A/N: To Shadow Raven89, Moony-lupin-2, flamestrike, kichi hitomi, Navi-Zero, and Evil Mutated Bunny... Thank you so much for the good reviews! You totally rock:-D
Chapter 8: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
Joker and I sat side by side on the couch, waiting for the rebroadcast of the news to start. I couldn't help but wonder what he had seen in the original broadcast to make him so happy, but I was also afraid to find out. I knew that only bad news could fill him with such glee; and considering the day's events, namely the bank robbery, I knew it would be MAJOR bad news.
I shifted in my seat for the umpteenth time, nervous and impatient from the wait. Joker wouldn't tell me what he had seen; he merely said it defied description, and I would have to wait and see it for myself... but I really hated waiting. When was the news going to start!
Joker watched my discomfort with ill-hidden delight; he really enjoyed watching people squirm, no matter what the reason may be.
"Comfy?" he asked as I finally settled down, his tone of voice lightly teasing.
He had used that word earlier; my emotions were still in turmoil after the shock of waking up in his arms. I really didn't want any reminders of what that had felt like… the comfort and safety I had felt while asleep, and the cold horror I felt upon waking. To make matters worse, I now craved that feeling of comfort he had given me, and part of me would give almost anything to feel it again; to break free from the pain and fear I'd been experiencing. But I couldn't, because HE was the CAUSE of the pain and fear in the first place! Why? Why was I feeling this way? Why couldn't I stop? And WHY was a crazed, murderous lunatic the only person who could make me feel safe? You know, life can be so cruel sometimes.
"I'm just fine, Uncle J," I replied woodenly, and inwardly shuddered.
"Oh, why the glum face?" he asked patronizingly, "You really need to lighten up, Kamille. Whatever you're going through can't possibly be that bad."
Can't be that bad! The man beats me up, kidnaps me, makes me rob a bank, and drugs me, and he says that it can't be that bad? I couldn't hold back, not after that comment. I growled and lunged for him, my hands outstretched ready to strangle him. Joker caught me neatly by the wrists, jerking me out of my seat and whipping me around to sit sideways on his knees. I tried to break free, but couldn't. He grabbed my chin and brought my face in close to his; he was grinning madly and I froze under his stare. I knew then that he had been baiting me, that he had wanted me to react in this way, and I had fallen for it.
"Temper, temper," Joker chided, his eyes boring into mine.
He lifted his hand and I closed my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the blows I was sure would follow; but no blows fell. Instead I felt a soft caress on my cheek, and my eyes sprang open in surprise. Joker's expression had changed, becoming unreadable to me. He reached out again and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear.
Confusion ran rampant over my emotions once more. My heartbeat became erratic, a lump formed in my throat making it hard to breathe, and tears began stinging my eyes. Don't cry in front of the Joker… Don't cry in front of the Joker, I told myself over and over. Joker leaned back in his seat, his head tilted to one side, watching every emotion that crossed my face.
I felt bare, exposed under his gaze, and I was fast losing the battle with my emotions. I could tell Joker knew what I was feeling, and realized that he would probably try to push me over the emotional edge… if that happened, I would be sunk. I struggled harder to bring my emotions under control, but wasn't having any luck. Then Joker made his move.
He reached out a third time, taking the strand of hair back from behind my ear, and began playing with it; wrapping it and unwrapping it around his finger. Although he meant this action to throw me over the edge, it had the opposite effect… because one of the things I hate most in the world is people playing with my hair. My tears dried up almost instantly, my heart stopped pounding, and I regained my composure once more. I stared coldly at Joker, letting him know that he hadn't won yet. Joker sighed, smiled to himself, and released my hair. But he didn't let me get up just yet.
"You know, Kamille," he said, "if we're going to continue our friendship, you've really gotta learn to let go and enjoy life. You're far too young to be so serious all the time; you'll be old and gray before you're 30. At your age, you should be living it up and having fun… life can be a blast if you know how to live. And I can show you how, if you'll let me; but only if you loosen up a little. With my reputation, I can't afford to be seen with a party-pooper."
Uh, earth to Buzz Lightyear… what friendship are you talking about? I'm your abductee, remember? Not your friend. And what do you mean you can't afford to be seen with me? Since when are you going to be seen with me? Are you thinking of taking me on more 'outings'? I am not a part of your gang! I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying these things out loud… my situation was already bad enough without aggravating the Joker further.
