(General P.O.V)
"Mmph! I can't believe the Old guy lost!"
Batmite threw popcorn at the huge flat screen before him.
On it was a scene of Davian defeating Barragan.
It could be noted that the screen occupied the entire left side of his living room and seemed to be identical to the Batcave's Bat-computer.
"I'll have to do something about it. If you ain't cheating, you ain't winning."
He grabbed his Batmite outfit and wore it over a greasy wife-beater.
He secured the empty utility belt on his hips with a snap of his fingers, before teleporting infront of a mirror and checking himself over.
"Now that is what I call...Bat-licious. kukuku..."
He stuck out his chest, the cape behind him fluttering in a non-existent wind, before disappearing from the Fifth Dimension.
******
(Third dimension)
(Gotham)
There was an old tv playing opposite the bar counter.
On it, was a prim and proper woman dressed in a blue office suit.
"Our main story today, Commissioner Gordon calls off the search for the metahuman killer known as the Scarlet Devil. He's wanted by the authorities for his involvement in 3 murders..."
All eyes were on the mug shots that had appeared on the screen. 3 people that all of them knew intimately.
Penguin, Carmine (The Roman) Falcone and Victor Zsasz.
After all, they were in a way...colleagues.
Mr.Freeze tightened his hand around the beer Stein before him, freezing it unintentionally. He and Falcone had had a deal.
The Mafia boss would procure hard-to-get-resources for him, while Freeze would offer his services in exchange.
But now that Falcone was dead, Freeze was running out of time to save his wife.
And it was all...the Scarlet Devil's fault.
"... in other news, the Joker has been stopped again. The Dark or rather, Emerald Knight, failed to apprehend the Crown Prince of Crime but managed to save a cruise ship filled with a few foreign dignitaries and the City's own pride and Joy, Mr. Bruce Wayne."
The anchor's statement had everybody back to watching the screen.
"The Joker was then carted back to Arkham Asylum..."
"...Gotham has seen a reduction in crime rate from the Judicious efforts of the Emerald Knight."
"A term citizens have coined in relation to Batman's new abilities. Abilities that sources claim are granted by a green lantern ring, a powerful weapon that is able..."
Her voice fell to the background as the conversation picked up between the patrons in the bar.
"I wonder how long that will last."
Roxy Rocket, a dark skinned woman wearing a costume similar to a pilot with big yellow glasses, said.
The bartender Mitch, threw a glance her way before going back to wiping the glasses.
"What do you mean?"
Her companion asked.
The latter turned out to be an alluring woman with pale skin and terrible beauty. Red hair fell to her shoulders. Whisper O'Daire was in the building.
You see,
It was poker night at Mitch's.
One of a few spots in Gotham that allowed Supervillains and Rogues to get together and basically complain about Batman and Robin.
And now recently, the Scarlet Devil.
"Easy. Batman's entire ethos is of a man trying to carry out his own brand of justice."
Roxy Rocket explained,
"At our expense of course."
She added playfully, causing a few laughs to sound out from around them.
"Whatever these new abilities are...they ain't here to stay. They make it too easy for him. Sooner or later, he'll find it much better to simply go back to punching criminals on the face and breaking bones."
The mood in the bar got a bit subdued upon her words. They all knew whose faces would be punched and bones broken...theirs.
"I agree."
Whisper responded.
Mitch's at Fridays was the only downtime she got to hang out with a few friends and not think about work.
Especially with Intergang's expanded operations and new affiliations with the New Gods from Apokalips.
She hadn't joined Intergang to sell out her own planet. Which felt like what she was doing now.
Maybe a night of gossip and cheap beer was what she needed.
"The only reason I can see him using the Lantern ring is because of the new guy."
She added, idly playing with the straw in her drink.
Naturally they all knew who she was talking about.
Whisper couldn't say she wasn't interested in the stranger wearing a red mask.
Roxy Rocket chuckled knowingly.
"The sex on two legs going around Killing? I wouldn't mind getting under him..."
