NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 31: Chaos
The message arrived at Mount Justice exactly five days after the Joker's escape from Arkham.
Not through any conventional communication channel, but delivered personally by a trembling GCPD officer who had been instructed to bring it directly to me.
"He... he found me at my home," the officer explained, his complexion ashen as Batman and I received him in the secure briefing room.
"Said if I didn't deliver this to Samael Morningstar within three hours, he'd..." The man swallowed hard. "He knew about my kids. Their names. Their schools."
Batman's expression remained impassive, though I detected the subtle tension in his jaw that indicated controlled anger. "You did the right thing, Officer Mendez. We'll ensure your family's safety."
The package sat between us on the table – a simple cardboard box wrapped in purple paper with green ribbon, the Joker's signature colors.
The mountain's security systems had already scanned it for conventional explosives or toxins, finding none.
"I'll open it," I said, reaching for the box.
Batman didn't stop me, though his posture shifted slightly – ready to intervene if necessary.
We both knew the Joker's gifts rarely posed straightforward threats; the danger typically lay in their psychological impact rather than immediate physical harm.
Inside, nestled in tissue paper, was a single item: a framed photograph of Mr. Finch sitting on his porch with his ancient tabby cat.
A candid shot taken without his knowledge, the angle suggesting it had been captured from across the street.
The image struck me with unexpected force – Harold Finch, the elderly neighbor who had welcomed me with homemade lasagna on my first night in Gotham.
Despite our brief acquaintance, his kindness had been a rare point of normalcy in my abrupt arrival to this world.
A playing card was taped to the glass – the Joker, naturally – with a handwritten note on the back:
"Such a kind man, your neighbor. Always waters those petunias at exactly 5:15 PM. Feeds the strays.
Makes that DELICIOUS lasagna! A creature of reliable habits – the kind that make life so predictably...
BORING! Unless, of course, someone introduces a little chaos into the routine. Tick tock, Samael Morningstar. The game needs all its players on the board.
1224 Harlow Street, midnight. Come alone, or Mr. Finch's remaining life expectancy drops from years to minutes.
No Bats allowed – this is between you and me. A philosophical discourse continued, if you will."
Cold rage washed through me, momentarily displacing rational thought.
The Joker had targeted Harold Finch – seventy-eight years old, a man whose only crime was showing kindness to a stranger with white hair and red eyes during our brief interactions.
We'd barely known each other a week before my relocation to Wayne Manor, yet he'd been one of the few people who'd treated me with simple human decency without question or agenda.
"You can't go," Batman stated flatly, reading the note over my shoulder. "It's obviously a trap."
"Obviously," I agreed, my voice steady despite the anger coursing through me. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm going."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "The Joker's objective is to isolate you from support. To force you into a scenario where you might cross lines you wouldn't otherwise cross."
"I'm aware of his psychological methodology," I replied, meeting his gaze directly.
"But Mr. Finch is an innocent civilian who's been targeted solely because of his connection to me. I won't abandon him."
"We can deploy a League response team," Batman countered. "Extract Finch before-"
"And risk the Joker killing him at the first sign of League involvement?" I interrupted. "You know how he operates. He'll have contingencies, watchers. The moment he detects anyone but me approaching, Finch dies."
Batman was silent for a moment, his tactical mind undoubtedly processing the same calculations I had already run. "You're emotionally compromised," he said finally. "Your judgment is impaired."
"Perhaps," I acknowledged. "But my capabilities remain intact. And my resolve is absolute."
Before Batman could respond, the mountain's alert system activated, the main screen flickering to life with an incoming transmission.
The face that appeared belonged to Commissioner Gordon, his expression grim.
"Batman, we have a situation in Gotham," he reported without preamble.
"Three separate incidents simultaneously – Joker toxin released at the Central Bank, reports of armed clowns at Gotham General, and a suspicious package delivered to GCPD headquarters.
We're stretched thin, and these feel like diversions."
Batman's posture shifted subtly – the confirmation of what we both suspected. The Joker was creating chaos across Gotham, drawing attention and resources away from his true objective.
