Void, Part 6
Note, the parenthesis indicates languages other than Japanese, in this case, English and German.
Please Read and Review. I'd like to know what I'm doing right (to keep doing it), and what I am doing wrong (to correct it).
Buffer Zone
Unit-02's Core.
"(I see,)" Asuka said, gnashing her teeth, "(This is that classic mind trick, isn't it? I have to choose which one is my real mother, isn't it?)"
"(It is as I said before, Miss Soryu. Both are a part of your Mother. The incident that resulted in her death split her soul in two. Neither is a true Dr. Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, nor a fake. Both are a part of her. Both are incomplete without the other. Only when they are reunited as one will the true person emerge again.)"
"(Okay, can you… can you 'pause' them? I need to think clearly for this.)"
The Phantom Stranger nodded, waved a hand, and both Kyokos went still.
"(How long do we have before the contaminated LCL kills me for good?)" Asuka turned away from the apparitions, and crossed her arms.
"(To us, time is mostly irrelevant at the moment, it is not them who are in stasis. We two are out of the normal flow of time.)"
"(Handy trick that one. So, we have all the time in the world, uh?)"
"(Not exactly, your mind is very strong; eventually, you will need to eat, drink or even sleep, if we delay too much, you will die of starvation, thirst, or sleep deprivation; just because your mind expects it to happen.)"
"(I see. Well, subjectively speaking then, how long do we have?)"
"(Three days at the most. Though that will put a big strain on my ability to keep us out of time. Realistically, a few hours.)"
"(Very well.)" Asuka nodded to herself. "(I need way more information before acting. You say you've been guiding the Boy Wonder, what did you tell him?)"
The Stranger nodded his approval. "(I showed him the events that lead him, us, to the current situation. The why and the whom.)"
Asuka nailed the Stranger with a look. "(Show me then.)"
"(So shall it be, Miss Soryu. I must warn you, all I will show you are only memories, we cannot affect them in any way.)"
Antarctic, Second Impact Site
"(Deliberate? How dare they!)"
Japan, Evangelion Cage, First Contact Experiment
"(What was she thinking?)"
Japan, A Train Station
"(No one deserves to be abandoned like that.)"
NERV Japan HQ
"(Oh, god… And she still obeys him? Can't she remember?)"
NERV Germany
Second Contact Experiment
"(…Mama… What did they do to you?)"
SEELE Holo Chamber
"(The whole class? Even Aida? Enough! We are not toys for them to play with! I will make them pay for all they have done! No one, NO ONE! No one makes a doll out of me! You hear me? NO ONE!)"
Buffer Zone
Unit-02's Core.
"(I have seen enough of this. Show me the rest. Shinji's metas. You said Second Impact caught you guys by surprise. He always talks about how they were so powerful. I never even heard about them until Misato mentioned his hobby in her letter.)"
"(The metahuman community has been largely forgotten. The world had more pressing matters to focus on in the afterwards of the Impact Wars.)"
Asuka nodded. "(You have shown them to him too, right? How things were before Second Impact. Back when the metas were still around.)"
"(I have, yes.)" There was a small smile on the edge of the Phantom Stranger's lips, though for all Asuka could see, the man's face kept to the same stoic expression.
"(Show me. Show me what I need to know. Right now I am so angry I think I will explode. I want justice! I want REVENGE!)" Asuka's fists were closed so tightly, her fingernails would have cut her own skin had it not been for the plugsuit.
"(One of the premier heroes was motivated by Grief, Anger and Justice, he kept his anger under a leash so tight it rarely surfaced, and never allowed Grief to dictate his course; so, he was driven by his desire for justice, true Justice.)" The Phantom Stranger extended an arm, and suddenly, they stood on a dirty alley.
Asuka looked around, trying to find out anything from the place they were now on. "(Where are we? What is this place?)"
"(Gotham City, America. One of the most resourceful heroes in the past century was born here (1). Today, as I show you this memory, this place is known as Park Row, just a street in decline in a neighbourhood also in decline. Tomorrow morning, its name will no longer be Park Row, not in the mind of the people of this city.)"
A child of close to eight years old and two adults entered the alley. The kid jumped around excitedly, re-enacting his favorite scenes from a movie.
"(Thomas and Martha Wayne, along with their son, Bruce. A family that has just watched a movie. The Waynes decided to cut through this alley to get to the parking lot were they left their car.)" The Stranger said as the family walked into the dirty alley.
From behind a dumpster, a man appeared, his clothes dirty and ragged, he threatened the couple with a gun, as Asuka gasped in surprise. "(Hands up, you two!)" he yelled, "(This is a stick up! I'll take that nice collar the lady is wearing, and your wallet! Move it!)" The man ripped the pearl collar from her neck, breaking it, spilling the pearls over the dirty floor. Asuka tried to strike at the man, but her fists passed through him as if she was nothing but a ghost.
Thomas Wayne jumped in defence of his wife, only to be shot in the heart. His death was instantaneous. Horrified, Martha Wayne screamed, calling for the police.
"(Shut up!)" The man pulled the trigger once more, and a second life was snuffed out.
