The New Batman Adventures 'Fan Fiction Love Story'
By Tayla Drago
Episode #137 - Beware the Creeper
At the Ace Chemical Plant, news reporter Jack Ryder is anchoring a live TV special on the career of the Joker, starting with his encounter with Batman at the plant that ended with his life-changing tumble into a vat of chemicals. As Bruce, Alfred, Megan, and Tim were watching all of this on TV back at the Wayne Manor.
"Come on, Bruce. How many times do you have to hear this stuff?" Tim asks him.
Well, Batman did stop Jack Napier once who became the Joker from the mafia at the chemical thing to making him fall to becoming a mad clown from long ago for Megan to learn a lot about it.
"Almost for some time since Bruce stopped Jack to become the Joker today, Tim." Megan added. "Heck, I just learned about him ever since Bruce and I met."
"Oh, I forgot. Mr. Obsessive..."
Good point there, Tim. Still, Megan and Bruce were keeping each other company to be holding one another in love to soon get married – as Bruce being Batman for the world to see him and Megan to be wed real soon.
"Enjoying some time, Megan?" Bruce asked to wrap his arms around Megan's waist.
"I'm fine, Bruce, it just something for you and me to get this closer for quite some time now...And I love it."
Just then, they see on TV during the show was the Joker, Harley, and the other three henchmen – Mo, Lar, and Cur.
"What the-?!" surprised Tim.
"Ah, Bruce..." Megan sees it as well. "I don't think that's part of the show. (Joker's really there!)"
Not good at all! Joker, watching from above, decides to stage his own tribute to that fateful day.
"Think Bat saw you putty tat?" Harley asks her boss/lover.
"Oh, he did, he did! " He answered. "He'd never miss a show about me, he's my biggest fan, but just in case."
Entering the scene, dosing Ryder and his crew with his trademark laughing gas, and then 're-enacting' his confrontation with Batman by tipping Ryder into another large vat of chemicals.
"Hey!" Jack was confused. "What's going on here!? We're live!"
Then Joker comes swinging at him to get gassed next.
"No, I'm live; you're dead!"
Batman, having glimpsed Joker on the television, is quick to arrive at the plant with Robin and Megan. While Joker's henchmen keep them busy, Joker occupies himself with pushing the hapless Ryder back into the chemical soup every time he tries to climb out.
"Hold it, Joker!" Megan sees Jack was in the chemicals and was drowning from uncontrollable laughter. "Ah! Batman! Robin! Jack Ryder's in danger!"
The three trio heroes stop the three men in tights together with Harley, as Joker kept on hurting Jack more and more.
"What a picky fellow, let's give him have a smoke."
For his finale, Joker gives Ryder an exploding cigar causing the chemicals to explode.
"Fireworks makes me all tinkley inside..." said Harley to enjoy the madness.
Joker then fights Robin, knocking him into the plant's controls causing the tank to flush into the nearby sewer, forcing Batman and Megan to try and save Ryder while Joker escapes.
"How about that, Bats? You broke my face and got seven years of bad luck. Are you going to try four fourteen or are you going to try to raise that anchorman out of the ocean?"
"Help...me...!" Jack was pleading for help.
"Batman! Jack's in danger-!" Megan stops another member to be too late to save Jack. "No!!! (This is bad...!)"
Ryder's burning coat is seen dissolving into the chemicals and he is presumed dead.
"Is he dead?" Robin asks the two.
Hard to tell right now for Megan to feel something out.
"It can't be...Look, Batman, I'll have a look around the area to find him."
Searching on her own, Batman understood for him and Robin to try to look for Jack somewhere else to be float somewhere in the waters filled with chemicals, either still alive or dead by now to find his body somewhere.
"Be careful." he said. "Contact me if you see him or the Joker."
"Right."
Batman and Robin take off in the Batmobile and Megan searches all over on foot for Jack Ryder. However, Ryder survived and had a bizarre reaction to the combination of Joker gas and the chemicals: He transformed into an extraordinarily strong and agile maniac with yellow skin, green hair, and a rictus grin.
