Happy Friday the 13th, fellow readers! I know I haven't posted anything new in months here. Things have been busy and hard at my end where I had no time. I have both Funnel-Web and Alvaxerox to thank for helping me out in finishing this chapter.
No flamed reviews nor fake advertised ones, please. I am very serious. If I catch you posting false advertisements in my stories I will report, delete, and block you! There should be reviews on what you think of the story you are reading only.
After a very long cliffhanger, here…we…GO!
So, as you last recall, my new best friend aka the next Scarecrow and I managed to gather what we needed to upgrade some new weapons. However, it looked like we were caught by someone or something. Turns out, what came after was something none of us saw coming.
Suddenly, a shadow flies over them.
"Uh, Scarecrow? What was that?" Harry the Hatter asked, not moving.
"I don't know...you think it's the Batman?"
The lights suddenly come on with a large silhouette over them.
"TREMBLE BEFORE ME! FOR I AM THE MIGHTY KILLER MOOAAAAAAHH!" The mystery character yelled, before falling on the ground. "...Ow."
Harry the Hatter and Evan the Scarecrow looked at each other in confusion before going over to the silhouetted figure.
"Hey. Are you okay?" Harry asked.
"I'm good..." the figure groaned, still in pain. "Just popped a spleen...stupid wings..."
Harry tilted his head when studying this individual's appearance. It appeared to be a female glider in a moth suit.
"You're not Batman or any of his family members," Harry observed, helping the figure up. "Who are you?"
"I am the mighty Killer Moth!" the figure revealed herself. "Professional bug thief!"
"New Killer Moth? Curioser and curioser..." Harry muttered, studying the girl's attire. "Did you make this costume yourself?"
"Why, yes, I have. Thank you for noticing." The Killer Moth girl replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me," she walked towards the young villains and took their bags full of equipment and materials. "I got some stuff I wanna take, and your bags tell me... I want it."
"Wah-HEY! We stole that stuff from Gotham University fair and square!" Evan the Scarecrow yelled. "It belongs to us, first!"
"Now, now, Scarecrow. I'm sure we can find a way to solve this without going at each other's throats," Harry reasoned, placing a hand on the girl moth's fluffy fur shoulder. "Miss Moth, my friend and I need that equipment for a special project. Surely, as a next-generation villain like yourself, you'd understand."
"Oh, I definitely do. If you want them back... then you're gonna have to catch me!" The Killer Moth said, as she flipped Harry across the building where he crashed into Evan before activating her wings. "Toodle-loo!" She then flew away laughing.
Harry and Evan groaned in slight pain from what happened. The young Scarecrow pushed his Hatter friend off him while seeing their Moth thief escape.
"Ugh! Nice going, Harry," Evan remarked, glaring at his pal. "We just got beat by a villain girl who stole our upgrades for us to work on!"
"Calm down, Evan, I can assure you that I had the situation under control," Harry replied, getting up to find his hat.
"Under control? She karate flipped you to next week, for crying out loud!" Evan argued, standing up. "How are we going to find her and get our stuff back?!"
Sighing, Harry found his hat before looking at Evan neutrally. "Simple. We follow the white rabbit that will lead us straight to the queen."
The comment left Scarecrow confused until it dawned on him. "...You put a tracking device on her, didn't you?"
"Yep," Harry answered with a smirk, bringing out a device to locate the target. "A little trick I learned from Cat Woman. Play the generous negotiation card and go from there, in case all else fails of being double-crossed."
"That's very sly," Scarecrow remarked. Harry's tracking device beeped as it showed a map of the city and a red dot that is moving around to an unknown location. "Eureka! We got her now!"
"Now, come on, Scarecrow! We got a moth to catch!" Harry exclaimed, already running ahead.
"Excellent!" Scarecrow said, as the two villains ran.
Later, after running and jumping on buses...
Harry and Scarecrow kept following the device until it revealed coordinates to an old abandoned amusement.
I'll be honest. Of all the places to track our moth friend, I was not expecting her to hide in somewhere related to something the Clown Prince would be in.
"Why would our thief go here? This place was supposed to be renovated," Scarecrow asked.
