Spellbound 1-2

For a moment I'm paralyzed, unsure of what I should do. All I do is stand around as Zsasz and the young woman he is with turn and head toward the elevators on the opposite side of the hall.

I finally force myself to move to catch up and keep him in sight, at least until I can come up with a plan of what to do. I realize very quickly that I'm going to have to ride the same elevator as Zsasz so I don't lose him.

Okay, lets think about this for a second. It could be possible that this is not the same crazy serial killer Zsasz from the comics or that the Zsasz of this world isn't a murderer. There have been so many alterations, reimagining's, reboots, and self-contained stories of Batman over the years that I honestly have no idea what to expect from this world.

I was used to Mr. Freeze being a tragic figure who only wanted to help his wife for example. I was a bit surprised to read in the morning paper that he had killed a police officer and held a family of three as hostages to get away. Which helped remind me that the knowledge I have of this world isn't always accurate.

But as far as I am aware, Victor Zsasz has consistently been portrayed as a murderer. Sometimes he is an assassin that works for the mob and sometimes he is just a random psycho that kills people from a demented belief that he is liberating people from a pointless existence. Either way, every time he kills someone, he carves a tally mark on his skin for each life he's taken as a grisly trophy.

The easiest and quickest way to check if he is a killer is to get him to remove his shirt to check for tally marks. Should I just tackle him and lift up his shirt? If I'm quick, I might be able to get away if I use my power to help distract people.

No, I can't make a scene where are there are so many eyes around me. The last thing I want is people realizing I'm a Meta Human because I'll be a priority for Batman and the cops. I'm already on camera. If I do attack it has to be a place where no one can see.

Zsasz and the girl haven't noticed me coming up from behind them as he pushed the button for the elevator. I can't see any tally marks on his neck because that would just be too easy, wouldn't it?

I'm lucky Zsasz and the girl are still being really touchy feely with each other without a care in the world. The girl seems normal enough and doesn't seem to be inebriated or drugged in any way. She could be acting but she at least seems to be into him. Neither of them brought any bags and she doesn't look like a call girl.

In the Arkham games, Zsasz is supposed to come from a rich background before losing it all gambling. A rich man should be able to get a date pretty easily from a certain type of woman. Then again, it could just be a normal relationship and I'm jumping to conclusions.

If Zsasz were a killer, why the hell would he bring her to a hotel? They have his face and name on file and being forced to hide the body here gives to many possibilities of being caught. But if he was a psycho he might not care about getting caught.

I still have the option of just ignoring this and walking away. I don't know for certain he is going to kill her. Just to be safe I can go steal the painting and immediately call the police once I leave the hotel.

But would the cops even believe me?

I don't exactly have a mountain of evidence and it would really just be the word of a random caller that someone he noticed in a hotel had tally marks on his skin and that they signify the number of people he's killed. Even if the cops do investigate and treat him as a suspect, it wouldn't be enough to save the girl if this Zsasz is really a killer.

The response time of the GCPD leaves a lot to be desired. The official response time is eight to ten minutes but Danny swears to me that it's really ten to fourteen depending on where you live. Batman can show up in as little as two minutes depending on where he is and how quick his plane can pick him up then drop him from the sky. But it's believed by the criminal underworld that his average response time is around four minutes.

I'm not allowed to contact Batman or Bruce Wayne, god knows I've tried, directly by whatever is keeping me here and is behind the veil. Which means it will have to be the cops I call. Figure ten minutes to get here, then five minutes to take the stairs or the elevator, and another minute to break down the door.

Let's be real then, if I do nothing and he is a killer, I would be condemning the girl he is with to death.

The elevator arrives and I use my power to quickly scope out the inside and feel a mirror and camera in the corner. Since I am confident that the cops will be looking closely at this if I do make a move against him, I take a moment to blur the light in front of the camera just as the doors opens.

I wait for Zsasz to go in first and he pushes the button for the twenty first floor. I push the button for the twenty second a little later and try to remain calm as I get in just behind and to the right of Zsasz.

