Nightmare in Arkham
Chapter 13: "Truth or Doubt"
-In the Batcave, Batman sat at his computer researching every single detail Alice had given him. He had been had at work all night and so far everything Alice had said about Freddy was true. Batman had found a mug shot of Freddy prior to being burned that dated back to 1974. His face stared straight at the camera with vicious eyes. He had not the slightest trace of emotion in his face but, looking at the picture, Batman noticed one side of his closed mouth was curved upward in what looked like a hidden smile. After seeing what he did to the children, those poor, innocent children who didn't even look like they were given the chance to see the age of 10, Batman could feel the anger starting fester in his mind.
-Batman remembered the time when he discovered the child slave racket being run by the Sewer King within Gotham's sewer system. He remembered how his blood boiled at the sight of all of those children deprived of their joy, their innocence, and given nothing but pain and fear. He remembered how tempted he was to kill him, to flush him out into the ocean and leave him for fish food. Well, this was much, much worse. This man burned children and threw them in dumpsters, he carved the eyes out of little girls, he peeled the skin from their bodies while they were still alive, and, in one of the most horrid stories Batman had ever heard, he completely dismantled and burned a little girl and left the remains on the mother's doorstep. Batman felt sick with each passing detail he read.
-And then there was the technicality in court that set him free. In the article, Batman read a quote from one of the officers, "I almost pulled the trigger" which was followed by the quote of the officer's wife "What stopped you?" For the first time, Batman almost felt like he agreed. And as he read on, Batman came across the part that Alice claimed sparked the Elm Street massacres. Batman wondered if he would have stood alongside the Springwood residents as they sent this unholy abomination to Hell where he belonged. The Joker hadn't even displayed the amount of sadism as Fred Krueger.
-Then came the Elm Street murders:
*Tina Grey- Found in her parent's bedroom with 4 giant slashes running down her chest and stomach
*Glen Lantz- Body completely liquefied to pool of blood accumulating from his bed
*Ronald Kincad-Found in his bed with 4 stab wounds just under the chest
*Joey Crusel-Found by his mother floating face-up within his own waterbed
*Kristen Parker-Found burned to death while sleeping in her bed
*Nancy Tompson-Found with 4 stab wounds in her ribcage.
-Hundreds of other murders followed. Each of the victims had been asleep at the time of their deaths and most of them bared four wounds that had come from a serrated/pointed weapon. Many of the victims had made video recordings that had since been posted to the internet where they described a severely burned man wearing a red and green sweater, a brown fedora hat, and a glove with razor fingers on the right hand and they all gave the same name: Freddy Krueger. They described the children who would appear before them and sing the frightening nursery rhyme and the hellish boiler room that they always found themselves inside of upon falling asleep. Many of the victims showed signs that they had not slept in days, even weeks. Some of them even went so far as to burn their arms with cigarette lighters during the recording to stay awake. One of them had even cut off their own eyelids. They claimed their parents wouldn't listen to them, they felt like they were going insane, and some claimed they had lost the ability to tell dreams from reality.
-Batman's rage began to subside as he now saw a painful irony: the Springwood citizens had done the one thing Batman had sworn he would never do and they killed a person who probably deserved it more than anyone he had ever encountered and it had supposedly lead to the same results as the ones that forbade Batman from going to such extreme measures: the creation of an even greater evil.
-The nightmare dragged on for 5 years before one local teen, whose name had been disclosed by the request of the mother, who also remained anonymous, allegedly caught and killed the dream demon. He claimed he had figured out that Freddy could be brought into the real world when a victim held onto his body as they woke up. The teen had supposedly planted a homemade bomb inside of the dreaded "1428 Attraction" and blew himself, and Freddy, to pieces. While many of the teens recognized this as an act of heroism, the blame for the murders had been placed on the teen because he had shown signs of abnormal mental stability and his sanity had been called into question more than once, as was the mother's. The only piece of evidence found at the crime scene that supported the claims of the surviving youths was Freddy's hat.
