Cat in the Circus
Story suggested by Animelover1808
Written by Aghori Shaivite
“Let’s have some laughs!”
Those were the first chilling words delivered by the Joker after Barbara Gordon entered the circus tent. They were trigger words, programmed into the librarian’s mind and designed to fully bring out her new identity- Duela Dent. It wasn’t that she wasn’t ready for the personality to take over- she was fully dressed in the clown garb that Joker had chosen for her to wear that evening. Hugging her ridiculous clown purse to her side, her eyes flashed momentarily as the brainwashing finally sunk in, preparing her to be used by the clown prince’s methodical mind. In a few seconds, the hypnotised clown’s face went from shock to deviant mischief, a sporting smirk slowly formed a dimple on the right side of her face.
“Duela! How delightful for you to join us!” Joker rushed to the woman’s side and placed his left arm into her right, pulling her further into the abandoned big top. He kissed her cheek adoringly, excitement racing through his veins as Duela looked at him with enchanted eyes. The clown prince could tell, even under the makeup, that his brainwashed darling was blushing.
“It’s more of a pleasure for me, Joker.” Duela lifted her left hand to brush some of her red hair to the side. She pressed her body against Joker’s side. “What have you got planned for me this evening?”
“Tonight... will be a special night, Duela. You just wait and see.”
“Whatever you say, daddy. When it’s time to jump, you just say how high.”
Harley grinned as she walked behind Joker and Duela. How beautiful, she thought, magnificent. She had always wanted to have a family with the Joker, and the brainwashed Barbara made the perfect surrogate daughter. They had tried it a few times with Robin, but it never worked- Batman had got in the way. Batgirl, however, was a way better option. As a strong and attractive female, she proved to be way more fun to play with.
As happy as Harley was to have Barbara Gordon as the new incarnation of Duela Dent, the motley villainess had to remind herself of how territorial The Joker was. She wouldn’t want him any other way, but there were dark sides of him that she really hated to cross. Yes, Joker loved to use Harley, to have her by his side in order to pull his sadistic and dark pranks on the populace of Gotham, but he could have a terrible temper if he felt like Harley was trying to play too much a part in his action. The dark clown hated to be crossed and, better yet, outstaged. It insulted his brilliance, his ingenious mind complicated with a trickster’s strange complex. Harley knew that Duela Dent was his daughter, and Harley had a fear of angering him if she played too much of a motherly role without his consent. She would have to be satisfied with merely being his sidekick, his accomplish and runner girl, helping him realize his clownish goals without interference. Maybe in the future, she could convince him that it would be funny to share the joy, to allow a perfect family scenario where Gotham could truly fear them, and then they could truly be together. Joker and Harley could be a real husband and wife, not just a boss with a moll girl serving as a backstage stooge. Yes, Joker would always be the crazy clown available for horrific events beyond city gatherings and birthday parties, to strike fear into the hearts of the city’s denizens, and even Harley’s name brought wariness to potential victims. A clan of clowns, however, would be intimidating, fierce, and outright scary.
“Keep up, Harley!” Joker sneered as he looked back, his expression boiling with a sharp annoyance. “Your awkward gait is slowing us down.”
“Sorry, boss,” Harley replied, not knowing how she was slowing them down. Whether she was or wasn’t, she sped up nonetheless. The boss was always right.
“This is a big tent,” Duela noted as the clowns finally came to a stop in the middle of the tent’s dark center.
“Why, of course it is,” Joker said with a grin to his new slave. “That’s why they call it a big top. Big top. Get it?” Joker looked at Duela and playfully tickled her under her chin like some precious pet. “Now, let me explain something very important to you, Duela.”
Duela felt like she could melt in the Joker’s presence. She stared at the clown prince with adoring eyes, her skin filled with an amorous heat. “What would you need to explain to me, daddy?”
“What I’m doing to you, of course. It’s this simple. Over the past two to three days, I have been preparing you for a better life. You lived your life under a false ego- one of boredom, filled with an egotistical sense of justice and morality.”
