Chapter 4
I'm not going to excuse the tardiness of this chapter. I will apologize for it, but I won't make any excuse for it, especially since I uploaded other stories that have taken similar lengthy times to upload.
Master Skywalker 121- Eh, I might do them. Maybe after Black Mask and his arc. And in a Sequel if I'm feeling it.
Janeaanderson- You'll see
Highlander348- A small cameo here and a major next chapter
Guest- Yes, you will.
She may.
As for Ethan and Ellen…eh, who knows.
Episode 4- Scarecrow
Arkham Asylum
Doctor Crane was silently contemplating to himself as he got ready for his next patient. One that he was eager to experiment on. He then placed a hand on his face, feeling the fake skin on it. How long has it been since his mauling? Three years? Four? No matter, on that very day, his life had completely changed. Perhaps to the better. Smiling in content as an orderly brought out Killer Croc, completely restrained and muzzled to prevent escape or injury to Crane. Thanking the orderly, Crane looked at the mutated crocodile, who looked back with disinterest.
"New blood, huh?" Croc asked in amusement. "Think you can do better than the last few doctors they sent me?"
"Oh, I believe so." Crane said as he brought out a syringe. "But it won't be as what you believe it to be." He then walked to Croc, who frowned at the man's words. "Consider this payback for what you did to me, Croc." Raising an eyebrow, Croc scoffed.
"Refresh my memory." Croc said as he sniffed the air. "Who are you and what did I do to you?" Crane just stayed silent as he swiftly injected Croc with the contents of the syringe.
"It's Johnathan Crane, Mr. Croc." Crane said as Killer Croc started to feel the effects of Crane's newest formula. "The same person you maimed so long ago." Widened his eyes in shock, Croc then screamed out in fear as the formula started to take its course.
Few days later
Jewelry store
In an extremely expensive and classy jewelry store, where only the elite can shop, a certain cat burglar was at work stealing a highly valuable cat statue made of gold with sapphires for eyes. She expertly cut a hole through the glass container while avoiding all the laser wires surrounding the statue's case. After carefully placing the cut glass away, she grabbed the statue and replaced it with a fake replica. After getting away from jewelry store without tripping any alarms, the cat burglar ran down the roofs of various buildings to her apartment. However, just after jumping and landed on her feet on a roof, she spotted, to her excitement, the batman, staring at her with expressionless eyes. Placing a clawed hand on her hips, Catwoman let out a smirk.
"Couldn't stay away from me, huh, handsome." Catwoman teased as she looked at him with seductive eyes.
"Hand over the stolen item, Catwoman." Batman said, slightly amused at her attempt on seduction, before bringing out his hand. Catwoman just turned her smirk into a big smile at that.
"Tempting." Catwoman said, putting a clawed finger over her lips. "But a chase is even more tempting!" She then jumped down to another building and began to run away. Batman then gave chase, feeling amusement at Catwoman's attempt to lengthen their confrontation. Just like the last few times. He didn't know why, but Catwoman has been recently just stealing jewelry and other priceless materials and then just gave them to him after a chase and sometimes a fight. Perhaps she's doing it for the thrill? Either way, Batman was both, amused and annoyed by this. After a short chase, and a few flirtation remarks here and there, Catwoman eventually relented and threw the stolen item to Batman, who caught it with ease.
"See you next time, handsome. Let's actually spar a bit next time." She then took off with a seductive wink, making Batman smirk in amusement. He then went back to the jewelry store, placed the object back, before getting on his car and taking off. He was driving back to the Batcave when Alfred suddenly called.
"What is it, Alfred?" Batman asked as he drove.
"Sir, while I don't mean to intrude in your usual confrontation with Catwoman, I'm afraid that something just came up that may require your attention." Alfred said with some urgency. Raising an eyebrow, Batman then floored it to get to the Batcave as quickly as he could. Upon arriving to the Batcave, he took of his cowl and walked to his super computer, where Alfred was serving his dinner.
"What's the situation?" Bruce asked as he sat near his computer before drinking a cup of tea Alfred prepared.
"Well, it's Killer Croc, sir." Alfred said with some concern. "It's terrible really. Poor sap lost his mind." Curious, Batman brought up a recent news report concerning Killer Croc. Frowning in thought, he read how Killer Croc had broken down in fear as he was being escorted to his doctor. He managed to kill several orderlies before being restrained.
"That's off." Bruce said as he looked at several other reports regarding similar cases. All of them recent. "What happened?"
"I quite don't know, sir." Alfred said as he too looked at the reports. "Arkham has never experienced something like this. Though some of the inmates are somewhat insane, they've never reacted like this before." Bruce just hummed to himself as he tried to connect the dots with these patients.
"Most had the same doctor." Bruce thought as he saw that most of the inmates that went insane with fear had the same doctor. "Dr. Johnathan Crane." He then brought out his file. "Hmm…went to Gotham University and became a teacher on psychology. Eventually left after a serious accident involving a crocodile, a big one."
"Killer Croc?" Suggested Alfred as he rose an eyebrow.
"Maybe." Bruce said as he went into thought again. "He was also the doctor Killer Croc was last with before he suffered his mental breakdown. Hmm…I wonder." Deciding to get his answers from the man himself later, Bruce put on his cowl again before going to his Batmobile, having to finish his patrol for the night. He'll deal with Crane later. "Look up anything related to Doctor Crane, Alfred. And make sure Barbara and Dick are safe here."
"I understand, sir, but wouldn't you want them in this case as well?" Alfred asked as he walked alongside Bruce.
"It'll just be meeting with Crane. Besides, they're both in bed already. They'll need it for tomorrow's patrol as well as school."
"As should you, sir." Alfred said, but Batman just shrugged it off before driving away.
