Chương 69: Chapter 69 Another Death
Gotham City ...
Oh! What was that sound? What someone would usually answer was the sound of gunshots, explosions and whatnot.
It was this terrible city's trademark.
But not tonight, though. The loud noises still existed, but tonight..... Oh tonight, the explosive noises were fireworks.
The dark Gotham sky was lit up with dozens of bright, colorful fireworks as the entire gloomy city fell into a frenzied, festive atmosphere.
People were running up and down the streets, shouting, screaming, spinning their shirts around.
People knelt on the floor and cried. Nothing unusual, but this time, these were tears of joy.
Be it gangsters, thugs, goons, regular civilians, all of them jumped up and down and hugged each other without reservation.
In the history of Gotham, this was truly a sight to behold.
If placed in any other city in the United States, the first thought would be that America won the world cup.
But for people in Gotham, that was nowhere near enough to warrant this level of hysteria.
Yellows and reds and blues sparkling through the smog, hope piercing through a veil of heaviness that had plagued the city's good citizens and the bad alike.
He was dead.
That Goddamn clown was no more.
The Joker was dead, and there could be no greater cause for celebration. On the following day, the whole city was immersed in its joyous atmosphere and a certain mutual understanding had been born.
Today, there were no thugs, no goons, no murders, no stealing, no mugging, no gang wars, no cartel trades... Nothing.
It almost seemed as if all of Gotham's filth had been swept down the gutter and crime had come to a standstill. It was incredible.
Of course this was just temporary, but today.... Just for today..... Even the criminals felt other actions apart from celebration and cheer were unnecessary.
The Joker was so hated that the day the clown died was enough to be declared a respected date on the national calendar.
Honestly, if Luthor wasn't the current president, whoever was would definitely make it official.
The video had gone viral.
#JokerIsDead
One of the most trending hashtags in the United States and many countries worldwide.
This was due to the fact that the Mad clown also took vacations every now and then. And wherever his foot stepped on, he made sure to leave a lasting impression.
So the video of his demise by fire was unprecedentedly popular.
Nothing could be better... Or so Gotham citizens thought... But that's not my problem now, is it?
No.
While I admit that I also got a lot of unwarranted exposure from this incident, I couldn't care less.
The eyes on my body had risen by so many levels.
Countless speculations, special reports and blah blah blah blah blah.....
Honestly, I feel like these are all a waste of time. Joker unknowingly tried to kill me, and so, I killed him back. End of story.
The clown got what he deserved, and this matter should be over. Too bad, he didn't seem to think so.
And by "he"....
.....
United States
Metropolis
"Alright, let's talk". Clark said with a stern expression on his face.
Yep, you know who I mean. Superman..... Or currently Clark Kent.
We didn't talk on the night of Joker's death. At that time, he had too many things to deal with.
Some important notes though, Barbara survived. Yes, like her original fate, she would never be able to walk again.
No surprises on that part.
Couldn't care less, though. Clark spoke, but my gaze was fixed on the TV screen hung on the wall a few meters away from our table.
You could guess where we were simply because Clark wasn't on uniform. A standard everyday Café somewhere in Metropolis.
The fact that he wasn't though, meant a lot of things. For one, he wasn't planning on taking me to jail for Joker's death.
The city was still as nice as I remembered it.
There was a news report going on about me right that moment, mentioning the events of that night. The video view count was already breaking seven digits in such a short time.
"Oh… Listen to this one. Should The Deviant be considered a hero?" I remarked with a bit of amusement.
Clark listening frowned slightly.
"No.... Honestly, I don't think people should consider you a hero at all".
Clark said lightly.
"Oh! Then do tell me why you.... You know what, never mind". The desire to know the answer waned rapidly. I didn't care to know why, or more like I knew why but didn't care anyway.
If I asked, Clark would probably say something like, "Because you don't consider yourself a hero at all".
Classic Superman line. Short, precise and still polite.
Batman, on the other hand, would definitely say it as blunt as possible, stating several sets of reasons the average superhero most likely couldn't even think of.
"Because you're not a hero, you have the power but no motivation. You have literally no sense of mercy and proportion by my standards. Furthermore, if I were to break down on the many reasons why you're not suitable on an emotional level, we'd be here for a month". Yep, stuff like that.
