Wonders Never Cease, a justice league fanfic

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything associated with the show or DC Comics… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!

RATING: M - Mature (for very mature subject matter)

WARNINGS: This story contains very adult themes.

PAIRINGS: Allusions to BM/WW as the basis

SUMMARY: Batman prepares for a night patrol, when The Joker shows him his worst fears, in full living color.

A/N: This story came out of an almost innocent conversation, and somehow, way back in those scary parts of my brain, it turned incredibly wrong. It is not for the faint of heart, or the easily offended. It's dark, and demented, and the product of way too much comic reading in a short period of time.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This story was a test of not only my sanity, but that of several others who helped to confirm the construction of my very own circle of hell. Their assistance, hand holding and insanity checks were priceless, and I am always in their debt for such support.

REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.

Wonders Never Cease

In a dark corner of the cavern, the only light emanated from the panel of computer monitors currently attended to by a black and ominous figure. Methodically scanning through the police report database, the alarm logs from Gotham Prime Security, and the various local news feeds, Batman prepared for another night of patrolling the city of his birth.

As he carefully reviewed a security report from the Astor, one of the last fine hotels in the East End of Gotham City, the monitor displaying the news feeds flickered once and scantly attracted his attention. When it began to flicker a second time, it gained his undivided attention.

His focus was solidly on the flickering monitor as he attempted to discern the cause, but his thoughts were interrupted when the screen suddenly transformed into solid purple background. When the simulated three dimensional grin began to appear, Batman knew exactly what was happening. Through gritted teeth, he spat, "Joker," just as the villian's exaggerated and over exposed face materialized before him and began to laugh with that insidiously insane cackle.

"Listen up kiddies! The Joker has a bedtime tale for all the good little bats and birds of Gotham City." His face was instantly replaced with an aerial image of Gotham, but in place of the Bat Signal shining over the city, a big red pair of laughing lips was inserted.

"Once upon an un-merry time, your fair city was filthy with justice for all. And one sad and lonely prankster was wondering where all the mischief could be found." The screen then zoomed in to show a close up view of the Astor Hotel. He instantly recognized the historic hotel on the screen. It was a very familiar location to him.

Before the show continued, his communicator sounded with a call from Nightwing. "Are you getting this?" From the sounds of his voice, Batman could tell that his cohort was otherwise engaged as he spoke.

"Yeah, I've got it." He distinctly heard the sound of a cheek bone popping over the communicator. "And recording, so you can finish up without distraction."

With the sounds of Dick's affirmative barely registering in his ears, Batman watched as the video moved up along the Astor's surface until it stopped at the top level; the Presidential Suite. He could feel the tendons in his fist constrict as he clenched it even tighter. The video zoomed in on the suite and its inhabitant. "And then, as if a gift from the gods, a vision appeared and he was once again a happy fellow." The camera showed the sheet clad form of Diana as she waved to something in the distance, not caught in the lens, hiding in the shadows.

"Not content to let the lady stay in waiting, the happy fellow decided to pay her a friendly visit." The next image was not something Batman was prepared to see. Diana lay upon her bed, sleeping so peacefully, but all around her were the faint traces of purplish mist. However the most disturbing part of that piece of footage; The Joker standing beside her bed with that horrific grin plastered on his face, cackling maniacally into the night air.

"As the happy fellow introduced himself to the lady," Batman watched with barely contained rage as The Joker slowly pulled the sheets away from her naked body, revealing that which only he had ever seen before. "He had to wonder…" His cold, barely contained giggles forced the bile to churn in Batman's stomach, as The Joker revealed the blade hidden in his jester headed cane and held it beneath Diana's chin. "Will the Wonder ever cease?"

The screen instantly transformed back into the blank purple background, and the words that appeared in dripping red upon the screen served only to make Batman's blood boil. "To Be Continued… Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel." With the sounds of that insane laughter echoing through the cavern and ringing in his ears, the monitors suddenly exploded into a million sparks and shards as his furious fists blasted through them in a vain attempt to end the madness that was rampaging through his mind.

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It was all too easy. Hehehe. Just a little smoke and mirrors, a hop skip and a jump to the roof, and BAM! Face to nipple with the vision of purity and justice. Who woulda guessed there was so much more to see than that excuse for a costume allowed?! But oh brother what a sight for my sore eyes to see!

