Chapter 20

RACHEL DAWES

The assistant DA felt her vision return to her, and the glare from the strong lights made her pinch her eyes and tried to cover her eyes with her hands.

Yet she found herself unable to do so, and looked down and saw that she was bound to a table, her arms and legs strapped to the side. And she finally recalled the circumstances in which she had lost consciousness.

After she had left the Wayne manor, just as she had entered her car, she saw someone else sitting inside it, a stranger, and that was the last thing she recalled.

"Oh! It seems you are finally awake!" a shrill, jaunty voice cut in and made her look up, and she stilled as she saw just exactly who it was.

It was none other than Dr. Jonathan Crane.

He looked thinner, and it was the first time she was seeing him outside of the court or for his job. And the hairs on her arm stood straight as their eyes met. For as long as she could remember, she had often sensed madness, a sinking darkness within the Arham's psychiatrist. Yet in public, it would be hidden rather well, yet now this was different.

This was the real Dr. Crane, with all his madness and darkness on display.

"Where am I Crane? Let me go!" she demanded as her heart hammered. She tried to wiggle out of her binds, but her efforts were futile, and the criminal psychiatrist smiled wildly as he prowled to her side.

"Oh, and why would I do that? Especially after everything you have done! After you have ruined my life!" he shouted, and she was taken aback by the aggression and rage in his tone as she looked around and found herself trapped inside a rather small room.

"Help! Help!" she shouted, hoping that someone would hear her voice, yet as a smile appeared on Crane's face, she realized that it might not be possible.

"You can shout as much as you want, but it will be futile. There is no one here to save you, Miss Dawes," he said as he pointed towards the window, and she stilled as she saw the scenes outside.

There were a number of planes stationed outside. Small planes and a whole crew of people were loading something into those planes.

And she had an inkling that it was for a sinister.

"You were always rather nosy about what went on at Arkham under my watch," he began as he fiddled with some stuff at the counter by her side.

"Now you shall learn it firsthand as the whole city shakes and suffers under my might," he began, and she stilled at those words as he picked up a vial and showed it to her.

"What is that?" she asked, her voice shaky and apprehensive as he smiled.

"Ohh, this is my little miracle. Did you know that the first emotion a child feels is fear, fear of asphyxiation? All through history, this very emotion has helped derive change and revolution, bringing humanity to its current state," he began, and she could feel her skin become cold as he deliberately walked to her side.

"It has always fascinated me, and this right here is the product of my extensive research, a toxin to heighten the sense of fear. I was content in pushing the boundaries of the human mind in Arkham, yet you had to show up and ruin EVERYTHING!" he shouted at the end as he stepped to her side and pushed down her arm.

"What are you doing?" she shouted as she tried to wriggle himself free from his arm, yet it was futile as Crane smiled.

"Let me go! Have you lost your mind, Dr Crane!" she shouted, trying to reason with him, yet it was useless.

"I have not. No, this is the first time I have ever had real clarity, clarity about the importance of my work. Work that will help transform Gotham once and for all!" he said as he raised a syringe and pushed it into her arm.

"NO! NOO!!" she struggled as she tried to pry away her arm from his grip.

And then, after a short stabbing pain, she felt a liquid enter her veins, as her heartbeat increased and the world around her shifted, as Crane's face shifted.

Replaced by a mangled, demonic structure that made her shriek.

"AHAHAHAHAH!"

"HA!" she screamed in fear as she felt her mind contort; despite all her efforts, her mind refused to rationalize it all as a voice cut in.

"And I wouldn't count much on your little Wayne friend to rescue you." A shrill voice cut through the air as she hyperventilated.

"Thomas Wayne should be long dead by now!"

Her heart nearly gave out at those words as she barely managed to speak out.

"No, Thomas!"

And then a sharp noise interrupted them as the lights of the massive hangar went out.

0000

DUCARD-Ra's Al Ghul

The leader of the League of Shadows stepped into the burning office of Thomas Wayne as he unhooked the zipline and stepped inside the now destroyed office.

Nearly half a dozen members of the League stood by his side as he walked through the rubble. Broken glass and rubble littered the ground as fires burnt all around.

And there, in the corner of the office, sat the man, one of the two people that stood in his way. The second son of the Wayne family, who, much like his namesake, had refused to step away.

"You!" he barked angrily as blood dripped from his side. He lay there propped up against the wall, holding his side as blood dripped down his side, and he glared at him.

"You are Ducard," he snarled, and he raised a brow as he walked infront of him.

