The Universe's Mixer

(mentions of sexual acts - non graphic)

Edward hadnt been very pleased with the turn of events from the fire fight he'd been in with his daughter. He was glad she'd been shot, but he had too. And she had survived. That was the most irksome thing ever.

His chest and shoulder still throbbed from the hits he'd taken, the ones Jonathan had had to repair for him. If Eddie wasn't careful he'd be looking much like a rag doll instead of a man.

He shifted slowly, trying to ease the pain he was feeling, settling once more in the chair he currently occupied. He was in Spooky's office, waiting for his man to finish up whatever it was he was doing.

Edward had been so busy causing mayhem he hadn't seen much of his lover lately. Which was unacceptable. Edward had needs and urges that had no business being allowed to linger and build. So, he'd made a point to make time for his love.
The damn brat had almost killed him, but Edward wasn't going to give up so easily. He might've lost her to the good side, but he still had Jonathan and as long as the Doctor wanted him around, Edward knew he would make a good recovery.

Tempted, Edward lifted his cane and poked at a few things on Jonathan's desk as he waited, growing more and more impatient as well as more and more irritated with pain.

( A Troubled Fantasy )

Hannibal carried in his hands a copy of the official report that he'd made about Enigma and her state of mind, and the not-official writeup of his time with her. A full account of the whole thing, beginning to end. The authorities would never see that part of it. He'd done it specially for the person that he was going to see now.

The cab dropped him off at the doors to Arkham despite the argument of the cabbie that he didn't feel comfortable getting that close. Hannibal had persuaded the man that it was in his best interests to not make his passenger walk from the front gates. It wasn't a long walk, per se, not in the grand scheme of things, it was just the principal of the matter. Hannibal had hired the car to take him to Arkham Asylum, not anything else.

He'd come because he wanted to know more about the family ties Enigma had spoken of. He wanted to see the complexity for himself. And more than anything, he wanted to get Jonathan's reaction to the encounter. He wanted to watch Crane's face as he read what Hannibal had done. Possibly see that other face there, too, those other eyes gazing out of the darkness.

"I'm here to see Doctor Crane." Hannibal told the front desk person. "No, I do not have an appointment, but I think he'll see me anyway. Tell him it's Doctor Lecter. If he still states he doesn't wish to be bothered, I will go. But only then."

Hannibal waited.

(Note: Due to the fact the Nigma Family cannot have a scene without being drama llamas, this opening is gigantic...enjoy!)

“People usually knock, Daddy,” Enigma said, watching her father’s entrance in her dressing table mirror before standing, her robe falling down onto the bench as she did. Where most people would feel uncomfortable being around a parent in their under clothes, the idea never bothered Enigma, having long lost any sense of shame beofre she met Edward again, and certainly lost it after sharing the back of a van as their living space for a month before they found a decent warehouse to crash in.

She pulled the comb from her hair, her long, brown curls cascading down her back as she looked at him fully. “Come to help me into my dress, or am I still waiting for Di and Elena?”

( The Wedding of the Century )

Jonathan grinned as Nightmare whinnied, pulling his burlap mask down over his face, fading into even blacker darkness as Scarecrow slid forward, a manic giggle spreading through the eternal night as he twirled his scythe, kicking Nightmare into action.

The horse eagerly leap forward, heading for the bridge that separated Arkham from the rest of the City, the horse just as eager as her masters to play in the night. It had been a while since Scarecrow got a chance to fully play, not even allowed to back in Gotham due to business matters at hand (such as running and hiding from the Batman), but the night was theirs and they were free.

Jonathan had given the toxin gas to Joker to play with, the clown running off with it and hiding in places unknown, however, he had not turned over the serum bottles, nor the powder, and both were currently with Scarecrow as he headed down a street, debating just how much chaos he wanted to cause.

He wanted the city to scream.

Jonathan sat on Edward's worktable as he waited for the man in question to return to the warehouse, reaching down to pull a bit of cat hair from his leather pants as he waited, absently brushing his hands over his velvet vest, wanting to keep it pristine.

