Batman fic: Long Nights in Gotham City, Final Chapter
Last Chapter! :D Hope you enjoy. I will start the sequel soon so look for it. A special thanks to jackvelvet who encouraged me to write this!
Title: Long Nights in Gotham City
Characters/Pairings: Riddler, Scarecrow, Harley, Poison Ivy, Batman, Joker, Catwoman, mentions of others
Rating: PG
Warnings: violence, some swearing
Disclaimer: I don’t own Batman or any of the other characters from Batman they belong to DC comics, Warner Bros., etc.
Spoiler alert: Spoilers for Batman Begins, Dark Knight, some spoilers from the comics but you don’t need to have read them to understand.
A/N: Vauxhall Opera and Concert Center was on a map of Gotham, Edward’s confession at the end is almost directly quoted from a Batman comic
Summary: Batman faces off against Joker and Nigma faces a frightening truth about himself and makes another promise.
Chapter Title: Riddles of Insanity
The Joker looked at the green tinted, toxin filled corpses of the elderly couple. He frowned.“Are you guys havin’ fun without me?”
“Puddin’!” Harley leapt up and over the couch before throwing herself bodily into the Joker’s arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her head against his face, smearing make up in her blonde hair.
“Why are you covered in blood?”
“I got mad at my driver.”
“Oh, oh well, Mistah J, I’m just so glad that you’re okay!”
“Oh, Harley, Harley, Harley. Ya know, at first I was goin’ cut you for breakin’ out of Arkham, because I wanted the Batman all to myself, but now I’m not gonna cut you, isn’t that nice?”
Harley laughed nervously. “Sure is Mistah J.”
“And do you wanna know why I’m not gonna cut you or any of your little friends?” Joker said as he lightly tapped Harley’s nose in quick secession.
“Why puddin’?”
The Joker’s tongue flicked out to lick the sides of his scars. “Because you and your team here are going to help me get the Batman’s attention.” The Joker laughed, though it sounded more like a high-pitched wheeze than a laugh.
“If you’re implying that we are going to help you with your obsession with the Batman, you are seriously mistaken.” Jonathan hissed.
“Your head must be full of straw, Jonny because, you are going to help me. And do you want to know why?”
Jonathan said nothing. He simply crossed his arms and glared at the Joker.
“You are going to help me because I plan by to get Batman’s attention with hostages. And do you know where I’m going to get those hostages? By holding up that big charity event. He grabbed Jonathan’s shoulders. The Joker must have been gripping them pretty hard because Jonathan winced.
“But that’s not the point.”
“There’s a point.” Jonathan snapped.
“The point is that there is a certain billionaire playboy going that I’m sure you would like me to not carve up like a pumpkin, but hey, if you’re not there.” The Joker shrugged. “Who knows what I’ll do?”
Jonathan smiled and rolled his eyes, but Ed could see how tense he actually was.
“Just because I read about the guy doesn’t mean that I care about what happens to him.”
The Joker frowned and his eyes shifted back and forth. He turned to look at Edward. “But Ed over here,” The Joker turned back to Jonathan. “You know your friend, Ed, he told me that that’s who visits you every Monday.” The Joker moved his face closer to Jonathan’s and whispered. “He didn’t lie to me, did he Jonny?”
Ed tried very hard not to look at Jonathan, but he could still hear the tremble in Jonathan’s voice. “Ed?”
“Joker said there would be no way I could figure out who was visiting you, so I did, but he wouldn’t believe me unless I told him the answer.”
Ed did look at Jonathan after that and regretted it almost immediately. Jonathan looked like he could cry but was trying desperately not to, but the betrayal was evident on his face. Ed felt terrible. Jonathan had left Arkham with the purpose of protecting him. Jonathan always looked out for him, and Ed had sold out someone Jonathan really cared about, but Jonathan didn’t understand. If the Joker killed Bruce Wayne he would be better off mourning the death of a friend at the hands of the Joker, than realizing that the man he thought was a friend, was the same guy who dressed like a bat at night, and poisoned him with his own toxin. Knowing this didn’t make Edward feel any less guilty.