"Breaking news! And if you break it, you have to pay for it. And now the weather: Partly ga-ga with a fifty percent chance of schizophrenia." Ryder runs around town for a while and decides that he should get revenge on the Joker. "I'd better slow down, try to figure out logically what's going on here..." he then hears sound of something breaking. "Whoa, that hurt! Okay, we'll come back to that..." Ducking into a thrift store, he assembles a bizarre costume, preparing for a new career as a crime-fighter. "I want to strike terror into the hearts of criminals!"
Looks like this lady clerk wasn't scared of him at all.
"With your color, I'd go green."
Surprisingly, he paid for the clothing to go all out. Only for a car was about to hit Ryder for Megan to run to his rescue 'without knowing who it was at first'.
"Ah, idiot! Look out!" she pushes Jack to save his life. "Okay, pal, what was that? I just saved you to come running on the streets like a nut-job? You could've been killed!"
"Ah, no. I think I'm crazier if you ask me, lady."
Megan freaks out to jump back to see Jack's face too look, act, and be a whole lot different now.
"Wow!!!" Megan tries to take a breather. "Wait...You creep are Jack Ryder...? You're alive! (That's good but he looks like Joker times two and not much villain work on this one.)"
"Oh...You're Megan Tsuki, bounty hunter of Gotham to be in love with Batman, correct? Lucky!" he said while laughing. "I like you, lady. Thanks for the save by the way."
"What happen to you?"
Seems like Jack was fine to have some side-affect here and there to him to know that getting back at villains like Joker was his only shot since his work was destroyed.
"Nothing." he said back. "In fact, I feel wonderful! I've never been better. I'm going to take out the Joker myself after what he has done to poor little me...So if you'll excuse me!" Jack jumps on top of Megan's head. "Come join me if you want, but I need my revenge to go on ahead of you first! But I owe you since you saved my life! TTFN. Tah, tah, for now!"
For Jack to go on ahead of Megan to feel freaked out and confused on what just happened to getting her head back together.
"WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?!"
Ryder uses his own credit card, alerting Alfred to the transaction. Alfred then alerts Batman to Ryder's antics. Looks like he was alive to Bruce/Batman guess for him and Tim/Robin to head back out as well as getting a call from Megan.
"You found anything?" he asked.
"Ah, yeah...you could say that..." Megan was trying to stay calm on what she just saw. "Give me a minute."
This was unlike her for the two duos were lost.
"Are you feeling all right, Megan?" Robin asks Megan.
Megan was mumbling things to be sort of freaking out right now.
"Megan?"
Batman's words snapped Megan out of it.
"Huh? Oh, right? Listen up, I saw Jack to outrun me after I saved him from a oncoming car, he's alive. But he's almost liked the Joker is..." she had one more to add. "However, he wants pay back on the villain to dress up and his skin is completely yellow. (This is too much!)" Megan sends Batman the location. "I place a hair tracking pin on Jack, and I know where he's heading to next."
Getting into her car, Megan moves on out for Batman and Robin to follow her.
"We're on our way." said Batman. "I don't think I ever heard Megan freaked out a lot since we met Scarface."
"Really?" Robin was surprised to hear.
Joker returns to his hideout, upset that someone is stealing his image. However, he finds that his henchmen are gone, Harley has given them the night off so she can throw a special, private party for Joker's 'birthday' (that is, the seven-year anniversary of the incident that transformed him into the Joker). Harley rises out of a giant pie and offers to play, but Joker predictably tosses Harley out on her rear, telling her to 'find the plagiarist who's been stealing my act!' Ryder finds the Joker's thugs at the Stacked Deck and demands Joker's whereabouts.
"Last time we met, you were working for—dramatic pause—the Joker!" Only for one of them to dub himself (based on one of Mo's remarks), 'The Creeper!' "Let see...'The Creep'. Oh wait, too negative. I HAVE IT! I am, drum roll, please...I said, DRUMROLL, PLEASE!" he starts beating Lar's head.
"Hey!"
"I am... THE CREEPER!"
