Unraveling the Riddles

Strange slumped exhaustedly stretching his neck all the way back in his work chair. A neverending loop of roundabout questions and ambiguous answers. A stressful tension headache pressed right on the center of his skull. It built to where his eyes were ready to pop out of the sockets. The discomfort increased just thinking about how Emily continued to futilely protect Riddler. She was quite smart for a writer. He works inadvertently trained a keen awareness for trip ups and pleasant, guard lowering conversations.

It coaxed a chuckle from him. Strange was unsure if he was amused or irritated. Perhaps both. He enjoyed a challenge. Emily certainly was that. But the girl is proving too challenging. Not unlike Catwoman. There is a shallow victory in his previous conversation. Emily unknowingly revealed a protracted relationship between her and Riddler. How far back it goes is still a mystery? Far enough, it seems, to win his absolute trust and confidence. Trust. A spiritually binding contract. Losing Riddler's, or Riddler losing her's, would devastate them both. What is it that binds them together?

"Lovers is no longer the case." Strange conceded the possibility. "Mere friends. Definitely not." No. Strange needed to think outside the box. Take the out of context and put it into context. Which other probable scenarios has he not considered? "Too close to be friends, not close enough to be lovers. Hmm. I wonder…" He pensively scratched his knotted beard. He reached to his intercom, pressing a red button. "Miss Niles. Uncover as much information on Emily Nyra. Dating from birth to present day."

"Anything in particular i should be looking for, Professor?"

"No. Just create a file and bring it to me."

"Right away, Professor Strange." Niles hung up, jumping into the task given to her.

Strange pressed the tips of his fingers together, drumming them with a malicious smirk. "I must learn more about the young author. Priority one: What grants her safe passage through Mr. Nigma's Maze?" TYGER guards were escorting Emily to Riddler's manor as he spoke to himself. They will undoubtedly ascertain the mystery.

"Professor! We have a problem!" The Captain boomed over the com.

"What is it, Captain?"

"Riddler's girlfriend, Nyra. We...we lost her."

"You what?!" Strange hissed. A civilian is lost in Arkham City. The protesters will have a field day, not to mention a cakewalk, getting Arkham City closed down. "How do you lose a person?"

"It's not like you think, sir! We escorted the girl to Riddler's as ordered!" The rising panic prompted a ditch effort to save himself from being fired. Or worse. "We followed her in till the first turn. One of Riddler's riddle was on the wall. Instead of reading it she looked at us and asked a weird question."

"And what question is that?" Strange grew steadily impatient. That author was making his guards look like fools. She outwitted them. Regardless of the explanation, Strange will need to thoroughly teach his guard the basics of being wary of a girl closely knit with the master of riddles.

"Something about and raven and a desk, or something."

Strange's anger assuaged. He recognized the question. Mad Hatter indulged him with it once. "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

"Yeah! That's it! Before any of us could answer there was this flash of light. By the time it cleared, we were in the middle of Arkham Square. The girl was gone." Strange was fully engrossed in the bewildering tale. A folklore's oldest riddle the key to accessing Riddler's Manor? Could it be so simple? No. Strange stopped himself before getting too ahead. Riddler despised the obvious. Emily was too clever. She revealed the key too easily. There's a catch. One only Riddler and Emily were aware of.

"So that is how they wish to play."

XX

Emily and Riddler were sprawled on a couch in hearty laughter, tears spilling from their eyes. "That was brilliant!" Emily lied across Riddler's lap on her back she was laughing so hard. "A trap door! Wow! You always loved the classics." She flicked the tears away.

Riddler had to take a few breaths before he could speak. He enjoyed the laughs he and Emily shared. "Last time you were here...and they tried to get in...I catapulted them into Two-Face's court house."

"I bet Mr. Dent was ecstatic." She rested her head on his lap. "Gave him a new reason to toss that coin of his."

"I owned it for a week once."

"No way!"

"Way. He bet he could solve all of my riddles in an hour."

"He lost of course."

"Of course! No one's smart enough to solve my riddles." He placed a hand to her forehead. "No one except you...and the Batman."

A sharp pain staked her chest. "Don't mention him." Emily groaned. She turned on her side, hiding the welling sadness. Riddler retracted his hand, wincing regretfully. "Don't bring him up."

"I'm sorry, Em. I forgot how much he upsets you." He soothingly stroked her arm up and down. Emily wasn't a fan of Batman. She didn't hate him. But she partially blamed him for Riddler being stuck in prison. Partially. "I finished the manuscript. It was marvelous. A splendid way of ending the tail."

Emily couldn't resist smiling. He knew just what to say to bring her from her funk. She turned back over raising a dubious brow at him. "With your own little revisions?"

"One or two." Riddler reached to the end table, handing her the manuscript. The second Emily opened it red pen marks colored every single page. Maybe one or two left untouched. The rest she could barely read. Emily sighed irately, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You do realize my deadline is August 12th."

"Well it's July 12th. Get started now and you may finish by the eve of the deadline."

"I'm starting to forget who the author is." She galred.

"Which is precisely why…" He took the one manuscript and switched it with another, "I have this on hand." Emily opened it. Her jaw dropped. The little copyright stamp she had consumed on the right corner of the table of contents. She flipped the pages. It was her manuscript. Only infinitesimal editing notes. But then what was Riddler holding? "This is something Mad Hatter wrote on his spare time. I procured it for chuckles and gave him my own personal critique. Yours…" He tapped the script, "I barely touch this time."

