Riddled With Bullets
Chapter Five
"An Hour's Start."
Roland Cameron was not feeling well. He had been blacking out and found himself unable to account for lost time. The first time it happened he had woken up in his office with no idea of how he got there. The last thing he remembered was a meeting in Arkham with Dr Quinzel beyond that it was all a blur.
Nevertheless he had tried in vain to get on with some work, his eyes skimmed over various legal papers without really taking anything in. It wasn't long before his eyes started to glaze over and gradually Roland succumbed to sleep.
And that was how Dinah found him slumped over his desk. If it weren't for the fact that Roland snored, she would've thought he was dead. Dinah had arrived at the building to find the main door wide open. Never a good sign in New Gotham, at this time of night. At Oracle's insistence Dinah had entered with caution and basically followed the sound of Roland's snores.
Roland was well and truly out for the count.
Dinah relaxed her guard. "Okay I'm in, what do I do?"
"Can you log onto his computer?" Oracle instructed, "I need to trace his IP."
Careful not to disturb Roland, Dinah booted up his pc, which inevitably at logon, prompted her for a password.
"Okay," Oracle smiled knowing how uneasy Dinah could be around computers, "welcome to hacking class 101!"
Oracle paused to let Dinah groan.
"Have you got the disc I gave you?"
Roland was beginning to stir.
"Isn't there a quicker way?" Dinah pleaded uneasily.
"Unless you know the password no."
Dinah looked at Roland thoughtfully for a moment.
"Give me a minute." She said.
Gently Dinah took hold of Roland's hand and whilst her nerves informed her brain that the palm she was holding was warm and sweaty, the metagene that triggers her psychic ability sent out waves of its own back down the nerve passages and out into Roland's clammy palm.
For a moment Dinah sensed nothing. then contact was made!
Roland's mind was a mass of contradiction. His long-term memory Dinah could see was tidy, organised, sometimes ruthless but overall ambitious. Yet his recent short-term memory seemed blurred and confused, Dinah saw images and fragments here and there, of events that had taken place over the past few weeks.
The images hit here at a rate and speed to fast too process with a gasp she let go and felt her-self fall back against the wall behind her.
".ake up Dinah.Dinah are you there?"
Dinah shifted uncomfortably as Oracle's voice jolted her back to consciousness. Judging from her watch she had been out for a matter of minutes.
"I'm okay," she confirmed.
"What happened?" Oracle pressed.
But Dinah was typing at the PC, "Roland's password is "Rosebud." She said triumphantly as Windows XP sparkled into life before her.
"How did you."
But Oracle's voice was drowned out as Roland's personalised logon music boomed in 3-d from the speakers either side of his desk. Roland began to stir, and Dinah headed for the door.
"W-who are you?"
Dinah froze, "help," she whispered to Oracle.
"Tell him you're the cleaner!" Oracle said lamely.
Dinah rolled her eyes and turned round.
"Mr Cameron, I'm Sarah your work placement from Gotham High!" She smiled.
"Dinah what are you doing?" Oracle hissed.
"Work placement?" Roland looked confused, had he agreed this?
Dinah continued to smile confidently praying that Roland's short-term memory was sufficiently fuzzed to accept this at face value.
Besides, Dinah thought, Oracle must've scanned his hard drive by now and the necessary paperwork could easily be faked and placed somewhere in the network.
"I saw the lights on and thought I would just pop round and show my face!"
Roland studied her for a moment, and then fumbled about in his desk draw. Dinah braced herself in case Roland pulled out a gun, but his hand emerged clasping a bottle of tablets.
"We have a dress code here young lady," he stated staring pointedly at her leather trench coat, matching top, and trousers.
"Oh I'm.er. going dancing later!" Dinah smiled.
Opening a bottle of mineral water Roland asked, "Remind me when do you start?"
"Er.Tomorrow?" Dinah said lamely.
Roland raised an eyebrow as he placed two tablets on his tongue and swallowed them down with a large gulp from his bottle.
"Well whatever you do, don't show up with a hangover!" He growled.
"No Mr Cameron see you tomorrow!" Dinah smiled and walked out as quickly as she could.
