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Post by Jonathan Crane on Aug 14, 2013 20:35:03 GMT
Scarecrow cackled, the blade of his scythe scrapping across the van's roof.
"What's so funny boss?" asked one man whose face was covered with a burlap sack.
Scarecrow grinned underneath his own mask, "It was such an obvious solution! If you want to escape the Bat, just got out of Gotham!"
"Oh," the man nodded, "Great idea, boss. Great idea. There's no hero in Bludhaven to stop us!"
Two other of the burlap sack men nodded in agreement, the fourth merely stood there with his arms crossed.
The van containing the four men and one Scarecrow sat in silence across the street from Bludhaven's National Bank which of course they were planning to rob.
Sure Wayne Industries were funding his experiments for the time being, but who knows how long that will last..
He knew his identity as Jonathan Crane would not last forever.
He'll need money and lot's of it for his future schemes.
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Post by Alice Challen on Aug 14, 2013 23:39:04 GMT
Alice was waiting inline inside Bludhaven's National Bank. True she lived in Gotham city and this bank was much farther away but their interest rates were better and someone in her position needed to be careful with her funds. Plus she was less likely to be monitored here. The disturbances she caused were for the most part limited to Gotham.
She was debating how much she should withdraw. She paid for everything no matter how expensive in cash. That way unless her name was directly attached to it, it was much more difficult to trace back to her. Murdering criminals although justifiable and good was still a crime. She needed to stay off the grid as much as possible.
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Post by Jonathan Crane on Aug 15, 2013 17:48:05 GMT
Minion #1 (Scarecrow couldn't be bothered to remember their names) glanced at his watch, "It's time."
Scarecrow nodded, "It begins. You now what to do boys."
The men in burlap sacks each had a semi-automatic with them that they immediately locked and loaded.
"Terminate any resistance, but try to keep bloodshed to a minimum - we don't want to start a panic," he cackled.
The man in laughed in return, only not the last one. He kept silent, always silent. Scarecrow knew to keep an eye on him.
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Post by Alice Challen on Aug 16, 2013 4:08:57 GMT
Finally there was only one person in front of Alice. She really needed to make a decision quickly. How much should she withdraw? She was facing the doors, staring out the glass window parts, hoping that somehow the outside could give her inspiration. How much was too much? How much was not enough?
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Post by Jonathan Crane on Aug 16, 2013 5:42:30 GMT
"Go time," grinned #2, though Scarecrow only guessed he was grinning under that sack.
The four men and one Scarecrow stepped out of the van and made their way across the street. Scarecrow made a gesture before #2 and #3 made their way around back from either side.
#1 straightened his sack before leading the way inside. He blasted the roof with his machine gun, quickly getting the attention of everyone inside.
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Post by Alice Challen on Aug 16, 2013 20:40:52 GMT
Alice wasn't expecting any trouble. She was focused on her financial dilemma so it wasn't until she saw a group of people with bags over their heads approach the window that she began to worry, an instant before one of them blasted the roof. She reflexively reached for her estoc, hidden under her dress before relaxing her fingers. No, that wasn't a good idea. Likely these people only wanted money. So long as no one resisted no one would get hurt. If she tried to play hero the thieves might end up shooting. Alice wouldn't be hit. She'd dodged her fair share of bullets before; but, an innocent passerby might get caught in the crossfire. She couldn't allow that.
Alice was grateful that she was right in front of the desk by this point. They'd be coming this way to collect the cash. If they tried to pull anything she'd intervene. If someone else tried to resist she'd come to their aid. Until then she would follow instructions. Human life was much more important than little green pieces of paper.
As soon as they left the bank she'd run after them. Of course she was sure they had a getaway car parked outside. She'd have to be quick about if if she didn't want them to escape but she was a gymnast, very fast on her feet. For now she just observed everyone, trying to determine their numbers and weapon strength. Everyone present had a gun. And there were probably more people than she saw. Some likely had gone around back to prevent others from escaping.
Her eyes flitted everywhere, trying to get a firm grasp on the situation.
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Post by Jonathan Crane on Aug 18, 2013 18:43:16 GMT
"Greetings friends," Scarecrow stepped forward projecting his voice for all to hear, "You may call me Scarecrow."
He smirked, looking at each of their terrified faces.
"Some of you have no doubt have heard of me and are wondering why I am terrorizing your city instead of Gotham. The answer is simple: your city has no hero to pester me."
He cackled loudly, "Now, no one shall come to harm if you all cooperate with my men and I. We're here for the money in that vault. If you anyone tries to get in our way - there will be consequences must dire."
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Post by Alice Challen on Aug 18, 2013 18:50:20 GMT
Alice had of course heard of Scarecrow before but she had never met him in person. She wondered if his word could be trusted. He claimed that no one would be injured if everyone cooperated; but, from what she heard he was someone who enjoyed instilling the maximum amount of terror in people. Would he really be satisfied, leaving without causing any damage? Wouldn't he want there to be some spectacular story about the horrors he caused?
Well if he was going to pick on someone it should be her and she was a little bit curious. She raised her voice. "So to clarify, the terrifying Scarecrow is terrorizing Bludhaven because he's scared of Batman," she said bluntly.
As soon as the words left her lips she wondered just how stupid she had been. She wasn't technically resisting and she had wanted to hear Scarecrow's spin on things but still...Had she gone too far? But she was worried he might hurt someone else to spread stories and inspire greater fear. If that was the case she didn't want him to pick a target at random. If he wanted to play games it should be with her.
