Kim Possible and all related characters are the property of Disney Productions
Batman and all related characters are the property of DC Comics and Warner Brothers Entertainment
The Unstoppable Batman
Issue 9: The Riddle of Triton Pt. 1
"KEITH!" Sandra's scream filled the apartment as she rushed toward her son's bedroom, covering her mouth to avoid inhaling the thick smoke that had filled their home. She coughed hard as she slammed the door open and looked around the seven-month-olds room. The room was filled with as much smoke as the rest of the apartment, she was able to make out the sound of her baby's screams as she made her way over to the old wooden crib.
"It's okay baby. Momma's got you." She tried to calm the baby even as she coughed from the smoke. She quickly wrapped the baby up to try and protect him from the smoke and then began sprinting toward the front door. When She placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted, she was pushed backward and to the floor as the fire that was raging in the building flooded into her apartment following the new flow of air.
Sandra screamed in terror and quickly looked to see that her pajamas were singed but were not on fire and she could still hear her son screaming. She quickly got up and began backing into the apartment trying to escape the flames. She rushed over to the window and looked out to the street below, she could see people on the street pointing up at the building. Some looked panicked, some seemed curious. She could hear sirens sounding off in the distance but nowhere near close. Sandra had taken her apartment because it was cheaper than most as there wasn't a fire escape, she hadn't thought that mattered as much as saving money. She noticed that the ledge out the window wasn't big enough to climb out on.
"It's gonna be okay baby." Sandra said quietly as she felt the heat from behind her grow. She was speaking more to herself than she was Keith, trying to make herself feel better. She nearly leaped out of her skin when she heard a voice behind her.
"You're right it will be." Sandra spun around still coughing and then she screamed yet again. Walking through the door of the apartment through the flames was a dark figure with long pointed ears. As the figure passed through the flames, she was able to make out a pair of white eyes and that the figure was wearing a black mask with horns and a long black cloak. She had never seen him before but she knew who it was. Everyone in Triton had heard of him by now.
The Batman was standing before her as her building was burning down around her. Batman walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulder and made her duck down out of the thicker smoke. She held her child tighter to her, still terrified of the situation and her current company.
"Is there anyone else in the apartment?" Batman asked his deep voice that was almost soothing somehow to her. Sandra quickly shook her head, no, as she continued to cough. Batman nodded and then looked over toward the window she had just been gazing out.
"There's no fire escape, and no ledge to crawl out on." Batman walked over to the window and looked out; she thought to confirm what she had told him. Instead, she noticed that he seemed to be looking up instead of down at the street. He then put a hand on the window pane for a moment as if testing it before returning to her, she thought she heard the vigilante coughing some now as well.
"Do you have an iron?" Sandra looked at him as if he were crazy. "An iron. Or anything hard and metal.
"Bedroom." Sandra coughed more as she pointed toward one of the rooms. The vigilante quickly moved across the room and entered the bedroom. Sandra backed closer to the window waiting for the vigilante to return, it felt like an eternity but wasn't more than a minute. The vigilante stepped out of the bedroom holding her iron in his right hand.
He looked over at her and motioned for her to come over to him. Sandra shook her head no, not wanting to get herself and her child any closer to the flames than they already were. Batman quickly closed the distance between them and stopped just in front of her and placed a gloved hand gently on her shoulder.
"Trust me." Batman said firmly. "I will get you and your baby out safely."
Sandra nodded and let Batman lead her over toward her kitchen table. The vigilante flipped the table over and quickly had her duck down behind it and shield Keith. Sandra watched as Batman stood up hefted the iron for a moment, gauging its weight. Then the vigilante wound up and threw the iron with all his might across the apartment at the window. Before it hit the glass the vigilante ducked down behind the table and covered the three of them with his cloak.
Sandra heard glass shattering, and then a thunderous woosh as the fire again surged from the influx of fresh air from outside. She thought she heard screams from outside but couldn't be sure due to the roar of the flames. She realized now why the vigilante had her duck down behind the table. Sandra jumped when she heard the Batman let out a yell and jumped up, she looked up to see the vigilante ripping his now flaming cape off and flinging it across the apartment.
Batman then lifted Sandra to her feet and quickly crossed the room to the window with them. He stopped at the window and she looked out noticing a larger crowd of people had gathered, pointing up at her window. She was startled when the vigilante pulled her close to him.
"Hold on." Batman ordered and Sandra did as she was told wrapping one arm around the figure while holding her crying baby tightly in her other. Batman quickly wrapped one arm around them and lifted them up and leaped out the window with them. Sandra let out a scream as she felt gravity take hold and they began dropping seven stories toward the street.