-Then a recent story on the subject caught Batman's eye, one that dated back only a week ago. A man had reportedly broken into a police station in Springwood and left a handful of officers in a state of mental distress before making off with the hat that was recovered from the crime scene. Batman scrolled to a picture of the suspect and was stunned to see the picture of Jonathan Crane.
-Batman turned back to his worktable where the chemical sample he had been examining from Scarecrow's hideout still sat under the microscope. Batman took the red and green cloth from his utility belt and studied it for a few moments. He got up and made his way to the worktable. There he placed a piece of the cloth under the microscope to examine the fibers. Batman's eyes widened in shock when he looked under the microscope: the fibers carried the exact same DNA found in the chemical. Batman didn't know what to think, but he now knew this meant one thing: the nightmare had just begun.
MEANWHILE…
-Poison Ivy had Harley wrapped tightly in her arms. "Oh my God, Harley, thank God you're okay! I was so worried about you!"
-"Um, Red" Harley said with restricted breath, "You're crushing me".
-Poison Ivy released her grip. "Harley, what happened last night? I barely got any sleep last night because I was afraid of what that hell doctor may have done to you".
-"Hell doctor? What are you talking about?"
-"I was told one of the doctors at Arkham took you away and-"
-"Oh, that! No Red, she's not a hell doctor, not at all. She's my new friend".
-Poison Ivy froze. "Harley…what happened last night?"
-Harley sat down next to Ivy on the bed and weaved her the story about how Alice rescued her, how they shared the moment over her video and the "mind over matter" moment, and how she convinced Harley to turn herself in so she could give her a better life.
-Ivy felt wounded deep inside. Not only was someone there for Harley when she neglected to be there, but she "had a moment" with her? Ivy could not think of anytime when she and Harley had a moment. 4 years of non-stop devotion to Harley, always taking care of her when she needed comfort and support, constantly trying to steer Harley toward her and away from the Joker and failing every time, and now a complete stranger, one who works in the place that held her prisoner no less, comes along and she bonds with her in one night and she already encouraged Harley to make a change in her life? Where did she go wrong? She treated Harley with every bit of love and care that she could muster and the one time she fails someone else steps in and replaces her? Ivy's mind and been thrown into complete disarray. A part of her wanted to cry but she would not allow herself to. She had sworn that as the Toxic Terror of Gotham she would never give any tears, not even for herself. Besides, she had shed all the tears she intended a long time ago.
-"Red? Red?" Ivy snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Harley, "What's wrong?"
-I'm just a tool to you, that's what! "Nothing Harley", she said calmly.
-"So have you met Dr. Johnson yet?"
-"No"
-"Oh I can't wait til you meet her! She's the kindest, sweetest, most badass woman you'll ever get to know! And-"
-"She sounds nice, Harley", Ivy said with out any enthusiasm.
-"Say Red, something seems the matter. What's up?"
-"I'm tired"
-"Well, ya did say you were up all night so I guess that would make sense."
-I was up thinking about YOU! "I guess it would".
-"Why don't ya go back to your cell and catch some shut eye, Red. I'm sure your babies really miss their mommy". Poison Ivy closed her eyes and cringed.
-"Yeah, okay". Ivy got up off the bed. Harley got up after her and wrapped her arms around her in a tight bear hug. "Sweet dreams" Harley pecked her on the cheek "My Poison Oakey!"
-"Ivy" She said irritably.
-"Oh! Someone's a cranky pants. Come on, let's put a smile on that face" Harley said as she gently traced small circles on Ivy's cheek. Ivy just shrugged and walked past Harley. A guard opened the cell and Ivy stepped out. Harley was about to say something but the minute Ivy stepped out of her cell she immediately walked out of her sight and stood in front of her cell waiting to be let in. Her body hunched down with emotional weight.
-After Ivy was inside her cell the guard turned back to Harley. "Well, come on" he said motioning Harley out of the cell.
-"What, why are-"
-"Ya want breakfast, don't ya?"
-"Oh, yeah, hehe, things have been so hectic lately I haven't even thought about food".
