Love, Lust and Explosives

I just want to add that when I wrote the character of Dr. Hamilton Wolf, I was envisaging the delicious Ralph Fiennes: perfectly groomed, wearing Armani - very cold and aloof. But that’s just me. Feel free to substitute anyone you want. Although, he‘s hard to beat, especially as a sexy bad guy.

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Chapter 6: WEB Corp.

The Joker woke long before Violet. He sat up in the bed and scratched his head, yawning. He felt out of sorts and…sore. Last night had been a workout and he realized with a smirk, that he was actually out of shape. He held back a laugh. He looked down at the sleeping form of his strange companion and was amused to see that her face and what was visible of her body, was smeared with white, red and black from his face.

Violet was curled up against him, warm and still. He ran his tongue slowly over his lips. Her taste was still on them. He lifted his hands, and her musky sweet smell met his nose. He stared down at her a long time before he noticed again with an arch of his eyebrow, the circular scar around her left wrist. He ran his fingers over it; it was perfectly level with her skin. Weird. She stirred at his touch, smiling in her sleep. She looked so content. He sighed and shook his head.

Getting up as quietly as possible, he entered the bathroom to shower. The dingy tile was cold on his bare feet as he approached the mirror over the sink. Turning to look at his back, he saw a bright red hand print under his right shoulder blade. He reached around his side to touch it and found that it was painful to the touch like a rash or….a burn. Interesting. He shrugged and turned around. He regarded his image with disinterest. He really looked like shit. Now that was funny. He pictured Violet’s face; she looked at him like he was chocolate cake or something. She really was a head-case.

He was grumpy as hell, and he wasn’t sure why. Usually sex put him in a good mood. Especially good sex, and although last night had been far different than he was used to, it was undeniably brilliant. “Hell.” he thought, rolling his eyes. Introspection wasn’t really his thing. Back to business. He grunted to himself and concentrated on the hot water and a few of the better ideas that had come to him in the isolation of Arkham.

Things were getting a little complicated, and it irritated the Joker. He never woke up in the same bed with someone he’d had sex with. It felt strange, unnatural. The Joker decided he needed a little time to himself. He had a lot of things on his mind, like some “errands”, he wanted to get done. He would have leave before she woke up. He didn’t owe her any explanations. He didn’t owe her anything. Maybe he wouldn’t even bother to come back. Yeah, that sounded more like it.



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In another part of Gotham, a very nervous prison guard was being escorted through the starkly affluent hallways of WEB Corp., housed in a nondescript structure in the industrial area of Gotham. Raymond Bragg had survived the Arkham inferno, and this morning he had been picked up outside his home and brought here by several well-armed men in a dark SUV. No explanations were offered and he was scared.

Inside the corporation, there was no art on the walls, no ornamentation anywhere and worse than that, there were no windows. The halls were blinkingly bright and clinically spotless, and security was unbelievably tight. Access to each new area was granted only by print scans and there were numerous security checkpoints.

When Raymond and his silent escorts reached the innermost and most secure part of the building, the two larger men stepped back gestured to a set of double doors directly ahead. Hesitantly and without taking his eyes off the two well-polished thugs behind him, he opened the doors and entered a small but opulent office. He turned and stopped in his tracks at the sight of a tall intimidating figure sitting behind an enormous walnut desk and staring directly at him.

The man behind the desk appeared very relaxed and unconcerned. But, Raymond was no less anxious. He was a striking man, very tall, trim and regal with light brown sandy hair cut short and tousled (in a calculated way). He appeared to be in his late thirties, long limbed and lean. He was the picture of elegance in his well-taylored Armani-esque suit. His eyes were the only thing about him that defied the complete air of sophistication. They were sharp and piercing, like that of a predator. They were so light blue they were almost white, and the effect was eerie. His low eyebrows hooded them slightly, intensifying the effect. His beauty as much as anything made him extraordinarily intimidating

“Good morning Mr. Bragg. How do you like our new offices?”

He had an accent, British or something.

“Who are you why have you brought me here?” Raymond growled, trying to sound outraged and indignant at his treatment, rather than frightened.

“Well, straight to the point. Good for you, Mr. Bragg. I will be direct as well; it will save us both some time. My name is Dr. Hamilton Wolf. I dare say you have not heard of my company or me, so further explanation is not required. You and your cohorts at Arkham recently had charge of something that belongs to me. That something is a rather unusual young woman.”

“I let you keep her for a little while because; it suited my purposes at the time. I thought she would be kept safe and out of mischief, until I could set up shop in Gotham. Retrieving her from the Asylum was simpler than retrieving her from the police. That was a miscalculation.”

