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Chapter Text

A surprising calm night of Gotham, two unlikely criminals are currently in the middle of their escape of unforgettable Arkham Asylum. Jonathan Crane a.k.a. The Scarecrow a terrifying man driving by injecting fear into his victims. Jervis Tetch a.k.a. The Mad Hatter a loony man with an obsession of the Alice in Wonderland novel. These two working together is something no one expect, and they knew it, so they waited until the right opportunity arises. A movie night.  

Whatever movie it was it wasn’t important, specifically to Jervis as it wasn’t any of the Alice in Wonderland movies. The two went to the bathrooms to “refresh” themselves, escorted by two guards and as they arrived in the room, taking this to take out the two guards. Then making their way into a hole that they’ve been working on for months behind a toilet cubicle. They entered a thin hallway, and made their way down and found another hole, inside was a storage room that had their belongings. Finding what wasn’t discarded, which wasn’t much; A blue coat, a top hat, some cards, a tatted short cloak, a satchel, and sack that would be Crane’s mask.

A little disappointing but took what they had and went back in the thin hallway within the walls. They continued down until finding themselves in a catacomb. It was dark and wet, so they stayed close, hoping that they we’re going the right direction. It was maybe an hour or so when they found an outing of theses tunnels, stand to see a dead tree and a wall of rocks just behind it, not too high. They climbed up and one they reached the top and noticed the walls of the Asylum was at least 10 feet away from them. Quickly but quietly ran into the woods in front of them, leaving that hell behind.

They we’re free.

It must be hours now as they were wondering though one of the many abandoned streets of Gotham . Jervis happy to be , was singing aloud .

“We’re free, we're free, we're free, we're filled with joy~ ”

“We're free, we're free, we’re free, we’ re-"

“JERVIS!” Jonathan turned as his anger was wearing thin.

Jervis gave a little “oops" afterwards and Jonathan sighed .

They approach a house that didn’t look too bad compared to the others on this street , up the stairs and opened the door, which wasn’t locked. Most likely none of the houses are. They are greeted to a cold and dark hallway entrance . They walked past the first door to their left, an empty room that would be the lounge. Soon they approached the next door to their left, a kitchen.

“This place gives me the willies,” Jervis expressed. 

Jonathan with his head points over to the kitchen, “Someone is living here,” 

Jervis a little worried asked, “How can you tell?” 

“There’s dishes,” Jonathan noted as there was in fact dishes that was on a drying rack. 

“Hopefully it’s a spirit...” Jervis tried to laugh it off, “Ha, ha,” 

Jonathan looked down at his companion, “A spirit that does dishes?” 

“Yes,” 

After a moment, both heard a creaking sound coming from the staircase behind them on their right. As Jonathan said before there is someone living here. They turn to face their unexpected host. A younger man but not by much was armed with a bat, high up and ready to swing. He was wearing a greed dressing gown.

“Oh shit,” Both Jonathan and the man said simultaneously. 

“Edward Nygma?” Jonathan said almost surprised. 

Jervis, who was behind Jonathan, asked who, obliviously not knowing the name. 

“The Riddler,” Jonathan answered.  

“OH!” Jervis now knowing, “The gentleman in the green spandex,” 

The man now identified as Edward Nygma a.k.a. The Riddler had previously escaped Arkham a few months ago was now clearly mad by this comment about the spandex, “FINE!” he’s been getting so much crap about it and he’s sick of it, “I’ll wear something else,” 

Jonathan chuckled to himself “So you live here,” 

“Can we stay too?” was quickly followed by Jervis.  

Edward took a moment to think about it as he rests the bat on his shoulder. “You know where I live, so I guess so,” knowing that it be hard to find a different place to stay. 

“I already have taken the top floor,” Edward then added, clearly wanting to make sure things were set between the three of them. 

“Hay,” Jervis said 

“I’ll take the basement,” Jonathan then said as he walks past both men to the staircase that lead to said basement.  

