Author's Note: Here is the first revamped chapter of A Hero is an Insect in This World I hope that it's a lot better than the first version! As in the first, it is starting towards the end of Batman Begins. Please read and review!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Dark Knight, 'nor do I own any of the characters except for my own. Thanks.
Aubrey Wayne sighed, interlocking her fingers together in front of her and wringing her hands, what is going on? she thought to herself as she peered out of the windows of Wayne Manor. She was off duty from work tonight and as she thought about the things that could have happened to her brother, she bit her lip, chewing on it. She worked at Arkham Asylum, with her dear friend Jonathan Crane.
Jonathan, her head tilted to the side as she looked up at the night sky. She didn't know what to think of him anymore, not after the toxin.
"Miss Wayne?" Aubrey turned towards the voice, her elbow-length, dark brown hair flipping over her right shoulder as she did so. Her vibrant green eyes met her butler's green-gray eyes, and he could see instantly that she was worried. He just didn't know about what.
"Miss Wayne, what's the matter? You're trembling."
"Where's Bruce?" she whispered, turning back to face the window. Her thin, pale hands rested on her equally thin, pale arms, trying to warm herself. Alfred looked out into the night as she did, peering over her head. This was a simple task, as Aubrey wasn't very tall.
He looked at her facial expression, his heart sinking when he did so. Her perfectly plucked eyebrows were furrowed together, and her eyes were glossed over with tears of worry. Her red lips were trembling as she looked out the window, and Alfred was reminded of when Master Bruce had been gone for several years. Aubrey had stared out this same window day after day, waiting for him to come home.
Alfred's phone rang and he answered it. Aubrey turned around to see who it was when she heard her brother cry over the phone, "Alfred. Save me."
Alfred instructed Aubrey to stay in the house. She paced back and forth until she heard the car enter the drive way. She rushed forward to the front door and unlocked the locks, throwing the door open.
"What happened?" she shrieked. Her eyes fell to her brother who was in Alfred's arms shivering and crying, and dressed up as a bat.
Aubrey blinked, confused, before she helped Alfred get Bruce up to his room and she sat on the edge of his bed, refusing to leave.
Alfred watched as she sat there for two days, wondering what was going on through her mind as she stroked his hair lovingly and stared off into space.
Bruce Wayne awoke to someone stroking his hair and he looked up, "Mom?" he mumbled out. Instead of his mother, his sister smiled sadly down upon him, tears in her eyes. "Bree?"
"Hey, Brucey," she smiled softly before standing up, "Alfred! He's up!"
"How long was I out?" Bruce sat up in bed a bit and Aubrey lurched forward a bit, as if to help him before stopping herself.
"Two days," she looked down.
"It's your birthday," Alfred beamed at him, after entering the room.
"It was some kind of gas... I only breathed the slightest amount..." Bruce trailed off and Aubrey looked down somewhat shamefully, she knew of the gas' existence.
"I dread to think, sir," Alfred replied to him, "what would've happened if you'd had a lungful."
"I've felt those effects before..." Bruce continued. Aubrey raised her head, and an eyebrow, confused. "But this was much more potent."
"I took a blood sample and sent it to a laboratory; both discreet," Alfred handed Bruce a piece of paper, "and prompt blood work."
Bruce's eyes scanned the paper work as he read allowed, "Protein-based compounds..." he trailed off. "It might be possible to work up an antidote."
"Shall I contact Wayne Pharmaceutical, sir?" Alfred looked over to Bruce for instructions. Bruce shook his head, "No, I've got a better idea."
Aubrey smiled at her brother, "Before you get to work on that idea, I think we need to have a talk." She lifted her hand up and in it she held Batman's cowl. Bruce grinned sheepishly at his sister, shrugging his shoulders instantly. She scowled, playfully, and smacked him on the shoulder with his own cowl.
Aubrey went to Arkham Asylum about an hour or so after her brother had woken up, much happier. She hadn't left his side since he'd come home, and now she could give Jonathan Crane a piece of her mind.
She had met Jonathan in college; they had had a few classes together and after he was picked on a few times, she stood up for him. He had yelled at her and told her he didn't need a little girl's help, much less a little rich girl. She had ignored his words and continued to stick up for him, and eventually they had become very good friends once he'd given her the chance to get to know him. With this chance, they had found out they had a lot in common. They had moved in together after college. Aubrey had been twenty three when they'd graduated and that had been the year that they had to announce that Bruce was dead. They began working at Arkham together and Jonathan was promoted to head of Psychiatry. After Bruce's triumph and return not too long ago, Aubrey had moved back into the manor.
