Ian looked at the Joker, at the mask on his face that was forever smiling.
"Why don't you leave?"
At that, the Joker took a bite of his apple and chewed.
"Go where? Everywhere is his territory! Besides, it's pretty fun here. I've got Batman keeping me company."
Whether or not that counted as a confession was anyone's guess.
Batman turned around and looked at Ian.
"You want to change all this now?"
He knew Ian definitely wouldn't be willing to accept the world as it was.
"Yes."
"How?"
Ian fell silent for a moment.
"Find Superman first. Talk to him."
Batman shook his head.
"He won't talk. He's no longer the man he used to be."
He sighed, his tone complicated.
Seeing Ian staring at him without speaking, Batman guessed something. He turned and looked at Ian, his eyes hidden behind the mask, no emotion visible.
"You want to know more?"
"I'm here already."
Batman was silent for a moment, then rose from his chair, walked to the wall, and pulled open a drawer. Inside were not weapons, but a stack of photographs. He tossed them onto the table. Ian walked over, picked them up, and looked. The first was Wonder Woman. She lay on the ground, fractured rock all around her, the Lasso of Truth wrapped around her own neck. Her eyes were closed. There were no wounds on her face, but there was blood at the corner of her mouth.
The second was Flash. He leaned against a wall, his body twisted at an impossible angle, his red uniform covered in scorch marks, as if something had burned through him from the inside. The third was Aquaman. He had been pinned to the throne of Atlantis by his own trident, seawater gushing in through the cracks around