“HAY,” Jervis said again, clearly upset, “This isn’t fair,” he crossed his arms to his chest. 

“I was here first, you snooze you lose,” Edward shrugged.  

And with that was the start to an unexpected alliance, that none of the three gentlemen could see happening at first.

□□□ 

It was obvious that news will break out about Jonathan Crane and Jervis Tetch escape from Arkham will arise as seen in the Gotham Gazette newspapers. 

The three men didn’t interact with each other very often as Jonathan was down in the basement making and testing his fear toxins that he had to make up again. Edward would normally be up on the top floor making new gadgets for his puzzles and writing down innovative ideas on his pin board to test the Batman to new games which sometimes he’ll go and test out and always escaping before Batman can actually get to him. Jervis with his remaining cards were making new ones and sometimes go out to test them on people, causing “accidental” death sometimes.

Jervis was also the more vocal, and tried to talk to his house's mates, Edward was easier to talk to then Jonathan was. He would sometimes interrupt the two with their works as he didn’t need to do much to rebuild himself as he’s already gotten himself some henchmen, well mind controlled that is but none-the-less he had more “free time" then the other two. He believes that the three of them could team up so one night he managed to convince the two to have dinner with him that he made.

Jonathan and Edward were seated at the small table in the kitchen, waiting in silence. Jervis was just finishing off his dish, “I’ve been thinking,” he said aloud getting the other two attention. 

As he placed the plates in front of them, he continued “We should team up, like actually and not just be in each other's personal spaces,”

“Your one to talk,” Edward added. 

“Let me finish,” Jervis huffed “I purpose alliance! An alliance that will have the people of Gotham scared and begging,” 

Jonathan turned to him, “What’s your ideas?” 

Jervis smiled and started snickering “We put traps all over Gotham that are specialised with each of our themes!” 

Both Edward and Jonathan seem to like this idea, “Now that seems interesting,” Edward said, and Jonathan agreed.  

“So, we’re at agreement?” Jervis said excited as the two others agreed with the alliance.  

“Now we can eat!” He as he begins eating his made meal, happily.  

The said meal was meatloaf with the side of mash potatoes and broccoli... Yeah, it’s not good. The mash is dry and lumpy, and the broccoli was also dry like it wasn’t cooked, while the meatloaf was under cooked in the middle. Jonathan ate it as he could handle it but Edward on the other hand was struggling. 

After Jonathan and Jervis were finished eating, they left their plates and cutlery, knowing that Edward would clean up after. Once Edward knew the two of them where gone he threw his dinner out and started cleaning.

□□□ 

With the next week the three of them started planning exactly what this idea was and soon everything was ready for them to go out and set up their traps all over Gotham. A month later they were finished and now had to wait to see who falls victim first. 

And like that it wasn’t long when they read in the Gazette newspaper that many people have fall into a lambent full of traps and puzzles. The police department had found and discovered 5 dead, 2 injured and 1 completely unscathed. With the 3 that lived they described what they had endured, they mentioned difficult to solve puzzles and riddles, if they get wrong something will come out, like axes, high voltage shocks and two types of gasses, later discovered as fear gas and a high enhancement hydrogen drug evidence in the unfortunate victims. One man was crushed. 

Chapter Text

Jervis sitting in his vintage armchair in front of his table that stretched out through the room he had decorated in fake floras and huge playing cards on the walls, teacups and teapots stringed up from the ceiling as if they were floating. He was chewing on his fingernails as he thinks, realizing that theses maze traps all over Gotham might kill his poor Alice. He needs to find her before she falls victim.  

He jumped out from his seat and walks up the stairs that takes him to the top floor, where Edward should be if he didn’t go out already.  

“Eddie, I hope your here,” Jervis had said as he knocked the door frame “I have a query,” 

Edward in the middle of repairing his nifty cane sitting at his cluster desk, he hummed for Jervis to continued.  

