Chapter Text
The Hot Rumor was the name of a gentlemen's club in the Narrows section of Gotham owned by Rupert Thorne. ‘Gentlemen's club’ was actually a generous description; it was the sleaziest strip club in all of Gotham. Inside, a milase of cigarette smoke hung thick in the air as dancers swayed like bare trees in a frigid winter wind on a neon lit stage. Behind the bar was more than just drinks. Cocaine, heroine, drops and slappers were just a few items on the secret menu. The establishment was primarily used as a front for Thorne's other less-than-legitimate business affairs.
In the back door, three of Thorne’s men carried six large black heavy cases into Thorne’s private office. As they entered, Thorne smiled and set his cigar in an ashtray as his men set the cases on a table. He clapped and rubbed his hands together like he was about to sit down to a grand feast.
“It's like Christmas!” Thorne said. He opened one case and inside was a selection of small automatic weapons. He chose an Uzi and held it in his hands, caressing its sleek black finish and weighing its heft. He was practically bobbing with joy to the beat of a Motley Crew song thumping through the otherside of the wall.
“Our Russian friends in Bludhaven send a message,” said Johnny, one of Thorne's captains. “This delivery squares there dept to you.”
“Until they need another favor,” Thorne said, laughing. “But this will be just fine.”
“Sorry, boss, I know it's not my place to speak up,” said Johnny. “But are you sure you wanna go to this thing with the Penguin tonight? I mean, it's gonna be a trap, right? Some kind of set-up or something.”
“You're absolutely right, Johnny,” Thorne said. “It's not your place to speak up. And you're right again, it is a set up, just not for me. Have you informed Killer Croc of the meeting location?”
“Yes, sir,” Johnny said. “It's gonna be a bloodbath tonight, isn't it sir?”
“Damn right. Penguin blood. I don't give a damn if his family helped found this city, there is only room for one king of Gotham city and it's me.”
***
“How the hell does this even happen?” Veronica Vreeland shouted.
Her staff of 12 producers and writers all answered at once with 12 different answers.
Veronica rolled her eyes. They were all meeting in a conference room inside the Gotham TV Studio.
“Enough!” said Summer Gleeson. “Devon, has anyone figured out what the Riddler's message means?”
“Who cares what it means ,” Veronica said. “It interrupted my segment, and I wanna know–”
“Veronica…breathe,” Summer said.
Veronica pouted.
“You were saying, Devon.”
“Social media is blowing up about it,” Devon said. Devon was the lead segment producer for Gotham on Top . “It was a clue about a web address, but the website is just a bunch of counting timers and a chat room.”
“And how did this little vignette interrupt our broadcast?” Veronica asked.
“We're not sure, but it wasn't just us, it was every TV broadcast in Gotham.”
Marilu, Veronica's personal assistant, chimed in. “People are saying it has something to do with all the chaos about to happen on the streets.”
“Chaos on the streets?” Veronica said.
“Thorne and Penguin are allegedly meeting tonight, and everyone is expecting the city to melt down into a riot,” Marilu said. “No one knows where they're meeting, though.”
“Oh, well this is hot,” Veronica said. “Do we have our people on the street?”
“Veronica, did you hear what she just said?” Summer said. “If there’s going to be some big gang war tonight, then we don't want our people out there in the middle of it.”
“Why not?” Veronica said. “This is journalism! This is right up your alley, Summer! Marilu, I want an emergency meeting right now about how we can spin this chaos into something more sexy. I want interns with cell phones on every corner tonight.”
“We're in an emergency meeting right now, ma'am,” Marilu said.
“No, no, no,” Summer said. “Everyone go home.”
Veronica spoke up to the entire staff. “And by show of hands, who would like to stay late and write tomorrow's show with me?”
No hands raised.
“Whoever stays will be next in line for a promotion,”Veronica said.
Four hands raised.
