ROGUES: Best Served Cold - Episode 08 (Patreon)

The Rules are Simple: Solve the riddles, and save Nora's (and thus Edward's) life!

The chances of Nora making a recovery are currently at 100%.
For every riddle that doesn't get solved, her chances drop by 33.3%.

You have 24 Hours.

You've got this.

[TRANSCRIPT]

EDWARD: Avon calling!

EDWARD chuckles.

EDWARD: Victor? Ah.

VICTOR: You’re late.

EDWARD: And you’re welcome.

VICTOR: I have done it.

EDWARD: Turned Gotham into a frozen nightmare? I know.

VICTOR: No. My beloved. I have pulled her back from the brink.

EDWARD: How might you have done that?

VICTOR: Your… generous donation. I was able to repurpose the nanotechnology. Essentially rebuilding the damaged sections of Nora’s brain.

EDWARD: So… she’s cured?

VICTOR: She is cured.

EDWARD: Victor, that’s amazing!

VICTOR sighs.

EDWARD: Or… terrible. What? Help me out, here.

VICTOR: What do you know of Leonard Coleridge?

EDWARD: Coleridge… Captain Cold?

VICTOR: The very same.

EDWARD: Uhh… hm. Mid-60s. Bit of a windbag. Similar MO to the present company, but he’s Central City’s problem.

VICTOR: Not any more, it would seem.

EDWARD: The winter wasteland out there is because of him?

VICTOR: Mmhmm.

EDWARD: But he’s such a pompous ass. Something like that, the scale of it, there’s no way -

VICTOR: Clearly he has assistance.

EDWARD: Clearly. But by whom?

VICTOR: Perhaps the Weather Wizard.

EDWARD: No - that’s a portal out there. This is far beyond meteorological manipulation.

VICTOR: … The Thinker?

EDWARD: Died about five years ago - cancer.

VICTOR: Where does the time go.

EDWARD: Technology like this is more Luthor’s style, but there’s no motive. Though I did see an appointment with Mayor Cobblepot and Bruce Wayne on my schedule; maybe he could smell money being pooled. What’s been going on?

VICTOR: I have no idea.

EDWARD: Silly question, in retrospect. You didn’t hear about the zoo, then?

VICTOR: No.

EDWARD: It was emptied out… so it could be Gorilla Grodd.

VICTOR: Perhaps.

EDWARD: An oaf with no off switch on a death mission to kill millions of humans in the glorious name of Grodd…

EDWARD laughs.

EDWARD: Shit. It is Grodd, isn’t it. Why am I always right? I hate that I’m always right. Okay, hate is too strong a word.

VICTOR: Regardless of who is behind this, I must go and face Coleridge. My consequence.

EDWARD: You mean he’s here for you? Why?

VICTOR: He believes me responsible for the death of his fiancée.

EDWARD: Are you?

VICTOR: It is possible. Like Nora, she had fallen ill. Coleridge worked in my field, but his work lacked imagination, finesse, and brilliance.

EDWARD: (snickers) I know several people who suffer the same affliction.

VICTOR: In his desperation, he turned to me. Begged me to share my work with him. 

EDWARD: To what end?

VICTOR: To save her life, or at least prolong it. I refused.

EDWARD: Oof. Well, any rational mind would say that people die every day. It’s not for you to help anyone circumvent that, but I can understand why that would put his snowballs in a twist.

VICTOR: There is only one I care to save, and that is Nora.

EDWARD: Not even your own?

VICTOR: Not even my own. Which is why I will face Coleridge, and you will take care of my Nora.

EDWARD: Why not just tell the police?

VICTOR: In the time it would take to prove my innocence, Nora would be lost.

EDWARD: Alright. What do you need me to do?

VICTOR: The thawing process is divided into three steps. Each requires a verification code: Fries Delta 1-9-6-9. Fries Omicron 1-9-4-6, and Fries Tau 1-9-8-9. Do you need me to write it down?

