His head hurt, in fact his everything gave off a dull ache as he shifted bits of rubble off of himself. Trying to stand proved challenging, but not impossible. His newfound strength and power were far beyond anything he could've imagined. He blinked as his blurry vision slowly got better. The darkness and the faint lights of the city helped him gather his bearings. He grunted as his hands fought to push him upwards.
"Urg, how did this day end up like this?" He grunted as he looked up into the night sky. His stomach dropped, as set against the moon a large bat like shape descended towards him.
"Sure, this seems about right for today." He swallowed fearfully trying to figure where exactly things had gone wrong.
Liam Dupin was born in Gotham City just like his parents and his grandparents before him. The city was in his blood. But that also included all the darkness and misfortune that came with it. Being the runt of the neighborhood was one of the first signs that his life was not a very happy one. His father was a small time crook that did jobs for the mob families and whatever rising supervillain of the day there was. Which, normally wasn't an issue as Gotham seemed to give rise to a new villain or mob boss every few weeks.
Still, while life had never been great it had at least been tolerable for a short period of time. Then, his dad had left them. That Liam supposed, was where the downward slide he had been on for years had begun. His mother hadn't taken the abandonment of her husband well at all. On some level he understood that, but still he wished she'd found a better outlet for her emotions than him. A bottle and a Gotham temper were never a good combination. Liam had gotten just as many bruises on the street as he did at home, twice on Sundays. This in turn helped teach Liam something about reading people. He learned to generally tell what people were really like with only a short meeting or a look.
However, things took a turn for young Liam. In fact things took a turn and could accurately describe his life. Just when things started to become somewhat normal, something else would happen.
One day, a young Liam was walking down the street of his neighborhood when a certain man crossed his path. When he saw the older man surrounded by one of Gotham's many street gangs, he had briefly considered walking away. After all, it was Gotham, muggings weren't exactly a rarity. There was very little he could do to help, all he could do was watch it happen. Maybe he could call the cops on the mugging, for all the good that would do.
Just as the wannabe gangsters tried to attack the old man, he dodged them with ease. The old man stepped back before smacking one of the gang members across the face with his cane. He then ducked under the punch of another gang member, punching him in the stomach. As one of the gangsters pulled out a gun, the old man snatched it with his cane before cracking another man on the face with it.
Liam couldn't believe it. He'd seen moves like this done in the old kung fu movies he had. Only that the people doing the moves were much younger and it was all staged. This was real and he wanted to know how to do it. As he watched in stunned silence he saw one of the men getting back to his feet, he picked up the discarded gun and took aim at the old man's back. Thinking quickly, Liam grabbed a bottle from a nearby trash can, crept up behind him just as the man went to pull the trigger Liam smashed the bottle over the back of his head causing him to slump to the ground, the gun clattering to the ground.
The man turned to face him. Close up he looked slightly younger, though not by much. His hair was grey, hairline receding slightly. His skin was just a shade too pale. His bright blue eyes however, seemed to shine with both intelligence and vigor. When he spoke, Liam noted a slight English accent to his words.
"Thank you for the assistance young man, not that it was needed. I had the situation under control." He said walking a few steps forward to retrieve his dropped bag, Liam noticed a limp to his gate.
Liam didn't know why, but he picked up the bag and carried it for the old man.
"Let me help you," Liam said.
"You needn't do that," The man countered. "I've been carrying that old thing for years."
"Doesn't mean you can't accept help," Liam replied.
The old man sighed through his nose.
"Very well, this way," The man said, as he began walking with his cane. "My name is Button, Jack Button. What's yours?"
"Liam Dupin, it's nice to meet you." Liam said carefully noting the bag he was carrying was pretty heavy.
"Well, Liam Dupin, what brings a nice lad like you to be wandering through Gotham City's slums?" Jack asked as Liam noted that they were making their way into the edges of Gothams better districts.
"Well, I live there. Honestly I was on my way home when I saw you." He admitted.
"You know, most young men would have left me to whatever my fate might have entailed back there. After all, as things stood, you had nothing to gain." He pointed out.
"Yeah, I know and I won't lie I thought about it, but it seemed kind of wrong you know? I mean, I know now you had things under control, but still. Besides, surely you would rather I helped a little than not all right?" Liam asked.
Jack gave a small chuckle, and nodded, "I suppose, I would have."
"Besides, I know what it's like not having someone help you," Liam mumbled.
