The Joker: Dark Avenger of Gotham
Part1: The Impossible Change
As Batman Entered the all too familiar entrance to Arkham Asylum, the alarms beeping because of his gear, he was not greeted by the stern look of the head of security. Instead a puzzled and bewildered look graced Aaron Cash's face. This didn't surprise Batman, because the news he heard that brought him here caused him to make the same face just moments earlier in front of the Bat Computer. "Batman, glad you came." said Cash, his voice still reflecting his facial expression "Only you would know if this was…well, pardon the expression, not a joke." Batman's face did not change from his usual stern demeaner when he heard this. As usual he went straight to business. "I need to see him and then round me up all the footage from their meetings.". He said. "I already have Dr. Stern on it. She has all her notes and is ready to discuss this uh.. breakthrough with you." replied Cash. "Good work Cash". Retorted Batman, and then like clockwork, the Dark Knight was led by a set of guards straight to intensive care elevator.
As he exited the large elevator, the silence obviously never broken between Batman and the Guards the whole ride down, Batman was not taunted nor acknowledged by any of the inmates he past. Not even some of the usual suspects for crime in Gotham such as Two-Face or Riddle. Like Batman, all the inmates had their eyes and ears on one thing: Joker's cell and the wailing that was coming from it at the end of the hall.
It wasn't a typical sound you expect to come from the cell of the clown prince of crime. Oh, no. This wasn't a wail of laughter or sadistic taunting. Oh no. The sound that was coming from the sadistic clown's dark prison was like that of a wounded animal or weeping child. He sounded hurt, broken. A sound Batman was familiar with from his personal past, but he NEVER expected this sound from his archenemy. Not in a million years. But as he got closer and closer, this unrealistic reality was plain to see. There, in the doodled and padded cell, lay the Joker. His white skin and green hair clashed as usual with the orange jump suit he wore, but his face was out of view. All Batman could see from where he stood was the fetal-positioned joker clutching his green hairy with his blank hands and making the noise over and over as well as tears that kept adding to the absorbing puddles on the padded floor. Now that he was closer, Batman could tell there were some words jumbled in those screams. Words like "why!" and "How could I!". The worse part was they sounded… sincere. Batman expected a ploy or some type of goofy crying, but there was none of that. Batman knew just by watching him. In a way, he knew Joker better then he knew himself and this truly was sad to see. Joker was crying and he was crying hard. The horse nature in his voice, due to the length of this, was obvious. It almost gave Bruce chills under his cowl, but Batman kept his wits about him and asked a guard that was just as memorized as him by this. "Are you sure that's the real joker?". The guard pulled his gaze away from joker and looked at Batman. "Yes. I swear on my wife's grave." Said the guard. "I was here when it all started 3hours ago. After Dr. Stern and him went at it, he put his hands around her neck and we thought he was going to kill her but instead… he let go and… and he lost it". Batman nodded to all this and then looked at the guards that guided him down. "Take me to the evidence room. Its time I met Stern and saw this event for myself". The guards Nodded to Batman's statement and led him back to the elevator. The wailing did not stop until the elevator door closed.
To no surprise, Batman found Dr. Stern Waiting for him, her footage ready to be seen and herself ready to question by the Detective. Dr. Stern was young women no more than in her mid-20s from Batman's. However, she held herself like a professional, wearing little to know makeup, her brown hair in a tight bun and a suit could be seen under her whit doctors coat which seemed to say nothing but professional. Still, she had natural beauty to her, particularly an almost hypnotic pair of green eyes. "Batman" she said, her professional manner also showing in her speech as she put out a hand, "I'm Doctor Kathrin Stern. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Batman took her hand with his gloved one, surprised to find his grip was matched by hers. "Doctor" said Batman in his deep voice. Doctor Stern then began to move toward the remote to show him the tapes that were paused on the monitors in the room, but before she could click the button, Batman spoke. "Before you show me anything Doctor, I must ask, you are new to Gotham City are you not?". Doctor Stern shook her head once without a word. Batman continued, "and you have no special gifts at all? No meta human capabilities?". Doctor Stern smiled a cunning but also slightly silly smile then responded, "Simply because I made the Joker cry, you think I have some kind of superhuman gift?". She snickered at this but Batman stayed silent and reserved, still looking at her for an answer. Her snickering ended as quickly as it started and she said in her professional manner, "No, Detective, I have no special gifts. You can look at all my public records if you wish. I am simply a psychiatrist from Metropolis who is good at reading people. For example, I can tell that you yourself are insecure and tormented, disguising yourself to make a fearful point to those against order and protect those you care about.". These words made Batman step forward in anger, his intimidating form growing like a shadow, but Dr. Stern held her ground. "Tell me I'm wrong," She said with confidence. Batman just looked at her for a good moment. Not a word escaped his lips. He was simply taking in that he, the guardian of Gotham, was taken to pieces by a psychiatrist's words. Many had analyzed him, but few stood their ground on such blunt statements or held conviction when they said they "knew" him. I guess, in a way, Gotham had never seen or hadn't seen a good psych analyst in Arkham in a long time, at least not one as brave as this. And even Batman was taken back. He then said to her, "Show me the footage" and within an instant, the pictures on the monitor were moving.