“Booooo!” Harley jeered. “Hiss!”
“Putting all of that behind you, Duela, I’ve come to save you. To show you your true inner self, the truth. A persona of joy, happiness, humor and comedy! Duela Dent, the Joker’s daughter- a chip off the old block!”
“Yay!” Harley cheered.
“Right now, we’re just getting started. I’m having a little fun with you. My skills in... mind modification... have brought your true self closer to the surface. I’ve been experimenting with bringing you back and forth between your old life and your new one, showing you the true contrast to make sure you’ll never go back to that bland life as a bat dolt you lived before.”
“Bat dolt?” Duela repeated in questioning.
“Yes. Your old, evil persona. Batgirl, the do gooder. The self inflated cheerleader of heroic poppycock and nonsense, dead ideas of tragic limitations and blah blah de blah blah blah.”
Duela smiled. “Oh yes, Barbara Gordon.”
“Exactly.” Joker brushed his hands through his brainwashed clown’s hair. “As of now, that bat broad is as good as dead.”
Suddenly, overhead lights snapped on, directed to the three clowns in the center of the ring.
“Who’s operating the lights, Mistah J?” Harley asked in curiosity, trying to hide her disappointment. Did Joker hire henchmen again? Why couldn’t they enjoy their escapades alone?
“Oh, Harley... you know my hired hands Mo, Lar, and Cur.”
Harley sighed. “Oh yeah. Of course, Mr. J.”
“Why, who else would do the stage work of my grand production we’re all starring in?” Joker looked at Duela with a smile. “We’re only beginning to prepare for our first rehearsal. But we still have some work to do in order to hire new performers.”
“New... performers?” Duela asked.
“Yes, new performers. Harley, please enlighten Duela on our plans for the evening.”
“Sure, Mistah J.” Harley turned to Duela with a smile. “Duela, I’m sure you’re familiar with Selina Kyle, are not you?”
“Oh yes,” Duela said. “She’s the infamous cat burglar, mainly known under her moniker as The Catwoman.”
“Yes, exactly.” Harley giggled. “Well, I’m sure you’re well aware of how hard she works, running around at all hours of the night and wasting her time on meaningless tasks, just like you used to do. Too serious of a lady.”
“Far, far too serious,” Joker said in agreement.
“We were thinking of putting a smile on her face. We’re gonna need your help in making that a reality, Duela. To show her how happy you are and to let her know that she should submit to Mistah J’s plans without resistance... or else.”
Duela laughed. “Is that all? Playtime with a cat lady? I would love to join you in that.”
“You’ll enjoy it.” Joker rubbed Duela’s back. “I’m sure I don’t have to warn you. Selina is a tough cookie. She might put up a fight, but you’re good at that sort of thing. With the three of us, it shouldn’t be a problem. My henchmen will prepare the circus for our big night, get everything situated and ready for when we come back. I know where to find Selina- I’ve stalked her for quite a while, and this is her night off. She’ll be in her apartment, curled up with her precious kitties.”
Harley rolled her eyes. “Ha! The freak.”
“It’s only right for us to save her from a life as an eccentric cat lady and show her the joys of clowning. Well! What do you say, Duela? Shall we make our way downtown?”
“As I said before, daddy... you say to jump and I’ll only say how high. Let’s go.”
Feline meowing and purring filled Selena Kyle’s condominium suite.
As the off duty villainess poured milk into a series of bowls near the closed glass patio door, Selena called out to her prized pets. “Come along, darlings, get your meal.” The woman reached for the bag of cat food and filled their food bowls next. She was happy to see the cats rush to their meals, eating and licking away at the milk prepared for them. There were a lot of cats, perhaps 20 or even 30, many of them constantly looking up to their owner with loving eyes.
Selena felt such pride looking at the cats. A number of them had been old house pets that Selena had either won through auctions or pay for at shelters and rescue kennels. Some of them had been strays and runaways that she had found on her late nights rendezvous. Saving kittens and cats was her specialty when she was out on the prowl in Gotham, looking for homes to rob and museums filled with antiques for stealing. It bothered her that so many cats, unloved and forgotten, were forced to wander the streets and look for food in trash cans or along the sides of highways. Was that any way to treat animals?
