Issue #27
Volto Elo
Detroit
10/19/2023
21:00
Victor kept his gaze down as he and the rest of the boys were marched down the hallway towards the male ward. Virgil was walking alongside him, eyes switching back and forth from the ten guards that were keeping them in line.
The guards were carrying rods, sedative guns, and tasers. Victor looked ahead as they neared the crossroad of the corridor, the hallway straight ahead led to the other rooms while the corridor on the right went to the girls ward with the left heading to the boys' ward.
Victor looked over his shoulder at the two guards at the back of the line, before his gaze shifted down to Virgil. "You ready?" he whispered, beginning to feel queasy, his hands clammy.
Virgil grimaced, narrowing his eyes at the guards up ahead. "…I hope so," he murmured, clenching his hands into fists.
Victor slowed down as he approached the corner of the corridor and locked his gaze on the guard in front of them.
Better now than never.
Victor lunged forward and tackled the guard to the ground.
"Hey!" The guards rushed forward.
Chris ducked down and swiped a tazer from one of the guards who ran passed. The guard only realised a second too late, looking down. "What the—"
Chris stuck the tazer into the man's ribs and clicked the trigger, electrocuting him, and like a spark had been ignited, the other prisoners sprung to action and attacked the guards like a giant wave.
Victor elbowed the guard in the face, breaking the blond man's nose and drawing out blood. The other guards were too busy trying to push back against the mass of teenagers.
"CODE BLUE!" the husky woman guard, with dark hair, screamed before she was put in a chokehold.
All this happened in the space of ten seconds as Virgil used the distraction to press his hands against the wall, scrunching his eyes shut to concentrate; he released a large bolt of electricity that rose up and knocked out all the lights running along the corridor, plunging them into darkness.
Inque had been enjoying a nice cup of hot cocoa when the alarm went off while she'd been sitting in the lounge, slouching in her chair. A new issue of Celebrity Gossip was laid open on the table; apparently, this model had joined a cult, but she seemed like an attention seeking bitch so it was probably all a publicity stunt.
The cup was poised near her lips when heard the alarm and the scraping of chairs as the guards rushed into action.
Her brow furrowed, lowering the cup back onto the table, looking over her shoulder. "Damn it, what now?" she hissed, pushing her chair back as she got to her feet.
Inque looked over at the door, gritting her teeth when she saw the lights in the corridor were out and the guards were rushing around with flashlights. A second later the lights in the lounge went out, leaving her in darkness.
The alarm was ringing throughout the base, echoing and vibrating off the walls.
They were running in the dark with only four flashlights with them to light the way.
"Come on!" Victor yelled, with Virgil, Chris, Nathan, and the rest of the male prisoners chasing after.
A flash of blinding lights appeared from up ahead.
"Stand down!" the commander of the security guards shouted, pointing a sleek black gun at them.
"Virgil, now," Victor ordered.
"On it." Virgil skidded forward and aimed a giant current of white electricity at them.
The guards were hit, yelling out in pain as their bodies convulsed from the shock. The guns hit the ground, with the bodies of the guards following after.
"Come on." Chris ran forward, jumping over one of the unconscious men. "They're gonna put us on lockdown."
Victor raced ahead, with most of the others trampling over the unconscious guards, but he couldn't find it in him to be concerned for the men. "This way!"
They zeroed in on the female ward, which was already a mess of chaos, ten of the girls who weren't locked up had taken advantage of the chaos and had turned on the guards, fighting back with Asami leading them in uproar, but it wouldn't be long until the full armada of security got down here and boxed them in.
The girl ward was like the boys', grey slabs of concrete for walls with glass cells lined out in perfect rows.
Virgil ran over to one of the cells where one of the girls was banging against the class, her voice silenced by the transparent barrier. "Step back," he warned, smacking his palm against the controls. "This better work." He released a bolt of electricity that carried on like a wave, filtering passed the metal and into the wires.
Victor was busy fighting the guards, punching one female on in the face before he snatched the taser and used in on her.
The electric locks on the cell doors overloaded, triggering the doors to open.
Virgil ran down the long line of cells, looking into each, frantic. "Come on, where are you?" he muttered to himself, trying to find the sedated girl. The lights above flickered back on, distracting him as he looked up. "Crap."
Virgil kept looking, nearly skidded on the floor when he saw the occupant of cell 45 hadn't run out like the others. He nearly slipped on the floor when he came to stop in front of the cell where Subject C20, aka the Asian-looking Ninja-girl (since she'd never said her name), was laid down on the thin bed with a drip plugged into her arm.
"Vic, I found her!" he shouted, looking over at his friend.
"Coming!" Victor wrestled a tazer out of one of the guard's hands, while Nathan attacked the man from behind.
Virgil rushed into the cell and ripped the drip out of C20's arm before he lifted her up and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
"She okay?" Victor asked, hurrying over to help
"She's alive. Don't know how long this stuff will last, though," Virgil replied, as he carefully handed her over to Victor. "Can you manage?"
Victor smiled crookedly, hoisting her over his shoulder. "She's a lot lighter than a quarterback, now come on." His smiled faded quickly. "Let's go."
They ran out of the cell, where the number of free prisoners had multiplied, outnumbering the guards.
"Guys, come on!" Virgil yelled, waving his arm to signal them.
Asami led the frontline. "Ikou!" she shouted, carrying a taser and sedative gun in her hand.
