Nina's Riddle

[Deleted]

Edward sat in his comfortable black leather chair. A large desktop screen sat on top of his oak desk staring back at him. His cane was leaning against the desk that was also covered with scrawled notes, building plans, scribbled designs, and tootsie pop wrappers. His gloved hand moved to the mouse causing the screen to light up. A giant green question mark was his background. The mouse icon moved to the window bar at the bottom of the screen. He clicked on the minimize video expanding it to the full size of the screen. The camera above his screen lit up as the sound from the room he was filming flooded his own room.

One of them had woken up and from the crying and whimpering he knew it was the random hooker he plucked from the street and not Nina. Luckily, he had duck taped the hooker's mouth or the noise could be worse. The screen flickered then became solid revealing the picture of a cement bricked underground room miles away from him. There were two women in the room both strapped down to metal chairs that were bolted to the ground. The hooker with tear stain make up down her face had a gun bonded to her hand that faced Nina. Another gun was attached to a metal stand pointed at the hooker’s head. He looked on his desk and saw the control to that very gun before looking back in the dark barely lit room on the screen. Everything was in place. He wasn’t exactly sure what Nina’s powers were, but he knew it had something to do with a gun. He also knew the weapon wouldn’t hurt her, so he added a few other things to the room to make it more of a challenge. If there was one thing that Edward always did and did well, it was preparation. He not only roped her to the chair, he chained her. He not only had the door locked to the basement room, but also buried with junk from the old rotten hospital guarded by Allen.

Where do people go to die?

A hospital. The hospital he had chosen had been closed down after not keeping up with health standards. It now was rotting away in the Narrows. Just in case her powers helped her escape not only from the chair, the gun, and the door, he had two more tricks up his sleeves. One of those tricks was in the vent and the other around the hooker's neck in a device that looks strangely like a necklace. Yes, Edward was prepared. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lollipop as he waited for Nina to wake up. Just as he’s unwrapping the candy, he saw movement from her direction. Oh goodie! She was waking up.

-There is a television screen off to the side of the basement hospital room with a camera on top of it. It’s visible to both Nina and the hooker whose name is Heather.

[Nina Stenet]

Nina stirs, though for a moment it's apparent that she's not fully awake yet. Her thoughts have the consistency of pudding, but bit by bit they fall into place. What's going on? Memories return - seeing The Riddler in her apartment, the scent of cloroform... Am I okay? Her attention shifts momentarily to her body - sore here and there from being handled roughly, but otherwise unharmed. Her mind is a different matter, at least for the moment: the cobwebs just don't seem to want to clear.

But the real point to Nina is that she's obviously still alive: when she'd allowed herself to be knocked unconscious, she'd strongly expected to wake up again, but she'd been by no means certain. The Ridder proved that she couldn't be certain of anything around him. At least, not without being particularly careful about it. She doesn't mean to make that mistake again. But for the moment it's enough to know that she's alive and well.

When her mind finally registers the somewhat muffled sound of someone crying, her attention abruptly shifts to the external; she's all right, but someone else obviously isn't. Her eyes flutter open and blink uncomprehendingly for a moment at the face of the woman in front of her. Where am I? Stupid question, really; and she's quick enough to set it aside when her sluggish brain stops puzzling over the presence of the woman long enough to notice the gun attached to her hand. And suddenly, she feels much more awake: nothing like a bit of adrenaline to clear up a foggy head.

The gun in the museum - he's trying to figure that out. she realizes instantly. And her first instinct is to immediately apply the solution here that would have worked then; disable the arm holding the gun, and she's safe from it. But the presence of the second gun stops her just as quickly. Obviously, there is more to this, and if she doesn't find a way out of it then there's more than her own life at stake. And she's guessing that she doesn't have a whole lot of time to do it in, which means that worrying about how she's bound will have to wait - she's guessing that figuring her way out of that one won't be easy for her. Escape can wait until after she's certain about survival.

The surprise and realization on her face are quickly pushed aside in favor of a furious focus. Because angry she is - if the way that she was taken wasn't enough to anger her, forcing this particular situation on her is more than enough to enrage her. Not enough to distract her thinking, but enough to give a particular intensity to her expression as her eyes start to dart around. It's a particular talent of hers to take a problem, set aside her feelings about it, discard everything she knows won't help her from the beginning so that she doesn't spend time thinking about it, and dissect what's left until she finds a solution.

And she's not going to waste time in getting started, even though evidence is ample that more elements will be added to this problem. It's in the fine details of the situation that she'll find her answer, and her eyes flick around at a few of the pieces that she may be able to work with: The gun in the other woman's hand - where is it aimed and can the other woman control where it's aimed? And is the other woman as restrained as she is, or less substantially bound? The camera above the television - is there any visible wiring or connection to power it or send a signal out, or is it wireless?

But most of her attention goes directly to the gun on the stand. Obviously, with nobody around to fire it, it's controlled remotely, but is there any visible wiring or connection for it? At the moment disabling it somehow would seem to be her top priority. Unlike the inside of a human being, which she knows intimately, mechanical and electronic things are foreign ground. But that doesn't make her helpless: you don't have to have a solid understanding of something in order to break it.

(OOC: I also have a couple of OOC questions: I assume that Nina is able to talk? - she wouldn't have anyway for this post, but it would be nice to verify that for later. And the necklace-thing - is it suspicious-looking or does it appear to be perfectly ordinary? Also, I was unclear on one point: is Nina tied up with rope and chains or just chains?)

[Deleted]

Edward had forgotten how much he loved these personal riddle. There was a sense of pride in knowing he had perfected the trap by taking into mind the personal flaws of the person. It not only showed he understood how the average human mind worked but also how the particular thought process in the certain individual he was testing. Nina had been more difficult then most because she was a riddle in her own, but still he managed to use what he knew about her to his advantage. He knew she had a power. A power she had yet to show to him. He hadn’t taken that aspect into consideration until he thoroughly was putting the riddle together. Why?

Why had she not shown her power yet if it could have prevented her from getting in this predicament?

