Chapter 1: Pleased That You Could Join Us
Darkness. Dizzying darkness. The girl had no idea how long she had been in this oblivion, all she knew was that it seemed to go on forever.
"What's going on? Where am I?" She thought hazily. Last thing she remembered, she had gotten off the bus and was fiddling with the keys to her flat, when it had suddenly gone dark. She was vaguely aware that she was on the floor, though for how long she had been there, she had no idea.
"Move. Wiggle your fingers." The girl willed herself, her eyes still closed (deciding that it would be better to keep her eyes shut in terror for what was going on). To her relief, she felt her fingers waggle. Good, she wasn't paralysed.
"Ok, that's good...now slowly open your eyes." She whispered to herself. Digging her fingernails into the floorboards around her, she braced herself for the worst and upon opening them slowly and easing herself up, she definitely got the worst.
The dim, flashing light bulb on the ceiling illuminated a large, dank, circular room. Easing herself to her feet slowly, she gasped at the sight before her.
Seven other girl were in the room as well. Some were still twitching on the ground. Some in the process of standing. Each wore a look of either extreme confusion, or sheer terror. All were screaming.
"What's going on?"
"Why am I here?"
One girl who was only just getting up looked around the room and began crying, shaking in paralysing fear. All the other girls ignored her, too caught up in their own panic to comfort someone too scared to get up off the ground. The girl standing up ran up to her and helped her up to the ground.
"It's ok, it's ok, don't panic! Shhh, you can't solve this panicking like this!" She soothed, hugging her. The girl's face was hidden by a mass of raven black hair and a thick fringe, but the girl heard her crying into her shoulder.
"I'm Chloe. What's yours?" Chloe asked gently, her training beginning to kick in. The black haired girl looked up, peering at Chloe confused over the top of her purple framed glasses. Her green eyes still brimming with tears.
"Lisa...Lisa Whedon." The girl whispered cautiously. Chloe smiled encouragingly.
"Nice to meet you Lisa. Do you think you can stand up properly?" Lisa straightened up slowly. She was much smaller than Chloe, though looked about the same age.
"You've done this before." Lisa whispered shakily, still clinging to Chloe's arm with hands clothed in brown leather gloves. Chloe smiled, was she really coming across as this calm? Jesus, underneath, she was screaming.
"No, just done a course in handling hostage situations." Chloe assured, her mind thinking back to the damn week she had wasted before going into Arkham on her internship (for all the good it had done her). She looked around to the rest of the girls who were in tears, about to ask anybody else if they were alright, when the TV on the wall, above the closed door flickered on. Everybody in the room screamed in terror, none more so than Chloe. On the screen was the one man in the world she never wanted to see ever again.
"Good evening ladies." The Scarecrow's ghastly image flashed up on the fuzzy screen. He surveyed the room slowly, seemingly drinking in the terror on the hostage's faces. Some of the girls sank to the floor in utter terror, others, like Chloe and Lisa gripped each other, frozen to the spot. Scarecrow chuckled from behind his mask.
"I see my reputation precedes me." He said silkily, thrilled at the fear he was still capable of enacting despite his recent change. One girl with curly blonde hair in a beige trench coat stepped forward.
"What the hell is this?" She screamed up at the screen, "Why have you done this you freak? " Scarecrow regarded her lazily, clearly not intimidated by the girl.
"Ah, Sofia Falcone." He announced smoothly, as if calling a patient for an interview. "I'm pleased that you could join us tonight."
"Cut the crap!" She screamed at the TV, "What are we doing here?"
"Miss Falcone." Scarecrow cut her off firmly, "Please do not confuse idiocy with bravery. To see the position you are currently in, I wouldn't gamble with your life, nor the lives of your peers by acting the fool."
Sofia Falcone opened her mouth to speak, but a girl in purple behind her, dark skinned and an afro brushed out impressively, stepped forward precariously.
"P...please? Please Sofia." She whispered, "Don't do anything to make him mad!" Sofia glanced mutinously at her fellow hostage, opening her mouth to say something, but Scarecrow cut her off.
"Rosie Turpin I presume?" He greeted. His voice was blank and monotone, but carried an undercurrent of hate that it caused all in the room to shrink back. Rosie nodded slowly.
"Good to see you again Dr. Crane." Rosie stuttered. It was clear the position they were in, and Chloe observed that Rosie was clearly avoiding angering Crane in an attempt to survive. She crossed her fingers, hopefully, Rosie's tactic would work. Scarecrow sneered coldly.
"I wouldn't say that in your position Rose, though for me personally, I am delighted that you could join us for tonight's events." Rosie's eyes widened in abject fear at the sound of this.
"And...what would be the...the event Crane?" She asked shakily, still trying to keep her cordial manner, but failed as it slipped to reveal her true fear. On the screen, the Scarecrow chuckled before it cut to another figure on the screen. Chloe frowned slightly, the man in the purple mask and green was unrecognisable to her. Indeed, out of the eight girls, all but two (including Rosie and a girl with very short blonde hair) stared blankly at the television. The green man smirked.
"Welcome ladies, to a very special night." He crooned to them charmingly, "Allow me to introduce myself to you properly after my colleague. Edward Nygma, Master of Riddles and the mind. However, on this auspicious of nights, I will simply say that it is my absolute pleasure to meet you and you may call me The Riddler."
