You wake to find yourself in a small room, strapped to a bed. The door is locked. There is only a lamp dangling from the ceiling as a light source. And after realizing that you are trapped here, held hostage by an unknown somebody, you see him. A figure with the dress of a doctor. But his head is covered by the brown burlap mask of the one villain that instantly makes you start to sweat with panic. You stare at him standing a foot away, and he does the same. Then after a moment, he speaks.
"Awake, I see. Good, good. I was thinking I might have to start early. But no matter. You know what I am going to do, do you not? Of course you do. It must be done. Oh, don't start screaming now. It's rather annoying, not to mention fruitless.
"Quiet!
"That's better. Now, my friend, if you do that again, you won't be able to hear my reason for why I do what I do; I'll have to begin the test now. And you don't want that, do you? I thought not. Anyway, you no doubt believed I had no sensible motive behind my actions. Well, that belief is wrong.
"I was born in a place where fear became an instant factor in my life, first introduced by my grandmother, followed by the school bully, and basically everyone who made fun of the skinny, blue-eyed boy with large glasses and always-sweaty hands. I was an easy target. For I was a person who couldn't fight back. Not then.
"But my brains far surpassed my brawn, and my high grades took me to one of the best universities – no thanks to my grandmother who always abused me every chance she got, or the teachers. The only one who seemed to understand my dilemma was a man named Dr. Felix, a professor at the university who studied in human emotions. He saw my ambition and took me into his special group of learners. It was a dream come true.
"Fear especially took my interest, becoming the emotion I studied on most often. Dr. Felix approved of my observations, and I flourished, not only on his praise but also on the vast memories of my childhood, and how my tormentors would all cringe before me. How they would all be targets.
"I let my eagerness slip a little, I suppose. My mentor noticed the darkness creeping into my dreams. He tried to reason with me. But it was too late. I was gone, lost in a world of vengeful daydreams. Nothing could hold me back as I drank in all about fear that I could find. Dr. Felix passed out of my life like a moment of time. But by then my pride far outweighed my sense of loss – I had been given the job of a professor! Some students were eager, others lazy. I conducted...certain punishments on those who would not cooperate. I was fired after about a year for the so-called tortures. But I was not daunted. It only fueled my desire.
"You know of my former job at the Asylum. You know how I was discovered and became, as they say, 'a crazy.' But I am not insane, my friend. I have invented things that would help all of Gotham, but they refuse it. I offer the truth, but they keep their lies. They cannot see how wonderful fear really is. You see, fear is the only emotion that shows reality for what it truly is. It gives you experience into the darkest, most primitive parts of yourself. And if you can conquer that darkness, then you are beyond it, untouchable, unconquerable. I am not a prisoner. I am rather a philosopher, enlightening those who need it.
"But you must be specific when it comes to fear. Take darkness, for example. Someone who is afraid of the dark is not afraid of the dark itself, but rather of what could be in the shadows. For the fear of the unknown, of something you cannot see, smell, hear, or taste, something you cannot fight or run from immediately – that is the worst of all. You may even have fears that you do not know about, lurking inside your mind, waiting for the chance to come out. That is something that we all dread – the beasts we have yet to face.
"But I...I have overcome my fear. I have looked in the face of all my nightmares. I have seen the darkness in the flesh. And I have laughed in its face, for I have fought and conquered. I am free. And with my help, you can be too.
"I want to understand you so that you can understand. I want to help you so that you can help others from their bondage. They may plead, they may tremble, and yes, they scream. But that is because they are weak. They cannot come to grips with reality. It is fitting that they die, those who cannot fight the shadows that they dwell in. Very few are able to break through the barrier and see. And those that conquer are part of an army that will bring light in the midst of the storm. With me leading them, we will make things right.
"Now hold still, my friend. And who knows? You may win your battle. But first you must know your fears."