Hi, everyone. Sorry for not posting in a long while. Been busy with real life stuff, drawing art, and dealing with an art thief. Rest assured, that has been resolved.
Also, note to everyone, this chapter was a collaboration with Funnel-Web135 on how Harry first met Evan aka the next Scarecrow...And maybe even more. So, major credit to both Alvaxerox AND Funnel0Web135 for helping me on this story. Hope you all enjoy and share your thoughts on how the next Mad Hatter meets the next Scarecrow.
Oh, and before I forget, there may or may not be some lyrics from the song 'If I Only Had a Brain' by Judy Garland and Ray Bolger. You'll see why. It was a fun idea Funnel-Web thought of.
Now back to the story.
As a Mad Hatter, you would assume that I had to do things by myself. The only child of an Arkham inmate. Well...not exactly. You could say that I started to find friends of my own as part of my group. Others who are kind of like me.
Three years later/ago...
A silhouette was running on the rooftops of Gotham City. At first glance, it looked like an athletic Mad Hatter with different moves. However, after stopping, the figure is revealed to be the Mad Hatter's thirteen-year-old nephew/son...Harry T. Lewis. He had his new clothes that were still a little big on him yet getting there to fit, his retractable cane weapon accustomed with the gem crystal glowing green, and the pocket watch.
Sighing, the Mad Hatter in training used his retractable staff to come down a dark alley and slid down on it like a fireman's pole behind a dumpster. He switched off his Hatter look and into his regular one where his costume fit in a backpack before walking out.
'Talk about a slow and boring night,' Harry thought to himself, finding the nearest ATM to reload on some cash for both his uncle/father and himself. 'Other than your basic Batman moments from a distance, nothing exciting has been going on. At least, in Wonderland, things are unpredictable and fun.'
While the thirteen-year-old did enjoy his new Arkham family, he felt like having someone around his age to hang out with. But that's difficult when being related to the maddest bunch in Gotham City.
Not going to lie. I never thought to come across my first real friend on such a bland night. Then again, I'm glad it did happen when it did. You'll see what I mean.
Harry was wandering around the streets when he heard screaming.
"That doesn't sound good," Harry replied, already running over to the corner of the building to see the source. "Please, be something else and not Batman."
He sees a young boy being chased by a bunch of kids. He seemed to have short black hair, pale skin, some freckles, and hazel eyes.
"Get away from me!" The young kid exclaimed.
"No way! You made me see things!" One of the bullies said, as he grabs the young boy by the collar. "Now it's your turn!"
Normally, Harry would avoid being seen. However, seeing the young boy being bullied reminded of how he had the same treatment back in the Orphanage. And there's no way he's going let that happen to anyone ever again.
"Forget hiding in the shadows. Those jerks are going down," Harry muttered to himself.
"I said, get away!" The kid said, reaching for his bag.
"Get him!" The bully yelled.
"Hey! Leave him alone!" Harry shouted, stepping in.
The group of bullies and the kid paused when hearing him before looking over.
The young boy was seriously confused.
"Hehe. Look at this guy," the bully chuckled, not intimidated.
"You heard me. Leave him alone and never mess with him again," Harry repeated, folding his arms.
"Oh, yeah? What if we refuse?" The big bully asked.
"Then, if you're going to try to hurt someone, hit me instead," Harry challenged. "Unless you're too scared to even try."
"Scared? ...They don't know the meaning of being scared," the kid said, a glint of mischief in his eyes.
The kid throws a puff of smoke out of his bag at one of the bullies, causing him to scream in fear and cough constantly.
Harry blinked in surprise. Seemed that the kid he wanted to save knew how to defend himself, too. Not to mention his mysterious smoke bombs were too familiar.
"Well, this just got more interesting," Harry stated, smirking while putting a gas mask on. "Good thing I came prepared."
Without warning, Harry went in to grab and flip one of the bullies to another and kicked them back.
The bully coughed before opening up his eyes. And what he saw was pure terror.
"No! NO! GET AWAY, YOU MONSTER!" He exclaimed.
"Now it's your turn to be afraid!" The kid said, laughing darkly.
