While gliding above Gotham to look for criminals to beat within an inch of their lives, I saw a kid, no older than 15, sitting on the edge of a rooftop.
A side mission.
Gliding towards the rooftop, I landed a bit hard to make my presence known, so as not to startle the boy and cause him to jump.
I approached the edge and stood next to him, both of us gazing at the city below. We stayed like that for a while.
Eventually, the boy stood up and let himself lean forward. Just before he could fall, I caught him by the collar.
"Hey, let go... Demon?" The boy finally turned his head and looked at me for the first time since I arrived. He was calm despite calling me a demon, but it was understandable since the kid just tried to end his own life.
Another person calling me a demon, well, can't blame him since I'm not exactly a public figure, and my appearance is not exactly all sunshine and rainbows.
"It's Batman, and it's too early to give up, kid," I corrected him as I released him after making sure he wouldn't fall.
"No, it is not, not after everything that happened today," he replied, letting out a weary sigh, his shoulders drooping as if he had truly lost hope.
"A year ago, I lost my parents in a hit-and-run accident. My aunt took me in, but I wish she hadn't because she treated me like a burden. She made me do all the housework, from cleaning to cooking. On top of that, she asked me to pay rent. Today has been the worst day of my life. The only joy I had, my dog, died while I was taking him for a walk this morning. He died just like my parents, in a hit-and-run. I rushed him to the vet, but they said he needed surgery to survive, and they wanted money I didn't have. I called everyone I could think of—my aunt, my best friend, and my girlfriend. Haha," when the kid mentioned his girlfriend, he let out a mocking laugh bitterly with tears in his eyes as he shook his head.
"My boss told me that if I didn't show up for work today, I would be fired. When he said that, I lost my cool and lashed out at him. I said things I'm not proud of, and he fired me and threatened to sue. With no money, I couldn't pay for the surgery, so I had to watch my best friend suffer and die in my arms while I could only cry while watching the light disappear from his eyes; it broke me." When he mentioned his dog's death, the kid started shaking, and his tears flowed more heavily.
"AHHHHHHH" He covered his face and screamed, releasing his frustration.
After crying for a while, he wiped his face with his shirt and continued with his story.
"That's not even the worst part. After burying my dog and losing my job, I thought visiting my girlfriend might help me feel better. I hoped to find some comfort with her. But when I arrived, I saw her on my best friend's lap, telling him how much she loved him while he mocked me. He called me a loser, and maybe he was right. I couldn't take it, so I ran away in tears. I went to my aunt, my only family, and told her everything. But instead of offering support, she called me a spineless wimp and told me I should kill myself. I decided to take her advice, and here I am."
The kid finished his story, tears streaming down his face, yet he smiled at me with empty eyes. Eyes of someone who has given up on life.
His story is really sad; what's more sad is that I give zero fucks about it, but I can't say that. It wouldn't be 'heroic' of me, so I just patted him on the head.
"I'm not here to give you life advice, kid. It wouldn't mean anything. Sure, words might help for a day or two, but then you'll be back to square one. So instead of telling you to change your life, I will help you change it." I handed him a business card with my bat logo on it.
"Take this card to the Teleute Wayne Foundation. They'll find you a safe place to stay while you get back on your feet. After that, head over to Wayne Enterprises. They'll help you get a job so you can earn some money. And do me a favor: cut ties with those fuckers you call family and friends," I said while the kid looked at me with wide eyes. He didn't take the card from my hands, but I could see a spark of hope in his eyes. It's clear that the kid actually wanted to live, but no one held his hand, so he decided to take the shortcut to solve his problems.
"A-Are you telling the truth?" the kid asked, his voice shaky as he wiped his tears with his hand.
"I'm a man of my word, kid," I assured him as I shoved the card in his face, getting a bit annoyed because he still didn't take the card, leaving my hand in the air.
"Ah, y-yes, I'm sorry, sir. Batman, sir," the kid hurriedly apologized as he took the card and got up. Because he was being hasty, he almost lost his footing and would have fallen if I hadn't caught him just in time.
"It's what I do, kid. Now move along; criminals aren't going to cripple themselves," I said as I pushed the kid away from the edge as he kept thanking me.
Another side mission is completed.
After the kid left, I didn't leave immediately but waited for my stalker to show up.
