Hello! Whew, I'm back!
Man I tell, ya. Writer's block is a cruel bitch. This chapter took FOREVER to write, I hope you like it! We got some twists and turns coming up!
Also, THIS STORY HAS REACHED 200 PAGES AND SURPASSED 100,000 WORDS
Omg, y'all. I really appreciate all of the support, it means more to me than you know, and THANK YOU FOR READING!
*Warnings: brief mention of alcoholism/addiction, light torture, breaking and entering
Chapter Twenty: Applied Sciences
Maroni had to die. Nora had no doubt in her mind about that by now. He'd proven himself to be a despicable human being. But… couldn't the same argument be made for J? He's killed lots of people and endangered many others. What made them different?
Not much. Maroni killed for money and power, Joker killed to prove a point. It wasn't that he didn't understand social constructs, he just believed they were faulty, inherently sick. His point was that anyone is just one step away from betraying those moral sensibilities we hold ourselves to. They are a silver-lined veil that hides society's true nature. To oppress the underserved and only do good to reap the benefits that superficial conformity awards. All it takes is one bad day, one loss, one crack in the mirror and those laws of human decency are no-where to be found.
Silence was becoming just as bad as the greed that continued to swallow Gotham City and Nora chose a side. Was it the right side? The just side? No. No one was right or just now. One dirty deal replaces another. Did she believe in true human decency? She didn't know, but she did know that she couldn't afford to right now. Her regard for human need is what brought her closer to Joker in the first place. But she found a place in the darkness worth fighting for. She was flooded with want, blinded by the white hot fire of his touch. His presence filled her with a warmth she couldn't describe. Volatile but gentle, biting and acidic but sweet. Now she was contented to drown in it, love born from a strange and dark place. She was hooked on it.
What about Joker's feelings for Nora? Didn't that go against everything he set out to prove? It didn't. What they had was selfish. A longing, insatiable selfishness as raw as desire itself. He devoured her every touch, every noise, every taste like a drug. He needed her now. His one exception. Hold her and everything else goes up in flames. Feeding that fire only left him wanting more as it grew hotter. Seeing her eyes roll back with pleasure as he kissed down her body, nothing compared.
They had chased that high and it turned into something beyond their control, trapping them within arm's length of each other. That pull was powerful and unrelenting. Attraction wasn't enough to describe it. A connection. One that tied a string knotted deep in their chests. It didn't matter how improbable it was, it happened.
It wasn't going to be easy. Nothing had been so far. Maroni was detestable, but he was no fool. Override seemed sure that his father knew nothing of his job with Joker, but Nora knew better than to blindly trust him. J certainly didn't, implicit reliance was not an option.
Q and Nick had been sent to collect more information on Override. If he was going to work this closely with J, he'd better not have a single skeleton in his closet.
"Degree in electrical engineering and computer programming from MIT, bit of a whiz kid, skipped high school, no siblings, father is a complete prick, mother is an alcoholic as well as a shopping addict, no friends, no girlfriend, left his job at Wayne Enterprises two months ago," said Nick, as he dropped photocopies of documents, photos, and newspaper clippings on Joker's desk.
Nora laid on her stomach on the bed, her chin in her hand rested on her propped elbow. She finished the cigarette she'd started after Nick unknowingly interrupted them, just as she'd slid J's coat off of his shoulders and latched her mouth onto his. Her core still ached, feeling unsatisfied by the cigarette she'd attempted to replace J's touch with.
Joker's gaze met hers for a moment and he smirked at the look she had in her eyes with her lip between her teeth before she rolled them up to the ceiling, feigning innocence with a smile. He bounced an eyebrow at her before turning back to Nick.
"Mhmmm," he hummed. "What about Wayne's place? What did he do there?"
"Something in what they called applied sciences. Couldn't find anythin' else about it really, it was weird," Q said.
Joker looked up from the papers on his desk, raising his eyebrows. Nora's smile dropped. She wasn't sure why yet, but something didn't feel right.
Joker's mouth twitched before he grumbled, "Fin-d something else about i-t."
Q furrowed his brow at his boss's sudden change in demeanor and nodded swiftly.
