Chapter 9:
"Exposure"

Riddler admitted throwing the money out of the helicopter was mere distraction which failed. His plan was for the crowd at Gotham City Square to distract the Batfamily while he went to Arkham Asylum to break Dr. Jonathan Crane out.

He hoped that the Batfamily would help the police calm the crowd, instead they tried to interfere with his plans at Arkham. In the end, it worked out better than he hoped.

He now had two prisoners from the infamous Batfamily, their GPS trackers blocked. But he had to be careful, they had been trained by Batman, and much like eels, these two Robin's could be very slippery if he wasn't careful. So, he blindfolded them and handcuffed both behind their backs.

The pair had been brought together after the helicopter landed. Riddler's new lair was a quaint place.

Bane took Red Robin to Robin for a short while, depositing them in a small room, before separating the two. Riddler did not want the pair together, in case they had some of secret code to speak with one another.

It wasn't uncommon for a code to be spoken in grunts or noises. By separating them, he could be rest assured, that no communication between them would be had. After all, he spoke to Nichols in the hidden cipher code right under Arkham Asylum's radar.

x x x

Drake had no idea where he was and where they had taken Damien after their brief reunion. Blindfolded, he could only imagine where he was. But from the sounds of machinery and lab equipment, he had a good inkling of his position.

He thought this must be Adam Nichols secondary site, and Riddler now has control of it, after murdering Nichols.

With his hands behind his back and handcuffed, he was led down a long corridor. Every once in a while, he would listen to the echoes that bounced off the metallic walls, much like bat echolocation to get his position, and he made a mental map of every step he took and every corner he turned.

When he was walking too slowly, someone pushed him forward, and Drake staggered, and almost fell to his hands and knees. They took him to a room that echoed when they spoke, two of Riddler's men escorted him inside.

He was then manhandled and strapped to what felt like a medical bed. He was spread eagle and his wrists and ankles were locked in vices. Then the indignity happened, and the two who were escorts, enjoying his in-humility, stripped him to his briefs, cutting off his uniform, but keeping his mask and blindfold on.

He protested, profusely, but they did not relent. And he feared the worse: that he was about to be violated. But they did no such thing. Instead, they attached electrodes to different and sensitive parts of his body, that when the electricity was turned on would most likely generate the most painful of sensations.

They had told him to shut up multiple times when he shouted at them and when they were finished they left him alone in the room, still blindfolded.

The room felt cold and there was a hint of antiseptic in the air, much like someone would find in a hospital room.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" His voice echoed. From the acoustics, he could determine a square footage of the room he was in, approximately 20 x 20 feet, judging by the reverberations of his bouncing voice off the walls.

He struggled against his restraints, but to no avail. What did they have planned for him?

The electrodes attached to the different parts of his body were part and parcel of psychosomatic behaviour therapy, and they could also be used for torture. He had been through worse, but that's not to say he liked it.

He heard a door open, shoes on the floor, then nothing. He suspected they were standing close to him. He sniffed the air, using another one of his senses, and knew someone needed a shower.

Was it Riddler? No, Nygma had a tendency of cleanliness, and the last time Drake was in the helicopter, he could smell the man's cologne.

So, it had to be: "Crane? I can't see you right now, but I can smell you. Let me go! What are your plans? And where did you take Robin?"

The mysterious person chuckled. "Oh, you are quite mistaken. I'm not Dr. Jonathan Crane, far from it, but am I a doctor. I have doctorates in both psychology and neuropathology. I guess you could say I'm a jack-of-all-trades."

"You're a jack, alright. Who are you then?"

"I believe the most important question is: Who are you?" The man cupped Drake's chin and turned his head from side to side, as if examining him. He then attached electrodes to Drake's temples underneath his blindfold.

"Don't touch me! And why did you remove my clothes?"

"You don't need them," the man said. "However, I did instruct that you at least keep your dignity. Like I said, I have many doctorates, but my major is in Parapsychology. I enjoy diving deep into people's minds. I guess you could say that both Dr. Crane and I share a passion. Why was he broken him out of Arkham, you're probably thinking? His expertise are viable to this operation. But I did well without him. But like all operations, expansion is necessary for success. Crane and I have the same ideals at heart."