Selina stepped out from the shadows, a playful smile on her face."And here I thought the big bad bat only knew how to beat criminals," she teased, running her fingers over my biceps.
"With those strong, muscular arms," she continued, her hand gliding along my arm before she linked her fingers with mine.
"Side quests are a must, Selina, and I'm kind of a guy who does all of the side quests and gets strong as heck before jumping to the main quest," I said as she continued to give me seductive glances.
"Oh, how purrrrfound, Batsy," Selina purred as she stood in front of me, pressing her body against mine and gently stroking my cheek with her hand.
Her attempts at seducing could have worked if I were a horny teenager in love...
I may be a horny teenager, but I'm definitely not in love with her.
"What are you doing here, Selina?" I asked her while she continued to cling to me.
"I'm here to help you defeat those big bad criminals, Batsy."
"If you want to beat criminals, do it on your own, Selina. Expect special occasions; I work alone."
And I mean it; I don't want to become canon Batman, who says, "I work alone," with a damn army behind him.
I kinda understand the dude since he is just a middle-aged human with a body that can barely keep up with his colorful lifestyle, but I'm not him, as a wise man once said.
I'm stronger, I'm smarter, I'm better.
Before Selina could argue, the digital billboards around Gotham flickered.
"Greetings, lowly and stupid citizens of Gotham, I am the Riddler." A loud voice echoed through Gotham.
I pushed Selina away and looked at the digital billboards; all of them showed images of a man in a green suit and green hat with a question mark on it.
[RIDDLER]
"Many of you may not know me, but I am someone who possesses a superior intellect, far beyond your primitive minds. I am here to save you, for I am not just smart; I am also benevolent. I am so benevolent that I will offer all of you a chance to become smarter. Throughout history, there have been great humans who changed the course of humanity. —Da Vinci, Newton, Tesla—and now, it's my turn to change humanity for the better. But to achieve change, sacrifices must be made. The first sacrifice will be Gotham's so-called guardian angel, the perfect man," Riddler declared, stepping aside to reveal Bruce Wayne, me, tied to a chair behind him.
"Umm, Bruce, I think you got kidnapped," Selina said with a teasing grin, pointing at me on the screen.
"Thank you for pointing that out, Selina, but I was the one who sent myself there." It wasn't really me; it was an android I created to stand in for me as Bruce Wayne when I'm Batman and vice versa.
With Riddler revealing that he kidnapped me, it finally brought the reaction he wanted from the people, as pedestrians who were quiet before lose their minds and begin to move around aimlessly.
Sirens get louder, and I hear the sound of glass shattering. In mere seconds the city plunged into chaos, as if everyone had been waiting for this moment. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly Gotham can turn into a war zone.
"As you can see, Gotham, even someone as great as Bruce Wayne pales in comparison to my brilliance. I am the smartest man alive, smarter than Bruce Wayne, smarter than Batman. It is my responsibility to elevate your simple lives. But first, we need to eliminate some obstacles. I will present our local hero with two options. I've placed several bombs in two separate spots around Gotham."
"What's up with that freak? We should just go there and beat him up," Selina said, tapping her arm to use the Batcomputer to track Riddler, but I pulled her closer, causing her to let out a surprised squeal.
"Nah, I want to see where this is going. It gets boring to beat up criminals. This could bring us some excitement," I said while Selina looked at me as if I were some sort of psychopath.
Well, I do have a few screws loose. I mean, I've been reincarnated three times. In my first life, I was the one who laughs, a being with a madness that even the Joker takes his hat off to. In the second, I was sold when I was a child and trained until I shit blood only to be a dog on a leash that killed without blinking. And in the third, my current life, I have the intelligence and resources to make whatever the fuck I want.
If anything, I'm a pure human. I'm doing what any human who was given great power would do—using it to my own amusement.
"I span the distance, near or far, A passageway, without a car. Linking lands with sturdy grace, Cross me over, from place to place. What am I? Solve this riddle, Batman, and you will find where the first bombs are," Riddler said, his face full of excitement as his image flickered constantly.
"Hmmm," Selina pondered the riddle, crossing her arms and humming to herself, her body pressed against mine, using me like some kind of wall to lean into.