Veronica turned to Summer. “It's settled. You all go home like cowards. We'll stay here in the thick of the news like heroes!”
***
The Penguin and a large group of his men surrounded a banquette table inside the dining area of the Iceberg Lounge. Around them, waiters and waitresses smoothed tablecloths and placed chairs at empty tables. The kitchen staff prepared for the usual evening parade of patrons before the doors opened.
The Penguin's stubby finger punched a spot on a paper map of Gotham City. “Block off 14th and O'Niel,” he said. “We keep them between West and Adams. We can bottleneck them there. And with our new toys we'll be like a club to a baby seal. Is everyone clear on where you are supposed to be?”
The group of men all said yes.
“Mister Cobblepot,” Rhino said. “The car is ready for you.”
“Gentlemen, tonight we'll all be drunk from toasting the death of Rupert Thorne. Gather your men and make sure they know their roles. Dismissed.”
The Penguin gang dispersed. Oswald took his coat and placed his top hat on his head. He walked to the elevator, Rhino leading the way. The elevator doors opened and the car whined a little as Rhino stepped on. Oswald slid in after him. Between the two of them no one else would be able to fit. Rhino's pinky finger pressed the button for the garage level. He had learned to use his pinky for buttons because his index finger would often press two or three buttons at once.
“We have some time before the meeting, Rhino, I have a stop to make.”
“Sure thing, Mister Cobblepot.”
“What are you doing here, anyway? I thought I gave you to Riddler.”
“He sent me back.”
Penguin snorted a laugh. “Can't say I blame the skinny green weasle. I might have sent you back, too.”
Rhino chuckled. The elevator stopped and the doors opened to the sound of a chipper ding. The Penguin's limousine was just ahead with the engine running.
“Say, where's Danny?” Penguin said. “He was supposed to be my driver tonight.”
“I heard he got sick. Food poisoning or somethin’.”
Penguin scoffed. “Typical. A little gang war about to start and suddenly no one can show up for work. Come on, Rhino, let's go paint the town.”
Inside the trunk of a red Lincoln parked nearby where Cobblepot's limo waited for him was the dead body of Danny. His neck had been broken…by very large hands.
***
On the roof of the GCPD headquarters Batman met with Jim Gordon. With the Commissioner were Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya and Officer O'Hara. Robin stood close behind Batman in the shadow.
“The website has over a million viewers now,” Gordon said. He had Riddler's countdown clocks pulled up on his phone. “We have people monitoring the chat in case anyone has information or if the Riddler announces anything.”
“I just got a text from an informant,” Montoya said. “There's a lot of commotion up and down 14th street.”
“We're still missing pieces of the riddle,” Batman said. “We believe timer A has to do with the Penguin. We think B is with Thorne and C is with Mad Hatter or Veronica Vreeland.”
“Hatter is locked up,” Bullock said. “I called for a cell inspection and they confirmed. And Vreeland is at her TV studio. We have a uniform at the building.”
“Just A uniform?” Batman said.
“Don't know if you've heard, freak, but the city’s about to tear itself apart. Forgive us if we couldn't spare a squad of our finest for some TV lady.”
“We don't know what D is,” said Gordon. He gave both Batman and Bullock a hard look. “Torenias. What is that supposed to signify?”
“Maybe something will present itself when the time gets closer,” Batman said. “For now we need eyes on Penguin and Thorne. The Riddler's ego let him sit out his own fireworks show. He'll show up somewhere close.”
“Let's get to 14th street and find out why there's so much movement there,” Gordon said.
***
At the new WayneTech Cryolab, Nora and Victor Fries remained vigilant at their work. They wore their custom cold suits and the energy of their special cold zone crackled around them. In front of Nora was a hologram of three sets of DNA helix and various genetic compounds. With her hands she grabbed holographic components and placed them round the different DNA helix. She tapped a button and a holographic construct of the MacGregor Syndrome disease itself appeared in front of her.
