Crisis at the Literature Club

by Honeybarry Cutiedoobles

Following a special arrangement made by their fathers, Jon Kent and Damian Wayne are now attending Gotham High, together. They soon find themselves joining a Club all about Literature, meeting four unique girls in the process. What could go wrong?

25. Epilogue Four: New Ending

"Okay, everyone! It's time to share poems!"

"Yaaay!"

The Classroom echoed with the cheers of her clubmates, all of them clearly excited beyond belief at the prospect. And why wouldn't they be? Everyone loved sharing poems here at her Literature Club!

Outside the Classroom windows she could see the stars slowly drifting by, occasionally erupting into bright supernovas in the endless void of Space. It was a hypnotic sight, one she might lose herself in for all of eternity if she stared too hard.

"I trust you all have some really splendid poems in store for me?" She asked them all.

"Well gee whiz, Miss M!" Damian said, sweeping back his dark, spiky hair and adjusting the green Robin mask over his eyes. "I spent ALL NIGHT working on this!"

"Well, let's hear it then, Robi- I mean, Damian." She smiled at him.

"Ahem!" Damian coughed importantly, before starting to recite his poem. "Strawberry. Twirl. Hair. Candy. Anime. Rainbow. Kawaii. Fantasy. Giggle. Pink. Papa. Sparkle. Ribbon. Kitty. Puppy. Lollipop. Parfait. Love. Email. Doki-Doki."

He bowed deeply after finishing. She clapped, and giggled.

"Wow." She said. "Nice poem. Pretty obvious who you were trying to impress with it, though!"

"Holy Omnipotence! How didya know?!" Damian exclaimed, smashing his fist against the palm of his other hand in awe.

"You looked up her words online, didn't you?" She asked.

"Guilty as charged! Man, you really are the smartest Miss M, no wonder you're the Club President!" Damian said before leaning forward, grabbing her arm roughly and broke it with a sickening crack that echoed throughout the room.

She shook her head at the boy's silly shenanigans, and chuckled along with everyone else as the room erupted into loud, echoing laughter.

"How about you, Super- I mean Jon? You have anything for me?" She asked next, looking at the boy.

Jon Kent was a silhouette of pure darkness, floating a few feet above them in absolute silence, his red eyes glowing menacingly as he stared at her wherever she went without blinking once.

"It's okay to be shy." She said, winking at the demon, before moving on to the next person.

"Yuri?" She asked, turning her head to the smiling, purple-haired girl whose mouth unhinged multiple meters wide to give her response as blood poured past her lips.

"øĔŪÑłņŎĘĸżé°Ŗ°¢Ť" Yuri said.

"PLAY WITH ME!" Natsuki screeched from her corner, rapidly rocking back and forth in her fetal position. Her face was obscured by the wildly glitching black bars covering her eyes and mouth.

"Thank you, both of you. Very insightful." She nodded at both of them.

"½áÞŦÑà" Yuri responded, before withering away into dust.

"I had a dream the other day." Sayori said, her bright blue eyes widening as she stepped forward. "A Ring from Space came down to me. It made me fly."

"That's great." She replied, patiently. "But do you have a poem for me?"

"I'm sorry." Came the girl's response. "But why did you kill me, Monika?"

Monika bolted upright with a gasp, the tight seatbelt around her body keeping her from falling down from the dark backseat.

"Oh, would ya look at that, the girlie's awake finally." An amused male voice from in front of her said.

Still disoriented from the nightmare, Monika looked up through the bars separating her from the front seat of the police car, and saw the overweight, fedora-wearing face of the police detective in the rearview mirror, smiling as he looked at her.

"Bad dream?" He asked.

She was unable to find her voice, her heart still pounding hard against her chest as Sayori's voice echoed inside her head.

Why did you kill me? Why did you kill me? Why did you kill me?

"Well." The detective she thought she could remember introducing himself as 'Harvey Bullock' earlier, said. "Wherever it was ya found yourself in dreamland, it can't be much worse than the place you're going!"

A white sign from outside the car window caught Monika's eye, making her instinctively turn her head to read it.

NOW ENTERING ARKHAM ASYLUM – HITCHHIKERS MAY BE ESCAPING PATIENTS.

Her whole body seemed to shiver as Bullock chuckled quietly from the front seat.

---

Day 1.

"It is not much farther now, Monika. Your place is just up ahead."

The guiding hand on her shoulder gave a gentle squeeze as it continued lightly pulling her forwards, through the impenetrable blackness of the world around her caused by the blindfold she'd been ordered to wear as a security measure.

She supposed she should count herself lucky to have this as her only restraint, instead of something more dramatic like chains or a straightjacket. Although that was about the only positive thing about this she could think of, being led down the apparent corridor of this place.

Never in her life had she thought it would come to this, being locked up in the facility everyone had heard horror stories about as a kid. The place where they kept the Monsters of Gotham City.

Monika took a heavy, shuddering breath through her mouth, partly to give her injured nose some rest to heal, and partly because she was scared she might catch the smell of crazy drifting around the place from the other inmates, like some infectious toxic gas.

How long would she last in here, among the kind of creatures she'd read about in the news? How long before she'd be burned alive by Firefly? Drowned and assimilated by Clayface? Driven to a catatonic state by The Scarecrow or The Joker?

It doesn't really matter. She thought, sighing heavily in resignation. Whatever's going to happen to me in here, it'll be too kind. After all the things I did, I fit right in with these Monsters.

"It's okay." The person leading her said kindly, probably picking up on her sigh. "I know you must be scared, but you have no reason to be. The rumors and gossip about this establishment has been greatly exaggerated."

Because of the blindfold, Monika still hadn't seen what the person speaking looked like, but based on the voice, she sounded like an about middle-aged woman with a heavy German accent. Upon arrival, she'd introduced herself as Gretchen Whistler, Monika's newly assigned Doctor during her "stay" here.

Her voice was very pleasant to listen to. Professional, but also kind. It was a voice you just automatically wanted to trust and believe when it said things would be okay.

But however much the voice managed to put Monika at ease, the effect was instantly reversed by the next voice she heard, shrieking at them from a few meters away.

"Heya Gretchy! Who's the new meat ya got there, and what's up with the blindfold? Are we throwin' a surprise party?!"

Monika's blood seemed to freeze in her very veins, and her entire body stopped mid-step in pure shock, despite Gretchen's light pulling. Her head instinctively started turning in the direction of the new female voice.

No. No, no. Not her. Not now. It's too soon, I can't deal with this already!

She recognized that voice. She doubted she would ever forget it as long as she lived.

"This is Monika, and she'll be staying here with us for some time." Gretchen replied, dignified and patiently. "Monika, why don't you go ahead and say hello to your new neighbor, Miss Harleen Quinzel."

Monika could physically feel the last remaining pieces of her soul crumbling up and dying on the spot. And here she'd thought things couldn't possibly get any worse.

"Waiddaminute. Monika? Monika…" She heard Harley softly repeat to herself, and braced herself for the momentary realization.

It didn't take long to arrive.

"YOU!" Harley screamed, and there was a sudden loud, echoing bang of impact, as if someone had just thrown themselves against a glass wall with all their strength. Knowing Harley, that was probably exactly what had happened. "It is you, isn't it? I recognize that ugly, long hair! So, yer in Arkham now, huh? Oooh, this'll be fun! I knew ya were a nutjob all along!"

"Wait." Came Gretchen's confused voice. "You two… know each other?"

"Ohoho, we sure do, Doc!" Harley cackled. "Old best buddies, me an' her! This bitch messed me and Red up so badly, we needed relationship counselin'! And none a' the therapists we kidnapped wanted ta cooperate, so I had ta do it myself! And I suck at that kinda stuff!"

"I'm sorry I hurt you." Monika said in a shaky voice, having gathered just enough of her courage to speak up. There were more hollow bangs, and she imagined Harley was actively punching the wall of her cell.

"Yer gonna be 'sorry' the moment I break free and get my hands on ya! I'm guessin' that blindfold is ta keep yer freaky psycho powers from workin'?! Oh, if only I'd known that back then! You remember what I told ya would happen if I ever saw ya again, right?!"

"Yes." Monika breathed her reply. "You said you wouldn't hesitate for a second. That you would kill me on the spot."

"Oh right, that was it!" Harley laughed. "Couldn't really remember myself. Sounds dramatic as all Hell. Well, I guess this here cell is currently preventing me from keepin' my promise, but don'tcha worry one bit! I've escaped this place more times than I can count! I'll finda way out and when I do-!"

"Guard!" Gretchen called out in a hard voice, as Harley's threats devolved into the screechy, maniacal laughter Monika had been having nightmares about every night for the past two weeks. "I want Quinzel's medication doubled tonight!"

"You got it, Doc." A male voice confirmed from behind.

"Aw, yer no fun!" Harley laughed, and there was distinct noise of someone blowing a raspberry.

"I… wasn't counting on this." The Doctor continued. "Do we have someplace else we can put Monika for the night?"

"'Fraid not, Doc." The guard replied. "It's a full house tonight. Only available cell we got is next to Roger Hayden, and I don't know how much we want those two interacting, given their power sets. Plus, this is the only place with those special accommodations for the inmate."

"Verdammt!" Gretchen swore softly, sounding completely misplaced from someone with such a seemingly professional demeanor. "I am sorry Monika, I was not informed of any history between the two of you. I will be looking into this, and try to figure something out."

Monika nodded once, knowing she would probably start to cry if she tried speaking. She felt Gretchen start guiding her forwards again, before making a turn.

"Now, if you would walk just a few steps forward, you'll find yourself in the cell you'll be staying until further notice. Once you enter, I will close the door behind you, and then you may remove the blindfold and make yourself familiar with your surroundings. Do you understand?"

Monika nodded, and took a deep breath. Then, she stepped forward, away from the security of Gretchen's guiding hand, and into the pitch-black unknown.

She stopped after three steps, afraid of blindly bumping into something and injuring herself even further than she already had.

She heard a sliding motion from behind.

"The door is now closed." Gretchen's voice said, a bit muffled now.

Slowly, Monika reached up with her left hand to pull at the soft string of fabric over her eyes, tearing it off.

Though the light was dim, she still had to wait a few seconds for her eyes to adjust before being able to see anything, having had them covered ever since Detective Bullock had dropped her off to the Staff.

As the details slowly came into view, she found herself in a slightly roomier space than what she'd imagined, although still quite cramped compared to her room at home, surrounded by walls of slightly cracked, gray concrete from all visible three sides.

There were a total of four built-in furniture items inside the room, embedded into the walls. A flat platform, probably intended to be a table, jutting out a few feet above the floor. A bed. A sink. And, embarrassingly, a toilet bowl in the corner, with the bedframe in front of it being the only means to keep her privacy.

She found herself kinda wishing she'd kept on the blindfold, taking in these new "living conditions."

"Monika? If you would turn around, please?" Gretchen said, and Monika obeyed.

The wall from behind wasn't made of the same gray concrete as the others, but rather a large, reflective surface of glass in which Monika could see a pitiful, brownhaired girl wearing a very unstylish orange jumpsuit embroidered with the Arkham "A" logo and a barcode on each side of her chest.

The girl Monika knew to be herself had her right arm heavily cast and held in a sling down her front, recovering from the broken wrist Damian had inflicted upon her earlier in the afternoon.

And of course, there were the Sliders, fluttering all around her body and showing every aspect of her emotional status in mirrored words.

Monika cast her gaze downwards to her feet, before she could read them properly. The Staff clearly hadn't thought this through well enough. Or maybe they had, and this was just their idea of an extra punishment.

"Due to the nature of your… abilities, the glass to your cell will be one-way only, as a security measure." Gretchen's voice said from somewhere behind the glass. "Meaning that while we can see you in there, you won't be able to see anything outside your own room."

"Won't be able to see me either, until I smash through the glass and rip yer throat out tonight!" Harley commented between giggling bursts.

"Make that a triple dosage for Miss Quinzel." Gretchen called out as her only acknowledgement before making her voice gentle again. "This precaution is only temporary, and will be replaced with normal glass as soon as we've determined that you're not a threat."

"I am a threat." Monika whispered in a low, shameful voice. "It should be permanent."

"Good night, Monika." Gretchen said. "The lights turn off in about half an hour, but feel free to explore the area for now. I know all of this must seem awfully stressful to you, but I recommend trying to get all the rest you can. I'll meet up with you again in a few days for our first session together. There's a button by the side of your door, which you can press if you feel sick or need urgent assistance with something. A group of orderlies will come to assist you."

Monika nodded once in acknowledgment.

"Fer the record, I know exactly how long it takes those ta get here." Harley commented. "And it won't be fast enough to help ya!"

"Where are those damn meds I ordered?" Gretchen exclaimed in a tired voice, and Monika could hear brisk footsteps fading away as she walked off.

She was alone now. As alone as she could be in a madhouse, surrounded by lunatics.

How had she managed to mess things up this badly to end up in here?

She looked into the black glass wall again, trying her best to look past the floating words and focus on herself.

Gingerly, she tried to touch the base of her weirdly bent nose, flinching as she felt the sharp pain flaring across her face. Natsuki had really done a number on her.

She thought it odd how quickly she'd gotten used to not feeling anything after Rewriting herself. She wished it was still the case, as its absence was making her even more keenly aware of every major discomfort she was currently suffering through. The nose. The wrist. And the damn fingernail, because she just had to be overly dramatic and rip it out for a demonstration.

Needless to say, it hurt. A lot.

I could take away the pain again. All it would take is one small Rewrite and then I can focus on escaping this Hell.

She shook her head at the rogue thought. People would notice her eyes glowing immediately, and send in guards to stop her.

I am powerful. I had the whole world in the palm of my hand! I enslaved Wonder Woman! I can do it again.

It was true that she had brought one of Earth's mightiest beings under her thumb. But even with all that, she'd still lost. What made her think it would go any better here, with all the considerably weaker Doctors? She doubted controlling someone like Gretchen could make her get through all the guards and bust her out of here. Also, where would she even go?

Well, you can at least raise your own Joy Slider so you won't be so miserable in here. There would be nothing wrong with that, right?

The mirrored "yoJ" word had drifted right over her face in the glass, representing her mood with a very short, very red bar beneath it. She blinked, once, entranced by it.

Your eyes don't glow when you're just manipulating the Sliders. No one would know. This place is scary, you'll need a pick-me-up to get through it. Just raise your Joy a little bit. Hurry, before they turn off the lights!

