October 23, 00:30 EST
BRRIIIIINNNGGGGG!
The earsplitting sound of a security alarm reverberated throughout the surrounding night air as three heavily armed men violently forced their way inside one of the many minor banks within Gotham City.
"Stop right there!" a security guard exclaimed, pointing his pistol at a member of the trio. "Don't mo—"
Without hesitation, one of the crooks—presumably the man in charge of the three, as noted by a unique brooch pinned to his jacket—instantly killed the night guard with a swiftly fired shot to the chest from his revolver. "Let's take the cash and get out of here before the cheds arrive!"
On his command, the men immediately ran to the basement. Small but powerful explosives were tactically placed around the steel safe door to prevent anyone from following them—or, at least, slow them down. The force of the blast was enough to split the steel door wide-open. The men proceeded to grab all they were able to carry in their duffle bags before making their way outside, with the alarm still blaring loudly in their wake.
"Hahahaha!" one bank robber chuckled, content with the loot he had received.
"We did it!"
To his surprise, he appeared to hear the exact same words simultaneously... but the second voice was not from his mouth. Looking above him, he discovered Spider-Man perched on the top of a street light.
"I love it when they say that," the masked hero quipped.
"Aw, crap," the crook uttered in disbelief. "Who are—" the bank robber's query was cut short by having his mouth webbed shut.
Just then, the web-slinger fired off a web line at the crook's leg. Simultaneously jumping to ground, landing on his feet as he pulled the web line towards him until the gang member was hanging upside-down over the lamppost.
The back of Spider-Man's skull began to tingling. Time slowed down to a crawl as the young hero reactively avoided the path of numerous bullets freshly fired from the trio leader's handgun.
"Get us outta here, now!" the man in charge shouted to the driver as the pair got into the back of get-away-vehicle as quick as they could, initiating a high speed chase. 'Penguin is gonna kill me!'
The web-slinger instantly went on the pursuit, his speed quickly matching the speeding vehicle within minutes, prompting the driver to accelerate even more.
"Who the hell even is this guy?" the furious leader exclaimed.
Swinging onto the side of a building, Spider-Man fired web lines from each wrist, attaching to the get-away-van's bumper. Now being pulled toward the van with a much higher velocity, the masked hero quickly readied his body as he was forcefully pulled toward the vehicle, managing to land perfectly on the roof before poking his head down to the driver's window.
"Hello again, boys!" Spider-Man mocked. "Miss me?"
"Shoot him!" the driver shouted, rolling down the left rear window.
The thug in the back of the van immediately began firing bullets at the wall crawler. Spider-Man successfully evaded the rounds by quickly bringing his head back up and backing up until they stopped firing. Moving back to the window, Spider-Man webbed the gun from the gang member's hands before making his way to the hood of the van. The wall crawler then engulfed the entire windshield in more of his webs, causing the driver to drive the vehicle uncontrollably.
Distracting the driver to his limit, Spider-Man hopped off as the get-away-vehicle rammed into a nearby parked car before smashing into a lamp post, tipping the metal pole over and onto the front sidewalk as Spider-Man wound up on a nearby building.
Miraculously, no one inside the van was seriously injuried. the masked hero saw the unleashed airbags surrounding the now unconscious culprits. Almost immediately after the web-slinger thought his work was done, several police cars and helicopters suddenly surrounded the area, catching a glimpse of the new hero in Gotham City.
"Whoever you are, put your hands in the air!" came a forceful tone through a microphone. "I am the Commissioner of the GCPD, and I order you to stand down!"
"What?!" Spider-Man widened his eyes in disbelief. "Me? I stopped the robbery! I'm not the bad guy here!" Spider-Man exclaimed, pointing to the criminals he had just incapacitated. "They are!"
"If this is what you call helping, then I have half the mind to take you with them!" the commissioner bagan. "It's amazing you didn't get anyone killed!"
Just then, the Batmobile pulled up. Shooting out of the vehicle as it came to a screeching halt, Batman landed adjacent to the veteran police Commissioner. "Jim, let me can take it from here."
