"He appears to be heading for the roof," Alfred reported.

"Got it," Batman answered, pulling out a remote control from his utility belt and pressing one of the buttons on it. A concealed panel slid back and granted Batman access to a hidden elevator. When the door slid shut, Harley and Alfred lost sight of him as there were no cameras inside the secret elevator.

Harley chewed the edge of her thumbnail nervously. The idea of Bruce fighting the Joker on the roof of a very tall building was not helping her stay calm. She wanted to be there; even if she couldn't help, being there would make her feel better.

Alfred switched the camera view to the rooftop, waiting for the arrival of Joker and Batman.

Because the secret elevator was high powered for use in emergency situations, Batman reached the roof first, using his grapple gun to latch onto the metal tower of a communication antenna. The line connected to the grappling hook retracted, and Batman was pulled off the roof and into the air. He latched onto the tower and hung off the side of it like a gargoyle, almost out of range of the camera positioned above him.

Joker exited his own elevator a moment later and briskly walked toward the far end of the roof.

Batman kicked off the tower and landed behind Joker. The clown spun around, bringing his machine gun to bear, but Batman was waiting for it, securing a grip on the weapon before delivering a punch to the Joker's jaw with the force of a sledgehammer.

The Joker staggered away, leaving the gun in Batman's unyielding grip. Batman, in a few quick movements, broke the weapon down into its component parts, dropping them clattering to the roof.

Reaching into his jacket, the Joker brought out his crowbar and took several viscous swings at Batman.

"Come on, B-man!" Harley cheered as Bruce dodged the attacks and landed several punishing punches. "Give it to him good!"

Joker swung the crowbar toward Batman's head, but Batman caught the clown's arm, twisting sharply and breaking Joker's wrist. The clang of the crowbar hitting the roof was almost drowned out entirely by Joker's yell. The clown twisted around in order to fire his acid flower at Batman, causing the hero to release him and dodge out of the way.

While running to the far end of the roof, Joker tossed several items over his shoulder, and they clattered to the roof between him and Batman. Harley instantly recognized them as Joker teeth, and Batman must have identified them as well for he dived away from the chattering devices an instant before they each exploded in sizable detonations.

The momentary distraction had served well enough for Joker to gain some distance from his opponent and produce a silver plated revolver. He fired a single shot to keep Batman away while working to remove his suit jacket. It was a challenge with a broken wrist, but he managed.

"There's nowhere to go, Joker," Batman told him forcefully.

"Let's not be pessimistic," Joker reprimanded. "I'd been planning to toss Bruce Wayne off the roof, so I came prepared."

Joker turned away as he sprinted for the roof's edge. Situated on his back was a parachute.

Batman pulled out a batarang and hurled it after the fleeing criminal. The sharpened edges of the bat-shaped boomerang slashed through the parachute on the left side before cutting one of the shoulder straps. The chute lurched sideways as it lost support on one side, and Joker noticed, spinning around in circles while trying to see the damage. Finally, he removed the ruined parachute and tossed it onto the roof.  A second batarang struck Joker's gun, knocking it from his grip.

"That's not funny," Joker sneered. "I suppose you're right. Why escape and tell everyone your secret? I can kill you just as well as anyone, so why should I share the fun?"

Batman was silent, lowering himself into a combat stance as the Joker departed from the edge of the roof and approached with murderous insanity in his eyes.

A relentless flurry of punches rained down on Batman, but he blocked or evaded them without striking back.

"Why isn't he fighting?" Harley asked Alfred.

"He is," the butler replied. "It takes energy to fight effectively, and Joker is using all of his. Batman will outlast him, wear him down."

"In a fair fight, I'd agree with you," Harley said. "But, don't forget, the Joker's never played fair in his life."

Work had been in progress on the roof for a new elevator shaft, and spools of metal cable were stacked near the access point where they were being installed. Joker kicked the stack of cables, unbalancing and knocking them toward Batman to create an obstacle between them while also launching numerous projectiles for Batman to defend against.

When Batman shoved his way past the tumbling spools of cable, Joker opened his fist and planted his palm against Batman's chest, discharging his hand zapper's full power. Arcs of electricity tore outward in all directions, lighting up the roof in bolts of blinding intensity.

Batman collapsed to the roof on his back. Joker knelt beside him and cackled with sadistic delight, but he was breathing hard.

"I seem to remember being in another situation like this," Joker recalled while grinning uncontrollably. "But, I can't help feeling like something's missing."

Joker snapped his fingers. "I remember now. I'll be right back. Don't go away."

Standing up, Joker went to retrieve his crowbar.

Batman rolled over, struggling to regain control of his muscles after the intense jolt of electricity. He removed a batarang from his belt and threw it. The projectile clanged off the concrete roof several inches away from the Joker.

Dodging sideways in an instinctual evasion, Joker turned to face Batman, but in the process, he got tangled in a line of cable from one of the spools he'd knocked over. His foot caught on the cable and tripped him. Joker screamed as he fell over the side of the building.

Batman slowly got back to his feet and staggered to the edge. He looked over the side of the building before kneeling and reaching down.

"Do you have a different angle?" Harley asked Alfred. "I can't see what's going on."

"One moment," Alfred requested. He adjusted a control and switched to a camera installed on the building across the street.

Joker was still tangled in the cable responsible for tripping him, hanging upside down from the roof. A knot had snagged on the roof and kept him from becoming a smear of red on the sidewalk far below. Batman knelt near the cable, trying to pull the clown back up.

"I'm going to spread your secret everywhere, and you're still trying to save me," Joker said before laughing wildly. "I must say, I'm shocked."

Joker placed his hand buzzer against his own chest, sending an electric shock through his body and up the cable to Batman.

Barely letting go of the cable in time, Batman rolled away to avoid being jolted again. The cable, no longer supported by Batman, snapped tight as Joker's weight jerked it down. The tangle previously keeping the cable from going completely over the side came loose, and Joker plunged the rest of the way to the street below.

Police sirens could be heard as they arrived on scene.

"It's over," Alfred said quietly. He turned on the microphone. "Batman, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Batman reported, but the sound of his voice was strained. "I'm heading back to the cave."

"Show's over," Harley said. "You had best move me back before Bruce gets home."

"How are you feeling?" Alfred asked as he released the brakes and started pushing her medical bed back into position.

"I'm still a little sore," Harley answered absently, her thoughts lingering on the well-being of Bruce after his difficult fight.

"I was referring to your thoughts in regard to the demise of the Joker," Alfred corrected. He centered her bed back in the medical area of the cave and locked the wheels in place.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Since my split with Joker, I've been so busy in my pursuit of my fella, I haven't really thought about J much. At least Bruce's secret is safe."

"Now that Joker isn't around," Alfred said, "I wonder what will happen to those two hyenas of his."

The comment made Harley remember what she'd almost forgotten.  She sat up in bed and shrieked, "My babies!"