//------------------------------// // Dropping the Curtain, Birth of the 2nd Clayface // Story: Batman: The Family of Clay // by Dalek-Galvo //------------------------------// Trixie was heading toward her apartment complex when she got a phone call from her cameraman, Zephyr Breeze. "Hey Zephir, I'm almost home; what's up?" Trixie asked Zephir. "Have you been watching the news lately?" Zephir asked. "No, why?" Trixie asked in confusion. "It's about Juniper; she's at a hospital recovering from corrosive burns to her face, and reporters are calling her a survivor," Zephir said. "WHAT?" Trixie roared with rage. "IF THAT BITCH THINKS SHE CAN GET THE LAST LAUGH ON ME, SHE'S GOT ANOTHER THING COMING," Trixie roared as she hung up the phone. "Yeah, that's right, walk right into my trap," Zephir said as it was revealed to be Juniper Montage, aka Clayface, in Zephir's form. "You're about to take your final bow, and I'm going to make you the biggest laughingstock in Gotham." (Meanwhile, in the Gotham Bowery) "Where do you think you're going, you loner weirdo?" A street punk said this as he was chasing a young girl down a dark alleyway. "You don't have any friends, well, besides your plants, ha ha!" "Please leave me alone," Wallflower pleaded as she tried to run away from the street punks. Wallflower Blush has always been alone; no one, not even her parents, has acknowledged her existence. She felt so forgotten, and no one likes to be forgotten. In her desperation to be remembered, she angered the wrong set of people, and now she was going to be regretting those actions. As Wallflower was running, she then spotted a cave nearby, and she thought of this as the best course of action to get away from the street punks. "We're almost to you, weirdo," the Head Punk retorted. "No one makes fun of the Black Skulls and gets away with it!" However, the punks were unaware of a dark shadow above them, the shadow of Batman. Then Batman landed on the ground right in front of the street punks. "IT'S THE BAT," one of the punks squealed. "Alright, you three, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way; what's it going to be?" Batman said. "Go to hell, Batman," The Head Punk said as they then attacked Batman. Wallflower, thinking this would be a perfect distraction, took off running toward the cave system. However, what Wallflower didn't see was that someone else saw her go into the cave, and that person was the 2nd Robin, Jason Todd, aka The Red Hood. Juniper was in a bar that resided near the Bowery, just to get a quick bite to eat and read her newspaper. Then Juniper saw a story in her newspaper about Batman's most recent victory against the Clown Prince of Crime, The Joker. Juniper had always thought of Batman as a hero ever since she was little, despite what others said about the Dark Knight, and it wasn't just because of Batman's costume. Juniper idolized Batman for his attempts to halt the crime and corruption that had been polluting Gotham for many years. Juniper also knew about Batman's allies, Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Red-Hood (Jason Todd), Red-Robin (Tim Drake), and Robin (Damian Wayne). Juniper had also been thinking about how these shape-shifting clay powers were destined for someone like her. Because isn't it an actor's job to change their face for every role they're in? Juniper was also thinking about Trixie. Juniper didn't want to kill her, but to humiliate her in the worst possible way, in front of everyone on live TV, and make her the biggest laughing stock in Gotham. So she would plan to meet up with Basil Karlo and Matthew Hagan to put up a "play" known as "The Tragic Tale of Lady-Clay." Juniper then wore a devilish grin, as she knew that this would be sweet, satisfying, and, most of all, legal revenge. When Wallflower ran into a dark section of the cave, she sat down in the stony corridor as she was out of breath. "Those punks will never find me now," Wallflower murmured to herself as she got her phone out of her pocket and used the phone's flashlight app, so she would be able to see through her surroundings. Wallflower continued to explore until she found a green light that was coming from a passageway in the cave. Once Wallflower saw the source of the light, she saw that it was a glowing green pool of protoplasm that was writhing and bubbling. "Hey kid," Red Hood said behind Wallflower. "Don't worry, Batman's taken care of those punks; why don't you come with me to the nearest station?" "No, stay away from