The Joker's Partner

Chapter 1

Arkham City 10:30pm 2007

As I hum to the beat of my music I hear a weird humming sound which i think is from my ear buds so I take them out to test it. Its not my ear buds... I hear a scream then a lot of gun shots and foot steps followed by mumbling. I go to run across the hall but remember I left the phone downstairs and there are no home phones connected to the upstairs so I quietly run back to my room and lock the door. I wish that my window had a roof I could climb out onto. 'Holy crap... I could die... shit...... pull yourself together, maybe he won't come up here..." I hear footsteps coming up the stairs 'Shit... Ok all I need to do is be calm if he decides to come in here. Living in Arkham sucks.' I calmly sit down on my bed and cross my legs. 'This isn't the best moment to be wearing skinny jeans... but at least my gray t-shirt and black Sweatshirt are comfortable.' I pull my legs in tighter and suck in my breath when I hear him get a couple of steps away from my door. I close my eyes when the door knob starts shaking. After a moment it stays silent so I think he has walked away.... I slightly jump almost screaming when he starts shooting the door down.

I try to keep calm as he kicks the door down. I wasn't sure what to expect. It wasn't until he started laughing ,his high pitched laugh, and the debris started to clear away did I realize it was the Joker. No one knew who he was until a couple months ago when he first started making his appearances. I want to scream so badly but I can't so I try speaking as well as sitting up straighter. "Hello... you... you killed my family didn't you?"

This throws him off and gets him to stop laughing. After a second he his attention back to me and takes out his knife. I frown. "Why So Serious?" He laughs.

Again I speak, "I'm not being serious. I'm just questioning your choice of weapon... You shot everyone else downstairs, plus my door, yet... Yet you use a knife on me?"

He's definitely getting pissed off. He looks like he about to run at me but instead throws the knife at my head. I duck just in time, thanks to my trainings from martial arts and stuff like that, and when I look back up I fake a yawn, "Your throw, spot on." I make a motion with my hand like people do when they're saying perfect and stuff like that (thumb and pointer finger touch -or- thumb and middle finger touch and rest of fingers are up). "Well... it would have been if I hadn't ducked in time."

"You think you're soo smart, don't you? DON'T YOU!?" He picks up his gun and starts to point it at me.

"Wait..." He frowns. "What if you don't kill me and... I'll become your partner or assistant or whatever...?" I place my chin on my hand, while my elbow is on my knee, and look up at him.

He thinks this over for a moment. "I'm probably more skilled then anyone you've got." I add.

He doesn't say anything just grabs me harshly by the arm and pulls/drags me out of the house. Then starts mumbling to himself about looking for new employment.

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Hours later we get back to his place. He shoves me into a chair then starts walking around me. He tugs on my blond hair hard and starts using his slightly high pitched but deep stressed out voice, "This needs to be dyed." He slides his hand across my face, "Your make-up needs to be thicker..." The Joker goes on with listing things that I've gotta do for sometime, "Last thing, You need a name for yourself. You can't just go rob a bank and have someone yell out your name It would just ruin everything. Plussss" He purrs into my ear, "It just sounds plain." He walks away laughing, "You have 2 days to get your shit together beautiful."

He walks away laughing. 'That was scary but at least I'm still alive... right...? I think I just made a deal with the devil...'

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A day later:

I sit down at the hair salon waiting to get my hair dyed new I.D. in hand. It says my name is Marisa Lauren. I want to dye my hair a nice red with black tips.

I already bought lots of black eyeliner, red lipstick, and other stuff like that. I got a couple of custom out fits made so I've basically got everything done except for a name.

A lady calls my name and I sigh while standing up 'bye blonde hair'.

When its over I look up at the mirror. I look so different. I don't even feel like myself.

On a tv screen behind me I see a news report flick on:

Reporter, "Hello this is Vickie Vale for Gotham City News. Its has just been reported that the newest known criminal called the Joker has been spotted in Arkham dragging a girl away and shoving her into his vehicle. Behind me is the house the girl was dragged from. Inside the house she was dragged from there were 5 bodies on the ground shot dead. Forensics says it was her parents and siblings Police tried to go after the Joker but he escaped. The missing girl was to be identified as Clary Grenard, age 16. That was what I was informed about in this terrible incident. No one knows if she is still alive. Hopefully the Joker has done no harm to her. There is one question I have to ask that I think we're all asking our selves. Where was the Batman in all of this? Was he already busy or did the Joker manage to slip under his radar once again? Well this is Vickie Vale reporting live for you with Gotham City News."