But they would be right about one thing. I most certainly wasn't.
"By the way, are you sure it's ok to be out in the open like this.
Clark pushed up his glasses slightly, looking a bit dignified.
"Relax pal, it works the same way your glasses do. As long as I don't want to be noticed, ordinary people will subconsciously ignore my existence".
"... I can see that". Looking at the moving customers treating them as if they were air, Clark felt slightly reassured.
"Ok, why here?" I couldn't help but ask, seeing as the conversation wasn't going anywhere yet.
"We could have done this at literally better locations. The Watchtower, The Cave, I mean.... Your apartment would do just fine". Clark's face scrunched up at that last one.
"I prefer to keep hero work out of my personal life. Besides, I thought this would be a better location".
He ended there. I didn't say anything to keep the conversation going. Just stared at him lightly with no signs of impatience.
And so, a quiet staring contest started without the realization of those around us.
About a minute and a half passed by before he finally broke the silence.
"Thank You".
He uttered as he lowered his head slightly.
"I don't follow".
"For Kara".
Ok, now I do follow. A bit surprised but when coming from the Man Of Steel, it wasn't completely unexpected.
"I see you've gotten to know each other". I said with a gesture.
"But there's no need to thank me. I didn't do much. Plus, I had my motives for helping in the first place".
"I know. She filled me in on the fact that you took samples of her DNA". I could see his eyebrows narrow.
Clark looked at me intensely.
"I'd ask, but I doubt you would tell me. I also doubt that I'd like what I hear if you did".
"Have some more confidence and remove the "doubt". Because trust me, you won't".
His right hand squeezed into a light fist. Saw that coming.
I found it quite amusing to irritate him. Same with the little blonde.
"Like I said, thank you. Kara might be the only blood relative I have left. For taking care of her, even only for a short time, you have my thanks….".
His word made me raise an eyebrow. I was waiting for the twist.
"But still....". And it certainly didn't disappoint.
"There are some things that need to be set straight". His voice took an even more serious tone.
"Like?" I reached out for the Espresso on my side of the table. Clark paused as he watched me bring it to my mouth and take a sip.
"Are you going to kill anyone else?"
Ok, that was a loaded question. Expected, but still. I raised an eyebrow while bringing the mug back to my lips again.
"Depends". I answered.
"On what". He certainly didn't like that answer. Judging by the increasing frown on his face.
"The situation".
There was a brief silence.
"You can't go around killing people".
"I have done no such thing. He was an exception, well within my principles". I replied indifferently.
This was a bit... odd. Normally, I wouldn't sit down to have this kind of chat for so long.
Would I?
Honestly, I don't even know anymore.
"I believe, by now, you should know a bit about me. I don't provoke when I'm unprovoked. So as long as I'm not affected by someone's plans directly or indirectly, your villains can massacre the masses for all I care". That was my last word before I took a drink.
He stopped. Apparently, my words stung a bit.
"I'm afraid you'll find it difficult to continue your undisturbed life. You killed The Joker for everyone in the world to see. My guess is, you're already being targeted". This was what Clark was afraid of.
The Justice League had already guessed that a secret organization (The Light) was the mastermind behind several events they had experienced.
The public mayhem Joker had unleashed was somewhat suspicious. It would be fine if they were mistaken but if not, I would certainly fall into their view.
If some maniac decided to test my bottom line, only God knows how everything would eventually play out. The highest likely ending would be more deaths.
Not just villains. The American government was already looking in my direction.
The Joker was a criminal, there was no arguing that fact. But his life and death status should have been under the control of the government.
And the way I just killed someone in public view was undoubtedly stepping on their toes.
If I could do it to Joker, I could do it to anyone who messed with me.
This was why he was uneasy.
Judging from the last conversation he had with that fat lady, Clark was inexplicably worried.
"So you haven't found a way to stop me?" I shot.
"Without causing mass destruction and the death of millions? No. At this point, I can only hope to make a convincing argument". He shot back.
True. I had no general weaknesses to speak of.
Banishing me to another dimension was out of the question.