Joker waited for a reply, but none came. He sighed again, then cocked his head to one side, realization dawning in his eyes.
"Kamille, I just realized something," he said. "I don't believe I've ever heard you laugh. Do you even know how? If not, something will surely have to be done about that. Laughter is very important in life."
Joker's eyes held mine in a long, steady gaze, and my blood ran cold from their expression. Panic rose in my throat, and my composure faltered. Was he going to gas me? Make me live my final moments in ear-shattering, sidesplitting, toxin-induced laughter? Joker patted my head, smiled in a non-committing way, and finally allowed me to move back to my seat on the couch. I was still sitting right next to him, but it was better than sitting on his lap.
"Hey, Boss!" Smokey's voice echoed from the hallway.
"I'm in here, Smokey," Joker called.
"Hey, Boss," Smokey said, poking his head through the doorway. "Me and Brute are almost done with the repairs to the car. Is there anything else you need before we crash for the night? We're really beat."
"No, you two go ahead and get a little shut-eye," Joker replied. "You'll need it; we're going to be extremely busy over the next few days. Besides," Joker grinned down at me, lazily draping his arm across my shoulders, "Kamille and I will be just fine on our own, won't we?" Joker had that glint in his eyes again, and I gulped.
"Thanks, Boss. Goodnight, Boss… and goodnight, uh, miss," Smokey nodded his head in my general direction, and he was gone.
"The boys have orders to treat you with respect," Joker said. "You just let me know if they step out of line. I don't want another upset like the one with Mace."
"Um… what happened with Mace? Smokey didn't mention him just now…" I asked, hesitantly.
"Lucky for him, he's managed to disappear. He challenged my authority, Kamille… something I really hate," Joker looked pointedly down at me.
I had been trying to shrug his arm off my shoulders, but the expression in his eyes told me that I'd better leave his arm where it was. The theme music of the news came on just then. Saved by the bell, I thought, as Joker turned his attention toward the TV. I breathed a silent sigh of relief and turned my attention toward the TV as well.
"Good evening, everyone," the woman on-screen said. "I'm Molly Sedgewick, and I want to thank you for being with us tonight. In tonight's top news, The Gotham First National Bank was robbed earlier today amidst a hail of gunfire. The assailants have been identified as the Joker; William Stern, aka Smokey; and Mason Pierce, aka Mace. Brutus Malone, aka Brute, is believed to have been driving the getaway car. The fourth assailant, a female dressed in a pink harlequin costume, is as of yet unidentified. Witnesses at the scene testify that they heard the female being referred to by the name Kamille. Police sketch artists working with witnesses have compiled a few sketches showing the woman in costume, and what they believe her to look like when not in disguise."
The black-and-white sketches appeared on the screen. I gasped, and my heart started pounding at what I saw; they had gotten the hair all wrong, but the face… my face, was staring back at me. How had the artists been so accurate?
"If you have any information regarding the identity of this person, or the whereabouts of these assailants, please call our news hotline immediately. We now take you to our news correspondent, Brandon Michaels, at Gotham Community General Hospital. Brandon, can you tell us more about what took place today?"
The scene switched from the news studio to show Brandon Michaels at the community hospital.
"Hi, Molly," Brandon said. "One security guard who was shot during the robbery had to be airlifted to Gotham Metro hospital. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Fifteen other citizens were rushed here to Community General after inhaling a toxic gas released at the bank. Their conditions range from critical to stable."
A news clip came onscreen showing several ambulances parked outside the bank, and people being rushed out to the ambulances on stretchers. Some were laughing hysterically, others were lying morbidly still, and all had Joker-like grins plastered on their faces. My throat constricted as I watched the elderly gentleman from the clinic being carted out. He was so deathly still and rigid that I thought for an instant he might actually be dead; but as they started to put him in the ambulance, he started laughing and jerking around so badly that they had to restrain him. It was a horrible sight, but at least I knew he wasn't dead. I'd only met him briefly, but he seemed really nice and I liked him. I hoped he would make a full recovery.
The scene switched back to Brandon Michaels at the hospital.
"We've been granted a brief interview with one of the eyewitnesses, a Mr. James Carlson, who was present at the time of the robbery. He is among those currently recovering from this unprecedented attack. Mr. Carlson, can you tell us, in your own words, what took place today?"
The news camera panned over to a man in a hospital bed; I recognized him as the first man I had mugged.
