The large bat signal was projected over the skies of Gotham when Adriana left Bruce's penthouse. He had vanished very quickly after relaying the message about the Joker having escaped from Arkham that evening. The air felt a bit warm and muggy for October and there was barely any wind, but the fog was thick and brightened up the dark sky. Going to to police precinct seemed like an automatic decision as Adriana made her way there on foot. When she arrived a few minutes later she could see the place was in an upheaval.
"Navarro," Adriana was greeted immediately. "Good evening," Officer Page said.
"Hi, Officer Page," she said.
"I assume you were told what happened," he said. "Less than twenty minutes ago."
"It's not on the news yet?"
"No," Page answered. "Soon. Within the next half hour for sure."
"Is Gordon here?" Adriana asked. "Did he go to Arkham?"
"No, he's here," Page replied. "Not for long though, I assume. He may be on the roof."
When Adriana got to the stairwell to the roof, two armed guards let her pass. So far she had never been on the roof with Gordon but clearly he had given them permission to allow her roof access.
"Navarro," Gordon said when she opened the door.
"Hello, Commissioner," Adriana said and walked over to him.
"He's not coming here is he?" Gordon asked and looked up at the sky. "He's after him."
"I assume so," Adriana answered. "He vanished as soon as he learned what happened."
"Well," Gordon said and turned off the signal, making the sky dark again. "In that case."
"I'm sure he'll find him soon," Adriana said. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"If only," Commissioner Gordon said, clearly frustrated. "He escaped on his own. There's no one I can think of to put you with to get information from."
"How did it happen?"
"Somehow he was able to set off the fire alarms for the entire asylum. The buildings had to be evacuated. He got a firearm from one of the guards and took him hostage while they were outside. He was able to back away into a vehicle. We found the guard had been pushed out of the vehicle along the side of the road a quarter mile away and the vehicle abandoned two miles away. The guard is in the hospital now but he doesn't seem to know anything."
"Okay," she said. "I really wish there was something I could do."
"You should do what we will advise everyone to do," Gordon said. "Be careful. Keep your eyes open. He could be anywhere."
"Will do," she said. "If you need anything, please let me know."
"Thank you," Gordon said genuinely.
.
"Adriana," Damien said as he passed Adriana on the way out of the precinct. She was hoping she wouldn't run into him and that he would be with the team over at Arkham but no such luck.
"Officer Ricard," she nodded impersonally and brushed past him, leaving the precinct.
"Wait-" he said and followed her onto the street.
"Can I help you?" she asked, sounding disinterested.
"How have you been?"
"Just fine," she said.
"That's great," he responded and appeared to be looking at her neck. "Great." His voice sounded a bit disappointed.
"Well, I have to go," said and kept walking.
"Wait..Your eyes look different?"
"What?" she said and pulled a small mirror from her purse. He was right. Her eyes looked a bit darker. They had gone from a very pale almost transparent looking blue to a deeper shade of normal every day blue. "Yeah. Looks fine to me. Some people's eyes change colors."
"True," he said, looking at her neck again.
"Gotta go."
When she got home and went to her bathroom to run the bathwater she saw in the mirror what he was staring at. A small passion mark on her neck, so small and faint she knew that it would be gone by morning.
.
.
"So when are your arriving to Chicago?" Harri asked Adriana. She was on speaker phone while Adriana moved dishes into boxes.
"I don't know yet, Harri," Adriana said and looked for tape. "I'm still trying to get everything packed up here to donate or sell or whatever. I think it would be good to rent out my house since I won't be here."
"Okay," Harri said. "So how is everything going with Bruce Wayne?"
"Well," Adriana said. "I haven't seen him in a few days. I'm sure he's quite busy with..a project."
"Have you at least heard from him?"
"Nope," Adriana said. "His project is..pretty serious. An emergency I'd say."
"Did you sleep with him already?"
"Harri..you're always in my business."
"You don't have any business. So did you sleep with him?"
"No," Adriana answered.
"See? No business."
"Whatever," Adriana said while taping the box shut.
"So nothing's happened yet?"
"Well..we kissed a bit. But then there was an emergency. He's been busy with it since."
"What's the damned emergency?"
"He runs many businesses," Adriana said. "He has a lot of responsibilities."
"Yet he has time to go out with a different girl every night. Ugh, you should just pay someone to pack up this stuff for you and come move here. There are services for that."
"I'm sure he's just focused on the task at hand," Adriana said. Finding the Joker was extremely important.
"Yeah, well," Harri said. "There's so many hot guys in Chicago, I can't wait for you meet a few of them."
"Why do you care so much about me seeing someone. Maybe being single is what I need."
"You were single for four years before Damien," Harri said. "And from what you told me he was pretty useless."
"Yeah, well," Adriana sighed. "I don't mind being single. It's fine."
"It's not," Harri said. "Well maybe you're telling the truth because you haven't had any truly passionate relationships yet. All the dudes you've been with have been stale and useless."
"Maybe," Adriana agreed. "I like Bruce. He doesn't seem stale or useless at all."
"So go get him then," Harri said. "Or someone else."
.
.
"He's been out for about twenty minutes," Lucius said. Bruce was dead asleep in a board room chair. "I'll wake him, if you need to speak to him."
"No, no," Adriana said. "I didn't realize he was so busy and tired."
"He's very passionate about what needs to be done now," Lucius said. "He's up all night almost every night looking for leads. But ever since the Joker left Arkham..nothing. He's moving very quietly, at least for now. It's actually quite frustrating..not knowing what he's planning. We fear that whatever he does next will be something big."
