I steadied myself as I rolled up my sleeves before setting my shoulders back, lifting my Glock G21. Aiming at the bull's-eyes that were spray-painted on the far wall of the apartment basement, I took a deep breath to calm myself, and then I depressed the trigger slowly, getting the feel of the gun in my hand.
Reaching the point that I felt connected to both the gun and the bull's eye I was currently aiming at, I fired in rapid succession. The gunshots ricocheted off the cement walls of the basement. I kept my arm steady as I shot each round, shell cases plinking onto the floor at my feet.
My gun clicked to tell me it was empty and without pause, I loaded it and continued firing, this time at the second bull's eye.
As I got in some target practice, I tried to forget what had occurred merely minutes ago. I didn't want to remember having that moment with the Joker, with my partner-in-crime, with my boss. I hated myself for admitting something that I would regret admitting for the rest of my life. What did the Joker care about me and my fear of love, only because I was a woman who was broken at heart and in soul? I had expected the Joker to laugh at me, to mock me for my foolishness, to even put me out of my misery. I hadn't expected him to show me sympathy, least of all kiss me as a way of comforting me!
My gun was empty again, and I simply reloaded it and continued my little rant against the third bull's eye.
If I could deal with the pain, I would've tried to kill myself for telling the Joker about my foolishness. With him, I had made so many mistakes, and I found myself wishing, hoping, dreaming for the day he would finally put me down like a dog!
Tears escaped my eyes as I fired my third round, and I didn't bother to wipe them, letting them blur my vision to the point that I was missing the bull's eye and hitting the wall around the targets.
The clicking at the end of the round set me off, and I leaned back against the wall, only to slide down, resting my head on my arms. I didn't cry, but the tears flowed anyway; I didn't try to hold them back, just let them go.
"Tormented." I raised my head to see the blurry purple figure of the Joker standing on the bottom step of the stairs, his hands holding the railings on both sides to keep him steady. "You're a tormented soul, Sha-dow."
"It isn't something I can control," I murmured.
The Joker lifted himself off his feet and swung his body back and forth for a few seconds before jumping down, turning his head to look at my spray-painted targets on the wall. "I believe you missed on the last-ah round," he said, casually.
"Thanks for telling me," I said as I rested my head on my arms again after roughly drying my eyes on my sleeves. I heard the Joker's footsteps coming closer, and I sensed his presence as he crouched in front of me. He placed a hand on my shoulder, to which I pushed away.
Neither of us moved nor spoke for a few moments before the Joker tried again, this time placing his hand on my head and stroking my hair.
I snapped my hand down on his wrist and looked up, glaring at him coldly. "What did you not under-stand, Joker? I don't want you touching me."
The Joker looked hurt by my sharp tone, and he stood and turned away. Almost immediately, I regretted how I had treated him. He was only human, like me, like the cops of the city, like Batman. He had emotions, even though it was difficult to reach them.
Abruptly, the Joker spun around, grabbing me under the arm. Within seconds, he had me standing, trapped against the wall, with his hands by either side of my head. His brown eyes seemed to darken with the rapid swirl of his emotions, his lean frame trembling slightly.
"Broken…tor-mented…and tem-per-amen-tal," the Joker growled, empathizing each syllable. "Just. Like. Me."
"I don't wanna be like you," I murmured, meekly.
"Too bad, dar-ling. That's who you are. You can't es-cape it. Be-lieve me, I've tried." His tongue slid quickly over his scarred lips. "Whatever happened, put it behind you. We've got work to do."
The Joker pushed off the wall and headed for the stairs.
"What are we doing?" I asked. I knew by now – after being with him for sixteen days – that he wasn't going to tell me, but I thought I'd ask anyway; it being a habit at this point.
The Joker stopped and half-turned, his head low and his eyes flickering with the constant swirl of emotion. "I owe Raven a favor, and you're gonna help me." He turned away, took one step, and then halted again. "Unless…you'd rather stay here," he said in an undertone.
With the undertone, I didn't know if he was warning me not to stay here or if he was warning me of his reaction if I answered affirmative to staying behind.
