When I woke up, all I could feel was a couch lying under me. My first thought was that I had blacked out during the whole theft and that Scarecrow and I were back at the hideout. But then I noticed something; this couch was much larger as my whole body could fit on it. It was also more stiff, unlike the plush couch I was use to, and smelled like it had been washed thoroughly. Blinking my eyes open, it was also a shade of green and the lights where I was were bright, almost like a hospital. Thinking that we had been captured, I jumped up on the couch in a squat position, quickly pulling out the handgun I was given and aiming straight across from me at an invisible enemy. I swallowed hard, looking around the considerably large room.
The building I was in had as many lights as a grocery store, although the walls and floor were made of a gray, smooth-surfaced stone. Most of the place was all wires and computers, the rest was neatly stacked cardboard boxes and wooden crates, all with labels. Directly in front of me (or below, depending on perspective) was an all-glass coffee table, covered with newspapers. A green binder, labeled "Records", sat next to the pile. I could guess this person was scrap-booking on recent major events. Where ever I was, this person sure loved to keep clean and tidy. Figuring out that this wasn't a public place or a police station of some sorts, I murmured a question to myself about where I was.
"Use context clues; that should help." A voice, that wasn't my own, answered back. I flipped around, gripping the backboard of the couch with my free hand so I didn't fall backwards. I froze at the tall shape of the Riddler staring back at me, sans his mask, about 10 feet off. He seemed amused with my confusion.
"Riddler?" I lowered my gun, "What are you doing here?"
"Now how can you ask that when you don't even know what you're doing here?" He didn't give me time to answer back, "A better question would be to ask why you're here. Hm...Come to think of it, it isn't smart to ask any questions; at least in this type of situation."
"You always expect me to infer..." I gave a slight smirk, concealing my weapon and standing up from to couch.
"Well, you're a smart girl. Not as exceptionally bright as I am, but you're not most people."
"Let's see..." I began to walk around the couch, toward him, slowly, "The labels and technology cluttering the room would have answered it, had it not been for what has happened to me in the past couple of hours. Although, the fact that you're here...I think it's safe to give away the answer...at any rate, by now."
"And what is that?" Riddler tilted his head to the side.
"Hm..." I took on last look around, stopping a few feet in front of him, "This is your hideout?"
"Oh, no, I've been figured out." He used a bland voice, displaying sarcasm, "What ever shall I do?"
"Pfft." I smirked, then faded out of the moment and lightly glared at him, "So...why am I here? What happened to Scarecrow?"
"...I've been thinking about redecorating." Riddler looked about the room, then spun around with his arms extended, "How about a new polish? And some more furniture?"
"Ugh!" I grunted in frustration, rolling my eyes, "This is my friend I'm talking about! Can't you, for once, be straight with me?"
"We can watch TV while we work, if you want." He acted like he didn't hear me and trotted off, "I'll go get dressed into some old clothes."
I sighed and wondered what to do about this cunning man. I can never seen to really get him. Was he just planning on using me for labor? It seemed both reasonable and illiterate. Reasonable being, he's got a slightly large schedule and another worker doubles the speed. Believe it or not, it's not because he looks weak; he can press, at most, 150 lbs. That's good for someone of his physical stature. Although, that was beside the point. I wondered if Scarecrow dropped me off because of this 'help around the house', which was illiterate because he wouldn't do that. Not for something so random.
Riddler came back with actual normal clothes; overalls and, guess what, a green t-shirt. Not use to this, I couldn't help but stare. The most ordinary things I've seen him in before was the complementary outfits at Arkham. And let me tell you this – orange is not his color.
"I was hoping we'd start with the boxes." He placed one hand on a cardboard packing box and the other on his hip, eying me expectantly.
"Ugh...Whatever." It's not really worth it arguing with him. I felt that eventually, he'd tell me the answers to my questions. He wouldn't be the one to delay this long if something bad had happened. I threw my jacket over the back of the couch and pulled off my flats. I figured that I'd help him anyways.
I glanced at the tall stacks of boxes that reached up to about 12 feet high, all hidden in a darker corner. The stacks covered about a third of the room. How the heck did he plan for us to clean all of this up! As an added note, what did he have in all of these things? I didn't know he was looking at me until he spoke.
"Only the brightest see highest." Riddler looked back up at the boxes, or rather, right above them.
"What?" I tried to see what he was staring at, but just couldn't point it out.
"The closer you look, the further away the answer is." He laughed softly, "This should be too easy; child's play, bird-brain."
"Hey!" I shot him a glare. Was that a reference to my partner! I thought I was done hearing people poke fun at his name! Damn, he irritated me! I continued to glower at him, my eyes burning with scorn at his recent endeavors, as he hopped up on a box and escalated the stacks. I mean, I liked him and all; he was fairly level-headed and mildly eccentric, despite his ego. Then again, what man, save select few, doesn't have an ego? What got to me the most was his ADHD-like conversation line. I'm not as smart as him, and he needs to get over that! My frustrated thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a large metal claw rearing it's ugly head right by a light, hovering above the boxes. Of course. A crane.
"You've got to be..." I face-palmed. The metal claw was hidden just beyond the light and the glare prevented me from spotting it in the first place, with the help of the boxes blocking out the rest of it. The answer was too easy. I just didn't see it.