Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all owned by
D.C. and Time Warner.
Batman FreakShow: The Trial of the Joker's Killer!
Moments ago Batman witnessed an act that caught even him off
guard. For years the criminal known as the Joker terrorized both
Gotham and Batman himself, but now it seems that the Joker's
reign of madness has finally been brought to a bloody end. After
holding an office building hostage with his laughing toxin the
Joker found himself on the receiving end of a handgun. A man
named Gerald Huckleberry, just an average everyday guy, shot the
Joker dead. The Joker had forced Gerald to confess that he had
once thought about killing his co-workers, and in an act of
ironic justice Gerald used the weapon he potentially could have
used on his co-workers on the Joker instead.
Taking a closer look at the Joker's body Batman was relieved of
any doubts that the Joker was indeed dead. Batman could here the
footsteps of the Gotham police force rushing into the office.
Batman figured they could handle it from here, Harley Quin, the
Joker's girlfriend, didn't seem like she was going to put up a
fight. So as the Police dashed into the room Batman exited out
the window in which he came in. Swinging from a line attached to
a batarang Batman lowered himself to street level where he then
climbed into his Batmobile that was silently waiting for him
around a dark alleyway.
Driving along the secluded back roads of Gotham that would
eventually lead to the secret entryway to the Batcave, Batman
was lost in thought, trying to make sense of the evening's
events.
"Is the Joker really dead? Is it wrong that I am relieved, maybe
even happy, that he's gone? How could it happen like that? In
the end that's the nature of violence; sudden and without
warning. The Joker got what he deserved. He's finally in Hell
with all the other Devils."
Batman pulled into the Batcave after opening the backdoor that
lead into the cave. Bringing the vehicle to a stop Batman exited
and walked up a ramp that lead to his computer consul, and the
comfortable chair before it that awaited him.
"Home so early master Bruce?" said Alfred. "It's barely eleven
o'clock. You usually don't return from your nightly patrols
until early morning."
Alfred, The loyal butler of the Wayne Family, Bruce Wayne had
known him ever since he was a child. After His parent's deaths
Bruce was all alone, if it weren't for Alfred, Bruce probably
would have turned out very differently. Alfred was like a father
to him.
"Well master Bruce? Is there a reason for your early retirement
this evening?" Alfred asked.
Turning to his long time friend Bruce removed his mask and
looked at him with a tired expressing. Not saying a word Bruce
turned to the large screen of his computer that doubled as a
television set. He then typed in a few keys and on the screen
suddenly appeared the local News.
"Kia Asymia here, reporting for channel five Gotham news. I'm
here at the scene of what has now come to be called 'the place
where laughter died.' Mere moments ago the mass murderer 'the
Joker' was shot dead while holding an office building hostage.
The police have made no statements so far, but information
suggests that the Joker was actually killed by one of the
hostages. Usually when someone dies it is a call for grieving,
but to this reporter this is a cause to celebrate. The Joker's
death means that Gotham citizens all over the city will be able
to sleep a little easier because the threat of the Joker is
finally gone for good. More information should be available
shortly, back to you Jeph."
Absorbing the information the newscast had given him Alfred
could imagine what had happened. Alfred knew all too well about
the Joker and his crimes, being the Butler of the famous Batman
will have that effect.
"Bruce? Is it true? Is he really dead?" Alfred asked.
"I think so Alfred. I saw him get shot. I examined the body. It
looks like he's really gone." Bruce said slowly,
"And what do you think about that?" Alfred pried.
"What do I think? I'm not sure. The Joker was a psychopath. He
caused immeasurable pain on me and hundreds of others. He was a
sadistic lunatic. I'm happy in a way. Murder is wrong even when
it's someone like the Joker, but I'm happy that he's gone just
the same. Is that wrong?" Bruce asked both himself and Alfred.
"I don't know I really don't know." said Alfred.
In the Days that followed the incident of the Joker's death
there was public mania and a media blitz. Every station and
every newspaper covered the Joker, some of them doing
biographies and recounts of his past crimes. As soon as word of
the Joker's death spread throughout the city the crime rate
dropped dramatically. Almost as if the Joker's death was a sign
of the end, for the criminals of Gotham anyway. Another popular
issue covered in the onslaught of news coverage was the
impending trial of Gerald Huckleberry, for the crime of murder.
Obviously no one believed he would be found guilty. Any one in
his situation probably would have done the same thing, but it
was still murder. Gerald's lawyer was pleading not guilty under
self defense, and the prosecution didn't seem to be putting up
much of a fight. It seemed like the trail would be over before
it even began.
