Jade looked out of the small window of the plane to view a snapshot of the cold, foggy evening that was awaiting her in Gotham City. The plane began it's slow and calculated descent to the sound of the captains' overly-rehearsed announcement,
"Good evening ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking to inform you that we will be landing shortly. Please fasten your seatbelts and return the seats to their upright positions. We thank you for your cooperation and patience."
She tightened her seatbelt as the colour drained from her face. Her knuckles whitened as she clenched them and snapped her eyelids shut. If she never got on a plane again, she thought, it would be too soon.
About an hour later Jade emerged from the airport building into the frosty night. She was pushing a luggage trolley that seemed to be carrying more luggage than any typical holiday goer would. Passers-by would have half expected her family to exit the building in tow, but no, she was completely and utterly alone. She lit up a cigarette with shaking hands in an attempt to calm her nerves as she recovered from the flight. Why did she agree to this? It's one thing to agree to go and live with a family member that lives halfway across the world, but it's another to agree to go and live with a family member who lives halfway across the world in Gotham. She knew the stories. Unfortunately, living in the U.K had not shielded her from the knowledge that Gotham was a dangerous place. Even without the organised crime, there were still a lot of lunatics that resided here, a lot of powerful lunatics. That's what they use Arkham for, she supposed. Despite all this, she couldn't help but find a fascination in the whole thing. That was part of the reason she'd agreed to this a life long obsession with the messed up psyche of the bad guys.
As the streetlight marking the entrance to the car park flickered, she saw a large, leaf green people carrier turn the corner towards her. That's them she thought to herself, that's my family. Even without knowing, she could surmise. This was because to her that was the car you bought when you knew you'd made it. That was the car you bought when you had kids and a successful career and a house and a lawnmower. That was the car she knew she'd never have.
"Hello Jade, wow you must've grown a foot since the last time I saw you! What are you now, 6 foot?!", mused Uncle Mike light-heartedly as he started loading the mountain of suitcases into the aptly sized car.
"Yeah what's it been, ten years?", she retorted with an air of bitterness. She knew fine well that her Dad's side of the family hadn't wanted anything to do with her since they moved over here.
"Errm Jade, you know that had nothing to do with you right? I'm sorry that we couldn't have met again under better circumstances. Everyone is super excited to see you, you've got 6 new cousins to meet! And Ella's missed you so much." You could tell he was really trying at this point by mentioning her cousin and ex-best friend.
"Listen, cut the crap! You didn't even think to ring me after you left, you didn't even let me speak to Ella at all, and now you expect me to come with open arms to rekindle our relationship? Well, news flash, my family just died and I'm not in the rekindling mood. If I had any other choice than this, believe me, I would've chosen it. Please just drive me home."
To Uncle Mike, the silence in the car was excruciating. All he'd wanted to do was to make amends but it seemed to him like she turned out just as messed up as her Dad was. To Jade, on the other hand, it was blissful. She extended her long legs, propping her feet up on the dash, practically daring her uncle to say something. He didn't. Her eyes, heavy from fatigue, drifted over to the wing mirror to find that she was a mess. Her long, dark brown hair that had been straight eight hours ago, was now damp and knotted from the precipitation in the air. As if that wasn't enough, her heavily lined, blue eyes were giving the effect of a panda rather than a cat.
SCREEEEECHHH! The car came to an abrupt halt, narrowly avoiding the car in front which had apparently done the same. Jade struggled to keep herself rooted in her seating position.
"WHAT THE HELL!" Shouted the young girl's uncle.
"SHIT WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Jade was almost on the floor at this point, trying to wriggle herself back up with her feet stuck on the dashboard.
Uncle Mike was just starting his lecture on the use of offensive language, especially around his children when the source of the pile-up became apparent. A purple Vaydor sped past in a blur and another SCREEEEECHHH! The windows were rolled down which allowed the sound of maniacal laughter to escape the car for all to hear. The sound crept down the spines of all who heard it with a sense of foreboding. Jade promptly opened the sunroof to stand up and receive a better view. Looking in the direction from which the car had come, she could see at least ten GCPD cars making the chase. The girl was embarrassed to admit to herself that the whole thing had given her a thrill.
"Shit!" Uncle Mike was not quite able to believe what he was seeing.
"What happened to the use of language?" She questioned jokingly as she returned to her seat.
"Jade you don't understand..." Trailed her Uncle.
"What's the issue? Whoever that was, they're gone now so let's just go." She couldn't understand why one purple car had shaken him so much. She thought that living in Gotham would have gifted the man with thicker skin.
"I've never actually seen him." You could tell he was in total disbelief from the shade of his complexion the wideness of his old-looking eyes.
"WHO!?"
"Jade, the man driving that car was The Joker."