Edward had vaguely recognized the address when he read it on the note. As Selina's car drove further down the river front and a dilapidated warehouse came into view, it dawned on Edward exactly where they were going. "Stop the car here."

Selina did as Edward said, parking the car about five hundred feet from the warehouse. Edward could see no one hanging around the warehouse, nor along the side streets or water front. The only light about came from the street lights and a solitary light coming from the second story of the warehouse. Just outside the warehouse, he could see a parked car. Edward's eyes narrowed. It was the same car that had pulled out of GCPD's rear parking lot earlier that evening. They were here. Edward checked his watch. It was just past ten. He was early.

"Eddie," Selina said, "Not that I don't have any faith in you, but are you sure this is a good idea?"

That was a loaded question if he'd ever heard one. "No," he answered truthfully. "But I don't see that many other options available to us. Goodman's made his instructions clear and he's not afraid to kill. For the time being, I'll have to play along with this game. Wait about half an hour, then call GCPD and follow me in. Hopefully, he'll be too focused on me to notice you."

Selina didn't looked pleased with this. "That's assuming Goodman's willing to play by the rules Eddie. I'm not so sure he is."

Neither was Edward. There was a very good chance that if he went in alone, Goodman would kill him. Anything other than his apparent compliance with Goodman's demands though and Penelope was as good as dead. He'd risked her life enough for one day. "Well," he said with as much bravado he could muster, "Now or never."

Selina nodded. "Be careful Eddie."

Edward sucked in a quick breath, grabbed his cane and opened the passenger door. He walked down the empty street, only vaguely aware of the winter chill in the air. He didn't look back at Selina's car. As he drew closer to the warehouse, his mind wandered back to what had happened here ten years. He'd come here to save a woman then too. This time though, there was no Batman to fall back on. He'd be facing Goodman on his own. Edward sighed. He supposed that did make him Batman now. God help them.

When he came up to the front of the warehouse, he realized that there was no door. Instead, the walls outside were covered in hieroglyphics. Edward frowned for a moment, then remembered. It had been like this the last time too. He set his cane down and began to feel around the glyphs, looking for the mechanism that would open the door. It took a minute or two, but Edward finally succeeded and a slab opened in front of him. Edward took one last look back at Selina's parked car. In the darkness, he could just make out her shape, watching him intently. Edward took one last deep breath and entered the warehouse. The door shut behind him and Edward found himself in complete darkness.

"Are you sure he'll come?"

Goodman didn't answer the woman, who Penelope assumed was Leigh Carson, and instead continued to sit at the large monitor. Various security camera feeds from inside the warehouse flashed onto the screen, but there was no sign of any life.

"He'll be here," Goodman answered. "I completely humiliated him in GCPD. He'll be aching for revenge." Goodman turned in his chair to look back at Penelope. "And I saw the look on his face when I took her. He'll come for her."

Penelope sat towards the back of the old office room, securely tied to a chair. Any remark she might have made was prevented by the gag tied around her mouth. She settled for a withering glare at Goodman. She would not give him the satisfaction of showing how frightened she actually was. Goodman just laughed. "Defiant, aren't we? I can see why Riddler developed a fondness for you."

A fondness. Hardly. Edward may show show up to salvage his wounded ego, but he wouldn't come for her sake.

Carson didn't seem to look convinced. "And what if he doesn't find the message we left?"

A sick grin came to Goodman's face. "Then we'll send another one to his office. We'll start sending her back to him, piece by piece, until he comes." Penelope felt her skin crawl. She felt fully justified now in lacking any sympathy for the man while she'd been conducting his interview. Carson said nothing in response, but looked back at the monitor. What was motivating her, Penelope wondered. She'd been hovering over Goodman since they brought her here, attending to his every need. A codependent romantic relationship, like with Harley Quinn? Goodman seemed to treat her better than Quinn's object of desire at least.

A beeping noise distracted her from her musings and Goodman turned back to look at the monitor. "He's here." Penelope leaned forward as far as she could to get a better look. Sure enough, on the security feed of the main entrance of the warehouse, there stood Edward Nigma. He appeared to be examining the room as well as he could in the darkness. "Alright Goodman!" Penelope heard his voice call out, the audio feed distorting it somewhat. "I'm here! Come out!"

Goodman flipped a switch on his control panel and the light came on in the main entrance. Edward nearly jumped at the sudden light. Penelope could him pick up his cane like a club, before he realized he wasn't about to be ambushed and slowly lowered it back down. "Welcome Riddler. Do you remember this place?"

"I remember," Edward said. "I remember this is where I defeated you the first time. I'm looking forward to making it 2-0."

"Careful Riddler," Goodman warned. "I seem to recall you needing assistance last time. There will be no Dark Knight to save you, or a Cat Burglar. You, and you alone must face your final judgement."

