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The Joker was back. Someone wearing a batsuit was shooting people, so anyone else wearing a bat costume was constantly having to dodge helicopters and swat teams. Vandel Savage was asking around at the Iceberg Lounge. Terry had entirely too much on his plate. He had managed to sync his suit with the batcomputer remotely, so that was something; that said, he was getting dangerously close to losing functionality. He hadn't slept in entirely too long, and the supplements that he was taking just weren't cutting it anymore.

But he had it, now. "So he left with Harley."

The man dangling out of the window waved his arms helplessly, but tried not to move too much; what if Batman lost his grip on his ankle? "Yes! I said 'yes!' God, please don't--Just..."

"If I find out you're lying..." Terry trailed off, the low, threatening tone of his voice carrying perfectly despite its low volume.

"I'm NOT! She was with Dent's gang for a while, and I work for him sometimes. Just happened to see..."

"I guess this is your lucky night." Terry pulled him back inside the cheap motel; before the man could so much as start getting his legs under him, the Bat was jetting out the window.

Okay. He had Harley. He'd had Harley for a while. Letting her run around with the tracker, not stopping her crime spree, hoping that she'd just bump into her former flame... Well, it had been a risk, but a fairly reasonable one. He'd read her file. She couldn't help herself. Plus, he wasn't sure he was capable of taking on the people she'd been hanging out with--not without backup.

Anyway, it had payed off.

It was a shame. He'd really thought that Harlene Quinzelle had seen the Joker's true colors, but apparently not. God, how arrogant could somebody get? Bruce had been trying for years, but one conversation with Terry and she was supposed to be on the straight and narrow? Yeah, right. Unless it was a different Harley or something; he hadn't been paying that much attention, and things were certainly that level of crazy.

Now he that he had confirmed she was with him, Terry could check things out. Just scout-- If Rosie was there, he would contact Gossamer and let her handle getting her kid back; he would do as little as possible, minimize the chance of slipping up due to sleep deprivation, and then head back to the cave. He planned on sleeping for at least a week.

{Exit F. Batman to Area Surrounding Gotham}

Big Daddy smiled at his new associate Arell, "So does that mean, we going to get some new boots, if we run across Killer Croc?"

Big Daddy thought a moment while making headway in the sewer tunnel beside Arell, "So, where is it that we're going again?"

{Enter Zatanna from San Diego}

Zatanna Zatara appeared in her apartment amid a shower of bright sparks, and immediately reached down to unbuckle her high heals, easing out of them with a little sound of discomfort. Then she snapped her fingers and the blinds on her windows abruptly zipped closed, leaving her free to begin getting into something more comfortable.

Her apartment was nice. No snazzy, Selina Kyle worthy dwelling, but nice. Her act was very successful, and had been for years, enough for her to own this place outright. It was a home, with a warm, lived in energy to it and a solid threshold of power that was difficult for supernatural energies to cross, which meant that she didn't get late night visits from ghosts, ghouls, or other such beasties. It was a beautiful place, with lots of glass, roses, and various original paintings on the walls; a few of her fathers things decorated her study, but they couldn't be seen from where she was.

Finally out of her costume and into a little white slip of a nightgown and a soft blue silk robe, she practically collapsed into an overstuffed chair, rubbing her wrists. "Hell of a day," she muttered. Two days, really, and it felt like longer than that. Time to get some sleep.

Zatanna opened her eyes sleepily, blinking them several times before they would focus properly. "Nn...ah? What?" There had been some kind of sound, right? Closing her eyes again, she focused on the layered, defensive magics she'd set up around the house, and did find a disturbance, like ripples in a pond. Very slight... but centered around the nearest window. Warily, she got up and padded over to it on bare, silent feet. There didn't seem to be anything...

She opened it anyway. "Um... Hello?" she asked, feeling a little silly. Nevertheless, she kept herself poised to sling some serious magic, should this be some kind of incredibly bizarre trap.

Zatanna blinked down at him, then sighed. "Dammit." Then she snapped her fingers, wand appearing in her hand, and slipped out the window, careful not to crush her tiny guest. "Deal. Full explanation in a second." That did it. There were two power hotspots in New York; she was going to one of them. "Hang on." Gently, she scooped up the creature, then muttered, "Su tropelet."

{Exit Zatanna and Mister Mind to Audra Ailith}

"Mind? Mind are you there?" Krieger asked. Still no answer. He sighed, and contacted Sivana.

"Mind has dropped out of contact. Can you locate him?"

"Yes, yes, give me a moment here... Got it. He's in New York-- Hey! His commlink signal just vanished! Either he's dead... or he's a traitor."

"Are you sure?" Captain Nazi asked. When Sivana reaffirmed that belief, Krieger sighed, and sped off for New York. ithout that comm signal, it would be much more difficult to locate Mind... and possibly Zatanna.

[Exit Captain Nazi to New York]

[Enter Sylveria from Audra Ailith]

A bright flash of silvery light appeared mere moments after Blackheart made his appearance, and a woman with flowing red hair and wearing a silver dress levitated a few feet off the ground, looking furious.

"Dammit. Blackheart... Just my luck," Sandra muttered to herself. "Where's the Ghost Rider when you need him...?"

Regardless, Sandra took a fighting stance, mystical energy glowing brightly in her hands. Did she think even for a moment that she had enough strength to defeat Blackheart, the son of Mephisto? No. But maybe, if she could get a message out to other magic users for assistance...