Chapter 8

A Night to Remember

"Wakey… Wakey… Brucie…It's time to play."

That sordid laugh.

It entered through Bruce's ear drums ever since he regained consciousness it was the same laugh that Batman had been dreading to hear ever since he flipped the playing card that showed an image of a Joker. There seemed to be no escape from it, it was like a never ending melody that sounded off whenever another blue body was being zipped up.

Bruce groaned as he found himself staring blinding in the darkness as his mind raced with cowardly thoughts, the darkness was usually a blanket of comfort for him , after all , he used the darkness as his greatest ally. In this damp and dark place Bruce drew that whatever was hiding in the shadows could become death. He had to keep his mind alert, focused.

"Good evening Mr. Wayne, I trust you slept well?" An eerie spiteful voice said as a purple hand slapped Bruce across the face. The billionaire felt like his got the wind kicked out of him as blood started to pour out from his lip. "You didn't answer my question? I'm going to have to teach you some manners." The hand slapped him across face again making Bruce's body jerk from the impact.

"Joker…" Bruce said groggy spitting out blood onto the floor.

"Finally he speaks…" The mocking voice laughed as bright light flicked one from above.

"What do you want?" It was barley a whisper, the Bruce could still make up the blood stained scars around this vile lips. He gazed at the crimson red lips that were smeared with the blood of the victims the clown butchered. The Joker smiled showing his yellow stained teeth.

"You sound upset….Brucie… I that you were quiet the charmer… a people person."

"You're not human!" Bruce growled wincing. "You're a freak!"

"We can all be freaks Brucie… all it takes is a little slash of the knife, chemicals and bingo you created a freak." The Joker laughed flicking his knife in front of Bruce's face.

"I wonder what would happen if I gave you some scars Brucie?" He laughed. "Make you bleed out all those charming good looks that women in this city swooned over…. Make you a freak just like me."

The Joker swiftly placed his gloved hands on Bruce's flesh measuring how big he wanted to make the cut. "Do you want a scar on the right side or the left? Or maybe I will slice your throat opened and then sliced you up? Would that be much better, because I would hate for you to see your transformation live and in color." Bruce was preparing himself for the worse, his hands were tied behind his back , his chains held his body onto a rusted pole that was cemented into the ground. His eyes gazed at the manic that was closely standing in front of him, so close that Bruce could smell the blood and vomit.

The billionaire starred at the marred scars, the lifeless cold eyes that were like a dark abyss staring back at him with no twinkle of light , nothing as soulless depths of darkness as if Bruce gazing right into the clowns soul.

The Joker looked at his pocket watch. "It's almost midnight and our guest of honor hasn't shown his pointy ears." He sighed. "He still has a few minutes to come and join our little party, but if he stands us up Brucie, I get to have my fun with you."

Bruce gulped down. "What would it take for you not to kill me?" He asked pretending that he was afraid of the horrific monster. "You want money, I have lots of money, just name your price. I can cut you check with lots of zeroes."

The Joker grabbed Bruce's cheeks and squeezed them together. "I'm not one for money, little prince … I'm only here for a good time while you're here for not a long time. You what's funny for the longest time I thought you were the Batman, the Dark Knight of Gotham City, when I threw Harvey's squeeze out the window and watched Batman leave all those people in the penthouse just to drive into the night air and save his girlfriend. I looked around saw that Bruce Wayne, the host of the party was missing."

Bruce glared at the Joker's face. He wanted jab his fist into the clowns jaw bone and knock him out.

"But now I see that you can't be Batman, you too soft a weak willed wimp that cares more about his looks than his friends."The Joker noticed the changed in Bruce's facial expressions and smiled. "To weak to save Rachel from blowing up or wait maybe you became weak one you watched your little mommy and daddy being lowered into the cold ground."

Bruce clenched his jaws. "Don't talk about my parents?" He growled.

"Why not? They're already dead. But don't you will soon see them long enough; it's just a matter of time."The clown was feeding of Bruce's aggression. "I have an idea, so there is no hard feeling between us Brucie, I'm going to free you and let you hit me. Let's see just how weak you really are…"

The clown unlocked the chains. "Come on Brucie boy, come and hit me. I know it's what you want, after all I did take Rachel away from you."