"It was awful," he said, with a slight giggle. "There was so much shooting and screaming… and then that girl… she's a monster. I begged her not to hurt me… I begged and pleaded with her… but she didn't listen. She threw that bomb right next to me! She's merciless! A monster, I tell you, a Monster! She should be locked away forever!"
He erupted in full-scale high-pitched laughter, tears streaming down his face and his body twisting in awful contortions. The emergency staff rushed in to strap him down and medicate him, and they ushered the news crew and Brandon Michaels out of the room. Brandon blinked into the camera, his face pale from what he'd just seen. He cleared his throat.
"Well, looks like the interview is over… back over to you, Molly," he said.
The cameras switched back to the studio; Molly was also looking pale from the interview with Mr. Carlson, but she took a deep breath and plunged on with the news story in a professional manner.
"Here is a list of the citizens who have been hospitalized; if you are a family member or friend, you are encouraged to call our hotline at 555-6500 for further information."
The list of names flashed across the screen, but I wasn't paying attention. All I could think about was the interview with James Carlson. He had called me a monster. Was he right? Was I a monster? I hadn't done those things on purpose… but I hadn't done anything to prevent them, either. What could I have done? Was there something I could have done? I didn't know, but the guilt I felt was making me sick to my stomach. I felt more alone in the world than ever.
"We take you now to live footage of the crime scene," Molly continued, "captured by Security Cameras placed throughout the building. Please be warned that some of these clips are graphic, and are meant for mature audiences only."
The security camera clips came on-screen. The first clip showed Mace and Smokey bursting through the door with a spray of gunfire, and the security guard getting shot.
The next clip was of me traipsing about the room, bag in hand, robbing the bank customers of their possessions.
The third clip showed Joker and Smokey dragging the bank manager to the back of the bank. Joker had the manager open the vault and the safe deposit boxes, then used the flower in his lapel to gas the bank manager. Smokey began bagging all the cash he could get his hands on while Joker turned his attention to the safe deposit boxes.
I watched, mystified, as Joker ignored the cash and jewels, literally tossing them and the boxes on the floor. He was looking for something specific, and nothing would deter him from his goal. He apparently found what he was looking for halfway through his mad search; the box he opened appeared to contain documents of some kind... he rifled through them for a moment, smiled his shark-like grin, and stuffed the papers inside his jacket. He and Smokey then finished bagging the loot and ran out to the front of the building.
The final clip was of me tossing the Joker bomb into the air behind me, and making a run for the door. The camera had somehow managed to miss Joker tossing me the bomb in the first place; the scene onscreen made it look like I had left the bomb on purpose.
The clips stopped rolling, and Molly appeared on-screen once more.
"We've just received an anonymous call from a woman claiming to have information about the unidentified assailant. Caller, are you with us?" Molly asked.
"Yes, I'm here," a slightly muffled female voice said. "I recognize that girl… I'm not one bit surprised that she's out robbing banks; she's been a troublemaker from the very start."
"Yes, but Caller, who is she?" Molly asked. "What is her name?"
"Her name?" the caller chuckled mirthlessly. "Her name is Kamille Rebecca Hodges. Ask the police for more information; they know all about her. Kamille, if you're watching, you are finally going to get what you so richly deserve." and the caller hung up.
I couldn't breathe; the voice had belonged to my Aunt Chloe, Tommy's mother. She had hated me and blamed me ever since… ever since Tommy's death. She never believed that it had been an accident, and she swore she would have her revenge. Well, she now had it; the world now knew my name, and would soon know my past. Even if I could get away from the Joker, I was now branded for life as a monster; no one would help me now.
I was vaguely aware that the news broadcast had switched over to the next news story; something about a charity function sponsored by the Wayne foundation, but I had long since stopped paying attention. Joker noticed my stricken look, and turned off the TV. He gave me a little squeeze with the arm that was draped around my shoulders that was meant to be comforting, and gently wiped a tear from my cheek with his other gloved hand.
"It's all right, Kamille, it's all right," he said, soothingly. I thought he understood for a moment, but then he said, "They didn't get my good side on film either."
He thought I was upset about how I appeared on-screen? Was there ever an end to the Man's insanity? I couldn't believe he actually thought I was feeling vain about my appearance on-screen, when I've just been branded as a monster for life! Get a grip, Kami, I told myself. He's probably just baiting you again. I knew I was right when he smiled his shark-like grin at me.