"We'll deploy League assets to assist," Batman replied. "Maintain containment protocols for the toxin. Do not approach any suspicious packages directly."
As the transmission ended, Batman turned back to me. "This changes nothing. The Joker is creating distractions to ensure you face him alone."
"No," I corrected quietly. "He's creating distractions to ensure you can't interfere. There's a difference."
Before our discussion could continue, the door opened and Barbara entered, her expression immediately shifting to concern as she registered the tension in the room.
"What's happened?" she asked, her gaze moving between us before settling on the photograph still in my hand.
I hesitated, reluctant to add to her worries, but knowing concealment would be both futile and disrespectful. "The Joker has Mr. Finch – my elderly neighbor. He's using him as bait to draw me out."
Barbara's eyes widened slightly as she recognized the name. I had mentioned Finch to her before – the kind old man who had offered me lasagna on my first night in Gotham, one of the few connections I'd made before moving to Wayne Manor.
"When and where?" she asked, her voice steady.
"Midnight. An address in the Bowery," I replied, appreciating her direct approach. "And before you ask – yes, it's obviously a trap, and yes, I'm still going."
She nodded once, processing this with remarkable composure. "Then we need a plan. Not just for extracting Mr. Finch, but for countering whatever the Joker has prepared."
"We," I repeated, a cold weight settling in my stomach. "There is no 'we' in this scenario, Barbara. You're staying here, where it's safe."
Her expression hardened. "If you think I'm going to sit here while you walk into the Joker's trap alone-"
"That's exactly what you're going to do," I interrupted, my voice sharper than intended.
"The Joker's targeting people I care about. You're already at the top of that list. I won't deliver you directly into his hands."
Batman, who had been observing our exchange with analytical detachment, spoke up.
"Gordon, your presence would introduce an additional variable the Joker might not have anticipated. That could indeed be advantageous, but is not wise."
I turned to him, incredulous, sure his words were backing me, but he was also giving her the metaphorical bullets with that sentence.
"You can't seriously be suggesting-"
"I'm suggesting," Batman cut in, "that predictability serves the Joker's purposes. Unexpected elements disrupt his narratives. But it needs to be done in a way not putting anyone in danger."
Barbara nodded, a hint of satisfaction in her expression - completely ignoring the last part of Batman's words. "Exactly. The Joker expects you to come alone, driven by guilt and responsibility. Changing that dynamic alters the game."
"This isn't a game," I said through clenched teeth. "This is the Joker attempting to orchestrate a scenario where I'm forced to kill him – to prove his point that anyone can become like him given the right push."
"All the more reason not to face him on the terms he's established," Barbara argued. "You need someone to anchor you, to remind you of the lines you don't want to cross."
The logic in essence was sound but incomplete - yet her stubborness only intensified my frustration.
Barbara's presence would indeed introduce an element the Joker might not have prepared for – but it is something not easily able to be realised with her safety in mind.
It would place her in danger - danger I've sworn to prevent her from facing.
Before I could formulate a counter-argument, the mountain's ale
t system activated again – this time with an internal proximity warning. Someone had entered Mount Justice through an unauthorized method.
Batman moved immediately to the security console, his fingers flying over the controls. "Breach in the eastern chamber. No registered energy signature. Activating countermeasures."
The mountain's automated defenses engaged with a series of mechanical whirs and electronic hums – defensive barriers deploying, energy weapons charging.
Yet even as the systems activated, the lights throughout the facility flickered, then dimmed to an ominous red glow.
A child's laughter echoed through the communication system – high-pitched, gleeful, and deeply unsettling.
"Oh, look at all the toys!" the voice exclaimed. "So many buttons and switches and zappy things! But they won't work now – I've changed the rules!"
Batman's expression showed rare confusion as he scanned the security readings. This was clearly not a threat he recognized.
But I did – the voice, the magical signature, the childish glee masking ancient power.
Klarion the Witch Boy, Lord of Chaos, a being the Young Justice team hadn't yet encountered in this timeline.
The security screens flickered, then displayed an image of a pale teenager with pointed hair styled like horns, dressed in a formal suit that contrasted sharply with his manic expression.
