[Tim Pov]
Meanwhile, in Jump City Dick, Tim, Damian and the Titans were taking on a meta-human trafficking ring operated by Bane.
They had just finished up the fight and were moving on to the final boss. Cyborg blasted open the door and screamed, "Booyah!" Only to be met with a barrage of gunfire and smoke grenades.
Red Robin, Damian, and Nightwing all poured into the building with the rest of the titans. Soon after the sounds of fighting rang out.
Bane laughed evilly and charged after Nightwing. Nightwing dodged and threw a few batarangs at Bane, who dodged them.
Shortly after, a young girl in a blue cloak with gray skin shouted, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos" and shot a black bolt of energy at Bane causing him to fly into the wall.
A little green monkey-looking guy ran forward and changed into a Rhino. He charged at Bane, but Bane merely caught him by the horns and threw him through the wall. Speedy shot arrows at the goons in the surroundings, and Damian went after them with his sword.
Then they heard a high-pitched cackle and suddenly everyone was blinded, "Ah Ha Ha it is I Dr. Light."
Bane took the chance to charge Nightwing, he grabbed him and slammed him into a scantily clad superhero with fiery red hair and both of them smashed into some shipping containers. Shortly after they crashed they were hit with a concentrated beam of light and spit up a mouthful of blood, the redhead helped Nightwing up. He picked up his Escrima sticks and got ready to rejoin the fight.
Damian charged Dr. Light, things were getting out of control he had to do something and fast. He threw out some smoke bombs around Dr. Light, and before Dr Light could even tell what happened he noticed his left arm was completely missing. He screamed out in pain as blood sprayed all over Damian. Damian jumped up and kicked him in the temple as hard as he could causing Dr. Light to lose consciousness instantly.
"What the fuck Robin, why would you do that!" He screamed
The boy looked over and said simply, "he was causing too many problems we needed him dealt with quickly."
"This isn't over." Nightwing said as he quickly rejoined the fight against Bane.
The girl in blue screamed another incantation and managed to knock the tubes that supplied Bane his venom out of his head.
Cyborg finished dealing with the riff raff and charged Bane, he pulled his fist back and slammed it into Bane's jaw. Bane hit the ground hard, and began reverting back to regular size. They arrested both of them, but not before Raven stopped Dr Light from bleeding out.
Finally they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Ring Ring Ring
Both Robin and Red Robin looked in Nightwings direction. He was over helping Starfire round up guys in the corner when he suddenly stopped. He pulled out his phone, and saw Will was calling him.
"Weird he never calls." Dick thought
He answered the phone.
"Hey Nightwing It's W here." Will said
"W what is it, I'm kinda busy right now man."
"Nightwing, I wouldn't be calling if it wasn't important." Will said
"Well what is it then spit it out." Nightwing said
Red Robin and Robin heard, knew who Nightwing was talking to immediately when he said W. However they didn't go over, they merely eavesdropped from a distance while rounding up the scum.
"So we got a major problem big fella, Batgirl is seriously injured. Like it's bad dude." Will said
"What! How could you let this happen!" He screamed
"Sorry man it's a long story, talk to me when you get back I'll let you know what happened. It's totally my fault I feel so bad man I should have gotten there faster. She'll live though." Will said
Dick seemed furious
Then Will hung up the phone.
"Yo Nightwing, what's going on? Why did W call you?" Red Robin asked
"It's Batgirl, she's apparently seriously injured."
"What the hell is she okay?"
"Obviously not or he wouldn't have called. I dunno what's going on, all he said was she'll live. What the fuck is that supposed to mean." Dick said coldly
Starfire came up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder, she flashed him a comforting smile.
[Will Pov]
Barbara was posted up in a bed in Wayne manor with Dr. Leslie Thompkins looking over her. Will was pacing back and forth looking at her chewing on his thumb. Both of his hands were bandaged up and so was his chest.
"Is she gonna be alright?" he asked
Dr. Thompkins looked back and said,"Yes she's gonna be fine, though she should be more careful. Her legs and right arm are broken. She also has a terrible concussion, and was cut up pretty bad. I've already set the bones. I just need to remove some of the shrapnel from her back."
"Will she, you know, walk again?" He asked
"Oh dear me yes, she took a nasty fall but she should be back in fighting shape in a few months time, son." She said affectionately
Will breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard that.
