Chapter 3
My alarm went off promptly at 6 AM. I could already feel the butterflies building in my stomach in anticipation of my first day at the asylum. I started some coffee and hopped in the shower. I let the hot water roll over my body, loosening the still stiff muscles in my neck and back. Once I felt clean and awake, I stepped out and wrapped myself in a fluffy towel and headed back into my bedroom to get dressed.
I had picked out my outfit very carefully; a black pencil skirt that I deemed was an acceptable length, a blue button down shirt with a light pink camisole beneath, nude pantyhose and black pumps that were perhaps just an inch too high to be considered "sensible", but I was self-conscious of my height. At 5'7" I felt I could use the extra two inches.
I headed back into the bathroom and got started on my hair and makeup. I decided to pin my platinum locks back in a tight bun at the nape of my neck, which was certainly a bit severe but I desperately wanted to make sure I made the right first impression.
I wasn't stupid, I knew what people thought when they looked at me. They saw the blonde hair, blue eyes, the pouty lips and the athletic body and immediately thought, "Cheerleader" or "Barbie" or "Floozy." I decided minimal makeup would be best. I used just a touch of blush, clear lip gloss, eyeliner and mascara. I topped the makeup with a pair of round wire-rimmed reading glasses that I didn't particularly need but felt made me look more studious. I really needed to be taken seriously today and every little bit helped. I gave myself a once over and feeling satisfied with the result, downed the last of my coffee, grabbed my coat and attaché case and headed to work.
Luckily, the Bowery wasn't all that far from Arkham. Realistically it would be less expensive and take about the same amount of time for me to take public transportation than maintaining a vehicle, but the Bowery was a really bad neighborhood and I felt much safer having a car. Of course, I felt a little less safe now that I couldn't lock my car door but for the reasonable amount of rent I paid to live here I had to take the good with the bad. Before long I was on the north branch of the Tri-Gate Bridge crossing the Gotham River to South Channel Island which housed Arkham Asylum.
As I approached the gates of the asylum, I could feel the nervousness spreading through my limbs. I stopped at the gate house and was greeted by a young security guard with a mop of unruly sandy colored hair. I glanced at his name tag which said "Hendricks". He leaned out of the booth and wrinkled his nose just slightly, likely at the state of my vehicle. Yup, great first impression, Harl.
I rolled down my window and leaned out to introduce myself. I put a big smile on my face as I pulled my new employee ID badge out of my bag.
"Good morning! Dr. Harleen Quinzel, reporting for duty."
He scrutinized my ID and once he seemed satisfied I was who I claimed to be, he handed it back with a timid smile.
"Good morning Dr. Quinzel, you're the new resident, right?" I nodded. "I'm Adam Hendricks, security enforcement officer. Good luck, doctor."
He held out his hand and I shook it briefly. The shrink in me started working overtime as I gave Officer Hendricks a once over. He was soft spoken and struck me as being serious but very shy. I had a suspicion there was trauma there. Perhaps in time I'd get a chance to pick his brain and find out.
"Dr. Quinzel, you can pull around to the back of the building and park in the employee garage. You've been designated space D8 on the second level." he finished as he handed me a parking pass for my rearview mirror.
I gave him another grateful smile and pulled through the gates. After locating my spot and parking I entered the building through the employees' entrance on the second floor. I was met by another security offer, an Officer Mike Stone. He was dark haired, tall and slim with a pointy nose and thin moustache. He reminded me of a weasel.
He grunted what I supposed was his form of a greeting. He was stiff and scowled down his nose at me as he inspected my employee badge and searched my attaché case. About the time Officer "Weasley" finished his inspection I was saved from the uncomfortable situation by a handsome middle aged black woman whose face was framed by a smart looking bob haircut. She was about my height and had an open and friendly face topped off with a brilliant white smile.
"Dr. Quinzel?" I nodded "Welcome to Arkham, I'm Dr. Joan Leland. Joan is fine when we aren't seeing patients. You can come with me and we'll get you all situated."
She had a firm handshake for a woman, which was actually something I appreciated. There was nothing worse than shaking a hand that felt like a dead fish flopping in your grip, and I really hate fish, ewww.
"Very pleased to meet you Joan, please call me Harley, everyone does." I did my best to cover up my heavy Brooklyn accent and tried to lower the pitch of my voice in an attempt to sound "professional."
I followed her down a hallway that was painted a sickly lime green, which was not at all helped out by the flickering of the florescent lights overhead. The linoleum looked ancient and was peeling up in spots. This floor seemed to be primarily dedicated to the asylum doctors' and administrative staff offices. Towards the end of the hall we were traversing was an employee lounge of sorts. There was a refrigerator and a microwave, vending machines and some tables and chairs. The table nearest the door held a large coffee urn and a tray of assorted pastries and doughnuts. It was surrounded by several nurses and orderlies chatting congenially. Joan led me past the group and I offered a smile and a small wave in greeting. In response I got slack-jawed looks from the men and sneers from the women. It felt like the first day of school all over again.
