At two AM, Oswald Cobblepot excused himself from his hosting duties and strutted up the stairs which lead to his private offices, just above the main floor of the Iceberg Lounge. As he stepped through his door, he allowed himself a smile- it had been a profitable evening for him. The club had been full all night long, with patrons buying drinks and food. Moreover, he had been informed by some of his men that his more…unorthodox enterprises would soon yield handsome profits. A shipment of luxury cars was even now being secretly offloaded onto the Gotham docks, along with a number of beautiful girls from the Third World, headed for an uptown escort service.
Entering the luxurious office, with its thick green carpet and wide mahogany desk, the former super villain chuckled. He was making more money as a 'legitimate businessman' than he ever had as the Penguin. As he hefted his bulk into the leather chair which sat just in front of his large window, Cobblepot reached down and opened the hidden safe that rested just beneath his desk and withdrew a small brown ledger. Taking a fountain pen from its holder he wrote down the evenings illegal doings in his own private code. "C is bringing eggs to roost, while H feathers the nest". He was quite proud of that code because it was vague enough that even if it were deciphered it was unlikely to be used as evidence. Of course, he had to write things down somewhere- no one could keep a widespread enterprise in his own head.
Putting the ledger back in its place, he reached across the desk to replace his pen… and noticed a familiar shadow on the wall. With a squawk, Cobblepot threw himself from his chair just as the window behind his desk was smashed by Batman. The Dark Knight seized the shorter man by the front of his shirt and hurled him against the far wall of his office. The Penguin winced as he struck the wall, instinctively grasping for some means of defending himself. Before he could reach a nearby umbrella stand, however, his wrist was caught in an iron grip.
"Don't." Batman growled, his mask inches away from Cobblepot's nose.
"What do you want?" the pudgy crimelord asked, trying to regain his composure. He was too experienced a Rogue to be quivering with fear at the appearance of the Bat, but he was still somewhat ruffled.
"I want information, Cobblepot. Where's the Scarecrow?" Batman asked, releasing his hold on Cobblepot.
"Direct your inquiries to Dorothy" the Penguin huffed, straightening his formal shirt "or perhaps the Cowardly Lion. I run a reputable establishment, Batman- unless you have proof of malfeasance on my part, I suggest you depart."
Batman slammed the Penguin against the wall once more, this time actually lifting the smaller man off the ground with one hand. "Don't lie to me Cobblepot- I'm not the police, I don't need evidence before I punish you. I know that Jonathan Crane was in here a few weeks ago, and I know that you keep track of everything of importance that's said in this club. Now, where did he go?"
Cobblepot swallowed loudly and started talking.
On the rooftop across from Cobblepot's office, Robin gave a deep sigh. Finally, it appeared they were making headway. He and Batman had spent the night waiting for the Penguin to come up to his office, the one place in the entire club where he would be alone and thus could be interrogated safely. Robin understood why they had had to wait- they couldn't exactly burst into the middle of the Iceberg's dance floor and start roughing up the owner. But the wait had been hard to take. Stakeouts were few and far between in Jump City and Robin had nearly lost the knack of staying totally still for hours at a time.
It didn't help matters that the only role he could play the part of a spectator in the night's proceedings. When the Titans had formally been formed, they had decided that they needed to get police approval in order to create a good working relationship with city officials. This provided a number of important benefits to the team, most significant of which was their official status as protectors of the city and the right to make their own arrests. However, it also came with a significant downside- Robin, like all of his teammates was now officially subject to many of the same restrictions as police officers including the possibility of legal reprisals for brutality. While the Penguin could hardly press charges against batman for violating his civil liberties, he could do so against Robin- therefore, Robin had been ordered to stand lookout.
Out of the corner of his eye, the Boy Wonder spotted three of Cobblepots thugs sneaking towards the back entrance of the club. Doubtless, the pair had heard the noises emanating from their employer's office and had decided to investigate. Firing off a grappling line, Robin leapt happily from his perch and swung down to street level. Just before he landed, he released his hold on the line and landed on top of one of the goons, sending the larger man to the ground. At the sound of the impact, the remaining thugs Robin delivered a vicious stomp to the prone man's face- enough to knock him out without killing him- before executing a flawless flip over the shoulders of the remaining two. Crouching down, Robin swept out with one leg, tripping a second thug and sending him down. Robin then performed a perfect handspring into the air, launching a crescent kick directly at the head of the final goon, who was driven into the wall.
Robin took a deep breath and surveyed the scene- inside of ten seconds he had disposed of three experienced goons. Admittedly, he had had the element of surprise, but it was still a notable achievement. As he made his way back up to his position he saw that Batman was already there. When he got there, the Dark Knight turned to him and nodded.
"I saw your work on those three" Batman said, his voice as neutral as ever. "You did well. Clearly your training regimen is working."
Robin smiled broadly, enjoying one of his mentor's rare compliments. It was nice to know that even after the debacle of losing a team mate, he still had Batman's respect. "So what did Cobblepot have to say?"
"Scarecrow hasn't been seen in the city in over a month" Batman said "The last time anyone saw him was at the Iceberg- Crane spent more than normal, and Cobblepot suspected he had come into money somehow. During the night, he was seen speaking to three people: Killer Croc, Mister Freeze and the Riddler. Each conversation lasted more than five minutes, which means any or all of those three might give us a clue as to where Crane is hiding out."
Robin nodded, but his smile faded. "Something about this doesn't feel right. Crane's always been a loner. So why was he suddenly such a chatterbox that night? Is it possible Penguin is setting us up?"
Batman nodded. "Cobblepot is a tricky bird; with him, deception is always a possibility. However, we have nothing better to go on so we'll treat this information as genuine. Let's head back to the manor and inform your teammates."