Monika had to admit, the prospect was tempting. She had trouble remembering the last time she'd felt this unhappy before, for good reason, but still. What would be wrong with making herself just a little bit happier after such a horrible, awful day?

But then, just as she was about to command the Joy Slider to go up, a pair of very bright, blue eyes flashed before her eyes, reminding her of how badly things had gone the last time she'd messed with someone's Joy.

Her heart started pounding wildly against her chest.

Wait… why am I referring to myself as "you" in my own head?

Monika recoiled from the glass as if burned, fumbling with a shaky hand to settle the blindfold over her face again.

Never again, never again, never again!

She chanted the singular thought inside her head over and over until thinking herself stripped of the compulsion enough to take stock of what had just happened.

It hadn't even been a day since she'd held Sayori in her arms, promising her through tears and sobs that she'd never use her powers ever again, under any circumstances. So why had she tried so hard just now to convince herself of the opposite?

It was almost as if… it hadn't been her thoughts at all.

She remembered the things Jon and Damian had tried telling her about the apparent "Metagene" inside her, supposedly allowing her to use the Sliders. She hadn't believed them at the time, but… they'd said it would try to push at her subconscious to use it.

Just how conscious was this thing? Had those thoughts actually been the Metagene speaking to her, posing as her own internal monologue like some kind of split personality?

She could feel her paranoia skyrocketing, and collapsed to her knees, sniffling. Maybe she really did belong in this place after all.

"So are ya gonna begin cryin' now?" She heard Harley's disinterested voice from her side. The walls had to be really thin in this place.

"S- sorry." She stuttered, wiping away the tears that had started trickling down her face. "I d- didn't mean t- to keep you up."

"Eh, it's whatevs." Harley dismissed. "The amount of drugs I earned fer tonight, I'mma be out like a light no matter how much ya scream and moan."

"Oh." Monika said.

"But I would 'preciate it if ya can wait 'till I'm knocked out if yer gonna try an' kill yerself in there. Death rattles get pretty damn tiring after a while, and the ensuin' investigation is such a hassle."

"Oh, I'm… not gonna do that." Monika said, remembering Sayori's furious response when she'd suggested suicide back at the Club, as a way to make up for her actions.

"Don't you dare, Monika!"

She'd made Sayori a promise, and she was going to keep it. She wasn't going to be taking the easy way out of this. She didn't deserve that pleasure.

Then, she gathered her courage, sidelining the looming issue of the hidden, possibly evil "passenger" she may or may not be carrying for another day, in favor of dealing with a more immediately pressing matter.

If she was going to stay here for the foreseeable future, she had to at least try to patch things up with her new neighbor. It didn't seem good for her in the long run to have a madwoman with a clear home field advantage wanting to kill her all the damn time.

"Look, Harley…" She began. "…I'm really sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt you or Ivy. I'd just gained my- my powers, and I was pretty scared and stressed at the time. That doesn't excuse what I did to you, of course, but there you have it."

She heard a muffled, dragged out groan from the other room, before Harley spoke up again.

"Ya really are the worst, ya know that? Here I was, gettin' all excited ta have a proper, menacing arch-nemesis in this boring place, but then it turns out yer just a big ol' softie, sayin' sorry like a wimp. If I went an' ambushed ya in the cafeteria, would ya even give me a proper fight in return?!"

"…probably not." Monika said, apologetically. "I only have some very basic self-defense training, but nothing that would help against someone like you. I mean, from what I've heard, you can hold your own against Batman!"

In reality, she hadn't heard anything of the sort, and she also neglected to mention how she'd managed to knock out one of Robin's teeth. Didn't seem like the right time and place to tell that story.

"Heh." Harley chuckled, self-satisfied. "Ya heard right, kid. I'd totally demolish yer ass."

Monika smiled weakly, despite herself. Her obvious flattery was actually working.

"I don't doubt it. Again, sorry."

"Eh, don't sweat it kid." Harley replied, sounding like her mood had suddenly improved greatly from a few minutes ago. "Me an' Red break up like every other month. We're currently a bit rocky since she found out about me pullin' another gun in her garden, so… I'm kinda avoiding her right now."

Monika remembered Ivy's reaction when Alex had died, and shuddered to herself. She couldn't really blame Harley for wanting to keep her distance.

"Point is, we'll always bounce back, so ya didn't really do too much damage. Plus, if I remember right, maaaybe it was a bit cruel of us ta kidnap a highschooler and threaten ta kill ya."

You think?! Monika thought, but said nothing.

"So, y'know, I guess I'm sorry about all that an' junk."

"Oh, that's okay." Monika lied. "Water under the bridge."

She absolutely didn't think that non-apology made things okay between them, but decided against pushing her luck any further. It was nothing short of a miracle that Harley was no longer threatening to kill her, and Monika wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe the woman was just… calmer, here in the Asylum than when she were out in the City.

"Well shit, this is kinda annoyin'." Harley mused. "I'm actually startin' ta like ya now."

"Uhm, I'm sorry?" Monika said, unsure how to reply to that statement.

"It ain't yer fault, I s'pose. But hey, d'ya think ya can do me a favor and pretend ta be my mortal enemy when we're out in public? I could use someone ta fling insults at."

"Uhh…" Monika hesitated. This conversation had taken quite the turn. "…sure?"

"It has ta' be convincin' tho!" Harley said. "I can't be seen just going off at some innocent cinnamon bun school girl, so ya have ta give just as hard as ya receive. D'ya have any kinda experience with being a total bitch?"

Monika suddenly flashed back to a point earlier in the week, back when she'd first exited the bathroom and met Sayori. Her own voice echoed through her mind as she remembered the things she'd said while actively lowering her mood.

"Just stop feeling sad, and I'm sure everything will work out splendidly between you and Jon."

"Yeah." She said, blinking away the tear that had emerged from the memory. "That should be no issue for me."

"Woo-hoo!" Harley exclaimed in joy. "Yer alright, Monika! Jus' keep those eyeballs ta yerself, and I bet we're gonna have a lotta fun together in here!"

Monika lifted up her blindfold enough to spot her bed, and seated herself on the mattress, head spinning from her conversation with the villainess.

She sure is unpredictable. She thought, never having expected to get a new friend in here so fast, and certainly not her.

Maybe… maybe it was a sign that things wouldn't be so bad in here. Maybe she could actually get through this in one piece, despite what she deserved to have happen to her.

It was a positive thought, but sadly not positive enough to get her through the night.

She was exhausted and tired beyond belief, having obsessed so much over getting her "Ending" during the week that she hadn't properly slept for several days. And yet she still didn't manage to get a wink of sleep that night, kept awake by her fear of more nightmares, the irregular laughing and screaming from other patients echoing through the facility, Harley's loud snoring and her own stomach making some pretty concerning noises.

Maaaybe swallowing a metal key to the classroom drawer hadn't been the best idea.

Day 22.

"So, Monika. How are we feeling today?"

"Fine enough, I guess."

"That's good to hear. And is the medication working as intended? Have you experienced any setbacks with your condition?"

"Nope, not really." Monika said, shrugging. "I'm like, 95% sure that the world around me is real."

"And what of the other five percent?" Gretchen asked, and Monika could hear the sound of pen against paper as the Doctor wrote notes.

"Wishful thinking?" Monika said hesitantly, smiling weakly.

To her relief, Gretchen did laugh softly at her joke. They had gotten quite familiar with each other's sense of humor after the last few of these therapy sessions, which Monika was quite happy about. She really felt like Gretchen understood her.

They were sitting across from each other, having one of their weekly scheduled, mandatory therapy sessions in Gretchen's office. The place had a very pleasant, calming atmosphere, reminding Monika of her grandma's living room, complete with a lit fireplace, an old couch behind them littered with soft pillows and a mahogany table adorned with all sorts of interesting and fun-looking trinkets.

Or at least, that's how she personally chose to imagine the office looking like. She hadn't actually gotten to see it, or Gretchen's face yet due to the blindfold, but she was okay with that. As long as people were safe.

"How is your wrist?"

"Still a bit stiff." Monika said, swirling the arm around that had been confined to its cast until about two days ago. "But otherwise, the pain is virtually gone. Which is weird, right? I mean, healing should have taken much longer than this?"

"Hmm, indeed." Gretchen said, thoughtfully. "As I recall, the wellbeing of your nose and fingernail also improved remarkably fast. I think I'll pay Miss Isley a visit later today, and ask if the improved serum she supplied you with had any accelerated healing properties."

Monika didn't respond, not knowing how exactly to feel about that possibility. On the one hand, a healing factor was undoubtedly a good thing to have. But on the other, it was yet another thing to add to the ever-growing list of abnormal, and frankly freakish abilities she had that made her stand out from the rest of society.

The society she might never get to rejoin.

"Now, Monika." Gretchen said, and Monika heard the dull sound of a notepad being placed on the table in front of her. "I would like to ask you something, if you wouldn't mind?"

"Uh, alright?" Monika said, wondering what this could be about.

"Do you think you could remove the blindfold? I prefer talking to my patients face to face."

Monika's heart actually skipped a beat, and she felt her skin erupting into goosebumps as the realization of what Gretchen had suggested sunk in. She'd been completely caught off guard.

"W- what?" She sputtered.

"Is there something wrong?" Gretchen asked.

"D- Doctor, I c- can't!" Monika exclaimed incredulously.

"Why not? Can you explain it to me?"

"B- because…" Monika said, struggling to find the right words. Why didn't she understand? How come she didn't realize how much of a danger to everyone she was? "…because of what I can d- do, to people like- like you."

"Are you referring to my gender?" Gretchen asked.

"…yeah. I guess I am." Monika sighed.

She still had trouble actually believing it. Damian had been completely right in his theory, as she'd quickly discovered, seeing the lack of Sliders present when looking upon the police officers and heroes who'd arrived at the school after the Literature Club fight.

The male police officers and heroes.

It seemed so stupid to her. Such a dumb, obvious explanation that she'd overlooked completely. She knew that the Metagene had technically been partly responsible for her ignorance, but still, the fact remained that her whole reasoning for doing the things she'd done, for thinking the world was a videogame and making her friends suffer like they had- all of this because she'd failed to notice the entirety of the male population around her being just as Slider-less as Jon and Damian. Making the supposed "dating sim" more like an unusually sexist MMO.

"I- it would be a huge invasion of privacy!" Monika said. "I'd be able to see all your current emotions!"

"I do not mind that."

"I could do so many horrible things to you!"

"Hm, I see." Gretchen said, thoughtfully. "And I take it you really want to do those "horrible things" to me, yes?"

"No!" Monika exclaimed. "Of course not! I never want to use the Sliders ever again, but-"

"Ah, good. That's a relief." Gretchen said, and Monika thought she could hear the smug smile as she said this. "Well, now that we've established I'm in no danger, you may go ahead and take it off."

Monika blinked a few times from behind the blindfold.

Oh, she's good. She thought. As something who'd dabbled in manipulation tactics herself, she had to give credit to the Doctor for successfully befuddling her.

"D- doesn't it scare you at all?" She asked. "The things I could do to you? I- I've hurt a lot of people already."

"Monika, I've been working at this place for over twenty years." Gretchen said kindly. "I've seen a little bit of everything, enough to know what real monsters look like. And I can tell for certain that you are not one of them. I have no reason to be frightened."

"Tell that to Sayori's neck." Monika said defiantly, crossing her arms. "Or Yuri's arms. Or-"

"I happen to have spoken to the young Green Lantern who visited you during those first two weeks." Gretchen interrupted. "She doesn't blame you at all."

"Well, she should!" Monika exclaimed, angrily. "You all should! I don't deserve anyone's forgiveness after what I did! I'm a danger to everyone in this place, and this blindfold isn't nearly enough security! I can't turn this power off! I'm like a walking safety hazard, and every time you allow me to open my eyes you risk me bringing devastation wherever I go!"

She had to stop and catch her breath, not having realized how riled up she'd become.

"I just… don't want to hurt people again." She said softly.

"Very well." Gretchen said in a neutral tone of voice, and Monika could hear her scribbling in her notepad again. "I think you are being too hard on yourself, Monika, but if you don't feel comfortable removing the blindfold, then I won't push you further. We'll talk about it again another time."

"Okay." Monika said, severely doubting her answer on this matter would ever change.

"Now, as you will probably recall from last time we talked, I asked you if there vas anything we could do to make your stay here more pleasant. You suggested an inhibitor collar."

"Yes?" Monika said, feeling her heart slowly begin to pound against her chest in excitement.

As she'd told Gretchen last time, she'd seen a bunch of pictures online of infamous supervillains in other cities getting arrested. Powerful criminals, like Killer Frost and Blockbuster, who in the pictures had been wearing special black collars around their necks to suppress their super-abilities.

At the time of reading, she hadn't really paid it much attention. It'd just been one of those things you went "oh, so that's how they keep people like that from breaking out, neat!" at, and then forgot all about afterwards.

But nowadays, a collar like that seemed like a VERY attractive option to Monika. If it could remove her powers like she thought it could, then all this talk about removing the blindfold would be rendered null and void! With something like that, she didn't have to worry at all about hurting other people! She wondered why Gretchen hadn't just lead with this!

"I did a bit of research into them." Gretchen went on. "They are very new, very experimental tech developed by A.R.G.U.S., each one of them specifically produced after weeks of studying the Metahuman in question and finding the exact frequency to cancel out their individual abilities. This tedious process is why they're only applied to the worst of the worst, without any self control of their powers whatsoever. You do not fit that description, Monika."

"Do you have any idea how much chaos I could cause?" Monika asked incredulously. Gretchen still didn't get it. "I controlled Wonder Woman! I could do the same to Supergirl, Power Girl, Hawkwoman, even that magician lady they got on the League, just by looking at them!"

"Yes." Gretchen said. "Theoretically, you could do that. But the question remains, would you? I don't think so, personally."

Monika sighed. There was no use arguing.

"Do you have a collar for me or not?" She asked.

"Unfortunately, the sheer price of the power cells they use is a little beyond what this Asylum can reasonably afford."

Monika slumped in her chair, her disappointment beyond words. She'd been so hopeful, had wanted so much for that collar to be the answer she'd been looking for- only to have it snatched away from her like this.

"I am sorry, Monika." Gretchen said sympathetically. "Maybe there is something else we can provide you with in here? Perhaps a fun activity of some sort, to pass the time?"

