Chapter 2: What one Fears

A/U: Thank you sgt surge I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you also draco13 I will continue.

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Arkham Asylum.

I awoke in a small cell with a killer headache as I got to my feet. The cell was very small with nothing but four walls and a bed. I leaned against the door and slumped to the ground.

"Where the hell am I?" I said to no one in particular.

"Why you're in Hawaii," A high pinched voice said. "You've won an all-expenses paid trip to the most luxurious hotels on the island. Aren't you enjoying it?" The voice asked as it started to chuckle.

"Ugh, who the hell are you?" I asked as I rubbed my temples.

"Why, I'm your neighbor I'd invite you over but you know it's a dangerous world out there. You never know what kind of people you're inviting." He let out a fake gasp. "You could be planning to rob my fine China, or steal my wife's jewelry, or maybe the ashes of my deceased father you cruel man…Eh you know what you can have him he does a horrible job as fertilizer." He joked as he laughed manically.

"Oh god," I groaned. "You're him aren't you?"

"Him? Him Who?"

"The Joker."

"Ding, Ding, Ding Correct!"

"Do I win my trip to Hawaii now?"

"Ha ha…No but how about this. I'm throwing a party in a couple weeks and would really love it if you'd come."

"Even though I beat the crap out of your boys and made them tell me where you were."

"Those party poopers tried to spoil my fun, so they will be a no show…Permanently."

"So it was you who framed me."

"Well I wanted to meet the man who wanted to kill me, by the way what's your name?"

I thought about that for a second before answering there was no way I was going to give this lunatic my name.

"Shadow…"

"Shadow, Eh?" He questioned before he continuing his rant. "Well tell me Mr. Shadow. Why did you want to kill me?"

"You mean besides the fact that you're a manipulator, a tormentor, a murderer and the most evil thing to have walked on this planet?"

"Yes."

"I just don't like clowns."

"So that's a no on the party then?" He asked in a sad tone.

"Here's your answer…Knock, Knock."

"Oh I love these." He clapped his hands excitedly. "Who's there?"

"Go fuck yourself."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh that's hilarious."

Joker then pulled out a dirty brown piece of paper and a pencil and scribbled something on it.

Shadow = (

(Dr. Young's Office No one's POV)

After a few days in the cell Jayden was finally released and his first stop was Dr. Penelope Young's office. The guards walked Jayden in and sat him down on the couch. Dr. Young pulled out the recorder and set it on the table.

"Patient interview number two day two with Jayden Warney. I would like to ask what happened with you and those men in the cafeteria."

"They picked a fight with me and I showed them what happens when you mess with me." He said as he picked his nails clean.

"You broke one man's arm another man's wrist and gave the other two concussions." She stated as she marked some things in her clip board.

"At least I didn't kill them." He said in a frustrated tone of voice.

"Which reminds me, the other day you said you weren't responsible for the deaths of those men."

"Yeah, and?"

"Well who was?"

"The Joker apparently I mean after all they were his men."

At this Dr. Young rubbed her temples in frustration and sighed in annoyance.

"Okay, let's start from the beginning. What made you become the man you are today?"

"It started when my father died," He said as he slouched in his chair. "It's no secret that Gotham is the source of all evil in this world. Someone had to take it upon themselves to make things right."

"Batman has already taken care of that." Dr. Young stated which caused Jayden to laugh uncontrollably.

"Batman," He spat out. "Batman may be the fearsome Dark Knight but he's soft. He doesn't have what it takes to get rid of the scum of this earth."

"You mean kill them?"

"Obviously, so I spent my years training. Hand to hand, sword fighting, guns anything I could learn in order to be the perfect warrior."

"You really just wanted to surpass Batman didn't you?"

"Correct, you're smarter than you look. Anyways, I knew killing was wrong but if I learned anything over the years is that if you cut off the head the body will fall." He said as he sat up in his chair. "I wouldn't kill the grunts or the errand boys but if I could get some information out of them maybe I could get someone's attention."

"You interrogated Joker's men for information and when Joker found out he had his men killed."

