DC:The Darkest Knight

"No, no, no, this isn't how it's supposed to happen!" Riddler shouted in frustration, stomping his foot like a child throwing a tantrum.

"You were supposed to go through my carefully and ingeniously crafted trials, fail miserably, and admit that I'm smarter and better than you, that I'm superior," Riddler said as he turned his gun from Selina to me.

"But you, like a mindless brute, just smash everything with your muscles. Can't you see I'm doing this for everyone? Those stupid people need someone like me to guide them. It's my duty as the smartest man alive. I need—" he began to rumble about his reasoning.

"I don't care," I cut him off.

"What?"

"I don't care; I really don't. You're just a fucked-up, narcissistic psychopath doing whatever he wants; don't deny it; own it like a man. Don't hide behind excuses like it's your duty, because you must, or Daddy used to spank you. It's all bullshit; you know it, I know it, he knows it."

"I'm not a psychopath; I'm a superiorly intelligent human, a gift to humanity."

Ignoring him, I lifted my foot to step forward, but he shot at the spot where my foot had been.

"Stop right there, Dark Knight, or our billionaire friend will have an early Christmas," Riddler warned, waving his detonator.

"It's trillionaire." Bruce Wayne, who had been quietly watching everything, corrected him.

"What?" Riddler turned towards Bruce Wayne with a confused look.

"I'm a trillionaire, not just a billionaire. Just because my life is in your hands doesn't give you the right to undermine my achievements. It makes you look petty, as if you're jealous of me," Bruce Wayne said with a calm voice, but his face said something else since he looked really offended.

"The man's right, little man. You need to show more respect to those above you," I added, standing beside Riddler, who was too distracted to notice me.

With my large shadow looming over his small figure, Riddler turned his head, only to see my stomach because of our height difference.

Slowly, he looked up, only to see my nightmare-like face. Fear washed over him, and his body began to tremble as his pupils shook in terror.

He tried to press the detonator, but I grabbed his hand and crushed it along with the detonator.

*BANG*

"AHHH!" he screamed as the gun in his hand fired, hitting Selina in the shoulder, but she was unharmed thanks to her suit.

"What..." Feeling the impact, Selina woke up confused and looked around until she spotted me.

When our eyes met, she quickly looked away and lay back down.

I will deal with her later.

I lifted Riddler and ripped his shirt open to see the device on his chest, which showed his heartbeat and had a timer on it.

He connected his heartbeat to the bombs under Bruce Wayne and added a timer as a backup.

"Stop wasting my time; give me the code," I demanded, shaking him as he cried out in pain from his hand.

"If you're so clever, you overgrown baboon, figure it out yourself," Riddler said, grinning through clenched teeth.

Not wanting to entertain this imbecile any longer, I let go of his hand, and as he fell, I grabbed the back of his head and slammed it into the wall.

"The bombs," I asked my Bruce Wayne robot.

"Just empty shells; nanobugs have already defused them."

"Good, head back to Wayne Tower and make a statement about the situation. Say Gotham belongs to no one, and they can't take it down as long as Wayne's alive." After giving my orders, I turned to Selina and nudged her with my foot.

"Oi, wake up."

She opened one eye, glanced at me, sighed, and got up.

Then she gave me a silly smile and waved.

"Hey Bruce, what a coincidence to see you here."

"How did you end up here?" I simply asked her. I deliberately didn't watch how she got captured because I wanted her to tell me.

I wanted to surprise myself with her stupidity.

"Well, everything was going great, you know. I was beautifully and elegantly beating some bad guys and destroying bombs like candy bars on Halloween until the last one. After I defused the last bomb, some goons appeared. I beat a few of them, but one of them suddenly threw a bomb at me. I wanted to make a cool move and catch the bomb and throw it back, but what I didn't take into account was that the bomb was actually a sleeping gas. It exploded right in front of me, and I accidentally inhaled some," she said, giving me a shy smile and tilting her head to look cute.

And kids, that's why you should always wear a full-face mask if you're going to risk your life fighting psychopaths.

"What did I tell you?"

"But I already explained what happened; it wasn't my fault."

"What did I tell you, Selina?" I demanded again, this time more forcefully.

"Actions have consequences, and never disobey you," she replied, lowering her head in shame, her voice barely above a whisper.

"And what did you do?"

"Disobey you."