A red cat with glowing eyes perched on his shoulder.
"Hello, hello!" the intruder waved at the camera. "Sorry to crash your little fortress, but I just HAD to meet the new player everyone's talking about!"
His gaze seemed to fix directly on me through the screen. "Samael Morningstar! Such a DELICIOUS name! All biblical and ominous!"
Batman activated his communicator. "Justice League, priority alert. Unknown magical entity has breached Mount Justice. All available members respond."
The intruder's laughter intensified. "Oh, call all your friends! It won't matter – they can't get in! I've wrapped this whole mountain in a teeny-tiny pocket dimension.
Just for us to have a nice chat!"
As if to demonstrate his point, a swirling vortex of red energy materialized in the center of the briefing room, collapsing into the pale teenager's form as he stepped through, his cat familiar leaping to the floor beside him.
"There you are!" he exclaimed, pointing directly at me. "The boy with the watch that changes shapes!
My new clown friend is VERY interested in you, you know. Can't stop talking about your 'philosophical potential' or whatever boring adult thing that means."
Batman moved with practiced efficiency, placing himself between the intruder and us, batarangs already in hand. "Identify yourself."
The boy rolled his eyes dramatically. "Ugh, so direct! No small talk? Fine!" He flopped into a chair, spinning it childishly.
"Klarion's the name. Chaos is the game! Lord of Chaos, if you want to be formal, which I don't because that's BORING."
I kept my expression carefully neutral despite the alarm bells ringing in my mind.
Klarion the Witch Boy – one of the most powerful magical entities in the DC universe, and now apparently allied with the Joker. The implications were deeply concerning.
"He's FUN!" Klarion continued, referring to the Joker. "All chaos and unpredictability and breaking people's boring little minds! We have common interests!"
His gaze fixed on me again, unnaturally intense. "But mostly, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
This boy who has the Lords of Order all aflutter with their dire predictions and gloomy warnings." He leaned forward, studying me with unsettling focus. "You don't look that special to me. Except..."
Klarion's eyes narrowed, his head tilting at an inhuman angle. "Oh! OH! There's something in that watch of yours! Something... familiar. Something that doesn't belong in this reality." His smile widened impossibly. "How INTERESTING!"
The implications of Klarion's interest sent a chill through me. As a Lord of Chaos, he could potentially sense the extraterrestrial – perhaps even spiritual – nature of the Ultimatrix.
Knowledge that I'd kept carefully hidden, maintaining the cover story that it was my own invention, a pattern-based genetic manipulation device with limited transformation capabilities.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said evenly, "but if you're working with the Joker, you're interfering with Justice League operations. That won't end well for you."
Klarion cackled, floating up from the chair to hover cross-legged in the air. "Threats! How adorable! The little mortal thinks he can threaten a Lord of Chaos!"
His expression suddenly sobered, becoming eerily adult. "But you're not entirely what you seem, are you? Not with that thing you made on your wrist."
Barbara stepped closer to me, her presence steadying despite the danger. "What do you want, Klarion?"
The witch boy's attention snapped to her, his eyes widening with theatrical surprise. "The commissioner's daughter!
Oh, you're EXACTLY who I was looking for too!" He giggled. "The clown has such SPECIFIC plans for you!"
Before anyone could react, Klarion snapped his fingers. A circle of crimson energy flared to life beneath Barbara's feet.
"Barbara!" I lunged forward, but Batman was closer, his hand closing around her wrist just as the energy surged upward.
"Too slow, Batsy!" Klarion cackled.
The energy enveloped Barbara completely, her startled cry cut short as she vanished in a flash of red light.
Batman's hand closed on empty air, his normally stoic expression breaking into one of genuine alarm.
"What did you do?" I demanded, rage and fear surging through me. "Where is she?"
Klarion spun in midair, clapping his hands with childish glee. "I just moved a piece on the board! The clown wanted her somewhere specific, and now she's there! Isn't that HELPFUL of me?"
Batman advanced on Klarion, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "Return her. Now."
