章節 60: CHAPTER 59
[Jason Todd's POV]
I've been searching for the guy with white hair for the past few day, since the incident the other day I had been using everything at my disposal to search for him.
At first I did not get anything concerning him, the system had a hard time finding a match for him within the city. I expanded my search on him and I finally got an info on him.
The mysterious white-haired stranger was from Central City and went by the name Tom. Unfortunately, he had been involved in a tragic accident, which resulted in him being diagnosed with amnesia just last year. How he ended up in Gotham and what his purpose was here was still a mystery to me.
Despite my best efforts, Tom's past remained a mystery. It was perplexing to discover that apart from renting a property a month ago, he had no other record in Gotham. The surveillance cameras that usually captured every activity in the city seemed to have barely any footage of him, as if it had been deleted or he had an extraordinary talent for evading them.
As I dug deeper, I found no records of him being a meta-human or having a criminal history. It was as if he was a ghost, existing in the shadows and deliberately covering his tracks.
If I hadn't had that fight with him the other day, I would have thought he was something like your boring everyday citizen but one who hardly left their house.
I decided to pay him a little visit that evening, he entered the yard the same time as I did so I did not go inside. Instead I hid myself on a tree located by his house and observed him come down from his bike but he suddenly stopped advancing and asked whoever was hiding to come out in the open.
There was no one else there and It was obvious he was talking specifically to me. I jumped down in a stealthy fashion and did not make a sound as I made contact with the ground and leaned on his bike, yet he noticed my presence and turned around to face me.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" The first words that came out from his mouth weren't welcoming, not even by a bit.
"What do you think? I tracked your ass here."
"Why?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow, then took a look at me from my head down to my feet and then to my head again as if he was accessing me.
"To settle the score from last time." I brought out my battle staff and took a battle stance, I wasn't willing to be caught off guard.
He signed as he smacked his right hand against his forehead, he didn't see me to pose any kind of threat to him and that was a huge slap on my pride.
I got angry by the thought of that and hurled two batarang at him, one targeted his left side while the other went for the right. I immediately threw another straight at him, I wanted to see if that force-field of his had a blindspot.
They bounced off on contact with the field and the one I threw that targeted his chest was suddenly sent back as if it got deflected by him after it touched the field, I dodged it and darted towards him, then hurled two explosive batarangs at him.
On impact with his shield they exploded, I diverted my approach and was behind him. As I was in the motion of striking him from behind, he tilted his head a little and gave me an irritated look.
My staff bounced off the field and threw me a few paces back. Even with the distraction and smoke from the explosive, he didn't move an inch or look around for me the moment he noticed I was out of his sight. Instead turned to look at me before my stick could hit his filed as if he always knew my position.
"What kind of fool gets his ass handed to him, and comes back for more without learning anything from the previous ass whooping." He said as he made a full turn to face me. "A fight with you is boring if you can't even touch me, in my mind currently I have so many possibilities of things I could do to you from a distance, but that would seem too one sided and look like I'm kicking a stray puppy."
He was right, how do you fight a person that you can't touch. I had thought of that already while preparing to confront him, in order for him to keep up the field he would need to focus to maintain it.
As Tom stood in the yard, I made my move, hurling three sonic devices at his feet. I knew the frequency they emitted was capable of making the ear drums of their target bleed, so I had clogged by ears to protect them from the sonic waves.
However, to my surprise, Tom seemed to withstand the effects of the devices with relative ease. Although he initially appeared to be in pain, he quickly recovered, closing his eyes for a few seconds before standing up straight with his hands in both pockets. He looked at me with a more relaxed, yet still irritated expression on his face.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. How was he able to withstand the sonic attack? Did he have some kind of superhuman ability that made him immune to sonic waves?
As I stood there, still reeling from the attack, the sonic devices suddenly rose into the air and launched towards me. I barely had time to react before they directed their attack at me, causing me to groan in pain.
Quickly, I pulled out my battle staff and used it to destroy the devices. But even as I did so, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was in over my head with this white-haired stranger.
Tom looked at me with a mixture of annoyance and frustration. "Seriously man, what do you want from me?" he asked. "This is getting a little too embarrassing, I mean for you at least."
I knew I had to tread carefully with Tom, It was clear that he was more powerful than I had initially thought.