“I want all of my darlings to be healthy and strong.” Selena reached down to pet one of the cats, making it purr on contact. “You’ll never know what its like to starve or suffer again. I promise you that much.”
As Selina reached down to pick up one of the little kittens, she heard a knock at the door. She sneered. Wasn’t it a bit late to come around, knocking on a woman’s door? She wouldn’t stand for it.
“Whatever you’re selling, I don’t want,” Selena shouted at the front door’s direction. She held the kitten as it purred softly against her chest, rubbing its head against her shirt. The knock sounded again. Who could it be? Was it really that important? If it was Batman, he would have just came through the patio or a window and snuck up behind her. He was the only late night visitor she usually got, and randomly at that. The spontaneity and persistence of the knocks were making her nervous. Oh well, she thought as she finally gave up and started to walk towards the door. “Okay, okay... I’m coming.”
Before Selena could reach five feet in front of the door, it opened without her consent. Fear shot through her as she saw her late night guest was none other than The Joker. He was accompanied by Harley Quinn and some woman she had never seen before. Their faces wore such grotesque and discomforting grins as their eyes rested upon Selena with gazes that disturbed her to the core.
Cats were hissing and meowing frantically, scattering to different parts of the room and hiding. Selena held the scared kitten delicately in her arms.
“Cat lady!” Joker stepped into the condominium, needing no invitation. “Mi amiga. Mi compadre. Su casa es mi casa, yes?”
“Get out!” Selena pointed with a firm and offensive index finger directed at her unwanted visitors. “Get out now!”
“Hey now! I know that its a bit... crowded in here, but I’m sure you have room for an old pal, don’t you?”
“There’s no room for you in my world, Joker. Now do I have to be uncouth and pull my claws out, or will there be no problems?”
Harley stepped to Joker’s side and held up a jester’s scepter. “There won’t be any problems if you cooperate, Selena. Joker just has a business proposition he wanted to break you in on.”
“Yeah!” Joker nodded. “That’s exactly what this is. A business proposition.”
“I work for only one person- me.” Selena slowly put down her kitten.
“Not anymore,” Harley said with the shake of her head. “You’re going to be a part of Joker’s circus, whether you want to or not.”
Selena looked at the woman behind Joker and Harley wearing the clown get up. In a way, she was starting to look a bit more familiar. Could she have been the Joker’s Daughter, Duela Dent, that she had read a little about in newspapers and magazines? She was supposed to be some imitation female Joker with delusions of being related to the mass murdering psychopath. If this was her, then maybe she had been taken under The Joker’s wing, just another clown motif freak working for the maniacal, hate filled harlequin of hate. If they thought Selena was going to follow the same path, Catwoman would let them know how dead wrong they were.
“If you think I’m going to be another greasepaint junkie of yours, Joker, then you’ve had too much smilex and it’s rotting your brain.”
“Ooo! Witty!” Joker looked at Harley and grinned as she smiled back at him. “I love when my victims give me product placements.”
“We’ll see who’s the victim here, Joker. I’ve politely asked you to get the hell out of my apartment. Now I’m going to have to teach you some manners.”
Before any of the clowns could reply, Selena was rushing their way with her hands balled in fists. She was fast, even out of uniform, and with cat like reflexes, she was aiming her hands towards the Joker. Harley jumped in, protecting her man as she quickly conked Selena on the head with the scepter, knocking the woman back. Selena slid to the patio door, cracking the glass. After shaking her head, she was back to her feet again and ready to attack.
Selena didn’t expect what came next. As she neared Joker, Duela snuck by the woman’s side and knocked her down before holding the flower on the front of her costume. The flower sprayed a strong gas into Selena’s face as Duela held her face back. It was a knockout gas, and in a few seconds Selena’s resistance slowed down, her body calming down as sleep claimed her. She was slumped on the floor, snoozing peacefully as the entire room was cleared, the cats hiding away from the sight of the clowns.
