Chapter 2
That following day, Marvin woke up right in the middle of the floor of his cell. After stretching his legs, he got up and walked to the door. A guard was standing with his back turned to the door.
"Hey," Mark said to him. The guard did not respond. He kicked the door, which immediately got the guard's attention.
"What do you want, freak?"
"Do you know what time it is?"
"Time for you to-"
"No, seriously, what's the time?" The guard sighed and looked at his watch.
"It is half past five in the afternoon. Why?"
"Alright, um . . . I know this is completely going against protocol, but is it possible for you and some guards to escort me to the nearest church? I have to repent." The guard raised an eyebrow and brought up his rifle a little bit toward the door.
"Trying to escape already, huh? Not going to happen, kid!" something shone in the light that caught Mark's eye. The guard was wearing a crucifix on a necklace.
"I see you are a follower of God as well. Then that means you believe that all have the chance for forgiveness. C'mon, give a man a chance. I am just asking you to try to get permission from the Warden. Hell, he can have twenty of you escort me there. " The guard was silent for a minute then he lowered his rifle and brought a hand onto his radio.
"Alright, alright. I can't promise anything thought. Warden Sharpe, Prisoner 00723, is requesting escort to the nearest church." His radio buzzed with Sharpe's voice.
"What?! Do not fall for that maniac's voice, Johnson! He's trying to-"
"He does not mind if you send a battalion of guards, Sir."
"Very well, then. Thirty guards will be down with you in ten minutes. Sharpe out."
"Roger that, Sir. Looks like you got your wish, kid. Now, I'm going to open this door, you hear? If you try to make a run for, I'm not thinking twice about shooting your damn legs off!" Johnson swipes the key card and the door swing open and flips the safety off of his rifle. Mark stepped out into the hall and just sits innocently on the floor. As Sharpe stated, thirty guards arrived in ten minutes. Aaron Cash, the head of Arkham security was among them. Johnson explains what is going on to the guards.
"Mark here says he wants to be forgiven at church."
"Oh he'll be forgiven . . . if we actually get there! I hear this kid almost put the Batman on ice last night!" A guard said as he slammed a fresh clip into his rifle. Some of the other guards agreed and did the same.
"Shut your mouth, Boles," shouted Cash. He looked at Mark and hauled him up onto his feet. "Let's go, kid."
It took about half an hour to get to a church. The guards were waiting outside in the cold while Cash, Johnson, and Mark entered the church. The Batman stood on the ledge of the building opposite of the church.
"He does not seem to be trying to make an escape attempt. So . . . Mark is the religious type." He thought. A few minutes passed and Mark exited the church and went back into the back of the car.
"Interesting. I should speak with him once they arrive back at the asylum." Batman did not waste in doing so. Marvin was back in his cell upon his arrival in the Intensive Care wing. Johnson was still at his post in front of Marvin's cell.
"Batman has arrived, opening the prisoner's cell door." Once Batman entered the cell, the door closed behind him. Marvin sat on the floor as he did the night before.
"I saw you at the church earlier tonight, Mark. Why didn't you try to escape? Judging from our fight last night, you could have easily taken down half the number of guards and made a run for it."
Mark just sighed. He was not in the mood to talk anyone, let alone the Batman. "Let's just cut to the chase for tonight. It was October 20th. It was about 1 o'clock in the morning and I was sneaking back into my house. I thought I was in the clear, but then the lights came on. It was my mother. She asked me where I was and I just told her I was at a party. When she heard 'party' she instantly flipped out. Remember I am, well 'was', a high school senior, so one would expect if one goes to a late night party, they would expect that individual indulged in drugs, alcohol, and sex. But did I do any of those things? Of course not! However, I was starting to look like well . . . just look at my face: deep bags under my eyes and long hair. I was just trying to have fun with my life. However that's not allowed for a genius, is it?!
That following day, I got home late, around six in the evening. My parents gave me cold stares when I got into the kitchen! They thought I was doing the same thing as the previous night, while in reality, I was doing my homework at the Gotham Library! And guess what they tried to impose onto me?! They wanted me to write out what I was doing and get the signatures of those who I was with! That is just fucking absurd! I plainly disagreed with them and they go 'This is for your own benefit!' and I told it's not."
Batman stood there, unmoved. "So why exactly did you murder your parents? This does give too much of a motive.
"Oh, as if you would know, Batman! You don't even know what it's like to be a teenager with parents!" Mark shouted in rage. Batman's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped. The vigilante stared at Mark.
"We're done for tonight." And he left without saying anything else.
