A/N: Okay, and here we have part four. Sorry it's a little longer than the others I've posted, but I'm pretty sure that the chapter lengths are going to vary for timing purposes. Some of them may be a little shorter than average, too, but I'm trying to keep them at about a page and half in a word processor. Read, review and enjoy!!

Elphaba here... Sorry about reposting the entire story plus chapter four... That is what happens when you have exams and aren't getting enough sleep! So, enjoy! And for those who also read my stories, I'll try to update those soon! :) Enjoy!

Chapter Four: Someone I Admire

By the time Gwen was back home, on the phone with Deb and logged into WhySoSerious . com, there was only three minutes left on the bomb's timer. Down at the bottom of the screen, she noticed a small field. She wondered if she was supposed to put in her e-mail address, but decided against it.

"How many people are down there?" Gwen asked. The coordinates had turned out to be a square just south of the Civic Center.

"Several hundred. The Convention had pretty much emptied out when we were leaving," Deb replied.

Three…two…one…suddenly, her computer's speakers overflowed. The sound of maniacal laughter filled her room as the bomb splattered all over the place. When the virtual dust cleared, a message was displayed on the screen.

Ready to play a joke?

Tell your stooges on the ground to look up. They'll tell you what to do next.

"The computer says look up," Gwen told Deb. She waited a couple seconds, then heard Deb gasp. "What is it? What?"

"It's…it's a phone number," Deb said in quiet awe. "Someone's writing a phone number in the sky! Here, wait, I'll give it to you. You'd better call it. …It's 800-395-9646."

Gwen cursed the fact that the only phone she had in her home was a cell. Reluctantly, she dialed in. A disturbing audio message played over the line.

"Hello? Hello? Can...can anyone hear me? Please...please help...OK! OK! I'll read it! I'll read it! 'How many clowns does it take to get a good laugh? 401.' I...I don't get it. These jokes aren't funny... Please! Please! I'll keep going! I'll keep going! 'If you want to be part of my crew, you're going to need to prove you're up to the challenge. Tell your lackeys at home the first punch line is INSIDE JOKE, and if they complain, tell them to button it: they'll get something out of this, too. Remember, this is not a race. Real crooks do it with style, not speed. One final joke: What's the last thing I'll ever...ever say?' Wait! Wait! Please! Don't! Don't!" The message finished with the sound of a gunshot.

Gwen was shaking. The man she had just heard had not been acting, she was certain of it. His terror was too real. However, she managed to type the phrase "INSIDE JOKE" into the field. A new page came up, showing a location on the map and a small message in cut-outs. Underneath this, in scrawled red letters, it said

While your friends are on their way, tell me something.

Catherine, Annie, Elizabeth, and Mary Jane had someone I admire in common.

Who was it?

Gwen told Deb the location, then turned her attention the question. Those names sounded familiar. She quickly grabbed her Criminals in History binder and flipped through her notes. Five or ten pages in, she found what she was looking for. Those four women had all been victims of Jack the Ripper.

With a shudder, Gwen typed "JACK THE RIPPER" into the field. The new display showed a different location, a message and another clue:

Very good! Always leave them smiling, that's what I say!

Now you'll need your friends to collect some tools of the trade from our representatives. Use the pass phrase "I FEEL PRETTY" to take the next step in your exciting new career! Remember, though, it's the early worm that gets the hook. First come, first served.

While your friends dash off to connect the dots --- have a laugh on me...

A bloodcurdling laugh came forth from the speakers. Once Deb reported that the crew was there, Gwen relayed the new location and replayed the laugh. The clue sounded to her like it was suggesting something about Morse Code. This time, she took down the durations of the laugh on a Post-It note, then assigned them to dashes and dots. A quick look on a Morse Code website indicated that the new password was "MONTEBANK".

The rest of the clues followed in a similar fashion, until eventually Gwen received the last clue. By this time, Deb and everyone else was parading around in clown makeup and being trailed by cops. The message read

There's just one more part of our hiring process. When your friends on the ground go back to the vans, they will need to submit one of theirown to complete the application process.

Tell them that when they have found the lucky applicant, they should be sure to get the plate number!

Gwen relayed the message to her friends. A couple moments later, she was informed by Deb that several men had gotten out of one of these "vans", taken a man from the crowd, put him in back and drove away. She'd gotten the plate number. She also told Gwen that the man they'd taken away was the man whose laptop Gwen had borrowed. She sounded out of breath, but said they'd had a great time. A couple minutes, later, though, Gwen heard her gasp again.

"What is it?" Gwen asked with dread.

"The police just told us through a megaphone to disperse immediately. They said…they said the man taken away in the van had been found in an alley. They said he was dead."

Gwen gasped and, fighting a sudden wave of nausea, hung up the phone. Her head was spinning. She lay her forehead down on the keyboard and waited for a couple moments. The phone rang again.

"Deb…" Gwen muttered and reached for it, intending not to answer. But the number was different. Just in case, she answered the phone.

"Hello hello, beautiful," a voice said on the other end. With a shudder, Gwen recognized the voice as the voice of the man who'd given her the dollar bill at the Convention, only a couple of hours earlier.

"You," she said coldly.

"Why, yes, me," the voice replied, sounding taken aback. "Did I do something to offend you?"

"You fooled us all. You didn't tell anybody this game of yours would kill somebody."

"Oh, it didn't, dear. The police…they're just trying to scare you all away. Keep you from playing my games. My men would never kill one of our own."

The voice was very persuasive and, based on the reports Harvey Dent had published about some of the policemen he'd investigated in Internal Affairs, Gwen could believe they might do something like that.

"The police are just schemers. They don't want us having any fun. I wouldn't worry about anything. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you all…or you, either."

"Oh, yeah?" Gwen asked, but her voice was wavering.

"I promise," the voice told her. "For what it's worth. …You know, you remind me of Jessica. She was the loneliest girl in high school, and my first big kiss."

Suddenly, the line cut off.

Dazed, Gwen raised her head and stared at the computer screen blearily. The site had changed. The message now read

I'll be in touch soon. Keep your eyes peeled.

~J

A/N: So there you have it. This was the first chapter in which I had to write actual, honest-to-goodness Joker dialogue. Many of you may have already tried it yourselves, but it is very difficult! I constantly find myself thinking, "Wait, he wouldn't say that!" and then having to go back and alter it. I hope everyone thought I did at least a decent job! Until next time!