Chapter 4
It was the final weekend of summer vacation before school began. Cheryl had gone to Florida to check out a possible lead on her biological father along with Dilton and Ginger was at the farm with Hal training. She was getting to be quite proficient with the constructs she could make with the Green Lantern ring. Barry and Sheila had gone on their first outing together as a couple going to spend the day in Atlantic City. With everybody gone that meant that it was just Betty and Jughead.
The two of them had spent some time at the beach before they decided to get ice cream. They walked to the nearby ice cream shop and were a little surprised to see one of their classmates Simon Silverstein outside dressed up as a clown handing out balloons.
"Would you like a balloon little girl?" Simon asked Betty as he held a balloon out to her.
Simon was actually on the shorter side at only about 5'4" so Betty was actually a half-foot taller than him. She also found his demeanour to be rather creepy, although that could have just been from the clown costume he was in.
"Uh, no thanks," Betty replied.
She and Jughead went inside and saw that there was a rather large line up. Many people had taken up Simon's offer and were holding balloons.
"It's not just me that was kind of weird right?" Betty asked Jughead.
"Oh yeah, that was strange," Jughead replied. "Although interestingly kind of like Cheryl turns out that Simon's dad isn't his biological father either."
"Really? How do you know that?" Betty asked.
"He found out somehow," Jughead replied. "His mother apparently told him something and he took a trip up to Gotham earlier in the summer to find out who his biological father was."
"He's not that billionaire Bruce Wayne is he?" Betty asked jokingly.
"I don't think he'd be working as a clown handing out balloons if his father was a billionaire," Jughead replied. "He'd probably be racing around in some fancy new car."
"True enough," Betty agreed.
As they got in line Betty stumbled and nearly fell over but Jughead caught her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I just…" Betty started to say and she trailed off.
Standing four places ahead of them in line was Archie Andrews and around his neck was his small Kryptonite necklace as well as his friend Chuck Clayton.
"Oh crap," Jughead muttered seeing Archie himself. "We can leave if you want."
"No it's fine," Betty said as she let Jughead go ahead of her to get a little more distance from Archie. "We'll just go back to the beach to eat our ice cream."
"Oh, but I was going to order the ultimate sundae," Jughead whined. "It'll melt before I'm done."
"Well maybe Archie won't stay here," Betty said. "Why don't we wait and see what he…"
Betty trailed off for a second time and Jughead looked at her.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "Is it the…"
Jughead's question was cut off by a series of loud pops. All around the ice cream shop the balloons that Simon had been handing out popped and a green gas filled the restaurant. People panicked and began to run to the door only to find it blocked by Simon who was holding a Tommy gun with a large drum magazine and wearing a gas mask.
Betty looked around and saw people who had breathed in the gas were falling to the ground, although she wasn't sure if they were dead or just unconscious. Betty wasn't sure what to do, because of her proximity to Archie she wasn't at full strength; she could tell she didn't have her speed and she didn't want to get shot again, once was enough. The only thing she could do was try her heat vision to disable Simon's gun and perhaps fight him off, but when she tried her heat vision wasn't working either.
A man who was there with his two young children charged at Simon to try and break out of the ice cream parlour but Simon gunned him down in cold blood and laughed maniacally as he did so. Beside her Jughead staggered and fell but Betty caught him. She checked on him and found that he was only unconscious not dead.
The green gas began to get denser and denser and Betty felt herself feeling woozy. She helped Jughead's unconscious form to the ground and sat beside him before she felt her eyes get heavy and the next thing she knew Betty was out.
When Betty woke up she had a pounding headache. In fact her entire body ached. She looked around to see that she was sitting on the floor tied up along with Jughead, Archie and Chuck all with their hands tied behind their backs and their ankles also bound. They had been moved behind the counter and one of the employees lay dead beside them with a bullet in his head.
"Oh good you're awake," Jughead whispered.
"I wish I wasn't," Betty responded. "What the hell happened?"
