2017.01.18 - Cold Case Part 2
This log is part of the Cold Case Plot.
The Batcave
Robin is seated at the bat-computer, last night's forensics reports spread out over three screens. He's leaned back and looking at them, chin in gloved hand.
Jason, currently fully garbed as Robin-2, emerges from the gym area. He's just finished his daily routine, cleaned up, and all that, so he heads over to the computer area to check up on what Dick, AKA Robin-1, is doing. Sitting lightly on one arm of the chair, he asks, "How's it going?"
Looming behind Robin stands Batman. His arms are crossed over his chest and his feet shoulder width apart. He studies the data, trying to make heads or tails of the odd scene from the previous night.
Robin frowns at Batman and Robin-2. "What I'm looking at makes no sense and the bat-computer isn't much more help. This guy was dead and yet, not quite."
Frowning some, Robin-2 says, "Maybe we should... check with someone, uh, mystical? Like Doctor Fate or something?" The thing sure looked like a zombie.
Batman sighs. He hates a puzzle he can't solve. But the data just made no sense at all and between him and the powerful computer, there should at least be some answers. "Did Gordon reply back? Any other incidents like this in the city?"
"It wasn't, Jason, at least not like, say, Solomon Grundy," Robin says. He looks to Batman. "He did, sir; said he's never heard of anything like this."
He taps the screen, bringing up pictures and video. "OK, back to square one. Our dead guy is the guy we had under surveillance for his part in a massive stock fraud that's bankrupted dozens of charities: Arnold Taylor. Multimillionaire, built his fortune on the back of anyone who got in his way. So... he was going to die. Turns out he has - had - a really aggressive form of liver cancer. Got his diagnosis a year ago, doctor said to put his affairs in order - it had metastasized and spread through his lymph nodes. Frankly I doubt Wonder Woman's purple healing ray could have done anything for this dude." He pulls up the medical records.
"Then... Mister Taylor got a reprieve, it seems. His doctor gave him three months and that was overly optimistic, but Arnie has been active up until last night. Weird but not unheard of. Until I ran his vitals, of course, which are all over the road. I don't think 'human' really applied to him anymore, and hadn't for several months. Most of his organs were in a state of atrophy. He hasn't eaten or gone to the bathroom for something like six months or more."
Robin shakes his head.
"And then... there's this." Robin waves his hand and a massive chemical formula spans several screens. "This is what was masquerading as his blood."
Frowning more, Jason says, "Okay, so... maybe he was some kind of freak of science. Have we compared the, uh, remains to known types of other cells? Like... plant, animal, synthetic... alien?" He gives an expansive shrug. "If it's not magic, then it must be science, right?" Then, when the formula comes up, he says, "Huh. So... what is that stuff?"
"He wanted the Wayne Foundation to invest in his hedge fund," Batman says, still studying the computer screens. "Whatever it was that was keeping him alive suddenly broke down last night. From what I saw, he was the only one in that condo when he died... or didn't quite die before he came back to life and tried to take you out," he says, nodding to Robin-2.
Robin shakes his head. "As far as I can work out, it's... antifreeze. Something like it, anyway, with the ability to kind of sort of act like blood. The only thing is, it breaks down really easily. At anything over about 50 degrees, it starts to unravel."
Robin looks to Batman. "Sound like anyone we know?"
Frowning harder, the second Robin says, "Well... shit." Then, groaning, he says, "So this is, what, some kind of Mister Freeze experiment gone horribly wrong?" He groans, reaching up to rub his forehead. "How can such smart bad guys also be so dumb?"
"Mr. Freeze," Batman says in a grim voice. "Did you run comparisons against his files? Is this similar to anything he's done in the past?"
Robin quirks a slight smile. "It is.. and isn't," he says. "It has some similarities to his tissue samples we have on file, but someone's been fooling with it."
Grunting, Jason says, "See? Stupid. Criminals are so stupid sometimes. These are the same kind of idiots who'd design a doomsday weapon and somehow set it off, nearly destroying the planet, and then need the JLA to save them at the last moment."
"Fooling with it in what ways?" Batman asks. "Maybe stupid," he agrees with Robin-2. "Or maybe this is all part of the plan."
Robin folds his arms. "I'm not sure, Batman - you might be able to make more sense of it. The unique composition of Victor Frieze's body still hides a lot of secrets. If he wasn't involved directly, he was the template, though." He looks to Batman. "He's still in Arkham?"