Victor waved his arm up to signal the others to follow as he hurried down the other corridor. The sound of the alarm growing louder, mixing up with the noise of impending footsteps that seemed to be getting close, but the stampede of young prisoners thundered and drowned out the rest of the noise as they hall piled down the hallway.
The lights from the city blocked the stars. The street lamps of Detroit bathed the roads and buildings in a sickly pale orange colour.
An old blood stain was splattered near the middle of the car park, nestled in the shadows of two large buildings.
Batman and Robin touched down on the ground, their focus on the blood stain that had yet to be properly scrubbed away.
The Dark Knight silently approached the spot, while he surveyed the rest of the area. "What gun did the autopsy report say it was, again?" he asked, keeping his gaze focused on the stain.
Robin paused, the faint hum of his computer could be heard in the quiet parking lot. The only other sounds were from the city traffic further away, but this area was more secluded, hidden away between a mass of buildings.
"The report says it was a basic Hi-Point semi-automatic pistol," Robin answered. "But the evidence was conveniently reported 'lost' after the autopsy report."
Batman grimaced, looking over at the building opposite. "And, they cremated his body soon after…" He frowned, staring back at the stain on the ground. "Take a look at the direction of the blood stain."
Robin came to stand at his side, bending down to examine the blood. "…It's off."
"Exactly." Batman narrowed his eyes at the building, re-imagining the scene. "This wasn't a close-range kill."
The boy stood up and looked around before his gaze settled on something on something up ahead. "Wanna bet they deleted the CCTV footage?" he said, a hint of mischief in his tone.
Batman turned around and followed his line of sight, a small smirk sliding onto his face when he saw the camera. "How long do you need?"
Robin looked up at him, grinning. "Not long."
The hallway was full of the escaped prisoners, it was chaos and she couldn't keep a lid on it.
Inque spread herself thin to engulf ten or twenty of the teenagers, shoving them back down the hall like a tidal wave before she snapped back into shape and extended her fingers like spears.
The ones stupid enough to get back up were attacked by her extended fingers, some of the sharp fingertips cutting into their arms and legs.
So much screaming.
Inque retracted her blood-stained fingers and liquefied her body again to entrap the prisoners.
"Behind!" One of the guards, Curtis, ordered, pointing in the other direction.
The guards shifted and so did Inque when she reformed her head so she could see what they were looking at.
Five prisoners were running passed the hallway to the Meta-Ring, with one of them carrying an unconscious girl with them. She recognised the apparent ringleader, Victor Stone.
Inque moved back, dragging her black ink form with her. "Now, where are you going?" she murmured, narrowing her eyes before she liquefied again so she could jump ahead of the guards in front. Her body bounced off the wall as she chased the runaways.
The smaller teen, he was a dark-skinned boy with spiky hair. Subject 54… Virgil Hawkins, right? He whipped around and extended his arm until… electricity came out.
What?
The electricity bounced towards her. Inque's white pupils bulged, as she dodged, skirting around the corridor like a rubber ball trying to break free.
Her eyes zeroed in on Virgil before she struck, her fluid form tackling him like a wave until he was engulfed by darkness, choking on her thick gooey form. She smirked, shooting out tentacles of thick sharp tendrils of ink at the others, like spears they dug into the walls, creating large cracks.
"Move!" Victor yelled, running in a zig-zag line as she attacked. The others followed suit, but the smallest one fell behind.
"Ahhh!" Virgil's gurgled scream reverberated out from her mutated stomach as he tried to break free, but she ignored him and focused on the littlest teen that was trying to run.
Inque entrapped the short boy in black goo that hardened like concrete when he tried to struggle—
Her entire form frazzled when electricity invaded every vein in her mutated body, ink texture bubbling until—
There was a ringing in her ear when she e…exploded—she couldn't feel any—Disorientated…can't think.
She was alive but bits of her were splattered—someone had walked over her, she could taste the dirt on their shoes.
Everything was dark until…wait, no she could feel again…her body was pulling back together, reforming, like metal drawn to a magnet.
The guards ran passed her, trodding their filthy feet on her body.
Her limbs curved and cracked together as her lower and upper body formed back together in a slithery and almost mechanic motion until her head was finally formed and she could breathe again
Inque gasped, eyes wide open when she looked around, the walls were crisp white again and the alarm was still ringing, the guards already running up ahead.
"You're wasting time, Inque," a cold voice with a foreign lilt to it spoke.
Inque turned around, broken out of her daze when she laid eyes on Professor Chang; the old Chinese man was dressed in his lab coat with orange tinted goggles on and with his medium black hair slicked back. There were more guards with him, ones she hadn't seen before, that were dressed in a red and black uniform which was different to the others she'd seen.
Inque blinked several times before she nodded and looked behind her where the teenagers had disappeared to. "Yes, Sir," she said quickly, liquefying, she zoomed ahead, hoping she hadn't lost much time.
The guards behind Chang clicked their guns ominously as the Professor followed after Inque with a less urgent pace.
Virgil's chest burned from the amount of running they had done, but he forced his legs to move faster, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling when he heard the thundering footsteps of more guards approaching.
The inside of the Meta-Ring was like the others Wards except the prisoners were in individual cells in the shape of a ring, and they weren't separated by gender. Each prisoner had a thick electronic collar attached to their neck to shut off their powers, and only seven of the cells actually had people in them.
From a distance they could see Lilith perk up when she saw them, pressing her palms against the glass.
Virgil smacked his palm against the control pad of one of the cells and electrocuted the controls, opening the cells.
