[Integrated/Crossover DC/Marvel] Why Did the World End Again? - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Joker’s Gambit

Watching the kidnapped old butler on the screen, most of the high-society elites gasped and covered their mouths. It wasn’t that they felt profound pity for the butler’s life, but rather what this symbolized: if even the Wayne family’s butler could be snatched away so easily, it proved that the security systems of the upper class were utterly worthless against these lunatics.

At this moment, all of Gotham was on edge.

“Dammit, how did he find the Batcave?!”

Jason clenched his fists. No one understood better than he did just how filthy the Joker’s methods were. More importantly, Penny One (Alfred) had completely lost contact, and everyone dreaded what that implied.

Red Robin’s voice crackled through the comms.

“Stay calm. I’m on my way to the Cave now.”

Lisol Wayne studied every detail of the screen and the background behind it. The Joker loved these psychological “humanity games.” She wondered what ridiculous multiple-choice question he was about to pose this time.

On the live broadcast, the Joker adjusted the corsage on his lapel.

“Greetings, dear audience! Before us, we have the loyal old butler of the Wayne family. We all know the tragedy from decades ago poor little Brucey lost his parents, and thanks to this old butler, he kept his fortune. He’s been like a father… A truly moral, respectable elder…”

He gave a grand introduction to Alfred’s life before his tone shifted abruptly.

“We all know how filthy, chaotic, and violent our city is. But can anyone truly escape the blame for how we got here? This city is the sin of us all. Therefore, we have the right to choose its fate. So, who can give Uncle Joker an answer? Do we save the life of one old man, or do we save this rotting, broken city that shouldn’t even exist? Make your choice! HAHAHAHA!”

Two words flashed brilliantly on the screen: “Kindness” and “Fault.”

“Will you be a ‘kind’ person and save this poor old man, or will you continue to inherit our ‘fault’? I leave it all to you.”

Dick checked his phone; the display was the same.

“Every electronic device in the city has this choice on it right now…”

Simultaneously, Tim reported in: “I’ve reached the Cave. Penny One isn’t here. There are signs of a struggle.”

Lisol Wayne closed her eyes. Stay calm, Lisol. Remember what Father taught you. Stay rational. Find the flaw. Find the opening.

Meanwhile, Batman stared at the screen in silence. Damian, standing beside him, was already losing his patience.

“Father! We must go and get Alfred back!”

Batman ignored him, scouring the image for details until his gaze settled on a small corner.

“To control this many devices, he needs a high-level mainframe…”

Batman looked up at the tallest silhouette in the skyline. Lisol looked up at the same time.

“Wayne Tower.”

Inside Wayne Tower, the Joker waited for the finale. Some said that in Gotham, Batman and the Joker were the two greatest madmen one a broken man who, after losing everything, grasped the “truth” that only madness is eternal.

The other, who also lost everything, chose to pick up the pieces and stitch them back together. People were obsessed with the identity under the mask, but the Joker didn’t care. He didn’t care about the face or the ideals.

He just wanted a laugh. He wanted to drag the person who shared his loss down into an infinite hell. He was waiting for Batman to arrive and for the day Batman finally snapped.

“Madness is like gravity.”

When the familiar silhouette appeared, the Joker felt a surge of joy. It was as if his soul had been revitalized. It made the effort of kidnapping a retired MI6 agent worth it. It had been difficult, but time is a cruel thing; it makes people slow and numb.

“Oh, my dear little Batsy! You’re finally here! Say hello to the crowd!”

Batman felt a surge of irritation at that loathsome grin, but he knew it wouldn’t be this easy. Alfred sat tied to a chair, head slumped, silent.

“What is the game, Joker?”

The others began to arrive one by one.

“Batman, I’ve cut the broadcast signal,” Red Robin reported.

Everyone breathed a small sigh of relief; at least the strange voting had stopped. The Joker, seeing his feed cut, showed no panic.

