Teen Titans: Revenge of the Joker
Chapter 35: Sandwiches
Author's Note:
Okay, I somewhat recall telling you guys it would not be taking me too terribly long to update, because I have, oh, well, a lot of stuff prewritten?
Well, then I kinda messed up…
I brought Jinx into the story, and I broke Aqualad's arm.
So, basically, 20+ pages of story, PRBT!! Right out the window! (Don't ask me what that sound was… it's appropriate, just trust me...). DEFENESTRATED!!! (is my favorite word) I was initially just going to go back into the story and rewrite and make it so Aqualad was, I dunno, bleeding profusely or something, but one, that's already overused in this story, and two, I have way too many people reading this for me to do that… so, I guess I'll have to live with my mistakes. So far, it has led to good, so I hope that happens again…
I also been juggling around pieces of the story, going crazy about whether or not to put these two parts together or those two, seeing what works flow-wise, whether or not I REALLY want to bring up all those wonderful parallels (in the end, I have).
BUT! I'm on my way to bringing you guys lots more full-blown intense angst-filled RotJ action! (Revenge of the Joker… XD I abbreviate, shuddup). I've been watching Justice League episodes all night, and I just gotta say "OMG-SPEEDY-WAS-TOTALLY-IN-IT-OMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!! :D" Older Speedy is bitchin'… *coughs and looks aside* Not to say that Nightwing isn't bitchin'....
Anywho, love you guys, sorry bout the delay, LET THE SHOW GO ON!!!
The Joker sat back in his easy chair atop the metal balcony of the main operation room, the balcony which had been decorated with a skimpy living room setup, just one lone segment of the staged home they had built in the large room. A clipboard was clenched in one of his hands, a pencil tapping his chin with the other. He peered at the television before him, the same he had just used with Robin, back in place as part of the living room scene. He scowled a little, turning his left ear towards the screen, struggling to make out any words through the boy's babbling mania… he was speaking so soft that the Joker could barely hear him, even with the volume turned up to maximum.
"Have you found out anything, yet, Puddin'?" Harley called from the simulated kitchen below. She was standing before the table, spreading mayonnaise onto a slice of bread, two plates before her bearing incomplete, but nevertheless impressive, deli sandwiches.
"Silence, woman," the Joker spat angrily, irritated that he had been unable to hear the boy for a moment. He bit the eraser of the pencil with his canines, forehead furrowing as he read the words scrawled messily on the clipboard before him. He had been sitting here already for a few hours, yet he had only made out a few good words or phrases… he had heard something about falling… someone dying… he screamed for his parents… so they were dead… that was definitely something to look into… deaths in Gotham sometime in the past 10 or so years… He had heard him screaming for his friends, the other Teen Titans… especially Raven… so she had been helping him… and he had made out the name "Slade," which did him no good – he knew who that was… and, then, probably the most bitter, obnoxious one, simply the word "Batman."
That insolent little bird brat, the Joker thought crossly, scratching his greasy green hair with the dull pencil tip. It's just like with the truth serum… he knows better than to fall for this trick, even in his state…
…but his parents…
There's still a little hope… falling…? Does that have something to do with them?
The Joker focused his gaze back on the screen, suddenly aware that things had suddenly gone too quiet (save for Harley, calling up to him asking him if he wanted mustard or not). He leaned forward, sucking on one lip. The boy had fallen completely silent. The clown prince sat back and felt down into the cushion beside him, snapping up the remote and pressing a button. His eyebrows raised a moment in mild interest as the sensors in the boy's shock collar indicated his heart had stopped. He muttered a little to himself as he trailed a finger over the buttons, knowing full well which was the one he wanted. He simply loved the play-along. He finally tripped the button he was looking for, and Robin's body leapt and jerked as electricity poured into him, knocking his heart back into rhythm.
Funny… the Joker thought contemplatively, glancing at his pocket watch. I would have expected him to hold out a lot longer than this... guess his body's a little worse off than I'd realized… or maybe…
"Here you go, Pumkin!" Harley cooed sweetly, setting down the sandwich on the end table beside the clown's easy chair. The Joker didn't acknowledge her right away, still completely lost in thought.
