Chapter 11: Mental Blocked
As soon as they were outside of the orphanage, Batman summoned the Batmobile to come to him. Within a few seconds, the large almost tank-like vehicle approached them and the heroes got inside as soon as it was parked. Batman then drove the Batmobile to where Riddler said his first test was at the Cauldron Trainyard. The Batmobile arrived there and stopped right in front of a car elevator door labeled "Mental Blocked" with a big question mark on the door. The door opened and Batman dove his car inside the elevator. As soon as the door closed, the elevator started going down. Then Riddler came on the wall of the elevator as it was going down and began to talk. "Ah, detective and frosty company. You arrived. I thought Catwoman and Anna's little predicament might encourage your participation. I realized, you see, that the kind of image-obsessed narcissist who places bat-symbols on his hubcaps would never willingly submit himself to the kind of humiliation I have in store. Yet here you are, detective! The humiliation is waiting below."., he said before he went off of the wall. The elevator then stopped and the door opened. The Batmobile drove out and then out jumped the heroes. Riddler then appeared again and began to speak. "Well then detective, it begins. For this first test, I request that your friends from Arendelle kindly sit this one out. This one is just for you. So, get back in your vehicle!", Riddler said. Batman just looked at his allies and nodded his head agreeing with Nygma. The Arendelle Crew then stepped to other end of the area while Batman got back in his car. Nygma then started to talk again by saying, "There we are. You are staring, with stupefied incomprehension, at a mechanism I have calibrated to respond to an extremely precise radar pulse. In a moment, I will give you the decrypted code, Dark Knight, but first, I think we should run through the ground rules for tonight's festivities.". Batman then got some kind of notification on his gauntlet which was the code Riddler had mentioned and he then immediately shared that with his computer in the Batmobile. He then used it on the first blockade before Riddler was about to go over his long list of rules. As soon as he hit the button, the blockade opened up and this really surprised Nygma. "What?! How did you...solve tonight's very first riddle! Ha! Well done, Dark Knight! But that was just the beginning!", he said. "And the end is going to go very badly for you, Nygma!", Batman said angrily. "Let me at least get the chance to go over at least one rule before you so very rudely interrupted me. Tonight you may address me by three names and three names alone! And those names are Riddler, The Riddler, or Mr. Nygma, sir! Got it?", Riddler asked. Batman just remained silent. "I'll take your silence as a yes. And that rule goes for the others as well! Understand?", Riddler said. "Yes, The Riddler.", Olaf said. "Thank you very much, you magical walking snowman.", he said. Riddler then turned his attention back to Batman and started to talk again as Batman drove a little further. "Welcome to my racetrack, Detective! You must complete 3 circuits of this gauntlet, finishing each before the time limit expires. Now, let's put that grotesque egomobile to the test! Your time starts now!", he said as the test began with the timer starting at 1 minute and 20 seconds. Batman then began to drive forward while using the code Nygma gave him to make the blockades in his path down the tunnel disappear. "Be ready, Dark Knight. There's more to this test than just going really fast.", Riddler announced as Batman continued driving. Batman got out of the tunnel and then chose to go one of two ways that had the same ending. He kept using the code to get rid of the obstacles and make sure the car doesn't fall. "Tick tock, Detective! Tick tock!", said Nygma. He kept going until he drove on a blockade and then fell, but used the code twice more after that so he could successfully land on the other side. was driving on the side of a wall to get to the other side of an abyss. He then used the code to create a ramp so that he could reach the other side of another gap. He completed the first lap with 30 seconds remaining and he kept going so he could begin the second one. The second lap was 10 seconds less with only 1 minute and 10 seconds. "Faster, Dark Knight, faster! Can those flickering, faltering synapses keep up with my automatically adjusting course?", Riddler said. Batman started down the tunnel again, but there were more blockades this time so he had to use the code more and to time them wisely. He got out of the tunnel and this time, there was only one way to go after that. He went down that way, but it was more tricky this time since Nygma blew up some of the area to drive to