A/N: Wasn't in the mood to write Monday night, Flyers lost a really close game. 2 games down, let's hope they rally. Anyway, this chapter kinda took an unexpected turn near the end. It was something I was gonna write eventually but it felt more appropriate to do it now. 1...2...

Redux 1: The Watchman

Nothing to Fear...

Chapter Two:

June, 2007:

When I woke up the next morning, I found out what happened to Doctor Light after his failed attack on the JCRB. Apparently Dr. Arthur Light managed to escape police custody on route back to the station due to some outside help, the news reported. The two police van drivers and an escort guard were killed in what they described as a "gangland-like" style attack on the transport. It was pretty obvious someone, or even some group, didn't want Light going back to the police. Then again it was just as likely his rescuer prefered keeping the Titans in the dark, especially if they didn't want the doctor to reveal their identity. It was risky, no doubt about that, but whoever planned the breakout got his dividends, didn't he?

My morning consisted of basic medical research in a search for any clues as to why all of the Titans would suddenly start having similar nightmares. My inner-nerd wanted to blame it on Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Considering the nightmare creature had claws on his one hand, empty, lifeless eyes, and used chronic nightmares as a weapon, it almost seemed to fit perfectly. That is if Freddy wasn't a movie creation; whoever triggered this was certainly living in the real world. The dreams certainly scared Jinx enough if it brought a strong-willed woman like her to tears, that's something of an accomplishment had it not been so sick. There's only a handful of known supervillains on record that could influence people's dreams so I'd also need to look for the source, if it even was a man-made source. All I had to go on was Raven's theory that psychic influences weren't involved and Cyborg's report that no drugs were involved. What else could it be then?

There was always the possibility that the Desades were behind this. Perhaps they managed to discover my identity and had chosen to retaliate for what I did to those goons in North Jump. Granted it would be their first official attack on the Titans and, considering the threat, I doubt they'd risk it, but there'd always be a chance.


With a rolling grind, two metal doors open while two suited men shove Doctor Light into an omnious, blackened room. Before the master of illumination can protest, both doors slam tightly behind him. "There's no need to shove me in here like some animal, you mindless apes!" Light grumbles to himself at the lack of respect. Using his palm projectors to create some light, he enters the room, stopping at the end of an oak table. Across the other end of the table, however, is the misty form of a man unseen in the dark.

"That's close enough, Arthur. I'm in the middle of a something as we speak."

Shrugging his shoulders, the irritated Doctor feels he's being spoken down to by the man in the shadows. "Must be important if you're willing to lock yourself inside with the most brilliant mind in Jump City?"

If it weren't for the condesention in his voice, the soft chuckle in reply might almost be considered amusing. "Clever, doctor, I almost cracked a smile. If you must know, I'm working on a cure for your little problem. You do know which one I'm talking about, right?"

Beady eyes narrowing, Light tenses his fist as the revelation courses through his mind. "You told me you already had a cure. Now you're telling me you still haven't developed one yet?"

"Oh I've developed one, perhaps the best strain I've ever yet produced. However, how can I be expected to administer the cure if you're too busy being captured by the Teen Titans?"

With folded arms and eyes averting his partner in the room, Doctor Light scoffs aloud at the notion. "I wasn't captured, more like assaulted. I wasn't prepared for the situation."

"Tell me, Doctor, when they found you shivering oh-so terrified on the floor of that bank, did you happen to suffer a relapse of your addiction?"

Growl forming in his throat, Light shouts angrily into the darkness, ready to retaliate for this insult. "I didn't relapse, you son of a bitch! I don't need that horrible drug anymore and you know that! For your information, I was assaulted by a man wielding a gun and a blade!"

Pausing for a just a moment, it takes the mystery man a moment before he casually, sarcastically replies to the assertion. "Are you saying you were defeated by a mere man brandishing a gun and a knife? Really? Come now, Arthur, do you really expect me to believe you were mugged so easily? With all your energy manipulation abilities, taking down one off-duty security guard should've been easy even for the likes of you."

"He wasn't just some nightshift guard! I shot beam after beam at him only for him to disappear into the dark like that demonic bitch on the Titans! He'd vanish, sneak up behind me, and attack without me ever seeing it!"

