Gotham City- 2100

Back at the circus tents, Ivan Card stands in the center of the big top, his back to the entrance as he hears someone enter. "You are quite difficult to get a hold of, my friend."

"Has everything been arranged?"

"All the evidence points right to my little show. Your 'hero' will be here, no doubt about it. As will a few cops for my own purposes. We'll finish the bird for you in time."

"You had better," says the figure, stepping into the light of the tent, revealing himself as Black Mask. "For obvious reasons, I cannot afford any interference."

Card turns around to face his accomplice. "You'd better get a move on. Show starts in an hour."

Black Mask then gets back into his car and has his driver take him back into Gotham's inner city area.

KariganGladheon wrote:

"Then why did they waste their bullets that night? They emptied every single bullet."

"I don't know" Justin sighed

Derek suits up and then puts on casual wear to conceal his costume.

Frank walked otu of the bar with Jack "I'll meet you back at my place later. Got a few things to discuss with Jack."
Troia nodded taking a cab back to Frank's place

The show starts and Card appears in a burst of red smoke with a bow. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Are you ready to delve into that infinite realm called the mind? That's good. So let's start with emotions, shall we? Let's start...With Fear."

Derek sat in the crowd with Marko next to him.
"Must be good, considering it's sold out", he said.

Ivan steps back and out of the lighting though keeps the spotlight in the middle of the tent. "For our first event, we'll see just what you all fear the most." He then taps his cane to the floor and smoke emits from it. That smoke expands, filling much of the tent before giving form to several winged gargoyle-like monsters that fly throughout the tent, many onlookers screaming and panicking. "Ladies and gentlemen...May I introduce you...you your worst nightmare." Other creatures appears, forming banshees and gremlins. Giant spiders, demon clowns, even bats. All of these merely projections, solid but at the same time false, of what individuals in the crowd may fear most. In the center of the ring rises a figure with a large scythe and long, black cloak.

Derek cocks an eyebrow watching this. Marko seems to be the one most fascinated.

Card then takes to the middle of the tent and holds up his cane, the ruby on its top glowing. "Let's dig a bit deeper, shall we? Let's delve into your very souls!" Suddenly the glowing intensifies and the fears begin flying in the crowds. Every ghoul and ghastly fiend finds its way to an individual, peculiar light being leeched from each and every person in the audience. The fears return to Card and breathe these lights into his ruby. "The souls that are now mine."

Derek had disappeared a while ago and was hiding out the back, changing into costume. Marko was still there, unaffected.

Angelica awakens, feeling a disturbance of some form from the hospital, having woken from a nightmare of Bat-Girl and herself fighting one another. But they were one another so...what was happening? In the end of it, she only remembered one thing...she killed Bat-Girl.

Meanwhile, Ivan stands in the center of the big top, watching as the souls flood in.

A flying disc knocks the cane out of Ivan's hands.

Card stands with his hands behind his back. "I didn't figure it'd take you this long, 'hero'. You enjoy watching people have their souls snatched?" The cane then floats back to his hands.

Red Robin flies down and aims for a kick to his chest.

"Brute force and the silent treatment, 'ey? Fine by me. I'm quite flexible." Card then shuffles to the side, meeting the kick with his cane before spinning the cane and himself, coming to a stop and planting the cane bottom to the floor as the hero lands. "I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to tonight, my friend."

"Whatever you did, you're going to undo it.", Red Robin says.

"I'm fine with that. But there's somethin' else I gotta do first." He then spins the cane and all of the fears begin to attack as Card bows and makes his way into the fun house in the next tent over.

Red Robin avoided them and went to follow Ivan.

Ivan then taps the cane to the ground and the hoards of civilians flood down into the big-top floors, many of them beginning to transform into monsters. They block the doorway, attacking the hero. As Card watches, he sees when the hero has had enough of this minor annoyance and calls them off before disappearing into the fun house.

Marko was watching them in his Martian persona, trying to figure out a solution.

Red Robin runs after Ivan.

Inside is a hallway of mirrors, a maze in fact. Ivan stands in every mirror. "So, hero. Can you find the real one? Old trick for you? Well, how about this." Each Ivan then steps out from the mirrors and attacks as the true Ivan stands in back.

"I think I'm dreaming that I could ever create a life for myself. It's always going to be a daily routine of looking over my shoulder," she eventually said.

"That's the kind of world we live in" Justin said "people constantly looking over thier shoulders worrying about muggers or worse."

"Was kinda hoping for a career... too much too ask?"

"Not if we can get you cleared" Justin said