"Fun… activity?" Monika repeated, unable to understand. "I- I hardly think that should be a priority? After the things I did to get in here, it wouldn't be right to get rewarded for them."

"Monika, despite the amount of patients in here with criminal records, you have to understand that this is not a prison." Gretchen said, her voice patient. "It is a facility where we try our best to help those with mental disorders, and hopefully eventually rehabilitate them. And the best way to do that, is to make sure the patients have something they enjoy doing in here. You understand, yes?"

Monika hesitated for a few seconds, considering Gretchen's words.

"I… don't know about this." She said. "There- there is something, but… it feels really selfish to even suggest it. Do you really think I deserve this?"

"It is not my place to judge you." Gretchen said, matter-of-factly. "I am here to help you Monika, but I need you to let me. Try to let go of your guilt from the past, and say what you want, instead of what you think you deserve. As long as you keep it within reason, I am certain we can make it work."

Monika swallowed.

"I… miss practicing piano?" She said.

"Good job, Monika." Gretchen said, happily. "Now that is something I can work with!"

Day 74.

"I'm sorry." Monika said, blinking her eyes rapidly from behind the blindfold. "Can you… say that again?"

"Come on Monika, it wasn't that hard a question!" Natsuki shot back impatiently, from her seat across from Monika. "I asked how you were doing, not the meaning of life, sheesh."

"Yeah, no, I get that." Monika replied timidly, shifting around uncomfortably in her seat. The metal chairs they'd set up in the Visiting Hall of Arkham were just the worst. "It's just… you usually don't really ask me those kind of questions when you visit. Typically there's much more yelling and calling me an 'idiot dummy' involved."

Ever since Sayori had stopped coming and Natsuki had taken over for her, the visits she got had been… taxing, to say the least. Lasting for about an hour and a half on a bi-weekly basis, they normally had Natsuki doing most of the talking, or, more accurately the screaming, as she systematically listed every single reason why Monika was one of the worst people alive on the planet Earth for everyone around them to hear.

And yet, despite how draining these sessions were on her, Monika wouldn't miss them for anything since… they were her only remaining connection with the world outside of the Asylum. The only chance she got to interact with someone from the school she'd loved so much. And if that meant she had to endure endless attacks on her self-esteem, then so be it.

She agreed with most of the stuff said anyway, and had been fully prepared to accept the same deal this time as she'd done all the other times.

Which was why she'd been thrown off as much as she had when instead of yelling, Natsuki had instead asked how she was doing. She hadn't been prepared for that, and thus had no idea how to respond. Perhaps this was a new strategy from the pink-haired girl, lowering her guard with a seemingly kind inquiry only to begin going off on her again when least expected?

She heard Natsuki sigh from her seat across the visiting table.

"Yeah, okay… I guess I owe you some kind of apology for how I've acted on these visits during the past few months. I mean, don't get me wrong, you deserved every word and I regret nothing, but… I don't think merciless roasting was what Sayori had in mind when she asked me to take over for her."

First Sayori, then Harley, now Natsuki. Monika thought, perplexed. Why are they all so forgiving? They should be hating me with every fiber of their being!

"It's… fine." Monika said. "You… don't have to apologize, Natsuki. I fully agree with everything you've said to me in here."

"Yeah yeah, I get it already!" Natsuki said, sounding even more impatient. "You suck, I'm great, you hate yourself and all that, I've heard! Y'know, it's actually pretty infuriating. I spend all this time coming up with creative insults to fire at you during these meetings, and you just sit there and take them without even trying to defend yourself. If I told you that you were a monster who eats babies, I'm sure your guilt-ridden ass would find some way in your head to make it true."

"Yeah, you're not the only one frustrated by it." Monika said, smiling weakly as she remembered a comparable conversation from her first day here. "Harley Quinn shares pretty similar sentiments as you."

"Oh good, you're spending time with that loon." Natsuki said, a heavy layer of sarcasm dripping from her voice. "That's just great."

"She can be pretty fun, once you get used to her." Monika shrugged. "She's been giving me lots of advice on how to act in an Asylum."

"I bet she has." Natsuki scoffed.

"So… how are things going between you and Damian?" Monika asked.

"It's going." Natsuki answered, disinterest in her voice. "He's still a jerk, but slowly becoming less of one. Or maybe I'm becoming more like him. One or the other."

"I see." Monika nodded. "I'm glad to hear things are working out between the two of you."

"Is that so?" Natsuki asked, skeptically. "You're not totally upset and enraged at me for 'stealing him and your 'happy ending' from you?'"

"Nah, I'm over that." Monika said. "To be honest, Damian was always just the rebound guy if my plans with Jon wouldn't work out, I really had no interest in him romantically. Like, no offense to you, but he's… kinda a dick, isn't he?"

"Oh, none taken, he's totally a dick." Natsuki agreed. "One of the biggest dicks I've ever seen, in fact!"

Monika tried to let this unfortunate choice of words go without commenting. She really did.

"Oh, my." She said, not being able to help herself.

"What? Why are you smirki- Wait, no!" Natsuki gasped, finally realizing the innuendo. "I didn't mean it like that! He doesn't- I haven't- we haven't-"

"It's fine!" Monika laughed. "I know what you meant, don't worry."

She found it highly amusing how Natsuki could take and dish out some of the harshest insults head on without even blinking, and yet still melted down into flustered stuttering at such a childish suggestion as this.

"Ughh…" Natsuki groaned in embarrassment. "Any chance we can just erase that part of the visit from our memories forever? Let's change the subject immediately, please. You mentioned hanging around Harley Quinn, right? How is that, being around all these lunatics 24/7?"

"Well…" Monika said, her smile growing wider at the opportunity to share some gossip. "I do have a Joker story now."

"Shut up." Natsuki said, unable to hide a bit of the quiet awe most people experienced when talking about him. "No way. What'd he do to you? Something horrifically heartless and violent?"

Monika tried to look past the almost hopeful tone in her voice.

"In a manner of speaking." She said. "It was a few weeks ago, I was standing in line at the cafeteria, wearing my blindfold as usual."

"How do you even move around with that thing on your head?"

"Oh, it got surprisingly easy to navigate after the first couple of weeks. Just had to bump my legs against literally everything in the Asylum first, but after that it's child's play."

"…huh."

"Anyway, so I'm standing there in line. Then, I feel someone poking my shoulder, and hear a hoarse voice telling me my shoelace was untied. It was really dumb, seeing as we don't even wear shoes with laces in here, but I pointed my head down on reflex, and then he… booped my nose."

"He what?!" Natsuki exclaimed, making a sound between a giggle and a disbelieving grunt. "That's so- juvenile."

"I know, right?" Monika said, happy that the girl was reacting positively to her story. "I didn't even realize it was him until he started doing that signature laugh of his. Apparently he'd just escaped from Intensive Treatment, and would have gotten out of the whole facility if he hadn't stopped to prank me and let himself be apprehended by the guards."

"Wow." Natsuki said. "After all those news stories where you hear about the things he's done, it's hard to believe he'd do something so… harmless. You sure he didn't actually stick some tiny sample of Joker Venom up your nose that's eventually gonna turn you into one of his acolytes?"

"If he did, it's very slow to take hold." Monika giggled slightly, absently rubbing the bridge of her nose. "But no, I think he was just… in a really good mood that day."

"Weren't you scared at all after you found out?"

"Scared? I was terrified! Legit thought I was gonna pee myself!" Monika exclaimed, chuckling at the memory. "But it helped me realize that it's not just a bunch of irredeemable monsters I'm locked up in here with, like the newspapers would have you believe. Some, if not most of them are just normal human beings like you and me."

"You're saying that everyone in here are just misunderstood angels who could never hurt a fly?" Natsuki asked, skeptically.

"No." Monika said, shaking her head. "Some of them really are every bit as horrible as you've read about, and then some. I've learned to just avoid people like Valentin, Lynns and Crane. Nothing good ever comes from talking to them."

"Professor Pyg, Firefly and Scarecrow?" Natsuki clarified. "Yeah, I can imagine."

"But then on the other hand, some of them are actually really nice and friendly towards me. Going back to Harley, we have a pretty unique relationship where we pretend to hate each other when in the company of others, and then laugh about it in our cells afterward."

"…why?"

"Not sure, but she seems to like it and… so do I, actually. She's pretty much become my best friend in here. It's… fun."

"Hm, fair enough. Make any other friends?"

"Well, when Dr. Gretchen supplied me with a piano, a bunch of them like Drury Walker, Mary Dahl and Margaret Pye actually expressed interest and want me to teach them how to play. We're starting lessons tomorrow."

"Okay, I've been reading up on a lot of the Gotham criminals, and even I've never heard of those guys you just mentioned." Natsuki said.

Monika shrugged.

"I guess you don't hear much about the likes of the more low-profiled Killer Moth, Baby Doll and Magpie when people like Penguin and Mr. Freeze constantly takes the big spotlight. I try not to focus on what the people have done out there, and instead looking at what they're like in here. Heck, most of the time I can't even see them. Although I did get pretty happy when the Music Meister himself walked up to me and said I was good at playing piano."

"Monika teaching music to mad killers." Natsuki chuckled slightly, and Monika thought she could imagine the wide smile on her face, showcasing the tiny fang she'd noticed during the Club days. "Never thought I'd hear that in my life."

"I'm… really no different from most of them." Monika frowned.

"To my knowledge, you never killed anyone." Natsuki argued.

"Not for lack of trying. Natsuki, I'm so sorr-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Natsuki interrupted. "I don't want to get into this again. I've said what I wanted to say on that subject, now let it be."

"…right." Monika sighed.

"Any other juicy gossip you can provide on the Gotham crazies? Which one of the evil bogeymen secretly has a heart of gold? Does Clayface teach pottery classes?"

"Jervis Tetch has been very polite every time we cross paths, after I mentioned liking poems to him." Monika obliged. "I also once ran into Arnold Wesker when he was on his own, without Scarface, and he's just the nicest man you'll ever meet. Harvey Dent… well, he's a good friend about half of the time, as you would probably expect. Depends on what he's flipped that morning. He was really nice to me the other day, hugging me after my parents-"

Monika stopped immediately, realizing she'd overshared. But the damage had already been done.

"After your parents… what?" Natsuki asked. "What happened?"

"It's… not important." Monika tried. "Forget I said anything."

"Fat chance. You can't just bring up something like that without elaborating. Tell me!"

"It really doesn't matter, and it has nothing to do with you. No reason to concern yourself with it."

"In case you hadn't realized, coming here at all has nothing to do with me. And the more you try to weasel out of this, the more I'm going to get curious. Now spill!"

"Fine." Monika gave in, taking a deep breath. "My parents visited me for the first time two days ago."

"Wait, first time?" Natsuki repeated. "Why on Earth didn't they come sooner?"

"They've been on a very long business trip. Only returned to Gotham about three weeks ago."

"That's still plenty of time for them to visit at least once though." Natsuki pointed out. "How was it?"

"N- not great." Monika said, trying to force herself to be calm, even though it felt like a hand was starting to grasp her heart tightly as she relayed the experience, making it hard to breathe properly. "They- they weren't really happy, hearing about the things I did. What with the property damage and general 'Super-Villain' behavior."

She'd raised her hands to make air-quotes at "Super-Villain," attempting to bring some levity into the recounting of events and perhaps ease the increasing pressure on her heart. It had very little effect.

"But… I thought Wayne Enterprises covered the damages on the school." Natsuki said. "Surely they didn't have to pay anything?"

"They didn't. They could easily afford to, but that wasn't their main issue."

"What was it then?"

Monika lowered her head in trepidation. She really didn't want to talk about this part, but knew she had no choice.

"My relationship with my parents has always been… strained." She explained. "Ever since I was first diagnosed with Schizophrenia. They paid off the Doctor to keep it anonymous, and warned me never to mention it to anyone. I guess they considered it a stain on the family name."

"A 'stain?' It's a mental disorder, it's not like you can help it!"

"It gets worse." Monika continued. "Because now with their youngest daughter in a notorious mental Ayslum, it's not like they can k- keep it a secret anymore. S- so they did the logical thing, and disowned me."

"What?!" Natsuki gasped, her voice full of disbelief.

"They v- visited me just to let me know that I've been c- cut from their Will." Monika said, struggling to keep her voice calm. The last thing she wanted was to start crying over this again. "They said that as- as far as they were concerned, I was n- no longer their daughter, and j- just wanted me to know so I wouldn't try to come back to their house if I was ever released. Said that- that we'd never meet again, and l- left."

"They just abandoned you like that?!" Natsuki yelled, outrage etched deep in her voice. It was odd to hear her anger actually be on Monika's behalf for once. "B- but they can't do that!"

"W- with the kind of money they have, they c- can do anything." Monika said. "I brought shame on the family, so… best j- just cut me out of it entirely."

She took a deep, shuddering breath.

"A- and the thing is- I c- can't even blame them, after what I did. I d- deser-"

"No, fuck that!" Natsuki interrupted. "Listen to me, Monika. You did some messed up stuff, and messed up a lot of people as a result. But your parents ditching you like that is not your fault, so you better stop thinking it is. As parents, they should be doing their best to love and support you, especially now, instead of just sweeping you under the rug!"

"I- I don't think they ever really liked me a- after the d- diagnosis." Monika blurted out, taking in small, sharp breaths.

"They're pieces of shit." Natsuki stated bluntly. "You're better off without them."

Monika nodded once.

"I- I know. B- but… they're s- still my parents."

She couldn't hold it back any longer, and burst out crying, just like she had two days ago when she'd heard her own mother telling her she was a disgrace as her footsteps faded away.

"I know." Natsuki said quietly, and Monika felt a soft presence as Natsuki placed a hand on hers.

They sat like that for a few minutes, the only thing breaking the silence being Monika's half-choked sobs.

"Look… Natsuki said, after a while. "I can arrange something with Mr. Wayne for when you get out of here. Make him give you some money and a place to stay, or you can just pick one of the rooms in the Manor. I mean, you'll have to endure living with Damian, but…"

"N- no." Monika refused, maneuvering her hands underneath the blindfold to wipe at her eyes. "I c- couldn't possibly accept-"

"Well, too bad, 'cuz I wasn't asking!" Natsuki said. "Monika, you have literally nothing else right now. You didn't ask for help back when you got your powers, and look at what happened. Don't make the same mistake twice."