Not quite as sarcastic as before, the situation appears to be more dire than previously believed. "So you were attacked by a living ghost, hmm? Sounds to me like White Rabbit's still embedded into your brain, doctor."

Swiping his hand through the air in dismissal, Doctor Light turns for the door to leave this wretched discussion. "Believe whatever you'd like but I can tell you that knife he held up to my eyes was pretty damn real! Not to mention his shotgun damaged one of my palm cannons as well! I doubt a drug relapse could do that, could it?"

"I can grant you that, it would take some effort to damage your suit's projectors. Do you have an idea as to who this mystery man might be?"

Punching his hand into his other hand, Doctor Light tries to recall the night's event. "I don't know for sure but something about his eyes struck a chord. They seemed so familiar, as though I've seen them before. I can't say where I've seen them but I know I've seen that look before. The last thing he told me was he'd be watching, whatever that means. Personally I think he's mentally unstable in my professional opinion."

"Leave the mental diagnosis to me, Dr. Light, I'm more qualified in those fields than you'd ever understand. In the meantime, worrying about your little mugger does nothing to advance our plans, he's of no importance. As for the present, we can't have the city's underworld discover our plans just yet. One that note, have you delivered my little welcoming gift as I had asked?"

"I dropped that off before I raided the bank." Quirking an eyebrow skyward, Doctor Light seems curious as to the meaning behind the package. "Who was it for anyway?"

"Nothing brings out fear in a father more than watching his daughter's mind collapse under the weight of her own fears. Granted we have a job to complete here in Jump City but, in the meantime, who says I can't have some fun while I'm here?"


Deep into the night, a very tired, very weary Starfire sits on the soft sheets of her oval bed with knees to her chin. Desperately she forces her eyes from drooping further but the fight to keep awake is hard, even for the alien princess. Her Mumbo Jumbo clock to her side reads 2:42 in the morning but the need to stay awake defies the bodies urge at sleep given such an early hour. "It is ok, everything will be fine. If I can just stay awake a little longer, Robin will find a way to fix us."

Softly the clock turns over to 2:43am, another moment Starfire must endure the call of sleep. However, the fear of what might happen again in her dreams gives her some motivation not to give in. Why does this have to happen? Who would be so cowardly to not face them face to face?

2:42

Surprised by the change of the clock, Starfire finds herself wondering at the odd sight on the table. "Was it not just 2:43?"

For a room filled with pink, it's suddenly becoming very gray, almost charcoal in hue. As her breath escapes her body, she's startled as the walls of the room give way to an ever-expanding graveyard. The ground is covered in burnt embers, almost like a sheen of gray ash. Beyond the bed appear rows of old and withered gravestones that appear worn down by age. Glancing upward, she recoils in fear as the ceiling gives way to a forest of black, twisted trees that reach into the night.

"What is this? No, not another dream!" The bed beneath her fades into oblivion, dropping her onto the ash-filled walkway separating the two sides of the graveyard. Chilling, bone-freezing wind blows through the cemetery, numbing the skin of the alien princess who shivers in the dead wind. "Where are you? I know you are out there!"

Whomever she intended to call doesn't reply back. Rather, it's a voice she hadn't expected in a million years. Raven's voice, so full of pain and misery, calls out first "Star... help us..."

"Raven? No, it cannot be. You are pretending to be her but I know you're not-"

"Star.. please.." Cyborg shouts next from the distance.

"He won't let us.. go..." Jinx afterward.

Shaking her head, Star shouts her demands to the creator of this dream. "Please, stop it! They are not in peril, you pretend to be them but you are not! Show yourself!"

The first sounds are faint at first but the metallic footsteps only increase with each step towards her. Only something metal or something mechanical could make that sound. From the darkness without end, a creature of grotesque features emerges. All as one, a creature possessing the legs of Cyborg, the torso of Jinx, Raven's arms, and finally Robin's face staggers into the graveyard. With a cruel, twisted ogre of shape, the horribly-patched creature tries in vain to right itself. The sight of the macabre chimera forces both of her hands to cover her mouth at the sight of this beast.

"Star.. he did this.. to us.. It hurts.. Oh God it hurts so bad.." Robin's voice speaks through pain-clenched teeth. Walking towards her, the thing reaches forward with it's ashen arms, calling out to her. Raven's voice begins "Join with us.." Jinx follows "You can stop this pain.." "Make us complete again.." Cyborg's voice harkens, body twitching as it grows nearer.

