Ok since this story is just starting I'm going to be super annoying and put a shit ton of notes here.
On the Joker and Harley: I in no way condone the relationship between Harley Quinn and the Joker, it's built on lies and manipulation. Not to mention that is abusive and destructive. However, it is incredibly interesting to study and I feel like Gotham missed an opportunity to portray the demise of Harleen into her supervillian counterpart. Don't even get me started on the Jerome thing (rip little guy)... I think there's a lot of compelling material with these characters and how they could have a connection that feeds into their future.
On Harley: There are many ways to portray Harleen and I have found myself enjoying every single one of them because we all can agree that Harley is a smart cookie. In here Harley is a lot younger therefore very naive which makes her more susceptible to Jerome, but also with her youth comes a stronger moral guidance and ability to fight for herself and what she wants. As far as her appearance go I say picture whoever you like as I don't have a particular actress in mind.
On Jerome: I know he's TECHNICALLY dead and TECHNICALLY not the Joker, but who cares poo on the Gotham writers for making that choice bc Cameron Monaghan is a god at acting and I can't see anyone else playing the character. There's a certain type of charm that just draws you in and refuses to let go. So yes he is not dying in this fic and he is the Joker bc it would break my heart to say otherwise.
You think I'm crazy, you think I'm gone
So what if I'm crazy? All the best people are
And I think you're crazy too, I know you're gone
That's probably the reason that we get along
- Melanie Martinez, Mad Hatter
Dr. Penelope Young was perfectly aware that Arkham was relatively short staffed. The reopening of the house for the criminally insane plus Detective Gordon's heroic arrests should have inspired many to take up the practice of psychiatric care. At first there were plenty of men and women looking to make a change in the inmates. To make a breakthrough with these individuals would mean an incredible career boost. Most of them wanted to tackle the hardest cases head first and Dr. Young had let them. Everyone needed a lesson in humility on their first day. She remembered her own quiet vividly when she attempted to council a particularly nasty man who murdered his entire family. She still had scars from that encounter.
However, not every person at Arkham was looking to hurt everyone around them. There were some that maintained most of their sanity and were incarcerated for smaller crimes such as public disturbance (it wasn't shocking to see that this was the most popular activity in Gotham). They did not need the harsh therapy or isolation that Arkham was built for. Thus, they were soon released upon the streets with no other use. It was most likely that they would be seen within the bars again, but the violence of Blackgate proved to be their future.
No, Arkham was not for these types. It was for men and women like Richard Sionis who had murdered twenty five people in some kind of superiority tantrum or Robert Greenwood who ate a dozen women with bacon on the side. There were daily processes that were set to keep them in line. Therapy, medication, food, free time, more therapy, more medication and so on. Dr. Young had found within a short period of time that a madman did not appreciate schedules. Usually, they were dragged by the the guards to their sessions or pills were shoved down their throat. Was it sad? Of course it was, but steps needed to be taken to rehabilitation. If Dr. Young could cure at least one of these men then possibly she could be seeing the warden's chair in only a few years. To run Arkham would mean to implement any means necessary to keep Gotham clean of this filth.
Plans as Dr. Young realized were not entirely set in stone with a place like this. The young hopefuls she had employed over her time had quickly exited due to "mental stress." It was only natural that weekly life attempts would put strain on some people. Aaron Helzinger had strangled a nurse on her third day to the point where her coma had lasted weeks. It was not the first nor the last nurse that would end up in Gotham General for such a incident. There was always a new person every day to replace the old one that had run out screaming just minutes before. It was not a job for the faint of heart, but the pay was moderate and there were many desperate for income in Gotham.
Dr. Young needed employees. It was even surprising to herself when she accepted the local Gotham high school's offer of internists to help out with files. Apparently, it would educate the hopeful doctors in their senior year on life in the field. In return their time in Arkham they would be excused from school. Dr. Young saw it as an opportunity to get them to run as far as they could from the profession. If she encountered this in high school she would have taken up cooking.
