Batman: City Of Shadows

[The Unvirginiser]

Chapter Three

 

It was well in to the early hours of the morning, Lucius Fox shut down his computer, packed up his briefcase and headed towards the elevator. The Gotham skyline twinkled through the massive windows that lined the top floor of Wayne tower as he walked past, barely able to keep his eyes open. Finally, he reached the elevator and pressed the button, while he anxiously waited, something caught the corner of his eye. A light was on at the end of the office, this was very unusual, nobody worked this late except for himself, not even the cleaners. The elevator doors opened with a ping, but curiosity got the better of him, Lucius put his briefcase on the ground and walked across the office.

 

As he got closer to the light, the sound of isolation was gently blown away by the approaching noise of somebody working very hard in their office, at this barren hour. Lucius didn’t bother knocking, he opened the door and bolted straight in to the office, suspecting that he would catch somebody doing something that they shouldn’t. He was greeted by a very shocked and surprised Edward Nygma, who jumped and banged his knees on his desk when Lucius entered.

“Edward? A little late wouldn’t you say?” Quickly, Edward tried to hide what he was working on, but Fox was too fast, he firmly grabbed Nygma’s arm and peered over his desk.

“And what might this be?” Lucius was quickly shocked, with surprising strength, Nygma pried Fox’s fingers from his arm and then threw his coat over his desk, concealing, his work.

“This, Mr. Fox, is a surprise, a very big one in fact, and one that I’m sure, you, out of all people, will appreciate.” Edward spat back defensively.

“You know I don’t like surprises Edward, it must be something rather extraordinary if you are working on it this late… or should I say early?” Edward calmed himself, then smiled.

“Mr. Fox, what I’m working on is a prototype device, the first of it’s kind. Now I’d love to show you right now, I would, but after months of slaving over my work, I’d hate to ruin the surprise, by not showing you it in it’s full potential.” Lucius’ eye’s narrowed “What I mean is… it isn’t completed.”

“And when will I see the final piece?”

“Lucius-”

“Mr. Fox!”

“Mr. Fox.” Edward let out an enormous, forced smile “I’m merely hours away from finishing my work, first thing in the morning I can have this done.”

“Well Edward, I’m on the late shift all this week, you’re in during the day aren’t you?”

“That’s right, I tell you what… One am tomorrow night, or tomorrow morning, or whatever you want to call it. You meet me right here, and I’ll give you a full demonstration.”

Lucius didn’t like being told what to do by his employees, but Edward had never let him down before, he was defiantly brilliant, but there was something suspicious that he could never put his finger on.

“Alright Edward, you come in at one, and I’ll see your ‘masterpiece‘.”

“You won’t be disappointed.” Edward grinned and got up to see Lucius out of his office.

“Edward, does your project have anything to do with diamonds?”

“Diamonds?”

“Yeah, diamonds and canisters full of red liquid?” Edward’s face fell, poking out of his coat was a large diamond, attached to a long green stick, Edward’s ‘project’. Beside that was two canisters full of red liquid, something that he definitely did not want Lucius to see; the formula for the super soldier program.

“Mr. Fox, you can’t see the big picture yet, it will all be clear tomorrow, see you one am sharp.”

Edward shown Lucius out of the office and pulled the door behind him, but foolishly he didn’t shut it all the way. Once Nygma had turned around Lucius caught a small glimpse of Edward putting the green stick in to his bag, it was like an old man’s walking stick, with a large, white diamond on the end. Some of it seemed to be cut open, as if Nygma had placed something inside. All Lucius saw was some wires and pieces of metal, it might have been just because he was tired, but Fox was sure that he saw a concealed knife.

[BEGINit]

You know...it in some way reminds Batman Forever... In my opinion its more a con than a pro...but we will see... wainting for another chapter...

[The Unvirginiser]

 

You know...it in some way reminds Batman Forever... In my opinion its more a con than a pro...but we will see... wainting for another chapter...

I see what you mean, but trust me, taking it in an entirely different direction, expect a more deadly, intelligent nygma. Patience lads, you're first bit of action is just a few, short chapters away.

 

So... who is the man in the first chapter? The mysteriou scarred man with the silver breifcase? If you look carefully enough, I've given you two big clues already.

If you figure it out, please do not post, just PM me.

[Greenage380]

Nice chapter Uv I love the way Edward just tries to talk his way out of the late working. I wonder what the experiment is can't wait if I know you Uv I say it be something massive.