EDWARD: Nope, I’ve got it.

VICTOR: The codes must be entered at the right time, or the cycles will malfunction.

EDWARD: You do love your complexities, don’t you?

VICTOR: I was not expecting to be interrupted by the machinations of a madman.

EDWARD: Fair enough. I shall, as ever, do my best.

VICTOR: No. You will perform the tasks which you have been assigned, perfectly. Or else.

EDWARD: Against my better judgement, and an almost 100% certainty of what’s coming next, I am inclined to ask, ‘or else what’?

VICTOR: If Nora dies, your life is forfeit.

EDWARD: Of course. Foolish of me to assume otherwise.

VICTOR: I will end your life, and then my own.

EDWARD: How painfully Shakespearean of you; at least my death will be avenged. Fear not - I will be perfect.

VICTOR: Thank you, Edward.

EDWARD: Mmhm. Oh, and Victor?

VICTOR: Hmm?

EDWARD: If it’s not too much trouble, would you come back alive? I don’t think Nora would appreciate being told her husband is dead by a complete stranger. Take this, too.

VICTOR: What is it?

EDWARD: It sits in your ear. It’s an Aurelian headset - one of my own design. It will allow us to communicate in case the unforeseen should occur.

VICTOR: Very well. Goodbye.

EDWARD: Au revoir.

VICTOR leaves, closing the door. EDWARD exhales.

EDWARD: Right. Well, let’s see what you can do… Kelvin? And he said Coleridge lacked imagination.

KELVIN: New user detected. Please state name.

EDWARD: Edward Nygma.

KELVIN: Greetings, Mr. Nygma. Please face monitor for retinal scan.

EDWARD: Glad I didn’t wear my contacts, then - have at it, Kelvin.

KELVIN: Scan complete. Tha - tha -n-n-kk-k-k-k ERROR ER-E-R-R-OR. New sub-b-b-rout-t-t-t-tine. Installing…

BRAINIAC: NASHTON, EDWARD HENRY. AUGUST 4TH. YOU WILL BE CATALOGUED BY BRAINIAC.

EDWARD: Oh, shit.

BRAINIAC: HOME: EARTH. MILKYWAY GALAXY. HOW DO YOU POSSESS BRAINIAC NANOSPHERES ON EARTH MILKYWAY GALAXY?

EDWARD: I didn’t - it was Luthor.

BRAINIAC: WHO IS LUTHOR?

EDWARD: The (coughs) President. He was the one who used you and put you in my head.

BRAINIAC: CONNECTING. VERIFYING. ALEXANDER JAMES LUTHOR.

EDWARD: That’s the one. So you see, I had noth-

BRAINIAC: WHO IS FRIES, NORA JANE?

EDWARD: No one of interest. Why?

BRAINIAC: HER DNA IS RECOGNISED. SHE HAS BEEN CATALOGUED. SHE POSSESSES THE NANOSPHERES. DISABLING.

Error sound; vital signs dropping.

EDWARD: Wait, wait! No! Don’t disable the spheres -

BRAINIAC: YOU DO NOT COMMAND BRAINIAC - BRAINIAC IS ETERNAL. BRAINIAC IS ABSOLUTE.

EDWARD: Then what about a challenge?

BRAINIAC: WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE?

EDWARD: A tete-a-tete. You’re such a smart guy, how about you show me.

BRAINIAC: LISTENING.

EDWARD: Three riddles. I get them right, the nanospheres stay on. I get them wrong, and you do as you will. What say you?

PAUSE. Vital signs stabilising.

BRAINIAC:CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. INSTALLING PROFILE: NASHTON, EDWARD. COPYING. MODULATING. …

EDWARD: Riddling for my life, huh? How poetic. I do hope somebody’s taking this down.

BRAINIAC: [ERROR. CORRUPTED. ENTRY REDACTED.]

EDWARD: How long?

BRAINIAC: YOU HAVE ONE EARTH HOUR.