The Joker's New Toy { Wattys 2016}

Rat In The House

**

The Joker was irritated. Something in that powder that Doctor Crane had sent him had caused Stacey to become ill. It was not long after he had fed it to her that she began vomiting. That was an inconvenient mess. He had to change the sheets and bring her up a bucket to vomit in while he held her hair out of her face. Obviously her body was rejecting it. He was partially worried that the little quack had played a trick on him, and sent him poison.

But it wasn't long before Stacey had stopped vomiting, and claimed that she didn't have anything left in her system to throw up. She had spoken to him in a drowsy voice, as if she were intoxicated. The Joker stroked her forehead and the last thing Stacey heard was his distant fuzzy voice, ordering her to stay in bed and to not leave it until he gave her permission. Inside the Joker's mind, Jack was worried and almost felt guilty as he watched Stacey drift off into slumber. He hoped he wouldn't return to this room and find her dead.

Even if the doctor's substance didn't kill his little pet, he still planned to rip Crane a new one just for causing him to ruin a set of perfectly good harlequin bed sheets. After playing Nurse J for his little bunny, the Joker left her alone in the room to sleep. He grumbled to himself as he grumpily, and half worriedly, made his way down the stairs. That's when he caught sight of his men at the foot of the steps, gathered around one of his scrawny men Chester.

Chester was shivering as two rather large men, Wally and Bruno, each held one of his arms. He looked pale. The Joker crinkled his face. "What's this?"

"Boss, I think you should know somethin'," Said Wally in his deep voice.

**

The Joker and his men were now gathered around the mansion's large library on the first floor. It was packed. The Joker had an entire army patrolling the mansion and now he had summonsed all of them into that room for an emergency meeting. They all collected into a massive circle with the Joker at its center and a very pastel and anxious looking Chester bound to a chair before him.

The Joker scanned the room, making deadly eye contact with each of his men. He noticed one young blond man was missing. He looked different than the rest of the mean looking bunch, and the fact that he wasn't there stood out like a sore thumb. "Where the hell's Stanley?!" The Joker growled in a threatening voice.

At those words, the double doors to the library flew open and Stanley scurried in, still limping do to his injured leg. "Sorry, sorry boss, I was in the bathroom, I..." The Joker glowered at him, making him realize that it was probably best that he just shut his mouth. He stood quietly next to the other men now, clearing his throat and bowing his head respectfully.

The Joker snorted and turned back to the guilty man tied to the chair. Chester's body was quaking nervously. He looked deathly ill. His eyes were cast downward and he was mumbling to himself. The Joker could partially make out what he was mumbling, and it sounded like a prayer. The Joker clicked his tongue. "Chester, Chester, Chester," he chanted menacingly. "Why so nervous? After all, aren't the accused innocent until proven guilty?"

Chester brought his eyes upward and cowered before the Joker's dark glare. "Caught him myself boss," Wally spoke up. "Hidin' behind a tree like the yellow bellied snake he is. Heard him talking on the phone. To someone named T.J. Sneaky son of a bitch."

"I was-was only talking to my brother," Chester fumbled with his words. "T.J's just a brother I swear! I..."

The Joker reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He flipped it open and scanned through the incoming and outgoing calls. "Just a brother huh?" The Joker asked casually. "Well apparently you two are the closest brothers I've ever seen. You sure do call each other an awful lot don't ya? Are you sure T.J isn't your lover? You know we're not like the army here. I wasn't gonna boot ya out just because you're a homo. I don't discriminate. Hey whatever floats your boat," The Joker chuckled mirthlessly.