A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing my story. This is the quickest response any of my stories have ever gotten. Anyway, I have nice long chapter for you guys and I'll try to have the next one up soon, the latest being next weekend. Anyway, enjoy!

Arkham and the Scarecrow

Arkham Asylum was easily, the creepiest building in Gotham. Just looking at it gave you as sense of foreboding and a chill up your spine. "You wanna stay in the car or come in with me?"

Hmmm? Let's see? Stay in the car, exposed, in the worst neighborhood in Gotham or go into a nut house run by a stick figure freak? Jenna thought. "I'm coming with you. At least I won't be alone that way."

The receptionist pointed them to where Falcone would be and said she would send down Dr. Crane as soon as she could. Jenna and Rachel made their way through the halls of the asylum, ignoring the screams and moans of the inmates' around them. Finally, they came to Falcone's cell. The former mob leader was now strapped to a chair, twitching and muttering "Scarecrow" over and over again. Rachel glared, knowing that something wasn't right. Dr. Crane, having been alerted to their presence in his asylum, headed over to the pair, putting on his glasses as he walked.

"Miss Dawes, this is most irregular. I have nothing to add to the report I filed with the judge," he stated. He suddenly noticed Jenna. "And what is this?"

"I am Rachel Dawes' personal assistant and we have questions on your report" Jenna lied smoothly.

"And what sort of questions would the assistant of the assistant District Attorney have?"

"For starters, isn't is convenient for a 52-year-old man who has no history of mental illness to suddenly have a psychotic breakdown just when he's about to be indicted?" Rachel intervened.

"Well, as you can see for yourself, there is nothing convenient about his symptoms."

Rachel turned back to Falcone, who was still muttering "Scarecrow."

"What's Scarecrow?"

"Patients suffering delusional episodes often focus their paranoia on an external tormentor, usually one conforming to Jungian archetypes. In this case, a scarecrow." Jenna replayed that in her head, trying to understand it. Rachel turned to Crane.

"He's drugged?"

"Psychopharmacology is my primary field. I am a strong advocate. Outside, he was a giant. In here, only the mind can grant you power."

"You enjoy the reversal."

"I respect the mind's power over the body. It's why I do what I do."

"Well, I do what I do to put thugs like Falcone behind bars, not in therapy," Rachel shot back, turning and walking toward the elevator, Jenna close at her heels. "I want my own psychiatric consultant to have full access to Falcone including blood work. Find out what exactly you put him on," Rachel ordered, pushing the button on the elevator

"First thing tomorrow then."

"Tonight. I've already paged Dr. Lehmann at County General," she told him, stepping into the lift with Jenna.

Dr. Crane cleared his throat, before stepping into the elevator himself, and putting his key into the security lock. "As you wish." The door closed and took them down to the basement. "This way, please," Crane said to the two of them, heading out of the elevator, leading the way down the hall. "There's something I think you should see." Rachel turned to follow him but was stopped by Jenna.

"Rachel, I don't like this. What exactly are we doing down here? We're just here for Falcone."

"I know, but I think there's more to this than meets the eye. I don't trust Crane but I want to know what he's been up to." Rachel continued to follow him, Jenna trailing after them, apprehensively.

This is always the point in the movie where the heroine finds out the villain's plan and gets into trouble, Jenna thought to herself. She'd seen enough action and scary movies to know how this worked. Crane opened some double doors to what looked like a basement factory. People in orange jumpsuits and medical masks were mixing chemicals.

"This is where we make the medicine," Crane explained to them, watching his people work. One man was pouring vats of the chemicals into a broken water pipe.

Dear god, I think I'm gonna be sick! Jenna thought. Rachel looked like it as well.

"Maybe you two should have some, clear your head," Crane said, as they ran for the elevator. They ran into the lift, sealed the door behind them, and started pressing buttons frantically, trying to get the lift to move, but without success. Suddenly, the door opened and Jenna dropped to the floor, covering her mouth as Rachel turned and was sprayed with a gas by Crane, now in a mask that looked similar to a Scarecrow's face. Jenna kicked Crane's legs, causing him to fall and turned to her aunt.

"Rachel? RACHEL!" Jenna screamed, only to be pulled off of her aunt by some of Crane's thugs. She tried kicking them off of her but they were at least twice her weight and a lot stronger than herself. Two of them grabbed Rachel and carried her back into the chemical factory, the other goons dragging Jenna behind them. They set Rachel on a table and tried Jenna to the stair railing. Crane came down, still in his mask, and loomed over Rachel.

"Who knows you're here?" Crane rasped. Rachel kept tossing and turning, trying to get away from him. "WHO KNOWS?" Crane shouted and Rachel screamed.

"Leave her alone!" Jenna screamed, struggling against the ropes. Crane turned to her.