"You actually made it!" Lilith ran out of her cell when the door was only halfway lifted, heading towards them. Her long, strawberry blonde hair fluttered behind her, she was tall for a fifteen-year-old, with sickly pale skin and a bony physique.
Virgil was shoved back when Lilith tackled him in a tight hug. "Oh, come on, we're not that useless," he remarked, smiling crookedly as she loosened her hold. His gaze lowered to the collar, causing his smile to widen when he touched the mechanism, frying the circuits.
Lilith grinned and gladly ripped the collar off. "Thanks." She tossed it on the floor.
The other seven Meta prisoners had gathered around. "Mind doing us next?" Kiran asked, scowling as she tugged at her collar; her straight dark hair messy and unkempt, and her usual glowing bronze skin was washed out.
"Guys, we need to move," Victor ordered re-adjusting Ninja-Girl in his grip as he started walking faster. "I told the others to meet near the back of sector 8 for teleportation."
Virgil shut down Kiran's collar while they ran, while Lilith looked down at her hands nervously. "I've never teleported that many people before," she said, grimacing as she looked back a Cyborg. "I might not get everyone out in time."
Victor didn't slow down. "We don't have many options, Lily."
"Look out!" Chris yelled, dodging out of the way when a great large mass of black hurled into Victor, slamming the large teen against the wall.
"Shit," Virgil swore, sparks flying from his fingers, gritting his teeth. He didn't have a clean shot.
"Get off of him!" Kiran yelled, her Indian accent seeping through. Her palm glowed bright yellow, as she flew towards Inque, sinking her glowing hands into the ball of mass.
Inque solidified and head butted Kiran in the face, knocking the girl back, as her hand morphed into a hard mallet and punched Kiran in the face.
Victor was thrown across the room, while Ninja-Girl was flung across the floor. Virgil took his shot and aimed at Inque.
Guards piled into the room, ones they hadn't seen before. "Close in!" the commander of the group cried.
One of the scientists balled his hands into fists. "Get me closer to Subject 14!" he ordered the commander.
Inque moved like lightening, bouncing off the floor in her liquid form as tear gas was thrown at the group of teenagers.
Virgil covered his mouth and ran towards the door, while Kiran summoned a shaky force field to try and protect them. "Lily, teleport us now!"
Lilith hesitated, wide terrified eyes swept over the group. "I-I…"
Chris dragged Ninja-Girl, but he wasn't strong enough to lift her, Virgil went to grab Victor while Kiran held up the force field, keeping Inque at bay. The prisoners stayed huddled together as the gas grew.
"I can't hold this much longer." Kiran's muscles were straining, falling to her knees as she held her hands up higher.
Lilith closed her eyes tight and summoned a large glow of red lights that covered nearly half the room.
"What the fu—"
Virgil's stomach flipped as he was consumed by a red glow, gravity disappeared until the red light disappeared and he was harshly dropped back onto the floor.
"I did it!" Lilith yelled, excitedly. "I…Oh." Her enthusiasm died.
Virgil looked around and understood why they hadn't teleported out of the facility, they were still in it. She'd teleported them into one of the labs which had strange technology laid around. Guns, large boxes, liquid containers, and things he'd never seen before but looked like they belonged in a Sci-fi movie.
"How did…?" a gruff voice broke the silence.
Virgil looked over his shoulder and froze. On the other side of the room, the guards and scientist had been teleported with them as well, as well as Inque. One of the guards threw up on the floor before collapsing in the vomit.
Victor groaned, rubbing his head as he looked up, eyes widening. "Shit."
The commander's eyes narrowed, pointing at them. "Sedate them!"
Virgil's eyes narrowed as he jumped to his feet and aimed his electricity at the guards, but he didn't notice the dark shadow until Inque attacked him from behind.
Something hard hit the back of his head as he released the electricity from his palm.
The world went black, but before he lost consciousness he heard an ear-piercing bang that spread heat across his face, like heat from a fire.
The electricity hit a square box container with strange runes carved into the metal.
Victor stumbled to his feet, breathing heavily as chaos rained down around them. The guards were trying to fight the prisoners.
He caught a glimpse of Virgil hitting the floor, knocked out by Inque.
Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, a harsh heat touched his skin, gaining his attention. Victor turned around just as the strange square box exploded.
"Victor!" Chris shouted.
"MOVE!"
"Cover!"
A bright orange light absorbed everything in Victor's sight.
Pain.
(Kiran summoned a force field, a bright yellow light that combated the blast, but it didn't reach Victor in time.)
There was screaming, screams that were hoarse and barely sounded human.
His screams.
Victor's skin was on fire, the pain so intense he couldn't feel his body anymore.
There was something sticky on her face, warm…
Lilith rolled her head to the side, her ears ringing from the explosion.
She couldn't see anything properly, everything was blurry and orange tinted. She could smell something burning, like rotten meat.
"Ms Clay?" a lilted voice filled her ears. Someone in a white lab coat was standing above her, cradling her face in his latex-gloved hand.
"V-Vic…" Her tongue wouldn't move properly, she couldn't speak clearly.
"I wouldn't worry about him," The voice grew colder, making her blood grow cold when she recognised it. "I'd be more concerned about yourself."
Lilith choked on the air when Professor Chang's face came into view, seeing her own reflection in his orange tinted goggle; half her face was covered in blood.
Batcave, Gotham
10/20/2023
02:13
Robin held his laptop against his chest as he approached the Batcomputer where Bruce was sitting. His mentor had lowered his cowl but, like him hadn't changed out of his costume.