"I'm not sure. But we shouldn't judge by appearances when we barely got here," Hatty stated, walking around for a closer look. "Either she gave us the slip or she's somewhere close by."
"Harry, Look!" Scarecrow grabbed Harry's shoulder and pointed at a run-down haunted house.
Fortunately for them, the tracking device beeped multiple times. Meaning... "This must be the place," Harry said.
Scarecrow was a little excited. "Our thief lives in a haunted castle?! This will be child's play to me."
"Heh, no doubt about it," Harry chuckled in reply, unable to hide his amused smile. "You must really enjoy all things terrifying."
"I learn from the best when there's more to fear than just meager jump scares," Scarecrow added.
"Fair enough," Harry shrugged.
As the two villain teens walk inside the castle, they see some damaged faulty wiring and a broken-down display covered in mold and dust. Along with some rats scurrying around.
Yes, I know. The inside of this haunted house is disgusting and it seems impossible for our glamour moth girl to even step foot here. But looks can be deceiving.
"There's no way she would be here. This place is nothing but a dump." Scarecrow added."
"But the tracker said that she is here, and we're right in the middle." Harry pointed out.
"Well, I see nothing," Scarecrow said. "Maybe she realized we put the tracker on her and is misleading us?"
Before replying, Harry's eyes widen as he sees a freaky-looking mannequin moving about to grab Scarecrow, but the young Scarecrow looks at the mannequin, grabs its arm, and pulls it off.
"Whoa! Nice reflexes," Harry exclaimed, very impressed before walking closer to his friend. "Looks like this doesn't belong in a haunted house…unless there's some scary room full of mannequins we don't know about."
"Yeah. And from what I can tell, these are remote-controlled mannequins. Okay, so maybe I was wrong. She probably has this place set up for security measures." Scarecrow suggested.
"Which also means we're in the right place," Harry added in agreement. "If we keep going, then there's a chance she's close in getting our gear back."
Harry the Hatter and Scarecrow continued their search; searching every section of the haunted castle, and so far, nothing. But more attraction props continued trying to spook them out. And they would still attack or avoid in defense.
After giving up and going to a full stop, Harry discovered something...when removing a big rug from the dungeon room.
"Scarecrow, look!" The two villain teens in training look at a well that consists of some highlighted markings. "Most likely this is a secret passage to a hidden room."
"Then, these markings must be there to help the thief remember where they are." Scarecrow assumed.
"Most likely. Let's see what happens if we follow its instructions,"
Harry pushed the markings which had some certain rock pieces of the wall move like buttons. And then, the wall moved showing a big vacuum-like hose, almost like a tunnel.
"That wasn't there when this place was thriving," Scarecrow said, as he then noticed a button. "I wonder what this does to scare people?"
Turning his head, Harry noticed what his friend was about to do. "Wait, Scarecrow! Don't-!"
It was too late. Scarecrow pushed the button and both boys got sucked inside the tunnel and were in for a bumpy ride.
"WHOOOOOAAAAAAAHHHH! WE'RE GOING DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE!" Harry exclaimed, feeling himself go down the tunnel.
"NOT THE TIME, HARRY!" Scarecrow yelled, falling in with his pal. "THERE BETTER NOT BE SPIKES IN THE BOTTOM!"
They then fell in their bottoms as the joyride was over. A mattress, to be exact.
"What do you know…We landed on somewhere soft," Harry stated, getting up while helping his Gotham friend up.
"Where are we?" Scarecrow asked, adjusting from the sudden fall.
"Beats me. The tracker seems to not be working. But it looks like we've been going further down." Harry said. The villains then looked around and saw some moths, some gears, and a prototype Moth-themed suit. "This must be the thief's secret lair."
"I wouldn't say lair. More like a secret lab," Scarecrow said.
"What makes you say that?" Harry asked.
"Because I can see tubes, beakers, and formulas for her gadgets that shoot stuff," Scarecrow replied, pointing at the small lab with the following items. "And computers to show her next objectives on what to steal next."
The young Hatter took a closer look at the computer and studied the list. "Hmmm…Based on the data, it looks like she just left gathering equipment and chemicals for something called…'silk bombs'?"
