Chapter 12: Mind Games
I've just stopped for lunch. Riddler's just offered me protection. I've taken it like you said. – M.P.
Good. Now what's the status on Doctor Young? – Ghost
She's acting skittish and distracted. I keep hearing her muttering under her breath like she's terrified. I keep trying to decipher her words but she shuts off whenever she sees me – M.P.
If she's frightened, Joker must have contacted her recently. Keep an eye on her. We don't want her pulling the plug on Project Titan just yet. On that note, do you have the antidote serum sample yet? – Ghost
Not yet. Doctor Young's taken me off the project and keeping me busy on handling her patients while she works at it alone.—M.P.
Which patient are you handling next? – Ghost
An old woman called Doris Darling. One of the long-term residents. She used to be quite volatile but now she's too old and keeps mostly to herself. Looks harmless, but even Nygma and Crane sounded edgy when I asked them about her. – M.P.
If she's a long term resident, then see if you can get information from her. She might know more about Arkham then some of the doctors. But keep your guard up. If Riddler and Scarecrow are spooked by her, then you might be dealing with an old rogue. Does she have any powers on her record? – Ghost
Not that I can see. Just says she was a prostitute who began practicing cannibalism in the sixties, before authorities caught her and brought her to Blackgate. Apparently she had quite the appetite for men– MP
Sounds very familiar – Ghost
You didn't seem to mind it that night – MP
Fuck you. – Ghost
You already did that. - MP
Just shut up and focus on what's important here. If the Rogues are afraid of Doris then she's obviously more dangerous than she lets on. When you go for her session, take your bodyguard Jones along – Ghost.
And give Gordon and the Bat an excuse to do me in? I think not. – M.P.
Don't worry, he won't blab to the police or the batman – Ghost
Why? What did you have to threaten him with? – M.P.
Nothing. Jones is one of my men, I had stationed at the GCPD only last month. If anyone can keep a trouble magnet like you out of shitsville it would be him - Ghost
You hold him in high regard – M.P.
He's ex-special forces, one of their best. And he hasn't failed me yet. He'll be sending me full reports on your safety whilst leaking the edited version to the Police and the Dark Knight. – Ghost
Speaking of safety, has there been any word on the bastard clown – M.P.
Not yet. He and Quinn have both gone into hiding. But be careful, some of his cronies are still loose on the streets. And these aren't just the morons who just walk about and look pretty in clown masks, these are his actual muscle and henchmen, the ones who report to him directly. So stay close to Jones and don't wander off on your own – Ghost
Yes mom – M.P.
Be thankful we're not talking face to face woman– Ghost
I could say the same for you Ghost – M.P.
"Mrs Darling? Doris?" Mina called softly as she entered the white padded room alone. "My name is Mina Poole and I'm just here to see how you're doing"
In the centre of her vision, an old woman sat on a small cot like bed, her body wrapped in a straight-jacket. Her skin was grey and papery, almost like parchment. Her hair was wispy white and cut roughly about her shoulders, as if someone had cut it in a great hurry with blunt scissors.
Only a few stringy white bangs covered her eyes as she stared down to the ground, her old wrinkled mouth moving seamlessly in quiet mutterings.
"The fox has fled the chicken coop. But he fled without his kit. Fled the coop but the chicken's still have his kit"
Chickens, foxes and kits? What do they put in your food old bat?
But Mina kept her face completely neutral as she made to sit in a vacant chair by the door, eyeing the old woman as she began to rock back and forth, grinning childishly as she spotted her younger caretaker.
"Now the Kit's come to granny. The Kit want's answers. The kit is curious, more like a kitten than just a kit granny thinks. And Granny thinks a lot of things"
"And what does… Granny think of?" Mina frowned and Doris giggled, a high unnaturally girlish sound that almost set her teeth on edge.
"All sorts. Granny thinks how delicious the man outside the door looks. Granny thinks that the doctor sent little kit in because she's busy with the Man she calls X. But granny does more than think my dear, oh yes, Granny sees everything."
"Like what?" Mina politely smiled but could not deny the shudder that went through her as the old woman craned her neck up to look through her long white bangs.
