66

Adam sat in the co-pilot seat of the Batwing, the sleek aircraft hovering silently in the night sky.

"Batcomputer, connect me to Robin."

Silence.

"Batcomputer. Connect me to Robin," he repeated, a touch of impatience in his voice.

"Connecting... Batman to Robin."

Alfred, ever the loyal butler, sat in the pilot's seat, a cowl obscuring his face.

Soon, Tim Drake's face filled the screen. He was lounging with his feet propped on a table, sipping a drink and munching on one of Alfred's signature sandwiches.

"Tim, any anomalies at the reservoir, assembly square, night market, or other public areas? Is the Gotham TV station's firewall secure? No hacker activity? No issues with the news vans? If anything happens, cut their signal immediately–"

"Nope, nothing, old man," Tim interrupted, swallowing his drink and tossing the empty cup aside. "None of your doomsday scenarios are happening. I think you're just making excuses to keep me in the Batcave instead of bringing me along!"

Adam felt a pang of guilt. He couldn't deny that he'd hoped to keep Tim out of harm's way, but he was also wary of Scarecrow's potential tactics.

Gotham's villains had a penchant for theatrics: poisoning the reservoir, broadcasting terror messages, unleashing fear gas in crowded areas. It was classic, yet effective.

Adam knew the Joker was a unique breed of madman, but that didn't mean the other Arkham inmates were sane.

Lunacy was lunacy. Adam had read "The War of Jokes and Riddles," and he knew better than to underestimate any of these deranged individuals.

"Tim, I apologize for leaving you behind in the Batcave," Adam said, his voice sincere. "I admit it was intentional."

Batman's sudden honesty caught Robin off guard. He straightened up, stammering, "Oh, no, it's okay, Batman. I don't blame you!"

Adam smiled. He understood the rebellious teenager's mind better than Batman did.

"I did it out of concern for your safety, but also as a necessary precaution against Scarecrow's tactics."

He emphasized, "Your work isn't meaningless, Tim. It's a crucial part of our backup plan."

"You see," Adam continued, "Scarecrow's modus operandi is fear. Poisoning the water supply, gathering criminals, these are just tools to achieve his ultimate goal."

"I never underestimate my enemies. Scarecrow is a madman, like the Joker. He doesn't have a clear goal like a traditional criminal."

Adam elaborated, "Take Bane, for example. If he poisons the city, he has a reason: controlling Gotham, eliminating a threat, wearing me down. It's all part of a larger scheme."

"But Scarecrow is different. He doesn't care about ruling Gotham or gaining power. He simply enjoys instilling fear in others."

Adam's eyes darkened. "The outcome of his actions doesn't matter to him. His goal is the act of terrorizing itself. Everything he does is to maximize that fear. He's not a criminal in the usual sense, and we can't predict his actions with conventional logic."

"Based on my understanding of Crane, if his plan goes wrong, he'll do anything, including cooperating with others or even submitting to them."

This was the key difference between Scarecrow and the Joker. The Joker might form alliances, but they always ended with a chaotic explosion, as Lex Luthor could attest.

Adam continued, "Scarecrow doesn't care about ruling the city or gaining wealth. He just wants to scare people."

"Scaring civilians is good, scaring the entire city through the radio is better. Bombs, words, darkness, daylight, it doesn't matter. As long as he's causing terror, he's satisfied."

"He just wants that shiver of fear. What happens after that is irrelevant to him."

"That's why I insisted on dealing with Scarecrow first," Adam concluded.

"He's a slippery villain with a nuclear bomb in his possession. If he truly stole it, he might very well team up with others or even surrender in exchange for the bomb's protection, allowing him to continue his fear-mongering."

"After all, he just wants to scare people. A detonated bomb wouldn't scare him, but losing it to Batman would. Finding allies to safeguard the bomb is his most logical move."

Adam had plenty of enemies, including Bane and the Court of Owls backing Lincoln March.

"Our best option was to neutralize Scarecrow before he could form alliances."

Adam was about to continue when Alfred interrupted. "I apologize for the interruption, sir, but I believe Professor Crane has already done so."

Alfred switched the screen to the live feed from Penguin's monocle, a piece of Lucius Fox's ingenious technology.

"And not only that, sir. I'm afraid his actions are beyond what we anticipated."

Alfred's voice was grave. "We often forget that Scarecrow isn't just a master of fear, but also a brilliant chemist. If his claims are true, and these are indeed his creations, then he may have already secured alliances."

Adam watched the unfolding scene, his face hardening. He had underestimated a Gotham villain yet again.

On the screen, two Talons flanked Lincoln March, drawing their blades. Then, to March's astonishment, their muscles bulged, ripping through their uniforms. They tightened their masks and roared in unison.

"Master, did you anticipate this?" Alfred inquired.

"Yes."

"What is the plan, Master?"

"Me."