Every time something is in Italic it means the character is thinking.
The Fight and a clue
Bruce had finally lived through the convention, even if his colleagues were glad to be there, his thoughts were far away. He received the call from Lucius for the suit and now waited for Peter to manifest himself so he could get it. The suit was stored safely in the Batmobile for now.
I am worried about all this, normally Joker is not that discreet, and he wants me to know it's him.
He went to the cave and saw the computer had recorded a message from Spider-man's radio. He started to listen and the second he heard Penguin's voice he went to his Batsuit, when he heard Penguin mentioning Barbara he stopped and then continued faster, the sun was slowly setting and Batman would be on cue. He knew that Spider-man would be rushing to the GCPD like a madman. He was worried that there was still some titan serum leftovers. He would have to take care of these later.
With Spider-man…
Peter was swinging as fast as he could, he had to get to the GCPD before Penguin's henchmen did. Without her suit Barbara could not fight and the cops won't be enough. He did not know what "Titan" was, but he was sure it was nothing good. Every second that passed, Peter imagined the possible results if he was too late, making him even more focused and tense, his blood burning in his veins.
What's happening to me? My body is in pain…I'll check that with Batman later. He thought a little worried about the feeling.
Darkness was covering the city as the sun was leaving and he hoped it would work in his advantage. He also hoped for some backup from Batman if need be, after all, night was his time.
After several painful minutes, Spider-man heard a scream that froze his blood, he looked and saw a giant man trying to rip the GCPD gate from its hinges, pedestrians watching in horror. He launched himself behind what seemed to be a gigantic mass of muscle that could probably go in a fist fight against Thor.
"Hey big guy!"
The titan turned back and Spider-man slowly went in a crouching position, one hand on the ground, the other on his side, ready to shoot some webs.
I don't know what this guy took, but this sure beats working out in a gym. It does not even look like actual muscles anymore…
"On behalf of the people of Gotham and everyone inside the GCPD I tell you that you have the right to remain si…" He did not have time to finish his joke as the titan charged at him.
He's slow and does not know how to fight, but I would rather not find out how strong he is…
Spider-man dodged his blows, sometime hitting him during a jump, punches which seemed to do very little in the way of knocking him out. People were still watching in awe as the new hero in town was fighting a giant for them. He suddenly jumped over him then threw two web on his face and tried to blind him. He threw all the web he could and soon the giant was covered head to toe. He thought he won, before the titan broke free and suddenly backed up and charged at him again.
He jumped again to dodge but saw what the titan hit: a power generator on the GCPD wall.
No!
An explosion was felt as the titan and Spider-man were thrown back and sent to the ground. The stress brought Peter on his feet in seconds and he looked at the blown wall of the GCPD and ran in to see the state of everyone inside, not caring about the knocked down titan. What he saw paralyzed him: the explosion blasted the wall and sent debris all over the place, setting some place on fire. He jumped and started to shoot webs to put the fire out and help the remaining police force that was trying to get people from under some debris.
After several minutes of Spidey helping everyone he was still searching for Gordon and his daughter. He ran to a cop.
"Where are the commissioner and his daughter?"
"They were leaving when the wall exploded, thanks for the help Spider-man."
"Don't mention it." He answered as he jumped out to look for them. After a while his search was interrupted by his Spider-sense. He jumped away to see the titan dashing past him and running into another wall, not fast enough to shatter it though. As the titan turned, a police car suddenly smashed him and sent him sailing, Peter looked and saw the commissioner and his daughter in the car, Gordon on the wheel, as he made a small nod to Peter.
Peter returned the nod and then heard a heavy motor sound. Just before the Batmobile went past him.
Peter handled the situation well for his lack of experience with those, he again made the right choice. But now it's my turn.
Spider-man got the hint and returned to the GCPD to help the evacuation and getting debris out of the way.
With Batman…
Bruce got out of the car and ran to the recovering titan.
This one is tougher than the others I fought in the past, that would explain why he is even stupider than the others, he must be pumped full of titan serum. Batman thought as he touched a button and his gloves started to glow and slightly vibrate with electricity.
