A change of venue

[ha_in_havoc]

It was time to move. Eddie was out of Arkham and, no doubt, working to hunt down his favorite doctor. The clever little bastard was bound to find the hideout sooner or later. The Joker would rather it be sooner and be able to plan, than have later be a surprise...so he stepped up the timetable himself

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[notatvcharacter]

Luke has settled with only minor fuss into the role of captive doctor. He's not happy about the whole mess, but he's practical enough to know that until he's found, or sees an opening for escape (or is killed -- always, he knows, a distinct possibility) he's stuck being dragged around by the lunatic. And that's all there is to it.

It was interesting to learn that Harley was taken too, and the Joker's stated reasons (or lack thereof) why. And the possible real reasons. Very interesting. Talking to the girl herself, and watching the two of them interact, has the possibility of being the same.

"Dr. Quinzel," he greets her, as he's nudged into the van, and sits. At the Joker's remark, his attention shifts. "Do you even -- have you ever had a license?"

Not that he's nervous, of course. Or has any kind of fear of machinery controlled by people who aren't him. Not at all.

[icd10f60pt7]

"Dr McCoy," she greets back, and glances at the Joker in the front seat. All this time in the Joker's...camp, so to speak, and the most she really wants to do is get back to Pamela. Getting closer to the Joker feels almost secondary, and she doesn't really understand why.

And part of her doesn't want it to feel secondary. It's a very confusing time. "Where are we going?" As if the Joker would tell her. At all. As if anyone would.

Part of her really, really does not want to be here. Maybe she needs a crazy tuneup.

[ha_in_havoc]

The clown cackles loudly at Dr. McCoy's questioning. And here he thought the problem was just planes. Good to know it extends to any instance where the doctor is not in control of his own safety.
"Don't worry, doc, I know what I'm doing."
No. No he has not ever had a license. Why should that matter?

He had hoped, with time, Harley would want to be here. He'd hoped that clingy attachment she has would just transfer to whatever focus was made most available. It may get very ugly if she won't give up Pam on her own. Once she does, though, there's no guarantee the Joker will still want her around.
"I..ah..just thought we could use a change of scenery. Besides, I suspect this place is due to be flooded with uninvited house guests."

[notatvcharacter]

"I've heard that one before," Luke mutters unhappily. This is going to be an exceedingly unpleasant ride, even if no more words are said. (Which isn't going to happen, anyway.)

"You alright?" he asks Harleen, rather than address the 'reason' for their moving. (That -- there are people tracking him down? -- isn't something Johnny needs to be reminded of the urgency of.)

[icd10f60pt7]

She wonders, honestly, what would happen to her if they were tracked down. Arkham? Prison? Worse?

She looks at him for a moment, taking almost a full minute to respond. "I'm okay. Are you?" Attention is attention is something or another, right?

[ha_in_havoc]

It isn't a pleasant ride at all, no. The van wasn't designed for off-roading and the shocks have seen better days. Everything rattles as they roll over the dry, uneven park grounds and overgrown access roads. They're taking the back way. This isn't to say there is a back way anymore, but they're rediscovering it together! The Joker finally finds a good, clear bit of asphalt exposed and rolls up onto the road, towards a sealed fence at the back of the property.

The Joker notes the way Harley responds. So slow and distracted. He wonders where her mind is right now.

"You might want to brace yourselves. This is..ah...going to be a little rough."
See, that gate isn't going to open itself. The engine roars as he hits the gas hard to get up the speed and force to crash through.

[notatvcharacter]

The rough ride is unpleasant. But he grits his teeth, and bears it, keeping his back pressed against the wall of the van and his hands out to deflect any rolling or tumbling objects in the back. He tries to keep his attention more on Harley. Looks like she's been figuring out this isn't all fun and games, Luke things. Poor girl. "Little rough around the edges, but well as --"

Then Johnny's talking, and then he guns the engine. And.... well.

Dr. Lucas McCoy is a proud man. And he is, typically, rather self-controlled. However, he is not too proud, or too self-controlled, when that happens, to choke back a terrified noise and scrape and scrabble at the floor of the van, trying to cling to any illusion of safety that he can find.

