Chapter 7

They had spent the morning in Bruce's office where the vigilante worked on various things while his partner kept stuffing his face in fast food while looking out the window and commenting on every little things : Didn't I kill this guy? - Oh wow! Brucie, look! This hobo just threw up on a cat! - I'd like to tickle all these little children. - This guy with gold chains looks just like your butler. - Oh, I meant strangle.

It went on for an hour or so until he was done eating and drinking, he then proceeded to take his usual place, sitting on top of the desk next to the larger man.

"What's the plan for today, boss?"

"We're suppose to receive the processed spider silk, we'll give our vests designs to some other workers who'll build the prototypes. If they're fast enough, we should be able to test it tonight."

"What's in the Reds?"

"Lithium, starch, fluoxetine, polyethylene glycol and I can't quite figure out the rest of the ingredients." The pale man sighed in response.

"I guess I'll have to figure it out myself."

"No, I only have one left. I'll try again."

Joker scratched his head thoughtful and turned his attention to the detective who was reading the news surprised that his discovery of the drugs didn't seemed to appear in any article. He thought that maybe the people in the asylum were too ashamed to tell the public that the released of the most dangerous inmates might have been a terrible mistake.

"Take it." The clown suddenly said, to which the billionaire simply looked at him confused. "Take the last Reds."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you're crazy. It'll make you do and see what you right now can't."

"I am not crazy."

The jester started laughing but before he could reply he was interrupted by the office phone ringing. The small man clicked on speaker and answered.

Joker: What's up?!

Secretary: Eh... Mister Wayne?

Bruce: I'm here with Jackson, you're on speaker.

Secretary: Yes, about him. I've got a lady here who wants to see him. She claims to be her cousin.

Joker: My cousin?

Both men looked at each other absolutely perplexed.

Secretary: Yes but... All right she went away. I'm just not sure, it's Harleen Quinzel, I didn't know if I could believe her and she seems to be on something, maybe she's on a lot of dope... Oh, she's coming back.

The hero stared at his partner awaiting for some explaining, but he was in complete wonder of what was happening.

Joker: She's my cousin, but could we keep that secret? I mean, she really makes the whole family ashamed and we don't like being associated to her, you understand?

Secretary: Not a problem.

Joker: Bruce and I are very busy right now, could you tell her to wait a bit. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes.

Secretary: Of course, Mister White.

She hung up and the clown got up and screamed out.

"What the...!?"

"Calm down." Bruce interrupted him. "Do you have any idea why she would come here?"

"Yes! I have many ideas! How stupid can she be?! She's going to blow my cover!"

"If you keep screaming like that, you'll blow it by yourself. Why did you get involve in her lie?"

"What if this is gang related? You did find the Reds yesterday."

"What if it isn't?"

"Then we'll have long pig for supper!"

The vigilante tapped on his desk in a way to invite his partner to sit back, which he surprisingly did.

"Come to think of it, if this isn't gang related, this still is no problem. We need her to trust you, we need more information." He opened up a drawer and picked up something incredibly small from a hidden compartment. "This is a camera with a microphone, maybe you could place it on your glasses, it looks like a small bolt. I'm sure you'll have to follow her somewhere."

"I need an adult." He joked while placing the device to the frame. "Your hidden gadgets are so greatly convenient, darling."

The hero got up and approached the phone to take it, while the pale man simply turned himself around over the desk.

"Ready?" The billionaire asked and he nodded unexcited. "She can come in." He addressed his secretary through the phone.

The door opened slowly and she stepped in closing it immediately behind herself. She looked beyond stoned, her pupils were so dilated you could barely see the light blue coloring her eyes and she had deep dark circles under them. Her hair were lose and seemed as dirty as the big black hoodie she was wearing and the tight jeans covered with dirt, mud and what not. She stood near the door, smirking and unblinking.

"Hey."

She simply said and White chuckled, she was a complete mess. The larger man stepped forward. It always was amusing to him whenever he had to introduce himself to people he already knew very well.

"Hi, I'm Bruce Wayne." He politely presented his hand to her.

"And I'm high as hell. I-I mean Harleen Quinzel."

She gave his hand a slap as an awkward high five attempt. The clown could not stop himself from giggling.

"Are you all right?" The billionaire asked.

"Yeah, yeah. It's just the... you know, I still have to take med-medication. That's a new thing. I think it ain't right for me."

"Would you like some water?"