“I’ve came to a realisation that my sweet poor Alice might fall victim to our maze traps,” Jervis sounded concerned.  

Edward knowing the delusional small man before him won’t stop his pursuit, sighed “Alright then, what can we do to avoid this problem?” 

“I don’t know what’s why I came to you,” Jervis explained.  

With a smirk Edward turned in his seat to his computer and Jervis waits besides him as he gets up some security cameras in Gotham. “When did you set theses up?” Jervis asked. 

“I didn’t, I’ve hacked into the city system to all the location of all the traps. What’s remaining that is,” Edward said. 

“How-How may are left?” Jervis being curious. 

“157,” Edward said, “Now if you like I can make a bot that can moderate and detect if any young blonde, blue eyes female approach any of the traps and send you a notification so you can have a look,”  

“I have no idea what you said,” Jervis said blankly. 

With a heavy sigh Edward explained again, “Every time a woman that looks like ‘Alice’ is close to a trap you’ll get an email on your phone that allows you to look at to see if it’s your Alice,” 

“OH!” Jervis jumped up in joy, “That’s wonderful! Thank you so much! I’m getting so worried about my Alice” he clapped.  

“Sure thing,” Edward said as he starts working on this new bot for Jervis.  

After an all-nighter Edward made the bot and about a month later Jervis reserved an email.  

“ALICE!” Jervis yelled from his tearoom, “It’s my Alice! I’ve found her,” 

Jervis ran up to Edward’s floor, “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie!” 

Edward who was in the middle testing his newest puzzle machine, it was big and built with mental pipes. “What, what?!” he had a leg somewhat stuck in his contraption. Clearly, he was in the zone. 

“I’m a courtesy some practice, a sign of respect. Before entering a space, this act you must perfect. It’s a sound you make, a signal to attend. Before crossing the threshold, this you must send. What am I? 

“It’s Alice! I’ve found her!” Jervis said as he faced his phone screen to Edward.  

Annoyed that his riddle was ignored huffed as he looks at Jervis’s phone and indeed a young blonde and blue eyes female was walking through a maze trap, “You have to stop the trap before she gets hurt,” Jervis begged. 

Edward yanked his leg out and then jumped over to his computer to hack into the maze this woman was in, “Isn’t that convenient,” he mutters to himself. 

“What is?” Jervis asked, concerned laced in his voice. 

“Ooh nothing~” Edward songed, he continued working on his computer, turning off all of the traps but keeping her locked inside. “And walla, done,” 

“Thank you, thank you!” Jervis said in glee as he made his way down and fetching his henchmen, making his way all the way to the Coventry region of Central Gotham, where the woman was trapped. 

Hours later he had arrived back with the girl, unconscious but unharmed. He got her up in his level of the building and put her in a blue frilled dress with a white apron. He was over joy. He can now have proper tea parties now that Alice is back, she always did make the events more enthusiastic.

Chapter Text

The basement was only lite by a dull lamp sat on a table in the middle of the room. A wooden chair has been chucked onto the ground, with papers and tools surrounding it. The tall figure of Jonathan stands against a table, hands stretched out on it.  

He stares down at a letter from Bruno Tess, marked with a red stamp saying “CANCELLED.” His eyes narrow as he read the terse message once more. Tess, a crucial supplier of a rare chemical needed for one of his many forms of his fear toxin, had abruptly cancelled their deal. Rage simmered beneath Jonathan’s calm exterior. Tess had to be punished, but Crane knew he couldn’t handle this alone, not with Tess and who he’s connected too. He needed some with a knack for strategy and puzzles.  

Jonathan walking up the stairs of the basement passing the makeshift door he made, ascending the building passed Jervis’s certainly on-going tea party and up to the top floor where he’ll find Edward.

Edward in question was sitting down on a bench, sewing up a gash that was on his left outer thigh. Jonathan watch in silence as Edward continues, carefully with a needle going in and out, closing his skin up. The wound had been cleaned beforehand. It was obvious that The Riddler had an altercation with the;  

“Batman,” Jonathan’s voice creaked through the room like an old door hinge.  