Jason frowns deeper. "Have we consulted STAR Labs or anyone? They have some pretty exotic stuff..." But somehow, and not happily, he suspects the answers may lie closer to home. It's not a nice thought.
"He was the last time I checked," Batman answers Robin. Of course, left unspoken, is the fact that Victor Fries could have been let out. It's not like a daily head count gets delivered to the Batcave. "Have we brought STAR in on this yet?" he asks after Robin-2's question.
Robin taps a few spots on his control board. "Not yet," Robin says. "STAR is a good idea, though; their Gotham branch specializes in biotech and medical research."
Jason nods, but his ideas are officially tapped out at this point. The science angle isn't really his strong suit. He's more of the punching and gadgeteering type.
Batman nods. "Send them our data and see what they can tell us. In the meantime, let's keep an eye out for any other unusual cases like this. Can we get a list of Taylor's known associates?"
"Already on it," Robin says, tapping an area of the control board, and sending a short list with pictures to one of the side screens. "Odd thing. This woman, Vivian Harris, was his long-time girlfriend - he broke things off with her several months ago. His other associates are not close ones - mainly his business partners in the brokerage firm he heads."
"Wait," Jason says, peering at the screen. "Fries had a girlfriend? I thought he was totally obsessed with his wifecicle." He scratches his head. "I didn't know they had an open-fridge relationship."
"That's Taylor's girlfriend," Batman clarifies for Robin-2. "Several months ago... So that's when all this really started. Narrow down a date if you can. Find out more about her. Let's also look into his business partners," Batman says, studying the list with its accompanying pictures. "Maybe they're all dead ends, but it seems odd that nobody noticed him just dropping off the radar."
Robin scratches his temple. "See, that's the weird thing. He's been out and about, in the office and other places, for months. His calendar says he's been working at home a lot more than usual, but... I mean, he was in a board meeting just the other day."
"So, whatever it was," Robin-2 muses, "it was working... until it wasn't? So maybe something went wrong? Like, he got a bad treatment or missed one or something? Overdosed? Maybe it was all going okay until, y'know... it wasn't." He turns pale, suddenly. "Oh, god," he murmurs. "That means... this was a human, and he was alive? Did--did I kill him!?"
"But if everything was meant to seem perfectly normal, why the breakup with his girlfriend? We need to track her down and get her side of things," Batman says. "And I don't think you had anything to do with his death, Robin," he offers reassurance to Robin-2.
Robin shakes his head. "No, Jason - he was technically dead for months. I think he was in the process of dying when we got there. Something DID go wrong, but what is the mystery. I suppose his treatment could have backfired eventually, like a drug regimen that stops being effective."
Looking relieved, Jason says, "Well, it sounds like you need an expert in really weird medicine. This is so out of my league it's not even funny. Don't we know anyone who can help with this analysis?"
"Still waiting for STAR Labs to reply with their analysis," Batman says in a resigned tone.
Robin shakes his head. "The person we need to talk to most is locked in Arkham." He looks to Batman. "So, want to go talk to Victor Fries? He's always such a cheerful guy."
"Great," Jason says, giving an involuntary shiver. "Arkham. And Mr. Freeze. Like it wasn't a cold enough winter already..."
Batman nods curtly. "I can arrange a visit to Arkham," he says with grim certainty.
Robin reaches to rub a hand over Jason's shoulder. "It's OK, bro," he says quietly. "But, yeah, they will have his cell... kept ice cold.." he says, slowly, frowning. Something.. just out of reach.
"Guess I should tell Alfred to get our special thermal capes," Jason quips, but he seems grateful for Dick's reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"A little cold doesn't bother me," Batman says. "But we might need to adjust the thermostat to get Victor to talk."
Batman turns to Robin-2. "I want you to track down the girlfriend and have a chat with her."
Robin nods to Batman and squeezes Jason's shoulder. "Go talk to her, bud, we'll handle Frost Miser."
"Sounds like a deal to me," Jason agrees. "I'll see what she knows!"
Some time later after Batman's request is agreed to, the Dynamic Duo are in the Batmobile, headed for the infamous Asylum. The Teen Wonder looks slightly apprehensive as the massive facility looms closer. "Think Fries will be anymore forthcoming than he usually is?" the masked boy says to Batman.
"He has a good sense of self preservation. If we turn up the heat, literally, I suspect he'll tell all," Batman says before getting out of the Batmobile. He waits for Robin to exit as well before setting the defense systems.
Arkham Asylum
Late night visits are unusual for Arkham Asylum, but they're also used to infrequent requests from Batman to speak with certain patients. There's no paperwork. Nothing for the Dynamic Duo to sign or agree to. They're simply escorted swiftly and silently to Victor Fries' cell.
