After a burst of magical brilliance, Sky City Gotham descended over the East Coast of the United States.
Inside the makeshift meeting room of Arkham Asylum, it's a lively scene. Formerly resident patients and temporarily invited prestigious lunatics are energetically discussing their next plan.
Penguin Man pounded the table forcefully and said, "I've long been saying we should implement a sophisticated ground monitoring system. We should've started when Batman was repairing the power system. He wouldn't have had the time to mind us!"
"Easy for you to say, we don't even have our own aircraft. Are you expecting birds to install cameras for us?"
Mr. Freeze said in his icy tone, "You were all busy working for the gangster families, none of you thought to set up a lab in our base. Now you're complaining about insufficient technology and equipment. What were you doing earlier?"
"You have no right to criticize us, Victor." Killer Croc snarled. He then said sarcastically, "You work for the Wayne Family. Is there such a big difference between Thomas and Bruce? How much do they pay you? Ten thousand US dollars a week?"
Before Mr. Freeze could respond, Scarecrow glared at Killer Croc and said irritably, "What rural bumpkin is this? In Gotham, the lowest asking price for a double PhD is thirty thousand dollars a week. We are professors."
"Linemen must not cut through the line." Female Ventriloquist sighed and said, "We have to send someone down to scout the situation. Isn't it said that this Earth has merged with other universes? I'm afraid it's not that simple."
Poison Ivy cast her gaze on Joker, who was sitting silently in the corner. Her meaning was clear: as Batman's No. 1 chief mischief, shouldn't Joker make a stand?
"So boring." Harley Quinn, Joker's lady friend, rolled her eyes, hugging her mini-me and said, "We should just jump down from here. Anyone who dares to stop us, we will hammer their heads, hoo hah~"
Young Harley rolled her eyes in exasperation, hopped off her stool and said, "I'll talk to the Robins, okay?"
Penguin Man's fat face instantly beamed with smiles, he immediately moved a chair out of Harley's way. His face was so full of creases, it could have trapped flies.
Harley waved her hand and said, "We can't always rely on the Batman Family. You'd better build your own ground communication network soon."
"I don't know about the Robins from your universe but if you want broadcasting rights from my companions, they will ask for a king's ransom."
After Harley left, Joker opened his slightly squinting eyes, humming lightly. The twinkle in his eye indicated that he had other plans.
What else could interest Joker? He and Batman are always able to summon each other amidst the chaos and trouble, becoming arch-enemies once again.
When Gotham descended into hell, it all happened so abruptly. Batman didn't follow, or rather, Batman chose to run away from home. Joker was finding this quite dull.
He was desperate to play a game again with Batman. If his Batman isn't available, then he would find another one.
But before that, there are troubles to be solved. Because he knew that it was very likely that there was another Joker in the city below – he needed to find this person, using the opportunity of the Robins' project to build a communication network between Gotham and the ground.
Harley returned to Wayne Manor quickly, but the manor was now devoid of any Waynes. It was occupied by a pair of Robins, big and small, who were fixing the Batplane in the backyard.
Harley stormed out of the back door of the courtyard and Jason, covered in grease, clutching a wrench, looked perplexed as he saw her. Harley waved at everyone and spoke.
"Great opportunity, folks. Hold your tasks for now. The lunatics from Arkham Asylum are willing to hire us, to fly down and put up cameras for their entertainment. How much do you think we should charge?"
Tim from the other side of the plane walked over and said, "We were planning on checking things out anyways. Red Hood and his group are already gearing up. Selling a line to these lunatics isn't unreasonable, but they need to promise to not cause trouble."
"Dream on," Jason shook his head and said, "They're bound to figure out ways to interfere with us. You can't trust a word from these people."
"But there are advantages to working with them." Dick walked over with a water hose and said, "There are criminals lurking in the giant city below us. Perhaps they can provide intelligence on their counterparts."
"Then it's settled." Harley snapped her fingers and said, "We can also take their two weeks of wages. That's not a small amount."
At this moment, the fully equipped Red Hood and Red Robin walked out. They were clearly ready to take the plane down. Red Robin was checking his belt as he spoke.
"I always feel that something is strange about the city below. How do I say it? It doesn't quite feel like Gotham. There's not an oppressive presence."
"Maybe you will feel it once you immerse yourself in it." Red Hood walked into the plane and continued, "Let's go place the cameras first, and keep an eye on those lunatics' movements. I bet there are many more super criminals below. We need to gather information."
"That's surprising, those would usually be Dick's words." Red Robin also boarded the plane and added, "But I still need to remind you, we need to make it quick. Don't go fist-fighting with some criminal as soon as we see them. If we get entangled, we could become wanted criminals ourselves."
