Riddle City ~Book Two Of The Riddle Series~ *ON HOLD*

Chapter One

"Screw you!" I spit. He goes to punch me again but I dodge and slam the gun down on the back of his head. It crunches where it makes impact and he falls to the ground unconscious.

I throw the gun to the floor and run to the open door. Before I can leave, guards file in, blocking my escape.

"Get her!" Agatha screams. I punch the first guard in the face and grab the next one by the head. I then push it into the wall and he collapses on the ground. My arms are then restrained behind my back and I feel myself being pulled back into the centre of the room.

I scream out and kick my legs. But it's no use as the first guard runs up and grabs both both of them, stopping my assault. Completely defenceless now, I buck into the air as a last attempt at freedom.

"Get her to stop moving!" A voice says over my yells of protest. A hard object smashes down onto my stomach, winding me. I splutter, choking on air and it slams down again. Pain shoots all over my body, slowing but not stopping my movement.

"No! She's too worked up to calm down, inject it now!"

A sharp object enters my neck and I cry out in shock. Drowsiness kicks in and my muscles feel as though they are made of liquid and my bones of lead. I feel myself slump in their hold. 

"You can put her down now, she wont do much damage." A voice jokes, followed by laughter. I am placed onto the cold floor, looking at the bright ceiling light. Blood dribbles from my nose and onto my lips but I don't have the energy to brush it away. The most I can do it partly open my mouth and the salty mixture of blood and sweat hit my tongue. The taste is repulsive but it seems such a petty problem to what awaits me.

"You better check on the boys, she knocked them out cold." I feel my consciousness slip away, thoughts drifting to Edward. I hope he's okay.

//

I slowly open my eyes and realise with a jolt that I am not in an operating room but outside. I stagger to my feet in shock. What is happening? 

The strong wind blows my dark hair in front of my face but it does not hinder my view. "I must be dreaming." I say, panicked. Unfortunately I'm not, and the city I see before me is real. It appears quite ominous; dark grey storm clouds coat the sky, creating a blanket over the dark city. Upon closer look, I can see that most buildings appear run down with most of the windows of skyscrapers smashed in. Not all are like this though as around half do have lights on through the windows or bold neon lettering at the front. I appear to be on a building, the roof to be exact. I carefully walk to the edge and peer down. Three men sit on the staircase that leads into the building I'm on. They are talking but I cannot hear what they are saying over the fierce wind. They can't see me, I'm not called the Shadow for nothing. By counting the levels on the building opposite me, I can conclude that I am around 3 stories in the air.

On the street below, litter lines the footpaths and the road that stretches to the T-junction ahead is abandoned. All of the street lights are on, giving me a clear view of the ice that has collected in places. I shiver, wrapping my arms around me. It must be below freezing, judging this purely from ice coated cement. I walk back into the middle of the building, not trusting myself so close to the edge with such strong winds.

All around me are high buildings, the one I am on being the shortest. A few of them are in shambles but the majority are not. In between the gaps of one I can see more of the landscape better. There is also a dark silhouette in the distance that seems to surround the city completely.

"It's a wall." I whisper to myself. So this must be Arkham City, how could have I been so idiotic? The inmates have been talking about this ever since the announcement by Doctor Strange weeks ago. I even believe Edward and Jonathan had mentioned it when I last saw them at the gym session. The wind dies down and I then realise that I am no longer in my Arkham inmate uniform, nor in my usual attire. . .

My hair is down, but has been brushed into soft, dark waves. From what I can see, I am wearing a tight dark green, almost black, long-sleeved shirt that reaches just below my hips. The material it is made up of is similar to my old pants, and has thicker parts on my elbows and chest area. Dark grey gloves, made of the same thicker material, reach just below my elbow and are surprisingly not a hassle like they appear to be. The pants are tight and a coal black, made of the same material as the shirt with thicker parts on my knees. The boots are the same shade of black but made of a water resistant material, with no heel and thicker parts where my shins are. They reach below my knees. I dearly hope that a female dressed me, not some male. 

The pain in my stomach seems to have dulled down to throbbing and my nose is not bleeding anymore. I wipe it with my hand and am relieved to see no dried blood. It must have been washed off. Why would someone do this for me? Across my midsection is a light grey utility belt, similar to my old one, with nothing but a Grappling Hook attached to it. My grappling hook. I laugh in delight and unhook it, relishing in the familiar feeling in my hand. It's nice to have something that I own back.

My hands fly up to my face where my mask is supposed to be. They reach nothing but skin and worry pulses through me. Where's my mask!? A loud crackling from speakers cut my thoughts off.

"I am glad you are all settled in." The chilling voice of Doctor Strange says. His voice sounds distorted from the speakers that seem to be positioned all around the city. "If you have not guessed already, this is Arkham City, your new home. I would like to remind you of a few rules that you might have forgotten from your excitement." I roll my eyes. "You have all been given free range of the establishment and I hope you will not take advantage of it. The first rule is that you may not come close to the walls, fifty metres to be exact. This is for your own safety. The second rule is do not try to escape. It's a privilege to be here and any bad behaviour will not be tolerated. There is no third rule but please bear in mind that provoking your fellow inmates will most likely not end in your favour. Thank you." The speakers give once last rustle before cutting off. His voice is as chilling as always and I hope to never see the face this voice belongs to. 

I stand frozen in thought for a few seconds. Why were we not given any warning or notice of this? Perhaps then I wouldn't have put up a fight when those doctors tried to sedate me. 

No, even then I still would have. 

Another gust of wind blows my hair behind my shoulders. I aim my grappling gun at a shattered window of one of the nearby buildings and pull the trigger when it latches onto the concrete. The floor is suddenly gone beneath my feet and I am soaring through the air. With no mask on, the wind brings tears to my eyes but I suppose I am going to have to get used to that.

I retract the gun before I land with a roll, kicking up a few grains of gravel as I go. I am more sheltered here and have a better view of the city. I jog over to where a bit of the building has been knocked away, exposing most of the inside. With my new vantage point, I can begin my search for Edward.