Slipping Into Entropy - Part 21
Bruce gathered his gear, donned the Batsuit, and readied the helicopter on the roof. He needed a place where he could take the Joker, somewhere with relative solitude where prying eyes would not spot them. Somewhere the Joker would have a hard time fleeing if the inclination arose, and Bruce was sure that it would if he came back to himself. One place did come to mind, and in this time of day it was the only place he could imagine taking the man within the surrounding area. Calling home, he requested what minimal staff and carpenters they had on site to take the day off.
Having weaseled the worst of the shards out from under his skin, Joker examined what bits of himself he could see in the remnants of the mirror still stuck to the frame. Tilting his head at the running streams of black, he drew his fingers over them, turning them into random whorls of black and red with his bloodstained fingertips.
Bruce made his way back to the Joker's cell after a second and then third check for supplies. He would have rather waited till dark to do this, but he supposed that would be missing the entire point. He found things unusually quiet as he entered the room. The Joker was looking much better, the blood was mostly washed away and the tiny cuts across his arms and back had stopped bleeding. He laid down a new pair of plain styled pants, shirt, and a long, dark coat on the cot. He wanted the Joker looking as unobtrusive as possible, even if he would be in the company of the Batman the entire time. Anyway, his current clothes were covered in bloody stains. "Change, and we'll go."
His lip curled up at the plain, dark fabrics; there wasn't a hint of quirkiness or originality to be seen! "...that's what you want me to wear? I might as well dress as a nun." Looking askance at Batman as he watched silently, making no move to leave or avert his eyes, he smirked. "...or is that one of your special kinks?" he asked, chuckling. Eying the clothes with distaste for another moment, his tongue darted out while he considered, then stripped off his shirt. Outside. Whatever it takes.
Crossing his arms at the taunt, Batman simply watched in distaste. This wasn't going to be easy by any stretch of the word, he knew it. As the Joker's bloodied shirt hit the floor, his eyes fell with it, then rolled back up the other man's torso, still wondering and maybe even marveling a bit over the deep scars.
Joker could feel the other man's eyes on him, and that animalistic sense of being the center of attention only pleased him even more. Smirk sliding into place, he shot Batman a flirtatious look over his shoulder, taking his time working the waist of his pants loose enough to slide off. The fabric took forever, slipping almost painfully slowly down over the angles of one hip, then another.
"Hurry up," Batman sighed in exasperation. Was the Joker so easily distracted or did he simply enjoy baiting Batman that much? At least the clown seemed to be in a mood better than he'd seen in a long time, whether that was due to this newfound.....jump in personality or otherwise remained to be known. Bruce had no idea if the Joker was himself at all any longer.....he seemed to be, but then again he seemed not to be as well. Did he still see his father when he looked at Bruce? Would he snap out of it suddenly as he had before, not remembering a word of their conversation? If so, would Bruce be thrown right back to the drawing board losing what little progress they'd made so far?
His smirk curled into a snarl at the man's impatience. So little appreciation for the little things... Slipping quickly into the new clothing, tugging the coat into place remorsefully as he took in the lack of color and pattern, he slunk back towards the Bat with a predatory gleam in his eye. "...that fast enough for you?" he growled, stepping close to try to make the taller man uncomfortable, his chin tilted up at a stubborn, challenging angle. Perhaps I'm at your mercy... but you're just as much at mine.
"Let's go," Bruce growled. He paused at the door . "I know I don't have to tell you what will happen if you try to run." With that, he opened it, and laying a hand on the Joker's upper arm, lead him out a step ahead where Bruce could see him. He took them to the elevator, where they began their ascent to the roof.
He only chuckled in response, threading his arm through Batman's like a dancer being led by her chivalrous partner in a promenade. He couldn't quite keep a quiver of excitement out of his step; dealing with long periods of being couped up was no longer his strong point.
