As Adriana left Wayne Tower and was finally on the street, she realized that she had been holding her breath. She felt incredibly embarrassed for walking into Bruce's office at such a moment. All she wanted to to was apologize more but was far too mortified to stay. The train would get her back home faster, she decided, before walking up the rusty teal colored stairs to the trains above the street. Once she was at the top she noticed something floating in the sky. A blimp?
"What is that?" a homeless looking man sitting on the ground beside one of the benches asked.
"I think it's a blimp," Adriana finally answered him as the object came closer.
"Haven't seen one of those in Gotham in years," he said. "Thank you so much, miss," he told Adriana after she placed $5 in the cup beside him.
"Wow," a woman said. "Look what's on it..."
Adriana squinted and saw what the woman was talking about. The blimp was decorated with an elaborate clown-like image. A very gothic design of the top half of a joker card. The visual of the hat with bells was insanely bright as the blimp moved closer. As everyone at the train stop looked up Adriana heard the voice of the Joker.
"...Ladies and gentlemen of Gotham.."
"Where's that coming from?" a man in a suit said and looked over to a teenage girl that was watching her phone.
"It's online..the Joker," she answered and turned her phone so that they could watch.
"What's coming will hopefully make more of you...well... like me. I'd much rather see you become who you really are, than die. Trust me, it will be much more interesting and fun. Unfortunately, many of you will die though. That can't be helped."
"What's he talking about?" the teenage girl asked.
"Terrorism," the man in the suit said and cursed at the blimp floating above them.
"You know, most of your politicians and judges are just like me. They just keep it hidden. Now, why do that? Show Gotham who you really are-"
The sound of his voice was drowned out by the train pulling up. Adriana entered the train and sat quickly and wondered if Bruce was seeing this. What was he planning to do about it? The train began to pull off and Adriana pulled out her phone like everyone else and opened up the first new page that popped up to watch the rest of the live video.
"The sooner you let yourself become one with your...lunacy as a doctor once put it...the sooner you no longer have to be afraid of me. The sooner you are no longer a mouse trapped in a room filled with snakes, which is what Gotham will soon become.."
Just as the video ended Adriana heard what sounded like an explosion in the distance. Several people ran over to the right side of the train to look out the window at the dark gray smoke wafting into the sky.
"Which building is that?" someone asked.
"That's city hall.." another person answered solemnly.
Whirls of darkening smoke continued to fill the air making Gotham look like it was under attack. A woman held her small son as he cried and the teenaged girl was now on the phone with her mother, crying while apologizing for skipping school. The blimp was now floating away in the distance, away from the dark swirling fumes.
Adriana stood as the train stopped a few blocks from her house and shook a bit as the train came to a halt. After the stepped off her phone rang.
"Adriana!" Harri said. "Are you seeing this? On the news?"
"I saw...smoke around city hall. Some kind of explosion.."
"Yes, half the building looks like it's gone! You're safe?"
"I was downtown but I left a little while ago. I have been on the train...I'm almost home.."
"This is crazy! Everyone's looking at it here...I'm glad you're okay."
"Me too."
Harri repeated everything she heard on the news to Adriana as she walked home. They were trying to put out the fire. Several injured in the streets. No news yet of the casualties or injured inside the building.
"How did he even get bombs into the building?" Adriana asked.
"Who knows!" Harri answered.
"Harri..I gotta go," Adriana said before abruptly ending the call.
She hailed a cab that had perfect timing, passing down the street at the moment she stepped onto it, and got in.
"Take me to Arkham Asylum, please."
"Sure thing ma'am."
.
.
.
Arkham city was much calmer than Gotham was at the moment. Traffic was slowed by numerous school buses, as schools and all federal buildings had been evacuated. As the cab went down the bright streets, Adriana wondered what she doing. She had no idea why she was going to Arkham but felt sure that something there had been missed. Her phone began to ring as they passed Blackgate prison.
"Hello?" Adriana answered hesitantly, seeing that the call was coming from an unknown number.
"Adriana, I'm glad you're okay," she heard Bruce's voice. "You left so quickly and then there was the explosion, not too far from here-"
"I'm fine, I wasn't anywhere near it," she said. "I was on the train."
"Good," he said. "Stay home and indoors."
"Oh, I'm..not home at the moment but I will be back soon."
"Where are you?" Bruce asked, sounds in the background overtaking his voice, but she could still make out what he was saying.
"On my way to Arkham Asylum..where are you?"
"Adriana.." he said, without answering her question. "Why are you going there?"
"I don't know, I just have to," she answered. "And I want to help."
"There's nothing there-"
"Okay, then I should come down to around city hall or chasing leads with you. Would you prefer that?"
He was quiet for a while before answering.
"Fine," he said. "Let me know if you find anything."
"Ok, bye," she said and ended the call. The cab driver was looking at her curiously and then shook his head.
.
.
.
"I...work with the police.." Adriana said nervously to the receptionist at Arkham as she pulled out her old work ID. It definitely was not a badge and she was unsure if the card with just her name, photo and statement that she worked for the Gotham Police Department would even allow her access.
"Okay," the older woman at the desk nodded. "How can we help you?"
"Well, I'm here to..investigate the Joker," she said, unsure of her wording.
"As you can see," the woman pointed to the small and outdated TV on the desk behind her which was playing the news. "He's not here."
"I know," Adriana said in the nicest voice she had. "Is there any way I could see..where he stayed while he was here?"
"Sure thing," the woman looked back at the TV again. "Carl!"
The woman called to a security guard and instructed him to watch the front desk as she led Adriana down the halls. Arkham was a bit different than Adriana had imagined, at least as far as she could see now. It looked very professional, clean and tidy. There were large windows overlooking rural landscapes and the sun seemed to hit Arkham city much more directly than it ever did in Gotham. Adriana imagined it would be dark, filthy and filled with loud terrorizing screams. But it was so quiet she felt like she could hear a pin drop.
"It's very quiet here.." Adriana observed out loud.
"Well," the woman said. "We are very generous with sedatives these days. Many of the patients function better with them, so I've heard."
"I see," Adriana replied as they entered the small room.
Adriana had been in many mental institutions as a patient, so the room did not feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar. It was very plain. Two beds that were made and a large barred window with two small tables in front of it were pretty much all that was in the room.
"Thank you," Adriana thanked the woman.
"This is where he stayed," the woman replied. "You're welcome. He was here most of the time. There were also padded cells that were used temporarily."
"Did he," Adriana looked at the two beds. "Have a roommate?"
"Yes," the woman answered and tucked one of her greying blonde curls behind her ear. "Christopher Redmond, I believe. Everyone refers to him as Sanfu though."
"Is there any way I could speak to him?"
"Well," the woman laughed a bit. "He doesn't talk much. He's already been questioned without success from the police."
"Still..I'd like to meet him."
"Do you need an interrogation room and security.." she started to ask.
"Oh no, nothing like that," Adriana replied. "I don't want to interrogate him, just talk to him."
"As I said, he doesn't really talk. I'll get a few guards."
"Is he dangerous?" Adriana asked.
"I wouldn't say so," the woman answered. "But if you have anything nice on you, I would put it away. Like that necklace."
"I'll hide it," Adriana tucked it into her shirt. "He would steal it off my neck?"
"He's a slippery one," the woman laughed. "You wouldn't even notice. I believe he's the one that took my wedding band."
"If he's not dangerous, you don't need to get security..I'll be fine."
"Okay," the woman said. "Wait here."