Strange as it sounds, I didn't want to separate myself from him, despite after what had occurred earlier between us – even if he did put it behind him already. I wasn't going to put it behind me; I was going to face it.
"I'll help you," I said simply.
He didn't move for a moment, but I had the impression that he was grinning because of his victory. As he bounded up the stairs, two steps at a time, I couldn't help rolling my eyes. With the Joker, you almost had to think of everything as a game.
As I reloaded my gun, I realized how controlled I felt over my emotions. I had lost that control when the Joker pressed for something I didn't want to reveal, and even he lost control with me, like he was in tuned to my emotions. Or it could've been the other way around.
Either way, I thought as I raced upstairs, in similar fashion to the Joker, if one of us was feeling down, the other was only dragged down with them.
From the outside, Arkham Asylum looked depressing and scary with its spiderlike name on the front gate, the tall towers, the spikes, the design of an ancient castle – in my opinion – and the foreboding darkness that the building held. Located in the Narrows, I wasn't too surprised by the darkness of it, but I was scared looking at the place, especially since the Joker was telling the story about Fear Night – as Gotham called it.
It was the night that Rā's Al Ghūl (aka. "The Demon's Head") had used the fear toxin created by Dr. Jonathan Crane, also known as Scarecrow, on the city to turn its inhabitants against one another, simply to destroy the corrupt city before it contaminated others. This wasn't the first appearance of the Dark Knight, but it was really the first time that Batman had saved the city from destruction.
"Scarecrow's all about fear," the Joker said, "He was a tool, letting Rā's Al Ghū use him for his plan to, ah, to turn the city's in-hab-itants against each other."
"You've done something similar," Raven remarked from the driver's seat.
"Have I?" the Joker asked, confused.
"When you set up the two ferries to blow each other up before midnight or you'll blow them both sky high."
"At least I used natural fear," he argued.
Raven shrugged carelessly. "Don't argue with me. Argue with Scarecrow."
A low growl of irritation emanated from the Joker's throat, and she just smiled and drove toward the front gate. She rolled down the window and slipped in an ID card into a slot. The gate opened, and she drove through.
I couldn't help but shudder at the looks of Arkham Asylum. I glanced at the Joker, wondering how he could stand being in such a place. Was he really insane before they brought him here, or did this place drive him over the edge?
Sensing my gaze, the Joker turned his head and caught my eyes before I could look away. He grinned as he slid over next to me and wrapped his arm over my shoulder. At the touch, I flinched and tried to press myself against my cardoor, but the Joker wasn't having any of it, being stronger than I.
"Welcome to, ah, to my second home, Shadow," the Joker chuckled softly. "Doesn't look like much, but it's a temporary home."
If he was trying to comfort me, it was in vain.
Raven parked the car off the side where it was well hidden, and we got out. The Joker stood still for a few moments, simply staring up at his "second home". He murmured something, and I thought I caught him saying, "…two weeks and…few days."
"Talking to yourself, Mistah J?" I asked him, in a teasing tone, one that was forced since I still had a terrified sense of the place.
"Talking out-ah loud," he explained. "I've only been out of Arkham for two weeks and a few days."
"Wait, what?"
"You heard me, Shadow. A day before you arrived in Gotham, I was here." The Joker smiled as he half-turned toward me. "I can't figure out if it's bet-ter coming here on my own free will or if the cops were bringing me."
"It's probably better with you going in with the cops," Raven replied as she approached us after locking the car. "That way, we know you're going in and aren't coming out for awhile."
The Joker looked at her with surprise, his eyes wide in the puppy impression. "Do you really hate me that much, Raven?"
"Is that a trick question?" she asked in return. Seeing the Joker's eyes flash with anger, I stepped in between them.
"C'mon, let's go and get this over with," I said. And to avoid having to explain myself, I headed toward the front doors of the place, despite the terror that was building inside me. I was somewhat relieved when I heard their footsteps behind me, and it helped that the Joker caught up to me to walk beside me. However, I kept my eyes forward, not wanting to meet his curiosity.
