Nightmare in Arkham
Chapter 8: "A Tip of the Hat"
-Inside Barbara's mind, she stood frozen like a statue with only the ability to cry out. Nobody seemed to hear or see her. Batman and Robin were both running through the Batcave with Gordon, Bullock, Montoya, and the entire GCPD on their tail firing guns and rifles at them in a barrage of bullets that flashed against the wall.
-"NO! STOP IT!" Barbara pleaded.
-"Bruce Wayne! Stop where you are!" Gordon demanded through a megaphone. Batman and Robin continued to run while the gunfire destroyed the Bat Computer. As the dynamic duo rushed toward the Batmobile one of Gordon's men threw a grenade in their path and they just barely managed to jump out of the way in time.
-"Daddy, I'm alive! Please, stop this! I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner!" Barbara desperately begged with tears in her eyes. But the nightmare carried on. Just as Batman and Robin were about to reach the Batmobile, Gordon ordered one of his men to fire a bazooka at the car and it was blown to pieces.
-"NOO! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! PLEASE! WAKE ME UP! WAKE ME UP!" Barbara screamed. As Gordon ran toward Barbara she extended her hand hoping that somehow he would see her and take it. But instead, he ran right through her like she wasn't even there. Barbara starred at her outstretched hand as if it had just been slapped away by the one person she ever loved and she broke down in tears.
In the hospital Jim Gordon sat beside Barbara holding her hand. His head hung down as if there were nothing to hold it up. Barbara's unconscious body was lying on a small bed with the regulator covering her mouth. She also had 2 others inserted into her nostrils. There was a heart monitor beside her with a green line that beeped once every 2 seconds. Her breathing was very slow and the oxygen being carried into her lungs through the machines was the only thing keeping her stable. There was a brace wrapped around her torso and her arms were covered in straps hooked up to other various machines. An old female doctor stood at the foot of Barbara's bed hooking up the last of Barbara's life support.
-"There. That's the last of it," the doctor said.
-Gordon did not speak or even move. He kept his head down and sat in silence. The doctor frowned knowing there was nothing she could say to ease the commissioner's mind.
-"We'll do everything we can for her, Mr. Gordon. Thank God you got her here in the time you did. With the amount of injuries Barbara suffered she would have been dead within the hour had she not gotten immediate medical attention." Still, Jim did not move. The doctor placed a hand on Jim's shoulders.
-"You can go home now if you wish. You'll need to get some sleep. We'll call you if Barbara's condition changes."
-"Doctor?" Gordon asked silently.
-"Yes?"
-"How bad was it. I will never sleep again until I know what happened to my daughter. Is she going to make it? And will she…will she…", Gordon's crying hindered him as he spoke "…will she ever be able to walk again? Will she ever be able to the things she loved again?
-The doctor sighed, trying to think of the best way to answer Gordon's question.
-"I don't know Mr. Gordon. I wish more than anything that I could tell you anything certain at this point. Whatever put those holes in Barbara's back severed her spine and missed her vital organs by less than an inch. For now all we can do is to monitor her. You may stay by her side as long as you wish. But please get some rest. You won't be any good to Barbara if you exhaust yourself."
-"Thank you, doctor", Jim said without lifting his head. She nodded and stepped out of the room.
-"You can come out now. I know you're there." Batman stepped out of the shadows in the corner of the room.
-"Jim…there's something I have to tell you about Barbara. Believe me, she wanted to tell you this for a long time, but-"
-"She's Batgirl?" Jim interrupted. Batman looked at him startled.
-"I've always known. I'd recognize that beautiful red hair no matter how many masks cover her face. Thing is…" Jim started to weep as he spoke "…she's such a strong, independent young woman, fully capable of making her own choices in life. The day she showed up to support me when I was framed for that crime…was the proudest day of my life. I actually lived long enough to see her become something more than I had ever dreamed of becoming: she became a protector of the city…under your wing. I don't blame you for this, Batman. I come from a line of work where everyday is a risk. I knew Barbara was taking a risk. Barbara knew she was taking a risk. I just never thought…that one day…that risk would come true." After that last sentence Jim broke down in tears as he sat in his chair sobbing with Barbara's limp hand pressed against his forehead.
