Chapter Three:
A X Troubling X Meeting
Black Mask viciously scowled as an animalistic growl rumbled his throat, his raging orbs burned through the soul of the wincing henchman that stood rather pleadingly in front of his desk. "You had one job… ONE JOB!"
The mobster flinched and stepped back from the erupting heat of his boss's nuclear outburst. "We were attacked, boss. I-I thought it was the bat at first. But, you see," A nervous grin grew on the mobster's exposed face. "It moved so fast; we couldn't even see it. We were caught off guard and taken down before we could have a chance to fight back. You gotta believe me!"
A chill of dread spiked his nerves as Black Mask offered a chilling grin. "Oh, I'll believe you all right," he sprang from his chair so fast it tilted forward with his momentum before falling back into place behind him. "WHEN YOU MIRACULOUSLY COME BACK FROM HELL!" With precision, Sionis quickly aimed a revolver at the mobster's forehead and pulled the trigger, echoing a loud report across the story. The man's pupils only had enough time to dilate before a crimson stream ran down his face and nose. He collapsed into a heap.
Black Mask glared at his bodyguards, who all stoically stood idly by the side, "Throw this piece of shit out at whatever dump you can find, don't matter where it is." With a sigh, the crime lord crumbled down into his seat, pressing a palm to his scarred face in exasperation and weariness.
He didn't bother looking up at his henchmen as they dragged the lifeless body out through the double doors across from him. Sionis was also sure they were smart enough to mop off the red trail on his floor without waiting for an order like jackasses.
He owned the best he could for his organization, the best, and nothing but the best. And he was sure as hell not to allow some incompetent schmuck to derail his business. He straightened his back against his chair and reached for the stack of papers that sat idly on his desk. "And as for that other schmuck that took out my men… I'll have his skull in my collection by next week." Black Mask muttered with spite.
"Mr. Sionis," A feminine voice pulled his attention away from the papers in hand to see a raven-haired woman shooting an icy stare toward her boss. "Cobblepot's men called in. They're requesting the money that, according to them, you promised to pay them," she spoke, her voice betraying no emotion.
Black Mask gazed down with a snarl as his hands clenched, veins visibly throbbing on his balled fists, crumbling the print underneath his grasp. "If that punk never waltzed in my affairs, those weapons caches would've been in my storage closet, and I'd rightfully take the top spot in the underworld!"
His secretary remained visibly unfazed by her outraged boss's internal venting. "Mr. Sionis?"
"Tell them to wait a little longer!" Black Mask lashed out with panic, "Tell them to give me," He tensed his eyelids to shut as his mind raced for any answer that would pop in. "Two weeks!" He cocked his hand upwards, displaying the appropriate amount of fingers. "Two weeks. And they'll get the payment they're selling for. I have a dead man messing with my business." he finished darkly.
His secretary blinked, maintaining her stoic but professional posture. She processed the dilemma her boss was facing. "Any other requests?"
The crime lord smirked, "After you're through with the call, check through all your sources to find the best contact killers around! I want that son of a bitch dead! Find whoever you can find. I don't care who I hire. They'll get their money's worth if they bring me a body or a head."
The secretary rolled her eyes, "Well, they have to know who-" A hurling Gotham's newsprint slammed in her face. The folded print landed by her feet with a light snap.
"It's on the papers from a few weeks back. I'm sure whoever they were talkin' about was the same guy who did this to my crew."
Without any more words traded, Sionis watched his secretary make her departure. He reached into his pocket and stuck a cigarette to his lips. Enflaming the other end of the wrapped package, he blew out a puff, emanating the space with tobacco fragrant. "New guy in town playing superhero, eh? And stop me from collecting my prize, no less." He rasped out with a sneer. He swirled his chair in the opposite direction to a large window that overtook the back wall and climbed to his feet. He walked close to the transparent barrier, overseeing the nightlights of Gotham City. "I'll be sure to give him a nice welcome to my city."