"Granny can see your fear little Kit. Granny can see you fear her. Granny can see the hurt and the anger inside your soul. Anger at the Bat anger at the Fox. Granny can see the loss in your heart for the family that was. Granny can see the mark left on you on your back. Granny can see the trust little kit has for her Ghost…but most importantly…Granny can see a little girl scared and alone as she watches men drop like flies…one, by one into the floor…as the fox laughs over them. Never ending in his laugh-"
"Enough!"
Mina hadn't meant to yell. Nor did she mean for her voice to waver as it did with fear.
It was just too much, the piercing stare, the insane smile, it was all too much…all too familiar…and why did her brain hurt? Why did thoughts begin to swirl and shift when she didn't even think of thinking them?
"Hmm…such anger. Don't worry little Kit. Don't worry at all." Doris smirked and even as she brushed back her lank hair, Mina froze like an icicle to her seat.
There staring at her from the old wrinkled face was a pair of jet black coloured eyes.
"Granny understands you. Granny has always understood you…my dear…my Darling"
"Well you look like crap"
"So do you, but you don't hear me commenting about it" Mina snapped, not even bothering to look up from the empty Arkham Staffroom couch as the dark shadow of Diego Jones strode towards her.
He was a short man of partial Latino descent (or at least that's what he looked like to Mina) with a stern scowling face that always looked like it had been carved out of marble, so stiff was his jaw set. Though his height was definitely shorter than her own, his muscled build and tough stance even in the Arkham Uniform made Mina quite sure that if he was allowed, he'd be able to kill her in two seconds flat without even so much as blinking his eyes…or rather his one right eye. The left one was white and milky and had a large jagged scar running over it, the damaged skin furrowing severely as he glared at girl he'd been charged to protect.
Her hands shook as she turned down the television volume and turned to face him. Her face looked stricken, haunted, a far cry from her usual cool and collected self.
"Pass me the scotch" she mumbled holding out her trembling hand.
Jones acquiesced quietly, his hands careful as he made to settle the glass full of amber liquid into the woman's hands. It had been stashed away under the sink by one of the other psychiatrists. It wasn't an uncommon practice for at least one shrink to drink his or her stress away each week after being stationed in Arkham for so long.
Needless to say Mina was grateful for its presence in her hands…even if her babysitter stood there, hovering carefully above her, one hand still holding onto her wrist.
And a good thing too. She almost spilled her drink into her lap with her first sip.
Once she was settled, he leaned against the arm of her chair, his gruff voice tinged with concern.
"What did she do?"
"Who did what?" Mina growled pinching her nose.
"Doris. All this bullshit begun after you talked to her" Jones muttered.
"She…She fucked with my brain" Mina mumbled, knuckles white as she gripped her glass tight in both hands.
"How?" Jones voice hardened but Mina only snapped at him.
"I don't know. But as I was talking to the old bat I felt something prodding in my head. I can't explain it…it was like my mind was a file cabinet and she was just rifling through it at her leisure"
"So she's telepathic"
"I guess…"
"You can't just guess. It's a yes or no answer" Jones snorted.
"Well sorry, let's see how you like a complete stranger pick your brain apart bit by bit like a vulture and lay it out bare for the whole world to see. You can't imagine what the hell that's like-"
"I don't have to imagine. I already know!" Jones deep voice rang out loud and clear over her own.
She shut her mouth quickly as she caught sight of her guard scowling down at her and became uncomfortably aware of the sight of the long thin jagged scar that peeked out from his eyepatch.
She turned away quickly, her eyes drifting to glaze over the television screen. But she could feel the gaze of her companion still upon her, though the murderous aura around him seemed to dim somewhat as she opened her mouth to speak.
"She called me Darling. Just like he did" she murmured. "She looked at me and told me what I am. She looked at me and saw you, saw my hatred for the Bat…saw my darkest thoughts. Saw patient X, Kellerman, Black Mask. All in the blink of an eye. She knew who I was...even before I could figure it out. Knew what the mark meant even though I never showed it to her."
"Mark?"
