bakerstreet | THAT'S GOOD, RIGHT?

Jonathan wrapped his arms around Loki's shoulders, holding him as if he'd never let go, and was daring the universe to tear them apart again. He had come so close to never seeing this man again. If what had happened hadn't been reversed... Crane didn't want to think about that. This was all more than he was used to processing.

"I..." Jonathan was tempted to just tell Loki that he was fine, but that didn't seem right. Could one lie to the God of Trickery? Not to mention lying to someone he cared about just didn't sit right with him.

"Truthfully, I went through an ordeal. And I couldn't contact you either."

Loki wrapped his arms around Crane's waist in return, feeling the warmth coming from him with a pleased hum, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. Jonathan smelled of... ash. Ash and old magic and Loki's grip tightened abruptly.

He stayed silent for a few seconds, his throat tight with the rage and sorrow of it, before he managed to reply, his tone clipped. "You were taken, weren't you?" He leaned back, just enough to look into Crane's eyes. "Turned to dust?"

Crane figured Loki would find out sooner or later. He was perceptive and intelligent, so of course he almost instantly figured out the Crane hadn't survived whatever Thanos had done.

His voice was equally clipped upon replying. "Yes. Much as I normally like being scared, I have no wish to go through that kind of terror ever again." That feeling of helplessness as he had to watch his own body disintegrate, seeing his own demise coming and not being able to prevent it, or even knowing how it was happening other than it being the machinations of an alien warlord.

"But the worst part was knowing that I hadn't even gotten to see you one last time."

"It will not happen again," Loki was prompt to reassure, his eyes growing steely and cold as he remembered why. "We made sure of it." He considered Jonathan and for a few seconds, his face was tight with cool rage. "I made sure of it."

It was a long story and one Loki wouldn't be fond of telling, but Thanos would not be coming back.

He squeezed Jonathan's shoulders gently, as if to remind him that he was indeed here, and alive. He couldn't imagine what the terror of disappearing into nothingness must have been, but he remembered well enough what standing against Thanos knowing he would die had felt like.

He sighed, his jaw tensing. "I should have been the one to say goodbye. I did not wish to alarm you, but I knew we would most likely be parted for a long time," Loki admitted, quietly.

Jonathan understood the implication loud and clear. "I'm glad he's gone. But, if he did still live, I would have a needle full of concentrated fear toxin with his name on it."

He would want Thanos to suffer, not just for what he did to him, but for what he did to them. Him and Loki. Thanos made it so that they couldn't be together, and he almost tore them apart.

"How long?" He asked. "How long were Thanos' victims gone?" This part of Gotham City still looked the same as it did before, but that wasn't exactly reassuring, since this part of Gotham never got touched or renovated.

Some measure of amusement slipped back into Loki's expression, malevolent and fond at the same time, at the idea of seeing Thanos caught within the nightmare fear toxin created. "I should have liked to have seen that," he admitted, grinning.

He paused to consider Jonathan seriously, and did not lie to him. "Five years, I believe. I was gone for most of it, however, so they went by in a blink." His expression grew carefully curious. "Do you remember none of it?"

"It would have gone right into his jugular vein, or better yet, his eye."

At Loki's next words, Jonathan began to tremble, his hands resting on Loki's arms. Had it been that long? How had Gotham City changed in that time? For that matter, how had the world reacted to Thanos' actions?

"I do not. One minute, I was gone, and then I remember waking up, as if I had just gone to sleep."

He wondered how many others in Gotham had been swept away, only to wake up as if nothing happened, while the world continued without them.

Even better.

If someone deserved a needle of fear toxin in the eye, it would have been Thanos.

Loki reached out immediately when he felt Jonathan tremble, slipping his own hands under Crane's elbows and supporting him. Perhaps he should have broken the news more gently, but he'd thought Jonathan already had at least an inkling that several years had gone by.

"Perhaps that is for the best," Loki said, slowly. He considered Crane, careful now. "What do you wish to do? I did not take the time to look at your world yet, I came directly for you." He paused, arching his eyebrows. "Would you like to see what has become of your city?"

