Darkness at heart.

Edward sat there, eyes wide and panting as he took in shallow breaths.

W- what the hell was that? He'd seen him again... his father it didn't make sense... the man wasn't here how could he be?!

"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream..."

Edward bowed his head and tried to steady his breathing at the voice next to his ear.

"Merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream," Luna chuckled as she came into view in the light the place had, wherever he was.

The floor was rocking... maybe a boat.

"L- Luna?" he questioned and he watched as she grinned at him.

"Hello, Edward."

"What... where am I?"

She smiled at him, showing off her pointed teeth in the light.

"How do you know this is real?" she whispered. "This could all be a figment of your imagination."

Edward shook his head. "It's not!"

"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream..."

Edward's eyes widened and he stared in the direction of the new voice, a voice he knew all to well... but he couldn't be here, it was impossible!

Slowly a figure limped into view, Luna had disappeared into the shadows leaving Edward strapped to the chair staring at the new person who had just entered the light.

"If you see a crocodile..." he laughed lightly at the sick twisted joke is was on himself, if he'd seen the crocodile he may have been in better condition.

Suddenly Edward felt a needle get jammed into his neck and he cried out before he began to breath heavily again, glancing up at the figure that now stood in the light.

Jonathan smiled down at him, his right eye was clouded with blindness and it made him so much more scarier as Edward's vision warped and twisted into one of his mirky past.

Jonathan grinned before whispering right next to his friends ear. "Don't forget to scream."

Jester ran as fast as she could through the streets, she needed to find Luna, she was the only one who would know where Scarecrow was, if anyone knew it would be her! It would have to be her!

But would Luna really give Jonathan up? Probably not, but she was willing to risk it.

Luna liked the dark, so there was only one place she would go; the sewers. It was her only place left in this city.

Jester ran to the subway terminal, she had a pretty good idea that some of those walk ways led to the sewers, but… well there had to be somewhere else Luna would go, it couldn't just be the sewers could it?

She looked back the way she'd come. Mist had left to find Maxie Zeus and grab her things, she was going to go finding Edward her own way. Without Jester's help, though this was hardly her fault.

She skidded down a narrow walk way, passing by a few dead bodies as they lay there in their own blood, it was a better fate then most. Some had to live in this city still.

She was in the station, the old rusted trains ghosts of old Gotham that still haunted the minds of many… wait, wasn't there Wonder City? It was probably where Luna was hiding.

Jester knew the sewers systems almost as well as the city itself, had Luna gone there? It made sense if she had.

She jumped through a view doors, over old wooden buildings that clearly hadn't been used in years, then she was… wait where was she?

Jester paused and looked around… it was… Wonder Tower? The base of Wonder Tower… wait why was there a lift going down here?

Suddenly there was a wiring sound and lift was coming down, Jester quickly hid behind a box.

It was some TYGER guards, they were pulling out a box of ammunition, but for what purpose?

Eventually two of them left, leaving one to stand guard, it would not be enough.

Jester pulled out her yo-yo and swung it around the guards gun pulling it away from him, before she jumped down and slammed him against the glass, pulling her switch blade from her sleeve.

"I'm hardly in the mood for games, why are you brining this down?" she snarled as she kicked the box of ammunition.

The guard glared at her. "I have no reason to answer you, prisoner."

"Yes you do," Jester growled pressing the blade harder against his throat. "I don't kill people as a general rule, not unless I have to! But I'll make an acception with you if you don't start talking!"

"Hugo Strange requested them brought down here, he never specified why," the guard growled.

"And you didn't think that was odd?" Jester bit out before she kicked him in the groin and slammed his head against the lift door.

The guards were ridiculous around here.

She jumped down and saw a door.. she thought it was door. It looked old, well used.

She gently opened it and paused as she walked inside.

There were bodies hanging from the ceiling… what .. wait… they were some of the patients Strange experimented on! Some of them were the Black Gate prisoners she'd met at the Asylum that fateful night… what the… what the hell was going on here?

