Disclaimer: I 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.
After a busy first week at the Corn Palace, I was quite relieved to have some time off. The Scarecrow instructed we lay low on our criminal activities after the whole bank robbing and money laundering episodes. So for the next two weeks, nothing major really happened. Scarecrow spent a lot of time working on the toxin while I spent a good deal of time working at Gotham Casino.
Having Crane as a roommate was an interesting experience. This was my first time living with a male roommate, although in terms of roommates, Crane was probably the best one I ever had. He rarely bothered me and was polite. We would often eat dinner together, which could be a rather silent affair at times and made me feel like we were some type of screwed up family.
I was in charge of any public duties such as grocery shopping. This was understandable as Scarecrow wasn't going to go out to GothMart to buy cans of soup and Ramen noodles. That was obviously a bad idea for all those involved. Wouldn't that be a story! Batman catches criminal shopping at grocery store. Overall, I didn't really mind living at the Corn Palace; it was a nice little place outside of the fact that it desperately needed repairs.
Janet swung by one day to collect some of the money from Dr. Crane. Most of it was to go into a shell corporation that she created to keep some of Scarecrow's assets in a safe location while a bit of the money was her payment for all of her assistance. She told me when Crane was in his lab that she thought he was moving much better since the last time she had seen him. I hadn't really noticed as much, but the fact that I saw him every day made it harder to discern such a thing.
Finally, something exciting happened. One day, Crane told me that I would need to go and get some wings for dinner that night. He hadn't ever wanted wings before, so I was a little confused. "And make sure to get enough for three," he added.
I raised my eyebrows at him. "Are we having company?"
Instead of answering my question, he showed me his phone, which had an article about Deathstroke escaping Arkham Asylum on the screen.
"So Slade finally got out. And he told you he's coming here?"
"No, but I expect him to be here. If he escaped, that means he finally got a job he liked. He'll want to pick up the cash I promised him for keeping an eye on you before he heads off on his mission. As such, we can certainly expect he'll drop by tonight. And I do happen to know he likes wings, so I thought we'd prepare ourselves for his visit."
"That seems like an awful lot of expectations without proof." I countered.
The Scarecrow shrugged. "I've been cell neighbors with Mr. Wilson for a long time. I've learned to never bet against him. Besides, if you're right, there will just be more wings for us."
Satisfied with that response, I headed out to go get some wings for the Scarecrow and myself. That seems like such an absurd sentence to say, but that's what my life now looked like. So surreal, but also very exciting! But as the days went on, it just became my new normal.
No more than 30 minutes after I got back from picking up the wings, there was a knock at the door. Anytime this happened, the Scarecrow would head into his bedroom and shut the door, in case it was someone that we didn't want to meet. That way, I could just pretend I lived here by myself if it was the police or god forbid, some sort of religious missionary.
However, Dr. Crane was correct and I opened the door to see Slade Wilson's eyepatched face staring back at me, helmet in hand.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but I'm looking for your father. Is he home?" he started before breaking in laughter.
"Very funny, Slade. The Professor is expecting you and you're just in time for dinner."
He entered the Corn Palace. "Excellent. What do you have for me to eat? That Arkham food was really killing my appetite."
"He said you would like some wings."
"Naturally."
The Scarecrow entered the living room, having heard the coast was clear. "Ms. Ocean didn't believe that you would be dropping by this evening."
Deathstroke chuckled. "We'll give her a pass this time because she's new."
"So gracious," I fired back. "You finally got a job?"
He nodded. "Yep. Gonna be out of the country for a bit, which isn't the worst thing. While I like to go toe-to-toe with the Bat, making some easy money isn't bad either."
The three of us headed into the kitchen and dining area to eat. Deathstroke informed us about what happened in Arkham since we left, which was not a lot. He said that some people had been caught and brought back in, like Maxie Zeus and Crazy Quilt. But for the most part, the Asylum was still pretty quiet and not filled with as many people as had been there for the bulk of my time. I filled him in on everything that I'd been up to since leaving the Asylum as well.
The Scarecrow had a stack of money to give to Deathstroke for his job in protecting me during the breakout at the Asylum. "I'd hadn't heard that you hit a bank, yet somehow, I knew that you would have money for me."
"Carmel and I participated in the Cavalier's last hit and made some money that way. That's about all we've done so far. We're taking things slow for the time being, as I'd rather not risk a quick return trip to Arkham."
Deathstroke nodded. "Fair enough. Well, I'll be watching to see what the two of you do. We'll see if Carmel is worth all of that trouble."
"Hey," I interjected. "I don't know what the plan is, but it's going to be the greatest plan of all time."
That drew laughs from both Deathstroke and Scarecrow. "What she said," Crane added.
Unfortunately, Deathstroke couldn't stay very long, as he needed to catch a plane and get out of town as soon as possible. "Got a few APBs and BOLOs already out for me, but I'm not too worried," he explained, giving me a wink with his one good eye.
