Batman: Eternal: Season 2, Episode 14 - Scarecrow

Batman’s eyes shot open. He was in Dr. Crane’s office. There was blood on the walls. No body hanging from the ceiling.
Red Robin was convulsing on the ground.
Batman rushed over to his partner, and shook him. Red Robin thrashed violently, but did not show signs of consciousness.
“What’s going on in there, Batman?” Lucius Fox said over the comms. Batman was shocked. He hadn’t talked to Lucius ever since Tam’s disappearance. Lucius didn’t blame Batman, he was smarter than that. But he had been grieving. Now he was on Batman’s comm line? It didn’t make sense.
“Lucius, what are you doing?” Batman asked.
“I heard about Joker and his girlfriend on the news,” Lucius explained, “I’m still at Wayne Enterprises. I hacked into your comms remotely.”
“We’ll need to patch that,” Batman commented.
“We? I will,” Lucius chuckled, then got serious again, “For real, what’s happening?”
“Joker and Dr. Quinn are contained. There’s another threat.”
“Fill me in.”
“Something called the Scarecrow,” Batman explained, “He utilizes fear toxin to incapacitate his victims. It thrust me into some sort of world created by my fears.”
“You were exposed?” Lucius asked.
“Yes. I made it out. I battled my fears, and escaped. But Tim is trapped inside. And Scarecrow is on the loose.”
“We’ve got no allies to dispatch. Luke has got his hands full in Kenya. Even if he wanted to help, it’d take too long. You’re on your own, Batman,” Lucius sighed.
“No.”
“No?”
“I have you,” Batman stated.
“Look, you know I’ve got your back, but there’s no way I’m coming into Arkham to help you catch a super villain,” Lucius said.
“You won’t have to come into Arkham. You can still help. I need you to-”
“Find a cure,” Lucius finished, “Of course. I’ll get to work on that. Tell me everything you can about the toxin.”
“It’s made from Venom, an enhanced version of Miraclo-”
“The steroid Hourman used.”
“Right. So, Venom, the Tansik Herb, which is an herb from the League of Assassins that makes you envision your greatest fears,” Batman said.
“Makes sense,” Lucius snorted.
“And lastly, there is a mystery plant from Poison Ivy’s garden,” Batman explained.
“I thought her holding cell burned her plants,” Lucius said.
“Right. But every once in awhile they let her out into her garden. There, she grows all sorts of flowers. Scarecrow apparently takes the dull brown buds,” Batman said.
“Hmmm… Okay, I found three examples of brown buds by Ivy. One is simply a normal flower. Spreading its seeds. The next is a plant which makes people extremely susceptible to suggestion.”
“Sounds like something that a super villain would employ,” Batman nodded.
“And the third is a bud that swells up and bounces around,” Lucius chuckled.
“Not it,” Batman laughed, “Looks like Bud Number Two is our winner.”
“So- Venom, Tansik Herb, and Bud Number Two?”
“Correct,” Batman said, “Good luck.”
“I won’t need it.”
Lucius’s voice fizzled into static.
Batman knelt down beside Red Robin, and felt the young man’s arm. A dark liquid flowed through his veins. The Fear Toxin. Fovos.
Batman stood up, and exited the room. He closed the door behind him. He had to find Scarecrow.
Batman wandered all through Arkham. No guard dared to approach them. They all sensed that something was off. There was a sinister force in the building. Scarecrow.
Eventually, Batman made it to the deepest level of Arkham. The Sewers. Not actual sewers, but it was where Killer Croc was once held. Batman began to search the Sewers.
There was nothing too out of the ordina-
Batman stumbled backwards, shocked. On the walkways that ran alongside the murky waters laid four bodies. The Venom Beasts of Santa Prisca. Well, Batman didn’t know that for a fact, but he was pretty damn sure. Their muscles were throbbing, even in death. There were long slits down their arms, and green liquid oozed out like pus. Venom.
“You found the Beasts,” said a hissing voice. Batman whipped around to see someone with a burlap sack nestled over their face. A thick rope tied it together at the neck. Beneath the neck they were dressed fairly nice. They wore a rolled up white collared shirt. Their pants were black slacks.