"With a katana no less."

"Why a sword?"

"Batman uses his costume to put fear into his enemies, I knew if I tried a new costume no one would take me serious. So I needed an icon a symbol that would make people fear me."

"A sword of justice."

"Exactly, but when I lured the Joker towards me Batman got in the way at the last second and well you know the rest." Jayden said.

"You were framed for man slaughter and sent here to Arkham." Young finished.

"Yup, but soon I will cleanse this city with my sword."

"Why kill them though?" Young asked. "Don't you believe in change?"

"Change? CHANGE!" Jayden yelled. "Let me tell you something Doc. When I first got here I encountered a man who was twelve feet tall, had razor sharp skin, and scaly skin. He threatened to eat my flesh and snack on my bones."

"You're talking about killer croc."

"Yes, if you think that with a couple of years of therapy is going to change him your more crazier than the Joker. Also there's rumor about a man whose body is entirely made of mud. Bullets and other physical attacks can't hurt him and he can't age or die. The only way to stop him is by encasing him in ice and keeping him contained in a sealed area."

"Clayface." She answered.

"Croc, clayface, scarecrow, two face, Ivy, Bane, Mad hatter, Mr. Freeze, Cobblepot, Zsasz the list goes on!" Jayden yelled. "The point is that they are dangerous people who accepted the fact they are monsters and have no desire to change and there is no true cure for them. The only way to truly stop them is my blade to their hearts."

"No it isn't," Young pleaded. "Like you I've spent my life trying to save Gotham and recently I may have discovered a cure that can drive the insane men sane and reverse the super criminal back to ordinary people." She explained.

They both sat there in silence staring at each other, Jayden rubbed his face and sighed in annoyance.

"So you believe that by drinking some magic chemical you turn those monsters down there normal?"

"Yes' I've spent my life trying to help people like croc or Joker because I believe that there is a better way to cure people than by killing them like animals." She explained causing Jayden to let out a heavy sigh.

"Doc, let me ask you something." At this Dr. Young leaned forward. "Does lying to yourself and to everyone else make you feel like a better person?"

"What?"

"You're doing this for you. Your only concern is lining your own pockets not being a hero. You're a liar, a manipulating, and just flat out crazy" At this Jayden chuckled. "Huh, I guess you're right where you belong then aren't you Doc."

She let out a gulp and turned off the recorder as the guards came in and took Jayden away. Dr. Young sat there in her office alone as she looked around in her office. She looked at pictures of family and friends her diplomas and other rewards for being an all-out good person. But none of that helped cleared her head of what Jayden said.

"You're a liar, a manipulator and just flat out crazy. Huh, I guess you're right where you belong then aren't you Doc."

His voice echoed through her mind as she sat there in her small office.

(Cafeteria/ Jayden's POV)

We were eating dinner that night and after what happened last time a lot of people stayed away from me. Which was good considering the fact that all I wanted was to be left alone. I ate in silence as a man sat down in a chair across from me.

"No one does like being the new kid at school." He said in a know it all voice.

"I'd rather not be disturbed." I grumbled nibbling on some bread.

"Oh, but here in the wacky shack it's impossible to be left alone."

"Tell me about it."

"Are those Neanderthals giving you a hard time?" He asked. "No surprise they could never match up to my level."

"What are you talking about you lunatic?"

"They interviewed you right?" He asked already knowing the answer. "But they mostly asked those cliché questions like 'how was your childhood?' or 'what made you this way?' am I wrong?"

"No…"

"Good, so let me interview you."

"I don't even know who you are."

"Oh, where are my manners," He said as he cleared his throat and stuck out his hand. "I am Dr. Jonathan."

"Shadow." I said as I ignored his hand shake.

"Well then, Mr. Shadow let me ask you something," He said straightening himself in his chair. "What are you most afraid of?"

"What?" I asked in disbelief. "I'm not afraid of anything."

"Yes you are and I know what it is you're afraid of."

"Care to elaborate?" I asked sarcastically.

