CHAPTER 1 SWITCHEROO On a foggy autumn evening Batman and Robin arrived at Arkham Asylum for a routine check So many of their archenemies were imprisoned in the cells for the criminally insane that they visited regularly for inspection Dr Jeremiah Arkham met them on a rooftop parapet It’s been quiet reported Dr Arkham Wisps of fog swirled around his legs as he led them down a stone spiral staircase into the shadowy asylum below I don’t like quiet said Batman It means somebody’s up to something He wrinkled his nose behind his cowl A scent smelled familiar
Batman felt uneasy as though some deep seated fear was awakening inside him He scowled at Dr Arkham’s back wondering why his instincts were on high alert There was a protective filter in the nose holes of his mask His Batcomputer had analyzed the chemistry of the air and relayed its findings Nothing seemed unusual but his nerves were still on edge Arkham’s inmates are always plotting escape and revenge said Robin Mostly revenge against you two replied Dr Arkham But not only He held open a metal door into the hall of holding cells and motioned for the Dynamic Duo to enter Meaning what Robin asked following Batman inside So many of our patients are lost in their own deep-rooted obsessions said Dr Arkham Sometimes their psychoses target Batman because he imprisoned them Other times the symbolism of your fight against evil triggers their need for attention But often these souls were lost long
before they were ever introduced to the Dynamic Duo They’re here to be helped replied Batman Dr Arkham chuckled These criminals receive the most effective treatments known to modern psychiatry and biochemistry he said But you know as well as I do Batman that many are held here because nowhere else can handle their dangerous madness The trio fell silent as they passed Poison Ivy’s holding cell Inside she sat motionless on a plastic chair in the middle of a climate-controlled plastic box Not a stray microbe or spore could be allowed inside Down the hall were the separate steel cells of Two-Face and Victor Zsasz Both were locked behind solid vault doors Nearby were the specialized holding tanks for Killer Croc Clayface and Bane Killer Croc hissed in hatred as Batman Robin and the asylum’s administrator walked by his swampy enclosure Bane was held inside a thick metal cylinder
with no doors All his vital signs were constantly monitored as the criminal superhuman recovered from addiction to the Venom that made him so dangerously powerful Batman checked Bane’s monitors He’s been calm said Dr Arkham Let me know the second anything changes replied Batman Bane had hurt him too badly in the past for the villain ever to be allowed freedom again Dr Arkham led Batman and Robin to the dark barred compartment where Dr Jonathan Crane also known as the Scarecrow now festered away his days A hazy full moon shone down a beam through a high window It illuminated Dr Crane lying flat on his back on his cell floor He wore a crude woven mask with slits for eyes and jagged sewn teeth
