[ WP ] To save her , you must break the vow you swore on your life .

I swore never to kill. I swore that I will never stoop down to their level. That we, the guardians of justice, can and will achieve our goals through the peaceful way. But as I stood there, at the edge of the cliff, staring at the hideous smile that has tormented me for far too long, I could feel my vow slowly breaking before me. 
 
 `` So what it's gon na be Batsy? Will you choose to kill the evil crazy clown, or are you going to let poor Miss Lane fall to her death? Tick tock tick tock, time's ticking!'' 
 
 I gritted my teeth. Lois was suspended in mid-air, 12 stories high, her life hanging by the mere minutes. Around me, the League lay incapacitated, having fallen to Joker's devious ambush. I turned towards Clark, hoping that he would have woken up by now. No luck. The Kryptonite knock out gas had worked its miracle. 
 
 As fate would have it, only two of us are left. Two bitter rivals to the very end. 
 
 `` Let her go, Joker! This fight is between you and me!'' I shouted. My mind raced for possible solutions. A well-aimed batarang could free Lois, but I have to rappel to her in time. Too risky with Joker free. I could try knocking him out, but that would not leave me enough time to- 
 
 `` Tsk tsk tsk, my dear Bats. Trying to stall for time, are n't you? How many times must I tell you that it wo n't work! I know you, Bats, better than you know yourself. In fact...'' He took out a remote, and pushed one of the bright red buttons on it. The cable jerked downwards, closer to the barrel of Joker venom. ``... for every minute you spend thinking, Miss Lane will be closer to smiley face land. How about that! Hahahaha!'' 
 
 It was right then when I lost it. I leaped from my spot, headed straight for the Prince of Clowns. I thought about the last time we almost lost Lois. Clark was so close to unleashing a destructive rampage across Metropolis. Too close. And it was on that day when every member of the League swore an oath to protect Lois no matter what it takes, no matter what the cost, even if it meant breaking our own sacred vows. Superman was too great an asset to be lost. 
 
 Joker knew that. From the very moment he saw the destruction Clark unleashed. And he has been targeting Lois ever since. 
 
 The blade plunged through his chest and into his heart surprisingly quick. I had expected the Joker to have a fail safe mechanism, but apparently he did not. He wanted me to do it. The blood splattered against my suit, as the sickening sound of flesh tearing apart filled my ears. 
 
 And as all these happened, the Joker kept laughing, his hysterical voice filling the air. He laughed and laughed, until his voice gradually grew weaker, softer. Before he drew his last breath, he raised his bloodied left hand and patted me on my cowl. `` Hehehe... I win, Batsy.'' 
 
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 /r/dori_tales