"Of course, your strong because you're afraid of being weak you proved that when you broke that man's arm the other day. You call yourself Shadow because you're afraid to give me your real name not for yourself but mostly for someone else namely a loved one. You use a sword because you're afraid to fight without a weapon…" "How did you know I use a swor-"Please do not interrupt, and finally you kill your enemies because, you're afraid they will come back for revenge if they ever find out your identity."

I looked at him as a small but evil grin slowly grew on his face. "Am I right?" He asked as he played with his thumbs. I looked him straight in the eyes as I moved in closer to him.

"You're dead wrong." I said in a dark voice. His eyes widened and his grin was instantly replaced with a frown. "Wha-" "Please do not interrupt, You see your wrong because I'm not strong because I'm afraid of being weak I'm strong because I want to be able to beat scum like you into submission and I just want to be better than most people in fighting that's not fear that's pride. I call myself Shadow because Jayden Warney died when my father was murdered in front of me, split personality. I use a sword like Batman uses his costume to put the fear into his enemies, that's symbolic. And finally I've never killed anyone because it's pointless to just kill small fish when I could go for the shark."

"Bu-but…"Crane stuttered.

"So to sum it up your entire diagnoses is wrong." I said as he was shaking in rage. "But I know what you're afraid of doctor."

"What?" He snapped.

"Being wrong." I said in a venomous tone. "Did you get your degree from a newspaper clipping?"

He snapped and attacked me but failed when all it took was a simple punch to the face to knock him out. The guards came over and did their usual treatment when they attacked me with clubs and stun guns.

After another week in solitary, I went back to my third interview with Dr. Young as we discussed something other than my childhood or vigilante work.

"Do you happen to know any other criminals outside the asylum?" She asked.

"I dunno why?" I asked in confusion.

"I'm just curious mostly every villain in this asylum has met one another on the outside in one point or another. It's usually one of the reasons they end up here and it takes effect on their psyche profile."

"So I'm a villain?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"N-No, no I just…" I waved my hands at her.

"It's alright I'm just joking, the only criminals I've met were Black Mask and Catwoman but she really doesn't really come off as a villain."

"She steals for a living." She said matter-o-factly.

"Yeah to feed herself and her friend or to send her friend to school." I argued. "Ask yourself this 'Who would put the money to better use?' Black Mask, who would just blow it on drugs, weapon hoookers, and henchmen or Catwoman who would spend it for a home for her and her friend? Besides she steals from villains most of the time anyways so it's not like she's doing regular Joes any harm."

"You seem to like Catwoman," She said as she raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any…Interest in her?"

"No, she exotic in many ways but my heart belongs to another." I said.

"Oh, how did you meet Black Mask and Catwoman?"

"Oh that's a long story, but since we have time." I said as I lay down on the couch.

(Flashback)

"I had heard rumors from petty thugs that Black Mask was making an exchange with Cobblepot, he was willing to pay big money for big guns and well as you can imagine that didn't settle quite right for me."

A dark figure scaled over the rooftops as he jumped down and landed on a nearby rooftop. He was wearing a long black leather coat with a black vest with, black jeans with a pair of black converse shoes. His face was covered by a blackface mask that covered everything except his eyes, which he covered with a pair of sunglasses. He tightened his black fingerless gloves as he walked over to the edge of the roof to see if anyone was down below.

"It started off pretty easy until I heard someone slowly walk up behind me."

He pulled out his katana and held the blade up to the throat of a beautiful woman. She wore and all black, skintight, leather suit, and a head piece that looked like a cats head. She trailed her fingers across the blunt edge of his blade as she looked into his eyes.

"When I first saw her my insides melted and my hands started to shake. And when she looked at me with those big green orbs, damn I felt like she was looking straight into my soul."

"It's a little dark out for sunglasses don't you think?" She said in an exotic voice.

"They're a special pair with built in night vision." He said disguising his voice. What's a cute girl like you doing in a place like this?" he asked as he sheathed his blade.

"The same reason you are, to stop mask from buy those weapons from Cobblepot." She said walking ahead of him. He couldn't help but stare at her walking form as she wiggled her… he cleared his throat.