"Beer. I mean yes! Thank you..."

While the hero obliged slightly worried, Joker got off the desk still mocking the blonde and talked to her.

"What's wrong with you, kiddo?"

"I dunno. I'm having the worsts fantasies. I mean Freudian slips! Damn..." The vigilante gave her a glass of water which she drank under three seconds. "Thanks, my mouth was so stupid."

He burst into a laughter, so did she and Bruce smiled finding the situation to be comical.

"So, why did you come here?" The larger man questioned.

"Because I need to... borrow... him for... today." She spoke slowly, visibly putting a lot of efforts into not saying anything wrong. "It's a d-d... ga... f..." She started stuttering and moving her arms around as if this was a game of charade.

"Family thing?" The jester quickly asked.

"Yes!" She excitedly said.

"There's a problem in the family and you need me there."

She happily nodded turning to the billionaire clearly hoping this would be enough to get out of this place with Joker.

"And what might be this problem, if I may ask?"

She kept her large smile, but anyone who knew her the slightest could pick up how fake it was. She probably was daydreaming about knocking the rich man out and fleeing as fast as possible.

"Yeah, shut up. Of course, my bad." She scratched her head embarrassed and continued. "Grandma's in the... hospital." Harley took on a serious look and turned her attention to the tall man's green eyes before easily saying. "They don't know if she'll make it." He lost his grin picking up that these were not forced words and the hero wondered if she really was referring to someone. "I think she'll die in a few days, to be honest."

"I'm so sorry..." Bruce said with a distant tone as if they really had just met.

"I just want Jackie to spend some time with her." She stated to the detective raising many questions in his mind.

He glanced at his unusually silent partner who was just standing there, gazing at nothing with a blank expression on his face. Surely, he was acting this reaction and he was amazing at doing so.

"Of course." He patted Joker's back. "Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks, boss." He calmly said while the girl grabbed his arm and exited the room with him.

He went back to his desk where he used the computer, starting the programs in order to begin spying on the two of them, a thing he truly was not looking forward doing. He put on some headphones and waited for sound and visual to load up.

Harley: ...etable in a muffin! Ya think you're better than me!? Pff... I'm ripped like some fancy dirt... I can't speak.

The clown's laughter echoed through the headphones, the microphone was working just fine and the visual followed a second after. They were alone in the elevator.

Joker: What on Earth did you take?

She simply shook her head as an answer, showing off that she would not tell him right away.

Upon finally leaving the tower and reaching some alleyways and tranquil streets they started talking again.

Harley: He found the Reds, they'll know, they'll never come back to me... He'll take us back to Arkham. We're killing... testing... We need to hide traces of the drug in ourselves. I'm on something Jervis just made. It's bad.

Joker: Who's dying?

Harley: Everyone, slowly. Crappy drug! Three test subjects, we need ya to clean them.

Joker: Where are we going?

Bruce's heart skipped a beat at the woman's choice of word; the pale man was to clean up the bodies. Even though she was on some narcotic he had to put some consideration into this, the lunatic had been running his mysterious cleaning business for a while.

Harley: A truck not far, Dr. Crane's waiting there. He's on something too.

Joker: Why do you always call each other doctor?

Harley: 'Cause we earned that doctorate!

It would make sense if the jester was the one behind the perfect crime scenes, maybe not the murderer in each case, but the one covering up the evidences. After all, the vigilante had been keeping him out of Arkham for him to not suffer the same fate, which he knew now could not.

Joker: You really look terrible today.

Harley: Well, y-you too!

Joker: Ha! You stuttering liar.

Of course, it must have been him all along. He would know the truth about this cleaning story when the clown would finally get to the bodies of those unfortunate subjects.

He watched through his partner's eyes, as they approached a dark van, Harley got behind the wheel and Joker sat next to her in the passenger seat. He turned around directing the camera to Crane, sitting in the middle seat of the back.

Joker: What's wrong with you?

Jonathan: Beside my face and left arm, my body seems to be responding to stimuli in an unexpected manner.

Harley: He's all messed up.

She started the engine while the pale man reached out for the immobile man who's eyes simply widened. Swiftly, the woman grabbed the lunatic's hands pulling them away from Crane.

Harley: Leave him alone, y'already have me to play with!

He stopped and turned to her.

Harley: I meant the te-test subjects...

She began driving and staring away.

Joker: No you didn't.

