Chapter 3
It had been 5 months to the date that Jack lost his job. Since then, much changed in his life, as in those of the many other inhabitants of Gotham City. After the Fear Toxin Immunisation Programme, fresh polls were announced for the office of the District Attorney. A bright young attorney named Harvey Dent, who had just won a major trial against Luthor Corp in Metropolis was leading the public polls by a landslide. His upright, strict and honest approach towards cleaning the city earned him many enemies within the G.C.P.D.
Gotham National Bank, in its first ever public-private collaboration with Wayne Finance initiated an investment and account management service that allowed marginalized citizens to invest in mutual funds. This directly benefited small scale firms, elevating the city's socio-economic condition. Wayne Industries went public, and almost overnight turned private, with its then CEO Mr. Earl shown the door.
Along with a crackdown on crooked cops, organized crime itself witnessed an overall decline. This could directly be attributed to the after-effects of the Fear Toxin, although believable sources and courtroom snitches had another story to tell. They spoke of flying demons and horned monsters that had a taste for crime-stained blood. Similar stories also sprung up around Arkham Asylum. Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a renowned psychiatrist and author of the book, 'The Best Medicine', who had dedicatedly toiled at the Asylum for as long as she could remember, conducted extensive research on Jonathan Crane, the mastermind behind the Fear Toxin. Crane allegedly dumped massive amounts of paranoia inducing chemicals into the city's water supply pipes in an insane experiment to study the effects of fear on people. In her published and much-talked about report, 'The Scarecrow Effect', Dr. Quinzel recommended laughter therapy over traditional counsel groups as a method to combat the symptoms and effects of the Fear Toxin.
Jack's life was equally elevated, if not greater. After being laid-off, he started a personal regulatory system, where he budgeted every personal expense. He skipped a meal a day to provide for Jeannie. A kind old lady at the church that Jeannie went to, helped them by sending food and clothes to their house whenever she could. Jack never went to church but gratefully accepted the lady's generosity. He respected his wife's faith and would never do anything to trample upon it.
With laughter clubs and riot houses gaining a sense of importance, Jack found himself employed at 'The Clown Prince'. The pay wasn't phenomenally lucrative, but then beggars can't be choosers. Jack worked hard on his lines. Everyday, he would wake up before the sun to practice in front of the mirror. While the rest of the lot went the slapstick comedy way, Jack looked inwards for inspiration. His brand of humour had to be funny, yet real. Searching his emptiness, he found exactly what he needed to achieve this. Jack fashioned a whole new stream within the black comedy genre by incorporating sarcasm and a feeling of pathos in his jokes. It would make people laugh and then think real hard about what they laughed at. This deep-rooted sense of reality within humour gained him much fame and notoriety within standup comedy circles. The Clown Prince and Jack Napier became almost synonymous and seemed to merge as one living, breathing, laughing organism that served as an inspiration to playwrights and struggling actors.
Jack saw himself slowly rising in popularity and power. His dreams were on their way to reality. Now he didn't have to skip meals anymore. Life was finally blessing him. He could now take his wife to a decent restaurant once every week. Together they started saving up for a bigger house in a better part of town. Fate seemed to smile upon him, as it does when it has designs for one.