Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Batman universe and have no rights to the Joker…etc.
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A Turn For The Worst
As her body slumped forward onto the blade the Joker grimaced slightly. Feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand to attention he leaned forward in his restraints, "You know…you're kinda rushing things…Max. If I were you…"
"Shut up!" Max shoved the limp woman back against the wall and forced her head backwards. Pushing the glinting knife further into her gaping mouth he smiled.
"It would be wise if you listened to me," the Joker sneered.
"Or what?" Max spun to face him. "What will you do to me? Huh?"
The Joker licked his lips slowly and cleared his throat dramatically, "Just believe me. You don't want to do that to her. I mean, the whole killing her to get back at me…thing…it's inspired. Pointless but inspired all the same. You see, I don't give a damn whether you kill her or not! But what I do care about is the way you execute her. That is what you're trying to do right? Execute her to teach me a lesson?" he waited for the crouching man to at least seem interested. "Trust me; your efforts are wasted. What difference does it make to me whether she lives or dies? Hmm? You have seriously underestimated me Officer. There is nothing that you can do to hurt me. Nothing at all. I don't care about her. I don't even care about meee! You see…I get the distict feeling that you have totally misread the whole situation here…you think I want to saaave her…you're wrong…I want her to die. I just wanna be the one who er…who makes it happen. And this?" he rolled his eyes. "Well this is all kinda disappointing to me. Especially after the great job you did redecorating Ricky Moffett's cell! I would've thought you would put more effort to the dear doctor's demise! You surprise me Max…I thought you were better than this…"
Max leaned on his knees and pushed himself to his feet, letting Jess slide down the wall, "What do you mean?"
"Erm…well, let's seeee…you go all out on weaving this web of lies and deceit. You stalk her…oh, didn't you know that I knew?" the Joker cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "You even made her believe that it was me!! Now that was a stretch of her imagination but hey…she fell for it didn't she? Hook, line and sinkeeerrr. You must be so proud…but then you go and do this…you get hasty and ruin everything you've achieved up to this point!" The restrained man almost surrendered himself to fit of sadistic giggles.
"Go on," Max was intrigued.
"Tell me, honestly…if you had the choice what would you rather do? Slit her from ear to ear and watch her bleed in her sleep…OR…wait for her to open her eyes and beg you to let her go? Lure her into a false sense of security and watch her run…all the time knowing that she'll never get away? All the time fantasising about how you're going to force the life from her veins…I know what I'd choose!"
"You know I'm going to kill you after?" Max frowned, running the Joker's own knife along the length of his fingers. "Why would you suggest how I should kill her?"
"I already told you, I don't care what happens to her. But if you're going to kill someone, the least you can do is make the effort to have some fun…get to savour their last words…their last thoughts as you so mercifully decide to end their misery…You see, what's the use in murder if you can't have fun while you're doing it?!"
The guard stopped in his tracks and thought for a moment in complete silence before turning back to gaze upon his female hostage. Her body hung limply backwards as far as her restraint would allow and her face was turned to the floor. Perhaps the Joker was right. Turning back to the man who killed his brother Max grinned widely, "What do you suggest?"
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"Miss Quinzel? Where are you taking that?" the bearded man motioned to the large cardboard box balanced on her open palms.
"They said that I could borrow it to study," the young intern smiled sweetly. "Was I wrong to take it? Doctor Cunningham said that it would be ok…obviously it was before she disappeared."
Scanning over the name and serial number the man nodded, "Make sure nothing goes missing."
"Of course, Sir," Harleen's smile broadened as she continued along the bright corridor towards the huge padlocked door that led to the old staircase giving access to the redundant original wards. Careful not attract too much attention to her self the bottle-blonde stood with her back to the large doors before dropping the box to the floor and quickly slipping the blackened key into the lock. As the mechanism clicked open she jolted the doors open and kicked the box inside before quickly replacing the lock.
She was quite proud of herself; she had single-handedly managed to gain access to the Joker's belongings and then smuggled it through the hospital and right in to the derelict stairwell. All that was left to do now was to work her way around to the other side of the hospital grounds and sneak into the abandoned wards through the security doors. Although she had gone over the route again and again in her head she was still a little nervous. Max had shown her which keys to use and had explained the route but she was still unsure about the whole thing.
