Chapter 5

It was eight – o – clock the next morning as Jessica walked through the crowded streets of Gotham. Everywhere she looked crowds of people were on their way to work, dressed in smart business suits or sitting inside cafés devouring a quick breakfast before the day really began.

However the daily routine of the city's occupants wasn't the most important thing on Jessica's mind right now. What was was how she was going to rescue the Commissioner from the Joker.

As she walked she went over the first part of her plan. It was simple: she didn't want the Joker to realize that she was still living and breathing, therefore she needed a disguise; she needed a costume.

The only problem was that she didn't have any money to buy one. Jessica didn't like to steal, but the Commissioner's life depended on it. So Jessica would go into the costume shop take costume and then attempt to find the Commissioner.

It was as simple as that. Wasn't it?

The costume shop was on the corner of 42nd street. It had only just opened and as a result there were no customers at that particular time. Jessica considered this a positive thing on her part, since it meant there wouldn't be many witnesses for the crime

Opening up the door, she found herself surrounded by strange and colorful costumes. Clowns, skeletons, fairies, every type of costume you could imagine were hanging on these metal railings. But what Jessica wanted was something dark, something to camouflage her in the blackness of the night.

It didn't take long for her to discover what she was searching for: a jet black one-piece costume which zipped up at the back. It was the sort of thing a gymnast would wear.

The next article Jessica searched for was a cape. She had decided on the way to the store that she didn't want one that was too long; it would be no good if she kept tripping up.

The first cape she laid her hands was just that- too big. It looked more like a duvet than a cape. The second one wasn't dark enough, but the third was just right and she grabbed it off the hook.

'Now what else do I need?' Jessica thought to herself, looking around the store. In the far corner she spotted another article that would be of use to her: a pair of black boots. They were leather and would come up to the knees. They also had a hard heel; perfect for when it came to kicking the crap out of opponents.

The final things she picked up were a belt which held several compartments, and a holder for her sword. She decided she would later paint her sword black to match her attire.

"Excuse me sir," she approached the cash desk. "Would it be possible to try this stuff on?"

The cashier was a man in his mid-fifties with grey hair and a bushy mustache. His eyes were a dark brown, but twinkled friendly. Jessica felt bad that she was about to rob this man, but another man's life depended on it.

"Certainly," the cashier replied. "The changing rooms are just down that corridor there." He pointed to the far corner of the store, where an entrance lead into the back.

"Thanks," Jessica made her way to the back of the store. Time for the second part of her plan. She would feign trying on the costume, but then make her way out of a back window. She knew there was an alleyway behind the store and there must have to be somewhere to hide back there.

The changing rooms were simple cubicles with curtains pulled across. Jessica walked into the closest one to the window and sat on a wooden stool that was occupying the corner.

She quickly made a mental list of the stuff she had:

Costume? Check.

Cape? Check.

Boots? Check.

Belt? Check

Sword holder? Check.

Jessica smiled to herself; she was ready to go.

She quietly made her way out of the changing rooms and edged her way toward the window, careful not to attract too much attention that would bring the store owner coming.

The window definitely wasn't the biggest that Jessica had ever seen, but that didn't matter; she was quite a slim girl and so squeezing through this would be simple.

The first problem with climbing out of the window was that it was too high for her to simply jump out of. However that little dilemma was easily solved thanks to the stool in the corner.

She dragged the stool over below the window and climbed on top. She could now see out of the window, into a side alley. There was no one about, thank God. It might have looked a little suspicious if a young girl was spotted climbing out of a shop window.

Reaching up, she undid the latch the window's latch and…

"Are you alright in there?" The store owner's voice almost made Jessica fall off her stool.

"I'm fine," she called back, praying that he wouldn't see or hear what she was doing.

Luckily her answer seemed to satisfy the man as he made no reply.

Giving a sigh of relief, Jessica lifted the window up. She then took her equipment and threw it out the window.

There was no going back now, and so Jessica heaved herself out of the window. She reminded herself that this was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that she had had to climb out of a window; only last time she was escaping from a mad man.

The sudden thought of the Joker and what he could be doing to the Commissioner gave Jessica the final bit of determination she needed, and washed away any doubts she had about what she was doing.

Landing swiftly in the alleyway, Jessica took a quick look around. At one end of the alley were the busy streets. People were walking back and forth, but none had thought to look down the alley towards her.

At the other end was the rear of the costume store, which lead to Gotham's back streets. Jessica thought that this would be the easiest and safest place to go, so without a backward glance she took off that way.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

9.00pm

"Where are we going?" Robin asked as he and Batman climbed into the Batmobile.