"Why?" Ridler always jotted notes, forced his two sense on how a plot should be.

"Because it says I get better. I'm cured." He stroked her hair from her face. "You're the only who thinks that."

Emily touched his face, outlining his grief with her thumb. "I believe it with all my heart. I know for a fact that you can stop. But what dad did…" She trailed off, sensing the mine field on approach. Riddler's head lowered. His cheek pressed to her palm. "Edward. You have NOTHING to prove. Not to him or anyone else. Him and mom were both wrong about you."

"How can you call those monsters our parents? Especially my father." He growled venomously, on the verge of puking just thinking about the past. "He wasn't your biological father! He treated you far worse!"

"By marriage or blood. The day the double threats married brought us together." Emily sat up on her knees, bringing Riddler to look her in the eye. "On that Fourth of July we became brother and sister. It marked the first day you and I were ever happy."

"Our parents were never happy. Together or apart." He opened an arm. Emily snuggled close to him. "Knowing they hated us for our happiness only made me smile."

"It only grew when we discovered our talents."

"Yours is what got us out of that house. Mine…"

"Don't dwell on it." She implored. "Thanks to you Dad will never walk, and mom will never be able to see." A sort of sinister grin pulled at her cheeks. "He will never strike us again. And mom's blind eye(s) will forever remain. No matter where either us end up, we're far better off than them."

"Speaking of places to be…" Riddler handed her the manuscript, "You'd better review the edits and see if you agree. Not that I'm worried. You do a splendid job regardless." Emily snuck him a kiss to the cheek.

"Careful, big brother. I spoil you enough." She put the manuscript in her bag and went for the front door.

"Aw. Spoil me a little more. I'm entitled to it." Riddler playfully begged. "Oh! And don't forget the new password! You know how you'd forget your head getting wrapped up in your work."

"Good-bye, Ed." The door shut in response.

Riddler lied down, folding his hands behind his head. "Pfft. My Little Sis. I have nothing to worry about."

XX

"There you are, Captain. Where've you guys been?" Emily teased the weary TYGER guards. "I was worried when you left me all alone in the maze."

"Don't give us that crap! What the Hell are you and Riddler playing at?" The Captain roared, not nearly in the mood for jokes.

"I'm not sure what you could possibly mean." She feigned innocence. The Captain and his men growled rabidly. She was hiding something. And the Captain was going to find out.

"Stay here. Keep on her!" The guards kept their eye - and lowered guns - trained on her. Emily gladly stepped to the side, gesturing a hand to the maze. The Captain entered the maze, taking the same left turn to the same wall they were at before they disappeared. He cleared his throat, making sure he had the question memorized correctly. "Why is...a raven like a writing desk?"

The Captain clamped hands to his ears when a loud buzzer blared. "EEHHH! Sorry! That is no longer accepted." Emily snickered under her breath. Don't be too harsh.

"Say what?! But she just-"

"Good day." Steam exhausted from beneath the large tile he stood on.

"Now way! No this TIIII-AAAHHH…" The Captain sprang back into a pit.

Emily peered around the corner. She watched the missing tile close. "Ooh that's bad."

"CAPTAIN!" The Lieutenant and two others rushed in, scouring the narrow path. "WHAT HAPPENED?! CAPTAIN! WHERE ARE YOU?" The lieutenant howled over the radio. Nothing but static.

"Umm…" Emily tapped his shoulder. "You guys may want to rush to the sewers." She cringed pointing to the tile that moved. "This trap door here drops you right in the middle of Mr. Jones' place."

"Mr...Jones?"

"I think you call him Killer Croc." The dire peril of the situation smacked the team like a ton of bricks. Never mind how Emily knew where the door led. Strange would get that out of her sooner or later. "Marks! Hanks! Get her to the front gates! The rest of you are with me! Assemble a team and head for the sewers! Tranques only!"

"YES SIR!" The lieutenant and his men scattered.

Hanks and Marks edged Emily along. She was worried for the Captain. Anyone who meets Killer Croc likely doesn't return. She's run into Croc before back on the island when he was being transferred to another cell. Not someone she wants to be alone with. Although, she had to admit, she was tempted to laugh. After All, it's what these guards deserve for helping Strange. Feeding him information, no doubt, on her visits. Helping him torture Ed. Their so-called father did enough of that. She wasn't sure why, but there's a nagging feeling that Strange had plans for the inmates. An agenda. What was anyone's guess. Hopefully Riddler would keep his head down.

As Emily neared the gates, an unpleasant figure barred the door. Professor Strange personally came to bid her farewell. She'd prefer it if he stayed inside his office. "Leaving so soon, Miss Nyra. You usually visit for longer than three hours."

"I have a deadline to meet and editions to make." She clasped the straps of her bag defensively. "Sorry I won't be around for your next session."

"Oh you'll be back." He declared confidently. "The impulse to visit Edward is far to tempting to resist."

"The only impulse I'm resisting is the one to rip your beard off." She countered in a truculent drone.

"I think you've sent a shiver down my spine." He mocked. Emily avoided remarking on the obvious taunt. Strange stepped to the side. Cash opened the gate on his end. "Good evening, Miss Nyra." Emily inhaled her confidence and sauntered on her way. She crossed Strange's path. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I look forward to our next session."

To Be Continued...