******
It was another hour before Huntress and Reese reached the shore. Together with the other survivors they waited on their lifeboat watching the wreckage of "The Princess Rouge," disappear slowly beneath the waves, until eventually the Coast Guard arrived to take them back to New Gotham. Most people had been accounted for but there were a few injuries and a couple of deaths. Resulting from Riddler's attempt to shoot Huntress. And of course the man at the bar who had been gunned down in cold blood.
"That wasn't Edward Nygma!" Huntress informed Oracle.
"There is a resemblance," Reese observed.
"The guy I confronted at the Plaza had to be at least twenty years older," Huntress's tone was a bit sharp.
"Indiscriminate slaughter is not his usual M.O." Oracle observed.
"What if the Guy you saw at The Plaza last night wasn't the real Edward Nygma?" Reese queried.
But Helena held her tongue; it was Uncle Edward of that she was certain. He would be hauled in for questioning without a doubt; she just had to hope that he had a solid alibi.
Inevitably gatherings of press and camera crews were waiting to descend on the survivors as the boat eased into Miller Harbour.
"Well how are we gonna get through this?" Reese shrugged.
"We aren't," Huntress explained pulling Reese closer, she gave him that kiss they were meant to share earlier. "I'll see you back at the Clocktower!"
And with that she discreetly slipped over the side of the ship.
Reese sighed, "next time we'll just go to the movies."
*****
"This is Summer Gleason live at Miller Harbour where the survivors of "The Princess Rouge" are currently disembarking." The redhead reporter smiled.
"Unconfirmed rumours abound that the ship was sabotaged during a robbery at tonight's charity event!"
Behind her survivors could be seen making their way down the jetty, which Police had cordoned off in an attempt to stave off the press. Ambulances were waiting at the end, and the cordon had to be removed each time one of them needed to get through and make its way to Mercy General.
A few of the more publicity hungry members of New Gotham's elite ignored the ambulances and made their way to the edge of the cordon.
Former Gotham mayor Hamilton Hill was at the forefront and Summer wasted no time in getting his comments.
"It was The Riddler!" He boomed, "he would never have been released in my day, the man's a maniac, people like him and The Joker are cut from the same cloth he should be apprehended and shipped upstate post haste!"
Thrilled at such a wonderful soundbite Summer zoned in on a local and once successful musician desperate to revive his flagging career.
"Did you see The Riddler?" Summer asked.
"Yeah man he was awesome!" The "has been" drawled, "He had this long coat and this really cool gun, he was like.like The Matrix in Green!" He beamed.
*****
Alfred watched the whole farce from his vantage point in an alleyway nearby. The engine was running on Barbara's 4 X 4 and moments later a wet and bedraggled Huntress tapped on the passenger door.
"Alfred this dress is ruined!" Helena moaned as she slid into the seat beside him. Alfred pulled out and headed for the main road.
"I'll take it back to the manor Miss Helena, and see what I can do." He smiled reassuringly. "Fortunately I took the liberty of bringing you a change of clothes."
Helena looked at the back seat where her usual fighting duds were laid out. "Thank you Alfred you're the best!" Helena climbed into the back.
A look of distaste crossed Alfred's face, "might I suggest a shower first?"
"There's no time to go back to the Clock Tower Alfred, our guy has at least an hours head start."
"Your Father's penthouse suite is nearby." Alfred suggested.
"I'll pass!" Helena said tightly and began to change.
"As you wish!" Alfred replied discreetly "in the meantime I'll have to open a window," he sighed as the stench of the harbour filled his nostrils.
"Perhaps two." He added.
*****
Oracle had been ominously quiet on Dinah's way back to the Clocktower. And Dinah didn't need her psychic abilities to know that she was going to get it in the neck.
"Dinah, what were you thinking?" Barbara rounded on her before she even stepped out of the lift.
"I'm sorry I."
"I gave you an instruction!" Oracle glared at her.
"Tell him I was the cleaner?" Dinah glared back. "I saw into his mind he's a mass of confusion, it was a gamble but I was sure he would buy it."
"You have school tomorrow." Barbara said sternly.
"Please Barbara I can do this!"
"What else did you find out?"
After leaving Roland's office Dinah had taken a moment to sift through the fragmented imagery she had absorbed from Roland's mind.
