[CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/9PGM5Xe.png[/IMG][/CENTER]

[quote=@AndyC]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/cKKa3YM.jpg?2[/img][/center]
[/quote]

[color=RoyalBlue][b]"Another trap. Can't say that I'm surprised."[/b][/color], Superman laments. [color=RoyalBlue][b]"Listen, I've faced his machines before. Even if Winslow Schott was dead this entire time, he was a brilliant inventor and is definitely not to be underestimated. Stay on your guard."[/b][/color]

Producing a few batarangs, I watch Superman's back as he begins his approach to the corpse. No telling what that less than subtle threat could've entailed, given that it seems that we're fighting a machine rather than a man. The marionette seems to watch him as he gets closer, giving off more than a threatening demeanor. I grip the batarangs even tighter, scanning the room for any possible traps that await us. Schott didn't leave anything to chance, as our respective sweep of the area confirmed. Whatever he once was, the so-called Toyman was clearly one thing when alive - paranoid beyond measure.

[b][color=#656565]"Wasn't planning to let it down."[/color][/b]

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/mM5MmuR.png[/IMG]

I calibrate my cowl to allow Ace to scan for any potential threats. But before he can reach Schott, I hear something moving above us and glance towards the ceiling. To my surprise, a set of steel doors thrust over it and cover the gigantic multi-level hole that Superman made through the building, effectively cutting off our only visible means of escape. Leaving nothing to chance, Clark immediately tries to fly up and smash his way through the thick shell casing that's now covering the walls. Only to be met with an unseen hand swiping him away, taking us both completely off guard. 

[b][color=#656565]"Superman!"[/color][/b]

Flying backwards, revealing the room to be much more spacious than it originally appeared, the red and blue clad visage of Toyman's sworn enemy disappears into the darkness as something large descends upon him. Switching my lenses to their night-vision mode, I take off in a sprint forward as the picture becomes a bit clearer. The Man of Steel is being attacked by... Men of Steel, for lack of a better description. Two gigantic automatons that are being wirelessly controlled by Toyman's ghostly A.I. 

[center][h2][b][color=Yellow]SOME OLD FAVORITES

I BELIEVE YOU'VE MET

THEY CAME TO SEE 

THE GAME

TO IT'S END[/color][/b][/h2][/center]

Superman gets to his feet quickly, his eyes glowing with that same red that I encountered in Grant Park, and blasts a massive energy beam from his eyes into the first robotic behemoth. While an impressive display of power, it seems to have little effect on the machine, who promptly smashes him into the floor as the other prepares some sort of beam of it's own. It would seem that in his battles with Clark previously, the A.I. learned some of his tricks and attempted to duplicate them through his work. Which in itself indicates that the program is far more advanced than anything I've ever come across, given it was able to carry out the engineering genius of a dead man. 

Need to intervene before this gets any worse. Reaching into my belt, I grab a couple of grenades and dive forward. But before I can get within a suitable distance to launch them and give Superman the distraction he needs, a glass wall descends from the ceiling and entraps me within a section of the room. Toyman's A.I. reflects off of the glass, casting itself down onto me with an ominous gaze. 

[center][h2][b][color=Yellow]NO NEED TO BE RUDE

BATMAN

LET SUPERMAN ENJOY 

HIS PLAYTIME[/color][/b][/h2][/center]

Grabbing another batarang, I smash it into the glass as hard as I can to try and break myself free. Doesn't work, much less even make a scratch. Too thick to be able to cut through. And if I try and use the grenades to bypass this, the space is too narrow to say that I [i]won't[/i] be torn in half by shrapnel. Ace is already scanning for a backdoor to override Schott's automated commands, but the program keeps rewriting itself. Any breach isn't likely to occur remotely, which means that I'd have to break into the mainframe myself. Smashing my fist into the glass, I spot the terminal that will likely grant me access. Were it not for the glass separating me from it's location, I'd be just within reach. 