Jonathan turned sad eyes away from Edward to look at the Joker. “I’ll do what ever want.”
Joker laughed. “That’s the spirit straw-head! Go get Ivy.”
“But she’s sick!”
“She’ll be fine. Come on. We don’t want to be late for the ball.” The Joker laughed hard. His laughter rang through the house.
“Bruce I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!”
Bruce struggled to put on his armor and talk to on the phone at the same time. Selina was pissed but that was to be expected.
“Selina, I really am sorry.”
“You’re ditching me to go out with another woman and all you can say is you’re sorry!”
It wasn’t true of course but Bruce needed an excuse that wasn’t “I’m going to visit the Commissioner in order to gather information
that could help me track down the Joker.”
“Selina, come on, Natasha is only in Gotham this weekend. Besides, you admitted last time we talked that you didn’t even like me.” Bruce held the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he attempted to put on one of his boots.
“Oh, don’t even start with me, Bruce! You know what this is about! What am I suppose to tell people when I show up alone! You are completely humiliating me on purpose! Just because I hurt your feelings!”
Bruce cringed. He liked Selina, he really did, but there were more important things right now. “Again, I’m sorry, but I have to go Selina, or I’m going to be late.”
“Sure,” Selina said sarcastically and with as much venom as she could put into her voice. “Have a great time.”
“Thanks, bye-” She hung up. Bruce couldn’t blame her. He wondered if there was anything he could do to make her forgive him. Bruce tried to put his personal life out of his mind. He had to talk to Gordon.
Harley was driving, the Joker was sitting, if you could call the way he seemed to be constantly moving sitting, in the passenger seat and Ed and Jonathan sat in the back with Pamela between them. She looked like she was car sick, but she seemed to being getting back to her old self. Jonathan kept checking her pulse and whispering in her ear to ask how she was feeling. Edward tried not to be jealous. Usually Jonathan and Pamela never got along. Now, whether it was their mutual hatred for the Joker, or the fact that it was Jonathan’s toxin that had hurt Pamela, they seemed to be leaning on each other, just the same way that he and Jonathan had only hours ago.
Edward supposed he could understand why Jonathan was mad at him. It was because he was ignorant. If Jonathan had been a bit more intelligent, like Edward, then they never would be having this fight. Hell, Jonathan would have praised him, and thanked him for protecting him from the Batman the way he was.
Harley stopped the car a couple blocks down from the Vauxhall Opera and Concert Center where the charity fundraiser was being held to raise money for the arts.
“So what’s the plan?” Asked Edward.
The slap Edward received from the Joker stung and even managed to cut his lip little.
“We don’t make plans Jonny, Jonny. We just do things.”
“I’m Nigma, Edward Nigma.”
The Joker looked at him hard. “You look pretty useless to me.”
“What?”
“Let’s go!” The Joker yelled as he stepped out of the car. Harley squealed happily and followed. Jonathan gave Edward a hard look, but despite all his knowledge Edward couldn’t figure out what Jonathan was trying to communicate to him.
The Joker knocked on the window next to Jonathan. “Ah, this isn’t the senior prom guys. Get out of the back seat.”
Jonathan gave Edward one last lingering look before putting his mask on, grabbing Pamela’s hand and opening the door.
Edward followed after them wondering all the while what Jonathan had been trying to tell him.
When Batman finally made it to the Gordon’s house, he saw Jim Gordon standing on the porch waiting for him.
“I thought you’d show up sooner or later.” Gordon said holding out the case file to Batman. “I can’t help but think about how much easier it used to be to get into contact with you. Now, I just have to hope you show up.”
Bruce read the case file quickly. Joker was definitely sending him a message. The note attached to Anna Ramirez’s body had said:
DeAr CoMmIsSiOnEr,
CaN BATMAN cOmE oUt aNd pLaY.
-J
But it was the jars that were the most interesting.
“He sent those to my family.”
“He’s not targeting you. He just knows that you are one of the few people that can get into contact with me.”
Gordon nodded but didn’t seem anymore at ease. Even if his family wasn’t being directly targeted, they were still put in to he line of fire, thanks to him, thanks to Batman.
