Chapter 8: Kidnapped By A Dummy
Jervis and Alice walked back to Alice's through the streets of Gotham on this cold, November night. They bundled up and huddled close together lovingly to strive away from the cold. Jervis had never been more happy in his entire life. Reforming from crime had been the best decision he ever made and he was even more glad that fate had given him a second chance with the woman he loves and that she is actually showing the same feelings back, without mind control. "Are we almost there yet? I'm freezing!", Jervis asked the woman who was cuddling with him as they walked. "Almost there. Just a few more blocks.", Alice assured him. "The only person that I can think of who does not mind this kind of weather is Mr. Freeze.", he said. "Yeah, well we can't tolerate freezing temperatures like he can.", Alice said. "How about some cocoa when we get back? That's what I always do to warm me up.", Alice offered. "That would be nice.", Jervis responded. They continued to walk up until they got to the block before Alice's apartment when a huge guy dressed in a trench coat and a gangster hat came out of an alley and stopped right in front of them. "Excuse us.", Alice said as they tried to get around him. But the big man didn't move and then he said, "Sorry, sweetheart, but I got business to deal with the Mad Hatter right here.". Jervis and Alice gave each other confused looks and Jervis then said, "Sorry, do I know you?". The man stepped into the light a bit more and Tetch saw who it was. "Rhino!", he said. "Friend of yours?", Alice asked him. "Hardly, but he's not someone you want to get on his bad side.", he said. "What do you want?", he asked half-scared. "The boss wants a few words with you.", Rhino said. Jervis knew exactly who Rhino's boss was and wanted nothing to do with him. "Tell your boss that I am no longer part of the city's underworld and I have no more business with him, Joker, or anybody else. Good day.", he said as he and Alice tried to get around him, but it was no use. "It don't matter if you went straight or not! You're coming with me whether you like it or not!", Rhino demanded. Jervis looked at Alice for a brief moment and then said, "Very well. But just take me. Leave her out of this.". "Sorry, but you know I can't leave a witness. If I leave her, she'll go straight to the cops, and I can't have the cops find the boss. So, she's coming too.", Rhino said as he grabbed Alice. "You bastard! Get your dirty hands off of her!", Jervis angrily yelled. Rhino backhanded him across the face which rendered him unconscious. A little later, Jervis was slowly waking up and very groggy. Once he started to come to his senses, he realized that he was tied to a chair. He heard a groaning behind him and saw that Alice was tied to a different chair right behind him and he saw that they were tied together. "Alice, are you alright?", he asked. "Yeah. Where the hell are we?", Alice asked. "I'm not too sure.", he responded. Suddenly, the room was lit with lights, and they saw they were in some kind of abandoned magic shop. They saw a bunch of thugs dressed in old-fashioned gangster outfits with tommy guns in their hands. "Look who's awake.", Rhino said as he was among those thugs. Then, a short middle-aged man in a suit and glasses emerged from the thugs with a sad and worried expression on his face. "So sorry about this, Jervis.", the man said who was none other than Arnold Wesker, otherwise known as the Ventriloquist and was a notorious gang leader in the city. "Wesker! Listen, just let us go! You know you don't want to do this!", Jervis said. "It's not about what I want, it's what he wants.", Wesker said. Suddenly, a voice came from upstairs saying, "Hey, Dummy! Are they awake?". Wesker jumped at the voice which showed he was afraid of whoever was talking. "Yes, sir! They're awake.", Wesker answered with slight fear. "Okay, well come up and take me out there!", the voice demanded. "Coming, sir.", Wesker obeyed as he went upstairs. "You know him, too?", Alice asked Jervis. "Unfortunately, yes. I was involved with some pretty dangerous people in my Mad Hatter days.", Jervis said. "That guy didn't seem really dangerous. He seems pretty reasonable.", Alice said. "It's not him we have to worry about. It's the other one that is not as reasonable.", he said. "And who is that?", she asked. Wesker then came down the stairs with a ventriloquist dummy in his hand that was dressed in a 20's era gangster suit and hat with a cigar in its mouth, a tommy gun in its hand, and a scar along the right side of his face. The thugs stood with loyalty and fear at the sight of the dummy. "You mugs did good bringing the Hatter and his dame to me!", the dummy said. "Thanks, Mr. Scarface.", Rhino said. Alice was completely dumbfounded on what was going on. "Are they taking orders from a dummy?", Alice asked Tetch. "Well, yes and no. Wesker has multiple personality disorder and his other, more dangerous personality lives in that dummy. And his men go along with it, believing that Scarface and the Ventriloquist are two different people.", he explained. Scarface overheard the couple talking and went over to them. "Don't you little pricks talk about me under your breath!", Scarface angrily said. "What do you want, Scarface?", Jervis asked. "What I want is the money you owe me, Hatman!", Scarface demanded. "What money?", Tetch asked. "Remember at the beginning of the year, you needed money so you can build more of your microchips, so I loaned you 20 grand and you promised to pay me back?", Scarface asked. Jervis then did remember that and said, "Oh, yes. Well, I'm no longer a criminal and I no longer do business with the likes of you. As far as I'm considered, that debt is cleared.", Tetch said. Wesker walked forwards so Scarface can smack Tetch across the face with his little tommy gun. Alice both shook in fear at the sight of this, and became angry how these creeps were hurting her Hatter. "No debt is cleared, unless I say it is! And your debt ain't cleared you bucktoothed bastard!", Scarface yelled. "Leave him alone, you little creep! You heard him! He's a changed man and wants nothing more to do with you!", Alice talked back to the wooden crime lord. "I wasn't talkin' to you, toots! So, keep ya yap shut!", Scarface yelled at Alice. "Now, Mr. Scarface. Don't take your frustration out on her.", Wesker said to the dummy he was controlling. "Shut up, Dummy! I didn't ask for your opinion!", Scarface angrily said to Wesker. Scarface turned his attention to Alice and said, "Say, whaddya doin' with the likes of this guy anyway? I can show you what you're missin' with a real man like me.". Alice was raised her eyebrow at the puppet who was currently hitting on her and responded by saying, "More like barely a man at all. Just a little man carved from a tree.", Alice shot back. Scarface got angry and said, "Don't mock me, lady! I can shoot you dead!". He then pointed the gun at her and Jervis said, "No! Don't hurt her! It's me you want!". "Right! Now, where's my goddamn money!", Scarface said as he turned the gun at Jervis. "I don't have your money!", he insisted. "Then, you're a dead man! Nobody makes deals with Scarface and breaks them!", Scarface said. "No!", Alice screamed. "If you must, you must! But just let her go! She's innocent! Keep me, but let her go!", Jervis demanded. "But, Jervis...", Alice started to say. "This is my mess, Alice. You have no part in my past actions. I won't have you get hurt.", Jervis said. Alice was extremely heartened as this proved how much he truly cared for her. "Sorry, Hat! I can't risk her going to the cops! There's no way in Hell me and the dummy are going back to Arkham! So, I'll take you out first so you don't see me taker her out afterwards.", Scarface said. "No, you can't!", Jervis said with fright. "But, sir, isn't that too much?", Wesker said. "What did I say about not asking for your opinion?", Scarface asked. "Sorry", the Ventriloquist responded. Alice watched in horror as the dummy turned his gun on Jervis and Jervis just remained silent in terror. "See ya in Hell, Hatter!", Scarface said as he was about to fire while Jervis shut his eyes in anticipation to be dead any second.