Chapter Twenty-Five: Stress Response

Conditioned response—yes, that's exactly what it is. You hear the bell, you salivate; you hear the clatter of a bowl, you come running for food.

People who have lived long under the rule of law, when confronted by crime—especially when it harms them—respond with counterattacks in much the same way.

—Wang Luo

August 17, 1993, 2:26 p.m.
Umbrella Underground Laboratory Special Operations Team Office

“Why the Joker?”

After speaking with Mr. Philip, Captain Johnson received another call for assistance.

He and his men had been dashing up and down three avenues, stopping countless attempted robberies. But what was the use? As soon as they left, the criminals returned.

Of course, it wasn’t all for nothing. Among the petty gangsters they caught, a few had seen the Joker.

The Joker came to negotiate with Monty strapped with explosives; the Joker ordered them to find the city’s poor for human experiments; the money and gold bars the Joker scattered around the city were looted from banks; the Joker attacked the TV station, but the broadcast he aired boosted their ratings, so they weren’t overly hostile toward him.

So, why the Joker?

The captain sat up and picked up a dossier on the Joker that his subordinates had compiled.

On top was a poster of the Joker from the Batman movie.

Green hair, ghastly white face, terrifying grin, eyes wild with madness...

What sort of person was this? A lunatic who’d watched the movie and decided to impersonate the Joker? Or someone deliberately using this image to exert pressure on certain people in the city? What was his aim? Was he simply after some corporate secrets? Or did he want to revel in the act of crime itself, turning the whole city upside down?

He glanced at the other figure on the poster: Batman.

Dark, mysterious, powerful—embodying fear yet steadfast in will, battered by adversity yet imposing in spirit. To confront the Joker, you needed someone like that, didn’t you?

And who, if not me, was more suited to the role?

His heart surged with excitement at the thought, but moments later, he pushed the notion aside.

How utterly ridiculous—like a child’s fantasy.

He set the poster down, returned to his desk, and picked up the report.

Bank robbery.
Attack on the TV station, spreading absurd rumors.
Scattering stolen cash and gold around the city to incite chaos.
Colluding with gangs, conducting experiments on living people.
...

Within these accounts of the Joker’s actions, his next move must be hidden. If he acted purely for ridicule and mockery, he’d most likely head for the heavily guarded underground laboratory; but if there was a more sinister purpose, what could it be?

How could they find him and bring him to justice? How could he protect the city from this menace and avenge those who’d died at his hands?

His thoughts spiraled deeper. Soon, all the figures—Monty, Philip, the Joker, the banks, the police, the gangs, the TV station, the bars, robbery, murder, the citizens’ furious outcries, the calm and feigned composure of several bosses—began to swirl, roar, and contort in the mind of this former U.S. Army Captain, now Umbrella’s team leader...

Only the shrill ring of the telephone snapped him out of it with a start.

He was drenched in cold sweat.

“Hello, Captain,” came Philip’s voice.

“Hello, Mr. Philip.”

“Your prediction, unfortunately, came true. The Joker’s come for me again.” Philip’s pitch was a little high. “He wants me to broadcast a news story tonight: you’re opening up the laboratory for any citizen with doubts to come and visit.”

So that was the Joker’s next move? Johnson thought it almost too simple. “Did you agree?”

“Of course! So if you don’t want me to air it, you’d better send people to protect me! If you don’t, I’ve no choice but to broadcast—after all, I still want to enjoy those fine whiskeys, beauties, and balls you mentioned earlier.”

“We’d better discuss this in person—yes, at your TV station.”

After hanging up, Captain Johnson considered the possible consequences.

This was a ruthless move. If the citizens believed the announcement, and on arrival at the laboratory discovered they’d been deceived, their already simmering anger would explode into fury. If someone incited them, it wasn’t impossible they’d attack the laboratory outright.

By then, not even the mayor, the police, nor his own security force would be able to control the situation—it would spiral beyond any hope of resolution. Wait...

That meant the Joker himself would be there.

August 17, 1993, 3:05 p.m.
Umbrella Underground Laboratory, Manager’s Office

“So you support opening the underground laboratory?” Manager A removed his glasses, looking at Johnson in surprise.

“Yes. In my view, this is our best chance to catch the Joker.”

Johnson outlined his plan. It was simple: allow visits at the TV station, but restrict the number and identity of visitors. Through permits, those entering could be screened and identified—once inside, the Joker would surely act. With tight surveillance in the lab, they could catch him in the act.

Manager A weighed the plan. “There’s a lot of valuable equipment in the lab, and irreplaceable experimental data. And it’s a vast place...”

“But catching the Joker would resolve our current crisis. If we let this drag on, who knows what new schemes he’ll devise? Sir, too few people know the laboratory’s true condition. Even our own guards haven’t really seen inside. If we let this Joker run amok, sooner or later it’ll bring even more trouble—then it won’t just be our problem.”

Manager A studied Johnson. In the more than a year since his promotion to deputy captain, Johnson’s abilities and sense of justice had been beyond question. That same sense of justice—stopping colleagues from taking petty advantage—had sometimes brought slander and stymied his advancement. But now, it seemed, was the moment for such a man.

“Previously, the Joker made a similar suggestion to the mayor.” Thinking of the implications, Manager A relented. Although this incident hadn’t touched the company’s core secrets, the sooner it was resolved, the better.

“The mayor didn’t cooperate.” Seeing Johnson’s surprise, Manager A explained, “Unlike the TV station and the gangs, the mayor made the wiser choice. At the time, the Joker’s aim was to have the lab opened for inspection by a delegation selected by the mayor.”

“And after being refused... Now, he wants ‘any suspicious citizen’ to visit. You just said: to catch the Joker?”

“Yes, sir, I believe he won’t pass up such a perfect opportunity to mock us.”

“Good! Since you’re confident, do it your way. The tours will be limited to those locations the TV broadcast claimed were filled with gold. I’ll arrange for the equipment and data to be moved elsewhere.”

“Finally, you should know, I trust you. But if this whole affair ends up achieving nothing, I’ll have no choice but to...”

“Yes, sir.”