Nora's hand stopped moving and she stared at the image of the disease in front of her. On its base molecular level the image was so plain. Not even complex. Yet it was a piece of nature that grew inside her and now was going to kill her.
She shook the thought out of her head. She typed in a sequence on a holographic keypad to the right of her. A red light started to blink above her and Victor. She stood back-to-back with her husband, only inches away from him in the cold zone, but the condition of the 20-by-20 area was so intense that they couldn't communicate, even by simple radio. She once tried to nudge his shoulder, but he didn't even notice it. That's when they came up with the red light to let the other know to initiate the shut down.
Victor saw the blinking light and typed in the shut down procedure. Slowly, the blizard around them started to calm and soon it vanished and the temperature around them was back to room.
Victor pulled his helmet off and turned to his wife. “Nora, are you alright?”
Nora pulled off her helmet and red goggles. “Just feeling a little weak,” she said. “I gotta take a break.”
“Of course,” Victor said. He took her helmet and walked with her past the cold zone conductors and into an office with a sofa. She sat down and Victor poured her a glass of water.
Nora noticed the clock on the wall. 11:22. “Oh damn,” she said. “We've been at it for hours.”
Victor looked at the clock and then kneeled down by her side. “I hadn't noticed,” he said. “It's starting to get late. You should rest for the night.”
“You look like you could use a rest yourself,” Nora said. She put her hand on his face. He hadn't shaved in days. His stubble was starting to become a beard. His tired eyes were still burning with excitement. Excitement for their work. Excitement for saving her life.
“I think we're really close. I really think we're gonna do it! I can feel it! You rest, please. I wanna go back in and try a few more things.”
“I love you, Victor.”
Victor stood and kissed his wife deeply. “I love you two. I won't be too much longer. It's time we go home and sleep in our own bed instead of these couches.”
Victor put his goggles and helmet back on and walked back to the cold zone. Nora watched her husband go as she drifted off for a nap.
***
14th and Adams was home to several small local businesses. A hair and nails boutique, a laundromat, a dress and shoes shop, and right at the corner was Dini's Pizzeria.
The back door of Dini's opened to the kitchen and a large man in a gold colored suit stepped in and looked around. He kept a hand on the hilt of his holstered gun.
Mrs. Dini looked up from stirring some homemade marinara on the stove and watched the man. They locked eyes for only a few seconds before Mrs. Dini went back to her sauce and disregarded him.
The man pulled the door open and Rupert Thorne walked in with another similarly dressed and similarly large bodyguard.
The door to the dining area swung open and Mr. Dini walked in. “Oh, Mister Thorne,” he said. “Right on time. Please, let me show you to the table.”
The dining area was empty save for two men standing by the front door. They each gave Thorne a very uneasy look, revealing they were part of Penguin's gang. A table was set with two chairs, a single lit candle, and a pair of roses in a thin white flute.
Thorne took off his coat and laid it on the back of the chair closest to him. “Well,” he said, spreading his hands out. “Where is he?”
“He's on the way,” one of them said. The other one had a cell phone pressed against his ear and was fidgeting.
“Seriously?” Thorne said. “Is he stuck in traffic or something?”
The Penguin henchman pulled the other closer to a corner by the wall and turned away from Thorne.
“Terrific,” Thorne said. He took a seat.
Mr. Dini walked through the kitchen door with a white cup on a dish. “Coffee, Mister Thorne?” he said.
“Please.”
Across the room in a corner the pair of Penguin representatives started to sweat.
“Where the hell is he, Chad?”
“I don't know Freddy, he won't answer.”
“Did you try his driver's number?” Freddy said.
“Danny? Yeah,” Chad said. “He was the first one I called. He wont pick up. And neither will the Boss. You keep stalling, I'll keep calling.”
“I don't know, man…what if…what if this guy did something with the Boss?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, what if the Boss is dead and this guy knows it, and he's just sitting here playing dumb to mess with up before he caps us.”
