Chapter 2: Gotham City

Jonathan Crane, otherwise known as the Scarecrow, lurked deep within his lair, overseeing production of his new scheme. There were only four days left until Halloween, two more days to finish his plan and put it into action. He had escaped from Arkham Asylum nearly two months ago, with this scheme already planned out and in progress. Now in its final stages, the only thing left to do was wait.

Oh, there was so much to wait for---the last of the shipments of his newly disguised toxin, in a scheme so unlike him that it would thwart the Batman, the chance to finally study the effects of fear in mass chaos. It was close, so close he could almost taste sweet victory---but for now, patience. As every scientist knows, patience is the key to a successful experiment.

His eyes looked around at his surroundings. He found this place long before his last capture. It was in an old broken down toy factory, owned, but not in use, by one rich socialite known as Mr. Kentworth, owner and operator of Phantasmical Toys, the biggest toy store chain in Gotham. It was a hideout probably more fitting for the Joker, but for now it suited him. Besides, hiding in such an unlikely place gave him an advantage against the infamous Batman.

He had "persuaded" Mr. Kentworth to allow him to get the factory started again---under Kentworth's own name, of course, as to not attract attention. Jonathan then gave him suggestions for converting the factory to his own needs. Of course, kind Mr. Kentworth did not turn down such an honor.

'How could he, when faced which such blackmail that he would lose all that he has?' he thought wickedly.

Jonathan smiled to himself. His old teachers once praised him for being good with the little details. And what better details against a rich socialite than ones that show cheating on taxes, plundering charity money, illegal imports, paying off judges, dealing with illegal substances, and organizing crime? Though it did not hurt to give him a dose of fear serum...and watch a man scared to death of beautiful women (otherwise known as Venusophobia, Jonathan noted) cringe in terror. Jonathan took a moment to toy with the thought that having known that beforehand, perhaps he could have paid Poison Ivy to do the job for him.

This heist was so perfect that Jonathan was amazed he had not thought of it before. The machines had been converted to assuage his scheme. The conveyor belts moved. Fuel pumped. Machines hissed as they worked. Jonathan looked over at one of his henchmen.

"How many more shipments?"

"All the stores are in high demand," the worker replied. "At least thirty more, at around a hundred cases each."

"Then ship them, fools!" Jonathan demanded. "Ship them all if you must!"

"Yes, sir," the henchman replied, before going back to work.

Jonathan smiled, before he headed to a small office that he had claimed for himself. Even with this scheme, he did not fail to halt his experiments on the nature and origins of fear, never ceased to create newer, better serums. He latest creation, which was secretly being shipped all over Gotham, was a colorless gas, designed to take effect at midnight on Halloween, when he knew Gotham would be up and running in foolish costumes and lavish parties. Though at midnight, most of Gotham would most likely be in bed---a most fitting time to strike.

The office was small and dreary, with dead gray walls. A desk was pushed into the back corner, and a bookcase lined the wall beside it, with canisters of fear serum neatly lined next to it. An old lamp hung overhead, with a bulb that gave the room a dim, uncomfortable glow. The desk was covered in lab equipment. Test tubes and petri dishes, bottles of chemicals, jars of different liquids, a pile of notes littered the top of the desk.

Jonathan picked up a handful of notes and looked them over. They were the key to his latest formula, the one he was to poison Gotham with as soon as the time as right. He put them down, then looked beside them, at the one object on the table that was not in place with the rest. He carefully picked it up and looked it over.

It was a defective doll, dressed in a black, V-neck one-piece outfit with tall black boots, and little leather jacket. She had glassy, piercing green eyes and straight black hair. Her white plastic face and neck were cracked in a few hardly noticeable places, and she had a dark, sorrowful demeanor about her. As he looked at it, a small smile fell across his lips.

This doll was the first thing he found when he first found this hideout, over a year ago. She was hanging over the edge of a bin labeled "Rejects," tossed there without a care. Upon first glance, he saw nothing wrong, but a second look showed the reason she was tossed inside---she had two left hands. He remembered then, his idea as a scheme for Halloween, the inspiration that hit. No one else would have thought of such a heist.

Gently setting the doll down, he smiled. Halloween was going to be perfect this year. Looking carefully, he turned the doll around. After carefully moving her little black jacket aside, he found an opening, cleverly concealed. He looked on the table and found a tiny vial, cleverly disguised as a AA battery. Slowly and carefully, he slipped the vial inside.

(A/N: I apologize for such a short chapter. I generally try to do a two or three Microsoft Word page minimum per chapter, but it did not work out this time. :p The only way to make it longer would be to throw in part of the last chapter---but that would throw off my sense of timing, since the last chapter was a week before Halloween and this one is four days until.)