Chance yawns and stretches before switching on her bedside lamp in her appartment in Metroplolis. She clicks the light on and a scream gets caught in her throat. After a moment of stunned shock, she tries for a real scream.

"HE...!"

He dashes across the room and clamps a hand over her mouth. She struggles to pull it off but is unsuccessful. He grips the back of her hair tightly so that she's looking up at him. Chance whimpers at his amused expression.

"Now normally I would enjoy your beautiful screams of terror and desperation, but we aren't in the narrows. If you'll behave yourself and not alert the boy in blue, I'll release you so we can have a mature conversation. Can you handle that? Because as I'm sure you know, I always have a backup plan."

Chance nods slowly and crane releases his grip on her. She gasps for a deep breath while he sits by her feet on the bed.

"What do you want, Crane?!"

"Aren't we past this by now? You know that I prefer for you to call me Dr Crane."

A smirk spreads across her face.

"Oh I know. Crane."

He frowns and casually pulls out a capped syringe full of a clear liquid. She absently moves it between his fingers as he watches her get wide eyed.

"You're trying my patience Michelle. I understand that it's been a year, but I still expect you to remember your manners around me. Understood?"

"Yes."

He smirks. "Yes what?"

"Yes sir." Chance replies thru gritted teeth as she watches the syringe.

"Good. Now I've been watching you for some time now. I had my suspicions but they were confirmed when I looked into your past Internet activities."

Chance feels her face grow warm in embarassment.

"So? I wanted to know a little more about the guy who kidnapped me. There's nothing wrong with it."

"You see, that would explain the first time you tried searching for information on me. Not the fifteenth. But I had to confirm, your journal easily did the trick."

He's bluffing.

Chance crosses her arms.

"I don't have a diary."

"Oh really? Not even a leather bound navy blue one with the last entry from last night?"

Crap.

"Yeah well...so what? I've been curious. I can't help it."

"Curious as to the details of what I do? Curious of why I said you would make a good apprentice? Curious if you are really like me? You did the research, you tell me. Are you like me? Didn't you enjoy hearing their screams? They deserved it, and you know that deep down. The girl that caused you so much pain and terror, the man that kills out of boredom. Deep down, everybody deserves to be a test subject. I know this and I'm sure you do as well. Their screams are music and the stories that come behind their terror... So stop me if I'm wrong and you never enjoyed any of that. I understand your first was hard, but you never felt guilt or remorse, you enjoyed it. My offer still stands, you can still join me, as my loyal apprentice. I will teach you everything you need to know. The formula, test subjects, the batman, Dr Arkham...eventually. If you join me, soon enough you won't be hesitant in the slightest with our subjects. However, I'll warn you right now. If you do decide to join me, the training will at times be painful and difficult. But rest assured that it's all for your benefit. Another thing, there are certain aspects of my personality that I have no control over, behave yourself and you should be fine. So what do you say? Will you be my apprentice, or will I have to dispose of you like I should have done to Miss Albright?"

You know you want to. But it's wrong. Is it if you liked it so much? What do you have going for you here? A lousy appartment in Metropolis, a boyfriend you couldn't care less about, and a job as a waitress.

"Um..."

"Take your time to think every detail over."

"I'm not afraid of dying. I've been prepared to go at any moment for some time now."

"I'm aware of that Michelle."

She bites her lip as he watches her intently.

"What are your conditions?"

"Conditions? Well nothing out of the ordinary. Don't do anything needlessly reckless, don't harm yourself or me, I'll protect you when necessary as I'm expecting you to do the same for me. Don't do anything with the test subjects unless I approve, you will have lessons whenever I see fit. More in the beginning, as we continue we'll be doing more hands on. You will be expected to recreate my toxin, I'll help you until I deem fit for you to proceed unsupervised. You will do as I say and you'll treat me with respect as your teacher. You will mind your manners at all times. You will leave any family, friends, or aquantices behind and never speak to them again unless you have my permission. You will not tell anybody about your apprenticeship. Do you agree to these conditions and will you join me?"

Chance pauses for a moment in thought.

"There's a few things about me that I'm throwing out there. One, I have an attitude, don't take that away from me. Two, I read a lot, I want to read in my free time. Three, I have taken up writing, I want to bring my laptop. And four, I'm a fast learner."

A smug smile spreads across his face.

"Agreed except you can't bring your laptop. It can be tracked. However if you obtain one, I'll allow you to keep it. Are you going to join me?"

Chance takes a deep breath. "Yes sir."

Crane stands up and holds his hand out for chance. She takes it and he helps her up.

"I don't want to hear any complaining. I'm being uncharacteristically generous, don't make me regret this decision."

"You won't. So what now?"

"Pack only the necessities. Clothes, bathroom, etc. When you're packing, keep in mind that I like blue on you."

He strokes her neck and she bites her lip before stepping back away from him and leaving his grip.

"Please don't touch me. I don't like to be touched."

He raises an eyebrow. Chance quickly adds, "Not like grabbing my arm or my shoulder or my waist, but anything creepy is where I have to stifle the urge to hit someone."

"I'll remember that. Pack now, I'll wait in the kitchen. You have ten minutes, don't make me wait. Oh and I've got your new uniform on your desk."

Chance walks over to her desk and examines the dress, blue button up with a black belt for holding various items. Next to it is a sickle.

"Misuse it and I won't hesitate to confiscate your weapon."