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In hindsight, it is amazing how quickly everything can change.
The coverage was unprecedented. The Joker, accompanied by Harley, had taken over the First Gotham bank. On live TV he called for Batman to willingly unmask, claiming that "the secret identity thing was just not funny anymore." Standing above the giant front doors among the guardian statues and the bas relief of owls, he cackled when the Batmobile first pulled up and inched its way among the news vans and GCPD cruisers that had formed a perimeter around the bank. One arm around Harley, who was holding an RPG, he alternated between cracking jokes, waving his colt Python in the general direction of the civilians, and making claims about what he would do to the hostages inside if Batman failed to do as he demanded.
As always, Batman started off trying to reason with him, as though that ever worked.
"It's over, Joker. These people have nothing to do with this, let them go. It's me you want to confront." As he spoke, the newest Robin tried to inconspicuously slip past the confrontation and into the bank, but was warned off when Harley un-subtly pointed her weapon at him.
"Oh, darling, has that ever worked? You do know what the definition of insanity is--right, Sweetums?" And he laughed, nearly doubling over with mirth, waving the barrel of his very serious handgun in Batman's direction. At his side, Harley giggled. She was manic, excited to be included in one of 'Mistah J's' plans for the first time in what seemed like forever.
Vicki Vale was on scene, her camera crew closest to the action. She looked small and pale, her pretty face pinched with honest fear and her cameraman continuously panning between the tense standoff to the interior of the bank, where a dozen people sat on the floor, tied together and wired to blow.
At her home, Barbara Gordon had a sickening feeling this would go bad, and she was hurriedly pulling on her Batgirl outfit.
In her loft, Selina Kyle muttered, "oh, no" and scrambled for her remote to turn up the volume. Worriedly, she glanced at her closet, not sure if she should get involved, but almost certain she would regret it if she didn't. After a moment's hesitation, she hit the speed dial on her phone. Three rings and it was picked up.
"Yes?" The voice that answered was like warm honey, but always so very clipped and professional. Selina had to suppress a small grin.
"Ives, I think you need to turn the TV on. You need to see this."
"Why, what's the matter, Selina? What channel?"
"All of them."
It was a coincidence they were even in Gotham, but in the small hotel room he was sharing with Jason Todd, Roy Harper had just finished an intense workout. Toweling himself off and stripped to the waist, he found Jason glued to the TV, fingers gripping the armrests of the chair he was sitting on with white-knuckled force.
"Whoa, what's the matter, Jaybird?" He blurted without thinking. He knew, however, only one person could put that anguished look on Jason's face.
The Batman was completely still. He stood almost like a statue clad in black. It was the perfect stillness of the predator, the illusion of calm before pouncing. In contrast the Joker was wired. He capered, pranced, gestured wildly as he cajoled Batman to unmask. Harley giggled along with him, occasionally chiming in with a simple agreement.
Finally, the Joker had had enough of the spotlight, or at least was growing bored of this particular one. "All right, Batsy, you've stalled long enough. It's midnight, darling, and the masquerade is over. Time to unmask!"
Harley added, "yeah, Bat brain, take it off or we'll send them off!"
The Joker looked at her. His grin gone, no laughter in his eyes. Deadpan, he said, "Never try to upstage me." Without any further warning he pointed the gun at Harley's face and pulled the trigger.
Batman roared, "NO!" His grapple gun was launching as the Joker was swinging the barrel of his giant pistol around to point in their direction. Robin was scrambling forward, too late to catch Harley's falling body. This Robin, Damian, was a realist. He'd seen the spray of red, seen the way Harley's body had arched from the force of a bullet striking her, and he knew that he was catching a corpse...
15 Minutes
Barbara was leaned over, pushing her bike to its limit. In her ear, the Batcom channel was open. She heard Bruce's clear scream of denial, and Damian's high-pitched, panicky report. "He shot her, he shot Quinn, she's dead..." He sounded very much the child that he was. Alfred was trying to get verification, but from the sounds Barbara could hear, she knew Bruce was beyond checking in. She throttled up, hoping to squeeze a bit more speed out of her little bike, and hoping beyond hope that she could get there in time.