Remembering the way her colleague looked the last time she laid eyes on her, Harleen smiled to herself. There was no chance she would get in the way now. Especially since Max had decided he was going to go teach her a lesson. The intern shook her hair from her eyes and started to hum to herself…after today, she would be able to take him away from here and he would owe her everything.
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Forcing her head forward, Jess tried to sit upright but to no avail. When her muscles refused to cooperate she pulled at the radiator pipe and dragged herself forwards, groaning heavily in the process. Every muscle felt heavy and tight as the warmth of movement slowly spread through them. Releasing her grip on the pipe she lowered her eyes to peer at the thin strip of plastic encircling her wrists, but to her surprise it had gone.
Glancing around the room she rubbed the tender skin around the back of her hands and shuddered as her skin became aware of the cold once again. Suddenly recalling her final waking moments she prodded her face. Nothing. Feeling the relief wash over her she slumped back against the wall and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. In the cold darkness she listened to the noises of the building. Distant clicking and creaking merged with incessant dripping and the slow steady breathing of the Joker.
She opened her eyes and gripped the curved radiator, pulling herself to her feet slowly. Turning to gaze at the gurney she gasped as her eyes fell on the blood stained bed. The Joker lay silently, still restrained, staring at the ceiling. His already scarred face was slick with blood pouring from his nose.
"What the hell happened?" Jess shuffled her numb feet across the tiles and made her way over to her injured patient.
"Nothing," the Joker grumbled. "Hmm, it's just like old times!" he grinned manically, blood smeared across his off-white teeth.
"What are you standing around for? You should be running Jester…run away…he's changed the rules…"
"What?"
"I bought you some…tiime…make good use of it!" he breathed.
"The doors'll be locked. We wont be able to get out, it's pointless!" Jess frowned.
The Joker's face became rigid with confusion, "Weee?"
"I'm not leaving without you. You're my patient, I can't leave you…"
"Ha! You really do have your priorities…agh…mixed up…Jes…ter! If I were you I'd be gone. I wouldn't try to be a hero…" he groaned quietly.
Jess cast her eyes over him…he was injured. As she visually assessed him his dark eyes slowly rolled back in his head. "No!" she heard herself cry as her fingers went about attempting to unbuckle the thick leather straps crossing his body. Throwing the straps over the edge of the bed she tugged at his shirt, pulling it up towards his head. He had received a serious beating while she had been unconscious and was literally black and blue. As the orange material swept over his chest she saw the thin slash between his ribs. "Shit!" trying to apply as much pressure as she physically could to the flowing wound she quickly scanned the room for anything to bandage it with.
"I told you to go," the Joker spluttered.
"Keep quiet," Jess ordered him, taking his hands from his sides and pressing them onto the wound. "Try to press down."
"Ok," the Joker smiled weakly, his head rolling from one side to the other loosely.
Jess looked down at his hand, assessing how long she had to find something to dress his injury with. Slowly, thick crimson seeped through his fingers and stained his pale skin. "Don't let go! Whatever you do, don't die on me!"
Slowly the young doctor made her way to the doorway. Her body felt as though it was made of lead and every step that she took seemed to increase the weight. Clutching the doorframe she peered down the hallway, into the darkness. Glancing back at the Joker she sighed heavily. She had to be quick. She had to move fast.
"Come on!" she growled to herself. "Come on!"
Feeling her way along the cracked walls she willed her legs to move faster as she cautiously made her way to the next bay. Slipping through the door she strained her eyes to see through the dust and debris. Spotting a supply trolley she rounded the beds and rummaged through the various objects littering its top and drawers. Dismissing the majority of the things she finally found a sealed alcohol wipe, but no bandages. Gripping the wipe tightly she pulled herself along the bedframes towards the corridor and searched the surrounding rooms for any kind of material to use as a bandage. Finally, after deciding she was taking too long she made her way back into the dusty hallway. Forgetting herself she rushed as best she could through the lumps of plaster and broken furniture back towards her patient.
Breathing heavily Jess reached the Joker, opening the alcohol wipe she gently moved his bloody hands from his chest and tentatively wiped the wound. At least she could clean it. Prodding the edges gently she strained her eyes to examine him more closely. As she assessed the depth and seriousness of his injury reality came crashing down around her as she was grabbed firmly by the hair and thrown to the floor.
