No One's P.O.V
Bruce kicked himself for not realizing the thugs he was beating up could make a break for it. One of them did just that and took the boy from his mother. He had stopped his attacks and told the man to let go of the boy. He didn't plan on the thug throwing the boy over the side of the roof.
Before he could even go over the edge himself, he saw blue sparks shoot past him. He was shocked to see some figure on a silver board with blue electricity crackling underneath it. The figure swooped down and pulled the boy in their arms.
Bruce turned his attention back to the thugs. He knew for now the boy was safe. He'd have to find out later who that person was with the silver board.
After he finished the thugs he turned around in time to see the figure offering their no…her hand. Bruce could tell from the suit that framed the person that wore it was a woman underneath it.
"Let me get you two down." A synthesized voice that was still clearly feminine. She hid her voice as well. Who the hell was this? He watched as she slowly hovered the board down to the ground.
What was that power? She seemed to be able to control electricity. Bruce had heard of meta-humans but this was the first time seeing one. He needed to find out if this meta-human was a threat to his city.
Bruce jumped down from the building and let his cape stiffen to catch the air as he glided down.
"Who are you?" He demanded as he landed on the ground. The figure turned around. It was a full body suit she was wearing. It consisted mainly of black and a deep purple with one yellow lightning bolt going across her chest. The white eyes stood out the most in the darkness of night.
"Wow. Hostile much? Relax Batman, I was in the area and heard a scream. I saw the kid get thrown off the roof and flew down to grab him. You're welcome by the way." Bruce's jaw muscles tighten and a low growl escapes him. She clearly knew him but he didn't know her.
"You're not a people person, are you?" She said as she crossed her arms. She kept ignoring the question. It was infuriating him at this point.
"I won't ask you again. Who are you?" He demanded yet again.
"Yeah, you see that's the whole point of a secret identity thing. I would think you of all people would know that. But if you absolutely want to call me by something then call me Voltess." Finally, he had a name. Voltess. Now to see if she meant any harm and that save wasn't just a fluke.
"What do you want, Voltess?" He questioned. The woman in front of him snorted.
"You have trust issues. I don't want anything. I'm just somebody that likes helping people. Some even call me a hero. Relax, I'll get off your turf now." With that, Voltess shot back off into the sky. Bruce kept his gaze on her as she disappeared into the distance. She didn't seem like a threat. She sounded genuine that she only wanted to help people. He'd have to keep an eye out for her on future patrols.
Bruce suddenly remembered he had left Melody on the rooftop. He silently cursed and headed back to the same rooftop. Once he grappled his way back onto the roof that was now empty. He huffed knowing she hadn't listened and took off. Who knows if he could find her again tonight.
Melody's P.O.V
I looked at the cracked mirror of the locker room in the abandoned warehouse. I had managed to actually shower last night after the encounter with Batman. I had also found a donation bin full of clothes that were to be sent to a donation center. I broke the lock and took a couple of the clothes. Hey, they were going to charity anyway. I managed to find a business appropriate outfit. Some black slacks and a pale blue long sleeve button up blouse.
I had also cleaned out the warehouse from any junk that was left over. For now, this was home. A lot of work would have to go into it, but first I have a job to get to.
I headed out of the warehouse and tapped on my bracelet. I would get there faster as Voltess. I took off on the board but made sure to stay high so as to not get noticed as easily.
I discreetly landed in an alleyway just a block away from Wayne Enterprises. I tapped my left wrist and the vibranium suit disappeared back into the bracelet. God I love this suit. Thank you Shuri.
I walked into the front entrance of Wayne Enterprises. I recognized Mr. Fox waiting at the front desk talking to a brand new secretary. Wow. They replaced Jenny fast.
Mr. Fox noticed my approach and smiled, "Miss Moser, good morning. You're looking sharp today." He referenced my new outfit.
"Good morning, Mr. Fox." I responded.
"Allow me to lead you to your office." I followed Mr. Fox to the elevator.
I got into the elevator and he pressed a button for the floor. As the elevator began to go up a silence fell between us. It was more comfortable with Mr. Fox than when it was with Wayne.
"Ah, before I forget. This is for you." Mr. Fox pulled out a smartphone from his hidden pocket in his suit.
"Every employee is entitled to a company cell phone." He gave me a wink as he handed me the phone. I smirked slightly at that. Sure they did.
"Thank you, Mr. Fox." I looked at the phone and saw it was the latest iPhone. These were expensive. A thousand dollar per phone type of expensive.
"You may personalize it as you wish. It is technically yours now, Miss Moser." The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I put my phone in my pocket and followed Mr. Fox out.
