The Black van reversed, carefully negotiating the narrow gates of the Gotham courthouse, and stopped just shy of the large ornate doors. The Letters G.C.P.D neatly painted in white on its side panels.
An eerie laughter, insane, detached, and growing louder with each passing second could be heard from the other side of the doors. Moments later they swung open and two burly heavily armed guards wearing the Black of Arkham Asylum emerged flanking a much smaller, ironically, black hooded man, his hands and feet chained together forcing him to shuffle along with an unnatural gait.
Gotham Police and Arkham Guards alike that swarmed the yard, all turned to face the hooded man, the residues of the fear they had all felt when He was free resurfaced as they listened to the seemingly unwarranted laughter emanating from beneath the hood.
The Guards bookending the black hooded man each took an arm and swiftly lifted him into the waiting van, climbing in behind him and slamming the doors shut. A third, shotgun armed Guard climbed in beside the driver and the van moved off to join the convoy of identical vans waiting outside the gates.
Nobody had seen the Gotham Policeman, the one with the wisp of green hair snaking out from under his hat, unnoticed amongst the swarm of similarly clad men and women, marking the van with a small white cross.
Batman watched intently as the van hove into view. “They’re on time.” He said gruffly as he scanned the road ahead of the Vans planned route. “Dick, that truck at the junction, its missed three green lights, move in closer and take a look.”
Dick Grayson, Nightwing, crouched in the shadows of the Alleyway, from his position he had a clear view of the trucks cab. “It’s empty Bruce!” he said in a hushed tone. “I think they must have gone after one of the decoys.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Batgirls voice crackled over the communicator, “It’s too qui……..”
The explosion from the storefront sent debris in every direction, a huge chunk of concrete and glass landing, almost as if directed, in the road in front of the van and blocking its path. Clown masked thugs poured out of the nearby buildings and headed towards the stalled vehicle.
Batman raced to the aid of Nightwing, who was now pinned down by the newly appeared Harley Quinn and one of her accomplices as they ran at him firing wildly Batman glanced over his shoulder and could see Batgirl and Agent O Connell headed towards the van hoping to stop the rest of the gang relieving it of its cargo. They too were under heavy fire.
By the time he turned back towards Nightwing he was already down and Harley Quinn and her Clown were already heading towards her true target. Batman was torn, but there was nothing he could do for Dick other than hope he was alive. He spun around and sprinted towards Harley.
A sudden dulled yelp from the direction of Agent O Connell drew Batman’s attention and he watched in dismay as he too fell sprawling on the wet Gotham streets. Now Batgirl faced the throng of Clowns alone.
A huge figure appeared and began to run towards the rear of the G.C.P.D. van, Batman instantly recognising it as one of the Joker’s Titan Clowns. Batman was still too far away to do anything but watch as the hulking Clown reached the back door of the transport and rip the doors off their hinges.
Batgirl had managed to take down one of the Clowns that now had her surrounded but the weight of numbers worked against her and she soon joined Agent O Connell and Nightwing in the gutter.
Batman tried in vain to reach the Arkham Guards as they desperately fought back against the newly arrived Harley Quinn and the rest of the gang, seeing each one fall in turn. By the time he made the Van the Joker was gone, the distant echo of his laughter carried in the wind….
