Luthor hung up the phone. "Sorry for the interruption, Grodd. Business. You know how it is."

"I don't, actually," replied Gorilla Grodd. "You'll find few people eager to do business with a telepathic, hyper-intelligent, talking gorilla. You always being the exception to the rule, Luthor."

"I do my best," agreed Luthor. "And I can't thank you enough for your part in this, Grodd."

"The work is its own reward," replied Grodd. "And the furthering of our mutual interests, of course."

"Of course," agreed Luthor. "The biggest threat to Injustice League business has been, and always will be, its most unpredictable member. No longer a problem for us now, thanks to you."

"Thanks to you," replied Grodd, nodding. "You're the one who lured him here with that Trickster story."

"Well, it's nice that that pathetic excuse for a criminal can be useful to us, for once," said Luthor. "And I must say, it's nice to have him shut up for once," he said, nodding through the glass at the Joker, who stood, rigid and motionless and silent, with the same vacant look in his eyes.

"Well, he doesn't have to be," said Grodd. "What would you like him to say?"

Luthor smiled. "That I'm the superior criminal. That would be nice to hear, and he'd never admit the truth of his own volition."

"Done," said Grodd, pointing what appeared to be a gun at the glass. "Joker, tell Mr. Luthor that he's a better criminal than you."

"You're a better criminal than me, Mr. Luthor," said Joker, in a flat, monotone voice.

"That's truly excellent, Grodd," said Luthor, smiling. "I'm a smart man myself, but I can't pretend to understand all the science behind it…"

"Few humans could, with their primitive minds, but very basically, in the hands of a telepathic such as myself, and within an appropriate radius, it transmits mind control waves through any electrical signal – a television signal, initially, in the Joker's case, and now through the chip embedded in the back of his neck," explained Grodd. "I daresay such a tool will also be very useful in terms of your presidential aspirations. What voter does not carry a cell phone in their pocket these days? Once we amplify the signal, we can control who people will be voting for, among many other things."

"Not only good for the election, but good for the approval ratings," agreed Luthor with a smile. "It will be quite a change for everyone to finally realize I'm right. But it's been a long time coming."

He glanced through the glass again. "Well, keep him as a test subject, and when you're done, dispose of him however you want. He's no longer the Joker anymore, so there wouldn't be any pleasure in me killing him. And once you've figured out how to amplify the radius, call me and give me a progress report."

"Of course," said Grodd. "It should be ready before the next Injustice League conference, so I'm hoping we can introduce it there. Make an example of one of the other lesser villains if Joker's brain is fried by then. Maybe someone like Captain Cold."

"How's his wife? Has he found a cure for her yet?" asked Luthor.

"I don't think he's married…" began Grodd.

"No, he's not – that's Mr. Freeze," said Luthor, shaking his head. "Joker was right about that – it can get kinda confusing when people have similar personas, powers, and abilities. Like him and the Trickster – you've got to wonder who would be stupid or crazy enough to want to emulate the Joker."

"I thought the Trickster came first," said Grodd.

"No, I'm sure the Joker did," replied Luthor. "Or maybe it just feels like he's been around forever, because he's been a colossal thorn in my side from day one. No more, though," he said, smiling at the blank look on Joker's face. "And I'm sure I'm not the only one relieved by that. Ironically, Batman will probably be on his knees thanking me."

"Guess again," growled a voice from the shadows. They both turned to see Batman emerging from them, and the look on his face was not gratitude.

"Whatever you've done to him, you're going to undo," said Batman. "Or you're going to answer to me."

Luthor laughed. "Why? Why wouldn't you want the Joker to remain like this? Completely docile and obedient – you might actually be able to protect the citizens of Gotham from him, for once."

"I don't believe in taking lives," retorted Batman. "You don't have the right to do that, and neither do I. And when you take his mind, however crazy it is, you take his life. I'm not going to let you do that."

"Cute sentiment," said Luthor, grinning. "But you're not the boss of me, Batman. Or Grodd. And you can try taking both of us on your own, but frankly, you're outnumbered."

"No, I'm not," retorted Batman.

Luthor and Grodd saw a flash of red light, and suddenly the Joker was standing next to Batman. And next to him was the familiar figure of the Flash. "Just a little heads up – if you're throwing a party in my city, guys, you should always invite me," said Flash, grinning.

"Grodd, you know how to deal with this individual," said Luthor, rolling up his sleeves. "I'll take the Bat."

"Or, an alternative plan," said Grodd, holding up the gun. "Joker, kill Batman."

Joker obeyed immediately, throwing a hard punch that collided with Batman's skull. Batman fell back, as Luthor began firing his handgun at the Flash, who zipped out of the way. "Do we have a plan?" shouted Flash at Batman, who struggled to block the constant blows from the Joker.

"No need for a plan, pal!" shouted a familiar voice. "It's more fun to improvise!"

The Trickster, Prank, and Harley all stood in the doorway, weapons drawn. Weapons, in this case, being Harley's hammer, Prank with a box of chattering teeth, and Trickster holding a banana, which he offered to Grodd.

