"The Redneck and The Scientist"

Disclaimer: I only own Ginger.

A/N: This is probably more of an experimental story, just to explore the relationship (not romantic!) between Mr. Freeze and Ginger. It'll probably be short, but (I'm hoping) it helps with Linnea's character development. That, and I'm pretty sure I got her personality more on point. Also, yeah - Linnea Reed = Ginger. Please review! I gladly accept constructive criticism.


Chapter 1: Support System

He should have never been there in the first place.

Instead of finding a cure for his wife, Victor Fries was encased in an overheated display case while the love of his life was in the hands of the notorious clown prince, Joker. This was all thanks to the formerly missing Arkham psychologist, Doctor Hugo Strange. Manipulation was his specialty and he definitely used it to his advantage.

Although the heat caused his body an excessive amount of stress, he was determined to survive. If not for his Nora, then it would be to exact his revenge on Cobblepot and Strange as he saw fit. The corrupt entrepreneur and the psychotic doctor would pay for what they did to him...

Most of the criminals in Arkham City either had no idea why Mr. Freeze was being held captive by The Penguin, or knew about the whereabouts of the scientist; Joker's group were running a muck in the city, trying to locate the man who would develop a cure for their boss. Then again, gossip ran rampant in Arkham City and assumptions could be made. For the people who knew about Freeze's incarceration, the obvious presumption would be that the mechanical engineer somehow pissed off the wealthy businessman; Oswald Cobblepot's brutality didn't go amiss to anyone who kept up with the news. Those who didn't have a clue were mostly the ones hunting him down, or people who simply didn't care.

The thugs of Penguin's gang knew otherwise. News spread quickly, yet they knew they were supposed to keep it among themselves if they wished to keep pain-free. The information provided from the grapevine was simple: Hugo Strange blackmailed Fries into developing a cure for Joker's ailment by holding his wife hostage. However, the ordeal went sour as Nora was shipped over to the sadistic clown and Strange tipped off Penguin about the whole situation. Seeing an opportunity to win the war, he had the henchmen take down Mr. Freeze in the sanctuary of his hideout at the old Gotham City Police Department.

Why Penguin was torturing Freeze was simple, according to some of the smarter men in the group: Victor would not stop his work in order to save his wife unless someone (somehow) stopped him. Plus, Oswald wasn't one to take kindly against those who worked with the enemy. The collection addition was merely a bonus to him.

The door at the end of the hall opened, then slammed shut. A red-headed woman made her way through the gallery of decayed corpses and stuffed hyenas, ducking under the broken gate to enter the main room. She was dirty and scuffed up from a previous brawl, but it didn't seem to deter her from working any.

Leaning against the glass display window, Mr. Freeze's gaze didn't avert from looking at the ground. Still, he saw a hint of unruly waves as she approached, but took a right.

The mess behind the cell was full of huge wooden boxes and various equipment, which included a steel ladder that the female pulled out and set on the ground. With a slightly puzzled expression on her face, she tried to remember the password for this specific mechanism. Oddly, it wasn't the lock that was giving her much trouble, seeing as she was a novice with most pieces of electronic technology at best. All she had to do was enter the password on the little keypad.

With slight difficulty, her pale, bony fingers entered the word: microwave. Fairly ironic, seeing as the display was practically one as well, but she didn't care too much to question it. The gate lifted, revealing the innards of the little prison.

Cold air slowly seeped in, allowing Victor to feel some soothing relief. Despite the chance at escape, he felt too weak to outrun her, and she knew this, which was why she often came alone. Getting across the body of water outside the Torture Room was another obstacle, unless Penguin had used the freeze ray to cover the lake with ice. Even then, Tiny the shark seemed to be strong enough to break through the ice and cause his demise, if the heat in here didn't kill him first.

It wasn't the first time she'd come in here; it was the first time in a few weeks that she came and the fourth time, total. Her mission took up the span of two weeks, leaving him to fry during that period of time. She'd enter his cell to "adjust" the lighting, then leave. It was... outlandish.