"What's your plan for tomorrow then? Are we still gonna use the kid?" Nick asked.
Joker tilted his head at him and answered, "Well that won't be a question if you're quick about it, hm?"
Nick tensed his jaw for a moment and nodded before promptly turning to leave with Q. The room was uncomfortably quiet, an invisible tension weighing heavy in the air. Joker sighed and leaned back in his chair to prop his heels on the desk while Nora looked at the floor, trying not to stare at him, waiting for him to break the silence.
Joker let his head drop back to face the ceiling and asked, "What do you know about, uh, Wayne Enterprises, doll?"
She snapped her eyes up from the floor, somewhat confused by his question. "Well, I think Bruce Wayne is CEO maybe? He's probably Gotham's biggest asshole. I never really thought about what they do there," she replied.
"Most people don't," he said. "Tha-t big building of theirs casts a shadow so large that people don't even see it anymore. It tow-ers over their heads, sucking up wealth like a magnet."
She lit another cigarette, watching him carefully as he spoke.
"Wayne Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, Steel, Aerospace, Biotech, Industries, Chemical, Medical, aaand Re-search," he continued, counting each of the company's branches on his fingers. "CEO is a man named Lucius Fox, majority shareholder is Bruce Wayne. What our dear Override did for them, I'd uh very much like to know."
Nora exhaled a puff of smoke and asked, "You think he's playing you? Override?"
"He knows something," Joker growled.
She nodded, taking a drag off of her cigarette before handing it to him.
"And I'm gonna find out what it is," he said before bringing the cigarette to his lips.
Joker and Nora's limbs tangled together on the bed, the sheets tossed aside during the warm summer night. The sun hadn't been up for long when Nora stirred, feeling the mattress dip slightly on either side of her. Joker's lips peppered kisses down her neck as he balanced himself over top of her. A sleepy smile crept onto her face, her eyes still closed as she tilted her head back into the pillows to allow him access to more of her. He rested his bare chest against her tank top, putting his mouth just below her ear and teasing her skin with his tongue. She hummed and fluttered her eyes open.
"Good mornin', doll," he purred, his clean face free of greasepaint there to greet her.
Her smile grew wider as she answered softly, "Good morning, J."
He smirked and said, "Did ya have a good time last night?"
Memories of the night before, his hands exploring her body as he watched her squirm beneath his touch, brought a flush to Nora's cheeks and warmth to her core.
"A very good time," she grinned, biting her lip.
Joker licked his lips and leaned in towards hers to rumble, "Gooood," before kissing her heavily.
He released her mouth, letting his nose linger beside hers for a moment before sitting up onto his knees. "Much to do today, doll face. Care to, uh, join me?" he asked.
Her heart fluttered. She knew it was wrong, his actions often involved total lack of remorse, disregard for safety, as well as usually ending someone's life. But Joker including her in his plans thrilled her. He made her feel powerful, influential, like things she did actually mattered and it tempted her with intensity. Not only was he alluring, but so was his way of life. He knew she would fit in from the beginning. She had no desire to escape this. She'd come this far already and had no intention of going back.
She returned his devilish smile and nodded. He leaned in to kiss her once more with a loud smack of their lips before hopping up to pull on his pinstriped pants. He could be such a dork for being Gotham's most feared man. Nora giggled while she sat up in bed. His burst of excited energy was almost contagious, maybe she'd catch it once she had some coffee.
Nora crawled out of bed and followed his lead, picking clothes out of the dresser to wear while Joker carefully shaved his face. She walked into the bathroom to see him pop the caps off of the greasepaint next to the sink.
"Can I do it?" she asked suddenly. Even she wasn't sure why she asked.
He turned around and stared at her for a moment. Vulnerability wasn't one of his strong suits. But this was different. Intimacy and vulnerability aren't the same thing. Being intimate opened the door for vulnerability but they aren't the same.