He battled through a few theories. The first was that her power couldn’t have saved her from the predicament, and therefore was not a power he should be afraid of. While the theory made logical sense he couldn’t accept it. Nina, like him, did not lie. How did he know? Because there were certain expressions and habits that appear when a person is lying. She had never lied to him. She gave him cryptic responses, but never a lie. So when she warned him of her threat, he took her seriously. She had a power that could be dangerous to him….so why had she not use it? The next theory that seemed more plausible was that she wanted to keep her abilities a secret for a reason he didn’t know. Still, allowing yourself to be captured only to keep a secret seems a bit like an overkill, but he didn’t write off the idea. The last theory that was the most stretched but also the most probably was that Nina avoided effort situations. In other words, she took the simplest route not because it was easy but because it avoided exaggerating it into something bigger. The biggest clue was when he gnawed over the last look she gave. Being Edward Nigma, one of the most egotistical men alive, he couldn’t let the look go. It felt like an insult to his intelligence. So of course he spent the remainder of his night pacing back and forth thinking about it. Her look led his thoughts to thinking about her lack of struggle. She didn’t fight it. She accepted it. It was a smart idea. Why waste energy on the inevitable? But then he realized she hadn’t struggled with anything he had presented. It wasn’t like she didn’t care; she just never saw the aspect of protesting being worth it. With that newfound revelation he decided the point of the riddle could not only be about figuring out her powers, but to also test the boundaries of her patients. When will she just stop using her power because it’s too much of a hassle? For that reason he went over his riddle with extra precautions, adding things that were truly simple but annoying when piled on. It not only made for a very carefully done riddle, but also an annoying one to the attendee. That was one of the reasons that rope and metal chains kept Nina’s hands, arms, torso, legs, and neck bound to the chair with little to no movement. He had to yet to see Nina’s patience break, but he would see it today.

He personally couldn’t think how any person could escape. The hooker was bound the same way except layered and layered of duck tape kept the gun in her hand and to the arm rest of the chair so the gun point just directly below her heart. He couldn’t have the hooker ruining it by misses the spot he wanted. Therefore, if Nina managed to escape her confounds she would have to deal with the annoyance of the bounds once again plus tape.

The stairwell out of the basement had rotting steps with one missing. She would have to risk the irritating climb. She would then have to deal with the metal door that was not only locked but also covered with weight. Did she have the patience for it? Probably not. Not to mention the second weapon pointed at the other person. He had decided to add the other person after realizing that not only does Nina choose the simplest route but also chooses the one that doesn’t hurt anyone. By adding another person he just added another annoyance. By adding the weapon that was powered by a long lasting battery hidden at the bottom of the metal stand he was able to threaten that life.

He had certain of one thing. If Nina happened to escape, he would not only deduce her powers but also drive her to the point of insanity and frustrations, making her feel the exact way he has felt during the whole ordeal with her. Retribution.

He watched the screen as Nina’s eyes widened at the situation she was caught in. Already he was feeling giddy with the amount of irritation and anger that appeared almost immediately on her face. He brought his green lollipop to his lips in a thoughtful expression as he observed. He was quick to note how the irritation completely disappeared to calculating. He frowned only slightly. If she somehow escaped in a quick easy movement he would be sorely….pissed off. He hadn’t even considered if she could just walk through objects at will. Damn it. Was he off his game? It was too late now. If her power was mobility then he would still solve the riddle…he just wouldn’t have challenged her….and wasn’t the challenge of your partner the main point of riddles?

He pushed it out of his mind for now. It was time he welcomed himself. It was only polite. He was a gentleman after all. “Good morning, Nina! I hope you had a restful evening and your mind is ready for a riddle” he said pointing the lollipop at the camera on his side as it wirelessly transmitted the signal to her in the run down hospital basement, “I personally hate sleeping in chairs, but sleep is sleep. We must appreciate the rare activity. Not all of us can be like the Joker who gets 2 minutes a night and still goes around dancing like a hyperactive child.”

(OOC: I hope the explains everything I missed ^^)

[Nina Stenet]

Electronics are not Nina's 'thing'. While she admires technology and knows that she could have gone that route with her gift, medicine had seemed so much more... direct in helping people. Though at the moment she's wishing very much that she'd learned more on the subject. Still, it seems an obvious first step to start feeling around for wires she might be able to weaken or break near the triggering mechanism.

But before she can get started, the sound of The Riddler's voice seems to completely break her focus. Though it's not his words alone that do it, but because his pleasant-seeming words cause her to recognize that she's not thinking about this situation properly. Looking up, she closes her eyes for a brief moment, centering herself, before she turns instead to look at the woman in front of her. It's not difficult for her to tell that whoever this woman is, she's not leading a life that Nina would approve of. But that doesn't lessen in the least the amount of compassion in Nina's eyes as she mutters, "I'm sorry that I have to do it this way - but if it was just about the two of us..."

No, how can she explain what she's about to do? Especially quickly and within hearing of The Riddler? Even as she attempts to apologize she reaches out with her mind to the other woman's forearm and quickly locates the two nerves in the woman's forearm that lead to the hand, and doesn't hesitate to cause both of them enough damage so as to render her whole hand unmovable for half an hour - and if it takes longer than that to resolve this, she won't hesitate to renew the injury. It's utterly painless, does not remove sensation, and in fact until the woman tries to move her hand and can't she won't notice. Nina can't afford to take any chances with what she might do - if she's afraid to the point of tears now, there's no telling what she might do when she hears what Nina's about to say.

It only takes a few seconds, and when it's done, her eyes flick over to the television as her face transforms from kind to fierce. If he wanted her angry, she is angry. If he wanted her to lose her patience, that's gone too. She should have noticed that the woman - a stranger also obviously here against her will - was a play upon her emotions to begin with; this isn't just about the museum, this is meant to hurt her emotionally. However, it's flawed; she has enough self-understanding to see that this seems designed for someone almost like her, but not her. And beneath her anger, she feels just the slightest bit of pleasure in knowing that what she's about to say will be totally unexpected, even though that's hardly the reason she's doing it. "I'm almost certain that I could save her from that gun, but I'm not going to," she begins, her voice cold and her words very quick, "You obviously have a very fundamental misunderstanding of me as a person to be dangling someone's life in front of me. And since that's now a very dire problem for her, allow me a moment to explain myself better to you.

"I'm sure you've guessed that I'm a powerful person. What I don't think that you realize is just how powerful. I don't know how powerful I am. I have my blind spots, my limitations, but between them there's a plane of ability that I've never found an end to, so in a way my power is limitless. So why have I put up with you? Because I fear you - what you'd do to me, what you'd force me to do to you. I don't need to hold that level of fear for just anyone, you know - I could explain the whole thing to most people and they just wouldn't 'get' it. This situation is a prime example of why you're different - so close to perfect. Though I see nothing right off hand that will kill me or that can't be overcome, and I frankly like my odds against any nasty thing you've hidden, I'll have to be creative, and perhaps I'll make a mistake.

"But that could be a problem for you because another thing that I don't think you realize is just how valuable I am to you. Now I'm not going to pretend that I understand you as much as you think you understand me, but there's ample evidence that you want one thing that I could give you." She pauses, and suddenly the anger on her face is broken by another expression - guilt. But her voice is firm as she continues, "Something that I'm certain you want more than anything you could gain from this riddle of yours. If you'd ever stopped wanting to harm me, I would have offered it to you freely by now." By the end of that statement the anger and guilt has mostly melted away into sadness. She doesn't want it to be like this!

