Chapter Six:
His Nightmare
"Batman..." Joker's voice trailed off, and the tone of it suggested a dream-like state.
And there he was...Batman; on his knees and hugging himself, shivering. Now...why was the hero shaking? No one would really know. Is he cold? Is he frightened? Or, perhaps, is he just mentally disturbed? He let off soft grunts as his tired eyes gazed around the room...or...was it a room? He recognized this tiny, cramped padded room: a cell...in Arkham Asylum. Is this Joker's room?
Then...there he was: Joker - the 'Clown Prince of Crime', standing tall, and looming over the cowering costumed man. The clown's dark, blood-red lips twisted into a most menacing smile as he stared down on Batman; his red eyes wide with malice gleaming in both. "This...is where you belong, Batsy," the Joker spoke in a hoarse tone, and taking on to a drawl.
Batman watched Joker take a few steps back and throw his arms in the air. Within a blinding light, the grotesque words of 'Arkham Asylum' appeared above and behind the crazed clown. Those words...were they...dripping with blood? "ARKHAM! HA HA HAAAAAH! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAHH!" Joker held his gut as his high-pitched, psychotic laughter echoed throughout the room; so loud in fact, that it could possibly blow one's eardrums!
"No..." Batman wheezed, tilting his heavy head towards the ground, as so he wouldn't have to look into Joker's triumphed face.
When Joker stopped his laughter, he took those few steps back towards Batman and crouched down in front of him. A sly grin was now on his mouth. "You lost Batman. Xack...is mine now..." he gestured a hand to himself as Batman now finally looked up at him. "You can't always play 'hero' for her. You were bound to lose her sooner or later, you know..." His grin grew when Batman's lips parted slightly in shock.
"Xack..." Batman spoke so softly, so quietly, that Joker could barely hear him.
"Xack belongs with me now, Batsy. She always has." Joker spoke a matter-of-factly. "Xackie...heh heh...is mine now! MINE!" He stood up again, and began laughing the crazed sound that Batman hated to hear from his lips.
Then...Batman suddenly heard her voice; Xack's voice, and it shrieked beyond the padded room he was in. From the echoing shrieks and squeals coming from the girl, he could barely make out some of the sentences she happened to scream. "Batman, help me!" Xack wailed. "Help me! Help me! Don't let him take me away! Don't let him touch me!"
Batman bolted right up and shot straight for the cell door. Joker continued to laugh away with happiness. "Xack!" He tried opening the door, but somehow his hands kept slipping away. Batman's eyes grew wide within the mask. Why was this happening?
...Everything began to grow blurry...
As he kept trying the door, Joker continued to laugh away. Obviously, amused with Batman's ridiculous efforts. "What's wrong Batman? Losing your 'touch'?" The clown mocked. "And I thought you wanted to be her hero... HA!"
Then...it wasn't Xack's voice he also heard. Batman heard the voices of men and women from beyond the cell he was in. The voices were screaming for help, frightened from the Joker.
"He's going to kill me!" A male voice shrieked loudly. "Joker's going to kill me!..."
Batman tried as hard as he could to open that cell door, but like a wet, slippery bar of soap, his hands kept missing the handle.
"He-he's going to kill me!"
"He wants to torture me!" A woman's voice screamed.
"...Joker...wants to take me away..." Xack whispered.
Batman's breathing grew heavy as he laid his head gently on the cell door. Joker ceased his cackles and such to cross his arms and smirk at the Caped Crusader's failure.
...Everything began to fog...
As Batman turned himself around to face Joker, the clown was nowhere to be seen. He panicked, and suddenly his ears picked up the cries of Xack once more. She now sounded more pleading and frightened than ever. "No! Batman! He has me! Please, make him let me go! Let me go! LET ME GO, JOKER!"
"BWAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"
Batman pressed his ear to the thick door to hear the desperate struggles of Xack, while Joker merely laughed at her attempts to get away. "Joker!" Batman roared, pounding on the door and trying to grasp the handle, but nothing worked. "Don't you touch her! Don't you take her away!"
"Batman! Help me! HELP ME! Please! He's-!"
