by Immortalwildcat
“Then we will be seeing you at the wedding, right?” Bruce Wayne asked as he prepared to exit Selina Kyle’s car in front of his hotel. “I’d like to finally meet this Anna.”
“Of course we’ll be there.” Selina’s smile disappeared as she became serious. “What about the Joker, Bruce? He’s more dangerous now than he ever was.”
“Maybe. But I doubt it. Talia said he had to have the serum that he made from the Lazarus Pit chemicals to retain his rationality.” Bruce reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black case. “I found this when we were speaking with Ra’s in his private chambers. Neither he nor Talia saw me pick it up.”
“What about your secret identity? Ra’s knows it, obviously, and the Joker was studying quite a bit of Ra’s’ plans. What if he discovered who you really are?”
“If he did, he gave no indication of it. Obviously, I’ll take steps to protect the people around me. But I won’t know for sure until he and I meet again.”
“You make that sound inevitable.”
“It is. Sooner or later, the Joker always returns to Gotham City.”
***
In a forested area of British Columbia, a figure struggled to climb out of the smoking ruin of a small aircraft. Waving his hand in front of his face to clear away from the smoke, he started to laugh.
“HA-HA-HA-HA! Leave it to Ra’s to have an escape craft that kills you!” The Joker paused, hearing himself. “Hmmm, must have been too long without my shot. Better take care of that — then I can start making plans for Mr. Wayne and his family.” He reached into his jacket and frowned. “What? Must have dropped it somewhere along the line!” He started to climb back into the escape jet but was driven back as somewhere, deep inside, something exploded. This was followed by a series of small explosions throughout the ship.
“No! Without that, how can I get my revenge on Wayne?” He started to walk away, looking for signs of civilization. “Wayne? No, what am I thinking? It’s Batman I want revenge on. Who the Dickens is Wayne, anyway?” He shook his head. “My mind, sometimes! It’s like I’m out of my mind or something. HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!”
The End