Arkham asylum
Johnathan Crane was currently taking notes on his journal, all about his latest formula, all the while speaking on the phone.
"Effectiveness is greater than I originally anticipated." Crane said out loud as he wrote down some notes. "May need to stop, however, the warden is starting to be suspicious. Experiments will be able to safely resume after a week." The person on the other end said something that made Crane frown. "Please, understand. This is a delicate process. Even the tiniest of mistakes can ruin my formulas. Rest assured, you'll have the gas when you commit your heist. That is, if Batman and his compatriots don't ruin my plans." With that, Crane ended the call. Humming to himself, he decided it was time to do some more experiments on his formula. This time on animals. He needed to see if the latest batch can at least infect animals, as a form of test. If all goes well, then his associate will be unstoppable.
The next day
Morning
Dick was eating his cereal quietly while Barbara was just stabbing her eggs with a dull look. It's been like this for the past few days ever since Gordon's near-death experience. She's been having unusually quiet and having sleep issues. More than once, Alfred and him had seen her in near tears and was noticing that she was getting quick to anger around everyone. Dick tried to start conversations with her, but she either brushed them off or yelled at him when it wasn't concerning their lives as super heroes, resulting in him staying quiet around her. Thinking it was a good time to start again, Dick began a conversation.
"So, when are you willing to go on patrol?" Dick said as he ate his cereal. This would be the first time in a while for Barbara to join them on patrols as Bruce had given her a small break to help her cope with Jim's near death. Barbara just looked at him with sleep deprived eyes before speaking.
"Just the same old, same old." Barbara said. "Just hope we catch Dead Shot while on them."
"Uh-huh. What will you do with him?" Dick asked, wondering what Barbara will do. He then got nervous at seeing her expression darken. Before either of them could speak, Bruce came up to them. After saying good morning to them and vice versa, Bruce went to the fridge.
"You're having a good time here, Barbara?" Bruce aske as he got out some orange juice.
"I guess. Seems too spacious for me really. I'll get used to it, though." Bruce just nodded as he poured himself a glass.
"Alfred will take you to school soon along with Dick. I got company business to attend to." Nodding their heads at that, the two wards went back to their breakfast before getting ready to go to school, which Alfred was ready to take them to. Once they left, Bruce went into his Batcave where he can start his research on Crane. Once he was at his supercomputer, he tried to find some information on Crane, starting with what information Alfred gathered on Crane. Reading through the information, Bruce went into thought.
"Mostly clean." Bruce thought as he read the file. "Aside from a few missing pieces of information, he seems like an ordinary person. Graduated from a prestigious school in Gotham and has good credentials as a psychologist and a teacher." He then started to tap his head in thought. Later, Alfred arrived, having dropped of Dick and Barbara at their respectful schools, to bring Bruce some refreshments.
"Good afternoon, sir. Might I interest you in some scones and tea?" Alfred asked as he carried a plate of said items to Bruce.
"No thanks." Bruce said as he browsed through all information about Crane. "Got to solve this case."
"Then, have you found anything of use, sir?" Alfred asked as he placed the plate somewhere safe.
"Not really. He's mostly clean." Bruce said as he skimmed through the information. "Other than some minor offenses, he's fine." He then held his chin. "I just need to dig deeper." He then went on with looking through all information on Crane. He was nearly done with looking through Crane's job career when he saw something that caught his eye. It was the incident involving the crocodile. "Well, this is interesting." He then looked through an article about an accident involving Crane and a giant crocodile. The thing was old, over ten years ago and was enclosed in some ancient security walls. Someone didn't want anyone to see this. "According to this, Crane's unfortunate accident involving an abnormally large crocodile. One that can move on two legs." Upon hearing that, Alfred put two and two together.
"If it's Killer Croc, do you believe this encounter with Killer Croc had changed him, sir? Enough for him to seek revenge?"
"Hmm…it's possible." Said Bruce as he rubbed his eyes. "That incident happened sometime before he disappeared off the radar." He then got up. "I'll need some more information on him though. Alfred, stay here and gather any other information on Crane. I need to speak to the man himself. See if he's innocent or not."
Arkham Asylum
Few hours later
"Mr. Crane, I'll say it again." Said Ethan as he stared down at Doctor Crane. "For the past few weeks, most of your patients have suffered varying degrees of hallucinations and mental breakdowns, the worst being Killer Croc, the first patient of yours to suffer these, can you please explain to us why these are happening?"
"Why, officers, I have honestly no idea why this is happening to both my and the other doctors' patients." Lied Crane. "Let me assure you, that we're looking into the matter as best we can. We're looking into the medicine we give our patients. That may be the answers in which we're all seeking. However, I honestly don't know anything beyond that. Believe me." Seeing that they were getting nowhere, Ethan just sighed before motioning Yin to leave. As they walked down the hallway they spotted Bruce coming down as well.
"I'll be damned, Bruce." Said Ethan with a smile as he shook his friend's hand. "What brings you down here?"
"What? Can't a wealthy billionaire visit a friend every now and then?" Asked Bruce, putting up his public persona.
"Well, would be a nice in a normal day, but there's a big problem now." Said Yin. "Arkham is having some problems with it's inmates. Some of them are suffering mental breakdowns and severe hallucinations."
"Yeah, I heard." Said Bruce, getting serious. "How bad?"
"Well." Started Ethan before pulling out a folder. "The cases go from minor to severe. Patterns are random as some minor inmates have gotten severe mental breakdowns while some major have gotten some minor ones."
"Any link to the doctors in charge of these inmates?" Asked Bruce. "I heard that most of the patients were with Crane before they went crazy?"
"Well, he is a suspect." Said Ethan, rubbing his chin. "But he's got no motivation for doing anything against the inmates. There's no history between him and then."