"I want you to patrol the city and see if you can find that young girl. I'm going to check Joker's old hideout. There might be something there that will give us a clue as to where he is, and what he's got planned."

"Ok" was the simple reply, and the Batmobile sped out of the cave and towards the city.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

In an abandoned garage, Jessica had dressed up in her costume. It was a perfect fit, thank God. It would have been a nightmare if she had to go back to the costume shop to change it, after she stolen it.

She attached the sword's holder to her belt, and slipped the sword in to keep it safe. She was beginning to get slightly excited over the mission ahead of her; at last she was closer to rescuing the Commissioner.

Suddenly Jessica stopped short as she realized she didn't even know where the Commissioner was. Where should she start looking?

There was only one person in Gotham who could possibly know the answer to that:

Batman.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Wakey, wakey Commish!" Jim Gordon's eye's widened as he heard the dreaded voice of Gotham's clown prince. He lifted his head slightly, and noticed a small screen slightly off to his right. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that it showed the Joker's grinning face it was hard to miss.

"I expect you're wondering why you're here, aren't you?" the Joker cackled in insane delight. "Well…I'm not gonna tell ya! It's like the blunt pencil. Did you hear about the blunt pencil?"

A groan was all the Commissioner could manage as a response.

"Oh don't worry…..You won't get the point! HAHAHAHAH!" He threw his head back and let out his deranged laugh, but stopped when he didn't get the response he wanted from his one man audience. "Oh you're such a party-pooper!"

"What do you want Joker?"

"What do I want? I want what everyone wants! I want people to understand me; I want a chocolate sundae; though I might get it Friday. I don't think I can wait 'til Sunday to get it; I want Batsy's head on a platter; I want a herd of white elephants to mow my lawn; and most of all I want a chicken that lays golden eggs."

"You have a serious problem Joker. Let me go!"

The Joker ignored the demand, and instead he pulled his lips down into an uncharacteristic frown. "I do have a problem, I admit that.' And almost as quickly as it had come, his frown disappeared.

The Commissioner groaned even louder as the Joker started……Singing. He squeezed his eyes shut and his mind flashed back to the last time he had heard the Joker sing. That was one the Joker had kidnapped him and tried to drive him insane after shooting Barbara. It was a time in his life he wished he could forget.

"I, uh, still have problem... if it's ok with them... over there.
Them... the dark carnival in general... it's the whole stabbin' thing again,
Its... see iuh..."

…I stab people, like everyday folks. Skinny people, any people, i chop out they throats. My stabbin's are ninja-like with the quickness (hey). By the time you feel it, i'm like three blocks away. By the time you feel it, i'm like three blocks away. I stabbed the newspaper guy and took his little truck. Now I stab people and drive away, I'm like put-put-put-put-put. I do shows and stab people at the same time, what of it?"

"What do you want Joker?" Gordon couldn't stand the singing anymore.

"Aww, don't you like my singing?"

"No."

"Everyone's so judgmental."

"What do you want?" Jim repeated for the third time. "Why have you brought me here?" The Commissioner was doing his best to stay calm, but at the hands of this maniac nothing was to be expected.

"You're my first guest on my new reality TV show! I'm calling it 'Burial Live!' I was thinking of calling it 'Six feet under,' but then those dastardly people at HBO will probably try and sue me for copyrighting."

"What are…what are you talking about?" Jim asked. He was beginning to get disorientated, and was starting to get hot and sweaty.

"Haven't you ever heard of Six feet under? It's only the greatest sitcom on the planet! The story of Fisher family and their comedic mishaps in their family funeral home."

"I…I meant what are you talking about, 'Burial Live?'

"Oh that," the Joker giggled. "Basically I take an unsuspecting idiot…..that's you, then I bury them alive until they suffocate! And it's all going to be viewed live by millions of people! Look out Big Brother there's a new show in town!"

"You're insane!"

"I wish people would stop using that against me. I'm on medication, what more do you want? It's not my fault it isn't working. Oh and by the way, I loved that young lady you were looking after; she was very courageous. Didn't have much of a sense of humor though, but I soon fix that! Heehee!"

Gordon went to sit up in anger but only succeeded in banging his head again. "What have you done to her you bastard!"

"Tsk tsk Commissioner, I hope they'll be none of that foul language when we air; they'll be kids watching!"

"What have you done to her!" The Commissioner snarled.

"I merely gave her a permanent outlook on life, and I must say she was probably much happier with it."

He leaned in closer, so that his white face filled the entire screen.

"And when I'm finished, you'll be happier too. I guarantee it!"

AN: Sorry this chapter took so long but I couldn't decide where to go with it. Fear not for now like the Terminator: "I'll be back."