Sorry about the wait on this chapter! Lots of school stuff going on, you guys know how it is!

Once again, a shout-out to the forum of Why So Serious? You guys have been so patient with me, and then started threatening me which kicked my rear into gear!

To Chanandaler Bong, who's story "Joker's Wild" is good enough to keep even the most easily distracted reading!

And to Raiast, who's story "Stoned" is one of my biggest inspirations.

The container of soup was growing cold in her hand. She couldn't remember actually eating any of it. Her apartment was dark except for the bluish glow in the news blaring from her TV.

No matter what channel she turned to, the Joker's face was leering at her. All the stations had been playing his early warning, broadcasted to all the major networks. They played it every few minutes, each station getting whichever specialist they could get their hands on to explain what the Joker was doing. And then it started playing again.

The clown's face was frighteningly close to the screen, a grating chuckle coming from his mouth. "Hello Gotham! I'm back from my little uh…vacation." His tone was comical, but his eyes were anything but laughing. "The padded walls were nice and all, and the room service came at the same time every day, but I missed you all too much to stay!" His trademark, manical laughter came through the TV's speakers. They squealed in protest at the sudden change in volume.

And it was then that his tone changed. He no longer sounded like a pal joking around with a friend he hasn't seen in a while. Now he sounded angry, dangerous. "This city will still play by my rules. Starting, now." And with one more evil laugh, the transmission cut off.

Marlye can still remember the first time he had declared his destruction a game. Six months ago, he had given everyone the chance to get out while they could (though he knew the mass panic and confusion would leave public transportation virtually unusable), but this time there was no choice. They were all pawns on his playing board. And this was no ordinary game of chess.

With this thought, the door of her apartment opened. Upon realizing who was standing her doorway, she lost her grip on the soup. It went crashing to the floor, the container rolling off to who knows where. And at that moment, Marlye didn't care.

"Leaving the door unlocked in a city like this? Seems a little uh…dangerous? Don't you think?" The Joker smiled as he walked towards her. Before she could think, he pulled a gun on her and pulled the trigger.

She wondered why death seemed so much like a groggy version of being in her apartment. The last thing she saw was a huge dart in her arm, and the Joker stooping over and leering in her face.

The Joker had left well over twenty minutes ago, and yet no one had dared to even breathe too loudly. Ross furiously counted his stacks of money, knowing that if it wasn't done by the time Boss got back he would end up like Larry.

As soon as he was finished, he went over to Larry. The downed henchman was rolling around, trying to keep his pain as quiet as possible. Ross had seen plenty of men come and go in the Joker's ranks but he actually felt sorry for this one. The others had been cocky or stupid. Larry was just new to the game.

"Here man, let me have a look at you," he said quietly as he pulled Larry's hand from his nose. It was a nasty break, but nothing Ross didn't think he could fix. That was his use in this crooked organization. He was the one to fix broken bones and stop up wounds.

He supposed that was why The Joker kept him around. He was useful.

"Can you walk if I help you?" Ross asked Larry, who nodded in reply. Ross put his arms under the man, and helped him walk to the room where he kept all his medical supplies. As Larry got comfortable on the table, Ross dug into his tools.

Once he had found everything he needed, he went over to Larry and began cleaning the blood from his face.

"You were lucky man," Ross said, carefully dabbing at the blood around his nose.

"Yeah, I know. I've heard the other guys telling stories about the guys who didn't get out so clean." Larry's voice sounded as if he had a bad cold, his broken nose making his words sound funny.

"This is gonna hurt, alright?" Ross grabbed Larry's nose and moved the two pieces of bone back together as quickly as he could. Thankfully, the break had been cleaner than he had guessed, and right about the fleshy cartilage at the bottom of the nose.

Larry's eyes watered and he let out a small yell of pain, but otherwise braved the resetting. Ross taped him up quickly and he was almost as good as new.

"We have to stick together now. We last longer that way," Ross said. Larry nodded in agreement and they both went back to finish counting the last of money before Boss got home. But before they could even begin, the door flew open with a huge crash and in walked the Joker.

Marlye opened her eyes, but the light hurt. She quickly closed them again, and listened to what was going on around her instead. A group of men were talking near her, and it sounded like it was about her.

She forced her eyes to stay open, even though the dirty fluorescents above hurt her eyes. The men talking were all wearing clown masks, and occasionally pointing a finger in her direction as their conversation continued.

She had actually promised herself that after this latest stint in jail she might actually take a break from a life of crime. It was a long shot, but it felt good to even think it.

But now it seemed she was going to be trapped by Gotham's worst nightmare.

Speaking of whom, the purple jacket turned, it's owner staring directly at Marlye. She was too tired and disoriented to make any noise, but her eyes screamed her fear.

He lowers himself down, balancing on the balls of his feet as he speaks to her.

"So…Marlye, is it?"

She nods as quickly as she can.

"So, Marlllllll-ye?" he growls, distorting her name. "How would you like to play some hide and seek with me and my men?"

Marlye was confused. Hide and Seek? With the Joker? If she weren't in this particular situation, she would have laughed out loud. But instead, she just looked at the madman, as if waiting for a cue for the correct answer.

"Hmmm?" The Joker was becoming impatient.

Marlye looked around at the room, and the men looking at the scene unfolding before them. Their masks hid their identities but she could see each man's eyes clearly. Some were staring at her with obvious lust, whether for her or for the hunt they were about to begin she wasn't sure. Some looked excited. And two of them looked sorry for her.

Sorry for her? Why would men in the Joker's employ feel compassion for a victim of their boss? The train of thought was abruptly cut off by the feel of cold steel on her arm.

She turned to see what was causing the sensation, and choked on her own spit when she saw the knife pressed into her flesh.

"You don't have a choice, anyway. But you better run and hide, because I'd hate to cut this pretty skin of yours!" He giggled, as if he had made a funny joke. But his eyes said he wouldn't mind hurting her at all.

Author's Note

I hope you guys are all enjoying the story so far. I know a lot of it has been explanatory, but I felt it was necessary to lay the groundwork for this story.

Now that Marlye is in the Joker's hideout, and everything is going in the Joker's favor, the ball will certainly start rolling.