Chapter Twelve

Bruce Wayne/ Batman’s POV:


Dick, or rather Robin, tried to hide it but I could see that he was shaking. He obviously wanted to keep up a tough act in front of me and the Commissioner, but I could tell that he was truly horrified. Seeing that girl’s brother dead must have made the whole situation real for him, I wished more than anything that he didn’t have to have that burden.


After wrapping up our meeting with the Commissioner, I met with Robin in the parking lot to the GCPD.


“What am I supposed to do now?” he asked. I struggled to find the answer to his question; he was more shaken up than I had seen him be in a long time.


“Go home, we’ll regroup and then figure out a plan” I said bluntly, finding this girl had just become major priority.


“Okay…” Robin replied submissively.  He was clearly exhausted. Underneath the street light, I took a closer observation of the cuts and bruises that covered his face. I was enraged that he took on Bane alone, he knew better than that. But knowing all the pressure he must have had been feeling, I decided not to let him feel my wrath.


Normally, Dick was very light hearted and always cracking jokes. But once this girl had got kidnapped by Joker, his mood changed drastically. He had all the reason to be angry.


Robin delicately slid onto his bike, which was apparently painful for him; I wondered just how badly Bane kicked his ass.


I began to walk off in the opposite direction of the Batmobile, when Robin spoke up.


“You’re not going home?” he asked.


“No, I have a lead that I need to look into” I replied honestly. Normally he would have argued about coming with me but he was too exhausted for that.


“Alright” he yelled as he sped off into the night.


Using my grappling hook, I propelled myself on top of the tallest building. By surveying the land with the night vision goggle built into my mask, I noticed a boat leaving Gotham pier. I fired another grappling hook in its direction so I could get on board. The boat was going to the one place where I thought I would be able to find answers.


Arkham Asylum.


Arkham Island was a small shriveled up piece of land in the middle of nowhere; it was the perfect place for a detention center for the criminally “insane”.


The cement walls seemed to scream with the horrors they had seen. Large metal doors marked the entrance to the asylum; I pushed through them and was met with the encouraging sight of several security officers.


“I need to see Patient #7430.” I said sternly.


“Password?” The guard asked, as it was standard protocol.


“Wednesday.”


“Right this way, Batman” The guard replied. I recognized him as one of the regular guards of the island.


As I passed down the concrete, locked-down corridor, I thought watched the criminally insane in their natural habitat. I recognized nearly all of them, as I had been the one to capture most of them. Finally, I reached the cell I had been looking for.


The guard typed his pass code in to the lock pad and the door opened.


 I entered the concrete cell, and watched as the man lying on the bed that hung from the wall barely noticed me.  He looked different, as all criminals did once they were stripped of their individuality and put in prison attire. He may have looked different but his attitude was still the same.


“Dark Knight” he said, suddenly growing antsy.  He seemed to be excited by my presence, he always loved a challenge.


“Nigma” I replied; Edward Nigma, Prisoner #7430, more commonly known as The Riddler.


“Riddle me this, Batman” he began, as nearly all conversations with him did.


When you need me, you throw me away, but when you’re done with me, you put me back…what am I?” He asked as he grew giddy with excite. He did this each time he threw a riddle at me, hoping to outwit me. I took only a second to think of the answer.


“An Anchor” I replied. 


The Riddler’s giddiness faded but he still held a smirk to his face. “So answer me this, Batman. Why do you need me? I assume that’s why you’re here at least.”


“What happens when you take away Birdie’s favorite toy?” The words still felt sickening as they spilled out of my mouth, “It’s a question. The Joker’s more for blunt ironic statements”


I locked my eyes onto him and watched as he grew giddy again. I didn’t have time to play the mad man’s games. With one swooping motion, I landed across the room and grabbed him by the collar of his prison attire.


“You know where the Joker took that girl, don’t you?” I said furiously. I needed to find the missing girl before anyone else died.


“What girl? It seems to me like you’re the one speaking in riddles, Batman” the Riddler said, it was clear that he was working with the Joker.


 Something was different about the Riddler, though. He was more…giggly. It finally hit me.


The Riddler had clearly taken some of Joker’s giggle enhancer. To prevent any of his captured goons from spilling his plans to the police or me, the Joker created a powerful drug that made the user incapable of giving away any important information. Instead they would break out into a fit of giggles. There was no point in interrogating the Riddler; I would get nothing out of him.


Upon realizing this, I let go of him and turned to leave.


“I will tell you this, Batman...” he spoke in between fits of giggles and snickers.


It runs cold and hot, it looks blue but it is red and can and will be spilt” He began cracking up, his eyes grew wide and blood shot. His laughs echoed throughout the concrete corridors even after I left his cell.


I thought about his last riddle for a second, it took me until I exited Arkham to think of the answer. I climbed to the top of the prison and the answer finally struck me.


Blood.


Blood can run hot or cold, it looks blue in veins but it is actually red… and it was going to be spilt.


I decided that I needed to rush back to the Batcave; I had a gut feeling something bad was going to happen. That’s when I heard boot steps behind me. I recognized the sound immediately.


“Selina…” I said, as I whirled around to see the notorious cat burglar standing inches away from me.


“You got me” she said as she playfully struck her hand out and stroked my shoulder blades.


Her bright blue eyes shined from underneath her mask and her cat ears playfully sat atop her head. She looked tired, but she still had the same finesse she always had. I knew I had to get home as fast as possible, I had a feeling the Joker was going to try to get at Robin.


“I don’t have time for your games, Selina” I said gruffly, inching away from her. The smile faded from her face and she took up a more serious, unexpected tone.


“You need to listen to me”


I let out a sigh and told her to make it quick.  


“Something’s going down, it’s bigger than anything you’ve ever faced…” She started, she looked genuinely concerned. Catwoman was one of the best actresses that I knew, I mentally forced myself to not let her games phase me.


“I can handle it” I said calmly, refusing to give in to her delusions.


“It’s not  you I’m worried about, it’s your kid friend. And if I were you, I would worried too.”


I grew somewhat aggressive towards her. I snatched her arm and held her wrist tightly so that she was unable to move.


“What do you know about the Joker’s plan, Selina?” I asked, making my frustration clear.


She struggled for a moment and then finally started speaking.


“Look, all I know is that his plan has something to do with Ivy. She was having her henchmen deliver some sort of chemical to his lair, but I don’t know where it is” She said.


“What kind of chemical?” I asked intensely, I did not like the idea of the Joker having any kind of chemicals.


“I really don’t know but I know he was planning on using them to—” She looked as though she was about to choke.


“Selina!” I said with immediate concern. She fell over backwards and I lunged in to catch her, worried that she would fall off the top of the building.


“Catwoman?” I asked, as she continued making choking noises. “Are you okay?”


After a long moment she finally answered me.


“Yeah, I think I’m fin—ha…haha…hahahaha….HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA” She bursted out in an insane laughter.


The Joker must have had gotten her with his giggle gas so she couldn’t tell me what she needed to.


 After dropping her off on the steps of the Gotham Medical Center, I raced home to make sure that the boy I had raised like a son, would still be there. 

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