The next day, Killua had his head hung as he strolled quietly on the sidewalk toward the library during this breezy afternoon. His hand lazily clutched the strap of his bag. Another day, another step towards his way to get home.
This sucked.
How could he have almost let himself get caught yesterday? He took his exit at the last minute; before they entered the scene. He gazed down at his open palms. It was almost like he had gotten sloppy. During the past year, he had poured more thought and attention into his time spent with Alluka rather than training and honing his skills in awareness and stealth. Perhaps he had to move forward to improve his skills; after all, he had his family to deal with once he'd returned home. It would be ill-advised if he went unprepared.
A rumbling groan suddenly erupted, prompting Killua to cease his movements. He lightly placed a palm on his lean stomach with an embarrassed look. "Oh well, making a quick stop doesn't sound too bad." He critically eyed the various markets, each of them. He grinned when a gas station at a corner came into sight. Those locations were so alluring to his attention, and some candy couldn't have sounded sweeter.
Killua pushed through the glass doors, his teeth gritting at the chiming of the bells that signaled the cashier up front. "Hey, kid! Feel free to check out whatever's in the house! Unless it's something illegal for your age, of course." He finished with a light chortle.
Killua paid him no mind. He darted his eyes around the room until he snapped them towards the candy section as soon as his nose caught the sweet, sugary scent. He licked his lips. The brand of these snacks was undoubtedly different than the ones from home. But the sweetness his nose caught through those wrappers sputtered his eager sweet tooth.
He snatched each bag, one by one, using his enhanced reflexes and speed to appear he was casually browsing through the shop, his sharp gaze glancing towards the cashier on occasion until he decided that he snatched enough treats. And casually as ever, he walked out of the store.
He assembled his way back onto the pedestrian path toward the library. Just before he was about to dig his pockets for the snacks, he froze. The corner of his eye caught something that had to be his imagination playing at him. Slowly, Killua craned his tensed neck, and his jaw fell to a slack, taking in a silent gasp.
There. Stacked neatly inside a retail stand was a tower of newsprint. But what sparked Killua's alertness was seeing an image of him displayed on the front for all to see.
"How!? Where!? I should've sensed someone spying on me! Unless…" He drew a blank. His mind rapidly slid down a steep slope of a mountain. "Was it security cameras!? Just how could I be so stupid as to forget about them!? I really am getting sloppy." Out of panic, Killua snatched the print and squinted his eyes to decipher the text with his limited English.
"w- wa- wan-ted…" he attempted to utter, his voice dry with terror. Just how did they figure him out? He mentally cursed himself. He shouldn't have gone and underestimated the system. He didn't know when and where they shot the photo without his knowledge. But whatever the cause, he will not and cannot allow the authorities of this place to take him. He didn't know what they wanted from him, but he couldn't waste any more time. He had to go to the library fast. He just wanted to go back home.
With his craving for candy buried in the depths of his mind, he balled the paper up and tossed it into a nearby bin. He zipped past the locals, startling several along the way and garnering some irritated looks. He didn't care if he was using a bit of his superior speed. Someone in this city had managed to figure him out. It was only a matter of time before they could track him. He gritted his teeth. "Well, I say bring it on… I'm not going down without a fight!"
The familiar building came into view. Paranoia screamed that the police would eventually notice that the boy they were looking for had spent countless hours in this place. He hoped that they wouldn't mind if he could borrow some of their study books. As calm as ever, he entered the public establishment, walking with stiff steps than usual. His sharp eyes constantly traced every corner of all those present; no one seemed too suspicious.
So far.
He quietly ushered through the narrow passages in the cluster of shelves. Grabbing and snagging all the books he could think of at the top of his memory, he quickly tucked them into his bag and went for a bail. Killua had been walking at such a pace his mind went into a haze of what was in front. He failed to notice a boy that wandered around the corner around the aisle until it was too late.
