*Two years ago...*
At the video game company known as Competitron, a man with reddish-brown hair and a purple bow tie was doing a crossword puzzle on today's newspaper, easily solving everything, he smugly tossed it onto a nearby desk before heading to his office...only to find it locked.
"What's going on here?" He pondered as he saw his nameplate wasn't on the door. "Where's my office? My door was right here."
"'Was' is right, Mr. Nygma." A janitor said, revealing the nameplate had been removed.
The man, Edward Nashton Nygma, furrowed his brow in anger and confusion.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"What does it look like, Eddie?" A smug voice came up as Nygma turned to see the head of Competitron, Daniel Mockridge. "You're fired, your history, out the door."
Nygma scowled. "Have you lost what little passes for your mind? You can't afford to do without me, Mockridge!"
"I can if you're gonna sue me for royalties."
"I created The Riddle of the Minotaur game!" Nygma snapped. "This company is making millions from my genius!"
"Competitron software product didn't come from the product, Nygma. Competitron is a corporate attitude, it's strength is in the board room, the deals, the contracts. Specifically, the work-for-hire contract you signed?"
Nygma read the contract before scowling in frustration when he saw no exploitable loophole in the contract. However, he would not leave without having the last word.
"You truly are a fool Mockridge to think you can get away with this! Your amoral greed is no match for an intellect like mine!"
"Oh yeah, then tell me something, Eddie; if you're so smart, why aren't you RICH?"
Nygma scowled but then chuckled as he turned to walk away. His brilliant mind was already forming the means to get his revenge, even if it would no doubt take time...
"Then let me offer this as a rebuttal; if you're so rich...WHY AREN'T YOU SMART?"
MIRACULOUS
*Present Day*
There had been a change in the air at school: Chole, now fully recovered from her abduction at Pamela's hands, had begun to drop her spoiled, snooty behavior…to an extent.
Currently, Chloe was with Alya and Nino at the cafe after school. It had been a coincidence as Alya and Nino, who had always fancied each other, were giving dating a try and so far, things were going pretty well between them.
"So...I guess since we're sorta friends, you can forgive me for the times I was mean to you?" Chloe asked.
Alya shrugged. "Eh, Bruce and MJ are the cool big siblings we needed to get you to stop acting like an uppity brat. Still, keep that attitude in check and we're cool."
Chloe pouted. "Gee, thanks..."
"Nobody changes overnight, Chole." Bruce reminded her and the others. "If they do, something is very wrong. Just give it some time."
Chole smiled, happy Bruce was in her corner. The Wayne heir had then shot Peter a look; silently assuring his friend that he understood why Peter had changed.
Chole and Marinette were still in agreement that they would never be friends but would tolerate each other for Adrian's sake. Chole even, in a roundabout way, praised Marinette's fashion skills…with some nudging from Mary Jane.
"If she's got Gabriel's seal of approval, that probably means she's going to go somewhere. And if it were me? I'd stay on her good side." The redhead had told Chole. "By the by Mari? Any chance of a…contract or partnership for if/when my acting takes off?"
Marinette had smiled and the two had begun working out a deal…missing the adoring looks on Adrien and Peter's faces.
"…Seriously you two. Ask them out already." Bruce had teased, Chole joining in before the kids all heard an old man yell out in pain.
"AUGH! MY BACK!"
They all turned to see a certain elderly old Chinese man in a Hawaiian shirt, toppled over in pain after dropping a large box. The trio gasped and rushed over to help him.
"Sir, are you okay?" Nino asked while helping the old man up.
"Thank you, young man. I'm just trying to get this package to the post office for a friend, but it's heavier than I thought."
"Hey, aren't you the old guy who's friends with Bruce?" Chloe asked. "You run that acupuncture teahouse clinic and antique shop, right? I think you gave me acupuncture therapy just last week."
"Yes, I am Wang Fuu."
"Let us help you," Alya said as she came up. "Here, let me try something first."
She walked over to Fuu, went behind him, took him by the shoulder, and forced his torso back until there was an audible crack coming from his back.
"AUGH AH! Oh! Oh! Hey, that is much better." Fuu sighed in relief. "Thank you, young lady. Even as a healer, I can't always heal myself."
Alya smiled. "You're welcome. That trick always works for my dad."
After a bit of talking, Nino agreed to carry the package to the post office for Fuu, which wasn't far away. When they got there, Chloe went to the front desk and paid for the addressing and shipping expenses.
"You didn't have to do that, Chloé," Fuu said.
