The flickering light swung overhead, casting an uneven light on the barren cement walls. The room was empty besides an unconscious man tied tightly to the chair and a woman standing over him, waiting. The twins were standing guard on the other side of the door while Tyrone was begrudgingly helping Katherine tend to her shoulder wound in the bathroom upstairs. That left Aurora alone with the Joker in the basement, seemingly with the upper hand.
That's the thing about wild cards, though. You never know which way your luck could go.
Aurora thought herself to be pretty lucky at the moment. So far she had successfully knocked out the Clown Prince of Crime, had him tied up in his own basement, captured his men's loyalty, and she didn't even break a nail. In a few minutes he'd wake up and she would finally have her answers.
She hoped he wouldn't talk willingly.
She hoped he would make it fun for her.
He began to stir quicker than she anticipated, his eyeballs rolling under their lids. His tongue darted across his lips in his usual fashion before his eyes opened. He took a moment to inspect the top quality rope that was binding him, a moment longer to glance at his surroundings before he spoke to Aurora.
"Is this really necessary, Doll?"
"Quite." She sneered.
"Why? Where's the fun in that?" he countered, completely at ease.
"The fun is me finding out what I need to know."
"And what exactly do you, uh, need to know?"
"A lot of things, honestly. But we'll start with the basics."
He rolled his eyes. "What makes you think I'll cooperate?"
She imitated him, "Incase you haven't noticed, I'm the one holding the fucking knife."
"Oh, I've noticed." The Joker mocked, "What was wrong with the, uh, gun?"
"Don't like them. They're impersonal."
"Then why'd ya use one before?"
"They're effective. Especially on a large group of people. But the knife brings true pain."
"You want to cause me true pain?" The joker asked skeptically.
"The only man I want to suffer true pain is Maroni. I will inflict true pain upon you, however, if you don't tell me what I need to know."
"Well, then stop repeating yourself and get to the question asking portion of this little pop quiz already!" The joker yelled impatiently. She was rather skilled at tying ropes, apparently, because he found no way out, and for him there was always a way out.
His prize for his outburst was a slap to the back of the head. "You'll find that I'm the one conducting this little interview. " She punctuated her statement with a shallow, horizontal cut on his left ungloved wrist.
"Someone's testy today."
"You're damn right I'm testy.," She made an identical slash on the right wrist for good measure. "You bring me here under the guise of 'needing my help' and then in training today you fucking attack me. What the fuck is that about?"
"It was about exactly what I said it was about. Fast thinking. Keeping you on your toes."
"Why did you bring me here, and no bullshit lies either."
"You're asking the wrong questions." He tsked.
She began tracing the blade between his fingers, "Then what are the right questions?
"'Why did you come?' perhaps?"
"Why I'm still fucking here is a better one." She countered.
"We already know the answer to that one though, don't we?" He leered.
"Do we?" She smirked back, "Why don't you tell me why I'm still here if you already know?"
"It's because I'm irresistible, doll. I'm dangerous, and that, uh, that does something for you. It always has."
"There you go again, pretending you know me. "
"That's because I do, darling. There's no pretending."
She shook her head, letting her hair fall in her face. She stepped back, needing a minute away from him, a minute to think. This wasn't going at all like she planed it. She planned to slash him to ribbons if that's what it meant to get what she needed, not sit practically in his lap exchanging light hearted banter. She needed to regroup, come at it from a different angle.
"Did I take it too far, doll?" The joker mocked, trying to push her, trying to force her to realize the truth.
"What are you trying to do exactly? You obviously don't fear me or take me seriously."
"You're still not getting it are you?" The joker shook his head as if he was disappointed. Aurora could not understand why. "I take you very seriously, doll. You're my latest and greatest project. "
"And what does that mean exactly?"
"I've been working on you for years, you just don't notice it yet. Its not coming together for you, but it will. Soon."
"What are you talking about?"
"It will all be so clear. You'll understand. And then you'll be there. On the other side of the cliff, the rock bottom. You'll join me and you'll understand and you won't be sad anymore! It will all make sense! It will all make sense just in time for the world to burn and it will be so….funny!" He cackled, his face split in half by a malignant grin. He was rocking in his chair, off his rocker, his eyes wild.
She had never been afraid of him before, but at that moment of complete chaos, she couldn't handle it. She needed to leave and she did.
She ignored the twin's outbursts, their need for direction. She needed direction of her own. She needed a cigarette.
She climbed the crumbling-away, cement staircase out of the basement and into the hidden parking lot where the van was collecting frost on its wiper blades. She was thankful she smoked 100's; she couldn't image having to deal with a short right now. She was beyond irritated, and that was the most irritating part. Before she got into this whole mess she promised she would come out on top; but look at her now, reigns in hand without a fucking clue where to go. Why did he get under her skin so badly? She knew he had a knack for it, but really? Not even a week and she's loosing her cool? There has to be something more. Think Aurora!
She gazed into the back window of the van and watched her own reflection pace back and forth. She paused suddenly and stood so close to the glass that her nose was pressed against her reflection's nose, until emerald green glared down a duller pair of emerald greens.
