In DC/Young Justice with the Omnitrix/Ultimatrix and a Chat Group

The Narrows at night is exactly as ominous as its reputation suggests. Crumbling buildings loom like decaying teeth against the smog-filled sky.

The few streetlights that work cast sickly yellow pools that seem to highlight the darkness rather than dispel it.

Even the air feels different here - heavier, tainted with desperation and decay.

I approach the address on the card cautiously, staying in shadows and keeping my senses alert for any sign of an ambush. The Ultimatrix pulses gently on my wrist, as if sensing my tension and readying itself for action.

As I walk, I consider the implications of my situation. The street performer's smoke bomb display on campus would have drawn attention.

Witnesses would have seen him interact specifically with me - a teenager with distinctive white hair and red eyes.

If Batman is as thorough as his reputation suggests, he's likely already investigating the incident. The Joker isn't exactly subtle, and Batman knows his methods.

I'm potentially walking into a situation that Batman might already be monitoring. I'll need to be exceptionally careful.

The location turns out to be an abandoned theater, its marquee long dark, posters faded to ghostly outlines. "The Monarch Theater" reads the rusted sign above the boarded-up entrance. Something about the name seems familiar, but I can't place it.

There's no obvious way in from the front, but I notice a side alley with a door hanging slightly ajar. A playing card - the ace of spades - is pinned to it.

"Could you be any more obvious?" I mutter, approaching the door.

Before entering, I consider my options. I came here with a clear purpose: to end the Joker's threat permanently. With the Ultimatrix, I have the means to do it quickly and leave no evidence.

Humungousaur could crush him instantly. Heatblast could reduce him to ashes. Even without transforming, my enhanced abilities should be more than enough to overpower a normal human, no matter how deranged.

But first, I need to understand what he knows and why he's interested in my research. If he's planning something that threatens reality itself, I need that information before eliminating him.

I push the door open, wincing at the creaking hinges. The interior is pitch black. I step inside cautiously, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness.

My enhanced hearing picks up subtle movements behind me - at least three people trying to move quietly, following me into the theater. I pretend not to notice, keeping my focus forward.

A spotlight suddenly blazes to life, blinding me momentarily. When my vision clears, I see I'm standing at the edge of the theater's main stage. The auditorium beyond is empty, rows of decaying seats stretching into darkness.

"Right on time!" a voice calls from the shadows. "I do appreciate punctuality in my audience."

The Joker steps into the spotlight, his chalk-white skin and green hair vivid against his purple suit. His smile stretches impossibly wide, revealing yellowed teeth in a rictus grin.

"Welcome, welcome!" he says, spreading his arms theatrically. "So glad you could make it to my little performance, Mr. Morningstar. Or should I call you... the boy genius of GSI?"

I keep my expression neutral, though internally I'm calculating the distance between us and how quickly I could reach him. "You have my attention. What's this about?"

He giggles, the sound echoing unnervingly through the empty theater. "Direct! I like that. None of the Bat's brooding silences." He cocks his head, studying me with unsettling intensity.

"I must say, I'm surprised you actually came. Most people wouldn't answer an invitation from little old me. They tend to... run screaming in the other direction."

"I'm not most people," I reply evenly.

"Clearly not!" He claps his hands together delightedly. "Either exceptionally brave or exceptionally foolish. I'm still deciding which."

I hear the followers from outside now positioning themselves at the exits. Three men, heavily armed based on the metallic sounds of their movements.

"I'm guessing if I hadn't shown up, your friends behind me would have made sure I attended anyway," I say, nodding slightly toward the exits.

The Joker's eyebrows rise fractionally, impressed. "Good ears! Yes, they had instructions to bring you here - albeit with considerably less dignity and more screaming. But you've saved everyone the trouble! How considerate."

He skips closer, moving with a dancer's grace that belies the chaos in his eyes. "This is about possibilities, my young friend. About rewriting the punchline to the greatest joke ever told."

"And what joke would that be?" I ask, tracking his movements carefully.