The old monitors showed the footage with everything bathed in a hint of grey. Joker would have looked invisible if not for the orange jumpsuit and his colorful hair. The clown looked much more like his usual self in the video, whistling and playing with what looked like a deck of cards on the floor. Then a guard's voice said "Hey clown! Your shrinks here". The Joker looked up with a throaty chuckle and a smile. "Oh Good!" He said in an overly cheerful voice. "I've been looking forward to my new playmate". Just then, in came Dr. Stern, who looked the same but was wearing a different suit under her coat. "Hello Joker. I'm Doctor Stern.". She said in her professional manner. Joker stood up with excitement and gave in over exaggerated bow as if to mock her professionalism. "Why hello Doc!" he said in what was an obviously poor attempt to sound like a British accent. "I'm the Joker and oooo! You're a girl. It's been a long time since I've had a girl shrink. The last one loved me so much, she would literally die for me!". Stern did not react much to any of this, to Joker's dismay and said. "Mind if I sit?" pointing to an empty space on the floor. Jokers smile seemed to drop and he said in a graveled voice. "fine with me. Just mind you, that spot, it could be rigged to explode.". Doctor Stern chuckled and walked over to the space saying, "I'll take my chances." And she sat down. Joker cocked an eyebrow at her as she did this. "Not afraid of me, are you my dear?" said joker inquisitively. "No. should I Be?" replied Stern. "Why baby you should be terrified!" howled joker. "Don't you know who I am?". Stern raised an eyebrow back at him and said, "The Joker?". Joker then leaped around the room with excitement. "Yes! the Joker! The Clown Prince of Crime! Batman's biggest pain in the rear end! Murderer of countless innocents including a boy wonder or two!". He then stopped stomping around, intimidation growing on his face and he finished in a graveled voice "You should be shaking in your boots.". Stern didn't even seem to flinch but instead chuckled and said "How can I shake in my boots? I'm wearing flats". The Joker did not find this funny. Instead his eyes narrowed on her. "I tell the jokes girly. What's your game? Why aren't you even the least be terrified of who I am. Every single person who comes in here is afraid of me one way or another". He said. Stern gave a slight smile and replied, "Because, Joker I don't care who you are. No one does, actually.". These words seemed to hit a nerve with Joker. Even the screen that captured this showed a twinge in joker's face. However, he forced a smile. "nice try girly, but no mind tricks work on me. I've seen them all, ya see, all the shrinks, and they just don't get me. However, I usually get them. Dead that is. You don't understand me better than any of them". Stern again did not really react but she did check her watch. "Well I guess. I don't really care anyway. Well that's all the time we have today. See you next week." And with that she got up and out the door. The jokers face was pure confusion and instead of going back to the cards he just stared at the padded wall in his room.
