Chapter Two – Obedience Training

I wasn't sure of how much time had passed as I sat in the confines of my small concrete room. There were no windows with which to tell the time of day by. Instead of focusing on this fact I decided to busy myself as much as I could. When I finally woke, after spending a good few hours trying to fall asleep in constant fear The Joker would come bursting back into the room to catch me at my weakest just for some more laughs, I found myself feeling oddly off kilter. I'd fallen asleep on top of the clean white blankets that covered my small bed that I had indeed stolen from the Gotham City Hospital.

Now, as I sat at my long metal table fiddling around with an old whip of mine, I could hear the loud sounds of activity in the air. Whatever The Joker was moving in seemed to take quite a few men for what seemed like an entire day passed filled with nothing but the echoes of their voices. I absentmindedly tweaked with a barbed whip tip I was trying to perfect. It was all I could do to attempt to keep my mind free of discouraging thoughts. Unfortunately; it failed.

I found myself wondering if perhaps The Joker found me too beneath him to so much as kill me all on his own. Would he find it more entertaining to starve me to death? Or perhaps, with his morbid sense of humor, he'd much rather I die by my own hand with the very whips I cherished so much being my demise? Either one of the two options I'd come up with seemed equally as unnerving. Neither death would come soon for I wasn't sure if I'd have the will to go through with killing myself.

My hand slipped and the sharp metal I was working with poked into my finger causing me to draw my hand back in pain. I stared down at my favorite color as it slowly bubbled up at the sight of the cut. Luckily it was but a small wound and I rose to my feet before quickly striding to the open wooden door at the far end of my small room. I entered the simple bathroom and approached the small sink on the far wall. I turned on the cool stream of water and stuck my hand under it to wash myself of the blood that'd accumulated on my soft fair skinned hands.

My tired blue eyes stared into the reflection of themselves in the clean glass of the mirror. They looked as tired as I felt, my pupils dilated and the white of my eye thoroughly bloodshot. Slowly my eyes scanned my once beautiful face that was now grimy with the blood of the men from yesterday. My hair was a matted mess, my curls crusted here and there with blood. I pushed my hands off of the sink, leaving the water running into the metallic sink, and strode into my room.

The door was still shut and the sounds of the men from downstairs still hummed in the air. Nothing had changed since The Joker had first left me in this disconcerting solitary confinement. Realizing that I may as well make use of my alone time I pulled some clean clothes from my boxes of clothes along with two towels and the bathing supplies that sat beside them. I brought my supplies and walked back into the small bathroom. Once inside I closed the door behind me and set everything on the clean brown tiled floor in the corner. Even though I lived in an abandoned chemical plant I kept everything that I interacted with clean and orderly.

I stripped of my dirtied nightie from however long ago I'd put it on. It fell to the floor as I stepped out of it along with my underwear. As I stuck my head into the sink I began to work the cold water through my long golden blonde hair. It chilled my head but I'd grown accustomed to it in the two years that I'd called the building my home. For a good time I stood there in the nude washing my hair with my trembling hands. If The Joker planned to leave me locked up in here until I died then at least I'd die clean.

Once finishing my hair I worked a small washcloth I'd stolen from a hotel under the steady stream of clear cool water. My fingers massaged the fabric as I squeezed some of the water from its hold. I lowered the damp washcloth to my legs and began to rid myself of any of the evidence of the night before. The entire time I washed myself my eyes focused solely on the water as each time I wrung out the washcloth it took on a red tint. I hadn't realized just how much blood had found its way onto me from the men I killed.

A grimace crossed my lips as I thought to their deaths by my whips. I wasn't remorseful in the least. Ridding Gotham City of a few crowbar toting thugs didn't weigh on my conscious. Death was something the city was reasonably accustomed to. Rather what caused my brows to furrow above my baby blue eyes, that had lost some of their tired sheen during my sponge bath of sorts, was the way that they had died. I'd been irate at having been woken to thugs moving into my little sanctuary and let my emotions get the best of me. None of their deaths had been as artfully done as I knew I could have made them. I'd been in too much of a hurry.

Now, looking back, it was the only thing I rightfully could have changed about the night that'd come to pass so unnervingly. No matter how I replayed it in my mind I knew there wouldn't have been a logical reason to me waking and managing to avoid The Joker as I abandoned my home of two years. Being psychic wasn't in my arsenal.

