One night, Dr. Harleen Quinzel walks into The Goblins cell in Arkham Asylum where Norman Osborne is strapped to the bed, still with the same unhinged smile on his face.
"Hello Mr. Osborne. How are you feeling today?" Dr. Quinzel asks with a genuine smile.
The Goblin laughs.
"I'm better now that I'm with you, darling." He says.
Harleen blushes but quickly regains her composure.
"You know how this works by now. I'm here to evaluate your mental sta-"
"Tell me something, dear- Have you ever had a really bad day?" The Goblin asks.
"What do you mean by that?" Harleen asks.
"You of all people should know...There's nothing so cruel as memory. You can't even escape into madness from it, it's still there. Laughing at you. Mocking you. A bad joke at your expense."
The Goblin laughs.
"Then you meet someone who changes your life. And you feel you don't even know who you are anymore… Isn't it funny how one little encounter can cleave off little pieces of your past, deform your memories and persona until you rethink your whole identity. And as you realize how foolish it all is… your laughter reverberates off the walls of your own emptiness."
Harleen can't help but be in awe of Goblins poetic words. The Goblin then turns to Harleen, staring into her eyes.
"Have you ever had the feeling your entire life has been building to one moment?" He asks.
Quinzel gets a smile on her face.
"Is that how you feel?" She asks.
"Of course. I realized that all the battles, the bad days… The brutalities… It was all the hand of fate at work. Now I understand. There are no chance encounters. It was all meant to be. Everything leading up to who I've met on this journey."
"So you've met someone special?" Harleen asks.
"Yes. And you might say it's changed EVERYTHING."
Harleen's smile gets bigger.
"Everything?"
"Absolutely. I mean, do you realize what a vile world we live in? How lonely it is to wade through all the wretch and filth on your own?"
Harleen then holds The Goblins hand.
"It is kind of lonely, isn't it?" She says.
The Goblins smile grows.
"Harleen. What a pretty name. Do your friends call you Harley?"
"Oh, I don't have a lot of friends." Harleen says.
"Well Harley, you've got one now." The Goblin says, manipulating her emotions.
Meanwhile Peter is on the streets, beating on multiple criminals, trying to figure out any information about Hush. Peter's more violent than usual, breaking more bones, hurting people more severely. He then grabs one of the thugs by the throat, squeezing.
YOU ARE READING
THE AMAZING SPIDER-BAT
ActionAfter being bit by a radioactive Spider and the death of his parents, a young man goes around the world to train his mind, body, and spirit to become the hero his city needs.