"I saw Doctor Quinzel in his office." She explained. "It was a long meeting there were others too, they came and went throughout the day."
"Did you see Edward Nygma?" Barbara probed, "think hard."
Dinah shook her head, "I'm certain he wasn't there."
Barbara looked at her for a moment, "Well I guess I better call you in sick tomorrow at school." She said with a roll of her eyes.
"There's something else," Dinah added.
Barbara looked at her quizzically.
Dinah took removed a book from the inside pocket of her coat.
"Maybe there's a clue in here, I picked it up on my way home."
It was a copy of Edward Nygma's Autobiography.
"Leave it there for now," Barbara replied, "For now I need you to meet Huntress at a location in Tricorner, that's where our Riddler's tracer leads."
*****
Former Mayor Hamilton Hill's face filled the screen once again as his classic soundbite played on The Gotham News Channel's review of the night's top stories.
"Whoa did you see that?" The Riddler asked of the dead man sitting beside him, "We're famous!"
The dead man made no response.
"You're a real conversation killer you know that?"
Query and Echo were busy at a nearby table they stopped what they were doing and exchanged worried glances.
Back on the news bulletin the musician's matrix analogy was next, and this had The Riddler howling with laughter. Remaining unimpressed, Query and Echo continued to busy themselves with their task ignoring The Riddler who was now stood up on the couch thrusting his crotch in a forward backwards motion still laughing like a maniac.
The dead body silently jiggled up and down whilst Riddler's frantic movements shook the whole couch; finally it fell forward and slumped to the floor.
"You're gonna make me lose count again!" Query (or was it Echo?) Looked up.
The girls were surrounded by bundles of cash, jewels, and other valuables spread out on the table in front. And even without the sum total it was obvious to all that the heist had been extremely profitable.
"My apologies ladies," The Riddler beamed, "But it has to be said that this looks like the beginning of a beautiful relationship."
The Riddler leered at the two blonde girls who stared doubtfully back at him.
Once more the girls exchanged an awkward look.
"What is it?" The Riddler quizzed sounding slightly more subdued.
"It's like we said when you offered us the gig." The prettier of the two began, "we agreed this was gonna be a one off."
"There's enough to go round," the other added gesturing to the pile on the table behind them, "and don't get us wrong it beats hawking your flesh by the subway and all but."
Her voice trailed off as The Riddler glared at her over the rim of his shades.
"But what?" The Riddler asked quietly.
"But if we pull this kind of stunt again," The prettier one responded, "we're all gonna end up in the pen for sure."
"Specially if you keep sending clues to the cops." The other one added.
The Riddler leaped from the couch and landed in front of them.
"But that's the beauty of it!" He was right in their faces. "Don't you see?"
It was obvious that they didn't.
"Fine fine we'll split three ways." The Riddler sighed in exasperation, "You're sure it wasn't something I said?"
The girls shook their heads.
"Well hell with it, looks like we're gonna be here a while," The Riddler said removing his coat. "So we may as well get comfortable."
So saying he flung the coat towards the couch and pulled a chair up at the counting table. Something fell away from the coat as it landed on the couch. A small round object hit the smoothly varnished wood floor and rolled forward briefly before falling flat.
"Looks like you lost a button there." Query or Echo observed dryly.
Riddler cursed the coat had not been cheap. Retrieving the object he was initially relieved to find that it wasn't a button. What he was looking at was a small, silver cylindrical object, with a familiar hawkshead logo either side.
"Same pattern as the necklace that bitch was wearing at the casino." Query or Echo observed.
"What is it?" Echo or Query mused.
Riddler laughed, "Better tidy up girls we're about to have a house guest."
******
Tricorner Island was a once wealthy industrial area, most notably as home to the Tricorner Naval Yard. That was until the bottom fell out of the steel market back in the seventies and the area had become an indirect casualty of economic changes that had ruined such economic stalwarts as the Pennsylvania steel mills. In the wake of financial disaster the US Navy had been forced to decommission the yard in 1975 and things had gone from bad to worse since.
The smaller businesses in the area struggled along and it wasn't long before the criminal element made their move and the once flourishing industrial base rapidly declined as the new regime of protection rackets, drugs, and prostitution became the order of the day.