Chloe smiled. "It's the least I could do, sir."
That response stunned Alya and Nino. Who was this girl, and what did she do to Chloe? They stared at her before being faced by Fuu.
"Thank you. All of you. You are all very kind and compassionate."
Nino gave a single nod."We do what we can, Mr. Fuu."
"Have a good day, sir," Alya said as the trio walked away.
"Quite the young heroes," Fuu smiled to himself as he watched them leave before pondering his own words. "Hmm, heroes..."
MIRACULOUS
Later that day at the Wayne Industries building, Daniel Mockridge was making a buyout deal with Bruce to move Competitron to New York, the company having first started out in Oregon.
"So I've made sure that Competitron owns all rights to Riddle of the Minotaur, free and clear." He pitched to Bruce and Lucius Fox. "Considering all the licensing and merchandising; well heck, we just built a new attraction based on the game for Coney Island! And if we had to pay royalties and all that to the creator..."
Bruce rolled his eyes. He was good at reading people both as Batman and in his civilian identity, so he knew Mockridge was just doing this to make a big buck. However, he was only going through with the deal for something more important.
"You can stop pitching, Mockridge. I want this deal so I can move competition to the Gotham district." The young philanthropist said. "Out of all the districts in New York, it's the one most in need of new jobs."
Mockridge suddenly gasped when he looked up and saw the marquee of the nearby movie theatre suddenly showing words...addressed to HIM.
[MOCKRIDGE. A RIDDLE FOR YOU. WHY DO MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR DEALS BREAK DOWN IN THE WASTELAND?]
"W-What's he trying to..." The Competitron CEO whispered to himself.
"Mockridge? Are you okay?" Bruce asked, but he got no response, so he snapped his fingers. "Mockridge!"
Mockridge managed to regain his bearings before nervously adjusting his collar.
"Uh, w-we'll have to wrap this up later, guys. S-Something's come up."
As Mockridge left, Bruce and Lucius turned to see the message on the marquee as well, confused by what it meant.
"Well, whatever that meant it sure rattled his cage."
Bruce rubbed his chin in deep thought. There was something inherently fishy about this that he needed to figure out.
MIRACULOUS
"Why do multi-million dollar deals break down in the wasteland?"
Bruce had recited that riddle at least a dozen times as he was deep in thought at the Batcave. Peter and Adrien had come over to play video games and figured the Batcomputer was the perfect console to play on. As for Marinette, she was currently on an outing with Kagami and Sabrina, who had been getting her into anime lately.
"That riddle has to have some double meaning." Bruce said.
Alfred came down to serve refreshments to the boys as he saw Adrien and Peter goofing off on the Batcomputer with one of their video games.
"Master Adrien, Master Parker, that must be quite a computer game to be worth tying up a fifty-million dollar computer."
"It's not just 'a game', Alfred. It's THE game!" Peter smirked. "Riddle of the Minotaur! It's really cool, look. Not only do you have to avoid all these traps, but you gotta solve all these riddles!"
"Yeah, it's like Prince of Persia mixed with Professor Layton!" Adrien added.
Alfred watched as Adrien's character fought off a Nemean Lion while Peter's character faced one of the many brain-teasers in the game.
"What is the shortest distance between a point in Nome, Alaska, and a point in Miami, Florida?" Peter read the riddle aloud. "A straight line, what else!"
"Begging your pardon, young sir, but might not the answer on a globe be a curved line?" Alfred asked.
As Peter input his answer, a giant hand came out of nowhere and scooped up his character, carrying him off.
"My word!" Alfred exclaimed.
"Oh, that's just the Hand of Fate. If you make a mistake, it pushes back your progress." Adrien explained before his character ended up dying. "No! The Wasteland!"
Bruce perked up. "Wasteland...doesn't Mockridge own a club downtown called 'The Wasteland'?"
Peter and Adrien paused their game to turn to Bruce as the gears turned in his head before he quickly hurried to get suited up.
"Adrien, call Marinette! Peter, suit up! I have a feeling Daniel Mockridge is walking straight into a trap!"
MIRACULOUS
"Nygma? Nygma!?" Mockridge called out as he entered his club after hours.
Making his way into the office, he soon saw a shadowy figure sitting at the desk with its back turned to him. Despite the shadows concealing its features, he could recognize the voice as soon as it spoke.
"Decoded that message all by yourself, Mockridge? Or did you have help?"
