Part three of Soft Targets picks up with the M.C.U. trying to locate all of the eight locations Joker has set up, but can only find seven. In order to keep order in the city the Major Crimes unit is ordered to roust a gang of former Joker henchmen, but doing so causes the timer to reach zero, before it begins climbing back up. Meanwhile Joker has come to the police station and appears to be arrested.

Angie Molina is reporting about the Joker's live countdown. Eight cameras in eight locations presumably show where the next victims are killed. She criticizes the police and the mayor as people panic and flee Gotham to be safe. The cops still hate her for her reports. They are trying to find the eight locations. They start looking at each location but only find laptops and camcorders.

Mayor Hull is pressuring Akins and Sawyer to do something, so that the city doesn't look bad. He wants them to arrest the Killer Clowns, a group of Joker wannabes. Akins tells him that this would be a waste of time and energy but Hull insists.

Montoya and Allen track down the gun salesman who sold the rifle to the Joker. He was already visited by Batman, but they take him to the station anyway.

The Killer Clowns bust ensues and goes well. At the station, Tracy and Sawyer watch the countdown go down to zero and then restart by counting up again. The interrogation of the Killer Clowns leads to nothing. Everyone is working more than overtime, even though it's close to christmas, so everyone has to call off their relatives.

Suddenly the computers show reporter Molina hanging upside down in a warehouse, supposedly waiting to be killed. Probson is outside talking to an officer when the Joker shows up. He beats him down and arrests him, but the Joker doesn't defend himself.