Before she could answer it a blast of smoke was in her face and then she was being kicked through the door back into the main room.

She groaned and tried to get to her feet before she was kicked back to the floor.

Jester glared up at the person who had kicked her and her eyes widened in shock.

It was kid, probably a bit older then herself, his face was bandaged up and he wore a sort of uniform with two swords… samurai blades it looked like, were sticking out behind his back.

"Ya know," she bit as she got to her feet. "If ya' didn't want me ta' go in there, you could of just asked."

"I have no time for your foolish games, scum!"

"Hey now, just because I ain't the holiest person in the world, there is no need to be rude."

"If you touch that knife, you're head will be on the floor before you even draw it!"

Jester's hand flinched from the knife and she glared at him. "Shall we test that theory?"

"Be my guest, it'll be your last."

She reached for it, he drew his blade, they were just about to strike-

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

Both turned to see a boy wearing a scarlet red jacket, a similar targeting eye piece like Deadshot, wrist guns strapped to his wrist, with bright, scarlet red hair come running down from the rafters towards them both.

Jester frowned. "Conner?"

"What are you doing?" asked the other kid.

Conner ran over to them both and he waved his arms around. "What am I doing? What are you doing?!" he shouted at the boy. "Why do you always do this?"

"She irritated me."

"You see, this is your problem, Whisper! The reason you don't have any friends is because within 3 seconds of meeting someone, you try to cut their head off!"

Jester looked between the two and raised an eyebrow before she tapped Conner on the shoulder. "Err… Target, mind explaining?"

"You know her?" questioned Whisper.

Target span towards his friend and raised an eyebrow, his red hair falling in front of his eyes before he pushed it away. "Know her? Of course I do! She's like… one of my best friends!"

"I wouldn't go that far," Jester muttered.

"I've known her for years! You can't kill her!" Target concluded.

Whisper raised an eyebrow before he turned towards Jester.

"Why where you trying to enter my father's domain?"

"Who's ya father? The mummy?" Jester teased.

Whisper merely glared and Jester shifted slightly before she turned to Target. "Conner have you seen Luna around?"

"Luna?" Target frowned. "I've seen her round the docks… actually… come to think of it, she's been hanging around there quite a bit."

"The docks?" Jester blinked before she slapped a hand to her face. "Uhhh, Jester how could you be so stupid?!"

"It seems very easy for someone like you."

Jester glared back at Whisper. "I didn't ask for your opinion, 'bandage boy' who'd you work for anyway? King Tut?"

"No. I work for Hush."

Jester stared at him in shock. "Hush puppy? That guy? Tommy Elliot?"

"Wasn't Elliot one of the Doctors at Arkham?" asked Target.

"Yeah he was," Jester muttered. "Until he got transferred here- I… I can't believe they still don't know about his… problem…"

"Problem?"

Jester gave Target a deadbeat look. "you're kidding me right? Please tell me you did notice Eliots little…. twitches…? The amount of times patients died on the operating table?"

Target blinked back at her.

"Why am I still talking to you, you're an idiot!" Jester cried throwing her hands up in exasperation.

Target frowned at her. "I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were stupid, I said you were an idiot!" she sighed before turning back to them. "Now if you don't mind, I have to save a friend of mine and Enigma I thought I told you I had this under control!"

Enigma yelped and fell out from the shadows she'd been hiding in. She looked a little disgruntled that she'd been seen and she was also not wearing her usual things.

Instead of the skirt she was wearing, she wore a pair of green trousers, black boots a fitted waist coat, also green, with a white dress shirt underneath it and her green necklace with the 'E' charm lay loosely around her neck.

"How'd you know I was there?"

"I've known since I called you!" Jester growled back. "Now what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help."

"The best thing you can do, is go back to Eddie's hideout!"

"Eddie? Oh hell, what's Nigma got himself into this time?" asked Target.

"I like how you say 'this time'," Jester chuckled before she turned back to Enigma "It's a long story Conner, I may need your help… then again I may not."