However, the piece d'resistance?! HAHAHAHA-Seeing that rubber clad winged rodent slinking off into the shadow with the satisfied Princess of Piety bidding him adieu! Fortune truly smiled-hehehehe-on the prepared jester tonight!

Now, I just need to find the right brand of merry mischief to make Batsy seethe with jealousy tonight… Hmmm… Whatever will I do with a naked Amazonian princess completely at my mirthful mercy?

AH-hahahahahaheheheheha-HAHAHA!!

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It had taken him nearly two hours of re-routing communications circuits, and a call to Lucius, but he finally found out where The Joker was tapping into his network. He was also able to insure that the next broadcast would only filter into the Batcave's communications uplink. And then only routing to his communicator. He wanted none of this getting out. There was far too much at stake to allow that to happen.

Batman had spent the entire night searching for some trace of The Joker leading away from the Astor, but to no avail. It was almost as though he had been dropped out of the sky onto the rooftop and then vanished into thin air; taking Diana with him.

His fist gripped tightly around the screwdriver he had been using, until he felt the plastic handle crumble in his grasp. With a violent burst of rage he hurled the broken tool into a vacant wall and cursed his inability to find Diana.

Staring at the remains of the monitor his first burst of anger destroyed, he found himself in a position he had thought long since corrected. He was once again helpless, powerless to do anything but wait. Wait, and worry, until The Joker tipped his hand once again.

Batman had nothing to chase him with, and chase him he would. There simply had to be something for him to track from the next broadcast.

He knew there would be another broadcast, because a colorfully decorated parcel had been left for him on the balcony of the Astor's Presidential Suite. Inside the package was a Joker in the Box (complete with the same diabolical cackling), reminding him that the next episode would be the following night. And hearing that damned phrase in The Joker's own voice made his skin practically crawl.

Everything was in place. He had the tracers ready to follow the signal back to its origin, and the recording system was standing by. He would find that hyena of a demon, and if it was the last thing he did, he would make him pay.

Before his anger was given the chance to reach a full boil again, the new broadcast feed monitor flickered once. Batman instantly set the tracers to run and switched on the recording system. It was only a matter of time now. He only needed to restrain his rage until the programs did their jobs, and then he could find an appropriate outlet for his violent lust for revenge.

As the familiar purple screen faded away, any attempts at controlling his anger vanished in the furious pounding of his suddenly elevated pulse. His sensibilities were assaulted with the image before him.

Diana, obviously under some form of chemical influence from the lack of consciousness in her drifting eyes and the intermittently giggling convulsions, was intricately strapped to an enormous clown faced disk. Just as the thought entered his mind that it looked like a prize wheel from a carnival, it began to slowly spin around, causing Diana to flop her head with the rotation of the disk.

With the hurdy gurdy music spilling out from the speakers, every nerve ending in his body was alive with dark electricity. He desperately wanted to end this madness before it got out of hand, but he could do nothing but watch and wait.

"Round and round she goes, where she stops… Only Joker Knows! AH-HAHahahahaha." His laughter filled Batman with a dark sinister desire to drag the lunatic bastard through town behind the Batmobile until he was nothing more than a wet spot on the pavement. Arhkam Asylum was too good for the likes of The Joker now, he had crossed the line.

The wheel clumsily slowed to a stall under the strain of her unbalanced weight, finally stopping with her head at the bottom of the screen. His face became a testimony to the pain he felt at seeing her exposed body trussed up for the amusement of a diabolical madman. He forced himself to check the progress of the tracers, in the hopes they were making their way to the source of these fiendish videos.

"Well now! Would you look at that? We have an Amazonian Upside Down cupcake!" The Joker leaned in to the camera until only his ridiculously painted smile could be seen. "Looks good enough to eat! -heheheheheheheheeeee-"

Batman was suddenly filled with horror at the implication contained in The Joker's fanatical exclamation. Never in his fiercest nightmares had he ever considered such a thing. But there, with the evidence before him, he knew this was far worse than any nightmare to plague his dreams.

He needed to turn away, he wanted to shut down the whole thing, but he was forced to look on as The Joker's face cleared the camera to reveal the still upturned Diana, barely conscious. He could only hope her mind would be influenced enough to never recall the humiliating treatment he was now certain she would endure.