But her eyes refocus as the anger boils up again, "I'm not telling you any of this because I'm begging for mercy or any other stupid thing. I'm telling you because you're right that I care about what happens to this woman. So much so that I promise that you will lose me forever if you shoot her. And that's not a threat, but a fact; I tend to get a little over-emotional about such things." Obviously. "So I leave her fate up to you. And while you're deciding, perhaps I'll start working at a problem that's solved in a more obvious way than the guns? Purely for your entertainment, of course."

For a moment she seems to finally be finished. It's her patience that normally holds her tongue for her. In fact she's probably just said more now than she's ever said to The Riddler before combined. But mere moments after she glances away to start pondering which part of this situation needs her attention next, her eyes flick back to the television screen of their own accord. Frowning and sighing, she mutters to herself (but probably not quietly enough), "And it figures that now I'd be distracted by an unwanted infatuation."

[Deleted]

…
To say this was unexpected was an understatement. He hadn’t even explained the rules of the game, and she had already managed to twist it to her favor. This was becoming predictably Nina. How was she always able to meet his challenge and surpass it? Scratch that he was still in control. His gaping mouth and the lollipop that was on the verge of falling out was all a show. It wasn’t like she just told him she would help him because…

Pause.

His brain felt like a beehive inside a beehive with each bee having their own intelligent argument. He hadn’t had this type of swarm of mental thoughts since his introduction to the Batman. Had she just admitted to being infatuated with him? Of course she had….what woman could resist his irresistible charm and dashing good looks? A woman who was about to die at his hands that’s who. He stared at her expression that wore a mixture of guilt and focus. Normally, if this had happened he would have written it off as a desperate ploy to gain his sympathy and allow the person free, but Nina wasn’t like that. As he had determined before, she was honest. Painfully so. Making him…confused for the first time in years.

Why did he care? Why did it matter? Those were the riddles he asked himself.

If the girl hated him for killing a pathetic whore, it didn’t halt his life in anyway. He didn’t need her power no matter how interesting it could be. He worked based off of intellectual strategy not cheap parlor tricks. The only point of this was to deduce her power to solve the riddle. It was never to gain Nina’s powers. It was to gain knowledge, the most prize possession in the world. He didn’t care about Nina. Yes, she held some interest to him in her ability to keep up with his intelligence. Yes, her witty remarks both humored him and infuriated him. Yes, she never acted like the zombie masses of humanity. Yes, she had surprised him on multiple occasions. Yes, she still looked very attractive with the slight bruising of her skin and mess of her hair…especially with that determined focus look on her eyes that were directed at the weapons in front of her.

But she was just a woman. A person with nothing more but a lower IQ then him.

A person who had successful distracted him from even observing her power. There was a spark in the back of his mind like a nagging feeling. He missed something. There had been a clue in her long speech, but he became so clouded with the last revelation he had completely forgotten it. Was that her plan? To toy with him so he overlooked the obvious. What was he doing? He was letting silly animal instinct distract him. When did he start acting like a teenage boy at his first prom? He muddled through his thoughts trying to figure out the subtle clue, but kept getting distracted by images of Nina dressed in Query or Echo’s outfits. It had been a long time since he had a female henchman, but the old outfits still sat in the back of his closest as a mantle to his…odder days. He couldn’t help the smile from cracking on his face. The image was too absurd. Nina helping him in anyway seemed to absurd.

Stop this.

There was a clue. She said something about disabling the gun. Yes, there it was. She could disable the gun, but she wasn’t going to. She hadn’t mentioned the gun pointing in her direction. He smirked. Oh Nina, you save your own life while risking the innocent. Maybe you are crueler then you believe, he thought with a laugh. But it did give him insight into what she could do. The gun wasn’t destroyed, but she could stop it from firing. She hadn’t moved…so some type of telekinesis was involved. Interesting. It made since that an intelligent woman would have a power dealing with the strength of the mind. He wondered what the limits were. Could she only affect metal…or was anything in her reach? He felt slightly back on his game with this newfound clue. He wasn’t so distracted…

He wasn’t sure how long he probably sat there staring at the screen with a befuddled look of too many emotions to name. But he finally smirked tilting his head to the side as he stared at the Nina’s side profile. “Dear, you’re jumping ahead. I haven’t even told you the riddle, yet you’re already trying to tie my hands behind my back,” he said calmly deciding to ignore the comment. Unfortunately, he couldn’t control the annoying increase in his heart rate.

“But I guess I should have anticipated that from a very capable woman. I should inform you though, that the choice of her death isn’t in my hands but in yours and hers. I’m not a murderer you see. I give people an option, and if they are unable to make the right choice it could lead to their death. If they are smart enough with the standard of intelligence that I deem respectable then they walk a way. For example, with this situation, I will present three riddles for you to answer. If you answer all three correctly you leave. If you miss one well we move into phase two. One of the guns will fire. Heather has the choice to either fire her gun or not. If she doesn’t for whatever reason the gun at her head will go off. No matter what, one of you walks out alive, which is quite generous of my usual riddles. What makes this more interesting is how your power fits into it all? I know you can save both of your lives. You’ve just admitted to it. Now don’t assume that cheating will go unnoticed because it won’t, but I have a question for you to mull over before this actually begins,” he paused for a moment. He didn’t know why he felt the need to defend himself to her, but yet he continued, “If you have the ability to save someone life but don’t, does that not make you an equal participant in their death?”

He waited patiently for an answer, but it didn’t seem enough. Did she see that she was equally in the wrong here? Did she understand that he wasn’t trying to kill her? The difficulty of his riddle only showed that he had respect for her, but if she was unable to solve it then it was her own fault. If she willingly let things happen, it was her own fault. Self-responsibility. “I see the hypocrisy in your speech Nina, do you?” he muttered out only slightly annoyed.

Heather couldn’t stop crying. She shouldn’t have gotten in the car. She should have rejected the money. It wasn’t worth this. She thought of her baby boy at home. If she died he had no one. Her neighbor would only take care of him for so long, and then the social workers would come. Her boy would be in the system. No no no no no. More tears streamed down her face as she struggled in the constraints trying to escape. Her arm hold the gun felt dumb for some reason. It felt like she couldn’t even move it, but she chalked it up to the ropes and chains and…tape! God why did this happen to her? She heard the other woman’s words to the camera. She knew this sick man! This horrible sick disturbed man. Heather had heard of the Riddler. Who hadn’t? He was mostly known for his heist, but every now and then the police would find dead bodies in some elaborate death trap. It was so unfair! Why her? It obviously had nothing to do with her! Then he heard the woman’s last statement. Infatuation! You got to be kidding me! You’re risking my life because you’re infatuated with this killer! The Riddler’s response caught her off guard. It almost seemed a bit more tender and kind then it had a moment ago. Was this their sick idea of date!? But when he said she had the option to either kill or be killed, she calmed down only slightly. She didn’t like the idea of killing someone. She had only done it once when she about to be raped, and like that time her life was more valuable to hers then anyone else. Her life and her baby boy. This woman wants to be with a psycho she has to face the consequences. Heather tried to calm her breathing, but the tears kept coming. Adam, I’ll get home…I promise.