I think about trying to stop him now and discard that line of thought. There is no guarantee the elevator won't stop at another floor, which will bring more witnesses and I don't have a lot of room to maneuver in here. So trying to make a move in the elevator is no go.

I'm going to be honest with myself and admit that I've already made my decision to not risk letting the girl get killed. So I have to mug him to get his shirt off. If there are no Tally marks, I run away.

Then what do you do smart guy if there are Tally marks proving he is a killer? What do you do then?

I don't mind killing him morally speaking. While I can sort of respect Batman's no killing vow, I also know that there are plenty of other villains that the city is better off with if they were dead since Arkham can't hold them and they refuse to be rehabilitated in any way. One of the big differences I've notice in this world is that there seem to be several active serial killers right now and they do some pretty sick stuff. I knew I had no chance in hell of beating the Joker but I had promised myself that if I saw the chance, I would kill him at least.

Unfortunately, my options for fighting Zsasz are really limited since my power really isn't good at direct confrontations. On a really sunny and bright day, I can make a heat beam that takes a lot out of me. But while it gives a first degree burn to people's skin and has a decent range, it won't really take someone down.

I hadn't planned on fighting anyone tonight, but I live in Gotham City so I at least have some mace and a Taser for self-defense in my coat. The Taser can launch a single probe up to fifteen feet according to the box. I'll distract him, then shoot him with it from behind and try to hit him in the head. Then take his shirt off and look for Tally marks.

If I find some, I'll have to capture him for the police to find later. Or at least incapacitate him I can call the police. I'm lucky that the brains of the people in this world are tougher than my own.

When you get knocked out, you get a neurochemical reaction in the brain that can cause cell death. Depending on how long someone is knocked out, and how severe the impact, you can really fuck someone up.

But in this world, people's brains or skulls are tougher. Concussions are not as damaging and brains aren't as damaged when they take a jolt. Football players and boxers still have their issues but that is over a lifetime of hard knocks to the head. For most people getting knocked out is not as dangerous as it would be back home. Which is why Batman can go around punching people out left and right and apparently never kills or permanently cripples anyone.

The number of floors is ticking closer and I am freaking out. I haven't been in a fight since middle school and I even lost that one. I'm not a psychopath, so I find the idea of fighting someone scary as hell.

What if he has a knife or a gun? I mean this is Gotham for crying out loud. I find people that don't carry something for self defense crazy considering the monsters and psychos here.

I'm starting to really sweat like crazy as the numbers tick ever closer and I feel a little short of breath. I'm trembling so much I can't believe neither of them has noticed me. I pat the Taser in my coat to reassure myself it is still there and size Zsasz up.

He comes up to about my height, just shy of six feet and he seems to take care of himself, with a well-muscled form. He is a mob hit man in some stories I've seen, so he might have some training or a gun.

I'll have the element of surprise but I haven't had any training to fight someone. Something I promise myself I'm going to fix if I get out of here unscathed. I had always figured my power made fighting pointless since misdirection and escaping is my specialty.

I've worked out a lot more than I used to since I got here thanks to the stupid veil keeping me from seeing anything not related to this roach motel of a city. I can now bench press three hundred pounds thank you very much. I look dangerous or crazy enough to be usually be left alone thanks to the Joe of this world getting a large and creepy eye tattoo on his forehead, but I am still pretty skinny. I doubt I'm going to scare or intimidate Zsasz.

Thinking it over, I will have to make my move in the hallway before he gets to his room. I can't pick an electronic lock and I don't have a good disguise or photo on hand. Once he is in his room, I have no real way to convince him to open his door for me.

I feel the light of the bulb above me and go through options to distract him. I finally decide on reflecting light to give the hallway a funhouse mirror like effect and change the color to mess with him. The attack from behind while camouflaged. I can't turn invisible with my power but I can bend light enough to give me something similar to Predator camouflage. It works better when I don't move and in darker environments with just a little light but it should be enough to buy me a few seconds and confuse anyone that is watching while I shoot him with the Taser. When he is on the ground, I'll club him over the head. I'll keep the mace in reserve in case he gets up or I find the tally marks.