She licked her lips while staring at the Scarlet Devil's image on the tv.
"I beat he looks delicious under that mask."
Women had always been attracted to men with power. And the Scarlet Devil had a lot of it.
He brought back Gotham after it had been destroyed.
As the discussion between the two Supervillainess' devolved into girl talk and the lack of actual good men, a Poker table close to Roxy Rocket and Whisper was suspiciously quiet.
Kite Man turned his gaze to his companions.
"I'm telling you man..."
He leaned across the table.
"These new guys? They're really cramping my style. They stopped me from hitting up a liquor store for some quick buck. Crime Alley used to be safe. The Bats avoided it but now..."
Kite Man trailed off with a shake of his head.
"Pfft, we all know you're a coward Kite Man. You always run away whenever the Bat or Boy Wonder appears..."
Condiment King sneered.
"Who doesn't?"
Rat-catcher cut in, gently caressing a rat in his hands.
Condiment King threw him a stink eye before continuing.
"The bats is one thing but getting spooked by a bunch of wannabe vigilantes? Plain Dumb."
Kite Man ground his teeth but before he could reply, Mad Hatter spoke.
"Batman will always be a long term problem. This...PRT seem to be affiliated with the Scarlet Devil. He's the immediate problem."
The Mad-Hatter said, pushing his poker chips forward.
There was a brief silence in the whole club as other villains and criminals turned to them.
The name drop had not gone unnoticed.
Kite Man and the rest found the attention uncomfortable.
"Haha... don't mind us guys. Just... having a calm Friday night."
Kite Man said, laughing it off.
Sneakily, he kicked Mad Hatter's shin below the table.
"We talked about this...no bringing attention to ourselves. They already see us as a joke. I would appreciate it if you didn't mention the name of the Serial Killer going around Killing Supervillains."
Kite Man told him in a harsh whisper.
"My little ones can intercept conversations." Rat-catcher said, cooing at the squeaking rat in his hands.
"They say 'he' can hear it when someone says his name. That's why Falcone died, because he threatened to kill 'him' for meddling with his operations."
Everyone looked at Rat-catcher as if he was crazy.
Condiment King snorted, leaning back while crossing his hands over his large belly.
"You're all being paranoid. There is no way..."
Just then, the door swung open, letting in a cold draft of air from the outside. The villains in the bar tensed as a shiver creeped up their spines.
"Huhuhu, Am I interrupting something?"
That voice...
They all knew who it belonged to.
The Joker walked in, dressed in a Gotham P.D uniform. Oh and the bloody face of the Cop who the uniform had belonged to.
"I thought they said he was captured."
Condiment King whispered.
"Well, he clearly escaped enroute."
Kite Man responded with a gulp.
The Joker's shoes left patches of blood on the floor as he walked in.
Mitch, reached under the counter and removed a Shotgun.
"We don't serve your kind Clown. Get..."
"Oh, I'm sorry! You probably all have bad histories with this uniform."
He used the gun in his hands to smack the Gotham P.D logo on the uniform.
He reached to his head and tore off the face of the cop he wore.
"Ta-da, it's me. The Joker!"
Announcing himself only caused the mood in the bar to plummet further down.
"I think, he told you to leave, Joker."
Freeze stated, getting off his chair.
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
The Joker smiled nastily.
"You sure? Even after I bring you good tidings? Ohohoh this is why I need friends."
He shook his head, fearlessly walking forward and tracking more blood in from the bottom of his shoes.
He stopped in the middle of the bar and ripped open the shirt he wore.
A wave of shock permeated the entire bar.
There was a bomb strapped around his chest.
"Now, I feel like I have your attention."
The Joker's smile widened, revealing bloodied teeth.
"Are you fucking crazy?!"
The Ugliest Man In The World, a Crime boss who had once led the Ugly Horde, a gang that Batman had dealt with asked, pointing his tommy gunny at the Joker.
More guns, swords, laser pistols, a mustard shooter, in Condiment King's case, were pointed at the Crown Prince of Crime.