“That's the dumbest thing I ever heard,” Chad said. He pulled his phone away from his ear and dialed Danny's number again.
“But why else wouldn't the Boss show up then?” Freddy said. “Or at least call. Where else on Earth could be right now? The bottom of the river, that's where. And we're next.”
Chad and Freddy looked back at Thorne sitting at the table.
Thorne watched the two goons. “Well?” he said at them.
***
Gordon was riding in the back of an unmarked car, patrolling 14th street. Rookie Officer Morrison was behind the wheel.
“Almost that time, Commissioner,” Morrison said.
“Be extra sharp, Officer,” Gordon said. “Things are likely to explode tonight.”
“Aye, Sir.”
Gordon looked at his watch. 11: 28. Two minutes until the first timer expires. “You got a kid, don't you, Morrison?”
“And a wife too,” Morrison said. “I'm a lucky man. The boy just turned 5 last weekend.”
“Oh, they're the best at that age.”
“Aye, Sir.”
“Sometimes I almost feel guilty for bringing my daughter here to Gotham,” Gordon said, staring out the window. “Making her grow up in such a rotten city as this.”
“Oh, I've met your daughter, Barbara, Sir. She's a real bright one. She's gonna be just fine, you’ll see.”
Gordon looked at his watch again, and spoke into the custom radio given to him by the Batman. “11:30. Nothing's gone to hell over here yet.”
Batman was perched on the roof of a building several blocks north. He had the Riddler's website brought up on a digital display on his gauntlet. “No activity on the website other than the first timer hitting zero,” Batman said. “Robin. Do you still have eyes on Vreeland?”
“Affirmative,” Robin said. “Vreeland and at least four other people are in a conference room at the top floor.” Robin stood at the top of a building adjacent to Gotham Studios. “Other than them and one security guard, it looks like a ghost town over here. A patrol car is parked at the south corner. The officer is asleep.”
Gordon’s phone buzzed. It was a text message from Renee Montoya. He read it and raised his radio again. “Batman,” Gordon said. “Thorne is inside the pizza restaurant on Adams. I repeat. The pizza restaurant on Adams.”
Batman fired his grapnel launcher at the next building and swung from one rooftop to another. “11:36,” Batman said. We still have no visual on the Penguin?”
“Negative,” Gordon says.
***
A loud crash startled Nora out of her sleep. She looked toward the cold zone where Victor was still working. What was that noise? she thought. The clock read 11:39.
Another loud crash spooked Nora again. She stood up and stepped out of the office. It came from the lab entrance door.
A final loud crash rang out, this time the locked door was smashed open. Men wearing suits and hats walked into the lab foyer. Five of them. Another clear glass door was between them and the lab proper where Nora and Victor were. One of the men tried to push the door open but it wouldn't move.
“Do you work for my father?” Nora said. She didn't recognize these men. She always met with the same people – the exact same people – who worked for her father, when it was necessary, but never at the laboratory. Not only did she not recognize them, their faces were odd. They were expressionless. Their eyes were not really looking at her or Victor, but at something off in the distance.
Finally, the man gave up on breaking the door down. He drew a pistol and shot the glass. It shattered easily, and when it did it set off an emergency alarm. The men walked over the glass toward Nora.
Nora shrieked at the sound of the gun fire. She ducked down into the office. Her fingers crossed the keyboard of a laptop connected to the cold zone. She typed in the shut down signal. The red light over Victor started to blink. Her and Victor had put off installing the emergency cold zone shut down button since moving to the new lab. It was just the two of them for now and they thought they would get around to it once their staff was back in place.
The suited men wasted no time getting to Nora inside the office. She screamed, but it turned into a cough. She tried to shout for Victor but her throat wouldn't cooperate.
Victor noticed the red light blinking above him. He turned around to look where he left Nora, but there was too much of a blizzard in front of him to see much. What he did see, though, was a lot of moving shapes. Someone else was in the lab.
