The Nowhere Girl

33. Holy Life Changing Decisions, Batman!

I roll over and puke onto the floor conveniently located right next to me. My bones feel as if they'd been broken and mended with duct tape. My mouth tasted like chewed grass and vomit.

Light.

My eyes squint open. A blurry hospital room comes into focus as the pain in my body sharpens everything. There's a bandage wrapped around my drumming head, and more around my throbbing ribs. But wait, the pain isn't so bad now. There's a warm feeling in my belly. A floaty feeling, something fuzzy and giddy and cosy.

A liquid drip pulses from the centre of the top of my left hand. A hard hospital bed and a blanket over me and the smell of antiseptic. A curtain that looks like Mum's old olive-green shower curtain is connected to a U-shaped rod surrounding the hospital bed. The ceiling is made up of square tiles with hundreds of tiny holes in them.

I feel sick at the sight of the needle and carefully undo the tape around my hand before pulling the IV drip out. A small amount of blood trickles down my skin, but I ignore it, undoing at the machines connected to me.

I stand up, making my head pound in protest to my actions. The hospital dress is a little breezy for my liking. The lino is cold against my feet, and my legs feel like they've been ripped apart by a red-hot poker, but I force myself the get to the curtain and pull it back.

"Girl's got no priors," I heard from the other side, he's got a thick Jersey accent. "No other poisons or drugs in the apartment. No track marks."

Cops.

"Sounds to me like you're reaching, Harv," says another voice. "Trying to make excuses for a tweaked-out addict. Here's the only cell phone in the apartment. Me? I couldn't much care what happens to this 'Bluey'. One less junky on the street."

"Yer compassion is something to behold, officer."

I peek out from behind the curtain as the officer leaves. A man in a brown trench coat and a fedora hat has his back to me but I know who it is now. Detective Bullock. he's fiddling with Jason's phone, trying to unlock it.

I sneak behind him and scoot into the elevator. My hips are bruised and I can't barely walk. I have to find Jason.

Who's probably looking for the Joker.

Four floors to freedom for me. I press the button for 'Ground' in the hospital elevator.

>>>><<<<

A few nights ago the Joker attacked Commissioner Gordon's office and killed nineteen offices. He invaded Wayne Manor for supporting Batman Inc. There's no logic to any of it. unless you understand the Joker.

I get it. He's a dog chasing cars. He wouldn't know what to do with one if he caught it. You know, he just... does things. Until it comes to Batman. This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Batman won't kill him out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And Joker won't kill you because Batman's just too much fun.

But the Robin's, us kids - we're all the Bat-King's men. There's the game. We weaken Batman. Weaken his effectiveness. Killing us will make Batman stronger, which will make the game better for the Joker.

So, how to play this?

I read files on the Batcomputer. Joker's established a pattern - he's revisiting places where he's already committed crimes.

I look at the spots on the map. Delaware Bay - where the two boats were. Gotham Square - the parade with the Prince music. And the site of the Orpheus murder. Kennmann Commons where Mayor Dickerson was assassinated. The Headly Station where MetroCard machines electrocuted ten people. And the Wayon apartments... which were abandoned after a hundred and fourteen people died when phosgene was introduced to the central heating ducts. Amusement Mile, where The Killing Joke took place.