Fear Is Truth [Ra's]

The Scarecrow had done this so many times before. So many years of countless battles between vigilante and Professional Criminal. Even the occasional fight with a random thug on the street and of course the resistance of most of his patients. He wasn’t normally a violent man but when it came down to it he knew how to handle himself perfectly fine. In this world, you had to, or you faced oblivion.
His mind was lifted from the world it had drifted into as he felt a presence around him. Dr. Crane was no longer alone. Pulling his eyes from the dock below he stared into the figures emerging from the darkness. He hadn’t heard them arrive as usual. Ra’s hadn’t come alone….The thought cause Dr. Crane to smile. Of course it was to be expected…

His eyes peered over the four figures standing in the dark. Two were holding something rather large, another clearly with a weapon in his hand. The real person he was interested emerged from the darkness and into the dim light of the dock. Dr. Crane lifted from his lean on the pillar to meet him. He kept his distance not wanting to push his luck with this man, but wanted to remain close enough to speak quite lowly. “I did…” the doctor said while scanning again over the crate that the two carried behind Ra’s. “I need more..” He stated simply getting to the point with him. It was one of the few times Dr. Crane was actually direct with anyone. Often his philosophical mind would wander to other areas, trying to show others the error in the way that they thought. This was a bit more important than that.

He knew that Ra’s would know what he was talking about, even if he didn’t directly say it. The question of whether he would pry into why or not was still to come. His debts to Ra’s were another thing entirely, having a certain understanding of doing what he is told to stay alive and keep the shipments coming in. If that ever got out to anyone in Gotham… The thought was quickly shaken from his mind. No one was going to find out anything. Dr. Crane wasn’t worried about it, he had no reason to be. Right now he just hoped that Ra’s would let him slide without an explanation…but somehow he doubted the likelihood.

Dr. Crane watched him carefully, standing his ground as Ra’s moved. He took note of the cane as it flashed in the moonlight, how men could put such pride in material things….He would never understand. The doctor was never one for luxury or lavish living, he didn’t need it. There was only one thing he needed to do in this life, his one purpose, and that’s what he was here discussing tonight.

When he stopped and became suddenly cooperative with his request Dr. Crane became very suspicious, and although he would never admit, uneasy. There was a catch, there must have been. It was too easy to get him to up his shipment, and to that much of a degree? It was more than enough of course, but Dr. Crane felt it was going to come at a price, one that couldn’t be paid with money. His services to Ra’s were all he had given to this point, when he was needed he did what he was told.

Anything at any price…that was the promise he made to his work. Dr. Crane was going to do what had to be done to be supplied with the truth in his work. While keeping this as quiet as possible of course…

He kept himself relaxed as the two shadowed figures approached with the crate and set it in front of him. When he was waved to open it Dr. Crane bent down and grabbed held of the bronze lock. Detaching it carefully he opened it his eyes fading into another world as they graced upon the perfect blue mass of flowers that lay inside. His hand reached inside of the box and picked up a single blue poppy holding it into the light in front of him. “This is beauty…” He announced clearly lost in the depths of his mind. He stood there for a moment his gaze completely unstable; he could have stared all day.

Shaking it off finally a thought had pressed into the fore front of his mind making him set the poppy back into the crate and closing it softly. “What do you want me to do?...” he asked suspiciously. His gaze turned from the crate to meet with Ra’s, it wasn’t going to be for free, that much he was certain of now. It was far too generous of an amount.

Dr. Crane knew it wasn’t going to be so easy; it never was with Ra’s. He watched him pace and thinks about his question. He certainly had no money to give rather than the small amount of cash he had on hand, but it wasn’t enough for this. Ra’s was never one to ask for money either. The only thing that Dr. Crane could ever offer him was his talents and services.

As Ra’s stepped into the moons bright shine and darkened the world around him he knew it was coming. What a thought….all of Gotham screaming in fear. It wasn’t something he hadn’t thought of before, but to actually get the order to do it from this man. It was a tall order to fill, he was going to have to think carefully about how exactly it would be done. All of Gotham screaming in fear…In complete panic.

For a moment he said nothing, taking in the situation fully. The vigilantes of the city would certainly come after him if he was to do this, it would be more than just The Batman as well. He wasn’t worried about it, simply needed to prepare for it. They wouldn’t be the only ones with an opinion of their own. The other in his own profession would have an opinion about it, some more strongly opinionated than others. Either way…he had little choice.

Hearing the last part made him feel almost insulted, though he didn’t show anything to protest against it. He had a name and a style…but he was fear itself. Perhaps that’s why Ra’s had chosen him to do this specifically, maybe he finally realizes who he truly was? For a moment he chose to just blindly believe that fact.

“That’s quite a request…” He paused and continued to think it over. “I wasn’t expecting you to give me a task that I would thoroughly embrace..” He almost questioned again with suspicion. “And when Gotham is in complete terror what then?” He knew what he would be doing, but he was more interested in what Ra’s planned to do afterward. When a patient was no longer useful…they were rid of. He just wanted to make sure it was a clear understanding between them that he wasn’t just going to be tossed aside even if he did have to bend to his request.

Dr. Crane should have expected this kind of answer from him. No anger rose in him from the insulting comment. He simply stood and listened to his words. Ra’s couldn’t pull anger from him, not with the much at stake.

There was something bigger at work here; Ra’s had something planned that went above what he had requested. For the moment he wasn’t going to get that answer out of him. His eyes glanced to the crate for a moment just taking in the beauty of the box itself, knowing what it held inside. Sure, it was only a matter of time before he was caught up with, but he would show the world what fear was, no matter how many attempts, or how long it took. Research takes time…

Dr. Crane met his gaze as he gestured that it was time to strike the deal or not. He never had much of a choice in the first place, he couldn’t give up his life’s work…not for anything, nothing was more precious, and it was worth giving up anything for. He stared for a moment just taking in his last comment and thinking it over. What really caught his attention was that Ra’s didn’t avert his gaze when it was met with his. It made him wonder….

Pushing the thought from his mind, it would be for another time, not now. Dr. Crane nodded slowly. “I will do it....”