Honestly, Edward really should hire a made considering the amount of fur and dander in the warehouse after having Jaq and Confucius there.

He checked his watch, before picking up one of the priceless antiques on the table, smirking at the tag on it, reading 'From E'. He pulled the tag off and threw it aside, before sticking his own jack-o-lantern sticker on it, claiming the gift as his own.

Lindsey was in at his usual time every day after meeting Hannibal Lecter.

He had plenty to look at with River Tam's case, and really, though he wasn't so sure this kid would grow up to be the monster that Anthony Hopkins played, Lindsey really wasn't about to get on the guy's bad side. He figured as long as he did his job--which he was very, very good at--that wasn't going to happen. He remembered a line from "The Silence of the Lambs" after watching it again, after Andrea found it: "He'd never go after me. I can't explain it. It's like he'd think it was impolite." Starling'd said it.

Today was no different, though when he arrived at work, Andrea looked sheepish.

"Everything okay?" he asked her.

"There's a Doctor Crane in your office to see you."

Lindsey sighed. "I didn't have any appointments."

"I know, but..."

"I'll go see 'em, just... enough with the early mornin' people thing," he muttered, passing her desk and going inside.

He set his coffee down and smiled at the man in the chair Lecter'd sat in just days ago. "Hi there, Doctor Crane. What can I do for you?"

Bruce had finally had enough of seeing his wife-to-be being the playtoy of the criminals of this city. First it had been Joker, and now Jonathan Crane? Weren't the villians supposed to stick together, like the super heros tended to? Maybe Bruce had assumed that criminals flocked in the same patterns as the hero types. That wasn't a very safe assumption, but it had been the one that had made sense, though it was probably the idea furthest from the truth. Eddie didn't seem to be part of that group of elite criminals, or at least it seemed that way to Bruce considering he had been the second victim in the plot against the Nigmas. Both of the Nigma clan had been held against their will in the depths of Arkham Asylum by Jonathan Crane and Joker, something that was unforgiavble in Bruce's eyes. He had always been wary of Crane, the man just gave him a strange feeling every time he was around and he didn't like Enigma hanging around him. Especially now that Bruce knew how little Jonathan cared about her. The man was supposed to be her "step-father" after all, he should know better than to treat Enigma so poorly. Well, it didn't seem like Eddie had been treated any better and he was supposed to be Crane's partner. At least, that's what Bruce understood. How could something like this happen?

It seemed to Bruce that if someone didn't do something, Enigma was destined for a full body cast at some point in her life, and with their up-coming wedding he had a good idea that she would want to look like a noraml woman in her dress when she stood at the altar, and not wrapped from head to toe in plaster and bandages. Nor did he want her addicted to pain killers. She was already suffering enough from the broken elbow which she had some how managed to earn from Crane, another thing that made Bruce sick. He never wanted another man laying hands on the woman he loved, especially not with ill intent. Jonathan seemed to have crossed too many boundaries, and it was time someone stood up for the Nigmas, especially the littlest one.

Setting his feud with Eddie aside, Bruce agreed to go to Arkham to confront Crane about the kidnapping. He wasn't afraid of the skinny, dark-haired man in the slightest. Bruce wasn't one to jump head first into a fight, either, as it didn't fare well for his green beast, but something had to be done, and despite the last heated encounter with Dr. Crane, Bruce hoped they could set their differences aside and just talk like normal people. Hope being the key word.

Bruce wasn't interested in any scheme that Eddie might be formulating for Crane, having no idea what exactly was going on between them, only that it wasn't good. The elder Nigma was secretly trying to pit the Hulk against the beast inside his ex, and using Bruce as bait to draw out the Scare Beast was perfect. Too perfect. There wasn't anyone else immune to fear toxin, so that made Bruce the prime contender for the slot. When this was all over, perhaps Jonathan will learn something valuable. Not to mess with the people you love, and to know where your true allies were. Eddie had powerful allies, he didn't need Jack to back him up when he had a green monster at the disposal of his daughter. Enigma could get Bruce to do about anything for her, and this was a prime example.

