Chapter 6 - GCMH
"Where is he?"
"WHERE IS HE?" What happend?" Bruce's voice echos through the whole hospital as he and Elena search for the room where Alred is stationed. Still under complete shock and unclear of what to expect the couple finally found the right room.708.
And from the look of what section Alfred is stationed, Elena already knew that his condition must be serious.
Bruce brust through the door and astifled scream escaped Elenas lips at the sight of Alfred. The friendly, sarcastic buttler is now lying in bed wired up with diffrent tubes all around him. One glance at Bruce and it's clear as daylight that he barley holding it in.
The door behind them opens and Doctor John Cheng enters. "Mr. Wayne. Elena. I'm so sorry that we have to see each other under these circumstances."
"What happend, John?" the Doctor signs as he steps closer looking at his notes. "Mr. Pennyworth was delivered with somke poisoning and sever head trauma. He also had a bullet stuck in his shoulder, but we removed it rather quickly and there should be no damages left in his mobility. By what I was told from our collauges it looks like a robbery gone wrong."
Bruce and Elena both share the same look. Robbery? But who would possibly break into the mansion of Bruce Wayne?
"Was there a girl with him? My sister Aria?"
"Mr. Pennyworth was the only patient delievered here. The GCPD said that he was the only one found at the scene." The look on Elenas face breaks Bruces heart. He said that nothing would happen to her. He promissed her that he would protect her sister. Once again he didn't protect the people he deeply cared about. Eventhough he only just met Aria, she has grown to him like a little sister.
Looking at Alfred, Bruce tries his hardest to put the pieces together. Something was off, he just could quiet figure out what it was.
As Doctor Cheng leaves the room, leaving Bruce and Elena alone he turns to his girlfriend. "Something isn't right here?"
"What do you mean?"
"This was a set up. Whoever attacked Alfred has Aria I just don't know why someone would kidnapp her. What does she have to do with any of this?"
A terrible thought creept up into her head as her eyes widen sligthly in horror. "Crane? After all he does have a motive..." After saving Elena from Scarecrow almost 2 years ago he swore that he would make Batman and Elena pay, but this whole thing just didn't seem like Carne at all.
"Maybe.I don't want to rule him out just yet, considering that I we came straight to the hospital I still need to take a look myself. Jim Gordon is already investigation, but the whole senario... Breaking in, blowing the kitchen up, hurting Alfred." The whole thing just screamed like pure chaos.
"Wait. You don't think..."
"Joker."
"But why would he go to such a length and not even steal anything. Why only break in and why would he take Aria? What on earth has she to do with this FREAK?"
"I don't know, but I believe there is more to it." Bruce was frustrated. Nothing about this made any sense. Any logic that Bruce could grasp on and look further into in, but Joker never made sense and that's what was so dangerouse about him. "Whatever he's up to, I think taking Aria wasn't a spontanus decision.
Elena starts to cry even more overwhelmed with fear, now having also lost her sister to a maniac that was capable of doing anything to her and the worst part is she was more mad then anything.
Had her sister just listend to her!
"Elena, hey. Look at me." Bruce gently places a finger under her chin. "I'll get her back. I promise you. I will find her."
"Just like you promised that she would be safe living with us in the first place." Her tone was bitter, but Brucedidn't take any offense to it. She was right after all.
This all had to be a bad dream. Alfred is clinging on to life and for all they knew Aria maybe wasn't even alive at this point. The truth was, Bruce for the first time in his life, wasn't all to sure if Batman would be able to be a hero this time. He knew nothing about the Joker and going in blindly would be his downfall. On the other hand taking the time to hopefully gather some information could be Arias downfall. As unpredictable as Joker was, there was no telling if Aria was even alive at that point.
"Gordon is still investigating Wayne Manor and the firefigthers said that we can't go back in until the kitchen has been fully restored. Apparently 2 pipes burst and they are still inspecting whether gas is leaking out from somewhere." Thankfully Bruce had another entry to the Batcave.
Bruce phone starts to ring as he quickly leaves the room, not wanting to disturb Alfred.
Looking at his unconcious body terrified Elena. Eventhough knowing that Alfred is going to make it, she couldn't stop worrying until he woke up. Ever since her parents died the old man become like a father figure for her.
Bruce renters the room and Elena can immediatly tell who he was on the phone with.
"So what did he say?"
"Grodon said he found a Joker card. It was indeed him who broke in but hopefully there is somekind of DNA on that card, that I can track him down with. There is still no trace of Aria, but maybe she somehow managed to get away, there is a small possiblitly that she's hiding somewhere." he said in hopes of calmin his girlfried at least a bit, but they both knew that, the clown had her.