me; don't come any closer, you monster," Wallflower said as she started to panic, walking closer to the protoplasm pool. Then Wallflower lost her footing as she tripped and fell into the green pool of clay. This incident would be symbolic of the incident at Ace Chemical when Batman confronted The Red Hood, the alleged leader of the Red Hood Mob. The Red Hood would fall into a vat of chemicals and become one of Batman's most dangerous and unpredictable foes. "The Joker." However, as Red-Hood left the cave, he didn't know that a clay arm rose from the pool of protoplasm and thus started the beginning of the 2nd Clayface. (Revenge is a dish, best served cold.). Juniper had everything in motion, Basil Karlo and Matt Hagan had everything prepared, and the audience was waiting. Now Juniper was waiting for Trixie, "The Guest of Honor," to show up. "Mr. Karlo, what is this about?" Trixie asked. "We are opening a new play, The Tragedy and Triumph of Lady-Clay," Basil Karlo stated. "And guess what? Trixie, you're the leading lady," Matt Hagan retorted. "I...I am," Trixie said in excitement. "Yes, finally, I can get the attention I so rightfully deserve." "Come along now, Lulamoon; the audience is waiting," Basil Karlo said. Then, Basil Karlo, Matt Hagan, and Trixie Lulamoo entered the stage. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, good evening," Basil Karlo said as Matt Hagan left the stage. "It is my devilish pleasure to start tonight's performance, The Tragedy and Triumph of Lady-Clay," Basil retorted. "And let me introduce you all to Trixie Lulamoon, the leading lady, the guest of honor...The Villian," Basil Karlo said as his body started to morph into that of Juniper Montage, aka, Lady-Clay. "Hello Trix, miss me?" "Juniper!" Trixie said it in a voice of shock. "But I thought you were at a hospital." "Oh, but a clever ploy, Trix," Juniper said. "A ploy that would lure you here, and in front of a captive audience no less." "Now, ladies and gentlemen of the jury," Juniper stated to the audience. "Allow me to start with the tragedy and triumph of Lady Clay." "What separates a man from a monster?" Juniper said as she got into character. "Evil, greed, and jealousy are examples of that." "But in this case, man and monster are one and the same," Juniper said as she morphed into her clay form. Trixie gasped in fright. "Not a pretty sight, is it?" Juniper sneered as she reverted to her human form. "Oh, but it was you that put me through this ordeal, Lulamoon; you turned me into Clay." "What? You have no proof of this," Trixie protested. "Oh, but I do, Trix," Juniper replied. "And please don't interrupt while a performance is in play; it's simply impolite." Then, the real Basil Karlo came onto the stage with a sample of Renuyu. "Renuyu was an experimental chemical protoplasm that was being made by a partnership between Roland Dagget and Luminous Lulamoon, Trixie's father," Basil stated to the audience. "You were jealous of me, Trixie; even you can't deny that," Juniper said as her hand morphed into that of a clay figurine that started dancing. "However, in your chance to get rid of me, you only made me stronger as an actor," Juniper said as she danced around the stage as the crowd applauded Juniper by chanting the name Lady-Clay. The crowd then started booing Trixie as they started throwing stuff at Trixie, calling her a cheat and her father a fraud. Trixie then gave Juniper a look of utter hatred and, in a blind rage, charged at her before Matt Hagan pinned Trixie to the ground. Since she was raving and acting like a completely crazy person, she was sent to Arkham Asylum for a few days to calm down. However, it would be venomous words from those such as Professor Hugo Strange, Edward Nygma (The Riddler), Jonathan Crane (The Scarecrow), and most of all, the Joker, that made her hatred for Juniper intensify. All Trixie knew was that she had one goal—to get revenge on Lady Clay. Due to that night, Roland Dagget cut all ties with Luminous Lulamoon, and thus, their partnership ended. Luminous blamed Trixie for ruining his life. After this, Juniper offered to turn herself in Arkham Asylum to try and find a cure for her affliction, but after a meet-in with Batman, he told her that she could either live her life as a criminal or a crusader to save those who may suffer from similar afflictions as her. Juniper agreed to Batman's offer and returned with her family as she continued her acting career. However, the story of the Family of Clay is just beginning.