[Oblivionz]

I already know quite a few spoilers seeing as my curiosity got the best of me.

 

A specific scene is gonna be great.

[Lethal Nizzle]

I'm liking this so far man. Keep up the good work my good man.

[Vercetti21]

Getting interesting here. One sentence that seemed to stand out for me, however was this one:

 

 

Lucius didn’t like being told what to do by his employees, but Edward had never let him down before, he was defiantly brilliant, but there was something suspicious that he could never put his finger on.

Too many comas in a sentence disrupt the flow of the piece.

 

 

Lucius didn’t like being told what to do by his employees, but Edward had never let him down before

...can pass as a sentence.

 

he was defiantly brilliant, but there was something suspicious that he could never put his finger on.

...as can this.

 

Therefore, replace the comma dividing both sentences (which you've treated as fragments) with a ; or a ., and begin the new sentence.

 

Easy fix:

 

 

Lucius didn’t like being told what to do by his employees, but Edward had never let him down before; he was defiantly brilliant, but there was something suspicious that he could never put his finger on.

or

 

Lucius didn’t like being told what to do by his employees, but Edward had never let him down before. He was defiantly brilliant, but there was something suspicious that he could never put his finger on.

 

Also, why would Lucius Fox - the CEO of Wayne Enterprises - be working the night shift? And why is Nygma's presentation at 1 a.m.? Why is Wayne Enterprises even functioning at 1 a.m.?

[The Unvirginiser]

Also, why would Lucius Fox - the CEO of Wayne Enterprises - be working the night shift? And why is Nygma's presentation at 1 a.m.? Why is Wayne Enterprises even functioning at 1 a.m.?

 

Why this? Why that? Why not? Why worry when the answer is creeping towards you like a silent killer, ready to pounce and rip your throat out.

 

Just wait and see, thanks for the grammatical feedback, I'll work on that.

[The Unvirginiser]

Chapter Four

 

Jim Gordon waited anxiously on top of the Gotham major crime unit building. For the first time in months, the bat signal had been repaired and was illuminating the smoggy Gotham sky. Now was the time that Gordon needed Batman the most since Dent’s death. Recently, the police couldn’t afford to be seen working with him, but now, they had no choice. They were being held hostage, blackmailed by the city’s biggest criminal. He was probably sat calmly in a padded room, holding vital information in his twisted mind. He would only speak to Batman, nobody else. Too many lives were at stake to let pride or red tape get in the way, that’s what Batman was for.

Gordon was the only police officer who didn’t hate ‘The Bat‘, maybe one of the only Gotham city residents that didn’t hate him, Jim knew the truth and it painfully frustrated him that he alone was aware of Batman’s struggle.

 

Maybe a group of rioters would gather there and tear down the bat signal before he responded to it, Jim was worried, Gotham could see that the police needed Batman, but he had no choice. After a long sip of his black coffee, Jim turned around and was met with the six foot figure of the Batman.

“You showed up” Jim forced a smile, which was not returned “I almost lost faith.”

“Tough times” Batman’s deep, dark voice emerged from behind the mask “Been best to keep a low profile.”

“Well they’re about to get tougher.”

“The bombs…”

“Yes, getting larger and more destructive, in closer intervals. First one was in a church, then a department store and now a train.” Jim seemed uneasy, they had no leads, the criminal was just playing games with them.

“No motive? Reason?”

“No, nothing… but, we received this earlier this evening.” Gordon showed a small card to Batman, it seemed professionally made and had striking green writing:

 

 

The bangs will get bigger… unless I get what I want

?

 

“A question mark?” Just from his eyes and mouth, Jim could see that Batman was just as puzzled as he was.

“Yes, we also received some photographs, of the suitcase bomb being built and placed, the squad are analysing them as we speak, the question mark was on the case as well, so it’s definitely significant.”

“We have to wait until the next bomb to find out the demands?”

“No, we have found somebody who claims to know something.”

Batman didn’t bother asking who, he knew the answer immediately.

Edited October 20, 2008 by The Unvirginiser

[Lethal Nizzle]

A shorter installment, but it's a good one. I'm guessing just a small plot developer, right? Apart from the ones I pointed out over MSN, I see nothing wrong with this update. Nice.

[The Unvirginiser]

Yeah, totally right, the next chapter is more eventfull. I was going to post them boh together, but don't want to put people off.

[The Unvirginiser]

What the hell! Since we had an unexpected hiatus, here's a bonus chapter!