"It's in the reflection. The words. It's a mirror. His eyes. Mirror." She mumbled, speaking her thoughts out loud so her reflection could understand as well. She was having a break through and she needed this ulterior version of herself to understand, so she could help pick out the joker's ulterior version. The one he keeps bottled inside his eyes, hidden by grease paint.
She cast her half-smoked cigarette aside, struck by inspiration. She stomped back inside with conviction, apparently enough to make the twins leap out of her way before she could swing the door open.
The joker glanced up with the cocked brow and that smug smirk. "I'd knew you'd back. Didn't think it'd be this soon though, I'll admit,"
Aurora said nothing. She simply sat down in the chair facing his and listened.
"What Bat's got your tongue?
"I sure hope not! That really would lower the reputation of our, uh, fine establishment here.
"We uh, can't have the bosses running around with the enemy.
"The employees might get a little suspicious. Not that I have very loyal employees. We'll have to talk about that by the way. It uh, wasn't very nice to take my henchmen. I don't like to share my toys. You got that?
"Auroooora?
"Rooooory?
"Dollface?
"Fine. Don't talk to me." The joker stuck out his tongue and leaned back in his chair. Aurora watched his eyes, waiting for the true reflection.
She was nowhere near prepared for it when it came. It was about ten minutes into their dead silent glare-off. The joker was fidgeting, uncomfortable by the silence or Aurora's gaze. She looked at him with the stare of the dead, trying in vain to see beyond the grease paint until it wasn't futile anymore. Until she understood.
"You son of a FUCKING BITCH!" Aurora roared, eyes widening in terror. She immediately leaped out of her chair and bitchslapped the joker, the sound of her palm colliding with his cheek was enough to appease her anger for a second. And then she was full on assaulting him again, adrenaline fueling her rage.
"I CANNOT FUCKING BELIEVE YOU! ALL THIS FUCKING TIME! ALL THIS FUCKING TIME AND YOU WERE RIGHT FUCKING HERE!" She punctuated every "fuck" with a fist to the nose.
"AFTER ALL THE SHIT I WENT THROUGH? AFTER ALL THE SHIT WE WENT TRHOUGH TOGETHER? YOU GO AND PULL THIS SHIT?" She emphasized every "shit" with a kick to the ribs.
"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"
The joker was on the floor now, still tied to the chair that had fallen on its side. Aurora was bent over him, screaming mercilessly in his face while clawing and kicking every exposed inch of flesh she could find.
She remembered her knife and began hacking. She carved away at his flesh as if somehow that could bring back the years they lost. "YOU SELFISH SICK SON OF BITCH! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? WHY DID YOU LET ME THINK YOU WERE DEAD?
"I FUCKING WISH YOU WERE DEAD! MORE IMPORTANTLY I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE FUCKING DEAD! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU FUCKING BEG FOR DEATH, YOU PATHETHIC FUCKING LIAR!
"Aurora, wait!" he begged, choking on his own blood.
"NO! FUCK YOU! I'VE DONE MY WAITING! NINE FUCKING YEARS OF IT THINKING YOU WERE WORM FOOD, YOU FUCKING SCUMBAG!"
"Don't you want to know why? Don't you want to know why I did it?" the joker temped, spitting blood onto her face and clothes in the process.
"I can't believe it. I can't believe it. I can't beli—"
SWITCH! –-it happens that fast. You're another person. You're instincts kick in. You start to deal. You stop to deal. You're paralyzed-
"Don't you want to see Jack again? Untie me and you can." The joker persuaded.
"No. Jack is dead. He's gone. He's done. Just like I'm done with you." She whispered, rising on her shaking knees. She needed to get out of here. She grabbed the knife and backed out of the room slowly, her eyes never once leaving his.
His eyes were a window to the soul, and the picture frame for the ghost of her dead fiancé. Jack would never exist again outside of those eyes. She knew that and she needed to get away from it.
The lies; they reflected what she saw when she looked inside the back window of the van and saw herself.
She ignored the shouts of the twins and continued out of the basement, out of the parking lot. She stumbled down the alley, covered in blood holding a knife in broad daylight.
Hey, there Rock Bottom! Never expected to see you so soon! Never pictured you'd be this red, either.
Her deepest, most innermost wish had been granted and it was exactly what she never wanted.
She dropped the knife and began running.
XXXXXXXX
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Wow, it's been a long time! So first I'd just like to say sorry. I'm lame. A whole bunch of life stuff happened, yadda yadda. Point is, I decided to write this chapter and publish it. It's nowhere near what I wanted it to be, since I had this scene planned from the beginning. I don't think it was right the way I left the story off before, without even letting you guys know the biggest secret. So here it is. The Joker is Jack. I'm not sure If I'm going to write more, I might. We'll just have to see what happens. DOES ANYONE SUPER WANT ME TO CONTINUE THIS? I'm more motivated when I have cheerleaders/someone to talk about the story. Anyway, this is too long. I've missed you guys and again, I'm super sorry for being a lame-butt and leaving you with a cliff hanger like that!