Case 1: Oswald Cobblepot

***Case 1: Oswald Cobblepot*** is the first episode of *Justice League: Aftermath*.

## Plot

### Question's Log

*Three months. One for each of them. It's embarrassing. That's a lot of time I've wasted by getting minimal information. The most I've managed to gather is it wasn't just them. A few good villains died that day, too. Shame. I was almost looking forward to what schemes I'd have to unravel of them next. Well. I suppose it's probably for the best.*
*With the rest of the League just as in the dark, I've been forced to use less than reputable sources for clues. That, and trusted confidant Norbert Kitterman. All that being said, the investigation has led me to Gotham's underbelly. I can't imagine this will be my last venture here. If you want to know a man, get to know his enemies. Batman got around, he was notorious for having a lot of them. Hopefully this won't be a dead end.*

*I can't handle many more of those.*
### Story

Loud music played throughout the Iceberg Lounge. The club was almost filled, as if the entirety of Gotham's lower class was having the time of their lives inside the establishment. The multi-colored strobe lights reflected out through the windows and onto the rain puddles of the streets outside. Standing across the way, in an alleyway just out of the light's reach, was the Question.

*The only ones willing to party while their streets run unsafe are the ones making it unsafe to begin with. The lack of Batman has emboldened them. The Bat-family are effective, but they don't instill the same level of fear.*
*...*

*...*

*...*

*It really isn't the same without Bruce.*
The Question stepped further into the alley, disappearing into the darkness.

Inside the club, several notable members of Batman's rogues gallery were having the time of their lives, with no threat of the masked vigilante showing up.

Harley Quinn danced before a crowd, moving to the music which was accompanied by the singing of a man in a purple suit decorated with musical notes. Harley then knelt down, and blew a kiss to one of the other patrons. As she went away, the patron in question scoffed, and took a shot of vodka. He then turned, showing the heavily damaged left side of his face, as well as the left side of his suit being purple as opposed to the black of the right side, and then he followed up the shot of vodka with one of whiskey, notably holding the glass to the damaged side of his mouth.

Cards were dealt onto a nearby table by Carmine Falcone, as he got the next round of poker ready for the villains at the table. Riddler twirled his cane patiently, while Scarecrow took a toke of his own fear toxin just for the thrill of it. The other two sitting at the table, however, felt a bit out of place, with Calendar Man obsessively checking to be sure his outfit's date was correct, while Kite-Man shifted awkwardly between him and Scarecrow. The cards were dealt, then each player checked them before swapping out. The cards now ready, they each flipped over them to let Carmine view them, before he then moved the money to the winner.

"Kite-Man."

"HELL YEAH!" Kite-Man's awkward disposition drastically changed as he excitedly took his winnings, much to the chagrin of the others.

On a balcony overlooking the club and its patrons stood the owner himself. Oswald Cobblepot. The Penguin. He looked proudly and satisfied at the establishment before turning and stepping away, going through a door into the backrooms of the club. Oswald took to his private quarters which were a part of the building, and then hung up his purple coat. He stepped into the bathroom briefly to snag a toothpick and remove what presumably fish from between his jagged teeth.

"Hm." Oswald examined it, then shrugged before eating it again, then tossing the toothpick before stepping back into the main room. He approached the bed, only for a lamp to turn on behind him, revealing the Question.

"Hello, Oswald."

"SHIT-" Oswald nearly fell over in surprise, catching himself on the bed's frame as he caught his breath and glared back at the Question. "Y-You hero types... Ain't you ever been learned some manners? You knock before you enter someone's home."

"Did Batman ever knock?"

"Yes, actually. He'd wait outside the window for me to get into the room, then knock on the window." Oswald paused "...Okay, he'd jump through the window, but that, paired with his moonlit silhouette told me he was coming."

The Question remained silent, which only made Oswald more paranoid.

"Look, if you's here to arrest me for something, you're lookin at the wrong guy. You ain't got shit on me, ya hear? You ain't got shit!"

*Hm. There's probably something worth looking into, then. Not now, though.*
"I'm here for information, Cobblepot."

Oswald's demeanor changed. "Well in that case, I suppose you did come to the right guy. Assuming you can cough up the goods?"

Oswald then grunted as he was suddenly tackled onto his bed by a large sack. He sat up and opened it, revealing several wads of cash.

"This all legit?" He asked, almost in disbelief. "Unmarked, too."

