*Krios "James", Madison Bridge Apartments, Gotham City
A faint shake woke him.
Blinking his eyes clear from sleep he rolled over to see Barbara missing.
Stretching his arms out, he felt pops in his joints and arched his back to capture more of the pleasure that came from a good stretch. After he finished stretching he reached for his bed stand clock to see the time read 2 A.M.
'Strange,' he thought.
The faint shaking he felt had vanished as soon as it came. Usually minor things like that would not wake him, especially with how hectic his schedule was. The fact that such a minor thing woke his deep sleep puzzled him, more so because he felt a certain unease he couldn't explain.
Just to be safe he stretched his senses around his apartment, then his building and then reached his limit with feeling around the block for dangers. Nothing came up which only added to his confusion and trepidation.
Finding sleep was no longer a option he got up and walked to his living room.
With a quick scan he determined Barbara was no where near and with a lazy wave of his hand the TV turned on. Sitting down in his favorite chair he glanced to his fridge which opened and and brought a soda can flying towards him.
He grabbed the can in the air which proceeded to open by itself before he took a small sip. The carbonation, sugar and caffeine was definitely not helpful for going back to sleep but screw it.
The TV played with the volume turned low, some rerun of a gameshow played. The host looked like a strange combo of Danny Devito and Gordon Godfrey. How that came about he could not fathom as he drank his soda and watch the show while his mind drifted off.
Barbara not being here was not a weird thing. He had felt her leave a few hours ago and just pretended to be asleep. Whether she had to run home, or take care of something as Oracle or Batgirl he didn't know, but her taking off at night was fairly common.
Still, if it was a mundane reason then she usually would leave a note or kiss him goodbye. The fact that she hadn't made it most likely a Batgirl job she was handling.
The longer they dated the more James wondered if she would ever reveal her identity to him. She already had admitted to helping the GCPD in a capacity. She had even revealed her connections to Bruce Wayne and his various orphans, how close they were.
Part of him was annoyed she kept such an important fact hidden from him, but then he would remind himself that he kept a greater secret then hers.
"Calling the kettle black," he murmured.
Taking a big swig of his drink, he twirled his finger, which changed the channel.
The screen flashed with different shows.
Cooking
Gardening
Home Shopping
Old TV Show
Another Cooking
Telenovela
News
Cooking (why were there so many late-night cooking shows?)
Sports
Old Movie
'Wait,' he thought.
Motioning to go back to the news, he saw a surprising sight.
A random reporter stood a block or two away from the Gotham City Courthouse. The area was swarming with police officers and the flashing of red and blue emergency vehicle lights. Other reporters and news vans could be seen in the corners of the frames.
But the main point of attention came from the courthouse itself.
A few dozen bodies were scattered in various positions around the courtyard in grotesque poses, some missing limbs and others even missing heads. Most of the bodies were wearing suits and appeared to be government employees or lawyers.
The Courthouse itself was painted red all around with what was undoubtedly blood; portions of the building had collapsed, and small fires could be seen. The roof had crumbled into itself like a bomb had gone off.
"...the current victims have reached over 20, with more being reported. Police have cordoned off the area while rescue operations continue."
The reporter rambled about a few other details, but James ignored that as he stood up and walked to his balcony.
From where his apartment was he had several blocks, a river and a few buildings in-between him and the courthouse. Luckily his balcony faced towards where the disaster had occurred and while he could not see it exactly, he could catch glimpses of the emergency vehicles and hint of light from the flames.
"We are getting confirmations that portions of the courthouse have been painted with various call signs commonly used by the villain 'Joker.' The Police Commissioner is on the scene and spoke to reporters for just a few moments..."
James took one last gulp of his drink before his empty can of soda floated to the trash can and deposited itself there.
A flick of his finger saw the TV turn off, the little light it provided plunged the room into darkness save for the lights from the streets lamps.
"F&4king Joker," James muttered dryly and bored.
The madman had returned as usual and was causing a ruckus. No wonder his senses had been bothering him.
But with a shrug, he closed his drapes and made his way back to the bedroom, intent on trying to go back to sleep.
The Joker reappearing was almost a tradition in Gotham. The madman would run around causing chaos, Batman and his team would swoop in and stop him before things got too out of hand. Sure, him butchering a chunk of Gotham's City Courthouse and blowing it up was a bit bigger then what you would usually see, but the outcome would be the same.