 

Chapter Five

 

The two brutal guards threw the prisoner in to the padded cell, head first. He went straight in to the far wall and hit the ground. They slammed the door and left the prisoner alone, in the pitch black cell. Slowly, he stood up, barely able to see his own hands in front of his face. He walked around in circles, singing out loud.

“I spy… with my little eye… something beginning with… BATMAN !” Almost on cue, the lights came on with a quiet buzz, Batman stood in the corner, towering over the prisoner. His eyes were full of rage, Rachel Dawe’s death played through his head again and again, this man was responsible.

 

“It’s been a long time darling.” The Joker let out a twisted smile, showing his yellow teeth. Without his make up he looked even more twisted, the terrible scarring around his mouth gave him an awful look of evil. Batman remained motionless, using all his will power to stop himself snapping The Joker’s neck for the misery he had caused him.

“You wanted me, here I am, I’m not here to waste time.” His dark voice demanded obedience.

“Time, yes, time stops everything from happening at once doesn’t it? Timers, clocks, countdowns, they all cause so much havoc don’t they? Of course that’s why you’re here, you’re afraid that you don’t have much time to help people, before another timer counts down, and they run out of time.

People talk about killing time, when really, time is killing them” The Joker stopped circling the room and faced batman “Time is the fire in which we burn… and you’re afraid that Gotham will burn. I think we should have a little fun, we all know that’s makes time fly.”

“Who’s letting off the bombs?”

“Now, there’s a good question, another is… why should I tell you? I brought you all the way down here because I have vital information, and you’re wondering why I would give you the time of day?” Batman watched, patiently.

“Has Gordon received any demands yet? Any love letters or phone calls?” The Joker sat in one of the two steel chairs that the guards had left in the centre of the room, Batman sat down, cautiously in the other.

“Nothing.” He shook his head.

“Soon… soon you will know what he wants.” The Joker nodded his head and winked.

“He?”

“The Riddler” He waved his arms as if he was introducing a new girlfriend “He wants something.”

“What?”

“What do all shallow men want? Money, dollars, green… he plans to hold the city at ransom. How dull is that? He uses a few small bombs to get your attention, then he gets serious, a lot more people begin to die, a lot more than I ever killed. Maybe he puts one in a cruise ship, a school, a police station! Maybe, just maybe.”

“And how do you know all this?”

“You know how corrupted this city is, I could find out what colour bra Barbra Gordon is wearing if I throw enough money about. You see, he has a weakness.”

Batman leaned forward slightly, intently listening.

“He is obsessed with giving people a chance, riddles, puzzles, he wants to give the police the capabilities to stop him, but he wants to challenge them, challenge their wits, their intellect and their wisdom. He wants to know if they have the balls to do what's necessary to stop him! I hope they’ve stepped up their game since I ran the show.”

“Who is he?”

“Now that, I don’t know, but what I do know is… where the next big bang will be.” Batman watched, not changing the expression on his face. The Joker noticed this and lent forward.

“You really ought to smile more.” He ran his finger across his exposed lips, like lightning, Batman grabbed the Joker’s hand and twisted it slightly, just enough to hurt him.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you look so miserable, sat their in your leather sex suit, I’m a concerned friend-”

“About the Riddler…” His voice got more intense, Batman was not here to battle frustration.

“Because, this city isn’t big enough for the two of us, and quite frankly, he doesn’t have much style. This guy is smart, he’s careful, organised and very dangerous. “ He licked his lips “And what helps is, he isn’t completely out of his mind.” The Joker didn’t speak for a moment and just stared at Batman “Have they cast you out yet? Like a leper? Just as I said they would? You don’t have many friends at the moment do you? How do you think Gotham city would feel if they knew about the real Harvey Dent? The golden boy who threw everything away for revenge." The Joker threw his greasy hair back "Everybody is corruptible, just like you, when you blatantly murdered him. When it comes down to the cookie, everybody is like me, it just takes the worst of situations to bring it out of them. I mean, look at me! Look at me! I was like you once, I hated criminals, I wanted to live a normal life, birthdays and BBQ's… but then I got these.” He motioned to his scars by sticking out his face and moving it side to side, he licked his lips and continued “I saw Gotham for what it really is, ugly, cruel and unfair, you should take your dog and pony show to a city with hope like Metropolis, you will never stop guys like me. The Riddler, maybe, he’s weak, he can be broken!” The Joker made a snapping motion with his hands “But this city is a venomous cesspit, spawning evil creations with it’s twisted tools of horror. After I got these scars, I realised, I don’t want to live a normal life, I could get hit tomorrow by a bus or by a black motorbike being driven by a revengeful bat.” The Joker suddenly leaned forward “I want to have some fun! There’s nothing more fun than proving that this city is beyond saving, you don’t have to dig deep to find the devil on every corner.

