The Trail

Thanks to Deppitis for the review :) I'm glad you liked the first part, hope to hear from you again :) This chapter is for you!

Trail of Blood – Part 2

The door was flung open and the cold air hit him hard. Jim, still being dragged along by the two thugs manhandling him, was thrown forward. Unable to keep his footing, he fell onto the rough roof floor, landing on one knee with a grunt.

Without even being able to catch his breath, he was grabbed once again, this time being shoved towards the one sight he really didn't want to see – the Bat Signal. He stared at the smashed light numbly, waiting for the Joker's instructions, knowing then that the madman would finally see that Gordon was not lying after all. And once the Joker knew Gordon was of no more use to him; Well, Jim just hoped it would be quick.

He tensed when he heard the footsteps behind him and then heard that soft, crazed chuckle that filled him with dread. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the Joker skipping towards him, arms at his sides, clearly very excited. The clown stopped dead in front of Jim, leant in toward him and hissed; “Go ahead, Commissioner. Light up the night's sky!”

Gordon didn't reply.

The Joker tilted his head, confused. “Now, Gordon. I want you to do it right now!”

Again, Gordon ignored him.

The Joker raised his hand to strike Jim but was interrupted by one of his goons.

“Eh, Boss?”

The Joker frowned and looked across at the man, clearly annoyed.

“What?” He asked, curtly.

“Sorry boss but you better have a look at the light. Or what's left of it.”

With a snarl, the Joker spun round and his eyes fixed on the broken signal; what he believed had been his best chance of contacting Batman. He looked back around at a smiling Gordon.

“You should try and keep up with the news next time you visit Arkham, Joker,” Jim taunted. Perhaps it was a mistake to goad the clown but if these were going to be his last words, the commissioner damned well wanted them to be good. With a smirk, he added; “You'll avoid future disappointments then, won't you?”

The Joker said nothing. Instead, he reached into his jacket and pulled out his gun. He gawped at it for a moment, before calmly pointing the gun at Gordon's head. Jim held his breath as he saw the Joker's finger tightening on the trigger.

Gordon closed his eyes and thought of his family.

The Joker fired the gun. The silencer made the noise softer but it was still loud enough to make Jim start. Seconds past before it dawned on Jim that, to his complete astonishment, he was still alive. When, immediately afterwards, the vice grip on his shoulder suddenly disappeared, he was downright confused.

Opening his eyes slowly, Jim found that he was indeed no longer being held. The explanation was obvious; the Joker had decided to shoot the man that had been stupid enough to speak instead of him. The bullet had hit the man in his neck, killing him outright. The other brute had released Gordon at once and stepped away, shocked at the death of his colleague and obviously very nervous at what the Joker's next move was going to be.

The Joker, meanwhile, seemed completely unperturbed. Seeing Jim's questioning expression, he smiled.

“Oh, I was going to kill you but I changed my mind at the last second there.” An exaggerated shrug. “Sorry.”

The Joker turned away, walked to the edge of the roof and peered down.

“Lots of activity down there, Commissioner. Hey, they're trying to shout up to you! Looks like they've called in more troops too. Would you like to see?”

Gordon hesitated. He knew what action his men would have taken; how they were trained. They would have followed the orders he himself had set. All of the patrol cars would have been recalled, bringing in as many men as possible. A preimeter would then have been formed around the building and every man would now be waiting. The mayor would be on his way, if he wasn't down there already, probably being very unhelpful and tiresome, no doubt getting in the way.

It dawned on Gordon that not one of those men could save him. He may as well be on a different planet. Only one man could help him now – and Jim couldn't blame him for wanting to stay away.

The Joker was watching Jim expectantly. When Gordon didn't move off of his own accord, the clown gestured theatrically for his man to force Gordon over and the goon quickly obeyed.

“You realise he'll kill you too, don't you?” Jim hissed at the larger man, struggling against him now. As far as Jim was concerned, he was fighting for his life and he wasn't going to give it up easily. The Joker would get bored of tormenting Gordon eventually and that would be that.

“Yeah?” The thug retorted with a sneer. “I'll get to see you go first, you cop bastard.”

The Joker moved forward to meet them.

“Now, now. No fighting!”