While everyone else in Gotham was taking in as much of the
media frenzy as they could, Batman was more concerned about
doing his Job. Commissioner Gordon, a friend of Batman's, and a
victim of the Joker's cruelty on more than one occasion, had
allowed Batman access to the Joker's body.
The body had already been examined by the city morgue but Batman
wouldn't rest until he himself was certain of the Joker's
demise. In the cold morgue the Joker's body lay on a metallic
grey table, with a white sheet covering most of his body. Batman
stood over the corpse and looked it over the best his knowledge
would allow.
The Joker's true identity was never revealed. So identifying the
body was left up to recognizing the Joker's unique traits.
Taking a tissue sample for later analyzing, Batman noted that
the body did have all of the Joker's distinguishing features.
The skin was bleached, the hair was permanently dyed green, and
the lips were pulled back into an evil grin. The body that lay
in front of him, was the Joker's, the Batman was sure.
The day of Gerald Huckleberry's trail had come. Bruce Wayne was
sure to be present in the audience. Gerald Huckleberry sat next
to his lawyer. Just like the night before Gerald looked tall and
thin, very lanky even. He also fidgeted with a nervous twitch.
It was clear that he was under a lot of stress. The trial went
smoothly enough. Huckleberry's lawyer would call up one of
Gerald's co-workers as a witness, having them tell the story of
how the Joker threatened them. Then the defense attorney would
come up and ask simple questions that really made no case for or
against huckleberry.
The entire courtroom was going through the motions as if they
were just going through the necessary technicalities in order to
reach the end of the trial. None of them seemed to be taking the
case seriously, because none of them wanted to persecute Gerald
Huckleberry for killing a madman like the Joker.
The whole thing made Bruce sick. He had no love for the Joker,
but what Batman did believe in was justice and the law.
Huckleberry may have killed the Joker in self defense, but he
still killed him. And what about the fact that he even had a gun
in his desk to begin with? Why weren't they bringing that up?
The prosecution wasn't even trying and the judge was just fine
with it. Bruce knew that each of the members of the jury and the
rest of the court were probably glad that the Joker was dead,
part of him was too, but they were making a mockery of the
system. There wasn't much Bruce could do about it, Huckleberry
was going to get off, and maybe that's alright, but it was how
they were conducting the trial that bothered him. Bruce decided
that he had seen enough, he knew where this was going, and he
saw no reason for him to stay any longer. Quietly leaving his
seat, Bruce walked out of the courthouse and into the busy
streets of Gotham.
Not long after the lawyers made their final arguments and the
Jury had reached a verdict.
"In the case of Gotham City versus Gerald Huckleberry, for the
account of murder the jury finds the defendant....Not Guilty!"
The entire courtroom seemed pleased with the outcome and a small
smile crept across Gerald Huckleberry's face. His lawyer turned
to him and patted him on the back, and shook his hand.
"Well Gerald your Scott free! Not only that, most of the town
thinks you're a hero!" Gerald's Lawyer had to say.
As his lawyer was congratulating him, Gerald Huckleberry's smile
grew even bigger and bigger and soon you could here a slight
chuckle from behind his white teeth. With his eyes closed
Huckleberry began to chuckle more and more. Until his eyes shot
open and he burst out laughing!
"Uh.you okay there Gerry?" his Lawyer asked.
"Heh he heh heh Okay? Why do you ask? Heh eh he he ha ha.."
Huckleberry let out. "*snort* not only am I okay..heh heh he I'm
ecstatic!"
Just as he said that, a horde of armed men with gas masks rushed
into the courtroom and with a stray of bullets they took out all
the security guards. One of the men had a large container of
familiar green smog on his back. The audience of the court
panicked but couldn't get out of the room because the all of the
armed men were blocking the exits.
"Heh hoo he ha ha ha Ha Ha HA HA HA HA HA!" Gerald Huckleberry
began to belt out in laughter. Laughing louder then anyone had
ever heard before. The people in the room soon realized the
unimaginable situation they were in.
Rubbing the makeup off his face and removing the wig and
prosthetic nose, Gerald huckleberry's true identity was
revealed. Gerald Huckleberry was the true Joker all along.
"Hey everybody! Guess what? THE JOKE'S ON YOU!" the Joker
laughed maniacally as he signaled one of his henchmen to release
the Joker toxin he had contained on his back.
The room quickly filled with the deadly cloud, and the sound of
laughter and bodies hitting the ground could be heard from
outside the courthouse. The Joker was alive, but everyone in the
courtroom was either dead or dying.
"A guy can get away with murder in this town!" the Joker
announced "Don't you get it? Justice is the Joke!"
