Continuing directly from the events of Detective Comics #475, Batman, Commissioner Gordon, Chief o' Hara, and a horde of policemen are now inside the home of bureaucrat Thomas Jackson, The Joker's next target. Outside, the thunderstorm is has reached its zenith, while inside, Batman, Gordon, and o' Hara discuss whether or not they will be able to protect Jackson - after all, they had previously failed to protect Francis. It is now 2:57 P.M., a mere three minutes before three o' clock, the time that The Joker had set for Jackson's "execution" if his demands are not met.