“Scarecrow,” Batman growled.
“Perceptive,” Scarecrow said. His voice was like steel on steel. The sound you make when you scrape the bottom of a pot with a metal spoon. Batman winced upon hearing it.
“What have you done?” Batman asked.
“Research. I’ve done research. I’ve peered into the human mind, and I’ve seen wonders. Such pain. Such fear,” Scarecrow shivered in ecstasy, “Ah, it’s perfect.”
“You’re sadistic,” Batman said.
“Perhaps. Or perhaps I’m just a man with a passion. A love for fear. A love for what makes a person squirm. What makes you squirm? What do you fear?” Scarecrow asked.
“Nothing.”
Scarecrow cocked his head, and pulled the sack off of his head.
“What do you see?”
“I see-”
“You see yourself, don’t you?” Batman asked, disappointed, “Autophobia. Typical. Bland. I suppose I’ll have to mark it down anyways.”
It was true. In a way, Batman agreed with the Fear Nightwing. If he hadn’t dragged people like Jason, Tam, Oswald, and Barbara into his crusade, they would’ve have lived long, happy lives.
“Get out of my head!” Batman roared.
“It makes me sad that you’re just like the others. Fearing yourself more than others,” Batman scoffed.
Batman struck Batman in the jaw. Batman kicked back, knocking Batman onto his hands in knees. The Batman on his hands in knees transformed back into the Scarecrow. With the face of Jonathan Crane.
“I knew it was you,” Batman said, breathing heavily, “At least, I did after the Fovos wore off.”
“By then it was too late,” Jonathan said.
“It’s over, warden,” Batman declared.
“I’m an Assassin, trained by the Glorious League,” Jonathan said, “I won’t go down easily.”
“I destroyed the League of Assassins,” Batman stated, “You won’t be any trouble.”
Batman kicked Jonathan in the gut. He followed up with a flurry of blows to Jonathan’s chest. He finished with a quick uppercut. Jonathan flew back, and slammed to the ground. He didn’t get back up. He did speak, however.
“Fear is stronger than I ever was,” Jonathan croaked.
Suddenly, there was a hissing noise all throughout Arkham.
“Lucius, how’s that antidote coming?” Batman asked, worriedly.
“What is it now?” Lucius replied.
“Not entirely sure. But my best bet is that Scarecrow went ahead and released the toxin all throughout Arkham Asylum.”
“Jesus Christ,” Lucius groaned.
There was the clacking of a keyboard on Lucius’s end of the line. A brief silence followed.
“Give me an hour more,” Lucius said.
“Lucius, we don’t have an hour,” Batman said.
“Just one hour and a widespread aerosol will be prepared.”
Batman paused. He had been affected already. Any moment he could begin to turn into a violent Venom Beast. He couldn’t wait an hour.
“How long until you could have a singular cure?” Batman asked.
“Twenty minutes. It’s synthesizing it into an air based chemical that takes the longest,” Lucius explained.
“Send the solo antidote first. I have to be prepared for whatever happens. I need to be at one hundred percent.”
“Understood,” Lucius said, “I’ll send it via drone when it’s ready.”
“Thank you, Luc-” Batman began. He bit his lip suddenly, and felt different body parts spasming. His head began to twitch, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably. His muscles rippled, and swelled. His kevlar was stretched out, about to shoot off of his body.
“Batman, you good?” Lucius asked.
“Hurry…” Batman managed to get out.
The kevlar tore, and split the special fabric stretched across Batman’s suit. Everything he was wearing was stressed, and eventually ripped or popped off. He grumbled around, a completely naked giant. He was a whopping eight feet tall, with muscles that could hurl a school bus.
He struggled to retain control of his body. It stumbled wildly, slamming its fists against the concrete walls, denting them.
Poison Ivy’s herb was seeping into his mind. It combined with the Venom. He was now excessively violent, as well as easily influenced.
“It worked,” Jonathan smiled, slowly sitting up. He gripped his rib cage, as if he feared it would fall off.
Venom-Bruce tried to scream at Jonathan. It came out as a grunt.
