Sabre—I think it would be "dislike even more" or "like even less." Anywho, thanks for reviewing. I totally agree with you about the Joker. Here's more.
Hannah—I don't like the Joker. I think he's totally evil, but he is an amazing character that Heath Ledger has done an amazing job with. So I love him, but hate him at the same time. Did that make any sense? And Batman is just totally awesome. I had an awesome time in NYC, but since we did everything touristy there in two days, my feet still hurt. Lol Here's more for you to enjoy.
Fairy Skull—I thank you for the compliments and I'm glad that you loved it. Yeah it was dark, and knowing the next couple scenes, they're not particularly bright either. I'm glad that you like the roof scene. I'm not sure exactly what I was trying to accomplish there, except for explaining how he got into MCU and the interrogation room. For your question, I'm not really sure. I'm pretty much following the plot line to a T so I guess so. I'm not sure how it's all gonna work out, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I know that that doesn't really answer your question. I'm sorry.
Madelineex3—I know it was short, but yes, you got something. =) I'm glad that you liked it. I, too, feel bad for Al. That must've sucked. About Sven, I just had to rant about it for a little bit. Thanks for the compliments, and he's obviously to stupid to read the bold print. Oh well. I had great time in New York. It was fun, and here's more.
Okay, time for Joker interrogation #1, because I'm sure that there are more to come. Let's see how this goes.
I stood on the other side of the mirrored glass along with Stephens, Ramirez, Wilson and few officers. I was standing next to Wilson, who had put his hand over mine when I came in. He had obviously seen me shaking as I came in. I was actually still shaking too. I really appreciated Wilson's hand there; it made me feel safe. As we waited for my dad to get there, we all watched the dark room where the Joker sat completely silent, awaiting something to spark his interest. Tension began to mount. Where was my dad? I hoped with everything that I had in me that he was ok; that he was just stuck in traffic. I didn't think I could stand to lose him a second time. I began shaking again.
Wilson leaned over to me and whispered in my ear. "It's okay. I'm sure that he's fine." It was like he read my mind. "At least we have the Joker in custody." He smiled and squeezed my hand.
I turned it over so that we could lace fingers. "Thanks, Wilson," I whispered back. "It means a lot." I closed my eyes and began breathing slowly to calm down.
"In, out. In, out," I heard him whisper.
The door slammed open, causing me to jolt again. I pulled my hand back from Wilson, and it wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling without him. I looked at Dad as he practically stormed in. He looked at me, then at Ramirez. "Has he said anything yet?"
Ramirez shook her head.
Dad turned around and began to walk out the door. "Alex, c'mon. You're with me."
I tilted my head back and let out a silent scream/groan. I didn't want to go through this again. Wilson rubbed his hand on my back and gently shoved me forward. I jogged after Dad and enter the dark room. I felt fear knot in my stomach, but it didn't spread because I knew that Batman was hiding in a corner, covered in darkness. I stayed a little bit behind Dad, but the Joker did happen to notice me.
His eyes darted between Dad and I. "You look a little underdressed, Sarg," he said with a musical quality to his voice and his tongue darting from his mouth.
I sighed.
"Do I sense, uhh.., what's the word, fear?"
"Can it!" my Dad ordered.
"Evening, Caaamissionerrrr," he said with a tongue flick and a tilt of his head. Commissioner? Dad was commissioner? Granted, he would make a great leader, but for some reason, it didn't seem to fit. When did it happen? So many questions that were interrupted by the next statement my dad made.
"Harvey Dent never made it home," he announced. He swept some dust off the table and folded his hands calmly.
"Of course not," the Joker answered as if the entire world should've known that and expected it.
"What have you done with him?" I demanded and sat on the edge of the table.
He looked up at me, as if surprised that I still had a voice, and answered in an even more surprised voice. "Me? I was right here." His eyes darted between Dad and I. He abruptly held up his hands to show the handcuffs. "Who did you leave him with?" he accused pointing at Dad. "Your people?" He paused to think, and he licked his lips as if in thought. "Assuming of course, they are still your people…. And not," tongue flick, "Maroni's," he hissed. He paused to let it sink in.
I looked at Dad to see how this was going to play out. He still looked calm, but I could see his jaw clenched and the vein pumping in his neck. I knew that my fists were clenched to the point where the knuckles were right, but Dad played cool. I knew I would too. The Joker knew how to press the right buttons.
"Does it depress you, Commissioner, Sarg, to know just how alone you really are?" He let it hang in the air for a second as Dad swallowed and I glanced over to the mirrored window. "Does it make you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current," tongue flick, "pre-dic-ament?"
"Where is he?" Dad said softly.
"What's the time?" the Joker asked nonchalantly.
"What difference does that make?" I asked.
The Joker bobbed his head. "Well, depending on the time," he raised up his hands to emphasize, "he may be in one spot or several." He licked his lips again and raised his eyebrows at us.
Dad pulled the key to the handcuffs and toyed with it in his hands for a second.
I looked into the dark and saw a movement that looked a nod. I tapped Dad's shoulder, and he nodded at me.
He leaned over the table and began to stand. "If we're gonna play games," he unlocked the handcuffs, "I'm gonna need a cup of coffee." He pulled them off and walked away, leaving me behind. The door buzzed and he was out.
"Ah, the good cop, bad cop routine?" he asked leaning on the table and clicked his teeth.
I pushed myself off the table. "Not exactly," I smirked as the door buzzed for me and I walked out. I walked back into the observation room on the other side of the glass and saw the fluorescent lights flip on. Batman was standing right behind the Joker, his black suit in total contrast with white walls. I closed my eyes hoping that this would be okay. I leaned against the table in between Dad and Wilson. I leaned over to Dad. "Commissioner, huh? Congrats."
