anemoi | Gold Exchange 10 - [video, filtered from the Joker]

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Gold Exchange 10 - [video, filtered from the Joker]

[For a guy who just had a meltdown, Booster sure has gotten back into the swing of things awfully quickly. In fact, his behavior is almost indistinguishable from what it was beforehand, the only changes being a suspiciously large donation to the League's anemoi fund, and Gordon'll probably notice that he actually bothers to come home and sleep sometimes, albeit always in the wee hours of the morning. (At least he has the decency to be quiet about it.) So if anybody would like to have a chat with him about something that came up in the log, consider him available.

For everyone else, there's a video post. The setting is Booster's office at the JLS HQ and the framing is precisely set up, a sharp contrast to Booster's normal casual style. Combined with the serious expression on his face, it's obvious before he even starts talking that this is Official League Business rather than a personal post.]

Important message for you all today, so listen up. The stuff I'm about to tell you could save your life. Last week, you might've noticed a threatening post on the phones by a man with bleached skin and green hair. That guy's name is the Joker, and he's bad news with a capital B-A-D N-E-W-S. Now, rest assured, Justice League Sirocco is handling this as best we can, but right now, we still don't know where he's hiding or what he might be planning, so I'm asking you all for your cooperation.

If you see this guy around anywhere, you need to contact a Leaguer immediately. I don't care if you spot him just ordering a cup of joe or serenading songbirds or whatever, you need to tell one of us ASAP. And whatever you do, do not try to engage him. The Joker is an insane mass murderer, he can't be reasoned with, and he's extremely dangerous. For your sake and everyone else's, please, leave him to us professionals.

That's all we need. Beyond that, everybody just keep on doing what you were already doing and nobody panic. We've got this under control.

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[Ooooooooh.]

[No response, but Vriska is making a note to get in touch with this Joker human later.]

Gordon really had noticed Booster acting a bit more... well... just a bit MORE, really. It was actually pretty cool to have evidence of a roommate again beyond allocating half the space for his stuff. Gordon himself had been pretty busy with all those pick-up shifts at the labs, and it just so happens that the day the message is sent out is the two-week mark for that new job.

Say... remember that busted-up cathode-tube TV he ganked for parts?

There's a flat-screen there now. And a... wait, is that a game system? And Booster will find a controller being tossed into his hands if he manages to show up at the apartment at a reasonable hour.

"Hahah, great timing! I needed someone to smack around on multiplayer."

I do believe that's a challenge, son.

Booster catches the controller and looks at it kind of like it's the most ridiculous possible thing that could've been tossed at him.

"Gee, with an invitation like that, how could I possibly resist?"

"...That idiot? He's just another thing like Karkat, isn't he?"

What, an alien? We wish. The guy might be inhuman, but he's definitely from Earth. Though I guess that still counts as an alien to you.

The thinner man smirks from his sprawl on the couch.

The next few hours are spent blowing each other to smithereens over futuristic landscape number thirty-six, coupled with shouts and laughter and "you're-going-down" and "oh what the hell I totally had that one!" They both needed to blow off some steam, it seems, and there's no better way to do that than with the strategic use of virtual pulse-rifles and grenades.

"Oh hey... I saw that transmission earlier today at the store." He says as an aside between bouts over the neck of his beer. "You looked like you were running for president. I had to double-take to make sure it was you."

I'm pretty sure the blue monsters were mass murderers, too, and there were a lot more of them.

*Kotetsu's nearby after this announcement, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.*

So what exactly are we up against here, besides a guy who apparently doesn't have the same disadvantage we do?

"Actually, I simply meant 'a strangely-coloured dolt who's not nearly as clever, important, or amusing as he thinks he is,' though I suppose 'alien' would suffice," the bird answers drily.

By now, Booster's figured out what enough of these godforsaken buttons do that things are slightly less comically one-sided. Slightly. He stops staring at the controller like it's the dumbest thing he's ever seen (why are there so many buttons? Why doesn't moving the controller around do anything? How is this even marketable?) and gives Gordon a sheepish smile.

"Haha, that different, huh?"

Those were monsters. The Joker is--well, he is a monster, but he's the human kind. That makes him a lot worse. Those blue things, they were too stupid to make angry, and even if you could, they wouldn't take it out on innocent bystanders. Just trust me on this one, alright, kid? Leave it to us.

~~AHAHAH tutorials are for wusses~~ Well okay once he'd realized Booster was looking at the controller like that not just out of surprise but because he hadn't actually played before, he gave a basic... VERY basic rundown of the controls. Jump, shoot, grenade, sprint. Oh, and flashlight, though the damn thing never lasts long enough to be of any good anyway...

Even with the minimal help Booster was getting the hang of it and hadn't quit yet. That was a good sign.

"That different. I'm not sure if it's an improvement or not; then again I don't think I can really bring myself to trust any guy wearing a suit, I dunno."

Next round! Gordon scrambles to grab the controller when the screen winks on again.

I think they didn't take it out on innocent bystanders 'cause they ate those, too.

If I see him, I'm setting him on fire.

[Booster sighs and runs a hand through his hair in frustration. That "we've got this under control" may have been something of an exaggeration.]

The guy's crazy, that's for sure. Thinks all of life's a joke, and death's the hilarious punchline. But he's definitely not your garden variety whackjob. Where I come from, it doesn't get much worse than the Joker, not without getting into alien demigod territory. He's killed a damn lot of people and he'll keep doing it if he isn't stopped, which won't be easy. He's been giving Batman the runaround for years, and they don't call Batman the World's Greatest Detective for nothing.

I wish I could be more specific about his M.O., but as far as I can remember, I've never had to deal with the guy personally, and the stories I heard growing up, well, those weren't exactly primary sources, you know?

[OK, scratch that, "under control" was a complete exaggeration.]

