Chapter Two: You Have to learn this quickly or drown
Oookay, wasn't happy with the first chapter as it lacked my favourite character. Guess I needed to get introductions out of the way. Time to bring the not so good doctor into the equation : D As per usual, I don't own the Batman franchise or Cillian Murphy (*Daydreams*), just Catherine (who bears no resemblance to persons alive or dead). Enjoy xx
Dorothy certainly wasn't in Kansas anymore. Or to be more precise, Cat sure as hell
wasn't in a tiny village in the middle of the Thai jungle. Gotham City was about as
Metropolitan as they got. After a quick phone call to her mum which consisted mostly of
Cat assuring her mother that she had enough money in the bank (she hadn't put her degree
in jeopardy working all hours during her exams for nothing) and that she was well stocked
up (her landlady had kindly put some basic provisions in the fridge and around the place)
and a promise that she would keep in more regular contact than she did in Thailand.
"Mum! For God's sake! I was in the middle of the jungle! We didn't exactly have a
great internet connection!" Cat said exasperatedly.
"Well I'm just worried about you Cat! So's your dad. We still don't see why you just
couldn't take your PGCE here instead of traipsing round the world. It's not safe."
Urgh! Cat hated it when her mum started on this subject. Mrs. Adams was convinced
the world was not the safest place at the best of times, but when it came to her youngest
daughter, she was convinced it was utterly barbaric and uncivilised.
"I just want to see the world whilst I can Mum. Jay saw New Zealand during his
elective, and you were quite prepared for Claire to move to Australia."
"Yes, but that before she met Craig. She's quite content staying in Newcastle now."
Cat rolled her eyes. Claire was all set to move to Australia but she had met
her now fiancée one night and decided to stick around in England to see how it
panned out. As luck would have it, it worked out so well that they were now planning their
wedding for the following year. Cat was happy for her sister, her and Craig were made for
each other and she would give anything to have a relationship like they had, but she had
never even had a serious boyfriend (despite a reputation of being quite a flirt at uni), even
her sister had encouraged her to see the world whilst she could.
"Life's short Cat" Claire Adams had said just before graduation, "You're young,
single, you've got nothing tying you down. There's plenty of time for relationships later. Go
out and have some fun!" This advice however, was not shared by their mother, who carried
on her tirade:
"Your brother had to go somewhere Cat! It was part of his course! Besides, it was
only for seven weeks. His jobs going well now, he may be promoted to registrar soon, and
Sophie's doing well too."
Cat sighed inwardly. She was in no doubt that her mother loved her, but it was the
running joke with her and Claire that Jamie Adams was the adored favourite of their
mother, always at the top of his classes and the only one of the three Adams children to
become a doctor (only an anaesatist, but still, Cat never doubted his ambition and hard
work). It was also the thorn in her and her sister's sides that their father had expected his
daughters to marry doctors . Claire was marrying a bank manager, but considered that
because she was a Nurse, that was close enough to his ambitions. Cat on the other hand,
had two views on doctors. One was that they were great drinking buddys but secondly, that
they were utter tossers when it came to relationships. And as for a medical career, well
contrary to her siblings, Cat's History degree was in no way, shape or form in any stretch of
the imagination, linked to the NHS, so she considered herself the oddball of the family. She
had considered a degree in psychology which she thought to be good to become a
psychologist, but her brothers taunts about it been a cop out with medicine were enough to
make her decide to go with what she was good at and do a degree in History. With Jamie
both a qualified doctor and engaged to another doctor (Sophie, who Cat actually got along
with), Cat decided he covered her enough when it came to their father.
"I'm glad Jay and Soph are ok mum, have to go, starting at school today. Just pray
that I don't get eaten by American kids."
"Oh, be off with you." Chuckled her mum. Cat was about to put the phone down
when she remembered the film advert in the paper from last night.
"Oh yeah, and tell Claire a new films out over here she'd like about some escaped
lunatic or something. I'll wait till I come back to see it. It should be out in England when I get
back."
"Tell her yourself, she'll probably call you tomorrow."
"You mean tonight for me mum?"
"Urgh! I Can't get my head around this time zone difference! Go on. You
don't want to be late for your first day"
"Bye Mum, give my love to Dad."
Little did either of them know that that would be the last time Cat would ever speak
to any member of her family ever again.
