Disclaimer: I do not own Superman or Batman along with dozens other characters that, by right, belong to DC Comics.
IV. Vulnerability.
At thirteen years of age, Bruce Wayne, the heir to the Wayne Family earned his high school diploma, early by five years time due to his dedication, hard work, and exceptional intelligence.
Seeing the young man at the surface, one would think that he was someone who had his future set ahead of him, one that was filled with success and prosperity, and that he would walk a path that only few could take due to his intelligence, demeanor, and his dashing looks.
Except for the few who truly knew him, he was a promising young man that would one day take over the world and hold it in his grasp.
Martha Wayne, his mother, was proud of his achievements, as many mothers would if their child were regarded as a genius in his school and an over-achiever on such a scale that he was able to finish his elementary and secondary education at such a short time simply because he wanted to.
However, unlike most people who might think that he did so because he wanted to show-off or simply because he can, Martha knew the reason why he was driven to graduate from his elementary and secondary education so early and to do the same thing about his higher education.
"I want to finish early... Then I want to go out to the world... To learn more, to see things, to know my place in the world. I want to become someone that is more than just a person who has a lot of money in his pocket."
She knew that Bruce had changed ever since her husband's death. He had become more driven by a sense of purpose, a goal that he's trying to achieve, one that only he could see and that only few things could stop him, among which was her and Alfred.
Martha allowed him to go through elementary school and straight to junior and middle high school so quickly because of how knowledgeable he had become through reading nearly every book that they had, be it fiction, non-fiction, educational, any book he saw, he will read them, finish them in a short time, and then able to recite it in verbatim.
Even Martha had to put her foot down when she saw how he became so purpose-driven that he had forgotten to eat, sleep or drink for nearly a whole day simply because he wished to understand something new from the books that he had been reading.
The woman could still remember how many books that he brought to his bedroom at night and how many he had read when the morning came. Such an obsession would not do good for his health, it would damage him in some way, but for all her concerns, deep down, she knew that they were unfounded.
As he grew, his body became more and more enhanced compared to normal humans. More durable, more powerful, faster and so forth. Essentially, his body became far better compared to an average or even an exceptional human being.
Despite all of this however, Martha still consider him her son and as such, his actions still worried her. Though she could say that she's proud of his achievements, his lack of interest regarding anything that was not studying, reading, or keeping to himself and rarely talk to others was something that worried her.
He certainly had made friends along the way, such as Thomas Elliott, the poor boy whose parents died tragically in an accident. But even so, Bruce's dedication to this purpose that he wanted to achieve was such that it made him push Thomas away.
Though the two still contacted each other sporadically, they were not as close as they could've been had Bruce were more laid back and relaxed.
Then again, Martha knew just how different his mentality had become since his father's death. She had tried to remedy that, reminding him that he was still young, very young in fact, that he should be enjoying this phase of his life instead of obsessing over something, no matter how important it was to him. Obsession was rarely, if ever, a healthy thing.
She succeeded in some parts but failed in others, to say the very least. True, Bruce learned the importance of relaxation and having 'fun' once in awhile, but to him, the acceptable recreational time, the time which he could relax, play around, having a laugh or enjoying films at the cinema or television was considerably less compared to the time he had been dedicating to work, laboring and toiling to improve his brain, his knowledge, his mind, his mentality and his physique.
Even now as she's sitting at the terrace on the back of the mansion at ten in the morning and enjoying her light reading, she could see him pass her by, reading a book as he's jogging around the manor, producing no sweats from his body and did not seem exhausted, even after adding the fact that he had circled the manor for at least thirty times in a velocity that was eight to ten times faster than the speed of an exceptional sprinter.
It had been a week since he received his high-school diploma, and he had already enrolled himself into a respected college in Europe, ready to leave the country in the next couple of months whenever the time came.
The thought of him leaving was... not a pleasant thing for Martha to think about. While she certainly acknowledged and accepted the fact that her son wanted to be an adult so early, she would like him to stay for a bit longer, doing things that mother and son should be doing along with doing whatever a healthy boy in his teens should be doing.
All she had was a couple of months... Knowing her son's hardheadedness, she knew that it would do good for her to use that short time productively instead of trying to convince him to slow himself down considerably.
"Bruce, may I talk to you for a second, dear?" she asked without having to increase her voice.
Despite the fact that he was separated from her from quite afar, she saw him going towards her just seconds after she called him, "What is it mom?" he asked her.
His hearing and sight was impeccable, unparalleled even, to the point where only few things could escape his notice. She smiled as she looked at her son and said; "Would you like to go with your mother to a show this Saturday? Giovanni, a friend of your father's, invited us to his magic show in Gotham."
Bruce had met the magician before, Giovanni was his name, a renowned illusionist that was said to be the Harry Houdini of this era. The magician earned Bruce's respect for actually giving some of his fortune to those who needed it the most, the poor, the disadvantaged, while leaving him with just enough to sustain his family.
Through that link of philanthropy acts that both of them had done, Thomas and Giovanni became good friends, and he even came to the former's funeral and shook hands with Bruce and Martha.
Bruce's exposure to the magician was limited however, which was not unexpected considering that he was quite a busy man with many gigs across the globe. Hearing that he was in Gotham caught Bruce's interest, after all, he wanted to talk about something to the man. Something important that could help him in the long run.
"I'd love to mom." said Bruce, reciprocating her smile with his own, "I'd never met Mr. Giovanni in years. It'd be great to see him in action again."
"Indeed. There's something else that you need to know, Bruce." Martha added.
"What is it mom?" he asked, his curiosity somewhat piqued as it might be related to Giovanni's next show.
"Giovanni is going to bring his daughter to the show also." Bruce's mother said with a smile, and she could see through her son's eyes that he immediately caught on to what she's trying to do, "Perhaps you two could meet?" she asked rhetorically.
Bruce sighed and said; "Come on mother, I see what you're doing."
