Always Look Forward
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye or Batman Begins for that matter!
Chapter Fifteen
Joe Reisert was surprised at the behavior of his two favorite grandchildren. Henrietta and JR were normally very lively and active—after all, they were five year-olds! But ever since the Rippners ran for their lives, the twins had changed. The change had not been for the better.
How could Lisa and Jackson have been so careless with the lives of their children? Joe was still in shock from when Lisa had shown up with the kids after a few minor explosions and before the final explosion, which had leveled their house. She showed up, and then disappeared to search for the elusive Jackson, who later stabbed her.
The twins were obviously both affected by the fight between their parents. As far as Joe knew, Henrietta had been the only witness to Lisa's stabbing, but JR had seen Lisa shoot Jackson. The twins were split with their allegiances—Henrietta was scared to death of Jackson and JR was worried about Lisa—and Joe wondered how they could possibly be handling the situation.
They were too young to handle this kind of stress. Lisa and Jackson should never have exposed them to danger. Lisa had told him, that the company had kidnapped the twins. When she told him that Jackson had kept her from trying to stop the men from getting to her children, Joe lost all hope of Jackson being able to have a normal life with his family. He would keep Jackson away from the twins, no matter what.
That evening, a phone call woke Joe from a sound sleep. He quickly answered the phone, praying that the twins would be able to sleep through the ringing.
"Hello?" his groggy, sleep-filled voice answered.
"Mr. Reisert? It's Dr. Jonathan Crane. From the hospital?" came Crane's voice, strangely alive and awake considering the early hour.
"You're the one treating Jackson," Joe said, vaguely recalling the name being spoken. He had not actually met Crane, but he had heard about the young doctor.
"Correct. I'm sorry that I'm calling so late—or rather early—but I have some news regarding both your son-in-law and your daughter."
Joe was suddenly very much awake. "Lisa? What's wrong?"
"Lisa Rippner has had a psychotic breakdown again and Jackson Rippner is unstable as well. I'm preparing to have them transferred to my facility so that I can better treat them."
"Are you referring to the incident that happened earlier tonight?" Joe questioned, remembering the commotion he had witnessed upon returning to Lisa's room.
"Yes and no. Mrs. Rippner appears to have gotten worse since I moved her and is no longer sane. As for Mr. Rippner, I doubt that he was ever sane. You are caring for their children, I believe?"
"Yes. Why?"
"It might be in their best interest to seek mental help regarding what they have seen. If either one or both of their parents are insane, it is likely that they too could have some form of mental trauma," Crane explained calmly. He wanted to test the children as well—for fun—and he would have to have Jack to finish them off, as well as Lisa, eventually.
"I agree, but not yet. They are still upset and unsure as to what's going on," sighed Joe. He did not want to let go of the only reminder of Lisa at the moment. Especially if she were insane. If Lisa was insane, it was most likely due to dealing with an insane Jackson.
Joe had always suspected that Jackson was mentally unstable.
"I'm going to have them both transferred first thing today. I just thought that I would inform you…"
"Thank you, Dr. Crane. Can you tell me where you will be taking them?"
"To Arkham Asylum—where I work."
Everything was beginning to fall into place with relative ease. Soon, Crane would complete the agreement with the company and be rid of the Rippner family. Except for Jackson—Jackson would work with him. It was only fair that Jackson—or more accurately Jack—would get a second chance, after seeing who he was.
Jackson had never been aware of his twin brother. A hospital mistake had caused Jonathan to end up in Gotham City, growing up to become the Scarecrow, while his younger brother traveled across the globe frequently, dealt with problems with his parents, and became a manager. Jackson had run into their criminally insane half-brother, a product of their mother's first marriage, John Roberts and been turned against his parents. Jackson had grown up on the wrong side of the law, and Jonathan on the right. They had been opposites, yet they were alike in many ways now.
Both the brothers had another, secret side. Jackson's was boringly named 'Jack', yet Jonathan's was 'Scarecrow' and more accurate. When Jonathan donned his mask, he became the persona that he shared his body and mind with, the name that he had been taunted and teased with for many years. Jackson too had been teased and called names and he became the killer that the other kids joked about when he assumed Jack.
Jack and Jonathan would get their chance to get back at the world together. It was too late to get revenge upon all those who ruined their lives—Jackson had already murdered the only people who knew about them being twins besides Ra's Al Ghul—and those who used them.
They would be a great pair and they would be feared. The names Scarecrow and Jack would strike fear deep into the hearts of anyone who heard them. Crane's plan to taint the water supply would earn them respect amongst their peers and fear from everyone in Gotham and the other cities that would learn about it.
The only problem was Jackson Rippner. Jack needed Crane's help to replace Jackson, just as the Scarecrow planned on replacing Jonathan one day.
Jackson's love for his wife and children would be their undoing. Jackson was the only one that stood in their way. Luckily, Lisa was being an excellent test subject for the fear gas and would soon be beyond any help. Of course, the antidote would still work at the moment, but Jack would keep Jackson from helping Lisa. Jack was very good at sabotaging Jackson's plans. His hatred towards Lisa allowed Crane to use her as a guinea pig. So what if she was his brother's wife? She was going to die eventually, after Crane had his fun torturing her with her fear of Jackson.
The one thing that Crane did not foresee was Jackson being in control and playing along with the game—only to change the ending…
Author's Notes:
A few hints of foreshadowing and some more detail into Crane's plan. The move to Gotham will be in the next chapter. Sorry that it took me so long to update. School was evil this week, but now it's calming down and there should not be any long pauses between updates anymore.