"Indeed, and I have come to learn that you have been searching for me," he reiterated as he put out his arms.

"And now I am here!" he replied, and Bruce's brother gritted his teeth as he continued.

"Why are you doing this? Why?" he questioned, and Ducard looked at the man.

"I am afraid you already know the answer to that," he answered honestly.

"This city has become infested with crime and injustice. The streets are rife with criminals who prey on the weak and the destitute openly with no fear of retribution."

"You are wrong," he cut in as he hissed in pain, as he looked him in the eye.

"Yes, Gotham was troubled and strangled by the criminal faculty, yet the city heals now. People have hope, hope of a better future. Things are changing," he reiterated, and he shook his head.

"I am afraid you are wrong, Mr. Wayne. The city is not healing. Moreso, with your actions. You have not changed this city; you have simply replaced the criminal faculty of this city, for make no mistake, Mr. Wayne," he began as he took out his sword and walked up to the young man.

"You are not the solution. No, you are the very problem that plagues this city. You hold an innumerable amount of power, and we all know what power does to a man," he said as he stopped right in front of him.

"Power corrupts, and absolute power absolutely corrupts," he finished.

"I am not corrupt. I have done all I can to help this city. Help these people," Thomas Wayne snarled.

"And what is to stop you from doing the opposite of that," he questioned as he gripped the blade and raised it.

"You, Mr. Wayne, are a reminder of what is wrong with this city and shall be the first to be culled as I raze this city and bring about true change!" and with that, he swung his blade at the man's head to grant him a swift and painless death.

THUNK!

Yet his eyes widened as the blade simply passed through his neck and struck the rock beside him. A smile appeared on Thomas Wayne's face before his whole body flickered, making him widen his eyes.

It was a hologram. A highly realistic hologram.

"Surprise!"

"WHA….."

THUNK! THUNK!

Then his head snapped towards the side, and he watched as two of his men fell to the ground, grunting in pain as their legs were impaled by some sort of claws, and then two men on the other side fell to the ground as well, grunting and screaming in pain as the sound of mechanical steps rippled through the room and he looked up and found an armored man step out of the smoke.

It was silver, and shimmered in the fire, and covered his whole body. And from the back of the armor extended four claws-like things which had impaled his men.

"It seems people have a misconception that just because I dislike violence, I am not good at it!"

"ARGH!" his men screamed as the claws impaling them retracted, leaving them bleeding on the ground.

"They couldn't be more wrong!"

"ATTACK!" he screamed, and his men shot at the armor, yet the bullets simply bounced off of him as he continued to step forward, unbothered by the bullets which bounced off of his armor.

"This just proves my point. No man should ever be allowed to wield such power," he snarled as he reached for his belt.

"Coming from you, that's ironic. Given up, Ducard, call off your attack, and I will spare you and your pathetic little group of zealots. Otherwise, my men and forces are right now dismantling all of the League's operations around the globe," he snarled, and he stilled at those words.

And with that, the sheer severity of the situation dawned on him.

"You and your group will end tonight," Thomas Wayne snarled as the last of the men were sent flying towards the wall, and as they hit it, they fell to the ground with a grunt, losing their consciousness.

"No, this night shall be the re-emergence of the League. Gotham's reckoning is inevitable. Soon, this city shall tear itself apart, and there is nothing you can do about that," he said as he looked around the room before his eyes landed on just what he needed.

"For that, you will have to go through me first," came the retort.

"We will see about that!"

And then he threw the smoke bombs on the floor, basking the whole area in thick smoke as he rushed towards the other side of the room.

.

.

.

"ARGH!" he heard her shriek and struggled as he dragged her to the gaping hole and held her in his arms as the smoke cleared up.

"What are you doing, Ducard? Let her go," came the voice of Thomas Wayne as the mask around him opened up, and he caught a glimpse of Bruce's younger brother.

They were alike in their appearance.

"Of course," and with that, he swung her across the hole and watched as Thomas's eyes widened as he rushed towards him.

"ARGH!" the redhead screamed as she was pushed off the top floor of Wayne Tower, and Thomas Wayne made to follow her, hence giving him the opportunity to escape.

As he was about to climb up the rope, he stopped and screamed in pain as a bullet cut through the rope, brushing off the side of his hand.

"AH!" he screamed in pain, turned back, and found himself face to face with a rather familiar face.

"You!" He snarled in rage as he recognized that outfit resembling a cat-themed mask.

"Yeah, me, and it is time for payback!"

0000

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