You’re wasting you’re time, you know I’m far too ambitious to spend the rest of my life behind the walls of Arkham.” He grinned “Tomorrow night, 1:15 am, you get to 118 Gilmore street, the Four Palms hotel, room 714, you will find all that you need.”

That was all Batman needed to hear, he got up and went straight for the door, he took one last look at the Joker, who winked.

“I’ll see you soon.”

 

The door buzzed and he swiftly exited to a worried looking Jim Gordon outside. A knock came from a nearby door, they both turned to look, a huge black man peered through the bullet proof glass at Batman, his eyes full of hate.

“I’ll be seeing you soon too.”

The name on the door read…

 

 

Bane

 

 

As Always, feedback is appreciated!

You do not want to miss the next chapter... believe me!

 

 

 

 

 

[Lethal Nizzle]

I will most definitely not miss the next chapter, don't you worry. Another nice update.

[The Unvirginiser]

Do you think I portrayed The Joker well enough?

[Vercetti21]

It was okay. To me, it felt like your version of the Joker was borderline annoying. He isn't a threat to Gotham anymore, so when he doesn't give Batman a straight answer about the Riddler, it's a bit pesky as he has nothing to wager with. The dialog, however, seemed spot-on with his metaphors and style of speech, that was really nice. Also:

 

 

Gordon was the only police officer who didn’t hate ‘The Bat‘, maybe one of the only Gotham city residents that didn’t hate him, Jim knew the truth and it painfully frustrated him that he alone was aware of Batman’s struggle.

 

Maybe a group of rioters would gather there and tear down the bat signal before he responded to it, Jim was worried, Gotham could see that the police needed Batman, but he had no choice.

Same mistakes again with the misuse of commas. You need to divide these into multiple sentences or between semicolons.

[The Unvirginiser]

You will actually be quite suprised, the origional was full of those comma/sentence mistakes... Lethal pointed them all out on msn, so I just missed one.

Took a consious effort to overcome them though; one of my major grammatical flaws.

[BEGINit]

 

Do you think I portrayed The Joker well enough?

In my opinion the joker knows too much and in someway introduces the riddler. I dont think that it should be his job... Also at the moments i felt joker being a little bit too official and reminds batman a little bit too many details of "the dark knight"... But there were some points where he does excacly what joker would do...

Edited October 21, 2008 by BEGINit

[The Unvirginiser]

Well let's just say the 'introduction' of The Riddler is the next chapter.

You will all see what direction I've taken the character. Got the next few chapters written and ready, just gonna' wait a while until everybody's up to date.

[Oblivionz]

Is the chapter I'm highly anticipating arriving soon?

[The Unvirginiser]

Is the chapter I'm highly anticipating arriving soon?

Oh, no, no, no... much later... but this has a similar theme.

[Greenage380]

I definitely not missing the chapter I want to see the Riddler in all his glory with his puzzles and riddles.

[The Unvirginiser]

Chapter Five

 

The elevator doors opened with a pleasant ping, Lucius walked out, curiously anticipating his meeting with Edward. Just like the previous evening, Edward’s office was the only light switched on in lonely tower. There was something very eerie about the office that gave Lucius goose bumps, if he was blind, he would swear that he was in the middle of a chilling forest, judging by the tense atmosphere alone.

 

Eventually he reached the light, the door read:

 

 

Edward Nygma ?

 

 

Lucius immediately thought this was strange, a large, green question mark had been clumsily nailed on to the inscription. He decided to ignore it, then proceeded to knock on the door.

“Edward?” He knocked again.

Slowly, he opened it and let himself in, nobody was in the office. The stick that Lucius had caught Edward working on a few nights previously was on the desk. It was green and made of marble, Lucius confirmed his own theory that he was working on some kind of walking cane.

Edward Nygma? A walking stick?

This was the brilliant scientist who had spent years on medical DNA research and nanotechnology. Lucius questioned himself, for the tenth time that evening: why he had been dragged out of bed for a stick?

 

Then he noticed something, the distinguished crystal handle that he glimpsed last night was replaced by a metallic bronze one.