"Not me alone," Edward answered. "Before we go any further Goodman, I want proof of life. Where's Dr. Young?"

"She is with me," Goodman answered. "You'll get her back when and if you complete your final judgement. Now-"

"I want to talk to her." Edward interrupted. Even with the distortion, Penelope could hear the anger in his voice. "Let me speak with her and then you can go on about your 'final judgement'."

Goodman gave Carson and short nod and she left his side to walk behind Penelope. She loosened the gag. "Ten seconds," she said. "Let him know you're here."

As soon as her mouth was free, Penelope took a quick breath. "Edward?" she asked.

Penelope saw on the feed Edward's body language relax somewhat. He really had been concerned for her. "Good evening Dr. Young," he said, almost conversationally. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Penelope answered. "You shouldn't have come here Edward, Goodman's going to kill you!"

"He can try," Edward chuckled. His tone grew serious again. "I'll get you out of this. I promise."

Penelope didn't know what to say to that. "Edward," she said. "Edward I-mmph!" Carson tied the gag back on and walked back over to Goodman.

"Satisfied?" Goodman asked rhetorically. "Now if you want to speak with her again, you must pass through the Final Judgement."

"I'm listening."

"Good. Do you remember the traps you had to go through last time? No matter if you do or don't. I've changed them. There are twelve gates a soul must pass through in the Egyptian afterlife. You may consider this the first gate. You will have to journey through the other gates in the Underworld and pass my tests. If you survive, you can have Dr. Young back. If you fail, she will join you in the Afterlife!"

Edward seemed to pause to consider his options, what few he had. Finally, he said. "I'll do it. But this is your first and only warning: if you lay one finger on Dr. Young before I get there, you won't go back to interrogation. You'll be going to the GCPD morgue."

Penelope's eyes widened at the venom in Edward's voice. Edward wasn't just doing this out of wounded pride. He was doing this out of genuine regard for her safety. She wasn't just an asset to him. At the console, Goodman just laughed. "You'd better get started. Good luck, Riddler." He typed in a command and Penelope saw a door to Edward's left open. Edward hesitated for a moment, before walking through the doorway. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the door shut behind him. Goodman looked back at Penelope and gave her a sadistic grin. "Now it begins, Dr. In a matter of minutes, the Riddler's darkness will be forever cleansed from this world. I will be the man who delivered Gotham from the Riddler."

Penelope tried not to shudder at the conviction in Goodman's voice and instead tried to see if she could spot Edward on the other security camera feeds. Edward, she thought. Be careful.

Edward had to suppress a scoff when Goodman told him what his 'Final Judgement' was. Death traps. How original. Send the Prince of Puzzlers into a warehouse of death traps? Death traps that he had probably invented? Goodman really must have lost his mind. Still, he kept a slow, steady pace as he walked down the hallway. Goodman had gotten the drop on him twice in the past two days. Neither he or Penelope could afford for it to happen a third time.

Edward came to a the end of the hallway and saw a door. Above it was an inscription that read: ONLY THE WORTHY MAY ENTER HERE. Edward rolled his eyes. He'd better be considered worthy, this was the only door forward. Slowly, carefully, he turned the handle on the door and opened it. He found himself walking down a narrow, darkened hallway. Edward was on full alert as he made his way down. Any moment and he'd be running into something.

"Do you think yourself worthy to meet the Gods, Riddler?" he heard Goodman's voice crackle over the loudspeaker. "Only the worthy may continue on. Enemies of the gods must be dealt with by Atum before they may continue above."

Edward paused. Above...Edward pointed the head of his cane, extended it as far in front of him as possible and tapped it against the floor. He heard it echoing against the floor. He continued on slowly down the hallway, using the cane as an impromptu walking stick. Finally, about ten feet down, when he moved to tap the cane down, he came across empty space where the floor should be. "Another trap door? Seriously?" he complained. He looked down to see if there was any way he could determine the size of the hole and saw a glow. There was a fire at the bottom of the hole about six feet down. Lovely. As his eyes adjusted to the light from the fire, he realized that he could faintly see the floor beyond the hole. There was about a four foot gap between him and that floor. Edward did a few quick mental calculations, then he threw his cane across the open space. He heard it land with a metallic clang on the other side of the hole. He then took off his hat and placed it by where the floor opened up to serve as a marker. He did like this hat, but sacrifices had to be made. Edward backed up towards the entrance of the hallway.

"Leaving so soon?" he heard Goodman taunt. "Perhaps you truly are unworthy."

Edward scoffed. He was right where he'd entered. This should be far enough. He broke out into a run. He had just one shot at this. As soon as he saw the dim outline of his hat, he bent his knees slightly and jumped. He landed just two inches shy of the gulf and wobbled a bit before regaining his balance.

