Double or Nothing (Part Five)
By TheLostMaximoff
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Thanks to the people reviewing and to the people catching my mistakes. You guys are great and I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted a new chapter. R/R.
His legs ached. His hands were shaking violently. Tim Drake tried to get a grip on himself as he reached for the place on his belt where he kept the regular antidote to Scarecrow's fear gas.
"C'mon, Drake," hissed Robin as he tried fighting past the fear, "She's counting on you." He managed to get the antitoxin into the injector. He could hear another of Batman's lectures beginning. For what felt like a lifetime, he had been lying here on the floor listening to the stern and disapproving voice of his mentor as Batman listed all of the things Tim had ever done wrong, all the ways in which he could never live up to being Robin. In between those lectures, he had listened to Cass tell him how much of a failure he was. In the beginning, Tim had taken it because the toxin was too strong but now its effects were diminishing and he could regain control. He was using that energy now to shoot himself up with the antitoxin.
"I'm not Batman," breathed Robin, "and it doesn't matter." It was true. For most of his life, Robin felt like he had been fighting against the inevitable. He would eventually turn into Bruce Wayne, turn into Batman. After all, wasn't that what Robin was supposed to do? However, now Tim saw everything differently. He had something that Bruce didn't. He had someone to pull him back from the void and help him from becoming bitter and cynical. He had the love of Cassandra Cain and it helped him become a better person.
"Have to find her," muttered Robin as he tried getting up. He had to get out of here and back to the casino. He checked the place where he had stored the antidote to the drug and made sure it was still safe. He didn't want to find it banged up while he was suffering from the effects of Scarecrow's surprise attack.
"Need some transportation," mumbled Robin to himself as he looked outside and noticed that Scarecrow had taken the cycle, "There has to be something around here." Robin looked around. His radio had been broken during the fight at the casino. He couldn't get in touch with Oracle that way.
"Time to get old-fashioned then," said Robin as he moved to a phone in the hallway and prayed to God that it still worked. He was relieved to find out that it did and quickly dialed the police.
"This is Robin," said Robin as soon as someone picked up the phone, "I need to speak with Gordon, now. It's urgent."
"One second," said the officer on the other end. There was some commotion as the phone was left off the hook and then picked up again.
"Gordon here," said Commissioner Gordon.
"Commissioner, it's Robin," explained Tim, "I need you to get some people over to where I am as soon as you can. I'm in an old mansion on the outskirts of the city. Just take the Parkway out of the city and follow it till you get close to the county line."
"I'm on it," assured Gordon, "What the hell are you doing out there, son?"
"No time to explain," assured Robin, "Also, get some people down to the Wild Ace Casino. Two-Face is the one in charge of it and he's using it as a front for the drug ring we've been trying to crack."
"We've been investigating that place for weeks," admitted Gordon, "How do you know it's Two-Face?"
"The catch isn't in the name of the casino," explained Robin, "It's the address. It's on West 16th Street. When you take the square root of sixteen twice, you get two." He should've paid more attention to it from the start. The biggest clue was that the drug itself was called Deuce but without anything more solid they couldn't be sure it was Two-Face. Robin also figured that Batman still had some lingering hopes that Harvey would see the error of his ways and that was why Bruce overlooked certain glaring details that pointed towards Two-Face.
"We'll send some people to both places," assured Gordon, "We're running pretty thin thanks to a breakout at Arkham that happened an hour or so ago." Robin inwardly cursed. If he hadn't been so stupid and rash then they could've been able to do this more effectively. He also couldn't believe that he had been out for at least an hour. He hoped that Cass was still alive.
"Do what you can," said Robin, "I have to get over to that casino." With that, Robin hung up the phone. Now came the hard part. He was going to have to find some mode of transportation and he was going to have to do it with absolutely no way to contact Oracle. He wondered if there was a computer terminal somewhere in the house. If he could find a computer then maybe he could get to the internet and get in touch with Oracle. That's when he heard a vehicle pull up to the house.
"Who would come out here?" wondered Robin as he took up a hiding spot in a hallway so that whoever may enter the front door couldn't see him. He peeked out from behind the wall as the door slowly opened.
"There's very little time to be playing around," assured Alfred Pennyworth as he looked around at the dusty and dilapidated condition of the house, "I don't believe you wish to spend any more time here than necessary."