We walked past many cubicles and other offices. I frowned as we kept walking. Where exactly was my office? We came up to a white door with no window. Mr. Fox held a badge up to the scanner beside the door and I heard it click.
He pulled down the handle and pushed the door open. I walked into the room and stopped as I stared in awe.
"Welcome to your office, Miss Moser." Mr. Fox said as he let the door close behind him.
The room was huge and completely white. There was a work desk off to the corner with a computer but that's not what got my attention. Tech galore adorned the rest of the space. Everything from armor, weapons, to small pieces of technology.
"It's a bit of a mess. I haven't been down here since I became CEO." My head snapped over to him.
"This use to be your office?" He nodded and smiled seeing my shock and awe.
"Indeed it was. It's yours now. You can put it together how you would like. Today, don't worry about getting any major work done. Once you're settled in, I'll give you your first project. If you need anything you can report directly to me. I'll be back down around lunch time. You like Chinese?" He asked me.
I nodded and he smiled, "Great. I'm buying lunch for the whole building today." I could see what Mr. Fox was doing. It was different how he was approaching it then how Wayne did. Mr. Fox never singled me out.
"Here's your ID badge. Only yours, mine and Mr. Wayne's has access to this room. I'll let you get settled." He handed me my badge and left the room.
I clipped my badge to the belt loop of my slacks and walked further into the room. I noticed a center table in the middle of the room. It had tools adorned around it. I noticed it had a glass top with a black screen underneath it.
I grinned seeing it was a computer. It was old from what I could tell. The glass top would act like a touch screen. I looked at the door before tapping my bracelet and pulling it down to reveal my control panel for my board and suit. I hit a button and a hologram popped up. It was an image of my suit. I looked at the hologram then back to the computer.
"Time for an upgrade, old girl." I muttered. I retracted the vibranium and rolled up my sleeves. I had my own project to work on. Now to see what kind of tools I had at my disposal.
No One's P.O.V
Bruce walked into Mr. Fox's office. The said man was on the phone when he walked in. Bruce waited patiently until his phone call was over.
"Mr. Wayne," Mr. Fox set the phone down, "Something on your mind?" Mr. Fox could tell from the serious look on his face that he wanted to talk.
Bruce walked up and pulled a picture from his suit and handed it to Mr. Fox. He had managed to get a picture of Voltess from the night before from the camera in his suit.
"Who is this?" Mr. Fox said as he looked at the photo.
"She calls herself Voltess. I met her last night. She saved a young boy that got thrown off a roof." Mr. Fox brows raised in surprise.
"That's not all, Mr. Fox. She is somehow able to manifest electricity that's visible." Bruce informed him.
Mr. Fox removed his glasses, "A meta-human. I've heard of them but I've never seen one. Is she friendly?"
"So far but I don't trust her. Gotham has enough crazy criminals. A meta-human being added to the mix isn't helpful. I'll be keeping an eye on her whenever she shows herself." Mr. Fox nodded.
"Let's hope that this Voltess is on the good side of things." Mr. Fox stated.
"Mr. Fox. The food is here." His secretary's voice came through his desk intercom.
"Perfect timing. I'll go get Miss Moser." Mr. Fox said as he stood up.
"Wait." Mr. Fox stopped and turned to Bruce, "I can get her. After all, I should see her on her first day." He said with a smile.
"Very well." Mr. Fox said with a small smile on his face. He could see the interest he had for their latest new hire. Melody Moser had caught Bruce Wayne's eye. He only hoped that didn't send the young woman running for the hills.
Melody's P.O.V
I had music playing from the computer in the background as I worked. Computer parts laid around different counter tops. The glass top was leaning against a wall. I was elbows deep into the large computer as I cycled through different parts of the old thing. This thing was state of the art maybe about ten years ago. Everything still worked fine.
I hooked up some small wires, "Athena, try it now." I called out to my AI. I had downloaded her AI into the computer from my suit earlier. I would need her help getting this to work. Besides, I was going to transfer her to this computer.
I heard the computer boot up and I watched in anticipation. I bit my lip hoping the hologram tech would boot up finally. I had been working on this for hours now.
I heard the click of the door opening across from me. I looked at the time and noticed it was already lunch time. That must be Mr. Fox. As the door opened my attention quickly turned to the computer when the hologram popped up.
"Yes!" I cheered, not paying attention to the figure that walked in.
"I hope that cheering isn't for me." I heard an amused deep voice. I looked over to see Mr. Wayne was the one to enter the room.
My cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Don't flatter yourself, Mr. Wayne. It's for this." I said and pointed to the hologram.
