A/N:

Apologies for the delay between chapters. I've recently been swamped by personal stuff. To be clear, this story is going to continue but it will not be updated as regularly as it was. Unfortunately, I am unable to take the time to do so.

And for the sudden influx of reviews that are concerned with the greater DC universe aspects to this story. I hear you loud and clear. Originally I only wanted to introduce Superman because of his and Batman's friendship which I am a fan of. Wonder Woman was introduced to show Bruce that the world is far larger than he thinks. Her involvement was meant to make Bruce re-examine himself and grow.

As for her future involvement, she will not be a mainstay. Just like Superman she will simply be off doing her own thing and will barely interact with Bruce outside a small number of events. The story is going to become much more personal for Bruce as the main plot still takes place in Gotham City. It is his story.

And to address Selina's pregnancy. No, she will not have a miscarriage. Give me some credit. I don't think that I'm that lazy of a writer. She will NOT lose the baby. Selina still has a long way to go until her story is completed.

Now. For all those who are Asking for Robin. Let me explain. Bruce is currently in year 2 as Batman. Robin doesn't traditionally come up until Year 3. And I'm gonna be clear, this story will not cover Year 3. However, Robin will be involved in one way or another.

As for unresolved plots. Such as Harvey Bullock's kidnapping and others. Keep in mind. Most of them are connected in one way or another. And the next few chapters will be a quick fire of all the threads of the story.

- Scarecrow -

- Wayne Tower -

Inside the CEO's office, Selina and Bruce continue to watch the coverage of the G.C.P.D precinct. The dark-haired woman removes a strand of her hair from her eye, "Things are getting beyond crazy, Bruce. Savage isn't even trying to keep his cover anymore..."

Bruce watches aimlessly, "After what happened to Jim and now this...," he looks to Selina, "Waller isn't going to be taking any chances. Going out as Batman is going to become infinitely more difficult now," he stands, crossing his arms, "Can't even examine the precinct since its swarming with her men."

The dark-haired woman gives an assured smile to Bruce, though their eyes don't make contact. She hangs her arm off the chair and lets it dangle, "We'll get to the bottom of this. I know that we will. We just need to have a little hope, Bruce..."

"Easier said than done," Bruce paces back and forth, "I can't beat him. He's beyond anything that I've faced before..."

Selina's emerald eyes flutter. She leans forward and rests her hands in her lap, "You aren't facing him alone. You have friends, Bruce. So please stop acting like you're the only one who can save the city, it's not good to put that kind of pressure on yourself..." Out of the view of Bruce, she gently caresses her hand across her stomach, "We're already worried about as it. You're barely sleeping. Lucius told me that you haven't eaten for days... I'm concerned for you, Bruce. We all are."

"I'll rest after I take Vandal down," Bruce was unwavering in his conviction, "Until then I can't risk letting my guard down. Every minute I waste is just more time for innocent people to get hurt..."

Selina picks up a sheet of paper from Bruce's desk and waves it near her face, "Why is it so hot lately? Feels like I'm melting."

"Because it's a heatwave, and if you hadn't noticed, Gotham is in the middle of one," said Bruce with a small smirk, "Oh, I need that sheet. It's a list of applications for the apprenticeship programme," he is finally seated back into his chair. Selina hands the sheet back to Bruce, "This is the first year that I'm actually here for it. Usually Lucius is in charge of it, but apparently the board wants the CEO to pick this year," he sets the paper down and returns his gaze to the woman.

"Any specific reason for that?" Selina asks, scooting her chair closer to the desk.

"A couple" answered Bruce with a roll of the shoulders, "Primary being that Lucius' son is one of the students on the shortlist, and the board do not want Lucius in charge this year because they want to avoid a conflict of interest."

"Y'know, I always used to think nepotism was just a scummy way to keep a family is a high position, but now that Barbara is offering me to take over the Sirens bar, I have to say that it isn't as bad as I thought," Selina replies as she taps her fingers on the desk.

Bruce holds back a small laugh, "Nepotism? I'm surprised that you even know that word."

Selina shrugs and gives a playful chuckle, "Hey! I read...sometimes...sorta."

"Really?" Bruce leans back in his chair and crosses his legs, "Then do tell oh wise one, what other insights do you have?"

"Well to start..." Selina leans over the desk and balances herself on her arms, "You're the biggest ignoramus that I've ever met..." she smiles.

"Oooohhh...good one," Bruce compliments, "You have stricken me with your harsh words...I am forever a vanquished man."

"Nice to know that you've learned your place," Selina comes in closer and moves her lips to the man's ear, "You adorable idiot." She then gives a quick peck on Bruce's cheek before falling back into her own chair, "I like this. With everything going on, it's easy to forget just how great talking is..."

"Yeah..." Bruce leans forward, "But as nice as that moment was, the world moves on. We wouldn't want to get left behind would we?"

Selina sighs and shuts her eyes, "The world can screw off for all I care. Why can't moments like this last forever?"

The billionaire stands up and smiles at her, "Because their rarity is what makes them special. If every moment was like them, they wouldn't be as appreciated."

Selina hums, "Yeah, I know, but it doesn't stop a girl from wanting them to last, especially the ones where I'm with you," she leans her head and rests it above her arms, "Remember when we were kids? Things were so much simpler..."

"Things were never simple" Bruce sits down on the corner of the desk and gently caresses Selina's hair.