Jonathan: I've had news from the Penguin last night, he wants all of us to meet tonight.

Joker: Where?

Jonathan: He haven't decided yet, I proposed the Iceberg Lounge but he said he would never let you two back in again.

They laughed together at whatever memory they were sharing.

Jonathan: Until then we better figure out a way to hide the Reds in our systems.

Joker: What if we legalize it? It's just a medication after all, plus we know it's working fine.

An unpleasant silence filled up the vehicle to his words.

Meanwhile, Bruce was trying to figure out where they were heading, so far it seems they were going to a quiet residential zone of Gotham, which would be an uncommon place for a secret lab.

Harley: We can't. It-It's eh...

Jonathan: It would take more time to legalize it than hide it.

The billionaire had to let go of his screen for a moment, they had just received the material and he had to hand out some designs. He got back just in time to see that they had stopped at some small building next to a University. They got out of the car and Harleen went on picking up Crane to carry him. The jester started mocking them upon seeing it and the hero chuckled too behind his screen. Seeing the master of fear being carried like a princess by Quinzel had its comedic charm.

At the door, she knocked with her foot, Tetch answered letting everyone in. This was not a secret lab, rather a normal one probably owned by one of them. There were laws framed up all over the walls such as a list of illegal chemicals, what makes a test subject legal, how to not be held responsible for one's death, this all seemed to be legal, the detective could not believe his eyes. He wondered what company was working with them, allowing this to happen. His partner was walking around the place, giving him as much information as possible, scrutinizing the equipment and trying to open every door.

Joker: Where's Eddie?

He turned to the gang, Crane was working at a computer with one hand and Harleen was sitting on a chair while Tetch was getting ready to take a blood sample from her.

Jervis: Room 3, he's resting and he's fine. Go take care of the test subjects in room 2.

Joker: I need to see Eddie, I want to take a look at that bomb.

Jervis: You'll see him tonight, get working.

He threw a key to the taller man who caught it.

Bruce was interrupted by a call to inform him that some of the golden spider silk they had ordered were missing. He acted dumb, but deep down he already knew that White must have been responsible in some way, probably to build his Champion suit.

Back to his screen, the clown was in room 2, which seemed to have been a refrigerator. The bodies where placed in shelves along with boxes like they were nothing but objects. On each of them were a file and he went to the first body and opened her's. She used to be an inmate in Arkham, suffering from extreme depression she had become a danger to herself and was locked up for about six months. She still had to take medications afterward, but never seemed to have had any downfall in her illness. The detective could not figure out why she would have been related to this, maybe they offered her money or hopes for a deeper meaning in her life just like cults do with people looking for answers and happiness. However this was unimportant for now, Joker had just reached the last page of the file containing one sentence: Cause of death. The rest of the page was blank.

The jester had a pencil in his hand and what he wrote down sent chills down the hero's spine.

Overdose on prescribed medication. (Prozac 60mg)

Verified by Jackson White

He went back to the lab and opened a cabinet which contained many bottles of different drugs, he picked up the Prozac. He took a look around before heading back to room 2. Crane was on the phone, possibly with Penguin, Tetch was not in the current room, so probably in room 3 or 4 and Harleen seemed to have fallen asleep on the chair.

Back in room 2, he searched for some gastric acid contained in a bottle, he combined the pills with the natural chemical and mixed it until it dissolved. Once it was done he put the solution in a long syringe. With a hand on her body he pulled her belly button up and pressing hard he inserted the needle deep inside of it, pointing up to her stomach in order to spread the mixture there. How disgustingly clever of him, no one ever looks into belly buttons.

That is when the man behind the screen understood that Joker was not the one behind the perfect crime scenes, he was beyond that, with him in charge of a case, there was no crime scene. The camera started moving in an unusual way until it pointed to the pale man's face, he was holding them toward himself.

Joker: Hello there! Don't be mad, baby. Trust me, those people knew the risks.

The vigilante grabbed his head in between his hands overly disappointed with his partner's stupid idea of talking to him.

Joker: I think they're trying to kill me, kill me with boredom.

He chuckled while placing the glasses back on his face to Bruce's relief. He went to one of the body, this one had some scarf covering his head. He took it off in one quick motion and started laughing upon seeing the cadaver's face. The skin and skull were ripped open with what seemed to be mushrooms growing out of his brain. He ran his fingers on them, they seemed solids. He broke a piece of one and placed it in his pocket just in time before the door opened. He did not even look toward it before he began speaking.

