"Now, I do need to have a few words with you before I put you to shadowing one of my staff. Is that ok with you?"
Harleen nodded solemnly; taking note of the long, deep sigh he took before beginning.
"As I am sure you already understand, this place is full of the most dangerous psychotic killers, sociopaths and terrorists known to Gotham. The amount of full time staff we here is less than practical, as we can never get people to stay longer than they can cope. Forgive me for being so pessimistic about my area of work, Miss Quinzel, but it hard to explain just how much strain you will be under even before you get started without scaring you off."
He lit up at this point.
"You see Miss Quinzel; the folk in here are not the kind of people you can analyse as easy as you could back at Gotham General. They are not just psychotic, they are clever. That is the most dangerous thing. They're clever enough to talk their way out of any situation, even clever enough to drive the staff insane themselves. I'm warning you now; don't go through with this unless you are sure you can keep a steal heart towards any of the patients you work with. Understood?"
Harleen pushed the loose bits of her hair behind her ear and smiled slowly.
"I appreciate your concern Dr. Murray, but I know how professional I can be, and that means I'm not about to walk out of here in a hurry. I have dreamt of the job like this for years, I'm not about to let some cold hearted psychopaths ruin that for me!"
Dr Murray didn't seem sure with her answer, as he squinted ever so slightly and took a drag of his cigar. Nevertheless when he was done he stood up again and went into a cupboard, bring out her standard uniform lab coat.
"This will be your standard uniform. Here is your name tag, and you already have your security clearance? Good. You won't need any more for today as you'll be shadowing one of my co-workers.'
Harleen put on her lab coat and badge, smoothing down the creases quickly, unsure of her appearance now she was a little soaked. But Dr. Murray didn't seem to notice. He also gave her some medical journals used as bibles at Arkham, note paper clipboard, and finally some patient notes.
"I've given you some of the patient's files who you will be reviewing with Dr. Stone. I'm keen to place you with her as she is in charge of our highest security inmates, and I like to throw my new staff in the deep end, just to see if they can handle a first day."
He smirked slightly, almost finding amusement in the fact that he knew she would break at one point. But Harleen smiled defiantly back, and raised her head with a raised ego.
She knew in herself she wasn't going to be swayed badly by her experiences here. All she wanted was to get into their minds. It's the patients that should be worried! She planned on being the best of the best at this place, and she knew exactly how to do it; by being removed and analytical. Nothing more, nothing less. She would prove to everyone she wasn't someone to be messed with, or taken lightly.
Dr. Murray led them out of his office and once again took her through numerous dimly lit corridors, until they came to a very large, immovable looking door. Dr. Murray quickly punched in the key as the doors swung very slowly open from the centre with a loud buzzing noise.
Harleen gasped slightly at the huge size of this corridor behind. It went on what looked like the whole length of the building, with huge doors all the way down, and in front of them, guards with stony faces. Harleen knew what section this was, and her eyes lit up.
To her disappointment however, she was led to the side and into a small office. Here Dr Murray introduced Harleen to Dr. Sarah Stone. She was not so much 5 or 6 years older than Harleen, yet looked 20 years her senior. Her dark circles under her eyes almost reflected the same colour as her dark hair that was scraped back into a tight bun. Arkham had certainly weaved its dark web across her face with terrible lines.
"Dr. Quinzel."
Her voice was raspy from too much smoking, and her hand as Harleen shook it was lined and cold. She did not smile and didn't look too impressed with Harleen either. Although Harleen was quite happily surprised she referred to her as Dr.
Dr Murray bid his farewell and left Harleen alone with the spidery woman. Dr. Stone began quizzing Harleen on all the same doubts and fears Dr. Murray had voiced back in his office. Harleen tried to answer proper and professionally, yet she couldn't help her mind wandering to that huge corridor just past that office door.
But Dr. Stone made sure Harleen had a thorough 2 hour check before she even let her out of that office again. Although by the end of it all; she still didn't feel a breeze of doubt.
When Dr. Stone was satisfied she had drained her of everything she could analyse of Harleen's character, she put on the most serious face she had shown Harleen, if it could get anymore serious, and narrowed her eyes.
"I have one sacred rule here Dr. Quinzel, and that is never…EVER…mention the Batman in here, unless you want to loose your life."
Harleen screwed her nose up and snorted, but instantly regretted it when Dr. Stone raised her eyebrows in anger.