Bruce lunged forward at the Joker, something had snapped, and he placed a well deserved right fist on the Joker's jaw bone not caring if the result of the impact broke the bones. He did another blow, slamming the fist into the Joker's sadistic grin making blood drip onto his polished hand. "This is for Rachel and everyone you ever murder you sick demented clown." He did a rounded house kick that was similar to Batman's fighting style and sent the Joker stumbling backwards falling onto his knees. Blood ran out as he spat a broken tooth on the cement.

"A little … fight in you… Who you had it in you, Brucie…"

He declared wiping the blood with his gloved hand and licking his lips. He spat blood on Bruce's dress shoe distracting the billionaire; Bruce didn't see the Joker had a switchblade up his sleeve that slip into his purple gloved hand. The Joker laughed and then jabbed the blade into Bruce's leg digging into the flesh and bone.

Joker dug out the knife with his leg. Yelling out in pain, Bruce knew that he had let his guard down and grasped his wounded leg as he breathed heavy trying to work through the pain. The clown looked at the blood on the blade.

"I thought you would conceal more blood Brucie… Looks like I'll have to go in deeper."

The door opened and a red haired woman wearing a black leather outfit, wearing a rose pendant entered the room. "I think you've had enough fun playing with Bruce Wayne for one night Joker. It's my turn."

The Joker took a bow. "He's all yours red." He said with a smile as he kicked Bruce in the sides sending him falling onto his back hard.

The woman slowly walked up to Bruce and bent down. "Hello there handsome , and I must say you are handsome Bruce Wayne." She said in surly voice as her tongue licked a pair of Ruby red lips.

"How about a kiss, Bruce?" She kissed. "I know you love women kissing those lips."

Bruce formed his lips tight as she bent her head down and kissed him and then pulled away as Bruce could taste something dripping down his throat.

He coughed.

"I know I'm to die for."

Bruce fell limply to one side and the Joker kicked him in the head knocking him out cold.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening Mr. Wayne… feel free to aspire anytime." With a smile he kicked the unconscious bleeding body with his right foot before turning around to the red haired woman. "Shall, we go and have drink red?" He asked walking back out, closing the door behind, the woman flicked off the light, leaving, once again leaving Bruce Wayne in the cold darkness, bloodied and poisoned.

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Diana Prince was walking through the elevator doors when a woman came up to her.

"Diana princess of Amazons," she said in a powerful voice. "I have grave news about your mortal friend?"

Diana turned and saw that she was staring into the face of Athena. "Athena," She bowed her head. "It's an honor to be in your presence."

"Your moral friend needs your help princess, he is trapped in a warehouse and he's slipping into shock."

"Bruce?" Diana asked. "I'm on my way."

"Hurry, for this mortal doesn't have much time."

Diana's ocean blue eyes went wide.

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Bruce opened his eyes, he felt numb, unable to think straight. The poison that was in his system was making have the effects of a high fever. He sat up, ripped his dress shirt and wrapped the piece of clothing around his leg.

The burning sensation in his throat was making him cough out blood; it stained his white dress shirt as he crawled to the doorway leaving a trail of blood from his wounded leg. He then reached for the door handle and tried to open the door but he was falling into a shock, as blackness entered his mind.

"Bruce, why do we fall? So that we may learn to pick ourselves up."

Bruce opened his eyes and lifted himself off the floor putting all his strength into his arms as he grasped the handle and opened the door. He caught his breath and straggled down the narrow alley way passing two bodies of security guards that had scars sliced on their lips. He reached in his pant pocket and grabbed his mobile phone to dial for Alfred. But his hand became numb that the phone dropped and smashed into pieces.

"No," He said losing his balance, falling onto the ground. "Poisoned," He gasped. "Blood poisonous…."

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Diana smashed through the locked steel doors with her fists; she flew down the hallway searching for any sigh of her love. "Bruce?" She called out.

There was no reply.

She moved quickly through the warehouse until she saw a sight that made her heart break, the body of Bruce Wayne jerking with blood dripping from his mouth.

"Hera, no." She ran to him. "Bruce, please come back to me."

Bruce's eyes flickered. "Blood…. poisonous…. kiss…"

"You've been poisoned?" She asked lifting his body with her arms. "I'm taking you to Alfred , he'll know what to do. Hold on Bruce, please hold on."