Here is the second chapter of the story. And I promise to write on my other stories too! I have decided to try to write two chapters at a time, for each story. Then it will be a bit of longer waiting, but you will at least get two chapters :)

And I don't have awfully much to say about this chapter, not more then the mystery is growing!

Enigma is a reference to the Germany machine. Gretchen are from the Batman: Arkham Asylum game, just a easter egg. And the friends Cara are talking about are Horace and Malcolm from Rangers Apprentice. And as I said in the first chapter, the Joker isn't Jerome! Jerome will most likely be in the story in some other way!

And you will see other characters later, like Mr. Freeze, Victor, Bridget and others. And we will be back in Arkham, mostly because I love it so much! And if some characters feels, out of character, I apologise for that, they will be a bit out of character to match the story!

I hope I can write the next chapter soon, and have more Oswald and Edward in it! But I have 6 other chapters to write first ;)

So enjoy the story :)

"Where is she?" Oswald looked down at his glass, as the substitute inside, where spinning. The others in the room stayed silent, none of them had an answer to give their boss, at least none that would be to his pleasing. "Where is she?!"
"I dropped her off at Arkham, you already know that" Barbara put down her drink, a bit too hard on the counter, making the drink spilled over. "Great"
"Are you alright Babs?" Tabitha handed over a napkin to Barbara, who put it down on the counter.
"We have been over this, the past week" Barbara did a poor job on hiding her feelings. "If he's this worried, why did he even send her out"
"I can hear you!" Oswald cut her off, raising his head, and giving her a cold look.
"That was the point! Maybe you should stop losing people…" Barbara opened her mouth without thinking, and she soon had a gun pointed at her.

"Have we missed the party?" Harley waltzed into the Iceberg Lagoon, with her dogs, and Cara at her side.
"Cara!" Oswald walked over to her, earning a smile from Cara.
"Good evening" Cara hugged Oswald, and at once he felt his worry, at least for her disappear.
"You have looked better" Oswald told her as he took a step back.
"Arkham can do that to you"
"Don't I know it" Oswald smiled towards her, before he turned to Harley. "Always a pleasure to meet you Harley"
"Oh shush, Pengy" Harley put an arm around Penguin's shoulders. "Do you have any food? I am starving, me and my little babies"
"Give the Lady some food" Oswald turned towards one of his stuff members, who bowed before he headed towards the kitchen.

"Excuse me for being straight forward, and a bit rude, but have you found any information about Edward?" Oswald said as they sat down at a table.
"Some" Cara placed a few photos on the table. Oswald took them between his long pale fingers, seeing how they displayed how Ed, his Ed, were carried, most likely knocked out, into a truck. Oswald stroked the picture, the closest he got to Ed. He hadn't seen him in weeks, and this was the first clue they had found.
"Is he alive?" Oswald barely dared to breath those words.
"Here he is at least. He wrote a riddle on the wall" Cara pointed at another picture, and Oswald looked closer at it. Not surprised to see that Ed wrote a riddle, and in this moment, it couldn't even make him irritated, instead it made him smile, seeing Ed doing something all too typical for him.
"Can you give me the answer?" Oswald knew all too well that Cara had figured it out already. He admitted it had irritated him in the past, seeing the two of them asking and answering each other's riddles, but in a moment like this, he saw it more as a blessing.
"Electricity. Does it mean anything to you?"
"Electricity?" Oswald thought about it. Why would Edward take the time to write a riddle, if he was in danger? That answer was obvious, if the one who took him found a straight answer, they would erase it. But a riddle, most people would overlook, especially since very few people could solve Ed's riddles. Oswald himself had trouble with them, so it was lucky he had Cara here. But the answer she gave him, didn't make sense to him. Which they often did, once he got the answer. Though this answer remain a question for him, and it made him frustrated, he couldn't understand what Edward wanted to tell him.
"I am afraid I don't know. It means nothing to me" Oswald admitted.
"I hoped you would know" Cara sighed, just as Harley, sat down on her lap, giving her a drink.
"You will find him Pumpkin" Harley placed a kiss on her forehead, and it made Oswald felt a jolt of jealousy, he admitted, seeing it was a way Ed often showed affection.
"Thank you" Cara lifted her glass, and looked at Oswald, with a small smile, apologising. Oswald had learned over the years that Cara far often then he preferred, could understand his feelings. He only raised his hand, to let her know that it was alright.
"May I ask about Arkham? And what you may have found"
"What I have found may not shine any light on the situation" Cara sighed as she began telling about her visit to the asylum.

