Electric Soul.
Batman glided over the city, scanning the rooftops of the city, as well as the streets below for any sign of activity. No doubt, that Scarecrow and the others would not be the only problem, there were always new comers to add to this war.
A sudden flash of light and then, Bleak Island suffered a black out across the entire island before the power slowly came back on.
Bruce rested himself on a rooftop, before he contacted Alfred.
"Alfred, there was a black out on Bleak Island, everything went down. Did anything come up on the scanners?"
Alfred nodded. "Indeed, Master Bruce. According to the scanners in the black out there was a high concentration of electricity focused on one part."
"Where was it?"
"At the A.C.E Chemicals light house. Sir, I think we can both agree that is a very strange place to have such a high concentration of electricity."
"I'm going to investigate," Bruce concluded as he stood up. "Keep an eye on the scanners, let me know if anymore black outs happen."
"Very good, Sir."
He disconnected and jumped from the roof, gliding across the city, using the grapnel boost when he had to, before finally landing at the lighthouse.
Bruce searched around, before finding a body on the ground next to the lighthouse and on top of some metal grating.
The body was charred and burnt almost completely black in colouring, a few pieces of clothing remained as well as a security badge.
"Alfred," Bruce connected to comms, "I've found a body. I'm going to try and identify the victim and how they died."
He clicked a button on his cowl and tapped into his evidence scanner, looking over the body as it focussed on the security badge first.
"The victim's name is Gabriel Clifton. According to his security badge he worked at Eaton Electrics."
"Yes, er, it says here," Alfred read from the bat-computer files. "That Doctor Clifton worked with the company for 5 years, he was part of a 5 man team, which included Mister Eaton and his son, in creating organic power lines and cables to try and reduce damage to the environment and it's wild life with none recycable were supposed to testing some of their designs today, of course in light of recent events they were unable to perform this task."
"Maybe not," Bruce narrowed his eyes. "The evidence shows that this man died from severe electrical burns and he was electrocuted to death, but there is nothing here that could've produced such high amounts of electricity to burn and kill him. But he wasn't duped here, he was killed here, by the looks of things he was trying to get away from someone, and they found him."
"But, Sir. What sort of weapon could cause such high degree of burning and electrocution?"
"I don't know, Alfred. But I'm going to find out."
"Well, Sir there was another black out, this time on Miagani Island."
"Was there another spike of electricity?"
"Indeed there was, Sir. This time at the Grand Central monorail station. I've highlighted the location on your map."
Bruce closed off coms and took one finally look at the body before he grappled away from the lighthouse.
Whoever was doing this was quick, but what could cause such a high level of electricity that it could cause which ever island the killer was close to or standing on, to black out?
Bruce landed in the station and walked around the building before he came across another body.
"Alfred, I've found another body. Cause of death the same, I'm going to see if I can identify the victim."
He tapped into the evidence scanner, the scanner itself picking up the part of the body where the burning originated from.
"The victim was shot by a high level of electricity in the middle of his chest, which caused the burning," Bruce muttered to himself. "It spread over his body, killing him almost instantly. If I can reconstruct the crime scene I'll be able to work out where the killer was standing.
He stood back and began to fast forward the evidence and discovered where the killer had been standing at the time of the attack.
"The killer was standing here, the blast was so powerful that it knocked the victim through the wall. He was dead on impact."
Bruce walked back to the body and began to examine it more.
"Dental records show that this body belonged to David North."
"He also worked for Eaton Electrics, Sir. In fact, he was one of the members of the 5 man team that Gabriel Clifton worked on."
"Alfred," Bruce said as he walked over to a brief case that had clearly been held by the desceesed. "I've found a brief case belonging to the victim. Im going to upload the files to you after I scan them. See what you can find."
"Right you are, Sir."
Bruce knelt down and opened the case, beginning to scan in the files.
"Right, lets see…" Alfred murmured as he began to over look them. "Hmm. That's odd."
"What is?"
"It seems that the team were also working on a little side project, except there were only four members out of the five. Doctor Clifton, Doctor North, Doctor Easebrook and Mister Harry Eaton. It seems that Mister Eaton's son was not part of this project."
"What was about?"
