Chapter Text
A stereotypical looking upper middle class couple were driving just outside of Gotham. There was a bespectacled redheaded ten year old boy in the car with them. A child that looked at the couple with gratitude as they looked back at him ever so often with warm accepting smiles. Even though it was rather stormy, there was an overall aura of positivity in the car as it went down the road. It would seem as though they were all celebrating.
"We are so glad to have you with us now." the woman said, smiling at the child.
"Yeah, it's going to be great to finally have a child running around the house. Welcome to our family, son." the man said looking back for a moment to also smile at him.
Suddenly, the car was swerving on the wet road and the happy couple screamed before they careened into another vehicle with a loud crunch.
The redheaded boy’s first real memory might not even be all that accurate. He had no way of knowing. All he remembered was the smiling faces of the Wilde family right before they died in the car crash that killed them and left him with a big enough head injury that he couldn't remember anything from before the crash. Oh he had flashes of things occasionally but nothing that made sense out of context. And there was no one alive, that he knew of, that was around to give him that context. After the crash, Debra Wilde died on the way to the hospital and Harold Wilde didn't even make it out of the car alive. And the boy was in critical condition. When the doctors stabilized him he was in a coma for two weeks. During that time, the officials and the Wilde family's lawyer had a hard time figuring out who the redheaded boy in the car with the Wildes even was. The lawyer had gotten some vague call about them wanting to meet with him to finalize something, which he believed might've been an adoption. The people the police talked with that knew the Wildes told them that they had been unable to have children so perhaps they had decided to adopt. It made sense. But they still had no idea who he was. So they were understandably more than happy to find out that he woke up so he could shed light on the situation.
The social workers were then very frustrated to learn that the ten year old couldn't even remember his own name. They had no record of him. No families with missing kids. No parents in Gotham giving their redheaded ten year old up for adoption. Nothing. So when the little boy was scared and looking for answers, they had none to give him. He had no one to tell him who he was. They listed him as John Doe because they had no other name to give him. It made him feel like he didn't actually even have a past. Like he was born that day at the hospital. It was extremely disconcerting.
The Wildes, who had been the lovely smiling family the boy only vaguely remembered, had not officially adopted him. They had no instructions for anyone on what to do with him after they died. It was likely because they had just met him and hadn't had a chance to note anything down about him. So social services had no choice but to put him in foster care.
Foster care felt like a roller coaster ride of awful and barely tolerable. It was never ideal or kind to the redheaded boy. The first family that the boy got placed with already had six other kids. They were clearly in it just for the money since they barely paid their kids any mind and made the older kids take care of the younger ones. They definitely were not set up to deal with a boy in intense emotional turmoil. The boy’s first months were awful, but strangely it did not affect his grades at the public school he was sent to. In fact, he excelled at school. Academics seemed to be the only thing he was sure of. He couldn't remember his own name but he could remember the entire periodic table of elements off the top of his head. He didn't stay with any one foster family for long. He seemed to have bad luck with who he was placed with. But through all that, his schooling gave him comfort. If it was the only thing he could remember, then he would cling to it as hard as he could. He was bumped up several grades into high school almost immediately.
Unfortunately, being way smarter than other kids his age caused him to be bullied quite a bit. It didn't help that the other kids knew he was a foster kid. And when they somehow found out about the fact that he had amnesia, they were particularly awful to him. And it wasn't just words they slung at him. He often found himself having to fight back. He quickly learned how to defend himself. He never really fit in. He felt so different. At some point he just gave up even trying to relate to other people.
The last foster care family the redheaded boy was placed with was the worst. His foster dad was abusive to the point where he ran away and tried to make it on his own. It actually felt like a turning point in his life. Luck seemed to start going his way. A chemist in the Narrows caught him in his shop one night and was amazed that he even knew the chemical composition of the drugs the man was making. He was so impressed, he let the boy stay a few nights. And a few nights turned into several. The chemist was also a bit of a drug dealer on the side and wasn't against having an assistant he could pay under the table, mostly in room and board. So the boy, who people now referred to as Jack, learned a lot about chemistry. And he actually enjoyed his new life overall. But his life was not happy. The chemist may have been treating him like a protégé, but he was not a good person. He was harsh and intolerant of any failure. And was a nightmare when drunk. His personality actually reminded Jack of someone else he must’ve known at one point but didn’t now. Those little flashes of out of context memory annoyed him so much. Because he never had the context to help him draw them out. They would niggle at the back of his consciousness just out of reach. Taunting him. It was maddening. He still had little idea who he really was. He wished more than anything to know.
Jack also had the feeling that the chemist was lacing his food with drugs. Maybe to try to hook him on something to keep him from leaving? He didn’t know, but at times he seriously considered putting arsenic in the chemist’s tea as payback. No one would even blame him. Everyone in the Narrows knew the chemist was awful. But Jack wasn’t entirely surprised the chemist wanted him to stick around. Jack’s drug cocktails were better than his. They had very few side effects and always did what they were advertised to do and did it well. The stuff that got you high, got you various different good types of high. The stuff that helped you sleep, could make you sleep better than you had in years. The stuff that dulled pain, made it to where you barely felt a thing. It made the chemist very popular. Sometimes Jack wondered why he even stuck around at this point. Oh yeah, he wasn’t even of legal age. That was the reason.
One night Jack was getting bored while watching the shop and since there weren’t any customers, he went to the back to get something to eat. But just as he got to the back he saw two people sneaking in through the back window.