The child fell of his knees next to his parents, as the man hesitated, torn between fleeing, robbing the corpses, or shooting a third time. A police siren took the decision for him. The mugger ran from the place, leaving behind a broken child, screaming his head off in grief and anger.
Asuka looked at him, into his eyes. There was a deep anger there, raging at the injustice, almost burning the tears that flowed down, to fall on the dirty floor of the alley.
"(Bruce Wayne. Eight years old. An orphan. His childhood ended tonight, here, in Crime Alley, as this place shall be known from this night on. In a certain way, Bruce Wayne died along with his parents. In his place, something, somebody else has born.)"
"(What do you mean?)" Asuka asked, following the Stranger as the mysterious man walked away.
"(Bruce Wayne will dedicate his life to fight injustice in any of its forms. During the next years, he will learn everything he can, aiming at fulfilling that goal. At first, he aimed at being a policeman.)"
"(I take he didn't get to do that. Or you wouldn't be showing me this.)"
"(No, indeed not. Though he did learn from a master detective, an old fighter, and from whomever he could find to teach him the skills he would need. In his travels, he even created for himself a costumed identity you may know of.)"
They materialized inside a room; it was full of garishly colored clothes "(This was one of his hideouts when he needed to think. Bruce Wayne has just learned one of his heroes, Detective Harvey Harris is in Gotham City. Knowing that his own status as heir of one of the world's biggest fortunes would be an obstacle, he decided to contact him under a mask and a colorful costume.)"
They watched as Bruce Wayne donned a weird costume, a green short sleeved shirt and shorts, a red vest, a yellow cloak, and green gloves and boots, plus a simple domino mask. He went out the house through a window, and the next time they saw him, he was dropping a big bell prop over a hired killer, saving Harris' life.
"(The gambit worked, Harris took him under his wing, teaching Wayne about detective work. Inspired by the colors of his costume, Harris named the boy 'Robin'."
Asuka smirked, "(So that's the famous Robin that Shinji emulates.)"
"(No. The Robin Shinji knows of is in Bruce Wayne's future, few people even knew of this young apprentice. But let's keep to Bruce Wayne for now.)" The Stranger kept on walking, and once again, they were surrounded by a white emptiness.
"(Once Harris decided the now named 'Robin' had learned the basics, he put him in contact with a physical trainer. An old heavy weight boxing champion, Ted Grant. His professional years behind him, after the Second World War ended, Ted Grant started a new career as a boxing coach.)"
They appeared in a dilapidated gym, where Robin and a big man sparred. Asuka exclaimed, "(Old? That guy can't be that old! He looks like he could step on the ring for a championship bout.)"
"(Appearances can be deceiving, Miss Soryu, especially where heroes are involved. Ted Grant used to be a costumed hero before, during and after the WWII. He was known as Wildcat, and unusual circumstances granted him a longer life and vitality. At this point of his life, he has decided to be a trainer for special students.)"
"(Once Robin had learned all he could, Bruce Wayne stored the costume inside a trunk at the attic of Wayne Manor, and began the next part of his journey. He learned the art of escape from magicians and circus performers, under assumed identities. Martial arts at Asia, and as years passed by, he accumulated knowledge and skills to an almost inhuman level.)"
"(But the crucial lesson he had to learn came to him during a class in Gotham University.)"
At a gesture of the Stranger, they reappeared in a classroom, where the teacher posed a hypothetical situation. "(Two young men steal a car for a joyride. One of them changes his mind, and asks to let out of the car.)" the teacher said. "(Before the driver can comply, they accidentally strike an old woman crossing the street, killing her. Should the boy who changed his mind be charged with felony manslaughter, Mr… Wayne?)"
Wayne stood up, and answered the question "(Granted, the second boy stole the car, Professor, but e had no part in the accidental death. I would find him guilty of car theft, but not of manslaughter.)"
"(You would be wrong, Mr. Wayne. Under the law, the second boy is as guilty of complicity as if he had been behind the wheel.)"
"(Is that justice, Professor Rexford?)"
"(No, Mr. Wayne. But it's the law.)" With those words, the image changed to a dark room, the moonlight falling over a somber figure.
"(I can't become a police man, as they are constrained by the law. I must become something else. A hero, a rallying point for men of good will. Robin Hood, King Arthur, the Scarlet Pimpernel… Zorro…)"
"(I must be more than a man. I must become a symbol. Criminals are a cowardly ans superstitious lot, so I must wear a disguise to strike terror into their hearts. But what?)"
A dark winged shape flew then into the studio. A bat that landed on Thomas Wayne's bust, and screeched for a few moments, before taking flight again.
"(That's it! I shall become a bat!)"
"(So, Bruce Wayne found the path he would walk for as long as he lived. The Batman began his career fighting gangsters, hoodlums, and mobsters. In the way, he adopted another orphan, Dick Grayson, who become the second Robin, though the first known to the public. This is the one Shinji admires, though Dick Grayson was the first, there would be others, Jason Todd took the mantle after Dick Grayson grew out of it, and after Todd's death, Tim Drake took it.)"
