Re: Batman/Maria/Superman
The images went away, but no new ones appear. Batman didn't look at Hill, just stared at the computer, tapping a few keys as though hesitating. Then he typed faster and first the chemical analysis appeared, followed by the video images, followed by the post mortem images of the victims. All of the videos showed the same thing: people laughing as though the best comedian in the world were performing just off-camera. If you managed to get a look at their eyes though, it was possible to see their fear. Their eyes slowly began to bulge out of their faces and their mouths pulled back in a terrible rictus.
The post mortems were the obvious results. Upon closer inspection though, it became clear that not all of them were post mortem. Some of the victims were lying in hospital beds, their faces not completely altered, their breathing shallow. The others were absolutely dead, and horrifically transfigured.
"Joker's Toxin, Joker's Venom, Smilex, Joker Gas - there are many names," Batman said disgustedly. "The man is a chemical genius. He uses the legendary 'Sardonic herb', otherwise known as hemlock water dropwort, or Oenanthe crocata. It's a poisonous plant which causes the face muscles to contract into a grin. He combines that with Strychnine, which has the similar effect of causing muscle spasms and paralysis, and the final ingrediant is nitrous oxide, or laughing gas."
Batman stared at the holograms. "The Toxin attack's the body's nervous system, causing uncontrollable spasms of laughter, followed by a slow, painful death by asphyxiation, as long as their heart doesn't give out first." He couldn't help feeling more intense about this. Not just because it was more serious, but because he felt so very responsible for everything Joker did. It was a frustrating validation to Joker's claim that they were connected.
"It can be a gas or a liquid, though it's primarily inhaled. I've seen it injected and ingested, too. There's a non-lethal variant that just results in the laughing spasms and facial distortion, however, prolonged exposure to either variant tends to result in permanent brain damage, leading to severe and permanent mental illness with delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, and mania."
Batman called up another file - yet another chemical analysis. "It took me years, but I finally managed to synthesize an antidote for it. I'm still working on an innoculation, but I fear that as soon as I do, Joker will just change his chemical mix. If administered to the victim within on hour of exposure, they will survive. Whether they maintain their sanity or not is something I can't control. Anywhere from one hour to two, there's still a chance of survival, but it's touch and go. Some have ended up in comas or asylums, while others have pulled through."