Honestly wasn't planning on posting another so soon but after a discussion, I was reminded of my plans for a few of the villains in the DNBverse. Still need to update the timeline though so right now think of this as between Timmy going to school and Dami showing up. That could even be before the story starts. So yeah, no ages, no kids. More business and ethics going on here. Enjoy!

Thawing an Icy Situation

He was just a scientist. Yes, he studied medicine for a time, but he specialized in studying the effects of low temperatures on living organisms. He had a few papers out, but none of them dazzled the scientific community. The sad part about his experiments was how they had to be continued for longer periods of time to show any real results.

His experiments were expensive. Very expensive.

Which was why he was there, waiting in the hallway outside of this businessman's office. If he could convince him to finance his experiments, maybe he could…

"I'm afraid it's terminal."

The scientist desperately tried to block out the statement the doctor gave him yesterday, shaking slightly. He was a scientist! He could never be stopped by emotions! He had to focus on the task at hand! He had to convince the man he was worth investing in! He had to! If he didn't continue…

Memories of his beloved wife's disappointed smile flashed before his eyes. She was willing to give up ballet for him. If his experiments could be fully funded but they had to move, she'd quit her troupe and go wherever he needed to be. She believed in him so much, comforted him through every failure, and praised his every success without letting him get ahead of himself. She chastised him when she needed to and gave him warmth when formally there was none. She was his world and he was hers. They believed in each others' dreams and would do anything for each other.

Which was why he needed to convince this businessman to invest in his project. He had to! He'd come by the man's office every day until he finally convinced him to help in his experiments! It was the only way they could move forward! The only path he could take!

His leg bounced in anxiety, something he couldn't control very easily. He tried to get help for it once, but therapy was too expensive and his wife was better at calming him anyway so that was out. They needed money to live and follow their dreams. His anxiety would just have to be put on hold. How he cursed his anxious self, knowing it could stop him from giving a good presentation and make him lose all he worked for, but it didn't matter. He had to do this!

"Dr. Victor Fries?"

He jerked his head up at his name, a few papers spilling out. Frantically, he picked them back up. "Ah! Y- yes?"

The elderly secretary gave him a professional yet kind smile. "Mr. Wayne is ready to see you now."

A smile grew on the nervous scientist as he clumsily stood up and started towards the office door. "Th- thank you, ma'am."

As he got closer, the secretary held up a hand, getting him to stop for a moment. "A word of advice? Before you… tie yourself up in knots?"

Was it that obvious? Victor nodded, swallowing the nothing in his throat. He could take all the advice he could get. Labs were his home, not board rooms. The woman smiled gently. "Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Bruce Wayne is not like other corporate sharks, though many on his board are. Appeal to his humanity rather than the bottom dollar and you will be fine. I don't know what you're planning to present in there, but if it is in good faith and to the benefit of everyone, he will listen.

"His next appointment is in about an hour so don't rush yourself. If you need a minute to collect your thoughts, take it. He will take moments as well so don't be intimidated by silence. It just means you two are thinking. Now, breathe?" She raised an eyebrow at him and he couldn't help but take her initial advice. It calmed him only a little. He had to do this. The woman smiled and stepped aside. "Good luck, Dr. Fries."

"Thank you."

Steeling himself, Victor opened the door quietly and carefully made his way across the room. Strangely it wasn't just an office but almost a professional retreat, with couches and a coffee table to the side while a desk with comfortable chairs was on the opposite side of the room. The more comfortable area had children's books and a few motor skills toys, making him blink in confusion. He didn't know much about Bruce Wayne but he didn't think of him as amiable to kids. He couldn't help the small pang of yearning looking at the signs. He and his wife hadn't been able to have any of their own, and the rate things were going, they never would.

He tore his eyes away as he approached the desk where the potential investor sat. Wayne seemed engrossed in something on his tablet but then switched to a file on his desk, a small scowl on his face. That did not bode well. Victor's nerves shot up and he bumped into a trolley with tea, coffee, and some snacks on it. That got the man's attention as he cried out. "You alright?"

