AN: Not new, just moved from being a stand-alone to being in a group. It was lonely.
It was all Batman's fault. Obviously the overgrown rodent hadn't remembered what his toxins actually did.
He tried very hard not to breathe, but when his head was being jerked back and the canister pressed against his face, it was unavoidable.
Granny! Dear god, he hadn't heard her voice for years! He'd hoped never to hear it again. And then…oh, god help him.
She was there! But she wasn't…right. She and the Batman had merged into one being.
A hand was around his neck and he was shaken. What did it want? Why was it here?
It's not real, it's just an idiot in a costume.
Scarecrow was wrong. This was definitely real.
No, it's not! Listen to me, Jonny, it's all in your head!
No, it was real! What did it want from him? Was Hell real after all?
"Who are you working for?"
That was all? Maybe he would make it out of here okay.
"Ra's." he whispered. "Ra's al Ghul."
"Ra's al Ghul is dead! Who are you working for?"
He tried to turn his head away and the grip on his neck tightened. What more did it want? He'd told it who he was working for!
Scarecrow took over his vocal cords and he heard himself say, "Doctor Crane isn't here right now, but if you'd like to make an appointment…"
Then he was slammed against the wall and everything vanished.
This time was mostly his own fault. He could blame Scarecrow, technically, but they'd both thought it was a good idea at the time.
Kitty was always so jumpy these days. Somehow or another, Scarecrow had gotten the idea to sneak up on her and put his hands over her eyes.
That was a huge mistake.
They got an elbow to the stomach and fear gas to the face before she realized who it was, and she wasn't particularly sorry.
"What'd you do that for?"
By that point, of course, he was too far gone to answer her question.
When he came out of it two hours later, he and Scarecrow agreed never to do that again.
This time was an accident, but at least by now he knew what to expect.
One of their subject had gotten loose and flung the vial onto the floor before bolting. He had just enough time to sit down before it overwhelmed him and he was thrown back into the chapel with the birds.
They weren't attacking him this time, but they knew he was there. He could feel them watching him. Where was Scarecrow? Scarecrow always took care of him.
"Scarecrow?"
The straw man didn't answer and Jonathan hugged his knees. He was alone again.
"Scarecrow, please."
He'd always hated the sound of his voice as a child, high and desperate. Right now he didn't even care.
"Scarecrow!"
Shouting upset the birds and they took flight, cawing and rustling their feathers. A moment later, they were on him, tearing his skin and clothes to shreds.
THE END