It had always been hard to argue with Natsuki, and it was probably going to be even harder than usual, with her weakened mental state being what it was.

"Th- thank you, Natsuki." She settled for saying. "B- but are you sure…?"

"It's not like you're getting released tomorrow. I'll work out the finer details in the upcoming months, make sure you won't be homeless when you get out of here."

"Thank you." Monika repeated, her voice filled with gratitude, and felt Natsuki patting her hand in response.

There was silence again.

"Well…" Natsuki said after a few minutes had passed, awkwardly. "And here I thought I was going to apologize for giving you the shittiest visits imaginable, but looks like your parents have overthrown me."

Monika couldn't help herself from laughing, despite the painful memories. It was such a Natsuki line, being so utterly disrespectful and yet still absolutely hilarious.

"Oh, y- you could never claim that title." She said, in between sobs and giggles. "And neither could they. That 'honor' was taken by your boyfriend in the very first week!"

"Wait, Damian visited you? Oh God, what did he do?"

"Okay, so imagine waking up in your cell in the middle of the night." Monika said, setting the terrifying scene she'd been subjected to months ago. "The room is illuminated by red light, and you see Robin in full costume looming over you, sneering that he's 'watching you,' and 'if you ever step out of line again, a broken wrist would be the least of your concerns.'"

Monika made sure to make her voice deeper and dramatic at the Damian lines, partly to amuse Natsuki and partly to make the experience less traumatic in her mind. She still had nightmares about this "visit" from time to time.

"The lights then flicker, and it's like he vanishes on the spot, leaving you to wonder if it was all just a dream, before you discover the 'R' carved into your wall."

"Pfft!" Natsuki snorted, before bursting into laughter. "Of course he did that. He's such a dramatic dork!"

Day 91.

"This ain't working! It sounds all wrong!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay Waylon!" Monika hurried to say soothingly, trying to diffuse the situation before they would make it worse. "Take a deep breath, and try to explain your problem to me."

"The problem is ME!" The rasping voice next to her snarled. "My fingers are too big, I can't hit the keys!"

"It feels like that for everyone, don't worry." She assured him. "Trust me, when I first started playing, if felt like my hands were three sizes too big as well!"

There was a loud noise of impact that shook the whole room, making Monika involuntarily flinch away as Waylon stomped his foot into the floor in frustration.

"My claws don't feel too big, they are too big!" He exclaimed, a low growl adding a kind of feral animosity into his deep, fearsome voice.

"Yo, Croc! Settle down!" A male voice yelled from somewhere behind Monika. "This is your first and last warning before I activate the shock collar!"

Monika closed her eyes from beneath the blindfold, sighing in exasperation. Now they'd done it.

As expected, Waylon didn't react well to the threat, and Monika could hear the growling from his throat building up more and more strength for the inevitable explosion.

Then, miraculously, it died down again as Waylon sighed deeply.

"I'm… sorry for scaring you, Monika." He rasped as softly as he could manage. "But I don't think this is working out. I should have realized this could never work."

"I'm not scared." She said. "And what you're saying is nonsense. Everyone can play the piano, and you're no exception."

She heard a few notes play as Waylon idly pressed random keys of the piano the orderlies had carried down here, into the damp, moist cellar beneath Arkham Asylum.

The place where the reinforced cell of Waylon Jones, or as he was more commonly known, Killer Croc, was located.

"This is my third goddamn lesson." He muttered. "And I'm still no closer to improving than when we first started."

"It took me much more than three sessions before I even started getting the hang of it." Monika retorted.

"It doesn't matter how long it took you!" Waylon yelled out, anger swelling up in his voice anew as it echoed hollowly against the cellar walls. "You're a pretty, normal girl with neat little hands and fingers while all I've got are these huge, clumsy claws!"

He sighed again.

"…you can just leave again. I don't want you to waste your time down here, pretending you're not afraid of me. It's just… When I first heard you were giving piano lessons, I thought that maybe a disgusting monster like me could finally learn to make something beautiful, but of course I was a damn fool for thinking that."

Wow. Monika thought. And I thought I had a bad case of self-loathing.

"Okay, one:" She said, extending a finger. "You're not a fool, and you can learn this, I know it. Two, still not scared of you."

"You don't have to keep lying to make me feel better about myself." Waylon said, dismissively. "You're always wearing that blindfold down here, probably trying to convince yourself that you're talking to someone normal, instead of a monster.

Monika crossed her arms, determinedly.

So, he wants to play it like THAT, huh?

"Are any of the guards down here female, Waylon?" She asked.

"Huh?" He made a confused noise.

"You heard me." She said. "Do you see any women down here, apart from me?"

"Uhhh…" He hesitated. "I don't… think so. Hard to tell with the uniforms they're wearing."

"Okay." Monika nodded, before taking a deep breath and reached up to lift the piece of cloth from her eyes.

"Wait. What are you doing?!" Waylon exclaimed, shock audible beneath the natural growl of his voice as Monika opened her eyes to take in the view of his cell for the very first time.

The light down here was very faint, being emitted from the few, cheap-looking light-bulbs dangling from the ceiling in chains. For some reason, it seemed to be slightly green-tinted, giving everything an unsettling, ghostly vibe.

The room was bigger than her cell, and yet it still felt cramped with the glistening rock walls standing tall and oppressive all around them, chains and meat hooks embedded into spots at random.

There was a small pool of dark, dirty-looking water at the far end of the cell, with a few animal bones scattered around the edge.

"How homey." Monika commented dryly before turning her attention to Waylon.

He was big, twice as large as her at the very least. He wasn't wearing any shirt, the only articles of clothing on his body being a pair of very ripped orange pants, a black clunky collar around his neck, and enormous chains around his wrists and ankles.

His skin looked tough, covered in grayish-green scales all over, jutting outwards like blunt spikes around his muscular forearms and shoulder blades. True to his word, his arms extended downwards into long, sharp claws, looking like they could easily skewer a man whole.

She tilted her head back in order to make eye contact with the towering figure.

He was bald, with his face littered in the same scales as the rest of his body. He had a massive jaw which seemingly couldn't close properly due to the many long, sharp teeth jutting out from under his lipless mouth.

Monika calmly met his eyes, small and yellow with thin, vertical pupils, like that of a lizard. Hilariously enough, Waylon seemed to be the one scared of her, as he averted his eyes and slouched uncomfortably, actually trying in vain to make himself smaller.

"I can't see any monster." She said in a level tone, keeping her steely gaze locked on him. "All I can see is a member of my Piano Club who's being way too hard on himself."

She made an inviting gesture towards the wooden chairs carried down here with the piano.

"Now, how about you sit down, and try again?"

Apparently not able to form a counter argument, Waylon slouched over to sit in a chair, the wood creaking dangerously beneath his weight as he begrudgingly resumed his attempts to follow the music notes he'd been handed.

Grabbing hold of a chair herself, Monika dragged it over by Waylon's side to sit as well.

"That's too close, inmate!" A guard yelled at her. "You have to keep a distance of at least five feet from the freak, or we won't be able to guarantee your safety."

Monika frowned, and looked up in mild annoyance at the twelve Asylum guards who'd escorted her down here, wearing bulky armor and helmets with black visors, hiding their faces. Thankfully, as evidenced by the lack of Sliders floating around them, it seemed Waylon had been correct regarding his estimation of their gender.

All twelve of them were standing around her and Waylon, surrounding them in a half circle, poised to attack with rifles pointed directly at the man to her side.

She forced a sweet smile upon her face.

"Thank you for your concern." She said, addressing the guards. "But I have full faith that Waylon won't harm me in any shape or form."

"Your funeral." One of the guards shrugged, not lowering his gun an inch. Monika resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and returned her focus to Waylon's piano playing.

"Why… aren't you scared of me?" He rasped in a low voice.

"Why would I be?" She asked back.

He scoffed.

"Look at me."

"I am. And so far you haven't showcased any desire to hurt me. So please tell me, why should I be afraid?"

"I've killed people." He growled, and his claws started hitting the piano keys ever so slightly harder. "Multiple times. It's even in my name."

"What, 'Waylon Jones?' I don't hear 'killer' in that." Monika retorted. "And even if I did, I would be in no position to judge, believe me."

She raised her arm above her head in order to place a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. His scales felt cool to her touch.

"Your past doesn't matter to me. All I care about is who you are in this moment."

"Refrain from making physical contact with the inmate!" The guard yelled again. "It might trigger an impulse in its reptile brain to feed!"

She shot the guard a hard look, and removed her hand.

"Quit your staring, or put on the blindfold again!" He yelled. "These are tranquilizer rifles, and I'm not afraid to put you down if you try to mess with my head!"

Did they put ANY research into the people they're guarding? She thought, but lowered her head instead of arguing.

"Would be easier to concentrate if they weren't standing around." Waylon muttered, but kept playing.

"Just ignore them. Pretend it's just you and me here." Monika said.

"Pretty hard to do when they're pointing guns in my face." He said darkly, narrowing his yellow eyes as he stared down the guards.

"How do you know the guns are for you?" Monika said, smiling. "Could just as easily be for me."

Waylon stopped playing in order to look down at her, a befuddled look on his scaly face. She looked right back at him, raising an eyebrow.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope." She said.

"I'm a giant crocodile man." He said, gesturing to his body. "With sharp teeth, claws and a jaw I can unhinge at will. If another mutation happens, I'm sure I'll grow a tail next."

"You have a skin condition. So what?" Monika shrugged. "I'm the telepathic freak who can brainwash people."

"I- I've killed people!" Waylon repeated, sounding increasingly flustered. "On more than one occasion, I've tasted human flesh! Aaron Cash can vouch for that!"

"I made my friend who was struggling with depression hang herself." Monika retorted, quietly. "Which one of us is the real monster again?"

Waylon blinked once before returning his efforts to the piano.

"Sorry." He mumbled awkwardly.

"Yeah, you better watch out!" Monika smiled, and elbowed his arm playfully. "I don't think you'd have much of a chance if a fight were to break out between us. I'll mess you up, big time!"

A loud, deep roaring erupted straight from Waylon's belly, echoing throughout the room as he threw his head back and laughed hard at the idea of Monika beating him in a fight.

It was such a wonderful noise, she couldn't help herself from laughing along with him.

"Oh God, what's it doing?!" One of the guards exclaimed, as the others recoiled in fear and tightened their grips around the rifles.

Morons. Monika thought. Haven't they ever seen someone laugh before?

Eventually Waylon's laughter died down enough for him to talk again.

"Look, I'm… really thankful for you coming down here, giving me these lessons, Monika." He said. "Even if I turn out to be a lost cause."

"It's no trouble at all." Monika said. "And before you go and write yourself off entirely, you should try and actually listen to what you're playing."

With a confused expression, Waylon looked down at his claws, dancing along the piano keys like they had been for a while now, hitting every note perfectly of the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" song they'd been practicing.

"I'm- I'm doing it?" He said, in quiet disbelief. Then, his jaw unhinged in pure triumph. "I'M ACTUALLY DOING IT!"

"Of course you are, silly." Monika smiled. "I said you could do it, didn't I?"

A loud buzzer suddenly went off at the other end of the room.

"You're outta time." One of the guards said. "Put on the blindfold again, and let's get away from this hellhole."

"Guess you gotta go now." Waylon stated.

"Yep." Monika sighed, and rose from the bench. "Make sure to keep practicing, and then I'll come down here again in a few days."

"Okay." He said, already playing the keys idly.

"Oh and Waylon?" She said, as she fiddled with her blindfold. "Regarding what you said earlier… do you really think I'm pretty?"

"Uh…" Waylon said awkwardly, averting his gaze to the floor and scratched his head awkwardly. If he'd been physically capable of blushing, she was certain his head would have turned beet red at this moment.

How can anyone see him as a monster? She thought, as she put on the blindfold again, and allowed the guards to escort her upstairs again. He's such a sweetheart.

"Hey, thanks for using your powers on Croc, girlie." The guard next to her said. "Normally I'd report misusage like that to the Docs, but seeing you turn that freak into a giant manchild whining about his feelings was some of the funniest shit I've ever seen in here."

Monika frowned. She really needed to have a talk with Gretchen about the professionalism of some of these guards.

Day 200.

"Stop right there at once, deceiver!"

Monika froze up mid step in the corridor, turning her head towards the sound of the booming voice in the Asylum hallway.

"Me?" She asked, unsure.

"Doth thy spot anyone else within these halls?!" Came the equally booming reply.

"Uhh…" She said, wondering if the question was rhetorical as she lifted the blindfold above one of her eyes to see whoever was shouting at her.

A tall man was standing a few meters behind her, pointing at her in a confrontational and accusatory manner. He had black hair, neatly set into a big curl going down his forehead and a very impressive, sharp-looking beard covering his chin.

He was wearing the same kind of orange Arkham jumpsuit as her, with a white towel draped over his right shoulder like a toga of sorts.

"Can I… help you?" She asked.

"Didst thou really think to have me fooled for long?" He boomed, raising an eyebrow at her. "Me, the All-Mighty God of Olympus?"

Then, Monika realized who he was. She'd seen him only once before in a news article many years ago, reading about a failed bank robbery stopped effortlessly by the Batman. Bored at the time, she'd read the article all the way through, learning about the would-be robber Maximillian "Maxie" Zeus, a history teacher turned super-criminal, suffering from delusions as he thought himself to be the actual lightning God of ancient Greece.

"Uh… O, Mighty Zeus, accept my humblest apologies." She said politely, bowing deeply. She couldn't exactly judge him for believing himself to be a God, not when she'd thought herself to be a videogame character not that long ago. If he wanted to think he was Zeus, then all the divine power to him. "But pray tell, what has transpired to awaken your wrath?"

"Do not playeth dumb with Zeus." He said. "Through all these moons, he has observed thou walking around with that blindfold, blindsiding him into thinking thou the reincarnation of Themis, the Lady of Justice. But now, the news has traveled that thou art in fact his son, Apollo?"

Monika raised an eyebrow, trying not to cringe as she heard his Shakespeare-through-a-woodchipper manner of talking and referring to himself in the third person.

"…why would I be Apollo?" She asked, chancing to look at him again. "As far as I'm aware, he's a male God."

"Be truthful now." He said, smiling down at her. "Zeus understands the modern age quite well, and if his son wishes to change gender, then that is entirely his, or should I say, her choice. And be at peace, if thou art not yet ready to reveal thy identity to the rest of Olympus, then Zeus shall respect thy wishes, and keep thy secret."