Killua stumbled with a yelp as he forced a step back. He cursed as his pack slipped off his shoulders from the collision. Killua groaned in a disgruntled manner at the scatter of literature by his feet. His eyes found the person as it glistened threateningly.
"Whoops, sorry! My bad!" The boy quietly exclaimed.
After a brief glare thrown at the boy in his way, Killua knelt to gather his books and shoved them in the bag. He rushed to his feet and continued to his departure.
"Wait," a hand caught his shoulder. Killua snapped his head around to bark at the person that stopped him but immediately calmed himself at the offered book in the boy's hand. "I believe this is yours."
Killua's glare morphed into puzzlement as his icy, judging eyes examined the boy. He relaxed a little at seeing the person was around his age. The grin he was offering him appeared genuine enough. But how much was that smile forced? Killua was a liar in his own right, and he prided himself on detecting someone playing his own game against him through the slightest gaps. Slowly, the ex-assassin reached for the book, not tearing his eyes off the boy as he grabbed it.
Killua turned and trailed towards the exit, his eyes remaining concentrated and tense. That boy's stare was on him. He could feel it, that suspicion. Just as soon as Killua thought he had him, the boy's lingering gaze was off his senses, which caused his eyebrows to furrow. "What was that all about?"
After feeling no peering gaze from susceptible points, Killua turned a sharp corner and allowed his body to disappear from the building in a blur. He jumped to the rooftops and sprinted across the buildings toward his hidden place as fast as he could.
Meanwhile, the boy emerged from the library. He grinned as his eyes found the familiar black limousine with shadowed windows that had already been parked parallel to the curb by the front. He opened the back door and slid himself inside with a sigh of relief. "Did you see the boy you were looking for, Master Tim?" Alfred craned his neck towards him with a look of interest.
"Whew, yeah. Though I gotta say, he's pretty intense." Tim proceeded to wipe the sweat off his eyebrow.
Bruce squinted his eyes at Tim from the passenger seat through the front mirror. "And were you able to place the tracker on him?"
"Sort of." He began with hesitance, "I had to play it safe and slip it in one of his books. Believe me. I didn't think I'd be able to do it until I bumped right into him." Tim rubbed the back of his head, followed by light laughter. Then his mood dampened into worry. "But that kid. It looked like he was ready to kill me before I offered him the book."
Bruce hummed with a scrunched-up face; now that sounded concerning. "Was he in any rush?"
"It looked like it. He was practically running out of the aisle when I turned the corner to follow him," Tim looked down with a mused gaze at his knees, "He must've found out about the papers that show him off on the front cover." He sighed, "Was it a good idea to give the photo to the police? We could do it on our own, y'know."
Bruce shook his head, "We need all the help from Gordon that we can get, and I don't intend on letting him out of the loop, Tim. You should know that by now." Bruce continued with an eyebrow raised, "Besides, we wouldn't be able to trace him here if Gordon couldn't send the photo to every security department in Gotham."
"If the both of you finished discussing how you handle your crusades, gentlemen, we need to proceed to the manor." Alfred turned the keys which sprang the engine to life with a roar. The butler mustered a snide grin, "That meatloaf won't cook itself for lunchtime." He twisted the wheel as he was at it, weaseling and maneuvering the limbo out of the parking space and onto the road.
"I hate meatloaf," Tim remarked under his breath.
"Is there anything that you object to, Master Tim?" Alfred shot him the eye through the mirror, and Tim could only guess that the butler had adopted that glare from Bruce.
"Nothing."
"Goodie," Alfred responded rather cheerfully.
Bruce, however, had embedded his focus on the handheld device. It wasn't hard to deduce that the red-dotted pinpoint on the screen was in a hurry across the city map. Bruce would have preferred it if Tim had attached the tracker to the boy's back. It would have reduced the chances of being noticed.
