A/N Hi everyone, I'm new to this so this is why I've just gotten around to writing this note! Hope you're enjoying so far and thank you to anyone who has already read and reviewed, it means a lot!! You will be seeing the Joker in the Chapter after this, I promise! I hope you like my version of him, it was fun to write and I really tried to keep him in character. But any thoughts are welcome and would love to hear what you think. I'm writing this for myself and have had such a good time doing it, although I'm nervous as I have read a lot of Batman fan fiction and the standard is HIGH so I hope I live up to you all. Thanks again for looking xx
Ps I own none of these characters, just Amelia.
Remember Me
Bruce sat quietly, the noises from the cave echoing all around him. The sound of the water crashing on the rocks under the south east corner of the house, soothed his thoughts and he closed his eyes.
He had received word from Gordon that the DNA evidence on the note did in fact belong to the Joker, though how he had written it and gotten it out was a mystery to him.
The question plaguing Bruce was what did the Joker have to do with Amelia and her family.
Talking to Gordon had highlighted an interesting point.
"I talked to one of my old friends who worked the West case in '93. The one thing that kept coming up was the other set of prints on the gun and all over the house,"
"What other prints?" Batman asked.
"In the end they had to drop the lead because it was going nowhere. But there were four sets of prints found in the house. Siren West, Amelia, Harold Napier and someone else. But the night Napier died; only three of them were there in the apartment and when questioned they all denied the existence of another person being there,"
"Where exactly were the prints?"
"Everywhere apparently," Gordon replied, "But especially in the girl's bedroom, over the toys, the books…"
"Books?" Batman breathed, "Children's books?"
"Well, yes,"
"Why were they covering up?"
Gordon sighed at the other end of the phone.
"My buddy said that they were convinced they were protecting someone. Somebody else was in that apartment with them for the duration of the kidnapping, but they sure as hell disappeared,"
"I need to have everything you've got on Harold Napier; I need the security code to the protected files at the data base,"
"That's my job you're risking Batman,"
"I'm sure you're discreet commissioner," he replied gruffly, "But someone is in danger and I need to know what I'm dealing with,"
"Alright," he gave in wearily, "I know you won't break confidences but I'm telling you that I'm having Amelia West's apartment watched. But she hasn't been home,"
"She's with a friend," Batman replied, "But let me know if you see anything,"
Bruce waited patiently for Gordon to email him the access code on the secure line.
Alfred's foot steps on the stone, distracted him and he looked away from the computer. Alfred, never empty handed, placed a tea tray down beside Bruce and narrowed his eyes at the information downloading on the computer screen.
"You want information on Harold Napier, sir?"
"I need to know everything about what happened that night, Amelia is in danger, I'm sure of it,"
Alfred poured Bruce a hot tea, his hands cold and stiff from the damp in the cave.
"Sir, I think we may have a problem," he said quietly.
Bruce turned and stared at him in alarm. "Alfred? What is it?"
"I received a call ten minutes ago from Fredrick Lamb, the gentleman you hired to drive Miss West home today. She called him from her office and said not to bother to wait for her as she had an assignment and would make her own way home,"
Bruce was on his feet. "Where did she go Alfred?"
"Arkham Asylum Master Wayne," he said, "She left over an hour ago, but Lamb only just called it in,"
"I'm going after her," Bruce unbuttoned his shirt, yanking it off hastily, "Something is going on and it's to do with the Joker. She's going right to him,"
Amelia stepped out of the car nervously. The sky above was thick with fresh new snow, threatening to come down over the dull, dirty building.
Arkham was situated just eight miles out of the city limits, but it felt so silent out here, like it was in a quiet, eerie world of its own.
Looking over her shoulder she watched the huge iron gates, electric powered, swing closed with a heavy groan. She smoothed out her blonde hair and went to the large metal front door.
From the outside the building appeared to be like a giant prison, like Alcatraz, an invisible aura floating around it. It was like dread.
Amelia thought that must be what the patients felt as they travelled up the long private dirt road to Arkham. Dread. Dread at what they would find waiting for them inside.
The security guard glanced up as Amelia approached the desk, holding out her security badge.
She wrinkled up her nose in distaste. It smelt like disinfectant and dirty water.
"I have an appointment with Doctor Lye," she said, trying to make herself sound more calm than she felt.
"He's expecting you, Miss West," the guard told her, "Take the elevator to the sixth floor, get out and go right. His office is two doors down,"
Amelia nodded and walked to the lift, feeling the guard's eyes on her as she turned. She felt him watching as she pushed the button for the lift and waited for it to come. Impatient and nervous, she threw a look over her shoulder and caught him staring.
