The road leading to Hillhurst Mansion started near an unremarkable patch of woods and wound up to a cliff. Batman and Robin sat in the Batmobile a quarter mile away using the car's equipment to scan the area leading to the house.

"As far as our sensors can tell, there doesn't appear to be anything resembling a trap along the road or in the trees," Robin said. "No out-of-place energy sources or electrical devices, anyway. The house itself, on the other hand, is packed with extra power."

"When you encountered the men at the TV studio, you said they were all behaving under the control of Mad Hatter's microchips, right?" Batman asked.

"Yeah," Robin said. "They all had that far away blank expression."

"And the microchip you picked up at the scene came off someone who had been knocked unconscious, correct?"

"Yup."

"Everytime one of Hatter's victims are free of his brain altering effects, they have no memory of where they've been or what they were doing while under his influence," Batman said. "So there's still a strong chance that none of them mentioned you to the Riddler."

"Which means the Riddler may not know I exist," Robin said. "But Vreeland and the others definitely saw me. It's possible she could have mentioned me, right?"

"It's possible. According to Vreeland's show, Batman working with a partner is still just a rumor. For now, let's assume that Riddler doesn't know about you. Which means he won't be expecting you."

Batman pressed a button on the dash of the Batmobile and an image of the Hillhurst Mansion blueprints appeared on the inside of the windshield.

"There are several other entrance points along the outside of the mansion," Batman said. The entrance points in question blinked with red dots on the image of the blueprints. "The more obvious ones are sure to be covered."

Batman opened a compartment to the side of the Batmobile's center console. He revealed an oblong shaped handheld gadget with a screen and two rotatable thumbsticks.

"This is a cryptographic sequencer," Batman said. "A portable electronic hacking device. The Riddler is streaming a video feed of the front door on his website and he has almost 10 million viewers now. He'll surely be streaming the inside of the house once I show up. I want you to go around the house and disable his servers. These will likely be the points with high power sources which are visible through the Detective Vision lenses in our masks. I don't want this little show broadcast to the world."

"What a blow to his ego that will be," Robin said. He took the Sequencer and put it in his utility belt. "His greatest feat: challenging the Batman. And no one able to see it."

"You get out here and travers the woods to the side of the house. If you head directly north east, you'll be there in no time. The Riddler is inviting me, so you'll likely not run into any traps, but keep an eye out anyway. I'll drive up to the front gate and get his attention."

The hatch of the Batmobile slid forward.

"What will you do when you get there?" Robin asked.

"I'll knock on the door," Batman said. "I'm going to give the Riddler what he wants. I'm going to play his game."

###

The Batmobile's headlights fell on the front gate of Hillhurst Mansion. It was heavily rusted and covered with brown dead ivy. There were security cameras installed at the top of each corner. They swiveled downward remotely and acknowledged the Batmobile. The gate opened. Batman drove forward.

A screen inside the car showed the Riddler's stream. The image changed from the front door of the house to the point-of-view of the gate security cameras that saw the Batmobile approaching the gate. The chatroom erupted.

The mansion lawn was a forest of tall grass and weeds. The grand water fountain in the center of the driveway was dry and filled with old dead leaves. The windows along the massive stone house were boarded, but an eerie green light shone from between the cracks of the wood planks.

The Batmobile came to a stop. The hatch slid forward and Batman hoped out. He scanned the front door and the surrounding area with his detective vision. There was a lot of electricity flowing throughout the house. A lot of electricity.

Batman walked to the front door. The mahogany and brass door was exactly as he remembered it almost 30 years ago, only now the wood was faded and the brass was corroded. One sunny Saturday afternoon, the Wayne family took a drive over here in Dad's convertible for an open house showing off the estate when it went on the market. Mom and Dad had no intention of buying it, but Mom was curious what it was like inside. It wasn't much different from their own mansion. Tall ceilings, wide hallways, tons of open floor space filled with ornate furniture, gaudy art along the walls, expensive vases sitting on end tables, and lots and lots of twisting wings and rooms to get lost in. To a stranger, a house like this can quickly turn into a labyrinth.

More security cameras were posted by the door, and speaker system too. He looked up at the camera that was pointed at the door in Riddler's stream. How many more thousands or millions of people were tuning in now that Batman had arrived, he wondered.