"I twist and turn beneath the city's skin, a hidden maze where daylight's never been. Through me, the city's tears and waste do flow, yet of my paths, the sun shall never know. What am I? With this, I gave you everything you need, Batman, and more. Go on, try to solve those riddles. Choose between two and fail miserably so that you can see that I am smarter than you. I will always be smarter than you. Now let's start the beginning of a new era of smart people," Riddler said, grinning widely as he spread his arms.
I waited for something big to happen, maybe an explosion, but nothing happened. He stood there with his arms wide, and at first, I thought the connection was lost, but his occasional glances at the camera proved otherwise.
{Sir, he is trying to hack into the mainframe to cut off all of Gotham's power, but of course, failing miserably.}
'And here I thought I'd have some fun; what a disappointment,' I thought to myself.
Looking down, I saw Selina leaning on me, arms crossed, eyes bulging, while sweat dripped down from her body.
Looking at her, I swear I could hear how hard she was thinking. She was pushing her brain to its limits.
"Bridge and sewer," I said, and Selina lifted her head to look at me, raising an eyebrow.
""The first riddle's answer is 'bridge,' and the second is 'sewer,'" I explained.
Selina nodded before suddenly her eyes began to water as she rested her chin on my chest.
"What are you doing?" I asked her because I really don't know what the heck she's doing.
"This is a special occasion, right? That means I can help you, right? Please say yes," Selina pleaded, widening her watery eyes in an attempt to look cute.
Well, there was no need to act this dramatically. She could have just asked if it was a special occasion and if she could assist. I would've simply told her my answers, but anyway.
"I'll handle the sewer; you go to the bridge. Eden will give you the details."
"Wait, this is my debut, right?" Selina asked with excitement, bouncing on her feet as she grabbed my hand and began to shake it up and down enthusiastically.
"If you want to."
"Hooooo, okay Selina, you got this. Just go out there and beat criminals until they are crippled. Easy peasy. Nothing this big idiot isn't doing already." Letting out a deep breath, Selina stopped bouncing and let go of my hand as she began to calm herself down.
"Nice pep talk," I remarked as I jumped down and began gliding toward Wayne Tower.
***
Standing on the W logo of Wayne Tower, I activated Advantage Search Mode and filtered out everything in my field of view except the sewer tunnels to search for bombs. I spotted five right below me, under Wayne Tower, clearly aimed at destroying the arc reactor and Gotham.
Five bombs were located in the central office network where the Metropolitan Area Network was established, aimed to cut Gotham off from the rest of the world.
The remaining ten were hidden in the sewer line beneath the 20-story apartments built by Wayne Construction. Two of those buildings were filled to the brim since they were given to people who couldn't afford it by the Teleute Wayne Foundation.
I dove down and glided toward the nearest manhole to defuse the bombs under Wayne Tower.
'Eden, send drones to defuse and modify the bombs at the bridge before Selina gets there, and do a general sweep around Gotham for any other bombs to defuse them.' I can't risk those bombs exploding, and it would be good practice for Selina to handle those modified bombs.
***
I swear to God, those villains have some sort of sewer fetish because whenever they want to blow something up, it's always either sewers or bridges. I mean, sure they are highly strategic spots, but damn.
The bombs that the league gave the Riddler were fairly basic but powerful bombs that had a digital clock on them, showing the time. I still had half an hour.
"Selina, how's your end?" I asked through the comms as I defused yet another bomb and moved on to the last one.
"Ugh... I'm doing great. Just... ugh... having a blast, you know? Way better than being stuck in a dark cave," Selina replied, her voice strained as gunfire and grunts echoed in the background.
"You don't sound like you're doing okay, though."
"I'm doing wonderfully, okay? I'm doing so okay that I'm already... ugh, done. You should worry about yourself," Selina snapped, her voice rising as the grunting sound turned into screams mixed with the sound of broken bones.
Eden sent me a drone feed showing Selina on a bridge fighting against a dozen men in green clothes. Another dozen men were lying on the ground, mostly unconscious.
Her movements were graceful as she moved among those men, bending her body like a cat. Her strikes were powerful, fluid, and agile, and even just from watching, I could feel the strength behind her blows.
Her fight actually looked more like a deadly dance than a fight, each move flowing seamlessly. It was good to see her doing okay because it means that my efforts weren't wasted.
After I defused the last bomb, I tossed it to the drone and turned to the dark corner of the sewer.
"Come out," I called to my secret admirer, who had been watching me this whole time.