Compassion for a Crane (A Jonathan Crane/ Scarecrow story)

Chapter 5 - Midnight call in

Enjoy~

Considering she had not partaken in any strenuous or particularly challenging work that day, Carmen was surprised by how tired she was when 5pm rolled round at the asylum. Perhaps it was the mental strain of being in a new and dangerous environment.

Following her encounter with Crane, she and Mandylor had gone on to check the other inmates within the level 3 male section such as Roman Sionis (who had given her a brief shock before she realised his oddly shaped 'face' was a mask that had apparently sealed itself onto his face, following an accident involving a fire and fight with Batman) and a few inmates that had yet to earn a rogue name. Following this the two moved onto the female section where Carmen met other rogues such as Harleen Quinzell, Pamela Isley and Peyton Riley to name a few. 

One thing in particular that had caused her some confusion, were the large E's written next to some of the rogue's names. Upon inquiring to what they stood for, Mandylor had embarrassedly admitted "Uhm...that means they've escaped I'm afraid". The Joker, Edward Nygma, Victor Freeze and Jane Doe all had capital E's marked against their names in Red ink.

As they walked the long hallways Carmen had picked up on the shortage of staffing at Arkham and guessed it was the reason they had reached out to Gotham's hospital staff, as well as why so many of the patients seemed to be escaping left, right and centre. After Carmen had accompanied Peter on his rounds, he gave her a quick tour of the place, showing her the medicine cupboard where all the inmate prescriptions and first aid supplies were kept, the lunch hall, the rec room and several of the doctor's offices. The last door he guided her to was much like the others in this corridor only this one had 'TECH ROOM' bolted above it. The room housed a few computes some of which were already occupied by psychiatrists or medics who greeted them as they entered. After a brief introduction to Killer Croc's assigned psychiatrist, Dr Gretchen Whistler, and a fellow medic, Greg Campbell, Carmen was shown how to transfer the days medical nots onto the electronic system.

"It can be a pain in the ass" he admitted as he turned on one of the computers "but it's Arkahm policy". Carmen got used to the process of transferring the notes over quickly, noticing that whilst some inmates only had a few previous instalments of medical notes, other, more long-term inmates, had pages of issues. Broken bones, bruising and cracked teeth to name a few. It took until 6pm for them both to update the notes, causing Carmen to wonder if she was going to be facing a lot of over time once she started working solo. After updating the system, Mandylor (after much fumbling with the old camera) took a photo of Carmen for her ID badge.

"Make sure to keep this on you at all times whilst at the asylum" Mandylor explained as he handed her the fresh badge. "There will be disciplinary measures and a fee if it's lost I'm afraid" He added.

"I'll guard it with my life" she promised with a smile and clipped it firmly onto the breast pocket on her white uniform.

"Well, that's all for today I think. You'll make a fine addition to the team here at Arkahm" He praised as he put the camera back in the cupboard. "do you have any questions?" He asked as they exited the Tech Room and Carmen thought for a few moments before shaking her head.

"I don't think so, Mr Mandylor, thank you for taking the time to show me the ropes today" She thanked as they collected their items from the staff room. She appreciated that with all work and inmates there seemed to be at the asylum, Mandylor probably didn't have much spare time but had still be patient and thorough in explaining everything.

"My pleasure, please call me Peter! Luckily enough our shifts seem to have fallen on the same days for your first week so if you have any queries, I'll be at hand to ask" they made their way to the asylum entrance as (what Carmen guessed was the night shift staff) passed them, not looking particularly excited about the night they had ahead of them. "Oh, Carmen" Mandylor added once they were outside, having collected their prohibited items from the security guard that had taken over from Franklin for the night shift. Carmen looked over after hearing her name. "Please try not to take anything Jonathan Crane says, he likes to try and instil fear in people...you could say it is what he considers as his 'raison d'être' " he explained.

"I know peter, I'll keep my wits about me when I'm around him" Carmen promised. She knew who Dr Jonathan Crane was, The Scarecrow, The Master of Fear, a psychology professor who had been kicked out of his university after overstepping ethical boundaries when it came to his research. After waving goodbye and simultaneously calling "Goodnight!", the two parted ways and Carmen climbed into her car, relieved that she had survived her first day at the notorious Arkahm Asylum.

"What was I so worried for anyway?!" she asked herself as she started the engine, trying to generate confidence in herself. "Just a few regular people with some odd names in need of help" she reasoned.

She figured that things must be looking up for her as she entered her apartment that evening where she was affectionately welcomed by Tootsie, who came to rub himself against her leg. "Hey! Now why couldn't you have welcomed me home like this on my bad days?" she asked but the tabby simply looked up at her with wide, innocent eyes. "C'mon let's get you fed"

After dining on a microwave lasagne meal and some chocolate she had forgotten about, Carmen prepared herself for her second morning at Arkham Asylum. "You know Tootsie" she addressed the creature who watched her as she hung her freshly washed scrubs up to let the creases fall out. "I think things are going to be okay". With the good intention of starting Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, Carmen took the book to bed with her but within minutes of settling down, the book had slipped from her hands and lay abandoned on the floor. She had fallen asleep.

Carmen awoke with a start to a sound unfamiliar to her in her sleepy state. She groaned as she pushed her long black hair out of her face and looked at her bedside clock. At first she thought it was the fire alarm but then she recognised the familiar tune. Who was ringing her cell phone at 4 in the morning? Hoping whoever it was would call back later in the day at a more reasonable time, Carmen rolled over and cocooned herself into her duvet. The phone stopped ringing. Then started again. "Are you kidding me?!" she huffed as she lifted the duvet off herself, the cold morning air causing Goosebumps along her skin through her thin nightclothes. She hurried over to her jacket pocket and fished her phone out, examining the screen as it continued to buzz and ring wildly. The number was not logged on her phone, but then again, not many were.

"Hello?"

"Carmen? Is this Carmen?" she recognised the voice on the opposite end as Peter Mandylor from the asylum, although she quickly noted his light-hearted tone was absent and had been replaced by one of contained panic.

"Yes, it is. Is this Peter?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, yes I'm sorry to call you like this Carmen, and on your second day, but I'm afraid there's been an..." he paused as he chose his words carefully. "Incident at Arkahm"

"Incident?"

"I'm so sorry to ask this of you but when will you be able to get over to the asylum? We need more members of staff on site to help"

"I'll be over as quickly as I can!" Carmen replied and after many thanks from Peter, hung up and sprang into action. She was reminded of the times when her hospital co-workers had begged her to stay just an hour or two longer to help stabilise as critically injured patient, just as she would be leaving a long night shift. Carmen, of course, had always agreed and now was no different. Thankful she had already prepared her clothes, she grabbed her white uniform and threw it on, almost running out of the door before realising she hadn't put any food out for Tootsie. That, and she had her top was on back to front.

The early morning mist throughout Gotham made the roads leading Carmen to Arkham asylum feel eery as she raced over, preparing herself for what might be waiting for her. Parking haphazardly, Carmen checked she had her ID badge before rushing in. As she entered, she immediately noticed the heightened level of noises echoing through the asylum, compared to the day previously. Screaming, crying, swearing. Dumping her possessions into the tray offered by the same security guard she had passed on her way-out last night, Carmen rushed through the metal detector where Peter was waiting to fill her in on what had occurred.