Jonathan Crane slowly pulled his car into a dark alley in the middle of the Narrows. Before he left the confines of his vehicle he made sure to slip a canister of fear gas into his pants pocket. He had left his suit jacket in his hideout before making his way here, preferring the shirt and vest in the cool autumn night. The Scarecrow's mask was tucked into his glove box; he knew he wouldn't need it considering The Riddler long ago figured out who was under the burlap sack. Crane used the shadows to approach a hidden door in the brick wall of the alley only discernible with a green question mark. Every day there was a new riddle loaded into a small hidden screen on the door, challenging anyone who would enter The Riddler's lair. If you could solve it then the door would spring open and you would be able to enter without harm; failing to answer correctly would result in a trap door leading down to what Jonathan could only guess was The Riddler's holding cells.

Jonathan pushed the covering off of the screen and within a few minutes the riddle appeared: I make you weak at the worst of times. I keep you safe, I keep you fine. I make your hands sweat, and your heart grow cold. I visit the weak, but seldom the bold. What am I? A harsh, soft laugh echoed from his throat as the answer instantly popped into his head. "How fitting," he whispered as he punched in the answer: Fear.

The door silently swung open on well oiled hinges and Jonathan slipped into the soft light of an entrance way. He froze as his face met the tip of the golden question mark staff, about to bash him between the eyes. The cane was pulled back and The Riddler himself laughed loudly. Edward Nygma was dressed in his Riddler suit, green jacket and matching pants with a bowler hat and purple mask. A large, purple question mark tie was smoothed back into place as he allowed the doctor access to his lair. Jonathan silently followed his fellow Rogue into a small, but quaint, kitchen. Nygma poured himself a shot of bourbon offering the bottle to Jonathan who refused with a shake of the head.

Nygma leaned against the counter top, swinging his cane around. "Riddle me this: With potent, flowery words speak I, Of something common, vulgar, dry; I weave webs of pedantic prose, In effort to befuddle those, Who think I wile time away, In lofty things, above all day. The common kind that linger where Monadic beings live and fare; Practical I may not be, But life, it seems, is full of me!"

Jonathan narrowed his eyes at the green clad villain. 'Just gas him already. He's giving me a headache.' Scarecrow growled within his mind.

Crane sighed thinking, 'We need information and he knows it. We have to play his little games.' Slender fingers held his chin as he pondered the riddle. Then with a knowing smirk he locked his icy eyes on the Riddler's green ones. "The answer is a riddle."

The Riddler slammed his hand down on the counter. "Damn it Crane!" He slipped his bowler hat and mask off, placing them on the counter. "I thought I had you. So what do I owe the pleasure of this little visit. Wait! Let me guess."

Jonathan had to close his eyes to restrain the restless Scarecrow. It seemed his darker half was quickly losing patience. "I suppose a riddle is in order."

Nygma smiled darkly. "Good luck."

Minutes ticked by as Jonathan thought of a good riddle to explain his presence here. "Of no use to one yet absolute bliss to two. The small boy gets it for nothing. The young man has to lie for it. The old man has to buy it. The baby's right, the lover's privilege, the hypocrite's mask. To the young girl, faith; to the married woman, hope; to the old maid, charity. What am I?"

The Riddler paced his kitchen for a few seconds as he repeated the riddle. When a flourish he clasped Jonathan on the back. "Are you here about a girl?"

"That is not the answer, Nygma."

"Oh poppycock the answer is a kiss. So what about this girl? Or I mean is it a guy?" Nygma stared into Jonathan's eyes and laughed. "I mean I'm not judging if it is a guy I just would like to know how much distance to put between us."

Crane almost slipped and let the Scarecrow out to kill this maniac. It took a great deal of his willpower to suppress the murderous rage of the Rogue in him. He took the hand off his shoulder, squeezing it until the Riddler had to yank it back. "I just need information."

