A/N: Viin – I know the idea of Crane being a good guy might seem a little strange, but I have an explanation if you'll stick around for it.

Disclaimer: I don't own the line from "The Moonshiner".

Chapter IX

Hot tears burned my eyes as I threw some clothes into a duffel bag. I couldn't stay here anymore; I just couldn't, not after Jonathan had betrayed me. I wouldn't even go to Arkham to say good-bye. I never wanted to see or hear of him again, ever. He was just like all the others. All people were the same! I'd never trust any of them again. I'd trust no one but myself. I was the only person I could trust.

I raided Jonathan's room and found some cash; enough for a train ticket. I guessed I'd go somewhere out in the country where there was less chance of my being found. New Jersey, maybe. Or one of the Carolinas. Somewhere away from people, out in the country. Somewhere I'd be safe. I didn't really think about it much. I just wanted to get far away from Gotham fast. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong.

Well, that wasn't my problem.

"Going somewhere tonight, dear?" came a voice from the doorway. I looked and saw the housekeeper, Mrs. Dunberry, standing there. I looked away.

"Yeah," I said absently. "Sleepover. I'll be gone all night."

"You don't have to lie to me, dear," said Mrs. Dunberry gently. I looked up in surprise. She smiled warmly. "I know what's happened. You think I'd work for Dr. Crane all these years and I wouldn't know when he's put his foot in it? I knew he was getting into something over his head, but it wasn't my place to say and I make a nice income here. But I knew." The tears came again, and this time it was either let them flow or suffocate. I bit my lip, my face tight.

"How…could he do this?" I whispered. "He lied to me. He lied! And I believed him! How could he? How could he? I thought…I thought…"

"You thought what, dear?" asked Mrs. Dunberry, taking me into her arms lovingly.

"I thought he loved me," I croaked. Then I buried my face in her bosom and sobbed. Mrs. Dunberry had a nice, grandmotherly smell, like cinnamon and peppermint. She was soft and comforting, and for a moment I imagined that she was my grandmother and she loved me too. But no one loved me. No one.

"He does love you," said Mrs. Dunberry, stroking my hair. "He's loved you since you first came to Arkham." I looked up at her in surprise. "Oh yes, dear, I knew about that. You can't fool an old woman. I knew you were his Renfield patient. He talked about you often. And when he'd come home from that ghastly asylum of his, he always go straight up to your bedroom and look in on you sleeping, just like a father would. Only after he knew you were peacefully asleep would he put away his briefcase, change into his comfortable clothes, and come down and have his dinner. Only after he knew you were all right. He'd talk about you as he ate, telling me how much he wished he could finish up with 'this sordid business' as he said so he could spend more time with you. I knew he was working on something rather outside the law, but still he always thought of you. He loves you, dear. He truly does." She squeezed me a little tighter and added, "And so do I." I looked up at her, unable to respond. What could I possibly say? I sighed and lowered my head again.

"And what good is that to me now?" I asked softly. "Jonathan's lost his mind. I've lost everything again."

"You are still his daughter by law," answered Mrs. Dunberry. "You have the right to this house now. It's yours. And I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Besides, there might be something you can do for him."

I thought about that. I wasn't sure exactly what Mrs. Dunberry knew about Jonathan's "sordid business", but she had given me an excellent idea. I might be able to make a cure for his strange vapor. If only I knew what it was made from…

"Land sakes, what is that!" cried Mrs. Dunberry suddenly. I followed her gaze out the window and saw that the water mains throughout the city were bursting! Suddenly everything made sense: the chemicals being poured into the water mains, the white gas that caused panic in whoever was exposed to it, the rumor that Wayne Enterprises had just had some sort of microwave-emitter stolen…whoever this "Ra's al Ghul" that Jonathan said he was working for was, he was infecting the city with this poison!