"Almost all of the inmates in my section were put here by him so if you don't want a frenzied attack against you, you will listen to my words Miss. You can analyse, probe and question all you want, as long as you keep that taboo under wraps. "
For all her doubt it would make much of a difference, Harleen had little respect for the Batman anyway. But he was a man who she would love to get into the mind of. She thought Batman had every reason being here than the rest of them.
"I understand Dr. Stone. If you feel it would interfere with our work then of course it's a must do."
Dr. Stone nodded solemnly and finally got to the issue that Harleen had been waiting for all day.
"Shall we go meet some patients then?"
The first part of her meeting the patients was not as exciting as Harleen had hoped. When Dr. Stone went into the high security rooms with the patients, Harleen was instructed to wait behind the glass and take notes along with the interns.
Some of the patients had exciting folders, charged with arson, murder, rape and mass destruction. Yet most of them had gone completely insane and hardly spoke, or they had little sense to remember how.
Harleen found the whole process of watching Dr. Stone so boring. She wanted to ask the questions; she wanted to delve into their minds. Although she would prefer a patient more worth while. Harleen began to think she had made this job a bit more glamorised in her own head than what it actually was.
Dr Stone left patient n07 room and took Harleen with her back towards her office. Harleen sighed slightly and Dr. Stone heard it.
"Not everything you had expected it to be?" She said coldly.
"No no, that not the case at all." Harleen quickly straightened back up, distaining the thought she was showing weakness. " I just can hardly wait until I get to work with them myself, and to be as good as you at it."
Dr. Stone's coldness quickly slipped away, beaming slightly at the compliment. She stopped suddenly in the corridor, turning to Harleen.
"You know, your notes have been very up to scratch today, and I am thoroughly impressed with your analysis."
Harleen smiled slightly in thanks.
"I wasn't going to take you with me, but there is one more patient I have to see today, and I feel…you might be up to the challenge.'
Harleen beamed inwardly, and nodded. Dr. Stone changed direction and headed towards the doors that had 2 security guards at the doors. Their shoes echoed around the hollow dark corridor as they clicked towards the vast security doors.
The 2 guards stood either side of the door, both with a range of weapons to hand at their waist, gave Dr. Stone a nod before keying in the code and moving back as the doors buzzed open.
Inside the waiting room was dark as usual. There was a table and 2 chairs, and a large black mirrored wall on one side that would soon show Harleen her next patient. Her heart fluttered madly. Who would be dangerous enough to have this tightly secured cell?
Dr. Stone put her stuff down on the table where Harleen took a seat and got out her note books. She could hardly contain her excitement, and fidgeted slightly. Dr. Stone frowned a little.
"Just sit and take notes from my interview if you would be so kind. I am not permitted to take any form of note taking equipment in myself in that room, so you will have to be extra attentive."
Harleen nodded and pulled the table closer to the window so she could see well. Dr. Stone walked over to the cell door and scanned her security pass, and the door buzzed open.
At first, the bright light of the cell blinded her for a minute as the window suddenly allowed viewing into the padded room. As her eyes adjusted, she saw the standard quilt like bed, yet no other furniture that some of the other inmates had in their cells. It was completely bare. Apart from the cellmate.
Harleen stood slightly as she took in a sharp breath.
Standing leaning against the opposite padded wall was a man. A man who Harleen knew to be one of Gotham's most dangerous terrorists it had ever encountered. His face gave him away immediately, even though his trademark make up had not marked his face for many a month. The Joker stood, calmly watching Dr. Stone enter the room, licking his slips slowly.
It was his whole demeanour shocked Harleen so much she couldn't take her eyes off him. He stood so calmly, watching Dr Stone come and loosen his straight jacket so he had one arm to eat the cold tray of food Dr. Stone had taken in with her. His eyes watched her so…calculating and yet so full of amusement you would never have thought he had spent the last 3 months here. He looked like he thought it was all a big joke.
Harleen almost jumped clean out of her chair when the speaker into her room spoke with Dr Stone's voice.
"Session 38, Cell 25. 5th March 2008. Dr Stone with patient 0642D."
After a moments pause, Harleen quickly jotted that down, before quickly looking up again. She studied the man's face as hard as she could while Dr. Stone freed his arms and as he calmly took the cold tray of food from her and began eating slowly.