"Are you ready Pumpkin?" Harley looked over at the black haired woman, with darker skin, that she knew were Cara. She was standing next to her, wearing a doctor outfit, and pulling it off very well. It almost made Harley distracted for a moment.
"I think I shall be the one, asking you that" Cara gave her a sweet smile, and Harley couldn't help herself from pulling her into a gentle kiss, which Cara didn't oppose. "When we get out of here, I will give you so much more"
"Just don't leave me behind" Harley begged her, looking at the old building, it sent shivers down her spine.
"Never" and when Cara said those words, Harley believed her, knowing that Cara never would leave her here.
"Then let's do this!" Harley smiled, in an attempt to hide her nervousness.

Cara walked towards the gate, acting as she belonged there, and she was just about to use her key card when Harley acted. Harley ran towards her, did a high jump, and landed behind her. Cara acted surprised, and yelped when Harley grabbed her, and pressed a knife towards her throat.
"I want to see Mr. J" Harley almost screamed, and the guards who had realised what happened raised their guns. "Shoot, and I kill her!"
"Hold your fire"
"Take me to Mr. J!" Harley repeated and Cara was fumbling with her key card, pretending to be nervous, and if Harley hadn't known her, she had believed it.
"Please don't kill me!" Cara's voice was shaking, as the door opened and they walked inside the asylum.
"As long as none of the guards tries anything, you don't have to worry sweetie" Harley whispered to her, and made her go forward.

"Stand down!" one of the guards who were following them shouted, as another staff member walked towards them.
"Which way?" Harley looked at the the corridor, in front of them.
"I…I don't know" Cara sounded more than distressed, forcing Harley to remember that it was all an act. "It's my first day"
"Then get one of this useless over paid clowns to show the way" Harley looked at the guards around them.
"Please?" Cara begged, showing fear in her eyes.
"This way" a younger male sounded and Harley started to guide Cara in that direction, still holding the knife to her throat, but being careful not to hurt her.

The guard brought them to one of the exercising yards.
"Here he is" the guards pointed at a man, sitting with the back towards them. Harley took a deep breath, far from pleased to see the Joker once again. Something Cara must have noticed, since Harley soon felt a fast, but form grip on her hand. If someone else saw it, they would most likely think it was a try to break free, but for Harley it was more than that.
"Open up!" Harley demanded, but the guards did no attempt to move.
"Let go of the doctor first!"
"And have you handcuff me? Fat chance of that happening!" Harley pressed Cara closer towards her, more to calm her nervous, then opposing a threat.
"Please" Cara begged, and Harley felt how tears landed on her forearm. Harley almost let go of Cara, unprepared for it, but ones again, she reminded herself of that it was all pretend.
"Open!" Harley shouted and Cara jumped, with accidently made Harley cut Cara a bit. Harley felt the blood, flow down her wrist.
"Do as she say" Cara begged the guards again, and they slowly opened the door, and Harley walked towards the door, still holding Cara.

"Oh Mr. J!" Harley called, putting on a big smile. The man with green hair turned and faced her.
"Harley" Joker smiled, a smile Harley had learned to hate.
"Pudding! I am here to break you out!" Harley informed him, sounding happy.
"Why is that?" Joker gave her a suspicious glance, not something that that surprised her, she had left his side, almost four years ago.
"I had missed you. I don't do good on my own" Harley hang with her head.
"Don't be sad Harls, you never were good on your own, but now you are home, we can correct that" Joker laughed and stepped forward, and Harley smiled, and let go off Cara. The guards quickly grabbed Cara, taking her away from safe distance from Harley, who had jumped up in Joker's arms.
"Pudding!" Harley purred "Let's get out!"
"Nobody moves!" the guards pointed their guns at them.
"You let go of the hostage!" Joker shouted, as he hit Harley over the cheek. Harley felt the familiar pain, as she landed on her bum, on the floor.
"Lock them up!" At the guard's signals, they grabbed both Harley and the Joker, and put them in cuffs, to drag them away.