So, with the idea of confronting Jonathan in mind, Bruce headed to Arkham to find the man responsible for holding his fiancee hostage.

He arrived via bicycle, leaving the contraption outside in the rack designed for such things, and headed inside, unaware of what direction exactly this was headed but he would find out soon enough.

He moved through the doors that lead into the lobby, and approached the desk for reception, asking the woman politely where he could find Dr. Crane, being pointed in the direction of the office he'd been at only once before. With a soft thanks, Bruce moved away from the desk and slipped down the hallway, approaching the too familiar door. It was closed, as usual, which didn't suprise Bruce in the slightest. Part of him hoped Crane wasn't there, or that he was with a patient. It wasn't out of fear, this building made Bruce uncomfortable to be in, and that wasn't good for his inner beast. Being uncomfortable was a doorway that lead to a world full of terrible things, a door that Bruce never wanted to open for any reason.

He approached the door, slowly, pausing once outside, lifting a hand to knock gently at the door, waiting patiently despite the discomfort he was feeling. This had to end now.

(Backdated to before the kidnapping of Edward and Enigma, and right after Edward kidnaps Beauty)

Eddie had done a terrible thing by capturing such a lovely woman, but he was tired of hearing Jonathan basically swooning over her, so to get it out of his system Edward did the only thing he knew how to do, and that was push the obsession into over drive by allowing his partner to consume himself in the matter. Hopefully he would get tired of her and forget about the whole thing. Eddie hated competition when it came to his man so it was worth the risk of kidnapping her in broad daylight, in front of her own store, to get this matter resolved.

Edward had Marcus pull the car around to the back of the Asylum once they had located the building and approached it. The car settled in the back where the patients were usually brought in, considering it wasn't classy to just simply walk them through the front door. There was a loading area with a service entrance and a place where the local crazies were processed and then put into their cells or rooms to serve their sentances and recieve treatment for their disorders. "We're here, lovely!" Eddie said with a giggle, the car ceasing to move and to run in a few moments after they had reached the back of the facility. Marcus opened the door on Beauty's side, pulling the woman gently from the car. For being a large man, Marcus could be very gentle and he hated the fact that Eddie was doing such a thing to her. But Edward didn't have time for Marcus's opinion on his diabolical matters.

"This way, Marcus." Eddie said, once he was out of the car, motioning to the processing entrance. He had access to the building that would get them in and get her settled, having picked out a nice room for her before he had left to retrieve her. With another maniacal giggle, Eddie moved forwards, leading the way with Marcus and the young woman behind him. He knew full well that Beauty could scream and fight at any moment, but that wouldn't do her any good, nobody would hear her, nor would they care.

"I've got the best room in the house already all made up for you, dear. I think you're going to enjoy your stay here with us."

There were few things Enigma could turn away from, shiny gemstones, her father...and the latest technological goodies. So when the invite came to invite her to a limited showing of the latest and greatest on offering in the tech world, she didn’t think twice, leaving the invite with Timmy as a note to Bruce of where she ran off to, before she headed downstairs.

And one day, she would remember there was a reason she employed Marcus besides being adorable.

She groaned as she sat up, chains clinking as she raised her hands to her spinning head. She didn't remember much, a building, a rush of something not being right, and then it all went dark, though judging by the pounding in her head and the taste in her mouth, she had a feeling that she had been gassed, her head hitting the floor as she collapsed.

“Hello?” she called out, testing where she was and if there was anyone with her.

It was time.

Jack had gotten a note about a certain request being filled. He'd let it sit for as long as he thought was safe, erring on the side of just a little bit too long, but right on the asshole edge of anything that would make Jonathan think that he'd given up on the idea of spreading toxin across the whole of the City.

