbar in the Joker’s fist and disarmed him easily, backhanding him hard across his over-embellished grin. He fell to the ground limply, and laughed once more.

“Ohohohohoho, you’re so cute when you’re powerless!”

“You’re the one who’s been caught,” I reasoned, taking another step towards him and trying my utmost to appear both imposing and formidable.

“Mayhaps… but you can’t possibly believe you’ve truly won, can you? Look how easily you’ve played into my hands. Look at all the death and destruction you failed to prevent. Look at the anger and the guilt I’ve stirred up within you!”

I kicked him in the face. It was all true, he’d gotten to me. There was only rage inside me now.

“Hoooohoohoohoohlkhlkhlkhlk,” he chuckled.

It only made me angrier. I lifted him by the collar and threw him at the wall. He continued to laugh regardless.

“Is this your prize?” he gestured towards Harvey. “Is rescuing this beautiful damsel in distress enough recompense for all the killings you let happen?”

I punched him hard to the stomach, knocking the wind out of his sails. It finally put an end to his taunting chuckles, which were promptly replaced with a desperate gasping for air.

“I’m not responsible for your sick games,” I flipped him in the air and threw him to the floor, settling my hand upon his neck.

“Hhh…hhhh…you…hhh…don’t…believe…hhh…that…” the scars on his face began to stretch toward his ears. I applied more pressure upon his throat. “Why…hhh…why…didn’t you…kill Crane…hhh…?

Why hadn’t I killed Crane? What did that have to do with any of this? I was taken aback by his words as I stared deep into his bestial eyes in question.

“He wasn’t worth it,” I fabricated an answer quickly.

“Hlhlhlll… But I am…!” He grinned widely and liquid splashed from the flower upon the breast of his jacket. It hissed as it hit my arm, and a haze of smoke erupted from it. I punched him in the face and moved away, scanning the length of my arm as the wetness seeped slowly through the fabric. Acid! But there was no helping it now. All I could do was wait as it slowly ate its way through the armor and cloth until it finally reached my skin. If I took the time to shed myself of my suit, he would no doubt make his escape. The only hope I had was that the burn would be manageable when it began to sting.

“You won’t kill… will you?” Joker squeaked as he rolled onto his side. “Why? Hlhlll… what is it that holds you back? Is it some sort of self-righteous principle you’ve sworn to uphold? Some semblance of the humanity you cling to? As long as you don’t break that rule, you’re still the good guy in all this? Hoohoohoohooohooo!” He attempted to stand, but I kicked him down once more.

That’s when I felt the burning sensation upon my forearm.

“For all your wits, THAT is the fairytale you cling to?!” his face twisted into something akin to rage. “After figuring out all the little clues I left for you, and tracking me down here for this beautiful confrontation, you still can’t help but to deny the simple truth staring you right in the face.”

“You think you’re so clever,” I rebuked, attempting to thwart his pointless chatter.

“Clever or no, we think alike, you and I. Can’t you see it, Batsy? We are one and the same! Why do you think I’ve tried so hard to grab your attention all this time?” He smiled sinisterly once more, watching my face for a reaction.

“We’re nothing alike. You’re insane.” The burning on my skin was more than just an annoyance now.

“Might I present to you, exhibit A,” he gestured towards my outfit. “You can pretend all you’d like, but we both know the only thing separating us is that you cling to some misguided sense of morality. The only way to achieve that which you desire is to commit. Embrace your superiority! Don’t be bogged down by this sanctimonious nonsense!”

I stepped forward and kneed him to the head. He lay flat on his back in a daze as I pulled his purple jacket off of him and threw his acid spraying device away to the corner of the room. I then turned him over and began tying his hands behind his back, using his overcoat as a binding.

“I can prove it to you. I can get you to break your rule. And if you don’t… just know this: for all the people I’ve managed to kill under your nose, hundreds more will follow if you fail to do that which is necessary. I’m right here, Batsy, you can end it all right now!”

“You’re going to be locked up for the rest of your existence,” I ignored his ridiculous claims.

“But what if you’re wrong? Hahahahahahaha!”

Oh, how I wished I had not taken his confidence so lightly. Had I known then how many times this freak of nature would prove himself correct in this matter, perhaps everything would have turned out differently. For, at the time, I was arrogant and conceited, and thus, negligent. He had been right in his belief that my moral compass conducted my actions so completely that it presented only one sole paradigm - split concisely in black and white terms with nary a prospect of subjective scrutiny.