He should have known. He should have suspected The Joker was capable of such despicable things after…after Barbara.

After what he did to Barbara Gordon in order to torture her father, he should have known what would happen if his one true weakness was ever discovered. He should have known, and he should have never crossed the line to give The Joker that kind of power over him. But he simply could not stop himself; she was his weakness.

As the camera changed focus, his attention was drawn away from the laments of his failure, and was taken to the image currently occupying the screen. Panning down from the tip of her toes, Batman helplessly watched a hand of ghostly white tickling along Diana's supple ankle until it found her shin. With long thin fingers fashioned into a claw, the sickly pale hand raked over the once perfect skin of her leg, raising deep red welts in its path. His own hands gripping the top of the desk, Batman struggled to keep himself in check as this brazen madman caused pain to the one vessel of his humanity.

When the gnarled, bony digits reached her knee, the camera zoomed out a little to show The Joker's deviously smirking profile. "There once was a jester from Gotham. -heheehoohe- Who knew a Bat that liked to bop 'em. -hahahoheheee- One day the fool found his madame. -ahahahahoo- And stole the Bat's favorite bottom! –AHAHAHahaheheehehee-"

Once again the camera zoomed out, and Batman was given a view of Diana's entire body, bound to the wheel, hanging upside down, completely naked. As he tried to visually scan her body for any additional injuries, allowing the coolly analytical side of his mind to rescue him from the torment of what he knew was to come, he noticed something red where it should not have been. When the item and its placement finally clicked in his mind, he practically tore the desktop from his moorings in the wall. Covering her sex was a small red circle, emblazoned with the image of a fiendishly smiling pair of lips.

The Joker's face suddenly filled the screen once more, and he cackled, "Lips mark the spot, eh Bat Boy!"

There was simply no respite from The Joker's perversity this time. In full, living color, Batman was forced to wait and watch as something precious to him was defiled and debased before his very eyes. It was more than any man should ever have to endure, but he was not just any man. He had to stay calm, he had to find the source of the video transmissions if he was ever going to end this nightmare; if he was ever going to save Diana.

Checking the progress on the tracers, he tried to block out the images, if only for a moment. But the sounds coming from the speakers turned him away from his task. It was a quiet, low whimper in a voice he could have picked out from a crowd, but in the silence of the cavern, it was like a siren in his ears. Batman turned just in time to see The Joker bite down into Diana's inner thigh, just inside from her knee. He saw the crimson pattern of his jagged teeth in her bare flesh, and winced as a small trickle of blood came out from the surface.

His eyes riveted to the screen, Batman watched on in horror as The Joker flicked his discolored and undulating tongue out from his exaggerated lips to slurp and slobber his way down the inside of Diana's thigh.

Just when he thought he had seen enough, The Joker turned to the camera and exclaimed, "Over the Lips, Past the Gums… Lookout Batsy, Here She COMES!" With his head thrown back, The Joker's demon like cackles filled the air as he ripped the scrap of ribbon holding the red circle away from her sex.

Those hideous guffaws pounded at his fierce grip on sanity, and he slammed his eyes shut just as The Joker whipped forward to dive like a raptor after its prey into junction of Diana's thighs. Batman listened in horror at the perverse and lascivious noises coming from the computer bank speakers. He wanted it all to go away, to vanish like a dream; like a hideous, cold sweat drenching, heaving breath, screaming into the darkness nightmare. But this was all real. So very real, and so very wrong.

When he was certain he could take no more of The Joker's delighted groans and giggles, accompanied by the cacophony of wet smacks from his lips, there was a signal from the tracers. It told him they were about to capture the transmission source. Every tendon in his body became taut and he was ready to strike the moment he had a location.

Before the lock could be made, he heard a faint sound from the transmission and The Joker abruptly stopped his depraved assault. With the evidence of his ministrations dripping from his chin and chortled in a panic as he said, "Hate to eat and run, old chum… But we wouldn't want to end the fun!"

With that, the screen was instantly returned to the news feed, and the tracer program bleated out with its failure to make a positive lock. An explosion of sparks and liquid crystal ended the sound, and another monitor suffered the consequences.

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With carnival music filling the air, The Joker serenades his unwilling companion.

