Chapter Nine

Batman gripped the steering wheel of the Batmobile as he sped through the streets. He had chosen to see if Julie was with Gorman, which had not been pleasant in the least. Gorman had been his usual uncooperative self and had sneered at Batman's desire to save Edward Nygma from whatever fate was planned for him.

"Why not just let him die?" Gorman had shrugged. "It'd save you a lot of headaches."

"It would give me even more," Batman had replied, darkly, before leaving Gorman's office the way he had come—through the window.

"Alfred, have you had any luck on tracing that picture of Crossword unmasked?" he asked over the communicator.

"I'm afraid not, Sir," Alfred sighed. "And the fingerprint check the police were running has also come up mysteriously clean."

"So he doesn't have a criminal record," Batman mused. "And he's someone close enough to Catherine—or Denise, if our latest theory is right—that he knew all about her plans."

"If the young lady actually is the madwoman behind this dastardly scheme," Alfred said. "It's such a wild theory, Master Bruce."

"I know, but it makes so much sense." Batman's eyes narrowed. "Any news on what's happening at Wayne Industries?"

"The police are arriving now, I believe," Alfred said, "but they haven't seen any suspicious activity. How on earth do you suppose Catherine will climb to the roof without being seen?"

"If there's any new security guard or other employee, it's probably her," Batman said. "Or she might pretend to be one that already works there."

"The police aren't letting anyone in or out," Alfred said. "She'll have a bear of a time no matter what she does."

"The police are going in and out, aren't they?" Batman replied. "That means she could be a policewoman."

"Good heavens," Alfred exclaimed.

"Try to get in touch with Detective Yin," Batman directed. "She was going there. Tell her the policewoman idea."

"And what will you be doing, Master Bruce?"

"Also trying to get in touch with Detective Yin. She isn't answering her communicator. I'll contact Commissioner Gordon too. And I'm not too far from Gotham University, so I'll check there."

"Do you suspect foul play where Detective Yin is concerned?"

"At this point, I'm sure not ruling it out."

"And Edward Nygma?"

Batman fell silent. "Right now, I can only hope he's still alive."

xxxx

Yin, meanwhile, had taken off running in her and Batman's plan to separate and check assorted specific areas around the city for the Riddler and Julie. She hadn't gone very far in her quest to find either a police car or a taxicab when several Riddlemen leaped into her path.

She started, but stood her ground. "Okay, what's with this?" she demanded. "Did Riddler tell you to stop me?"

They regarded her in silence.

"You're not still holding it against me that I beat you up the first time we met, are you?" Yin frowned.

Still silence.

"You know, I'm on Riddler's side in this," Yin said finally, frustrated and angry. "If we don't find him soon, he's going to be dead."

"He went to Gotham University," one of them spoke at last. "He took two of us with him."

Yin stared. "Why there?" Her mind quickly worked out the number of letters. Sixteen. Unless Riddler was highly emotional and not thinking, he would not be going there. He knew Crossword's last puzzle was fifteen letters, even though he hadn't been there when Yin had realized the answer was Wayne Industries.

"The girl Julie told him her cousin was waiting to kill him there," the Riddleman replied. "He went there to face her."

Yin exhaled in frustration. "Of course he did. Look, do you have a way of keeping in touch with him?"

"Sure." Another Riddleman spoke. "He has an intercom speaker in his cane."

Yin sighed. "That figures. Well, contact him and find out where he is!"

The one Riddlewoman pulled out some sort of communication device. "Riddler?" she called. "Sir, where are you?"

Yin folded her arms, thinking how odd it was to hear him being called "Sir."

The speaker crackled. "I'm watching Julie's apartment house."

"What?!" Yin rushed over. "Riddler, this is Detective Yin. Why are you there?"

"Because Julie lied to me." His voice was dark, confused. "She told me her cousin was waiting to kill me at Gotham University. Unless Denise changed her mind, that couldn't be right. There's too many letters."

"She wants to kill you at Wayne Industries," Yin said. She paused and blinked. Had Julie actually been trying to protect the Riddler? Or had her cousin just told her a different plan for whatever reason and Julie had believed it?

The Riddler paused. "Yes, that would make sense, wouldn't it. At least because of the number of letters and the fact that the Puzzlemaster made his scene from there."

"Well, what's going on at Julie's apartment?" Yin asked.

"Nothing at the moment . . . wait." The Riddler came to attention. "Catherine—no, Denise—is coming out on the fire escape. She's . . . holding Julie!"

