Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Batman Begins or any relating characters
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Layla felt like she was driving a very long time before she reached her destination - the address Maroni had given her, 212 Canal Road, deep inside the Narrows. She pulled up to a small, shabby-looking apartment building. Bums gathered around the nearby sidewalks, building fires and begging for change. The building itself unsettled Layla a bit, as it was quite intimidating with its large black front door, halfway off its hinges; it's many shattered windows; and the chipped bricks all over the exterior. She thought it looked about a hundred years old.
Layla stepped up to the front door hestitantly, bracing herself. It'd been nearly a year since she'd dealt with these criminal types, and she'd never before met Dr. Crane - she wasn't sure what to expect. Would he even see her? Would he immediately attack her with his toxin? She hoped not. She hadn't come here to be poisoned and then brought to the hospital for the antidote, where a number of people would likely be wondering where, exactly, she had been doused with such a drug.
Layla knocked once. There was no answer. She tried three more times, but still, nothing. She took a small breath and turned the doorknob, inviting herself inside. She found herself in the front room of the apartment, where an old staircase waited, leading up to a wooden door. She assumed Crane was in there, so she quietly made her way up the stairs, and knocked.
For a minute, no one answered. Layla was hoping her trip into the depths of the Narrows wasn't about to become fruitless - perhaps Maroni was only humoring her, and had given her a false address. She knocked once more as a test, and this time, a muscly man with dark black hair answered, wearing a pair of old jeans and a black shirt.
"Hello," said Layla calmly. The man did not yet open the door enough to allow her inside. "I need to speak to... Mr. Crane."
"Who's asking?" said the man gruffly.
"Call me Red," replied Layla. "Tell him I'm in need of a... doctor," she added sarcastically. The man nodded once, disappeared for a few minutes, and then returned, widening the doorway for Layla.
"Dr. Crane said he'd be delighted to see you, he doesn't get much company out here," said the man, leading her down the corridor. Layla didn't like at all the way he'd said the word "delighted", but she tried not to think about it as they reached another brown door. There was a small window looking inside, but it had the type of glass that you couldn't see through. The large man who had escorted her unlocked the brown door, shoved Layla roughly inside, and then closed the door quickly behind her. Layla stood still for a moment, observing the room - there was a number of pill bottles piled on top of tables, as were some instruments she didn't recognize. The most unsettling thing about the room, however, was the several large canisters of what she assumed was Crane's redefined toxin. Layla took in the sight for another few seconds, before turning to face the large mahagony desk in the middle of the room, where a man dressed in a disheveled black suit sat with a small, intrigued smile on his face. Next to him was a scarecrow mask.
"Welcome to my office, Miss... Red," said Crane, briefly raising his eyebrows. "I've been told you're in need of a doctor."
Layla sat in the seat in front of Crane's desk quickly, willing herself to show very little fear, as Crane thrived off that sort of thing like a parasite. She rested her hands on the desk. "How was your time at Arkham, Mr. Crane?"
"I prefer Doctor."
"Doctor, then," corrected Layla. "And your time at Arkham?"
"Useless and disappointing," answered Crane robotically, as though he'd already answered the question over and over again. "But I'm betting, Miss Red, that's not all you've come to talk to me about. A girl like you wouldn't come just for that, would she?" he challenged.
"You're right."
"Are you afraid of the Narrows, Miss Red?" interrupted Crane suddenly.
Layla considered his question, then exhaled. "I used to be afraid of the dark, Mister Crane-"
"Doctor."
"-I used to be afraid of the dark, Doctor Crane," repeated Layla.
Crane leaned forward again, looking deeply interested. "And how did you get over it?"
"I started sleeping with the lights off," answered Layla simply. "I've learned over time that the quickest way to conquer your fears is by facing them."
"Interesting," said Crane with a smirk. "Tell me more," he added, not questioning, but demanding.
"I spent four months living on the streets of the Narrows, Doctor Crane."
"Four months?" asked Crane with mock horror.
Layla glared for a moment, but recomposed herself quickly. "Yes, Doctor Crane, four months." She paused to take a breath. "They were the most terrifying four months of my life. I was beaten, robbed, and raped. Men stole from me what I'd stolen for myself. There was no fairness in the Narrrows, no justice. The same as all of Gotham, I suppose." She took another breath. "I'm not afraid of the Narrows anymore, I just resent them."
"I see," said Crane. Layla noticed he was beginning to look quite bored. He'd also removed his glasses and rested his hand nearer to his scarecrow mask, which unnerved her.
"Yes... You aren't planning on poisoning me before I've finished talking, are you, Doctor Crane?" she asked, bluntly confronting him. "That wouldn't be a very professional thing to do, would it?"
Crane hesitated, impressed at the way she'd been so upfront. He rested his hand on his mask, pulling it toward him.
"That's very observant of you, Miss Red," he said calmly, now glancing at the clock. "I'll give you three minutes. Impress me."
Layla stared directly at the clock for a moment, then back at Crane, who was looking at her with an eager smile. "I'll just cut to the chase then," she said hurridly, "I want the same thing that you do, Doctor Crane."
Crane seemed intrigued. "And what might that be?"
"Gotham, at it's knees," answered Layla seriously. "And do you know what brings people to their knees, Doctor Crane?"
"Fear," answered Crane instantly.
"Exactly," said Layla with a small smile. "Fear. I'm pretty good at stealing, Doctor Crane. I know my way with a gun, too," she explained, "but manipulating the mind, harnessing the power of fear... I've heard you are very good at that."
Crane smirked again, looking both pleased and complimented. "Who sent you here, Miss Red?" he asked.
"Mr. Maroni gave me your address," Layla admitted, "but I sent myself here."
"So what exactly are you asking me to do?"
"I need your help," said Layla. "I need your talents. Your toxin. Scarecrow." She hesitated, considering her next choice of words. "I want - I want us to bring Gotham down."
"I want all those things too, Miss Red," agreed Crane, "but what, might I ask, should stop me from gassing you right now and achieving those things on my own?"
Layla had considered being asked this question before, and was prepared with an answer. "I have sources, Doctor Crane. I can find information on the Batman, and believe me, once we've taken him down, this whole thing would get going much more quickly."
Layla wasn't supposed to know, strictly speaking, that Bruce Wayne was actually Batman. She'd simply spent a large amount of her time snooping around the Pent House, and stumbled across some interesting devices - such as the bat-shaped metal knives that batman often used against his enemies. She wasn't completely positive, however, until one night Bruce came stumbling into the Penthouse after a rough night, half-stunned by some sort of weapon and still completely clothed in his batman attire. She was supposed to be fast asleep on the couch, but she'd woken up at the time. She never told Bruce about her discovery.
Crane was seriously interested now. He was scrutinizing Layla's face, as though trying to look through her mask. "Who are you, Miss Red?"
"I have a mask for a reason, Doctor Crane." Layla paused. "As do you."
"Fair enough," agreed Crane. "You find information on Batman and deliver it to me. In the meantime, I'll be fine-tuning my drug-"
"Speaking of which," interrupted Layla, cautious to ask her next question, "Mr. Maroni gave me your address on the condition that I get some toxin from you...so..." She stopped, waiting for a reply.
Crane furrowed his eyebrows, looking irritated now. "We'll discuss that later," he answered, replacing his glasses on his face. "We'll be in touch, as soon as my fear toxin is finished... I'll find you," he continued, reaching out his hand.
Layla shook his hand eagerly, genuinely smiling now. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Doctor Crane."
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