The three thugs attack Ryder but he has no trouble taking them down. Harley starts moping outside the club when Ryder catches sight of her. Feeling an intense attraction, he accosts her, demanding to know where Joker is...and also her phone number. Ew! For Mo, Lar, and Cur were getting to beat by Creeper's strong punches, even Batman to go down too since he, Robin, and Megan arrived.
"What do you want?" ask Harley.
"The inside story on the Joker..." Creeper said while fighting with his back turned. "Also your phone number."
"Batman!" Megan helps her fiancé back up to see Jack again flittering with Harley. "Oh, you can't be serious...!" she stops Joker's three men herself with baton and ESP powers to holding them down. "Not now, boys!"
Harley runs from the club with the Creeper in hot pursuit. She tries to kill him by dropping a heavy crate onto him, but the Creeper is unharmed. The other three trio were worried to see Jack to get killed, but not as the Creeper that's for sure.
"That's one way out of a bad date." Harley takes off.
And too bad for Megan couldn't chase after her either.
"Harley!!! Murdering psychopath!"
So instead, Megan goes to help out Jack with Batman and Robin helping her out.
"We have to get him out." said the Dark Knight.
"Got a mop?"
Breaking down the box of a statue, looks like Jack/Creeper survived the hit.
"Woo! I like a girl who plays rough!" he said.
Creeper can't be serious...
"But-- She just tried to kill you!" Robin said to the hero-like mad man.
But Creeper didn't care to pat Robin on the head.
"You're young. You'll learn."
"See, Batman?" Megan points out. "I told you Jack was this guy...It's too creepy..."
Creeper was happy to see Megan again.
"Hi, Megan, how are you?"
Megan tries to ignore him...
"Who are you?" Batman asks Creeper.
"They call me...Yellow-Skinned Wacky Man!" he made a joke. "But I prefer the Creeper!"
And Ronin has seen them all so far.
"Call Arkham, quick."
With Creeper laughing, he takes off to find Harley and get back at the Joker next...As Batman, Megan, and Robin follow him to follow the foot tracks of Harley to keep on going to smell it too like a dog.
"Looks like the laughing gas, follow by the chemicals mix in with salt water allow Jack to survive from drowning and dying from chemical radiation for what I'm picking up from his DNA right now through my computer book." Megan looks it up. "Seems like he just want to get back at Joker, he's not bad...just insane."
Robin didn't think that Creeper would be Jack Ryder himself now.
"You mean that news guy is Jack Ryder?"
"Or what's left of him as Megan said." Batman explains. "And he hasn't committed any crimes, he did pay for the clothes with his credit card."
Megan was ready to move on out for the other two to follow her.
"Can't we just keep going please?! (This has been a strange night so far...)" Megan keeping her cool. "Can't you believe this guy?! He's even flittering with Harley Quinn who tried to murder Jack!!!"
"Ah, Megan..." Robin tries to calm her down. "I think you're overreacting a bit."
"I AM NOT OVER REACTING!!!"
Megan started to run away-like crazy to feel confused and freaked out from tonight's event to turn odd for Jack being the Creeper, Batman grabs her from behind to keep Megan from losing it from their embrace in each other's arms.
"Take it easy, Megan, we'll fix this problem...Somehow." he said to then getting an item out. "I know how to cure Jack."
"Yeah, you're right..." Megan takes a breather. "Play it cool, it's all good...Thank you, Bruce." she then loses sight of Jack. "Ah, where did Jack run off to?"
Pursuing Harley back to Joker's hideout.
"He's the creep who's stealing your act!" Harley tells her lover that.
"And that's not all, Mr. Happy!" Creeper takes Harley away from Joker. "I'm stealing your girl too." he was kissing and hugging her way too much.
"I swear, Mr. J, I didn't encourage him!"
Joker pulls Harley back to his arms.
"That's okay, pooh. I know you're a one man loon."
The Creeper confronts the Joker, who throws a vial of explosives at him. However, the Creeper is still unharmed and is only momentarily defeated when Harley hits him with her hammer into a stack of giant blocks. The explosion leads Batman, Megan, and Robin there, where they begin their pursuit of Joker and Harley.
