Norman Osborne sat in the lounge of his top floor penthouse, nestled into a wing back chair with a plate of cheese and tomato sandwiches resting on a small table beside him, his torso was wrapped in bandages and his leg was set tightly into a cast, he still had not fully healed since his encounter with his ex-partner at the Oscorp Plant weeks before. The battered businessman took a bite from one of the sandwiches and began to thumb through the Oscorp stock reports, things had improved since the scare with the performance enhancers, with Napier's discharge and death he was now soul leader of the company with very little fear of reprisals, he couldn't help but grin to himself as he saw the stocks had increased by 8 points in the last few days. Norman's son Harry walked into the living room carrying a glass of water for his father, he was a rather bland looking young man but his fairly keen style of dress and heavily styled and product coated hair made him seem rather attractive, he placed the glass on the table next to his father's lunch, before sitting down in another wing-back next to him. There was an awkward silence. Norman had never been overly close to his soon, Harry had always been closer to his mother so when she died when he was 15 Norman did not see the need to coddle the boy, they just gave each other silent respect and they knew they loved each other.
"So how's the company doing" Harry enquired breaking the deathly quiet
"Fine" Norman said in monotone carrying on casually thumbing through the bundle of papers
"Good………..good" Harry muttered settling back into his chair abit disheartened, he was hoping for more of a reaction from his father, maybe even start a conversation with him, but he knew he could never get through to him.
The silence continued for another few minutes as Harry drummed his fingers on the arm rest of the wingback, waiting for any excuse to leave or for his father to speak to him, neither seemed to likely to happen. But then the silence was cracked by a rapping at the door, Harry shot up immediately to go get the door, Norman didn't look up from his reports and carried on reading. Harry walked down to the front door of the apartment, through the semi modern kitchen and well decorated hall, he enjoyed staying here much more than at the Osborne's manor, he liked the meld of retro and modern. Harry placed his hand on the front door knob, he wavered for a second but then turned it and swung the door open.
"Hello Harry" The Joker smiled staring the prince of Oscorp right in the eyes, Harry was confused, he didn't know this clown standing before him, what was he doing here, but then he reeled back and tried to slam to door as he saw, cradled in The Jokers hands, was a sawn-off shotgun. The Joker stuck his foot in the doorway and pushed it wide open again, Harry Osborne tried to run backwards but the jester grabbed the back of his shirt and sent him crashing to the floor.
"Come on Harry, let's play" The Joker cackled maniacally and kicked Harry hard in the guts with his carefully polished black pointed shoes, Harry groaned and attempted to crawl away but the Jokers hard sole met with the back of his head. The Joker stooped down in front of Harry, the young man grabbed hold of one of the Jokers bright white spats and tried to pull himself to his feet, but he fell to the floor again. The crazed jester slapped Harry around the head with his white gloved hands trying to elicit a reaction from Osborne, but the businessman's offspring just moaned in pain as he tried to comprehend what was happening, The Joker shook his head and stood back up again, straightening his dark green tie.
"Your no fun at all" The Joker said, frowning for a brief moment before his irrevocable smile returned, "I guess I'll just have to see if your Dad will be abit more willing" The Joker grabbed hold of Harry by the scruff of his neck again and dragged him through the hallway, holding his sawn-off in the other hand.
Norman Osborne heard the commotion from the front door, he dropped his papers to the floor and grabbed for the crutch propped up by the wall next to his chair, he heard his son's cries of distress and forced himself to a standing position and began to limp towards the exit of the lounge. He moved across the room very slowly, dragging his bandaged leg behind him and supporting most of his weight on the crutch, he stopped for a moment and cradled his plastered stomach; he supported himself on the dresser and stared at the floor, breathing heavily. When he finally looked up he saw standing in the doorway a clown standing wearing a tattered dark purple suit, deep emerald waistcoat, turquoise shirt and a yellow green patterned tie and this figure had the barrel of shotgun thrust into Harry's mouth.