"Simon had that poor guy tie us up and then he killed him," Jughead answered.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Simon yelled at them.
Betty turned to see that he was standing up on the counter still brandishing the Tommy gun.
"If you two have a secret you have to share it with the whole class," Simon said trying to imitate their teacher Ms. Grundy before he cackled with laughter.
"What the hell is wrong with you Simon?" Archie yelled at him.
"Wrong with me? Nothing is wrong with me!" Simon declared boldly. "In fact now that I know who my father really is I've never felt more sure of myself!"
"Your father? What does that have to do with this?" Jughead asked.
Simon hopped off the counter and landed beside them.
"Ever since I was a kid I've had these… impulses," Simon said. "For years I suppressed them thinking that something was wrong with me. Then I learned the man I thought was my father wasn't really my father; my real father, well turns out he's currently locked up in Arkham Asylum, although not for long!"
Arkham Asylum was a place that held some of the most insane criminals of Gotham City.
"Who's your father?" Archie asked worriedly.
"My father…" Simon said before he began giggling and then laughing and then cackling madly, "Is the Joker!"
Simon continued to laugh insanely. Everyone knew who the Joker was. He was an insane criminal who had fought the vigilante Batman up in Gotham City and had left hundreds of people dead in his path, all in the name of a joke. Because of the laws in Massachusetts, since the Joker was declared insane he could not be given the death penalty and was instead institutionalized. However he had either broken out or been broken out on multiple occasions only to kill more before Batman captured him and he was incarcerated again.
"You see what's going to happen here," Simon said to everyone in the ice cream parlour, "Is that my father is going to be released from Arkham or every last one of you will die!"
Simon laughed insanely once more and then he shot and elderly woman killing her.
"And because I don't like waiting I think I'll kill one of you every five minutes until he is released," Simon said.
"Oh boy we're all gonna die," Archie whimpered.
"This couldn't have happened on a worse day," Jughead whispered to Betty.
"What do you mean?" Betty whispered back.
"Cheryl is down in Florida with Dilton, Barry and Sheila are in Atlantic City, and Ginger is with Hal," Jughead responded quietly. "And on top of that look who you're tied up next to."
Betty had to admit the situation was not ideal. None of her friends were around to save them and she was less than powerless at the moment. In fact Betty felt as if she was about to pass out again.
Just then there were the sounds of sirens outside. Simon giggled with manic delight.
"Oh boy the fuzz is here!" he stated between fits of laughter. "Now it's gonna get good!"
Soon the building was surrounded by Riverdale's small police force. However none of them had trained for a hostage situation, much less one like this.
"Come out with your hands up!" an officer ordered. "And let the hostages go. We have you surrounded."
"These guys must be stupid," Simon muttered. "They think I'm going to just surrender? Is it a joke because it's just not funny. But let the hostages go… hmm…"
He walked over to a group of four teens, three boys and a girl. Betty and Jughead recognized them as students from their school, they didn't know their names just that they were two grades behind.
"Get up!" Simon ordered them
They struggled to stand but it was difficult because their feet were tied together.
"GET UP!" Simon shouted angrily.
With great difficulty they managed to work together to get to their feet.
"To the door," Simon ordered pointing his gun at them.
They hopped and shuffled their way to the door. Since they were tied up Simon opened it foot them and they squeezed out. They then began trying to hop to the safety of the police officers when Simon suddenly opened fire gunning them all down. He then closed the door as Riverdale's police officers could only look on in shock.
"Demand my surrender again and I'll kill even more hostages!" Simon shouted at them. "And if the Joker isn't freed from Arkham Asylum I'll kill every last one of them!"
Beside Betty, Archie began sobbing. Betty wanted to grab her head as the noise was making her headache worse.
"Oh shut up Andrews!" Simon snapped as he walked around the counter. "Or do you want me to shut you up?"
Archie took a few breaths trying to calm himself down.
"I'm good, I'm good," Archie said. "No need kill me."