"Except possibly Croc." Thought Bruce.
"Still, we're keeping an eye on him. The fact that most of the inmates went insane under his watch leaves him under some suspicion." Said Ethan.
"Well, I hope that you'd catch whoever did this. Now if you excuse me, I have a meeting to attend." With that, Bruce left the two detectives alone. As soon as they were out of sight, Bruce went into Crane's office.
"Ah, Bruce Wayne." Said Crane upon seeing the CEO in his office, genuine surprise in his voice. "What a surprise to see you here in my office."
"Well, I heard about your troubles and those of Arkham Asylum and, since I had a free day, might as well do something exciting." Said Bruce as he sat down in front of Crane's desk.
"True, your psyche reports indicate that you're something of a thrill-seeker." Said Crane. "Well, other than obviously trying to get something unique in your life, what purpose are you here for?"
"Well, you said it, Mr. Crane." Said Bruce. "I'm just here for the curiosity of knowing what going to happen to Arkham."
"Well, it'll still stay open. Not many people really care enough about the inmates to warrant the shutting down of this place. Given how much damage some of our inmates done, I don't blame them." Said Crane. He then looked at Bruce. "And neither should you."
"Excuse me?" Asked Bruce, raising an eyebrow at that remark.
"Forgive me, but weren't your parents murdered by a common thug." Said Crane. Bruce's expression just turned stone-cold at that. "Apologies for bringing that up, I just wanted to know why you're what you are today. Most would become bitter or stone-cold to people if such an event happened to them. But not you. Why?" Though he wanted to stay silent, Bruce decided to indulge Crane.
"Simple." Said Bruce. "I went to get some help to deal with the grief and I learned to move past it. Plus, my parents would have wanted me to move on with my life and to help improve society." He then looked at Crane. "That is all. This conversation is over."
"Understandable." Said Crane. "However, I must confess. If I recall, the thug that took your parent's lives was never caught. If you could, would you kill him yourself or bring him to justice?" Asked Crane. Bruce was just silent. "Food for thought, Mr. Wayne." Crane just starred at Bruce for awhile before grabbing some files. "I must leave you now, I have another appointment with another patient today. Hopefully this one will not go as bad as some of the others I had for the past few weeks. Good day, Mister Wayne." With that, Crane left his office with Bruce soon following behind. After that conversation, Bruce went to his car and drove off.
As he drove through the streets of Gotham, Bruce couldn't help but think on Crane's question. Back during his younger years, he would have killed him without a second thought. But now, ever since he became Batman, he would have him taken to jail. It was the right thing to do. But…having been asked that by someone…he couldn't be too sure now. Maybe he would still try to kill the guy. Or he'll stay true to his morals and bring him to jail. Maybe his emotions will take over or not. Either way, it didn't matter. The guy dropped off the face of the earth sometime ago and he never managed to be brought to justice, something that secretly bothered and annoyed him. The train of thought would have continued if it weren't for the fact that he was approaching his manor. After parking in his garage, he went to the Batcave. Upon arriving, he immediately activated the listening device he managed to place on Crane's desk during his talk with him. Hopefully, it'll be able to help him figure out what Crane is up to and if he's innocent or not. He may be up all night doing this, but it'll be worth it.
Meanwhile
In an unknown location, Black Mask was humming to himself, wondering on what to do next. Currently, he had all the resources he needed to perform his operation. Problem was, that Batman and his own crew would undoubtably try to stop him and probably will, especially if he gets his other freak friends to come. He needed some way to get rid of them or at the least incapacitate them until his operation is complete. He was trying to think of ways to get rid of them when his number one arrived.
"Sir. Good news." Said number one before giving him the news. "We successfully infiltrated the GCPD and our mole in Arkham Asylum had reported in that he's gained access to some of its security systems. Give your word and our moles will prepare to cripple the GCPD." Nodding his head in satisfaction, Black Mask added this information to his current train of thoughts. He could use his mole in the GCPD as a trap for the Batman or he could use the one in the Arkham Asylum to release the inmates there, causing such chaos that Batman would intervene, giving him some chance to take him out when he's exhausted. Thinking on both options, Black Mask considered which would be more profitable. After a few minutes, Black Mask looked at his number one.
"Get the mole in Arkham on the line and get some men ready to take out the Batman. Its time to take out the Batman." Said Black Mask. Number one just nodded and left, leaving Black Mask alone. Humming in thought, Black Mask wondered if this was a good idea. He had that mole in place should he even been imprisoned in Arkham again. He soon, however, discarded that thought. He could always get another one later. Besides, his mole in Arkham was actually capable of doing some scary stuff.
"Better contact him. Make sure he's ready." Said Black Mask. "Besides, he needs to prove himself anyway."
A day later
Midnight
An orderly was watching the inmates from a security station when suddenly he was knocked out by a metal stick to the head. With him knocked out, one of Black Mask's other men went to the security terminals and began typing in the lock down codes that their mole gave them. Once inputted, the man began to release the inmates. Once most of them were free, the man gave a status update.
"Sir, phase one is complete." Said the man. "We're getting into position for phase two." With that, the goons left to go prepare their trap. Meanwhile, Crane was silently tapping his fingers as he got out some vials.
"Truly, Black Mask. This was your best idea to get rid of the Batman?" Asked Crane to himself as he readied himself. "I could have gotten rid of him in a lest flamboyant way. Still, what done is done. All that matters now is that the Batman is incapacitated for your operation. *Sighs* Fool. I should have reconsidered my alliance with you." Said Crane as he installed a metal claw on his arms before going over to a table with a custom-made gas mask besides a fake face. Sighing to himself, Crane put on the gas mask and began to play his role for the plan to take out Batman.