But the deaths at the hands of my beauties I could have gone about brining differently. My whips weren't constantly with me merely as woe bringers. They were my dearest friends and friends that appreciated art. As I strode from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my body that I'd patted dry as I thought my yes instantly sought out my whip that rested so lonely on my cotton pillowcase. The sight alone caused my heart to sink. I'd given The Joker my left hand whip thinking that he'd meant it to be the death of me. Now it was in his reckless grasp and I could only guess what he was doing with it. Had he taken it just to prove his dominance over me?

The moment I realized I was focusing on the damned clown once more I tore the towel from my body to allow the cold air to tease at my fair skin. The shock of the air had the desired effect and I wrapped the towel up around my blonde hair to hold it put, my attention now diverted to my nude body. My hands grasped onto the clothes I'd carried with me and I pulled them onto my body piece by piece starting at the top and working until I was perched on the end of my bed slipping on the much needed knee high socks. I wrapped my hand around the smooth leather strap that lay on my pillow beside my whip.

My hands hitched up the skirt I wore, pulling to rest in a crinkled mass over my hipline as I spread my thighs apart. I lifted my left thigh to slide the leather strap underneath it just below my groin in the indent where my thigh ended and hip began to start. It latched securely on as I buckled it closed pulling it taught against my skin. For a moment my fingers lingered holding the smooth leather of the strap that consisted of my whip holster. I wasn't sure why I'd even bother to put it on but it had just proved a habit by nature.

Slowly my fingers released the strap and instead crept down over my fair skin. It inched downwards, resting finally on the warm flesh of my inner left thigh. I gazed at the tattoo that my fingers now worked over. The black ink had faded in the eleven years that my skin had worn it yet it still looked as perfectly formed as ever. For a long while I sat taking in the picture etched into my skin; a picture I'd carry to the grave quite happily.

I closed my eyes, and set my hands on the cool skin of my cheeks before gliding them upwards to free my hair from the confines of the towel. As my hands began to work through my damp hair I allowed myself to go back to the day that I'd been given that tattoo. It was as clear as though I'd never truly left the moment behind.

I sat with a determined smile on my face as I waited for my turn. All around were people moving and talking. That's how it'd always been at the circus; busy even in the deep of the night. I myself was silent as my hands sat clasped together in my lap. Geoff, the old man who cleaned up after the acrobats, sat beside me keeping me company. It'd been a warm night. I could remember that much. The conversation we had held escaped me, but it wasn't important. The building anticipation in the air had clouded my thoughts even then.

Finally my turn came. I entered the tent striding confidently forth to the dentist style chair before hopping up into it and taking my seat. The burly man grinned down at me, greeting me with the same enthusiasm that I'd been greeted with the entire day. It was my tenth birthday and I'd finally earned the privileged position of a permanent child of the Haly Circus. As was custom I was to receive my coming of age, so to speak, present; a tattoo that all of my closest friends had come up with together in my honor.

Excitement and a sense of satisfaction had ran through me as spread my legs apart and pointed to the spot on my inner thigh that I'd decided would house the mark of approval from my peers. He'd nodded with a grin and, as was custom, blindfolded me so as to hide the finished project until he'd completed his masterpiece. All throughout the process of the needle injecting ink into my skin in a million little stabs at my youthful flesh I couldn't help but thumb the material of my rawhide whips. Even then they'd been my constant companions.

Finally the defining moment came and the dirty cloth was removed from my eyes. I sat up to gaze down at my thigh that pulsed in pain. There etched into the bleeding, swollen flesh of my thigh I could make out the black picture. A smile crept onto my face as I eyed the black swirling whip that loosely corkscrewed around a lightning bolt, a few stray tiny orbs of stars nestled just a smidge from the bolt.

My eyes rose now to the whip that sat on my pillow coiled so carefully as I breathed, "Ruby, the girl with the lighting whip," a little smile spread across my lips as I finished with, "snatching stars from the skies to hide them in her eyes."

Before I could stop myself a little laughed rolled from the air and I ceased toying with the curls of my hair. I snatched up the whip and kissed it again and again. "I'm sorry," I breathed as I ceased my barrage of pecks and gazed down at. "I got you into this mess."

