Selina went straight to bed after you made it home. It was over; Carmine Falcone was dead. You'd be lucky if you still had your job after a week. Sitting on the kitchen counter, you idly listened to the tv news broadcasting the events that just unfolded in front of you. Batman had given Carmine to the police, and if you looked in the background, you would be able to see yourself on the screen.

Your apartment was quiet. It was a nice change of pace from the crazy that's been going on. One of the cats started fighting with another over a toy before running away—that made you laugh. Fishing out your phone, you checked your notifications–one new message from Bruce Wayne.

                                                                                                                                                                                     It's okay!

                                                                              Don't worry about it, I'm sure there's enough on your plate

Yeah, haha.

I was thinking maybe we could meet up sometime?

I really need a break, it would be nice to relax after everything that's happened.

Coffee, lunch, or dinner? Your pick.

...

Hello?

With everything going on, you didn't have time to reply! You typed on the keyboard.

                                                                                                                                    I'm sorry! Something came up...

                                                                                                                                                              Would dinner work?

A ball rolled across the floor and hit the counter that you were seated on. One of the cats looked up at you and stretched his paws in your direction. Leaning down, you gave him a pat before he took off with the toy ball. Your phone buzzed again.

Dinner sounds perfect. I'll let you know on the date soon.

Speaking of dates, am I finally going to learn the name of my mystery date?

                                                                                      Mmmm sorry,
I guess you'll have to find out at dinner ;)

Finally feeling like going to sleep yourself, you turned off your phone and went into your bedroom so that you could be done with this horrible day.

You would not be going to bed that night.

Your room was still trashed from when they took Annika, but Selina had made slight improvements from when she cleaned the broken furniture. Other than that, everything was in place...except for a red envelope that presented itself on your pillowcase. It was addressed to no one, but there was a small heart drawn onto the middle of the paper. Opening it revealed a cute card with a cartoon surgeon performing surgery. It read, 'What's yours but cannot be held?' Opening the card revealed the punchline, 'My heart!,' but there was extra writing inside. In sloppy handwriting was an address.

Paranoid, you started looking around your room for anything that could give you a hint as to how this got here. Nothing looked suspicious. Nothing was out of place. Checking the rest of the apartment yielded the same result. Looking back at the card, you stared at the little address for a very long time. You knew it was wrong and tried to talk yourself out of it, but you had already made up your mind.

Back in your catsuit and mask for the umpteenth time tonight, you crept out of the house and made your way to the address on your motorcycle with a navigation map telling you where to go. It ended up being an apartment complex right next to the IceBerg Lounge. Following the room number on the card led you to a police taped door—no entry. 'Was this...where The Riddler was?' Mind racing, you had to take a moment to rationalize this. Did he send you the card? Why would he want you here? Why would he want you? Making up your mind, you left the apartment complex and stood in front of the IceBerg Lounge to scope it out. Looking up to the building, you saw broken glass; it was the same window that Batman had propelled himself to. The area was dead empty–officers weren't around–so you made your way around looking for a better way inside. Finding a fire escape led you to a conveniently open window that should be the apartment number listed on the card. Crawling inside, you stood in a dark, dingy bathroom. You could not have prepared yourself for what was on the other side of the bathroom door. Quietly opening the door, you saw the entire room filled to the brim with—I don't know—nonsense?

Papers cluttered every surface, there were weird torture contraptions strewn about, photos were tacked onto the wall, and there was shit (literally mouse shit) all over the place. Not daring to touch anything there, you went into the next room, which happened to be his bed room...and what a psycho! The room was surprisingly clean, although the bed was messy, but his closet was a nightmare. Hidden behind some jackets was a shrine...with your photos. Some were printed from your various social medias, but most were taken from Polaroids of his point of view. There were pictures of you in your work outfit in the club, some were taken while you were out and about doing errands, but there was one of you asleep in your own bed. There were two more photos to look at. One was a selfie of the Riddler with Phil Colson, who had a bomb strapped around his neck, terrified. The last photo pinned up was a standalone selfie of the Riddler, unmasked, with the caption 'Surprise! <3.' It was the man that you helped that night in the club while you were undercover for Batman. The same guy that had helped you get away from the D.A. when he was making you uncomfortable. You couldn't believe this...

"Hey! What're you doin' in here!?"

A man's voice yelled from the other room. Jumping out of your skin, you looked around the room. The bedroom was empty. You figured that the man hadn't spotted you; crouching low to the ground, you listened. Lights from a flashlight flickered from behind the cracked bedroom door.