The Joker was radiating excitement. His breath swept over Bruce's jaw as he leaned in, and his body was incredibly warm against Bruce's side. The display was uncomfortable; the madman clinging to his side like a girl, or a child, impatient to get out to see the world. Bruce tolerated it, doing nothing more than exhaling sharply, because the Joker was at least keeping himself well within arm's reach. He hoped it would stay that way.
As promised, a helicopter was waiting for them on the roof. It's windows were tinted dark, and its metal body unmarked. They exited through a hidden compartment in one of the maintenance closets on the top of the building. Bruce kept a firm grip on the Joker as he pulled them into the thrumming machine.
His childish curiosity spilled over upon entering the cockpit, taking in all the little lights, buttons, and levers. The sight made his fingers twitch, wanting to push and pull and press everything within reach, so he stuck one hand in his pocket while the other stayed firmly wound around Bruce's arm. When that wasn't enough, he resorted to holding his breath at intervals, fighting off his excited mania for once; as much as he wanted to play around with something he'd never touched before, he didn't care to crash before he got a chance to roll around in the open air.
The fidgeting was still enough to distract Bruce who noticed the Joker's eyes following his hands like he was performing a magic trick. Slowly they rose into the air, then took off over Gotham. As always, Bruce marveled at the city from above. Up here looking down, it seemed quite beautiful. The muck on the streets was obscured by tall and ornamented skyscrapers, libraries, cathedrals. Sometimes, seeing it this way, he imagined those who flew over it everyday, businessmen from his own world, had never seen the world below. They might as well live in the air. He pushed the helicopter north over the island, then passing the cool waves of the Atlantic meeting Gotham River. Stretches of green trees and roads lie on the other side.
As soon as the trees came into sight, his attention was split between figuring out the controls of the helicopter as Batman worked them and the stretch of green spread out before them. He didn't care much about the city buildings one way or another - they were, in their own way, merely another type of human debris. He was more at home within the wild, unbound hive of the city's slums or the depths of unsettled wilderness than he was among the middle and upper crust of society and everything that went with that.
Flying high over a bit of suburban outgrowth which quickly diminished, then a wide space of park and forest land, signs of the city quickly faded away. They flew on, passing an academy with sprawling grounds, and as they ventured farther from the water, finally passing into Wayne family grounds, Bruce could imagine vividly the cave structure that lied beneath this serene space of land. In truth it went far beyond the territory Bruce owned; he and Alfred had discovered that by accident once and nearly resulted in a cave in. He'd begun building further and further toward the river and the city before the house burned down, hoping to reach Gotham's underwater railroad tubes. They were close, but the project had to be put on hold to build the warehouse lair, and rebuild his own home. Wayne Manor was currently gutted, but standing tall were walls and roof. Very soon, it came into view. Even from thy sky it was massive.
Finally taking more interest in their surroundings than the technology in front of his nose, Joker leaned sideways to peer out of the windows, trying to see everything from every angle all at once. A shiver of excitement ran through him, passing into Batman's arm where he still gripped it tightly. He could hardly wait to get back down to ground level.
Bruce glanced at the Joker. He wasn't sure if he should be worried or not. This was a wholly unique situation, and the other man was behaving....in increasingly unpredictable ways. Once the forest was cleared, they descended over a vast lawn, landing upon a cleared space reserved for the machine. Bruce killed the engine, taking a moment to glance at the giddy madman, and then stepped out underneath the slowly revolving blades.
Following Bruce's darkly armored form out onto the grass, he took a deep breath of air... and took off, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him. Ignoring the angry shouts from the other man, he didn't run away; rather, he ran just because he could, ducking and weaving and zigzagging, stopping suddenly in midspring and jolting back in the opposite direction. He finally jumped, turning in midair to fall into a roll on the grass, ending up spread-eagled on the velvety green, panting.
At first, Bruce had taken off after him. When his calls did nothing to deter the Joker and just as he readied a wire tied batarang, the clown had hit the ground. Realizing the Joker was....simply running for the sake of it, Batman relaxed, putting away the wire. He surveyed the house quickly, and saw no movement from inside. He had been assured the staff had left, but he couldn't be too careful. Satisfied, he turned his attention back to the Joker. He looked.....like this was the first time he'd seen light in months rather than a few days.