He arrived at the asylum in a panel truck that should have been carrying an industrial sized furnace, which he backed right into the delivery bay. He'd never had the furnace, of course. He'd just stolen the truck from the shipyards. Probably somebody down there was going to wonder how they hell they were supposed to move a couple of tons of metal without their truck. They were also probably going to get fired for leaving the keys in it. Jack hadn't helped the situation by leaving a note in nicely printed letters saying THANKS FOR THE KEYS!

Sometimes he thought it was more friendly to leave notes.

Most of the time, he just did it to be a dick.

Jack left the truck running as he went to the front of Arkham. He didn't even bother to stop at reception this time, just walked right through. Right to Crane's office.

"Knocky knock! You've missed me, I know you have!"

Eddie arrived at Arkham, brooding and pissed off from what he had heard Enigma saying about how Jonathan and Joker had been plotting against his daughter, without him, and been up to causing mayhem, again without him, which weren’t things that made him too happy. Especially since those were things that Edward wanted, that were currently being taken from him, and he was going to react accordingly to that.

When Marcus pulled up to the curb at Arkham, Eddie got himself out of the vehicle using his crutches, hobbling up the pathway to the asylum, moving across the threshold of the door, and making his way to Jonathan’s office. By the time he reached the office door, he was black with rage and he didn’t even want to talk things through, he was at the point of being almost irrational, which was never good for anyone that wandered into his path.

He didn’t bother knocking, just let himself in, glaring at Jonathan with a look full of venom, obviously upset, “What the fuck did you think you were doing siccing Joker on Enigma?” Eddie growled, slamming the door shut behind himself with a crutch, before hobbling to the middle of the room, hoping to get a good answer, though with the situation as fragile as it was, he probably wasn’t going to get one.

( Setting Up a Punchline )

Lois had received the necklace from Dr. Crane. It was gorgeous and she was flattered, but she also wasn't sure what to make of it. It was an awfully extravagant gift from someone that she wasn't dating.

She did pick up something for him as well-an intricately carved wooden chess set. She wasn't sure if he played, but what shrink didn't enjoy a game that was all about strategy, right?

She called Arkham ahead of time to make an appointment to drop in and give her thanks. The man in question was something of a puzzle to her, though that just made him all the more intriguing. Both Jonathan and Eddie were curious personalities. She sensed just a hint of danger from the two of them, though she couldn't put her finger on why. While some might run screaming from that, Lois was just the sort to want to dig a little deeper.

It was brilliant to fly again.

Rufio soared through the City, going as high as he could and then free falling for a bit to feel the adrenaline rush. Reacquainting himself with the tallest towers and roofs he simply couldn't make it to without pixie dust.

Tink being with him had put him in a better mood than he'd been in ages, and after finishing a new apartment for her he'd gone to spread his joy throughout the City. Which, of course, was mostly just graffitiing and petty crimes, but it was all in good fun. He even let a cop chase him for a while, just to see if he could get away.

Eventually, though, his attention was drawn to a large, imposing looking building he had noticed before but never explored properly. It had a fence and the usual efforts to keep random people out, but Rufio wasn't random and not really a "people", either. He floated in and around the building, finding a few people who wore the same clothes as some people did in the hospital, except they didn't look injured. Just like most of them were ships missing a few sails.

Flying over to a tall fence Rufio landed lightly, crouching between the spikes on top and looking down at a man who had spotted him, and was staring at him as if he were trying to work out if Rufio was really there or not.

"Are you an angel?" he asked after a moment. Rufio blinked, then smirked.

"No. I'm a Lost Boy. Hey, what is this place?"

"A Lost Boy? Oh... you belong here, then. This is the place for lost things. Well. People who have lost things," the man said, sighing and then walking away. Rufio blinked, then flew up again, most curious than ever. There seemed to be some kind of security at most of the doors, so he stealthily circled the building and tried the upper level windows, well, the ones without bars on them, and eventually made his way into a hallway.