"Why, the origin of the Bat, of course!" He spins in a circle, arms outstretched. "The moment that created Batman - that perfect, beautiful moment when little batsy had his one bad day!"

So that's why the name seemed familiar. This is where Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered.

"What does that have to do with me?" I ask, though I'm beginning to see the terrible pattern forming.

The Joker stops spinning and fixes me with a penetrating stare that contains far too much intelligence for comfort. "Your little project at GSI. Dimensional barriers. Quantum resonance. All very impressive technical jargon for what is, essentially, time travel."

I keep my face impassive, but my mind races.

He can't do it. Time doesn't work like that. You can't change the past not really, it would only create an alternative world.

At least, that's how it logically should be, but there are ways that make things appear like changing the past... Like with the Speed Force.

The math may not add up like that, but, there is some logic behind this that would have devestating consequences either way.

"You want to go back in time," I say slowly. "To the event that made the Batman."

His smile widens impossibly further. "Give the boy a prize! Yes! But not just to watch - oh no, that would be so... passive." He pulls a revolver from his jacket, spinning it casually.

"I want to be the one who pulls the trigger. I want to be the one who creates Batman!"

The sheer insanity of his plan hits me. "You want to make yourself responsible for Batman's origin?"

"It's perfect, isn't it?" he cackles. "The ultimate cosmic joke! I create him, he creates me, around and around in a beautiful circle of causality!" His laughter echoes through the theater, bouncing off the walls like the sound itself has gone mad.

"And when he finally figures it out - when he realizes that I've always been there, that I've always been the architect of his pain - well, that's when he'll finally break.

That's when he'll finally kill me."

"And that's what you want?" I ask, genuinely confused. "To die?"

"To die at his hands," the Joker clarifies, suddenly serious. "To be the sin he can never wash away. To be his eternal punchline." His eyes gleam with manic intensity. "Don't you see the beauty of it? The perfect symmetry?"

I see the madness, certainly. But there's something else here - a twisted logic that makes a disturbing kind of sense if you accept his premise that his relationship with Batman is the center of the universe.

"And you think I can help you achieve this," I say, stalling while I consider my options.

"Your research, your equations - they're the key!" He skips closer, too close for comfort. "The museum pieces I've collected provide the mystical component, but I need the science to make it work.

That's where you come in, my brilliant young prodigy."

"So you're the one who robbed the museum," I say, putting the pieces together. "You stole the tablet about crossing planes of existence."

"Among other trinkets," he confirms with a dismissive wave. "Mystical mumbo-jumbo, mostly, but combined with your quantum theories..." He makes an explosive gesture with his hands.

"Boom! A doorway through time!"

"What makes you think I'd help you?" I ask directly.

"Oh, I don't expect you to volunteer," he says, his smile never faltering. "That would be too... predictable. No, I've prepared incentives."

He snaps his fingers, and the lights come up on the rest of the stage. Three people are tied to chairs at the back - a middle-aged woman, a young man, and a child no more than ten.

All wear gags, and their eyes are wide with terror.

Unlike the Joker's theatrical demeanor, their fear is unmistakably genuine. The woman has tear tracks streaking her mascara.

The young man's wrists are raw from struggling against his restraints. And the child is trembling uncontrollably, eyes darting frantically around the room.

These aren't performers. They're actual hostages.

"Just some random folks I picked up on my way here," the Joker says casually. "Nobody special. Nobody who would be missed immediately. But their lives now depend on your cooperation."

My muscles tense. The situation has just become significantly more complicated. I can't transform or act overtly without revealing my abilities. But I also can't let these innocent people die.

"What exactly do you want from me?" I ask, buying time as I assess the distance to the hostages.

"Your research notes, to start," he says. "Then your continued consultation as I assemble the device. Nothing too taxing. Just a few weeks of your time, and then-" he makes an explosive gesture with his hands, "history rewritten!"

"I need to think about this," I say, feigning uncertainty. "It's a lot to process."