As devoted as ever it lay in my hands never moving until I moved it slowly forward to let it unfurl onto the floor. "I know," I agreed as the metallic cable thunked against the cement. My darling whip was just as disgruntled as I was. I let my torso fall back to rest on the bed as my legs hung over the side, my whip running between my legs and resting on the floor. "It could be worse," I agreed with a nod as my body warmth slowly began to warm it.

I slowly raised my hands above my head, still holding onto the grips of the handle. The whip ran over my skin, running between my breasts, crossing over my waist as it continued on between my legs to the floor. Little giggles came from me as stroked the whip with my free hand. It was right, I should savor the alone time we had left together. The Joker had taken a dear friend to both of us. No longer a trio my dearest whip and I didn't have anyone but each other in this cement room.

"Well then," I huffed as the metal caught on my skirt and rolled it up over my waist. "Don't have to be so pushy about it."

With a little huff I raised my arm straight up and flicked my wrist. The whip darted off of my body and began to dance in the air as I let it sting and dance in the air. With admiration in my eyes I watched the beautiful black of it soar through the air. It twisted and curved, flowing so gracefully and fluidly I wondered how could have ever let myself forget that it had never left my side. More little giggles came from my lips and I beamed happily up at it as it sung for me. Little whistles of air coming as it moved about for my pleasure.

"Okay," I said through a smile as I sprung to my feet and strode away from my bed to stand in the large empty space of my room. There was a reason that I had so little furnishings and it became clear as ever as I began to twist my body, sending the whip slicing through the air. We moved in perfect tune; two fluid partners becoming one as I sprung into a one handed handstand. I extended my right hand that wielded my little darling outwards as I sent the whip rushing towards my left arm that held my body up from the ground. With a bend of my elbow I lowered my face an inch towards the ground before giving a great push.

My body jumped upwards and the whip passed under my hand as it bounded a few inches from the cement floor. The moment my whip passed through the space I came back down, catching all of my body weight once more on my leftmost arm, supporting myself with my feet directly above me in the air. I spread my toned legs into a split my skirt falling down over my face as I brought my right arm up the length of the front of body, my wrist against the underwear that covered my crotch. I flicked and twisted it allowing the whip to dance in the air between my legs that were now horizontal with the cool grey floor in their splits.

In a move I'd perfected so many years ago I relaxed my wrist and swirled it loosely around in a circle. The metal of the whip just above the plastic latex handle rested on my leftmost inner thigh. The rest of my whip soon followed suit, coiling about my fair skinned leg until it held it in its firm grasp, digging ever so slightly into my skin. I yanked, the whip forcing my leg straight up into the air, my free right leg moving downwards in harmony until finally my socked foot landed on the ground. I followed this with a little push off the ground with my left hand and once more found myself standing on my feet.

A smile of pleasure at how well we worked together played across my face as I let the handle of my whip jump from my right to my left hand. I gripped it, careful to avoid the button near its base, and held it securely as my fingers wrapped around the familiar grips. With a pull upwards I raised my arm straight up, pulling my left leg along with it. It rose through the air until my knee came to rest against my chest, my leg straight up running past my face. I gave a skilled twist of my wrist and the whip uncoiled itself from my skin, once more returning to the air.

I let my body fall forwards into a front splits, a gleeful giggle escaping my lips. The whip danced around me in the air before suddenly coming to an abrupt stop as laughter rang through my concrete cell. For the first time I realized I had an audience as I swiftly got to my feet and turned to stare at The Joker who stood leaning up against the wall his eyes glistening. "No,no!" he barked out between laughs before finally quieting down, a smirk on his permanently smiling red lips. "No need to stop on my accord," he teased, flashing his teeth in a grin.

I straightened up and with a flick of my wrist coiled my whip back up in my hand. "I was just finishing up."

"Quite an act-tah you've got there Ruby," his eyes landed on mine. "Did you learn that-tah at the circus?"

My curls bounced over my shoulders as I gave a nod. "Yes, it was part of my act."

He tilted his head an impish look crossing his twisted features as he laughed once more, pulling himself away from the wall. With his hands deep in the pockets of his purple slacks he rocked back and forth on his heels laughing to himself at whatever perverse thought had come to his mind. Grating at my ears and my formerly raised spirit his cackles rang in my mind. It was a sound that I'd come to hate the moment I'd first heard it all those hours ago, however many it was. "Rather flashy I admit," The Joker said when he finally ceased laughing.

