It started that summer

His Last Laugh Pt.1

*15 minutes earlier*

Tim and I moved cautiously through the empty stands, the unsettling quiet amplifying the tension. Tim crouched down, peering beneath a rusted seat. "This place is like a maze. Who the hell builds an emergency bunker and finishes it as a baseball field?" He growled frustrated.

I mumbled, "Someone in Gotham." I pulled up my files, "What do we know?"

He looked over my shoulder and clicked on the map, "We know the Joker is holding Damian somewhere between levels 3 and 6." He knocks on the floor, and the hollowness rings out, "This isn't even a real concert."

"Any updates?" I pressed down on my com, scanning our surroundings.

"We've finally got past a swarm of assassins. We're in the last room on level four. It's a bust," Stephanie's voice said breathlessly.

"No," Cass interjected. "They were just here. The blood is fresh."

"Oracle?" I asked.

"Uploading the feed now." The screen flickered to life, revealing the room we'd seen before—the room that played on the screen with Damian. His chair was crushed on its side, restraints ripped apart, and blood splattered across the walls. "Jason was here," she noted, zooming in on a scrape of blue paint. "That's from the Arkham Knight suit."

Jay Bird...

"The Joker was here too," Duke added, pointing at bloodied footprints tracing a chaotic path. "Those are his."

"Okay, keep moving up. Stay alert. Batman, what's your status?"

Dad spoke, "I haven't got eyes on them yet. The first floor is clear. Spoiler, Orphan, and Signal, head to the next floor. Oracle will guide you. Every room needs to be checked."

Tim sighed, his flashlight flickering. "Damian and Jason were working together, so we know he's not with the Joker anymore. So they must be with each other—"

A shadow shifted behind me. "And with the Joker." A familiar voice cut through the tension. A woman in a black jumpsuit stepped from the darkness.

"Talia?" I stepped back, my anger flaring. "You sold your own son out!" I charged at her. She countered with a swift kick, but I caught her leg and threw her down, hesitating as I held her there. It shouldn't be this easy, it never was. Tim aimed the flashlight at her. Talia looked worn out, with dirt smudged on her face, and a branch tangled in her hair. I offered her my hand, and she reluctantly accepted it. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting my son back since you fools couldn't be trusted with the job." She glared at us.

"Did you miss the part where your assassins are attacking us? They came to kill him on his birthday. Don't play the good mom now," Tim shot back.

I raised my arm to stop him from getting any closer to her. "We need answers first."

"Where is Bruce?" Talia demanded.

"You're not getting answers until you give us some," I replied firmly.

She folded her arms, glaring. "I don't have time to waste when my son is out there!"

"Then you better start talking," I insisted.

She looked between us before turning around. "Follow me." Talia's command rang with authority. Tim and I exchanged worried glances before complying.

"You see me as a ruthless assassin raised to kill and follow orders," she began as she led us toward the entrance, her voice softening. "You'd be right—except for one thing. I love my son, deeply. I sent him away to keep him safe. The burden of being apart from him is heavy, but it's a sacrifice worth making." She pointed to a slain assassin, she pulled back the mask, revealing a face twisted in a horrifying grin.