Beyond Normal Understanding
Terry jumped out of the Batmoblie creating a striking sound that echoed through the cave. He walked towards the computer scratching Ace's head as he walked by him. He leaned on the computer thumbing at the picture of Thalássios Fo̱tiá as he asked a question to Wayne.
"So, any clues on this guy?"
"Yes, but it might be a little out of grasp for you." Bruce replied as he was working on a spectral analysis on the video he pulled from the two-way video com-radio they shared.
"What, does the guy use a mixture of Barium Nitrate, or Magnesium?" Terry asked as he pulled off his mask.
"No, something much more complicated then science." Bruce indicated as he reviewed the video and stopped it right before the flash of light. "He his using something more volatile then chemicals or a meta-gene. "
"Ok, I give. What is this guy using that makes him more dangers then your old baddie Firefly?" Terry inquired as he looked over to Wayne's old gallery.
"Magic." Bruce's single word carried a large amount of weight. Unfortunately Terry did not pick up on Bruce's tone since the idea is far out there.
"Are you serious?" Terry was scoffing at the idea as he spoke.
The look Bruce gave him in turn was deafening. Terry looked at Bruce sheepishly before speaking again.
"Ok, why do you think that he uses magic?"
"Right here." Bruce said as he hit the play button that started the video. ON the screen Dash was sitting up right after he had been slammed in to the table. The recording played on as the image said "Epacse Ym Ediug, Eralf." Then the flash of light appeared causing Terry to squint at the screen.
"Now watch what happens when I play it in reverse." As Bruce spoke he was already setting the video to play in reverse. The video played backwards as the flash vanished in reverse. The words changed from some kind of babble to English. "Flare Guide My Escape."
"What does speaking backwards have to do with magic?" Terry asked as Bruce turned off the video.
"Back when I was in the league one of their foremost experts on magic was Zatanna. In order for her magic to work she needed to speak the spells backwards." Bruce gave his explanation as walked over to a storage cabinet. From the cabinet he pulled out two metal knuckles that where shaped in the common form of bats. He also pulled out a pouch that could fit the knuckles and attachment for Terry's suit.
"What are those exactly?" Terry ask curiously as he picked up the simple weapons.
"They are some of my old anti magic gear. It is made out of Nth metal the same metal found in Hawkgirl's mace." Bruce replied in is normal tone.
"You mean Shayera Hol? One of the original league members like you?" Terry inquired as he gripped them tightly in his hand.
"Yes." Bruce answered in his normal cut and dire tone that ended most paths of questions anyone would have. "Now activate them by switching the pressure plates behind the middle and picky finger grips."
Terry did as he was instructed and went to activate the knuckles by placing pressure on the switches.
"Also, watch out for the feed back shock when they are activated." Bruce added as a side note right as Terry activated them.
The pain wasn't intense but it was enough to send a chill up Terry's spine. Around his hands and lower arm it felt like some one was sticking small pins all around his arms. After two seconds the feeling had all but dissipated leaving only a small reminder around where he griped the weapon.
"What are these exactly?" Terry asked again this time with worry in his voice.
"You have nothing to worry about Terry. The feeling comes from the energy displacement zone around your hands. It is completely safe." Bruce said to assure Terry that the weapon wasn't going to harm him. "All you have to do is keep that device active for about an hour. This will help you the next time you activate it."
"Is that what you meant by training earlier?" Terry asked suspiciously.
"Yes," Bruce replied in his normal tone. "But if you want, I can add to it. I am sure that there are some coal lying around here." Bruce's words almost bounced of the walls with impending glee as he walked towards the stairs with a smirk.
"I am fine with these." Terry's words were almost filled with impending fear of whatever Bruce had planned
"Good once your done with that hour go home and get some rest. Also don't forget the milk for your mother." Bruce said as he gave the instructions to Terry while he headed up the stair leavening the Bat cave.
"Understood." Terry replied as he practiced some punches with the activated devices.
Dash entered his apartment annoyed at his sudden retreat from his encounter with Batman. He climbed up through the window that was near the top floor. He was already civilian clothing as his feet hit the floor with a flash of fire around his body. He stormed out of the bedroom and out into the living room. He threw the ring on the coffee table and sat down across from the ring. A few seconds later a image of a Siren appeared floating above the ring.
