Exile | Continuation of Personalities | Nygmakins

Chapter Seventy

The audience gasps as they see who has vaulted himself onto the stage in front of The Riddler.

Jeremiah takes Ecco's hand and they perform a quick bow for the audience before Edward can even make it to center stage himself. He notices that Jeremiah's forced smile and the stage lights make him look even more perturbing.

And apparently, the audience feels the same way. They don't clap. Instead, they get out of their seats and try to flee.

Jeremiah holds up a remote device - clear for all to see. "No, no, good people of Gotham. You're not going anywhere - lest you want to set off one of the booby traps I've installed within this theater."

Some people sit back down, but not all of them. Some are still standing at the exits, hesitating. Edward looks up at Oswald and William - neither of them have moved.

"Hmm. . . Let's see," Jeremiah inspects the remote device carefully. "You obviously need a demonstration of my ill will."

He presses a button and suddenly, one of the doors - the one with the most people clustered around it - bursts out into the auditorium, killing everyone in its wake. The crowd watches in horror as the upper part of the theater slowly collapses into the open hole that the explosion had created. And that includes Oswald's box.

Oswald!

Edward's heart races as he watches its slow descent. If it remains slow, no one is likely to get hurt, but if it doesn't . . .

He can see Oswald start to panic, yet William, seated right beside him, remains calm - calm and fierce - locking eyes with the deranged man on stage. Jeremiah is going down if the look on William's face is any indication. If not tonight, then sometime in the future - Edward is sure of it.

But he wishes his best friend would stop panicking - he's going to upset -

And then, everything comes to a screeching halt. Literally, a screeching halt.

Oswald visibly breathes a sigh of relief as the upper part of the auditorium stops falling and accepts William's comforting hug. Edward can almost make out Oswald saying "I thought we were going to die!" as they part.

Always so dramatic, his best friend is.

Everyone who had been out of their seats now returns to them like chastised children.

"Good," Jeremiah says smugly. "Now where were we?"

"Well, you've come to The Riddle Factory, Jeremiah, so I'm assuming you're here for some Riddle Time?" Edward quips.

"I'm here to give you some information."

"Oh?" Edward looks up at Oswald and William. Both look as confused as he is.

Jeremiah holds up one of the tiniest data storage devices he's ever seen. He has Ecco place it under the heel of his boot, with a threat to crush it if Edward can't answer his riddle.

The Riddler gives him a smug grin. It's not likely that data will be lost. Jeremiah's supposed to be smart, but Edward knows he won't be able to beat him at this game. He's a man of science and engineering, not words. And there's no way he'll be able to beat him in his own house, The Riddle Factory.

"Ecco," Jeremiah lifts a hand to his partner.

She nods and tugs on The Riddler's sleeve.

"What?"

"Step up to The Wheel," she commands softly.

"What? Why?"

She cocks her head towards Jeremiah and says quietly, "Do you really want to find out what will happen if you don't?"