Joker, Joker, Wonder-eater,

Had a super and couldn't keep her;

He put her in a Dungeon Cell,

And there he ate her very well.

-AhHahahahahahahahahahooheeheehee- Brilliant! Pure T certifiable Brilliance! All the little cyber bats chasing ole Joker all over the world only to come up EMPTY! Brilliant!

Just a total gas, I tell you. Of course, I guess I don't have to tell you, do I? You know all about the gas. You're just silly with it!

Good thing I found a nice quiet, out of the way, completely sadistic dentist's office to take over for my own purposes. I just love dentists! -heheeheeheheehee- Only people I know enjoy laughing gas as much as I do.

And makes for a great trick when trying to keep certain princesses in an agreeable mood.

Now, just what mischief can I find to really push the Bat Bore over the edge this time? The wheel of misfortune, that was fun, but I need something BIG… Something Ffffffla-shy… Something… -heheehoohooheehahahaha- Electricfying!

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Batman's face showed not only his frustration and pain, but also the nearly complete lack of sleep from the previous fourty-eight hours. Not because he had not tried, but as disturbed as he was by the videos themselves, having them replayed in his subconscious while he dreamed, they were far worse.

Trying to take his energy and direct it into something useful, Batman struggled to make some sense from the data collected by his tracer program. He needed to concentrate on something other than those images. Those images were burned into his mind, but if he could just focus on putting the pieces together, he might just be able to forget them for a little while.

Entering the data from one trace into the analyzer program, his mind zeroed in on a location name, and it sent him down an unwelcome path.

Wagon Wheel, Oklahoma.

Wheels spinning in his mind.

Wheel of Fortune.

Diana lashed to the wheel.

Her creamy thighs open and waiting.

His black gloved hand sliding over her bare skin.

The Joker's moistened face sneering at him through the camera.

Feeling the stirrings of excitement once again, he slammed his eyes shut and clenched his fists in anger. The perspiration forming on his brow spoke volumes about the horror he felt at his subconscious reactions to the images and connections forming in his mind. And a new emotion came into the mix; shame.

Batman felt the most unbelievable shame of his life when he woke from the dream that forced him to abandon any hopes for sleep. He awoke from a nightmare showcasing the horrors of that diabolical video, only to find himself in a state of arousal. Shock and dismay immediately filled his entire being as he realized that the images causing him so much pain in the waking hours, were filling his dreams with twisted erotic fantasies. And he felt a shame like he had never known before, to discover that such darkness lived within him.

Perhaps The Joker was right, and within every man lived that dark perverse insanity only waiting to be unleashed by nothing more than an unfortunate chain of events. Would this be his chain? Could his fate be sealed by these sadistic acts meant to torment him? The constant assault on his heart with the pain and death of those he held most dear; would that be his breaking point?

Every reason he had ever given for pushing others away appeared to be mocking him in that moment. He wanted to shut out the images, but more than that, he wanted to stop the sounds. Every groan, moan, slurp and whimper echoed in his head over and over again until he wanted to drive a spike through the bone to stop them. Instead, he blared the police dispatch and news feed uplinks to an intolerable volume, hoping to drown out the rest. It was not working.

His only hope by that point was to find and punish The Joker, and take Diana far, far away from all of this madness. When one of his tracer programs automatically activated on the screen in front of him, he had to focus in more closely to make sure it was not an illusion. Batman checked the chronometer to verify the time and shook his head. "It's not time… I should have another four h-" He was stopped from any further comment when the tracer began to blast an alert telling him it had gotten a lock on the transmission signal.

Immediately killing the other feeds, Batman paid exclusive attention to the monitor showing the tracing programs at work. The first tracer glowed in red, showing a full lock on the signal link into his news feed uplink. Within seconds, he watched as a second lock was made on the relay signal. It was like watching an intricate pattern of dominoes quickly knocking over to reveal another design beneath the falls.

With each lock, his pulse quickened. He was certain that at any moment the brief link to the transmission source could terminate, and his breath was held firmly in place hoping that it would last just long enough for the tracers to finish their path. The only thing on his mind at that moment, other than ending the sadistic torture of the one that held his heart, was the fact that he was infinitely grateful for the gifted programmer that created the smart code. Normally tracing systems were limited by the amount of time of a transmission lasted, but these tracers were able to pick up where they left off and then completed the task.

