Monday 5th July 2010, 10:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
Bruce had known almost instantly that his experience at the hands of Cadmus and the experimentation he underwent had changed Esau in many ways. Whether that was for better or for the worse still remained to be seen as it had only been a few hours since he had been freed from Cadmus. However, it was clear that Esau had undergone a number of changes, both mentally and physically.
The most obvious change was in the way in which he carried himself.
There had always been an aura of confidence and when he made his appearance as Marauder, there had been a calm confidence to him. It was a noticeable difference that only those who understood what it represented could pick up on.
Whereas a person who was confident appeared dangerous, they could actually be entirely inadequate, someone who exuded calm confidence was the true danger. It was confidence earned through facing hardships and rising above them, something Esau had lacked before his time training under Deathstroke.
Even now, he still walked with the same calm confidence as always.
A slight swagger to his steps that was entirely natural as he slowly walked down the streets of Gotham without a care in the world.
As if nothing could harm him.
From what Bruce had heard of his powers, not only had the original serum given to him by Slade been enhanced further, but his new powers were incredibly dangerous.
Not only to his opponents but to Esau himself and everyone around him.
His ability to grow stronger in response to his rage and that alone would make him a force to be reckoned with should he be given enough time and dependant on the situation. Yet it came with a very severe downside, the rage he felt made him similar to that a rabid animal, a berserker that could not differentiate between friend or foe.
While the power was certainly powerful, it seemed to have some severe downsides that could prove to be fatal.
It was one reason why Bruce had taken to keeping an eye on Esau.
But it was not the main reason.
No, the recent incident at Cadmus had driven Batgirl, Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Superman's clone, who had chosen the code name Superboy to form a new team, including a last-minute entry, Martian Manhunter's niece, M'gann M'orzz or Megan Morse as she insisted on being called. This was all done with the League's blessing of course, but it was a team that lacked some very simple knowledge of the world, a knowledge that Esau had. However, it would also serve as a way to help develop and grow their powers and skills for the day in which they would be ready to join the Justice League.
A place that would allow Esau to gain some measure of control over his powers.
'It's hard to believe that a year ago, he was only a low threat.' But with his powers and their upper limits unknown, it was possible that if driven to a certain point of rage he could surpass even Superman. If his ability to actually damage Superboy was anything to go by, that would make him one of the most dangerous people on this planet.
One of the most wanted.
With his powers and skill, it meant there were very few things in Gotham who could actually hurt him.
But out of all that, the change in Esau that stood out most to him was that he seemed to be both lost, and strangely almost at peace. There were still things troubling the young man, yet everything about the way he viewed the world around him and interacted with it changed.
It was a mystery that Bruce intended to solve.
"How long do you intend to follow me for?" Esau called out as he pulled into an alleyway, deep enough that his voice would be ignored by the people walking by on the street, all assuming he was talking to someone else.
Bruce knew, however, that he was talking to him.
Jumping down, Batman stuck to the shadows to keep out of sight, Esau just turned to stare right at him.
"Well?"
Not one to waste time with idle chatter, Bruce cut straight to the chase. "I have an offer."
"Pass." Esau answered quickly, when Batman went to talk, Esau continued. "If it's about that little team you put together with your sidekicks and others, then I'm not interested."
"Then what are you interested in?" This left Esau quiet, unable to answer as he had no clue as to what he wanted to do. Bruce had seen his internal battle when he put on the Black Hood costume, so he knew appealing to that part of Esau would not work, so instead went a different route. "I'm willing to pay."
"Pay me?" Esau's snorted in amusement.
"You left Black Hood behind to become the mercenary, Marauder. I'm wanting to hire your services." Bruce stated bluntly and Esau blinked in surprise. "You are without a home, there will rooming and free groceries provided at the base as well as a top-of-the-line gym and training facilities. On top of that, I'm willing to pay you for each mission I assign to the team."
"Why?" Esau asked after a few moments of silence. "Why do you want me on this team so badly?"
It was Bruce who was silent this time, but when he answered it was swift and straight to the point.
"Because I want you to lead it."
"What? Why?"
"Because you are the only one who's actually cut out for it. Robin is too young. Kid Flash is too childish. Miss Martian is too naïve. And the clone is too much of a flight risk. As for Batgirl and Aqualad, they are the most cut out for leadership, but they are not ready. Aqualad's loyalty is first and foremost, to Atlantis. If a decision came down to the surface or Atlantis, he would always choose Atlantis. As for Batgirl, she lacks authority. She has the tactical ability, but lacks that charisma needed to be a leader and inspire people."