The fresh faced prospects were to line up in the lobby with the appropriate attire and badges. Well, there was only one prospect. The aspirations in Gotham began to lean more towards super criminal then doctor. The status of celebrity for characters such as the Penguin or the late Don Maroni had caused the high schools their own problems of dropouts and gang violence.
Dr. Young could almost smell the innocence of the new intern compared to the saddened visitors that resided in the waiting room. Not that there were many visitors to Arkham. Most of the inmates had killed whatever family they had. Or they refused to take on such a responsibility. This lone applicant for the Arkham Asylum Internship Program was seated next to a man with unclear eyes and grasping his walking stick with tight hands. Dr. Young immediately recognized him as the father of one of the inmates. The kindly old blind man who tried to save his son from incariation. It was almost a sweet story if the matricide and supposed devil worship didn't factor into it. He had avoided jail time by agreeing to testify against his son and land him in Arkham for life.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Cicero?" Dr. Young asked smoothly ignoring the teen next to him.
"Please… Miss. Young… Let me see my son. I know he's angry, but I-"
"I'm afraid we cannot do that, sir. Mr. Valeska is not in a fit state to interact with you. Especially so early after your deposition." Dr. Young said matter of factly. Since arriving at Arkham Mr. Cicero's son had been one of its most violent residents. Ten of his potential therapists had been reduced to sobbing messes and twelve guards had been stabbed. The echo of his laughter down the dreary halls had already become famous. Dr. Young had mentioned it was a tough job… Didn't she?
"I'm allowed to see my son!" Mr. Cicero shouted in tune with the slam of his walking stick, causing the teen to jump.
"If you do not calm down I will have to see to security to escort you out." There was no time to deal with a man who wasn't even a resident. She only had an hour until her much dreaded session with a new inmate. Former socialite who killed her parents…. How lovely. "Mr. Cicero this is truly for your own good. Your son needs help and a meeting would only prove to be more problematic with his behavior."
As far as Dr. Young was concerned nothing could possibly be done to help the little brat that had lost her so much potential staff. He was the youngest of any other in Arkham, but his reputation preceded that of the most notorious killers. Even her experienced doctors had elected to interview more "willing" patients. She remembered a former nurse had described him as a menace to society fit to rot for eternity. The boy must have found that very charming. Dr. Young had not been privileged with a meeting yet, but the mere thought of that... Cackle… Was enough to not ask.
Mr. Cicero proceeded to sigh and stood with a little effort on his part. "I'll be back." He growled. Maybe that's where his kid got it….
"And I look forward to it."
A fit of grumbling followed the blind man as he hobbled over to the doors that lead outside of Arkham. Before exiting he turned back and almost looked (if he could even do that) at the girl who was previously sitting next to him. It was almost as if he wanted to say something, but decided against it.
Dr. Young looked down the badge that hung from the girl's lab coat. She briefly wondered if she bought it at a costume shop. "Harleen Quinzel?" She said reading the text below her picture. A blonde girl with bright blue eyes and a wide smile greeted back from the plastic shine of the card.
"Oh, you can call me Har-" The girl replied standing from the chair. Dr. Young could immediately tell she was a gymnast of some sort with the grace of her posture.
"We don't have nicknames in here. I read what is on your badge."
"Alright then Miss. Young."
Dr. Young could immediately spot that her accent was thick and was not going away anytime soon. It could either be Narrows or a completely different part of the county altogether. She made a note to keep extra painkillers in her desk. "I'm surprised you want to intern here at Arkham."
"I've always had a thing for extreme personalities." Harleen was beginning to blush. Dr. Young hoped that this wasn't one of those girls that kept newspaper clippings of the inmates in a scrapbook with hearts around it. She's had her fair share of "fans" looking to catch a glimpse. "You can't deny there's an element of glamour to these super criminals."
"I'll warn you right now, these are hardcore psychotics." Dr. Young's tone dropped. She had made enough mistakes letting the wrong people into Arkham. Breakouts were commonplace and more criminals left the site more than they entered it. She did not need some teenager going soft and letting anyone go. "Most would rather kill you then speak to you."