When we approached the door, I grabbed the Joker's arm, purposely avoiding his hand, as Raven moved forward and inserted the same ID card she had used before. The huge door swung open easily on oiled hinges, and the three of us slipped in – Raven using invisibility and the Joker sharing my shadowmelding through touch.
"What's the ID that you're using?" I asked quietly.
"A staff member's. It's for an intern named Alexis Paige."
"A fake name, I'm guessing."
"An alias. Every criminal has one." I felt a shift in the air, and by using my shadow sight, I saw Raven look pointedly at the Joker. "Well…I don't know about him."
"Bozo's one," the Joker replied, annoyed.
Raven shrugged and dropped the conversation. At least my curiosity about the card was satisfied. "Okay, Joker, you're the only one who's been here, and surely you know your way around this place."
The Joker giggled softly. "I don't think I remember after two weeks out-ah." Since I could see it, I stomped on his feet, digging my heel in. To his credit, he didn't even make a sound when he jerked violently with the pain.
"Lead the way, Clownboy," Raven volunteered, dramatizing it by swinging her arms forward. Of course, the Joker couldn't see it, but I did.
I realized that if he went first, I had to also, which didn't settle well with me when I couldn't help but feel scared of the very environment of this place. Not once in my years as a criminal have I got caught. I've been close, but I've always feared being locked up. So when the Joker stepped forward, I gave him a sharp yank on his arm, silently protesting.
"Ah, Raven, maybe you should go first," the Joker said.
"Why? Are you scared?"
"If I have to ex-plain it, your hands are free so if you're first, then Shadow and I can, ah, back you up, should we come across-."
"Is Shadow the one who's-?"
"Shush," I said sharply as I pulled the Joker toward the nearest wall. I saw Raven press herself against the wall on his other side before a guard came walking around the corner. It was his whistling that had alerted me of his approach, and here he was, walking by us, whistling and swinging his baton carelessly.
I felt the Joker stiffened, and I tightened my grip on his arm, silently warning him against any action he was fantasizing in his head. We waited until the guard had turned another corner, disappearing from view, before we relaxed – or rather, Raven and the Joker to relax; me, I didn't bother loosening my grip on the Joker's arm.
Noticing it, he chuckled quietly and patted my hand, like he knew of my fear of the place. "You'll get-ah used to it," he whispered into my ear, which surprised me that he could see me as a shadow, despite him sharing the ability with our physical contact.
"All right, let's go," Raven whispered, and she led the way. We climbed one staircase, took a turn, got me lost in a series of hallways, taking two more stairs and turning down to what had to be the left wing of the asylum before we arrived at the Maximum Security Wing.
"Comforting place," I remarked, trying to keep my courage up. "I'd hate to be kept in here."
"You'll end up here if you're ever caught, Shadow," Raven said.
"But I'm not insane."
"It's not going to be a question of, ah, of whether or not you're in-sane," the Joker said. "If they find out about your ability, which they have, you'll be kept here for safekeeping." He chuckled softly. "I wonder how they'd keep you from shadowing away."
"They'd put restraints on her," Raven replied, and I wished that I could shadow out of this place.
"I'd be driven insane," I murmured as Raven moved around the corner after motioning for us to stay.
"This is an asylum, Sha-dow," the Joker said, amused. "They cure you of insanity here."
"Yeah, and you're proof of their 'curing' skills." I didn't have to look to see that the Joker's mood had darkened because of my remark. The growl emanating from his chest only proved it.
Raven returned, leaning against the wall beside me for a few seconds, breathing heavily. "This could be difficult," she said, brushing her hair out of her face with a hand.
"How difficult?" the Joker asked.
"They've just doubled security since the last time I was here-."
"When was the last time?" I asked.
"Two days ago. Seems like someone alerted them about some possible action happening tonight." She glared in the direction she had heard the Joker's voice.
"Wasn't me," he protested, lifting his hands, widening his eyes so that he had innocent puppy eyes.
I jabbed him with my elbow. "She can't see you," I reminded him.
The Joker growled as he ripped his arm out of my grip, appearing to anyone's vision. I lunged forward to grab him, but he dodged me, tripping me with a well-placed foot. I fell into a roll and came up in a crouch, glaring at him over my shoulder.
