Stuck in the Elevator
Introduction: This is my first story here; I've been a long- time reader but I've just never had the time to write any stories of my own. This one is based on plot that was borrowed from the movie. Some dialogue & scenes have been changed from the movie.
Warning: Some strange humour. Kind of silly, but not what you think (i.e. sloppy romance).
Reviews of any kind are welcome: the good, the bad & the ugly.
Synopsis: What if Crane & Rachel had gotten stuck in the elevator on their way to the basement at Arkham?
Disclaimer: I hereby disavow any rights to any characters that do not belong to me. All I own is plot that was not in the movie.
Rachel stared at Falcone through the thick glass and tapped her foot impatiently. She was infuriated; that little weasel Crane had simply gone down to Gotham County Jail and declared Carmine Falcone to be insane. He was now incarcerated under the watchful eye of Dr. Jonathan Crane, Gotham's resident psycho-magician; it seemed to Rachel that he could merely wave his hands, mutter incomprehensible psychoanalytical crap and then, in the blink of an eye, someone was insane. There had to be a reason why he was so eager to add to his brood of patients and Rachel was intent on finding out why tonight.
"Scarecrow…………scarecrow……..scarecrowwww," Falcone muttered as his head twitched weakly from side to side and his blank eyes focused ahead at something invisible in the air. Rachel was stunned to see him in his current condition. It was bewildering to behold one of Gotham City's top crime lords as he was now, reduced to a helpless, insignificant figure in an orange jumpsuit with no power.
"Right down here, Dr. Crane," a voice down the hallway caused Rachel to turn her head. Dr. Crane came around a corner and walked down to where she stood, putting on his glasses as he did so. She abruptly felt a twinge in her lower back.
Oh God, not now, she thought.
She turned toward him as he cocked his head and regarded her with a critical look. "Ms. Dawes," he said in his usual business- like tone, "this is...most irregular. I have nothing further to add to the report I filed with the judge."
"I have questions about your report," she replied defiantly with her jaw set. He was definitely going to be trouble and she suddenly felt irritated and lethargic. She knew why and she hoped that she could finish this unpleasant matter as quickly as possible. Her back gave yet another twinge.
"Such as?" he smoothly inquired, unperturbed by her hostile manner.
"Isn't it convenient for a 52 year-old man with no history of mental illness to suddenly be declared insane just when he's about to be indicted?" She glared at him through the dim lights.
"As you can see, there is nothing convenient about his symptoms." He returned her stare with his own icy gaze.
"What's 'scarecrow'?" she asked and immediately regretted it. Without delay he launched into yet another one of his unbearable speeches about the human psyche.
"Patients suffering from delusional episodes often focus their paranoia on an external tormenter, usually one conforming to Jungian archetypes; in this case, a scarecrow," he informed her in his characteristically superior manner.
Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed. She felt slightly nauseous. Why does this have to happen now? She took a deep breath, hoping to ignore the impending feeling of sickness in her stomach. "He's drugged?"
"Psychopharmacology is my primary field. I'm a strong advocate. Outside he was a giant; in here only the mind can grant you power." Hopefully, the abstract rant would make her relent, at least for the night, as Crane had many things to do and she was beginning to get on his nerves. She had the most amazing knack for annoying him like no one else.
"You enjoy the reversal," she said ponderingly, furrowing her brow.
"I respect the mind's power over the body. It's why I do what I do." Isn't she going to leave?
"I do what I do to keep thugs like Falcone behind bars, not in therapy," she told him with a frosty glare and stalked past him towards the elevator.
Crane turned and followed her down the hallway. She simply did not know when to stop; in a way he admired her persistence, but tonight it would not serve her well. Now she was babbling something about wanting her own medical assessment of Falcone. He felt certain that he could mislead the authorities about Falcone's true medical condition, but this would require a considerable effort, something for which he did not have the time. He was already behind on important tasks, so he would just take the easy way out and prevent Rachel from interfering. Yes, that was the only way; his head was vaguely starting to buzz with a hideously recognizable voice that told him so. He came up beside her.
"First thing tomorrow, then," he said. Although he should have been clear on what he had to do, for some reason he could not identify he felt...what, confusion? Unease? That was reasonable; the past few weeks had been very hectic and it seemed as if he and Dawes had constantly been at each other's throats. Or more precisely, she had been at his throat; he had no problem with her but she simply would not let him be. It was something more than that, though, a feeling he could not pinpoint. Perhaps a little regret? The little nag is starting to grow on me, he realized.
"Tonight," she informed him and stepped into the elevator.