“Do you like what you see?” A cold voice came from behind Lucius, he didn’t bother to turn around.

“Edward, glad you made it” He inspected the stick “This isn’t what you were working on last night is it?”

“No, I’ve got that right here.” Without warning the attack came, Fox felt Edwards strong hands grab him by the throat. They caught him just as he was taking a breath, it felt as if somebody had just viciously smashed his lungs with a rusty hammer. Edward leaned him backwards, then the sound of metal clicking reached Lucius’ ears. Nygma flicked out a polished, thick blade from the end of his stick. mercilessly, he ploughed it straight in to Lucius’ side with one, painful thrust. He screamed as it plunged upwards, between two of his ribs and in to his delicate right lung. Desperately he tried to struggle, but just spat out blood and began to choke.

Edward smashed one of Lucius’ brittle kneecaps with the heavy cane, sending him crashing to the floor. His hip shattered when he hit the cold tiles at Edward‘s feet. With brutal, unforgiving force, Edward repeatedly stamped on the old man’s face. Even with each bone crunching crack, Nygma showed no mercy. Fox was unrecognisable, one of his cheeks had caved in, an eyeball had been busted and his nose was broken. With enjoyment, Nygma kicked Lucius in the groin and jumped on his neck. After two horrendous minutes, Lucius gave up defending himself and passed out in a pool of his own blood.

 

When he awoke, he was sat in his own office chair, at his desk. Edward was fiddling with something in the corner. He couldn’t breathe, his side was soaked in blood, the pain was unbearable. Nygma approached him, carrying a green suitcase which matched his black and Jade Armani suit.

“You, Mr. Fox, have held me back for too long!” He pointed his cane at him, which now, at closer inspection was decorated with silver question marks and had the knife drawn back inside of it. “My brilliant mind is too good for your company. You are sadly no visionary Fox and neither is Mr. Wayne. I for one, think it’s time to pass the torch, or, in this case, drop it.” He motioned to the back of the room, which Lucius noticed was filled with oil drums.

 

Fox could hardly concentrate on what Nygma was saying, he was drifting in and out of consciousness, bleeding to death. Awkwardly, Edward shoved the cane down Lucius’ throat, he instantly heaved as it went passed his tongue and rammed his tonsils. Nygma casually tapped one of the silver question marks, it emitted a mechanical noise and for a second there was silence. Then Lucius heard it, the unmistakable noise of an electric current flowing.

Fox‘s body jerked abruptly, the current shot straight down his throat, frying his organs. The pain shot down his limbs, to his toes and his fingers. It was like his blood had boiled and was forcing it’s way out of his body through the skin. Fox could see his own skeleton as the high voltage shock illuminated his insides like a ghoulish X-Ray. The pain jumped around his head as if a bouncy ball had been thrown inside his skull, it throbbed in his teeth, burning down to his gums. Finally, Nygma pressed a question mark and the pain stopped.

 

“I hate old sticks in the mud Fox, but here’s your chance to redeem yourself.” Nygma slammed his briefcase on the table and opened it, revealing an expensive laptop inside, wired to explosives “You prove to me that you still have some logic left in that dusty head of yours, or you and Wayne enterprises burn.”

It was useless, Lucius didn’t even have time to read the riddle, he coughed out a last heap of sizzling blood and then slumped forwards, head first in to the keyboard.

Dead.

 

“Your choice.” Nygma stood up fully, straightened his tie and began to walk towards the elevator.

 

 

 

Room 714 was silent, lit only by Gotham’s nightlife shining through the window. Without warning, the lock exploded on the door, violently it flew open, wooden debris shot out. . Thick, grey smoke poured in next, clouding up the room. Four deadly bat shaped missiles flew out of the blinding smoke, one in every direction.

But they hit nothing.

Batman flew in, expecting a gang of thugs to greet him, but all he met was silence. Batman didn’t notice the newspaper on the bed, it was an article about Bruce Wayne. A picture of him outside a nightclub had been mutilated; a crude clown face had been sketched on. This meant only one thing, The Joker’s merciless blackmail was about to start again, with Bruce Wayne as the next target.

 

Batman looked up, out of the window, Wayne tower rose above the surrounded buildings like a shining beacon of hope. To Bruce, it always resembled his Father, the golden ‘W’ was like a torch, guiding Gotham through the darkness, towards the dawn that Dent promised would eventually come.