Bruce looked at the pictures that had been attached to the jars. One was of a creepy looking jester dressed in red and walking across a tight rope, completely ignoring a women screaming in a burning building. The other was simply the face of a smiling, terrifying clown, and the last one was a photograph of the Vauxhall Opera and Concert Center with the Joker’s trademark smile drawn over it.
“Why aren’t you at Vauxhall?”
“I already have my men stationed outside the building. I stayed behind because I knew you’d come looking for me. Don’t worry, there is no way that one man will get past all those guards. He’ll try to sneak in and we’ll catch him, simple.”
“Its never simple with the Joker.” Then it struck Batman. “Your men are already dead or injured.”
“What? What do mean?”
“Joker didn’t go alone.”
Before Gordon could respond Batman had already disappeared.
Selina had thought she would have enough problems trying to explain to everyone why she had shown up alone. Now she wished that was her only concern. The Joker and his merry band of lunatics and decided that a fundraiser for the arts was just their thing. Her only consolation was that if she survived this, and she would, that Bruce would feel really guilty about her going alone.
The Joker was looking out the window. His eyes seemed fixed on something. “He’s out there.”
“Who’s out there Mistah J?”
The Joker smiled revealing rows of yellowing teeth. “The Batman of course. The yin to my yang, the jelly to toast, the stomach to my knife.”
The Joker turned quickly and shot his gun at one of the men in the room. He fell to the ground, his date or maybe his wife leaning over him screaming. The Joker shot her next. “Shut up!”
He looked back toward the window and frowned. “Not good enough? Fine.”
The Joker spun in circle randomly shooting at everyone and everything. Everyone in the room ducked and shrieked including Joker’s accomplices. When the Joker stop shooting, Selina saw at least five people were dead and more were injured. Sadly none of the criminals seemed to be hurt.
“Joker, what the hell are you doing?” Yelled the red-haired women know as Poison Ivy. The Joker shot both her legs for that. She screamed and was quickly attended to by the Scarecrow.
Harley Quinn seemed nervous and worried for her friends but stayed quiet not wanting to upset the Joker further, and the Riddler seemed furious.
Joker was looking out the window again and pacing back and forth. “Fine!” He screamed grabbed a little girl from her terrified mother’s arms.
“No! Please, please!” The woman begged but the Joker wasn’t listening. He was facing the window gun pointed to the little girl’s head. Selina couldn’t take it anymore she stood up.
“Just stop!”
The Joker looked at her and smiled. He was terrifying, but at least she had distracted him enough that he let go of the little girl, who quickly ran back to her mother.
“You must be Selina Kyle. Bruce Wayne’s little girlfriend.” The Joker turned to look at Scarecrow and Poison Ivy, who were huddled on the floor, before switching his gaze back to Selina. “Ya know, I think he might be cheating on you.” The Joker said with a shake of his head.
Selina frowned objecting to being designated as Bruce’s property and furthermore have it implied that Bruce was cheating on her with Poison Ivy, but at least his attention was on her. Selina just had to hold his attention a little longer. She knew that Batman would come soon.
When Bruce arrived several people were all ready injured or killed. He quickly surveyed the scene and he had to wonder why all his girlfriends felt the need to personally antagonize the Joker. Bruce jumped down from the rafters, but the Joker saw him before he could.
The Clown grabbed onto Selina pointing the gun at her head.
“Let her go.”
“Haven’t we done this song and dance before?”
“Its me you wanted. That’s why you sent those messages to Gordon.”
“Well yeah, you have been ignoring me. I had to get your attention some how.”
“All you’re getting is a trip back to Arkham.”
The Joker frowned. “Nah, I don’t think so. Harley!”
The next thing Bruce knew he was being kicked in the face.
Ed watched Harley kick and hit the Batman. Harley was a skilled fighter, but Batman was better. Harley wouldn’t be able to keep this up. The Joker had released Selina and was now laughing and bouncing around watching Harley and Batman fight. Occasionally the Joker would jump into the fray with a well place kick, but the point of the fight didn’t seem to be to either kill or subdue Batman. The Joker was simply having fun. It made no logical sense. They weren’t going to win. What was the point of all this?