The fight was unfair but Batman held up, every punch seemed to weaken the titan but he seemed to recover almost as quickly, he suspected there was more than just titan formula in this guy.
The titan received a knee strike to the face before he countered him with a surprisingly fast back-hand. Batman rolled away, a little dazed despite his armor taking most of the blow. Suddenly he saw the titan lifting the batmobile despite the shocks he was receiving from the car's integrated circuits and threw it toward the GCPD before falling to his knees in exhaustion. He was about to finish him when he heard a crash and a yell in a distance.
Oh no…
With Spider-man at the GCPD…
He saw the Batmobile smash into the commissioner's car before he could react and he just yelled while jumping toward the now wrecked car. He threw webs and pulled the car from under the Batmobile. When he saw the commissioner crawl out of his car, alone, his blood froze.
No…
Peter dashed to the side of the commissioner and pulled Barbara from the remains of the car, she was in one piece but she was not responding. Her father tried to wake her up and Peter fell on his hands and knees. They heard a roar coming from the titan two streets away, still fighting with Batman.
Peter was exploding inside, everything was screaming, every inch of his blood was boiling, He looked at Barbara's unconscious body then slowly turned to face the titan and stood up. He vaguely heard Gordon saying she was allright under the black veil of his anger. All he saw was the titan that hurt her and almost killed dozens of people. Without a word he shot two web line on parallel buildings and, aiming himself at the titan, started to take steps back while holding the webs like a human slingshot.
Meanwhile Batman was still busy with the titan but the latter seemed like he was weakening from all the explosives and shocks he took. As he was about to roll away from another charge, he heard a cracking sound and the titan was suddenly thrown over him and Bruce saw Spider-man, having smashed the titan with both his feet in the back.
The titan seemed to have been actually wounded by the powerful attack as he had trouble standing up again and was slightly bent over.
That attack must have shattered a bone in his back, not even titans attacking each other caused so much damage. I don't know what did this to Spider-man, but I think he has the situation in…what? Batman thought as he saw Peter walking silently towards the kneeling titan and then jumping to strike him in the jaw, drawing greenish blood from his mouth.
Batman suddenly did not recognize Peter anymore, this was not the cheerful teenager anymore, he had someone else in front of him. Even with the mask, he could tell that he was extremely angry, as he was completely silent, not making any jokes or even showing signs of caution. Batman would be more impressed if he was not worrying about the titan. What happened to him?
For Peter, everything was black, every hit he made on the titan made him even more mad than he was, he did not notice the police, having evacuated, showing up and trailing their weapons on the titan, but then hesitating as they saw Spider-man beating the crap out of the titan. But suddenly the titan back-handed Spidey so hard he sent him through a window at the other end of the street.
Batman took the opportunity to remote control the batmobile in front of the window and deploy the new suit in the building Peter was in. He did not know the specifics of the suit, but it was supposed to be an upgrade while staying true to the original concept.
To his horror, the titan seemed to be recovering since Peter stopped pummeling him, even the bullets the police shot at him did not seem to stop his healing.
Healing factor? That's new, Titans never required so much punishment before going down. This is definitely a new kind, and conventional weapons are ineffective against this guy…Think Batman think…What could shut him down? Suddenly he heard a voice.
"It's not over…"
Batman turned to the window to see Spider-man wearing a black suit with silver web patterns all over it, the spider symbol on the chest was now silver as well. He truly looked fearsome in this suit, particularly with how he was acting right now. Which worried him.
Spider-man charged and on the way jumped and landed knees first into the monster's face, making him fall on the ground. Peter heard a cracking sound during the impact. You're going to get it. He then proceeded to repeatedly punch the downed titan so strongly that it left marks on the cement behind his head.
"Spider-man, stop, it's over." Batman half said, half ordered. "Everyone's safe thanks to us."
"Everyone…" He turned to see Barbara looking at him with her father. Slowly the black veil dissipated around Peter's mind and he pushed on his right arm, his suit reverting to red and blue. He stood up over the knocked out titan and slowly started to walk away, when he passed the commissioner and Barbara he whispered.
