Humans. Monsters. Heroes. Villains.

Chapter 7: Finally We Meet

He should have known that villains often come with pretty faces.
- Anna Godberson

The Joker's POV
There were sirens blaring like crazy when he arrived, concealing himself behind a decrepit-looking grocery store.

Though the streets surrounding the area were practically deserted, there was a spot up ahead that was completely packed with people. A ring of police cars surrounded a single building, and surrounding the police cars was a throng of citizens, along with a news van and several reporters. The lack of people on the surrounding streets was a good thing, since it meant that the Joker could pretty much just stroll up to the scene without anyone noticing.

He ducked into an alley of the building directly next to the crime scene and pressed himself against a wall, listening closely. The blare of sirens and voices and panic was making his head hurt, and he certainly wasn't going to learn anything worth knowing if the the blabber was all he could hear.

If the whole place wasn't caked with police, he would just step out, reveal himself, and go meet this so-called "villain of the age." But with cops swarming the whole place, it was too risky.

The Joker would much rather avoid getting stuck in another stifling white cube and fantasizing about decorating the plain white walls with those stupid doctors' blood and -

The point being, it was too early after his escape to just mosey into a circle of officials and get away with it. He did, however, still need to figure out a plan to get to this girl. The...Chimera. And this needed to happen fast.

Just then, there was a sudden silence. The Joker froze, listening. Footsteps echoed slowly, then stopped. There was no other sound.

The silence wasn't just silence of a bunch of people trying not to talk. This was more like a bunch of people trying not to talk or move. Or breathe, for that matter.

It was so quiet, it was somehow almost loud. Saying it was tense would not even begin to cover it.

Then, finally, someone spoke.

A woman's voice. "Calm down, gentlemen. I'm not here to cause any trouble. I just needed to...pick up some things."

Although he was concealed in the alley and couldn't see anything, the Joker got a distinct mental image of the entire crowd shivering at the sound of this voice.

So this must be the Chimera.

Now a man - probably an officer. "Drop your weapons."

The woman again, her voice silken and lilting. "What makes you think I have a weapon?"

Silence. Obviously, this was such a stupid question that no one was even going to bother to answer.

A sigh. "Look, I just want to take my newspapers and leave peacefully. Is that really  too much to ask?"

Newspapers? That sure sounded familiar. The Joker furrowed his brows. Why would she need newspapers?

Unless...she had probably learned about the breakout by now. Was she collecting research on him just as he had collected research on her?

The Chimera was speaking again. "Just let me leave and no one will die. At least not this time."

The man replied, his voice shaking ever so slightly. "You're being taken into custody. Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air."

Another sigh, longer and more dramatic. "We've been through this before, remember? It never works. I thought we established this. Look, I was just in the mood for a nice, quiet robbery this evening. I really don't feel like harming anyone. So don't force me to."