I hauled him to his feet, dragging him over to where Dent was strung up, and used a sharp blade from my utility belt to cut the hostage down.

“Thank you,” Harvey lay upon the floor, exhausted yet relieved.

“Will you be okay if I leave him with you?” I asked, knowing full well I could not take my captive to the police myself (after the stunt I had just pulled at the shelter).

“I’ll be fine,” he stood up and jabbed the Joker hard in the stomach, knocking the wind from him for the second time that evening. And while I had reservations relinquishing the prisoner into Dent’s custody in his current state, I knew that my trust in him would have to hold true at this moment.

Before departing, I checked on poor Bob and determined that he had in fact died of his head wound. I took my leave, trying my utmost to pay no heed to the taunts of the Joker as I went.

“I’ll… hhhh… see you soon… Batsy!”

As soon as I had cleared the fairgrounds, I ripped my right arm free of my garments, freeing the skin from the exposure to the acid. The wound appeared to be superficial, a mere red marking upon the flesh. I was fortunate in that.

It took only a few minutes before I was able to make my way back to Alfred and report the success of my mission.

“Well done, sir,” he remarked happily on the drive home. “And so we can be done wiv ole this again, aye?”

“For a time, perhaps,” I eyed him stubbornly.

“Ye bloody imbecile,” is all he could muster, shaking his head in disapproval.

From the official police records of James Gordon, Police Commissioner of Gotham City

Investigation cont’d:

Cptn. James Gordon Date: Apr. 13, 1940

Case Closure

We successfully raided the Red Hood encampment tonight. One of the suspects I’d gotten hold of managed to weasel away from me, and the Batman showed up and allegedly helped him escape. While there were multiple officers who are willing to testify to that, I would argue that he was only doing it so he could follow him to the Joker’s lair, which we WERE able to find, thanks to Harvey Dent (who confirms that the Batman did show up to free him of his bonds and finally confront the Joker).

The man who escaped from me was found dead at the scene, and Dent said it was the Joker who did it. We have a team investigating the area (Amusement Mile) right now. Seems Joker’s been holed up in there for quite a while.

Dent’s in good spirits, despite some bruising and lacerations on his person. The Joker is in police custody and is in pretty rough shape. Seems he took quite a beating from the Batman, which Grogan believes makes his style of vigilantism even more dangerous and unhinged. The fact that an officer was assaulted in this mess doesn’t work in his favor either. I can’t argue that, but the results speak for themselves, and we are finally able to close this case for good.

Maybe not really for good… there could be lots of other red hoods out there still. We only managed to grab a handful during the raid, and it’s assumed that there are plenty more out there on the loose. For the time being, at least, we can breathe a bit easier that the Joker’s killing spree is at an end.

From the confessions of Bruce Wayne

“You there?” Gordon’s voice sounded through our communication device. I sat upon my chair in the batcave, awaiting his call, as I knew I would be receiving it at some point that morning.

“I’m here, Jim.”

“You took a big risk last night. It’s anyone’s guess what kind of fallout is to come from it,” he warned.

“It was a necessary measure.” I knew he was referring to my use of force in freeing Bob from custody.

“I don’t disagree, given that Dent is okay and we have the Joker.” I was relieved to hear Joker had not managed to escape after I’d left the scene. Dent had stayed true to his word after all, despite his poor condition. “But I am warning you, the new commissioner isn’t gonna let this go. Best to lay low again for a while.”

“I’ll take that under advisement.”

“Dent told me what he said to you. The Joker, I mean.”

“Utter nonsense.”

“Yeah… just some friendly advice not to let it get to you. None of these murders are on you, no matter the Joker’s modus operandi. You had no control over any of that.”

“I appreciate that.”

It was a small comfort, but it meant something coming from him. Even if the Joker’s words had bore some truth to them, or if I’d allowed them to plant seeds of doubt in the soil of my convictions, it was nice to know I wasn’t the only one who believed my cause had been justified. And in the end, the Joker had been caught, after all.

Though, as I ended my conversation with the captain, I knew this was not the end of my crusade, for I could no longer turn a blind eye to the evil tidings pervading my home. There were still more red hoods running amok, and people like Falcone and the loan shark who I meant to have brought to justice once and for all. This city was infested with snakes, and I solemnly swore to take them off of the streets, no matter the cost.

The Batman would come again.

End of Part 1.