Author's Note: Geez. I thought I posted this chapter a long time ago. Sorry.

To reply to golden-peaches... and anyone else: No-Name hasn't got a name, really– at least that they know of. "Charlie" is one of the men that works for Jonathan. Sorry if it wasn't too clear. I should revise sometime...

I think that this is another chapter to move the story along. Every story needs them. But, maybe... hopefully... it is slightly intriging or interesting?

Chapter 20:

The Basement

Melissa knew that Jonathan was the top psychologist at Arkham Asylum. Dr. Crane was very valuable and it would do well to not upset him or get in his way, she knew. Jonathan was the director of the asylum... he was Dr. Crane, after all! And yet, Melissa was surprised to see that there were hardly any questions to him about Melissa or about No-Name. There were curious and questioning glances from the other doctors and nurses, but that's pretty much all it was. Not even stares– merely glances. It made Melissa think that Dr. Crane had the same effect on his co-workers has he did with his patients, to his henchmen... to her.

"Third floor." Jonathan told Melissa as tried to hold No-Name steady against a wall. Melissa blinked, coming out of her thoughts, her eyes focusing on what was around her. A small box of a room. Melissa turned around and looked at the numbers on the side. She pushed the '2' in, surprised slightly that they had walked into an elevator without her noticing.

"How do you split up the patients?" She asked as the door closed.

Jonathan paused with his movements, staring hard at No-name, his back to Melissa. "What? What do you mean?"

"You know to go to the third floor with him, so does that mean each level is... is dedicated to a different group of patients?" Jonathan continued to stare at No-Name, his eyes becoming a glare at her questions. He had always been annoyed by people asking him questions. He hated being asked questions. Especially now. In his own institution. The place were his word went easily. "I mean... For example, what group of patients are on the third floor?" Melissa asked as the elevator rose.

"Why are you curious?" Jonathan asked, trying to force the annoyance out of his voice and cover it with amusement. The third floor. Isn't that where he put Alex? 'She's too curious.' The familiar dark voice whispered into his ear. 'She isn't afraid anymore.' Jonathan felt his throat and muscles tighten. 'I can fix that. You should've tested her when you had the chance'. He felt his forehead start to get warm like preparing to start to sweat. He tried to push the urges away as he kept his eyes on No-name.

There was a ding of the elevator bell, and the Scarecrow rushed away as Jonathan began to pull No-Name out of the elevator. Melissa began to follow behind, ready to do any task that Jonathan demanded. It almost made his lips twitch into a smile. Reliable. Obedient. There was a problem though with the third floor and Melissa. She was curious. She'd go wandering. She'd find Alex. "No, Melissa." Jonathan said suddenly, looking at her with his usual emotionless expression.

"What?" It crossed her mind that she saw a moment of panic on his face.

He shook his head, "It'll raise too many questions."

"But... We got through easily downstairs."

"This isn't the same. Patients are here. They'll think it's strange if you're here... If you say you're visiting, they'll ask for some sort of proof."

Melissa stood in the doorway of the elevator, keeping it from closing. She stared at him with a questioning look. "What am I suppose to do then?" She asked with her hands raised into the air slightly, palms up to the ceiling like it was a shrug of restlessness.

Jonathan let gravity take No-Name to the floor as he let go of his arms. Jonathan began to look around with searching, silent eyes.. He patted his clothes a few times, staring down to No-Name. Jonathan found a small key-ring in his pocket and he handed it to her. There were three keys on it. "It's got my office key on it. Wait in my office. It's on the main level. Get off the elevator, walk until you get to the second left, then follow it all the way down. It's at the end. There's a sign on the door, as well. If you're not sure, just ask the front desk." He told her as he picked No-Name up again, pulling him down the hall.

"What about the other keys?"

"One is to the drawers and files in my office. If I find something in those drawers gone or missing, Melissa–." He glanced up to Melissa, warning her. It was an unfinished threat. Melissa found it to be odd in a way. He was a testing drugs on people, having them killed, having people kidnaped... and yet he still wanted the files to remain confidential. "The other is to the basement." He looked away from her, "I shouldn't be too long. Probably an hour at most. Just have me paged if you need me."

"Okay." Melissa said as she began to back into the elevator. Her navy eyes watched him before the door closed together, blocking her view. She slowly looked to the numbered buttons and pushed in the one, staring at it. The elevator moved down and she looked up to the top of the door as the lighted 4 went out and the 3 was lighted instead. Hanging onto the keys, she slowly looked down to them.

Jonathan told her to wait in his office for sometime. Files were completely off-limits, he made clear. She wouldn't want to test her luck with that. She had seen, in the past weeks, that when he said something– he'd keep to it. There were no meaningly threats with him. Threats so that people do things. If he made a threat, he'd be sure to keep it. She didn't want him to have to follow through with his threat to her– even if it was left unsaid.

