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Chapter 29: Batman Isn't Like This!
"I heard Kid likes to mimic voices, so I built a little toy."
Riddler pulled a voice modulator from the bag. "Sounded authentic, didn't it?"
He stood up, keeping a safe distance from Robin, who was struggling to stay on his hands and knees.
"I injected you with a sedative the moment you walked in," Riddler gloated.
"Damn it... a trap..." Robin glared up at him. "The riddle... it was just a lure!"
"Tsk tsk. Don't look so sour. You think I lied? I don't lie about riddles!" Riddler sneered. "You just got the answer wrong."
Wrong?
Robin's mind reeled. If the answer wasn't the harbor, why were the thugs here? Why was Riddler here?
"I set this trap for someone else," Riddler admitted. "Kid was supposed to fall for it. But you beat him to it. I honestly expected you to take until the last day. You're smarter than the last Robin."
This was for Kid?
Robin felt a pang of worry. Kid... don't come here. It's a dead end. Even as his consciousness faded, Robin worried for the thief and the hostage.
"Well, since you're here... let's see who is under that mask." Riddler stepped forward, reaching for the domino mask. "Once I know who you are, I'll know Batman..."
BANG!
A massive crash shook the container.
Riddler froze. He looked at the entrance.
A thick, muscular arm clad in black armor with spiked gauntlets gripped the edge of the steel door and ripped it open.
"No... Impossible!"
Riddler's pupils dilated. He knew that arm.
He's not in Gotham! Why is he here?!
The door swung wide, revealing the terrifying, towering silhouette of the Dark Knight.
"B-Batman!" Riddler stammered, fear gripping his heart. But he held his ground. "So what if you're here?! I have countermeasures!"
Riddler stomped on a floor pedal.
Click.
Four machine gun turrets dropped from the ceiling and walls, aiming at the door.
"DIE, BATMAN!"
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
The container filled with deafening noise and smoke for a full minute. When the guns finally clicked empty, Riddler looked at the door.
Empty.
No blood. No body.
He vanished?
Riddler backed away, checking a monitor that showed a 360-degree view of the container's exterior.
Nothing. Batman wasn't there.
"He... he just left?"
It didn't make sense. Batman wouldn't just appear, scare him, and leave without saving Robin or capturing him.
"This isn't right... The Batman I know would have appeared behind me while I was monologuing, whispered 'Because I'm Batman,' and punched my lights out! That is proper procedure!"
Riddler felt a strange sense of betrayal.
"Whatever. He abandoned Robin. That means their bond is weak."
Riddler turned back to the unconscious Boy Wonder. He reached for the mask again.
He froze.
His hand hovered over the boy's face. He started to tremble with rage.
The "Robin" lying on the floor... was a dummy.
A high-quality, realistic dummy. But up close, it was obviously fake.
Riddler realized everything. The "Batman" was a distraction. In the split second of chaos before the guns fired, the real Robin had been swapped.
"PHANTOM THIEF KID!!!" Riddler screamed. "You despicable cheat! You said midnight! It's not even 6 PM!"
Nearby Warehouse.
Darren gently set the unconscious Robin on the floor.
"Phew. That was close. You almost got doxxed, kid."
Darren stripped off the padded, oversized "Batman" costume he had hastily worn, revealing his white suit underneath.
"Still fits better."
Kid adjusted his monocle.
"Riddler should be realizing he's been played right about now. He might move up the execution."
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