Author's Note: I would've had this posted quite some time ago, but problems happened. Then I solved them. So-- Here. It's mostly about... well, thoughts of Melissa on the matters of Jonathan and of her new job. And whatnot. Felt like informing you.

Chapter 15:

Doctor's New Order

Melissa sat on the balcony porch, staring to the streets far below. It had been two weeks and three days since she had left the Arkham Asylum. Actually, to be more exact, two weeks and three days since she had been kidnaped from the asylum. There would be moments were Melissa would forget. She'd forget about having been a patient at the asylum. She'd forget that Jonathan had been Dr. Crane. She'd forget that she'd meet with him during the weeks of being placed in the institution. What bothered her, most of all, was that she was forgetting all about Dr. Crane.

She'd forget throughout the day that he had taken her on her last night at the hospital. She'd forget that she had begged him not to inject her with his toxin. She'd forget how seeing him, back as a patient, would make her worry. She had always been worried and nervous while in his presence. There just had been a certain sense about him. The way that he'd look at her would make her lungs stop breathing, make her heart pound loudly, and make her mind jump from one thing to the next. The way had never, to her knowledge, been an inappropriate look. Her feelings as he would look at her were never joyful. As a patient, as his patient, she always tried to look anywhere but. Especially at his eyes. They were enough to make her feel as if she was being judged, as if she really was insane to a point of no-return, they were enough to make her fear him.

But now, "Dr. Crane" was no more. Now it was simply "Jonathan". Now his presence was something else. Maybe it was because she knew of his plans? Knew of his plans for his toxin? Maybe it was just because she worked for him? Love? Melissa nearly laughed at the thought. How could she love him? How could he love her? Melissa hardly knew what to even think of the word. The thought of Jonathan knowing the true meaning of the word was laughable. No. Love was completely unthinkable. It was laughable. Lust? When the word "lust" entered her mind, she only scoffed as her eyes followed a couple that was walking the sidewalks.

If there was anybody of Jonathan's crew, or Jonathan himself, that she could see herself "lust" over, it'd mostly be Charlie. Charlie was handsome without a single doubt. He was humorous and kind to her at times. There were other times though. Those other times were the times that Melissa was sure Charlie was about to murder somebody. His mouth was always smarting off in one way or another. Some of his comments to her made him out to be a sleezy man. Then there was that stupid smirk he'd get on his face after it. He'd make the kind and sleezed-up comments in front of the rest of Jonathan's henchmen. At least they didn't encourage it. They'd roll their eyes and bark at him to "Shut-up". For the most part, he would– being disheartened by the rest of the men. There were few times that he wouldn't. Those drunken phases that he'd move closer to Melissa, slurring words into broken sentences, chuckling every now and then. Melissa would begin shouting threats to him and the other men would turn and shout at him to stop and leave her alone– that was enough to get Jonathan's attention. That's when Jonathan was forgotten and Dr. Crane returned. He'd calmly tell Charlie off, making calm, collected threats with hints of the Scarecrow. That was always enough to sober Charlie up. And speaking of the devil:

"Hey Melissa-" Charlie stuck his head out of the patio door, "Crane told me to tell you that he'd very much appreciate if you got him somebody tonight."

Melissa nodded. In only two weeks and three days, she had already become accustomed to the routine. "Alright then... Are you going to becoming with me?" He usually did to load the drugged-up person into the car to drive to the factory. Melissa had seen the factory only three times to deliver the poor lab-rat to Jonathan. The second time she had visited it, she couldn't help but congratlate Jonathan. The factory he had chosen was so... unsuspecting. The last place a person would expect to find that type of testing to be happening. He gave a single laugh, nodding as he too looked around the factory, appreciating her comment and appreciating his choice of building.

"No, love... Doctor's orders."

"What?" Melissa put a questioning look on her face, "What do you mean? What did he say?"

"Mph." Charlie replied with a shrug, looking out to the harbor. "Can't say. Crane didn't really say much on the matter. Nothing for you to worry about, though." He looked back down to her.

"So what am I suppose to do with the rat?" Melissa demanded. "Rat" had slipped out of her mouth. Maybe it had been because she compared the people she got with lab-rats and... having the personality of a "rat". When Melissa choose people for Crane, it was most likely an outcome of death for them. Because of that, Melissa tried to find people that were... well, rats. She'd also sneak in questions about family. Most that she had chosen were those that weren't at all concerned about the welfare of their family.

One of the first persons that Melissa got for Jonathan was a man that was in his mid or late twenties. When she asked of family, he said that he had a girlfriend that was due in a few weeks. At that, Melissa was ready to begin her search again. But he continued speaking, his words holding her to him. He told her that she was constantly "bitching", as he said, about money issues. The man saw no money-problems since the girl was living with her parents that were pretty well-up on money. He told Melissa that the girl was only meant to be fling, one of many, of his. After taking a drink, the man laughed, damning his girlfriend and unborn child to hell, because he didn't care. He called his girlfriend a slut and said that the kid probably wasn't even his. Melissa forced her lips into a smile and nodded her head in agreement. Then, as soon as he looked away, the drug went into his drink.

"MELISSA?" Charlie asked loudly. Melissa was snapped out of her thoughts. "I said that Crane said that you can just bring him back here... You just give this to the person." He gave he a very small vile of a clear liquid that had a tint of blue. "After that, they'll probably be knocked out after fifteen or twenty minutes. How long really depends on how much you give them. A quarter of it will three hours. Half is six hours. Three quarters is twelve. All of it is fifteen hours... A quarter or a half should probably be good enough."

"Alright... But, why doesn't Jonathan just spend somebody else with me, then?"

Charlie shook his head, "I don't know, love. Just stop asking so many questions. It isn't good." When Melissa continued to stare at him with a slightly confused look on her face, Charlie answered– "Crane doesn't like so a lot of questions. He doesn't really like to be asked questions. He likes to be the one that's asking..."

"Right. He's a psychologist, after all."

"Yeah... y'know what? I think working in Arkham messes with him. I think he's been losing it a bit, lately." Charlie laughed, "It's like being insane is contagious."

Author's Notes: The next chap is going to be a short brief about Melissa finding Jonathan somebody. That chap will be an opening for some... "dramatic" type of events following. Stay tuned.

The next chap is going to be a short brief about Melissa finding Jonathan somebody. That chap will be an opening for some... "dramatic" type of events following. Stay tuned.