#dc gotham

Edward groaned softly, looking over his various statements and files. An uncomfortable amount of time was spent to painstakingly transferring his physical library of documents into a private hardrive of documents. After an incident he didn’t want to remember, it was just the safest option so as not to lose anything else.

He glanced out his window at Gotham below. He was affluent enough to have a townhouse, something actually comfortable was a minor rarity in this hellscape but thanks to crime levels, rent hardly put a dent in his pocket if he even noticed. He sat back as another massive .zip file got uploaded, startling slightly as Query walked in.

“Late night, boss man?” she asked, as she set down the file next to the copier. She placed down a mug of coffee next to him.

“Quite. … can’t believe we lost so much in that fire.” Edward mumbled, taking the drink. He inspected it briefly out of habit before drinking some.

“You have this whole big operation now… hard to see how it started.” Query said, loosely gesturing to the mountain of papers surrounding Edward.

“… why don’t I spin you a tale? This download is taking forever and I’d rather hear myself talk.” he laughed at the end of the statement, the quiet irony, before turning back to Query. “Long before there was a Riddler or even a Joker… I was a software engineer.”

“I worked for a dime a dozen tech company here in Gotham, because I saw the value in knowing code and cyber security. In a way, I suppose, Python and C++ were their own ‘riddles’ to solve and manipulate but it wasn’t truly satisfying. It paid rent, that was the only true benefit to working there… especially since Jervis was my coworker.”

“You worked with The Mad Hatter?” Query asked, genuinely invested now.

“Yes, I did. He was hardware, I was software. Hence why now his contraptions are poorly coded hardware and my work is well-encrypted viruses and malware… software.” Edward explained, casually and dismissively waving his hand.

“Sorry- boss man. Keep going.” She said, sitting down.

“Where was I… oh yes. I worked there for a few years, until I created a security system that practically shattered the current market. In my naivety I presented it to my boss who gleefully took all credit and fired me on the spot.” Edward sighed, venom lacing his words “The fat rat didn’t even consider the implication of sacking the person who made the security system meant I could just as easily mess it up.”

“Naturally, I inacted my revenge against the idiot and in the process of having full access to his computer, I found quite a treasure trove of documents. At the time, I printed for safety because a paper document cannot be hacked or erased. With that I found a new way to pay my bills, blackmail. Yes, I was able to get thousands from unsuspecting souls who didn’t want their crimes made public and in that time I adopted the moniker of The Riddler from an old puzzle book.” Edward said, pausing to take a sip of coffee.

“So… is there a world where you were never a supervillain?” Query asked, leaning forward.

“Yes, I suppose. But thats a dull world.” Edward said with a smirk.

“Yeah… guess so. So like- how did you go from a blackmailer to a bank heist guy?” Query said.

“Oh, my dear,.. you remind me why you’re ‘Query’ everyday. Regardless- I will explain. So, I was doing fine and well but at about the 3 month mark the Joker came onto the scene and at that same time I found some delicious dirt on one Oswald Cobblepot-“

“PENGUIN?!” Query exclaimed

“… yea.” Edward confirmed “I was able to completely pin him and his company for several murders and intended to just blackmail him like the rest… until he surprised me. He asked to meet in person to discuss the ‘changing wave of crime’. I agreed and met him at the Iceberg lounge in a green suit and a cheap mask.”

“He told me that my skill could be useful in a heist he was planning to put himself on the ‘costumed criminal map’ as The Penguin. … I offered my services as an outside agent, and once we found a good deal I was suddenly quite the busy man. Rogues from amateur to professional would ask for my hacking and technology prowess. But I wanted more, my own spotlight untethered by others. So now that I’d amassed a hefty bank account I started big. Hired some henchmen, sent the police a riddle, and did a heist all my own.” Edward said, gesturing to a police incident report he had framed.

“Then… why chase after the bat?” Query asked, still fully curious about Edward finally talking about his past.

“The Bat is the only person I can actually match wits to. I mean- the GCPD is a bunch of overgrown apes with guns, most Rogues are too insane for riddles, and the robins would rather dislocate my jaw. The bat though? ‘World’s Greatest Detective’… laughable, but a title I want to strip him of. One day, I assure you, the Bat will fall to me. Just as Gotham will, and everyone will know me, not him, as the smartest man in Gotham.”

“Think your file is done.” Query said, snapping Edward back to the present.

He spun around in his desk chair and smiled, quickly organising the files and put the new folder on the copier to slowly transfer over. He sighed and turned back to Query.

“Well. I won’t keep you. Have a good night, don’t get hit by a car.” Edward said dismissively as the stack of papers slowly trickled in, got copied, and trickled out.

“Night.” Query said, waving her goodbye.

Based on a scene from suits.