"Indeed, I want you to befriend her." Martha said, getting to the point, "Even the smartest and greatest of men needs some companion Bruce. Friends that they could be comfortable around with."
"I already have friends, mom." Bruce protested.
"I know of Thomas Elliott, but besides him, are there anyone else that you could consider as friends?" Martha asked, and before her son could retort, she continued, "You are still young, Bruce. I do not want to see you grow too comforted in your solitude that you won't know what to do when you're an adult, when it would be much too late to change your habit."
He sighed again, knowing that his mother wanted no extensive argument on this, and so he decided to concede to her wish, "Alright, I'll meet up with her. How old is she by the way?"
"She's ten years old, but listen to me now-" she said to halt Bruce from saying what was on the tip of his tongue after she stated the age of Giovanni's daughter, "He told me that she's wise beyond her age. Considering the man Giovanni is despite his profession, I think you'd know that he's telling nothing but the truth."
"...Fine." Bruce relented, though not really believing that he would enjoy the company of uncle Giovanni's daughter, he decided to at least gave her the benefit of the doubt. "But you do know that wise beyond one's age doesn't actually mean that one is not childish, right?"
"Of course I do Bruce." Martha answered with a smile, "But I believe that his daughter will not be like what you think she is. Just don't judge her when you haven't met her yet Bruce."
"Alright mom." Bruce said before he added, "Can I continue my laps now?"
Martha nodded, "Of course Bruce, but don't forget to actually eat something when it's time for lunch. I do not want you to miss it again like you did two days before."
"...Mom... you do know that I don't actually need sustenance from eating food, right?" he asked with a questioning glance directed at her, as if wanting her to realize that if he did not actually need it, then she did not need to be so worried.
She sighed with a wistful smile and nodded, "I know. And so does Alfred. But he will always make some for you, and frankly, you should respect that, don't you agree?" she asked rhetorically.
Bruce smiled at the implication that Alfred would always spend his energy, time and attention to fulfill Bruce's needs, even when he didn't actually require it. "Right... see you later then mom."
With a burst of speed, her son continued his sprint around the manor.
"Mind your speed Bruce, remember what happened when you didn't! You broke everything in the garden and we had to fix it for days!"
It took a lap for Bruce to stop at the terrace to stand near his mother, look at her, and said; "I'm better at controlling it now, mom. What happened back then was... frustration, you know that." he said, trying to finish the issue without going too deep into it.
Martha smiled knowingly at seeing her son's awkward expression, "I was only reminding you Bruce. However, if you say so, then I will trust you."
"Thanks mom. But I have to remind you that I have never used my powers to their fullest too." Bruce added before he lifted his arms slightly, "I'm not that stupid after all."
With that simple assurance, he sped off once again, leaving gusts of wind in his wake as he ran with a velocity that no human could match.
She then heard the sounds of someone approaching, with a rhythm familiar to her ears and the clattering noises that one would expect from silverware placed on a tray.
"I see young Master Bruce is a bit tense so early in the day." remarked Alfred as he held in his hand a tray that no doubt contained something that she had ordered, "Here is your tea ma'am, along with the scones."
"Thank you Alfred." Martha said as she accepted the assorted snack that was placed on the table before her. She took a sip of the tea before she said; "Yes, but then again, it's been years since he's relaxed. Truly relaxed. I know that he still finds time to wind down a little, but... somehow I feel that his attempts weren't enough. Even with his powers, I'm worried about his mentality."
Alfred shared Martha's concern over the boy's one-track mind. The young master Wayne was undoubtedly an exceptional young man, but it was apparent to both of them that he had chosen a way of life that would not welcome any semblance of normality.
If he would be willing to abandon pursuits that any normal teenager should or would have for the sake of fulfilling some purpose that he had imposed upon himself, a quest for him to undertake, then what more would he abandon in the future?
Such mindset was not something that Alfred wanted him, or anyone else to have for it could lead to his own undoing if it was taken overboard and he forgot the things that he should keep and never to be thrown away like an old and worn piece of clothing.
Still, despite all that he had done to spend his childhood and early teenage years 'more effectively', Alfred still believed that young Bruce was not someone beyond saving.
Thomas Wayne had taught him of the importance of character, and Alfred hoped that the lesson would allow him to see that there were things that he should not throw away, and that gave the old butler a sense of hope.
Hope that despite the scar that he still bear, he would be able to have a normal life. If not today, then perhaps in the future.
"Never lose hope in him, Mrs. Wayne." Alfred said rather resolutely, "He's your son after all, he's not foolish enough to stray off to the deep end."
Martha sighed and said; "I hope so Alfred, I hope so..."
Whenever the sun came up from the horizon, Bruce would always go to a high open spot where the rays of the yellow star would grace him without anything blocking their path from reaching his skin and empowering his cells.
Said spot was located on the manor, the edge of the roof to be exact, the one that stretched eastward and thus was the place where he would be able to receive the energizing light of the sun first thing in the morning.
Like his father had hypothesized, he grew stronger by absorbing the sun's radiation due his body acting in a similar way as a sponge absorbing water whenever its light hit him.
Though Bruce knew that he was not human, he thought that outside of his superhuman qualities given by the sun, there was not that much difference that separated him from the natives of the Earth.
He could still feel the psychological pain of losing a loved one, just like what anyone would feel if they were to see their death in front of them. He could still be pulled to action if he saw an act of injustice being carried out. He could still be attracted to someone, and had the choice of pursuing it or abandoning it.
Essentially, the only thing that separated him from humans was his growing powers. Take it away from him, and he was the same as any other young man, for he had his problems, his flaws, and so many other things that made humans 'human' to begin with.
However, if he were to show this power of his to the masses, there was a chance, a big chance, that they would not think so. He knew that most humans feared or simply dislike what they didn't know or what didn't make sense, and as such, he knew that if he were to show his gifts, he would be regarded with suspicion.
