Kapitel 52: CHAPTER 48

If you want to read up to 20 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer

Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz

Enjoy!

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[David Lance POV

Nov 2009]

14 Months since the events of the League and Rachel.

I leaped from rooftop to rooftop under the dim light of the night, never losing sight of my target, an assassin that had tried to kill an activist during his sleep, probably hired by some corporate overlord, who I was determined to bring to justice, after capturing his accomplice.

Being one step behind him at all times, I managed to cut him in his tracks, cornering him in a dark alley, leaving the assassin nowhere to go, or so would the average person; because the moment we arrived at the alley, multiple individuals stepped from out of the shadows.

"Give up," The assassin ordered, "You're outnumbered and outmatched."

I sighed, giving the assassin a look that conveyed how amused I was at his statement that brimmed with bravado he couldn't back up.

Evidently reading my look, the assassin hissed, drawing a thin blade from their belt. Soon enough, the rest of his party did the same, drawing their weapons in order to fight me.

I stepped forward, smiling under my mask, while calmly pointing behind him. But before anyone could even register what I had done, a soft voice was heard, and the assassins crumpled to the ground like dominos.

"Numbers don't really matter in situations like these," Rachel, or rather Raven while on the job, said softly, hovering a few feet above the ground.

~Most criminals are dumb,~ I replied; I mean, had they attacked me, their blades and weapons would've shattered against my skin, and that was if they managed to reach my skin, to begin with.

Not many could hurt me as I was now, at least not without an excellent strategy and an even better arsenal of weapons at their disposal.

Puberty was a wonder for superpowered beings.

Not only were my powers increasing on their own, day and night, because I was growing into the body of an adult.

But atop of that, I had been training my body and mind to their very limits, and, well, needless to say; the training was paying off. My abilities, in general, were growing at an exponential rate.

I was now able to do things that a year ago I never would've thought even remotely possible. For one, I could now move at subsonic speeds and had the strength to jump over buildings in a single bound with shocking ease.

And it didn't stop there; my reflexes had improved as well; they were quite possibly the thing that had improved the most, to the point that I could now easily dodge bullets or even deflect them with my bare hands depending on the caliber of the weapon itself; as some types of ammunition were still able to hurt me.

But while my overall powers were increasing a lot with no signs of slowing down in their rate, I was not going to let that blind me. On the contrary, now more than ever, I was determined to hone my skills in order to avoid the power I was acquiring from dulling them.

I couldn't afford to become arrogant or overconfident, not in this life, and especially not if I wanted to keep protecting others.

"Done," Raven announced calmly, gaining my attention. To see she had tied every assassin with so much rope, I was honestly quite surprised they were still breathing.

Wait... were they breathing?

"They are..." Raven replied, almost as if reading my mind.

~From where? They are more rope than humans at this point...~ I replied, pointing out the fact the assassins looked like they were caterpillars inside rope-like chrysalises.

"Hm, I see..." Raven nodded, using her magic to fix the situation.

I still remember the day she had approached me with the idea of becoming a hero with me; I remember being elated. Since that fateful day, she had been patrolling with me most nights while learning under Dinah the basics of the job.

She still had a few things to learn, like how to tie a bad guy up properly without suffocating them in the process or how to fight without magic.

Nevertheless, I had no doubts she would overcome these little things in no time.

"What do you want to do with them?" Raven asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I thought for a few seconds before coming up with an idea; it was perfect, in fact.

~Follow me,~ I said, grabbing a few of the technically mummified assassins with Raven following close behind. ~Can you open a portal to the commissary?~

Raven nodded before sighing in amusement, realizing what I was about to do. "Won't the police commissioner get angry about this?"

I shook my head. ~He finds it... amusing. Besides, he has given me the green lights to do so.~

Without another word, Raven sighed, smiling ever so lightly as she opened a portal to the police station, where I started to throw and hurl the assassins inside the portal like sacks, one after the other.

"I'm sure they'll be quite upset when they wake up and find out what happened," Raven commented as I did my thing.

The corners of my mouth quirked up in a slight smirk under my mask. ~I'm sure they will be,~ I replied, hurling the last one in. ~But their ire will only make them easier to capture if they ever escape jail...~

Raven nodded in agreement. "That's true."

"Kid, what in the actual hell!" The police commissioner growled, stepping through the portal without a care for the world, stomping his way towards me. "You just dropped twelve... humans?" at my nod; he continued, "Twelve human criminals in my precinct's cell! One after the other! Hell! At least text next time!"

~To what number?~ I replied, perking an eyebrow up. While it was true, I had his number, and much more, he hadn't given me that information himself, so I was messing with him a bit.

The commissioner narrowed his eyes at me. "You have access to military-grade weapons, magic, and God almighty knows what else, and you tell me you can't find my phone number... telemarketers do that..."

"He won this one," Raven muttered with a soft nod.

I nodded, admitting defeat. ~I concede to your logic commissioner. Next time I will text.~

At this, the commissioner smiled, pleased with my answer. "Good, now, what exactly am I dealing with back there?" he asked, pointing at the portal, referring to the assassins.