"I finished," Robin said, as Batman turned around in the chair. "But, come of the footage was completely destroyed, so I could only get a couple of decent shots." He opened his laptop to show him, stopping in front of his mentor.
Batman nodded. "At least it's something."
Robin chewed his tongue, pressing the play button. The footage started to play out, it was from a high angle showing Mr Stone unlocking his car, the image was a little static. The scene played out silently, confirming their fears when a bullet came out of nowhere and shot Mr Stone in the head.
Batman's eyes narrowed. "Replay in slow motion," he ordered, sitting up straighter in his chair.
Robin nodded, replying the scene again but slower. The angle of the camera meant the shooter couldn't be seen, but they could still see the direction of the bullet.
"Is there any more angles?" Bruce asked.
The younger hero nodded, turning his laptop around so he could select the next clip. "It's from the shooter's side, but it's still too low down." He showed him the clip and let it play.
The second camera was on the top of the building opposite, and they saw the same scene play out like before.
"They took the shot from the roof," Batman stated, earning a nod from Tim.
"I tried getting some footage but it was all blacked out," Robin said, frowning. "But judging from the blacked out footage I should be able to recreate a trail of how they got onto the roof…"
Batman nodded, swerving his chair around to face the computer. "Upload the files onto here, it'll speed things up."
Robin grew quiet, closing the laptop. "…I'm not sure that's a good idea," he replied hesitantly, looking over his shoulder.
"Why?" Bruce's eyes narrowed at him, turning the chair around fully. "What's the problem?"
Tim apprehensively took a step closer, grimacing. "…It's about Jason," he murmured, afraid the man would pop out behind the giant penny in the corner. "Is he…?"
Batman stared at him for a moment before he shook his head. "He's getting drunk at a bar downtown," he answered with a hint of disappointment. "And, Huntress is still out patrolling, so nothing leaves this cave."
For now, was the unspoken snag, because if Jason was responsible for what Tim thought he was, then there was no way in hell Bruce would ignore this hiccup.
Robin hesitated again, a bad taste was in his mouth, but he tried to ignore it. "…A few weeks ago when I was finding that footage for Huntress, I saw deleted footage of Jason leaving the city on the same day Mr Stone was killed…"
Batman's posture and overall expression seemed to grow colder as tension coiled around his shoulders. "Show me."
Tim bit down on his lower lip and opened up his laptop, balancing it in his arms as he found the old clip. He was silent while Bruce watched the short scene of Red Hood driving off on his motorcycle out of the City limits.
When the clip ended Batman remained silent, making Robin shift uncomfortably. "…It's kind of a big coincidence," the boy muttered, closing the laptop.
Bruce's jaw clenched, digging his fingers into the chair's armrests. "Have you told anyone else?"
Robin paused, the words feeling ominous. He gritted his teeth for a second before he shook his head. "No."
Batman nodded, looking away briefly. "Let's keep it that way, for now."
"And, what if he did kill him?" Robin blurted out, eyeing his mentor warily. Would you bail him out again, Bruce? "This isn't some paedophile or some irredeemable Psychopath, it can't be justified."
Bruce's gaze sharpened, but his hands loosened their grip on the armrests. "If I find out Jason is the killer, then there will be consequences," his voice was hard like ice.
Robin felt a thick lump form in his throat, tensing, he averted his gaze.
Had he done the right thing?
Tim grimaced, doubting himself.
New York
10/20/2023
08:45
The Red Hood pulled the white van into the drop-off point parking bay. The facility was in an old factory hidden in the slums, with vans and trucks coming and out every twenty minutes, with different sized cargo each time. Some of the stuff looked like drugs, technology, and some stuff he wasn't quite sure about.
Jason turned off the engine and undid his seatbelt, looking behind his seat at the cargo. It was boxes of what he still wasn't sure, but he'd have to get a better look once one of those assholes checked it over first.
He shuffled out of his seat and opened the door, his boots clicking against the concrete. Jason leant against the doorframe when he saw one of the supervisors (or whatever they were called around here) notice him and walk on over. The guy was bald, with a thick blond beard and a heavy set of muscles which were shown off in his black t-shirt.
"S'up." Jason knocked on the van door. "Got your delivery right here."
The Supervisor raised an eyebrow, looking down at the thin touch screen tablet in his hands. "Order 14894?" he asked, walking passed him towards the back of the van.
Red Hood nodded, following him. "All packed up and ready to go."
The Supervisor opened the doors, revealing two crates full of brown unmarked boxes. He stepped inside of the van and withdrew a pocket knife from his belt, using it to open one of the packages.
Jason narrowed his eyes. "Everything up to standard?"
The other man examined the inside for another second, reaching in to pick up a computer chip… a computer chip?
The Red Hood frowned, it was hard to see in the dim light but that definitely looked like some kind of electric chip. Like a tracking device maybe?
Whatever it was, the bald guy seemed satisfied and capped the knife as he slipped it back onto his belt. "Yes, it's fine." He stood up and walked out of the van, while he tapped something on his tablet. "The money will be in your account by midnight."
"Can I call HR if it's late?" Jason joked lightly, earning a scathing look.
"Shut up and get out of here." The Supervisor waved over at some men dressed in Hi-Vis gear. "Hey, boys, come move this shit!"