"Ladies and gentleman, it appears like our show is truly about to begin," the Riddler said through the speaker. "The Batman just might not be as incredibly dumb as he looks! Let's put that to the test shall we? Riddle me this, Batman!

"I get cut, but I never bleed, I have teeth, but I never chew, I turn, but only if I'm right. What am I? And please, Batman, speak loudly and clearly so the microphones can hear you."

"A key," Batman said.

"Well done, Batman! Come on inside!"

Batman heard a click and the front doors slowly opened. He walked a few steps inside the grand foyer and observed the room. The inside of the mansion looked as harshly abandoned as the outside. Paint peeled off the walls in patches where mold was taking over. Corners of the ceiling were caked in cobwebs and dust. Portions of the carpeting and floorboards had been pulled up for the Riddler's customizations. Large black cables ran in several directions and along the grand staircase in front of him. He could both hear and feel the hum of flowing electricity in the souls of his boots. The air was thick and humid. The entire inside of the house was washed in dim neon green light.

The doors behind Batman slammed shut. Steel clamps slid in place around them, locking Batman in.

"Welcome, Batman, to my house of riddles," Riddler said through the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen watching around the world, you are about to witness something extraordinary: The complete and utter humiliation and destruction of the Batman. Brought to you by yours truly, the Riddler, and my absolutely superior intellect. Now listen carefully, everyone, I know how slow you all can be, so try to keep up!

"Batman, you are about to be faced with four very deadly challenges. If – or rather when – you fail each challenge you will be punished by having to watch one of Gotham's most important public figures suffer a gruesome, excruciating and very well deserved death right before your stupid eyes. And all the world will watch you fail miserably. Can the mysterious Batman win all of my games and discover my location inside the house of riddles? Spoiler alert! No, he can't! It's impossible! But allow me to help guide you to our first game."

A new green light came to life at Batman's feet. A trail of emerald LED bars built into the floor lit a path up the grand staircase. Batman followed the light and climbed the stairs. The light came to an end by the start of the west corridor. It was pitch dark down the hallway. He took a step forward and another section of the floor lit up ahead of him. Another step and more green light flickered to life from the floor and lit the dark hallway in green. Batman scanned the hallways with his detective vision. What he saw was more of the same: electricity surging along the floor and parts of the ceiling and walls. He deactivated the lenses in his mask and continued.

"Sir," Alfred said. "I understand you are very preoccupied at the moment, but Commissioner Gordon could use some assistance. I'm going to borrow the Batmobile."

Batman put a hand in front of his face. "Keep me informed," he said.

Various construction materials lined the floor along the walls. Saw horses with plenty of saw dust around them, discarded wiring, chunks of drywall where the walls had been dug into, nails and screws scattered around. Deeper down the corridor – the floor continuing to ignite green with each of Batman's steps – glowing question marks were revealed on the walls. First just a few of them, then dozens of them, all in different sizes, drawn by special paint designed to react to the neon light. Cameras were placed at the top of the walls about 15 feet apart each. Not only could he be seen, he can be heard as well, so he had to be careful.

Batman moved his fingers over his mouth and spoke to Robin through the com in his cowl. "Robin. Have you made any progress?"

###

"I'm close," Robin said. "I think I found the server room."

Robin was along the east edge of the property just where the trees ended. With his detective vision activated he saw a top floor section of the house where several power cables lead to.

In front of him was what used to be a giant garden with 12-foot tall stone statues of ancient Greek women. Now, the statues were cracked and weathered and leaning into the overgrown brush. A pergola sat in the center, its top sunken in. There were large polls carrying more power lines toward the house. They looked new. Recently installed. Each one of them had a security camera attached to it covering every inch of the area.

"I just gotta get around these cameras," Robin said.

###

Batman continued down the west corridor of the mansion. Finally, the green lights in the floor shot ahead and enveloped a single doorway. Glowing green question marks were painted all around it.

Batman opened the door. Like the rest of the house, it was soaked in green light and had the similar mess that came with the recent construction and modifications to the room. The double King sized four-post canopy bed immediately caught Batman's eye. To the right, an eight foot tall glass tank lit up. Inside of it was Veronica Vreeland sitting with her knees up. Her mascara was in ruins from crying. Heavy power cables from the wall were attached to the top of the tank. Along the walls were a large oak wardrobe, a halfmoon table flanked by two Victorian tub chairs, a writing desk and a dresser. In the north right corner of the room was a display of three four-foot wheels made of metal and wood built into the wall with even more power cables attached to it. Along the far left wall was another door, bolted shut. Cameras and speakers were at each corner of the room, of course.

