Chapter 16 - Light, Camera, Action!

"Ria, I'm so sorry that I got you into this mess. And I'm sorry that I was so mean to you. I love you, sis, and I wish I had told you that more often when you were alive." Elena held her sister and refused to let go of her. A worker from the morgue came in once more when he heard her scream, but disappeared very quickly when she lost her temper. No one would get her away from Aria.
She picked up the white sheet again and placed it gently over her cold body, as if she were that little girl Elena remembered all too well. She continued to stroke and hold her in the pitiful hope that her sister would get warmer. "Poor Ria, I know how much you hate the cold. I wish they could turn the heating up a bit for you." Aria had always been more of a summer person, she was still outside and in her own world during the worst heatwaves. She always said that winter was sad because it represented transience.
Her hair, once so long, was now only to the middle of her back and still completely wet. "You didn't deserve such a death. That you died at the hands of that monster and that he put you in the water on top of everything else. I know how much you hated water, especially after ..." Elena gently lifts her right wrist to kiss her hand, but stops abruptly. "The car accident?" she suddenly whispers in shock.
Although Aria escaped the car accident reasonably unscathed, she was left with a small scar on her right wrist where a piece of glass was stuck. But this wrist had nothing on it. Elena carefully moved to the other side and inspected her left hand. But there was no scar on that one either.
On closer inspection, these hands also looked much older than those of a 17-year-old. The next thing she noticed were her nails, they were broken, but otherwise they looked very well cared for, that couldn't be her sister. Whenever she was nervous or excited, she played with her hands or plucked at the skin.
Elena sat up and rubbed her eyes. Was she going completely crazy now? Was the repression already setting in? But even when she looked at her face, she noticed that the black hair still had a hint of blonde at the roots.
Aria had never dyed her hair before!
Something was very wrong here. She turned away from the corpse and went to the sink to take a cloth and wet it."Let's get this ugly make-up off of you!"

Back at the GCPD:
Joker quickly jumped to the side, allowing the view behind him, where a man and a woman were sitting bound and gagged back to back. The man was dressed as Batman, or at least he tried, because the suit was two sizes too small. The woman however was definitely dressed for business. In fact, it was a face that was very well known throughout Gotham.
"Oh, don't be shy now. Tell them your name-ah",Joker demands, ripping the gag out of the womans mouth, who fell into a coughing fit."Com on, sweat pea. Your normal introduction ...NOW!"
The camera kept wobbling and frequently lost focus. Bruce, Jim and Loeb stared obsessively at the screen. None of the three men were able to look away. Normally Joker always filmed himself, so who was behind the camera now? Whoever the person was had to be considerably shorter than Joker, because the angle of the camera was pointing upwards.

"This ... This is Vicki ... Vale",but Vicki couldn't manage to form a straight sentence because of how much she was crying. She was completely terrified, but what did she expect after her stupid report on Joker. Vicki really wanted to play, but she didn't have a good hand and didn't know one thing about her opponent and now she would have to pay the price for her stupidity with her life. Joker grabbed the camera and focused it on him."It seems like-ahVicki-Icky is a bit camera shy. Doesn't happen that often-huh? So allow me to step in instead. This is Vicki Vale-ah telling it like it is!"Joker's hysterical laugh makes everyone cringe as he proudly shows off his yellow teeth, which would desperately benefit from a dentist appointment.
"Todays-ah story is me catching the most hated woman in Gotham - oh and she even got Batsy along for the ride-"the camera pans from Joker back to Vicky and the Batman impresserator. Turning his attention to the masked man Joker pulled out his gag."Now, tell them your name-ah.
"Brian ... Brian Douglas."
"And are you the real Batman?"Brain immediately began to shake his head."No! No!"the man cried bitterly.
"No? No?"Joker giggled while mocking the petrefied man."Then why do you dress up like him, hm?"He rips the mask off of Brians head, waving it in front of the camera."Woo-hoo-hoo!"
"Please! This was all Vicky's idea! The report on you, me now dressing as Batman ... and ... and"Brian starts to stutter as Joker steps dangerously closer to him."It wasn't my idea!"Jack cried in defense,"Please! Vicki - s-she told me - she was doing a cover story on him, and-and-and-"
"And? And?AND?!"the clown keeps on mocking Brian clearly enjoying toying with this victims."And I guess you weren't-ah looking for good ol' me in the process?"
"No!"the anxious man protests"I-"
"I think you dropped-ya balls. Might-ah want to glue them back on"
"Please, please don't kill me! I-AAAH!"Clearly getting more annoyed with his crying, Joker throws a knife at him, which pierces directly into his left shoulder. Brain screams and writhes in pain as much as he possibly can with the ropes around his body. But in the background there is a soft female scream that couldn't have possibly come from Vicki. Groaning, Joker turned his attention back to the camera."I really can't stand whiners!"
"You won't get away with this, you sick FREAK! Batman will get you and then you'll rot in Blackgate. No! NOOO! Get away from me you crazy Basta-AAAH!"Vicky squealz in pain, as her head was painfully yanked back.
"Now. Now, play nice-ah or I might rip even more off your cheap extensions out!"
"Please ... please!"Vicky pants. Joker's eyebrows narrow as if he's actually thinking about it for a moment.
"Well ... If you ask so nicely?"But all hope vanished when Joker tugged on Vicky's hair again. He innocently turned back to the camera, while letting the blonde strands fall to the floor."What? She said please?" he asks in confusion as he walks back to his victims now standing in front of both of them."So, let me ask you two-ah love brids something. Do you really think that Batman has made Gotham a better place? Hm?"
"NO!"Vicki and Brain shout out at the same time.