"All legit, all from my personal funds. I doubt the League would be willing to give me money just for the sake of buttering up felons. Had to take it into my own hands."

Oswald looked over the bills, keeping his eyes on the money as he spoke. "What'dya need knowing?"

"The deaths of the big three." The Question answered bluntly. "I need to know if there's anything you know."

"Huh." Oswald scoffed. "And you's thinking I've got something to do with that? What makes you think I know anything?"

"Well, if you don't know anything, I could just easily take my money back."

"Now, now, there's no need in bein' unreasonable." Oswald let out a chuckle. He then sighed "You needs to be investigating across the pond. Your answer ain't here."

"...England?" The Question asked, genuinely confused.

"Wh- No!" Oswald shook his head. "Other side of the bay. Metropolis. Rumor has it that LexCorp had been putting funds into researching that ship left over by that Zod fella a few years back."

The Question's interest was piqued. "You think Luthor's involved?"

Oswald suddenly shifted, and his paranoia increased "Hey, you didn't hear shit from me, aight? Last thing I wanna do is get on the bad side of Lex Luthor."

"What do you mean, hearing from you?" The Question asked. "I haven't gotten you to speak all night."

Oswald sighed, and nodded, the agreement made between them. He glanced back down at the money. "So. If you's needin' anymore info, I'm expectin' more-" Oswald cut himself off as he looked up, and saw Question had already gone. He scoffed. "Shit don't feel no damn different from when it was Batman. ...Well. Aside from the money, I 'spose."

On the street, the Question quietly made his way away from the nightclub, walking seemingly aimlessly as he left. This was viewed from a higher vantage point, through the scope of a sniper. The figure holding the firearm stood on a rooftop, mostly obscured by the darkness, and only slightly lit by the nightclubs lights, though not enough to make anything substantial out about their details. As the Question walked out of sight, they lowered their arms, then stepped away.

Rain poured down in a different city, as well. Washington, D.C. Lights shown from the ground up at the statues erected of the fallen big three. Underneath, a plaque was placed.

"Justice For All. In honor of the heroes who sacrificed all so we would not have to: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman."

The rain trickled down more than just the statues, as it also ran down the golden-orange armor of Aquaman, who looked up at the stone recreations of his fallen friends. Memories flashed in Arthur's head as his brooding continued.

His first meeting of Bruce, when the latter initially failed to recruit the former to the Justice League.

The first successful mission of the group as a whole, wherein the seven successfully took down Vandal Savage.

Additional successes, such as those against Brainiac, Amazo, and Steppenwolf.

And then... the bad memories flooded in.

The last fight the seven had together. Robotic recreations of the Parademons flying about a facility, the outside of which being where Arthur fought alongside Hal, Victor, and Barry. The facility itself was where Diana, Clark, and Bruce were. 'Were' being the operative word, as the facility abruptly exploded into a mushroom cloud, the shockwave destroying the faux Parademons, and the other four League members knocked back.

All that could be salvaged from the remains was a scorched half-S from Superman's suit. And the vision of Lois Lane's face when Arthur gave this to her haunted him ever since.

Arthur then gasped as he was brought back to reality by the touch of someone.

"Hey, are you doing alright?" Mera asked as she stepped next to him.

Sighing, Arthur put an arm around Mera, holding her close "...It's difficult. Being a member of the League and king of Atlantis was difficult but manageable. Now I lead both." He looked up at the statues again. "It's rough without them."

"You being king is exactly what makes you fit for this." Mera comfortingly said as she nuzzled against him. "You're a natural leader, Arthur. That's what the League needs."

"And that's why it's difficult." Arthur said with a chuckle. "I'll get through it, though."

"We'll get through it." Mera corrected with a smile, as the two then shared a kiss.

"Touching." The Question said, startling the two Atlantean royals.

Arthur groaned. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Two minutes, thirty-seven seconds. Thirty-eight. Thirty-nine."

"You can stop counting now." Arthur pinched his brow.

The Question nodded and went silent for a moment as he looked up at the statues. The silence got awkward before he managed to make it more awkward with how he decided to break it. "...You know, if they really wanted the Greek statue style, they would've added nipples."

Arthur and Mera took glances at each other before the latter spoke. "Is... that how you handle all your conversations?"

"Should I have said something about fish instead?" The Question turned back to them, and noticed the unamused expressions. "Fair enough, I probably would've been wrong anyway. I'm open to that, though."