They would fear the possibility of him turning against them given the chance. However, Bruce knew that fearing a possibility was the simple but efficient recipe that could bring bad things to fruition.
Though he knew that fear was a method of control, he did not wish to control the humans of Earth... Just the lowly ones, the ones that took the low road and enjoyed it immensely.
However, that goal was still in the far future. For now, he would try to live his life like his mother told him he should, despite the fact that he felt no need to pursue things that he considered as unnecessary, such as socializing.
Being a part of a social group did not mean that one could automatically understand its unwritten, unstated rules, its quirks, and the complexity of the individual that made up the group. Though Bruce was known as quite a loner, he compensated his lack of interest in partaking social activities by actively listening to the chatters f the people around him.
Along with that, he also learned to be observant, wise up to the abundance of the visual information in his surroundings to add more information to the mind so that he would be able to deduce a person's trait without partaking in the social interaction as usually required.
His sight and hearing was not limited to see or hear something that was located far away from his location. He was also able to spread and divide his focus, enabling him to pay attention to everything in close proximity to him in return for the temporary loss of his ability to see or hear something from far away.
His brain, also empowered by the yellow sun, was more than capable of absorbing the information that he got every time he did so. However, he did not do this simply for the sake of intruding others' privacy, but to train himself. And as such, he only did it whenever he felt like it, which meant that he would do it sporadically instead of doing it whenever his curiosity was piqued.
After all, curiosity could lead to knowing something that one might better off not knowing.
However, curiosity was something that he now had in quite a respectable amount, and it was about the meeting that will occur this late afternoon with the magician Giovanni.
Curious about whether or not the man would agree to his request. After all, it was not an everyday occurrence that a young man would come and ask to be taught a little bit about the art of escapology.
Though his powers would provide an advantage that other magicians would kill to have, he wanted to at least learn a little bit of it, in case of an event where he would be forced to use such skill.
Deciding that he had received enough energy from the morning sunbathing, Bruce moved to the edge of the roof before jumping down to the ground beneath him.
It was a brand new day, and Bruce was ready for whatever might come.
In Gotham City's Wenham Theater, a stage was set for the magician known as Giovanni to bedazzle the audience with his keen skills in magic.
It would be in the next two hours or so when he would have to go out to the stage and do what he does best, but for now, he could be found at his dressing room, along with another, a small girl of ten years old, wearing a long-sleeved white dress shirt and a black skirt that reached her knees along with a black top hat that happened to be a few sizes too big for her head that was covered with long black hair.
She laughed rather giddily as she walked around the dressing room energetically while keeping the hat from falling off of her head with her hands.
Such a blissful sight made Giovanni smile as he let her have her fun with his hat. He was prepared for the oncoming show, clad in his tuxedo paired with his white gloves, the minimal make-up to make him appear clean had also been done, all that he needed to complete his costume was his hat.
His daughter was someone who had more talent than himself. This, he could say without feeling inferior. In fact, he was proud of this fact, knowing how he would one day be surpassed by his own offspring, his own daughter, was something that he would always be happy with.
After all, it was just appropriate for a child to become more than what their parents were.
The sound of the dressing room door being knocked three times made Giovanni and his daughter turn towards the door. "Who is it?" he asked.
"Mr. Giovanni, Martha Wayne is here to see you."
His eyes lit up, remembering the wife of his late friend Thomas whom he had invited personally. "Ah! Send her in, send her in." he said to his assistant behind the door.
"Is that the woman you said before dad? The one with the smart son?" his daughter asked him.
He smiled widely and said with a nod; "Yes, that's her." then they heard the door being opened, and they saw a woman and a boy, both dressed quite formally, with the woman wearing a black coatdress and the boy wearing a long-sleeved black dress shirt with white stripes which was not tucked into his pair of black dress pants.
"Giovanni." said the woman with a warm smile.
"Martha." Giovanni said as he extended his hand, which Martha graciously accepted, "Thank you for coming. It is an honor to have you here." he said before he turned to Bruce, "Ah, Bruce. So good to meet you as well." he extended his hand to Bruce, which he accepted as well, "You've really grown. How old are you now? Fifteen?"
"Thirteen, actually." Bruce corrected.
"Ah, my mistake. You could actually be mistaken for older than fifteen, Bruce, you... grew quite fast."
"Many people have said that actually. Maybe it's the daily intake of milk." the young man remarked with a rather confident-looking smile.
After a small laugh from Giovanni and Martha, the latter noticed one other person in the dressing room, "Ah, Bruce, that's the daughter that I told you about."
Giovanni looked at his daughter for a moment before he turned back to the others and said; "Oh yes! Martha, Bruce, this is my daughter... Zatanna." he introduced, "Zatanna, this is Martha and Bruce Wayne."
The little girl nodded before she went to Martha and shook her hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you." she said with a smile that Martha reciprocated.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too." Martha replied.
Then Zatanna moved on to Bruce and shook his hand, "Nice to meet you. My dad told me that you've already finished high school and will be going abroad for college, is it true?"
"Uh yes, I am." Bruce answered, noticing that he was suddenly put on the spot by the ten-year old girl.
"But you're just thirteen." she pointed out the obvious, the rather remarkable tidbit of one young Bruce Wayne, thirteen and already finished with high school, "Are you some kind of boy genius?"
At this Martha giggled while Giovanni 'John' Zatara merely crossed his arms as he smiled and watch, leaving Bruce as the only one to answer her question, "I... don't consider myself as such, no."
"You must be one to be going to college so early." the young Zatanna remarked, "Can you teach me how to be like you?"
It was clear that Giovanni had been telling Zatanna about Bruce's reputation, and clearly, she was more than just quite impressed by what he had achieved. The way she looked at him with such adoration and unbridled curiosity apparent in her eyes was enough of an indication.