"Which way did he go?" ask Robin.
The three and and hear the explosion in the distance.
"That way." answered Batman.
"Right..." Megan makes something for Batman to use on Jack/Creeper. "Let's move out! (And fix this problem to stop Harley and Joker, maybe Jack/Creeper could do some good on our side.)"
The Creeper wakes up and pursues Joker and Harley as well; as they drive up, so did he, as Batman, Robin, and Megan hang on to dear life. With things being thrown at from Joker's doing, it hits Megan to fall on the streets for Robin or Batman couldn't save her, but someone else did...
"Got ya!"
"Creeper?!" surprised Megan. "Ah, thanks...? I still can't tell who's crazier, you or him!"
"Now we're even-Steven, Megan." he puts Megan in the front seat and buckle up. "Now remain in your seat with your seatbelt fasten, because we're going after Bozo the Clown!"
I guess Batman and Robin are glad to see Megan was fine thanks to Creeper's help. But it was too dangerous to avoid the cars on the streets while the chase continues.
"Creeper!" Batman tries to catch up. "Stop the car! Now!"
However, while driving the Jokermobile, the Creeper accidentally unleashes missiles behind him for the three to duck in time. The Creeper finally catches up to the Joker.
"Take over the wheel will you, Megan? Thanks." he goes flying. "Incoming!"
For Creeper to get the two clowns to crash at the dumps together, Batman gets Megan to pull right out of danger and she does the same to use her ribbon to pull Robin from falling off the edge side.
"Now that was a close one." he said. "Thanks, Megan."
"It was nothing...Creeper just saved my life after I saved his in one night...That..." she was feeling calmer now. "That was something, he even got Joker and Harley for us."
Although the Creeper's mania is benign, his methods are so extremely wild and frantic that even the Joker begs to be arrested, clutching Batman's cape and crying while Megan was laughing to see him fall down like that.
"He's a lunatic!" Batman cuffs Joker.
"Dude, I can watch Joker falling down like that all day."
And while trying to kiss Harley, Batman then injects the Creeper with a sedative.
"Sleepy..." he passes out.
Looks like Megan takes Harley and Joker back to Arkham again for the payment.
"Finally, it's over..." she lets out a big scream to feel happy. "I'M SO RELEAVED!!! And I know how but you and I, Batman can cure Jack Ryder from him to still be the Creeper and under control."
Sounds like Megan's plan might be a good one for her and Batman to do together. Back at Ryder's apartment, Batman applies an antidote skin patch that returns Ryder to his normal state.
"Thanks again." he said. "Megan, I didn't mean to-!"
"It's nothing. You saved me and you're not a bad guy, so we're even." Megan smiled. "Just promise me not to go lovey-dovey on Harley Quinn anymore."
Jack looks at the special patch on his arm.
"So this thing will keep me for being my normal self, right? I should be in Arkham."
"It's small, but we'll make for you in no time." said the Dark Knight.
"Still glad you're on our side." Robin added. "Not bad for a weirdo hero."
Before leaving him to rest, Batman warns him that the patch must be left on to counteract the chemicals and assures him that his career isn't entirely lost.
"Luckily, they don't you you are the Creeper as long as that patch is on you. You still got a life, and a new identity to help us out at any time."
"And let us know before coming into action, that's all." Megan added.
"Just keep wearing it when you're Jack Ryder, and you'll be fine." said Batman.
After they leave, Ryder examines the skin patch curiously, finding it hard to believe that a 'little piece of cotton' can make such a big difference.
"One piece of cotton...hard to believe..." Outside his apartment, there is a small sound of tearing fabric, and soon the Creeper's demented laughter is pealing from the window.
And for Megan to say one thing, to know that Jack/Creeper would be just fine now to be under control...and some weirdness from here to there. Oh, well, a creep of a superhero for The Creeper is to Batman, Megan, and Robin, I guess...welcome to the team...? Anyways, what do you have to say about this, Megan?
"Here we go again."