Harleen did not expect the Joker to be at Gotham. She knew all about him of course, her fascination with him had grew over time the more he toyed with the city over the last year. His capture had never been publicised in how it happened, yet the city rejoiced in it. All Harleen had wanted was to see what he did next. But she had never expected he would be kept here for some reason. Therefore she found herself surprisingly thrilled, which shocked her slightly.
This was a trait of Harleen that she had never really understood herself. She had never been frightened by the state of Gotham or the rough part of town in which she lived. She had always just found the tougher side to life more fascinating, as these kinds of experiences are the ones that shaped the mind you carry.
This is why when the Joker had appeared in Gotham, she hadn't been afraid…she had been entranced.
Harleen watched his face as he ate, watching Dr. Stone all the time. His pale face looked drawn from the dark colour that was splashed cruelly in scars across his mouth. His hair was unkempt as is his eyes were dark. He had obviously been finding it hard to sleep here, even if his expression showed otherwise.
"So, are you ready to talk to us today?" Dr. Stone took place on the bed, a far bit away from the man who had caused so much terror. "Do you want to start where we left off at last weeks meeting?"
The Joker stopped eating for a split second and looked directly up at the glass window, exactly to where Harleen was sat. She gasped, and her heart slammed against her chest. As quickly as it happened, he looked away.
A small grin crept over his lips as he pawed at the stale bread given to him. He lifted it up and studied it as if greatly amused by such a ridiculous feed.
"That all depend's Doctor," His voice echoed in Harleen's ears and she drank in every word. "You see, last weeks' meeting wasn't that much…fun. And I am all for fun…aren't you?"
His voice droned so slowly, it seemed like he took pleasure in speaking every word. Harleen wanted nothing more than to talk to him herself. She heard Dr. Stone sigh slightly.
"My job isn't to have fun, it's to understand people. And I would very much like to understand you."
The man stood eating put his food down and started giggling. Dr. Stone looked slightly uncomfortable.
"Hmm…I don't…like that word."
Dr. Stone tried to question him a bit further, but he seemed to suddenly be in his own mind, thinking over how much he didn't like the word 'understand'.
Suddenly he spoke again.
"Tell you what…tell you what. If you send in someone…er… laudable of understanding, or some one with more….brain capacity, then maybe you could stand behind your pretty glass curtain and understand that."
Dr. Stone stood up, clearly harassed and annoyed. She pressed a button on her jacket, and the door next to Harleen buzzed open and the guards came running in. They stormed into his room and began holding him down to tighten his straps up again.
He began laughing in protest. "It's nothing personal! Well…it is, but that's the joke of it! See? Don't you understand yet?"
He began laughing uproariously, and Dr. Stone stormed into the meeting room.
"He is utterly impossible. He makes little sense at the best of times, most of the time we cant get him to talk." She fumed. Harleen had not stopped watching him, even as she had been taking her notes. She finally looked at Dr. Stone.
"Maybe you shoudn't ask him anything."
Dr Stone looked her up and down.
"What are you talking about?" She snapped, still ruffled by his lack of respect. "That's our job, or have you forgotten that already?"
Harleen apologised for the sake of her getting her own way, and worded her next sentence carefully.
"Well…it seems that he doesn't respond to a conversation in which we would class as interactive. I think getting something out of him that would be something we could use would only be achieved by letting him have his own conversation, were we either agree, or disagree with everything and nothing with what he says."
Dr Stone just shrugged. "So basically just let him talk." Harleen nodded.
"Well unfortunately I can't waste precious time waiting for him to find something to talk about. We will never get anything worth recording from him, his mind is too damaged."
Harleen threw caution into the wind and asked the impossible.
"May I try a meeting with him?"
Dr. Stone looked shocked for a moment, then very amused.
"No, its out of the question. This is your first day and you have little experience."
"Well…Maybe that's a good thing?" Dr. Stone frowned, yet kept quiet. Harleen pressed on, excited by her silence. "As I don't really have the experience as you do, maybe he will respond better to that kind of atmosphere."
Harleen watched her face eagerly, hoping she would agree. "Of course Dr. Stone if you feel it inappropriate of course I hold your opinion as the right one."
Dr. Stone's harsh face softened slightly. She seemed shallowly receptive to compliments and insults. She pondered for what seemed like a life time, and finally spoke.
"Ok, Miss Quinzel. I'll give you 5 minutes, but the guards will be watching from in here. I think it might frighten you out of your quiet confidence." She added with a bit of resentment.