"Please, whoever you are, please don't hurt my son" Norman pleaded, watching as the fear filled his son's face and the sick toothy smile stayed unchanging on the Jokers face, but as he said these words the grin changed to an expression of a mixture of confusion and bemusement.
"You don't remember me Norman" The Joker chortled "I know have undergone a few facial improvements but surely I can't be that different" Norman stared at the Jokers face trying to figure out who this person standing before him was or used to be, but then he gasped in horror.
"Oh my god" Norman exclaimed as he reeled backwards "Napier!"
"And finally the penny drops" The Joker said as he bore all of his yellow teeth, he let go of Harry and pulled the barrel of the gun from his mouth and began to approach Norman.
"Please Jack" Norman stuttered as he began to stumble backwards, almost falling over a foot stool "Don't hurt me, I was just doing what was good for business, what the company needed to stay alive"
"The company needed?" The Joker said "Or what you wanted!" He continued to advance upon the crippled businessman.
"Please, if you want I will give you back all of your shares! You can rejoin the board! Anything just don't hurt me!" The Joker let out a spine shivering cackle, he tried to control himself but kept laughing.
"Oh Norman, Norman, Norman" The Joker chortled as he held his sides "Is that all you think about, money, companies, shares, that used to be, when I was tight little business shmuck Jack Napier, all I used to think about to, but now after my little swim in those chemicals, I realize that all the world needs and all I need, is to introduce a little anarchy"
"You insane" Norman barked as he supported himself on a chair
"No I'm not Norman, I'm just ahead of the curve" The Joker took a small fruit knife out his purple blazers pocket and began to approach Norman "You know something, I think you should smile more"The Joker screamed with laughter as he bore down on Norman, his dark shadowed eyes where burning with a light of chaos and his moss green hair flopped over his face.
"Hey laughing boy" Harry yelled, The Joker turned around just to see the metal stand of the lamp come swinging towards his head. But all of a sudden The Joker ducked and Harry let the lamp go as it passed over his head, sending it crashing into the plasma TV across the other side of the room, before he could realize what was happening The Joker had kicked him hard in the groin and he was on the floor crying in screaming out in pain.
"Please don't interrupt when the grownups are talking" The Joker walked towards Harry and shoved the barrel of the gun back in his mouth again, "I should have finished you when I walked through that door"
"No!" Norman cried out "Please don't do anything Jack, if you want to hurt someone, hurt me"
"Hurt him? I don't wanna hurt him, I just wanna kill him" Before Norman could react The Joker had pulled the trigger of the shot gun, sending blood, pieces of brain and skull showering over the well furnished and clean living room. Harry's body laid on the floor, his face and head nothing more than a gory plump, The Joker stood back up and took a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping the blood from his face and attempting to clean it from his suit.
"I really dislike using guns, to quick and to messy, I expect you Norman to pay the dry cleaning bills for this suit, it didn't cost much but it sure as hell cost a lot to clean" The Joker said, Norman was speechless, he looked from Harry's limp form, to The Joker and was suddenly overcome with rage. He moved forward as fast as he could, ignoring the pain his injuries were causing, bearing down on the Joker, but once again the clown ducked sending Norman crashing to the ground. The Joker howled with laughter at Norman's futile display and grabbed hold of his body and rammed his head straight through the glass doors of the drinks cabinet. The insane clown then took a baseball bat from a frame on the wall, underneath the inscription read "New York Junior Base Ball team Home Run Records- Norman Osborne", he then slammed it over Normans back as hard as he could, laughing all the time, pulling his head from the cabinet he cracked the bat over Normans skull sending blood all over the walls. The Joker carried on laughing as he continued his assault, next he dragged Norman through to the kitchen leaving a trail of blood behind him, he took two frying pans and slammed them over Normans head on either side, like something out a Saturday morning cartoon, Norman crumpled to the floor again, beaten senseless already, his face bruised and cut, his skull most likely fractured. The Joker cackled away as he proceeded to beat Norman half to death, using everything he could find.