Arkham Arc

This arc takes place mid October to December. Ash Sheridan and Aleenya Mlinger are captured and once again brought to Arkham Asylum, under the watch of Jonathan Crane. He torments the both of them, and makes them distrust each other, but Ash also breaks free of her crush on him. When the Joker breaks them out, Ash cuts ties with Aleenya to protect her childhood friends, Cate Hunter and Izzy Tennant. The two are kidnapped as leverage by Scarlett Jaide, and saved by Aleenya and Ash, which leads to Ash reconnecting with Aleenya.

**Previous Arc:** Allie Arc

**Next Arc:** Christmas Arc

## Scythe Attack

Ash decides to impersonate Scarecrow and conduct a mass murder in the central business square with Aleenya’s help. They obtain a farming scythe and Ash creates a replica of Scarecrow’s mask, and with that Ash spins in the middle of a crowd, cutting down anyone in her way. Crane arrives on the scene, and is attacked by Aleenya and Lily O’Claire. Soon, they all leave Crane at the scene of the crime. Ash and Aleenya rest in a park, and come across another villain that is never mentioned again, who ruins their moment by shooting them both. The two are able to make it home and tend to their wounds.

Crane is unable to leave the square by the time the police arrive, and uses the opportunity to tell them who conducted the attack. Commissioner Gordon convinces Crane to aid them in recapturing Ash and Aleenya. With the aid of Lily O’Claire, Gordon obtains phone numbers to contact the two with.

## Truce With The Joker

Ash decides that she does not want to have to think about the Joker anymore, and so decides to make him leave her house. She and Aleenya plan to discuss a truce with him, so that he does not try to seek revenge for being starved half to death. They easily overpower the Joker since he is extremely weak from barely eating for weeks, and force him to sit down to a meal with them.

The Joker is interested by the brutality of the scythe attack, and listens to Ash’s proposal. Ash points out that all three of them are about to end up in a cycle of trying to best each other, and wants to wipe the slate clean before that happens. She claims that they owe each other for not killing the other immediately. The Joker agrees surprisingly quickly, but also insists that they do him a favor. He does not specify what this favor will be, but Ash agrees. They sedate the Joker and then leave him somewhere on the streets of Gotham.

## Arkham Take Two

Gordon contacts Crane to set in motion their plan to recapture Ash and Aleenya. Crane is given the phone numbers to contact them with, and instructs the two to meet him. He uses Aleenya’s curiosity, and Ash’s crush to convince them to come. When they arrive, they are ambushed by police. Ash uses her toxin to try and escape, but is ultimately shot in the leg once again, and Aleenya is shot in the shoulder after she gets further away.

Ash is unable to walk because of injuries to both of her legs, and begins to panic after being handcuffed. She is taken to the hospital instead of Arkham. Aleenya begins taunting the police and Crane, and reveals that he was present on the night of Allie’s murder. She also declares that he is Scarecrow. Crane places the blame of his involvement on Ash, and the police disregard the rest of Aleenya’s accusation, given her reputation, with the exception of Scarlett Jaide, who begins to look into Crane’s history.

Throughout therapy sessions with Aleenya, Crane informs her that Ash has been shot and killed by a nurse at the hospital. He also convinces her that her parents have died in a gas explosion, and torments her for killing Allie. To get revenge on him, Aleenya kisses him which throws him into a panic. He gasses her, and on his next meeting, uses the pain toxin he received from Allie on her.

Ash is indeed attacked while in the hospital, but berates the nurse who threatens her until he kills himself. When she arrives at Arkham, she is continually tormented by Crane, who uses her crush on him against her. He exploits her fears of being restrained, and ensures she feels powerless around him.

Scarlett visits Ash while in Arkham in order to get the truth of Crane’s involvement in Allie’s death. Ash realizes that he would have used her as a cover, and feels empowered by being able to choose his fate. She chooses to keep his identity secret, and regains control over her emotions after guiding him through his panic at being kissed by Aleenya.

## The Partnership Ends

During this time, the Joker chooses to visit Cate Hunter and convince her to break Ash out of Arkham. She agrees, and is caught by another close friend, Izzy Tennant. The three of them work together to get Ash and Aleenya out, and during their escape, Aleenya asks for a hair color. Izzy chooses one, and Aleenya decides to take a walk before returning to Ash’s house.

Aleenya finds a person of the hair color that Izzy mentions, and kills her. When she returns to the house, she informs the others of what she has done. This makes Izzy feel guilty, and infuriates Ash, who makes it clear that her old friends take priority to Aleenya. She demands that Aleenya leave. Aleenya tries to justify herself, but Ash retaliates by claiming she does not care for Aleenya at all.

Aleenya runs into Lily O’Clare after leaving Ash’s house. They decide to rob several stores, and Crane discovers them while driving. He confronts Aleenya, and gasses Lily while trying to leave. Aleenya attacks him, but is interrupted by Ash catching them on her way home from dropping Cate off. Aleenya and Ash argue, and they both leave the scene.

Crane uses his private security system in Arkham to learn that Cate and Izzy assisted in the escape. He confronts the both of them, telling them that he will not turn them in as long as they do not help Ash again. Aleenya realizes she feels guilty for betraying Ash, and gives up on her plot to kill certain hair colors. The Joker crashes in Ash’s house for a while, to which Ash accepts for a while. Ash becomes much more stable in her emotions, and lets go of her connections to Crane and Aleenya.