Abruptly, Xack's voice was cut off. Batman stopped his actions to listen in. Silence. Not a word was heard between her and Joker. No sounds at all. All was quiet - so...quiet. Batman took a step back as the cell door creaked open slightly. He breathed in...and out heavily. He firmly grabbed the door...and opened it up wider for him to get out. All was dark beyond the cell, but Batman still stepped out of it.
...Everything began to grow faint...
It was pitch black, but as Batman's eyes adjusted, he saw Joker a few feet away. Joker was kneeling to the ground, cradling a girl in his arms. When Batman got a better look at the girl, it disheartened him to see that it was Xack. She...did not appear to be moving at all. Is she...just unconscious? While one arm was wrapped around her back, Joker used his other to hold her face so she would look at him. Although...it did not seem she was looking at him at all. She still remained lifeless, and her head had no support, so it leant back as far as it could go. It looked rather uncomfortable to be in that position.
When Batman approached Joker - and while not gazing at the hero - the Clown Prince sighed, "Isn't she...beautiful?..." He stated soothingly. Even Batman knew, this was more of a comment than a question. "She was meant to be mine...always has...for me to twist that little mind of hers..." He chuckled softly afterwards.
Batman crouched down to Joker's level, but instead of replying to him or even looking at him, Batman gently touched Xack's arm. "Xack?..."
As Joker let go of her face, it turned in Batman's direction and rested on her own shoulder. Batman gasped. Xack's skin was flushed with no color - pale. No indications of her breathing. Is she...deceased? Her dead eyes were wide, and black oozed from the lower lids, as if she was crying blackness itself. Batman touched her face, and through the gloves, everything was cold to him. Xack...is dead.
...Everything is black...
Batman's eyes snapped closed. His hands immediately clasped to where his ears would be as thousands of screams and panicked cries filled his head. Screams of terror and cries for help. All wanting...to get away from Joker.
"SAVE US, BATMAN!"
And then...Bruce woke up. Gasping, he shot straight up in his bed. Sweat drops rolled down his cheeks, and some even continued to linger on his forehead. He took in all the little things in his normal room, and then his eyes caught sight of the sun trying to shine through the curtains of his window. Letting out a relieved sigh, he put a hand to his head. ... What a horrible...horrible...nightmare. Bruce stretched his arms and got out of bed, and next to it was a nightstand; a fine wooden chair was also here, which had a white shirt draped over it. The man took this shirt and put it on himself so that he wouldn't remain shirtless throughout the morning.
Just as Bruce went over to the windows and spread out the curtains, Alfred knocked lightly on the bedroom door and entered. "Good morning, Master Bruce." Alfred greeted somewhat cheerily. "Sleep well?"
Bruce groaned quietly and put a hand to his head again. "Yeah...for the most part..." he grumbled.
Alfred had a concerned look to him. "Is something wrong?" He asked.
Bruce shook his head slowly. "Just a...bad dream, that's all."
The butler cocked his head. "Nothing serious, is it, Sir?" When Bruce didn't answer, Alfred decided to change the subject. "I am sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but Miss Hathaway called earlier. She sounded...eager to speak with you."
"She called here?" Bruce wondered. "When I was sleeping?" Alfred nodded. Bruce gazed out the windows of the early sunlight. "It's so early... Did she say what she needed to speak to me about?"
Alfred looked unsure. "I'm not quite sure; Miss Hathaway did not say much, but she did want to speak to you about the Joker."
Bruce's heart skipped a beat. "I...I'll give her a call back then..."
When Bruce attempted to try and find the nearest phone, Alfred cleared his throat and suggested, "Why not visit the young lady yourself?"
"Well... It's just..." Bruce turned away from Alfred. He did not know what to say. "Joker's still out there. I need to bring him back as soon as possible before he can hurt someone...even Xack..."
Alfred sighed. "That's very true, but do remember the police are out there as well, searching for the crazed clown. Would it be so terrible to check on Miss Hathaway?"
Bruce formed a little smile on his face. "No...I guess it won't. I need a break from being Batman." Once more he gazed out onto the beautiful view of the city before him. "Who knows. Maybe...Xack knows where or what Joker is up to this time."