Besides, as James lay in bed and pulled up the covers, the Joker, while dangerous to most of Gotham, was of little concern to him. For one, despite their last meeting not ending positive, it had occurred years ago, and Krios had not shown his face since then. And even if the Joker knew who he was and where he was, there wasn't much the delusional man could do to harm him. Krios had broken the man before; if he threatened again, he would ensure the Joker wouldn't be able to again.
Closing his eyes to try to sleep, James felt comfort knowing that out of everyone in Gotham, there was nothing the Joker could threaten him with, nothing with all his mad brilliance.
---------------------------------------
*Barbara Gordon, "Batgirl," D'Marco Water Treatment Plant, Gotham City
"RAHHHHH GUFFFF," the roar of the Joker goon swiftly changed to that of pain as Batgirl delivered a deep knee kick to his gut.
Following the Commissioner's call, everyone in the Batcave, even Nightwing, had made their way to the Courthouse, only to get diverted by the Joker's attack on the Water Treatment Plant.
It was fairly clever and in line with the Joker's thinking. Cause a major distraction away from his true goal, which seemed to be Gotham's water supply. What exactly he was planning, they didn't know. Knowing the psycho, it could be anything from dumping his signature toxin or a myriad of other things. Either way, they needed to stop him and his goons quickly.
When they had arrived, they found over 3 dozen Joker psycho goons and a few hired guns overwhelming the workers and guards of the facility. A few they managed to save before they were killed, but there were some casualties.
Robin and Nightwing both attacked first, taking on the hired guns.
RAT TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT
The sub-machines rang loud and clear spewing hot lead all around the heroes.
Despite the veritable shield of bullets, Robin and Nightwing managed to dodge it all before engaging the gunman. A twist and a snap of a broken arm here, and a shattered jaw there saw the gunmen on the floor.
While his former and current proteges fought the gunman Batman and her focused on the swarm of Joker goons. Batman was a flurry of punches and kicks. Despite the proficiency she and Dick had with martial arts, watching Bruce right then was like watching a artist work. Every punch, throw, kick and jab was precise and inflicted the maximum amount of pain while dropping the half-insane, half-high goons.
She dodged a baseball bat from one goon, before swinging her leg upward and landing a critical hit between the goon's legs. The man's eyes full of madness suddenly watered and turned to pain as he clutched himself and fell in a heap.
Jason and Dick seeing her blow both winced as they dispatched the last of the gunmen.
Batman meanwhile had charged further into the facility with no-one slowing his pace.
It was ironic to consider his almost eloquent proficiency and level of skill at countering everyone he face. But right now he was acting more like a tank and plowed through the remaining deranged men.
Batgirl, Robin and Nightwing quickly followed him passing by his path of destruction with many of Joker's goons holding broken arms, legs and teeth.
Entering the control chamber she expected they would find the Joker holding some weird wind-up bomb or a few hostages before delivering a long winded monologue.
Following which Batman would leap forward and break his face.
But what awaited them was not that.
The Joker was nowhere to be seen. Instead the room had a handful of tied up hostages with some of the remaining Joker goons armed with bats, crowbars and pipes.
Without hesitation, Batman surged forward, a whirlwind of precise violence. A batarang clipped one thug's hand mid-swing, sending his crowbar clattering to the ground; a spinning back-kick dropped another into a control panel that caused sparks. Smoke pellets hissed, blinding the remaining men as Batman emerged from the fog like a phantom, fists slamming into ribs and jaws. A goon lunged with a knife, only for Batman to twist his wrist and disarm him with surgical efficiency.
"GO!" One of the last goons pushed his compatriot who ran out of the control room from the side.
Batman gave pursuit yelling, "Check the hostages!"
Jason frowned but followed the order and began cutting lose the hostages and directing them where they could escape. Barbara had joined to assist him but Dick soon changed her mind.
Following Batman's order and running after the final goon, Dick had stood there furious before muttering "F&*k that," and pursued after him.
Seeing that, she began to worry. The two had been nearly at each other's throats just a few hours ago, and the tension was still prominent. This would not be the first time the two had gone on a mission together that would almost end with them fighting each other. Barbara and with Alfred chiming in on the comms had to calm both men down several times. But right now, with how hot tempered and stress both men were, she worried that anger would take over.
"Help the rest of the hostages," she told Jason, before running after them.
Down the corridor she ran, her heart pounding and her fears growing as she could hear arguing breaking out.
When she passed through the final doors of the control centered and entered the hangar that held the water treatment machines. Massive silos were lined up in room with various machinery all designed to filter the water before delivering it into the water main for Gotham.
