Chapter 3 – Party Start
4 Days Later
Gotham
Aiden Apartment
A cry of anger echoed in his little apartment.
"Who the hell are they? Fuck!"
"Shut up!" For the first time of the day he heard the voice of his neighbor through the wall, but not the first time in the week, far from it.
"Let me be, alcoholic, or do you want a bloody nose?" he was already angered by his identification problem, it was much more than he could support.
Silence.
That was it, his neighbor is a loudmouth with no balls.
"Internet bore no results, interrogations neither. I would like to be one of those hackers of movies who can find whoever they want. I'll have to continue pointlessly until lady luck smile at me." Aiden's mood was under the weather in the last four days. He found absolutely nothing about the persons on the photos. "Sigh, it's so depressing to rely on luck."
He stripped off and headed toward the bathroom to take a shower while letting the TV on, giving him the impression that the condo was less empty.
"The tormentor didn't appear in the last four days. We know that he interrogated his victims to search assassins from the testimony of the victims. Had he left the city? Or is he waiting for something? These are the questions Gotham citizens are asking themselves."
While under his shower, with water trickling down, he still could hear the local news at TV.
"Your loyal torturer is pissed off because he is in a dead-end, this is the answer you're searching for." It sometimes diverts him to talk to the presenter. "I should stop that, if I'm caught someday, I'll not go to Belle Reve but to Arkham. I should find a healthier distraction, maybe basketball with my telekinesis 3 pointers, I'll be in NBA in a flash."
Later, he went to bed while hearing the recognizable sound of the Batmobile engine.
"Batman is out tonight, but the Tormentor is not. I hope the rematch will happen soon. Next time, I'll beat your bat ass."
Next Morning
Monday
6:00 AM
The weekend ended and Aiden still wasn't an early bird, but he still forced himself to get up from the bed.
This early in the morning, the world was still hazy through his eye, he drank two cups of coffee and put on his sportswear heading to Robinson Park.
During his training, he felt strange, as if someone was watching him, but after put his detection range to his maximum capacity, he found nothing. He resumed his activities but still, something felt wrong.
He practiced his routine training in the park for an hour and half before heading to the condo to take a shower and put on his school uniform.
"Just in time." He arrived at Gotham Academy just before the start of his morning class, which earned him a frown from Barbara.
"You're late."
"Hello to you too. And I'm not, there is twenty-three second left."
"You know what I mean."
"Yes, I can read your mind dear. I changed my schedule, I want to stay fit. I don't want to go to the gym after school, otherwise, our little dates at the library where you put shame on me with your computer like brain will end. Now that I think to it, it's a con, I have to change my schedule."
"You want to stay fit, you? Did you looked in the mirror lately?" With her gaze, she scanned him from head to toe.
"No don't look at me like that. I see what is hiding in your gaze, you want to tie me up to a chair in your basement. This way I'll be yours for eternity."
Her look changed and became…. Strange? Ugly? It's complicated
"Where do you get this from? I'm not some kind of psycho. You have more chance with Harley Quinn than me, idiot."
"I'd like to. She looks like a model full of joie de vivre. And as for you being a psycho, we're in Gotham, it's the reference place to find psychos."
"Sigh, I can't withstand your humor without a cup of coffee."
"When I say that you have no humor. You win in wit, but I win in humor."
"You don't win, yours is too…. special." Barbara speech took a bit of time as if she was searching her words, trying to not be hurtful.
6:00 PM
After school, Aiden once again headed toward the Bialyan quarter. He took the bus at the campus entrance; it took five minutes to reach his destination.
He felt it once again, the sensation he had this morning. He felt spied on, but still found nothing.
Even before the feeling a stare, Aiden felt tired, his mood was the worst. He did it during four days, and he could say that he preferred fight against all the gangs of Gotham at once over this.
Once again, he started his labor. He became known in the quarter after these four days, he received greetings, scoffing of annoyance.
He chose to go deeper in the streets. The back alley was not the best choice, while in civilian clothes, in case of conflict he would have to run like a deer. When you have the power to smash your opponents against the wall or reduce them to meat past in the blink of an eye; It becomes degrading as hell.
