Welcome to Arkham Asylum.

Sophie wasn't sure she'd ever heard words as frightening as the ones that just traveled to her ears. Through the tight death-grip she had on Harley, she could feel Harley's heart still racing like a drum. Feeling the suddenness of Harley's heart rate sent chills up her spine and only fueled the overwhelming anxiety that suddenly overcame her. Neither Sophie nor Harley moved an inch, and Sophie silently wished they could just shut the doors, pretend they had never arrived, and erase the scenario as if it were only a bad dream.

Ivy, on the other hand, seemed more annoyed than anything else. She noticed there were scores of people surrounding the car, and she scoffed a bit before speaking. "What a welcome," she said with a slight chuckle as she casually climbed out of the truck. "Had no idea we'd get the red carpet treatment!"

Clang, clang!

Sophie gasped and jumped with fright at the sounds of something hitting the side of the truck. "Let's get a move on, ladies!" A stern-looking man grumbled a few inappropriate words and flipped the metal rod he had used to bang on the side of the truck. "We ain't got all night to wait around!"

Sophie gulped loudly but didn't want to move from her safe place inside the truck. She glanced behind her as she noticed a doctor holding her, Harley, and Ivy's respective bags full of their "items," and she ached to be able to snatch them away. Then, these guys would really be sorry once they were tied up in one of Ivy's vines, sprayed by Harley's extra supply of Joker Toxin, or exploded by one of Sophie's Apple Bombs. If they only had their bags they could run away and never look back again. Before Sophie could daydream anymore about a grand escape any more, she winced as Harley suddenly made a movement towards the exit. Harley noticed and smiled a little, gently kissing her cheek.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Harley whispered before climbing down out of the truck. "It'll be fine."

Gulping once again, Sophie awkwardly followed Harley and climbed out of the truck as well. Just as Harley helped her down, a large woman slammed the back doors with a grunt, and the truck sped off down the winding road back the way it came. Sophie gasped at the sudden action and she grabbed onto both Ivy and Harley's hands in hopes of keeping her two friends in close proximity.

With exasperated groans, four men stood behind the three girls.

"Hurry it up, ladies. I don't really feel like getting soaked while we stand out here waiting for the rain," huffed a huge man with a black goatee. "It's about to pour!"

Harley turned around, glaring and rolling her eyes. "Are you made of sugar or something? We're goin', ya big sissy."

With both their backs and fronts being heavily guarded, the three girls, hand-in-hand, made their way up the long path towards the asylum. The backdrop of the pitch-black night was suddenly lighted by huge, static-y bolts of lightning flashing in the sky like the lines on a spider web. The wind was icy cold as it blew around them, and Sophie thought she saw a few pieces of snow flurry around them. She nervously stared at the ground and for once, said absolutely nothing. The only sounds coming from her were quiet sniffles as tears fell from her eyes, but she was willing herself not to completely break down in front of all the guards watching them. She wanted to show them that she was just as tough as Harley and Ivy, and not just a weak and scared child. Unfortunately, this was proving to be difficult to execute, and the grip she had on Harley and Ivy's hands only increased with each step closer to the asylum they took.

"Hey, don't worry, little flower," Ivy whispered in a hushed voice that only she, Harley, and Sophie could hear.

Sophie sniffled again and looked up curiously, a few tears slipping from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

"Listen, darling. If we had a dime for every time Harl and I have busted out of here, you'd be able to buy yourself a million ice cream cones with it!" Ivy grinned, squeezing Sophie's hand gently. "I mean, why else do you think we get such a welcome this time? They know how we operate." She paused for a second, then grinned more widely. Mischievously. "We aren't going to be in here for very long."

Sophie hiccuped. "Wh-what?"

Harley giggled loudly but quieted herself once two of the men in front of them turned and glared at her. "Why do you think we got the heroes welcome just now with all these guards around?" Harley continued in a hushed whisper. "We're pretty famous 'round these parts, y'know."

Sophie finally managed to crack a little smile, and she sniffed. "Famous for what, exactly? For being crazy?" She burst into loud giggles at her clever remark even before Harley and Ivy both grinned and poked Sophie on either of her sides, making her laugh even more.

"Well, it's nice to see you all are enjoying yourselves," came a loud, booming voice from in front of them.

Sophie stopped laughing at once, and she stared up in awe at the person this voice belonged to. There, standing in front of them, was a tall, square, beefy man with hardly any neck. His black eyes seemed emotionless, and he wore a scowl on his face that made Sophie shudder. They had reached the entrance to the asylum and were now surrounded on all sides by doctors and guards, each with a stern look on their faces.