Pamela couldn’t move. Jonathan was attending to her and seemed completely disinterested in stopping Batman or perhaps he just didn’t want to help the Joker. In any case Edward realized that if someone didn’t do something drastic soon that they were going to lose, and he was not going back to Arkham.
The Joker looked toward Nigma as Edward pulled out his gun.
“Ed, what are you doing?”
Edward looked toward Jonathan it was the first thing he had said to him since heading out on this crazy adventure with the Joker.
“I’m not going back to Arkham.”
There was a loud bang, but it wasn’t from his gun.
The Joker was screaming. “No one hurts Batsy but me!”
Ed had been forced to the ground. Someone had pushed him. Edward rolled over to see…
“Jonathan!” He was laying on the ground bleeding. Ed crawled toward Jonathan, and pulled off his mask. Jonathan’s eyes were wide and he looked as if he was gasping for breath. “Jonathan! Jonathan! Why did you do that, you fucking idiot?”
People were running in all directions around them and Edward could vaguely hear the Joker laughing. Ivy was yelling something, but Edward only focused on Jonathan.
“Why did you do it?” Edward was practically in hysterics when a black shaped figure appeared on the other side of Jonathan. The Batman.
“Jon! Jon! Open your eyes.” Batman’s voice was not the usual harsh growl, but instead seemed full of concern. Jonathan’s eyes opened slightly before closing again. Batman snatched Jonathan’s mask from Edward’s hands and used it to apply pressure to the wound.
“Is he going to be okay?”
Batman looked at Edward. “Yes, if I can get him to the hospital.”
Edward nodded. Jonathan would be okay. He had to be. “Tell Jonathan he was right, and I’m sorry.” Then before Batman could respond he ran.
Edward managed to make it back to the elderly couple’s house. The house smelled from the decaying corpses that had been left in the house, but Edward barely noticed. He collapsed onto the couch. Edward couldn’t think, couldn’t feel, he felt numb.
“That was supremely stupid, Edward.”
Edward closed his eyes. He had been stupid. He should have known
“We were afraid you’d leave a riddle behind for the authorities to figure out.”
He was starting to think that he really was crazy.
“Because I was worried about you. You have never been involved with the Joker…”
He should have listened to Jonathan. Maybe then all of this wouldn’t have happened.
This is one riddle you can’t solve. One problem you can’t fix. Your broken Edward Nigma, just like everyone else.
He heard the Batman kick open the door hours later. Edward didn’t move, but he could feel Batman standing over him. Staring at him.
“I’m ready.” Edward’s voice shook. “I’m ready to go back. I didn’t want to. I really had no intention of going back to Arkham, but I
have to go back there, because I might need help. I might actually be…crazy.” With that last confession Nigma passed out.
The next couple of days at Arkham were a blur. After being placed in solitary for a couple days Edward was finally allowed back among the other inmates. The rec room was full again, though he had heard that Bane had broken out recently. Pamela was sitting in a wheel chair next to Jonathan who was reading the latest Gotham Globe magazine. The Joker was at the other end of the room and looked like he was attempting to teach Harley the electric slide with little to no success.
Edward sheepishly walked toward Jonathan who looked up at him.
“Hey.” Edward said.
“Hey.” Jonathan replied.
Edward hugged Jonathan then not caring that usually he didn’t like being touched. “I’m so sorry.”
“Edward-”
“I should have listened to you.”
“Edward!”
“I promise I’ll listen to your advice from now on.”
“Edward!”
“Yeah?”
“My stitches.”
“Oh, sorry.” Edward pulled away and sat down next to Jonathan. For a while neither of them said anything, but then Jonathan handed him the remote.
“I think Price is Right is on.”
Edward smiled and took the peace offering.
A nurse walked into the room. “Jonathan, you have a visitor.”
Jonathan stood up smiling and followed her toward the door.
Edward’s stomach sank as he watched Jonathan walk away, knowing exactly who was visiting him. This wasn’t over. He wouldn’t let Bruce Wayne break the man who took a bullet for him, but there was nothing he could do now. But he would solve the riddle. He would help Jonathan, even if it killed him, or Bruce Wayne.
