Free Batman by Alex Irvine

with deep quadruple roots and slight serration on the convex side of its curve. It looked like it might have come from any kind of large predatory animal, yet there weren’t too many animals with six-inch teeth.
    The new search came back with more than a thousand matches. Apparently this tooth had certain qualities that existed in just about every large predatory animal on Earth.
    “It must be a mutant of some kind,” Bruce said. “Bred from a known species, but different enough to dodge identification.” He looked again at the roots, and saw that there was plenty of tissue there for them to recover usable DNA.
    Working together, he and Alfred scraped a tissue sample off the root, chopped it into a fine paste, and mixed the paste into a glue medium for electrophoresis. This process separated the organic material based on the size of its molecules, isolating the DNA. When he had a viable sample, Bruce keyed a short sequence into a computer terminal.
    Then he powered up the DNA sequencer built into his bioresearch station. It was based on commercial SMRT models that read DNA base pairs in real time, by tracking the frequencies of light they emitted when they were exposed to nucleotides stained with fluorescent dyes. He inserted the sample into the sequencer and started the process. The sequencer hummed and clicked. It would take several minutes to isolate enough base pairs to get a reliable species identification.
    “Where is Master Tim now?” Alfred asked.
    “He’s exploring Arkham City,” Bruce said. “The Riddler has been busy under the steel mill, and Robin’s taking a look around.” He neglected to mention the likelihood of traps.
    “I trust he will remain in close contact,” Alfred said. “One can only imagine what mischief the Riddler will have planned.”
    “You know Robin,” Bruce said. “Always trying to prove himself. I told him to stay in touch, but it’s a safe bet that I’ll need to take the initiative.”
    “As always, sir, yes,” Alfred said.
    Another
ping
, and the DNA sequencer completed the first stage of its analysis. A long string of base pairs scrolled across the terminal screen. What appeared on the screen was a greater surprise than the explosion at the bank.
    SPECIES: HUMAN
    “Surely a mistake?” Alfred wondered.
    Bruce didn’t answer, but he didn’t think so. As soon as he saw those words, he had a feeling he knew what was going to come next.
    Based on the sequencer’s confirmation, he linked the device to DNA databases used to track known individuals—particularly those who had committed major crimes anywhere in the world. Here again the links were impressive, from the Department of Homeland Security to Interpol.
    It wasn’t long before a new window popped up on the screen.
    IDENTITY CONFIRMED: WAYLON JONES
    Killer Croc. There was no question about it.
    Batman ran the check again to be sure. Because of his access to Gotham City Police Department records, he had extensive DNA records from Jones, dating all the way back to Croc’s first brush with the law, and his first tour inside Blackgate Penitentiary. The database software recovered and displayed old mug shots demonstrating Jones’s gradual transformation over the years from a brutal human with a skin disfigurement to the mutated monster he had become.
    Prison records and police reports appeared behind the images, telling a decades-long story of violence. It started with assaults, escalated to murders, and then reached new heights with reports of cannibalism. Current whereabouts were said to be unknown, but Batman had a few places he knew to look. Pretty soon, he thought, he might have to start looking there.
    This information raised more questions than it answered. How was Killer Croc involved with the Riddler? He was a homicidal maniac, pure and simple, living only for mayhem. Not at all the kind of associate the Riddler would want involved in a plan if he had to depend on a choreographed execution.
    An even greater