"That will cost you." The Riddler motioned for Jonathan to follow him. The stairs at the end of the hall led to a small puzzle door. Within seconds Nygma had the door opened and they stepped into a room packed with computer screens, surveillance equipment, post-it notes of riddles on almost every available surface, costume design drawings, and pizza boxes. Jonathan moved a box and sat down in one of the armchairs in a corner. The Riddler took his place on a wheeling stool, staring at the Rogue in the corner. Jonathan knew that even in the shadow his eyes would be shining bright. "Riddle me this: If you break me, I'll not stop working. If you can touch me, my work is done. If you lose me, you must find me with a ring soon after. What am I?"

Jonathan had to repeat the riddle several times in his head. A dark and low growl sounded inside of his mind. 'Isn't it obvious you twit? The heart. You better be right about this creature or I swear we will find out how well his intellect does when submerged in his worst nightmares.'

'Perhaps we should go into the riddle business. You seem to have a knack for them Scarecrow.' Jonathan had to stifle a laugh as the dark one threatened to take over permanently. That was impossible, Jonathan still had many things keeping his will strong. "The heart," he answered.

Nygma was delighted as he clapped his hands. "Well done Crane. I didn't think you had it in you." He leaned back against the table behind him. "So what information do you seek that The Riddler has?"

"I need to know about someone called 'The Net Runner.'"

Nygma tapped his fingers on his thigh. "Net Runner? Hm...that's a name I haven't seen for awhile." He spun on his stool and clicked away at his keyboard. "He was a hacker out of Metropolis but even all the way out there was a pain in my side. He had a knack for creating havoc with trading markets and sending police files from not only gangsters computers but even mine. It took me days to figure out how to create a firewall strong enough to block that damn hacker."

"What is this about him being able to create viruses?"

Nygma shook his head as he brought up a news article. "Not just your normal computer virus that would wipe your hard drive but seriously deadly ones."

"Deadly?" Crane felt the Scarecrow's interest peaking, his excitement growing. 'Calm yourself; Nygma keeps saying he as if the Net Runner is male.' he thought, soothing his dark one.

"Yeah deadly. Net Runner had developed this unique ability to combine certain flashing lights and sounds to create changes in the mind. His normal thing was just to make the victim have an intense bout of panic or fear, enough to make them wet themselves or something funny like that. You see, he would hack into your web cam so he could record you flipping out and then post it to his blog site. Of course the effects of the virus would wear off within a few hours." Riddler snapped and chuckled softly. "There was this one virus he released on Valentine's Day that was texted to nearly every phone in Gotham, Metropolis, and Star City that had this hilarious effect on the male brain wave. As soon a man heard the sound he would immediately cum in his pants, effectively ruining any shot he had at getting laid! Damn near ruined my night if I wasn't already done with my heist."

"Sounds like just an amateur nuisance." Jonathan said as if he was bored.

"Yeah I mean the worst Net Runner ever really did besides the mind manipulations was steal money from rich people. I mean he did steal a lot of money but only rarely. He was pretty tame up until half a year ago." Edward Nygma trailed off as he lost himself in a memory.

Jonathan felt his own interest peak. "What happened six months ago?"

"Riddle me this: I am, in truth, a yellow fork from tables in the sky by inadvertent fingers dropped the awful cutlery. Of mansions never quite disclosed and never quite concealed the apparatus of the dark to ignorance revealed."

Crane cracked his neck in annoyance. "Lightning. What does lightning have to do with anything?" He jumped from his chair and grasped the lapel of the Rouge's coat. "Enough games Nygma!"

"What does lightning do, Jonathan? Think hard now." The Riddler looked up at him smugly.

"Flash." A few seconds ticked by as he thought of the last six months. "The Deadly Flash? That was the Net Runner?"

"Bingo!" Nygma's eyes looked up into Jonathan's with a dark tinge to them. "Net Runner found a way to permanently damage the brain and send people back to being nothing more than mindless animals. Thousands of people died and thousands more were placed into permanent homes within asylums, even our own Arkham Asylum as you should well know Dr. Crane. The news reports said that a gang had something to do with the Flash, so I'm thinking that they held Net Runner hostage. It just wasn't in his cards to kill people."