[Nina Stenet]

It would be a lie to say that Nina is unaware of the effect of her words on The Riddler, but she has more important things to do than delight in how easily she's managed to perplex him. Even though all she really had to do was be herself, and she's never considered herself to be all that confusing - at least, she understands herself very well. No, instead she forces herself to concentrate back on her surroundings.

In a way she's now put herself into another predicament. While it's possible that she may be able to get out of this situation while keeping her power as concealed as she'd like to, she's now essentially wagered that The Riddler would be tempted enough by the idea of having a workable relationship with her against someone's life. And that's something she takes very, very seriously. But while she's certain that if she fully explained what she can do to The Riddler he'd be duly impressed - not just by what it is but perhaps also by the knowledge and skill required to use it - there's still the risk of what he'd do with that information if he discovered it in the wrong time and situation. Still, for Heather's sake she's willing to take some risks - perhaps she'll have to try to do things that reveal the power and potential of her gift while keeping the connection between her various actions difficult to piece together. Tricky, but perhaps possible, and things may very well turn out okay even if she fails.

But that means that she needs to essentially show off in as many inexplicable ways as possible, and if keeping her gift hidden in this situation is difficult then so is showing it intentionally. This trap is, as she said, close to perfect and she doesn't have much to work with. And perhaps unfortunately for Heather, she's the only thing in the room, other than Nina herself, that is easy for her to manipulate. Reaching into Heather again, Nina locates the hypothalamus, and does the equivalent of tampering with her thermostat, turning it up too high in a way that her body will soon correct - a short-lived fever. And when it does, it will take some rather heavy sweating to set things right again, which is the entire point, though the full circle of that will take a few minutes.

In the mean time, Nina's attention now goes to her own bonds, and she dryly remarks, "Turnabout is fair play," when he protests about her tying his hands. She doesn't fight against the chains and ropes, only looks at them more carefully. Specifically, she looks to see if there are any visible locks or other connectors in the chains that would fail more easily to her gift than trying to tackle the chain itself. Otherwise she'll face the tedious process of trying to locate one using her gift alone, or the very time consuming process of trying to weaken a link. The ropes come second as they'll be easier if she can move more.

But identifying the potential weaknesses of her bonds isn't a very thought intensive process, so she listens carefully to The Riddler's words, saving all her commentary for when he's finished. "Unfortunately for Heather, she no longer has that choice," she informs him first, "And since she doesn't, even by your own rules, her death would be murder. And while her lack of choice is my fault, it could also be termed self-defense. And though I could quite likely save her from the other gun, that I've chosen not to do so does not make me equally responsible: Did I bring her here? Did I tie her to that chair? Did I point that gun at her? Will I be the one to pull the trigger? Did I not give you what reason I have for sparing her? At best I'd be a tiny fraction responsible, and I have good reason for it. And I'm used to being slightly responsible for the deaths of others - it happens to a small percentage of people every time I help create a new miracle drug."

While some might term it selfishness for Nina to be so quick and total in protecting herself first, her motives for doing it aren't: How many lives does she save or improve with her work? What could Heather do that could possibly compete with that? Not that Nina wouldn't be constantly racked with guilt if Heather dies, but the decision to spare herself seems obvious. Still, any time her gaze happens to meet Heather's, Nina's fierce expression is softened by compassion. Even Heather can probably tell that Nina's anger stems much from simple indignation that someone else is being forced into it.

[Deleted]

The argument she gave was one he heard many times in Arkham Asylum from his many favorite and wonderful therapists. He was almost disappointed in such a routine response, but when he noticed how focus she was on every aspect on the room he had to give her credit. She wasn’t even going to attempt to play along with him. She was planning on escaping. He analyzed her every look and slight movement as he responded to her pitiable debate.

“Are you saying there is no such thing as free will?” he asked pulling out his lollipop as he saw her eyes glue to the girl. The girl appeared to be flushing. He would have said out of lack of air because of how chaotic breathing, but the wetness on her skin made it look like a fever. Strange.

He continued, “Because I am certain that both you and her agreed to come with me. I even warned her that what I had planned was rough and could cause immense pain. She chose to be here just as you have chosen to challenge me. Admit it Nina, you like this. You’re angry,” he waved his hand causally up in the air like it wasn’t a big deal, “I understand I would be too if you had gotten the upper hand, but I’m certain that I am the first person to truly push you out of your comfort area. You stated that you don’t know the limit to your powers, but I can guarantee right now your testing them. You are seeing how far it reaches.”

Yes, the girl most definitely had a fever. It came on too quick for it to be a natural cause. Nina had done it. For what purpose he couldn’t figure out at the moment. He studied the weapon again. It hadn’t been destroyed. Was it possible the reason the gun could not be used was because she stopped the girl’s ability to use it? Maybe, what she truly had control over was the body? All bodies. What a powerful thing to have at your disposal…no wonder she warned him so often. “My point is that I cannot be held accountable when you are free to find a solution to the problem. If you are not able to…well one less unintelligent person on the Earth won’t be missed. So I will offer again, do you want to answer the riddles to try for both the girl and your life or would you rather toy around with the poor girl’s body until you end up killing her before the bullet does?”

He wanted Nina to know that he was beginning to get an idea of her powers. He wanted Nina to know that he would kill the girl. He wanted her to know that while her power was interesting he had no use for it. Not entirely true, he can find use for anything, but he didn’t need her power to still be successful in his craft. Therefore, her threat against him killing the girl would mean nothing to him. The only thing that stopped him from declaring the girl’s death in a few minute if she didn’t answer the riddles was the one idea that sat in the back of his head. He wouldn’t be able to play the game with Nina anymore. It would be over. He would have won. A thought like that usually caused an arrogant speech and a giddy dance, but right now…he felt disappointed. While he accused Nina of liking their confrontation the same admittedly went for him as well. He enjoyed their game. He enjoyed watching her eyes as they took into her bonds and tried to determine an escape. The look of pure stubbornness could only be matched by his own.

He looked down at the other button on the table. It would turn on the ventilation system that would fill the room with a poisonous gas. When he played over this riddle in his head, he imagined warning her that cheating would be her death adding a riddle about clean air not existing in city, but once again his eyes only glanced at it. Did he want her to escape? No. This is a riddle I’ve almost solved, and managed to frustrate her in the process. Everything is going my way. There’s no need to use that just yet.

[Nina Stenet]

The problem that Nina now faces is that, like the world of electronics, the world of the inorganic is not that familiar of ground to her. While her gift had made all of her chemistry classes not that difficult because she could literally touch and interact with the subject matter when others couldn't, she'd known that she was going into medicine and so had focused all of her attention on organic chemistry after passing the basic courses, and even then she'd mostly just paid enough attention to pass the chapters on other subjects. But here she's being faced with chains, and though she can scratch at it with her gift, digging through it far enough to make it breakable could take hours. What makes metal brittle? she ponders. She knows there are several ways, and surely one of them is something she can make use of - but what were they?