She thought she heard a sound like an air gun firing. Then she felt Batman hold her tighter as their fall rapidly slowed, Sandra didn't dare open her eyes though. Not until she felt the three of them land on their feet with a thud. Sandra opened her eyes and looked around seeing that they were now on the sidewalk outside her building. Sandra let out a cry of relief as Batman let her go and she ran across the street toward the gathered crowd. She looked as she crossed and saw that two fire engines were less than a block away.
An old woman in the crowd she recognized as one of her neighbors grabbed her and Keith in a hug as she reached the crowd. She then heard Batman yell at the assembled crowd. "Is there anyone else left in the building?"
Sandra was too busy crying in relief at her and her son's safety to answer. A voice she recognized coming from Ralph the buildings doorman. "No. I know everyone and she was the last one."
Sandra turned in time to see the vigilante, his grey suit now covered with soot, nod toward Ralph. Then pointed what looked like a large gun up into the air at the building behind the crowd. Sandra heard the same firing sound that she had heard during their descent when Batman pulled the trigger. Her eyes followed as a line was launched up toward the building. She then looked back to see the vigilante being pulled into the sky by the line and heading toward the roof of the building.
Sandra unwrapped her son and stroked his head, the baby was still crying but seemed to be calming down some now. She planted a gentle kiss on the baby's forehead and said a quiet thank you to the man the crowd was now applauding.
Ferris Boyle grumbled to himself as he pressed the elevator call button. The fifty-year-old man had never been a morning person and age had not helped that over the years. Boyle tapped his foot impatiently as he watched the floor lights of the elevator tick down to the lobby. As the doors swung open Boyle stepped in and pressed the button for the top floor where his office was located. Boyle then stepped back against the side of the car as three other people stepped into the elevator with him.
An older bald man in a suit, a middle-aged brunette in a pantsuit and what looked like a twenty something girl. Boyle didn't recognize any of them, they all must have worked on floors beneath him, and other than the younger woman he truthfully didn't care to know them. Boyle looked the woman up and down with his eyes as the elevator began ascending. Boyle directed his eyes forward when the woman turned and seemed to catch him looking. She edged further away from him and closer to the other woman. Boyle scoffed internally at her reaction, thinking that it was her loss.
"What the hell?" Boyle and the women turned and saw the bald man rapidly pressing the button for the floor that they had just passed. The man let out more expletives as the car kept going with no sign of stopping. Soon though the younger woman jumped over and repeated the process of the older man, the car having now passed her floor. Then the brunette missed her floor. Boyle sighed already planning the seething call that he would be making to maintenance if he ended up stuck in the elevator.
Finally, the car reached the thirty-seventh floor, his stop and the car did stop. Boyle smirked at his luck and prepared to push past the three and exit, but the door never opened. Boyle pushed past them and began pressing the button to open the doors and when that didn't work, he began slamming on the door with his fist.
"Why not try the call button?" the young woman spoke up. Boyle turned and shot her a hard look but then leaned over and pressed the call button. Immediately afterward the lights in the car went out and Boyle's three compatriots let out a scream as the car also began to shift. Suddenly the lights came back on except they were now a bright green color instead of the white lights they were minutes ago.
"Well, well, well. Hello their Ladies and Gentlemen. What a lively crowd we seem to have in here today." The groups attention quickly moved from the lights to the video screen just above the button panel. The screen normally displayed ads for products and the occasional ads for businesses in the building. Now however the screen was filled with the silhouette of a man. The man was hidden partially in shadows but he slowly leaned forward revealing himself.
The man was white and seemed to be wearing a green suit jacket with a black button up on underneath it. The man had short brown hair sticking out from underneath a green bowler hat perched atop his head and tipped slightly to the side. On the man's face was a green eye mask to conceal his identity. The man tilted his head and gave them a little salute and smile. "Why don't we see what we can do about that."
"Who the hell are you?" Boyle asked annoyed.
"Oh, oh where are my manners." The masked man playfully smacked his forehead. "You good folks can call me the Riddler."
"The Riddler?" The young woman questioned.
"Is that name and mask supposed to intimidate us?" Boyle asked stepping closer to the screen.
The Riddler simply shook his head. "Oh, heavens no. My nom de plume is in no way meant to intimidate you."
Suddenly the lights began to flash as he elevator car dropped a story before stopping. The occupants screamed as they were sent crashing to the ground by the sudden jolt. Boyle let out a stream of curses as he picked himself up. The older woman was helping the younger one up off the floor and the bald man was now on the floor of the car pushing himself back into a corner.
"That," The Riddler said pointing at them through the screen. "Is what should be intimidating you."
"So, what is this an extortion scheme. You want money to let me out of here is that it." Boyle all but screamed at the monitor. Boyle had been the CEO of TriCore for over a decade, and this wasn't the first time some nut had tried to extort him for money.