Jonathan released the Rogue and leaned against a table. "What happened to the Net Runner after The Deadly Flash?"

Nygma shrugged. "Dunno. Metropolis police and Superman were tight lipped about the whole thing. I'm assuming they placed Net Runner into witness protection. I would have known if they jailed him because there would be reports on it but there is nothing."

"I just recently moved to Gotham." Aura's words floated around in his head.

Jonathan closed his eyes in thought. "Do you know anything about the identity of Net Runner?"

Riddler spun in his chair while thinking. "For the first time, I know very little about him. The only thing I was ever able to find about someone being moved from Metropolis on the same night of the Flash's release was this." Nygma brought up a still from a security camera outside what appeared to be a police station. "This is Metropolis PD. That man right there is our very own Commissioner Gordon and that," Nygma pointed to a slim white haired figure. Their head was bowed and the massive wave of hair fell over their chest, obscuring any identifying features. "That must be Net Runner. Looks like the Commissioner may have moved him to Gotham City."

"Are you sure it is a man?" Jonathan asked quietly.

Nygma shrugged. "It could be a woman. The long hair is more apt to being for females but with no definitive evidence I'll keep assuming that Net Runner is a male."

"Just can't think a woman would be able to pull a fast one over you huh?" Jonathan teased.

Riddler glared at him. "Do not think I won't kill you Crane!"

Jonathan laughed at the idle threat of his fellow Rogue. "What can you tell me about Aura Warren?"

Riddler smiled devilishly up at the icy eyes regarding him with annoyance. "Aura Warren? Is that the target of your obsession? Are you trying to make her into a new experiment or play toy for the safe house?"

Jonathan slipped a hand into his pocket, noticing the green eyes following the motion. Riddler straightened in his chair. "What business I have with this girl is mine alone."

"Alright, let's see. Aura Warren," he clicked away on his keyboard, bringing up various screens. "let's see. There she is. Hmm, that's odd."

"What is it, Nygma?" Jonathan came to his side and looked at the screen.

"Everything that has to deal with Aura Warren is sealed and confidential by the Justice League."

Jonathan sighed in frustration. "Can you hack into them?"

"Give me a second." Edward Nygma clicked into various screens, typing away like a maniac. "Damn it."

"What now?"

Riddler slammed his hands onto the keyboard, the vibration of the hit shaking Jonathan's grip on the computer desk. "Net Runner himself sealed the files. I can't break an encryption that strong."

A low laugh issued from Jonathan's throat. Nygma was fuming, staring murderously at the computer screen, no doubt trying to kill Net Runner through the monitor. He couldn't stand being shown up by a fellow hacker. Crane slipped from the computer room as a series of choice words were issued from the Rogue. He slipped into his car quickly his thoughts surrounding the still unsolved puzzle in his mind. 'What does Aura have to do with Net Runner?'

'You don't think that she is Net Runner?'

'No, maybe she is his sister or girlfriend? Maybe the Joker needs her to get Net Runner to make a virus. A virus I'm sure will cause a lot of people problems with living.'

Scarecrow laughed darkly at the thought of murder. 'The thug said that Aura is the Net Runner.'

'Honestly how smart do you think the thugs that work for Joker are? He probably was over assuming her role in all of this.'

'So what now Jonathan?'

The sun was peaking up over the horizon as Jonathan slid the car on the main thoroughfare of Gotham City. 'Now we go to work. I have some early morning sessions with patients before I have to go over to the courthouse for a trial.'

