She pivoted on her heel, muscles tensed and ready to attack. As she gripped her knife, teeth bared, she was prepared for anything to come her way, but what she saw she was certainly not expecting. She stared directly into the eyes of a madman as he grinned evilly. His face was painted white, his eyes covered with black, and his lips stained blood red. His yellowed teeth showed. Caden couldn't help but shiver-she knew who this was, and never wanted to meet him.
"The infamous Joker…" she whispered into the cluttered Gotham night air. He stepped back, and widened his arms, like a magician saying 'Ta-da!' after a trick.
"The one and only." She almost scoffed at his purple and green suit, but it fit his gimmick.
"I've heard about you." He said as he began to circle her like a shark. Fear weaseled its way into Caden's mind. This was the man who blew up hospitals with glee, who shot at passing cars without a care, who made Gotham his own sadistic playground, a corrupted jungle-gym of souls sliding down the slippery slopes of slides and soaring high on swings.
"And I've heard about you." Caden retorted, fighting against the tremors worming through her spine. He faked shock and gasped.
"Really? And I thought I was being so discreet." He added a strange emphasis to the 't.'
"You know people-they tend to gossip when a hospital blows up." Caden meant it to be snarky, but the Joker burst into a crazy laugh, cackling like a true psychopath. She saw why he dressed up as a clown-he was a clown, corrupted and crazy but laughing and light-hearted.
"And what about you, hmm? You even had the Bat trying to find you." Ouch. Mind-bomb. Her killings and almost capture wasn't public knowledge. He had to have sources to know of that, and that meant he could know anything about her. A flicker of intuition flashed in the back of her mind-what if his source was her father? That would explain why he ran off, why her mother was killed, how he would know…
He knew she knew this-she could tell from the sinister look in his eyes. He had planted a grenade in her mind and was awaiting the fireworks.
"What else do you know about me?" She was in no mood for beating around the bush with this guy, this joker-she silently chuckled at the pun-because she knew that with him, her life could very well be at stake.
"Well, you're not much fun, are you?" He added a few creepy snickers.
"Not when my life is on the line." He only continued to guffaw.
"But that's when life is most fun!...when you have a chance of losing it." In a surge of anger, she grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall. She wasn't able to pick him off the ground, but his head snapped back against the brick wall. He cringing, but just kept chortling. She gritted her teeth.
"Are you working for my father?" she demanded, not even caring who heard her at this point.
"I work for no one. Only…" he paused. "…chaos." He began to laugh at the ridiculousness. She groaned and released him, letting him slump to the ground.
"Fucking psycho." She hissed as she started to walk away. She gasped as her leg was pulled out from under her. She landed on the ground painfully, hissing and cursing. It smarted slightly, but she was more pissed about the fact that he wouldn't let her leave. She craned her neck, in a helpless position, and saw the Joker was standing over her. He was still laughing. As she was trying to get up, he put a foot on her back. She groaned. Of course, leave it her to get pinned by Arkham's greatest case of psychosis.
He crouched next to her, still keeping her down with his arm. He was much stronger then her, of course, and the only way she could attack and get away was to take him by surprise, which could prove difficult. Even if he did act rather reckless and stupid, he knew how to fight, much better then she did.
"You see, ah, Caden, is it?" he wasn't asking. "You spent time in Arkham, did you not?" he licked his lips, pausing for dramatic effect. "I know from experience that they can't really, ah…fix anyone. I'm sure your daddy issues has left you a little…unstable. Because of that, they called you crazy and threw you in a padded cell." Caden stiffened-what he said made sense, but… "They call people like us crazy, when it's really the people of Gotham who are craaazyy…I believe that we should show them their true colors."
"…we?" she asked. "You built your plan around the hope that I will help you?"
"You think I need your help?" he hissed. "But…imagine what everyone will think when they see one of Gotham's normal woman holding the detonator? Their, ah, precious little hope will-," he made exploding noises and gestures. "-be blown to bits."
"And what grudge do I have against Gotham? Why would I want to destroy it?" he snickered and let Caden off the ground.
"Destroy Gotham? Why would I want to do that? It's just too much fun watching them squirm." He stopped for a second, and looked off into the distance. Caden saw the explosions and screams dancing in his eyes, watched him lick his lips as he imagined the gradual decay of Gotham's mind. It terrified but also fascinated her.
