A redo of chapter Six ('Donning The Hood') stripped down a lot of the crap I'd put in last time, too scattered as I tried to establish too much too soon in too little detail. Here I've cut out all of the stuff that wasn't depicted in the Under the Red Hood movie… Hopefully it flows better than the first attempt.
The first of three redo/reworkings for unused ideas before I pick one and start writing it over on Achieve of Our Own.
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XX Sarajevo Outskirts, Bosnia XX
The crowbar came down again and again. Gotham's Clown Price of Crime wailed on him; forehand, backhand, downward strikes and little underhand flicks. You see, The Joker had dealt with enough scientists in his time as a twisted domestic terrorist to know if you wanted to prove something scientifically then you needed as much evidence as you could get, he knew you had to run your test over and over and over to make sure an earlier result wasn't a fluke. And so, being the diligent if somewhat amateurish scientist he was, the Joker just kept beating on the second Robin. Forehand, backhand, downwards strikes and little underhand flicks… For science!
Taking a moment to rest his aching arm, and to silently curse whoever thought it was a good idea to design the crowbar to be such an impractical bludgeoning weapon, The Joker was really glad he'd decided to accept Ra's Al Ghul's offer to come out to Europe's Boondocks and play with everyone's favourite flying rodent enthusiast.
"Ya know, I kinda wonder what old Cultie McSandninja was doing out here messing with Luthor's factory." The Joker wondered aloud to the half-conscious teen he'd been beating for the last five minutes. "Now if it was to steal one of them, I'd understand but… I dunno, dementia must be a terrible thing."
The 'one of them' in question was a prototype device LexCorp had developed. Neither The Joker nor Robin really understood its intended purpose but it was some kind of kinetic force magnifier. All the Joker knew was with a few simple modifications, and about all the failsafes disabled, he could get it to simulate about ten sticks of dynamite going off.
"You know, I'd really been wondering lately if old Batsy actually care or if he was just stringing me along." The Joker began rambling as he started up with the beating again. "I mean he was focusing so much on other villains while the original brat, you or his little 'Bat-fake' dealt with me instead… Speaking of which, hehehehe, I haven't seen the little spitfire around in a while. Did something happen, ehehehehe… So I figured, you know what Joker old boy, why not have a little fun on the side?"
"fif yuh gnna tyk, hoth mi n da fce… dnt wn lstn ta ya."
"I'm sorry lamb chop, a little louder please." The Joker mocked as he paused mid-swing to lean in close. "I think you might have a collapsed lung, impedes the oratory."
"I said… If you're gonna talk, hit me… in the face so I… don't have to listen to you…" Robin wheezed before spewing out spit and blood right into The Joker's face.
"Hehehe. Hehehehehe, You know. You really are nothing like that last little brat." Still chuckling The Joker dropped the crowbar and simply began punching Robin's face in over and over. When he stopped, the teen's face was just a mass of blood and already forming bruises.
"The last one had manners." The Joker spat, all signs of humour gone. "Now, where was I? … Oh yeah, little fun on the side… So, like I was saying before you so rudely interrupted, I figured I'd pay old Gordan a visit. And boy let me tell you, that man is such a stick in the mud! I mean I broke into his house, kidnapped him, shot his kid, proceeded to take naughty pictures as she bled out and showed him just how bad a day could get."
While The Joker was never calm, he had at lease been speaking slow and clear… What followed next was a spit filled tirade screamed at the top of his lungs.
"And Do You Know What He Did, He Didn't Have The Common Decency To Break! One Bad Day Is All It Takes To Turn The High And Mighty Into Me And He. Did. Not. Break! He Told Bats To Take Me In, By The Book! By The Book! I Mean What Kind Of Sociopath Doesn't Wouldn't Want Me To Suffer For What I'd Done To Bridget Or Brenda Or Whatever His Little Bitch Is Called!"
While he'd been ranting The Joker had made his way over to the stolen LexCorp device and begun trying to get it to work. A burst of sparks and a crazed yelp from the Clown saw the machine begin cycling up.
