"I need to speak with you about my client, " the public defender, Adam Pashe said to Commissioner Gordon. "Since he hasn't been transferred to the prison and still remains in your custody."
"Of course," Commissioner Gordon said after signing a sheet of paper and handing it to the officer next to him who then walked away.
"I have concerns about him receiving adequate care here," Adam said to Gordon. "He is badly bruised and appears to be losing weight. Having him showing up in court like this will not reflect well on you."
"I see," Gordon said. He actually hadn't seen the Joker in several days, he had been incredibly busy.
Having the Joker in custody seemed to be more work than having him out on the streets. They had finally moved him to an isolated room. A cell, typically used for punishing temporary jail inmates with isolation. He had been locked in with the door guarded for about six days.
"I'll take care of it," Gordon told Adam.
"Thank you," Adam said before leaving.
Gordon made his way to the Joker's cell and saw a bit of nervousness on the face of the two men guarding the outside of the locked door.
"Open it up," Gordon said to them and one of the officers unlocked the door. " I'm here to speak to the inmate. Wait out here."
"We'll do that at once but," one said. "We could cuff him first. For safety."
"Go ahead," Gordon said and watched officer go into the room.
The Joker was sitting on the bed with his feet flat on the mattress, knees bent. His back was on the wall and his head was down. He was slumped and appeared to be asleep. The officer lifted and cuffed his limp wrists without any issue. Gordon nodded to him before he left, shutting the door behind him. Gordon stood in front of him unable to see his face. His hair was hanging down, blocking most of it.
Gordon could tell he was thinner.
"You have a big day tomorrow," Gordon said. "Court. You will be on trial."
The Joker didn't respond.
"Your lawyer is concerned about your appearance," Gordon said. "Would you like to tell me what is going on?"
The Joker finally responded by looking up slowly and then gazing over the door. Gordon could see what looked like week old bruises on his face.
"Get out," the Joker said, finally.
His face was also thinner.
"Very well then," Gordon said before leaving.
Once he was outside of the door and it was shut he spoke to the two officers there.
"Is he refusing to eat?" Gordon asked. "We have protocol for that. I haven't been notified and I would like to know why."
The two officers looked at each other, both looking a bit uneasy, and Gordon was immediately suspicious.
"Tell me what's happening here," Gordon demanded. "Now."
"It's Ricard," one officer snitched immediately. "He won't let them bring food here."
Gordon raised his eyebrows, looking at both of the men in such a way that they knew they would be punished. But he would have to deal with Ricard immediately.
Gordon walked away, walking until he reached Damien's desk. Damien and DeMarco were laughing and had just come back from picking up food. A pizza and two subs.
"You two, in my office, now," Gordon said and lifted the pizza box and took the sandwiches, still wrapped, from DeMarco.
"What's up Gordon?" Damien asked, jokingly, once they were in his office. "Sorry we forgot to bring you something back."
Gordon sat the box with the sandwiches on top down on his desk.
"You're starving him," Gordon said. "Is this true?"
Gordon and DeMarco looked at each other and Gordon could see the truth.
He sat in his chair slowly, in a strange state of disbelief without shock, and looked at them both. Once he collected himself mentally he let them have it.
"What the hell are you two thinking?" Gordon asked. "Do have any idea how many laws you are breaking? Do you have any idea how this will reflect on me!?"
"It was his idea," DeMarco spilled as soon as Gordon began to yell. "I tried to sneak him a protein bar yesterday but Damien threw it in the tra-"
"Gordon, you wanted information and we are getting close-" Damien said.
"I didn't give you permission to withhold food," Gordon said. "I am very disappointed in you both."
"Sorry Gordon," DeMarco apologized. "It wasn't my idea-"
Damien shot DeMarco the glare of death and silenced him.
"How much are you feeding him?" Gordon demanded. "Answer me!"
"Well...nothing, sir," Damien confessed. "It's just until he tells us what we want to know, and then-"
"When was the last time he was fed?" Gordon demanded loudly.
"We..." DeMarco started. "He...actually hasn't had anything to eat here."
"Here..." Gordon asked for clarification.
"Since...he's been in custody," DeMarco said.
