An Eye for an Eye
Chapter 1
The day was dark, bleak, and cold. As icy winds blew over the city of Gotham, it's citizens trembled with the fear that their dreaded weather was the doing of the notorious Mr. Freeze, since it had transpired out of thin air. Literally. But those on the inside of the law felt safe, because they knew that Mr. Freeze was sitting comfortably in his padded cell at Arkham. Bruce, on the other hand, wanted to make sure that Freeze was, in fact, still at Arkham. So, after dawning his black mask and cloak, he headed off to the asylum, intent on catching up with his old foe.
Gotham had been a peaceful city for some time, free of villains and the chaos that followed closely behind them. After defeating the Joker, for the umpteenth time, and locking him and his psychotic girlfriend away for life, Bruce spent his days as any rich playboy would. There'd been only one instance where he had to dawn the Batman suit, and that was when he'd had a run in with Catwoman when she tried stealing a precious gem from one of Gotham's infamous billionaires.
He'd caught her red handed on top of the man's house, coddling the valuable ruby as she stepped carefully near the edge of the roof. Batman tried talking her out of it, but after he'd received fresh scratches on his forearm, he knew that force would be the only way to stop her. They'd shared a brutal battle, and when it seemed that Catwoman had the upper hand, Batman managed to trip her off of the roof, sending her and the ruby into a downward spiral.
Making a decision, and fast, Batman dove off the roof, grabbing her first and then the ruby. He shot his grapple in the nick of time, swinging him and Catwoman to safety with the ruby still in his grasp. Instead of trying to swipe the gem again, instead Catwoman fled, but not before giving him a long kiss of appreciation. He hadn't seen her since then, but he thought of that kiss almost every day from the time of their encounter.
On the drive to Arkham, Bruce experienced an unexplainable sensation, as if he knew something terrible had just taken place. Eagerly pressed the gas pedal harder, he pushed the bat mobile to it's limit as it sped along the winding road that led to the asylum. As soon as the dilapidated building came into view, so did the flashing red and blue lights of ten police cars. Slamming on the breaks, he whipped his car into an empty parking space next to the nearest squad car. Jumping out swiftly, he locked the bat mobile with a click of a button as he hurried up the aging marble steps, bracing himself as he walked into Arkham asylum.
Commissioner Gordon was standing near the entrance, and as soon as Batman stepped past the threshold and into the building, he approached him eagerly, as if he'd been waiting for him all along. "Batman…thank God you're here."
Batman nodded at him respectfully. "Commissioner." Taking a wide look around the lobby of the hospital, Bruce noted that there were very few staff members present. Most of the men in the room were policemen and patients. "What's going on here, Gordon?" He asked him uneasily. "Why are all these patients out and about? Where are all the orderlies?"
Commissioner Gordon shook his head sadly. "Most of the orderlies were killed in the explosion, and all of the doctors are locked in the gymnasium. We've yet to retrieve the key."
Batman's eyes grew wide at the commissioner's statement. "There was an explosion…" Inhaling calmly, Batman asked fearfully, "Who escaped, Gordon?" The Joker's face appeared fresh in Batman's mind and he grimaced at the thought of him roaming Gotham's streets again. He was the last thing Gotham needed.
The commissioner saw the terrified look in Batman's eye and replied, "Don't worry…the Joker's still locked in maximum security. His cell wasn't even touched."
"Well, that's a relief." Batman said, returning to his usual, serious disposition. "So, if it wasn't the Joker, who was it?"
Gordon looked Batman square in the eye and replied, "Ragdoll."
Batman frowned from surprise. "The contortionist? He's the one who staged the explosion?"
Gordon nodded. "Yep. Somehow, that crazy bastard managed to rig an explosion in the east wing, destroying the entire branch." Scratching his thick mustache, Gordon added, "I have no idea how he managed this but, he's the only patient that's missing…"
"What happened to the rest of the patients in that wing?" Batman asked him suspiciously.
Taking a careful step towards him, Commissioner Gordon replied quietly, "That's the other weird thing about this. There were no other patients in their cells at the time of the explosion. They'd all been moved, except-"
"Ragdoll." Batman finished for him, raising a brow as he scanned the room, observing the remaining orderlies. "And all of the orderlies were in the east wing during the time the patients were moved? It doesn't add up. You think it's an inside job, Gordon?"
"Seems like it." Gordon said, checking out the possible suspects in the lobby. "We won't be able to question anyone until we have those doctors in our custody."