"Are you alright ma'am?" Cara sat on the gurney, shaking.
"I…I…" she pretended not to know what to answer.
"You are in shock, it's understandable" The doctor, standing in front of her, looked at her.
"I…I am aware" Cara excepted the glass that were handed to her.
"Hell of a first day you are having" a man said when he entered the room, Cara looked at him, meeting his glance.
"It's more exciting then I imagine it would be" Cara gave him a small smile.
"Normally it doesn't get this exciting" the man said, as Cara stood up.
"I had a meeting with Mr. Quimby"
"I can take you there" the man offered her, and Cara nodded, following the other one.

Cara listened to how Mr. Quimby informed her about the work she would be doing there, the patients, and the rules of the facility. Cara were barely listening to a word he was saying, not having any meaning for her. But she pretended to listen, as the good, hopeful doctor she pretended to be.
"You can take the day off, after the start you had"
"I am fine, if it's fine by you, I rather get to know the facility. I am afraid I may not come back if I go home, letting my fear take over" Cara fumbled with her coat, as she smiled nervously.
"I understand. If this is what you prefer, I will not keep you occupied, I let you find your way to your office"
"Thank you"

Cara had soon got familiar with the asylum, and became a familiar face, both to the staff and the patients.
"Doctor Whistler!" a guard called out for her, and Cara turned around.
"Please say Gretchen" Cara used a name of a woman who would start working at the asylum soon. It would not seem suspicious since they changed a few dates, and when the real doctor appeared, she planned to be long gone.
"Gretchen, Scarecrow is acting up again. Do you have time to look talk with him?"
"I think I can make the time if not" Cara smiled as she followed the guard. Scarecrow, or rather Jonathan was one of the easier patients to deal with. He was without a doubt crazy, like the rest, and a dangerous man, but since she had magic, his toxic didn't affect her. And if he became too much, she could use magic on him, like anyone else. But despite that he was one of the easier patients, and she could maybe be able to cure him, she didn't have any plans on doing so, she wouldn't stay at Arkham that long, and she could get nothing out of it.
"Thank you" the guard opened Jonathans cell with a smile.

"Jonathan?" he turned around when he heard a somewhat familiar voice. As he did he saw a dark figure, standing in the door, dripping with blood, as the body was covered in open wounds.
"Make it stop!" he screamed at the figure, who walked over to him.
"Deep breaths" Jonathan screamed at the figure, hoping it would disappear, but instead it gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and made him sit down on his bed.
"Let go off me!" but the figure did no such thing, and just as he was on the brink on flouting into his world of fear, he felt calm, and it was like something pulled him back, into the real world. He turned towards the figure next to him, but instead of seeing the fearing, dark figure, he saw the familiar face of Doctor Gretchen.
"Thank you" it was not more than a whisper, but it earned him a smile from the woman.
"It's my job" she replayed, and even if it was true, she manage to do what no one else did, keep the fear away. "What triggered it this time?"