Commissioner Gordon nodded in agreement, giving his men a hand signal to investigate the scene.
Whipping out his grapnel gun, Batman shot his grapple high in the sky, eventually wrapping around the edge of the building Spider-Man was currently on. The grapnel began retracting toward the hook as the Dark Knight held on tight, reaching the top within seconds.
"What's going on, Bats? You're in with the police force here, huh?" the web-slinger quipped. "Cause I could use some good publicity-"
"You need to leave. Now," the caped-crusader said in a serious tone.
"Why so serious, Bats?" Spider-Man began. "I was just minding my own spider-business before I heard these bozo's. Just tell the police that I'm with you, and we can get outta here."
"Right now, we shouldn't reveal to anyone that we know each other," Batman revealed. "Now that you've been seen with Bruce Wayne in public as Peter Parker, it may cause some suspicion if the GCPD were to see us working together."
"I suppose..." Spider-Man reluctantly agreed. "I just hope I don't have to have to live in another city where the people hate my guts!"
"Wait for me in the Bat Cave," Batman once again ordered. "We'll talk there."
"Fine," the web-slinger complied, leaping off the rooftop they were on.
With that, the Dark Knight utilized the air-resistant capabilities of his cape as he dive-bombed down to the crime scene below.
"Batman!" Jim called him over. "Anything you want to tell me about that new guy?"
"His name is Spider-Man," the Caped Crusader began. "He says he was only here to help. He got away before I could ask him anymore questions."
"Help? Look at what he did to that van," Gordon said, pointing to the makeshift windshield specifically, still carrying a thick layer of webbing overtop. "He could have gotten someone killed."
"He's inexperienced. I assume he has just recently acquired his powers."
"I guess you're right. But still, I can't say I trust him," Gordon admitted. "I heard some of my guys arguing that he might've assisted Catwoman in robbing the Gotham museum earlier tonight."
"Unlikely. Catwoman only works alone," Batman began. "Don't worry, Jim. I won't let my guard down."
Just then, an officer investigating the scene approached the two men. "Commissioner! The bank robbers are awake!"
"Alright. Bring them into the station, we'll make them talk," the middle-aged commissioner ordered. "This is the fourth robbery this month... well Batman, what do you think of all this?" He received no response. "Uhh, Batman?" He turned around to notice the vigiliante was unable to be found. "Every single time..."
Bat Cave
The Dark Knight arrived within the Bat Cave via the Batmobile as Peter awaited his entrance still every piece of his costume sans his mask. Leaving the car, the bat-themed hero confronted the teen.
"So Bats, what'd the commissioner have to say?"
"He thinks you may be a danger to the public," Batman replied.
"What do you mean? Didn't he see how I stopped those guys?" Peter defended himself. "No one got hurt!"
"No one may have gotten hurt, but the way you handled it, someone easily could have," Batman said, returning to his usual stoic tone. "You need to work on minimizing the damage you can cause to not only other people, but also the city when fighting crime. You have great power, but what you need is—"
"Great responsibility, yeah, yeah, I know," the teen from another universe cut him off.
"That's not what I was going to say... but that's a good value to remember here too."
"I learned that from a great man..." Peter finally dropped his usual attitude and started taking things seriously for once. "My late uncle, y'know, back in my universe."
"Then your uncle was a smart man," Batman admitted. "Tell me something. Have you had any formal training?"
"Well no," the teen began. "I've really only had these powers for about six months. But I think I'm starting to get the hang of it."
"Before I stopped him, I witnessed some of your fight with Clayface when I arrived at Blackgate," the Dark Knight revealed. "You have a lot of potential, but without proper training, you may never be able to reach that potential."
"You really think I have potential?" Peter asked in a more cheeful tone, surprised to hear those words from a hero of his caliber. After all, he was clearly high up in the ranks of the Justice League. "Th-thanks!"
"I'd like to train you," Batman began. "If you're up to it,"
"I guess we'll find out!" Peter agreed. "Even if it is just to prove to you that I can handle myself!"