-Inside the lunchroom Harley looked around for a place to sit. Usually she would sit with the Joker or Poison Ivy. But since neither of them were present, she had to find somewhere else to sit. Harley didn't want to sit alone, but she wasn't comfortable with how a lot of the inmates were looking at her as she passed by the tables.
-"YoHo! Miss Quinn, over here!" called a thick English voice. Harley turned around and saw Penguin with his arm raised in the air looking over at Harley. Sitting alongside him were Two-Face, Riddler, and Killer Croc. Harley smiled, happy to see a few familiar faces.
-"Hey Pengie, Crokie, Eddie, Dentie" she said happily.
-"Call me that again and I'll split you down the middle", Two-face said angrily.
-"You sure you don't want to flip on that?" Riddler asked sarcastically.
-Two-Face growled angrily.
-"Don't mind him", Riddler said turning to Harley, "He's just a bit groggy from Ivy's little hissy fit waking him up".
-"She woke me up because of you!" Two-Face said pointing to Harley.
-"Me! What did I do?"
-"She busted in here last night to save your sorry ass and Catwoman apparently locked her back in", Killer Croc chimed in.
-"Wait, when did she bust out?"
-"Around the same time Scarecrow kicked the bucket" Croc answered.
-Harley opened her mouth to speak but stopped before the words formed. "Wait a minute, what did you say about Scarecrow?"
-The four villains froze and turned to Harley. "You mean…you haven't heard?" Riddler asked.
-"Heard what?"
-The villains exchanged looks. "Well Harley," Penguin said regretfully "Quite sometime ago…our frightful friend, Dr. Crane, met with a most unfortunate affliction."
-"What?"
-"The poor son-of-a-bitch got incinerated in his hideout about a week ago". Two-Face said unsympathetically.
-Harley's eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God! Does Jervis know about this?"
-The villains froze in place. Killer Croc, who was guzzling down a bottle of water, abruptly choked on it and coughed it out. They all shot their heads toward Harley again. "Um, Harley…he's dead too", Riddler said.
-Harley couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What…how…when?!"
-"Just last night," Killer Croc said.
-"Yup, he got his head cut off, right at the table where he and Scarecrow used to play chess. That's 2 ironies for the price of one". Two-Face added
-"Indeed" said Penguin, "They were both the merriest of chaps and they will be greatly missed," he said lowering his head in silence.
-"Well, at least we can take comfort knowing they're both in a better place", Harley said to Penguin reassuringly placing a hand on his shoulder.
-"Yeah, yeah, we're all comin apart at the seams" Killer Croc said without concern "How's about you tell us how you wound up back in here? Did Joker rat you out again?"
-"No, actually, I turned myself in".
-The villains all stared blankly at Harley. "What on earth could have driven you to such a daft act my child?" Penguin asked both confused and concerned.
-"Yeah" Riddler chimed in, "Who would willingly put themselves in a house filled with a bunch of loud, barbaric, mentally unstable twits?" Two-Face and Croc both shot him an angry stare.
-"Well, see, about a week ago Mista J threw me out again-"
-"Big shock" Two-Face said sarcastically. Harley glared at him.
-"And then this lady, who works right here at Arkham, Dr. Alice Johnson, took me in and we bonded and she told me she would give me a whole new life so-"
-Harley stopped when she noticed all the villains, except Penguin and Two-Face, were holding back laughter, which they eventually let out with sheer amusement.
-"Oh my God! Oh my God! Wait! Wait…Dr. Johnson, the little red-headed alley cat,'took you in' and made you come back here?" The Riddler asked.
-"Alley cat?!" Harley asked offended.
-"A few of the inmates have stuck that nickname to her" Penguin explained "Alice the Alley Cat".
-"And why is that?" Harley demanded.
-"Because she tries to look tough, but when we look at her all we can think about is that red hot pussy" Killer Croc said.
