Later on that night, the family made their way downstairs to the club. Joker chuckled when he peered out the small window in the door, seeing a line outside as the club had stayed closed an hour longer than usual. Flipping a master switch, the clown turned on the lights and fog machines. Once his henchmen took their places, Joker opened the doors and personally welcomed his patrons. Moving back when people began filing in, the King of crime joined his Queen and Princess in his office.
"All those people were already waiting outside?"
"What can I say, baby? People love it here!"
Harley giggled and went back to brushing Ollivya's hair, pulling it back into a low ponytail. A knock on the office door got Joker's attention, and he stood to answer it. Pulling the door open, he found himself looking at empty space. Blinking in confusion, he stepped out into the hallway and looked both directions before turning to go back into the office. His eyes then landed on a knife pinning a small paper to the door, and he let out a low growl before dislodging the blade.
"Everything okay puddin?"
"I think so."
Closing the door again, Joker moved to his desk and sat down, putting the knife in a drawer. Running his eyes over the note, a low, dangerous growl escaped him.
"I know who you really are, and I know everything you've done. You created me, Jack, and now I'm going to make your life a living hell!"
The man clenched his fist, crumpling the paper before dropping it into the drawer along with the knife. Seeing his reaction caused Harley to lift an eyebrow and peer curiously in his direction. Joker simply shook his head when he met her eyes, silently saying he would explain later. Giving a small smile, she went back to watching Ollivya play a game on the tablet they'd stolen for her on a recent date night. Peering over out of curiosity when he heard coughs and beeping coming from the game, the King of crime moved to the couch.
"Whatcha playin`, princess?"
"Plague Inc! I'm trying to destroy the world with a virus!"
"Oh yeah? How ya doin?"
"Pretty good! A million people have died so far!"
"That's my girl."
Patting his daughter on the head, Joker walked out of the office and into the main club, making a wide circle, his sharp blue eyes scanning the crowd. Harley watched him patrol their business like a hungry lion, waiting to pounce on its prey. Ollivya remained oblivious, too engrossed in her game to care about anything else going on. Looking down when the girl gave a happy squeal, the Queen of crime grinned when she saw that her daughter had destroyed the human race and won the game.
"Mommy I won!"
"You sure did! Good job!"
Closing out of the current scenario, Ollivya loaded a new one into the game and grinned.
"Now I'm a bacteria!"
Shaking her head at their daughter's apparent knack for destroying all life with random sicknesses, Harley kissed her on top of the head. Joker re-entered the office a few minutes later and again joined his wife and daughter on the couch. The trio all shared a chuckle when Ollivya named her in-game disease 'Batman', the girl sharing her parents' distaste for the caped hero. After the scenario ran its course, and they were informed that 'Batman' destroyed the world, all three broke into laughter. Said laughter caught the attention of Croc, who looked in the window and grunted in amusement.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in, Harls!"
Hearing the sudden exclamation by her husband, Harley smiled when she saw Deadshot enter the building. Standing, Joker exited the office and met the assassin with a handshake and hand on the shoulder.
"Hey, J. It's been a while since I've been here just to visit. How ya`ll doin?"
Leading the man back into the office so they could talk without having to scream at each other, the clown explained what had been happening. Also mentioning the new threat, he handed one of the weighted flame symbols to Deadshot. Grunting and turning it over in his hand, the assassin met his friend's eyes.
"This symbol's been poppin up all over Gotham in the last 24 hours. Whoever this is, they're more trouble for us than the bat is."
Taking the symbol back, Joker tucked it into his desk drawer again, alongside the dagger and note. Interlacing his fingers under his chin, the King of crime leaned forward, elbows on his desk. A million thoughts fighting for attention is his demented little brain. The fact that the person who'd left the note had called him Jack, a name he hadn't heard in a long time, raised about a billion red flags for the clown. Finally looking up from her game, Ollivya grinned when she saw Deadshot sitting on the couch.
"Uncle Floyd!"
"Hey kiddo!"
Laying her tablet on the table in front of them, she stood up and ran over, throwing her arms around the man's neck with a giggle, causing him to chuckle and pull her into his lap. Suddenly standing, Joker's eyes were locked on a figure moving through the crowd of people, a growl slipping from his lips. His sudden reaction caused Harley to stand as well, lifting an eyebrow when she followed his line of sight. Standing stone-still in the middle of the gyrating crowd, was a man in all black, with neon blue hair and green eyes that almost seemed to glow. Deadshot stood alongside them, and Ollivya sat back down on the couch, going back to her tablet and games.
"Who's that, J?"
"No idea…"
Pulling his gun from its holster, the King of crime made sure it was fully loaded before leaving the office to confront the strange man. Once he got out into the crowd, the blue-haired figure had vanished. With a growl, he walked through the throngs of gyrating bodies, and as soon as he was out of sight of his family and the assassin, the figure rushed him, sending both of them tumbling out the side door. Rolling and getting to his feet, the clown pulled his gun again and aimed it at the man in front of him, blue eyes meeting electric green.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"You mean you don't recognize me?"
"Should I?"
"Oh, I'm sure you'll remember me soon enough, Jack. For now, all you need to know, is that my name is Nitros, and I'm going to be your worst nightmare."
"Don't CALL me that!"
"Why not? It's your name, isn't it? What kind of villain name is JOKER, by the way?"
A loud growl escaped the clown, and he fired off three shots from his pistol, each one missing the mark and hitting the wall behind where the man USED to be. A laugh came from behind him, and Joker turned around, aiming his gun again.
"You're so SLOW Jack! Gonna have to get quicker if you want to hit me! I'm going for now, but don't think this is the last you'll see of me!"
A flash momentarily blinded the King of crime, and when it died down, the man known as Nitros was gone. Blinking in disbelief, he moved around the area where they had been, grunting when no sign of the new threat could be found. Grunting, he turned and walked back inside, holstering his gun as he did. When he reached the office again, both Harley and Deadshot turned to him with concerned expressions when they saw his jacket was smeared with dirt from the ground.
"Puddin?"
Meeting her eyes, Joker's own were ice cold and gray in color, a surefire sign he was pissed off. Not pressing him, the Queen of crime looked away from his gaze, that look always unnerving her slightly. Deadshot, however, wasn't phased as easily, and asked what had happened. Sitting down, he sighed and told them of the encounter with the new apparent hero known as Nitros.
AN: I hope you guys enjoyed chapter 36! Who is this Nitros and how does he know Joker?! The name Jack is the only one I could find online for Mistah J, so please be gentle. As always, review if you enjoyed the chapter!