"We will begin your training next week. I suggest you worry about finishing your homework before we begin."
Peter nodded. "Got it. So while I stopping some crime in your city, what were you doing out there tonight?"
"I've been trying to locate Catwoman," Batman revealed. "We need to find out what she knows. I think there may be a link between the World Merge Crisis and your presence in this universe."
"Y'know, you never did explain to me what this crisis was exactly," the teen said.
"I don't have time," the Dark Knight retorted, firing up the Batmobile for another exit. "I have to go to work." the bat-themed hero peeled out.
"Okay, good night!" Peter shouted, knowing full-well Batman was already far away. 'Jeez, this guy is an even bigger loner than me!'
October 23, 11:53 EST
Peter walked into cafeteria, deciding where to sit. Looking across the room, he saw Dick at a table with a group of his friends.
'Dick hasn't exactly been happy about me living at the manor...' Peter thought, glancing over to the corner of the room, where he saw an empty table some distance away. 'Sittin' alone again, Parker!'
As the teen was about to make his way over to the empty table, he was suddenly approached by someone familiar.
"Hello, Peter," Barbara said with a smile. "What's up?"
"Oh, hey Barbara," Peter greeted her. "Not much, how are you doing?"
"I'm alright."
After a few more moments of awkward silence later, the red-haired girl spoke up again. "Can I sit with you?" she asked.
"Y-yeah! Sure," the teen from another universe agreed. The pair walked over the empty table, taking it for themselves. "So how 'bout that science class today, huh?" Peter tried making conversation.
"It was fun," Barbara said, again smiling. "So..." she began. "Do you have any plans tonight?"
"Who, uh, me?" Peter asked nervously. "Nope, none at all."
"You're new here so you probably haven't heard, but the school is having a Halloween Dance tonight... do you want to go? Not as a date or anything. Unless you want - um, anyway, what do you think?"
"S-sure, okay, I'll go with you," Peter answered.
"Great!" Barbara said happily. "But I have gymnastics before though, so can I call you when I'm done?"
"Yes," the teen began, reaching into his pocket before realizing he wasn't carrying a cellphone. 'Oh man! I forgot I left my phone back in my universe!' Peter complained internally. "Uh, actually, I don't have a phone."
"You don't have a phone?" the red-haired girl repeated, assuming every teenager on Earth was bound to carry one. "I mean how should I get a hold of you?"
Peter paused before answering. "Hmm... you could ask Dick! I live with him."
"You do?!" Barbara immediately asked, surprised but doing her best to compose herself. 'Dick has had a crush on me since we've met! Awkward,' she thought. "Wait, so you live at Wayne Manor, too?"
"Yep."
"Well maybe I could meet you there then."
"That works," Peter replied.
"Okay, I'll be there around 6." Barbara smiled before continuing to eat her lunch.
Sitting on the other side of the cafeteria with his friends, Dick couldn't help but occasionally look toward Peter and Barbara as they sat together.
"Hey Dick," one of his friends began. "Looks like the new guy's hittin' on Barb."
"Pfft, I don't care," the 9th grader scoffed. '...but she does seem to be having a good time over there...'
"Still think you're gonna ask her to the dance?" the same friend asked mockingly.
"Shut up, Trevor," Dick said casually, returning to his thoughts. 'I still think it's ridiculous how Bruce is giving him so much special treatment and letting him stay at the manor this long... he's from an entirely different universe, that doesn't mean we should blindly trust him!'
"So what do you think about the new hero, Dick?" another one of his friends asked, bringing the former acrobat back to reality.
"That Spider-Guy?" Dick replied rhetorically. "Yeah, he's actually pretty cool!"
Wiithin the Interrogation Room of the Gotham City Police Department, Oswald Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, clad in a tuxedo and his signature monocle, sat in his chair fuming, before the Commissioner proceeded to finally walk in.
"Oh, about time!" the bird-themed villain spat in his typical cockney accent. "What am I in for now!?"