"(During their careers, Batman and Robin faced many adversaries, the simple criminals of their first years were almost replaced by madmen and monsters, each one a colorful figure. Each one a danger to regular people. The worst of them was a demented murderer, the Joker, who showed the face of a clown to the world, killing his victims with varied pranks and jokes, though he preferred a particularly vile poison, one that not only killed, but disfigured its victims with a rictus alike to a smile.)"
A succession of costumed men and women appeared before Asuka's eyes, each one more strange than the one before. A man with half his face melted and tinted crimson, a woman with a cat-like mask, a man-shaped blob of clay, two rotund men with old fashioned clothes, a fat man with a smoking, a monocle, cigarette holder and an umbrella. A man with a green suit covered with interrogation marks. Another with a round transparent helmet, and many more. (2)
"(Eventually, Batman and Robin met other costumed heroes, most of them arose after Superman made his public debut. And those heroes joined together as a powerful team, inspired by their predecessors from World War Two, they honored them by taking a similar name. The old Justice Society of America from the 1940s was the example the new Justice League of America followed. Batman was one of the most active members, despite being a man among gods and goddesses, he kept the pace with them, and his sharp tactical mind, presence of mind and resourcefulness won the day many times. For his part, Robin joined a group of young sidekicks of other heroes, and founded the Teen Titans. They were a sort of a club or family to the members, as they were among peers, and able to behave like the teenagers they were.)"
"(What about Second Impact? What happened then?)"
The Stranger nodded. "(SEELE managed to keep their intentions hidden from the world, including myself. Not a single hero had an inkling about their plans. Only a villain knew. Ra's al Ghul (3), an old enemy of Batman. A long-lived foe, for he had the secret of rejuvenation, and even a limited form of resurrection, by using a normally deadly mixture of chemicals and magical energies, the Lazarus Pit, he called it; and he had several Pits, located all over the world. Strangely for an immortal, Ra's Al Ghul was obsessed with having Batman as his heir.)"
"(What?)" Asuka glared at the Stranger. "(Why?)"
"(The Batman intrigued Al Ghul. As the head of a globe-spanning cult, the League of Assassins, Al Ghul decided that only a mind as keen and Batman's would be worthy of inheriting his Empire. To that end, he ensured his daughter, Talia Al Ghul met and befriend Batman. And then had her and Robin kidnapped, as a test of the Batman's worthiness. Though both were rescued, Batman rejected Al Ghul's offer. He had no interest in being the leader of a murderous cult. Especially not a genocidal one. Al Ghul had decided that mankind had spread to far over the Earth, their numbers too big for the planet to manage, he wanted a limited genocide. About a quarter of the world's population would survive, under his control, of course. The rest would die. Batman foiled Ra's Al Ghul's plans many times.)"
"(What a loon.)" Asuka commented acidly.
"(A very intelligent madman, indeed. So, when one of his agents brough back news about SEELE's plans for Second Impact, Ra's Al Ghul decided on an unusual course of action. Instead of hindering SEELE's plan, or taking direct control of them, he decided to let them proceed. His own calculations showed that half of the population of the world would die. Then he would act to kill half the survivors, and destroy SEELE to stop them from interfering. Ra's Al Ghul had no idea of SEELE's plans for Third Impact.)"
"(What happened?)"
"(During the year previous to Second Impact, Ra's al Ghul enacted many plans to keep Batman and his allies distracted. He succeded in that goal.)"
"(After Second Impact, he then proceeded with his own, true plan. A limited nuclear war. The bomb that exploded in the frontier between India and Pakistan was his. As it was the bomb that almost destroyed the original Tokyo. The Batman and his closest allies, both human and metahuman, stopped the war, but the cost was high. Of the whole group, only Dick Grayson, now known as Nightwing, survived, and his heroic career cut short due to the injuries he suffered.)"
"(Damn.)"
"(Indeed he was. Ra's Al Ghul's followers tried to resurrect him in the Lazarus Pit, as they had done many times before, whenever age or injuries threatened his life. However, Second Impact interfered with the Pit's workings, and instead of resurrecting him, the pit exploded, consuming Ra's al Ghul's body, and all of his surviving followers in a single moment.)"
"(Good. One madman less to worry about.)" the redheaded pilot commented. "(I have seen enough. Take me back, I know what I must do.)"
Author Notes
1. Batman's background is taken from the3 issue miniseries The Untold Legend of the Batman (Jul to Sept 1980). This story collected and homage many stories previously published about the Batman and his story. Though it was mostly discarded after Crisis in Infinite Earths and Zero Hour, I am very fond of the story, and think it is still mostly valid. I only changed a few minor details to make it fit here.
2. Of course, these are some of the most prominent members in Batman's Rogues Gallery, Two-Face, Catwoman, Clayface I, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Penguin, the Riddler, and Mr. Freeze.
3. Ra's Al Ghul debuted in Batman issue 232 (Jun 1971), as part of the efforts to revitalize the titles and get them to be serious again, after years of campiness, not only from the Batman TV show, but also due to the Comics Code, that forced the character into directions it wasn't really suited to. Talia debuted just a little time before, in Detective Comics issue 411 (May 1971)