questionauthority: (In the rain)
Edward Nigma | The Riddler ([personal profile] questionauthority) wrote2010-12-25 01:56 am

Riddle 014: Christmas Angst [Voice/Action]

[Edward comes downstairs on Christmas Morning, wading through the sea of cats that had seemingly filled up the house. Coming across a bunch of presents beneath the tree in green wrapping paper, he smirks. He takes a look at the note, tossing it backwards and tearing into his presents like a little kid. He pulls out his cane. A new revolver. A Rubiks' Cube. And... Batman's utility belt? And a working bat credit-card with the name "Bruce Wayne" on it. He chuckles, sliding it into his pocket and pulling the belt on. But as soon as he snaps the belt around his waist, he feels... strange. Different. He remembers...

Bang! His father keeling over in the alleyway. His mother screams.

BANG! His mother tumbling down, pearls flying everywhere. Rain falling down. Masking Edward's tears on that fateful night.

He looks at the gun beneath the tree once again and his eyes widen in fear. This is the kind of weapon that took his parents away from him... With a sudden, vehement motion, he hurtles it out the window into the snow. He then stands straight. Resolute. A stern look on his face. Eddie knows what must be done. He strides back upstairs. Puts on his best green suit. Black sunglasses he's picked up in town. His trademark bowler hat. He marches back downstairs and out the door, examining his new Riddler-Mobile in the driveway. It's elaborate. Tricked out. It'll get the job done. He climbs in, fastens his seatbelt, and tears off down Anderson Lane.

He takes note that there is a phone installed within the car's console, and he picks it up, speaking with a much gruffer, throatier voice than usual.]


Enjoying your Christmas, Mayfield? Some of us aren't. Some of us have had innocent people taken away. Forever. By whom, you might ask? Nothing more than a common criminal. A miserable, unrelenting, unforgiving coward with a gun, who thinks he has something to prove. Who thinks he can strike fear into the hearts of innocents. Well. Now it's my turn. To all you criminal scum of Mayfield. Your days are numbered. And to those hardworking innocents, trapped and frightened? Your new guardian has arrived. 

[He is vengeance. He is the night. He is Edward Nigma, the Goddamn Riddler. He'll be patrolling around the town in his new Riddler-Mobile, and will be looking, just looking for people to punish. You can also speak to him via the carphone.]

[identity profile] puzzlerprince.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
...I had to defend myself, of course.

[identity profile] strike-you-out.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
[A moment of thoughtful silence. Eddie doesn't look particularly roughed up and there is one thing that wasn't exactly clarified...]

He had the gun? Or did you?

[identity profile] puzzlerprince.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
...he had it. But I took it.

[You can probably guess the rest, Slugger.]

[identity profile] strike-you-out.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 02:15 am (UTC)(link)
[He can. Best bedtime story ever, btw.]

Who was it? Did he die?

[identity profile] puzzlerprince.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
A stranger. A young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. It looked like he'd gone out of his mind. He was just shooting drones casually, killing them. And---I intervened. I had to intervene.

...I shot him between the eyes. There's no way he could have survived that.

[identity profile] strike-you-out.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
You don't approve of killing drones?

[Should he tell you what he's been up to?]

[identity profile] puzzlerprince.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
At the time, I didn't approve of anyone being killed. I was under a bit of a haze at that moment.

[identity profile] strike-you-out.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 03:19 am (UTC)(link)
A haze... [Okay, now you're reminding Slugger of a time when he was under a mind-altering haze. It had turned him into an entirely different person.]

Did you think you were someone else?

[identity profile] puzzlerprince.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
As a matter of fact, I did. I'd... I'd acted like Batman, of all people.

[identity profile] strike-you-out.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
[He hasn't gotten into comic books, unfortunately, but that name... That name reminds him of someone.]

Batman?

[identity profile] puzzlerprince.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
You remember that one time I told you about the people from back home? And I mentioned that detective... the one who's always a thorn in my side?

[identity profile] strike-you-out.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
[A nod. He certainly does remember...]

[identity profile] strike-you-out.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 03:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Now let him get this straight.]

...

He wears a cape?

[identity profile] strike-you-out.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 04:07 am (UTC)(link)
[Soured, he looks away and rests his chin atop his hands.]

That type.

[identity profile] puzzlerprince.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Now you've piqued his interest.]

...don't tell me there's a delusional vigilante just like that where you're from?

[identity profile] strike-you-out.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
In Tokyo, he's called Radar Man.

Former detective, wears a cape and red goggles, perches on rooftops, questionable sanity.


[He can't help but smile to himself at that last part.]

[identity profile] puzzlerprince.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
Sounds like the type, yes.

Judging from your earlier reaction, though, I take it you aren't such a fan of this "Radar Man?"

[identity profile] strike-you-out.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
[Turning to Eddie, the smile is gone from his face.]

His sole purpose is to stop me.

[identity profile] strike-you-out.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
...

[A moment of father/son b--]

So. Today was loads of fun, then?

[identity profile] puzzlerprince.livejournal.com 2010-12-31 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
...hardly.