Gotham Knights Chapter 9
Petro Roman / Spider-man
I love Gabriel Blanco
Okay, maybe not as much as Tony Stark, but he is definitely up high in the rankings.
After finally getting a more in depth explanation on magecraft, I had been ready to be initiated into the mysteries of how to go about using it.
After a lot of time and effort, then meditation followed by pain was nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Tasha, Stephen and I could not even do the most simplistic of magecraft. Jade when pushed could however do Projection, but only that weird sword Blanco had conjured up for her in that mind/soul space. Something she did not even want to experiment with in any way or form, and with how pale she got when I suggested at even doing it partially I don't think she will be doing it anytime soon.
I had not been happy.
A feeling miles away from the me now, as I am swinging through Gotham in bliss. A pick pocket webbed here, a mugger left hanging out side a police station and a boyfriend that didn't understand NO while with his girlfriend in the park, all tied up has me feeling pretty good about doing my civic duty.
"No sighting of Batman tonight" I hear over my comms from Blanco, playing look out on Gotham's highest building. It seems that if you have someone that can see a flea from over 5 km away you can easily avoid the dark crusader, low tech style. Leaving them to fight crime in their corner of the city and us in the other.
"I don't like it" I hear from my sister, the suspicion thick in her voice, "especially with Caster's run in with Mr. Freeze last week."
I flinch at the unspoken reminder of my over eagerness to take on one of Gotham's enhanced villains, even with Blanco giving me the warning of the crime fighting duo en route to deal with him. I had just barely avoided encountering them after stringing up the ice villain.
"I concur with Assassin's analysis, the likelihood on Batman suspecting your actual age is high. He will no doubt force an encounter to confirm his suspicions." We hear from our team's AI.
While my hopes had been dashed on using this magecraft myself like Blanco, the "interrogations" of him had left me with an idea of what he was capable.
Leaving me with one thought.
Blanco was my own personal "cheat code".
If he can manage to catch a glimpse in my memories on one of the spider suits I had studied, build or/and worn he would be able to create it for me. I was fully prepared to hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" with him as long as it took for him to create a Spider-man suit in this Reality Marble.
I had spend as much time together with him as possible in the evenings, with me leaving myself totally open connected via my soul, and its past memories, to his mind/soul scape. I know I puzzled him in my drive to obtain a spider suit, but if we could do this it would save me years of re-creating what I used in my previous life.
Judging the concept of creation
Hypothesizing the basic structure
Duplicating the composition material
Imitating the skill of its making
Sympathizing with the experience of its growth
Reproducing the accumulated years
Excelling every manufacturing process
Then we had it, an inferior copy Blanco insisted, but I would take it.
He materialized it for me and for 10 seconds it exist once more due to an impossible cheat: The Iron spider suit.
Then Blanco was on the floor unconscious and feverish.
The next hour was not something I want to remember as I had to explain to everyone what we were doing.
Seems Blanco in his eagerness to fulfill my wish neglected to mention that manifesting it would strain his body and energy beyond his capability, Tasha had some unpleasant words for me, Drake had worse ones with the white-haired boy after he regained consciousness.
It didn't faze us in the least, it seems we had become a bit of kindred spirits in the pursuit to create the armor.
Next time I was ready, for while the armor was my ultimate goal, it contained something far more valuable and useful to us.
A synthetic intelligence, a girl called FRIDAY.
When Blanco materialized it one more time I managed to copy its AI to our newly ordered top-of-the-line computer system in 7 seconds.
Its how we got our newest member, not FRIDAY unfortunately with all its Stark tech knowledge, but a basic evolving AI that could grow to match her one day.
I couldn't resist the temptation.
I named him MERLIN
Z--Z
Tasha Roman / Black Widow
"No electronic surveillance detected by you Merlin?" Tasha enquires from their AI as she swings through the alleys, staying close to the shadows, a lifetime's habit hard to break. This cat and mouse game with the Batman not helping.
"None" Merlin responds.
"Everyone on alert." Tasha says with calm certainty.
Tonight there is going to be a confrontation with the dark knight of Gotham.
She could feel it.
She spots a cat burglar, her HUD indicating estimated height and weight, as well as possible threat level. A quick shot with her spider bite on stun and a webbing leaves him to be taken care of by Gotham's Finest.
While pissed off that Blanco and Petro hadn't stopped their dangerous experiments in magecraft even after being warned, it had yielded great benefits with Merlin being one.