Edward stands in the mirror, adjusting his question mark cufflinks anse making sure his tie is straight. He takes pride in this specific shade of kelly green and the carefully chosen purple to complement it. Harvey and Harv come out in thier perfectly bisected suit, ready for the negotiation that Edward hired them for. Who better to have than a lawyer?

Then there was Jon. … in a flannel and jeans.

“What the hell are you wearing?” Edward asked in an accusatory tone.

“… clothes.” Jon answered in a deadpan manner.

“This is an upscale Italian restaurant, Crane. Flannel isn’t gonna it.” Harv spoke in his raspy tone.

“Exactly. Find some old thing from your time as a psych.” Edward said offhandedly.

“I- I didn’t wear a suit then.” Jon said, a little confused.

“What did you wear? A sweater vest?” Edward said sarcastically.

“No… no. Flannel and jeans.” Jon shrugs.

“You gotta be kidding us.” Harvey groaned.

Edward storms downstairs to where Jon stays in his basement. It’s a long story. He rifled through the closet finding only flannels, denim, and burlap. Until he found a hidden away little suit jacket and pants with a white undershirt and even a tie pin.

“What about this?” Edward said as he walked back up with the ensemble.

Jon tensed, looking like the garment was a personal offence. “N-no… best not to.”

“That wasn’t an option, it was a command. Put on the damn suit, I’m not accepting no unless it’s unsanitary or ripped.” Edward said firmly.

“Even then…” Harvey trailed off.

“Kinda is.” Jon said sheepishly, “I stole it off a… cadaver.”

Edward drops the suit like it was physically on fire. Wash hands, immediately.

“Crane…” Harvey sighed

“WHAT?!” Jon protested.

“Jonathan… I have seen you eat dead spiders, twist your body in ways that should be impossible, and inject yourself with enough fear to shortcircuit your survival instinct. … but stealing a suit off a corpse? And not even using it?!” Edward’s voice was incredulous.

How was he living with this man, and better yet why? He knew the gimmick of the Scarecrow but even then why strip a corpse for a suit that belonged in 1982. It might not even fit considering Jon’s height and build.

“Look- I don’t do ‘fancy’.” Jon said slightly more firm.

Gotham is used to chemical warfare. Between Joker, Scarecrow, Bane, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze and probably a hundred minor rogues… there’s always a reason to carry a gas mask. Your average Gotham woman’s purse looked apocalyptic compared to someone from Central City or Metropolis. That’s why no one cared when a new red gas seeped out from the sewers.

Least of all the Scarecrow himself. His costume had a built-in gas mask, and full skin coverage. So what if some other halfwit is playing with chemicals? All the more distractions for the bat until he can perfect this new strain.

It only really occurred to him that this was an inconvenience when Edward stumbled in, in pure desperation. Jonathan knows his friend, and knows that that narcissistic lime-coloured nitwit doesn’t do ‘disheveled’ nor ‘weak’.

“The- the gas… how are you not affected?!” Edward coughed between gasping breaths

“Thats obvious.” Jonathan replied

“Yes, yes. You’re ‘fearless’ both fear has no part in this so stop lying to me.” Edward spoke through gritted teeth.

“I figure… the gas mask on my face. What else?” Jonathan shrugged. “What’s happening.”

“A gas started leaking from the sewer. It’s making random people go bloodthirsty in seconds.”

“That’s… less than ideal.”

“LESS THEN IDEAL?! There’s mobs of irrational animals on the streets. Unless you somehow have a fortress, this is more than ‘less then ideal’.”

“And why aren’t you affected? You don’t have much of a fuse.” Jonathan commented with a sarcastic huff.

“Like any sane person, I carry a gasmask.” Edward explained, “One of those cretins ripped it off me, so I made due with layers of fabric.”

Jonathan sighed softly and handed Edward one of his spare gas masks. He didn’t need Edward as a rage-machine, no matter how scrawny he is. He only has so many sedative needles.

“I figure the Bat is running through his gallery about who did it.” Jonathan commented idly.

“You think he’ll suspect you?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.”

“Did you?”

“Obviously not.“

Edward sighs softly and finds a place to sit. They both know that Jonathan’s lair is far from secure from a rampage. It’s just a random abandoned dock house, not something like a proper safe house.

“Well, what now?” Edward asked.

“How should I know? Neither of us are equipped for going out into an angry mob.” Jonathan countered.

“True… but y’know who is?” Edward prompted.

“… a riot squad?”

“No! Well… no- no. Waylon.”

“Waylon lives in the sewers!”

“And he’s a behemoth. The dose for a regular person and a 7ft crocodile man is quite different.”

Jonathan sighed softly, but did think it over. Waylon could handle a lot and maybe he was fine, but doubts were quickly forming.

“Fine then.” Jonathan agreed.