She exhales sharply at his words. "I'll admit there are aspects of this that, if taken out of this context, I would like," she says dully, "And actually, at this moment, I'm not seeing how far it reaches, but doing something I know I can do. It's just that I've never done it before, and I can't quite remember how it's done." She could certainly live without the aspect of being talked down to while she's trying to concentrate on something difficult!

Still, she needs time to work it out, and keeping The Riddler from getting annoyed by her seeming dismissal of him is certainly worth dividing her attention. "So you're saying that just because I could do something about it, your own accountability is nothing? Even if the fact that there's a problem at all is your fault?" she shakes her head before continuing, "And I'm sure that your high level of intelligence has nothing to do with how that's your chosen method of evaluating what people are worth. But if you'd like to try and measure me that way, go ahead." Personally, she likes measuring people based on virtues - something that one would think that she'd rate herself quite highly on, but she's her own worst critic in that regard.

At the mention of killing Heather, Nina does pause in her other musings for a moment to check on her. "I don't 'toy' unnecessarily with people. Everything I'm doing right now has a purpose, and she'll thank me for this in a minute. Or curse at me - I'm sure she doesn't like being our pawn any more than I enjoy being your toy. Probably much less." And though she catches the subtle hint at a guess at her power, Nina intentionally doesn't react - she's hardly going to give The Riddler any information she doesn't have to, including telling him that he's wrong, though he'll probably see soon enough that she's not limited to people. Though perhaps her lack of reply will be a hint of it's own if he expects her to react to a close guess.

[Deleted]

She never looked up at him during her discussion. Her eyes were glued to the chains as if trying to will them off with her mind…and maybe she was doing just that. He knew for certain that she had some effect in controlling the hooker’s body functions through some type of telekinesis or mental power, but could she control intimate objects as well. If that was the case why didn’t she just dissemble the gun? The answer was given as soon as the thought occurred. I’ve just never done it before. Had she really not explored the entirety of her power? He, of course, having to know everything about everything would have immediately determined the strengths and limitation if he ever possessed such a power. He had to remind himself that most people don't appreciate the power of knowledge. Nina obviously saw no point in exploring certain aspect of her power because it didn’t relate to her life. He nodded stuck in his own mind at the thought. She was a doctor. She would be much more knowledgeable when it comes to the biology of the human body. She would use her power in that field more because she had constant opportunity to….

What was her job again?

Microbiology….

A slow grin appeared on his face as the sound of each fact clicked in his mind. He would have basked in almost solving this riddle when Nina’s next comment entered his mind. His words dropped out his mouth before he could even consider them. “No, that’s not what I am saying,” he automatically snapped, “I realize I am somewhat accountable because I did help create the situation, but creating a situation does not mean the outcome rest on my shoulders. Ponder this with me. It’s raining. The weather has created a cold wet windy situation for the people. A person has a choice. Do they go out with an umbrella and a coat or do they risk the elements without one? When the person decides not to grab a jacket, and the results led to him in bed sick with a cold, do you accuse the rain for making the man sick or do you accuse the man’s own stupidity to not take the necessary precautions? I’m not sure about you, but I usually blame the person’s own choice not the weather.” After his rant, he was once again perplexed why he felt he had to defend himself to her. It made him pause and the lollipop between his purple gloved fingers to droop a little. His hazel eyes blinked into focus again. He was right. He was always right. He was explaining to her why she was wrong. It was nothing unusual. He was just acting like his old arrogant self.

He smirked, “And intelligence, Nina, is the only way to measure a person’s worth.” He doesn’t feel the need to elaborate. It was a fact, a fact he had determined from years of difficulties. A person who had not experience the hardship that stupidity could cause could never understand the reason for Edward’s obsession. There comes a point in a man’s life where an accident is no longer an accident and someone needs to be held accountable. To Edward, people used the excuse of ‘it’s an accident’ or ‘it’s just one mistake’ to cover up the disease that had spread across the world, stupidity. He would not accept less because society’s standards accepted less. People would be held accountable for every action they make. He would make sure of it.

At the mention of the hooker, his focus is brought back to why he is here…and his great discovery. She hadn’t rejected his idea of her power. She had actually admitted that she indeed was doing something to the hooker's body…even though she stated she wasn’t ‘toying’ around with it. Her ability must be telekinesis. He could think of no other ability that would be able to control another person’s actions…possibly mind control…but the hooker was still in tears meaning mind control wasn’t happening. Again, Edward remembered Nina’s job. She researched microbiology. Could she only control things on a micro level? It would explain why nothing drastically visible had occurred. It fit. It fit very well. But he wanted to make sure.

He glanced down at the remote to the gun and picked it up with his free hand. “While I enjoyed this conversation like all our others, I must speed up this process. In five minutes, I will shot the young woman. I know you will blame me for the action, but as far as I’m concerned you can stop it. Her life is in your hands,” he felt a painful tug at his heart as the last statement left his mouth. It almost caused his smirk to falter. He didn’t want to see Nina’s look. He knew it would be some form of disappointment…or anger…or maybe it would just be indifferent that would led to disappointment. He knew whatever it was would annoy him so he wasn’t exactly sure why he kept his eyes glued to the screen. “Or you could answer my riddles,” he offered almost pathetically to avoid the look. God when did his voice sound like that? It almost sounded like it cracked. Why was he trying to offer her an escape from the problem? She would still be faced with the same dilemma in the end because no one could solve all of his riddles.

Get a hold of yourself, Nigma.

[Nina Stenet]

The danger in increasing someone's body temperature is, of course, that it will go too high. But Nina's always been very careful whenever using her gift on a person; never something she's not sure about, never something she can't undo if need be. And during her brief check Nina simply makes sure that the fever peaks at a safe level before dropping - no harm done except that Heather will probably get a little cold from the sweat, but that's hardly the worst thing to happen to her today.

Temperature is an odd thing to sense at the microscopic level - it feels to Nina like a vibration in the molecules. And the rate at which molecules vibrate at normal human body temperature is very familiar to Nina by now. But as she gauges it in Heather, a thought occurs: could temperature help her with metal? She remembers well the demonstrations she's seen with liquid nitrogen - it seems that everything becomes brittle when it's cold. Could she do that? It's not something she's considered before, as trying to make something that cold is generally a bad idea when you're working with the living, but the answer is no - individual molecules are too small in her mental grasp for her to hold them tightly enough to hold them still...