Duela breathed heavily, a bit in shock from seeing Selena become so feral.
Harley knelt behind Duela and rubbed her back, looking over Selena with wide eyes and a joyful grin. “Geeze, no wonder these beasts need catnip. Heard it calms them down. Gas works well enough, I suppose.”
“She’s lucky enough that we haven’t done worse to her.” Joker stepped forward with a sneer. “Besides, we can’t go on and destroy her lovely face. It has to be perfect for the makeover I’m going to give her.”
“Oh! That reminds me.” Harley turned to Duela and smiled. “You haven’t seen our makeover plans, have you, Duela?”
Duela shook her head. “No, but I’d love to find out what you’re going to do to her.”
“It’s a surprise, you’ll see.”
Joker sighed. “That Selena girl really tried my patience. Oh well. Hurry up- pick up the cat cunt and carry her down to the car. I’ll be waiting.” The clown prince headed for the door, leaving his molls behind to handle the mess.
Duela looked at the departing Joker with worried eyes. “But daddy-”
“You heard the boss, up and at ‘em.” Harley reached around and grabbed under Selena’s armpits, “You haven’t seen the boss’s bad side yet. Believe me- you don’t want to.”
Reaching for Selena’s legs, Duela helped lift her up with Harley. The woman was quite strong and a bit heavy for such a cut and slender figure. The women could handle it, however- they were quite strong and agile, too.
Within ten minutes, the clowns had reached the costume shop. Selena was still out, cold as a burnt out lantern. The gas had been some heavy duty stuff, and Duela was glad that The Joker decided to arm her with an effective squirting flower. As the clowns made their way into the costume shop, she could only wonder what her “father” had in store for Catwoman.
The criminal trio reached the center of the clown aisle. Harley and Duela placed Selena on the floor.
“Now, first things are first,” Joker said as he pulled out a little miniature device. It was some digital handheld thing with a screen. Joker turned it on but hid it from the view of Harley and Duela.
“Wait till you see what he does with that thing,” Harley whispered to Duela.
“What’s he going to do?” Duela asked.
Harley giggled. “It’s a brainwashing device. It’s smaller that the thing Joker brainwashed you with, but it’s just as effective and easy to use. It won’t be long until Selena finds out, first hand, what it means to be completely under the Joker’s control. Her wants, her thoughts, and even her desires will revolve around what The Joker has planned for her.”
“Just like he did to me,” Duela said with a grin.
“Exactly. And you know what? You’re way more happier for it. Aren’t you?”
“Yes... why, yes, I am.”
“I only hope that...”
Joker was knelt over his sleeping victim, his hands slapping her face with loud, open palm smacks. He was so fierce with women- Duela was realizing this more and more. Harley was used to it.
“Wakey wakey, catsy.” Joker sneered before chuckling. His smile grew as he saw Catwoman’s eyes flickering.
Selena’s eyes squinted open, her cheeks red. “Huh... what...”
The first thing to greet Selena’s visuals was the miniature screen of the digital device. Held firmly in Joker’s hand, the small screen had a swirling black and white sphere designed to brainwash the victim slowly and on impact. “Watch the birdy...”
Selena took a while to come to, but as her consciousness faded in and out, she was startled to get a grip of what was going on. A screen of black and white swirls, a quite hypnotic tone that sounded like The Joker’s voice, a strange series of tingling starting to move in the Catwoman’s mind- she was being brainwashed. “N... no.”
“Yes. Watch the birdy. Pay attention to it, puddy tat.”
The Catwoman bit her bottom lip, feeling more cognizant of what was going on. Yes, someone was trying to hypnotise her, destroy her and defeat her mind. “No.... no... what are you.. I can’t... I can’t give in to you.”
“Of course you can! And to give in is to find true happiness... true madness! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...”