"As you wish," he replied listlessly and followed her.
Rachel shot him an annoyed glance as the doors of the elevator closed. 'As you wish?'... 'Most irregular?' 'I would have hardly' this and 'I would have hardly' that? What the hell was up with his Victorian- era speech? Rachel had observed him speaking to other people, particularly females, and whilst he maintained his no- nonsense tone he certainly didn't use the patronizing one he used with her. It was almost as if he were mocking her, as if he thought that she was to be treated in only the most delicate manner. Did he think she was a spoilt brat? He should know that she had a humble upbringing, just as his. He probably considered her to be stupid since she was a female and he was the all- knowing male. He was such an ass. As the elevator slowly began to move Rachel reflected that she would have liked to smack him upside the head, just to see anything but the amused, calculating expression he usually wore. She took another deep breath and tried to calm herself; this was not the time or place to throw a tantrum. She shifted uncomfortably as she became aware of a dull throb in her lower back area. She wondered why he had used his key in the elevator; secure access was only required for the maximum security wards, as far as she knew.
"Where are we going?" she asked him, trying to ignore the pain which was steadily coursing its way through her body.
"Well, we're going to deal with Mr. Falcone's latest medical debacle, just as you asked," he replied in a slightly amused tone.
Rachel sighed. The way she was feeling now, she was tempted to tell him that it could wait until the morning but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of having his way again. She hoped Dr. Lehman would hurry so she could go back to her apartment; she would just finish her paperwork there. Suddenly, there was an ominous creaking sound from above their heads. She looked upwards in alarm. It sounded as if it was coming from the elevator shafts above, but then there came a thumping that seemed to be coming from all around them. The elevator jerked slightly and Rachel swiftly looked at Crane, immediately suspicious, but he was also looking up, his brow furrowed.
"What--," she began before the carriage gave a rapid shake, causing both to brace themselves against its walls with their hands. There was a distant thud and the elevator came to an abrupt halt with a grind. "What's going on?" She did not try to keep the panic out of her voice; she did not want to be stuck in an elevator at Arkham Asylum with Jonathan Crane, especially now. She looked at the panel of numbers to the side where he stood and saw that whilst a red light illuminated the button he had pressed (it was marked as 'B' so Rachel guessed this was the basement), the ones marked as 'G' and '1' were blinking rapidly.
"We've stopped, though I don't know why," he said with impatience as he removed his keys from the slot on the panel. He stretched upwards and inserted a small grey key into a seemingly invisible niche. Rachel watched with astonishment as a rectangular area from the wall swung open to reveal a small black handset and a series of buttons set inside a compartment. He removed the handset, positioned it to his left ear and pressed two buttons.
"Yes, this is Dr. Crane. I'm in the 1A elevator with Ms. Dawes; it stopped suddenly and it appears the emergency shutdown has gone into effect." Rachel noticed that the red lights on the panel had abruptly disappeared and all the keys were dark grey. He paused and his eyes swept slowly across the wall as he listened to the voice at the other end.
"Yes, I'm aware of that but that's on the other side of the building." There was another lengthy pause. He looked annoyed. "Well, perhaps you could send someone down here to pry the doors open while we're waiting. Thank you." He replaced the receiver and closed the cubicle. Rachel looked at him intently.
"The elevators on the south side are being refurbished. Apparently one of the new circuits they installed malfunctioned. The emergency system automatically shuts down when that happens to prevent accidents," he told her.
"Are we stuck here for long?" she wanted to know. A slow, steady pain was making itself known across her lower back and starting to spread. She would need to get to a bathroom soon if it was what she thought it was.
"I asked the guards on duty to call the maintenance. They'll be here shortly to see if they can get the doors open so we won't have to wait."
Gone was the aggressive tone from both their voices; hers sounded anxious and his, somewhat preoccupied. They stood silent, both looking at the double doors as if willing them to open.
Crane could not dispel the sudden disenchantment that seemed to come over him; he felt as if he had forgotten something of utmost importance. He tried to recall the major tasks he had completed over the past few weeks; nothing seemed unsatisfactory, he had personally made the toxin himself and its' perfection was attested to by Falcone and that disturbed clown who dressed himself up as a bat. Yet a feeling of disquiet and foreboding lingered in the back of his mind, coupled to one of irritation at this disruption in his plans for Dawes. How was he supposed to deal with her now? Maybe, if he was lucky, she would be too tired by the time this was over to bother with Falcone tonight. That would give him sufficient time to resolve this latest snag in his plans. Besides, he really just wanted to be alone to sort out his thoughts. He cast a sideways glance at her; she appeared to be aggravated…………..
