"What do you know?"
"I-I don't know anything, I swears it!"
"I said, TALK! I remember you…you were at the club the night they took him. So where is he?" The Scarecrow growled into the face of the terrified thug he was now holding by the collar. The dim light in the alley flickered around them, as if the shadows themselves were terrified. Jonathan did indeed remember the miserable thug. The man had a three inch long scar down one cheek that looked like it had been dealt with a knife blade. A blunt knife blade. The thug whimpered and Jonathan shook him again. "Tell me," he hissed, "Or so help me, when I am done with you, you'll be begging for death."
"Ok! Ok!" the thug yelped. "I'll tell you…I only knows so much, so please don't gas me or whatever you're plannin' on doin'!" The Master of Fear dragged the shaking thug up by the collar again, until the two were nose to nose. "Do as I say and I might not hurt you. Now talk."
The thug nodded hurriedly and then said, "Awhile ago a buddy o' mine starts talkin'. He says there's a new guy in the narrows. An' he don't wanna deal no drugs, neither. Jus' wants t' find some people, an' recruits. Dunno what for. Anyhow, my buddy, he asks me if I want in. Says there'll be cash. Lots of cash. So, naturally, that catches my attention, so I says I'll do it. An' then we goes down t' the narrows an'…"
"Who did you meet?" Jonathan interrupted, unable to contain himself. "Who did you talk to?"
The thug began shaking again. "I dunno! I jus' met one o' his associates! Ya know, some right hand man or somethin'! I dunno nothin'! All I knows is I had t' be down at th' Island the next night! Tha's all, I swear!"
"And you helped, didn't you?" Jonathan growled. "You helped drag him away! WHERE IS HE?" Jonathan shook the thug violently and the man screamed involuntarily. "I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW! OH, PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" The Master of Fear slammed the hysterical thug against the wall of the nearest building and snapped his wrist back, allowing the canister attached to it to spray its contents in the pitiful man's face.
Jonathan let go, letting the screaming thug fall to the ground at his feet. He stared at the man for a few minutes, eyes blazing. Then he turned and walked away.
?
The Riddler had no idea how long he'd been laying there. Hours? Days? Weeks? Did it even matter?
Of course it mattered. Eddie thought. It no longer hurt so much and he could think things over now. But he could also feel his aching ribs and one particularly jagged pain up the side of his chest, like a line of fire. That must be the place that one thug cut me. the Riddler thought as he remembered the one thug at the club that had had a knife. His wounds weren't open, he knew that much. They felt bandaged, but not professionally. More like someone had just taken a bunch of random scraps of rags and wrapped them haphazardly over and around his various abrasions. For the millionth time, Eddie found himself wondering if they'd taken Jonathan as well. He still couldn't open his eyes, as they burned every time he had to move them, and he had no idea who came and went in the room. From time to time he'd heard noises. Shuffling feet, the same soft beeping noise that he'd heard when he was barely conscious, a dark, bone-chilling laugh…he hoped the laugh was from a nightmare.
But most of all, he hoped that the Master of Fear was alright.
?
Jonathan's swift walk away from the thug had turned into an all-out run and now he was out of breath, with a stitch in his side and sweat on his face.
But even he couldn't convince himself that it was just sweat.
The Master of Fear wanted to kick himself. He'd lost his temper and because of that he was now back to square one. He sat down heavily on the pavement and rubbed his aching side. He felt something pull away from his forehead and reached up, realizing it was the bandage that Eddie had so carefully placed over the healing wound where Jonathan's stitches had been. The Scarecrow pressed it roughly back into place, his thoughts from earlier echoing through his mind. …back to square one…
His eyes opened wide.
Or was he?
Jonathan stood, pacing back and forth and thinking hard about what the thug had said.
"…new guy in the narrows…"
The narrows! Was he talking about Gotham?
And suddenly it all made sense.
Bolton had known they would try to leave after his thug had attacked Eddie. Then, when he'd realized that they were going to look for him, he sent thugs to the club. To wait for them.
But why Eddie? Why not both of them? To torture Jonathan?
Somehow, the Master of Fear knew that that was probably why. It was all just some sick, twisted game that the Scarecrow was being forced to play.
Well, he would play.
And he would win.
"I'm coming, Eddie." Jonathan muttered as he headed back into the city to find a car.
Disc: don't own Jonathan, Eddie, Gotham, or Metropolis.
Thanks for all the reviews! :D