Thrusting his multi-colored paint stained fingers into his jeans, the Pan walked casually down the corridor, finding himself in a place that looked like a hospital but had little windows on the doors. Rufio frowned and went to open one door, but it was locked, so instead he lifted the cover to the small window, peering in. The howling that exploded from within came a split second before a large body flung itself at the little window, and with a startled yelp Rufio launched himself backwards, drawing his golden sword in a flash and crouching in the corner between the wall and ceiling opposite the door he'd just tried to open. However, the cry stopped as soon as the little window fell shut again, and Rufio was left breathing heavily, still in the air, feet and non-weapon wielding hand braced against the wall and ceiling so he could launch himself quickly again if he needed to.

(Backdated to before the Christmas post with Bruce and Enigma, and a little after the Gala post)


Of course, the fight had not ended well for Edward who was now bleeding pretty badly, and despite the pain that he was feeling, Eddie was grinning madly, sitting up on the bloody tiled floor, clutching his leg. That stupid scientist had shot him, completely by accident of course, but even still! He had had the nerve! And of course Edward saw the action as a threat, as well as a defining point in the relationship he had with Bruce. Things had changed for them, he and the scientist, it was almost as if Bruce had proven that he wasn't going to be pushed around and that perhaps he really did care for Enigma like he claimed. That was fine with Eddie, Bruce could have that twit, but had he really needed to shoot him? Probably. Edward had been pretty hard on him, and so he really couldn't blame him. But Eddie hated bleeding like a little piggy all over the place. It was a look that didn't work well for him, and oh...Jonathan was going to be so furious.

Marcus, having been called by Bruce, rushed into the warehouse to survey the aftermath of the fight that had just occurred, seeing all of the blood. Eddie looked over his shoulder at Marcus, skin pale and sweaty, face calm, "Marcus, I need to see Jonathan." Eddie said, allowing Marcus to come over to where he was and examine the extent of his injury. Eddie growled, shoving the man, pushing him down into the blood, "What are you? A doctor? Idiot!" Eddie barked, making Marcus wince, then sigh. Marcus got up, and called a few men over to assist him with the injured criminal, the group able to get Eddie standing, with an arm looped over one of each of the henchmen at his sides, moving with them towards where the vehicles were kept.

When they reached the car, Marcus helped Eddie get into the back seat, and tied a shirt around the wound in Eddie's leg, before driving them to Arkham to see Jonathan. Eddie definitely wanted to turn this into a huge production, because why not? The situation called for a show.

When they arrived at Arkham, Marcus parked the car at the curb, and jumped out, manuvering Eddie out of the back seat carefully. Eddie winced in pain, hobbling along with Marcus, the shirt wrapped around his leg already partially soaked with blood, though it was tight enough at least to help stop the bleeding slightly. Jonathan would have to look at it and decide what Eddie would need to do next. Eddie grumbled, furious, wanting to kill someone in that moment, but he restrained his violence, making it over the threshold of the Asylum. Marcus told the receptionist to buzz for Jonathan, setting Eddie down in a chair, the man sweating profusely.

All they could do now was wait, and hope that Eddie could keep himself awake until Jonathan got there. This was going to be a long night.

Eddie had been thinking long and hard the past few days, his able mind rolling over and over all of the possibilities, finally coming to a conclusion. He had the perfect Christmas gift in mind for Jonathan, but he wasn't about to wait all the way until the holiday approached, he was terrible with surprises as it was, and so holding out wouldve been completely unbearable. Jonathan had been dropping so many hints, and Edward was picking them up just as quickly, really wanting to get the man that had run off with his heart something special.

It was going to be just what Jonathan wanted and Edward couldn't wait to see the look on the mans face when he saw what Eddie had in store for him. Of course, he knew it was pretty difficult to get Jonathan anything, but this....oh, this was too perfect.