Joker set the open containers of paint on the sink top and sat on the cabinet, leaning forward so that Nora could reach his face. She smiled at him and stuck two fingers into the white paint, cool and tacky on her skin. With one hand she held his hair back as she began to smear white over his face with the other. She outlined from his forehead and around to his jawline, coating some on his ears like she'd seen him do. Then she scooped more paint out of the jar and filled in the rest of his face with a thin layer of ghostly white. He blinked at her but remained silent, watching her while she reached for the jar of black. Joker closed his eyes as she messily smeared the dark paint over them, creating the familiar wild onyx circles that darkened his gaze, giving him that hypnotic glare. He furrowed his brow and exaggeratedly squeezed his eyelids together before blinking them open, creating creases and streaks in the paint. Nora giggled and reached for the red paint. With one finger she spread the bright crimson over his scars, gently following the jagged pattern of the roughened flesh and blending it into the white at the edges. Then his lips. He parted them slightly as she took her time, concentrating and watching her fingertip coat them in paint. Over the forked scar on his bottom lip, around to his upper lip, the plump soft tissue springing back from beneath her touch. Once she finished, she lifted her dreamy gaze to meet his. She blinked back at him before gently holding his face to place a delicate kiss on his freshly painted lips.
Love wasn't a word that was going to be uttered. But it hung there, in the air. Joker hummed and lifted his hands to hold her there, returning her kiss with added pressure. He released her lips, licking his and turning to look in the mirror.
He chuckled and said, "Perfec-t."
They finished getting dressed and descended the stairs together, Nick already waiting at the table with three carry-out cups of coffee. He yawned as they approached, before sliding two cups of coffee toward them.
"Hello, sunshine," Joker teased as he snatched the cup and sat down, leaning back and crossing his ankles while taking a large gulp.
"That's hot," Nick mumbled.
Joker swallowed without so much as a wince and said, "I'm a-ware. What'd ya have for me?"
Nick sighed, rubbed his eyes, and said, "Nothin'. It looked like everything from that department was destroyed. I couldn't find no records, no pay stubs, no e-mails, nothin'. There's nothing in public or company archives other than applied sciences existed. Nothin' else."
Joker tensed his jaw then licked at the inside of his scars as he nodded slowly. "Well uhh that's it, then. Bring the kid here," he said decidedly.
Nick chewed on his lip and nodded as he stared at the table.
A quiet tension gripped the room after Nick left. Nora sat on the counter sipping her coffee, lost in her thoughts. Was Override's involvement with Wayne Enterprises really that significant? Joker certainly thought so but he wasn't entirely infallible, was he? But the lack of any trace was admittedly suspicious. Whatever was going to come of this, she just hoped he wasn't planning to betray J. That wouldn't go over well at all.
"What're ya thinkin' about, doll?" Joker's voice carried over the still air, heavy and rich.
Her gaze snapped up to see him standing from his chair by the table, eyeing her silently as he slid his coat off of his shoulders and laid it over a chair.
She blinked and looked down at the floor, suddenly unable to meet his gaze, before answering, "You probably know."
He slowly approached her to place his hands on her knees and leaned against them. "I do," he said plainly before darting his tongue over his lip, waiting for her response.
"He's so young and… innocent, seemingly," she said.
Joker nodded and replied, "Seeminglyyy."
Nora closed her eyes before opening them to finally meet his and she said quietly, "I just don't want him to get hurt."
"Of course you don't," he answered.
She fell silent for a moment, staring at him, before asking, "And you do?"
He blinked at her, his mouth twitching slightly. No one had ever challenged him like that before. Not the Joker at least. But she was different.
"No," he mumbled. "Only if he earns i-t."
Nora felt her face heat up, that little voice, her conscience, echoing distantly in her mind. It wasn't regret. She felt remorse. For her humanity. Her eyes had been opened to the harsh side of human nature and she had trouble looking back. Even the kid wasn't free from it. He very well might be up to something. But that little voice was still there, it's quiet cries stinging her. She decided then that she would step in if she felt she had to. She knew what J was capable of. But something in his eyes said that she wouldn't have to. Violence wasn't for violence's sake, she knew that too. She remained silent, nodding slowly.
Joker knew how to read people. He read Nora like a book from the beginning. Now her uncertainty was written across her face. His chest burned, seeing that look in her eyes. Like she was disappointed. He licked at his scars and looked down at her knees, trying to steel himself against the emotions threatening to cloud his mind. He didn't like what she was doing to him, his sociopathic tendencies fought kicking and screaming for dominance. She was knocking down those walls he'd spent so much time building. She taps them with her finger and they just come tumbling down for her. Too easily. He expected to feel nothing, like he always did. He expected to be annoyed, but he wasn't. He only felt that burning in his chest.
