Stitched Together

Chapter Eight
Because We Want To

Gordon arrived at the station at eight the next morning and he was a little surprised to find Doll still locked up in the interrogation room. She looked to still be asleep, sprawled across the table top and the box of pizza was now opened and empty on the floor. He buzzed himself into the room and walked in. She didn't move or greet him as he closed the door. He was starting to believe she was truly asleep until he moved closer. Her eyes were open and she stared intently at the ceiling.

Doll woke up after a couple of hours of sleep. She woke up breathing heavily and set up on the table. She had never had nightmares before. It was a new experience for her. When she was living in Allison's head she experienced her nightmares vaguely but this was different. It wasn't really a dream but memories; memories of her other selves past. Taking a few deep breaths Doll laid back down and stared at the ceiling. Her head was swimming with terrible memories. The worst being the most recent one. The one Doll remembered very well.

Violet's screams filled her head as she replayed the memory.

“So you think you can get away with spilling our secrets do you? I thought you were a smart girl but I was wrong. Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out? Wouldn’t know who turned us in?” He questioned her angrily as he grabbed a hand full of her long blonde hair. Violet screamed as he pulled it. Her scalp felt like it was on fire and she was sure that if he ever let go that strands of her hair would go with him.

“I’m sorry!” Violet cried out in agony.

“Oh, I’m going to make you sorry.” He promised.

‘Please, please voice help me! I don’t know what to do now!’ Violet begged inside her mind. Never had she wanted the voice to speak or take control as much as she did now. The voice didn’t respond. Her mind was silent.

“Please Vance, I didn't mean to do it!” Violet begged. He moved closer to her and lowered himself down to her eye level. His gaze terrified her and his hand gripped her hair harder.

“You didn't mean to do what? Turn me and my men in. Do you except me to actually believe you?” He told her yanking on the handful of hair. She screamed out in agony.

“You’re a little snitch and you need to be taught a lesson. Lesson number one if you can't keep your mouth shut… Then I'm going to make it stay shut for you.” He told her as he pulled at a long sharp needle from a tray on a table beside them.

“Vance, please don't do this. I swear I'll never do it again. Just please let me go!” Violet begged as she watched him thread the needle with a long piece of wire. Violet whimpered as she watched him.

'Please, voice, please I need you. Help me!' Violet begged inside of her mind. She wasn't use to the silence she received. The voice had always been with her. The voice always was there when she need it. Now the voice was strangely quiet. She was on her own this time. The voice had abandoned her. It had tried to warn her and she didn't listen.

“Shhh, soon you'll be quite. I'm going to make you quite!” He told her. Violet whimpered as his hand held her mouth shut. She screamed inside of her head as the needle was threaded through her skin. She could feel the blood run down her chin and throat as the wire was threaded through her flesh. She wanted so badly to scream. The tears streamed down her face. When he was finally done he stood back and looked at his work. He wore large disturbing smile on his face.

“Now, Violet lesson two- I'm going to make your eyes close so you can't see anything to tattle about.” He told her and with that being said he grabbed another needle and a strand of black thread and quickly sewed her eyes closed.

The only sound Violet could make was a weak whimper and a chocked back sob. Tears fell from the corners of her sewn eyes. She was surrounded in darkness and she had never wanted the voice so badly to be in her head just so she wouldn't feel so alone.

“And now Violet lesson three,” Vance whispered in her ear, “I'm going to make it so you can't hear any secrets anymore.” And with that he finished his work by folding her ears over and sewn the tips of ears to the lobes.

He left laughing after that. She wasn't sure how much longer she had stayed awake but in that time Violet gave up. Katelyn gave up. And lastly Allison gave up on life. She was tired of running; she was tired of being someone she was not. She was just so tired. She gave in to the darkness of her mind. She was just so tired of living. Doll came alive that day. She came from out of the darkness of the lifeless body and seized the chance to live and be free.

Doll jumped when she heard some clear their throat. Sitting up quickly on the table she found Gordon staring at her curiously. She mentally shook away the images she had been replaying in her head. That was the past and Doll was the here and now. She wasn't that weak little girl. That girl was dead. Doll subconsciously rubbed her ears where they were once sewn together. Her ear lobes were now split apart at the bottom.

“Good morning.” Gordon spoke up.

“I don't particularly see what's good about it. I'm still in these terrible orange clothes and I haven't met The Batman yet.” She grouchily told him as she slid further down the table. She dangled her scrawny legs over the edge and watched as she swung them back and forth. She glared at the orange jumpsuit that covered them.