After getting everything set up, this amazing surprise, Eddie made his way to Arkham, chatting up the receptionist once he was inside to see where the whereabouts where for the Doctor. Oh Jonathan was away from his office and would be back shortly? Perfect! Eddie thanked her warmly, before scurrying around the hallway to the door that stood between him and the office of the man he loved, pushing the door open with ease. Eddie giggled, slipping into the office, moving over to the desk, familiar with everything in the room already. He set an envelope down in the center of the desk, a green envelope with a golden question mark shape on the front, knowing Jonathan was smart enough to figure out ( the riddle )

Once the envelope was in place, Eddie walked out of the office like he owned the place, closing the door to the office behind him, walking right out of the front, before moving around the mansion itself to the back of the mansion. A row of stables were located back there, as was Jonathan's Christmas present.

He had left another ( envelope )
taped to the doors of the stable, for Jonathan to find.

Eddie hid where he could see Jonathan, but not where the other man would be able to see him as easily. Now it was time to wait.

After weeks of practice and fine-tuning, the newest performance opened at the City Opera House. Unlike before, the star diva was Enigma, in the title role. Another bright point of the evening came from the inventive interpretation of the classical score from Dr. Hannibal Lecter, on piano.

Again, Opening Night came with its victory gala at the end of the performance. Again, the featured stars invited special guests, and again, the City Opera provided complimentary tickets to one Ms. Lois Lane and the City Mayor (plus 1, naturally). But the performance and gala were also open to all. And as the performance came to a close, the gala sprung to life downstairs in the Grand Foyer.

Eddie had left Enigma sitting at the diner, done with that conversation which had turned out mostly to be a waste of his time. He figured that maybe she had changed, become more in tune to his ways, but she hadn't and she would only get in the way of his plans, like she used to. It was like no time had passed between them at all in the time she had gone to the time he had arrived and they were just picking up from where they had left off. However, despite how much he was torn between his hate for her and the fact that he loved her because they were kin, he knew she could be useful as far as assets and another pair of hands. He would get Jonathan's opinion. Jonathan meant so much to Eddie, that Edward took everything he said to heart, and if he ran something diabolical by his friend and Jonathan didn't like it, they tweaked it or scrapped it and moved on to the next thing. Jonathan was probably the only person, as well, that had a place reserved in Eddie's heart.

He didn't need Enigma to help him get around, for now he could just walk where he needed to go. Eventually, Eddie found Arkham, the unmistakable building he knew all too well, and that brought a grin to his face. The fact that it was bordering night time didn't concern Eddie in the least, nor did the fact that the head of the asylum might be buried in paperwork. God knew Jonathan didn't have much of a life, so Eddie wasn't worried wether or not he was going to be interrupting anything, Eddie was far too important to be kept waiting by frivolous things.

Eddie ascended the small staircase up front on the outside of the building and let himself into the facility, came thudding against the ground as he walked into the lobby, and up to reception, using his sweet talking ability to get the receptionist to tell him where Crane was hiding himself. He thanked her, voice smooth, almost purring at her, before making his was to the door that was supposed to contain his oldest friend.

He stopped outside the door, and lifted the cane up, knocking softly at the door itself, wondering if Jonathan would be happy to see him. It was possible. Who wasn't happy to see him? Even Enigma had been and Eddie had tried to kill her.

Patiently, he waited.

One of the other rumors that Lois thought was worth looking into had to do with Arkham Asylum. The Asylum had an interesting history as far as the City was concerned. From what Lois could surmise, every one of the non-locals to the City had ended up in Arkham for a time. And then for quite awhile, it had been condemned and there had been some talk of it being controlled by a madman.

Now, it was somehow miraculously repaired and operational again. There were other rumors surrounding the asylum now. Those regarding patients who were checked in and dissolved further into madness instead of finding help and sanctuary inside the walls.

Lois had chosen to call ahead for an appointment with one of the newest doctors, a Dr. Jonathan Crane. Sometimes she extended that courtesy. One did sometimes catch more flies with honey. Not always, but it was worth giving the polite approach a try before she started in on the more discreet investigative reporting.

