The old warehouse door slowly creaks open as Bruce pushes it aside. The place was dark, filled with dust and old boxes that were never removed.

He adjusts his rebreather over his face, making sure that nothing can get past the filter. It’s important that nothing does, as he’s on a case that involves the so-called ‘King of Fear’, Scarecrow.

The man recently escaped from Arkham, sending the entire Batfamily on a wild goose chase around Gotham. He’s been popping up everywhere and manages to escape before any of them can capture him.

It doesn’t help Bruce’s paranoia that he keeps teasing them. More than usual, which is agitating and worrying. He’s got something up his sleeve, and he’s determined to find out what.

Which is why he’s finally located Scarecrow’s base of operations after tracking him here. It’s a miracle the man didn’t see the tracking device in the first place, so he’s lucky to have found this place.

Well, unless it’s a trap. But the Bat is always prepared for one of those, isn’t he?

Bruce lets out a deep breath, stepping into the abandoned warehouse and flicking his flashlight on. The area illuminates, boxes casting shadows along the walls. If Bruce wasn’t used to this type of environment, it would certainly creep him out.

The Bat heads deeper into Scarecrow’s territory, keeping a lookout for any movement in the darkness. He finds nothing so far, and that’s what worries him the most. Did Scarecrow find the tracker and leave him on another dead end? No… that can’t be possible.

That worry is thrown out the window when he hears a muffled scream coming from a trapdoor in the floor. All of his muscles tense at once, adrenaline kicking in as he rushes towards the source of the sound.

He rips the trapdoor open, climbing down the ladder and entering what appears to be a makeshift lab. Scarecrow is nowhere to be seen, but there’s evidence of his flight through an open escape hatch in the wall. Bruce growls in frustration, agitated that the man managed to get away again.

But he shakes the feeling away, especially now that he knows someone else is down here as well.

Bruce heads deeper into the lab, scanning the surroundings. It’s the usual fear toxin setup, but this time, it’s clear it’s been here for longer than usual.

Eventually, he spots a figure tied to a table, trembling and sobbing. Worry floods his system, and he’s quick to arrive by their side. From the look of the individual, they’ve been here for a long time. Skinny, wounded, and god, they’re bound to have fear toxin pumping through their veins at this point.

It makes Bruce sick to see someone as young as them in such a state. The paternal instincts inside of him begin to stir.

He knows that they’re too far gone at the moment, lost in whatever they’re seeing due to the toxin. He doesn’t waste a second when administering an antidote, hoping that it’s enough to calm the hostage down.

“Hey, hey,” He begins to speak, his voice calm, “You’re going to be alright.”