Under the Mask

Chapter 7: The Joker

-ARTEMIS-

5:00 P.M., Tuesday, Wayne Manor (Gotham)

Artemis stood up in alarm. The Wayne Manor was flashing red.

Jason stood up and wiped his mouth, "Someone broke in."

Kaldur stood up too, "If someone did, we have to get you somewhere safe," and then he reached to grab Damian.

Damian swatted Kaldur's hand away, and snarled, "We can take care of ourselves!"

"Yeah," Tim agreed from the other side of the table, "I don't understand why d-, uh, Batman sent you guys here."

Dick glared at them both, "It's for your own safety."

"You know you can take care of yourself just as well, Dick," Tim shot back. 

Dick ignored his little brother and told the team, "We don't know who got in. Let's just hope it's some petty robber, and not the Joker or something."

Yeah right, Artemis scoffed in her head, not everyone's that lucky.

As everyone stood up, Artemis heard a laugh that she never wanted to hear again.

Dick narrowed his eyes, "The Joker."

Jason threw his hands up in the air, "You just had to jinx it, Dick."

As they ran down the hallways of the Wayne Manor, M'gann asked, "Is there somewhere safe you can go?"

All four brothers glanced at each other uneasily. "Yeah," Tim told them hesitantly, "but it's best you not go there. You're, uh, presence might attract the Joker?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes at the Wayne brothers, They're hiding something. I'd figure it out now, but not when their lives are at stake. Maybe after we deal with the Joker. She suddenly wished Robin was in the same room as they were. After all, it was his city, and he probably new the Joker's weaknesses, like he knew everyone's. 

But it's my city too, Artemis realised, I lived here my entire life. Of course I know some weaknesses. She started thinking really hard, Okay, so what do I know about the Joker? He's... mentally unstable? What am I thinking, of course he is. So... That means that the Joker is unpredictable, and we don't know if he's going to use the most logical or most illogical way to attack. That's what makes him deadly. 

Dick broke her thoughts, "The Joker is mentally insane, so we don't know if he's going to attack using the most logical or illogical way to attack us. That's what makes him dangerous."

Suddenly, an extraordinary, not relevant and crazy but logical thought clicked in Artemis' brain.

"He might want to target us one by one," Dick continued, "or he might want to gather us in one place and then attack."

"I don't like the idea of splitting up," Superboy mused, "so if I were all of you, I'd take my chances in gathering together. I mean, how hard is it to fight one loony?"

The boys looked at each other again. Dick exhaled slowly, "Guys, there's something I wanna te-"

He was interrupted with a loud bang.

Jason looked at the place the bang came from, "Actually, I think it's two loonies."

"Harley Quinn," Damian's face darkened. 

"Great," Artemis muttered, "just what we need."