"Why, thank you, Mighty One." Monika said, playing along. Like Harley had told her, sometimes you just had to roll with the quirkiness of some of the personalities here at Arkham, and this seemed like harmless fun. "But if I may ask, what gave me away?"

"Partaking in the art of music twas a big hint." He said. "But word here on Olympus travels far and fast, and it did not escape Zeus' attention to hear tell of thy newest wish to start a gathering of people to share in the true object of thy Godhood."

She tilted her head to the side, trying to recall what she knew about Apollo from her fourth-grade mythology lessons.

"…archery?" she asked.

Maxie shook his head, looking amused.

"Poetry, my daughter."

"Ah, you mean the Literature Club!" She exclaimed as she realized what he was talking about.

"Indeed." He nodded.

She recalled back to when she'd suggested the idea to Gretchen after the success of the Piano Club, to host social meetings between patients where anyone who wanted could share their writing between each other. Just like the old days back at school.

Gretchen had approved of the idea, under the one condition that she would remove her blindfold during their sessions, to which Monika had begrudgingly accepted, and thus, the Arkham Asylum Literature Club had officially been created, with her regaining her old role as President.

It was exciting, and terrifying at the same time.

She returned her attention to Maxie, thinking it was quite a conclusion he'd jumped to, that based on only two hobbies, she was now Apollo. She supposed she should just count herself lucky that the Asylum for obvious reasons didn't have target practice as one of their activities, so he wouldn't call her out for being a fraud after seeing her nonexistent skills with a bow.

"Zeus will admit, he's found himself in quite the dilemma, concerning that 'Club,' as thou say." The man mused.

"Do tell, Maxi- I mean, Mighty Zeus." She inquired him.

"Well, thou see." He began, twirling dramatically on the spot to face the wall before resuming talking. "Being the God of infinite power and wisdom that Zeus is, it would of course be ideal for him to participate, and share upon the world his skills with a pen!"

"We'd love to have you." Monika smiled, always happy to gain a new member.

"Ah." Maxie said, raising his fist as a frown grew on his face. "But as the God of Gods, could Zeus really be seen partaking in something so… mortal? He understands the value of his daughter's craft of course, but as the all-father, he has a reputation to uphold."

He released a melodramatic sigh, and Monika's smile widened. This guy could bring middle-school musicals to shame with the amount of scenery he was chewing.

"I think I've figured out the solution." She exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "You see, O Mighty Almighty-ness, I too share your concerns regarding getting recognized amongst the mortals. As the Club President, it wouldn't do to make my other members feel inadequate next to my Godhood, which is why I put on this disguise. I even gave myself the name 'Monika' so nobody would tell. Of course, you saw right through this simple illusion, Mighty Zeus."

"Naturally." Maxie said, smirking in self-satisfaction at her praise.

Oh boy, I'm going to get such an ego boost pretending to be a God, aren't I?

"Well, how about you do so too?" She suggested. "Take on a mortal form like me, and nobody will know they're sharing poems with Zeus himself!"

"Hmm…" Maxie said, stroking his beard in consideration. "As it happens, Zeus does have a form in mind for his human alter ego. It was so convincing in fact, that even he forgot about his true nature for many a year! A human history teacher, named 'Maxie!'"

"That's perfect!" Monika said, giggling. "The first meeting starts tomorrow, and we'd love to have you!"

"Who would be attending apart from us?" He asked.

"So far, only Jervis Tetch has accepted the invitation, but I'm optimistic we'll get more members as time passes!"

"Ah, Zeus' other son." Maxie nodded. "Dionysus."

Monika raised an eyebrow.

"Jervis is Dionysus? As in, the Wine God?"

"Wine, and madness." Maxie winked at her.

Okay, THAT'S a stretch.

"Well, Zeus better be off." Maxie said. "He will require the rest of the day to put the finishing touches on his disguise. Just remember, the person thou meet going by 'Maxie' tomorrow, will actually be the Mighty Zeus!"

"I will definitely keep that in mind!" She said, pulling the blindfold back over her eyes. "I'm sure we'll all feel blessed by your divine presence, O Mighty Zeus!"

"Thou needn't be so formal, child." He said. "Zeus has become a lot less wrathful since the olden days. Since thou art his daughter, thou may address him as 'father,' or even, if thou would prefer, 'daddy.'"

Yeaaah, not gonna happen. Ever.

After quickly making up some explanation about being a method actor who'd prefer to stay in character and call him Zeus even when it was just the two of them, they each walked off in opposite ways to prepare for the next day.

Day 201.

"Thank you for sharing, Jervis." Monika said, clapping appraisingly at the short, blonde man sitting to her left, who was smiling brightly back at her, showcasing his larger than average front teeth. "That was a very fascinating poem. It seemed to be very Lewis Carroll-inspired, if I'm not much mistaken?"

Jervis released a nervous giggle.

"Oh yes, oh thank you kindly!" He said in his mousey voice. "How perceptive of you to get that! You truly are a master of the literary craft, oh yes, indeed!"

"Oh, stop it, you're making me blush!" Monika joked.

"Ah-right, ah-right, somebody here's got ta' say it, and dat might as well be me!" A brusque voice came from the chair on Monika's right. "Now, I might not be da most edu-macated man in da world, but even I could tell dat Hatter ripped dat poem straight outta one o' his Wonderland books."

Monika resisted the urge to sigh, and turned her head towards the owner of the voice- well, in a sense. She'd known a situation like this would probably occur by allowing them to join in on the Literature Club.

Sitting slumped over in the chair across from her, was a small, wooden ventriloquist dummy, about the size of a newborn baby. The puppet was dressed in a blue-striped, stereotypical "gangster" outfit like something out of a 70's movie, complete with a matching blue fedora. With the fat, black eyebrows painted above its glass eyes, the dummy's face was locked into a perpetual scowl as it stared blankly into the ceiling.

The dummy had a very weathered appearance, most likely suffering from the wear and tear of time. Its suit was littered with stitches and there were a lot of scratches and other forms of damage upon its face where the paint had come off, most notable of which being the large, jagged scar carved into its left cheek.

"Oh no, no it isn't true!" Jervis denied the accusation distressed voice. "Lies and slander, the lot of it!"

"I'm sure." Monika said kindly, pulling her attention away from the dummy. "You wouldn't ever stoop to plagiarism Jervis, I know you're far too honorable and intelligent to do that."

At this, Jervis burst into tears on the spot.

"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, voice full of anguish. "I did rip it out of my copy of Alice in Wonderland! I just- I couldn't come up with anything worth your attention on my own! I am a fraud!"

A derisive laughter came from the puppet next to Monika, even as it stayed completely immobile.

"Har! Har! Har! I knew it!"

"I demand silence, doll!" Maxie exclaimed in his usual booming voice from his position across from Monika, sitting in one of the chairs she'd arranged into a circle. "Cease thy prattling, and let Apoll- that is to say, Monika, speak freely!"

"Thank you, Maxie." Monika said, glancing at him.

True to his word, he had donned a whole new appearance since yesterday- by shaving off his magnificent beard. It didn't suit him at all and left no doubts about his true identity whatsoever, especially since he still insisted on keeping up that dialect of his.

"It's okay, Jervis." She said, placing a hand on his knee. "Sometimes, you just feel like sharing a piece of writing that you really enjoy, even if you didn't write it yourself. And that's fine. Only through reading the works of others can we learn to write on our own. But next time, just say if it's yours, or someone else's work, okay? And don't you ever think the things you write aren't good enough for this Club. We appreciate all forms of Literature here."

"Th- thank you for your kindness!" Jervis sniffled, smiling back at her.

Alright, averted that crisis. Monika thought, her heart pounding. Just gotta get through the rest now without any other hiccups so I can prove to Gretchen I can handle this without Guard supervision.

"Okay then." She said, moving on to the member sitting next to Jervis. "Arnold, would you like to share next?"

Arnold Wesker was an older gentleman, tufts of gray hair sticking out to the sides of his balding head. He looked frail, slightly overweight and had a sort of natural timid-ness about him that made him appear very uncomfortable with whatever he was doing at any given moment.

Nevertheless, he raised a pudgy hand to adjust his heavy-rimmed, round glasses, a small polite smile emerging from his face at being addressed. He folded out the piece of paper he'd brought, cleared his throat, and began reciting his poem.

"There once-"

"Shaddup, Dummy!"

The rude interruption was enough to make Arnold cease talking as he lowered both his head and poem in quiet resignation.

"Yes sir, Mr. Scarface." He gave a quick whisper.

Monika resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation. She would have to deal with this sooner than she'd thought.

She'd been so delighted yesterday when she'd walked into Arnold, folding clean clothes in the washroom. He was always a pleasure to talk to, and after conversing with him for about twenty minutes, she'd eventually asked if he would like to join the Literature Club, to which he'd beamed at her and accepted.

Of course, that encounter had taken place without the presence of Scarface.

She turned her head back to the wooden puppet next to her.

"Why did you tell Arnold to shut up, Scarface?" She asked. Though she knew about the special nature of Arnold's split personality, and was aware that Scarface for all intents and purposes really was a completely separate entity from Wesker, she still couldn't help feeling incredibly silly addressing a toy.

"Ah-right,youse still relatively new around here toots, so lissen up!" The same brusque voice from before said, and Monika had to admit how impressive it was for Arnold to bounce his own altered voice all the way over here, making it sound like it was actually coming from the motionless dummy. If she'd allowed him to actually sit with Scarface, and letting him control the puppet's movements, she was sure the illusion of him being alive would have been much stronger.

Truly, he was worthy of his title as The Ventriloquist.

"Youse never talk ta' him when I'm here." Scarface went on. "Youse talk ta me, first. I'm 'da boss here, capishe?"

Monika raised an eyebrow at the disrespectful tone. It always baffled her that sweet, timid Arnold was capable of speaking like that. Even with the knowledge of a split personality, it was hard to make it click in her brain.

"I select who goes next based on your seating positions." She pointed out, and gestured to each of the chairs. "So it goes clockwise: Jervis, Arnold, Maxie, you, and me."

"Ah-right, 'dat's fair enough." Scarface said. "'Den you and me switch places, Dummy!"

Immediately, Arnold motioned to rise, muttering another quiet "Yes sir, Mr. Scarface."

"Arnold, remain seated." Monika commanded, and was pleased to see Arnold actually freezing in his seat, looking nervously between her and Scarface, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

She knew Arnold couldn't help it, but she wasn't about to let him and Scarface undermine her authority during the very first Club meeting.

"Hey! Youse can't command 'da Dummy around, only I can!" Scarface exclaimed, clearly outraged.

"Would thy cease these infernal interruptions, toy?!" Maxie yelled, actually rising from his own seat now. "You will either be silent, or face the smiting of divine wrath!"

"Shaddup, ya wacko!" Scarface retorted. "If I wanted 'da opinion of some delusional lunatic, I'da asked da' Hatter!"

Jervis had started squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

"Oh dear, oh dear, I shouldn't think Alice would like seeing us fighting…" He whimpered.

Monika closed her eyes momentarily, taking a deep breath as she considered how best to diffuse the situation before all Hell broke lose. She needed to prioritize the biggest threats here, and eliminate them one by one.

Maxie was easily the biggest guy in the room, towering over both Jervis, Arnold and Scarface (obviously.) As such, if a real fight broke out, he would probably be the one doing most of the damage.

She got up from her own chair, and moved swiftly to face him head on.

"That's quite enough, Maxie." She said, putting extra emphasis on his name. "Thank you for trying to help, Maxie, but I have this under control. There will be no need for any divine wrath, Maxie."

Reluctantly, Maxie averted his intense gaze at Scarface for long enough to cast her an irritated look. She tried winking at him.

"Remember," She whispered to him. "We're in human form right now. Let's not blow our cover in front of them, alright?"

"Disrespectful…" Maxie growled.

"I know." Monika said, reaching up to place a calming hand on his shoulder. "I'll handle him, okay? Please, just sit back down again."

He remained standing for the next ten seconds, before sighing at last, and slumping down into his chair, still staring daggers into Scarface.

She sighed in relief. The biggest threat had been momentarily neutralized. Now for the two others.

She calmly approached Jervis who was still squirming and fidgeting in his chair, mumbling wildly under his breath as his eyes darted back and forth.

"Oh dear, oh dear… look a mess, missing my hat… where is the tea, oh dear, what would Alice say…?"

"Jervis." She said, gently. "I just received word that Alice was feeling a bit under the weather today. Something about drinking too much Drink Me potion. She'll be fine, but she's going to stay at home, okay?"

He seemed to relax at that, enough to let her turn her attention towards the aggressor of this disturbance.

She gave Scarface a harsh look.

"Here's what's going to happen, Scarface." She said in a firm voice. "You're going to listen to me, and you're going to listen carefully."

"Sorry, toots." Scarface said. "But Scarface don't take no orders from a broad like youse."

"Oh, yes he does." Monika crossed her arms. "You weren't asked to come to this meeting, Scarface. Heck, you weren't even invited. You just tagged along with Arnold who let you, because he's a nice guy. But me? I'm not so nice. And I am not going to let you ruin the very first Literature Club meeting."

"Youse don't got no authority over 'da Dummy!" Scarface yelled, angrily. "I own Wesker!"

"You did own him." Monika shook her head. "But now, he's mine. Because as soon as you all sat down on these chairs and joined my Club, I as the President gained the ability to issue commands. Commands that you will have to follow for the remaining thirty minutes of the meeting."

"I'd like ta' see youse make me!"

"Oh?" Monika said, and closed her eyes. "You don't think I can? Haven't you heard about the things I've done? What I'm capable of?"

"Yeah, I heard." Scarface retorted. "And ya can't scare me! I knows those powers ya got only works against other broads like youse, and can't do zilch to men like me!"

"That's a common misconception, actually." Monika said, smiling as she kept her eyes closed. "You see, it's all in the mind. If I perceive someone as female, then that's all my power needs to work on somebody. Now, with that, Jervis, Maxie and Arnold's got nothing to fear, since clearly there's no mistaking them for the men they are. But you?"

She opened her eyes again, savoring the shocked gasps from all around her as they saw the strong, green glowing emerging from them, shining directly on Scarface.

"All I see is a whiny, little bitch." She said.