"You're trespassing, Nygma, get out!" Mockridge snapped. "You can't kill this deal. I'm selling out to Wayne and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
"Of course, there isn't. You don't understand. I have a proposition for you." Nygma said as he turned around to face Mockridge, still framed in shadows.
Mockridge perked up. "You've come up with a new game?"
Nygma chuckled as he took out a collection of rings that made an old-fashioned ring puzzle, which he began skillfully solving in different ways.
"This? No, this puzzle is far more than any mere game. Wouldn't you agree? Or do you need to try it yourself?" He tossed the rings to Mockridge. "Solve it! Then we'll talk."
Mockridge scoffed. "Oh, for crying out loud."
The Competitron CEO began trying to solve the ring puzzle but was very obviously struggling as Nygma smirked with amusement. However, Mockridge gasped when he realized the rings had somehow turned into a pair of cuffs that locked his arms together.
"What is this, Nygma, some kind of extortion scheme?!"
"You think I want money? Not anymore!" Nygma said as he stood up. "What I want now...IS YOU."
It was then that Mockridge realized he and Nygma were not alone as a pair of thugs came up to him from behind, wearing wrap-around swamp green trenchcoats with white question marks drawn on the lapels, purple gloves, green cold weather face masks, and black clip-on sunglasses.
MIRACULOUS
Batman, Spider-Man, Ladybug, and Chat Noir had all gathered together and made their way to the Wasteland nightclub as fast as they could. When they arrived through the skylight, they found the place deserted.
"Guess visiting hours are over." Chat Noir quipped.
"Well, well. Bat-something or other, isn't it?" A suave voice spoke up. "Who invited you?"
The four heroes turned to see a shadowy figure stepping down from the stairs, a cane with a question mark-shaped hook in his hands as he casually strutted up to them while Mockridge was carried by two masked thugs from behind.
"You know what happens to gatecrashes? They have to match wits with...THE RIDDLER!"
The figure stepped into the light to reveal himself as Edward Nygma himself, clad in a snazzy green tuxedo, a purple domino mask, a purple tie with a golden question mark on it, purple gloves, green pants, and purple dress shoes. Atop his head was a green bowler hat with a purple strap and a black question mark on the front.
"The Riddler?" Batman asked. "What's that, Nygma, a play on your name?"
"Nygma?" Spider-Man asked before perking up. "Oh, wait! I get it! Edward Nygma means E-Nygma! Clever!"
"My, my. Can we actually have a brain beneath that pointy cowl and webbed mask of ours?" The newly-dubbed Riddler asked. "So tell me, have you brawn to match?"
With a snap of his fingers, Riddler sent his two goons on the heroes. The first thug took out a trowel and patted it threateningly in his hands while the other thug slipped on a pair of knuckledusters with question mark engravings on them.
The first thug, with a vicious yell, charged at Batman, only for the Dark Knight to catch him over his shoulders and perform an Attitude Adjustment. The second thrug threw punches at Spider-Man, only to get webbed in the face, leaving him to struggle to pull it off as Ladybug got behind him and kicked him in the butt.
"Sorry! Not sorry!"
The thug tore the webs off his face and snarled angrily as he moved to punch Ladybug next, only for Chat Noir to block the blow with his baton.
"Hey, didn't your Mama teach you it's not nice to hit ladies?!"
With a sweep, Chat Noir knocked the thug off his feet before flipping gracefully into the air to deliver a falling knee to his chest. Riddler made his way over to the exit door with Mockridge in tow, locking his ring cuffs to the doorknob.
"Let's consider you 'handled' for now, shall we?"
Tapping a button on his cane, the chandelier lights on the roof turned on and began spinning rapidly. Just as Batman and Spider-Man worked together to take out the other thug, Riddler chuckled as the spotlights popped, causing a fire to break out.
"Well done!" Riddler praised the heroes. "But have you wits enough to save TWO people at the same time?"
Pointing the stick end of his cane, Riddler pressed another button on it to cause the end to open up and fire something that expanded to cover Chat Noir and restrain him.
"Chatton!" Ladybug cried.
"It's my own variation of the classic Chinese Finger Trap!" Riddler smirked as he opened the door and dragged Mockridge away.
"Batman, Spider-Man, you gotta help me! I can pay you! Anything you want!" The greedy CEO pleaded in terror.
Ladybug moved to go after Riddler but Batman stopped her and shook his head. They needed to rescue Chat Noir and Riddler's unconscious thugs from the fire first.
MIRACULOUS
After cutting Chat Noir free from the giant Chinese Finger Trap and tying up the thugs for the police, the heroes were searching the rooftops for clues on Riddler's whereabouts.
