บท 309: Leveling the Playing Field #309
Several days later
"Hello, Gray..." Kara said, softly smiling as she landed on top of the Wayne Tower. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting," She added, tilting her head as she looked at the young man.
"Not at all... I just arrived a couple of seconds earlier," Grayson replied as he shook his head and returned the blonde Kryptonian's smile. "I take it you have an answer for me, then?" He calmly added.
"I've thought a lot about what you said..." Kara replied with a nod. "And I realized you intend to change this world and make it into the image of your old world..." She added, and her words sounded like a question rather than a statement.
"Not really..." Grayson replied, shaking his head. "The two worlds are too different for that to happen... it's practically impossible..." He calmly went on as he shrugged his shoulders.
"I simply want to level the playing field..." The young man continued, his tone turning grave. "My old world wasn't perfect. Heck, it was a bloody mess..." He added with a chuckle.
"However, it was a mess for the regular man to sort out... the depletion of natural resources, crime, war, racism, you know, the usual stuff," Grayson explained. "All of which the regular folks could solve on their own in time..." He added with a sigh.
"But it's different here... there's gods, demons, aliens, alien demon gods, and everything in between..." He went on, causing the blonde to raise an eyebrow. "No offense," He added, causing her to chuckle.
"What I'm trying to say is, the average Joe can't do anything about any of it... they can only rely on people like us to act on their behalf..." Grayson elaborated in an earnest tone. "But the thing is, we can't be everywhere at every time... the stronger I grow, the more I believe in that," He added, shaking his head.
"No matter how hard we try... some villain or the other will show up when we least expect and wreak havoc..." The young man said with a sigh. "But what if the average Joe isn't average anymore...?" He asked as he turned to Kara, looking her straight in the eye.
"You see, I don't want to make this wonder-filled world into a plain, boring one like my old world ..." He explained with a severe expression. "I want to make it so that everyone gets their fair share of wonder..." He added in a meaningful tone.
"You want to give superpowers to everyone?" Kara asked with a frown, to which Grayson firmly nodded. "But you'd be enabling villains... it's madness..." She went on, and her grimace grew more pronounced as she spoke.
"True... but for every bad guy who gets my power, ten more good people would..." Grayson replied with a smile. "There are many psychopaths out there waiting for an opportunity to act on their twisted fantasies... and the power I gave them might be just that..." He added, trailing at the end of his sentence.
"But there are even better out there who'd be willing to stop them, and with the powers, I'll give them, they'll have the means..." Grayson said with a confident look. "And that corny talk is coming from someone who lives in Gotham..." He added with a chuckle.
"If even the wretched assholes who live here can change for the better, come together, and help each other at times of crisis, then no place in this world is truly hopeless," He concluded.
"But how is that better than the current situation?" Kara asked, clearly unconvinced. "You will only be unleashing more villains and heroes on the world... nothing will change..." She added, shaking her head.
"You're half right. There will be more villains and heroes in the world," The young man calmly replied. "But nothing will be the same as everyone will have a chance to fight back..." He added with a smile.
"Regardless of their circumstances, any regular civilians will be able to defend themselves from villains at least... everyone will be on the same level..." Grayson went on. "There will be those too lazy and incompetent, but I can't help those who won't help themselves..." He added, regretfully shaking his head.
"There will be chaos and mayhem for a while... but everything will sort itself out... eventually..." He concluded.
"This..." Kara said with a frown. "This is what I can't understand... these are people, human lives you're talking about, gray..." She added, her tone growing sharp.
"Everything will sort itself out, you say? And how many people will have to die before it happens?" She asked through gritted teeth. "How can you speak about the death of others so casually?!" She asked.
"No one has to die, not really..." Grayson replied, emphasizing his words as he spoke. "Only those who refuse to save themselves would... I can't save everyone. no one can, Kara..." He added, shaking his head.
"That's not fair, Gray..." Kara said, her expression sinking at Grayson's words. "Not everyone can be a fighter, and you know it..." She added, looking him straight in the eye.
"The world isn't fair, and no. I don't know that..." Grayson replied with a scoff. "If a regular guy like me can do it, then everyone should be able to do the same, granted they try at least..." He went on.
"There has to be another way!" Kara said as she shook her head, refusing to acknowledge Grayson's words. "You can't throw away people's lives like that!" She added.
"As I've said... I'm not throwing away anyone's life..." Grayson calmly replied. "Trust me, I've thought about it long and hard. It is the only way forward..." He added, his tone carrying an unshakable resolve.
"If this is the path you intend to walk, then I can't walk it with you..." Kara replied after a momentary pause. "I won't try to stop you, but I won't be praying for your success either..." She added as she turned away from the young man.