"Um… I'm Shadow." He said.

She looked back at him and grinned.

"Selina Kyle," She said. "My face is up here by the way."

"I know," He said as he walked towards her. "I don't know about you but I'm going in there. If Cobblepot sells those weapons to Mask, who knows what kind of hell they'll cause."

"Okay, let's be friend for tonight then." She suggested. "I know a back way into the warehouse."

"Okay you lead I'll follow." I said as she hummed.

"You like it when I take the lead?" She asked in a lustful tone as she placed a hand on her bottom.

"What? N-No- It's just, I dint know the way and you do, so…um…I already have a girlfriend?"

"In a short five minutes I went from a dark warrior of justice to a bashful kid who looked as if he had asked the hottest girl in school out. She was good."

"It's alright darling your too young for me anyways." She said as she swan dived off the roof. He shortly followed after as they made their way to the back of the warehouse. Once inside Catwoman scaled the ceiling like a cat as Jayden hoped from one support beam to the next. Down below two groups of men five on each side but two men on the opposite sides looked different from the rest.

"Okay Cobblepot what do you have for us?" A man in a white suit and burned face asked as a short stocky man with a glass eyepiece and black coat chuckled.

"These here are the finniest machineguns you'll ever come across." His said as he motioned to one of his men who wore a ski mask with white paint on it. He then threw a black assault rifle with a large mag and customized with a scope and laser pointer at him. "They only give weapons like these to the army boys so they don't come cheap." He said as he lit a cigar.

Mask nodded as he motioned for four of his men to come forward. They each carried a shiny briefcase as they stood in a row they all opened their cases revealing them to be stuffed with bricks of money. Cobblepot laughed as he and Mask shook hands.

"The guns are yours, men!" He said to his cronies. "Take the cases and load them into my car." He ordered as they took the shiny cases and walked over to a limo. "Here are the keys to the truck Maskie." He said throwing Mask the keys.

That's when Jayden made his move.

He jumped down and landed on two men knocking them out cold. As everyone looked at him in confusion Cobbleot was the first to speak.

"Oy, who's this block?" He said as he pointed an umbrella at him.

"I don't know," Mask said as he pulled out a 9mm pistol. "But whoever he is he just took out two of my best men!"

Jayden looked down at the unconscious guards and then back up at the two leaders. "If you say so." He said causing Mask to growl.

"What are you idiot standing around for, kill him!" He shouted.

He was about to shoot Jayden when a long black whip wrapped around his gun and was yanked out of his hands. Everyone looked over to see Catwoman slowly walking towards them. She smirked as she flexed her hands out letting her claws shine for everyone to see.

"Dammit kill them!" Cobblepot yelled as everyone came charging at them.

Catwoman flipped around Cobblepots man landing a barrage of kick and punches, his men didn't know what hit them as they fell to the floor. She landed an uppercut to one man's face with her heel knocking him out cold. One mantried to shoot her with one of Cobblepots guns but she used her whip to yank it out of his hands and throw it into one man's face. She then turned her attention back to the previous man as he pulled out a knife. He charged at her and tried to stab her in the face as dodged and sliced her claws across his face blinding him instantly. She then unleashed a barrage of punches on his upper body before delivering an uppercut to his head taking him down for good. She looked over all the unconscious bodies as she smiled at her work.

"Meow." She, said as she walked over to the car.

The remaining three of Mask's men picked up pipes and chains as the approached Jayden. He drew his sword and showed of some techniques as he stabbed the tip of his sword into the ground and turned it.

The men let out battle cries as they charged at him. He blocked the first one's pipe with his sword as he delivered a kick into the guard's stomach knocking him back a bit. Another man armed with a machete was surprisingly skilled as he and Jayden parried for a few minutes. Jayden then pushed the man back and spun low landing a cut across the man's legs. He let out a cry as the man with the chain wrapped it around Jayden's sword and yanked it out of his hands. Both the men ran towards him but Jayden stood his ground as they approached. The man with the pipe swung down on him, but Jayden grabbed the pipe and pulled it out of his hands as he jabbed it into the second man's face knocking him out. Jayden then got a grip on the pipe and as if in slow motion swung his entire body around and smashed the pipe across the side of the final guards head knocking him out cold.