"So how did you know who Riddler was?" Spider-Man asked.
"I figured Edward Nygma was behind this the minute I saw that billboard. I read all about him in the company records I examined." Batman explained.
"His parents must have been puzzle fans." Chat Noir joked. "Because he sure was a mystery and a half, huh?"
Ladybug rolled her eyes. "That one was particularly bad, Chatton."
Suddenly, Spider-Man got a call on his phone and quickly answered it to see it was from Alya.
"Hey, Peter! Are Bruce, Marinette, and Adrien with you? You guys gotta see this!"
The four heroes gathered to see the video Alya sent; a picture of a building's lights flickering in a pattern.
"What's that supposed to be?" Chat Noir asked.
Batman's eyes widened. "It's morse code!"
The Caped Crusader opened his gauntlet computer and began matching the Morse code pattern from the building onto the datapad, translating what the code was saying.
"What did you get?" Ladybug asked.
Batman turned his gauntlet so his fellow heroes could see what he translated:
[WHEN IS THE MINOTAUR'S OWNER AS HIGH AS AN ELEPHANT'S EYE?]
"Figured a guy called the Riddler would be all about riddles, huh?" Spider-Man quipped. "When can we get a villain who isn't so on the nose?"
Ladybug shrugged. "I dunno, I think being on the nose is what supervillains are about."
"I can take that Mockridge is the owner of the Riddle of the Minotaur game but what's as high as an elephant's eye?" Chat Noir pondered.
"Corn," Batman answered.
"Corn?" The other three heroes asked in confusion.
"It's from an old song lyric from my father's time," Batman explained.
"So, what's he saying, 'When Mockridge is corny?' 'When Mockridge is in the corn?'" Spider-Man asked.
"What's another word meaning corn?"
"Kernel!" Chat Noir said, raising his hand.
"Cob!" Ladybug answered next.
"Corn...corn...CORN MAZE!" Spider-Man exclaimed, his eye lenses widening. "Wow! Talk about a brain teaser!"
"Exactly!" Batman said. "And what maze other than the new Minotaur Maze that Competitron set up at Coney Island!"
With the riddle solved, the four heroes made their way to Coney Island, where the new Minotaur Maze was just about ready for its grand opening in a few days. However, it seemed Riddler had decided to get the attraction started early.
As the four approached, a hologram of Riddler appeared at the entrance.
"Where's Mockridge, Nygma?" Batman demanded.
"In the center of the maze! Along with the minotaur robot."Riddler replied as he showed a screen of the minotaur animatronic with a real sword raised up to stab the restrained Mockridge."I've programmed it to destroy him at exactly 4:30 am. Which gives you less than... 10 minutes to run the maze and find him!"
"Sheesh, I know Mockridge is a greedy jerk but does he really deserve death?" Chat Noir asked.
"Well, money is the root cause of all evil as some folks say." Spider-Man quipped.
"Isn't that the case?"Riddler snarked."But first...throw down your utility belt, Batman. It would be more interesting that way, don't you think?"
"I dunno about you, but my webbing is kinda part of my body. I think I need to make that clear." Spider-Man said, rolling up the sleeve of his costume to reveal the spinneret on his wrist.
"Ah, that is quite the conundrum to consider, isn't it,"Riddler commented."But of course, the heroes who brave the maze need their signature weapons just like in the game, after all. So I shall let you go...however, don't try and think of web-slinging up above, that wouldn't be very sportsmanlike, would it?"
Batman took off his utility belt and placed it on the ground as the entrance opened for the heroes to head inside. However, Riddler had one more thing to say.
"By the way, you'll have to answer the riddle of the Minotaur, too!"
"I can't wait," Batman commented as the quartet entered the maze before turning to Spider-Man and Chat Noir. "How far did you two get in the game?"
"Well, the Minotaur Maze is one of the most iconic levels in the game," Chat Noir said. "Makes sense that Competitron would make an attraction based on it."
"Already I love this." Batman joked before the heroes came to an impasse that led to two different paths. "Now where to?"
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Spider-Man said.
"Uh, guys..." Ladybug nervously said as an animatronic griffon came out from behind them. "I think we need to think a little faster!"
"Relax, Milady, that's just the Griffon." Chat Noir reassured. "It just blocks off the way you came in."
However, the animatronic's mouth glowed brightly as the heroes gasped before jumping out of the way of the fireball that shot out.
"Like my improvement on the original level?"Riddler asked hauntingly.
