Title: In the Eye of the Hurricane – Chapter five
Author: ladyofpride
Characters: Joker, Scarecrow/Crane and the Riddler. Batman will be mentioned (and make appearances) as the story progresses, though he isn't the focus of the story.
Rating: Pg-17 (if such a thing exists).
Timeframe: follows after the second movie
Warnings: violence, obvious insanity and the death of innocent (or not-so-innocent) bystanders...after all, this is about the Joker...
Disclaimer: I'm not making a profit off of this—nor do I have the desire to either. I'm just playing in someone else's sandbox.
Summary: It's true what they say. Sanity can only last so long...
He can feel the Riddler's pulse as his fingers slip under the cuff of his green suit jacket, heart beat racing as they close around the bony wrist. The kid's rate is incredible. Enticing. It feels as though he should be high off of ecstasy or freebase. Too bad the kid's not shaking.
The Joker can remember the old kids, the ones he's seen over the years in the alleys, and how they'd shake and yell and lose their minds under a moon that wasn't quite full. It's all about the power, right? The struggle before the ultimate high—followed by the sickening sensation of nothing after you've hit rock bottom. And they had absolutely nothing until they could get their hands on another shot of pure liquid gold.
But the Riddler doesn't need that sort of power. That rush. Even with the sudden adrenaline boost, his head is level. There's this daring look in his eyes—one that speaks volumes for someone currently questioning his own sanity. The battle raging on inside his head is a beautiful one indeed.
Dementia does the weirdest things to some people...
"What's your rush?"
The Riddler stares at him for a moment, almost as though he can't decide whether to be angry, afraid or utterly baffled by the Joker's bizarre behaviour. After a moment's hesitation, he tugs his arm free and takes a step back. The Joker merely smoothes down the front of his coat in response and licks his lips patiently, knowing that the kid probably doesn't buy his innocent look any more than Crane does. Even so, it helps, sometimes, to confuse the hell out of people. It can buy a person time.
The crash in the stairway startles them out of their reverie. Mostly. The Joker's accustomed to expecting the unexpected and, if the Riddler's history of escaping the Bat is anything to judge him by, the man is familiar with the Bat's persistence.
He glances once over at Crane and waves. With a small laugh, the Joker pivots quickly on his right heel and makes a swipe for the painting under the kid's arm.
It's showtime.
The Riddler's cane is half-raised, hand now free from the Joker's grasp, but he doesn't react in time to stop him as the artefact is tugged out from under his arm. A startled cry escapes his throat as the Joker spins in a half circle (somewhat awkwardly) and tosses the painting carelessly to his partner in crime.
Crane somehow manages to catch it with one hand, ducking inside quickly as another bang is heard inside the stairwell. And since there's no way to drop directly down to the ground floor, he suspects the Bat must be rolling down the stairs.
"Stop!" The Riddler shouts and the Joker hears more of anger than anything else in that refined voice of his. In the poor illumination of the distant street light, all he can see is a brief flash of dark green as the young man darts past him toward the car.
He barely reaches out in time to stop the kid. Crane revs up the engine as he turns the man sharply to face him. He caught him by the arm this time, just above the elbow, but it's not the arm with the cane and he wouldn't put it past the kid to strike him with his favourite toy.
When something slams into the stairwell door, the Joker is honestly surprised it stays standing. The Batman put one hell of a dent in it and it won't take more than a second for him to finish the job.
Wisely, the Riddler shifts his attention to the more immediate danger and aims the base of his cane at the door, shooting something small and silver. The Joker is hoping it's another explosive but it shatters upon impact with the ground.
...He's a little disappointed.
The Riddler wrenches his arm free just as the door swings out into the alleyway and slams against the adjacent wall violently. Reaching into one of his pockets, he produces a lighter and flicks the lid open.
The Batman rises to his full length as he steps out into the dim light. The Joker waves again in Crane's direction and this draws the Dark Knight's attention briefly toward the car as it screeches forward onto the street.
The Riddler thumbs the igniter, the tongue of tiny flame licking the air devilishly as the kid faces the man head on. There are only a few paces between them. One could easily act.
But the Riddler waits. He doesn't know why. It must be a part of the 'plan'.
The Bat waits too, more so because he probably doesn't understand what his opponent's up to. It's exciting though. Better than drugs. The Joker's getting the jits just watching them—the Dark Knight standing there like a demon fresh from hell and the Riddler with a flame as small and fickle as the line separating his sanity from the impending fall. Nothing can beat this. The tension is breathtaking.