"No?"Joker softly asks while stroking Vicky's head."What about you Batys-doppelgänger do you think Batman made Gotham a better place? Do you really think he's going to come and save you any minute now, huh?"

"No"murmurs Brian as all hope fades from his eyes. He knew that no one would save him now. He had gotten himself into this situation just because he wanted to impress Vicky in the hope that she would develop feelings for him. And now? Well, now they're both in for it.
"Look at me, Batsy,"Joker commanded sweetly but when Brian didn't immediatly comply, Joker's patience was quickly thinning."I SAID LOOK AT ME!"Dead silence overcame the room, but there were still twitching movements. The camera was now shaking uncontrollably. Whoever was holding the camera for Joker was just as scared of the clown and what he was about to do, as Vicky and Brian were.
Slowly lifted his gaze to meet the devil's eyes, Brain immediately felt a shiver down his spine."Why are you doing this? What do you want?"demanded Vicki.
"Isn't that obvious? Mommy-issues. NO, wait it was daddy-issues. World peace. No, to save the dolphins."Bending down toher levle, Vicky immediately lost all courage."But I'd settle for a couple dead reporters, too."Vicky and Brian were crying hysterically and pleading with the clown, knowing they were going to die at any moment."Nothing personal-ah, ladies and Bats. It's just business. This is me, telling it like it is."
"If this is about what I said about you last week - I am sorry! Really I am. It was just for the show. I didn't want to call you a pedoph-MHM!"Vicki was cut off by Joker slapping a piece of tape over her mouth not really caring anymore what the blonde had to say.

He picked the batman masked up and waved it in front of the camera, ignoring the muffled screams. Gripping the camera in his hand, he starts walking forward."You see this is how CRAZY Batman has made Gotham! You want order in Gotham. Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in! Oh, and everyday that he doesn't, people will die... starting tonight..."He was leaning closer to the camera, his lips almost touching the lens."I'm a man of my word-ah..."Everyone shivered at Joker's last words and his abrupt laugh.
He turned around, still laughing, and pulled out his knife, ready to make his victims suffer before he would finally kill them, but before Joker could go in for the kill, a whole new voice suddenly emerged.

"NO! PLEASE, DON'T!"The voice was feminine and soft. The camera was droped onto the floor, and a pair of Converse could be seen past the camera's view. Someone was actually trying to stop Joker from spilling more blood.
Seeing this Bruce rushed towards the TV still in denayal. "Aria!" But before he could get a better look, the camera switched off, leaving Bruce starring at the black screen in confusion."Are you sure that -" Loeb asks, equally shocked, but before he can finish his question, the door to Gordon's office bursts open abruptly and a breathless Elena stands in the doorway.

"Aria's alive!" she gasps. "The body isn't hers! It's Vicky Vale!" Bruce immediately runs towards her and hugs her tightly while his girlfriend cries with relief. Aria must have been the camerawoman, but if the body is Vicky Vale, what happened to Aria?

*A/N: Hello Guys. :)

Long time no see. Sorry for the long wait.
Well anyway now that I'm baaack ... Surprise, who of you did I really fool. Aria is alive! Yaay! But what happened to her and where is she?
Was she able to escape or has Joker done worse things to her? Will she be able to save Brian and Vicky or are they really doomed?
Can Batman trace her and rescure her before she's consumed by the madness?
Stay tuned to find out and as always, don't forget to like and comment on the story.*