This was probably the most fun chapter I've written for this story yet. Get some popcorn if you have some.
"You really think she will show?"
"Of course she'll show, Joker has that doctor bitch tied up in there."
Just as she was told Batgirl tracked Joker's hideout to the Gotham cinema. Joker didn't make it hard for Batgirl to find him, in fact judging by the fact he had written on the list of movie showings "Batgirl and Joker the epic meeting" Batgirl could tell he wanted her to find him.
Staring through a pair of binoculars Batgirl crouched on a rooftop and counted the thugs waiting for her outside. There was five, all spread out across the outside of the cinema armed with sniper rifles.
"That's funny I thought you would actually give me a challenge Joker," Batgirl smiled. She turned her attention to the thug that called Harley a bitch and nearly burned a hole through her binoculars in fury, "Your going to get it extra good for how you talked about my friend."
Batgirl glided silently to the first goon who was perched on the rooftop. Landing behind him she grabbed him around the throat and held him down until he lost consciousness. She then jumped from the building and landed behind the goon that insulted Harley. Batgirl picked up a rock and chunked it at him, hitting him in the back of the head. The goon landed face first on the dirt, the sound something hitting dirt attracted the other three's attention. Batgirl grappled up to the rooftop as the other three goons ran up to the man she just hurt. Batgirl then took out two smoke pellets, and when all three of them were together in a group she dropped them blinding their vision. The goons screamed as Batgirl dropped down. Unable to see, they had no way to counter when Batgirl landed in front of one goon, grabbed his gun and smashed it over his head. Batgirl then wrapped her arm around the second goon's neck and slammed him onto the dirt. With one goon left Batgirl swung her right leg, landing it behind the last goon's ankle tripping him to the dirt. Before he could get up Batgirl yanked him up by his hair and slammed his forehead against the brick wall, knocking him out. Brushing the dirt off her hands Batgirl made her way to the front entrance, she opened the door and once inside she saw nothing but darkness, not a single light was on the room was way to quite for her liking. Taking out a batarange Batgirl slowly made her way farther and farther into the Cinema when...
"SURPRISE!" The lights all flicked on at once, green and purple party streamers popped out from the floor and party horns could be heard blaring from across the entire room.
"Welcome Batgirl," The Joker's voice could be heard from the loud speakers "Your the guest of honor in tonight's party. A party to celebrate your first encounter with Gotham's most notorious Clown Prince of Crime. Now meet your glorious host," A floor opened up from a stage on the far right end of the room, Joker was the one that popped out from the floor, dressed in a purple suit and tie with black Pinstripes, with matching purple shows. "Me!" Joker wore a giant grin on his face that Batgirl really really wanted to knock off his face. But not before she got who she came for.
"Where's Doctor Quinzel?" Batgirl demanded
"Now now Batgirl honey lets not get ahead of ourselves here. We haven't even gotten to any of the party games."
"If any of the games involve me kicking your ass than I'm game."
"You know something Batgirl, I like you. You actually got a mouth on you, unlike that other boring no fun bat. It's going to make tonight that much more fun. Oh boys!"
Two doors opened and about a dozen henchmen dressed in clown suits and wearing party hats ran out. "I think it's time to give our new Batgirl friend a proper inauguration. Play nice!"
As the two dozen thugs charged, Batgirl quickly counted the weapons they had in their hand. Four of them were armed with a bat, while four other were armed with a thin metal rod. Batgirl stared at the things around her that she could use to her advantage, wooden tables and chairs, a popcorn maker, arcade games. When the first thug came swinging his bat toward her she was ready, she grabbed him by the wrist, snatched the bat out of his hand and struck him with it.
"Oooh, a bat for a Batgirl, you really do have a sense of humor." Joker laughed.
The bat still in hand Batgirl hit another thug in the shin causing him to fall forward. Batgirl grabbed him by the collar and threw him into the concession stand where he crashed through the popcorn machine. Joker walked over to the popcorn maker, made himself a bag a popcorn and munched on it as he watched the fight.
