Connors rents three places in Gotham. The one he and Harley Quinn currently occupy is one of them.
Worried the landlord's bedding was dirty, he bought everything new, including the snow-white pillows on the bed. He clutched a pillow with both hands, its soft core shifting shape. His Spider-Sense made his senses more delicate, enhancing his experience.
The shaking bed gradually stilled. Connors lit a cigarette and gazed at Harley Quinn lying contentedly in his arms.
[Today's juicy gossip: A night with Harley Quinn]
[Submit?]
It was three in the morning, and the "gossip system" had begun recording the day's major events. Connors lit his cigarette, hesitated, then selected "no." No rush; the new day had just begun.
He rose and walked to the window, looking at the night sky. Commissioner Gordon's Bat-Signal still cut through the dark clouds.
Outside, the rainy night was pitch black. Connors saw little scenery beyond the Bat-Signal. Harley Quinn swayed her hips, joined him, and peered out the window.
"Mr. Mysterious," she began, "you said you'd help me turn Gotham City upside down. You can't do that without some skills. Let me guess…"
At that moment, Connors' hair stood on end. His Spider-Sense screamed danger, as if someone sinister in the darkness outside watched him.
"Guess what," he said, roughly pulling Harley Quinn to kneel before him. He frowned, staring outside.
Though his naked eye saw nothing, the Spider-Sense gave a frantic warning: someone was out there. His apartment was on the 19th floor with smooth glass walls. Most people could not reach it, but Batman was an exception in Gotham City.
Fortunately, the bedroom window was not floor-to-ceiling. Harley Quinn remained held down, unable to rise. From outside, only Connors' naked upper body was visible.
"Wow, still busy?" he muttered, seemingly to himself. Although he saw nothing outside, his Spider-Sense pinpointed Batman's location. He stared intently.
Batman could not see Harley Quinn with his naked eyes, but his infrared vision could penetrate walls, though it would not show her clearly.
According to the timeline, Harley Quinn's public identity was still "Harleen Quinzel," a consultant at Arkham Asylum, not the Harley Quinn of the future.
With the monetary reward from the "gossip system," Connors had obtained a legal identity on his third day in Gotham.
From any perspective, Batman had no reason to capture him and Harley Quinn at this time.
A smile touched Connors' lips as he realized this. He looked at Batman outside with an even more unrestrained gaze.
"Alfred, help me check this guy named 'Connors Patterson'," Batman muttered into his comms in the rain, his eyes fixed on the young man on the 19th floor who seemed to have noticed him.
"Have any new targets appeared? Let me see," Butler Alfred said slowly through the intercom in the Bat-Cowl. The sound of keyboard tapping followed, and a moment later, information arrived:
"Connors Patterson, 25 years old, East Asian, unemployed. He has appeared frequently in the 'Ghost Face Bar' recently. He has no criminal record."
"…But this information is all fake. The only real information is that he often goes to the bar. Master Wayne, have you found anything?"
"Not yet, but this guy seems to be able to see me," Bruce Wayne said. "Put him on the watch list."
"No problem. Do you want to continue to find the Joker next?" the butler asked.
"I'll observe for a while."
"Just a reminder, the other party is naked now. Master Wayne, when did you develop this hobby?"
"…"
Batman remained outside for a long time, according to Connors' Spider-Sense. Connors did not return to bed but stood by the window.
"They must be investigating my identity now," he mused. "My public identity is clean, but the Wayne Enterprises' resources will likely expose it as fake."
"Even if they discover it's fake, they won't know my real information. I don't believe they can find out I'm a time traveler."
While he thought, Harley Quinn, still kneeling before him, tried to stand several times. He held her down each time. Finally, she could not hold back:
"Hey, what are you doing? My knees are swollen!"
Harley Quinn still did not know his name, always calling him "Hey."
Connors stroked Harley Quinn's head, staring out the window, and softly asked, "You were a counselor at Arkham Asylum, right?"
Harley Quinn nodded repeatedly.
"You know Batman is the Joker's enemy, right?" Connors continued to ask.
She continued to nod.
"That guy is watching outside right now."
After Connors said that, Harley Quinn understood. "Are you afraid of him? I'm not."
Connors laughed. He was innocent now, so what was there to fear?
Harley Quinn's lack of fear toward Batman made sense. After all, she had only recently transformed from a psychiatrist into a crazy beauty and had not yet officially fought Batman.
She had not suffered the defeats the Joker had at Batman's hands.
Then, Connors finally understood how truly "fearless" Harley was. She actually started playing music for herself with Batman outside.
"Hiss…"
Connors gasped. The Spider-Sense doubled the stimulation, making him shiver. But Batman was outside. Whatever happened to Harley, he needed to maintain his focus.
When he regained his composure and looked out the window, Batman was gone from his Spider-Sense.
On the 23rd floor of the building where Connors was, Batman listened to Butler Alfred's teasing over the intercom. He felt a moment of embarrassment.
He was Batman, not some peeping tom. What happened tonight was truly beyond his expectations.
"Look how energetic young people are. Master Wayne, you should also find a partner as soon as possible."
Bruce Wayne turned off the intercom without a word, leaped off the tall building, his cape fluttering open, and glided towards the Bat-Signal.
Tonight, a psychologist named Harleen Quinzel released the Joker from Arkham Asylum, and with Poison Ivy's help, all the prisoners escaped.
Tonight would be another sleepless night.