"Is that so?" He asked stopping in front of a large shop with a sign that read; Button's Emporium of Antiques and Mysteries
"Sort of a dramatic title isn't it?" Liam asked as the man unlocked the door and ushered him into the shop which held several shelves of everything from glittering gold rings, to seemingly average looking rocks. He even saw a few books that, if the covers were anything to go by, looked to be as old as the city itself.
"That's part of the game, my boy," Jack said.
"Right, I suppose so. Where do you want me to put this?" He asked, hefting the bag up slightly.
"Oh, just set it down over on that counter." Jack said gesturing towards a counter top filled with packages of many shapes and sizes.
""Can I interest you in some tea?" He offered.
"Thank you, I appreciate the offer, but tea's never really been my drink. Besides, I should get home before mom starts to worry about me." He said evasively.
"Yes, you shouldn't worry your mother, but young man before you go I wanted to say, if you ever want to do some good with that head on your shoulders, don't be afraid to come back and ask." Jack said before Liam walked out the shop.
Liam looked back at the shop just as he made his way back to his home. He wasn't much of a cynical person, but he knew that the words good and Gotham didn't match all that often.
Liam walked up to the apartment building and climbed up the stairs. He cracked his neck, loosening up his body as he stood in front of the apartment that he called his home. He reached for his keys, but then noticed that the door wasn't locked. He pushed the door open.
"Mom? You in here?" Liam asked, but no one responded.
The apartment was silent.
Liam looked around, wondering if his mother had passed out on the couch or cried herself to sleep. He hoped it was the latter one. But he found no dirty blond on the couch and no bottle near the bed. No dried up tears and no trace left behind.
Liam's mother was nowhere to be found. He felt a lump forming in his throat, as he double and triple checked. Each time knowing it was pointless, at last he collapsed onto the couch curled into a ball and began to cry. Things between them might not have been the best, but she had been all he had. Now, he was alone and he needed to fend for himself now more than ever.
Liam didn't know how long he sat crying that night, but he knew that he couldn't stay like that. In the streets of Gotham, you were either hunter or prey.
Through the years, Liam learned how to use his skills to read people to know what they wanted. He also learned how to get people to think and do what he wanted, stroking their ego just enough in the right ways. As he walked through the crowded streets of Gotham, Liam mastered the art of picking pockets.
He moved his hands into people's pockets and snatched the money he needed. However he chose to grow not just in street smarts, but also in book smarts. Liam often went to the library to read, devouring science books like a child would devour a plate full of cookies.
Liam looked through the library for the next book he wanted to read. He picked out "The Adventures of Arsene Lupin". He took the book back to one of the desks and started reading it.
"You never know who Arsene Lupin is. You may have seen him, but you never truly knew him," Liam read out loud, getting a shush from the librarian.
Liam kept his head down at school, getting good grades, but never outwardly showing off. Being a smug man in this end of Gotham often got you a beating and a lighter wallet. He knew how to fight, but often preferred not to throw the first punch unless it was the last one.
Liam looked at his 100 scored test before putting it away. He grabbed his backpack as the bell rang. He let out a sigh as he followed the other students out of the classroom. His strawberry blonde hair was longer now, almost annoyingly so as he pushed it out of his eyes. He wore a denim jacket with worn out jeans, a black shirt and a pair of red shoes.
"Liam, I'd like to speak with you," The professor said, catching Liam before he left.
Liam walked towards his teacher with a roll of his eyes. He was in no mood for another nagging, he was already mentally trying to figure out how much he would need to grab to keep the apartment warm for another month and weighing it against eating as priority..
"Yes, Mr. Stanford," Liam greeted. "What did I do this time?"
"No, Liam, you're not in trouble. I wanted to talk to you about your future," Mr. Stanford said, confusing Liam. "You have a lot of potential, you could do much better if you applied to a better school. There's a scholarship opportunity for a spot in Gotham Academy, maybe you'd be interested in applying."
"Yeah, I'm not sure that's my place, Mr. Stanford," Liam said. "Besides, I think I'm doing alright with what I've got."
"Liam, we know of your situation at home," Mr. Stanford said, making Liam realise where this talk was going. "Living alone is hard enough in any regular city. And you're still a minor, you should get help and this scholarship would be the thing. You shouldn't have to worry about what you're going to need to do to make ends meet."
"Look, Mr. Stanford, thank you for taking an interest in my life and I appreciate you all haven't taken this to the authorities yet, but I can handle myself just fine," Liam said. "Nothing has ever been handed to me, that's how I know that everything I have is earned."