The sound of leather stretching over his tightened knuckles as he waited for that last lock to be made filled his ears. He no longer heard the bleating alarms as each tracer found a new connection; only the taut leather, the strained tendons in his arms, and the grinding of his jaw. Before the final alarm could sound, he was already on his way. The madness had to end.

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I've been binding up the Wonder Broad,

All the live long day.

I've been binding up the Wonder Broad,

Just to drive the Bat insane!

Whoopsie daisy! Mustn't lose our party mask, My Dear! We'll just have to fasten this a little tighter now won't we? -heeehehehoohoohahahaheeheehee-

Now… Where was I? Oh Yes! -hehehehahahaheeeheeehohoha- Electrodes and other party favors. I do so love my work.

I've been binding up the Wonder Broad,

All the live long day.

I've been binding up the Wonder Broad,

Just to drive the Bat insane!

Don't you see my whistle growing?

Rise up so early in the morn.

Don't you hear The Joker shouting

"Diana, blow my horn"?

-teeheeheeho- This is just too good. I've really outdone myself this time. Or should I say, I've really outdone good ole Batsy and the Wanton Woman? What say you, my sweet? Hmmm? Oh nevermind. Only problem with gas, really…the complete lack of idle conversation.

Hmmmmmmmm… Now, I think this wire goes here... Oh wait, maybe that one goes here. -heeheeheehahahahaha- Ah yes, watch her wiggle, see her jiggle! -HAHAHOHOHEEhehehe- That's the spot, indeed. But I should probably turn the juice down until the showtime. Wouldn't want the little Bat Toy passing out before the fun begins. -heheheeheehee-

Let's see, this switch is the power for the current… Or was it this one? Nope, must the little green one with the lightning bolt. There we are! Damn inconvenient of Harley to be committed again. She's always so much better with all these devices.

All for the best though, my helpless little leaguer. She's got a wicked jealous streak, and I just don't think she'd understand this game. No, -heeheeheehohohee- She just doesn't understand these games we play; the Bat and I. But how could she, really? She wasn't there, she doesn't know THE PAIN THAT RODENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR!!

Oh my! Would you just look at the time, sweet? We should really get this show back on the air, don't you think? Wouldn't want to disappoint my old pal, now would we? -HAHAHOHEEheheheheehee- Now, we've got some more strings to hook up if this puppet is going to make it to the show. The red and the black go here, the blue and the yellow go on this one. But the green and the white will go all the way up… -HAHAHAHAHEEHEEHEEHAHAHAHOHOHO-

I've been binding up the Wonder Broad,

All the live long day.

I've been binding up the Wonder Broad,

Just to drive the Bat insane!

Don't you see my whistle growing?

Rise up so early in the morn.

Don't you hear The Joker shouting

"Diana, blow my horn"?

Diana, won't you blow,

Diana, won't you blow, my horn?

Diana, won't you blow,

Diana, won't you blow, my horn?

Joker's in the middle of Diana.

Joker's in the middle, I know.

Joker's in the middle of Diana

Stroking in that hot Amazon.

Fee, fie, fiddle-e-i-o.

Stroking in that hot Amazon.

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As it coursed through his veins, Batman's blood continued to boil and burn. His rage and need for revenge propelled him through the lower levels of Gotham City in much the same manner.

The tracer program reported to his heads up display that the transmission had once again been terminated, but the lock had already been made. His need to move quickly had never been more important than it was this night. For all he knew, The Joker may have been preparing to change locations, and the brief transmission was meant only as a tease. With his jaws grinding fiercely together, he could only hope he made it there in time.

He was driving completely on adrenaline and will. There was no real thought involved in the act, and he merely focused on the GPS coordinates being fed into his visual display. Taking corners at insane speeds, he rocketed through the city without a single thought about anyone that might have stood in his path. He was incapable of thinking any longer, and it was his instincts that took over his actions. The only thing he knew for certain was that he had to reach Diana. He had to end the nightmarish torture and get her far away from the insidious lunatic holding her hostage for his benefit.

All along, he had known it would come to this, that someone would seek that which he cared about and use it to bring him down. He struggled to close himself off from any attachments, and fought against everything that might have given him pleasure, that brought some form of peace to his soul. He never wanted them to have anything to hold over him that way. If there was nothing for them to use, nothing that he cared about, then they would never get the upper hand, and he would never have to feel the pain of loss ever again. But then there was her.