“Loss of control. You fear that, don’t you? Going too far?” Jonathan smiled.
Venom-Bruce roared, and beat his chest.
“I never imagined Bruce Wayne would be under that mask,” Jonathan admitted, “I really don’t understand. A rich, bratty, frat-boy doubles as a vigilante who beats the living shit out of criminals each night. Wonderful.”
Venom-Bruce charged at Jonathan.
“Up-bup-bup,” Jonathan said, holding his arm out, “You don’t want to do that.”
Venom-Bruce skidded to a stop.
“What you want to do is serve me,” Jonathan smiled, slipping the bag back over his face.
Venom-Bruce bowed his head.
“Good,” Scarecrow hissed, nodding, “Follow me.”
Scarecrow exited the Sewers, with Venom-Bruce close behind.
They reached the entrance to Arkham, and saw guards wandering around like zombies. They were only slightly larger than normal. Bruce wondered why this was. Perhaps he had received a more concentrated dose. Venom-Bruce chased Bruce from his mind, and continued to follow Scarecrow out of the Asylum along with the Venom-Guards.
The small army was met with a hail of bullets. Bruce thought he recognized one. A pale woman with red hair pulled back. No, Venom-Bruce did not remember her. Bruce was pushed away again.
The woman was with a squad of soldiers in all black. They all gripped heavy machine guns, and fired at the Venom Beasts. Scarecrow rushed back into the Asylum.
Venom-Bruce charged at the woman with the red hair. She seemed to be the one in charge of the squadron. He snatched her up in his hand, and roared.
“Bruce?” the woman asked, shocked.
Bruce resurfaced for only a moment. This was Agent Kane. The woman who had helped out when Black Mask attacked. How did she know him?
Venom-Bruce took over again, and tried to pull Agent Kane apart. He was showered with fire from bullets. An asian agent was aiming for his eyeballs. Venom-Bruce dropped Agent Kane, and covered his eyes.
“Go, my creations!” Scarecrow screeched, “Kill them all! Quickly!”
The Venom Beasts were overwhelming the group of soldiers. Agent Kane called a retreat. The group fled in a tight formation, all firing while they backtracked from the Asylum.
Scarecrow again led the Venom Beasts forward. The pressed the soldiers back for quite some time. Then, Venom-Bruce spotted a drone.
The cure! Bruce struggled to break past the mental barrier Venom-Bruce had put through.
“Kane! Cure!” Bruce roared, moments before Venom-Bruce strangled him. Bruce was dying as Venom-Bruce reached nearly every corner of his mind.
Agent Kane nodded, and waved frantically at the drone. The drone swung around, and landed next to the squadron. There was a steel suitcase attached to the drone. It clicked, and opened remotely. She had no idea who was controlling it. There was a small syringe inside, filled with a clear liquid. Agent Kane took it in her hand, and looked at the crowd of Venom Beasts. The drone rose, and soared away.
“Use it on the biggest one,” the asian agent, Agent Sotaro, said. Agent Kane nodded. She would save her cousin, Bruce Wayne, while simultaneously stopping the biggest threat.
“Cover me,” Agent Kane instructed. She rushed toward Venom-Bruce, gripping the syringe. Venom-Bruce started to kick at her. Agent Kane leapt on his foot, and found a throbbing vein on the back of his calf. She injected the syringe, and let the antidote flow through Venom-Bruce’s body.
Venom-Bruce collapsed, and slowly shrunk back down to his normal size. The bullets embedded in him fell out. He sweated heavily, and didn’t move. Agent Kane dragged him away from the remaining Venom Beasts.
“Kill her!” Scarecrow ordered.
Agent Kane fired at Scarecrow, causing him to duck behind a Venom Beast.
“Are you okay, Bruce?” Agent Kane asked. Bruce nodded, still not sure how she knew him.
“Yes,” Bruce nodded, quivering, “Just give me a minute to recover. Then I can help.”
“Help? Bruce, I’m sorry but you’re no soldier,” Agent Kane scoffed, finally reaching her group.
Bruce took a deep breath. Agent Kane worked for A.R.G.U.S. Amanda already knew his identity. What harm would it be if…
“Agent Kane, I’m Batman,” Bruce whispered. Agent Kane’s eyes widened.