Mr. Wayne seemed to have just noticed the hologram. His brows furrowed and walked closer to the table.
"Hologram tech?" He said in amazement and looked at me, "This is what you've been working on?" I grinned and nodded.
"This computer is old but I could work with the parts to modify it to what I needed. This is just the start. I finally got it to boot up but now I just need to work on the interactive portion of it."
Mr. Wayne raised his brows, "Interactive hologram technology. That is incredibly advanced. Is this a project Mr. Fox assigned you?" I shook my head.
"It's my own personal project. The tech here is good, just ten years outdated." I stated and walked around the center console.
Mr. Wayne's eyes flickered to me, "Can you upgrade everything?" He asked.
I nodded, "I was planning on it. By the time I'm done, Wayne Enterprises will have the latest state of the art advanced technology." I saw a genuine smile grace his face and for a second he was showing his true self.
"I like the sound of that, Miss Moser. You can continue your work after lunch." He stated.
"I'll pass for now. I'm a bit of a workaholic. Once I have my mind set on something I want to get it done. I'm not hungry anyway." I said. I walked over and manually shut down the computer. I couldn't call out to Athena with him in the room.
Mr. Wayne raised an eyebrow, "Surely you can't work on an empty stomach. I'll bring your food up here. I'll be joining you, maybe I can be of help." Doubt it.
I put on a polite smile, "That'd be fine. Thank you, Mr. Wayne."
"Bruce." I looked at him in confusion. "You can call me Bruce, Miss Moser."
"First name basis already? That's moving a bit fast don't you think?" He chuckled at my sarcastic tone.
"Not at all, Miss Moser." He responded with an amused smile on his face.
"If I can't call you by your surname then you can't call me by mine." I said as I picked up a tool and pointed it at him. I walked back over to the console.
"Melody then?" He asked.
I looked up at him, "Mel." I answered with a small smile.
"Well then, Mel. I'll go get our food." Bruce said with a smile and left the room. My smile remained on my face after he left. Maybe I misjudged him completely. This nice version of him seemed much more genuine then the front he was putting up yesterday.
I placed the last wire onto the circuit board. "Can you hand me the soldering iron?" I asked but I didn't look up from where my eyes were focused.
I heard footsteps come to the side of me. I held my left hand out and felt the weight of soldering iron placed in my hand. I took it and touched the wires I had just placed onto the circuit board. I put the handle of the soldering iron in my mouth and pushed myself out of the computer. I grabbed the soldering iron from my mouth and held it in my hand as I walked to the computer.
Bruce watched me as I turned on the computer. "Moment of truth." I muttered. I grinned seeing the hologram pop up faster than it had last time.
"Okay, it boots up but now we'll see if I can…" I trailed off. I placed my left hand facing the hologram and swiped to the left.
The hologram responded and pulled up the database of Wayne Enterprises.
I crossed my arms and beamed with pride, "I'm the best." I quoted what Tony would often say after figuring something out.
"This is incredible. What exactly can you pull up?" Bruce spoke up.
"It's connected to the entire database of the company. Anything you can pull up on a normal desktop computer you can pull up here." I tapped on several files and pulled up several security cameras around the building. I popped open the building schematics that showed every exit. I then used both hands and moved them in the opposite direction. The holograms responded and spread out into a circle around us at the center console.
"Go ahead, try and interact with it." I ushered Bruce. Bruce grew a look of seriousness on his face. He moved his hand to the hologram that showed the security camera that was pointed at the lobby.
"You can zoom in like you would with your phone." Bruce did just that and he seemed incredibly interested.
Bruce studied the holograms to the point I could see a wrinkle in his forehead. He looked at me with a calculating gaze. There was something about him that felt...off. This guy is clearly smarter than he lets on.
"How do you know all of this?" He asked with slight narrow eyes.
"I'm good at what I do, Bruce." I mainly needed to upgrade this technology to start figuring a way back home. It was clear to me already that Stark Tech was way more highly advanced than Wayne Tech.
Bruce nodded, seeming to take that for an answer at least for now. "If you don't mind. The rest of these parts are essentially scrap. I can take them off the company's hands. I can figure out something to do with them." I offered. I was hoping he'd say yes. This could be the start of making my computers back at the warehouse.
"I don't see why not. They're no use to this now." Bruce said and gestured to the center console.
Bruce looked at his watch on his wrist, "Have you found a place to stay yet, Mel?" I looked at the clock and saw it read eight o'clock. Had it really been that long already?
"Yeah, I have somewhere." I told him. I grabbed a cloth bag from a counter and began to put the spare computer parts in them.