His green eyes scanned me over a few times taking in my true appearance for the first time since he'd encountered me. The light the room provided was good and I was no longer dirt and blood covered in a nightgown. Rather I was clean and properly dressed, standing straight and as relaxed as I could manage with my remaining whip in my left hand. For a few moments he lingered on my beloved metallic companion before once more raising his eyes to mine, his face twisted in amusement once more. "Would have been a sight to see-yah-" he started as he pulled his right hand free from his pocket with gun in his grasp, "a rather shocking act 'ey Ruby?"

My own eyes darted down to the whip and the small button near the butt end of the handle. The Joker must have been referring to the electric current rig I'd set up within the cords. "No," I said turning my eyes back towards his, "I added that in myself after I left."

"Pity," he hummed and lowered his eyes to the gun he held loosely in his grip. The more seconds past with the firearm under his intense gaze the larger his smile grew. By the time The Joker turned his beady green eyes back up to me he held the largest most nerve-racking grin I'd ever seen him give. "Flashy little addition indeed. But what may I ask, my little Ruby," he paused and pointed his gun loosely towards me, "was the reason behind it?"

My tongue ran over my dry lips wetting them before I let out a small breath. "I needed a little something more," I stated. When his eyes continued to gaze at me I blinked, confused what he was waiting for. After a moment his eyes narrowed in an irritated fashion and he motioned with the gun as to continue on. I searched for the words, swallowing the spit that had accumulated in my mouth. "I fend for myself," I explained unsure why he was asking me at all, "and I wanted something as deadly as bullets without losing the precision and grace of my whips."

He let out an enthusiastic, "Ruby!" his voice ringing in the air as once more his smile broadened. "A woman after my own heart-tah!"

I stared at him dumbly as he stowed his gun in his pocket and strode over towards me, his long lean legs quickly closing the gap. His eyes met mine as he crossed his right hand over his chest to rest his gloved hand over where his heart should lay. The Joker stopped but a foot from me his eyes glistening as he lifted his hand away from his chest and instead extended it towards me. I stared down at the purple gloved thing as it hung in the air a short distance from me. For a moment I watched it before I turned my eyes up towards his, confused by his actions.

The look of impatience on his face struck me instantly and I extended my hands out to shake his unsure of this bizarre action. The Joker didn't seem like a man whom would randomly decide to shake a prisoner's hand, if that's even what I was. The second the tips of my fingers met his he pulled his hand away quickly with a loud laugh as my hand was left hanging there stupidly in the air. I pulled my eyes from my outstretched hand and locked in on his eyes as he let out a shot bark of laughter. "I too am fond of things that go zap."

He raised his gloved hand up to stop in front of my face as my arm fell limply back to my side. Around his middle finger a childlike buzzer stuck outwards. He chuckled gleefully as I eyed it, turning his hand so I could see that the front of it was made to look like a ring. Now I knew that The Joker was a madman, but something as innocent looking as what he wore had to have some sort of twisted use. As my eyes met his he nodded, his green hair shifting as he did so, as though I had assumed correctly. "Let's-sah just say that gag shops have nothing on me," he winked.

Deciding it best not to implore any further the meaning behind his hand buzzer I gave him a weak smile in response. This seemed to amuse him for he stepped away with another one of his laughs, this one much softer than most. "Tell me Ruby," he started as he reached the far side of the room, the side closest to the closed door, and turned to me, "what-tah good is a weapon as deadly as a gun that can't fare well in a dual against one?"

"Maybe they can't in other's hands," I said and gazed lovingly down at the whip in my left hand, "but once they've become a part of me they can."

The Joker's red lips twisted into an even wider smile as he pointed his gun at me and cocked his head to the side. "Big words for a little girl Ruby." With this said his grip on his gun tightened and he held it pointedly at me. "I'm just dying to see your act!"

A shot rang through the air and I narrowly dodged it, my eyes wide in surprise as I scuttled back. "Now Ruby," he said as my eyes locked onto his, his face alight in exhilaration, "don't get hit. This is an order-ah."

