literature

Clown and Crow

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Literature Text

"Science nerd alert!" Joker shouted, opening the door to the lab without acknowledging the "WARNING: CHEMICALS AT USE" sign.

Jonathan Crane tried not to cringe as he adjusted the settings on a big machine connected to a 6-foot tube of murky blue liquid. "Go away Joker, I don't want you in my laboratory."

Joker skipped over and looked at what Crane was doing. "Oh, I'll be good, I promise." He muttered, obviously not meaning at all what he said.

Jonathan glared at him from over the rim of his black glasses. "Don't. Touch. Anything."

Joker smirked, but held in a wave of laughter, standing tall and at attention. Jonathan glared at him a while longer before cranking a wheel on the side of the machine and watching a green substance slowly flow into the blue liquid in the giant test tube.

"Grandma's old recipe?" Joker asked, clearing his throat slightly. Jonathan made a face at him. "What?"

"Fear toxin, I meant." Joker grinned. "Lighten up Jonny." He hit the back of Crane's head good-naturedly.

Jonathan smoothed down his brown hair and watched his concoction closely, making sure it was mixing smoothly and not upsetting any important chemical particles. "Yes... A stronger dose." He answered after a moment of silence.

Joker made a sucking sound in his mouth, bouncing his weight excitedly back and forth from his heels to his toes. "Need a test subject?"

"I'd LOVE to test this on you, I really would. But it needs to stay frozen for a few weeks before its effective." The mixture was almost completed. Jonathan pressed a few more buttons on his machine and the 6-foot tall tube rotated in place slowly.

"Aww that's too bad." Joker stepped just a little closer. "What, uh, happens if someone takes it before its 'ready'?" He glanced over at Jonny, who was busy reading the status on a monitor.

"They'll die." Jonathan knew he shouldn't have answered that question. He scrolled through some more information, comforted by the evidence that everything was going smoothly so far.

"And... what's wrong with that?" Joker stuck a finger out and tapped the glass. Jonathan pushed him away before he poked it a second time. "Don't touch that! The toxin isn't meant to simply kill them, like meager poison! It's meant to mentally terrorize them to death!"

Joker pouted. "So... deliver a slow... mental death?" He truly did like the idea, but he wanted to annoy Jonathan, so he acted like it was the lamest idea in the world.

Jonathan kept his eyes on the clown, making sure he stayed a good few feet away from the experimental tube. "Yes." He turned back to the machine, determined not to answer anymore questions.

Joker knew Jonny's patience was wearing thin. "Huh." He studded his feet, kicking away some dust bunnies from the cold hard cement floor. "So... you won't let me be your test subject, because its not ready. And if its not ready it will kill me." Jonathan didn't answer. Joker continued, making a kind little smile at the scientist. "That's mighty sweet of you."

"Shut up." Jonathan snapped, disgusted. "I don't want to waste this on you. It took months to create this."

"Nah, you like me, admit it." Joker laughed, his right hand fingering a knife in his pocket while the other picked out some purple lint.

"And Harley would absolutely kill me." Jonathan muttered to himself. That girl was a bomb waiting to explode, and Joker was rigged with sensors to set it off. You hurt Joker; all hell breaks loose.

Joker laughed, hearing Crane mumble. "Yes she would!"

"Stay back." Jonathan cranked the wheel again and the bottom clasp on the tube released, allowing it to be lifted up and out of its secured area. Jonathan looked at it closely on all sides and connected a small vial to the bottom, filling it up slowly, one drip at a time.

This was the most important part of the experiment. If he lost one drop, the math would be completely wrong and the whole batch would be useless.

Joker yawned mockingly, watching. Jonathan put the full vial in a tray and filled another one. A couple meticulous minutes went by.

"You know... it would go faster if two people were doing it." Joker made a face as he ran one hand through his stringy green hair. Jonathan wasn't too smart, was he?

"You'll break every single vial, Joker." Jonathan's voice was monotone as he concentrated.

"You think I break everything I touch, don't you?" Joker acted hurt, letting his arms drop at his sides, defeated.

"Yes."

"Jon, I'm offering help. I don't offer anybody ANYTHING... like ever." Joker pleaded, bored of just standing there. "I've been good so far! Just like I promised! Please let me help?" Joker said the 'please' word, Jonathan HAD to let him pitch in now!

"No. Stay back there." Jonathan finished his fourth vial.

Joker glared, but kept himself under control. Jonathan was completely deaf. "Okayyyy tell me when your arms get sore."

"They wont get sore." Jonathan Crane finished his fifth vial, moving carefully and slowly.

"Uh huh." Joker stared at him, believing that if he willed it to be so, Jonathan would eventually get sore. It's all about the brain power.

Turned out the force wasn't strong with this one.

"There. Done." Jonathan smiled as he set the last vial in the tray, not sore at all. He pressed a few buttons and the half empty test tube slid back into place, secured to the floor by two clasps. Joker growled to himself as Crane picked up the tray and walked over to a giant metal door across the laboratory.

