Mad Jyhad

The entrance to the tunnel was partially hidden under fallen debris. It led deep underneath a collapsed building. On closer inspection it looked like one of the old subway entrances.

I slipped into the narrow passage and made my way down following the mental call that led me to the Joker.

Behind me, quietly and unseen by the disciplines, Jarred and Andrew followed. I have to admit to being a little impressed by their ability to move with such stealth. It occurred to me that they were a part of Sabastian's elite for a reason. Working directly for him when he did not trust the council or the Scourge to accomplish a set goal. Reports filtered in through my ear of the search for the Joker and his men.

Oracle set up a private link to discuss Kindred business and Sabastian flipped between both smoothly. I berated myself for the fear that he would slip; reminding myself that insanity did not mean he was not intelligent.

I concentrated on the tunnel walls, crumbling in places they had been reinforced with beams and concrete. It had been repaired since the earthquake.

Batman had always had the theory that Joker actually planned several campaigns at a time, starting them and then abandoning them in favor of better tactics. Leaving the deserted strategies to be picked up again at a later date. This one bore all the marks of having been plotted during No Man's Land. His tags adorned the walls, supplies lined the sides, unopened, unneeded by the now undead army.

"Dark Trick reports that three inmates have been...found..." Oracle broke through. "His men...found...their bodies a few minutes ago. Same MO as the ones that died under Arkham."

We had all agreed to allow everyone to believe that Joker was killing his own men. That he had killed the ones under Arkham. Oracle was telling me that the Scourge had found and destroyed three vampires for the Bloodhunt. They would receive an award during the next Primogen council meeting.

I heard sounds from the end of the long tunnel, a low murmur of voices.

"Reports of more explosions..."

I turned Oracle off instead concentrating on the sounds in front of me, mumbling and muttering, indistinct words that I could barely make out.

"Hello?" I called out. Whereas Jarred and Andrew continued to maintain stealth I had gone out of my way to make as much noise as possible.

The insane glint in his eyes did little to reassure me as I came around the corner. "So! Bat boy has become Vampire Bat boy?" He smiled hugely, his trademark when he was alive.

I smirked and rolled my eyes pulling the mask off. "I suppose you could put it that way. Of course I can't actually shape shift. That discipline is a little beyond me."

A look of confusion flitted across his face before being replaced with a leer. "You like discipline?"

I caught his true meaning so you can stop looking at me that way. But I do admit to answering, "You would be surprised at what I like!"

"Oh I always KNEW something was going on between you bat boys!" He walked closer and as he stepped away from the table I could see the doorway behind him.

"Oh, no, nothing like that, Batman is so 'repressed' that I wonder if his virginity is still intact!" I laughed. "No, I've never done nothing with him. Now...others...on the other hand..." I ran a my tongue over my lips.

I tucked the mask into my belt and he blinked at me, realizing that I had iremoved my mask. "No secret IDs?"

"I'm DEAD!" I laughed again moving closer and undoing the clasp to my cape. "I don't NEED a secret ID! What would I hide? My crypt?"

"You have a crypt?" he asked a little nervously as I placed a hand on his chest, stroking it gently.

"Not really, I have a grave though. Lucky you! You were turned and woke up immediately. I was turned, had an autopsy, and was embalmed THEN fucking buried!" I growled and watched him jerk back in surprise. "I woke up in excruciating pain!"

"Sounds rough." He didn't seem to know what else to say. I very well doubt anyone that he thought of as being from the hero set had ever talked to him like that.

"Well, lucky for me...I don't mind it...rough!" I leered back at him and pushed against him.

"You aren't much like you were, are you?" he asked with wonder in his voice.

"Nope, and I suspect that even you find differences between how you were and how you are now." One of my hands tangled in his hair.

"Things are...confusing." His hand wrapped around my waist and held me against him. "I don't understand...this...any of this."

"Yes, it is very confusing at first. Well, it never stops being confusing, you just learn to go with the flow after a while." I giggled and let my other hand wander and listened in satisfaction as he made a delightful squeak.

His fangs dropped and I watched in fascination as his face turned demonic. Moving slowly, I took my hands away and removed my gloves tucking them away like my mask.