"Harley before I take you to your office to settle in, we'll be meeting with the director to go over a few things and review your new patient files. Later on I'll take you for the nickel tour of the hospital so you can start to get your bearings." She stopped before a large set of wooden double doors and knocked before I could reply. From the other side of the door I heard a man's voice growl.
"Come in."
I followed Joan into Arkham's office. If I haven't mentioned it before, Doc Arkham strikes me as a creepy kind of guy. He was probably in his early forties, thin, of average height with thick glasses and sporting the most hideous bowl haircut I had ever seen. Besides not being particularly friendly there was just something about him that set off alarm bells in my head. I couldn't put my finger on it but being in the same room with him made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. He glanced up from the files he was jotting notes in and glanced up at the two of us.
"Joan, Dr. Quinzel, please have a seat."
He continued with his notes as we settled in. I looked around the large office. It was beautifully appointed with a large mahogany desk and bookshelves from floor to ceiling packed full of what seemed to be every abnormal psychology book that had ever been written. The oriental carpets were a deep forest green and intricately patterned. The walls were covered in deep, cherry colored wood paneling. Behind the director's head was a giant portrait of his ancestor, Dr. Amadeus Arkham, who looked equally as creepy as his descendant. Arkham cleared his throat and looked me in the eye.
"Dr. Quinzel, welcome to Arkham. In reviewing your academic transcript, your grades are impressive and you seem to have made quite an impression on your professors as well. You come highly recommended. That being said, I want to make it perfectly clear that in this asylum grades and recommendations mean nothing." I winced a little at the recrimination, "I chose you over the other applicants because I was impressed with your intuition and open mindedness during our discussions. That will serve you well here Quinzel, but you still have a lot to learn. Arkham is not like other asylums, as I'm sure you well know." He gave me a grave look then. "I noted that you studied under one of our previous associates, Dr. Jonathan Crane." He paused as if waiting for a response.
"Um, yes sir. Dr. Crane was one of my mentors. He was very strict but a wonderful profess-" He cut me off.
"Are you aware that Dr. Crane was recently committed here?" I wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt and began timidly.
"Yes, sir. I was an intern at GMW when I heard he was dismissed from the University for discharging a gun in class. I saw the story on the news after he attempted to poison the reservoir last month that he was subsequently captured by the Batman and brought to Arkham. Until that time, I had no idea he had been experimenting on his students as well. It's very sad that a mind so brilliant could turn out to be so disturbed." Arkham looked me pointedly in the eye.
"Let this serve as a warning Quinzel. While we work to help our patients recover from the throes of madness it is equally important to take care of one's own mind. Be vigilant and ever alert within these walls. The true test of your mettle as a therapist here will be your ability to rise above the madness you are exposed to and keep yourself balanced. It's as important to take care of yourself as it is to take care of your patients." He straightened a stack of files to the right of his desk.
"Now that we have that out of the way, here are the keys to your office," He slid a small ring of keys across the desk. "And this is your security key card." He held up a slim plastic card on a lanyard. "It is of the utmost importance that you have this key card on your person at all times. It grants you access to all levels of the Asylum including the intensive treatment wing and the special containment units, however, for the time being you are not to enter the west wing unaccompanied until I deem you ready." I inclined my head to indicate I understood. "If you ever misplace it you are to inform either myself, Sargent Cash our head of security or Joan immediately. Most importantly, do NOT let your patients get their hands on it. Are we clear?" I nodded in agreement
"Yes, sir. Clear as crystal, sir."
"You'll be reporting directly to Dr. Leland for the first few months until you get into the swing of things. Any questions or problems you have; you bring to her." Arkham turned his focus on Dr. Leland. "Joan please show Dr. Quinzel to her office and help her familiarize herself with these case files." He handed her the large stack of patient files then turned back to me "Good luck Dr. Quinzel. We expect big things from you. That is all ladies, good day to you."
With that obvious dismissal we took our leave and Joan brought me back down to the second floor and showed me to my office. It was small but at least the walls were a pastel blue instead of the ugly green color the rest of the asylum seemed to be painted in. There was a simple wooden desk which held an ancient looking computer. The desk was flanked by a tiny bookshelf. On the opposite side of the room a typical beige therapy couch was bolted firmly to the floor. The couch itself had heavy D-rings welded to the frame, I assumed for restraint. The couch was surrounded by a line of yellow tape on the floor, something I had never seen before. Noticing my look of confusion Joan leaned in and stated,
"That's the danger zone. Never cross the yellow line when you're in session, even if the patient is restrained. It's for your own safety."
"Ohh-kay." Well that was certainly different procedure than Mercy West. Joan then pointed out two panic buttons in the room, one directly under my desk and the other on the wall near the door.
"Harley, if you ever feel threatened in the slightest, press the panic button and security will be dispatched to your location immediately. Do not hesitate to use it, it might save your life one day."