This line of thought is interrupted by The Riddler's snap defense, and Nina doesn't think much of it. "The weather can't be blamed because it has no thoughts, no emotions, and no intelligence to guide it and so can't make decisions and can't be at fault. It has no awareness of anything, let alone that it's caused a problem, and no ability to do differently than the laws of physics demands so there's no part of it that can accept blame. Is that what you are?" she replies offhandedly - she's getting tired of trying to talk sense to someone with such an ego. Which is why she lets his further comment about how he measures worth with nothing but a frown to show that she disagrees but doesn't want to argue the point. What patience she's been able to salvage from her last rant remains very thin.

As he assembles the pieces of the puzzle of her power, Nina's attention goes back to where she left off. Making the metal cold seems out of the question... but isn't metal also easier to break when it's hot? Could she do that? Again, not something she's tried before, but it would involve purposefully increasing the vibration, and she's not sure one way or the other on that one.

And this is no time for her to let The Riddler give her a fixed time table. She knows she's on to something, but it would make for a very huge gamble for her risk it all on what she might be able to do within five minutes. "If you want to ask me riddles, then ask me riddles. But I believe that I made it clear that her life is in your hands. I'm not at all convinced that what you do to her is my fault, and in any event an appeal to my logic will not alter an emotional response," she says without giving the question too much thought. Her thoughts are needed elsewhere for just one more moment.

Her attention turns specifically to one end of a link of the bit of chain that keeps her right hand secured to the chair. There she holds a cluster of the metal's molecules and gives them an experimental shake. And though many of the individual molecules leak out of her imprecise grasp, the cascade of destruction in the matrix of the metal caused by this violent disruption extends well beyond the bit that she's holding - the carefully arranged bonds between atoms that give the metal their strength shatter. And all of it retains and spreads the vibrations of heat and energy she just applied - metal always absorbs changes in temperature so quickly, after all. Still, the affected area is quite small - the heated metal doesn't even reach the surface. But unlike the actual vibrating of the metal, Nina's already well practiced in moving the focus of her power around quickly. This, indeed, is doable.

And she can hardly hide the switch in expression from intense concentration to the satisfaction of a successful discovery. "So that's how I break chains," she says quietly in wonder. Is it wise to say that out loud within hearing of The Riddler? Probably not. But a part of her wants him to know that she can do it, and that she figured out how just now. Let him add that to what she knows he's gleaning from her words and actions! Of course, what she'd actually just learned extends well beyond breaking the chains: vibrating solid metal works very well to heat and weaken it - and vibrating other things might be worth a try to see what happens. And it's certainly too dangerous to do such a thing to something alive. Not if she wants them alive and well, which is generally the case for Nina. The Fates were kind when they entrusted this power to someone so responsible.

[Deleted]

As per usual her indifference was infuriating. At the beginning of this riddle she had mentioned her fear of him, but he had a hard time believing that with how little consideration and attention she was paying to him. She legitimately thought she would get out of this riddle alive. He could tell. She was almost to a point of certainty with how she carried herself in the trapped position. Most people when put in this type of situation would grasp at any chance for an easy escape for their life, but Nina shrugged it off. He had to offered the riddles for her and the other’s freedom three times. Three times, yet she basically rejected all offers. Most listened to the rules of the game and followed it immediately. Nina didn’t see the point, and therefore attempted to find her own solution. He couldn’t say he was surprised by her decision, it was the most logical option and probably the most intelligent option, but it also proved how little respect she had for him. If you want to ask me riddles, then ask me riddles. She didn’t care. He wouldn’t waste his precious treasure of riddles for a person who couldn't appreciate them. The riddles represented the key knowledge could bring. They represented the key to life. Nina didn’t care.

He was beginning to believe that her first statements (one statement in particular) were all just a ploy to distract him. He had to admit it had worked. He was being too lenient towards her. He was stretching out time that he normally would shorten. He was chatting with her instead of explaining the dire of a position she truly was in. He hadn’t spattered blood yet, but instead kept them both clean and healthy. He had been tricked. While part of his mind told him he would be able tell if she was lying, the more logical part of his mind connected how everything had turned towards her favor because of his lack of action…and his need to defend himself. He frowned at his realization. It was unfortunate that he let his male instincts run dominant for a time, but it was a mistake easily fixed. And while it was a mistake, the extra time that Nina had to play with had helped him determine Nina’s powers so it wasn’t all a negative. The extent of her power was still a mystery, but the ability was not, especially when she quietly mentions her own revelation of escaping the chains. It showed him that her focus on the chains was not random but a collective thought on how to manipulate them to her benefit. When she finally escapes the chains he will see first hand the effects, and be 100 percent positive she was the cause. He wondered to himself if there is a certain expression she makes when manipulating object or if it is just the same focus look she has been giving the entire time. In the end, he would find out.

He was tired of the debate with her though. As far as he was concerned the hooker was dead. Nina had no plan on saving her, and he had no plan on keeping her alive. One gun would fire by the end of this. He had given Nina two options. Solve the riddles, or let the other woman shoot. Nina didn’t want either. It was her choice. He felt a mixture of sadness and disappointment. He knew he was winning, but he couldn’t appreciate it. However, he would gain something from this. Nina would finally realize, she is not in control…he is.

He turned in the camera to be staring at the hooker. He let out a slightly exaggerated sigh. “Heather, correct? Well my dear, Nina has no interest in my riddles and I have no interest in giving them to an unappreciative contestant. So the option of you both walking out of here alive has left. Therefore, I give you the choice. You can pull the trigger to your gun or you can take the bullet from the other one. I will give you a minute to decide,” he stated as he typed into the computer putting up a timer on the right hand corner.

The big digital clock slowly starts ticking down, and Edward turns to Nina once more. “Unfortunately Nina, I believe we will have to agree to disagree…that is the problem with putting two stubborn personality in the same arena. Riddle me this, the magnets push away from each other, why?” he remarked in almost uncaring way. It was a simple question that commented on the flaw of their strange relationship of sorts. He still couldn’t determine why he felt so sad about the outcome. He had won. He had determined a lot of her ability, and most likely by the end of this he would probably know the full extent of it.

“Oh on another note, Nina,” he said randomly as the seconds tic to 45, “Cheating might be successful in the short run, but in the long run can be poisonous.”

Heather’s heart raced when the Riddler said her name. Her body had felt extremely hot, and then started a cold shiver. The weird shift in the temperature around her was making her feel even more upset and confused. The two dreads of her life (as she now was calling them) had mentioned her being a pawn or a toy. She didn’t understand what she had to do with this. She didn’t understand what anything that was going on. But when the Riddler told her the woman across from wouldn’t answer some silly riddles, she felt a huge sense of panic overwhelm her already high hysteria.

“You can pull the trigger…”

The words melted into her ear, and her heart stopped for a moment. There was still an escape from this. She just had to kill this woman. No offense to the other woman, but Heather would have no sympathy for a person who seemed to be selfishly out for herself. Heather had hated hearing their stupid debate over her life. HER LIFE like it meant nothing. They both were at fault! If she died she would haunt both of them...but she wouldn't die...because she had a choice.