For the first time in a long time, tears begin to fall down Starfire's eyes. "What has he done to you my friends?" As the thing nears, she begs them to fight back. "Try to resist him, do not let him win!"

Stepping faster now, the form of her four friends begins to stagger with the increasing speed. As it nears, the visage of Robin's face begins to rot away, blood pouring down his chin with a gurgling sound, moaning for release. "Be... one with us..."

Barely five feet away, the combined voices of 4 of her dearest friends beckon her to abandon her singular form and merge with them all. Crying, she lifts her hands upward in warning "Do not make me do this. You are not well, do not force me to do this."

"Don't you... love us..?" the face of Robin asks, face bleeding away to the skull beneath.

With a cry of despair, she fires the beam through the chest of the abomination. All four Titans are shattered in a burst of solar energy, their parts fading into the air like the ash-strewn walkway. On her knees, Starfire is racked with sobs at the image of her friends slaughtered by her own hands.

"My my, little girl, did that hurt? You didn't really need to kill everyone you've ever loved, did you?"

Starfire's eyes, burning with tear-soaked anger, looks up to see a shadowy form emerge from the center of the walkway. Black cloak obscuring his entire body minus a hand of glowing needles and equally glowing, golden eyes, it would appear to be similiar to the angel of death himself. "Monster! How could you do this to my friends?"

Needles extending to the ground below, the shadow approaches, sickeningly scraping the metal needdles along the path. "They chose to live that way. Such a tight-knit group, they'll never be happy separated. I'd say I did them a favor, they'll never be alone ever again."

Hands forward, she unleashes a brutal attack of green energy, firing shot after shot at the spectre. Then again, each shot seems to be only an exercise in rage as the starbolts pass through the figure now laughing happily at her failure.

"If you're quite finished with your puny little attacks, I believe it's time I showed you what I'M capable of." Bringing the needles skyward, the ash-strewn yard blows up into the air with the force of a tornado. "Oh, and please do try to relax. I assure you, this won't hurt one.. little.. bit!"


Across the bay in downtown Jump City, another woman is facing a somewhat similar crisis of fear. Rose Desade, her red eyes wide with panic, walks through her family's penthouse with sweat pouring down her face. Her normally gorgeous black hair bends in a tangled mess, her hands recoiling from the heat as the walls of her home appear to be on fire. Either it's a hallucination from drugs or something far terrible.

"Dad!" she calls out although no one's there to hear her. The fire's too intense, too hot to go near. Like the hands of Satan, small tendrils of white-hot embers reach out for her from time to time, calling her name with demonic screams.

"ROSE!" one of them shouts, another following suit. "YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM US!"

"Get away, stay away from me!"

"YOU DON'T LIKE FIRE? WHY NOT? ISN'T IT SO ALIVE? SO FULL OF PASSION?"

Running from the hallway and into the kitchen, she stops for a moment to gaze at the vast city laid out before the penthouse window. 555 California, the mightiest tower in the city, looks like a giant spear of orange flame, the buildings around it mere embers next to the massive torch. Dragons breathe heat and flame all over the region, scorching the famous West Coast city with their hate. Alas from the Bay arises a great tornado of wind and flame, swirling and spiraling as it moves towards her.

"She was afraid of the flame, wasn't she?" The devilish voice of the fire beckons. "Are you just as afraid as her?"

"I'm not afraid of anything.. nothing.. did you hear me you goddamn freak, I'm not afraid of.."

Before her statement can be finished, the fiery demons start to part into rows while their voices join into a nightmarish chorus. "1...2.. Scarecrow's coming for you.."

Gaze torn away from the city of hell, Rose's own eyes grow wider at the sound of the famous song from the Nightmare movies. From the front door, walking through the inferno without fear, the tall hat and ragged clothes of Gotham's fear expert appear. The needles on his hand snap up and down, taunting. For Rose Desade, daughter of one of the most feared men in Jump City, this is truly a sight to behold. For all of her bravado and fear she inspires, the molding face of the Scarecrow makes the normally ruthless daughter of Desade cower like a mouse before a lion.