Bruce began to muse through his mind, "While I can't predict what would happen, I could only hope to reach him by talking to him. But if it comes down to it, a conflict against the meta is likely at best. And so far, the plan I hatched up is only a good guess of what we could use to our advantage." Bruce quietly hummed as everything around him came to oblivion.
That was one of the most complicated obstacles that he had to overcome. Bruce wanted so desperately to shoot down that looming thought that was the lack of knowledge about the boy, which was proving to be a weighing burden, and he despised that from the bottom of his being. He and Tim would have to avoid getting physical as much as they could; that boy knocked out three men with only his speed, and Bruce had to assume that he had more under his sleeve.
"Master Bruce?"
Bruce snapped out of it, his eyes quickly processed the current location, and he was relieved that they had already returned to the manor. Bruce turned to his oldest friend, who had remained seated beside him. "I'll be down at the cave if you need me."
Alfred blinked and sighed, knowing he couldn't talk him out of it. "Very well, Master Bruce. But I urge you not to resist your hunger. No matter how stubbornly you reject your needs, your health would say otherwise."
Bruce grunted but accepted nonetheless. He stole one more glance at the handheld screen and mused in thought. "Old Gotham? So that's where he had been hiding." It wasn't too far off from the Clock Tower. Bruce knew that area like the back of his hand, another thing he could use to his advantage. He stepped out of the car to see that Tim had already been waiting by the mansion's foyer.
After waiting for Alfred, who had the keys to unlock the door, Tim was the first to rush in, and the sweet, piquant scent tickled his nose. He eyed the living space with contentment. Though as still and lifeless as the entire manor could be, it always brought comfort and relief to the teen after his night-out patrols in the crime-ridden city. There was no place like home.
Settling in the main room, Bruce reached in and pulled out his communications device from his pocket. He dialed a few numbers and waited for the second party to respond. He sighed after getting no response, "Why am I not surprised he didn't pick up." Bruce muttered.
He dialed the second contact and waited. It didn't take long for the call to answer. "Hello?" A voice of a young woman responded from the other side.
"Barbara, I need you to go wake up Dick for me. He failed to answer my call."
Killua slipped through the window and slammed it shut. He hovered his panicked gaze around the room before he stumbled to his desk. He tossed the baggage absentmindedly onto the bed before collapsing upon the chair. He momentarily held his breath before steadily exhaling. In distress, he clutched his head with his elbows propped against the flat surface.
"Now what?" He muttered to himself
Did he have to stay cooped up in this apartment for the rest of his time? Well, that was a question he didn't know how to answer. At least he had the opportunity to study the language privately in the comforts of this domain. Hopefully, all the sooner to go back home. But there was also another part of him, though only a speck compared to his desire to retrieve his beloved sister, which was to explore the unknown world.
What he found the most interesting throughout his time here while decoding the common language of this place was the word 'hero' thrown around here and there. What intrigued him was that it was pronounced very similarly to how it was in his original language. Now that he thought of it, the times he caught glimpses out the window to see that ray of light that shot a bat-insignia at the sky came to mind. Did that have something to do with it? Killua crammed his thought process aside. There was only so much he could do.
His wandering gaze fell onto the bag that lay sloppily beside the bed sheets on the mattress. His sapphire orbs remained there before he reached for the luggage. He could try to resume his daily study. He had nothing better to do. He randomly picked out whatever book came first. And he held out the dictionary that he used the most.
As he continued to write the words in his journal, a nagging feeling kept crawling at him, and it appeared to be invulnerable against his attempts to quell it. Minutes passed, and soon, that shifted to an hour. And that feeling hadn't dulled at all. He allowed a shaky sigh to escape.
He felt like he was on the end of a rope. "Am I destined to remain here forever?" He thought with dread. His shoulders heaved with his heavy breaths. There it was. The feeling that attacked him when Gon nearly experienced death after the chimera ant fiasco, this ever-tortuous feeling of helplessness that he hated so much. He just wanted to get back to Alluka.