"Say." Giovanni suddenly said, mercifully giving Bruce some reprieve from the slightly awkward silence as he was not used to such... social interaction, "Why don't I give you guys a tour? We still have some time until we have to get on stage."
"That would be lovely." Martha said before she turned to Bruce, "Wouldn't it Bruce?"
Bruce could only shrug and said; "Sure. By the way, Uncle Giovanni, I want to talk to you after the show if you don't mind."
"Well of course not." Giovanni replied before he ushered them all to the door, "In the meantime, follow me please."
They went with Giovanni and Martha on the front while Bruce and Zatanna were on the back. As the older Zatara showed them around, his daughter whispered to Bruce, "What do you want to talk to dad about?"
Clearly, she was curious. After all, when one asked a magician to meet after he finished his show, it could mean many things, and considering that Bruce asked him with such determination piqued her curiosity.
"It's a secret." Bruce replied back.
"Oh I like secrets." she whispered, "It's fun to try and deduce them, let's see let's see... Hm... do you want dad to show you some magic trick up-close?"
Close, but... "No." he answered.
"Okay okay, hm... do you want his autograph?"
She was getting a bit colder, but Bruce would not let her know that, "No." he said with a lopsided smile.
"Hm... do you want his hat?"
When she gestured to the top hat that she was wearing he realized that it was the same hat that was the subject of the question. Before he could answer, she got to it first, "If so, then I'm afraid that you won't get it. It's a special hat, and he's going to give it to me when I grow up." she said as she possessively held on to the top hat.
At this, Bruce chuckled and said; "No, I do not want your father's hat."
"Oh. Okay then, um... do you... want my dad... to teach you a magic trick?"
Now that hit close enough to home that he had to answer it somewhat truthfully "Something like that." he answered.
"I see." she said, looking rather pleased with herself, if her wide smile was any indication, "What kind of magic trick? Maybe I can show you."
Bruce looked at the smiling face of one young Zatanna Zatara. It seemed that she was eager to show him what she could do, "Are you being taught by your dad?"
"Yeah." she answered, "He taught me a lot since I was five. I can show you what you want to know if you'd like?"
Considering his options, Bruce then asked her, "Did he teach you any form of escapology?"
To his surprise, Zatanna nodded, "Yeah. He began to teach me that six months ago. I'm not as good as my father though, so maybe you should stick with my dad..." she added rather despondently.
'Maybe.' He thought to himself. Still... there was something about this Zatanna that made him curious. The practice of teaching one's child the art of one's work was not that uncommon, and considering Giovanni's profession, he supposed that it made sense that he expected his daughter to continue his work.
Perhaps, he should gave her the chance. After all, if he wanted to make friends, then this would be the right way to do it, no?
"I don't mind you showing me." Bruce answered.
She looked rather surprised, "Really?" she asked, "O-okay. Um... I think my dad kept some handcuffs back in his dressing room, do you want to go back so I can show you?"
Bruce nodded, and this prompted a wide smile to appear on her face, "Great! Hold on a second." she said before she went to Giovanni and pulled his tuxedo a bit, "Um, dad? Can I show Bruce something back at the dressing room?" she asked.
"Uh... sure dear. Go on ahead." Giovanni said, prompting his daughter to go to Bruce while holding his hat on her head.
She grabbed him by his hand and began to pull, "Come on Bruce!"
Seeing her son allowing himself to be friendly with the magician's daughter made Martha smile. It seemed that Bruce was not beyond hope in terms of befriending someone.
Bruce let the young girl feel like she had the strength to pull him along as she brought him back to the dressing room. Zatanna Zatara was one fascinating girl, energetic, bubbly, and seemingly eager to please.
Still, considering that she was quite impressed by him, he supposed that he had become one of her idol figures. Perhaps if she did not have the tinted glasses glossing her eyes, she would treat him differently, which was what he assumed.
However, she was quite affable, and it did feel honest and not faked, so he rectified his previous assumption. She might still be this way even if he was an ordinary boy, just... a little bit subdued perhaps. And not too eager to please.
Just as they were about to reach Giovanni's dressing room, Bruce smelled something in the air.
Time slowed down, and his mind began to ponder what the smell was. The smell was distinctive, there was a trace of iron in it, but normally... a metal did not exude such a powerful stench to the point that he could smell it.
Then it hit him. It was blood that he smelled, the scent of a human blood permeating the air.
It made him stop, and with that, he pulled Zatanna to him due to the inertia. She nearly crashed to his chest, but Bruce managed to stop him with his free hand.
"Oof! Hey, what's the big idea?" she said with annoyance apparent in her voice. But then she looked at his face and when she saw him so wary and looking around the area with narrowed eyes made her stop, "What's wrong?" she asked him.
He didn't respond instantly as he kept on looking around, trying to locate the source of the scent of blood through many other scents within the vicinity. Then, he found it, and began to follow its trail.
"Bruce? Where are you going?" wondered Zatanna, "Bruce?" when he didn't reply the second time, she decided to follow him. Whatever it was that got him so... spooked, got her interest.
His gait was filled with a sense of purpose, and his gaze was sharp, it was clear to Zatanna that he was looking for something. She followed him to a janitor's room, where the stench of blood was quite overpowering to Bruce.
He tried to open it, but the door was locked as he was unable to turn the doorknob the first time he tried it. He then used his enhanced vision to see what was beyond the closed door... And he saw the sight of a man lying on the ground on the pool of his own blood that poured out of his stomach.
"Bruce? What's going on?" Zatanna asked.
Bruce turned to her, and he then extended his hand towards her and said; "Stay back."
The change in his demeanor made her obey. She had seen this sudden change in behavior from her father before, and every time she asked why, he would always say; 'Just do as I say Zatanna.'.
When she was a six feet apart from him, Bruce then looked for the hinges of the door, and he found that there were two, one was located on the upper left side of the door, and one was located on the lower left.