13 Minutes
Selina was moving in a full sprint, her heart pounding and muscles burning with exertion. Normally she would've felt exhilaration at being in the suit and running on the rooftops, but right now all she could think about was how her friend looked so surprised before the Joker pulled the trigger.
She was angry. But she was also afraid, because a few seconds ago she had felt the entire island shake with a tremor.
11 Minutes
Jason was running at full speed and taking near suicidal jumps between buildings. At this point, Roy's main reason for following the other man was to save his life if he missed. He sprinted along, clutching his bow, reminded of his early days trying to keep up with Ollie. That made him mad, and it was anger he was using as fuel to keep up. He had no idea what Jason planned, and he suspected that Jason didn't either. Still, Jason was in no mood to hear reasons why he shouldn't be there.
To Roy, it felt a little too much like throwing gasoline on a fire. At any rate, he would be whatever Jason needed when he needed it. So tonight, maybe he would end up being a wet blanket.
9 Minutes
Barbara almost wrecked as she pulled up-- a rookie mistake that would've been embarrassing in front of the TV cameras, but she had to throttle down so quickly she almost lost control. The scene she was confronted with would be seared in her mind the rest of her life. The Joker was down, laying on his front, demented face pummeled into near unrecognizability. He was still tittering lightly, and as she bounded up, he said through broken teeth, "women, can't live with 'em...amirite?"
Bruce was covered in blood spatter from the beating he had given Joker. He'd already cuffed the clown, but he continued to kneel on top of him, knee pressed painfully into the back of the Joker's neck. His eyes were haunted when they met Barbara's.
"Batgirl," and he hesitated, so out of character for Bruce that Barbara almost gasped, "can you... Check on the hostages. And Robin?" It was a request, and not an order. Barbara gaped at him for a second before nodding curtly.
"Of course." She hurried over to where Robin was cradling what was left of Harley. The sight was too much--she almost lost the Chinese food she had for dinner. Reconciling this bloody mess with the laughing, perky, full of life Harley Quinn was nearly impossible. Damian's face was too hard for a child's. She didn't bother to ask him if he was all right, she didn't need his denial. He was looking over at Batman, anger and a need for revenge on his features – – features so much like Bruce's that not for the first time Batgirl's breath caught. She hurried into the bank to disarm the bomb.
5 Minutes
The first sign they had that she had arrived was a network of spiderweb cracks expanding through the pavement at their feet. The GCPD had been hanging back, on Gordon's orders, to allow Batman, Robin, and Batgirl to secure the scene. The veterans who were present knew something was wrong when the tremors started. They remembered what no man's land had been, and had been looking around nervously when someone yelled, "on our six!"
She was an avenging goddess. Her hair was copper colored fire and it streamed behind her, rippling in a nonexistent breeze. Her body sinuous, curvaceous, and untouchable. She strolled, hips swaying, and arms out to her sides with the fingers fanned out. Her face was beautiful and terrible. Someone fired a shot, and then all the cops were opening fire, sending a hail of hot leaded death at her. The vines and leaves came from nowhere, growing in a blink of an eye, deflecting bullets harmlessly aside and then tossing police cruisers away as though they were children's toys
4 Minutes
Barbara came rushing out of the bank. It sounded like World War III, and when she pulled up she saw Batman standing, fists clenched. Those cops who were able were scrambling to get away as Poison Ivy strolled through the war zone she had just created. Barbara felt her heart thud in her chest and her adrenaline spike. Harley's death was a tragedy, but it was an open secret that Ivy loved Harley, and suddenly Barbara realized how much danger they were all in.
"It's done. Stand down, Ivy." Bruce's voice was gruff. Devoid of sympathy. Barbara instantly knew it was the wrong tactic.
