I was planning to post this Saturday, but unfortunately editing took a bit longer than usual. Hope you enjoy this next chapter and thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I will try to be more frequent with my updates.

With the Joker nowhere in sight, the thin folder of records beneath Gordon's arm was the only piece of the map they had left and all they could do was hope that it didn't lead them astray. According to Mr. Degaru's files, he was living in a small apartment complex located near the Gotham Public Library. Upon entering the building, it smelt of damp cloth and soap even though the hallways looked poorly cleaned and uninhabited for many years.

"If you fill me in on what you're really after then maybe I can help," Commissioner Gordon said, talking as though he had been formulating his words prior to saying them aloud. "In case you forgot, it was you who first came to me suggesting we join sides."

As they headed up the stairway, the conversation stilled and remained untouched for several minutes. Commissioner Gordon waited patiently for a response, even if he was uncertain that he could get through to him, he knew that a lot most likely went on behind the man's mask.

"I want exactly what you want," Batman finally replied, "the Joker. Whatever my motive behind it doesn't matter, as long as we get the same outcome. Which I can assume, is to get the Joker back behind bars."

Gordon sighed feeling only half satisfied, then continued, "So what we really need to figure out now, is who this imposter was and why anyone would go to such a length to free the Joker."

"We still don't know if this kid was an imposter," Batman imposed, as they came upon Mr. Degaru's room number. "The folder said that Mr. Degaru had been working for Arkham since he was in his early twenties and, despite one being older, the two are identical."

Gordon chuckled under his breath a bit, disbelief gleaming through his eyes as he replied, "You can't possibly be suggesting-"

That's when the sound of glass shattering and a yelling voice, broke through the silence and echoed out from behind the door. Batman kicked in the door, as Commissioner Gordon ran in before him with his gun out and ready. Within the apartment, amidst the pieces of broken glass and behind a kicked over coffee table, were two men who looked exactly the same aside from age; both with snake tattoos and a gold tooth. It was unmistakable: these two men were both Edwin Degaru.

The younger boy, known to the two men as the witness from earlier, had a rope yanked tightly against the older man's throat. His face had gone red from lack of oxygen, choking sounds gurgled out from his throat as he flailed about for freedom.

"Freeze!" Gordon yelled, cocking his gun at the younger man. "Release him, now!"

That's when a batarang flew out from behind Gordon, slicing the younger man's hand out, and causing him to drop the older Mr. Degaru. Although, when Mr. Degaru hit the floor he slumped lifelessly and his eyes remained unblinking with death.

"Call an ambulance," Gordon directed.

Batman was already at the body, checking the man's pulse before stating, "It's no use, he's gone."

"Hands up where I can see them," Gordon demanded, shaking the gun in an upwards motions.

The boy willingly raised his hands, keeping his eyes locked onto Gordon's as if trying to intimidate the man. Although, the Commissioner had been doing this way too long and some punk wasn't going to get him restless.

"Who are you? And what's your affiliation with the Joker?" Gordon asked, his shoulders raised high in tension.

"You already know who I am, I'm Edwin Degaru-"

"Don't play games with me!" Gordon yelled. "That man laying on the ground right there, the one you just murdered is Edwin Degaru. So you're going to tell me who you really are."

That's when Batman grabbed the kid by his hair and slammed him face first into the wall with an impeccable force, the kid began hollering in anguish as a gold tooth shot out from his mouth and scattered across the floor. Collapsing to his knees, Edwin threw a hand over his now bleeding mouth. Batman crouched down to eye level with the kid, causing him shrinking back in fear of the large, dark figure.

"I will not wait for answers," Batman explained, "you're going to tell me how you got here and who sent you right now."

Examining the Dark Knight closely, Edwin replied, "He returned to the past in order to fix the future, he said that he made a miscalculation and that everyone must play their part in order to restore order to the new world in which 'he' created."

"What world was he talking about?" Batman asked.

The kid hesitated but responded as if he already knew his fate, "A world in which law and justice don't exist, where even a fuck up like me – one with a criminal record so long that he would end up mopping floors for the rest of his life – could have any life he pleased. He said none of it would matter anymore, all our criminal debts owed would be erased."

