Earlier that day...
"Are you insane Dr. Morgan?!"
He flinched at the harsh, but not unexpected, retort. Having dealt with some of the worst cases of Gotham, Dr. Morgan did not consider himself an easily intimidated man, nor one who would bend to the will of the portly and rather pompous Warden Sharp; however, even he was unsure of this proposition and felt a bit small for suggesting it.
It didn't mean he enjoyed having his mental state compared to that of his patients though.
"Having even one of them alone with one of our doctors is dangerous enough, but to have both of them-together?!" Sharp was going red in the face, his bald patch shining.
"The Joker's already managed to turn one of our best against us, if you haven't forgotten! I can't even bear to think about what he could do with Burkley. The boy is already enough of a handful on his own, but now you want him to play psychiatrist?!"
"But none of our own have managed to diagnose let alone treat the Joker."
"That's because he's not treatable, as he's proven time and time again." The Warden dismissed. Morgan would not be denied.
"Only with doctors, but you've said the exact same things about the patients that Burkley diagnosed."
Sharp stiffened. "Are you saying that an established doctor of your caliber is incapable of doing so?"
Morgan's face colored to match his, but forced his breathing to remain steady.
"Inmates often see doctors as the 'enemy' and refuse to be treated by them. As doctors we don't always see things the way they do-"
"I should certainly hope not!"
"-But Burkley-"
"Can read the mind of a criminal because he is one! It is not rocket science! He sees the world in the same twisted, warped way they do, because he's just as sick. Burkley may be one of the better behaved, but that's because he's still a kid! He's on the downward spiral of no return!"
"Perhaps we can change that. Maybe seeing what he could end up being in a few years could shock him. Maybe we can get him to help people-"
Sharp slammed his fist onto the bleached wood of his desk.
"Or that bastard could inspire him to greater heights of crime!!"
Warden Sharp huffed like a wounded elephant and slumped back in his executive chair. Dr. Morgan was silent as he tried to figure out a way to sway him.
"How about this then: We just have Burkley sit and watch one of the Joker's sessions from the one-way window and have him diagnose the Joker. That's it. No contact."
The Warden did not reply. Morgan persisted.
"If this doesn't work, then we can give them both up as lost causes. After all if none of us can diagnose the Joker there is no way we can cure him. And if Burkley remains unmoved then...he's no better." Morgan ended feebly.
Sharp remained silent for a long time, his face wrinkled sourly. Finally he sighed, folding his hands in front of him, regarding the doctor sullenly.
"Has Burkley agreed to this?" Dr. Morgan perked in excitement. He had won.
...
"I said I'm not doing it."
Dr. Morgan was about to tear his graying hair out. The young man before him slouched in his chair just as sullenly as Sharp.
"But why?!" Morgan cried out, forgetting the most important rule of Arkham: never lose your composure in front of the patients.
Clank
Jason lurched forward, his inky locks flapping messily over his wild mud puddle eyes.
" I. Don't. Do. Shit. For. Free." the kid hissed venomously.
"You know I can't do that!" Morgan snapped. Jason bared his teeth in a terrible parody of a smile.
"Then we're stuck, Jimmy." The boy leaned back again. "All of your blustering in front of Mr. Sharpie-pen goes to waste." Jason clucked his tongue, like a disappointed parent.
"All because you can't do this little thing for me."
What little remained of Morgan's patience broke.
"It's not some little favor, Jason! I could lose my job for even suggesting it!"
"And I could lose my life, Jimmy." Jason quipped. Dr. Morgan paused in confusion. "What?"
The boy sighed impatiently with the air of a teacher chiding a particularly dim child.
"Jimmy. You stupid little man. Do you really think the Joker would leave me alone if I get involved? Do you think that he won't catch on, or find out?" Jason shook his head sadly. "I'm putting my neck on the line for you, Jimmy. Don't you think I deserve a little more than extra snacks and playtime?"
Morgan grit his teeth, not allowing Jason's pity party to touch him.
"I could make you do this for me." It was an empty threat and they both knew it.
Clank
Jason smiled, almost affectionately, but they both knew better.
"Oh, Jim, Jimmy, Jim-bo...you can't make me do anything."
Clank
Jason leaned forward and pressed his fingertips together and regarded him like a high school principal.
"So, Jimmy. What are we going to do?"
Clank
...
The Joker stared at the heavy steel door of his maximum security cell. His favorite straitjacket had been pulled extra tight today.
Something new was in the air. He could smell it.
There was a change in the energy of the Arkham staff that reminded him of the day he met Harley.
He giggled madly to himself. The ominous atmosphere, the fear was exhilarating. It was like a shot of adrenaline. It brought out the predator in him.
"A new cusssss-tomer, how smack ex-ci-ting."
A new doctor most likely. These quacks would never learn. Had the Joker been more humanly inclined, he might have felt a smidgeon of pity for them.
But he was going to have fun breaking this one, just as he had with every single doctor that had come through that door.
Come into my parlor