Raven slowly crossed the thresh hold that separated the warehouse from the dark chamber that Beastboy had been kept in prior to his battle with the Titans
Raven slowly crossed the thresh hold that separated the warehouse from the dark chamber that Beastboy had been kept in prior to his battle with the Titans. She warily wandered through the near-darkness, allowing her night-vision to adjust to the gloom. She could feel her mind regaining it's stability- a sure sign that the Joker was no longer nearby. As her mind cleared, she took in the details of her surroundings.
The chamber was actually another warehouse, attached to storage bay #4. Unlike the warehouse to which the Joker had lured them, this one was filled with crates and machinery. In fact, she noticed that there seemed to be more stuff here than there should be; while most of the items were organized into rows and aisles, the rest had simply been shoved wherever there was room for it. Clearly, the Joker had had storage bay #4 partially emptied in preparation for his battle with the Titans. His goons had just shoved stuff in here.
There was a wide path free of clutter, leading from the door to a massive cage in the center of the room. The cage's door had been knocked clean off its hinges, presumably destroyed by the Beast when the Joker had activated the sparkers. Inside the cage, she found Beastboy huddled in the corner in the fetal position.
The green boy was shaking violently, and tears streamed down his grimy face.
Raven approached the cage slowly, being as quiet as possible. She knew that the shape shifter was extremely vulnerable right now, and that he needed comfort. Unfortunately, when sober Raven had a hard time being comforting- it required too much emotion. Nevertheless, she felt that Beastboy's needs took precedence right now. If he needed comfort, she would give it.
She slowly opened the cage door, wincing slightly at the noise the deformed metal made upon moving. Beastboy looked up at charged her, grabbing her in a fierce hug. Raven's face flushed scarlet as the boy buried his head in her chest. He pressed his face into her breasts as though he wanted to bury inside. She could tell it wasn't sexual; she could feel his tears soaking through her leotard., could see his body shaking with his sobs. She placed a hand on his head, and used the other to return the hug.
"Don't worry Gar" she whispered "Everything will be all right. I love you and I won't let anything happen to you. You're safe now"
Cyborg carefully examined the bomb. He had plenty of time to defuse it- hell, in twenty minutes he could practically BUILD a nuclear bomb! The trouble was it was unlikely to be that simple. Cyborg would admit to not being an expert on the Joker- but from what he knew, tripwires and failsafes were almost certainly par for the course. If he made just one mistake, or missed just one trick, the bomb would wipe Jump City off the map.
Slowly, he eased the covering off the bomb's wiring case. He found it to be a jumble of wires, dozens upon dozens of wires- far more than was necessary for even a nuclear bomb. The metal man grimaced as realization struck. The wires were the trap- the Joker had hooked up a bunch of false wires to deter attempts to defuse it. These false wires were probably all linked to the trigger mechanism, and would detonate the bomb if he made even the slightest mistake. He mentally opened a link to the Titan's computer- and instructed it to compare the image of the bombs interior with that of a 'normal' atom bomb.
He nodded to himself as the results came in, confirming his theory. The metal man set to work- slowly but surely isolating those wires that were relevant and ignoring all the others. It took time and effort, because he didn't know what might trigger the traps. Therefore, he took extreme care not to even jiggle the wiring, moving his hands slowly and carefully all the while.
Cyborg quickly entered what he called the zone- a state of extreme concentration in which all of his focus was on the task at hand. It was as though the entire world faded away, and there was only him and the wiring. Usually he only got that way when working on the T-car, or practicing his medical skills. He supposed it was a gift of his father- one he appreciated more than he did the cybernetics which composed most of his body.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity (but was really only about six minutes- eat that Batman!), he snipped the last blue wire. It was done. He sighed with relief, double-checked that the bomb was no threat, and ran upstairs to help Robin and Cassie.
Immediately after the Joker's speech, Robin and Batgirl had raced to the office. They were met with a large computer bearing a map of Jump City on the monitor. Highlighted were the many small communities which ringed the city, and which the Joker had turned into death-traps. Scattered throughout the area were numerous red and purple dots- a hundred all together. Above the map was a count-down timer, which currently read 19:49- nineteen minutes, forty nine seconds. Attempts to use the keyboard proved useless, as the system required a password.
"Knowing the Joker, the purple dots are gas bombs which means the red ones are explosives. Let's see if we can deactivate them from here- find a USB port and get out your code cracker" Robin said "We'll both hook ours in and get the password faster"
Cassie nodded and reached into her utility-belt. She pulled out the code cracker, one of the Oracle's contributions to Bat-Technology. It was essentially a portable, computerized hacking program. Designed to hook into any system, it methodically tried thousands of combinations per second, until reaching the correct one. Furthermore, two or more units would work together, multiplying their efficiency. Within moments, both vigilantes had hooked up their code crackers and awaited the results.