Joan and I spent the next few hours going over my case files. I'd be seeing about eight patients daily to start off and as I suspected they were pretty standard fare. Actually the most interesting case that caught my eye was a patient with severe case of coulrophobia due to having been dosed with Smilex by the Joker over a year ago. Although the patient was administered the antidote in time, ever since the incident he slips into a state of catatonia when confronted with anything relating to clowns. That seemed like it might be a case I could sink my teeth into. All in all, I couldn't complain, it was my first day after all.
Around two in the afternoon Joan left me to my own devices to take my lunch and continue reviewing my case files. While I nibbled on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I read the newspaper. The headline read "Joker Bombs Amusement Mile, 103 Dead" I skimmed the article curious if there was some kind of motive to this particular attack, or if it were just another fatal punchline. So far it seemed any true motive was pure speculation.
Arkham's psychological and medical staff worked a standard 12 hour shift and since Joan had patients to see we made plans to meet back up at six to tour the facility. Around quarter till I decided to walk down to Joan's office.
That's when all hell broke loose. Suddenly alarms started to sound and emergency lights began flashing. I heard the commotion well before I saw it. I jogged as quickly as I could in my heels to the source of the disturbance. The security team was running about and orderlies and nurses were shouting and panicking. I couldn't make out anything that was being said over the din. Joan was already there and as I approached her she flung a protective arm across my chest to halt my forward motion.
"Stand back Harleen, we have a code indigo coming in."
I was about to open my mouth to ask what a code indigo was when I heard it. Laughter. No, not even laughter, it was a wild, crazed cackle filling the halls and drawing nearer.
Without warning a tall, dark, caped figure swiftly turned the corner. I had only ever seen grainy CCTV footage of our resident Dark Knight, but let me tell you, seeing him in the flesh was pretty intimidating. He was tall, at least 6'2" if I had to hazard a guess and his chest and shoulders were massive! Though I couldn't see his eyes through the protected lenses of his cowl, the exposed mouth was drawn down in a grimace.
He was literally dragging a bloody, beaten and broken Joker behind him. Since Batman was so large and imposing I didn't quite have a view of the Joker yet, I could only see his legs splayed out, see the blood, rips and tears on his purple pinstriped slacks. Joan approached the vigilante.
"Batman, we have his usual cell ready, if you'll just follow me please." Joan glanced over at me. "Harleen you should go back to your office and lock the door until we have him secure. I'll come get you when it's safe."
I gulped down the knot in my throat as the Batman stopped and appraised me. Damn this guy was scary! I wanted to say something but all I could do was bite my bottom lip and try not to pee my pants. The Caped Crusader stepped around me and followed Joan to intensive treatment in the west wing. As he passed I finally got my first glance of the Joker. His wrists were cuffed in front of him and his face was a bloody mess. His right eye was black and puffy and his cheek was swollen up like a grapefruit. The bruises looked so strange on that pristine white skin of his. A wavy lock of thick green hair tumbled over his forehead. It was actually a brilliant verdant shade with natural highlights and lowlights running through it. His lips were very red and I wondered if it was lipstick, blood or his natural coloring. He continued to grin maniacally and I noticed he was missing one of his front teeth, likely knocked out by the Batman.
I stood there dumbstruck with eyes boggling and my mouth hanging slightly open, staring at the scene as he was unceremoniously dragged down the hallway by the collar of his famous purple overcoat. At that moment the Harlequin of Hate looked up and locked his deep green eyes with mine. I couldn't move, I couldn't even breathe. It was like his eyes kept me glued to the spot. I could only continue to stare. I must have looked like the lamb led to slaughter. He leered at me.
"See something you like, cupcake? Don't worry darling, I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."
He launched into another uncontrollable bout of laughter which made me break out in goose flesh. Just as Batman was dragging the Joker around the corner the clown fixed his gaze back on mine and winked with his good eye. I felt my cheeks flush. He winked at me? That smug bastard actually winked at me! After a moment of standing there with my hands balled into tiny fists I finally realized I was still holding my breath so I relaxed, slumped against the nearest wall and exhaled.
Whooie! Now that was surreal. I decided to take Joan's advice and headed back to the relative safety of my office to await further instructions. About an hour after the pandemonium died down Joan came up to see me.
"I'm so sorry you had to see that on your first day, Harley." She rolled her eyes and huffed out a half laugh. "Never a dull moment, right?" I shrugged.
"At least it's not boring." Joan looked at her watch.
"Well it's a little late to tour the facilities tonight, so why don't you go on home. Let's meet in my office at nine tomorrow morning and I can give you the grand tour."
She looked exhausted. Her lips were dry, there were dark circles under her eyes and she looked like a stiff breeze would knock her over. I felt sorry for her.
"Sure thing Joan. Is there anything I can do for you before I go? No offense but you look bushed." She grinned and replied
"Thanks for the offer Harley, I appreciate it, but Dr. Adams will be here to relieve me soon. Get some rest, you meet with your first patient tomorrow. Have a good night."
"Night, Joan." With that she turned and left.