Elena knew that Bruce tried to give her hope, but she knew just to well that her sister had not escaped. "Let's go. The Hospital is going to call us as soon as Alfred wakes up."
The next day
"Nothing! Nothing! NOTHING!" Harvey yells as he slams dokuments onto his desk. Rachel raises from her seat and walks over to her boyfriend gently placing a hand onto his shoulder. "How is this possible? There is not one single trace on Carmine! Where the hell did he go? He can't just perrsish into thing air!"
"I'm afraid we have bigger problems then Carmine right now." Bruce voice hollows through the room as he and Elena step into the office of the district atterney. Rachel embraces the couple into a hug as Harvey greets them from his seat.
"Any news on Alfred?"
Bruce just shakes his head. "The doctors said that he'll recover but because he inhalead so much smoke and the trauma to the head they aren't sure when he'll wake up."
"Can I offer you a cup of coffee?" Rachel offers going to the mini kitchen as she starts to prepare coffee for all of them.
Handing one cup to Elena she signs "Thanks Rachel. Bruce and I haven't selpt a wink."
"Was Gordan able to find any evidence on what exactly had happened?"
"Yes" Bruce answers after taking a big gulp. "Gordan said that there are no fingerprints, no evidence of a break in but he did find a card..." That's when Harvey looks up from his paperworks with big eyes. "A Joker Card."
The whole room goes silenth for a moment. No one really daring to say anything as the four people just keep starring at each other in shock.
"A Joker Card? What on earth would Joker possibly want with Aria?" Bruce couldn't help but notice the shudder in Rachels voice.
"At this point it's better not to ask why anyone would do anything in this city." Harvey mumbles as he runs a hand through his hair.
"I think it's never been better to start asking questions. This whole situation is just to far fetched." Bruce starts whilest taking a seat cross from Harvey and Rachel.
"The Joker is unpredictable. Nothing that he does makes any sense. He broke into the mansion of Gothams most wealthiest man, saw a pretty young girl..."
"YOU'RE NOT HELPING, HARV!" Elena snaps at him. Ever since they had recived the news of the break in and Gordan confirming that it was indeed the Joker, horrible pictures just kept on flashing before her eyes.
"I'm sorry Elena. What I meant to say was, Joker has done so much without any reason or motive why do you think that he has one now."
"Because it's all to far fetched Harvey." Bruce chrips in. "Joker breaks into Wayne Mansion on that day when Elena and I weren't at home, only days after Aria moves to Gotham and then he dosen't even steal anything, but just kidnaps her. Why? There is a bigger picture that we just aren't seeing yet."
"What do you mean Bruce? That Aria has something to do with Joker? It doesn't make any sense?"
"You know what doesn't make any sense? Where ever he went, who ever was unfortunate enough to encounter him died. Why not now?"
"But.."
"ENOUGH!" Elena screams, sliencing everyone else. "Seriously enough! My sister doesn't have any connection with this lunatic. She only came to Gotham a week ago! And the only thing that we should be focusing on is how to get her back!"
"Well Harvey is indeed working on something" Rachel stands up grabing some of the papers from the desk and handing it to Bruce and Elena.
"After the trail where we locked the whole Falconi clan away, a meber of the Salvatore clan approached us and said that the Joker stole from them and that they all think Carmine and Joker are working together."
"Of course this hint came from a criminal non the less, but we are still looking into it." Harvey takes over explaining, "If we find Carmine we can lock him up as well and that means, the law will be forced to consider Black Gate first before Arkham Asylum."
Bruce keeps looking at the papers. Every timestam is doctumented on Carmine until the final day, where the GCPD arrested his whole family. But where was he hiding?
"And if Joker really is working with him, he will be locked up forever. I can't possibly imagine one scenario where he wouldn't go to Black Gate."
Elena just stares infront of her. Zooming in and out of the conversation. One look at Harvey and she knew that he could lock the clown away, but the real question was how would they be able to catch him?
"It's definatley worth a shot, but I still feel like we are missing something."
"Bruce, you have to trust us." he knew the look. Rachel looked at him almost pleading with him to let Harvey and the system do their job, but he knew that he wasn't able to. After all he felt as if it was all his fault. He promised his girlfriend that nothing bad would happen to her sister and no she at the mercy of the worst creature possible.
No, he thought to himself. There just were to many coinsidence. There had to be more that they weren't able to see at the moment and he would figure out what it was!