Hey! I'm taking a break from the Crane out of Context one-shots to write this. I considered condensing it to fit in there, but it just didn't seem right; I had too much I wanted to write. So I present to you: Chapter 1 of Shadow Stalkers.
"So, the bottom line is, since the appearance of the Bat Man, crime rates appear to have been dropping significantly...but because, as you know, there are many variables that can be linked to the causation of criminal behavior, this conclusion is...well, inconclusive."
"Thank you, Sergeant Gordon. Well, if no-one else has any business to discuss, I think we can wrap this meeting up!"
It was the monthly Professional Staff meeting at Arkham Asylum, mandatory for all the most important people: The warden of the penitentiary, the administrator of the on-site hospital, the head therapist and the head psychologist. All these Very Important People had been seated in a boardroom converted from several guest bedrooms in Arkham Manor, one of the oldest buildings at the Asylum, and where Amadeus Arkham himself once lived and practiced.
Usually the staff meetings involved a sharing of information across the board, so no one department would be kept out of the loop any more than the others. Occasionally they had visits from people in public office, like the mayor, the district attorney, or, like today, a sergeant from GCPD.
Gordon, dark circles under his darkened eyes, wearing dark frames, stood, swiping the back of his hand across his nose as he collected his papers. He looked frustrated at the dismissal, and tired. This was a man who had seen his efforts overlooked one time too many.
The overhead light reflected on a pair of shiny silver frames, and alert, cold, blue eyes.
The men and women seated around the table began to stand, cracking their necks from side to side, stretching their arms and legs, clearing their throats and rumbling vague sentiments of discontent. A quiet but clear voice piped up.
"Actually, I believe I have a matter of business."
Tobias was the head of both Arkham's publicity and human resources departments, the publicity department having been absorbed into HR when it became apparent that no amount of ad campaigns or pretty flyers could change Arkham's history, or perception. He'd done a good enough job with the relatively new outpatient program, where housewives and chronic shoplifters could come and unload, and then go back to whatever cesspool they had crawled out of at the end of the day. But nothing could make the public forget the dangerous criminals who were housed on Arkham Island, any more than they might associate Arkham with the modern facilities installed over the years, rather than the gothic spires of the Manor.
And yet here was Tobias; quiet, unassuming Tobias, with "a matter of business."
The blue eyes narrowed, the reflection in them now dangerous; the silver steel glasses looking particularly sharp. The man turned his dark head in the direction of the offending voice. Dr. Jonathan Crane, the head psychologist, looked at Tobias angrily, lips pursed.
Crane was at the asylum to conduct research. To learn more about the mind, why people did what they did, and how. He had full access to the vast Arkham library, amassed over decades, and contributed to by some of the greatest minds Psychology had ever laid claim to, himself being one of them. He had the patients, and their therapists. He had a cushy office in the Manor, and smaller ones in the other buildings (although those might amount to barely more than broom closets, but still. It's the principle of the thing.) He had everything he could have wanted, and just a little bit more after that.
Crane also had a sizable intellect, thirst for knowledge, and greater thirst for power. His specialty was fear, which he had once taught at Gotham University, one of the youngest professors they had ever employed. But to teach was not enough. There was still so much more to learn...and so he worked his way up in Arkham, from therapist to head psychologist. And, with the help of a rare blue flower he had acquired through quite questionable channels, he had begun experimenting with the causes, effects, and subtleties of fear in the inmates he presided over.
In fact, he had plans that very evening to test out a strain of what he affectionately termed as "fear toxin" on a patient that night. He was named Arthur Cody, and he claimed that Frank Sinatra told him to rape and murder ten little girls in Denver. He'd been transported to Arkham after strangling a guard. Crane's toxin tonight was liquid, to be delivered in injection form, and particularly virulent. And he was not keen to wait a minute more before retiring to one of his many hidden laboratories, secreted away in the basements and underground tunnels of Arkham Island.
"I've been approached," Tobias began, making sure he had everyone's attention. Wearily, looking around the room at one another with dismay, the men and women returned to their seats around the long oval table, the dust in the air in front of the projector somehow more visible than ever.
"I've been approached by a television network. They have a reality show, something about ghost hunting and the paranormal...I believe it's called-" he squinted and looked down at a printed out email - "'Shadow Stalkers'. It's hosted by three young men, who go to historically haunted places, or places with bad reputations, do an informational segment about it with tours and interviews and eyewitnesses, and then they stay there overnight, to search for ghosts and what have you. They want to come here – to Arkham."
There was a low burst of discussion around the room.
"As head of publicity and human resources, do you think that is responsible? To let three men loose in an asylum? With cameras?"
"Don't worry, we won't let them into any of the areas with actual inmates. They can go through the manor. They said they were interested in looking for the ghosts of Amadeus Arkham and Mad Dog Hawkins, anyway. They won't see anything we don't want them to see."
"And how does that benefit us, hmm?"
"Well, it'll certainly bring a lot of people here for...I don't know, tours and such. We'll be talked about, a topic of discussion! There's no such thing as bad publicity, you know."
Crane's stomach clenched. Although he doubted the three men spoken of could possibly find his research labs, or oust his experiments, it was more of a risk than he was willing to take. It was bad enough having law enforcement tromping through the grounds every few months, just for lousy meetings, not to mention every time the health department came around, looking for code violations and the like. Gordon, he was sure, would be all too happy to have a hand in shutting the place down, if the opportunity arose. If Crane was exposed, he would be forced to take drastic measures...
"Let's put it to vote, shall we?" asked Tobias. "Show of hands: those in favor of allowing Shadow Stalkers to film at Arkham?"
More than half the room raised their hands. Crane's hand was down by his side in a loose fist, fingernails gently scraping off the topmost layer of skin on his palm. Fools.
"Against?"
He raised his hand, the pink crescents left by his nails barely visible. A few others raised their hands, but of course, not enough to overturn the already-made decision. He exhaled.
"Well, that'll be it, then. I'll email the tv station back first thing tomorrow."
There was no dismissal this time, everyone stood and exited as quickly as they could, no waiting around, lest they be called in for one more order of business or announcement. Gordon looked a bit lost amongst the sea of suitdresses and blazer jackets pouring out from the double doors. As Crane approached the door, he caught it from falling on himself, and took a step back, holding it for the sergeant, who made eye contact as he walked through. He looked curious, and grateful. Crane kept his expression as blank as possible.
Angrily, he was the last to exit the room, and retired to his Manor office to take a nap on the overstuffed couch there. He felt a headache developing somewhere both above and behind his right eye, and he simply couldn't focus on his work otherwise.
...Ok, so I love Ghost Adventures, and I tooootally had the idea for this while watching an episode, and yes, the Shadow Stalkers characters will be quite influenced by Zak, Nick and Aaron from GA, because I think they're hysterical. I hope you'll come back for the next chapter! 3, m.