Overcome with emotion, Killua sprung up, howled in rage, and smashed his fist against the desk, crumbling the furniture as several splintering pieces and parts scattered. His heavy breaths were audible as he looked down with wide eyes at the pile of splintered wood beneath him with the book lying with the pages sprawled out. His shoulders deflated as he lazily sat on the mattress due to the stress that had overcome him.
Hours after settling into the manor, Bruce Wayne sat on his chair in the Batcave, donning his bat suit, barring the cowl which rests on the desk beside him, eyes locked onto the screen of the Bat Computer with a contemplative expression as he fumbled his chin with his free hand. The screen displayed the map layout of Gotham with the tracking pinpoint glowing proudly at the apartment complex of Old Gotham.
Initially, he was intrigued when he learned that the pale-haired boy spent most of his time at the Gotham Library. Usually picked out random books from the shelves and quietly sat on the desks each passing day, they didn't know the reason, but Bruce had a convincing theory for himself.
It was obvious the boy was there to study, picking out the books at random, and would focus intensely on reading them. He was teaching himself the English language. Bruce was sure he was. And that further supported the theory that the boy was from a foreign place, namely a world after Tim tried all he could for the Bat computer to trace a single profile on him globally, but to no avail.
However, those revelations only brought more questions. Was this boy alien, like Clark? Or was he from a completely different universe, not unlike the one called Powergirl from Earth-2? Questions like those gave his paranoid instincts more reason to find this boy as soon as possible.
"Hey, Bruce, everything's ready." A youthful voice called from behind. Bruce turned around to see Tim, who was already fully suited in his robin attire with the signature domino mask attached to his face. He propped his metallic staff to his side at the ready. "Your call for what we should do next."
Bruce nodded subtly and stood up, grasping his cowl from the surface beside the computer. He stared intently at his surrogate son, "Are you sure everything's ready to go?"
Tim smiled, "About as set as they could," his smile faltered a little, "Honestly, are you sure we'll be able to lead him there? For someone as fast as he is, do you really think we could predict all the routes he could take?"
"You're right. We can't predict where the meta will decide to run off. Which is why we'll also set up sonar cannons at every corner." Bruce craned his neck to lock his gaze at the image of the pale-haired boy on-screen once more, "I took all the precautions to make sure he wouldn't escape our radar."
Robin nodded and advanced to the Batmobile. Bruce bore his gaze down at the signature Bat cowl secured in his clutches. He thought of everything he had been through in the past twelve years since he first put on this cowl. He had been a force in the darkness and morphed into the shadow that lurked through the streets of Gotham; he was the very being that criminals fear the most as they hovered their gazes on a corner blanketed in darkness. Only for some to be pounced from above, unaware that the very predator they were wary of stood right behind them. And on occasion, be pulled down from beneath the floorboard.
Releasing a quiet sigh, Bruce raised the final piece of his transformation over his head and slipped it on. He shot his eyes open, which are now concealed by the white lenses of the cowl, before he marched to the vehicle in stride. Batman stopped and turned to his trusted Butler, who stood by the platform's edge near the driveway to see the duo off, hands behind his back professionally. "I suppose I bid you, gentlemen, farewell for the night. I suggest you two take care of yourselves while you're at it."
Batman nodded wordlessly and continued his trek with Robin already one step in the passenger side. Once the duo settled in, Batman flipped a switch with a flicker on the control panel, causing a pair of gigantic twin, solid metal gates to slide open to gain access to the tunnel that leads in and out of the Batcave.
Engines roaring to life, boosters and accelerators set to a blaze, the Batmobile sped off, pulling a streak of flames that left a trail of lingering smoke, alarming the residential bats from their slumber.
Killua sat still, cross-legged on the mattress ever since his short-lived breakdown. His sapphire blues were locked on the piece of literature on his lap, skimming his focus through the many foreign words on the page as he continued not giving up on his return. If he were to look out the window, he would see that the day had already transitioned into the night during his silent concentration. At the same time, his awareness was at its peak, scanning his surroundings to detect any suspicious presence that could have followed him to his makeshift home. He was also in deep meditation. His aura flowed around his frame like a breeze, sharpening his Nen to maintain potency and compacity.