The Joker's face was soft and smooth to the touch and his lips parted as I ran a thumb over them. Stroking them as I watched him shudder. "Pretty childe." I whispered.

"Ugly." He shook his head. "Mutilated."

"No, beautiful. Kindred do not see as humans." I dropped my control and allowed myself to see him unfettered. He glowed as though he were bathed in black light. At the center a dark center pulsated. I had never seen such a thing, the result of diablerie he was marked. Marked for destruction.

He frowned and I pulled him closer.

"Have you seen anyone that is ugly or disgusts you? Or do you find it all as fascinating as I do?" I remembered the bum in the park. Even he held beauty.

"The world is ugly." He continued to frown. "It mocks, it hates, it does not deserve to exist!"

"Am I ugly?" I asked curiously. I stared briefly into the room behind him and could make out military insignias. The bombs, he had been arming them.

"I don't know... you confuse me."

"That's okay. I confuse myself." I kissed him.

I think I surprised myself as much as I surprised him. The kiss was ferocious, terrible, and good all at once. I hated myself for wanting more. I hated myself for rubbing against him and enjoying it. It was only thoughts of Nightwing and the hope that he would agree to bond with me that kept me from just giving in and completely enjoying myself.

I tilted my head and gently led his mouth to my throat offering myself to him. Prompting him to bite. I sighed as the teeth slid easily through the skin and moaned when he started to drink. The connection between us strengthened, broadened, and expanded. Images, flashes of insight that disappeared as quickly as I recognized them flitted through my head. A woman, pregnant near birth by the look of it, two caskets, one too tiny...too tiny. Guns, fear, pain, disgust. A hell both of his making and not. Shattering of glass, shattering of a mind. Alone, hatred, lost. Spinning like a compass with no direction, until the Bat, something to focus on, something to blame, something to give meaning.

A child, not a child, but the Bat's child, to make dead, dead like the tiny child that never took a breath. To make the Bat as alone, as hurt. Dismay when a new bird takes its place. Dismay when the Bat is not broken, but actually moves on, dismay when the bird takes flight and soars. Obsession born.

Obsession over me.

And now, he had me.

I began to feel weak and pushed him away. He gasped and collapsed to his knees as I took his face into my hands and kissed his brow. "And that...was three."

"Three?" Bewildered.

"Where are your last two childer?" I demanded.

"Childer?"

"Your...babies! Where are they? What did you send them to do? Three of them were killed just before I got here. You felt them die! Where are the last two?" I gripped his face tightly in my hands and I could see him fighting my command.

"They...are..." He closed his eyes tightly and the struggle to disobey showed on his face.

"Tell ME!" I shouted. "NOW! I command YOU!"

Andrew and Jarred stepped from the shadows. Watching me as I interrogated the Joker.

"Two Face...power..." He struggled to keep the words from falling from his lips and I switched the line on and asked Oracle for the private line.

"Two face is at the power plant!" I looked back into Joker's face. "Where is the other?"

I pulled Joker up wrapping my arms firmly around him. "Where is the last one? Where is Harley? Where did you send her?"

I heard the footstep without ever feeling her as she stepped out. "Right here, batboy! What did you do to Mr. J?"

The makeup made her look garish with the fangs and demonic face. She growled low in her throat as Jarred and Andrew dropped into a crouch.

"Your Mr. J. is mine! He gave himself to me freely." I smiled. He fed willingly from me three times; he had created a blood bond giving me complete and total power over him.

"NEVER!" She screamed leaping forward.

Jarred swung a sword at her as Andrew attempted to knock me out of the way. As I still held onto the Joker he rolled with us.

It was...rather anticlimactic I'm afraid.

Jarred...accidentally cut Joker's head off while trying to swing at Harley. I was lucky that he didn't take MY head off with that swing. Sabastian made it a point of lecture for days afterward.

As the Joker's head rolled toward her, she froze looking on with horror, giving Jarred time to cut her head off also.

In the meantime, I was in shock as the connection between the Joker and I was abruptly snapped; leaving me disoriented and confused.

I don't remember much from that point on. I'm told that Andrew carried me back to Sabastian.

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