The other being their armor, obtained by throwing together the brains of Petro, the reality defying abilities of Blanco, and an evolving AI's processing power.
Blanco had shared some knowledge gained by a former teacher on using Od and Prana in jewels which Petro and Merlin had taken and somehow adapted into creating Tony Stark-like armor.
While looking like bracelets with a jewels in the middle, once linked up to our Crests, they materialize an armored suit when flooded with Od.
Initially only a bland armored suit, the tanned latino boy was surprised once more at how the Crest we have influence what it manages to link with again.
My own armor suit similar to Petro's now with a black and red colour scheme, no spider symbol but rather the Black Widow hourglass. Stephen's own armor turned a familiar red, white and blue with a prominent white star clearly visible, coupled with the attached helmet he politely asked not to be called Iron Patriot.
Petro insisted on calling it magetech, Merlin and Blanco didn't care, so magetech it is.
He emphasizes its not nearly on par with the original Spider-man suit Tony made for him as a teenager, but it will have to do until they get enough time and resources to really start developing it. The buying of so many jewels having put a mayor dent in the financial allowance of the Dumas and Crowne scions, stopping any further experimental research on improving them.
Inferior copy or not, the armor was still impressive nonetheless making catching criminals even easier.
Preparing to get back to their improvised HQ at the Crown Residence on the Academy grounds, her comm flares up with Blanco's message.
"Confirmation on surveillance and possible contact soon, initiate Mysterio protocol Merlin."
"Drones deployed, Archer" the AI confirms.
"Is it Batman ?" Petro's asks over the comms, as he starts web slinging in an evading pattern.
"No, and he knows I spotted him" the red cloaked, and black armored bowman replies.
"Batman is no doubt around, waiting for his friend to herd us to him." Tasha comments as she starts their agreed upon strategy, "Well who is it ?"
"Superman" he replies, followed by total silence for a few moments by everyone on comms.
"Who the hell brings a nuclear warhead to a fist fight ?" is Petro's aggrieved question to the universe .
Z--Z
Gabriel Blanco / Archer
He had been feeling it for a time now, the sense of being watched.
As the spider twins were patrolling he had been playing his usual role of lookout, also getting an idea of how these small heroics added up. Bringing value to people's lives, the thing he missed in his past life's quest to save lives at the cost of purpose and livelihood. How many people had he left behind, broken and alone, saving their lives and not much else in his Hero of Justice goal.
Looking around he is not spotting the watcher, making him glad guiltily that only the twins were patrolling tonight. Saber, Berserker and Avenger back at base at the Academy, helping support Berserker in her latest flash of rage. Saber the only one able to match her strength and the Avenger surprisingly good at helping her calm down emotionally.
We had hoped to be older when finally meeting anyone from the Justice League. To be no more than a brief glimpse or shadow as we go around making the city safer. It seems we were unsuccessful as the Batman is forcing this meeting. Tasha had warned us now the moment has arrived.
It suddenly springs to mind what an old mercenary had told me in a warzone so long ago, everyone is so focused on looking for danger around them, so very few look up to spot danger.
My glance up confirms it, with my own reinforced eyesight and the helmet visor's magnifying augmentation feature, a figure high up in the sky.
No bird.
No plane.
Superman.
Guess its time to meet the neighbors, as I start the plan as laid out by the twins in case of contact.
Z -- Z
Clark Kent / Ka-el/ Superman
Why am I here ?
Are the thoughts foremost in my mind as I hover over Gotham City.
Sure its not often that Batman asks for my help, which can account for throwing me off enough into agreeing to help him track down this City's latest young heroes.
Young heroes, and they are young their height and size revealing that fact.
It was that and the guilt about my treatment of Superboy, that Batman used to get me to catch and discourage these youngsters on their extracurricular activities. As if that worked with the Justice League's own young sidekicks who insisted on forming a team of their own even with the disapproval of their mentors.
At the moment I am impressed by the coordination of the three, they are quick and efficient, with no great amount of showboating. Other than the smart aleck remarks from the Spider-boy while he does his crime fighting. Then all of a sudden the Spider-boy and girl are moving erratically, and their lookout is looking directly at me, while a bow appears in his hands.
"Batman their lookout has seen me, seems they are going to ground." I report to him, descending down to the building. By that time their archer has his bow fully drawn, an arrow notched pointing to me.
He releases it and while no doubt quick, scarily accurately aimed to the eyes to some ,to me ridiculously easy to catch in my hand before it hits my face, then it explodes and I am blind.