Killua remembered the advanced principles of Nen that Bisky told him back in Greed Island. One that sparked his attention was En. He had wanted to learn to sense others' aura at a distance. Sure, his assassination senses could detect when one's eyesight latched onto him. But it would've been nice to see when an enemy's attack would launch at him from any direction. He vividly recalled being in the middle of that forest, sniped into a bloody mess by Ikalgo.
He attempted to expand his Ren, and a raging white hue enveloped him. Sweat leaked from his brow as he concentrated, enforcing it with Ten, and the aura calmed into a dome. Killua silently grumbled at the results, frustration creeping in as he could only extend his En at barely over two meters. It was severely underwhelming compared to others' En that he'd witnessed in the past. Most notably, Kite and Neferpitou, though the latter's two-kilometer ability to expand the aura could be nearly impossible to achieve.
All the more reason for Killua to continue his training, his refusal to slack any more than he had done scorched as a star. If he could keep up his En for an extended period, he could improve on the technique since others' auras from outside his makeshift hideout. However, Killua just couldn't shake off the feeling that he had missed something, he continued to put his mind on the task at hand, but it continued to linger.
As Killua continued his sessions in private silence, two figures stood on a rooftop a fair distance away from the apartment complex where Killua dwelled. Batman was half-kneeled on a gargoyle, fixated on the handheld tracking device on hand that led them to this point. Robin stood by the edge beside the gargoyle, gazing at the building before them.
Robin allowed air into his lungs and released it to calm the nerves that began to rattle, unconsciously tightening his grip on his staff. He couldn't shake the feeling that this confrontation could easily backfire if they did not play their cards right with their plan. Throughout the last six months, since he put on the suit after a full year of training, Robin assisted a reluctant Batman in his war against crime. His skills improved little by little as time raced, assisting in apprehending psychos with various extreme obsessions and goals and locking them away at Arkham.
This time, their target was inside that brick building and possessed abilities similar to metahumans that Batman kept a profile on in the Bat-Computer's database. Enhanced speed is the one ability that he and Batman had seen him use through the camera feed, and it was safe to say he might have had enhanced strength if he could drop thugs down like dummies. Other than that, they had nothing on him, that was what worried Robin, and he was sure what he felt was only tame compared to what Batman could be thinking after knowing him the last year and a half since he took him in as his protege after Tim figured out his identity.
While Robin was still new to this crime-fighting lifestyle at this stage of his life, he was impressed at the level of composure that Batman maintained despite the unknown they were heading.
"Robin," The sound of his mentor's grave voice dispelled his thoughts, "If you think you're not ready, you're welcome to turn back."
Robin immediately shook off whatever doubt ate at his nerves, "No, Batman. I'm ready. After all my hard work to get here, there's no way I'm backing out." His tone was firm, sure of himself, and determined. He could do this. He would be in a conflict against a metahuman that wasn't Poison Ivy for the first time. If he couldn't proceed, then he would never live it down with himself on proving his worth.
Batman hummed silently with contemplation and nodded to himself. He stood up straight and turned to silently admire the glistening lights that Gotham illuminated on this late autumn night. A cool breeze zipped forward and flowed past the duo, and their respective cloaks danced along with the wind. A rough thud hit the concrete behind them, and the Dark Knight turned to gaze sideways at the source and spoke, "It took you long enough to get here."
A young man stood up and let out a light chortle. He wore a full black spandex suit with a chest plate that engraved a bright blue bird insignia that extended its wings past his shoulder blades. Nightwing walked towards them, and he stopped near his secondary successor. He gazed off with contentment as he swallowed in the glowing skylines with his hands against his hips. "Yeah, sorry it took us some time, Bruce. Had to take in the sight of this city after being away at Bludhaven for a while, y'know."