"And me? What do I have that makes me so cut out to lead this little team?" Esau questioned.
"You understand that while this world is black and white with bits of grey much like Robin and Batgirl, you also understand that there is more than one shade of grey. You naturally draw people to you, unknowingly, but you have a natural ability to inspire people and the authority to lead. Your skills speak for themselves and you are mature enough to make the tough decisions instead of the easy ones. Need I go on?" Bruce deadpanned and Esau actually felt himself gaping.
'Is what he says true?' He wondered and the more he thought about it, he realised that Batman was right.
He had been raised amongst criminals and admittedly, knew them every bit as well as Robin and Batgirl, probably better. He had managed to make a sort of friendship with Robin, though whether to classify it as a friendship was still unknown and then there was Killer Frost and Rose.
"Alright, you made your point," Esau grunted. "Give me time to consider your offer." Quickly, he caught a communication device thrown at him by Batman.
"Contact me when you have your answer. If I don't hear from you within two weeks, I'll assume you have refused the offer." Giving a short nod in reply, Esau watched Batman disappear and with a sigh, left the alley.
-X-
Monday 5th July 2010, 12:00.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
Barbara didn't really know what to think about the last few hours of the day.
She had formed an alliance with a known criminal, Killer Frost and also the apprentice of the infamous mercenary, Deathstroke who called herself, Ravager. The whole point of this alliance had been to free Esau who she had learned not only had a relationship with all of them but was the second apprentice of Deathstroke, Marauder.
For her, their relationship was clear to her now, friends since they were young but with something more beneath the surface on both their parts. For Ravager, it seemed to be a one-sided crush, though it was clear that Esau had cared for her from the way he asked about her. It was only when CCTV had shown Ravager leaving the scene did Esau relax, no longer worried about her being trapped in the ruins of Cadmus.
Then there was Killer Frost, who Esau had apparently slept with.
That was it, that was all she had been able to learn of her relationship with Esau and while she was certainly pleased that it was only physical attraction, instead of emotional.
Barbara would admit to being jealous of both of them.
Not that she let that interfere with the mission.
She'd already been petty once and she certainly wasn't going to be that way again, not when she learned just what Cadmus was planning to do to Esau. They had plans in place to turn him into a living weapon, a mindless drone much like Superboy was meant to be and Barbara had nearly lost Esau once, she was going to lose him again.
Yet she was still a little jealous about the fact he slept with Killer Frost before her. 'I really need to stop thinking about that.' Barbara told herself internally.
Even though it had been a few hours since they had rescued Esau and Superboy from Cadmus, the thought of what could have happened to Esau was still plain in her mind. As was the guilt, she knew that it was irrational to feel guilty for something that she had no control over, but she couldn't help but feel that if she had just tried a little harder everything could have been avoided.
The doorbell ringing stopped Barbara from going down that route of thinking any further as she headed to the door.
Opening it up with a polite smile on her face, she went to greet the person at the door only to look in shock as Esau stood there awkwardly.
After a few moments, Esau's lips twitched up into a smile. "Hey, Barbara." He greeted her awkwardly and Barbara shook her head quickly.
"Hi." She greeted equally as awkwardly. "Erm, what are you doing here?"
"Ah, Jim didn't tell you?" He asked, but before Barbara could answer his question, he continued. "Well, 'cos I'm technically homeless now, he offered me the spare room until I get myself a new place to stay."
"Really!" The way she said was so desperate that it made Barbara blush brightly.
"Yeah." He replied quietly with a small smile on his face. "Can I come in?"
Blushing even deeper, Barbara stepped to one side, opening the door even further to allow Esau to get in, he looked at the interior for the first time in a long time, it filled him with a sense of nostalgia. "Right, erm the guest room is just upstairs on your right." She explained, closing the door behind him.
"Barbara, unless you moved houses since I was last here, I still know where to go." He teased lightly and despite the embarrassment she felt, Barbara just nodded her head with a smile, things seeming to be a little normal between them.
"Sorry." She apologised and Esau just shook his head to let her know it didn't mean anything before heading upstairs. Barbara watched him go, completely aware of her heart beating out of her chest. "Oh, I forgot." Despite her words, Esau had already disappeared upstairs, so instead, Barbara settled for surprising him.