"It seems that they were studying a test subject called subject V. It seems that they wanted to create a living breathing electrical being, made of organic electricity, Sir. The project was called Project Voltage."
"Where was the last location of Doctor Easebrook, he might be able to tell us something."
Alfred nodded and began to search through the files. "It says here that Doctor Easebrook was supervising the development of the new Eaton Electrics building on Founders Island. I've marked the location on your map."
Batman quickly jumped off the building, calling the car to make the journey shorter and quicker.
It didn't take long before he was driving up to the building, when he was close enough, he ejected and glided towards one of the windows on the top floor, bursting through it into one of the finished offices.
A startled cry caught his attention and he turned towards the owner of the voice, Easebrook.
"Oh thank god. I thought it was him," Easebrook breathed a sigh of relief as Batman walked towards him.
"What's Project Voltage?" Bruce growled and Easebrook seemed to pale.
"I.. I can't tell you that, it's classified!"
"Two of your colleges are dead and the killer will be after you next. What is Project Voltage?"
Easebrook sighed and picked up his tablet, turning it on so it produced a holographic projection.
"Project Voltage, was an experiment to see if we could create organic electricity. Bonding human DNA and electricity together to create an electrical life form. I didn't want to do it, but Mister Eaton insisted, he was the one who started the project."
"And subject V? Was that Voltage."
"What? No." Easebrook bowed his head. "Oh god no I wish it was anyone but who it is. I didn't want to do it, but Eaton insisted, said that subject V was the next step in the elevutionary development of human beings as a whole. It was all because of that accident. He was blasted but survived and then electricity and electrical appliances began to act weirdly around him."
"Who? Subject V?"
"Yes. It was strange, and then Eaton wanted us to study him and then finally perform the experiment that would enable him to become a being made of organic electricity. It worked but-."
"Now your little science project is coming after you all to kill you for what you did to them," Bruce finished as he took a step closer. "What is Subject V? I can't help you unless you tell me."
Easebrook sighed and nodded his head. "Subject V was- oh god! No, stay back! I'm sorry!"
Batman turned around to see a figure standing behind him, his body was glowing bright blue, with electricity pumping through his veins and his heart, eyes sparking blue as he stood there. Black clothes were ripped and burnt, singed around the egdes as he narrowed his eyes at Easebrook.
"Too little, too late, Charley," the figure growled, his voice sounded like static, his eyes darted to Batman. "Sorry you got involved Batman, this was meant to be a private affair."
"You killed two people."
"Wrong," Voltage, Batman supposed would be his name, spoke. "I killed three."
Voltage darted foward, disappearing in a flash of electricity before he reformed behind Easebrook who screamed before it was cut short by a bolt of electrcity and he was flung across the room, burnt to a crisp and dead.
Batman's eyes widened before he narrowed his eyes at Voltage who stood there smirking slightly before his returned to being cold and calculating.
"Stay out of my way," he growled before disappearing again.
Bruce stood up. "Voltage is the killer," he said as he contacted Alfred. "Subject V, is the one killing these men, they experimented on him, turned him into organic living electricity, but he's only young no more then 17 years of age. But he's angry and wants revenge."
"I can't say I blame him, Sir."
"No, Alfred, I can't either. But there are other ways then doing this, killing people. I have to stop him and I know who he's going after next. I still don't know his real identity though, but I know someone who will."
"Who is that Sir?"
"Harry Eaton. He was the one who started the project, he knows who Voltage is. I'm heading to his office on Miagani Island now."
"Very well, Sir."
Batman quickly ran and jumped off the building, landing in his batmobile before taking off down the street, driving over the bridge, watching as cars drove out of his way, before he finally reached the destination, ejecting out of the car and gliding, before he grappled to the balcony at the top.
The balcony lead to Harry Eaton's office, just before he entered his communications beeped to life and he answered.
"Sir, I did some more digging and found that Victor Eaton was also in Gotham tonight. It says here he went to the main electrical substation on Bleak Island. He checked in, but after there was electrical surge that blacked out most of Gotham before power was restored. Victor never checked out sir, police found reminats of his security badge and clothes burnt around a collection of broken and snapped electrical wires."
