Alright we are ready for an update! First to reply to my review!

Flying-pencils: your sick! But its all good unda da hood yo!

Not much I can really say except that this chapter will be similar to the last.

Chapter 6

Two days passed and nothing from the Joker. Joey was okay, he tend to mumble to himself every once in a while and stand in the shower with his cloths on, but other then that he seemed the same. What Artemis and Damian didn't know was the events played in his head over and over again and his mutters were confessions of things in life he had done. The memory haunted him and tortured him, it was as if he never left the dark room. His mind had become the dark room. That and he had recently developed a curious fear of door knobs.

Damian was okay after being stabbed in the side. It had healed but he was still angry about it. He would bitch about it and Joey would shout at him to just shut the fuck up. Damian never brought the subject up again. Artemis was jumping at every little movement. She was next on the hitlist and she knew it. Every sound, every unfamiliar face, and every step outside was just a trap. She didn't want to be next, not after what happened to Joey, he wasn't the same after the event, he never would be.

It broke her heart, she loved Joey as the carefree stoner who had a positive outlook on life, everything to him had an upside, now he was a cold and dreary ghost drifting about talking to himself and refusing to go near door knobs. In one fell swoop the Joker had flipped their lives into a hellish nightmare that never seemed to end. The three feared anything and everything now.

Artemis finally had the courage to leave her apartment and walked outside. She had to get out, she was getting cabin fever bad. Down the street she walked to the park. She sat at a bench and sang to herself.

Strawberry wine and seventeen

The hot July moon saw everything

My first taste of love oh bittersweet

Green on the vine

Like Strawberry wine

The cool October breeze made the trees whisper to her. Her Silence was interrupted by what sounded like someone whistling carnival music. She opened her eyes and looked at a man walking by in a heavy trench coat and a wide brimmed hat. He sat down next to her, that was really odd, he didn't say anything just sat there. Artemis considered moving, this man made her uneasy, she didn't want to be anywhere near him.

She made a move to get up but an iron grip caught her and forced her to sit back down. She paled and her heart stopped. "Ah ah ah," said a spooky nails voice, "sit tight right there sweethear-t," said the unwelcome man. She recognized that voice.

She watched him lay a stick out in the middle of the sidewalk and he sat back down. "Ya know," said the Joker, "you are a hard one to find when you don't want to be. Now why would you want to hide from your own father, hmm?"

"What do you want," she asked in a shaky voice.

"Just to stay quiet," he said with a smile. Artemis looked closely at him. He had no clown make up on, the only make up he had hid his scars. He looked like a normal guy actually! It's amazing what a little stage make up can do! She was looked at him with confusion, he chuckled at her. She quickly looked away and back out at the view of the lake that was in front of her. The sound of spinning wheels caught her attention.

She turned her head toward the noise and saw a group of bicyclists coming down their direction.

She looked at the stick sitting on the side walk and stood to say something but she felt something sharp and pointing on her side. She looked down at the Joker and saw he had a blade to her. She slowly sat back down. "Now," he said, "just sit back and watch the show," he said laughing.

"You where a bad comedian in a previous life weren't you," said Artemis. The Joker grabbed her by the arm and twisted it around. Artemis hissed in pain as she felt her arm begin to bruise. He let go of her as the bicyclists came closer. She watched as one of them ran over the stick.

It got caught up in the wheel and he flipped forward. After he landed on the ground all others behind him fell of their bikes falling over him, the stick, and his bike. Those who stopped where hit by everyone behind them. The Joker laughed uncontrollably. Artemis tried to contain her laughter, it wasn't funny, it was horrible, but at the same time it was irresistibly comical. Finally she couldn't hold it in. She joined the Joker in hysterical laughter.

They received nasty looks from the bicyclists who tried to pick themselves up and their bikes. They walked away in fury as the man and girl laughed at them. The man even went so far as to point and laugh.