“Now, you and the other idiots who ran that joke of a “hospital” have allowed a dangerous psychotic criminal to get his hands on her and escape in the process. “

“Understand that I do accept some of the blame in this situation, as I did not act as quickly as the situation apparently indicated. It took a bit of effort to find her, you see. She managed to travel some distance from where she started.” However, the time has come for me to retrieve my property, Mr. Bragg. “

“You were senior guard assigned to the area where she was confined, and it would be useful in my efforts, to salvage any information you might have on my girl. Such as, the nature of the work being done on her in the lab and anything you know about this Joker fellow and his relationship with her. My colleagues and I have had the opportunity to visit with several of your coworkers, and fortunately, they have been quite forthcoming…..eventually.”

“That’s all really interesting, doctor. Even though, I didn’t understand most of what you just said, I do have one question. How did this woman, whoever she is, get away from you?” Raymond dared to ask, knowing exactly whom he was talking about. His curiosity had gotten the better of him for a moment.

The doctor's eyes flashed with controlled fury and his jaw clenched making Bragg’s pulse accelerate to an alarming rate. This man terrified him. Almost as much as the Joker had.

Dr Wolf exhaled slowly. “That is not your concern. However, I will say this: one individual made one error. That individual will no longer make errors.” The doctor explained, his veneer of coolness almost slipping. Almost.

“Look, I don’t know who you or what you are or exactly what you’re talking about, but this don’t sound right to me. I’m not saying I even know which inmate you’re talking about, but I don’t see why I should tell you anything. We had a strict privacy policy at the asylum, which I don’t plan on breaking.” Raymond was getting even more nervous and he wanted to leave, and he didn’t like this guy. He had a feel about him that reminded him of the residents of Arkham.

Instead of annoyance, the doctor seemed sort of pleased. His pale eyes crinkled, a slight smile played across his lips and he sighed dramatically. Suddenly, Raymond felt strong arms seizing him and pinning him to the chair. While he was listening intently to the doctor talk, his escorts had silently returned and were now immobilizing him. He let out a string of expletives, demanding to be released, which only resulted in more amusement from the doctor.

Dr Wolf walked gracefully around his desk, his eyes never leaving the struggling guard’s terrified stare. In his hand, he held a syringe. “Thank you, Mr. Bragg. I really was hoping you would make this difficult. You see, WEB Corp is in the process of testing several new drugs.” “This...“, and he glanced at the needle in his hand, "being one of them. Therefore, well...let’s just say opportunity knocks.” Dr Wolf grabbed Raymond’s left arm, rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and found an acceptable blood vessel to receive the unnamed drug.

“Now, Mr. Bragg, let me explain what will happen next. In a moment, you will begin to feel quite cheerful. You will have an overwhelming desire to do or say anything to please me. If you fight that urge, you will feel pain. Quite simple I believe. And allow me to add, that to please me; you will answer the questions put to you honestly and briefly.”

“Fuck you!” Raymond managed to shout as he struggled violently against the effects of the drug. However, it wasn’t long before he began feeling different. This guy wasn’t so bad; he just had a few questions. It was damn shame; he lost his…uh….girlfriend. That really sucked. He had a right to be upset. Actually, you know, he was really starting to like Dr Wolf. Really, like him. “Man, I really hope he‘s not mad. I was being kind of an asshole earlier.” Raymond thought as an overly wide, dazed smile slid across his ecstatic face.

As he stopped struggling, the two men holding him released their grip and melted into the background, like so much furniture.

“Mr. Bragg, I can see that you’re feeling better. I am very pleased” Then he smiled amazingly his face was transformed. No less intimidating (to those who weren’t stoned out of their minds) but now a façade of calm and charm was drawn over his elegant features.

“Oh yeah…Mr.…uh…Dr Wolf, I’m sooo sorry for…what I said…how I acted…Pleeease forgive me!” Raymond responded with tears in his eyes.

“No harm done. All is well…”

“Thank you! Thank you!” Raymond interrupted, truly grateful to this wonderful, extraordinary man for his generous gift of forgiveness.

“Raymond, relax. Take a deep breath. Let’s just have a little chat.” Dr Wolf purred.

Raymond threw himself at the feet of the doctor; a man he had inexplicably began to worship.

Then, Raymond Bragg spilled his guts.


Well, I know there wasn't near enough Joker in this chapter - got carried away with the doctor. I'll do better next time. I know I alway say that. I'm tired and I'm babbling. As always - PLEASE REVIEW! XXXXOOOOO!!