Disclaimer: I (obviously) do not own the rights to any Batman characters in this work. I only own Carmel and any other made up characters throughout the story.
A few days had passed since the Jerome Baker incident, and I'm happy to report that no one dared mess with me now. Of course, that made making friends difficult, but who cares? I certainly didn't come here to make friends, only to get in and out as quickly as possible.
I was lying in my cell, bored, when Scarecrow called me over. "Carmel, can you come here?" He doesn't usually call me over, what's up? I acquiesced, walking over to his cell. "A friend of mine is on his way here, in exactly forty-five seconds. He's a bit…crass; so don't say anything that might upset him. Just be courteous."
"Of course," I replied, not sure why Scarecrow felt the need to warn me about his visitor.
Seconds later, a new voice called out. "I'm here, Professor." Stepping into view was an older looking man dressed in a three-piece suit. His glasses poignantly resembled the face of a clock. I had never seen the man before in my life, and no idea who the hell he was. But I think I know this guy…
"Temple, thank you for coming." What an unusual name.
"I had one hundred and eighty-seven seconds to spare, fortunately for you," the man replied gruffly. "And who is this?" he asked, turning to me. "Not a girlfriend, she's way too young for you."
I had to stifle a laugh, remembering Scarecrow's request. "I'm Carmel Ocean. I work for Scarecrow."
"Ah, so the rumors are true."
"Carmel, this is Temple Fugate," said Scarecrow.
It was upon hearing his full name that I finally realized who the man was. "You're the Clock King!" I exclaimed. I saw Scarecrow's head drop, believing that to be the exact type of statement he didn't want me to make.
Temple smiled at me. "Why yes. Very good, young lady!" Scarecrow raised his head, surprised that I hadn't upset him. Turning to Scarecrow, he said, "I retract my previous statement, Dr. Crane. You should indeed court her. I like her."
Scarecrow was confused, and unsure what to say. For some smug reason, I enjoyed seeing Scarecrow squirm a bit. Fortunately for him, Temple pushed on. "However, I can't waste my entire time on pleasantries. What do you need?"
Back on subject, the Scarecrow was more comfortable. "I need you to retrieve a specific sample of fear toxin from Freeze."
Temple nodded his head. "I should be able to do that. Which sample?"
Scarecrow handed Temple a scrap of paper. "This is what I need. Give this to Freeze and he'll know which one."
"Very good. I estimate my return at…7:36 this evening."
"Thank you, Temple."
Temple then turned on his heels and walked out of the cell immediately.
After he was gone, I asked, "What was that all about? Mr. Freeze has a lab here? Don't you have access to his lab?" So many questions, so little time.
"I do, but it would be rather suspicious if I visited Freeze. Then I would have guards asking questions that I don't need," he explained.
"And why does Freeze have fear toxin?"
Scarecrow sighed. I could tell that he sick of all of these questions, but he did oblige. "Freeze is stationed in a sub-zero temperature lab so he can work on curing his wife. I have sipped him various fear toxin samples to be frozen in his lab. He can and does occasionally use them for his research, but also acts as an emergency supply if I need some."
Of course, my next question was what did Scarecrow need the toxin for. After all, he clearly had some, evidenced by Jerome Baker's gruesome death. But I didn't want to push my luck. The Scarecrow was not exactly someone you wanted to be on bad terms with.
"When Temple returns, I will require your assistance," he finished.
I was unsurprised to see that at exactly 7:36, Temple Fugate did return, as he had promised. He handed a small vile to Scarecrow, who immediately took it and started to inspect it.
"I heard that Nygma got out today," Temple began. "Apparently, he was able to get himself out on some sort of technicality in court."
"No surprise there. It's better when Edward is on the outside," Scarecrow answered, his focus still on the vile.
A silence ensued. Looking to break the silence, I asked Temple, "So, how did you get a food serving job here?"
"It's very simple. I'm not considered dangerous enough to be denied the job. And besides, doing it gets me three months off of my sentence. And I, for one, cannot stand wasting time."
"I should have guessed," I mumbled to myself.
"Miss Ocean, working for me means that you may be exposed to certain toxins," the Scarecrow began. "Thus, it is in your best interest that you become exposed to low density samples so you can build up an immunity."
Well, that's a fucking bombshell! I didn't even have to say anything, as my eyes gave enough of a reaction for Scarecrow to continue on.
"Now, this sample is very weak and diluted, which is why Temple had to retrieve it for me. I have only…stronger samples on my person."
He seemed a little to eager to assure me of his plan. Yet, that seemed reasonable to me. But also, exposing me to toxin still seemed pretty fucking sketchy. Quite the problem, huh?