The footage was then paused by Doctor Stern and then fast-forward, the picture not changing for many overlapping hours. "He was like this for almost the entire night, until her gloated at some guards before bed." Said Dr. Stern. Batman was intrigued. "You used his ego as a base of your probing." Said Batman. "Yes" replied Stern. "I obviously knew who Joker was, but I knew that is exactly what gave him power. In a way, he's very similar to a child who thirsts for attention and would do anything for it.". Though it did not show, Batman was impressed by this. He had made such connections with his rival's mindset before, but never with such simplicity and never with such conviction. He felt Joker always stepped out of any analysis. his acts seemed mindless at times and other times predetermined, but, now that he thought about it, wasn't that just the mind of an attention seeking child? "I thought," continued Dr. stern, "no I knew that if he realized what he was doing did nothing, the thrill would be lost, leaving a damaging impact on his identity, which brings us to the footage from today. Surprisingly, he asked for our session to be earlier than usual and I felt that, even though it was only the second day, it was time to make my move." Dr. Stern then let go of the fast forward and the video played again with Dr. Stern entering the Joker's cell once again.
"Hello Joker. You called this earlier than usual?". Joker was sitting on the padded floor, a look of menace in his face. "yeah, I did, doc." He said unenthusiastically. "I can't help but think you have no proof.". Dr. Stern acted confused. "Proof? About wha.." Before she could finish, Joker was in her face. "YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHAT!" he screamed. "You say no one cares but I'm telling you they care! This city loves me! They report on me! They love the terrible and joyful things I do! Without me they have nothing!" Dr. Stern, smiled. Batman could tell even from the video, this is the moment Dr. Stern mentioned. "Well of course there's proof of that they don't care. It's everywhere. Don't you watch the news?". Dr. Stern then took a phone out of her jacket pocket. She then played a video on the phone that was impossible to watch but to one who knew Gotham news that was obviously the voice of Jack Ryder. "oh yeah I've come face to face with them all." Said the voice of Jack Ryder. "Two Face, Penguin. Even that one uh clown guy uh what was his name again?" and just as that line was finished, Stern ended the video and Joker grabbed her throat. Guards began to fumble with the door, but it wasn't unlocking fast enough but surprisingly Dr. Stern kept her cool the whole time "If you kill me…" said Stern through the grip of the joker, "I won't care and neither will anyone else. What's the fun in that?". The joker looked at her, his eyes rippling with anger but his grip was not getting any tighter. There was conflict in his mind, thoughts, thoughts of wasted moments. Wasted time. All these things he thought he'd be remembered for. Sure, it was crazy but it was his crazy and now it was gone. All that was left was... regret and then… a tear escaped his face. The door flew open, but the joker had let go. His face looked like it was melting with the tears shining his milky skin and then he began to scream. Screams that sounded fresher than they did earlier when Batman first heard them. Dr. Stern paused the video once more and locked eyes with Batman. "As you can see, this was too much for him." She said. Batman looked at the video. Then at her again. He then spoke, coldly. "You broke a man through unconventional means. A 'possible' truth. Do you really think it will last?". Dr. Stern stood with confidence as she said "Yes. A slim possibility or not, the fear of losing oneself to oblivion is a fear all people carry and nothing is worse than being forgotten to an egotist. I do believe this will bring lasting change to him for the rest of his life". Batman stood in silence with her for a good minute until the silence was broken with cash coming into the room. "Batman he… he's asking for you." Said Cash, then without a word Batman was headed back to the intensive care ward.
When Batman got to the door, he saw Joker was staring at the wall like in the video he saw not long ago. Batman entered and as the door closed behind him. Joker didn't move. Instead, he said in a raspy voice "Do you care Bats? Do you care if people remember you?". Batman didn't know how to answer this at first but then he said in his truest voice. "No. It's not about me Joker. It's never been about me.". Joker still did not move. "What's it about Bats?" He replied. Batman chose his words with care. "It's about leaving an ideal. Something that sticks with you. It's inhuman and universal. And above all its good. Nothing Dark lasts, Joker, for there is always Light". With these words, jokers stare dropped from the wall and to the floor. He then mumbled. "How can the light touch something as dark as me?". Then Batman responded. "you have to want it to.". And with that joker turned to face Batman. In the eyes of his oldest and deadliest foe, Batman saw things he thought he would never see. Pity. Helplessness. Remorse. Then a set of words he thought never could exit the jokers mouth were said. "Teach me." He said in barely a whisper. "Please Bruce. Teach me to be good". And just like that, The Joker collapsed into Batman's arms from sheer exhaustion and possibly a changed man.