No matter how hard he fought, no matter how much he swore there was nothing there, she was always there, and she always knew. He wanted to prove that he was able to transcend that part of his humanity; that he was above such foolish things. But she was always there, and she always knew. She knew him on a level that he had been sure never existed, but she knew. She knew, and she still cared for him just as deeply. She knew all the darkness, all the rage, all the pain, and still she was always there.

And how did he repay her for her loyalty, for her caring, for her compassion, for her companionship? He left her to be stolen away by a madman with sadistic theories and a penchant for wanting to make him pay for some perceived wrong and the sin of sanity.

As his hands clawed into the steering wheel with a vice-like grip, he could hear The Joker's hideous cackling laughter in his head and it taunted him mercilessly with its maniacal melody. His stomach churned with torrents of fresh acid, as he listened to that brainsick villain inhabit every vacant hollow in his mind.

The darkened pit forming in his gut only fueled his desire to pluck The Joker from existence itself and cast him out into limitless and unending pain. And so, he continued to hurtle through Gotham City on a collision course with the tiny blip flashing on his HUD.

When the audio from the Cave feed began to crackle in his ear, Batman clenched the steering wheel and cursed under his breath as he fought to maintain his control. His time was running out.

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Dancing around the stark room, The Joker went about preparing for his next broadcast amidst the hanging wires and cables. A short hop carried him over the canisters of laughing gas that continued to whisper through the room. Between his dance and humming along with the eerily perverse nickelodeon music filling the air, his choice of dress seemed almost normal.

Deciding to opt for a costume befitting the mischief he was about to set in motion, The Joker looked ever the part of a British Officer riding upon the Sahara in his jodhpurs, paddock boots and a striking pith helmet. Except…for the fact that his jodhpurs and jacket were bright purple with red piping; his boots were white with barbershop pole, green, sparkling stripes; his white pith helmet had a big yellow flower on the side of it and his green string bowtie appeared to be glowing in time with the music. And for the coup de grâce, he had wisely chosen to go shirtless beneath his desert style utility jacket, exposing his ghostly pallor to the harsh lights hung from every wall in the room.

In his day to day life, The Joker was an assault to the eyes, but in preparation for a big show, he pulled out all the stops and barreled that train straight through the boundaries of taste and eye strain. He was a joke of fashion, unto himself, and he obviously liked it that way.

In between the delighted humming, there was the sprinkling of bone chilling giggles and disturbed bouts of merriment, setting a twisted and surreal scene for his dazed audience of one. If he had any indication that she was more than a pawn in his carefully crafted game with Batman, he might have been more careful with his actions. But as things remained, Wonder Woman was completely at his whim and mercy under the influence of a triple strength concentration of first rate laughing gas. With the quantity of gas he was pumping into her body at a constant rate, he was fairly certain that she would have been hard pressed to name herself animal, vegetable or mineral.

Most would have considered a double strength concentration suitable for making a compliant plaything, but he knew her Amazon physiology would have given her the ability to process the lower dosage of nitrous-oxide. No, he was going to play this game on the safe side, because the stakes were just too high to gamble with the outcome. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to prove his theories, and all the better to break the Batman in the process.

He had come close with his experiment on Commissioner Gordon, but the Batman showed up before the man had completely released his hold on sanity. Once again, Batman foiled his carefully crafted plans and forced him back into exile. But this time, he would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that every man contained within him the darkness of insanity and depravity, and given the chance, he would embrace its vile machinations with all his might. All it took was the right circumstances, and every man would succumb to the ravages of insanity, he was absolutely certain of it.

Looking over his shoulder when the whimpers began again, a sinister sneer formed on his lips, making his face appear even more devious and wanton. "Don't fuss, my dear Princess… We should be back on the air shortly, and then you can dance with the current. -HEEHEEHEEHEEhahahaha- High Voltage current that is!" His wicked cackling filled every corner of the room and drowned out all other sound as he galloped about in another merry dance of decadence.

Calming down to an insidious giggle, The Joker went back to making sure everything was in place for his next big performance. He just knew that this time the Batman would surely lose his grip on any remaining semblance of sanity he might have had left. To see the object of his affections and humanity defiled before his very eyes, powerless to do anything other than watch another man, a madman, take that which had only belonged to him would be more than he could endure.

