FROM THE PRIVATE FILES OF VICTOR FRIES
Date: February 2
This will be the first entry in personal scientific project I am titling "Project Megara."
Nora's condition has worsened significantly. The doctors say she has maybe a month to live, maximum. Unfortunately, we live in a time were a cure for MacGregor's Syndrome has not yet been discovered.
The keyword there is "yet", and this is where Project Megara will save my wife's life.
For the past month, I've been testing differed methods of cryostasis using the chemicals and lab rats from my position at GothCorp. Fortunately, this level of personal tinkering has flown under the radar from the higher-ups.
The first few batches of test rats proved unsuccessful. They were able to be frozen completely in stasis, but when it came time to thaw them out, their inner systems had rotted and/or liquefied, or they would not properly thaw completely.
Subject 19B – whom I have nicknamed "Spartan" – was the first to be fully revived from cryostasis with no immediate side effects. After viewing Spartan for a few days living on its own, the lack of side effects persisted. I tested the same process on a few more test rats for safety, but it appeared that I had found the process that would preserve my Nora.
Phase II of Project Megara is ready to begin
Date: February 14
Late last night, I was able to sneak Nora into my lab at GothCorp. We had talked extensively for a few days about the project, and I had finally convinced her that this was the best course of action.
After the success of Subject 19B, I had modified one of GothCorp's experimental cryo-pods to endure the procedure. None of these pods had ever been used for human testing before (GothCorp's cryogenics branch was its youngest) but this had to work.
Fortunately, it did. We said our goodbyes, I felt her lips on mine one last time, and she was frozen in time. She now sleeps behind me, her face frozen in serenity. I wonder if she dreams in that pod. I wonder if she thinks of me.
With my Nora frozen between life and death – and the one month window removed – I now have nearly infinite time to find a cure. However, the next phase of Project Megara will surely be the most difficult.
Date: March 5
I have been sparse in my notes for the past few weeks. Phase III has consumed most of my time. I barely eat, I barely sleep, and most of my days and nights and spent in the lab under the watchful gaze of my Nora.
I've borrowed equipment from the biology department, as well as a fresh batch of lab rats. My higher-ups know that I am working on a cure for MacGregor's Syndrome, but I left out all details including my wife. A personal waste of company money would be frowned upon, especially by Ferris Boyle.
I've concocted several synthetic batches of MacGregor's Syndrome, albeit highly accelerated to heed results. I've infected many of the rats with the disease, but I have yet been able to find a cure, or anything even close. Many of the rats have died midway through my research.
I've managed to hide Nora's presence so far from Boyle, but I fear that he suspects something. I will have to be more careful in the future to stay under his radar.
Date: March 19
There was an accident last night.
Boyle caught on. He confronted me in the lab, knowing full well what has been going on. About Nora. Like I had predicted, he reminded me how personal use of company funds was cause for expulsion.
He wanted to taker her from me. He wasn't even interested in curing her. He just wanted to sweep this entire incident under the rug, getting rid of all evidence.
What resulted was a fistfight with Boyle. I am not usually a violent man, but something took over. I would not let him take Nora.
My equipment was damaged in the fight, mostly containment measures for cryogenic fluid. The room filled with super-cooled gas and fluids, with my body taking most of the impact. I slowed, the world around me turning white. In the confusion, Boyle and his men escaped the lab with Nora in tow. I blacked out, presumably from an extremely lowered heart rate, Nora's name on my lips.
I awoke this morning, surprised that I was alive after the incident. My entire lab had frozen over from the damaged equipment. The temperature gauge gave the room's temperature at -30 degrees Celsius, yet even in my torn lab coat and slacks, I do not feel any colder. It still feels like room temperature to me.
After finding a mirror, I found that my appearance has changed as well. My skin is an icy blue color, and every follicle of hair has fallen from my body. My lab has also been sealed shut, with an executive lockdown of some sort preventing me from leaving.
More than anything, I feel numb. Not my body temperature, but my emotions. But I know what I must do.
Boyle left me for dead and stole my wife. A new project has begun.
