Wind tickled Ophira's skin as she looked out over uncut wheat fields, the familiar smell of warm grass surrounding her. The sound of wooden shutters clapping in the breeze made her look to see what she knew lay just on the horizon, an old red barn. Ophira ran toward it, letting her fingers brush over the top of the wheat like she had when she was a child. She pulled the old wooden doors to the side and stared at the darkness before her.
Fear entered her belly as she felt the air around her become cold. The wind held an icy chill and the sky filled with ominous inky gray clouds. Sharp drops of rain began to plaster her dress to her skin as a growl of thunder rolled over the plains. Ophira ran up the small steps into the dark barn to escape the impending storm. As soon as her foot hit the threshold of the barn the door slid shut behind her, trapping her in blackness.
"Ophira, my dear doctor, you look frightened." A male voice whispered from the darkness.
"Edward?" Ophira desperately tried to look for him in the blackness.
There was no response but Ophira suddenly felt a gloved hand snake around her waist. She was pulled backward onto Edward's torso.
"Hello, Ophira. Have you missed me?" Edward leaned his head forward over her shoulder and spoke softly into her ear. Ophira's skin erupted in goosebumps at his proximity, her body humming at the contact.
"Edward, please, I can't see anything. I'm, I'm scared..." She squeaked the words out as quickly as possible, feeling out of control in the darkness. Ophira tried to grab for the hand that held her waist but found herself unable to move. Her limbs stuck stubbornly to her sides and resisted Ophira's efforts.
"Don't worry, my dear. We're going to play a little game." Ophira felt Edward step away from her, his hand leaving her waist. A spotlight suddenly illuminated the space where she was standing and she found herself momentarily blinded by the light. She blinked her eyes furiously, attempting to adjust them while she glanced around. Ophira could not see anything outside of the small cone of light that enveloped her.
"Edward?" Her voice was small as she tried to call out for him.
"It will all be over as soon as you complete my simple intelligence test, my dear." Edward's voice carried throughout the room. Ophira felt a chill run down her spine at the mention of the test.
"Edward, this isn't necessary-" A cold laugh cut her off.
"Of course it's necessary, my dear Ophira! How can I court someone who can't even complete a simple test? I have the utmost confidence in you." Edward's voice was jovial but Ophira felt the seriousness of his words.
"What happens if I fail?" Ophira asked, her eyes widening in fright.
"Look down, sweet doctor. Under your feet is a trap door, should you fail it will open allowing you to fall to a most unpleasant death. Unfortunate as it would be it would mean one less feeble mind in our midst." Ophira took a sharp breath in as she saw the outline of a metal door beneath her feet.
"Now that you understand the stakes, let us begin." Edward's voice boomed from all around her, and Ophira shook in dismay. The walls were suddenly lit by hundreds of small, florescent green question marks but there was no sign of her puzzle master anywhere.
The wall in front of her opened to display a list of numbers, each three digits long. Ophira counted at least twenty-five sets of numbers before a list of letters showed up a long side it.
"The puzzle is simple, my dear. Correspond the correct sets of letters and numbers to earn your freedom." Ophira swallowed numbly at the directions and tried to focus on any connections she could decipher. The numbers became fuzzy and the letters soon became obtuse shapes. Her mind was betraying her, abandoning her in a time of need. Minutes passed as Ophira stared desperately at the wall in front of her, her heart beating with a frantic pace.
"I can't do it, I'm sorry." Ophira's voice was small and frightened. For a brief second there was silence before Edward's voice boomed through the room once again.
"Too bad, my dear. Goodbye sweet Ophira." The door opened beneath her and Ophira screamed as she fell.
Ophira woke with a start, sweat beading around her face.
"What the fuck?" She whispered to herself quietly before pulling herself out of bed. The pain in her hip had subsided enough for her to walk. Ophira slowly made her way toward the bathroom but noticed a light from the corner. She wandered over and found her phone with a notification of a missed call from Kari along with a voicemail.
Ophira's brows furrowed as she put the phone to her ear to listen. Kari's voice was quiet and scratchy as the message started. It sounded as if she had just run a marathon.
"Ophira, I'm just calling to say goodbye. You've been an amazing friend to me, you are like the little sister I never had. I'm going to miss you so much. Please don't think less of me when you hear what I've done. There's not enough time to explain but..." Sirens suddenly blared in the background and Kari's voice became shrill. "I'm sorry I have to go but, Ophira, you have to get away from the asylum, it's not safe there anymore! Don't trust-" The message cut off Kari's final words. Ophira stared at her phone in disbelief before playing the message several more times.