Later
Perimeter outside of Arkham Asylum
"What do you mean you can't contain them?!" Chief Rojas yelled as he began hearing reports of inmates overpowering the guards and SWAT officers sent to contain them, forcing them to all fall back to safer sections of the asylum.
"It's what it means, sir." Ethan said as he and Yin were at Arkham Asylum. "Between heavy hitters, like Croc and Bane, not to mention the likes of Joker, we got our hands full. And the regular inmates aren't doing us any favors."
"Just great." Rojas said as he slammed his fist on his car. "Get more officers in there! We need to contain this at once!"
"Understood, sir, but we're going to need a lot of officers." Ethan said as he and Yin were making a makeshift barricade to help keep the more insane inmates out from the foot hold they managed to make in the asylum. After breaking the call with Rojas, Ethan looked at Yin helping an security officer that was hurt during the uprising. They managed to get him out of the more contested areas of the asylum where several inmates were beating him up. "Can you tell us what happened, sir?"
"Can't tell you anything useful, I'm afraid." The security officer said as he held an ice pack. "I was out in the mess hall when suddenly the alarms went off. Me and a few others went to investigate when suddenly were asked to help quell an uprising. We tried to help and stop it, but then Bane jumped us with a few other inmates. We didn't stand a chance."
"Where's your friends?" Yin asked.
"Damn Firefly took us all deeper into the asylum. I only escaped them because the guy holding me was a bit on the weak side. I managed to escape, only for some other inmates to jump me and started attacking me. That's when you guys rescued me. Don't know about happened with my friends or any other officers that were sent to quell the uprising though. And I think I don't want to know."
"Don't worry. We'll try and save them." Said Ethan before leaving to check the perimeter. As he approached an officer on guard, he asked what the situation was.
"Not good, sir. The inmates are dug in good. The best we can do is hold them back and prevent them from leaving the asylum. We need more men, sir." Ethan just nodded as he helped fortify the perimeter.
"Hope bats comes here soon, otherwise this could get a whole lot worse." Meanwhile, in the bat mobile, Batman was making his way to Arkham Asylum. Just a few minutes ago, he received an emergency alert from the police. There was a prison break occurring at the asylum. The asylum guards and the police were holding the inmates back but it was only a matter of time before the super villains, like Firefly and Bane, found their equipment and escaped using it. Not wanting to have them out, Batman raced toward the asylum, hoping to stop the break out before any criminals escape. Unfortunately, this time he was on his own. Robin, exhausted from having to study for a test tomorrow, was sleeping peacefully back at the manor along with Barbara. Not wanting to wake them and have them fail whatever test or work they had at school, Bruce decided to do this alone. Besides, he had plenty of plans to deal with the inmates even if they managed to get their paws on their stuff.
After a few more minutes of driving, Batman saw the asylum and drove to a secluded alleyway. Getting out, he proceeded to the rest of the way on foot, which took a few more minutes. Soon he was on the roof of the asylum and was proceeded to the criminal infested sections of the asylum. Finding a window he roof window he can use to get in, Batman quietly removed the glass and went inside, finding that no one was nearby. Getting up, Batman began to walk to the room where all the super villain equipment was, hoping that they haven't broke through the doors yet. As he was walking, he was overhearing police comm chatter. They were sending additional SWAT teams to help push back the inmates and secure the asylum. Knowing that the police can handle the riff raff, Batman proceeded on his own objective. After a few minutes of walking, he spotted Bane and a bunch of goons trying to unlock the supervillain armory, where his venom tanks were being held.
"Hurry up, fools!" Demanded Bane as he patiently waited for his lackies to open the armory. Much to his annoyance, they've been failing utterly. "We need to open this up so that our escape is assured!"
"We're trying, boss! But this thing just won't budge!" Yelled a inmate as he tried another password a guard gave them, one that Bane threatened to kill if he doesn't give them the codes to the armory. Clinking his tongue, Bane began to plot up ways to torture the guard that feed them the fake codes. As he was thinking, his gut was telling him something was off. Looking behind him, he saw Batman coming right at him and kicking him in the face, knocking him out. With the main threat gone, Batman proceeded to fight the rest of the inmates, knocking them out with a few well-aimed punches and kicks. With the threat gone, Batman went to check on the lock of the armory, seeing that nothing was out of the ordinary. Not wanting to take any chances, Batman put his own algorithm to the lock as a bit of added security. Now if any of the inmates had the right password for the electric lock, they had to contend with his own lock. Now assured that the supervillains won't be equipped with their gear, Batman made his way to the areas infested with loose inmates, also wanting to save any captured guards and employees of the asylum. Eventually, his travels took him to a large empty hallway, devoid of any occupants. As he was running down the hallways, he caught in the corner of his eye, something moving. Acting quickly, Batman went to his knees and slid for a bit before stopping. Looking back, he saw a bunch of Black mask's goons coming out of their hiding places, armed with electric sticks or rifles. He narrowed his eyes when he saw them, counting six of them.
"What are they doing here?" Thought Batman as he sprang into actions as soon as those with guns aimed them at him. Bringing down several smoke pellets, the hallway was suddenly filled with smoke. This didn't affect the goons as they just turned on their infrared goggles. Tracking Batman, the men with guns opened fire. Unfortunately, Batman was able to hid behind a pillar before the shots fired. Predicting that they had infrared goggles, Batman brought out a few more pellets and threw it at the goons. Thinking that they were more smoke pellets, the men ignored them and instead focused their attention on Batman. This was a major mistake as the pellets, when they got close, exploded into bright lights, blinding the men. This gave Batman the chance to take them all out. Turning on the infrared lens on his cowl, he went into actions. Taking out the two men with guns first, Batman slammed their heads together, knocking them out. He then repeatedly punched a 3rd guy before following up with a punch to the side of his head, knocking him out. Just as the men were recovering from the flash pellets, Batman grabbed one man and slammed his face into a pillar, knocking him out. Now recovered, the two remaining men charged at Batman, electric sticks at the ready. As one swung down his stick, Batman sidestepped and expertly disarmed the man and took his stick for his own use. Dodging the 2nd man's swing, he jabbed the procured stick into his neck, shocking the man into submission. As the man fell down, Batman punched on the final grunt and repeatedly punched him in the face until he was knocked unconscious. With his enemies knocked out, Batman continued his merry way.
