No Rest for the Wicked || The Joker's Daughter { ON HIATUS}

Chapter 9: Damaged

     Mary awoke groggily on a cold hard floor. She wasn't tied or cuffed to anything, but upon standing she found that she had been caged. Tugging on the bars, she saw the inside of what looked like an old prison. A medical prison from the looks of the ancient medical equipment scattered everywhere. Glancing around her cell, she discovered that it had been cleared of anything that she could possibly use to escape. "Damnit!" She kicked at the gate.

     "Well, well. Someone's finally awake." The guy spoke as he emerged from the shadows, causing Mary to jump. Still, though, she stood up straighter and didn't dare show him any fear, even crossing her arms as if to feign carelessness. "Well, since it seems like we're going to be together for a while. Might as well tell me your name." She slid down to her knees, attempting to look casual while getting a better scope of the area around her captor. She could tell that he saw right through it, but he humored her anyway. "By birth, The name's Aidan. Aidan Fletcher." It worried her that he revealed his true identity so easily. Perhaps he was already planning on killing her? "But the name I'm trying to get going is The Jokester." He paused to release a bit of laughter. "Truthfully, though, The Joker would work for me as well. Since the mantle has been open for quite some time now." Mary scoffed. Though she despised the thought of her father, she knew that this boy couldn't live up to his reputation. "Well, what do you want with me? Do you think I have the title and want me to sign it over to you? Here, man." She pretended to sign a piece of paper and flick it at him. "You can have it."

     Another burst of laughter. "You're not what I expected, you know. Nevertheless, I'm still impressed." Aidan inched closer to the bars. "Nonono. You see, I need my arm candy. My Harley Quinn, if you will. A partner in crime, Psycho enough to go along with all my wild shenanigans. And what better girl for the spot than the product of such a love." Mary scoffed at the word love. What her parents had wasn't love. Not that she knew what was. Sure, It was infatuation on her mother's part but a little digging could prove time and time again that Harley was just a very resilient but disposable pawn for The Joker. "Hate to break it to you, buddy. But, I'm not your girl. I have no desire to cause chaos and mischief. All I want is to go home and watch TV while eating pizza." She thought back to when she got to do just that with Eli. That memory is what she would describe as her kind of perfect.

     "Perhaps you think that's what you'd prefer but it's only because you've been reprogrammed that way." Aidan tapped his head before pulling out a key to unlock the gate. "But I can reverse those effects." Mary stood and backed up, preparing for a fight. As he got closer, she gripped his jacket, kicking him between the legs so that she could run for the exit. He wavered, but not for long. "Not so fast!" He called, grabbing her leg and pulling it back, causing her to fall to her knees. She kicked back at him, landing a hit on his nose. As he wiped it away, the crimson mixed with the paint on his face. Crawling a few feet, Mary stood, attempting to run again and knocking a tray table over behind her in the process. Still, Aidan cleared it with ease, catching up to her in no time.

     Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her to an old medical restraint chair. He pressed his knee into her stomach to keep her seated while tying her into the restraints. Screaming, she struggled but it didn't seem to be any use. Her voice echoed inside her head, reminding her that she had become weak inside the shelter of the asylum. Stepping back, Aidan gripped a syringe that had been hanging from his belt. Mary had assumed it to be a prop, but he removed the cap and shot a small amount of its contents into the air between them. "W-what's that?" Her voice came out with a squeak and she began to squirm again. "Oh, just a little something I've worked up." He inched closer. "Oh, I know what you're thinking. Me being more than just a pretty face? He really does have it all." The man grinned sickeningly, placing his hand on Mary's forearm to stabilize it. "You don't have to do this. I- I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement without drastic measures." She continued to tug against him. He laughed in her face. "Sure, sure. We could. But this'll speed the process up immensely." Without hesitation, he jammed the needle into her vein and released the purple, fluorescent liquid into her system. "It will also be a bit more entertaining."

     Immediately, everything started to go fuzzy for Mary. "No... No, please." She breathed, barely more than a whisper. The objects around the room seemed to dance before her while the walls came dangerously close to crushing the both of them. Next, she felt a sharp pain shooting through her body starting from the injection site. Her screams filled the halls of the abandoned building as she watched her veins darken, leaving a cracked china doll look to her skin. "You're hallucinating... It's not real." Mary attempted to calm herself. Her breathing quickened and she felt increasingly more lightheaded with every breath she took. Then, she was overcome with uncontrollable laughter. It verged on maniacal and lasted in bouts of two whole minutes at a time. Aidan stood, seemingly amused as well as intrigued. "I'll leave you to it, then." The smile he shot her sent an uncontrollable rage though her newly darkened veins. She saw red as she wrestled with her restraints again, this time possessing an abundance of strength. The fabric groaned as it stretched, causing Aidan's smile to waver momentarily. Still, she remained trapped to the chair. "I'll kill you!" She cried as he slammed the door behind him.