Friggin' Hell. All the possible assholes we could've gotten and we got one like this. What'd we do to deserve that? More importantly, how the hell does he NOT have memory loss if he's from your world? It makes no friggin' sense!

"Why, because it makes me look like I make way more money than you do? Because I--SHIT."

Man, Gordon, you're already kicking his ass, you don't have to distract him on top of it!

The Joker's not playing around. Don't underestimate him.

Beats me. Maybe whatever causes it doesn't work on crazy people. I'm more worried about how he got a phone. No way the Lab guys would've let him through, right?

No no no no that is the exact opposite of what you should be doing if you see him!

Is that an evil cackle? That's an evil cackle.

"Naw, 'snot that!" He says distractedly while virtually climbing his way up a skinny pipe on the outside of a fort to get a better vantage point. Ooh, grenades.

"It's not even you, it's just... guys in suits usually mean bad news to me. I know, it's a stupid..." Hold on, tricky jump. "generalization and I'm not really sure where I got the idea in the first place, but still, can't help it."

"That makes him even more pathetic, somehow. Still, you can be certain that I won't go seeking him out--I wouldn't want to give him the attention he so clearly craves."

Hang on, Booster's got himself stuck in a corner again. Which of these sticks is for moving and which one is for looking around again? Why are they even separate sticks to begin with? Who designs these things?

"Maybe a businessman killed your parents or something." A facetious comment if ever there was one, but it's not like that's really unusual for Booster.

He's not perusing yet. Odd. He snorts a laugh and elbows him. "You're an ass."

The truth is actually more unbelievable than that. And much more horrible. But that's for another time.

"So what's the deal on this Joker guy? Is he really all you were talking about? Sure, he may be a--oh, hang on... a complete nutball, but... a mass murderer?"

People who're on fire can't kill other people! Duh.

I dunno, stole it? Maybe we oughta see if anybody's reported any thefts in town.

Booster stops bothering with his controller. He can't have a serious conversation and figure this thing out at the same time, and to him, the Joker is way more important.

"Did I look like I was joking? I know he probably looks ridiculous to you--clowns were originally supposed to be funny, right?--but I'm serious here, the guy's crazy and he loves killing people."

You mean if anybody's reported any murders. Petty theft isn't the Joker's style.

Oh, I see he and I are going to be the BEST of buddies. I guess we can definitely rule out him ever having gone through the labs, 'cause we'd DEFINITELY have heard about that.

"Trust me, I wasn't laughing. The guy's creepy as hell, and I'm not even afraid of clowns."

He pauses and takes another swig of his beer.

"--and he seems to remember everything... either that or he never forgot in the first place. I guess he could have been laying low until his memories came BACK, but from what I got from his love letter to the city he wouldn't be able to handle not being the center of attention for that long... Furthermore I have no freakin' clue where he got a Lab smartphone from. If a guy like that waltzed through new-citizens-processing at work, I'm pretty sure I would've heard about it."

Booster leans back on the couch and brings a hand to his chin in thought. He's back in Serious Mode now.

"Yeah, he definitely fell through the cracks somehow. Of all the people to get a pass.... He'd still be dangerous with amnesia, but I really would've appreciated the heads-up."

[An exasperated sigh.]

Look, kid. What's your name?

"You and me both... I don't know, Booster. I don't think he ever even made it to the Labs in the first place. I checked the records at work--" Between going on fetch-runs for the rest of the team. It sucks being the new guy without any salient credentials. "--and I didn't find anything in the past three months. I also thought he mugged someone for their smartphone too but when I looked THAT up it didn't have a previous owner."

He rakes his hands through his hair and shakes his head. "Nothing's adding up. He must have stolen it from the Labs, but how would he know to do that?"

Yeah, I don't think he's been to the Lab. I'm sure they're used to some weird stuff up there by now, but the Joker's a whole 'nother matter. He has to have some other connection.

Palom.

The Great and Mighty.

Sage of Infinite Power.

You can come up with more if you can think of any.

"I could've told you he didn't steal it from anybody. When I got my new phone, they told me I was the first person to need a replacement. Not that I would expect the Joker to be mugging somebody for their phone to begin with."

Booster shakes his head.

"He's got to have some kind of connection somewhere, somebody who'd steal a phone for him."

[Booster can't keep himself from looking skeptical for a moment before he responds. Sage, right, pull the other one.]

Ok, Palom, here's a question for you. Do you know what an explosive is?

Yeah! Those are nowhere near as powerful as my fireballs.

[Well, some of them weren't, anyway.]

Gordon looks over at him.

"And now that I think about it that Lab is a fortress. Literally AND figuratively. You can't just waltz in there and take a phone. The only way that'd happen is if...

Now he actually leaves his seat, pacing into an open area.

"You don't think whoever it was that took it is working there, do you?"

See, I'm more worried about how your fireballs might interact with explosives, especially if you tried to light someone on fire while they're wearing a lot of them. You catch my drift?

Which then begs the question: who in Sirocco is insane enough to provide connections to a guy who's clearly one short of a six-pack?

Edited 2012-04-02 05:41 (UTC)

Fireballs go long distance. I have good aim.

"It'd be easier for somebody working there to get a phone than anybody else, so the possibility's definitely on the table. I'd hope the guys up there have more sense than that, but, hey, they let us run around."

Not even Serious Mode Booster can manage to be entirely serious.

He grins sheepishly, heading back. Maybe he's overthinking things. Besides, it wasn't him that did it. Just a member of his team...

Which actually feels worse, somehow.

"Maybe the idiot just thought he was doing him a favor. Some of the guys there didn't exactly get a PhD in common sense, if you know what I mean."

That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? Do you have any ideas?

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Gold Exchange 10 - [video, filtered from the Joker]

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