The Demon of Fear [Crane]

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The wheels of the food cart spun slowly along the concrete floor, echoing through out the Solitary Confinement wing of the Intensive Treatment area, deep with in Arkham Island. With in the tiny wheels beneath the silver cart, the bolts shook with every revolution, sounding as if they were to fall out at any moment. Behind the trolley stood the Orderly, his hands pushing it along as ear phones played heavy music deep with in his lobes. Obliviously to the outside world, he continued down the dark and intimidating corridor that led to Solitary Confinement, where the worst of the worst were kept. Serial killers, rapists, patients who can’t stop themselves from seriously harming other inmates. Only artificial light above provided any means of seeing, as this area was with in the heart of the facility, away from the prying eyes of the people of Gotham.

Every night, the orderly would make his way down the elevator to this lowest of floors, where only a few executive Doctors could work. The Asylum’s elite guards would be found manning this area, as only the best could be expected to contain the worst. Each wore riot response gear just in case of any action with shotguns in cases, ready to be used. Some men can be contained for weeks at a time, with no light and little food. It is hellish, but those who inhabit these cells have earned their assigned quarters through acts of violence. Turning a corner, he began to approach the check point which led into the row of cells. A large framed Guard sat at a computer, inspecting the computer screen before him. He’s watched the Orderly through his cameras as he left the lift, all the way up to the gate. “Card please.” He spoke softly through the microphone, watching as the Orderly picked up their clearance pass, running it through the machine by the door.

A red light flashed for a few moments before it turned green, opening the doors slowly which closed quickly once he was with in. Getting up from his chair, the Guard approached the cart with a yawn, passing the three other guards on duty. They all sat by their desks, obviously bored after only a few hours of doing yet another night watch. “Hey how you doing, what you got for this time?” He smirked under his helmet, metal detector in hand. Also smiling, the Orderly proceeded to take out his ear phones, reaching down under the cart to get the list of items which would likely contain medicine or food. The Guard’s face turned to horror as rather than a clipboard in hand, the young Orderly came back up with a Glock sem-automatic pistol, which had a long silencer equipped to the end. With a few pulls on the trigger, a series of quick noises fell from the barrow, along with the dropping of all four guards. Their bodies crashed against the floor before they had a chance to make a run for their lives.

Placing another device in his ear, the now revealed Orderly spoke to the other operatives who sat in the Asylum’s central camera control room. "I'm in, bring down the Master." His words were quick and precise. He was trained, an efficient part of the machine that was The League of Shadows. All camera feed was dead, the bodies and the evidence that they were there would be removed. The missing guards would be noticed but the bodies could be planted in any manner they saw fit to move the trail off their tale. Darting quickly to the computer screen, pushing the body off the monitor, he cleared the elevator for arrival, watching as the deceased guard did moments before. With another click of a button, the check point doors were opened, allowing the group of garbed men to enter. All wore distinctive black outfits, blending into their dark surroundings. Swords hung on their backs in scabbards and machine guns sat in their hands. In the centre of the group stood their leader, Ra’s al Ghul. He stepped over one of the corpses, paying little attention to the murdered men. With a swift movement of his hand, he picked up the list of prisoners, his finger tracing down the names until he found the one he wanted; Dr. Jonathan Crane. “The good Doctor is here, let’s make our presence known to him then.”

[Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow]

He had finally done it. It had taken him so long but he had finally managed to get something into his cell. To an outsider looking in it would just seem like a simple comb but to Dr. Crane, it was a weapon. Now the doctor had no intention of killing anyone, that wasn’t how he operated. There was little use in killing someone that was perfect material for an experiment. He would never learn anything if he simply killed everyone in his way. No, Dr. Crane was not a murderer. This comb has been in his possession for several hours now, but he had been working at it to make the tip much sharper. He had broken off the other pieces and used the hard floor to sharpen the sides.

He had to hurry and do as much of the sharpening as he could as fast as he could. It was nearly medicine time and the orderlies would be around. If they saw him with it they would have to take it from him. Normally the orderlies would never approach his cell for medications. Dr. Crane hadn’t been issued any since he last returned but they could still see him. His new room had been stripped bare. All that was left was a bed that jutted out into the center of the cell and a sink next to it. He would have broken the sink and used the porcelain as a weapon but any object he could have thrown at it was bolted to the floor and his hands were not strong enough to break it without significant force.

