The Batmobile screamed to a halt beside Mario. The engine's roar echoed off the surrounding buildings.
"What happened?" Batman's voice came through the external speakers before the door even opened.
"Open up. We'll talk inside."
The armored door hissed open. Mario climbed in, settling into the passenger seat.
Batman's cowled head turned toward him. "Where's Gordon right now?"
The personal nature of the question wasn't lost on Mario. Batman and Gordon weren't just allies, they were friends in the way that men who'd seen too much darkness together became friends. Gordon was one of the few people in Gotham who believed Batman's crusade was more than vigilante violence.
"Abandoned building complex on the outskirts. East side industrial district."
WHAM.
Batman's fist slammed into the steering wheel. The Batmobile's engine roared to life. His foot hit the accelerator, and the vehicle lurched forward.
"Hold up a second. I need information on Harley Quinn. Where is she now?"
A slight smile played at the corners of Mario's mouth. Whatever emotional weight Gordon's kidnapping carried, it clearly wasn't affecting his calculations.
Batman was smart enough to understand immediately. "The Joker won't change his plans for her. Using her as leverage is meaningless..."
Mario glanced at Batman.
"No... and I won't be changing my plans either. Let's go. Take me to Arkham Asylum."
Batman fell silent. The Batmobile's course shifted, heading toward the infamous psychiatric facility. He knew that even if he refused, Mario would get there on his own. At least this way, he could monitor the situation.
---
The drive to Arkham took less than ten minutes. When they arrived, Mario was already climbing out before the vehicle had fully stopped.
"Wait here. I'll be right back."
Before Batman could respond, he vanished.
BLINK. BLINK...
Mario reappeared inside Arkham Asylum's main lobby. The building's architecture seemed designed to crush hope. Even sane people would develop problems after extended stays in this place. For the already unstable criminals housed here, it was less treatment facility and more pressure cooker.
A doctor on night duty glanced up from his paperwork, his tired eyes going wide as he registered Mario's sudden appearance. "Who are—"
He stopped mid-sentence, survival instinct overriding curiosity. Someone with abilities like that wasn't someone a low-level staff member wanted to piss off. He should have just pretended to be asleep.
Mario spotted the doctor and smiled. "Perfect timing. I need your help with something."
He pulled a staff from his inventory.
"Mind Control."
The doctor's eyes went vacant. His body remained upright.
"Take me to Harley Quinn."
The doctor nodded stiffly, grabbed an ID badge from beneath the service desk, and headed down a corridor.
Mario followed, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.
In the security office, a guard noticed something wrong on the monitors. He grabbed his radio immediately.
"Unit Three, we've got activity in the main lobby. Get eyes on it."
His finger hovered over the alarm button.
Mario and his puppet doctor passed through corridor after corridor, each lined with "treatment rooms" that looked more like holding cells. Heavy footsteps echoed behind them.
"Freeze! Hands up!"
He turned to find five security guards, each holding standard-issue sidearms in textbook ready positions.
"Who are you? Don't move or we will open fire. Dr. Jack, are you alright?"
Jack responded in a slightly stilted voice. "I'm fine."
The guards didn't notice the oddity. Their attention remained locked on Mario, who simply smiled. Mind Control... Mind Control... Mind Control...
Against ordinary humans, the spell was devastatingly effective. In seconds, five armed guards became five obedient servants. Their eyes went blank, weapons lowered to their sides. Unfortunately, the spell only lasted thirty seconds. He had to work fast.
The lead guard's radio crackled. "Unit Three, what's your status?"
One of the controlled guards responded, "All clear. He's Dr. Jack's new colleague, here for training observation. I'll keep an eye on the situation."
The security office bought it. "Copy that. Maintain visual."
Minutes later, they reached a reinforced door. A small placard read: PATIENT Q-001 - HARLEEN QUINZEL.
Anyone with name recognition got a private cell. Perks of being famous, even in an asylum.
"Open it," Mario instructed.
Jack shook his head. "I don't have the key."
Mario shrugged. "No problem. I've got something better than a key."
He pulled out his diamond pickaxe. Two precise strikes, and the reinforced steel door transformed into item drops, falling aside as game objects before disappearing.
