Adriana's hands were stained blue up to her elbows as she scrubbed her living room floor. As she cleaned she tried to remember more, but the same moment kept playing over and over...She tried to retreat her thoughts..to go back to the beginning..

In her memories she saw herself looking down as she pulled on her suit..the TV was playing in the background. There had been a series of abductions all at once all across the city. Close family members of men on the Gotham police force. The memories sped forward. She knocked out the Joker's henchman. The one who wouldn't cooperate when the Joker called him on the walkie talkie. Then her memories stalled and wouldn't take her any further. She threw the sponge in her hand into the bucket of soapy water and leaned her back against the coffee table.

As she sat in a daze, trying to forget the Joker card on the table behind her, she stared at the bucket and the floating sponge and it gave her an idea. She grabbed the bottle of blue potion from her countertop with both arms and carried it into the bathroom. After sitting it on the floor and closing the bathtub drain, she lifted the jug again and poured it in to the tub before turning on the hot water.

She shut the lid on the toilet and sat and watched the blue water swirling. Perhaps bathing in the solution wouldn't do anything and she was wasting over $60,000. Adriana wasn't even sure why she was having such a hard time remembering what happened. It was like her mind was trying to protect her from remembering something horrible.

Maybe the Joker was coming to kill her. If that was the case, she was ready. She would certainly kill him if he tried to kill her. Of that she was very sure. But why did she feel so nervous and afraid?

After the tub was filled she undressed and got in. The water was way too hot but just the inhalation of the steam seemed to be helping her memory. She leaned back in the tub and closed her eyes.

After knocking out the henchman she ascended a very short set of stairs and then entered a freight elevator after using her gift to be totally sure that no one would be on the other side of the door once she got to the fourth floor.

Her thoughts jumped forward again. She was cutting rope with a knife...freeing the hostages. All the family members of police officers..a few of them she knew. But of course they didn't recognize her. They were all tied together and sitting in a circle, all facing outwards.

"Start untying them," she told the first man after he was free and his blindfold was removed. He followed her instructions and started to untie the girl next to him. "We have to hurry," she told them.

"Shade," the next woman that she untied said as soon as she saw who was rescuing them. She lept forward and gave her a hug. "We've been so frightened, thank you!"

"You're welcome," she replied, while untying the last person. The first man she untied worked incredibly quickly.

She gave them instructions and directions on how to get out of the building. She assured them that the police would be there momentarily. As the elevator door closed behind them, she felt her memories shaking...she fought to stay focused. Someone was coming.

Memories jumped forward again. She was remembering a fight..she felt her body being slammed against a wall and hands at her throat. Memories of her eyes opening. It was one of the Joker's men choking her. Her memories jumped a bit more..he was off of her and bent oven in pain. He looked at her and stood upright slowly.

"Come on," she said with raised fists. "Let's finish this."

He looked at her reluctantly and raised his fists before darting in the other direction. She ran after him. He ran...pushing through hanging plastic. She had to follow him based on he sound of his feet on the floor. She couldn't see much through the hanging plastic. He came behind her and tried to wrap a rope around her neck..but she knew he was coming. The next thing she could remember was being on top of him and striking him repeatedly in the face until he wasn't conscious. She didn't feel bad about the blood on her knuckles..he was going to try to kill her.

The Joker was coming. He didn't know yet that the hostages had gotten away, but he would soon. Adriana climbed off of the henchman and pushed aside a sheet of plastic. She could see her plan in her mind, she would walk back the way she came to where the hostages had been. The elevator was close by. She would be there waiting as soon as the doors opened.

As she pushed through the plastic she realized that she had gotten turned around. She tore off some yellow tape that had gotten stuck to her leg. She needed to move faster or she would miss her element of surprise. More plastic..she walked faster.

Something happened. She fought the desire to open her eyes and wake from what now felt like a bad dream. The tape was a warning..a barrier. She heard herself scream as she fell downwards for a split second after hearing a cracking sound. Wood of the floor had split open and she fell through. Her hands were clinging the edge of a broken piece of wood..her feet were dangling. She looked down. An enormous room. It looked almost as large as a stadium and walls were just as high. She needed to pull herself up. If she fell, there was no way she would survive.

Her muscles ached as she tried twice to pull herself up.

"No, no, no," she whispered to herself and tried to think.

The grapple gun! It was on her hip. She took a moment to calm herself, knowing that if she reached for it, leaving only one hand to hold on to the broken edge of the floor, she would likely fall to her death. There was no other option. As soon as she released one of her hands she regretted it...she saw her life flash before her eyes as she reached for the gun. She had it in her hand and heard herself breathing loudly as she went to it to aim at a wall but her other hand was slipping. It all happened so fast. Her hand slipped as did the gun and at the last moment, the hand she was holding the gun with flew upwards to grab the wood. The delay of sound of the gun hitting the floor let her know just how high up she was. Now, her only choice was to pull herself up. She willed her muscles to obey as her hands ached in pain. A cry of anguish came out. Anguish and frustration..she was going to die.

"So.." she heard the voice that was undeniably the Joker's. There was no other voice like it. "This is how it all end's for Gotham's...Shade."

