maskormenace | 04 ⚜ Video

04 ⚜ Video

[Pristine is how Crane appears when he flicks on the video feed; it's a lovely display of smoke and mirrors that he's pulling off, after the events of the last three days. He has a clean, elegant, ascetic appearance - and enough calm professionalism to mask his excitement.]

You're all handling this outbreak remarkably well. It seems you're all keeping to the boundaries of the law, as the Major-General expects you to. That's a good thing, mind. It would be terrible news to hear people have been shot for breaking quarantine.

Anyway, I am here to help if this event has caused you psychological distress. I am a doctor, after all.

[A pause, and he tucks in his chin and folds his hands in his lap. He half-closes his eyes.]

Fears and phobias are my specialty, and there is much to fear in this situation.

[His head comes back up. He's staring at the lens.]

Be that as it may, fear is something everybody needs. It keeps you safe and keeps you on your toes. It will do you all well to remember that. That it's good to know we must always feel a little scared. It's good to see that most of you haven't submitted to bravado and dagger-tongued bragging.

[The corners of his lips lift in a boyish smile. He tilts his head slightly. His voice is disarmingly gentle. His soft inflection on 'most of you' is meant for one person in particular.]

And I wouldn't like to think that those with guts would put everyone in danger. I trust everyone to make the best decisions for each other in combating this disease.

It would be terrifying to think we couldn't trust each other. Wouldn't it?

[He crosses his right leg and rests his hands over his knee. His graceful fingers smooth his trousers, and he waits for his audience to speak.]

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[Crane notices the attempt to pry for information - the natural, gentle line of questioning that slips in as a response to his question. The tilt of the alien's head. The evasion of his own question, which still had to be answered. He turns over in his head the response he'd been given.

Maybe: a word that can be interpreted any number of ways, but as an answer it's nebulous. It's a word he'd used himself.

To Bruce Wayne, in fact.

He tilts his head, mirroring Superman's subconscious behavior. He elects to mirror his language, too.]

Maybe, but I'm not really free to explore. That's the perils of my work. Sometimes it just gets on top of you. [It's hard to work, really, when you're strapped to a medical bed.] Why aren't you allowed near Gotham? Does someone have you spooked?

[He was hoping for a more specific answer, but again he’ll have to take it. The mirroring of his body language wouldn’t be so obvious if he hadn’t used the exact same word Kal had given him in reply, but as it is it almost makes the alien want to laugh.]

Well, when I went public it wasn’t exactly… discreet. So I’m sure if I do exist in your world you’ll eventually know. [That’s kind of an understatement, but he doesn’t exactly feel like sharing just how important it was. Not to mention it would sound an awful lot like bragging, when it was actually a pretty uncomfortable moment for him.

(Except meeting Lois).

And then, he hesitates. Crane won’t answer his questions if he doesn’t answer the ones he gets, that’s already pretty obvious. If Kal’s honest he is surprised the doctor is giving him this much, but he probably finds Superman more interesting than Clark Kent. Already Kal is thinking if he can use that to his advantage.]

Yes. Gotham is Batman’s territory. [That’s safe. He can share that. Crane already knows Batman.]

[Crane can't hide his curiosity at that. It's as though there's life in his eyes; a current in the water. He doesn't want to hide it, and he sits up straight. His head tilts forward and he sounds utterly thrilled.]

Fascinating.

[When Crane believes something's fascinating, generally it doesn't tend to bode well. He knows the power of what he's saying. Really, he finds the fact he can fill people with ill omens to be utterly thrilling. Superman had mentioned Batman, making himself utterly less intriguing to Crane, for the moment.]

The poor fellow - he's quite traumatized, really. Wouldn't you agree? Putting on a costume and fighting that which he cannot see. [Crane's aware of the irony of his other self being... dressed... as well. Oswald had told him he did as much.] It's all quite interesting, really.

[The change is so clear it’s almost palpable. Kal is torn between wanting to smile and wanting put himself in front of the bat so Crane can’t get to him. He’s lost his Batman back home, saw him put himself in front of an Omega bullet because that’s the kind of man he is- was. And he’s not sure he’s ready to lose this Bruce Wayne as well.

But he also knows that Bruce would never forgive him if he did that, so he just goes with a giving Crane a smile.]

You’re aware you’re talking to someone who flies around in bright colors, right? I’m pretty sure all of us are traumatized at some level. A fascinating study, really- but I doubt any of us would be willing to put themselves under that kind of scrutiny.

[Crane tilts his head, in the way he does when watching a test subject. Trauma was something that colored everyone, but some people were painted more richly than others. Some had been brushed lightly, like a watercolor. Others had received a slick coat of oil that seeped into them on every level.]

Sometimes we don't have the luxury of making choices. Superman, was it? [RUDE, Crane.] Sometimes choices are made for us.

[And he's taken the choices for so many already.]

[There’s a millisecond of panic, but he makes absolutely sure it doesn’t show on his face. Maybe to people who only know Dr Crane that assessment is simply an organic answer to Kal’s affirmation, but Kal knows the Scarecrow so he knows the implications behind it. That if Crane wants to study them but they aren’t willing to be studied Crane will simply ‘make their choice’ for them. And Kal knows with certainty that he can, if he wants to.