He stepped into the cell. The walls were padded with thick, soft material. The furnishings were spartan: one bed, one table, one toilet. Nothing that could be weaponized.
A figure sat on the bed, knees pulled to chest, face buried against their legs. The body trembled. They wore a standard patient gown, blonde hair hanging loose and disheveled around their shoulders.
"Harley Quinn?"
The figure didn't respond to his voice.
"I can take you to 'Puddin'."
That got a reaction. The head snapped up, tears streaming down the face. The expression was heartbreaking, or would have been, if something hadn't felt wrong.
"Really? You'll take me to Puddin'?"
Mario's hand moved to his inventory. "Of course. But first, you need to close your eyes. It's the only way I can transport you safely."
The figure nodded eagerly, wiping tears away. Then slowly, deliberately, turned to face him fully.
The face wasn't Harley's.
Green hair. White skin. That unmistakable smile spreading across features that had been contorted into a feminine expression.
"Did you really think I wouldn't anticipate this?" The Joker's voice dropped its falsetto, becoming sharp. "Using her against me? Oh, Mr. Argento. I'm disappointed. You're more creative than that."
He stood up from the bed, patient gown hanging awkwardly on his frame. "She's safe, by the way. Somewhere you'll never find her. I made sure of that before our little game began."
Mario's nano saber hummed to life in his hand. "You know what? I'm getting really tired of your voice."
VZZZT.
The Joker's smile never wavered, even as the blade went through his chest.
"Well... that's rather... rude..." He coughed, blood flecking his lips. "I thought... we were having... a conversation..."
"Conversation's over."
Mario yanked the blade free and the Joker's body crumpled.
Fucking clowns and their mind games.
---
Marco reappeared beside the Batmobile, completely ignoring the alarms now wailing throughout Arkham Asylum. Let them investigate. By the time they sorted out what happened, he'd be long gone.
"Let's go."
Batman's cowl tilted toward him. "You didn't find Harley Quinn?"
"She wasn't there."
"What do you mean she wasn't there?"
Mario leaned back in the passenger seat."The Joker was in her cell. He dressed up like her, waiting for me. He knew I'd come."
"Where is she?"
"He says she's safe. Somewhere I won't find her. Which means either he's already killed her, or she's leverage he's saving for later. Either way, we're not getting her tonight."
The Batmobile's engine roared to life. "Then we stick to the plan. Gordon's location hasn't changed."
"Just drive."
Batman's hands tightened on the steering wheel. The Batmobile launched forward, heading toward the industrial district.
Gordon's safety consumed his thoughts, but the situation was worse than Mario knew. Not only had Gordon been taken, but his daughter Barbara had also vanished. Almost certainly captured alongside her father.
The Batmobile tore through the streets, yellow streetlights strobing past in rapid succession. In the intermittent light, Mario's face flickered between brightness and shadow.
The atmosphere inside was heavy. Then he broke the silence.
"Mind if I smoke? Smokers always want one when they're nervous or excited."
Batman pressed a button. Powerful ventilation fans activated throughout the cabin. "Go ahead. The filtration system will handle it."
"You don't need to be nervous. Gordon will be fine."
Batman was concerned that Mario's emotions might cloud his judgment. The Joker specialized in psychological manipulation, and he'd clearly set his sights on their new Ghost Rider.
Mario pulled out a cigarette and a metal Zippo lighter. It was a gift from Gordon when he'd noticed his habit.
Click.
A small flame appeared. He lit up and took a deep drag, squinting slightly as he smiled.
"I'm tougher than you think. I didn't go crazy even when I got torn apart by vampires. One clown isn't going to break me."
Vampires? Torn apart?
Batman mentally filed that information away for later analysis.
Then Mario continued, "If saving Gordon required sacrificing you... would you be willing?"
Batman nearly missed the turn he was taking. What kind of question was that?
After several seconds of silence, he responded, "If it guaranteed his safety, yes. I'd make that sacrifice. But based on my understanding of the Joker, even killing me wouldn't make him release Gordon. He'd probably just kill us both."
That strange smile appeared on Mario's face again. Through the rearview mirror, he could see it clearly.
"You understand the Joker very well. And he understands you just as well. Do you want to understand me? Or maybe you'd like to know my weaknesses?"