Commissioner Gordon grinned. "Let's see... racketeering, extortion, and second degree murder."
"I don't think I like these allegations," Penguin groaned. "Where is your proof?"
"At first, I thought it may have been the Joker's crew rearing its ugly head again," Jim revealed. "But Joker is still in Arkham, and based on how strategically placed these bank robberies have been, this could only be the work of someone who is experienced with organized crime, and greed. And without the randomness associated with Dent."
"And so this revelation of yours makes you think of me?" the Penguin retorted. "I'm touched."
"It wasn't until I offered reduced sentences and witness protection, did your men start giving me some answers," Commissioner Gordon grinned. "Thanks to them, I know you've been targeting various bank across Gotham."
"...so which one of em squealed?" the Penguin said, annoyed, after a short pause.
"You know I can't tell you that," Jim began. "But what I can tell you is that your most recent operation caused the death of security guard, and someone needs to pay for that."
"I'll have you talk to my lawyers!" Oswald shouted as he stood up, hoping to leave the room.
"Not quite, Mr. Cobblepot," the veteran commissioner stopped him. "I've having you sent to Blackgate affective-immediately."
"What!?" Oswald retorted. "You must think you're so smart! You know I'll just be out again tomorrow!" The Penguin warned his as the guards slapped handcuffs on him and escorted him out of the room. 'We'll see who's laughing when I get out!'
"He's a menace!" a resident of Gotham City claimed, appearing on a TV screen with a news ticker reading; 'Spider-Man: Hero or Newest Criminal Mastermind?'
Ever since the paparazzi witnessed Spider-Man leaving the Gotham museum on the night of the official unveiling of the Boom Tube device, numerous Gothamites have began to weigh in on their opinion of the new wall crawler in town.
"I was working that night," a staff member of the Gotham museum clad in a suit and tie revealed. "I saw Spider-Man leave the museum after I got out. The smoke was creeping up behind him as he smashed through that window. And he left the scene in quite the hurry too," the Gothamite explained. "We think he may have stolen the device - which was found to be destroyed later that night - or he may have been working with the real person behind this robbery."
"He's definitely colourful," a slightly overweight man pointed out. "More colourful than the Bat, anyway. Plus, he's got real super powers!"
"He saved my life!" a woman revealed, hand firmly on her heart as she spoke.
"In other news, the Penguin was taken into Blackgate this morning by Detective James Gordon," a news reporter revealed, showing the Commissioner dragging the avian-like criminal into the prison bus.
Deciding he had seen enough, Alfred turned off the TV.
Just then, Peter walked into the manor. Immediately upon entering, the British butler greeted the teen, promptly filling Peter's hands with multiple textbooks on topics, such as forensics, criminal science, psychology, math, chemistry and many more. If it weren't for his spider strength, the sheer weight of the books combined would have caused Peter's weaker muscles to drop them instantly. "Woah, what's all this?" he asked, expecting to have been able to sit back and relax for the rest of the day.
"Your homework, sir," Alfred answered. "Master Bruce insisted that you study all of these textbooks by Monday."
"All of them by Monday?" Peter repeated back to him. "But it's the weekend!"
"Yes, sir," the British butler answered politely. "However, I would not be surprised if Master Bruce even quizzes you on some of them by tomorrow."
"You can't be serious... where exactly is Bruce anyway?"
"Master Bruce was called into a business meeting last minute," Alfred revealed. "He should be back shortly."
"Okay, great," the teen replied. "I still have some of my own schoolwork that I gotta do first now."
"Of course."
On the top floor of one of Gotham's most long-standing and successful business corporations - Wayne Tower - various men in black suits sat around a rectangular table, with Bruce Wayne at the head of the table, discussing a potential opportunity to branch their company out even further.
"Looking at these numbers, it's evident that our charitable donations are starting to make a significan impact in the efforts to rebuild Metropolis," Bruce explained in a lighter tone than his usual; a little trick he used to conceal his identity while in public settings. "I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your continued work on this non-profit project," he finished as the board members applauded.
