Bruce falls down after Joker hits him in the head with the butt of his gun, and Joker, despite what he wants to do, bends down and picks up Bruce and throws him over his shoulder.
He points out his gun to those looking to follow him out of Arkham Asylum, "Come after us, and the Bat fucking dies, do you hear me?!" He screams it at the top of his lungs and runs for the first car he sees, oddly enough knowing it to be Bennett's (or Bruce's, but does it really matter anymore?) and he runs as fast as he can, a blur of purple and green (and real Armani, thank you very much), and throws Bruce into the passenger side of the car. Joker goes through Bruce's pockets (ugh) to get the keys. There are still people chasing him of course, because he's decided to take their precious Batman hostage, but there's another reason why he's doing this.
Because it wasn't Joker who hit Bruce in the head to knock him out, it was Joe, and Joe is now desperately fighting back against Joker, and he's not sure how much longer he'll be in control.
He finds the keys and he starts up the car, speeding off and heading down the major roads until he sees the exit for 93, and he takes it, and then heads off to the Mass Pike. Bruce is still passed out and unconscious in the passenger seat and Joker is starting to take control again, as he laughs maniacally, but he's pissed. "Oh Joe, you fucking bastard," He hisses low, as he speeds along the highway, going through the Speedpass lane (though at a decent speed, so he's not caught) and he just drives. Drives for hours, in complete silence, tapping his fingers on the wheel as he keeps an eye on Bruce, and keeps one hand on the gun that he has in his pocket.
If Bruce moves, Joker is going to kill him. It doesn't matter if he's Joe's best friend and practically his brother. Joker doesn't need Joe around, he doesn't want Joe around, and really Joe is just one bad day away from becoming just like Joker. He wants Joe to go crazy, so Joker can be around all the time, just like his Harley is.
Killing Joe's best friend would do it, especially if he sees the blood on his hands. It's the perfect plan, and Joker knows it and he starts laughing.
Bruce stirs next to him, but doesn't wake up yet, and Joker starts searching for the CDs that he knows Joe has left in Bennett's car.
(It's annoying that Joe has Bennett as a best friend, because it means that Joker is weirdly tied to Batman, and he's not appreciative of the choices Joe has made, or the people he has chosen to be with.)
Joker finds a mix CD above the visor and he tosses it in, and Death Metal starts blasting through the speakers. "Time to wake the fuck up, Bruce," He laughs, as Bruce wakes up frustrated, and rubs his head. He questions where Joker is taking him, but Joker just laughs.
"This is the worst thing you have ever done." Bruce mutters dryly, and Joker laughs harder, and he can't tell if that's because he actually finds it funny, or if Joe is trying to fight his way forward, or if it's a weird combination of the two.
"Hey, I didn't kill you. Yet." Joker shrugs, the car continuing to speed down the highway, and soon they cross the state line and head into Connecticut.
It's a weird silence between them, a begrudging acceptance because Joker needs Batman alive right now if he's going to make it down south, and well Joe wants Bennett to stay alive too because he doesn't want to know what would happen if he's forced to kill his brother.
Maybe you should stop the car, Joker, Joe's voice comes through to Joker, and he narrows his eyes and he turns up the music, and Bruce looks pissed off but knows better than to test Joker, especially when Joker is the one with the gun. You can't tune me out, Joker! Joe is taunting, and Joe keeps taunting, and god, Joker hates it when bitches fight back.
It's when he's almost out of Connecticut that Joker drives recklessly into the breakdown lane and finally slams the car to a stop, as Bruce flies forward and hits his head on the dashboard, and Joker hits his head on the wheel, but he doesn't actually care. He throws the car in park and gets out, and goes to the trunk of the car, getting whatever is in the trunk (blankets, a pillow, a flashlight) and slams it shut.
He walks to the passenger side of the car, and opens the door, and grabs Bruce by the shirt and pulls him out of the car and throws him on the ground, tossing the blankets et al right at him. He twitches the whole time.
"There's a motel two miles that way," He points in a direction, his voice a little calmer, proving more of Joe coming out than Joker in that moment, but every part of him is twitching, is vibrating, is itching to get out of here, "If that doesn't work, then fucking camp in the woods, I don't care." He goes back into the car and pulls out Bruce's (Bennett's?) cell phone and sends a text message to Selina (Stella?) from it, that reads "Bruce is in Connecticut." and sends her the GPS location and then tosses the phone back to Bruce.
He then gets in the car and speeds off, leaving Bruce in the dark on the side of the highway, and Joker doesn't look back.
"Why did you make me do that! I fucking had him!" Joker screams into the empty car, but it doesn't matter because he knows who he's talking to, and he knows he's going to answer back,
I was not about to let you kill my best friend, or use him as a fucking hostage! Joe is angry, but Joker is too, and he presses his foot down more, as the speed goes up and he flies down the highway.