"Oh god," I whispered. "I have to go back! I have to find him!" Before Mrs. Dunberry could ask what I meant, I had bolted out the door and was running as fast as I could back to Arkham. It was a long run, but I was faster and had better endurance than other people. When I reached the bridge it had been raised already, but I just dove into the water and swam across. I had to find Jonathan before something happened to him. Then I realized that my fears were unnecessary: Jonathan had been freed from the asylum. And he no longer recognized me. I watched him chase down Rachel Dawes and a little boy she was trying to protect, riding a police horse and wearing his Scarecrow mask. I felt sorry for the poor horse, for who knew what sort of effect this drug would have on the animal? I followed them quickly, watching as Jonathan closed in on Rachel and the boy.

"There is nothing to fear," he raved, "but Fear itself!"

Rachel suddenly pulled a taser gun out of her pocket and fired it at Jonathan. It hit him squarely between the eyes, and he fell back screaming. The horse ran off with him, he having lost control. There was no way I could follow them. The island was crawling with murderers, rapists, and all the other crazies of Arkham Asylum. I was in as much danger now as everyone else. Then I realized just how foolish I had been to come back. There was nothing I could do. There was nothing anyone could do.

Rachel suddenly noticed me. "You!" she called. I spun around in surprise. "Are you all right? Where are you parents?" she asked.

"Six feet under," I replied heavily. "And I'm fine. But something has to be done about this gas, before it covers the whole city."

"Why isn't it affecting you?" asked Rachel. "Have you been inoculated?"

"No," I said, surprised. "I didn't know there was an inoculation. This stuff doesn't affect me because I'm not…afraid of anything." I had been about to tell her that I wasn't human! How stupid can I get? I shook my head briefly to clear it. "We have to get off this island. There isn't much time before the crazies from the asylum catch up with us."

"I'm not leaving yet," said Rachel. "Besides, the bridges have been raised. There's no way back across."

"You don't swim?" I replied, a little sadly. I gazed gently at the little boy. "You stay with Miss Dawes, big guy. She'll watch out for you." The boy nodded shakily. I smiled at him and left before Rachel could ask any more awkward questions. There was nothing I could do. All I could do was go back to Mrs. Dunberry and warn her about the gas. Maybe if she wet some towels and placed them over her mouth and nose, like you're supposed to when there's a fire, that would filter out the poison in the air. As I walked away, I found myself singing:

"I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler, I'm a long way from home
And if you don't like me, well, leave me alone!
I'll eat when I'm hungry, I'll drink when I'm dry
And if moonshine don't kill me I'll live 'til I die!"

Hmph. Small wonder that phrase was on my mind. I certainly had a tendency to ramble on at times, I gambled my life any time I came out in public, and, having never really had a home until now, I couldn't be farther from it. Well, it didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was getting off the island and getting back to Mrs. Dunberry. She was a sweet old woman, and I wanted to help her if I could. As for this inoculation, I'd have to see about getting some for myself to use on Jonathan if I ever found him again.

I wandered around despondently for a while, having forgotten my purpose, until suddenly the monorail roared overhead. My head snapped up at the sound. Who could be running the train now? And what on Earth was that thing hanging from underneath it? Wait, that wasn't a thing, it was a person! Batman! He was trying to stop the train! But why? Then I realized that the microwave-emitter that was blowing the pipes and releasing the gas must be on the train. The monorail followed the main pipes to the central hub right underneath Wayne Tower. If that hub were to blow, the pipes all over the city would follow in a chain reaction. I just stared after the train for a while, not knowing what to do. A grunting sound caught my attention. I looked around and saw several of the inmates of Arkham duking it out nearby. And right against my foot was a medical kit. I opened it quickly, hoping to find…yes, there was a syringe! Excellent! I snuck up on the men carefully, waiting for my moment to strike. When it came, I clapped one man on both temples with the palms of my hands. Unconsciousness was immediate. While he was down for the count, I jabbed the syringe into the artery that was pulsing out of his neck and filled it with blood. I may not have had an inoculant against this drug, but I'd be damned if I couldn't make my own!