"Until then it'll be hard for her though, you need to take good care of her." She said
"I will. Consider it done mam. " Will said seriously
Suddenly the door slammed open and in came Stephanie in her Spoiler outfit.
"What's going on, is she alright?" she asked as Dr. Thompkins continued to pull pieces of wood, glass, and brick from her back.
Will looked over and said, "Yeah she's fine, the doc said she'd recover in a few months time."
Stephanie let out a sigh of relief then said, "A few months, she's not going to be happy about this. Also, What the hell were you doing, you were supposed to be with her. Don't think I'm going to let you off the hook just because she's going to be fine. I've never seen her so injured before."
Will shot an embarrassed and sad look her way, "Well actually she made me stay in tonight, when I got the distress call, I arrived just in time to see her being thrown through a wall by Killer Croc. I picked her up, and had Alfred take her back, then proceeded to beat the piss out of Killer Croc. He managed to escape into the sewers at the last second, but not without paying a serious price."
She shot him a questioning look, her beautiful face seemingly conflicted. "What kind of price?" She asked
"Well, let's just say he's going to be walking with a limp for a long time." Will said
Will looked thoughtful for a moment, "Wait where the hell were you. You were supposed to be out there, don't put this all on me, why didn't you come help?"
Stephanie looked ashamed, "I-I w-was on the other side of Gotham in Black Masks territory." She stammered out
"So what, you'd have just left her to die!" Will said
"Enough you two" said the stern voice of Dr. Thompkins
"She's going to be just fine, immobile for a while, but fine." She said
The both of them looked down feeling ashamed.
Will sat down in a chair by the bed and just watched Dr Leslie do her thing. Eventually she finished, cleaned up, and left. Will felt so guilty, he should have been there to stop it, he thought to himself. He felt like it could have gone so differently if he just had a little bit better control. He swore in his mind and remembered how much he hated his fucking father.
"The mans not even alive anymore and he's still fucking him over, the bastard." He thought to himself.
Maybe it was a mistake teaming up with them, maybe he wasn't meant to be anything other than what he was born to be. Nothing more than a demon, just like his brother, just like his father before him. He sighed and pulled out a book while continuing to look after Barbara. Several hours passed while he was in that chair waiting for her to wake up, but there was no sign of her waking anytime soon. Suddenly Bruce, Dick and Tim all burst through the door looking absolutely livid. Bruce shot him his famous bat glare, and it caused Will to sort of shrink up under the powerful gaze. Bruce seemed like an animal waiting to strike.
Bruce merely said one word, "Explain."
Everyone else was staring at him like he just killed a family member.
Dick said,"You better have a damn good explanation for this Will."
He coughed awkwardly, then said, "Um well, uh so it started the first night we went on patrol. I heard my dead fathers voice in my head. Then I remembered this technique that I was never able to do before. I didn't even think it worked. It just popped into my head while I was engaging this rapist in an alleyway. Before I even knew what I was doing my body just did it on its own. I barely even used my full strength when I threw it." Will said then hesitated.
Bruce's face was serious, but Will could feel the cold anger simmering beneath the surface.
"Well, when I struck the man the blow hit harder than anything I'd ever thrown before. It crippled the man and nearly killed him." Will said in a shaky voice.
Bruce listened coldly.
Dicks hands were balled up into fists held out tightly at his sides. He seemed ready to run out and hit him at any moment.
Will was about to start speaking again, when Dick came up and slammed him into the wall. Damian quickly shot out and got between the two, "Calm down Dick, let him finish."
"I don't want to hear anything from you right now Damy, not after you cut off Dr. Lights arm earlier." Dick said, shooting an angry look in Damian's direction.
"Dick Stop, let him finish." Bruce said.
"Wwell, Barbara was right next to me, and we had been out all night damn near. She was so mad, and she forbid me from coming out with her again." Will stuttered and looked down ashamed.
"Good," Dick said.
Tim just sat silently in the background looking thoughtful.
"The next day after that happened my body randomly started spewing this disgusting black filth, I don't even know what it was. Ask Alfred he had to help me. It was horrible. Once it finished oozing out, it was like I had been blind my whole life and I was finally able to see for the first time. I don't even know how to describe it, but my power had drastically increased almost overnight. I'm nearly twice as powerful as before and I could do things I never could before. I think the process might have started the night I punched the rapist, but I just didn't understand what was happening." Will said, scratching his head with an embarrassed expression.