"What is Black Mask up to?" Thought Bruce as he came up with possibilities on why Black Mask had men in Arkham Asylum. They must have been the ones that released all the inmates but why. Black Mask didn't do stuff like this. If he wanted to break someone out, he would have just bribed some folks on the inside or have a small infiltration team break the person out without raising too much suspicion. Causing a riot wasn't his thing, especially if it didn't bring him anything of worth. As he thought of reasons for why Black Mask had done this, the speakers in the room suddenly went on.
"Hello Batman." Said doctor Crane as he spoke in an intercom. "I'm pleased to hear that you've arrived. Things have been pretty hectic since the patients have all been released. I've barricaded myself, along with several others, in a security room in the east wing of the asylum. Unfortunately, the area surrounding the room is surrounded by patients. If you would be so kind, can you rescue us? I have wounded with me and we need medical supplies." With that, the speakers died down. Looking at one of the speakers, Batman went into actions and contacted Alfred.
"Alfred. Give me the location of where that came from. Crane may have just revealed himself to the inmates and I need to get there as fast as possible before any of the inmates get to him and the others."
"On it, Master Bruce." Said Alfred as he brought up a map of Arkham Asylum. After studying the map and tracing Crane's transmission, Alfred found the location of where Crane was. "I have it. He's in security room 12. Its several doors in the right. I advise to hurry, master Bruce, that area surrounding that room is indeed filled with inmates and I don't think they'll be pleased to see Mr. Crane." Nodding his head, Batman went to find a window so that he can access the roofs, deciding a stealth approach was needed here.
Crane
Few minutes later
Crane chuckled to himself as he prepared his most recent formula. Yes, this would be the ultimate test for his serum. If he could make the great Batman tremble in fear, then his newest formula would be his greatest achievement. Looking at the security cameras, he saw SWAT teams reinforcing the cops and guards. It would only be a matter of time before they would go in and retaking the Asylum from the inmates, who were armed with only a few guns and mostly small knives. Taping his fingers together, he waited for the Batman to arrive and assist him in his formula. And judging by the sounds of fighting outside, he was just outside. When the fighting died down and the sounds of the locked door opening, Crane let out a small grin.
Batman
"Doctor Crane, are you alright?" Asked Batman as he entered the room. Looking around, he saw two dead guards and a nurse, making him curse. He didn't get here quick enough. Looking back at Crane, he asked about them.
"*Sighs* Unfortunately, the last one died mere moments before the fighting between you and the inmates started." Crane then went over and examined the bodies, keeping his face hidden from Batman. "One guard died from major hemorrhaging in his head, we didn't have anything for that. The other died from a gunshot to the head, he sacrificed himself to save the nurse." He then looked at the bloodied bandages around the nurses waist. "Unfortunately, she took one to many stabbed to the stomach just moments after he saved her. I need my best to stop the bleeding, but it wasn't enough."
"I'm sure you did the best you could." Said Batman as he walked over to Crane, cautious, however, as he wasn't sure if Crane was guilty of causing his patients to go insane.
"That's kind of you to say Batman." Said Crane. "I wonder why you say such things."
"Why wouldn't I?" Batman asked as he raised an eyebrow, still on guard.
"You, of all people, should know that saying such things are pointless. They only provide comfort to those that require it or are too naïve to believe their efforts did anything to save someone from dying." Crane then tapped the woman's head. "Take me for example, I did my best to save this woman from dying, but I failed to save her. Do I deserve comfort for failing to save her? I certainly think I don't."
"Crane, you did your best to save her. You had good intentions from the start, and you did the best you could with what you had on hand." Said Batman. "Sometime these things just happen, no matter how hard we try. Life is cruel that way."
"Indeed it is." Agreed Crane as he stood up. "Like when Killer Croc did this to me." Crane then turned around, facing Batman eye to eye. When he saw Crane, Batman widened his eyes, in shock of what he saw.
The man was horribly disfigured to say the least. From what Batman could gather, was blind in his left eyes, his lower jaw was all flesh and he could see the man had several massive claw marks that went from his upper right forehead to his lower left jaw. Batman could even see part of Crane's ramus when the man turned his head. Overall, the man was a face to look at.
"My god." Said Batman, regaining his stoicism.
"Indeed." Said Crane before pulling out a custom-made mask with a gas filtration system installed. He then put it on, thus hiding most of his disfigured face except for his lower jaw and his eyes. When Crane spoke again, he spoke with a heavy metal fling to it. "I'm hoping that you can guess what happened to me. You are a detective, after all."
"Killer croc. He came after you during your career as a psychologist. I'm guessing over a failed session." Crane then nodded.
"Indeed." Crane said as he remembered. "You see, Killer croc turned himself him some time ago. He claimed it was because he wanted to reform. To better evaluate him and see if he was telling the truth, I was selected to make a psych evaluation on him. The session went well at first and it seemed that Killer croc can actually reform. But then…" Crane then touched his face, ignoring the pain in doing so.
"It was all a ploy." Said Batman. "And he mauled you." Crane nodded.
