Anything in Italic means the character is thinking to him/herself.
Rejection and kidnapping
Barbara was recovering on a bed in the batcave, Bruce had taken care of her while waiting for Spider-man and Alfred eventually took over until she woke up. She had been lucky in her bad luck: The titan did not have time to do irreversible damage, she would recover in time. Although it would require a good alibi for her condition. Batman had an idea, but he wanted to wait for Peter first.
I don't know how Peter just threw a car effortlessly, but at least now I know he really comes from another world. He's lucky I saw stranger things before. I can understand why he did not tell me, even if I would've preferred he did, it would have removed some questions earlier. The serum is almost complete, the sun is rising: Batman will take the day off, Spider-man will take it.
His thought were interrupted by Spider-man almost bursting through the door and jumping so far he actually landed in front of Bruce.
"How is she?" he asked in a panicked tone.
"She's safe don't worry, she woke up already." He answered and observed the giant sigh Peter did. "You have one more thing to do before you can take the day off: bring the completed cure to Jim and definitely rid the titan of his condition."
"You really have some great gear, ya know…"
"Unfortunatly, since I don't have more specifics on this new formula, the cure may have some side-effects. Even the computer was not able to narrow the possible side-effects possibilities. We will have to keep an eye on this man until further notice." He completed before Peter could finish his sentence. Making the young man sigh again but still nod.
"I think that after this night's foiled attack, this day will be calmer. When the cure is administered, rest. But still be on the ready if something happens."
"Story of my life, I can't even remember a date that I did not have to cancel because something happened…" Peter joked while shrugging his shoulder.
Batman nodded but kept a straight face before continuing.
"Barbara's current state has to be explained, but you won't have to do it."
"Good thing, and what is the reason?"
"A car almost hit her but you took most of the impact."
"How in the world will the commissioner believe that?"
"Because Batman will tell him." He answered a little dryly.
"Well that's enough reason for me, hehe."
Batman heard a small sound coming from the lab and went to grab the injector, now filled with the completed cure. He looked at it for a second and almost wondered how Peter could consider creating ties to this world if he'll have to go. He did not like the idea of his departure, he was an excellent partner and a hero. He returned to the main room to give the injector to Peter.
"Peter, there is a thing you must know: I know what you've been hiding from us." Peter almost took a step back at this.
"What?"
"A friend of mine informed me of something that happened at the same day you arrived and it confirmed my doubts, I saw things even stranger than this. And I can understand why you did not tell us earlier, but you should have told us you came from another world."
Spider-man was so tense he was almost in a defensive stance. It was not how he planned it.
"Well since you know that, you also know that I will have to leave eventually, I was sent here to help you defeat something that I was told you could not defeat without me. I know some…things I would want here, I can never have. But I will not stop helping you because of that. The one who sent me assured me my world would be safe until I return."
"Glad to hear it." Bruce said. "Now go, we have to make sure this monster does not come back."
"Yes sir!" He looked at Batgirl who was looking at them, dressed normally and still in pain, and extended his hand.
"Come on, let's get you back to your dad." With these words she grabbed his hand and they left the cave before he picked her up and started swinging their way to the GCPD.
Bruce called the commissioner's number and informed him of the "situation" before turning on the batcomputer to track the signal of the emitter Batgirl put on the man she fought. He deliberately kept this information from Peter because he had his own problems right now. He picked up the signal in an apartment and prepared himself for an investigation. He would have to do it as Bruce Wayne though, Batman was asleep right now. Alfred followed him when he left the cave.
"Master Bruce, maybe you should consider taking the day off as well. Bruce Wayne has to sleep once in a while. I am looking at you and I see someone who did not sleep in days. Rest before you faint from exhaustion." Alfred asked Bruce who was dressing normally in one of his expensive suits.
Bruce considered it for a second and sighed.
"I will visit this apartment, I will only bring minimal equipment and I will contact you if I find trouble, I am not planning on fighting today."
"Very well, but please rest afterward, you need it." Bruce smiled a little at that.
"Fine, but I must do this." With these words he took only a few gadgets and left in one of his Lamborghinis, after all, it was the most normal vehicle Bruce Wayne owned.
With Barbara and Spider-man…
When they finally arrived at the GCPD, Barbara holding onto him during the web-slinging part, Peter wondered what in the world was going to happen when Gordon would see his daughter.
