Just-Me-and-My-Brain-It's the principle of the thing, really. He worries I'll get gangrene or something. Maybe a little... You're such an overprotective goose. It could happen! I can take care of myself, and no one's died from a paper cut. You'd find a way, I'm sure. I would not! Kitty. You trip over thin air and sprain things. You'd find a way. Humph.

The Puppeteer Patient 120402-We weren't as well acquainted at the time. He knows better now. I love getting to say 'I told you so'. It's nice that someone has faith in me. To be fair, Joker's left Harley there. I'd leave Harley there. Jonathan! What? I would. What the hell? I didn't leave YOU there, it's fine. Thanks for that.

There's three of them, in various states of disarray. All have bruises, and all are frightened.

The youngest, a girl of sixteen, is blathering about anything and everything that comes to mind-her mother, will she get an automatic 'A' on her test for being kidnapped, ohgod they're not rapists, are they? The others just want her to shut up. Except about that last one, that's a reasonable fear.

The basement door opens and their captor is illuminated for a moment before it closes again. They can hear it coming down the stairs, its steps light and its breathing nearly inaudible. Once it reaches the floor, they lose track of it altogether, until a voice floats from the shadows behind them.

"Good evening."

The youngest screams, provoking a dry chuckle.

"Quite a pair of lungs on you." Cold fingers snake out and brush her face. "That's good."

Everybody else stays quiet, but she starts to blabber again.

"My mom's important!" she sobs. "She'll give you whatever you want, just please…"

"Be quiet, child."

There's enough venom in that voice to make the others attempt to quiet their breathing. The girl, however, is too panicked to listen properly, and instead of just shutting up, she starts praying.

"O-our father, who art in…"

That turns out to be a mistake.

They can't see anything, but the prayers are choked off and the voice hisses, "Try that again and I'll snap your neck. You are replaceable, don't ever forget that."

She falls silent then and they hear him walk towards the stairs.

"Be good."

A sliver of light reaches them for a second, but then it's gone and they're alone again.

"Oh, god, oh, god…"

"We'll be fine." the boy says. "Anybody got a knife?"

Nobody does and he falls silent for a minute. His girlfriend finally gets her tears under control and starts whispering to the other girl, trying to calm her down.

"There's gotta be a light switch in here." He starts trying to hop towards the door and promptly falls flat. "Dammit!"

There's a noise from behind them and the younger girl starts crying again.

"Someone's here!"

"It's okay, it's okay."

She starts praying again and the boy tries to right himself. He is not successful.

"Let us out!" She pulls at the duct tape. "Let us out, let us OUT-"

BANG!

The girlfriend is spattered with blood and brain matter. She's too shocked to scream-probably for the best, wouldn't want bits in her mouth.

"I told you that you were replaceable, child." the voice hisses from the dark. "This goes for all of you. Now, for the last time, shut up."

They're too frightened to do anything and this time he really does leave. For a split second the light illuminates the dead girl-there's already a rat climbing towards the remains of her head.

THE END

AN: Would you believe I started writing this as 'comically annoying hostage goes to Gotham'?