"Sorry…" He then jumped away and swung over the buildings, out of view.
Gordon and the police approached Batman and some proceeded to get the titan in a truck, later to be a containment chamber.
"Care to tell me what happened?" Gordon asked.
"When he saw the destruction this monster caused, he felt guilty and lost restraint on his powers. We are lucky nobody saw this rage except us, this could have scared the citizens."
"He really cares about this city, he fought an actual monster on his own. But stopped to help the people in the GCPD, disregarding his own safety. He really is a hero. Dad, you always said this city needed more people like Batman, now we have one."
"I will talk to him, maybe understand how he could hurt the titan so badly when the impact from a car did not knock him out. And also why." With these words Batman jumped in the Batmobile and drove away in a gust of wind.
The crowd dispersed, most praising the Spider for his courage. Barbara was staggered by the blows he delivered, she could almost feel the impacts from two streets away. She was not stupid, he did not react like this until he saw her in bad shape. It flattered her yet also frightened her, it could go bad if this happen on someone less resilient.
During the night with Peter…
Peter was on a very high roof, his suit black to blend in the night, he smiled when he remembered that it was probably Barbara who had the idea for the little color change. It brought back bad memories, but it also made him stronger: the suit was made of light but tougher material, a hidden belt was containing dozens of web cartridges. His mask had a micro-radio implanted, and the suit could switch to black just with a push on his right arm.
He also thought about his reaction from earlier: he had to admit it, he had feelings for Batgirl. But he could never act on them, simply because he would have to return home eventually, and he would not want this to interfere with his purpose here.
Well at least now I know what is the new threat, this guy was tough, if there was more than one, even I don't know if I could've beat them by myself. I know why Madam Web brought me here: The Bat family could never beat them on their own. My bet on the mastermind is this Joker guy but since it's Penguin who sent him, then he could be a lead, I'll have to speak to Batman and Gordon, if they do want to speak to me…Peter thought before he heard a small wind sound behind him.
"If you wanted privacy, I would suggest hiding during the day Spider-man." Batman said to Peter, who had his back turned.
"I'm sorry about…" Peter was about to say but was interrupted.
"No need to apologize for your action, it is not the display of power that worries me. It is your motivation and your state then. I never saw you so cold and quiet, that's my thing. Spider-man was supposed to be a positive image didn't you say?"
"Humph, well I did not really understand myself either. I could not control myself until you said everyone was all right. All I was seeing was darkness and the big guy."
"Peter, I think I know part of the reason, Barbara told me what happened back there, she was hurt by the titan and you fell on your knees before attacking. It does not take my knowledge to deduce that while you were indeed angry because of every potential victims, she was the one who triggered…that."
"Are you going to disapprove us working together?"
"Not yet, because I think this reaction was not normal. I found traces of some strange black particles in your blood cells. Know anything about that?"
Peter's eyes opened wide under his mask and he jumped on his feet, turning to Batman in a split second.
"Were these particles alive?"
"Not really, it seems as if they were leftovers of something, something that was part of you. Were you bonded at some point to a parasite or something else?"
"It was an alien symbiote, it made me stronger physically but changed my behavior, becoming more aggressive and arrogant, I managed to get rid of it with powerful sound waves from a church's bell ringing inches from me, it was years ago though."
"If what you tell me is true, it seems that while you are no longer bonded, this creature left some of its DNA behind. These particles could be reacting to violent emotions or stress, in this case, anger."
"Trust me, this was nothing compared to what I almost did when I was bonded to it. This suit kinda reminds me of it, without side-effects that is."
"If you want to stay with us, you will need to have better control over your emotions, luckily only some policemen, me, Commissioner Gordon and Barbara saw you. Spider-man's image won't be tarnished. Are you certain you can control it in the future?"
Spider-man hesitated for a second then nodded, he needed to have the Bat family with him.
"I can guess that this big dude was new to you right?"
"Indeed, I fought men who were drugged with a formula called "Titan", but they were never this resilient nor that strong. I heard the message from Penguin you transmitted, where is he now?"