“Hey!” Jack yelled. “Selina, I told you last time not to sneak in here anymore! I let you spend time here last time and you stole half of the till!”
“Oh come on, Jack. It’s an emergency! We got people after us. Please? I’ll owe you.” the sly curly haired girl asked.
“Absolutely not. You know who gets punished when you steal something from here? Me!” Jack snarled.
“Well, then I could just tell the chemist that you’ve been experimenting creating some pretty messed up stuff with his expensive supplies. Hmm? You want him finding out about the tweaker that tried to rob this place last week who went nutso after you got to him?”
“There’s no proof that wasn’t just the tweaker finally losing it from his dangerous habits.” Jack said, not at all concerned. There was a ding that indicated the front door to the store opening. “A customer. I’ll be right back. We have cameras in here now, Selina. And I’m not telling you where. Keep your hands to yourself if you don’t want me practicing on you next. Hmm?” He walked out into the store. “Can I help you?”
Three rather punk looking young twenty somethings giggled as they staggered up to the counter. They were clearly already on a few things before they got there. One of them, that Jack vaguely recognized as a regular, spoke up. “Yeah. You know the green pills I got here last time?”
Jack got out a pill bottle from the secret, not so legal stash under the counter. “These, I assume?”
“Yeah. Those!” the punk said smiling. “How much for a whole bottle? We’re going to a party.”
“Two hundred.” Jack said, disdainfully.
“That much? Really?” the punk asked, annoyed.
“It’s a several hour long experience of a lifetime with just one of these. Frankly, I’d call that cheap. But if you can’t pay it…” he said before pretending to start putting the pill bottle away.
“No wait. I can pay that.” the punk said, irritated. He looked over at his friends. “You’ll have to chip in, losers.” They combined their money and handed it to Jack. After Jack handed him the pill bottle, the punk had a mocking look. “You always look at me like you are so much better than me. You’re just some nobody store clerk. You matter even less than I do.”
“I am better than you. I designed those pills you enjoy so much. I also designed a drug that could send you to the looney bin. One of these days I could show you the trip that drug could give you...if you piss me off enough.” Jack said with a sneer. Then he gave them a brilliant smile that was just a little too wide to be truly pleasant. “Have a pleasant day, sir.” The punks left, laughing and clearly not really believing him. Shame. He would lose a repeat customer if he used them as test subjects. But he couldn’t stand rudeness. He sighed and walked into the back where he saw the street kid, Selina and a boy around her age that looked vaguely familiar from somewhere.
“Did she take anything while I was in the front?” Jack asked the boy, noticing that the boy seemed far more honest looking than Selina was, though that wasn’t saying much.
“No, sir.” the boy lied, not very convincingly.
Jack sighed. “Selina, even if you leave here I can find you again. If I see on those tapes that you took something… your “I don’t give a shit’” attitude is endearing at times but I won’t hesitate to make you pay me back for whatever beating I get later. And it will not be pleasant...for you. So give whatever you took back now and we won’t say anything else about it.”
“Ok ok. Fine.” Selina said, before taking out some cash she had pocketed and slamming it on the table. “Happy now?”
Jack took the cash and put it away. “So what do you need, Selina?”
“Just someplace to stay for a little bit. Someone’s following us.”
“Who? Someone else you’ve stolen from?” Jack snarked.
“No. Some kind of assassins. Bruce’ll probably pay you if that would help.” Selina said.
“Bruce? As in Bruce Wayne? That’s how you look familiar. I’ve seen you on tv.” Jack asked, surprised. How did Selina run into the richest kid in Gotham?
“Yeah. She’s right. If money would help convince you, I’ll pay you. We just need a place to hide. These are dangerous people.” Bruce said.
“I don’t need your money. You can stay. But only for a little while. If the chemist comes back, he’ll want to murder you, Selina. Fair warning.”
“Thank you, sir.” Bruce said with a grateful look.
“Just make sure she doesn’t walk off with anything, ok? I have things I need to do. Just stay in the back.” Jack went back to work.
A few days later, Jack found out that the assassins were shot dead by cops and Bruce Wayne was safe.
A few months later, as Jack was walking back from the small convenience store, he saw a flier hanging on a streetlamp. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at it with wide eyes. There was nothing odd looking about it at first glance. It was just a flier advertising a circus that was in town. But for some reason, it made Jack feel very uneasy. He had no idea why. Was there something or someone at Haly’s circus that he used to know, before his accident? He took down the flier and walked back to the shop with it. After work that day, he took it out and spread it out on his small desk. What was causing all of these feelings? Not all of the feelings were even bad. Which just confused him. He felt the uneasiness the most. But he also felt something he couldn’t identify. If he had to put a name to it, it felt a little like he was missing something, but it frustrated him so much to not know what he could even be missing. And then there was a feeling of....maybe he knew that circus really well? Had he gone to Haly’s circus a lot as a kid? Jack fell into a troubled sleep that night, unable to stop thinking about it.
Sleep didn’t bring relief. In Jack’s dreams he saw garish colored fabrics and bright colored lights. And he heard loud sounds of laughter and circus music. He felt very small. Like a child. And he felt like there was someone there with him, but when he looked over, all he saw was himself like some odd cheval mirror you saw at carnivals. But his reflection wasn’t doing the same things as him. His reflection was smiling at him with a warm happy smile that made him feel happy too. He woke up very confused.
Jack didn’t know what his dream meant. Was it a memory? But what did it all mean? What was with the mirror? As he went through his day, he considered going to Haly’s circus to see if he could get some answers. If he had been there before, it might help him remember something. But the sense of unease hadn’t abated. It had only gotten worse. And that concerned him. Was there something at the circus that was dangerous? Was it worth the risk?