Lucious Fox, one of Bruce's most trusted friends, walked up to the young billionaire. "Mr. Wayne, I bet you probably don't want to stay here much longer," he whispered.
"Actually Lucious, I do have some things I need to take care of."
"Say no more. You can make an exit any time now," Lucious said with a grin. "I can take it from here."
Wayne Manor Study
Peter sat at the table with his schoolwork scattered in front of him. 'It's bad enough I have to do all of my homework before the dance, but now I have to read all of those books Alfred gave me?' the teen stopped writing before placing the pencil in his hand on the desk. 'I mean, I'm usually one to read lots of books, but never -this- many at a time! Besides, I thought Bruce only wanted to teach me how to fight!"
One hour passed as the teen scrambled to finish his work. Before he could start his final project, Bruce walked into the manse, meeting with Peter in the study. "Bruce! What's the deal with all of this?" the teen from another universe questioned.
"I said I was going to train you," the billionaire simply replied. "There's more to stopping crime than just learning how to fight. This is just something for you to work on before we begin."
"Well unfortunately I don't have time to go through this all tonight. I have a date!"
"You do?"
"Yep, I'm going to the dance with one of the most attractive girls in school!" Peter bragged. "By the way, she's meeting me tonight. Her name's Barbara."
"Barbara?" the billionaire repeated back to him. "Barbara Gordon?"
"Yes... why?"
"She is the police Commissioner's daughter," Bruce revealed.
Just then, the teen from another universe had a flashback to the other night. "You mean the same guy who wanted to lock me up with those bank robbers?"
"Be careful not to show off too much with her," Bruce warned. "Being the daughter of a police officer, I'm sure she's quite intuitive herself. She can't know that you're from another universe."
"I know that," came Peter's response. "...even though, I bet she would agree I was only there to help!"
Blackgate Penitentiary
At Blackgate Penitentiary, Penguin was being taken to his cell while he couldn't help but notice the gaping holes in each of the East walls being covered with plywood and two-by-fours.
"Oy! What happened to the walls here, son? Getting out of here may not be so tough after all!" Oswald exclaimed.
"Clayface attempted to escape before being brought back in by Batman and the new guy," the middle-aged prison guard escorting the Penguin to his cell revealed. "And I wouldn't count on it... we have strict shoot-to-kill orders for any inmate that gets too close."
"New guy? What new guy?" the Penguin asked.
"They're calling him Spider-Man," the guard began. "We saw the whole thing. He held him off until Batman got here. He seems pretty powerful."
"Heheh, really?" Oswald squawked. "I heard he also may've had something to do with me being locked up here."
Just then, the pair had arrived outside the overweight prisoner's cell. "Here we are, Cobblepot. Welcome to your home for the next 25 years!" the guard mocked.
"Ah-ah-ah! I wouldn't leave now if I were you," the avian-themed inmate uttered. "Not unless you don't want anyone to get hurt!"
"Huh?" The guard was shocked at Penguin's words. "What are you talking about?"
"Walter Shdmit," Oswald began. "You have a real nice life don't ya? A beautiful wife... kids."
"You shut your mouth!" the prison guard warned. "I don't know what the hell you think!-"
"I may or may not have my man Ignatius sittin' outside your house right now," the incarcerated crime lord threatened, cutting Walter off.
Walter sighed, angered beyond belief but trying to remain calm. "What do you want? And how do you know everything about me?"
"Let's just say I've done my research," Oswald said in his cockney accent. "Now back to the matter at hand: I wanna know exactly where Clayface is hiding."
"No way in hell!" the guard spat.
"Trust me Walter, my lawyers will 'ave me out by the end of the day, and I still haven't even used my one phone call!"
The Penguin had the clear upper hand. Walter knew he had no evidence to prove Cobblepot's claims. "Clayface is being held in a special cell originally designed for Mr. Freeze," the prison guard explained. "But you'll never get in there."