"I'm not giving you anything, Liam. I'm just suggesting you a better path than the one many like you have taken," Mr. Stanford said, pulling out an application for the scholarship and a brochure of Gotham Academy. "Just promise me that you'll think about it."
"I...fine I will think about it." Liam sighed he didn't intend to at least not too much.
Liam grabbed the two papers before walking out of the classroom. He left his high school behind as he made his way to where his apartment was. He was tired, he was hungry, but he had work to do and an important meeting he needed to get to. Darting into a nearby alleyway he slipped and slid until he made it to the very edge of the upper rent district. He found himself in a seemingly abandoned four story building.
Making sure that no one was watching that he could see, he jumped in through a window. Liam landed on the ground, almost stumbling down from the jump.
"Why couldn't they just leave the door open?" Liam muttered to himself.
"Can't make it too easy for people to get in kid." A males voice said from the shadows as he stepped to the back of the room. He was greeted by a small group of people. All of whom were older than he was.
"I don't know about this man, he's just a kid." One man said looking at Liam with a skeptical eye.
"Yeah, but the boss wanted to meet him," Another man replied. "They say that he has skills that could help us out."
"Still, I don't think he has the stomach for it."
Liam eyed the people with caution. He could tell that they were a bunch of bad eggs and more than one of them had the desire to hurt people. Something that was not uncommon in Gotham. But they lacked some had seen his skills at pickpocketing first hand and said that they had a job that could use his skills and it paid a lot of money. It was hard to say no.
"Come on boys, give it a rest," A feminine voice called out. "He could be one of our members if he agrees."
Liam followed the voice of the woman. The woman was clearly the leader of the gang. Her voice was full of authority while also holding an amount of playfulness. She enjoyed having power and Liam could tell. He looked up only to be nearly blinded by the light. The woman was a silhouette in black, keeping her appearance secret from him.
"So, tell us something about you kid," She said. "Wow us."
"Well, I can pick pockets with ease like you've seen. And I need the money," Liam said, getting to the point. "So, what do you want me to do?" He asked, holding up his hand to block the light from his eyes.
"Ah, keep it simple and asking what we want instead of what you can do for us," She said. "Interesting. You really know how to play this game," She added, stepping out of the light that was hiding her identity.
The girl appeared to be of Hispanic descent with long straight black hair that went past her shoulders to her lower back and tanned skin. She was younger than the guys, around his age if Liam could guess. She wore a long green plaid shirt over a white shirt with a black skull on its front. As well as torn black pants and sneakers. She carried herself like a cat, with a playful look in her bright green eyes and a sinister plot behind them. She looked like a slender little thing that would break if someone hit her too hard. But Liam knew that looks weren't everything.
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Esmerelda and this is my gang," Esmerelda said, circling around Liam, putting him on edge. "We would like to offer you a spot on our crew, given that you pass a test."
"What kind of test are you talking about?" He asked doing his best to remain still. This girl made him feel like he was being x-rayed. Like there was nothing about him she didn't either already know, or couldn't find with ease. The thought sent a tremor of both fear, and interest down his spine as she finished her circle stopping in front of him so they stood barely a foot apart. As they locked eyes, he felt annoyed as a slight flush filled his cheeks.
"Relax, it's nothing too hard or too serious. Not yet anyways, you have to earn your way up the ladder after all. So before I explain I am giving you a chance to back out." She said tapping his nose like it was a particularly interesting toy.
"How can I back out if you haven't told me what I have to do?" Liam asked, trying to regain his tougher look.
"Fair enough," Esmerelda replied, twirling away from Liam. "We want you to go to a place and steal something."
"That doesn't tell me much, for all I know you could be asking me to steal from the Gotham bank," Liam said, hoping to get more information from the leader of the gang.
"Nothing so bold, but if I were to ask that I would love to watch you try. It's not like you're a novice with computers is it?" She asked shooting him a playful smirk as his own eyes widened before he tried to school his face into a cold mask.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Sure, you don't, you don't need to be so modest. You move through computer systems with a talent I haven't seen out of anyone not dressed like a flying rodent. You're almost as good as me."
"Thanks for the flattery, but when someone is praised so much then that means someone wants something special," He explained, looking for a way out of the building. "You still haven't told me what you want me to steal, and how much you'll be paying," Liam said, hoping to make time.
"Still to the point. Fine, there's an emporium filled with unique objects about a block east of here. In the very back of the shop, you'll find a wired display case. It's where the owner keeps his most valuable pieces. Your task is simple, get in, grab something without getting caught and bring it back to me."
"That doesn't sound particularly easy. Especially if the security is Wayne Tech, they aren't known for being simple to get into."