Batman FreakShow: The Trial of the Joker's Killer!
Moments ago Batman witnessed an act that caught even him off
guard. For years the criminal known as the Joker terrorized both
Gotham and Batman himself, but now it seems that the Joker's
reign of madness has finally been brought to a bloody end. After
holding an office building hostage with his laughing toxin the
Joker found himself on the receiving end of a handgun. A man
named Gerald Huckleberry, just an average everyday guy, shot the
Joker dead. The Joker had forced Gerald to confess that he had
once thought about killing his co-workers, and in an act of
ironic justice Gerald used the weapon he potentially could have
used on his co-workers on the Joker instead.
Taking a closer look at the Joker's body Batman was relieved of
any doubts that the Joker was indeed dead. Batman could here the
footsteps of the Gotham police force rushing into the office.
Batman figured they could handle it from here, Harley Quin, the
Joker's girlfriend, didn't seem like she was going to put up a
fight. So as the Police dashed into the room Batman exited out
the window in which he came in. Swinging from a line attached to
a batarang Batman lowered himself to street level where he then
climbed into his Batmobile that was silently waiting for him
around a dark alleyway.
Driving along the secluded back roads of Gotham that would
eventually lead to the secret entryway to the Batcave, Batman
was lost in thought, trying to make sense of the evening's
events.
"Is the Joker really dead? Is it wrong that I am relieved, maybe
even happy, that he's gone? How could it happen like that? In
the end that's the nature of violence; sudden and without
warning. The Joker got what he deserved. He's finally in Hell
with all the other Devils."
Batman pulled into the Batcave after opening the backdoor that
lead into the cave. Bringing the vehicle to a stop Batman exited
and walked up a ramp that lead to his computer consul, and the
comfortable chair before it that awaited him.
"Home so early master Bruce?" said Alfred. "It's barely eleven
o'clock. You usually don't return from your nightly patrols
until early morning."
Alfred, The loyal butler of the Wayne Family, Bruce Wayne had
known him ever since he was a child. After His parent's deaths
Bruce was all alone, if it weren't for Alfred, Bruce probably
would have turned out very differently. Alfred was like a father
to him.
"Well master Bruce? Is there a reason for your early retirement
this evening?" Alfred asked.
Turning to his long time friend Bruce removed his mask and
looked at him with a tired expressing. Not saying a word Bruce
turned to the large screen of his computer that doubled as a
television set. He then typed in a few keys and on the screen
suddenly appeared the local News.
"Kia Asymia here, reporting for channel five Gotham news. I'm
here at the scene of what has now come to be called 'the place
where laughter died.' Mere moments ago the mass murderer 'the
Joker' was shot dead while holding an office building hostage.
The police have made no statements so far, but information
suggests that the Joker was actually killed by one of the
hostages. Usually when someone dies it is a call for grieving,
but to this reporter this is a cause to celebrate. The Joker's
death means that Gotham citizens all over the city will be able
to sleep a little easier because the threat of the Joker is
finally gone for good. More information should be available
shortly, back to you Jeph."
Absorbing the information the newscast had given him Alfred
could imagine what had happened. Alfred knew all too well about
the Joker and his crimes, being the Butler of the famous Batman
will have that effect.
"Bruce? Is it true? Is he really dead?" Alfred asked.
"I think so Alfred. I saw him get shot. I examined the body. It
looks like he's really gone." Bruce said slowly,
"And what do you think about that?" Alfred pried.
"What do I think? I'm not sure. The Joker was a psychopath. He
caused immeasurable pain on me and hundreds of others. He was a
sadistic lunatic. I'm happy in a way. Murder is wrong even when
it's someone like the Joker, but I'm happy that he's gone just
the same. Is that wrong?" Bruce asked both himself and Alfred.
"I don't know I really don't know." said Alfred.
In the Days that followed the incident of the Joker's death
there was public mania and a media blitz. Every station and
every newspaper covered the Joker, some of them doing
biographies and recounts of his past crimes. As soon as word of
the Joker's death spread throughout the city the crime rate
dropped dramatically. Almost as if the Joker's death was a sign
of the end, for the criminals of Gotham anyway. Another popular
issue covered in the onslaught of news coverage was the
impending trial of Gerald Huckleberry, for the crime of murder.
Obviously no one believed he would be found guilty. Any one in
his situation probably would have done the same thing, but it
was still murder. Gerald's lawyer was pleading not guilty under
self defense, and the prosecution didn't seem to be putting up
much of a fight. It seemed like the trail would be over before
it even began.