"The one on my back." Mina gulped down a huge swig of whisky.
"Ah…that one" Jones muttered as his hand traced over her shoulder. "So she knows then"
Mina nodded.
"She knows. But she won't say a word. From the looks of things, she likes to know everyone's dirty secrets and trade them for a price."
"And what kind of price will she be willing to take for information about Joker"
"I don't know. But I can figure it's going to be high."
"Don't worry. My boss has some benefactors that owe him favours" Jones snorted but Mina shook her head.
"Knowledge is more powerful than money. Especially in a place like Arkham." She sipped her drink shakily "Any of those loons with more than three brain cells left could probably escape whenever they want if they really put their minds to it. Doris is no different. If anything she thrives off being a busybody, especially with powers like hers. It's no wonder Edward and Crane are fucking freaked out by her. One wrong move and she could completely hijack their heads and make them spill all their worst secrets"
"Personally I think the fact that everyone knows they dress as outlandishly as they do would be more than enough embarrassment" Jones muttered and Mina snorted.
"Not to the Rogues. The physical costume is key for their criminal careers, no matter how outlandish it looks. It makes them stand out, gives them a sense of control over others and themselves. A bit like your boss" she added and Jones bristled uncomfortably.
"Just so you know, he doesn't usually dress like that with the mask and all that." he mumbled and Mina laughed hollowly.
"Oh so then he just dresses up for me? How flattering"
"Trust me kid, you don't know the half of it" Jones snorted "If I didn't know any better I'd say my boss had a soft spot for you. But then again he's always been softer on the women"
"Hmm…interesting? And have you confirmed your findings with your dear boss?" Mina smirked.
"Don't have to, when I can see the evidence clearly in front of me." Jones' lip curled. "And if my intuition was right I'd say you also returned his sentiment"
Mina glowered at him, black eyes flashing. But Jones merely shrugged and turned away, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Hey! Don't you pull that glaring shit with me kid. I just call it like I see it"
"Right…sure" Mina scowled.
God she hated this smug little bastard.
She was relieved when her phone's alarm went off warning her of her next patient interview.
Oh well at least this one won't give me half as much trouble.
"Master Bruce?"
"Yes Alfred?" Bruce blinked up just in time to see his butler Alfred Pennyworth step into his study door, a cup of fresh coffee in his hands, his face set in a worried frown.
"Sir are you quite alright? You look like you've seen a Ghost?"
"Don't I always?" Bruce snorted as he took the cup, but his blue eyes were hollow even as he turned back to the computer screen on his desk.
"It's Mina Poole"
"Ah yes the sinisterly elusive miss Poole" Alfred clipped stiffly "Master Bruce, she has made it quite clear that she does not appreciate your assistance-"
"Alfred she's in danger" Bruce's brow furrowed "the Joker wants her. I don't know why, but I do know that he will stop at nothing till he succeeds. I don't even think he'll hesitate to drag Gotham down with him this time"
Alfred opened his mouth, then shut it hastily.
"Very well then" he coughed "What is it that you plan to do about her? She is already suspicious of your true intentions both in and out of costume."
"Don't worry, Tim and I are keeping a watch from a distance from now on" Bruce growled irritably "Besides, she'll be safe with Jones. He has good training. Not to mention some of the Rogues are probably going to grant her their protection."
"And what makes you so sure of that?" Alfred quirked a brow.
"Because Joker wants her." Bruce's lips thinned into a taut line "And when Joker wants something, its usually something very valuable or powerful…or in Mina's case, both"
"And in what way is Miss Poole valuable or powerful?" Alfred frowned curiously but his charge just shook his head.
"That's just it Alfred. I don't know. And everywhere I look I hit a dead end. Even the Poole family's crime scene. Tim and I have searched it from top to bottom, but we can't find any signs of where the Joker moved after the killings"
"Much like his first killings" Alfred sniffed. "As my own father used to say, old sins cast long shadows. And in the case of the Joker, his shadow is long indeed."
"Meaning?" Bruce's eyes narrowed and his butler sighed heavily.