While Crane was shaken by the revelation, part of him was also glad that Loki hadn't sugarcoated it, or tiptoed around it. Better to get it out of the way, and have it be like ripping off a band-aid.

"Yes. I imagine Gotham didn't react well to what happened, and a lot can happen in five years." He wondered if Batman had been wiped out too. The thought brought him a little comfort. "Let me just get my coat."

Slipping out of Loki's grip for now, Jonathan retreated back into his hideout, coming back out a few moments later in a black jacket, with the hood pulled up, to at least partly hide his face.

"From what I was told, none of your world coped well with the sudden disappearances," Loki said, gravely. He wasn't sorry for Midgard, exactly, but this type of systematic extinction bought him no pleasure either.

He tilted his head to the side in agreement, letting go of Crane and standing alone for a few minutes, looking up at the clouded sky. He reached for Jonathan when he came back, taking his hand.

"Where to?" Loki asked, a little playfulness slipping back into his expression as his magic hummed to life, the glow of the Tesseract making his eyes go blue.

Crane couldn't be too surprised. Humans didn't often react well to tragedy or disaster, and a mass genocide was both of those things. He could imagine that many people lost loved ones, and then there was the possibility that important people had vanished, or what if, say, a pilot were to vanish in mid-flight?

It would almost be impressive how much fear that no doubt caused.

That blue glow made Crane smirk. Loki just couldn't resist the pull of the Tesseract, could he?

"Take me to Arkham."

Last time Crane was there, it was still running, albeit not well in the aftermath of the Joker's takeover, and there had been efforts to shut Arkham down in favor of a new hospital for a while. He wanted to see if it still stood, or if the island had claimed the building.

No, he couldn't. The Tesseract and Loki were old friends, at this point, and letting it be destroyed by the Avengers would have been a foolish waste of resources, in Loki's opinion. He knew Earth's mightiest heroes would come for him and try to get it back at some point, but Loki fully intended to make use of it until then.

With a slow nod, Loki pulled Jonathan closer and directed his magic towards Arkham. He knew the place well-enough, having accompanied Crane there a few times, and effortlessly reappeared by the heavy gates, his magic flaring around them to make sure there were no threats nearby before it settled.

Jonathan took a moment for his head to clear, being unused to travel via magic space cube, before looking up at Arkham Asylum. Or rather, what was left of it. The place looked like it hadn't been maintained in years, with ivy and other plant life growing on the walls, the courtyard littered with weeds, the paint peeling and the bricks in certain buildings exposed.

The gate was open ajar, and it groaned loudly as Crane opened it enough to squeeze through.

"Unbelievable. I suppose it was just a matter of time until this happened."

Crane ventured further in, seeing no signs of life, except for a few crows. Making sure Loki was still with him, he made his way to the visitor's center. The door wasn't locked. All the artwork to welcome visitors was gone, but the statue of Amadeus Arkham remained. The windows were broken, and some of the plant life had gotten in.

His eyes were drawn to one particular wall. The wall had a list of names. Crane went in for a better look, reading the words up at the top: Gone but not forgotten.

Crane scanned through the various names, seeing a few familiar ones. Jervis Tetch, Waylon Jones, Garfield Lynns, Edward Nygma, Basil Karlo, Arnold Wesker (with Mr. Scarface right next to his), before he found 'Jonathan Crane' listed. Fingers gently touched his name.

"He took so many lives, didn't he?"

Edited 2019-06-15 17:19 (UTC)

Arkham had never seemed like a terribly secure place to Loki, but he had to admit that it looked even more derelict now than the last time he had seen it. He made no comment but followed Jonathan inside, looking around with narrowed eyes to make sure they were alone.

The crows drew his attention but they were just regular birds, no magic to them. The asylum looked even worse inside, Loki's boots crunching over broken glass as they got to the visitor's center. He followed patiently still, giving Crane the time he needed to explore and come to terms with what had happened.

"Those walls are all over your cities," Loki commented quietly, letting Jonathan find his name and touch it. "To recall those who vanished." He turned to meet Crane's eyes, steadily. "Exactly half," he answered, and despite the calmness of his tone, his magic hummed and, with a harsh ripple, erased Crane's name from the wall.