I have experienced flash bombs before, but nothing like this I actually feel my eyes tear up.
"Superman!" I hear from an agitated Batman over our comms "What was that ! For a second it seemed the sun flared up !"
Still rubbing my eyes to clear I squint at the spot the archer was at, now no longer in sight "Their archer fired somekind of flash grenade." Blinded me "
A quick look and I don't see him anywhere, my eyes still blurry. Another blurry look across town shows me I am also down one Spider-boy.
Whatever they used to disappear on me didn't seem to work for the spider-girl as she is heading for cover, unfortunately for her its near where Batman was using the exact same cover to avoid being seen by them.
"Lost the archer and spiderboy, but spidergirl is heading in your direction" I tell Batman., still rubbing my eyes light spots still lingering in my vision.
Then I start flying to intercept her along with him, before she manages to disappear too. I mentally berate myself over my casualness in this whole affair. You would think after the Cadmus fiasco I would learn not to underestimate these young heroes.
Batman was going to have a lot to say, once this is all over.
Z--Z
Bruce Wayne / Batman
I catch up to her on the Shopping Mall's rooftop, probably intending to slip in with the rest of the late night crowd when they go home, just another street kid kicked out staying too long in it.
"Stop !" I growl at her finally setting my eyes on one of these heroes.
Surprisingly she does looking at me then into the distance both of us seeing Superman come closer at the same time.
My eyes narrow cause as her body language is odd, no tension at all at our meeting just an air of irritation at being caught. I had expected more of a reaction especially after this long game of tag.
As Superman settles onto the rooftop next to us he is still rubbing his eyes. Its seems that flash did more damage than I estimated, which has me raising the threat level on this group. If they can effect him even minimally that much its something to be concerned about.
"Now that we finally meet how about you introduce yourself?" I ask her with a soft reasonable tone adapting a more relaxed stance. Well appearing to anyway.
It does not seem to work as she is still guarded, "Black Widow" she replies in smooth confident voice, a much older voice certainly not her own.
"What have I done to gain the attention of Gotham and Metropolis supreme sons ." She asks us with a mocking tone, her posture turning slightly sultry with her hand on her hip. The voice and the body language are conflicting with what I hear and see. I see a young girl child, I hear a mature woman which is no doubt the intent.
"Not exactly a name that inspire trust or good will?" the man of steel responds.
A shrug follows from her at his words, "one of my team have commented on our name selection choices, it works for me."
"Speaking about your team, they seem to have disappeared on you, why don't we join them?" I ask her.
"Its fine, I'll catch up to them" and I can hear the smirk.
"You still haven't answered my question." She points out, looking to me and Superman.
"We were worried when we heard about a team of young heroes out on their own." Clark says with his concern clearly shown in his face. This Black Widow again surprises me, with her response.
"Thank you, but as you can see we are merely sticking to petty crimes at the moment and I have no intention to actively seek out Gotham's more colorful crime elements." Her head turns to me.
"We leave those to Batman and his boy wonder", her posture full of confidence.
"And Freeze ?" I ask challengingly to her statement.
"That team member was reprimanded," she answers back primly "but you can't expect them to stand back if its happening right infront of them."
"Who are your mentors leaving you to run around unsupervised?" Superman ask exasperatedly.
"We don't have mentors" is her comment to this and she can no doubt feel the disbelief from us. They are too disciplined and well-trained even with their extraordinary abilities to not have backing and guidance of some kind.
"So a couple of kids with extraordinary powers just somehow got together and decide to become heroes," I asked sarcastically, my tone leaving her unfazed.
"Yes, you could call it fate," she replies, with an amused tone.
My patience has however run out, as even our sidekicks for the most part understood that they needed the Justice League's help. These kids were playing with fire and not even realizing it, using their superhuman powers like shining new toys. The technology such as the armor suit also making me suspect someone is supplying them. No doubt having noticed them and now using them to test it out in crime fighting, or who knows what else later.
"I call it irresponsible and reckless," my tone clearly saying I am done being polite, "You and your team are stopping right now." Superman's acknowledging head nod, an indication he is with me no doubt as fed up as me with headstrong children.
I hear her sigh as she crosses her arms. "Well I had hoped that this would go better." The lack of righteous indignation ie. tantrum on our ultimatum not what I was expecting.
"What?" Superman suddenly says next to me, and I glance to him. He is showing a face I am far too familiar with this entire night…surprise.