So when the whole area was levelled during the quake there were many who thought it to be a blessing. The subsequent rebuild had put housing as the number one priority and many cheap affordable apartments had sprung up along the docks.
It was to one such apartment that Oracle had pinpointed the signal from Helena's tracer. And although much of the area had been improved visually the ever-present criminal element was never far from the surface. Ladies of the night called out to the driver of the 4x4 that currently drove at a steady pace through the otherwise deserted streets.
Alfred gladly let Huntress out a block away from The Riddler's suspected hideout where Dinah was waiting for them by a lamppost.
"About time," she scolded, "I've been moved on by the cops twice since I got here and some guy in a pickup asked me to do something disgusting involving a pineapple!"
"Too much information!" Helena shrugged off dismissively.
Dinah wrinkled her nose, "eeeww what is that?"
"It's my new fragrance," Helena snapped, "eau de drowned rat!"
*****
"I'm not staying here to get caught!" Query or Echo screamed at the figure in green who was calmly searching the fridge.
"Ahh cake," he beamed ignoring his companion's hysteria, "perfect."
"You shoulda offed the bitch when you had the chance!" The other one screeched accusingly whilst frantically stuffing money and jewels into a holdall. "Well you can play your stupid games on your own now."
The Riddler placed the cake on the table before turning his attention to his irate blonde companions.
"I'll keep that in mind." The Riddler he replied calmly raising his cane.
And that was last thing either Query or Echo ever heard.
*****
Huntress and Dinah were still a block away busy making their way up to the rooftops when they heard gunfire.
Oracle was giving them directions.
"Dinah hang back and let Huntress deal with The Riddler!" Oracle cautioned.
Huntress leapt for the next roof.
"Yeah, yeah," Dinah sighed as she launched herself behind Huntress, "just leave all the goofy sidekicks to me."
A couple of roofs later they were on top of the building.
"Our man is on the sixth, apartment 62D." Oracle informed them.
Huntress and Dinah made their way quietly down the fire escape.
"According to The architectural plans you want the fourth balcony along from where you are." Oracle informed them when they were at the sixth.
Huntress turned to Dinah, "stay back he's mine." She said tightly.
But Dinah just rolled her eyes.
*****
The sliding door on the balcony was open and beckoned ominously for them to enter. Huntress cautiously moved forward inside the apartment was dark.
Dinah followed at a respectful distance.
Suddenly there was a click and the lights came on.
"Surprise!" The Riddler shouted.
He was at the other end of the room, holding what looked like a piece of string in one hand, with the other he was smoking a cigar.
Three figures sat motionless around a table in the centre of a room. Huntress recognised the two girls from the heist and an unknown well dressed gentleman. All three were clearly dead.
"I knew you were coming so I baked a cake!" The Riddler leered from the other end of the room.
And sure enough Huntress noted, on the table was a cake with what appeared to be a large candle wedged into the top.
It was then that Huntress noticed the string that ran all the way from the end of the candle to The Riddler's hand, and that he was currently burning the end with his cigar.
"I hope you get a real bang out of it!" He sneered as he dropped the now lit fuse to the ground and headed out the front door. Dinah arrived just in time to see him wave as he made his exit.
Huntress was trying to stamp it out until Oracle advised that it wouldn't work.
"You have to get it away from that apartment." Oracle stated.
But the fuse was almost half gone and burning up at an incredible speed, there was no way they could carry it away in time.
"Allow me." Dinah said.
She closed her eyes and the cake began to shudder like some mini earthquake. Suddenly it left the table and seemingly propelled itself towards the balcony and up into the sky. With the ever decreasing fizzing fuse trailing behind it. Dinah grimaced under the strain and felt her legs give way from underneath, she had never tried to send anything this far before, and had no real idea of how far she had actually sent the explosive.
She allowed herself to fall to the floor and continued to push, higher, and higher, "just keep pushing" she thought to herself.
"Keep going," Huntress voice came from somewhere, "you've nearly cleared the roof toops."
The explosion could not have come quick enough; and for the second time that night Dinah felt herself slowly losing consciousness. She was vaguely aware that Huntress had picked her up.
"You did good kid."
And that was the last thing she heard for a while.
