#tmpotb chapter 23

[gothic-safari-clown]

The Mind’s Power Over the Body

Part 23: Into the Spotlight

Story summary: They only ever had each other. It had been that way since high school, ever since Elianna transferred to dreary Arlen and took Jonathan under her wing. They go separate ways for college, and when they're reunited at Arkham Asylum professionally, Elianna comes to find that they've both changed during their time separated. Can she look past the promise of danger and stay by Jonathan's side as they slide further and further into the darkness while she grapples to come to terms with the truth about herself? Can she accept what needs to be done in order to hold onto the only person who holds any meaning in her life? This is a very self-indulgent AU that draws from several different canons of the DCU and ignoring others, starting in the Batman Begins Nolanverse. This will follow the plot of the movie, although the timeline has been very slightly tweaked.

Word count: 1340

To say that Elianna was furious at being sent away was an understatement. To be left out of something big like that, combined with the fact that she was still a little wary around Falcone's men, made her blood boil. She understood that what was done was done, and she couldn't change it, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

"I'm assuming you all have access to a safe house or something somewhere?" She pulled off her mask and pushed her hair back from her face.

"Yeah, it's here in the Narrows. Hopefully, they won't think to look close by," said the man driving, Axel, referring to the police sirens blaring from somewhere behind them.

"That's fine, but drive around for a bit to make sure we don't have a tail," she ordered, looking out of the passenger side-view mirror.

"The boss said to get you safe quickly." El felt a familiar rage flare up inside of her, and she lashed out without thinking.

"He isn't here right now, which means I'm the boss," she snarled and grabbed the man by the ear, yanking hard. He cried out, more out of surprise than pain, although it did hurt. "I may not be the one paying you, but I can gas you just as easily. It's easier to hide one person than it is to hide four. Argue with me again, and I won't hesitate to make examples of all three of you. Do I make myself clear?" She finished, stroking the ridge of the beak on her mask almost longingly. She hadn't gotten to gas anyone yet, and at the moment, there was nothing she'd rather do more.

"Y-yes, boss," the driver winced. The woman beside him didn't invoke much fear on her own, but even if she couldn't gas him, the fact that she was Scarecrow's girl made her a force to be reckoned with.

"Good boy," she said in a sickly sweet voice, releasing his ear and letting him continue driving without distraction. The two goons in the backseat (Aleksi and Sam) shifted uncomfortably at her outburst, noting not to make her angry.

After driving in aimless, confusing turns for almost half an hour, they finally made it to the safe house, which was only a five-minute drive from the asylum. The group rushed inside, checking their backs as they darted into the dilapidated apartment building and up two flights of stairs to their unit. One of the thugs produced a key and let them inside, at which point Elianna immediately turned the television on to the first news station she could find.

"—locally renowned psychiatrist and Arkham administrative representative, Doctor Jonathan Crane, who seems to have had a violent psychotic break. He has been subdued by the GCPD, apparently with the help of Gotham's new vigilante, the Batman himself. Crane has been sedated and admitted to Arkham. His motivations remain unknown."

El's heart dropped to the floor, leaving her too shocked to be angry, and the remote clattered to the hardwood at her feet. Her mind raced, unsure of what to do now that Jonathan had been locked away. He was the brains behind the organization; she was just along for the ride, pretending to be important.

What was she supposed to do now?

She collapsed onto the couch, staring at the television in shock.

"Boss?" The tentative voice pulled her back to the present slightly. "We're going to get him out." The unspoken leader of the trio of men assured her, his hand landing on her shoulder again. She nodded stiffly, gathering her thoughts.

"Yeah. Yeah, we will. Axel, Aleksi, Sam, I'm sorry for snapping at you like that in the car," her voice came out quieter than intended. "I'm very grateful to all of you for helping us. And it looks like we got to you just in time."

"It's alright, nothing we ain't heard before. Do we have a plan?" El shook her head.

"Not yet. And I don't have any connections that would help us here." She had thought for a moment to call Harley and ask her, but she had just gotten her "career-making case," and honestly? They weren't close enough for El to persuade her to break the law for her.

No, besides the thugs around her, she was alone. The thought made her throat feel tight, and she felt the tiniest of pricking at her eyes. No! No crying, especially not here. It was time for her to step up and take charge.

Her mind drifted back to memories of her busting Jonathan out of the chapel and stealing him away in the middle of the night, only barely getting away from Granny. This was just like that. He was locked somewhere horrible, and she was the only one who could do anything about it.

Decisively, she retrieved the remote and turned the TV off, returning to her feet.

"It's okay. Between the four of us, we can figure something out by tomorrow. It doesn't have to be pretty or particularly clever; we just have to get him out. I mean, if Zsasz can escape, I'm sure Jona-uh, Scarecrow can." The men nodded in agreement, ignoring her slip. "Come on, does anybody here know anyone who can help?" At that, Sam, the youngest of the group, perked up.

"I've got a cousin, crooked cop!"

"Okay, that's a good start, Sam, but I think we're going to need someone a little bigger than a cop. We can build on that, though."

"No, he's a...shit, what do you call 'em? He's some officer for a SWAT agency; his unit will do anything he tells them."

Ah. That was good news. El could feel the gears turning in her head as she thought through her timeline.

"Okay...okay! That's perfect actually, can you call him? We'll need the whole squad to avoid too much suspicion, but we only need a couple to go inside first." Her mind was racing, a mile a minute as she put the pieces together

"What's the plan, boss?" Axel leaned forward, elbows on knees, eager to hear this plan. All things considered, he couldn't help but like working for her so far. She had only threatened him once, followed with an apology, and had included the men in her scheming. He didn't know much about being a good leader, but it seemed like she did.

Besides, if she liked them enough, she might be able to get them to safety before the end of Gotham.

"We're going to wait until tomorrow night. The police will be questioning him right now. Besides, our benefactor won't arrive until tomorrow, and we can't go without his supervision. Sam will get his guys involved; they're going to go in and take care of the night guard and disable all security." She had been pacing the small living room, but here she stopped and faced her men. "We're going to let everyone out. There are plenty of violent criminals inside, that will be more than enough for a distraction. From there, the SWAT uniforms will blend right in, and we just need them to make sure our man gets out and has his mask."

"Sounds simple enough." Aleksi nodded.

"Exactly. Nice and easy, and I don't think they'll be expecting anyone to bust him out so soon." She nodded in agreement. "Okay then, Sam, why don't you give your cousin a call, explain the situation, and we should all get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be big," she sighed. "And that's an understatement."

While Sam was on the phone, Aleksi went about making sure the apartment was secure, and Axel sought to scrounge up some food for them. El took the opportunity to familiarize herself with the old apartment. The building itself seemed mostly abandoned except for maybe a few squatters. El made a mental note of that in case something went wrong. It could be a good temporary shelter, at least.

Hopefully, they wouldn't need to use it again.

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