Moth infestation.
Doctor Kellerman: Patient interview 6, Doctor Crane has been back in custody for 3 weeks. Regular sessions have been inconclusive. I am not sure he is actually insane.
Scarecrow: Good evening, Stephen. How are you tonight?
Doctor Kellerman: I'm conducting the session, Jonathan.
Scarecrow: Of course. If that helps you cope, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Doctor Kellerman: Let's talk about the events 3 weeks ago. What did you think you would achieve? Doctor Murphy is still in therapy.
Scarecrow: I wanted to understand him. His personal demons. His fears. It's all quite fascinating really.
Doctor Kellerman: But you are… were a respected doctor. A brilliant mind, now just another resident in Arkham.
Scarecrow: Can I have a drink? A strong one? This kind of question bores me.
Doctor Kellerman: I'm afraid not.
Scarecrow: Interesting choice of words, Doctor. Tell me, what are you afraid of?
(End Tape)
Over the few weeks Edward had begun to get to know the child more and more, she would never leave him alone. He didn't quite understand why, most people found his company irritating.
The black and white clown, however, found it to be quite opposite.
They were now aloud to walk the asylum ground, thanks to recreation time, they could walk around with free access to any of the buildings, bar the medical centre and certain parts of the mansion.
"Hey Eddie!" she cried as she ran over to him.
Edward glanced up at her and frowned a tiny bit. She seemed to be in high spirits, higher then usual, if that was even possible.
"What has you in such high spirits, little girl?" Edward questioned, he raised an eyebrow at her before looking back at the docks of Gotham harbour.
It felt like the asylum was teasing him with the sight of freedom.
Jester giggled and sat next to him. "House party!"
"House party?" Edward turned to her with a confused look. "Is that… code for riot?" he asked.
Jester nodded enthusiastically. "Boss J man is coming back, getting himself caught on purpose and then… riot!"
"When is this happening?"
"Soon, I think."
"Enough time for me to think up some riddles and hide these," Edward muttered as he pulled a question mark out of his make shift pocket.
"Wow! That's really cool!" Jester cried and then she smirked. "How many of those things Ya' made?"
"A few," Edward muttered, a smirk pulling at his lips. "Are you doing anything special for… the house party?"
Jester giggled. "Can't go telling Ya' yet! Got many things on my mind… hope Calendar man's going to be here."
"Why?"
Jester glanced at him. "I have my reasons Eddie. But where's the fun in me telling you them? You're the freakin' Riddler for god's sake! You need to work it out and be at your best and let's face it, you haven't been at your best as of late," Jester giggled.
Edward narrowed his eyes. "I'm hardly going to take advise from someone who can hardly remember what day it is."
Jester smirked. "I'm in a metal box most of the time, it's not like I can instore a calendar in there is it?"
"Julian Day did. Hundreds of them," Edward pointed out. "I don't know how he did it, but I don't care."
"My god the Riddler doesn't know something," Jester said smirking.
Edward rolled his eyes before he hid the question mark again. "You are hardly to talk. Like I pointed out before, you can't remember what day it is sometimes."
Jester shrugged. "Meh. Not important. Though, I bet those question marks are important, am I right?"
"Yes."
"Ya' hiding them right? Need any help with that? I can get into very tight places and I can climb quite high things. Free runner you see. It's a skill I learnt while living on the streets."
"Why would you like to help me?" Edward questioned, narrowing his eyes. "What do you have to gain?"
"It's called being friendly Eddie, get used to it, because I'm gonna' be around for a while," Jester said winking.
Edward put his head in his hands. "God help me," he muttered.
"Oh god can't help you, not in Arkham, any how. I think this is the Devils summer home in the holidays, Ya' know what I mean?"
Edward shook his head and sighed. "There's no talking you out of this, is there?"
Jester grinned. "Not unless you get me killed, no."
Edward pondered this. Having someone who could sneak past security and climb very high objects would be useful and there were some parts of the sewer he had seen that he wanted to put a few trophies there but couldn't because he couldn't get across the gap.
"How heavy are you?" Edward questioned, not bothering to look at the shocked expression held by the monochrome being next to him.
"Umm… not sure but not very heavy…. why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Edward smirked. "You'll see, come on. We have some trophies to hide."
Firefly was used to things going wrong. Hell, when you team up with Killer Moth you have to constantly expect things to go wrong, but this was wrong.
He stood staring at Moth in the gardens. "Dury, what the hell did you do?!" he screamed.
Deadshot came up behind him. "What has colour pants done now… what the hell?!"
Instead of Dury Walker, there stood a giant moth.
Huge wings, giant pincers, big red eyes. It was an actual Killer Moth.
"Dury?" Floyd whispered.
The moth creature blinked a couple of times before looking, what could only be presumed as confused. "Guys what's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Garfield gulped. "Yeah man and your wings."
Dury, well Moth blinked. "What?"
"Look in the mirror," muttered Floyd pointing towards one of the decretive mirrors in the Garden.
Moth looked and his eyes widened before he screamed, but then he began to smile. "Well, well, would you look at that! I'm one of the big leagues now!"
"Dury, calm down, we're going to go and get you some help-."
"Help? I don't need help! You're just intimidated by me, well you should be!" he roared.
"Oh my god, what is that thing?!" yelled one of the guards when he spotted moth.