"That's, that's, that's not funny," said Artemis between laughs, "that's so, so, cruel and unusual!" The Joker then laughed uncontrollably at her. She had settled down and turned a bright red color. She was amusement to him?! She got up and turned to leave when she saw the Joker run to catch up.

"Where you going doll," he asked.

"Somewhere far from you," she snapped. She then felt him grab hold of her arm and start to lead her.

"No, I got better plans for you," he said. She tried to struggle and he shoved her forward on the concrete. She felt her lip bust open and he dragged her back up by her hair. Artemis decided that fighting was a bad idea. She let him lead but looked around paranoid. If she was going to be kidnapped she wanted to know her surroundings so if there was any chance of escape she would know where she was. When the left the park she was shoved in a black van.

She made a break for it but the Joker grabbed hold of her and slammed her head into the side of the van. She fell to the floor and the ride from hell began. The Joker didn't tie her up, he didn't need to. He would give her a lift home and have a little fun in the process. It wasn't what he had in mind for her at first but Joey sort of got in the way of that one.

He picked her up and shoved a knife in her shoulder. She screamed out in pain. He pulled the knife out and stuck it under her rib cage. She screamed even louder. The Joker pushed down on her wounds with his thumb and watched in delight as she squirmed to get away.

He picked her head up by her hair and punched her square in the face. He proceeded to hit her over and over again until she begged him to stop. He got off of her and started to slam the heel of his foot on top of her back. He grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her back. "Don't scream," he said darkly. He broke her first finger and she screamed so he broke another. At this point she was in so much pain she could no longer make a noise. He then snapped her arm for the hell of it and laughed devilishly.

Artemis was in so much pain she finally passed out. Her last thought was 'please god just kill me'. She chanted it in her head over and over again until she blacked out and was unconscious.

When Artemis awoke she was in a dumpster with a Jokers card pinned to her pea coat. She couldn't move, her arm was broken, fingers dislocated, her face busted up, bruises and cuts littered her body like a bloody masterpiece. She could hardly breathe. She looked around and saw Damian and Joey standing there on a phone.

"She's awake," said Damian sounding relieved, "don't worry, Artemis, the police and an ambulance is coming."

Artemis blacked out again.

………………………………….

Joker sat in the dark room. Two down one more to go. Artemis could take a lot. That was a good 20 minutes she lasted through. Normally people passed out in 5 but this girl was a fighter. He began to wonder how much craziness she could actually take before she cracked. Joey was easy but he was a little screwy in the head to begin with. He had managed to fry his brain up pretty good. Only one step left for Joey and that was to show him how to enjoy himself. The Joker figured he would make that one a group effort. For now he had to decide what to do with Damian.

He had a smile on his face as 'Beautiful Disaster' played in the back room. Someone had the music channel on, it was his favorite song, it reminded him of times he thought existed. An idea played in his head to get a girlfriend like that but it was gone as soon as it came. He wasn't really sexually active, it wasn't that he didn't have urges. He was a monster but he was still a man, he just had no interest in people whatsoever. Is that weird? Ah well.

Then an idea came to him. Damian had a loyalty to his friends that was unbelievable. He and Joey had chased down the Joker to find Artemis. The idea stuck in his head like ticky tacky. It was fun, useful, and cheap. Driving Artemis and Joey places was really killing him on gas bills. Besides, fun spelled Freakish Unnatural and iNhuman. Hey, I never said he was great with word play. What is that called anyway?

………………………

It was Damian's turn and he knew it. He sat in the waiting room at the hospital thinking about it. The Joker was going to come for him next. Artemis looked like she was in a fucked up car crash. He knew that wasn't what happened. She didn't own a car and if she was how do you explain her ending up in a giant green trash can. The Joker had done this to her and then mocked her.

What was worse was she still had no idea that her mother was dead. Damian got fed up and stood up. "Joey," he whispered, "you got any bud on you?"

"Always," he said gloomily.

