I didn't know how to react. She could not be dead, I could not have failed her.
"Doctor Quinzel?" Arkham broke my thoughts. His arm was in a sling under his labcoat, safely hidden, but his hair was a mess. He looked like he'd been dragged through a hedge to get out of that hospital.
"That...that is unfortunate," I managed, "what happened?"
"We're not sure, Doctor Sinner found her this morning," he said, glancing back at her. She lowered her gaze and shook her head in a sorrowful manner.
"It's an awful thing, she wasn't breathing."
Breathing. I thought about her chamber flooded with carbon emissions as it had been the day before. How we had planned to catch Sinner in her tracks...but it wasn't Sinner in the first place, it was the man on her answer machine. But whoever that was had failed, so did Arkham get himself out of hospital to do the job himself? He and Sinner were, evidently, in love. Working together to get rid of Ivy.
But why?
"Where is the body to be taken?" I inquired.
"The morgue downstairs to await a post-mortem," Arkham sighed, "I hate when we lose patients."
"So very unfortunate," Sinner added. I could've killed her there and then, her stupid voice and ribbons drove me insane.
"Well, as her doctor, I will take her down and speak to the doctor carrying out the post-mortem," I said.
"I don't think that's a good idea, best if we do it," Arkham insisted, walking back to join Sinner, "but I'll inform you of the results."
"Thank you."
I tried not to panic as they wheeled Ivy away. If she was dead, they'd experiment on her. Her condition was a fascination to science. I shuddered and turned back to Charlie.
"Care to explain yourself?"
He looked so young and vulnerable. I couldn't let him in and compromise his safety.
"Do you trust me?"
He clenched his jaw and his eyes went cold.
"With my life," he replied.
I took his hands in mine.
"Then stay oblivious. What's going on here is corrupt and dangerous. Promise me you won't ask questions Charles, promise me."
"Okay, Harleen. I promise."
I left him then and half ran to Ivy's chamber. As I clambered through the door, I came face to face with Detective Gordon.
"Figured you'd show up," he said as stood, hands in his pockets, examining the prison.
"She's dead...I told you...I knew that-"
"It does seem a strange coincidence, I'll admit, but one thing at a time."
He guided me away from it all and to my office. I sat in my chair, staring into space as Gordon made coffee.
"I need you to tell me what you know."
I tried my best to explain it all. Arkham and Sinner collaborating to kill Ivy, the messages on Sinner's phone, the mysterious man. After a while, Gordon spoke.
"I believe you, but we're going to need some proof of all this."
"I'll do what I can to help you, but I'm no detective," I said. He nodded and put a heavy hand on my shoulder.
"Stay here. I'll see what I can come up with. You may as well start the paper work on Miss Isley's death," he suggested, putting his empty mug by the sink, "drink up."
He pointed to my coffee and then left. I stirred a spoon idly in the dark liquid.
"Drink up, Harls."
I leaned back in my chair and sighed.
"When will this end? I was warned you about Sinner and you didn't listen-"
"He's drugged you."
"What?"
"The coffee, he slipped his Amitriptyline in it, the stuff for his depression. Looks like he's not the good cop after all, my dear."
I stared at the cup in awe. Drink up.
"He doesn't believe me. He's gone to tell them, hasn't he?"
"I believe so."
I threw the cup at the wall in rage and jumped to my feet.
"What do I do?"
The Joker, my hallucinative hero, pointed to the door.
"Run."
I raced outside, wondering which way to turn. But before I could even move, the building burst into alarms and flashing red lights.
Warning, security breech. Warning, security breech.
The sprinkler system erupted into life, soaking me in seconds and the power shut down, leaving only the red emergency lights. I gasped for breath in panic and tried to find my way to the main lobby area.
Lost and confused, I saw a figure at the end of a hallway...and he saw me too. Charging towards me, a man in orange roared with laughter.
"Is it? Could it be? Doctor Quinzel? All alone out here, bit risky with the prisoners running riot," the man laughed. Edward Nigma.
"What are you talking about? How did this happen?!" I demanded.
"You mean you don't know? You mean you're not in on it?" he giggled.
"In on what?"
"Tell me, Harley, what weighs six ounces, sits in a tree, and is very dangerous?"
"Oh for - I don't know, a bird with a machine gun?" I humored him out of frustration.
Under the blood red light and fountains of water, the Riddler before me grinned.
"That's exactly right."
"I've always loved his riddles, haven't you, little bird?" a voice whispered in my ear.
"Joker?"
He grabbed my hands and danced me round in circles.
" Once I saw a little bird,
Hop! Hop! Hop!
So I cried, Little bird,
Will you stop! Stop! Stop!
The little bird went,
Fly! Fly! Fly!
I waved the little bird,
Bye! Bye! Bye!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Been a while, life got very busy! Sorry for taking sooooo long!
Update soon to come (hopefully.)
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