Back at the manor, the entire group was once more gathered in the dining room, for a combination breakfast and briefing. As always, the food was superb- eggs Florentine, fresh orange juice, toast, jam, milk, and fresh baked muffins. The assembled heroes ate heartily, ravenous after a long night's work. Each gave their report- Raven summarized her encounter with Jason Blood though she withheld some facts as being too personal to be shared just then. Cassie and Starfire each reported a quiet night- Batgirl had apprehended a would-be rapist, while Starfire had surprised a cat burglar, causing the man to fall two stories into a full dumpster. Cyborg had driven through the seedier parts of Gotham (that is to say nine tenths of the city) in search of some sign of Crane but found nothing. Finally, Bruce stood up.
"During my interrogation of Oswald Cobblepot" he said "I learned of three people who may have an idea of where Crane is hiding. One is Waylon Jones, alias Killer Croc- a former wrestler turned criminal with superhuman strength and cannibalistic tendencies. Second is Victor Fries alias Mister Freeze- a former scientist who uses a suit of powered armor and a freeze ray to spread misery. Finally, Edward Nygma also known as the Riddler- a megalomaniac with a compulsion to prove his intellectual superiority by leaving clues to his next crime. Crane had extended conversations with all of three and so we have to find and question them all. Unfortunately, we can't tackle them one at a time- aside from the fact that this would take weeks, it would almost certainly alert our targets and give them time to flee or fortify their lairs. Therefore, I will split us into three teams each tasked with searching for one of the three.
Cyborg and Starfire will search for Killer Croc since you two stand the best chance against him in straight combat. Raven and Batgirl will be looking for Mister Freeze. Robin and I will hunt for the Riddler- his puzzles and deathtraps can be lethal for those not used to solving them. Nightwing, I want you to maintain a regular patrol across the city."
Dick nodded "Gotcha. Throw the fear of Grayson into Gotham."
Bruce didn't respond- he was used to his oldest "son" and his sense of "humor". "While you hunt, don't be afraid to split up if you feel you need to- you're all experienced superheroes and I trust you can handle your targets. However, should you encounter Scarecrow do NOT attempt to engage him on his own- despite appearances, Scarecrow is more dangerous than any of these three."
Starfire raised her hand. "Are you certain of this? How dangerous can this Scarecrow be?"
Before Bruce could answer, Barbara slammed her cup down on the table, and turned to glared at the alien girl. "How dangerous can he be?! You stupid, stupid girl! Didn't you learn ANYTHING from your battles with the Joker?! Didn't the fact that he was able to kidnap your team mate without difficulty clue you in?! Or are you so arrogant you think you'll be able to do easily what we mere Earthlings have to struggle and fight to do?!"
Starfire shook her head violently and cringed away from the suddenly frightening woman. She looked to her team mates- Cyborg looked as frightened as she felt, Raven was glaring at the older woman while Tim and Cassie stared in shock. Salvation came, oddly, from her host.
"Starfire" Bruce asked looking at her "Were you suggesting that Crane was not as dangerous as our precautions seem to indicate? Or were you genuinely asking me how dangerous I feel him to be?"
"Th-the second" Starfire replied. "I have never heard of this villain before a-and I wished to know what to expect"
"All right." Bruce replied calmly, throwing a glance at Barbara Gordon. The redheaded woman grimaced and turned away. "Starfire I want you to close your eyes and imagine the worst thing that has ever happened to you"
Starfire obeyed and cast her mind back to her worst memory- her time in the Psions labs.
"Can you picture it?" Bruce asked.
The gleam of the lights on polished white surfaces. The contrast of gleaming metal instruments and her own bright green blood. The feel of massive quantities of solar radiation burning away the topmost portion of her skin. The howls of pain, terror and misery echoing from the other chambers of the ship… Starfire shivered. "Yes. I picture it clearly" she said quietly.
"Good" Bruce said "It will be exactly as bad as that. Crane's fear gas makes your worst nightmares and darkest memories horrifyingly real. You become trapped in a terrifying fantasy world. This is bad enough in most cases, but imagine the havoc one or more super powered beings would wreak while in a drug-induced psychotic episode. That is why I don't want anyone going after him alone."
"I see." Starfire turned to Barbara She knew that the older woman was highly respected by the Bat Family and had no desire to antagonize her. "Please accept my apologies for my lack of clarity."
"No, Star." Tim broke in, glaring at Barbara "You have nothing to apologize for. Babs what the HELL was that about? You and Dick have been acting hostile to Starfire ever since you met her, and I think we BOTH deserve an explanation."
Before Barbara could respond, Dick stood up. "You're right, Tim. You do. But right now isn't the time- we're all tired and emotional. Let's meet in the library tomorrow at four PM. We'll have a long talk and clear the air."
Tim growled. Every instinct told him to refuse, to demand that the issue be settled now. However, deep down he knew Dick was right. His mind was heavy with fatigue and he knew that in his current state the already delicate situation would be a lot touchier. He nodded.
"On that note" Alfred said, his voice as calm as ever "I believe you should all hurry off to bed. I shall awaken you in eight hours. Sleep well."
A/N
No, this is NOT Barbara just being a bitch, as you'll see in the next chapter. Please don't bash the character.
I know that I cheated a little on the background for the three Rogues- even Croc has more to him. But honestly, I don't think Batman would be giving an in-depth bio at this point. And yeah, I honestly think Scarecrow is more dangerous than these three- not because they suck but because Crane is just scary (no pun intended).
Thanks to everyone for their condolences. You all rock. It's nice to know that the internet has good people on it, as well as 4Chan.
