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Part Nine: Chapter 51: WTF?

Bruce Wayne sat alone by himself in his bat cave trying to figure out how the Joker managed to escape from Arkham, and take three other patients with him. He just couldn't seem to figure it out. It shouldn't have been possible. But then, he reminded himself who it was. The Joker had always managed to do things that Bruce found nearly impossible. That was because the Joker didn't care about risks, not even the ones to his own life.

Bruce thinks that deep down, the Joker wanted to die. Bruce isn't sure if its so the Joker can prove something to him, or if its simply that he was depressed. Bruce already knows that the Joker hides behind his smile and his laugh. Bruce knows that the Joker fears nothing, but what about pain? Not physical pain, but emotional pain. Bruce thought he caught a glimpse of pain when he asked the Joker about his wife.

If the Joker had a wife, then it wasn't unreasonable to assume that he could feel love. If he could do that, then he most likely could feel pain too. Maybe Jack Napier feels so much pain that he convinces himself that he's the Joker, a man who's not capable of feeling any of those unpleasant feelings. The Joker spreads fear and pain. Maybe he wants the whole world to feel his pain.

"Good morning Master Bruce," says Alfred bringing in a tray of breakfast to him, "I take it you've not seen your bed again?" Alfred tries not to sound too concerned. But naturally, he is. "Studying the clown again?"

"He busted out of Arkham last night. He took Poison Ivy, the Riddler, and Scarecrow with him. He's probably already cooking up some plan," Bruce sighs and never once stops looking at his computer screen. "I don't know where to find him so I can drag him back to Arkham."

"Well, after the Joker took over Gotham he acquired many properties that had belonged to the mob," Alfred says, "not just residential, but commercial ones as well."

"There's just too many of them," Bruce sighs and runs his hand through his black hair.

"Perhaps not. The Joker was formally one of Falcone's most trusted men. He went to work for Falcone at the age of fifteen. Falcone took him off the streets," Alfred points out.

Bruce quickly looks up. "Yes, of course. If there's one place that the Joker considers as home, it has to be the Falcone estate." Bruce quickly jumps up and goes over to the bat suit.

"You're going out during the day?" Alfred turns a concerned look away so Bruce can't see it.

"I have to catch him before he does something stupid Alfred," Bruce says.

"Master Bruce, I fear you make yourself too accountable for his actions. I know you feel partly to blame, but is it necessary to drop in on his base of operations? He's going to have ten times the security that Falcone had."

"It's the only way to catch him by surprise," Bruce says.

"Do be careful Master Bruce," Alfred finally turns a faint smile at Bruce.

Bruce nods just before rushing for one of his many vehicles. He drives merely two miles away and stares at the gate to the Falcone estate. The big iron F on the gate had been removed and a J was in its place. Bruce knew the Joker would be here. He pressed a button to cloak his batmobile. Then he made his way down a service road that accessed the back of the property.

Bruce managed to find a good vantage point and began putting his bat visor to work, looking through the walls of the mansion in x-ray. He finally spots the Joker at a desk with a glass in his hand. Bruce also can't help but note all the armed men patrolling the property. In addition, there was a state of the art security system to deal with. Getting in wouldn't be easy, especially undetected.

Bruce knows that the estate had escape tunnels, but surely the Joker knew that too. By Bruce's calculations, the Joker has spent at least seven years on the property. He surely knows it like the back of his hand, especially when he was one of Falcone's personal guards. But Bruce doesn't know what else to try.