"Of course, of course," the Joker says indulgently. "But don't think too long. These people's lives hang in the balance, and I'm not known for my patience." He giggles again, the sound sending chills down my spine.

"Shall we say... 24 hours? Bring your research notes to this address-" he tosses me another card, "-tomorrow night. Or I start sending these lovely people back to their families. In pieces."

I catch the card and nod slowly. "24 hours."

"Splendid!" He claps his hands together. "This is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, I can tell. Or a tragic ending. Either way, it'll be entertaining!"

He backs away, keeping the gun trained on me. "Don't try anything heroic on your way out. My friends are watching." He gestures vaguely to the shadows of the theater.

"And don't even think about contacting the Bat. I'll know if you do."

With that, he disappears behind a curtain at the back of the stage. The spotlight shuts off abruptly, plunging the theater into darkness once more.

I stand perfectly still, listening. I can hear movement - the hostages being led away, footsteps retreating through what must be a backstage area.

The three men who followed me in are still at the exits, but they make no move to stop me as I head back toward the side door.

Clearly, they're under orders to let me leave and make my decision.

Outside, the night air feels cleaner somehow, despite Gotham's perpetual pollution. I move quickly through the alleyway, alert for any followers, but detect none beyond the initial three, who remain in the theater.

Either the Joker is confident in his manipulation, or he's not as concerned about me as he pretends to be.

I have 24 hours before he expects me to deliver my research notes. In that time, I need to decide how to handle this situation.

The obvious solution - eliminating the Joker - remains tempting. With my abilities, I could do it without leaving evidence, removing a cancerous threat from this world permanently.

But there are complications. The Joker clearly has henchmen, and they might have contingency plans if he disappears.

More importantly, I need to understand the full scope of his plan and whether anyone else is involved before I take decisive action.

And then there's Batman. If I kill the Joker, I immediately position myself as a target for the Dark Knight's investigation.

Batman is likely already aware of the Joker's interest in me—the campus incident wouldn't have gone unnoticed.

While I'm confident in my abilities, I'm not eager to have the World's Greatest Detective as an enemy, especially while I'm still establishing myself in this world.

As I walk back toward my apartment, a new plan begins to form. I don't need to kill the Joker immediately.

I can play along, learn what he knows, identify his associates and resources, and then decide on the most effective course of action.

If I handle this correctly, I might even be able to arrange for Batman to catch him in the act of attempting something genuinely dangerous, ensuring he's locked away more securely than usual.

Yes, this is better actually. I was too emotional earlier, wanting to act too soon. I shouldn't start with killing the joker - or killing at all. 

To change the world, I need the people on my side, in a way that they themselves wish for me to change things.

Yes, this was exactly what I needed to understand.

In someways the crazy clown has actually helped me with this stunt - thanks to those hostages halting my murderous intentions, I can think more clearly now.

More urgently though still, is that I need to find a way to ensure the hostages' safety.

XLR8 can make it happen but...

Do I want to show myself so soon?

By the time I reach my building, I've decided on my approach.

I'll create fake research notes - convincing enough to satisfy the Joker's initial inspection but fundamentally flawed in ways that would prevent any actual time travel device from functioning.

I'll use the opportunity to gather intelligence on his operation and locate the hostages. And I'll prepare contingencies in case things go wrong.

In my apartment, I secure the door and windows before sitting at my desk. I pull out a notebook and begin drafting equations - real enough to be convincing, wrong enough to be useless.

"Patience," I mutter to myself. "There's more at play here than just the Joker."

The night deepens around me as I work, Gotham's distant sirens and occasional shouts providing a fitting soundtrack to my planning.

Tomorrow, I'll enter the Joker's world on my own terms. I'll find those hostages and ensure their safety. 

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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

See, Samael finally understands some development, cause he can't just go tyrant.

That's stupid.

But, he can be emotional, especially when one has just gotten so much power at once.

So yeah, I hope you all enjoyed,

See you all later,

Bye!)