"Oh, no Ferris. No money for me." Riddler was now wagging a finger at Boyle. "All I want is to play a little game."
"Game? What game?" Boyle asked as Riddler grinned.
"What game? Well, a very simple one of course, I like to call it…" Riddler paused for a moment as the lights began to flicker on and off again for a moment. The group began to panic expecting the car to drop again, but then music began blasting through the speaker. The sounds of the band The Who flooded the elevator as the Riddler enthusiastically sang along with the lyrics.
"WHOOOOO ARE YOU? WHO ARE YOU? WHO, WHO, WHO!" Riddler continued singing for almost thirty seconds before the music stopped and the lights stopped flickering and remained on. Boyle uncovered his ears now that the loud and off-key singing was finished. The other three captives were terrified of what was happening, Boyle on the other hand was just getting more and more annoyed.
"That's right folks. It's time to play 'Who Are You?' The gameshow where we ask you the simple question…" Riddler started excitedly before deadpanning to the camera. "Do I really need to tell you folks. Name should be a bit of a giveaway."
"Listen you little freak…" Boyle screamed at the Riddler before the masked man just continued.
"Alllllllrighty then ladies and gents it's time to meet our first contestant…" Riddler produced a jar filled with scraps of paper, he theatrically made a show of reaching in and retrieving a name. He looked at the paper and then excitedly tossed the jar behind him. "Mr. Ferris Boyle step on up sir. You are our first and only contestant of the day."
Boyle grit his teeth and seethed as Riddler continued. "So, here's the question Ferris… Who… Are… You?"
He answered with a roll of his eyes. "Ferris Boyle. CEO of TriCore, three-time recipient of Triton's humanitarian of the year award."
The car was silent for a moment, before the deafening sound of a buzzer went off. Riddler shook his head. "No, no, no. That's your day job. See what we're asking her is who are you really. Behind closed doors and with your closest… friends."
Riddler turned his head to the side before giving another grin. "Now, the judges are saying that you can answer again. So… Who are you Ferris?"
"Why don't you just say what you want." Riddler seemed to deflate for a moment. But then he shrugged and suddenly his image was replaced with an image of financial papers. Boyle raised an eyebrow before leaning in closer to examine them. As his eyes scanned them, they grew wider and for the first time Boyle felt a pang of fear run down his spine.
"Where did you get these." Riddler's laugh filled the car and he reappeared on screen.
"For those playing at home it seems that Ferris here has been shuttling billions, yes folks that's with a B, of dollars off shore. Now those funds don't seem to have come from his work at TriCore. Now where is all that money coming in from? Is it just yours or your friends as well? Come on Ferris we're all wanting to know."
"Do… Do you have ANY IDEA of who you're talking too." Boyle's rage was now overshadowing his fear.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You want to, I don't know, take me to court over it?" Riddler asked. Boyle stopped for a moment again feeling a sense of dread creeping in on him.
"What are you… talking about?" Boyle asked much more quietly, sparing a glance at the other captives.
"You know what I'm asking Ferris. Who are you? Who, Who. Who, Who." Boyle felt his dread grow as he listened to the words coming out of the speaker.
"You can't be…" Boyle sputtered. "I can't…"
Riddler stopped singing for a moment and gave Boyle a long hard look. Then he shook his head and let out a tsk before the buzzer sound returned and the lights quickly shifted to red.
"I'm sorry but refusal to answer means… you lose." Riddler shook his head solemnly for a moment before tilting his head back and returning to his manic gameshow personality. "Thanks for playing though. And we are, mostly, sad to see you go. But hey we do have the bonus question."
Riddler began clapping his hands before continuing to explain to the now perplexed looking group. "One question. Ferris answers. He gets it right, the doors open and everyone gets to go on their merry way. He gets it wrong…"
Riddler paused and his face grew deathly serious for a moment. "Well, you folks best hope Mr. Boyle is smarter than he looks."
The other three let out shocked gasps as the implication quickly sank in. Boyle tried to protest before being cut off by the Riddler.
"Riddle me this Mr. Boyle. I pull without touching, unseen, but strong. I keep you grounded, all the day long. I can't be seen, but I am always near. I'm why things fall year after year."
The car was now deathly quiet, all eyes were on Boyle as he stood there frozen. His mind desperately turned over the words that had been said trying to think of something that would fit. Boyle opened and closed his mouth several times, but nothing came to his mind. "I… It's… A… A magnet?"
The silence was deafening as all eyes now turned to the screen. Riddler was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Oooooh, I'm sorry. That's incorrect. The correct answer is, well it's what you should be the most concerned with at the moment."
Suddenly the car lurched upward again before stalling again. Riddler's voice filled the car one last time. "Gravity."