The upper left hinge was not out of the reach of his hands, and so he punched that particular hinge to bits. Considering the sound it made, it should've earned the attention of other people, but luckily, the only person near him was Zatanna, who was, understandably, shocked by what she saw.
Then he kicked the lower left hinge, destroying it as well. He then pulled the door made out of steel out with just one hand, creating a makeshift archway and then he threw the door away several feet opposite of Zatanna's position.
Bruce remained still when he saw the corpse of the man inside the janitor's room. The man looked young, and he was wearing a set of tuxedo that was tainted red by his own freshly spilled blood.
Zatanna then approached the room, and when she saw the corpse, she gasped and placed her hands on her opened mouth, shocked by the sight.
While Zatanna was shocked, Bruce willed himself to remain calm and assess the surroundings. Using his enhanced senses, he examined the crime scene, his eyes focusing on the wound that caused the man's death along to deduce the murder weapon.
It was a knife, a kitchen knife, judging from the shape of his wound, nine inches long, penetrated through the man's abdomen, rupturing his stomach and caused massive internal bleeding which did not kill him immediately, perhaps it took him ten or twelve seconds before he died.
The murder weapon was not there, meaning that the murderer did not want it to be found. Perhaps he or she was not wearing a glove, which would mean that they left their fingerprints.
Using his nose, Bruce found the trace of blood in the air still, and judging by how the blood was still warm, it would mean that his death was very recent. 'The murderer is still here somewhere.' he realized. With that, he got a couple of things that he needed to do.
First, find the nearest heartbeat of a person that was not Zatanna, an adult preferably, and in a matter of a second, he found one, coming their way even. He ran to the person's location, grabbed his arm and pulled him along despite his protest to the janitor's room.
Though he protested, once he saw the body, he was immediately silenced, "Oh my... god... what the hell?"
Bruce then said to him, "Sir, you have to call the police, tell them that there's been a murder."
The older man immediately complied as he took out his cellphone and dialed 911. He then turned to Zatanna and said; "Zatanna, go find your dad and my mother, tell them what happened here, make sure that they know, okay?"
Before she could even nod, Bruce was already running, prompting her to yell out, "Where are you going?!"
Bruce didn't reply as he followed the trail of freshly spilled blood exuded by the murder weapon along with focusing his ears to find a person whose heart beat in a rather erratic fashion as they tried to escape the premises.
His search brought him to the main hall of the theater, where quite a large number of people were gathered, making it a bit harder for Bruce to find the murderer.
'Focus... Focus!' he mentally yelled to himself as he pulled out every last ounce of his mental strength to find the murderer based on the smell of blood and the erratic rhythm of his or her heartbeat. In his eyes, the motions of every people around him slowed down, and the noises outside of their heartbeats were silenced by his mind.
He looked around, finding people with dozens of different heartbeats walking around him, which diverted his focus slightly. However... there was that smell of blood still, but... it came from quite far away.
Then, he saw him, the murderer. Bald hair, messy stubble, and not to mention, wearing a conspicuously large coat so to hide his janitor's uniform and the murder weapon, the murderer was walking towards the main entrance.
Bruce swiftly followed, passing through the crowd of people while keeping his eyes focused on the man whose murder weapon was kept on the inside pocket of his coat.
He had to stop him. He must stop him. That man can't get away with the crime that he did!
'I need to get out of here.' was the thought of the murderer, Garth, as he forced himself to remain calm and calm his violently beating heart.
He did it, was the thought that filled his mind. He killed the bastard who dared to take his girl away from him, the man who ensnared her away with his admittedly good looks and his job which also allowed him to receive more money than he could with his own job.
It was jealousy, plain and simple. He felt that he was unfairly dumped by his ex and swore revenge on both of them.
He had already killed his ex, and now that he killed the man that she left him for, he felt satisfied.
He exited the main hall and went to the nearest alleyway across the Theater, fully intent on disposing the coat and the kitchen knife that he had used when he reached his apartment.
Before he could leave the alleyway however, he fell as the back of his right knee was kicked by an unknown assailant. When his knees met the ground, he tried to struggle free as the assaulter grabbed his right arm and roughly twisted it on his back.
"Aah! What the hell?!"
His assaulter then broke his right arm by pushing it on a wrong angle, prompting another scream from Garth's mouth. Before he could finish his screaming, the right side of his neck was karate-chopped by his assaulter and that made him pass out due to the sheer physical force that his attacker dished out with that attack.
Bruce Wayne stood triumphant as he watched the murderer laid down on his feet with his face embedded to the ground.
He then scanned the man using his enhanced vision to reconfirm what he had seen in the main hall, and he found that he was right. The murder weapon hidden inside his coat, still covered in the blood of the man that he just killed... That would be evidence enough for the police of Gotham City to arrest him.
"Bruce?"
The voice of the young girl named Zatanna made him turn back, and he saw Zatanna who did not get back to her father or his mother and instead followed him and no doubt, had seen what he had done to the murderer.
'...Oh great...'
Zatanna remained quiet as she and Bruce were being taken by Alfred to the Wayne Manor.
When the news of the murder spread across the building, everyone was worried. The police came to the scene ten minutes after they were informed, and they were treated by the sight of the murdered man when they went to the crime scene.
Then a minute after that, they were informed that there was an unconscious man in the nearby alleyway that held a bloodied knife, and thus, became the prime suspect of the murder once they determined that the murdered man was killed by a kitchen knife, the same type of knife that the man held in his hand.
They didn't know how his other arm was broken however, but at that point, they couldn't care less.
Meanwhile, Giovanni and Martha had tried to find the children, whom they didn't see in the former's dressing room. But they didn't find them, it was Zatanna and Bruce who found them and told them that they were the one who saw the body first.
Bruce told them that Zatanna was rather shocked by the sight of the grisly murder, and asked them if it was alright for her to stay at the Manor for awhile to let her rest.
Giovanni and Martha agreed. Though his magic show would still go on as the murder was being resolved in a rather quick manner, Giovanni wanted his daughter to rest and take it easy after seeing the look on her face.
