Authors Note: Hey everyone! I'm glad to see you're still following this story :D I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and stay tuned for future chapters!


Chapter 3

The group was lead to the end of the hall where the next riddle was spray painted on the floor. The Stairwell seemed to be blocked off and boarded up, in front of the elevator stood a tall menacing gate with a small padlock on the outside of it. It seemed the elevator was the goal.

"Is their any way we can break that thing?" William asked.

"We don't have any tools to break it... I guess this means we're on another hunt for yet another key..." Kevin deduced.

They all looked at the riddle painted on the floor. "What is very fragile but more useful when broken?" William read aloud.

They looked around the hallway assuming the answer would be there. "Fuck, I don't know! I just want to leave." Kevin yelled yanking on the lock angrily.

Kate looked down the hallway noticing the doors on the west side of the hallway each had a wooden element symbol attached below the peep hole. "Guys... could their be an answer here?"

Kevin and William looked at the doors with Kate while Eliza looked at the only door not boarded up on the east wall of the hallway. She decided to check that room herself. "All of these doors are padlocked... how do we get in?" Kevin asked confused.

"I'm not sure..." Will looked around for Eliza before walking into the only open room aside from the room they came from. "Davenport, we should really stay together." He told her peaking in.

Eliza stood in a room full of various items hanging from the ceiling. Each item was attached to a cord of some sort, and they looked to be attached to a mechanism of some sort. "I don't like the looks of this." Will stated standing behind her looking up at the ceiling.

"I think I get it." Eliza stated looking up at the objects. "We have to pick the right answer to the riddle to progress... the answer is one of the things hanging." Their was a boot, a piece of glass, a rusted nail, a green plastic Easter egg, a wind chime that hung perfectly still, A pencil, and an array of other office supplies.

"What happens if we pick the wrong item?" Kate asked looking up at the ceiling.

"You'll be in for a shock if you pick wrong!" The Riddler's voice rang out over the intercom.

Kevin sighed with annoyance. "Great... is it lethal?"

"Oh no... none of my traps are too lethal... on THIS floor..." He began to laugh darkly before the intercom shut off again.

"THIS floor?" Kate looked around nervously. "Oh God how many floors are there? Where are we?"

"Most likely an apartment complex... we can make it we just have to try." Eliza told her.

Looking up at the items William went to reach for the rusted nail. "No, wait!" Eliza looked at him. "The answer is egg... It's fragile, but we break them to get the yolk... its got to be." She stated before reaching up cautiously to pull down the green Easter egg.

Popping it open gingerly she noted a small key was inside, attached to the key was a small rope with a note neatly written. "Despite our size we cover mountains, we have six arms but fingers none, and one day we can turn into men." Eliza read out.

William looked at her, "You know what it means?"

Eliza shrugged, "Not really... I have an idea but I don't want to risk being wrong... I'll have to think about our options."

"Come on, lets go test the doors." Kevin said leading them back to the hallway.

"Let me just warn you... the key will break if inserted into the wrong lock... choose wisely." The Riddler stated over the intercom with a snarky tone.

"I don't want to be trapped here forever!" Kate exclaimed nervously.

Will gently gripped her shoulders looking her in the eyes, "Alright, lets take a look at the doors and figure out which door makes most sense with the riddle."

Kate looked up at him and nodded trying to keep her sanity. Will let go of her and they all inspected the doors. The first door at the far end of the hall had a small man emblem on the door, the second door a lightening bolt, the third door a leaf, the fourth door a water drop, the fifth door a snowflake and the final sixth door a flame. "What has six arms, can cover mountain tops and can turn into a man...?" Kevin was very confused.

"Let's start the process of elimination." Kate suggested.

Eliza remained silent. She already had guessed the answer before inspecting the doors, but she wanted a second opinion. "Well a flame has no arms, neither does a leaf, lightening bolt or rain drop." Kevin pointed out.

"A man has fingers and already is a man... so I don't think he counts. So that leaves the snowflake." Will stated before turning to look at Eliza, "Right?"

"Why are you looking at me?" Eliza asked confused, and slightly irritated.

"Let's face it, you've solved them all so far... back on the project team, you were the one who seemed to enjoy riddles." Will looked at her.

"I do enjoy riddles... I've enjoyed them since I was a little girl, but these aren't riddles for fun, they're life or death riddles. I don't want to make the wrong decision and jeopardise us all..." Eliza looked at them all.

"Well it must be the snowflake. It has to be." Kate looked at her a bit more softly.

Eliza nodded, "It is."

Kevin took the key and inserted it into the padlock, with one swift twist it opened without a problem. "Good job team." He said opening the door.

They all walked inside cautiously noting a desk set-up. The chair looked less than welcoming as it was filled with holes and rips, but the desk seemed to hold average stationary equipment. In the center of the desk was a piece of paper with a message written on it. Surrounding it was a small cup of various pens, pencils, erasers and a glue stick, next to it was post-it notes, a stapler, thumb tact's, a few empty binders, a name plate, and a stack of lined paper.

Kate picked up the note slowly and read it aloud, "With pointed fangs I sit in wait, with piercing force I dole out fate, over bloodless victims proclaiming my might, eternally joining in a single bite... What the hell does this mean?"

Eliza froze. "Stapler..." She breathed out completely shocked.

Kate reached for the stapler and examined it. Popping it open to see if any staples were inside, she was greeted with a tiny padlock key. "Good job, Eliza... what's wrong?"

Both guys turned to look at her, "...I know who's doing this... I remember this riddle..." Her soft voice was just barely above a whisper as she recollected what she remembered from a few years ago.

"Who?" Kevin piped in brows furrowed angrily as though he was going to be able to do something with such information.

"Edward Nigma..." She paused again.

"That cocky bastard from the project years ago? What the hell would he go to all this trouble for?" Kevin asked annoyed at the very thought of the scrawny, overconfident man.

Eliza looked at the name plate noticing it was scratched out, but the first letter said 'E.' and the other letters were barely visible, but it all began to add up in her mind. "Oh God, why didn't I see this before? Edward Nigma. E. Nigma... enigma." She looked at the other scientists.

"That can't be his real name." Kate crossed her arms.

"It doesn't matter what his name is... why is he doing this?" Will asked looking around.

Eliza remained quiet, she remembered his last day well. "Look, we have the key, lets move on." Kevin looked at them all.

The group headed into the hallway unlocking the padlock, and moving the gate out of the way of the elevator. The small group noted the elevator doors were open and waiting for them. They felt the ominous tension in the air, but knew they had to press on. They all compiled in and watched as the doors closed without them even pressing a single button on the keypad.