"When did I ever say it was simple Liam Dupin? If I had any doubt you couldn't do it I wouldn't set the task. Consider the added layer of difficulty a punishment for not divulging all of your skills and forcing me to look into you myself." She shrugged lazily leaning against a wall.
Talented, beautiful, and extremely dangerous. That combination anywhere was trouble, but in Gotham it also meant good odds of fast tracking your way to the top. Even as he thought all this he had a feeling she was expecting him to succeed with flying colors.
Liam needed to be very careful with what he would say next.
"So… are you interested?"
"What happens if I don't make it? You won't hunt me down, will you?"
"Nah, you're not our type." She shrugged off. "If you mess it up then you don't get in. Simple as that."
Liam let out a slow breath, before nodding carefully, "Fine I'll do it, show me the place." He said he knew that realistically he had no real choice if he tried and failed then he could deal with it. However, judging by some of the people around him, he was pretty sure that if he refused to even try a few of the men around him might not take it well even if Esmerelda herself did.
The last thing he needed was to be looking over his shoulder anymore than he already did. Apart from that, Esmerelda knew more than he had thought this gang's leader would about him, and he really wanted to know how she got her information. He wanted to know a lot more about her, because no one had put him off balance that well, without giving a single thing away about themselves.
During the walk Liam did all he could to get a hold of more information about the mysterious gang leader. He noticed a slight glow coming from her neck, which was almost obscured by her black hair. He figured that she had a necklace of some kind, maybe a prize from one of their raids. He looked at her as carefully as he could from where he walked. Liam figured that even though she carried herself with great charisma and power, she was hungry for more. She hadn't been raised on the streets like he had. He was sure that she had come to Gotham out of necessity not need. He thought of asking, but a chill behind his back told him that she was also keeping her eyes on him. For now, Liam would hold back and learn from a distance.
Liam followed Esmeralda and her two underlings until they came across a street intersection.
Esmeralda stopped on her tracks before looking at Liam.
"Why did we stop?" Liam asked.
"We're here." Esmeralda replied. "That's the place you need to break in."
Liam looked around, causing his eyes to widen slightly. He recognized the street where they stood. His eyes followed Esmeralda's gaze and spotted the place she wanted him to break into.
Before Liam stood Button's Emporium of Antiques and Mysteries. The store that was owned by the old man he helped when he was much younger.
"You want me to break in there and steal something?" Liam asked.
"Did I stutter?" Esmeralda asked. "We'll see you tomorrow if you got anything good. Oh, Liam. Remember, if you try and fail you won't get in. ...But if you don't even try, my boys will pay you a little visit."
Liam could tell that she was serious. He saw the glint in her bright green eyes that she wasn't joking. He had to take something from that store or her goons would be visiting him with a pair of baseball bats.
"Alright. I'll find something for you." Liam sighed.
"That's what I like to hear. Take care, see you tomorrow." Esmeralda said, leaving Liam with his own thoughts.
Liam narrowed his eyes at them as they left. He then turned to Button's emporium.
Night fell on Gotham City like it always did.
The air was as silent as a mouse with only a few crimes happening all over the city, but that was of no importance to one person. Liam moved towards the closed down emporium under the cover of darkness. He ducked under the trashcans to avoid any onlookers. He made his way to the back door where he knew that there was a hidden spare key. He traced his gloved hand on the frame of the door until he found the false spot. Liam took the key and opened the door.
There was no alarm.
Liam found it odd as some of the things in the store were quite valuable. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his head as he made his way to where the valuables were stashed.
He walked carefully as he could, slipping between shelves and cabinets, trying not to bump into them. After getting behind the counter, he at last came to a stop in front of the large black cabinet with clear doors allowing him to see the objects within. He could see rings, jewels, and objects that he couldn't quite tell what they were. What he could also see was the large locks, and a pin pad on the front as well.
'Yeah, definitely Wayne Tech, or Powers Corp.' He mentally sighed, setting down his backpack.
The trouble with fancier digital locks that Wayne Tech had started handing out to the public. The other problem was the silent alarms that Powers had along with the private security. If he did this even slightly wrong, then he had about a minute maybe two, to bail.
"Okay, start with the pin pad the bigger locks are easy enough to pick." He muttered to himself pulling out a small device from his bag and carefully looking over the pin pad. Finding a small screw he carefully undid it opening up the inside. Letting out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding he pulled a few wires out and plugged them into the device that had a small burner phone attached to it.