“Yes, well I haven't been in touch with him so until then no Batman,” Gordon told her. Her head snapped up to meet his gaze.

“You better keep your promise Gordon or I'll just have to stop being nice” She threatened her, her voice lowering an octave.

“I'll keep my promises as long as you keep yours.” Gordon promised to her as he held out a plastic bag for her to take. She stared at it a minute before taking it. “It's your breakfast.” Gordon assured her.

“What is it?” She asked him still staring at the bag she held in hands.

“Biscuits and gravy with bacon on the side. There’s also a bottle of orange juice in the bag.” Gordon answered. She looked up at him then back to the bag before taking out the Styrofoam container and the bottle of orange juice. She scooted back on the table and sat her breakfast down in front of her.

“You're here early.” She commented as she ate. She almost looked normal. He had to admit if he didn't know what she was capable of then he would say she was normal and completely sane. He did wonder about her sanity. There was moments when she really did seem as sane as she told him she was and he could talk to her but then there was times when she changed. She was dangerous with any weapon or without and she loved to play mind games.

“It's a little after eight and we have a crazed criminal running the streets. Not too much time for sleep.” Gordon told her.

“Oh yeah it's all about The Joker now.” Doll said stabbing her food with her fork.

“Are you jealous of The Joker?” Gordon asked her curious. Doll almost choked on her food she was laughing so hard.

“Me, me JEALOUS!” Doll said in between her fits of laughter. It took about a whole five minutes for her to calm down enough to speak. “I'm not jealous of The Joker. I was the first agent of chaos and he's just the second act. He just needs to learn his place in Gotham and its being number two.” Doll explained with a creepy smile while holding up two of her fingers. Gordon cringed when he saw the scared fingerprints that she caused herself.

“So, you don't like The Joker? Is that why you agreed to help me, so you can get rid of him?” Gordon asked her.

She giggled a little before answering. “Oh no Gordon you got it all wrong. I didn't say that The Joker had to really go... I just said that he needed to learn his place. Now he does seem to share my view point and well that's nice and all but I was here first. I don't usually like to share my toys and Gotham's my play house and the citizens are my toys.” She explained to him. Gordon still wasn't sure what Doll wanted. He wasn't sure if Doll even knew what she wanted. She really enjoyed just messing with people's head. He had read her file for the time she was in Arkham. Two of her doctors quit after having a few therapy sessions with her.

“I see.” He told her with a nod of his head. He watched her put the empty food containers in the bag then toss them in the same place the empty pizza box was.

“Have you thought of anything else that might be useful?” Gordon asked.

“I already told you, he's going after the guys in high places. Go do your job, go 'protect' them.” She told him as she waved a hand towards the door. She was done talking for now.

It was later in the evening when Gordon received the call of a murder on Eight and Orchard. It didn't take long for Gordon, Ramirez, and a few other officers to get to the scene. It was an old apartment building and in one of them they found two dead bodies. They were positioned like they were playing poker but all the cards were joker cards. Both their faces were covered in The Joker style makeup.

“Check the names,” The raspy voice of Batman called out as he stepped out of the shadows.

Gordon followed his order and checked the name badges the men were wearing. “Richard Dent and Patrick Harvey” He told them.

“Harvey Dent.” Ramirez confirmed.

“I need ten minutes with the scene before your men contaminate it.” Batman told them both.

“Us, contaminate? It's because of you these men are dead!” Ramirez argued.

“Hey, detective!” Gordon shouted getting her attention. He nodded to the officers letting them know it was alright to leave the room. They closed the door behind them.

“She wants to meet you. It's the only reason she agreed to help.” Gordon told Batman as he looked around the room.

“Do you think that's a good idea?” Batman questioned him.

“I'm hoping to catch The Joker before it comes down to it.”

While Batman cut a piece of the wall to get a bullet out so he could test it for fingerprints Gordon looked around the scene. Picking a beer bottle from off the table he saw a copy of tomorrows paper. In the obituaries was a picture of Mayor Garcia. His face had been drawn on to look like The Joker's.

“She was right.” Gordon muttered staring down at The Mayor's face.

“What?” Batman asked.

“Doll, she was right. He's going after the men with power. Whatever you’re going to do, do it fast. We found his next target. He's put it in tomorrow’s paper.” Gordon told him holding up the newspaper.

When Gordon came back to the station he carried the box of pizza down to the interrogation room number one. After been buzzed in he opened to door to see her sitting in one of the metal chairs with her head lying on the table.

“Did you have a fun day?” She asked him not moving.
“I'm not sure if fun would be the right word to describe it.” Gordon told her. He walked over to the table and placed the pizza box and the can of soda in front of her. She raised her head up at the noise.
“Ah, pizza again. Gordon, you're a man after my own heart.” Doll told him dramatically placing a hand to her chest. She opened the box, took a slice, and ate the pepperonis off first just like last time.
“The Joker killed two men tonight. Their last names where Harvey and Dent,” Gordon informed her. Doll let out a fit of tiny giggles. “He also left us his next target in tomorrow’s paper.” He took the paper from one of his coat pockets to show her. She studied the picture with her head titled to the right and the slice of pizza held in her hand forgotten.

“Do you think he'll actually succeed?” Gordon asked her.

“Well, see that all depends on if you and your men do your job correctly. I'm not a fortune teller.” She reminded him. “I personally don't care either way. Let him kill the mayor... it doesn't affect me any.” She shrugged as she took a bit of her pizza.

“Tomorrow is Commissioner Leob's funeral. The mayor is speaking during it, right in the middle of Gotham. It's his best opportunity.” Gordon told her. She nodded her head but didn't speak. “Well, I'll come back and check if you need anything later.” Gordon promised.

When Gordon went back to the interrogation room he once again was greeted by Doll lying on top of the table staring at the ceiling. Gordon assumed that was how she preoccupied herself. He was afraid to know what she was thinking about. Doll's mind seemed to be a scary place. He was also glad that she kept her promise. The past couple of days she behaved. He had heard about her attacks on the orderlies at Arkham. She didn't need a weapon. She wasn't above using her own teeth to cause damage.

“You know Gordon, people like me and The Joker we're ahead of the curve. We're good at what we do because we don't stop and think about it- we just do it. We know what goes on inside your head and everyone else’s. You see we only get caught because we want to.” Doll spoke up. She didn't move from her position and Gordon watched her. He always wondered if she truly planned to get caught that day at the bank. He felt like she was to easily caught and the fact she was brought down without a fight.

“You really wanted to get arrested that day didn't you? Why?” Gordon couldn't stop himself from asking.

“Oh you know,” she waved her right hand around in the air. “Everyone needs a little vacation time now and then. I thought mine was due so I let you be the hero.”

“So, you gave up? You're locked up now, for life.” Gordon reminded her. She started laughing. Her body shook upon table.

“I didn't give up anything. The only people who think I'm going to be locked up forever is dreamers. Gordon, do you honestly believe if I wanted to get out of here that I couldn't find away?” She questioned him. Gordon didn't answer because he didn't want to admit defeat. He did believe if Doll wanted to be out free again she would be.

Gordon left her alone without answering her. He need to prepare for tomorrow. He needed to be a step ahead of The Joker.

Doll was left alone the rest of the day and Gordon stopped in briefly the next morning to deliver her food and let her use the restroom. He didn't say anything to her and the only words that came from Doll was, “Good luck, and you’ll need it.”

Doll stayed in her place on top of the table all day. She briefly wondered if Gordon was going to come back. She was starting to get bored and bad things happened when she became bored. She hummed to herself and she even sung as well. It wasn't until the next morning that she heard the door open.

“You sure know how to treat a guest.” Doll muttered from the table.

“You’re not a guest. You're a prisoner.” said a male voice she didn't recognize. Doll set up on the table to face a middle aged cop she didn't know the name of.

“Ohh, you must be very brave... or incredibly stupid to come in here.” Doll told him as she stared intently at him. She saw behind him was two other officers. “Does Gordon know your visiting his new criminal adviser?” Doll asked as she finally slid herself off the table. She walked up to him, her blue eyed gaze never leaving his face.

“Gordon's dead. The Joker shot him.” The officer told her. Doll's eyes lit up at that news.

“Oh, so now that Gordon is gone you think you can just come in here and do what you want?” Doll questioned.

“You'll be going back to Arkham in a few days.” He informed her. Doll shrugged carelessly. “You’re also done with this special privilege nonsense. You’re going out in the holding cells like you should have in the first place.” With that being said the other two officers moved towards her to cuff her. Doll watched them as they roughly cuffed her hands behind her back. They pushed her out the door.

“Well, I guess I'm not meeting Batman.” Doll sighed then giggled. The three officers watched her carefully as they walked her to the holding cells. They felt safer when she was finally locked inside.