Demons (Damirae)

Chapter Seventy-Seven

"Joker."

The clown cackled.

"Good ta see ya Batsy! It's been a while-how's the family?", his tongue flicked over his mad red lips as his wild eyes travelled to the feline female clothed in leather and latex. "Oh, so you got yourself the goody goody boy-toy back. How romantic!", he batted his eyes.

Wind whipped Batman's cloak though the air but did naught to muffle the Joker's words, sending down flecks of white. The merciless winter would return to plague this February like the king clown's reemergence in Gotham. It had been a whisper on the streets.

The clown.

The clown.

The mad mad clown.

But it had been enough. The Joker was back, with hostages tied together, bound by dynamite and C4 waiting for the BOOM signal. The president too was under his mercy, a remote control clutched in her trembling fingers: her family held at gunpoint before her eyes.

Mr J had given her a choice, and as usual, Batman turned up, his blue eyes icy beneath his cowl and his fists rearing to slam in to the clown. Catwoman was here this time. Ready to sink her claws in to the Joker's neck and tear his heart straight out of his chest- or perhaps watch him bleed to death...slowly...painfully. For the pain he brought Harley.

"You know the game Batsy- we've been through this so so so many times!", The Joker chuckled, twiddling his bow tie. He brushed down his purple jacket and grinned at Selina, "Soooooo, how's the missus? It's been a-"

He was cut short by Catwoman jumping at him, claws an inch away from tearing his face apart. Before she had a chance to claw the Joker to death, Batman had struck him and the man was on the floor. The caped vigilante held the madman up by his jacket, "Listen here Joker, you don't- ARGH!"

Acid from the flower tucked in to the jacket pocket sprayed over Batman and he dropped the Joker. Selina picked up where she left off, pinning him to the glass window. The three of them were in the fifteenth floor of one of Gotham's commercial office buildings, the hostage situation lay two floors above them in a conference room and on the roof.

As the Joker continued taunting Catwoman, Madam President on the seventeenth floor stared in to the eyes of her husband and daughter, tears shamelessly dribbling down her cheeks. The whirring of helicopters outside didn't register in her ears, only the whimpering of her child and spouse, held at gunpoint by clown-masked figures. She was given an impossible choice. Kill the fifteen government officials tied on the roof, kill her family, or refuse and let everyone die.

Her mind raced to the two boat scenario those years ago.

This was the Joker. He had been doing it for all these years. Her parents had been on one of those boats. But there was Batman. There was hope. And the Justice League. They would be there.

It was fine. It was all fine. Yes, it would be fine.

Lightening shattered the consuming darkness of night for the briefest moment then gave way to the night once more. The president glanced at the window, then back down at the remote in her hands. She wouldn't condemn so many to death, nor would she condemn her family. She would wait- the heroes always came in the end.

Everything had been fine today, until a few hours ago. The president and various other government officials had met with the three so-called 'Ringleaders' of the magical organisation called 'the Council'. All had gone according to plan, deals were negotiated and peace would continue (apart from Amanda Waller's insistence on magical submission, an unnecessary complication). And then the bag came over her head and she felt the cold barrel press against her neck: 'Don't do anything stupid. We have your husband and child.' the man had said.
Where were those damned supers?! People were an inch from death! Oh heaven have mercy!