-"Just promise me something, Batman."
-"Anything Jim."
-"Promise me you'll find the bastard who did this to my daughter, and bring them to me so I can send them straight to hell."
-After a pause Batman nodded. Then he stepped out of the room to give Jim some time alone with his daughter. When he entered the hallway he was stopped by a familiar voice.
-"Yo, Batsy! Wait!" Batman turned around and saw Harvey Bullock running toward him as fast as his massive weight would allow him. When he reached Batman he bent over with his hands on his knees, panting.
-"Bullock? Well this is a surprise. What I can do for-"
-"Skip the pleasantries Bats. I got something I thought you should have and it's real important."
-Bullock reached into the pocket of his overcoat and took out a small plastic bag containing a torn piece of red and green fabric.
-"Barbara was holding onto this when we found her." Harvey's voice grew stern and serious as he continued. "Now listen to me as hard as you can, Bat Boy. If any of the other officers were doing this I would have their badges and I could very easily lose mine if anyone knew I was with-holding evidence. But I know the Commish would want you to hold onto this. As much as I hate to admit it, you'll probably piece everything together long before any of the bozos in my department."
-Batman starred at the piece of evidence that had been presented to him.
-"Thanks Harvy."
-"Yeah well, just don't make me regret abandoning my principles."
From his lair, Freddy had been watching the whole thing.
-"Well I'll be damned," Freddy then turned toward Barbara, whose limp body was held up right in a glass containment with red smoke accumulating inside of it. Freddy then walked over to Barbara smiling and ran his index knife down the glass.
-"Looks like your old man wasn't as dumb as we thought. I guess that makes this little hole you've dug for yourself completely pointless. Don't worry, pretty soon there's gonna be a hell of a lot more holes being dug."
-Freddy then turned his attention toward his screen as it showed that Alice was getting ready for bed. Harley was lying under the covers beside her still slightly awake.
-"Show time!" Freddy exclaimed.
-He walked over to Alice's profile and placed his index knife on it. Once she fell asleep, all he would have to do would be to stab into the profile and he would be transported into Alice's mind. Freddy leered at Alice's profile with anticipation.
-"What's that?" he heard Harley say from the screen. Freddy turned and saw Alice sitting on the bed beside Harley holding a small tablet in her hand.
-"It's called 'Hypnocil'," Alice said.
-"What?!" Freddy shouted angrily.
-"What's it do? Hypnotize you?" Harley asked curiously.
-"No, it helps me control my nightmares…by preventing me from dreaming".
-"No! You bitch!" Freddy screamed in rage. But then something Harley said caught his interest.
-"Ya know, Alice, I know someone in Arkham who could help you with your nightmares. He calls himself the 'Mad Hatter' and he specializes in mind and thought control. I heard he even once created a machine that was able to control people's dreams."
-"How interesting," Freddy said with a devious smile.
-"Oh, you mean Jervis Tetch. Yeah, he's quite an interesting fellow. And I've heard about some of the devices he's come up with. He even allowed me to examine a few of his them and I must say, I was thoroughly impressed. If only he weren't so obsessed with his past he could revolutionize peoples' thought process entirely. I mean-" Alice turned to Harley and saw that she had already fallen fast asleep. She was snoring softly in a way that sounded like a tiny puppy whimpering. Alice could only chuckle to herself. "Wow, some people have told me I 'bore them into a coma when I talk' but I didn't think they were actually serious."
-Alice popped the Hypnocil in her mouth and swallowed it without the aid of water. She then leaned over and gently planted a soft kiss on Harley's cheek just behind her eye. Although Harley was asleep she still smiled with her eyes closed. As Alice lay back on her pillow Harley snuggled closer to her and wrapped her arms around Alice's right arm like a stuffed animal and rested her head on the pillow, her cheek nestled into Alice's shoulder.
-Freddy began scanning through his list of victims.