Jason stepped back, briefly eyeing the merchandise in the truck. It wasn't his top priority to know what exactly those chips were for but that didn't mean he wasn't interested…but it could wait. "Yeah, well, I've been holding in a shit for two hours so….?" He looked over at the Supervisor. "Where's the bathroom?"
The Supervisor narrowed his eyes, as the Hi-Vis men came over to transfer the stuff. "They're around the back." He pointed to the right-hand side of the building.
Jason shrugged. "Much obliged." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked passed them, heading to the toilets.
His gaze scrutinised the rest of the outside, the main loading bay was open to all of them but the actual inside had all the admin stuff, so that section required an ID card to open the doors. The main objective was borrowing and ID card without the cameras catching sight of the transgression.
A potential target was walking towards the toilets up in front of him.
Jason smiled to himself, padding the inside pocket of his jacket. If there was one thing Batman was still good for, it was the toys.
The male toilets were in a small metal container with a crude male symbol painted on the door. He went inside, squinting at the bright blue light when he walked in—the target, a fat middle-aged guy with swollen cheeks and dark hair, unzipped his pants at the urinal.
Jason walked over to the urinal next to him, earning a wary glare. He arched an eyebrow in response, briefly glancing at the ID tag attached to the man's belt.
The man's brow furrowed, shifting further away while he aimed his junk at the urinal. Another couple of guys walked into the toilets while Jason took his time getting his cock out to piss.
The fat guy with the ID shook some drops of piss off his cock before he tucked it back into his briefs. Jason reached into his jacket, while one of the guys—kind of short with dyed blue hair— who had come in earlier, stood a few urinals away while the other one had gone into the toilets.
The man zipped up his pants and moved back, as Jason's hands closed around the device in his pocket. It was all about timing and having quick fingers, something Jason had plenty of experience in.
When the man walked passed him, Jason whipped out the device and dug it into the guy's back, a faint vibration hitting the man's back. The device had a unique ability to make you shit yourself through the use of a simple pulse.
"Ugh," was the faint noise the man made, stiffening.
Jason stuffed the device back in his pocket and zipped up, the blue haired man at the urinal nearby looked up and frowned when he saw the fat guy clutch his stomach, but when the large man let out a loud fart the blue haired guy wrinkled his nose and looked away.
Jason swiped the ID card from the large guy's belt and slipped it into his jacket pocket, stepping back when the fat guy stumbled into one of the toilets and basically collapsed on the seat, slamming the door shut; he'd be in there for a while.
With that taken care of, Jason walked out of the toilets and rounded the corner where the trash was kept; he probably had ten or twenty minutes tops before they searched for him.
With the amount of stuff in the factory, the crates piled on top of each other, you could easily make a maze out of it all, which Jason used to his advantage.
He hid behind a stack of crates which had cocaine inside and hid his red helmet inside an empty ripped box which had been dumped near the side by someone clearly too lazy to find a fucking waste bin.
Jason sealed the box as best he could and then stuffed it under his arm, keeping his head down as he walked over towards the doors. At the edge of the factory, there was a large metal door that had a scanner for the ID. Next to the doors was the conveyer belt which had an armed guard stationed right next to it.
He supposed more people would try to sneak in through the conveyor rather than the main door. Jason avoided the guard's eye and pressed the ID card against the scanner, the machine beeped and flashed green, and then the doors slid open.
Jason hurried inside the hallway which was a dark brown colour with faded wooden flooring and washed out wallpaper that was stained with some kind of grease.
The next stages were creating a distraction and then try to find the main boss's computers. These admin offices tended to never be that big, though, considering most of the space went towards the storage and transport rooms.
First thing was first, a distraction, which was easy enough.
Jason walked into the storage room along with another worker who was dressed in a Hi-Vis jacket. There was a hook full of Hi-Vis vests on a hook, making it pretty easy to take one.
He walked towards the back of the storage room, passed tall large metal shelves which were cluttered with weapons and boxes of who the hell knew what.
"…So when are they gonna move her?" someone from the other side of the shelf was speaking.
Jason ignored them and carried on to the end of the wall where the pipes, and placed his box on the floor, pretending to tie his shoelace.
"Fuck I know, " another voice swore, sounding impatient. "He's still in his office talking to that creep in the robe—now, help me lift this shit."
Jason frowned, pausing for a second before he brushed it off and got back to work. He didn't have much time, looking around hastily he stuck a micro bomb under the pipe as he picked up the box again and stood up.
His stomach twisted, walking faster than necessary towards the exit.
Bruno Mannheim was not an attractive man, with his too brutish appearance matched with an equally brutish physique, and tanned skin which only highlighted the rough wrinkles on his face. In fact, he was better suited wearing a dirty vest or jeans rather than that expensive Italian suit.
Bruno's office was a reflection of his less refined tastes. It was messy and cluttered, with outdated file cabinets, bland grey wallpaper, a chipped wooden desk which was home to a mess of crisps, stale snacks, and paperwork which was piled on top of each other like a landfill.
And, then there was that distasteful sight of a girl chained in the corner—
"Hey, Blood," Bruno interrupted his train of thought, leaning leisurely in his chair while he drank a cup of coffee. "You want a coffee or something?"
"No, that's quite alright." Brother Blood smiled thinly, sitting upright in his chair, with his hands clasped in the long sleeves of his white robes, a gold trim on the hemline. "I was just musing about the current turn of events," he said, glancing over at the blonde girl in the corner, she mustn't be older than fifteen or sixteen. "The Light has already shown a lack of control over those captured youths, which gives us an advantage."