Under the watchful eyes of Harley, Dick, Jason, and Tim, the Batplane soared into the sky, disappearing over the horizon.
They all headed into Wayne Manor to adjust the equipment for monitoring display. Harley over in the corner was busy chatting with Harley Quinn on the phone about the broadcasting rights.
Alfred brought the biscuits and tea, saying, "Eat while you work, but be careful not to let the crumbs fall on the equipment."
Tim quickly connected the camera inside the Batplane. The face of the Red Robin who was piloting the plane appeared on screen.
"I'm good," he said as he manipulated the joystick. "Honestly, the city is quite beautiful after the fusion, but why does that building on the skyline look tilted? Is that some special construction technique?"
"Enough talk, get to Wayne building first," the Red Hood's voice came through. "The best bet is to find Batman in this city. At this time, he should be in a meeting at the company."
Without saying anything, Red Robin nodded and accelerated toward the familiar building on the skyline.
But the closer he got to the building, the more puzzled Red Robin's face was. "There are too many new buildings here. It's a bit disorienting. What does it say on the leaning building? Stark?"
"Does Gotham have this company?" Red Hood hesitated, "And what kind of aesthetic does this guy have, putting his name on top of the company building like he's just begging to be caught."
Red Robin shook his head slightly, clearly puzzled as well. This flamboyant style wasn't something Gothamites liked — they preferred the look of the Wayne building.
As the two were discussing, the camera suddenly shook violently. The noise attracted the attention of the children who had been busy stuffing biscuits into their mouths.
"Plane Two, please respond, Plane Two, please respond. What happened there?" Dick immediately picked up the microphone and screamed at it. "I saw your plane bumping, was that turbulence?"
Before he finished speaking, a sharp sound of breaking air filled the room as a missile flew past the edge of the screen. The cockpit began to wobble and then started spinning wildly, it was clear that Red Robin was manipulating the plane to perform evasive maneuvers.
"We're under attack!!!" Red Robin screamed, "Missiles! There are more missiles!"
"What the hell is this?!!" Red Hood was also yelling, evidently seeing something he couldn't comprehend.
The intense shaking inside the cockpit knocked the mounted camera into a crack, only allowing a small corner to capture the scene in front of the plane.
The surveillance footage finally stopped on a dark screen, and after skipping back through the video, they saw a soaring mecha from the sliver of sky in the corner.
"Stark!!!" Harley shouted.
"Things aren't looking good." Dick quickly went to put on equipment while saying, "The Iron Man of this world likely doesn't recognize the bat symbol, and without being on his whitelist, the Batplane might have been shot down."
"That doesn't make sense," Jason challenged. "Not asking questions or giving any warning before shooting missiles and shooting down the plane. That doesn't seem like a superhero style."
"This only proves that this world is far more dangerous than we thought," Tim inferred. "He's likely activated the highest security protocols. They could be at war!"
"Wait, you're going to fly out there too?" Jason stopped Dick, saying, "You'll be shot down too!"
But Harley rolled her eyes and said, "I have an idea! Follow me!"
She led them to the underground garage and waved for them to get in the car. The Batmobile roared down the road, arriving quickly at an inconspicuous old apartment building on the outskirts.
Harley went up and knocked. The peep hole quickly darken, and soon a crack in the door opened. Harley pushed the door open and walked in, startling Constantine who was still in his pajamas.
"Wait, don't come in yet." Constantine fumbled as he pushed Harley out of the door, when it shut magic lights flickered in the windows. He opened the door again to reveal a spotless room.
"Open a portal for us, John." Harley shrugged, entered the room as if it were her own, and ignored the tasteless ashes that seemed fresh.
Constantine, pupils unfocused like fresh from cigarette smoke, went back inside and slumped in the couch. "What is it now? Where are you guys headed?"
Jason looked carefully at Constantine and said, "You don't look well, troubles?"
"When have ever I looked well?" Constantine drank a beer, wiped his mouth and said, "I'm in a bit of trouble, but it has nothing to do with you. So, where are you guys heading?"
Jason took note of Constantine's demeanor, he wasn't as relaxed as he wanted to appear. Jason didn't ask any more questions, but Harley, instead, piped up, "We need a portal to the city below us. Yes, directly below Gotham."
Constantine gave her a puzzled look, finished the rest of his beer, got up, and said, "Alright, have I missed some important event?"
Constantine walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain, only to be shocked by the view outside — his house was on the edge of Gotham Sky Island, and as he looked down, what used to be a wasteland was now a bustling new world.
But this view alone was not enough to shock Constantine. What really made his pupils contract was the group of mages, wearing yellow robes, hovering in the sky above the huge city.