She walked into Arkham like a person on a mission, which in all reality she was. Her face was emotionless as she stormed in, her heels clicking loudly on the tiles.
"Miss Wayne, it's so nice to see you," a guard greeted her and she turned to face him.
"Where's Dr. Crane?"
"In his off-"
The guard didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence; Aubrey continued stalking down the hallway until she bust into Jonathan's office.
"Aubrey!" he grinned up at her, "So glad to see you today? You look lovely.""You're using it as a weapon now, Jon?" she hissed at him.
"What are you talking about?" he truly looked confused.
"The Batman was supposedly attacked by a hallucinogen. A fear-inducing hallucinogen. The funny thing is, I know someone who made a fear-inducing hallucinogen," she snarled at him, "Why would you need to use it as a weapon, Jon?"
"Aubrey, I," Jonathan's phone rang and he held up a finger to say he'd return to their conversation in a moment.
"Hello, Dr. Crane," he spoke calmly into the phone. "Yes. Miss Dawes? Well, if she insists. Yes, of course. No, thank you." He hung up the phone promptly after hearing Aubrey's angered breathing.
Aubrey looked at Jonathan curiously, "What about Rachel?"
"Miss Dawes isn't too pleased that Falcone has been moved to our little home."
"Falcone is here? Why?"
Jonathan smiled almost charmingly for the mad man that he was becoming and leaned back in his chair as he tapped his temple. Aubrey gasped, "You experimented with that stuff on Falcone? Jonathan!"
He smiled and patted the top of her head, "Come my dear, we have a visitor."
Aubrey stared at the back of Jonathan's head, dumbfounded, but she followed him anyways in some sort of a stupor.
The two met up with Rachel upstairs and Aubrey smiled and hugged her while Jonathan just shook her hand. Aubrey had known Rachel since she was one or two years old. Rachel was one of Bruce's oldest friends, the other two being Alfred and Aubrey, and she had grown into being one of Aubrey's dearest friends.
Jonathan led the two women to his office, stating that it was perfectly okay with him if Aubrey stayed with them, as long as it was okay with Rachel. He explained that they'd been in the middle of discussing an important matter when Rachel had called and that he wanted to get right back to it when they were done. Rachel shrugged and agreed. Jonathan sat down at his desk and Rachel sat across from him. Aubrey stood off, awkwardly, to the side.
"Miss Dawes, there's nothing to add to the report that I filed with the judge."
"Well," Rachel started, "I have questions about your report. Such as, is it unusual for a fifty-eight year old man with no history of mental illness to have a complete psychotic breakdown?"
Jonathan smiled warmly at her, "Well, yes." Rachel raised an eyebrow as he continued, "But, Miss Dawes, this is a mental asylum for the criminally insane. The unusual is usual here."
Aubrey held in a chuckle and nodded solemnly when Rachel looked to her. Jonathan had described Arkham perfectly.
"But isn't it convenient for Falcone to suddenly develop these symptoms when he's about to be indicted?" Rachel asked.
Jonathan smiled, feigning sympathy. Aubrey noticed the act and scowled a bit as he answered Rachel, "There's nothing convenient about his symptoms, Miss Dawes. Look, I doubt we're even supposed to be having this conversation, but off the record," Jonathan rose and motioned for Rachel to follow him. She did, and Aubrey followed them as well.
Jonathan led them past an orderly talking to a nurse and to the room which, Aubrey guessed, was where they were keeping Falcone.
"We're not talking about a few easily manufactured eccentricities," he finished his sentence and motioned for Rachel to look inside the door.
Aubrey peeked in as well. Falcone was strapped to the bed and as he stared at the door, he mumbled, "Scarecrow...s-scarecrow. s...s.."
Aubrey's eyes widened. She knew exactly what Jonathan had done to Falcone.
"What's 'scarecrow' ?" Rachel asked, confused.
"Patients suffering delusional episodes often focus their paranoia onto an external tormenter. Usually one conforming to the Jungian archetypes," Jonathan shrugged, "For Falcone's case, it would be a scarecrow."