"God you're such a joke," Simon snarled as he bent down. "I mean seriously? What kind of guy wears a fucking string necklace anymore?"
He grabbed Archie's Kryptonite necklace and tore it off.
"Think I'll keep this," Simon said as he stuck it in his pocket.
Betty began to feel a bit better almost immediately but then Simon bent down and looked at her.
"And what with the glasses Bets?" Simon asked. "You trying to do that sexy librarian thing? Because frankly that look is not you."
He tried to grab Betty's glasses but she pulled her head away.
"Hey she needs them to see," Jughead said.
"Ah whatever," Simon said waving his gun as walking away.
Simon went over to look out the windows and see what was happening outside. Once he was far enough away, Betty felt all her strength return to her. However she knew she had to be smart about what she did. The first thing she did was break the bonds on her feet. She knew from here she could have gotten up and run out the door with Chuck, Jughead and Archie all still tied to her, but that would have left everyone else in danger and she couldn't approach Simon to stop him now since he had Archie's necklace. She knew that she had to be clever.
"Hey Jughead," Betty whispered just loudly enough so that Chuck and Archie could overhear them. "The rope between us looks a little frayed. I bet if we work together we can break it."
"What's going on?" Chuck asked.
"Just be quiet," Jughead hissed. "We don't want to alert Simon."
He then glanced at Betty and she began to move her shoulders. Jughead did the same and then while they did Betty used her heat vision to burn through the ropes freeing them. Chuck and Archie both went to run but Jughead and Betty held them back.
"No, we have to be quiet about this," Betty whispered. "You get up and run and Simon will gun you down in a second."
"She's right," Jughead said. "I think one at a time we need to crawl into the back."
"I'm closest I'll go first," Chuck volunteered.
Chuck began crawling to the back while Betty and Jughead kept an eye on Simon who was gleefully muttering to himself as he paced back and forth. Betty turned around just in time to see Archie trying to crawl after Chuck. She grabbed him by the foot stopping him.
"Not so fast," Betty hissed.
"You're stronger than you look you know," Archie commented.
"You have no idea," Jughead muttered under his breath causing Betty to chuckle.
Just then Simon whirled around and they sat down trying to look still tied up.
"Gah! What is taking them so long?" Simon shouted angrily. "I mean all I'm asking for is that they set free one man! Is that really so much to ask?"
Just then Chuck came crawling back from the back room.
"Guys, the back door is rigged with explosives I think," Chuck said.
"Oh this just keeps getting better and better," Jughead groaned.
"Is there a phone back there?" Betty asked. "Like a land line?"
"Yeah why?" Chuck asked.
"Well I know Cheryl, she knows the Flash, I figure they can get us out of this mess," Betty replied.
"Isn't Cheryl out of town?" Archie asked.
"Yeah but the Flash isn't, I don't think," Betty replied. "And even if he is I'm sure he can get here really quick."
"Just go before Simon notices something," Jughead said.
Betty quickly crawled into the back. She saw that Chuck had been right the back exit was rigged with explosive, or at least it looked like explosives. Betty wasn't really wanting to find out, not that they would have hurt her, but if they were really and she survived without a scratch that would be difficult to explain.
Instead she found the landline and dialled Barry's number. However it immediately went to voicemail.
"Of course you'd turn your phone off Barry you hopeless romantic, you're on a date," Betty grumbled.
Betty then tried Sheila's number figuring that Sheila would have been less likely to turn her phone off. However Sheila's number also went to voicemail.
"Huh, maybe Barry's getting lucky," Betty thought to herself. "How unlucky for me."
Betty knew that she couldn't call Sabrina. She was in Hell at the moment still working on a way to set her father free. That left just one person for Betty to call. Betty got an answer on the third ring.
"Hello?" the person on the other line answered.
"Ginger, it's Betty," Betty said. "You're going to have to put that Green Lantern training to use because we've got a situation at the ice cream shop."
Is Ginger ready to play hero or will Betty be forced to save the day? Find out in the next chapter. Please review!