Booting up the transmission scrambler system, he had to wait until all the lights flashed green before he could begin his next broadcast. As he waited for the little flashing beacons of electronic wizardry to activate, The Joker went back to center stage to check on his co-star.

Once he was sure that each wire was well connected to the strategically positioned electrodes and every accessory was suitably attached, he cocked an eyebrow and mused to himself, "Perhaps a technical rehearsal is in order. I'd hate for you to miss your big break, my dear Princess. -heeheeheehahahohohehehehehe- Or maybe should I say, your Bat breaking. -HAHAHAHAHAHA-"

In the midst of laughing at his own joke, The Joker reached for the control box to turn on the sadistic wiring harness that was the crowning achievement of his prank. Upon closer inspection, the control box was nothing more than a toggle switch, but it had been fashioned into a giant pair of lips, and the toggle was in the image of a grotesque tongue.

It was his weakness; his desire to inflict pain and warp the sane. He wanted to see her wriggle and whine at the power of his maniacal tortures. He needed to see her suffer, as her body betrayed her mind and experienced the pleasure with the pain.

When he flipped the switch, Wonder Woman began to writhe and convulse with the current of electricity coursing through her body. He turned the dial on the side of the box to lessen the current and she merely twitched and moaned against the reduced flow. His laughter at seeing the display before him was incomprehensible, and it was only stopped by the audible alert informing him that the scrambler was ready to go. And as he looked down, so was he.

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Punching at the controls, Batman brought the GPS tracking display exclusively into his HUD and then routed the video feed into the vehicle's display screen. It was still showing the full time news reports, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the display began to flicker as it prepared to switch over to The Joker's next broadcast. He certainly had no desire to see what sadistic circus of degeneracy he managed to cook up this time, but he did need to know what he was about to break into.

He was nearing the location marked on the GPS system, but not before the video feed started to flicker. Throwing the throttle into maximum thrust, he pushed the vehicle's limits as he ploughed through the underworld streets of Gotham City. Anything too close as he flew past would rocket into the air from the wind sheers created with his breakneck speed. This was not about anyone's safety, except Diana's. He would gladly sacrifice any other life for hers in that moment.

The distance was closing fast, but not before the video display began to fade back into that all too familiar blank purple screen. From the corner of his eye he watched intently to see what was next on Joker's psychotic agenda.

As the melody from a calliope began to slowly start up in the audio feed, he saw an animation come to life on the screen. It was a carousel, but no ordinary carousel. The creatures rising and falling around the screen were hideous mutations of the time honored horses, swans and unicorns. The music never seemed to totally speed up to the happy rhythm of a traditional calliope, instead it felt as though the scroll wheel was just as warped as the man behind the crank. It only added to the surreality of the scene before him.

Eventually, a cartoon rendering of The Joker's face faded into view over the demented carousel and began to laugh; the insidious laugh of a complete lunatic that he knew all too well. As the screen dissolved into a live image of The Joker, Batman decided the twisted caricature was the better option.

He giggled and twirled to the misfiring calliope music in his ridiculous riding getup, prancing about the room like an hysterical pony, but the one thing missing was the one thing he needed to see the most; Diana. He dared not look away from the road without risking imminent peril, but he still tried to find her in the diabolical circus act before him.

"Welcome one and… Well, just one, I suppose. Eh, Batsy? -heheeheehee- Still trying to keep her all to yourself, I see. Tsk tsk tsk, my old chum. Didn't your Mommy teach you how to share?" His laughter filled the audio feed to an unbearable volume, but Batman barely even registered it. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and to finally get the drop on him.

"Oh well, back to the show! You know how I do love to put on a good show, Ratman. But tonight… OOOOOOH Tonight! I have simply outdone myself, old boy!" Joker spun around in a flourish and when he stopped on a dime, his pith helmet was tucked under his arm, and Batman could finally make out a draped form behind the madman.

"For your viewing displeasure, and my mouth-watering amusement, I have prepared for you a feast for the eyes, and the ride of a lifetime! -HAHAHAHOHEEEHEEEHEE-" He placed the hat firmly on top of his head and pulled down the chin strap before striking a pose meant for a ringmaster. "In the course of this performance, we shall test the will and mettle of my noble steed, as I proceed to take her through the Hurdles of Hell!" With that, he ripped away the white drape covering Diana and exposed the torment to his eyes once more.