Rachel noticed something, "He's drugged."
"Psychopharmacology is my primary field," he answered her, "I'm a strong advocate." Jonathan stared at Falcone, "Outside he was a giant. In here, only the mind can grant you power."
Rachel turned to Jonathan with disgust, "You enjoy the reversal. You actually enjoy it."
Jonathan smiled and shrugged, "I respect the mind's power over the body. It's why I do what I do."
Aubrey shivered. That's what he had told her when she had questioned his toxin.
Rachel glared at him, "And I do what I do to put scum like Falcone behind bars, not in therapy. I want my own psychiatric consultant to have full access to Falcone, including blood work. I want to find out what you have him on."
Aubrey gulped as Jonathan just shrugged. Jonathan Crane may look like a tall, thin, nerd to some people, but he was a force not to be reckoned with.
As the elevator door opened, the three stepped in. Jonathan inserted a key into the panel and Aubrey's eyes widened.
"First thing tomorrow, then." Jonathan told Rachel. Aubrey knew that this was Jonathan's way of cleaning out Falcone's system before he was tested.
Rachel smirked, "Tonight, actually. I've already paged Dr. Lehmann over at County General."
Aubrey squeezed her eyes shut as Jonathan turned the key in the panel. She knew what would come next.
"As you wish," Jonathan grinned as the doors closed and the elevator descended downwards.
Aubrey was tempted to warn her friend immediately. As she opened her mouth to speak, a small noise came out of it and Jonathan turned to her, glaring menacingly. She looked back down and acted as if she was clearing her throat out.
The doors to the elevator opened and the girls found themselves looking over Jonathan Crane's shoulder into a dark, decrepit corridor with water leaking everywhere. They followed Jonathan into a room where tables stretched off all around. The tables were covered with bags of powder, scales, and aluminum barrels.
As Jonathan Crane looked around with a smile on his face, the two girls both look disgusted. Aubrey looked disgusted and ready to strangle the man while Rachel looked confused. There were tons of inmates working the powder and a few armed thugs who looked up curiously.
"This is where we make the medicine," Jonathan smiled, speaking oddly, "Perhaps you should have some, Miss Dawes...clear your head."
He and Aubrey each turned to face Rachel, but she had vanished. Jonathan smiled and followed the only direction Rachel could have gone off in. Aubrey followed him, still angry and quickened her pace to keep up with him. As Rachel stood near the elevator doors hitting all of the buttons, though none would work while Jonathan had the key, Aubrey tried to stop him from putting his mask on. As she grabbed his arm, he pushed, causing her to fall off of him.
Rachel turned and stared at Jonathan's masked face, disturbed. He reached out towards her, "Boo." A small puff of gas sprayed from his sleeve. Rachel stumbled backwards, coughing and choking. She looked up at Jonathan and screamed.
Jonathan's thugs drug Rachel away and Aubrey grabbed his sleeve, nearly toppling over as she pulled him to face her, "You sick bastard! Why did you do that to her?"
Jonathan growled, and spoke in his 'Scarecrow' voice, "Get away from me," as he slapped Aubrey hard. Aubrey fell down and held her cheek shocked as Jonathan grabbed Rachel's face to look at him, "Who knows you're here?"
Rachel shook her head, terrified and Jonathan repeated himself. She pulled away and buried her head in her arms, crying with fear. Then, the lights go out and the thugs look around as Jonathan took off his mask. Aubrey stayed on the floor, holding her cheek, still in shock.
"He's here," Jonathan smiled softly, looking around.
"Who's here?" one of his nameless thugs asked.
"The Batman."
The thugs looked at each other, nervously. "Well, what do we do?"
"What does anyone do when a prowler comes around?" Jonathan asked, "Call the police."
The thug looked at Crane as if he'd gone insane, which Aubrey was really starting to believe that he had, "You really want the cops here?"
"At this point, they're irrelevant," Jonathan spoke nonchalantly, "But the Batman...he has a talent for disruption. Let the cops wrangle him. Force him outside. The police will take him down." He then pointed at the inmates, "Get them out of here."
"What about her?" one of the thugs asked, pointing to Rachel.
"She's gone," Jonathan spoke, "I gave her a concentrated dose. The mind can only take so much."
"The things they say about him," a different thug spoke up, nervous. "Can he really fly?"
