After his encounter with Wendy, Arthur went straight to the social worker's office. The same boring building, in the same depressed room, with the same uncaring woman.
"Arthur, you were supposed to to bring your journal with you, remember?" Ms. Kane inquired him.
"I didn't think you were gonna read it", said Arthur, taking a long drag from his cigarette and blowing out smoke. He really didn't want to be there right now.
"You said it didn't bother you."
"Well, I lied."
"Why does it bother you?"
"My journal contains original material I don't feel comfortable with handing over to anybody. It's personal, my private thoughts. Everything about it bothers me."
Ms. Kane sat there for a moment, staring at her client. She wrote something down on her clipboard. She was very annoyed with Arthur and wasn't in the mood to be arguing with anybody.
Arthur inhaled from his cigarette again and laughed to himself. "You know, it's funny", he said. "I heard this song on the radio the other day...This guy was singing and he said his name was Carnival. The funny thing is, that's my clown name at work. And until now, I never really knew if I existed-"
"Arthur, I have some bad news for you", Ms. Kane interrupted him.
A flash of anger burned in Arthur's eyes, as he looked at Ms. Kane and shook his head in disapproval. "You don't listen, do you? You just ask the same questions every time I come in. 'How's your job?' 'Are you having any negative thoughts?' All I have are negative thoughts." He tried to sound as calm and patient as he could and continued. "I said, for my whole life, I never knew if I really existed...But I do...And people are starting to notice."
Secretly, Arthur was hinting to her that it was actually him who committed the subway murders. If she didn't get it, he didn't know who would.
"They cut our funding", Ms. Kane told him. "The city is closing down our office next week. This is the last time we'll be meeting."
Arthur took in the news as slowly as possible, letting it dawn on him that he would never be allowed to come back to the social service office again. "Okay", he whispered under his breath, sounding depressed.
"They don't give a shit about people like you, Arthur", said Ms. Kane. "And they don't really give a shit about people like me, either."
He knew it was going to be bad the moment he walked into the office and saw most of the case files were gone. Arthur didn't care that he wouldn't be going to these stupid and useless meetings anymore to talk a person who didn't give a fuck about what he had to say. The only thing that concerned him was that social services was the sole reason he was able to obtain his seven different medications. Without them, he couldn't function normally.
Arthur took one last drag and then looked at the social worker and asked her, "How am I suppose to get my medication now? Who do I talk to?"
The next morning, Arthur woke up and started to take his medication. He didn't sleep much that night, spending half of it tossing and turning on the couch due to stress. He opened one of the orange pharmacy bottles and poured out the last two capsules on the kitchen counter. This would be the last time he would be taking one of his seven medications. He popped the pills into his mouth and swallowed them down with a drink of water.
The TV was on in the living room. His mother was watching the local news, waiting for her breakfast. The interviewer was addressing to the viewing audience at home about speaking with-
"Thomas Wayne", Arthur's mother breathed out, a faint smile on her face. "Happy, look! Thomas Wayne is on TV."
"Yes, Mother", said Arthur, rolling his eyes in annoyance. Why is she so obsessed with him? He complained to himself.
"They're asking him about those horrible subway murders", said Arthur's mother.
This caught Arthur's attention. He walked out of the kitchen and went into the living room and gave his mother her oatmeal and then sat down on the couch. "Why are they asking him?" Arthur wondered, lighting a cigarette while he listened to Thomas Wayne. His nerves were triggered and his heart raced with anxiety. His leg bounced vigorously. What did he know about the subway murders? Why were people interviewing him about it?
"I didn't know any of them personally, but like all Wayne employees, past and present, they were family", said Thomas to the interviewer.
His mother started to say something, but Arthur shushed her and said, "Mom, quiet. I'm trying to listen."
"There seems to be a movement of anti-rich sentiment in the city", the interviewer commented. "It's almost as if our less fortunate residents have taken the side of the killer."
"Yes, and it's a shame", Thomas agreed. "It's one of the main reasons I'm considering running for mayor. Gotham's lost its way."
"What about the eyewitness report of the suspect being a man in a clown mask or clown makeup?" The interviewer asked him.
Witness? Arthur thought. There was a witness? Who was it that saw him? Was it somebody he knew? He hoped not.