"I made the mistake on saying that the reason he became a criminal was because of economic pressure. That he was doing this to finance himself. And, perhaps family as well. Croc didn't like that and decided to disfigure me as a result. The guards managed to save me in time, but Croc escaped. Embarrassed over that, the major in that time, covered up all evidence of Croc's existence and fired me. He then claimed that I retired when in actuality it was because he wanted to get rid of all evidence of the incident. I lost my career and I spent a fortune in getting a fake face for my…condition." Batman just stayed stoic as he heard this.
"You didn't deserve all that. You were just trying to do your job." Crane nodded in agreement. "So that's why you sent Croc insane? As payback."
"I won't deny that I had some satisfaction in getting revenge on Killer Croc, but I had another reason." Crane then brought out a vial of some orange substance. "You see, as he was ravaging me, Killer croc told me that he did what he did to make people fear him. To make them all submissive to his whims. That got me curious. During my exile from society, I began to study up fears, their effects on people, and why people want to be feared. I spent many years in trying to figure out the reason and I think I finally acquired it." Crane then chuckled to himself. "Fear can be used as a tool to make people do what you please. It can, even the bravest of souls bow down to the whims of those who control their fears. It can make people be cautious of their choices. It can make people loyal to a person. It can even be used to make people do what others want them to do." Crane then turned to Batman. "And you're proof of that." Batman raised an eyebrow at that.
"How?" Asked Batman, though he knew the answer. Crane just hummed before speaking.
"Despite what people think, crime actually went down in Gotham since you became public. By about twelve percent. That may not sound much, but in a crime-filled city like Gotham, it's a miracle. You made criminals fear of committing crimes. You made them think twice of doing them. You made them fear you. The super-powered ones don't sure, or are not afraid of you enough to not commit crimes, but the regular thugs and brutes? They're terrified of you. You're proof that fear can be used to make others do what a person desire them to do. And what you desire is keeping Gotham safe."
"And is that a problem for you, Crane?" Asked Batman as he looked over at Crane, who shook his head.
"No, its not." Said Crane. "I don't have a problem in your motivations, Batman. You must have suffered something in your past that made you want to do this. Make you want to fight crime. I'm guessing that you suffer from a criminals' hands." Batman just stayed stoic, though that just gave Crane his answer. "I don't blame you, Batman. If one suffers at the hands of a person, we humans immediately blame the whole group, not the individual. Though the individual can be used to motivate our hatred of the group because, if that group didn't exist, that individual may not have caused your suffering. I know I blamed criminals for what happened to me. If they didn't exist, Killer Croc wouldn't have done this to me. I think it would be best for the world if all criminals ceased to exist. Permanently."
"That's bleak way to look at things, doctor." Said Batman "And you're completely wrong about me. I don't fight crime because I hate criminals, nor do think that criminals deserve to die. I fight crime so that people don't have to be hurt by them. Even criminals can be reformed. Just look at Detective Bennett."
"True, I won't deny that some criminals can be reformed for the better. But the vast majority will never change their ways, Batman. Joker. Killer Croc. Mr. Freeze. They all refuse to be rehabilitated and have made it clear that they won't change their ways. They'll always be criminals. No matter what we do. That's why I made this concoction." He then jiggled the vial a bit. "To make them so afraid that they won't hurt anymore people." Batman narrowed his eyes.
"So, you were the one that caused the inmates to go insane, a few days ago." Crane nodded, knowing he admitted to it.
"Yes, I have. But only on those that have shown the inability to change. The ones that show no remorse or willingness to change for the better of society. If they refuse to change for the better, then we must take measures to ensure that they never hurt people again. It's the same principle as you, Batman. Make them so afraid that they won't take any decisive action against innocent people."
"You're wrong Crane." Said Batman, his eye narrowed further. "I don't make them go insane with fear. Rob them of the ability to do anything but cower in fear. What you're doing is making them do anything but that. Its indecent and a violation of basic human morals." Crane then shook his head.
"Oh Batman. Don't try to take the moral high ground on me." Said Crane. "You beat people up to the point they have major concussions. Several thugs and criminals have been sent to the hospital because of you. There's also the fact you and your sidekicks have also caused plenty of property damage yourselves during your little hero escapades. This may sound hypocritical because of my actions, but you're not much different from me." Batman just stayed silent as he looked at Crane, knowing the man was partially right.
"Even so, I may be breaking the law by being a vigilante, but at least I have a set of morals to keep me in check." Crane nodded.
"True, but I think we have taken too much time. I take it you're going to arrest me?" Asked Crane. When Batman nodded, he sighed. "Unfortunately, I can't let you do that. My associate would be deeply upset if that would happen." Batman could guess who it was.
"Black Mask." Crane nodded. "So he helped you get this position and up on your feet."
"Indeed." Said Crane. "I suppose my brief time here on the asylum is over now. Pity. I quite liked it here. That doctor Young, in particular, was quite pretty to look at. But no matter, I have my agendas and plans, Batman. And I can't do them if you arrest me. So, I advise you to let me go or suffer the consequences." Batman just looked at Crane when he said that, thinking up of ways that Crane can fight. He wasn't physically strong; the man was lanky in appearance and he doubted the man had venom on him. He didn't appear to have a weapon, though that could change as Batman noted that one of Crane's arms had something on it, hidden in his sleeves. Bruce guess that Crane wasn't a physically fighter, but rather a technical one. Using his brains to fight his battles and whatever concoctions he had on his disposal, which Batman guessed was the vial and whatever else he had on his person. Not wanting to take any chances, Batman decided to take Crane out quick before he could do anything. In the blink of an eye, Batman closed the distance between them. Grabbing Crane's arms so that he couldn't use his concoctions, Batman slammed his head to a glass window. The force caused Crane to drop his vial, which fell to the ground and cause it to break. Grunting in pain as his face was planted to the glass, Crane spoke.