Kite Man was slowly inching towards the backdoor. Fuck this, he was outta here. Anywhere with the Joker was bad news.
"The good news is that today I'm feeling particularly...festive." the Joker said, fixing his tie.
"Had to bring out the fireworks and all that, you know how it is."
The other villains shared confused looks.
"Don't worry."
The joker waved them off, motioning to the bomb strapped to his chest.
"This is mostly an insurance. If my heart stops from one of you overzealously jealous individuals, boom goes the place."
There was a collective intake of breath.
"I'm calling your bluff."
A woman wearing the top half of a cat-like skull said, unsheathing her Katana.
"Whatever fucked up scheme you have, I'd sooner separate your screwed up head from your neck than have you pull me into it. If the bomb goes off...fuck it, Gotham will atleast be spared from your insanity."
Joker blinked.
"I don't even know who you are."
He shrugged with a giggle.
"Oh you will..."
Lynx promised, stepping forward menacingly only to be stopped by Whisper, who shook her head at her.
Just because Lynx was willing to throw her life away didn't mean the rest were.
"Look around Clown. You're not among friends. Now leave...before the Bats tracks you here. There are not a lot of quiet places like Mitch's."
Whisper informed him, the rest of the villains sharing her stance.
"Tsk tsk...I see. Well, no matter." The Joker turned around.
"I will just leave. It's clear I'm not wanted. It's clear you would rather not heed my warnings. If only dear Old Penguin had listened to me...if only..."
"Wait."
Mr. Freeze called out.
The Joker's face, unseen by anyone, split into an even wider smile.
"Yes?"
He asked, turning around.
"Explain yourself. What do you mean?"
Mr.Freeze prodded.
"Simple...War is coming."
The Joker turned around in a flourish.
His hands spread out.
"Anarchy!! chaos!! Hahahaha. Oh it's going to be glorious. There's a new sensation in Gotham...and a little birdie told me what his real mission is...Killing every single villain in Gotham."
(General P.O.V)
"Mmph! I can't believe the Old guy lost!"
Batmite threw popcorn at the huge flat screen before him.
On it was a scene of Davian defeating Barragan.
It could be noted that the screen occupied the entire left side of his living room and seemed to be identical to the Batcave's Bat-computer.
"I'll have to do something about it. If you ain't cheating, you ain't winning."
He grabbed his Batmite outfit and wore it over a greasy wife-beater.
He secured the empty utility belt on his hips with a snap of his fingers, before teleporting infront of a mirror and checking himself over.
"Now that is what I call...Bat-licious. kukuku..."
He stuck out his chest, the cape behind him fluttering in a non-existent wind, before disappearing from the Fifth Dimension.
******
(Third dimension)
(Gotham)
There was an old tv playing opposite the bar counter.
On it, was a prim and proper woman dressed in a blue office suit.
"Our main story today, Commissioner Gordon calls off the search for the metahuman killer known as the Scarlet Devil. He's wanted by the authorities for his involvement in 3 murders..."
All eyes were on the mug shots that had appeared on the screen. 3 people that all of them knew intimately.
Penguin, Carmine (The Roman) Falcone and Victor Zsasz.
After all, they were in a way...colleagues.
Mr.Freeze tightened his hand around the beer Stein before him, freezing it unintentionally. He and Falcone had had a deal.
The Mafia boss would procure hard-to-get-resources for him, while Freeze would offer his services in exchange.
But now that Falcone was dead, Freeze was running out of time to save his wife.
And it was all...the Scarlet Devil's fault.
"... in other news, the Joker has been stopped again. The Dark or rather, Emerald Knight, failed to apprehend the Crown Prince of Crime but managed to save a cruise ship filled with a few foreign dignitaries and the City's own pride and Joy, Mr. Bruce Wayne."
The anchor's statement had everybody back to watching the screen.
"The Joker was then carted back to Arkham Asylum..."
"...Gotham has seen a reduction in crime rate from the Judicious efforts of the Emerald Knight."
