352/Investing in the future

Investing in the future
Date of Scene:	10 May 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Joker, 257

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Joker has posed:
     Through the narrows women of the night wander peddling their wears in the dull drone of city life in this harsh part of town. Homeless set in the dark needles still stuck from their arms as they look far off into the distance glazed over eyes, and expressions slouched down to one side. Rusted out cars line the roads some stripped down to little more then the frame, others covered in tags from various gangs.

     Everywhere one looks they can see barred windows, broken storefronts and dilapidated slums this once beautiful part of town fallen on such hard times that little even remains of what once was this section of city.

     A low fog hangs over the darkened night, lights flickering barely alive to fight back the oppressive all encompassing night. Day proves a distant memory, something that people here would scant find themselves able to recall with any form of clarity.

     Yet in the midst of massage parlors, illicit gambling dens, and homes of ill repute rests a single building which doesn't even hold a single bar on the window. The facade of the building is clean as a whistle perhaps the nicest in this small section of town. Above the door a stylized fist slams down onto a table the fist attached to a man who looks like he's four sheets to the wind and twelve sizes too small for the hand visualized in bright Neon above the words "Chuckle Bunker"

     The windows look like they're just completely unprotected, more the thing someone would see in Old Gotham then they would anywhere near the narrows. Yet there's a slightly industrial feel to the whole building. Inside there's a calm madness subtly hidden in the recesses of every direction, the music that plays echoes and bounds off the walls pitch shifted, and the tempo altered just enough to sound wrong as people in full costume dance and bound around.

     Yet the environment here is much less what one would expect. Plush leather chairs around white cloth tables a mix of fine dining and a low end club, with metal catwalks connecting one section to another. Some men are dressed in long 1920's style trench-coats with visible sub machine guns on their person, others dressed in full clown makeup thrash about the dancefloor, and some of the patrons wear almost nothing at all as they move about.

     At the back of the room stands a lone stage with a microphone currently bathed in darkness, the neon sign behind the microphone is a much older version of the sign out front, and it looks like no one has even set foot up there in years.

     And looking above it all is a single playing card, a classic style Ace card hung high above all else, a door nob to one side leading out to a small catwalk.

Copperhead (257) has posed:
Hey, a club where men wear trench coats? Copperhead is going to fit in just fine in this place! He was well known in the seedy underbelly of Gotham for a while, until he got put in prison. He's been away for a while and when he walks twords the club wearing a long brown duster with the collar popped up and a hoodie on under that people might mistake him for just wearing his old costume. He nods to some of the old faces as he walks up to the club keeping his head down and his hands in his pockets.

Of course he's armed with two silenced pistols under his coat in shoulder holsters and there is a lump on the back of his belt under his coat where he's packing a few special surprises but you know how it is, players gotta play, right?

Making his way to the door of the club he walks up between the guards and says to no one in particular, "I'm going to talk to the bossss. The number of bodiess that have to fall before that happensss is up to you. " and he just stands there waiting for them to either show him in or make him kill them, which ever.

They might actually think it's a joke. Copperhead was never the brightest of most talented criminal. He was at best a D-lister. Certainly not someone who had the balls to do this kind of thing. His reputation was always questionable at best. Moderately decent lackie but never anyone anyone took as a serious threat. Definitely not a respected member of the criminal underworld.

Joker has posed:
     These two, they're dressed to kill, rather heafty looking uniforms with shoulders broad and firm, the sort that look like they could be smuggling whole hogs inside of each arm. Built like tanks. Of course their faces are hidden behind the shadows of their hats.

     They're perfectly polite and kind right up to the moment the D lister starts making demands. One of them just reaches out a hand ruffling his head with a single gloved hand. "Alright little kid, we'll let you see the boss right away." He starts to laugh his own voice making him sound a bit thick all things considered, as he just shakes his head a moment.

     The man beside him just stands with hands in his pockets looking down towards Copperhead.

Copperhead (257) has posed:
The 2-bit has been gives a disappointed grunt but walks forward as if he can just walk into the club now. He did ask, well, as much as he asks for anything. They said they would take him to the boss. He doesn't say anything, he keeps his hands in his pockets and walks forward as if he expects them just to open the doors and show him inside. How could this possibly go wrong?