"Silk bombs? I've heard of glitter bombs, smoke bombs, even flash bombs, but silk bombs?" Scarecrow remarked, looking at the screen himself with his pal. "Apparently, that's not the only thing on her list. Once updating her new gadget, she seems to also be planning to pick up extremely rare fabrics where only one place has them."
"And judging from the security plans, it looks like the place holding the fabric is heavily guarded," Harry the Hatter pointed out, now understanding the villainess' motive. "Scarecrow, I believe it's time we set a trap for our Moth Queen in her own secret lab. How well do you know your chemistry?"
"A lot," Scarecrow answered, a devious smirk showing while looking at the lab area. "And I'm way ahead of you on where you're going with this."
The next generation Scarecrow goes to the lab area and prepares his work.
Meanwhile, the young Hatter was lookout before hiding himself, in order to get ready to trap the new Killer Moth when she returns.
It's clear this new villainess is brilliant in her own fashionable way. Most likely potential that I can help guide and take in. But she's clearly too stubborn in listening to reason where words will not be enough. Time to up the stakes in showing Miss Moth not to mess with us.
"Okay, ready," Scarecrow stated. "Now, we just need to wait till she comes."
"Excellent work, my Scarecrow friend," Harry responded. "I'll distract her long enough for you to bring the trap to our Lady Moth."
"Just let me know when," Scarecrow then went to hide near a table with a whiteboard.
Hatty then heard someone coming where he signaled his grey-scaled friend to stay low and silent.
The next Killer Moth flew down with elegance into her lair…with a small trip on the landing. But it's still an improvement. She took a deep breath as she puts back her wings.
"What a day," She sighed tiredly, walking over to go sit down and rest for a bit. "Just a few more tweaks to my grand arsenal and those rare fabrics are as good as mine."
The young Hatter and Scarecrow see her sitting in her chair. Seeing her guard down, the young Hatter tried moving to another hiding spot.
Unfortunately for him...the next Killer Moth threw something that was near him. A small ball-like object that exploded into silk that covered the young Hatter.
"Tea and biscuits!" Harry/Hatter exclaimed, his hands pressing on the silk trap he was stuck to.
"You really think you can get the drop on me?" Miss Killer Moth asked. "I knew there were intruders in my own base, so I came prepared with a little batch of my latest prototype silk bombs."
Although a little caught off guard by his opponent's attack, the young Hatter in training continued the plan and returned his composure.
"I'll admit. You truly know how to show people not to underestimate the likes of a teen fashionista villain," Harry/Hatty complimented. "Although, I never would've guessed that those rumors of a mysterious flying creature of the night I kept hearing for a few weeks was you. I honestly thought it was Batman or one of his lacky members doing a test run on something new."
"So, you have heard of me? Well, then, you better tell me why you're stalking me," Killer Moth replied, walking closer to the young Hatter.
"You were the one who stalked, as much as ambushed, my colleague and me in stealing what we gathered from that Gotham University, first," Hatty remarked, glaring lightly before giving a small smirk. "And, as I recall, you said that we'll have it back when we catch you. Which is right about…NOW!"
The female Killer Moth was confused. "Now?" She then heard footsteps and saw Scarecrow right behind her. He sprayed the Killer Moth girl with his fear gas where she started coughing up before gagging. "UGH! Disgusting!"
"It's about to get worse, when it comes to fear." Scarecrow said.
The young Hatter then broke free from the silk trap. "You weren't kidding," he said to Killer Moth. "I still managed to break free from it, though. Looks like you need a stronger material to make your silk bombs stronger enough to be stable."
"What do you think I've been gathering, you ingrateful-?!" The Moth Girl paused what she said before breaking on a cold sweat. The fear gas already taking over. "Where did you go? …WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LIGHTS?!"
All the Moth Girl could see was nothing but pitch-black darkness. Her heart started racing and she started hyperventilating. She couldn't see anything and started running around in circles.
The two boys watched the next Killer Moth panic around the room until cornering herself to the wall.
"Looks like our Moth Queen is suffering from Nyctophobia; the fear of the dark," Hatty/Harry noted, keeping his hands on his back. "You think with all the late-night heists she was doing, that wouldn't be a problem."
