Scarecrow is a nasty villain.

I've known that since the day Dick told me the story of the first time he had fought the Gotham hoodlum, and while I'm ashamed to admit this, the story gave me nightmares for weeks.

Batman had been off-world with Martian Manhunter trying to stop the civil war between the green and white Martians - something he failed to do - so Dick had been left to cover the city. And when Scarecrow broke out of Arkham, Dick called in Wally as backup.

They eventually took him down, but they both breathed in fear gas in the process. Apparently it wasn't enough to start them panicking on the spot, but their nightmares lasted for weeks. And they were violent. Whenever one of them would stay over at the Cave, I could hear them screaming, horrified at the vibrant images they were being forced to see.

I remember the one night that Dick had fallen asleep on the couch. I couldn't sleep, so I came out into the main area of the Cave, and I heard the screaming. The names were names I knew - Barbara. Tim. Bruce. Wally. I listened as he screamed out the names of every single person he loved, as if watching them die, one by one. He woke up screaming, and he sat next to me for hours, shaking in fear.

So when Batman calls us to the mission briefing room and informs us that Scarecrow has broken out of Arkham yet again, I try to keep a calm appearance. Batman's face hardens before telling us about the dangers of Scarecrow's fear gas, because most of the Team has never heard of it. "His fear gas induces hallucinations. Breathing in a minimal amount will just cause nightmares, but even those will last for weeks. Breathe in too much and you'll have painful hallucinations in which you can feel everything that's happening. Kid Flash, Nightwing, you've inhaled it before, which will make it far worse for you if you breathe in even the tiniest amount. Everybody wear your rebreathers going in, because you cannot inhale any of this gas."

Fifteen minutes later, we hover over Gotham, and I'm trying not to panic. I have to appear calm, but I don't feel like it.

So when I stand in the middle of Gotham Bank, staring at the twisted face of one of the most horrific villains the Team has ever faced, I have to try not to scream. I start firing arrows, and they glance off him, useless. We have him outflanked, and yet we're all scared to attack. I can't see why, because we know that we have him beaten. At least, it feels like we do. So why won't anybody attack?

Superboy, as usual, throws the first punch. He knocks Scarecrow back into Cassie, who knocks him towards Jaime. He throws the villain into the ground, and then all hell breaks loose. Scarecrow leaps to his feet and throws a bomb into the ground, a brown gas spreading quickly from it throughout the Bank. Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Beast Boy quickly evacuate the rest of the people inside, and we go back to fight.

I remember a nightmare that I had the week before - Scarecrow had broken my rebreather while I was fighting him, and I breathed in fear gas. The scene suddenly switched to the League of Shadows headquarters, and I was staring into the eyes of my father.

He smiled. "I told you that you could never be a do-gooder, Artemis. It's time to switch sides." He laughed, and he punched me in the face. I sprawled to the ground, my face already bruising.

"Get up and fight," he commanded me with a smirk.

I tried, but before I could even stand up, he knocked me to the ground.

Suddenly, I was no longer inside the brain of my dream self, and I was now watching myself writh in pain on the ground. I woke up from that dream in a cold sweat, and it comes to me again during this fight. I'm not sure why.

Dick, Wally and I look at each other and nod. Wally charges straight at Scarecrow, Dick and I flanking him on each side. Scarecrow throws a punch at Wally, but it glances off of his fast-moving body. He quickly turns towards Dick, but he can't lay a hand on the acrobat. That's when I see my opportunity - with Scarecrow preoccupied by Dick, I run up behind him, planning to throw a punch at the back of his head.

At least, until his elbow whips backwards and breaks my rebreather.

He laughs maniacally and is gone within seconds. But he is no longer the priority.

"Wally, get her out of here!" Dick is screaming, a terrified look on his face.

I still haven't taken a breath, but I can only hold on for so long.

And then Wally takes off his rebreather and puts it on me.

My eyes light up in horror. Wally looks worried, but calm.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask him.

"My speedster system will filter out the gas at a faster pace. It's the logical choice."

"That's not true. It will work at the same pace, but you've already breathed it in before. It will affect you even worse." Dick is holding back tears by now, an unusual look for the next Batman.

He nods and takes a deep breath... and he drops to the ground, convulsing and screaming.

A scream tears itself from my mouth.

"Wally!"

The next chapter will have some major violence and gore coming to theaters near you from the inside of Wally's head.

Reviews are nice. You guys are nice, right?

- JT