Two days passed after Robin warned me about their nightmares. Two long, restless nights of wondering just how to stop this monster before he started killing them all from their night terrors. Even if he wasn't a dream demon, the adrenaline could've killed them in their sleep. What was worse was the possible effects of not sleeping for longer than a day. Even if the city was still relatively calm since 2006, there was always a chance someone small-time could capitalize on their weakened state.

Dr. Light's attack on the JCRB worried me the most however. Working for someone else to kick the habit the Desades had introduced. He was blatantly goading the Titans to come and he was proud about it. That implies he was either a true idiot or a genius in league with the wrong people. One of the many topics discussed in the books Q gave me was the emphasis of wearing your opponent out before engaging them. The Titans, at their core, only react to crime, rarely prevent it. If someone like Light and whomever he was working for keep the Titans awake, unbalanced, and constantly running back and forth, sooner or later they'd be ripe for the kill.

To make things worse was the request by Question to visit Jump City Memorial. A woman, he told me, was just moved there for severe night terrors. For her safety, I couldn't refer to her whole name at the hospital. The first name was all I had to go on. The bastard...


For a normal human, the sterile, white walls and white floor of a hospital might be strong to say the least. For someone with enhanced senses, the overpowering scent of cleanliness everywhere is enough to make even Garfield Logan cringe, especially when said man doesn't have a choice to leave. If air fresheners come from the happy section of Raven's mind then perhaps the scent of antiseptic must reside deep within her demonic or so he'd joke. If only he had sunglasses, the shades would help keep the headache of the bright lights above from pounding out of his eyesockets. As Gar approaches room 713, the appearance of a pair of suited men reveals he's arrived at exactly the right place.

Standing in front of the pair of goons, Gar clears his throat once to catch their attention. "Hello, hi, I'm here to see Ms. Rose if that's alright?"

"You got a reason to be here, small-time?" One of the guards demands, his bass voice feels like thunder coming over the mountains. Normally the insult is figurative but, given his large size compared to Gar, it's definitely literal.

It's bad enough he's here to see a Desade, hearing attitude from one of their henchmen isn't helping his headache. "It's personal business, something I'd rather not talk about with the hired help."

"Well you ain't comin' in unless I say so. And guess what? You ain't comin' in here." Looking down from on high, the guard warns the former Titan with a look of utter seriousness. "So fuck off."

Gar, however, refuses to flinch, not after having many a month staring down a man without a face back in Hub City. "Ask her if she saw a man with needles for a hand and I'll bet she agrees I'm worth talking to."

The second man begins to crack his knuckles as the anticipation of a fight begins to crawl up his towering spine. "I don't really give a shit what you-"

"And make it snappy, I don't have all day." Gar cuts off the big man. Dumb muscle needs to move if shit's gonna get done.

To his surprise, the retort inspires the lead goon to stand upright once more, pausing before he replies. "If I go in there and find out you're full of shit, I'm gonna put you into one of these rooms myself. Got it short fry?"

"Tall order." Gesturing towards the door, Gar waits for the goon to enter the hospital room. As the man opens the door, Gar turns to the other guard and asks "So, how bout dem' Giants, huh? Think they'll take the Series this year?"

"Fuck off."

After a brief exchange between the guard and the occupant inside, Gar is given permission to enter. This still doesn't stop the guard from issuing one hell of an icy glare at the shorter crimefighter. "You got five minutes. Make it fast."


Inside the room, Gar softly closes the door behind him as not to alarm the patient inside. With his arrival, Rose Desade looks up to see who she has visiting at such an early time in the morning. At first she appears to be surprised before the look quickly changes into one of suspicion. "I haven't seen you before. Who are you?"

"Hi, my name's Garfield. I was told you came to JCM last night for night terrors, am I correct?" Might as well keep it business like, that glare of her's looks like it could kill Cinderblock.

"Night terrors? That's a fucking nice way of putting it." Her reply cuts as sharply as her namesake but her ruby eyes remain trained on him for the moment. "Did dad send you down here or something? You don't look like a doctor."

"I've been independently working on a case involving several Jump City residents who've reported case of similar night terrors." Pointing at a seat, Gar asks "May I?"

It's clear from the sarcasm in her voice that Gar was the last guy she'd been expecting to try and help her. "Knock yourself out."

