The night Scarecrow escaped
Disclaimer: Batman the Animated Series belongs to Warner Brothers; the original lyrics to Hellfire belong to Disney.
Author's Note: This is my first fic where I have characters sing and I know this is pretty unusual for a show where the characters don't sing…but anyway before I start rambling, the idea for this fic came when I was thinking about how similar Lock-Up is to Frollo from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame (Most striking similarity is that they unwittingly become evil in order to fight evil) and I was coming up with parody lyrics for Hellfire and when I realized I could tie in the song to describe the moment Scarecrow escaped from Arkham that sealed the deal. On with the show
Lyle Bolton decided he was going to light a fire. He didn't know why exactly. It was the middle of June and he wasn't the least bit cold but for some reason he thought watching the flames might soothe his brain. He hadn't had a good day at work today.
The tall, dark, and muscular Bolton had been recently hired by Arkham as chief of security hoping he would be able to keep the inmates in check.
Bolton was only too happy to accept this job. He had grown up in bad part of Gotham where crime was rampant and he and his family were afraid to walk the streets in broad daylight. Well that was then; now it was payback time!
He decided the best thing to do was remove all the privileges. No one had been in the Rec Room for a week and books and other entertainment had been cut off from the inmates.
He also decided because so many escapes happen at night he decided that as the prisoners went the bed he would chain them to their beds and electrify their doors for good measure.
Today some of the inmates were restless, particularly Ventriloquist and Scarecrow and Harley Quinn.
Arnold Wesker (who Bolton found particularly creepy because he kept speaking through that ugly Scarface puppet) protested that he had been good and therefore deserved to go to the Rec Room. In response Bolton snatched the Scarface doll away from Wesker and held him over a can of termites. He wanted to drop Scarface in but Dr. Bartholomew noticed and told him to cease and desist.
The next incident came when Jonathan Crane AKA the Scarecrow came to Bolton and loudly complained that he had not read a book in over a week and that he was in withdrawal. The response from Bolton was a couple punches in the face! He had given Prof. Crane a black eye and broken nose before Dr. Bartholomew came by and told him to stop immediately.
Now as Lyle Bolton watched the flickering flames he could hear the chanting of the nearby Catholic Church that was near his house. Bolton was a deeply religious man so he felt moved by the somber chanting. He stared into the fire and whispered "Beata Maria you know I am a virtuous man. And of my goodness I am justly proud."
In the distances he could hear the priest chanting, "Et tibi Pater"
Bolton began to pour his emotions out as he sang. "Beata Maria You know I'm so much purer than that evil, vulgar weak-minded crowd!"
"Quia peccavi nimis! " Sang the priests.
"Please tell me Maria! Why can I not slit their throats? Why must I be compelled to let them live?!" Bolton's voice grew stronger
"Cogitanione!" Wailed the priests in their bell like tones.
"I loathe them! I hate them! Bolton growled, beginning to see the villain's faces in sparks of thefire. The light caught in their brazen eyes, is driving me out of control!
"Verbo et opere" Was what the priests were saying but in Bolton's demented mind it was the ghoulish images in the fire that sang it.
"Like fire! Hellfire! Bolton wailed. There's a fire in my skin! These burning, desires are driving me to sin!"
Suddenly Lyle Bolton looked up and saw the faces of, Dr. Bartholomew, Batman and all the doctors of Arkham staring at him! Leering with accusing eyes!
"It's not my fault!" Bolton wailed
"Mea culpa!" Answered the doctors
"I'm not to blame" The chief of security screeched
"Mea Culpa!" They answered again
"It was those super villains, the scum who set this flame!" He begged pathetically
"Mea maxima culpa!" The image of Batman snarled pointing an accusing finger.
"It's not my fault! I'm not in control! The Lord made my rage so much stronger than my soul!
And with those words the images of the doctors and Batman swirled into a vortex of fire and exploded! Bolton was on his knees pleading
"Protect me Maria! Don't let my rage consume my soul! Don't let my anger burn my flesh and bone!" He turned back to the fire and willed himself to see the images of the rouges tied to stakes and burning. Destroy every sinner! And let them taste the fires of Hell! Then leave them to rot alone! He savored his own cruel words as he imagined the embers being the ghosts of the villains descending to Hell.
Then the telephone rang.
He picked it up and a nervous guard on the other end trembled as he spoke.
"Mr. Bolton, Professor Crane has escaped!"
"What?!" Bolton practically screamed into the phone.
"He's nowhere in Arkham! He has gone!" The guard seemed to be panicking as if he too feared Bolton's wrath.
"Never mind, get back to work you idiot!" He hung up the phone "I'll find him." He snarled "I'll find him even I have to ring every neck in Arkham!
"Hellfire! Dark fire! Well Scarecrow it's your turn! I'm lighting your pyre!
Come back so you can burn!
The fire had almost burned itself out and as the wisps of smoke floated around the room, Lyle Bolton sank to his knees.
God have mercy on him.
God have mercy on me.
But he will be mine and HE WILL BURN!
Author's Note: Hoo boy! That was a lot to write! I've decided to write a guide to the Latin words in the book just in case you don't have The Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack.
Et tibi Pater-And to you Father
Quia peccavi nimis-that I have sinned
Cogitanione-In thought
Verbo et opere-In word and deed
Mea Culpa-Through my fault
Mea maxima culpa- Through my most grievous fault
OK hope you like my little Batman opera!
Peace!