She looked up and he stepped into view, tilting his head and looking down at her. He looked enormous from her angle. A domineering shadow. The dim lights outside reflected off of the deep purple suit and red paint on his mouth and cheeks. She could barely see his eyes..covered in black paint. They almost looked hollow, like the vacant eye sockets of a skeleton. This was a nightmare.

Her finger's ached. It would all be over soon. She thought of her family. She thought of Bruce. What would he think after her body had been identified. If only she had told him..he would have come her with her. This woudn't be happening because she would have had him there to help.

"Strong enough to take on that guy-" the Joker looked in the direction of the unconscious man that she had just pummeled. "But not strong enough to pull yourself up."

She said nothing and struggled again. There was only enough strength in her arms for one more try..and enough pain in her fingertips to hang on for only a few more seconds. He walked closer and squatted down front of her, smiling.

"You..." he said, his voice dancing. "Work for me now."

"What?" she spoke finally.

"Oh, I know. You're a vigilante. You think you and the Batman making Gotham a better place," he said as though he was telling a fairy tale. "But you can either work for me...or die. Decisions, decisions."

"Go to hell," she breathed as her fingertips went numb.

"Hmm..which way is that?" he asked seriously, while looking around. "That way?" he pointed behind him and stood up. He smiled, turned, and walked away. She immediately went for his thoughts. He was going back to the elevator and began walking more quickly when he heard the police sirens.

She felt her hands giving out as her hands finally began to slip. Then she saw a flash. The boy in her dreams, hugging her..smiling sweetly. She loved him.

"Wait!" she cried. After a few seconds the Joker was back, walking with barely any expediency.

"You've reconsidered," he said darkly.

She had reconsidered, alright. If he pulled her up, she would knock him out. Just in time for the police to take him away.

"Yes," she lied.

He squatted down again, his face much closer this time. She could finally see the reflections of light off of his eyes.

"Take of your little mask," he said.

"What?" she asked. "I can't...I'm barely hanging on."

"It's part of the deal," he said. "I can't have Shade working for me. It must be...whoever you are."

"I'll fall," she said, thinking of holding on with one hand again. There was no way she would be able to hold on.

"Yeah," he said with total lack of concern. "You might."

She contemplated this. Removing her mask...once he was in prison he would know who she was. He would come after her. She didn't care. She could take him. She pulled off the mask as quickly as possible before grabbing the wood again, the mask stuck to her thumb.

He squinted as he looked down at her in the dark. He recognized her without the mask, even with the dark wig and contacts.

"Ahhh.." he said with a bit of recognition. "You?! You?!"

He remembered her from the psychiatric hospital.

He burst into laughter and stood, stepping out of view and laughing more. The sirens outside grew louder as the police approached and he continued to laugh. She felt her fingerprints wearing off on the wood as she held on for life. He was distracted with how amused he was, and she felt herself finally slipping off of the edge. She couldn't see him at all as she finally felt the pull of gravity. She was falling. Visions of the boy flashed in her mind.

The grip he had on her wrist snapped her out of it. He continued laughing as he lifted her with one arm and pulled her over to the floor roughly.

"You?" he said again in disbelief. "You're the one that's been going around beating up all my men?"

She felt her side hit the floor as he released her. Immediately, she wanted to get up and fight but her arms felt like limp spaghetti. After a few seconds, she felt like she could do it. She could take him down.

"Not so fast," he said, as if he knew she was moving to stand at that moment. He was holding a gun aimed right at her. "You work for me now. You do everything that I tell you to. No...questions..asked."

She looked at the gun and then into his mind. He would pull the trigger without a shred of guilt.

"I won't kill anyone," she said. She played along. There was no way she would work for him. He kept the gun aimed right at her.

"But I will," he said eerily. "You look like the type of person that would be sentimental towards...hmm...children. How about them?"

"What?" she asked. "Children?"

"You will do whatever I ask, whenever I ask," he said, waiving the gun a bit. "Or every day, there will be a dead child strung up in central Gotham. Even if I'm in prison..detained..back at Arkham. It will happen. Every single day. And Gotham will know that Shade is to blame for the innocent lost lives."

She was actually speechless. None of this was in his thoughts before he spoke the words. He literally came up with it on the spot and he was serious. This changed everything. She felt her heart sink. For a moment, she contemplated pushing him into the hole. Could she kill? He would shoot her before she could push him. They would both die. But at least the children could be spared.

Again, she remembered the little boy in her dreams. She had to live for him. She needed to meet him.

"Okay," she said shakily. She would have to think of a way out this. Police sirens were right outside.

"Here's my card," he said, pulling out the game card and letting it fall onto the floor. "Call this number in exactly 24 hours...ehh...what was your name?" he paused as if thinking of something.

She did not want to tell him.

"If you lie about it, I will find out," he said. "Full name."

She pressed her lips together before answering.

"Adriana," she said. "My name is Adriana Navarro."

The thick scars on the left side of his face seemed to contact in a strange half smile before he backed away, still aiming the gun at her. He turned and fled.