And then the elevator dropped like a stone, and the screaming began.
The screen became nothing but static as the Riddler leaned back in his chair. He rested his chin in his hand for a moment deep in thought before leaning forward and switching off the monitor. He then stood and walked over to the wall covered in articles and photos all connected by strings. He picked up a marker and scratched out Ferris Boyles name off of a long list that was pinned on the side of the board.
Riddler took a moment to go over the other names on the list before shrugging.
"It's fine. There are plenty more to work through."
"Any chance I can convince you to start packing lunch for me Ron." Kim asked as she looked at Ron's homemade lunch. Chicken and rice, a far step up from the mystery meat the cafeteria was serving that day. Ron chuckled as he took a bite of his food.
"I can probably do that." Ron nodded taking a drink of water. Felix and Monique made their way over to the table and sat with their friends. Felix gave Ron's lunch a look before asking.
"Finally broke down and started bringing your own food huh." Ron shrugged and gave a look of defeat.
"Yeah. I figure making my own food is a small price to pay for not having my stomach destroyed by whatever industrial waste they keep trying to pass off as food here." The table laughed for a moment and then they began chatting about classes and the latest gossip about other teens. Ron was happier than he had been in weeks. Kim and the others had accepted his apology and things had gotten back to normal after a few days.
"Hey Ron are you going to that Halloween party this weekend?" Kim asked her friend.
"Not sure?" Ron shrugged his shoulders. "I might be busy that night."
"Doing what?" Monique asked. Ron took a bite of chicken to buy himself a few seconds. He couldn't tell her what he was really going to be doing that night. The same thing that he was doing with all his nights lately.
"Halloween movie marathon. Everything that's light on story and heavy on gory." Ron's reply garnered a high five from Felix, grin from Monique and a questioning look from Kim.
"Really. You don't want to go to a costume party with free food and entertainment." Kim asked.
"Hey, movies, a comfy couch and Bueno Nacho. I can't think of a better way to spend the night." Ron shrugged again.
"Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to go Ron." Monique chimed in. "I mean since you got back from Japan you've basically been stuck at home every night."
Kim nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, Ron you need to get out some more. Get a little excitement back in your life."
'Oh, if you only knew KP.' Ron thought to himself while suppressing a grin.
"If you do decide to get out you might want to avoid elevators for a while." Felix chimed in. Felix then noticed that he was getting questioning looks from his lunchmates. "Wait did you guys not hear about what happened this morning?"
The three shook their heads. "What happened Felix."
"Some nutjob in a mask rigged an elevator to fall and killed a couple people." Felix explained.
"WHAT?" Kim and Ron both nearly shouted, causing Monique and Felix to flinch.
"Yeah, it was all over the news this morning. This guy hijacked an elevator car and made the passengers play some kind of guessing game and when they lost, he crashed the elevator. Apparently, everyone thought it was an accident but some lady that was on the car survived long enough to tell the paramedics what happened. And get this the guy calls himself the Riddler."
"The Riddler." Kim repeated, her brow furrowing in determination.
"KP." Kim looked over at Ron. "You do remember that team Possible is retired right."
"Ron, a guy in a mask. Sounds like the kind of thing that we would deal with." The redhead retorted.
"Except Dr. Director made it pretty clear that we're out of that line of work." Ron countered.
Kim huffed for a moment before leaning back in her chair. She visibly tensed though when she heard Monique speak next. "Maybe the Batman will track him down."
Kim gave her a harsh look. "Seriously? You think that relying on a violent vigilante is the best way to catch this new lunatic."
"Actually, that was only one week where he was super violent, after that he's kind of back to normal. Or more like he was when he first showed up anyway." Felix jumped in.
"Still not a ringing endorsement Felix." Kim replied.
"Look KP whether it's Batman, the cops or Global Justice. It's not up to us anymore." Ron rationalized. Kim was about to counter him but then the bell rang and everyone began gather up their trays and garbage. The four teens quickly began doing the same, silently tabling the conversation for later. As the four left the cafeteria they split up, Kim and Monique heading one way and Felix and Ron the other.
"You know maybe it's the superhero fanboy in me but I'm kind of hoping that Batman does go after this Riddle guy." Felix told Ron as they turned down the hall leading to the locker rooms. Felix thought for a moment he heard Ron mutter under his breath.
"Don't worry Felix I have a feeling that he will."
Chuck Miller took a drink of his highball as he mulled around the main floor of the Upperton Fine Arts Museum. Miller made his way through the throngs of wealthy patrons, stopping every few minutes to chat with some of the wealthier donors. It was the museums grand charity ball, one of the biggest fundraisers for the museum, other than private donations. Miller shook hands and made jokes as he slowly made his way through the room.