Martha called Alfred, and now, the two children found themselves at the backseat of the car being driven by the butler as he drove them to the manor.
"Miss Zatara, what kind of beverage would you like to have when we arrive?" Alfred asked as he looked at the young girl through the rear-view mirror, "Not the alcoholic kind of course, but what do you like? Tea? Lemon tea? Milkshake?"
"Um... I'd... like some tea, Mr. Alfred. Iced sweet tea." Zatanna replied rather meekly.
The butler nodded, "Very well miss, you shall have it when we arrive." he said before he turned to Bruce, "What about you, Master Bruce?"
"...Tea. Hot sweet tea."
"Ah. Very well sir."
During the rest of the way, the two children and Alfred remained silent. When they arrived at the manor, Bruce and Zatanna got out of the car and turned to Alfred and say; "Alfred, bring the drinks to my room okay? Zatanna's too."
Alfred nodded and said; "Very well sir."
Bruce then turned to Zatanna, "Let's go to my room."
The room of one Bruce Wayne is located on the second floor of the manor, with a window that would let him look at the vista of the manor's wide backyard. Though a preteen, the room was not filled with things that one would usually see in a preteen boy's room, such as the posters of his favorite band or something that was related to his hobbies, a personal computer, a video-game console, such things that a teenager usually possessed in an attempt to give themselves an identity.
Though he did have a personal computer and a laptop located on his desk, there was nothing else that one would usually find in a boy's room.
But Zatanna had to admit that it was quite luxurious and big in itself, befitting the architectural theme of the whole manor.
Zatanna was the first to enter, and Bruce the last. He closed the door when they were inside and then he went and retrieved one of the folded chairs that he kept and placed it on the side of his large bed.
Bruce then gestured to the bed in front of him to Zatanna and said; "Sit down please... I'm sure you want some explanation."
Wordlessly, Zatanna moved to the bed and sat in front of him. There was silence for a couple of seconds before she was the one who spoke first, "You can break metal with your bare hands and feet... There's more to you than just the genius part, isn't there?"
At that remark, Bruce had to smile a bit. "More or less." he admitted, "I... am not normal, suffice it to say, I am not like other people."
Zatanna then leaned down to take a closer look at him. Her eyes had this gaze that was quite intense that Bruce felt that he needed to reciprocate with his own for some reason.
Then after a moment of silence, she said with a serious tone of voice voice that she had never talked with before; "Me too."
This caught Bruce by surprise. He didn't expect her to say that, he expected her to feel rather strange, ask more questions, not... saying that she was also not normal.
Zatanna then extended her hand a bit towards Bruce and turned it around so that her palm was directed upwards. Then, she whispered the words...
"Erif."
Bruce thought that ever since his powers manifested, he would not be able to be surprised by anything other than the extraordinary things. And what Zatanna did was extraordinary.
He saw a fire manifested on her palm, a real fire, judging by the heat that it exuded. However, despite the fact that her palm was enveloped by the red flame, Bruce did not see it affecting her palm in any way, which was simply not possible.
Bruce then looked at Zatanna, and saw the young girl smiling in a bashful way, as if she was showing a great secret of hers, which was quite accurate in a way.
His curiosity piqued, Bruce then extended his hand to the fire and let it be engulfed in it, catching Zatanna by surprise, but it didn't prompt her to dismiss the flame.
It took him five seconds before he hissed in pain and pulled his hand away, somehow affected by the fire that Zatanna had conjured. He looked at his hand, and he saw that it was somewhat red, but before long, it only took one and a half second in fact, the burn mark faded.
Bruce and Zatanna looked at each other in shock and disbelief for exactly five seconds... Before the door was opened and Alfred entered with a tray of their requested beverages.
"Here you are Master Bruce, Miss Zatara." said Alfred as he approached them. He took a look at both of them and noticed the awkwardness between the two and asked them; "Did I interrupt something?"
Bruce shook his head and said; "No no, you didn't interrupt anything Alfred, just... put the teas on the night stand."
'It seemed that I did interrupt something.' was what Alfred thought at Bruce's quick dismissal. Deciding to leaving the two alone, Alfred then did what Bruce told him to do and walked to the door. Before he left the room, he turned and said to them, "I hope you two can work out whatever it is that troubles you."
After he left, Bruce turned to Zatanna, and she to him. There was another moment of silence before Bruce said; "Was that... magic?"
There were no other terms that could better define what Zatanna did. Magic... Bruce usually associated that term for the illusions that magicians usually do, but in this context, the term referred to a supernatural power that could affect the world through paranormal means.
What she did fit that definition of magic. Though Bruce was never one to believe in such things, what he saw, what he felt, all of them was real. Magic was real.
"Yes." Zatanna answered Bruce's question truthfully. "I found out that I got it from my dad. I accidentally saw him using his powers... He found me out, and then he told me what he and I could do and what we are. We have a name to identify ourselves with. Homo magi, a subspecies of humans that can harness magic."
"Your magic powers are genetic then?" asked Bruce, somewhat surprised that Giovanni turned out to be a real magician with real magic powers instead of a performer using tricks to awe his audience, but due to him already seeing the magic in action, his surprise at that particular subject was lessened.
"Well yes. Dad said that my mom is also a magician like him, and that I inherit their magic powers." Zatanna answered, "But... what about you? I mean, are you a magician too?"
Bruce shook his head and answered her, "No. I do not have magic powers."
"So... then how can you heal so fast? How can you destroy metal with your fists?" she asked, her expression conveyed her desire to know, "If you didn't use magic to boost your strength and heal yourself... then... how?"
Bruce smiled at Zatanna, and then he told her... "I am different than other people. I might look like other people, but I'm not. And because of this difference, I am able to do things that other people can't. Not even you I'd bet." he then added as his smile faded, "But you can hurt me, and that, I did not expect... It seems that magic can hurt me somewhat."