A few taps on the holographic display and the storm started to slowly subside. Victor turned around to see who was there. It was still unclear who was doing what in the lab, but soon it cleared enough for Victor to see several strange men…and they were dragging Nora along the ground!
Nora's voice was useless against her heaving chest from the uncontrollable coughing, but she desperately tried to yell for her husband. Her voice only came out like a whisper. She was kicking at the men the best she could, but one man grabbed her foot and dragged her out of the office.
Victor’s heart thumped. Adrenaline was overwhelming him. He wasn't waiting for the cold zone to fully shut down, he was going to walk through it. He pushed his legs forward as hard as he could. It was like trying to move through a wall of thickly packed snow. He came to the edge and pushed a few of his fingers past the artificial storm. One of the suited men noticed him attempting to reach them. The man pulled a gun from his jacket and fired it twice. Nora’s scream left her mouth like a dull hiss.
Victor's entire hand was now outside the cold zone, but it would be longer still until he could be completely free to get to his wife. Suddenly, something appeared in front of him. He saw an object from outside the cold zone piercing the field and moving toward him. It was very small and round. It rotated in circles as it crawled toward him. A second one followed behind it.
The blizzard cleared enough for Victor to see one of the men holding out something in front of him. It was a gun. Now Victor put together what the two objects coming toward him were: bullets. When they entered the cold zone, it slowed their speed to a fraction, but with the zone dissipating faster now, their speed is going to pick up again.
Victor moved his head to the left of the bullet's trajectory. His face pushed hard against his helmet. Slowly he budged to the side, but the first bullet hit his helmet and bounced to the side. A crack started in the helmet. The second bullet just grazed the helmet, but it was enough to irritate the small crack and turn it into a big crack. Instantly, Victory felt a drastic temperature drop in his suit. The cold suit was compromised. He sucked in a breath of air. He wasn't sure if he would survive what was about to happen next.
The blizzard pushed its way through the crack and into Victor's helmet. The intense cold struck him like lightning. Every nerve in his body screamed. Every cell felt as if it were boiling. His body was paralyzed and at the mercy of the vicious cold. Another few seconds passed and finally the cold zone was gone. Victor's body collapsed to the floor.
Nora wept as her hands and feet were bound. A sack was pushed over her head and the world around her turned to darkness.
***
Inside Dini's, Rupert Thorne continued to wait. His head rested on his fist while the fingers of his other hand tapped the edge of his second cup of coffee. He was staring a hole in Chad and Freddy.
“Okay, now this is just plain rude,” Thorne says. “Is his whole plan just to waste everyone's time?”
Freddy finally had enough. He walked toward Thorne and pulled a gat from his waistband and leveled it at Thorne's head. “You know where he's at, Man!” Freddy said. “What did you do with him?”
Thorne's pair of bodyguards each drew their weapons like a reflex and pointed them at Freddy.
“This is just a game to you, isn't it, Man!” Freddy shouted.
“Son, I don't know what you're talking about,” Thorne said. He was nonchalaunt at the gun pointed at his face.
“You lying, Man! You playing games!” Feddy shouted. “I'm done playing games, Man!”
“Boys,” Thorne said.
***
Outside of Dini's Pizza on each side of the block were Thorne and Penguin's men holding their respective ground, waiting for their bosses to walk out of the restaurant. From either side whispers and taunts of jumping the other gang were swirling, but a very uneasy peace was still present on 14th street.
On Penguin's side, guys were passing around FTEs to hurl across the street if need be.
Suddenly, shots rang out. POP POP…POP POP POP!
The unmistakable sound of gunfire came from inside Dini's. For just a small moment on 14th and Adams it was absolutely silent as everyone within earshot of the muffled explosions registered what had just happened.
A voice rang out into the street. From which side, no one was sure. “It's goin’ south, boys! Light ‘em up!”
