A Handful of Dust, part 5.

Disclaimer: DC owns everything, not me.

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The blade descended towards Bolton's writhing form only to be knocked from Scarecrow's hands by a black object. He cursed and looked around wildly. Robin was still lying, stunned, at the other end of the room and Batman was nowhere in sight. He turned his head towards Summer Gleason who stood by the front entrance with her other shoe in her hand, ready to throw it.

"Get away from him." There was obvious fear in her voice despite her combative stance and his anger turned to amusement. Slowly, he advanced towards her, talking all the way.

"Why of course, my dear. Thank you for bringing me to my senses. While it would be satisfying to take care of Bolton with my own two hands, it is far better to let my fear drug run it's course. That way, his death will be much slower and more painful. Unlike yours."

Summer had been concentrating on his words to such an extent that she had let him get too close. She realized her mistake and turned to run but Scarecrow was faster. Surging forward, he grasped her by the shoulders and held her against the wall. Despite his thin build, he was quite a bit taller than her and stronger than he looked so her struggles were useless. She stared into the mad blue eyes looking at her as though she were just an insect and couldn't help but tremble.

"Silly girl. You were just a pawn to Bolton. You don't think he really expected that ransom to be paid? No, it was a lure to get Batman involved and disrupt the city so he could take it over. Pity for all of you that it was me and not Batman that found him out." Her gaze went past him briefly and in a sudden instinctive move, he let her go and threw himself backwards. Robin's foot whooshed through the space where he had been. It was too much for Gleason and she bolted out the front door. Scarecrow landed in a crouch and bolted towards the back door. As he reached for the handle, a batarang embedded itself in the wall just inches from his fingers. He cursed and turned to face his attacker.

"Don't move Scarecrow." Robin had another batarang(or should it be called a robinarang?) ready to throw at Crane at the slightest movement. He was keeping an eye on Bolton as well who was now foaming at the mouth. There was still a slight dazed look in the young man's eyes but he was close enough that he wouldn't miss at this angle.

"You know, in the time it would take you to fight me, you could be trying to save that miserable cretin. You won't succeed of course, but I know you hero types have to make an effort at these sort of life-saving gestures. And then there's Miss Gleason. How far do you think she'll get, barefoot in this neighborhood in the dark? Perhaps, she's already being dragged off into an alley by some whiskey-breathed hoodlum. Care to go help her?"

"She's tough. She can take care of herself for a few minutes." He sounded uncertain about that but faced with three different problems, Robin hesitated for a second. Then there was a sudden movement at the front door. They both turned to see the Dark Knight standing in the door with a shivering Summer Gleason at his side. "Batman! You're back!"

Robin couldn't keep the relief out of his voice. Crane took the moment of distraction to flee. He got through the heavy steel door and slammed it shut behind him, locking the bolt before running towards the back door. As he emerged into the alley, the paralyzed guard was gone. Presumably, Batman had taken him somewhere for medical treatment.

Crane ran in the opposite direction from the dumpster where Robin's motorcycle was hidden. There was no one on the street as he emerged and after a cautious look around, he bolted for the same nearby hide-out that he'd gotten the scythe from. Even with Gleason saved, there was still Bolton for them to take care of and hopefully Batman would deal with that problem rather than chasing Scarecrow.

Every little noise made him jump but he reached the decaying building having seen no one other than a bum sleeping on one of the benches. He entered the abandoned building just as the sun was beginning to rise, and paused for breath before heading for the basement where he kept a small cache of supplies. It was just a hiding place with no lab or amenities but he needed somewhere to calm down and hide from Batman and Robin.

Rats and roaches scattered before him as he reached the heavy door. Even through the filters built into his mask, the place stank and for a moment he thought longingly of his neat, little house with it's treasure trove of books just waiting for his perusal. He stepped over the trip wire that would trigger a rush of fear gas at anyone who tried to break in and slipped inside. In a way, the building's condition worked in his favor. No one would think to find the mighty Scarecrow in such surroundings and the only ones who might see him were junkies and winos whose sightings were more likely to be dismissed.

The small, windowless room contained a single locked cabinet which contained a small number of his fear bombs as well as a couple of guns, rations, a radio, and a first aid kit. The only other features were a chair and a toilet and sink. He pulled his mask off and used the basin to wash his face before sinking wearily into the chair. The night's events seemed to hit him all at once. He'd actually gotten his revenge on Bolton as well as evading Batman and Robin! This was his most successful endeavor to date. Now people would know the price of crossing Scarecrow, Master of Fear.

The thought made him laugh. He'd won! Nothing could take this away from him. Even if Batman were to come flying through the door right now to bring him back to Arkham, he'd still have won. Bolton was probably being rushed to the hospital right now but all their efforts would be in vain. He just needed to hide out here for a couple of days and then he would try to make his way somewhere more comfortable.

He ate a couple of granola bars from the cabinet, sipped from a bottle of water, and then turned the radio to the classical station. Crane relaxed into the chair, content to wait however long it would take to feel safe enough to leave, and eventually dozed off. He awoke to the sound of the local news coming from the radio.

"...relieved at the safe return of Gotham news reporter Summer Gleason. Commissioner Gordon reports that vigilantes Batman and Robin were instrumental in rescuing Gleason from kidnapper Lyle Bolton, aka Lock-Up." Bah. They didn't want to give him credit but so be it. He knew the truth and so did the "Dynamic Duo." That was good enough for him. "Gordon also stated that Bolton was taken to Gotham General Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the fight. He is reportedly expected to recover and will be returned to Arkham in a few days."

"What! That's impossible!" Crane jumped to his feet and threw the radio against the wall in a rage. It had to be a lie. The usual antidote to his fear gas wouldn't work on the super-concentrated dust. The toxin should have caused Bolton's heart to explode by now. It was a trick.

Dropping back down in the chair, Crane buried his face in his hands in despair. If the report was true, his victory was in ruins. That was intolerable. He had to see if the report was true. Even knowing that it was likely a trick, he had to know. He had to go to Gotham General and see for himself even if that meant facing Batman and Robin.

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I intended for this to be the last chapter but when I actually wrote it out, it started to get way too long. So I split it into two chapters. The sixth and final chapter will be posted when it's done.