"I'm so happy," Adriana told Dr. Andrews after he gave her the good news that she could stop taking the medications she had been on.
"You should be. You've come a long way," Dr. Andrews replied. "I am very proud of you."
"Thanks," Adriana replied.
"So, you have stopped working for the police?" he asked.
"Yes, for now," Adriana said. "I'm keeping busy though."
"New job?" Dr. Andrews asked. "I think that's for the best. I don't think working for the police was the best for your mental health."
"Well..not a job exactly," Adriana said. "A hobby, I guess. I don't really have to work now...the police paid me very well for the last job I did for them. So now I just have hobbies to occupy my time."
"I see," Dr. Andrews said. "May I ask what the hobby is?"
"It's um.." Adriana considered telling him. She knew that she could trust him, but she was sure that he would urge her to stop what she was doing as a vigilante immediately. She had just gotten started. "It's kind of personal."
"Alright," he said. "If you ever change your mind about sharing whatever it is, you can talk to me."
"I know," Adriana said and smiled.
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"They're calling her Shade," Bruce said to Alfred.
"She's a vigilante," Alfred assumed while looking at the security footage. "She destroyed something dangerous. That is a good thing."
"Or a masked criminal. She's in possession of a hazardous chemical that she stole," Bruce said. "She's likely dangerous. She got away with one vial."
"Master Bruce," Alfred said. "One vial?"
"Yes," Bruce answered.
"If she was a threat, I'm sure she would have taken more than that," Alfred said.
"There's no way I can assume that she is harmless," Bruce said. "Unfortunately, there are no cameras in the office but from what I have gathered, she was able to fight off at least three men in a matter of minutes."
"No one was killed," Alfred shrugged and refilled Bruce's glass.
"So what are you saying?" Bruce asked.
"I'm saying you needn't stretch yourself thin," Alfred said. "By preoccupying yourself with someone who removed some very dangerous substances from the market."
"You're saying to just focus on the Joker," Bruce said. "Until she becomes a problem."
"Precisely," Alfred answered.
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"No smell at all," Lucius said, while observing the poisonous solution. "Very pure."
"Must be hard to make," Adriana said.
"Certainly," Lucius said.
"Mateo was going to sell it to the Joker," she said.
"He must be in a difficult position then," Lucius said. "Making a replica isn't an option. The Joker will likely kill him if he can't produce it."
"So...are you mad at me?" Adriana asked. "I know I said I would just go and listen and observe and not fight or get involved with anything-"
"I'm not angry," Lucius said.
"That's a relief," Adriana said. "Do you think Bruce will recognize me?"
"He seen the surveillance footage. He does not recognize you as the vigilante, now being called Shade," Lucius answered. "He's seen small cloth samples of the material I used to make your suit months ago. I'm not sure if he picked up on the footage whether or not it's the same. Or perhaps he's already forgotten about it. He only looked at the material for a second before rejecting it."
"I mean if I ever happen to encounter him while I'm out there do you think he would recognize me?" she clarified.
"So, you're not planning on telling Bruce now?" Lucius gathered. "I think you have proven yourself with how you handled the situation at Club Core. Why not tell him now?"
"I don't know..I talked to him about the possibility of me being a vigilante and he wasn't having it," Adriana sighed. "He doesn't think that I can do it because I can't say whether or not I would kill someone with enough confidence, according to his standards."
"You used the word, 'vigilante'," Lucius asked.
"No...I just wanted him to know that I think I can help him," Adriana said. "Whether I think I could kill someone shouldn't matter."
"That is something that you have to be able to be sure of," Lucius said. "There will be attempts on your life every second you are out there. I am sure you are aware of that by now."
"I know that I just.." Adriana said. "I think I can handle this without killing anyone."
"And exactly what is it that you are planning on handling?" Lucius said.
"I want to be a real vigilante. I want to help people every day. I need to fight crime and..be useful. Can you help me with that? With maybe a police radio or..something to notify me of emergencies?" she asked.
"Adriana," Lucius said. "That's quite an undertaking."
"I can do it and I want to. Will you help?" she asked. "Lucius, I need this. I need to do this."
"On one condition," Lucius said, knowing that whether he helped her or not she would still go ahead and continue her vigilantism.
"Okay," she answered.
"You will stay away from anything involving the Joker," he instructed.
"Oh.." she said. The Joker was the most notorious criminal in Gotham. Taking him down would be the ultimate proof of her value as a vigilante. "Why do you want me to stay away from him? Just because he's dangerous? I can handle it."
"You've already expressed that you're unwilling to kill," Lucius said while holding up the glass vial of poison. "This. This item that you robbed him of will cost him a lot of money and time. You can be sure you are already on his hit list if Mateo showed him footage of the individual who destroyed his product. He would not hesitate to kill you, Adriana. I'm getting the feeling you think you can somehow capture or subdue him without killing him and I just don't think that is going to be possible now. He would likely kill you the instant he sees you. I need you to stay away from him. You're an adult and I can't stop you from fighting crime in our city. I cannot control you. But I beg you, stay away from the Joker."
Adriana thought about what he was saying. Maybe he was right. Maybe.
"Okay. I swear I will stay away from him."