Turning her head to face her attacker she felt her heart leap into her throat as Max stepped hard on her ankle. "What the fuck do you think you're doing bitch?" he bellowed at her, reaching to take hold of her gown. "Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to save him?"
Jess desperately tried to crawl away from his steel toe-capped boots as they repeatedly collided with her ribs. Pulling herself along the floor she scrambled towards the door only to be dragged back towards him by her bare feet. Feeling the desperation in her gut- not to get away but to save the Joker- she twisted in the guard's grip and managed to kick him hard in the shin. As he stumbled backwards she pulled herself up on the bed frame and started towards the door. She couldn't let him kill her. If she died then so would the Joker. She would have failed him. She had to save him, it was her job.
Stumbling towards the door Jess turned to glare at the Joker as Max flicked the silvery blade from its case and held it under the injured man's chin.
"No!"
"No?" Max glowered. "Give me one good reason why!!"
Jess panicked. What could she possibly do to help him? Staring at the Joker she considered giving up. As the thought crossed her mind the woozy man lifted his head slightly and winked hard. Confused Jess tilted her head to the side. The injured man smiled faintly and mouthed the words, "Get out!"
Shaking her head Jess stumbled towards the door, feeling for the crumbling walls to steady her. Once she reached the corridor she felt the adrenalin surge through her veins as Max advanced on her quickly. It was as though her body was not hers. Her muscles were numb and she seemed to have the means to run. No sooner had she thought of making a dash for it than her feet began to pound the dirty tiles.
As she tore through the abandoned ward Jess could hear the sound of Max's boots echoing throughout the empty rooms. Making her way to the fire exit she burst through the doors and started down the uneven steps.
"YOU CAN'T GET OUT JESS!!" the voice boomed through the building and Jess felt like crying. She knew it was true. She was not going to be able to escape.
Reaching the door at the base of the stairs she shook the handles violently, willing the chain on the other side to somehow break and set her free from all of this. Suddenly she heard the familiar clomp of security boots on the tiles behind her. Turning to look she saw Max kicking a large cardboard box towards her. As she struggled to make out the writing on the label Max cross the small space between them and slammed her head against the wall.
"Aggghh!" Jess growled as her skin gave way and a torrent of blood cascaded over her forehead and into her eyes.
Pulling her across the floor Max dragged her violently back up the staircase to the floor below the Joker. Slamming her against a wall he placed his hand over her mouth and pushed her to the floor. Jess squirmed in his grip, managing to deliver one hell of a blow to his manhood, literally. As the man recoiled in pain Jess saw her chance and made a break for it. Forcing herself to run she darted through the side bays and desperately tried to keep a fair distance between herself and her captor. Just when she thought her legs and lungs couldn't take any more abuse she somehow found the energy to scramble into the toilets. Where else could she go? She didn't know what to do. She had to get back upstairs, back to the Joker.
As she desperately tried to plan her route back to him she heard the door slam into the wall. Picking her feet up from the floor she perched on the broken toilet seat and held her breath. Suddenly the cubicle door burst towards her as Max kicked it off of its hinges. Jess froze. As his fist crashed into her cheek her foot slipped and she fell from her perch. Max used her mistake to his advantage and grabbed her hair once more, forcing her face into the dirty toilet bowl.
Scrambling about her with outstretched fingers the young doctor tried to defend herself only to be punched into submission as Max held her face in the water. The pressure in her nose did little stop the water from invading her nostrils and the pulling in her chest caused her to involuntarily inhale. As she felt herself begin to cough and splutter she attempted to wriggle free.
Max finally dragged Jess from the toilets and punched her hard in the stomach causing her to double over in pain. Winded the young woman fell to the floor and tried to crawl away. Max simply followed her slowly, knowing damn well that the Joker had been right…this was far more fun than slitting her throat while she was 'sleeping'!
"Go on…Jess…run! Go on, run little rabbit, run!" Max sneered. "Go!"
Jess didn't need to be told twice. Scrambling to her feet she immediately stumbled through the building debris, slipping as she pounded her way through the unfamiliar corridors. A door! An open door. Jess ran as fast as her weary legs would carry her to the door at the other end of the hallway, not stopping or slowing down to open it fully. As she tore through into another stairwell she suddenly got the feeling she wasn't alone. Spinning around to check behind her, her heart froze as the slim bottle-blonde woman swung a short-handled sledge hammer towards her head!