She arrived on time for the appointment and checked in with the secretary. She had a list of questions already scribbled in her notebook and was prepared for the interview, though perhaps not as prepared as she should have been for the man she was about to meet.

(Content warning, not sure just yet exactly what, but probably adult stuff. Be warned.)

Bruce had never really had a reason before to visit the well-known Arkham asylum, a place he couldn't help but associate with visions of crazy inmates wandering around in orange jumpsuits, babbling incoherently amongst each other. However, he had worked up the courage, and approached the front steps with caution. This was new to him, out of his regular routine, but he owed a lot to Dr. Crane, and he felt that it was about time he met the other man formally, and extended his gratitude. He didn't know exactly why, but he felt a little uneasy about this particular building, and decided not to mark it with an organic microchip, not really sure if he'd ever want to come back to this place. The scientist in him found this old building completely fascinating, but the rational part of him was a little bit afraid, and that was rare for him. This place seemed to radiate chaos and evil, but somehow Bruce had managed to find the courage to approach its stairs, and the large metal doors. The building seemed fool proof, which was assuring, though he knew he could take just about anything that was even remotely a threat. With a sigh, followed by a gulp, Bruce ascended the concrete staircase that lead to the doors of the asylum, sliding them open with surprising ease, despite how heavy they seemed.

Enigma hadnt spoken much of Dr. Crane, so Bruce wasn't sure what to really expect from him, though he was aware that the doctor was some kind of master of potent substances. It was, after all, Dr. Cranes serum that could actually subdue the hulk, if only for moments, long enough to change back into a man, and that was all Bruce had really needed. It was the opportunity Bruce had yearned for, as the hulk, to be able to get back to a rational state. Upon entering the lobby of the asylum, Bruce padded across the concrete floor in a pair of soft soled slip on shoes, approaching the front desk. He paused, and looked at the nurse, whom returned his glance with a blank stare before asking him a question in an annoyed manner, "can I help ya?" He nodded and cleared his throat before blurting out softly, "Dr. Crane, is he in? You can tell him it's Bruce Banner. He should know who I am." He explained to the woman, though she had closed the glass partition that separated them after he had said his name. He stepped back and waited, standing quietly in the waiting room, wearing his favorite light purple button up shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of khaki pants.

There was some screaming fromw down the hallway, which made Bruce flinch, hoping the doctor was in. He didn't know how much more of that screaming, or this place, he would be able to take. He was glad, now, he hadnt decided to chip this place. It was best left forgotten about.

Dinah stood in front of the asylum, staring up at it in silence while she tried to psych herself up to enter. She had heard rumors about the asylum's reopening. Rumors that the Joker was now a patient here. Rumors that there was a new doctor in town.

She didn't like this place. In fact, she hated this place. Memories of being held against her will and drugged up were nothing compared to memories of how she'd found Jake here. Memories of wanting to kill the Joker and hesitating because Jake-Jake was in the room and she couldn't cross that line. Not with her son watching.

Memories of all that had happened in the months when Jake had been missing, and of everything that had come out in the months when he'd been recovering after the fact.

She hated this place, but she wouldn't let that keep her from doing her job.

Perhaps she could have brought Dean or Zoe or Oliver. Maybe she should have. But this return to Arkham was something she had to do on her own. She wasn't sure why exactly, but she knew that she had to face this on her own.

She wasn't wearing her fishnets today. She wasn't even wearing her other, slightly less revealing costume. Maybe she would have felt better if she had one of the costumes, but she was visiting in broad daylight and it would be better to be less conspicuous. Which meant normal clothes and a cover story. If Crane was indeed here, he would most likely recognize her. But if he wasn't, well, then she would at least have a chance of getting her information and leaving without trouble.

She finally found her courage and entered the building. Once inside, she made a beeline for the receptionist desk and asked to see Dr. Crane. She was most definitely hoping that all she received in response was a blank, confused look.