Panicked both Mask and Cobblepot tried to flee but were stopped by Catwoman as she cracked her whip. They tried to run away only to meet the sight of Jayden's blade.

"Oh, this isn't looking to good." Cobblepot muttered.

He then pointed his umbrella at Jayden, but was too slow as his umbrella was cut in half and was beaten down afterwards. Jayden looked up to see Black Masked handcuffed and squirming on the ground as Catwoman winked at him.

"Not bad," I complemented. "Now…" Jayden walked over to Mask and raised his Katana.

"Whoa wait a minute!" He shouted, but before the blade could reach his neck a small hand grabbed Jayden's wrist. He looked over to see Selina looking into his eyes with concern.

"I could have ended Mask right then and there, but Catwoman told me there would be no sport in it since they were already restrained. I knew she was lying but at that moment when I looked into her eyes I was willing to do anything for her."

Jayden had just chained the two criminal together as the muttered threats and swears at Jayden. He shrugged them off as he turned to thank Catwoman, but she was nowhere in sight. He looked over to see the warehouse doors wide open and the car with the money in the trunk gone.

"Aww…what a bitch." He mumbled as Mask started freaking out.

"No! Dammit that was my money!" He shouted over the loss of his money causing Cobblepotto chuckle.

"Well that's a bit of bad luck ay Maskie?" He chuckled as Jayden pulled out a small device. "Oy, what's that?" He asked, but his question was answered as Jayden pushed the button and the truck holding all of Cobblepots expensive guns blew up. "NO! Those guns cost me a lot of men to get them I'll never be able to get replacements now!"

"Boy what a shame at least I can still get more money." Mask laughed.

They both started insulting each other as Jayden walked out of the warehouse and disappeared into the night.

(Flashback end)

"After that I grew to have a little respect for Catwoman. Even though, she did screw me over." I said as I finished my story.

"Wow," She said. "I can't believe she actually worked with you."

"What do you mean?"

"She doesn't rely on men she never wants them to help her."

"No, but she did kind of screw me over in the end."

"True, well that's all the time we have I'm afraid."

"Wait just one question please."

"What is it?"

"Is TITAN the name of the cure you were talking about?"

She looked a little cautious as she raised an eyebrow. "Yes, how did you know about TITAN?" She asked.

"I was walking through the asylum and the came on and you were on it introducing TITAN saying how it was going to help cure people."

"Well…" Before she could finish she was cut off by sirens and flashing lights. Guards stormed into the rooms wearing armor and wielding machine guns. "What's going on?" She asked as one man came over to me and handcuffed me.

"It's the Joker ma'am he's escaped." One guard said. "Our orders are to protect you and watch him." He said motioning to me.

"How'd he escape this time?" Young asked.

"They were taking him back to his cell when he broke out of his restraints and killed two of the guards with a pencil." He explained.

(Outside Arkham Asylum)

While driving away in an ambulance Joker planted kisses on Harley Quinn's face as she giggled in excitement.

"Great work Harley now that I've finished recruiting everyone for the party all I need is that TITAN Formula." He said as he pulled out the dirty piece of paper. "Here's the guest list make sure those who are invited will be there."

"Sure thing Mister Jay," Harley squealed as she looked through the list. When she reached the bottom she gave looked at the last name with confusion.

Shadow =(

"Who's this?" She asked pointing at the name.

"Oh, that's the kid who was so desperate in finding me." He chuckled. "He's just some young wannabe Batman punk but he's got a little darker side compared to Bats. He was so cruel did you know that he beat up all my men just so he could kill me?"

"No," She gasped. "I get smiling and sad faces but what do angry faces mean?" At that the Joker smiled wider than Harley had ever seen before.

"Let's just say when the party starts, it'll be early bed time for that kid." Joker then let out a loud laugh as he and Harley drove away towards Gotham City.