SwordStitcher-That's exactly how he gets away with things. It's unfair, really-all he has to do is look slightly pathetic and any irritation disappears. Is it really my fault that I've found my 'get out of jail free card'? Yes. Oh, god! You don't really mean that, do you? I'm sorry! God dammit.

APieceOfThePuzzle-Child, child...my grandmother was a monster. A human monster, but a monster. She made some mistakes, and I corrected her. However, she did teach me quite a few things about frightening people...poor old bat. It was almost a shame that I had to kill her. Almost.

KittyComeHere-You enjoy being turned into a blubbering ball of fear, do you? And they call me mad... You kind of are. I come by it honestly. Look at Granny. Good point. So, little one who likes to be scared, let's play a game. I gas you, and you tell me what scares you! Won't that be fun?

Just-Me-and-My-Brain-At last, somebody actually remembers that little incident. I suspect they ignore it so they can...obsess...without guilt. Poor fools. I've had them come to my door before, begging to be 'experimented on'. I usually try to oblige.

She's always liked the medical building. Sure, it has a nasty history of botched lobotomies and other unpleasantries, but it's quiet. It's also one of the oldest parts of the asylum-beautiful architecture. It rather reminds of her of a church back home, the one she snuck into with Davie Wonder.

I will never be able to look at a confessional without blushing again.

Unfortunately, being an old building, the power is shit and it's always the first to go during a takeover. Cheapskates. Admittedly, they could have fixed it when they were working here, but that's neither here nor there.

She flops back on a gurney and looks towards one of the gargoyles. Gargoyles, in medical…oh, well. Could be worse. Could be…

"…ME, in a thong?"

Yeah. Could be that.

Why does the clown have to play with the speaker systems? And why do said speaker systems have to echo so badly? She'll never get that mental image out of her head, never.

She yawns and fingers the strap on the gurney. She could take a catnap in here, really, if it wasn't for the Goddamn Batman running around. Why does he have to ruin everything?

There's a nasty crash and she's up and moving, a stolen knife in one hand and a canister of toxin in the other. Turns out she's right to panic-it's one of the Blackgate prisoners, is standing a little ways away. He probably doesn't know who she is.

"I'm armed." she warns. "And my boyfriend will kill you if something happens to me."

That last bit is true, unfortunately. She's seen it happen. It was messy and they had to throw the couch out because the bloodstains were too bad. Impaled on a candlestick-those always bled an awful lot.

The man stares at her with blank eyes. Drugged. She'll have to deal with him, then, before he comes at her.

"Back off, or I will kill you."

He rushes her.

She sprays him in the face and he drops like a stone, shrieking about Hello Kitty. What does toxin do when combined with certain medications, she wonders?

Something taps her on the shoulder and she whirls, canister upheld, and finds her wrist caught.

"Jonathan, Jesus…don't do that."

"Did I scare you?"

"Of course not." she lies. Wait a minute… "You're bleeding."

"It's nothing." He points to the still-shrieking inmate behind her. "What did he do?"

"He was going to attack me."

"Ah." He shoves his mask at her and starts undoing his glove. "Put that on. I need you to keep the Batman busy."

"Why?"

"Because I have something to set up and he'll be looking for me. I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think you'd be fine."

Isn't that the truth? She knows he hates asking her even when he knows she'll be fine.

"Fine." She pauses and looks at the red blotch on his shirt. "You're sure it's not serious?"

"Yes."

She leans up to kiss his nose before pulling the mask on and taking the glove from him.

"From a distance it's convincing."

"Be safe." There are heavy footsteps a little ways away. "Any time limit?"

"As long as you can. That'll have drawn him." he continues, pointing at the inmate again. "I have to run. Be careful."

And then he's gone and she's left to wait for the Batman.

THE END