"But one good thing did come from it… Batman offered to get me help." The Joker sighed happily. "I mean it really is sad and pathetic that he thinks I can be helped but… To know he cares, to know the spark is still there… I feel reinvigorated. That's why I'm taking three more of these bad boys home with me. This one, this one I'm gonna test on this here building – and you – to see just what I've got on my hands. Hehe, and you know, if I like what I see, Gotham may see some prime real-estate opening up in the near future hehehehe… Shame you won't be around to see it but, look on the bright side… hehehehe… You do get a one-off advance showing."
With one last vicious backhand The Joker strolled towards the warehouse door, whistling merrily. The blast three minutes later was far weaker than what The Joker had been hoping for, but it gave him a baseline to work from.
XX Park Row, Gotham City; Connecticut – 5 Years Later XX
"I dunno what's worse." Jason panted as he kept his 9mm trained on Bruce. "Your twisted guilt complex or that antiquated sense of morality of yours!"
Bruce said nothing, just looked from the beaten and bloodied form of The Joker to the tired and roughed up figure across from him. Jason Todd, the former Robin. A street kid who Bruce had caught in the act of stealing the wheels from the batmobile – kid had gotten away with two and wouldn't have been caught if he hadn't come back for the others –and had gotten off the streets. A scholarship kid who, in his short time at The Gotham Academy, distinguished himself in both sports and academia. A boy Bruce had inducted into his personal war against crime once his former partner had grown up and moved on – Nightwing now operating as the protector of Gotham's sister city Bludhaven... A boy who was brutally murdered because he hadn't been trained well enough, because Bruce wasn't there to protect him.
"You know, I forgave you years ago for not saving me… It was my own fault, I was stupid and I messed up… as usual." Jason went on. "What I can't forgive is that I wasn't his last victim! With the graveyards this monster has filled, with the countless lives he's broken, with the friends… With the family he has crippled! With him taking me, how could you still let him live?"
"… You know, he's got a point." The Joker decided to add, bloody smile stretched even wider than normal. "All the times you could have finished me and didn't, its almost like you don't want me gone."
"Talk again and I'll put one in your lap before I put two between your eyes." Jason snarled as he lashed out with his free hand and knocked the bound madman onto his side. Reaching behind his back Jason returned his focus to Bruce. "If it had been you, if he'd beaten you to a bloody pulp and then left you to die… I wouldn't have rested, not until I'd tracked him down and sent him off to hell where he belongs."
"You don't get it, I don't think you ever did." Bruce said, doing his best to keep his voice level.
"What, those messed up morals of yours won't let you do it? You feel it'd be too hard to cross that line?!"
"No! God no it'd be too damned easy!" Bruce yelled. "Since the first time he crossed my path I've known just how twisted he is. Since the beginning all I've ever wanted to do end him… A day doesn't go by where I don't think about subjecting him to every horrific torture he's inflicted on others and then end him."
"… Hehehe… You do care." The Joker chuckled before a boot to the gut shut him up.
"… But if I do that, if I allowed myself to go down to that place… You can't come back from it."
"Huh… So god damn naïve." Jason spat. "You think this is easy, you think willingly ending another life is simple? Every single time I make the decision to pull the trigger, every time I sink a knife between ribs… Every time I make the call to end a life it is far from easy. I have to decide, is having the blood of this criminal on my hands worth it? Is sparing all their future victims the suffering and pain worth the weight on my conscience?... Here, catch!"
As he finished his defence, his claim that what he did was far from easy, Jason drew his second pistol and ejected its magazine. With just one now in the pipe Jason tossed the handgun to Bruce, who caught it awkwardly.
"Here's what's gonna happen." Jason explained as he sidestepped and lowered his pistol, pointing it directly at The Joker's head. "… I'm going to count to ten and then I'll shoot this murderous filth in his twisted head. While I'm counting you'll have a choice. Do nothing and let the clown die, shoot him yourself and end this - like you should have done years ago- or… Or you can shoot me. Gun is pretty low caliber, won't pierce my armour so you'll need to aim for my head… One of us dies here tonight, the choice is yours."