After handling the other bullies, Harry heard sirens from the cops coming.
"Hey! We got company heading our way!" Harry called out to the kid. "Unless you want to get arrested, we got to bail!"
"Agreed!" The kid said, stopping his fun scare.
"Follow me! I know a shortcut escape route!" Harry called out, already moving with the kid following.
The kid nodded and followed Harry.
The two boys ran to the alleyway before taking the fire escapes to get to higher grounds. As they reached the rooftops, the two settled down while catching their breaths.
"Phew..." Harry muttered, before chuckling at what happened. "Now that...was absolute madness! I did not see any of that coming! You were amazing with that rigged backpack full of fear gas! I thought only the Scarecrow could do that!"
"That's the thing..." the kid panted. "I'm the new Scarecrow...or at least...I'm training to be."
This made Harry look at the kid with his jaw-dropping. "Really? You're the next Scarecrow? Jonathan Crane adopted you?"
"In a way...The name's Evan," The kid replied, bringing out his hand.
"Harry. Harry T. Lewis," Harry introduced himself, shaking Evan's hand. "But you can also call me...the next Mad Hatter and apprentice of Jervis Tetch."
"A little far away from Wonderland, are ya?" Evan asked.
"You could say that. What's it like in Oz?" Harry questioned.
"Far from the books, I'm afraid," Evan answered.
"Oh...Sorry about that," Harry apologized. "So, um, how long have you been with Jonathan Crane?"
"Six months..." Evan answered sheepishly.
"Six months?! No wonder I haven't seen Uncle Jonathan that much in a while!" Harry exclaimed in surprise. "Jervis, along with a bunch of other Arkham inmates, have been training me for three years now. Including Jonathan. So, technically, we're practically cousins!"
Evan chuckled. "I guess..."
"This is amazing! I thought I was going to be the only one raised and trained by an Arkham adult!" Harry exclaimed with excitement.
Evan shrugged, as he threw a rock off a building. "I guess. But sometimes being next to one of the scariest people in Gotham isn't all that it's cracked up to be."
"I get what you mean. Being the next Mad Hatter can have a lot of downsides, too," Harry replied, joining his new friend by grabbing another rock. "While I have high hopes in finding my own Alice someday, I'm not sure how I feel about the risks behind them. Granted, before meeting Jervis, I was always an outcast and getting hurt physically and emotionally. And I don't mind giving small payback to those jerks. But how far will I go down the rabbit hole when it will come beyond pity robberies and vengeful beatdowns?"
"Well...what WOULD you do if you ever find your Alice?" Evan asked.
Harry sighed, as he threw the rock as far as he could off the building. "I...I don't know. Maybe treat her with the utmost respect? Show her how much she means to me? Even I'm still trying to understand this whole love thing, and I'm studying psychology here."
"The only psychology I know is fear," Evan shrugged.
On cue, a random crow lands on his shoulder and eats a straw that was sticking out of his shirt
"Boo! Scattle! Boo!" Evan exclaimed, trying to scare the random crow.
However, the crow ignores him, eats the straw, and flies off. Leaving the poor boy to sigh.
"I can't even scare a crow. They just come miles away, eat the straws at my suit, and laugh at my face," Evan explained, sighing sadly. "...I can't even be a proper scarecrow because I'm not scary."
"Don't say that. You're still figuring out your role as much as I am," Harry said, trying to cheer his new friend up. "If anything, crows liking you instead of feeling afraid doesn't seem so much of a bad thing. I wouldn't mind having a small army of crows to my advantage. Maybe, instead of trying to shoo these crows away, you can somehow get them to attack annoying pests who would pick on you."
"Really?" Evan asked.
"Why not? Batman uses a colony of bats to help him out of a jam. Why can't a scarecrow like you be any different in using his 'common enemy' for the same reason?" Harry reasoned, unable to chuckle at the thought. "Besides, think of the irony that will surprise people before getting pecked by that flock."
"True," Evan shrugged. "But still...it would be nice to be naturally scary...if only I had the brain to think of such fears..."
"Yeah...Wish I could offer you my brain, but I worry that it would make you go mad," Harry replied.