“No!” Selena screamed, finally awake. She could resist, she could protest, she could say anything to break out of this- and yet, she was frozen to a high extent. Her limbs felt like jelly, unyielding. Her mind was up yet the tingling was increasing and taking over her sense of awareness and consciousness. She was fading, being controlled and defeated by some controlling, misogynistic clown... it had to be him, that voice, that laughter. “Joker...”
“The one and only. Your new master.”
“No. No, I... I refuse. I refuse this to happen.” Selena’s mind was becoming weaker, her consciousness slipping away.
“But you must join your new friends! Vicki Vale has become nothing more than a mime. The woman you did know as Batgirl has become a great daughter, my perfect Duela Dent.”
“Duela?” Memories were coming back of the evening, the strange woman at the condo, the break-in. As memories flooded in, however, they were also fading out.
“Yes, and now you... your cat like reflexes, your feline independence and autonomy attitude. It’s so selfish to be careless and free, isn’t it? It seems free, but a false sense of freedom only makes you miserable. There’s no comedy or laughter when you’re alone, Catwoman... forced to live as some weirdo cat lady in her apartment, all alone, finding your kicks in burglary.”
“Arggh....” Selena angrily sneered but couldn’t find the words to protest anymore. The strange screen, Joker’s dialogue... she was losing.
“A false sense of freedom. Yes. That’s exactly what it is. In my troupe, however, you’ll find the ultimate happiness. You’ll know that there is happiness in slavery, and pleasure in insanity! If you think you’re so free now, you’ll find out how much true freedom there is when I make you a willing occupier of your own beautiful box.”
“Nnn...”
“Yes. I have it all planned out. The perfect costume, the perfect face. And you’ll be placed in quite a decorative box that I have designed all by myself. You’ll come out only when I command you to come out and go back in when I feel like you should go in. You’ll be my perfect Jill in the box. Hahahahaha!!! Isn’t that lovely?”
“Oh yes,” Harley replied. “Quite lovely.”
Joker turned to Harley and snapped. “I wasn’t talking to you!”
“Oh!” Harley sank back. “Sorry boss.”
“I was talking to my precious Selena here.” Joker stroked his hands through Selena’s hair and stared into her eyes. He could tell that he had her now. Her eyes didn’t leave the screen. “You’ll be happy as my Jill in a box, won’t you, Jill?”
Selena’s eyes stayed fixed on the spirals. “Yes... master.”
“Bah! Master is so old and dull. Call me Mr. J.”
“Yes, Mr. J.”
Harley’s mouth formed into a bratty pout. Hey! she thought. That’s my name for Mistah J!
“That’s better,” Joker said with a loving tone. “You were such a bad kitty, resisting Mr. J like that.”
“I know, Mr. J. I was pretty bad. I won’t do that again.”
“Damn right, you won’t. Heh! You’ll be stuck on a spring and in a box. There won’t be much you can do.” Joker shrugged as he helped his new Jill up and supported her on her feet. “Well, we might as well get you into your new costume and paint that boring face of yours.”
“Anything you say, Mr. J.”
Harley gritted her teeth in rage before calming down, composing her expression before Joker could see her.
“That’s better,” Joker said as he placed his hand on the woman’s back and walked her towards an aisle. “Hmmm, now let’s see here...” Joker reached up to one of the shelves and pulled down a huge purple and black jester hat. “Ah, now isn’t this nice? Yes, this will do well, I think. What do you think?”
Harley looked at the hat with a grin. “Yes, it’s quite lovely. Don’t you think, Duela?”
“Yeah.” Duela grinned. “But you should get her fitted into some of her other clothes before putting that hat on her head.”
“Great idea.” Joker motioned Duela over to his side. He handed the hat to her when she approached. “You hold onto this for now. I have the perfect costume set aside for her.” Joker pinched Selena’s cheek. “Aren’t you gonna love this...”
The Joker walked over to a row of spandex costumes and pulled out an interesting bodysuit. It had a dark purple and huge but thin clown collar with soft balls at the tips. Both of the arms were lined with purple and black diamonds. The left half of the body suit matched the arms from the legs up to below the collar, adorned with black and purple diamonds, while the right side of the suit was merely lined with a light purple. The look was quite beautiful and The Joker knew it would be just perfect for Selena, sporting the colors of her cat costume. It would compliment her beautiful dark hair.