Xack Hathaway sat there quietly in her small living room. She watched TV and as a show continued to play on, she felt the slightest change in atmosphere. The girl crossed her arms and looked around the room, then her eyes fixated on the small air conditioner in the window. It was turned on, but...not working. "Not working again..." Xack grumbled, and she got off the couch and walked over to the broken device. "Why does it always break down?" She turned it off, knowing it would be pointless to keep a broken air conditioner on. Grunting, she walked out of her apartment room. "I'll just go see Tom about it. H-he is always nice about fixing my things..."
Xack strolled across to the end of her floor and took a few flight of stairs down - to the second level of the apartment building - to the maintenance guy's apartment. The girl stood there in front of Tom's door and knocked softly. She waited...but no answer. "That's odd...he's always there..." Xack cocked her head and furrowed her expression. "Is...something wrong?..." She knocked again, but harder this time. After another minute of waiting, someone finally answered.
"What?!" A woman swung the door open and faced the stunned Xack. The woman snorted and placed her hands on her large hips. "Oh...it's you..." The woman had a wide waist, but wasn't considered 'fat' in any way. This older female would of looked more attractive to the eye if her wavy hair was washed. The hair appeared as if it hadn't been clean in a few days or more. When it came down to this woman and Xack...the woman, without a particular reason, 'dislikes' the younger girl greatly. So...who is this woman? Well...she's the apartment's landlord.
The woman glared at Xack. "So...what do you want?"
"Um..." Xack tried to peek around the woman and into the maintenance guy's room, but couldn't. "W-where's Tom?..."
The woman leaned against the doorway. "Tom quit a few days ago."
This news surprised Xack. "He...quit? Why?"
The woman shrugged. "Heard he got 'sick'. He's in the hospital now, but...he called and said he quit." She shrugged. "No big deal though, I found a new guy just as fast. I don't care about Tom now; he's not my problem anymore..."
Xack clutched her arm with one hand and turned her head away. "So...who do I talk to now?..." She questioned quietly.
The woman scratched her nose and tilted her head to the side. "He moved in right across from ya. Our new maintenance guy. Go bother him now."
Xack was now bewildered. "Someone...moved right across from me? But...I didn't notice anyone moving in-" Just as the girl finished her sentence, the woman rudely slammed the door in Xack's face. She jumped at such a rude action, but turned and walked back up the stairs to her apartment room. Instead of going back to her room though...she turned and faced the apartment door across from her own. She gazed down the hallways to the left and right before looking back at the door. "I don't...remember anyone coming here and moving in?... When did?..." She took a deep breath...and knocked cautiously.
Within a few seconds, a man answered the door. This man...appeared to be older than her; probably close to being twice her age, maybe a bit younger. He had light blonde hair, green eyes, and a...fair look to him; although...his skin was somewhat on the pale side. He stood somewhat hunched over, but remained taller than the girl nonetheless. Xack didn't know why, but his presence disturbed her, yet...felt familiar. Why did she feel this way? She wished someone would answer this for her.
As soon as this man saw Xack, a small grin came on his face. "Hello there..." He greeted her. His tone sounded a bit rough to the ears.
Xack fidgeted with her fingers, and with all other people, she shied away from looking at this man. "Um...I-I heard you are the new maintenance man..."
The man crossed his arms and continued to stare at Xack with great interest. "Yep, that's me." He held out his hand for Xack to shake. "I'm Jason. And...you are?..."
"My name is Xack." The girl replied quietly. Xack's eyes were wide as she looked down on his hand. She hated to touch or be touched by other people, but...she didn't want to be rude, so she reluctantly shook the new maintenance man's hand. Xack felt a twinge of pain as Jason's grip on her hand was strong.
"Oh!" Jason immediately released her hand when he saw the look of discomfort on her face. "Sorry. Sometimes I don't even know my own strength." He chuckled. "So...why have you come to my room? Is there...a problem I can fix?"
Xack nodded quickly. "Yes, my air conditioner broke, and...it needs to be fixed..."