The elevator slows to a stop and I close my eyes to examine the hallway through the lights of the bulbs covering in the ceiling. Thanks to the hallway being well lit I can tell no one seems to be watching and there are no cameras. The door to the stairs is right next to the elevator and my room is only up two more floors. My bag doesn't weigh much but I am going to exhaust myself carrying over a hundred pounds of Zsasz up two flights of stairs if he turns out to be the same Zsasz from the comics.

Please don't be the Zsasz from the comics. Please let this be a giant mistake.

I start to really hyperventilate a little as my body tenses up. I carefully put my bag over my head and make sure it's tight against my body. Then take out the Taser from my coat and put it in my palm as the doors open. I make sure the safety is on before I tighten my grip so hard I'm worried I'm going to break it, giving me a new respect for Batman for being brave enough to throw himself at people that can kill him.

I am completely laser focused on the back of Zsasz's head as they step out of the elevator. The girl is leaning against him and whispering something while giggling. I wait for them to take a few steps before I walk out and use my power to feel out the light around me until I have my outline clearly defined. Then leak out the energy from my body and bend the light around me.

Its always a little disorienting when you can't see your body clearly but I've practiced enough that it doesn't bother me as much as I get off of the elevator. A weird side effect of doing the Predator camo trick is that I suddenly feel really cold. It feels like I've suddenly stuck myself under a cold shower, which gives me a small shock and helps keep me alert. My heart is beating so loud I can't believe they haven't turned around. I feel out the light in the front of them and let my power shake it up.

To Zsasz's eyes it would have seemed as if hallway had started to twist and distort. The walls would have looked to stretch out and the nearby table would have started to bend like a Dali painting. I let the color slowly drain out of the hallway to make the place look as white as possible, giving the illusion of more space.

The girl reacts first, giving a cry of surprise and freezing in place. Zsasz looks to her in confusion before stopping while looking forward. He slowly raised his arm with his palm up, like he is trying to feel out what changed. Neither of them is looking my direction as I walk at a deliberate pace while carefully aiming.

I do not know how he knew but Zsasz seemed to sense my approach as he turned his head behind him just as I got into range with the Taser up. His eyes get as big as saucers when I fire the Taser. There is an audible pop from the charge going off with the two prongs hitting him on his arm and just below his neck.

I hear the distinctive sound of the charge going through both wires as Zsasz tenses up and falls to his knees. The girl looks down still a little fearful but I ignore her, as I move just behind Zsasz. I wind my leg back and kick his head as hard as I can while picture it as a soccer ball. He falls back into the wall dazed with the prongs of the Taser still hanging off of him as I disconnect them from the Taser and put it back into my pocket. .

I bend over his body moving as fast as I can more than a little frantic. I rip his coat and buttons off with an audible tearing sound just as the girl starts to scream beside me. Her voice is panicked and disbelieving. I ignore her and lift his shirt up and spot what I have been both dreading and hoping for.

There are at least three sets of tally marks covering the side of his stomach as clear as day.

Well that makes things both easier and harder. I give a quick glance to the girl who has backed up against the wall away from me in fear before leaning back over Zsasz who has somehow started to get up. How the hell didn't that put him down?

I can spot what looks the handle of a knife in the inside pocket of his coat and immediately start kicking and stomping like mad on his head and face. I lose count after the sixth kick and the girl starts to scream for help while running back toward the elevator.

My foot starts to actually hurt as I keep stomping over and over not taking any chance and no longer caring what damage I do. I stop as soon as I see him go limp, not bothering to check to make sure he is still breathing. I stop the twisting of the hallway and instead start it up again in the space between the girl and I.

The girl starts to scream anew as the elevator opens up again to her frantic button mashing and rushes inside. I grunt in exertion while I pick up Zsasz in a fireman's carry, not caring as his head bangs against the wall.

