CHAPTER 15 – AN UNEXPECTED GUEST

The Penguin strolled through the Iceberg Lounge, admiring the little empire he'd built. He had come a long way from the colorful criminal who attacked The Batman and Gotham City with his bird and umbrella themed crimes. Now he had got cleverer in the accumulation of his ill-gotten gains, like a wily old buzzard who no longer feared being caged.

But his immunity was in danger of being ended if Harvey Dent succeeded in this campaign of his. Dent, back in the DA's office, wanted to bring down all the leading underworld figures, The Penguin being prominent amongst them.

And being directly connected to the underworld grape vine, The Penguin heard all sorts of information. And the juiciest piece of info was that The Joker was secretly in cahoots with Dent. The Penguin called in his assistants, Jay, Raven and Lark.

"I have a job for you my dears," The Penguin said, "I want you to arrange that word spreads about me wanting to meet with The Joker here after close of business hours."

The women nodded, quickly exiting the Lounge.

"If anyone is in the perfect position to help me with my little Dent problem, he is," The Penguin said to himself as he waddled away, swinging his umbrella merrily.

…

The Penguin was a man of great influence. If he wanted a piece of information spread, it spread very quickly indeed. And so, at The Boon Dock Bar & Grill, The Joker soon found himself on the phone. One of his street-level snitches had contacted him with an interesting tidbit of information.

"So, The Penguin wants to see me, does he? This could be interesting. I'll be sure to pay him a little visit later tonight. Thanks for the info."

The Joker ended the call, turning back to the man he had tied to a chair. This nobody sat in front of him would be playing a very important role in his plan.

"Life's funny, isn't it? One day, you can be on top of the world, full of hopes and dreams. The next day you can be dead. Or maybe you just wish you're dead, your whole life ruined. Or maybe, just maybe, you could wind up going totally bonkers- just like me! HA HA!"

The Joker let out a dark, sinister giggle.

"But that's what I've always said. All it takes is one bad day. One bad day, and anyone could end up as crazy as I am. But madness is...how can I say it? It's a gift! Yes, that's what it is. I mean...look at me! You should have seen what I was like before. Heh heh, I was a nobody, just like you. Going crazy was the best thing that ever happened to me!"

The Joker leaned in close to the man. He'd captured the guy while he was out shopping for groceries. He never knew what hit him.

"I know how you're feeling. You're scared, aren't you?"

"I am not scared of you," said the man.

The Joker chuckled.

"Well, you should be," he replied with soft menace, "But it is admirable that you can stare fear in the face. You are quite the fighter. And I'm glad. It's not as fun when people die quietly."

The Joker picked up a knife from a nearby table.

"I bet you haven't had a significant day in your life. But you're significant to someone, aren't you. Somebody loves you. And that's why you are so useful to me. I'm going to...heh heh... leave a little message with you. This is going to hurt. A lot."

The Joker began carving a message into the man's chest with a knife. The man's face contorted in pain, and he bit down on his lip so hard that it began to bleed. But he didn't scream. He never screamed.

REMEMBER WHAT DAY IT IS. That was the message carved into the man's chest. Oh, the meaning that little message held. That message pointed to another irony, possibly the sweetest irony of all. This was one joke that would crush his nemesis forever.

"Life's funny, isn't it...Alfred?"