After heading into the sewers, and maneuvering the labyrinth below, Batman and Silver Mane found a group of Black Mask's men, seemed like Roman added some martial artists to his payroll. Didn't matter much since the two vigilantes made quick work of them.
Pressing forward, they arrived at the underground server room. "Master Bruce, you are directly beneath the GCPD. The telecom wires should be right under your nose." Alfred chimed in as Sylas linked himself to the servers and began cross-referencing the DNA analysis.
"Alfred, can you send over the Lacey Towers case files?" "Right away, sir."
An image of Roman Sionis wearing his white suit appeared on their hologram feed. "This photo is from the day of the murder. It's a perfect match." Batman stated cross-referencing the image with the piece of clothing Sylas found at the crime scene.
"The DNA tells more of the story..." "But here's something the police overlooked: Roman Sionis owns Gotham Merchants Bank... and he installed biometric security only he could access." Sylas stated.
Sylas then contacted Alfred. "I believe I know what happened: By now, Gotham P.D. thinks Roman Sionis is dead - the casualty of a turf war. Murdered by The Penguin. But that's not it. Someone spooked Sionis' girlfriend. So he sent her to his safe house - which was anything but safe. Sionis showed up later, ready for trouble - and found it or so it seemed. Roman's always been paranoid. It's probably why he lasted this long. He sent in a decoy... giving himself the element of surprise... but it wasn't enough. There was a fight, and Roman lost. The Killer didn't hesitate to shoot the decoy, but he wanted Roman alive - to access the cash stored at the Gotham Merchants Bank. With Sionis under control, all that remained was to tie up loose ends. But it wasn't the fire that killed Sionis' girlfriend. What kind of monster forces a man to kill the ones he loves..?" Sylas's story checks out. Then it seemed that the two of them came to the same conclusion.
"The Joker." "He's the shadow we've been chasing." "And now we know where we're going - Gotham Merchant's Bank." The two agreed and quickly left the sewer and headed towards Gotham Merchant's Bank.
As they trekked through the city, Alfred chimed in. "It's midnight, sirs. Just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas." A warmth pulse in Sylas's chest. "You too." Batman replied. " Merry Christmas to you both."
Once there, the two infiltrated the bank, only to find bodies everywhere. The sunk into a vent directly above the main vault. They exploded the floor and dropped down onto the vault.
They were surrounded by Sionis' men, their guns trained on the two Vigilantes. They had a hostage. A woman, probably the bank manager. Sionis was there, too.
"Think you can just waltz on into my bank, huh?" Black Mask questioned. "Roman. I'm here for the Joker." Batman stated.
"The Joker? Never heard of him." He said as he walked over to the manager and pointed a gun to her head. "How 'bout you, doll? Know the Joker?" He asked. She has a creepy smile. "The who?" She said with a small laugh. "I'm not liking this." Sylas whispered to Batman. Then, one of Black Mask's men came out with another hostage, wearing the same white suit and a sack over his head. "And you, sir? Name Joker ring a bell?" Black mask asked, taking off the sack revealing Roman Sionis. The other Black Mask tore off a strip of tape covering Roman's mouth.
"You sunova bitch! You think you can steal from me and get away with it?" The other Black Mask was getting visibly upset. "You're a dead man! Dead!"
SMACK! The other Black Mask struck Roman with his gun. Can't... you just... play... along!?" He shouted as he smacked Roman with the gun in-between each word. Finally kicking him to the floor as the manager began to laugh hysterically. "You're Insane!" She said in-between her manic laughter, her laugh growing bigger and wider. The other Black Mask continued to kick Roman until he got tired and made his men drag him into a nearby ambulance they were using as a getaway vehicle. The woman continued to laugh. The other Black Mask took off his mask, revealing a pale white sharp face, with wild green hair, black eyeshadow, and a grotesque smile painted in red lipstick, making a larger smile. Making him look like a terrifying clown.
Sylas felt a chill crawl down his spine. He had only met the clown, but he knew one thing for certain: This clown is nothing but a monster.
"It's been you this whole time - you hired the assassins. You've been running Sionis' operation." Sylas stated. "Well, technically, it's my operation now. Isn't that right, boys?" Joker said as his men ditched the black masks for clown masks, making the clerk laugh ever crazier. Her smile had grown large and inhumane.
"You've got us. Now let her go." Batman bargained.
"Oh, life would be so simple if you were all i wanted. No - you're just a teeny little distraction - compared to what I've got up my sleeve." Joker then shot at the two of them. Batman tanked the shots while Sylas dodged them. "Here! Have a laugh on me." Joker said, pushing the woman towards them as she continued to laugh, now sounding like a deranged witch's cackle. "Do you hear that?" Joker spoke as he held onto the back door handles of the ambulance.
"Sounds like eight tiny reindeer." He laughed as the ambulance drove off, and he pressed a detonator. Batman tackled the laughing manager out of the way, while Silver Mane dove away as the vault exploded. When the two of them woke up, they quickly realized the woman was dead, with that hideous smile plastered onto her face.