Joker has posed:
     Well copperhead starts to head in but the two men flanking the door don't even bother to move, instead they stay stood right on the spot, a single arm coming up to block the way in. "You sure you want in there buddy, not exactly on his level."

Copperhead (257) has posed:
"Yess, I know." the snake man says as if he believes it still not looking up at the men so his face stays hidden, "I need the imposssilbe done. If anyone can make it happen it'sss your bosss. Ssso I need to make a deal." he says letting them think he's still the same loser he always was. "I have money. He likess money, right?" everyone likes money.

Joker has posed:
     "Personally I'd like to think I'm more of a barter system sort of man." The voice of the joker speaks up as the man literally steps out from inside of the second figure standing by the doorway, the one who had been mostly silent up to this point.

     The flaps of the jacket open up revealing a doorway behind the figures massive frame, a lithe man slipping down to stand right behind copperhead. "It's so much more fun! Never know what you're going to get." His own smile a rather intimidating thing for someone who's so scrawny from a sheer stance perspective. He lets out a bellowing laugh that echo's through the street resonating right to the bone in the way very few things can, his lips curled into that smile that's far far too wide for a natural human face. He's dressed in his neon purple jumpsuit and green undershirt with a passive purple bow right on his neck plain as day, the brim of his trilby about four sizes larger then it should have been.

Copperhead (257) has posed:
The snake gives a less robust, more classic movie villain chuckle and says, "Yess, I like sssurprissess to." he refuses to comment on the Joker's outfit. He has his own style that is uniquely Joker and the snake gets that. It's a brand.

The snake man remembers that he's suppose to be scared and scrunches himself up a little more, "Mr. Joker, sir, it's.. It's a real honor to meet you." he says trying to sound more timid, "Were you leaving? If you're going ssssomewhere I could wait. I wouldn't want to imposse." he says shying away from the Joker like he's terribly afraid of the clown. Of course Joker isn't as stupid or gullible as his minions can be so he's probably not buying it and he clearly does want to impose this is just the proper amount of ass kissing that one does in front of someone else's minions out of respect for a fellow criminal.

Joker has posed:
     "Nobody likes an ass kisser lizard breath." Joker leans over. "Or a liar for that matter." Crimson red eyes narrowing as his smile turns all lip for just a moment those bloody lips of his thin as if they'd been drawn on his face, as he turns for a moment.

     "Step into my office why don't you?" He asks before pulling back open that little flap on the fake security guard while the other stands firm on the spot trying to play like he's just scenery so he doesn't wind up getting killed by the Joker. He knows when to play ball. "Watch the first step... it's a doozy."'

Copperhead (257) has posed:
Smiling a smile even wider that the Joker's under the shadow of his hoodie the snake mutters, "Thankss for the concern." as he passes the guard then follows the Joker inside to what is no doubt either a death trap or the best party he will ever go too. He's hoping for the latter. He heard the Joker really knows how to throw a party.

Joker has posed:
     As Copperhead enters the music swells the atmosphere jumps and shakes the entire world seems to go one bi- CLICK. The noise echos out for just a moment, as the entire floor gives way under copperhead to a slide.

     A small tube just large enough for a man to fit down slicked down the sides with some sort of strong nonstick surface that removes friction from the surroundings causing a direct drop and dive that causes Joker and Copperhead to go plummeting. Jokers hands go out to either side as he lets out a loud, and ecstatic "Weee!" Laughing all the way along as they pick up speed soon reaching terminal velocity for the human body before the slide itself twists sending them straight up into the air thanks to the friction-less nature of the slide. One, two, three massive loops of the slide and then they're spat right out from the mouth of a large copy of Jokers head into a room that looks as if it had stepped out of the most twisted nightmares of mankind, only to be redesigned by a children's television show host...

     Neon colors and happy music mixed with twisted faces and facades, the real party has just begun here as out the window it seems that a large group of Jokers goons are having the party of their lives. For someone who's a deranged mass murderer, kidnapper, mob boss it's true, he does know how to throw a party.