Title: Long Nights in Gotham City
Characters/Pairings: Riddler, Scarecrow, Harley, Poison Ivy, Batman, Joker, Catwoman, mentions of others
Rating: PG
Warnings: violence, some swearing
Disclaimer: I don’t own Batman or any of the other characters from Batman they belong to DC comics, Warner Bros., etc.
Spoiler alert: Spoilers for Batman Begins, Dark Knight, some spoilers from the comics but you don’t need to have read them to understand.
A/N: Vauxhall Opera and Concert Center was on a map of Gotham, Edward’s confession at the end is almost directly quoted from a Batman comic
Summary: Batman faces off against Joker and Nigma faces a frightening truth about himself and makes another promise.
Chapter Title: Riddles of Insanity
The Joker looked at the green tinted, toxin filled corpses of the elderly couple. He frowned.“Are you guys havin’ fun without me?”
“Puddin’!” Harley leapt up and over the couch before throwing herself bodily into the Joker’s arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled her head against his face, smearing make up in her blonde hair.
“Why are you covered in blood?”
“I got mad at my driver.”
“Oh, oh well, Mistah J, I’m just so glad that you’re okay!”
“Oh, Harley, Harley, Harley. Ya know, at first I was goin’ cut you for breakin’ out of Arkham, because I wanted the Batman all to myself, but now I’m not gonna cut you, isn’t that nice?”
Harley laughed nervously. “Sure is Mistah J.”
“And do you wanna know why I’m not gonna cut you or any of your little friends?” Joker said as he lightly tapped Harley’s nose in quick secession.
“Why puddin’?”
The Joker’s tongue flicked out to lick the sides of his scars. “Because you and your team here are going to help me get the Batman’s attention.” The Joker laughed, though it sounded more like a high-pitched wheeze than a laugh.
“If you’re implying that we are going to help you with your obsession with the Batman, you are seriously mistaken.” Jonathan hissed.
“Your head must be full of straw, Jonny because, you are going to help me. And do you want to know why?”
Jonathan said nothing. He simply crossed his arms and glared at the Joker.
“You are going to help me because I plan by to get Batman’s attention with hostages. And do you know where I’m going to get those hostages? By holding up that big charity event. He grabbed Jonathan’s shoulders. The Joker must have been gripping them pretty hard because Jonathan winced.
“But that’s not the point.”
“There’s a point.” Jonathan snapped.
“The point is that there is a certain billionaire playboy going that I’m sure you would like me to not carve up like a pumpkin, but hey, if you’re not there.” The Joker shrugged. “Who knows what I’ll do?”
Jonathan smiled and rolled his eyes, but Ed could see how tense he actually was.
“Just because I read about the guy doesn’t mean that I care about what happens to him.”
The Joker frowned and his eyes shifted back and forth. He turned to look at Edward. “But Ed over here,” The Joker turned back to Jonathan. “You know your friend, Ed, he told me that that’s who visits you every Monday.” The Joker moved his face closer to Jonathan’s and whispered. “He didn’t lie to me, did he Jonny?”
Ed tried very hard not to look at Jonathan, but he could still hear the tremble in Jonathan’s voice. “Ed?”
“Joker said there would be no way I could figure out who was visiting you, so I did, but he wouldn’t believe me unless I told him the answer.”
Ed did look at Jonathan after that and regretted it almost immediately. Jonathan looked like he could cry but was trying desperately not to, but the betrayal was evident on his face. Ed felt terrible. Jonathan had left Arkham with the purpose of protecting him. Jonathan always looked out for him, and Ed had sold out someone Jonathan really cared about, but Jonathan didn’t understand. If the Joker killed Bruce Wayne he would be better off mourning the death of a friend at the hands of the Joker, than realizing that the man he thought was a friend, was the same guy who dressed like a bat at night, and poisoned him with his own toxin. Knowing this didn’t make Edward feel any less guilty.
Jonathan turned sad eyes away from Edward to look at the Joker. “I’ll do what ever want.”