-Harley was absolutely disgusted by the remark but before she could retort, the Riddler interrupted her. "Oh, come now, Crockers, she may be easy on the eyes but that woman is dull as a rock. I mean, she really thinks she can reach us by spewing all that 'life's not so bad', 'give people a chance' bullshit? I've heard the same crap from at least 15 different doctors, and I'm sure you all have too, and you probably knew how much nonsense they were trying to feed you only to find out you were right. And yet here she is thinking she's being 'original', I even think she's under the impression she's succeeding. What a little fool!" The villains all laughed, with the exception of Penguin, whose higher standards would not allow him to stoop to such childish behavior. He rolled his eyes and got up and waddled over to the salad bar for a second helping of sardines.
-Harley would not stand for anymore. "Shut up!" she shouted slamming her fist on the table. Practically every table in the cafeteria had heard her and they all turned to the source of the noise. "How could you scumbags sit here and show this much disrespect to someone trying to help you? You don't have a clue what that lady's been through!"
-"And you do?" Two-Face asked.
-"Yeah, as a matter of fact, Puke Face, I do. She told me things, showed me things-"
-"Sounds like another Joker story" Riddler said. "Tell me, how has the Joker treated you since the day he told you all those stories?"
-Harley was about to tell him it was none of his business but fell silent before she had a chance, then a feeling of uneasiness washed over her. What if everything Alice told her was a lie? She had already started to question how much the Joker loved her, now she had to question Alice's love for her too? No, if she didn't care about her then why did she go out of her way to save her?
-"No! This is nothing like the Joker! Alice saved my life twice last night. She fought off Batman's goon to keep me out of Arkham and-"
-"And yet here you are" Riddler interrupted again, "And why is that? Oh, that's right, because she convinced you to turn yourself in".
-Harley's froze like a statue. "Face it Harley, you couldn't tell if someone was lying to you if they carved it on your face".
-"Then how do I know you're not the liar?!"
-"Tell ya what, sweet-cheeks" Two-Face said, "Why don't ya flip on it? The truth always reveals itself in some way or another; believe me, I know. This coin has never steered me wrong before" He said handing Harley a silver coin.
-Harley took the coin and looked at it. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"
-"Simple: just flip it. Heads means the Alley Cat really is fond of you, as well as all of us, tails means she's just waiting for the right moment to pounce". Two-Face explained
-"That's ridiculous!"
-"Then what's the harm in doing it?" Riddler asked, "You're not afraid of the truth, are you?"
-"No…no I just, um-"
-"Then flip it already!" Croc said impatiently.
-"Fine!" Harley shouted. She placed the coin on the thumb of her hand and flicked it upward causing the coin to spin through the air. After a few seconds, the coin fell back down and Harley's hand snapped shut around it as it landed in her palm. Suddenly, Harley felt her anxiety begin to rise, but she didn't know why. She stood silently looking at her clenched fist. Why did she suddenly feel so afraid to see the result? It wasn't like it was going to mean anything.
-"Well…" a voice asked. Harley looked up, and for the first time she saw that every inmate, and even some of the guards, had crowded around her waiting for the results. Harley looked at all of the deviant faces starring at her like a cruel audience waiting for her to choke on stage. Her palms began to sweat, her fist shook, her eyes now displayed the worry inside of her mind, and Harley had a feeling these jerks could see it clearly written on her face. What if…What if they're right? Oh God, why is this happening? Okay, calm down, it's just a stupid coin…At least I hope it is.
-Harley slowly turned her trembling fist over into her other hand and released the coin. She felt it drop into her other palm, signifying the truth being revealed. Suddenly, after feeling the coin hit her hand, Harley started to breathe erratically. She felt dizzy and she found it extremely difficult to keep her balance. Harley involuntarily squeezed her hand over the coin as her senses started to come undone and, just as she began to faint, she heard a female voice yelling her name.
-Alice caught Harley just before she made impact with the hard floor. She snatched a glass of water from a table close by and slashed the cold liquid on Harley's face causing her to snap awake.
-"HUH?! What?! Where?!..." Harley looked around, disoriented but conscious. Harley looked at her hand that held the coin, which was still balled into a fist.