A worrying thought passed her mind if they managed to stop the last Joker goon from whatever his goal was. But a closer look of the room saw the man bound and unconcious near Dick, and Batman looking furious.
"I told you to take care of the hostages!" he growled.
Dick snarled, "Last time I checked you are not my boss anymore."
Batman's eyes narrowed as his he quietly but angrily said, "You ruined any chance we had of finding out what Joker's play was."
"I think it is pretty obvious," Dick held up a large glass vial, something he must of taken off the Joker goon.
"Joker wanted to poison the water supply again, what more do you need to understand!"
Both men now stood inches apart, Dick despite his height and growth in muscle still had to look slightly up towards his former mentor.
"What more do we need to understand?" Batman said furiously, "What more do we need to understand!?! How about some of the obvious missing pieces! You said it yourself, this would be the second time Joker tried to poison the water supply. And while Joker is many things, he never would do a sick joke like this as a repeat performance."
Dick looked ready to argue but Batman spoke over him.
"What's more this attack on the water treatment plant is far too mundane compared to what he just did at city hall! This act would be considered a terrible follow-up!"
"You seriously trying to explain Joker's thinking to me!" Dick scoffed, "Don't forget I have been helping you deal with that freak for years, and poisoning most of Gotham is a pretty good follow-up."
Watching the two, Barbara was uncertain if Bruce would eventually snap and punch Dick or vice a versa. Both were tense and looked prepared to fight.
Batman was quiet for a few moments after Dick spoke, but his next words chilled her.
"If that was really the case... then where is the JOKER!"
The last word he yelled loud enough to make Dick take a step back but not before pushing his mentor back a step.
Batman did not take that well and while Dick stepped back he took the hand he used to push him and twisted it forcing Dick to the ground.
But he was not Nightwing for nothing.
Dick threw his leg back to trip up Batman causing him to let go allowing Dick to swing around and get low prepared to fight. Seeing that stance probably convinced Batman fighting was inevitable and so the two engaged each other.
Batman's strikes were calculated, relentless—driven by grim purpose—while Nightwing countered with raw emotion and the fluid grace of someone who'd trained under the same hand but grown into his own shadow. The sound of fists colliding, grunts of exertion, and the scrape of boots on concrete echoed in her ears.
"This isn't how it's supposed to be," she whispered, heart pounding as she clenched her fists. They were supposed to be allies—family. But something that had been building for years had snapped, and now every blow felt like a fracture she couldn't mend. Each punch Batman threw made her flinch; every time Dick hit back, it twisted deeper into her chest. She didn't know who she wanted to stop more—or if she could stop them at all.
Nightwing came in fast— moving with the rhythm of a dancer and the precision of a surgeon. He struck low, then high, feinting a spinning kick that Batman deflected with his forearm, the impact shuddering through Kevlar. Dick's style was acrobatic, a whirlwind of momentum and improvisation, honed from years in the circus and refined on Gotham's rooftops. He was unpredictable, fluid—fighting like water.
Batman, by contrast, was a wall. Every movement was economical, each counterstrike brutally efficient. Where Nightwing flowed, Batman absorbed and redirected, his stance grounded in a mix of jujitsu, Krav Maga, and pure discipline. He blocked a flurry of strikes, then pivoted in close, using Nightwing's momentum against him to send him skidding across the concrete. But Dick rolled with it, popped back up, and launched himself with a flying kick that caught Bruce off-guard, forcing him back a step.
Breathing hard, they squared off again. This wasn't just a spar—it had heat, history. There was pain in every blow, frustration in every dodge. Years of unspoken resentment, diverging ideals, and the weight of a legacy that had become too heavy to share. Neither one backed down.
Barbara had had enough.
She jumped in-between both men.
"That's ENOUGH!" her voice rang out, sharp and commanding, cutting through the fight like a blade. Both men froze—Bruce with his fists still half-raised, Dick mid-stride, anger simmering in his eyes. Her face was stern as she stood between them, shoulders squared, eyes locked on both like she was daring either to make one more move.
"Look at you," she snapped, her voice low now but razor-edged. "You're not fighting to prove a point, you're fighting to hurt each other. And for what? Pride? Guilt? Some twisted need to be right?" She turned to Bruce first, her gaze softening just slightly. "You raised him to be his own man. You don't get to punish him for becoming one."
Then she looked at Dick. "And you—he's not perfect, but he's still the man who taught us to fight for more than just ourselves. Despite his shortcomings, he deserves a measure of respect and trust!"