He really had gone, swept away by a warlord from the stars. Jonathan looked away just long enough to see his name vanish. He wondered if those other walls would stay up now that the people on them were back. It was oddly comforting to see the reminder of his own demise gone.

Meeting Loki's eyes again, Crane whispered, "Half?" Waving Loki along, Crane stepped away from the wall, making his way back to the front door. He needed some air again. Half of Earth's population, gone in an instant. Even if they were back, that was a lot of people.

"How did he do it? Why did he do it? Was it a bid for global dominance? A simple desire to take as many lives as possible? Just to show that he could?"

That scientific part of Crane's mind, the one that thirsted for knowledge, wanted to know.

Edited 2019-06-20 19:35 (UTC)

Tilting his head to the side in silent confirmation, Loki followed. Yes, exactly half. That had been Thanos' design and with the infinity stones at his disposal, he had been capable of making his insane plan to 'save' the universe reality.

He stepped back outside and tilted his head up to watch the clouded night sky, letting Jonathan ask all he needed to ask. The questions didn't surprise Loki. Crane had always been a curious creature, especially when it came to magic and power on a global scale.

"He managed to gather all six Infinity stones," he answered, truthfully. "Separate, they are potent artifacts to own but together, they grant unlimited power." For a price, of course. He put his hands on his back, squaring his shoulders as he faced Jonathan. "I believe it was a bid to bring balance to the universe. To alleviate the burden of overpopulation and restore order." Loki's contemptuously arched eyebrows showed what he thought of that.

Jonathan breathed in the cool night air, looking up at all the stars one could see without the lights of Arkham obscuring them. The grounds were almost peaceful, even with the harsh reminder of what this island represented.

He would have loved to ask more about the Infinity Stones, even if just from a scientific standpoint, when Loki revealed Thanos' motivation. He just looked over at Loki with an incredulous expression. "You're pulling my leg," And yet Crane could tell that he wasn't.

"Population control? That is what his motivation was?" A beat, and Jonathan let out a dry, humorless laugh. "First of all, overpopulation isn't even a real problem, at least not on Earth. To say that's the cause of too few resources is misguided and, honestly, asinine. Second, if these stones truly had unlimited power when used together, then why not simply double the world's resources? Or, if he honestly thought Earth or other worlds were too crowded, then why not simply terraform barren, deserted planets and then teleport anyone willing onto these worlds?"

Should Jonathan be truly curious about the Infinity Stones, Loki would be delighted to show him the one he's currently managed to steal.

"I am not," Loki answered, with a snort. "That was his scheme, as he explained to me at length. Even I could have come up with a better pretext for conquering the universe." Not that he really means to. He's not bored enough to attempt it, at the moment.

He shrugged, tilting his head to the side to show he agreed on all of the points Jonathan had made. "I know not. But they did not call him 'the Mad Titan' for no reason." A weak villain, in truth, though one that had been difficult to defeat.

"As could I. It's because you and I aren't great fools, and Thanos sounds like he was a great fool indeed." Compared to Thanos, even the Joker could come up with a better pretext to take over the universe, or destroy half of it. Which was really more of a thought about just how weak and asinine of a villain Thanos was, in Crane's mind.

"Take away his stones, and he might have a room in Arkham with his name on it."

Crane walked a little further, towards the center of the courtyard. He wondered if his little hole in the wall hiding spot was still here, or his old cell. The old guard shack was still there, as were the sentry towers, though like the rest of the island, they'd long gone unused.

"These Infinity Stones, what sort of power do they have?"

"A great fool with a great deal of power," Loki agreed, somberly. Those were the most annoying ones to deal with in Loki's experience. "The stones did nothing to improve his sanity," he added, following Crane to the middle of the courtyard. "They're not sentient, exactly, but their power is such that they do have a hold on whoever is using them. To wield all six at once requires great mental strength."

He looks around as Jonathan does, idly. He remembers visiting Arkham several times when it was still a prison, mostly out of curiosity. He's not sad to see the place crumbling down, though. He turns back to Crane, grinning at the question.