Batman noticed a small, stout orderly sitting on one of the waiting benches. His eyes were opened wide, and his neck was drenched with sweat. He had 'rat' written all over his face, and the man looked eager to spill his guts. As Batman tried making a move towards him, Gordon reached out and tugged on his cape.
"No, leave it alone for now. If it is what we think it is, we can't let anyone know what we're onto."
Batman frowned and replied, "All right, Commissioner. I'll do it your way…but in the meantime, I'm going to head over to the east wing and see what I can find."
"There's nothing but rubble and debris, Batman."
Shaking his head, Batman asked, "Are you sure that Ragdoll is the only patient that escaped?"
As Gordon was about to confirm a reply, a lowly officer approached them. He eyed Batman warily, shocked that he was actually sharing the same breathing space as the caped crusader. Standing so near to Batman caused his hands to shake, and as he faced the Commissioner, he could barely breath.
"What is it, Garcia?" Commissioner Gordon asked him impatiently.
"Sir, there's…there's another patient unaccounted for." Garcia stammered nervously, ogling Batman as he forced the information up his throat.
"Well, who escaped?" Gordon asked him with a frown, embarrassed that his officer was in complete awe over his old friend.
"Um, the Riddler, Sir." Garcia replied. "We've searched everywhere but he's nowhere to be found…"
Batman and Gordon made eye contact, and as they stared at each other, it was as if they were reading the other's mind. Batman decoded the commissioner's expression and nodded. He was about to hurry over towards the imploded wing when Garcia held out a small green envelope.
Batman eyed the envelope closely, déjà vu sweeping over him. That was Riddler's, he was sure of it. He'd seen it many of times before. "Where did you get that?" Batman asked.
"We found this on the floor, in the hallway near the destroyed wing."
Gordon snatched the green envelope from Garcia's hands, bringing it up to the light to try and see through it. "It seems to be just an ordinary note…"
Batman shook his head and said, "We can't be sure. Let me take the envelope."
Commissioner Gordon handed over the Riddler's letter willingly and took a step back, pulling Garcia along with him. They stood a few feet away from Batman as they watched him turn his back, potentially shielding them from what ever calamity could occur. Slowly peeling the sticky green fold back, Batman pulled the letter out quickly, tossing the envelope to the ground. He studied the envelope, waiting for a poisonous gas to release or for it to burst into flames. When nothing happened, Batman turned around to glance at the Commissioner.
Motioning his hand for them to join them, Batman held the letter out in plain view. Commissioner Gordon and Garcia observed closely as Batman cautiously opened the Riddler's letter. Upon opening the letter, Batman heard a familiar chuckle from within paper. The laugh continued on as Batman read the Riddler's taunting words:
Batman,
I'm looking forward to being on the outside again! This place was driving me bonkers, and if I'm not mistaken, you've missed my riddles. Well, I've made sure to leave you with one that'll have you sleep deprived in no time. Are you ready? Here it is!
What's long and lean, tough and serene? Who comes out when the moon is full, removing priceless artifacts from museums and jewelry stores?
Well, Batman, if you can't figure this one out, I really do feel sorry for you. But, I've got to run. Escaping from Arkham can be such hard work if it's not done correctly. Ragdoll sends his love.
Riddler
Squeezing his hand into fist, Batman sighed as he glanced over at the Commissioner. "Great. Now Ragdoll and the Riddler are a duo? How did that happen?"
The commissioner frowned. "They seem like such an unlikely pair. Ragdoll is a master thief, and the Riddler…well, he's just a complete lunatic."
Re-reading the riddle, Batman remarked, "There's something about this riddle…as if it seems too obvious."
"What do you mean, Batman?"
Shrugging, Batman folded the riddle and tucked it into a pocket on his utility belt. "I'm not sure, Commissioner. But I'm going to find out exactly what the Riddler and Ragdoll have in common."
Commissioner Gordon smiled and replied, "Contact me when you learn of their plans."
"Will do." After a slight nod of his head, Batman headed out of Arkham, intent on decrypting the riddle that would help him in finding the Riddler and Ragdoll. As he jumped into the bat mobile and began to pull away from the hospital, the riddle echoed loudly in his head, along with the Riddler's irritating laugh, causing Batman to rub at his temples. There was something off about the whole thing, Batman was sure of it. Taking one last gander at the façade of Arkham Asylum, Batman wondered if it had been just the two of them that had set the explosion. Or did they have help from the outside?
And there you have it. Chapter 1 of my new FanFic. :]
I hope you enjoyed it, and please review!
THANKS!