Neither man spoke. The rage still lingered, but it was tempered now—cooling under the weight of her words and the reality of what they'd almost become. For a long moment, the only sound was the rain. Then Bruce stepped back, his jaw tight, as did Nightwing lowering his fists. Whatever war had flared between them, Barbara had pulled them both back from the edge.
She turned away, not waiting for thanks. "We've got bigger things to deal with," she said before taking the glass vial from Dick.
Bringing it up to her eyes, she turned the vial over, watching the mysterious liquid inside swirl. It was thick, similar to oil but had a yellow tinge to it.
"You interrupted my interrogation with him," Bruce said accusingly but with no malice, "I wanted him to think he had won and reveal any additional clues we could glean from the Joker's goal."
Dick eyed Bruce, "I saw a Joker goon getting ready to dump some liquid into the water supply. I did not want to take the chance of him succeeding."
Both men stared at each other silently.
Barbara sighed before handing the glass vial to Bruce.
Noticing Dicks immediate frown she said quickly, "Bludhaven doesn't have the resources to find out what that is quickly like the batcave does. And you know as well as the rest of us that the fact that the Joker is not here means something is up and we need to get to the bottom of it."
With that said, she walked out to find Jason. Her frustration with those two was immeasurable, but she felt she had done what she could.
Walking back into the control room, she found it clear of hostages, with Jason dragging the last of the knocked-out goons to the outside. She joined in helping Jason drag the men out, where he badgered her about what had happened.
She merely said, "They needed to figure some stuff out; otherwise, ask them."
Seeing how firm she was, Jason dropped it.
At the front entrance of the Water Treatment Plant, they dropped the unconscious Joker goons with the rest. Most of the surviving hostages were huddled together, with some giving comfort to the crying ones.
By now, the distant sirens and flashing police lights, EMTs had arrived to start handling the mess.
She expected to see her father, the Commissioner, hop out of one of the uniformed officers' cars, but instead it was Detective Bullock. The dark shadows and bloodshot eyes showed just how tired the man was with how chaotic the day and now night must have been.
Nighwing and Batman soon stood with them as they watched the police and EMTs work.
Bullock, after finishing directing his men, walked over to them, rubbing his eyes before lighting a cigarette. He took a deep inhale before letting the smoke release. A certain amount of satisfaction came upon his face before his face grimaced looking at Batman.
"Alright, what happened?"
Batman went into the details of Joker's supposed plan, as well as a vial they recovered. Bullock looked at the vial, interested, before seeming to deflate.
"I assume you will want to take it back to some secret bullshit lab you have won't you," Bullock seeing Batman stare back simply huffed, "Fine, it will be quicker I guess. But you will bring that vial back for the GCPD analysts, agreed?"
Batman gave a nod, which Bullock grunted at before going back to his officers.
"So what now?" Barbara asked.
Dick snorted, "I am heading back to Bludhaven."
He then walked away without another word, disappearing into the shadows.
"What a prick," Jason muttered, earning a glare from Batman.
"For now," Batman said, "I want you both to go and get some rest. Whatever is happening is not over; I will go back and analyze the vial."
With that he shot a grappling hook and too off into the night sky leaving both her and Jason standing there.
"What a f&*king mess," Jason said, which she merely nodded at.
"You sticking around or going home?"
Barbara looked around, "I may check with Bullock where the Commissioner is at. And then head home."
Jason nodded, "Ya, weird he wasn't here. Must of been busy with something else, I am going to stick around here and check a few things before I head out."
With that, the two split. Barbara went over to the detective.
"Excuse me, detective," she asked politely.
Bullock gave her an annoyed look, it wasn't unexpected considering his disdain for vigilantes. Over the years, he had done his very best to arrest Batman and later Dick as well, it all culminated when following he was framed for murder and was saved from life in prison by Batman proving his innocence. After that, the detective seemed to let his hate diminish, or at least acknowledge the need for them in Gotham.
Not that he liked it, but he at least accepted it.
Seeing the attention he was giving, she said, "I was wondering why the Commissioner was not here? I wanted to discuss something with him."
"The man has been up for almost 48 hours," Bullock said gruffly, "After finishing up at City Hall, he ran home for a shower and a new shirt. He said he was going to be back in the office later tonight, probably check there in about an hour."
"I will," she said, but in her mind, she thought she would swing by the house to check on him.
After talking with Bullock, she made her way to her bat motorcycle and took off down the streets. She pulled into one of the hidden secure garages they had in the city and continued her way on foot across the rooftops.