"If you're going to torture me, get it over with. But, know this, I've been trained by the best, suffered through the worse, experienced unimaginable pain and suffering, bones broken, my spine nearly snapped in half, but throughout it all, I'm still here. A true fighter never relents and goes down with the ship."

"Admirable. Batman truly has a worthy successor. But when it comes to pain, courage means nothing. You are a very smart kid, and I'm impressed that you figured out the cipher so quickly. But intelligence can be both a gift and a burden. Your gift may have led you here, but the burden that you will have to suffer will be a great one."

Electricity coursed through Drake's body suddenly and he screamed. He was unprepared for it, especially when it coursed through the very sensitive parts of his body.

The shock was only two-seconds long, but it was enough to get Drake's attention.

A man leaned in closer two Drake's right ear, Drake could feel the man's breath. But his mind was more focused on the pain the electricity delivered.

The man spoke softly, "I believe you already know who I am. I left clues, but some clues are so obscured that you fail to notice them until later on when it's too late."

Drake was suddenly splashed with a bucket of water, and he coughed. Then the electricity course through his body again with even more intensity, the water intensifying it.

Drake screamed again.

x x x

Nygma and Crane looked through a pane of one-way glass into the room where Red Robin was being tortured by his captor. Supposedly, the room was soundproof, too, but the teen's screams, so loud, could be heard.

They both looked on with glee as Red Robin, stripped to the bare minimum, cried out, as electricity coursed through his body by electrodes attached by a mini portable AMP generator, a simple, but effective device.

"He loves his work," Crane remarked about the doctor.

"As you do, Crane," Nygma remarked back. "Both of your methods are extreme, but the end justified the means. However I don't think he's actually asking for any information. I believe Dr. Nichols just having some fun."

"How you tricked Batman into believing Nichols died in the warehouse was brilliant, using a homeless man as a dummy, blowing him up, when Batman's back was turned," Crane went on. "Tricking Batman is no small feat."

Nygma smiled. "How goes the other boy?"

Crane frowned, turning away from the window. "Strangely odd," he voiced concerned. "The boy has an unusual tolerance to my drugs, as if he's able to withstand harsh mental stress factors much like a Buddhist monk."

Riddler gave a simile sinister smile, said, "Where does Batman gets these kids, I don't know, but I trust you'll break him, Crane. I have the utmost faith in your abilities. Using riddles to play with Batman is my forte, but using his own allies against him will be better. Is he willing to sacrifice his own people to win? I wager the Caped Crusader and his 'Winglings', as I like to call them, at this moment, are attempting to decipher my latest riddle I left for them on roof of Arkham Asylum before we left."

"Don't be so impulsive, Nygma. You tend to get carried away, forging new riddles to taunt Batman, and he always seems to outwit you."

Riddler's smile turned sour. He raised his Q-Staff and brought it just under Crane's chin, pressing a button that exposed the smallest edge of a hidden curved blade. Crane swallowed nervously.

"It's my raison d'etre, my reason for being," Nygma explained factually. "To taunt Batman is my everything. For what is battle-of-the-minds without a worthy opponent? It is the essence of what I do. I trust we have an understanding?"

Crane momentarily looked Nygma in the eyes, or rather his mask, then eyed his staff, just hovering near his jugular. Riddler's Q-Staff what was an enigma of its own. And it was well known to hide many interesting and unseemly weapons.

"Quite, Nygma, we do. Now get that thing out of my face, so I can torture the brat," Crane said, grabbing the staff by its handle. Riddler left it in place for a time, for intimidation purposes, even holding firm against Crane's grip, as Crane attempted to push it away. But then he retracted the blade and lowered the staff. "You really are something else, Nygma. No wonder you are in the top five of Batman's Rogues."

Riddler smirked. "And that is a distinction I hold in high regard. For if you are not high on the food chain, then you will be devoured by lesser beings. Adaptation is essential in an ever changing world: Darwin."

Riddler was a succinctly dangerous man to tangle with, Crane concluded.

After they enjoyed a few more moments of Red Robin being tortured, they left, entered a long corridor, took a left, and came to a large open pool area.