Dury flew up int the air and grabbed the guard before he wrapped him in a cocoon and stuck him to the roof.
Dury laughed. "Now I'm killer Moth!" he yelled flying around the gardens.
"No, you're sick Dury!" Garfield yelled up at him as he watched moth buzz around the gardens trying to find a way out.
"I'm not sick!"
"You're a freakin' moth!" yelled Floyd. "That ain't normal!"
"So, look at Croc! He's a killer croc and now, I'm a killer moth!"
"Defining normal in this city… it's an impossible task Lawton, so what in the world would make you say such a stupid- holly hell!" shouted Edward as he came round the corner.
Dury 'grinned' at him before laughing. "What's wrong Nigma? Are you intimidated?!"
Edward blinked. "Dury?! What the hell did you do?!"
"That's what I asked him, idiot wouldn't tell me!" Garfield yelled.
"Say guys, watch this!" cried Dury as he began to fly around the room in a circle. "This is so cool!"
Deadshot face palmed. "Well, it didn't grow you any new brain cells, Dury, get down!"
"Nu uh! No way, this is too much fun!"
Garfield sighed. "Moths, moths. How do you catch moths?"
"We could always get Man-bat," Floyd suggested.
Edward raised an eyebrow. "Bats eat moths and if you want to keep Dury alive, I suggest you do not bring Man-Bat into this."
"Light would work," Garfield muttered.
"Ya' gonna' need one big light, Gar'," Floyd said glancing at Dury as he flew around in circles. "Because we got ourselves one big moth."
"Bat signal would work," Garfield pointed out.
Edward rolled his eyes. "I can see it now. Say Comish' could you light up the signal so we could catch Killer Moth, okay thanks! That's never going to work."
"Worth a shot," Garfield said with a shrug.
"Hey guys I can see a way out!"
"That's nice Dury… wait what?! No! Dury don't!" yelled Firefly as he ran and grabbed one of Killer Moth's legs. "You stay right here you giant… oh, oh god! Floyd! Grab my legs!"
Deadshot shook his head. "This is gonna' end badly," he muttered before he ran and grabbed Garfield's legs.
"An interesting turn of events isn't it Edward?"
Edward blinked and turned to see Jonathan. "You've been sitting here the whole time?"
"Yes," Jonathan replied as he turned a page in his book. "Dury, seems to have gotten himself an upgrade, as it where."
Edward blinked once again. "You're not freaked out by this at all, not even a tiny bit?"
Jonathan looked up at him. "I live in Gotham, dear boy, do you honestly think this is surprising to me?"
Granted, Jonathan did have a point, but it was not everyday, even for Gotham, that you saw a giant six foot moth in your garden.
"Nigma! Grab my legs, grab my damn legs!" yelled Floyd.
Edward raised an eyebrow. "What? No. This whole fiasco is going to end badly, because you three fools are involved and-."
"You grab my legs this instant or I'mma' gonna' shoot you!" yelled Floyd.
"With what?"
"A gun, genius!"
"Thank you for telling me you shoot people with guns, Floyd."
"Grab my goddamn legs!"
Edward sighed and grabbed Floyd's legs. "This is not going to go well- oh god! Jon! My legs! Grab them, grab them!"
"No thank you."
"What?! Jonathan! Grab them, we're being lifted off the ground! Grab them right now or so help me I'll-!"
"Edward," Crane sighed closing his book, while keeping his finger on the page he had been reading. "There is nothing you could say or do, that would make me grab hold of your legs. I fear nothing, so there is nothing you could threaten me with. Now, I am going to do the sensible thing, that you all should of done in the first place, I'm going to tell the guards what's going on, they can get you down from there," without another word, Crane walked out.
"No! No, Jonathan, we can't wait that long we need help!"
"I got Ya' legs Eddie and don't worry I brought me some extra weight too, I tied us to the building!" cried Jester as she grabbed hold of Edward's legs.
"You did what?!" Edward roared. "What did you use?!"
"Industrial cable," Jester said grinning.
"Where the hell did you get industrial cable from?!"
"My handbag."
"What?!"
"Look, Eddie, Ya' don't know how big my handbag is."
Suddenly Garfield's grip slipped and they all fell, before landing in a big heap. Apart from Dury.
"Dury, you get back here this instant!" yelled Garfield.
Jester blinked. "Oh so that's who it is, I did wonder. Say Dury, do you want some sweets!"
Dury stopped and turned back. "Ohh sugar!"
He flew down and began to eat the sweets out of Jester's hand, she giggled slightly.
"Ha! Ya' tongues sure ticklish, Mothy!" she cried before she began to fuss him. "Who's a good little Killer Moth? Yes you are, yes you are!"
The others stood there and blinked a few times.
"How did she..?" Floyd started.
"Sugar," Edward muttered. "Moths, love sugar."
Jester let Dury eat the rest of the sweets before she ran off shouting. "Come on Eddie! We got question marks to hide!"
Edward shook his head. "Good luck, imbeciles," he muttered before he chased after Jester, leaving Dury, the moth and Garfield and Floyd.
Floyd and Garfield looked back at Dury and Floyd rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, at least he ain't a killer."
Dury sucked the last of the sweets up and turned towards Floyd and Garfield, before saying one simple word that made their blood run cold.
"Meat."
T.B.C:
