Part Three

Chapter Thirteen- A Monster Who Cosplays As A Clown

We watched the coverage live, all of our heads tilted in bafflement both at Stacy Gleeson's dramatic words, as well as her neon pink suit. From me, it was mainly at her outfit choice. Barbie was her signature look. I preferred grunge.

'With now fifteen dead (Croc had been very busy apparently) and one missing, assumed dead, this has possibly been the most violent breakouts in Gotham's history!' We all took it as a compliment, like it was an achievement to add to our CV's. That would be sure to go down a treat.

Her acrylic nails flew up to hold in her ear piece as if she was deeply focussing on listening to the most recent update within their studio. She was just being theatrical though, the teleprompter which lay hidden to the eye, lurking under the camera, was telling her what to say. I could imagine that she was one of those girls who just lived for drama.

'Breaking News! Newly elected Mayor, Hamilton Hill, has now ordered the Asylum to release the escapee names. They go as follows- Jonathan Crane or the Scarecrow, the Joker, Alice Chill an associate of the Joker who recently failed in breaking him out of hospital, a man called Jervis Tech who goes by the name Mad Hatter- a man responsible for the abduction and murder of seven different young women- and finally an inmate called Waylon Jones who had been nicknamed Killer Croc, who we will try to acquire more information on as quickly as possible, his case file seeming to be blank.

'Here at GCN, you can expect the reporters to get the answers, so you don't have to! Now that all of these criminals are back on the streets it makes us question whether the people of Gotham are truly safe, and what the GCPD will do to protect us. We've requested for Commissioner Gordon to produce a statement, but he is yet to comment. Too busy, no doubt, finding the inmates. An act which has proven unsuccessful thus far.'

"God she's annoying." I complained groaning with annoyance, having become saturated by her nasally voice. It hadn't taken long.

Crane shushed me with an aggressive stare, wanting to hear what she was going to say next. I mimicked zipping my mouth closed, only causing him to glare further. He was a tough crowd. I sighed, and listened back to the TV set.

'Currently the GCPD is involved in a full scale manhunt of the city. They have already cordoned off all exits of Gotham, and request all citizens to remain inside for their own protection, and to allow the infrared cameras in the helicopters to work to their full capabilities. Finally, they have deployed a team of dogs to try trace their scent- however, this has remained a fruitless attempt.'

I narrowed my eyebrows, surely they had managed to find the body of the Mad Hatter? After all we did throw him out of a moving van just off of the intersection. By 'we' I meant the Joker. There was no way that the GCPD incompetent enough to miss a dead body in the middle of the road. Which only meant one thing. Somehow he had survived. Apparently I wasn't the only person nearly impossible to kill.

'This makes us all question the level of sanity of said inmates. They surely possess the intelligence to successfully orchestrate and conduct a breakout, working together as a team to fulfil common goals. Does this sound like the skills mentally unstable people should possess? Join us soon when we talk with a world renowned clinical psychologist to help us come to a conclusion.'

Crane switched off the screen as it cut to the commercial break, not wanting to hear about the latest treatment for foot fungus. Not that I was complaining. Looking at other people's bare feet gave me the creeps.

"We're save right?" I asked looking at Crane, wanting clarification. He brought us here, so therefore I'd decided he was in charge of our safety.

"Until the Batman finds us." Was Crane's paranoid answer.

"I don't think we have to worry about that." The Joker chuckled.

Crane froze for a second, frowning deeply as he tried to work out the meaning behind his words.

We were camping out at his hideout. Some random warehouse in the Bowery District. The location was genius on his part. The Bowery District was close to the Industrial Sector, right next to the water front meaning that he wasn't only in close proximity to all the boats which brought in his supplies, but also if the Police ever decided to do a raid on his warehouse, they wouldn't think twice about the masses of chemicals it held- assuming they were all in storage for some random industrial company that Gotham seemed to be full of. He'd be free to carry on using his chemicals to experiment with his fear toxin without drawing any unwanted attention to himself. Like I said, it was genius.