"If it's the shadow bender you are fighting, you will need our help," spoke Whisper.

"Yeah buddy, who said anything about fighting? Unlike you, I don't kill people in 3 seconds after I've just met them!"

"I am amazed that you're still alive then."

Jester turned to glare at him and saw him smirking back at her, a look of pride was on his face as he matched her glare.

She waved her finger in the air for a bit before she turned back to Enigma. "I really don't like him… now, come on! If you want to help Enigma, I better introduce you to these two," she muttered gesturing to the boys that stood before the two of them.

Conner looked like he was trying and failing to be a ladies man and Whisper just looked like he'd been dug up out of a history museum.

Complete polar opposites, it was probably why the two were friends.

"This is Target," she said pointing to the red haired boy. "And this is… bandage boy-"

"Whisper!" he growled. "My name is Whisper."

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that, do you think you could speak up a little?"

Whisper stepped forward, his hand going for his blades, but Target stopped him and pointed at Enigma.

"Dude, hot girl! Have you gone crazy, you can't kill her friend!"

Whisper rolled his eyes. "The chances of this girl being hot is beyond-."

His eyes widened as Enigma came into view of the light.

Whisper blinked stupidly before shaking his head.

"Wow! She's way prettier then you, Jester!" cried Target.

Jester looked around in disbelieve. "Hello, slight skin scaring!" she cried pointing at her pure white skin. "You should of seen me when I was all normal."

"I concure with Target, she is more beautiful then you," Whisper muttered.

"I am really starting to dislike you."

"I already dislike you."

Jester held her hands up before she walked over to Enigma. "Come on then, we better save your Dad."

"Whoa, she's the Riddler's daughter?!" Target squeaked.

"Yes."

Target did a very good impression of a fish and stared at her before he turned away and walked back to Whisper. "That's me out, I am not going out with somebody who's dad's… well, someone like that!"

Jester rolled her eyes and dragged Enigma away, with Whisper and Target following them.

It was an odd prossession and Jester did wonder how many other kids were out there all under the servitude and training of a super criminal.

She knew a view of them, of course she did, like she knew Target, protégé to Deadshot, Whisper who was being taught by Hush, then there was herself of course with Joker, Gecko the reptilian boy she'd met who was being taught by Croc, she will admit she was amazed he hadn't been eaten yet, then there was her sister, Sorrow, Black Mask's protégé and Ying and Yang for Two Face.

Were all the rogues scared of being killed? Maybe.

She knew the kids very well and she knew they were dangerous, but non were quite as dangerous as Luna Fright, the protégé of the Scarecrow.

The problem with Luna was… she could control shadows, make them do her bidding and she was immune to fear toxin, she could see in the dark too and there was the slight problem of being able to teleport through shadows and she had pointed teeth.

Luna Fright was dangerous.

She was one of the few rogues who had powers, couple that and her sadistic tendencies and the fact she liked to inflict fear on people… you create one of the most dangerous rogues ever to set foot in Gotham and she was still young, hadn't even reached her prime.

Jester secretly feared when she would.

Her mind drifted to that girl from the flower shop… what was her name again? Olivia, that was it!

Ivy had taken her after some of her blood got into the girl and she didn't appear to be dying, only… changing and then there was Vendetta.

She shivered at the memory of him.

The boy had to be dead, Danny had to be dead no one could survive a fall like that, not even Batman!

But kid had somehow gotten away, but to where and why would he leave… what was he up to?

"Forlorn faces running from the cold regret, empty spaces something that I can't forget. All I wanted was to wish the past away, but time's the curliest ruler that we all obey…"

Edward's eyes fluttered open and he stared into the darkness at the figure playing with some veils.

"A very… nice song Edward. Did mummy sing that to you?"

"Jonathan…" Edward whispered, amazed at how withered his voice sounded. "Why… why are you doing this?"

"Why do any of us do anything, Edward?"

