The Great Batsby

Part II

Chapter 4

About half way between Gotham sound and Gotham the crumbling road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes- a fantastic farm were ashes grow like crack into ridges and ant hills and grotesque gardens, my type of town indeed, were meth labs take the forms of houses and chimneys spew poison vapors with a transcending effort, of maniacs who move dimly and already crumbling through gag inducing air. Occasionally a line of cop cars crawls along an invisible track, but they are rare for sure in these parts.

But above the sky are so grey its spasms like its lungs have cancer, the clouds look as if their retinas are burning with fear. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set the earth a blaze then sank down himself into eternal blindness or died at his own hand, but his handy work broods over the solemn dumping ground he so lovingly created.

This valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a trash heap, and when Gotham's waste heap is dropped here its sins are also dumped and it was at this dump that I first met Al Buchanan's male lover.

The fact that he had one was insisted upon wherever he was known. Even though any acquaintance of his who saw them together usually wound up in the weeds though I was curious to see him I had no desire to meet him- but I did. I went to the dump one day to search for Gotham's lost treasures when a young man said to me I see you with Al a lot. I almost stabbed him to death but he pleaded he was in Gotham on secret and that he wanted to know if Al had found other lover, to this my natural smiled bloomed in full slender and I laughed my ass silly.

I think he got tanked up at lunch and his determination to know everything Al bordered on violence. I guess he was under the assumption that I gave a shit about Al, but I had nothing better to do, and I lightly poisoned his food, so the afternoon was not a total waste.

After lunch I took him over a fence that bordered the reactors and to a small block of a yellowing building the real waste land, a sort of compact dump heap it was contiguous to absolutely nothing. The only one of three buildings that had not been burned to the ground its path was ashes and I followed Manuel inside.

The interior smelled like piss and was almost bare; the only thing in the place was the wreck of a desk which slumped in a corner dyeing. It had occurred to me that this shadow of a room must be blind and that it was the entrance to something far greater. Then someone appeared in the door way gun in his hand. He was an old asshole like a butler, when he saw us a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead; who the fuck are you said the old man. Then he realized who I was and said my name softly "joker" Manuel began to speak we don't want trouble old man we are just looking for old copper to sell, young man he said you have no idea just how dangerous this man you are with really is. No he doesn't I said coldly but you do so I suggest you get the fuck out of here if you catch my drift. The old man's voice faded off and Manuel looked at me impatiently. Then I heard footsteps above on the roof and in a moment my beautiful Selene appeared. When I looked back at the door the old man was gone. Selene was gorgeous in her cat suit and she carried her surplus flesh sensuously as only a cat could her face was glowing , and contained every facet of her beauty, she smiled slowly and walked through me as if I was a ghost, and licked Manuel on the face. Then she wet her lips and without turning around spoke to me in a soft coarse voice.

Get a chair there is so much I would like to know of about this young handsome man.

I moved around hurriedly and looked every were no chairs I said giggling, immediately she went forward and pushed Manuel to the cement floor a white ashen dust veiled his dark clothes and his hair was now a sullen gray, Selene moved close to Manuel.

I want to see you suffer like I suffer you piece of shit why my husband?

She meowed in his ear and then scratched him from cheek to cheek, I waited for her to be done with him just out of sight, this was after all not my fight but I could sure enjoy the show. Terrible place you are in said Selene exchanging a tear with Manuel, awful he whispered, get out of town if you no what's good for you, if it was not for my husband's rage you would be dead already. So Manuel left without question and I went with Selene to our secret place. She changed her outfit to a body suit which stretched tight over her rather wide hips as I helped her climb on to me. On the night stand sat a copy of Gotham nightly and a black leather whip, down stairs the solemn echoing of police sirens made both our hearts a flutter, and in this we slid into each other. Immediately she turned sharply towards the window and let out a wail like a cat in heat.

I love you jack, she said earnestly, and then laid her sweet lips upon mine, your crazy, but so nice to have around, to this like I always do I smiled.

She was gone as soon as we were done, and I wondered if her husband and his dear lover would ever see the light of day, I rolled over only to late to see Batsby peering over me like police dog, Batsby pinned me down before I could escape and said with disappointment in his voice, why must you destroy her too, look I did nothing wrong, can you say the same? I think it's cute you trying to make believe that you could love anything. I am not the one who treated her like no pun intended a cat you left her on that roof top for even you that's cold, life's a bitch I said decisively, then you die.

I don't know what you're up to but be rest assured I will be watching you, hold on I said, I am not the one breaking and entering here committing a crime you are, like you I am just a joker for love.

Well I'd like to-

And he too was gone out the window and over the roof tops it was time to gather up my dogs me and Batsby were headed to a party and boy what a gala it will be, laughing with a shrill that rattled the darkened windows.

The secret batsby cave was at the bottom of the reactor, power came from what was left behind in the reactors core and radiation was so far not deadly, computers and large generators dominated the space and the only picture was of a future Gotham lit up like a galaxy of stars. Alfred emerged from the elevator and brought over a tray of cookies and milk. Meanwhile Batsby had already finished half a bottle of whiskey and Alfred just placed the tray down and left without speaking.

I have been drunk just twice in my life and the second time is tonight, so everything that happened has a dim hazy cast over it although until after one o clock I was all just rage. Standing over the joker I could have choked him to death with the telephone cord, put out a cigarette in his eyes shoved every kind of drug down his evil mouth and watched him convulse to death, when I came back here those feelings had disappeared and were replaced by quilt for I would be no better than the animal I was about to kill. It was terrible stuff these feelings of rage and the whiskey only dims the pain a bandage on a broken dam, why I loved her so made no sense to me, maybe I am human after all.

Just as I was about to pass out Alfred reappeared and sat down beside me, she is a worldly girl he said with solid sticky bob of black hair and a complexion of powdered milky white, but she is also very dangerous and everything we fight against. But when I asked Alfred if I was wrong for loving her he laughed and repeated my question aloud and told me men have died for women who were by far worse than she.

Alfred informed me of his encounter with the joker and cat women earlier in the evening there mere presence here certainly was a cause for alarm but no crime as far as I know had been committed and I chalked it up to the rats coming home to rest. But cat women and the joker lovers was bad news for Gotham and when her husband found out not even I knew if I would be able to stop the war.

Selene had changed from her costume just after arriving home and was now attired in a pair of sweat pants and a smurf tee shirt with the change in attire come a change in personality. The intense vitality of being with the most dangerous man in Gotham was like being on speed then crashing when the high was over. She began to laugh violently for no reason and thought to herself maybe he is rubbing off on me after all. Movement came into the room and she revolved around slowly to see Al poised and in a haze of cigar smoke.

My dear in a high mincing shout, why all the insane laughter, to tell you my dear would be to cheat my memories of the rightful place among the beyond. That Miss Gordon he remarked I think she can be a stone cold killer if pushed a little more what you think.

I think it was just crazy to seduce her into a life of crime, eventually her father will get her back and when he does we all will be living in a new home in Arakum.

He looked at me in silence like he wanted to remove my eyes and skull fuck me, after a bit he spoke

I regard Miss Gordon as an important part of my plan, and when we are done with her she will be back with her father indeed, on his mantle. My dear when your plan is done I am afraid that it may be you who ends up on a mantle, I would not have it any other way my dear and my only wish is that you join me. After a moment he left and my blood boiled with hate, sweet dreams my dear and don't let the bed bugs bite that would break my fucking heart.

To be continued