He looked at me and attempted at smile, but our focus was drawn back to the interrogation room when there was loud thud from the table. The Joker had his hand on his head and Batman was on the other side of the table with his hands holding him up. The Joker was shaking his head. "Never start with the head!" he advised, sounding almost normal. "The victim gets all…fuzzy." Again, hand motions to emphasize. "They can't feel the next—"
Batman raised his fist and slammed it into the Joker's hand.
There was a pause before the Joker spoke again. "See?"
Batman sat in the steel chair across the table, looking like a cop would, except for the black batty suit. "You wanted me," he growled. "Here I am."
Everyone in the observation room was huddled closer to the window to watch. I didn't want to so I was against the back wall watching what glimpses I could, but mostly, I was trying to fight off the shakes again. It was like being to close to the Joker for me was like Kryptonite to Superman. Dad, who was also leaning against the back wall, moved forward.
"I wanted to see what you'd do," the Joker explained. "And you didn't disappoint." He leaned over the table. "You let five people die." He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
It hit me like a rock in my stomach. Five people since the Joker had started his threat, Dent missing, and a few other cops in MCU alone. The Joker was hitting us hard, and we couldn't stop him. How was it possible?
"Then, you let Dent take your place." He licked his lips. He shifted in his seat again. "Even to a guy like me, that's cold!"
Batman kept his calm. "Where's Dent?"
"Those mob fools want you gone so they can get back to the way things were," he ducked the question. He folded his arms on the table. "But I know the truth, there's no going back. You've changed things. Forever."
"Then why do you want to kill me?"
The Joker began to laugh really hard. It caused me to turn away, and just listen to the conversation. "I don't wanna kill you. What would I do without you? Go back to rippin' off mob dealers? No. No. No. No, you. You, complete, me."
"You're garbage that kills for money."
"Don't talk like one of them," he scolded, gesturing to the mirrored window. I turned around to watch. "You're not! Even if you'd like to be," he hissed. "To them you're just a freak, like me. They need ya right now, but when they don't," he smacked his lips. "They'll cast ya out. Like a leper." He rolled his head and smacked his lips again. "See their morals, their code." He licked his lips. "It's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble." He bobbed his head, obviously trying to think about how to push more buttons. "They're only as good as the world allows them to be." He licked his lips and nodded. "I'll show ya. When the chips are down, these uhh civilized people, they'll Eat each other." He bobbed his head for a while. "See, I'm not a monster," he pointed out leaning back in the chair. "I'm ahead of the curve."
Batman lunged across the table and grabbed the Joker by the collar. He pulled him across until the Joker was hanging in the air. "Where's Dent?" Batman ordered in low growl.
"You've got all these rules, and you think they'll save you!" The Joker kept ducking the question and pushing buttons.
Batman pinned him to a pillar in the room and press his forearm against the Joker's neck.
Stephens and Ramirez turned around to face Dad, obviously thinking that this had gotten out of hand. I agreed, but I trusted Batman with my life. He wouldn't do anything permanently damaging, I hoped. Dad seemed just a dumbfounded as them and equally panicked. "He's, uhhh, in control," I assured.
"I have one rule," Batman rumbled.
"Then that's the rule you'll have to break to know the truth," the Joker almost sang.
"Which is?"
"The only sensible to live in this world is without rules, and tonight you're gonna break you're one rule," he threatened.
"I'm considering it," Batman announced.
Bad news! I all ready had a basic guess of what that rule was, and we needed the Joker alive.
"Well, there's only minutes left," the Joker decided to tell, "so you're gonna have to play my little game to save one of them." Not this game again.
All I could see was the face of Batman at this point, and his eyes showed utter hatred with the linings of fear, like he all ready knew who the other person was. "Them?" It was quieter and more subdued.
"Ya know, for a while there, I, umph, thought you really were Dent." He was struggling to keep his windpipe open. "The way you threw yourself after her."
Batman had had enough. He flipped the Joker over and slammed him into the table. The Joker was obviously having fun by the way he was laughing. Batman had grabbed the chair and walked over to the door.
I pushed my way out of the observation room and over to the interrogation room to calm him down. "Look at you go," I heard the Joker exclaim. It was too late; Batman had propped the chair under the door handle. I exhaled and slammed my fist into the door. This was not going well, or how I intended. I heard a smash and glass splintering.
"Where are they?" Batman thundered.
"You know, killing is making a choice," the Joker said completely calm.
"Where are they?" Batman repeated just as loud.
I massaged my temples.
"Alex, what were you thinking?" Dad demanded.
I sighed. "I don't know," I whispered. "It wasn't supposed to go this way. He was supposed to just get information, not go ballistic."
Dad's jaw was clenched, and I couldn't tell if there were more detectives watching us or the fight inside interrogation room. "This was a huge mistake, Sergeant! We could've gotten the same amount of squat information without hurting him!"
"I was trying to help, Commissioner!" I fought back with my hands in fists at my side. "The Joker knows how to push buttons! And, FYI, at least we know who he has!"
Stephens cut in. "Hey! Both of you! Shut up!" It echoed in the small room.
"He's at 250 52nd Boulevard," the Joker informed. "And she's on avenue X at Cicero."
I rushed back to the interrogation room with Dad on my heels. Batman slammed through the door. "Which one you goin' after?" I demanded.
"Rachel," was the short and huffed reply.
We were going after Dent.
Okay, well, it didn't take that long to write, but of course, I had the script and movie to help me along. Hope that you liked it, even if it wasn't that different than the movie. It will get better as the movie comes to a close, I promise, but please continue reading and reviewing. Please review.