"Only if he earns it," Nora said quietly.
He lifted his eyes back up to meet hers, staring into them for a moment. She didn't have to say anything else, her expression told him she understood.
"On-ly if he earns it," he repeated back, nodding his head in affirmation.
Nora chewed her lip and said, "Let's just hope he doesn't earn it then."
Joker blinked, pausing before he replied, "Let's hope."
The side door flung open and Nick stepped through it quickly, Override following behind warily. Nick took long strides toward the table to swiftly pull a chair out and loudly drag it the center of the room.
"Sit," he told Override, pointing at the seat.
Override swallowed thickly, looking at the chair then over where Joker and Nora now stood to be met with a stern look from Joker. He flinched and rushed to the chair, quickly sitting down and balling his fists in his lap as he stared at the floor, his brow furrowed. Nick stretched a roll duct tape around his lap, pinning his hands to his thighs and his legs to the seat, walking away once it was secured.
Joker sucked his teeth loudly before taking slow steps toward the lone chair placed erroneously in the center of the room. His footsteps echoed forebodingly through the silence. He never took his eyes off of Override, unblinking and expression unreadable. Within a foot of the red head, who now had his eyes squeezed shut, Joker bent forward to bring his painted face only inches in front of the kid's naturally pale one. Override could sense his closeness, close enough to feel his breath on his face, but he kept his eyes shut, his breathing becoming faster.
"You know why you're here," Joker stated simply.
Override carefully opened his eyes, a visible shiver going down his spine when he met Joker's gaze.
Joker blinked and said, "Adam Zucco. You worked for Wayne Enter-prises for six months that just, poof!" He waved his hands through the air, "disappearrre-d." He tilted his head to the side and asked, "Care to, uh, ex-plain?"
The kid started to tremble, his jaw tensing as he quickly shifted his eyes to stare at the floor again. He didn't make a sound other than his rapid breathing through his nose, keeping his mouth shut. His behavior didn't inspire confidence in is innocence.
"Override," Nora called from where she sat at the table nearby. "Tell us."
He only flinched and squeezed his eyes shut again.
Joker sighed and cracked his neck before walking behind Override's chair. He reached into his pants pocket to pull out a switch blade, the knife sliding out of the handle with an ominous click. Then he firmly gripped Override's ear with one hand and held the blade to where his ear met his skull with the other.
Override began to tremble uncontrollably, choking on the sobs he was denying passage through his lips, his knuckles clenched white. Nora's heart pounded as she watched, trying to keep her face from contorting into a grimace. Wait. Just wait.
"Let's try that again," Joker growled, putting slight pressure on the knife blade. "Spill it, kid."
A small sound escaped his throat but Override said nothing as he started the strain against the tape binding him to the chair but didn't dare to move his head.
"Beg your pardon? I can't qui-te hear you" Joker said, dragging the knife just enough to nick his skin.
Override winced, sucking in air through his teeth.
Nora looked to Joker, his expression empty. He was going to find out what Override knew, one way or another. But before he pushed the knife deeper into the tissue, Override suddenly spoke.
"I-If I, if I talk. You'll still, s-still help me?" he stuttered through the chattering of his teeth.
"If you talk, I won't cut off your ear," Joker answered. "Be-yond that, won't make aaany promis-es."
Override took in a shaky breath before saying quietly, "I-I was working for Batman."
Nora's eyes went wide and Joker jerked his hands back, his face twisting into a scowl. He walked briskly to the table to rip a chair away, flinging it in front of Override to sit down and lean in to stare at him with penetrating eyes.
"Uh, excuse me?" he asked in a much too casual tone, pushing his hair out of his face with his hand then putting it at his ear. "I'm not sure I heard that right, can you repeat that?"
Override stared back at him, still shaking beneath his restraints. "I, u-um, I was working for Batman," he said, only marginally louder.
Joker's eyes narrowed and he dropped his chin, blinking at him as he said, "Welll, isn't that, uh, inter-esting."