"It makes total sense to me", Thomas answered. "What kind of coward would do something that cold-blooded? Someone who hides behind a mask. Someone who's envious of those more fortunate than themselves, yet too scared to show their own face. And until that jealousy ends, those of us who've made a good life for ourselves will always look at those who haven't as nothing but clowns."
Arthur couldn't believe how clueless this man was. His anxiety quickly melted and formed into a twisted half-smile. He laughed to himself as he leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair, placing them behind his head.
"That's not funny", his mother said.
Arthur ignored her comment, taking a drag from his cigarette. He didn't care what she said, or what anyone else had to say about it. He was in the clear for now. He found it all amusing.
He stood on the corner across from the bank and waited patiently for her to come out. He had to see her again. Arthur smoked a cigarette while he waited, standing there as people walked by him and said nothing. He was invisible to them. Arthur hoped that this killer clown thing would catch on soon. It made him feel good about himself and gave him a bit of confidence and self respect.
He spotted Sophie walking out of the bank and carefully disposed of his cigarette. He fixed his hair as best he could and tried to look presentable as she came his way, hoping to get a chance to talk to her.
"Hi", said Arthur.
Sophie looked at him and Arthur noticed her eyes were slightly red.
"Hey, are you okay? What happened?" Arthur asked her, slightly concerned.
Sophie wiped her face and told him, "I had a bad day. I just got fired from the bank."
"What for?"
"It doesn't matter. I don't know what I'm gonna do now." Sophie sniffled and lowered her face, wiping away another tear.
Arthur didn't move or speak. He felt his stomach drop. The way he saw it, Sophie was not that very much different from him at all. They had both lost their jobs in the span of a week. He was curious to know.
"I'm sorry to hear that", said Arthur.
Sophie stared at him for a minute and asked, "Haven't I seen you before?"
Arthur tried to get a word out, but no sound came out of his throat. Just then, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.
"Arthur!"
Turning his head right, Arthur saw Wendy approaching him. She came over to him and said, "Hi."
"Hello", said Arthur, running a hand through his hair. He felt nervous and hoped he wouldn't burst out into another laughing fit. He wasn't expecting to see Wendy here, only Sophie. He felt awkward.
Wendy and Sophie looked at each other and Wendy asked Arthur, "Who's your friend?"
The black woman extended her hand and introduced herself. "I'm Sophie Dusmond."
The red-headed woman shook her hand and said, "I'm Gwendolyn Napier. Everybody calls me Wendy."
"Nice to meet you", said Sophie.
"You, too", said Wendy. She released her hand and said, "You live in the same apartment as Arthur, don't you?"
"Yes, I live there with my little girl. In fact, I was just about to go pick her up right now."
"Well, don't let us stop you", said Wendy. "Maybe we could get together and talk some time."
"I'd like that. See you later."
"Bye, Sophie."
Sophie looked at Arthur and then turned around and walked away. Part of him wanted to stop her and tell her how he felt, but he felt that if he did that, he would hurt Wendy's feelings.
Wendy looked at Arthur and asked him, "Do you like her?"
"Wendy, she's just a neighbor", said Arthur, trying to play it off like it was nothing.
"I'm just pulling your leg, Arthur", Wendy teased him. "You gotta learn to loosen up a bit and have a little fun."
Arthur chuckled a bit and then dropped his smile and told her, "Hey, listen. About yesterday-"
"Oh, that reminds me", said Wendy, reaching a hand into her pocket and pulling out a laminated card. "I forgot to give this back to you."
Arthur took the card from her and looked at it. It was one of his condition cards.
"You don't have to explain anything, Arthur", said Wendy. "I told you before I don't care if you have a mental illness. When I was in high school, I used to know a lot of special need kids." Wendy quickly realized what she just said and tried to correct herself. "No, I mean, I'm not saying you have special needs or anything-"
"I know what you meant", said Arthur.
"The point is", said Wendy, "I don't care if you have a condition. I like you for who you are. You're a good person."
"You really mean that?" Arthur asked her.
"Of course I do", said Wendy. "You're my best friend."
The smile returned to Arthur's face and his eyes light up like a Christmas tree. He never had a best friend before. His heart still yearned for a lover, but for now, he was happy to accept her friendship.
