Chapter 35: Chapter 35-Lesson Learned!
hapter 35
SELINA KYLE
~Five minutes left~
Selina Kyle was strapped to the chair as the Joker made his attempts at comedy while the clock ticked beside her.
"So the chicken man said..." and she had finally had enough.
"Are you done?" she cut him off, glancing as the clock ticked to the final six minutes.
"You do not seem to be enjoying yourself," he asked, as if he was being genuine in his concern.
He looked like a madman, with his face makeup and purple suit, as he looked at her with those glinting eyes.
"You promised to let her go," she said as her eyes inched to the person hanging upside down just above a vile green liquid that she did not wish to know. A person with an all too familiar face and red hair.
Dr. Palmella Isley.
"Ohh, that I will. I will," he said with a chuckle, "but first, we must wait for your little boyfriend to give himself up."
"Why do you hate Thomas? Why do you do this?" she questioned.
And he looked at her funny as if offended by her words.
"Ohh, I do not hate him. No, no. I care for him deeply," he monologued, surprising her with those words.
"You care for him. Have you lost your mind?" she questioned, her heart quickening.
"Maybe, hahaha," he laughed as he plopped out of his chair and came to stand in front of her.
"But I do, I care for him. I see him trying to heal this broken city, trying to live such a limited and inhibited life following the rules, living as a commoner when he can do anything, and it ENRAGES ME!" he snarled the last words as his spit hit her in the face.
"He controls the city, every aspect of it. He can rule it like a King, wipe off all the blemishes with a single wave of his hand, yet he lives as a mere mortal, pretending to be human when he could be much, much more." He spoke fanatically, and she could not believe her ears.
"He shackles himself with rules and regulations, using the blunt instrument of Batman to do his dirty work as he languishes in his castle, looking down on us all like peasants," he began raving as the clock ticked down.
"I wish to drag him down, wish to see him dirty his own hands. I wish to make a mortal out of him, and you are the key to that achievement," he snarked as he reached into his pocket and took out a timepiece.
"Four minutes left," he said with a smile as suddenly the TV screen shifted.
~Breaking News: We have just been informed that the Wayne family has arranged a special press conference in the City Hall. We will be heading there now for the live press conference~
With that, the screen flickered to the Gotham City Hall, and her eyes widened as she saw the person live on screen.
It was Thomas.
The Joker frowned as he picked up the remote and began to sift through the various news channels. CNN, ABC, ACN, and every news outlet had the same feed, some at different angles, some a second delayed, yet the same feed nonetheless.
~"I believe many of you are speculating on why such an event was considered a necessity, but I believe that it was necessary for me, the Wayne family and Wayne Enterprises to clear up the recent propaganda that has been spewed against us," he began as the Joker frowned his eyes darting between her and the screen.
~Three minutes left.~
"Many of you believe that I am the last Wayne alive and the one behind the murder of both Carmine Falcone and my brother, and I am here to deny those allegations," And with that, the screen shifted as documents were projected on the screen behind.
"As you can see behind you, Mr Falcone's dead body was found in his prison cell during the attack on Gotham. He was presumably killed by a prisoner in the facility, and during that time, I was inside Wayne Tower immobilized by the debris from the plane crash," he played the live feed of his office as the plane hit the building.~
The Joker picked up his phone and put it to his ear.
"So, it is real? He is really there," he confirmed, and she made out a yes from the other side.
"Interesting," he finished as he put off the frown with a frown.
~"And as for the allegation of killing my own brother, who the city believes to be Batman," he began with a chuckle as he began to back away from the podium.
"I shall leave that to someone else," she saw the cameras pan as another man walked into the frame and reached for the podium, dressed impeccably and in a suit, and the reporters gasped in surprise.
It was Bruce Wayne himself.
"Surprise," he said into the mike as he opened his arms.
"I am alive," he added with a chuckle before quickly leaning forward.
"And unmarried." ~
And the Joker seemed puzzled as his head snapped towards her.
"YOU LIED!" he shouted, and she shook her head.
"I did not," she pleaded, as he placed a knife to her neck, nicking it as blood dripped down and she winced in pain.
"Bruce Wayne is indeed Batman, I did not lie," she pleaded as he looked into her eyes, as Bruce continued to speak in the mike.
~ "Me, Batman! Please, anyone who walks dressed up as a bat has issues. And I can assure you I have much better ways to spend my nights than to scour Gotham like a maniac."~
He denied being the Batman.
~Two Minutes left~
"Ohh, I see," uttered the Joker as he backed away, rubbing his scalp with his blade, uncaring just how dangerous it could be.