Scarecrow pushed on, not wishing to allow me a response. "The procedure will be very easy. We're going to tie you down to the bed, so you don't do anything dangerous. I'll simply give some of the toxin, and then let it wear off. It should take a few hours. That's it."
My eyes boggled, no longer able to remain silent. "That's it?! Just say yes to a horrible acid trip?" So much for trying to stay on Scarecrow's good side.
"Well, it's actually not like an acid trip. It's more-" he tried to explain.
"Don't argue the points with me! This is still not okay!" I spouted, my voice rising in anger.
"I understand your reservations about this, but-"
"But nothing! You're just using me as one of your experiments! At least you could be honest with me for once!" I raged. I took a few deep breaths, done with my rant.
Temple said nothing, but nodded.
Scarecrow sighed. "I am being honest with you. You'll need this, trust me. You have to trust me."
"I don't trust you."
His tone shifted. "Is that because you fear me?"
I could tell that he was now generally interested in my response. "Well, of course, you're the master of fear."
"Once you become familiar with my toxin, you will fear nothing," he finished. "If you truly want to be my assistant, then this is a necessary precaution. Otherwise, something far worse could happen."
I know, I know, you're probably thinking: do NOT do this Carmel! You're exceptionally stupid if you do this!
Temple stepped in. "Miss Ocean, I've observed Jonathan and his toxins for some time now. I can assure you that this one is a very weak strain. He's telling the truth."
With Temple's assurance, I gave up. Stupid or not, I decided to roll with Scarecrow's plan. "Fine." But I'm not happy about it.
"Excellent. Please lie down on my bed," the Scarecrow asked.
I did so, and then Temple proceeded to tie me down onto the bed with the sheets. "These knots should do the trick," Temple assured me, although I lacked his faith.
"This toxin is a powder. All that needs to happen is for your skin to contact the toxin. It is fairly quick, though, taking effect in a matter of seconds" Scarecrow droned on.
"What will the effects be?" I asked.
"It depends on the person. It also depends on what you see, if you remember it." I must have given an unconvinced look, because he sighed. "Let me show you my sincerity. I'm going to take half of this. Temple, please assist me."
Temple put on gloves, took the vile from Scarecrow, and then proceeded to put some of the powder onto Scarecrow's hand.
We all waited in silence but nothing happened. "As you can see, I am immune to my toxins due to incremental exposure."
Show off. I detected pride in his voice and knocked him down a peg. "But I thought the last time you got caught, Batman doused you with some of your toxin and it was quite effective."
Scarecrow scowled. "That was an unusually high dosage and concentration. Now, are you ready?"
"I guess so." That was a mistake indeed.
When I awoke, I had no memory of what had happened. All I know is that I woke up to see Scarecrow scribbling down some notes. He looked up at me inquisitively. "You are awake."
"Astute observation," I shot back. I did know that my head hurt like a bitch. "How long was I out?"
"A little over two hours once you passed out."
My memory of the event was gone. The last thing I remember was saying that I was ready to begin. "That long?"
"I'm a little surprised that you're up. I had expected it would take a little longer. You screamed quite a bit, so I figured you had a bad experience."
"I don't remember any of it."
"That's normal. Probably for the best."
"So I was bad?"
"Well, I had to gag you so that your screams wouldn't attract someone over here, but I anticipated that. Also good fortune that you were bound." A small smile appeared on his face, and I hated it. More importantly, I was concerned, as these reactions seemed pretty fierce.
Sensing my apprehension, he continued, "But like I said, it was all good once you passed out."
Well, that doesn't exactly make me feel any better! "Oh, good," I responded, the response dripping with sarcasm.
Scarecrow didn't reply to that, but instead untied me. "Alright, you are finished."
"Where's Temple?"
"He left a while ago. But he told me to give you his regards."
I got up and returned to my cell, pretty much done with this day. I could sense the Scarecrow wanted to say something to me, but he didn't.
"Carmel? You may also experience intense nightmares tonight as the toxin fully wares off."
"Great."
Again, Scarecrow appeared uncertain what to say. He mumbled something, but I couldn't hear what he said. "Huh?"
He looked down and then answered, "Thank you for trusting me." He quickly turned around, back to his work.
How nice.
He was right, by the way. I had terrible nightmares that night.
Hey there everybody! I apologize for the long break, but I've been quite busy as of late. Thank you to all of you guys who have reviewed or fav/followed this since the last update. As always, I am excited to see your reactions to this new section!
See ya real soon,
The Mustachioed Academic
