Edward Nygma bit his lip and set down the needle he was holding, rocking back on his heels. Taking out stitches was harder than putting them in and he was glad that Jonathan was under a sedative. He was not glad, however, that he was going to have to deal with the Master of Fear's tantrum when he woke up and realized that the Riddler had drugged him.
But, the stitches had to be taken out, and Eddie had wanted it to be as quick and painless as possible for the both of them. Jonathan hadn't even tasted the drug in the glass of water that Eddie had brought him when he was searching a map of the city for abandoned buildings and possible entrances to an underground market. It had just been a sleeping pill, perfectly safe, and it would only last a few hours. Picking up the needle, Eddie began once again to unstitch the wound.
Several stitches later, Eddie swabbed the area around the cut with alcohol and re-bandaged the wound. Jonathan would be waking up soon and he wanted everything to be done before then.
Tossing the soiled bandages and paraphernalia, the Riddler tucked a blanket over the Scarecrow's still form and went to the computer. He'd see if he could get any leads in the meantime.
?
Jonathan woke slowly, groggily registering that he was lying on the bed in the hotel room.
But why…
He didn't remember lying down…all he remembered was the water and then he was so tired…
Oh. Oh!
"NYGMA!"
"Shhh!" Eddie said, rising from the small chair in the corner and shutting his laptop. "There's no need to yell, I'm right here!"
"You drugged me!" Jonathan said accusingly, a bit quieter this time.
The Riddler nodded. "Yes, I did. Those stitches needed to come out and I didn't think you'd want to be conscious while I did that. Anyway, you're fine. It was a sleeping pill, that's all."
"We've lost time!"
"No, you have. I already found some leads. There's a club downtown called the Desert Island. Not a very reputable place. We'll start there."
Jonathan looked at Eddie for a second, then smiled. "Good work."
The Riddler smiled back. "That's what I'm here for."
?
The "Desert Island" was indeed a seedy place, and looked a lot like a rundown version of the Iceberg Lounge back in Gotham. Apparently this was where all the more infamous citizens of Metropolis met and conducted "business", among other things. A few drunk looking waitresses milled about the crowd, and a woman, who looked like she'd rather be anywhere but here, sang show tunes half-heartedly on a small stage in the corner. The 'stage' was little more than a few planks of wood nailed together and set atop a stack of crates, leaving plenty of room for the rickety array of tables, all stained or vandalized in some way, that sprawled across the rather dirty main room.
"I simply love what they've done with the place." Eddie remarked sarcastically, picking at his dark jacket sleeve, which was probably more expensive than this entire establishment. Because they didn't want to be recognized, he and Jonathan were dressed in clothes other than their usual attire-a dark t-shirt and jeans for Eddie, and the same for Jonathan in all black. Both wore leather jackets.
"We're not here to admire the décor." Jonathan said in response to the Riddler's comment, "We just need information."
"I know, I know…" Eddie replied, "Just let me do the talking, ok? No offense, but you're not exactly a 'people person'." "Fine."
The pair sat in one of the less stained booths in the corner, facing the rest of the restaurant. They'd barely sat down when a waitress, who luckily didn't look as drunk as the rest of them, sashayed up to their table.
"What can I get you boys?" she half slurred.
Eddie was about to ask what was on the menu when Jonathan said firmly, "We're fine, thanks."
The waitress shrugged and said, "Suit yourself." before swaying over to another table.
"Hey!" Eddie said, as soon as she was gone. "What do you mean, 'we're fine'? We could order something. And besides, I'm supposed to do the talking."
Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Too bad. Now listen closely to everything and keep your eyes peeled. I don't want to run into trouble."
Eddie nodded and tried to act casual as he surveyed the restaurant. There were little bunches of people here and there, mostly thugs…no one that looked too important. Certainly no super villains. This didn't look like the kind of place Lex Luthor would frequent. Jonathan was listening hard. From where they were sitting, they could hear some things but not much. He wished that that stupid singer would stop her screeching so he could listen. And then he heard it.
"…See them?"
"Who?"
"Them. Over there. You sees 'em?"
"Yeah, I see 'em."
"That who we're lookin' for?"
"Think so."
"Let's move before they leave."
Trying to act natural, Jonathan softly kicked the Riddler under the table. He turned. "You know, you could just tap me or something, you don't have to kick…" Eddie saw the look on the Scarecrow's face and stopped talking.
"Are they here?" he mouthed.
Jonathan nodded. "I heard them talking." he mouthed back.
Eddie nodded and made a nearly imperceptible nod at the door. The Master of Fear could see no other option and nodded back.
The two rogues rose as one and turned to the door, trying to walk quickly but give nothing away.
Behind them, Jonathan heard a few scuffing sounds of chairs being pushed back. Were they being followed?
The Scarecrow pushed Eddie softly towards the door.
"What are you doing?" he hissed.
"Get out." Jonathan said back. "I'll hold them back. Just leave."
Eddie stopped moving. "No can do, Jon. I'm staying with you."
The Master of Fear scowled. "No. I want you to stay…safe."
The Riddler shook his head and stood his ground. "We're in this together."
Jonathan looked at the Riddler and sighed. "You're still with me?"
Eddie grinned. "Of course."
And they both turned to face the thugs.