Poison Ivy was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a small box sat on a table in the middle of the room. Batman's heart pounded in his chest as he opened it, revealing a note inside. He picked it up and read it, his eyes widening in horror.
"This isn't the beginning," the note read. "It's just a small part of a much bigger plan. Poison Ivy isn't the one you need to worry about, but I'll let you figure that out for yourself."
Batman crumpled the note in his hand, his mind racing. What did this mean? And then he saw it, the signature at the bottom of the note.
The Joker.
---
They sped back to Dick as fast as they could, Batman's mind racing. The Joker was involved, and Batman knew what that meant. Poison Ivy hadn't been acting alone.
But he didn't know why. Why had the Joker been involved? And what did he mean by his note? Batman couldn't work it out, couldn't seem to grasp what was happening.
But he knew he had to keep fighting, no matter what the Joker had planned. He looked at Selena, who was staring at him from the passenger seat.
"What do we do now?" she asked quietly. Batman frowned, his mind working.
"We need to find him," he said finally. Selena's eyes narrowed.
"But how?" she demanded. Batman didn't answer for a long time, his mind working as he tried to come up with a plan.
And then, it came to him.
"The Riddler," he said. "He'll know where to find him." Selena nodded, and they sped off again.
---
They drove through the city streets again, looking for any sign of the Riddler. Batman had his suspicions about where he would be hiding, and it only took them an hour to find him. He was at a bar on the edge of town, hunched over his drink as he stared at the floor.
Batman walked over to him, Selena following close behind. The Riddler looked up as he approached, his expression twisted in a frown.
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"What do you want?" he growled. Batman leaned down, his face close to the Riddler's.
"Tell me where he is," he said. The Riddler frowned, shaking his head.
"I don't know what you mean," he muttered. Batman clenched his fist in anger, his patience wearing thin.
"Don't lie to me," he snarled, slamming his hand on the table. The Riddler jumped back in surprise, his eyes wide.
"I'm not lying," he said quickly. "I don't know anything." Batman glared at him, trying to decide if he was telling the truth. And then, Selena spoke up. Batman turned to her, his eyebrow raised.
"What?" he asked. Selena smiled, her eyes glinting.
The Riddler was staring at her, his eyes fixed on her breasts.
"The Riddler is lying," she said softly. Batman looked down, noticing the Riddler's erection for the first time. He clenched his fist and struck the Riddler, the man falling to the floor with a yelp.
"You fucking liar," Batman snarled, standing over him. The Riddler glared up at him, his face twisted with fury.
"Fine," he spat. "I know where he is. But you'll have to play my game to get there."
Batman clenched his fists again, tempted to strike the Riddler again. But he resisted, forcing himself to remain calm. He needed to know where the Joker was. He couldn't let the Riddler win.
"Go on," he said coldly. The Riddler smirked, a self-satisfied smile on his face.
"You have to follow a trail of clues," he said. Batman glared at him.
"That's not fair," he growled. The Riddler shrugged.
"Life's not fair," he said with a smirk. Batman resisted the urge to hit him, standing up and walking away.
"We accept," Selena said coldly, standing up too. The Riddler laughed, clapping his hands together in glee.
"Excellent," he exclaimed. And with that, he told them where to find the first clue.
---
They found the first clue easily, the Riddler having made it obvious. But Batman had a feeling that wouldn't be the case for all of the clues. The Riddler would make it hard, would want to defeat Batman before the Joker was revealed.
But Batman was not going to let that happen.
---
Batman glared down at the first clue, the Riddler's words etched into a piece of paper.
"You will find me where the light meets the dark," it read. Batman frowned, trying to decipher what it meant. Selena looked over his shoulder, her eyes narrowing as she too tried to work out what it meant.
"What does it mean?" she asked. Batman sighed in frustration, his mind drawing a blank.
"I don't know," he muttered. They both looked at the clue again, trying to come up with an answer.
And then, Batman had it. He knew exactly what the Riddler was talking about.
"The edge of the city," he said triumphantly. Selena looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Batman explained, his words quick with excitement.
"The light is the day, and the dark is the night," he said. Selena's eyebrows rose in realization.
"And the edge of the city is where they meet," she breathed. Batman grinned, his mind racing.
"We have to go there," he said urgently. Selena nodded and they got back into the Batmobile, speeding to the edge of the city.