In The Web Of Gotham

Crane Operator

When Spider-Man emerged from the secret elevator in front of the Precinct, he immediately power walked for the building when the door hissed open again. Pulling his mask off once he got inside the Precinct, seeing his set of work clothes hanging on the wall.

"Morning Parker," Montoya waved as she greeted. Peter waves back as he was buttoning up his work shirt over his Spider-Man suit.

"Hey, did you guys manage to get anything from drug runner aside from what I already relayed back to you?" Peter asked as he immediately went to work.

"Cohen has the report for you," Montoya directed as the corresponding officer handed the transcript in a file to Peter. Peter sat at his desk and started thumbing through the transcript. The runner's name was Ian Hall. He had recently lost his job, and was quickly running out of money to sustain himself. Then Scarecrow approached him, the mad Doctor offering him a hefty payday. All he needed was to maintain a warehouse, and drive a truck around a few blocks every few weeks. He didn't fully understand what those drugs were doing to people until he had a few strong doses of two from his encounter with Spider-Man.

"Jonathan Crane. Along with being a deranged doctor, he's also a trained psychiatrist. A damn good businessman on top of all of those things. That's a dangerous golden combination for a drug dealer," Peter muttered as he slapped the file onto the desk. Lieutenant Watanabe leaned over his desk and looked over.

"How so, Parker? Seems like Crane's just some crazy thinking he can be a kingpin," Watanabe questioned, looking over the interrogation file.

"Crane's uncanny skill as a doctor means he can make drugs that are able to be on the grade of legitimate pharmaceuticals. As a psychiatrist, he knows how to profile people. Identify psychological weak points, ideological flaws that he can exploit. As a businessman, he knows how to utilize the art of the deal. He uses those weak points and flaws to appeal to people's desires. Usually it's people like Ian who lost their jobs or are down on their luck. He promises them cash flow so they can survive, and all he asks of them are simple tasks that act as pieces on the larger scale board of his drug operation,"  Peter explained. Stunning Watanabe with the thorough evaluation of Scarecrow's operation.

"A kingpin is more than just intimidating the streets to submission. From what I've seen of Scarecrow and his operation? He operates underneath the table in such a way, that he could very easily take his drug trade legitimate and nobody would bat an eye. Scarecrow is trying to be a kingpin because it's how he operates," Peter said as he slowly came to a realization.

"Something wrong, Parker?" Watanabe asked. Parker got up and looked at everything they knew about the Scare drug, especially the withdrawal symptoms. Then going to the file they had about Johnathan Crane himself...and he could only be filled with apathy and anger.

"Son of a bitch...he has us in check," Peter cursed as Watanabe called over Commissioner Gordon.

"Parker's on to something, sir. You might want to hear this," She called. The commissioner came over, looking over the interrogation file and sipping His coffee.

"What do you have, Parker?" Gordon asked.

"I figured out that the way we're trying to get Scare off the streets is only playing to Scarecrow's advantage," Peter explained, bringing both files to Watanabe and Gordon.

"Elaborate, detective," Gordon instructed as he started reading both files. Trying to find whatever lingering threads Parker strung together.

"Crane's Modus Operandi is fear, his methodology is drugs. People enjoy the addictive high of Scare. The symptoms of people being in withdrawal involving severe panic attacks. Near psychotic breaks with their body's fear based reactions. The symptoms of an overdose though are arguably as bad. Drastic increases of heart rate, as sensory hallucinations overtake their reality. Essentially a high dose of Fear Toxin jettisoned directly into their system,"  Peter explained. Gordon realized what Peter was saying before he finished saying it.

"No matter what we do, Scarecrow still gets his point across. We'd have an emergency state of Fear Toxin without a way to fully negate it. Since Scare makes panic in overdoses and in withdrawals. Everyone would be too scared to trust anything," Gordon completed.

"How do we win then?" Watanabe asked as Peter took out a gps receiver remote and checked on the Spider-Tracer he placed on the truck and shows it to Watanabe and Gordon.

"You follow the supply. You get drug addicts and drug dealers. Small pawns on Scarecrow's board that can be changed out by the dozen with a few phone calls. From what Ian told me, tjat truck I bugged delivers the profits directly to Crane himself. We need to follow Crane's money," Peter instructed. Gordon looked at the screen and corroborated with the map of Gotham on the wall.

"That truck just stopped in the Diamond District. I'll get some available officers to set up a barricade around there," Commissioner said as he grabbed his radio.

"All 10-86, I need a 10-93 on both ends of Moenich Row. We think we pinned down Scarecrow. This needs to be 10-40, any indication that Crane has that we're onto him and he might do something drastic. I repeat, all 10-86, I need a 10-93 on Moenich Row. We have reason to suspect that is where Scarecrow is. This needs to be 10-40 to ease suspicions of Scarecrow," Gordon dispatched to every GCPD unit currently on patrol. After a few seconds of radio delay, multiple 10-4s and 10-69s came through.

"Parker, if you're right about this. We're going to need the Spider-Man right there to confirm. Get to the Diamond District and follow the orders of the commanding officer. We need to do this quickly and without people getting hurt. I assume Batman taught you how to do that?" Gordon ordered.

"He taught me enough. I'm still on my Detective Training,"  Peter quipped as he tossed his detective clothes onto his office chair and put his Spider-Man mask on.

"And Parker! Be careful. This is one of Batman's big bads you're going to tangle with," Gordon called out.

"Understood commissioner," Spider-Man acknowledged before crawling up a wall outside and swinging into action.