THE MAN IN THE SKY: Part 10
10 YEARS AGO IN METROPOLIS...
At the office headquarters of KRANK CO, Metropolis's biggest toys-and-games company, Kosmo Krank, the CEO walked into his massive corner office early in the morning. After he set his briefcase on the couch and got an espresso from his personal machine, that's when he noticed a big green present on his office desk with a tag that read, "I knew you were innocent the entire time." With a smile, Kosmo opened the present's massive bow, only for the box to open on its own and reveal a bigĀ Schott & Son-brand Tiny Tom interactive robot inside, but this model had a screen for a face. Before Kosmo could react, the Tiny Tom bot activated, and the screen lit up, revealing the wrathful face of Winslow P. Schott on a recorded video, whose cheeks still glistened from trails of dried tears. "Hello, Kosmo. After you were declared not guilty in that farce of a trial, my son gave up entirely after believing he would never get Justice for what you'd done to him. I found him the next morning... dead on the floor of my bathroom. You simply took too much from him. And now you have taken everything from me. I realized you will never stop, as walking parasites like you are simply born without souls. The courts may have failed my son, but I will not! YOU WILL NEVER HARM ANOTHER CHILD EVER AGAIN! NOW DIE! DIE! DIE!!!!" screamed Winslow, as the Tiny Tim robot instantly exploded, vaporizing Kosmo and his entire office. The explosion rocked the entire building, but fortunately no one else was killed. But that was only the beginning of "The Toyman's" reign of terror on the rest of Krank's associates, as several other secretly corrupt businessmen with.... younger tastes.... were found attacked and murdered by high-tech murder machines disguised as Schott & Son brand toys.
"...It wasn't long until Superman and the authorities tracked me down. Given whom I had killed and my motivations for doing so, my trial was a true circus. In the end, I was given 25 years in Stryker's Island Penitentiary, but I was one of the inmates who managed to escape after Metallo was broken out by his friends at LexCorp. I then resumed my mission to rid the world of child predators, especially the ones running the world. My favorite was when I attacked that vile private island with a massive mech I'd built, the one that nearly destroyed your city. When I crushed that despicable Jubal Slade into paste with my massive robot hands, the rush of satisfaction was indescribable. I then destroyed and killed whatever I could before Superman arrived to stop me. I managed to escape and have been lying low ever since," finished Winslow Schott, a.k.a. The Toyman, as he sat on the ground after being handcuffed by Sasha Bordeaux. Lady Shiva, Batgirl, Alfred, and Sasha sat in front of him, listening to his sad story. Cass's face was awash with both empathetic sadness and horror; Lady Shiva displayed both scorn and approval; and Alfred and Sasha were as stoic and straight-laced as usual. "You have been through and lost so much, Mister Schott. You have my deepest sympathies. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but why would you save us?" asked Lady Shiva. "Because I need your help, and you need mine as well. Though Superman and I have had our squabbles over the years, I have nothing but respect for him. He's one of the few adults that I actually trust," said Winslow.
Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were trapped, suspended in the air by Circe's purple magic, while The Joker was improving the ambiance. "A shame the plant witch got away. I'm sure Luthor would've been ever so grateful had we handed her over along with the rest of you. But then again, I hear that you're his secret crush, and I'm certain he'd jump with jubilation if I fork you over with a big red bow," said The Joker, pointing at the suspended Superman with her jester cane. Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman just glared at her, Superman trying and failing to escape because he had no defense against magic. "I'm sure you're wondering how a mere fabulous princess such as myself crossed paths with a goddess like her," said The Joker, indicating to Circe. "She is no goddess. She is merely a narcissistic magician with a disturbing affinity for animals," said Wonder Woman, whose magic field tightened excruciatingly. "Didn't your mother Hippolyta teach you to respect your superiors, princess?" Circe mocked, exchanging a wink with The Joker. "Quite right, my Sister in Sinistry. Now, where was I? AH YES! Explaining how I met my soulmate. Well, (ahem) it all started about 2 days ago...."
SCARAMOUCHE BEAUTY HEADQUARTERS...