"Now now, there are ways past every obstacle..." the Penguin began. "You have your clearance pass on you, don't ya?"
"..."
"I need ya to do me a favour..."
Feeling defeated and backed into a corner, Walter reluctanly made his way down to where Clayface was being held. 'I need to be careful, because if I get caught, my life will be over!'
Once there, the prison guard pulled out his card, swiping to gain access to the room. Entering the cell, he saw Clayface—still frozen solid—under a giant machine in the centre of the room. Icy cold mist rained down on him, keeping his internal temperature subzero.
'He's even bigger than I thought,' Walter looked at Clayface's hulking form as he opened the electrical panel before locating the power shut off. 'I'm sorry everyone for what I'm about to do!'' the guard apologized internally. Placing his fingers on the switch, Walter closed his eyes as he cut the power.
The icy cold mist immediately stopped, causing Clayface's body to quickly heat up. Within minutes, the monster defrosted enough to start breaking the layer of ice that was covering him. "Grrrr..." Clayface groaned. The moment he cleared his body from the rest of the ice, the villain looked in surprise to the one who helped him escape his frozen prison. "Who the hell are you?"
"The Penguin sent me," Walter replied. "I believe he wants to make a deal with you."
"Penguin?" Clayface boomed. "What could he want from me?"
"I don't know and I don't care!" Walter exclaimed as he stuck his hand in his jacket. "Here!" he whipped out a folded up piece of paper, extending his arm to the monster. "Penguin just said to tell you to take this."
'Hmm... Penguin wanting my help? It's at least worth it to see if it's worth my while,' Clayface mused. "Thanks."
"That's all!" the guard said. "Now what am I gonna do? I could lose my job from this... or worse."
"I wouldn't worry about that..."
"Huh?" Walter looked behind him, catching a glimpse of the hammer shaped fist before it made contact with his body, knocking him out cold.
"Heheh," Clayface chuckled before shape-shifting into the prison guard he had just disposed of. He then left the cell before proceeding to escape Blackgate.
'C'mon, dad, it's almost 5:30! Where are you?' Barbara had just finished her gymnastics class and went outside to wait her for father.
"Just then, Jim pulled up as Baraba proceeded to get in the car. "Hey dad," she said before they took off.
About 20 minutes later, they arrived at the foot of the property. "Do you want me to come up with you?" the veteran commissioner asked.
"It's okay, dad," the red-haired teen assured him. "I'll see you layer tonight."
"Okay, sweetie. I love you."
"I love you too, dad," Barbara said it back to him before walking to the door.
Reaching the end of the walkway, Barbara took a deep breath before knocking.
On the other side of the wall, Dick was currently the closest to the door, having just come from downstairs at the right time. "I'll get it, Alfred!" the former acrobat yelled, opening the door to see who it was.
Ageiko: Batman seems to be way to trusting in this story, revealing his name and face to Peter despite knowing him only for a few hours do not seems like him. I know Peter is from another universe but he can still compromise his identity. Which he sort of are, he is web-slinging to the Manor, uses his real name over comms. and he is also telling people that Batman is a normal man (Batman relies heavily on being an unknown and myth)
Batman sympathized with Peter knows that he's a hero and most importantly, a kid. And it was only after Peter revealed his identity that Bruce chose to do so himself.
Rott: I don't really see the point of revealing this "potential artifact" that could've reversed this effect if it was just gonna be destroyed, but I guess it did set up the encounter well enough. I'll definitely be looking forward to seeing how exactly Peter himself is causing this change.
To be honest, it was just to set up the encounter. This chapter was written a very long time ago. Dick is definitely getting annoyed/jealous of Bruce spending time with Peter and it's starting to escalate. And thanks for the compliment on Alfred.
Supersaiyaninfinitygohan: One thing I'd be wary of is including unnecessary scenes, such as a majority of the start of this chapter, as we could have skipped ahead to simply Peter at the manor and have had his earlier arrival explained there.
Thanks for the tip. Although I thought the start was necessary to keep a link to the MK vs DCU game.