-"Well gee, I wonder which one is the Mad Hatter," he said sarcastically. Freddy used his glove to point to random profiles. "Eeny, meeny, miny, YOU!" Freddy spat amusingly as he jabbed his gloved finger over the profile of a tall blonde man with a large overbite wearing a blue overcoat covering a lime green dress shirt, a pair of white gloves, a giant bowtie, and a large top hat with a card sticking out. As the screen locked onto Freddy's target, he sat back in a bloody armchair as he got ready to spy on his victim.
Jervis Tetch sat alone at a chess table in the lounge of Arkham Asylum. His head rested in one hand that was supported by his elbow on the table. His face was one of despair and misery. On the table was a chessboard with all of the pieces set up like someone was playing a game but stopped in the middle. Jervis starred at the pieces as if expecting an invisible opponent to make a move.
-"Jervis?" called a female voice. Jervis did not look up. He knew it was Dr. Leland. "Jervis, it's time to go back to your room now. It's long past bedtime and you need your rest". Jervis kept his focus on the chessboard.
-"He almost had me", Jervis said with deep sadness, "For the first time ever, Dr. Crane almost beat me." Dr. Leland looked at the chessboard and noticed the white side was down to only 1 king and it was nearly completely boxed in by a black king, queen, and knight. "In just one more move, he would have finally been able to say 'checkmate'. Oh it's not fair! It's not fair! He was a good man! I know that seems hard to believe, based off of his status, but he was one of the kindest souls anyone could have ever known. And now…no one will know!"
-"Jervis…I know it hurts. I know how close you and Dr. Crane were. But sitting her and dwelling on it day after day, night after night, is only going to make it worse. I know this isn't how Jonathan would have wanted you to carry on."
-Jervis wiped a tear from his eye. "What else can I do? This always happens. Everyone who I care about, I wind up losing. First Alice, now John, I'll bet such sorrow never existed in Wonderland. I just wish I could have a chance to join the dance. I hate being alone."
-"But Jervis, you're not alone. You're in a place where everyone wants to help you. Me, my colleagues, and Alice are all here for you. And Alice has really taken a liking to you." Jervis lifted his head.
-"She told me she thought you were a genius and she enjoyed getting to know you." Jervis began to smile a bit.
-"Are you serious, Dr. Leland?" He said with a slight touch of joy.
-"Yes Jervis, and she really wants to help you through your pain, as do I. So don't think even for a minute that you're alone."
-Jervis smiled at her and thanked her. Dr. Leland smiled back.
-"You ready to head back now?"
-"Could I have just 5 more minutes? Just to reminisce on the good times?"
-"Well-" Before Dr. Leland could answer the door to the lounge flung open and a female security guard stood in the doorway.
-"We have a serious problem," The guard stated.
-"What happened?"
-"All of my officers have been incapacitated. Poison Ivy, for some reason, broke back in and now all the guards in the cell block are either beaten senseless or have been completely robbed of their senses."
-"Oh for Christ's sake," Dr. Leland said annoyed. She turned to Jervis.
-"You have until I get back". Jervis nodded and Dr. Leland walked out of the room with the female guard.
-As Jervis looked at the knight on Jonathan's side, which was one move away from boxing in Jervis' king, his eyes began to drift shut and he had to constantly snap himself awake. He decided to take out his copy of The Looking Glass that he always kept with him thinking that reading it would help him stay awake. Jervis read through the book but still found it a challenge to stay awake. He began reciting one of his favorite lines "Will you, won't you, will you, won't you…won't you join the dance?" Just as he was on the verge of drifting into sleep he was startled by a voice: "Checkmate!"
-Jervis sprung awake and was shocked to see Jonathan Crane sitting across the table from him with a friendly smile. He had moved his knight and won.
-"Good game Mr. Tetch."
-"GHOST!" Jervis shouted as he fell out of his chair in complete shock.
-"Whoa there, Jervis. Calm down. We can't win all the time now, can we?"
-"This isn't possible. You're dead! The doctors told me so. And it was all over the news!"