Two hours, he did it during two hours. He was attacked by junkies with daggers, kitchen knife, stick, baseball ball, etc. Each time, he run away like a rabbit.
Finally, he found something promising. In the beginning, then it became funny, no hilarious, Aiden could barely hold back his laughter. It started when he went in an old worn-out building.
Dozens of junkies laid on the floor, some with white powder under the nose, some still had a syringe in the arm. The place smelt of smoke and piss.
"Hey, Hey. Never mind." He kicked one of them lightly in the leg, but he didn't react at all, he could be dead it would be the same. No, he was dead. Scanning his body with his detection technique, he didn't felt a heartbeat.
"Hey, Hey." Two more were dead, and three more were in a coma.
After kicking the one who seem in better shape, compared to others. He finally got a response.
When the junkie opened his eye, he showed him the photo. "Do you know who they are?"
He seemed terrified "The camp, they want to steal my truth. The scientist wants to steal my truth!" He got up and started talking at fast speed, walking around him while holding his head with his hands.
"Who want to steal your truth?"
"The scientist, Kobra, they want to steal my truth."
"Kobra like in Kobra cult?"
"Yes, they want to know where is the truth. But only I know." He was howling while scratching his head.
"Where is the truth? You can tell me, I'm your friend."
"Only I know. Powergirl has the truth, and she shared it with Superman."
"Powergirl and Superman are involved in something nasty?" it seemed unbelievable, but his father said that there is always a hidden side. He should consider this possibility.
"Yes." He suddenly approached Aiden, but he stepped back "Powergirl hide the truth in her cleavage, it's so big, she's hiding it but she's showing it. Superman is the same. He wears underwear while flying, and why wear underwear above your clothes? To hide the truth. They stole it from me."
"Good question, but I don't want to see what is under Superman underwear, I would prefer to check Supergirl skirt instead." He barely holds his laughter back and continued his conversation with the junky.
He was stressed lately, and this conversation was the perfect occasion to relax. It continued on and ended after thirty minutes. Leaving the building, Aiden legs were wobbling, he laughed too much, far too much. He cried from laughter.
"I'll have to come back. He should become humorist."
Traversing the back alley from one to another, he was soon surrounded by coated men equipped with guns.
Normal people would be afraid, but he was overjoyed. He recognized the symbol on the coats; it was the Kobra cult. The information's of the junky were true. Internally, he was exclaiming "Maybe I should think to check Powergirl cleavage."
"Hey guys, you took your time, I felt you staring at me since morning." Lifting his hands above his head, he said nonchalantly.
"You will follow us; we have questions for you." A man said in a hoarse voice before throwing a punch in his head.
He could dodge easily, but he was a civilian and his answers are just in front of him. He would gain more by performing the act of the frightened little lamb. When he will get all his answers, he'll discreetly leave.
Receiving the punch, he feigned hurt, and they dragged him in an old van.
Inside the van, it was cramped and he was laying on the floor, tied. Dried bloodstain covered the floor and he smelt another odor, more disturbing which shown that this van wasn't only for kidnapping. Internally he was mad, he would already be on the dark side. "Fucker, once I get my information's, I'll slowly torture, and I'll enjoy it."
"Hey fuckers, can I know what you want?"
Paf. One of them punched him in the face.
"I'll rip your ball and make you eat it." His fury heightened and he couldn't help but mutter in a breath.
"What are you saying?" Fortunately, they don't seem to hear him.
"I've said that we can talk without you punching my head. What do you want? The secret he told me? Okay, I'll tell you the secret is hidden in Powergirl cleavage. I swear."
"Still no answers. Another one. Where are we going? To a private party?"
"Yes, a party and I'll love it you maybe less." One of them spoked gleely, with sadism in his voice and excitation.
His mood hit rock bottom. In appearance. Inside he was laughing like a madman. "I'll love it, far more than you. I'll hear your sweet little screams. At the end of the day, I don't think you'll be able to live normally. You' will end at Arkham as your mind will become as crazy as the Joker, or you'll kill yourself at the second I go away."
This uncomfortable trip took less than ten minutes before the van stopped.