Digging his fingers into the soil on either side of him like he was afraid someone would try to pull him away, Joker tilted his head up and simply stared into the sky. It had been years before he'd first seen it, and it always seemed to hold some entrancing edge for him. There was no need to slink through alleys or keep an eye out for cops or cocky thugs, out here - it was all endless space. Sighing, he turned his head, eying the nearby trees on the manor grounds.
For a long while Bruce simply observed the other man, letting him take in the world around him like someone seeing it for the very first time. He couldn't imagine what was going on inside the Joker's mind. His face and entire body swelled with emotion, which in itself wasn't unusual, but Bruce had never before seen this particular kind of elation cross his features. He felt like he was witnessing some kind of magnificent discovery. The idea used with the Joker, the Joker, amazed him. But......it also grounded him, in a way. This was real emotion, it had to be. There was no reason for the madman to fake this.
Impulse seizing him again, he rolled over and onto his feet, dashing off in a twisting, serpentine path towards the nearest maple tree, arms spread out and tilting this way and that; he gave the distinct impression of a small child playing at being an airplane. That changed immediately once he reached the trunk of the massive tree; Joker pounced and scrambled up the lower limbs with little difficulty, working his way up to a lofty perch where the plant's limbs formed a natural seat.
Batman followed from the ground, stopping at the tree's trunk and looking up. It unnerved him a little, to remember climbing to the exact spot the Joker had found when he was little. He decided not to bring it up. He wished more than ever that he could see into the Joker's head. What on earth had brought this on? What was he seeing when he looked at this place? A thousand questions ran through Bruce's head. Was the extreme reaction because of his returned memories? Was it because he had so feared being locked up forever in Batman's lair? Was it something else? There were just too many factors to understand.
He seemed happy to just stay lofted among the branches, listening to the quiet rustle of leaves. Picking one and rolling it between his fingers, relishing the smell of released chlorophyll, he finally glanced down at the Bat who was just standing there, watching him with the most interesting expression. Slipping out of the seat between the branches, he slowly climbed back down, jumping to the ground. As he rose, he shot the armored man a playful look with a smirk, then took off towards the woods just on the edge of the manor grounds.
Bruce watched the Joker run for a moment, then realized he wasn't planning on turning back. He took off after him quickly. The clown reached the trees and Bruce was quite a few yards behind him. Unfortunately years of people walking through the forest nearest to the grounds had taken away most of the underbrush and twiggy growths that usually hindered a person's movement through the woods. The Joker's slim figure would fit perfectly.
He ducked and weaved through the flora, glancing back with a grin every so often to see how Batman was faring. He moved into a dense stand of trees, and as soon as he was out of the other man's sight he stopped, moving quietly a short ways back in the other direction and hiding behind a particularly large, gnarled oak. He listened carefully for the Bat's careless clomping, trying so very hard not to giggle and give himself away.
Bruce's suit and even the fabric cloth was extremely durable, but that didn't stop it from hindering his movements through the trees. He was agile, but more than often he had to trample his way through or around the brush as it got thicker. He'd seen where the Joker was headed, and he knew there was a large hill just on the other side of it, so he threw himself onward, hoping to catch the other man on the way down.
He grinned, shaking his head as he watched Bats fall for the ruse. "Wrong way!" he called cheerfully, taking off like hell from his hiding place to find a new spot. Poor Bats would have to learn to stop being so very serious and morose all the time. After scrambling over several fallen logs, weaving through other small clumps of younger trees, he found another trunk to hide behind, waiting with breathless anticipation once more.
Caught in surprise as the Joker shot behind his back, Bruce spun where he ran. He almost went over the steep hill, but managed to right himself in time to see the Joker's laughing face call back to him. An unnerved shiver ran through him, not only because of how off-putting it was to see the Joker laughing at harmless fun, but because he remembered playing games like this right here decades ago. Memories like that, he hadn't thought about in years. Recognizing the game now, he once again took off after the other man, this time turning up the volume sensors in his ears and searching for movement behind any clumps of trees and branches.