"I haven't the foggiest. I don't feel the need to punish people with their worse fears!" he growled out, making Jonathan smirk.

"Something happened to me that night at the Asylum, Edward… something unacceptable."

"What was it?"

Jonathan turned to him, a slight haunted look on his face. "Fear," he stated. "I became afraid, unacceptable for me."

"That doesn't give you the right to do this to me!"

"Like it doesn't give you the right to murder people all because of that vindictive little boy running around your head? Oh Edward please…" Jonathan laughed and came over to him. "Don't act stupid it makes you seem normal."

"Why are you back, Jonathan?" Edward snarled. "What's the point in coming back?"

"Ah… yes the reason," Jonathan smirked. "Surly you of all people should know, Edward… you are after all, the one rogue who holds grudges against people who have done you wrong for a life time? That much is evident in the experiments."

"You want revenge against Batman?" Edward laughed. "Nothing new Jonathan, why do you think any of us are still in this game? It's because we all want revenge on Batman."

"Revenge…" Jonathan smirked. "Yes we all want it don't we? But there is one difference between myself and our fellow rogues, do you want to know what that is?"

Edward narrowed his eyes at the stick like man as his cold blue eyes sparkled with something Edward didn't know and quite frankly didn't want to know.

"What?"

"I will succeeded… you on the other hand well… this is where I offer you a choice," Jonathan walked back and grabbed a needle, before he picked up a bottle with glowing orange liquid.

Fear toxin.

Edward felt himself pale slightly at the sight of it.

"You can either loose your mind right here and now, forever lost in a never ending vacuum of fear," Jonathan muttered as he prepared the needle, tapping the bubbles out of the liquid as he neared Edward, the needle poised and ready to deliver it's deadly contence. "Or… you can join me and we shall destroy the bat and his friends, bring Gotham to it's knees and reign terror. Destroy the very city that helped make us."

"Not exactly a hard choice, Crane," Edward mumbled.

"I thought I would give you something easy to chose so your mind could cope."

"I'm choosing to ignore that comment. What happens now?"

"Now? Nothing," Jonathan smirked as he pulled out a blackjack. "Sweet dreams."

"What..? Wait! Jonathan don't-!"

"Ya sure this is the place?" asked Jester.

They were all huddled near the edge of the docks, the harsh wind was blowing in their faces. It reminded Jester of that night. The night Vendetta made his first appearance.

Hard to believe that happened about a month ago.

Frost was thick on the ground as the night drew in closer and winter was coming soon.

"I'm certain!" cried Conner.

Jester nodded before she slid down the roof to the ground, landing on her hands and knees before she began to crawl towards the air shaft.

"Jester, what are you doing?"

Jester yelped and span round to watch Luna come out of the shadows, she was dressed mostly in black a viel over her face.

Jester recalled how Luna had worn that when they believed Jonathan was dead and she still hadn't taken it off.

"Looking of you, actually," Jester said with a grin.

"I do not want to speak to you, can't you see I'm still in mourning?" Luna growled, clenching her fists, causing the shadows around her to twist and swirl.

Jester inched back a bit. "Yeah, Midfright, I know. Except, you're mourning over someone who ain't dead. But you already know that don't you?"

Luna growled. "You're just like them!" she spat. "Never giving me a moments peace!"

"Who ya talking about?" questioned Jester. "Your parents?"

"Do not even speak of them!" Luna hissed as she flinched the shadows flinched with her.

"You're just proving them right!" Jester shouted. "Being like this, it only makes them believe that they were right, that you really are a demon!"

Luna screamed and the shadows burst into shards like glass. "You do not understand!" she shouted. "Parents are bad… then again, maybe you do know," she chuckled and Jester raised her eyebrow at her. "Black Mask's daughter."

Jester held her breath and stared at Luna wide eyed. "How… how do you-?"

"Oh it's one of the best things about fear toxin," Luna giggled. "We gave Nigma just the right amount and he began to tell us such nasty little secrets… but that one was my favourite. The irony."