Cat hung up the phone and hurried out the door. The school was only a block away
from her apartment but she wanted to make sure she found her way there in enough time
(she was notorious at her uni's rambling society for been unable to follow a simple set of
instructions. The first and last time she had been allowed to lead a group, she had gotten so
spectacularly lost that they had been found four hours later than the pickup, 10 miles away
from the actual walking route). The sun was shining that morning, and Cat was in better
attire to blend into the crowd even more. Her bushy hair had been washed and straightened
and even though it was its usual mud colour, Cat liked to think that it made her look
prettier. Her simple long red flowery dress and white cardigan were enough to say that she
was still young and girly, but old and mature enough to be allowed to teach high school kids.
She loved walking through the street. Even though it was clear that this was a deprived part
of town, she was still irresistibly reminded of the street in Friends where Central Perk was. It
was typically American, compared to concrete suburbia back home, or the thick jungle of
Thailand. Besides, she thought, if it was actually dangerous, than that'll only be at night.
Things that go bump in the night and all that.
She was immediately assigned to help supervise a History Class, headed by Miss
Hannah Lyons, a good natured, slightly eccentric 25 year old woman who had lived in
Gotham all her life, apart from a semester when she was 20 when she had briefly studied
English History.
Been so close in age and sharing similar interests, the two women warmed to each other
at once.
"So tell me." Cat said to Hannah 5 minutes before the bell went for the first class of
the day to begin, "What's it like here?"
"Here? Oh it's lovely really." Hannah said smirking. "I mean, the kids can be right
douches, but smile and think of the weekend and you'll survive."
"That bad?" asked Cat naively. Hannah giggled.
"Oh don't worry, if they step out of line, just give them a look. You have nice
eyes, but they look as if they could cut a guy to size if you were truly pissed."
Cat blushed and looked down. It was always commented on that her eyes were her
best feature, they were big and brown, but she just saw them as ridiculous and bulging and
thought that they gave her the look of a demented madwoman at best. A fat toad at worst.
Actually, the first half of her first day went by quite pleasantly. Just as in Thailand,
she was addressed as "Miss Adams" and like university, the classes quite happily got into
group discussions about American history. However, halfway through the last period before
lunch, Cat faced her first challenge in the form of a particularly unpleasant "jock" called Billy
Cowel.
"So you from England Miss?"
"Yes Billy. Please continue with your assignment."
"You can't be English Miss! You don't speak posh like the Queen."
Idiot child. "I'm not from London Billy, I'm from a place up north called Leeds,
I'm afraid not all of us speak like the queen or Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins."
"Leeds Miss? Are you sure that you haven't made that up?"
Cat was becoming more and more aware of the class giggling at her expense. Trying
hard not to blush and fighting her natural shyness, she looked as calmly as she could at Billy.
Summoning as much authority as she could when all she really wanted to do was go into the
bathroom and cry and check her make up to make sure she didn't look a mess, she said
"No Billy, now are you going to finish your work or would you like to finish it in
detention?" Billy's face suddenly darkened.
"You know what I would like Miss Adams?"He snarled, jumping up out of his seat,
"How about liking to give you a hard fuck behind the chemistry building?" Cat panicked and
screamed .
"BILLY COWEL!"
Hannah Lyons , who had been observing the situation from her desk hurdled
towards the back where Billy was. Restraining him, she inwardly cursed herself. Cat had to
learn at some point, that she would come up against difficult students, it was something she
had to learn quickly in this profession, or drown. Actually she had thought that Cat was
handling the situation rather well to say it was her first time dealing with teenagers.
However, Billy had over stepped the mark, no one, not even one who had been teaching for
years should come up against that sort of behaviour.
"Detention Mr. Cowell" Hannah hissed quietly "And you can be sure as Hell, the
headmaster will be informed." The rest of the class were staring at Cat, whose colour had
drained from her face. Most looked on with pity, however, a few were giggling at the
brilliant way that the new assistant had been humiliated. In the deathly quiet atmosphere,
a bell suddenly began to ring. Lunchtime.
"I am so sorry!" Hannah cried when they were alone. "I didn't think it would go that far!"
"Don't think anything of it" Cat assured, trying to sound as if she didn't care, but
really, inside, she was dying.
"Look." Hannah said, "I completely failed there, not you! Let me make it up to you.
We have an hour's period for lunch, let me treat you. There's a really nice Delhi down the
road, my treat."
"Hannah, it's fine" Cat snapped angrily, before adopting a strained smile to try and
smooth the tense atmosphere, "I mean, lunch sounds great, but I don't want your money!
I'll pay for myself. Hang on, I'm assuming this Delhi doesn't take plastic?"
"Sorry hun, only cash."
"Bugger! Ah well. Is there a bank around here?"
"Actually, yes. Just round the corner. It's on the way so it's no trouble.