"Want some Shorty?" Joker asked the thug stuck in the popcorn maker, the thug obviously didn't respond because he was unconscious.
Another thug tried to come at Batgirl from behind, but she sensed him coming and grabbed him by the wrist and flipped him over her body before snapping his wrist, the sound of the bone cracking echoing across the entire room.
"Ooh that sounded like it really hurt." Joker laughed munching on some more popcorn"Did it?"
Batgirl punched another thug in the chest two times before she slammed his body against the wooden table so hard that the table split in two. Batgirl followed up that move by jumping onto a chandelier, cutting it's chain and smashing it down onto to more thugs.
"Ah it's not a party unless things get destroyed." Joker said with a happy sigh.
Batgirl grabbed two more thugs by their collar and slammed their heads together. One thug grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her to hold her down while another thug came to her with a metal rod. Batgirl lifted her feet up and kicked the guy with the rod backwards, making him fall backwards over a table, she then twisted her body free enough to flip the guy holding her down over her shoulders. The thug landed on his back, before he could get up Batgirl smashed a hard fist into his face. Batgirl quickly finished beating up the last two thugs, punching them in the gut and face several times before smashing their face into a couple arcade games.
Once all the thugs were taking care of Batgirl marched up to the concession stand where Joker stood. She grabbed him by the collar, lifting him two inches above the ground, knocking the bag of popcorn out of his hands as she glared into his green eyes and growled. "Where is Quinzel?"
"Well isn't that just rude? I go through all this trouble breaking out of Arkham and throwing a smashing party for you. I even let you beat up the other guests and this is how you treat your host?"
Batgirl lifted him higher in the air and slammed him against the wall, she raised a fist ready to punch him if he continued not to cooperate.
"Last chance Joker, where is Dr. Quinzel?"
"Okay okay you win." Joker laughed lifting his hands up in the air. "She's in the first theater to your right, she's actually the next party game."
"Party game?" Batgirl dropped Joker and ran to the theater, she stopped at the door in horror as she saw Harley tied in a small rectangular cage, her wrist's locked and her feet zip tied. That wasn't what horrified Batgirl though, down below was a tub fool of over a dozen rattlesnakes.
"It's time to play save the doctor in distress." Joker's face appeared on the giant theater screen. "Here's the rules of the game, up above you see the poor doctor struggling to break free. Your job is to free her before the cage lowers into the waiting pit of rattlesnakes. Here's the punchline though, you must pick the locks. The Batman always found ways to escape my deathtraps without a key, let's see how you do!"
Joker let out a sadistic laugh as the theater screen went black. The cage containing Harley started to slowly lower. Batgirl wasted no time grappling up to the cage, she opened the door and, while holding on to the bars with one hand to prevent from falling fiddled out a bobby pin and started working on picking the lock. "Hold on Harley I'm getting you out."
"Hurry!" Harley screamed as she stared at the pit of rattlesnakes below her, getting closer, and closer. Joker had promised her when she agreed to be apart of a deathtrap stunt that it would be real enough to make Batgirl believe Harley was just a victim but easy enough that there was little chance of Harley dying. That being said she didn't think it would involve something this dangerous. She really hoped Joker knew what he was talking about.
Withing five seconds Batgirl had the first lock picked, she then swung over to the next lock and quickly unlocked it. Wrapping her arm around Harley's waist, she used her free hand to grab a small blade from her utility belt and worked on the zip ties. Withing a few seconds she got them both undone, and pulling Harley close she grappled them both safely from the rattlesnakes just before the cage landed in it's pin.
"Did Joker hurt you in any way?" Batgirl asked as she sat Harley down.
"No, but if you waited a couple seconds longer he would have."
"Wait outside, the Commissioner should be here shortly. I'm going after Joker!"
Harley nodded as Batgirl ran off. As Harley walked outside though she turned her head and gave a wicked smile and chuckled to herself "Good luck."
Joker walked off the stage giving a slow clap as Batgirl came running into the cinema lobby again. "Bravo, Bravo, more more."
"Playtime's over Joker!"