Both sides of 14th street opened fire. Thorne's men fired high powered weapons courtesy of the Bludhaven Russian mafia. Unfortunately, most of them jammed and wouldn't shoot.
Penguin's men threw their chrome cylinders at the other side. Explosions of ice rocked them, rendering the feet and arms of the opposition instantly frozen solid. Some men were entirely encased in ice.
Gordon had just reached 14th and Adams in his unmarked car when the gunfire and ice erupted. “All units to 14th and Adams! Shots fired! Repeat! All units 14th and Adams. Shots fired.”
Batman was hoping rooftops to Gordon's location. He could hear the eruption of gunfire in the distance.
Batman dove off another roof and fired his grapnel. It struck a gargoyle protruding from far above on the next building and Batman flung himself into the air. He used the speed and momentum to his advantage. His cape spread wide against the night air which allowed Batman to glide briefly above the city. Dini's pizza was now in Batman's sight. The battle just outside of the restaurant had dispersed deeper into the city. Some fled the fight and others gave chase. He could see Gordon's patrol car stopping half a block away from Dini's. There wasn't much crossfire still happening here, but enough that Gordon knew better than to have Morrison try to drive through it.
Gordon got out of the car and pulled his .38 from its holster. “Stay here and cover me, Morrison,” he said. “I'm going inside the pizza place.”
“Aye, sir.” Morrison said. The young officer crawled out of the car and crouched behind the side of it, gun in hand.
Gordon got out and moved against a pickup truck just a few paces further. He stuck his head out to check the streets. Dead and frozen bodies littered the sidewalks and street. The strange mess of it all distracted Gordon, but for only a moment. Two bullets bounced off the edge of the pickup near his head. Gordon ducked down.
More bullets hit the opposite side of the vehicle. A large shadow was cast over the Commissioner. He looked up just in time to see Batman in mid air above him. Two batarangs left Batman's hands before he dropped down next to Gordon behind the pick up. A man in the distance yelped and the gunfire ceased.
“There are two more gunmen at the corner,” Batman said. “I'll take care of them. Stay down and head for the entrance of the restaurant.”
In Batman’s ear, Robin spoke. “Batman, two vans just pulled up in front of the TV studio,” he said. “I count five…no wait…eight men got out and went inside.”
“Robin,” Batman said. “Observe and follow but do not–”
Something exploded behind Batman and him and Gordon were pushed hard against the side of the pickup and to the curb.
Batman was quickly back on his feet and drew a batarang. He was still a bit dazed. Gordon looked back toward the explosion and his face fell in horror. The unmarked car he was in was now covered in flames. “Morrison,” Gordon said to Batman. “The driver.”
Batman went to the burning car behind them and found Morrison laying in the fire. He pulled the officer away, his uniform and flesh smoldering. Batman's fingers touched the man's neck to check his pulse.
Nothing.
Batman's jaw tightened and his teeth clenched.
A few feet away an object bounced and rolled across the sidewalk behind the burning car. Batman recognized it immediately. A grenade.
Batman turned to leap away, but the grenade was too close. It blew him down to the sidewalk. Pebbles and debris sprinkled against his cape and cowl.
“Is that you, Batman?” A voice said. It was more of a growl than a sentence. Killer Croc raised his head and sniffed the air. He walked into the road from the opposite sidewalk. He tossed a grenade from his right hand to his left, and then threw it over his shoulder. It exploded. “I thought I smelled you. Perfect timing. Just when I was starting to get hungry.”
***
“Batman?” Robin said, speaking at the communication link in his ear. “Batman, can you hear me?”
Robin stood on top of the building across the street from the Gotham Television Studios. The entire block was deserted. Word of the potential gang war had gotten around fast. The GTV studios building stood 40 stories tall in the heart of Gotham City. It was a beast of modern architecture, built only 6 years ago in place of the old Panessa Studios. It had large clear windows so that there was a perfect view of the city from almost every angle of the outer sections of the building.