It's best to get this over with on the quick, she doesn't appear to be in the best of moods, not that he could blame her. "These night terrors, have you had them for very long?"

Even now her glare doesn't let up "Last night was the first time I had one, didn't you hear? I'm not crazy if that's what you're getting at."

Raising a hand to reassure her, Gar continues. "I don't believe you are. Still, is anyone else aware of what this dream was about? It must've been pretty serious if you wound up here for the night?"

"My dad knows but he thinks I'm just overreacting. He says I wouldn't stop thrashing and screaming all night." Narrowing her already cold eyes at Gar, she ponders the nature of his investigation. "Why? Do your other patients have the same problem? Am I some sort of victim of a serial dream killer?"

"That depends on the nature of your dreams. Have you dreamt about a man with a glove of needles? If so then you might be the latest."

Maybe Rose didn't believe him before but judging from the way her glare has bent first intoo confusion then into something akin to shock, it's reasonable to say Gar's hit a chord. "It can't be. How would you know about him?"

Finally Gar's getting somewhere, enough for him to lean forward in his chair to establish eye contact geniunely. "My other patients have also been seeing him in their dreams. He manifests differently for each dream but it's still the same vision of a nightmare with a gloved hand full of needles."

"You're fucking serious, aren't you?" Rose leans forward, her surprised gaze seems to suggest a belief in his story. "How many other people?"

"A small number right now, too small to be considered a major threat. But if he's expanding to other people outside of their group, I'd say this could be getting worse. Did he happen to mention a name in these dreams?"

Turning her eyes from him, closed at the thought of that horrible, burned creature. Whispering the words, she answers with an ache in her heart. "Scarecrow. He called himself Scarecrow." Gar's green eyes narrow at the name, Robin's confirmation of a suspicion has revealed itself. The problem, however, is that even if he has a name, the culprit's motivations and location remain elusive. It's a sickening reminder to a scenario unleashed by Mr. TJ White some time ago. "He came to me in a vision of fire. And when I say fire, I mean EVERYING was on fire. Somehow he made the flames talk or maybe it just was him, I don't fucking know what he was doing. All I know is he wanted to do something to me, something bad, and I couldn't stop him. I was so goddamn weak and he lorded it over me the whole time, that bastard!" Rose stammers, the memory flooding back into her mind. Not a pleasant thing to be reminded of, that's for sure.

Unexpectedly, the door opens with a rush to reveal none other than Mr. Antoine Desade standing with a look of confusion on his aging face. Gar looks up, unaware of this man's identity, only to then stand up himself. "Who the hell are you?" Desade demands as he sees his daughter's fearful expression. Believing Gar's presence is inspiring her reaction is enough to make a man's blood boil.

"Someone who's trying to help your daughter, sir." Better diffuse this before some angry men break his face in. "She could be a valuable witness who could help me find the source for her night terrors."

"Oh, is that a fact?" Desade offers, calming down a bit at Gar's offer to help his daughter. "Well I personally don't know what's causing these nightmares but I'm sure there's nothing serious we should worry about, is there?"

Resolved to fix this problem, Gar assures the leader of the Desades of his intention to help her. Then again, unknown to Gar, this promise is to be made to the man he's made his sworn enemy. "I'll make sure we stop what's causing this, I promise."


A/N2: That's a lot to absorb in one chapter, huh? We get to see Light, S'crow, Starfire, Gar, Rose, AND Desade all in one pop! It seems Thorne might've unleashed something more potent than he expected. Still, is it a drug or is it something far more sinister? And could it be true that Scarecrow has bigger plans than just messing with a few young adults? I know you weren't expecting Gar and Desade to meet so unexpectedly nor so civil, admit it!

Trivia:
- The 4 Titans merging into one creature was a co-idea with John "Baptist" Reilly, one of the biggest inspirations for writing this series.
- Yes, Scarecrow has now mimicked the Freddy song.

Special: I knew Scarecrow had to do this kind of stuff from the moment I saw the Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) trailer. It was spiritually sealed for me when, while watching the new Freddy movie, a friend of mine (who has NO clue I'm doing this series at all), turns to me in the theatre and says "This is something Scarecrow would do." Fate, nothing but.