The warehouse was more than a huge storage for his chemicals, it was a lab too, complete with all the Bunsen burners, boiling and distilling flasks, compressors, separators, dehydrators, blenders, and conveyors, a scientist could dream of owning for their own personal uses.

I was perched sitting crossed legged on the work bench, the Joker sitting next to me, his legs hanging down off the table, his feet swaying at irregular intervals to a silent erratic rhythm. We had been facing the television that Crane had oddly enough wanted installed in the warehouse, a television which now finally had its uses. Crane was turned facing us, eying us suspiciously but not questioning anything, not yet.

"Now that Stacy woman, she is somebody we got to watch out for, huh Alice?" the Joker continued, jumping down from the bench giving me a wink from the corner of his eye.

Gleeson had been on his hit list ever since he had caught glimpse on her on that tiny hospital telly screen. She had no idea what was coming her way. It was nearly hysterical.

But I didn't smile, not this time. The efforts the GCPD were employing were getting me concerned. It didn't sound like they'd hang their guns up and let us walk away free any time soon. The longer it was taking them to find us, the more determined they seemed to be to capture us.

"When will they give up?" I questioned, looking between the two of them.

Crane and the Joker turned to look at me like I was an idiot.

"My sweet, sweet Alice." The Joker chortled at my optimism, "They won't ever quit. When the Mob controlled them, they were dogs. Give them a treat, and they'd do what you said. But now Gordon's in charge, they're machines."

"So they won't ever stop chasing us?" I asked naively, still not quite believing it. I had been so focussed on escaping that I hadn't really considered this whole fugitive game out fully. It was already tiring; I wasn't sure I could manage doing it full time.

"It's part of being a criminal, if you can't take it- turn yourself in." Crane said coolly, making me guilty for complaining when I should have been grateful for having come so far.

"I can take it." I said defiantly, digging my nails into my palms with agitation.

Crane just raised his eyebrow, doubting it severely.

But the Joker didn't, he slapped me roughly on the back grinning at the pained groans which left my mouth. My arm hadn't been the only thing which had been injured in the fall- the push- down the stairs.

"So what's the plan then?" I queried. "We can't lay low forever. Sooner or later one of Arkham's staff is going to notice they're missing a van."

That wasn't necessarily true. From the news footage, Gotham's streets were full of them, as Guards tried to help search for the missing inmates. It be near impossible for the Police and employees to keep tabs of their vehicles, it gave us an extra advantage.

But currently, I was the most expendable member of our little trio. Just like the Mad Hatter had been before, and he'd been left for dead. The only thing that stopped me suffering from the same fate as him was the Joker, and even though he currently stated that he had an affinity for me, I wasn't blindsided. He could change his mind in a split second, and there was no power on Earth which could stop him. Therefore, I had to make myself useful. Well try to at least.

"Anybody ever tell you, you worry too much?" he asked nonchalantly, looking at me curiously as he brushed away our gloomy horizons with a casual shrug. "See, neither of us need to scheme. Everything was already been worked out by him. There's a reason we were brought here. Am I right?"

He tilted his head away to gaze smugly at Crane, flashing his stained yellow teeth out with a smile that resembled a sneer.

"You're not wrong." Jonathan admitted, stiffly, probably annoyed his big reveal had been ruined.

The Joker took his words as an invitation to bounce over to him. But there was nothing merry about his stride. It screamed turbulence, like it was an upending storm. I'd already come to the conclusion that for some reason the Joker wasn't so keen on Crane, this nearly confirmed it.

Unconsciously, I uncrossed my legs to lean forward, wanting to see what would happen next.

"Soooo," the Joker drawled, taking his time. "You're the infamous Scarecrow. The one who caused quite the panic through The Narrows. We haven't been formally introduced. Gotta say though, I pictured you less weedy in my head."

Crane moved his glasses up the bridge of his nose, not used to being insulted since he had created and absorbed his other persona. The Joker swiped the glasses from his head and held them out half a meter above his eyes, squinting his eyes to test out the lens.

"Ah ah ah!" he tutted, moving them away last second as Crane grabbed for them, wagging his finger mockingly. "Naughty!"