Suddenly, he heard a loud shrill voice call out to him from across the room.
"MILLER!" He turned to see one of his more established artists, Angela Stark marching toward him through the now rapidly parting crowd. Miller adjusted the collar of his black tuxedo nervously; the woman was always a handful when anything didn't go her way. "What the hell did you do to my painting?"
Miller looked down at the short woman in a violet dress and blinked at her in genuine confusion. "What are you talking about. We didn't do anything to any of your works?"
"Really?" She said in sheer annoyance before pointing at the doorway to another wing. "What would you call that?"
Miller repressed a grunt of annoyance. He downed the last of his drink before pushing the glass off on a passing waiter, then heading in the direction she was pointing. If he remembered correctly one of her pieces was the center attraction of that wing. Knowing her she didn't like how it was hung.
As Miller entered the room and walked toward her piece, he noticed a small crowd had gathered around the painting. As Miller made his way to the front of the crowd, he saw what Angela was angry about and in truth now he couldn't blame her.
On the wall was Angela's latest work. A large canvas with the Triton cityscape in bold colors, a simple piece but with her reputation it would draw crowds. Miller had been present when it was hung but now the painting had been defaced. A large green question mark had been painted right on the center painting.
"Well?" Angela asked barely concealing her annoyance and anger. Miller was about to answer when there were three loud crashes. Miller whipped around the room and saw that the three doorways leading into the room were now sealed shut. The emergency fire doors had slammed down, sealing them all into the room.
The room quickly filled with panicked voices. Miller felt a sense of dread rising up in him as well as he tried to find his voice. "People… People, please calm down. I'm sure that there's just been a small glitch in the system and we'll have it sorted out soon…"
Miller was suddenly cut off when the lights began to flash on and off, causing more screams and panic. Then the lights changed from white lights to green and purple, then a jaunty theme like something from a gameshow began playing over the speakers.
"Good evening, folks!" People began looking around when suddenly the image of a man appeared on the wall. A small projector that was hanging from the ceiling was playing the image. The image was a masked man in a green bowler hat and mask. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the Riddler."
The room was filled with quiet murmurs as people tried to figure out if this was some kind of performance art piece. Riddler raised an eyebrow and scratched his chin with a gloved hand. "Huh no applause. Oh well. I suppose it takes time to build a solid reputation. Something that our distinguished guest Chuck Miller knows all about."
Miller felt his body tense upon hearing his name. The crowd around him began looking at him, he heard Angela begin screaming at him, asking if he was pulling some kind of stunt.
"Yes, Mr. Miller. Chairman of this fine museum, importer of works of art and antiquities from all around the world, Philanthropist. Quite the reputation that you've built for yourself over the years. Come on folks let's give the man a big hand." Riddler began clapping his hands and after a moment a few of the crowd began following suit.
"But that's just the public face you put on dear friend. Let's talk about the real you. The one you hide behind closed doors away from the scrupulous public eye. Chuck Miller you're the next contestant on WHO ARE YOU!"
Suddenly the sounds of the Who filled the room as Riddler danced around for a moment. Now the room was filled with more applause and even some laughter. The crowd now thinking that this was some kind of performance piece. Miller was now frantically looking around for a way out, he had heard about the Riddler little over an hour ago.
"Now let's explain the rules of the game. I ask Chuck questions; he answers them honestly and everyone goes home. He lies and well…" Riddler's face grew serious, his voice dark. "Well let's hope for you fine spectators that he's feeling chatty."
"Now Chuck let's chat." Riddler continued while placing a pair of spectacles on over his mask and pulled out a folder filled with papers. "Now true or false. You import pieces from foreign countries and sell them to private bidders correct."
Before Miller could answer Riddler continued. "Do you happen to have any business dealing with a Mr. Anton Mercer."
Miller felt his throat close up. "For those in the crowd Mr. Mercer is a well-known antiques dealer. In particular he is known for the acquisition of protected artifacts from Greece, Mexico, China. And is even wanted in connection with the trade of stolen art looted by Nazis back during World War Two."
Suddenly the voices of the crowd became more hushed. Miller finally found his voice and began to yell. "Now wait just a moment I've never…"
"That's a trick question Chuck; we already know that you do. Thanks to these photos taken from an FBI surveillance unit." Riddler held up a photo that showed Miller meeting with a man, Mercer, in what looked like a warehouse. Miller was silenced as the whispers around him grew louder. "So, we now know that you traffic in stolen goods with some very, VERY, shady people. Now where does all that money go."
Riddler then held up a page which showed bank accounts all in Miller's name. "Funny thing is for a man that seems to make a killing in stolen masterpieces, you don't show it in any of your accounts. Not even your Cayman account."