"I wish I could do something," Adriana said.
"Well, at this point any and all ideas are welcome," Lucius told her.
"So there are no leads whatsoever?"
"We think the governor may be on his hit list. He's got security around his home at all times right now."
"Why would he want to kill the governor?"
"It could be the governor's statements that he made on national TV. He's been very vocal about the sentencing he thinks the joker should be given," Lucius explained. "The death penalty. He also knows Judge Ambers very well."
"Wow..I must have missed that. Didn't watch the news at all when I was institutionalized," Adriana said. "You know..Maybe Gordon and I could stop by and speak with his security. I can make sure no one's being paid off...or threatened by the Joker."
"Brilliant idea," he said. "You'll let us know if there's anything?"
"Of course," she said.
.
.
..also knows as the Joker has escaped from the Arkham Asylum at around 8:20 this evening. The Gotham Department of Corrections and Police Department are searching for the escapee who was able to flee the facility by setting off a serious of fire alarms to gain outside access. One employee of Arkham Asylum is being hospitalized and is reported to be in stable condition. Anyone with information about the whereabouts-
"Madness," a voice said beside Adriana. She decided to visit the gym that evening and was watching a bit of the news while on the elliptical.
"Yeah," Adriana said and turned to the right on her elliptical machine to see a familiar face beside her.
"Your name was Adriana right?" Michael, the son of the manager of Savannah's said to her.
"Right, and I was told you're Michael?" she said as he stepped onto the treadmill beside her.
"That's me," he said. "Haven't seen you return to Savannah's to work. That was disappointing."
"Oh," she laughed a bit. "It was fun auditioning but I don't know if it's for me."
"So you won't be working at Savannah's?"
"No, I don't think so," she said. "It's a great place though, but I won't be working there."
"Good," he said with a smile. He had a great smile, hair and voice, Adriana thought to herself.
"Good?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied. "Now I can ask you out without it being workplace harassment."
"Oh," she smiled. "Wow." She knew what Harri would say if she were there. He's gorgeous, tall, has a deep voice and is fit. Definitely worth going on a date with at least.
"So, what do you say?" he smiled back.
"I would love to..I just.." she started to say. She didn't feel ready to date. But she wanted Bruce, however this guy also seemed great. Then again she did meet him in a strip club and he already had seen her basically naked. How would he treat her?
"It's just, we met at Savannah's," he guessed.
"Yeah," she shrugged with a little embarrassment. "Part of it."
"Well, I'd like to give you my number in case you change your mind," he offered.
She put his number into her phone before stepping off of the machine. After showering and arriving at home she considered calling him but instead texted Gordon with her idea of checking out the governor's security team. He responded immediately, saying that it was a great idea that they should pursue the following morning.
The bed was so warm and inviting as she crawled in and flopped her face against the pillow. She let out a long sigh and let her hands glide across the sheets and then a relaxed moan. Sleep was calling her but she couldn't relax. Her thoughts kept returning to Bruce and the sensation of his lips on hers. His sleek and lustrous hair gliding through her fingertips. Her fingertips touched the spots on her abdomen where he had kissed her and her eyes squeezed shut tightly as she recalled the sensation of him sucking on her flesh. If she wasn't feeling so silly and shy, she would call him right now. If she was as bold as Harri maybe she would get in her car and drive over to his penthouse right now.
She imagined knocking on his door as her fingertips moved downwards. Her free hand squeezed the pillow behind her tightly as her mind remembered his heavy swollen sign of arousal pressed against her. Imagination of how he would be as a lover consumed her as she felt herself nearing climax.
When she opened her eyes her heart nearly stopped when she saw Damien in her doorway watching her.
"Shit!" she screamed and looked around for something to throw. She reached over to her bedside table and quickly pulled out the knife she kept hidden there.
"Adriana, calm down. It's me," he said, his voice amused and lustful.
"I know it's you!" she said holding the blade tightly by it's handle. "What are you doing here?"
"My Rolex is here.." he said. "I need it."
"What? Right now? You didn't even fucking knock-"
"Yeah, sorry about that. It's in that drawer where you have your weapons," he said.
She turned and rummaged through the drawer in the dark for a few seconds until she saw a flash of gold. The watch was in her hands for only a moment before she tossed it at him.
"There, now go," she said.
"Okay," he said, not moving.
"You're still here," she replied. "Go!"
"Wait.." he said and walked over to the bed slowly. "It's just.."
"Do I have to call the police?" she said in a threatening tone.
"No," he said with a bit of shock, surprised that she would say such a thing. "I just wanted to say..you look beautiful there."
She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"You sounded beautiful too," he said and came closer.
"I will call 9-1-1 if you don't leave now," she said firmly.
"Sure," he said, not sounding afraid at all. "I'll go."
"And don't come here again."
"My mistake," he said and backed away to the door. "Lucky mistake."
"GO!" she shouted as he left.
Once she was sure he was gone she called a locksmith and waited for them to arrive to change the locks on her door. As she sat on the couch watching the news in complete boredom and anger, she started to hear thoughts without trying, Thoughts of someone checking the number on the front of her house. The locksmith was there..and she could hear his thoughts from the sidewalk. Without knowing why she was making the correlation, she ran to the mirror by her kitchen table. Her eyes were bright again..icy blue. No other thoughts came in. None from her neighbors, maybe they were too far away? As soon as the thoughts came in they stopped. She could no longer hear his thoughts without trying and she watched with a bit of fright as the color of her eyes deepened right in front of her. The mirror wasn't playing tricks, she was sure. She backed away from the mirror slowly as the doorbell rang.