"Y- you're bluffin'!" Scarface exclaimed, and the obvious fear in his voice easily made the whole ruse worth it.

"Am I?" She asked, tilting her head as she kept her stare up.

She absolutely was. There weren't any Sliders for her to manipulate around any of the people in the room, least of all with the inanimate puppet on the chair. She was perfectly aware that if she tried dishing out a Rewrite command, nothing would happen except giving her a great headache for about three days straight.

But that didn't mean she couldn't tap into the sensation of preparing one, just to make her eyes look a bit spookier for dramatic effect.

"You really want to risk it?" She asked. "I wonder how the criminal underworld would react to seeing the fearsome Scarface suddenly be reduced to a sweet, little harmless Barbie doll after a few of my Rewrites."

"N- no!" Scarface yelled, terrified. "P- please, don't! I- I wasn't told of the chair rules, I didn't know!"

"I don't see how that's my problem." Monika shrugged. "Now, you have two options: either you get up and walk out of my Club room, or remain quiet in your seat until it becomes your turn to share a poem."

"B- b- but I can't get up!" Scarface exclaimed. "I- I need 'da dummy's help!"

"Well, I suggest you follow your own advice then." Monika smirked. "And shaddup, dummy!"

Judging from the sudden silence that befell the room, it seemed that Scarface was out of retorts, so she sat down in her chair again, and motioned for Arnold to continue reading. He smiled at her in gratitude, and read aloud with no further interruptions.

She smiled, trying not to feel too good about herself for managing to win an argument against a ventriloquist dummy. She couldn't wait to tell Harley about this.

As she listened to Arnold's poem, she reflected a bit on the details she'd established with Gretchen in the creation of this Club.

Initially, she'd wanted another Doctor to take on a leadership role, not feeling entirely comfortable with the position after what had happened last time, but Gretchen had completely rejected the request, insisting that she was the only one qualified for it, and would do a much better job than any staff member could.

And although she was still haunted by the bad memories of her past, Monika had to admit it felt good, being the Club President once again.

Day 237.

A loud, sudden crash shook through the building, immediately waking up Monika. The crash was soon followed by the blare of Arkham's emergency alarm as red light flared in small bursts through the curtains installed over the two-way window wall of her cell, alerting her, and everyone else that another escape attempt was ongoing.

Monika sat up in her bed, yawning casually and rubbing sleep from her eyes before getting to her feet. She supposed a whole month without an incident like this had been too much to ask for.

She nearly tripped over the mountains of papers stacked up everywhere in her cell, consisting of piano notes and Literature Club homework she was correcting for the other patients, and narrowly avoided the small pile of cipher and cryptograph spreadsheets she'd been using throughout the week to decode the latest of Eddie's "challenges."

He better keep his promise this time and actually join the Literature Club after I solve this riddle. She thought idly as she made her way towards the glass wall, hoping to catch a glimpse of the escapee. It did good to stay updated on which of the other patients decided to flee the place, instead of relying purely on rumors.

She brushed the curtains aside, and squinted out into the faint hallway, her only source of light being the red strobes of the alarm- and was met with the pale face of Harley Quinn standing right in front of her cell, sporting an ear-to-ear grin and a bright green, filled to the brim, Joy Slider.

The very same Joy Slider she'd been lowering back at the warehouse.

"Monika!" Harley yelled, wild excitement in her voice.

"I'm sorry!" Monika exclaimed in fear, immediately pulling the curtains over the glass again, blocking her view. "I didn't mean to look at you, I didn't see too much, I swear!"

"Ah, that's okay." Harley said dismissively. "I'm way too happy ta' be mad at ya right now!"

"Why is that?" Monika asked, happy the woman wasn't threatening to gouge out her eyeballs at the moment. "And shouldn't you be in your cell right now?"

"Nope!" Harley sang. "I'm bustin' outta here tonight! My Puddin is hatchin' a new scheme ta' end all schemes that's finally gonna off the B-Man, and he needs his Harley ta' complete the vision!"

Monika used the blare of the alarm to cover a deep sigh. So, The Joker had apparently gone back to being "Puddin" in Harley's mind now, even after months of hearing her crying that it was over forever between them.

"I see." Monika said, refraining from commenting on the flimsy nature of Harley's relationships. It really wasn't her business at all.

"Hey, I still have some spare C4 left!" Harley said. "Wanna come with, maybe try yer luck at killing Batman a little?"

"I don't really think I'm cut out for that kind of stuff." Monika politely declined the offer.

"Eh, suit yerself. Well, I'll see ya later, gotta bounce before the fuzz shows." Monika heard footsteps indicating that Harley had started running away.

"So I take it this means you won't be there for your first Literature Club meeting later this week?" Monika called after her.

"Eh- what the what now?" Harley called back, and Monika heard her actually retracing her steps back to the cell.

"The Literature Club." Monika repeated. "You finally said you wanted to join last week. If I recall correctly, you were quite excited to share a limerick you'd been working on."

"I… I was. That was this week?!" Harley exclaimed, a rare sense of melancholy slowly creeping into her usually upbeat voice.

"It's every week." Monika confirmed. "I was looking forward to reading it at the meeting. We were even gonna do the whole 'pretending to be enemies' bit where I'd get all mad at you for how good it was, and then challenge you to a rap battle."

"…I was gonna have Basil do the beat…" Harley mumbled quietly.

"Yeah, it would have been fun. What a shame." Monika shrugged, smirking to herself. "Oh well, I hope you have a good time with The Joker. Have fun killing Batman or whatever."

"I… But wh- I just- and-" Harley stammered to herself, struggling greatly to formulate a complete sentence.

"Hey, waiddaminute!" She then exclaimed, angrily. "Is this another one a' yer frickin' mind whammies?! Where ya make me feel all guilty and stuff for ditching yer Club?!"

"The curtains are closed, Harley." Monika pointed out. "I can't see you, or the Sliders. I'm afraid those feelings you're having are entirely your own."

Harley continued stammering unintelligibly for about five seconds, the doubt ringing clear in her voice. Monika could almost hear the mental turmoil as she tried to make up her mind on what she wanted to do most.

"Alrighty, so wait." She then spoke up. "D'ya think if I just go back inta' my cell and wait fer the guards ta' arrive, I can convince them that it wasn't actually an escape attempt and someone else blew up the wall?"

"I mean… maybe?" Monika said. "From what I've seen, the guards in here aren't really the brightest bunch."

"Exactly! If they see me stay put in there like a good gal, I'm sure they won't feel the need ta throw me in Solitary fer the next month!"

"It certainly can't hurt to try." Monika said. "But what about The Joker and his scheme?"

"Screw Mistah J!" Harley yelled with renewed animosity and Monika could hear as she trampled back into the cell next door. "He totally fergot our anniversary a few weeks ago, and I hear he's even running around with a new sidekick! Some young floozy goin' by 'Punchline!' Have ya ever heard a name more idiotic?!"

"Stupidest name I've ever heard." Monika lied, thinking about that one hero name Natsuki had suggested for herself on one of her visits.

"Now, ya better keep yer word about the rap battle!" Harley yelled at her. "I want yer bars ta be raw, and stinging! Don't ya dare hold back, show no mercy!"

"Come on Harley, give me some credit here." Monika called back over the blaring alarm. "When have I ever let you down with our rivalry?"

"Ha! Good point, yer the worst!"

Monika smiled to herself as she settled back into bed. She'd just stopped an Arkham Breakout, all by herself without using violence, or Sliders. She'd like to see Damian try and do that.

"Goodnight, Harley."

"G'night, Monika!"

Day 303.

"… and you smell like one, too!"

Monika was sitting on the couch of the Asylum's common room, smiling and blushing wildly as she looked around at all her friends, wearing party hats and throwing confetti into her hair.

She couldn't believe they'd actually bribed the guards for access to her personal files and learn her birth date. Well, she could easily believe the bribing part, but to actually throw her a surprise party?

"You guys shouldn't have." She said, surprised by how shaky her own voice sounded. Was she actually going to start crying at the party like in some sappy Teen movie?

"Ya got 'dat right, we shouldn't have-" Scarface began saying, held aloft in Arnold's arm, but was quickly quieted when Harley slapped a hand in front of his wooden mouth.

"Ah, don't listen ta the talkin' pile o' splinters, Monika!" She yelled, her blonde pigtails bouncing around her face with every movement she made. "He's just jealous nobody likes him enough ta give him a birthday party!"

Arnold raised one of Scarface's arms to slap away Harley, who blew a raspberry at the dummy before letting go.

"Oh, so you actually like me now then?" Monika asked, raising a teasing eyebrow at Harley's confession.

"Don't think I said that." Harley said, giving her the finger. "God, I wish we could get out an' buy a big birthday pie ta' throw in yer stupid smug face!"

Monika chuckled. She didn't need to look at the empty Anger Slider floating around Harley to be able to tell that the Jester had no ill feelings towards her at all. In fact, the Sliders in general had become so easy to ignore after walking around in here without a blindfold for so long, that she seldom even noticed them anymore.

"To speak of gifts." The squeaky voice of Jervis Tetch said by her side in the couch, smiling at her. "I did construct you a lovely hat made from newspapers, but unfortunately the Staff sought to confiscate it from me. They seemed worried I might have hidden some fiendish 'mind control' devices in it, so it'll probably be a while before you can have it."

"I can't wait." Monika said, gratefully. "Did you hide any mind control devices in it?"

"Oh…" Jervis said, closing his eyes and blushing deep red. "Perchance just a few…"

They both laughed at that.

Then suddenly, the party was interrupted as heavy footsteps could be heard echoing through the building, unmistakably coming closer. Monika looked up, towards the door of the common room.

The door was opened, and a group of heavily armored Arkham guards burst in, all wielding their standard tranquilizer rifles at the ready. At first thinking they'd come to put a violent stop to her party, Monika soon realized they were just scouts, making sure the area was clear enough to escort the source of the heavy footsteps inside.

The giant figure had to bend down significantly to be able to fit through the doorframe, and Monika's eyes widened once she realized who it was. He seemed so much larger up here in the bright light than down in the gloomy cellar.

He'd been secured with an oversized straightjacket around his thick, log-like arms, heavily fortified with a plethora of metal chains surrounding his torso. A giant mouthpiece had been fastened around his scaly face, keeping his jaws locked tightly together and of course there was the big, black collar around his neck as always, which Monika knew was capable of administering a painful shock if he stepped out of line.

Behind him, Monika could see even more guards flanking him from the other room, all pointing their rifles at him.

"Woo-hoo!" Harley exclaimed happily. "Now it's a party! Ya usually never come up from the sewers Croc old boy, it's great ta' have ya!"

"Waylon!" Monika cried out, and felt her body moving automatically, launching her from the couch and propelling her straight past the guards signaling for her to stop, and embraced the lower half of Waylon's body in the biggest hug she could manage.

"Hey, no physical contact with the inma-!"

"Oh hush." Monika interrupted the guard, and tightened her grip before being forced to let go when two guards wrested her off of Waylon. She sighed and looked up at the part of his face she could see over the mouthpiece, recognizing the soft, happy expression in his yellow, reptilian eyes.

She couldn't believe he'd gone through all this security hassle, just to come up and see her on her birthday. She hardly knew what to say.

Slowly, clearly not wanting to make any sudden movements, Waylon tilted his head down towards one of the guards, and nodded.

"The inmate would like to wish you 'a happy birthday.'" The guard said to Monika, his voice muffled behind the full helmet. "And he wanted to give you this."

He reached forward, and Monika held out her hands to accept a medium sized, black rock which looked like it came directly from Waylon's cell. Inspecting it closer, she noticed the rock's smooth surface was almost completely covered in claw carvings.

The carvings connected with each other to illustrate a stick figure girl with long hair separated into a big ponytail by a bow at the back of her head, smiling at Monika. Underneath the girl, words in big, bold letters were scratched into the rock:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MONIKA!

Monika took a deep, shuddering breath. She was actually going to cry if they kept this up.

"D- did you make this yourself?" She asked, looking at Waylon's face again.

Slowly, he nodded at her.

She quickly moved forwards to give him another hug, but the guards were prepared for it this time, and pushed her away.

"Thank you, Waylon." She settled for saying instead. "This means so much to me. I'll see you at our next piano lesson!"

Waylon gave an affirming grunt from behind his mask, and was led out of the room by the guards once more.

When he was out of sight, Monika let her fingers softly trace the carvings in the rock, feeling the rugged, claw-made craftsmanship. She really wished Waylon could be allowed to stay longer.

"What a lovely present. Congratulations, Monika."

Monika turned around at hearing the German accented voice to see Gretchen standing right behind her, smiling widely.

She was looking exactly the same as she had when Monika had removed the blindfold at their sessions and finally put a face to the owner of the voice she'd spent so long listening to: a shorter than average, slightly elderly woman with faintly tinted glasses and dark hair tied into a tight bun. She was wearing her usual, white Doctor's uniform with an Arkham-branded nametag at her chest.

"Thank you, Doctor." Monika said, making eye-contact and ignored the Sliders floating around Gretchen, not even taking in the words. "Do you need me for something?"

"No, I just came by to wish you a happy birthday like everybody else." Gretchen said. "And to tell you that you have a visitor."

"Really?!" Monika exclaimed excitedly, her smile growing larger at seeing Gretchen nodding.

Natsuki actually remembered?!

"Okay, I just need to put this in my room, and then I'll be ready to be escorted to the visiting hall!" She said, gesturing at Waylon's rock.

"Yes, Monika. Take all the time you need." Gretchen said, and Monika noticed something… weird, about her tone of voice. As if she knew something that Monika didn't, something that amused her greatly.

Monika began walking back to her cell, waving goodbye to the other patients who'd thrown her the surprise party. She shrugged off the strange vibe Gretchen had given her, knowing that being suspicious only led to curiosity which in turn would lead to using Sliders to try and figure out what she was hiding. And she couldn't do that to Gretchen after everything the Doctor had done for her.

She made her way into the long, wide hallway where all the glass wall cells had been lined up, ignoring the random howls and whistling she got from the drooling patients deemed too unstable to be allowed to roam the halls without supervision, and rounded a corner to enter her own cell, intending to place the rock underneath her pillow.

She never got that far however, freezing in the doorway upon discovering that someone else was already inside the room.

It was a woman, based on the intruder's feminine form and of course the various Sliders floating around her body. She had her back turned to Monika, inspecting the various drawings and poems taped to the walls of her cell that Monika had received from other patients throughout the months.