"Who is it that sent you? What was his name?" Batman pressed, clenching his fists as his patience began wearing thin. Although when the kid said nothing, Batman stood up and returned him attention to the highly confused Commissioner. "Call the police and get him into custody. I want to be sure he won't escape no matter what."

"He said if I did this then I would never have to work another day in that stupid asylum ever again!" The kid yelled erratically. "I can't end up working there my whole life. . . . I can't! I hate it so much!"

Seeing the kid's instability, Gordon pulled out a pair of handcuffs and said, "Here, cuff him. I'll make that call now."

"Then he told me," the kid went on, tears now rolling down his cheeks, "that if the Batman catches me I'll never see my girlfriend again. . . . If I see the Batman I must die."

Unexpectedly, the kid yanked out a pistol and threw the tip of the gun to his head. Both Gordon and Batman jumped to stop him, but the kid didn't hesitate and his finger on the lever was much faster than they could move. The crack of the gun reverberated throughout the entire complex, as if the terrific memory of what happened refused to die out. Gordon went dead silent, his shoulders finally dropping.

Batman let out a muffled growl of anger, before punching a hole through the wall.

MEANWHILE

He couldn't trust the principal, after speaking with the man personally his mistrust had practically been sprayed liquid nitrogen and frozen solid. After all the academic achievements Dick earned, he figured that the principal would have recognized him as a loyal student by now. Dick felt tempted to keep dwelling on what had happened, but instead he decided to focus on his task at hand. To figure out what Bruce and Alfred were hiding from him.

Luckily, Dick was able to escape the school without anymore interruptions and upon arriving at the Wayne Mansion no one appeared to be home. Being sure not to waste any time, Dick hurried into the Batcave which was vacant and quiet; there was even this loneliness that came with the sound of his footsteps. Dick headed for Bruce's computer, but what drew his attention were the news clippings and photos that hung from a string.

" 'Will the Banks Ever Recover from Massive Theft?' " Dick recited under his breath, as he lifted one of the articles from the string; his eyes scanning swiftly across it as he read the piece. "Is this a fake? It appears to be a real article, but it's dated several months from now so how could it possibly be real?"

That's when Dick noticed something from the corner of his eye, a little black DVD case that seemed to draw him as if it were calling his name. Dick slowly brought the case to his attention, examining it front to back to see nothing unordinary. Opening the case, he saw his reflection glimmering off a blank CD.

Although he had a bad feeling about it, Dick put it into the computer and hit play.

MEANWHILE

The engines of the Batmobile revved as it sped through Gotham, heading down the highway the way a missile launches across the sky. A call coming through from Alfred, barely reaching through Batman's deep concentration on the road.

"I called to see how everything is going," Alfred said, his calm voice sounding distant.

"Not good, the Joker-" Batman paused, remembering how he had deceived Alfred earlier.

"It's alright, I already know you went to see the Joker," Alfred assured the man. "I know you too well to be fooled, Master Bruce. And since you weren't going to check out the boys from the video, I decided to go investigate them myself."

"What did you find? Did they say anything about the video or Richard?"

"Unfortunately, they didn't," Alfred said with a sigh, "they've had a few classes with Dick before, but they don't seem to know anything or have any malicious plans. I even located their parents, but it was a dead end as well."

Batman felt his eyebrows tightening, as tension began to pool around his forehead.

MOMENTS LATER

"What is this?" Dick asked himself, a slight quiver in his voice as he stepped back in shock; the DVD box slipping out from his hand and clattering onto the hard ground.

Watching with wide eyes, Dick could hear the Joker's voice echoing through his mind. "Or what if I did this?. . . Would that get your attention?"

The sight of himself unmasked, a knife to his throat, and the Joker hovering over him, had taken him back with feelings of disbelief and confusion. Dick was about to turn the video off, when a gloved hand reached out past him and turned it off instead. Instantaneously, Dick whipped around to see a tall, familiar figure looming over him.

"You should be in school," Batman spoke up, his face unreadable against the darkness. "What are you doing here?"