He counted the seconds that went by as he watched the hallway outside his cell. No one was coming. Something was amiss within the asylum. There was nothing new here, there was nothing out of time or out of order unless something was wrong. His feet shuffled a bit and placed themselves flat on the cold grey concrete below. Each slow step toward the glass was ice cold but he didn’t react to it. Dr. Crane was so stripped within his cell that he wasn’t even permitted shoes anymore. Carefully, the doctor came up to the glass and pressed himself upon it. He could just barely see down the edge of the hall……No one….

There was a plethora of possibilities at this point, none of them that he cared to think about. But it was one in particular that he knew he had coming. It was only a matter of time. Dr. Crane went to the back of his cell and got behind the side of the sink. He stayed against the wall to the side and made sure he could push himself as close to behind it as possible. He didn’t want to be see in his cell, Not that he was scared….

Dr. Crane pulled his feet in closer behind the porcelain….He wasn’t scared.

[Deleted]

From the start, Ra’s has always been against the idea of Asylums and the like. To him they were a waste of recourses when so many of the ‘patients’ have committed heinous acts of crime, to which they should be punished more severely than being simply locked away. Not that they stayed inside for long. Seeing the state of Arkham so far, it wasn’t hard for Ra’s to imagine why there have been so many escape attempts. Already, he had spotted multiple manners in which he could escape, although chances are the average inmate doesn’t spot them.

As he paced along the windowless corridor, he noted every cell he’d passed, having glanced over whom was in them when he checked the list of prisoners earlier. A cannibal in the first, then a pyromaniac in the second. Hardly model citizens. If Ra’s had no prior engagement, he would happily have all the inmates of this Asylum thrown into the water that surrounds the facility. Firstly, as criminals they deserve nothing else. Secondly, it would save the people of Gotham a great deal of money. Running this facility must be a drain on City funds.

Between his fingers was placed the key card to Crane’s cell, which had been relieved from one of the deceased guards. Fortunately, Ra’s didn’t have to walk very face before he reached the cell which belonged to Crane. Behind him stood two of his men, to whom Ra’s turned to speak before entering. “I believe Dr. Crane and myself would do better with some privacy, remain out here.” Both nodded and stood either side to the door. Slowly the door lurched open as Ra’s swiped the card through the device upon the door. Besides the light that had fled in through the open door, the room was quite dark although not dark enough for Ra’s to be at a total loss of where Crane was.

At least the state of the room pleased him. If these men were to live rather than be executed, they should live with no luxury, as this room showed. Compared to some other cells Ra’s had seen, Crane’s was compact with even less in it that the usual. It has been many years since Ra’s had met Crane in person, although he still recognised him hiding away. He looked even more pathetic than he usually did, gaunt and malnourished by the looks of it. “Evening, Dr. Crane.” Jonathan was nothing more than a tool at Ra’s disposal. He held no love for the man, due to the nature of why Crane had been arrested. He’s a criminal, yet he has a use, so for now his execution will be stayed as he aids a greater good. “Do you know why I am here?” His hands behind his back, Ra’s moved further into the room, keeping his distance from Crane. Trusting the man was the biggest mistake he could make, as he had no intention in becoming one of his twisted experiments.

[Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow]

No matter how far he pressed himself against the wall by the ceramic sink he couldn’t hide himself behind it. His body was thin, but when he knew he was coming in he couldn’t move into the wall far enough. But he wasn’t scared….He just wanted to….He just wanted to leave.

When he stepped into his cell with ease Dr. Crane bit his lip and rolled it under to take the blood that pursed from it. If only he was able to have that kind of access to his own cell. Dr. Arkham would be dead within the week. Of course he could get out whenever he wanted…..He had just made it a bit harder of late. Never had he taken such precautions before. Dr. Arkham must really have something in store for him this time, something was up and it showed with every move he made.