-"HA! The news. You mean the same news that labeled us as the 'bad guys'? The same news that glorifies that self-righteous lunatic Batman? The same news that turned you into a monster just because you wanted to be with your one true love? And you actually believed them?"
-That's a very good point Jervis thought to himself. Jonathan extended his hand to Jervis. When Jervis took Jonathan's hand and felt it was real he was overcome with joy.
-"Oh Jonathan, you are alive!" Jervis sprung to his feet and squeezed Jonathan in a tight bear hug.
-"Yes Jervis, fear never dies."
-Jervis released Jonathan. "So, tell me, what happened?"
-"That's not important. What is important is the big plans you and I have in store for this city."
-"We do?"
-"Oh yes. And all we need is just one of your little mind control devices."
-"But Jonathan, don't you have mind control devices of your own? What about your fear toxins?"
-"You wanna turn this world into a Wonderland, don't ya? You want it to look more like this?"
-Jonathan extended an arm toward the wall and it burst open revealing the bright, colorful world from Lewis Carroll's most famous story. Jervis gawked in disbelief. He could see the White Rabbit, the March Hare, the Mouse, the Walrus and the Carpenter, the Caterpillar, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and the Cheshire Cat. Then, like a Goddess appearing from the heavens, Alice (not Dr. Johnson but the blonde one that Jervis first fell in love with) walked out of the hole and slowly approached Jervis.
-"All that's missing is you, Mad Hatter", Alice said. When Alice said his name Jervis' prison suite transformed into his Mad Hatter costume. Alice leaned in to kiss Jervis but as Jervis took her in his arms she faded away and the hole did the same.
-"What? What's going on?" Jervis turned to Jonathan and was puzzled to see him in his Scarecrow costume. "Dr. Crane, what is all of this?"
-"Why, the stuff dreams are made of my friend. But as I'm sure you know, even dreams can become reality."
-"Yes, I suppose you're right…" Jervis said starting to feel unsure of the situation.
-"Good, now all you have to do to make your…to make our dreams a reality is hand over one of those pretty little mind control devices of yours."
-Mad Hatter stood silently for a moment before reluctantly reaching into his coat pocket and taking out a white card with "10/6" written on it. Scarecrow smiled and held a hand out motioning Mad Hatter to bring it to him. The Mad Hatter slowly made his way toward Scarecrow and just as slowly handed him the card, which Scarecrow snatched as quickly as a bird snatching a fish from the water.
-Suddenly, Mad Hatter was startled by a noise from behind. When he turned he saw that his book had fallen from the table.
"Oh no, not my Wonderland!" he said as he rushed to the book as if he were rushing to the aide of his child. He picked the book up and examined it making sure there were no scratches or dents on the cover or spine. The outside was in good condition but Hatter decided to check the contents to make sure no pages were torn. When he opened the book, Mad Hatter was dumb struck. The words on the pages looked like gibberish. He could not read a single letter.
-"What is this? Why can't I-" suddenly, the letters on the pages began to move rapidly in random directions. Mad Hatter's eyes scattered about the page to the point where he was starting to become disoriented, the words "will you, won't you, will you, won't you" rang in his head. Then suddenly the book burst into flames. Mad Hatter screamed and dropped the book in a panic. As he watched in horror as his book burned before his eyes, Mad Hatter was startled by the sound of sinister laughter. He turned to Scarecrow and saw him chuckling.
-"You think this is funny?!" Mad Hatter asked angrily. Scarecrow's laughter grew louder and soon it turned into someone else's laughter. Mad Hatter started to back away in fear. As Mad Hatter looked on in horror, Scarecrow's body became consumed in flames as his unusual laughter roared inside of the room and he transformed into Freddy Krueger.
-Mad Hatter fell onto his back and stared in sheer terror at the monstrosity that appeared before him. Freddy extended his gloved hand.
-"Shall we dance?"
-Mad Hatter scrambled to his feet and picked up a chair from the table and held it out in front of him to shield himself.