"They all have different abilities. Mostly, they allow you to do what would be much more difficult without them." He holds his hand out and summons the Tesseract, blue and glowing, into his palm. "This one lets you fold space to your liking, and travel great lengths with no effort."

"They say that genius and madness are two sides of the same coin. I think Thanos has proven that's not entirely true."

Looking inside the broken window of the guard shack, Crane sees some furniture that hadn't been worth taking, an old intercom radio and a few stray newspapers. To him, he had only broken out a week ago, and this shack had been stationed by at least two guards when he'd escaped last. Had Loki not informed him of the time passed, he might have found it more jarring than it really was.

Turning back to Loki, Jonathan watches the glowing blue cube appear in his palm. He's not entirely surprised that Loki has it, since he'd brought it up in conversation more than once in the past. His eyes remain fixed on it, as the blue glow washes over his face. "Imagine the scientific possibilities this could have."

The sound of a window shattering breaks Jonathan out of his assessment, his head snapping up and to the side. He quickly steps in front of Loki and the cube. "That came from the penitentiary building." Upon realizing something, he turns back to Loki. "When I returned, I was back where I was before, correct? Arkham was still in operation five years ago, which means..."

Which means that those who were locked away when they turned to ash are no doubt roaming the buildings.

"Crane!"

Turning towards the voice, Jonathan sees a familiar face approaching them from the steps of the mansion. Mr. Nygma. "Hello Edward."

Edited 2019-07-11 19:31 (UTC)

"Many, I imagine," Loki says, grinning to Jonathan. "Especially should it fall into the wrong hands." Whether it already has or not remains to be determined. He's not opposed to letting Crane study the cube if he wants to, either, but he will have to be careful. The Teseract's power can be lethal to humans.

The Tesseract promptly disappears at the noise, Loki concealing it into one of his many magic pockets. He looks up sharply, his eyes roaming the penitentiary building, looking for the source of the noise. "Yes," he says, slowly. "Those who returned, returned to the exact spot they vanished from." Which might mean coming to Arkham was not the best idea.

His eyebrows arch as someone comes towards them, glancing over to Jonathan. He doesn't know the man himself (though Crane has mentioned it before), so he'll take his cue from Jonathan and remain silent for now.

Not even paying attention to Loki, Edward, looking rather harried, approaches Crane, "What happened here? I blacked out for a second, and then when I woke up, Arkham was like this! Tell me I wasn't in a coma or something!"

Crane resists the urge to roll his eyes. "Actually, you were wiped out of existence by a warlord from space with the power of magic stones and only now brought back to life thanks to the Avengers. You, I and half the world's population were gone for five years, and the world has changed."

Edward just looks at Crane blankly, his hands running through his hair. "Whatever." Obviously Edward didn't know whether to believe Jonathan or not, but all he had to go was get onto a news website, watch it on TV or just turn on the radio, and he'd see that Crane wasn't making a jest. Finally looking past Crane, Edward asks, "Who's this?"

"Just a friend of mine, Edward. We were just leaving," Looking over at Loki, he says, "Weren't we?"

Loki gives a quiet snort at the questions, letting Crane handle it. And handle it he does, telling the man the truth with no great amount of tact. It could have been fun to lie to Edward and make him believe he'd been out for a hundred years and Loki grins at the idea, arching an eyebrow when Edward points at him.

"A friend?" Loki repeats, amused. That's one way to put it. "I believe we were," he agrees steadily, giving Edward a bland smile. He will follow Jonathan out, unwilling to use the Tesseract in plain sight.

Jonathan isn't the type to brag that he has a lover. The other rogues also wouldn't believe him if he were to tell them that he's in love with someone, and that someone loves him back. They certainly wouldn't believe him if he were to tell them his lover was Loki himself.

"Whatever, Crane," Edward waves a dismissive hand at the two of them. "If you'll excuse me, I'm just going to look around, and then I'm out of here."

"Check the visitor's center, and the newspapers in the guard shack." Crane replies, taking Loki by the arm gently and walking back towards the entrance. "Give the others my regards, if you see them."

Crane's had enough of Arkham for one lifetime. Leaning in close to Loki, he whispers, "When we get back outside the gate, take me to Gotham's amusement mile."

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