Circling around his hiding space as Batman finally drew closer, walking right past his tree, Joker grinned and whipped around, launching himself with open arms at where he expected the other man's back to be. His eyes widened as, instead of tackling Bruce from behind, the man had somehow known he was coming and turned. His arms wrapped around the other man's torso reflexively as he ran right smack into a black armored chest.
Catching him before he could stop the forward momentum or pull free, Batman held fast. It was clear that he hadn't expected Bruce to hear him, and surprisingly, the feeling was priceless. "Game's up," he said but was unable to completely hide the upward turn of his lips.
His smile was slightly soured, but it stayed in place all the same. "You cheated," he said accusingly, poking Bruce between the kevlar plates covering his shoulderblades. "That's not fair."
"Who said life was fair? Certainly not you." He cocked his head to the side. "You sure seem to be enjoying yourself." In spite of getting caught, the Joker was still radiating exuberance.
The madman just grinned in response, jumping up to wrap his arms and legs around Bruce, chuckling quietly and tucking his head against an armored shoulder. After literally having rolled around in dirt and grass and leaves, he smelled even more like some sort of wild beast - one that had wandered too close to human contact and just didn't feel like biting right then.
That was a little much for Bruce, who pulled the other man away after his hold became a full on embrace. "You were going to tell me what happened to you after you escaped," he reminded the Joker. It was a mood killer for sure, but Bruce was stuck between feeling at home one moment and then incredibly uncomfortable in the next and he didn't like it.
"Oh, was I?" Joker quipped back, still grinning manically like a child who'd had one too many pixie sticks. "I seem to recall that the deal was I told you things in return for a trip outside. If I tell you everything, there's no guarantee you won't take me back, tie me to a rock, and leave me to rot in a cave forever like Loki. You're not even offering something in return," he added, tsking. "Bartering is everything, Batsy."
"So long as you don't run, I'll take you back here." The Joker was right, it was good leverage. And.....though he was wary of letting the Joker walk free at all, he had to admit that he felt much less like a monster for trapping him with this compromise. As long as it didn't backfire.
"So you say. Maybe I can trust your word, or maybe I can't. Perhaps that air of tragic nobility you try to exude only lasts until you get me cornered and decide smashing my face into the wall is more fun." Raising an eyebrow at Bruce, he shook his head, dirty green hair falling into his eyes. "You're going to have to sweeten the deal if you want me to just trust your word that you'll bring me out again."
"That's up to you, Joker. You escape while you're out here and kill again? Then I won't bring you back no matter what you tell me." Batman looked carefully into his wary eyes. "What do you want?"
Joker licked his lips, calculating. "A couple packs of playing cards. Not to be locked up in one room anymore. Tomatoes..." Something like fear flickered behind those eyes, joining the wariness that was already present in a bitter dance before his features settled into a defiant look. "You." A laugh tried to claw its way out of him, but he tightened his throat and choked it off.
Batman's lips parted as a small wave of shock ran through him at the last barter. He could feel it pass through him in a shiver. The Joker kept pulling ideas out of his sleeve that Bruce least expected. His requests were simple, again so long as it wasn't a ruse. The last.....had taken Bruce by such surprise because so far, he had taken no time to try to define this thing that was happening between them. He had expected the same of the Joker. He expected nothing but another game. Still, he suspected he would have given the Joker that again all on his own. Blood rushing quicker in his veins, he replied, "Done."
If Bruce had looked shocked, Joker's reaction was even more so. Disbelief washed over his features that the other man had agreed so quickly, so easily. Something that was half sorrowful, half pleased-beyond-belief took its place. I try to unchain him and end up chaining us together... His fingers absently toying with the edges of armor plating that were within reach, his head finally tilted down in defeat. "Done," he whispered brokenly, wondering why he was stepping back into a leash so willingly, unable to fully answer that question himself.