"Alfred, how did you find me?" asked Robin as he looked at the butler with a smile.
"Batman sent me here," assured Alfred, "Huntress informed Oracle that you had disappeared and then we heard the report of an explosion at Arkham. Oracle traced the tracking device in Huntress's bike to here and since the Scarecrow has now been spotted at the casino, we thought you might still be here."
"Where's Batman?" asked Robin.
"He's busy attending to a situation at Arkham," replied Alfred, "You caused your fair share of trouble this time."
"Alfred, you have to get me back to that casino," said Robin, "Cass is in danger and we have to save her."
"Then we don't have time to stand around here talking," agreed Alfred as he walked out of the house and back towards the car, "Get inside and stay down to avoid suspicion." Robin did as he was told. He was still shaking a little from the fear gas but the antidote would clear it up. He patted the pocket in his belt where the Deuce antidote was located. Maybe things were finally going to look up for a change.
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They were nothing more than rats scurrying back to their holes. However, the Scarecrow would give them no such relief. He dispatched with the terrified goons in a quick and ruthless manner. They were just obstacles in his way. His true prey had yet to show his mangled face.
"Where is Two-Face?" demanded Scarecrow as he grabbed one goon by the collar and drew the man's face ever closer to his own, "I want him now!" The thug screamed in terror, the cry of fear dying down into small whimpering sounds.
"Tell me!" shouted Scarecrow.
"Basement," cried the thug, "Basement!" Scarecrow tossed the man aside and stared at the carnage around him that was covered in the smoky film of his fear gas. The equipment in his mask allowed him to walk around unharmed by his terror toxins. It helped add to the illusion that his very presence put the fear of God into everyone in the immediate vicinity. He was the reaper and it was time to collect his due.
"Thank you, gentlemen, for a very pleasant warm-up," said Scarecrow with a bow and a tip of his hat as he entered the elevator, "I hope that your boss is equally engaging." The only response was one last, lingering scream from one of the goons before the elevator doors closed and Scarecrow descended down into the basement. He checked the atomizers in the sleeves of his outfit and made sure they were prepared. He opened his coat to reveal a cache of scythes and sickles of varying sizes. All of them were poison-tipped, coated with terror toxin that would seep into the victim's bloodstream through the wound inflicted by the blade. The other side of his coat held a small rack of more spray cans full of fear gas. He was a walking arsenal of all manner of fear-inducing devices.
"Down in the depths I shall creep," said Scarecrow as he watched the numbers on the elevator, "and when I arise, it will be like coming up from Hell itself."
XXXXX
Her whole body ached again, a dull and painful throb that made her want to whimper. However, Cassandra Cain's enemies had already derived more satisfaction from her pain than she wished to give them. She wasn't going to add any more onto the pile.
"I bet I wouldn't normally stand a chance against you," said Two-Face as he held up a vial of Deuce, "but that addiction's got you hurting all over. You're probably in too much pain to try anything stupid with me. Just take out Scarecrow and I'll give you what you want." Cass staggered to her feet after she had fallen to the floor from being relieved of the gurney's restraints.
"Give it . . . to me," she hissed coldly, "Give me . . . another shot."
"Not till you rip the stuffing out of the Scarecrow," assured Two-Face, "I wanna hear him scream for a change." Her body hurt so badly but there was a hunger in her, almost inhuman. She felt like an animal, a starving animal that needed sustenance. Two-Face picked the wrong person to turn into a junkie. If there was anything Cassandra Cain knew, it was how to survive and how to take what she needed to do so.
"You listen to me," sneered Cass as she suddenly grabbed Two-Face by the throat, "I hurt. I hurt all over. I'm going to make it stop." She began choking Two-Face, squeezing his throat like her hand was a vice.
"You shouldn't," rasped Two-Face, "You shouldn't . . . be able to do this."
"You're too slow," said Cass as she grabbed Two-Face's wrist and wrenched the vial from his fingers, "I thought I was clear." She kneed Two-Face in the stomach and forced him to the ground, reaching into his coat pocket and grabbing the syringe from him. She quickly filled the instrument with the dose of Deuce and then stuck herself in the arm with the needle. She almost groaned with pleasure as she felt the burning sensation race through her body.