Robin watched as eight large men, all wearing suits and hats, entered the studio and made for the elevator. The only lights turned on were on the 40th floor where he could clearly see Veronica Vreeland and her people casually sitting around a conference table. A security guard sat outside the room, scrolling his phone.
Robin had no doubt in his mind that these eight men were there for Vreeland. Before Batman got cut off he was right in the middle of saying ‘Observe but do not engage’ like he always said.
What happened, anyway? Robin thought. Maybe I should head toward his direction and find him…no. Batman would want me here.
The elevator stopped on the 40th floor. Robin watched the security guard look up from his phone and stand, surprised to see someone was coming. The eight men walked off the elevator car toward the conference room. The security guard held up both hands in front of the group of strangers to stop them and get some answers.
One of the eight suited men drew a gun and shot the security guard in the head. Blood splattered against the window. Veronica and her people all flinched at the loud shot.
Robin flinched too. Once again, the sight of such blatant human slaughter got deep under his skin.
The eight men stepped over the security guard's body and into the conference room.
“Enough observing, pretty sure it's time to engage” Robin said to himself. He pulled a zipline launcher from his utility belt and fired it at the conference room window. In an instant Robin was airborne and gliding toward the building.
Veronica and her staff were up from their seats, rushing to the back of the room. The men barged in and were moving toward Veronica when Robin crashed through the window. He landed on the big conference table with a graceful roll, tumbling through broken glass. He flung smoke bombs to the floor and a second later, the air had become thick and gray.
Veronica, Marilu and the interns all screamed at the sound of shattering glass.
Robin activated his Detective Vision to see through the smoke. Blinded and gagging, the men swung their fists wildly in front of them. Robin leaped off the table and spun his leg, landing a hard kick on the one in front of him, knocking him out quickly. He evaded a haymaker swing from another and returned with a one-two punch that took out the biggest of them. A spin kick to the jaw of the next guy knocked him hard into another one, sending them both crashing into the corner going through a small table that held a vase with flowers. The vase shattered against a skull. Robin felt a large arm curl around his neck. It squeezed hard. He kicked his feet up and out away from him and used the momentum to swing his feet back underneath him. It was enough force to send the man with the chokehold on him flipping forward over Robin, his face crashing against the tile floor.
Three of them managed their way through the smoke toward Veronica. One brave intern tried to stop a suited man, but was easily tossed hard to the floor. Two of the men grabbed each of Veronica's arms and she screamed. A black sack was pushed over her head.
Robin flicked his wrist and a Batarang thumped against a man's head.
The smoke in the room started to dissipate. Robin deactivated Detective Vision.
One man held Veronica while the other two charged Robin.
The men's faces, Robin now noticed, were blank and emotionless. They hardly even blinked. It was like they were moving based on pure instinct.
From his utility belt, Robin flung a bola from each hand. They wrapped around each man's legs, binding their feet together and dropping them.
All that remained was the man holding Veronica, who whimpered beneath the black sack over her head.
“Let her go,” Robin said.
This guy's face was just as blank as the others. He had no reaction to Robin's words. Robin heard movement behind him. Save for the guy whose head collided with a vase, all of the knocked out men slowly started to get back up to their feet again. The two whose feet were tied were now sitting up and managing the bolas off of them. They rose like zombies; their faces still void of any life. They all positioned themselves for another fight.
“Oh you gotta be kidding me,” Robin said. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for a long fight. How many times are they gonna get back up, he wondered.
Four of them attacked Robin at once. He ducked and dodged them, but another came quickly. One man wearing pinstripes grabbed Marilu around the wait. She struggled and screamed as she was carried to the smashed window that Robin crashed through. With one heave he threw the assistant out of the window from 40 floors up.