"I pity those cops trying to find you," I replied.
"If you need me for anything, just put up the money," Deathstroke told Crane as he shook his hand.
"I will certainly keep you in mind," Crane answered.
I gave Deathstroke a hug. "Now, don't go ghosting me. I want to hear from you."
He laughed. "Crane's never asked that of me before. But for you, Carmel, I'll see what I can do. You take care of yourself, kiddo."
And with that, Deathstroke was as gone as quickly as he came. I wished he could have stayed longer, but time isn't usually an ally of a supervillain.
A few days later, I got a text from a number that I didn't know. Hey Carmel, babe, how's it going? it read.
Who's this? I replied.
Just your buzziest friend. You gave me your number at AA remember?
The poor pun immediately gave away that Drury was the mysterious one texting me. How's my favorite moth?
Oh you know, the usual. I gotta job in need of your expertise. Think you could help an old friend out?
Not wishing to further the conversation via text, I called him. "Why me? What did you have in mind?"
"Besides hopelessly missing you? That's not good enough for you, babe?" Killer Moth joked.
"Yeah, yeah." Drury was a bit of a flirt, but he was a good sport and a good friend.
"Here's the pitch. I'm looking to scout out a job I'm going to do."
"And that's a two person job?"
"Nope. But to scout it out, I need to attend a gala. And I can't show up to something like that by myself, don't ya know?"
I laughed. "Very true. So what would I need to do?"
"Nothing much really. You just gotta be there and look pretty while I do the scouting. I know you can do that."
I wasn't sure if I should be flattered or insulted. "Okay, say I'm in. When's this going down?"
"Well, I was hoping you might be free tonight? Things are happening quickly and the other girl dropped out. No offense, babe, but you weren't my first pick. I know you're busy with Scarecrow."
"None taken. Speaking of the Scarecrow, I'll need to get his approval."
"Of course. You take it up with the strawman and then call me back. Free drinks and snacks. Can't beat that, right?"
"Going on a rich person date with you? What could be better?" I facetiously responded and then hung up.
I then headed into the lab/bedroom, where I found Crane working. "Uh, Professor?"
Without looking up, he responded. "Who was that?"
"It was Drury. He wants to me help on a job. I guess he needs to scout out a place. And he needs a partner to get into the party tonight."
Crane nodded his head, but stayed focused on his research. "Hmm…that sounds positively dreadful. You should go."
His deadpan got me to laugh. "Really?"
He finally looked up, a flash of a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm sure Drury needs all the help he can get. He's not certainly as accomplished as some of us. As long as you promise to not do something stupid, that's fine by me. I owe Drury a little for helping me get out of the Asylum anyways."
"Okay then. Guess I better get dressed up then!" I then called Drury back to accept his proposal and went to go get ready for the night.
Drury came to pick me up around 6:00 that night. He was all dressed up fancy in a tux, which was a very unusual look for me to see him in. After all, I'd only seen him in his bombastic getup and his prison gear. His brown hair was a little messy, but he cleaned up pretty good.
"Ain't you the bee's knees! Carmel, babe, good to see ya. Thanks for helping me out on such short notice," he greeted.
"Of course, anything for you." I got into his car and we headed off. "I've never been on a date with a supervillain before."
He laughed. "Oh yeah, you're one lucky gal. Although you're gonna have a different name tonight."
"I figured as much. Who are you?"
"I'm Cameron van Cleer and you're my date, Lily Rataczak."
I gave him a look. "I don't need an accent for this job, do I?"
"No, no. You'll be fine. This should be a breeze. I used this alias before, so no one will suspect me anyways."
"Such a party-goer," I teased.
"You know me, babe. Like a moth to a flame."
We arrived to the party without incident and soon we were enjoying alcoholic drinks and snacks with all of Gotham's elite. I had been slightly worried that we might stand out, and that the other rich people would notice us and not recognize us, but that was not the case. There were so many people attending the party that we were hardly noticeable. I recognized a couple of Gotham's famous here and there, but for the most part, I had no idea who most of the people were.
One couple that I did recognize was Bruce Wayne and Holly Barker. I'd heard that they became an item when I was at Arkham, so I wasn't surprised to see them here. "If they ever get married, those are going to be some pretty babies," I told Drury after they passed us.
"Maybe. But I bet they'll be broken up within the month anyways. Wayne never can seem to hold a girlfriend for that long."
After we finished our drinks, we headed out to the ballroom to dance. The ballroom was a makeshift one set up in the Gotham Museum's Hall of Jewels. The event was to celebrate a large diamond that the museum had recently acquired. This event is ripe for some sort of attack or plot. Hope we don't get caught up in it.
Drury was dancing with me, but his real focus was the on the jewels and particularly the security system around them.
"So which one do you want?" I asked him.
"It's not really a case of which one, but rather how many can I get. I don't really care which ones. They're all pretty valuable."