"Here, monkey!" he coaxed. "Have a yummy banana!"

"I hate bananas," growled Grodd, raising a powerful arm to swipe at Trickster. "And I'm not a monkey..."

Suddenly, Trickster squirted the banana into Grodd's eyes, tossing the peel over his shoulder. Grodd roared, temporarily blinded, while Prank tossed the box of teeth at him. The teeth began attacking and gnawing at Grodd's fur, while Trickster giggled.

"Monkey foiled by a banana - you gotta love it!" he laughed.

Harley, meanwhile, was racing toward Luthor with her hammer raised. He was focused on shooting at Flash, and the blow she struck him had her full force behind it, sending Luthor crashing into the wall.

"Nice one there, Prank 2!" called Flash, racing past her to attack Grodd, who was ripping the teeth off his fur.

"I'm not Prank 2!" shrieked Harley.

"Yeah, she's nothing like me!" snapped Prank, who was lighting firecrackers with Trickster and throwing them at Grodd.

"Can't see much difference myself…woah!" shouted Flash, slipping suddenly on the discarded banana peel. His super slip sent him crashing through the window into the next room.

"Geez, sorry, buddy!" shouted Trickster, racing to see to him. "Are you ok? Buddy? Speak to me!"

Flash appeared to be out cold, and Trickster turned to Prank, horrified. "The…the banana peel gag wasn't meant for him!" he gasped. "What have I done? My joke's gone too far, Prank! I didn't mean for it to get out of control like this!"

Prank tried to comfort him, while Harley raced over to the Joker, who was still fighting Batman. "Mr. J, stop!" she cried. "He's here to help you! Mr. J!"

He ignored her, throwing punch after punch with the same blank look in his eyes. "Mr. J!" she shrieked.

"He can't hear you, Harley," growled Luthor, struggling to his feet.

"And he wouldn't listen to you even if he could," agreed Grodd, knocking the last set of chattering teeth off and raising the gun again. "He only follows orders now."

Joker managed to get a direct hit, slamming his fist point blank into Batman's skull and sending him to the ground. "That's enough, Joker – stop," commanded Grodd.

Joker obeyed, lowering his fist. "Now come here, and kneel before us," said Grodd.

Joker obeyed again, much to Harley's horror. "Mr. J…what's wrong with you?" she gasped.

"Tell her, Joker," said Grodd. "Tell her what's happened to you."

Joker turned to look at her. "There is no Joker," he murmured.

"Of course there is, puddin'!" she exclaimed. "He's you! He's the man I love! And you know who I am, right?"

"Answer her, Joker," said Grodd.

"No," murmured Joker, looking at her blankly. "I do not."

"I'm…I'm your Harley!" stammered Harley, tears in her eyes. "You…you gotta remember your Harley! And tonight…tonight I rode a Harley here to rescue you…it's a joke! You gotta…laugh at the joke, puddin'!"

He continued to stare blankly at her. Harley's pain turned to fury as her gaze fixed on Luthor. "What have you done to him?" she hissed.

"There's a chip…in the back of his neck," gasped Batman, struggling to his hands and knees. "It facilitates…the mind control device."

"You take that out now, and you risk killing him!" snapped Grodd. "His mind could be destroyed forever if you don't remove it properly!"

Harley raised her hammer again. "Then remove it properly," she growled. "Or I'll remove you from existence. Both of you."

"Big words, Harley," said Luthor, smiling at her. "But what exactly can you do to us?"

"This," she snapped, bringing her hammer down onto the mind control gun and knocking it from Grodd's hands. Harley backflipped over to Batman, grabbing a handful of Batarangs from his belt and tossing them at Luthor and Grodd. They batted them away as Batman reached into his belt for his grappling gun, shooting the wire around Luthor and yanking on it, pulling him to the ground.

Harley had run out of Batarangs and Grodd charged her with a roar. And she was suddenly grabbed by a red blur and pulled out of harm's way. "That's one angry monkey," commented the Flash, who had regained consciousness, and the ability to throw out wisecracks.

"Thanks," said Harley.

"Owed you one," he said, shrugging. "Trickster, go!"

"C'mere, monkey!" whistled Trickster, picking up the mind control gun and leaping onto his scooter. "Catch me if you can!"

"Get him!" roared Luthor. "We need that prototype!"

Grodd rushed out into the streets after Trickster, while Harley, Prank, and Flash raced over to where Batman was examining the chip in Joker's neck.

"Can you remove it safely?" gasped Harley.

"Well, I've never had to do impromptu surgery before," muttered Batman. "But it's worth a shot."

"You botch this and I'll kill you!" shrieked Harley.

"No pressure then, Bats," said Flash, dryly.

Batman ignored him, reaching into his belt for a small blade, which he carefully inserted under the skin at the back of Joker's neck. He didn't even flinch as Batman delicately reached in with a pair of tweezers and extracted the microchip.

