Thanks, all, for sticking it out so far. It's really great to have readers like you. To Nothing and Nowhere: thanks so much for the tip! I've often wondered about that; you're right, it looks much cleaner this way. And to CGFlower: this is kind of an AV storyline, but in keeping with the basic plot, at this point I believe it has been only a few hours since Batman attacked Crane. See, it's after Gordon talks to him, and after Ra's Al-Ghul's SWAT team guys release him, but before he actually makes it outside. Same night, though. Thanks for asking; the next (and last) couple of chapters have a kind of ambiguous feel to them, so don't hesitate if any of you need clarification.
-nH
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 19
Straw and Disease
Jane…how lovely to see you again
Scare crow
The name thudded in her brain before she could consciously make the connection. Seconds later, the world caught up to her, as much as it could in this cold pocket of concrete and metal.
"Dr. Crane?" she said.
"Crane?" he echoed, stepping closer. Indeed, it was hard to tell; hours had passed since she'd last seen him, or so her senses told her now that the painful hallucinations had diminished. He wore a rough canvas jacket that put hers to shame; double the length, twice as sturdy. Of course, his had been undone, although not removed. It was split up the middle, and Jane saw that the figure did wear a suit, similar to Crane's, underneath.
"Am I Crane? The doctor Crane?" This man did wear the mask, that burlap sack with the shockingly simple and effective features. His approach was slow, but steady; Jane hadn't noticed his growing proximity. Now here he was, in breathing distance, and under the apparent insanity Jane could almost smell and taste and feel the things that made him human.
Or was it just that they were the same, now? It was a distinct possibility that being human was a thing of Jane's past. This had been such a short time without normalcy, really, but it was long enough that the feeling had become foreign. Hovering in front of her was a mere approximation of man, but someone very close to Jane's world.
"No," she said, so softly he may not have heard. He wasn't the man, the doctor Crane. He wasn't a part of all that anymore. "Not the doctor, not you. You….you're not human."
He laughed, a short lingering rasp. "Who am I then? Or what?"
"You're…a demon. No….no, nothing like that, nothing real. You're a dream, a doll, stuffed with straw and disease. You're a Scarecrow."
There was an instant of stillness, absolute silence. Jane felt the clock tick toward the end of what was, toward the beginning of his new life and her possible death. Then the silence broke, and the dust motes filtering through the air shuddered at the sound of his new frightening voice.
"Yes…." a laugh, a growing certainty. "Yes, of course….Scarecrow."
She nodded, afraid but enthralled, unwilling to break the gaze between them. The Scarecrow before her laughed and laughed, and took a final step into her space, drawing her into his arms in a nightmare embrace.