He placed the glasses delicately in the front pocket of Crane's jumpsuit, and patted him on the chest gingerly.

I wasn't sure whether his action was to assert dominance over him, or to rile him up enough to force the Scarecrow to be unleased in full force. Either way, it was working. Crane was physically twitching as he tried to keep a hold of his mind and body, allowing the Joker to lead the conversation.

"Now, what would a capable man like yourself want with a humble joker like me?" he placed his hand on his own heart and batted his eyelashes innocently, before quickly growing bored and glaring at Crane darkly and clenching his fist to his side.

I had been right, for some reason the Joker didn't like him. Crane's admiration for him wasn't reciprocated. But Crane's admiration for him was quickly fading and turning into irritation.

"I think we should work together." Crane said his voice strained, as he swallowed the urge to transform and transgress into his other half.

By 'we', I wasn't included. Like I said, I was the expendable one. The third wheel.

"See," the Joker frowned. "That doesn't make any sense to me. From what I've heard, you-uh, you work for money. That whole stint in The Narrows? You got paid! Now, I'm not judging you for it. It just makes you… well less impressive.

"Now, I, one the other hand, I," he licked his lips, rolling his eyes backwards. "Like to do things for fun. And you know the best thing about fun? It tends to be selfish. And you know what they say- there's no 'I' in 'Team'."

Crane scowled at his immediate refusal, not used to being turned down, "This job isn't about the money."

I had a gut feeling I knew where this was going.

The Joker perked up suddenly curious, "Now you've got me interested!"

"This jobs about getting rid of a certain pest from the streets." Crane explained.

"Keep talking." The Joker demanded his interest growing.

"The Batman."

The Joker fell silent and turned around slowly to meet my guilty face which avoided all eye contact like it were a plague.

I was in deep shit.

Crane continued, "I realise that you had the chance to reveal and end him before, and you changed your mind. But look where that got you. I believe that now-"

The Joker cut him off laughing.

"Ho ho ho," he wheezed, holding onto his stomach. "So Alice didn't tell you. Now that really is naughty."

Crane raised his eyebrow, looking around the Joker to stare me down. Still, I avoided eye contact not excited for what would be revealed next. I was now swimming in shit.

"Joker." I warned him with two syllables, trying to beg him to keep his mouth shut.

"Tell me what?" Crane snapped.

"Alice," the Joker said patronisingly, pretending to be serious but unable to hide the amusement in his black eyes. "I think you owe Crane an explanation."

I sighed heavily, rolling my eyes up to the sky, nearly praying. Finding a spurt of courage to face the angry and clueless Jonathan Crane. He wasn't going to take my news well.

"Batman's no longer in Gotham's picture." I explained, thinking (hoping) that the words might have a softer blow if they came from my own mouth and not a clown who lived for conflict. "He's just as wanted by the cops as any of us are. They think he had teamed up with the Joker to kill Dent."

"What?" He shook with anger, his glasses slipping down his nose.

The Joker backed out of the firing line, raising his eyebrows with entertainment. He wanted to watch this little drama play out before his very eyes like it was a soap opera. He then froze for a moment, having an idea. Then scrapped the chair from the corner of the room, by it's legs across the cemented floor, the chair that held the tied and gagged hostage. All so the appending scene could have an active audience. How considerate.

"If I told you, you would've left without helping us." I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly.

Crane took an intimidating step forward towards me, and I hurled myself off the opposite side of the bench, using it for protection- sensing danger. Crane rested both fists on its wooden surface. His twitching was getting worse. If Scarecrow came out, I was undeniably screwed.

I sent pleading looks towards the Joker, wanting back up. But he just stared at the scene with humour. So much for that motivational speech he had given in the back of the van, apparently he had swallowed his words already.

"You manipulated me into helping you?" He fumed, no doubt furious that someone he regarded as so intellectually inferior could be able to trick him. I could hear the heavy breaths coming out from his nostrils.