"But still...if I only had a brain...," Evan said, thoughtfully, as a small musical played in his mind to start singing.
"I...could while away the hours,
Conferrin' with the flowers,
Consulting with the rain;
And my head I'd be a scratchin'
While my thoughts are busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain.
I'd unravel ev'ry riddle for my
Individdle
In trouble or in pain...~"
Harry held back a laugh at this random musical number and decided to join in with a grin.
"With the thoughts that you'll be thinkin',
You could be another Lincoln,
If you only had a brain~"
Evan smiled at his friend, continuing his musical.
"Oh, I, could tell you why
The oceans near the shore
I could think of things I'd never
Thunk before,
And then I'd sit down and think some more.
I would not be just a muffin',
My head all full of stuffin',
My heart all full of pain;
I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry if I only had a brain;"
Evan stood up dancing wild while singing...until he fell down at the end where he just laughed.
Harry laughed himself, as he went to his friend and extended his hand to Evan to help up. "Wonderful performance. For someone with no brain, you sure have a lot of heart and courage than I wish to have."
Evan laughed, too. "Thanks."
The two boys continued laughing, having a great time referencing their favorite stories.
"I'm glad to have met you, Evan. How often do you get to come across someone your age to understand fun references like this?" Harry asked, looking up at the Gotham City night sky. "Feels nice to finally share this with someone who isn't my uncle/dad. Same goes with my other adult family members."
"Same," Evan said, nodding his head. "It feels nice to vent out with someone who isn't entirely family or a mentor to me."
"Yeah...Think there might be more of us out in Gotham? Or beyond that?" Harry asked.
"I would hope so," Evan answered, looking at Harry. "Do you think there are?"
"Well, I wasn't sure, at first...," Harry started, still looking up. "But after meeting you, I now have greater hopes than ever that there's more out there. Anything is possible."
Around saying that his crystal staff in his pocket glowed blue. As if reflecting his emotions on how he feels.
"What's that?" Evan asked, pointing at the glowing source from Harry.
Looking down, Harry noticed what Evan was talking about and brought it out to reveal a retractable silver staff with a crystal at the top...which was glowing.
"This? Oh, the staff was a gift from Uncle Edward Nygma for combat," Harry explained. "As for the crystal, it was a gift from Cat Woman she got from Coast City. I thought of attaching it to the staff. Not much to know about this rock except for the fact that it changes color depending how I feel. Like a Mood Rock."
"Interesting..." Evan said.
"What about you, Evan? What sort of weapon or weapons do you have as the next Scarecrow?" Harry asked.
"Well...I had a scythe, but those guys took it," Evan answered, glumly.
"Oh...I'm so sorry," Harry said, patting on his friend's back in sympathy. "Maybe we can figure out a better weapon for you where those jerks won't take it away from you."
"Maybe," Evan shrugged, as he tosses a bag of fear gas. "It'll be a lot better than using this."
Harry jumped back a bit from the bag with the toxins. "Dude! Careful with that! You'll get us both infected!"
"Relax. It's strongly contained," Evan assured, still calm. "Besides...fear toxins don't have any effect on me."
"Wait, what?!" Harry questioned in surprise. "Seriously? You're immune to fear toxins?"
"Trust me, when you've been affected by this stuff for as long as I have, your immune system picks up a thing or two," Evan assured.
"Yikes. I knew Uncle Jonathan's obsessed with using test subjects for fear, but not to the point of being immune to his own toxins," Harry admitted, before shaking his head. "Okay, back on topic here. I've been thinking of something useful for the Scarecrow in a long while and been meaning to ask Uncle Jonathan for six months. Since you're becoming the new Scarecrow, maybe you can tell me what you think of the idea."
"Yeah? What's that?" Evan asked, sounding interested.
Harry walked over to Evan and brought out his own notebook from his bag to share a page.
"I was wondering if the fear toxins can also be in the form of liquid instead of gas," Harry explained, showing Evan a drawn sketch of a metal glove with claws on the tips. "Because if it can, the liquidated fear toxins can be dispersed in these designed gloves where the claws on the finger tips act as multiple syringes for battle. Even just the scratch on opponents can be more than enough."