~Assassins, nothing too complicated. Here's the evidence I have against them,~ I replied, handing the commissioner a USB with enough information to convict them.

"Twelve assassins... I swear to God they breed like bunnies," He muttered under his breath, taking the USB before walking back into the portal.

I liked the guy. He was easy to deal with.

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Kapitel 53: CHAPTER 49

If you want to read up to 20 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer

Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz

Enjoy!

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[David Lance POV]

I entered the League's quarters, where Diana and J'onn waited for me for my monthly session of therapy in a small office designed for these situations. As I sat down, we exchanged brief pleasantries before getting down to business at question.

"So, how have things been since we last spoke?" Diana asked, leaning forward ever so lightly.

I thought for a moment before answering. ~Things have been improving steadily, for the most part, I guess. I mean, I've been keeping busy, which helps.~

"That's good to hear," J'onn said with a short nod. "Anything new or exciting that has made you feel better?"

~Well, I've been hanging out with Dinah, Oliver, and Rachel a lot outside the hero stuff, and that's good. Beyond that, I've been training a lot too,~ I replied.

"But the thoughts... still haunt you, don't they?" Diana said softly.

I nodded; after all, when I had decided to embrace therapy to the full extent of its meaning, I had been very aware my problems would take time to fix and that my demons would fight tooth and nail to the very end.

"Can you elaborate on that?" J'onn prompted gently.

~Well, I still have a few nightmares here and there since the Joker's incident,~ I admitted with a sigh. ~Nothing too hard, really. Just memories that come every now and then.~

"That sounds very difficult," Diana said sympathetically. "Is there anything, in particular, that's been triggering these memories?"

I shook my head. ~It's pretty much random. It used to bother me, but now, it's more like an annoyance that wakes me up once every few weeks.~

As the session continued. J'onn and Diana both encouraged me to be more open about how I was feeling and to express myself more freely. Which was something that I had been struggling with for a long time.

They said that I needed to find a way to express myself so that I could release those feelings and not keep them bottled up inside.

They also gave me some valuable advice on how to deal with my emotions, telling me that it was okay to feel sad, angry, or scared at times. That it was normal to feel those things and that what really mattered was how I dealt with those emotions.

Here and there, they would also remind me there was more to life than being a hero. And that while training like I did was admirable, at times could do more harm than good.

An hour or so later, the session concluded, with them finishing our talk with positive feedback about my progress, telling me if things continued this way, I would soon have no need for these sessions, but that regardless of my need for them, they would always be here for me.

Needless to say, I was more than elated to hear that my progress was being recognized by them in some form of sense. It made me feel like all the hard work I was putting into healing was really paying off. And to know that J'onn and Diana would still be there for me if I ever needed them, well, that meant the world to me.

Done with my session, I said my goodbyes to them and left the building feeling both thankful and hopeful. In a certain sense, I felt like I had made progress in understanding myself and my feelings.

As I left the therapy room, ready to take a shower, I found myself face to face with Batman, who stopped me with his hand, wanting to have a talk about my outstanding job dealing with the drug cartel of Los Santos before it took roots in Star City, and subsequently in Gotham.

"Your skills are improving," Batman complimented in his usual dry tone, and I knew immediately he wasn't talking about my physical improvements but my detective work.

~I try,~ I replied with a nod, feeling both surprised, and honored the Dark Knight himself was complimenting me; he wasn't one to... do that much. Superman himself, the man one could argue was his best friend, said that Batman had only given him five compliments since they formed the League, two of which Batman denied were compliments.

"I've been watching you up close as of lately," Batman continued, his eyes narrowing. "You have potential--a lot of it. Which is why I want to train you."

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. Unsure as to what he meant; I mean, so far, he had already been training me here and there. Most of my detective skills came from him, after all, so from my point of view, it didn't make much sense what he was offering unless he was offering me a full-time sidekick position, but while that would make sense, that didn't fit his profile, so what exactly did he mean by 'train me' if he was already training me to begin with?

"I can see the wheels turning in your head," Batman said, correctly guessing my thoughts. "But this isn't about becoming my sidekick or anything like that."

I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that wasn't his intention. I mean, I liked working with him and all, but the thought of being his sidekick full-time was a bit daunting, to say the least. Why?

Well… I had read enough comics to know that was a terrible position to have.

~So what is this about then?~ I asked, still confused about his offer.

"I want to train you so that you can become the best crime-fighter anyone has ever seen," Batman replied without missing a beat. "As I said before, I see a lot of potential in you, and with the right training, I know you can reach great heights."

I was taken aback by his words. ~I'll think about it.~

"Very well," Batman nodded before walking out of sight. I was aware before even thinking about it that what he was offering me was a one-of-a-kind deal; the man was quite possibly the best detective this world had ever seen, and learning from him would undoubtedly help me improve my skills.

But, just as I knew that I knew how my sister would react upon hearing about this offer.

I might have to warn the Dark Knight if I do decide to accept this offer.

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