Divination (Joker x Batman x OC)

Chapter 46

"Is this too far behind?" Abdal asked Shade.

"No, this is perfect," Shade said, seeing another black car two vehicles ahead of them. A discreet security detail had been hired to keep an eye on the senator and Shade wanted to keep out of sight of them. They were following the ambulance, not letting the senator out of their sight.

"They are speeding up," Abdal observed.

"Yeah," Shade said. "I hope we don't lose them."

The sirens on the ambulance came on and the vehicle began to accelerate even more. They flew down several blocks, entering into a manufacturing district, with several large buildings and warehouses and very few cars on the street. They continued following behind the ambulance but it continued to get further and further away and Shade watched as it made a sharp turn around a corner. The black car ahead of them with the security team followed the same turn.

"Slow down, don't turn," Shade said as they approached the street where the ambulance had gone down.

Shade had to use her gift. They were surrounded by warehouses and there didn't seem to be anywhere the ambulance could really go. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. The security team of men in the black car were lost, they had seen the ambulance turn the corner, but it seemed to have vanished. It was their job to protect the senator and they had lost sight of him. She focused even harder and then felt the thoughts of the Joker and his men as an enormous freight truck emerged from around the corner. They wanted to lose whoever may be following them.

The ambulance was inside the back of the freight truck. The ambulance had made the sharp turn and had gone up a short ramp into the back of the gigantic freight vehicle before the security men could see them doing it. There were other members of the Joker's team waiting for the ambulance in the back of the freight truck who had shut the back doors as the freight truck had pulled off immediately. The ambulance had disappeared into the back of that truck.

"Make a u-turn," Shade said. "Follow that freight truck."

"Yes ma'am," Abdal agreed.

They followed but had to stay far enough behind to avoid suspicion. They were too far for Shade to hear what was going on. After following them for ten more minutes, the truck finally went back into the direction of the downtown area of Gotham. Several other freight trucks of the same company were on the road they took, causing Shade to lose sight of which one they were in.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, once she realized the immaculately timed plan.

The Joker had planned for this. Anyone still following him would lose them.

"I don't know which one to follow," Abdal said as Shade could see, the trucks ahead of them were making various turns, and some stayed on the same street going straight ahead.

"Damn it," Shade said in frustration.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Shade," Abdal apologized.

"It's okay Abdal, it's not your fault," she sighed. "Let's just keep going straight..maybe they are on this street."

Shade and Abdal followed the last truck on the road ahead of them until she was sure that it wasn't the Joker and his team. 

"Would you mind turning on the radio?" Shade asked. "The news?"

 Abdal reached over and turned on the radio as Shade slumped in her seat, considering whether or not to contact Lucius. He had access to all the street cameras in Gotham so he would be able to help her find where they were going. But that would take too much time. It was too late. She had lost him.

"Senator Wagner was just admitted to Gotham Memorial after what seems to have been a heart attack, but our reports from the hospital show that he has arrived in stable condition-"

"The hospital?" Shade asked, confused. The Joker and his team had just let Wagner go? Delivered him to the hospital?

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"Hi, Commissioner Gordon," Adriana had called him as soon as she got home. "How are you?"

"Busy as ever," Gordon said. "And you?"

"I'm good," she said. "Not that busy though."

"Well, if you ever want to come back," Gordon said. "We'd have plenty of work for you. I'm looking at a detainee now that refuses to give me the name of his accomplice in a scrap yard theft situation. Almost two hundred grand in scrap metal, stolen. Not the most urgent or interesting case, but I'm sure more will pop up before the evening is through,"

"I could come by later," Adriana said, wanting to get to what she had called him for. "I was just watching the news and heard about Senator Wagner."

"Right," Gordon said "Heart attack scare. He had to have a stent placed."

"Really?" Adriana said.

"That's what they're telling me," Gordon said.

"So weird..." Adriana sighed.

"Just part of getting old," Gordon went on. "So are you interested in helping us figure out who is helping to steal hundreds of thousands in metal?"

"I'll be there soon," Adriana said.

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"I mean, it just doesn't make any sense," Adriana said to Lucius. "They drove him around for a while and let him go? The hospital says he needed a stent? This is just weird."

"I agree," Lucius said.

"I don't think he's fine, they must have done something to him," Adriana said.

"It's possible," Lucius replied, while looking at Wagner's medical records on his computer screen. "But his medical record looks legitimate. They have done blood tests, checked everything out."

"You can see the hospitals records right now?" Adriana was impressed.

"Of course," Lucius responded. "Along with doctor and nurse notes. He's telling the doctors he would like to be discharged. Feels well. Has an important conference tomorrow."

"This doesn't make any sense," Adriana repeated. "I wish I had been close enough for long enough to know what they did to him in there. What conference does he have tomorrow? Do you know?"

"He'll be introducing a keynote speaker at the Complete Communities conference," Lucius said.

"You just knew that off the top of your head?" Adriana asked.

"No," Lucius smiled. "I've been invited to the conference. I was not planning on attending. I won't have time."

"I have a bad feeling about it," Adriana said.

"As do I," Lucius replied. "After what happened today."

"We have to go," Adriana said. "Something is up.."

"Agreed."