"And it would add the fear factor!" Evan replied, seriously impressed.
"Exactly," Harry replied, smiling. "You know, I was originally working on this project for Uncle Jonathan, but I think the arachnid gauntlets would be a better fit for you."
"Now this I like!" Evan exclaimed with excitement.
"So, it's possible to turn any sort of gas toxin into liquid instead?" Harry asked. "Can your mentor do that?"
"I don't think so," Evan answered.
"Oh, man," Harry complained. "So much for transferring the toxins into the gloves."
"I do have an idea of where to find some," Evan said.
This caught Harry's attention. "Where?"
The two boys were on top of a different building looking at what appears to be a large college in front of them.
"Are you serious?" Harry asked, looking at the large school. "It's in the Gotham State University?"
"It's the only place where the most advanced technology is at," Evan explained.
"Hey, I'm aware. Not to mention it makes perfect sense. This is where Uncle Jonathan used to work as a teacher...before being kicked out for over-abusing his fear research on his students as guinea pig test subjects," Harry replied, only to realize what he said and looked at Evan with sympathy. "Um...no offense, Evan."
"No, no. I'm with you," Evan assured, raising his hands.
"Still, if we're going to break into Gotham University, we need to go full stealth," Harry stated, bringing out his backpack with his costume. "Don't suppose you got a costume for yourself?"
Evan just stared at Harry before revealing straw underneath his shirt.
"That answers my question," Harry said, nodding his head while bringing out his top hat to put on. "Okay. Let's break into college, Scarecrow."
"Go on ahead. I'll catch up in three minutes," Evan said, offering Harry a gas mask. "And when you get inside, take this."
"Good call," Harry replied, taking the mask to put on later. "See you on the other side of the Looking Glass."
Moments later...
Harry, dressed as the Mad Hatter, sneaked into the college where he put on the gas mask. He made his way to the specific lab room Evan described where the missing components are.
Just then, two-night guards walked into the room.
"Hold it!" The first guard shouted.
"Freeze!" The second guard exclaimed.
Harry paused with his hands halfway up before turning to them calmly.
"Oh, sorry, sirs. I didn't mean to intrude," Harry replied, not moving. "I got lost and ended up here. Don't suppose you could tell me where to find the party?"
"You're not going anywhere, punk!" The second guard proclaimed, ready to nab the kid.
Suddenly, a ball rolls in front of the guards.
"Huh?" The first guard asked in confusion.
Without warning, the ball explodes as a gust of fear gas explodes where they then hear evil laughter.
"Wha-What's happening?! Who's there?!" The second guard questioned, starting to feel terrified.
"It's the fear of victory!" A voice echoed. "And the Agony of...THE SCARECROW!"
On cue, Scarecrow reveals himself as he laughs maniacally.
Harry noticed how Evan's Scarecrow costume looked way more terrifying than Jonathan Crane's costume. Instead of the usual light and dark brown colors, he was completely black and grey with his eyes red as blood.
"Whoa...Now that's a wicked scarecrow," Harry stated with an impressed grin before going into the room.
The guards scream in terror, as they crawl down in balls on the floor.
"That's taken care of them," Scarecrow replied, nodding his head on a job well done.
Harry then poked his head of the room. "Hey, Scarecrow! I could use your help in finding the right components here!"
"Coming!" Scarecrow called out, already leaving.
It didn't take long for the two boys to grab what they came for and escaped the campus before any authorities or vigilantes would show up. They just kept moving until they were at a very safe distance.
"We did it, Scarecrow. Mission accomplished," Harry the Hatter stated, taking a small breather. "And sick costume, by the way! For someone who claims to not have a brain and not be scary, you seemed clever enough to out-horrify those guards."
"Yeah, well, tell that to the other punks in Gotham," Scarecrow shrugged.
"Forget them. I think you're gonna be a great Scarecrow," Harry complimented. "Maybe even better than the original one day. And now that we got the equipment to create the fear toxins from gas to liquid, the new weapons you'll have soon will get you there."
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.
Uh, oh. Are they busted already? Find out next time.