-"Stay back! Stay away from me!" As he lifted the chair he took his eyes off of Freddy for a moment and when he returned his gaze Freddy was gone.
-"Hi, Jervis!" Freddy yelled from behind as half of his body emerged from the wall.
-Mad Hatter screamed in surprise and jolted away, knocking over the table in the process and sending the chess pieces scattering across the floor.
-"Stay back! I'm warning you!" Freddy began to slowly walk toward him. "Don't come any closer!"
-Freddy stopped in the middle of the chess pieces lying on the ground. As Mad Hatter kept his eyes focused on him, Freddy leered at him with a devilish smile. Suddenly, the legs on the chair Mad Hatter was holding up transformed into demonic snakes that reared up ready to strike and hissed at him exposing long dagger like fangs that dripped lime green venom. Mad Hatter screamed in horror and threw the chair aside.
-As he started to back away Mad Hatter realized something. Wait a minute. If this is a dream then…he can't hurt me! None of this is real! He smiled at Freddy.
-"Nice try! But you can't fool someone by using methods they themselves have used once already."
-"I beg your pardon?" Freddy asked confused.
-"Oh, don't play dumb. You used a dream machine on me. That's why I couldn't read the print in the book. It's impossible to read anything in a dream." Freddy smiled at him again. Mad Hatter began to walk towards him.
-"And another thing: you can't harm anyone in a dream either. I don't know who you are or what you were planning on gaining from this little stunt but I can assure you-" Freddy slashed Mad Hatter across his stomach. "AAH!"Mad Hatter screamed and backed away in pain pressing a hand to his stomach. When he lifted his hand his glove was painted red in his blood. Mad Hatter was frozen in fear as he gazed at his blood stained hand.
-"I already gained it" Freddy said holding up the card Mad Hatter had given him. "Now I think it's only fair I give you what you wanted: a nice little 'wonderland'…right along side you dear friend Johnny Boy!" Freddy exclaimed lifting his sweater and revealing Jonathan Crane's soul sticking out of his abdomen. Mad Hatter gasped in horror at the sight. "No" he said, devastated by his friend's fate.
-"Oh, but don't worry about ole Scarecrow", Freddy said picking up the black knight chess piece from off the ground, "He's been promoted to what he's always viewed himself as: the Headless Horseman!" As Freddy held the piece in the palm of his glove it became engulfed in flames and the flames grew larger until they took on the shape of a man on a horse. When the shape took form, it appeared as a black, demonic horse with yellow eyes that spewed fire and hooves that were made from fire. It also had a rider with a torn duster coat and a pair of black boots who was, of course, headless. In the rider's hand was the head of Scarecrow, whose eyes and mouth spewed flames like a jack-o-lantern.
-Mad Hatter began to back away toward the door. The fear racing through his mind was overwhelming. As Mad Hatter clutched the door handle, Freddy said "Off with his head", and smacked the horse's rump with his blades causing it to rear up on its back legs neighing wildly. The horseman then pulled out a giant scythe, which he twirled in a circle. Mad Hatter didn't waste any time. He bolt out of the door, slammed it shut, and began to run as fast as he could down the hallway. The horseman's scythe slashed the door in half on the other side and the horse raced down the hall after the Mad Hatter.
-"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!" Mad Hatter shouted as he fled through the empty halls of the asylum. As he turned a corner, the Headless Horseman was right around the turn and he swung his scythe at him but Mad Hatter managed to duck out of the way in a nick of time and sprinted in the opposite direction. Mad Hatter didn't realize it yet, but every hall he ran down slightly changed form until it resembled a path in the dark forest from Sleepy Hollow. By the time Mad Hatter had noticed his surroundings he was completely lost. He knew that monster was still out there and he could hear the horse sounding in the distance closing in.
-"Are you lost little mad one?" Asked an unseen voice.
-"Whose there? Who are you?" Mad Hatter asked frightened.
-"Who am I? Now there is a most marvelous question! And to tell the truth…" The voice revealed itself as a floating, red and green striped cat with a humongous grin "I'm not even sure WHAT I am. Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!"