Linnea Reed turned off the lights in the cell before positioning the ladder next to him. She didn't ask him to move, nor did he do it regardless. Her feet scaled the steps as she made her way up to the wiring in the ceiling. "Yer still alive." She began to fiddle with the wires, trying to figure out which was which. "Guess I shouldn' be too surprised; yer devotion to yer wife is... admirable." It was an honest admission; a smile graced her face, although it was unseen by the other occupant of the room.

He didn't bother to reply; never being one for small talk, he wasn't about to start now. Nevertheless, she continued, "Unfortunate situation yer in. Nothin' like bein' screwed over three ways." She allowed a chuckle to escape her throat before it turned into a hiss once the wires shocked her. A slew of profanities were muttered under her breath and she banged her fist on the metal casing as she resumed her work.

It didn't take her long to finish up and soon she was climbing down the ladder, picking it up and carrying it out of the place. Before she stepped out, her head turned halfway towards Mr. Freeze, who ended up slumped against the wall of the cell. "I'm sorry for the sticky situation yer in; i's gotta hurt to be away from the person ya love for so long." She made her way out, setting the ladder against the wall and flipping the power switch back on. The light was back on, although the warmth emitted wasn't as strong as it was before.

Still, it gave him little comfort. He lifted his head ever slightly and spoke for the first time since she arrived. "Why are you doing this?" She had no reason to be of service to him, nor did he see what would cause her to help him. This wasn't the first time she had done this, so why she even bothered to continue was beyond him.

Ginger's fingers hovered over the locking mechanism as her gaze momentarily met his. For a few moments, silence engulfed the area, with the exception of the humming of the light fixtures. Revealing the truth was never her style, so she came up with a... little white lie. "Let's jus' say... i's a lil' 'I owe you'." Her voice remained level, as did her eyes. After all, lying was part of the job.

It was hard to tell if her words held meaning or not, because her face remained impassive. She punched the password into the keyboard and the gate shut, sealing him in with the warmth once more.

A day later, Batman arrived on the scene. He had freed Mr. Freeze from the containment unit, only to demand a cure he had yet to develop and a way to stop his own freeze gun. A small... negotiation, was made - Batman would find his cryogenic suit and Mr. Freeze would create a remedy for the ailment. After twenty or so minutes, the captured policemen came by to deliver a hand-sized piece of equipment that would help keep him alive and energized while they transported him to his suit.

While waiting in the lobby for Batman to bring in Penguin, Mr. Freeze was looking at the various displays containing Oswald Cobblepot's collections. Up above, he didn't hear the sound of a ceiling tile being moved. Suddenly, a rope landed next to him and someone slid down. He turned and lifted his freeze ray, ready to use force, if necessary. Even when he noticed that it was the female mercenary from before, his gun stayed level.

"Oi! Are ya gonna put that damn thing down?" She hissed angrily, hands in the air in surrender. Her eyes were focused on the item in his hands. "I ain't here to do anythin'!"

"Then why are you here?" Victor questioned, "Your boss is being brought here as we speak. You should be finding a new employer."

Ginger glared at him and scoffed. "Really? That's pretty damn funny, because I fuckin' hate the other two guys around, and I'm sure the feeling is damn-well mutual!" Her body tensed when she noticed she was yelling and spared a glance towards the door at the end of the hall before looking back at him. "Can't even say a fuckin' good-bye now? Too hard for ya to comprehend?" Her tone turned from anger to mocking.

That hit a nerve. He shot the freeze ray near her feet as a warning without batting an eyelash. She jumped backwards, hands raised in the air once more. Her look turned from arrogance to worry, despite the fact that she knew she was faster and had a rifle on her person... Then again, Freeze was ten times stronger than her and had more weapon capabilities compared to herself.

"You've said enough."

She had the audacity to mock him once more before rolling her eyes and turning around. "Try ta be nice, and whaddya know? Guy tries ta fuckin' shoot me." More grumbles were muttered under her breath as she made her way towards the entrance. "See ya, Freeze, and remember - you owe me. I helped yer ass, so later you can help mine, if I need it." With that said, she walked up the stairs and left the premises.

Most of the women in these parts were puzzling creatures, Freeze figured. He went back to studying the ninja within the confines of the display case prison.