“No way is my cousin Batman,” Agent Kane said in disbelief.
Agent Kane was his cousin? Bruce was shocked. Then he remembered. Katherine Kane. His cousin on his mother’s side. Martha’s brother Jacob Kane had left the family after a violent falling out with their father when Bruce was young. Before the separation, Bruce remembered being good friends with Katherine.
“Katherine?” Bruce asked.
“Katie, now,” Agent Kane corrected, “I’m kind of offended that you didn’t remember me.”
“We have some catching up to do,” Bruce said.
“I guess so. But for now…” Agent Katie Kane turned to the Venom Beasts, “We need Batman.”
Bruce grinned. He charged through the hoard of Venom Beasts, dodging deadly swipes and strikes. He made it to Scarecrow unscathed. Scarecrow raised his fists. Here he was, about to brawl a nude Bruce Wayne. Certainly an interesting situation.
Bruce let Scarecrow attack first. He threw a punch at Bruce’s head. Bruce ducked easily. Scarecrow anticipated this, and swung his leg upwards, catching Bruce in his exposed crotch. Bruce winced, grabbed Scarecrow’s head in his hands, and bashed it against his right knee. Scarecrow cried out in pain, and crimson blood found its way out from under the sack.
“You’re fighting a battle you can’t win, Crane,” Bruce growled, squeezing tight at Scarecrow’s temples. Scarecrow groaned as he began to black out.
“You can’t stop my Army of Fear,” Scarecrow moaned.
“You’d be surprised at what I can do,” Bruce said. He threw Scarecrow to the ground, and knocked him out with a kick to the head, making it jiggled like a bobble-head. Scarecrow was out cold.
Now to deal with the Venom Beasts.
“Katie, do you have a phone on you?” Bruce called across the field of Venom Beasts. Katie shook her head as she unloaded clip after clip on the Beasts. No way to get to Lucius. No sidekicks. No gadgets.
Bruce started to make his way back to the soldiers, but was interrupted by an inhuman, thunderous roar. He turned to see a giant, Venom-juiced version of Tim Drake. He too was fully naked. Bruce felt like this was getting into some gray area. Wrestling with his naked, adopted son. That didn’t sound good. But it was necessary. Bruce had been in Tim’s position only minutes ago. He knew his weaknesses.
Bruce stared down his ward, and popped his knuckles. The towering beast drooled as he swung his arms uncontrollably.
“Tim, you’ve been hit with a concentrated dose of Fovos,” Bruce explained, trying to reason with Venom-Tim, “A crazed version of you is trying to take over your mind and body. Don’t let it. Fight the fear.”
Venom-Tim’s eyes brightened for a split second. It was in that second that Bruce rushed at him. He navigated his body like a jungle gym, springing off legs, swinging off of arms, eventually making it to Venom-Tim’s head.
“Sorry, Tim,” Bruce muttered, before jamming his heels into Venom-Tim’s eyes. Venom-Tim howled in pure agony. Bruce drummed on Venom-Tim’s skull until he fell to his knees.
“Katie, just keep the Beasts contained!” Bruce ordered, “We’ve got to hold them in place for about thirty more minutes!”
“You heard him!” Katie yelled, “We have to keep them close for the next half hour. Conserve ammo!”
The soldiers nodded, and spread out in a circle around the Venom Beasts. They only shot if the Venom Beasts made a move to escape the circle.
They managed to keep a somewhat consistent pen for the next thirty minutes. The drone returned, carrying a silver radiator-looking device. Bruce ran over to the drone, and knelt down so he was on eye level with it.
“Lucius, release the antidote,” Bruce instructed. The device hissed, and Bruce felt cool steam over his arms. He dragged the device over to the huddle of Venom Beasts. The Venom Beasts took one whiff of the gaseous cure, and began to crumple like wet paper. Bullets fell free from their skin, and clattered on the ground.
Bruce then tossed the device over his shoulders, and trudged to the Asylum. He laid it down at the door, shut it, and let the antidote work its magic.