"Okay, I need to get out of my head for a moment, I'm going crazy." The two stepped out side in the back of the emergency room. "Man, I can't stop thinking about it. The Joker is going to get me next, Artemis looks terrible, she doesn't know her mother is dead, and God knows how much longer it will be before we die!"

"Dude, chill out," said Joey, "listen, we need to worry about Artemis right now."

"I AM worried about her. I'm worried about you to man, you're not normal," shouted Damian, "look, Gordon is coming, we need to tell him."

"Definantly," said Joey.

"We need to stop this now before it gets any worse."

"Okay, we smoke this, tell the commissioner everything, and hopefully he will be locked away for a very long time and forget all about us," said Joey.

"Then you and Artemis are going to see a psychiatrist. I called up a couple numbers already and I got the name of a good doctor named Harleen Quinnzel. She is supposedly one of the best doctors at Arkem. I heard that John Crane is almost normal now."

"Who is that?"

"That scarecrow guy from a couple years ago."

"Oh yea. What's with all the super villains just popping up now?"

"I don't know, the worlds gone fucking crazy, people running around in costumes. It's batman's fault, he started it."

"Batman isn't a criminal," said Joey.

"Oh he so is," argued Damian.

……………………….

Damian and Joey sat in the waiting room giggling with themselves. The nurse at the desk kept looking up at them and shaking her head, what was coming to this generation? There is nothing funny about a talking chicken hiding in a fruit hat, that was just retarded. (Dr. Tran!) Commissioner Gordon showed up and stood in front of the two boys. Just typical, they were both fucked up this time.

What was this world coming to? Then again, it did bring back some good memories of the 60's. Aw the good old days. Running threw a field with naked people, taking those acid adventures, smoking pot and being one with the music with a bunch of people he didn't even know, sleeping with who ever because love was free, he missed those days.

"Alright," he said sitting on the table across from them trying to ignore the fact that their eyes were red and puffy and they were giggling uncontrollably, "tell me everything that has happened that you have failed to tell me."

"Dude, I give, I was smoking weed behind the building, please don't arrest me! I won't survive, I'm to pretty," cried Joey. Damian started cracking up laughing, Joey was a riot sometimes.

"Come on I need you to get serious. I'm not here for you so just tell me what happened with the Joker." Joey's eyes seemed far away at that moment. He was no longer smiling and laughing, he was somewhere else. He now looked upset and zoned out. Gordon looked him in the eyes and put his hands on Joeys shoulders for comfort.

"Are you alright son," he asked.

"No," said Damian, "Joey was the first."

"The first what," asked Gordon.

"He was the first one the Joker got. Joker did something to him, he won't talk about it. He has some really weird habits now. He showers in his cloths and just stands their. He mutters to himself sometimes and has become scared of door knobs." Gordon pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We found Artemis, she looked like a train hit her, she was in a dumpster behind our apartment building." Gordon sat next to Joey and stared at the floor. He had failed to save them a young girl laid in a hospital bed and it was all because the Joker had escaped them. How he did it, Gordon still wasn't sure, but he did and now he had his daughter in a hospital bed and it was all Gordon's fault. He didn't know how much more he could take before he went crazy.

As the moments ticked away like eternity a nurse came in. "She is awake, you can see her now." Gordon got up with Damian and Joey behind him. They walked into the room and Gordon sat in the chair next to her.

"Artemis Napier," said Gordon, "how are you feeling?" Artemis just gave him a week smile.

"Well, I've seen better days, I've seen worse." Gordon smiled at her warmly.

"Can I ask you what happened?"

"Sure," she said, "he beat me up in a van and left me for dead."

"Is that all," he asked.

"No, he said something to me, he said 'Life is full of pain, get use to it' and drove off."

"Wow," said Joey, "he told me 'what doesn't kill you simply makes you stranger'."

"Is Napier your mothers married name or is it her maiden name," asked Gordon.