"Hey man, I don't think you should be touching that," the same man said. Quiet rustling followed. "Boy, this guys a real nut job, huh? Killing Mitchell with a friggin' carpet tool...not to mention his creepy shrine." There was a pause and the light moved away, then, "My uncle's a—He's an installer. You know, it's a...oh, you know. It's a...a tucker." The light shifted again, followed by frantic movement of furniture. Daring to take a peak, you saw Batman crouched on the floor; he was peeling back the carpet. The cop beside him tried to stop him, weakly, but ultimately let him finish. The lights focused on something on the ground, leaving the rest of the room dark. Gaining confidence, you stood up and slowly crept out of the room.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

The two men whipped around instantly, startled. The cop quickly drew his weapons, but Batman covered the barrel and tipped it down. The caped crusader let out a sigh.

"What are you doing here?" Batman asked.

"Wait—you know her?" The cop cut in. Both of you ignored him.

"Someone snuck in my room and left me a little present," you said, handing over the envelope. Batman opened it and looked at its contents; his face darkened. "Have you checked his bedroom?" Batman shook his head but the officer nodded.

"Yeah, real weirdo," the cop said. "Has pictures of this girl everywhere. Believe me when I say you do not wanna look under his bed." You cocked a brow but dropped it. Batman quickly brushed past you to look inside the bedroom; you followed. You pointed out the closet and Batman broke the clothing rack with how roughly he moved the jackets. The shrine was on full display. Batman took his time analyzing each photograph—he looked angry.

"Man, I feel bad for whoever that girl is," the cop whistled. You pulled your mask off and blankly stared at him. The officer looked as if he saw a ghost. "My bad, ma'am," he apologized. You left the room and the two men followed.

In the main area, the carpet was pulled up to reveal a crude drawing of the city with the words 'A REAL CHANGE' scrawled out. You pointed out the small red heart that The Riddler had drawn—that was yours and Selena's apartment. Batman turned to the computer and started typing in a box that asked for a password.

>A REAL CHANGE

...

>>ACCESS DENIED.

Batman furrowed his brow and started typing more, but each entry yielded the same result. Placing a hand on his shoulder, you gently asked, "Can I try?" Batman took a step back, giving you space to type. You typed in your name that you gave customers at the lounge and...

>>ACCESS GRANTED.

A video immediately started playing. The Riddler was talking to some viewers; they left comments on the side. "Hey guys. Uh, thanks for all the comments and, uh, a special thanks to everyone for the tips on detonators," he started, voice normal. "And a special hello to this...girl. You know who you are." Batman put a hand on your shoulder protectively as you stared, eyes wide. "I just wanted to say...this will be my last post for a little while, and, uh..." He started getting a little choked up. "What this community has meant to me...these weeks, these months...let's just say that none of us is alone anymore. Okay?"

"Jesus," the cop commented.

"Tomorrow's Election Day," he laughed. "...and Bella Reál will win. She promised real change. But we know the truth, don't we?" Riddler grabbed his camera and got close to it. "You've seen Gotham's true face now. Together, we've unmasked it. Its corruption, its perversion, masquerading under the guise of renewal." Batman stiffened. "But unmasking is not enough... the Day of Judgement is finally upon us." The camera flipped to show the floor that was just behind you; he was showing his viewers the map. "And now it is time... for retribution." Batman and the cop started examining the floor; you took a peek but continued to watch the video instead. "I've parked seven vans all along the city sea wall...and on the big night, they will go boom."

As The Riddler uttered the last word, a giant explosion went off nearby. Rushing to the window, clouds of fire and smoke erupted into the air. More soon followed.

"When the vans blow," he continued. "...the flooding will happen so fast, evacuation will not be an option. Those who are not washed away will race through the streets in terror."

"Call Gordon," Batman quietly ordered. The officer fumbled for his phone.

"As breaking news hits higher ground at Gotham Square Garden, celebrations will turn to panic as the venue becomes the city's shelter of last resort. And that's," you turned back to the monitor to see that he switched it back to his face. "...where all of you come in."

The comments were filled with all sorts of horrible questions and suggestions; 'what gauge? what caliber?' 'Rifles are good,' and 'don't forget your Cling Wrap!' were some of the ones you glossed over.

"My dear—" he said quietly into the mic. "—I know that you're watching." It felt like he was looking through the screen and at you. "And I need you to do something very special for me, okay? Stay at the address I gave to you. I made sure that area would be safe just for you. Please, stay." He had gotten a tad emotional but cleared his throat before continuing. "Now, when the time arrives, I will already be unmasked. The pigs will have me in their custody, but that's okay. Because then it will be your turn. You'll be there, waiting. It's time for the lies to finally end—false promises of renewal? Change? We'll give them reaaal, real change now." His voice was booming into the mic, "We've spent our lives in this wretched place suffering! Wondering 'Why us?' Now they will spend their last moment wondering 'Whyyy them?'"

Batman whispered, "Follow me," as he slid his hand from your shoulder to your hand, pulling you along. You slipped on your mask.

"I can't get through! The lines are down—" the office said, but it was only him in the room.

=======================================================