Monika tried speaking, but the words were caught in her throat. She had started noticing familiar things about her.

Things like the shade of the long, strawberry blonde hair, weaved into a thick braid going all the way down her back, past her waist.

Things like the pink t-shirt and blue shorts she'd seen strewn messily about the floor when she'd visited her house.

Things like the bright green bow placed vaguely to the side of her head, replacing the old red one.

The woman turned slightly to take in a very abstract portrait of Monika on the wall, comprised entirely of small, colorful dots, given to her by Abner Krill.

"Wow, Monika." She said, and Monika immediately recognized the soft voice.

Her smile disappeared, feeling as if time was slowing down in the seconds it took for the woman to turn around and face her.

She could feel her heart racing as she watched the woman, completely unable to move a single muscle. She'd already identified her, long before she even saw the green ring on her finger, or the bright, blue eyes locking into hers, or the Joy Slider which wasn't empty by any means, but undoubtedly not as filled as it could be, either.

"You've really come a long way since the last time I visited." Sayori said.

Monika felt reality splintering like shards of glass all around her as she looked into Sayori's eyes, and was immediately plunged backwards in time and space, back to the house where she'd stood idly behind Sayori, watching as the girl made the designs for the Literature Club's pamphlets while she actively lowered her Joy Slider down to zero.

She could hear the echoing scratching noises of Sayori's pen against paper, before the girl sighed deeply, and dropped the writing tool.

"Something the matter, Sayori? Wow, that pamphlet is looking beautiful!"

"I- I'm sorry, Monika. I don't know w- what's happening to me today. Everything just seems… I don't know. I must be such a bad host right now."

"Ah, don't worry about it, we all have days where we feel a little off. How about I just take this to the printer at my place and leave you here to relax a bit? Hey, weren't you going to meet up with Jon later today?"

"I… was. I d- don't think we're going anymore, though…"

"Oh well, that's too bad. Bye Sayori, hope you feel better lat-"

"Monika?"

"Yes, Sayori?"

"Do you ever have days where… where you feel like you'll never get happy again?"

"Hmm… no, not really if I'm honest. Why do you ask?"

"I just… Sometimes I just wonder… What if things aren't ever going to improve? What if they'll just keep getting worse and worse until there's literally nothing left?"

"Wow, that's a kinda dark theoretical scenario, haha. I don't know, if that happened to me, I'd probably kill myself."

"W- what?"

"I mean, if you KNOW that this is all you'll ever feel, and if you're POSITIVE it'll never get any better, then… why live? Wouldn't it be better to just end it quickly rather than keep prolonging endless misery? Anyway, that's just my thoughts on the subject. I'll see you tomorrow, Sayori!"

"…bye, Monika."

"Monika? Wow, watch out!"

Monika blinked, and she was back in her cell again, staring blankly at the older Sayori.

She was holding out her fist, and a thin, translucent green line was extended from the Ring on her finger, reaching down to somewhere below Monika.

Looking down, Monika saw the line form into a green catchers mitt, breaking the fall of Waylon's rock she'd evidently lost her grip on while she'd been… elsewhere. Elsewhen?

"Blindfold." Monika muttered softly to herself.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Sayori asked, and made the catcher mitt slowly lower the rock to the ground, before making the construct vanish.

"I need my blindfold." Monika said, keeping her eyes locked firmly to the ground. She couldn't look up at those eyes again. Even just thinking about it seemed to have a constricting effect on her throat, making it difficult to breathe. Like a hand, tightening its grip.

Or a noose.

"It's underneath my pillow. I'm sorry Sayori, but I shouldn't be looking at you." She pleaded.

"It's okay Monika, I'm sure you won't hurt me." Sayori said, gently and confidently.

She didn't get it.

"I need it." Monika repeated, hearing her own voice crack. "I need my blindfold."

"I talked to Gretchen, and she says you walk around without it now. That everyone trusts you not to use your powers on them, and-"

"I NEED MY BLINDFOLD!" Monika yelled, and Sayori immediately ceased talking.

"…please." Monika added, quietly.

She heard Sayori's steps as she moved over to the bed and started rummaging around, before returning again. Monika saw the Ringed hand enter her field of vision, holding the thin, black piece of cloth.

She quickly accepted it and put it on, breathing a sigh of relief as she was once again pulled into a world of comforting blindness.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Sayori." Monika apologized softly. "I just don't want to hurt you again."

"You can't hurt me." Sayori said. "You couldn't even back then, at the fight."

Another flashback, this time to the smashed ruins of the Literature Club, watching Sayori and Jon flying around a bloodlusted Wonder Woman. All the while she'd been trying her hardest to bring Sayori down, to make her as miserable as possible, to KILL her.

She'd been such a monster.

"I'm sorry." She said, and began crying openly again. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Shhh Monika, it's okay." Sayori shushed her, and Monika felt strong arms embracing her body as Sayori pulled her into a tight hug. "We're over this now. It's not who we are anymore."

Monika didn't know how to respond and merely sniffled instead.

"This is all my fault." Sayori sighed. "I should have called beforehand. I just really wanted to surprise you on your birthday."

"Y- you're not the one who should be s- sorry. I am." Monika said, feeling the tears stain the cloth around her eyes.

"Stop it." Sayori said, gently. "Not everything's about who deserves what. I've forgiven you for what happened, and you should be doing the same."

"I don't know if I can."

"Of course you can. Now cheer up, Monika! We're going out!"

It was downright unsettling hearing how suddenly her voice could turn upbeat.

"Out?" Monika asked. "Sayori, I- I can't go 'out.' I'm in an Asylum."

"Well, then let's get you out of here, silly!" Sayori laughed, and started dragging her along by the hand. "This is my birthday present for you, a full 24 hours outside in the free. I've already cleared everything up with the staff, and Gretchen personally approved. We're gonna have so much fun!"

"W- wait just a minute-" Monika tried to object, but could do nothing except following her excited friend blindly as she continued pulling her arm.

"Hurry up!" Sayori called, speaking over Monika's half-hearted protests. "I've prepared some clothes for you so you won't have to wear that orange jumpsuit on our trip!"

---

"Wow, you look great!" Sayori exclaimed as Monika stepped out from the green changing room Sayori had materialized in the middle of the street. Luckily, it seemed she had been able to change the opacity levels of her constructs and make them not as translucent.

"I'll take your word for it." Monika said nervously, walking blindly towards Sayori's voice. She'd taken the blindfold off while changing to see the elegant, white dress Sayori had supplied her with, but had made sure to put it back on before leaving the room.

It was so weird, wearing this soft, loose material and feeling the sun's rays against her bare arms and legs again after such a long time of wearing the jumpsuit. And she couldn't quite make up her mind if it was a good weird, or not.

"Here, let me get that." Sayori said, and Monika felt her grabbing hold of the neatly folded up jumpsuit under her arm. "Got a nice pocket dimension to put it until we get back."

"Where are we going?" Monika asked, feeling more and more uneasy about being at the complete mercy of someone who brought up pocket dimensions so casually.

"It's a surprise, silly!" Sayori laughed. "Don't worry, I guarantee you'll love it!"

Monika was about to point out how she didn't have the best track record when it came to surprises, but was caught off guard when the ground beneath her started moving, lifting her upwards.

She released a yelp at the unexpected and increasingly rapid ascension, and in a panicked response collapsed herself to the ground only to be caught by what appeared to be a very cushy armchair instead.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that." Sayori said from behind her. "This must feel weird if you can't see anything. I've made a plane around us, and we're taking off."

Monika was too shocked to respond, and began reaching blindly around herself, trying to gain some idea of her surroundings. She felt barriers around her that probably made out the hull of the plane, the texture of Sayori's constructs feeling unlike anything she'd touched before.

"Y'know, it's a pretty neat view from up here." Sayori said. "You'd really need to see it to believe it."

"I'm… good." Monika said, leaning her head back in the seat and clutching the armrest for dear life. She'd never been one for flying, even without a blindfold.

"Do you want to hold one of my safety cows? Linea has been really effective in calming down the people I save in my Sector."

"No thanks." Monika said, having had bad past experiences with Sayori's cow constructs.

She heard Sayori sighing.

"Monika, it wasn't your fault."

Monika tilted her head, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"What happened back then was the result of many unfortunate things going on at the same time, things outside of your control. You were kidnapped, terrified. You didn't get your medication. You suddenly got powers out of nowhere, and didn't realize what they meant. And how could you? If my Ring didn't explain to me what it was and brought me to the Corps, I'd probably react badly too!"

Monika had heard Gretchen trying to argue the same things before in their sessions, and knew just how to counter.

"I could have asked a Doctor. Could have looked up Metagenes online, if I hadn't just believed that stupid game theory right off the bat. But I didn't, and as a result of my ignorance, I hurt all of my friends, badly."

"You reached an explanation based on the evidence your mind and the Metagene gave you." Sayori retorted. "Yes, you hurt people. Natsuki, Yuri. Me. But you won't anymore."

"You don't know that." Monika argued. "I might relapse."

"You've been in Arkham for almost a whole year without any incidents whatsoever." Sayori said. "Well, except for that one time a few months back where I heard guards had to pull you away to stop you from beating another patient to death? What was that about, by the way?"

Monika once again flashed back to when she'd been sitting in the Asylum's common room, watching the guards restraining a thin, bald and scarred man who'd been trying to escape his cell in Solitary Confinement. She could still remember the words he'd been screaming at the top of his lungs as he'd been dragged away.

"You can't keep me in here forever! I'll escape someday, and then I'll finally be able to rectify the mistake I made with that poor girl all those months ago! Oh that poor, lovely girl with that beautiful, purple hair! Yuri, my sweet Yuri, can you hear me?! I haven't forgotten you, don't worry! I'll find you again, and when I do, I'll finish the work I started on your arm! I promise!"

Monika clenched her fists at the memory, and thought she could still feel the phantom pain of her knuckles tearing against the man's cheekbones as she'd unleashed every little bit of her Ivy-enhanced strength on his face.

"Trust me." She said, darkly. "This guy deserved it."

"Okay, whatever." Sayori said. "Point is, you didn't even use your powers then! Gretchen's told me that you're more than ready to re-enter society again, and the only reason you're still in there is because you're afraid you'll lose control. Well, that and everybody just really likes you."

"It's a perfectly rational fear to have." Monika said. "I can't turn off this power. For as long as I live, I'll continue seeing the Sliders on every woman I come across. It's like walking around with a big metaphorical red button that I'm not supposed to press, constantly. At some point, the temptation will be too great. I'll get angry at someone, or try to help them, and once I do that, it'll be like opening Pandora's Box and I'll go right back to being powerhungry all over again."

"No you won't." Sayori said confidently, and Monika felt her arms around her again, hugging her from behind in the seat. "And even if that was going to happen, me and your other friends would be there to stop, and help you. Just like we did last time."

---

"Alright, we're here!" Sayori called out. "Brace yourself for landing!"

Monika gripped the armrests of the construct chair even harder as she felt the plane launch into a hard dive. Sayori could talk all she wanted about how she'd forgiven her and what a nice view it was from up here in the sky, Monika still thought this had to be her subtle way of getting revenge, torturing her like this.

She really hated flying.

She had to admit though, this was certainly a lot more pleasant than the other plane rides she'd had in the past. With it being just essentially a green shell of Sayori's Willpower rather than a multi-ton metal monstrosity with an engine, the descent went a lot smoother than usual. Just a soft floating downwards for a couple of seconds, before landing light as a feather on the ground with only the faintest impact alerting her.

That didn't mean she wasted any time at all in immediately getting out of her seat and almost sprinting out of the plane Sayori was probably already collapsing into her ring again, relishing finally having solid, non-construct ground beneath her feet again and trying to get a feel for the new surroundings she'd been brought into.

Well, she said solid, but with the way her shoes were slightly sinking into the ground, it appeared she was actually standing in sand. And putting that together with the idle sounds of waves, seagulls, and the salty scent in the air, she felt fairly confident in saying they had landed on a beach somewhere.

The sun seemed much warmer here than in Gotham, which she supposed could apply to a lot of other locations than the City that sometimes felt like it only had two weather settings, shifting perpetually between rain and darkness, but the strength of these sun rays reminded her more of the rare times she'd actually been allowed to come along with her parents to some of their more foreign business trips.

"Sayori, is this… some kind of tropical island?" She asked.

"Well… yeah, technically I suppose it is." Sayori said in a strangely hesitant voice. As if she was nervous about something. "But… there's a bit more to it than just that."

"Huh. You actually brought her." A third, very recognizable voice said, and Monika snapped her head towards the sound in surprise.

"Natsuki…?"

"Hey Monika." Natsuki greeted her casually. "Fancy seeing you here. Wait, sorry, is 'seeing' considered offensive to you? It feels a bit like saying it's nice running into someone who's wheelchair-bound. Barbara Gordon certainly seemed annoyed with me after the sixth time I deliberately told her."

Just as witty as always. Monika thought, but couldn't pretend to be too annoyed at her. After that one day, their visits in the Asylum had taken a much more positive turn.

"She'll be here in a few minutes, Sayori." Natsuki then said. "Just needed to prepare herself a bit."

"Okay." Sayori replied. "What kinda mood is she in?"

"Hard to say, really."

"Who?" Monika asked, feeling like she was the awkward third wheel to the get-together. "And where are we?"

"You didn't tell her?" Natsuki asked.

"Uhh…" Sayori hesitated.

"Tell me what?" Monika asked.

"Unbelievable." Natsuki groaned. "Why do you always do this? Didn't you learn your lesson when you hoodwinked Jon and Damian into joining the Literature Club all the way back then? Not telling people what they're about to get involved in isn't gonna ease the blow at all!"

"What blow?" Monika asked.

"Okay, one, it did work out great back then! If I hadn't brought them in that day, you wouldn't have ever met Damian, and you'd probably still be living with your father!" Sayori objected.

"Oooh, low blow!" Natsuki said, sounding impressed. "Nice one!"

"And second, I wanted it to be a surprise for her birthday!"

"No shit?" Natsuki exclaimed, sounding taken aback. "Yo, happy birthday Monika!"

"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?!" Monika said, having had just about enough of being kept in the dark, both literally and figuratively now. "Where are we? What are we doing here? And just who is it we're waiting for, exactly?!"