Rachel's trepidation was at its peak level even though she tried to calm herself. Everything's going to be fine, she convinced herself. When the doors opened she would excuse herself and go to the bathroom. After she was in a more comfortable disposition she would call Dr. Lehman and order him to get his fat ass down here as cordially as she could manage in her current condition. They would get Falcone's blood sample and anything else they required. If Crane objected she would merely tell him to shove it; she was no longer in the mood for anyone's crap. Finally, she would head back to her apartment.
However, the pain was now becoming distracting; she lightly rested the palm of her right hand on the side wall and shifted her weight to her right side in an attempt to ease the sharp jolts of agony that was now shooting through from her back to her pelvis. Just take slow, deep breaths and try to ignore it, she told herself. The steady pulses did not recede and she knew she could hide it only so long before Crane noticed her behaviour. She cringed at the thought of having to explain to him what was wrong. She opened her purse and rummaged through its' contents, all the while trying to keep her laboured breathing as inconspicuous as possible. There was her small bottled water……but no clear plastic packet with her pills. She had forgotten to transfer a few from its' blue bottle in her black purse, as she customarily did. She would just have to bear with this anguish for a time and hope that it would dissipate.
Distant footsteps coming from outside the elevator caused them both to look up. They grew closer and stopped outside the doors. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?" a voice asked from outside.
"Mr. Grierson?" Crane called out.
"Yes, Dr. Crane, it's me. I'm sorry to tell you this, but the maintenance people say it's gonna take them a half hour to get here and at least another half hour to repair the circuit. They also say that all the elevators are connected by the new emergency system they installed. When the circuit blew in the elevator on the south side the doors sealed shut. It won't open until the circuit's repaired so that goes for all the other elevators. I guess you're stuck in there for awhile." The man sounded apologetic.
Crane sighed in frustration; tonight's plans would definitely have to be put on hold. What was probably worse was that he was stuck in here with Rachel, who would undoubtedly use this opportunity, as sure as the sun would rise in the morning, to interrogate and critique him on anything her heart desired. This was not going to be fun.
"Alright, thank you." Crane briefly wondered if he could climb through the air vents, just to escape her imminent cross- examination.
Grierson started to walk away then hesitated as he remembered that Crane was not alone. "Miss? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, thanks," Rachel answered, hoping she sounded normal. Crane thought her voice sounded a little strangled. He looked at her curiously but her head was bent in such a way that her hair covered the side of her face and Crane could not get a read on her.
Probably thinking of where to begin, he thought wearily, and turned his head to continue staring gloomily at the elevator doors. He heard the security guard's footsteps grow distant until they were alone once again. He waited for the sound of the voice he had come to dread over the course of the past few weeks, but there was only stillness. Thank God for small favours……………
Rachel tried to quell the rising panic that threatened to break down her external composure. She would have to wait here for at least an hour in this less- than- favourable state. Maybe it won't come for about an hour or so, she tried to comfort herself as best as she could with the roaring cramps she was experiencing. Then she felt a small, but distinct warmth in the lower part of her body. She concentrated on remembering if she had………no, she hadn't. She had intended to put one on just for safety, as she usually did when she was expecting it, but her anger at Crane had caused her to stalk out of Bruce's mansion without remembering to use the bathroom. After all the years in junior and senior high school worrying every month that something like this would happen, it finally had, when she was a grown woman. And of course Jonathan Crane had to be stuck here with her. Still, it could be worse; he wasn't like many of the boys she had known during her high school years whose behaviour had caused to closely guard the private aspects of her femininity. There would be no snide remarks from him even if he guessed what was going on, but Rachel had no intention of showing any weakness. She didn't want to give him the impression that she had relented. She still had a job to do. The entire situation was bizarre. It wasn't so bad, though; it would start lightly as it always did. She figured she had at least an hour before she was really in trouble. That left her to contend with the excruciating cramps. She decided to obtain more details from Crane on what had happened to Falcone; that would keep her occupied. This time, he had nowhere to go, so he would have no choice but to say something. She turned to him.
He saw her from the corner of his eye. He braced himself. Oh, Lord, here we go…………
Author's Note: Sorry about the long, rambling chapter with little dialogue (& possible typos & grammatical errors). I did this relatively quickly; when I do start to write, I write a lot. That's why I'll continue this in another chapter even though it was originally intended to be a oneshot. I have much more to write, including more dialogue between Crane & Rachel as well as a funny appearance by Batman.
I appreciate reviews. Thanks for reading.
FalconHorror