Remember When You Were a Madman? Thought You Were Batman!

I pulled up to the looming iron gates of Arkham Asylum and pushed the pin to open the entrance. Normally only a worker or policemen (and most likely Batman) could open these
gates, but I had something even better. My old colleague, from Gotham University, Dr. Jonathan Crane earned a PhD in psychology and shortly after, started working for Gotham city’s Arkham Asylum. When he found out that I was planning on staying in Gotham, he gave me the gate’s pin number in case I needed to reach him at work. Once the gate opens enough for my bike, I rev the engine and sped to the main gate.

I stopped at the intercom that held a camera with a small monitor just below. I press the call button,

“Hello this is Harleen Quinzel, welcome to Arkham, how may I help you?”

“Harley, how many times do I have to tell you to not use your real name?” I scold at
Arkham’s notorious idiotic intern.

“Hey you better watch it! Only Mr. Crane can tell me what do, Delilah!”

“IT’S DAHLIA!!” just before she could retort back a childish remark, ending in calling me “Puddin”, the camera switches to a different monitor.

“Why Miss Napier…What a lovely surprise, what brings you to this fine establishment!?” Dr. Crane asks in a peaceful voice.

“Dr. Crane, I need some help with a…with some research I’ve taken upon, and who else can help me more than you.” I answer with a smile.

“Alright then, sounds fun! Knowing you Miss Napier it’s bound to be a challenge I presume?” he raises his eyebrow in a witty manner.

I let out a silent giggle, “You know me!”

He smiles and I see his eyes glancing down at the control panel for the gate then right on cue the well armed doors open, I drive up to the heavy set guards for the mandatory body search. They immediately take my backpack while a female guard does a quick pat down on me.

“What were you planning to do with this young lady?” a male guard says as he pulls my gun out from my combat boot.

“In case one of your lunatics breaks loose again can’t be too careful in Arkham you know?” I snarl back whilst the female guard finished the pat down.

“No excuse, you know the rules. No weapons on the premises. You may pick up your gun after you have finished your business with Dr. Crane.” I sigh as they escort me inside the asylum.
Its heavy bolted door creaked as it unraveled. You could see metal bolts built into the interior of the door that were all connected to cranks, which churned levers, then stretched behind the center gear. This made the cogs under turn, thus rotating the center gear in a clock wise formation opening the door. After the door opened the two escorts walked me into the evaluation room to check out my records, take finger prints, then green lighted us through.

We reached the doctor’s elevator that led us straight up to Crane’s private commodores once they entered his pin number, which unlocked a slide gate, that the guard opened, then bumped me in and entered the number so the elevator can start, after about fifteen to twenty stories the elevator stopped.

“Dr. Crane, you have a visitor.”

“Yes, please send her in.” The guard opens the slid gate on the elevator and scoots me in. After scolding him he took his leave in the elevator while he stared me down and descended.

“Dahlia, how are you!?” Dr. Crane rushes up to me embracing me into a hug.

“Jonathan! I’m fine, thanks.” I responded as I hugged him back.

“Now I know you didn’t come just to catch up,” he lets go and leads me to his desk. He motions me to sit in front of him as he sat in his chair.

“Jonathan, he’s come back.” I exhale under my breath.

“Really, your brother, how do you know? From what you’ve told me, your brother took off one night without leaving any trance to where, or let alone why he left. So how do you know he’s here,” he leans in forward apologetically knowing that his words stung me, “Dahlia, look what I mean is, are you certain.”

“Yes, I’m sure of it. My brother, Jack, is The Joker.” Jonathan leans back into his chair and appears puzzled for a moment. My hands hold each other tightly as I waited for him to respond. When Jack presented himself as The Joker, I knew that Arkham would be contributing to the case. I’ve notice in Gotham, that when a unique criminal comes out, they normally end up here in Arkham once The Batman has defeated them. And knowing Jonathan, he probably requested this case himself.

“Dahlia, I’m afraid I can’t help you.” He slowly turns around to his computer and starts to act busy.

“Jonathan…please, I don’t have anyone else in this city to go to. You’re my only friend here. You’re my only hope to finding him.” He doesn’t turn back.

“Jonathan, didn’t I mean anything to you?” I wrap my arms around his neck like I use to when he would work late at night. Yes, Jonathan and I use to be a couple at the university.

When Jack left, I knew that I couldn’t stay where I was living anymore, so I decided to think about my future. Once I finished high school, I got a full scholarship to Gotham University. That’s where I met Jonathan Crane. We were best friends from the moment we met. We ate lunch together, spent our free time together, birthdays, everything. I knew that Jonathan had started to develop deep feelings for me, but I just couldn’t let Jack go. When he finally asked me why I wasn’t ready for the next step, I told him the truth, about my mother, my father, running away, my love for my own brother, and how he left. I knew that after I told him that I fell for my brother, Jonathan didn’t care. He understood everything. I then knew that I had to think of my own well being, and let myself be happy again.

Jonathan became my new affection and my life was slowing becoming perfect. Though it wasn’t until he got his internship at Arkham Asylum that he started to drive me away, some nights he wouldn’t come home, and other times he just wouldn’t call. One night when he finally came home we had a big argument about how I feel neglected, and how I felt like his obsession with trying to make those psychopaths sane. Chemicals they were experimenting on at Arkham were tearing us apart. We then came to an agreement that I would live with him in his dorm room they had for the late night workers, he said it would help repair us because it would remind us of college.

Our love life was gradually fixing itself, but his late nights on his computer and in his lab drove me insane. I couldn’t take it anymore; I sat him down one evening and told him that it’s probably best if we go our separate ways. He understood and embraced me in one last kiss. He found me an apartment, which is the one I’m living at today, to make sure I had somewhere to go.

We continued to stay friends after that, and always knew that whenever we needed each other, we would be there. But now he’s breaking that pledge. I need him now more than ever, and he knows that.

“Jonathan, Johnnycakes. Please.” I softly rest my head on the crook of his neck. I feel his hands slide across mine.

“Dahlia, I’ll see what I can do,” He pulls my arms from his neck and pulls me onto his lap. “You’re such a brat, you know that?”

“And,” I hold him a while longer before informing that that I should be going. He walks me all the way to get my gun and then to my bike. We hugged me once more and I sped off to my dwelling.

I knew I could count on Jonathan.