"What do you mean she's holding Julie?" Yin exclaimed.

"Julie is so limp." Suddenly, anger that Yin had not expected flared in his voice. "She hurt her! Denise hurt her own cousin!"

A chill ran up Yin's spine. "Nice family. But Riddler, don't do anything rash. Do you hear me? Ridd- . . ."

A button was pressed and the communication fizzled out. Yin whirled, looking to the stunned Riddlewoman. "He cut us off. Can you contact the Riddlemen with him?"

"Y-Yes," she blinked. "But I'm sure he'll be okay. There's three of them and one enemy."

"After the last few days, I'm not going to trust that anything is that cut-and-dried," Yin said darkly. "Do whatever you have to, but restore communication with them!" She looked around. "And did anyone bring a car?"

"A van," the Riddlewoman told her.

"Fine. We'll take that and drive to Julie's apartment house while you try to re-establish contact." Spotting the van, Yin immediately headed in that direction.

The Riddler's helpers looked at each other, bowled over and bewildered by Yin's take-charge attitude. Then, shrugging, they trouped to the van as well.

xxxx

The last thing Denise was expecting was for two men in green to suddenly grab her on either side when she reached the bottom of the fire escape. "What the . . . !" She stiffened, but held fast to Julie's limp form. "Get away from me!"

"They only take orders from me," the Riddler said darkly, stepping out of the shadows. "Let her go."

Denise's lip curled in her hatred. "Why? So you can stand back and let her be hurt again?"

The Riddler gripped the cane, his knuckles turning white. "I wasn't the one who hurt her now," he said.

Silently conceding to that truth, Denise gently laid Julie on the grass. "Don't think this is really a victory, Edward Nygma," she said. "I'm a professional actress; I always have an understudy and a back-up plan."

"Are you trying to tell me there's two of you?" The Riddler came closer, sneering at his new enemy. "You've mastered the art of cloning? Why, won't scientists everywhere be overjoyed."

"Laugh all you want," Denise said smugly. "No, there's only one of me. But my understudy on the roof at Wayne Industries requires your company."

The van pulled up at that moment and Yin leaped out, gun drawn. "Police!" she yelled.

The Riddler glanced over. "Not to worry, Yinsey. Everything's under control. Except for this mysterious understudy my former client is babbling about."

Denise sneered now. "I've been planning this for ages. I never believed you were dead after the Chessmaster incident. When I heard about an Edward Nashton operating as a consultant, I was sure it was you. So I went to see and I was right."

"Was that the real reason you looked so shocked when you saw me?" he asked dryly.

"Kind of. Even though I suspected you were alive, it was more startling than I thought to really see you in person. But it was delicious making each move—meeting you for the first time, pretending I was in danger, hiring you to help me. . . . My only regret now is that I won't be around to personally watch you die."

"What are you talking about, Claymore?" Yin snapped. "You're under arrest. And Riddler's not going to Wayne Industries. He won't be meeting your little understudy."

"But he'll have to, if Mr. Wayne doesn't want his precious company building and everyone in it and around it for a full block to blow sky high." Denise grinned broadly, her eyes filled with madness.

"You have a bomb on the roof?!" Yin burst out in horror.

"And trust me, it's a real one, just like the one in Gorman's office. This one's bigger, though. And it has one very important catch." Denise looked to the Riddler. "It can only shut off if you approach it."

"What?" The Riddler clenched his teeth. "I've never heard of such a thing!"

"I managed to get your fingerprints when I went to your office to hire you," Denise bragged. "I programmed them into the bomb. You have to touch a special screen to even get access to the defusing process. Anyone else who tries will be detected and immediately blown up."

"Apparently there's yet another catch, since you're so sure I'll die," the Riddler said.

"I doubt you'll be able to deactivate it," Denise said. "The other catch is that you'll have one minute from the time you gain access to the point of detonation."

"Oh, this is insane!" Yin cried, stepping forward. "He is not going anywhere near that roof. The Bomb Squad will find a way to deactivate it."

"Maybe if they had time," Denise said. "But when they can't so much as touch it without it sensing they aren't Edward Nygma, they can't very well do much, can they? There won't be time to evacuate the building; if Edward Nygma doesn't go there within thirty minutes and try to shut it off, it will go off anyway."

Yin shoved her gun in its holster. "I've heard enough." She walked over, pulling out her handcuffs. "You have the right to remain silent."