Bruce didn't respond. His instincts screamed that Mario was baiting him somehow.
Seeing no reaction, Mario simply returned to smoking and watching the scenery pass. Even with his daily cleanup operations, Gotham's remote areas remained infested with criminals. Red dots on his mini-map flickered past as the Batmobile raced through the night.
Fifteen minutes later, after navigating a series of broken access roads, they arrived at an abandoned building complex.
Mario stepped out of the Batmobile and headed straight for the largest building. His mini-map already showed him everything he needed: Gordon's green dot, multiple red dots marking the Joker and his men, and one white dot of unknown identity.
"Be careful," Batman whispered, falling into step beside him.
Mario nodded slightly. He wasn't in a rush. He wanted to see what game the Joker was really playing. Using Gordon as leverage? That would be disappointingly predictable.
Tomorrow I'll check on Rocket's brainwave amplifier progress. If it's not ready, I'll make do with Xavier's original model.
The Joker possessed something called the Dionysus Factor that allowed him to resurrect after death. But he had plans for that. Throw him into the Void. See if that regeneration factor could survive in non-existence.
And if that didn't work? There was always bedrock. Trap him in an indestructible cage for eternity.
Where there's a will, there's an exploit.
They picked their way through debris-strewn floors, heading deeper into the abandoned structure. The building's design suggested it had once been planned as a shopping mall. The center was hollow, creating a plaza-like space open to multiple floors above.
The moment they entered the central chamber...
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
The laughter echoed from above before they saw its source.
"You finally made it! Oh... and you even brought along Batman. How exciting!"
Mario finally spotted the green-haired figure. The Joker sat perched on the second-floor railing, holding a handkerchief and polishing a silver revolver. A sick smile stretched across his face.
"I'm here. Where's Gordon?"
"Shhh..." The Joker pressed a finger to his lips. "Look up!"
At his signal, masked henchmen appeared on the third floor. They shoved two figures forward, Gordon and a young woman Mario recognized as Barbara. Both were bound with ropes that held them suspended in mid-air.
Mario studied them: Gordon covered in bruises and cuts, Barbara completely unharmed. "So what's the play? Use them to threaten me?"
The Joker shook his head. "No, no, no... of course not. I'm planning to threaten the guy next to you. He'll find a way to deal with you. I know you can teleport, but go ahead and try."
He produced a detonator, holding it up like a game show prize. "The moment you kill me, the bombs on both of them explode. Likewise, if I press this button... well, chunky salsa. Oh, and if I see you take out your strange wand, I'll press this button too."
Mario clapped slowly. "Very nice. I don't have full confidence I could save both of them from you."
The Joker's smile grew impossibly wider. He pulled his sidearm, aimed at Gordon and Barbara, and fired.
BANG. BANG.
Gordon screamed as the bullet tore through his thigh. Barbara cried out as another round struck her calf. Gordon thrashed against his bonds, tears streaming down his face as he watched his daughter suffer. "You son of a bitch!"
"Mr. Argento, that's the punishment for being late... and for bringing Batman without permission." The Joker blew smoke from his pistol barrel like an Old West gunslinger.
Mario frowned. He couldn't use his wand, the Joker was watching for that.
An anti-materiel sniper rifle materialized in his hands.
The Joker saw the weapon appear but showed no panic. Instead, he spread his arms wide, still holding the detonator in one hand.
"Hahaha, come on, pull the trigger! See what happens!"
Mario raised the rifle.
"Gordon, I'm so sorry for what I'm about to do."
"What are you—" Batman started.
BANG. BANG.
Two shots rang out in rapid succession.
Shock replaced the manic grin on the Joker's face. Gordon and Barbara both took the rounds center mass. Their torsos exploded, bodies torn nearly in half at the waist. Blood sprayed in wide arcs as the two halves of each body swung separately on their ropes.
"What have you DONE?" The Joker shouted angrily.
"You set this up thinking I couldn't act," Mario said, turning the rifle toward Batman. The Dark Knight's hand had already moved toward his utility belt. "That I'd be paralyzed by the hostage situation. But you forgot one thing... I don't play by your rules."
"Don't—" Batman's voice carried confusion.