Now. Let me clue you in into exactly what type of place the Narrows is"
On the way to the bank, Hannah told Cat a wide range of things Cat would never
imagine would be ever said. Apparently in Gotham, superheroes were quite common.
Gotham's main superhero was someone called "Batman" (no prizes for guessing what he
dressed as), who drove around in a "Batmo-bile" and who protected the city from a host of
colourful characters.
"The most famous is the Joker." Hannah said, brushing her auburn locks out of her
Eyes and surveying the long line at Gotham First National Bank, "He's a clown, bit
psychopathic, but to be honest, you wouldn't kick him out of bed
easily."
Hannah spun round in the queue to the cashier. "What? Er..why?" Hannah giggled.
"Two reasons really. One, He'd probably kill you if you attempted it. Two, I'd say he's
the most gorgeous, apparently, he has a reputation for been a bit of a charmer. Apparently
he seduced his doctor once, been on the run with her ever since. You can imagine how
jealous I was when that came to the news"
"Whatever turns you on." Cat giggled, rolling her eyes. "So guessing that's what this
new films about?"
"Hannah looked at her quizzically. "What film?"
"Oh about some escaped convict who wears a saa..."
"BANG!"
Cat's conversation was cut short by an explosion. Instinctivley, she dived to the floor,
grabbing Hannah down with her and curling up into the foetal position.
"Crap! This must be what the cabbie was on about!" Moaned Cat, trying to not shake
with fear.
"Welcome to the narrows hun." Hannah tried to joke, but was taking her locket off
and hiding it in her bra as they spoke. "Sorry, this day isn't turning out to be..."
"Quiet." Snapped a rather burly man in black leather and a gas masks who suddenly
appeared. He kicked Hannah hard in the stomach and carried on walking to the till.
"Hannah!" Screamed Cat, sitting up to help her prostrate friend, who was coughing
and trying to breath.
"Silence!"
Cat looked up slowly. From the door, more burly men in leather and gas masks came
through the door slowly. More and more people on the floor were screaming now.
However, they soon quietened when the big men in the middle moved to reveal who had
commanded silence.
"Oh God." Whispered Cat. Earlier, She had joked to herself that she wasn't in Kansas
anymore. She mentally scratched that. She wasn't in reality anymore.
The same figure from the paper last night was stood before her. He was taller than
she had actually imagined. Much taller. This, coupled with the fact that he was painfully thin
and his once stylish suit was in tatters, gave this Burlap wearing freak the look of a...of a...
"Dr Crane please!" Screamed one woman from the floor, "I was a nurse at Arkham
when you were in charge, plea..."
"There is no Crane here" The figure sneered coldly, "only Scarecrow!"
Oh god oh god oh god oh god. Thought Cat, petrified. She had Hannah's head in her
lap and she was sat up, staring at a man who could as well be Leatherface, or Jigsaw. An
hour ago, she was thinking that this guy was a film character, and here he was, right in front
of her. What happened next gave her a heart attack.
He looked at her.
"Ah, someone who isn't afraid of me." He said, almost in a whisper. His voice was so
deep and low, Cat had to stop for a moment and think about what was said.
"I'm...wait what!"
Looking around desperately to see if he was talking about someone...anybody else, she saw
she was the only one sat up. Everybody else seemed to be curled up as small as they could,
and silent, as if waiting for something inevitable and terrible to happen. Plus, she reasoned
to herself, if she was looking right at him, it's easy to see how he thought she wasn't afraid.
"Perhaps I need to teach you all some respect to the all mighty God of fear." Crane,
or whoever he was laughed cruelly and threw out his hands. Before she could form a
sentence in her head to wonder what was going on, gas came out of his hands. The room
erupted in blood curdling screams and people began writhing around the floor:
"NOOOO! SPIDERS! GET THEM OFF ME!"
"DADDY, PLEASE. DON'T HURT ME!"
"WASPS! I DON'T WANT TO DIEE!"
Cat collapsed to the floor, she felt cold and weak. Looking up, she saw a group of people
surround her. She didn't need to think about who they were. Laura Cherry from year 9,
Danny Williams from her running club, a tall, well built dark haired teenager who went by
the name of Harry Tyler and a gaggle of girls, her housemates from her first year of
university. They suddenly descended on her like Vultures and she felt her entire body erupt
in pain.
"Freak"
"Nerd"
"Witch"
The insults went on and on like this, despite not physically attacking her, Cat was in so much
pain, coupled with a sound that drove fear into the very depths of her heart. Wasps buzzing.
