Batman Beyond: The Genesis of Fear
Tortured nightmares, the price of failure.
Each night after he accomplished his 'duties', these words and images went through the young Batman's mind. Was he upholding the right legacy? He felt a heavy burden on his shoulders, one that seemed to never go away, it haunted him constantly. But those times it came rushing up to him, gasping, straining for air, as he realized the full burden of it all. There seemed to be no escape.
But he took solace in those he rescued, the rare smiles, the tokens of affections, this made the burden, the oppressive weight, worth it. Terry Mcginiss, was happy in this fact. Squatting over the view of the city, he felt the peace of it come into him. Tonight wasn't a night for whining or even doubting, he was here to make a difference. One of vengeance, and not justice. But fear comes to all of us; when we wake up from a long stretch of sleep that goes on forever. In a dark room with no sounds that has a scraping at the door out of the inky blackness, a child's cry for help. These were in the thoughts of Johnathon Crane, and he treasured them.
*****
"Blondie let me go!"
"Blondie you're nothing but a dirty sonuvvvabiiiitcccch!!!!!!!"
Bruce Wayne chucked softly as he watched the ending of the Good, the Bad, and the ugly. One of his favorite movies, he had always felt a kinship with the dark lone character that moved from town to town. While he didn't approve of Eastwood's actions in the film, he let go these annoyances of his, and would always just sat back and enjoyed the movie.
A roaring came into the Batcave. Wayne turned around to look at the tired for of Batman climbing out of the futuristic Batmobile. "How was work?" He grunted. He quickly turned off the movie, so Mcginnis wouldn't notice. He had to make Mcginnis think he was always watching and observing, that way he would be vigilant..and uphold the legacy that he thought was once ended.
In the corner of Terry's eye he could see a movie being turned off the screen of the Batcave Computer. He smirked inside the mask. It must have been the Eastwood movie that Wayne always watched. He laughed to himself, Wayne thought it was a secret, but Terry kept it to himself.
"It was the usual". He commented. "A crook assaulting a girl, muggers, etc. A quick done job". "How bout you Wayne?" Asked Terry. "I'm sure you've been watching every move I made. You should relax. Watch a movie or something".
Bruce cringed inwardly at what Terry had just said. Did he know? He couldn't, Outwardly he had the usual stoic expression he always wore, "Don't be foolish". He snapped, "Do you think you can handle all of this alone? I'm there to watch your back Mcginnis. Have the rest of the night off".
Terry looked dumbfounded at what Bruce had said. The night off? He had come back for a break of sorts with his mentor. It looked though wearing the costume was out for the rest of the night. "Allright". He said. "I have some schoolwork, plus I haven't seen Dana in a day or two".
Bruce clasped his hands over the cane that was always at his side, "Good. Ill see you tomorrow. We have much to go over".
**********
He remembered that night all those years ago. The twist wrenching anguish he felt every night it was replayed in his old mind.
40 years ago
"The scarecrow is loose again".
Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl looked at the grim form of Batman and his words. "So when are we going to stop him Bruce?" Asked Tim.
Bruce sighed as he tried his patience with the often inquisitive boy. His shoulders stopped a little bit in exasperation. "Now. We can't afford to have a city wide panic going on".
Dick looked up at his former mentor, "Where do we know he'll strike next?"
Bruce stared in a grim line at Dick, and then at the flickering computer screen. "We don't, we'll just have to sit and wait".
*******
I'm looking into the mirror at the mask that has become my face. I remember being someone else…I'm not sure. It was o long ago, I have always been laughed at, mocked at my entire life. Before this mask I can only remember blinding pain and light. I put my hand to the mirror. I see a face of straw looking back at me. Is this what has become of me? Am I merely a dummy of straw and ratty clothes?
I hate the people that have caused me to become this apparition. I want to lash back at them, share the pain that I have endured all these years. If I have to give up my humanity, why shouldn't everyone else as well?
Wendy Macbryde cowered in the corner with tears running down her eyes. She had walked home from a college class expecting a normal night's walk home. But was quickly engulfed in a kind of deep haze and found herself now tied up and gagged looking at the man who had proudly proclaimed himself to the world as the Scarecrow.
The Scarecrow looked at the nervous form of the girl in the corner, he put his hand to her face. She shuddered as if from a deep physical blow.
"You cringe from me, do you?" Sneered the Scarecrow. "Then again" He muttered. "I've always wanted fear from humans haven't I?. My reputation does precede me. I suppose your wondering why I kidnapped you eh?".
The frightened girl nodded.
"Heh, Simple, I want to make you like me. I want you to endure all I've suffered. To see just how far you go to the brink of insanity. You will lose all concept of identity in the days that follow. You will lose your humanity, why, you will become nothing but a lump of hay and straw like myself".
Wendy started screaming in hushed tones. "What is that?" The Scarecrow asked. "You wish to speak? Very Well." The Scarecrow removed the gag from the girl's mouth.
She started speaking in quick garbled tones, "Mr Crane, please…What did I do to harm you? Please just let me go".
Johnathon Crane backhanded the girl across the face. "You little witch!". He sneered.
In the dark eyes of the Scarecrow's mouth, all the girl could see were the 2 gaping white holes that portrayed themselves as the Scarecrow's eyes. She almost seemed to drown in the gaping eyes, as she felt herself understanding what true terror was, the terror of the unknown.
"Johnathon Crane is dead!" Shouted the Scarecrow. "He died a long time ago. To think that I would still be human? Look at me, I am made of straw". As if to illustrate this fact, the Scarecrow started tearing pieces of his costume to the ground. Bits of straw and hay lay everywhere around the forms of the Scarecrow and the girl.
The girl was scared, but as the scarecrow kept tearing bits of his costumes to shreds, in what seemed to be a display of mass insanity. In defiance, Wendy put her hand to the Scarecrow's face and started to pull. The mask started to come off, and in what seemed like long stretched minutes it fell to the ground.
"AAAAAGGGHHHHH!!! What have you done?!"
The girl now looked at the thinly pailed features of a man gone to the brink of insanity, and to a whole new level. His eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot, flecks of gray and red were everywhere in what seemed to be patches of a beard all over his face. Drool came down the lower corner of his mouth, and his teeth were rotted to a yellow discolor.
The gibbering man staggered back from the scared girl. Crane started to move his hands wildly about as he started hitting objects and throwing them to the ground. "Where's my face?!" He screamed. "I need my face, what have you done with it?! I, I, I, I". Jonathan Crane started to fall to the ground in a heap and his hands started to feel around for his mask. With strained motions, Jonathan Crane put the mask back on and once again became the Scarecrow. "How dare you?" He roared.
The Scarecrow started to stalk silently towards the girl. She started to shirk away, as her legs were tied to the ground, and her hands were too nervous to do anything, she just backed into the corner of the shack. "What you think I'm going to hit you? I'm going to do much worse, I'm going to make you become me".
The Scarecrow held a mask in his hands and put the mask over the screaming form of the girl. The mask seemed to snugly fit over her face. He then proceeded to tie her hands back to the wall and sat back to the floor. He looked at her smugly with the crazy features of his mask. He clasped his hands. "Now". He said. "Let the transformation begin".
********
"This is interesting". Said Batman.
"What?' Asked Dick.
"The Scarecrow is dying of cancer".