He stood and started to take slow, nonchalant steps back and forth as he fidgeted with the knife in is hand. Sweat was covering the kid's forehead, beads beginning to drip into his eyes, his bound arms unable to reach up to stop them.
"Now, what was it that you did for our dear, uh, Batman, hm?" he asked.
Override looked back at the floor, his mouth twitching but forming no words. Suddenly Joker stopped in front of him and yanked his head up by his hair, earning a surprised shout.
"Oh I'm sorry, did you not understand the QUESTION?" he growled in his face.
Joker then held the blade's sharp point beneath Override's chin. He grumbled, "Don't make me ask it againn."
He panted for a moment before answering quickly, "Ok! Ok, ok. Applied sciences. I got hired right after my internship. I ended up working for Mr. Fox. I helped program some of his… his equipment."
Joker swiftly moved the knife at let go of his hair, stepping away and leaving the kid to catch his breath. Then he stood still, facing away from Override, his hand gripping the knife handle tightly. Nora stared at Override, trying to process what was happening.
"Bruce Waaayne," Joker said plainly.
He turned back to Override to slowly sit back down in front of him, keeping his eyes glued to his face, now drenched in sweat.
"How much did he pay you to keep your mouth shut, hm?" he asked.
Override's eyes widened, surprise at the question rendering him unable to find his words.
Joker's tongue darted out over his lip before he grabbed his face and said, "Uh, but now is not the time to keep it shu-t."
"Two million!" Override spurted out.
"Twooo million," Joker repeated. "Now just what have you done with all of that money, hm?"
He looked to the floor again and said, "I… I put it away. In an IRA."
Joker nodded and said, "Well look at you, little financial planner," reaching out to pinch his cheek with mocking endearment.
Then Joker leaned back in his chair and rested an ankle on his opposite knee. "What brought you here then, hm? Cash in your pocket, good social status. But ya come down here to roll in the dirt with us?" he asked, picking at his nails with the knife.
"I told… I told you," Override answered timidly.
Joker's eyes shot up from the knife at his fingertips before uncrossing his legs and leaning in toward him again.
"Ohhh well en-ligh-ten me on what that was again, if you pleeaase," he snarled in a gravelly voice.
Override gulped and squeezed his eyes shut again as he answered, "Th-the, um, the sex trafficking. Um, my father a-and Sal."
Joker growled, "Ahhh well why not enlist your merci-ful Bat-man to help you?"
He cracked his eyes open to meet Joker's fiery gaze and said, "He's gone. The… the whole department was shut down. Then he was gone."
"Yesss he is gone. And now you're here," Joker replied. After a pause, he continued, "This won't be about you. This'll be a-bout soo much more than you."
Override's breathing slowed slightly and he nodded, keeping his eyes on Joker's.
"We'll deal with Sal. Then it's dear Bruce's turn," he said with intent.
Joker suddenly brought his knife forward and Override flinched before he used it to cut the tape over his lap, then silently walked away.
"You knew, didn't you?" Nora asked, when they were back in the office together.
Joker nodded silently, chewing at his scars.
He'd known for a while. Or at least he was highly suspicious of it. He just needed it confirmed. Bruce Wayne was Batman. When Nora thought about it, it did make sense. He had unlimited amounts of money, an ambiguous past, and a giant corporate conglomerate at his disposal. His motivations, she didn't know. But his means, it all made sense. J was holding back on talking about it any further and Nora wasn't going to push him. They had work to do, after all.
The afternoon was a blur of activity after Joker gave the operation the green light. Trust wasn't really the word for his stance, but he was satisfied with Override's answers. His job for his uncle was to drive one of the cars to transport girls to their safe house. There wasn't much room for error but Joker found several cracks in the scheme to wiggle in through.
6:56 pm. One hour until the job. Nora was securing the small gun Joker had given her in a strap on her calf.
"Dome!" she called out across the when she stood up.
The bald man wheeled around to see her approaching him with her medical bag in her hand.
"Oh hey, doc!" he said.
She smiled and replied, "Hey, I never got to take those staples out of your head."
He chuckled and said, "Ah doc, ya don't need to worry about me."