"Great. Allow me to drive you there then." I froze and looked back at Bruce. I did not need him to know the future hideout for Voltess.
"Thanks but I'll be fine. I can easily walk." Bruce gave me a stern gaze.
"I know you're new to Gotham so you might not know. Walking alone at night is very dangerous. Every night people get robbed, kidnapped or killed. It's not safe. I'm not taking no for an answer, Mel." What's with this guy? We just met and he's acting extremely protective already.
Only problem is, where can I make him drop me off at that he'd believe I lived there? My thoughts went back to the apartment building that mother showed me when I saved her son last night. I can have him drop me off there. He'd be none the wiser.
I let out a sigh, "You're a stubborn one. Fine, but this better not turn into a habit." I warned him.
Bruce's amused smile was now back on his face, "We'll see about that." He gestured with his hand to go in front of him.
I walked ahead with the cloth bag in my right hand. I opened the door with my badge and Bruce held it open from behind me. I held back a gasp when I felt a sudden sparking sensation on my lower back. My heart rate picked up faster than usual. I thought my powers had just surfaced up without me wanting it to. I relaxed somewhat discovering it was just Bruce's hand placed on my lower back. Why the hell did that happen then? That's never happened before.
I walked ahead of Bruce slightly and he set down his arm by his side again. I discreetly glanced at him. Did he feel it too or was it just me? My body tends to be more sensitive with all the electricity running through it. I could feel a blush creep on my cheeks thinking of the feeling of his hand on my back. I could still feel the warmth that his hand had left there. I could feel my chest tighten thinking about it. What was this man doing to me?
"This is it." I said as Bruce brought his Lamborghini to a stop in front of the apartment building.
He frowned as he stared at the apartment building, "I thought you said you didn't have any money. How are you renting an apartment?" Why did he have to get technical?
"Oh I'm not. The guy I'm staying with is in exchange for something else." I joked. I noticed Bruce's jaw tighten, his grip on the steering wheel tighten, and his stare hardened.
"It's a joke, Bruce. I'm joking. A nice older lady saw me yesterday and was nice enough to offer a place to stay until I found one of my own." I lied. Instant relief washed over Bruce. Why did he react the way he did?
"I like that version better. I'm glad someone is helping you." Bruce said with a relieved and grateful smile. That one was real.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." I said and opened the car door. Bruce then got a smirk on his face.
"Absolutely. I'll meet you here to pick you up in the morning." I stopped midway out of getting out of the car.
I slowly turned my head to show him my unamused expression, "Do you not recall our previous conversation of not making this a habit?" I reminded him.
His smirk grew, "I do and I recall telling you that we'll see about that." I narrowed my eyes at him. This was going to be a pain in my ass. That means I'd have to leave extra early every morning to make it look like I live here. I needed to find transportation of my own sooner than I thought.
"You're insufferable." I commented with a monotone voice. He chuckled with his smirk now replaced with an amused smile.
"I'll pick you up at 7:30 then." I closed the passenger door and waved at him. I was thinking he was going to drive off but he didn't. I glared at him when I realized he wasn't going to leave until he saw me enter the building.
He noticed and even through the tinted windows I could see that smirk on his face.
"Yeah. You're definitely insufferable." I muttered and turned around. I walked down the small sidewalk and pushed open the front door of the apartment complex.
I turned a corner and waited until I heard the sound of the car engine speeding off. I let out a sigh. Bruce Wayne was already proving to be a pain in my side.
I walked back out the door and quickly hit my bracelet. I threw my board down and quickly hopped on and shot off into the sky. I might as well drop off the computer parts at the warehouse then make some rounds. That meant that Voltess would be meeting up with Batman again.
No One's P.O.V
Bruce Wayne dressed as Batman was perched on a rooftop as he looked at the city of Gotham. He was physically there but his mind kept drifting off to the events of the day. Melody was incredible to say the least. He knew interactive hologram technology was out there but not many people in the world understood it let alone how to build it. She had no problem. In the span of twelve hours she was able to get it working.
He had to admit to himself that he wouldn't mind having that technology in the Batcave. It would help Alfred immensely when it came to being on comms with him. At least for now he had it at Wayne Enterprises if he really needed to use it.
He thought back to Melody and a small smile grew on his face thinking of her. She was completely different from any woman he had ever met. Including Rachel. His heart ached remembering his old flame. He had promised himself to never let himself love like that again. It was too painful and would bring whoever it was in direct danger.
At least, he tells himself that. He thought back to the moment where he had placed his hand on Melody's lower back. He had felt something that he couldn't describe. He knew for sure it had made his heart pound in his chest. He was silently thankful when she sped up to make him drop his arm. He kicked himself for making her feel uncomfortable by his touch. He didn't plan on it, it had just happened.