Pulling out his knife, he grabbed Jim by the side of his head and held him steady; placing the knife inside his victim's mouth. He was careful not to cut him – yet. The Joker still had some time to kill. He guffawed at his own silent joke.

Gordon was frozen to the spot, his eyes locked on the Joker's. Was it going to happen now? How do you prepare yourself for death? Would the Joker make it quick? He could hear the thug behind him, holding him so steady, chuckling in his ear. He was enjoying Gordon's discomfort a little too much. It made Jim's skin crawl.

The Joker broke the silence.

“Commissioner, do you want to know how I got these scars?”

Gordon flicked his head in a negative response. The Joker sighed.

“That's a shame, Commissioner.” He sulked. “A real shame.” Again, the Joker seemed to think things through before continuing. “It was a good story too. But, if you're ready to say goodnight...”

The Joker's grip on Jim's hair became painful and the crazed clown tightened his hold on the knife.

Just when Jim knew his time was up, when he was sure the Joker was going to cut him, his tormentor stopped and glanced to his left.

“At last,” he murmured. Both Jim and the unnamed thug were gazing in confusion at the Joker. It was impossible for either of them to keep up with him.

“Listen,” he urged them both. “Can't you hear it?”

Jim listened. Could he hear something? Was that – a helicopter? Hope hit him. Yes, it definitely was and it was getting closer.

The Joker began to laugh manically as, right on cue, the police helicopter roared up beside them, raising high above their heads. Jim stared at the machine, trying to figure out who was inside. His heart had soared up with the helicopter when he had first seen it. Help was coming at last. It took him some painful moments to realise that there were no police inside.

Two men were sitting beside the pilot, one with a microphone and the other with a very large camera, held unsteadily in front of him. Jim could see that the nearest man, no, the journalist was speaking furiously into his microphone. He was obviously reporting on what he was seeing and the cameraman was getting everything on film. Every moment of Gordon's defeat, his humiliation, would go down in television history. Jim had never felt so much despair. He tried to turn his head away, to hide, but was still held tightly by the Joker.

“What's wrong Commissioner? Why suddenly so camera shy?”

He began to wave madly at the helicopter and beckonned for it to come in closer. The pilot obeyed and the helicoper soon hovered almost directly above the three men on the roof.

The Joker cleared his throat and stepped forward. He spoke straight to the camera.

“Hello again, my friends of Gotham!”

The Joker released Jim and shoved him to the ground. Gordon lay where he had fallen, trying to catch his breath. The clown moving to stand beside his lackey, who was clearly exhilarated by the events. Both men were now stood by the edge of the building, gazing down at the madness and lights below.

With a bow, The Joker again addressed the city.

“I know the whole city will be watching this broadcast. And I mean everyone!I don't need to tell you what will happen to your kind, good, pure Commissioner if I don't get what I want do I?”

He smirked at Gordon who was now crouched on the ground, looking up at the Joker with hatred.

“And you all know what I want. OR actually, who I want. Someone out there knows where the Batman is. Someone knows who he is. Well, do me and poor old Jim here a favor.” He held out his arms. “Come and tell me. Show yourselves.”

Another glance at Jim.

“Are you really going to let your friend suffer, Batman? I don't think so. Better hurry though. As I said this afternoon as those children screamed, I'm getting bored of waiting. I don't like being bored. Sometimes, I just go crazy!”

Too prove his point; the Joker, moving faster than lightning, whipped out his knife and cleanly slit his own gang member's throat from left to right, in plain view of the camera.

Gordon drew away in horror. He hadn't expected that. He couldn't stop staring at the blood flowing from the man's neck. There was so much of it. It dripped down the man's clothes, landing on the ground, not far from where Gordon was slumped. He backed off until he was leaning against a wall, still unable to look away from the horrific sight before him. Jim had seen grotesque images before; his job had meant he'd seen a lot more death than the average man. But this whole day had been like a terrible dream for him. And he wasn't about to wake up from it anytime soon.

With a sly giggle, the Joker pushed the now bloodless body away from him. It slipped over the side of the roof and fell out of sight. Jim closed his eyes, trying not to picture what the body would look like when it hit the ground. The man had been a thug and a piece of scum but did he really deserve a death like that? And now, Jim really was all alone with the Joker. And judging by the smile on the madman's face when he again turned to face him, the horrors of the night had barely even begun.