"I need you to trust me. I know this looks insane. And you probably want to stop me right now." Mario's finger rested on the trigger. "If you see me again... try not to attack me on sight."
Batman, recovering from the shock of watching two people murdered in front of him, forced his mind to work through the chaos. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"Because the Joker's target has always been you, not Gordon. You and him are the two sides of Gotham. You represent justice, he represents evil. You're destined enemies locked in an eternal dance. If you were to fall into darkness, then he would become justice's champion by default."
He took a breath. "Crazy as it sounds, that's how this works. He needs you. Without Batman, the Joker has no purpose."
Understanding dawned in the Joker's eyes. "No! NO! You can't—"
BANG.
Batman, still processing Mario's words, didn't react in time. The anti-materiel struck his face. His head exploded. The Dark Knight of Gotham crumpled to the ground.
"You RUINED it!" The Joker screamed. "You destroyed EVERYTHING! That's not... you weren't supposed to... Batman can't just DIE!"
Mario lowered the rifle. "Yeah. I did."
The Joker's men started moving from their positions, raising weapons. Mario's body erupted in blue-white hellfire as he transformed into Ghost Rider. His chain whipped out, skewering the armed thugs positioned around the upper floors. They had time for one scream each before the flames consumed them, burning soul and flesh simultaneously.
The screams echoed through the abandoned building, mixing with the Joker's own cries of loss.
Mario collected Gordon and Barbara's bodies into his inventory. They weren't gone. He'd bring them back once this was finished. Canceling his transformation and harvesting twelve souls in the process, he walked over to Batman's corpse and stored it as well.
The Joker just stared at the empty space where his nemesis had fallen.
"You really don't play by the rules."
"Your rules were designed to make me fail. So I changed the game. Your archenemy is dead. Commissioner Gordon is dead. Barbara Gordon is dead. Besides the Court of Owls, there's nobody left in Gotham who can stop you now. Congratulations. You won Gotham. I hope it was worth it."
The Joker's hands were shaking. "You weren't supposed to... Batman always finds a way. That's the point. He's not supposed to die..."
"Well, he did."
For several long moments, the Joker just knelt there, staring at the bloodstains.
"I will find everyone you've ever cared about. I will destroy everything you have. I will make you suffer in ways that make Batman's death look merciful. I will—"
"Do you know where I live?"
The Joker's tirade died mid-sentence.
"Do you know where my friends are? My family? Hell, do you even know how old I am?"
Silence.
"You don't know anything about me. But go ahead, make your threats. I'll be waiting. My real name is Mephisto. I'm sure you've heard of it somewhere in that twisted brain of yours. You want to find me? Come to Hell. I'll give you the grand tour."
The Joker's empty gun clattered to the floor. He charged with a wordless scream of rage, hands reaching for Mario's throat.
Mario quickly pulled out a wand and cast Transience. His body shimmered and became translucent, existing in a space between dimensions. The Joker passed straight through him, unable to make contact.
"Damn it! DAMN IT!" The Joker spun around, trying again and again to lay hands on Mario. Each attempt ended the same way, his fingers passing through empty air.
Mario checked his internal clock. Still several hours until dawn. He had nothing better to do until morning when he could check on Rocket's progress with the brainwave amplifier.
"Is this the resolve you have to kill me?"
The Joker finally stopped. He sat down on the debris-strewn floor. The manic energy had drained away.
Mario wasn't in any rush. He pulled wood from his inventory and placed down a crafting table. Within minutes, he'd constructed a simple dining setup. He sat down and began eating leisurely.
"Want some?" He held up a piece of bread.
The Joker didn't respond. He just sat there, staring at nothing.
Mario finished his meal without interruption. The Joker's silence was almost more unnerving than his usual manic laughter. After eating his fill, he walked over and studied the clown's face. The makeup was smeared from sweat and exertion, making him look less theatrical and more pathetic.
"Lost without your Batman, aren't you?" He pulled out glass blocks from his inventory. He constructed a transparent containment cell around the Joker, enclosing him in glass. Even then, the Joker didn't move or speak. He just sat there.
Mario shook his head. He pulled out a bed and lay down.
---
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50 Advance Chapters!
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