But maybe Crane doesn’t know that. All Crane knows is that he’s talking to ‘Superman’, a name that seems to amuse him a lot. So maybe if he manages to twist his words enough…

He forces himself to smile.]

I wish them luck, then. It’s not easy to make choices for someone with ‘Super’ on their moniker.

[Leaning forward to the camera, Crane stops and gives a pleasant smile, then he angles his head to his left - unable to hide the flash of excitement that passes on his face. Before Arkham, he would have been able to control his fascination much more rigidly. Now he dreams it will be thrilling to have this being under his power.

His eyes fix back and that sharp focus of his mind - others would say his insanity - is entirely on Superman.]

Of course. Your moniker indicates you have been struck down by fortune. But I say all it means is that tomorrow it may be your own turn to be scared.

[And Crane's the master of. Well, you know what, Clark.]

Edited 2015-05-08 18:15 (UTC)

[Surprisingly, it’s a relief to see Crane interested in him. If he knows he’s paying attention to Superman then he will know what to expect. And it’s not like there’s Kryptonite lying around so even he will take some time to make the fear gas work on him… even longer if Kal doesn’t let his weaknesses show. Drawing a target on his forehead might not be the best plan but it’s the one he’s got.

So he lets the smile grow even wider.]

Don’t worry: the moniker is warranted. It’s not so easy to scare me, Dr Crane.

[Though Crane's perceptive of some matters, he's sorely lacking when it comes to noticing others. The deliberate challenge is somewhere in the back of his head, jumbled amidst his urges to demonstrate and wield his power; to demand this being's submission and to prove fear is intimately real.

And also because he can.]

... Of course, saying that is just asking for trouble, you realize?

[He's got his eye on you.]

[And then Kal blinks, his eyes full of pure innocence. The trap is been laid, even if he has no idea what he's going to do with it. But as long as he gets some attention away from Batman he'll call it a win.]

I suppose it is, yes. But we're dealing with enough trouble as it is right now. I just don't think we should allow ourselves to be trapped by fear- by panic- in this kind of situation. It will only make things worse.

[Crane doesn't bat an eye. He tilts his head slightly, putting on a good public image. He wears the mask of a gentle man, cautiously pointing out the flaws in someone's argument. When he speaks, his voice is calm and analytical; he's done well to hide his amusement.]

I disagree. Letting in our fears is the only way to fix things. It will allow us to fully comprehend this dangerous situation.

[A pause.]

Fear is an essential part of being human. It protects us; and without it more would have succumbed to this disease. Fear is a friend to be welcomed, not turned around and told to be on its merry way.

I fear we're talking in circles

[:D]

But I'm more than happy to agree to disagree on this subject. We're both doing our best to help, after all. But as much as fear might help in your opinion I'll still be keeping an eye out for panic.

[Don't worry, Superman. Crane's got his eye on you too, now.

Unfortunately, that doesn't exclude Batman or everyone else here. They'll all become part of his experiment sooner or later.]

Of course. I don't expect anything less. [He certainly doesn't expect more - he's no Batman.] Your moniker would sort of demand it, really.

I feel like I should explain I didn't really choose the moniker. The press came up with it and it sort of stuck, and after years it kind of grows on you.

And you force yourself to live up to it. I might not be able to do much, but I'll do my best to make sure people aren't afraid. What people need in this kind of situation is a little bit of hope.

[Hope itself is a word of happiness. It makes him feel nauseous. Oh, but how he enjoys twisting it in the minds of his patients, till it's synonymous with despair.]

Hope is a slumbering dream. [Let's twist Aristotle whilst we're at it.] It always has a bitter aftertaste. But it's good you feel the need to force it on people. Sometimes the best medicine is that which tastes the foulest.

[Funny, because his toxin doesn't really smell like anything, till the mind kicks in.]

[Of all things, is this that gets Kal to pause. It's this seemingly almost consequential thing that makes him clench his jaw.]

Do you know what the shield on my chest stands for, Dr Crane?

[Well, nobody can say Crane hates learning.]

I can hazard a guess, but I do enjoy surprises. But I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway.

It means hope. Literally. My ancestors stood for hope, and this is the last remain I have of them.

So you'll understand if I take the matter a bit personally.

Of course.

[He's going to bite his tongue, for now. He sucks in his cheeks and glances off-side for a moment. Oh, he wants to talk about how Superman's ancestors aren't standing for hope anymore. It's a struggle to prevent himself from slipping a comment that they're not standing for much of anything else, either.]

We all cling to our memories, Superman. We don't want to risk losing them a second time again.

[And by that he means the dearly departed, obviously.]

[Kal squints for a second. If he didn't know any better... but no, Bruce wouldn't have told him about Batman's death. Would he? He doesn't know this Bruce as well as he knew his own, has no idea what the relationship with his Crane was like. He knows he still feels guilty about Dent, that he had once admired the man.. but nothing about Crane other than to avoid underestimating him.

Maybe he should be cutting this conversation short.]

We really don't.

It was interesting talking to you, Dr Crane.

That is also my sentiment.

Goodbye.

[Crane looks off-side for a moment, as if he expects someone or something to go flying by - or dropping in, as the case may be - before leaning forward to switch off his feed.]

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