"HAHAHA. I see it now, such heroism. I should have expected nothing else," he laughed as he began to pace away.
"They have abandoned you. To save the city, they have chosen to sacrifice you," he said as he looked her in the eye, and her heart shriveled at those words, words that she believed to be false.
'Thomas would never,' she assured herself even though doubt crept u from the dark ravines of her head as Bruce continued to speak up.
~"And If I was sneaking out into the night, I can assure you someone very special would know, and that brings us to my second point," as the picture of the woman claiming to be Bruce's ex-wife appeared.
"Who the hell is that woman, and why is she claiming to be my wife? I have no idea, and I plan to pursue all avenues in regard to that. Though I would like to use this moment to introduce you all to the real and very much legal, future Mrs. Wayne," and with that, the camera panned away to reveal the figure of none other than Rachel Dawes, who walked to the podium with a ring on her fingers.~
"Ohh, I should have expected nothing less. I should have known that it would have taken more than just his disposable girlfriend to bring him out of his shell. I should have known," the Joker raved.
~One minute left~
"I am not disposable," she reiterated as he looked at her with a wild smile.
"You still cannot see it, though, can you? You have been abandoned, left to my mercy," he said as he pointed towards the TV screen with Thomas standing beside a laughing Bruce and Rachel as the press conference continued. And her heart somewhat pained at the sight.
"No matter, I will just show him what will happen if he does not change his ways," and with that, the Joker began to fiddle with the camera. the TV screens shifted, and the Joker's face stared at her from the screen.
"HELLO, EVERYONE! I AM BACK!"
"AND THE TIME IS OVER!"
CRASH!
Suddenly, the room shook with a large explosion, basking the whole place in a massive dust cloud as she felt the bindings around her arms and legs cut loose, and her head snapped back to see Batman standing right behind her.
"Get out," he spoke, and she frowned as she realized that this was not Bruce's voice.
No, this was someone else, someone whose voice she recognized even through the transducer.
"Thomas," she gasped out as the masked man's eyes landed on her, softening as he pulled her behind him elf, shielding her as the Joker fired at them.
TING!
TING!
TING!
The bullets bounced off his armor.
"I see, I see now. I should have expected nothing less," the Joker laughed as he appeared out of the dust cloud, cackling like an idiot.
"Using a doppleganger, I am surprised that you were able to do such a thing on such short notice, but I was told that you would be taken care of," the Joker began as the dust began to settle down.
As Batman tried to step forward, the Joker pointed towards a red button in his hand.
"Nahuh, I would not do that if I were you," he said as he pointed behind him, and she whispered into his ears.
"He has Palmella," she told him. It was the only reason she had said what she had said; she did not wish to put the redhead through whatever that massive silo contained.
"It seems our dear associates underestimated you, Batman! Or should I say, Mister Bruce Wayne," he said as she looked up and saw Thomas's eyes narrow onto Palmella's upside-down figure.
"And that is where you are wrong," came the answer as the transducer shut off, and the voice changed into the all too familiar tone of none other than the younger Wayne brother.
"You see, I am not Bruce," Thomas replied as he took off the mask, revealing his face.
"I am Thomas, and I share none of his inhibitions, especially in your case, Joker," he said as suddenly the Joker's whole body stiffened. The button he had been holding up fell down as she saw Thomas look at the man with an impassive glance.
Her eyes darted towards the TV screen, and she was shocked to see the ordeal. On the screen, the Joker and Batman seemed engaged in a full-fledged battle, with her still bound to the chair. Then her head snapped towards Thomas once more, knowing that this must have been his doing.
The Joker must have seen it too, for he uttered weakly as his body collapsed to the ground.
"How?"
"Unlike my brother, I learn from my mistakes and prepared for contingencies, and have doppelgangers for myself and important people for my life ready at all times," he answered as he stepped forward toward the quivering form of Joker before he crouched down.
"You should really consider changing your name, though," he said with a quite dark chuckle.
"Joker! It's a shame that the only thing funny about you is your makeup, Mr Arthur." he finished and saw the Joker's eyes widen.
"You are not the only one curious about secret identities, though I am afraid your curiosity ends today," he said as he took a small metal object from his pocket and brought it near the Joker's mouth.
"D..v..il....no....god...u...r..the...dev....l..haha...haha..ahhaha" the Joker murmured.
"Maybe, after all, unlike my brother, I have no qualms about achieving a permanent solution to problems as dangerous as you."
And with that, he cracked the vial as gas erupted from the small cylinder.
"Ha... ahaha...aha." The Joker's laughter slowly died down, even as his chest continued to rise and fall.
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