"Why, hello, there, big boy," Ivy cooed, seductively. "And what's your name? I don't believe we've met before!" Ivy smiled a little and turning on the charm she was used to using, hoping to shake their huge friend up a little. It didn't.

"Dr. Bard, please escort Miss Isley to her cell," came the stiff reply of the square man.

Ivy huffed as a young, nervous-looking red-haired doctor gulped and stepped forward, gently taking Ivy's arm and leading her towards the inside of the building. Once she got a good look at her young doctor, she smiled again. "Why hello to you," she said, winking at him and using her deep, sultry voice on him, as well.

The doctor gulped in slight embarrassment but maintained his composure as he began to slowly lead her up the path. He quietly went through the protocol of explaining to Ivy all the routines she was all too accustomed to, and she only half-listened to what she'd already heard dozens of times.

As Harley glanced at the large man in front of them, she protectively put her arm around Sophie's shoulder and tightened her grip just a bit. "So, who are you, dude?" she asked, bravely. "I don't remember you from the last time I was here!"

The man cleared his throat and paused a minute before he spoke. "That's because I'm new around here. I'm Doctor Fluffay, and I'm-"

Upon hearing such a name, Sophie completely lost all forms of self-control. "Doctor Fluffy?" she squealed, bursting into roaring belly laughter. She covered her mouth with her hand out of guilt for laughing so loudly, but she just couldn't contain herself as a few snorts escaped out through her nose. Harley, who hadn't found his name to be quite as entertaining as Sophie had, was also forced into a grin and had a good little chuckle, too, once she saw how funny Sophie thought it was.

Dr. Fluffay was not amused in the slightest as he bent down to Sophie's level and looked at her straight in her eyes. "You had better watch yourself, kid."

Sophie ceased her laughter the moment his black eyes locked in on her.

"Before I was so rudely interrupted," the man huffed. "My name is Doctor Fluffay. But, you can call me Dr. F," he continued, gruffly. "And if I were you, I'd permanently wipe that silly little smile off my face. You certainly won't have anything to laugh about once we're through with you, here."

Sophie suddenly felt fresh, scared tears form in her eyes and she took a step backward. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Dr. Fluffay narrowed his eyes as he straightened up, matching a glare with the one Harley was now giving him. "I mean, that there have been some changes around here since I arrived. Changes for the better, I might add. I'm the newly appointed director of the Juvenile Department here at Arkham, which is exactly where you're headed, young lady. You better say goodbye to your little friends, 'cause you won't be seeing them for as long as you're under my charge!"

With that, Dr. Fluffay firmly took ahold of Sophie's arm and jerked her away from Harley with one good swipe, causing her to gasp in fright.

"No!" Sophie cried, giving Harley a terrified glance as she tried to get free of the doctor's grasp.

"Hey!" cried Harley in annoyance, ready to pounce on Dr. Fluffay like a bear. Before she could move an inch, a few other doctors held their hands out to stop her.

"No! B-but aren't we gonna be together?" Sophie squeaked, fear rushing back into her body like rushing waves of the sea. "I-I wanna be with Harley and Ivy! Please!"

Dr. Fluffay chuckled a little. "Oh no, dear. You're going to a completely different department than your friends. There's no way we're letting you in with your little partners in crime. We're keeping you far away from them. I mean, how else would you be able to be rehabilitated unless you're completely cut off from your triggers?"

"But, I...but, I promise to be good!" Sophie pleaded, desperately. "Please, just let us stay together and I'll be good, I swear!"

Dr. Fluffay grinned. "Not a chance, kid."

The idea of being stuck there all alone suddenly set Sophie's toughness a few levels back even if she had tried so hard to keep her composure."No!" she cried, half panicking, half angry. "I won't go! I won't!" She angrily tried to pull her hand out of Dr. Fluffay's grip. "Let me go!"

"No, sweetie. It's alright!" Harley said through the wall of doctors, trying to console her friend as best she could.

Sophie managed to wiggle her hand away from the vice grip the doctor had on her and she pushed her way through to get to Harley. She threw her arms around her and held on tightly. "I won't go in there without you, Harley! I won't! I...I can't! go without you!"

Sophie was well beyond hysterical now, and Harley absolutely hated it, simply because she knew there was no way to escape the inevitable. "Hey, sweetie. Listen, to me," Harley whispered. "You have to be brave for me, okay? You have to go with them, and you have to do what they say. I'll be worse for you if you don't," she said, gently. "Just trust me on this. You have to listen to whatever they say!"