Scaring Edward, cursing him to jerk the needle and thread. A sharp cry of pain escaped his lips, “Jonathan!” He snapped, his breath ragged from the unexpected shock and pain. “What the hell?”  

Jonathan enjoyed the little show that his presence had caused. He sauntered further into the room, making his way to his ginger companion. “Need a hand?”  

“No, I’m good.” Edward said but as he about to continues he could feel Jonathan's eyes glued to him, he sighs, “Fine.’

The tall man sat down on the ground like a creepy stick doll. Edward gritted his teeth when Jonathen continued over for him of sewing up his leg. “You're not here just to help me, there's something you want isn’t there?”  

Jonathan with one hand took out the letter and handed it to Edward, his expression darkens, “I need your help with a matter that requires both our skills.”  

As Edward reads Jonathan finished the last stitch, tying off the thread with a deft twist. Edward gingerly testing his leg still letter in hand, his eyes narrowing, “Bruno Tess, He’s with Penguin. Cancelling your deal isn’t just inconvenient; It’s a power move.”

Jonathan nodded, “Exactly. I need the chemicals he supplies. Without them, my operation is compromised,”  

Edward leaded back, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Revenge, then. What do you have in mind?”  

A sinister smile crept across Jonathan’s face. “I want him to suffer, to know fear like never before. But I need your help to draw him out, to make him vulnerable.”  

Edward’s eyes sparkled with interest. “I think I have an idea. Tess enjoys his luxuries, his security. We’ll turn those against him.”  

Over the next few days, Edward and Jonathan devised a meticulous plan. Edward used his hacking skills to infiltrate Tess’s personal systems, planting riddles that would lead Tess to believe his security had been compromised. Meanwhile, Jonathan prepared his fear toxin, tweaking the formula for maximum psychological impact.  

Edward’s riddles began appearing on Tess’s computer screens, his phone, even written messages slipped under his door. Each riddle hinted at a looming threat, unsettling Tess and making him paranoid. As the tension built, Tess started making mistakes, isolating himself increasingly.

Finally, the trap was set. Edward managed to manipulate Tess’s schedule, ensuring he would be alone in a warehouse, supposedly for a meeting to regain his lost security. But instead, he found Jonathan waiting in the shadows, all dressed up in his equipment.  

“Hello, Tess,” Jonathan’s voice echoed in the empty space, distorted by his mask. “Do you know what happens when you break a deal with the Scarecrow?”  

Tess barely had time to respond before Scarecrow unleashed the fear toxin. Tess’s screams echoed through the warehouse as his worst nightmares came to life, the ground all around him was falling apart, twisting, and turning. Spiders with humanoid eyeballs for the body swarming around him, when they reach him, he now notices all the worms coming from his flesh. Holes littered his body. The cacophony of terror that brought a twisted smile to the Scarecrow’s face, who to Tess appeared as a posing figure, tall and unnerving.  

With Tess broken and paralysed by fear, Scarecrow stepped forward, his voice a whisper in Tess’s ear. “You should have kept your end of the deal.”  

The final act was swift, Scarecrow administered a lethal dose of toxin, ending Tess’s life and sending a clear message to anyone who might consider crossing him in the future.  

Jonathan returned to their hideout, where Edward was waiting. “How did it go?” Edward asked, though the smirk on his face suggested he already knew the answer.  

Jonathan nodded, a rare look of satisfaction on his face, “It’s done.”  

Edwrd chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Remind me never to get on your bad side, Crane.”  

Jonathan gave a small, dark smile. “Just keep providing the riddles, Nygma, and we’ll get along just fine.”  

