Almost time almost time almost time

I will make them pure and sing. The city will be cleansed. No more no more no more filth or vile.

This is all for you for you for you for my dear my love my Gotham

Jervis did not like being man handled and thrown around like cheap meat or a bag of hot chips. After an uninformative and bruising trek down several halls and levels of the asylum he was finally into a dark room. The doors behind him were locked.

Lights suddenly turn on, blinding him. He put his hands to protect the eyes immediately but strained to see through the pain and the light.

"Hello?" He looked around. They brought him to an operation theatre. The room was grand and empty. There was a stretcher, he supposed that he was meant to sit/use it. He did.

"Comfortable?" A voice he did not know asked through the intercom. Jervis knew it wasn't, but he felt like the owner of the voice had been near him. He suppressed the cold shudder.

"I could go for a cup of tea." That would make him feel more at ease. He waited for the scold that was sure to come.

"How many sugars?"

With shaking hands, Joan turned on the tap for hot water. It hadn't been too long before she had been found. It was only logical, she supposed, that they would search the morgue before leaving it and after a few minutes she had been found. However, how long had she been in that place? She couldn't be sure.

What she was sure of- she needed a hot bath and the fires of all to console her. She wrapped herself with the blanket Aaron had given her and waited for the water.

Images of the previous events replayed in her mind, stuck, like a broken record. Jeremiah. Being struck down. Being slid into that cold empty space. His words. That voice. Those eyes. Joan grabbed her head and slid down to the floor.

She tried to control her breathing. Slow breaths but it didn't quell the twisted stomach or the acid taste on her tongue.

Joan is one of the strongest mentally at Arkham, She can get through this, can't she?

"Help me."

Joan felt her body tense. That voice. Those eyes. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to hum a song she knew. A song she loved as a kid that always made her feel better.

Always.

She wiped the pain from her eyes and swallowed back the memories.

She turned off the tap.

Dropped the blanket.

She submerged her body in liquid fire.

The voice hadn't lied. The doors opened and guard came in holding a tray of tea. He offered it wordless to Jervis before leaving silently as he came.

"Do you trust me yet?"

"I trust that you may give me tea."

"You're different from the others. You don't belong here."

That's a sentence he's not used to hearing when it came to this subject. Jervis knew that places he did belong to made a short list and Arkham had been at the top. He shifted in the makeshift chair and tapped the sides of the cup. What exactly was the point of this and why was he taken?

"You're better suited to help me in areas that no one else can."

"To help you with what, exactly?"

The doors opened and the lights closest to Jervis shut off. He strained his eyes to the face of the new shadow that stood in the archway of the open door.

"Edward?"

Edward was just as clueless and confused as him. There were no guards in the hallway now. Jervis removed himself from the not chair and went toward his friend.

"What's going on? The door to my cell opened and-what? Where did?" Edward looked around swiftly.

"I'm not sure."

"Neither of you belong here. I'm offering you you're freedom. Take it."

"Who is that?"

"I have no idea."

It was strange for both of them. They found their way to the front door of the asylum. No guards in sight and no sign of anyone else being allowed the same freedom as them. The door was unlocked. There had been no trick, traps of gimmicks. They were honestly being set free by that unknown.

As they both set foot outside the main grounds, Jervis felt something inside pull him and he stopped.

"What are you doing? We're being let go." Edward did not share the feeling.

"This isn't right." Jervis turned and looked at Arkham Asylum. He's never taken the time to really look at the place. This had been his home for some time now and he never really could describe it outside of, "boring," and "hell," but that wasn't quite right.

"Right or wrong we're being let go." Edward shrugged.

"But the others. Something is clearly wrong. They could be in danger." He was never one to be an actual hero and he felt like a ponce for even saying these words. But in his heart of hearts he knew he couldn't just leave. Not like this.

"Who cares? They don't know us or like us. Screw 'em."

"But we're the same. Like it or not. I can't leave them behind."

Jervis made his choice. He turned back. He couldn't leave. He had no where else to go to be honest and he really did want to know.

"This isn't some story where you'll get the girl in the end or people will praise you, nor will anyone sing about your glory!" Edward clenched his fists in rage. He really didn't want to go on alone.

"I know."

Jervis reached for the door.

"I'm a scientist and you're an intellect. Aren't you curious?"

Edward didn't want to go on alone but he didn't want to help the people who hated him and cared nothing for him either.

But.

"Think of this as a grand puzzle or riddle. Don't you want to solve it?"

He found himself standing next to his only friend.

They entered the building together.

"This won't do at all."

The building's electricity shut down.

Several angry voices fill the air making it a very loud, confusing space. The ones were not lucid were the most clam in comparison, but they were also running around or hitting their head against their cell walls like usual.

Some needed the electricity to survive. The man known as Mr. Freeze wouldn't last very long once the last bit of cool air left him. The rest of C block's intricate locks were now inactive leaving them to roam free.

The only thing stopping them from escaping was the fact that for some reason that now all the exits had remained locked.

"Red, are you coming? We're free!" Harley shouted with glee. Red or Pamela, remained in her cell. She had no intention of joining the chaos. She knew what was out there waiting amongst the weak idiots.

"Harley, if we're free that means everyone is." Pamela went over to her treasure, her rose.

"Yeah, Mistah J and Johnny and-"

"Victor Zsasz." Pamela said casually. Harley blinked. She hadn't thought of him.

Pamela did not want to have to encounter a lunatic like him.

"Well, we could just avoid him!"

"I have no interest in playing or being a pawn in whoever's game this is."

Harley felt conflicted. She wanted to find her boyfriend and other friends but Red was her bestite. She wanted to spend time with her too! Everything she said was true though. A lot more unstable people were out there and Harley was scared of some of the others.

"We could play our own game!"

Pamela caressed her rose one last time before gently placing it back in its spot. She fixed her hair and turned to Harley, game face on and ready to play.

"What do you have in mind?"

The blonde smiled.

Somewhere in a dark corner of light, two beings were talking.

"This isn't going to work." He sighed. Being the sane one was a new change but this plan was a dream not a full reality.

"This is how you heal the ill."

"Madness plus madness does not equal sanity. I regret to say."

Regret.

That's something he never thought of in this way or circumstance. He regretted not killing the useless peon who betrayed him thus resulting in him sent him back to this place. If they had the audacity to still be alive the next time he was out. . .

He smiled at the thought of the fun those two would have.

"Kill The Riddler. He shouldn't have been allowed to leave. Precious gift, freedom. He spat in the face of my courtesy." The monitor they had been watching featured Jervis and Edward making their way through the darkness and chaos.

"Not Jervis too?"

"No. Save him for later."

"Of course." He bowed and left the room.

Jonathan Crane stuffed his hands in the pockets of his fancy doctor's coat and started to whistle his favorite song.

Sharks are never meant to be held on a leash and he just broke free.

Oooooooooh.

The fun and fear.

The information he can uncover.

It was going to be one of those nights.