Harleen almost jumped for joy, but kept it disguised in an understanding nod. Her heart banged madly as she walked towards the door, watching the guards being called past her as she placed her slightly shaking hand on the door handle to the cell. Her heart leapt into her mouth as the buzzer noise came, and she pulled open the door.
The cell was way too air conditioned, and she shivered slightly when a blast of air hit her. She composed herself quickly with a deep breath and a shake of the head.
"Back again? I thought you were…."
He stopped speaking as he and Harleen looked at each other. His eyes narrowed slightly and he cocked his head to the side. Harleen gulped slightly.
"Well." The joker spoke after a few seconds of silence, smiling ever so slightly. "You're not Dr. Stone."
Harleen stood awkwardly as he studied her scrupulously with his eyes, before she remembered who was analysing who.
"No. I am Dr. Harleen Quinzel. I'm taking over from Dr. Stone for today's session."
The Joker kept his greatly amused expression on his face, as he took a slight step back and rested on the wall behind him.
"Harleen….Harlee…Quinzel. You know…I do like your name-m."
She didn't say anything, like she had promised. She just stood and waited.
"Your name sounds like the Harlequin. Harlee…Quin. Get it?"
She nodded solemnly, and shifted her weight on her foot.
"What would you like from me Harle…quin?" He cocked his head and smiled horribly, showing his yellow stained teeth. Harleen just stood watching, then slowly began to walk across the room. She was aware he was watching and taking in every step she took, and she took a care to do it very slowly incase Dr. Stone and the guards came howling in, ready to press him down for getting to close. She moved over to the bed where she sat down and smoothed out her skirt. She looked back up at him, at his expression which read as half confused, half amused.
"I would just like to sit here if that's ok."
The Joker, in all his defeat of being removed from his own clothes, his restraint in his jacket and his ugly unmasked face revealed to whom he didn't have a choice, looked to her right now, magnificent.
He stood about 4 feet away from her, which was closer than Dr. Stone had gone. He looked down on her; she could hear his breathing through his nose. His cold eyes scanned her face, and she tried not to look away and show defeat.
"Hmm…I want to play the game you're… playing, but I don't quite know the rules." He narrowed his eyes at her. Harleen shook her head.
"I'm not playing a game."
The Joker rolled his eyes and tutted. "Come on now, everyone is playing a game in this place. Their game…" He tilted his head towards the glass window. Harleen imagined Dr. Stone's stern face watching this with distain. "…is getting…boring. But yours….oh Harlequin, I'm ever so interested in… yours."
He licked his lips furiously, waiting for a response, as he always expected from everyone. But it never came. She just looked up at him in soft patience. It took a while for the smile to be a big as the scars across his face, but he almost achieved it.
"Oh you are clever, aren't you? Very very clever…I like it, I really do. I like this game."
He laughed softly, which sounded every inch psychotic as he was. But Harleen remained still and remained with a soft expression.
"But wait, I don't want to loose the game. If I spill all of my darkest secrets, you take the chips, right? I'm I getting the rules? And if you speak, I hold the aces?"
Finally Harleen spoke. "It's up to you if you speak or not. I'm just…here."
"Your just here."
He repeated her words more softly, in a sort of whisper. Harleen knew she was probably going to get ripped out of the room any second, as Dr. Stone couldn't be agreeing with what she was doing. Yet something must have kept her interests, because she was left alone for a good while longer.
Harleen watched as she could see the cogs turning in the man's head. He looked at her with such interest that she almost shied away, but tried to remain in her stance.
"My time here has been so…tiresome. Every one of these…doctors...have come in and out, in and out, hoping…they would find something…interesting. But I think today, the joke is on them. And I didn't even have to go anywhere. You…you came to me."
Harleen saw his eyes focus on hers. Then he suddenly snapped away and flicked his head back roughly, as if crack his neck. He rolled his head around for a second, then sniffed in the direction of the glass window. He moved quickly into crouching position right in front of her to where he would be eye level. He lent his strapped arms on her knees, as she flinched slightly, yet remained sitting, staring at him. Yet it was a wrong move on his part.
Suddenly the door buzzed open and the 2 guards were in the room, beckoning Harleen out. She turned back the scarred man, whose eyes hadn't left her.
"Tell them to send you again. I do like…I do like your name. It puts a smile on my face."
She got up and walked towards the door as the guards made there way past her to restrain him from following.
"As we are on the topic, want to know how I got these scars?"
She turned back suddenly, holding a glance with him before the guards completely blocked him, and Dr. Stone was dragging her out.