"Impressive," he heard Goodman drawl. "You're not known for your physicality."

Edward leaned down to pick up his cane. "You don't survive being a Rogue for as long as I did without keeping yourself in somewhat decent physical shape. And if you think a mere trap door will be enough to defeat me, you clearly need to spend more time in Arkham."

The only response he heard was a low laugh. "Egotistical to the end. The Gods will not be pleased with you. Dare you continue on?"

Edward began to walk down the hall again. He couldn't afford to let himself get distracted. A minute later and he found himself at another door. The inscription above this door read, SINNERS WILL BURN IN THE LAKE OF FIRE. Edward paused to consider this. He'd never been much of a student of Egyptian mythology, but he knew this didn't sound good. He placed his hand to the door. The door was cool to the touch. Slowly, Edward opened the door.

In front of him, much like the last room, was a darkened hallway. This one was different however. Alongside the wall, vents stuck out, six on each side. At the end of the hall, by the door, Edward saw the last two vents shoot out a burst of fire. The next two vents shot out flames and so on, until the last two vents, just inches from where Edward stood, came to life. The flames shot out for a few seconds, before shutting off, then the process began in reverse. Edward watched as the flames at the end turned off before he groused "This is hardly what I'd call a 'lake of fire' Goodman."

"It will do. Now, how will the so-called King of Conundrums make his way through here?"

Edward didn't move. Instead, he watched the vents closely. He'd done something similar against Batman once. If Goodman was ripping him off, then the vents should have a timing. One one thousand, two one thousand...

The vents came on and shot flame out for exactly five seconds, then shut off. The next vents down did the same, as did the other three pairs. Edward continued to watch intently, committing the timing to his memory. The vents followed the pattern in reverse as well. Edward continued to watch, ready to catch any change in the pattern. There was none.

"Why are you hesitating? Do you not want your Dr. back? She would make a worthier offering to the Gods than you."

Edward grit his teeth. Focus Edward, a voice that sounded like Jonathan said. He's baiting you. Don't let him distract you. Edward continued to watch the vents for maybe five minutes more, until he was satisfied that the timing was consistent. Now, he just had to wait for the right time. The vents closest to him shot out flame for five seconds, then went cold. Not yet. They turned on again, then went cold. The next row of vents behind them shot out flame, then went cold. Not yet. The middle row shot out flame. Now. Edward broke out into a run as the middle vents went cold. Just as before, he had one shot to get this right. He reached the end of the hallway just as the last vents went cold. He had only a second or two to get to the door before they came on again. Just as the vents were beginning to turn on again, Edward threw himself out the door and opened it. He could feel the heat from the flames just behind him as he shut the door.

For a long moment, Edward leaned against the door, panting. After he caught his breath he began to laugh. "I thought this was supposed to be a challenge!" he shouted. "So far, your so-called 'Final Judgement's' not doing anything but making me look like the genius I am!"

For a long moment, there was only silence. Finally, Goodman spoke in a low tone. "Do you know what the process of mummification entails?"

Edward hesitated. "I'm not sure I follow."

"The embalmer would remove a piece of the brain by inserting a metal hook through the nostrils. Then, they would cut open the body near the abdomen and remove all of the internal organs. The lungs, intestines, stomach and liver would be placed into canopic jars, much like the canopic jars you found in my home."

Edward's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. Goodman hadn't just been telling him where he'd taken Penelope. He'd also told him what exactly he intended to do to her.

"You understand now, don't you? That is the fate that awaits your Dr, should you fail. Except, she will not have the luxury of being dead when I begin the process. Nor will I be quick by removing her brain first. She will be alive when I begin to cut into her. She will die screaming in agony as I pull out her organs and it will be your fault. You may want to keep that in mind as you continue through my Gates."

"You sick son of a bitch," Edward seethed. "She's the only innocent person in this building. How dare you-"

"How dare I?" Goodman repeated mockingly. "How dare I what? Isn't this precisely what you did to Batman for all those years? Threaten innocent people to challenge him? What, pray tell is the difference between us?"

Edward had no response to that. It did occur to him though that Penelope must have heard every bit of what Goodman had said. "I won't let him touch you," he said. "I'll be there shortly."

"Your arrogance will be your downfall," Goodman chided. "Now, I believe you have nine more gates to get through. I suggest you hurry."

Edward ran down the hallway.

It took every bit of self control Penelope had not to cry out when Goodman had told Edward what he would do to her. That's what Goodman would want, she thought. All the same, she was terrified. For the first time since that horrible night in Arkham, her fate was out of her hands. All she could do was trust that Edward would get to her in time, just like he promised. As she watched Edward's progress through the warehouse, she began to feel hope. He was moving with a focus and determination she hadn't seen in him before. He'd just cleared the Fourth Gate, in less time than the last one. In her place standing next to Goodman, Carson was getting visibly nervous.