"So. You're here."

For the second time that day, Monika's blood seemed to freeze up in her veins.

Slowly, she turned her head towards the sound of the new voice.

"Yuri?"

"Hello, Monika." Yuri said, in a completely unreadable voice. "Long time no see."

Monika tried mentally forcing herself to speak, but all that came out was unintelligible stuttering. According to Sayori and Natsuki's previous visits, Yuri had left Gotham and even the rest of the mortal world behind after the incident, and had instead taken up residence at…

Monika took a step backwards, suddenly overcome with dread as she tried not to imagine what Wonder Woman would do to her when she found out she'd set foot on her home island.

"I shouldn't be here." Monika gasped hoarsely.

"No, you shouldn't." Yuri stated, in the same monotone voice. "And yet, here you are."

"Oh come on, guys! Can't you just-" Sayori began from the sidelines.

"Sayori." Natsuki interrupted her. "You know I love you, but shut up. Let them do this."

A silence followed where nobody said anything, Monika least of all. She was sure that after everything that had happened between them, whatever she said to Yuri next would be all the justification the girl needed to stick a knife between her ribs. Heck, it was a miracle she hadn't been stabbed already yet.

At last, Yuri spoke up.

"I can't talk to you like this. Take that stupid thing off."

It wasn't a request.

"I- I d- don't want to hurt you. Again." Monika whispered, timidly.

"If you foolishly decide to use your powers here, it is not me you need to be concerned about getting hurt." Yuri said, a dangerous twinge to her voice. "Take it off. I want to look you in the eyes, or you can go leave Themyscira again at once."

Monika wanted nothing more right now than to get home to the relative safety of Arkham Asylum again, but deemed it wise to follow Yuri's orders. She reached up, and slowly released the blindfold from her eyes with shaking hands.

She squinted and blinked at the sudden appearance of bright light all around her, and waited for her eyes to adjust.

Slowly, the white sand, blue ocean and green trees shifted into focus, as well as the imposing girl towering in front of her.

She had changed a lot, almost unrecognizably, since the school days.

She was wearing a loose, flowing white dress, contrasted by the shiny, purple-tinted steel armor plates around her knees, waist and corsage. She reached up with a silver bracelet-adorned arm to lift the purple helmet from her head, revealing even brighter purple, short hair.

Even with the cosmetic changes in her appearance, it was clear to Monika that this wasn't the same shy, timid Yuri she'd once known. Where that Yuri would walk around with her back weirdly bent and bowing her head as if trying her best to avoid attention, this new Yuri's posture exuded pure confidence and fearless determination as her eyes locked in on Monika's, not blinking even once.

It felt like she was staring at a Princess. A Goddess, even.

A Warrior.

Monika gulped once, feeling the tension around them grow thicker.

"If I've understood correctly, you can see my current emotions?" Yuri asked, her voice dignified and cold.

"Y- yes." Monika confirmed, doing her best to ignore the Sliders as they floated around the Amazon.

"Tell me what I feel." Yuri demanded.

Monika suppressed a sigh, and focused on one of the Sliders, Anger.

She blinked, confused, and moved on to read her Joy. Sadness. Surprise. Compassion. Love.

She couldn't understand. She tried opening her Hate folder, expecting her own name to have the longest, greenest bar, but was thrown off by seeing the same, odd thing in there as she'd seen on the rest of her Sliders.

She returned her gaze to Yuri's eyes, her fear momentarily replaced by shock.

"They're all… neutral." She said. "Every single one of your emotion-Sliders are half filled up exactly. You… don't feel anything at all?"

"I have been training my mind these past few months." Yuri explained. "The Wise Elders of Themyscira taught me a method to keep all of my emotions completely in check at any given moment. It's a technique that brings great advantage in combat, as the opponent won't be able to manipulate me, or anticipate my next move."

"It's cheating, is what it is…" Natsuki mumbled from Monika's side, appearing to be wearing a black, expensive-looking tuxedo for some reason.

"Go ahead." Yuri said. "Try and adjust my mood, like you did back then."

Monika's eyes widened.

Apart from the few times where she'd had to scare off Scarface by making her eyes glow harmlessly, she'd done a good job at denying her Metagene's urges, not using her power for almost a year now. She hadn't felt it try to push her thoughts again since that first day. She wasn't sure if she had the antipsychotic meds to thank for that, or if it had just gone dormant after she'd noticed its presence.

She just knew that she was scared, no, terrified of awakening it again by using her powers.

"I… I really don't want to do that." She said.

"I wasn't asking." Came Yuri's hard response. "If you could do it to me back then over some boys, then you can do it here too with my consent."

Monika sighed. It was no use arguing.

She focused on Yuri's Anger Slider, thinking it would probably be seen as insulting and weasel-y if she tried adjusting any of her positive emotions.

"This might hurt a little." Monika warned, taking a deep breath.

"I am quite familiar with the effects of your power, as you should well know." Yuri shot back.

Confined to her fate, Monika sighed and raised the Anger Slider, just a few inches. She felt the beginnings of a small, weak throbbing against her forehead, and stopped before it could build up to a full on headache.

Yuri let nothing show on her face, not a single reaction or acknowledgement present of anything out of the ordinary happening at all. Instead, Monika to her astonishment saw that her Slider was going back down again.

It wasn't as quick as it'd been back when the Lasso of Truth had reset Wonder Woman's Sliders, but it was still enough to notice the steady decline back to yellow, and half-filled like all the others.

"Maybe it won't work as well against one of your so called 'Rewrites.'" Yuri said. "But you will no longer be able to hurt me using simple emotional manipulation again."

Monika just stared blankly, not knowing how to respond.

"Your eyes always were so green." Yuri noted. "I've had nightmares about those eyes for months."

"I'm sorry." Monika said, bending her head down to look at her feet.

"Look at me." Yuri demanded.

Monika raised her head again to see the girl untying her bracelets, and letting them fall bluntly into the sand.

She suppressed a gasp when she saw the faded, white lines completely mangling the surface of Yuri's arms.

"Do you think a 'sorry' can undo the damage you did to me?" Yuri asked.

"N- no." Monika said, feeling nauseous, unable to look away from the scars.

"Do you think a 'sorry' can magically fix everything that transpired between us?" Yuri asked.

"No." Monika replied again, voice shaking as her eyes began to swell.

"Do you think I will ever forgive you, just by you saying 'sorry' enough times?"

"No." Monika said, fully crying now. Her knees began to wobble and she collapsed pathetically into the sand.

"Yuri, please!" Sayori called out, but Yuri held up a hand for silence.

"Do you think," Yuri continued, her voice as cold and devoid of emotions as ever. "that we could ever become friends again?"

"N- no." Monika sobbed, closing her tear-stained eyes. She wanted this to stop, but knew she deserved every bit of this. "N- no, Yuri. I d- don't think that!"

"Well then." Yuri said. "You must really not think very highly of me, then."

Confused, Monika opened her eyes again to see a blurry, open hand in front of her face. She sniffled, and wiped away enough of her tears to be able to see Yuri, bent down and extending a hand towards her.

She was… smiling, and her Compassion and Joy Sliders were going green.

"Come here." Yuri said, kindly this time.

Hesitantly, Monika took her hand, after which she was pulled up, directly into a big hug.

"I've missed you, Monika." Yuri said.

Monika couldn't understand anything that was going on, and started crying again.

"So, how was that, Natsuki?" Yuri asked, still keeping Monika in the tight, warm embrace. "Did I finally achieve the 'Major Bitch Level Insults?'"

"You reached a whole new fucking tier." Natsuki responded. "I mean, Jesus Christ, Yuri. Ever heard of the term 'overkill?'"

"That was so mean!" Sayori chastised them, to which Natsuki and Yuri both laughed.

"It's fine, Monika can take it!" Natsuki dismissed her.

Monika silently disagreed as she tightened her grip around Yuri, afraid of what would happen if she let go.

"I- I d- don't understand." She said between sobs. "D- don't you ha- hate me?"

She felt Yuri's hand on her head, petting her softly.

"It's been almost eleven months since what happened." Yuri said. "That's a long time to hold a grudge."

"B- but I hurt you, s- so badly!"

"You did." Yuri confirmed. "But I had a long time to think about it, and this island really puts things into perspective. I am going to live forever because of the magic that holds this place together. And I do not wish to spend that eternity without ever making peace with you. That is not the Amazon way."

"I don't deserve this." Monika said. "With the things I did, I don't deserve your kindness, or your forgiveness."

"Well, you've got it regardless. Now, you'll just have to live up to it."

Monika couldn't help smiling despite herself as she felt Sayori and Natsuki joining the hug. She didn't know if she would ever be able to forgive herself as long as she lived. She didn't know what her future life would be like, or if she would ever get the confidence to get out of Arkham. She'd even lost the support of her parents.

But knowing that she had three amazing friends who had all somehow been able to forgive her?

It felt… nice. Hopeful, even.

"Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you all so much."

Minutes were spent just enjoying being in their embrace. It might have been hours. Time didn't seem to matter in this moment.

And then, Yuri broke the hug at last, and the others followed suit.

"Now." She said, smiling down at Monika. "If I heard right from Sayori, today happens to be your birthday."

Monika blushed, embarrassed.

"Well then, girls." Yuri said, sending them all looks. "I think it's about time to celebrate."

"Oh, y- you don't have to." Monika quickly said. "It doesn't really matter to me, honestly. I'm not worth tha-"

"Monika, do me a favor." Natsuki interrupted her. "Shut up with your self-loathing monologues for today and let us do this. This is not just for you, it's for all of us."

"Thank you, Natsuki." Yuri nodded. "Now, let us commence."

The tall girl reached behind her, into a dark purple satchel strapped around her shoulder. At the same time, Monika noticed Natsuki unclasping a sleek, black briefcase, and Sayori opening what looked like a green wormhole in thin air.

Each of the girls then pulled out a single piece of paper, with distinctive handwriting visible upon them.

Monika stared at them all, blankeyed.

No. Surely they didn't…?

"It has been quite a while since we last shared poems, hasn't it?" Yuri said, raising an eyebrow.

"You- you wrote…?" Monika stuttered, lost for words once more.

"We heard about what you were doing over at Arkham." Sayori said. "And frankly, we want in."

"I think you'll find that my writing is miles beyond whatever Kite-Man and Crazy Quilt can come up with!" Natsuki said confidently, waving her poem around enticingly.

"Damian and Jon also have poems prepared!" Sayori said, giggling to herself. "We're gonna call them up on Natsuki's tablet so they can share, too!"

"You want to-" Monika started, afraid of finishing the sentence. This seemed way too… good, to be true.

"Yes. We have decided to give the Literature Club another shot." Yuri finished for her.

"Are… are you sure?" Monika whispered, breathlessly.

"We've already pretty much established it, me and Yuri." Natsuki said. "Sitting around here on the beach, reading together."

"But in doing so, it quickly became clear to us that something was missing." Yuri said. "Something crucial for the Club's continued existence. Without this one thing, we knew it would never work out."

"W- what's that?" Monika asked.

Sayori smiled.

"A Club President. "She said.

"M- me?" Monika gasped.

"Of course you!" She laughed. "Nobody else is more qualified!"

"Yeah, you think anyone else can give those annoying Writing Tips of the Day?" Natsuki snickered.

"It can't be denied that you're a natural leader, Monika." Yuri nodded. "And a very talented writer."

"You're really… gonna give me this chance?" Monika asked. "After everything that happened between us?"

All of the girls nodded, and Monika had to close her eyes to keep herself from crying again. Why did she have the greatest friends on the earth?

She opened her eyes again, and put on her game face. If they were gonna do this, she would need to play her part and be confident, fearless and responsible.

"Okay, everyone!" She announced in the same, clear voice she'd used back at school, and bent forward with her arms around her back. "Let's get started!"

The End.

---

So, fun fact about this fic: Initially, I wanted to put character tags like Jon/Sayori, Damian/Natsuki, etc, but quickly discovered that Fanfiction dot FUCKING Net in their INFINITE wisdom made the "Superman" and "Batman" franchises separate, and because I can apparently only crossover two things at a time, I would have had to ditch one of the boys in the tags, which just seemed like false advertising to me.

But now I'm REALLY tempted to make this a DDLC/Batman story so I can put in one specific relationship tag, just to make new people who find this think I wrote a 300k word story shipping Monika and Killer Croc. Because frankly, I think I'm the first one to do that on the entire planet.

Makes no sense to me. I mean, they were OBVIOUSLY meant for each other, right? Aren't we all thinking that? One day, this ship will surely knock off the likes of Destiel and Drarry in popularity, mark my words!

Well anyway, there it is. After nearly a whole year of constantly obsessing about this story, adjusting it in my mind and in general being way too proud of myself for coming up with "Bat-Suki," the story is finally finished. What a journey it has been.

Did it turn out like I wanted? No.

It's way too long, and upon re-reading some of the chapters it's easy to find overly complicated sentences that just go on and on forever. Clear evidence of my inexperience as a writer.

And yet, I'm happy with what I accomplished. Apart from my surface-level wish of wanting a happy ending for the Doki girls after getting traumatized like everyone else by the game, I wrote this to prove to myself I could do a long-form story, having tried on multiple occasions to do it before, and failing every time. And I think I did get noticeably better in some of the later chapters, so at least I'm improving.

I'm gonna be honest, I don't really know what to do next. I have written down a bunch of ideas for stories, but I'm feeling kinda burned out right now, and my motivation has hit an all-time low. I've been writing every day for over a year now, ever since Telling Their Stories, and I'm terrified of losing that momentum. I'm just not sure what to do about it.

Like, I really want to get more stories out to you guys, but the amount of stress I had with completing this story… I don't know if it was worth it. Oh well, I'm sure I'll work something out.

I'd like to give a huge shout out to every single one of you who've commented, reviewed, liked, or just visited the story, noticed how long the Prologue was, and immediately left again. Every single one of you rock, and reading your feedback brought me great joy during these past months. Thank you.

An extra special thanks to my Editor and Mother for proof-reading each of my chapters before publication, and teaching me that "a while, a lot" and "at least" are two SEPARATE words instead of one. I'm definitely going to take that knowledge all the way to the grave. Thank you.

And a final thanks to someone I know won't ever see this: Freshy Kanal, for making the Monika VS Harley Quinn Rap Battle that inspired this story in the first place. Thank you.

I hope to see you all again soon. Bye for now!