In the end, he didn’t go to the circus. When he finally got the courage to go, he found out they left early because of the death of a performer. He didn’t know the details, and didn’t really care. He was just disappointed that he hadn’t gotten the chance to go. But maybe it was just as well he didn’t. The unease wasn’t an encouraging feeling.
Jack was growing a bit done with the chemist’s abuse. He felt he really had nothing else to learn from the man. But he didn’t want to leave. He could. The chemist wouldn’t really be able to stop him. But Jack felt the chemist owed him a few things. He had made the man’s business rather popular. Even criminals outside of the Narrows swore by his goods. Falcone even made him the main supplier of certain drugs and medicine to Gotham’s underworld. That was a big thing. A big thing the chemist didn’t deserve. So one morning, as the chemist was drinking his tea, he suddenly dropped dead. The coroners ruled the cause of death as heart failure and because he wasn’t all that important, they didn’t look further into it and find the deadly poison in his system. Jack was of age by this time and claimed the shop as his own. The people of the Narrows accepted it. But Falcone wasn’t quite as sure.
One day, shortly after the chemist bit the dust, a heavily armed cheerful bald man walked into the shop.
“Can I help you?” Jack asked.
“I’m not really here as a customer. Well, I do need a few things. For a project I’m working on, but we’ll discuss that after.” the man said, cheerfully. “What I’m really here for is for my boss, Falcone. He’s wondering if you can really continue this shop on your own. He’s not an idiot. He knows you killed the guy. He’s not bothered by that. The chemist was an arrogant asshole. But he did provide some useful products and you are rather young to be running this place on your own and don’t have the formal education for it.”
Jack snorted. “All of those drugs and medicines we provided Falcone were made by me in the first place. My ‘mentor’ was a lazy drunk by the end and didn’t really do anything but claim my work as his own. So nothing really will change. I understand I might not legally own this place, but I was hoping at some point to ask your boss if he could help with that. Documents can always be forged.”
“I could talk with him about that. Something could probably be arranged. If you continue to provide a good product, that is. Falcone likes good quality products and you’ve provided that so far. But he’ll be watching you. So don’t disappoint.” Said the man, who could only be Victor Zsasz, one of Falcone’s most trusted lackeys.
“I haven’t failed so far and don’t intend to in the future. You have my word.” Jack said.
“Good to know.” Zsasz said, smiling. “Oh before I go, I need to get a few things. I have a list. It’s for a project of mine. I keep running out.”
Jack had a look at the list of psychotropics, sedatives, and other things that seemed to suggest a rather interesting project. Jack didn’t ask for details. It was smarter not to ask. “Give me a moment and I’ll get all of this for you.”
Right after Falcone gave his blessing and sent over forged paperwork that would let Jack be a chemist legally, there was a big gang war. Fortunately, Jack was not really involved that much. And when it was all over, the new crime king, a young guy named Penguin, accepted Jack’s business just like Falcone. Nothing really changed for Jack. Though he did enjoy the little updates he would get from Zsasz whenever he stopped by for supplies. Penguin was apparently an interesting boss, in Zsasz’s opinion. Not Falcone levels of ability, of course, but he was pretty entertaining. He shared Zsasz’s love for violence and that seemed quite a bonus for Zsasz. Falcone wasn’t against using violence, but he hadn’t really enjoyed it all that much anymore. Penguin was a vicious little bastard and Zsasz loved it. Zsasz loved to chat about it with Jack, perhaps recognizing a bit of the same viciousness deep down in Jack. Jack found the conversations entertaining so he didn’t mind. They became almost like friends after awhile.
Jack was dabbling a little in growing some of his own ingredients for some of his drugs. But he had little interest in growing them himself, so he hired someone he had heard was the best. Surprisingly, little Ivy Pepper was only a kid and yet, as promised, was every bit the expert at growing rare plants as he was told. She truly understood what each plant needed. And so Jack didn’t mind giving Ivy room and board and some decent pay. He understood being her. Being young and skilled yet too young for anyone to take her seriously? That had been him too, not even that long ago. It was annoying though that some of his customers started mistaking her for his little sister. Just because they both had red hair did not make them related.
“Ivy, if you don’t stop eating everything in the place every few days, I’m just going to start buying stuff that contains animal products and nothing else.” Jack said, irritated at Ivy’s voracious appetite.
“That’s not fair! You’re the one that goes through sweets like you’re trying to get diabetes. I’m not the only one that eats a lot!” Ivy said, pouting.
The bell dinged, interrupting their argument. A mocha skinned woman with a look that said she was dangerous walked in.
“How can I help you?” Jack asked the woman, who looked a little surprised to see Jack for some reason. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You just look a lot like… never mind.” The woman said, shaking her head. “I heard you don’t just sell drugs or medicine but more…weaponized things as well on request. Is that true?”
“Of course.” Jack said. Ivy went back to the basement where her hydroponics were set up. Jack continued talking with the customer. “But in the event you get caught with said products, I would hope you would refrain from divulging where you bought them. And, depending on what it is, it could cost a pretty penny.”
“Money’s not really an issue. Do you think you could create a good knock out gas to some interesting specifications? It might need to be inside someone for a short period of time to transport it. But that person can’t be knocked out by it themselves. It doesn’t matter if the person transporting it dies after. In fact that would be ideal. Just make sure it doesn’t kill the people it’s supposed to knock out.” The woman said.