Aura woke up with a splitting headache the next morning, happy that her own ceiling was over her bed instead of the sterile tiles of the hospital. The pain killers on the nightstand called softly to her and she obliged them. The side of her face was tender; her eye itself swollen and bruised. Aura slid off out of her bed. When she got home early that morning from the hospital she had thrown everything that belonged to Tony into the dumpster of the condo complex and then changed her bed sheets, throwing the old ones into the fireplace. Aura stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed an apple and a glass of milk from the fridge. A firm knock sounded on her door.

Aura peeked into the peephole before opening the door widely. "Mr. Wayne, what are you doing here?"

Bruce Wayne stood on her front porch in an immaculate black suit and pink tie. He blushed slightly and Aura looked down, finally noticing her lavender, silk nightgown. "May I come in?"

Aura smiled and stepped aside. Bruce entered and waltzed into her small living room, sitting in the center of her white sofa. "Would you like some coffee, Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce patted the sofa beside him and Aura sat. "Commissioner Gordon called me late last night to let me know you were in the hospital. I went to check on your first thing this morning but they told me you already were released." He gently used two fingers to move her head to the side so he could look at her bruised face. "How are you feeling?"

Aura sighed and sipped her milk. "It looks worse than it is. Why would Gordon call you?"

Bruce shrugged, resting his arm on the back of the couch behind Aura and turning to face her more. "You don't have any family in the city and I'm the closest person to you. He assumed I would like to know about your well being."

Aura smiled graciously at his concern. She leaned forward, aware of his eyes on her chest, and grabbed the remote. Aura was aware of Bruce's playboy ways and had in the past denied going to dinner with him, firmly believing that dating within the workplace only caused problems. The morning news was in the middle of a story when it popped onto the television. 'This is Jack Ryder on the scene infront of Mike's Pub and Brewery in downtown Gotham. Residents were treated to a shocking sight in this normally quite neighbor. A body, who is know known to be Tony Byron, was discovered to be strung up on the building's face. Last night Byron was involved in a domestic assault and arrested though hours later made bail and was released to two known gang members. Commissioner Gordon was not available to issue a statement on why Byron was allowed to leave the police station with known gang members but I can tell you something smells rotten. Customers of the bar say that Byron was angry at his girlfriend for talking with other men and struck her across the face before being arrested. Now the body has been removed from the building as soon as the first calls came into the emergency department but not before we were able to obtain photos of the gruesome scene. As you will plainly see it appears that the infamous new Gotham Rogue, Scarecrow, was the one who strung the body up for the citizens to see. It also appears that he left a message for residents of Gotham. We will warn you, the images are extremely troubling and not for children or the faint of heart.'

An image of the large black man hung up infront of the bar flashed onto the screen. Hay was sticking out of his open shirt and there was a clear, carved message on his ebony flesh. "She is under my protection. She is mine." Aura quickly turned the television off as tears fell from her purple eyes. She was beginning to hyperventilate and Bruce quickly pulled her into his chest, holding her tightly. A strong hand rubbed her back in soothing circles and he shushed her, pleading for her to calm down. Wayne stared at a small statue behind them, ironically a scarecrow on a cross with a crow on his shoulder. He glared at it darkly. Aura began to quite down and Bruce pulled away.

"I'm sorry Mr. Wayne. This will sound stupid, but I didn't want something that awful to happen to Tony." she said softly.

Bruce smiled and held her face in his hands. "As much as I hate to say it, it looks like you have an admirer."

"The Scarecrow? That's comforting," she replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Bruce laughed softly. "I am going to have someone come over and change the locks on your doors. Hopefully this Scarecrow doesn't know where you live but either way I will call Gordon and make him have an officer watch your house until Batman can apprehend that Rogue." Bruce made Aura look into his eyes. "If anything strange happens around here or anywhere you are, call Gordon and then call me. I mean it Aura, don't try to handle this on your own."

"Is Scarecrow that dangerous?" she asked, feeling stupid at her own question.

Bruce's face became solemn. "All of the Rouge's are dangerous and must never been taken lightly especially if they have issued a threat."