"...What are you Bruce?" Zatanna wondered. Like Bruce, she thought that once she knew that she possessed magical powers, nothing would surprise her. But her father had told her once that the world was massive enough that there are a lot of things that would catch her by surprise.
Magic was but a small part of the world, and even though she and her father was blessed with the knowledge of this less-known part of reality, there were a lot of things that they did not, or were not meant to know.
And so, when Bruce told her that the superhuman feats that she saw him doing was not magical in nature, she regarded him as one of the many things that she did not know. And that made her more curious about him.
"I am Bruce Wayne. A boy who happened to be gifted in things that made him more than just a human." was Bruce's answer.
Even though he knew of the alien heritage of his birth parents' that gave him all these powers, he considered Earth and Humanity as his home and people. He acknowledged that he was of a different species compared to Homo Sapiens, he accepted the fact that he was an alien, but he identified himself as a human above all else.
He hoped that the answer was sufficient, but, what Bruce didn't know, was that Zatanna possessed a respectable skill in observation. She could see that Bruce was not giving her a full answer. More than that, she also assumed from Bruce's statement of him being 'more than just a human' that he was not a full-fledged human.
No humans could do what he or she did... Except if he was one of the rumored 'mutant people' that seemed to be gaining more recognition and spotlight on the media as of late.
"Are you a mutant?" Zatanna asked him.
At this, Bruce shook his head while slightly laughing, "I've heard of them, but I can say for certain that I'm not. I'm something else."
"Then why are you being so secretive? Sure, they're considered as 'freaks' by other 'normal' people, but they would think the same of me if they know what I'm capable of. If you're not a mutant or a Homo magi but capable of doing things that I've seen you do, then... wait..."
One other thing that Bruce did not know about Zatanna was that her mind was keen enough that once she got enough information regarding a certain subject, she could come to the most plausible conclusion without too much conscious effort.
And thus, it was a surprise to Bruce when she said... "Are you an alien?"
Though Bruce consciously tried to prevent himself from answering anything, the awkward silence that lasted for at least ten seconds after she asked that question was an answer in itself.
Seeing a flash of triumphant feeling visible from her eyes, Bruce sighed as he nodded, confirming her deduction.
"...Wow... Can't believe that I've been having a close encounter of the third kind in the last few hours." Zatanna said in a voice that conveyed both her shock, her slight disbelief, and her excitement. "So... does your mom know?"
"Yes, of course she knows." Bruce answered, "Along with my late father and Alfred and you, which is why I must ask you to not reveal this to anyone okay?"
Zatanna gave him a nod and said; "Sure. I know how it feels to keep a secret that mustn't be told. It's a bit tiresome sometimes but it's necessary. And uh, not to mention that you're also the first person outside my family that knows about my power... Could you also not tell anyone else about this?" she pleaded with a rather sheepish smile.
Bruce then extended his hand towards Zatanna as he showed her a lopsided smile, "A secret for a secret?"
Zatanna smiled widely as she clasp his extended hand with her own and said; "A secret for a secret."
It was late at night when Giovanni came to the Manor alongside Martha with his car to pick up his daughter, whom they found conversing with Bruce in his room.
Giovanni was rather worried over Zatanna at first, but when she answered his question of 'Are you alright?' with a smile and an honestly said 'I'm fine.', he was very much relieved.
He then took Zatanna and bid goodbyes to Martha and Bruce, and with that, they left.
Martha took notice at how Bruce and Zatanna seemed to grow quite close in such a short time. She knew that her son was not one to socialize, but the way that he and Zatanna had talked animatedly could fool people into believing that they had been friends for quite a while instead of just having their first meeting a few hours ago.
Usually, people who grew close at such a short time became that way due to sharing something that bonded them, an experience, a shared passionate interest in something, and...
Sharing a secret.
Could it be that Bruce told her what he could do? Perhaps he had done something that made the revelation a must, otherwise, he would have to be hard-pressed to reveal his powers to someone he just met.
"So Bruce..." Martha began as he followed Bruce who was beginning to go back to the manor's interior, "What did you and Zatanna talk about?" she asked.
While still walking, he turned to his mother who was now at his side and said, "We talked about secrets." that sentence made Martha pause in silence, "Magician's secrets mostly. I asked her to show me some tricks so that I can learn some of it, and in return, she asked me to tell her some embarrassing stories that I experienced, stories that I'd like to keep secret. And as it turns out, I am not that talented in magic. It just doesn't agree with me."
Bruce's statement was vague enough, and it was injected with some bits of truth to it so that Martha would not think too much on it, which was the whole plan.
However, Martha knew that there was something that Bruce was not telling her. After all, though his statement made sense, it was vague enough to let her know that there was another meaning beneath it, but she didn't know what.
After all, she did not know that when Bruce said about 'Magician's secrets.', he was telling her about the magical powers that Zatanna and her father possessed due to her being a Homo magi, not the illusory tricks that any skilled illusionist or magicians could do.
Still, Martha found that story plausible enough, and supposed that it was something that they want to keep between the two of them.
"So would you consider her as a friend?" Martha asked the most important question that she must know the answer to.
To her elation, Bruce nodded and answered; "Yes. I think I can consider her a friend."
Though Bruce completely forgot to ask Giovanni to teach him a little bit about escapology or show it to him so that he could analyze it and mimic it, which was his method of learning martial arts without anyone actually teaching him, Bruce did not feel as if he lost a chance to learn something great.
After all, he learned something far more valuable. Firstly, he learned about the existence of magic, and secondly, he learned that he was somewhat vulnerable to magic, or something that was conjured by magic.
He had spent time with Zatanna testing his durability and examining her magic power. He told her to attack him with fire, lightning, anything that she could think of, and from that, he found out that some magic could hurt him, but some could not.
