The Funhouse Mirror (with ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jokester_not_joker)
Jun. 13th, 2013 08:55 amaceinthehoodThis was really not a good night to be Red Hood.
Banshee breaking out Blue Bowman would have been bad enough. Next to Owlman the archer was one of his most dangerous foes and Banshee was no slouch herself. At least with the rest of the Syndicate of the picture the heroes had a slight edge, maybe even a chance of a proper victory.
And then the pair got their hands on the flux capacitor.
Banshee fumbled with the controls while Blue Bowman held off the heroes' assault from the top of the Chessman building. Red Hood dodged a flash grenade arrow as his fingers clung to the rough stonework. Timekeeper was climbing beside him, his fur-tripped cloak waving in the wind.
"Hurry it up, Dinah!" Another set of arrows flashed down, one knocking off Timekeeper's crown and another impaling him through the leg. He lost his grip and tumbled down, saved only from death by a narrow ledge two stories lower.
"TK!"
A bright light flashed at the top of the building. The portal was opening. Hood looked up, then back down to his friend, wracked with indecision. Timekeeper waved him upward with a bloodstained hand.
"Go! Stop them! I'll be fine!"
"You'd better be!" Hood forced himself to keep going. He hauled himself up just in time to see Banshee and Blue Bowman disappear through the portal. No time to think. Just time to run. His feet took him from smooth concrete to rough alley pavement, and smack into Banshee moments before the portal closed behind him.
"I'll just be taking this--"
A piercing shriek sent him smashing into a brick wall. In his hands the flux capacitor cracked and sputtered, stinging his fingers with sparks.
"You idiot! We can't get back!" Hood heard a loud crack as one of them slapped the other across the face. Could be either one. The pair fought so much you could barely tell they were lovers. He feigned unconsciousness, waiting for his head to stop spinning.
"Who cares? Let the heroes have that world, or Owlman if he ever gets his tail in gear. Now we don't have to worry about either of them." Banshee's voice dropped to a coy purr. "We'll be the ones running the show."
"Huh. Kinda like the sound of that." Their boots crunched on broken glass as they walked away.
Well, shoot. Hood curled himself around the capacitor as he slowly clambered to his feet.
Even if he got the capacitor repaired, which was going to be no small task, he couldn't leave until he'd tracked down both of them. Whoever lived here didn't deserve the likes of them walking their streets.
He'd read Dr. Sivana's notes on the few alternate universes the scientist had investigated after he created the device, which had enabled Hood to find Batman's world. However he'd never been through the portal himself and he had no idea which world the Blue Bowman and Banshee had fled to. For all he knew everyone was fishpeople here. Best to play it cool until he had a better idea of what was going on. Hood fumbled in his suit pockets, past spare throwing knives and flesh-tone makeup, and came up with a small bottle of aspirin.
He had a feeling he was going to need a lot of it today.
Banshee breaking out Blue Bowman would have been bad enough. Next to Owlman the archer was one of his most dangerous foes and Banshee was no slouch herself. At least with the rest of the Syndicate of the picture the heroes had a slight edge, maybe even a chance of a proper victory.
And then the pair got their hands on the flux capacitor.
Banshee fumbled with the controls while Blue Bowman held off the heroes' assault from the top of the Chessman building. Red Hood dodged a flash grenade arrow as his fingers clung to the rough stonework. Timekeeper was climbing beside him, his fur-tripped cloak waving in the wind.
"Hurry it up, Dinah!" Another set of arrows flashed down, one knocking off Timekeeper's crown and another impaling him through the leg. He lost his grip and tumbled down, saved only from death by a narrow ledge two stories lower.
"TK!"
A bright light flashed at the top of the building. The portal was opening. Hood looked up, then back down to his friend, wracked with indecision. Timekeeper waved him upward with a bloodstained hand.
"Go! Stop them! I'll be fine!"
"You'd better be!" Hood forced himself to keep going. He hauled himself up just in time to see Banshee and Blue Bowman disappear through the portal. No time to think. Just time to run. His feet took him from smooth concrete to rough alley pavement, and smack into Banshee moments before the portal closed behind him.
"I'll just be taking this--"
A piercing shriek sent him smashing into a brick wall. In his hands the flux capacitor cracked and sputtered, stinging his fingers with sparks.
"You idiot! We can't get back!" Hood heard a loud crack as one of them slapped the other across the face. Could be either one. The pair fought so much you could barely tell they were lovers. He feigned unconsciousness, waiting for his head to stop spinning.