"I don't know," said Artemis, "it's the last name she goes by."

"And you don't know if it's her parents name or your father's name?"

"No, should I?" Gordon just smiled and hoped she got well soon. He bid them goodbye and left the group. After talking to her, mostly Damian and Joey talking, they left her for the night. Artemis was on her IV drip and drifted off to haunting memories and strange dreams.

…………………

Artemis woke up in the middle of the night. She looked at her clock then laid back down. She then noticed that her arms were tied down with the hospitals restraints. Why? She then looked around and saw someone sitting in the guest seat in the dark. The figure reached over and turned on a table lamp that wasn't their before. Artemis's breath caught itself in her throat. What more could he possibly want from her!?

"What are you doing here," hissed Artemis. The Joker chuckled a bit and gave her a mocking look of shock.

"What? A father can't come to the hospital to visit his only daughter I tell you doll, you have a heart of ice," he said laughing a little louder this time.

"What do you want from me," she demanded, "I never did anything to you, I never even bothered you or went looking for you! I don't even know your real name!" The Joker reached down and pulled up a squirt bottle and sprayed Artemis in the face with it. She shook her head. "What was that?"

"Uh, water," he said.

"Why? It wasn't even necessary! If you want me to stop then just tell me to shut the fuck up don't squirt me (squirt squirt squirt) stop it!"

"Are you done," he asked impatiently.

"No," she snapped, "you beat the shit out of me and then left me for dead and the last thing you can say to me is 'life is pain get use to it', what the fuck is that!"

(squirt squirt)

"Now listen," he growled, "your friend, uh, Damian, I think, is next on my list. Actually, you were originally the only one on the list, Joey was just in the wron-g place at the wron-g time, hmm. Anyway, your friends seem to have this undying sense of loyalty to you so I'm going to need you to get Damian on the team. Sorry, doll, can't be sane and be a member."

"What if I don't want to be a member," she snarled. The Joker laughed at her.

"Uh, have you seen yourself lately doll? You're looking pretty, uh, bad. You aren't getting out of this one with sanity, I promise. But look at it this way (he leaned in closter and took one of her restrained hands) as long as you are chained by all these, uh, rules, you will never be free. You wanted freedom and I'm giving it to you, hmm. Sane people plan out these rules to control you. But if you break one little rule you are evil. What if, now this is just a thought, but what if you were free of there rules? What if you had complete and total freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want?" Artemis licked her lips.

"But I would still be a prisoner," she said, "I would be a prisoner of you. No matter which direction I go there is no such thing as freedom. Freedom from rules, freedom of mind, you, Joker, are still a prisoner."

"Now, see, that's where you're wrong doll. I'm don't even think, I just do, how can I be a prisoner of my mind if I don't even use it," he said laughing hysterically. Artemis's blank look didn't even change. She was going to win this one, one way or the other.

"What happened Jack," she said. Joker quit laughing, oh yes, she lied to Gordon, she knew his name. "What is it that killed you? Was it your parents? No? Where you the office nerd everyone hated? Did you just snap one day and come in with a kitchen knife and just slice up everyone who laughed at you behind your back? No? Maybe it was because you couldn't deal with the fact that mom didn't love you? Hmm? Did it really kill you inside to find out she was such a whore? Did you suffer every time you watched her snort crack, or smoke heroin, or maybe what made you finally crack was when she started drinking heavily."

The Joker looked at her darkly and stood up and walked toward her. Artemis didn't really care, there was not much more he could really do to her physically that he didn't already do. The Joker stared at her for a long moment and finally violently backhanded her. He walked over to the IV and replaced it with a new one. Artemis watched intently as he emptied it of all air. He stuck the IV needle in her wrist. Artemis hissed in pain.

"Sorry," he said, "missed the vain." He stabbed her with it again and Artemis felt her eyes begin to grow heavy.

………………………………..

Next time it's Damian's turn!