"You can't steal 'em." Bruno set his coffee down on the desk. "They won't be easy to take, not when they're locked up tight."
"I have no intention of such a thing," Brother Blood replied dryly, arching an eyebrow. "I do not take things, I let them come to me." He couldn't help but shoot a pointed look at the girl in the corner.
Bruno's eyes narrowed at the jib, sneering. "It isn't really free will if they got chips in their head."
The corner of the older man's lips crept upwards. "A temporary measure," he remarked.
"Right, sure." Bruno rolled his eyes, smirking. "But, you gotta understand if they found out my involvement that could compromise my entire operation here."
Brother Blood nodded lazily. "A risk that will be compensated in full." The curl of his lip grew. "I understand the importance of keeping Intergang firmly in the neutral area," he added, resting his arm on the armrest as he stroked his chin. "A little competition is always good for profits, I'm told." He sighed. "And, besides with the Light and The Hive's differing…ideals, I think it best if my alliance with them ends sooner rather than later. You understand of course."
Bruno eyed him warily, leaning further back in his chair. "…Sorta."
Brother Blood smiled, looking over at the girl chained in the corner. Her blonde hair was lank and greasy, with sickly pale skin and dull blue eyes. She had a pretty face, like one of those a Barbie dolls and with a body to match, even if the grey jumpsuit hid most of it from view.
"Tell me, how long do you intend to keep her?" he asked lightly, with a sharp smile.
Bruno cocked an eyebrow, looking over at the girl. "You can't have her, Blood." He flashed his teeth in a tight smile. "My Boss already called dibs."
Brother Blood's smile grew. "Ah, yes, this infamous Master who hides in the shadows," he drawled, shrugging. "Fair enough, but I must warn you Kryptonite can be poisonous after prolonged exposure."
Bruno shrugged. "She'll be fine—"
A thundering bang interrupted their conversation.
"What the hell?" Bruno's eyes widened in alarm, standing up.
Brother Blood frowned, looking over at the door. "An Accident?"
"It better damn well be," the other man growled, heading over to the door. He ripped the door open and walked into the hallway. "What the hell is going on here?!"
Brother Blood sighed, shaking his head faintly.
"…V-volto," a small hesitant voice captured his attention.
He tilted his head towards the girl. "Hmm?" His face became the picture of concern, standing up. "What was that, dear?"
The girl's eyes were sunken with dark circles underneath. "Mor Volto elo," she whispered, reaching out.
Brother Blood walked over to her. "You poor thing," he simpered, tilting his head. "You would have made a wonderful student, my dear." He sighed, bending down closer so he could stroke her head. "But, business is business I suppose." Brother Blood's eyes gleamed, curling his fingers through her hair.
The girl's eyes widened but then narrowed after a second. "Ran elo xanoplip!" she hissed, jerking her head away.
His smile dimmed, narrowing his eyes. "Still not—"
He was cut off when a sharp pain, like a needle, was struck in his back. It was a cold touch that made him stiffen, as his eyes rolled back and he collapsed on the floor.
Jason lowered his dart gun when the old man hit the ground, grimacing when he saw the chained up girl; sex slave most likely. The old man was pale with a receding hairline, grey hair, and a weird robe on that looked like it belonged to a cult leader.
The girl looked at Jason with wide frightened eyes. "Lin fo ula?"
That was definitely not a part of any language he'd heard, but her accent sounded like a weird mix of French, Russian, and something else.
"The fuck you say?" Jason frowned, locking the door behind him, walking closer. He dropped the box on the floor. "Why…? Wait…." His eyes narrowed at the glowing green chains. Was that? "…Well, shit." His eyes bulged, looking her up and down. "Are you another clone?"
Fuck, had they made another Superman offspring again? (Supey would be pissed)
The girl's brow furrowed, a scowl slipping onto her face. "E ran mulo lon un bano."
Whatever the hell that meant.
But, shit, this made things complicated. If the Light had another Kryptonian on their side then that was a serious secret weapon… and he was the only one who knew….Shit.
A shout from down the hallway refocused him. Jason shook his head, hurrying over to the computer. "Listen, I don't have time for this." The computer was already logged in under the boss's name (Bruno Mannheim), making Jason grin. "Come on, babe," he whispered, hacking into the payment and data logs.
He ignored the rustle of chains as the girl tried to stand up. "Ula forno volto elo!" she demanded.
"Not now," he snapped at her, feeling his heart thunder against his chest. "Do you know how much I'm risking right now?"
The girl's eyes narrowed. "Volto elo!" She rattled her chains.
Fuck
Shit
Urgh!
"Okay, just shut up," he hissed, grabbing her hands to stop her from making noise. "I'll…Volto, okay."
Her eyes lit up. "Volto?"
He nodded. "Yes…Volto." He hoped that the word meant help and not something else. "But, shut up for a second okay. Be quiet, ssshhh." He pressed a finger to his lips. "Okay?"
She seemed to understand, nodding. "O-Kay," she repeated slowly.
Jason gave her thumbs up, stepping backwards. "Good," he stretched out the word, before looking back at the computer. The noises outside seemed to get louder. "Come on," he muttered, tracking down his payment info. "Yes." Jason grinned, deleting the files. "Now, come on, Stone, where are you…"
There was CCTV footage of the Red Hood shooting Mr Stone from the rooftops, a nice clear piece of footage which they'd kept tucked away.
Fucking slimy bastards.