"That's the spirit, Cassie," hissed Cassandra, the evil side that she had thought she had exorcised from her during her exile, "Let's do what we were born to do."
"Stop hurting me," hissed Cass as she tried to control the impulses that she was feeling inside her. She wanted to kill someone. It was the only other thing that made her high. She remembered how it felt to fight against Shiva and some of the League members. She didn't have to think. She didn't have to speak. All she had to do was move, move like she knew she was meant to. It felt like being herself.
"I'm not the one doing it, Cassie," assured Cassandra, "It's him. It's him and Scarecrow and all the others. They always want to hurt you and Tim. Take them out. Stop the pain." Cass looked at Two-Face as he moved to get back up.
"No," said Cass as she kicked him in the ribs, "You stay on the floor!" She kicked him again for good measure, loving the feeling of finally being the victimizer instead of the victim.
"Two-Face!" snapped Scarecrow, "I want my Delirium back!" Cass turned and it was all the distraction Two-Face needed for him to pull out his gun and hit her in the back of the neck with it.
"You can see I'm a little busy right now," explained Two-Face, "I didn't expect you to get out, Crane. I guess that was bad luck on my part."
"You stole my drug," stated Scarecrow, "You stole my plan. I want justice."
"Cry me a river," snorted Two-Face as he pointed to the acid-scarred side of his face, "You want justice? Get in line!" He leveled the gun at Scarecrow's face but just as his finger squeezed the trigger, Cass grabbed him at the knees with a leg-scissor and took him to the floor. The shot buried itself into the ceiling and the noise muffled the curse from Two-Face. Scarecrow whipped out a small, hatchet-sized scythe from his coat and moved forward as Cass got back to her feet.
"You're in the wrong place," assured Cass as she blocked Scarecrow's swipe, quickly moving her arm to grab his wrist and disarm him of his weapon in seconds. She could feel the itch still. She wanted so badly to kill him and Two-Face. They would only keep coming back if she didn't. She and Tim would never be safe from monsters like them.
"You've gotten a taste of my poison," said Scarecrow as he tripped Cass while she was distracted, "I can see it in your eyes."
"Are you going to let him do this?" hissed Cassandra, "Are you going to let him kill you and then lose Tim forever?"
"No!" shouted Cass as she moved her feet to block Scarecrow's hands as the he attempted a vertical slice with a much larger scythe. The declaration was more directed at her evil other than at the enemy she was currently facing. Cass knew she had to get away. Killing was just killing and no excuse would make it the right thing to do. She wasn't going to become a murderer again and no amount of toxin would make her take anyone's life, even if they probably deserved it.
"Perhaps you would rather let my Delirium peel away the layers of your mind like an onion," sneered Scarecrow as he forced his blade closer to Cass's face, "You would welcome that terror, wouldn't you?"
"I'm not like you," assured Cass as she kicked Scarecrow backwards and then got back to her feet. She had to run even though every instinct inside her screamed at her to stay and fight. There was no way she was going to risk killing someone.
Cass turned and ran back into the main room, making straight for the stairs that would take her out of this nightmare. She could hear the sound of footsteps behind her and she wondered if they were real or if the drug was still screwing with her.
"You're a coward," sneered Cassandra, "Our parents would be ashamed of you. You could take him out in one move and yet you still hesitate. Every time you choose not to act, you increase the chance of you and Tim getting killed."
"That's not me!" snapped Cass as she staggered up the steps. The drug was starting to wear off and the pain was coming back again. Her legs felt incredibly weak. The footsteps were still coming. Cass pressed forward and threw her body through the doorway. She laid there on the carpet for a second to catch her breath.
"Fear catches up with you in the end," assured Scarecrow as he came up the stairs and into the casino, "However, you'll soon find yourself in good company." All activity in the room came to a screeching halt as everyone saw Scarecrow enter the room. There was dead silence for approximately five seconds before a woman screamed. The scream seemed to catalyze everyone into an immediate state of panic. The fact that Scarecrow let a batch of fear gas bombs fly didn't help things.
