The Great Escape, Chapter 4
Double Whammy
The cackling laughter echoed down the hall, almost inaudible above the rioting chaos throughout Arkham Asylum. Gunfire peppered the air as the occasional screech cut through the noise. Guards hurried down the hall in small groups, wrestling the insane criminals into submission, whether with rubber bullets or tranquilizers.
A tall, lanky man sat bent in his cell, slowly laughing, his scarred grin spreading across his face as he waited. He knew it would come. It was long overdue. Eventually, things would go back to the calm that was maintained, then he would come. He would demand a private consultation. He would lead him out, saying that a transfer would alleviate the tension in the asylum. He would com. Until then, all he could do was wait.
***
Commissioner Jim Gordon sat in his patrol car a block from Arkham, listening to the chaos that ensued. Next to him sat Harvey Dent, ex-District Attorney of Gotham City. A gun was pointed at Gordon, Dent's eyes never leaving his hostage.
"Remember the plan, Gordon. We go in, talk to the Joker, demand the release, we leave. You let anyone know what's going on, and I'll kill you where you stand."
Gordon's voice trembled with fear that he didn't wish to reveal, "I've got it, Harvey."
Harvey Dent hissed, "It's Two-Face!"
"Right…" Gordon's sad eyes looked towards the asylum, "Harvey Two-Face."
***
The asylum had finally began to resemble a working prison again. Pockets of criminals were still being subdued, but the calm of the facility had been mostly restored. Jim Gordon walked into the front office, followed shortly by Harvey Dent. The secretary that normally greeted the visitors was gone, replaced by a flustered Lieutenant Isaiah Harrison.
"What can I do for ya, Jim?" The friendliness of the chief security officer's voice was gone, replaced with worry and anxiety.
Gordon replied, "I need to talk to him, Lieutenant."
Harrison looked up, "The Joker? What for?"
"We need to get him out of here." Gordon sighed, "He's not helping things, we need to get him transferred, away from others like him. He's only causing problems."
Harrison grunted, "Well, I can't say I disagree, Commissioner, but where do we put him?"
"A real jail. In solitary."
"Are you crazy? He'll get torn apart. They'll find a way to get to him." The lieutenant looked shocked at Gordon's suggestion.
"Maybe that's the point." Gordon raised his eyebrows. "Either way, he can't stay here. Eventually the whole place will come down."
Harrison stood over the desk for a minute, rubbing his head as he sighed. Finally he looked up with tired, depressed eyes, "Alright, Jim. You can have him."
Gordon smiled weakly, "Thank you, Isaiah." Gordon turned towards the corridor entrance.
Suddenly, Harrison stopped him, "Wait!" He pointed at Dent, "Where's he goin?"
Gordon replied, "He's with me. I needed someone with experience in dealing with the clown."
Dent grinned on cue, "Anything I can do to help."
Harrison eyed Dent, "Alright then." He then muttered, "You can take the nutjob outta the loony bin…"
Two-Face and Gordon walked down the hall in silence, each despising the other for everything they were. Gordon approached the guard standing in front of the Joker's cell, "Give us a minute, son." He said, flashing his badge. The guard nodded, then walked down the hall, out of earshot.
Gordon worked at the keyhole, then opened the door to the cell. The joker sat in the corner, his head hung as his arms rested in his knees. It was harder for Gordon to decide whether he looked more or less menacing without the make-up.
"Well hello again, Commissioner." The Joker grinned up at Gordon, showing his scar. As Two-Face entered he chuckled, "And welcome back, Dynamic Duo."
"No duo in here," Two-Face smiled, pointing to his head, "Only little ol' me." The two shared a laugh that chilled Gordon to the bone. "Now how's about we get outta this place?"
The Joker stood up, his grin even wider, "That is an offer I just can't refuse." He looked at Gordon, "What're we gonna do with the Commissioner once we escape?"
Two-Face flipped the coin in his hand, "Well, we have to let him live," He said as the coin reached its maximum height, "So I figured we'd-" The coin landed in his hand, "Drug him up and throw him in one of these empty cells. A soundproof one." Two face grabbed Gordon's handcuffs as Joker held him still. "By the time they do they're weekly inspection and find a half-starved Gordon in here, we'll be long gone." The Joker cackled as he tied Gordon's own tie around the Commissioner's mouth, muffling his desperate pleas.
"It's a shame they do they're inspection in just two days." The Joker let out a false sigh, "If you would have timed this better, we could have off'ed him by letting him starve out a whole week in that room!" The two cackled as they made their way out of the cell, Two-Face grabbing Gordon's badge.
After locking Gordon's new cell, Joker mimicked his capture and Two-Face led him by the guard, out to the lobby. Suddenly, a figure rushed towards the front door, only to be tackled by the lieutenant. The inmate that had attempted to escape now reached for Harrison's gun, poking out of his jacket. The two wrestled as Two-Face towered over them.
Harrison looked up to see Two-Face and the Joker, with Gordon absent. Before the look of confusion could fully register, Two-Face had already flipped the coin, the blackened, scratched side landing up. A shot blasted through the lieutenant's forehead as Two-Face chuckled, "Oh darn." The inmate looked up to Two-Face in relief, but his good luck vanished as Two-Face caught his coin again, pointing his pistol at the inmate now, "Sorry, friend, but fair is fair."
***
Bruce Wayne stood at the top of Wayne Enterprises, enjoying the night wind as he gazed down towards Arkham asylum. Behind him, the door closed quietly as footsteps approached him. Wayne had no need to turn around, as he knew who had arrived.
"Keeping watch tonight, Master Wayne?" The familiar British accent of Wayne's butler, Alfred, cut through the silence.
Wayne grinned, "I'm trying, Alfred. I feel so powerless."
Alfred stood next to Wayne, gazing down at the chaos of the settling riot, "Looks like quite a night."
"I can't go down there, Alfred. As much as I could help them quell the riot, I can't risk the lives of the policemen who would try to arrest me."
Alfred sighed, "And thus, the conundrum has been seen; what is important enough to risk your capture?"
Wayne ran his fingers through his hair, "That's the problem. I'm not sure what is."
[End of Chapter]