Freeze Chapter Two

Chapter Two
The Iceman Cometh
Dr. Jeremy Black checked the control consul for the twelfth time. The tempature gauge had not changed. It was a steady fifty degrees.
"Oh, Victor, what have you done?"
He checked the video monitor that showed the cold storage room. Mr. Freeze was laid out on an examining table that Dr. Black and Prof. Dimitri had hastily thrown in there. Freeze appeared to be sleeping. Dimitri entered the Control room.
"How ist the patient?" Dimitri asked, his Russian accent rolling smoothly. Dr. Black shook his head.
"He seems fine, but look at this." Dr. Black adjusted the video controls, enlarging the video image of Freeze's sleeping form.
"It's fifty degrees in there." Dr. Black said.
"My God!" Dimitri swore, "He is still sveating. I'll vork on the climate controls."
"Thank you, Proffesor." Dr. Black said. "I still find it amazing that he actually made it all the way to the Chantry in that rigged up van. And he brought Kyle in his containment unit here, too."
Dimitri nodded grimmly.
"It is a shame about Marie" Dimitri said, "I did like her."
"We all did." Dr. Black said.
A hollow, toneless voice cut in across the loudspeakers. It chilled Dr. Black with it's lack of human emotion.
"Hello. Is anyone listening?" Mr. Freeze was sitting up on the bed, staring into the video camera. Dr. Black hit the microphone button.
"Hello, Victor. This is Dr. Black. How are you feeling?"
"It is very warm in here." Mr. Freeze said.
"Dimitri is working on that right now. how cool do you need it?"
"Ten degrees cooler to start with." Freeze sighed, ""It is hard to tell anymore. What is the current room tempature?"
"It's fifty degrees in there, Victor. What happened to you?'
"A major Paradox backlash, obviously."
"I could guess so much." Black sneered, "But, what caused it, Victor? When you arrived all you would say was that they would pay. Who will pay?"
"The Nephandi." Freeze said, any emotion masked by his sterile tone, "I thought I could control the situation."
"My God, Victor! Nephandi! What did you think you were doing?"
"I didn't know at first.Ii would not have willingly worked with those devils. When I found out, I kept the knowledge to myself, so that I could finish my research."
"You should have informed us. You have endangered the Chantry with your negligence."
Mr. Freez lowered his head in shame.
"In my Hubris, I have slain my Marie. In repentence I shall destroy those who destroyed me. I shall destroy this Wyrm, this Nephandis, this Max Schreck."
"How do you plan on doing this?"
"First," Freeze began, "I must establish a new Chantry. I cannot risk discovery here. My Laboratory was destroyed. I must find a Node somewhere near Gotham to tap."
Over the speakers, Freeze could hear Black chuckling.
"What is so amusing, Doctor."
"My dear, Mr. Freeze," Black began, using his lecturing voice,"I had forgotten that you did not hear my findings on the spiritual structure of Gotham City. It seems that the Nephandi's efforts to pierce the Guantlet have greatly affected the division between worlds. The Guantlet is so thin here that Quintessence is literally leaking through. I have discovered the evidence of no less than seventeen major power fonts within the city limits.
And I believe the number may be growing"
Mr. Freeze was in shock.
"How is that possible?"
"The Technocracy is losing their grip on Gotham City, and the Nephandi have turned it into their own little nightmare playground. The Traditions seem to all have been infected with apathy or they are being torn apart by infighting. They all stand by as The Fallen Ones tear Reality apart. Never did I think I would miss the Technocracy."
"Has the Technocracy given up on Gotham?"
"Hardly," Dr. Black sighed, "They still send us their spies."
"Spies? Here?"
"Do you remember the young apprentice I took on a few months ago."
"Nygma?" Mr.Freeze was startled, "He was a Technocrat Spy?"
"A poor excuse for one. He was a Pattern Mage about as much as I'm a Verbena. That boy was a Scientist trapped in the Technocratic Paradigm. We taught him True Science and sent him bact to his masters."
"They probably killed him as soon as he walked in, Jeremy."
"No, he was a time bomb. After a month, he snapped back at his masters. He may have become delusional or even gone Marauder. Either way, he is now calling himself The Riddler."
"Nygma is The Riddler? Amazing. Perhaps he could help me in my mission."
There was a burst of static over the speakers and Professor Dimitri's voice cut in.
"How is the tempature, Mr. Freeze?"
"Still a little warm."
There was a long silence and then the sound of steam under great pressure being released. After a minute or so of other strange sounds, the voice came back in.
"How is that, Victor?"
Mr. Freeze waited for the tempature to stabilize, then smiled
"That feels wonderful. What is is at?"
There was a long silence.
"Dimitri?" Freeze asked.
"Thirty degrees, Victor."
Mr. Freeze sat down on the cot, trying to asssimilate the information. Thirty degrees. Two below freezing. It felt around seventy to him. Normal room tempature. First Marie, then this. They would pay. Every last one, all the way to Max Schreck himself.
"Victor?" Dr. Black was asking, "Is there anything we can get you?"
Mr. Freeze was silent for more than a minute before he answered.
"Dimitri. Could you adjust the tempature of my old Laboratory to suit me now?"
"Of course, Victor. I can do that right now."
"Perfect. Dr. Black. Do you think I could get a look at that report of yours?'
"The Power Fonts? Of course, Victor, but why?"
Mr. Freeze smiled on the monitor, sending a chill down Dr. Black's spine.
"I need to look into some real estate."

Chapter Three