Chapter Text

Batman stood in the Batcave, meticulously analysing the recent string of elaborate traps set throughout Gotham City that has been going on for months. The placements weren’t random; they formed distinct shapes when plotted on a map. The traps in upper Gotham outlined a question mark, central Gotham shaped like a teacup, and lower Gotham formed a Jack-O'-Lantern.  

“This isn’t a coincidence,” Batman muttered to himself, zooming in on the map. “The Riddler, the Mad Hatter, and the Scarecrow are working together.”  

Determined to uncover their hideout, Batman followed the movements of a suspicious henchman he had been tracking for days. From one of the trap sites the man led him to a dilapidated house on the outskirts of the city. Batman watched from the shadows as the henchman entered the building.  

The Dark Knight observed the hideout from a distance, ensuring it was indeed where the villains were holed up. Positioning himself to get a clear view inside, he saw the Mad Hatter peering out of a second-story window, yelling in frustration as a man leapt out.  

“How dare you upset my Alice!” Jervis shouted; his face twisted in disappointment.  

From inside, the Riddler’s voice rang out, sharp and annoyed. “What are you doing?! You better get that cleared up, Jervis!”  

Satisfied that he had found the right place, Batman made his move. He silently approached a boarded-up back entry, prying it open and slipping inside and found himself at the top of a staircase leading to the basement. He descended cautiously, discovering Scarecrow’s makeshift lab. Broken beakers and scattered notes indicated ongoing experiments.   

As he scanned the room, a mind-controlled henchman lunged at him. Batman fought back, but in the struggle, they knocked over shelves and shattered glass containers. The noise drew Scarecrow’s attention. He descended the stairs and, seeing Batman, released a fear gas bomb before locking the basement door.  

Gritting his teeth, Batman fought through the effects of the gas. He broke the lock and stumbled upstairs, battling henchmen who tried to block his path. Each punch and kick were precise, fuelled by determination to end the villains' reign of terror.  

On the second floor, Batman anticipated encountering the Mad Hatter and a hostage in the well decorative tearoom, but instead, he faced the Scarecrow. “Surprised, Batman?”  

As they fought, Scarecrow threw another fear gas bomb, filling the room with the noxious fumes. Batman, after defeating Scarecrow, evacuated the room, sealing it to prevent the gas from spreading.  

Ascending to the top level, Batman found the hostage, a blonde female dressed in a blue dress; trapped in a Wonderland-themed puzzle, guarded by the Mad Hatter, wielding an axe. The Riddler stood nearby.  

“It’s teatime Batman, and you're ruining it!” The Mad Hatter yelled.  

As Batman had to solve the puzzle, he had to fend off the Mad Hatter, who was shrieking and swinging the axe wildly. Meanwhile, the Riddler was busy setting up another trap.  

Using a Batarang, Batman struck the Mad Hatter, causing him to trip and fall into the trap the Riddler had just finished, “What? Tetch, you fool!” Riddler said in frustration.  

 Batman then engaged the Riddler in combat. During the fight, the weakened floorboards, damaged by the Mad Hatter’s axe, gave way beneath the Riddler, causing him to fall into the room below.  

The tearoom that was now filled with the fear toxin. Amidst the lingering fear gas and debris from their earlier fight. Trapped under rubble, he was affected by the gas but not fatally. His screams of terror echoed through the building until he was finally unconscious.  

Batman freed the hostage just as the police arrived. This was surprisingly easy; taking the three criminals down. But that was because the Batman had the element of surprise, making them in a panic and unprepared.  

As the police vans drove away, Batman watched silently, knowing that while this battle was won, Gotham’s war against its rogues was far from over. He disappeared into the night, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.  

The authorities arrested the trio and transported them to Arkham Asylum. Edward Nygma, suffering from a broken arm and the effects of the fear toxin, was sent to Arkham’s medical wing for a month before being moved to the general population. Jervis Tetch and Jonathan Crane were placed in isolation chambers due to the danger they posed.  

Now all the Gotham must do is clean up all those puzzle mazes that are all around and under the city.