Divination (Joker x Batman x OC)

Chapter 42

Immanuel Lutheran Church appeared entirely tranquil and peaceful from outside. The street was dark and quiet, and there was not a soul in sight. Shade noticed a side door slightly ajar and approached it carefully. The sound of her feet crunching on the grass as she walked around a perfectly manicured bush was the only sound she could hear. And then she saw him. The Batman, She ducked behind the bush to hide and carefully watched the Batman in action for the first time. So dark and mysterious as he moved quickly across the church's lawn, an enormous shadow and flowing cape.

After he had disappeared into the building she waited ten seconds and then followed. The room she entered was nearly pitch black, and had from what she could see a light blue carpeted floor and several rows of folded up chairs leaning against the wall. Across the room was another door that was wide open, letting in a dim stream of light. Shade went over to it quickly and quietly and peered out, seeing no one and deciding to use her gift before stepping out there.

Someone was coming. One of the Joker's men. She heard him behind her and knew how he planned to subdue her. His thoughts were clear. He grabbed her arm.

"We've been looking for you," the man hissed into her ear. "You're the one that stole from us."

She could see his thoughts. The Joker would be proud of him.

Shade began to struggle against him, realizing that he was holding her so tightly that she could barely move. She had been in this position before, she reminded herself. She knew what to do. His arm around her chest was there firmly enough that she could hardly breathe without struggle. She folded her arms upwards at the elbow gripping his forearm with not nearly enough strength to move it, so she used his strength to suspend her lower body.

In a swift move, she was using his forearm to support herself against him while she bent both knees, using both feet to give him a hard stomp in the groin. He went down quickly, but she was even quicker, giving him a spinning kick to the head before he could yell in pain. Once he was out, she reached into his holster and took his pistol. She would need it, at the very least for intimidation if she encountered anyone else.

The Batman had already found the Joker and his men in the sanctuary of the church. Shade could see the Batman's thoughts as he fought them off, she could see his visions of a case of money send countless bills flying all over the floor. Shade finally left the room she was in and found a set of stairs that led to the balcony area of the church. 

She ascended in silence and looked down and the brawl ensuing. The Batman was hypnotizing and sharp with his movements, perfect..calculated..targeted. The Joker's movements were much wilder, unplanned, messy but much more opportunistic. Shade watched as the Joker flung a case of money at the Batman's head, which distracted him for less than a second, giving the Joker the opportunity to give him a knee to the chest. Another one of the Joker's men joined in and Shade watched as Bruce handled them in a powerful display. Shade could tell that the Batman just wanted the Joker, and perhaps that gave him a bit of weakness as he shoved one of the Joker's men out of the way without knocking him out so that he could make another move on the Joker.

Shade heard a shuffling sound below her and wanted to peer over the balcony but could not risk being seen. She glanced down at what she could see of the lower level but couldn't see what was going on below her. When she looked back up, it seemed that in a split second the Joker had vanished and now the Batman was combating four other men. The urge to give a round of applause as he flung one of the men into the nearest podium after he began to collapse following a well delivered blow the head was overwhelming.

She couldn't lean over the balcony, so she had to use her gift to see what was going to right beneath her. The thoughts of the man below her came in loud and clear. He was loading a bazooka to fire at the Batman, risking killing a few of his own team members for what he knew would be something that would make the Joker proud. What he didn't know, however, was that the Joker didn't want the Batman dead, he wanted him broken. 

Shade dashed over to the stairs and went down as quickly as she could, just as the man was firing the rocket launcher. Using a rocket launcher indoors. She shook her head as she ran. She had never fired a gun before, but it came so naturally as she raised it, aimed, and fired at the man's shoulder. The impact of the bullet sent his launch several feet to the right of his intended target, missing the Batman, and in less than the time that it took to exhale, there was an explosion. There was enormous hole in the side of the building as a fire erupted and smoke quickly began to fill the room. Shade's ears rang as she and the Batman had the briefest eye contact. In the corner of her left eye, she could see him, the Joker, with his eyes locked on her. She lost sight of him as the smoke became thicker and she ran in the opposite direction, vanishing into the night.