Gordon flinched as the Joker stepped towards him, the knife now dripping with blood still clutched in his right hand.

“Well Commissioner, just you and me. Lets give them a show, shall we?”

He lunged out with the knife, wounding Gordon's face. Jim winced in pain. He knew he had a nasty gash on his cheek. Just the start, he reasoned.

The Joker suddenly burst out laughing. With an eager “ta-da!”, he revealed that he was holding a metal pipe in his left hand. He had been hiding it behind his back. Jim stared at it with weary eyes.

“You should have been more careful what you left up here, Gordon.” The Joker taunted him.

Jim said nothing. He wouldn't give the Joker the satisfaction.

With one quick glance at the helicopter to ensure the reporters were still doing their jobs, the Joker than raised the pole above his head and brought it down hard on Gordon's arm.

Jim cried out. He couldn't help himself. The pain was so sudden and it hurt.

Blow after blow rained down on Gordon. He tried to fight back, knocking the Joker off balance at one point but the other man soon regained the upper hand. He brought the pipe down on Gordon wilth all his might.

When he wasn't using the pipe, the Joker was kicking, hitting and scratching at his victim. All Jim could do was put his arms up to try to block the cruel beating but the Joker was incensed. Soon, each blow with the pipe was landing on the defenseless man's chest and legs. Jim knew that many of his ribs would be surely broken and he would be covered head to toe in huge bruises and welts. He wondered if the Joker, having lost all control, would actually go further than planned and end Gordon's misery himself, accidentally beating him to death.

As soon as the thought entered Jim's head, the beating stopped. Gordon opened his eyes fearfully to find the Joker stooped over him, breathing hard. It would seem the man had tired himself out. He laughed softly.

“Do you think that got the message across, Commissioner?”

Suddenly, the Joker's head snapped round and he let out an furious shout. Gordon moaned in pain as he attempted to sit up, his broken body outraged at the movement. Jim needed to see for himself what had angered the Joker.

He soon saw.

The helicopter was gone.

Gordon smiled as he wiped the blood away from his lip. May as well enjoy himself while he still could. He needed to show the Joker that he was still there, still fighting him.

“You mean, you didn't know the helicopter had been called away?” A pained cough. “Sorry about that! I'd have told you but I was, you know, busy.”

The Joker looked down at him.

“I didn't tell them to leave. If your friends try to come in here, they'll be massacred.”

Gordon nodded. “And they know that. My orders were to stay outside and they'll follow them. But as for that helicopter; Stephens did as you asked. He got you the helicopter and you got yourself and me on TV. But it's police procedure to keep reporters away from a scene like this at all costs. They had all the time they were allowed. You didn't say how long you wanted the helicopter there for though, did you? You really need to be precise about these things...”

Seething, the Joker grabbed Gordon by his bloodstained and ripped shirt and pulled him up.

“You think you're so clever, don't you? You and your plans and your orders and your procedures! You think this City is yours? It's not. All it takes is someone to come along and slightly tip the balance, to make people understand they don't have to follow your rules! You hold them back!

“I want to protect this city from scum like you!”

The Joker smirked. “Right. But the Batman; he's accepted by you. Despite being no different to me, you tolerate him because he follows your rules.”

Jim chuckled, spitting out blood. “He's not here now is he?”

The Joker's demenour changed. For the first time, he didn't appear so confident.

“He'll come,” he snapped.

Gordon shook his head, trying as hard as he could to ignore the pain. He was in complete agony, fighting to remain conscious but he couldn't let this go. He was finally getting to the Joker. He couldn't lose this tiny advantage. Even if it took his last breath.

“No.” He whispered, firmly

“Why not?”

“I told you! I betrayed him!”

The Joker was nearly beside himself. He was bouncing on the spot, in complete denial. He flat out refused to believe Gordon's words.

“He'll come,” he repeated, trying to convince himself more than Gordon; “He'll come soon.”

“What makes you think Batman would try to save one man but not thirty children? He's not twisted like you.”

“You're the only manBatman believes can help him change his beloved Gotham; the only man with some power who is still on his side. He trusts you. He wouldn't stand by and let you die.”