"You are too inexperienced against enemies that think outside the box, too overconfident to stop and think, and too arrogant to listen. You're not a child, and I'm not your mother, Selina. I won't clean up your mess.This will be the last time you disobey me. Repeat it, and you'll be on your own from now on. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Selina answered, her voice shaky as she trembled and tears fell from her eyes.

I bent down, picked up Riddler, and threw him over my shoulder.

"You'll be banned from entering the Batcave for 3 months, and I will confiscate your suit for a month."

"Thank you," Selina said, still teary-eyed.

She knew that protesting further would only worsen her punishment because she knows better than anyone that once I make a decision, nothing will change my mind.

Of course, my beloved wife is the only exception.

***

Riddler slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Suddenly, he winced in pain, clutching his wrist to ease the discomfort in his hand.

"Wh...where am I?" he whispered, scanning the room. He then noticed me sitting on the bed and instinctively backed into a corner out of fear, forgetting the pain in his hand.

"Stay away from me, you monster!" he yelled, trembling and avoiding eye contact.

"Cut the act, Edward. You're not afraid of me, not yet," I said, and Riddler dropped his cowardly act and got up.

"Just as I expected from my less intelligent nemesis," he said with a proud face, puffing out his chest as he surveyed the area.

"Hmm, looks like we're in a psych ward, not a recently built one, it seems, and there is complete silence around us and this logo on the wall; if I'm right—and I always am—we're in Arkham Asylum, a place for the mentally unstable. Not for someone like me, who is mentally superior. But I'll let this slide since it's clearly a mistake on your part to put me here, Batman."

"You love to hear yourself talk, don't you?" Getting up, I grabbed his good hand and lifted him up before crushing it just like his other hand.

"AHHHHH."

"But I don't, so shut up," I said as I tossed his body aside before sitting back on the bed.

"This isn't just a psych ward in Arkham Asylum; it's a psych ward specifically designed for you. Through the speaker, you'll hear every riddle known to man, and you'll have 10 seconds to answer. Get it right, and nothing happens. Get it wrong, and you'll face consequences. The temperature will change, itching powder will be released, fear toxin will fill the room, you'll be starved, loud screeching noises will echo, or my favorite, the two guards outside will have 10 minutes to do whatever they want with you. They can beat you, insult you, or... love you," I said, as Riddler glanced nervously at the glass door where two men stood.

Feeling a gaze on them, one of them, a large bald Black man, turned and winked at Riddler, who flinched and quickly looked away. He looked down, instinctively grabbed his backside, and took a few deep breaths to steady himself before smiling at me.

Looking at his stupid smiling face, I picked up the pillow beside me and tossed it at him. He instinctively raised his hand to block it, but instead of protecting himself, he ended up hurting himself more. He let out a pained scream and curled up with tears in his eyes while I immersed myself in the joy of his suffering.

"You just can't stop disappointing me, Batman. I'm called Riddler for a reason, you know. But this isn't your fault. I should never have expected more from anyone who isn't me," Riddler said through clenched teeth while sweat poured down from his body. Despite his calm act, he was in immense pain.

"Ten seconds is far less than you think, Edward. But don't worry; those riddles are just appetizers, a way to get you warmed up. Once you finish those, you will answer the riddles of an AI that will create riddles endlessly. Riddles that have never been heard before. Even someone like you, who claims to be the smartest, would take more than ten seconds to solve a riddle that has never been heard of." I stood up and moved closer to him, while Riddler backed away until he hit the wall.

Bringing my face closer to his face, I grabbed the top of his head to force him to look me in the eye as the lower part of my mask transformed into a completely black mouth with sharp teeth in it.

"This place will be your grave. Every morning, you will wake up to a nightmare that never ends. You will be trapped here forevermore until your last breath, alone with the endless pain and fear you felt, begging for the sweet release of death, a mercy you will not get," I whispered.

My voice more demonic than usual, and as the realization hit him, the color drained from Riddler's face. His teeth chattered as he tried to shut his eyes while tears streamed down his face.

I held his eyelids open, forcing him to look into my eyes as I looked deep into his fear-filled, trembling pupils.

"You will be forgotten; not even a memory of you will be left. Your screams will be the symphony of your suffering."

He cried while wetting himself and opened his mouth to scream just as I teleported away when the light flickered, leaving Riddler to his eternal torment.