Bruce's Diary

October 14th.

This will be my final entry. I'm waiting for Gordon to come pick me up: my release papers have been signed, and I've said goodbye to Lucius and Veidt. I told them both I'd see them again soon, and I intent to keep my promises. Gordon assured me Lucius' case is going to be reopened soon, so I don't worry about the fate of my CEO too much. Neither does he, fortunately. I gave him my basketball as a farewell gift, to keep him busy when he has no-one to play Ping-Pong with.

Last time I saw Veidt, he tried to talk me out of leaving. He asked me how I could keep on pretending to be an agent of justice after I had defied justice by escaping through court. I told him I couldn't. Not to myself, anyway. I know now that I need the Batman – or maybe not I, exactly, but Gotham. So he stays. And since I have to be the one to release him, I have to be released myself. He didn't seem to understand that, he said I'd find out that I was wrong someday and feel terrible about it. And I told him that if that day would come, I would return to the Ward voluntarily.

I feel sorry for Adrian, knowing he's going to end up alone with only Luthor and the Joker to keep him company. So I intend to write to him, and visit him as often as Gotham can miss me. He seemed to appreciate that intention.

I haven't seen Luthor since our disagreement in the recreation room, and I hardly mind.

Dr Skikoba and I haven't spoken for weeks and I don't think I ever will – we have fallen out, sort of. She's very angry about the fact that I've undone everything she thought she accomplished with me in the months of my detaining. She's kept telling me how much she admired me for being so open, for being honest about my juxtaposition with the Bat that lives inside me. She also believes that by escaping and letting him out I will return to my schizophrenic state, as she insists in calling it. I've tried to explain to her that I don't see it that way: I have learned a lot about myself, about the way I can deal with these two very different ways of life and unite them in one principle. When she realized she wasn't going to change my mind, she stopped talking to me altogether. I also feel sorry about that. I liked her, and I think she hates me right now.

Can't satisfy everyone, I'm afraid.

As for the Joker, he requested to have a final talk with me and I agreed to have one. I was taken to see him, not in an interrogation cell, but in the recreation room. He sat there, I saw him slipping a white queen from the chess set in his pocket when I entered.

"Hi," he said and raised a hand in a greeting. "Heard you were getting out after all?"

"That's right."
"Good to hear. I guess that proves me a right after all."

I conjured a smile. "Maybe a little."

He sniffed and sat down, gestured at the couch opposite from him that I should sit too. I did. He grabbed a pack of cards from the side table and started looking for the jokers, I suspect.

"So, since everybody's thinking of leaving, it seems the Ward is going to become pretty quiet. If everyone has their way, it'll be nothing but old Ozymandias keeping the doc company."

"And you."

"I've seen enough of the place. I think it's time to move on."

"How were you going to do that?"

He grinned. "Like I'd tell you. I'm not crazy."

I leaned back. "Was there something specific you wanted to talk to me about?"
"No." He put his attention to the cards. "I just wanted to wish you luck. Rebuilding your life, saving the city, that stuff."

"Why'd you want that?"

"Well, I don't know. So I'll have something to tear down when I come back?"

"Why'd you want to?"

"Well, I gotta do something with my life. And that happens to be what I'm good at."

"You could try something different. Maybe there are other talents for you to explore. You could try painting."

He grinned: "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."He put down the cards, got up and put out his hand. I got up too and hesitated.

"Oh, come on. I promise I won't bite."

So I shook my enemy's hand and left, feeling good about being able to have an almost normal, non-threatening conversation with him. The guards then took me back to my cell and when I sat down at the desk, I felt something in my pocket and found a Joker card. Somehow he had managed to slip that into my pocket without me noticing, probably when he was shaking my hand, maybe at some other moment when he kept me distracted – I don't know. But I do wonder why he hasn't broken out yet, if he is so quick with his hands.

Joker Transcriptions

All I really needed was a queen.

Check.

Mate.

Time to go paint me a city.