     Joker goes flying out first, pulling out a lone umbrella to slow his descent so that he can land lightly down on a large chair made from a copy of his own head with the jaw cracked open into a garish grin, the tongue shifted into a place for him to sit. He spins round and round in the chair before leaning down on his hands while Copperhead gets shot out at terminal velocity aimed right for a ballpit.

Copperhead (257) has posed:
Joker isn't the only one going WEEEE!! By the end of the ride. The snake without fear straightens himself out in the slide putting his hands over his head and his feet together, when they start to twist around the loops he might be heard yelling, "BESSST SSSLIDE EVER!!" of course at the speed they are traveling it might be a little hard to understand him. When he erupts from the tube he is laughing his giant snake-head off. His hoodie pulled down by the force of the rushing wind exposing him for what he is as he flails through the air trying to right himself only to crash full speed into the ball pit! The Joker's balls explode all over the place as he slams into them so hard but after a few moment the snake man can be seen popping up from the pit's depth blinking his golden serpent eyes before he starts laughing again. It's rare when life hands you a moment of pure joy and that, that was one of them for the adrenalin junky snake.

Joker has posed:
     Joker simply leans hard on his hands from behind his desk covered in all maner of absurdities from a miniature guillotine phone where one has to put their own hand through the spot where a head would go just to pick up the phone, to a replica of Gotham City inside of a snow-globe.

     The ballpit itself is something else made from highly comfortable little bubbles of impact gel with a soft coating it's likely one of the most expensive ballbits on the market. Though the human skeletons further down inside of it, and the fact that there seem to be one or two used syringes at the far bottom of it might throw off a slight bit of that joy.

     "So, Black Mamba, tell me a bit about yourself, and why you thought it was a good idea to come marching into my part of town?" Said with a friendly enough voice as he kicks back in his chair enough to throw his umbrella back into the grasp of what seems to be a terrified man with a forced smile bound into his standing position just so that he can hold a small bucket containing umbrellas. His own expression behind the smile one of pure terror. "Trying to scale your way up the criminal ladder? Maybe need to bolster up that little nest egg you've had setting around in your tunnel, or just want to make that old cobra back home vanish and thought it'd be a good idea to bring that to the clown prince of crime"

Copperhead (257) has posed:
Wading out of the ball pit the snake man works his way toward the edge still giddy from the ride Copperhead sees the dead people as acceptable losses just so something that awesome could exist. He gets onto solid ground and chuckles even more as he moves over to the desk of the Joker, "Didn't come for anything ssso dramatic. I just need a sssimple favor." he says then he looks back at the tunnel, "That was like having ssex with gravity. I am so jealous." he says still not over it. He really enjoys his tunnels, no serp-rise right?

Calming his inner child the snake gets down to business, "There are some files on a public file locker I need someone to hack into and release." he explains as he adjusts his coat getting himself all properly organized.. Huh, deadly poison gas grenade must have fallen off in the pit. Well, he's sure someone will find it some day. "I need a hacker not asssociated with me to break in, ssteal some nude photoss or whatever and releasse the information in thiss file along with the ressst of the info dump." he says taking out a slip of paper and setting it on the desk. The link is to a low security public file drop box that could be easily hacked if you know a good hacker. "In three monthss."

Joker has posed:
     There's a serious expression on his face as the joker listens in intently. It's almost too serious to be honest as the smile goes from his face and he thinks long and hard on this. For a moment he paces silently moving from one corner of the room to the other. "You mean a favor besides giving you an antidote to the poison I slipped you got here?" He laughs loudly, kicking his head back as he just echo's out a roar of laughter even over the music while some of his lackies still enjoy themselves far off.

     "What do I get in return?" He flicks his hand for a moment to show that it's empty."See like I said I'm a man who enjoys a good bit of bartering,"He flicks his hand again and he's holding a full deck of cards in his gloved grasp, fanning them out. "Especially when I've got all the cards." A quick flick of the top finger sends hundreds of cards spewing out from that small stack, the low hum of a vacuum used to pump the cards out hidden behind the sounds of music as they spew out everywhere some of the weighted, magnet laced cards falling down into a full hose of cards on the floor beneath him in the shape of a bat.

