The Mechanic and The Clown (Robert Downey Jr/The Joker)

Chapter 10

I drove Banner and myself in the Audi to where Bruce Wayne was annoyingly lingering around. No offense, but isn't he supposed to be retired? Or had he forgotten our encounter at the event a week or so earlier. One things for sure, he couldn't pull the wool over my eyes. But if he had found anything here about The Joker then I sure as Hell wanted in. "Some place he picked," Banner remarked looking the place where The Joker had decided to make his presence known. This was where the scum and low-lifes of Malibu resided, those idiots who think they can get one up over the likes of me. But of course the cops didn't do anything about it. "He sure knows what he's doing, I'll give him that one," I answered, stepping out of the car, adorned with my favourite leather jacket and sunglasses. Yes I wear sunglasses even at night, why? Because I can! I mean it's not like its my worst habit or anything so surely they could let that one thing slide. Come on! They all pick on all the little details about my personality and traits, not one willing to cut me any slack. Well no matter what anyone says, I can't dial it down, it's who I am. I've always been this brilliant, rich genius who is incredibly good looking and let's face it, I'm loved by nearly everybody on the entire planet. At the risk of sounding self-obssesed let's just move on. I didn't bother bringing any of the suits with me cos I sorta had a hunch that The Joker was miles away by now, leaving behind the remains of his chaos. This guy annoyed me so much more than Reindeer Games ever did! And I thought Aldrich Killian was a challenge. But see that's another thing about me, I never back down, I keep going.

"Looks like Robocop is still here," Bruce Wayne's monster of a car was just there on the barely lit street, it looked like it came fresh out of the military. Not very subtle for a man who insists on keeping his identity a secret. "Honestly he doesn't even know how to do it right." Banner chuckled at my sort of mini rant but had quite a good point I must say, "Last thing I heard was that Batman had died after the whole Bane attack on Gotham," he raised an eyebrow at the rather conspicuous vehicle that stood out from everything else, "if he keeps appearing like this all over the place, people are going to start asking questions." That is why I befriended Bruce Banner and brought the guy on board with this whole thing, the only person I ever knew who like me applies logic and common sense to everything and understands the language. Honestly! Science and Math is not that difficult to get. But we stil had Bruce Wayne to deal with and I for one was totally up for getting him out of the way, I had a bone to pick with The Joker. Wayne had his chance and failed and I was going to make damn well sure that the same didn't happen to me. "Speaking of which, there's the pantomime hero now," we both walked into the rather derelict building. Whatever The Joker had been up to in here he sure did one hell of a good job in wrecking the place. The figure walking towards us was unmistakable, the whole Batman suit was just ridiculous, it even had wings which I must admit I couldn't help but laugh at! The ensemble was up their with Capsicle's spangly outift. Why they choose to wear such repulsive outfits is beyond me! "Wayne," I smirked, knowing how much it aggravated the guy and judging from how he clenched his teeth, It had done just that. "Now you back down and listen, The Joker is my business." he ordered, rather harshly if I may add.

Wait, what? Bruce Wayne was really trying to boss me around? Well I was not going to allow that, no way no how. "Nu-uh that's never gonna happen," I retorted with my usual confident smugness that only I could get away with, squaring up to Bruce Wayne, "Following's not really my style and I refuse to take orders from some overgrown bat." I could tell Bruce Wayne was getting irate and resisting the urge to punch me. He wouldn't dare. "I know The Joker better than you do Stark so stay out of it." Oh he did not just go there, Man was he confused, "I don't see your wife being the one he put into a coma." But Wayne was not entirely happy with my witty comebacks, some people just can't take them. "Stark I am warning you," he growled in his clearly fake voice, "I have dealt with and stopped the Joker before."

"Oh that's right!" I sounded, overdramatically, my words dripping with sarcasm, "You put him into Arkham Asylum Prison, only for him to escape what was it? A week later?" Bruce Wayne, as I had expected, had nothing to say in retalitaion, I was just too good! "Correct me if I'm wrong here, which I rarely am, either you didn't know how to deal with The Joker or you need better security in your prison, in my opnion I'd say it's both." The smirk that had appeared on my face successfully ticked off the guy who modelled himself off a bat of all things! "You are walking on a very fine line Stark," Wayne tried to taunt me but I just couldn't take him seriously with that voice, "What are you doing here anyway?" Had he truly forgotten, was this guy a piece of work! "If I recall you're the one who said there was something for me to see," I remarked as I scanned the room for anything of importance, right now it was just rubble. Banner had gone to explore the room opposite and I was going to follow in his path. "And what is up with that voice! It's so fake and take a look around there's no one here." Wayne huffed angrily, I was getting to him, but I just could not resist! "It's how I keep my identity a secret Stark, in these dangerous circumstances I don't want the wrong people finding out." I raised an eyebrow at this, we were not in a dangerous circumstance at that moment in time, "Oh yeah because this situation is super toxic at this point!" each word heaving with sarcasm. And that's when something came to my attention, it got louder as I entered into the room where Banner was. He had seen something and went to find out what it was. And that's when we heard it.

"Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue ridge mountain, Shenandoah river. Life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze. Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong, West Virginia, mountain mamma, take me home country roads...."

"What the hell is that?" Bruce Wayne questioned, completely clueless, had he really not heard of the song before? "John Denver, Country Roads," Banner replied before I had a chance to. "You probably haven't heard of it seeing as you prefer high pitched sonar sounds than popular music." I probably overstepped the line, but he was asking for it, he was dressed as a bat for crying out loud!

I didnt focus on what Wayne's reaction was, Banner had found Clayton's dead body hidden under a pile of rubbish and the number fourteen written across his forehead. "What the?" The Joker was trying to be clever, just as I thought he would be. This was him trying to get my attention. And it was working. I just had to figure out how it all connected. I left the two Bruces to delve into the adjacent room, it was just a hunch but I thought I might find something in there. All the while the song the kept playing, repeating over and over again.

This room was dark and cold, the electrics like in the rest of the building was not working, good thing I came prepared. Even though I never had my suit I still had my handy little tablet like device, which of course I invented myself, it could also act as a good source of light. I shone the light over the far wall and saw that it was unusually draped with a large piece of scrap material. It screamed out as a clue, and of course I went to investigate but I did not expect what it was hiding. Written across the wall behind the material were the initials V.S. Was it just a coincidence that the recording of the song was stuck on the lyrics 'West Virginia' and kept repeating it? I didn't think so. It all seemed to add up. Something clicked in my mind, the others still didn't get it, I was clever like that always figuring things out before anyone else. Anger ran through my veins, I knew what he had done, I had got distracted that I failed to notice it happeneing. Any hesitation or fear that I had got wiped out, I was going to make the Joker pay. It all made sense, the lyrics that kept repeating, 14 was her bed number at the hospital, and the inititals V.S? Virginia Stark. Pepper. "He's taken her."

((Authors Note: Hey everyone! That Joker is one bad guy! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I would love to hear your opinon on it in the comments below.

thank you))