"He's going through this more quickly than we thought." she said, her hand on Goodman's shoulder. Penelope allowed herself a little vindictiveness.

Goodman remained impassive. "Good," he said. "I want him at his best. That will make my ultimate victory over him even sweeter."

Penelope took her eyes off the monitor to really look at Goodman. All throughout this ordeal, he'd shown no emotion as Edward got through his challenges. Not even when he was taunting Edward did he betray any anger or nervousness. He had all the appearance of a man in total control. This made her nervous. Goodman had something planned.

Sure enough, Goodman began to laugh as Edward made his way out of the Fourth Gate and towards the Fifth. "Don't concern yourself, my Ankhesenamun. Riddler is about to meet his final challenge."

Penelope frowned. Final challenge? Goodman had said that Edward would have to go through twelve gates-he lied. Of course he did. Goodman had been playing Edward ever since his reappearance. Why would he tell the truth now?

Carson's nervous expression was replaced with one of smug satisfaction, confirming Penelope's worst fears. "You're right. Even if he is smarter than we thought he was, there's no way he'll survive this."

Goodman reached over to give her hand a light squeeze, before he pressed the intercom button. "This is your most important challenge of all Riddler. You will weigh your heart on the scales you find in there. If your heart is lighter than that feather, you may pass through. If not...well. We both know what will happen."

On the monitor, Penelope watched as Edward entered the room. It was large and almost barren, save for the scales in the center of the room. Off to the right corner of the room, Penelope could just barely make out something large. Her attention was soon captured by Goodman's dark chuckling. "All he has to do is touch those scales and it's over."

Penelope's eyes widened. It was a trap! She had to warn Edward! She frantically began to rub her bound wrists against the back of the chair, to no avail. If she could just get the gag off, somehow... She leaned back as far as she dared and rubbed her head against the chair's headrest. On the monitor, she could see Edward walking closer to the scales, before he stopped right in front of them. Don't touch it Edward, it's a trick! Edward reached his hand out, and Penelope's heart sank into her stomach. At the last second however, he pulled it back.

"What's wrong Riddler?" Goodman taunted. "Did you find a puzzle even you can't solve?"

Both Goodman and Carson were too focused on him to notice that Penelope had almost worked her gag off. Just a few more seconds...the gag came loose and Penelope took in a sharp breath of air.

"I can't exactly cut my heart out Goodman," Edward said over the intercom. "When I left riddles for Batman, I made sure they had actual solutions."

Goodman pressed the intercom button. Before he could say anything though, Penelope cried out as loud as she could, "Edward get out of there! It's a trap!"

Edward hadn't quite been sure what to make of the Fifth Gate. For starters, unlike the last few rooms, this one didn't have a proper door. Just an empty space for him to walk into. When he walked into the room, he noticed that unlike the previous three challenges, there didn't appear to be an exit. It was possible that as soon as he solved the scales issue that a hidden door would open. That's how his own mazes had worked after all. Still though, as he entered the room, he felt suspicious. That suspicion was confirmed as soon as he saw the scales. Sure enough, one had a feather on them. There wasn't anything else in the room that he could use to put in the other scale though. He reached out to grab the feather when something else caught his eye. In the far right corner of the room was a sarcophagus, on a large push cart. Now Edward was very suspicious. He pulled his hand back.

"What's wrong Riddler?" he heard Goodman ask. "Did you find a puzzle even you can't solve?"

"I can't exactly cut my heart out Goodman," he complained. "When I left riddles for Batman, I made sure they had actual solutions."

Edward heard the telltale crackle of the intercom system, but instead of Goodman's voice, he heard Penelope cry out "Edward get out of there! It's a trap!"

Well, that confirmed it. Edward turned to run back out, only for a sliding door to cut off the exit. A trick room! Edward banged on the door to no avail. "Goodman! This isn't what I agreed to!"

"In place of the Gods, I have judged you," Goodman's voice sounded. "And I have found you unworthy. You'll have 20 seconds to prepare yourself for the Afterlife. Goodbye, Riddler."

Edward then heard the distinctive sound of something ticking. The scales were a bomb. Of course they were. Edward's eyes darted around the room, looking for any kind of escape. His eyes caught the sarcophagus. Edward ran like Hell toward it.

Seconds later, the scales exploded, sending shrapnel and flame around the room.

Back in the office, Penelope could do nothing but watch in horror as Goodman trapped Edward in the room and activated the bomb. Edward has dashed outside the camera's line of sight as the bomb went off. Goodman turned back to meet her horrified gaze with a smug grin. "Your loyalty to him was touching, Dr. Young. But Riddler was doomed the moment he set foot here. Now, he truly is meeting his final judgement."

Penelope felt tears well up in her eyes. "No," she whispered. "No! Edward!"