You stopped behind him, seeing him how he gazed into the huge joker card which was displayed behind the glass case.

Marc: I met a clown once.

He told you, still fixated at the card in front of him.

You: There is always one on every Earth.

You mumbled as sole mention of him made you grit your teeth.

Marc: I remember that it was 4 months after I returned to Gotham that I heard of him and it took another month after that for me to come face to face with him.

He explained as he ran his hand down the glass.

Marc: He was just standing there in the middle of the road, surrounded by police cars, and dead cops, and laughing as if he heard the best joke ever.

You: Where did I hear that one before?

You remarked as Marc continued with his story.

Marc: After that he was sent to Arkham, he still laughed. The clown piqued my interest so I decided to give him a visit.

He paused as he looked down.

Marc: You know what he told me when I asked him what was the reason for his killings?

He asked you as he glanced over his shoulder. You kept being quiet as you let him tell you.

Marc: "I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one, you know, I just do...things."

He quoted, quite literally as he used his fingers to signalize quote marks which you found amusing.

Marc: At that moment I listed him off as a psychopath and stood up to leave..that was until he called me by my full name.

Your face went pale as the memory of him taunting you with your name started to ... no ... that was in the past.. You sighed silently as you composed yourself.

Marc: Then he started to talk about how he wanted to give this city a better class of criminal, someone who was ahead of the curve.. And that someone was me.

The other Earth's Batman joked.

Marc: He spoke of how he and I needed each other. He would cause anarchy and I would always take the opportunity to establish order in my imagination..

Marc scoffed as he turned to face you.

Marc: But he was wrong, he needed me, I didn't need him. When I told him that, he started to laugh like a lunatic.

He stated as he raised his right arm on which he held her gauntlet which contained the hidden saber.

Marc: So I decided to help him with that. I took the wrist blade and slowly started to slice slowly through his checks, expanding his wicked smile.. and he just laughed through pain.

Marc snarled as he pulled out his saber just a little and softly pulled it across his face just like what he did to the clown. You watched him retract his saber back as he turned his back to you as he again started gazing into the card on display.

Marc: When I was done, in an instant I grabbed his jaw and tore it off his face. In an instant - his wicked smile and laughter was no more.

He said blankly as you viewed the reflection of his face on the glass case.

Marc: So I left that clown there to choke in his own blood, spending the last few seconds of his life knowing he will die without a smile or a laugh.

He finished as you started to reflect on the memories when you wanted to do the same to the Joker after he was the cause of Bruce's death on that dreadful night you wished it could have ended differently.

You almost did it once, when you had him at gunpoint towards his head on that bridge, but it was the self-realization of what you were doing and Batman's words which made you just knock him out and leave him for GCPD to capture him instead.

You: So...

You started as you raised your head to look at him.

You: You do that with every criminal, psychopath, serial killer, villain in Gotham?

Marc couldn't help but chuckle at your assumption. One thing you noticed was that he was cocky, arrogant and a little bit egocentric, which wasn't far from how you acted in your Robin days.

Marc: I only kill those who I have nothing to gain from.

You: What about those who you can't dispatch off so easily, those who don't fear you?

You quizzed, asking the same question you asked Bruce so many years ago. Marc thought about the question before turning to come face to face with you, him towering over you by a few centimeters (or 1 and a half inch).

Marc: We all need a sparring partner to keep us sharp, don't we?

He pointed out, a small smile resting on his face. Like he knew right away what you were going to ask him from the get go.

You: And what about the heroes, don't they always ruin the villain's day?

Marc clenched his jaw and frowned when you mentioned the heroes. You could read it on his face, he had encounters with them and none of them were the pleasant ones. From your observation, Marc gets angry or irritated really fast at the things he holds a grudge or hate on.

But to your shock, he also composes himself in those moments as fast, or even faster. He looks to the side where he keeps his gaze as he asks you.

Marc: You know why people pray to God in times of need?

He asks but doesn't continue so you look towards the direction he was watching. Marc was currently staring at all old costumes which were displayed in its own section of the Batcave.

Marc: God represents power, and power equals safety. These days people will go look for safety to those who have the power, it doesn't matter if it's the hero or a villain or someone third.

Marc states as he turns to look at you.

Marc: The thing is, when people come to you for help, you simply become a God among them.

You: What if someone makes the god bleed? Then, people will stop believing in him.

You countered, as you had first hand experience when it came to fighting self-made Gods or even actual Gods.

Marc: No God stopped fighting after the small drop of blood, no?

The silence came over you after he responded. You could have said something back again but you knew he was right. Marc took notice of your silence, so he decided to walk past you and after a meter he stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder, you doing the same.

Marc: If hereos want to dethrone a God for good, they would need to kill him. And in most of the cases;-

Marc moved forward as he started to walk away.

Marc: -They don't.

He finished saying it loud enough for you to hear as went up to the elevator, clearly an understandable decision after a tiring night. On other hand, you decided to take the stairs so you could think about the conversation where one thing was certain:

Marc knew who he was and understood his opponents very well which was good for him. That could be a thing to worry about as long as he was here on your Earth, but that wasn't the thing you were more worried about.

You worried he understood who he was more than you understood yourself.

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Stay tuned for when  the first chapter of this story drops.

What did you think of their dynamic? let us know in the comments and who do you think will win?