Robin's eyes went wide. He did a front flip over an oncoming henchman and went into a roll across the conference table, and with a leap did a swan dive out of the window.
Marliu screamed as her body twisted in freefall. Moving in the air was second nature to Robin. His parents taught him to control his body in flight. His arms and legs became straight as a toothpick. 40 stories wasn't a lot to work with. This had to be quick. He caught up to the woman and stretched out a hand. He caught her wrist and turned in the air, pulling a grapnel launcher from his utility belt and fired it. The grapnel dug itself into the masonry of a nearby building. The cable went taut and Robin, with Marliu in tow, went swinging into an alley.
The trapezist in him predicted the swing of the cable based on his and the woman's weight. What he didn't expect was how difficult it would be to carry someone through the air who was thrashing with panic instead of cooperating with him. He thought his shoulder was going to come out of its socket.
The swing took them just feet above the pavement. Robin maneuvered them into an alley. The cable twisted around the corner of the building and the hook came loose from above. The two dropped and rolled.
Robin was up on his feet in an instant. The woman was hysterical and crawling away from him, but she appeared to be okay, besides being in shock. He had swung to the opposite side of the GTV building. If he ran he might be able to catch them getting off the elevator before they got back to their van.
Robin took off at a sprint. A couple of homeless men sitting by a stop sign at the corner watched him run by and they chuckled at the odd sight of him. When he turned the corner toward the front of the building he saw the two vans were gone. With his Detective Vision he scanned the elevator shaft inside, but it was empty and not moving. He pulled another grapnel launcher from his belt and aimed it at the top floor from which he jumped. The line carried him back up to the conference room.
The men were gone, and so was Veronica. The interns were crouched in the corner, too scared to move. The security guard's dead body was in clear view of the open door.
Where did they go? Robin thought. Was there a seperate get away vehicle?
Robin switched on his Detective Vision and scanned the room. Nothing out of the ordinary was present. No unique heat signatures or strange power fluctuations near buy. Plenty of physical evidence was present to identify the men. Prints, blood from a busted lip, hair. But nothing immediate that could lead him to their next location. Or how they were able to climb back to their feet so easily after getting knocked out.
On the floor by the shattered vase was something in the shards that wasn't ceramic. He kneeled down and picked it up with his thumb and index finger. It was some kind of microchip. He placed it in a compartment in his belt and checked the time. 11:56.
***
“I'll rip your flesh like paper, Batman!” Killer Croc said. He swiped his massive paw at the Dark Knight.
Batman wasn't expecting the speed of Croc's swing and he nearly didn't dodge it in time. He dropped low and threw a stiff kick into Croc's solar plexus. The blow staggered the beast, but only for a moment.
A few feet away, Gordon picked himself up from the sidewalk and shook away the cobwebs in his head from the explosions. He saw Batman lasso Croc with a cable. His hands patted his side for his radio. He found it and called into it, “All units to 14th and Adams! Shots fired! We need back up!”
Montoya came back over the radio. “We're trying, Commissioner. It’s a warzone out here!”
Batman had his cable wrapped around Croc's shoulders and arms. He jerked at the line and sent Crock to the pavement face first.
Alfred's voice came into Batman's ear. “Sir, can you hear me?”
“I hear you, Penny-One,” Batman said. The ringing in his ears had subsided.
“Sir, an emergency alarm has been tripped at the new laboratory you set up for Nora and Victor Fries.”
“Penny-One, what time is it?” Batman said
“11:56.”
What am I missing? Batman thought. He reexamined the riddles in his head. When Rome's pillar's fell…Gotham's pillars…Cobblepot, Thorne, Vreeland, Fries…the break in and stolen Freeze Tech…Torenia, also known as the wishbone flower…and also the clown flower.
And then it struck him. “Gordon!” Batman shouted. “Cut off all access to Arkham Asylum!”
“Arkham?” Gordon said. “Why, what's happening?”
“The Riddler is going after the Joker!”
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