Batman: City of Scars
Chapter 1
Arkham Asylum, July 3rd, 2012
The Joker has escaped, proving once again that the system here is broken. Thanks to this recent attempt, I've had to hold off on my investigation on the serial killer named Zsasz. The Joker will and always has been my top priority. Someone as dangerous as him can't afford to be let loose. As I investigate the sewer system below Arkham, I notice something: his footprints have ended in the west end caverns. As I scoured the waters nearby, I noticed what I came here for: his Arkham jumpsuit. It seems his path of destruction has already started, putting Arkham nurse Rebecca White, 23, in the hospital. She was only at the asylum for two weeks. The news coverage has spread like a wildfire. Today, the people of Gotham woke up to a message writ in blood: The Zebra has escaped from the Zoo to feast on the blood of the Lion. Happy 4th of July, Bats. From whose body I cannot say.
July 4th
Ever since my parents died, I have barely seen Gotham during the day. However, there is one reason I come out: Crime Alley. This place is the reason I come to see daylight every year. I come here when there is no other way to silence the demons in my head. As with all children, I came to my parents for help, for an answer. I always come here with two roses, one for my mother and the other for my father. I will never forget that night for as long as I live; the stench of the alley and the smoke of the muzzle are ingrained forever in my mind. But tonight, I will not dwell heavily on my past. The Joker is still out there and I need to find him.
There was a murder, out on 42nd Street. A councilman and his 10 year old son kidnapped, the child's mother killed. Hearing that news tore my heart apart. Another child will be stripped of his innocence by Gotham's underworld. Over police chatter I can hear that the corpse's body has been poisoned by some sort of gas. The face was showing an inhumane grin, like that of the Joker's. He will pay for this. However, now is not the time to deal with personal vendettas, I need information, now. There's only one person I know for sure who would help him escape: Harley Quinn.
As I step back into the asylum, I notice the freaks in their cells, grabbing as if to reach for some far off object. These creatures are only here for their lack of conscience. They're lucky I'm not one of them. If I crossed into their state of mind I'd be taking all of Gotham with me. As I crossed to the guard, he told the cell keeper to open the cell. The keeper gave me a confused look but I paid it no mind, he was obviously new. I looked down at Harley. She looked disheveled to say the least. Her hair was matted and greasy, her makeup crusted and old, her face cut in several places, not to mention her state of mind deteriorating rapidly. "Harley" I said, commanding her attention.
She looked up at me. There was no shine to her eyes. She looked cold and not all there. "I'm not supposed to talk to you." She said.
"A councilman and his son are missing, the child's mother dead. I need to know where the Joker is."
"I thought he'd be with you right now. You're always on top of his games."
I tried to keep my cool at the remark but sooner or later she'd tell me. I may as well tell her the truth, not like it would matter. The Joker's always been manipulative to weaker minds. "Joker's been using you Harley. He's never cared about you." She looked away for a minute, shaking her head as if she were a wet dog muttering "no" repeatedly. "That's why he needed your help to escape." The last words drove her crazy. She screamed in a crazed anger and bolted upright, staring into my eyes. "He loves me." She hissed. "He'll come back. He always comes back."
"He can't help himself. He's going to do something terrible and you know what it is. You know him better than anyone."
She smirked and then returned to that blank expression. "I don't know anything about some missing little twerp or his father. But I do know something about some little man owing him a favor and that he plans to cash it in." Then, with those last words, she let out a harrowing, bone-chilling laugh. I could tell the insanity finally came.