Where Fire Meets Ice

Decisions

Nala had been making a pot of chia tea and listening to Waller talk about the new threat in Gotham. Nala sighed. "Just be careful and get back safe."

Waller gave a soft snort. "You may be the first and last person to ever tell me that."

"Don't you dare talk like that!" Nala exclaimed. "You are a little rough sometimes but I'm sure there is a lot of people out there who love you!"

Waller sighed and looked at her hands. "Actually I have a lot of enemies. I am not at all kind or forgiving. I hate it when others act like they can hold something over me. I have hurt a lot of people and killed a few more. Not myself, but there were certain 'accidents' arranged or some people sent to jail and were forgotten about. In fact, have you ever heard of Jack Napier?"

Nala shook her head.

"He is called the Joker now. I used him to get a few things done before. He didn't know it was me, but I was the one who was ultimately responsible for his insanity. He was once a struggling comedian and married to a nice young woman named Jeannie. He worked at a chemical plant that was in one of my investigations. I had heard about him and had been planning a stakeout at the plant for his boss. Jack was a custodian. The night we did the stakeout was the same night he was going to rob the plant so he could care for his wife and very soon to be child. He got the call she had died when he had pulled in the yard. I was there myself and heard it. He was distraught and probably couldn't comprehend what he had heard. So he proceeded with his plan anyway. The Bat was with us and had chased Jack trying to stop him so we could get him out. Jack got scared and ran right off the edge of a cat-walk into a chemical vat. The grief and chemicals changed him that night and he became the Joker." Waller leaned back, seemingly exhausted from this confession. "So you see, I am not the benevolent leader you think I am."

Nala was quiet for a moment and said finally. "We all make choices. Some are good, some are bad. But if we look at all the bad decisions all the time, we will never be happy and we make a lot more bad decisions than when we focus on the good."

Waller gave a tired smirk. "I am going to make one more bad decision right now. I think you need to join Task Force X."