“Let’s not forget to get her skin painted,” Harley reminded the Joker.
“Righty-o! How could I have forgotten that most important step? Well, the truth is I haven’t!” Joker yelled the last few words in Harley’s face, making the clown girl back up with a fearful face. Rolling his eyes, Joker’s smile returned in some bipolar snapback action. “Now, where was I? Oh yes! Back to you, darling.” Joker walked over to his new Jill and grabbed her hand, walking her towards a mirror at the end of the aisle. “I have some body paints set aside for you. Come along, Duela. Harley, you get the accessories I showed you earlier.”
Harley followed the Joker’s directions without complaint as Duela followed obediently. After stopping Jill in front of the mirror, Joker straightened his tie and looked up and down the body of his new prospect. “Get undressed, Jill.”
Jill did as she was told. She pulled each article of clothing off and threw it to the ground, completely exposed to Joker and Duela.
Joker looked to Duela and pointed at the buckets of body paint and brushes nearby. “Paint her entire skin in white.”
Duela went to the body paint and pulled out cannisters of white paint. After grabbing a brush, she started to move up and down Jill’s skin. The paint worked perfectly, moving around easily at the tip and bristles of the brush yet quickly drying on the skin. By the time Harley came around with the extra accessories Jill would need for her costume, Harley had already painted up to the woman’s neck.
“Hurry up and paint her face,” Joker said to Duela before turning to Harley and demanding, “You there- put on her gloves first.”
Harley put some white gloves on the ex-Selena as Duela covered her entire face in white.
The Joker grinned with amusement. “Yes, that’s it. Now paint her lips in red. Harley, you remember the design I had for her eyes.”
Duela quickly painted the former Catwoman’s lips in red as Harley gave Jill a distinct design for her costume. Over her eyes, Harley painted huge purple diamonds.
“Yes, yes, perfect!” Joker jumped up and down with joy.
Harley proceeded to paint Selena’s nose purple as well, a tidbit she remembered from Joker’s planned design. “Duela, go ahead and make sure Jill’s cheeks are nice and red.”
Duela nodded before painting the new clown girl’s cheeks with a bright red, making sure the circles were well placed on the strong yet slender proportions of her face. Yes, she was cute, pretty and sweet looking- just the way the Joker intended.
The women helped Jill fit into her purple and black diamond suit. It all fit her quite well, outlining her body perfectly and showing her athletically flexible form. As a final touch, Duela placed Jill’s jester hat atop her head, fixing it tight so that it wouldn’t come off.
“Yes! Excellent! Great work, ladies!” Joker laughed as he rubbed his hands together. “And now, the more fun part! We’ve got a box to get our funny friend Jill in!”
Duela’s eyes widened at the thought of stuffing the woman into a box. It seemed like a lot of work, and just the possibility of it seemed daunting. She rushed to Joker’s side. “How are we going to do that, daddy?”
“Oh, you needn’t worry your head about that, Duela.” Joker reached into his pocket and pulled out a whistle. He blew loudly into it, making both Duela and Harley’s ears throb from the sound of it.
Suddenly, coming out of the dark of a huge aisle nearby were three of Joker’s henchmen. They were tugging on a dolly that held a human sized box covered with black and purple diamonds. On the side of the box was a crank to twist and help Jill when she needed to pop out. From the look of the goons, they had a look that seemed to be entirely influenced by the three stooges.
“Duela, I don’t think you have had the pleasure of meeting Mo, Lar, and Cur, have you?”
The three henchmen bowed respectfully like actors after a play.
“Why, no, I haven’t,” Duela answered honestly.
The goons grabbed Jill and walked her over to the box.