Entering a code, the door opened with a release of cold air and Jonathan set the tray in the giant refrigerator.

Joker wondered how cold it was in there. How long would it take to freeze a person in there? If you heated them up again would they still be alive? Joker grinned at his childish thoughts. Maybe he should go over and shove Jonathan in there.

He was about to do it, he really was, it would have been hilarious! But that familiar feeling came over him, that instinctual feeling of when you are in a cave and you look up and realize you are not alone.

Joker swung around to look up in the high dark corners of the lab. He was here. And he was after the toxin.

Joker slammed his hand down on a red button with a crossed circle printed on it and a beep rang throughout the laboratory. Jonathan whirled around. He knew Joker was going to do something and mess his experiment up!!! "What are you doing!!!???"

A steel barrier fell around the tube, at least three inches thick and designed to protect the chemicals it incased from almost anything. Jonathan had never tested it before. He never had reason to.

A batarang embedded into the metal shield right as it closed down, aimed to destroy the glass that was now impossible to get to.

Jonathan stared as Batman's cape flapped and the dark knight fell out of the shadows above, rising from the drop to glare at a smirking Joker.

Crane quickly closed the giant refrigerator, typing in his code and sealing the door. Joker tugged out the batarang and threw it back to Batman, which he easily caught, but barely missed Joker's knife that followed.

Jonathan ran into a small storage room, cursing and searching through boxes for a particular toxin.

Joker glanced back as Jonathan disappeared. Bad move. That small glance gave Batman enough time to disappear as well. Joker kept his eyes up to the shadows, backing up to cover the buttons to the machine.

Batman was after the toxin, there was no doubt about that. Joker smirked, remembering the short flash of rage across that masked face as they faced each other.

Jonathan pulled on his glove, tying the straps of leather that secured toxin needles to the tips of his fingers. This was the most useful thing he had ever invented, besides the wristband that shot out fear gas. Liquid was more effective, since none of the mixture was lost in the air.

He stabbed his gloved hand into a bag full of milky white liquid, flexing his fingers so the needles sucked in the white toxin. He didn't glance back as he heard a commotion in the lab, a body slamming against his machine and Joker's determined laugh.

Hurry, hurry, yes! The needles were all filled. Jonathan didn't waste time putting on his Scarecrow mask as he ran out of the room, making his footsteps quiet.

Batman twisted the red emergency button with his left hand, de-activating the shield around the test tube. Joker struggled in the grip of his right hand which was closed firmly around his throat. Still grinning through the pain, Joker managed to suck a few breaths in and leak a few out.

Batman brought out a small bomb from his belt, no bigger than the size of a single dice. It only held enough explosive power to destroy the tube, and he only had one of them. About to put it on Jonathan's dangerous experiment within arm's reach, he tightened his grip on Joker and activated the bomb with a tiny beep.

Jonathan stepped up and moved his hand around to the front of Batman, jabbing his finger needles deeply into the thick black rubber that covered the dark knight's throat. Batman dropped the bomb on the floor as he struggled away from Jonathan.

His needles shot out the white liquid just before Batman broke away, collapsing to the floor. Joker coughed as he was allowed to breathe again, using the machine for support. He shoved Jonathan out of the way and swiftly kicked the small Bat-Bomb across the room as the beeping increased.

It went off by the wall, causing a small shake of the ground underneath them and exploding with only a small sound that made them flinch slightly. The wall was charred and slightly damaged, but nothing caught on fire and no chemicals were destroyed.

Batman coughed a few times as his vision clouded over, quickly passing out on the ground from the effects of the toxin.

Joker caught his breath as Jonathan glanced down at his hand, seeing that all his needles were empty. Jonathan was the first one to laugh. "He won't remember a thing!"

Joker joined his laughter, standing up straight again. "New toxin?"

Jonathan unbuckled his glove and nodded, grinning. "Tried it on Two-Face last week!"

Joker laughed harder as Jonathan set his needle glove down and made sure Batman was unconscious. Joker let out one last cough. "Looks like you found another test subject." He giggled. "Heh, Lab Bat."

Jonathan stood up, looking at his giant test tube behind them. All of his work could have been destroyed with one single batarang. ".....Thank you."

Joker brought his attention away from Batman and back to Jonathan, surprised at his gratitude. "You're sappy."

"Shut up!" Jonathan laughed, hitting the back of Joker's head good-naturedly.
Typed this up for three hours. I quite like it! :D Arkham Asylum scarecrow mixed with Cillian Murphy scarecrow.

I was thinking of you, :iconnightsdarkangel1:!!! :hug:
© 2011 - 2024 JokerAgentChaos
Comments20
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Twistanturnu's avatar
This is majorly sweet! The interactions feel pretty in-character as well as being very funny. The ending was so cute too! Great work!