"You are not the only one who has been thinking long and hard about this case Master Bruce. And the more I've been thinking, the more I feel that this madman's crusade is not completely without cause. His attack on the Poole household took place on Christmas Eve night, the very same night which you met him thirteen years ago."
"And?" Bruce's brow furrowed and Alfred's gaze hardened.
"Sir, Look at the girl's past. An orphan with no recollection of her life before the age of six, found in a club belonging to Black Mask on Halloween night. A night club that had been filled with that horrific substance we call laughing gas. And then nearly two months later the Joker himself appears and targets, of all the powerful crime bosses, Black Mask. It cannot be coincidence"
Bruce paused as he mulled it all over in his head.
Yes, he had thought about this scenario in recent months, yet he had pushed it aside quite often.
Now it blared out at him like a police siren on a quiet street.
"Master Bruce? Where are you going?"
"Well if it isn't Kellerman's little weed." Poison Ivy smirked from her cell as she watched the younger woman stride past her, clipboard in hand.
"It's Poole to you Miss Isley." Mina clipped as she stuck her pen in place.
"Ooh. Poor little weed what happened? Someone pull too hard on your roots?" she cooed derisively.
Mina just snarled.
"Actually they didn't pull nearly hard enough for my liking"
Ivy scowled, her green tinged skin flushing an even darker shade. But she made no move to act on her anger. Instead she just leaned against the glass wall of her specialized cell eyes narrowing darkly even as another voice drawled from nearby.
"Be careful Ivy. Young's little minion is rather feisty today"
"I am not Young's minion, Mister Crane" Mina rolled her eyes as she turned to face the glass barrier of Jonathan Crane's cell.
The Master of Fear was sitting on his cot, a thick book in his hand, one "borrowed" from the Asylum Library, Mina noted as she strode up to him and looked down at her clipboard.
"You ready to go? I'm on a tight schedule" she asked trying her hardest to keep her face as straight as she could.
But swiftly he was on his feet towering over her as he approached the glass.
"Fascinating" he murmured and Mina cursed herself as the blue eyes of Crane pierced into her at once. "You've had a scare"
"I have not" Mina growled forcing herself to meet his gaze, only to wish she hadn't as the ex-psychiatrist's mouth split into a small smirk.
"Yes you have. Very recently in fact. Contracted pupils, defensive body language, the involuntary ticking in your face-"
"Continue diagnosing me Crane and I'll call Cash." Mina hissed but Crane only smirked wider.
"You are so afraid. Why?"
"Crane I'm serious-"
"WHY?"
BANG!
"Because I don't like people screwing with my head you Delusional Narcissistic Schizophrenic Psychotic!"
There was a silence as Crane looked down at the girl before him. Her eyes, usually so cold, were now pits of burning hot black like coals. Lips painted red, always so smooth and perfect were raised back over hackles as she panted for breath. Nostrils flared with every puff so hard that he almost expected smoke to rise from them.
But what really got him was the small pale fist that had been slammed against the glass, from the outside of his cell.
No she was right. She was not afraid…she was terrified.
He had seen this kind of terror before, though it was not induced in any of his experiments.
"Which patient did you just meet before coming for me?"
The question was so quiet that Mina almost missed it under the pounding blood through her ears.
"I beg your pardon" she blinked and Crane rolled his eyes.
"Who has Young made you check up on today? Before me?"
"…Doris." Mina growled. "Doris Fucking Darling"
She knew she should've kept her mouth shut. The last thing she wanted was to have more rogues screwing her around.
She pulled her hand away from the glass, her eyes keeping a sharp watch on Crane even as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.
When he finally looked at her, his gaze was sharp but more contemplative than before when it had been manic.
"What did she do?"
Well I've already dug my grave
Mina sighed to herself but what she really said was.
"I went in to go check up on her. Tried the whole friendly young helper act. Then she started jabbering on about foxes, chicken coops and me being a goddamn kit. Then she looked up at me and grinned and I-I don't know, I just felt like she was-"
"Prodding around inside your head?" Crane finished quietly.
Mina stared at him.