"I don't think this complies with OSHA standards!" Spider-Man quipped as the four picked the left path and ran for it.
After making it through a few twists and turns, the four came down a path with a directional arrow that said "Losers Ahead".
"Aww man, is it a dead end?" Ladybug cursed.
"No, it's worse!" Spider-Man said as his Spider-Sense tingled. "DUCK!"
The four quickly dove down to avoid the spinning crescent blades that were aimed high enough to decapitate anyone who would have been foolish enough to run through them.
"Loses a head." Batman realized. "I don't know what's worse; the traps or the PUNS."
"Well, at least we're a-HEAD of Riddler by one!" Chat Noir joked.
"Chatton, is now really the best time?" Ladybug scolded.
"Sorry..."
As they crawled away from the trap, the four found themselves cornered by two Griffon animatronics. Fortunately, they were able to time it so that when they shot their fireballs, they simply destroyed each other after the four dodged.
"I'll find Mockridge even if I have to tear this place apart, Nygma!" Batman snapped.
"Which is kind of a shame, because I feel like this maze would be a hit with the schools." Spider-Man commented to himself.
"Seriously, this whole park would make a great field trip day." Chat Noir said. "…In fact! I'm going to start petitioning for one once this is all done."
"..Do you know how?" Ladybug asked, making her partner's exitcment deflate as he realized that no, he did not. "No worries, I'll help."
"I doubt it. I made sure the perils were quite lethal. You have eight minutes, gentlemen, and one lady. Then Mockridge becomes the only good corporate shark: A DEAD ONE."
The quartet hurried through the maze, eventually reaching a spot that branched off into two different paths. There was also something written in Arabic on a sign in the center branching the paths.
"Uh, does anyone know Arabic?" Ladybug asked.
"I do, a little. Thanks to Dr. Crawford for giving me lessons." Chat Noir said as he looked at the writing. "'Which way to the eating place?'"
"The eating place? What's that even supposed to mean? Like a canteen, or a diner or something." Spider-Man complained. "Okay, here's the plan; two of us go that way, the other two go that way!"
Batman and Spider-Man took the left path while Ladybug and Chat Noir took the right path. However, Spidey and Batman found out they had made a mistake as a giant golden hand powered by levitation technology flew in to try and scoop them up.
"We're going the wrong way, because here comes the Hand of Fate!"
The two heroes quickly ran back the way they came in, just narrowly avoiding the Hand of Fate as they took the path Ladybug and Chat Noir took.
"Of course!" Batman realized. "We went to the left, but in the Arab world, you always eat with your right hand!"
With Ladybug and Chat Noir, they figured they had taken the correct path and could only hope Batman and Spider-Man were okay before they came to a locked door with three keys hanging next to it. The keys were individually labeled "A", "C", and "D".
"Huh...A, C, and D..." Chat Noir hummed. "What do you make of this, Milady?"
"Let's try 'D'."
Ladybug took the D-Key and twisted it into the lock. The two young Miraculous Heroes then saw two spinning sawblades being shot at them, which they quickly avoided by hugging against the wall.
"Yeow! Those are sharp!" Chat Noir gulped.
"Sharp...sharp..." Ladybug's eyes widened. "Chatton, I got it! This is a music puzzle! Use the C-Key!"
Chat Noir nodded and took the C-Key, twisting it into the lock and the door opened just like that. It was also at that moment Batman and Spider-Man managed to catch up with them.
"I take it you did a little puzzle-solving of your own?"
"Had a near miss there." Chat Noir chuckled. "But my lady's brains are SHARP!"
Ladybug rolled her eyes but blushed at the hidden praise in her partner's joke as the quartet headed through the unlocked door. As they headed through the maze, they heard Riddler's voice speaking up.
"One minute, everyone!"
"Urgh! We don't have enough time!" Ladybug cursed as the four came to a three-way pathway.
"What's the shortest distance between two points on a globe?" Spider-Man read the riddle. "Oh, that's so easy, even a baby can solve it!"
"We don't have enough time!" Batman said before getting an idea. "Unless..."
Running through one of the obviously incorrect pathways, Batman stopped just a good distance to see the Hand of Fate approaching.
"Why would you get the wrong answer when the correct one is so obvious?!" Chat Noir asked in disbelief.
"Just trust me!"
As the Hand of Fate got closer, Batman jumped right onto its palm and took out the emergency Batarang hidden in his chest symbol, cutting into its internal mechanism and hacking into it with his wrist computer. Spider-Man fired his webs to latch on, allowing the Hand of Fate to carry him after his partner as Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other and nodded.