The Joker grinned in my general direction. "Sorry, Shadow, Raven," he said, "But-ah I'm not the kind of guy who enjoys sneak-ing." Even though he couldn't see me, the Joker bounded over, grabbed my arm, and yanked me to my feet, only to press his lips against mine in a quick kiss. Before I could react, he pulled away and said, "Wish me luck." Then, the Joker bounded around the corner, and I gasped with surprise – either a stalled reaction to him kissing or to him being an idiot and running out into the open.
"Home, sweet home!" the Joker yelled loudly. I ran to catch up with him, but skidded to a stop as I saw him facing six surprised guards with his arms up and out in glee. "Hey!" the Joker protested. "I don't remember this many guards!"
The guards regained their control and four of them pulled out their side-arms, firing around the Joker. He burst out laughing at them when they finished one round.
"Ya missed!" the Joker shrieked gleefully.
"Stay where you are, Joker," one guard ordered.
"Sorry, buddy, you haven't captured me yet!" He laughed. "I hope you're good at running!" He spun on his heel and ran for it, shouting, "Catch me if you can!" over his shoulder.
Three of them took up the chase right away, and I basically threw myself at the wall to avoid being trampled by them. The Joker was already out of sight, but I could hear his laughter echoing as the three guards after him disappeared from view.
The last three hung back a bit, one of them calling for backup, another racing over to the security booth, while the third raced past me to check the other side of the hallway, obviously not seeing Raven with her back pressed against the wall.
"The Joker's in the building," the calling guard said into his walkie-talkie. "He's running away from the Maximum Security Wing, headed off in a random direction." He paused for some static to talk back, and he told the mechanical voice "affirmative". The guard called to his two companions, the one at the booth responding while the wandering one didn't.
I saw Raven peek around the corner, and realized that I should have acted before this.
I leaped at the guard still holding his walkie-talkie, and I kicked it out of his hand. He gasped in surprise as his eyes watched the object fly toward the ceiling. That had to be the last he saw as I knocked him unconscious. His partner at the booth was running over, looking around cautiously, but I ran toward him, jumping and executing a roundhouse kick to his head.
I landed in a crouch and called out, "What now, Raven?"
"The guys in the booth are next," she told me as she ran to my side. We moved together, running for the security booth. One guard from inside who had heard the commotion outside opened the door, but I grabbed it and shoved it back, hitting him in the face with it. The man stumbled back, holding his nose and crying in pain. I might have broken his nose, but at that moment, a rush of adrenaline flooded through my system and I felt myself fall into my shadow state.
Raven rushed inside before me, leaving me standing vulnerable in the doorway. A guard stood from his seat, dropping his donut to pull out his gun. He fired in my direction, but I shadowed behind him, hitting him with the baton from his belt. My invisible companion appeared before the guard who with broken nose, causing him to yelp with surprise. She smiled at him and then punched him in the mouth, probably knocking some teeth out.
The last guard had time to recover. He grabbed his baton and tried to hit me with it. I lifted my borrowed weapon to block it, but that left me with no free hands. The guard grabbed me by my leather vest, and he pulled me closer to him.
I lifted my knee, hitting him between his legs. He grunted in pain, and his hold tightened in an attempt to control me.
I hit the guard in the gut, causing him to double-over. Smashing my baton into the back of his head, I knocked him down to the floor.
"Efficient," Raven complimented, and I smiled, twirling the baton a bit before placing it on a chair. "I didn't think we needed a distraction, but the Joker seems to have this sixth sense to know when we need one."
"He'll be caught," I said, collapsing into a vacant swivel chair.
"Heck, no, he's not. If he's gotta run, he's gonna run. He'll be difficult to catch without help. The only man I've seen catch him alone is Batman, and Batman cheated."
"How did he cheat?" I asked.
"He's dressed up as a bat, Shadow. He flew." She gave me a look like it should have been obvious, which I suppose it was; I was just slow.
"So…what's the plan now?" I inquired.
