Laugh Lines

Boom!

~If you feel so empty

So used up, so let down

If you feel so angry

So ripped off so stepped on

You're not the only one

Refusing to back down

You're not the only one

So get up

Let's start a riot~

~Three Days Grace~

Joker was alight with excitement. Everything was in place with no issues to have to work around. This job was going well, almost too well. There was still a bit of time for something to screw it all up. He didn't dwell on the possibility though, he chose to focus on what was happening now, not what could happen.

Maybe Peach and the little Jelly Bean had turned him into an optimist? He laughed at the absurd idea.

He was watching Cliff get the last bit of technical mess taken care of so they would be able to go live. He decided to be close to the people, he found himself, and the small group with him, on top of his old apartment building/safe house. There was a beautiful view of The Narrows behind him, Gotham city skyscrapers in the distance.

He checked his watch again, it was almost time for the message to hit the air. He looked towards the small monitor noticing a live press conference. Would this be a good or bad thing for his plan?

"Turn that up."

The volume blasted the voice of some wrinkled face of a cop. What had caught his attention was the GCPD building behind the man. Joker would recognize that building anywhere.

"...she had a statement to read." The man stepped back.

A tall blonde woman in a pant suit stepped up to the podium. Joker moved a bit closer to the small screen.

"My name is Lauren Bigsby, I am the lawyer of Mr. Bruce Wayne. On behalf of Mr. Wayne, I will be reading a statement he had prepared as part of his Plea deal with the city of Gotham City."

She cleared her throat with a dainty cough that grated on Jokers nerves as he held his breath to see what Bruce wanted to say.

"I, Bruce Wayne, would like to publicly acknowledge my very wrong actions. I was under extreme mental anguish with last years staged murders made to look like my parents own murder, so many years ago. The stress caused me to do regrettable things. Under the insurmountable pressure put on me by the criminal, Joker, I mistakenly tried to make a citizen's arrest, without the consent of the GCPD. A case of mistaken identity. I apologize for any pain or stress I have caused her with my actions. "

The woman took a large breath then continued. "I have decided to take the advice of the GCPD and my own physician and take a small sabbatical for my mental health. I will be seeking treatment for my still fresh anguish about the loss of my parents. I ask that the city and Mrs. Napier accept my heartfelt apology." She stepped back from the podium.

Joker watched as the press, in an uproar of noise, shouted questions at her and the cop. Joker was not a stupid man he knew Bruce had not written any of that mess. It smelled of lawyers covering GCPD's ass. He wondered, did this mean Bruce was in Arkham? Oh, that was too good. They would eat him alive in there. He smiled, he had people working there, but it was not part of his plan today. They were more of a 'in case I get thrown back in' plan.