"Shouldn't you be off trying to prove the moon landing was fake?" Arthur teased, nudging the Question in an attempt to ease the awkward tension a bit.

"Oh, please. Everyone knows the landing was real." The Question then looked around to be sure no one was listening, then leaned closer to the other two. "It's the film that was fake."

The casual and discreet way in which the Question said this so definitively only increased Arthur and Mera's concern for his mental well-being.

"Anywho." The Question went on to normal conversation. "I only came by while passing through from the Watchtower. Needed to grab a few files."

"What are you looking into?" Arthur asked.

There was a brief pause.

...

...

...

"Aglets." The Question said nonchalantly before walking off, giving a silent yet casual wave back, leaving the two just as confused after the conversation as they were during it.

*It wasn't entirely false. That is a currently open case. It just also wasn't entirely true, either.*

Lightning struck and lit up the sky, showing the sign to Arkham Asylum. The Question walked down its halls, led by a man wearing a purple and white sweater vest overtop a beige shirt, as well as having white pants and a grey scarf.

"He should expect you by now."

"He does. But he also expects a quid pro quo." The Question responded. "Had to get the necessary payment, Norbert."

"What exactly are you smuggling him?" Norbert asked incredulously with a cocked eyebrow.

"Gag gifts." The Question answered flatly as they went into the depths of the insane asylum.

*Remember how I mentioned my sources were less than reputable? ...Yeah. We're talking the lowest of reputable imaginable. Negative reputable, in fact.*
The elevator led the two into the bottom-most floor of the establishment, and Norbert motioned for the Question to go ahead. He walked down the way, passing by cells filled with various felons.

*Worst of the worst are held down here. Bane. Man-Bat. Mad Hatter. Nothing like the Polka-Dot Man's or Captain Boomerang's you'd see on the top levels. Which is exactly why he's so perfect for this case.*
The Question reached the target cell. He pulled open the drawer and placed a bag inside, then slid it closed. "Gift of the day." He announced.

A pale hand reached into the drawer and opened the bag, revealing a hand buzzer. They slid it onto their left hand, wound it up, then buzzed themselves with it, resulting in a rather unsavory noise of pleasure.

"So. What are we going by today?" The Question asked. "Jack Napier? Arthur Fleck? Something new, perhaps?"

The Question peered into the cell, and from within, the empty, grey eyes of the person stared back at him through locks of unkempt, green hair. A low and hollow laugh came from the prisoner as the scene faded to black.

## Question's Notes

* The Question is led in the direction of LexCorp by The Penguin.
* The even in which the Big Three were killed is depicted, but not gone into tremendous detail due to how little there is to know.

## Characters

* The Question
* Aquaman
* Mera
* Norbert Kitterman

### Villains

* The Penguin
* Harley Quinn *(cameo)*
* The Music Meister *(cameo)*
* Two-Face *(cameo)*
* Carmine Falcone "(cameo)
* The Riddler *(cameo)*
* The Scarecrow *(cameo)*
* Kite-Man *(cameo)*
* Calendar Man *(cameo)*
* Bane *(cameo)*
* Man-Bat *(cameo)*
* Mad Hatter *(cameo)*
* The Joker *(cameo)*

### Flashback

* Superman
* Batman
* Wonder Woman
* Green Lantern
* Cyborg
* The Flash
* Vandal Savage
* Brainiac
* Amazo
* Steppenwolf
* Parademons
	+ Fake Parademons
* Lois Lane

## Allusions

* The poker scene in the Iceberg Lounge is a nod to the Batman: The Animated Series episode, Almost Got 'Im.
* The statues of the big three reference the Superman statue erected in the DCEU after the fact of his death.
* The Question's comment about adding nipples to the statue to make them Greek styled alludes to the nipples on Batman and Robin's suits in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
* The Question's comment about aglets references the Justice League: Unlimited episode Question Authority in which the character mentioned the true purpose of aglets to be sinister.
* The Question referring to a "quid pro quo" with the Joker alludes to the relationship between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, which is in general the inspiration for their dynamic in this series.

## Trivia

* The flashback scenes Arthur has at the statues show that the Aftermath timeline very loosely follows Blake's plans to rewrite the DCEU, with Justice League facing Vandal Savage as their first enemy as a team.

Template:Aftermath Episodes