Bruce continued to glare but seemed less angry than before, As did Dick. Damian just seemed lost in thought, and so did Tim.
"I want you all to know I would never willingly hurt Barb, but this is my fault and mine alone. I had the power to protect her, and I failed miserably. While she went out on patrol she ran into Killer Croc attacking an orphanage. I don't know what she was thinking, not calling for someone to help immediately, or even engaging alone. She tried to stop him and got severely wounded. The only reason I even knew about it was because I heard a distress signal coming from the Orphanage. So I had Alfred fly me over there in the bat plane. I managed to get there just in time to get her out of there before she got hurt. I put her in my seat and Alfred got her some help. I stayed behind and beat the piss out of Killer Croc, but he managed to escape into the sewers with severe injuries. At that point I was too exhausted to pursue and figured it would be better to continue the fight another day." Will said nearly on the verge of tears
"I'm so sorry I failed you Mr. Wayne." He said
Bruce sighed, "I will have to punish you. You will be banned from patrol until I say you may return. We will need to test your new abilities. You didn't technically kill anyone, and mistakes happen sometimes. Be glad they weren't too bad this time. Remember this moment well, William." Bruce said coldly
Will looked up and said,"I will be sure to engrave it into my heart sir."
Will sighed in relief within his head.
Tim finally spoke up, "I'm not happy with how this turned out at all. I will make sure to go after Killer Croc in the coming days. You said he's injured, what should I expect when fighting him." Tim asked
Will smirked evilly, "His left leg is shattered, and I definitely caused some internal injuries on his torso. His face is smashed up pretty good, too, and he's missing an eye from before." Will said
Everyone seemed surprised but played it cool.
"Word, sounds like you really gave him hell." Tim said
"I did, now go finish the job and throw his ass in Blackgate." Will said as he went back to sitting in his chair watching Barbara.
"Come with me." Bruce said
Will looked up and followed him. They both entered the batcave, and walked into the training facility.
"You need to learn to control your strength. I never want something like this to happen again." Bruce said
"Sir, I can control my strength. It was simply some sort of fluke. Since it has happened, I've trained relentlessly to get used to my newfound strength." Will said
Bruce scoffed, "I'll believe it when I see it. Now show me this technique you used."
"I can't use it again today sir, I'm not sure my body could handle it. However if you wish to see the damage merely look behind you at the strike testing machine." Will replied.
[Bruce Pov]
Bruce turned around and saw the strike testing machine crumpled around the indentation of a fist.
Bruce narrowed his eyes, feeling surprised in his heart. This was a monumental increase in strength, not just a little. Maybe the boy truly didn't mean to cripple the man and it was just some sort of strange meta-awakening. The boy was already enhanced with Deathstroke's blood though, so why now of all times did the boy develop his own meta-abilities." Bruce thought
For the first time since meeting Will, he felt a tingle of fear. What if he turns evil, he thought. He would be a dangerous foe. I need to begin coming up with contingencies.
[Will Pov]
Although Will was already exhausted from fighting Killer Croc, Bruce pushed him to the limit that day. Will hadn't trained that hard in years, he felt so exhausted he was barely able to drag his body up to the dinner table to finally eat. The atmosphere was awkward, and only Damian attempted to talk to Will during dinner. They both were feeling the heat from the other members of the family. The next thing he knew he was dragging his bruised and sore body up the stairs into the room Barbara was recovering in. He plopped down into the chair he had by the bed, propped up his feet, grabbed a book from his backpack, the book was "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." He began to read to himself, and eventually slipped into unconsciousness.
Suddenly, Will felt himself falling, he fell and fell in what seemed to be never ending darkness. It was freezing cold and he could sense one of the darkest and most evil presences he'd ever felt at the bottom of the hole. He was afraid, more afraid of whatever was at the bottom than his own elder brother, the beast. He fell for what felt like hours, he closed his eyes and basked in the suffocating darkness not knowing which way was up or down. When he tried to speak he could not hear his own voice. His mind was filled with pure terror at whatever was going on.
"It's just a dream, it's just a dream," he told himself.
Then finally he hit what seemed to be the ground, it was wet and smelled of iron. He heard the most evil chuckle he'd ever heard in his long life. It was the only sound there in the darkness, and he felt that chuckle deep within his body and soul.