"You didn't answer my question." Caden politely reminded him.
"And you completely agree with Gotham's ways?" he asked, raising a paint-matted eyebrow.
Then, the Joker had gotten to her. How many other people in this damned city had been victims of injustice? How many children were abused? How many little girls were raped by their father? How many boys were tormented by their mothers? How many watched as they parents died? How many were helpless, just like she was, as someone they loved was hurt? How many others had been in Caden's shoes? How many had been like Bruce, who lost their parents to the disease of Gotham? How many had suffered because of scum in this city, scum that she had to eradicate?
One little part of her told her that the Joker wouldn't help her get rid of the criminals. She would only become a criminal herself, but damn it, what else could she do? The police did nothing. Batman was the only person taking things into his own hands, and even he was branded an outlaw. Were all who actually wanted to do more then drive around in a car pulling over speeders outlaws?
She could never sit by and let what happened to her happen to others. The only way to do that was join this madman and try to get rid of as many of the criminals as she could.
Um…Caden, he's talking about killing innocent people, not criminals…
Damn it!
Well, with the Joker on her side, she could kill the criminals. And, besides, not all the "normal working-class people" were innocent. The mob didn't consist of Gotham's underbelly.
"No. I don't." She sighed. Damn, damn, damn. Was this was she was reduced to? Working with this…thing? This creature without a conscious or emotion? You gotta do what you gotta do, I guess.
"Then help me with something, sweetheart."
"What?" She knew not to run in circles with this guy-she wouldn't play into his little games. She would work with him, nothing more. She had no hatred against Gotham as a whole or an insane need for excitement. After she got what she wanted-revenge for her mother's death-she would never harm anyone. She hadn't before her mother died and she wouldn't after.
"What do you want?" he asked. "Everybody wants something."
"You want something to hold over me-to tempt me with, so I don't turn your ass in." Caden said calmly and smoothly-wow, where did that come from? She had never been slick or clever. Maybe it was all part of becoming a killer.
"You've seen right through me!" he said in fake shock, baring a smile full of yellow teeth. "Now answer the question. What is it that you want? Money? Guns? Power? A name?"
"First…what is it that you want, Joker?" Caden was trying to ensnare him in some way, just so she could get some sort of leverage over him. He only laughed.
"I asked you firs-t." He retorted. A-ha! He doesn't want to tell! Or maybe he's just being difficult…
"Then guess."
"Revenge on your mother." Caden stiffened when she heard the sound of a knife being drawn. He had no reason to attack her, but this man didn't need reason. Good thing she had her knife with her too-she was tightly gripping it in her pocket.
"Ooh. You're good. My turn? I think you don't want anything. You're just doing all of…this for the fun of it. And it is fun, isn't it? Having the life of so many people in your hands...it's an adrenaline rush." He flashed a sinister grin. Yes...get him to like you...get him to trust you...
"I knew I liked you. Your father said some mean things about you, but…" A grenade went off in her mind. It had been in her, waiting and waiting, for a long time, ticking, slowly growing to a strength unimaginable. Every last bit of rage and hatred she had swallowed for the past year or so exploded, flaring, making a seismic wave of destruction.
It was terrifying, being so angry. She had never felt stronger or more powerful. It was like riding lightning-she grabbed the Joker by the collar and shook him with a force equal to that of a 8.0 earthquake.
"WHERE IS MY FATHER?" she yelled. The Joker began to laugh loudly, bursting with insanity.
"Don't worry. I'll tell you. Right after you help me with something."
"…what?" she growled through clenched teeth. Never had she said a word with such acid, such hatred.
"I, like always, have someone to kill. If you help me kill them, then I'll tell you where your father is." Caden couldn't help but agree. Yes, her father…yes, that was perfect. She wouldn't kill him quickly, once she found him. He'd suffer as much as she did. She released her death grip on his collar.
"Deal." She was, of course, ashamed at herself-what would Bruce say?-but this was something she had to do. Without an end, she would never be at peace. Her father's death, his end, would justify her means. He gave another crazed grin. It had almost become normal.
"Good. Meet me tomorrow night, at midnight, in the Narrows…I'll find you." The tone of his voice sent shivers down her spine, but she nodded. Without saying another word, she turned her back to him, and walked down the street.
She returned home knowing she had made a terrible mistake-but the ends justify the means. They always do.
They had to.\