Heather took a deep breath through her nose as she closed her watery eyes. She could do this. She could do this.

She pulled the trigger.

…

Her finger didn’t move….her finger didn’t move. Her eyes shot open wide, as she tried to use the muscle that had always felt familiar. No…shit….please! Again and again she tried to pull that stupid trigger. Her eyes danced to the screen that had the seconds ticking down. No. Adam. No, I can’t die. Her eyes danced to the gun that pointed at her head. No! Why couldn’t she pull the trigger? Why? She started screaming through the duck tape trying to tell the Riddler that she tried! It’s not her fault! Please! Oh god…please.

[Nina Stenet]

Nina can still remember when she first perceived the true potential of her power. It had been midway through her first semester of college chemistry class. The instructor had a tendency to rant and rave about the importance of his subject matter, but one day it had really sunken in: she could control the very substance of which everything was made. The hardness of diamonds and the toughness of titanium fell as easily to her power as anything else. And this means that she can literally do anything except tamper directly with atoms, though as a more practical matter anything large is more speedily managed with more normal methods.

But the sheer scope of that had terrified Nina: Who was she to hold so much power? And what if she hurt someone with it? In the days that had followed she'd contemplated long and hard about the possibility of using her power to destroy itself - hack away at that part of her brain she was certain contained it until she no longer could. But two things stopped her: The first was that she trusted herself. She could be careful and she could be wise in exactly what she did with her power. And, so far at least, she's been right: she has an absolute power and it has not corrupted her. Still, she worries, and that's probably why she's never tried to do anything much outside of her chosen field. The other thing that stopped her was the knowledge that her power could be used just as easily to help people as to harm them. And it was then that she started to call the power she held her 'gift'. It was a gift she held on to because she could use it to give to others. And give she has - as much as she feels that she can, whenever she feels that she can.

But Nina also came to understand that it was very important that it remain her gift. There are a great many things in this world that she cares about: human life being solidly at the top. And it had occurred to her that while she may trust herself to be responsible, anyone else who knew might be tempted by it. So she kept it secret - much for the same reason that the vigilantes running around in masks donned those masks. It kept her and everything she cares about safe. But she also protected herself another way - by making one promise that is, to her, more important than her promise to herself to never kill: she can't let anyone force her to save someone else's life by using her gift, either directly or indirectly and not for any person or reason.

Now, Nina doesn't know how far The Riddler has gotten in guessing about her gift, but she knows that she hasn't been very careful. There are enough pieces to put together now if he can only wrap his mind around the idea of what can be done at the microscopic level. And once he manages that, she can only guess at how long it will take him to understand, as she did, how very little lies outside of her abilities. And she can't know how tempted he would be by that. But what she does know is that he knows enough now that she must also show him that she won't weaken under a threat to even what she holds most dear; anyone could be sitting where Heather is now, and she'd do the same. While being his toy or not is something she has no control over and merely spares her from misery, when she'd asked to not be his pawn it wasn't because she could become his pawn but because any attempt on his part to control her would both fail and cost her whatever he tried to use.

So when he starts talking to Heather, the satisfaction on Nina face turns quickly into horror and despair. He's going to kill her, and I can't save her... A minute is probably plenty of time for her to disable the remote controlled gun, so the 'can't' has nothing to do with lack of ability but her reason telling her that she must not do it. And that makes it so much worse for Nina. It's a thought that tears through her very deeply, grinding against the core of her psyche. All thoughts of chains and escape are gone now. Even the threat of poison goes in one ear and out the other. She can't even think clearly enough to make another attempt at a grand speech.

Nina turns her head away from the gun, unable to stand having it even in her peripheral vision. That's only of limited help: she doesn't need to see what she's manipulating in order to do it, it only helps her 'aim' her mind through the often confusing world of the very, very small. And she already knows how far away and at what angle the gun is to herself, so at best averting her eyes would only slow her. No, the only thing that's actually stopping her is her own strength of will, but it's a delicate struggle between it and her desire to save a life that's only barely being won, and the strain of holding back is quite evident in not only Nina's face but her entire being.

When she hears Heather panic, it nearly becomes too much for her. She visibly flinches and closes her eyes, her expression one of intense inner pain. And she can feel herself mentally reaching out in the direction of the gun; a part of her mind is rebelling against the wishes of the rest. No... she commands herself as she searches for something, anything, that she can do to stop herself. And, finding it, she starts to sing:

"Don't you fret, Monsieur Marius,
I don't feel any pain.
A little fall of rain
Can hardly hurt me now.
You're here. That's all I need to know.
And you will keep me safe,
And you will keep me close,
And rain will make the flowers grow."

Her singing voice, much like her appearance, is naturally beautiful but unpolished because she's never cared enough about it to put forth that effort. And it is, perhaps, an odd song to choose to comfort herself: the song of a woman dying in the arms of the man she secretly always loved because of wounds she received risking her life to send a letter for him to the woman he loved...

And a part of her is dying. It's evident by the amount of raw feeling she's able to pour into the song, and the strange clarity with which she can sing it despite her inner turmoil. Nina is, at heart, a kind and gentle soul, and if Heather dies the guilt of it will haunt her forever. And her hatred of the man who did it will never be extinguished.

The song is a short one, and there is still time left when she's finished. She opens her eyes spends that time in silence, looking at nothing and focusing on nothing but keeping her mind away from the gun with a dead look in her eyes, though aware of the amount of time left on the clock of her periphery.

There comes a point, 3 seconds left on the clock, which she knows is past the point of no return for having any hope of using her power to disable the gun. It's only then that Nina can trust herself to turn back, though she has to avoid looking at Heather - she can't bear seeing whatever look is on her face. Instead her eyes, moistened by tears that are barely being held back, go to The Riddler. And she simply says, "Please... don't..." Her only hope now is that he'll change his mind, and by this point she doesn't believe that he will. It's too feeble of a request; too little, too late.

[Deleted]

The woman started screaming through the duck tape. He didn’t need to hear the words to know what was being said. The woman had found out that she couldn’t use the weapon. Edward sat there, rolling the lollipop between his fingers. He didn’t get it. Each second that ticked by, the speed of his fingers increased making the shape of the lollipop appear rounder. He just didn’t get it. The friction of the white stick started to ware on his fingers. It made no sense. She would save herself, but not the other woman. His hand started to make a sound against his desk. Why? Did she not have the ability to? Did her power only affect the body? His eyes glued to the red swirl of the lollipop. No, she could effect the chain therefore she could effect a gun, but she choose not to. Why?

He looked back at the screen and saw the hurt and torn expression written all over her face. She wanted to save her. The tears threatening her eyes told him that, but she didn’t. Why? He normally would have accused her of being selfish and unthoughtful…but she cared. He didn’t get it. Save her if that’s what you want to do, why are you letting her die? he wanted to ask, but couldn’t. The thing that happened next took him another leap backwards.