“That would be a bit of a challenge but I think I could figure something out for you.” Jack said. “How soon do you need this?”
“In the next few days would be ideal.” The woman said. “Can I ask you something? It’s going to bother me all day if I don’t.”
“Sure. What do you need?” Jack asked.
“Do you have a brother?”
Jack looked at her oddly. “Not that I’m aware of. But honestly, I wouldn’t even remember if I did or not. I don’t remember my life before a car accident when I was ten years old. So maybe I do. Why?”
“There’s a guy who looks just like you. Red hair and all. He’s identical to you.” She said.
Jack's eyes widened. This could be it. Actual proof he had a life before he was ten. “What? Completely identical? Who is he?”
“This psychopath named Jerome Valeska. He was a carny from Haly’s circus before he killed his mom and got caught and put in Arkham.”
“Haly’s circus?” Jack asked, a little bit shocked. He remembered what that circus flier had made him feel. This was the reason. He did have memories deep down from that circus. He had family! “Apologies. This is just… I’ve lived for years, certain that I’d never find out anything from my life before the crash. I can’t remember any of it. To find out that I might have a brother out there, it’s more than I ever thought I’d find. Thank you. Where is Jerome now?”
“Arkham asylum…for now.” The woman said rather cryptically.
“For now?” Jack asked.
“Since this does involve a family member of yours it would seem, would you like to become more involved?” The woman asked with an interesting look.
“Are you…are you breaking my brother out?” Jack asked.
“Not just him, but he will be one of them. My brother thinks he has potential. If you agree to help, I can take you to my brother and if he thinks you could be helpful he’ll tell you more.” The woman said.
“Show me what this Jerome Valeska looks like and I might agree to help. I’m not going to agree just off your word that he looks like me. I’m not stupid.” Jack said.
“I’ll send a copy of his Arkham files to you. In the meantime, if you could work on that knock out gas that would be great.”
“Of course. A customer is a customer after all. And I aim to please.” Jack said. “If you don’t mind, I should get started on that right away, especially if it’s going to be involved in breaking my sibling out of that awful place.”
Jack’s mind was reeling. Did he really have a sibling out there? A twin? The dreams involving mirrors made more sense now. They weren’t mirrors at all. It wasn’t him he was looking at, but his twin. That’s what he’s been missing. When he received Jerome’s patient files in the mail he had further proof that it was real. The photo proved it beyond a doubt. Jerome looked exactly like him. Down to the deranged look Jack got when he was at his worst. He really did have a twin. But why did he not grow up with Jerome? Why would his mother give him up? Why was there no mention of him at all in Jerome’s files? There was nothing. Maybe he should help break Jerome out. Then maybe he’d get all his answers. Jerome would be able to tell him who he was.
“What’s the big deal? So he looks like you. So what?” Ivy asked. “It still sounds super sketchy. Who are those people? And why would they try to break out a bunch of crazies?”
“I don’t know who they are. And don’t really care. If Jerome is involved, it will be worth it. He’s my only connection to my identity, Ivy. The only person that could tell me who I am. I’m just so tired of feeling like I don’t have a past. It’s driving me insane. I’ll do anything to not feel that big black void anymore. You don’t have to be involved. In fact, you shouldn’t be. Look after the store while I’m gone. You don’t have to do much. Just keep it closed. Although, if your sneaky little friend decides to show up, keep an eye on her. Whatever she takes is coming out of your pay. Just a heads up.”
“Just be careful. What other employer am I going to find that doesn’t treat me like a dumb kid?” Ivy said.
“Don’t worry Ivy. I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself. I’m not helpless.” Jack said.
Jack headed to the address that was sent to him along with Jerome’s patient files. It turned out to be a skyscraper in a very nice part of Gotham. Obviously, these people had a lot of money. Jack wondered what they needed crazies for. He walked into the building and the doorman directed him to the elevator. So there he was on his way up to the penthouse, where a Mister Theo Galavan lived. A sharply dressed guard met him at the elevator and led him to the man himself. Theo Galavan looked like a man who had never heard the word ‘no’ in his life. He had this permanently smug look that Jack knew would get on his nerves after awhile. The woman from before was also in the room, torturing what looked like the mayor.
“Ah. Mr Valeska. It’s good to finally meet you in person.” Theo said as he saw Jack enter. “I admit, when Tabitha told me about you, I was intrigued. You do look just like him. I am glad I might be able to bring you and Jerome back together again. Family is very important.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr Galavan.” Jack said. “I’ve decided to help you. But promise me that whatever you need my brother for, that it isn’t some suicide mission. A rich man like you ties up loose ends. I understand that. It’s sensible. But I’m in this for my brother and I need assurances that we will both walk away from this afterwards.”
“You have my word. I wouldn’t break someone out just to send them out to die. That would be a waste. When it is over, and Jerome has played his part, you and your brother can go do whatever you want to do with your lives. As long as it doesn’t interfere with my plans, of course. So are you in?”
Jack considered it for a few moments. Theo one hundred percent seemed the type to backstab the first chance he got. But Jack would have trouble breaking Jerome out on his own. “I’ll help. As long as I get to be here when he’s brought in and we are given time and privacy to talk. Jerome and I have a lot to talk about.”
“Of course. In fact, I’d suggest staying here while Jerome is out of Arkham anyway, for the time being at least. You might get mistaken for him by cops and that would be unfortunate. I’ll have a room prepared for you as well. Close to the one we already have set aside for Jerome of course.” Theo said.
