Chapter 16:

A Clown Turns a Frown Upside-down

Isis combed her apartment for unsorted object laid out all over the floor. Isis never liked a dirty room, but she had just been so lazy lately, today she thought it would be a good idea to clean up. Not only her apartment—filled with all sorts of new cats, that Felix seemed to be the king of—but she wanted to clean up her unsorted thoughts as well.

"That Batman! He only gets in the way…" she spoke aloud as she spread cat food in bowls all about, "Although, I think I'm started a little infatuated with him…"

She gave herself a mental smack in the face, "But no…no, no. It's Terry that I want. He's way more incredible then some 'Bat'man."

Felix rubbed up against Isis' leg, "Oh Felix, of course I love you more than either of those guys," Isis picked up the news paper the Maven had left in front of the threshold. She took it to the nice old leather chair and had a nice break to read the paper.

"Hmm…Felix, I say we're do for another heist," she mentioned as she scanned the article on the new jewelry exhibits, "Maybe you should stay home this time Felix. Make sure these other cats stay out of trouble," she winked at Felix.

Felix didn't seem too happy about this, but he respected Isis' wishes.

"Mistah Daggett," said J-man, "I just had the perfect plan…" as he lay a news paper in front of the orange haired man.

Daggett scanned the article, "Ah, yes. Perhaps you Jokerz are a little smarter than they look," he mumbled.

"Excuse me sir."

"Yes, this is ought to be where she is tonight."

J-man shifted his weight and crossed his arms, "Show you want us to just wait out side for her or something."

"Sure," he turned his chair around and waved him off, "Just don't take the whole crew. Take about five or six."

J-man walked out of the room to pick tonight's clowns.

Catwoman tip-toed into the jewelry museum, "Oo, how shiny."

The security wasn't to stature; especially for artifacts in a Gotham City exhibit. So the steal was quite quick and painless and Catwoman was soon on her way. She exited on her special 'roof door'.

As soon as she was on the roof she noticed a colorful looking group waiting for her on ground level. Catwoman peered over the side of the building, "Jokerz. What do they want?" she spied.

She listen to the clown argue a little about where she would be when she came out of the building. The one in the red was right. She would be on the roof. But Catwoman soon became distracted by the unattended bikes in the corner, "Hmm, must be my lucky day…"

"I'm telling you J-man," the clown argued, "She's gonna come out on the roof."

J-man punched the red clown in the arm a little, "Scab, who's the boss here?" J-man waited for a response, "Yes, me. So shut up and just be patient!"

Scab muttered a few profanities that J-man didn't hear. Not such as a minute later the clowns were interrupted by the rev of their own motorcycles.

"What the…" they all yelled as they ran for there bikes.

From the alley came a crazed Catwoman on a motorbike, "HAHAHA!"

Catwoman laughed insanely as she rode away from the astonished Jokerz, "Wow, that was easy!" she stopped to yell back at the Jokerz, "Stupid clowns!"

The Jokerz came riding after her on their bikes at full speed. The Joker in pink was coming the fastest, with a spike rubber chicken ready to strike.

Catwoman tried to speed up the bike, but in vain. The pink Joker was close enough, and smacked her off the stolen bike. The Cat cried out in pain from the sharp blow.

The Jokerz encircled her in her time of disadvantage. The first one to get off of his bike looked to be the leader, "Good job Dot."

"Thank you baby," she cheerfully replied.

The Joker came closer to her and Catwoman was beginning to feel a little threatened, "Didn't you mother ever tell you not to play with her make-up?" she snapped.

The clown smirked. He looked down at the whip on her hip and back to her, "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with her sexy toys."

The circling clowns all cackled and Catwoman calmly smile, "Well, actually they're my grandmother." The clowns' smiles soon became disgusted frowns as The Cat just grinned.

The main Joker kept his smile as well, "Ah, yes."

"Ah, yes?" Catwoman became confused.

"Yes," he looked around to all his crew, "we know all about you."

"How?"

He avoided the question, "My name is J-man," he reached down to shake her hand and Catwoman came up to greet him with a friendly kick to the face. J-man fell back, but with dignity. He shook his head, "Looks like we have a feisty one here," he smiled at her evilly, "…get her."