Singing.

He blinked unsure of what he was actually hearing. Her eyes were shut tightly facing away from the woman as she sung a piece from Les Miz. It had been years since he had seen the play, but he believed it was part where Eponine dies in her lover’s arms. It was a strange choice of song. While he recognized the similarities between the character and Nina, it wasn’t her that was dying but the whore. He was also certain that if Nina were to fall in love, the man would certainly fall as well. The man wouldn’t obliviously chase after another woman like Marius had. Once again, he didn't understand her choice, but it seemed as if the song was a sense of comfort…

Almost as if saying someone was there, holding her and keeping her strong in her moment of weakness. But why was it weakness? She wanted to save her. Why would it be weak to follow that choice? Why was letting the person die, the stronger one...or better yet the 'right' choice?

Her singing slowly stopped and the room was once again filled with the hooker’s muddled screams. He wasn’t paying attention to that. His only focus was on Nina. Her eyes locked with his.

So much pain.

He frowned. It hurt. It hurt him seeing her like this, and for some reason the pain in his leg that had felt numb to him through all of this became all too apparent. His frown deepened. He stopped rolling his lollipop, and his hand automatically flew to his leg. His eyes though…they were still focus on Nina. He watched the quiver in her lips and the tears that slid down her check as she pleaded softly not to do it.

RING.

He tore his eye from her to the clock.

00:00

“Times up,” he stated colder and quieter then usual. He tried to force a smirk, but he couldn’t. He didn’t look at Nina. He looked down at the remote. His leg hurt. It hurt as bad as the day it had all happen. Wasn’t he passed this? Normally the only thing that could cause such a set back was witnessing stupidity….but this was different. This was…..

Sympathy.

No. No. He would not be won over by some girl’s tearful expression. He was the Riddler.

He pressed the button, the gun fired, the muffled screams went silent, and for the first time, the Riddler felt no need to gloat. He sat back in his chair with his arms across his chest and a pout that could rival a kindergartener.

[Nina Stenet]

The sound of the gun causes Nina to flinch reflexively, at least as much as her bindings allow, but after that there is nothing. She does nothing, sees nothing, feels nothing... Only a blink and her shallow breaths show that she's still fully conscious.

Why? she asks herself, WHY?!?

She can't help but go over in her mind everything that led up to this - the museum, her apartment, the words that had been exchanged here. At first glance, mistakes seemed to be everywhere - she could have stopped him should have stopped him... But no - would it really have helped anything in the end if she'd been more forceful? It seemed to her then just as much as now that whatever his reasons for doing this to Heather and to her, she would have only given him more reason if she'd done any differently. Delayed it, perhaps, but she'd known from that moment in the museum that he'd recognized her as different that he had the power to hurt her like this - kill her, perhaps, if that's what he wanted. And any delay could easily have made the eventuality worse.

No, if every path she could have taken would lead to him trying to hurt her, then the fact that he did wasn't her fault. And she could hardly help that what she cherishes the most is human life, or that it's so obvious to look at her life and career that it's what would get to her the most. No, that's a part of her that she actually sees as the best: who and what she is as a person is obvious to see if anyone cares to pay attention because she does nothing except seek after it.

No, she can't blame herself for this. Intellectually, at least - emotionally it will always be a different matter. Another life and another pain to add to the list of what she blames on herself. And perhaps the sharpest of them all. Even now she can't bear to look at Heather...

Nina's mood shifts, her eyes close as she takes a deep breath. Tears are useless here, and so is allowing herself to ponder too long upon what just happened. Those can be saved for later, when she actually has the time. She still has herself to save, she's still tied up and in the hands of a murderer... one whose image she sees on a television screen when she opens her eyes, sitting there with such a brooding expression still made her heartbeat do strange things... Stop it, Nina, just stop it!

Her expression is initially sorrowful, but it shifts quickly to disappointment. If she'd been disappointed when she was kidnapped, then this time it's at an entirely different level. And she asks the two questions that are still nagging at the back of her mind, "What did I ever do to you to deserve to be hurt like this? And why are you so afraid of me?" Her voice is strangely distant and dispassionate; so much of what she ought to be feeling right now has been set aside to be sorted through later, and there isn't much emotion left to take its place. Later there will be more tears, more grief, but not now.

[Deleted]

Edward felt his gloved hand turn into a tight fist. It almost felt like he would break through the leather confines. Afraid…those words had actually left her mouth in a form of an accusation. The little sympathy he (might) have felt had disappeared in the form of anger. He couldn’t even be affected by the disappointed attitude in her entire form. Afraid…of her? She was the one trapped because of him. She was fighting for her life while he sat comfortably in a chair miles away. Why would he be afraid of her? He now knew her power! (Well most of it). Knowledge was power, and he had knowledge. So again, why would he be afraid of her?

It was a ridiculous notion that once again proved she had little to no respect for him…even after he just proved his control. What did he have to do to prove himself to her? He looked over her form that seemed dirty and almost pathetic, but somehow the aura around her screamed confidence.

He smirked. They were very much like two same charged magnets trying to be pushed together by a child. The force between them just kept causing problem after problem, but the stupid kid just kept trying to put them together not learning from the mistake. She thought she was more powerful then him. He thought he was more powerful then her. They both taking steps in this game to prove who is better for different reasons, but all under the same guise that they will win in the end. It was an impossible game that could last forever. He knew it was the truth, but he couldn’t just step back. He couldn’t let the challenge beat him. Nothing beat him.

His eyes fell to the desk as he shook his head. He leaned closer to the camera as his elbow rested on the desk. His finger pointed at the camera as he shook it similar to how a mother scold’s a child. “You’re wrong, dear,” he stated so coldly Mr. Freeze would be impressed, “Very wrong.”

He brought his scolding finger up to the bridge of his nose and pinched it together as if trying to dig through his thoughts. “You see,” he began as he rubbed his hand along his face until resting his chin in it, “I’m not afraid of men who dress as bats, women with super strength, men with laser vision, people with powers unimaginable, and especially not girls with a talent at telekinesis. You want to know why? Because everyone has a weakness. Everyone. All it takes is one person to figure out what it is, and what do you know…I’m pretty spectacular at that.” He gave his cliché arrogant smirk before continuing, “The only thing I am afraid of is the unsolvable riddle, and please do not flatter yourself by assuming you’re unsolvable.”

“And to answer the other puzzle in your mind,” he stated as he sat back in his chair again, “It’s a game, Nina. You were an interesting piece for a time, but like all pawns, you are discarded for the true players. You’re similar to a riddle that has already been solved.” He waved his hand uncaringly as the unkind false words left his mouth. He didn’t quite understand why he was being so cruel. Maybe he was trying to prove something to himself that he would not consciously let be true.

He didn’t like Nina.

She was a pawn.

Stating it aloud made it factual.