Then Joker's men burst into the room that the two vigilantes took to the gargoyles and started taking them out one-by-one. Batman interrogated one of the henchmen who told him that Joker was heading to Sionis's steel mill. After taking out Joker's men stationed outside, Alfred chimed in on the intercoms.
"Sir. I have isolated the electromagnetic signal on Electrocutioner's gloves. You can track him with your scanner now."
"A bit late, Alfred. I'm about to get my hands on Black Mask and maybe the Joker, too."
"I can handle it. I go after Electrocutioner." Batman thought for a moment but then agreed. "Try not to get into trouble." he said. "I should be telling you that." Sylas then zipped away and began trekking through the rooftops, the signal leading him to Gotham Royal Hotel.
Then Alfred chimed into the intercom. "Sir, Master Bruce is in need of your help." "What's happened?"
"Copperhead, sir."
"Her venom is very potent and hallucinogenic. On my way."
Sylas ran and grappled through the city as fast as he could, managing to make it to the Steel Mill within minutes. Once inside, he followed Batman's tracking signal, leading him to a large warehouse. there he saw Batman fighting with Copperhead, albeit delirious , even punching things that weren't there. He's hallucinating. He doesn't have long. Silver Mane crept up behind Copperhead giving her a swift kick to the side of her head, knocking her out.
Then, the drop container with the cure to Copperhead's venom dropped in through the ceiling. Batman then opened it and injected it into his neck. Sylas tied up Copperhead as Batman walked over. "Did you find Electrocutioner?"
"No, thank you?" Sylas asked. "Did you find him?" Batman asked again sternly. "Don't you give me that tone, Bats! I'm here to help you. We're partners. I'm not your lackey!" Sylas shouted. The two glaring at each other. "Now show some fucking gratitude. Since I just helped save your life." Sylas said firmly as Batman let out a short sigh. "Thank you. For your help." Sylas smiled. "See. Was that so hard?"
"I followed his signal to Gotham Royal." Sylas informed as Batman threw Copperhead into a shipping container. But before sealing her inside, she revealed that all the Assassins were meeting going to a meeting.
"Now we know where Joker will be."
The two of them traveled to Gotham Royal, where heavy SWAT presence was all over the place. They entered through the parking garage. "Master Bruce. Has Joker taken room at the Gotham Royal?" Alfred asked. "He's in here. And SWAT are doing his dirty work - keeping Gordon and the media from whatever's going on inside."
"Doesn't Branden realize it's not Black Mask he's working with?"
"I guess he'll find out when we bring in the Joker."
The two of them made their way through the garage and into an elevator. "Do we even know just where in the hotel the Joker is located?" "No. Why?"
"Well, there's a security room in the hotel lobby. We could use the cameras to find him."
"Okay. Let's try that."
Heading into the lobby, they noticed that there were heavy amounts of explosives, enough to bring the whole building down. After taking down Joker's men patrolling the lobby, they found the security room and the room Joker was in.
In the feed, they saw Joker wearing a white dress shirt, beneath a green vest and a long, dark purple, leather coat, with black pant, white and black shoes and still wearing the black mask. In the room were Electrocutioner, Firefly, some henchmen, and Bane. While Deadshot and Lady Shiva were in attendance but only through screens, not bothering to show up.
"Friends, assassins. Welcome to our first quarterly performance review."
"As you can see here: Batman deaths are coming in far below projections." He said, holding back the urge to laugh, as he pointed at the many TVs behind him with childish drawings. "We are really going to have to turn this around." He said, taking off the mask on Electrocutioner, who was scrolling through his phone. "And by we, I mean YOU." He said, sitting on the table in-between them all, dropping the Black Mask act. "Got that, Mr... Cutioner?" He asked mockingly.
"Just who the hell - are you?" Electrocutioner asked menacingly. Joker then hopped off the table. "I'm the guy with the money - " He then pulled out a gun from his coat, aiming it at Electrocutioner. "And the gun." He then fired a couple of times at the window behind Electrocutioner and then accidentally at the floor.
"So when I hire you to kill the Batman and Silver Mane, you SHUT THE HELL UP AND KILL THE TWO OF THEM!" He shouted, pushing Electrocutioner back down into his chair. He then placed a foot onto the chair.
"Do you have - anything - else to contribute?" Joker asked, but the assassin stayed quiet.
"I didn't think so." He said menacingly with a smile as he then pushed off Electrocutioner's chair through the window, sending the man falling over fifty floors, crashing through the glass ceiling above the plaza, into a large light fixture and crashing right in front of the two vigilantes.
Joker then took a bite out of a fruitcake. "Mmmm! This fruitcake is fantastic! Anyone want a piece?" He asked, stabbing a knife into the table. "Alright, Meeting's adjourned. Get out there and kill the Bat and Cat." Firefly flew out of the now broken window. Deadshot and Shiva's screens turned off, but Bane remained seated.
"Move it along, big boy." "No. They're coming for you now. And when they get here, I'm going to kill them." Bane then stood up, towering over Joker. A scowl on his masked face. "So you wait." Bane then shoved Joker back into a chair. Joker laughed.
"Well, this should be interesting." He then began to spin around in his chair, laughing.