Conflict with the League would eventually lead to a large-scale fight. Such clash with beings on Superman's level was capable of erasing a city in minutes if care wasn't taken.
At that time, regardless of who won, the loss wouldn't be worth it.
Worth it for them.
This was something Superman didn't want to see.
I gave him a profound look before moving my gaze away.
"If you don't want me to go kill anyone, there's a simple solution".
"And what might that be?"
"Make sure your villains keep their plots to themselves and your government leaves their funny ideas at that. Nothing more than funny ideas". I replied plainly.
"Let's not waste any more time than necessary. Your views of right and wrong are fundamentally different from mine. In the sense that you only see your beliefs on right and wrong, while I see neither".
My tone wasn't easygoing anymore.
"You believe that all life is precious, and no man is entitled to take the life of another. I on the other hand, have no such tolerance for an attempt on my life. I won't simply bow my head and wait for one annoyance after another to pester me". The Espresso was finally finished.
"It's that simple. You can endure someone repeatedly trying to kill you while I can't".
Clark's face was slightly grave, but he couldn't say anything else.
I had conveyed my condition to him as best as I could. As long as I wasn't the one looking for trouble, then I wouldn't tolerate anyone pulling me into it.
Human beings were complicated creatures with complicated moral standards. Upholding myself to those standards was nothing more than a fools' errand.
If they were entitled to plot against my life, then I had the right to end theirs.
"But allay your worries. Like I said, the Joker was an exception. If something like that happens again, you can rest assured that I won't kill them".
I raised my head up to see Clark's stunned expression.
What was going on? Am I hearing right? Is there some kind of trickery involved here?
I could guess the numerous thoughts fleeting through his mind right now. Clark definitely never expected to hear these words from me.
"You're serious?" Clark questioned with scrutiny.
"Of course. I'm not a murderous maniac. I won't just go about killing everyone who has wronged me".
Clark looked at me with a bit of doubt and surprise. This, was truly unexpected.
"After all, there are many things worse than death". However, my next words caused his expression to solidify.
The indifferent expression was no joke
Looking at my facial features, The Man Of Steel felt a slight chill. Looks like this was going to be harder than he initially thought.
Ring!
"You.....". His words came to a halt before he could utter them. Seeing his ringing phone, Clark frowned slightly before answering.
"Hello. Yes, this is Cla.. Wait, Arrow, slow down. What's happening?"
The frown on his face grew deeper. His gaze shifted towards me for a split second before moving away.
Now that piqued my interest.
I couldn't help being puzzled. Another emergency call?
"I see.... Of course, I'm available. I'm on my way". Those were his last words before he ended the call.
"Emergency call?" I asked.
"Yes".
"Then I guess we're done here". I uttered nonchalantly, about to get up from my seat.....
"Actually, no".
"Huh?"
Looking at my expression that carried slight confusion, Clark picked up the hat on the table and stood up.
"This way". He said before turning around towards the exit.
I narrowed my eyes slightly. Seeing his departing figure, I got up as well and followed.
The Café was quickly left behind by both of us. Eventually, we turned into an alley.
"Follow me". Putting both hands on his clothes, he slightly exerted his strength and the buttons came undone, showing his super suit underneath.
"Why?" The scene in front of me was puzzling.
"There was an accident at Star Labs in Central City". He replied.
"Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow. He couldn't be serious.
"Not my problem".
"Actually, it is".
"Huh?"
"Something..... Or someone you've apparently crossed paths with". Clark said seriously.
"You'll understand soon enough. Just follow me". Those were his last words before he blasted to the skies.
"Yeah..... No". I said, not minding the fact that he wasn't in my presence. He took off before I could even give an answer, expecting me to follow.
So, that's on him. Besides, he could probably hear me.
"You should go with him, sir". The voice of my AI fell into my ears just as I was about to turn around.
"Seriously?"
"It will be of interest to you".
"Ok, I gotta see this".
And so, my figure disappeared from the alley at a speed surpassing sound.
.....
Two minutes Later
Star Labs
Central City.
"Ok, this is definitely interesting".
Looking at Zoom's shrivelled corpse, my eyes lit up with curiosity.
....
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