As they dragged him out, he could see an old warehouse at the docks of Gotham City and hear the gulls.
Once inside the warehouse, they put him inside a locked room cramped with a dozen people. All asleep, or more precisely drugged. He tried to wake them up without results.
"You're breaking my heart. I thought it would be only us." He called to them with ridicule through the small aperture at the door.
The guard at the door seems chatty, or he was in a good mood.
"Don't worry, your turn will come."
"It come to my mind. Why didn't you drugged me?"
"Because we need to interrogate you, and we want to hear your screams."
"I prefer to listen to moaning. You see what I mean."
"Don't worry we can do that too."
"Your boss is hot? I have a moral code. My experience told me, hot lady plus moaning mean heaven."
"We'll hear your moans while our drugged dogs will play with your butt." The guard opened the door and pulled him out before sitting him forcefully on a chair.
"Fuck! I wanted to have my answers first and then slip away discreetly. I'll have to interrogate them and kill them. Why did that bastard is in heat?" His thought drifted away pretty fast.
But he was brought back to reality when a woman stepped in front of him.
Her style was uncommon, at least in the building. She was short, Caucasian, and the right half of her head was bald with a black Kobra tattoo. On the other side, she had short red hair. Green eyes, blue lipsticks.
"So, you're the one who is asking questions in town? I want you to tell me why and were you get these photos."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Looking away, he responded flatly.
Paf.Pof.Paf. He received several blows from her which send him and the chair flew away.
"We'll start over. First, I want your name, and then you'll tell me why are you in possession of photos of professor Rickmer and our scientist team." While saying that she put her hand on the floor, and the floor between him and her disintegrated, stopping some inch away from his family jewels.
"You would destroy a treasure of humanity?" His voice sounded high pitched seemingly terrified but inside it was something else "And the Oscar goes to. Me."
"Boastful, are we? I like to destroy pride the most…"
"Sorry. Yes, Shimer, I know your name from TV. I know you are threatening me but I think you should talk to them first." Aiden looked up to show her to the person who had just entered the building.
Robin and Batgirl. Him red and black. Her blue and gold.
"The bat kids. It's been a long time." Shimmer took a fighting stance and all her henchmen aimed their guns at the duo."
"I should have brought popcorn. The show will be great, but the interrogation with the police will be less fun. I hope the new identity Trent gave me is foolproof." Still lying on the floor uncomfortably, he started to worry.
The battle was interesting but one-sided.
Robin began the show in throwing two batarang to the floor. They ejected black smoke and soon the warehouse was clad in black. After that he saw shadows move through the smoke, followed by the grunt of men.
Fortunately, Aiden had his detection technique to follow all the events, otherwise he would be crying. It was the first time he saw heroes fighting against villains at less than five meters of him.
"No, wait. I already saw it once. Batman and his team fought against me. No, I'm not a villain. Am I?"
Just after that, the smoke started to dissipate and he could finally see the fight through his eyes. Batgirl and Robin against Shimmer.
Shimmer was strong and possessed an ability, but it was two against one. Their teamwork was absolutely flawless.
During the fight, holes started to appear on the floor and the walls of the warehouse. Seeing this worried him a bit, the building was pretty old, and all the holes increased the structural fragility.
But his worries soon came to an end, as Shimmer fell unconscious after a kick from Batgirl straight in her face.
"Nicely done. Too bad I couldn't record that."
"Happy to see that you didn't stressed after being kidnapped." Robin talked to him while tying Shimmer. Batgirl untied him and headed for the detention room to check all the victims.
"They were drugged, but should wake up soon." She checked the pulse of the unconscious people before informing Robin."
"The police is on the way. We can let them handle it."
Cables shot out from their wrist's bracelet and left them up in the air. They disappeared just before the arrival of the police forces.
"Police! Don't move!"
Three police cars stopped before the building and police officers stepped in, weapon to the hand.
"Hey calm down! They kidnapped me! I'm a good guy."
"Put your hands up. We'll hear your story later." Aiden left his hands up and did as they said.
They soon found the other victims, tied the bad guys and then everyone was in the way to the police precinct.