"Or what?" Klarion challenged, floating higher. "You'll throw your little bat toys at me? BORING!" He gestured, and a swirling portal opened in the air beside him, showing an image of an abandoned warehouse.
"If you want her back, she's where the clown wanted her to be! Not with the old man – that would be too PREDICTABLE! The clown wants a game of cat and mouse!"
Through the portal, I could see Mr. Finch bound to a chair in what was clearly the address from the note – 1224 Harlow Street. A timer counted down beside him: 30:00, 29:59, 29:58...
"Two people! Two locations! One Samael Morningstar!" Klarion sang, spinning in midair. "Who matters more? The past or the future? The first connection or the deepest one? So many INTERESTING choices!"
My fists clenched at my sides, the Ultimatrix pulsing in response to my anger. "This isn't a game, Klarion."
"Everything's a game!" the witch boy retorted. "Life, death, good, evil – all just different ways of keeping score!" He floated toward the ceiling, his cat leaping to his shoulder.
"The clown wants to test your philosophical convictions, but I want to see something else – what's REALLY inside that watch of yours."
His expression became suddenly serious, unnervingly adult. "There's something in there, Samael Morningstar. Something that doesn't belong in this reality.
The clown thinks he's testing your morality, but I'm testing your limits. What happens when you're pushed to the edge? What will you unleash to save what matters to you?"
With that, Klarion vanished in a flash of red energy, his laughter lingering in the air. The portal showing Mr. Finch remained, but no sign of where Barbara had been taken.
Batman moved immediately to the console. "Superman, Flash – we have a hostage situation.
The Joker has Barbara Gordon at an unknown location and a civilian named Harold Finch at 1224 Harlow Street. Unknown magical entity called Klarion was involved."
"On our way," Superman's voice replied. "ETA three minutes to the Harlow Street address. We'll need to locate Barbara."
I stepped toward the portal showing Mr. Finch, my decision already forming. "I'm going after Barbara. Superman and Flash can extract Finch."
Batman turned to me, his expression grim. "You're choosing Barbara over Finch. Exactly as the Joker anticipated."
"No," I replied tersely. "I'm choosing to confront the Joker directly rather than playing his game of divided attention.
The Joker won't seriously harm Barbara until I'm there to witness it – that's the point of his 'test.' He wants to see me break in person."
Batman's eyes narrowed slightly. "You sound certain of his intentions."
"I understand his psychology better than I'd like to admit," I said. "This isn't about Barbara or Finch as individuals – it's about forcing me to make an impossible choice.
But the real target is me, not them. He wants to personally witness whatever transformation he believes will occur when I'm pushed to my limits."
I turned to the main console, rapidly entering commands. "The Monarch Theater in Park Row. That's where he'll be."
"Why there?" Batman asked, though his tone suggested he already suspected the answer.
"Because it's where your parents were murdered," I replied quietly. "The place where Batman was born through tragedy.
The Joker sees philosophical symmetry in using that location to 'birth' whatever he thinks I'll become when pushed too far."
Batman was silent for a moment, his expression unreadable. "Superman, Flash," he said into his communicator.
"Proceed to 1224 Harlow Street and extract the civilian hostage. Samael and I will pursue the Joker at the Monarch Theater."
"I'm going alone," I stated firmly. "If he sees you, he'll trigger whatever failsafes he's prepared. This is between him and me – that's what he wants."
"That's what makes it a trap," Batman countered.
"Of course it's a trap," I agreed. "But I'm not walking in blind. And I'm not walking in unprepared."
Batman studied me for a long moment, then gave a curt nod. "Go. But we'll be positioned nearby, ready to intervene the moment the hostages are secure."
I activated the Ultimatrix, cycling to XLR8. "The Joker wants to see what I'll become when pushed to my limits. He's about to find out."
The familiar surge of energy washed over me as my body reconfigured into the velociraptor-like alien.
With a final nod to Batman, I raced through the zeta tube coordinates for Gotham, leaving the security of Mount Justice for whatever nightmare the Joker had prepared.
------------------------------------
The crimson energy faded from Barbara's vision, leaving her momentarily disoriented.
