Paging Dr Bat! [Batman/Superman]

[jokersbackintown]

The heart monitors and machines all beeped and ticked away in the cold steely room. Drips of medical concoctions were fed into his veins and tubes were running along the length of his bed. Both hands were handcuffed to the sides of his gurney. Even though he was struggling for breath and recovering from a very serious operation, The Joker was a very real and very dangerous threat. A quadruple bypass was the order of the day and the gun shot wound to the heart that  caused it was swiftly repaired. He was dressed in the usually hospital gown beneath his sheets and slowly regaining consciousness in the hospital bed. Harley Quinn had dragged his bleeding carcass to the front doors of Gotham County Hospital, begging in tears for someone to help her. The Joker was being transferred to Arkham Asylum as soon as he woke from the coma he was still in; somehow they still persisted on thinking that The Joker could be "cured", made normal again. Well, old Uncle J had other plans.

The doctors and police officers began his slow transit down narrow corridors to the waiting room near the front of the hospital to officially check him out of County and into Arkham. With an oxygen tube still inserted into his airways, The Joker was limited in his plans of escape. As heavy traffic met the party of escorts shaperoning Joker from the Intensive Care Unit, a passing trolley wheeled slowly by stacked with all kinds of pharmaceuticals and supplies. With his now frail and bony hands, The Joker reached out to the lower shelf of the trolley and managed to grab a syringe full of green liquid, a muscle numbing and relaxing drug he recognised from his operation weeks earlier. Concealing it by his side, The Joker closed his eyes slowly and smiled gleefully to himself. 

As the gurney rounded a corner, The Joker recognised two familiar faces behind a sheet of bullet prove glass in the prisoner transit wing of the hospital, (Well, this is Gotham after all). The faces that were staring back at him with hollow dead eyes were those of Superman and The Batman, the two men that had left him to die when, for once in his life, he needed them most. The bland expressions of the pair were met with a very small wave from The Joker's shackled hands. 

After bumping through the doors of the transfer sector, The Joker was instructed to sit up in bed. His handcuffs were to be removed and replaced with chained shackles for the ambulance ride to Arkham Asylum. As the nurse uncuffed the first of Joker's frail wrists from the gurney edge, The Clown Prince reached down for the syringe by his side. As the arresting officer leaned in with the shackles, Joker lunged with the needle and plunged it into the copy's abdomen. His body quickly went limp and The Joker used his now free hand to snatch up the pistol from the copy's holster. After killing everyone in the room in quick succession, The Joker rolled the muscle spasmed body of the cop over to a single Doctor he had left alive. After pressing the gun into the copy's head, the Joker bellowed at the doctor for the keys.

"C'mon Doc, we're losing him! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

The Doctor begrudgingly released the handcuffs holding Joker to the bed. He begged for his life as the clown pointed the Glock pistol at his head. Joker laughed as he ended the doctors life and stood up on his gurney. Saluting a goodbye to Batman and The Comissioner, The Joker pushed up a ceiling tile in the suspended roof of the room. Clambering inside, The Joker set about his escape through the hospital.

"See you around boys! I'll be in touch! Hahahahahahahahahaha!"

[Deleted]

He knew. Maybe he was seriously hurt. The Joker marched into an orphanage with an explosive vest on, and threatened to blow. Batman thought he was bluffing, and tried to call it. He was only half right. If the Joker had an actual pro do the vest instead of an Al Qaeda reject, the whole thing would have blown instead of a single frag grenade, sending shards into his chest. The Joker had a signal blocker, so Batman and everyone else was unable to notify an ambulance. Batman had to leave and run 15 miles straight to get one, before dissapearing, and reappearing at the hospital. Clark must have been close and picked up on the commotion, and decided to be there in case Batman needed moral support. That was his guess anyway.

They both stood on the other side of the glass. Batman said nothing to Clark, and Clark said nothing to him. They just stood there watching. Batman then started to notice something. The Joker grabbed a syringe. At this point, Batman started pounding on the glass, but nobody could hear him. As Batman moved over to the door, was around the time the Joker started killing everyone and had the gun to the mans head. He pulled the trigger in cold blood, and dissapeared into the ceiling, right as Batman forced the door open. He ran in there, but was too late. He turned back to Clark with a cold expression on his face. The man could have gone twice the speed of a bullet, knocked down the door, and smashed the Joker against a wall before he even grabbed the gun, but he didn't....

"Im going in after him.. Evacuate everyone, and provide me with air support and X ray vision.."

Batman threw him an earpiece to directly communicate, and jumped into the vent.

[Deleted]

It had all happened so quickly. Batman started to pound on the glass and then next thing he knew Joker had killed the men inside the room with him. He entered the room after Batman and then watched as the Dark Knight left the room leaving an earpiece communicator with him. Superman knew that at this point in time there was no use in trying to stop him. He would just have to follow along and talk to him later. After all the Joker was a threat and he would need to be stopped before anyone else was hurt.

Evacuating the hospital wasn't too much work seeing as it was late and not many doctors or nurses were there. After he got the skeleton crew out of the building he flew outside and hovered above the hospital.

The air felt nice and cool. It was calm outside at the moment. Unlike the situation inside the building. Superman allowed himself a second to feel the air around him before getting back to work. He looked through the roof of the building using his X-Ray vision. First he located Batman and then he looked for the Joker. After he did he put a finger to the ear piece and spoke. "He appears to be moving through the recovery area." He said in a strong voice. "You'll need to move though, he's definitely appears to have a destination in mind."

[jokersbackintown]

Moving as swiftly as a spider through the vents, the recovering Joker scuttled above the ceilings. Reaching a fairly open air conditioning shaft into the ICU, Joker punched out the aluminium covering. Leaping through the tight square and landing on a passing gurney, Joker connected a bare foot to the face of the doctor pushing his new mode of transportation. 

Turning and grinning like a maniac, The Joker leapt from the gurney and on to the nurse's station desk. Snatching up the tannoy system's microphone, he barked few words.

"You'll have to be quicker than that Bats!"

Bounding across the desks, files and documents flying all over the floor, The Joker headed for a nearby elevator. The doors opened to reveal three armed police officers. Veering to the left and down the corridor, The Joker threw trolleys and patients and anything else he could get his hands on towards the officers. As he ran along a corridor glazed with windows along on side, he noticed the Man of Steel tracking his progress. A smile widened across his jaw as he swiftly grabbed the handles of a wheelchair bound elderly lady. Sprinting as fast as he can, he pushed the chair full on into a pane of glass at the end of the corridor. The glass shattered as the wheelchair tumbled to the streets of Gotham below. 

"Hey Super-Spandex! Catch! Ahahahahahahahahaha!"

The Joker continued to below in laughter as the trailing officers stood helpless staring out of the window. Rounding a corner, Joker barged open a door and sprang down the stairwell. 

[vigilant]

The Joker was quick. Surprisingly so, considering his debilitating medical condition and the effects of the operation on his body. But the man was insane; completely and utterly psychotic. Not to mention, he was also desperate. Hurt, shackled, and guarded by two of Earth's finest heroes. But he was probably also very angry. Batman saw the look in his eyes when they glanced at each other through the bulletproof glass. The Joker was on the verge of dying, and when he needed a hero most, neither of them was willing to help him. Batman wouldn't put it past the Clown Prince that as he felt his lifeblood oozing out, and his heartbeat growing steadily softer, the only thought on his mind was vengeance, and the terrible things he'd do to them, if he managed to break free.

"...Joker!"

Batman's furious roar reverberated as he leapt from the vent and landed on solid ground. It sounded more like the guttural growl of a ferocious animal than a man's enraged scream. Low, threatening, and harsh, as though Batman himself, the Caped Crusader, Gotham's Silent Guardian, was tip-toeing far too close to the edge for comfort. That one push, and he'd throw the clown out the window himself. Dashing after him, Batman watched, seemingly calm, as Joker pushed a wheelchair-bound lady into the window.

"Take her to safety. I'll continue to follow him... We'll find a way to cut him off."

As the chase continued, his dark figure bursting through the whirlwind of swirling paperwork, Batman recalled the layout of the hospital. Since the moment he set foot in here, he had memorized the hospital’s structural blueprint, down to the finest detail. Perhaps it was his compulsive attention to detail, or perhaps he was just painfully aware that he had to always be two steps ahead. He was no Man of Steel. He couldn’t fly at will, see through buildings, or blast chunks out of stone with his eyes. But he was Batman; a master tactician and one of the most intelligent man the world had to offer, and he always comes prepared.

Now he just has to figure out where The Joker is heading.

[Deleted]

When Superman saw the woman falling out the window he didn't even pause. He instantly shot down to catch her. When he did he lowered her down to the ground gently. Once they were on the ground he carried her towards a group near an ambulance. "She might need help." He said as he handed her over to the men.

He then lifted back up off the ground and hovered above the hospital. Once he was in position he once again used his x-ray vision to see where the Joker was. Once he saw him he started to think about how he could cut him off.

[jokersbackintown]

Stopping dead in the stairwell, a thought popped into Joker's head. A diabolical, malicious, delicious, ludicrous thought. He began to laugh. It was genius! And so simple too. But the power to do something like that, where would he get it from? The kryptonian wouldn't relinquish it that easily and neither would any of his other pals. He needed some heavy firepower, and he knew just where to get it...

Slamming himself flat into the wall behind the stairwell door, Joker waited. And as he heard Batman's unmistakeable grunting and gravelly tones, he struck. Jutting out his pale left foot, The Clown Prince sent The Dark Knight hurling arse-over-tit down the stairs. Also securing a tight grip around the silky material of his cape, Joker dived after his mortal enemy and tumbled to the ground with him. After coming to a complete stop, Joker poised himself above Batman and spoke to him face to face, beaming down at him.

"You disgust me, do you know that? Wait. What am I saying?"  
The Joker placed a hand over his own eyes.
 "Of course you do! You know how much I hate every fibre of your existence! But I bet I can tell you something you didn't know...Go on...guess...oh please guess..."

The Joker reached into one of the many pockets in Batman's utility belt. He had fought The Dark Knight for so many years, he knew where everything was. Whenever Batman reached down to the belt, Joker could always reel off in his mind which little Bat-Tool he was grabbing, and giving himself plenty of time to escape it too. 

Rummaging around in a particular capsule, The Joker pulled out a small penknife. Opening it up to it's full size, Joker ran the serated edge up the right hand side of Batman's armour to the week spot in the armpit. With great force, he plunged the small blade into the flesh, and twisted.

"Give up? Okay, I'll tell you. I always respected you. Like Holmes and Moriaty, there was always a mutal respect between the two of us. We both respected each others power. We did that is..."

The Joker dragged the blade into the armour covering the Batman's right side, carving his way through material and flesh.

"Until that faithful night. Oh that night. That's one to tell the grand kids that one. Even the old Man of Steel will never forget that one. It was so wonderful. Me. You. A bomb. The kid. Absolute magic. Like a scene from an Eastwood movie. Pure perfection."

Withdrawing the knife, The Joker now slid the bloodied blade up to The Dark Knight's throat.

"The kid had me. He was going to do it. Finish the job you could never do. But you had to go and ruin it didn't you? You and you're morals. Always getting in the way..."

The Joker began to slide the knife to Batman's cheek. He turned the blade on the side and rested it on the skin.

"I know it was you. Blame Gordon or Supes or even Harley all you want, but we both know the truth. It was you. You did this to me. Didn't you?"

Quickly, the blade became imbedded into the carved armour and flesh of Bat's right side once more.

"I'd have survived the bullet wound but you. You left me to die. The one time I actually needed you and you just scurried away with your failed protégée. Ran, like a coward. Couldn't face up to what you'd done. Left Harley to drag me up the steps of this very hospital, in tears and bleeding uncontrollably."

The blade was twisted again.

"Well now, I'd like to repay you. Return the favour. I'm going to kill you. Not you, the man cowering behind the mask, but The Batman. The symbol, the message you stand for. First, I'm going to find out who you are. Then, I'm going to hurt you. Starting with the ones you love. Maybe I'll start with Selina, that one's pretty obvious even with the mask. Then old Spandex Britches next I think, who's probably on the roof, staring down at us right now. And that probably answers the question to why I haven't murdered you already. Because if I did now, it would be the end of me. And we can't have that can we? No. Not yet anyway. Because that going to be my final victory Bats. It's not going end with a bomb and a crowbar like the boy did. No. It's going to end with you standing over my beaten and bloodied corpse. And you are going to commit the ultimate sacrifice. You, the untouchable, incorruptible Batman, are going to take your vengeance and do the thing you swore never to do. Break that little rule of yours..."

The Joker dropped the blade and rose to his feet. Standing over the bleeding over Batman, he spoke a few final words.

"I'm going to die. And it's going to be by your hand. The ultimate revenge."

[vigilant]

And just like that, the Dark Knight tumbled forward, like a glass tipped sideways. From then on, everything was a blur. There was movement, nimble and quick, somewhere to his left. But he couldn't see who. He didn't need to. Like two opposing magnets, given enough proximity, one could instantly sense the other. Joker. He could feel the frigid chills running down his spine as things spiraled out of control. Falling, falling, falling. He thought he'd never hit the ground... Then, bam.

Batman grunted as his body skid across the floor. Then the Joker was on top of him. Before he could react, his penknife was stolen and pressed against his armpit. The serrated edge tore through flesh, bit into muscle, then twisted. Batman breathed in sharply, biting back the scream that struggled to burst from his throat. Silence. Absolute silence. Just the Joker's voice, gleeful and insane, as it reverberated down the hallway, bouncing from corner to corner.

But the pain was nothing. Absolutely nothing compared to the anger that roiled, like a volcano, underneath the mantle of flesh and bone. He wasn't going to let the Joker treat him like that. Not after Jason. Batman was about to jump to his feet, catapult the Clown Prince off of him and smash him straight through the wall. Then he mentioned Jason. Perhaps the Joker would think it was pain, and not rage, that made Batman's teeth clench and eyes flash. Perhaps he would think that the way his body writhed and squirmed, like a victim thrown in a torture chamber, was because of the wound. But Batman was accustomed to pain, familiar with the sensation of skin sizzling, bone cracking agony. And that was nothing, absolutely nothing, to the aching he felt deep down inside.

Batman found himself trapped. Not by chains. Not by ropes. Not by the Joker's weight, pressing down against his ribs. It was the guilt. Guilt that had been slowly eating away at him, like rust on a metal wall. Jason. His parents. Having left the Joker to die. Batman suddenly felt like the young boy from nearly three decades ago, helpless as he watched his world crumble around him. He couldn't breathe. He stopped breathing. The images flooded his mind, flushing out the Joker's madly beaming face, and carried him away in a torrent of self-imposed darkness. Catwoman, slaughtered on the streets, the Joker's fearsome mark all over her lips. Superman, held captive in a room filled with kryptonite, while a bomb ticked steadily away.

No. No. No.

Then The Joker's rant came to an end, just as he saw the man's gloating face swim before his eyes. But he had heard the last of The Joker's threats, just as he had planned. As the Clown Prince rose to his feet, he shot up, sending the man reeling back. The pain, ignored. The hatred, full blown. The darkness, too much to bear. He didn't give the psychopath a chance to think. His fist, the one on the uninjured side, shot forward to deliver an uppercut to the man's jaw.

Crack.

Surely, Clark would hear the racket through the wires, and burst in any moment now. Not to rescue Batman from the Joker's insanity, but to save the Clown Prince from The Dark Knight's wrath.

[Deleted]

Superman didn't see most of the encounter between the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince. As he was too busy trying to help any civilians who were in harm's way. Eventually he relaxed for just a second when he saw that all civilians were now safe. But he only relaxed for a second. Seeing as he didn't want to let himself relax for too long. Otherwise he might miss something like a bomb.

Then he noticed some commotion coming from within the hospital. He looked at it with his x-ray vision and saw Batman with a knife in him and the Joker on top. Then just as Superman got ready to fly in to stop the Joker from killing Batman. But then saw the situation change. Batman was now pulverizing the Joker and could very possibly come very close to killing the Clown Prince. And he didn't want Batman to have that guilt on his shoulder. He crashed through the wall and into the stair well and placed himself between the two. "What are you doing?" He asked strongly. He looked at the Joker. "Don't think this means I'm saving you." He said darkly. Before getting ready to grab both men before either one of them could kill the other.