-"Cheshire Cat!" Hatter exclaimed.
-"Oh, that's right!" the Cheshire Cat exclaimed. "What's a Cheshire?"
-"Oh never mind, never mind! Please you must help me. There's a monster trying to kill me. I am your most beloved fan, ever since I was a small boy I've loved you. Please, tell me the best way to escape this nightmare!"
-"Well that depends a great deal on where you want to get to!"
-"It doesn't matter! Just so long-"
-"Then it doesn't matter which way you go!" The Cheshire Cat began to cackle but then started to choke. After three dry heaves he coughed something wet and fuzzy up that hit Mad Hatter in the face and landed in his hands. "Sorry, hairball".
-The hairball erupted from Mad Hatter's hands and transformed into the Headless Horseman. The monster swung at the Hatter but missed again. The blade circled around and struck the Cheshire Cat, severing the head from the body. But instead of the head rolling off the shoulders the head remained suspended in the air while the body fell to the ground and landed on its back legs.
-"I suppose it is true what they say", the cat's head spoke, "Cat's do always land on their feet" then it began to laugh manically. The headless cat body held out its right paw and four large blades sprang out. The head, still laughing, landed on top of the blades, impaling itself. Then the body reattached the head and the cat turned into Freddy.
-"Tell me something, Jervis: Are you the dreamer, or merely part of someone else's nightmare". The horseman tried to slice the Mad Hatter vertically but he leapt back. However, he didn't land on the ground but instead fell down a long dark hole that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Mad Hatter screamed the whole way down as images of his encounters with Batman as well as imagery from Alice in Wonderland and The Looking Glass appeared before him in some sort of twisted nightmare form. When he finally reached the bottom, Mad Hatter found himself trapped in some sort of stockade. His head and arms were locked in place and he could barely move. As he frantically looked around Freddy appeared in front of him. "Off with your head"
-Freddy raised his index knife and brought it down in a pointing motion. Mad Hatter looked up just in time to see a guillotine descending on him.
As Alice slept peacefully her phone rang. She ignored it and let it go to the answering machine. After the beep Dr. Leland's hysteric voice echoed through the receiver. "Alice, please! I know you're asleep, but I need you to answer the phone! We have an emergency here! There's been-" Alice picked up the phone.
-"Hey Joan, what's going-" Dr. Leland's frantic voice sounded through the phone. "Alright, Alright. Just calm down Ok? Joan? Joan just breathe. Alight good. Now...Wait, wait slow down you're talking too fast again. Wha...Wait wha...Oh My God!" Alice's eyes widened in shock and she sat upright over the side of her bed
-"How long ago? Alright. Alright yes, I'm on my way right now. Just hold on."
-Alice hung up the phone. "Oh, Jervis" she said despairingly covering her face.
-"What's wrong" Harley asked lying upright on her side. Alice turned to her.
-"It…It's nothing Harley, just some trouble at work. I need to go for a little while. Just good back to sleep okay".
-"I can't sleep, Alice, not alone. I'm afraid of the dark", Harley said sheepishly.
-"Then watch some TV. Just try and get tome rest. I won't be gone long".
-"Okay"
-Alice got dressed and began to walk out the door. "Thank you, Alice" Harley said as she was about leave.
-"Huh?" Alice turned to her.
-"Thank you, for everything, Mises J". Harley said with a smile.
-Alice smiled back. "And thank you for everything. Everything you've done for me, my little Queen of Hearts". Harley grinned at the name.
-Alice gave one last smile before heading out the door, which instantly turned into a frown once the door was closed.
Back in the dream world, Freddy carried Jervis' top had over to a coat rack that had giant meat hooks on it. Scarecrow's hat was already impaled on the hook farthest to the right. Freddy took Jervis' top had and examined it for a moment as he smiled menacingly. "Don't worry Jervis. You're still gonna get your wish. This city is still going to be turned into a wonderland…my wonderland". Then Freddy impaled the hat on the hook right next to Scarecrow while cackling evilly.