"Really bad night," mumbled Cass as she tore off part of her dress and used it to cover her mouth and nose. It wasn't as good as a gas mask but it would do given the circumstances. She tried to find cover and clean air while Scarecrow jumped on top of a blackjack table and began wreaking havoc while making sure to grab anything of monetary value he could find. He didn't plan on continuing to use this casino once he was in control of the drug ring so he decided he should milk to present situation for all it was worth. Plus he never got tired of seeing people panic. That in itself was like a drug to him.
"Damn," muttered Two-Face as he stepped into the room and saw the panicking patrons. He quickly retreated back into the stairwell to avoid the fear gas. He quickly flipped on the fan system in an effort to try and clear out the gas. Most of his hired help had been dismantled by all the unwanted guests he'd received this evening. However, though the risk was high the reward was even higher. If he could manage to knock off Scarecrow then everything would still be going his way.
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Robin idly wondered whether or not they should just hang a sign on the Wild Ace Casino and rename it Arkham Asylum. At least this place didn't have a gigantic hole in the wall like the asylum now did. He really didn't want to think about what was going to happen when he finally got back to the Batcave. Alfred had dropped him off away from the casino so as to not draw suspicion. From the drop-off point, Robin had swung his way to the casino. Currently he found himself hurtling through the air towards one of the casino's windows. There would be no time for finesse. He simply crashed through the window and landed on his feet on top of a roulette table. He immediately noticed that there was gas in the room and quickly put on a gas mask.
"Great," muttered Tim as he saw that the room was in a state of immense panic, "This night just gets better." Robin spied Scarecrow and quickly flipped off the table and tackled the maniac.
"I see you survived my little surprise attack," said Scarecrow as he flipped Robin over him and pulled out two sickles.
"I should've known not to trust you," said Robin as he landed on his feet and pulled out his staff.
"Yes, love does make us do the most insane things," mused Scarecrow, "But is that love, dear boy, or just fear that you feel?"
"Like you would know the difference," said Robin as he began scanning the room, trying in vain to find Cass and make sure she was okay.
"You assume there is one," shot back Scarecrow as he came at Robin. He swiped at Tim's throat with one sickle while chopping at his knee with the other. Robin maneuvered his bo to stop both attacks at the same time. The clank of metal or metal mixed with the screams as Scarecrow spun and attempted to separate the upper part of Robin's body from the lower part. Robin jumped upwards, flipping over Crane and tagging him in the back of the head with his staff. Scarecrow stumbled forward and regained his footing, turning and swiping again at Tim's throat.
"Everybody loves a two-for-one deal," assured Two-Face. Robin flipped sideways as he heard the sound of the rounds being discharged. Scarecrow quickly scrambled in the opposite direction to dodge the shots. Two-Face kept one of his guns on Robin while the other one was squarely pointed at the Scarecrow.
"I had almost forgotten about you," confessed Scarecrow, "I'll correct that mistake now."
"Not if I get to him first," assured Robin as he tossed one of his R's at Two-Face, taking one of the guns out of the picture. This action caused Two-Face to turn his remaining gun on the Boy Wonder. However, that meant he didn't have Scarecrow covered. Both Robin and Scarecrow charged at Two-Face, Robin ducking and weaving through shots.
"Time and circumstances force me to do this quickly," explained Scarecrow as he slashed for Two-Face's throat. Robin moved his staff to deflect the strike.
"Thanks for the save, kid," said Two-Face as he quickly punched Robin in the kidneys and took him down. He looked at Scarecrow and grinned devilishly. Scarecrow looked back and realized the exact same thing as Two-Face did.
"There's no reason why I can't split the profits with you," assured Two-Face, "and I think we can split something else too."
"Indeed," agreed Scarecrow as he kicked Tim in the ribs, "Who gets to kill him?"
"We settle that like men," stated Two-Face as he pulled out his coin.
"A true gentleman," said Scarecrow snidely, "I'll give you the pleasure of calling it."
"Gentlemen all around," declared Two-Face with a grin as he pointed his gun at Robin while Scarecrow used his foot to pin the boy to the floor. Two-Face turned the coin over in his fingers and savored the moment before flicking it in the air with his thumb.
"Bad heads," said Two-Face before catching the coin. Scarecrow nodded in agreement. Two-Face held out his hand and showed Scarecrow the coin. Unfortunately, Crane never got the chance to read it since someone suddenly tackled him to the floor.
"He's with me," assured Cass, "and both of you are going down."