"You know" she hissed quietly to the glass "You know she's-"
Crane nodded, his jaw tensing as he grit out:
"Everyone in C Block knows what she is"
"And you haven't ever thought to tell anyone?" Mina growled.
"The General public has labelled us as insane criminal felons." Said Insane-Criminal-Felon snapped waspishly "I doubt they'd believe anything we'd have to say anymore even if it is valid. But that's not what's important here. You said she spoke to you. As in out loud spoke to you"
"Yes…" Mina frowned. "Hasn't she ever spoken to you?"
Crane shook his head.
"She has never spoken to anyone save herself, and we only figured that out that thanks to the security cameras I asked them to install years ago in her cell"
"You mean when you were working here?"
Crane nodded again and pointed to her clipboard.
"do you still have her file with you?"
"it's right here" Mina tapped the small file and this time it was Crane's turn to frown.
"That small. I could've sworn I'd had a-"
"Doctor Young only gave me the most recent files they had from this month" Mina explained and the ex-psychiatrist chuckled mirthlessly.
"Ah, of course she did. And let me guess. The full files are locked away in the archives."
"Right in one" Mina snorted "And she's not digitized them, which means-"
"-they cannot get hacked" Crane mused. "typical! As it stands I barely have any resources to pull off a heist as well as any escape plan. Such a shame, it has valuable information." he shrugged nonchalantly.
"Even for a rogue in your position that was just a shamefully shoddy bribe" Mina rolled her eyes and Crane chuckled darkly.
"Whoever said it was a bribe?"
Mina rolled her eyes again.
Sometimes these Rogues really were assholes.
Diego Jones was a man not easily ruffled. So when the dark figure appeared on his apartment balcony dressed in a hooded black motorcycle jacket and a face covered in shadows, he did not even blink up from his cigarette.
"I take it you got my message" he snorted dryly.
"You let her get compromised right when I specifically told you to stick to her like glue" the scrambled voice of Ghost hissed.
"It's not my fault the brat knows how to sneak around is it? Besides how was I to know the old bitch was a telepath?" Jones grunted as he took a long drag. "Anyway, turns out this Doris Darling broad might have more dirt on her than we first thought"
"And what might it be?"
"Dunno fuck all" Jones shrugged. "But apparently the bastard Crane knows where to look. He was studying her when she first came to Arkham. All her information is in his files kept in a vault in the-"
"Asylum Archives" Ghost finished with a soft growl "Of course it will be in there."
"And it's not entered digitally into the system" Jones nodded. "It's all kept on good old fashioned paper. Behind armoured doors and a very secure lock-"
"by Arkham standards, very secure, means very easy to break into" Ghost sneered "Does Batman know about the files."
"No. At least I don't think so." Jones bristled uncomfortably. "If he did he'd be here an hour ago bothering me for answers and threatening to drop me from a rooftop or bothering the Brat-"
"Where is she?" Ghost cut across swiftly and Jones allowed himself a small smirk.
"Asleep on the couch, with a little help from an old friend. Don't worry" he added as he felt his boss's stare harden on him "The alcohol did it to her not me"
"Of course it did" Ghost muttered as he pocketed the vial and hopped up to the balcony railing.
"You're going to check up on her aren't you?" Jones's smirk widened.
But Ghost didn't answer. He just jumped over to the adjacent balcony and slipped inside the doors.
The room was just the same as it had been the first time he'd entered it. Except this time there was no light save that of the television screen, and Mina Poole was draped precariously over the couch
The pungent smell of whisky hung in the air.
"Fucking hell woman how much do you drink?" Ghost growled as with a gloved hand he reached for the Television remote and turned the machine off.
Mina groaned and rolled over a little in her spot, but otherwise she made no move to wake up.
Shaking his head, he reached out his arms and picked the young woman up, carrying her to her open bedroom door and all but flinging her onto the bed.
She grunted as her back made impact with the soft mattress but still she did not wake up, not even as she felt herself get covered by the sheets and blankets or not even the gloved hand that carefully pushed her hair from her face.
"Rest up well while you can" Ghost whispered as he stroked a thumb over her jawline. "Things are going to get messy."