"I've never used my gas on underage test subjects," Crane commented thoughtfully. "I wonder if the effects will be any more severe," he threatened, raising his arm to gas her. Jenna screamed and suddenly, the lights went out. Crane pulled off his mask and looked around, running his hand through his hair. "He's here."

"Who?" asked one of his goons, looking around.

"The Batman," Crane mocked. Jenna's face brightened and the thugs looked at each other nervously.

"What do we do?"

"What anyone does when a prowler comes around; call the police."

"You want the cops here?"

"At this point they can't stop us. But the Batman has a talent for disruption. Force him outside, the police will take him down. Go."

"What about her?" one of the goons questioned, looking at Rachel.

"She hasn't got long. I gave her a concentrated dose. The mind can only take so much. Now go." Jenna bit back a sob.

"The things they say about him. Can he really fly?"

"I heard he can disappear."

"Well, we'll find out. Won't we?" The goons went looking for the masked man pointing their guns in direction of sound. Suddenly, the Batman dropped out behind a man and grabbed him from behind. Another goon turned his gun on the masked man, and the Batman made us of the gun the goon was holding and shot the other man's foot. The other thug fell to the ground and Batman flew to the catwalks above the factory, taking the thug with him. The other goons looked around, trying to see where they went.

The Batman then dropped behind the rest of them and began taking them out with ease, Jenna looking on in awe. Crane, meanwhile, hung back in the shadows, waiting for his time to strike. He jumped out, Jenna shouting, "Batman behind you!" but the masked vigilante was one step ahead of her and grabbed Crane's outstretched arm. The Batman whipped Crane's scarecrow mask off and prepped Crane poison.

"Taste of your own medicine doctor," Batman rasped, spraying Crane with his own toxin. "What have you been doing here? Crane, who are you working for?"

"Ra's. Ra's al Ghul," Crane whispered.

"Ra's al Ghul is dead. Who are you working for? Crane."

"Doctor Crane isn't here right now. But if you'd like to make an appointment–" Crane was cut off by Batman slamming his head into the railing. Jenna heard police sirens overhead.

"Batman, put down your weapons and surrender. You're surrounded." The Batman took out some sort of ninja star in the shape of a bat and sliced through the ropes trying Jenna to the rail, freeing her. He then picked up Rachel and began carrying her toward the elevator.

"I-is she gonna be alright?" Jenna stammered. The Batman didn't answer. They got into the lift, Jenna trying to keep herself calm. The elevator dinged and they got out on the top floor. "What are we doing up here?"

"I have a plan," was all the Batman said. Jenna nodded.

I'm trusting a guy who jumps off of rooftops and fights crime in the dead of night dressed as a bat, with the life of one of my few family members. Makes sense, Jenna thought to herself. The Batman set Rachel down on the ground carefully before dropping down to the floors below. Jenna petted her aunt's hair, trying to calm her down. The Batman flew back up, carrying Jeannie Dawes and Sargent Gordon with him.

"Jenny?" Jeannie exclaimed, putting her gun away.

"Mom!" Jenna cried, launching herself into her mother's open arms.

"What happened to my sister?" Jeannie asked over her daughter's shoulder.

"Crane poisoned her with a psychotropic hallucinogen, a panic-inducing toxin."

"We'll get her down to the medics," Gordon said, putting his gun away.

"They can't help her, but I can," the Batman told them. They looked at him, just as the SWAT team turned the lights on. The Batman activated something in the heel of his boot, before turning back to them. "Get her downstairs. Meet me in the alley on the narrow side." Jeannie let go of her daughter, and got ready to carry her sister, but the Batman stopped her. "Crane's been smuggling his toxin hidden in Falcone's drugs and they're dumping it into the water supply."

"What was he planning?" Gordon asked.

"I don't know."

"Was he working for Falcone?" Jeannie inquired.

"He mentioned someone else, someone worse. I need to get her the antidote before the damage is permanent."

"How long does she have?" Jeannie asked.

"Not long." There was the sound of something coming closer.

"What is that?" Jenna asked.

"Backup." Suddenly, a swarm of bats burst into the asylum, causing the SWAT team and officers to panic. Gordon quickly picked Rachel up and started down the stairs, Jenna and Jeannie following him. They made their way out of the asylum and into the alley, the Batman joined them shortly after.

"How is she?"

"She's fading. We gotta go. I'll get my car," Gordon said.

"I brought mine," the Batman replied.

"Yours?" Jeannie questioned, but threw herself, her daughter, and Gordon into the wall a moment later as a ginormous black tank sped by, bulldozing over cop cars in the process.

"I gotta get me one of those," Gordon muttered, Jenna smiling a bit.

"He'll take care of Rachel, right?" Jenna inquired. Jeannie hugged her daughter tightly.

"He'd better. Or he'll have to deal with me." Jenna and Gordon both shivered. They'd both seen her mad and the Scarecrow wasn't as terrifying as her. Jeannie rolled her eyes at them, before the three of them walked back toward the mad house.