"Hey… Poo?" he asked after a moment, scratching his chin. "That stuff that we got from the Scarecrow. Do you recall if we were supposed to dilute it with water or something?"
Harley pouted as she plopped herself down on the arm of his easy chair. She surveyed her sandwich thoughtfully. "Um, I'm not sure. It was kinda hard to understand his instructions with him laughing the way he was." She smiled wickedly, knowingly, giving a little giggle before taking a large, unattractive bite out of her sandwich. The Joker chuckled, recalling that day. What a fun day.
"Well, looks like we may have given our boy too strong a dose," he carried on, tugging his coat open and pulling out a capped syringe containing the antitoxin. "Harley, be a dear and give the boy his other medicine? His heart's stopped once already, and we certainly don't want him dying on us now, do we?"
"Uh! What?!" Harley pouted in protest, looking at her sandwich. "But, but, can't I just—?" The Joker snatched the plate from her and thrust the syringe into her hands, no further words spoken. Harley sighed in resignation and stood up, muttering under her breath as she stomped down the stairs.
"And give him a kiss goodnight for me, too, would you, Snookums?" Joker called after her as she went through the kitchen setup. She waved a hand, as though saying "Yeah, yeah, got it," before stepping through the far doors towards the boy's jail cell.
The Joker turned his attention back to the television, his arms crossing and his smile becoming a scowl once more while he stared at the panting, shaking, nearly unconscious boy on the screen before him. He wasn't talking, still in shock from his heart stalling like that, though through the way he jerked on the floor, it was clear that the hallucinations were still hitting him hard. The villain glanced down at the clipboard once more, a bit irritated. That impudent little brat… he thought to himself bitterly. He won't be giving me Batman's name this time… His mind began humming, cogs working themselves through in his mind as he continued watching, chewing on his lip pensively. His body's broken, his spirit's broken… and I suppose his heart probably is, too… but his mind isn't… it will take a bit more to get him where I want him to be…
The Clown Prince of Crime rubbed his hands together slowly, still thinking, a delinquent smile cracking his lips very slowly.
I suppose… I may have to go the whole nine yards…
His lips stretched wider in excitement. He had hoped he would have to.
He saw Harley's split-colored costume appear in the television, and then, something dawned on him. He glanced up at the cuckoo clock on the wall, then swung his arm around, pulling up his sleeve and checking the clock, as though to confirm it.
"Oh, goodie!" he chirruped, clapping his hands together in excitement. "It's time for the news!" He swung the remote and flipped the channel. The black and white security screen suddenly flashed to the sight of an older red-headed woman wearing far too much makeup.
"—ory tonight on GCN News Tonight, a violent explosion in Steel City has demolished what was revealed to be the headquarters of a youth terrorist organization known as the HIVE Academy. Mike Engal has the story."
"Thanks Diane." A stern, stocky man with bug eyes and little neck to speak of stood before a smoky pile of debris, illuminated by strong lights, with police force going every which-way behind him, fire fighters trying to smother the smoldering wreckage with hoses. "I am standing here in front of what used to be 1450 Alta Vista Drive, an old psychiatric research facility that had been abandoned years ago here in Steel City, USA. But tonight, a strange series of explosions tore much of the building to shreds. Police arrived on the scene twenty minutes before the building collapsed, when the entire HIVE Academy student population came filing out in unison, many of whom were promptly taken down and arrested on previous warrant charges."
"Wait a minute…" the Joker muttered, leaning forward. They were showing clips of the incident, showing the building after the explosions had hit… it was standing. True, half of it was missing, holes and fire and smoke everywhere, and it did eventually collapse -- spectacularly, he had to admit -- but after the explosions hit, it was still standing…
That's not right… he had put enough explosions in that to take down a mountain… NO ONE should have made it out of there alive… if the HIVE kids made it… that probably meant… the Titans…
"NO!" he spat, slamming his fist down on the chair and snapping the remote to his face, so close it was grazing the tip of his nose as he glared down at the button responsible for the detonation. Something had to have gone wrong here… the wiring? No, they all should have gone off. He began pressing the detonation button with wild fervor.