"Let me guess, no body?"
"You are indeed correct, Sir. Victor's body was never recovered and before police had chance to look for it, Scarecrow attacked."
"I think I know who Voltage is, Alfred."
He shut off coms and kicked the doors in, Harry Eaton looked startled.
"Batman," he blinked before narrowing his eyes. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be catching criminals?"
"I am," Bruce growled as he stopped in front of Eaton, who went wide eyed before glaring.
"I don't know what you mean."
"You experimented on your own son, treated him like a mouse and robbed him of his life."
Harry shook his head. "Lies. I never robbed my son of his life, I gave him a better one. Victor had always been good at electricals and electricity, but then he had an accident and it would usually of killed any normal man, but not my son. Victor survived with a few burns and a few cuts and after that, electronics began to act strangely around him, phones began to loose signal, phones began to charge after being in his hand, I knew he was special, finally he began to show his true talent, his true potential. I merely wanted to help him reach it."
"By pushing him into those wires and having your colleges turn the power up so he fried."
"Victor's body mutated, it accepted the electricity and he and the electricity became one. He's pure organic electricity, if we created more like him we wouldn't need to burn coal, or ruin the rest of the environment, if we were all like Victor we would be able to power our machines ourselves."
"You robbed him os his humanity, of his childhood and of his life!" Bruce growled. "You're a monster."
"I couldn't have put it better myself."
They both turned to see Victor standing on the balcony staring at them, his voice scratchy and filled with white noise. It was then that Bruce saw remnants of wires wrapped around his arms, wrists legs, ankles and neck, even one around his body. His black hair, the part that was left, fell in front of one of his eyes as he glared at his father.
"Victor," Harry smiled. "You came home."
Victor slowly walked forward pointing at him. "You did this to me."
"He needs to be tried in a court of law, Victor," Batman growled. "Killing isn't the way."
"I only helped you, Victor."
"Help me?" Victor gritted out. "How did any of this help me?!" he screamed, the lights flickered and electricity sparked from Victor's fingers, one of the bulbs on the desk lights popped. "Did I look like I needed help to you?" he hissed. "When exactly did you come to the conclusion, Dad, that I needed help?!"
"You're acting ridiculous, son. You've always needed help, it's just now you were finally useful."
Victor went wide eyed and he backed up slightly.
"Victor, listen to me," Bruce growled. "What he did to you, what they all did to you was wrong, but killing him is not the way. It won't change what happened."
"You are right about that," he flicked his wrists and the wires around his wrists began to uncurl themselves and he gripped the ends of one of them while he let the rest of it drop to the ground, electricity sparked and began to run through the wires. "But he has to pay!"
"And he will. In a court of law."
"Oh no…" Victor shook his head. "He took my life, only fair I take his."
He lashed out, but Bruce was ready and he pushed Harry out of the way, throwing an ice grenade at Victor.
It froze, growling before he powered up and the ice broke, just as Bruce ran forward and kicked him back onto the balcony.
"Victor, stop this!"
"It's not Victor, not anymore!" He snarled as he stood up. "It's only Voltage now!" he growled as his eyes sparked and began to glow, before electricity began to come out of them and then he jumped backwards off the balcony, dissapearing from sight.
"Victor!" Bruce ran forward, only to be plastered back, away from the edge of the balcony as Voltage rose into the air, the wires still in hand. "Victor!" Bruce cried. "Stand down!"
Voltage smirked before he struck at him with the electrified wires.
Batman threw freeze grenades quickly at Victor, they finally did their job and he stopped, frozen in mid air, before Batman grappled up and swung around, smashing Victor into the side of the building, causing the ice to break and the wires to fall from his hands, as Bruce rolled backwards and threw him over his shoulder and he landed at the edge of the balcony.
Voltage growled and slowly got to his feet.
"You aren't stopping me! No one can stop me!"
He jumped into the air again and began to fire down blasts of electricity, so Bruce began to throw freeze grenades once more. Some of them missed because Victor was able to dodge them, but a few hit their mark and once again he was frozen and Bruce reapeted the process, he knew the boy wouldn't last much longer, he was using up his energy.