Riddler's new secret lair was an abandoned recreational centre, and Adam Nichols secondary site. It was a perfect location where no one would disturb them. The land was bought by Adam Nichols under an assumed alias. It had been sitting empty for years before Adam Nichols bought it, a new modern recreational centre was built miles away.

It was the secondary site, but it was a place where Nichols did most of his work, bringing most of his victim/subjects here, including the guard he used at Arkham Asylum, brainwashing him.

Tricking Batman in a believing Nichols was dead was child's play. As Batman attempted to flee, believing Nichols' bomb vest was about to explode. There was a switch, and a homeless man was put in Nicholas place in the warehouse. Nichols fled with ease. It was a simple bait and switch.

And Riddler was pleased that Nichols was still alive, for he admired the man for his brilliance.

Robin's arms and legs were chained to the wall in the deep end of an empty swimming pool. Water was up to his knees. He tried to move round, but his movements was very limited.

Riddler and Crane approached him from the deep edge of the pool, and looked down. Robin looked up.

Damian growled animalistically. "What the hell do you have planned, Riddler? And where's Red Robin?"

Wordlessly, Crane went around to the shallow end of the pool, and then jumped in. Riddler stood above Robin at the pool's deep edge. There was no water, so Crane didn't immediately get wet. He took out a small box that had a syringe in it from a pocket, and primed it.

"Well, young Robin," Nygma began, "it appears you have a remarkable tolerance to the good doctor's efforts."

Robin spat at Crane. "That quack? I've had poison that's had more of a kick to it. Whose that other weirdo?"

"Oh, you mean Doctor Adam Nichols, the man who supposedly died in the warehouse, witnessed by Batman. He faked his death. He's one of the smartest man I know. He was expelled for questionable behaviour, posed for a great medical career. He opened a toy store in its stead for gifted youths, and befriended me during the Arkham letter penpal program. He told me everything I wanted to know about him in the letters we exchanged. Albeit, through ciphers. I threw most in the letters away, because I didn't want anyone else to know, and the guard at Arkham, destroyed most of the evidence that the Warden may have collected before he died."

Crane approached, and Robin looked at the syringe. He tried to back away, but his back slammed into the wall.

Crane entered the water, syringe in hand.

"Get away from me with that thing, you psychopath! You should know that your hallucinogenic drugs don't work on me. They're too weak!"

Crane smiled smugly. "Oh, trust me. I learn from my mistakes. This new batch of drugs, sad to say, are not coming from me. This is one of Nichols inventions. I'm jealous, I admit that. But as they say, once you stop learning, you're dead. And I plan on living a very long time."

Damian lunged as far as he could, gnashing his teeth at Crane, his movements limited by the chains, as Crane came at him with a syringe.

And then it happened. Robin's mask peeled halfway off, exposing his eyes. Whether it was sweat, inside the pool area it was humid, or it was moisture from the water, regardless, the damage was done.

Damian Wayne's eyes widened with shock the moment he knew his identity had been exposed. He looked at both Nygma and Crane collectively, an equal dumbfounded look were on their faces.

Crane pointed, then reacted retrospectively. "I know who you are. I've seen your face before. You were at the carnival, and I subjected you to my hallucinogenic drugs. Yes, It's all coming back to me now! Young Damian Wayne, son of Bruce Wayne. You used my own hallucinogenic drugs against me to make me forget your identity, and it almost worked, until this trigger. Which means. . ."

Crane snapped a glance up at Riddler, who looked stunned, but then smiled coyly.

And Riddler began to laugh. "I have you now, Caped Crusader. The greatest riddle of all is now revealed, by accident of all things, and you owe it to your son betraying your secret. Somewhat disappointing, as I would have liked to expose Batman's secret on my own, and in my own time. But, it is what it is."

Crane put the syringe back into the box. "I won't need this anymore. What more secrets do I need to reveal, other than this huge one. I love happy accidents."

Riddler grinned. "A happy accident give us penicillin, but this dose of medicine will be toxic for the Caped Crusader. I will ransom you off for a king's treasure, Damian Wayne, or I'll expose your father to the whole world. Bruce Wayne will I lose everything. It will be the complete and other defeat of everything he has built. Batman will be no more. All thanks to his son."

Damian growled, but then snorted deflated.

Riddler laughed, and the recreation centre reverberated with it.

To be continued...