Yay!! Thank you, Shea Fahlin, for returning the favor and giving me my first review, too:)!! It'll be about a week before I update again, I'm going on vacation and probably won't have access to a computer. So, enjoy this chapter, it's the best you'll get for a while!
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The Streets of New Gotham City, 11:45 p.m.
You could tell the adrenaline was pumping now. Huntress' pupils had changed to cat-like slits, a sign that she was in full fight mode. There were few people that she was actually scared of fighting, but the Joker was definitely one of them. After what he had done to Barbara, she knew he was not to be taken (pardon the pun) jokingly.
"Okay, you've had your fun. Now I'm taking you down," Huntress declared as she lunged at Ace. Violent and impulsive, she was never one to think before she fought.
Ace quickly countered with his baton and blocked a punch that would have surely given him a black eye. "Whoa- just hear me out for a sec, will you?"
His plea fell on deaf ears. Helena began to mercilessly kick and punch at him, as if she was infuriated at the thought of even reasoning with such a despicable creature. But with surprising speed, Ace blocked every blow. "Just- hang on!" he tried again to get her to stop attacking him. But she was on a rampage. And surprisingly, back at the clocktower, Oracle, forever the one to hear people out, didn't try to tell Huntress to stop her attacks. More than anything, she actually wanted Helena to take the Joker out.
Meanwhile, Ace was really getting tired of the whole kick-and-block routine. No matter what he did, she still wouldn't listen, and he knew that he would have to force her to. He did a front flip right over Huntress's head and before she could react, knocked her to the ground with a heavy swing of his baton and pinned her down. "Will you just listen to me???" he asked. Helena knew she was trapped and finally stopped struggling, although her eyes did not change back to normal. "I didn't mean to say I am the Joker. I was the Joker. Was. I'm a different person now, okay? A bad chemical accident made me go insane. I never really meant to do all of those terrible things. When I was at Arkham they cured me. Now that I'm free again, I'm trying to make up for all the bad I did by trying to good. Honest. I'm Ace now, understand? Not the Joker."
Huntress gave a dry laugh. "That is the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard, you son of a %&#. If you're such a do-gooder, then why the hell am I on the ground right now?"
"Because you wouldn't listen! You were the one who attacked me first!"
"Huntress, don't listen to him! He's lying to you! The Joker is evil! No one can change that!!!" Oracle pleaded to Huntress over the com-link.
"Oh, I really need that advice! Like I would ever trust him after what he did to you!" Huntress retorted.
Ace sighed. "Look. I know you're not going to accept me right away. But I want to make up for what I did to both of you. Please. Just think about it." He released Huntress but when she got up to pummel him again, he was gone.
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The New Gotham City Clocktower, later that night
When Helena arrived back at the clocktower, all was quiet, except for the tapping of Oracle's keyboard. Barbara and Dinah were both silently staring at the computer screens. But when the door opened, Dinah looked up and rushed over to hug Helena. "Helena, I'm so glad you're alright, I was so worried..."
"Kid, calm down, I'm fine, okay?" Helena said as she shrugged off the teen.
Barbara turned from her work. "You sure? You never know with the Joker," she asked.
"Yeah, yeah, stop worrying. I just can't believe that I let that sucker get away!"
"Don't worry about it, as long as you're safe," Barbara said and turned back to the computer she was typing at.
Helena and Dinah walked over to Oracle. "So what have you got?" Helena asked. "You are our resident expert on the Joker, right?"
"Well, I've hacked into his prisoner file on the Arkham website. His name is Jack Napier. Remember when he told you that he became the Joker because of a chemical accident? That was true. His record says he was covered in something called Zultoxin 14, a recently discovered chemical. The stuff he came in contact with was being shipped out to a testing plant in Arizona, to experiment on lab rats. No one knew what effects it would have on a human. Now, after what happened to the Joker, it's been put under maximum security. But I can't find any information on an antidote for a human. There's no way anyone can know if the Joker was telling the truth."