"How did you find those?" Miller shouted.
"Which brings up the question. Where did all that money go?" Miller huffed; his fear being replaced with rage.
"Listen here, what I do with any money that I…" Riddler cut him off.
"Did it go to your friends?"
"What friends?" Miller asked.
"You know the ones in very high places." Riddler again held up the photo of Miller with Mercer. And then showed three more pictures, these showed the men exchanging artifacts and cash. The crowd was now quiet, intently watching the interrogation. "The ones who managed to get a federal investigation shut down. Did that money go to them. Mmmh. Into their little… nest egg?"
"Nest egg what are you…" Suddenly a realization struck Miller. "You can't mean…"
"Come on Chuck tell us about your friends. Tell us about how you kick up your proceeds to them and in return you get total amnesty for whatever you want. Tell us about what you and them get up to high up there on your shadowy perch." Riddler leaned forward as he tossed the papers behind him. "We all wanna know Chuck… Who. Are. You."
The room was dead silent and every eye was trained on Miller as he stood there his mind racing for an answer that he could give. He decided to go back to outrage, hoping to at least sway the crowd. "This is outrageous. I don't know where you came up with these slanderous accusations but…"
Suddenly, Riddler pulled out a small remote and pressed a button on it. Immediately the sprinklers in the room went off. The crowd began covering their heads to try and avoid the droplets, soon though the crowd began noticing a strange smell. Then a terrified voice cut through the confused shouting.
"OH GOD, IT'S PAINT THINNER." Instantly the crowd panicked and everyone began rushing to one of the three exits. They were banging on the fire doors in an attempt to get out. Miller just stood frozen looking at the Riddler's image. He knew what happened with Boyle last night, he knew what would happen next.
"I'm sorry. Maybe one day soon we'll have a winner on the show." Riddler let out a sigh and rested his chin on his hand. He then waved to the screen. "Well, that's our show folks."
The image of Riddler disappeared, the sprinklers stopped spraying and the lights went back to normal. The crowd stopped panicking and began looking around, the floor and the crowd were all still soaked in paint thinner but everything seemed back to normal. Miller let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and all but laughed. "Oh, god I thought for sure that…"
Suddenly the lights changed again and Riddler's image appeared on the wall. "Ugh, what a terrible host I am, I almost forgot… The BONUS QUESTION!"
As suddenly as it had dissipated the fear came back into the room. "Simple setup folks. I ask a little riddle to our dear Chuck. He gets it right the doors open and you may all go on your merry way, back to Champaign that tastes like OJ that's been fermented in a toilet that costs ten grand a bottle. If he gets it wrong…"
Riddler shrugged his shoulders while giving a dark chuckle. "Well, let's hope he gets it right. Are you ready Chuck?"
"Look. I can give you anything you want. Anything at all. I'll even talk about…" Riddler cut Miller off.
"Too late for that now Chuck." Riddler wagged a finger. "Now time for the question."
The room became quiet as a tomb.
"Riddle me this. I'm born from friction, quick and bright. I vanish quickly out of sight. A flicker, a flash, then I'm gone. What am I, fleeting as the dawn."
Miller felt all the attention in the room on him as the Riddler pulled his sleeve back and looked at his watch, while the jeopardy theme began to fill the room. Miller began to sputter as he racked his mind for an answer to the riddle.
"It's a… a…" Riddler clicked his tongue every second; counting down the time until the song ran down. Just as the last note of the tune sounded Miller screamed out. "A SECOND?"
The room was once again filled with silence as the music died and everyone waited for the Riddler's response. The patrons all physically jumped when the sound of a buzzer filled the room and feared gripped them all as Riddler spoke again. "Unfortunately, that is incorrect."
Riddler took off his bowler hat and gave a nod and wink. "I'm sorry but that was the last question and we are out of time. Hope to see you fine folks next time we play…"
Riddler then covered his mouth playfully and placed the bowler back on his head. "Sorry poor choice of words there. Oh, and for those wondering the answer was…"
Miller was again about to make an attempt to plead with the maniac but suddenly his image was gone. Then the lights in the room died plunging it into complete darkness. The crowd quickly began to scream and run about in panic blindly running into walls, sculptures and each other as they tried to escape. Miller himself began to try and wade through the crowd to find an escape, wanting to get out of this room away from these people and not have to breath in the fumes of the paint thinner any longer.
And then the answer came to him, a second before the Riddler's voice filled the room and spoke to them one last time. And just before a taser that the Riddler had attached to the back of the painting he had defaced activated.
"A spark."
