The Museum of Science and Technology sat still and dark. As they made their circuit the guards told each other lewd jokes. They paid more attention to the obscene hand gestures that accompanied the joke one or the other was telling, rather than their surroundings. Because their focus was not where it should be, they failed to see the figure that stepped from the shadow of the statue they had just walked past. The figure was dressed from head to toe in black, with only its eyes showing.

Waiting patiently, the figure watched as the two guards walked not a foot away to a check point. Beneath the full cowl, the figure grinned at the complacency of the guards. The two men reached the check point, each swiping his ID card into the reader. A green light flashed in unison with a beep. Satisfied, the guards moved on.

The figure stepped from the shadows and up to the magnetic reader. On the side, a small transmitter flashed. Picking it off, the figure snapped it into place in the palm held decoder. Attached to the decoder was a special card, set to mimic a magnetic strip card. The information from the ID cards of the guards was quickly downloaded onto the card. In one swipe through the handheld decoder, the card was activated, and the figured headed over to the display in the center of the hall.

On the floor, a multi-color tangram had been painted. Arranged around the tangram were a number of cases, displaying puzzles from around the world. However, it was the cases standing in the dead center of the tangram the figure was interested in. The figure swiped the card through the device directly across from the display. A beep and flashing green light signaled acceptance of the card. Quickly, the figure entered a code on the keypad, taken from the information on the ID cards. The combination of card and code deactivated the case alarms.

Wasting no time, the figure hurried over to the target cases, cutting large circles out of the glass, rather than pick the locks. A few seconds later, the chosen cases were relieved of their burdens. Each item was placed in a separate compartment of a large, black velvet bag to prevent damage. Securing the bag, the figure returned to the reader and swiped the card again. This time the light flashed red to the accompanying beep. The figure turned and left.

All was clear as the figure silently closed the skylight. Just as the soft click of the skylight faded, there was the slightest crunch of gravel on tar paper. The noise perked the figure’s ears as it stood, turning slowly to face the newcomer.

“You’re not Nigma,” the barrel-deep voice of Batman said.

The figure shook its head.

“Who are you?”

Silence again, this time with a waggling finger. Under the hood, the figure grinned, happy to continue the game.

Batman’s eyes narrowed. Riddles had been received at GCPD headquarters. They were classic Nigma. Yet this figure before him was not Nigma, nor was it the right shape to be Lemma. The idea that it was Lemma was tossed even further to the back due to the fact the woman had given birth a mere three months before.

Lowering the finger, the figure took a step backward, toward the edge of the roof. As expected, Batman followed.

Another step.

Follow.

Another step.

Follow.

And then his hand shot out from his cape. The figure had only a split second to calculate the trajectory of the bolas that were heading at it. At the last possible moment, the figure jumped unnaturally high into the air, the bolas skittering to the edge of the roof.

Landing in a crouch, the figure took one look at Batman, and ran. Grabbing hold of the roof access ladder, the figure slid down and into the alley below. Knowing Batman would follow, the figure bolted down the alley, scrambling over a fence dividing the alley. On the other side, the alley branched off into numerous dark pathways. The figure randomly chose one, and disappeared.

With the aid of his grappling gun, Batman sailed from the museum roof, over the fence, and landed softly on the other side. Jogging to the alley he had seen the figure escape down, he cautiously tossed a handful of flash pellets into it, shielding his eyes. The bright flash was followed by a crash. Batman slid his night vision lenses into place, and stepped into the alley, ready to fight.

Alley debris greeted him, piled on the sides and littering the floor, making it as indistinguishable from a hundred other Gotham alleyways. The sour smell of human and animal waste, mixed with the odor of rotting garbage colored the air. Other than the random piles of cardboard boxes and trash, none big enough for a human to hide behind or under, the alley was empty. At the back, a ladder ran up to the rooftop. He glared up the ladder, listening for any noise above.

With a grunt at the silence, he nudged a pile of trash. The pile began to slide, exposing a lank alley cat. At the sight of the vigilante, the feline puffed up, spitting as it growled. It made a mock-charge at Batman, swiping at the furled edge of his cape with extended claws.

He barely managed to suppress the chuckle (for it was a known fact that Batman did not smile, let alone chuckle. Especially at the antics of a feline) he slowly backed from the cornered cat, scanning the rest of the alley. The only way out was up, and the figure certainly didn’t have enough time to climb that ladder. Begrudgingly, he admitted that he had either chosen the wrong alley, or the figure was, in fact, faster than he thought.

“Any luck?” he grumbled into the microphone in his cowl.

“None. I’ve checked the electrical usage from their ‘home’, and it reads normal. They still live there, but I can’t tell if one or both is home.”

“Did you try security cameras from neighboring warehouses?”

Oracle sighed impatiently. He still treated her like a novice at times. “Of course. But I can’t get anything. Nigma has a good security system, and electronic scrambler. Nothing but fuzzy images from the cameras pointed that way.”

“Whoever pulled this job was neither Nigma nor Lemma. But I have no doubt that Nigma was behind it. Those clues couldn’t have come from anyone else.”

“Then I suggest you head to their place and see what you can find out.”

Agreeing, Batman gave Oracle a sketchy description of the black-clad figure. It was all he had, but it was something. It was also completely possible that the two had hired someone to pull the job, only sending out the riddles.
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