"Time for the debrief Agent Brenton." The Siren said in a clam voice. "Early this evening you where sent to infiltrate and locate some clues to the location of the target, but before you finished a investigation Batman appeared up."
"And I was forced to retreat." Dash rashly interrupted the Siren before she could finish a review of the mission. "You think we could move on to what I found instead?" From his pocket he pulled out a palm sized gray rock and placed it on the table.
The Siren gave a slight cough before answering his question. "I suppose that is alright since you have the memory graved fresh in your mind."
"Alright then," Dash said in full force tone of moving onwards. "From what I found in the warehouse was multiple lab set up being run by the Jokers. There was only one item their that contained traces of the target's magic energy. The rock seems to be made out of quartz, which holds the energy and properties of the magic. A brief examination of the stone on the way back here found some kind of paralyzing magic. I believe that ability is found in the new Joker gag White Wash, and that building was a processing plant for it."
"I'll bring the stone back to our main HQ to begin analyzing that you retrieved." The Siren said as the stone was transported back to the HQ in a puff of smoke. "Since you confirmed the existence of these stones we now have a new mission for you. We have found a black market deal whose latest addition to his stock are stones that are paralyzing in effect. There is a high chance that the stones he sells and this one are related. We need you to collect information from him, but we also want him kept alive, even though he works in the black-market. Despite his bad connections, in the area of magic, he is a gray area and his help has saved many people in the past."
"Understood." Dash responded back in a military tone.
"Good get some rest and tomorrow we shall send you the information." With that the illusion of his operator disappeared leaving a haze of where the image stood.
Dash picked up the ring placing back on his middle finger, and began rubbing the red stone in between his and finger. He frustration was out of control because he was beginning moved around like a puppet. If he ever wanted a life that resembled normal he needed to work for them and jump ever time they said jump. He walked over to the open bedroom window and sat on the edge that overlooked the city of night. Around him the lights glowed giving magic to a time when others would be quite. He looked over at the clock seeing the blue glow with steady numbers of 12:51. He didn't need much sleep after spending around five hours earlier in a almost comatose state. His new body also wanted to move and stalk the bustling city in the dead of night. This was probably the scariest feeling he had. It was the silent reminder that he was never going to have normal life that was promised to him. He looked down the window and jumped the two hundred feet to the ground. His mind free with feeling normal of that this is who he was now. A monster in human form unbound by the world of human laws. A creature that for now fought for his freedom in a cause that he could put some faith in since it was fighting the good fight on the right side of the law. His feet hit the ground while his mind still wondered letting his instinct guide his path.
He wondered for an hour when he happened upon a dark alley from the roof. The skyline he knew all to well, the alley in which he had been killed. Off in the distance heard a sound common of late in the city that never slept. The Jokers were making another recruitment run on his grave. Since he was alive there was something that he could now do about the indecency he had felt for years. There were hollers, yips and yells from the group of twenty that walked in a ramble to the ally. Down be low he heard the leader of the group telling about the alley's past, about his past and their believe that if you can over come a goody two shoe from the past you can beat them in the present. From the group five candidates spilt off and walked into the alley as if the world was their oyster. When one of the Joker candidates was about to touch the stain on the wall that was Dash, he jumped down in front of them.
"The person who had rest there does not like you defiling his grave." His voice was colder then the grave and indicted the danger if they continued. The group of five where confused while the one leading the group was the guy who swung the chickens around like nunchuks.
"That's the bastard that beat up Johnny and us. Get him!" The size challenged joker screamed.
It was to late for candidates when they started to charge Dash. He had already thrown three kicks at the chest of the closest candidates sending them flying backwards into the rest of the group. The last two he grabbed and thrown them after the three he just kicked. The group of Jokers where stopped as they tried to get people off them. Once they all where standing and ready to charge again they stopped as they saw a frightful sight. Dash had grabbed a dumpster and crushed the metal in his grip. He lifted the dumpster over his shoulder and throw it at the group of Jokers. They scatter as cockroaches flee from a light.
"Never come back here again." Dash roared after the fleeing Jokers. He looked at the fleeing group then he knew that they would not be returning for a while. He looked at his watch seeing the time was already three o'clock and decided to head back. Later on his actions that where preformed there that night would keep Jokers or other gangs from returning. This would let his former resting point to never be disturbed by gangs ever again.