Finally it came and opened with a groan. It creaked noisily all the way to the sixth floor. When the doors open, she cried out at the figure waiting for her.
She laughed when the doctor in the long white coat gave a mock cry of surprise.
He was tall, thin and bald, his steel blue eyes a little unnerving.
"Uhh, Miss West?" he said, "I'm Doctor Lye,"
"Sorry about that," she smiled, stepping out of the lift, "Guess I'm a bit jumpy,"
"Hmm, yes Arkham has that effect on most people," he told her, "But thank you for coming, you're editor was quite insistent that we keep this little meeting between us for the time being. But I plan to go public very soon,"
Feeling more settled, Amelia followed him down the corridor.
"It's a bold claim you're making, but I wonder at its ethical connotations?" she said.
"Wow you get right to the point doesn't you?" he smiled at her, "I thought you might like to have a bit of a tour before we talk shop?"
Amelia shivered. "That would be great,"
"I suppose its best to start at the bottom and work our way back up again," he said glancing at her sideways as he pressed the button for the lift.
"How many patients do you have here?" she asked.
"We are a relatively small number at the moment; we have eighty currently in residence,"
Amelia raised her eyebrows. "Eighty seems like a lot! And yet it's so quiet,"
He smiled more to himself, opened his mouth to speak and then obviously decided not to say what he was thinking and Amelia tried to ignore this as they climbed into the elevator again.
The doors closed and she turned to him. "You say residence like the patients stay here out of choice, but I understand that some of these people are very dangerous, ex criminals?"
He folded his arms behind his back.
"You would be right Miss West. We have some of the most dangerous members of the Falcone gang in here, including Falcone himself,"
"But you don't believe that they are all insane do you?" she laughed, "I mean most of them use it as a get out clause don't they?"
Doctor Lye looked at her seriously.
"I'm well aware of the damage my predecessor, Doctor Crane caused to the reputation of this establishment Miss West. But I believe that Arkham hosts some seriously ill people and I won't toss them aside. I believe they can be rehabilitated!"
The elevator crunched to a halt at what felt like the lower ground floor and that disinfectant smell was worse than ever.
Amelia swallowed. "Even the Joker?"
Was it her imagination or did the doctor flinch ever so slightly at that name?
"He…is the worst of all….and yes; I believe he will lead a normal life, once he accepts the help he needs,"
"So," she said quietly, "Do you actually know anything about him? Have you learnt anything?"
The doors opened. "At present, he refuses the help we offer,"
"But he's been here six months…do you plan to test the new medication on him?"
Amelia followed the doctor out of the elevator and they were in a long, dimly lit corridor. The walls were white washed, but filthy, like a thousand dirty hands had run the length of them. There was a quiet hum, mainly from the generator and Amelia once again smelt that horrible smell.
As they passed through the corridor, they passed rooms, all of which were brightly lit up.
"Is this where….?"
"Yes Miss West, this is where our patients stay," he answered and Amelia realised he hadn't answered her previous question about the Joker.
She peered into one of the cells. It had a bed squeezed into one corner and a crude toilet in the other. On the floor was a tray, full of food that hadn't been touched. Stretched out on the bed was a young woman in a long white hospital gown. She was staring aimlessly at the ceiling, digging her nails into the palms of her hands.
Amelia backed away in disgust, feeling revolted at the sight.
"What's at the end of this corridor?" she asked, following Doctor Lye.
"We call it the Rec Room. Its where some of our more agile and trusted patients are able to socialise. It has a basket ball court and a pool table,"
"You say patients Doctor, but I can't help but feeling like this isn't a hospital. These people are like prisoners,"
They reached a large double door, which was bolted from the outside. He took a key from his lab coat and slid it into the lock. With a crunch the door opened.
"You're right Miss West. They're prisoners of their own minds. In some cases, all we can do is stop them from hurting themselves…wont you go in?"
She looked up startled as he motioned she should step inside the darkened room.
Without thinking she stepped across the threshold, but then stopped, chills running up her spine.
"Doctor…its dark, wont you turn on the lights?"
She yelped, feeling his hands grip her upper arms. With all his strength he pushed her forward into the dark space, but he heard his whisper urgently.
"I'm sorry Miss West…he said he would hurt my son,"
She screamed as her knees hit the ground with a crack and she heard the larges metal doors swing shut behind her.