"No.. no! You aren't going to stop me, this is my right! He deserves this!" Victor yelled before he began to fire blasts of electricity, even creating electrical mines on the balcony Bruce was dodging on.
Batman fired more freeze grenades at him, Victor blasting some of them out of the air, while he dodged others, but in the end he was frozen and this time Bruce grappled up and dived down on the boy, breaking the ice slightly and diving down to the road below, smashing into debris on the way down, before hitting the ground, the ice smashed and Victor lay their dazed.
Bruce took his chance and grabbed one of the iron bars, slamming it into the ground, before he grabbed Victor and forced him to hold onto the rod.
Victor's eyes widened.
"No.." he whispered before he began to scream in agony, as his electrical charge was carried down the iron bar.
His screams stopped, his eyes rolled back and he slumped to the floor, letting go of the pole.
Bruce stared down at the boys limp form before he called the car over and picked the Victor up, placing his body in one of the seats before closing the back.
"Batman!"
He turned to see Harry running towards him from the building.
"Give me Victor, he is my property after all."
Bruce didn't answer he slammed his fist into Harry's nose, were it made a satisfying crunch before he handcuffed him to the metal stair case leading up to his building.
"What are you doing?!" Harry snarled.
"The police will pick you up. You will be charged for the things you did to your own son."
"What I did was for the greater good of mankind and my son!"
"You did what you thought would make you rich, Eaton. You did it for the greater good of yourself."
He turned on his heel and jumped into the car, driving away.
"Cash, prepare a containment cell, I'm bringing in Voltage."
"Sure thing, Batman."
A groan from behind him alerted him to Victor waking up. Once the boy did there was a small laugh.
"Nice car," he groaned. "Very electrical. Rather advanced circuitry I'm impressed."
"Don't try anything, Victor. I don't want to hurt you."
"Not in the mood Batman, but you should've let me kill him."
"What happened to you was wrong, but you shouldn't of killed those people, no matter what they'd done to you. Your father will face justice for what he did to you."
"Hmm. I suppose that's better then nothing. I'd rather he be dead, but I suppose rotting a prison for a few months, he'll probably end up dead anyway."
"I'll try to reverse what happened to you, Victor."
There was a pause.
"Thank you," he whispered just as Batman pulled up to the GCPD.
Bruce got out the car and walked round to the back, watching as Victor came into view, his body was still glowing.
"This way, Victor."
"I'm coming."
The boy followed Batman as he lead him up the steps, and into the GCPD.
Around them people stared in shock, even the super criminals seemed a little taken aback by his appearance, but one of them recognised him.
"Victor?!" Edward Nigma cried out with wide eyes.
"Hey, Eddie," Victor croaked. "If you see Enigma, let her know I'm okay, will you?"
Riddler nodded dumbly at Enigma's friend from school, he'd seen him and even met him one or two times. He respected the boy's intelligence when it came to electrics, but god what on earth happened to him.
Batman opened an isolation cell and gently ushered Victor inside it, watching as the boy looked around his cell.
"I'm sorry I killed the others, they were.. only following orders," he turned to Batman. "I shouldn't of hurt them, there was only one monster here and that was my father, so I'm sorry. Not that my apology is worth much, but I am sorry."
Batman nodded and took a step away before he turned and left the boy, contacting Alfred in the process.
"Alfred. Close the case, I've caught Victor and his father has also been detained, they won't be causing any more problems tonight."
"Very good, Master Bruce," Alfred nodded. "Let's hope that the boy will be able to get help."
"He will," Batman said before he continued. "Any more updates on Gotham's most wanted?"
"Well, there's been an assassination at Port Adams, Sir. As well as a fire that has started at the Dixon Docks, but there also seems to be a distress signal coming from Wayne International Plaza."
Bruce internally sighed. Tonight was going to be a long night.
THE END.
Note: Okay so some of you guys wanted to know a bit more about my characters so I decided to do them as side challenges :) So here we are, this will be updated slowly due to me actually coming up with side missions and trying to make them real enough to be in the Arkhamverse, or at least believable enough that they could've been.
Hope you guys liked Voltage, he's pretty sad, but he's still pretty cool I think.
Stay tuned for the next side mission!