Her eyes moved to the keyhole below the buttons. She stared at it for a few moments, blinking in silence. He said nothing about the basement. He didn't say it was off-limits. She wouldn't be going against him if she went to the basement, right? That's what Melissa figured. There'd be no harm in poking around the basement. From what she guessed, the asylum had been standing for more than a hundred years. Maybe there was something to look at in the basement. Old name-tags, papers, books. Maybe old black-and-white photographs from outside the asylum. Maybe old photographs of the doctors and nurses.

As she reached the main level, the doors opened up into an empty hallway. Melissa licked her lips as she pressed 'Door Close' and pressed the 'B'. Nothing happened. She looked back down to the ring of keys, to the last key. It looked old and rusty. Undoubtly the one used for the basement. She put it into the keyhole and turned it. She felt her heart rise up in her chest as the elevator again moved down. A slow moment later, the doors opened up and she pulled the key out of the key hole, pocketing them. Melissa peered out of the doors, up and down the long cemented hall before cautiously stepping out.

"And how are we today, Alex?" He asked with a pleasant smile and his doctor tone as he stood near Alex's bed. Alex was laying on his side, facing the padded wall. Alex made no reply. His facial expression did not waver from its distant look. "MmmHmm." Dr. Crane replied to the nothingness. "I suspect that you put up some sort of resistance to something, hm?" He stepped forward, putting a hand on Alex's shoulder and pulling it so that Alex rolled onto his back to stare up at the bland ceiling. Jonathan leaned over the bed, peering into Alex's eyes to examine his pupils. "You've been drugged, haven't you? Sedation of some form or another. You know, Alex– the longer you fight... The longer they'll drug you. You do live up to the 'mentally unstable' word, don't you? No need to worry... It is imy/i asylum, after all. All you have to do is cooperate... Do what I told you to do before. Forget her. If you do that, then you'll be just fine, my boy. She'll be fine, too."

Alex's eyes finally moved from the ceiling as he turned to look up at Dr. Crane towering over him. He turned his head to look at him fully. "'She'll'?" His voice was quiet, soft, and wavering– as if he hadn't spoken for days.

"Oh yes." Dr. Craned leaned away from Alex, with the smile still plastered to his face. "Melissa. She's here."

"What did you do to her?" His voice was growing more steady, his eyebrows furrowing in suspicion. Alex lifted his head from the pillow as if to challenge.

"She's not here as a patient, if that's what you mean." Alex's tensed jaw softened slightly and he dropped his head back to the pillow. "I suggest you get yourself some rest. Think about things and what consequences are... We could do things the simple way, or the hard way. The hard way being that you're here for the rest of your life with a lost mind..." He moved towards the door, " Just remember that no matter what you choose- you've already lost Melissa and that she is now imine/I." From the corner of his eye, he saw Alex again tense up.

Dr. Crane opened the door, but paused in the doorway. He could not help himself- "Though she isn't my patient any longer– we had played a game of doctor." He got the reaction that he wanted. In an instant Alex was on his feet, swearing and cussing at the tup of his voice. It was too late for him to do anything more though, because Dr. Crane was out the door– amusedly smirking to himself as he walked down the hallway in long strides.

x

Down a few flights of stairs, a few turns here and there until he was finally at his office door. When he opened it, Melissa was sitting in his chair, her feet on his desk. He'd be annoyed and tell her off about it if it wasn't for the dancing delight of her eyes. He tilted his head to the side, "What's put you in such a good mood?"

Without a single word, Melissa stood up and bumped her shoulder against him lightly as she passed him, moving into the hallway. She looked over her shoulder to see if he was following. He realized that she wanted him to– and curiosity got the better of him. A part of him was weary of following her. Another part was hoping for sex– he couldn't be blamed for it. He was a man, after all. She seemed quite pleased with herself. Another part was interested and very curious.

They stepped into the elevator, and Melissa put a key into the basement keyhole, turning it with a click. She pressed in the 'B', rocking back and forth on her heels. She was utterly pleased with herself.

"What's in the basement?" Jonathan asked with a quirked brow, trying to read her expression to get any hint.

Melissa said nothing as the door opened to the basement. She only looked at him with a sly smirk as she walked out of the elevator, "Come with me, Doctor." The words rolled off her tongue in self-satisfaction. "There's something I think you should see." Jonatahn followed closely behind her, following her to large wooden doors. Melissa pulled them open, stepping inside. There was a small, square level that they stepped onto. From the level where steps that lead down to the floor. The room was large and spacious. There were crates here and there with piles of dust on them.

"I found it... I thought that if you need someplace closer to test on people than the factory... Maybe here would be–"

"Excellent." He breathed with a dark, impressedsatisfaction.

So... I made Melissa the one to suggest to Crane to use the Asylum's basement to use to test his drugs in. Just to make it clear.

And the mention of playing 'Doctor' may seem a bit of out of character of Crane but... I decided to make him gloat it to Alex– just to make Alex a bit more— geerr-- you know?

And to keep you staying on this story: In the next chapter (of which will probably be... fast forwarded a few weeks): A new development of Crane's toxin! Yay! Charlie and Melissa had met in the past... Of which they both just remembered and realized that it was one another... It's more important than it sounds.