"Would you like to take a walk with me?" Wendy offered.
"Don't you have to go to work?" Arthur asked.
"Not today", said Wendy.
"All right."
Arthur and Wendy walked the street for almost an hour. They talked as they walked, mostly about their family and their upbringing. Arthur explained to her how his mother pretty much raised him by herself and how he came to be the supporter of the house when his mother ended up in the hospital at one point. Wendy told him about where she was born and who her parents were and what they did for a living and how they died.
"And then my father died and I moved out here", said Wendy, finishing her story. "But you already know about that part. Ever since I left Mark, I've been working a job trying to keep myself busy and make it out on my own."
"You still live with your uncle?" Arthur asked her.
"At the moment", Wendy answered. "With Uncle Jack, it's difficult. I mean, I love my uncle, but I don't know about him sometimes. Most of the time, I feel like I'm stepping on eggshells around him. But then there are times when I get so mad at him, I just want to punch him in the dick and never come back."
Arthur looked at her and let out a high-pitched laugh, trying to throw some humor into her situation.
Wendy looked at him and said, "No, I mean it. I've got nowhere else to go except back home. My father passed away almost a month ago and I don't think I'm ready to..."
Arthur wasn't listening to what she was saying. His mind was focused elsewhere. His smile was gone. The light faded from his eyes. Wendy looked forward, seeing the source of the problem. There was a gang of rowdy teenage boys picking on a seven-year-old blonde girl wearing glasses. They were taking turns tossing a black cat doll to each other, keeping it out of the girl's reach.
"Come on, you guys. Give her back!" The girl begged them.
"You want it? Come and get it", said one of the boys. He threw it to one of his friends and the girl tried to take it back, but the boy pushed her down to the ground, causing her to loose her glasses in the process.
Arthur recognized them as the teenage boys who beat him up last week. He wanted to get back at them, but with Wendy around, it proved to be difficult. Luckily for him, Wendy had a much more better idea.
Wendy placed her hand to his shoulder and whispered into his ear, "Let me handle it." She walked away from Arthur and went over to confront the boys.
"Hey!" Wendy told them, gaining their attention. "Why don't you brats pick on somebody your own size?"
One of them flipped her the finger and told her, "Hey, fuck you, lady!"
Wendy reached into her pocket and took out her knife, flicking the switchblade open and threatening them. "You want to say that again, punk?"
All at once, the teenage boys backed down and began stepping away from her. They weren't so tough after all.
"Whoa!" Said one of them.
"Holy shit!" Said another.
"Then drop the doll and get out of here!" Wendy told them.
"Yo, let's get outta here!" Said the one boy, dropping the cat doll and grabbing onto the sleeve of one of his friends. They all took off running down the street.
Wendy folded up the knife and stuck it back into her pocket. The little girl found her glasses and put them on, while Wendy squatted down and picked up the black cat doll and handed it back to her.
"Are you okay?" Wendy asked her.
The little girl looked at the grown-up woman and nodded and said, "Yes, ma'am."
"I'm Wendy. What's your name?"
The little girl stood there in silence, hugging onto her beloved cat doll.
"Hey, you can talk to me. I'm a good guy", said Wendy.
The little girl was just about to open her mouth and speak, but then the girl's mother came over and shouted, "Selina!"
The little girl named Selina turned around and Wendy stood up, hoping to explain to the mother what happened. The girl's mother picked up her daughter and said, "Selina, what did I tell you about talking to strangers?"
"I'm sorry, Mommy", said Selina.
"Ma'am, I was just trying to help her", Wendy explained. "She was getting-"
"Don't you have anything better to do than bother my child?" The mother snapped at her. "Come on, we're going home." The mother turned around and walked away with Selina, who smiled sadly and waved goodbye to Wendy. The auburn-haired woman turned to Arthur, who shrugged his shoulders.
Wendy walked back over to her friend and questioned him, "Is everybody in Gotham City an asshole?"
"Not everybody", Arthur answered. "Just most of us."
"Well, I'm sick of it", said Wendy.
Just then, a hand clasped itself over Wendy's mouth and dragged her body into the alleyway. She tried to scream, but it was muffled. The attacker pinned her up against the wall and Wendy found herself face to face with a person wearing a clown mask. Her eyes went wide.