*****
Chapter Five
"An Hour's Start."
Roland Cameron was not feeling well. He had been blacking out and found himself unable to account for lost time. The first time it happened he had woken up in his office with no idea of how he got there. The last thing he remembered was a meeting in Arkham with Dr Quinzel beyond that it was all a blur.
Nevertheless he had tried in vain to get on with some work, his eyes skimmed over various legal papers without really taking anything in. It wasn't long before his eyes started to glaze over and gradually Roland succumbed to sleep.
And that was how Dinah found him slumped over his desk. If it weren't for the fact that Roland snored, she would've thought he was dead. Dinah had arrived at the building to find the main door wide open. Never a good sign in New Gotham, at this time of night. At Oracle's insistence Dinah had entered with caution and basically followed the sound of Roland's snores.
Roland was well and truly out for the count.
Dinah relaxed her guard. "Okay I'm in, what do I do?"
"Can you log onto his computer?" Oracle instructed, "I need to trace his IP."
Careful not to disturb Roland, Dinah booted up his pc, which inevitably at logon, prompted her for a password.
"Okay," Oracle smiled knowing how uneasy Dinah could be around computers, "welcome to hacking class 101!"
Oracle paused to let Dinah groan.
"Have you got the disc I gave you?"
Roland was beginning to stir.
"Isn't there a quicker way?" Dinah pleaded uneasily.
"Unless you know the password no."
Dinah looked at Roland thoughtfully for a moment.
"Give me a minute." She said.
Gently Dinah took hold of Roland's hand and whilst her nerves informed her brain that the palm she was holding was warm and sweaty, the metagene that triggers her psychic ability sent out waves of its own back down the nerve passages and out into Roland's clammy palm.
For a moment Dinah sensed nothing. then contact was made!
Roland's mind was a mass of contradiction. His long-term memory Dinah could see was tidy, organised, sometimes ruthless but overall ambitious. Yet his recent short-term memory seemed blurred and confused, Dinah saw images and fragments here and there, of events that had taken place over the past few weeks.
The images hit here at a rate and speed to fast too process with a gasp she let go and felt her-self fall back against the wall behind her.
".ake up Dinah.Dinah are you there?"
Dinah shifted uncomfortably as Oracle's voice jolted her back to consciousness. Judging from her watch she had been out for a matter of minutes.
"I'm okay," she confirmed.
"What happened?" Oracle pressed.
But Dinah was typing at the PC, "Roland's password is "Rosebud." She said triumphantly as Windows XP sparkled into life before her.
"How did you."
But Oracle's voice was drowned out as Roland's personalised logon music boomed in 3-d from the speakers either side of his desk. Roland began to stir, and Dinah headed for the door.
"W-who are you?"
Dinah froze, "help," she whispered to Oracle.
"Tell him you're the cleaner!" Oracle said lamely.
Dinah rolled her eyes and turned round.
"Mr Cameron, I'm Sarah your work placement from Gotham High!" She smiled.
"Dinah what are you doing?" Oracle hissed.
"Work placement?" Roland looked confused, had he agreed this?
Dinah continued to smile confidently praying that Roland's short-term memory was sufficiently fuzzed to accept this at face value.
Besides, Dinah thought, Oracle must've scanned his hard drive by now and the necessary paperwork could easily be faked and placed somewhere in the network.
"I saw the lights on and thought I would just pop round and show my face!"
Roland studied her for a moment, and then fumbled about in his desk draw. Dinah braced herself in case Roland pulled out a gun, but his hand emerged clasping a bottle of tablets.
"We have a dress code here young lady," he stated staring pointedly at her leather trench coat, matching top, and trousers.
"Oh I'm.er. going dancing later!" Dinah smiled.
Opening a bottle of mineral water Roland asked, "Remind me when do you start?"
"Er.Tomorrow?" Dinah said lamely.
Roland raised an eyebrow as he placed two tablets on his tongue and swallowed them down with a large gulp from his bottle.
"Well whatever you do, don't show up with a hangover!" He growled.
"No Mr Cameron see you tomorrow!" Dinah smiled and walked out as quickly as she could.