"I heard he can disappear," a new thug added in as Jonathan backed into the shadows, smiling at the last person to speak, "Well, I guess we'll find out, won't we?"
His thugs moved to either side of the door and the glass smashes. Something metal lands near Aubrey and she picks it up, fingering it in the darkness. A batarang. She pocketed it; to save Bruce the trouble of making another. A shadow drops across the room from a high window and Rachel screamed which caused Aubrey to jump.
The two thugs advanced through the darkness and one is grabbed from above and pulled upwards, screaming. The other peers up into the dark, with his gun aimed. He fired and a shadow crumpled onto him, which was the first thug. The second thug rolled the body off of him and scrambled to his feet. Batman struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious. Faintly, Aubrey could hear sirens from outside.
Batman looked at Rachel and then saw Aubrey standing with wide eyes. He looked back to Rachel when Jonathan burst out of the shadows, his arm aimed at Batman's face. Batman grabbed Crane's arm, ducking away from the puff of gas that escaped the sleeve. Batman spins Jonathan around and rips off his mask. He wrenched the arm towards Jonathan's face and pulled out the container of toxin. "Taste of your own medicine doctor?" Batman growled as he squeezed the toxin and a cloud of dust sprayed into Jonathan's face.
Aubrey, who still cared for the Jonathan that she knew cried out, putting her hands over her mouth as Jonathan fell to the ground, choking. Batman turned Jonathan over and pulled him up to his face, "Who are you working for!"
Jonathan's eyes were wide with fear, "Ra's. Ra's Al Ghul."
Aubrey noticed that Batman reacted to this name; he pulled Jonathan closer to him, tighter, "Ra's Al Ghul is dead, Crane! Who are you really working for! Crane!"
Jonathan stared at him, his eyes glazed over, before smiling. "Dr. Crane isn't here right now, but if you'd like to make an appointment..." his voice trailed off. Aubrey let out another sob when she heard him speak like that. The sirens were louder. Batman grabbed Rachel and she lashed out in fear. Batman rendered her in a grip so that she falls unconscious and looks to Aubrey, "Come with me."
She stared at Jonathan's body on the ground as he laughed maniacally, "Aubrey," he growled, "Come with me."
Aubrey sniffled and wiped at her eyes, holding her hand out to her brother.
Aubrey knelt by Rachel's body, brushing her hair out of her face, when Batman and Gordon enter the rafters. Gordon looks at Aubrey confused and then notices Rachel, "What's happened to her?"
"Crane poisoned her with his toxin. He was the third man at the docks."
Aubrey didn't understand what they were talking about. Bruce had only confessed to his being Batman, he had left vital chunks out of his story.
"Let me take her down to the medics-" Gordon began. Aubrey's hand stopped going through Rachel's hair at the same time Batman cut him off, "They can't help her. But I can."
Lights entered the stairwell. but the four were hidden by shadows. Batman reached down and pressed a switch in the heel of his boot, "I need to get her the antidote before the damage becomes permanent.""How long does she have?" Gordon asked.
"Not long. Get her downstairs, meet me in the alley on the Narrows side."
"How will you get out?"Batman pointed at his boot, "I called for backup. Crane's been refining his toxin. Stockpiling it."
"What was he planning?"
"I don't know, but he's working for someone else."
Gordon frowned at a loud squealing noise, whilst Aubrey smiles softly, knowing what it was. "What is that?" Gordon asks.
"Backup," Batman answers.
Thousands of bats poured in and Aubrey and Gordon run down the stairwell, covering Rachel as they descend.
"How is she?" Batman popped out of nowhere and Gordon and Aubrey both jumped. A searchlight shone on them so Batman grabbed Rachel and also took Aubrey's hand.
"Take my car," Gordon offered. Aubrey smiled at how sweet he was.
"I brought mine," Batman disappeared into the dark end of the alley, taking his sister and Rachel with him.
"Your's?" Gordon asks, confused as blinding headlights flare and an engine roars. Gordon dove out of the way as the Batmobile came flying out of the darkness. His jaw dropped, "I gotta get me one of those."
As Batman drove, Rachel, who was seated on Aubrey's lap, was coming to. She hung onto Aubrey for dear life, terrified. As a cop car pulled across the alley, Batman hit the accelerator and sped towards the car. The cops were in awe as the Batmobile smashes into the cop car, the huge tires crushing the bonnet and bouncing the Batmobile over the cop car. The batmobile tore left and accelerated down the street.