The Gordons had lived in the Tricorner district of Gotham for over 2 decades. The area was relatively safe, thanks in part to its higher income and the fact that the majority of police and Tricorner dock workers lived there. Messing around in a neighborhood full of police was one thing, but it was entirely another to mess with Gotham's Tricorner dock workers. They were a hard lot, and with no less than 15 to 20 thousand of them living in a few square miles of each other, they had formed quite the community. A community that stood united despite race and religion, but was unified by working so closely together. Such a community was a dangerous one to rile up.
Reaching her father's apartment, she shot a grappling hook to swing over and landed on the window slit.
Slipping through the window into her darkened living room, she removed her cowl and took off her uniform before tucking it away in her hiding spot at home and became Barbara Gordon once again. Her boots made barely a sound as she padded down the hallway toward her father's room. She pushed the door open gently.
There he was—hair washed and fresh clothes, sipping coffee, eyes flicking over police reports, the lines on his face deeper than ever. "You shouldn't be up this late," she said softly. He looked up and smiled faintly. "Neither should you, Batgirl."
They both laughed softly at that.
"Do you really have to go back to the office?" She asked.
"Yes," he said as he stood up with a groan, "Too many bodies and the attempt on the water supply from the Joker has everyone panicking. The governor is all but demanding to send in the National Guard, and for once, the mayor and I agree that would be a bad idea right now."
Gesturing to her to follow him, they walked into the kitchen where he began taking assorted goods from the fridge. Eggs, juice, butter and a few other random things.
"I know it's late," he said before taking a more ponderous look, "Or I guess early, but how about we have a late dinner, early breakfast?"
Grabbing the eggs, she said, "Only if you let me cook."
"Fair enough," he laughed.
From there, they fell into a pleasant silence as Barbara quickly fried some eggs and prepared toast.
A few minutes later, she put two plates on the dining room table, and they both dug in.
As they ate, her father asked her details of the Water Treatment Plant mission and if she had any insights.
"Batman should have finished analyzing the vial right about now."
Remembering this, she opened her phone and saw a few miscellaneous messages, including a brand new one from a random number.
'Analysis completed, Vial was a mixture of 7% water and 93% vegetable oil. Report in ASAP.'
Seeing her frown, her father said, "What's wrong?"
She showed him the text, which soon got him frowning.
"Shit," he murmured, "So it is what we worried about. City Hall and the Water Treatment Plant were just diversions from whatever the Joker is really planning. But what would require so much time and resources that he would need this?"
"I don't know," she said, "All I know is that we will catch him, Dad."
The old man sighed, "Just be careful Barbs, something about this feels worse than the other times that lunatic has pulled one of his sick games."
"I will, Dad," she smiled, "It's funny, I was going to hang up the cowl and work more behind the scenes as Oracle. Of course, something like this has to pop up that prevents my eventual retirement."
"The relief that this brings to me is immense."
Looking at her closely, he said, "You have talked about doing so before, but this is the first time I am hearing of you following through... this wouldn't have anything to do with James, does it?"
"Dad!" she swatted his arm while he merely laughed.
Holding up his hands to avoid getting swatted again, he said, "Hey! I am just asking, and besides, if he is making you rethink the vigilante work, I can't complain."
She stood up to swat him again, she hated it when he teased her about her relationship. Especially since she knew he liked James a lot due to his training to become a doctor and being unaffiliated with law enforcement or any dangerous paths.
Before she could swat her now laughing father, a knock came from the door.
Her father sighed, "Probably one of the detectives or uniforms dropping off more files. I'll get it."
Barbara, with instinct flickering in her muscles, said "I'll get it," and was already moving toward the door. Her father started to protest, but the words died in his throat as she reached for the handle.
She glanced through the peephole and saw a man in a police uniform with his back turned.
"Looks like you were right on the nail, Dad," she said while opening the door.
The officer seemed to be holding something as he began to turn to face her.
"Hey, can I help you..."
The officer turned around and took off his police hat to reveal a ghastly visage. Chalk white skin stretched tight over sharp cheekbones. Blood red lips that looked painted on with a shaking hand, curled into a grin that was too wide, too unnatural, like it had been carved there by some cruel painter. Eyes glinting with a manic light, pupils dilated with delight, ringed by dark shadows only seen on the most vicious of monsters.
Barbara could only look on in horror as she realized who she was looking at and what he was holding.
The Joker's smile stretched wider than his face seemed capable of, a twisted parody of joy.
BANG!
"HEE HEE HEE HAHAHAHAHAAH HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"