"Good." Bruce got the impression that was not what the Joker had been expecting. He still didn't realize that what Batman cared for was Gotham and its people; he himself did not have to remain as untarnished as what he protected. If the Joker wanted his body in return for the city, then he would more than willingly accept those terms. Birds cawed and the leaves rustled all around them, suddenly the only sounds that inhabited their space.
Shifting awkwardly on his feet, it was Joker's turn to feel uncomfortable, wanting suddenly to be very far from that place and the man who still held him in place. "...what do you want?" he finally asked, still not looking up. For all that he taunted and teased, he couldn't take his own medicine; he didn't want to see Bat smirk and sneer when he finally realized what he'd done, what he'd really accomplished by accepting that agreement.
Batman wasn't smirking by any means, but he was serious. "I told you before, I want to know where you came from, what you've done." What Bruce wanted most of all, was to stop the Joker from hurting people. But that was what this man lived for. One way or another, he would find a way to do it.
"I told you where." His hands clenched reflexively, burrowing into the mesh fabric. "You have to be more specific. Just so-... there's so much, but all the same, but some not, and sometimes I can't remember..." His jaw tightened, as if pulling the memories up was both painful and hard, strenuous work. "Caves. Caves with things, so many things and sometimes lights, but mostly not. Trees and dirt and a huge lake and swamp. Hardly any people at all, not until I followed the roads..."
Having spent some time in caves, Batman pictured the scenario well. Still his brows knit together under the mask he wore. "After you killed him? Where did you go then?"
Still not meeting the other man's gaze, his eyes went strangely blank and glassy, his attention on something within. "...down the roads until they changed, the trees turned to metal. So many people, so much noise. They didn't like strangers, tried things. I ran and followed the roads again, and it happened again, until I got tired of it and killed them back. Things were different... Chicago."
The Joker wasn't making much sense. "You hit small towns until you....found a crime base." That was what he surmised. Either the Joker was reluctant to tell him, or his memory had diminished. There was so little he could read between the lines without making things up, but the need to know and to understand something about this man had taken him. "What happened in Chicago?"
"...I...think I...made a home there. It wasn't like the others, there were so many places to hide, more food and weapons and toys and interesting things. So many other things going on, nobody paid any attention. I don't really remember..."
At least it was something to go on, something to look for now. If the Joker wouldn't tell him, then he could look elsewhere, but at least the man was talking. Batman nodded. "That's a start." The sun was getting lower in the sky, and by estimation it wouldn't be long before GCN held its evening special on the Joker's escape and attacks on Bruce Wayne. "Let's go back up to the house."
"...but I get to come back?" The question was oddly soft and childlike; he obviously still didn't trust Bruce to keep to his word, anymore than perhaps Bruce trusted Joker to keep his.
Pausing for a moment at the unusual tone, Batman stated simply, "Yes." They made their way out of the woods, slowly this time. Bruce was beginning to wonder just how much time the Joker spent in the city after all. It seemed to him that the madman thrived in it, but.....perhaps not. And if the Joker had a backwater hideout beyond the city limits, that would definitely explain why finding him had been damn near impossible. So far, Bruce imagined he had hid in any place that was most convenient, probably moving constantly.
Though far from finished as a whole, there were a few mostly erected rooms within the Wayne mansion. As they neared it, Bruce surveyed the progress. Whether a television could be found on the site, he did not know. The construction crew spent all day here however, and usually they set up a break room.
Moving automatically, no longer filled with elated, vibrant energy at being let loose aboveground, Joker kept sneaking looks at the taller man when he thought Bruce wouldn't notice. As much as he wanted to hope that Bats would stick to his "honorable" self, he was a pessimistic creature. He knew how easy it was to squirm around the wording of promises and deals; he did it himself.
A/N: Joker's weird antics in the field are actually based on my own dog, who goes completely effing nuts when taken outside into an open space. Yes, more comparisons between Mr. J and a dog. I know. >_>;;