"I want payback for what you did to me last time." I blurted out, feeling my frustration going through the roof as I couldn't even mask it in my voice. I clenched my fists, feeling a surge of anger wash over me. I was extremely powerless against this guy, none of my attacks had any kind of effect on him, they didn't even make contact with him or make him take our fight seriously.
"Payback you say…" He stroked his chin and pondered something. "So if I rough you up way more than I did last time, then you'll be able to get it through that thick skull of yours of how inferior you really are." A smile grew wide across his cheeks as his voice sounded a little sinister as his chill personality suddenly started to turn into an excited one but with a psychotic look in his eyes.
He stretched out his left hand and a stone flew into his hand, almost as if he called out to it.
The look in his eyes the moment he got hold of the stones had me stumble backwards a little, his pupils suddenly had a hint of red to them. Which was terrifying because his white hair, his red eyes and the look he was having on his face now had him looking like he was suddenly possessed by some demon from hell.
He effortlessly threw a stone located at a reasonable distance from us and near a fence wall. At first I wondered what he was trying to do, aiming at an empty space when his opponent was right in front of him.
I heard two sounds of contacts, one following after the other. To my surprise the stone passed through the tree and hit the wall behind it and from the sound it gave, I was sure the stone was stuck in the wall.
This sudden presence and action sent chills down my spine as it seemed like he was finally going to strike back, and this time was going to put in a little effort. I subconsciously took a huge gulp.
"Now your turn." He said with a grin of his face as he slowly turned to me, while a handful of stones hurled themselves into his hand.
[Tom's Hendricks POV]
I currently held five stones in my hands, my excitement brewing as I saw the look on his face, I was about putting Boy Wonder in his place. Fuck, I got too excited that it had me rhyming. "Let me show you just how easy it would be to kill you if I ever intended to." I took a stone to my right and as I felt the stone my brain started working some calculations according to what I was about to do: The mass of the stone, the air resistance, the distance between myself and my target, the trajectory at which the stone needed to travel to arrive at each point, the force needed.
All these calculations took place within a millisecond and sometimes I don't bother with the calculations because immediately I input the thoughts, my brain starts calculating and once it's done my body follows through.
I launched the stone at Robin but just before it left my hand I increased the acceleration, leaving him no chance to react to my attack. Before he could put up his guard, the stone flew by his head and grazed his face.
He whimpered in fear as he slowly reached for his face and looked at his bloody glove. His eyes wide opened wide open and his feet seemed like they wouldn't move. Mainly because I held him in place by manipulating the wind around him and made a slight increase to the effect of gravity on him and he couldn't move reflexively like he normally does.
I hurled three more at him and they each grazed different parts of him. One grazed his left thigh, another made a shallow graze to the right side of his neck, while the last made a slice through his left ear.
The look on his face was divine, I burst into a psychotic type of laughter from the sight of it. He stood there frozen, I was no longer influencing his motor skills in any way so I could tell it was from the fear I had etched into his brain.
He regained himself and jumped backwards, increasing the distance between us as he regained a bit of his composure.
As he tried to steady himself, I sent a stone at him but with a force his body could withstand. As the stone came in contact with him, he was knocked off his feet and sent flying into a nearby tree. His head hit the trunk hard, he slowly reached for his head with an arm, as if he had felt a sharp pain shoot through his skull.
He struggled to get back up as I calmly approached him. I stopped in front of him and looked down at him with a mix of amusement and contempt.
"You still haven't learned your lesson, have you?" I said, my voice dripping with disdain. "I could kill you right now, and no one would even know. But I won't. Not because I'm feeling merciful, but because you're not worth the trouble."
"What are you?" He asked with genuine curiosity and fear in his tone.
"Me?... Let's just say I'm the thing you never want to piss off, just get out of here before I end up taking things up a notch."
Maybe after this he'd piss his pants and report me to his daddy for bullying him and I'm sure Batman would assume it to be scuffle between kids because I have no criminal records of some sort, or he'd hold on to what little shred of pride he has left and just accept his inferiority.
"Oh and, don't breathe a word of this to Batman or anyone. If he comes for me and disturbs my peace, I'll find you and I'll show you what I'm really capable of.
And trust me when I say you haven't seen a glimpse of what I can really do." I turned around and walked in the direction of my door when I stopped and tilted my head a little to see Robin still standing there. "Now move along and don't let me see you in my yard again, because I can promise you that you will absolutely regret it." After that I walked away as he picked up his battle staff and he shot his grapple gun into the night air and zipped away.