"That's a pretty strong word you used there. 'Misinformed' maybe?" I tried, raising my brow pathetically trying to seem sweet. "I mean, you did tell me you liked it in Arkham. I didn't think you'd care!"

"'Didn't think I'd care.'" He repeated slowly.

I nodded eagerly, like a bobble head toy.

He smiled with gritted teeth, and I relaxed thinking he had calmed down slightly.

The moment when I breathed a sigh of relief, was the moment when Scarecrow lunged over the table and grabbed the collar of my jumpsuit, dragging me over the bench to his side.

I shrieked but the noise was drowned out by the Joker's maniacally laughter which filled up the entire room.

Scarecrow pinned my back to the bench, the wood dug painfully into my spine, whilst my feet scrapped against the cement flooring. His hands moved up to my neck to begin suffocating me, pressing hard on the blue bruises which had formed from the last time I got choked out. However, I had a feeling this time if I blacked out, I wouldn't be waking up again. It would've been the correct assumption.

My own hands flew up to his trying to loosen the grip, trying to allow air back in my lungs. An instinctually response. But like the first time, it proved to be completely useless. I didn't match him on strength, not by a long shot. I fought against natural instinct and moved my heavy arms up to Scarecrow's face which hovered above my own, finding pleasure in watching me gag. I took my thumbs and pressed down hard on his eyes, my other fingers gripping onto the side of his face for leverage.

It worked!

Temporarily blinded he stepped backwards, letting go of my neck, his hands covering his eyes for protection.

I stood up immediately, coughing air back into my lungs, leaning against the bench for support. Keeping a wary eye on Scarecrow, who had backed into one of his desks in the opposite side of the lab, in case Round Two was going to start with a sneak attack.

The Joker clapped his hands slowly.

"Great job, Alice!" he congratulated me.

"Yeah, thanks for all the help." I said sarcastically, my hand rubbing my bruised throat tenderly. My neck was on fire. Apparently it was becoming a regular event, stronger and bigger men attacking little old me. And I was not okay with it.

"I wanted to see how you manage without me." He smiled slyly.

I scowled at the Joker, momentarily taking my eyes off of Crane, not believing him.

"Or you wanted some entertainment." I stated drily.

He clucked his tongue slowly with disappointment at my misinterpretation, and his eyes flashed with darkness.

"Now, really Alice, I could never find amusement in somebody else harming you. I'll deal with Crow, the same way I'll deal with Boles. Painfully." He promised me, cracking his neck as he turned his attention towards Crane.

I frowned. One of the desks drawers was slightly opened.

"What are you up to?" I questioned cautiously, staring at the open drawer which had been closed just a minute before.

Crane smile was strained, "I truly misjudged your intelligence. I won't happen again."

He delicately picked up his iconic mask from the drawer like it was a precious artefact, and lay it gently on the counter beside him. To him, it was a part of his soul. To me, all it looked like was an empty potato sack with two holes cut out for eyes. But I knew that its reveal meant one thing, to start fearing for your life.

I sent the Joker a worrying glance, but he ignored it his eyes sparking towards the brown mask; electrocuted with excitement.

It was obvious that it was up to me to defuse the situation; I couldn't see the clown playing pacifier. Maybe I did have role to play in the team, that role being Jerry Springer. God help us all.

"C'mon Crane, look I'm sorry!" I held my hands up with regret. "We've all gotten so far together, but we aren't out the deep yet. Like you guys have said, the GCPD won't stop-"

"That isn't necessarily true." Crane cut in.

Now, I was confused.

"Huh?"

"Like the Joker said- 'they're machines'. And one way to turn off a machine, to kill it's power supply- Commissioner Gordon. They will be lost, and once again fall back to the control of the Mob." Crane had clearly planned this out in his head already, he turned to look at the Joker, "But you knew this already."

The Joker shrugged loosely, trying to hide that he was slightly impressed, "I was planning on introducing a virus."

I didn't understand what the Joker meant, but Crane did, judging from the way he nodded his head in approval. So I carried on trying to reunite us again quickly before Scarecrow tried anything rash, "Well then, we all work together to stop them. Then we can all go our separate ways."