"Either in prison or out there because no one found him before the web dissolved."
"I will go to the GCPD and check if Cobblepot is there, you return to the cave and test that suit, Barbara and Alfred are already there."
Peter slightly nodded, a little disappointed that his "shift" was cut short. But leaped away and swung his way to the cave.
Later at the GCPD…
Bruce was examining the cells inside the building, now in the process of re-building the wall. He could not find Penguin in any of them so the little man was surely hiding again. He went to the chief, who tensed when he saw Batman approaching him.
"Do you have any news about the Penguin's whereabouts?"
"It's ironic that you asked that since we actually have something, normally I wouldn't tell but since you're…you. Some of his men were stupid enough to talk about him in their cell, which had microphones in it. He's supposedly about to, and I quote, "releasing havoc on this new guy". Somehow I think he dislikes Spider-man, if he saw him today, pretty sure he would leave him alone though." The chief said while looking at some files.
"Then I have work to do." With these words he left then grappled away, thinking about how much of these monsters Penguin had in his pocket.
After a while he arrived at the warehouse where he tracked Spider-man' message location and started searching. He activated his cowl's detective vision and looked around. He analyzed the small damaged piece of floor where Penguin most likely fell from Peter's web when it dissolved, round marks on the ground attracted his attention.
His back or a leg was hurt, he used a stick of some sort, probably a broken table's leg, to help him walk out of this place, if I follow them it will lead me right to him. He's not smart enough to anticipate my arrival, he would be waiting for Spider-man.
He followed the marks while still blending in the shadows, looking out for a possible ambush Penguin would have set up close to his new location. After almost an hour of tracking the traces suddenly stopped, indicating Cobblepot had either recovered from his back pain around here and got rid of his improvised cane or got a lift from someone.
Batman grappled up to a building and was overlooking the terrain when he heard footsteps. He looked down to see two men carrying a big crate, both men carrying rifles on their back.
That's no ordinary weaponry for common thugs, chances are they are going back to their boss. Time to follow, I was getting tired of nothingness.
Batman silently followed the men and when he saw the two men were walking toward an old construction site he did not lose time: he jumped at them and with two quick strikes on the leg and chin, knocked both thugs out before either could make a sound. He opened the crate easily and what he saw baffled him. There was five vials of a greenish liquid.
Why would they transport it in a crate this size? The vials are small, a simple backpack or even a secure pocket could contain them without drawing attention. I must bring those back to the lab. Bruce thought as he put the vials in his belt. The lab computer should be able to tell me what is supposed to be in these.
He grappled up again, leaving the men there, and made his way to the batcave, not risking using the car and making his presence known.
When he arrived he saw Peter doing sit-ups…on the ceiling. While Alfred looked at him with a completely baffled expression.
"Peter, I found something, you might want to come down." As he said that, Spider-man dropped beside him.
"What is it?"
"I followed the trail the Penguin left after your web dissolved and I eventually saw two men going to a construction site, probably their new hideout since two warehouses were attacked and Cobblepot is not stupid enough to keep an exact pattern. A construction site left unattended is a good guess, as it gives cover while making stealth a little more…"
"Left unattended? How can a building in construction be filled with criminals without being noticed?"
"Workers were probably bribed or simply threatened, you will learn quickly that in this city, there is crime everywhere, even the police force is corrupted, for the most part."
"I'm starting to wonder how in the world you three can manage all that…"
"Teamwork and fear, criminals almost only come out during the day anymore because of us, but now we have you for that." Batgirl said while looking at the computer.
"By the way, like the new suit. And I'm there to help anyway I can."
"The men were carrying those in a crate." Batman interrupted while showing them the vials and then walking to the lab, followed shortly by Peter and Batgirl. Alfred stayed behind and made a small sigh as he foresaw the world of trouble.
So this is the eight chapter everyone, sorry for the long delay, college starts soon and updates will become slightly less frequent. i will NOT stop this story. I will try to make a few chapters before it will become slower. So expect a few updates in the following days. Hope you enjoyed and leave a review it always help!
