Black Eyes

Chapter 28: Free

At first nothing happened. The Joker just stood there with a smug look on his face. "See? What did I tell-"

Suddenly he twisted around to face me, his reaction was a sight I will never forget. The Joker looked terrified. Never had I witnessed him looking this way. I couldn't even tell what he was feeling or seeing or thinking. He just stood there with wide eyes that he was trying to control.

"What did you do? Why is he looking at me like that?" I whispered maliciously at Dr. Crane.

"Sorry, toots. Doctor has gotta do what a doctor has gotta do, and that's experiment and observe. Nothing personal, really, but this was just too good of an opportunity to pass up!"

"Jonathan Crane you dumbass!" I snapped, running up to him and trying hard to ignore the Joker's frantic jolting next to me. He was keeping eerily silent and I didn't like it.

"Oh come on, what else was I supposed to do? He was going to kill me." Crane argued his case.

"You made a promise. And if that wasn't enough I was the one who gave you your breakthrough in developing this drug. You owe me." He shrugged and gave me a look of agreement. "Now, we have to haul this mess-" I gestured to the Joker. "Out of here."

A look of realisation slowly crept its way across the doctor's face as he mouthed an O, looking rather stupid. He then snapped out of his daze and opened the door to the room. I followed suit, seeing the two guards who had an allegiance to the doctor standing in the hall by another few unconscious guards.

"...the hell were you doing out here when we could've needed you in there?"

"It sounded like you had it covered." A deep voiced guard spoke. "Plus we had some other ones who heard the commotion and came snooping."

"Alright, forget it. Slight change in the escape plan. Kill the guys inside quick and follow me."

We all followed doctor Crane down the hall, dragging the drugged Joker with us. Every once in a while he would let out what sounded like a whimper, but with him it was hard to tell what was happening. He looked scared, but he wasn't quite acting it. He seemed like he was in more pain than anything. Had the doctor's gas not worked on him the way it was supposed to? Or was the Joker reacting differently then I did?

Crane had taken us to the basement of the building. He unlocked a door leading to a room that we clearly unfinished, with a cave as it's walls and pipes lining the place. I heard running water and spotted a few tables lined up against the wall. A few guns, jugs full of an unidentifiable liquid, and other things lay atop the tables and on floors.

"What is all of this?" I asked. Clearly the doctor knew this place well as he led us up a stairwell and to a crawlspace.

"This pipe will take you back underneath Arkham and to the other side of the river. You know, It's amazing the coincidence. Two people working for the greater good of Gotham... coming together and helping each other in such a marvelous way-" The doctor stopped outside of the crawlspace which now I could see as a large pipe big enough for a person to fit through. "You and the Joker have a mission that you believe is for the "good" of Gotham. The people need something that they are missing in order to live and that is chaos. Without chaos humanity is a never-ending, same old cycle." I stared at him blankly, unknowing where he was going with his monologue. "My quest is similar but different. I believe humanity will thrive without fear. In the event of chaos, people panic so there in lies the problem. If people put their fears aside and listened to the chaos, what do you think would happen? Would there even be chaos without fear?"

I shook my head, shifting the Joker towards the crawlspace. He was beginning to come to, seeing as his movements were much more compliant from before. I didn't have time to deeply consider Crane's question. The Joker and I had to get out of here. I could hear the distant sound of alarms going off in the main building.

"I don't know either, but wouldn't you like to find out?" Jonathan Crane pulled out what I pieced together was a sort of mask and he stuffed it over his head, raising his hands triumphantly. It was a poorly sewn together sack, with jagged holes for the eyes and a stitched mouth. The whole thing came together nicely and made him look rather villainous.

Then it dawned on me. He was indirectly forming an alliance with us- or maybe just me. "You look like a Scarecrow." A smirk spread over my face.

"Scarecrow huh? I like that, it's ironic. Hope you don't mind me using it."

"Of course not. Until next time, Scarecrow." I respectfully saluted and then lead the Joker into the large pipe before us.

At first I had to shove him along. It took another good 10 minutes of strenuous shoving and pushing before he refused to move anymore. "Don't stop now." I pushed him forcibly in the behind. The whole scene felt so silly to me. How ridiculous this image must have looked! If I wasn't so frustrated and overwhelmed I would've laughed myself silly.

I snapped out of my daydream when a shoe made contact with my face. My neck twisted and my nose cracked, pain stinging down my back, face, and then to my tailbone.

"The fuck- Iris?" The Joker's voice sounded clear and I looked up to see his silhouette peering back at me, his body in an awkward position.

"Hey there, boss." I replied half-hearted, holding my nose as warm liquid oozed into my hand. "Shit." I whispered to myself.

"Where the hell are we? I can't see."

"Just keep going. Doctor Crane says it'll lead to the other side of the river."

"You trust that weasel?" I heard him beginning to shuffle down the shaft. "He sprayed me with that stuff he concocted in his lab. And it- uh, never mind. Anyway, after what he did to me- and you- you still trust him?"

"Yes. He owed it to me and he followed through. Besides, I like him. He's my friend."

"Ya ya whatever. He better not show his face in front of me again or I'll make sure that his own gas lands in his face. See how he likes it."

"Did... Did you actually see what you are afraid of?" I continued to wipe the blood pouring from my nose into my sleeve.

"I'm not afraid of anything, Iris. It put me in a weird trance though, unlike the first few times where it did nothing." There was a pause and then he continued. "You must've really given him his breakthrough." He sounded almost pained to say it.

We didn't talk the rest of the way. When we reached the end we used both sides of the pipe to hoist ourselves​ to the top. There was a grate that easily lifted away revealing sunlight, something I hadn't seen in Gotham for a long time. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. I looked up at him, revealing my battered and bloodied face.

"Christ sakes, doll face. Can't take care of yourself while I'm away?"

I quickly wiped the now dried blood off of my face and peered down at my clothes to see it spattered with blood. It was probably a mix of mine as well as the guard's, but I didn't mind. The look suited me. I snickered and looked out over the river to see dreaded Arkham Asylum mocking us in the distance. "Ya ya, I know we'll be back."

I didn't really talk to anyone specifically when a hand brought my cheek over to face the Joker's. He looked at me for a long time, studying my face and it's tired features. Finally he lightly slapped my cheek, lapped his lips, and brought me into a quick hug.

"It's funny, usually the prince saves the princess." I pushed him out of our hug and gave him a sassy smile.

"Pfft, I didn't need saving."

"I don't know, you looked pretty tied up to me. It's okay, you don't have to say thanks. I know deep down you're grateful."

"Yah yah." He waved me off and turned on his heels. I bounced after him.

It was going to be a long trek home.