Well at least it can't really be THAT bad because Batman informed him…I hope he was convincing, I hate messing up when I meet "The father" everytime… At least since the recent attacks, no one is even walking close to this building…Privacy power. He lightly chuckled at his own joke.
Peter jumped in front of the main entrance and knocked on the big metal door, visibly reinforced since the last time he saw it, then he saw Barbara looking at him. He lightly tilted his head.
Barbara knew he had feelings for her, and even if it was painful for both of them, she had to dismiss those feelings. She knew she would surely hurt him, but she had no choice.
Why is this happening? I finally like someone and he will have to leave forever… I have to convince him there is nothing, for his sake.
"Spider-man…I overheard your conversation with my dad last time." She said while looking at him.
"Huh…"
"You don't need to explain anything, but you must know I don't think it is a very good idea, you will suffer when you have to leave. There is little chance we will see each other again when you leave." She almost cried when she continued, but hid it and kept her calm tone. "And…I'm sorry, I don't return those feelings, I don't want to give you false hope and I would not want you making mistakes because of that, there will never be anything between us." Because of the mask, she could not see his expression, but his arm suddenly dropped from her side. The thing that made it worse is that he was not responding, not talking or trying to contradict her.
In his head, Peter was broken, he did not know why. He barely knew her a few days and he felt destroyed by her speech. He had nothing to answer, he felt cold, alone.
Why did I even think she did… I was stupid, I can't create any kind of ties here, I don't belong here. Anyway, wherever I go, I'm alone, and when I do have someone, they leave.
The door opened and Gordon saw the two, he immediately knew something was up, the young hero was silent, no greeting, he only turned to him.
"Your daughter is safe, no need to worry." He gave the injector to the commissioner. "Inject this in the titan, it will completely destroy what is left of titan serum in him."
Jim was surprised, the web-slinger was never this serious nor minimalist in his speech. He turned to his daughter and even if she had a normal expression, he felt it was a "mask".
Without a word, Spider-man just nodded and left the two standing there, swinging out of view.
Gordon took her in the office and his daughter noticed there was almost no one in the building. She thought everyone would be there…
"Why is everyone gone?"
"Almost everyone is busy dealing with the collateral damage the monster caused before the heroes stopped him. I stayed behind with just a few officers to help me deal with the paperwork and the usual stuff." He got her to the nurse's office. "Now will you tell me what happened to him? He was too serious and he did not speak enough." Barbara cringed at the question but answered as honestly as she could.
"I overheard your discussion with him last time one the roof, I was hiding in the staircase." She said with regret in her eyes. "I told him that I would never return his feelings and that he could not jeopardize the life of others over mine because of false hopes."
Jim heard this and, even if her intention was noble, he was a little disappointed and worried. He knew what a heartbreak does to a man, and with his powers he could become dangerous.
Even if he does not become a criminal, he might change. She might not realize it, but I know he is badly hurt right now.
"Tell me, and be honest, did you tell the complete truth to him?"
"I…"
"Yeah, I thought so, I saw your look when he left. You were hiding it, but you were sad as well. It was a very hard decision to make to protect the life of others. But be aware that you exposed yourself again, and that things will go back like before. The nurse will check you, then we will go home." With these words he went to the cell blocks to inject the ex-monster and left her with the nurse, unaware that she was now afraid that she made a mistake.
What if he leaves earlier? Did I destroy the hero that was here for the sole purpose of helping us?
With Bruce, at the apartment…
Bruce arrived at the apartment, not surprised that the entire block was almost devoid of life. Usually in this city you could tell where criminals were just by checking the number of pedestrians, or lack of.
He parked his car, not really caring about it since he had bigger problems (and because he had spares). And after checking around him for witnesses, entered the apartment through the back door, seemingly unlocked.
Someone must've got out without locking it behind him, the emitter did not move an inch since yesterday, I must assume the worst. He thought while putting special goggles and gloves.
The apartment was deserted, not a single sound or movement. Eventually he entered a room and he saw someone on the ground. He quickly scanned him, revealing he's been dead for several hours.
Four bullet wounds, three in the chest and one in the head. I assume the weapon must have been silenced to avoid unwanted attention.
He saw the Joker card on his body and picked it up. He was almost about to crush it when he realised the card had something written on the back.
"Not funny"
Bruce thought about it, at least it cleared the question of who and how, but it still did not answer why.