Batman’s hope and faith in this city was severely questioned a moment later. The center of Wayne tower blew apart as if a horrendous dragon has awoken inside of it. Flaming rubble shot out in all directions, followed by a fearsome, plasmatic fire. The flames consumed the building in a hellish inferno, like the explosion had erupted straight from a demon‘s mouth. The sound shattered room 714’s windows with it’s intensity, covering Batman is ricocheting glass and blasting him to the ground. The smoke rose above Wayne tower like an eclipse, scouring it from view. The golden ‘W’ fell through the thick smog and in to view. For a few seconds it plummeted downwards, skimming an adjacent building, ripping apart chunks of each floor as it hurtled towards the Earth. Eventually it firmly planted itself in to the third floor with a devastating crash, ending God knows how many lives.

 

It was then that Batman saw it, the flames did not engulf the entire building, they poured out of well placed windows. A huge burning question mark, carved in to the front of Gotham’s beacon of hope with the devil’s fiery brush.

Edited October 23, 2008 by The Unvirginiser

[Lethal Nizzle]

Poor Lucius. 'Guy got owned.

 

Awesome update.

[Vercetti21]

Best chapter yet. Shocked to see Lucius go.

 

Mistakes with punctuation yet again. More specifically, comma mistakes, which I've already pointed out to you many times.

 

 

There was something very eerie about the office that gave Lucius goose bumps, if he was blind, he would swear that he was in the middle of a chilling forest, judging by the tense atmosphere alone.

 

Without warning, the lock exploded on the door, violently it flew open, wooden debris shot out.

 

This meant only one thing, The Joker’s merciless blackmail was about to start again, with Bruce Wayne as the next target.

 

To Bruce, it always resembled his Father, the golden ‘W’ was like a torch, guiding Gotham through the darkness, towards the dawn that Dent promised would eventually come.

 

It was then that Batman saw it, the flames did not engulf the entire building, they poured out of well placed windows.

 

See how badly these sentences flow? Depending on the case, you're either crowding them with too many commas or misusing them. Fixes:

 

 

There was something very eerie about the office that gave Lucius goose bumps. If he was blind, he would swear that he was in the middle of a chilling forest, judging by the tense atmosphere alone.

 

Without warning, the lock exploded on the door. Violently, it flew open and wooden debris shot out.

 

This meant only one thing: The Joker’s merciless blackmail was about to start again, with Bruce Wayne as the next target.

 

To Bruce, it always resembled his Father; the golden ‘W’ was like a torch, guiding Gotham through the darkness, towards the dawn that Dent promised would eventually come.

 

It was then that Batman saw it: the flames did not engulf the entire building, they poured out of well placed windows.

[The Unvirginiser]

Thank you for all of the positive feedback lads. Got this entire thing set out in my head, I'm confident in knowing exactly what direction I'm taking it in, without holes in the story.

 

So... the blackmailing of Batman will continue? Bruce Wayne as his next victim? Tut, tut, this will get very messy.

Bruce Wayne and Batman are very different people; that's why as Batman he is referred to as Batman.

[Oblivionz]

I know.. the whole plot.

 

Loved that chapter, can't wait for all the upcoming stuff.

[The Unvirginiser]

Chapter Six

 

The screams were getting louder and more desperate. Coleman Reese hung upside down in his own living room, his head was busted wide open and blood leaked all over his cream carpet. Mrs Reese lay on the cold tiled floor beside the mini bar, partially slumped on to a stool; barely recognisable. Her pretty blonde hair was ridden with glass and blood, broken pieces of the tequila bottle were sticking out of her head. Reese whimpered as the mortified expression burnt in to her face stared back at him; lifeless and cold.

Across the room was an overturned cot, Reese’s newborn child had been crushed by the heavy wooden crib that she slept silently in minutes ago. Edward Nygma stalked the house, smashing picture frames and priceless items he knew Coleman would hold close to his heart. A crude noose was tied to Coleman’s feet which dangled him from the ceiling. He cried and whimpered, frightened for his own life as well as mourning his family.

Nygma re-entered the room, spinning his cane with delight.

“My, my, what a fine house you have!” He smiled and began to pour himself a drink, ignoring the dead body at the foot of the bar.

“What do you want?!” Coleman desperately screamed.

“I always liked you Coleman, despite your constant brown nosing and sucking up, maybe you think what happened to your wife and boy-”

“She’s a girl! She’s a little girl who has never done anyth-”

“Coleman, please, I’m trying to answer your question.” He shut up and carried on crying “Maybe you thought that it was a little too far, but I know it was necessary. I’m going to ask you something Coleman and I’m going to ask it you once. If I think you’re lying to me I’m going to do things to you that I’d feel cruel doing to a farmyard animal. Understand?”

