(Untitled)

[killerjoke]

WHO:
WHERE: Abandoned funhouse
WHEN: August 19th, evening.
WARNINGS: Language, maybe violence.
SUMMARY: Detective Maza captures the Joker.
FORMAT: Paragraph

Comments

[nyc_detective]

They had been too late, each time, to prevent the Joker from his attacks. Every. Single. Time. Even the times she had suspected what his next target might be, there had just been nothing to go on. Thank God the popsicle had been benign. It frightened her to think of how many people Joker could have affected with that stunt.

But something was bothering her. She'd kept tally, and all of his targets were people he had known were here. And he'd claimed he was done. She couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't, though.

It then hit her. He hadn't done homage to himself. And a guy like Joker, who craved attention and the spotlight like a drowning man craved air, wouldn't just sit back on his laurels unless he got what he wanted.

Shit. She quickly called for backup on the radio, ordering people to set up perimeter around any arcades, carnivals, fairs, and fun houses. She herself headed to one of the older ones, desperately wishing she had backup but knowing that she had to go in and stop him alone, if need be. Her siren was on, so if he

[swornprotector]

Backup, she will always have, as long as Goliath is here.

"Elisa," comes that familiar voice over the comm, answering her call. "I am above you."

Gliding on the wings of a gargoyle.

[nyc_detective]

"Stay up there, Big Guy," Elisa replied. "You're going to be my cavalry, so don't charge until I give the signal. I need some sort of element of surprise, and you're my best bet."

[swornprotector]

"Understood."

A tried and true tactic, their teamwork. He even glides a bit higher to cover it. Scanning over the fairground and looking for any sign of trouble.

[killerjoke]

The Joker finally got tired of dragging the barrel and just pushed it on its side and began to roll it. Probably not the safest way to transport the stuff, but it wasn't like it would hurt him if it got out.

When he heard the siren, he started to get a little excited. Things were always so much better with the police involved. It was like an automatic high body count, they just kept coming and coming, no matter how many you killed. Plus, that would attract the attention of the person he really wanted to notice.

"Alright, everybody," he shouted to whoever or whatever was close enough to here. "Let's get things started!"

[nyc_detective]

"Joker!" Elisa called out. "We have you surrounded, come out with your hands up! You're not going to escape!"

There weren't a lot of cops here, but hopefully it'd be enough to take him down. Elisa wasn't going to let him slip through her grasp yet again.

[killerjoke]

The Joker froze when he heard the voice. But it wasn't out of fear, rather excitement. About time somebody was starting to catch up! It wasn't any fun playing to a slow audience. The Joker loved a tough crowd.

"Whoooooooooo is iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit?" he shouted back. His eyes automatically darted to the shadows, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. That's where he'd come from.

[nyc_detective]

"The police!" Elisa shouted. She didn't know if Joker would recognize her voice, but she wasn't willing to give up her identity just yet. "Come out now or we will open fire!"

[killerjoke]

"Booooo," the Joker shouted back, rather disappointed about things. Police were booooring. Heroes were exciting, they were a lot more fun to play with. The police just blew up. Although...

"Heeeeey, wait a minute!" he said. "Is that Detective Elisa Maza of the police?"

[lobsters_claw]

The Lobster heard the Joker's voice, and adjusted his path through the fairgrounds accordingly. He had a few ideas of what his end of things would entail, depending on how Maza and Slinger chose to proceed and whether or not the Joker tried to sneak out. Of course, those plans did depend on keeping out of sight until the right moment, and that may lead to some disappointment shortly.

[nyc_detective]

"Why don't you just come on out with your hands up to find out?" Elisa called back. They were so close, so close to catching this bastard, she would not let herself fall into any of his traps. They would win.

She glanced over at Slinger and Lobster, subtly giving the signal to move forward. They had to be cautious about this, but she didn't want to give him time to escape.

[killerjoke]

"Wellll, maaaaaaaaaybe," the Joker shouted back, sounding like he really was thinking it over. And maybe he wasn't.

"Will you put on a cape and cowl for me?" he asked.

[officerslinger]

Robyn slowly began to circle to the side of the building the Joker had called out from, hoping to cover any escape routes to that side. Stealth Guy probably had the other side - she'd seen the shadowy figure turn that way before losing sight of him completely.

She was nervous as hell without Jeff to - well, stand behind, frankly, but closing in on the Joker from multiple directions was the best way she could think of to nudge him into giving them an opening.

[ooc: please tell me if there is a different posting order I should follow.]

[lobsters_claw]

The Lobster had noticed Elisa's signal and advanced. Having already been actively searching, he found the Joker first. He'd just gotten close enough to see the clown when an unusual sensation gripped him. It was much like the feeling he'd had when he first arrived in the City, and he momentarily wondered if the Porter was taking him away.

He quickly realized, however, that it was instead the feeling of being pulled into corporeality. The Lobster faded back into view and solidity approximately thirty feet behind the Joker, his attempts at stealth ruined by the stumbling half-step and inarticulate grunt that accompanied his surprise shift. Something like smoke trailed behind him for a few moments as his previously dispersed form finished settling into place.

[nyc_detective]

What was Lobster doing?! Whatever was going on, it was clearly unexpected. She wouldn't have thought that the Lobster would ever stumble like that and alert their quarry to his presence. Something was up. And Elisa didn't want another death on her hands.

So she stepped out, where Joker could see her. "I'm afraid not," she replied to his comment sarcastically. "I don't want to have cowl-hair, and capes just get caught in doors." Her gun was trained on him, and Elisa would shoot. "No sudden moves, now."

[lobsters_claw]

"Detective."

There was no dropping from the sky, no rushing air of a speedster's run, no vehicle sounds or footfalls or someone walking up. There was just that voice, cold and deep and hollow, from somewhere just out of view.