“I suppose I could do that. Oh and I’ve finished the gas you wanted. It should work as intended. I had it sent to the address that was specified. Have you gotten it yet?” Jack asked.
“We did. It works just like we wanted it to.” The woman named Tabitha said, pausing in her torture of the mayor.
“In fact, we were about to give it to the man that’s going to transport it, if you’d like to watch.” Theo asked casually.
“Sure. But I need to call my employee first to tell her I’m going to stay. You don’t mind, do you? I won’t tell her specifics.” Jack asked.
“Of course. Go right ahead. We’ll wait until you’re finished with your call.” Theo said.
Jack got out his cell phone and called the shop. The phone rang several times before Ivy answered it.
“Yeah?” Ivy said, sounding a bit annoyed.
“It’s me. I’m going to stay here for now. It was pointed out that I look like someone that’s about to be wanted by the police. I shouldn’t be out and about right now.” Jack said.
“I still think the whole thing is sketchy. But you do you. I’ll make sure a tweaker doesn’t try to rob the place while you’re gone.” Ivy said.
“The weaponized psychotropics are in the third drawer on the right of that blue desk. Don’t use too much or you might kill someone and I don’t want a dead body in my store. And only use in emergency situations.” Jack said.
“I know I know. And I have a few things I made myself I could try. I’ll be ok.” Ivy said. “I’ve got it covered, boss.”
Jack hung up the phone and put it away.
Theo glanced at him with an amused look. “Weaponized psychotropics? You’re an interesting guy.”
“Chemistry is really the only skill I have. So it’s only logical that I defend myself with what I have at hand.” Jack said.
“Indeed. I respect that.” Theo said. “Now let's get this show on the road. Bring in this ‘Zardon’ guy we found. You’ll love him. Everything about him screams Arkham patient. The cops won’t even hesitate to dump him there.”
Jack watched as a rather large, weirdly dressed man was led in. The man had this intense and completely unhinged look to him. Theo got in character as some wise secretive leader and the madman just ate it up, totally buying into Theo’s bullshit. He smiled as he was handed the cup filled with the knock out gas that would ultimately kill him and drank it without hesitation, thinking it was ‘dragon’s blood’. Then Theo had his lackeys take the guy somewhere where he’d be quickly apprehended by police. And then they all waited.
Jack stared out of the penthouse window as he waited for Tabitha and her lackeys to come back with the mental patients. He couldn’t stop thinking about the reunion that would happen soon. Something told him it wouldn’t be entirely pleasant to start out with. If he was Jerome’s twin and there was no record of him, it could only mean a few things. One, maybe his mother gave one twin up as a baby, not wanting two kids. Given that she was said to be a rather awful person, that seemed a likely explanation. If that was the case, he’d hit a dead end as far as information about his life. But he had been to Haly’s circus as a child. He just knew it. The dreams certainly suggested it at least. So that meant there had to be another reason. And none of the reasons he could think of seemed good. How would Jerome react to seeing him? He had no idea. He didn’t remember the guy. Only brief flashes in dreams. Jack agonized about it all until he saw Tabitha return. He walked into the room that the mental patients were being wheeled into. They were all still sedated. Jack walked over to the redheaded mental patient and just stared. Jerome really was his twin. It was even more uncanny in person.
“They should be waking up soon, right?” Tabby asked.
“Yeah. It should only last up to two hours.” Jack said, not really looking away from his twin.
They waited for a few minutes and nothing happened.
“I’m bored.” Tabby said.
“Let me go get something out of my bag that should help them wake up faster. I’m kind of getting worried now.” Jack said, leaving the room. He walked to his room and dug through his bags to find what were basically really effective smelling salts that usually did the trick in waking someone up. He couldn’t find the bottle though and got rather frustrated. By this time he suspected that they already woke up on their own.
Sure enough, as he’s walking back into the room, they were not only awake and alert, Theo already went through his inspiring bullshit. They weren’t even restrained anymore, but one did seem to be dead.
Just then, the little nervous looking mental patient that was standing near Jerome looked over at Jack and gasped. “There’s another you. Jerome, there’s another you!”
“What the hell are you talking about? Another me?” Jerome looked confused for a second and then got a rather complex wide eyed look on his face when he finally processed what the man had just told him. Another him?! He whirled around and locked eyes with Jack. He just stared unbelieving at Jack for a few moments, not saying anything. Then he glared daggers at him with an angry sneer. “You.”
Jack wasn’t sure how to react to the hostile look.
“What the fuck are you doing here?!” Jerome snarled. “You thought it would be ok to just stroll back into my life after what you did to me?! You ruined my life, Miah!”
“Miah? That’s short for Jeremiah, right? Is that my name?” Jack asked, distracted by Jerome saying his name. Finally! He finally knew his own name!
“Of course it’s your name. You go by whatever fancy name Uncle Zach’s rich friend called you so long that you forget your own name?” Jerome asked, looking disgusted with him.
“Boys, I do believe you may be more comfortable having this difficult discussion in private.” Theo said.
“Of course. I can walk Jerome to his room.” Jack said.
“Like hell. I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t want to get stabbed in the back again.” Jerome said, irritated.
“You think I would go to the trouble of helping you all escape if I was just going to betray you? Let me explain myself. Please.” Jack said.
Jerome glared at him for a few more moments and then growled in annoyance. “Fine.”
Jack led Jerome to his room. Jerome sneered at him as he was ushered into the room.
“This will be your room apparently. You wanted an explanation.”
“You’re damn right I want an explanation. And quick.” Jerome with hatred in his eyes.