make it more challenging. "I'm shocked, Batman! Is that really as fast as it can go?", Riddler mockingly asked while Batman just focused on driving. Batman got to the 3 blockades to timely land on again one at a time. He then got where he had to drive on the wall again and got to the other side. He then popped out the same ramp again to get to the other side, but he had to use it again so he could have more area to land since that spot was blown up too. He then completed the second lap with 15 seconds to spare this time. He kept going to start the third and final one. "Once more onto the track, Dark Knight!", Riddler cheerfully said. Batman started down the beginning tunnel agin, but with more blockades than both previous times. So, he had to be quick and time them good at the same time. At the end of the tunnel, he could only go the other way this time and he kept going until all area to drive blew up. He then had to drive on the wall there too to get to the other end. He then got to the 3 landing blockades again and passed that. He got back on the wall again, but had to use the code for blockades on there now too. He then drove up the ramp one last time and successfully landed on the blockade before it was too late. He finished the final lap with 7 seconds to spare. The first challenge to Riddler's sick game had been completed. After the race was done, Riddler began to talk again. "Relax, Dark Knight. The ordeal is over. Such a pity the laws of physics prohibit me from testing my non-Euclidean designs.", he said. Batman then got out of the car and just looked menacingly at Riddler on the screen. "Now the, Detective, hop onto the pressure pad beside your friends.", Riddler instructed as he was pointing what was right next to the Frozen Cast. Batman then did as he was told and stepped on the pressure pad which triggered a strange pattern of lights to be shown in which almost all of them were red except for one lone green one in a certain spot. "Listen carefully, Dark Knight, your friends' lives depend on it. Back in the orphanage, a series of glass cabinets have appeared in front of both Catwoman and Princess Anna. Isn't that right, ladies?", Riddler said. Everyone could hear Catwoman's voice saying over the audio, "We see them, Eddie.". Then they heard Anna say, "What exactly are they for?". Back at the orphanage, the two girls were looking at the glass cabinets which all appeared to have little keys in them. Riddler then began to answer Anna's question by saying, "To answer your question, one of those cabinets has your first key inside. Each key can only be used once for both of your collars. Any false keys which are in the other containers will unlock the admittedly slight contents of your skull all over the orphanage walls.". Both girls looked at each other with slightly scared expressions on their faces. "Your job, detective, is simple. Figure out which cabinet they must open. You can figure this out the lit board right in front of you and the message of which one you have chosen will be sent directly to them. And don't get it wrong.", he said before he went off. "So must of them will kill us, one of them won't. Great! We can do this.", Catwoman said. Batman signaled which one to open to the girls and they went over to the one he selected. "Okay, Batman. Let's see if you're as smart as they say.", Catwoman said as she clawed a circle of the glass out to get the key. She first tried it on herself and it worked. She then nodded at Anna and handed the key to her. After Anna used the key, she threw it away. Riddler then came on the projector again and said, "Well done to your teamwork! That's the first key collected. Don't expect to be sinking your claws into too many more, Ms. Kyle.". He then went off the wall again leaving the two girls alone in the room. Back under the trainyard, Batman and the rest got back in the car and started to make their way back towards the elevator. After the car got in the elevator, the door closed behind it and the elevator started to go up. Riddler then came on the elevator wall again and said, "Did you really believe that a challenge designed by me, The Riddler, would be quite so easy? Oh, Dark Knight, you sweet, naïve sentinel, of course it wouldn't. But now I have several hundred terabytes of performance data relating to the latest model of rocket-powered hearse you're driving. With that in mind, I have prepared for you something a little less knuckle whitening and rather more brow furrowing in Chinatown. Hurry on over, or it won't be curiosity that kills the Cat!". He then went off as soon as the elevator got to the top and the door opened. "Does he ever shut up?", Kristoff asked Batman. "I'm afraid he does not ever, Kristoff.", Batman answered. The Batmobile then sped towards Chinatown for the next challenge.