"Hey, beautiful. Did you miss me?" The attacker asked her.
Arthur grabbed the attacker by the back of his shirt and pulled him off of Wendy. "Leave her alone!" He shouted.
The attacker fell against the dumpster and pulled out a knife. He yelled and tried to take a stab at Arthur, who turned around just in time and blocked the attacker by grabbing him at his wrists. Both men struggled for a bit, until Arthur butted his head against the attacker's, causing him to fall down on the ground in a daze. The attacker groaned as he put a hand to his covered face.
Wendy looked down at the attacker and kicked the knife away from him. She looked at Arthur, who placed his hands gently on either side of her face and asked her, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm all right", Wendy answered.
They both looked down at the masked clown, who sat up on the ground and put a hand to his forehead. Wendy reached down and pulled off the mask to reveal the identity of the attacker. Twenty-six years old, with blonde hair and blue-green eyes like a raging sea, Wendy recognized him right way.
"Mark?" Wendy asked him.
Mark stood up slowly, still rubbing the bright red spot on his forehead where Arthur hit him.
"You rat bastard! What the hell are you doing?" Wendy questioned him.
"Hey, I wasn't expecting to find you here, either", said Mark. "But now that you're here, maybe we can work something out."
"Mark, I don't want to talk to you", said Wendy, backing away from him out of the alleyway.
"Come on, babe", Mark urged her, approaching her in a creepy manner. "I just wanna talk to you. Don't you wanna talk to me? It's not like I'm asking you to fuck me or anything."
"Arthur!" Wendy exclaimed frighteningly, forgetting she had a weapon and could have easily pulled it out.
Arthur walked over and stepped between Wendy and Mark, confronting the man and saying to him, "Why don't you get over it, Mark? Wendy doesn't want you around anymore."
"Fuck you!" Mark shouted. He punched Arthur in the nose, causing him to fall down onto his side and groan in pain.
Wendy gasped in shock and looked at Mark, shouting, "You son of a bitch!" She socked Mark in the eye, sure to give him a black eye for the next two weeks.
Mark shook his head to get his attention to focus and stared at Wendy. He backhanded her, hitting her right in the face. She let out a cry of pain, feeling the rush of blood coming out of her nose.
A small crowd had gathered by the time Arthur stood up and looked at Wendy. She was bleeding from her nose, but not that much. Either way, it made him angry. He turned to Mark and glared at him, grabbing him by his neck and choking the abuser who dared to hurt a woman, especially his friend. Mark gagged and tried to get him to stop, but Arthur wouldn't back down. There were people staring and shouting for him to knock it off. There was the sound of a police siren in the distance.
Wendy pulled out a silk handkerchief and put it to her nose to stop the bleeding. She looked at both men and saw Arthur strangling Mark with all his strength. She was surprised by his masculinity, even if it was violent.
An approaching police siren broke up the fight. Arthur stopped strangling Mark and turned around and saw the crowd back away, two police cruisers pulled up next to the sidewalk. Arthur looked at Mark again and released him. Mark stared at him in shock for a moment. He looked at Wendy and took off running into the alleyway. He fell over once and scrambled back to his feet, never looking back.
"Mark! Mark, you coward! Get back here!" Wendy shouted.
Lieutenant Max Eckhardt got out of his car, pointing a gun at Arthur. "Freeze!"
Arthur turned again and slowly raised his hands to the same level as his head.
Two policemen got out of the other car and walked over to Arthur, while Wendy went over to talk to the fat lieutenant and said, "Officer, thank God you got here. This man and I were-"
Wendy turned to look back at Arthur and saw the two policemen grab hold of him and place his hands behind his back. He didn't even bother to put up a fight. He knew it wouldn't do him any good. If anything, it would only make the situation look worse. They dragged him over to the cop car, leaning Arthur over the hood of the car and patting him down in search of any weapons before taking out a pair of handcuffs.
"No, wait! Stop! What are you doing?" Wendy asked the lieutenant.
"Ma'am, we got a complaint from someone saying this man was disturbing the peace", said Eckhardt.
"Disturbing the peace? That's bullshit! You can't arrest an innocent man for defending a woman!" Wendy protested.