"Never said things were simple, just simpler. It's hard to imagine that I miss the days where we were chased out of your house by an assassin," Selina smiles, "Look how much we've changed since then..."

"And see how we've also the same," Bruce adds with a soft look.

"I'm happy that we're both still here," Selina lifts her head, "But we're not kids anymore are we? We're adults with our own lives, our own loves ones, our own people who we promised to protect," she stands, facing Bruce, "We have to be the heroes now, no matter how much we endure. We have to fight today, so the kids can be the heroes of tomorrow."

"Wow..." Bruce stammers, "That was pretty profound coming from you. I'm actually impressed."

Selina lightly punches Bruce's arm and giggles, "Oh shut up. " She relaxes her more expressive features, "On more of a downer note, I'm going to be out of reach until tomorrow night," Bruce and her eyes meet, "That Elliot guy managed to get Lee an appointment to see Jim, and I'm going with her. Barbara was meant to go, but she's too busy with Barbara Lee and asked me to go in her place," Selina explains as she is drawn to the discomfort in the man's eyes, "From what Tommy said to Lee, Waller is holding Jim in Bludhaven and it being a high-security operation, they made it clear that cell phones are off-limits."

"Oh..." Bruce searches for the right words, "You're a good friend for doing that. Not many people would take the risk of going with an armed militia without any way to call for help just to see their friend's husband."

"You can come with me if you want," Selina offers as she moves her hands into the pockets of her jeans, "But that would mean leaving Gotham without a Batman for a night, and we both know you aren't going to let that happen."

"Yeah...I know..." Bruce aggress before shifting his posture, "Give Jim my regards."

"Will do" she winks before heading out of the room, "Oh and you really should pick Luke! Just saying that nepotism isn't all that bad! It got me my own bar!" she calls back on her way out. She turns back to Bruce while she walks backwards, "Unless you want to choose that circus boy? See you tomorrow." Bruce lowers his head and smiles. The man's cheerful tone quickly vanishes as he sees something flashing in the corner of his eye. He turns back and picks up his earpiece and puts it on.

"Reporting."

"Just in, Mr Wayne. There's been a break-in at the Gothcorp Depot. Look like its the work of Scarecrow"

"Crane?" Bruce narrows his gaze, "Get the Batsuit ready."

Later.

"Lucius, I'm here" Batman whispers as he lurks above in the shadows. He looks to the lower floors and sees numerous masked men posted around the area, loading large containers into the back of vans. All of the men were wearing straw masks with blackout eyes and sewed mouths. Most of them had guns, some as simple as handguns but others hold shotguns and several men standing around the second floor that had snippers, but Batman also sees those with claws at the end of their gloves. Whatever the reason for them being there, it couldn't be good.

"Read you loud and clear, Bruce. What do you see?"

"Not anything good. Looks like Crane's ready to make a move" Batman grapples over to the other side of the upper floors, landing atop one of the shelves, still hidden within the darkness, "I count at least twenty of his crew here. They're loading a ton of weird containers into the vans here. You can take a guess at what's in them."

"And what about Crane, Bruce? Do you have eyes on him?"

"That's a negative. But if he's here...it won't stay that way for long" Batman narrows his eyes, spotting an opportunity below. One of Scarecrow's henchmen was climbing the stairs to the level above, separating himself from the group on the ground floor. Batman begins to move, grappling over to the beam above the henchmen and he waits. Once the man walks directly under it, the Dark Knight pounces. Batman drops down onto the unaware goon.

"What the-" the henchmen was silenced as a gloved hand comes over his mouth to muffle his screams until they eventually wither. With all his upper body strength, Batman slams the unconscious man to the harsh metal floor. He then grapples back up into the shadows.

"Clearing the room is going to be difficult, especially by myself. The majority of them are grouped together and the Batsuit can't handle all that firepower at once," the vigilante scans the room, looking for any chance to fin the group. He sees that all the snippers shifted their view all at once so that they were always facing one another, "Scarecrow isn't taking any chances on this," he grapples over to the next ledge, "So neither should I."

"With Talia being M.I.A, again and Selina out of town, you're limited on your choice of help, but if what Crane's doing is as dangerous as we think, you should have some backup with you. Time is of the essence."

"No." Batman grapples over to the railings above one of the snippers, "It's too dangerous."

"Yeah. I tried to tell her that, Mr Wayne. But she's... gone? Oh, deer... She's on her way"

"Lucius? What's happening?" Batman rolls his eyes, "Who's "She"?"

"Oh...you're so gonna fire my ass"

"Kinda in a middle of something here, Lucius. Can you just come out with it?" Batman's eyes widen as a shadow befalls him. Looking up, he sees the silhouette of a woman on the skylight. Dropping down, she lands next to Bruce with a grin, "...Lucius..."

"Heya, Bats," Harley chirps. She has pigtails, each side having the tip being dyed either red or black. Her face was painted white and she wears a split red and black coloured leather jacket zipped up to her upper chest with a black hood lowered and her sleeves rolled up. With fingerless gloves on, her right being black with a red diamond and her left hand having a red glove with a black diamond. She wears a pair of red and black pants along with a red knee-high boot on her right foot and a black knee-high boot on her left foot. A diamond-shaped belt angled around her waist. She also has a sledged hammer mantled over her back.

"Before you say anything, just know...I told her not to..."