The Riddler turned away as Yin recited the Miranda Rights. He glanced down at Julie, who was breathing normally but still unconscious. Then, sighing heavily, he leaned on his cane and stared into the distance.

"So, what kind of a mess have I got myself into this time?" he muttered, casting his gaze to the sky. "I can walk away from this. I don't have to risk my life to save Bruce Wayne's empire and however many innocent bystanders are in the way. If I fail, they'll all die anyway.

"But it's a challenge, directed specifically at me. I don't walk away from challenges."

Or from a lot of people who probably really will die without you?

He froze at the imagined voice of his uncle in his mind. "I'm not a hero," he scoffed. "I'm a criminal, a villain. An anti-hero."

"Actually . . ." Yin came up beside him. "Some people have it wrong that an anti-hero is just another name for a villain. An anti-hero is an unconventional protagonist. And I seem to remember you saying you're nothing if not unconventional."

He looked to her. "Do you want me to do this?" he asked.

Pain flashed in her eyes. "No," she said. "We both know there's not much chance of you living through it." She drew out her phone. "I really will call the Bomb Squad. But . . ." She swallowed hard. "I don't think Claymore would be lying about the clause that it has to be you defusing it." She gripped the phone tightly, her own knuckles white.

"And if anyone else approaches it and it really does go off, it will be too late to save anyone." The Riddler sighed again, looking tired. But then he straightened, seeming to accept his fate. "Alright then. Don't call them, Yinsey. I'll do it."

She looked to him with a start. "Riddler . . ."

He smirked. "I'm quite skilled with bombs, actually. Even though I rarely use real ones. I can probably crack this one in far less than a minute."

His smarmy tone caused something inside Yin to break. "Why do you always have to be so arrogant?!" she cried.

"It makes life interesting," he said. "And it's better than sitting around moping about my lot. I was never one for that; I always got up to do something about it."

"Even if what you did about it was more than a little illegal," Yin grumbled. She shoved the phone back in her pocket.

"The clock's ticking, Detective," he said as he sobered. "We'll have to go now." He looked to the two Riddlemen who had restrained Denise. "Look after Julie until she wakes up," he directed.

They looked down. "What about you, Sir?" one of them asked.

"Well . . . I may come back or I may not. If I don't, obviously you'll be free to seek new employment." He walked past them, heading for the van.

Yin hurried to catch up. "Riddler." She grabbed his arm and he froze, stunned. "I've lost people before. It never gets easier. I lost Ethan Bennett to Joker. I thought you were gone. You just came back."

He turned, genuinely moved by her sincerity. "Truthfully, I don't want to do this myself," he said. "I like challenges, but not when even I don't have much chance of staying alive. At least people are unpredictable. A bomb will always go off, if that is what it's programmed to do and no one can deactivate it. Nevertheless, neither of us has much choice in the matter, do we?"

Yin looked down. "No, we don't. Not if you're not okay with letting it go off."

"Then let's just focus on what we have to." He held her gaze for a moment before turning and climbing into the van. "Drive," he ordered the Riddlewoman at the wheel.

Yin swallowed hard and followed him in. Slumping into a seat, she took out her communicator. She scowled as she realized it was turned off. How had that happened? Maybe something important had been happening elsewhere and she was unaware of it because of this.

Quickly she switched it on. "Come in, Batman," she rasped.

The communicator crackled. "Detective Yin?! I've been trying to contact you. Why haven't you been answering?"

"It was turned off," Yin said in annoyance. "I don't know how it happened."

"Well, nevermind that. Where are you?"

"Heading for Wayne Industries," Yin said. "And I've got some real bad news."

xxxx

With the congested traffic around town, it took twenty minutes just to reach Wayne Industries. By that time, Batman, the kids, and the police had all been briefed on Denise's wild story and the Bomb Squad had confirmed there was a strange object on the roof. With Denise's predictions of doom, none of them dared to go near it for fear of setting off the massive explosion.

Batgirl frowned, folding her arms as she and Robin stood back to watch the continued frantic gathering. Red and blue lights flashed and specially trained police dogs were led out of the building.

"This is some big shindig," Robin worried.

"And the whole thing's all about this Riddler guy," Batgirl commented. "Why drag Wayne Industries into the mess?"

"I'd sure like to go to police headquarters and ask Denise about that," Robin said.