"Are you good with technology?" I nodded. "Hacking?" Again, I nodded. "All right, you're going to control the hallway and the cameras of what I tell you." Raven looked around the room, like she was searching, and I looked around too, realizing that this security booth had many screens that showed two prisoners, a few empty rooms, and the main hallways. The rest of the screens were blank.
"So, there's only two prisoners," I said. "Which one are we breaking out?" Raven glanced at the two and pointed to one. I read the name off the piece of tape on the bottom of the screen. "Scarecrow? He's your boss?"
"Boss and friend," Raven answered. "I'm going to talk to him so I want you to keep the microphone off that cell. When I signal you, freeze that camera, and then unlock his door. Got it?"
"Seems easy enough," I remarked, turning in the swivel chair toward the controls.
"What cell is he?" she asked.
"Cell ten," I told her as I located the controls for the named room. Raven thanked me and left the booth, closing the door behind her.
I watched her out of the booth's glass windows until she halted in front of one of the cells. Clicking the silent button, I disabled cell ten's microphones from picking up sound. While Raven spoke to her boss, I took a look at the other occupant currently in his cell.
The man was sleeping at this hour, lying on his cell bed, but there seemed to be a blue hue to his skin. He lacked hair, and his entire room seemed to be glowing in soft blue light, which might have made his skin look blue. At the bottom of the screen, it read: Mr. Freeze.
I blinked and looked at the man who was known for freezing people to death. The Joker had told me that Mr. Freeze used diamonds to power up his freeze gun so it wasn't really a special ability for him. He wore a specialized suit that kept his body at a cold temperature because apparently if he lived outside a certain temperature, his organs melted. The blue light must be the coldness that he needed to survive outside his suit.
Turning my attention to the other screen, I looked at the man named Scarecrow.
He appeared to be in his late twenties, at least. I could see his longish brown hair covering his eyes. He was wearing the traditional light blue jumpsuit that asylums forced their occupants to wear. He had his head turned toward his cell door, his mouth moving as he spoke with Raven. I saw Raven gesture to him, and Scarecrow looked up, directly at the camera.
I jumped, leaning back hard in my chair at the sight of his icy blue eyes. I could feel him analyzing me through the camera lens. It was simply too freaky for words. It only lasted a second, but even when he returned his attention to Raven, my heart was still beating at an unsteady pace from the fright.
I looked out of the booth window, and I saw Raven step away from the cell door, closing the slot. Frightened, I peeked over at Scarecrow's screen to see that he was lying down, settling himself comfortably like he was going to sleep. I avoided looking at his eyes until a few seconds passed, which I saw that he had closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
I paused his cell's camera, locked his cell, and then walked over to the door, opening it and giving Raven a thumbs-up. Raven nodded and opened Scarecrow's door. I went back and collapsed into the swivel chair, finally noticing the flashing red light over the door. I reached over the control panel and switched the alarm off before leaning back.
Unfortunately, my elbow also applied pressure on the red alert button, setting off a loud siren.
I jumped out of my seat and ran for the booth door. I came out just as Raven and Scarecrow had passed the booth. Without pausing, I ran after them, letting them lead me out. We proceeded towards the entrance of Arkham, almost reaching the door when I came skidding to a stop.
"Let's go, Shadow," Raven yelled.
"You go ahead," I said, turning around and running up the stairs. "Meet you at the car!"
About this time, guards and late-night doctors were running around, yelling at one another and telling the inmates who woke up with the siren to settle down. I ducked around several people, diving between legs when it was necessary. As I concentrated, I could hear the Joker's laughter over the other noise in the asylum. For a few seconds, I thought I could even hear his breathing and his…heartbeat?
A rush of energy burst through me, and I felt my steps grow slightly heavy as I pounded down the corridors, dodging people left and right. I sensed that I was catching up with my partner-in-crime as the hallways started to become deserted. Of course, that should have warned me as I turned around a corner and skidded to a quick halt as I heard the Joker's laughter nearby.
"I've missed you, Doc," the Joker chuckled from behind a door next to me. "What's wrong with a, ah, a visit?" I pressed my ear against the door, wondering why the Joker would be inside a room with one of the doctors.
"It shouldn't be a simple visit," a woman's voice replied. "You should turn yourself in."