“I don’t remember who I was when you knew me. When I was ten I got into a car accident. I had amnesia and it never got any better. And no one could tell me who I was because the people that everyone suspected were about to adopt me, died in that same car accident. Until today I didn’t know my name was Jeremiah. I’ve called myself Jack for awhile. I hated the name John Doe. It just drove home what I didn’t have.” Jack said.
“Bullshit. You think I’m actually going to believe one of your elaborate lies? I lived with you for ten years. I know you too well for that.” Jerome said. “You are just a heartless manipulative backstabber and always have been.”
“Ten years? The entire time I’ve lost. You can tell me what I can’t remember. You have no idea how happy that makes me. It was driving me insane to believe I had no proof at all from my early life. And now I finally have proof. Undeniable proof. I had a life. You’re proof. Why on Earth would I backstab someone that important to me? I’m not even sure I’d be able to let you disappear out of my life. Whoever this Jeremiah was, must’ve been a fool. And I’m sorry for that. Truly I am.” Jack said.
“No. No you aren’t. You never were. About anything.” Jerome said with a complicated surprised look on his face.
“I’d like to start over with you. If not as brothers or friends, then perhaps allies? Please. I need to know more about who I was. Whatever I must’ve done in the past, I do regret it. The person I am now would’ve never betrayed his brother like I must’ve before.”
Jerome sighed. “You didn’t do anything. Jeremiah did. And you clearly aren’t Miah. At least anymore. So what’s the point in hating you? You can’t even remember what you did. But don’t lie to me and say you feel regret. No matter who you are now, that’s still the same brain. You aren’t truly capable of feeling sorry. And honestly, when we were young, I was both a bit scared and awed by that. And I can see a lot more of it in you than I ever could in Miah. That’s saying a lot. So that bump in the head must’ve been a doozy.” Jerome said. Jerome didn’t look angry anymore. He almost looked sad. Mournful even. It was clear he viewed his brother as dead now. Who would’ve thought he’d actually mourn the man that he had looked at with such hatred just minutes before? Jerome sighed and then continued. “You know what Miah did to me? It was twisted. My own brother. He started staging incidents where it would look like I hurt him or threatened him. Three different horrible times. First with bruises he did to himself but blamed on me. Second he claimed I threatened him with a knife. Then he lights his own bed on fire when I’m standing near it so it looks like I did it. That’s why mother sent him away. She was convinced that I was going to kill him. So uncle Zach drove him away from the circus to somewhere and I never saw him again. Until now. But you’re not really him, are you? So this doesn’t count. I always liked to look at it like Miah died that day. And now I know that maybe he really did. You did say you got in that accident when you were ten?”
“Yes. As far as the doctors could tell, anyway.” Jack said.
“Then Miah really did die that day. And left me with you. I have no reason to hate a stranger.” Jerome said with a complicated look.
“Thank you. I was worried when you looked at me with such hatred that you wouldn’t accept me. And I have no other connection to my life before the accident. Just this big black void with brief flashes of out of context memory. Nothing that makes any sense.” Jack said with relief in his eyes.
“Who said I accepted you? I don’t even know you. But... “ Jerome sighed and shook his head. “Honestly...I never really hated my brother. Even when he betrayed me. Even though he deserved it. What else did I expect from my coldhearted little bro? We were close once. Inseparable. I still treasure those memories. I’ve missed it. The idea that he’d be right there. No matter how much we annoyed each other, we could never be apart for that long without feeling awful. You’re lucky you didn’t remember to miss me. I remembered though. And for years I felt like I lost my other half. I had to feel that and feel the hurt from the realization that maybe he didn’t ever even love me. The only person I ever loved and he might’ve not even been capable of loving me back. At least I mean something to you. Without me you have no way of knowing your past. That’s not the love of my brother but I’ll take it. It’s probably the best I’ll ever get from you and more than I expected.”
“I did miss you though. I didn’t know what it was, but for awhile I felt like something was missing. But I couldn’t remember what it could be. It was agonizing. So I know that if I had stayed Miah, he would’ve missed you just as much. I suppose you can’t share everything, even a womb, with someone and not feel empty when they aren’t there anymore.”
“I suppose I’ll agree to being allies for now. So I can get to know you, Jack.” Jerome said. “It might be nice to have someone who has my back again. But, I want you to know one thing. If you betray me again...if you even think about betraying me again, I will make sure you suffer for a long time before you die.”
“I suppose it’s only fair that I say likewise.” Jack said with a smirk.
“Then we’re on the same page. Great.” Jerome said, smiling enthusiastically. “This whole thing will be so much fun! Do you know much about this Theo guy?”
Jack smiled at his brother’s sudden shift in topic. Jerome cheered up fast. “Not much more than you do at this point. Theo has said he wants you and the others out there causing various bits of chaos. It seems to be for a plan of his. A much bigger plan but he has not shared all the details with me as of yet. It seems super sketchy but what choice did I have? I couldn’t get you out on my own.”
“I’m so excited! I just can’t wait!” Jerome said with a grin.
“You’re not at all worried that Theo will backstab us?” Jack asked.
“Of course I am. After I lived through Miah and the rest of my lovely family, I’m used to everyone backstabbing me. It wouldn’t be anything different from the usual. Only this guy I have respect for. He’s got style. I guess I dig a guy who looks like he’d kill his own grandma if it would get him something. He seems like he’s been doing this villain shtick for awhile. I could learn so much from him.”
“You seem so optimistic.” Jack said.