Gordon actually snorted. “I'm not as important as you think. Look what happened to Dent. Batman couldn't save him. Harvey was the one man who could save this city; if he'd had time.”

He glared at the Joker. He knew he was looking at the man responsible for Harvey and Rachel's deaths. This freak almost even caused the murder of Gordon's own son. There were few occasions in his life that Gordon had felt such true hatred for another human being.

He continued. “And you knew that, didn't you? You bastard. That's why you destroyed him, in every possible way you could. And that's why you're nothing but scum, Joker.” Then, Gordon did something that before that night, he wouldn't have believed himself capable of. He spat out more blood, this time directly into the hated man's face.

The Joker didn't react immediately. Very carefully, he wiped at his face, clearing away the blood along with some of his own white face paint. When he finally gazed back down at Gordon, there was surprise and even some respect in that look.

The Joker released his hold on Jim's shirt, allowing the man to crumble to the ground once more.

Jim could actually have laughed, despite the pain. The freak respected him! And all it took was bringing himself down to the Joker's own level. Is that what it would take to beat scum such as him? Well, whether that was true or not, it was further into the darkness then Jim was willing to go. What good was winning if the success caused you to lose yourself? Jim would stay true to his beliefs, whatever they cost him.

With no warning, the Joker relaunched his frenzied attack on Gordon, kicking the man repeatedly. When Jim shouted at him to stop, The Joker paused. With a snarl, he knelt down beside Gordon and placed his face so close to Jim's that the two men were nose to nose.

“Do you want to know how I broke Dent, Commissioner?”

“You murdered the woman he loved, scarred him for life and then played with his badly damaged mind until you drove him insane. You made him believe it was all my fault so enticing him to come after my family. I already know what you did.”

“Ah but I did a lot more than that, Gordon. I made him see. I showed him what the world was really like, who was actually to blame for all the chaos that exists. And as you say, he came to the correct conclusion. It was your fault.”

Jim shook his head. The Joker laughed softly.

“You, the Mayor and the others in this city take pleasure in telling the citizens how they should be living their lives. I wanted to show people that there are other choices they can make. Chaos. Anarchy. Panic. I just want those people to have some fun!”

“Fun?” Gordon repeated with disbelief. He'd heard enough. “You think death and destruction is fun?” He chuckled. “You're a murderer and a thief and a sadist, that's all. A sad little man trying to go out with a bang and happy to take some inncoent people with him. Even if their children.”

The Joker prodded at Gordon chest with his finger, causing the man to moan. “All I wanted was Batman. No one had to die today. I gave them a choice. That's what I do. I lay it out and watch what happens. Batman chose for those kiddies to die, not me.” He pointed. “And those people out there, they know that.”

Gordon sighed. His whole body was crying out. He knew he was in urgent need of medical attention and if he didn't get it soon, it would be too late for him. But there was no way the last words he heard would be this mad man's sick ramblings.

“One thing you should know before you drone on anymore, Joker. I'm not Harvey Dent. You're not going to convince me to turn on everyone I care about it, too lose all of my beliefs and become a twisted, hateful version of myself. You knew Harvey was at his weakest and you manipulated him into being the person you needed him to be. You're an evil bastard, plain and simple. Don't give me this “agent of Chaos” bullshit. You do what you do because you enjoy it, like most psychopaths.”

The Joker said nothing. He just stood, listening.

Gordon continued. He had a point to make to this animal.

“You won't break me. You won't change me. You wrecked Harvey Dent's life and then got into that poor broken man's head and ripped apart everything that was good about him You saw your chance and you took it. You won't get to do the same to me.” He rolled his hand into a fist. “You can't get inside of me!”

The Joker gazed at Gordon. His lips twitched, as if something had amused him.

Once again, he leant in close.

“Is that right?” He asked.

Lunging forward, the Joker grabbed Jim and forced him to his feet. He swung him round, hurling him him against the wall before them, face first. Gordon cried out in agony and outrage. The pain was so all consuming, he knew he would pass out any moment and he welcomed it.