[center][h2][b][color=Yellow]BUT DON'T THINK

I'VE LEFT YOU WITHOUT 

ANYTHING

TO PLAY WITH[/color][/b][/h2][/center]

My ears perk up as a low hum begins to echo across the limited space that I've been given. Sounds like an electronic device, unsurprisingly, but the source of it is lower to the ground than I would have expected. Turning my eyes toward the far wall, I see a small series of panels slide open as something races out of each of them. Readying a few batarangs in each hand, my eyes widen as I finally catch a glimpse of what they are. They're... remote control cars. Not unlike the very models you would find in the actual toy store of the Sprang Avenue Mall. Either he's mocking me, which is entirely possible, or there's something more to these than meets the eye. 

[center][h2][b][color=Yellow]I FELT THAT 

YOU WOULD WANT

SOMETHING 

MORE NOSTALGIC[/color][/b][/h2][/center]

Taking a step back as they race towards me, I notice that a couple of the cars in the back collide with one another. For a second, nothing happens. But Ace warns me of a proximity alert within seconds, indicating that both cars are armed with explosives. Throwing my cape infront of me to avoid being ripped to shreds, the impact of the resulting explosion knocks me back and slams me into the glass. 

Hitting the floor, my vision blurs for a moment and my ears begin ringing. But I'm still made aware of the fact that those were only two cars wired to blow - of eight. And the other six are approaching, fast. Forcing myself back up, I tap the side of my cowl to calibrate Ace's tracker to the cars. Toyman's A.I. will have to wait.

[b][color=#656565]"Ace. Give me a weak point. Look for any wires to safely disconnect."[/color][/b]

The cars become green and overcast by a grid, with schematics unfolding infront of my eyes. Seems as though there is a wire that could do the job, but it's on the undertow of each car. Can't risk picking them up, as it would seem that they're rigged to explode upon direct contact. Have to think of another way to solve this. 

Looking at the metal that slid over the walls, I glance back at the cars, noticing that they're made of a metallic material aswell, likely in an effort to act as an effective casing. The cars begin encircling me as I reach into the back of my belt, pulling out a small electromagnet that would normally be utilized in jamming firearms. Toyman seems to react as I adjust the polarity. 

[center][h2][b][color=Yellow]THAT ISN'T 

PART OF THE 

RULES

THAT'S CHEATING[/color][/b][/h2][/center]

I glare up at the generated image with a considerable measure of contempt. 

[b][color=#656565]"You're not the only one with toys."[/color][/b]

Tossing the electromagnet onto the wall, of which it easily sticks, I prepare six batarangs for each car and watch as they're both turned onto their sides and dragged backwards by the pull of the device. I can feel sweat sliding down my forehead as I take a moment to aim for each wire and leap forward. If the cars hit the wall before I can hit them, they'll blow. I have to hit the wires with the utmost of precision. This is going to require one hell of a miracle to pull off. 

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/kXkNAoW.png[/IMG]

Fortunately, I don't [i]believe[/i] in miracles.

Closing my eyes, I let loose all six batarangs all at once and toss them with as much confidence as possible. Time slows to a crawl as they fly towards the red wire attached to each car's explosive. Any number of variables could render this an entirely futile gesture. There are blue and yellow wires that likely trigger the bombs strung closely together with the red. My aim could always be off, of course, and there's also the possibility that I threw the batarangs too hard, slicing the wires themselves but embedding into the cars instead of severing them, also triggering certain death. 

Yet to my astonishment, whenever I land, each car goes from green to gray. Ace gives me the news. They're inactive, with each batarang having severed the correct line. Staring at the cars as their wheels stop, having been deactivated entirely, I notice that the furthest was only half an inch away from hitting the wall and setting off what would've likely been a chain explosion. My heart stops for a moment, almost unable to accept my luck as I breathe a huge sigh of relief. 

Too close. It's all that could possibly be said. That was entirely too close.

[b][i][color=#656565]Your turn, Superman. End this insanity once and for all.[/color][/i][/b]