"Ah Bats don't be a party pooper already, we haven't even got to the pinata." Joker pulled out a Batman Pinata, it had x's over it's eyes and it's tongue was hanging out with a red dot between it's eyes making it look dead. Joker took out a bat and tossed the pinata in the air before whacking it. Candy came spilling out of the pinata, but it wasn't just any ordinary candy, these candies was actually explosives, after just a couple seconds the candies exploded causing Batgirl to have to shield herself behind a turned over table. Joker ran into the next theater laughing manically as Batgirl chased over him. Joker pulled out some marbles before throwing them at Batgirl's directions. Just like the candy, the marbles also exploded. Batgirl had to shield herself with her cape to avoid getting burned, at the same time it left her blind to Joker's next attack.
"Want to see a card trick?" Joker laughed as he took out a deck of metal playing cards with razor sharp edges. Batgirl could barely defend herself as Joker through the whole deck of cards at her, slicing her arms legs and cape.
Joker then lunged at Batgirl tackling her onto the floor as he pulled out a knife.
"Now it's time for my favorite game, pin the knife in the bat."
"I know just where you can pin that knife Joker!" Batgirl growled right before she delivered a kick right to Joker's groin. Joker toppled over in pain as Batgirl got up and kicked him in the face. Before Joker could compose himself again, Batgirl pulled him up by the hair, slammed him against one of the theater chairs and delivered blow after blow, after blow to Joker's face.
"Why... did... you... abduct... Doctor... Quinzel?!" Batgirl screamed in between punches, "What... use... is... she... to... you!?"
Batgirl paused as she allowed Joker to catch his breath and answer. Despite a black eye, a bloody nose and lip and a couple bruises to his face the Joker just let out a small laugh. "You think I abducted her? Oh poor naïve Bat she willingly let herself get captured."
"What are you saying?!" Batgirl growled, gripping onto Joker's collar tighter and getting closer and closer to his face.
"She is the whole reason I'm free. The escape plan, all of this it was her idea, she put on the whole damsel in distress act to get you here, and you ate it up like it was free ice cream day.
"Your lying!" Batgirl roared slamming the back of his head against the wooded arm rest. The hit was hard enough to give Joker a concussion, but despite his head spinning hard Joker still let out the loudest laugh he had given all day.
"Oh Batgirl I am a lot of things but a liar I am not. If I had abducted that doctor I would of killed her when we jumped off that bridge or gift wrapped her head in a box to give to you as a party gift. Which would have been funny as hell as I think about it, but absolutely no way to treat the girl that just set you free. Oh no Batgirl she was in it from the beginning."
Batgirl let out a angry scream in denial, she lifted Joker over her head and slammed him head first into the wooden floor. She then delivered blow after blow, after blow, each one harder then the next. She stopped just short of beating him to death, leaving him unconscious, his face covered in blood and his swelling from the blows he took.
Her gloved fists coated in Joker's blood Batgirl drug the Joker out of the theater by his ankles toward the parking lot where her father and four other police cars waited. Her father was taking a statement from Harley when Batgirl opened the cinema door and drug Joker outside. Barbara didn't like how the look Harley gave when she saw Joker was one of worry.
"Is he... dead?"
"No!" Batgirl snapped "Just made him wish he was."
"Ah you wouldn't have me chasing after you if he was." One cop responded, "I'd probably buy you a drink honestly."
"Make sure Joker is in the most high secured cell when he wakes up." Batgirl demanded before turning to Harley who was still staring at Joker with a look of worry on her face. "You okay?"
"I'm... fine." Harley lied "Just still in shock."
"You want me to have someone take you home?"
"No, I want to see Joker Arkham I'm sure Doctor Strong is still their worrying sick over me."
Commissioner Gorden took Harley by the shoulder and led him to the passenger side of his cop car, having his partner ride next to Joker with a gun drawn to him in case he woke up before they got to Arkham.
As the police cars drove off Batgirl slapped herself across the face and delivered a fist to the theater wall as she fought hard to refuse to believe that Harley was helping the Joker.
"She can't be," Batgirl mumbled to herself. "It's not true it's impossible. IT'S NOT TRUE!"