He hadn't been looking for them. He had been looking for the Joker. But there they were, seemingly asleep in front of a flickering TV. This was a golden opportunity.
"Hello, Bat-Man." Maybe not. "Can I help you with something?" He would just stay right here until he was sure Crane was unarmed. "If you give me a minute to wake her up, we can leave. As long as you don't break my glasses again." There was a chiding note in his voice. "You can come in, if you must."
He stepped into the doorway and stayed there. Crane was unarmed, as far as he could tell, but that didn't mean anything. He still remembered the toxin-laced watch.
"Well? There's no reason to knock us out this time. Are we going or not?"
"Do you want to go?"
"When has that mattered?" The TV turned to static and Crane turned it off. "What do you want?"
"The Joker."
"Sorry, I enjoy living."
"He took a girl."
"That's typical."
"He's poisoned her."
"Don't blame me, I've been here all afternoon."
Batman sorely considered shaking the man and thought better of it. He didn't have time to deal with this.
"Tell me where he is."
"Why on earth would I know? His plans change by the minute." The woman in his arms shifted and murmured his name. Batman froze. They hadn't booby-trapped this place, had they? It wasn't unlike them to rig up scythes and pressure pads. "As I said, I enjoy living."
"Crane…"
"There's nothing you can do. Threatening me isn't going to help you, and if you knock me out, I can't tell you anything." Dammit. "If you take me back to Arkham, they'll sedate me and you'll get nothing."
He knew, then. Or at least had an idea. The clock was ticking, he really didn't have time for this!
"You love her."
"Kitty? I'm fond of her, yes."
"What would you do if she was gone?"
That shut him up for several minutes.
"They might be on Avenue X." he said at last. "But that was the plan this morning."
Good enough.
As much as he loathed to do it, he had to give the man something.
"I'll be back." he growled. "Don't go anywhere."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
He was back within two hours, but there was no sign anyone had been there.
Well, almost no sign. A small item sat on the floor. A quick check said that it was safe to pick up. It was a prescription bottle with clear liquid in it. A note was taped to the lid, written in Crane's illegible scrawl.
One (1) dose of Joker Venom Antidote. Best results when taken intravenously. Side effects may include: vomiting, tremors, and hallucinations.
Below, in a heavier, messier scribble was another note.
Thank you for choosing Scarecrow Pharmacies. Please scream again.
The cheek! The absolute gall! How dare he suggest that Batman not have his own antidote! Never mind the fact that his antidote was probably outdated.
Fine. He would give them until tomorrow before starting his search. But he wouldn't have to like it.
AN: This refused to leave me alone until I wrote it down. Inspiration's funny like that.