Jonathan felt silent at her question, he had been told not to tell anybody, but what he was doing, made him feel worse. Slowly he looked over at the guard, but he was paying them no intention.
"They are forcing me to create more of the toxic my father made" Jonathan looked down at the floor, as he said those words.
"Why?" Gretchen's voice was calm, and he could hear no judging.
"I am not fully sure, but from what I have heard, someone ordered it"
"Do you know who ordered it, or on who they intend to use it?" Jonathan felt like he knew a name, but something stopped him from remembering.
"I can't remember who ordered it, or if they have ever mention a name" Jonathan was almost sure that they hadn't mentioned for who he was making it.
"And on who they intend to use it?"
"I can't remember the name, not fully at least, but I think I have heard it, something like Ey… No, maybe it was Eny… Enigma?"
"Enigma?" Gretchen sounded surprised and he met her eyes. "May it have been Nygma? First name Edward?"
"It may have. Do you know who it is?"
"I have his name on some files, he is a patients of mine, but I have yet to meet him" Gretchen explained, and it was something about her words that made Jonathan doubt them, but he couldn't know what. "But that has no matter. You getting this episodes, by doing this work is far worse. What I can say about it is that I will talk to the warden about it, I can also give you some medicine that may help you"
"No medicine!" Jonathan protested, he didn't want to eat more, Gretchen nodded, and instead she showed him a very small stone.
"This is far from medical, but a friend of mine was claustrophobic, and another friend gave him something similar to this" She covered the stone with both of her hands. "It was the darkness in small areas that made it worse for him. So when he felt the panic raising, he looked at what my friend gave him."
Jonathan looked at the stone, who now was glowing in the doctors hand, like it was luminous.
"Feel free to try it when you get scared. Concentrate on the stone, and it's light"
"Can I just have this?" From the story Gretchen told, he almost felt like the stone was special to her.
"I gave it to you, didn't I? Let me know if it helps" With those words, she stood up and left him to himself, as his eyes were on the stone.

"Thank you doctor, as always you managed to calm him down" the guard sounded relieved and Cara nodded, a bit absent maybe. Hearing that Scarecrow made toxic that was intended to be used on Edward, was troubling news.
"May I ask you something?" Cara looked at the guard who were nodded.
"I have a patient on my list who I still have to meet. He has not shown up to our meetings, and his cell seem empty"
"Who is it?" The guard looked at her paper.
"His name is Nygma. Jonathan mentioned him, said something about his toxic. Is this Nygma on some treatment I don't know about?" Cara played the role as the kind, a bit naïve and to be unfamiliar with even Ed's name.
"Hm" the guard hesitated, and at once Cara felt like there was a story hidden. "It may be better if you talk to the warden"
"I am not in any trouble, am I? Maybe I should have asked sooner, maybe I was the first one that noticed that he was going missing" Cara started to sound nervous, and the guard met her gaze, smiling.
"You have nothing to worry for, ask the warden, and he will tell you"
"Thank you" Cara gave him a small smile, before she walked towards Quimby's office.

"Mr Quimby?"
"Yes" he took his eyes off the papers he was reading, when Gretchen entered his office. She was looking pale, and he could tell she was nervous. "Is something wrong?"
"I…I don't know. One of the guards told me to ask you, instead of him. But I don't know, maybe he couldn't handle it. I should have asked sooner, if he is gone now, he may be far gone. Or I have done my job poorly, since I haven't treated him. I…"
"Slow down Doctor Gretchen, I am not following you" He tried to make some sense of her words, but he could find none, except that she was nervous about something.
"It's about Nygma. He is on my list, but he is gone. I am sorry for not noticing earlier, they should not be able to get out but he seems to have…" He watched Gretchen as she was fumbling with her hair, and he almost cursed himself for not removing Nygma's name from her patients files, but she was bound to find out sooner or later.
"He hasn't escaped, at least not this time, so you have nothing to worry about" he started, as she met his eyes. "He was supposed to arrive here, but something changed. All I can tell you is that he never arrived, I got a message instructing me to forget about it, which I did, without questioning. It's Gotham after all"
"So I have done nothing wrong?"
"Not at all. I apologise if I worried you" his words seemed to calm the woman down, and he felt relived. Despite her being only here a week, was she a big asset, and he needed to have her at her best.
"May I ask why he was sent here? For what incident? And Jonathan talked about him making toxic to be used on this patient"

"Jonathan shouldn't talk too much" Those words seemed to make Gretchen unsure how to response, and he raised his hand as an apologise. It was unfortunately that Jonathan had even mentioned Nygma's name, especially now when Penguin was searching for Nygma, everything about him had to be kept a secret. "What I mean is that Jonathan isn't stable, and he isn't always aware of what's real and not. And I am not sure for which crime Nygma was sent here, it could be for any of the one he has done. But as something changed, I ask you to forget about it, and concentrate on the other patients"
"I will do that" Those words come with a smile from Gretchen. "Thank you for letting me know. I am just relived that I have done nothing wrong"
"Glad to have eased your mind" he smiled back at the woman as she left his office. Hoping that he wouldn't need to worry about her, asking anything else about Nygma.