"You can't expect me to do this." Bruce whispered staring down at the gun in his hands with revulsion.
"Why not? We either kill one to save hundreds OR you sacrifice another victim to this monster, like you've been doing for years." Jason challenged. "One… Two… Three…"
"I think this may be the greatest day of my life." The Joker chuckled as he looked from his greatest nemesis to what could be his greatest achievement. "Hehehehehe… All it took was one real bad day, eh kid?"
"No. I won't… I can't!" the gun skidded across the derelict apartment's floor. The Batman stared down the Red Hood for an instant and then turned his back to the pair of them and began to walk away.
"Seven… Eight…" Jason continued before stepping after The Batman, stepping over the bound to a chair The Joker. "you think I won't do it, do you think I'm bluffing?... F-Fine, he dies by my hand."
Turning his back to the Dark Knight Detective Jason took aim. One shot, to the head. Quicker and cleaner than what the crazed clown tended to give his victims.
The sound of three heavy footfalls and, as Jason turned, the Batman tackled him. The pair landed on The Joker before rolling off and wrestling. It soon became clear that the Batman had Jason outclassed.
While he may have gotten in a few lucky hits during their earlier clash – most of which was on account of Bruce holding back – now that the Batman had seen how far he'd fallen, seen him perfectly willing to execute the Joker in cold blood, there was no holding back.
The Batman had the upper hand, Jason pinned and was pummelling him into submission before a pair of gunshots rang out and Batman fell back clutching at his stomach and trying to catch the breath that had been driven out… Jason hadn't lied, low caliber that wouldn't penetrate their armour but it still stung a lot.
Jason, deciding to return the favour, rammed The Batman and proceeded to repeatedly strike him with his pistol. Once Batman was suitability stunned Jason stood and turned, only just spotting the Joker swing a broken chair leg like a club at his head.
"Not bad kiddo, but I think its time old Joker here has his fun." The Joker snarled viciously as he lashed out a second time, knocking Jason back to the crumbling apartment's kitchenette. "Now don't you go anywhere, I'm gonna make sure old Batsy over there is propped up and can see every little bit of fun we have this time."
Giving the prone Jason another good smack, for old time's sake, the Joker turned and wondered back to the still prone and somewhat dazed Batman.
"I gotta say Bats, I dunno about you but… I couldn't be prouder of our little bird." The Joker chuckled before starting to repeatedly kicking the Bat repeatedly where Jason had fired, a now damaged and weakened portion of Batman's armoured suit. "I mean just look at what he's done! Sidonis is pulling his none existent hair out over all the disruptions, criminals are either terrified to walk the streets or strolling around as bold as brass… Cops don't know what to do and people are arguing over if he's a new hero or an even bigger villain than the rest… Hahahaha, its beautiful. Your skill, my mayhem… Is this what it's like to have a sidekick, one of those runts hanging around? To feel the joy and elation as you watch them grow? Hahaha, I think I get it now… I think, when I'm done here, I might look into getting a little 'mini-me' of my own… I'm sure we'll have so much fun."
"Hey clown… dumbass over here!" Jason called out.
"Do you mind kiddo, I'm kinda busy her-oh crap!"
As the Joker turned he saw Jason, leaning against battered and chipped sink, with a detonator in his hand.
"J-Jason, no." Batman wheezed as he pushed himself up.
"It was him or me, one of us dies here." Jason panted before pressing the button and diving behind the dividing countertop. A rapid beeping from off to the side alerted Batman and the Joker to the small mass of explosives… The small mass of explosives with two seconds left on the timer.
It was a snap decision, one made with practicality not emotion, which caused the Batman to grab the surprised Joker and lunge for the window.
BOOM!
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And that's that really, Batman and The Joker are blown clear and left dazed on a nearby rooftop while a badly injured Jason escapes before anyone makes it back to inspect the damaged apartment (this blast isn't as big as the one at the end of the movie).
I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading