Chapter Text
"So first day at Arkham? Good luck Doctor Quinzel." The guard smirked at Harley as he let her through the wrought iron gates leading to the asylum.
Harley's cheeks flared in embarrassment "Thank you" she replied sarcastically.
She took a deep breath as she wound her window up. She had to remain calm, getting pissed off at the first guard she met would not be helpful to her first day at work. She tried to collect her thoughts as she drove up the long winding road right up to the Asylum's front door.
The nerves were almost getting the better of her. Not that this should be a surprise, this, after all, was her first ever real job out of medical school.
Harley was so lost in her own thoughts she almost crashed into the security checkpoint leading into the Asylum car park. The guard looked up at her from his seat inside the checkpoint at the sudden stop, he slowly got up and shuffled over to the car. "I.D, m'am?" He asked in an impatient tone. He really didn't seem to be taking much notice of anything, last nights game was clearly paying on a little TV inside the security hut.
"But I nearly- actually, never mind. Here." Harley handed her new pass over, she actually started shaking with excitement...or nerves, she couldn't tell.
The guard barely glanced at it before giving it back to her, shuffling back to his seat inside and pressing a button to allow her through.
"Welcome to Arkham Asylum" he said gruffly through the little window, turning his attention back to the game.
She drove through the open gates, parked up and got out the car, admiring the building the way she did on her first visit with her class at college. Harley couldn't help but marvel at the grand, gothic nature of the building. It's size was not to be underestimated but it was beautiful, at least from the outside. It was actually hard to believe the kind of horrors this place has seen and the people it contained, if she didn't know any better, Arkham Asylum could have been the most beautiful building in Gotham.
Harley was soon out of breath as she climbed up to the fifth floor. She began to think it was time to do some exercise, especially if she had to run from insane patients chasing her with a sharpened pencil or something. She carried on down the corridor until she the door with 'Dr. Leland ' written across the frosted glass.
She took a breath and prepared herself to meet one of the most skilled psychiatrists known throughout Gotham, who was also now her boss.
This could be worse right? Doctor Leland had a nice reputation as a stand up lady. Some of Harley's previous bosses had been utter creeps especially the pervert she worked for at that coffee shop...that's the last time she works somewhere where there is a peeping hole into the changing rooms. This couldn't be worse than that.
She prepared to walk in and quickly straightened her skirt, taking a quick look in her pocket mirror to make sure she didn't look like she was about to have a mental breakdown. Okay, be polite, friendly and calm, don't say anything stupid or silly. Harley plastered a big friendly smile on her face and knocked on the door.
"Come in." called a clear, feminine voice.
Harley opened the door and stepped in. "Hello Doctor Leland? I'm Doctor Harleen Quinzel. " She said, trying to muster as much confidence into her voice as she could.
The women sat at the desk in front of her had a friendly face, she looked up from her desk and smiled. This reassured Harley, people with good smiles always put her at ease. Doctor Leland had soft features with laughter lines, a brunette bob and brown eyes, she had a tall yet skinny frame and a beauty mark underneath her right eye. Harley guessed she was around forty but she looked great.
"Hello, Doctor Quinzel, it's great to finally meet you. Please take a seat." Leland stood, smiling and gestured to the chair in front of her desk for Harley to sit.
Harley closed the door and as she walked to the chair, Leland stood up, shook Harley's hand, then both women took their seats. Harley took the opportunity to look around the office, it was a medium-sized room with around five cabinets spread against the back wall, probably filled with patient files. There was a large window with the blinds open, several pictures on the walls including a pretty painting of the sea, a doctorate certificate and a poster depicting a kitten hanging from a tree with the slogan 'Hang in there Kitty!'. The desk was large and made of mahogany. The wallpaper was beige and the carpet too. It was all quite calming, Harley guessed that this was the point.
She then quickly turned back to the still smiling women sitting opposite her. Doctor Leland spoke first, "Before you start to worry everything looks fine and in order, did you find my office alright?" she inquired as she shuffled around some papers.
Harley smiled back "Oh everything has been great. The nurses at the front desk were very helpful, thank you." Inside she was cursing the skinny, stuck-up, unhelpful, judgemental bitches with their fake acrylic nails and stupid faces.
Doctor Leland snorted in a quite undignified way "That would be a first! Anyway, feel free to call me Joan, Doctor Quinzel, just not around the patients." She smiled again at the young doctor. Harley smiled back, grateful for the act of kindness, feeling herself relax.
"You can call me Harley." She said, the confidence beginning to feel real.
"Well then Harley, I'm afraid this is where we have to go over the protocols and rules. Then I will take you for a tour of Arkham" Joan continued before retrieving a large introduction pack from her desk drawer.
Harley tried not to let her smile drop, this part was going to be a drag but knowing that afterwards she would get to see more of the real Arkham would make it pass quick enough.
Only half an hour later they were walking down the corridor away from the offices into the main belly of the beast. Harley was now wearing her new doctors coat, proudly flashing her brand new shiny name-tag.
"Joan, how big is Arkham overall?" Harley questioned as they walked through many different stair ways, corridors and rooms, it just never ended.
"Big enough to get lost easily, you have no idea how often a crying intern turns up at my office in the beginning of September!" Joan chuckled.
Harley smirked "I really shouldn't laugh but I remember doing the same thing at Gotham General. The Director was NOT pleased, I'll tell you that. It's really good to be on the other side of the looking-glass for once!" She giggled.
They carried on further into the asylum, the shouts of inmates and chatter got louder as Joan described each ward they went through, from the mild and hopeless to the deranged and dangerous. They had arrived at the elevator for the heavy security wing, otherwise known as the 'Rogues Gallery'.
Joan turned to Harley with a serious tone in her voice "Now this ward is for these 'super criminals as the news likes to call them. I am sure you are more than aware of but I just want to remind you, what you reads in books is very different to the real thing. I must impress on you Harley, the importance of understanding that the people in this ward are psychos and downright terrifying human beings who have no objection to destroying your entire life."
This made Harley's adrenaline kick in, this was the reason she became a doctor. To witness and understand the truly crazy criminals that controlled Gotham. A fascination she'd had since she was a little girl. Gotham was one of the darkest and most depraved cities in the world but why? She was hoping she would finally get some answers the questions that kept her up at night.
Joan continued as Harley just stared, "I'm just warning you to keep your wits about you, be careful of who you interact with and frequently check you have all items on you that entered with." She swiped her security card allowing them to step into the elevator.
Joan spoke quietly as the lift went up "I will take you around the ward and let you see some of the patients. Normally we wouldn't do this with someone so young and freshly qualified as yourself but we're short staffed these days so we will be putting you in with some heavy hitters sooner than you probably wanted. But uou seem to be able to handle yourself and I think you'll do just fine here" She smiled again but this one seemed more forced.
Harley, on the other hand beamed and swelled with pride "I love a challenge. I believe everyone is curable." She said, defiantly.
Joan raised her eyebrow slightly "Well we will see how you do with some of your first patients but be ready, it might be different to what you expect".
The elevator door opened to another a corridor which split off in opposite directions. At the end of the corridor ahead of them was a heavy set door, designed with the almost the sole purpose of keeping everyone in, it was armed by two guards both carrying heavy guns. Harley counted at least 12 cameras as she followed Joan. She was brimming with excitement, almost unable to contain herself.
The danger which seems to be infused with the very air itself sang into her blood.
No one could have known, not even her, that this was the beginning to the end of Harleen Quinzels life.