She wags her finger at him like a stern mother with a gentle scolding, "No peeking behind the mask, I thought every hero knows this rule." Then she disappears and in her place is a drone just hovering silently, then visibly melting and dropping onto the roof now just a puddle of goo.
"Sorry I think my x-ray vision triggered the meltdown." Superman says looking around no doubt seeing if any more surprises are in store for us this evening. I bend down to examine the puddle, a part of my mind telling me it looks familiar, its not often a puddle of sludge sticks in my mind then I have it.
"It doesn't matter, she was never here, but I may have an idea of where to begin looking for her, for all of them." As I stand up looking in its direction.
"Care to share?" Krypton's last son finally asks as I make my way back to the batcave to do some detective work.
"Gotham City Academy"
Z--Z
Stephen Dumas / Avenger
They had shut Tasha and us down not unexpectedly, for all they knew we are only reckless super powered children playing vigilante, cops and robbers. Our lack of explanation regarding our skills and abilities creating even more distrust on their side on our ultimate purpose in the future.
Now we wait, Jade and Drake sitting next to each other chatting away with Petro across from Blanco snacking away and Tasha pacing.
Batman will not be idle, and like Tasha I can feel him moving closer to pinning us down forcing us to get something we can use to get him to step back.
Which brings us here right after the unsuccessful meeting of last night all our attention on our own "cheat code" as Petro insist on calling Blanco, as he holds batarang after batarang we managed to collect. He insists he is the weakest out of all of us with our "Od" regeneration and reserves being massive compared to him, but the versatility he managed to obtain out of his "crippled" magecraft and limited regeneration and reserves is astounding. Once again we are replying on it to get our fat out of the fire.
I see a frown on his face as he discards another batarang, having told us at most what he could glimpse of these weapons' history in the beginning were that Batman personally machine tooling each one for perfect weight, balance and edge. The thoughts of the man tightly focused on the task at hand, on creating an effective batarang.
"Anyone ever heard of an Alfred Pennyworth, cause while he was tooling this he never thought he would end up doing this for Master Bruce oneday ?". Blanco states putting down one of the last few left still to check.
I didn't even have to look at her to know that Tasha was smiling as she spoke the words.
"Bingo"
Z -- Z
Bruce Wayne / Batman
Looking at the batcave computer screen staring back at me are the pictures of two Academy students Tasha and Petro Roman.
They match the criteria perfectly.
Young, brilliant and if I remember meeting the young Petro properly, idealistic
Him looking extremely guilty for selling the improved medical diagnostic tool to Waynetech, as he felt he should have given it for free to the company.
The sister far more practical, telling him to "suck it up for mom and dad". He had been generous buying the improved technology, for children so clearly out to improve their hard working parents life and not buying the latest childish bauble.
If the armored suits are anything to go by he had underestimated their intelligence and their purpose for the money. No doubt using some of it to create those suits, suits which give them spiderlike abilities. An interesting motif selection to base the suits abilities on
That is at least one possibility, the best out of them being used by others for their own purposes.
"Wow, you so called it!" a young voice exclaims.
I am out of my chair positioned and ready to fight even before the words register.
I hadn't heard them, or even felt them.
No doubt being in my most secure area, the batcave, and focused on the task on the computer helped them move silently unnoticed right behind me.
I had let my guard down and the consequences was looking right at me.
Tasha and Petro Roman…. In school uniform.
"Yeah, we came right over, figured we catch you before you dropped by to visit us" Tasha explains when she catches my look to their attire.
"Also I so wanted to see the batcave !" Petro speaks his eyes looking excitedly all over the place, then right back to the computer screen. "Tasha said you would narrow it down to us, but just 48 hours. I mean that is impressive."
"He had us in 12, the additional time was just to be 100% sure." His sibling says while reading some of the information on screen.
"Petro why does it say while we were living with mom and dad, petty crime went down significantly in our area?" followed by a glare to her brother.
The tactic of trying to avoid her gaze by walking and looking around the batcave, not convincing anyone of his innocence in the matter.
"So Mr. Wayne, mad respect for your skills and just wow I love all the stuff you have here so much cutting edge Tech." he says with an innocent and admiring tone.
As the words leave his mouth, it enters the room.
The monstrously large pink elephant.
They know who I am, where my batcave is and managed to enter it without setting off any alarm.
Two thirteen year olds have managed what some of the most dangerous villians in the world hadn't.
Caught me unawares, and unprepared.