Bruce returned to the soldiers. Agent Sotaro took off his bulletproof pants, and gave them to Bruce. Bruce pulled them on, and walked over to Tim, who had returned to his normal size.
“Tim?” Bruce asked, “Are you okay?”
“I can’t see shit,” Tim groaned.
“Do you remember anything that happened?”
“You went ahead and kicked me in the eyes,” Tim said, rubbing his cloudy eyes.
“You were a Venom-” Bruce began.
“I know, Bruce. You did the right thing, and stopped me,” Tim said, reaching out to put a hand on Bruce’s shoulder. He missed.
“I think you might need glasses,” Bruce winced.
“My eyes are a mess. I don’t think glasses are going to cut it,” Tim chuckled.
“I bet Lucius and I can work something out,” Bruce assured.
There was a brief moment of quiet between them.
“So you took Scarecrow down,” Tim said. Bruce nodded, but Tim didn’t respond. Tim couldn’t see… duh.
“I did,” Bruce said.
“Does this mean-?”
“Yes, Tim. We can start looking for Tam,” Bruce smiled.
“Sweet!” Tim cheered.
Katie walked over to the two of them.
“You need some pants, kid,” Katie said, tapping Tim’s bare leg with her toe.
“What? I’m naked?” Tim shrieked.
“You couldn’t tell?” Bruce laughed.
“I- well- just get me some pants!” Tim yelled.
Another soldier removed their pants, and gave them to Tim. Tim wriggled into them.
“Am I good?” Tim asked.
“You’re good,” Bruce responded.
Bruce clapped a hand on Tim’s back.
“We stopped a nightmare,” Bruce said.
“I kind of helped it,” Tim pointed out.
“If we’re counting being under the effects of Fovos, I helped too,” Bruce admitted.
“Damn, Scarecrow got to you, too?” Tim asked.
“I had to save his Venom-y ass,” Katie snorted.
“Sorry, but, who are you?” Tim questioned.
“Right. You’re blind. And you probably wouldn’t even know me if you could see. Bruce sure couldn’t,” Katie laughed.
“Hey…”
“I’m Katie. Kahterine Kane. Agent Kane. Whatever. I work for A.R.G.U.S.”
“That douchey group with the team of bad guys?” Tim inquired.
“That’s the one,” Katie nodded.
“Wonderful,” Tim said.
“We’re not all lunatics on a covert team,” Katie shrugged.
“Whatever you say, Katelyn,” Tim said.
“Katie,” Katie corrected.
“Uh-huh. That’s what I said. Look, I’m super tired. Can we get back to the Batcave?”

“I have to say, Joker isn’t that tough,” Tim said, slurping down a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Alfred still hadn’t returned. Granted, Scarecrow had only been beaten the night before. Bruce would give him time.
“Joker isn’t tough when it’s just him,” Bruce admitted, “Try taking him on when he’s surrounded by goons. Or when he has access to weapons.”
“He had a gun when I took him down,” Tim pointed out.
“Be quiet and eat your soup,” Bruce chuckled.
The two of them were sitting in Bruce’s massive living room. Dust had gathered in corners. Bruce hadn’t bothered to clean since Alfred left. He wasn’t very responsible.
“So I have some theories about how to get to Tam,” Tim said.
“Let’s hear ‘em,” Bruce encouraged.
“You won’t like them,” Tim sighed.
“I don’t care,” Bruce said.
“What if we sent… me? Into the ITS?”
“No. That’s how Tam got trapped in the first place,” Bruce said.
“I know. Maybe it’ll send me to… wherever Tam is. If I could bring her back to the portal-”
“Hard no.”
“Bruce…” Tim pleaded.
“Listen, now that Scarecrow’s defeated, we have plenty of time to think of ideas,” Bruce said.
Tim nodded, and went back to his soup.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Bruce sprang to his feet. Alfred!
Bruce rushed to the door, and threw it open.
A young boy was standing on the doorsteps. He was small, both height and weight wise. He looked to be about 5’2”, and couldn’t weigh more than 70 pounds. His jet black hair was a rat’s nest, and scratches zigzagged over his face. The boy bowed his head slightly.
“Father.”