"Get out of my way." Ivy's voice was cold with anger. With a start, Barbara realized that she was crying, her face wet.
"You know I'm not going to let you kill him."
"You have no say so in the matter." Barbara felt the ground shake as Ivy gathered power.
3 Minutes
Selina dropped silently down, and instantly took in the scene. Batgirl stood in front of her, indecisive, and having not noticed Selina's arrival. Her friend, Ivy, stood tense and ready to fight. Arms straight out to the sides and hands in fists, she and Bruce were already in a standoff.
"I'm sorry, Ivy. I won't let you take the law into your own hands..." And then Batman was tackled by a screaming blur. Selina rushed forward.
2 Minutes
Roy screamed, "NO" as Jason tackled Batman. Batgirl flinched and Catwoman bolted towards the redhead who was even now beginning to step forward, angling toward the Joker, who was lying trussed up on the ground and giggling madly.
"I won't let you stop her. It's time for someone to do something about it, you coward," Jason was screaming into Batman's face. The two were rolling together, throwing punches and settling into jujitsu form. Struggling. Roy had an arrow knocked, but he didn't have a target. He hated this. He was a trained archer--a man who was unstoppable so long as he had a bull's-eye to aim at. Now? He was lost.
As Batman begin to steadily pass Jason's guard, Roy begin to ask himself if he could actually shoot the Batman...
1 Minute
Hesitantly, Barbara stepped in between Ivy and the Joker. The beautiful woman looked at her, looked into her. Up close she could see that yes, Ivy had been crying. For an insane moment, Barbara felt a pang of jealousy. Poison ivy did everything beautifully. Even in her grief, she was breathtaking. Dimly, she was aware that Selina had grabbed Damien as he rushed to attack Jason. It didn't matter. Barbara couldn't tear her eyes away from Ivy's.
"You don't have to do this, Ivy. You are not a monster." She looked into Ivy's eyes, imploring.
Ivy stared back and gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. "If I don't do this, I AM a monster. Please stand aside, Batgirl."
Barbara looked behind her, seeing the Joker lying on his stomach. He was still giggling, enjoying all the chaos he'd caused with a single shot. He killed Harley, a woman who loved him, without the slightest hesitation or remorse. Barbara could remember the feeling of the bullet passing through her stomach, all the time she'd spent in the chair, what he'd done to her father, what he'd done to Jason. She took a harsh breath, and realized that she was crying too now, the tears wetting her cowl. She turned back to Ivy.
"He's hurt you too, hasn't he?" Ivy stepped closer, bringing her slender hand up to Barbara's face. "I know that you are a hero and heroes always have to make the right decision. But this time, you don't have to save HIM. I will be the monster for you." Barbara gave a stuttering, harsh breath. Then, she quietly stepped aside.
0 Minutes
It was anti-climactic. By this point, Vicki Vale's cameraman had already run off. She had a camera on her shoulder, continuing the live feed and with a running, real time commentary to go with it. As she stepped close to the Joker, he looked up at Ivy and managed to gasp out, "hey there, Pammy. I decided to take up gardening, and I started by trimming your friend hedge...whattaya think?"
The first vine thrust a two foot spine through his guts. It emerged from his back like a flower growing out of a pot. He had an almost comical look on his face, surprise? disbelief? when the second wrapped around his mouth and thrust a vine down his throat. After that it's difficult to say how many actually penetrated his body, but he made no more jokes. A few bloodied rasps were all he managed before she rent him apart. His famous grin served him well, because that was all that was left to identify him with. Dental records.
Batman released Jason in shock. Jason sat and stared at what was left of the man who murdered him for several long moments...and then he broke, weeping. Roy dropped his bow and pulled him into a tight embrace, letting him bury his face into his shoulder. Selina released Damien, and went to Ivy, holding her as great sobs shook her slender body.
As freed hostages streamed out of the bank, Batgirl heard Vicki Vale say, "the Joker is dead, killed by Poison Ivy, and nothing in Gotham will ever be the same again."