Laughs rolled from his lips in tune with the bullets that now rang through the air. Without hesitation I dropped into the splits and rolled my whip to my rightmost hand. Adrenaline pumped in my veins as shots and insane laughter bounced off every inch of my room and zoomed towards me in tune with the bullets being fired. I bounded all over the place being forced to contort my body to the fullest extent of my flexibility. I found myself crouching on my bed, perched on the edge as I stared wide eyed at the madman who grinned so devilishly across the room at me as yet another fire rang out.

My legs gave a great push and I flung myself through the air, rolling mid jump before landing on top of my whip table. The materials scattered under the force of my landing and I quickly rolled off of it onto the floor, avoiding another round fired towards me. His laughter only picked up as I faced him now, my whip zipping madly through the air as I finally got a chance to use it. A shot was fired aimed directly towards me and with a simple arch of my trustworthy metallic companion it knocked the bullet from its course.

The Joker fired four shots in concession and I zipped my whip about batting them from the air as m y eyes locked on him. All through my veins anger and adrenaline coursed through me. The damned mad man was playing with me!

His laughter grated at my ears and I realized that he wouldn't stop unless he no longer had a gun to fire. With an animalistic growl I crouched low on the ground ducking another bullet and lunged forward, twirling and twisting my body as I rolled into a one handed cartwheel, spreading my legs wide as I slapped another bullet from the air with my black whip. I pushed off of the ground, landing but a few feet from him now, my eyes locking on his green ones as I snapped my whip out towards him, extending my arm in order to allow for the perfect release.

The tip wrapped around the muzzle of the gun and I dropped to the ground as I yanked, narrowly missing the last bullet he could manage to get out before my whip yanked his firearm from his grasp. It went soaring through the air and over my shoulder as the whip released it and snapped in satisfaction in the air as it extended its full length behind me. With my eyes still locked with The Joker's as his laughter stopped just a second before his gun came into a loud cracking contact with the wall furthest behind us. Instantly I straightened myself up, reeling my whip up to a coil in my right hand as my breasts heaved with how hard I'd began to breathe.

He grinned at me an insane glint to his green eyes as he clapped his deep purple gloved hands once. "Simply stunning," The Joker laughed as he reached up and into the fold of his long, deep purple coat. "No game is complete without a little competition-nah, now is it Ruby?" he asked as he drew yet another gun out and held it with a devilish grin that showed off his row of bright white teeth in a fashion that made my gut lurch.

Disbelief washed through my face as I moved to uncoil my whip once more in preparation of the bullets to come. He'd caught me off guard the first time but this time I was going to be prepared. Seeing this subtle movement The Joker's voice filled the air as he said, "Ha-ta-ta," and held his hand up for me to stop.

I ceased moving, my whip falling out of its coil to land on the floor with a loud resounding crack. Without warning he threw the gun towards me and I caught it just before it could smack against my chest. I stared down at the gun in my hand before raising my eyes slowly to meet his. He rocked back and forth on his heels, spreading his arms wide in the air. "Your turn Ruby."

I stared at him, my mouth opening slowly and closing without a word coming out. My eyes shifted down to the gun once more that I held, laying flat in my palms. Once more they turned up to him as he ceased his rocking and gave me a pointed look. "I-" I faltered as I had to let out another little breath, "-I've never fired a gun before."

This seemed to displease The Joker for his gleaming eyes dimmed and his smiled lowered. Though his lips were permanently hitched into a forced grin I could now tell the difference between one of his smiles and what was just his unnatural fixed expression his bright red lips held. "Point," he commanded and lowered his arms, waving my hand for me to get on with it, "and shoot. It's not rocket sience-sah."

Without thinking I moved my whip to my left hand and grasped the gun in my right. "Where?" I asked, not wanting to disobey a command from him. I wasn't even sure why but I felt a creeping need to stay on his good side.

He spread his arms once more. "Why at your favorite person of course Ruby."

Once more my mouth opened in disbelief. The Joker had just tossed me a gun and was now commanding me to shoot at him? I'd known him insane, I'd heard the stories and seen the news. But this; this was beyond insane. "At you?" I asked slowly the words hanging in the air causing him to give a short little laugh.

"Well golly Ruby," he taunted, setting his right hand over his heart once more, "I truly am flattered." For a moment he waggled his eyebrows at me his eyes alight in amusement. "Yes, follow my two little steps. It's your turn to make the move-uh in my little game."