"We'll pick this up later," Batman taps his cowl and ends the call to glares at the ice blond, "What the hell are you doing? Do you have any idea of the danger that you are putting yourself in? I can't afford to be looking after you right now..."

"Good. Cuz I ain't needin' ya protectin', B-man" Harley winks and cartwheels off the support beam, "I wanna kick some ass!"

"Harley! Are you crazy?"

The blonde gets the drop on the snipper below her as she swings her sledgehammer over his head. The first gunman was knocked over, dropping like a ton of bricks. Harley then retrieves her hammer and hurls it across the room and to the next snipper across from her, hitting his chest, catapulting him against the wall and wheezing. The blonde sprints forward and lunges a kick into the man's head, "See? Ain't the hard once ya get bloody!"

At the very end of the room, the last snipper takes aim at the blonde, "Night, night, bitch!" he goes to fire but is thwarted by Batman who drops down on him, delivering a punch across his face. Batman's eyes narrow as he turns to the blonde and sees her already sprinting to the floor below.

"This isn't a joke! You could die!" Batman leaps off the railings and beats the blonde to the ground level, "You're messing this up! It's meant to a sting, not a massacre!" he fires his grapple launcher at one of the Scarecrow followers, latching the cable around him and pulls him in. Batman swings kicks the henchmen out of the air and aims him at the group of startled goons, making them fall like a row of pins. The blonde was smiling through the whole ordeal, like a kid in a candy store as she recklessly flails her sledgehammer and catches several of the fleeting henchmen along the way.

"Ya worryin' too much, Bats. We can beat these bozos!" Harley laughs as she trips up one of the followers with her hammer, then moving to boot him in the face, "Plus I really need this! Today just has been the worst! I got a lottta steam to let off!"

"Idiot! I needed to find out what they're planning! " Batman growls as he kicks away one of the masked henchmen, "Don't let any of them getaway! If they do then you'll be answering to me! GOT IT!" Batman spins out of the way of a burst of gunfire from one of the men who was standing next to the trucks. He hurls a Batarang towards the shooter and knocks the gun out of his hand with one flick of his wrist. Holding his hand in pain, the masked man looks to the door to the vehicle and makes a move for it.

"No, you don't!" Batman runs towards the man, grabbing his grapple launcher and catches the masked man, launching himself towards him. On contact, Batman grabs the man and throws him over his shoulders and onto the ground and goes to punch the man but is stopped by the recipient's hand, a hand that had syringes for nails and had pierced the vigilante's palm with ease. Batman's eyes widen as he moves off of the man, being tormented by his now blurring vision.

"You were correct in your wording, this was indeed a sting...but not for me..." the masked man stands up, "Welcome to your fears, Dark Knight... tell me...what does the man who's everyone's afraid of greatest fear?"

"S-Scarecrow..." Batman falls to his knees and holds his head, his vision had become completely impossible to understand. His hearing also was stricken, victim to sudden loud bursts of screams, ones he recognized all too well that repeated over in his mind for what feels like an eternity, "Not real. It's not real...It's not real..."

"Fear is as real as you believe it to be" Scarecrow creaks his neck, "Now for my research tell me...What. Are. You. Afraid. Of..." Growing impatient, Scarecrow lunges forward and pierces the syringes of his fingers into the Dark Knight's neck, dosing him with the rest of the toxin, "I said tell me! What. Are. You. Scared. Of!?"

"Hands of the B-Man!" Harley hurls her sledgehammer at Crane, knocking him over onto the ground. The blonde then comes in and kneels next to Batman, "C'mon Bats! Snap outta it! Ya can do it." While she aided the Dark Knight, Scarecrow gets into the truck along with several of his henchmen.

Crane looks to one of the gunmen who takes aim at the downed Batman, "No. If I wanted him dead...I would have given him a lethal dose. He's too valuable of a subject to just terminate," Crane looks back to Batman "I believe that's all the time we have today, I'll make a new appointment for us soon, Dark Knight" the truck then drives off, followed by two others. Harley looks down and sees Batman wheezing under the suffocation on the fear toxin.

"Uh... Foxy, we have a problem" the blonde calls Lucius.

"Harleen...? What the hell's going on down there?"

"The big guy's down! B-Man's down! Crane injected him with somethin' funky."

"*Injected*? As in directly into the bloodstream? Dear god... Crane's perfected the fear toxin. Listen carefully, Harleen. You need to bring him back to the clocktower. Can you do that?"

"You gone whack or somethin'? I can't lift a two hundred pound man that far, actually, I can't really do that at all."

"Think of something and do it fast. Police are inbound to your location. And just in case that you've forgotten, they're gunning for Bruce now."

"If ya got any ideas I will happily listen to ya. Kinda limited on options here" Harley holds tight onto the vigilante, "C'mon, B-Man. I need ya to work with me here. Get yourself together...please?" Batman holds his throat and gasps.

"C-can't b-breathe..." Batman heaves as he coughs blood.

"Oh...not good. Not good. Not good. Not good. Not good. Not good" the blonde taps her communicator, "He's coughing blood. Moving him now could be too risky. He might have eternal bleedin' or somethin'."

"It's *internal bleeding*, and I don't think that you have a choice. GCPD is four minutes out. Checkmate could be even less" Lucius warns the blonde, "If he's having trouble breathing, then I'm afraid that you're on your own. All the medical gear is still in the Bunker. We haven't had the chance to move it out to the Clocktower. His suit's readings are going crazy. He's barely breathing. He needs CPR"

"Ya mean like the kiss of life?" Harley widens her eyes.