Batgirl looked to him. "I wasn't really involved in the whole Friday Night Killer thing. Do you think we can even trust Riddler?"

"I'm not the best person to ask," Robin said. "Batman trusts him more than I do, but I think even he's still kind of leery. Still, he's here, and Detective Yin didn't twist his arm to get him here, so I guess that's something."

"Detective Yin doesn't even want him to have to do this," Batgirl said.

"I guess if she's coming to like him, you can't blame her for that," Robin said. "Batman doesn't want him to have to do it either."

"And we pretty much have to let him go through with it and maybe literally die trying," Batgirl said. "Not good odds."

No one could disagree with that. And there were others uncertain about other aspects of the case, just as Batgirl was.

"I don't like this," Chief Rojas complained, squeezing his ever-present stress ball as he leaned on the roof of his squad car. "The entire city block is in danger of being blown up and we have to trust all our fates to this psychopath!" He jabbed a finger in the Riddler's direction.

"It seems like we can afford to give him a little latitude after the Friday Night Killer case," Commissioner Gordon replied. "I'll admit I was leery of having him help out then. But he didn't let us down. I have no reason to believe he will this time, especially since his life is in danger as well."

"How very astute of you, Commissioner," the Riddler purred. "And we only have eight minutes left. I hope Mr. Wayne's elevator is fast."

"I've been in the building before," Batman said. "The elevator is state-of-the-art. I'll ride up with you."

"What?!" Robin exclaimed, rushing over to his mentor and foster father. "Batman, you can't be up on the roof now!"

Batman looked to him. "It'll be alright, Robin," he said. "I'm going."

"Not without me you're not!" Robin retorted.

"What about me?" Batgirl exclaimed.

"Someone should stay down here and work crowd control," Batman said, not wanting Commissioner Gordon's daughter to get into this kind of immediate danger.

Batgirl just stared. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Batman said flatly.

Yin came forward, having stayed back to let the two Bats talk. "I'll be there too," she declared. Batman might be able to convince Batgirl to stay back, but he would not have that effect on her. Her presence was non-negotiable.

"Come on!" Batgirl exclaimed. "Why her and not me too?"

Batman just fixed her with a warning stare. "There's no time for this."

Batgirl scowled. "Okay, I'll stay," she grumbled.

The Riddler looked back and forth among them. "You shouldn't get too close," he said, heading for the front doors. "As long as you stay down here, you'll have some hope of survival if I make a mistake."

"No." Yin walked inside with him, completely resolute. "We weren't there when you were fighting the Chessmaster. We were so close, but not close enough to save you."

"And that isn't going to happen again," Batman said. "Not without us doing everything we can to protect you if we need to."

They stepped into the elevator and the Riddler pressed the button for the top floor. "So I'll have three more lives to concern myself with," he said. "If I should fail, all of you will certainly die even if no one else will."

"It's better than it was the other time," Batman said. "Back then, there was no one close enough in your corner to do anything for you."

The elevator stopped at the fifteenth floor and the Riddler got out, hurrying for the door marked Roof. He could hear the others running behind him and it still amazed him. Robin wasn't there specifically for him, but Batman and Yin were. They had been so affected by his prior death that now they were following him into Hellfire, hoping to see to it that this time he would come out alive.

He was really hoping that, too.

The bomb was easy to spot when he emerged onto the roof. He went over, kneeling down and pressing his fingers against the screen. It beeped, activating.

Subject identified as Edward Nygma. One minute to solve this puzzle.

He wouldn't admit it aloud, but he was beyond nervous as he worked with the complex innards of the weapon. The screen ticked, displaying every second as it passed him by without him reaching a resolution. His audience stood by, far enough away so as not to crowd him but close enough that they hoped to come to his aid if needed.

:20 left.

He could untangle this. After all, he was the Riddler, Gotham's true Puzzlemaster. Batman himself had acknowledged his skills with inanimate things, even if he wasn't always the greatest at people skills.

Still, this wasn't something that could be turned off by answering a riddle. It was a complex puzzle, one that might take longer than a minute for even him to solve.

And he only had a few seconds.

:15 left.

He didn't look up, but he knew they were all still there, not even running for cover on the other side of the roof. They didn't want to let him down, or themselves, by failing to save him. He didn't want to fail them. It was a strange feeling, really.

"An anti-hero is an unconventional protagonist."

"The Riddler doesn't have to be a bad guy. And Edward Nygma doesn't have to be a weakling. I don't think you are."