"Oh please," a feminine voice called out from a higher perch behind him. A slender frame of a cloaked figure with pointed protrusions from the head dropped down from the roof. The young woman stepped closer as her features became pronounced, clad in a suit similar to Batman but with a more violet tone. Her bright red hair flowed freely from the nape of her cowl, and her cowl lacked the white lenses that were present on Batman's. "The only reason this knucklehead barely made it on time was that he decided to sleep late in the day, so I had to make sure he'll arrive on time." She neared the group and crossed her arms as she bored her eyes on Nightwing with playful annoyance.
Nightwing couldn't help but let a smile play on his lips, "Love you too, Babs."
"Enough," Batman firmly stated as he eyed his two older pupils critically, "We have no time for petty excuses. We have work to do."
"Always the brood we know," Nightwing said lightly, earning a silent grunt from his mentor. Nightwing's face fell to a serious demeanor as he eyed the building they were facing, "So this is the place, right?"
Tim nodded, "Yeah, he's in there. In one of the rooms on the top floor. The three of us will venture around the block to set up sonar cannons on the rooftops that'll lead him to where the Batmobile is parked while Batman meets him face to face."
Batgirl raised a brow and looked skeptically at Batman, "Wait, I know he's a meta and all, but isn't this a kid we're dealing with? Why do we have to set up these obstacles against him?"
"We know almost nothing about him," Batman cooly hovered his eyes at Batgirl, his eye lenses narrowing to slits, "This child possesses abilities far greater than any ordinary boy his age. I'm sure you saw the news. He managed to take out a mob of armed criminals at the bank before we arrived. Gotham police did a count in their investigation on the case, and there's confirmation that eighty-one men were involved in that heist. Someone who could accomplish a feat such as that, especially from a child, is potentially dangerous, and I'm not going to let this slide on my watch until I get answers."
Batgirl couldn't help but let out a sigh. She understood Batman's line of thinking and concerns, and she honestly did. But at times, she couldn't help but wonder that Batman's paranoia would spring him to such lengths to ensure nothing would threaten Gotham City. Heck. He developed a contingency protocol against his friends at the Justice League. And they didn't even know it!
"For what it's worth," Batman continued, his voice etching a softer tone. "I'm going to try to talk with him. You, Robin, and Nightwing are setting up the backup plan."
Silence oozed from Batgirl. She craned her neck to look at the building before nodding, reluctantly accepting it. Nightwing crossed his arms before saying, "Alright then, let's get down to business."
As minutes passed, Killua continued to read silently in the same position he was in, enclosed inside a dome-shaped transparency, illuminating a calm glow across the room. The glowing dispersed as his head shot up, calculating eyes scanned the slid window allowing nippy wind to barge in like a thief. The curtains eerily floated against the wind in a slow melody.
"A presence. Someone's in here," Killua's eyes roamed the room, digging through the coated black in the corners. Tension weighed down heavily on the stillness in the room as the wind howled in the ambiance. He knew his senses caught a glimpse of someone, but emptiness was only present before him.
"Behind me," Killua spun around and immediately spotted a cloaked shadow that would've spooked a lesser individual. But behind Killua's defenses, curiosity sparked. "Who is he…?" He thought to himself.
The shadowed figure narrowed its white, glowing eyes. "He sensed me," The shadow walked forward, and his features became more pronounced to Killua. His bat-like features garnered confusion from Killua.
Killua locked the man with a blank gaze, his muscles tensed and ready to spring. Now, what was this? This man's intentions were unclear, but Killua was too distracted looking at his appearance to think much of anything else. He sensed no bloodlust but could tell the bat-clad man was going in this with overwhelming caution.
"So," The man spoke as he looked down at the silver-haired teen, "I've been searching around for any piece of history you might have, but I came with nothing." Batman's eyes narrowed, "Let's talk."