"Ah! Yes! I'm fine." Victor moved away from the trolley just as Wayne got to his feet, offering a nervous smile. "I… I'm just not used to such big offices."

"Most people aren't." Wayne moved around the desk, offering his hand and a smile. "Normally I would have greeted you at the door, but I was still going over your papers and references. There's… quite a bit."

He blinked in surprise again. The businessman was going over his papers? And references? 'Please don't bring up Boyle!' He did not want to think of his last investor whom he was trying to get away from. Nervously, he took the man's hand in front of him. "I… I do my best."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Fries." The firm handshake could have killed him if Wayne wanted it to. Victor's warning bells were starting to ring. He tried his best to match it.

"You as well, Mr. Wayne."

Something seemed to change behind the man's eyes, getting a slightly different smile back then he started with as he directed him to the chairs properly. "Please, have a seat. I have no doubt we'll have a lot to talk about."

"I certainly hope so, sir." Sir! He just called someone easily ten years younger than him sir! Victor's face didn't know whether to blush or pale so he just settled for a frozen smile. "I take it you know about my work?"

"A little bit," Wayne admitted, making his way back to his side of the desk. "I cannot claim to be an expert, but I am familiar with many of the terms and can understand the procedures. Many theories though are beyond me, but you seem to be an expert in those."

He tapped the tablet he was reading earlier, giving the scientist a better idea of who this man was. He didn't go into situations blind. "I'm quite curious about your cryogenic experiments on living creatures, but I'm certain you'll be telling me all about those in time.

"So please," Mr. Wayne steepled his fingers as he leaned forward on the desk, "tell me everything about your past projects, what it is you have planned for the future, and how it will benefit the world."

Victor Fries looked straight at the man for a moment in silence, nerves eating away at him. Then took a long breath in, letting it out slowly. Time to make their lives better.

"Let me get this straight." Wayne leaned back in his chair as he reiterated what he learned from Victor Fries. "You successfully brought back a rat you had frozen for two years, and it is still alive?"

"Unfroze it 73 days ago and it was still spinning in its cage this morning." The scientist's data sat between them on the desk. Everything he worked on was there, and this was a massive success. "I plan on unfreezing another at day 90. I haven't perfected the limitations of the procedure yet, and these subjects were healthy in the beginning so I am uncertain of the full medical benefits at the moment -"

"But a successful revival is a large leap forward in cryogenics. It's a starting block anyone would be a fool to ignore." The man ran a thumb along his jawline in thought, and only hope could grow with his observations. Victor's nerves were slowly untangling. "How soon until you experiment on infected rats?"

"I have four currently under ice." It was a small sample but getting something easy to cure after revival wasn't easy. Experimentation in the medical field was very expensive. "They were each given measles before being put under a year ago."

"Very treatable." Wayne nodded in approval, relaxing him a little more. Many didn't approve of animal experimentation, which was why he kept the sample size small. It really was costly and then there were the legal ramifications. He really needed good funding and a good lawyer to keep his work going. "Have you experimented with other kinds of cultures? Other species?"

"A few, but all aquatic or amphibious." Fish and frogs were known to survive freezes and thaws, so it wasn't a breakthrough in comparison to rats. Rabbits were the next step up, logically, but the process was far too slow if he kept at it at this rate. Victor flipped to the results in his papers for him to see. "Currently have a small tank of koi from five years ago waiting to be released. I only failed to revive the first 17 trials."

"Amazing…" The man before him seemed to appreciate his work, making the entire presentation less stressful than he thought it would be. Maybe he would get everything he wanted that day and he could – "Tell me, how do you feel about human experimentation?"

That stopped him cold in his tracks. Was he suggesting… Victor looked away, swallowing back his initial excitement. "Well… As… as much as… I… I… Why are you asking?"

