Lone Wolf

Ever since you fought and stopped Hades and his enslaved entourage, you felt as though his fire hurt more than just your mind; the girls seemed to give you that same so-called loyalty. Was it betrayal you were feeling? Frustration that it may happen again, having you fight them? Or... Was it that you were losing your affection for them...?

No! It can't be.

But back to business... "I'm not taking anyone with me. I'm beating Crane myself." J'onn attempted to warn you about how dangerous his work was, but despite your head not fully being in the game, you said, "I'll stop him. I'll make do." He had no need to read your mind as he could see the determination in your eyes, and a hint of something else.

"Very well," he resigned. "But you are to keep your channel open, and radio for help should you need it." You nodded and made your way to the teleportation pads. Batman had been watching from the shadows and approached you.

"It's foolhardy to take on Scarecrow when you don't know what you're up against." You stopped as he scolded you, but when he finished, you made no eye contact with him.

"As if that's ever stopped you before?"

Bats glared at you. "Noted," he retorted. "But Professor Crane is surprisingly dangerous." You walked onto one of the pads, waiting as the teleporting systems were charging up. Batman's piece of advice before it was too late was: "Don't let his fear toxin get to you." You acknowledged him just before you warped out.

You arrived in Arkham in Gotham, the last known sighting of Professor Crane aka the Scarecrow. In fact, you arrive at the lobby and approached the security guard. "Excuse me, sir," he replied. "Can I help you?"

You took out your JL badge from your pants's pocket and presented your picture. "I'm with the Justice League. One of your former inmates is suspected of another sinister plot. May I go inside?" The guard graciously let you in, after checking your ID was legit. You made it to the lower levels, ignoring the shouts, jeers, and rude remarks from the inmates around you as you made your way to Crane's cell.

Joker saw you from his cell, and grinned. "What's up, doc? Ready to present your project to the board yet?" Hearing him, you briefly stopped, then continued on as he giggled at his inside joke. You passed Pamela's cell, darting your eye to the side as you saw her quietly tending to her beautiful flower. What you didn't see was her blowing a kiss at you after you went by.

Harvey Dent flipping his coin was of no consequence to you right then, and you finally found Dr. Bartholomew walking up to you. "Excuse me. Sir?"

He noticed you and smiled pleasantly. "Hello there. May I assist you?"

"Yes. I think Professor Crane is up to no good again. What can you tell me about him?"

Bartholomew seemed genuinely confused, raising an eyebrow. "Professor Crane completed his competency hearing and he was released days ago, mentally sane." You folded your arms, looking unconvinced. "I promise you, Mr. Shadow. Scarecrow scares no more..."

...

Later, after the good doctor gave you the address of Crane's new home, you went to investigate. As you peeked in through the window, it seemed that he wasn't doing anything terrible. He was just... fixing himself a cup of tea?

This seemed too good to be true...

You make your way to the front door, and you wanted to look more presentable. Your nanobots responded in kind, changing your superhero outfit to look more pedestrian: jeans, simple t-shirt, long socks, and sneakers. Assuming the look of normality, you knock on the front door. He answered the door, peeking out. "Yes? Can I help you?"

You smiled pleasantly. "Hi, neighbor. People around here call me Shadow. Don't know why," you shrug. The look in Crane's nervous eyes indicated that he recognized the name. "Can I come in? I want to talk to you about recent purchases you made."

He stares a bit intensely at you.