Falling
"Don't worry – if I get into any trouble in Gotham, Batman will save me."
That's what Harleen Quinzel had told everyone when she had informed them she was moving to Gotham City in pursuit of a job at Arkham Asylum, one of the finest mental institutions in the country. Her parents and her friends were naturally anxious at her heading out to the big city all alone, but for Harleen, it was a welcome breath of independence and fresh air. She had been living with her parents while studying for her medical degree, which had been financially practical, although it had made it impossible for her to maintain any kind of social life. Not that Harleen was a particularly outgoing or social person – she had spent most of her life among books, reading and studying and dreaming of the day when she could have her freedom, heading off into the world on her own to do what she wanted to do.
And so she had studied. And worked. And saved up enough to afford a small apartment in Gotham City's East Side. It wasn't a fancy district by any means – the neighborhood was less than reputable, but Harleen's landlady seemed nice, and frankly Harleen was just grateful to be out on her own.
But now, as she walked home from the Gotham Library that evening, she felt incredibly uneasy. She knew it wasn't a good idea for a young woman to be walking alone in the dark in a big city, but she was trying to save money on cab fare. And she thought she knew the route back to her apartment – it had seemed fairly straightforward on the way there. But she had begun to suspect, as she walked further along dark, unfamiliar surroundings, that she might be lost.
"If I get into any trouble, Batman will save me," she whispered, trying to reassure herself. She had read with delight the tales of Gotham's vigilante hero, regarding him with a mixture of awe and admiration. He had brought a sense of hope to the people of Gotham, and Harleen tried to cling onto that hope, although if she dared admit it to herself, she was absolutely terrified.
Her footsteps echoed loudly down the empty street. Her footsteps and…someone else's, she realized, with a jolt of horror. She turned around quickly, but there was no one there. Still, she felt like she was being watched, and as she started walking again, she was sure another pair of footsteps echoed her.
As she passed an alley, a filthy hand suddenly reached out to grab her, clapping itself over her mouth and muffling her scream as it pulled her into the darkness. "Well, well, well, what have we got here?" hissed an unpleasant voice. The alley was completely black, but the moon shone enough light on her attacker to reveal a coarse, unpleasant face and lustful eyes. "What's a pretty young thing like you doing out all alone?" asked the man, grinning at her.
"Hey, Moe, lay off," said another man, appearing behind her. "You know the boss told us to keep watch, and nothing else."
"Yeah, but the boss didn't know that this pretty piece of ass would come walking right into our laps, did he?" laughed the first man. "And he's the last guy in the world to wanna deprive us of our fun. But first thing's first," he said, grabbing Harleen's purse as he kept one hand in a vice-like grip around her arm. He tossed the purse at the second man. "See what kinda cash she's got on her."
The second man sighed, opening the bag as the first man grabbed Harleen's other arm, slamming her against the wall. "Twenty bucks, that's it," said the second man, pulling out a couple bills.
"It's yours!" gasped Harleen. "And I can get you more, just…please…don't hurt me!"
The first man chuckled. "Whaddya think, Larry?" he asked. "Would you rather have some more cash, or this little doll?"
"I would rather you let her go and we get back to work," muttered the second man. "The boss wouldn't want us distracted…"
"Will you just shut up about the boss?" demanded the first man. "He ain't here, so I don't give a damn what he wants! I want this little peach," he growled, sliding his hands down her waist.
Harleen was paralyzed with fear, too paralyzed to even scream, not that it would do her any good. She shut her eyes, praying desperately that Batman was around, and was gonna save her. He had to, he was a hero, and that's what heroes did. They saved vulnerable young girls like her from being attacked. Batman had to save her, he just had to…
"What the hell is going on?" demanded a new voice. Harleen's eyes snapped open to see a man standing at the entrance to the alley. He was wearing a fedora, which hid his face from the moonlight. He was smoking a cigarette, and wore a long trenchcoat and carried a cane, and his appearance had a startling effect on the two other men. The one who had been groping her slowly drew away, but kept his hands on her wrists.