"Not exactly the scientific name...but yes."

"I dunno. His breath kinda stinks, Foxy. Can he have a mint first? Because I'm not that into kissing a man whose reeks of -"

"Harley! He's going to die!"

"Okay! Okay! By the way...is it consent if it will save a person's life?" the blonde ponders as she lies Batman out on the ground. She shrugs and leans in and presses her mouth to Bruce's and blows hard. She then repeats the actions over and over until Batman gasps. The dark knight shoots up and holds his chest, panting. Harley's lips stretch into a smile as she sits up and leans into Batman, "It worked, Foxy! B-man's awake! I did it!"

"No... No, you didn't. League training taught me to control my breathing. At the rate that you were going, you were going to explode my lungs. Oh, and you should've started with my chest first" Batman stumbles upward and is taken off guard as Harley throws her arms around him, holding him to her tightly. With an unamused scowl, he looks down to the blonde, "What are you doing?"

"I thought that ya were a goner, B-man" Harley moves back and looks around as the sound of sirens closing in echoes, "You okay? Crane pumped a lotta toxin into ya body."

"I'm still standing which was Crane's first mistake. Come on, we're leaving."

"Sounds good. But how are we gonna-" the blonde squeals as Batman grabs a hold of her and aims his grapple launcher up at the opened skylight, "Wait! I'm awful with rollercoasters. I easily get sick!" Batman fires his launcher, throwing both her and the vigilante in the air and through the skylight.

Outside

Batman grapples over to the next building over with Harley hanging onto with him around his neck as she screams, "Oh god...I'm gonna barf! How'd ya deal with this B-Man?" The vigilante continues to traverse across the city, "Like seriously? I'm super dizzy now."

"Quiet" Batman orders as he looks behind him to see the woman's scrunched up face, "Do you read me, Lucius?"

"Affirmative, Mr Wayne. Reading you loud and clear. Hurry up back to the Clocktower for examination. We need to see what Scarecrow inflicted you with."

"That's a negative. I'm going after Crane, I can't let him escape. Who knows when we will get another chance to catch him. We can't waste any time."

"Are you sure that's wise, Bruce? That fear toxin in your system is of a new structure. We can't begin to guess just what it's capable of. Examining your blood will prove valuable. Scarecrow has always used it in its gas form...but now he's streamlined it to a liquid, it could be much deadlier than anything we've faced before."

"We'll meet in the middle. I'll provide Harleen with a blood sample to give to you for examination and I'll go after Crane. The Batsuit's vizors caught Crane's truck's licence plate. I need you to track it." Batman lands on a rooftop near the clocktower and sets Harley down, "Hopefully if we find the truck...Crane won't be too far behind." The blonde runs over to the ledge and kneels down and wheezes.

"Okay. I'm on it...oh no...that can't be for any good reason. I got a match for the plate. The truck belongs to Gotham utilities. What would Scarecrow want with Gotham's water supplier...?"

"Dear God... that's why he changed his fear toxin to a liquid. He's planning on flooding Gotham's water systems with it... Nowhere in the city will be safe if he succeeds..." Batman narrow's his gaze. Harley returns to his side, "I need your help, Harls" Batman pulls off his glove and shows her his bare arm, "How are you with blood?"

"Honestly, I think he's kinda a prick...oh..ya mean... that kinda blood. My bad." Batman hands her a glass vial from his utility belt which she takes, "Wait...are ya gonna...?"

Batman holds his gloved hand to his bare arm and uses the claws to cut down his flesh, "Go.". The blonde nods as she holds the vial under the man's up to capture the dripping blood until it was half full. Batman grimaces as the last few drops of blood are caught by the glass vial, "Take that to Lucius. Can you manage that?" Batman asks as he pulls his glove back over his arm. Harley salutes with a smile.

"Ya betcha B-man. I promise I won't let ya down!"

"I won't hold my breath. Now go!" Batman reaches for his grapple launcher, but is stopped by Harley who blocks his path, "What is this?"

"I'm sorry!" the blonde nervously speaks, biting her lip, "I messed up. I shouldn't have gotten involved with your vigilante business. But I can't let ya go without warning you about Crane, Bruce. He was one of my patients at Arkham. And he's nuts even by Arkham standards," she explains, "In nearly all of our sessions...he brought ya up. He's obsessed with ya, B-Man. He's been studying ya since word of ya first popped up in the papers. I just wanna warn ya...he's ready for ya."

"So am I. I won't let my guard down again" Batman nods, "If Crane accomplishes his plan...millions will die. I don't care what he has planned for me...I'm not letting him go through with it."

"Ya better not die, B-Man...you're the reason Lucius doesn't fire my ass" she smiles, "Go kick some butt."

"Thanks for the heads up" Batman grapples away, breaking away into a glide.

The blonde steps to the ledge of the building and scowls, "Ya better not die. The plan will be for nothin' if ya do..." she mutters, looking to the vial of blood in her grip, "But still... be safe..."

- Elsewhere -

"Did you see the way the boss dealt with the bat? He made it look easy!" a masked man laughs as he and another man move the crates off the truck, "Y'know, I think I made the right choice by joining up with y'all. The bat broke three of my ribs last year."