I narrowed my eyes coldly at him, pushed myself out of his arms and up from the couch. I strode over to the pool table, intent on getting a cue stick to hit something (or someone) with, but the cue sticks had managed to disappear… lucky for the Joker. Joker, chuckling to himself, came over to stand by my side. He gripped my shoulders and turned me around to face him.
"I'm sorry, Kamille," he said, smiling down at me. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings again… It's just that you're so easy to tease," he chuckled, and then cleared his throat, trying to take on a more serious expression. "But, all that aside… there is something that I want to talk to you about." He cleared his throat again. "I've actually enjoyed the time we've spent together so far, and I would like lengthen the time indefinitely. Kamille, sweetheart, I want you to be a part of this little family… a full-fledged member of the team. We'd have a great time together, Kamille, we really would. What do you say, Kamille, will join my team? Will you join me?" He smiled hopefully down at me.
"Are you CRAZY?" I shouted. "Why in the world would I want to join your team?"
Joker's hands gripped me hard, his fingers biting painfully into my shoulders. From the expression on his face, I think I might have actually hurt him with my response; and now he was going to hurt me. He lifted me off of the floor, pulling me up to stare him eye-to-eye.
"You little ingrate!" Joker shook me with every word, "Do you have any idea what I'm offering you? The world, Kamille! The world! And you're turning it down without a second thought."
"I don't care, Joker," I said. "I don't care about your offer; I don't even care what you do to me now. All I wanted was my freedom, but that's something you're not offering. So, go ahead and do your worst; I just don't care."
Joker let go suddenly, and I dropped to the ground painfully on my backside. He glared down at me for several seconds, and then smiled coldly.
"You want your freedom, do you?" he said. "Very well, Kamille. You have it."
I stared up at him blankly.
"The door, Kamille. It's open. It hasn't been locked since this afternoon. If you want your freedom so badly, just walk through it."
I was in utter shock. Was the Joker actually going to just let me go? I started to get up, but apparently wasn't moving fast enough for him; he growled and reached down to grab me painfully by the wrist, hauling me to my feet so fast that my arm almost popped out of it's socket. Joker dragged me across the room, through the door, down the hallway and to the stairwell. He raced up the metal stairs, dragging me along behind him, and didn't slow down until he had reached a big, metal door. He dragged the heavy metal door open; it was pitch-black outside, and I flinched as I was met with a cold blast of air and the smell of rain. Joker whipped me around to face him.
"It's just too bad that it has to end this way," he said, caressing my cheek, "we could have had loads of fun." To my utter surprise and amazement, Joker pulled me into a hug and kissed me on the top of my head. "Goodbye, Kamille."
With that, Joker swung me around, planted a swift kick to my backside, and laughed maniacally as I tumbled down a flight of stairs into the black, rainy night. I came to rest in a puddle that had formed at the bottom of the stairs.
"It was nice knowing you, Kamille," Joker cackled, as he pulled the heavy metal door shut.
I lay in the puddle of water, too stunned to move. Had the Joker really just let me go? I couldn't believe it… but it was true. I was actually free. I was cold, wet, bruised and aching, but in that moment it didn't matter. In that shining moment, all that mattered was the fact I was free. Now I just had to figure out where I was, how to get out of there, and how to clear my name. Pretty simple, right?
I dragged my aching, shivering body out of the puddle, and started walking. I turned a corner and found myself in the middle of an amusement park that had been closed for repairs. A fitting place for Joker's hideout, I thought. Well, at least I knew where I was; now I just needed to find the way out. I followed some arrow signs toward the exit, but when I got there, a lone figure rose up less than 10 feet from me to block my path. I couldn't see who it was at first, but then a bright flash of lightning lit the sky; I found myself face-to-face with Mace… and he looked happy to see me. I whipped around and ran in the opposite direction, with Mace following closely on my heels. Oh, please, somebody help me!
A/N: (author swiftly ducks some flying tomatoes) Eep! Okay, enough with the tomatoes already. I'm sorry to leave this chapter in such a cliffhanger, but it was getting waaaay too long. If I didn't post what I had so far, it might have been another few weeks before I updated, and I'm already late with this update. Anyway, I hope this chapter was worth the wait. The next chapter-which is more action based- should be up within the next five weeks (just to give myself a little leeway, lol). Until then, go see the "Batman Begins" movie. I just saw it for my birthday on the 23rd, and it is so awesome:-D