"Mostly curious." He looked up from the papers to see Mr. Wayne just watching him and his response, some strange thoughts seeming to go past his eyes. It was almost like the abyss was staring straight into Victor's soul. "You've made such leaps and bounds outside of the scientific community, I'm wondering how far you are willing to go without approval of the CDC."

There was the rub. Most of his experiments were under the radar, a lifelong obsession rather than a job. Technically illegal even. He only wasn't caught because of how small his scale was and who financed him.

And now he was asking for help from a big corporation spanning the world.

Crap.

Sweating, Victor still had to answer. "I… It's too… technically too soon. For any… Humans are not test subjects.

"But…" Unable to withstand his nerves anymore, the scientist fell back into his chair and started rambling, his head going into his hands. "But my wife… My Nora… she was just diagnosed with stage 4 MacGregor Syndrome. She might only have a few mo…"

He couldn't finish it. He just couldn't. The words stopped in his throat and prevented him from breathing. Nora. His sweet Nora. If only she hadn't pushed through all the pain before and listened to the early warning signs! If only she went to the doctor for her regular checkups! If only she looked more into her infertility! If only! If only they…

If he just had more time…

"If I don't put her in cryosleep soon, she'll…"

Tears were not in Victor's nature. Freezing up, tremors, and shutting down was. Yet somehow the reality of everything brought wet spots to his glasses.

"It's too soon. It's all too soon."

Silence encompassed the room for a long time as everything he pushed to the side came crashing down in the man's head. His love of science thrashed against his love for his wife and he couldn't figure out what should win. Why couldn't he have both? He needed funding to save his wife. He needed this to work! But if it didn't, he'd have to go back to someone else, someone far worse, to make his dreams possible. To save Nora.

What did he have to do?

He didn't see the long, thoughtful look of the businessman at his desk. He didn't hear his sigh or internal buzzing. And he certainly didn't know of the similar war inside his mind. A thought seemed to cross the man's mind before he turned to his computer to verify something. A few clicks were heard in the room before Wayne decided to voice anything.

"How long do you think you could keep her alive with your current data and equipment?"

Victor jerked his head up, nearly losing his glasses. What was that? "Ah… a year? Maybe two?"

"Do you believe she would be willing to sign a waiver?"

Was this happening? "P… possibly. She… She believes in me, but even I'm not sure if I can -"

"Drake Industries' medical division is currently working on a cure for MacGregor Syndrome. All stages. They are confident in their treatments for stage 1 and are rapidly working on the other stages. Currently, the legal department is getting the treatments through the FDA and CDC, but you know government bureaucracies and overlook. The more socialized it is, the worse it gets. There are even signs the treatment can reduce the effects of stages 3 and 4.

"The technology you are using, though experimental, is made up of common and/or known components already used in existing medical treatments. I'm certain my legal team can find a way to convince the CDC everything is ethical, especially if wavers are signed by the participants.

"Now you are right," Wayne reminded him, "it is too soon for this stage of development, but the stakes are too high to not consider it. And there will be consequences, both in success and failure. This is a gamble, and I'm not fond of gambling. So I'll need assurances as well. Conditions for -"

"I will do anything to save my wife." Anything. Victor didn't care about what happened to him so long as Nora could live. A world without her was far less than a world without him.

The man before him nodded and added his conditions. "I want you to work with Drake Industries and focus not only on your cryonic experiments but on curing currently untreatable diseases. We have many samples of these but they tend to deteriorate under most conditions. I want to use your technology and techniques to preserve them long enough for fellow doctors to find their cures, including MacGregor Syndrome. Many transports of these samples are fragile and more than one has 'disappeared' in transit. I believe your technology can prevent any more of these problems

"Of course, all the patients are yours," he assured him, "along with your research, but I want everything funded through either DI or Wayne Enterprises. We will pay the standard royalties fee for their uses and will supply you with what you need to continue your research, regardless of the situation with your wife. But I will need results for the board of directors, proving it is not a waste of time and money. Say, within five years, I want positive proof that a sick dog can be temporarily frozen, revived, and cured with your technology. This will be enough data to keep them off both our backs for at least another ten years. The goal being, within fifteen years we can place a terminally ill human under ice for two years, revive them, then cure them without any negative repercussions. With the possibility to extend the stasis for longer in the future.