******
It was another hour before Huntress and Reese reached the shore. Together with the other survivors they waited on their lifeboat watching the wreckage of "The Princess Rouge," disappear slowly beneath the waves, until eventually the Coast Guard arrived to take them back to New Gotham. Most people had been accounted for but there were a few injuries and a couple of deaths. Resulting from Riddler's attempt to shoot Huntress. And of course the man at the bar who had been gunned down in cold blood.
"That wasn't Edward Nygma!" Huntress informed Oracle.
"There is a resemblance," Reese observed.
"The guy I confronted at the Plaza had to be at least twenty years older," Huntress's tone was a bit sharp.
"Indiscriminate slaughter is not his usual M.O." Oracle observed.
"What if the Guy you saw at The Plaza last night wasn't the real Edward Nygma?" Reese queried.
But Helena held her tongue; it was Uncle Edward of that she was certain. He would be hauled in for questioning without a doubt; she just had to hope that he had a solid alibi.
Inevitably gatherings of press and camera crews were waiting to descend on the survivors as the boat eased into Miller Harbour.
"Well how are we gonna get through this?" Reese shrugged.
"We aren't," Huntress explained pulling Reese closer, she gave him that kiss they were meant to share earlier. "I'll see you back at the Clocktower!"
And with that she discreetly slipped over the side of the ship.
Reese sighed, "next time we'll just go to the movies."
*****
"This is Summer Gleason live at Miller Harbour where the survivors of "The Princess Rouge" are currently disembarking." The redhead reporter smiled.
"Unconfirmed rumours abound that the ship was sabotaged during a robbery at tonight's charity event!"
Behind her survivors could be seen making their way down the jetty, which Police had cordoned off in an attempt to stave off the press. Ambulances were waiting at the end, and the cordon had to be removed each time one of them needed to get through and make its way to Mercy General.
A few of the more publicity hungry members of New Gotham's elite ignored the ambulances and made their way to the edge of the cordon.
Former Gotham mayor Hamilton Hill was at the forefront and Summer wasted no time in getting his comments.
"It was The Riddler!" He boomed, "he would never have been released in my day, the man's a maniac, people like him and The Joker are cut from the same cloth he should be apprehended and shipped upstate post haste!"
Thrilled at such a wonderful soundbite Summer zoned in on a local and once successful musician desperate to revive his flagging career.
"Did you see The Riddler?" Summer asked.
"Yeah man he was awesome!" The "has been" drawled, "He had this long coat and this really cool gun, he was like.like The Matrix in Green!" He beamed.
*****
Alfred watched the whole farce from his vantage point in an alleyway nearby. The engine was running on Barbara's 4 X 4 and moments later a wet and bedraggled Huntress tapped on the passenger door.
"Alfred this dress is ruined!" Helena moaned as she slid into the seat beside him. Alfred pulled out and headed for the main road.
"I'll take it back to the manor Miss Helena, and see what I can do." He smiled reassuringly. "Fortunately I took the liberty of bringing you a change of clothes."
Helena looked at the back seat where her usual fighting duds were laid out. "Thank you Alfred you're the best!" Helena climbed into the back.
A look of distaste crossed Alfred's face, "might I suggest a shower first?"
"There's no time to go back to the Clock Tower Alfred, our guy has at least an hours head start."
"Your Father's penthouse suite is nearby." Alfred suggested.
"I'll pass!" Helena said tightly and began to change.
"As you wish!" Alfred replied discreetly "in the meantime I'll have to open a window," he sighed as the stench of the harbour filled his nostrils.
"Perhaps two." He added.
*****
Oracle had been ominously quiet on Dinah's way back to the Clocktower. And Dinah didn't need her psychic abilities to know that she was going to get it in the neck.
"Dinah, what were you thinking?" Barbara rounded on her before she even stepped out of the lift.
"I'm sorry I."
"I gave you an instruction!" Oracle glared at her.
"Tell him I was the cleaner?" Dinah glared back. "I saw into his mind he's a mass of confusion, it was a gamble but I was sure he would buy it."
"You have school tomorrow." Barbara said sternly.
"Please Barbara I can do this!"
"What else did you find out?"
After leaving Roland's office Dinah had taken a moment to sift through the fragmented imagery she had absorbed from Roland's mind.