The cell is unusual in its design to accommodate Fries' particular needs. A small window set in the door to the cell allows a view inside of the room and its occupant. Batman pauses to observe Fries for a few moments before ever touching the door.
Cold, cold, cold - cold seems to radiate from the small but comfortable cell. Fries is dressed in a simple grey jumpsuit, so the cell is kept at a subzero temperature to enable him to live. Other than a small black-and-white photo of a beautiful young woman taped to the wall, the place is bare of decoration. Fries looks up from the medical book he's reading and frowns. "Batman. And Robin. Why do you disturb me?" he says, his voice even and sepulchral.
"Can't sleep?" Batman asks, raising his voice a bit to carry through the door. "Could it have anything to do with some project of your gone awry?"
Robin folds his arms and tries his best to look intimidating.
Fries narrows his eyes at Batman. "I seldom sleep these days. And the only project I have is therapy art with Dr. Shiner on Wednesdays."
"Sure you do," Batman says, clearly not believing Fries. "What about the project with Arnold Taylor?" he presses. "The one where you give him some miracle cure for his cancer, except he has to live like you do from now on?"
Fries slowly shuts his book. "I am unaware of this, though I have heard of Taylor. Under investigation, I believe." He scratches his chin, considering. "I have never met him, nor would I condemn anyone else to this abhorrent condition. Anyone who sought it out willingly should be in a cell beside me."
Fries' voice lowers. "No-one should have to live as I do."
Batman mulls over Fries' answer in silence for a moment. "Who else knows your work intimately? Who else could afflict someone else with your condition?"
Robin considers this for so long that it seems he might not answer at all. Then he frowns slightly. "There have been people who have tried to contact me about the accident. I have rebuffed all of them. They are fools. My condition is unique - something in my genetic code allows me to survive when any other man would have surely perished. Lucky me," he says. He shakes his head. "I had no assistants or aides. I burned my notes."
Batman glances aside at Robin. "What do you think?" he asks in a soft tone that most likely can't be heard through the heavy, insulated door.
The Teen Wonder looks at Batman and shakes his head. "Victor's expressions are hard to read, but I swear he's telling the truth," he says. "The medical monitor doesn't show any jump in his heartbeat, but .. I can't tell if that's even possible with him." He considers. "I believe him," he says at last.
Batman nods, looking back at Victor through the small window. "Who else is your equal in this field? Who else might be able to come upon this research on their own?"
Fries wrinkles his nose. "I have few equals, Batman, and most of them work on your side of the fence. IF he were insane enough to try, perhaps Kurt Langstrom could duplicate the rudiments of my research, and he has been known to... experiment on himself," he says, waving his hand dismissively. "Unfortunately, I am.. somewhat out of contact with the academic circles of late."
Fries sniffs. "Whoever has done this abomination, though, would need samples from me and I can say that I have provided none to anyone."
"Could samples have been taken without your knowledge or permission?" Batman asks. He glances down the hall toward the orderly's desk, lips pressed into a grim line. "Robin, go see about getting into the records. Be persuasive if they are disagreeable about it."
The Teen Wonder smiles tightly at Batman and nods, turning and walking down to the admin station.
Fries watches the youth go. "I must confess, I have never understood how you can subject a boy to the horrors you encounter," the man says quietly, retrieving his book and opening it at his bookmark.
"Me included."
"He could have become a monster. Instead, he fights them," Batman answers Fries. Did he feel guilty about exposing Robin to all the terrible things out there in the world? Maybe. But, he doesn't quail in the face of Fries' criticism.
Robin returns several minutes later, looking hopeful. "It turns out that they regularly take blood and tissue samples from most of the patients when they do various therapies, in case something can be learned from it." Ever the performer, the Teen Wonder pauses a heartbeat. "Oh, guess who's samples went missing about, oh, seven months ago?"
"Enjoy your book," Batman offers to Fries as a parting shot. "Who has access to those samples?" he asks Robin.
Robin glances to Fries, then back to Batman. "A few people - the lab supervisors, mainly, but they regularly give keys to assistants. Looking at the people who have handled Fries' samples, there's this assistant - Earnest Franks - who was fired around about that same time when he was caught sneaking the key to the sample lab."
Turning away from Fries' cell, Batman nods. "That's our lead then," he says to Robin. "Find out everything you can about him."
"Yessir!" the Teen Wonder says as he turns to follow Batman out of the Asylum.