"Is this agreeable? Dr. Fries?"

"Far more than." Everything uncoiled within him. It almost sounded too good to be true. Part of him said there had to be a catch. No one would do any of this out of the goodness of their heart. There had to be a profit margin for him, a way to gouge him of everything he ever worked on. But he would do anything for Nora. He was a scientist, but more than that, he was a husband who couldn't live without his wife.

Bruce Wayne smiled, picking up his desk phone. "Alright then. I'll call someone up from legal so we can work on the contract. I'm afraid I have another meeting in fifteen minutes so we will have to meet again soon. Please talk to Mrs. Dalton before you leave so we can set it up this week.

"I just need two more things before we part." He brought his phone to his ear as he finished his instructions. "One, I need a copy of all viable research so I know exactly what I'm getting into. There's a photocopier over there.

"And two, call your wife and get her consent."

Victor couldn't help but smile a little as the man dialed a few numbers and started talking to someone who could make their deal all above board. He would definitely call her in a minute and tell her everything, but right then he could barely move from the relief flooding his system. Nora could be saved. He could be a scientist and a husband. Even a hero in the medical community. He finally succeeded.

Bruce left his office with his legal representative and new scientist still discussing contract details, a satisfied smile on his face, his own anxieties gone. After someone from Boyle's company leaked the potential of a 'freeze gun', he was scrambling for any and all information on Victor Fries, the proposed inventor. Such a weapon should never exist, and knowing Boyle, he'd make a large profit off of it while screwing over the design team.

Dr. Fries mostly kept his research in an isolated system and unless he was interested in some BnE, Bruce wasn't likely to get access to any of it and know his real intentions. He was working on getting a recruiter to the man when he suddenly asked for a meeting two weeks ago. Seemed he wasn't that comfortable with the weapon either. This was a chance to get a better look at the designs and maybe even convince him to go a different direction. Anything his previous employers offered he could double, even triple if it meant a change in his plans.

He didn't expect all the medical applications the man's experiments provided.

Nor did he know of the man's wife being ill.

Bruce shook his head at himself. Batman was losing his touch if he didn't know important turns like this before the man stepped foot in his office. He truly would be a fool to let this man go out of there without a contract. And if his wife was willing, they could further the research into MacGregor Syndrome. It was hard to find carriers, let alone willing human test subjects, to complete their trials. Stage 4 snuck up on the vast majority of victims, making many wonder if there were other stages at times. If Nora Fries agreed to everything and signed the papers, more than just her life could be saved.

He smiled to himself at the thought. What started as him trying to prevent a weapon from reaching the market became a chance to help numerous victims of ailments across the world. Dr. Victor Fries just needed a different patron.

A/N: And with that. Mr. Freeze is written out of the story! Dr. Fries may pop back up in a later fic, but I have no plans for him outside of this. It really was a fine line for him on whether he was a bad guy or simply a man fallen on bad times. 52 sucked majorly with rewriting his backstory. If you recognize the name of the disease, yes, I took it from that one movie because all the wiki's I checked either gave her something unnamed or cancer, both of which I couldn't see working in a more grounded setting and passing with Cryogenisis. So I took the MacGuffin disease from a crappy movie, keeping all details vague. Yes, Bruce is taking advantage of Tim's company to get this done, but I'm thinking eventually the two companies will merge and Drake Medical will be the final sign of it existing. Tim's more the business kid anyway so it only makes sense for that to be the end result. And seriously imagine all the advancements they'd make with Mr. Freeze's tech!

So yeah, spoiler alert! Nora lives.

Hope you liked it! And do me a favor. Leave a comment and wish me a happy 34th birthday. Laters.