Knowing him it must be on a whim, but why kill a powerful ally? There is nothing to gain…Unless he could make more…We have a real problem now. I will return tonight but I must tell Peter and Barbara about this…
He picked the card and was about to leave when he heard footsteps coming from outside the room, he quickly but silently went to a corner and pressed on his watch to call for Spider-man, he knew Batgirl was probably with her father right now so she was not reliable.
Alfred was right, Bruce Wayne should have taken the day off. I only hear two pair of footsteps, easy if I was Batman right now. He thought before hearing the men talk.
"The car in front is really sweet, whoever's inside must be loaded!"
"You really think that this car is owned by someone with a crappy place like this? You really are a dumbass, there is obviously some rich guy who parked here that's all. Now let's get to work."
Two regular thugs, they don't even know who owns the place. I must take them out quickly, they can't see my face. He braced himself, still hidden beside the door. If they walk far enough, I could knock them both from behind, let's hope they do, I won't have two chances like this.
The door of the room opened and the two men made a few steps, passing Bruce, before seeing the body. Both of them seemed to freeze in shock before one of them started yelling.
"Oh my god! Let's get out of he…" Was all he could say before his comrade's head was smash into his, knocking both out.
Lucky for me they were not killers, just petty thieves. They probably never even saw a corpse before.
Bruce calmly walked out, removing his goggles, and climbed back in his Lamborghini, mentally swearing he would return during the night. There was more in that room that met the eye. He wondered what Peter was up to since this morning.
Probably just swinging around, trying to save someone. Too bad he will have to leave, he could have been a formidable asset for Gotham.
His thought were interrupted by his phone ringing, he looked at the number and then answered. While driving away he started talking.
"Mr. Fox, I was not expecting a call from you today, something important?"
"Actually yes Mister Wayne, I would like to see this new recruit of yours that is using the suit I made."
"He's not really a recruit, he is a hero of his own but he is on our side. But why would you want to see him?"
"It seems the new feature Miss Gordon asked me to include in the suit was not entirely functional, after too many uses the feature may stop working due to the material not made for prolonged use. The material was the prototype of a light military spy armor that could change color to blend in the environment with more efficiency, but it was never used in a real situation because of the cost of the material. If the suit would malfunction in a… Let's say important situation, he may reveal himself too soon…"
"I see, I will inform him of the situation and send him to you. Anything else?"
"There is also the fact that I may have found something about this new formula you informed me about, after a few simulations based on the data you sent, it would seem the effects vary between individuals, the monster you fought could very well be the only one, but it also could be the weakest. I need more samples if we want to mass produce an antidote for a potential outbreak, need I remind you of the last time something like that was released on Gotham?"
"No need, I will find Spider-man and we will come to you at Wayne Towers. I think you may want to work with him, he is also gifted in the way of science and technology. Except for the suit you provided, he made all his gear himself."
"Interesting, a powerful yet brilliant ally, you seem to choose your allies wisely Mister Wayne." Bruce smiled a little then he saw Peter in his rear-view mirror, swinging after him, probably following the signal he sent.
"I have to go, goodbye Mr. Fox." He hung up as Spider-man swung beside his car, strangely quiet.
"Fox wants to meet us at Wayne Towers tonight, you want…" He did not finish as Spider-man made a sharp turn and left with only a brief nod.
That's weird, no hello? I'll ask him later. Now I have to respect my promise to Alfred, just for the day…
With Peter…
Peter was swinging as fast as he could, desperately trying to find a criminal. He was still cold and angry, he wanted to finish his task here and leave as soon as possible.
After several minutes he heard distant yells and it took him out of his negative thoughts. He looked around and cursed himself as he finally noticed the smoke in the distance, his state of mind went from angry to focused. He quickly swung to the source and saw that the fire came from a big house, numerous pedestrians and policemen watching the blazr in horror. It took Peter a few seconds to recognize the house that was on fire.
It was Jim Gordon's house.
Gordon, Barbara…
In a split-second, he examined the house: It was a two-floor house, simple and quick to search. He launched himself through a window, vaguely hearing some people yelling his "name". He landed in the second floor, searching desperately for any sign of anyone. Breaking every door he met with his bare hands, he found the commissioner on the ground under a piece of ceiling, he noticed he had a bruise on the side of his head. Peter threw away the piece of wood and picked him up before jumping out of the closest window.