"I saw Doctor Quinzel in his office." She explained. "It was a long meeting there were others too, they came and went throughout the day."
"Did you see Edward Nygma?" Barbara probed, "think hard."
Dinah shook her head, "I'm certain he wasn't there."
Barbara looked at her for a moment, "Well I guess I better call you in sick tomorrow at school." She said with a roll of her eyes.
"There's something else," Dinah added.
Barbara looked at her quizzically.
Dinah took removed a book from the inside pocket of her coat.
"Maybe there's a clue in here, I picked it up on my way home."
It was a copy of Edward Nygma's Autobiography.
"Leave it there for now," Barbara replied, "For now I need you to meet Huntress at a location in Tricorner, that's where our Riddler's tracer leads."
*****
Former Mayor Hamilton Hill's face filled the screen once again as his classic soundbite played on The Gotham News Channel's review of the night's top stories.
"Whoa did you see that?" The Riddler asked of the dead man sitting beside him, "We're famous!"
The dead man made no response.
"You're a real conversation killer you know that?"
Query and Echo were busy at a nearby table they stopped what they were doing and exchanged worried glances.
Back on the news bulletin the musician's matrix analogy was next, and this had The Riddler howling with laughter. Remaining unimpressed, Query and Echo continued to busy themselves with their task ignoring The Riddler who was now stood up on the couch thrusting his crotch in a forward backwards motion still laughing like a maniac.
The dead body silently jiggled up and down whilst Riddler's frantic movements shook the whole couch; finally it fell forward and slumped to the floor.
"You're gonna make me lose count again!" Query (or was it Echo?) Looked up.
The girls were surrounded by bundles of cash, jewels, and other valuables spread out on the table in front. And even without the sum total it was obvious to all that the heist had been extremely profitable.
"My apologies ladies," The Riddler beamed, "But it has to be said that this looks like the beginning of a beautiful relationship."
The Riddler leered at the two blonde girls who stared doubtfully back at him.
Once more the girls exchanged an awkward look.
"What is it?" The Riddler quizzed sounding slightly more subdued.
"It's like we said when you offered us the gig." The prettier of the two began, "we agreed this was gonna be a one off."
"There's enough to go round," the other added gesturing to the pile on the table behind them, "and don't get us wrong it beats hawking your flesh by the subway and all but."
Her voice trailed off as The Riddler glared at her over the rim of his shades.
"But what?" The Riddler asked quietly.
"But if we pull this kind of stunt again," The prettier one responded, "we're all gonna end up in the pen for sure."
"Specially if you keep sending clues to the cops." The other one added.
The Riddler leaped from the couch and landed in front of them.
"But that's the beauty of it!" He was right in their faces. "Don't you see?"
It was obvious that they didn't.
"Fine fine we'll split three ways." The Riddler sighed in exasperation, "You're sure it wasn't something I said?"
The girls shook their heads.
"Well hell with it, looks like we're gonna be here a while," The Riddler said removing his coat. "So we may as well get comfortable."
So saying he flung the coat towards the couch and pulled a chair up at the counting table. Something fell away from the coat as it landed on the couch. A small round object hit the smoothly varnished wood floor and rolled forward briefly before falling flat.
"Looks like you lost a button there." Query or Echo observed dryly.
Riddler cursed the coat had not been cheap. Retrieving the object he was initially relieved to find that it wasn't a button. What he was looking at was a small, silver cylindrical object, with a familiar hawkshead logo either side.
"Same pattern as the necklace that bitch was wearing at the casino." Query or Echo observed.
"What is it?" Echo or Query mused.
Riddler laughed, "Better tidy up girls we're about to have a house guest."
******
Tricorner Island was a once wealthy industrial area, most notably as home to the Tricorner Naval Yard. That was until the bottom fell out of the steel market back in the seventies and the area had become an indirect casualty of economic changes that had ruined such economic stalwarts as the Pennsylvania steel mills. In the wake of financial disaster the US Navy had been forced to decommission the yard in 1975 and things had gone from bad to worse since.
The smaller businesses in the area struggled along and it wasn't long before the criminal element made their move and the once flourishing industrial base rapidly declined as the new regime of protection rackets, drugs, and prostitution became the order of the day.