"Hate to break it do you, Joey, but you're just as responsible for things as I am back there!"
I am not! You were the one who shot people! You're the one who gassed everyone!
"And yet," Joker laughs, "And yet when I'm gone and it's just you, it's going to be your face that all your friends remember. You'll be the one they remember holding the gun." And he continues laughing.
Joe is silent in Joker's head, and Joker feels like he's won, as he turns off the music and tosses the CD in the back. "You have shit music taste, kid," He mutters, as he tries to think of where he's going to run to.
Stop the car.
Joker ignores the voice. He ignores Joe.
Stop. The. Car.
Joker still ignores it, but his face starts to twitch. His hands are shaking. And suddenly he screams, as he starts to lose control of the car, and he swerves all over the highway.
And he's driving straight for a cliff.
"STOP THE CAR!" He screams at the top of his lungs, and he slams on the breaks as the car comes to a skidding stop, right before the edge of the cliff, right before the car flies over it and takes him with him, and ends this whole crazy bullshit of a life in an instant.
He turns the car off, his hands shaking, and he starts sobbing uncontrollably, as Joe looks at his hands and knows that right now, he's in control.
He's in control but Joker is still there, and he has every sick memory of what happened. Of shooting, and gassing people, of torturing them, of kidnapping people he didn't even know off the street. He's hysterical because of it, because of everything that has been ruined now, and he starts to wonder if he can even go back to Boston. Can he? After everything that Joker has done to the people he called friends? After he kidnapped Bennett, and then left him on the side of the road, and stole his car?
No.
He can't.
So he composes himself, he dries his eyes, and he turns the key. The car starts back up, and as he pulls away, his face starts to twitch again, and it's Joker back in control.
He fixes the sleeves of his suit, he adjusts the mirror, and pulls back onto the road.
"We're stuck together, Joey," Joker says, his voice oddly soothing, which of course makes Joe scream in his head. "And as long as I'm here, I've got a few stories to tell you."
Just drive. Joe says, and it's a voice that has given up all hope.
"Right then," Joker says with a hint of glee, "Let's see how Florida is this time of year."
Of course, Joker has no idea how much longer he'll be in control, or how much longer he'll be here, but for now, Joe has lost. Joker has won, and Joe is that much closer to going insane.
Because in the end, Joker knows he's going to win.
And when he does, he's going to burn Boston to the ground.
He points out his gun to those looking to follow him out of Arkham Asylum, "Come after us, and the Bat fucking dies, do you hear me?!" He screams it at the top of his lungs and runs for the first car he sees, oddly enough knowing it to be Bennett's (or Bruce's, but does it really matter anymore?) and he runs as fast as he can, a blur of purple and green (and real Armani, thank you very much), and throws Bruce into the passenger side of the car. Joker goes through Bruce's pockets (ugh) to get the keys. There are still people chasing him of course, because he's decided to take their precious Batman hostage, but there's another reason why he's doing this.
Because it wasn't Joker who hit Bruce in the head to knock him out, it was Joe, and Joe is now desperately fighting back against Joker, and he's not sure how much longer he'll be in control.
He finds the keys and he starts up the car, speeding off and heading down the major roads until he sees the exit for 93, and he takes it, and then heads off to the Mass Pike. Bruce is still passed out and unconscious in the passenger seat and Joker is starting to take control again, as he laughs maniacally, but he's pissed. "Oh Joe, you fucking bastard," He hisses low, as he speeds along the highway, going through the Speedpass lane (though at a decent speed, so he's not caught) and he just drives. Drives for hours, in complete silence, tapping his fingers on the wheel as he keeps an eye on Bruce, and keeps one hand on the gun that he has in his pocket.
If Bruce moves, Joker is going to kill him. It doesn't matter if he's Joe's best friend and practically his brother. Joker doesn't need Joe around, he doesn't want Joe around, and really Joe is just one bad day away from becoming just like Joker. He wants Joe to go crazy, so Joker can be around all the time, just like his Harley is.
Killing Joe's best friend would do it, especially if he sees the blood on his hands. It's the perfect plan, and Joker knows it and he starts laughing.
Bruce stirs next to him, but doesn't wake up yet, and Joker starts searching for the CDs that he knows Joe has left in Bennett's car.
(It's annoying that Joe has Bennett as a best friend, because it means that Joker is weirdly tied to Batman, and he's not appreciative of the choices Joe has made, or the people he has chosen to be with.)
Joker finds a mix CD above the visor and he tosses it in, and Death Metal starts blasting through the speakers. "Time to wake the fuck up, Bruce," He laughs, as Bruce wakes up frustrated, and rubs his head. He questions where Joker is taking him, but Joker just laughs.
