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Chapter 30: I Don't Have That Kind of American Time
"Why?"
As Kid turned to leave, a weak voice came from the floor. Robin struggled to lift his head.
"Kid... why save me? You exposed yourself. Riddler knows you're here now."
"True. He'll probably say I broke the rules," Kid agreed.
"Then why? We are enemies."
"Huh?" Kid looked confused. "Do I need a reason to save someone? I just felt like it."
Robin fell silent. A thief saying that?
"...I searched everywhere. The hostage isn't here. We were wrong," Robin muttered. "You need to find the real location—"
"Stop right there. What do you mean 'we'?" Kid interrupted. "The only one who guessed wrong was you."
Robin's eyes widened. "What?"
"I've known where she is from the start."
"Then why are you here instead of saving her?!" Robin demanded.
"Because the location is special. I can't find it until a specific time," Kid replied cryptically.
"Can't find it?"
"Think, Detective. You got Death of a Salesman. You got Arthur Miller. Why stop there? Why didn't you go deeper?" Kid quoted, "The path to salvation lies within."
"Deeper?" Robin frowned.
"As for why I'm here..." Kid glanced at him. "I figured some eager detective would jump into the obvious trap. I didn't want the hostage count to double."
Robin was stunned. He came just for me? He predicted everything?
"I have to go. Riddler might panic and speed things up. Can you stay here alone?"
"Hmph. Get lost," Robin grunted.
"Try not to look so pathetic next time." Kid vanished.
"Kid!" Robin shouted. "I'll arrest you next time! Count on it!"
"Try me," the voice echoed back.
Somewhere Dark.
Janice Lawson woke up tied to a chair. A screen lowered, showing Riddler's face.
"Good evening, sweetie."
Janice panicked. She remembered the kidnapping. The necklace.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Relax. You don't need to talk. In twenty minutes, you will die. Buried at sea."
"MMMPH!"
"Silence!" Riddler snapped, then composed himself. "To be clear, Kid is killing you. If you weren't wearing his necklace, you'd be safe."
The screen retracted. Darkness returned.
Suddenly, Janice felt a lurch. The "room" was moving.
I'm in a vehicle?
Outside, a truck was speeding down a highway toward Miller Harbor. It was the only vehicle on the road.
"You lose, Kid!" Riddler watched the truck's feed. "I'm ending it early. You broke the rules, so I break the schedule."
Suddenly, a white dot appeared on the screen. It grew larger. A hang glider.
"Kid?! How did he find the truck?"
Riddler slowed the truck remotely, hoping Kid would fly past.
Kid flew over the truck... and then exploded in mid-air.
Boom!
The camera feed went black.
"What?!" Riddler gasped.
His comms unit beeped. It was the line connected to the truck's cabin.
"Phantom Thief Kid," Riddler hissed. "When did you know?"
"The riddle was garbage, Nygma," Kid's voice came through clear. "Robin figured out Arthur Miller and the number 35. But he missed the most important word: Death. The protagonist of the play dies in a car crash."
"So, the location wasn't a static cargo container. It was a truck, ending in 35, driving into the ocean to simulate a crash."
"Correct..." Riddler seethed. "But the truck has a bomb!"
"You mean the rectangular thing under the chassis? I already tossed it. Thanks for clearing the road, by the way."
"KID! You cheated! You said Midnight!" Riddler screamed. "It's not midnight!"
"Tsk tsk. Nygma, give up the title," Kid mocked. "Who said I was early? I said when Nyx extinguishes the torch."
"Nyx is Greek. Any child knows that."
"Exactly. So I'm using Greek time. Greece is seven hours ahead of Gotham. It's midnight right there now."
"I don't operate on American time when I'm quoting Greek Gods."
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