Sophie felt two pairs of strong arms grab her waist, but she held onto Harley with all the strength she could muster. "No!" she cried, pushing them away as hard as she could. "Let me go! I wanna stay with Harley! Please, let me stay with Harley!"

Trying to shove the orderlies was her first mistake, for, unfortunately, when she threw her arm out, they seized their moment and yanked Sophie away by both of her arms. Before she could react any more, Dr. Fluffay had taken a white straight jacket and had all but shoved Sophie into it as she screamed, yelled, and kicked in defense.

"Hey! C'mon, now! Is a straight jacket really necessary?" Harley cried, angrily. "She's just a kid! She's scared, for God's Sake! Have some compassion why don'tcha?"

Dr. Fluffay said nothing, simply nodded to one of the orderlies as he picked Sophie up and threw her over his shoulder despite her tears and pleas to stay with Harley and Ivy.

"It's okay, sweetie! It'll be okay, I promise!" Harley tried to shout after Sophie, but Sophie was too busy squirming, cursing and screaming at the orderly holding her, telling him that she would make him sorry if he didn't put her down that instant.

"Get your hands off me, you stupid mother f-"

Listening to the not-so-age-appropriate, very colorful words that soon came out of Sophie's mouth made Harley burst into a grin and chuckle quietly, seemingly impressed that Sophie had remembered a lot of the words she had herself occasionally used when she wasn't trying to "watch" herself. Without Ivy there to remind Sophie to act lady-like, Harley couldn't help but feel pride that her tiny little protegee had, actually, learned something from her, if nothing else.

"Do you feel proud of yourself, Miss Quinzel?" Dr. Fluffay huffed in his deep voice. "Are you proud of the horrible influence you so obviously had on that young, innocent kid?"

Harley didn't stop smiling as she stomped as hard as she could on his foot, causing him to flinch a bit. "Immensely."

With that, Harley flipped a tassel and walked towards Dr. Leland, who shook her head with disappointment.

"Oh, Harley," Dr. Leland sighed, gently taking Harley by her arm and leading her inside the place she was all too accustomed to.

Harley turned her attention back to the front door they were now approaching. Sophie's angry, scared, and frustrated cries echoing off the outer walls becoming fainter as they entered their own building until finally, they couldn't hear a thing.


Sophie shouted, screamed, and caused a ruckus for what seemed like ages, but in reality, it was only until they had reached the front doors of the adjacent original Arkham Asylum building. Dr. Fluffay gave a nod to the orderly who had been transporting Sophie, and he flipped her onto her feet the moment they reached the door.

Dr. Fluffay leaned down until he met Sophie's tear-filled eyes. "Are you ready to calm yourself down, little lady? Or do I need to give you something to calm your nerves?"

Sophie contemplated spitting in his face, but as she glanced around and saw she was not only greatly outnumbered, but also strapped tightly inside a straight jacket, she decided against causing a scene then and there. She figured there would be time for that, later.

Sniffling, Sophie nodded her head but said nothing. To her surprise, Dr. Fluffay reached a hand out and undid the straight jacket. As it fell onto the ground, Sophie was able to breathe a little better and she inhaled, deeply.

Dr. Fluffay chuckled a little. "You see what rewards you get for good behavior?"

Sophie gulped, loudly. "Then, i-if I'm really good, can I please be with Harley?" she stammered, her eyes wide. "Th-that's all I want!"

Dr. Fluffay's chuckles only intensified. "You'll never be that good, I'm afraid. Not before your rehabilitation process beings, that's for sure. Now, let's get a move on!"

With fresh tears in her eyes, Sophie said nothing more as she let the doctors silently lead her into the second wing of the asylum as they made their way to their final destination. As the huge doors slammed shut, she didn't bother to wipe the tears which ran down her face. She wanted nothing more than to be with Harley, and she felt afraid of what was to become of her. She'd heard stories from Harley and Ivy about being locked up in Arkham, but she couldn't begin to imagine what was in store for her inside. As she walked down the long corridors, they passed by huge glass windows of rooms inhabited by current residents of the normal asylum.

"Oh, what a grand surprise this is!" Sophie heard a voice call.

Glancing up, she saw Edward Nygma standing near the glass window of his cell, his eyes shining brightly. "Sweet little Sweetie Pie finally got herself caught, I see! And you're in luck! The Riddler has a riddle just for you, Sophie! It's 3 a.m. The doorbell rings and you wake up. You have some unexpected visitors! Your parents have arrived and they are here for breakfast. You have strawberry jam, honey, wine, bread, and cheese. What is the first thing you open?"