Jason flashed his teeth in a grin and completely erased the footage, now the bastards had nothing on him, but what other secrets did they have? His brow furrowed, remembering the computer chips. He took out a USB from his pocket and stuck it in, selecting to download as many files as he could fit onto the stick.
"Noyos," the blonde hissed, her chains scraping against the floor. Her legs wobbled weakly when she tried to walk towards him. "Quin ma noyos."
"Yeah, I know just—"
The doorknob rattled. "Blood, what are you playing at?!" a deep voice shouted from behind the door.
The girl stiffened, as her skin grew more washed out. "Volto elo," she whispered feverishly, violently shoving the chains in his face. "Volto."
Jason hesitated, looking at her and then at the door.
"Blood, open the fucking door!"
"Shit," Jason whispered, gulping. Okay, so he could try to take on the whole of Intergang by himself, which wasn't completely impossible…that much…or….
The girl looked up at him pleadingly, holding out the green glowing chains. A Kryptonian was one hell of a partner.
"That's it, break the door down!"
Ah, fuck it.
Jason reached into his pocket and took out a lock pick. "You better not make me regret this," he hissed, hastily picking the lock on her chains as the door was pummelled by human bodies. "I'm serious; I will shove these chains up your ass if you fuck me over."
The lock gave an ominous click and chains dropped to the ground.
The girl grinned at him and held herself higher. "Zedu!"
The door was pounded against, the hinges coming loose.
Jason picked up the Kryptonite chains and threw them across the room before he ran to get his helmet for the box. "Just…don't blow the place up," he snapped, picking up his helmet. "Fuck sake." He shoved the helmet on and then withdrew his guns.
The door was knocked off its hinges, hitting the ground.
A large ugly guy in a suit was in front of a group of workers, looking ready to kill with their guns drawn.
"Who the fuck—" The guy in the suit froze, all bravado melting when the girl stepped forward next to Jason, her eyes glowing red. "Oh, shit."
Jason shot him in the stomach, and then all hell broke loose.
Gotham City
10/20/2023
11:15
Helena sighed quietly, doodling a scribble on the cover of her English textbook.
At the front of the class their teacher, Mr Scarlett, was speaking; a short middle-aged man in a brown suit with mousey hair and glasses. He was holding a thick pile of essays he'd graded, walking passed each desk and handed them out. "Here are your essays from last week, a lot of you improved from last time so let's keep up the good work," he told them, placing each essay on a student's desk as he passed.
"What did you get?" someone whispered not so quietly.
"Shove off," another voice hissed.
"Let me see," one girl squealed.
"Settle down," Mr Scarlett chided, nearing Lydia.
Helena looked out of the window, tapping her pen against the desk, until her essay was slipped under her nose when he walked passed, a bright red C+ staring back at her with the comment, 'please see me after class' written neatly in red ink.
Helena dropped her pen, stomach feeling queasy when she saw the grade. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ever gotten a grade below a B.
Next, to her, she could see that Lydia had gotten an A, making Helena grimace and fold her essay in half to try to hide it.
Helena swallowed a lump in her throat, hunching her shoulders up defensively. It was just one low grade, though, she could make up for it and get back on track.
The bell went off from outside the hall, everyone shuffled in their seats, picking up bags and packing away books and pens.
"…Remember to study chapter nine, it'll be on next week's test," Mr Scarlett said, pausing in front of his desk after handing out all of the essays.
Helena sighed again, stuffing the textbook back in her along with her pencil case before she zipped it up and got to her feet, the essay scrunched up in her hand
"Hey." Lydia smiled at her, tucking the seat back under the desk. "Do you have any spare notes for Spanish?"
What notes? Helena frowned, trying to remember their last class. There was a test coming up soon, but it'd be fine, it wasn't like she needed notes anyway…
Helena slipped her backpack over her shoulder and shrugged. "I didn't take any."
Lydia's brow furrowed. "Oh…okay, cool." The smile faded for a second but quickly returned, glancing around the classroom quickly. "Well, at least it'll give me an excuse to ask Kyle," she whispered, grinning.
Helena smiled back, following the rest of the class headed towards the door. "Good idea." The smile faded when she looked over at Mr Scarlett who was sitting behind his desk. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up."
Lydia raised an eyebrow, hugging a book to her chest. "Um, okay then." She shrugged, walking towards the door as the last student left. "See you later."
"Yeah…sure." Helena chewed the inside of her mouth as she watched her friend leave before she looked over at her teacher and moved closer towards the desk. "Sir?"
"Um, yes." Mr Scarlett smiled grimly, making her stomach twist. "Helena, over the last few weeks your grades have been…not at their best," he began delicately.
Helena clutched the strap of her bag tightly, standing stiffly on the spot. "I…I mean, I might have slipped on a few pop quizzes I guess…"
"If that were the case we wouldn't be having this conversation." The grimness on his face grew, looking at the paper scrunched up in her hand. "But, this essay, it was like you weren't even trying, Helena."
Helena winced, feeling a nasty lump get stuck in her throat. She averted her gaze and shrugged uncomfortably. "…I'm sorry, Sir."
He sighed. "I'm not the only teacher who's worried, Helena," Mr Scarlett said, uneasily. "I'm just concerned that…is everything alright at home?" he asked hesitantly, clasping his hands together.
Helena felt a swell of anger that prickled her skin unpleasantly.
"Yes," she replied a little too stiffly, swallowing. She looked back at him, standing up straighter. "As fine as things could be, I guess," her voice grew more light-hearted. "The paparazzi can be pretty stressful."