All of a sudden, screams erupted from the televisions speakers, the camera jolting backwards as plumes of fire and smoke burst forth from the wreckage of the building. The Joker gave a whoop of delight as people tried to dart away as fire engulfed many of them.
"No matter how they may have messed up, I still love explosions!" he said with a punch to the air. But he was still thinking full blown about the failed ignitions…
…and… were the Titans still alive…?
He growled. Blood failed. He was sure of it. And his bombs had failed.
"Want a job done right, yadda yadda," he muttered, wiping his hands along his face. What a disaster… he wanted those brats out of the picture – thanks to that Raven girl, they knew too much… it was only a matter of time before they figured out where to look…
His mind flashed back to the image of her, a streak of red piercing straight through her stomach… a smile crossed his lips once more. Well… maybe with her out of the picture… he knew it was the best idea for them to take her out first….
He got to his feet, stretching his arms out towards the ceiling, straightening out the cricks in his back from sitting so long.
If any of the Titans had survived, they probably had their hands full… dealing with grief from the dead, all that jazz… but nevertheless, they were stubborn little buggers. He had to get to work, soon.
Damnit, this was so much easier when it was just the Batfart… he thought with a sigh, before taking a look at the sandwich Harley made. He sniffed it, then popped away with a hand to his nose, his face contorted in disgust. And… I think I'll go ahead and starve tonight...
"Top story tonight on GCN News Tonight, a violent explosion in Steel City has demolished what was revealed to be the headquarters of a youth terrorist organization known as the HIVE Academy. Mike Engal has the story."
"I made you a sandwich…" a deep voice said. Hawkgirl turned her head, seeing Green Lantern's strong build stepping over to her, clutching two plates before him bearing sandwiches. She managed a small smile and nod as she took the plate he offered her, then jolted her head towards the television.
"Take a look at this, John…"
"Where is this?" he asked, eyebrows narrowed. "Is somebody on it?"
She shook her head. "Steel City. It's the Teen Titans territory…"
They watched a moment as sequences of a building collapsing played out. They saw a bunch of little villains led away in handcuffs, but there was no sign of the young teenaged superhero team anywhere.
"Wasn't there just a huge explosion in Jump not too long ago?" he asked, sitting on the couch beside her. "Must be related."
"You think it might be something to check in on them about?"
The Green Lantern raised an eyebrow in her direction. "You know they hate it when we do that. If it were something they couldn't handle, they'd let us know."
"Like they did when the devil destroyed the Earth?"
"Well—"
"Or when the Brotherhood of Evil began targeting practically every young teenager with superpowers on the planet?"
"I—"
"Or—"
"Okay, okay, I get it," he snapped, a little more angrily than he had intended. "Look, they may be young, but they're superheroes, and they've already proven time and again that they can handle themselves. We get into trouble just as badly as they do. I've lost track of how many times I've almost died. And nearly all of us have been there – young teenagers with strange abilities, trying to learn to control our powers and do what is right. Whatever they're up against right now, I'm sure it's nothing they can't handle. After all, they pretty much, literally, have been to hell and back."
"I suppose you're right…" Hawkgirl finally sighed.
"Besides, it's Kung Fu movie night," he added with a sly smile, and a wink. "We're not on duty now, and we're missing some awesome cheesy martial arts action!"
Hawkgirl smiled at him, and changed the channel, the smoky ruins turning into the poorly-lipsynced faces of Chinese martial artists. She took a bite of her sandwich, a small shiver going down her spine. It was a little cold in there…
Author's Note:
I dunno why. I just like sammiches right now. :P
I suppose you're all going to kill me for not saying ANYTHING about the Titans. Or much about Robin. Awww, pobrecitos! Never fear! The next chapter is soon to come!
AND OMG THE JUSTICE LEAGUE!! O.O So, not as well-versed in JLA as I am with the TT. I used to know them pretty well, but I have an AWFUL memory… so yeah. :P If I screw up personalities, I'm sorry. DEAL WITH IT!!!
R&R!!!
P.S.!You know… one of you awesome reviewers deserves to have this chapter dedicated to you for making me want to include the JLA earlier than I intended… but I honestly have forgotten who it was. XD Maybe you know who you are? I dunno... Prove you deserve it, and I'll dedicate the next chapter to you :P