Jason smirked. "Alright then. Wait here, and I'll get my tools..."
Before Xack could try to be nosy and peek into Jason's room - to get an idea of how the man is like based on his living quarters - Jason shut the door on her before she could get a chance. The girl sighed to herself. "Something's wrong...I can feel it. Something is...not right with this man. Or, maybe it's just me..." Xack was the kind of person that didn't really trust others, but if the landlord hired this man to be the one to fix the apartment appliances, than Xack had no choice but to trust him to fix her things.
Shortly after entering his apartment, Jason came back out with a small toolbox in his hand. "Well...show me to your apartment so that I...can fix this air conditioner..." He smiled at her.
"Um..." Xack turned and pointed to her own apartment door. "I live right here, actually. S-so..." The girl opened her door and gestured for Jason to go in.
Jason went in, and Xack followed, closing the door behind her. As he surveyed parts of her room that were visible, he whistled slowly in astonishment. "This place is really clean, isn't it?" He turned to her, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Don't like anything dirty, eh?"
Xack shook her head. "No...I don't." She walked to where the air conditioner 'hung' in the living room window. "Well...here it is."
Jason walked over to it and began to examine the small device carefully. "Hmmm..." He set his toolbox down and opened it to get out some tools. Xack kept fidgeting with her hands and didn't seem to be paying attention to what the man is doing. She became startled when he asked her casually, "So...how long have you been here?" He squat down a bit as he started his repairs on the air conditioner.
Xack thought for a moment. "About...six months, I think." She answered somewhat unsure.
"Where did you live before here?"
"Ark-" Her mouth suddenly snapped closed as she thought of what she was about to say. "I...I lived in Illinois." She changed the subject by asking, "Do you know when the apartment will finally get...central air?"
"Eh?" Jason glanced over his shoulder at Xack. "No... I don't. Sorry." Then he continued on with his work. "Guess you have to be stuck using this a while longer..."
Then...no more words were spoken between them, but they didn't have to continue with 'small talk', for Jason finished with the air conditioner in no time. He stood up and put the tools back in the toolbox. "Well, all done here; it was no problem at all. It seems your little air conditioner blew a fuse. Replaced it, and now it should work just fine." He turned it on, and as the device hummed - indicating that it was working - Jason smiled to himself and turned around to face Xack. "Well, it was nice meetin' ya, Miss Xack-"
"No...no..." Xack shied away from looking at him. "It's...just Xack.""You...don't think my name is weird?"
"Oh, sorry." He chuckled softly and said, "Nice to have met you, Xack." He waved a hand of farewell and left her alone in her apartment. Xack stood there and blinked uncertainty, but shrugged off her unsure thoughts to watch more TV.
As Jason closed Xack's door behind him, he sighed to himself satisfactory, and when he walked over to his apartment door, he caught a glimpse of a well-dressed man heading down the narrow hallway. Jason recognized this man immediately to be Bruce Wayne. Just as Bruce began to approach Jason, the irritable man groaned, rolled his eyes, and entered his apartment before Bruce could see him.
Fortunately, Bruce didn't notice the odd Jason at all, and walked up to Xack's apartment door and knocked on it. Sure enough, the girl answered in no time and seemed surprised to see him on the other side of her door. "Bruce?" Xack gazed up at him with a puzzled expression. "Wh-what are you doing here?"
Bruce formed a small smile on his face. "Alfred had told me you called this morning. I thought I should come by and talk to you myself."
"Well...yeah..." Xack shied away from looking at the taller man. "It's just...I thought...you would call me and tell me you were coming by..."
"I assumed you were always here." Bruce replied flatly. "Now, may I come in?"
Xack looked towards the ground. "Yeah...um...come in then..." She held the door open wider for Bruce to come in. The girl closed the door and locked it up when he made his way over to the couch in the living room.
"You want to talk to me about Joker?" Bruce asked, sitting down on the couch.
Xack hesitantly sat down on the other end. "Yes... Um...a couple days ago, I saw Joker at the mall-"
"Did anyone see him?" Bruce questioned seriously. "I never got any...calls of him being there..."