It sounded like a good plan to me. I had bigger fish to fry than Gordon, but I was willing to make a quick detour along the way.

I wasn't an idiot. I could've left the warehouse right then and there, and slip back invisibly into The Narrows. The GCPD wouldn't even recognise me if they saw me, all their efforts were focussed on the monsters who couldn't even count their number of victims. But doing that meant I might forfeit my opportunity to hunt down Sionis.

I'd realised in the van journey over, I had no idea where to start my search for him. It wasn't as if his name was in the telephone directory (I had checked when I was a child). I needed the help of the Joker, somebody who was more than able to locate where the Mob had held their secret meetings. I figured if he could sniff out the Mob without difficulty, one man would be easy.

Like he had said in the van- 'we can't be split up'. Neither of us were going to allow it now.

"No." Crane said.

"No?" I repeated in shock.

"I will no longer work with the Joker and his.. puppet," he paused finding the correct word for me, I gritted my teeth holding back an insult.

"Oh yeah, and why's that?" I asked carefully, trying not to show my agitation. I couldn't play the pacifier if I was going to start going on the offence.

The Joker looked at me with laughter, "Can't you tell Alice? He won't work with us because Scarecrow has already decided to kill us."

He turned to Crane with exhilaration, his tongue flicking around the corner of his mouth, and then he taunted him asking- "What ya waiting for?"

Crane's whole body tensed, going rigid stiff from infuriation.

I internally cursed at the Joker, sending him hateful glares which he brushed off with a grin. Unlike him, I was very much opposed to death. As in, I didn't want to play Russian roulette with the devil just to see if I'd come out alive. His jeers and jabs, designed to provoke Scarecrow were not helping my life expectancy.

"First though," Crane said, his voice blending into Scarecrow's as the twitching increased. "I want to tell you why I use a Scarecrow. It's the fear it creates. For some reason, there are certain images which can inflict fear to any number of people. Clowns and Scarecrows seem to be prime examples. At first I had picked it because it would work as a symbol of terror, but now Scarecrow has grown to become a part of me that I had never known existed.

"These days, I feel he is more me than I ever was and ever could be. And becoming imprisoned by an identity that I have created is not a curse at all. I am not trapped, I am free! I thought we were the same Clown, that you have picked your identity for the same reasons and it had led to the same conclusion as my own. We would have been perfect for each other."

"I just chose a clown so I could make the people laugh." The Joker smiled playfully, his eyes darting around the room with wild anticipation. Nobody enjoyed playing with fire more than him. It was starting to feel that he did everything just for shits and giggles, he being the only one who found it entertaining.

His final joke cracked Crane.

"Keep laughing clown, soon you'll be screaming!" Scarecrow shouted, reaching into the open drawer and throwing out a glass vial which had been concealed within it, breaking it directly below the Joker's feet.

I held my breath.

Quite literally. I'd seen what his toxin could inflict on people. There was no way that I was going to risk sampling it myself.

The grey smog enveloped the entire bodies of the Joker and the hostage who sat in front. Scarecrow picked his signature mask holding it within his hands delicately as if it was some precious artefact. He was waiting patiently for the smoke to evaporate to witness the throaty screams that would surely follow as they caught glimpse of it.

The gas cleared quickly, trailing out of the ventilation system installed into the roof, and I could finally breathe again.

The Asylum Guard saw the mask first, being eye level with it, and screamed violently from beneath his gag. Trying to kick away from it. His screams caused the gag to fall inside of his mouth, and soon they turned into chokes. He was literally gagging on his own gag. And all I did was watch, the morbid fascination taking over.

It wasn't long until the sounds of chokes and screams ended. The hostage had died with his eyes open, frozen permanently in time with a look of complete terror.

Then there was silence.

Of course, it didn't last long.

"Well, that was disappointing." The Joker stated, "I had big plans for this one."

Scarecrow and I turned to him in wonder, all our interest having been focussed on watching someone else choke themselves to death.

"It didn't work," Scarecrow frowned, and asked himself, "How is this possible?"