"Goodbye, Grayson..." She concluded as she jumped into the air and flew away, leaving the young man alone as he watched her depart before letting out a heavy sigh.
"Goodbye, Kara..."
...
Several hours later
"Yer here drinking again..." Harley said with a grin as she walked up to me from behind. "I'm guessin' it slipped away again, didn't it...?" She asked as she sat beside me on the roof's ledge.
"The semblance of it, yes..." I said as I dawned the bear in my hand in one gulp and threw it away. "Not that I didn't see that coming," I added with a sigh as I opened another one.
"So what are ya planning to do?" Harley said as she helped herself to a beer without hesitation. "Are ya ready to give up and take it as it is...?" She asked as she took a sip.
"Not on your life..." I replied with a chuckle. "I'm not that weak-willed, Harley...I'll just have to look elsewhere..." I added as I turned to the crazy blonde, raising an eyebrow.
"Then yer more resilient than me... I'll give ya that much," Harley replied, shaking her head. "So, yer gonna actually drink it away, or will ya just keep gozzlin' down the stuff?" She asked, shaking a beer can in my face.
"Eh, what the hell? I said with a sigh as I activated my Personal Chemistry and altered my metabolism, or rather my alcohol tolerance, to be more precise. "I could do with a break..." I added as I downed the beer can in my hand before going for another.
"Now we're talking, pal. Let's get this party started...!"
...
I grunted as I slowly opened my eyes, feeling a headache. "I didn't miss hangover... at least I got into my bed somehow..." I muttered, messaging my forehead as I flushed the alcohol out of my system.
As the headache slowly subsided, my senses returned, and I froze as I felt a slight weight pushing down on my torso. I looked down at my chest and saw a slender, pale arm resting on it.
'My first hangover in this world, and I'm already regretting it...' I mused as I followed the hand and saw a bare-chested Harley sleeping on the other side of the bed with a blissful smile on her face.
'I need to get out of here...' I barely resisted the urge to groan as I slowly turned my body, only to freeze as my shoulder sank into something soft and squishy. 'You got to be kidding me...' I mused as I turned around and saw Lady Vic lying on the other side of the bed.
Suddenly, she started moving, and I instantly panicked, prompting me to retrieve my Motherbox and teleport away.
...
Grayson's hideout
As he sat on the couch with Little Soot on his lap, Martian Manhunter smiled as he fed the small feline one treat after the other, causing him to purr as he devoured the food with gusto.
Suddenly, a loud sound echoed in the living room, accompanied by a bright blue color, prompting Martian Manhunter to stop as he turned to investigate the strange rift.
"Hello. I've been meaning to talk--" Martian Manhunter said, promptly freezing as a stark naked Grayson suddenly appeared from within the rift before him. "Crazy night?" He asked with an amused smile.
"I don't wanna talk about it..." Grayson replied with a groan as clothes suddenly appeared over his body. "I'll be taking that, thank you very much," He asked, sighing as he sat on the couch and snatched the little feline from the green alien's lap.
"So... what can I do for you, J'onn?" The young man asked as he patted the black cat's back, heaving a sigh of relaxation.
"It's about Kara..." Martian Manhunter said with a sigh. "She suddenly left Earth without saying anything... I was hoping you could shed some light on her departure...." He added with a thoughtful frown.
"I'm afraid I can't help you there..." Grayson replied with a shrug. "We.. got into an argument... we're no longer together..." He went on as he cleared his throat, prompting the green alien to raise an eyebrow.
"I'm truly sorry to hear that, Grayson..." Martian Manhunter said after a momentary pause as he waited for the young man to elaborate, but the latter had no such intentions. "Perhaps, you'd like to speak about it?" He asked with an urging expression.
"It's not a big deal, and I really don't wanna talk about it, J'onn," Grayson firmly replied, and the green alien said nothing in response as he continued to look at the young man with a raised eyebrow.
"We just didn't see eye-to-eye... we don't want the same things, and that's that..." He added, relenting with a sigh as he awkwardly scratched his head. "There, you happy now?" He asked, glaring at the green-skinned alien.
"That isn't the word I'd use..." Martian Manhunter replied with a heavy sigh of his own. "But I will drop the subject if you wish..." He went on, to which Grayson firmly nodded, much to his exasperation.
"Then I will take my leave, but if you change your mind..." The green alien said as he stood up. "You know how to contact me..." He added as he jumped into the air and flew straight through the ceiling, leaving Grayson alone with his cat.
"I guess it's just you and me again, little guy..." Grayson said with a smile as he caressed Little Soot's head, causing the black feline to purr in satisfaction.
...
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