Some time later, he was in an interrogation room, in front of him sat the father of his friend.
The room was like in TV series, gray, dull, two chairs, a table, a glass. Not even a poster on the wall, absolutely no fashion sense.
"Hello, I'm commissioner Gordon, I'll lead this interrogatory. I would want to hear what happened, apparently, you were the only one awake among the victims." He gave him a can of soda before introducing himself.
"Hello, sir. Yes, I was awake, tied on a chair as Shimmer was punching face. Then, Robin and Batgirl came and beat her and her henchmen ass. I saw nothing because Robin threw some gas projectile, I only heard the sound. They left just before the arrival of your men."
"Good" he wrote something in a notebook "Do you know why you were kidnapped?".
Aiden was worried, hoping that his new identity holds out with the investigation of the GCPD.
"Like the others, I think. Wrong time, wrong place." Opening the can with a sound of metal he replied flatly to the commissioner. "I was walking in the Bialyan quarter when an old van braked beside me, then the door opened and they dragged me in."
"What did they asked you?"
"Nothing, they didn't really interrogated me. It was more that girl that took her frustration on me." He was pretty confident that none of the members of the Kobra cult that were cuffed would denounce the reason for his kidnapping. They hide the scientists who were in that camp for more than twenty years. Why would they confess to the police? "She may be a sadist. My sole relief is that I saw Batgirl kick her square in the face."
"That's all I had to ask you. You're free to go. For security, there will be a regular patrol over the domicile of all the victims, and don't hesitate to call the police if you see something strange." The commissioner gave him a handshake before guiding him out of the police station.
All the explications from the police and the interrogatories took time.
Seeing the dark sky, he eyed his phone "More than 9:00 AM, and I don't have a car. I'll have to take a cab, walking in the street of Gotham at Night while hiding my power is not the best idea."
He didn't have to wait for long, Gotham is corrupted and has insane criminality rate, but it stays one of the biggest and richest city of the United States.
Sitting in the cab, his thoughts were focusing on the name Shimmer told him while she interrogated him. "Professor Rickmer, I finally got a name."
Back in his apartment, he put the laptop on his bed and sat a sandwich in hand while searching the name of this professor.
He got a lot of results, and they were all more horrible than each other.
"Professor Rickmer, arrested for human experimentation"
"… Inhuman experiments."
"…. Mass murder."
"…. War crimes."
"…. Escaped from prison."
These news were old, most of them were newspaper archives, the last news dated back from twenty years ago.
"So that guy is working for the Kobra cult. I must find them to ask them some questions, but this time it's the Tormentor who will ask the questions, their turn to take the beating."
10:00 AM
Gotham Academy
During three days, the Tormentor made his come-back, to the joy of the media that could wrote as much they wanted.
(The Kobra Cult is good at hiding, it took me three days to find their headquarter at Gotham. I'll go tonight and obtain the location of that asshole.)
"I know from my father that you were kidnapped, but can't you listen in class."
"You said it yourself Barb, I was kidnapped, I was shaken emotionally."
"Really? My father told you were lively at the police station." His gorgeous classmate told him while lifting her eyebrows with a tinge of sarcasm.
"Yes, but you know that I'm hiding my feelings behind a facade. You told it yourself." Aiden made exaggerate gestures and said in a pitiful tone.
"Yes, but I shouldn't have said it, seeing as you use it against me."
"Not so smart, miss Einstein?" A gleeful smile appeared on his lips, it made him please to use her arguments against her.
"How many nicknames did you gave me since we know each other."
"I don't know, maybe. No. Eh. A lot."
"I thought so too. Maybe you should stop. Back to the subject. Why were you kidnapped? Can't you be more careful when you're alone in the streets of Gotham."
"I wanted to ask them if they had the drugs you're taking to boost your brain. Woefully, they didn't had it, but they told me that Lex Luthor should have it with his big brain."
"Can't you be serious a second." Exasperation was showing on her face and tone.
"Error 404. I wasn't programmed for this action." He told her in a robotic tone.
"Why did they rescued you from the Kobra Cult? if they did not, I would have had peace."