"Good, now I should be able to get through the programming and, there's the code, and there goes the silent alarm." He muttered triumphantly, cutting it off before it could dial out though noting it had been trying to reach out, to three separate numbers the police, the private security and an unknown.
'Odd.' He thought before pulling a lock picking kit also given to him by Esmerelda and setting to work carefully picking each of the five locks on the cabinet. It was slow going, but after just over a half hour he unlocked the last one and set it gently on the floor as he opened the doors wide.
'Now, what would be the most impressive for her?' He thought glancing closer at the objects within while keeping his ears peeled for signs that something had gone wrong, though hearing none. He carefully picked out two books that looked as old as Gotham itself, and a ring with a large purple stone in it's center. He was just about to close the cabinet when he paused his eyes to see something. Behind the purple stone was a red spider figure with a demonic-looking face that would send chills down the Joker's spine. It looked creepy and yet strange enough that would fit all the boxes that Esmeralda wanted. Liam didn't know why but he felt drawn to it. His hand reached out and grabbed hold of the spider figure. He didn't even care for the other pieces that he had looked at first. Liam pulled out his hand out of the case, but then he felt it.
"AAAAHHHH!" Liam recoiled in pain.
He felt a pair of fangs digging into his hand. He opened his palm and watched as the statue began to fuse with his hand. His hand was burning from the pain as though he had plunged it into a fiery pit. Liam held his hand, gritting his teeth, as the burning sensation extended to the rest of his body. He fell back on his back as a burning sensation like vomit went up his throat. Liam didn't know how long he convulsed in pain. But just as quickly as it began it ended.
Liam panted in pain rolling onto his front, dry heaving a few times. He suddenly felt very thirsty and tired. He knew he couldn't stay here though, glancing at the small clock on the wall, he noted he had apparently been laying on the floor for an hour. He gingerly stowed away the objects he had taken for Esmerelda as well as his tools in his bag, panting as he zipped up the bag he noticed that a red spider now stretched from his palm to his wrist.
'Gonna have to look into that later.' He thought tiredly not bothering to replace the locks or close the pin pad, there was no way the missing items wouldn't be noticed he stumbled far less gracefully than he had entered out of the shop locking the backdoor and casually tossing the key at his feet as he headed to where Esmerelda had told him to meet her should he succeed.
Liam's head spun. Whatever had happened to him was not agreeing with his head. He just walked down the street, holding his head out of fear that it would fall off. He just wanted to get the two books to Esmeralda and hopefully never hear from her ever again. Liam arrived at the meeting spot of the group.
"Well, would you look at that. He made it." Esmeralda said, making an entrance. "And he's not empty handed."
Liam saw that she wasn't alone. She had Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb next to her. He just wanted to go straight to his apartment and sleep this damn thing off.
"So what did you bring?" Esmeralda asked.
Liam was about to give her the books and the ring he got from the store. But something in the back of his mind told him not to. He moved his hand and slowly presented the books and the ring to her. He didn't care about what would happen, all he wanted was to end this night before something else happened. Liam gave Esmeralda what he took.
"Now that's what I'm talking about." Esmeralda said, looking at the merchandise that Liam had gotten. "You've done very well, Liam. So, I guess this goes without saying but this is the last chance you've got. You wanna join our little gang?"
Liam couldn't believe it. Esmeralda was still toying with him. He wanted to give them a piece of his mind. He gritted his teeth. A part of him wondered if all this was worth all the trouble. Was it worth it to go through all this just to end up like his parents?
"I.." Liam began.
Just then the blaring sound of police sirens caught the attention of everyone in the meeting.
There was no time to think, instinct took over for the group. Everyone took off. The last thing that they wanted was to be caught by the police with stolen books and jewelry.
Liam ran as fast as his legs would take him. He didn't bother looking back. The sounds of the city became a blur to him and nothing was going to stop him from getting home. He didn't know how but he cut down the time that would've taken him to reach his home by at least half. His lungs were burning and his blood was boiling. Before Liam knew it he was already grabbing hold of his doorknob. He entered the apartment, nearly snapping the door off the hinges.
Liam shut the door without bothering to lock it. He rushed to the kitchen and swallowed a liter of water with ease. His head no longer beat like a drum. All his new strength fueled by the adrenaline was leaving him. He stumbled towards the couch as he watched the room spin. Liam collapsed on the couch as his vision went dark.
A/N: So ends chapter one. We know it's not a DC Peter Parker, but this felt a bit more unique and we are really excited for plans in this story. So hope you enjoyed and see you next chapter!