The transition had been jarring – one moment in Mount Justice's briefing room, the next somewhere else entirely. As her senses stabilized, she took in her surroundings.
She was in what appeared to be an abandoned theater – not the grand performance spaces of Gotham's theater district, but a smaller, more intimate venue that had clearly seen better days.
Decades of neglect had left the once-ornate interior crumbling, with water damage staining the walls and ceiling.
The red velvet seats, now moldy and torn, faced a stage where the curtains hung in tatters.
More immediately concerning was her own situation. She found herself bound to a chair on the stage, the ropes expertly tied to restrict movement without cutting off circulation.
A spotlight from above cast her in harsh illumination, while the rest of the theater remained in shadows.
"Welcome to our little performance space, my dear!" The voice echoed from the darkness beyond the spotlight's reach. Unmistakably the Joker's – high-pitched, with that unnerving undercurrent of manic glee.
"So sorry about the accommodations. Budget constraints, you understand. Not all of us have Wayne Enterprises funding our theatrical endeavors!"
The Joker stepped into the edge of the spotlight, his purple suit immaculate despite the decaying surroundings.
His eternal grin seemed wider than physically possible, the red lips stretching across chalky white skin.
"The commissioner's daughter," he said, circling her chair slowly. "Bruce Wayne's ward's girlfriend. Such an intersection of interesting connections!
I can see why our boy wonder is so taken with you – beauty, brains, and such fascinating family ties!"
Barbara kept her expression neutral, refusing to show fear despite the cold dread settling in her stomach. "What do you want with me?"
"Direct! I like that!" The Joker clapped his hands together in delight. "No tedious begging or bargaining! Straight to the point! Though I'd have expected nothing less from Commissioner Gordon's daughter."
He completed his circle, stopping directly in front of her. "What do I want with you? In the immediate sense, you're a piece in a larger game – a test designed specifically for your white-haired, red-eyed boyfriend.
In the broader sense, you're a living embodiment of the connections he claimed give life meaning during our last philosophical discourse. And in the cosmic sense..." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a theatrical whisper.
"You're the variable that might push him to become what he truly is beneath all those layers of civilized restraint."
Barbara maintained her composure, analyzing the situation with the methodical approach her father had instilled in her since childhood.
The Joker was clearly focused on Samael, not her. She was a means to an end – leverage in whatever twisted game he had designed.
That gave her room to maneuver, to gather information that might help when Samael inevitably came for her.
"So I'm bait," she stated flatly. "You're using me to get to him."
The Joker straightened, wagging a finger admonishingly. "Bait? Such a reductive term! You're not merely bait, my dear – you're a catalyst! A crucible! The element that forces transformation through pressure and heat!" He spun in a circle, arms spread wide.
"Right now, your boyfriend is faced with a delicious dilemma – save the kindly old neighbor who showed him the first human decency in this city, or save the commissioner's daughter who's become so much more to him in such a short time!"
He giggled, the sound echoing unnervingly through the empty theater. "Who will he choose? The past or the future? The first connection or the deepest one?
And what will he become in the process of trying to save either – or both?"
Barbara's mind raced, processing the implications. "Mr. Finch is in danger too."
"Of course!" The Joker confirmed cheerfully. "Currently tied to a chair much like yours, with a timer counting down beside him!
So many choices, so little time! Will Samael choose you? Choose the old man? Try to save both and risk failing to save either? Every path reveals something about his true nature!"
He hopped onto the edge of the stage, sitting with his legs dangling like a child at a swimming pool.
"That's the beauty of properly designed tests, you see. They reveal what's truly beneath the surface – the character behind the mask, the reality behind the fiction.
Your boyfriend presents himself as a principled philosopher, arguing so eloquently about meaning existing even in chaos, about moral choices mattering even in a meaningless universe.
But will those principles hold when someone he cares about is threatened? When saving you might require becoming something he fears?"
Barbara studied the Joker carefully, noting the unusual intensity in his expression when he spoke about Samael.
This wasn't just about chaos or random violence – there was something more specific, more focused in his interest.
"You're obsessed with him," she said, the realization dawning. "This isn't about philosophical tests or proving points about morality. This is about Samael specifically."
