Shadows of the Past

Chapter 4

"Well? How is he?" asked Harley, standing up as Jervis Tetch re-entered the room, shaking his head.

"Not good, not good," he muttered, holding up some scans. "This is a previous scan of the Joker's brain. And this is his brain currently. As you can see, completely different parts of it are lit up, stronger, more focused. The synapses are working in different ways, and certain memories which were previously inaccessible have been accessed. His entire personality has shifted – parts of the brain which were previously untouched are now lit up stronger than ever. Empathy, compassion, love, and so forth. Whatever you did to him, it's completely transformed him into a whole other person."

"You ought to be congratulated, my dear," said Jonathan Crane, who had been sitting with Harley scanning old psychology textbooks. "You've accomplished what thousands of Arkham doctors never could. Not only have you cured the Joker, but you've allowed him to regain his memory of his life before the accident. You've proven yourself the most capable psychiatrist who ever lived."

"Yeah, they should all just go around whacking people on the head," muttered Harley, glumly. "That'd get results, but not the kinda results I wanted. Oh God, what have I done?"

"I agree with Jonathan – honestly, this is more of a blessing than a curse," said Tetch, sitting down next to them and pouring a cup of tea. "You can have a nice, normal life with him now that he understands these previously unknown, natural, human feelings."

"There's just one problem with that – he don't have those feelings for me," snapped Harley. "I ain't his wife. And because he's Mr. Do-Gooder now, he don't want any woman but his wife. The moment she's found, I'll be dumped like a ton of bricks. It's my nightmare come true, Mr. J wanting another gal – it's the worst possible thing that ever coulda happened, and I'm responsible for it."

She picked up the scans. "But...I mean...Mr. J's still in there, right?" she asked, holding it up. "You can...find a way to bring my Joker back, a genius like you."

Tetch stirred his tea thoughtfully. "In Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, she encounters the Red King asleep and wonders what he's dreaming about. Tweedledee insists he's dreaming about her, and Tweedledum adds that if he wakes, she'd go out –bang! - like a candle."

Both Crane and Harley stared at him. "And this is relevant how?" demanded Harley.

"Because, my dear, we do not know which personality is the real Joker," said Tetch, gently. "Perhaps this Jack Napier is his long buried true self that has been sleeping, dreaming in the Joker's brain, and has now finally woken up. Which would mean the Joker has gone out – bang! – like a candle. Perhaps the Joker was never real at all, but just a thing in the Red King's dream, a figment of his imagination, a creation of Jack Napier's insanity..."

"No, I won't believe that!" snapped Harley. "I know Mr. J, and I know he's real! It's this Napier guy who's the impostor! And we gotta get my Joker back, we just gotta!"

"Any news on Jeannie?" asked Joker, entering the room at that moment.

"Nothing yet, puddin'," said Harley, rushing over to him. "Why doncha go relax - we'll let you know as soon as there's any word."

"I should be out there," he muttered. "I shouldn't just be sitting here with a buncha machines when I don't know where my wife is."

Harley was clearly having a hard time trying not to be upset, and Crane mercifully interceded. "I was wondering, Mr. Napier, if you would be willing to distract yourself from your worries by taking a small psychological examination. I am a doctor of psychology and a former professor of the subject, and cases like yours could be used in future for the betterment of hundreds of lives."