"They're still there, right?" she asked, ignoring his protests.
"Ahh yeah, I couldn't get 'em out," he admitted.
Nora smirked and pulled up a chair for him to sit down before unzipping her bag to search for staple removers.
"I'm, uh, I'm glad Sal didn't get ya too bad there, doc," he said, pointing to the fading bruise on her temple.
She blinked and answered, "Thanks, Dome. Me too," sliding gloves on her hands.
The little device in hand, she started to gently guide it beneath each staple to squeeze the handle and crimp the small metal bars to free the ends from his skin.
"Good thing we're doing this now," she said. "They're starting to bury into your scalp."
She felt his forehead wrinkle under her hands before he replied, "Oh… gross."
She laughed and popped the last staple out. "There, it healed great by the way."
"Thanks doc. Be careful out there, eh?" he said.
"You too," she answered, returning his warm smile.
Nora threw away her gloves and slung her medical bag over her shoulder to go find J. She passed a few groups of men as they pulled clown masks over their faces on their way outside, climbing into chaser cars that were going ahead to create a perimeter. Override stood with Nick and Enigma. He looked a bit nervous but now he held himself up straight with new determination, finally about to fulfill his own personal mission, albeit under rather strange circumstances. Nora wasn't sure if he idolized Batman or not. Even if he did, she still somewhat admired his ambition.
"There she is," Nora heard spoken quietly from behind her.
She turned around for Joker to take her face in his hands and pull her in for a kiss. She relaxed and melted into his touch, remarkably tender for the man everyone knew him as. He held her there for a moment, pulling her lips into his mouth and humming as he tasted them.
When he released her, she opened her eyes as he popped his lips and said, "Now I'm ready."
She chuckled and he let his hands drop from her cheeks, paying no mind to the rest of the room around them. "Are ya ready, doll?" he asked.
She took a breath and chewed her lip, nodding briefly before reaching into a pocket of her bag. A small vial between her fingers, she said, "Ready."
7:47 pm. Nora sat with Joker in the back of one of the black cars, the convoy splitting up along their route.
Nick's voice came over the radio, "The kid's on his way to the pick up site. No trouble yet."
"Alright, keep radio silence," Joker replied with his thumb on the button.
Streetlights passed by, flickering on as the sun sunk below the horizon. Nora had gotten surprisingly used to this. This… anarchy. The last moments before the chaos were always strangely calm. That is why they say 'the calm before the storm' after all. There's an eerie quiet in the air, it seems mundane from the outside. But one's heart starts to pump faster, muscles tense up in preparation for action, sweat starts to dampen the skin.
Their car pulled up to an enormous house in the Gotham suburbs, tacky mini mansions and primped landscaping everywhere. Nora snorted at their surroundings and Joker giggled before Enigma pulled the car around the block to a patch of trees behind the house.
"Ok, wait at the train station. Six blocks away," Joker told Enigma.
Enigma checked his watch and nodded before Joker quickly exited the car, Nora following close behind. The quiet residential street felt more exposed than the narrow alleys of Gotham proper, making Nora feel rather uncomfortable. But they walked casually, putting on an air like they were supposed to be there. They approached the house in the dark from behind where a security panel was set up by the back door.
Joker opened the panel door and hummed a ridiculous tune as he picked at the wires below the case he popped off with a screwdriver while Nora smiled and rolled her eyes. He made quick work of shutting it off then promptly raised his foot and kicked the door open, the small bolt lock not standing a chance. He raised his eyebrows at Nora and stepped through the door, stopping to stand in the kitchen. He took his radio from his pocket and simply said, "Alright."
He stood in front of Nora, staring into the dark house. All she could hear was the rush of blood in her hears until a group of six of his men came in through the back door with guns drawn, walking around him to split up and search the house. A few tense minutes passed and Nora stepped forward to stand beside him as one his men approached them.
"A'right, all clear," he said.
Joker grinned and called out, "Ok! Places gentlemen, it's almost curtain time!"
Song for this chapter: Beat the Devil's Tattoo by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Thank you for reading!
Reviews/comments always welcome, I'd love to hear what you think! Hopefully the next chapter won't take me so long, smh.