"Yeah, I hear that man. Batman broke my jaw and my arm when I last saw him. Guy's freakin' nuts."

"And here I was thinking about joining Penguin's crew. Glad I held off."

A third man comes up to the truck, "You were smart to do so. Every other boss is a death sentence. Remember Bradly?"

"The guy with the stutter? Yeah! Whatever happened to him? Last I heard, he was with Bane's crew before the Bat took the big guy down."

"He was. But after Bane was taken off the table, he went to Ivy."

"Wait? Why the hell would he work for Ivy? That's crazy!"

"Yeah, tell me 'bout it. Working under Bane, he pissed off Penguin and the rest of the usual suspects. The only one he didn't cross was Ivy. He thought that he could sweet-talk her into taking him on. Poor guy was desperate for cash."

"Didn't know that Ivy took people in. Thought she was all about her plants?"

"She is. And Bradly learned the hard way. Word is she turned him into compost for her garden."

"Aw sick man. Well, better him than me."

"You got that right."

"Hold on a sec. Wasn't Brad a vegetarian?"

"I think so. Hard to remember since it's been so long since I last saw him."

"Yeah. He was."

"Ha! That's kinda funny, not going to lie. He's a vegetarian that was turned into plant food...that's amazing! Ha!"

"You got problems man."

"Yeah, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"What? It's funny. Sorry, but I can't help it. I love irony. My favourite kind of comedy."

"I dunno... still seems a little too far to be laughing at that..."

The three pauses when a chilling sound of laughter fills the room, "Having fun are we?" an echoing voice comes in from all directions. The three men look towards the source and stumble when they see Scarecrow coming towards them. Covered by a cloak made of layers upon layers of rigid and torn dark brown sheets. Along with a hood that envelops his face, only showing a pair of orange glowing eyes and a smile formed from needles. His gloves have syringes at the end of each finger, each housing the fear toxin. He also has a scythe holstered on his back that was covered in dried blood.

The syringes were all connected by dual thin tubes that wrapped around to his back. Scarecrow widens his grin, showing a bright orange glow at the back of his throat, "New toxin, new me. It's only right to dress for such an occasion, wouldn't you agree, gentlemen?"

"Woah..." the middle man looks at Scarecrow in awe, "That's a killer new look."

"Interesting choice of words" Crane walks forward and looks at the crates, "Excellent. The Batman believes himself to be the master of fear...such foolish tendencies will become his undoing. As I speak to you, he is undoubtedly on his way to us. But by then...he will be too late."

"What? The Bat is coming here? Why the hell are you so calm?" one of the henchmen chimes in.

"I'm looking forward to getting the chance to examine him in great detail. A man who thrives on fear to protect the innocent, such a fascinating oxymoronic specimen. Understanding him will further my research far beyond what I believed to be possible," Scarecrow grins wider, "I'm sure that such a thrilling notion is far beyond the understanding of lower specimens such as yourselves. I'll be quick as my time is far more valuable than yours. Leave the Bat to me...anyone who touches him...or even points a gun at him will answer to me."

"B-but what if he beats us? Are we just meant to take it...?"

"Bones can be healed. The human psyche is not as easily mended."

- Watchtower -

Harleen hands the vial over to Lucius, relinquishing it to him. The room around them was dark with a bright neon-blue light that illuminates the room. Lucius stands at the centre, facing the Batcomputer. His features were brightened by the blue light that comes from the screen of the computer. Harley stands at the man's side, looking out of place. She taps her foot against the floor and taps her hand against her arm, "This is so cool! Here I was thinkin' that ya were like suuuppppeeeerrrrr borin'! Oh, boy was I way off."

"Quiet down. I need to concentrate here," Lucius instructs, pouring the blood of the vial into onto a glass side. He then places the slide beneath a microscope. He takes a closer look through the lens, turning the dial to zoom in on the slide, "Bruce, do you read me?"

"Reading you loud and clear."

"Alright. I just started looking at your blood sample. It's going to take a while to get a full read on it, but from just the quick look that I've taken, something seems to be off."

"Off? How so?"

"Hard to say," Lucius removes his eyes from the lens and looks to the Batcomputer, "The best way that I could explain it is that...it's a far less potent version of the Fear Toxin. The effects it has on a person is far weaker than Crane's usual formula."

"Are you saying that he's using a weaker version of his toxin? Why would Crane go through the trouble of changing it into a liquid form only to make it less effective? That doesn't match his M.O."

Lucius watches as the Batcomputer examines the blood sample, deconstructing it and focusing on the fear toxin, "Looks like you'll have to ask him yourself, Mr Wayne. My only guess is that it's not for a good reason. Be careful out there."

Harley folds her arms and leans forward, "I'm with Foxy on this, Scarecrow is a creep. He knows how to get into your head. Be careful."

"Roger that. I'm not too far out from Scarecrow's location. Going radio silent."

The blonde turns to Lucius with a worried glance, "Is he going to be okay?"

Lucius keeps his eyes tuned to the Batcomputer, "If I felt conformable answering that, I wouldn't be having him pay me in advance every month," he watches as the computer continues to analyse the fear toxin, "I just wish that he'd wait for backup. Going out on his own after what happened earlier..."

"Do you think that I should've gone with him? I might not be a black belt, but I've gotta be better than nothin', right...?" asked Harley with an unsure tone to her voice. She takes a seat in the chair next to them and lets out a sigh, "But I would just screw up again, wouldn't I? No matter how hard I try, I always mess things up."