While everyone else in Gotham was taking in as much of the
media frenzy as they could, Batman was more concerned about
doing his Job. Commissioner Gordon, a friend of Batman's, and a
victim of the Joker's cruelty on more than one occasion, had
allowed Batman access to the Joker's body.
The body had already been examined by the city morgue but Batman
wouldn't rest until he himself was certain of the Joker's
demise. In the cold morgue the Joker's body lay on a metallic
grey table, with a white sheet covering most of his body. Batman
stood over the corpse and looked it over the best his knowledge
would allow.
The Joker's true identity was never revealed. So identifying the
body was left up to recognizing the Joker's unique traits.
Taking a tissue sample for later analyzing, Batman noted that
the body did have all of the Joker's distinguishing features.
The skin was bleached, the hair was permanently dyed green, and
the lips were pulled back into an evil grin. The body that lay
in front of him, was the Joker's, the Batman was sure.
The day of Gerald Huckleberry's trail had come. Bruce Wayne was
sure to be present in the audience. Gerald Huckleberry sat next
to his lawyer. Just like the night before Gerald looked tall and
thin, very lanky even. He also fidgeted with a nervous twitch.
It was clear that he was under a lot of stress. The trial went
smoothly enough. Huckleberry's lawyer would call up one of
Gerald's co-workers as a witness, having them tell the story of
how the Joker threatened them. Then the defense attorney would
come up and ask simple questions that really made no case for or
against huckleberry.
The entire courtroom was going through the motions as if they
were just going through the necessary technicalities in order to
reach the end of the trial. None of them seemed to be taking the
case seriously, because none of them wanted to persecute Gerald
Huckleberry for killing a madman like the Joker.
The whole thing made Bruce sick. He had no love for the Joker,
but what Batman did believe in was justice and the law.
Huckleberry may have killed the Joker in self defense, but he
still killed him. And what about the fact that he even had a gun
in his desk to begin with? Why weren't they bringing that up?
The prosecution wasn't even trying and the judge was just fine
with it. Bruce knew that each of the members of the jury and the
rest of the court were probably glad that the Joker was dead,
part of him was too, but they were making a mockery of the
system. There wasn't much Bruce could do about it, Huckleberry
was going to get off, and maybe that's alright, but it was how
they were conducting the trial that bothered him. Bruce decided
that he had seen enough, he knew where this was going, and he
saw no reason for him to stay any longer. Quietly leaving his
seat, Bruce walked out of the courthouse and into the busy
streets of Gotham.
Not long after the lawyers made their final arguments and the
Jury had reached a verdict.
"In the case of Gotham City versus Gerald Huckleberry, for the
account of murder the jury finds the defendant....Not Guilty!"
The entire courtroom seemed pleased with the outcome and a small
smile crept across Gerald Huckleberry's face. His lawyer turned
to him and patted him on the back, and shook his hand.
"Well Gerald your Scott free! Not only that, most of the town
thinks you're a hero!" Gerald's Lawyer had to say.
As his lawyer was congratulating him, Gerald Huckleberry's smile
grew even bigger and bigger and soon you could here a slight
chuckle from behind his white teeth. With his eyes closed
Huckleberry began to chuckle more and more. Until his eyes shot
open and he burst out laughing!
"Uh.you okay there Gerry?" his Lawyer asked.
"Heh he heh heh Okay? Why do you ask? Heh eh he he ha ha.."
Huckleberry let out. "*snort* not only am I okay..heh heh he I'm
ecstatic!"
Just as he said that, a horde of armed men with gas masks rushed
into the courtroom and with a stray of bullets they took out all
the security guards. One of the men had a large container of
familiar green smog on his back. The audience of the court
panicked but couldn't get out of the room because the all of the
armed men were blocking the exits.
"Heh hoo he ha ha ha Ha Ha HA HA HA HA HA!" Gerald Huckleberry
began to belt out in laughter. Laughing louder then anyone had
ever heard before. The people in the room soon realized the
unimaginable situation they were in.
Rubbing the makeup off his face and removing the wig and
prosthetic nose, Gerald huckleberry's true identity was
revealed. Gerald Huckleberry was the true Joker all along.
"Hey everybody! Guess what? THE JOKE'S ON YOU!" the Joker
laughed maniacally as he signaled one of his henchmen to release
the Joker toxin he had contained on his back.
The room quickly filled with the deadly cloud, and the sound of
laughter and bodies hitting the ground could be heard from
outside the courthouse. The Joker was alive, but everyone in the
courtroom was either dead or dying.
"A guy can get away with murder in this town!" the Joker
announced "Don't you get it? Justice is the Joke!"