"Doctor Whistler"
"Good evening Mr. Joker" he smiled a wide smile, as she sat down, almost excited over having someone new to play with.
"Mr? Aren't we a fancy Lady?" the words left his lips with a laugh.
"Do you prefer something else? Maybe Pudding?" He met her gaze, feeling that it was something else behind her words, then a gentle teasing.
"You have talked to Harley"
"More than ones, but I am not here for her sake" He watched her as she crossed her legs, put an elbow on the table, and rested her head against her hand. Her behaviour told him that she wasn't afraid of him, but that was something he could change, a new challenge maybe? Though he was far from sure if he wanted to go down that way, there was so many ways he could go, and after this meeting, he would knew which.
"Someone else then? The warden? Gordon's?" Wondering for who she was there.
"Neither of them. I am here for Nygma's sake" she uttered, and those words made him more than surprised.
"The crazy man with the riddles?" he leaned closer to her, but she did not move back. "What do you want with him? He belongs to Penguin, but you know that already, he sent you here! He has always been far too clever for his own sake"
His laughter echoed through the cell.
"He did no such thing as send me here. But I am aware that Nygma belongs to Penguin, and I have no such interest for him. I want to know why he was planned to be sent here, why Scarecrow makes toxic to be used on him. And even if you are sitting here, behind bars, you have your cards to play in the big game. And I want to know if your cards will destroy my hand, and the game" he studied her, leaning even a more forward, with a smile on his lips.
"You are no ordinary doctor, how interesting" he whispered "But showing you my hand, that would destroy the fun"
"I am far from no ordinary doctor" she whispered back, as she gave him a cold smile, a smile that made him laugh. "And I didn't think you would show me your hand"
"Leaving already?" he asked as she stood up, and he grabbed her hand.
"I have nothing else to say to you, would you please give back my hand?" her voice was polite, but he saw the cold in her eyes, and he moved the hand to his lips, before he licked her hand. As he did he saw how Gretchen rolled her eyes, before he found himself up against the wall. It had happened without him having time to reacting, Gretchen eyes met him.
"I only ask polite once, remember that" with those words, she swiped away his feet, and he felt to the floor. The Joker started to laugh, as Gretchen walked out through the cell, he would enjoy breaking her, then rebuilding her and seeing what monster he could realise.

"Harley?" Cara stepped inside the cell a few days later, and soon saw Harley hanging upside down, from her bunkbed.
"Hello" Harley soon let go, and threw herself in her arms, and Cara pulled her closer.
"I have missed you too" she whispered against Harley's ear, and she could almost feel her purr.
"You look awful, even worse than me" Harley stroke her cheek and Cara nodded.
"It has been some stressful days, but don't you worry" Cara placed a sweet kiss on Harley's lips, something the other woman didn't think was enough, as she pulled her closer, and deepened the kiss. "Happy?"
"A bit" Harley answered when they had parted. "Is it time to go now?"
"That it is. I have found what I could, hopefully Oswald can do something with the information"
"Then how do we get out? You can't walk me out" Harley gave her a schooling look, and Cara laughed a warm laugh.
"I have removed any evidence about your staying here, this time, so we do not need to worry about that. And how we get out, just grab my hand" Cara offered her hand, and Harley looked more than sceptical. "Trust me"
"If you say so Pumpkin" soon Harley took her hand, and Cara concentrated at her apartment, as she apparated them there.

