In The Web Of Gotham

Field Work

Once the two began assessing the damages, Nightwing immediately began surveying the scene. Once the searing heat of the blaze and the hellish glow of fire had subsided, it was easier to get a full scope of the state the building was in before and during the inferno's burn time. The first place to look was the fire suppression system, trying to check to see if there were any forms of sabotage that could contribute to the extent of the damage.

"Hop onto the ceiling, follow the suppression system duct to find the central tanks. Report back if you find any damages lines or anything suspicious," Nightwing instructed, as the Spider themed hero maneuvers his slim frame onto the walls and then the ceiling. Examining the fluid lines along the interior as he went.

"The lines here are intact, going to try and find the main tank!" Spider-Man shouted down as he went to the large central vent. Using his bare hands to pry the bars open enough for him to crawl into. Snaking into the bowels of the building, like his namesake. The hollow sound of metallic bangs and booms as the weight of Spider-Man shifted into various different spaces of the ventilation system.

Once he got to the central suppression storage tanks, he was confused to say the least. He expected labels to indicate the foaming potassium salts and CO² in the respective tanks and canisters. Instead, he was seeing containers that looked more at home at an arsonist's happy place. Hazard labels that had risk ratings high in flammability, combustion ratings and the like. Hooked up to the systems meant to safeguard the building from being set on fire. In the tank connected to the sprinkler system, Peter could smell the benzene from where he stood.

The sweet smell of fuel for most conventional vehicles. It was a tank filled nearly to the brim with gasoline. Looking over to the tank meant to house the CO2, Peter could see the tank indicative of some sort of combustible and extremely flammable gas. CH4, it was methane. Spider-Man also saw that the tank that held the methane was also hooked into the tank that held the gasoline. Pressurizing the gasoline with even more flammability before it gets dispersed through the entire facility. Potentially dousing a warehouse full of chemical nightmares with a way to set it up in flames to send the city into a panic.

While Spider-Man was investigating the fire suppression system, Nightwing decided to investigate the rest of the warehouse. Taking into account the rest of the warehouse. He was looking up and down the shelves, trying to figure out what the play here is from Scarecrow.

"This places looks mostly intact from being freshly fire bombed. Wonder how that's possible," Nightwing contemplated to himself. He was also beginning to notice that many of the hermetically sealed chemical containers were...shattered. Pieces of the plastic scattered around the floor and surrounded by the scorched soot of what could only be described as explosions. The top lids somehow being intact, thrown off to the side from the rest of the tanks.

Since when was scare explosive? Has it always been explosive? He thought to himself as he walked up to a container, still intact. Leveraging one of the intact large plastic chemical bins open to look inside. Expecting to find the sickly deep yellow liquid form of the Scare drug. Instead he found...they contained no drugs. Instead, he saw a black fine powder filling the container. Tamped down to fill this container to the brim, as much explosive power as can possibly. Nightwing also saw that the lid he just removed has a thin string and wire attached to it going into the container of gunpowder. After the the strong was pulled, he swore...he could hear ticking.

A timer began ticking down, and he could put two and two together. Seconds suddenly became minutes as Nightwing began formulating a plan. All at once, Nightwing went into calculated survivor mode, as Spider-Man came back with the bizarre news from his investigation.

"The fire suppression system got rigged into a fire acceleration system!" Spider-Man exclaimed.

"The containers of Scare were emptied out, turned into giant black powder bombs with timers wired and bolted into the lids. We have to get out of here," Nightwing said calmly, as he turned to evade the blast. Spider-Man ran back towards the building. A sudden ripping sound being heard as Spiderman quickly came back, lugging a large red tank of liquid on his back.

"What are you doing?!" Nightwing called out as Spider-Man positioned the tank over the container of gunpowder. Slamming his fist into the tank, puncturing a hole and letting the liquid fuel rush out and flood into the gunpowder filled container.

"Taking advantage of this jacked up fire suppression system. Gasoline itself isn't flammable, but the fumes are. And once gunpowder gets soaked, it becomes useless until it's been fully dried. The powder is densely packed enough, so it should absorb most of the vapor from the gasoline and trap it inside. Meanwhile, the gasoline soaks and coats the individual grains of gunpowder. Making it unable to ignite and explode. On top of all of that!" Spider-Man explained as once the tank was empty, he took the lid and slammed it back on. Resealing the container in its airtight capacity.

"Even if whatever spark is in the container ignites that gasoline, it'll have to burn through the gas first before the powder can explode. But the gasoline burning makes CO2, which will kill the flames anyways," Spider-Man said simply afterwards.

"Wow...that's really impressive. You really used properties of basic ballistics and flammability to stop a bomb from going off," Nightwing said with an impressed tone.

"I mean...in comparison to what Crane is doing, it's basic chemistry," Spider-Man explained as the two evaluated their discoveries.

"Among his injuries, Ian Hall had electrical and chemical burns. The fire suppression system was substituted for some sort of scorched earth protocol. The containers for the drugs were rigged to explode, seemingly giving the spark that would ignite the flammable materials in the system. What does that mean?" Spider-Man asked.

"Hall obviously set off the first blast, getting blown back into the fuse box. Getting severe electric burns along his body. Scarecrow came in, megadosed Ian Hall with fear toxin which essentially paralyzed him with nightmarish hallucinations. That timer was set for about a minute and a half. Giving Scarecrow enough time to set off the sprinklers and leave. The next bomb went off, and Ichabod Pharmaceutical went up in flames and smoke. But Scarecrow can just simply-"

"Take the huge amount of insurance money and relocate the bulk loads of Scare he had to move to somewhere more opportune," Spider-Man surmised, sensing the pattern connecting.

"Opportune for him? Or for this mysterious kingpin?" Nightwing asked.

"Chances are 50/50, but I think I know who we might be able to ask," Spider-Man said.

"Who?" Nightwing asked.

"These are airtight strategies that play the legal system like a violin. We need the man who became the courtroom's concerto," Spider-Man said.