"He's been in custody for over eight days," Gordon told them.
"I know, but-" Damien started to try to defend himself.
"You're both suspended," Gordon said, standing up and picking up their food. "Without pay. Effective immediately."
"For how long?" Damien wanted to know, but Gordon didn't answer him. He left his office.
.
.
.
Gordon sat the pizza box and two foil wrapped hot sandwiches on the bed next to the Joker. The Joker could smell the food but wasn't reacting. He had returned to sitting in a slumped position with his head down.
"Aren't you hungry?" Gordon asked him.
The Joker looked up at him.
"What do you think?" the Joker asked, his voice incredibly low.
"Eat," Gordon said firmly as if it was an order, while taking the cuffs off of him.
He had no backup. After uncuffing the Joker's hands, he could have attacked him, but he didn't.
The Joker reached over to the pizza box and lifted the lid. Gordon watched him grab a slice and eat it in three enormous bites before moving to the next slice.
"Allow me to apologize for the actions of my men," Gordon said as the Joker ate.
The Joker glanced at him for a second while biting the crust of the second slice in half.
"You don't want to me say anything about this," the Joker said, observantly. "About being starved. This is a bribe."
Gordon looked at the Joker's hands unwrapping the hot meatball sub. He tore the foil and dropped it onto the sheets before shoveling it into his mouth.
"I assure you this is not a bribe. This isn't how we operate. I had no idea they were not feeding you. The two officers responsible have both been suspended," Gordon said. "I can assure you that-"
"My paint," the Joker interrupted while picking up another slice of the pizza with one hand and holding the sandwich in the other.
"Excuse me?" Gordon asked.
"You want me to keep quiet about the eight day famine," the Joker said. "I want my paint."
Gordon looked at the Joker as he devoured the food
"We can't have you showing up in court with that war paint on your face," Gordon said. "I'm sure you'll want to represent yourself in the-"
"You represent a starvation camp," the Joker said while clearing his throat. "Appearances mean nothing."
Gordon shook his head. "Fine. You'll have your paint."
"And you'll have my silence."
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"Mr. Wayne," Shade said and walked into Bruce's office.
"Shade," he said with great relief and stood up. He walked over to the door and shut it behind her. "I've been worried about you."
"How sweet," she said and placed a hand on his cheek and smiled. "But you really shouldn't worry about me," she said and turned towards his windows.
"You disappeared," he said.
"Yeah, and I may have to disappear again," she told him. "Taking a little hiatus."
"I see," he said. "For how long?"
"Why?" she asked. " I've made a few enemies and I need to wait for things to die down. You want to know how long you'll have to do all the heavy lifting in Gotham?"
"No," he said seriously. "How would I get in touch with you?"
"Why would you need to get in touch with me?" she said and looked into his eyes. "Aw... are you saying you'll miss me?"
"And if I am?" he asked.
"Don't worry," she said. "I'll be back. Gotham is in good hands."
"Okay," he said. "I wish there was a way I could reach you-"
"We both don't know that's not going to happen," she said.
She turned to leave his office but before she could take a step he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a brief warm kiss. She smiled at him momentarily before making her exit.
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.
.
Adriana hit pause on the recording she had made on her phone. She recorded her end of a phone call that she had with Harri earlier that morning on her regular phone with her cheap disposable phone. She had pretended everything was normal and tried to keep Harri on the phone as long as possible. After hitting play and having the phone on it's highest volume, she sat it on the end of the tub and locked the door, making it sound like she was on the phone the entire time. She had 45 minutes to get to her house for her suit and grapple gun, to Bruce's office, and back to his penthouse. Getting out without Alfred seeing her was easy enough but there was no way for her to get back through the front door without great risk.
She returned using her grapple gun, ascending to the roof of the hotel where Bruce's penthouse was on the top floor. She was easily able to get back in through the windows there and back to the bathroom of her guest room. Hiding her suit and the gun would be tricky. Maybe she could store them somewhere for now and then have Lucius take them away later. She opened the door from her bathroom and put the suit and gun into the vent in the wall beside her dresser.
Sneaking out this way to get Bruce to stop worrying so much about the whereabouts of Shade was risky but worth it.