Feeling increasingly groggy so unable to fight back, Jim could feel the Joker groping around in his pockets and he knew instantly what the other man was looking for. Pulling out Gordon's handcuffs, the Joker quickly slipped them around Jim's hands and locked them in place. Jim then found himself being pulled away from the wall, herded forward and then being shoved downwards. He could feel himself being bent over a large, metal object. It took him a few more seconds to realise that it was the broken bat signal.

Even then, Jim had no idea what the Joker was planning. It wasn't until he could feel the madman tugging on his trousers, ripping them, pulling them down to his ankles that it finally dawned on him exactly what he was facing.

No.

Jim began to struggle with earnest but with his hands tied behind him and the Joker pushing him further down against the smashed light, it was useless. Jim felt the broken shards of glass cutting into his face and he moaned. This could not be happened. This nightmare had to end, it just had too.

He heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down and then came the shock of feeling something hard brushing up against him.

Oh God. Please.

“You know, Commissioner, you're absolutely right.” The Joker hissed in his ear. “You are stronger than Harvey was. I couldn't break your spirit the way I did his.” He paused, sticking his tongue down Jim's ear, causing the terrified man to flinch violently. “But there's more than one way to get inside a man.”

“Don't,” Jim whimpered. “Don't do this.” All pride had left him now. He couldn't bare it. He couldn't be defiled by this creature.

Please God, stop this.

“Shh, now.” the Joker whispered. “Think of Batman, if it helps.”

And with that, the Joker entered Jim with one hard thrust, causing his terrified victim to scream in horror. The cries intensified as the Joker pulled all the way out and shoved back inside. He repeated this again and again, his teeth bared, enjoying the long awaited defeat of his foe. He looked down at the petrified Gordon as he fucked him relentlessly. To hear those wonderful screams turn into whimpers, to see the look of agony and humiliation on the man's face – this was heaven for the Joker and he was reveling in it.

The assault was brutal but mercifully short. The Joker came with a cry as he emptied himself into Gordon. When he was finished, he stepped away, allowing Jim to slump pitifully to the floor.

“Thank you, Commissioner.” A beat. “So, what do you have to say now?”

Silent tears fell down Gordon's face. His throat was hoarse from all the screaming. All the words he had spoken only a mere five minutes before seemed hollow now, he knew that they meant absolutely nothing. The Joker had won again.

He lay there, writhing in helpless agony. He could feel blood running down his thighs and wondered what damage the freak had caused to him. He sent another prayer up to God, though his last had been ignored.

Please, let me die. Let him kill me so I don't have to live with the shame of this.

He cowered as the Joker leant over him. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see him.

“Tell me Commissioner, how do you feel now? How are you ever going to look your sweet family in the eye again? Whenever you kiss your children goodnight, you'll see me in them. When you make love to your wife, I'll be there, right there with you. You're soiled goods now.”

Jim whimpered. The Joker wouldn't let up.

“Look at you. Look at the state of you. Some police chief! You're disgusting; ruined forever and ever. I'm inside you now and you'll never wash me away. You'll never feel clean again, will you? You'll never forget this night. And do you know what?”

Jim tried to look away. The Joker tutted.

“No, look at me. Do you know? This is all Batman's fault. Why didn't he save you?”

Jim sobbed. He couldn't help himself.

“Kill me.” He murmured.

The Joker placed his head on one side, confused by the request.

He cupped a hand behind his ear.

“Sorry? What was that?”

“Kill me. Please.”

The Joker sighed. He held up his once again clean knife to show Gordon and then placed it against the man's lip.

“Why so serious, Commissioner?”

He slipped the knife inside Jim's mouth and held it there, waiting.

“You need a permanent smile, James Gordon. Like mine. Then you'll never be unhappy again.”

He held Gordon's head in place. This time, there was no fight from the Commissioner.

“Lets see what we can do.” The Joker hissed.

Suddenly, he was picked up and thrown clear of Gordon, crashing to the ground a few feet away. Dazed, the Joker groaned and rubbing his head, trying to clear his vision. As his focus returned, pure elation hit him. Batman was stood in front of Jim, shielding him from the Joker. And the clown could see from the Bat's eyes that he wasn't happy. At all.

“Okay, where exactly did you come from?” The Joker enquired, pleasantly.

“You are never touching him again!” Batman snarled.

The Joker smiled. Now, the game begins.

TBC