Dr. Young considered her strategy. The girl was pretty and a pretty girl could go a long way as far as criminals went. They would be willing to talk to someone like Harleen. Her gentle submittance to Dr. Young's refusal to call her by a nickname could be useful. She wouldn't be as frazzled by the dangerous ones. However, it was not in her best interest to throw the girl into the lion's den just yet.
"I'm sure I'll be fine, doctor."
"You are what? Seventeen?" Her eyes raked over Harleen's appearance. Pigtails tied in loose red ribbons matching her blouse that was pulled just a bit lower than dress code requirements. Her cheap lab coat that must have been scratchy as she shifted every second or so in discomfort. To top it all off her long legs were covered by jeans… Of all things… "These men will eat you for breakfast. One or two of them will enjoy it too. First thing's first get those pigtails out. Many of our residents would love the opportunity to pull those out of your head."
"I thought I was just organizing files." Harleen complained, but she obeyed tucking the ribbons into her coat pocket and tying her hair into a tight fit bun.
"You are, but who knows how long it will be before you encounter anyone. It is most likely that I will need an assistant to take notes during patient interviews." She glanced down at her clipboard that held Harleen's application form. "It says here you are on the Gotham high school cheerleading team. Will that conflict with our schedule?"
"Oh no ma'am! Practice starts after my time here." She delivered a big smile. "I'm also on the gymnastics team, but we already got to Nationals."
"Hmmmm." Dr. Young mused turning on her heel and taking off towards the hall leading to the filing cabinets. With luck the girl would follow after her and sure enough she did. "Every day you will report to the lobby and wait for an official to let you inside."
"Lobby, official, inside." Harleen repeated to herself. She frowned a little as if thinking something over. "That man wanted to see his son really bad didn't he? Why didn't you let him?"
Dr. Young stopped almost causing the poor girl to bump into her back. "That man's son had murdered his mother and proceeded to laugh about it the whole way here. I don't think he's stopped laughing about it. Then his father puts him in here to save his own skin and any smart person would realize that any contact would result in his death."
Harleen's face twisted to something that was akin to shock or was it terror? Better to break the idealism early. "These are not tortured souls crying out for love and acceptance. They are murderers, rapists, and thieves and you are nothing but another potential victim to them." She said in a clipped manner.
Harleen paused before nodding slowly as if tasting each of Dr. Young's words. "I only meant he looked so sad… He kept staring at me as if he had something to say, ya know?"
"Maybe he knows you from somewhere."
"I heard he used to predict the future at the circus…" She smiled as if ready to tell a joke of some kind. "Maybe he saw me in the future or something."
Dr. Young rolled her eyes. There was no time for trivial matters such as this. She needed to get Harleen to her designated space before her interview with… Betty… Barbara… She couldn't remember.
She picked up her pace down the hallway only decorated with doors that lead to offices. Harleen scooted along with her every step of the way. "The only way to the filing cabinet where you will spend your time is past the common hall. It is blocked by bars and guards but this is where they will be." She did not need to specify. She knew exactly who would be sitting closest to peak through the bars to catch a look of a new inmate or a doctor. Valeska, Sionis, Dobkins, Helzinger, and Greenwood the true worst of the worst in Arkham. They had formed their little gang quickly possibly by ranking up how many offenses each had done while already imprisoned. Sionis looked to be the leader but knowing anything about Valeska's behavior that wouldn't last. "You do not speak to them or look at them or even think about them."
"Wouldn't dream of it, doc." Harleen said a smirk creeping across her lips.
"And none of… That."
The smirk was almost snapped out of existence and the only thing that remained was a truly professional neutral expression. "So, no smiling either?"
"Trust me, after you meet these people you won't want to smile."
If any of you are wondering who Dr. Penelope Young is she is a character in the game Batman: Arkham Aslyum and is characterized as a woman more focused on her career then the wellbeing of the patients. Thus, this chapter has a bit of a cold feeling to it.