Ron felt a satisfying pop along his spine as he finished his stretching exercises. The teen picked himself up off the floor and proceeded to walk across the Stoppable attic toward his desk. It had been a few weeks since Ron had set up a new hideout there. Ron had decided since his mother and father never seemed to use the attic for anything other than storage, and when they did it was usually Ron taking things up, it was a good place to keep his equipment. And with a little carpentry work, which he still was amazed he got away with without his parents noticing, Ron had made an entrance to the attic in the ceiling of his room, built a hiding place for his gear in one of the walls of the attic and a secret entrance to leave without being noticed.
Ron sat down at his desk and quickly booted up the new laptop that he had sitting on the desk. It was his father's old one and it was barely worth using as a paper weight when he got it. Ron almost threw it away before he got an idea of what to do with it.
TEN DAYS AGO
"Wow this is… pretty outdated Ron." Wade said as he typed away at the laptop checking all the systems. Ron nodded his head in agreement.
"Yeah, that's why I brought it to you." Ron patted the young tech genius on his back. "Figured if anyone could give this metal rock a decent update that would be you."
Wade rubbed his chin while reading a few more lines of code on the screen. Wade then turned and looked at the shelves lined with computer and tech components. The young man thought for a before turning to the blonde teen with a smile. "Sure thing. After all, with Team Possible shut down I don't have that much work left on my plate."
Wade picked up a few mother boards and chips before going back to his desk and sitting down. Wade powered down the laptop and then began taking the screws out of the casing. "So, what are you thinking here Ron get this relic up to something from the last century."
"If that's the best you can do buddy. I appreciate it." Ron answered watching Wade work. Wade stopped and looked up at Ron in confusion.
"What does that mean? The best I can do?" Wade asked.
Ron shrugged. "Well like you said it's pretty ancient. And I mean your good and all but I'm not expecting any miracles here."
The room was quiet for a moment before Wade scoffed and headed back over to his shelves. "Oh, it's on now Ron. You're going home with a top-of-the-line computer."
Ron smiled to himself as Wade began grabbing parts. Ron knew that when he dropped that line about not expecting a miracle the tech guru would take that as a challenge. Ron did feel a small amount of guilt tricking him into doing this but he couldn't tell Wade why he really needed this new system. Then again, he was also very aware that with Team Possible shut down and Global Justice putting a hold on most of Wade's projects his young friend would probably welcome the work.
Now Ron decided to see just how busy he could keep his young friend.
"Wow, seriously dude that's awesome." Ron said excitedly. "But you don't have to go to crazy. I don't wanna push you to do anything to big."
Again, Ron got the reaction he was hoping for.
"Too big. Ron I've been making computer since I was five and I was working with you and Kim and G.J. for years. There's nothing you could ask that is too big." Wade said while setting more components on the desk. Wade then turned and gave the older teen a light punch in the arm. "Seriously, come on Ron what do you think would be too big for me?"
Ron looked down at the floor of a moment in thought. After a moment he decided that since Wade had made the offer that he would swing for the fence. "Okay Boy Wonder. How bout a computer that has encrypted internet and communications, access to international law enforcement databases, police and emergency services scanners, top of the line graphics and processing. Basically a super computer that Global Justice would be jealous of."
The room was quiet for a moment as Wade stared at Ron blankly. Ron blinked and rubbed the back of his neck. 'Okay maybe that was a pushing it just a little.'
Then Wade let out a chuckle before plopping himself down in his chair. "That's all huh."
Ron blinked once, then twice. "Uhh, yeah I guess that's all."
Wade stretched his arms and popped his knuckles before giving Ron a sly grin. "And here I thought you might have a challenge for me Ron. I'll start on it right now and I'll shoot you a message when I have it done."
Wade then pulled a small beeper out of his desk and handed it to Ron. Ron looked at it and then back at the teen that was now engrossed in disassembling the old laptop. 'That was a lot easier that I thought it would be.'
"Thanks Wade. You're the best bud." Ron said as he left the genius's room. The boy was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even seem to notice. Ron left the Load household saying a polite goodbye to Mrs. Load and began making his way back home.
While he was walking down the street Ron thought about all the things that this new system would be able to help him do in his double life. He still felt some guilt not telling Wade what he really wanted it for, maybe he would open up and tell him one day. As Ron was crossing a street, he heard a beep and felt a vibration in his pocket. Ron got safely across the street and dug the beeper out of his pocket and read the words on the small screen.
JOB DONE. READY FOR PICKUP. Ron blinked at the screen before pulling his sleeve up and looking at his watch.
"Seriously, it hasn't even been ten minutes." Ron mutter in disbelief. Then he remembered who had been doing the job. Ron let out a laugh before turning around and started back towards the Load house.
Ron's tapped a few keys on his BatTop, as Ron had taken to calling it. The computer did everything that he had asked Wade for, at the moment Ron had it displaying all Triton Police scanners and he had pulled up the file that the TPD had on the elevator crash that occurred that morning. Ron quickly read over the file for the third time. The investigation wasn't that old so there wasn't much information available yet.