"There you are." He was snapped out of his thoughts hearing that familiar female synthesized voice come from behind him.
Melody's P.O.V
I flew above the city as I looked around with my night vision activated. I had been around for a couple hours now and no sign of Batman anywhere. Does he take nights off occasionally? The man is only human after all.
I had already stopped two muggings in that span and he never showed up. That's when my eyes caught a dark figure sitting on the edge of a roof. There he is.
I titled my board down to descend down to him. I frowned behind my mask when he didn't make a move. Was he okay?
"There you are." He quickly spun around and I saw metal get thrown at me.
I quickly shot a stream of electricity to grab the metal object and stop its trajectory. It was a metal shuriken looking object in the shape of a bat.
"Whoa, whoa! It's me! No need to throw things." I said and put my hands up. My electricity canceled and the weapon fell onto the rooftop with a clang.
"Don't sneak up on me then." He warned. I grinned under my mask.
"Oh I get it. I scared you, didn't I?" I could see the piercing glare from under his cowl.
I let out a laugh, "Oh I so did." Batman's jaw muscles tighten.
"What do you want, Voltess?" He demanded.
My laugh died down, "I was looking for you, obviously." I said as I took a seat on my board. I propped one knee up and let my other leg dangle off the board. I rested my right arm on my knee.
"Why?" He asked with suspicion in his voice.
I held up two fingers, "Because I've stopped two muggings in the past couple of hours and you were a no show. I thought you had taken a night off." I said honestly.
I heard Batman make a tsk sound. I don't think he realized just how distracted he was.
I tilted my head, "You okay? You seemed distracted. You didn't even know I was behind you until I said something." I asked with concern, lacing my voice.
"I'm fine." He responded gruffly.
"You don't seem fine." I said not buying it.
He glared at me again, "I said I'm fine." He growled out.
I let out a sigh, "Fine, don't say anything. Look, we all have our days. This line of work pays a toll on us. I can't speak for you but I know I've seen some things I'll never be able to unsee. Or memories that you can't shake, especially the bad ones. Not to mention the nightmares. Being a hero isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Just pace yourself a little bit." I advised. I stood fully back on my board and turned to go.
"Wait." I stopped and turned to face Batman. His expression was softer now than I had ever seen it before. I don't think he's ever met somebody like him before. Another hero that is.
"You have nightmares?" He asked. That was his question? After all that.
I nodded, "Almost every time I close my eyes. Some are different but there's one that's always on repeat for me." Batman didn't say anything. He wanted me to continue. I let out a sigh and hovered down to the roof.
"It was years ago. I ran into two other meta-humans like me. One could use magic and the other was a speedster. They were twins. They got their powers by being experimented on. Anyway, they were helping me save a city. It was practically a warzone. Bullets flying everywhere. We were focusing on evacuating civilians while simultaneously fighting off the enemy. I noticed this kid standing in the road crying. The enemy had an assault rifle pointed at the kid, but I noticed it too late. I didn't have enough time to get to the kid and get him to safety. I could make it to him but all I could do was use my own body as a shield from the hail of bullets heading our way. I waited for the pain but it never happened. When I had finally opened my eyes, I saw what really happened. The speedster meta-human pushed me and the kid out of the way and took the bullets himself." My jaw clenched as the memory came flooding back. Seeing Pietro's body riddled with bullet holes as he laid on the ground bleeding out. I had to leave certain details out since Batman wouldn't know who Ultron was.
I looked Batman in the eyes, "He died because of me. I wasn't fast enough at saving somebody and it resulted in his death. I swore to myself that I would never let that happen again to anyone else. I'll be there in time to save them."
A tense silence fell between us before he spoke up, "I..had a similar experience. I couldn't save a woman in time and it resulted in her death." He looked down at the roof. Even with the voice synthesizer on, I could hear the pain and hurt in his voice.
"You loved her…didn't you?" I said just above a whisper. I got no response back from Batman. His silence spoke a thousand words. "I'm sorry." I added.
Batman looked back up to me, "I'm sorry about your friend." I smiled a bit under my mask. It looks like we have a bit of an understanding of each other now.
"Well huh, I'm gonna get going now. I want to get some form of sleep tonight." I said as I made my board hover higher.
"See you tomorrow then?" Batman asked with a small smirk on his face.
"Count on it." I responded and shot off into the night sky. Now this is becoming a habit that I don't mind.
Melody is bringing some Stark Tech to Wayne Enterprises and Voltess and Batman have a heart to heart. Voltess realizes that Batman has never been around another hero before.