Lisol Wayne was the first of the siblings to arrive. She saw Batman and the Joker standing in a stalemate, with Alfred unconscious but alive.

The Joker’s eyes lit up at the new arrival. He looked at the new “bird” with excitement. A girl. Familiar… though she lacked the pretty red hair.

He felt a twinge of nostalgia for the “amusement park.” It was a shame Gordon had been so stubborn. A Batgirl… she’d look much better in a wheelchair.

Lisol noticed the Joker’s predatory gaze. Batman felt a fire ignite in his chest. No one in the family could forget “The Killing Joke” the “joke” that buried a girl’s youth. The Joker had broken into Commissioner Gordon’s home, shot Barbara through the spine, and forced her father to look at photos of her pain. Barbara was paralyzed, and the trauma remained.

Jason arrived next, immediately stepping in front of Lisol to block the Joker’s view.

“Are we performing a pantomime?”

Jason didn’t care about the plan. He just wanted to get Alfred home, put a bullet in the Joker’s head, and then punch Batman.

“Well now, we have enough of an audience!”

The Joker’s cryptic words confused Lisol. They wanted to check on Alfred, but they had to be wary of traps. During a previous mission, the Joker had used a biological bomb; if anyone got too close, the hostage would detonate. Lisol had triggered it then, and they were only saved because Clark happened to be in town on an assignment.

“What do you want?” Batman demanded.

The Joker smiled. Behind him, the screen lit up with a new image: Dick.

Lisol gasped. They had split up for speed, but how did the Joker know where they were? How had he caught Nightwing?

“Batsy, you ruined my multiple-choice question. So here is Question Two: The loyal old butler, or the young Blue Bird? Who do you choose?”

Silence fell, punctuated only by the echo in their headsets. Then, a woman’s voice cut through.

“Hello, B-man! Having fun with my Puddin’? Want to hear what the Blue Bird has to say?”

The sound of wind and heavy breathing filled the line. Batman knew these children better than anyone. Dick had been his partner since he was twelve. He knew that voice anywhere.

“It’s him.”

At Batman’s confirmation, Jason’s rage boiled over. He should have killed this lunatic years ago. Jason raised his gun. Batman immediately tackled him.

“You should have let me kill him! Or you should have done it yourself! Do you want him to kill the rest of this family too?!”

“Red Hood, stay calm!”

Chaos erupted. Lisol Wayne’s eyes drifted to the handgun Batman had knocked out of Jason’s hand. Since their brief reconciliation, Jason had used rubber bullets at Batman’s request but Lisol knew Jason kept one gun loaded with live rounds.

Lisol picked up the gun and aimed it directly at the Joker. The Joker laughed.

“Yes! That’s it! Attagirl! HAHAHA!”

Batman and Jason stopped their scuffle, turning to see Lisol holding the gun.

“Don’t do it!”

But Lisol felt a strange, cold calm. She heard her heartbeat and the frantic voice of Red Robin in her ear:

“Batman! Watch out! I see Talons! Robin is missing! The League of Assassins… they…”

The transmission cut into static.

“Welcome to the Court of Owls, Daughter of Wayne.”

Lisol felt a wave of dizziness. Her body felt out of control. She pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed. The Joker fell.

“Come to hell with me, girl…”

Lisol was tackled to the ground. Her vision blurred, but she heard the final words:

“Alfred is dead.”

Lisol’s voice sounded hollow in the empty Gotham night as she finished her story.

“I killed the Joker, but I killed Alfred too.”

“Lisol, that wasn’t your fault. The sin belongs to the Joker.”

Clark tried to comfort her, but he lacked the words. Alice covered her mouth to stifle a cry.

“The Joker had a transmitter in his heart,” Lisol continued numbly. “If it stopped beating, the bombs on Alfred and Dick would detonate. The League of Assassins took Damian, and the Court of Owls took the city…”

“I am the culprit. So I have to stay here. I have to guard this city until the day Batman returns… or until the day I die.”

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