"Ha-hello," Huntley barked. "I'm Huntley. Huntley Dyson... What are you in for?"
The Joker went wide-eyed. The howls of laughter revved up yet again. "Heheheheheh... Haaaaaah. Have you watched or read the news, Huntley?"
Huntley drank in every moment. He was off his feet and leaning on the bars now. "I tend to stay away from it... All forms of media are biased, anyway."
"At least you're one of the few who pick up on that. Nowww, wouldn't you say it's still good to be on the informed end of things? Pick through more than one outlet and you'll find the true tale of a robbery, murder, or anything else the masses consider 'news-worthy'. But that's usually not worth the time, anyway."
"I-I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Joker. But what made you end up here?"
"Eh, the dog got caught and leashed again," the Joker said simply.
That statement knocked the wind out of Huntley and sent him on his numb ass again. But he was swift in figuring out another plan to get Joker talking; talking in that charmingly calm voice that could spike seamlessly into a threat zone. Huntley daringly thought he could ease to that edge of malice and get a true taste of the Joker.
"But," the Joker lifted his long limbs from his sides into the air, raised his chin to look at an unseen marvel. "Gotham may finally have something to report that the city—no, the world—will listen to. Or maybe," he carelessly threw his body into the farthest corner of the cell and mocked an expression of horror. "To cower from!"
A few more laughs escaped his mouth and then, the jokester's roles transformed; his white face went as blank as a unwritten page and his position went from crouching to bolt upright. The Joker made urgent steps towards the iron barrier, towards Huntley. Huntley's instinctual reaction was to lean back as distant from the madman as possible. But his mind was doing just the opposite as the madness wrapped around him. An intellect this far warped doesn't fight the invader but instead is disarmed by its hold. A mouse charmed by the colorful serpent. In the end, no matter how appealing it is, the serpent will always be the predator.
"Wh-wha..." Huntley squeaked. He began again feebly, "... Can I help you help Gotham get what it needs?"
If smiles could be heard in unison, this is when they would crack; creating a decay in an already-eroding criminal psyche, and laying the insidious structure of something large enough to make Gotham crumble. This was the ongoing process the Joker had for every lackey gained and every deal agreed on. Huntley was just another unknowing victim. But to get it right, to get them seduced then brainwashed, required an elaborate opening act. After all, first impressions can't be made twice, right?
"Yes, YOU! The only problem is when to find the opportune moment," the Joker said as animated as ever.
Huntley jumped up as if the Joker's words of acceptance had freed a final bind on his decision. That was the only signal that the Clown Prince of Crime needed to receive. He could continue the pursuit of flying rodent. In fact, he could babble on and on about the Bat without it hindering anything. This would work for the Joker—maybe even keep him a little saner. Unfortunately, someone beat him to the punch.
"The Batman! I'm sure you've heard how controversial his crime-fighting is within Gotham. Just stir up activity for Batman and you have the whole city going on and on again about whether this is the right time to eliminate him! Long enough to make politicians' heads implode! Make Gotham fight itself so that right and wrong can no longer be distinguishable—" Arkham inmates begin to alert guards of the developing crime. Some simply shout opposition at Huntley, eyeballing the Joker cautiously as if he may have released an untamed beast upon them.
"It will--" Guards wrestle Huntley into a straight jacket to prepare him for solitary confinement. Hauling the breathless Huntley away, he presses for the last few words to come out: "It will breed--"
"Chaos," the Joker kindly finished for him. All the clown could think of as Huntley beamed back at him, being escorted by the officers, was that Huntley had to be a new record time for victim poisoning.