"I know it isn't ideal."A brief sympathetic smile flashed across Mr Scarlett's face. "Have you tried talking to the school counsellor, or perhaps your father?"
I'd have better luck at Arkham.
"I don't really like bothering people with my problems, Sir," she replied curtly, frowning.
Mr Scarlett sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I understand, but I'm afraid this is important, Helena…" He reached into his draw and let out another heavy sigh. "Until your grades improve, you're being taken off the honour roll."
Helena clenched her jaw tightly, watching him present an orange slip of paper. "But, what if I did some extra credit?" She could still make this up.
He signed the bottom of the slip. "If your grades improve in the next few weeks we can look about getting you put back on by the end of the semester." He held the slip up for her to take; she looked at it like it was a slug. "But, I'll need your father to sign this so he knows the current situation. I expect it returned by Monday."
She bit down hard on her tongue and took the slip, folding it in her hand. "Yes…Sir." She schooled her expression, keeping calm. "Is that everything?"
He nodded, moving his pen to the side. "Thank you for staying behind."
Helena nodded stiffly and turned on her heel to leave, the muscles in her shoulders feeling tense like a tightly coiled ball of yarn ready to snap.
Wayne Manor, Gotham
10/20/2023
16:00
Bruce was silent when he stared at his daughter's essay, sitting at the head of the dining room table while she silently sat down next to him, fidgeting in her seat.
"Well…" He placed the homework on the table, mulling over his words. "It's not your best."
Her eyes narrowed, looking away. "Yeah…"
He rubbed his chin, sighing, trying to figure out the best way to approach this. "I'm not disappointed, just concerned," he told her, earning a frown. "…Does…is this because of your mother?" He felt like he was stepping on eggshells.
Helena's gaze sharpened, crossing her arms. "No," she replied a little too defensively. "It's just…It's hard to focus with everything else going on."
Bruce hid his grimace, finding some truth in that statement. "You know school needs to come first, Helena," he said evenly, watching her seem to grow tenser. "I want you to cut back on your patrols and put a bit more focus on your school work."
Helena's lips drew into a thin line, glaring at him, a glare he returned with one of his own until something in her gaze seemed to finally snap.
"Me getting a bad grade in school is the least of our problems!" She threw her hands in the air and stood up, scraping the chair back. "Cass is still missing with a whole other group of kids, most likely getting tortured for all we know, Jason's a wreck, and my mom is being hunted down by a rich sociopath!" she ranted, cheeks flushed. "And, you want me to focus on school?"
Bruce stared at her calmly, narrowing his eyes disapprovingly. "I'm not going to have your future be jeopardised." He folded his hands together on his lap. "You're Helena Wayne first, Huntress second."
"Seriously?!" She smacked her palms against the table, glowering. "So, what, you get to be Batman 24/7 while the rest of us get benched so we can take part in the next pep rally?" Helena balled her hands into fists. "Do you know how hypocritical that is?"
Bruce remained silent, his gaze only wavering when he heard Tim creep closer to the dining room doors, trying to eavesdrop. He looked back at his daughter, noticing how her breathing was irregular, it was rare he saw her lose composer over such a minor thing, but there had to be more to it than just a bad day at school.
"I know it might not seem fair," he finally spoke, standing up. "But, I don't want your life consumed by the mission." Bruce placed his hands on her shoulders, causing her to look away. "Huntress should only be one part of your life."
Her gaze lifted back up to meet his, but it was less harsh. "Dad, I can do more as Huntress than I'll ever be able to do as just…me." Helena's brow creased, stepping away from him.
This wasn't going well…
Bruce's eyes narrowed, running a hand through his hair, feeling cornered. "And, what happened to you wanting to be a lawyer, is that now off the table as well?" he tried a different approach.
Her lips pursed, glancing at the ground. "No…I still want that," she replied hesitantly, looking up. "But, I…I have to think about the bigger picture, you even said it yourself."
His gaze softened, folding his arms. "Yes, I did," he admitted reluctantly. "But even Batman and Huntress have limits."
She opened her mouth but then closed it, second guessing it seemed. Her shoulders slouched, eyes shifting back and forth. "…Maybe they do, but I still have a commitment as Huntress, though," she argued, eyeing him for a moment, sighing quietly. "…But, I'll still try to get my grades back up."
Bruce nodded, squeezing her shoulder. "That's all I ask."
Her lips twisted into a scowl, sighing deeply. "I'll be in my room." She moved out of his hold and walked passed him. "You can stop hiding now, Tim," she added coolly, opening the doors.
Tim poked his head from around the doorway, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Heh, sorry…"
Bruce arched an eyebrow but didn't comment.
From what I've researched, trying to find a translation of spoken Kryptonian is like trying to find a god damn diamond! I could only find the written language (which is basically just symbols) since that's how it is shown in comics, the only problem is that I don't think Fanfiction docs accept that format, so I thought it'd be safer and more interesting to try to show how Kryptonian would sound.
(in other words, I made it up)
Translation.
Mor Volto elo – please help me
Volto elo - help me
Ran elo xanoplip – don't touch me!
Lin Fo Ula? – who are you?
E ran mulo lon un bano – I don't know what you're saying.
Ula forno voltoelo – you have to help me
Quin ma Noyos – we need to hurry
Zedu– thank you
The Japanese word Ikou, from what I've researched, is translated as GO!, but if I'm wrong then tell me.