-"NO! GET IT AWAY FROM ME!" Harley screamed as she hurled the coin across the room. A handful of inmates raced toward the coin hoping to claim it as their own.
-"It's okay, Harley, come on," Alice said gently as she held her close "Let's get you out of here". Before Alice put an arm around Harley and led her out of the lunchroom, she turned to the 3 villains and glared at them. "And you all wonder why society wants you in here". This angered Two-Face and Croc but the Riddler remained relatively calm. Alice turned her glare to the crowd that still stared at them. "What are you guys looking at? You waiting for a play to start?" she asked irritably. The inmates turned back around and resumed their meals.
-As they walked away, Killer Croc stood up from the table and angrily began to walk toward them but the Riddler blocked him. "Just let it go Croc. We'll get her when the time is right". Killer Croc growled angrily but ultimately decided to listen to the Riddler.
-"Who does that bitch think she is telling us society hates us because of who we are?" Croc asked bitterly.
-"She's a part of that society, that's what. Someone like her could never understand. Don't worry, we'll deal with her just like the rest" the Riddler assured.
-Croc nodded in agreement. Then they turned to Two-Face. "You seem relatively calm. I'd think you'd be having a panic attack like Harley. You do realize your precious coin is now in someone else's pocket, right?" Riddler asked.
-Two-Face reached into his coat pocket and took out a silver coin that bared a scratch on one side. "You really think I'd let anyone else touch this coin?"
-"Wait, so the one you gave Harley was-"
-"Just a coin, yes".
-"So, that whole scene was all for nothing?" Riddler asked.
-Two-Face nodded. Riddler chuckled amusingly "My God, Harvey, I never took you as one to have a sense of humor"
-"I don't, I just wanted to give that little kiss ass a chance to defend her claim and she failed".
-"And you did using lies and deception, just like the attorney you were born to be. You truly are a two-face"
-Two-Face leaned in and very sternly said "And don't you forget it".
Alice walked Harley back to her room. Harley had remained quite the entire walk. Before Alice opened the door to Harley's cell, she turned to her. "Wanna talk about it?" She asked sincerely.
-Harley stood still for a moment before nodding. Alice opened the door and sat with Harley on her bed. Harley didn't know how or where to start. "I…I…I started to…have doubts again".
-"About what?"
-"About who I could trust".
-"I see…and who don't you think you can trust?"
-"Well, that's the thing, I don't know".
-After a pause, Harley had thought of decent question to ask. "You knew, from the first time you saw me, who I was and what I had done. Why did you treat me so kindly? Why didn't you get behind Batgirl?"
-Alice smiled at Harley. "Because, I believe in the best of humanity".
-Harley still looked unsure. "What did those guys say to you, Harley?"
-"Well…they said a lot of mean things about you. They said that-"
-"I'm an Alley Cat? I'm a cliché? I'm a bitch? I-"
-"They said you tricked me into turning myself in", Harley said without thinking. She gasped and covered her mouth when she realized what she had blurted out.
-"So you don't think you can trust me?" Alice asked sincerely.
-Harley frantically tried to recover from her mistake, "NO! It's not that! It's just that…after the Joker…I just, I mean they-"
-"Harley" Alice said. Harley fell silent, "You're worrying too much. Those guys back there…they said those things because they've all had someone stab them in the back. The truth is you made the decision to come here. You made the decision to seek help and turn your life around. Those creeps don't have a clue what they're talking about. Don't let nonsense like that get to you".
-Harley smiled, "You're right. My head's just been a little jumbled since last night".
-"Is there anything else on your mind, Harley?"
-Harley pondered for a moment on whether or not to bring up the other thing on her mind. Alice, I think you're a wonderful person. And I feel things when I'm around you. I don't even know if I should be feeling these things about you, but it feels so right. I want to be with you, spend as much time with you as I possibly can. I love you as much as I love Red, but this love feels different. Is this normal? Is this-
-"Harley?" Alice called. Harley snapped out of her thought.