     "I'm a very busy man Adder" As he kicks over his desk in an artful display of acrobatics before just belly flopping right atop the stack of cards leaving behind the vacuum tube he'd had shoved up the sleeve of his jacket for the display. The magnets within just enough to hold up his weight as he looks head atop his own hands right towards Copper.

     "Not that I can't do it for free of course but as they say in showbiz: Never forget the condom when you're hiring a hooker." He pauses for a second looking off to one side. "I'm sure they also say something applicable to our little situation but I can't think of it at the moment" The smile finally coming back across his face.

Copperhead (257) has posed:
The snake man seems unbothered by the poison or maybe he's just unbothered by anything he doesn't seem to have much fear of, death. He responds to the question, "Gold, money, murder, kidnapping, " then he thinks it over for a second and says, "A date with Black Cat the world'ss greatest thief." he offers, "And ass an added bonusss we can be friendss. After all, everyone needs friendss." he suggests, "Friendss who can break each other out of prisson, friendss who can get rid of bodiess, move furnature, typical friend ssstuff. " the snake says as he puts his hands back in his pockets. "You intrigue me Mr. Joker. You're a little ssilly for my tastess but sstill a joy to watch work."

Joker has posed:
     Joker comes to a stand now looking dead serious as he slowly walks forward. "You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it's me, I'm a little fucked up maybe, but I'm Silly how?" His expression hardening further as he moves closer. "I mean silly like I'm a clown, I amuse you?" Throwing his arms out to either side as he raises his voice. The music stops dead and everyone stops dancing down on the floor. It's dead silent except for jokers now booming with anger voice. "I make you laugh, I'm here to fuckin' amuse you?"

     His voice is practically in a shout now as he moves only a slight few inches from copper head. "What do you mean silly, silly how? How am I silly?!" He shouts at the top of his lungs right into Copperheads face.

     "How do I know?" He says right before Copperhead can get a word in. "You said I'm silly." A pause. "How the fuck am I silly, what the fuck is so silly about me?" He pulls out a gun and shoves it right into Copperheads face. "Tell me, tell me what's silly!"

Copperhead (257) has posed:
Again, where most people would be unnerved the snake just smiles wider and chuckles, "Yesss, you are here to make me laugh, you're a joke, in a universse that is an even more cruel joke. You are here to make me laugh, to ammuse me with your off kilter dark humor that isss sso true to the plot of thisss shit hole universse. You're a killer clown, I'm a monssster, we fight a man dresssed like a giant Bat. It's all to sssstupid to be taken ssserioussly ssso I have a ssssimple way of looking at it. Hot people are here to help me orgasssm, ugly people are here to be food, interesssting people are here to entertain me. You fall into at leassst one of those catagoriess." he says then shrugs his shoulders, "Mosst people sspend their entire life looking for meaning and purposse. Now you don't have too. Now you know. You're welcome." the arrogant snake says still smiling.

Joker has posed:
     "Goodfellas, ninteen ninty, mobster film, worth a watch." Joker says rather suddenly completely breaking from his anger as if it were never there. The music comes back on once he gives a quick wave of his finger to the DJ up in his booth. Though rather suddenly out of the blue he does use the gun in his right hand to just splatter the brains of one of his own goons down onto the ground.

     The goon falls to the ground and his GCPD badge clatters down to the ground. "Honestly" As he smiles back to copperhead and makes a quick show of parkour back to his own chair flipping and twisting as he lands right back onto the spot of his chair to watch all the dancing and chaos of the moment. "Good help is so hard to find these days." He pauses for a moment. "Tell you what, first job is on the house, but I expect you to ride get the attention of no less then two Gotham heroes, put on a tutu, and fight them with foam nun-chucks." He pauses for a moment.. "I'll of course break you out and grab the information you need afterwords."'