For a few seconds I stared at him incredulously before raising the gun to point at him. He nodded in approval and once more spread his arms, rocking back on his heels as he waited for me, obviously pleased. I took in a shaking breath and pulled the trigger without any further ado. Suddenly a current of electricity ran through me and I dropped to the floor my legs giving way. I hit the cold cement floor, the gun cracking on the concrete as it broke from my grasp and skidded a short distance away.

Pain rippled in my nerves and I twitched. My breath stuck in my lungs. I had to shut my eyes as wave of nausea tore at me and I let out a huge gasping breath. Though The Joker's laughter rang through the air I couldn't even process it. My mind was reeling, my eyesight hazy, every nerve in my body alert and confused. A sharp pang pulsed in my hand and I opened my eyes to gaze down into the flesh of my palm. A large 'J' had been burnt into it from the sudden shock of electricity.

Realizing I was still on the floor I gritted my teeth and set my hands on the cold cement, wincing as I forced myself to stand up my body still burning in surprise from the unexpected shock. "All of your gears still running right?" he asked as his laughter finally quieted and he stared over at me tears glistening in his eyes from how hard he'd laughed. I gave a shaky nod, compelled by some unknown force to answer and he reached up with his gloved hand to swipe away a tear from his laughter. "What a wonderfully manufactured toy-yah you are Ruby!"

Were it not for the fact my jaw was currently locked I would have gritted my teeth at this comment. Instead all I could do was stare at him, waiting for what move he'd make next. He just gazed back at me, laughing for a few moments more. "Well then," he smiled manically as he dove his hands deep into his pockets as he rocked back on his feet once more, "let's-sah try that again shall we? This time let's pick a target less dear to you?"

With his gloved hand he gestured towards my bed. My eyes widened at his insane request but nonetheless I found myself robotically scooping up the gun and training it on the mattress that already had been ripped in a few spots from his earlier bullets. If I was going to die today, then it would be much better to get it over quickly. I was sure that I couldn't withstand another one of the electric jolts from this gun. So I let out a little short breath and pulled on the trigger once more.

The gun reacted instantly, jerking back in my hands as it reacted to me pulling the trigger. Only this time I responded in surprise rather than pain. A bullet zoomed from the barrel and into my pillow, tearing at the material and burning some of the synthetic stuffing on its way through. My eyes instantly fell to the gun I held and I twisted it to stare at the handle. An embossed 'J' stuck up from the metal grip which matched perfectly with the burn that my right hand palm now was a home to. It was definitely the same gun.

I turned my eyes to The Joker as he smiled at me in amusement. "It's funny how often people give up after the first try," he said, taking a step towards me and swiping the gun from my hand without further ado. "But you Ruby," he smiled down at me with a dangerous glint to his eye as I stood floored, unable to think a coherent thought at what had just occurred, "you understand to obey the ringleader."

Another laugh left his lips and he stooped to pick up my whip that had fallen to the floor. In a swift movement he extended it towards me. I stared down at it, blinking slowly before accepting it and coiling it in my grasp as on auto pilot. "The last one," he said tilting his head to peer down at me as he stood straight now his eyes locking on mine, "didn't understand-dah the order of things. So you know what I did Ruby?

I shook my head numbly having no idea what he was talking about. "I threw her from a window." He let out another round of laughter before reaching forth and pushing a curl from where it had fallen in front of my eyes from his burst of laughter. "You understand I'm the head honcho, don't you Ruby?" he asked his grin stretching across his entire face. I didn't even need to answer, he was already nodding for me. "You've been branded Ruby," he snatched my right hand in his and held it up to his face to examine the scar as he laughed again, "like one of the animals from your little carnival. You know what that means?"

Everything began to dawn on me and I nodded as he released my hand and lowered my eyes to stare disbelievingly down at my hand trying to understand exactly what was taking place here in the once abandoned chemical plant. The Joker was making me his pet. I stared up into his green eyes as realization rang through my already shot nerves and he flashed me a toothy grin as his eyes stared not at me but into me. "Good then Ruby. Let's get started."

He slung one of his lengthy arms around my shoulder and drew me roughly against him, turning us to face the door. I followed numbly beside him, whip in hand as he steered me from the room. "Did I ever mention; I've always loved the circus?" he laughed the sound echoing down the halls along with every step we took.