Wanna Know How I Got These Scars?

~~~~~ 2009 ~~~~~

He was so engrossed in his first pristine memory in ages that he didn’t even hear the orderly show up. "I said put your hands in the slot!" The grumpy man barked. If he resisted they’d use a tranquilizer on him. Most mornings he resisted just to piss them off, but today he didn’t want to be knocked out. He was afraid he’d lose that single memory. He slid his arms through the slot, and the guard cuffed his wrists together. Next, his feet were shackled, he was told to move to the back of the cell and then the door opened. As the orderly led him out of the cell another memory formed. This one was a bit fuzzier, but he was fairly certain it had to do with last night. He remembered going to the session room and there was a woman there. She smelled like cherries... no, maybe he was getting her mixed up with the girl from his past. Back when he’d been plain old Jack Napier. The rest of the memory of last night evaporated as he was pushed through the doors of the electroshock therapy room. If they zapped him again he would lose that single precious memory.

"Wait! Wait! I don’t need this today. I’ll talk to Dr. Winthrop." He said in a rushed voice to the technician. It was the most cooperative he’d been in six months. Dr. Winthrop came into his view and looked him over.

"Why should I trust you? What makes today different?" The doctor asked. He hated the doctor, he reminded him of his father. Still, he didn’t want to lose that single memory.

"I ate my breakfast, and I didn’t resist the cuffs today. I don’t think I can take one more EST session, Doc. Not one more." He said and licked his scars for emphasis. The doctor nodded his white head.

"Good. Maybe if you keep that up we can cut back on the EST." Dr. Winthrop said to him. "Take him to room four and prep him." He added to the two orderlies who’d taken him from the first one.

"No! No! I will fucking kill you all!" He shouted, fighting the two burley men. He rarely reduced himself to suck vulgar language anymore, but he wanted the doctor dead so badly he could taste blood. He thrashed and fought even as a hypodermic was stuck in his upper arm. He felt the fight drain out of him, but he focused all his thoughts on his one perfect memory.

They strapped him onto the familiar table, pulling the straps extra tight even though he had all the strength of a ragdoll. He squeezed his eyes shut to better focus on his memory as they shoved the rubber dental block in his mouth that kept him from biting his own tongue off. He repeated her name over and over in his mind like a mantra as the electrodes were slipped onto his temples. The first jolt arched his spine and made his arms and legs seize. Still, he kept the memory running over and over in his mind. He screamed around the block when the second jolt hit him, but he kept her there. He would show them. He was stronger than their machines. He was beyond human. The third and final jolt nearly scrambled his senses, but the scrambling kept the memory in tact. "Doctor, he’s still abnormally agitated." The nurse said as she removed the electrodes.

"He’ll be fine. Take him back to his cell." Dr. Winthrop instructed. The nurse removed the block from his mouth.

"SCARLET!!" He roared, spittle flying. The nurse jumped back with a squeak, and the doctor turned to face him. Exhaustion was taking him, though. He slumped into sleep, but he hadn’t lost his memory. Scarlet was still there.

**********

Manuel didn’t know much, but he gave me a few names and locations. I left the prison and went straight to the bank. I withdrew five hundred dollars to start with. I wasn’t sure how much I would need, but I figured I had enough for now. I had a little trouble finding the strip club on the outskirts of The Narrows. It was opened for lunch, and already there were a handful of cars in the parking lot. Manuel had told me I could find a guy named Leon working as a bouncer there. I felt intimidated walking into the strip club, but I would do anything for Jack. Leon was easy to spot. He was easily six and a half feet tall and way more menacing than Manuel. I took a calming breath, and, once my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the club, I crossed the room to Leon’s side. He looked down on me with a smirk, as if the sight of me in the club amused him. "Are you Leon?" I asked him, straight forward.

"Depends on who’s asking." He said, pronouncing it ‘axin.’

"Someone who can make you a lot of money."

"Listen, if you want some private time with one of the girls you need to set it up with the owner."

"This has nothing to do with sex."

"Then you in the wrong place." He chuckled.

"I’m here about your former employer. I’m going to get him out. I need help, and I have money. Do you want to be the one to help me, or should I go look for Pauly?" I asked. Leon’s mouth tightened as he considered my words.

"How much?"

"Five hundred for starters. More once he’s out."

"What do you need me for? I ain’t ever broke no one out."

"I need weapons and muscle. The quicker and quieter we can get in and out the better."

"I’ll need money for the weapons."

"Make the deal as soon as you can. Call me at this number and I will make a money drop." I said, giving him a matchbook with the number to the disposable cell phone I’d bought.

"What kind of piece you looking for?"

"Whatever you think is best, but I want it to have a silencer on it, on all of them. We need at least three, one for each of us. He’ll want his Cupid OTF blade, too. Do you have transportation?"

"Naw, but that’s easy to arrange."

"All right. Just start with the weapons."

"Boss will want a guy to get the security footage. He’s pretty weird about it. When he was locked up at MCU he sent a guy to get his stuff from the evidence locker."

"Can you get that guy to take care of that? I suppose he’ll need a weapon, too. I can take care of the computer stuff myself, but I want out of there as quickly as possible."

"I can find the guy."

"Good."

"It’ll cost you a finder’s fee."

"You’ll get five hundred now, plus your finder’s fee once the weapons deal is made. I’ll drop the money, and I’ll pay you both then." I assured him.

"I’ll call you." He said when I handed him an envelope with five hundred dollars in it.

"Do that. The quicker you do the more I’ll pay you." I said and tried not to rush out of the club. My nerves were tingling with excitement, and I felt like I was getting somewhere. My stomach growled at the scent of food as I drove past a fast food place, and I decided I should probably get something to eat. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. It would be a while before Leon called me, so I finally found a small diner with free Wi-Fi. I may as well hack into Arkham’s computer and see what I would have to do to wipe all evidence of his incarceration off their system.

I was craving breakfast food, so I ordered their breakfast special and opened up my laptop. I was just getting started when the waitress brought me a plate covered in scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. I stared at the fluffy yellow eggs, and my memory reeled me back to 1994.