Feeling the woman's uneasiness, Lucius tears himself away from his work and pays attention to her, "Don't beat yourself up, Miss Quinzel. We all mess up every now and then...some more than others, but we all make mistakes. Just between us, we have no idea if Bruce would've caught Scarecrow earlier if it wasn't for you. You did what you thought would help. Bruce may not see that, but I do." Giving the woman a pat on the back and a smile, Lucius returns to his work.

- Meanwhile -

Gliding across the skyline of Gotham, Batman hones in on his destination. Finding himself approaching an old factory near the edge of the city, he spots the trucks from earlier outside. He descends down and lands on the north smokestack of the building. Looking around the perimeter for anyone but with no avail. The place looked abandoned and untouched for years. Narrowing his gaze, Batman takes out his grapple launcher and uses it to swing around the building, rolling through one of the windows to enter.

One thing was clear, the place was a mess. A putrid damp smell plagues the place along with rust and cobwebs. Everything has a thick layer of dirt, the kind that seeped into your lounges and sends into an uncontrollable coughing fit. Along his journey through the halls, his boots press against layers of broken glass, accompanied by the echoes of hall give away his position. Batman continues forward, slowing down as he heads towards a corner. From behind, a shadow runs past him.

Batman snappily turns towards the source of the silhouette, "You planning on coming out or are you just going to keep hiding, Crane? I could tell that you were there from the moment I entered this building!" Batman turns the corner and comes face to face with his target. Scarecrow lurks in the shadows with his bright glowing orange eyes shining from in the darkness, same as his mouth that glows with the same light, "A new costume won't help you. I'm taking you in, Crane! Come quietly or this is going to get messy!"

"My, my such an intriguing specimen you are. Of course to truly reap the benefits of examining your mind...a closer look must be taken, under the surface..." Scarecrow grabs his scythe and twirls it in his grip. Batman tightens his hands into fists and readies himself, "Intimidation has always been one of your most powerful assets, but you'll find no such mental weakness from me. You merely use fear as a tool, as I am...fear itself," Crane swings his scythe which was dodged by the dark knight.

The weight of swing moved Scarecrow over, "I wonder what makes you tick. What is your deepest fear? What makes you wake up screaming in the middle of the night?" he chuckles as he jumps back and takes another swing at Batman.

The vigilante jumps out of the way of the weapon's reach, "Not you. You will never scare me," Batman lunges forward and uppercuts Crane, knocking him off his face and back against the wall. Batman then goes in for another strike, "Don't kid yourself, Crane. You can't take me in a fight and you know that" he punches Scarecrow's face, knocking his head against the wall and making the man grunt, "What are you really planning?"

Batman grabs Jonathan's shoulders and slams him against the wall, grabbing him by the neck to hold him while he pulls back with his right arm, "Why go through all the trouble of making your fear toxin easier to spread but make it less potent?"

"Oh my...you haven't figured it out yet? How disappointing, Dark Knight..." Scarecrow soullessly stares at Batman, "I was expecting much more from you, a lot more."

Batman growls as he punches the wall beside Crane's head, leaving a dent in it, "Why put it in Gotham's water supply when it will barely be effective! What else are you up to, Crane?"

"Oh...I believe that there's been a misunderstanding" Scarecrow grins, "It's not my plan to put it in the water supply...because I already have..."

"What..." Batman right-hooks the villain in the jaw and throws him onto the ground, "How...how long have you been doing it? TELL ME!"

Scarecrow wipes his mouth, "Very well. Since the damage has already been done, there is no stopping my plan now. We began contaminating Gotham's water eight days ago, Dark Knight. Only a little at a time, enough to avoid detections, but it'll add up. And Gotham will be clouded in fear for generations," Crane leans against the wall to stand but is swiftly thrown onto the ground by Batman, "So much anger, a sign of loss? Is this where your need to torment others comes from? Feeling great pain?"

"Shut up!" Batman reaches down and grabs Scarecrow, "We both know that even with all the fear toxin, it's still too weaker than your other formula. What is your endgame?"

"Again, your anger is clouding your mind. Do you like having power over others? Feeling superior? Looking down on others? Is that the real reason that you wear that mask? Very fascinating..." the villain continues to grin, "Or are you afraid that your brutal tactics will not save the day? Beat me as long as you desire...it won't change anything. There is no information that you get from me that you help you save the day, you can believe me as I'm already telling you everything that you want to know."

"What are you planning! WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING!"

"Oh... if you'd listen you would know..." Scarecrow sighs, "It's true that through Gotham's water supplies, the fear toxin is much more docile when it comes in contact with a person. But tell me...what would happen if two people infected with it were to bear children? Two parents who unknowingly hold the toxin in their system...what would become of their offspring?"

Batman's eyes widen, "No... that's... beyond evil..."

Scarecrow chuckles as he sprawls out on the floor, "As I said, Gotham shall be clouded in fear for generations, each new generation of Gothamites becoming more ruled by fear until they are nothing but helpless broken messes. Each new batch of children will hold a stronger, more potent form of my fear toxin, I call it the f-gene." Batman lifts up Crane and throws him against the wall, "Hurt me all you desire, for I have claimed victory over you. By now, the conception of the generation of fear has already begun..."

"Enough! ENOUGH!" Batman grabs Scarecrow by the neck, "Do you have any idea what you have done? DO YOU?!"

