Divination (Joker x Batman x OC)

Chapter 55

Adriana examined the two enormous gallon sized glass jugs of blue liquid in her kitchen. One on the counter top and one on the floor. She felt inexplicable joy and abundance looking at them. These bottles of solution would help save countless lives in Gotham, would bring likely hundreds of criminals to justice, and would make Gotham a safer place.

Wish you were here.

Adriana read the text on her phone from Bruce, along with at attached photo of a beach during the early phases of sunset. She smiled at the photo...wishing that Gotham was safe and secure and that the Joker was behind bars so she would feel free to join him. But she needed to prove herself. 

She called Bruce.

"Looks beautiful there," she said to Bruce as soon as he picked up the phone.

"Almost as beautiful as your voice," he said. "Much warmer than Gotham's December weather."

"I'll bet," she responded. "I was just sitting by the space heater, watching the news. There was some explosion at a parking garage. Lots of drugs off the street."

"I'm surprised there was anything left," Bruce said. "It was coke."

"Yeah, they said the drugs basically oxidized from the fire," she said. "So, you were there?"

"Yup," he said. "As well as Shade."

"What happened?" Adriana asked, trying to sound casual. "I'm glad you weren't hurt."

"They were caught," he explained. "One preferred to end his life over going down for the bust."

"Oh..how sad.." Adriana said, waiting for Bruce to say more but he didn't. "Well, I guess I'd better get finished organizing my kitchen."

They were quiet for a moment. She wondered if he was thinking about her. Shade. 

"Ok, enjoy the rest of your evening," he said.

"You too," she said.

Once she ended the call she looked back at the bottles, somehow feeling even more motivated..even though she was quite sleepy. She looked at the bottle on the countertop and removed the cork and tossed the cardboard label that was tied around the neck of the bottle with string. The label included the dosing instructions. 

Adriana grabbed a cup from the cabinet and filled it up to the top, being careful with the awkwardly heavy jug as she poured. The round cherry looking fruits settled to the bottom after she sat the bottle down. The cup contained more of the solution that she had ever tried to drink at once. She told herself..tonight no matter what, she would locate the Joker. Defeat him. She would only have to take such a dose one time. It wouldn't matter if she blacked out. As long as when she came to, he was detained.

The downside was that no matter how much she drank, it wore off after two hours but adding more solution seemed to help her control her gift better and to target her mind reading to specific individuals even over long distances. The solution hit harder but only for the same amount od time. She lifted the white plastic cup to her lips and drank the solution steadily. Not rushing and gulping, not sipping slowly..just casually as if drinking water.

Once she was done, she took a deep breath and placed the cup in the sink. As soon as she took a step back from the edge of the sink, she felt an insane amount of pressure in her head. She felt like her brain was being squeezed..pressed inwards from both sides. She held onto both sides of her face and eventually let out a scream of pain, as the physical and mental pain increased. Thoughts from what felt like every mind on the entire planet came rushing in..so loud she could eventually no longer even here her own screams. She could only feel the raw soreness in her throat as she pulled on her hair.

She had taken too much. Adriana squeezed her eyes shut and felt her body crumpling on the floor.

.

.

.

She woke on the couch in her living room. Her eyes darted open and she looked up at the ceiling. It was morning..she could hear the birds and see the sunlight coming through the windows. She sat up immediately and looked around, and down at her body. 

She was in her suit. Her wig and mask were strewn on the floor.

Her intention was to stand and walk to go collect the mask and wig but she collapsed on her knees.

She felt hungover. Was it the potion? It had never left her feeling like this. This felt very clearly like alcohol. Booze.

She then noticed and empty tequila bottle on the floor. She didn't even keep tequila in the house. The last time she had tequila was when she realized that she needed to self-admit into a psychiatric hospital.

She crawled over to the wig and picked it up...There was a playing card underneath. She flipped it over. 

A Joker card. She had no idea where it had come from.

"What the fuck?" she asked herself. "What? Where did this....why do I have this?"

 The remote on the coffee table caught her eye and she used to turn on the TV. The news was on.

"The eight hostages were released last night and all have been safely reunited with family. No injuries have been reported. All eight have reported that Shade, Gotham's dutiful vigilante, is to thank for the release-"

"Okay..okay.." Adriana said to herself, sounding breathless as she listened to the reporter. This was great news. Amazing news. She had helped people last night.

"We have confirmed that the Joker was responsible for abducting all eight hostages, all of whom are immediate family members of Gotham police officers-"

The Joker was responsible for the abductions, the news reported. Maybe she had found the card where they were being held?

But she still had the feeling that something was wrong.

"The Joker remains at large, but thanks to Shade, none of the victims were injured."

She shut off the TV and shut her eyes, trying her hardest to remember. Searching through her own memories was difficult. She couldn't remember the blackout. She couldn't remember leaving the house. She could not remember anything at all. 

 A muffled voice..over a walkie talkie..the Joker's voice. She could remember it. She reached as far into herself as she could, trying to retrieve the memories.

"Anyone there?" the Joker asked. "Or are all of you as useless as I knew you were?"

"Tell him everything is fine and you're on your way up," Shade said as she held the arm of one of the Jokers men behind is back and pressed the barrel of the gun she had taken from him into his back. "Now!"

"Fuck you," he said in pain as she pulled his arm more as she stood behind him. "Fuck you, you stupid bitch."

"Wrong answer," she said as the hammered him in the head with the gun.

After he dropped, she looked around, aware that she was just remembering..she wasn't really here. An enormous building that seemed to be under construction..plastic hung everywhere. There were open walls and large holes in the floor on the level that she was on. There were others in the building. Hostages. She had to find them and free them.

Adriana snapped out of the trance she felt like she was in as a wave of nausea hit her. She felt the vomit coming up. She spewed onto the floor.

She looked down at the sea of dark blue. The fluid that came out of her mouth looked opaque..like ink. Once the fluid was out, she had a hard time recalling more of what happened.

Why did she have a Joker card?

She needed to remember more.