“Well, they’re going to fit Selena into that box. Don’t worry, she’s a strong lady- she won’t bruise easily. There’s a spring in there that will keep her held in tight. Just think about it! It will be a fitting home for her, a place where I can control her and keep her bound for as long as I like.” The Joker gave a hysterically insane laugh that filled the entire costume shop.
As Joker laughed crazily, the goons shoved Jill into the box, coiling a tight fitting spring around her body. The coil would keep her subdued in an adamantine bondage, forcibly making her reside happily in the box until the Joker deemed her worthy to call. Pushing her into the box, the goons made sure the box was closed tight with only a small slit for Jill’s breathing.
“That’s good enough,” Joker said as he stared at the box, adoring it. “I think JIll will like the new role I have reserved for it. It’s a fitting place for her, free of incessant meowing and the smells of cat urine. Bleh.” Joker turned around and smiled at Harley and Jill. “Okay, girls! To the circus!”
At first, there was darkness and silence. Then, an overhead spotlight shot on and captured the center ring. In the middle of the light was a purple clad ringmaster, his hand held over his hat as circus music started to play. It was his circus, The Joker’s play world where anything was possible according to his say so. What a night he had planned.
“Ladies and gentlemen, loons and goons, have I got a treat for you all!” The Joker outstretched his hand to a direction that the overhead light followed, immediately falling on his new box.
Harley’s hands were on the crank, her devious grin shining.
Joker continued. “May I introduce the newest addition to my circus family... Jill!”
Harley felt her heart beat fast as she heard the Joker say the word “family”. She could swear that her skin was going to melt from passion.
“Harley!” Joker shouted. “Turn that damned crank!”
“Yes, Mistah J, right away,” the clown girl said as she started to turn it quickly.
It wasn’t long before POP! the box opened. A grinning and seemingly fulfilled Jill popped out on a spring, bouncing lightly up and down.
Laughter came from the bleachers of the circus. It was the laughter of the only audience member in attendance- Duela. She clapped and brayed like a horse at the wild antics of her fake father.
Joker stared at the audience member with a wide grin. “Oh, you like that don’t you?”
Harley smiled. “You think she should really get a good look at her handiwork tonight boss?”
“Oh yes.” Joker rubbed his hands together. “We’ve had enough fun with Duela tonight. Why, let’s see what Barbara will think of all the fun things we’ve done to our cat friend here.”
“Are ya gonna say the trigger word, boss?”
“The trigger phrase you mean?”
“Ha, ha! Yeah. The trigger phrase. Are you gonna say it, boss?”
“Well, well, I don’t know. It would probably be a big shock to goody two shoes librarian over there. Ex nay on the phrasay and so on and so forth.”
“Huge shock, huh? That could be fun.”
“Yes. Ha ha ha! That would actually be pretty funny.” The Joker rubbed his chin. “Now, what was that phrase? Oh yes!” The Joker took in a deep breath and bellowed the awakening phrase he had made for Barbara. “That’s enough jokes for today!”
Suddenly, Duela felt her body jolt and shake. Her mind’s chemistry rearranged in every aspect, her personality shifting. Suddenly, Duela was gone and Barbara had come back, not knowing where she was. Her vision, however, was fixed on what used to be Selena Kyle. Now, her gaze saw a living clown girl in a box connected to a spring, grinning wildly and staring into the air with a creepy blankness. The shock of the sight sent Barbara screaming, the entire world seeming like a nightmare, and nothing even worthy of making sense.
Barbara woke up in her bed. She had a tremendous headache, her mind feeling like it had been hit with a sledgehammer. The only thing she could be certain of as she looked up at her alarm clock was that it had to be the weekend. It just had to be. She felt like she had been working nonstop without a break. Hadn’t she? She thought about checking the computer date just in case.
She was surprised to find her clock’s alarm going off. Usually, the alarm went off with the sound of a radio. This time, however, there was a distinct digital sound effect echoing from it. It took a while of Barbara adjusting to her hearing to realize the clock was emitting the sound effect of laughter.
The laughter seemed mechanical, moving through the room with an endless rhythm.
“Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha.”
Barbara cringed.
End