For example, the heat of the fire that she conjured could burn his skin whereas normal fire couldn't even leave a mark on him. The lightning arc that she used to strike him with also hurt him, but the rock that she conjured and thrown at him did not hurt at all.
From that, he deduced that when she used the conjured rock, the only thing that it could was to physically hit him, but since the physical force depended on the substance and the density of the rock instead of the magic that she channeled, the rock did not hurt him at all despite the fact that she conjured it using her magic power.
However, since the fire and the lightning that she conjured was directly connected to her... magic reservoir, their property was a bit different than normal fire and lightning, hence, the reason why he could be hurt by them.
The other thing that he noticed was that the 'spells' that she used to perform her magic were backwards speeches. She told him that it acted as a focal point for her magic to work in lieu of a 'real' spell. Judging by the way her magic was applied, it appeared that she could do anything with her power, and he was right, in a way.
Her power could affect reality itself. She said 'Get sick' backwards to him, and he suddenly received symptoms of influenza despite the fact that he would never be able to get sickness due to his powers, which she quickly fixed by saying 'Heal' backwards, basically, anything that she said backwards will happen.
Her power frightened him. But he was a bit assured when she said that her power was limited by her stamina and that she was a bit afraid of her own power as well. To be more exact, the extent of what she could do with it, just like him with his.
That fear assured him that Zatanna wouldn't abuse her powers and use it with reckless abandon. She also told him that her father had taught her to use her magic with discipline, and not only was Giovanni a good teacher, but his daughter was a smart and goodhearted pupil, and those facts made Bruce willing to trust her.
And of course, Bruce acknowledged that trust was a two-way street, and so, he also showed a little bit of his powers to her. He showed her his strength, his speed, up to his ability to create blasts of gales when he blows.
Unlike his reaction to her powers, she was quite awed and a bit excited when she saw his powers, claiming that his powers were a lot cooler than her own, which he assumed might be a bit biased of her since she told him that she was a big fan of sci-fi stories that involve aliens.
In the end, both of them bonded over the secrets that they learned from each other. In a way, they were similar, people who were capable to do extraordinary things but required to keep them a secret from the world.
And the knowledge that he was not completely invulnerable from every element in the universe broadened Bruce's mind. It made him feel more like a human, and it made him more driven to become stronger.
After all, if magic exist, then there were other elements in the universe that might exist as well. Unknown, dangerous elements that could either be friendly, or a threat that even he would struggle to defeat.
Bruce's perspective on the universe was broadened considerably, and with that, he was both enlightened and frightened of the wonders and of the unknowns of the universe respectively.
These things, in his mind, further convinced him to follow his decision to improve himself. And he swore that he would become stronger than before.
He didn't sleep after the conversation with Zatanna. He was quite occupied by the thoughts that came after their fateful meeting, and he began to see his future in a way that he had never seen before.
He looked at the horizon on the east as he sat on the roof of the manor, where the sun began to peek out and affecting him with its rays, and as he felt its energy coursing through him, he stood and closed his eyes to let his body soak up the energy.
Bruce always thought that he would become a protector for the weak in Gotham City once he's sufficiently better than now. That thought did not change, but after his close encounter with magic, he realized that with his powers, if there were a crisis in which the whole world was threatened, then he would no doubt be placed at the front line as Earth's protector.
With his powers, came the burdens, the responsibilities, and it was his inherent duty to not only acknowledge them, but to act on them.
As of this moment, he was not the ideal man that he wanted to become... But he wished to be, and he will not wait in idle until that moment came.
He had to push his limits.
Bruce faced the rising sun with eyes filled with burning determination as he floated four feet above the roof.
While it was true he did not know his limits, he would keep on pushing until he found it. And when he did find it? He will just push even harder.
He then struck his fist upwards, and with that, he flew up at a speed that could rival a fighter jet.
To be continued...
I am aware that there is some history between Bruce Wayne and Zatanna in canon DC pre-New 52 or not, but it is rarely explained in detail, and this chapter is a bit of an elaboration on the aforementioned history.
The purpose of this chapter is to show Bruce a glimpse of the reality that he lives in. He already knows that he's an alien with incredible powers given by the radiation of the yellow sun, this alone would give him the idea that his universe is pretty strange, but then, he found out that Magic does exist, and that there are people on earth who can harness this power the same way that he could harness his solar-based powers.
DC Universe is rich with many characters, settings and genres, and with Bruce knowing one of his weaknesses this early, he would be more prepared and wouldn't be caught by surprise when he faced a magic-based adversary.
Besides that, the other purpose of this chapter is for a bit of a world-building. From the beginning of this chapter's inception, I knew that the perfect character to start that would be Zatanna, considering that in many depictions of Zatanna, she and Bruce Wayne had met each other before he became the Batman, and some depictions goes further to say that they met during their childhood.
She was the most appropriate for the first foundation of the world-building for three reasons: One, it was popularly known that Bruce and Zatanna had known each other before their superhero(ine) days, so I used that element to make for a dramatic exchange of secrets between Bruce (Kal) and Zatanna.
Two, Zatanna belongs to a world opposite of Kal-El's. Superman's genre is usually regarded as a merge of science-fiction and fantasy while Zatanna's story, especially when she's involved with Justice League Dark in New 52, lean more to supernatural genre. The contrast between the two is not emphasized by their personalities, but by their powers, because while Bruce/Kal's power can be explained in a way that makes it somewhat realistic in a way, Zatanna's power is a bit mysterious and arcane which could not be explained properly besides saying that it's 'Magic'.
Thirdly, despite that she belongs to an opposite world of Kal's, she is also the closest person that Bruce/Kal would meet early on who lives in the world of magic. The other person would be Wonder Woman, but it makes more sense for Zatanna to be the one who introduce him to magic instead of Diana, since at this point in time, she would still be at Themyscira.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you at the next chapter. That is, if you're still interested after noticing that one other element that I hinted at in this world-building chapter besides Zatanna and magic.