"Uh…boss," stammered the second man. "We were just…uh…"
"Were you keeping watch, is that what you were doing?" interrupted the man, who was clearly in charge. "Doesn't look that way to me. You want this whole operation to be ruined, Larry? You wanna bring the Bat down on us? You wanna make me unhappy?"
"No…no, sir," stammered the second man. "It was Moe's idea to grab the girl…"
She felt the boss's eyes stray over to her, felt a strange intensity as they studied her. And then the boss grinned. "Did I tell you to grab a girl, Moe?"
"No…sir," stammered the man holding her. "But…"
"But what?" interrupted the boss. "You think you can just ignore what I tell you to do and improvise your own little routines? Is that what you think, Moe?"
"No…sir," repeated the man. "I just thought…y'know…I might take a little advantage of the opportunity fate threw in my way."
The boss inhaled from his cigarette, exhaling slowly. "Well, here's some news for you, Moe," he murmured. "You don't think. That's my job. Your job is to do exactly what I tell you. And what I told you to do was keep watch. Not grab a dame, not rob her, and not take advantage of her opportunity," he snapped, grabbing Harleen's purse away from Larry. "Now let her go, and get lost. I'll deal with you later."
Moe reluctantly released Harleen, and she fell to the ground – her fear had turned her legs to jelly. He and the other man left the alley, leaving Harleen alone with the boss.
Harleen was shaking in fear and relief, although she wondered if relief might be premature. It was entirely possible that the boss had told the others to get lost so he could have his own way with her. She gazed up into his face, trembling, but she still couldn't see anything. The man studied her for a moment, taking another drag on his cigarette, and then suddenly tossed her purse at her feet, turning away.
"Stay outta this neighborhood in future, kid," he muttered. "It's dangerous."
"W…wait," stammered Harleen, struggling to her feet. "Thank…thank you for…saving me."
The man laughed, a strange, low chuckle. "Who were you expecting to save you, kid?" he asked, grinning at her. The moonlight glinted on a huge smile of bright, white teeth. "Batman?"
"I…I…guess," stammered Harleen. "Who…who are you?"
He laughed again. "Not Batman," he replied, turning to go again. "Goodnight, kiddo."
"I'd…really like to know!" cried Harleen after him. "Maybe someday I can repay the favor and help you out."
He turned back to her, and grinned again. "Yeah, maybe," he agreed. He headed back over, picking up her purse and pulling out her wallet. "Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel," he murmured. "Nice name."
"Thank…thank you," she stammered.
"What kinda doctor are you?" he asked.
"I…I'm a qualified psychiatrist," she murmured. "I just moved here…a few weeks ago…I'm trying to get a job at Arkham Asylum, if you know it."
The man grinned again. "Oh, I know it," he chuckled. "I know it well." He replaced her wallet, and handed her purse back. "Ok, kid, I'll keep you in mind and see if you can't help me out one of these days. A favor for a favor's fair, right?"
She nodded. "Anything I can do to help, Mr…?"
He smiled, and removed his fedora. The moonlight shone on a white face, bone white, with grinning red lips, and bright green eyes, that matched the slicked-back, bright green hair. Harleen gasped in shock and fear.
"Don't usually bother with the Mr," he chuckled. "Just the Joker's fine with me."
"Oh my God, you're…you're…the lunatic who fights Batman!" gasped Harleen.
"Or is he the lunatic who fights me?" laughed Joker. "Well, either way, I'm flattered that you recognize me, toots. Maybe I'll see you in Arkham sometime, huh? And you can return that little favor, Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel."
He headed out of the alley. "Oh, and here's a little tip for you, seeing as how you're new to Gotham," he said. "Don't depend on Batman. He's never around when you need him, and he always shows up when you don't. He's a real killjoy, actually. Pretty little thing like you can do much better. See ya around, kiddo."
He left her alone. Harleen stared after him, and then slowly made her way back onto a main road, hailing a taxi to take her home. She headed into her bedroom, putting her purse down and slowly changing out of her clothes and getting ready for bed. She lay in the darkness for hours, finally dropping off to sleep with the Joker's grinning face still in front of her eyes.