Their mysterious benefactor's instructions were fairly easy for Johnathan Crane to follow through with. The crimson brew bubbled into gaseous form and began filling the first of the many canisters they were meant to fill.
As for their little science experiment, he remained strapped down, looking just a little more bloodthirsty than before. The veins in his throat were protruding and pulsing in shades of violet.
Valeska returned then with a female assistant by his side. Right away he noticed the test subject, and bent low to study him. "Is this a result of the gas?" he asked.
"In liquid form, a more concentrated dose," replied Crane. "But I assume the gas will have similar effects, just react a little less quickly."
"Ah, that's good. By the way, this here is Meryl," he introduced. The other two men waved at her. "She's here to help out. I've sent my feelers to the G.C.P.D to find out who it was that broke us out, and they came back with a name and an address."
"Think that they aren't well-meaning?" asked Tetch. "I was just starting to get the same feeling."
Valeska smiled. "Nobody gives away gifts of mass murder for free, we'd be fools to believe otherwise."
"I didn't," said Crane. "That's why I made us antidotes." He pulled out three syringes from his pocket. Then he looked at Meryl. "Um... none for you, sorry."
She nodded in an accepting manner.
Jerome paced slowly as he presupposed what was to happen next. "See... our friend Jervis here is supposed to visit a blimp hangar next. If these guys are as crazy as I think they are, they're going to ask us to load them up with the insanity gas, then send the blimp riding high in the sky for the best possible wind distribution. They'd paint the rest of Gotham just like..." he pointed to the strapped up test subject, "This guy here."
"It doesn't sound like a bad plan, why do I feel like you're not a fan?" asked Tetch curiously.
Jerome shrugged, "What I don't like is that there's a second part to it, my part. I'm to pay a visit to the Gotham Broadcasting station, likely to plaster my face on screens across the city. All of Gotham will assume that we're behind this."
"And what's wrong with that?" asked Crane. He wasn't exactly opposed to taking the credit for someone else's plans for city-wide madness.
"Nothing completely wrong about it. But think about it a moment, the real masterminds would've played us like pawns. They'll get away scott free while we become the faces of this event. Do you like being a pawn?"
"Not I, not I," declared Tetch. "I'd not want to be one of those. What then do you propose?"
With a wide grin, Jerome took a pack of poker cards out of his front pocket and began laying the cards down on Crane's desk. He did that one by one, with the picture-side up. "Well, the real joke here is they've convinced themselves that they're playing us, but they'll soon realise that this game can be played by two. After all, we hold the wild card." He flipped over the Joker card and pointed to it. "They'll never see it coming." He erupted into giggles.
A call came in for Gordon from Smith the morning after a back-trace of Jim's phone had been done, and an address derived. "We've spotted the three inmates, and a single female individual. They seem to be loading some boxes into a van parked just outside of 71 Welling Avenue. Should we attempt arrest?"
"Need I remind you that any one of those three can easily take the two of you out with ease, not to mention all three of them together. Wait for backup. I repeat, do not approach," replied Jim. "Keep a safe distance and continue to report on their location."
"Roger that," came his reply after a short pause. "They're moving off, we'll be tracking them. Will check back in soon."
Lucius Fox reluctantly forfeited his coat and all the cash he had on hand to the reptilian man - who asked to be called Waylon Jones. But as he did, he made sure to apprise Waylon of everything they knew of the Court and a possible calamity that was to befall the Narrows. Waylon listened quite intently, especially when Lucius mentioned how the wealthy planned to save only themselves.
"I wouldn't like that," he finally admitted. "I've made a home for myself here, it isn't fair if everything came crumbling down."
"Help me then, Mr Jones. This involves all of us, not just myself, or the G..." he stopped short of a second mistake reminding these people of Gotham law enforcement. "My tracker has been picking signals up from that radio telecasting station. It might be where the Court will attempt to create an epicenter of destruction."
Waylon raised a brow, "How do I know you aren't just saying all this in order that we'd let you go?"
"Why don't we go take a look together? It won't hurt, and if I'm wrong, you get to keep me or dispose of me how you please." Lucius beat himself up inside making such promises. He really didn't know what they'd find in there, and he was waging a lot on a completely unknown factor.
With a laugh Waylon rose to his feet. He towered over Lucius, easily over six feet. "I like this guy, he takes big bets." And after a short pause, "Fine, we'll go see this tower of yours, and then we'll decide what to do with you."
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