"This is the worst thing you have ever done." Bruce mutters dryly, and Joker laughs harder, and he can't tell if that's because he actually finds it funny, or if Joe is trying to fight his way forward, or if it's a weird combination of the two.
"Hey, I didn't kill you. Yet." Joker shrugs, the car continuing to speed down the highway, and soon they cross the state line and head into Connecticut.
It's a weird silence between them, a begrudging acceptance because Joker needs Batman alive right now if he's going to make it down south, and well Joe wants Bennett to stay alive too because he doesn't want to know what would happen if he's forced to kill his brother.
Maybe you should stop the car, Joker, Joe's voice comes through to Joker, and he narrows his eyes and he turns up the music, and Bruce looks pissed off but knows better than to test Joker, especially when Joker is the one with the gun. You can't tune me out, Joker! Joe is taunting, and Joe keeps taunting, and god, Joker hates it when bitches fight back.
It's when he's almost out of Connecticut that Joker drives recklessly into the breakdown lane and finally slams the car to a stop, as Bruce flies forward and hits his head on the dashboard, and Joker hits his head on the wheel, but he doesn't actually care. He throws the car in park and gets out, and goes to the trunk of the car, getting whatever is in the trunk (blankets, a pillow, a flashlight) and slams it shut.
He walks to the passenger side of the car, and opens the door, and grabs Bruce by the shirt and pulls him out of the car and throws him on the ground, tossing the blankets et al right at him. He twitches the whole time.
"There's a motel two miles that way," He points in a direction, his voice a little calmer, proving more of Joe coming out than Joker in that moment, but every part of him is twitching, is vibrating, is itching to get out of here, "If that doesn't work, then fucking camp in the woods, I don't care." He goes back into the car and pulls out Bruce's (Bennett's?) cell phone and sends a text message to Selina (Stella?) from it, that reads "Bruce is in Connecticut." and sends her the GPS location and then tosses the phone back to Bruce.
He then gets in the car and speeds off, leaving Bruce in the dark on the side of the highway, and Joker doesn't look back.
"Why did you make me do that! I fucking had him!" Joker screams into the empty car, but it doesn't matter because he knows who he's talking to, and he knows he's going to answer back,
I was not about to let you kill my best friend, or use him as a fucking hostage! Joe is angry, but Joker is too, and he presses his foot down more, as the speed goes up and he flies down the highway.
"Hate to break it do you, Joey, but you're just as responsible for things as I am back there!"
I am not! You were the one who shot people! You're the one who gassed everyone!
"And yet," Joker laughs, "And yet when I'm gone and it's just you, it's going to be your face that all your friends remember. You'll be the one they remember holding the gun." And he continues laughing.
Joe is silent in Joker's head, and Joker feels like he's won, as he turns off the music and tosses the CD in the back. "You have shit music taste, kid," He mutters, as he tries to think of where he's going to run to.
Stop the car.
Joker ignores the voice. He ignores Joe.
Stop. The. Car.
Joker still ignores it, but his face starts to twitch. His hands are shaking. And suddenly he screams, as he starts to lose control of the car, and he swerves all over the highway.
And he's driving straight for a cliff.
"STOP THE CAR!" He screams at the top of his lungs, and he slams on the breaks as the car comes to a skidding stop, right before the edge of the cliff, right before the car flies over it and takes him with him, and ends this whole crazy bullshit of a life in an instant.
He turns the car off, his hands shaking, and he starts sobbing uncontrollably, as Joe looks at his hands and knows that right now, he's in control.
He's in control but Joker is still there, and he has every sick memory of what happened. Of shooting, and gassing people, of torturing them, of kidnapping people he didn't even know off the street. He's hysterical because of it, because of everything that has been ruined now, and he starts to wonder if he can even go back to Boston. Can he? After everything that Joker has done to the people he called friends? After he kidnapped Bennett, and then left him on the side of the road, and stole his car?
No.
He can't.
So he composes himself, he dries his eyes, and he turns the key. The car starts back up, and as he pulls away, his face starts to twitch again, and it's Joker back in control.
He fixes the sleeves of his suit, he adjusts the mirror, and pulls back onto the road.
"We're stuck together, Joey," Joker says, his voice oddly soothing, which of course makes Joe scream in his head. "And as long as I'm here, I've got a few stories to tell you."
Just drive. Joe says, and it's a voice that has given up all hope.
"Right then," Joker says with a hint of glee, "Let's see how Florida is this time of year."
Of course, Joker has no idea how much longer he'll be in control, or how much longer he'll be here, but for now, Joe has lost. Joker has won, and Joe is that much closer to going insane.
Because in the end, Joker knows he's going to win.
And when he does, he's going to burn Boston to the ground.