GOTHAM KNIGHT: YEAR ONE

CHAPTER FOUR: DOCTOR CRANE

THE CRANE FARMHOUSE, 1969:
"Hey, Scarecrow!", a small group of teenage boys shouted, as they cycled up the young Jonathan Crane's drive way. Jonathan, was a lonely kid, as he would often sit on his own and mind his own business, instead of interacting with other people. He sat on the steps of his front door, as the boys came up to him, they saw that Jonathan was reading a book, so they snatched it off him and threw it into the nearby fields. "What's up, gonna cry?", one of them said as he kicked him onto the ground, and they all began to stamp on him. Jonathan, was crying as he tried to fight back, but couldn't due to the painful beatings he was given.

ARKHAM ASYLUM, 1986:
"Crane......Crane!", a doctor shouted, then Doctor Crane, turned around and asked, "what is it?", he was then told, "Professor Strange wants you in his office", "I'll be right there", he responded, as he left his office. Crane, walked through the corridors, of the old, rotting Asylum, to reach Professor Hugo Strange's office, "You wanted to see me?", Crane asked and then Professor Strange responded, "yes....please, come in". Crane, sat opposite strange, who wore a black, turtle neck sweater, a white lab coat, and had a grey beard, and a pair of round glasses. "So, Doctor.......I've had a few complaints from the patients, that you're 'scaring them'....", Strange told him, Jonathan then replied , "I believe, Mr Sionis has had a hard time, settling in here.....but I'm sure, he'll get used to our treatment here". "I'm not talking about Mr Sionis", Strange told him and then he explained, "I like you Crane, but I'm not sure why. I've had several reports from the patients here, and I'm starting to think that they're telling the truth", Crane began to speak, but Strange cut him off, and told him, "if I hear any more of this, then you know where the door is.......or where you're cell is, a doctor scaring patients is a bit mad, isn't it?".

Shortly after that, Crane had rushed to the bathroom, and washed his face with water from the sink. He looked at himself in a mirror, rubbing his hands through his long, dark hair, and saw the pain in his eyes, as tears ran down his face.

A FEW HOURS LATER, THE NARROWS:
Crane, walked through the dirty, foggy streets Gotham, in which this part of the city, was the worst.

He lived in a small apartment building, which was above a fast food a small fast food, take-away restaurant, which attracted more rodents then it did, humans. As he entered his apartment building, Crane proceeds towards an elevator which would take him to his apartment.

SOMETIME LATER,JONATHAN CRANE'S APARTMENT:
Jonathan, sat on a chair in his apartment, wearing a red sweater, with some brown pants, without any socks or shoes. He, held a syringe with a long needle, in his right hand, with his left sleeve rolled up, he then slowly stabbed the needle into his left arm, and began to inject a form of liquid into his body. He then dropped the syringe on the ground, he held his arm as he was in pain and his head began to hurt, and then suddenly, large amounts of cockroaches, built up in the room, coming out of the cupboards, through the windows, and crawling down the walls, Jonathan dropped to the ground, holding his head, screaming and began to bang his head on the wall.

A FEW HOURS LATER:
Jonathan laid in his bed, in the dark, hearing gun fire and sirens outside of his window. He held the pillow against his ears, trying to shut himself from the noise, but couldn't do then, he stood up and then lit a cigarette. He began to smoke it, while looking out of the window, he then looked at a pair of dark brown, leather gloves and then picked them up. He walked over to his table, and began to sew syringes with plastic tubing, connecting to small liquid containers, which wrapped around his right arm. He then, done himself a glass of water, and then take a sip of it, his alarm clock began to go off, and then he placed the glove back onto the table, and got dressed for work.

ARKHAM ASYLUM, SOMETIME LATER:
"And why do you think, that wearing a mask is the right way?", Doctor Crane asked The Black Mask, who had been put into a restraining chair, while wearing a white Arkham uniform, with the black mask, burnt onto his skin and could not be removed. "The mask, shows your true face........a lot people, wear masks to hide who they really are.....I chose the mask, because it shows who I am", The Black Mask explained, then Doctor Crane asked him, "so.....to become a symbol?", and then The Black Mask answered, "ain't ya watched the news?". Doctor Crane then said, "so.....a Mask.......you really think, that the mask represents who you truly are?", The Black Mask told him, "the mask is your real face doctor......Roman Sionis is dead, long live The Black Mask".