Marian Drews, a.k.a. The Joker, sat meditating atop her office desk, dressed in her black-and-purple yoga outfit, her blonde hair tied in a bun, while listening to sinister, jester-inspired piano music through her office's surround sound. Suddenly, a 7-ft-tall, pale-skinned woman with purple hair and eyes, dressed in a green-and-gold toga, crashed through her window and landed right in front of her. Instead of reacting with horrified surprise, Marian simply sighed, since her daily mindfulness session had been so rudely interrupted. She begrudgingly got off her desk, her bare feet gracefully crossing the marble floor and mink-fur carpeting of her office as she walked over to this intruder. When Circe regained her consciousness, she was surprised to find a remarkably beautiful, athletically fit woman with cinnamon-brown skin and blond hair standing over her. "I prefer when people make appointments with me. Not that I don't appreciate the company, but I do so hate finding broken glass strewn about my floor after the clean up," said Marian in her usual condescending manner. Any other person, Circe would've immediately vaporized her or turned her into a gross weasel. But something stayed her magic hand, something Circe saw in Marian. Something.........not human.
Using a magic spell, Circe reached inside Marian's chest before she could react and pulled something else out: The Joker's Ghost. Before Circe could fully remove him, Marian slapped her hand aside, causing The Joker to zip back inside and transform her entire body into chalk-white skin and green hair, with glowing yellow eyes. Circe may be insanely powerful, but super strength isn't one of her abilities. "HEY! Penetration on the first date? You haven't taken me out to dinner yet! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" cackled The Joker, his Louisiana/Southern Accent overlapping with Marian Drews' Australian accent, giving her a strange pseudo-transatlantic voice. "Well, I haven't seen demonic possession in a fair bit of time," said Circe, curious and amazed, and she eyed The Joker up and down. "Possession implies dominion and slavery. I prefer to call it Demonic Symbiosis," said Marian, both she and The Joker speaking at the same time. "Now that is fascinating. Most people treat possession as torturous agony, which I find makes it that much more entertaining. But to see someone who enjoys being possessed is something far more fascinating," observed Circe. "Well, I'm not most people. I'm something better. Something far more wickedly fabulous," said Marian Drews in her sinister and sultry tone. "Who are you?" asked Circe. "Oh, where are my manners? Marian Drews, CEO of Scaramouche Beauty, one of the biggest fashion and cosmetics companies on Planet Earth. But you can call me The Joker, the Matriarch of Malicious Madness," said Marian as she gracefully bowed like a showman, her skin, hair, and voice alternating between herself and The Joker. "Something tells me we're going to be bosom buddies."
"...And middle middle middle, here we are now. So, what do you think we should do with them, Circe?" asked The Joker. Circe thought for a moment, her thumb and index finger stroking her chin as her purple hair majestically flowed. "Well, Lex and I still have an agreement and plan to make the most of our visit to this rotten cesspool of a city. Neron knows where The Riddler has scampered off to, but I'm sure he'll be back soon. Perhaps you and he can split the cowled pizza pie whilst Lex and I make off with the main course," said Circe, indicating to the still-trapped Batman. Batman said nothing, his signature death glare powerful enough to annihilate a skyscraper like a satellite space laser. "So you are the infamous Joker I had heard tales of from Hades. Neron declared you the one sole deserving to leave and bring about the end of days," said Wonder Woman, the magic binding her doing nothing to stifle her willpower. "Guilty as charged," said The Joker, bowing playfully. "Somehow, I expected less and yet I am still underwhelmed," said Wonder Woman. That was all it took. "WHY YOU LITTLE....!!!!" Screamed The Joker, who charged at her.