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And that's it for now! If you have any suggestions, really good plot twists or anything, please let me know! I'm not quite sure where to take the story, so any ideas would really be appreciated. If I like it enough to use it, I'll credit you for your idea in my notes. :)
{clouded leopard}
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The Streets of New Gotham City, 11:45 p.m.
You could tell the adrenaline was pumping now. Huntress' pupils had changed to cat-like slits, a sign that she was in full fight mode. There were few people that she was actually scared of fighting, but the Joker was definitely one of them. After what he had done to Barbara, she knew he was not to be taken (pardon the pun) jokingly.
"Okay, you've had your fun. Now I'm taking you down," Huntress declared as she lunged at Ace. Violent and impulsive, she was never one to think before she fought.
Ace quickly countered with his baton and blocked a punch that would have surely given him a black eye. "Whoa- just hear me out for a sec, will you?"
His plea fell on deaf ears. Helena began to mercilessly kick and punch at him, as if she was infuriated at the thought of even reasoning with such a despicable creature. But with surprising speed, Ace blocked every blow. "Just- hang on!" he tried again to get her to stop attacking him. But she was on a rampage. And surprisingly, back at the clocktower, Oracle, forever the one to hear people out, didn't try to tell Huntress to stop her attacks. More than anything, she actually wanted Helena to take the Joker out.
Meanwhile, Ace was really getting tired of the whole kick-and-block routine. No matter what he did, she still wouldn't listen, and he knew that he would have to force her to. He did a front flip right over Huntress's head and before she could react, knocked her to the ground with a heavy swing of his baton and pinned her down. "Will you just listen to me???" he asked. Helena knew she was trapped and finally stopped struggling, although her eyes did not change back to normal. "I didn't mean to say I am the Joker. I was the Joker. Was. I'm a different person now, okay? A bad chemical accident made me go insane. I never really meant to do all of those terrible things. When I was at Arkham they cured me. Now that I'm free again, I'm trying to make up for all the bad I did by trying to good. Honest. I'm Ace now, understand? Not the Joker."
Huntress gave a dry laugh. "That is the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard, you son of a %&#. If you're such a do-gooder, then why the hell am I on the ground right now?"
"Because you wouldn't listen! You were the one who attacked me first!"
"Huntress, don't listen to him! He's lying to you! The Joker is evil! No one can change that!!!" Oracle pleaded to Huntress over the com-link.
"Oh, I really need that advice! Like I would ever trust him after what he did to you!" Huntress retorted.
Ace sighed. "Look. I know you're not going to accept me right away. But I want to make up for what I did to both of you. Please. Just think about it." He released Huntress but when she got up to pummel him again, he was gone.
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The New Gotham City Clocktower, later that night
When Helena arrived back at the clocktower, all was quiet, except for the tapping of Oracle's keyboard. Barbara and Dinah were both silently staring at the computer screens. But when the door opened, Dinah looked up and rushed over to hug Helena. "Helena, I'm so glad you're alright, I was so worried..."
"Kid, calm down, I'm fine, okay?" Helena said as she shrugged off the teen.
Barbara turned from her work. "You sure? You never know with the Joker," she asked.
"Yeah, yeah, stop worrying. I just can't believe that I let that sucker get away!"
"Don't worry about it, as long as you're safe," Barbara said and turned back to the computer she was typing at.
Helena and Dinah walked over to Oracle. "So what have you got?" Helena asked. "You are our resident expert on the Joker, right?"
"Well, I've hacked into his prisoner file on the Arkham website. His name is Jack Napier. Remember when he told you that he became the Joker because of a chemical accident? That was true. His record says he was covered in something called Zultoxin 14, a recently discovered chemical. The stuff he came in contact with was being shipped out to a testing plant in Arizona, to experiment on lab rats. No one knew what effects it would have on a human. Now, after what happened to the Joker, it's been put under maximum security. But I can't find any information on an antidote for a human. There's no way anyone can know if the Joker was telling the truth."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And that's it for now! If you have any suggestions, really good plot twists or anything, please let me know! I'm not quite sure where to take the story, so any ideas would really be appreciated. If I like it enough to use it, I'll credit you for your idea in my notes. :)
{clouded leopard}