Date: March 29
I've managed to break through the executive seal on my lab, but in doing so, I have discovered a new challenge.
Exiting my super-cooled lab for the first time in over a week, I nearly died. The room temperature of the hallway felt like the sun, and I immediately felt my entire body overheated, like I were experience some sort of heatstroke.
Before I expired, I retreated back into my lab, sealing the room once more. After a quick blood analysis, I discovered that not only was I now able to comfortable survive in subzero temperatures, but these were now the only temperatures I could survive in. If my body experiences temperatures over zero degrees Celsius, my systems would severely overheat, resulting in death within 24.2 minutes.
Once again, I am trapped in my lab, this time by my own body betraying me. If I am to exact revenge on Boyle and rescue my Nora, I will need to find a way to survive in a broader range of environments.
Date: April 8
I believe I've discovered a solution to my problem. If I cannot leave my current environment, I shall take it with me.
There are a few extreme environment suits in my lab that I only use when dealing with chemicals that the human body could not withstand. My hypothesis is that I can modify one of these suits, so that instead of keeping a body warm in a cold environment, it can keep a body cold in a warm environment.
I'll need to salvage parts from what remains of the cryogenic equipment, which may prove a challenge. Only a few vials of cryogenic fluid still remain. I'll need to synthesize more in order to keep myself alive.
I'm coming Nora. I promise.
Date: April 21
The subzero containment suit has been finally made successful.
The suit constantly keeps my body at a comfortable -30 degrees Celsius with a combination of cryogenic gas and fluids pumped into my bloodstream. I've gone on a few walks around the cryogenic wing – which I have discovered has been completely abandoned – and have had no problems with the outside temperature affecting me. The suit appears to be completely functional.
During my research and building of the suit, I came across a few extra parts from the disassembled containment measures. I hypothesize that these parts can be assembled along with the remaining cryogenic fluid, I could create some sort of crude freezing weapon that would be quite useful in my ventures.
I will have to perform routine tests once I complete this weapon of course, but once they are done, Ferris Boyle shall know what it means to feel true cold.
Date: May 5
The staff at Arkham Asylum have allowed me to continue with my project notes. They feel keeping a "diary" would be helpful in my recuperation.
I have not kept any notes since before I enacted my plan, so I shall chronicle the events here.
After leaving the cryogenic wing on April 25, I was accosted by some guards, but they proved useless against my weapon, which froze them instantaneously. I searched for answers to where Boyle or Nora was, but my presence must have triggered an alarm, as the Batman soon showed up to try and stop me. He was easily dealt with as well, and I left him to freeze and as I went to find Boyle.
I found him in his penthouse suite and demanded to know where Nora was. Like the coward he is, he revealed her location and begged me not to kill him. His pleas fell on deaf ears as I prepared my gun for a slow, frozen death.
The arrival of Batman was the only thing that saved Boyle's life. Apparently he had done some research on my predicament, as he attempted to use his knowledge of Nora to make me back down. I turned the gun on him, but he was prepared this time and quickly disabled my weapon.
The police came soon after. Without a proper place to hold me, I was taken back to my frozen lab at GothCorp until they could find me better accommodations. It only took a few days for the people at Wayne Enterprises to supply the necessary cryogenic equipment to prepare a super-cooled cell at Arkham for me.
Boyle was also arrested on the charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, and embezzlement. Nora was found at a GothCorp warehouse in Burnley, though I do not know where she was taken. They will not let me see her. All I know is that she is safe from Boyle and under the protection of the police.
Much like my lab, I do not need my suit to survive in this cell, and am comfortable in the asylum's regulation jumpsuits. They consider the suit a weapon, so I cannot go anywhere in the asylum outside of my cell, which fortunately is quite spacious. I've heard talks of putting in a bookcase and television if I keep up good behavior. Doctors and orderlies must wear heavy clothing or specialized suits if they want to interact with me at all, be it psychiatric evaluations or bringing me food.
I know these walls cannot hold me forever. Even as I write, I am planning my escape. Nothing will stop me from finding you, my Nora. Not these asylum walls. Not the police. Not Batman.