So when the whole area was levelled during the quake there were many who thought it to be a blessing. The subsequent rebuild had put housing as the number one priority and many cheap affordable apartments had sprung up along the docks.
It was to one such apartment that Oracle had pinpointed the signal from Helena's tracer. And although much of the area had been improved visually the ever-present criminal element was never far from the surface. Ladies of the night called out to the driver of the 4x4 that currently drove at a steady pace through the otherwise deserted streets.
Alfred gladly let Huntress out a block away from The Riddler's suspected hideout where Dinah was waiting for them by a lamppost.
"About time," she scolded, "I've been moved on by the cops twice since I got here and some guy in a pickup asked me to do something disgusting involving a pineapple!"
"Too much information!" Helena shrugged off dismissively.
Dinah wrinkled her nose, "eeeww what is that?"
"It's my new fragrance," Helena snapped, "eau de drowned rat!"
*****
"I'm not staying here to get caught!" Query or Echo screamed at the figure in green who was calmly searching the fridge.
"Ahh cake," he beamed ignoring his companion's hysteria, "perfect."
"You shoulda offed the bitch when you had the chance!" The other one screeched accusingly whilst frantically stuffing money and jewels into a holdall. "Well you can play your stupid games on your own now."
The Riddler placed the cake on the table before turning his attention to his irate blonde companions.
"I'll keep that in mind." The Riddler he replied calmly raising his cane.
And that was last thing either Query or Echo ever heard.
*****
Huntress and Dinah were still a block away busy making their way up to the rooftops when they heard gunfire.
Oracle was giving them directions.
"Dinah hang back and let Huntress deal with The Riddler!" Oracle cautioned.
Huntress leapt for the next roof.
"Yeah, yeah," Dinah sighed as she launched herself behind Huntress, "just leave all the goofy sidekicks to me."
A couple of roofs later they were on top of the building.
"Our man is on the sixth, apartment 62D." Oracle informed them.
Huntress and Dinah made their way quietly down the fire escape.
"According to The architectural plans you want the fourth balcony along from where you are." Oracle informed them when they were at the sixth.
Huntress turned to Dinah, "stay back he's mine." She said tightly.
But Dinah just rolled her eyes.
*****
The sliding door on the balcony was open and beckoned ominously for them to enter. Huntress cautiously moved forward inside the apartment was dark.
Dinah followed at a respectful distance.
Suddenly there was a click and the lights came on.
"Surprise!" The Riddler shouted.
He was at the other end of the room, holding what looked like a piece of string in one hand, with the other he was smoking a cigar.
Three figures sat motionless around a table in the centre of a room. Huntress recognised the two girls from the heist and an unknown well dressed gentleman. All three were clearly dead.
"I knew you were coming so I baked a cake!" The Riddler leered from the other end of the room.
And sure enough Huntress noted, on the table was a cake with what appeared to be a large candle wedged into the top.
It was then that Huntress noticed the string that ran all the way from the end of the candle to The Riddler's hand, and that he was currently burning the end with his cigar.
"I hope you get a real bang out of it!" He sneered as he dropped the now lit fuse to the ground and headed out the front door. Dinah arrived just in time to see him wave as he made his exit.
Huntress was trying to stamp it out until Oracle advised that it wouldn't work.
"You have to get it away from that apartment." Oracle stated.
But the fuse was almost half gone and burning up at an incredible speed, there was no way they could carry it away in time.
"Allow me." Dinah said.
She closed her eyes and the cake began to shudder like some mini earthquake. Suddenly it left the table and seemingly propelled itself towards the balcony and up into the sky. With the ever decreasing fizzing fuse trailing behind it. Dinah grimaced under the strain and felt her legs give way from underneath, she had never tried to send anything this far before, and had no real idea of how far she had actually sent the explosive.
She allowed herself to fall to the floor and continued to push, higher, and higher, "just keep pushing" she thought to herself.
"Keep going," Huntress voice came from somewhere, "you've nearly cleared the roof toops."
The explosion could not have come quick enough; and for the second time that night Dinah felt herself slowly losing consciousness. She was vaguely aware that Huntress had picked her up.
"You did good kid."
And that was the last thing she heard for a while.
*****