He landed in front of the crowd, carrying Gordon and giving him to police officers before jumping back up and using his webs to propel himself back inside, not even aware of the reporters and journalists in the crowd. He searched everywhere, sometimes calling her name for an answer, he was starting to seriously panic.
Don't let her be dead…the way I left her, this can't be happening again…
As the building was starting to fall apart, Gordon woke up and watched from the outside as Spider-man was searching a building that was about to collapse. Paramedics showed up and tried to help him despite his protests as he hoped the hero would get out. His daughter was not in the house at all, it was worse.
Peter was aware the building was about to burst, even he was starting to weaken despite his durability. He ripped off every closet door he found, busted through the attic door, nothing. He was about to give up when he realised something: if she was dead, he would've at least found her remains, but nothing.
She's not here at all…
As he was about to jump he saw a picture of Barbara and her father on the ground, he picked it up before he jumped out, just as something exploded behind him and the ceiling collapsed. He landed outside the house, succeeding in recovering mid-air and landing on his feet. In a second the yells turned to cheers as he was "assaulted" for his bravery. For a brief second, he was happy, but then remembered the thing that was important and jumped over the crowd to land in front of the commissioner, looking at him in the eyes. Gordon walked to him and shook his hand before quickly whispering to him.
"Follow my lead, we can't cause a panic, I'll tell you everything after this." As Peter was about to protest he talked again, this time out loud.
"Thank you Spider-man! You saved the day again." In the second that followed journalists were on him, taking picture, but one actually asked something.
"Why do you risk your life? You could have died in that fire!" Peter thought and decided to put his bad mood aside and take this chance of making Spider-man officialy public.
"I do what I do because I can, I use everything I have to help those who are in danger. With great power, comes great responsibility." He answered to the camera before throwing a web and swinging away from the crowd, still concerned in his mind. The fire crew then and took over.
With Bruce, at Wayne manor…
Bruce looked at the news, intrigued by the sudden incident. He knows Barbara is alive, Peter would never even try to leave that building without her if she was there. He saw the sun slowly setting as he slowly sipped the hot chocolate Alfred brought him. He slowly went to the batcave and approached his suit.
"Time to work." Alfred walked behind him as he was putting on the suit.
"Sir you may consider taking another look at the news first."
Bruce turned on the news on the batcomputer and saw the little speech Peter made for the camera before swinging away.
This was not how he looked like when I met him. I have some questions…
Back with Peter, a few hours later…
Peter was waiting at the top of the GCPD, impatient and pacing. The door opened to reveal Gordon, with a grave look on his face.
"I think you already know Barbara was not in the house when you arrived."
"What happened?" Peter simply asked.
Gordon made a small sigh while rubbing the bandage he had on the side of his head.
"When Barbara and I arrived at the house we were ambushed by a group of men waiting for us, they were too many and we could not fight them off. I was knocked out and they probably took her before setting the house on fire."
Peter clenched his hands and lowly growled before talking.
"I failed her, and you. I should have been there…"
"I know what she said to you before you left, you had every reason to be elsewhere."
"That does not justify anything, what kind of hero am I if I can't even be there for someone I know is a potential target?!" He almost yelled in anger
"One who does not realise he can't be at two places at once." A deep voice answered. Both of them turned to see Batman walking out from the darkness.
"What do we do now? We have no way of knowing where they took her…" Gordon said sadly.
"Not necessarily, how were the men dressed?" Batman asked as Spider-man listened to the questioning.
"They were not dressed normally, they all wore reinforced gear from head to toe, I did not even see their faces."
"Probably some bought officers or disguised thugs, I assume they had weapons?"
"No, they were unarmed but they knew how to fight."
Batman seemed in thoughts for a moment before he nodded.
"Thanks for your help Jim, come with me Spider-man." He simply said before gliding away. Peter turned to Gordon one last time.
"I swear I will bring her back, even if it is the last thing I do."
"I have faith."
Peter swung away and caught up with Batman. His anger had dissipated, he realized why she said what she said, even if she did not know it would not affect his values. More than once he had to choose between his happiness and the safety of many. If she knew him, she wouldn't have said what she said…at least part of it.
We'll get her back…
A/N: This the 11th chapter everyone. i am announcing the updates will now slow down because of college, sorry.
Still, i'll do my best. Hope you enjoyed, thanks everyone.