"Yeah it's not lost on me either."

Luna smiled. "You can tell your friends to leave, they will only get hurt, especially the Riddler's brat!"

Enigma glared down at her and tried to get up but Whisper stopped her and pulled her back down.

"Yeah, well, they want to watch the show, see what happens and all that," Jester glared. "Because we all know how this is going to end!"

Jester sighed. "Luna, I don't want to fight, I just want Eddie! Now bring him back!"

"You're talking to me like you're in control…" Luna glared at her and her eyes turned solid black. "You are not in control!"

"Neither are you!" shouted Whisper as he jumped from the top and landed in front of Midfright. "Leave now shadow bender, while you still have a chance!"

"Very theatrical!" Luna mocked. "Now leave, you are nothing more but a waist of my time."

Whisper lashed out and cut Luna's hand off with one straight blow.

The girl didn't scream but merely frowned, before she raised her wrist to examine it.

Then she turned back to Whisper with a raised eyebrow. "Really?" she stated before the shadows came together and formed a new hand at the end of her wrist. "All that's done is tick me off!"

"Nice move, bandage boy!" Jester growled as she jumped over him and kicked Luna in the face. "Now all you've done is make matters worse!"

"You were taking too long," Whisper bit back.

Jester rolled her eyes at him. "You give impatient a new meaning, you do. Now, enough of that, duck!"

They dodged a piece of shadow that acted like a carving knife as it came hurtling through the air.

"We're in for it!"

"Ahhh!"

Jester looked up in alarm to see Luna crunched on the floor withering in pain.

What the hell had happened, even Whisper looked confused.

They looked up to see Enigma pointing a torch at Luna from her vantage point.

"Riddler's brat, huh?" she sneered. "That's what you get for insulting my family!"

"I like her," muttered Whisper.

"Well you would, wouldn't you?"

Jester walked over to Luna and stared down at her. She was crying out in pain as her hands gripped the ground, her teeth grinder against each other as she tried to contain her cries.

"Luna, where is Eddie?"

Luna glared up at her and hissed at her with malice. "What time is it?"

"Ummm… nearly midnight why?"

"He'll be back at the docks now, Jonathan won't need him anymore, now will you please tell riddle idiot to turn the light off!"

Jester smirked and looked up at Enigma. "E' it's okay, ya' can turn it off now."

Enigma nodded and switched the light off and Luna got to her feet, shooting a glare up at Enigma before she melted into the shadows.

"Glad that's over and look!" cried Target. "You didn't need my help after all, say… Enigma was it?"

Enigma raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why don't you and me ditched these two and head out for a drink, ya know what I mean?"

Enigma smirked at him. "Yes I do and that's why I'm declining the offer," she pushed him away before she slid down the roof herself coming to a halt at Jester's feet.

"So… what now?"

"Now? Oh no, you are going back to the hideout," Jester instructed leaving Enigma with an open mouth.

"What?! But I was alright, I beat Midfright!"

"Ya got lucky," Jester snarled. "I'd like ta see ya hold your own against Killer Croc, quite personally, we all know that's never gonna happen. Now get! I'll already be in trouble for letting you tag along on this caper."

"What about Riddler?" questioned Whisper as he put his sword away and folded his arms glaring at Jester.

"I texted Mist… Sphinx… whoever was in control at the time, they're going to get Eddie."

"So I'm just going to be locked up in the hideout again?"

"Uh huh."

Enigma frowned. "That stinks!"

"It's not so bad, E'. Look on the bright side, at least you won't get shot at," Jester shrugged. "Now, if you excuse me, I've gotta go a flower picking!"

"Flower picking?"

"Yeah. See ya' later E', watch out for nut cases!"

T.B.C:

Note: Yeah not one of my best I know, don't worry it picks up again! :D I hope you like my characters and don't worry we will be seeing more of Target and Whisper :) Even Luna will return! :D I hope you guys like my characters I really do :D

Any way, thanks for the reviews and faves and follows, it means a lot to me! :D