-"Oh, um, no, I think that's all".
-"Well alrighty, kido, I guess I'll see you this afternoon".
-"What happens this afternoon?"
-"Group meeting. You and the rest of the patients are going to meet with me and discuss you're thoughts, feelings, and issues, not just with me, but also with each other".
-"Why would we need to do that?"
-"Because I think it's beneficial for patients to talk to each-other about their problems instead of just the psychiatrist. That way, some of the others could possibly relate their experiences with one another and we can all work as a team to get help one another through hardships we all face".
-"I guess that makes sense but you're talking about putting Bane, Killer Croc, and all those other super psychos in one room? With you alone with them?" Harley asked sounding completely unsure of this decision.
-"I've been doing it since day one, Harley; the sessions are always closely monitored and there's help on stand by incase something goes wrong. And so far there haven't been any problems".
-Harley didn't know what to think of this. Alice was either the bravest or the craziest woman she had ever met. She was basically throwing herself into a piranha tank hoping that they would just swim by without even noticing her. But all it would take is just one bite from one fish and then she'd have an entire barrage of teeth coming at her. But if anyone could handle herself in a risky situation, it was Alice.
-"Relax, kido, I got ole zappy on stand by as an extra precaution".
-Harley laughed, sounding calmer. "Well, okay then".
-"Alright Harley, I gotta go do a few one on ones for a while. Just relax for a while and clear your mind", at the mention of "clearing the mind" Alice was reminded of something. "Say, speaking of which, how did the Hypnocil treat you?"
-"Oh my God, that stuff is fantastic! I don't think I've ever slept that peacefully in my entire life".
-"Good. I'm expecting it to start being distributed to each patient starting sometime today. In the meantime-" Alice was cut off when she looked at Harley and saw her kind, warming smile. Alice smiled back and she a she gently hugged Harley.
"You're going to do great, kido, I can see it in in your face and I can feel it in my bones".
-When Alice let Harley go she looked at Alice and asked, "Do you really think I'll be able to change my life completely? Do you really think I can be accepted in society as normal person?"
-"With me helping you, I don't have a doubt in the world".
-Alice walked out of the cell and closed the door, keeping an unbroken smile with Harley the whole time. After they waved goodbye, Alice started down the hallway.
On the other side of the wall that held Harley's bed, Poison Ivy had been listening to the conversation and now her hurt had turned to anger.
-"That little bitch. So that's her game, huh: make people think she's their friend so she can brainwash them into thinking that she's their salvation?" Ivy knew the truth now: Harley didn't replace her with another woman; another woman had manipulated her, just like the Joker. "I'm gonna kill that bitch the first chance I get" she whispered to herself angrily as she watched Alice walk away
Not far down the hall, she heard someone call her name. She turned and saw Dr. Leland with her head poking out of the door of her office, motioning Alice to come in. Alice walked into her office and took her seat in front of Dr. Leland's desk as Dr. Leland sat down in front of her.
-"Alright, so, I've just been informed that your request has been granted. We will start administering the Hypnocil drug to the inma-I mean patients, effective as of today."
-"Oh thank God" Alice said to herself relieved.
-Dr. Leland looked at her confused. "What is this all about Alice? Why are you so determined to repress your patients dreams?"
-Alice sighed. "Joan…I wish more than anything that I could give you the details; but this is one problem where talking about it will make it worse. I don't intend to do this for very long, just a few week maybe. And by then this problem will have died out. In the meantime, Batman and I have agreed to work together and see if we can resolve this matter sooner".
-Dr. Leland was silent for a moment as she let Alice's words sink in. "I really hope you know what you're doing, Alice".
-"So do I, Joan, so do I".
Freddy chuckled to himself from inside of the dream world as he listened in on Alice. "That's right, give those little meat packages all the drugs you want. Let them have a few more nights of sweet dreams. Cause after I'm done re-modeling this place" Freddy pulled out the card he took from Mad Hatter and held it in front of him between his claws "No one will sleep".