Suddenly, Onyx Adams leaped down from somewhere on high and kicked her aside to the ground, knocking her hat and glasses off. Before Circe could react, Killer Croc punched her right in the back, sending her flying across the park. This caused the binding spell to disappear, freeing Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. "You guys okay?" asked Onyx as she rushed over to help them up. "I'm fine. Thanks for the assist," said Batman as Onyx helped him stand up. Suddenly, the Joker came flying at them with a flurry of her razor-sharp playing cards, Onyx instantly pushing Bruce out of the way. "YOU BROKE MY $500 SUNGLASSES!!! NOW YOU WILL PAY WITH YOUR LIFE!!!" screamed the Joker, as she unsheathed her cane's hidden sword and viciously swiped at Onyx, hellbent on avenging her destroyed eyewear. Onyx dodged every swipe and slice from Joker's sword, with Batman entering the fight as well while Wonder Woman joined Killer Croc in battling Circe, whose magic more than made up for her relative frailty. Despite being dressed in such a flamboyant outfit and wearing Cuban heels, The Joker proved herself a surprisingly adept fighter who held her own against both Batman and Onyx, two of the greatest martial artists in Gotham City. She also carried various hidden gadgets that helped even things in her favor, like her signature electric-hand buzzer, prop hands, an old-west derringer sleeve gun, and her gag lapel flower squirting powerful acid.
Meanwhile, Croc pulled a fastball special with Wonder Woman, tossed her so hard that her shield broke right through Circe's magic force field, and sent them both crashing into the side of a nearby abandoned building. Circe and Wonder Woman then traded blows inside the building and quickly took it into the sky, with Superman joining in as soon as he regained his strength, both he and Wonder Woman doing their best to prevent the fight from destroying any buildings or other infrastructure. Unfortunately, Circe was not making it easy for them, as she tore billboards off buildings with her telekinetic magic and hurled them at them. Fortunately, Superman caught the billboard and instantly flew it back to its spot, heat-vision welding it back into place. Wonder Woman eventually got just the right opening and punched Circe back down to Earth, sending her crashing into the water of Gotham Bay next to Craddick's Green. This distracted Joker for just long enough that Onyx got in a good jump kick right to her face, sending Joker crashing into James Craddick's Peach Tree, though Onyx immediately regretted it since that was a symbol of peace. Unfortunately, it was late in the afternoon, but not late enough for Craddick to come out just yet, as they were still over an hour away from official nighttime. "You think he'll be mad?" asked Onyx. "I don't think he'd care," replied Batman, shrugging. Wonder Woman and Superman landed next to them, with Killer Croc monitoring the waters to make sure Circe could be detained safely. "Thank you for your brave actions. I see in you the heart of a noble warrior. What is your name?" asked Wonder Woman. "Onyx. Onyx Adams, ma'am. You must be Wonder Woman. Superman and I have met already, and Batman and I are old friends," said Onyx casually. Despite being face-to-face with 2 of the most powerful superheroes on Earth, Onyx wasn't nervous at all. If anything, she looked pretty at home. "Yeah. She's helped me out a few times. I'm sure you all will love her. Everyone else here does," said Batman as he introduced his old friend to his new allies.
Suddenly, Killer Croc came flying out of the water and crashed into the muddy ground of Craddick's Green, Circe rising out of the water. She was done playing games and ready to conduct real business. Croc somehow wasn't dead but was obviously injured. Onyx rushed over to help her half-brother, but they were both casually flicked aside by Circe, who sent them flying into god knows which area of The Narrows. Circe then snapped her fingers, turning Superman into a poodle and Wonder Woman into a white rabbit. Before Batman could react, Joker regained consciousness and shot him right in the leg with a revolver from her coat, hitting his femoral artery. "This is why I hate the innercity. Nobody knows how to mind their own goddamn business," said The Joker, as she walked up to Batman while he was removing his utility belt to tie it around his gushing leg wound. As soon as it was tied tight enough, Joker kicked him right in the face and knocked him unconscious. As soon as they were ready, Circe magically flew them all away from Craddick's Green and right to the still-being-repaired Gotham-Branch LexCorp building. As they flew over the afternoon city skyline, Joker carried the Poodle Superman in her arms, playfully stroking him and petting his ears. "Oh, don't worry, my little Boy Scout. This state of yours is only temporary. We need you at full strength and body. You're going to help us bring about the end of it all. My God, it will be beautiful."
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