"Not bad, Batman." Said Crane, trying to ignore the pain. "You guess correctly to attack me first. Unfortunately, I already had a back up plan should you guess correctly." Upon saying that, Crane turned his head around and spit at Batman's face, who ignored it. Crane then exhaled a cloud of gas at him, surprising Batman as he took a whiff of the gas. Upon the gas entering his systems, Batman began to get woozy. Feeling weak, he let go of Crane and went to the ground. Freed now, Crane cradled his face as he looked at Batman trying to stay awake.
"One of my latest experiments. An airborne strain of my fear toxin. Its less potent than the liquid form, but it make up for it by making those that inhale it lose consciousness. As for why I wasn't affected, who do you think was the test subject for it? Now, that being said, I'm not to sure the fear aspect of it will work on you so how about we inject some of the more portent versions into you." With that Crane withdrew his right arm sleeve, revealing a metal claw injector with several syringes on the finger-tips. Attached to those syringes were hoses that connected to several small tanks, most likely filled with Crane's toxins. Acting quickly, in case Batman was more resilient than he thought, Crane stabbed Batman in the neck with his clawed hand before injecting the syringes' contents in his bloodstream. Within a minute, Batman lost consciousness.
A few minutes later
Batman groaned as he woke up. Shaking his head, he looked around to see that Crane was gone. Sighing to himself in frustration, Bruce contacted Alfred.
"Alfred. Crane got away. He was the source of the recent rise of insanity for the inmates in Arkham. I also suspect he had a hand in the riot here. Did the police get everything under control?" No answer. "Alfred?" Still no answer. "Hmm…strange. Usually it works fine." No point in staying in the security room, Batman left the room and proceeded to leave. As he was walking, Batman felt that something was off. Everything was too quiet. There should be sounds of police chatter in his commlink, he should see police securing the area and taking in inmates. The inmates he knocked out while tying to get Crane were still here, on the ground, unconscious. Not to mention, there was a body bag in the middle of the floor that wasn't there before. As if his body was compelling him to open it, he went over to the body bad and unzipped it. When he did, he was shocked to see the body of a man that was long dead. The man was still wearing the tux and tie that he wore when he was shot. He was pale was a ghost and his eyes were just plain white with no pupils but Bruce could recognize the corpse. He was the body of his father. Thomas Wayne. As he looked at the body in shock, the body suddenly moved and looked at him.
"Well, son. Aren't you happy now?" Asked Thomas. "Your decision to go to that theater got your mother and I killed. I hope it was worth it." Upon hearing the corpse speak in his father's voice, Batman jumped back in shock, looking at the corpse in disbelief. "Of course, it was. You didn't care about anything but yourself. Did you know how much money we spent on you to keep you happy? To make you what you a respectable member of society? Now look at you. You spend so much of Wayne industries money on women, charities, and even spending it on worthless gadgets like that suit and car of yours for a pointless crusade. You're a disgrace to the Wayne name." Though his mind was telling him that this wasn't really, that this was Crane's work, Batman's heat couldn't help but feel hurt on hearing that. Though he got criticism from the news and fellow Wayne shareholders for his playboy attitude, to hear it from his own father's voice, made him upset and ashamed. Shaking his head, Batman walked away as the corpse continued to insult and ridicule him. As he walked away from the corpse, he saw and experienced some of his childhood fears, things that he surpassed long ago. And yet, they were making him uncomfortable. As he traversed the halls of Arkham Asylum, his fears became more and more frequent as new fears took over old ones. However, as he had conquered these fears some time ago, they didn't really bother him so much. That all changed when he was nearing his car. He began to hear the voices of his mother and father. The day that they…
"Tom, please." Said the hallucination of his mother as she held the hand of his younger self. "We can just wait here for Alfred."
"Don't worry, Martha." Said the hallucination of his father as he led them into through the streets of Gotham. "It'll only be a quick walk back to the mansion. Trust me." Martha just sighed to herself as she followed her husband. Batman started to hyperventilate at seeing this. Not again. He couldn't bare to see their deaths again. Unfortunately, fate didn't seem to with him because he saw a thug with a gun walking up to his parents and his younger self.
"Stop right there!" Yelled the thug as he pointed his gun at them.
"Please, there's no need for this." Said Thomas Wayne as he placed himself in front of his family. "Just put the gun down and I'll give you what you want."
"Shut up!" Yelled the thug as he cocked his gun.
"Please. Just stay calm." Said Thomas as he held his hands in the air. "There's no need for…" He couldn't say anymore when the thug just placed a bullet in his head. He then aimed his gun at Martha, who placed Bruce behind her. Before she could scream for help, the thug opened fire, shooting her in the head. He was about to place a bullet in Bruce's when a cop car suddenly drove near the scene, forcing him to run away. Batman, too hurt from seeing this again, fell to the floor as his younger self began to cry over his dead parents. As he watched his younger self being taken away by a young Gordon, the scene vanished to him being interrogated by Gordon, who looked like he wanted to do anything else but interrogate him. Not that Bruce could blame him.
"Son, I'm sorry that this has to be done, but I need you to recall the scene again." Said Gordon, voice full of sympathy and regret. Bruce just held his mother's necklace as he cried. Gordon just sighed as he saw this. "I know experiencing the memory hurts, but if we're going to get justice for your parents, I need a description of the man who did this. So that he doesn't get away and hurt more people. So please, can you describe the man." Young Bruce just continued to cry as he asked a question.
"Why did he do it, officer? Why did he kill them?" Eyes full of sympathy, Gordon sighed to himself.
