Titans

I thought you called it.

I thought Perez called it.

Why the fuck would I wanna see any of you?

Especially tonight.

You hear anything, Valeska?

I've heard plenty.

My guy says he cracked the Joker's head in two.

One swing, and the man's brains spilled out like wedding soup.

It wasn't him.

We all know the Bat doesn't do murder.

He does now.

Well, let's do this again when one of you dies.

What the fuck?

Open it.

Jimmy.

Like I said, until the next time.

Open the bag!

Shit, where the fuck is this guy?

The bag.

Oh, shit.

Fuck me.

That's Danny. That's my sister's kid!

All your number-twos are in there.

Who the fuck are you?

I'm the guy you want on your side.

I can protect you.

-From the Bat? -Batman's gone. I retired him.

Check the sky every night. No more Bat Signals. The nightmare's over.

Any problems with cops or other masks,

I take care of it from now on.

It'll cost you 40% of what you make.

And trust me,

you're about to make a lot more.

Fuck this...

Any more questions?

They said you were undercover before this.

Yeah.

Vice?

Gangs?

Narcotics?

-A little bit of everything. -Wow.

How long you been on the force?

You ask a lot of questions, Tod-with-one-D.

No, I... It's just funny, you know.

You show up a few months ago, nobody knows from where, people are whispering... IA?

I'm not IA.

I was with a special branch of law enforcement before this.

Like Secret Service?

I was a bird, Tod.

A big, red bird with latex talons and a composite beak-like helmet.

Okay, Mr. Mystery. Have it your way.

20th & Grand. Shots fired.

-I'll take the tunnel. -Yeah, I'll take 20th.

Stop running!

- That was fast. - Yeah.

Practically delivered himself to me.

Wanna grab a coffee?

I... I have a lunch.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Boat salesman.

The broker.

Um, I'll be around if you need me.

We still got it.

Always will.

- -

Late breaking news: Confirmed by several sources,

the man who terrorized Gotham for a generation, known only as "the Joker," is dead.

He was brutally murdered last night in Arkham Asylum.

Prison staffers have unofficially speculated the assailant was the Batman,

but police have yet to confirm.

Calls to health officials...

Of course, Mr. Mayor. Yeah. Night and day.

No special dispensation.

Can I help you?

I'm Dick Grayson.

Yeah, I know.

You picked a nice time for a reunion.

And you are?

Thanks, Vee.

11:20 last night, Bruce's jet took off. Changed IFR in mid-air.

Nobody knows where he touched down.

-Except maybe you? - I wish I did.

-What happened? -I was asleep.

Bruce came into my room and dropped a bloody crowbar on the floor.

Said it was over with him and the Joker. That he ended it.

Then he said he was done with Gotham, the Bat, all of it.

So that's it? No note? Marching orders?

He said be a better Batman.

That's some fucked-up parent jiu-jitsu.

-Trying to reel you back-- -

Trying to reel you back home.

"Be a better me, son."

You're not serious.

I can't leave now, can I?

You know how crazy that is, right?

Trying to step into your father's shoes?

I do, Commissioner Gordon.

"Be a better Batman," huh?

Bruce wasn't perfect, okay? He got sloppy.

Let it get personal with the Joker.

What happens when Gotham takes one of yours, Dick?

I'm not gonna go around Gotham swinging a fucking crowbar, am I?

I'm sorry.

We'll see.

Any other headlines?

I'm bringing in the Titans.

Are you sure about that?

Arriving from San Francisco,

the Titans have been spotted in Gotham City

just one day after the Joker was murdered in Arkham Asylum.

The Titans did not answer questions,

but sources say that the timing of their appearance is not coincidental.

First Robin's murder, then Joker, the...

Thank you all for coming on such short notice.

I wish it was under better circumstances.

Nobody calls us under better circumstances.

I appreciate you for coming, but I should warn you, you're not in San Francisco.

This city breeds a special class of criminal.

People die here.

Not just regular people. People like us.

I don't wanna lose anybody else.

We know what we're up against.

You're family. We'd never let you do this alone.

Can we see the Batsuit?

No.

The Batmobile?

-Guys! -What? He made me ask.

I did not. Dick!

There'll be enough time for all of that,

but right now we need to focus on the task at hand.

Word's out in Gotham that Batman's gone. News like that travels fast.

So we'll have our hands full.

Get some food. Get some rest. Could be a long night.

Incoming call from Barbara Gordon.

Looks like it already started.

This is Hoskins. Yeah, go ahead.

Her name's Ann Williams. She's a 34-year-old marketing consultant.

No record, no religious groups, no terrorist affiliations.

Married?

She's a widow. She has a 7-year-old daughter.

-Where's she? -We're looking.

She ask for a lawyer?

She hasn't said a word since we brought her in. She just brought this note.

Asking to talk to Nightwing.

Looks like it was written on the back of a textbook page or something.

Play it.

She's terrified.

Red hood.

Joker started out his career wearing one.

Think it might be related?

I hope not.

The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

-You asked to speak to me? -

-Can you speak? -Mmm-mmm.

The red hood you were wearing...

Was that something to do with the Joker?

Why do you wanna talk to me?

Who did that to you?

Am I supposed to call that?

7-3-5...

7-2-0...

2-6-6-0.

You okay?

-Hey. -

Make it stop.

Hang up the call!

Hang up the call.

Make it stop!

We found Ann's daughter wandering around the bus station an hour ago.

Also wearing a red hood.

She said some strange man in a mask snatched her out of bed.

So Ann wasn't working alone.

Or he used the kid to coerce her.

No money, no political manifestos.

Doesn't sound like a Joker copycat to me.

So what does he want?

What's any terrorist want?

Create chaos, paranoia, fear. The noisy kind.

Toxicology came back.

The woman had a subdermal drug delivery system in her arm.

Our guy said it was some sort of Flakka derivation.

Like nuclear bath salts.

He juiced her with some serious chemical strength.

A bomb and pharmacology. Points to a science background, maybe military.

Well, that narrows it down a few hundred thousand.

Probably with a mental health issue, too.

Might help narrow the profile.

I wasn't gonna mention this,

but for cases like these, we've been using a consultant, a profiler.

And we've gotten good results, but you're not gonna like it.

Okay.

You're really not gonna like it.

Scarecrow.

What?