“Yes!” He spat through the tears.

 

Nygma remembered why he was doing this, he remembered the whole plan and how it began…

 

“Hello?” Edward politely answered his phone while doodling on a napkin.

“Am I speaking to Edward Nygma?” The cold voice asked.

“Yes, this is Edward Nygma of Wayne enterprises, how may I help you?”

“I call with a very interesting business proposition Mr. Nygma, one that involves a lot of money.”

“I’m listening.”

“Good, how would you feel about holding Gotham city ransom and keeping one hundred percent of the profits?” The voice blatantly asked, Nygma spat out his coffee in shock. Maybe Edward should have hung up, he should have ignored the phone call and carried on with his work. But he didn’t, the mere mention of money had him entranced. The cold voice explained the plan to him, it wasn’t difficult or outrageous; it was simple and would make Edward a millionaire. Planting bombs and stealing money, Nygma’s two favourite hobbies.

“And what would your profit be in this?”

“We bring order to chaos, we have our own profit that has roots far deeper than money. A man like you is perfect for the helm, leading the police on a goose chase, grabbing the attention of the media. We need you and your brilliant mind Nygma, you stand Gotham up and we’ll knock it down.”

“And who exactly are you?”

The voice told him.

“Is this your idea of a joke?”

“You have heard the name I see?”

“Yes, you could say that. If I’m not mistaken… you’re dead?”

“The most dangerous enemy is one that man doesn’t fear.” The cold voice replied.

Nygma considered the proposal.

“Please be aware, you know too much to turn back on this offer.” Edward was sold.

 

 

Nygma switched off all the lights in the house except one lamp, he carried it over to Coleman and set it down on the table in front of him. The bright lights prevented him from seeing a thing, even squinting left his pupils burning.

“Who is he Coleman?” Nygma’s voice came from behind the blinding whiteness “Who is Batman?”.

Coleman told him without thinking twice.

“Thank you.” Without a second of hesitation Edward pointed the cane at Reese’s chest and pressed one of the silver question marks. A projectile shot out and planted itself firmly between Reese’s lungs, bursting his chest apart with blood and gore. Casually Nygma switched off the lights and exited the house, not wanting to be late for his Arkham asylum appointment.

[Lethal Nizzle]

Very nice update! Nygma's one ice cold customer, that's for sure.

 

[The Unvirginiser]

Thank you, I hope you have noticed that my version of The Riddler fits in well with Nolan's gritty, realistic, dark new take on Batman.

 

The Riddler

Bane

The Joker

The man with the scars...

 

You guys are in for some action.

[The Unvirginiser]

Chapter Seven

 

Bane shifted anxiously on the cold operating table, strapped down with hard chains and tight straps. Lector finalised the preparations while Rothwell dictated in to an electronic voice recorder. Bane had spent all day in the theatre, two thick tubes had been fitted through the back of his skull and to his brain. A mechanical device was at the other end of the tubes, fixed to Bane’s left wrist. One half of Nygma’s chemical formula was already inside and was successfully pumping to Bane’s brain. All that was left now was to mix it with the other half and begin simultaneous pumping.

Nygma entered the room after heading off for a cup of coffee, he seemed extremely relaxed to lector considering the circumstances. Either this experiment would be successful or Bane would be killed on the operating table, Lector wasn’t looking forward to talking his way out of that one. This wasn’t his first human experiment, for years he followed Dr. Crane’s instructions in testing the fear toxin that gripped the city a year ago.

“I’d like a few minutes alone with Mr. Bane please.” Nygma asked, this bewildered Rothwell and Lector. After a few seconds of awkward glances they reluctantly obliged, leaving Nygma and Bane alone. Without wasting a moment Nygma Lunged himself over to Bane and grabbed him firmly by the chin.

“Now you don’t mess this up for me, you remember the deal?”

“I remember, you get me out of here and I kill the Batman.” Bane looked up in to Nygma’s murderous eyes.

“Good, Wayne is having a big birthday party tomorrow night, we go and take him down together. Alright?”

“Alright-”

“I can’t afford to have that freak interfering with my plan, he dies tomorrow night as Bruce Wayne, not as the Bat.”

“Okay, just get me the hell out of here!”