Evan nodded his head in agreement. "I guess you could say it's a moment drenched in irony."
Just then, the girl Moth stood up while covering her eyes and shrieking in horror. "Now everything is white! WHY DID IT HAD TO BE WHITE!?" She exclaimed, dramatically.
That caught Harry's attention while looking at Scarecrow. "Uhhh, Evan? Did she just jump to a different phobia? Leukophobia aka the fear of the color white?"
"Everything is too white! The most boring one-color horror! I can't handle this!" The Moth Queen screamed, as she runs around again, panicking and knocking over most of her equipment from the tables.
"It appears my theory was correct," Evan said. "My latest fear gas cannot only expose someone to their greatest fear but many others in plural," He then looked at Harry who was confused. "You see, Harry, my mentor taught me a lot about how to use fear on others, but I was curious to test out a new theory; that there could be more than just one fear that people have. So, this latest batch of fear toxin that I have modified does more than just expose people to their greatest fears. It also exposes all the other fears. I call it 'multi-fear'. Why settle for one fear when there is more?"
"Huh…That's definitely a new one," Harry admitted. "Normally, Scarecrow administers only one fear to someone. But even many of us has more than one thing to be afraid of. I'm amazed you created such an element with just a nearby chemistry lab by our opponent in almost a short time."
"Making the multi-fear toxin was a minor passion project I've been tinkering with for some time but I couldn't find the right ingredients. Luckily, our moth girl had the type of chemical enzyme I was looking for," Evan explained. "Now all I just need to do is to reproduce it, and it will be the best upgrade that surpasses Jonathan Crane's work."
"Speaking of new upgrades, let's get our stolen equipment back before that fear gas wears off with our Moth Lady friend," Harry/Hatty suggested, not wasting any more time to finding their bag holding the equipment. "I definitely want to work on those arachnid gauntlets for you that would be useful and less heavy to carry."
"Okay, then, but I'm taking the enzyme so I can make more of my multi-fear toxin," Evan said, taking some empty tubes and a beacon that had the chemical enzyme he was referring to.
Around getting their stuff back, Hatty/Harry saw something that caught his attention. It appeared to be a spray bottle for hair product. Looking carefully, he read that this was an instant color changing hair spray that also came with another bottle to reverse the treatment.
"Hmmm…" Harry took the bottle in seeing what kind of color that would change one's hair. "Ginger orange? …Not bad. I think I might take this, as well. Consider it small payback for taking our stolen prizes, Miss Moth."
Evan chuckled at Harry. "Looks like we both took a little something from the moth girl," He was carrying the beacon and the empty tubes in his bag. "Now we're even, Mothy."
Before leaving, Hatty/Harry decided to leave a little something where he found the hair product.
Eventually, the next Killer Moth recovered from the multi-fear toxin she was exposed to. After she sees everything back to normal in her mind, she shook her head and breathe calmly.
"What the heck just happened?" The young Moth Girl groaned.
As she got back up, the next Killer Moth noticed that a few of her chemistry gear was missing, as well as sprays. She then noticed there was an unknown object on her whiteboard. She walked closer to the whiteboard and grabbed the object.
The object revealed to be a playing card that showed the Queen of Clubs. Along with a small message reading, 'See you again soon, Moth Queen. -MH'.
The teen girl in the moth suit was confused, but then remembered those two boys trespassing her lair.
"MH, huh?" She then gives a smug half smile. "Same here, little Mad Hatter. Also, Moth Queen? Huh…I like it. Definitely a keeper."
And that's the story of how I first met Moth Queen. Granted, we had a rough start where we aren't exactly a team…not yet, at least. I knew deep down she would be a perfect catch to recruit. I only hoped that, the next time we would cross paths again, Moth Queen would accept my invitation.
Now, while Moth Queen wasn't my next official recruit at the time, Evan and I did come across someone else who eventually helped us realize our team's purpose on what makes each of us who we are on the role. But that's a story for another time.
The next chapter I am hoping to get done in due time will include the origin of how Harry/Hatty met the third member of his soon-to-be team.d member of his soon-to-be team.