The door slammed itself shut behind Batman and heavy bolts slammed into place, locking it.

Veronica stood up from inside her tank and pounded on the glass. "Batman!" she yelled. "Oh thank god! Get me out of here! Please!"

"Welcome to your first challenge, Batman!" The Riddler said. "You're familiar with Miss Veronica Vreeland, I'm sure. Her little gossip segment on her talk show made her more than just another richly born Gotham City socialite moron, it made her an overbearing wind bag of richly born Gotham City socialite moron. And one who viciously murdered my reputation with the people of Gotham."

A projection appeared on the wall of a clip from Gotham On Top where Veronica laughs as she shows video footage of the Riddler being punched in the face by a dark masked figure.

The three wheels built into the right corner of the room lit up with green lights and started to spin. The three wheels were set in a triangle formation. Each wheel had various letters and numbers lit up on the edges. A green ring of light was set in the center of the three wheels and captured a single symbol within it as each wheel spun, creating a rotating venn diagram effect. On the wall next to each spinning wheel was a large red button.

"Perhaps Veronica's death being broadcast to her own fans will be a nice breath of fresh air for television."

Batman replayed the Riddler's words in his head. Everything was a riddle, and every carefully chosen word could be a clue to something."

"Batman! Help me!" Veronica said. Her face pouted as her delicate fist banged against the glass.

Batman walked over to the tank and inspected it. Five inches thick and bullet proof. The top was steel with a large pipe attached to it and connected to the ceiling.

Veronica coughed. "Batman!" she said. She coughed again. "Hey! It's getting hard to breathe in here!"

She was losing oxygen in there. Batman thought for a moment and then pulled a Batarang from his utility belt. He reared back with his fist and stabbed at the glass. An electric shock sparked in Batman's face. He staggered backwards and the Batarang fell from his hand. His suit was protective against electricity, but only up to a certain voltage. He shook his hand so it didn't go numb.

"Oh, Batman! I'm shocked at you!" The Riddler said. He couldn't help but snicker at his own pun. "Cheating? Really, now. How shameful! You must solve the riddle in front of you if you want to set Miss Vreeland free. I'm afraid there must be consequences, Batman."

Batman spun around to watch the rest of the room. He expected something to pop out from a wall or shoot at him, but nothing did.

A device in Batman's utility belt vibrated. It was the oxygen monitor. He took a deep breath through his nose and noticed the air in the entire room was becoming thin. The oxygen levels were dropping in the whole room now instead of just inside Veronica's tank.

Inside the tank, above Veronica's head, there was a burst of flames. Veronica screamed and dropped down. Some of her hair was smoking. The fire very subtly growing and moving downward toward Veronica. She screamed as loud as she could with what little air to breathe, but she didn't stop.

Batman looked at the spinning wheel. Each one had various numbers and letters along the edge of the wheel but in no discernible pattern and each wheel had one empty space with no symbol.

A Batarang left Batman's hand and it hit the red button on the left. Hitting the button stopped the wheel. A second later another Batarang hit the right button and that wheel stopped. Then the top.

Immediately, the fire inside the tank shut off. There was a big thud sound from above. Quickly, the air became breathable again.

"Well how about that," The Riddler said. "You figured out the easy one. Good for you. You didn't think I was gonna start off with a really hard riddle first did you? I am a little annoyed, though. The fun with flames was supposed to come later, but if you're gonna be a disgusting despicable little Bat-cheater, then Papa must spank." The Riddler laughed heartily.

In the lit center ring were two blank spots and the letter 'O'. The symbol for oxygen.

The thick glass tank began to move. It spun to the right and sunk into the floor. Veronica was still screaming and fidgeting. Batman rushed to her and examined her.

Veronica slapped at him and shook her head like it was on fire. She was panicked and frantic, and her hair was cooked, but otherwize, no major burns.

Batman grabbed her chin and made her look at him. "You're safe, Miss Vreeland."

She finally calmed down. Tears filled her eyes. "Oh, Batman, please take me home!" she said.

"I'm working on it. But you're safe now. Let's go."

Batman helped Veronica to her feet. Across the far right wall the locked door's bolts slid back from the frame. Green lights above it blinked in formation creating the word EXIT.