Ron leaned back in his chair for a moment rubbing his face before getting up and began to undress. He then opened up his secret panel on the wall and removed the body of his batsuit and quickly donned it, as well as his boots. Ron then looked over at a second table that he had set up in a back corner of the attic.
On the desk were materials that he was using to build a new batsuit. Ron had begun working on it a few weeks ago after run in with a group of burglars. Ron was so confident going in that he had gotten cocky and then one of them had managed to get in a lucky swipe with a knife. He had taken them down hard after that and he survived, but he had a pretty deep cut across his chest. After patching it up he began working on a new suit that would offer more protection. He was hopefully a few days from having it complete.
Ron went back to suiting up and pulled out his belt, gloves and a backup cape. As he was wrapping the cape around him, he heard Rufus trying to get his attention. Ron turned and saw the mole rat perched on the desk pointing at the BatTop screen excitedly.
"What's up?" Ron walked over and began reading the screen. It was a transcript of the police scanners, it was calling for detectives to head out to Upperton Fine Arts Museum. Ron had heard about a fire that had broken out there a few hours ago, he was worried and upset of course but there was nothing he could have done and from what he heard it was simply some fire that got out of control. But now they were calling for detectives to go out there. Ron continued to read the transcript as more came in.
Finally, Ron read a line that made him tense up.
SURVIVOR CLAIMS FIRE WAS STARTED BY MASKED CRIMINAL KNOWN AS THE RIDDLER.
"Another one." Ron growled. Rufus looked at Ron worriedly. Ron turned back toward the wall and pulled his cowl out and quickly donned it. Rufus gulped as Batman quickly rushed past him and made his way to the secret exit to the attic.
"Don't wait up Rufus." Batman said before slipping out the exit and leaving the mole rat there to wait and worry for his friend.
Batman was perched on the rooftop of a small apartment complex across the street from the museum. The street was still littered with firetrucks and police, as well as throngs of onlookers and reporters, Batman wasn't sure if it had made it to the press yet that the Riddler was responsible for the fire or not. Batman knew that it would take detectives time to get out here to the museum, which would leave him a small window to get in and look over the scene himself.
Batman pulled his grappling gun from its holster and fired it up at a taller building. Seeing it attach he gave the line a tug to make sure it was secure before leaping off the roof. The vigilante swung across the street over the crowd and first responders without being noticed and landed on top of the museum. After retracting the grapple line and holstering the gun he made his way over to the rooftop access door. He quickly picked the lock and then proceeded to make his way into the building.
Inside the museum Batman quickly and quietly made his way through the showrooms and halls, sticking to the shadows he was able to avoid being seen by the police and security that were still mulling around the building. After about five minutes of avoiding detection, he finally made his way to the entrance of the wing where the fire had been. Batman looked around to make sure no one was near and then slipped under the police tape.
Batman looked around the room for a moment, the walls, floor and ceiling were all covered in ash and the stench of smoke still clung in the air. Batman carefully walked toward the center of the room, watchful that he didn't step on anything that could be evidence. Batman made his way toward the charred remains of a painting that still hung on the wall.
Most of the canvas had been burned away but there was still one large scrap hanging. And through the ash and burnt canvas Batman could barely make out the faintest outline of bright green paint. That seemed to be in the shape of a question mark.
Batman leaned closer to the canvas, then placed his hand on the painting and gently pulled it forward and peaked behind it. There he saw what looked like a small electronic device that was hanging down loosely from the frame. Batman narrowed his eyes and then reached out to grab the device, then stopped when he heard a sound, he had become familiar with in the past few months. The sound of the hammer of a gun clicking into place.
Batman quickly whirled around to face the man now pointing a gun at him. Standing a dozen or so feet away from him was a bald, black man with glasses that hid his eyes, in a wrinkled suit leveling Glock at him. Batman quickly noticed the detective's badge that was clipped to the man's belt. The vigilante's mind began racing for what to do as the detective spoke.
"The Batman I presume." The detective's voice was steady and smooth. "I'm Detective Fillmore. Nice to make your acquaintance."
AUTHOR's NOTES:
AHH New Year, New story arc for BatRon.
Sorry that this took so long to update but the holidays were hectic and crazy (in a good way). And January was also pretty crazy.
But here we are with the first issue of the new year, and I hope that you all enjoy.
We also have the introduction of Riddler who if he seems off in the story just remember much like Ron as Batman this is still the beginning of their careers.
And we have the first meeting of Batman and Detective Fillmore.
Hope you all enjoyed see you next update. Same Bat-fic. Same Bat-site.
