Bruce disregarded several calls from Dr. Kapoor. His last interaction with him had been unpleasant and Bruce felt bad enough. He would apologize to the doctor when this was all over. He didn't need more concerned phone calls, he needed his wife. But the calls gave him an idea.
Bruce needed air. The police questioned him over and over. His home felt like a public arena. He excused himself and went into the hall and over to the elevator. He just need a few moments to himself.
The medical facility was quiet and empty. He just needed ten minutes to himself. In a way, he was hoping that she was here. Maybe she had been hiding away, completely unaware of the news around.
No one was there.
Bruce went into Dr. Kapoor's office and looked at the disarray. The entire facility had been turned upside down when Bruce found of the Joker had been there. Other than the paintings, Bruce found no evidence of his stay.
Papers were everywhere but Bruce could see an envelope that he had somehow missed sitting on a table with a small vase of flowers. Bruce picked it up, hoping for some clue.
It was two sheets of paper. An order for a tilt table test, along with a description of Adriana's orthostatic intolerance symptoms and a scribbled note with two listed prescriptions. Bruce was stunned that he didn't know anything about this. The date was from the previous day. He hadn't given her a chance to share this with him. He felt a thud in his chest.
He sat the sheet down and looked at the following paper. Blood work. A large number jumped out to him and would have even if it wasn't highlighted.
hCG level: 25,001
She was pregnant.
.
.
.
Alfred's job was difficult. He needed to keep the television off, make sure there was no mention from the hotel housekeeping staff of the news, and keep Arsenio distracted and entertained. He asked for Adriana and Bruce several times but Alfred had to assure him they would be coming soon.
They stayed at the Plaza Hotel and would be staying until the situation was resolved.
.
.
.
The Joker slammed the door when he and Lucius returned to his apartment. They had no leads but had been searching for hours. The sun was down, and the night setting in cast a shadow of hopelessness over the city.
"What are we missing?" the Joker said and slammed his fist down onto the dining room table.
"Jack..." Lucius said. "We will find her."
"What are we missing, what are we missing, what are we missing.." the Joker said over and over, his words speeding up as he spoke to himself.
Lucius sat down and watched the Joker pace. Lucius was just as panicked as the Joker was but he knew that at least of them needed to remain calm and stable. They both couldn't pace the room muttering to themselves.
"We've wasted so many hours...nothing," the Joker said to himself. "Not even the hint of a clue."
Lucius couldn't argue with him.
"It's them, I know it," the Joker said. "Whoever attacked Brake. This is them. They have her..and they will not hesitate to kill her."
Lucius maintained his silence.
"What am I missing, what am I missing, what am I missing..." the Joker went on muttering and speaking quickly.
"We need to go back to square one," Lucius said.
"Square one, okay," the Joker said and pulled out a seat at the dining room table. "The names Brake gave made no sense. He didn't name anyone I had quarrel with unless Adriana misheard him."
Lucius nodded. He could see the Joker's mind moving at a million miles a minute.
"This is..." the Joker said and then paused.
"What is it?" Lucius asked.
"I need to surrender," the Joker said. "To whoever they are."
Lucius frowned. "How can you do that? We have no idea who they are."
"We'll trade," the Joker said. "We will offer a trade."
"Jack.." Lucius said. "There's a vast array of things wrong with that idea-"
"It must be done!" the Joker said. "It should have been done the moment she went missing. If they've hurt her, this is on me...we've wasted too much time-"
"Please slow down," Lucius tried to stop him.
"You can't stop me," the Joker said to Lucius.
"I know that," Lucius said. "But before you make a spectacle of yourself, please think. I want Adriana to be returned to us as soon as possible but you turning yourself in to whoever these people are will not work."
"Why not?" the Joker said. "It's a solid idea."
"Solid with some holes," Lucius said. "Frankly, no one will believe you are who you say you are. After your dental and jaw reconstruction and bone grafts, facial recognition is only at a 73% match with even the most sophisticated technology, which would not convince everyone. It would grab the attention of some police technology though."
"So what's wrong with that?" the Joker said.
"What's wrong is that in order to be certain that it's you," Lucius tried to explain. "Blood...DNA...fingerprints. It's all documented. The facial recognition as well."
"And?" the Joker asked.
"It's all documented by the police," Lucius said. "The second you're recognized for who you really are the police will detain you. If you do this publicly you will go to prison, not to an exchange for Adriana. They will not let you go."
The Joker felt his hopes die as he listened to Lucius words.
"Putting the word out onto the streets that I'm back, and willing to make the exchange would take too long," the Joker said. "But what other choice is there."
"Again," Lucius said. "You would not be believed to be who you are. Your appearance has transformed drastically. It would take an eternity for you to even be believed."
"Okay," the Joker said, mind still running. "I'll cut my face again," the Joker said shocked Lucius by standing up and walked over to drawer of knives.
"Jack!" Lucius jumped up and grabbed his arm. "Be reasonable!"
"I'll cut it," the Joker said. "Put the paint on. No need for the red. It will be blood. I will make the exchange."
The Joker began to raise the largest blade he could grab and Lucius stopped him again and grabbed both of his arms and looked into the Joker's eyes.
"This isn't the way," Lucius said, trying his best to use a calming voice even though the Joker sounded perfectly calm. He was talking like he was about to do something as simple and easy as dutifully putting a stamp on an envelope he was about to mail. Not about to slice his face open.
"Then tell me, Lucius," the Joker said. "You have sixty seconds to give me a better plan."
Lucius took a deep breath. He had no plan. None whatsoever.
"I don't have a plan," he said honestly. "But this plan of yours...this is just creating a problem that you will have to resolve..rather than solving the problem at hand. Don't get me wrong, it is heroic, but you will be arrested within the hour. "
"What did you just say?" the Joker asked.
"You will be arrested," Lucius repeated.
"No, before that...about solving a problem," the Joker clarified.
"I was merely trying to emphasize that you are creating a problem out of nothing by doing this," Lucius said. "You'll find yourself trying to solve your own self-manufactured problem, rather than dealing with the issue at hand."
"Oh..Lucius," the Joker said in a strange voice. "You are a genius."
"I appreciate that but-" Lucius started to say but the Joker walked around him and planted the knife loudly into the dining room table.
The Joker opened the laptop. He had become an expert at using it to track any cell phone device. The Joker had already rechecked Adriana's cell phone dozens of times that day. This time he was tracking another phone. He searched for the number after hacking into the most popular cell phone company in Gotham. It was easy. The entire process took under one minute.
Lucius had no idea what the Joker was doing. The screens were moving even faster than when Lucius did this type of work himself.
The Joker grabbed his jacket and threw it on, and then took Lucius' keys from the table.
"You're carrying a gun," the Joker said factually.
Lucius did have a gun but he wasn't sure how the Joker had seen it under his jacket.
"Yes," Lucius replied.
The Joker extended his hand. He wanted the weapon.
The Joker and Lucius looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds before Lucius removed his holster and handed it over, no questions asked. The Joker removed the gun from it's holster. He never used such things. He tucked the gun into the waistband of his pants.
He gave Lucius a final look before disappearing out the door.