"A term citizens have coined in relation to Batman's new abilities. Abilities that sources claim are granted by a green lantern ring, a powerful weapon that is able..."
Her voice fell to the background as the conversation picked up between the patrons in the bar.
"I wonder how long that will last."
Roxy Rocket, a dark skinned woman wearing a costume similar to a pilot with big yellow glasses, said.
The bartender Mitch, threw a glance her way before going back to wiping the glasses.
"What do you mean?"
Her companion asked.
The latter turned out to be an alluring woman with pale skin and terrible beauty. Red hair fell to her shoulders. Whisper O'Daire was in the building.
You see,
It was poker night at Mitch's.
One of a few spots in Gotham that allowed Supervillains and Rogues to get together and basically complain about Batman and Robin.
And now recently, the Scarlet Devil.
"Easy. Batman's entire ethos is of a man trying to carry out his own brand of justice."
Roxy Rocket explained,
"At our expense of course."
She added playfully, causing a few laughs to sound out from around them.
"Whatever these new abilities are...they ain't here to stay. They make it too easy for him. Sooner or later, he'll find it much better to simply go back to punching criminals on the face and breaking bones."
The mood in the bar got a bit subdued upon her words. They all knew whose faces would be punched and bones broken...theirs.
"I agree."
Whisper responded.
Mitch's at Fridays was the only downtime she got to hang out with a few friends and not think about work.
Especially with Intergang's expanded operations and new affiliations with the New Gods from Apokalips.
She hadn't joined Intergang to sell out her own planet. Which felt like what she was doing now.
Maybe a night of gossip and cheap beer was what she needed.
"The only reason I can see him using the Lantern ring is because of the new guy."
She added, idly playing with the straw in her drink.
Naturally they all knew who she was talking about.
Whisper couldn't say she wasn't interested in the stranger wearing a red mask.
Roxy Rocket chuckled knowingly.
"The sex on two legs going around Killing? I wouldn't mind getting under him..."
She licked her lips while staring at the Scarlet Devil's image on the tv.
"I beat he looks delicious under that mask."
Women had always been attracted to men with power. And the Scarlet Devil had a lot of it.
He brought back Gotham after it had been destroyed.
As the discussion between the two Supervillainess' devolved into girl talk and the lack of actual good men, a Poker table close to Roxy Rocket and Whisper was suspiciously quiet.
Kite Man turned his gaze to his companions.
"I'm telling you man..."
He leaned across the table.
"These new guys? They're really cramping my style. They stopped me from hitting up a liquor store for some quick buck. Crime Alley used to be safe. The Bats avoided it but now..."
Kite Man trailed off with a shake of his head.
"Pfft, we all know you're a coward Kite Man. You always run away whenever the Bat or Boy Wonder appears..."
Condiment King sneered.
"Who doesn't?"
Rat-catcher cut in, gently caressing a rat in his hands.
Condiment King threw him a stink eye before continuing.
"The bats is one thing but getting spooked by a bunch of wannabe vigilantes? Plain Dumb."
Kite Man ground his teeth but before he could reply, Mad Hatter spoke.
"Batman will always be a long term problem. This...PRT seem to be affiliated with the Scarlet Devil. He's the immediate problem."
The Mad-Hatter said, pushing his poker chips forward.
There was a brief silence in the whole club as other villains and criminals turned to them.
The name drop had not gone unnoticed.
Kite Man and the rest found the attention uncomfortable.
"Haha... don't mind us guys. Just... having a calm Friday night."
Kite Man said, laughing it off.
Sneakily, he kicked Mad Hatter's shin below the table.
"We talked about this...no bringing attention to ourselves. They already see us as a joke. I would appreciate it if you didn't mention the name of the Serial Killer going around Killing Supervillains."
Kite Man told him in a harsh whisper.
"My little ones can intercept conversations." Rat-catcher said, cooing at the squeaking rat in his hands.