When Cara went silent, Oswald stood up, and slowly walked over to the window. In the reflection he saw the others eye him.
"I want to have Scarecrow dead" his voice was barely a whispering, but still as clear as ever. In the window reflection he saw Butch standing up.
"You can do that, and I would far from blame you" Oswald turned towards Cara, giving her a colder look then she deserved, but the anger he felt over hearing how his Edward, was an offer of Scarecrows toxic, made his blood boil. And she dared to speak differently, and disagreeing with him, because he was aware that was the direction her words were heading.
"And you have a better idea, I assume?" he asked coldly, something that didn't affect her.
"I have. Killing him, may not help you or Edward. If you are lucky, he can take you to someone that knows more about Edward" Cara spoke slowly, and he felt like a child being spoken down to, but after blinking a few times, he understood that she did that, because she wanted the words to sink in. He acted up on rage, one of the basic instinct Ed all too often told him not to act up on. Cara used logic instead, and if he calmed down, he knew that her plan was better, but it didn't help him in the sake of seeking revenge.
"I want him punish for what he's doing to Ed!"
"You don't know what it is" Barbara spoke, and Oswald signed for her to be quiet, feeling that her voice would only make his temper worse.
"That he will be. The stone I gave him will make his episodes worse than ever. If he thinks he has felt fear before, he will soon see that it was nothing" Cara spoke coldly. Oswald's eyes met her, and soon he smiled towards her, a bit ashamed that he had doubted her. He knew that she wouldn't let something like this go unpunished.
"Thank you" Cara only nodded to his words.

"And the Joker, is he involved?" Ivy said was everyone else was wondering. Oswald hoped that wasn't the case, knowing that if the mad man was, they would have a hard time to find Ed, if the Joker didn't want them to. Being that level of crazy he was, made it impossible for anyone else to predict his plans.
"Not directly or indirectly. At least not what I could tell. He is hard to predict, but from the conversation I had with him, I didn't get that feeling. That doesn't mean that he will get involved now, or know who is. That's why I showed him my cards, hoping it would trigger something that could help us find Ed"
"Involving the Joker? That's even more madness then involving this freak" Barbara pointed at Harley, who stood up, grasping after a bottle.
"Harley" Cara grabbed her hand, and Oswald saw how the situation was going south, and Barbara was far from helping, and he knew he had to take back the control, not giving her as much freedom as he had.
"Barbara is right, we can't trust Joker" Tabitha interjected, and Oswald hated to agree with the woman, but the Joker was a wildcard no one could control, he even doubted Cara could handle him.
"We can far from trusting him, I am only using him. He will get things in motion, as he will find a way to try to win over me"
"Pumpkin! What have you done? Have you challenged him?" Oswald heard the worry in Harley's voice, and he felt the same, but Cara smiled towards them.
"I have done nothing, despite being afraid of him. And don't worry Harley, I have met worse person. The last one was a God, compared to him, Joker is a kind, even nice man" Oswald understood her rezoning, but he couldn't stand behind it. But as for this minute they had other things to worry about, and as long as Joker was in Arkham, he was a problem for a later time. That was a logic Oswald didn't like to use. He had never liked to push his problem in front of him, saving them for later if it could be helped, but as for this minute he felt that it was more important finding Edward, and worrying about what Joker may do.

"Cara I thank you, you have found out more than anyone else has done in weeks" Oswald gave her a smile, only to get one back.
"That's what friends are for. I am glad I could be able to find something. Let's hope we can find him soon" Oswald nodded, wanting nothing else then finding Edward.
"I pray for it. But as in this minute, you need to go to bed" at those words Cara laughed.
"Is this karma?" she joked and Oswald only nodded. "I will not object, I may not need many hours to get my energy back, but getting some sleep will do me good"
"And me" Harley grabbed Cara's arm, and Cara smiled towards her, as she nodded.
"Feel free to borrow one of the rooms here" Oswald pointed to the back.
"Thank you Pengy!" Harley laughed as she scooped Cara, up in her arms, which made Cara laugh too.
"Until tomorrow then" Cara bowed her head, as both woman left the room. Oswald once again felt a joint of jealousy, missing Edward from his side.
"Set someone on Scarecrow and the Joker!" he ordered as he turned to the others in the room. "Also try to find the truck, or at least the company that it belongs to"
"Yes boss" his men answered, as Oswald took his cane and made the walk towards his study, hoping he could find something that pointed him towards Edward's location, with the help from the new information he received.