Struggling under the hold of Batman, Crane forces out his words, "I do believe that I have won. In hundreds of years...no thousands, they will forever recognize me as Scarecrow, the one that Gotham fears and not you. And not just Gotham...the infected will move away to other cities and will bring the fear with them. Eventually, the planet will be at the mercy of fear itself. And you cannot do a thing about it as my plan has already been completed, there is no stopping me...my only regret will be not being there to see that day come."

"You're right about one thing...you won't see your plan succeed!" Batman lifts Crane up, "I'm going to stop it and then you are going to rot away in a cell for the rest of your days, Crane."

"What part of this is hard for you to understand, Dark Knight. I've already won. You may minimize the damage, but stopping it completely is beyond even you. As long as even one person remains infected, fear will eventually take the world and take it, it shall," Scarecrow grimaces his sharp teeth, "I'm sure that people have already left Gotham by now, taking the Fear toxin with them. Face it, you cannot stop me. It is over." Batman snarls, throwing a punch that lands beside Scarecrow's head and breaks a hole in the wall.

"Such futile antics. Break my bones and body, it won't help this time. My mind is beyond your brutish ways" Scarecrow hauntingly laughs. Batman throws him over his shoulder and slams him into the ground. The Dark Knight then rushes to him, grabbing Scarecrow's head and slamming it down on the tile floor which spatters blood that mixes with the leakage of water, "This is the spirit. Continue this meaningless attempt to stop me. Show me your desperation, show me your fear. You have a code, Dark Knight. And codes can be cracked, is that your greatest fear? To break your code?"

"I'm going to make you tell me how to stop it. And I won't stop until -" Batman rolls Crane over.

"Disappointing...disappointing... You have yet to realize just how powerless you are to stop me. That feeling of despair is yet to sink it..." Scarecrow begins to pick himself up, "For years you have thrived on the fear of others, yet you are unable to accept your own. Arrogance? Or perhaps something more...childish. You can't stand to not get your way, I wonder if this is all just a tantrum from a kid who refuses to grow up, to see the world for what it truly is..."

Batman grabs Crane, "Powerless? Interesting words from someone who's on the floor. Your alone, Crane. There's no one coming to help you! You're weak!"

"Yet you are unable to stop me and that makes you afraid..." Scarecrow tilts his head and narrows the gaze of his glowing orange eyes and widens his grin, resembling the look of a jackal 0-lantern, "That what goes around...comes around..." Crane reaches into his robes, getting Batman to act fast and restrain him. Before he could, Crane pulls out a device and throws it onto the ground, exploding and causing a medium-size fire that comes between them.

"You think that'd save you?" Batman rushes through the flames and knocks the villain against the wall, "Enough games!"

"That fire is not meant for you," Scarecrow lowers his head as the sprinklers on the ceiling begin to blast, dousing the room along with him and Batman, "Conversing with a specimen such as yourself has been...educational. But my work is not over yet..."

Batman lifts his arm to shield his head, "Water? Your plan is water?"

"But it's not just water, is it now...? For you...I've made something special, a far more potent batch..."

Batman looks up at the gushing water, quickly facing away and using his cape as a layer of cover from it. He rushes away and slowly begins to become unsteady. His vision becomes distorted and blurs, his hearing becomes overbearing, each sound felt like they were ripping through his head. Then he hears screams, screams that were all too familiar. He rolls around and grabs his head, gripping it and digging his fingers in as he lets out a scream.

Hearing something roll under him, he looks and sees that it was a pearl.

Looking up, he sees the decaying form of his parents standing above him. Maggots were imbedded in their rotten flesh, they creepily twitch like their bones were broken. But what forced Bruce's attention was the bullet holes in them that were still fresh, bleeding out onto the ground, though in a black ooze instead of red.

Across Gotham

- Watchtower -

"The Batcomputer's finally done analysing the toxin. Alright, let's see what we're dealing with," Lucius looks through the findings on the screen, "Huh...that's...that's strange..." the man searches through all the discoveries that he could, clearly acting confused by what he found. Harleen comes up from behind and looks over his shoulder. As time passed, Lucius becomes more bewildered by what he saw, "W-what is this? How is this even possible...?"

"Awww, how's what *possible*? Spill it already, will ya! Ya killin' me here with the suspense, Foxy!" Harley complains.

Lucius keeps his eyes glued to the screen, "The fear toxin...it's not a toxin. It's...a virus..., but not just any. Its compound is nearly identical with the virus that was created by Langstrum. How would Crane even had the chance to get his hands on it?"

"What? Langstrum? Ya mean that guy that turns into a bat? Geez, I thought Selina was jokin' when she told me 'bout that!" Harley rests her hands on her hips, "Ya mean to tell me, Scary-face Crane is gonna spread that across the city? That's...actually kinda metal. A whole city of freakish bat creatures...sound's like one of Bruce's wet dreams."

"No. Not quite," Lucius studies through the rest of information, "It's an altered strain. The original was made to be mutable so it could help with other medical needs if it was proven to be a success. Yes, it's the same base, but any reference to the Desmodontinae has been removed from its structure."

"Oh, of course," the blonde chirps as she scratches her nose, "Obviously that would mean... Oh...what does that even mean?"