"Huh. I figured you'd want a specific one. You know, needing it for the exact size so it can be used for some crazy machine or something that you built," I teased.
He gave me a look. "Very funny. Look, not all of us are big shot villains with big ideologies or delusions. I'm just here to make some money."
"That's why you're a supervillain? Just the money?"
"Yes. But that's not all of it. I wanna be a name-brand villain someday. And I've got the perfect plan to do it. See, the cops are able to get the job done because they've got a patron saint, someone looking out for them: the Batman. In order to event the odds, us criminals need a patron saint, someone to protect criminals from the cops and Batman. And that someone's going to be me!"
I was impressed with his proposal. "And you need some money to get going?"
"Exactly. The Batman is either secretly rich or getting funded by the government in order to have the equipment that he does. Obviously, the government is not going to fund me, so the only way I can get rich is to get money myself."
"Makes sense to me."
"Course, I need some money for my little girl too."
"That's right, you got a kid, Drury." I remembered him speaking about her a couple times at Arkham. I'd never heard Drury talk about a wife, though, so I assumed he wasn't married.
"Her name's Kitten and she's the best damn thing that's happened to me. You got to meet her sometime. I think you two would get along real well."
"Well, then you'll have to have me over to meet her!" Somehow, I figured that Drury would make a real good father.
He took us over near a display case. "Hmm…some heat sensors. A little tricky, but not impossible. Good to know. So, how's life flitting with the straw-hat?"
"Fine, I guess. The bank heist was pretty exciting, and I've met Egghead and the Penguin for business, so that's been interesting."
"Well, look at you go, babe. You know what the professor is planning yet?"
I sighed. "No, I don't. He hasn't told me anything yet, and it's a little frustrating."
"I bet. But that's how it goes. I'm sure he's still seeing if he can trust you. Remember, he's never taken on a close minion before. I mean sure, he's hired goons for things, who hasn't? But an actual henchman? That's new ground for the old sack of straw."
"I'm sure you're right. I just wish I knew what the endgame is. At this point, we've only secured funding for whatever he wants to do. The possibilities are endless."
"As long as you keep up the good work, I'm sure he'll let you know soon enough." He took me over towards another case to inspect.
"Slade dropped by a couple days ago. It's been nice to see some old friends."
"Yeah, I saw that he busted out. Probably won't be seeing him for a while. Glass looks pretty thick here. Might need the cocoon driller," he said to himself.
"You really know how to show a girl a good time," I drawled.
He flashed me a grin. "Hey, if this bores you, I could give you a good drilling. That's more in your wheelhouse, huh?"
I rolled my eyes. "In your dreams maybe. Or more accurately, in your nightmares, based on what Scarecrow might do to you afterwards."
"Woah, woah, not like that, babe! I'm might be a villain but I'm not that kind of scum."
"I know that. I wouldn't be here with you otherwise. You sure you don't need my help for the actual job?"
Drury moved me towards another case as we danced. "That's real cute, but I'm going to need professionals on this crew and you don't have enough experience yet."
"I feel like I just got rejected for a job application," I fired back.
"Oh yeah, that's it. Besides, it's not nice to steal away other villains' interns. That's corporate espionage."
"Such an honorable villain."
"You know me, babe. Now, let's say we grab another drink and mosey over to that big ruby over there?"
"You had me at 'another drink.'"
The rest of the evening proceeded smoothly. Drury got all of the info he needed and I got to pretend to be one of Gotham's elite. I even managed to hold my own in a short conversation or two with other rich women as I was getting some snacks.
Afterwards, we headed to the "Mothmobile," which is what Drury apparently named his car, and then headed back to the Corn Palace.
"Thanks for everything, Carmel. I should be all good to go."
"No, thank you. I had a great evening with Gotham's number one bug. Now, I don't want to read about your capture in the news in a few days. Be careful."
"Of course, babe. With the ol' cocoon gun with me, I always get out of sticky situations. You keep Scarecrow in line, okay? Maybe I'll swing by sometime with Kitten, I'd sure he'd get a kick of it."
"Can't wait. Take care, Drury." I then headed inside, where I was unsurprised to find the Scarecrow in the recliner, watching TV.
"Have a good evening?" he asked me.
"Actually yes. Always fun to play dress-up."
"That's good. That's a good skill to have, especially since I can't…well, that's not really an option for me anymore."
Yeah, can't really hide that face. "So, any news?"
"Oh, nothing much. Another story about that new doctor killer and apparently Killer Croc's been spotted at the Gotham Zoo, but nothing too interesting. But, I do have some exciting news."
"And what's that?"
"We're ready to move onto the next phase of the plan."
Hey there everybody, I'm back with lucky chapter 13! I know that it has been a while, but this story is still going strong. Thank you to all of you readers for keeping up with the story. I would greatly appreciate if you liked or followed the story if you haven't and reviews are always welcome!
See ya real soon,
The Mustachioed Academic
