The alarms had been blaring for a couple of minutes now, the two policemen had offered to escort Jeremiah out but he refused, muttering something along the lines of keeping Jerome contained. Jim pinched his forehead as he watched the twin of the most chaotic criminal in Gotham frantically claw at his keyboard, trying to work out who had broken into his home.

"If you know where he is, Jeremiah? You need to take us to him." Gordan instructed. His voice stilled Jeremiah. Jim's excitement slowly seeped through his adrenaline. This was it, he had finally found Jerome. He could get his daughter back.

"I can't do that," Jeremiah's words seemed to fill the room. Irritation flashed across Jim's face as he tried to navigate Jeremiah's stubbornness.

"What if he is nuttier than the other one?" Harvey muttered at Jim, his hand resting, twitchingly, over the hilt of his gun. But Jeremiah picked up the comment and quickly turned to face the cops.

"I am nothing like my brother," he spat, pushing himself away from the monitors, approaching the two policemen. Jim could sense the irritation coming from his partner, the alarms and flashing lights were putting everyone on edge.

"You want me to put you in a cell next to his?" he spoke with urgency, "because that's where this is heading!" he warned, his right hand pushing back his blazer and showing Jeremiah the gun that was holstered on his belt. Jeremiah followed the motion and tensed his jaw, stopping in his path.

"And then what, Captin Gordan? You couldn't hold him. Arkham couldn't. I can." He snapped, listing off the failed attempts that the government of Gotham city had tried in containing Jerome Valeska.

"I will make sure that Jerome never escapes again," Jeremiah's determination matched that of Gordan. The twin moved closer to the police officer, glaring at him.

"No, no, no. Jerome comes with us! That psycho has tormented my daughter, I'm not just giving him up," Jim retaliated. Jeremiah frowned when Jim mentioned Rory and was about to respond but was cut off by Harvey.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Harvey spoke quickly. The detective had caught movement on the monitors which were decorating the wall opposite them, the sight of the figures running around caused him to quickly move towards the TVs. The eerie figure of Scarecrow rushed past one of the cameras with the silhouette of Tetch following behind.

"The loonies are outside."

Jeremiah looked to the monitors, breaking eye contact with Gordan, watching the two villains stalk through his corridors. On the grainy grey screens, Ecco was leading Tetch through the corridors of the house. Jeremiah ran to his desk, watching as his friend guided the loonies through his home.

"No, no, no, no. How did they find me?" Jeremiah panicked, watching the screens intensely.

"They must have followed Jerome. We need to move, now." Jim ordered.

Almost as if to spite Jim, the monitors shut off, leaving the three men in the dark, with only the red flashing light of the alarms illuminating them.

"This is not good," Harvey muttered as he looked around at his companions.

"Is there another way out of here?" Jim quizzed, he seemed calm compared to the two other men, looking around the room.

Jeremiah rolled his shoulders in an attempt to compose himself and looked at Gordan.

"Yes, but I'm not leaving Ecco."

"The loonies will use her against us!" Harvey warned.

"She devoted her life to me!" Jeremiah yelled back.

Jim sighed.

"We get you out first, then we can come back for her. Deal?" The police captain proposed, edging closer to the architect, he was getting bored of having to deal with Jeremiah's inflexibility.

Jerome's twin buttoned his suit blazer together and pushed his glasses up. He moved to the table in the centre of the room, clicking a button underneath the piece of furniture, which triggered a secret door to slide.

"As a child, I was obsessed with labyrinths, so I designed my house like one." He informed the detectives, as he walked around the table and towards the doorway.

"You mean this place is a maze?"

"Easy enough to get in; I'm the only one who knows the way out. Stay close to me." He instructed before leading the two cops into the bland, eerie halls of his concrete web.

#

Rory's heart was in her mouth. She didn't know where she was, she didn't know why Jerome had dragged her along, or what he wanted to use her for. He had her against the wall. The purple neon light spelling out 'THE END' tainted the plain walls of the strange house. His green aura swirled into the light like smoke.

"Why am I here, Jerome?" she asked in a small voice, gaining to courage to try and make sense of her situation. He ignored her question and stared at her. His face was serious as he looked at her, he seemed to be analysing her face. Rory couldn't work out what he was trying to achieve by staring at her, it caused her nerves to buzz.

After a minute of intense silence between the two of them, he talked.

"I can see my madness in your eyes," Jerome spoke softly, watching her eyes intensely.

Rory took in a sharp breath and frowned. She was cautious of his change in expression. The air around them seemed to shift. It was like a candle had been lit in a dark room. A strange ball of nausea started to unfold in the pit of her stomach.

"I-- What does that mean?" she asked, sheepishly looking up at him.

"In your eyes," he said, delicately placing one of his hands on her cheek, with his thumb tracing the bottom of her eye-line. The shift in Jerome's manner frightened Rory. He leaned into her and whispered with a wide smile.

"I can see the colours."

Rory's breath caught in her throat. She matched his gaze, fear flew through her body as she stared at him. So it wasn't in her head. It wasn't some cruel hallucination. Her skin started to prick from queasiness. He was so close to her, it felt like lightning was wriggling around her head. What he was trying to do? What game he was trying to play?

For the first time in years, she could recognise him. His eyes were warm like they had been, at the carnival. For a split second, Rory caught the loving gaze of the golden boy she had lost. The warm, dozy feeling slowly rose through her as she tried to cling to the feeling of familiarity.

Then, like a switch, his expression shifted. The echoes of footsteps rang around them, jolting through the colourless halls. He was a stranger again, a soulless villain ready to eat the world. He didn't move. His hand was still clasping her cheek but he had stopped watching his green light swirl around in her eyes and looked up. An evil smirk pulled at his lips.

"Hello, brother," he taunted. He made her flinch, even his voice sounded different. The sound of frightened shuffling followed. Before Jerome revealed himself, he looked back down at Rory and put his finger over his mouth. Rory understood. He ripped himself away from her, pulling out his revolver with a menacing chuckle and disappeared around the corner.

Rory could finally breathe again. She took in a gulp of air and placed her hand on her chest to make sure her heart was still working. She didn't pay attention to what Jerome was saying, not at first. Instead, she turned to look at the exit. Her mind was buzzing as she digested what had just occurred. The door was so close. No one would hear her. She could just slip out and leave this mess behind.

To run would be wrong, stay with your husband; don't ruin the fun.

The words crashed around Rory's head as she gazed at the door. She tried to move towards it, tried to work out ways to trick herself into getting closer. But none seemed to work. Jerome's voice snapped her out of her trance.

"Find Jimbo and his bearded sidekick. Kill them."

Rory's stomach flipped. Her dad was here. He's going to find me. She told herself, despite the painful prods of Tetch's hypnotism. He has to find me. Rory looked back to the exit and willed herself to move a step closer. If she could move one step closer to the door, there might be a chance to get to her dad. The dull sound of thudding drew her back from her thoughts and she looked to the ground. Small dark circles stained the harsh floor, reflecting the purple lines of the neon light on the wall opposite. Her hands were bleeding. She had been digging her nails in her palms to stop herself from moving.

Stay with your husband; don't ruin the fun.