Dorothy was more or less confused. Who was this man? Why was this man here? And, Why in the world would he wear that suit?! Were all questions that were running through her head as the strange fellow before them gave an over confident smirk.
He looked like a creeper. Despite the fact his teeth were whiter than any teeth she had ever seen. She noticed as the man's eyes flicked down to her boots and back up to her face again.
It was obvious what he wanted. But why?
"Who are you?" She asked the man before her. "And what do you want?"
The green suited man grinned, "Please, Dorothy. Don't make yourself out to be an imbecile; you know very well what it is I want and as for who I am." He dropped into an over exaggerated bow, "I am the Riddler. Prince of Puzzles, King of Conundrums and certified genius!"
Dorothy heard a scoff coming from the man on her right, Scarecrow didn't looked pleased with this Riddler fellow.
"Genius? Hardly, you are merely a freak with a love for riddles and an obsessive compulsive need for attention."
The Riddler's eyes rolled, "I should have expected this from you, Scarecrow."
Scarecrow growled but the Riddler just continued talking.
"No matter. We have some important business to discuss. If you answer my three riddles, you may pass."
Two-Face stared at him, "And if we fail?"
"You die. Naturally."
Dorothy quickly stepped up towards the self-proclaimed Prince of Puzzles, to find out if he could be reasoned with.
"Uh, is there any room for a compromise? Like, isn't death just the tiniest bit extreme?"
The Riddler laughed, "I'm terribly sorry, dear. I don't make the rules."
"Then who does?" Dorothy asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Tsk tsk. I'm the one who asks the questions here."
"It's Joker isn't it?"
The Riddler prodded Dorothy's chest and pushed her back until she was back with Two-Face and Scarecrow, "You're very persistent, good trait to have. Not very useful here though, I'm afraid"
Dorothy frowned and her hand made to move toward one of her guns, but before she had a chance to grab one, Scarecrow placed a hand on her shoulder, telling her to stop.
"We accept your challenge. And we will beat it." He said with a growl.
The Riddler grinned and dusted down his suit, "Oh, I'm sure you won't. The first riddle, is for Two-Face" He said quickly while turning to the burned man beside Dorothy.
Two-Face took a step forward and stared right into the Riddler's eyes, "Ask away."
"What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?" The Riddler asked while rocking on his heels.
Two-Face thought about the question for a second or two before simply stating.
"A river."
The Riddler grinned and Dorothy could tell something was up, he didn't look impressed, he looked satisfied. Like he knew Two-Face would get the riddle right but why in the world would he want to let them past?
The ex-inmate's hand slowly slipped around one of her guns and she pulled it out of the holster, holding it by her side as Scarecrow stepped forward.
"Hurry up, Riddler, I haven't got all day." He spat and the Riddler rolled his eyes.
"The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it?"
Dorothy tried to think of an answer, she was going to be next and she had to find out if she had any chance of beating this guy.
The more you have, the less you see.
The less of it you see? Or less of everything you see?
Fog? When you have lots of fog you can't see anything.
Blindness?
They both fit…which one was it?
"Darkness." Scarecrow said quickly and Dorothy looked up at him.
Neither of her answers were right…this was going to be hard.
As she chewed on her lower lip and her fingers clenched around the gun in her sweaty palm, Dorothy stepped forward, ready to receive her riddle.
"Ah, Dorothy. The poor lost inmate, are you ready for your riddle?" The Riddler asked animatedly.
Dorothy took a deep breath and nodded.
"What walks on four legs, then two legs and finally three legs?"
Despite her situation Dorothy almost laughed, would a true genius really ask a riddle that had been so overused throughout history?
Practically everyone had heard that riddle at least once! Even her manic cellmate could get it right!
With an overconfident look on her face, Dorothy looked up at the Riddler.
"A human! When it's a baby it crawls on all fours, when it's an adult it walks on two legs and when they become old they use cane." She said quickly with a grin on her face, but that quickly disappeared when the Riddler shook his head.
"Very interesting response, but wrong all the same."
Dorothy's eyes widened, "What? But that is the answer! It always has been!"
"Sorry, Doll, but the answer to all three is a baby."
"Bu-but it's what I said-"
The Riddler smirked, "it's true a baby crawls on all fours but if you cut off its legs it can only move with two, give it a crutch and it can hobble along on three."
Dorothy's stomach dropped to her toes as she stared at the crazed man before her, the hand holding her pistol was shaking furiously and her knees were wobbling, "How-how can you even say something like that?" She asked, but before the Riddler could answer Scarecrow pushed Dorothy out of the way.
"She answered the riddle correctly; you have to let her pass!" He growled and the Riddler tutted him.
"You don't seem to realise Scarecrow, this is my game and that means my riddles…and my answers."
Two-face yelled and started running up to the green suited man with murder in his eyes but before he had time to even lay a hand on him, the Riddler calmly pulled out a gun and pointed it at Dorothy.
"Careful Two-face. You don't want to lose another one." He said mockingly and both Dorothy's companions backed away, "Good boys."
The young woman before the gun was trying her hardest not to cry, she could feel tears trying to fall but held them in, a small whimper escaped her lips. Her breath stopped as the man before her began fingering the trigger, a sadistic smile on his face.
"And the answer to your question Dorothy. Is that it's not my baby."
A gunshot echoed through the streets of Gotham and a body fell to the ground with a sickening thud.
Somewhere in a warehouse far from where the dead person lay the Joker could be heard laughing as he watched blood spill on the pavement through his enchanted gasoline drum.
His peals of laughter disturbed the henchmen lurking in the room, but they were all far too terrified to say anything and just watched as their employer fell off his chair and rolled around on the floor like the madman he was.