Sophie wiped her eyes as she walked past his cell. "Your eyes," she mumbled, quietly.

Edward's eyes grew wide as they passed by. "You guessed it! Oh, you're such a clever little pie, aren't you?"

Passing by a second cell, another voice called out in the silence, accompanied by happy clapping. "Sweetie Pie has come to play, has she? I do hope you find some other tiny little friends here, my dear!"

Sophie saw the unmistakable grin of Jervis Tetch - his oversized teeth protruding from his lips as he had both hands excitedly pressed to the glass as she passed.

"I haven't seen you in ages, little one! Not since you and Harley came for the tea party during your first week as a naughty little roguelette! I always liked you, you know - because you reminded me of my sweet little blonde Alice. Perhaps you'll meet a little Alice in here, and then you can both have some fun in Wonderland! See you later, my dear! Hope you're not late for your tea party!"

Sophie didn't want to meet a little Alice, nor did she care if she was late for a tea party. The only thing she wanted to do was to meet Harley and Ivy and get out of there as soon as possible. "Goodbye, Mister Tetch," she mumbled politely, not bothering to make eye contact as she continued walking.

As they made their way down the final corridor towards two huge metal doors, Sophie heard a voice that made her skin crawl and her blood run cold.

"Oh, did I hear a sweet little mockingbird out there?"

Sophie didn't even have to look up to know who the voice belonged to, and she gasped, stopping dead in her tracks, almost as if an invisible rope had been tied around her to prevent her from taking another step.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? Lovely to see you looking so...well."

The deep snicker that followed echoed off the walls and gave Sophie a feeling of great dread. As one of the orderlies gave her a hard shove to move her forward, she was greeted by the grinning, glowing smile of Scarecrow as he stood, his shining eyes burning holes right through her from behind the glass wall of his cell as they passed by.

Sophie did nothing but gulp, refusing to make eye-contact with the sinister being. Her stomach churned even as she rushed by the window of his cell with her head fixated on the floor.

"See you around, sweetie!" was the last thing the horrid Dr. Crane said before Sophie quickly rushed away from his view as fast as she could manage.

After that encounter, Sophie knew she really needed Harley, and she started to become desperate the more she thought about it. "You...you can't keep me in here!" she said urgently, taking a glance back at the orderly who was leading her, hoping to gain some sympathy from her. "I really don't belong here!"

"We know you don't belong here," Dr. Fluffay said, in an eerily calm manner.

"Y-you do?" Sophie repeated, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Of course we do. This place is for the big guys. That's why we're taking to you to the Juvenile Department, as I said. To my department," Dr. Fluffay replied. "For the most part, you under 18s have your own space away from the adult offenders. We like it that way since we find it's harder to rehabilitate minors as long as they're under the influence of the...other older inmates."

As they approached the door, Sophie's eyes fixed on a neon sign which read "Arkham Asylum - Juvenile Department - only authorized personnel beyond this point."

"Once you step through these doors, you're officially part of Arkham Asylum," Dr. Fluffay continued. "And that means, I'll be watching all of you...especially you, closely."

Sophie gulped. "Well, in that case, can I just take a few steps back that way?" She somehow managed a slight chuckle as she pointed her two thumbs behind her as a dimpled grin formed on her face.

Dr. Fluffay, on the other hand, saw nothing funny about her attempt at a joke, and his eyes narrowed into slits. "No."

Sophie's grin melted off her face in an instant, and her stomach fluttered with the feeling of thousands of butterflies as Dr. Fluffay and his orderlies continued to lead her towards the door. The door's shiny hinges moaned and creaked as the heavy door was thrust open by Dr. Fluffay, and the blinding light that was coming through it was similar to the strange building fire she and Harley had seen months ago while unsuccessfully heisting for the Joker in the city. Sophie peered down the long, brilliantly fluorescent-lighted hallway, and her eyes grew wide. The hallway reminded her of a twisted fairy tale, and in her wild imagination it stretched out like a huge, slithering snake. She didn't have much time to gawk, however, before an orderly gave her another shove forward. As Dr. Flufay slammed the door behind them, she glanced behind her, naively hoping for a chance of escape.

She noticed a huge red and white sticker plastered on the back of the door, which read "Arkam Asylum Main Facilities - ONLY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL BEYOND THIS POINT. No Unaccompanied minors permitted." And she knew, with the sinking feeling that now filled her stomach, that this was her home, now.