"It means that it's just as contagious as the previous strain, but any effects it would normally have been wiped. It's just a blank slate, harmless to anyone who comes in contact with that. Well, apart from the fear toxin, but even that is too docile to do any immediate harm... What is Crane planning?"

Meanwhile

- Across Gotham -

"...Bruce...why did you let us die...?"

"You're weak! An embarrassment! You bring shame to the Wayne name..."

"Agreed, Thomas. Why is he even still here? Worms should be feasting on his flesh instead."

"Indubitably. He's a waste of a man. Wasting all that wealth on playing dress-up. He's only making the city worse. Gotham would be better off if he was dead..." the undead Thomas twitches, snapping his bones in and out of place as he sluggishly comes towards Bruce, "Or better yet if he was never born. His existence has only brought harm. He only hurts the people that he claims he loves... he's a waste of air."

"If it wasn't for him, we would still be alive" the ghostly Martha agrees, bleeding down her the chin, spasming, "He's the one who is harming Gotham. It's him who is the problem. Everything is his fault! He'll just keep letting people down, again and again. He'll sacrifice anything and anyone as long as he can keep calling himself a hero. He's the real villain of Gotham..."

"No!" Batman pants, "You're not real! You're in my head! GET OUT! GET OUT!"

"Do you hear that, Thomas? He's raising his voice at us. What an ungrateful little brat. Where did we go wrong?" Martha gives a disjointed grin, hanging her mouth open. She wobbles over towards Bruce, "Did Alfred not teach you any manners? My goodness...what did we pay him for..."

"Looks like that we must teach him ourselves" Thomas steps towards Batman, grabbing at one of the ears on his cowl, "Should have done this a long time ago. Maybe if we did, you wouldn't be the shell of a man that you today."

"Oh dear, how bothersome. And you used to be such a sweet boy, Bruce. Mother's disappointed..." Martha uses the palm of her ghost-white hand to lift Batman's chin and force him to look her in the soulless eyes. Bruce could feel the worms crawling over his mother's hand slowly climb onto his chin. It was meant to be in his head, but he could the coldness of Martha's hand against his skin. He could feel crawling around his face, he could feel the force that his father was using to hold him in place. He could even smell the stench of decay coming from them both.

It felt so real. But he knew that it wasn't. It just couldn't be.

"I SAID GET OUT OF MY HEAD! YOU'RE NOT REAL!" Batman screams, trying to break out of their hold, "GET OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Martha dear, do you hear this? Our son wants us gone. We are finally together again and he wants us to leave" Thomas looks to his wife, "Can you believe this? It's his fault that we were killed and he doesn't feel any remorse. He would rather us be dead."

Martha tightens her lock around Bruce's jaw and digs her nails into him, "As expected from our son. He only cares about himself. Why would he care about us? He only concerns himself with what he wants and is willing to hurt anyone to get it."

"...STOP! PLEASE...JUST...STOP! STOP TALKING! YOUR NOT MY PARENTS! They're dead...they're gone. YOU'RE NOT THEM! JUST...just shut up! Get THE HELL OUT OF MY HEAD! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Batman tries to break out of the apparitions' impossible hold on them, unable to break free. The more he fought, the more the ice-cold grip on him became, until it felt like they were tearing into his flesh. Even the Batsuit was unable to protect him against their touch.

"Hush now, Bruce" Martha whispers to her son, "Come join us. Let us finally be a family again. All you have to do is just one little thing..." she reaches to the floor and picks up a piece of glass, "We can finally be happy. Don't you want that? Don't you want to be reunited with us, Bruce?"

Thomas yanks Bruce's head back to show his neck to Martha, "No more masks, son. No hiding. You can finally be rid of all this pain. Just allow us to take you with us and you'll never have to worry about hurting the people that you love ever again."

"NO! GET THE HELL OFF ME!" Batman growls.

"Oh, Bruce..." Martha presses the shard of glass against Batman's neck, "Why are you being so selfish? Do you want us to be lonely? We've missed you. Do you really want to hurt your parents?"

"Think of all the pain that you have brought upon the people around you. All the lies... all the broken promises... If you truly cared for them you would give your life without question. You know deep down that they are better off without you. They'd be so much happier... Don't you want them to be happy?" Thomas grimaces as black ooze pours from his mouth, "If you stay here, you'll kill the people you love. One by one you will get them killed..."

Martha's eyes turn pure black, along with the veins in her body, "Oh dear, honey. If our son cannot make this choice, it is our job to make it for him. Don't worry, Bruce...you will thank us in due time..." she digs the glass in the side of Batman's neck, drawing blood.

"Bruce! Bruce! What's going on!? Whatever you're seeing, it's not real. Listen to my voice, Bruce! BRUCE! BRUCE! There's no one there! MR WAYNE!"

Batman's eyes widen, gasping as he sees that the abirritations of his parents were gone. He then looks to his hand, realizing that he was the one holding the shard of glass. He throws it across the room and falls back on the ground, "Bruce? Can you hear me? Do you read?"

"L-Lucius? I-I'm...I'm...I don't know. I r-read you" Batman rolls onto his front and pushes himself up, looking around for any sign of Scarecrow, "C-Crane's gone. I need to go after him..."

"Are you joking? Come back to the Watchtower. You were screaming bloody murder, Bruce. You're in no shape to go against Crane now."

"C-Can't. Scarecrow told me what he's planning... I can't let him..."

"Your vital signs are off the charts! You won't be doing much of anything right now. You need to be looked at."