Robin fidgeted, uneasy. He knew that he'd had no choice but to send Starfire after the Joker- the madman had to be caught. Robin couldn't let the Joker get away, not after all the suffering he'd inflicted on the Titans and on their city. He knew, also, that Starfire was their best shot- she could fly faster than any of them could run, and she was currently the most powerful member of the Titans. Still, some part of him worried that the Joker might do something to the girl who meant more to him than anything.
Batgirl was in a state of misery. Beastboy had chosen Raven, if only subconsciously- when the Beast had seen her, it had been unable to attack, and indeed had nuzzled her affectionately. When Batgirl had approached, the Beast had attacked without hesitation or mercy. It was, to her thinking, a fairly clear sign.
She yearned to vent her feelings the way she always had, by pummeling someone deserving.
A beeping noise ended the two vigilantes moment of reflection, and signaled that the completed- apparently the password had been Haddock. The clock above now read 16:30. Robin began to type rapidly on the keyboard, searching for a way to disable the bombs. After a few minutes he looked up .
"I think we can disable the explosives, but the gas bombs are on a separate program- we'll have to do one first and then the other. I'm not sure we have that kind of time- each bomb has to be switched off individually and that takes about fifteen seconds apiece. We can't stop them all."
"Maybe you can't Robbie" Cyborg said from the doorway "But WE can. I can hook my systems into the computer and defuse the gas bombs while Cassie defuses the explosives. You go help Star, I have the feeling she needs it. "
Starfire hovered over the path that lead from the warehouse to the helipad, where a garishly painted two person helicopter waited. She had managed to block the Joker and Harley Quinn from reaching their escape vehicle. However, she was unable to capture the two due to their weaponry and position- they were currently concealed behind fuel barrels. She could not use her starbolts for fear of setting off the fuel, nor could she engage them physically- every time she approached, the pair opened fire.
The Joker, meanwhile, was having a grand time. The orange girl made a great target, and she screamed wonderfully at a few of his near misses. Still, he supposed he should get moving- if the Titan's hadn't defused his bomb, it would go off soon. And if they had… well, it was still best to leave now. He signaled to Harley to pass him a smoke bomb, which he tossed upwards at the flying pest.
"Here you go, my dear" he said "you look like you could do with a laugh! HAHAHAHAHA!"
As the "gas" grenade exploded, Starfire gasped. She recalled all too well her experience with the Joker's laughing gas. She remembered the pain, the fear, the sensation of having no control over her own body. Since she had no desire to experience these things again, she held her breath as the purple vapor enveloped her. She soared above the cloud, just in time to see the Joker and his companion race into the helicopter. She was about to give chase when she heard a familiar (and welcome) voice from the path.
"Starfire, wait for me!"
"Boyfriend Robin! Were you not to be in the office undoing the Joker's evil traps?"
"Cyborg and Batgirl are taking care of it. Let's go! It's time to finish this once and for all!" Robin said as Starfire swept him up in her arms. As they flew, the Boy Wonder reflected that being carried Bridal Style might not be the most dignified way to pursue a criminal, but it had its advantages.
A/N
One or two more chapters, then you all have to wait for my epilogue (which will be a major undertaking) in and of itself. Meanwhile, here are some more rules for writing the Joker. I hope they're helpful!
7- The Joker has no friends. Friendship is a meeting of equals, and the Joker acknowledges no one as his equal (nor should he!). The closest he comes are in his relationships with Harley Quinn and Batman. Both of those are tinged with violence and domination- but they're the closest he'll ever come to healthy relationships. This means that no, the Joker will NOT fall in love/be best buddies with your OC.
8- The Joker is the ultimate Nihilist. everything is funny because nothing is meaningful. The universe has no center, life has no meaning, and the only correct response is laughter and madness. Once you understand this, he makes a bit more sense. He's not just goofing around- he's showing his contempt for a hollow and empty world. As well as having some laughs.
9- The Joker is a true sociopath which means he has no fear. Its actually part of the definition my old abnormal psych textbook gave. As such, he should never seem to be afraid or intimidated (unless of course it's part of an act). He was even immune to Scarecrow's fear gas! By the same token, most emotions are foreign to him; he only knows glee, rage and recently love (of a sort). Some say this makes him a shallower character; myself I think it hammers home his inhumanity and makes him even scarier.
10- Try to mix it up a little when it comes to actual humor. Sure, everyone loves a good psychotic 'joke' (so long as its in accordance with rule 1), but even that can get a little repetitious. Add a few scenes of so-called harmless merriment; regular joybuzzers, ordinary whoopie cushions, and so forth. By adding non-lethal pranks, you break the audience's expectations and keep the Joker surprising- and show off his contempt for societal conventions, and indeed, society.