Aubrey took in a deep breath, turning to her brother, "And you got your license how, again?"
He chuckled lightly, continuing with his manic driving. Rachel is terrified and Aubrey held her head to her chest, petting her hair soothingly, "Shh, Rachel, you've been poisoned, sweetie. Just stay calm. We're going to help you."
Rachel was hyperventilating by this point. "Just breathe slowly and close your eyes," Batman suggested.
Rachel obeyed, but only for a moment before opening them again, "No, that's worse." Aubrey continued to pet Rachel's head, "Alright, close your eyes and breathe slowly. Think of when I was four and you were eight and we were playing with dolls, alright?"
Rachel becomes terrified when the batmobile stops and recoiled when Batman looked at her. She began to struggle. "Trust him," Aubrey whispered, he saved your life."
When they finally reach the Batcave, Rachel is passed out and Aubrey passed her out hurriedly to Bruce. He carried her into the damp blackness of the caverns and laid her on his work table. A container sat there with a paper from Lucius Fox. Batman opened it and removed a vial. He plugged it into a pneumatic syringe and put the syringe between his teeth. He rushed to Rachel and injected her in her biceps. Aubrey gripped his hand tightly as they watched Rachel's breathing slow.
Batman turns to face Aubrey, "Why were you there?"
"I," Aubrey tried to think of a way to say it,. When she knew there was no other way, she hung her head down in shame with a sigh. "I knew about the toxin," she admitted guiltily, "he had told me about it a few times and when you said what happened to you, I was enraged. I approached him and told him I was mad at him for using it as a weapon. When he asked what I was talking about, I said that some reporter mentioned what had happened to Batman. He laughed it off as if it was nothing. Then Rachel came to talk to him about Falcone. And, he was using it on the patients!" Aubrey sobbed, "He's lost his mind!"
Bruce squeezed her hand in reassurance that everything would be okay and moments later Rachel's eyes flickered open. Because of the bats that she saw above, she closed her eyes again and muttered under her breath.
"How do you feel?" Batman asked.
"Where are we?" No answer. "Why did you bring me here?"
"If I hadn't, your mind would be lost. You were poisoned."
Rachel thought, trying to remember. "I remember...nightmares. The face. This mask...Crane! It was Crane!" She struggled to get off of the table and stand. "I have to tell the police, we've got-" she slipped and Aubrey rushed forward to catch her.
Rachel turned to her, "What are you...?"
"She wanted to make sure you were okay," Batman began, "And relax. Gordon has Crane."
Aubrey and Batman laid Rachel back on the table. "Is Sergeant Gordon your friend?"
"I don't have the luxury of friends," Batman looked away.
"Why did you save my life?" Rachel asked. Aubrey scoffed as if it were obvious and when Rachel looked over, she gave a small smile.
"Gotham needs you."
"And you serve Gotham?"
"I serve justice."
"Perhaps you do."
Batman stepped into the light and he held a pneumatic syringe and two vials. Rachel stared at him. "I'm going to give you a sedative. You're going to wake up back at home," Batman held up the two vials, "When you do, get these to Gordon and Gordon alone. Trust no one."
"What are they?"
"The antidote. One for Gordon to inoculate himself, the other to start mass-production." Batman handed her the two vials and she looked at him curiously as he continued to speak, "Crane was just a pawn. He was working for someone else."
"Ghul..."Rachel remembered, "Something Al...Ghul."
"Ra's Al Ghul." Batman nodded coldly, "It's not him. He's dead."
"How do you know?"
"I watched him die." He approached her with the syringe and she offered her arm. Batman injected her and her eyes closed. Batman removed his cowl and stood there, no longer Batman, but Bruce Wayne, staring at her sleeping form. Aubrey put a hand on his shoulder and squeeze, reassuringly.
Bruce let out a sigh and in his hand he held another syringe. He held it up to his sister, "You need the antidote, too, Aubrey."
She cringed, she hated shots. She held out her arm and squeaked as the fluid burned it's way into her veins.
Author's Note: There's my rewrite. It's basically the same except I condensed chapters one and two together, fixed it so it was all one tense, and fixed spelling errors. I hope it's better!