The Joker's head snapped toward her, his expression shifting subtly before the manic grin reasserted itself.
"Obsessed? What an unimaginative term for intellectual fascination! But you're not entirely wrong, my observant little hostage.
Your boyfriend IS special.
He understands the joke at the heart of existence – the ultimate meaninglessness of it all – yet he chooses to create meaning anyway! It's FASCINATING!"
He leapt from the stage edge, pacing with frenetic energy. "Most people cling to the illusion of meaning out of fear or ignorance.
The Bat clings to his moral code like a security blanket, never questioning its foundations.
But Samael – he acknowledges the absurdity, the chaos, the fundamental meaninglessness, and STILL chooses to act as if meaning exists! It's the most beautiful contradiction!"
The intensity of his focus on Samael was disturbing – not just the typical Joker chaos, but something more targeted, more personal.
Barbara had seen obsession before in the criminals her father arrested – the fixation that turned ordinary crimes into dangerous patterns.
The Joker's interest in Samael had that same quality, but magnified through the lens of his madness.
"He's just a teenager," Barbara said, attempting to downplay Samael's significance. "A smart one, yes, but you're building him into something he's not."
"Oh, my dear," the Joker replied, his voice dropping to an unsettling gentleness. "He's SO much more than just a teenager. Haven't you noticed?
The way he analyzes situations with a perspective beyond his years?
The way he approaches problems with knowledge he shouldn't possess? The way he carries himself like someone who's seen worlds you can't imagine?"
He leaned closer, his voice dropping further. "And that's not even mentioning the watch.
That fascinating device he has invented – the pattern-based genetic manipulation technology that allows him to transform into those interesting forms.
Except it's not what he claims, is it? There's something more to it – something our mutual friend Klarion could sense with his magical perception."
Barbara kept her expression neutral despite her surprise. Samael had maintained that the Ultimatrix was his own invention – a story she'd accepted without much question given his obvious intelligence.
Still does. But if the Joker's words are true then... Then the question is: does Samael understand what he has made?
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied evenly.
"LIES!" the Joker exclaimed, slapping his hand against the stage with unexpected force.
"Boring, predictable lies! Your boyfriend has been keeping SECRETS, my dear!
That fancy watch contains capabilities beyond the three transformations he's publicly acknowledged. Powers he's afraid to access because of what they might unleash!"
The Joker's expression became almost reverential. "That's what makes him so PERFECT, you see.
He carries darkness within him – power he restrains out of principle, out of fear of what he might become. Just like the Bat, but with so much more POTENTIAL!
The philosophical awareness to understand the meaninglessness of moral restraint, combined with power that could reshape reality itself if fully unleashed!"
His words carried a disturbing conviction, as if he genuinely believed Samael possessed capabilities far beyond what he'd demonstrated.
Barbara couldn't tell how much was the Joker's typical delusion and how much might be based in reality.
Samael had always been somewhat secretive about the full capabilities of his device, but was there truly something more sinister behind that secrecy?
"You're projecting," Barbara stated, keeping her voice steady. "Seeing what you want to see because it fits your narrative.
Samael isn't hiding some dark potential – he's just a person trying to do the right thing in a world full of chaos. The fact that you can't understand that says more about you than him."
The Joker studied her for a long moment, his head tilted at an unnatural angle. Then he threw back his head and laughed – a sound that echoed through the empty theater with genuine amusement.
"Oh, I LIKE you!" he declared when the laughter finally subsided. "Defending your boyfriend's moral character while tied to a chair in an abandoned theater! Such LOYALTY! Such CONVICTION! It almost makes me regret what comes next!"
He produced a small remote control from his pocket, waving it tauntingly. "This little device is connected to explosives throughout this charming old theater.
One press, and the entire structure comes down around us.
Another philosophical dilemma for your boyfriend when he eventually finds us! Can he save you before I trigger the collapse? And can he do it without becoming what he fears?"
Barbara's mind raced, analyzing options.
The Joker clearly intended to use her as leverage when Samael arrived, forcing him into an impossible situation where saving her might require crossing some line he'd established for himself.