Chloe looked to the screen with interest. Unlike Crane, this new man was well groomed, charming and appeared rather dapper. But like Crane, his voice carried an undercurrent of danger. He looked so familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Ladies, forgive me for being blunt, but you look nervous." The Riddler observed, smiling coldly, "Perhaps a little riddle will soothe you."
All the girls looked at each other uneasily. What was happening? The Riddler smiled serenely at their confused faces.
"What is the most precious thing in your life which you cannot live without?" He asked simply. All the girls gave up nervous side glances towards each other in favour of clear, confused gawks. Riddler chuckled happily.
"Come come girls, no need to be nervous, just answer honestly." He ordered, seemingly gently, but again there was that undercurrent. Chloe's eyes widened.
"Ah, the new Arkham intern!" The red headed man cheerily called as Chloe passed his glass screen. She turned to him slowly, smiling at him professionally.
"Good afternoon sir. How are you today?" She asked brightly, maintaining the professional detachment Dr. Arkham had cautioned her to use to the inmates
"Don't let them get under your skin." He had warned her, "Keep your distance. If Dr. Quinzel had listened, she may still be here."
"Ah, what a charming and well mannered intern you are." The red haired man was clearly impressed at Chloe's demeanour, "Much better than the last intern. He always put the taser on me whenever I tried to speak..."
"That's awful!" Chloe gasped, turning back to the mysterious red haired man. This Jonathan Crane could wait. The man smiled wearily.
"Just his way of claiming dominance over me, weak as he was." He shrugged. Regarding Chloe from the feet up. "He was too simple minded to even comprehend mentally the honour of receiving a conundrum from me. May I test you on one?"
"Ok then." Chloe smiled. This was harmless enough, besides, she liked brain teasers like this. Almost as much as her specialist subject anyway. The red haired man smiled.
"Wonderful." He cried out jovially, "Ok, what has five sides but is invisible to the human eye?"
Chloe pondered the riddle for a while. Could it be reality? No, he didn't seem the nihilistic type. She was about to give up, when she caught her reflection in the glass screen. Could it be?
"Five sides? Invisible? It's not a mime's glass box is it?" She asked carefully. The man beamed.
"Correct! Ah, a worthy opponent." He chuckled. He was impressed, clearly Chloe had thought outside the box. Chloe smiled happily, pleased at herself for getting the (admittedly random) answer. Then she remembered why she was in that god awful place.
"I'm sorry sir, I have to go, I have a designated meeting with one other prisoner. I can't miss it..."
"Quite understandable." He smiled, though looking quite disgruntled at losing his new sparring buddy to another, "I bid you good day." Chloe smiled.
"Hopefully Jonathan Crane will be as much fun as this." She joked to him, beginning to walk away. If she had looked back, she would have seen the man jump up worriedly.
"Jonathan Crane? Be careful child!" He called. Unfortunately for him, Chloe could no longer hear him.
So that man, that mysterious man who she never saw after that day...was the Riddler? Chloe blinked herself back to the present. On screen, the Riddler was beginning to get impatient.
"Anyone? Come on, it's a simple riddle." He growled threateningly. Sofia raised her chin bravely.
"Chocolate." She blurted out. The Riddler was not impressed.
"My cell phone?" Guessed Rosie. His lips began to thin.
"My boyfriend." Piped up Lisa bravely. Seeing him bare his teeth at her however, she soon shrunk back into the background.
"Oxygen?" The girl with short blonde hair suggested logically. His shoulders relaxed a bit.
"Close, but no." He snapped irritably. Suddenly, Chloe's mind began to whirl. She'd got it.
"Life." She almost yelled. It had to be that! The Riddler looked up in surprise.
"Yes." He said, not being able to quite believe that someone had gotten it. He was beginning to enjoy getting angry at the stupid people, "Your name child?" He inquired, causing Chloe to gulp.
"Chloe." She whispered, "Chloe Mandelson."
"Hmmm, well well done Miss Mandelson." He congratulated, "You are right. You cannot live without life, the question is, how much do you women value life?"
All the girls in the room began screaming again in hopeless fear. They were going to be butchered!
"Through that door." The Scarecrow announced, the screen cutting back to him, "Are your greatest fears and tasks designed to test you to the limits of human strength. You have five minutes to leave this room before it fills with poisonous gas. If you complete tonight, you may leave with your lives. If you fail...well...you can die knowing you helped assist with crucial psychological research." He sneered bitterly as the TV's cut off.
Screaming. The room erupted into uninhibited screaming as the realisation hit that this was real. There was no waking up from this dream in their beds, they had to fight, they had to learn fast. God knows what was behind the door below the TV.
Unexpectedly, the fire door swung open suddenly, causing all the girls to jump backwards. Despite Lisa being dressed in a thick red parka and brown leather gloves, she began to shake. Chloe shook to, but grabbed hold of her hand. It was her job to be a pillar of strength, she wasn't going to give up now.
"It's ok Leese." She tried to smile, but also shook, despite the black jacket she wore, "We'll do this together."
Remembering they had a time limit to get out, six of the girls screamed and stampeded though the small door, fighting each other desperately as to not be the last in. Chloe and Lisa waited patiently, following only when there was room.
In the dark they heard hissing. In the dark, they became aware something wasn't right. They all began choking.
"Gas!" Screamed Rosie hysterically. "Fear gas! God help us! God help us all." Before collapsing, choking on the fumes.
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