Maybe he would make it after all. Maybe he would live to go on to whatever life an anti-hero could have.

He really wanted to live. . . .

:01 left.

The screen went dark and the ticking stopped. He stared at the thing, still cautious, not quite believing it. "I . . . think it's off," he said slowly.

"Let's go," Batman said. "The Bomb Squad can get rid of it."

The Riddler was quite agreeable. He took several steps back, still not sure he believed Denise would let him go so easily.

He was right to be suspicious. And from Batman's expression, he knew it too. He lunged, just as a strange rumble rushed over the roof. The box exploded, with a much smaller force than it would have if the Riddler hadn't worked with it. It wouldn't take out the city block or even the building. But it was more than enough of a blast to send the Riddler flying over the railing with a scream and Batman crashing against another railing.

Yin screamed too. "No!" Her heart in her throat, she flew to the edge of the roof.

A golden cane gleamed in the moonlight, swinging by its crook from a window on the fifteenth floor. The Riddler had wrapped his arms around it and was clinging to it for dear life, his long hair blowing in the evening breeze.

"Not this time, Yinsey," he said, looking up at her. "I'm going to live."

Yin smiled in relief and joy. "And this time, we're not going to fail to save you," she said. With a glance at an equally relieved Batman, who nodded, they reached under the railing and pulled him up.

They didn't let go until he was safe and away from the edge. He knelt on the roof for what seemed a long moment, staring at the remnants of the box that could have killed him. "If I'd been standing closer, I'd probably be dead," he said.

"Or if you didn't always have that cane with you," Yin said.

"Or if you guys hadn't been here," Robin chimed in.

"That too." The Riddler looked up at Yin and Batman as he slowly got to his feet. "Thank you. Both of you."

A slight smile came over Batman's features. "This time, we weren't too late."

"And thank you, for what you did," Yin said, looking to the Riddler.

"That was one challenge I could have lived without," he admitted. He smirked. "But I must say, I'm looking forward to letting Denise know that her plan didn't work."

"Again with the arrogance," Yin sighed. She smirked too. "But this time, I'm looking forward to that right along with you."

xxxx

On the ground, Chief Rojas was tense. "What's going on up there?!" he cried. "Something blew up, but the whole building didn't go. Maybe it was a false alarm after all."

"It wasn't a false alarm," Batman said as he suddenly appeared. "There were two detonators. The second one only activated if the first was turned off. The second was meant to kill Nygma and him alone."

"Then . . . he's dead?" Rojas said slowly.

"No, Chief," the Riddler called back smoothly, twirling his cane as he exited the building. "He isn't."

"And I'm glad," Yin declared with a smile.

"I think we should all be glad," Commissioner Gordon said. "Thank you, Mr. Nygma. I know it couldn't have been easy for you to go up there. And you almost did lose your life."

"Denise Claymore underestimated me, as many others have," the Riddler said.

He looked around at the feeling of many eyes watching him. None seemed to be accusatory or unkind. Even Rojas looked grudgingly relieved. Even though he had scoffed at the idea of crime-fighting and felt that people were mostly ungrateful to the crime-fighters, tonight there was indeed gratitude.

He had never been the center of attention in this sort of way before. It was what he had hoped for and dreamed for at the university, when he had demonstrated his Bio Discs. The circumstances now were certainly different, but the principle was the same. They were looking at him with positive emotions in their eyes. Considering what he had done to achieve that, it was a surreal, strange, even humbling feeling.

Well, as humbling as Edward Nygma could get, anyway.

And for the moment, at least, the arrogance faded.

Yin came up beside him. "Like last time, you really are a hero," she smiled. "Only this time, you can actually be here to enjoy it."

"It feels . . . strange," he mused. "I never thought anyone anywhere would hail me as a hero."

"Do you like it?" Yin asked.

"Yes," he said slowly. "Strangely enough, I do. But don't expect me to put my life on the line on a regular basis, like the real do-gooders in this city." He looked wryly from Yin to Batman to Robin.

Yin smiled. "I don't think any of us would expect that of you."

"Oh hey." Batgirl suddenly appeared, dropping down in front of a parked car. "You dropped this." She held out the green hat.

Raising an eyebrow, the Riddler took it. "Maybe I'll hold onto it for a while longer, then."

"Who knows," Yin said. "Maybe someday you'll decide it does work for you."

He twirled it by the brim and replaced it on his head, pushing it back with his cane. "Perhaps."