“If you mess up my plan,” Nygma swiftly shot the knife out of his cane then pointed it to Bane’s throat. “He will find you and murder you.” Bane knew exactly who he meant, the man with the gruesome scars he had heard so much about.

“Can we start?” Bane asked, ignoring the blade to his neck.

“Certainly,” Nygma retracted the knife, then called Rothwell and Lector back in to the room. “Are we ready to begin gentleman?”

“Yes,” Lector replied, looking through his notes “Michel Bane, thief and murderer, now a reformed and excellent inmate. You a constantly reading, painting and drawing, practising yoga, martial arts and writing poetry. This is an excellent opportunity Mr. Bane, you showed Gotham city that there is still good in you when you saved the people on that ferry; congratulations.”

“And with that we are ready to begin!” Nygma took a jug of green fluid from a nearby desk and took the top off.

“Let’s start with 20 ml and see what results we get.” Lector said with a smile, ready to write on his notepad.

Nygma began to laugh until he was red in the face, he held his arms apart with a huge smile, “Open up your mind Dr. Lector, open up your mind and let your heart decide!”

As quick as a leaping tiger, Nygma had struck. He withdrew the knife and violently slashed the small man across his face with the cane’s blade. Lector exploded with blood, parts of face splattered all over the floor. He fell to one knee with horrific shrieks and hysterical screaming, Nygma trusted the blade in to his left shoulder and threw him against the wall. Rothwell made a dash for the door but Edward was too quick, he pressed one of the silver question marks. There was a short mechanical noise, then a huge burst of flames shot from the end of the cane, engulfing the door. The heat was intense, black smoke quickly filled the small room. Rothwell panicked as he realised he was trapped. Nygma poured the jug in to Bane’s wrist until it overflowed, he chucked the jug in to the corner of the room then stood back to watch.

It was the most horrific thing that Rothwell had ever seen, before his eyes, this man’s muscles began to grow, bursting the chains and straps. He screamed and screamed as his already enormous skeleton enlarged, Rothwell cowered in the corner of the smoky room. The flames were spreading and poisonous fumes thickened, the silhouette of a laughing Nygma and a now enormous Bane were barely visible.

The he emerged, the now nine feet tall Bane. His clothes had ripped, leaving him with a torn top and pants, barely clinging to the towering brute. Without hesitation, Bane picked up Lector who was still screaming and bleeding. He held him horizontally on line with his chest, then mercilessly slammed him on to his massive knee. The loud crack of lector’s spine made Rothwell throw up all over the ash filled floor. Bane grabbed Rothwell next by the throat and used him as a battering ram to smash through the fiery door. With one clumsy crash, Rothwell was sent hurtling through the flames, ripping the door off it’s hinges. Nygma jumped through, followed by Bane who broke down the surrounding wall.

Edward knew that Rothwell was already dead but he still jogged over and shoved the blade in to his head. Even Nygma was amazed by Bane, his sheer size and ferocity. He knew that he was his to control, Bane was a loyal man and owed him for breaking him out of Arkham.

“An exit please Mr. Bane.” Edward asked with a bow.

“Of course Mr. Nygma.” He returned the bow, then kicked through the corridor wall which lead to the outside. For the first time in months, Bane smelt fresh air.

“It’s not Nymga from now on, you can call me… The Riddler,” The Riddler smiled and winked. “Let’s go.”

“One more thing!” Without warning Bane pulled a nearby cell door by the handle and ripped it out, then stuck his huge head inside. “You’re coming with me.”

Nygma heard a terrifying voice from inside, “Must be my lucky day.”

A small man emerged, at first, The Riddler didn’t recognise him through the smoke.

“Hello!” He sarcastically said in a polite voice, the man smiled, then tightened The Riddler’s tie to his throat. On closer inspection, he realised he was staring at The Joker, the scar that ran over his mouth was obvious. He looked even more sadistic and heinous without his make up. The Riddler looked at Bane, confused, then withdrew his knife. Bane picked Nygma up by his head and pinned him against a wall. Bane’s face was fuming, his veins stuck out and his eyes widened with a cold fury.

“He comes with me!”

“Fine!” The Riddler screamed back, Bane dropped him and turned back to the Joker.

“You’re free to go and do whatever you want… you set my soul free, my gift back to you is freedom.” He spoke to him with a soft and gentle voice. The Joker licked his lips and stared in astonishment at the hulk of a man.

“I won’t spend it all at once.” With a final smile to both Bane and Nygma, the Joker walked through the collapsed wall and off in to the cold Gotham night.

 

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