"Who cares? Let the heroes have that world, or Owlman if he ever gets his tail in gear. Now we don't have to worry about either of them." Banshee's voice dropped to a coy purr. "We'll be the ones running the show."
"Huh. Kinda like the sound of that." Their boots crunched on broken glass as they walked away.
Well, shoot. Hood curled himself around the capacitor as he slowly clambered to his feet.
Even if he got the capacitor repaired, which was going to be no small task, he couldn't leave until he'd tracked down both of them. Whoever lived here didn't deserve the likes of them walking their streets.
He'd read Dr. Sivana's notes on the few alternate universes the scientist had investigated after he created the device, which had enabled Hood to find Batman's world. However he'd never been through the portal himself and he had no idea which world the Blue Bowman and Banshee had fled to. For all he knew everyone was fishpeople here. Best to play it cool until he had a better idea of what was going on. Hood fumbled in his suit pockets, past spare throwing knives and flesh-tone makeup, and came up with a small bottle of aspirin.
He had a feeling he was going to need a lot of it today.
Sorry about the delay.
Date: 2013-06-13 10:24 pm (UTC)The flash of a light that was clearly not part of any regular machine. He was quick to make his way to the source, but by the time he got there the only one left was the man in the strange red helmet.
"Nice head wear, is it the latest fashion?" He didn't know what to make of this guy yet so he didn't intend to strike.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-14 01:29 am (UTC)"Yeah, it's all the latest fa..."
His voice trailed off as he took in the sight of the other man. It wasn't exactly him. The hair was wrong, the suit was ridiculous, and the smile wasn't drawn quite the same, but it was darn close enough.
"Fa. Fad," he said, staring at the pale-skinned man. "With the kids these days." His voice had gone quieter.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-14 03:27 am (UTC)"I'm going to guess clown makeup isn't?" If Red Hood looked closer he might be able to see the smile wasn't actually drawn on that way by accident. It was meant to accentuate the smile that had been cut onto either side of his face.
"So where are you from? England? I haven't seen anyone like you around Gotham before."
no subject
Date: 2013-06-14 12:31 pm (UTC)"Just rolled into town, yeah," he said, neatly sidestepping the question of 'from where'. "Still trying to get my bearings. You've got some weirdos around this place, you know? I just got passed by some guy dressed as Robin Hood."
no subject
Date: 2013-06-14 09:07 pm (UTC)"There are weirdos everywhere. We should probably go before the weirdo dressed up like an owl shows up." He's going to run off the assumption this guy was a hero. That didn't mean he was going to take the guy to his home, but it wouldn't hurt to get out of sight.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-14 09:11 pm (UTC)Play stupid, figure out as much as possible while hoping this scarred, painted other him held his moral values. Until he'd confirmed it Hood wouldn't be able to trust him. Hood shifted, blocking the other guy's view of the flux capacitor where he'd hidden it in the garbage cans.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-14 09:16 pm (UTC)"What isn't up with Owlman? He steals and murders pretty much every night he can. The guy's a regular kill joy."
no subject
Date: 2013-06-14 09:31 pm (UTC)First things first, he needed a base of operations.
"So if a guy wanted to not be found by a weirdo in an owl suit, where would he go? I'm a bit short on funding and I'd like to avoid the paparazzi." Not entirely true, but a hotel would probably want to see some ID. Or at least have him take off the mask.
no subject
Date: 2013-06-14 09:34 pm (UTC)"Not the best place, but I'm not taking you home with me. You have to buy me dinner first before that." His tone was teasing, but there was some truth in what he was saying. He wasn't about to trust Red Hood until he had a reason to.
"I can help you spruce up the place at least though."
no subject
Date: 2013-06-15 02:37 pm (UTC)"That'd be mighty neighborly of you. I'm not really bothered about the decor as long as it's got walls and a roof." He took a step back and grabbed the flux capacitor, wrapping it in his cloak to hide its exact shape. "Lead on, Mr...?"
no subject
Date: 2013-06-16 08:39 am (UTC)"You can call me Jokester. What do you go by?" Seeing as everything was settled he headed into the alley. "For the sake of not being stopped by every mugger who wants to say hello, I think we should head onto the roof tops for a while."
no subject
Date: 2013-06-17 02:14 pm (UTC)Hm. If it was his Gotham he could get halfway across the city's rooftops with his eyes closed, but who knew what this place was like. He clipped the flux capacitor to the back of his belt, and then made a flying jump for the nearest fire escape.
It groaned unsettlingly, but held.