"They say 'he' can hear it when someone says his name. That's why Falcone died, because he threatened to kill 'him' for meddling with his operations."
Everyone looked at Rat-catcher as if he was crazy.
Condiment King snorted, leaning back while crossing his hands over his large belly.
"You're all being paranoid. There is no way..."
Just then, the door swung open, letting in a cold draft of air from the outside. The villains in the bar tensed as a shiver creeped up their spines.
"Huhuhu, Am I interrupting something?"
That voice...
They all knew who it belonged to.
The Joker walked in, dressed in a Gotham P.D uniform. Oh and the bloody face of the Cop who the uniform had belonged to.
"I thought they said he was captured."
Condiment King whispered.
"Well, he clearly escaped enroute."
Kite Man responded with a gulp.
The Joker's shoes left patches of blood on the floor as he walked in.
Mitch, reached under the counter and removed a Shotgun.
"We don't serve your kind Clown. Get..."
"Oh, I'm sorry! You probably all have bad histories with this uniform."
He used the gun in his hands to smack the Gotham P.D logo on the uniform.
He reached to his head and tore off the face of the cop he wore.
"Ta-da, it's me. The Joker!"
Announcing himself only caused the mood in the bar to plummet further down.
"I think, he told you to leave, Joker."
Freeze stated, getting off his chair.
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
The Joker smiled nastily.
"You sure? Even after I bring you good tidings? Ohohoh this is why I need friends."
He shook his head, fearlessly walking forward and tracking more blood in from the bottom of his shoes.
He stopped in the middle of the bar and ripped open the shirt he wore.
A wave of shock permeated the entire bar.
There was a bomb strapped around his chest.
"Now, I feel like I have your attention."
The Joker's smile widened, revealing bloodied teeth.
"Are you fucking crazy?!"
The Ugliest Man In The World, a Crime boss who had once led the Ugly Horde, a gang that Batman had dealt with asked, pointing his tommy gunny at the Joker.
More guns, swords, laser pistols, a mustard shooter, in Condiment King's case, were pointed at the Crown Prince of Crime.
Kite Man was slowly inching towards the backdoor. Fuck this, he was outta here. Anywhere with the Joker was bad news.
"The good news is that today I'm feeling particularly...festive." the Joker said, fixing his tie.
"Had to bring out the fireworks and all that, you know how it is."
The other villains shared confused looks.
"Don't worry."
The joker waved them off, motioning to the bomb strapped to his chest.
"This is mostly an insurance. If my heart stops from one of you overzealously jealous individuals, boom goes the place."
There was a collective intake of breath.
"I'm calling your bluff."
A woman wearing the top half of a cat-like skull said, unsheathing her Katana.
"Whatever fucked up scheme you have, I'd sooner separate your screwed up head from your neck than have you pull me into it. If the bomb goes off...fuck it, Gotham will atleast be spared from your insanity."
Joker blinked.
"I don't even know who you are."
He shrugged with a giggle.
"Oh you will..."
Lynx promised, stepping forward menacingly only to be stopped by Whisper, who shook her head at her.
Just because Lynx was willing to throw her life away didn't mean the rest were.
"Look around Clown. You're not among friends. Now leave...before the Bats tracks you here. There are not a lot of quiet places like Mitch's."
Whisper informed him, the rest of the villains sharing her stance.
"Tsk tsk...I see. Well, no matter." The Joker turned around.
"I will just leave. It's clear I'm not wanted. It's clear you would rather not heed my warnings. If only dear Old Penguin had listened to me...if only..."
"Wait."
Mr. Freeze called out.
The Joker's face, unseen by anyone, split into an even wider smile.
"Yes?"
He asked, turning around.
"Explain yourself. What do you mean?"
Mr.Freeze prodded.
"Simple...War is coming."
The Joker turned around in a flourish.
His hands spread out.
"Anarchy!! chaos!! Hahahaha. Oh it's going to be glorious. There's a new sensation in Gotham...and a little birdie told me what his real mission is...Killing every single villain in Gotham."
