I stayed long enough to see Mr. Zsasz in the back of a squad car and then contacted Gordon. He pulled a few strings and Zsasz was transferred back to Gotham. A team of federal agents were stationed in the city for the purpose of transporting the Arkham inmates back to Gotham. When I caught the rest, I was assured they all would be sent back. That was a relief since I didn't want them in a Basin City jail any longer than they had to be. With the corruption and cold apathy in this city, it would be easier for them to find their way back on the streets. As for the red haired woman, she was apparently supposed to be Victor's bodyguard. They were both working for a man calling himself the Colonel. She ran off during the battle. McCarthy had proven ineffective so I decided to strike out on my own. The temperature rose quite a bit overnight. There was hardly any snow left on the ground but there was still a sharp chill in the air.
The sky had some cloud coverage so the spotlights on top of the Basin City Police precinct worked well enough. Several small search lights had been lined up with crude, wood and cardboard cut outs of the bat symbol. They pointed in all directions in an obvious attempt to alert me. When I arrived on the roof, I was greeted by a large, bald man and a smaller man with long, dark hair. When I had looked through the police records, I saw their pictures: Lieutenant Liebowitz and Detective Jack Rafferty, aka Iron Jack. There was little reason to trust them since they were Basin City cops but I heard them out.
"This is for you, apparently," Liebowitz said after a very brief and cold introduction, "It was sent to us this morning. While you're here, you might wanna know a few things: my precinct ain't a damn post office, this isn't Gotham, and I'm sure as hell not Commissioner Gordon," he handed me a green envelope that had the bat symbol on the front along with several question marks in the background.
It seemed that the Riddler decided to come to me first, which wasn't surprising. "The sooner you take these wackos out, the sooner you can leave, right?," Rafferty spoke up, "Near as we can tell, you're part of the problem. These guys wouldn't be here right now if you did your job right and put a few bullets in them."
"If you stay out of my way, I'll stay out of yours," I told them and left.
The Riddler's envelope contained the following message: "When is a quarter a square? That's right. It'll be tonight, at the hour when the wolf howls." I read the last line and knew it was a set time. It referred to the hour of the wolf, which is the time between night and dawn; roughly 4 and 5 AM. "When is a quarter a square?" It's when it is a triangle. If you cut a square into four quarters, they form triangles. The middle line was "That's right". Obviously, a right triangle. I traveled 180 degrees North of the police station until I hit a major intersection that split off in four directions, similar to the Riddler's description. I set up my binoculars and listening devices. I expected a meeting between four of my remaining five enemies. Riddler would be there, obviously. Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, and Two-Face would be there as well. Zsasz was obviously out of the picture already. Joker was still silent but would not usually be the sort to conspire with the others and they knew enough not to trust him. I didn't like the fact that he was so quiet but I had to be patient. Around 4:15 AM, they arrived just as I expected. Two-Face wore a black and white suit. Riddler was in his green suit with question marks, a hat, and a domino mask. Croc was in a tattered pair of jeans and a sleeveless shirt. Ivy wore a green dress made of leaves as opposed to her usual costume for once.
"So why are we here, Nigma?," Two-Face sneered.
"Why would a general call for a meeting between enemies?," Riddler asked with that arrogant grin of his, "I'll even make it multiple choice. A: To plan a sneak attack? B: To call a truce? C: To make an ultimatum? I haven't attacked and I'm not really going to give up and call a truce so soon, am I?"
Croc snatched him by the collar, lifting him up, "Plain English!"
Ivy rolled her eyes, "He's making an ultimatum, Croc."
"I know," Croc dropped Riddler to the ground, "I just hate it when he talks like that."
"We all want this city, obviously," Riddler explained as he dusted himself off, "Soon, it won't be big enough for the four of us and once Joker rears his ugly head, things will get even more complicated. Therefore, I'll give you the option of allying yourself under my leadership before things get nasty. Consider it a gift. A very gracious one at that."
"Not a chance," Two-Face snapped.
"We've both been speaking to Herr Walenquist, Dent," Riddler said, "Ivy, you're getting into Damien and Ava Lords' good graces right now. As for you, Croc, I've heard you have a nice chunk carved out in the Projects. When it hits the fan..."
"I'm not worried about that," Ivy explained.
"Me neither," Croc growled.
"So it's decided," Two-Face explained as he flipped his coin, "Whatever happens, happens. It is what it is."
"So be it," Riddler said, finally.
They left. I followed Riddler, deciding to find out what his game was. He obviously knew I was there. When I tailed him to the alley, I knew that once he turned the corner, he'd be gone and another clue would be left behind. As expected, he was gone and a note hung from a wire overhead. "If you're looking for the most dangerous game, the comedian is late for his performance on stage," was the first part. It meant the Joker was nowhere to be found. He knew I would be interested in his first for obvious reasons. "If you're looking for the second most dangerous game, Darwin will be working backwards to find it." Darwin working backwards? Instead of evolution, you would have atavism, a regressed state. He was talking about Killer Croc. "As for me, I'll give you an answer for once. I won't be committing a single crime for the next month." Obviously, there would be more to it than that. He wasn't lying but it was apparent he wanted me to take out his competition. The best way to do that was to point out the most dangerous opponent and step back. I decided to play Riddler's game for the moment. I went after Killer Croc.