Xack appeared solemn. "No...and...that's what I don't understand. I...I know I saw him; I did! He - Joker cornered me in the bathrooms, and when I got away from him, I ran into a...a cop or security guard. I-I told him that Joker's in the bathroom...and when he checked it out...the guy came back and said...that there is no Joker..." She shivered at the thought of what happened between her and Joker.
Bruce eyed Xack oddly. "Joker was in...the bathrooms?"
Xack's eyes grew wide. "Yes! I-I know I saw him!"
"No one else had seen him though?"
Xack made an odd noise, as if she couldn't believe herself at this. "Bruce...I called you because I need you to believe me. Please. I-I know I'm not going crazy." "Or am I?... I mean, no one else saw him... That security guard didn't see him there..." "Wh-what if Joker is after me this time?"
"... You can't always play 'hero' for her..." The words of Joker rang though Bruce's head. "Xack..." Bruce looked at the girl, while she appeared to be frightened at the moment. "I don't know...what's going on, but I will figure this out and catch him before he can do harm to you...or your family."
"... You can't always play 'hero' for her..."
Xack now had a wry little smile on her face upon hearing this. "S-so you believe me?"
"How can Joker go to a mall unnoticed? Maybe...visiting Joker at Arkham before is putting these 'thoughts' into her head." "Xack... I don't-" Bruce gave her a reassuring stare. "I will catch him. Trust me on that."
Suddenly, a beeping sound was heard. "What is that?" Xack asked, looking around him to find out where it's coming from.
Bruce went into his suit pocket and withdrew a little, rectangular device. He seemed no surprised to see what the trouble is. "Joker just blew a wall at the Gotham National Bank..." He got up and put the device back in his jacket pocket. "I have to go, Xack..." As he strode over to the door, Xack got up as well and watched him with nervousness. Before he went out the door, he turned back to her and said sternly. "Make sure you stay out of sight as much as possible. Lock all doors and windows when you're-"
"Ugh! I forgot to lock the door when that Jason left!" "Please... Bruce...I know..." Xack stated quietly. "I am...a paranoid person. I know to do these things."
Bruce nodded his head slightly. "Good, and if you need me at all, you know how to contact me."
Xack scoffed. "W-when Joker had me cornered in the bathrooms, h-he took my batwave...thing. I remember him taking it from me and putting it in his jacket."
Bruce looked confused. "If he took it, then..." his eyes traveled down to a little table next to the door. A table where Xack would put her keys, or her recent mail, but this time...the batwave laid there.
Xack gasped. "I...It wasn't there before!" She exclaimed, and walked quickly over to the table to look at it better. "I...I swear Joker had this! I-I remember him taking it!" Tears now swelled in her eyes. "Please, Bruce. You still have to believe me. I saw Joker! I did!"
Bruce sighed at her and now averted his eyes. "Xack...we'll talk about this later. I have to go now."
No goodbyes. Bruce practically threw open the door and rushed down the hallways to leave the apartment building. Xack stood in the doorway and looked down the hallway, but Bruce had already left. Jason, hearing the commotion from Bruce, opened his door and peeked around into the hallway. Jason leaned against his doorway and grinned at Xack. "What's wrong with him?" He asked her coolly.
Xack shrugged, not looking at Jason. "He...he had business things... And...with Joker loose, he didn't feel safe to be out in the open. I...don't even feel safe..." She crossed her arms and turned away from him.
"Tcht." Jason scoffed. "I'm sure Batman is determined enough to capture the Clown Prince of Crime."
Xack nodded. "Yeah, I mean...Batman has always caught him before. I'm sure he'll do it again. Um..." She didn't say anything more to Jason as she went back into the apartment and closing the door quickly behind her. The man grinned when he heard the girl put her locks in place.
"Yes... Batman - always rescuing someone..." Jason spoke quietly, almost growling his words. "I'm pretty sure this time he won't be rescuing you..." He chuckled sinisterly as he turned around and walked back into his apartment room; closing the door as well. He locked it carefully, making sure no one would be able to just enter and see his living space. He surely didn't want anyone to see it... Not yet, at least.