Scarlett becomes furious at the continuous escapes of Ash and Aleenya, and is now convinced that Crane is hiding being Scarecrow. When Ash drives a truck through the Derris-Falafel Shopping Mall, Scarlett decides to do anything to take her in. She pays for the help of Lily O’Claire to find a weakness of Ash’s. Lily tells Scarlett that Ash would do anything for her childhood friends.

## Aleenya Mlinger and Scarecrow

Aleenya runs into Crane later on and records him admitting to being Scarecrow. She threatens to turn the recording over to the police, but accidentally drops it into a sewer. When Crane tries to leave, Aleenya kidnaps him and takes him to a strategically placed abandoned warehouse. She gasses him with the fear toxin he gave her previously. She ascribes his fear of death to a fear of guns, and torments him with guns frequently after this.

Aleenya carves the word “Scarecrow” into Crane’s arm, and then leaves him disoriented to seek help for himself. Crane is visited in the hospital by Scarlett Jaide and Jean Arlanda. He describes Aleenya’s attack, and claims that she has become obsessed with pinning the name of Scarecrow on him.

## Scarlett Jaide Takes Hostages

Lily runs into Aleenya and Ash in a park late at night, and hints at Scarlett’s plans for Izzy and Cate. Ash ignores Aleenya’s attempts to help, and gasses Lily for aiding in hurting her friends. Ash and Aleenya argue once again and part ways. Ash tries to contact Izzy and Cate, but neither answer.

Ash soon is contacted by Scarlett, who demands that Ash has three days to turn herself in or Izzy and Cate will be killed. Ash demands proof that Scarlett has the two, and Scarlett lets them speak to each other. Scarlett berates Izzy and Cate for their friendship with Ash afterwards.

Lily meets up with Scarlett again, and gets information on how the hostage situation is going. Scarlett is surprisingly open about her plans, and reveals that she is so because she has dirt on Lily. She threatens to expose Lily’s backstory if Lily sells any of the information she just received. Lily sullenly agrees to help with Scarlett’s plan.

To get out of Scarlett’s clutches, Lily leaks where Izzy and Cate are to Aleenya, after a promise from Aleenya that she will kill Scarlett. Lily returns to Scarlett and calls Ash, urging her to come before her friends start getting hurt. Scarlett promises to hire Lily to kill the two if either of them talk after being released.

Ash shows up shortly afterwards to save her friends. Scarlett commands Lily to tie her up. Lily does so, but purposefully makes sure the restraints are weak so Ash can escape. Just then, Aleenya bursts into the room ready to save Izzy and Cate, not expecting Ash to already be there. Scarlett threatens to kill Ash to hold Aleenya back, and tells Lily to disarm Aleenya. Lily disobeys, and instead runs away, with her gun trained on Scarlett. During the distraction, Aleenya attacks Scarlett and knocks her unconscious.

Aleenya tends to Izzy and Cate while Ash frees them. They head home on their own so that Aleenya and Ash can talk. Aleenya apologizes, and Ash tentatively accepts it. They return to Ash’s house, where the Joker declares that he should have come with, since Ash is not dead or imprisoned.

## A Bunch of Other Plot Developing Devices

The three decide to go out and find Julia, whom they tortured ages ago, once again. The Joker abandons them after they find her, but they proceed to attack Julia anyway. Aleenya mirrors the scars she left on Julia’s arm onto the other arm, and Ash leaves her with a few more injuries. Aleenya and Ash return home and resume their normal routine.

Lily arrives at Crane’s house at random. He recognizes her from his encounter after Aleenya and Ash escaped from Arkham, and she reminds him that he gassed her. As payback, she sets fire to his house. She beats him up a little, and leaves before the fire department arrives.

Scarlett meets a woman named Temperance in a coffee shop, who encourages Scarlett’s determination to catch Ash, as well as weed out all of the corrupt police. Scarlett also visits Cate to try and get her to turn Ash in, but fails.

## Soundtrack

### Ash & Crane (ultimate angst edgelord pro™ 2.0)

* **Just Like You** - Three Days Grace
* **What Lies Beneath** - Breaking Benjamin
* **Dance with the Devil** - Breaking Benjamin
* **Paralyzed** - The Used
* **Breaking the Habit** - Linkin Park
* **Without You** - Breaking Benjamin

### Starting to Hate Crane (jus a lil bit)

* **Spotlight** - MuteMath
* **Cell Block Tango** - Chicago Official Soundtrack
* **Dirty Little Secret** - The All-American Rejects
* **Fences** - Paramore
* **Sarcasm** - Get Scared

### Yeah, let's make normal people break out the villains good plan

* **Bad Influence** - P!nk
* **Daydreaming** - Paramore
* **Something Wicked (That Way Went)** - Vernian Process
* **Lunatics and Slaves** - Sin Shake Sin

### Aleenya & Ash

* **Prelude, Siciliano, & Rondo**
* **Let’s Kill Tonight** - Panic! at the Disco
* **Glory and Gore** - Lorde
* **On My Own** - Ashes Remain
* **So Cold** - Breaking Benjamin