The effect was instantaneous – Joker gave a roar of pain. "Ow! Who the hell cut open the back of my neck?! What kinda gag is there in that?!" he demanded, whirling around to glare at Batman.

"Oh, puddin'!" gasped Harley, leaping into his arms. "You're back!"

"Yes, we're back!" exclaimed Joker, whirling around. "We're…where did all the cameras go, Harley?"

"Oh…you walked out in the middle of that joke, puddin'," said Harley, slowly. "Because you were being mind-controlled by Luthor and Gorilla Grodd."

"Mind controlled?" repeated Joker. "You mean like with the Jedi mind trick?"

"With this," said Batman, holding up the chip.

Joker looked from him to Luthor, lying bound at his feet. "So you set all this up just to lure me here and mind-control me? Why?"

"Because you're a liability!" snapped Luthor. "A risk to business! I'm trying to run an efficient organization, and you're constantly throwing wrenches in the works with your stupid jokes! They're not funny, Joker! They're just a massive inconvenience! Like you! So I thought I'd terminate that inconvenience, and invent a way to get the electorate on my side as well!"

Joker nodded slowly. "Well, lemme tell you the little flaw in that scheme of yours, Lex," he said, kneeling down beside him. "It's not funny!" he shouted into his ear. "There's no joke there! So you know it was never gonna succeed – do any of Batsy's schemes ever succeed? No. And you know why? Because they're not funny! There's no point in doing things if they're not funny! No point in committing crimes, no point in fighting, no point in living if you don't do it with a smile and a gag and a sense of humor!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself, buddy!" exclaimed a familiar voice.

They looked up to see the Trickster standing in the doorway. "Buddy!" exclaimed Joker, racing to embrace him. "How's tricks?"

"Good one!" laughed Trickster.

"Where's Grodd?" demanded Batman.

"Stuck in a puddle of chewing gum I ejected from the back of the scooter while he was chasing me," said Trickster. "Works every time!"

"I remember when you pulled that one on me, buddy," said Flash, clapping him on the back. "Good times."

Joker noticed Flash suddenly, and started laughing uncontrollably. "Why…is he laughing at me?" asked Flash, slowly.

"Because that's what he does," growled Batman, grabbing Joker's arms, forcing them behind his back and slapping on handcuffs.

"Sorry, guys – all the love in this room is obviously making Batsy uncomfortable," said Joker. "Strong, positive emotions tend to do that to him."

"Why is he handcuffing you?" asked Trickster, puzzled. "You mean you don't have the honor system? He doesn't just trust you to hand yourself in?"

Batman glared at Flash. "I can't imagine how easy your life is," he muttered. "Take Luthor back to Metropolis, and put Grodd in whatever facility you have here."

"No problemo," said Flash, saluting. He zipped off, disappearing with Luthor in a streak of red.

"Joker, say goodbye to your less evil twin. And Harley, say goodbye to Harley 2," muttered Batman.

"No, thanks," snapped Harley, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at Prank. "I'm just happy to be leaving, and hoping I'll never see you again."

"The feeling's mutual," retorted Prank, sticking out her tongue. "Bye, you pathetic doormat."

"Loose floozy!" snapped Harley.

"Everybody knows my Trickster's funnier, smarter, and dreamier!" snapped Prank.

"Yeah, right – my puddin's funnier, smarter, dreamier, and at least people have heard of him!" retorted Harley.

"Ladies, please, don't start fighting and get Batsy all hot and bothered!" chuckled Joker. He nodded at Trickster. "Good seeing you, buddy. Come to Gotham sometime, huh?"

"I'd love to!" exclaimed Trickster. "Sounds like a blast!"

"I'm sure we can make it a literal one!" laughed Joker, as Batman dragged him away. "Stay crazy, pal!"

"Always!" chuckled Trickster, waving at him.

Batman paused, turning to glare at Trickster. "Never come to Gotham," he hissed. "Or I'll hurt you. I already have two clown freaks to deal with – the last thing I need is that doubled."

"Ok, Batman," said Trickster, nodding. "I promise."

He waited until Batman had gone, and then removed his crossed fingers from behind his back. "Sucker!" he chuckled. "I can see why the Joker has such fun with that guy – he's too easy to make a punchline out of! Well, c'mon, Prank," he said, draping an arm around her. "We should probably be handing ourselves in just like my old pal Flash wanted us to."

"Out of curiosity, baby," said Prank, as they made their way to the scooter. "Which one of you was the original, you or Joker?"

"All depends on your perspective, hun," said Trickster, climbing onto the bike. "Joker was the original character, but I was the original voice. And a character is nothing without a voice. So we're both the original, really."

"Character?" repeated Prank, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

Trickster sighed. "Never mind. Most people don't get it, except for me and Joker. Takes our special kind of crazy to see the world as it truly is."

He shrugged. "And we're the only ones smart enough to know that all you can do when you see the world as it truly is," he said, smiling as he started the scooter and drove off into the streets of Central City. "Is have a little fun in it."

The End