He tried to get up, but the evil presence was so strong it forced him to his knees. He couldn't tell where it was coming from, it was suffocating. He tried to rise, and bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood in order to fight through the pressure.
He finally stood up, and when he did a deep red light lit up and poured out causing the darkness to retreat. What he saw astounded him, a mountain of corpses filled his vision. Many of them were his own kills, the lives his father and Slade forced him to take. Now he was scared, it was nearly everyone he ever killed. Then, some he didn't recognize. He saw the head of his childhood best friend lying on the blood-soaked ground in front of him, terror etched on the child's face.
When he looked forward past the pile of corpses, he saw a large black throne. It looked dangerous, demonic, pure evil were the only words that could be used to describe it. Sitting on it was something that seemed even worse than the throne itself. It felt blasphemous just looking at it as if it wanted to creep in and corrupt him. He couldn't make out who it was from here, so he pressed forward.
He was scared, very scared, on the verge of tears, reliving all these atrocities. He waded through the blood that nearly reached his ankles. Suddenly, it was as if the space around him froze, and he could no longer move. Next thing he knew he was sent flying towards the throne.
He felt his heart beating out of his chest as he flitted through the air towards the evil throne. He closed his eyes and began to accept his fate. He was going to die, this was an enemy he absolutely could not face with his own power. He felt helpless, hopeless, and overcome with dread. Eventually he stopped, suspended in the air in front of the throne.
He began to slowly open his eyes. Corpses littered the ground, torn to pieces. A river of blood stained the ground below. However, that wasn't what shocked him the most. He saw his face with a shark toothed smile, a pair of pitch-black horns, and what seemed to be pitch black tribal markings covering his body, they looked strange and beautiful, and yet extremely evil at the same time. His own bright red eyes with pitch black crosses in them stared back at him. Even though his arms were chained to the throne above his head and large black chains surrounded the creature, no demon's body binding him to the Black throne. He still felt more danger than he'd ever felt in his life.
Will dropped from the sky to the foot of the demon, he looked up and stammered out, "W-Who are you?"
The creature looked him dead in the eyes and chuckled evilly. "I think you know, boy." He said as every syllable reverberated within his mind.
"I'm you, your spirit, you've locked me away in your own fucking weakness. You want to be good… Accept your fucking destiny boy. How will you ever kill your master or your elder brother if you don't accept and free me?" The demon said profound hatred laced in every syllable.
"You are not me, I'll never become you." Will screamed
"Hahaha, Then you will die boy, I took root in your heart the day your father marked you as the demonic successor." He said coldly
"What do you mean?" Will responded
"You know exactly what I mean, quit being so fucking phony it's disgusting. It's on your back right now, and you've just begun to awaken it. The True Demonic Inheritance." The demon said in a voice that sent chills down Will's spine.
A thought Burrowed its way into Will's mind, "Is this what my father was preparing me for, something like this?"
The demon chuckled loudly and it pierced straight into Will's soul. "Yes it is, he was a good father. He bestowed upon you a true gift, the opportunity for true power. Accept me and use it to destroy the men who haunt your dreams. You are already corrupted, look at all the people you have already killed, directly or indirectly. Look at all the people you will go on to kill around this throne. This is true power, you hold life and death within your palm. Your soul is already irredeemable."
"I won't set you free, I'll never become you. I don't care what happens to me, I will never release you." He said calmly accepting his fate.
The pressure intensified and a thick killing intent began suffocating him. Suddenly he was floating in front of the demon. The entity smashed through one of the chains, only one. He reached out and touched the floating Wills forehead. A small black diamond tattoo was branded where he touched. Will screamed in pain, it was excruciating like every cell in his body was being destroyed, and set alight.
As he was screaming a technique ripped through his brain. A way to get stronger, much stronger. The technique was masochistic to the extreme, in order to cultivate it he had to destroy every part of his body to temper it and rid it of impurities. Then meditate and steal the energy within the heavens and the earth to nourish his body and spirit. There was also something else, it ripped through his brain and set it on fire. His soul was screaming in pain, there was another technique. When he defeated an enemy, who was alive or he could use it slightly after they died. He could use the technique to absorb their energy and life essence and eventually swallow their soul in order to temper his body and spirit. The stronger they are, the more beneficial it will be. If he decides to devour his enemies he will become far more powerful, much quicker.
The demon chuckled evilly as the black chains reformed and bound his arm back to the black throne.