"Fuck! Kari, what have you done?" Ophira tried to call her cell but it went straight to voice mail. Ophira paced in front of her bed, ignoring the pain in her side until a soft knock came from the door. She opened it slowly and found Jonathan with tired expression on his face.
"I don't want to freak you out but some shit just went down at the asylum. Emergency meeting for all faculty has been called. We gotta get down there." He was already dressed in his uniform and ready to go.
"Okay, let me throw some clothes on. Do you know what happened?"
"No, it's pretty hush-hush. Think its got to do with one of the doctors. They wouldn't have called in all the faculty if it had been a guard. Hope no one's dead." Ophira nodded numbly before turning around to peel off her nightshirt. Jonathan turned away, embarrassed by her lack of clothes. Ophira pulled on her usual attire and tapped him on the back to signify that she was ready. They rushed downstairs and hopped in Jonathan's truck, rumbling through the sleepy streets of Gotham towards the asylum.
The cafeteria was the only place large enough to hold all of Arkham's staff for the meeting. Ophira found herself stuffed between Jonathan and another guard as they squeezed through the crowd to get closer to the front. As they popped out of the crowd Ophira was finally able to see Warden Sharp standing on a small platform at the edge of the room. His expression was dower as he looked out over the faculty. He raised his hands for silence and the whispers around the room seised.
"I know you are all wondering why I've brought you here today. I am here to tell you that we have been betrayed by one of our own. At approximately 6:30 this morning a level-nine prisoner was released by a senior doctor." The warden paused as the room erupted in hushed whispers once again.
Ophira's insides twisted, she knew how the warden's announcement was going to end. She looked about the cafeteria for Harleen, did she get a message as well? Her eyes widened as she found Harleen grasping Dr. Young's arm against the opposite wall. Ophira tried to catch her eye but Harleen's attention was locked onto Sharp.
"Anyone with any information pertaining to the escape of Harvey Dent or his abetter Dr. Kari Eddes should come forward to the staff. If either of these individuals should contact you, I urge you to call the police and report it. As of now, all sessions between doctors and their patients will be monitored by a guard. We cannot afford to have another escape. That is all." Warden Sharp stepped down from the podium and exited out of the side door. The room burst into excited conversations, gossip spreading like wildfire. Ophira felt suffocated by the crowd, quickly pushing her way toward the exit. She burst out of the swinging doors and made her way back to her office.
Intensive Treatment was quiet as Ophira swept through the door. A group of guards and GCPD milled around the suspected escape route used by Kari and Two-Face. Addie greeted her from the small reception desk.
"You missed it, Batman was here earlier. How crazy is that?" Addie shook her head in disbelief while handing Ophira her schedule for the day. She scanned the paper quickly and noticed a new column.
"Is this for the guard appointments?" Addie nodded and sipped on her coffee.
"Been here since seven, I had to add the guards when they were available. I tried to get you some of the nicer ones." Ophira smiled softly at Addie before turning to lean on the desk.
"So Batman, what's he like?" Ophira asked while giving her friend a small look of curiosity. Addie lit up at the mention of the caped crusader.
"Tall, dark and handsome! My god." Addie pretended to fan herself before giggling. A guard gave them a disparaging look from the corner before turning back to the small cluster of men. Addie pursed her lips and looked up at Ophira who had turned to walk toward her office. "Hey, I know you were close with Dr. Eddes. I'm sorry." Addie said quietly, gazing at Ophira with concern.
Ophira felt like a knife had plunged into her chest at the mention of her wayward friend. She turned toward Addie and shook her head. "Don't worry about it, it's not your fault." She gave a small wave of farewell before climbing the stairs toward her office.
Her office was just the same as she had left it on Monday but Ophira couldn't help but feel the atmosphere had changed. Ophira sat in her office chair gently and thought about her friend.
Kari had admitted that she was in love with Harvey at the Christmas Party but why would she break him out? Seemed too risky for her friend unless Harvey was in danger. He must have been next for the experiment, Kari had even said they were looking into him.
Ophira groaned and leaned onto the desk. She desperately needed someone to speak to but Kari was gone and Harleen was upset with her. Ophira knew there wasn't anyone else in the asylum that she could trust. She had never felt so alone.
A/N: Short chapter but the next one is pretty hefty. So once I get around to it I plan to write Kari and Harvey's story because I love Two-Face just as much as I love the Riddler. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with the story so far! Big thanks to everyone who has left a review, followed and favorited, you guys are amazing! Please leave a review if you have any comments or questions about Ophira/her story, I love answering them. Leave a review if you liked the chapter and the story so far. Don't forget to follow and favorite as well.