She clamped her mouth down and suppressed a sob. Her eyes filled with tears. God! What
have I done to deserve this? She thought desperately. She shut her eyes, but still the insults
came. She partially opened her eyes, hoping they were gone, but to her horror, a figure was
standing directly over her. It looked like Laura Cherry, but the image kept going fuzzy so
that she could swear that Laura was wearing a burlap sack over her head. Cat did the only
thing she could think of with a girl she couldn't stand, even now. She punched her. Square in
the face.
"OWWWWW!"
Scarecrow had just been leaning over this small doll like figure of a girl, intentionally to
observe his handy work whilst the goons collected the money (such dirty work was below a
genius like him), but he soon became interested to see why this child was not rolling around
on the ground screaming like everyone else. If it hadn't been for the tensed up body and
the tears leaking from the shut eyes, he could have sworn she was dead. That changed
however, when she partially opened her eyes. To his delight, he saw fear in them. But
suddenly, they changed. They changed to something most peculiar. He had leaned in to get
a better look, when a fist had suddenly connected with his eye.
"OWWWW!" Screamed Jonathan within the confides of his mind. "What the hell? Why
the hell did you let that happen? I felt that too you know!"
"Quiet." Scarecrow snapped. He knew that was not meant to happen, he was going
to need to teach this girl a lesson, he did not need Jonathan pointing out the bloody
obvious.
"I see you have a little fight in you" The Scarecrow crooned, grabbing the front of
Cat's dress and pulling her towards him menacingly. "Usually, I admit, I like that. However,
right now, I think you need to be taught some respect to me." Before slamming her head
down onto the cold tiled floor with such force, it was a wonder Cat's Brain didn't spill out
onto the floor.
Scarecrow stood up, trying to ignore the sheer pain in his eye, and spat on her. "Foolish
child." He sneered, moving towards the vault unacosted to check progress.
Cat lay on the floor, seeing stars. The tormentors now had taken the form of men in
suits, all looking down on her, telling her she'd failed her degree, telling her she'd been
delusional going to the university she had, it was no place for a small town poor person like
herself. Cat was barely paying any attention to them though, the back of her head was
killing her and she felt dizzy. She leaned over to her side and vomited all over the floor.
"Oh god." She whispered weakly, "I want to go home. I want my mum!" weeping
weakly, she vaguely made out a tall black figure. He swooped across the room, almost as if
he was flying.
"Enough Crane." The figure growled. Jesus, Cat though, if I thought Scarecrow's voice
was low, it's normal compared to this guy!
"The buildings surrounded, I'm taking you and your scum in."
Scarecrow looked at Batman coolly. "Ah, Bat. Man. I see you came prepared this time. I
must say, gas masks really don't suit your costume. Get him boys."
Four of the burley henchmen lunged at the dark figure whilst the Scarecrow turned
round and commanded the rest to follow him. Cat put her head down on the floor, feeling
another wave of nausea come over her, the room was getting darker, god, she just wanted
to sleep!
"Scarecrow! We're surrounded!" Yelled one of the gas masked henchmen who had
been in the vault all this time.
Scarecrow did not look impressed.
"Do something about it then you fool." He snapped angrily. The man nodded.
Looking around quickly, he saw the shivering Cat by his feet, fighting to stay awake.
"You'll do." He said simply. Cat, feeling his bucket sized hand around the back of her
neck, began screaming. Batman looked up to see a young woman being dragged along with
the exiting Scarecrow and his goons by one henchman who by now, had put a gun to the
girl's temple.
"No!" He yelled, stepping forward to help her. The man drove the gun into Cat's
temple even more, threateningly.
"Try it Batman, and this pretty piece of ass gets her brains blown all over that wall
over there."
Cat whimpered at the thought of this. She could no longer see figures or made up
figures from her past, now, she could clearly see the guy who Hannah had described as
Batman. The room was still spinning and she still felt cold, but she looked at him pleadingly.
"Please...please help me." She croaked, the gas had made her lose her ability to
speak. She kept eye contact with this mysterious Dark Knight as she was dragged away.
Batman watched in horror as she was thrown into the back of a waiting van and it drove
away, all police outside not daring to shoot lest they harm the hostage. Batman stood there
shocked, brought back to reality sharply with Hannah's terrified screams.
"Oh my god! He got Cat! Please, oh god! Please help her!"
A/N: Whew! That was longer than I thought it would be! Ah well, did say that this was an epic lol. Please review! They're great to let me know what people think (and links me to all Scarecrow fan girls out there). How's Johnny gonna react when he sees that the hostage is the girl who rather unceremoniously punched him? (did giggle writing that bit) Hopefully, everyone was in character. Till next time folks xxx