"LUCKY CHARM!"
Throwing her yo-yo into the air, Ladybug created a ladybug-printed compass that would guide her and Chat Noir through the rest of the maze and to the center. As for Batman and Spider-Man, the Hand of Fate's rewiring took them straight to the center just in time.
"That is grand-scale cheating, heroes! You're not allowed to tamper with the Hand of Fate!"Riddler snapped.
"I don't believe in fate, Nygma!" Batman snapped.
Riddler smirked. "You obviously don't believe in Minotaurs, either. But you STILL need to answer the riddle!"
Batman and Spider-Man turned to see the minotaur animatronic preparing to bring its sword down on Mockridge as its recorded voice line spoke up.
"I have billions of eyes, yet I live in darkness. I have millions of ears, yet only four lobes. I have no muscles, yet I move two hemispheres. What am I?"
"That's simple; the human brain!" Batman answered immediately as the minotaur withdrew its sword and kneeled. "It has billions of optic and auditory nerves, four lobes, two hemispheres, and it's the only thing Edward Nashton Nygma respects."
Riddler scowled."A lucky guess is all. But the game isn't over yet, Batman! DESTROY THEM!"
As Batman and Spider-Man broke Mockridge free, the minotaur animatronic stood back up again and readied its sword to attack them. However, as fortune would have it, Chat Noir and Ladybug made it to the center as well.
"Hey, Riddler! Let me give you a brain teaser!" The Black Cat Hero announced as he activated Cataclysm. "How do you take out a minotaur in a single blow?!"
Not bothering to say the answer, Chat Noir slammed his Cataclysm-charged hand into the animatronic, boring a massive hole that destroyed its circuitry as it fell apart like it was made of sticks in the process. With the danger neutralized, he and Ladybug smiled and fistbumped.
"Pound it!"
"Your game is done, Nygma!" Batman declared.
"Sorry, kids, but you'll never find me. I was never in the amusement park in the first place!"Riddler taunted."But I guarantee you this...we will meet again. I haven't found intellects that can match mine in quite some time. Until then, I bid you adieu."
With that, Riddler cut off communications, leaving the heroes to make their way out of the maze with the now-safe Mockridge.
"I hope they can get this place fixed up for the official grand opening," Ladybug commented.
"And I'm sure they'll take out the death traps as well," Spider-Man added. "That's not gonna be good for business."
MIRACULOUS
The next day at school, Bruce, Peter, Marinette, and Adrien were having lunch with their friends.
"Daddy was pretty happy about Competitron coming to New York," Chloe noted.
"Bringing in $5.5 million a year in new jobs will do that," Bruce said.
"But that jerk Mockridge got to pocket a cool ten million bucks from the buyout." Kim pointed out. "What a burn, am I right?"
Bruce smirked. "Maybe, but the Riddler is still at large. Mockridge may have his money, but he won't be sleeping well."
MIRACULOUS
Within his mansion, Mockridge cowered in his bed, a rifle in his grip. Every shadow looked like one of Riddler's thugs. Every creak could be someone breaking in. He'd thrown out most of the clothes in his house because they reminded him of his gag. The silence was deafening but also soothing; it meant he was alone.
First thing in the morning, he'd be having the best security systems money could by installed in his home; he'd be driving and spending time at cafes while the work was being done; so that if Riddler struck again, people would have to blind or deaf to miss it. It was just one night of viligence….
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
With his gun at the ready, Mockridge went over to his door. He'd dismissed his staff early, who would be…?
Opening his door, he found no one there. No footsteps or prints. Just an envelope. In spite of all that had happened, the millionaire picked up and tentatively opened it….
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
As Mockridge let out a scream of pure terror, alerting the nearby neighbors as they called 911, the card fell to the floor, revealing the riddle on it.
[YOUR MONEY MAY GIVE YOU MIRTH...HOW MUCH IS A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP WORTH?]
Knightmare Lord A/N:
Figured we'd get back into this story with the introduction of everyone's favorite Prince of Puzzles, the King of Conundrums, one of the only villains who can match Batman in sheer wits; THE RIDDLER!
While Riddler has his classic villain attire, his henchmen are wearing the outfits worn by Paul Dano's portrayal in Matt Reeves' The Batman. I figured that'd be a nice little mythology gag.
Next chapter will be a break from the supervillains to get into a major crux of the story; RECRUITING THE OTHER MIRACULOUS HOLDERS!