Copperhead (257) has posed:
The snake man says, "As fun ass that sssoundsss, I won't be going back to prissson." ah, so there is something he is afraid of. He's afraid of being in prison again. He steps calmly over to the cop and kneels down, checking him for wires or a wallet. Not as if he expects to find a legit ID in there but because he's going to loot the corpse for cash and credit cards, "But if there iss a pricsse to pay for having an interesssting friend like you other than that, name it. I like a challenge." he says standing back up. "What would be your dream come true?"

Joker has posed:
     Joker shakes his head. "Fiiiine, if you can do it without getting arrested I'll consider it good as golden." Joker leaps back up onto the desk for a moment so he can melodramatically fall arms streatched out back down into his chair and let it slide back across the ground letting out an audible sigh. "And learn how to play poker, I swear it's getting harder and harder to get people around who can play worth a damn." His arms fold over his own chest for a moment as he lets out a bit of a harrumph.

     The dead cop doesn't have much for ID, but there is a littel microphone and cable that it seems Joker managed to sever with a single bullet. Yet upon looking closer at the wound it's not in fact a bullet at all but a small... flag pole... with the word BANG on the flag itself and the jokers gaumless grin. He's got fifty bucks on him, and a pistol, the look on his lifeless face one of surprise.

Copperhead (257) has posed:
Copperhead shakes his head and chuckles as he reaches in and pulls out the little flag pole then holds it up, "It iss the little touchesss like this that make me sssuch a fan of your work. " the snake says then he stands back up and slides the flag into his coat pocket. Souvenir!

"Two heroes in a tuetue, I can do that. " he says smiling then he looks around for the door out or, trampoline or giant novelty vacuum tube. "I'm terrible at poker but I'll learn how to play." he says and he seems to be telling the truth. Because his face is so inhuman it's hard to tell. He doesn't have the same micro-expressions. "You ssshould buy a box ssset of Cardsss Againssst Humanity. I think you would love it."

Joker has posed:
     "Honestly I could use a few fans, the old one broke!" Joker speaks in complete deadpan silence as he shakes his head before just silently smiling one long moment. "So, you hold up your end of the bargain, I hold up mine, and before you know it I'll be fleecing you in poker!" He starts to laugh. "Maybe even literally" A light pause. "I could use a pair of snakeskin boots to go with by ten gallon hat."

     He smiles wide as ever his own grin giving copperheads a run for its money which should say a lot considering one of them can unhinge their jaw and use it to swallow people whole and the other is Copperhead.. Wait no, that's not it....

Copperhead (257) has posed:
Copperhead chuckles at the skinning comment. "I don't know, having the joker's face hanging over my mantle place would be quite the prize." he says picturing it. But who would be crazy enough to cut off their own face? No one would ever do that. "Hey, you." he says to one of the minions, "Come help me get this body out of here." he says then walks over to the door marked Exit and waits for the gang member to walk over to it. Waiting until the minions are dragging the copse close to the two doors but not in the direct line of fire, Copperhead grasps the handle like he is going to open it and step through but then steps to the side and opens the door using it as a shield in case a jet of flames erupt. Yes, he could have just opened the door that way and not risked killing anyone but then it wouldn't be as fun as scaring the shit out of the thugs.

Joker has posed:
     The door opens, and on the other side of the door, is the main room. There's no gouts of flame no surprise trap sprung or even a pie in the face it's... perfectly normal. Which is a terrifying and almost brain breaking thought. To have the exit actually function as the exit.

Copperhead (257) has posed:
Copperhead looks over at Joker and makes a face that on a human would be disappointment then he thinks about it and motions to the hug, "Ladies first." he knows there is a trap. There has to be a trap and when better to let someone die hilariously than just after they think they found the way out?

Joker has posed:
     Walking over the thresh-hold the goons carry the fallen cop right out the door and rip through a paper facade to the outside world, a balcony over the back exit of the building. They dump the body over the railing before going right back to partieing, without anything actually happening. It's a strange occurance but it seems the exit is free and clear, with a set of metal mesh steps leading back down to ground level and a back exit from the building.

Copperhead (257) has posed:
The snake looks over at Joker then points to his eyes with both hands (They are really far apart) then points at Joker before he leaps off the balcony and out into the street.