9:00 PM
"Here they are my cute little snakes." Aiden finally found their bases after three days of research. "Twelve and they don't seem to have superpowers. Easy." He was eying them from the roof of a building.
Pulling up his hood and tying the cloth around his mouth, he was ready to go.
This time he didn't sneaked around or tried to be stealthy. He entered with a bang. Literally. With a telekinetic push, the door and most of the brick wall was sent flying at high speed.
Booom.
"Twelve opponent, one move. I'm improving." All the men from the Kobra cult were lying on the floor while groaning in pain. "This one is conscious" He lift up one man from the floor with his telekinesis " I want to know where is Professor Rickmer."
The man struggled uselessly while groaning. "I don't know who you're talking about."
He lifted another one, he floated in front of his partner.
"Crack" " Aahh" At once bone-crushing sounds were heard, his four limbs were broken in an odd angle.
"If you don't talk, I'll do the same thing to you. Did you remember something?"
"I swear I don't know. All of us are new and unimportant in the cult. We are at the lowest level."
"Where are those with my information?"
"I don't know. In the cult, no one knows about what did the others. Only the higher up can know this. Some of them will meet a thief in Gotham."
"When and where? "He increased the pressure around the neck of his victim.
" Huh. Now. On the docks"
"If you lie to me, I'll come back and made of your life a nightmare."
Flying up into the sky, he made his way to the docks at his fastest speed. During his flight, he saw a lot of police car around Wayne Tech seems like something happened over here. It took him less than thirty seconds to arrive to the docks where here he heard loud sounds of fights.
Turning his head, he saw the wall of one of the buildings being demolished as some sort of human or monster passing through it. With the low lighting of the docks, he took him to recognize Mammoth from the Kobra Cult. After his bad encounter with them, he memorized every important member.
Sounds of guns echoed inside the building, through the big aperture created by Mammoth, he saw Batman fighting Kobra henchmen's, Shimmer and A smoking hot woman clad in a black tight suit.
"Shimmer? She's already out? Did they build their jail in cheese?" The idea to fight alongside Batman would have pleased him beyond belief in the past. But now, it cooled him down.
He made his way to fight where Batman just kicked Shimmer in the Stomach just before being sent flying by the humongous Mammoth.
"Hey, Batman you seem in bad posture. If I give you a hand, you'll let me interrogate them?"
Looming over Batman he asked him while lending his hand to help him get up.
"Okay, but I want to be there and no torture." Batman responds to him while eying his opponents. They seem to divide the fight against this new foe.
"At least a bit. Otherwise, they won't spill the beans." He protested, but the only thing he got from Batman was a dark stare."… Ok. I take the hot chicks. You take the Monster. As for Shimmer." In a thought he sends her crash against a metal girder at high speed. Taken aback, she had no time to react, and it knocked her unconscious.
He finally got his vengeance against her, the sole negative point is that she didn't know why.
"Sure, but be wary of you "hot chick", she is Nocturna, a vampire, immortal, invulnerable, possess super strength, able to fly, hypnotize and regenerate herself."
"Gorgeous and deadly. Is it normal that I like her more and more?" He scans her up and down while stopping at her shapely curves.
"Focus on your fight, or you will not know how you'll die."
"I know you don't have superpowers, but you could buy a sense of humor." He was a fan of Batman since his first apparition, but he has to admit that he doesn't know how to relax. He should train with Flash for that. "Pretty lady, a dance?"
A smirk came to her face. "Why not? You seem pleasing to the eyes."
She flew up before speeding toward him and punching him in the stomach, but before that he sidestepped and send a knee kick reinforced with his armored telekinesis in her rib.
"It's not a way to treat a woman, it tickles."
"Batman said that you were invulnerable, so I'll have to beat you strongly if I want you to feel it."
"Naughty boy. I'll make you die like my third husband."
"And I'll try my full powers against you. Seeing how you are invulnerable and has regenerative abilities. I should say you are the perfect punching ball."
"I changed my mind. You'll die like my second husband." Her tone darkened, it wasn't playful anymore.
"It means we won't have a passionate night? You're breaking my heart. I'll have to gain small benefits, maybe tearing your suit patch by patch during the fight."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone