Fun House Horror[Joker, Harley, Baby Doll, Autumn]

[fdf2092]

Once a peaceful place to go and have fun, the Amusement Mile Park was once again a quiet and abandoned wasteland after the safety operators shut it down due to the suspicion of the rides having been tampered with and were left unsafe. Popcorn littered the grounds along with stray papers that had blackened foot prints to show that the grounds were once occupied by thousands of customers, that were now gone.

The Gotham amusement park had once harbored the biggest Ferris Wheel in the USA and the fastest Roller Coaster, though it was now left in a poor state due to bad management and questionable tampering. Blame was carelessly thrown around from one worker to the next, demanding to know who was responsible for the derailing of the coaster, or for the snapped cables on one of the turn about swing rides.

The park had slowly started to become popular again but people still feared it because of its reputation as The Joker’s cursed Hideout. The scent of stale fried food and cotton candy stained the air for the scent could be picked up anywhere in the park as vendors had abandoned their edible treats in a hurry for when the Gotham police came in to inspect the amusement rides while searching for signs of sabotage. The sounds of the arcade, rides and games that had once rang throughout the park to attract the customers who dared to enter The Joker's old stomping grounds, were now silenced. Such games and rides had tempted the customers to spend their money for what they thought was the sake of entertainment, when really the money was either pocketed or used to fix the expenses of having to pay someone to tighten a loose bolt here or to fix a broken wire there. Everyone loved the Amusement Park but there was one building that was feared by all and had been standing there since the park first opened.

In the corner of the park was a giant abandoned fun house left over from its former glory days. On the outside it looked like a giant warehouse with black and grey metal walls and a curved roof. The entrance had the face of a clown which had been painted to look like The Joker with his green hair, his white skin, and ruby red lips in the form of a smile. Everyone steered clear from that area because they were afraid of the big menacing eyes that seemed to follow you were ever you go.

This once great building had been a major attraction to the former park until the day The Joker decided to move in and make this place his own.

Joker made this warehouse into his own little playhouse filled with unimaginable surprises around every turn. The inside was filled with traps of every shape and sort. There were many rooms inside with each one being more menacing than the last as one wrong move and it could be your last.

"Ah it’s good to be back home again, sure did miss it” said the Joker. It was time to put his new plan into action and to once again make a name for himself in Gotham. "Come Harley we have work to do if we want to bring Chaos to the city." with that last note the Joker walked inside the warehouse ready to have some fun.

Little did the police now that it was The Joker who had made the park dangerous in hopes of attracting The Batman or any of his other kin. An official investigation began once the management slowly began to disappear along with a few amusement park workers, although no clues had turned up, explaining where they could have gone.

[Deleted]

Harley had no trouble at all seducing the carnival workers into a tent and then using a rubber ducky filled with chloroform on them to knock them out. She fit right in with the painted faces and dolled up outfits when the female clowns would parade around the amusement park in greeting the guests, making balloon animals for tips, painting faces and encouraging people to try the latest Test Your Strength games. But the best part was hiding the bodies of the many men she knocked out and letting a well-paid minion to take their place while a second hired hand would place the body into a trunk and carry him into the Joker’s warehouse behind the Do Not Enter tape strung up by sand-weighted, plastic, orange poles.

Harley could not stop grinning since their plans were underway and she knew how proud The Joker would be with her for carrying out his idea so smoothly. She paused and backed up to check her makeup in the mirror, pursed her lips as she brought her right shoulder forward and closed her eyes as she pretends to kiss her reflection. “Mwa!” She smiled and turned around. She had caught one of the minions watching her, or more accurately, eyeing her curves as she flirted with her reflection. Her hand shot out and slapped him hard. “Pay attention to the job at hand, got it!” She scowled and traipsed through the hidden, wooden door that opened into a second tent. The tunnel was constructed of two-by-four and cheap pine walls that made a rectangular hallway that lead into a secret entrance into the fun house.

“Keep the trunks locked. They’ll take care of themselves when they run outta air.” Harley said. “Now get back out there and loosen the bolts on the rides. Make sure that ya put up a sign that says temporarily down for maintenance first.” She then skipped down the fun house to help construct the rest of the rooms and blue prints.

Present time….

She overlooked the fun house, now freshly painted in the colors of The Joker’s hair, and clothes with a giant smile painted around the doorway. “Wow, it looks perfect Puddin’!” She jumped up and down excitedly at the progress they made together. She followed The Joker a few steps into the warehouse and tiptoed around him to stop him from walking. “Ya almost forgot one little detail.” She reached into her left glove to pull out an ear bud-sized communicator device and placed it in his ear. She then put one in her ear as well.

“Now we can keep in touch no matter where we are!” She squealed and wiggled her shoulders back and forth from excitement. “I even turned on the Bat Signal and spray painted a giant grin on it for ya Puddin’! Old Bats will put two and two together when he sees that the carnies are missin’ and when he discovers the graffiti on the police’s spot light. He has to know it’s us!” She took his hands in hers and began to waltz down the entrance with him, passing up a motorized clown mixing what looked like cotton candy into a large bowl. She laughed as they passed posters indicating the many rooms that were up ahead, and then a clown seated in a glass box staring down at a crystal ball. She stopped turning and walked hand-in-hand with The Joker as they moved around the fortune telling clown and into a wide arena where a long rope made a rectangular maze for those waiting in line for their turn to enter. In the left corner stood three motorized clowns. At the very bottom was a large yellow and red ball with a clown balancing on it. On his shoulders was a second clown who was holding the wrists of a third clown who was doing a handstand to complete the balancing act. To the left of them was a giant Jack-in-the-box that would rise up and glare at all passerby’s with eyes shifting left and right as his hideous grin remained frozen on his face as he would lower himself back into the box uttering a “Neh heh heh heh heh….”

On the wall was a giant screen that stretched forty five feet across the wall and transmitted many images of the abandoned amusement park and inside the warehouse. There was no sound other than Harley and the Joker’s footsteps on the dirt floor. They paused and looked into each other’s eyes and grinned mischievously for knowing what dangers hid behind the walls and hoped to capture the Bat or any of the Bat Family. “I love you Puddin’.” Harley said with an audible sigh as she adored her pale-faced, green haired maniac with the smile that never quit. She leaned up and kissed the Joker's lips, wanting to linger longer but this was just a good luck kiss and if all went well, she would be reward after Batman was captured. Things just had to go right tonight for her to get that kiss. They just had to.

As The Joker moved through a red curtain that was on the far back wall to the left of the screen and to the right of the balancing clowns, Harley hurried over to a rope hanging from the ceiling and began to climb thirty feet into the air, reached over and grabbed the acrobatics's seat that hung from the ceiling and climbed onto it. Beside her was a realistic dummy that looked exactly like her only that it was wearing the Harley Quinn black and red checkered suit and not her. It was also hanging upside down, gripping the bars with it's knees with arms out to the sides. Harley sat on her bar and held perfectly still, letting her feet dangle downward and smiled widely.

As the main power switch was turned on, a pipe organ came to life, pressing down it's keys without a player and flooded the air with repeating circus music. The clown mixing the cotton candy spewed colored water from it's mouth and mixed it around the large bowl set before him with a wooden spoon. The fortune teller within the glass box laughed every now and then, bending over to look at the mystic ball then sat up again to look left and right. The acrobatic swings began to move forward and back while the balancing clowns struggled to keep upright. Everything was in motion for the guest of honor to arrive. Even the fog machines spewed out cold unfeeling clouds that poured out of the painted clown's mouth and spilled out into the amusement grounds, giving away The Joker's location.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

It was no surprise the Bat-family would pick up on this little gag of the Joker's. With the files on missing people who happen to be carnival workers. And the fact the Joker was on the loss. It was simple to put two and two together. Joker was the only one who saw the carnival grounds as his personal stomping grounds.

Even the goons around Gotham new that. And when the Joker was around they tended to flock away from the surrounding area of the park. Nightwing had been keeping tabs on Gotham, while he had been out of town.

It wasn't until he got a message from Barbara over this activity and of course the smile on the bat signal was a dead giveaway that night. He had gotten to town as soon as he could.

Batman had other problems to deal with. Though the Joker would come on his list of top priorities, there were just some things he couldn't turn his back to.

Nightwing made it to the carnival, stashing his motorcycle not too far off as he ventured into the carnival. The darkness aiding in his pursuit of the Joker. There were a few places he could search to find the Joker in the amusement park. The hall of mirror, the haunted house, or the fun house.

The park was closed this late at night. No one in sight, as he made his way around. But then there was a sudden up roar of noise coming from the east end of the park. That was a dead give away. Nightwing pursued the call from the Joker. He knew this was a trap. It was what the Joker wanted.

Nightwing ran from tent to tent. Once near the game booths, he jumped off a crate and flipped up onto top of them. Running along the tops of the booths that boarder one of the roller coaster rides that had been shut down for construction. There was a mist taking to the ground of the park.

Once he hit the end of the booths for a bit, he jumped off and did a flip to hide out behind another small tent set up. He could hear more music coming from the building. And the faint sounds of possibly a mechanical clown laugh.

Joker would want him to come through the front door, knowing very well Batman wouldn't do such a thing. Nightwing knew the large windows were probably also being watch. Yet again, something Joker would expect from Batman.

Using the computer system within his mask, Nightwing pulled up blue prints of the place. Taking in the sight of the old fun house and the structure, he was able to locate what he wanted. There was a ventilation system that ran through the place. It stopped off in almost all the places within the fun house. It would be an easy entrance for Nightwing. And it wasn't something Batman would do.

Nightwing ran across to hide against the side of a snack cart. Pressing a few buttons on his gauntlet, he sent out a computer wave to block out any working cameras that he was sure the Joker had placed. He figured the Joker had seen him enter already. But with being so near this would block out his systems of knowing how he was going to get in and where from.

Once he picked up on the computer system that the cameras were being knocked out, Nightwing made a run for it. The closest opening for the ventilation being on the second floor for him to enter by. And from there he could work his way through the building.

Nightwing shot off his line gun to pull him up to the second level since the building was cleared of any boardering amusement carts. Staying on the ledge, Nightwing carefully worked his way along the side of the building to the vent.

Once there using his equipment to unhinge the vent guard and pulling it off. Once it was open, Nightwing climbed into the ventilation line. It would network him through out the place. And the sounds of the house would ripple through the veins of the system. He'd be able to pick up where the Joker would be as he silently made his way through the system.

[fdf2092]

The Joker was looking though all of the security footage when something caught the corner of his eye. The clown paused the tapes and looked at the figure that got caught on camera. He zoomed into the picture to see a man standing there he had shaggy hair and a black costume with a big blue bird across his chest. Joker recognized the figure as the masked vigilante Nightwing.

"Why if it isn't the first boy blunder seems like he came to pay us a visit." he said as he walked away from his screen. Joker was wondering why Batman had sent Nightwing instead of coming after him himself. *Am I no good enough for Batsie* he thought *Or did he send another one of his young lads to his death* that final thought brought a smile to him. 

He was wondering if he was going to walk in through the front doors like the clown had planned or would he take an alternate route into the Fun House as was his style. Joker had fought against Nightwing before and knew the boy well enough to know he would try and find a different entrance than taking the front door.  

Joker was anxiously waiting for Nightwing to finally enter the Fun House. He had planned for a night of fun and excitement. With traps in all the rooms and hostages waiting to be rescued he knew he was going to have a fun time dealing with this little pest. 

The Joker had rigged the place with motion detectors to know where everyone was inside the Fun House even his own goons and Harley. He was not surprised when an alarm warned him that there was someone inside the air duct system. "Well it looks likes the Boy Blunder has enter the building." 

*Static* "Harley its time to get this show on the go.  Nightwing has entered the Fun House throught the Air Ducts" *static* he said into his wireless ear piece  he had in his ear. *Static* It's time for our guest to join us so flood the system with Venom and make him go your way... Oh and try to stop him from freeing any of our other "guests" they are trying to sleep... PERMANENTLY!!! *static*

[Deleted]

Harley touched her ear piece when she heard the Joker’s voice speak to her. Her shoulders sank and she tilt her head to the right side in disappointment, for she wanted to get the drop on Nightwing and attack him when he was not expecting it. “What’s the point of making a fun room if he’s not even gonna see it?” She rolled her eyes and leaped down from the trapeze swing, completed a double front flip and landed in a crouching position before getting up and hurrying over to the wall with the posters on it and opened a door leading inside of it. The room was glowing from multiple security camera screens with one in particular that was flashing. It was a map of the area and had a red dot traveling through a see-through, rectangular 3D passage. Next to the screen was a switch in which Harley flipped, sending purple haze blowing through the very air ducts toward the crawling crusader. “Okey-dokie Jokie, the gas is on it’s way.“ She sounded playful at first and then her voice changed to dangerous when she added, “And so am I. Bird Boy will fall head over heels into the turning tunnel.”

Harley lift a hidden panel on the wall and pressed a button that unlatched some air vent locks, thus creating a trap door either near the middle or the end of the ventilation shafts, giving Harley a little time to bustle into an awaiting room before the intruder could. The checker board-colored jester pulled out a drawer from the wall that stood before her, within it rest a black nylon mask that went with an all black, fully body Lycra Spandex Zentai Unitard suit that allowed her to hide every inch of her skin and hair in order to remain in the shadows of each poorly lit room.
Next, Harley climbed up a ladder to the left of the room and found her way up in the catwalk area where she waited for the trap door to spit out her guest. She placed on the mask which allowed her to see out of the thin material but it was impossible for anyone to see her behind it. Her ponytails stretched out the mask, giving her mask a triangular shape.

Leaning against one of the walls in the room was a black mallet, in which she picked up and swung over her shoulder to tote it, as she pranced through the room and found her place, now giving her lover the cue. “I’m in position Puddin’. He’ll be here any second.” She pulled a white mask down over her face, able to see through the eye holes and waited patiently, for there was no other room near by for Nightwing to enter.

Sure enough one of the hanging metal cube’s bottom sprang open the moment Nightwing crossed over it. Below the air shafts was a steel-grating bridge with a flat mirror to the left and on the ground. The mirror reflected the black ceiling, thus giving the illusion that Dick would fall forever if he stepped over the edge of the steel bridge, and that only the right side of the bridge had a railing, opposite of the mirrored floor.

Up ahead was a black tunnel that turned around in a counter clockwise motion. Not only was the tunnel causing some vertigo by simply staring into it but the gas that was released into the ventilation shaft did too. Soon, the entire room began to visually stretch, lean to one side, become short and then stretch out again as if it were being pulled like taffy. It was a double illusion, enough to make one sick. If the vigilante did not grab onto the railing, the fear of falling into oblivion was definite, unless he was aware of the ground mirror's trick. And it very well could be a trick by why risk it with The Joker? Even if it was glass, who was to say there would be ground under the glass? For all he knew, it could give out and land him on sharp spikes below.

After crossing the bridge and exiting through the tunnel, Nightwing had wound up in a room where lifeless masks hung from the ceiling and were all scattered by a yard. White masks portraying The Joker and Harley's faces which glowed in the dark, due to special paint and a black lights glowing above. The masks appeared to be bodiless and floating, silently grinning at Nightwing as though he was surrounded by dozens of Harleys and Jokers, grinning at him, taunting him.

Loud music playing over the speakers in every room, drowning out all other noises as a rough-voiced, female rocker sang, “This used to be a fun house, but now it’s full of evil clowns. It’s time to start the countdown, I’m gonna burn it down, down, down, I’m gonna burn it down” The music played, hiding the high-pitched frequency of an Electro Megnetic Pulse that interfered with all electric transmitters. The Joker had anticipated that Nightwing would cheat and use electronic night vision, so he tampered with an EMP that would affect Nightwing’s mask but not his radio communicators with Harley and the minions.

Fifty or so hideous. grinning faces watched the winged rat as he made his way through the room. One of the masks was strapped to an object that Nightwing had discovered by bumping into it within the dark. The mask moved as the object swayed from having been disturbed, rocking tow and fro and felt as stiff as a board. No, not an object, a …person? Someone dressed in black from head-to-toe like Harley only this one felt cold to the touch. Dead no doubt, killed by Joker’s laughing gas. If Nightwing were to remove the mask, he would discover glow-in-the-dark red paint on the person’s lips, see their teeth glowing in the dark and the whites of their eyes bulging out of their sockets with red with ivy vine trails of bust veins from the strain of laughing too hard. A hideous sight for anyone to discover. If there was one body there would certainly be others.

Harley was in the room standing in between two other corpses, spread out by at least five feet of her. The jester's blue eyes turned toward Nightwing as he made his way through the maze of masks and raised her mallet one foot above her shoulder before swinging it sideways, aiming for his head. Sadly, the darkness had affected her vision as well, and she struck him in the back with her weapon, then brought the mallet down on the floor, missing him by inches. “Do, do, do, do, do, do, do….” She sang as she turns placed the mallet over her shoulder, turning in the darkness in between the masks to avoid any wing-dings and exits through a door leading into one of the Joker’s rooms.

As Nightwing recovered, she pulled off her black mask, revealing her pale, painted face with the black domino mask held into place against her skin by spirit gum and flicked her wrist at one of her pony tails before smiling. “He’s all yours Baby’.” She looked up at the camera with a wide smile, twist her upper torso from side-to-side in a flirtatious manner and skipped off into the third room with the heavy mallet still in hand.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

As Nightwing made his way through the ventilation shaft, he could hear something triggering. There was the slight sound of machinery at work. He would look back to see his computer scanning picking up movement from the metal panels in the vent. A trap as always, he figured that much out of the Joker.

Joker knew the Bat-family to well. He would be ready for any of them. Even Nightwing. Dick knew the other lane ahead would be shut down as well. There had to be another trap. Joker was funneling him to where he wanted him.

He continued on with caution

As he went on a bit further, a trap door sprung open from beneath him. Nightwing grabbed onto the edge of the now open vent, and looked down. He could see the metal bridge and one rail. And the mirror that were playing tricks to his mind.

Nightwing would have to be careful. Those may be mirror down there, but nothing was as it seemed when it came to dealing with the Joker. A twist fun house would be his twisted horror house in any way he could manage.

Focusing, Nightwing swung off toward the side and aimed for where the bridge looked more consistent. Landing on his feet and on solid ground, Nightwing knew his mind would play tricks. So kept walking straight and balanced.

He had gotten a glimpse of he tunnel ahead. That was the only way in. He knew it was a trap. This is what the Joker wanted. All those years of seeing Batman go up against the Joker, he always made them play right into his hand. But that was where the game took place when the Joker had control. A game of cat and mouse, he'd get caught or run loose. Either way it played into the Joker's amusement in his scheme.

He followed the bridge into the tunnel, only to find it turning back. As he continued, his mask scanners picked up the trace of a gas being leaked into the room. Nightwing grabbed for his re-breather, but the gas had taken the whole room quickly. His lungs inhaling some of the gases. But the re-breather would stop any further damage done.

His eyes started to see the whole room being twisted about. His mind being affected by the gas, no doubt. Nightwing grabbed onto the rail to steady himself. Not wanting to fall into the mirrored pit and a possible trap awaiting him down there as well.

Nightwing tried to focus, mainly blocking out his sight from his mind. But his eyes still open in case any sudden tricks were pulled. He let his other senses take affect as to the position of the bridge and the rail being the main guide.

As he left the tunnel, the room before him hung with masks. Joker trying to stir up some fun in this. They float there, but before he could take a good look around the room a loud music started over the speakers within the room. And Nightwing could see the effect of the music.

His night-vision was being interfered with by the frequency of his equipment. The vision going in and out. It was enough to cause Dick to be getting a headache from the night vision failure and the stretching of the room. He had not choice, but to turn it off, pressing a button on his mask to shut it off. The Joker wanted a fair game.

Nightwing walked into the room. He could see the masks twisting slightly as he walked by. They were hung by string. He could easily cut them down by throwing a few wing-dings, but that would be a waste of his weapons and time.

He ignored them and continued on blindly. Letting his senses guide him. Nightwing had trained enough with blindfolds on and he knew his skill would be enough to get him through. Though sight and sound were out now. It was mainly smell and touch left to the list.

As he walked through the sea of glowing faces, he bumped into something solid. After touching it as he examined what it was and looking at the mask...it was a innocent by stander taken into the mad games of the Joker. He removed the mask to see the face. Taken the same way many others by the Joker had lost their lives.

Nightwing took out a wing-ding to cut the body down, laying it to rest on the floor. This was more than a fun house. it would be a horror feast. There were lives on the line. Where there was one, there was always more.

Distracted by the find as he stood up again, his sense over taken by the loud music and darkness. He could feel the slight stack of someone approaching. But was blind sided as he felt something nail him on his spin. Knocking the wind out of him, and causing a sharp pain through out his body with the contact. He was knocked to the floor, parallel to the body he had freed from the ceiling.

He could hear a new melody playing out through the music in the room. That must have been Harley. He tried to follow the sound with his eyes as he grabbed a few wing-dings and few them in the direction of the new voice. Though only to hear them getting stuck in the wall farther away where his target had disappeared.

Dick got to his feet as the pain settled. His mind whirling with the room of masks a bit as he tried to focus. Ok, so there were still more alive in the room than he had thought. He'd be ready for the next strike.

[Deleted]

In the audio room, Harley’s gloved fingertips stroked the edge of an electric console and paused when she found the switches and knobs she was looking for. She flipped three switches that turned on some lights in the next room, made objects turn, and set a new song to play over the speakers. Her lover would be so proud of her to keep things in motion, while Harley hoped the fun could continue until the end of their game where they might actually win by killing off one of the Bat’s brats. It would be a check mate before ending Batman as well, and then for once, Harley and The Joker could live happily ever after, together. No more Batman busting in and ruining the fun times Harley has with her man. No more separating them through the walls of Arkham Asylum, and no more Joker spending so much time in strategizing over how to capture Batman when he could be spending time with her. Off the brat, bring in the bat. Off the bat, The Joker was all hers.

“Eee!” Harley hugged herself over the idea and moved from side-to-side out of joy over the idea. She then watched the monitor to see where Nightwing was and grinned darkly as he was just about to enter into the Joker’s play room. Oh how fun this was going to be! Her heart soared in joy when she watched Nightwing recover from the attack, for it brought Harley joy to watch him suffer. It was just one step closer to defeating him. It was kind of a pity to kill off someone that good-looking but no matter how attractive someone was, they could never replace The Joker.

Harley looked at the television monitors at her end and saw that her room was waiting and ready for Nightwing. She could hardly stand the suspense of waiting for the Boy Blunder to make his way from one room to the other. She wanted to see his terror levels rise now and not later, but that would come soon enough as he enters the next room.

[fdf2092]

Joker had a huge surprise in store for the old Boy Blunder. He had made a room filled with giant bouncing balls and carnival music playing through the speakers. The smell of old stale popcorn filled the halls of the room as well which added to the ambience of it all. 

The room was about twenty feet high and about forty feet across. The entrance had a twisting walkway about ten feet long that lead into the bigger room. Joker had made this room special for any member of the Bat-Family. He really hoped they would like it.

As Nightwing walked into Clowns Room the speakers started to play a recording of him saying "Welcome, welcome one and all to Jokers room of fun, mayhem, and prices. Will you get a big surprise or just some useless junk. You pays your money and you take your chances. Open the presents and get your prices and remember the clock is ticking and when it rings someone will DIE!!!!."

As soon as the recording finished nine giant presents dropped from the ceiling scattering around the room making it a chore for Nightwing to look through them all and a ticking noise could be heard through out the speakers. Joker on the other hand was hiding in a secret tenth present waiting for bird boy to come by and get a big surprise.

The Clown had a camera following all of Nightwings moves and he could see it all inside his own little box. He saw Nightwing moving toward the first present with great caution. The young man opened the first box just to have a bunch of exploding dentures to fall out. Joker got mad when he saw the Acrobat move away from the bomb unharmed.

Nightwing continued to open present after present. Each one was filled with either explosives or gags but he remained unharmed. Then the last three presents were left one had the song pop goes the weasel playing while the other two where connected by an unbreakable chain. 

The first present stopped playing the song and a giant Jack-in-the-Box popped out holding a machine gun that started to shoot at Nightwing. He would of been toast if he had not acted in time and hid behind one of the empty presents. When the shooting stopped Nightwing went to the last two presents when a new recording came through. "It seems like someone has made it to the last round so let's step it up a notch shall we. Inside these presents there is a hostage. So Hero are you ready to save them or are you going to let them perish."

What Joker had not said was that these boxes were wired so that as soon as one was opened the other would blow up killing the other hostage. Nightwing headed to the present on the right and a few faint screams were heard from inside. The same was said for the other box were yelling could be heard. After deciding which box to open Bird boy choose the left box. As he went to open it a wire tripped on the other box lighting the explosives placed in it. A loud bang was heard across the amusement park. Though one of the hostages was saved the other now laid dead in a burnt pile of ashes his body burned beyond recognition.

Nightwing had a shocked  look on his face as the explosion finally settled in his mind. As he was about to leave the ticking sound stopped and a new present popped up from under the floor with a recording playing and it said "That's it, that's it fun is all over time for you to leave before my good mood wears out which mean NOW!!!." as the recording stopped the present opened up and Joker was standing there holding a giant boxing glove. "Bye Bye Boy Blunder number one" With those words Joker pressed a button and the spring on the glove came to life punching Nightiwng right in the gut and sending him through the wall into Harley's next room. 

[Deleted]

Switching from one room then back to the control panels was easy as long as The Joker did the same, that way they were able to keep their plans moving in motion while one performs and the other controls the objects in the rooms. Sure it would be easier for the hench men to do this while the Joker and Harley tormented the Bat Family but Harley preferred it just to between she and her lover. She felt closer to him in that sense, letting him trust her while she trusted him. That was how real relationships worked.

The joking jester’s eyes scanned the room for Nightwing, moving past the giant balls she had practiced her balancing act on earlier, to the large presents hanging down from the ceiling. She knew exactly which gift her boss was in and her job was to make certain that he was safe at all costs. There were certain switches on the control panel could be used as weapons against Nightwing. Harley did not think that this was necessary just yet, unless her Puddin’ was in danger. So she merrily watched masked bird move around the room, opening this and that, then laughed when he failed to save one of the hostages.

“Bad move Bird Boy. How many more innocents are you going to kill today?” Harley’s voice came over the music playing on the loudspeaker. “I don’t think Bats’ll approve of the mess you’ve made. But hey, the fun’s not over yet.” She pressed a button that opened the floor boards to reveal a rising present. A mechanical whirring sound was barely audible above the circus music playing from the speakers. Gleefully, Harley watched as her man used the giant glove gag to knock Nightwing into her fun room. How amusing this will be!

Harley flipped a switch to animate the room Nightwing had just entered. It was crowded with at least fifty mirrors, surrounding him in a maze of self-imagery. The floor began to turn beneath his fallen form, moving in a circular motion and drawing him close to the glass barriers all around him. There was a blindingly bright light in the fixture above him, which slowly flickered on then hummed loudly. It’s bulb was powerful and gave off a source of heat that made the made the room uncomfortably hot and nearly impossible to see. Pale red mist seeped into the room and swirled around his feet, dulling his sense of smell and making it harder for him to breathe. Large white columns with red diamond shapes held up the mirrors and rose to the ceiling, thus making it impossible for him to be able to climb up and walk across them. Harley’s figure stepped into the room by use of a hidden door, decorated as one of the mirrors. Her wide grin suggested that Nightwing would receive only mischief from her. “Betcha can’t find me,” She said while gingerly walking across the floor with ease. “…before I find you.” She laughed and turned out of view, then seemed to have popped up behind him with a knife in her hand. She raised the blade high above her head and swung down at him. If he blocked, he would have found only a taunting reflection.

“Fooled ya, didn’t I?” Harley laughed and pushed against one mirror that spun around and caused her to disappear out of sight. She wound up back in the control room and grinned proudly. “I sure scared him, didn’t I Puddin’?” She beamed proudly at herself for a job well done, whether or not if it was true that she did scare Nightwing. She then pressed a button lit up images onto the mirrors, giving Nightwing the idea that multiple Jokers were standing around him when really, they were holograms produced by screens within the mirrors.

In order to leave the room, Nightwing had to find the same mirror that turned where Harley had exited only that there were two doors on the other side. Harley left one open to guide him into her second room, an small area with a carousel placed in the center. The paint on the grotesque wooden horses had become worn and faded from years of usage. Some of them were missing heads, others a leg or tail. But all of them had blood spatter from The Joker’s victims, who, were unlucky enough to have been tied to their rides and then shot in order to bring color back to Harley’s beloved ride. The bodies were removed of course, so that Harley would not complain about not getting a turn on the turnabout. However, the bodies did not go to waste, but that will not be discovered until later.

The walls were so tight that one had to jump on the turning platform and wait until it came to a full circle. Harley had slipped out of the control center, locking the door behind her, and entered onto the merry-go-round. Her hand gripped the golden pole that speared the horse through it’s back and held it into place, all the while lifting the silent equine up and down due to turning gearwork underneath the floorboards.

Lousy carnival music was playing from an organ hidden in the middle of the turning apparatus, playing as if it were on it’s last note. But this did not deter Harley from her fun. She held onto the pole and leaned back with her feet in the air.

“Weeee!” She laughed and drew her knees in up to her chest while remaining seated on the horse. “Come get me bird-brain.” She taunted and sat sideways on the horse. She timed her exit just right. As Nightwing stood on the base of the turning roundabout, Harley stood up on the saddle of her horse, back-flipped off of it and disappeared into a black room. As the carousel turned, it never ceased in speed but went slow enough for Nightwing to exit. "Round and round we go. When you croak, only he will know." Harley's cheery voice sounded from within the dark room.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

Joker's sick games always cost a life for his fun. Dick would just have to carry on. It was much like a two edged sword. You would be able to save some, but you couldn't save them all in his games.

He was left with a sick feeling for the people he let down. More names on his list. And the list seemed to be growing as time went on, became more to bare as he had watched Bruce carry it with him as well. Carrying on was what he was taught to do. You could live in grief or you could turn it into something new. He'd do what he could to save the others.

Joker was nothing more than a sick mimded freak.

Nightwing took the hit and fell back into another room. His mind was spinning from all the rush, the darkness, and the drugging from the Joker toxin from earlier. He really hated that stuff.

The room became a haze to him. Mirrors surrounding and the floor spinning. The bright light over head, giving it an almost being lost in the desert feeling. The room was becoming stuffier as he got to his feet. He saw the pillars raise a few mirrors.

Nightwing gave himself a moment to reflect on what he had just stumbled into. His eyes focusing on small items. Everything else being blocked out for a moment. But he was still alert enough to pick up on everything. The movement were many, but he was looking for something out of place.

And as soon as his eyes caught it, he jumped back and threw a wingding at one of the mirrors with Harley's reflection. Cracks running out as the weapons was lodged into the mirror with such force behind it that pieces of the mirror flew off as it have hit.

Harley's image appeared a few more times. Nightwing responded by throwing a few more wingdings at the ones coming from an angle causing more reflections. He was arrowing down the choices as he went on through the maze.

His eyes noticing very detail to the mirrors. All looking the same in appears, in the way they were attacked to their posts. After a few moments, he noticed one that was slightly off. The lining slight more defined. Any average person would have just walked by it. But he had noticed.

It was the door leading to the room with the carousel. The change of scene was a relief to Nightwing eyes and mind. It was easier to focus on less going on. And he could see the old faded horses long ago put out to pasture. But blood stained their once rich colors from the time of Joker's fun.

Nightwing spotted Harley and jumped onto the spinning base as she jumped off. He let it carry him for a moment as slowly made his way to the edge again to dismount at the same location as Quinn. He was getting quite sick of these games by now.

[fdf2092]

Joker patiently waited for Nightwing to walk into the surprise he had set up for the vigilante. The jokester was standing behind a reinforced glass case dressed up as a carnival employee sporting a hat with a wavy trim all around and a wooden cane. As soon as he saw him The Clown began to speak "I see you made it through the carousel just fine......Harley will be in a lot of trouble. But enough about that its time for your next surprise Bird Boy."

Standing bellow Joker lay a display of Carnival Games like break the bottles and ring toss but the main attraction was the giant dunk tank in the center of it all. A civilian was seen sitting on the seat of the game bound and gagged so he could not run away from the waters underneath. In the waters bellow two sharks circled around waiting for their meal to come. The entire dunk tank was behind a reinforced glass case as well with a single door leading up to it. The Clown had set up a marvelous surprise for Nightwing and it was about to begin.

"Well hello there and come on down to the Carnival and have yourself a merry good time" said the clown "Waiting for you here are a few games that you must complete in order for you to get to the main price.....the life of this worthless civilian. If you would like that door to be opened then you will have to play by my rules now Bird Boy. In front of you there are five games that you must complete in order for the locks on the doors to open up and for you to claim your price."

The five games that were inside the room were a ring toss, a break the bottles game, ballon popping, ping pong toss, and last but not least a test your strength game. Nightwing was going to have to play all of them in order to rescue the civilian. "Oh and before I forget Nightwing" said Joker "There is a time limit for you. Fail to complete the games in ten minutes and these sharks get a free meal." a maniacal laugh was heard after the last word was said.

Nightwing rapidly headed to the first game which was the Ring Toss. Getting a couple of rings Nightwing expertly tossed each ring at each of the bottles. Each ring landed right on each bottle and a locking mechanism was heard on the door.  He then hastily headed for the ballon popping game. He looked around but no darts were found. He then realized he had to use his own wingdings to pop each ballon. Joker was not worried as he knew something Nightwing did not know. "Even if he does manage to get that door opened it will be too late." he said to himself. 

After popping each ballon another lock was heard being undone. Up next was the break the bottle. Three cement bottles were stacked on a table and Nightwing had to knock them down for the next lock to open. Thinking on how to bring down the bottles he pulled out an exploding wingding and threw it at the bottles. As it blew up the bottles shattered and another  lock was opened. *Three down only two left* thought Joker. Only five minutes had passed since it all began and time was not on Nightwings side. 

The ping pong toss game was next. Ten fishbowls lay in front of Nightwing though instead of being filled with goldfish they were filled with Piranhas. He grabbed ten ping pong balls and tossed them at each bowl. Nine out of ten bowls were hit with the last one verily missing. That was not good as Joker began to speak "Oh no you failed one of the games I guess its time for a penalty Bird Boy. Time for our civilian to take a little trip." the platform under the poor man gave way and he began to fall. A rope caught the civilian and Joker began to laugh "No falling into the water just yet need an incentive so this little bird boy can finish my games" one more lock was opened 

The last game was the test your strength game. Next to the game lay a hammer which Nightwing had to use. Grabbing the hammer he lifted it above his head and he swung that hammer down as hard as he could. The little weight hit the bell and lights around the game begun to shine. "Well congratulations Bird Boy you beat the games now come on up to claim your price but remember time is still ticking and by the looks of it you only have thirty seconds left." Nightwing hurried as fast has he could toward the trapped civilian. But as soon as he was with in five feet of him the rope broke and the man began to fall. 

Quickly thinking on his feet Nightwing grabbed his grapple hook and fired at the civilian. The line caught the civilian just in time and he began to pull him up. When Nighwing finally grabbed the civilian he got a big surprise. A wide grin showed across the mans face another victim of Jokers venom. Laugher came from behind the glass case as Joker fled to another room. "Better Luck next time Boy Blunder" was said before another door was opened and Nightwing headed there after saying he was sorry for not saving another life. 

[Deleted]

Harley heard what the Joker said about not trying to kill Nightwing when she had a chance. Was that part of their plans? She gulped for fear of expecting the worst once this was all over, or maybe he'd forget. No, The Joker never forgot.when it came to revenge. Well, no time to think about that now. Not when she had her final room to try and kill the Batman's ward.

The next room was filled with many lifeless dolls. All of them looking absolutely beautiful without their eyes or limbs missing, no blood stains on their lacey dresses, no burn marks on their hair or porcelain skin. Everything looked cheerful and calm within the room, aside from the endless stares from immovable objects. It held an eerie feeling to be watched from all directions. Dolls on sitting on the floor, dolls sitting on shelves, dolls that had stitches running up their sides like the victims in the first room Nightwing had encountered. Taxidermied people. The last few of the missing carnival workers. Their tattoos and long braided hair were proof of their identity, all dressed up to perfections with hideous grins displayed across their faces. Red lipstick made their permanent smiles stand out even more as the vigilante observed.

Also within the room was a large-sized rocking horse, painted white with blue reigns and a saddle. It slowly moved forward and back in slow motion as a motor kept it rocking. In the middle of the room was a seven foot tall teddy bear, turning it's head from side to side and moving it's arms in time with the moving wooden horse. On the shelves, two large boxes opened and out came dolls that turned on a turn table that was being pushed open by other mechanisms. Each doll was six feet tall and had a Harlequin mask on. Was that a clue that one of them was the real Harley? Or a mere distraction away from something else? With The Joker in charge, who could tell?

Harley watched Nightwing through the black mouth hole of the bear's mask. She timed her movements perfectly by pretending to be motorized. It was all too exciting to momentarily lose sight of him when she moved the bear head to the size, but always returned her vision to him. When his back was turned to her, she slowly reached for her mallet and wrapped the huge bear paws around it. She rose up and held the mallet high above her head and sent the large wooden end crashing down where he stood. Her vision was momentarily blinded as she used all of her strength to bring force behind the drop of her weapon, for the bear head had slumped forward and her vision hole was no longer in it's proper place. At this point, she was guessing that she could hit him. Her grin was wide as her confidence soared. After this, she and The Joker would tie up the Bat's ex-trainee and make Batman go through a variety of simular tests. Yay! That means more time with her lover!... Just as long as he's not too harsh on her for not at least attempting to shoot at Nightwing while riding the carousel.

"Did I get him, Puddin'?" Harley asked when she felt the hammer connect with something, either the floor or possibly Nightwing.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

Game after game. All to waste time. The Joker planned this with precision. He may be insane, but he knew how to play it all out. Move by move again the Bat-family.

The Joker knew each of the Bat-family well. And the weakness to them all was saving and losing people. But with how he followed them all. He knew their individual weaknesses in these situations. And Nightwing was more so the heavy hearted in the end.

He wouldn't let it affect him now. But it would do it's damage in time. With the total of lose and the damage done if the battle was lost.

But Nightwing wasn't going to let that happen. He moved on through the mad house of games. The Joker was set on a grand finally. There was no doubt, with every time his plans getting bigger.

Nightwing moved on into the next room, resting the lifeless body out on the ground. Another life lost because of his actions. Even if the people had already been dead. They were still lives lost because of these events.

The next was just as creepy as the rest. The eyeless dolls all around the place. Parts missing from many. They were clean cut. No evidence of the horror they had went through. Almost to look forgotten, but placed all to be looking at anyone who enter the room. And that anyone was Nightwing.

In the center was a large rocking horse. It moved in a rhythmic motion along with a large bear. From the dim lighting, Dick could see the markings on the life size figures. They were the workers of the carnival. Sickly dressed up as the Joker would have wanted it. Mocking them and mocking the bats.

A trigger reaction set off large figures with the mask of Harley Quinn on them. Nightwing watching and could see more shadows movement than just them going.

Even with his back turned to move figures he tell something else was going on. And before it happened. Nightwing jumped out of the way as a the large mallet hit the floor. He knew someone had been watching. And his guess would be best set on Harley.

Joker wouldn't put himself in the danger zone so soon. Not when he had Harley to dothe work for him. And Nightwing went forward to large size bear that had tipped over. He pulled the back of it open where who ever had tried to hit him had failed.

Opening it up to find Harley Quinn had been insides.

[fdf2092]

“Nice try pooh,” The Joker’s voice came out as inspirational within Harley’s’ earpiece, followed by a sudden change in voice as anger set in. “But you missed!” His venomous voice suggested that his little hench wench would be punished for screwing up the final act. But no matter. He anticipated Harley’s mess up and was ready for the grand finale. A big screen had flickered on upon a blank wall with the Joker‘s twisted grin appearing as a movie. “Not bad Bat Brat, but you still have yet to find me. Or do you have time to save one more vic-er, soul that is?” His voice came out from two speakers that were hiding between two turning dolls. “Why don’t you give our guest a great big smile Earl?” He stepped up behind a man who had been given a faint dose of the Joker venom. The man’s eyes were wide with red veins pulling from the sides. His body shook with every giggle he tried to keep under control and his nails were digging into the top of the desk as panic was setting in. The man had been that way for over five minutes now, slowly slipping into madness and fear of not being able to control himself from laughing himself to death. The Joker placed both of his pointer fingers into the sides of the man’s mouth, pulling the lips out to the side to show Nightwing the man’s forced grin. Due to being tied to the chair and unable to move, the man’s eyes shed tears of crimson as the venom began taking it’s toll on him.

“Doesn’t he look better?” The clown’s dark voice echoed through the room in a sinister tone. “You have five minutes to find our dear friend Earl here, before he bursts a gut during his last guffaw!” Joker’s laughter started off in short quick bursts then grew into out loud bursts. The projector turned off, thus ceasing the Joker’s image but the speakers remained on. “Oh and Harley, give my best to Arkham. Toodles! A ha ha ha ha ha!”

The room went silent all except for the turning mechanisms and the occasional creak from the rocking horse. Even the bizarre music track had been turned off so that Nighwing could hear gurgled giggles as Earl, the fairground manager began to choke on his own foaming saliva. Speakers strategically placed all over the fairground played the man’s last few breaths of life. Every gasp between Earl’s chortles became less of a forced reaction, making it possible for the man to die of asphyxiation. Or it was possible for Earl to choke on his own spittle that could collect into his lungs, thus causing him to drown. The man’s heart raced faster the more the thought of death was overwhelming his reasoning and anguished groans during the fits of laughter were strained. If not given the anti-toxin soon, Earl would soon collapse dead with a characteristic rictus permanently planted upon his face.

[Deleted]

Harley placed the bear head to her costume aside and began to sneak toward the door behind Nightwing while he was distracted by the movie. She already knew how this would end. Either he would force her into attempting to use her to find the victim or use an electronic gismo to find the man himself. Either way, Harley was determined to get out on her own rather than go back to Arkham and meet up with the Joker later. But when her boss mentioned that she had missed and used a growl that insisted he was angry, she shrank and stopped in her tracks like a beaten dog begging not to be struck again. Sure she missed, but that was no excuse to be locked up! And of course The Joker did not have an escape plan for her unless Earl was the plan. If that were the case then Harley could easily dash out before anyone could nab her. She picked up speed and made it out one of the doors but her costume was so bulky that she had a hard time getting the shoulders through. When she finally made it, she tripped over the large bear feet and landed with an “Oomph!”

Now, lying on the ground, she knew it was over. She exhaled and rolled over onto her back giving Nightwing the biggest apologetic grin she could make. “Peace?” She offered and knew he wouldn’t buy it. Besides, she would strike him across the face or head if she found an object that would allow her to escape, And it was only fair for she was sure he’d do the same to her. They all did, good or bad. And if not, they had something else in mind which usually wound up having her lead them to her beloved Joker. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. And besides, she had one last ace up her sleeve.

She drew her hand and arm out of the costume slowly so that the black and blue crusader would not notice, and drew a couple of heart-shaped explosives from her hip. “Watcha gonna do now, Nightscream? Chase me or find the victim?” She pulled a pin from the top and tossed it in his direction. As the pink heart exploded, a bright light lit up the area as gas from it rose and hissed. Harley wriggled her way out of the costume and tossed a second one at him, momentarily blinding him while she took off running.