"I…I don't know. Its just this city. It…it brings the worst of people. Makes them into muggers and killers." Touching his forehead, Gordon looked at a clock nearby. "We'll do this tomorrow. Let's go." With that, Gordon took younger Bruce's hand and lead him away from the interrogation room. As he did so, Batman felt something smearing his cowl. Lifting it up and touching his eyes, Batman learned that he was crying. He couldn't really blame himself. Even today, the topic of his parents was a sore subject on Bruce and one of the few things that can really upset him. He would have spent so much time and money on finding the man if he wasn't so busy with Wayne industries and being Batman. Removing his cowl and looking at it, Bruce wondered if what the apparition that was his father was true. Was his crusade really pointless and that he was just wasting Wayne industries money. Even if Crane claimed he was doing a good enough job in lowering crime rates, there was still that tiny voice in his mind that told him that what he was doing wasn't good enough. People were still suffering at the hands of supervillains and common thugs. And he was just one man with a small team. He and his team couldn't be everywhere at once. While they were stopping one crime, a dozen more were being committed. It was almost daunting to Bruce. What if all his attempts to fight crime were pointless. As the thought plagued his mind, he heard a voice. His dad voices.
"Bruce. I know that the results of my work won't show themselves immediately, but I'm making progress." Looking to his right, Bruce saw an image of him and Thomas Wayne, discussing over something. He remembered that conversation. Bruce had asked his father a question on why people were dissatisfied with his charities and the like.
"Then why do they say you're not making enough progress?" Asked young Bruce as he looked at his father, confused. Thomas Wayne just sighed as he thought of how to make this simple for his son.
"People are just impatient. They rather see the results now, rather than later. To them any results that take time isn't good enough. The results have to come now for those people, even if they can't be done without disastrous consequences." He then put his hand over his son's shoulder. "That's why you have to be patient Bruce when it comes to wanting results. If we take shortcuts or try to accelerate our efforts beyond what is reasonable, then we suffer from them. We have to be patient and wait for the results to arise. Even then, those people would still be impatient, believing that the results would have come sooner if we took this decision or that. The best that can be done with them is to be patient with them as well because eventually, they'll stop and forget about the whole thing, finally satisfied with the results are here. Do you understand, Bruce? You have to be patient for the results. Even if they don't show up immediately, their there, waiting to bloom up. And once they do, you'll be proud on what you accomplish. Do you understand?" Bruce then nodded his head, causing Thomas to smile. "Good. Now run along and play. I got important business to attend to." With that, the apparition of his father and himself were gone, leaving Bruce alone, who was processing the words his father said. Once he did, he looked at his cowl.
"He's right. I got to be patient." Thought Bruce before putting on the cowl back on. Even if the results won't show up immediately, he was making progress. And that was something he was proud of. His accomplishments in fighting crime. Even if it took all his life, he'll keep fighting crime until it's eradicated. With that thought, he remembered that this was all an illusion, something Crane came up with. Thinking on how to get out, Bruce remembered a time when Spellcaster tried to beat him using illusions. It worked for a time, but Batman managed to get out of the illusion and beat the villain, using sheer will. Thinking he could do the same, Batman began to concentrate, trying to wake himself up. It only took a moment before he felt something. Concentrating harder, Batman focused on that feeling, not letting it go. Eventually that feeling grew until it covered his entire body. Opening his eyes, he saw Crane. Acting quickly he grabbed the man's throat and everything went away in a flash.
Real world
Opening his eyes, Batman got up and looked around for Crane. He soon spotted him outside of the security station, disbelief in his only working way.
"Impossible." Said Crane, disbelief but also respect in his voice. "How did you manage to break free from my fear toxin?"
"Determination and bravery, Crane." Said Batman as he felt his cowl, seeing that it was still on his head. "That and I remembered some words of wisdom from my father." Crane hummed at that.
"I see. Well, you earned my respect, Batman. No one, except for me, was able to resist my toxins and break free from their grip. As much as I want to continue our little fight, Black Mask would really want me to return to him. Till we meet again." With that, Crane began to take off. Narrowing his eyes, Batman would have chased after him, but he felt weak. The toxins must have affected more than just his mind. Clenching his fists, Batman watched as Crane left. By the time that he regained his strength to break out, the man was long gone. And by the time that the cops reached the security stations, Batman himself was gone.
Few hours later
Unknown
"I must admit, the fact that you brought the Bat on his knees by yourself is quite an achievement." Said Black Mask as his number one finished her report. To his disappointment, only Batman showed up and none of his little partners. To add to that disappointment, his attack team failed to take him down, making his plan to take out or cripple the vigilante to fail utterly. However, to his surprise, Crane managed to partially succeed where his team failed. He managed to bring the Bat to his knees. As far as he knew, only a handful managed to do that, and most were generally people with super strength, smarts, or tactics on their side. To hear that a tiny and thin man like Crane had brought Batman down if only some time, was something that Black Mask can respect. "Looks like you're alright, Crane. You'll be a fine addition to my plans when the operation commences."
"Of course, Black Mask." Said Crane. "If its alright to ask, can you provide me more materials for my research. Batman managed to break the effect of my newest strain. I may need to make a stronger strain in order to fight against him effectively."
"I got no problem with that." Said Black Mask. "If your toxins deliver me a dead bat, then you'll get your resources." Crane nodded his head in appreciation before taking off. As he walked, Crane began to think of Batman.
"We'll fight again, Batman. And when we do," Crane then looked at his claw weapon. "You will succumb to fear and fall to the Scarecrow."
Next episode- Dick is suffering on the inside as he remembers his parents. As he is comforted by Bruce, Zucco returns to get payback at the bat family. Along the way, Catwoman tries to help Robin with his problems.