Must Love Hyenas

01: Home of Madness

Dr. Harleen Quinzel stood by the window of her psychiatric office, looking out across the city of Gotham. As was the norm for the city, the skies were filled by gray clouds that drenched the city in rain and perpetual gloom. Although it was noon, the near constant cloud cover gave Gotham the appearance of everlasting night. Stone gargoyles leered at her from the edges of nearly every building. It was a grim city in which to live.

A pair of police cars raced along the streets below in pursuit of another vehicle. Harleen couldn't hear the sirens, but she watched the flashing red lights and sighed wearily. Whoever it was the police were chasing would probably end up Blackgate Prison, assuming the trigger happy officers didn't simply shoot them to death. Some of the worst criminals in the Gotham carried either badges or political credentials, hiding behind the law while abusing the people.

Harleen left the window and returned to her desk, flipping through the stacks of file folders containing patient records. Month after month for year after year, she'd worked on various mental disorders, hoping to fix things, but what little progress she seemed to be making was of no consequence when compared to the downward slide of Gotham as a whole.

Leaning back in her chair, she idly drummed her fingers on the top file, staring at the blank wall while lost in thought. Harleen was beginning to think the city couldn't be saved, and as her thoughts turned toward the rest of the world, she realized Gotham was simply ahead of the game. Things were getting worse everywhere. It was only a matter of time before other cities started resembling the garbage filled alley that was Gotham.

Reports were all over the streets and the gossip papers about a masked man, possibly a creature, hunting the criminals of Gotham. Even if Harleen believed in such nonsense, she knew it wouldn't be enough. One crime fighter couldn't turn the tide against all the crazies of Gotham; it would take an army. Harleen stopped drumming her fingers and sat forward in her chair as she suddenly realized the truth; it would take an army and a very special one.

Gotham was a haven for the insane, criminal and otherwise. Those who tried to fight against it had their own sanity slowly worn away until nothing remained but tattered fragments. The only people capable of facing such madness without it affecting them were those lacking sanity themselves as no one could be driven crazy if they were already there.

Her mind raced with the possibilities. It might work, but she'd need to pick someone who could lead the lunatics while also keeping them in line. Leaving the desk temporarily, Harleen hurried over to her filing cabinet near the door and began digging out every file she had in the top drawer, returning them to her desk and stacking them as neatly as possible. Twice the stack threatened to spill, but she managed to stabilize it.

Locating the right sort of person would be a difficult search, but she had recently found something to keep her company, two somethings to be exact. In a basket beside her desk were two baby hyenas. The sound of laughter was therapeutic, and laughter was so rare in Gotham; Harleen thought the hyenas would brighten the place up. Their giggling sounds always managed to bring a smile to her face. At the current time, each small bundle of fluff was barely larger than the palm of her hand. She scooped them up from their padded basket and placed them on the desk with her files.

"Come on, babies," Harleen told them. "You're going to help me pick out somebody."

Turning the hyenas on the desk so they faced the file she was looking through, she talked to them as if they could understand every word she spoke.

"The person we're looking for needs to be confident, or at least have the appearance of it," Harleen explained while alternating between turning pages in the file and scratching the fur of her pets. "They need to be smart enough to understand and carry out my plans, as well as possess a willingness to accept my guidance, even if they don't notice it."

After nearly twenty minutes and dozens of files, Harleen paused before going to the next one.

"You know, babies, I don't think we're going to find what we're looking for here," Harleen admitted mournfully. "The patients I have either aren't crazy enough to do what I need them to do, or they're not fragile enough to be pushed over the edge and make them sufficiently crazy."

She picked up one of the bundles, turning it over on its back and playfully rubbing its stomach with both hands. The hyenas' tongue hung out one side of its mouth while enjoying the attention. While she was focused on one, the other had walked toward the edge of the desk and was staring out the dirty window. Harleen looked up and noticed it. Picking up the one she was playing with, she left her desk and walked toward the window, collecting the other pup along the way.

"Whatcha looking at?" Harleen asked. Gazing through the window, Harleen saw to the edge of the city at Gotham harbor and the dark waters of the bay beyond. Floating amid the waves was a distant island. A tall clock tower could be seen even from her faraway position in Gotham.

"Arkham Asylum," Harleen mused with an intrigued smile. She kissed her hyenas on the tops of their heads. "It's perfect. Thanks, babies. You give me such great ideas. I'll take a job at Arkham, dig through their medical records and find the one I'm looking for."

She leaned her shoulder against the window frame while thinking about her plan and all the things required of the person she'd be selecting to lead her army. Looking down at her pets, she knew the item at the top of her list: Must love hyenas.