There was nothing that could prevent what was happening. The cold ceramic from the small inmate sized sink was not enough to keep him out of sight. Ra’s was already well aware of his presence in the cell, in sight or not. What was he here for? Well he could only speculate between everything he had done. Ra’s was here to bring down his hand and it was only confirmed by his rhetorical question. Jonathan rolled his lips but didn’t dare to make another move; Ra’s wanted him sitting right where he was. “I can’t currently provide production services in my current condition.” He spoke dryly as if he had everything functioning as normal.

His fingers curled over his knees and cracked audibly enough for it to echo across the room. He had to get up at some point, but he didn’t know whether Ra’s would allow it. Ra’s was the only man that he could question his own actions with. Slowly, he made a bold decision.

One after the other his feet slid out and his knees flattened. His hands moved forward and he tried to life himself. His fingers reached up and grabbed the edge of the ceramic carefully he pulled himself up, all the while keeping his gaze on Ra’s. It was if he could reach out and strike him at any moment.

“I do….” He paused and rolled his cracking lips. “Have need of a new ingredient.” There was a certain amount of hesitation between each word. It wasn’t because he was scared, but because he was asking for something and didn’t want to say why. The Scarebeast had been uncontrollable since he had made the last injection. He had been trying to control the outbursts with all sorts of medication, but so far, nothing. There was one promising thing that had come into Gotham. ”It’s being housed by Wayne Industries” He slipped information in and stood in front of him.

His posture was low and submissive in front of him. He had said what he needed to already about it, it was obvious what he needed. He wasn’t going to be able to do it himself from where he was. Ra’s was going to have to steal it for him, or get someone to steal it for him.

The corpse went still, refusing to move another muscle until Ra’s said something in reply.

[Deleted]

Although Ra’s employed Dr. Crane’s services, he held no love for the man. Once a scientist himself, Ra’s saw no method in his madness, with his fixation upon the emotion of fear. It’s an unhealthy obsession which will slowly destroy him. Although the man got results, very impressive results. For years the League had used poisons, but nothing as effective or potent as his toxin. No man, or woman for that matter, can resist its effect. Ra’s has seen it in use many times, observing the testing process for the original toxin. But to Ra’s, Crane was nothing more than another tool to be used. Once he has concluded their business, he has no use for him. At first Ra’s thought he was a fool, who had no idea of what he was planning on making. However Crane quickly proved otherwise. Within weeks of their original meeting, Ra’s had shipments sent out to Gotham ready to provide him with whatever he required. Crane asked for no fortunes or glory, just the poppy. And Ra’s wanted only one thing in return, for Gotham to fall. All went well until Wayne intervened, months of planning lost while the City lived on. Lately however the good Doctor has failed to provide any impressive results, contrary to what they had originally planned.

Rather than having Gotham tear itself to piece with fear, Crane’s only managed to find his way into the Asylum. Taking another step closer to Jon, Ra’s stroked his beard, running his eyes over the room before clenching his fist. Suddenly his hand shot forward, grabbing Jonathan around the throat. Each of his fingers dug into his throat, increasing the pressure upon his wind pipe. Facially, Ra’s maintained his calm demeanour as he held the Prisoner by the throat, crushing the life from him. Taking another step, he forced him against the wall, lifting him slightly onto his tip toes. “Do you take me for a patient man? Months I have waited for a result, yet still nothing. Either you will impress me or our business is finished. Understood?” Quickly his hand dropped from around his neck.

Turning around, Ra’s paced back towards the door before turning around, standing before Jon with a disappointed face. Flexing his hand, he placed it into his coat pocket while Crane asks him for the certain ingredient. “I’ll set about acquiring the ingredient.” How he would steal it without Wayne knowing would be difficult, although he had already partially formulated a plan. A professional could always lend their services when incited. If Miss Kyle were persuaded to carry out this mission, it would save the use of any of his own Assassins doing it. The League’s numbers were few in Gotham, which was something that Ra’s wished to remedy.

Both of his eyes shot over Jon, watching for any suspicious movement. Was there something that he wasn’t been told? Likely. However if it were important, he was sure that Ra’s would bring it to his attention. “Tell me, how do you plan on continuing your work even with the extra ingredient, you are still detained here. It wouldn’t be difficult for me to save you from this Pit of insanity, however perhaps you already have your own plan.” A dark smirk appeared on Ra’s face before he began to make his way to the door. Ra’s had no intention to stay any longer than was necessary. Crane had asked him for a certain item so he will procure it. The next time they’d likely meet would be when Ra’s had it for him.

[Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow]

Dr. Crane always wanted to remain in as position with Ra’s that made him in disposable. Although he wasn’t directly involved with the Assassins themselves he had heard of their quality and quantity. It was one of the worst kept secrets in the underworld. If he was disposable, he would have been gone by now. But he was well aware of the delicate relationship and how quickly it could change. As long as Ra’s didn’t know how he did it and he could keep getting the flower they could have an understanding. It was on an unfortunately unstable platform. It wasn’t that he was ignorant either; he knew that he’d find out what he does if he could, but for now Jonathan knew he was more valuable alive.

And the Scarebeast sealed this.

In Jonathan’s eyes his toxins were perfect and they did work on every human. He had significant trouble with hybrids and animal species. He remembers certain beings it had no effect on at all and then others that triggered reactions he didn’t want. It was just safe to say that he didn’t work well with them outside of lab mice.

The doctor had been watching him very carefully as he came closer. He was at his full height now but even so, shorter than Ra’s. So when his hand snapped to his neck he couldn’t do anything but jerk and choke.

The air in his lungs was knocked out of him when he was thrown to the wall and choked against it. He managed to scrape out half an unrecognizable sentence before he spoke ”Very Patient.” Just as quickly as he was picked up , he was dropped. The doctor staggered for a moment but then rose back to his full height to face him. He got the message deliver or he’d make his life much more of a hell than here.

His cooperation about the ingredient was better than he had asked for. As for continuing and escaping, he’d rather avoid mentioning his Scarebeast problem if he could. He’d rather just say he needs it. The doctor thought to himself trying to figure out what he could and couldn’t say what he should and shouldn’t say. But before Ra’s decided to choke him anymore he fessed up. “The commissioner came to my cell and spoke with me about an alleged crime I committed, on top of telling me he was going to find you and kill you.” He chose the statement about Gordon instead of Edward.

[Deleted]

Scoffing, Ra’s was amused by the topic of Gordon. The very thought of him trying to kill him made him laugh lightly. The GCPD have never posed a threat before however before they never had Wayne helping them. As much as Ra’s respected Gordon, the man was becoming a nuisance. His leadership has prolonged the City’s downfall for too long and combine that with his alliance with Batman and you have a serious problem. Stroking his beard, Ra’s contemplated what to do with the troublesome Commissioner. “He’s too proud a man to be bought. He wears his honor like armor. But it doesn’t keep his safe, it makes him slow, it makes it harder for him to move. Yes, I know what to do with him.”


The Commissioner wanted to find him, and then perhaps he will get what he wishes for. Looking at his watch, Ra’s realized that his time was running short. He had only a short period of time in the Asylum before he’d have to leave. The next security team would pass through soon, so they’d have to be gone by then. Crane had provided him with some assurance and given him new information. The man did have his uses.

“Give him no satisfaction. Answer none of his questions until I give you further orders, understood?” Approaching Crane once more, Ra’s loomed over him and pressed his cane lightly upon his chest. “If you do tell him about me,” Now he began to apply more pressure, “I will make it my goal to show you what true fear is.” Pulling back, Ra’s stopped intimidating him and made his way back out into the corridor outside of the cell. “Till we meet again, Doctor. See to your escape, as soon as possible. You’re no good to anyone in here.” Nodding slightly, Ra’s gave a quick farewell to him before the door was shut with a loud clash. One of the Assassins swiped the slot with the security card, locking the door.

Making his way back to the Guard Room, Ra’s found that there was no sign of any action having took place. The bodies were gone, along with the blood upon the floor and the shell casings from the fired guns. All was as it was before they arrived, minus the Guards. For the Arkham Staff, it will be a mystery they will never solve. Standing at attention, the remaining Assassins were ready for their Leader’s next orders. “Let us go, Gentleman. I’ve had enough of his asylum to last me a life time.” The lift quickly came and they all moved into it before it short back up from where it came. And like that, they were gone. The cameras in the Guard Room suddenly flashed back to life. Anyone watching would see a sudden change from them all sitting at their desks to an empty room.