Joker laughed. “That’s the spirit straw-head! Go get Ivy.”
“But she’s sick!”
“She’ll be fine. Come on. We don’t want to be late for the ball.” The Joker laughed hard. His laughter rang through the house.
“Bruce I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!”
Bruce struggled to put on his armor and talk to on the phone at the same time. Selina was pissed but that was to be expected.
“Selina, I really am sorry.”
“You’re ditching me to go out with another woman and all you can say is you’re sorry!”
It wasn’t true of course but Bruce needed an excuse that wasn’t “I’m going to visit the Commissioner in order to gather information
that could help me track down the Joker.”
“Selina, come on, Natasha is only in Gotham this weekend. Besides, you admitted last time we talked that you didn’t even like me.” Bruce held the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he attempted to put on one of his boots.
“Oh, don’t even start with me, Bruce! You know what this is about! What am I suppose to tell people when I show up alone! You are completely humiliating me on purpose! Just because I hurt your feelings!”
Bruce cringed. He liked Selina, he really did, but there were more important things right now. “Again, I’m sorry, but I have to go Selina, or I’m going to be late.”
“Sure,” Selina said sarcastically and with as much venom as she could put into her voice. “Have a great time.”
“Thanks, bye-” She hung up. Bruce couldn’t blame her. He wondered if there was anything he could do to make her forgive him. Bruce tried to put his personal life out of his mind. He had to talk to Gordon.
Harley was driving, the Joker was sitting, if you could call the way he seemed to be constantly moving sitting, in the passenger seat and Ed and Jonathan sat in the back with Pamela between them. She looked like she was car sick, but she seemed to being getting back to her old self. Jonathan kept checking her pulse and whispering in her ear to ask how she was feeling. Edward tried not to be jealous. Usually Jonathan and Pamela never got along. Now, whether it was their mutual hatred for the Joker, or the fact that it was Jonathan’s toxin that had hurt Pamela, they seemed to be leaning on each other, just the same way that he and Jonathan had only hours ago.
Edward supposed he could understand why Jonathan was mad at him. It was because he was ignorant. If Jonathan had been a bit more intelligent, like Edward, then they never would be having this fight. Hell, Jonathan would have praised him, and thanked him for protecting him from the Batman the way he was.
Harley stopped the car a couple blocks down from the Vauxhall Opera and Concert Center where the charity fundraiser was being held to raise money for the arts.
“So what’s the plan?” Asked Edward.
The slap Edward received from the Joker stung and even managed to cut his lip little.
“We don’t make plans Jonny, Jonny. We just do things.”
“I’m Nigma, Edward Nigma.”
The Joker looked at him hard. “You look pretty useless to me.”
“What?”
“Let’s go!” The Joker yelled as he stepped out of the car. Harley squealed happily and followed. Jonathan gave Edward a hard look, but despite all his knowledge Edward couldn’t figure out what Jonathan was trying to communicate to him.
The Joker knocked on the window next to Jonathan. “Ah, this isn’t the senior prom guys. Get out of the back seat.”
Jonathan gave Edward one last lingering look before putting his mask on, grabbing Pamela’s hand and opening the door.
Edward followed after them wondering all the while what Jonathan had been trying to tell him.
When Batman finally made it to the Gordon’s house, he saw Jim Gordon standing on the porch waiting for him.
“I thought you’d show up sooner or later.” Gordon said holding out the case file to Batman. “I can’t help but think about how much easier it used to be to get into contact with you. Now, I just have to hope you show up.”
Bruce read the case file quickly. Joker was definitely sending him a message. The note attached to Anna Ramirez’s body had said:
DeAr CoMmIsSiOnEr,
CaN BATMAN cOmE oUt aNd pLaY.
-J
But it was the jars that were the most interesting.
“He sent those to my family.”
“He’s not targeting you. He just knows that you are one of the few people that can get into contact with me.”
Gordon nodded but didn’t seem anymore at ease. Even if his family wasn’t being directly targeted, they were still put in to he line of fire, thanks to him, thanks to Batman.