"Sir, you have the right to remain silent", said one cop, putting the cuffs on Arthur. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." He led Arthur over to the other side of the car and opened the back door, placing a hand on Arthur's head and helping him ease him into the backseat.
"All right, folks. There's nothing to see here, go on home." Eckhardt turned to the other cop and told him, "Gordon, get these people out of here."
"Yes, sir."
"No, wait a minute!" Wendy followed Eckhardt over to his car and explained to him, "This man and I were assaulted. You can't arrest him for doing something he didn't do. It's wasn't his fault. The man who attacked us is Mark Leto, he lives at-"
"Save it for the judge, lady", Eckhardt interrupted. "You want him back out, you post his bail. That's the way it works."
Wendy glared at Eckhardt with contempt and started to back away from him, pointing at him and proclaiming, "This isn't over. Do you hear me? This isn't over by a motherfucking long shot!" Turning away, Wendy singled for a taxi. The yellow cab came to a stop in the middle of the road. Wendy ran over to it and opened the back door and got in. "Take me to Axis Chemical", she demanded. "Now!"
Wendy didn't care if she got chewed out by her uncle or not, she needed to get Arthur out of the police station. He did nothing wrong and yet he was the one who got arrested, not Mark. Wendy vowed to kill him if she ever saw his face again. She didn't care if she went to prison for life. For Arthur, she was willing to do anything.
Wendy walked through the door and entered the factory, not caring about the smell of the chemicals. She looked around the factory floor, trying to find her uncle among the workers dressed in white lab coats. She looked to her left and saw a man standing next to a giant chemical tank. He wasn't in uniform. In fact, he was the man who was driving Jack around in the limo yesterday. He had a scruffy face and shoulder-length blonde hair. He was wearing a black fedora and dark gray suit. He had a scar on his left cheek. His named was Robert Hawkens, but to everybody who knew him, he was known as-
"Bob!" Wendy called out, walking over to him. "Bob! Where's Uncle Jack?"
"What the heck are you doing here?" Bob asked her. "You know your uncle don't want you hanging around here. It's dangerous."
Loosing patience, Wendy grabbed him by the lapel of his coat and slammed him against the wall. "I don't have time for your bullshit, Bob! Now where is Jack Napier?!"
"He's right here."
Wendy turned her head and looked over her shoulder. Jack was standing right behind her. There was another man standing next to him. He was a little bit older than him by about ten or fifteen years.
Wendy released Bob and went over to confront her uncle. "Do you have any idea what happened? I just got mugged by Mark! Arthur tried to defend me and got himself arrested. Either you get him out or I swear to God I will stick you. I don't care if I go to jail myself, I'll do it!"
"Relax, Wendy", said Jack. "If you want me to bail him out, all you have to do is ask me nicely."
"Nicely?! You're one to talk! You don't know anything about being nice!" Wendy called him out.
"So, this is the famous Wendy", said the other man. "Your uncle's told me a lot about you."
Wendy looked at him and remarked, "Funny, he never mentioned you."
"I didn't think he would", said the other man, smiling politely. "My name is Carl Grissom." He offered his hand to her, but Wendy didn't take it.
Wendy stared at his hand and shot a look at the old man, raising a suspicious eyebrow. He looked like a crime lord. Therefore, she didn't trust him.
"I hear you're thinking about voting for Thomas Wayne", said Carl. "You'll be happy to hear we're both in the same running position for mayor."
"You're running against him?" Wendy questioned Carl.
"Yes, and I can assure you I only have the city's best interest at heart. If you would only reconsider-"
"Thank you, Mr. Grissom, but I've already made my decision", said Wendy, cutting him off. "Between you and L.W. Borg, I choose Thomas Wayne. I'm not an idiot."
Carl Grissom was not one to take no for an answer, but being that she was a woman, he decided to go easy on her. "You're choice, Miss Napier", he said.
Wendy turned to Jack and told him, "I know you don't want me around in your life, but all I'm asking from you is one little favor. Either you help me out or I swear to God I will gut you. Right here, right now."
Jack looked at her with a stoic expression, unmoved by her empty threat. She tried to act tough, but Jack knew she didn't have it in her. She was a mouse, not a lioness. It was that simple.
"If I help bail out your boy toy, will you shut up and get the hell out of here?"