From behind her, Scab grabbed her arms. She wrestled with him for a while until another clown came up and knocked her out. They bound her arms with rope and put her on a bike with Scab. The bikes rode of in two line of three—J-man in the front, and Scab and the clown that had knocked her out were at the back.

Catwoman began to stir from her unconsciousness. When she realized where she was, she closed her eyes again, as to not blow her cover. When she began to feel more equip to handle the situation, she made her move.

She stood up on the seat of the bike and kicked Scab in the back of the head. Then quickly barrel-roll flipped to the bike next to it before the bike fell and all with her hands ties behind her back. The driver of the next bike freaked as she gracefully leapt from bike to bike, until she reach the front of the line.

She slid elegantly behind Dot who was at the front by J-man. Quickly, before Dot could defend herself, Catwoman cut her ropes by pressing them against the raging tires and tossed Dot off the bike, "Revenge is sweet," she yeah at the rag doll on the ground.

Catwoman rammed the bike into the J-man's; J-man came back at her. She punched him in the face and his bike swerved away a bit. But what they were soon to notice was the lack of engine noise. J-man turned to see that the rest of his crew had departed and they were now being chased by Batman.

"I'm not losing track of you now," shouted J-man as he grabbed Catwoman's handle bar. He turned them both in the same direction and Catwoman reluctantly followed the J-man's lead.

"So what your plan?" she asked while diligently working with the clown.

"Oh so now you decide to work with me."

Catwoman glared at him.

J-man looked back behind them, "Ok, first we lose The Bat," he sped up a little and then turn, "Follow me!"

Catwoman turned as well and sped up, but Batman's ride was quite fast and he was gaining on them.

J-man drove straight into oncoming traffic, swerving through the uneasy cars, "What the hell! You maniac!" Catwoman yelled as she tried her best to keep up.

The clown replied with a maniacal laugh.

After running for quite awhile, it seemed that Batman had to give up. The amount of wrecks they could have caused was too many. Now Catwoman found J-man driving them into a more secluded area. The buildings around these parts were mostly abandon warehouses. The building they had come to was an old chemical lab.

The two drove there motorcycles into the lab where the crew was waiting for them. As soon as they dismounted their bikes Dot and Scab were ready to strike. Quickly the J-man stopped them as not to frighten dear Ms. Kitty.

"You don't know who to trust in Gotham," Catwoman spoke with a nervous laugh.

J-man interrupted the awkward crowd, "Well, you can trust us. You and us, we're all the same; enemies of that that irritating Bat. You could almost call us…family!" J-man put his arm around Catwoman.

She picked his arm up off of her and sassily walked away a little, but not in a manor of disgust, "Yeah, I wouldn't call us family."

"Call it whatever you may, we are still alike," he bowed

Catwoman walked over to a table with a few clown weapons and pick one up to play with it a little. As she scanned the item she spoke, "Well anything could be alike. But that still does make them 'the same' or 'family'," a jack-in-the-box popped up and frightened her.

J-man becoming uneasy by the fact that she was near the weapons took the current item she was holding and out it back on the table. And without her really noticing, he eased his arm back over her shoulder and walked her away from the table, "Well all in all, we should be a little more trusting of our 'kind'; the, against the Bat kind," he sat her at a table where a few other Jokerz were sitting, "We have a proposition…"

Catwoman's ears perked up, "Tell me more."

He shifted in his seat, "Have ever consider, a partnership?"

She thought on this and shook her head, "Well actually…--"

"Then don't say another word. You're in the right place tonight, because our…" he seemed hesitant on the word, "boss," he gulped, "would love to have a clever little kitty like you on our, oh so wonderful team."

"And just exactly who is your boss?"

"Wait right here. I'll go get him," J-man winked at her just before bouncing away in a clown like manor.

The Cat was slightly frightened by the hungry looking clown boys that were staring at her when she looked away from J-man. Her nose wrinkled up into a slightly disgusted smile as she tried to avoid their lustful gazes.

Sorry that the story has been bouncing back and forth throughout the past 2 chapter, but I'm afraid it might become even more bouncy. But I shall try not to confuse you too much. Well, keep reviewing. Reviews are like my 'writing fuel'. More reviews, more chapters. ;-) hehe.