The Joker turned, crouching on the floor, to inspect the newly deceased Guard's face.

"Looks like it worked to me." He commented moving the hostage's face towards Scarecrow so he could inspect the results, before standing up and tilting the chair forward, to let the dead man fall to the floor.

As the low thump of the body hitting the floor bounced around the room, I realised that it was true: the Joker was immune to the fear gas.

That only meant one thing, he was truly scared of nothing. He had one seriously twisted head and I wasn't even scratching the surface yet. It was part of our make-up to feel fear; fear of death, fear of loss, fear of failure, heck, even fear of the Batman. Fear was one of the things that tied everyone together, it was one thing which made us all human.

Apparently this rule had an exception.

But who would describe the Joker as human? He was the furthest thing from it. As much as he enthralled me, I could tell he was a monster in clown's clothing. And Scarecrow was just beginning to realise this too, his face betraying himself with worry.

The Joker licked his scar, "You had such potential Scarecrow, but you let yourself down. If you said to me you wanted us to work together to get rid of Gordon, or that new Mayor, what's his name… Hamilton. I would have-uh jumped at the chance. But Batsy? The Bat's the only thing that kept the game interesting! And now he's gone. Well, it's up to good Samaritans, like me, to coax him out of the shadows.

"Beautiful speech by the way. But you got it all wrong. Want to know why I really wear a mask?" He paused, tilting his head towards Scarecrow. "You wear one for fear. Batman wears one for protection. I, now I wear one because I'm showing Gotham it's true face. This whole big city of dirt, full of wealth and filth, playboys and junkies, crooked cops and mobsters. This whole wretched swamp, well it's one huge joke. And I'm the Joker!"

He picked up the chair, and ran over to Scarecrow smashing it against his face knocking him clean out.

I took a step back, shocked.

He wouldn't stop hammering him. Not until the blood got soaked into his white canvas shoes, dying them red.

He straightened up slowly, wiping the greasy hair which had fallen over his eyes away from his face with the back of his bloodied hand. Panting heavily from excitement. Turning to face me, looking proud with himself.

"Bit over the top, don't you think?" I said shakily, trying not to show my discomfort, avoiding looking at the mess that was sure Crane's face was in.

The Joker's smile vanished, and he suddenly turned dead serious.

He walked slowly towards me, and I fought the quiver in my thighs which urged me to make a break for it, I stood my ground.

The Joker grabbed my face and forced me to look at Crane.

I tried not to gag. His face was already unrecognisable, covered in messy blood. His eyes half shut and nearly the size of pool balls, prodding out purple from his head. His nose no longer looked attached, completely broken in half.

It made me want to puke.

"That's how I'll deal with Boles. Nobody touches my Alice without my permission." He declared forcefully into my ear, as if the room was full of invisible predators. "Got a complaint?"

My spine froze cold.

I shook my head, not trusting my mouth to utter out the one syllable 'no'.

He patted me on the cheek, staring at me for a second longer trying to work out what I was thinking. He grinned suddenly, turning on his heel walking over to the opened drawer which Crane had been at, taking out a container that held capsules of his infamous fear toxin.

He then walked towards the door, and froze, turning to look over his shoulder to look at me as I stood like a tableau, completely still.

"Coming?"

I nodded curtly, and nearly ran after him.

It wasn't as if I could say no.

Author's Note: I took this idea of the Joker being immune to fear gas from Batman: Knightfall saga. I figured that given he isn't scared of mobsters, police, Batman or even death, within the film then chances are he isn't scared of anything! I even kept the part of the Joker beating Scarecrow up with a chair, just to pay the comic some homage. Jesus, I'm a nerd!

I took a while uploading this chapter because I actually had to rewrite it four times, honestly it was the hardest chapter (so far) to write since it only takes place in one setting, so trying to get it to flow was a nightmare. My first draft was only actually 2000 words, and somehow it worked it's way up to 5000! Have no idea how that happened. Still not completely happy with it, so will probably edit this again once the story is finished. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed it at least, and thank you all for your kind words, they mean the world to me!