It's all part of the game.
He'd dozed off again. Woken up in a fit of sweat from another nightmare, again. They're weren't leaving him anytime soon and he knew that for a fine fact.
Though one thing was bothering him, how did he fall asleep in the middle of his game with the bat and the cat and… this new little bug calling herself Ghost.
Edward had decided that he hated her the moment he saw her. Not just because she gave him lip when ever he spoke, oh no, it was down to something much, much closer to home.
The silver ankh that hung around her neck, a constant reminder of what and who he had lost just 9 months ago.
Mist. He'd lost her. She was dead and he could never get her back, couple that with the fact he had an obsession with her and the fact that he actually didn't know where her body was so he couldn't even put his lover to rest.
Couldn't do anything.
It was driving him insane.
He stared at the screens as he watched his three players play through his game, each one of them had their own skills, but this Ghost… she was good and used moves he'd only ever seen one person ever do and she was always so elegant and beautiful when she did them. This Ghost was the same, elegant and beautiful as she performed her stunts- no!
Edward shook his head. She was no where near as good as Mist and beautiful? Ha, not likely, probably all gross and disgusting under that mask of hers.
Suddenly they all stopped and wondered over to his final challenge room, making Edward bite his lip. This was his last puzzle. If they got past this then… well then they'd have to face him and would surly die.
Yes, that's what was going to happen, obviously.
He hoped.
Oh he would beat Batman, he had to beat Batman, if not for him but for the memory of… no! Not going to think about her, she only ever makes him upset now.
Edward Nigma was not in love, nor had he been, well… maybe he had been once but that love had turned into an obsession and obsession well… that was not love. It was dangerous for sure and it may act a little bit like love… but it wasn't love.
Love meant you cared about a person deeply, Edward only owned Mist and made a point that no one else was going to have her in anyway and no one else was ever going to hurt her unless it was him.
He was like a child when it came to Mist, he didn't like sharing and he most certainly didn't like other people touching what was his.
That was the final puzzle room and they had just complete it. That had easily snapped Edward out of his thoughts and here he was now, getting into his suit ready to fight them, and rip the silver ankh from that little wannabe's neck.
They did look surprised when he slammed through the wooden door and and attacked them before he grabbed Selina and jumped into the main part of the orphanage.
Batman and Ghost followed suit, before Edward threw Catwoman at Batman, but the fool somehow managed to catch her and not move a muscle.
"Cheater! You fraud! Charlatan! You Moron! You shouldn't of gotten this far, you stupid bumbling amateur!"
Ghost smirked slightly. "I think he's mad at you."
"You have no right to speak you little thief! You have no right to wear that!" Edward snarled as he pointed at the necklace that hung around her neck.
Selina spoke up with a smirk of her own. "I don't think your ex knows it's you."
"Really?" Ghost rolled her eyes. "You do surprise me, remember one thing Selina, he thinks I'm dead, like most people do."
"He lives in Gotham, he really should of learned by now."
"True," Ghost shrugged slightly before dodging one of the Riddler bots as her ex was so found of calling them.
"You will die for stealing her mark!" Edward yelled trying to grab her as she flipped over the giant robotic hand and kicked a Riddler bot's head off.
"Never knew you cared so much for you darling mystery Edward, I'm sure she'd be touched."
"Don't you dare mention her!"
Ghost shrugged and slipped under his robotic suit, rejoining Selina and Bats.
"Can you keep up?" Edward sneered as he changed the colour of the robots again.
"I really wish he wouldn't keep doing that," Selina commented.
Suddenly there was a buzz and the green shield that had been around Edward was lowered and Selina grinned.
"Hope you don't mind," she said to Ghost as she jumped up towards the suit.
"Be my guest," Ghost called after her.
It didn't take a while, Selina was already up there and punching in Edward's face, making Ghost wince slightly as Selina flipped back to them as the force field went back up.
"Oh why did you have to go for the face?" Ghost moaned. "That's his best feature!"
"His only good feature if you ask me," Selina growled back.
"I wasn't," Ghost chuckled before they both had to dodge more Riddler bots.
"DIE FATHER!" Edward screamed before he went wide eyed and quickly corrected himself. "I mean Batman!"
It made Ghost wince. She'd been there through Edward's beatings when he had been a child. She'd seen them all and he would always come crawling to her for help and she would gladly give it him. It wasn't fair.
Edward was brilliant, a genius, he could of done so many wonderful and amazing things with his intellect and instead here he was not looking like he'd slept, looking older then he was in a dingy old orphanage all bloody and battered trying to win a battle he was always destined to loose.
How had it come to this?
How had it gotten from that scared little boy crying on the floor, a little boy who only wanted to be loved to the psychotic and deranged man in front of her who only wanted to be feared and saw it as respect?
"You moron!"
She dodged a.. a freaking laser beam? She shouldn't of left him, he'd had too much time on his hands and obviously had gotten bored.
The force field went down again and this time it looked like Batman wanted to have a go, but Ghost got there first and there she was and there he was.
He was glaring at her and she just looked on at him with a look of pity before she was slamming her firsts into his chest, carefully avoiding the face before she leaned down to him and kissed him, a cheeky grin on her face.
His eyes were wide from shock, there was confusion, shock, slight disgust, anger, humiliation and a tiny, tiny bit of enjoyment all in his eyes as she kissed him.
She pulled away and noticed how his pupils had dilated and she smirked.
"You're cute when you're mad," she giggled.
The Riddler growled before he reached with his hand and snatched the ankh from around her neck, breaking the chain and Ghost knew she would have to get off the robotic suit now.