The Joker giggled, and I thought I heard something slamming down on a hard surface. "Har-ley, that's just-ah not something I'd do."
I stiffened as I heard the guards' yells growing close, and I reached for the doorknob. Slowly, I began turning it, even as a guard shouted, "Where is the Joker's doctor? Is she still here?"
"They're coming for you now," the woman told the Joker. "Believe me, it's better if you give up now and let us take you in again."
The Joker snorted in response.
"I'm serious," the woman exclaimed. "I'm trying to help you, Mister J."
I stopped turning the doorknob, just as the Joker burst out in hysterical laughter. The Joker allowed this female doctor to call him the same name he gave me? For some reason, that made my grip on the doorknob tighten, making my jaw clench. I became angry, but I couldn't acknowledge that emotion for long as a man's voice said, "I hear him! He's this way!"
The voice – though distant still and different from when I had last heard it – was still very recognizable, and my body heat rose, burning with unspeakable rage.
The guards turned the corner, and I shadowed inside, settling directly behind the Joker's doctor who had been standing behind her desk. Angrily, I gripped the back of her head and shoved it down, knocking her on her desk and stepping to the side as I threw her back, watching her fall on the ground, unconscious.
Breathing heavily, I looked up at the Joker, seeing his shock before the guards kicked open the door, bursting into the room. They filed in, training their weapons on him, and he raised his hands in surrender. I quickly shadowed behind him and was about to grab him as the Joker whistled loudly.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Iceman catcher," the Joker said, "Lieu-tenant Hawk-ins."
I felt my blood boil with my hatred and rage, and I closed my eyes, hiding behind the Joker so that I didn't see him. I tried to focus, breathing sharply through my nose, leaning my head against the back of the Joker's neck, resting my hands on his shoulders only to find myself clenching my fists around a fistful of his jacket.
Through my blinding rage, I sensed a wince, and the Joker jerked out of my grip.
"Freeze, Joker!" one of the guards ordered.
The Joker gave a painful laugh. "Sorry, that's not my style; that's Mr. Freeze's."
I couldn't be in that room any longer, unless I was going to snap. I grabbed the Joker by the waist and shadowed us out of Arkham, bringing us to the front steps. Immediately, I released him and walked rapidly down the stairs, heading for the car where Raven and Scarecrow waited.
"Whoa, talk about a dra-matic exit," the Joker giggled as he ran to catch up with me.
"Get in the car," I growled, my voice hard with barely contained anger. I went around the BMW and opened my door, stepping in and slamming the door closed. The Joker was smart enough to obey me without a word, and even as Raven threw the car in reverse, I could sense his steady gaze on me as I leaned forward, pressing my forehead hard into the back of Raven's seat, digging my nails into my forearm to give myself enough pain to distract me.
If I had remained in that room for just a second longer, the only two people alive would be me and the Joker – and even then, I doubted the Joker would still be alive.
The Joker told me once that insanity went a long way with him. For me, it was hidden rage.
Lordlink13: Now that's scary. Second time for the uncontrollable rage to appear, first one being in chapter 18 – didn't catch it? Go back and read it again – and it's all triggered by a certain person. Who is it? And what happened between them and Shadow in the past? Questions popping in your heads, readers? Review and tell me your thoughts. And don't get mad at Maggie, it was a suggestion, guys. I'll admit that I agree with her about the 'ah's, even though I put them in there to make the sound he makes with his words. Sorta like when you add the 'ah' sound to a 't' to make 'tah'. Read as part of the word, not as an added word attached to the first with a dash. I'm trying to base it off how he seems to add extra sounds, like he's breathing loudly as he's talking. (I'll admit, I'm trying to learn how to do his voice, and must've listened to just the audio a million times without success.) I know people love me, and I just you all just as much but don't pound people who make suggestions. I hope this chapter was less frustrating for you, Maggie. If anyone else has a problem, let me know, and don't take it personally if the other readers decide to get a bite out of you - like you're all dogs, just as our dear Mistah J taught you ;). I don't want this story to be frustrating to read; I want it to be enjoyable. And Sin, do I get my hug for this week?