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Post by Jonathan Crane on Aug 18, 2013 18:57:45 GMT
Scarecrow's smirk immediately turned into a frown when the woman spoke in front spoke up.
"I fear no one!" he screeched, "Especially not some flying rodent!"
He quickly searched out the source of the insult before his eyes settled on a young woman. He walked over to her and stared her in the face, a mere four inches apart.
He could see her eyes, but she could not see his. All she would see is the face of the Scarecrow - the face of the harbinger of fear.
"But what is it that you fear?"
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Post by Alice Challen on Aug 18, 2013 19:54:09 GMT
Alice firmly met the man's gaze, staring at where she believed his eyes were underneath that Scarecrow face. She was a bit unnerved that she couldn't directly see his eyes but she did her best to hide her misgivings. Scarecrow fed on fear. It would be best if she could give him as little ammunition as possible.
"I already lost everything I care about," she said evenly. "Someone like me has nothing to fear." Well that wasn't exactly true. She couldn't stand being helpless the way she had been as she watched her parents die. She had trained hard to protect those innocent people around her. She wasn't innocent or pure. She was a monster who fought those other worse monsters to defend the people who were worth saving. Some people needed to get their hands dirty to preserve the greater good. And she was one of those people.
Alice laughed. "So then tell me oh terrifying Scarecrow," she began with condescension. "If you don't tremble in fear at the thought of someone who spends his nights dressed up like a bat, why are you here instead of Gotham?" she demanded. "Didn't you yourself just say you're here because there are no heroes?" she questioned. "So in other words, you're the big bad bully who loves terrifying children but the moment someone competent strolls around you run away with your tail between your legs. Scaring people is all well and good but only when they don't pose a threat. You're here because you're scared and because you're weak."
Again she wondered if she wasn't going too far. But she couldn't show fear. He thrived on it. Everyone else was cowering, feeding into his egomania. But if he was going to try and play with someone it wouldn't be them. It would be the person who questioned his own bravery and competence. His attention was fixed on her. Hopefully that meant everyone else would be safe.
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Post by Jonathan Crane on Aug 19, 2013 22:30:46 GMT
Scarecrow stood silent for the longest while, his gaze focused on the woman.
Finally he laughed, "Psychoanalyzing me, eh? You'd make a great psychologist."
He looked over at his men and nodded. One of them stayed there for crowd control while the other one moved towards the back where the safe was located. Scarecrow didn't know exactly know how to crack open safe, but #1 claimed to be an experiment. If he failed, Scarecrow would take pleasure in punishing him.
He turned his attention back to the woman.
"Everyone fears something. Fools will argue that love is the emotion that drives us, but that's wrong - it's fear. Why do obey our parents as children? Because we fear punishment. Why do we not steal, murder, or rape? Because we fear the law. Why do we pursue an education? Because we fear what will become of us in the future if we do not. Fear is everywhere. All around us. Look around us."
He gestured to the cowering innocents all about them.
"They fear me. They fear what will happen if they anger me. They fear that they will not live to see another day. You may have lost everything, but the one thing you have not lost - will never lose - is fear."
He thrusted his wrist underneath her face and released a green mist from a bracelet. This way his own concoction - fear toxin. A single dose and your worst fears come to life before your very eyes.
"Now let's see what fear haunts your every waking moment."
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Post by Alice Challen on Aug 19, 2013 22:50:39 GMT
Alice continued to gaze at Scarecrow firmly but she was wary. She really might have pushed his buttons a bit too far. She was on the lookout for any sign of movement. She needed to be prepared to dodge or do whatever else was necessary. She'd heard about how he drugged people, made them hallucinate. As far as she knew the drugs were usually gaseous. In an enclosed area like this...If he released it...There wouldn't be much she could do. His minions were blocking the exit pretty effectively. She could hold her breath for a bit but not indefinitely.
She relaxed a bit when he laughed. Amusement was preferable to anger. Make a great psychologist? Her? She didn't see it.
Oh yes. She was human. She couldn't help but have fears. She had plenty of them; but, they weren't for him to see. The important thing was to act confident and fearless, give him nothing to feed off of.
"People betray love much more often than fear," she agreed. "But both positive and negative reinforcement work," she pointed out. She thought of her own childhood and tried to recall why she had initially listened to her parents. She had loved them but had also been scared of the repercussions if she broke the rules. Which emotion had been stronger? For her she wasn't certain but Scarecrow was. That probably meant his childhood hadn't been so fuzzy. She gazed at him and her look contained a little bit of pity. It was terrible to have her parents ripped away from her at the tender age of 13 but at least they treated her with care.
"You're the one who is afraid, aren't you? You're terrifying everyone else so that you'll be the one on top. You were bullied and abused as a child, weren't you? You don't want to be afraid anymore. You want to be the one with the power. You're reversing roles but you're still trapped in that victim mentality."
Of course she had no idea whether she was right or not. Practically blind guessing. But he had begun with the bit about parents, hadn't he? And while she didn't know which emotion was more prevalent in her initial obedience to her parents Scarecrow did. Why was he so sure? Was he deluding himself?
No, Scarecrow was right. There were many things she feared and she'd continue to fear them until the day she died. That's what it meant to be a survivor. That's what it meant to be alive.
She saw the rapid movement and immediately took one last desperate gasp of air before holding her breath. She knew she was just stalling for time but maybe her situation would improve. She frantically searched for a place she could run to avoid the concoction. Meanwhile she tried to remind herself that whatever was about to happen wasn't real. She doubted her brain would really remember that in a moment but she tried to steel herself none-the-less.
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