“Of course. I’m not in Arkham anymore. Or at the circus. I’m free. It’s the best feeling in the world!” Jerome said, grinning happily. It almost looked like he was happy that Jack was there. When they rejoined the others, he enthusiastically introduced Jack as his long lost brother, but didn’t call him Miah. He was called Jack. Like he was an entirely new brother that Jerome would prefer to have other than Jeremiah. Miah was still dead. The other crazies accepted Jack the same way they accepted Jerome. The big dumb mental patient seemed delighted with the concept of twins. It was something he didn’t see everyday and it made him smile. He would do nice simple things for the twins to show that he liked them. Jerome found it annoying but Jack thought it was amusing and harmless. He let the man continue. After all, it was wise to keep the strongest guy in the room on their side.
The Galavans prepared the crazies for their first bit of mayhem. He let them come up with their own group name first. Jerome suggested ‘Maniax’ as a name and Theo thought it was a good choice. The cannibal, Greenwood, seemed irritated that Jerome’s idea was picked instead of his. But his hadn’t been that creative or original. He suggested ‘the Crazies’. Jerome and the other Maniax went out and Jack got to see their handiwork on TV. A news helicopter filmed the results. They had thrown several people off the roof of a major newspaper building. The people had letters spray painted on their chests and it spelled out ‘Maniax!’. Jack had to admit, it was a clever way to introduce themselves in a way that would put people on edge. Which is what Theo seemed to be going for. He wanted people to fear the Maniax.
Some of Theo’s hired goons set out a few boxes of various different weapons for the psychos to play with. Jack watched amused as Jerome went through the boxes with a look of psychotic glee on his face.
“Oh shiny!” Jerome said as he noticed a samurai sword in one of the boxes and took it out of the boxes to play with it. Greenwood grabbed the sword out of the scabbard though and started playing with it instead.
Jerome glared at him darkly. “Give that back.”
“I saw it first.” Greenwood said, continuing to play with the sword.
“No you didn’t.” Jerome said with a menacing grin that promised violence. “I said give it back.”
Jack hadn’t really been paying much attention to the whole thing and was over in a corner reading a book until he noticed Greenwood aim the sword at Jerome’s neck. “Make me, you little brat” Greenwood said with a smirk.
Jack got to his feet and fixed Greenwood with a cold stare. “Do you want to know what a weaponized psychotropic does to someone who’s already mentally ill? Because I honestly don’t know and wouldn’t mind the test. If you continue to threaten Jerome with the sword then we’ll all see what it does to you.”
“Bro, love the enthusiasm, but I can fight my own battles.” Jerome said, looking back at him with a look that was an odd mixture of annoyance and fondness. Jerome backed up to another box of weapons. “Your samurai skills are excellent, Greenwood-san,” he bent over to grab a chainsaw. “But they are nothing compared to me.” He revved up the chainsaw. “Prepare to die!” Jerome said playfully as he got in a sword/chainsaw fight with Greenwood. Jack rolled his eyes and sat back down.
“That’s enough!” Theo yelled over the loud sound of the chainsaw. He went over to Jerome and Greenwood.
“I tried to stop them.” Dobkins said like a bratty suck up child.
“Boys, we’re a team.” Theo said to the two psychos. “We don’t fight amongst ourselves.”
“And I’m the captain.” Greenwood said with a smirk at Jerome like daring him to say differently.
“Captain of my foot.” Jerome said with a dark look at the cannibal.
“I’ve murdered a dozen women, terrorized the city.” Greenwood said. “What have you done? Chop up your mommy?”
“Everybody has to start somewhere.” Jerome said with a dangerous deranged look. “See I have vision, and ambition, and brains. And you’re just a nutty old cannibal. How many people can you eat before that shtick gets old?”
“I could eat one more.” Greenwood said with a similar dark look at Jerome.
“You really think people care that you’re a cannibal?” Jack said, walking up with a smirk. “Did you ever get headlines before this? No? Not surprising. You don’t really have a good stage presence. Reporters love that. Galavan wants stage presence. You don’t have enough flair to lead.”
“Make that two more.” Greenwood said, sneering at Jack.
“I can see we’re going to have to resolve this one, once and for all.” Theo said, taking out a gun and emptying it of its ammo before holding up one bullet. “You all know this game, right?”
“Oh, love it.” Jerome said not bothered at all.
Theo put the bullet in the gun and spun the barrel before holding it out between the three quarreling psychos. “Who wants to be the boss?”
Jerome stared at Greenwood with a smirk. “Ladies first.” Jack wasn’t worried. He could tell that Jerome had paid close attention to where the bullet was placed in the barrel. Jack had paid attention too. It was a revolver. And if the trigger was pulled four times then the fifth time would be fatal. Greenwood took the gun and pulled the trigger and they all heard the click. He grinned at Jerome and went to hand it to Jack but Jack declined it.
“I have no interest in leading your group. Give it to Jerome.” Jack said, looking at him with a bored look.
Greenwood handed the gun to Jerome.
Jerome took the gun. “Hey Greenwood, what’s the secret to good comedy?” He placed the gun to his head and pulled the trigger with no concern on his face whatsoever. Click! “Timing.” He cocked the gun again. “And what’s courage?” He put the gun to his head again and pulled the trigger. Click! “Grace under pressure.” He cocked the gun again. Jack was smirking smugly at the now very worried Greenwood. “And.” Jerome put the gun under his chin. “Who’s the boss?” Click! Jerome had a very pleased, very demented grin on his face. “I’m the boss.” He handed the gun to Greenwood who had figured out that the twins had somehow figured out where the bullet was and that he’d probably die if he pulled the trigger if their almost identical vicious smug looks were anything to go by.