Bruce looked at the pictures that had been attached to the jars. One was of a creepy looking jester dressed in red and walking across a tight rope, completely ignoring a women screaming in a burning building. The other was simply the face of a smiling, terrifying clown, and the last one was a photograph of the Vauxhall Opera and Concert Center with the Joker’s trademark smile drawn over it.
“Why aren’t you at Vauxhall?”
“I already have my men stationed outside the building. I stayed behind because I knew you’d come looking for me. Don’t worry, there is no way that one man will get past all those guards. He’ll try to sneak in and we’ll catch him, simple.”
“Its never simple with the Joker.” Then it struck Batman. “Your men are already dead or injured.”
“What? What do mean?”
“Joker didn’t go alone.”
Before Gordon could respond Batman had already disappeared.
Selina had thought she would have enough problems trying to explain to everyone why she had shown up alone. Now she wished that was her only concern. The Joker and his merry band of lunatics and decided that a fundraiser for the arts was just their thing. Her only consolation was that if she survived this, and she would, that Bruce would feel really guilty about her going alone.
The Joker was looking out the window. His eyes seemed fixed on something. “He’s out there.”
“Who’s out there Mistah J?”
The Joker smiled revealing rows of yellowing teeth. “The Batman of course. The yin to my yang, the jelly to toast, the stomach to my knife.”
The Joker turned quickly and shot his gun at one of the men in the room. He fell to the ground, his date or maybe his wife leaning over him screaming. The Joker shot her next. “Shut up!”
He looked back toward the window and frowned. “Not good enough? Fine.”
The Joker spun in circle randomly shooting at everyone and everything. Everyone in the room ducked and shrieked including Joker’s accomplices. When the Joker stop shooting, Selina saw at least five people were dead and more were injured. Sadly none of the criminals seemed to be hurt.
“Joker, what the hell are you doing?” Yelled the red-haired women know as Poison Ivy. The Joker shot both her legs for that. She screamed and was quickly attended to by the Scarecrow.
Harley Quinn seemed nervous and worried for her friends but stayed quiet not wanting to upset the Joker further, and the Riddler seemed furious.
Joker was looking out the window again and pacing back and forth. “Fine!” He screamed grabbed a little girl from her terrified mother’s arms.
“No! Please, please!” The woman begged but the Joker wasn’t listening. He was facing the window gun pointed to the little girl’s head. Selina couldn’t take it anymore she stood up.
“Just stop!”
The Joker looked at her and smiled. He was terrifying, but at least she had distracted him enough that he let go of the little girl, who quickly ran back to her mother.
“You must be Selina Kyle. Bruce Wayne’s little girlfriend.” The Joker turned to look at Scarecrow and Poison Ivy, who were huddled on the floor, before switching his gaze back to Selina. “Ya know, I think he might be cheating on you.” The Joker said with a shake of his head.
Selina frowned objecting to being designated as Bruce’s property and furthermore have it implied that Bruce was cheating on her with Poison Ivy, but at least his attention was on her. Selina just had to hold his attention a little longer. She knew that Batman would come soon.
When Bruce arrived several people were all ready injured or killed. He quickly surveyed the scene and he had to wonder why all his girlfriends felt the need to personally antagonize the Joker. Bruce jumped down from the rafters, but the Joker saw him before he could.
The Clown grabbed onto Selina pointing the gun at her head.
“Let her go.”
“Haven’t we done this song and dance before?”
“Its me you wanted. That’s why you sent those messages to Gordon.”
“Well yeah, you have been ignoring me. I had to get your attention some how.”
“All you’re getting is a trip back to Arkham.”
The Joker frowned. “Nah, I don’t think so. Harley!”
The next thing Bruce knew he was being kicked in the face.
Ed watched Harley kick and hit the Batman. Harley was a skilled fighter, but Batman was better. Harley wouldn’t be able to keep this up. The Joker had released Selina and was now laughing and bouncing around watching Harley and Batman fight. Occasionally the Joker would jump into the fray with a well place kick, but the point of the fight didn’t seem to be to either kill or subdue Batman. The Joker was simply having fun. It made no logical sense. They weren’t going to win. What was the point of all this?