God damn is the bastard heavier than he looks. I groan as I start to walk toward the stairs. I can see the girl is crying in the elevator while desperately pushing the button and I feel a touch of remorse after what I made her see. But at least I made sure he would still be alive to be scared.

I kick the door to the stairs open just as the elevator doors close. I'm still hopped up on enough adrenaline that I don't start to get tired until I climb the two flights to get to my floor.

I take a moment to feel out the hallway to make sure I have no witnesses before I pull open the door while carefully balancing Zsasz on my shoulders. Just to be safe I project the empty hallway around me to hide myself from view while getting to my room. My power can't hide me completely. My shadow is still plain as day and you can usually see the flicker of movement behind my mirage, which appear in the empty hallway, but I am reasonabley sure no one will notice.

I had made sure to practice hiding using my powers in crowded places until I was confident that people would not notice me unless they were unusually observant or looking for me in the first place.

I grunt in annoyance, as I can't reach my room key in my pocket. I finally manage to get it out and insert the card into the slot until it turns green. I open the door and walk inside not even looking at the room.

I kick open the bathroom door and dump Zsasz in the tub while pulling my bag off. I had some zip ties and tape packed in case I had to take the Powers hostage if they were still home. They should have just left to go see a play or show like they did every Sunday, but I had wanted to be prepared.

I give Zsasz a careful look when he starts groaning. His face was badly bruised and bloody, and I was certain I had broken his nose. I was sure he would have been out for longer than that. I quickly fished out the zip ties from my bag and zip tied his hands behind his back and made sure that he couldn't move his legs.

Satisfied he couldn't move, I turn on the TV to Jack Ryder to help mask any noise Zsasz made. Jack Ryder is a bit of a hack and sensationalist but he is one of the few things I can still watch on TV. After I raised the volume a little, I went back to my bag and looked around for the duct tape before finally finding it and pulling it out. It was just as I am standing back up that I realize that I was still using my camouflage. In the shock of the moment I had forgotten to take it off.

I let it drop and start breathing hard, more than a little exhausted. My heart is beating in my chest and I am panting like crazy. Goddamn, that was terrifying. Batman has to be pretty crazy himself to do something like that night after night.

I give myself a minute or two to relax. My lungs fill up while I wait a little before I exhale with my eyes closed and think about what I still have to do. Mr. and Mrs. Powers should be gone for a few hours, but I need to hurry just in case. The girl is going to be calling the police if the hotel hasn't already.

The cops have no reason to open my door or question me on my whereabouts. But I am still a little paranoid after having the bad luck of Zsasz showing up on tonight of all nights. Sometimes I wonder if Gotham hates me as much as I hate it. It sure sometimes feel like this city has it out for me.

"Who are you?" a wild and shocked voice called out from behind. I freeze and nearly drop the duct tape in shock. How the hell is he conscious already?

I quickly distort the light in front of my face copying a horror movie I remembered and turn around. His face is completely flabbergasted at my appearance and his mouth is hanging open.

"What the fuck is this? Who the hell are you!?" he suddenly starts shouting. I tear open the duck tape and start walking toward him.

"What the bloody fuck are you?," his voice take on this crazy tone and he sounds more than a little pissed as I get closer.

"Answer me! Who the hell are you? What the fucking hell is this!?" he said while struggling to get free.

"A person who knows what you are and what you have done," I finally said in a level voice as I bend down in front him.

He looks more than a little stunned and starts to stay something before I punch him and gag him with the tape. I take a moment to grab a chair from the desk and prop it up against the door. That should hold him long enough for me to do what I need to do and get away.

I pull out the ropes and climbing equipment from my bag and give it a careful once over. Ever rope is slowly checked and every knot is given a tug to make sure they are tight. I open the door to the balcony and wince at both the sudden chill and the long drop to the ground.

I take one more look at the bathroom before I start to suit up. Time to get what I came for.