[icd10f60pt7]

Well, while she doesn't want to be here, she doesn't want to be back in Arkham either. There are no more fun and games at all, no matter what the outcome of this is. At least not that she can see. Not yet.

She braces herself as much as she can against the wall and with her feet digging against the floor of the van. Hey, she's been in a car driven by the Joker before. She knows, in a way, what to expect. All sorts of broken bones and internal injuries last year. What's another concussion or two?

Still, she can't help but roll her eyes at the terrified noise. Oh, Dr McCoy.

[ha_in_havoc]

The Joker hisses as they strike the fence and crash through. His ribs scream at him for the impact and the strain of the seatbelt against his chest. He needs more painkillers. Even though he got the pills, he's still not good about taking them with any sort of regularity.

He gets onto a narrow back road that services the docks and warehouses of the waterfront and used to be a delivery road for the park. The drive is smoother and he slows down somewhat. Maybe this will be a better ride than the last Harley was on with him?

"Ah...anything broken?"
Because he's very concerned about their wellbeing, see?

[notatvcharacter]

Sure, girlie. Roll your eyes at him. He's used to getting guff for his phobia.

Even after the ride gets smoother, he still stays down, breathing hard and trying to control it, trying to keep himself from looking like even mroe of a damn fool. "Sweet Lord almighty," he grinds out through his teeth, "you want us to actually make it there, or not?"

[icd10f60pt7]

If she hit her head or not, and she did, she's certainly not going to say anything at the moment. If at all. But give her a minute to respond, okay? "We're fine."

[ha_in_havoc]

The don't go far, for now. Just a few blocks from the park and then they pull into a dark and largely empty dockside warehouse. The clown pulls inside and kills the engine, then climbs out to go close the warehouse's open door, leaving the vast open space mostly dark.

The back doors of the van don't open from the inside. Not any more. That's been taken care of.
Once the warehouse is sealed, the clown comes back to sit in the driver's seat, his legs hanging out of the open door. He pulls a small walkie talkie from his coat pocket and there's the static buzz of someone talking over it.
"Target...bait...what now?" A lot of noise with just a few discernible words.

"Let him go. If he...ah..gets to Tiny...then use the remote. Or just ha ha let him know he's wasted his time. ... Where's Batman? No! No! He'll be there. Don't underestimate him!"
He stopped broadcasting and turned the volume down to wait for whatever comes next.

[notatvcharacter]

Luke listens to the exchange over the walkie-talkie with a growing sense of dull despair. He's up to something, then. God damn it. Might be somethign to do with the amusement park, but just as likely not. John Doe has the whole damn city at his disposal, it seems sometimes.

"A clown's work is never done, hmm?" he asks, prying for more information. And just so that it isn't quiet.

[icd10f60pt7]

The look that Harley gives Luke is...interesting. Some sort of cross between 'really? Really' and a hope that the doctor doesn't get smacked in the head for that. Then again, it's Joker. Maybe he'll appreciate the pry for information. Who knows?

"Bait?" Her own, small prying. Hell, if someone else is bait, that must mean that they're not.

Right?

[ha_in_havoc]

Well, there's no reason for Luke to despair! He's safe and not going to be anywhere near the explosion! Yay! He's right, though. There are things to worry about elsewhere in the city, too. The Joker just has a focus at the park right now.

"I have a right to defend my property from..ah...home invasion."
Ok, so that hardly covers what's going on. It's some kind of answer. And there's no hitting!

"Bait. Yes. Part of getting rid of unwanted company."
He waves her off. He's busy, woman.

[notatvcharacter]

He gives her a tired and somewhat beleaguered look right back. Why wouldn't he ask? Should he change his behavior just because it might get him killed? (Well, alright. Maybe he should. But he won't.)

"Dee-lightful," he says quietly. And then, after a second, because he has nothing else to say about the other topic, "the both of y'all alright? That little joyride didn't knock anything out of place?"