Suspended from the ceiling and trussed up like so much meat, Batman cringed at the image he beheld and cursed himself once more for his failures. If he could have willed anymore speed into the vehicle he would already be at the building containing this sickening play, but instead he clenched his jaw hard enough that he was certain his teeth were cracking from the pressure, and raced on.

The music changed to something akin to an organ grinder's box, and The Joker once again pranced around the room. However, this time he had another little rhyme to share, and began to speak in a sing-song manner:

Ride a cock horse to Joker's Double Cross

To see a fine Wonder impaled on a white horse

With rings on her nipples and wires on those

She shall have sparks wherever she goes

And with the last words from his lips, Batman watched in horror as Diana began to convulse and wriggle in time with the music. Tearing his eyes from her and the road, he found The Joker with a perverse red box in his hands, controlling her movements with the wires he now saw running all over her naked and battered body.

His attention left the road for just enough time that his back end slammed solidly into a wall and went careening off into the other side. It was only through brute force that he was able to right the vehicle again and continue hurtling through the city. As fast as he was gaining on the blip in his field of view, he was running out of time just as quickly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With rings on her nipples and wires on those

She shall have sparks wherever she goes

With every crank on the toggle, Joker's laughter became more robust and maniacal. The more he laughed, the more sinister his lascivious grin grew. He was enjoying the convulsive little dance his newest puppet was performing for him, and his pleasure with the sight was beginning to get away from him. He could feel his excitement growing and pulsing, until it could no longer be ignored.

Tossing the control box to the side, he leapt back into full view of the camera and pirouetted onto the scene. "And now, for the main attraction. Step right up! Ladies and Gentlemen! Here before your very eyes, I shall perform a death defying feat of skill and perversity, heretofore unheard of, except in the deepest, darkest corners of a certain Bat Brain! -heheheeheeheehahahohohahaha-"

His next twirl had him wrapping the sheet which once covered Wonder Woman from view around his body. He continued to spin and laugh with a blood curdling lunacy, and the when drape finally began to float away on his last spin, he suddenly exposed to the camera the real reason for the drape. During his spinning, he managed to remove a key piece of his costume, and there for the full glory of the camera stood the Joker, no longer in regular riding breeches, but chaps made to look like jodhpurs. "Now THAT's entertainment!"

With another repetition of that depraved nursery rhyme, he trotted toward his target like a strutting pony, only it was not the nose that was leading the dance. "To see a fine Wonder impaled on a white h-"

The cinder blocks being pulverized into dust, and the ceiling fixtures flying through the room stopped anymore of the fiendish little ditty. When he turned to find the source of the disturbance, he found his face exploding in much the same manner as the wall. It sent him careening into the transmitters and sparks flew around him in a brilliant flash of light and fire.

He tried to free himself from the tangled web of wires and exposed electronics, but he was instantly shoved back into the shower of sparks and broken circuit boards. His face felt another crushing blow, like he had been hit with a sledgehammer. There was no doubt his jaw was broken; the crunching and grinding with each successive strike told him that much.

His next movement came when he was suddenly lifted from the transmitter remains and violently launched across the room like so much rubbish. The fall was broken by the wheel of misfortune as it shattered into numerous easily manageable pieces, one of which he found being slammed into the side of his head at the end of a very dark, and very powerful arm. Thankfully, that piece was disintegrated beyond any further use by the impact with his head.

Through the eye that was not completely swollen over, he was barely able to make out a dark form with a large cylinder raised over its head, and The Joker knew that he was about to meet his end, with the business end of a nitrous-oxide tank. He was comforted in his impending death with one simple thought; his theory was right. The Batman had been broken.

Just when he was beginning to find a trembling smile at the corners of his mouth as he accepted his fate, there was a faint, but soft sound from somewhere else in the room. The form turned and then tossed the tank off to the side and left The Joker's limited field of view.

When one voice became two, and both bore the gentle tones of familiarity and caring, a sorrowful and lonely tear formed in The Joker's eye just before he finally succumbed to the unconsciousness of ultimate failure.