Am I As Crazy As You?

        It's no wonder Gotham City has had an increase in extreme coulrophobia in recent years. With evil clowns such as The Joker and Harley Quinn creating chaos, it's no surprise Gotham's children can't rest easy at night. But I make it my mission to achieve just that: peace. If I fail at everything else, I must succeed at giving Gothamites peace. There's a reason I put on my cape and cowl. I need to keep Gotham safe from the corrupt...and that includes psychotic clowns.

        Carnival music plays throughout the abandoned amusement park. Green arrows painted across various surfaces lead me down a path. As I take cautious steps, I see a couple of dead policemen against a pillar with crimson smiles painted on their lips. I shake my head. I've tried to understand The Joker. I've tried to understand all of the villains. Some have more reason than others but it in no way justifies their actions. Mr. Freeze only wants to cure his wife and Poison Ivy has some twisted idea of a perfect world. But The Joker? He only seems to want chaos and I can't understand why. No one can. Certainly not the psychiatrists at Arkham Asylum. Well, Harley Quinn claims she understands. But, I'm not convinced she knows his objective either. What is it that turned this man into a monster?

        I'm cut off from my thoughts as a group of thugs come towards me. I crack my neck. Here we go. One throws a punch aimed for my face but I catch his hand and bend it back while my other fist punches his face. He falls to the floor. Another man swings a baseball bat from behind me but I duck and sweep his legs out from underneath him. Two come at me now. I take their heads and whack them into each other. The first henchman gets up and charges at me again. I take his hand and twist it around him then kick him in the back, sending him flying a few feet away. Another gets up and tries to hit me but I dodge it and punch him instead. The cycle goes on and soon all the men are unconscious at my feet.

        "Ah, Bats! I see you've received my gifts...oh. You...You've destroyed them all! Do you know how much heart I put into getting those goons together? I thought you would've liked getting...tougher sidekicks." He ends his statement with a psychotic laugh. He was obviously referring to Jason and Barbara. I'm not going to let him get on my nerves. His voice came from a speaker above the door to the mirror funhouse. A large green painted smile was on the wall beside it.

        "Well! What are you waiting for?! Come on in! I know you're just dying to know what I've been up to, hmmm?" His sick smile was almost audible through the speaker. I take a step closer, turning on my detective vision. The room looks clear but I wouldn't be surprised if Joker has some sort of trick up his sleeve. I open the door and walk down the path, examining the mirrors.

        "Are you really going to ruin the surprise?" Joker's voice echoes as if it were bouncing off the mirrors, "Hmph, well I guess I'll go into my speech to distract you then. Hehe!" Distract me? What was he doing this time? He's only been out of Arkham for a few weeks now. How much could he have accomplished? I braced myself for the worst, though.

        "Well, this whole situation should certainly feel familiar for you. Eh, Dark Knight?" Yes, it does. The time he took Jim Gordon in an attempt to push him and me to the point of lunacy. "Ah, well. I know you're not the talking type but thankfully I am! So, I've got enough to say for the both of us!" Just get out with it already, Joker.

        "I know what you're thinking. 'What? We have to do this again? Haven't I proved my point? I'm not as crazy as you, Joker!' Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well! I'm not a one-trick pony, Bats. You see, I'm... a visionary. Like you. We both have dreams for this city. They're just opposite. But you know what's funny? They aren't exact opposites. I want this city to recognize it's insanity. You want to cure it. We both know they know. You know? Ha!"