Pamela couldn’t move. Jonathan was attending to her and seemed completely disinterested in stopping Batman or perhaps he just didn’t want to help the Joker. In any case Edward realized that if someone didn’t do something drastic soon that they were going to lose, and he was not going back to Arkham.
The Joker looked toward Nigma as Edward pulled out his gun.
“Ed, what are you doing?”
Edward looked toward Jonathan it was the first thing he had said to him since heading out on this crazy adventure with the Joker.
“I’m not going back to Arkham.”
There was a loud bang, but it wasn’t from his gun.
The Joker was screaming. “No one hurts Batsy but me!”
Ed had been forced to the ground. Someone had pushed him. Edward rolled over to see…
“Jonathan!” He was laying on the ground bleeding. Ed crawled toward Jonathan, and pulled off his mask. Jonathan’s eyes were wide and he looked as if he was gasping for breath. “Jonathan! Jonathan! Why did you do that, you fucking idiot?”
People were running in all directions around them and Edward could vaguely hear the Joker laughing. Ivy was yelling something, but Edward only focused on Jonathan.
“Why did you do it?” Edward was practically in hysterics when a black shaped figure appeared on the other side of Jonathan. The Batman.
“Jon! Jon! Open your eyes.” Batman’s voice was not the usual harsh growl, but instead seemed full of concern. Jonathan’s eyes opened slightly before closing again. Batman snatched Jonathan’s mask from Edward’s hands and used it to apply pressure to the wound.
“Is he going to be okay?”
Batman looked at Edward. “Yes, if I can get him to the hospital.”
Edward nodded. Jonathan would be okay. He had to be. “Tell Jonathan he was right, and I’m sorry.” Then before Batman could respond he ran.
Edward managed to make it back to the elderly couple’s house. The house smelled from the decaying corpses that had been left in the house, but Edward barely noticed. He collapsed onto the couch. Edward couldn’t think, couldn’t feel, he felt numb.
“That was supremely stupid, Edward.”
Edward closed his eyes. He had been stupid. He should have known
“We were afraid you’d leave a riddle behind for the authorities to figure out.”
He was starting to think that he really was crazy.
“Because I was worried about you. You have never been involved with the Joker…”
He should have listened to Jonathan. Maybe then all of this wouldn’t have happened.
This is one riddle you can’t solve. One problem you can’t fix. Your broken Edward Nigma, just like everyone else.
He heard the Batman kick open the door hours later. Edward didn’t move, but he could feel Batman standing over him. Staring at him.
“I’m ready.” Edward’s voice shook. “I’m ready to go back. I didn’t want to. I really had no intention of going back to Arkham, but I
have to go back there, because I might need help. I might actually be…crazy.” With that last confession Nigma passed out.
The next couple of days at Arkham were a blur. After being placed in solitary for a couple days Edward was finally allowed back among the other inmates. The rec room was full again, though he had heard that Bane had broken out recently. Pamela was sitting in a wheel chair next to Jonathan who was reading the latest Gotham Globe magazine. The Joker was at the other end of the room and looked like he was attempting to teach Harley the electric slide with little to no success.
Edward sheepishly walked toward Jonathan who looked up at him.
“Hey.” Edward said.
“Hey.” Jonathan replied.
Edward hugged Jonathan then not caring that usually he didn’t like being touched. “I’m so sorry.”
“Edward-”
“I should have listened to you.”
“Edward!”
“I promise I’ll listen to your advice from now on.”
“Edward!”
“Yeah?”
“My stitches.”
“Oh, sorry.” Edward pulled away and sat down next to Jonathan. For a while neither of them said anything, but then Jonathan handed him the remote.
“I think Price is Right is on.”
Edward smiled and took the peace offering.
A nurse walked into the room. “Jonathan, you have a visitor.”
Jonathan stood up smiling and followed her toward the door.
Edward’s stomach sank as he watched Jonathan walk away, knowing exactly who was visiting him. This wasn’t over. He wouldn’t let Bruce Wayne break the man who took a bullet for him, but there was nothing he could do now. But he would solve the riddle. He would help Jonathan, even if it killed him, or Bruce Wayne.