Those teenage delinquents have no idea what real euphoria feels like.
The Joker wonders how long they can make the moment last, and then he smells it. It's faint—something familiar. The Batman must smell it too because he acts the instant the Riddler tosses the lighter forward, darting to one side to avoid catching the flame.
But the Riddler wasn't really aiming for him.
The gas from his dart reacts immediately, the alley filling with the same thick smoke from yesterday night. The Joker can only catch a glimpse of Gotham's martyr as the man glides in for the kill before he's lost in the haze.
There's a clash in the dark, the sound of feet scuffling along the ground just a little off to his left before something else ignites in the smog. There's a flash—and an eerie silence. His eyes are stinging.
Stepping back, someone bumps into his shoulder. They're too big to be the Riddler. Besides, the kid wasn't wearing any armour...at least, not any he was aware of.
Slipping the steak knife out from his coat pocket, he takes a jab at the person in question and smiles as he manages to wedge the blade into tender flesh. He must've caught the man somewhere between the armour's plates.
The Dark Knight gasps. Actually...it's more of a wounded growl. When the Joker tugs the blade free, he's knocked aside before he can get another hit in. His jaw smarts but, stumbling backwards, he somehow manages to stay on his feet as he reaches the edge of the cloud. He can breathe again.
The gas must be fading.
Shuffling a little farther, he only catches a blur of the Riddler as the young man strolls briskly past him. His pace is not fast enough to be considered a run but the kid's no fool. It won't take long for the Bat to catch up.
Waving away the smoke in his eyes, he sprints after the kid and around the corner. He's admittedly a little surprised when the Riddler takes a good running jump at the fire escape ladder beside the building and somehow manages to pull himself up. Nimbly, he negotiates the ladder (cane still grasped securely in one hand) up onto the first balcony and then along the stairs steadily toward the roof of the apartment complex.
The Joker approaches the ladder and watches the Riddler a moment longer before jumping up to grab it. He misses the first time but catches it on the second try and yanks it the rest of the way down before scrambling up after him.
He barely makes it to the top before the Bat rounds the corner to the adjacent alleyway. The Joker can hear him coughing.
Darting up the final balcony, he reaches the roof and pulls himself over the ledge to find the Riddler fiddling with his cane. The kid is cursing under his breath, trying to load something through the base.
"Need a little help?"
The Riddler looks up at him, somewhat glaring from under the brim of his hat, and shakes his head, "No. Not from you."
"What's your rush?" He asks—and jumps a little to the side as the talon end of a grappling hook sinks its teeth into the concrete of the ledge. The Joker leans over the side gently to steal a glance at the rapidly ascending vigilant, tsking under his breath as the man draws nearer to the roof.
"Stand back," the kid says, apparently ready with his daisy toy to fight the big, bad man in black.
"Relax—I have a better idea!"
And he does.
The second he sees the Dark Knight's head, he lashes out with a hearty kick and watches as the man loses his balance.
The surprised shout from the Riddler is a little unexpected, especially when he runs to the ledge to watch the Batman drop. Gotham's saviour doesn't actually hit the ground but he comes damn close to it before he can readjust his cord.
The Joker, of course, knew this already.
"He doesn't die," the Joker explains, probably ruining the end to every battle the kid has to look forward to with the vigilant, "He never dies. It's a universal truth."
The look the kid gives him is incredible, like he doesn't know whether the Joker's real or if he's just a figment of his imagination.
As if he has the right to call anybody crazy...
"Why did you do that?" The Riddler finally asks.
The Joker wags his finger in the kid's face, "The real question here is—why didn't you do that first?"
The boy opens his mouth to complain—but already they can hear the menacing hiss of the Bat's cord as he re-ascends. This really isn't the time or place.
"We've got the art," the Joker explains—and then jabs a finger at the kid's chest, "and you've got the heart. Let us have a shot at remedying that and we'll let you play your game."
"But—"
The Joker doesn't wait. He grabs the kid by the shoulder of his jacket and yanks him after him toward the other end of the roof. They've got enough speed to jump once they reach the end.
And they do.
Even if the Riddler is protesting.
A/N: Reference: "daisy toy" refers to the daisy air rifles cadets use. At one time (like, when my dad was a kid), boys could purchase them for hunting small game.
Anyhow, I really apologize for the delay (and for the shortness of my update). I just finished my last midterm on Monday and with a load of lab reports o do I just didn't want to distract myself from school. Sorry. It's going to be summer soon...(I hope).
On a side note, if you see anything that needs correcting, just tell me and I'll be more than happy to fix it.