Understanding the trap was the first step toward countering it.
"He'll find a way to save me without compromising his principles," she said with quiet confidence. "That's who he is."
"Such FAITH!" The Joker clapped his hands together in delight. "Such touching confidence! But everyone has a breaking point, my dear.
A line they'll cross when someone they love is threatened. Even the Bat would break his precious rule if the right person were in danger.
And your boyfriend? With his philosophical awareness of the ultimate meaninglessness of moral positions? He'll break SO beautifully when properly pushed!"
He began pacing again, his movements becoming more animated as he warmed to his subject. "That's what fascinates me most about him, you see.
His philosophical consistency. During our last encounter, he argued so eloquently about meaning existing even in chaos.
About moral choices mattering even in a meaningless universe. About connections having value despite the inevitable entropy of existence."
The Joker's voice took on an almost scholarly tone, as if delivering a lecture. "Most people abandon such lofty principles the moment survival is at stake.
The moment someone they care about is threatened. Morality becomes a luxury they can no longer afford. But will HE? That's the test!"
"This isn't a test," Barbara replied, her voice hardening. "This is just cruelty masquerading as philosophy. You're not interested in his moral positions – you're obsessed with breaking him."
"Breaking him? Oh no, my dear, you misunderstand!" The Joker's voice took on an unsettling intensity. "I don't want to break him – I want to REVEAL him!
To peel back the layers of civilized restraint and expose what truly lies beneath! Is he really the principled philosopher he presents himself as?
Or is there something darker lurking just below the surface?"
As he spoke, Barbara noticed something disturbing – a genuine reverence in his tone when discussing Samael.
This wasn't just the Joker's usual game of pushing people to their breaking points. There was something deeper, more obsessive in his fixation.
"You'll never stop, will you?" she said quietly, the realization dawning with horrifying clarity. "This isn't just about today, or this specific 'test.'
You'll keep coming after him, again and again, designing new 'philosophical challenges,' putting more innocent people at risk, all to satisfy your obsession."
The Joker turned to her, his head tilting at an unnatural angle. "Perceptive! Yes, the commissioner's daughter has INSIGHT!
This is merely the beginning of a beautiful intellectual relationship! Samael and I will dance this philosophical tango for years to come, each encounter more elaborate, more challenging, more REVEALING than the last!"
He spun in a circle, arms spread wide in theatrical gesture. "Think of it! The games we'll play! The tests we'll design for each other! The boundaries we'll push!
Until finally, inevitably, he becomes what he's truly meant to be – free from the constraints of conventional morality, liberated from the prison of ethical frameworks, a being of pure philosophical potential!"
The reverence in his voice had transformed into something almost ecstatic – a religious fervor that chilled Barbara to her core.
This wasn't just criminal obsession; it was worship.
The Joker saw in Samael something that validated his own twisted worldview, and he would never stop trying to bring it to the surface.
"He needs to be stopped," she said quietly, but with absolute conviction. "Not just captured, not just returned to Arkham. Stopped permanently. You'll never stop coming after him otherwise."
The justice system had failed.
How many times had the Joker escaped? How many innocent lives had been lost because of Gotham's revolving door of justice? And now he had fixated on Samael – a fixation that would never end until one of them was dead.
She herself hadn't seen it before - not really. Having been the daughter of the Commissioner, and not having been truly personally involved with the atrocities of the Joker, she still had faith in the laws her father and Batman preached about.
But now... Now after knowing love...
The Joker's laughter echoed through the theater. "The girlfriend advocates MURDER! How DELICIOUS!
The moral corruption begins not with the philosopher himself, but with those he cares about! They become willing to cross lines he won't cross himself – all in the name of PROTECTING him!"
He skipped closer to Barbara, leaning down to look her in the eye. "Would you kill me yourself, my dear?
Would you put a bullet in my head to keep your precious boyfriend safe from my philosophical challenges? Would you become the monster to prevent HIM from becoming one?"
Barbara didn't flinch from his gaze. "If that's what it takes to stop you from hurting more innocent people like Mr. Finch.