She jumped off and flipped away, noticing how Edward pocketed the ankh away before he began to fight again.
They'd almost taken him down, of course she knew Edward wouldn't be able to last long when it came to a fist fight, he never could.
The force field came down for the last time as she watched Batman jump up onto the suit and began to smash his fist into Edward's face.
Ghost grimaced slightly at the sight. "Again with the face."
Selina just laughed before she jumped into the air at the same time Edward was thrown into the air by Batman, who then landed on the back of him, slamming his fist right into Edward's temple knocking him out cold.
Ghost winced as she watched it happen, she could of sworn even Selina winced slightly at what Batman had just done but she shrugged it off and walked over to where Edward lay motionless on the floor, Ghost stood on the other side of Batman staring down at her Riddler as he simply lay there.
In a way, she guessed knocking him out was probably going to be the only sleep he would get for today, since knowing Edward he would be up all night trying to work out where his plan went wrong.
Batman knelt down and picked the Riddler up, lifting him up and over his shoulder before they all walked out of the orphanage, where Batman placed Edward in the back of the bat mobile.
Then he turned to Ghost.
"Get in," he ordered as he pointed to the other seat.
Ghost made a face. "You have got to be kidding me! I am not going to jail, I helped you tonight, don't you get that? I helped you with Scarecrow, Arkham Knight, Two Face, Harley, Riddler twice! I even helped you safe your little Nightwing brat! I did good, surly that should wipe out anything I did in the past?!"
Batman gave her a stoney look, his eyes were cold and bored into her like bullets. "Get in." he growled.
Ghost gulped and got into the other seat as it was lifted up and pulled back into the Batmobile.
Outside she could here the Bat and Selina talking followed by a briefe moment of silence and she had a pretty good idea what they were doing.
She sighed and glanced over at Edward who was still unconscious or at least seemed to be in-between unconscious and conscious.
She heard Batman get in and then they were driving back to the GCPD and in all honesty Ghost was not happy at all.
Why was he bringing her in? Hadn't she proven that she wasn't going back to her old life that when she died that part of her life died with her?
Obviously not.
Beside her Edward slowly woke up and blinked a few times before he spoke. "Ugh… where am I… what's happening to me?"
"You're a smart man, Edward, I'm sure you can figure it out," Batman spoke up from the front.
There was a pause before Edward spoke up again. "No.. no.. no.. no! You cheated, Catwoman cheated, you all cheated! She stole my victory from me!"
"A fight I couldn't win? That doesn't even fit your definition of playing fair?"
"It was fair!" Edward protested. "If you couldn't reprogram the robot's AI algorithm mid battle, that doesn't mean you get to call in assistance!"
"You need help, Nigma."
"I never need help with anything!"
Ghost winced slightly before she gently ran a finger over Edward's hand. He flinched and stared at her in the darkness of the back of the bat mobile.
Then he glared.
"YOU!"
"Me."
"You… don't you ever do that again!"
She smirked. "Oh? You didn't enjoy it, I'm hurt."
The car finally came to a stop and the back opened, Batman yanked Edward to his feet. "Out you go, Nigma."
"Ha! I could've got myself here twice as quickly."
Ghost slowly got out and stared at Batman who was still holding Edward by the arm. He turned to her. "You can take him in."
"Me?"
"You did catch him and if you do this, then I'll believe you are truly trying to turn over a new leaf."
She smiled and took Edward's other arm. "Thank you," she whispered before she pulled Edward along up the steps towards the villain holding cells at the very centre of the GCPD.
She had often wondered why those were there, but she guessed that now it was because they could keep an eye on them easier then if they were in the other holding cells.
He wasn't happy, but… considering his face she wasn't surprised.
As they walked into the main room Cash grinned at the two of them before he laughed. "Well riddle me this, what's green, proud and butt kicked all over?"
Ghost giggled. "Good one, Cash."
"How exceedingly droll. I won't be needing a lawyer you jumped up security guard! I shall represent myself."
Cash ignored him as she brought Edward over to the cells, opened the door and shoved him inside. She shoved him so hard he fell to his knees before he got up and turned to glare at her.
"Don't you dare touch me you little fake!"
"I am hardly fake," Ghost smirked. "I'm as real as they come, you should of realised this by now."
As if to emphasies her point she licked her lips and smirked at his wide eyed look he gave her before he scowled.
"You ever touch me like that again and I will-!"
"Ah, ah, ah," she wagged a scolding finger at him. "I'd be careful what you say Edward, you may regret it."
"I doubt that highly.
"I believe you would, Eddie."
He blinked. "Eddie…?" then he frowned and stared at her as she winked at him smirking. "Who are you?"
"Oh… you already know who I am, Eddie."
It couldn't be… could it? No it was impossible! Wasn't it?
He went to speak but only opened and closed his mouth still staring at her.
"Yes?" she prompted him with a smile.
"Mist?" he whispered as he stared at her in confusion.
"Like I said, be careful what you ask for…" she waved her fingers at him as she began to back away.
"How?!"
"That's my riddle… besides if I told you everything… I'd hardly be a mystery to you," with that she winked at him before turning elegantly on her heel and strutting out of the GCPD, leaving a very confused Riddler in her wake.
THE END.
Note: I know it's not one of my best but, this is an idea I have been playing around with about Sphinx becoming a hero named Ghost but she is still the flirtatious woman we all know and love. Anyway, know this is all a bit jumbled and stuff, I'll probably get around to doing a proper version of this later, but this was kinda just for fun and a bit of a practice with her as Ghost so.. yeah enjoy.