Theo grabbed the gun. “ I believe you are, Jerome. I believe you are.”
Jerome turned to Theo and bowed dramatically. “Arigato, Sensei.” He then grabbed the sword out of Greenwood’s hands and started playing with it.
“Come on, bro. Fight me.” Jerome said, trying to get Jack to play around with him. Jack rolled his eyes at him.
“Fine.” Jack sighed and grabbed a different sword from another box to have a playful sword fight with Jerome. Theo smiled and walked away, leaving all the psychos to themselves again.
“You want the psychos to be a threat so you can stage an incident where you save someone from them and make yourself look the hero. So the city will trust and respect you. Am I right?” Jack asked Theo while the Maniax were out setting fire to a school bus full of cheerleaders.
“You are absolutely right. You are very perceptive just like I thought. I want them to threaten someone specific so I can ‘save’ that someone and gain their trust. And gain the city’s trust.” Theo said, a bit amused that Jack was able to figure him out. “I don’t mind that you know. I was going to tell people eventually anyway. I can’t exactly leave the person that’s going to help me stage that incident in the dark, now can I? I was actually thinking of having Jerome do the threatening. He does have a lot of stage presence. And you’re right. I do need a lot of that.”
“Well, I’m sure he will be thrilled to hear that.” Jack said, amused.
“They should be back from setting that school bus on fire pretty soon. Are you ok that I didn’t let you come along with them?” Theo asked.
“I’m fine with it. I don’t think my skills would’ve been useful in that incident anyway. Jerome is the violent one.” Jack said.
“Here they are.” Theo said as the Maniax entered the room.
“Hey, Theo. Sorry we didn’t manage to set the bus on fire. The cops managed to stop us.” Jerome said.
“It doesn’t matter to me. You still made people see how dangerous you all are. Where’s Dobkins?” Theo asked.
“He got caught by the cops. We left him behind.” Jerome said, not at all bothered by it.
“Oh. Well, I suppose these things happen. And it’s not a big loss. At least the rest of you made it back safely.” Theo said.
“Did you have fun?” Jack asked Jerome.
“Hell yeah!” Jerome said, grinning. “This is so much fun! I can’t wait till the next part!”
“You need to start getting ready for that. You still have a few hours but be ready. I have your uniform ready for you in your room.” Theo said.
“Ugh. Do I really have to wear a cop uniform?” Jerome asked.
“You need to blend in. You can’t just stroll into the GCPD in just anything. They’ll shoot you. You need to get all the way inside unnoticed and then you can reveal yourself.”
“I suppose it’ll be fun whatever way we do things. But why can’t Jack come along? I’d love for Gotham to learn that there’s two of us.” Jerome said.
“Have patience. I know the perfect moment you can reveal that and it’s not quite yet. Introduce yourself to Gotham first. Let them see what you can do. And when they think they know what to expect, give them that fun little twist.” Theo said with a smirk.
Jack looked at Theo with an eyebrow raised. “I’m going to be involved in something?”
“I was just floating the idea. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But I thought you’d want to be up there in the spotlight with your brother at some point. And it seems like the perfect way to do it. I’ll explain it later. I have a few things to do first. Also, I was wondering if you’d like to come along with Jerome and Tabby when they go to kill his father. He’s your father too so you should have that option.”
“Our father?” Jack said with an odd look.
“Yeah. Don’t you remember? I told you that our dad turned out to be the fortune teller guy from the circus. You should come along so you can meet him.” Jerome said.
“That’s who you’re framing?” Jack asked.
“Well, it was either him or you.” Tabby said, entering the room. “And since Jerome isn’t willing to frame and kill you, the fortune teller it is.”
“Wait what? You were thinking of framing me?” Jack asked with wide eyes.
“I simply left it an option for Jerome to choose. Since I didn’t miss the conversation where he mentioned you doing the same to him as a child. But it seems he’s forgiven you.” Theo said.
“I haven’t forgiven Miah. But I’m not going to punish Jack for what Miah did. You also didn’t miss the part where he said he can’t remember being Miah, right? I have no reason to hate Jack.” Jerome said.
“Thank you, Jerome. To know you had the chance to pay me back for all of that and you chose not to… that means a lot to me.” Jack said with a grateful look.
“Like I said, why would I punish you for something someone else did?” Jerome said, rolling his eyes.
Jack waited patiently for Jerome to return after he set out with several of Theo goons to shoot up the GCPD. An hour later, Jerome came back with a thrilled and excited look on his face.
“That gave me such a rush!” Jerome said with a deranged grin. “I do hope I looked good on camera.”
“Well, we’ll see soon. The tape has been sent to the news and it will be broadcast soon. I have the tv turned on in the other room if you want to watch.” Theo said.
“Hell yeah!” Jerome said all smiles as he walked into the other room, Jack right behind him.
They saw a news reporter outside of the GCPD. Then they showed the footage that they were sent. And there Jerome was, covered in blood and grinning at the camera.
“You have quite the stage presence, brother.” Jack said, enjoying the show. Jack wasn’t as into casual violence like his brother but he had to admit, his brother did have quite the flair.
“Thanks.” Jerome said. “Damn I do look good.”
“Gotham will be quaking in their boots, wondering what horrible thing you plan to do next.” Jack said, smiling at him.
“And it's not even your most dramatic and compelling scene yet. They won’t even know what hit them.” Theo said, smiling smugly.