If that's what it takes to end this obsession before it destroys more lives. If that's what it takes to keep you away from Samael. Yes."
The Joker straightened, genuine delight in his expression. "MAGNIFICENT! The commissioner's daughter, advocating murder!
The moral paragon's girlfriend, willing to cross the ultimate line! The CORRUPTION of principle through proximity to chaos! It's BEAUTIFUL!"
He spun away, giggling to himself as he checked a pocket watch. "But we're getting ahead of ourselves! The main event hasn't even arrived yet!
Your boyfriend is probably currently racing to save the kindly neighbor – such PREDICTABLE prioritization of the immediate threat! – but he'll be joining us soon enough. And then the REAL test begins!"
Barbara tested her restraints subtly, finding them expertly tied but not impossibly secure.
If she could create a distraction, there might be a chance to work herself free. But for now, gathering information seemed the more valuable approach.
"What exactly are you hoping to prove with all this?" she asked, keeping the Joker engaged. "That moral principles collapse under pressure? That's hardly a profound insight."
"Oh, it's so much MORE than that, my dear!" The Joker replied, pacing with renewed energy.
"This isn't just about proving the collapse of moral frameworks under pressure – it's about revealing the specific nature of what emerges from that collapse!
Different people break in different ways, you see. The Bat, if he ever truly broke, would become a ruthless executioner – all that repressed rage finally unleashed in systematic violence.
But your boyfriend? His potential is so much more INTERESTING!"
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "He understands the meaninglessness at the heart of existence on an intellectual level, but hasn't fully embraced its implications.
When he finally does – when he accepts that all moral frameworks are arbitrary constructs in an uncaring universe – he'll become something MAGNIFICENT!
A being who creates meaning through pure will rather than adherence to external principles!
A philosopher-king who shapes reality according to his own vision rather than conforming to inherited ethical systems!"
The reverence in his voice was deeply unsettling – a twisted admiration that has become worship.
Barbara realized with growing horror that the Joker didn't just want to break Samael or prove a point about moral relativism.
He wanted to transform him into something that validated his own nihilistic worldview – a philosophical equal who embraced the chaos rather than fighting against it.
He wanted to make Samael become him - literally. A perverse reversal of the desire to become like one's idol - wanting instead to make them like yourself.
"He'll never become what you want," Barbara stated firmly. "His principles aren't just intellectual positions – they're core to who he is."
"We'll see, we'll see!" The Joker sang, checking his pocket watch again. "Time will tell! Or rather, your boyfriend will tell us when he arrives to save you!
Will he maintain those precious principles when your life hangs in the balance? Or will he embrace what he truly is beneath all those layers of civilized restraint?"
He skipped to the edge of the stage, peering out into the darkened theater as if expecting an audience to materialize. "The stage is set! The players are in position!
All we need now is our philosophical protagonist to arrive, and the REAL performance can begin!"
Barbara watched him carefully, noting the manic energy that seemed to build with each passing moment.
The Joker's obsession with Samael went beyond his usual chaotic games –
there was something deeply personal in his fixation, a recognition he believed they shared some fundamental understanding of the universe that others couldn't comprehend.
And that made him more dangerous than she'd initially realized. This wasn't just about today's trap or test.
As she'd said, he would never stop coming after Samael, designing increasingly elaborate "philosophical challenges" until one of them was dead.
The justice system couldn't handle this. Arkham couldn't contain this. This wasn't just criminal insanity – it was dangerous obsession elevated to religious fervor. And it would never end until the Joker was dead.
So dead he shall be after she got out of here, even if she had to be the one to put a bullet in his heart.
---------------------------------
(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Do tell me how you found it.
Yeah...
Barbara without becoming Batgirl is I reason far more open when it comes to the modern system - especially with now having fallen in love, and the person she is in love with being in so much danger because it fails to end it.
So, how did you all find the chapter? Long I know - probably a bit annoyed with the Joker walking sometimes in circles when it comes to the conversation, but that is intentional.
The clown is crazy, loves his philosophy, and loves to hear his own voice.
So yeah, do tell me how you found it and I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)