Aura said a soft goodbye to Bruce as his cell phone rung, calling him away to the office. He urged Aura to take the day off and she gladly accepted. A few hours later Aura couldn't take sitting around the house anymore. The walls felt like they were closing in on her and she needed to get out. Shopping may just take her mind off of things. Pulling out her phone she flipped open her bank account and sighed deeply. The move to Gotham and getting her condo furnished had drained her bank account and pay day wasn't for another few days. She chuckled darkly and pulled out a long chain of a silver necklace she wore that contained a tiny charm in the shape of an Egyptian obelisk. She pulled the bottom of the pillar to reveal the prong of a plug. She popped it into her phone and after a few seconds a new screen was displayed. A little woman in a robber's ski mask ran across the screen before her home menu appeared. She clicked into a few different windows in order to turn on the program that would allow her access to a local bank. Within a few seconds she had found an account of an older man, Maroni. That would do perfectly; he wouldn't miss a few thousand dollars. Aura quickly made the transfer to her secure account knowing that no matter how hard he tried, it could never be traced or reversed. Smiling to herself she replaced the pillar around her neck and went to get dressed. It felt good to allow herself to be The Net Runner again, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Edward Nygma smiled with glee as he watched the Gotham Bank's transaction log. A large sum of money was just transferred from Maroni's account into a secure account with no name and no way to trace the owner. He clapped his hands and picked up his personal cell phone, dialing the number labeled Fear. A few seconds ticked by before Jonathan Crane picked up.

"What is it Nygma? I told you never to call me while I'm at work." the dark Rogue hissed quietly into the phone.

"Is that anyway to talk to a hero?"

Crane scoffed and growled into the phone. Edward smirked as he knew Scarecrow was now present. "What do you want Eddy? Need me to make a house call for treatment?"

Nygma laughed nervously. "I have a riddle you will just love to hear."

Scarecrow growled into the phone. A few tense minutes passed before the more calm and composed voice came back. Crane softly spoke, enunciating his words, "This better be good, Nygma, or I will let the other one use you for his new formula."

A shutter went down his spine and even though he only wore his question mark boxers in his warm room, he felt a cold breeze blow on him. "Riddle me this," he started, pausing to clear his throat to try to steel his own quavering voice. "What is used both to catch a scaly meal and to gather information from thousands of miles away?"

Crane sighed loudly, losing patience. "A net...you found the Net Runner?"

Edward silently cursed at his new friend's intellect. "Well our Net Runner just struck and stole money from Maroni. I still cannot tell you anything about our little friend accept that they are indeed in Gotham City."

Jonathan laughed coldly causing Edward to shutter a second time. "You are my hero, Nygma. If you find anything else out just call me."

Joker screamed out as he finished watching the afternoon news. The idiot he sent out to cozy up to that girl failed him and, to make matters worse, that Scarecrow was now trying to get involved. One of his henchmen slinked into the room, trying to go unnoticed. The Rogue turned on him, his grin widening. "What have you got for me, Smiley?"

The man seemed to visibly cower. "The woman, Net Runner, was just seen leaving her condo. Looks like she is headed to the Gotham Mall."

Joker took out his gun and pointed it to the man's forehead. "Well why are you still here? She is no use to me out there!"

The man started sweating profusely. "Sir! I was just waiting to let you know that the parents are in route."

Joker's smile widened further. "Excellent. Bring me Net Runner and be quick about it." Before the henchman could turn to leave Joker stuck his foot out tripping him. The Rogue jumped onto the man's chest and sat down. "Make sure you make a big scene about taking her. I want Scarecrow to know what I have. If we are lucky we can trap two birds with one throw. Well a bat and a Rogue at least. Now go, and bring her back alive and not too roughed up!" The Joker cackled loudly when he stood and the man crawled away quickly, all but crying as he left. "Soon Gotham will be bowing down to me as their King! As soon as I have Blackgate's and Arkham's residents behind me, nothing can stop the Joker Army and my little Aura will deliver Gotham to me!"