Joker: I thought you were asleep.

Harley: I was.

Joker: I'm busy.

Harley: I'm just here to keep an eye on ya.

He finally turned to her and motioned with a hand to get closer to him, which she did.

Joker: Look at his head.

She laughed.

Harley: I kinda wanna eat one.

Joker: Do it, I dare you.

The woman took a mushroom, breaking it off of the brain and placed it in her mouth. She started chewing slowly and frowned. He patted her head while giggling.

Joker: Look at you, eating all your vegetables like a good girl.

Harley: Mushrooms aren't plants.

Joker: Than what's a plant?

Harley: Red... Eh... Flowers, trees...

Joker: Where's the plant?

Harley: I don't know. Don't bring her up...

Joker: So, she just left you?

Harley: Stop it.

Joker: She gave up on you, didn't she? She left without you. She abandoned...

Harley: She fled from me.

Joker: Harley! What did you do?!

She stepped back, remaining silent as she probably knew he was playing her. He stepped forward and he went on grabbing her hand to pull her toward himself.

Joker: Show me what you did to her...

Harley: I-I might...

Joker: Do you realize, Harley, the chance we're having right now? We're about to take over Gotham. Now, that won't get done without any losses, but you know, we know we'll be standing after all the fighting.

She was looking directly into his eyes with admiration and so much love it was brutal for the dark knight to acknowledge he was the one who encouraged his partner to manipulate her.

Joker: You're a warrior, Harley, you're that knight in a shining armor that will always be at my side, always. Now Ivy's gone, she left because she could not stand to see how strong you can be, she could not stand seeing how powerful I made you to be.

Harley: I can be strong by my...

Joker: Of course, of course, but sometimes a person needs a little push. I give the push, she catches you, now she's gone, you're hurt, yet standing. Aren't you feeling it, Harley?

Harley: I never needed her...?

Joker: Never. We won't need them either.

Harley: You want us to betray them?

Joker: Think about it baby, we'll be ruling this city together, like Gods.

The speech he was giving her, those words echoed in the vigilante's mind now crumbling under the bittersweet feeling he thought was long gone. The lunatic was talking to Harleen the same way he was to him. He had this sinking feeling in his rib cage and could not bring himself to admit that these feelings were not brought up by stress or even fear of betrayal from his partner.

Joker: Harley?

Harley: I really don't... After everything I'll be ruling Gotham wit-with...

Joker: Don't try to lie, you can't.

Harley: I'm not even human.

He let go of her hand and stepped back chuckling. The shocked hero was trying to figure out what this meant.

Joker: What? You're not... Oh dear!

Suddenly, he punched her in the face sending her against the shelves. She quickly bounced back at him who tried kicking her, but she grabbed his leg making him fall into the door that opened under impact. Miraculously, the glasses had not fell off of his face, he rolled to his back looking toward the ceiling. She jumped on top of him, probably with a knee to his stomach since the detective recognized this sound he makes when he loses his breathe. He grabbed her throat, nails sinking into her skin, squeezing as she did not seemed to mind, instead she was more interested in punching his face. The man behind the screen was silently begging for his partner to not snap the woman's neck. The camera started glitching, she must have hit the glasses. She grabbed one of his arm starting to pull him away to breathe, her nails carving into his skin like he was made of paper. Then, one of her punch sent the camera across the room and Bruce completely lost visual.

He was stuck listening to the pale man screaming, giggling and choking. Making these sounds he makes when he is enjoying it, making the ones he makes when he is searching for air and finally making the one he rarely makes when he wants it to stop.

It lasted around two minutes before the sound started glitching too. He heard Tetch interrupt the fight.

Jervis: - off him, Har - Crane! - uetooth! - Stop it!

Joker: Don't - ind control, really?!

Jervis: Sto-it! The two of y -

Joker: - Clayface!

Harley: I'm not Clay -

Everything shut off after that. Joker had just proposed a plan of betrayal to Quinn before attacking her, his life was now hanging on her decision of exposing him or not to the others. The vigilante was hoping for her to not feel too vengeful toward the clown, for they would surely kill him if they knew.

He waited for his partner to contact him, but after three peaceful hours he started worrying. There must have been a reason for the jester to not be bothering him. He decided to call his number, after all he still was his boss.

He stayed calm, looking emotionless even though anxiety was torturing him for the number was no longer in service.