Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom (Red Robin)

[Joker]

Shifting on the rooftop, Joker's brown shoes scraping a little on the stone as he waited, the lone figure watched the skyline of the city. He had sent an audio tape to the news and the police. An invitation to watch a show. Any minute now, bombs would go off in three buildings. Three buildings that Joker could see from here. His dark gaze passed over the skyline again as he waited, his shoulders hunched, his lips twitching a little as they tried to pull into a smile. It didn't happen, though. He wouldn't let it until they'd gone off. This whole thing was fool proof. Even an idiot could have done it, which was lucky because Joker was - whether foolishly or not only time would tell - trusting his goons to detonate the bombs. He was trusting these ones because these ones were ones he could spare. They were inside the buildings. Joker had told them they needed to be. That may have been a lie, given that while himself and Bam had been working on the bombs they were practicing on buildings in the Narrows and didn't have to be anywhere near the devices. It was lucky for Joker that these goons hadn't realised that then, really...

Joker fiddled with the radio in his hand before he brought it to his mouth. It was technically a walkie talkie, but Joker preferred to call it a radio. Sounded a lot less like they'd stolen the stock from Toys 'R' Us. That was an idea! Joker made a mental note to break into and steal from Toys 'R' Us next week. It might help to find a harlequin doll in case Harley actually decided to come home before Joker's deadline... That would be good. He should do that. Even if he didn't find it in Toys 'R' Us. He should try to find it from anywhere. There was a big warehouse of toys near Joker's current hide out. He could search there after. Or before. Before would be more logical but after would be more fun and it didn't matter to him about being logical. After. He could get two - one of them to burn after the next argument and one to give to Harley. That would work.

Pressing the button, Joker glanced around him before looking back at the dark skyline.

"After three, one. Three, two..." He gave a pause and looked around again momentarily before his gaze turned back to the rooftops laid out in front of him. "One."

An explosion ripped through the silence. The fires from one of the buildings a little more to Joker's left than directly in front of him lit up the night sky, causing Joker's hunched figure to be a silhouette for about a minute before the fires died down a little and began to just burn at the building. Joker giggled, thinking of how everything inside that building would be eaten by the flames. The bodies. The material items. The walls. Everything. All of it would burn. Everything burned, and that was no secret. Joker shifted again before bringing the black, plastic radio to his mouth and pressing the button again.

"Now for you, number two." He said then giggled, his painted lips now pulling into a haunting yet gleeful grin. "Three, two, one." As he finished saying 'one', another explosion tore through the night sky. Joker couldn't help bouncing a little while laughing. He was sure he'd heard screams from near by. That wouldn't be a surprise. Explosions caused fear, fear caused screams, screams cause happy Joker, happy Joker caused explosions and the cycle was repeated endlessly until something stopped what it usually caused. Maybe one day happy Joker wouldn't cause explosions and would cause a box of chocolates or something. Unlikely, certainly, but not impossible. Highly improbable. Yes. That sounded just about right.

With nothing in his way, Joker raised the radio once more. His lips were still stretched into a grin as he turned ever so slightly so that he was facing the general area of the third building. Hell would rain upon Gotham and all for him. Him and his family. Not the real family. No. No. He didn't know his real family anyway. He just knew his caped family. His Batfamily. This was all for him. If only he could see it all. How the city burned. All for him. And this trap. This elaborate trap. This ridiculous, over the top trap for his little Red Robin. Joker could snap the trap and close the gate - as soon as that little Bird Brat arrived. He'd figure it out. Bird Brat, that is. That was Joker's name for him, anyway...

"Oh Batsss," Joker whispered into the air. "look at how it burns for you." He breathed out a giggle and pressed the button on the radio. Business was to carry on, regardless of Joker's obsession with him. It would always carry on. Always give him a show. Always. How could he not? How could Joker not give King Bat a show? The loyal court jester. Always. This was Joker's city, no doubt about it, but Bats? Bats had an entire kingdom. Most kings did. Joker owned a city - Bats owned a kingdom. Joker didn't mind. The city was good enough for him. His beautiful, burning Gotham.

"Three, two, one." He breathed down the radio.

"D'you think we'll be able to-" The question from the other end was cut off as the device went off. The explosion severed what remained of the silence. The dark skyline now a show of burning buildings. All to stop him being so slow. All to help him. All to make him the Bats Joker was used to. Starting with the youngest...


((Notes: Sorry this took so long. I couldn't figure out how to start it and then I started typing tonight - Tick Tick Boom by the Hives is very good for Joker muse - and couldn't stop so I hope this 965 word starter makes up for it being late. Sorry again.))

[Timothy Drake]

The Joker had sent an audio tape out to the police and the news….But why would he do that? He may be insane, but he wasn’t an idiot. At least, that’s what the Joker claimed: in Tim’s professional opinion, the Joker was insane, but smart. During their first encounter, he had tried to trap Tim, believing him to be Jason Todd who he had killed… So, he had almost come close to trapping the Red Robin…But he had always been one of the smartest ones in the Bat-Family, and the Joker had underestimated his intellect. Even now, as he made his way to the sites of the bombs, he was trying to discern why this mad man would send out that message when he knew Batman or one of the others would stop him. And it was time Tim took out his anger and aggression on a mad man who could take his hits without feeling too much of the pain.

Hitting the symbol on his chest, his costume shifted into its stealth tech mode. While he would prefer to go after Joker in his normal coloration, the stealth mode would allow him to be unseen….And he could get the Joker easier if he was in stealth mode. Just as he leapt onto the next rooftop….He saw the explosions, and unleashed a roar of frustration. He had planned to take down Joker before the explosions happened, but now it was too late for that. All he could do now was take down the Joker, and maybe make himself feel better by breaking the man’s arms, or his legs. Running faster, he leapt off of the rooftop and flew downwards towards another one, using his cape as the wings they could become. Landing, he cracked his neck and continued running, getting closer to the Joker’s position. Batman may have been the Joker’s main enemy, but this guy would go after the other members of the Bat-Family just so he could make the Batman suffer.

Looking at another building, that the other two beside had just blown up, Tim ran for it. He’d try and get the bomb, and he would try to disarm it. Running for it, he set his sights on a window and leapt towards it, extending his cape. Crashing through, his wings still extended, he landed on his knees and then stood up, the cape reverting back to its normal form. Standing up, he ran through the building, looking for the bomb. But then he heard the ticker…And he stepped into the room with the bomb in it. And it would go off in five seconds! Pivoting, he saw a window he could leap through. Running for it, he was almost at it….When the bomb went off, and he was hurled through it. His costume was partially protected towards explosions, but there were several tears in his bodysuit now. He had enough sense to extend his cape into its glider form, and he hit the grond, but with a bit less force. Standing up, he groaned, but shrugged off most of the pain.

(Sorry it’s not my best XD But it’s what I’ve go.)