BATMAN: GOTHAM TALES
CHAPTER 12 - EPILOGUE
Commissioner Gordon walked down the halls of Arkham Asylum with a doctor walking next to him. They entered a long hallway where the rooms for the inmates were. They stopped at Scarecrow's, peering in at Jonathon Crane.
The doctor said, "Dr. Crane is doing very well, Commissioner. He's been cooperating and everything."
"Good," Gordon kept walking.
They stopped at Harley Quinn's cell.
Harley was on her bed, reading a book, but jumped up and ran to the glass walls to speak to Gordon. She happily said, "Hiya, Commissioner!"
"Hello Ms. Quinn," Gordon replied.
"Harley Quinn is doing very well, also," the doctor explained.
"Yeah, I'm serious about turning over a new leaf this time!" she nodded cheerfully.
Gordon smiled at her enthusiasm. He said to the doctor, "What became of the Riddler?"
The doctor led Commissioner Gordon down many halls until they finally stopped at a metal door. The doctor slid open a small viewing slide on the door as Gordon looked in. It was very dark.
Gordon said, "Edward? Can you hear me?"
"Yes."
The doctor whispered to Gordon, "He keeps saying he knows who Batman is."
Gordon said, "Edward, do you know who Batman is?"
"Yes." the Riddler, dressed in a straight jacket, stepped into the light with a smile on his face. "In a way, aren't we all Batman?"
Gordon shook his head and slammed the viewer shut. He straightened his jacket and said to the doctor, "Well, I think that's all I need to see. I don't even want to see the Joker."
"Oh, he's in the infirmary anyway," the doctor replied quickly.
It was almost on cue as laughter echoed throughout all of Arkham Asylum. The Joker had been burned horribly. The doctors were trying to help him, trying to fix him, even though they didn't want to. Who would want to help the Joker live? But, they had to.
The Joker thought the pain was funny. He was unable to speak, but in his mind, he was thinking, "I guess Eddie was right. The joke really was on me. And it is pretty funny! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
THE END