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章節 61: CHAPTER 60
Tom's peaceful slumber was abruptly interrupted by the sound of his bedroom door opening and closing. He was immediately on edge, as he knew he had locked the front door and lived alone. Squinting in the darkness, he saw the silhouette of a woman standing at the foot of his bed. She was dressed in a skin-tight, black suit with knee-high boots and a goggled cowl that resembled a pair of feline ears.
'Fuck, not only did I get a visit from Robin but now Catwoman too.' He thought to himself. As she began to snoop around, rifling through his belongings, Tom pretended to be asleep. But then he couldn't resist the opportunity to mess with her.
"You know it's quite rude to wake up a man in the middle of the night, right?" he said, startling her and causing her to jump into a defensive stance. Upon hearing his voice, she immediately jumped into a defensive stance.
"Hello Selina," Tom greeted as he sat up in bed, now facing the night prowler.
"Great, Tommy, you're awake," Selina replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice. She had probably hoped to slip in and out of the house unnoticed. She relaxed her posture slightly, but still kept her guard up, unsure of what Tom might try to do.
He stood up, put on his flip-flops, and walked to the kitchen. Selina followed him at a slow pace.
He began preparing coffee and gestured for her to take a seat. He knew it was going to be a long night, so it was better to catch up over a cup of coffee. "Coffee?" he offered..
"Sure, why not." She said in an exasperated and sarcastic manner as she took off her cowl.
Tom filled two mugs with hot coffee and extended one over to her, she kept her gaze on Tom as she slowly took it from his hand.
"So, what brings you to my humble home this time of the night." He asked as he took a seat on the couch and drew a sip from his mug.
"I wanted to get more information on you, at least know the real you and not the one who comes over at the bar. You haven't stayed in this city for up to two months and you knew I was Catwoman, I want to know how you knew who I was."
Tom raised an eyebrow, "You want to know how I knew who you were? That's quite an interesting question coming from a woman who wears a skin-tight suit and prowls the city at night."
Selina rolled her eyes, "Cut the crap, Tom. I'm serious."
Tom let out a sigh and took another sip of his coffee.
"Um…well what can I say? I know a few things and yet I know nothing."
"What a messed up thing to say." She said with a raised eyebrow. Tom chuckled, "I know, it's a bit cryptic. But honestly, I don't know everything about you or your life as Catwoman. I just have a good sense of observation and intuition."
Selina nodded, "Fair enough. But I still find it intriguing that you were able to figure out my true identity so quickly."
Tom shrugged, "I suppose it's just one of my many talents." He took another sip of his coffee as he awaited her next question.
"So tell me, why are you in Gotham?" Tom leaned back on the chair, taking a deep breath before responding."I'm just trying to figure things out, you know? I needed a change of scenery and Gotham seemed like a good place to start. Plus, there are some interesting characters around here."
Selina raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Interesting characters? Like who?"
Tom chuckled. "Like you, for starters. And there are others, people with secrets, people with a past. I'm just trying to piece everything together."
Selina leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "And what about me? What have you pieced together about me?"
Tom took another sip of his coffee before responding. "I know that you're more than just a cat burglar. I know that you have a code, that you only steal from those who can afford it. And I know that there's more to your story than meets the eye."
Selina was silent for a moment, considering his words. "You're an interesting one, Tom. I'll give you that."
Taking another sip from her coffee, Selina went ahead to ask another question. "So what's the deal with your powers anyway?" She casually asked Tom.
"Hold up, that's way too many questions from you for one night. Now it's my turn to ask questions of my own." He suddenly had a serious look on his face as the atmosphere became tense.
"Sure, what would you like to know?" She dropped her mug on the table and prepared to carefully answer the questions he had for her.
He gazed at her intently for a few moments before breaking into a fake smile. "Don't worry, I'll save those questions for another time." Tom appeared to hold back his inquiries, as if contemplating the consequences.
"Come on, Tommy, you can ask me anything," she pressed on flirtatiously, eager to discover what he might be curious about.
"Don't worry, cupcake, everything in due time," he teased with a grin." "That's no fun, you're killing the mood, Tommy," She sighed in relief, the tension that had been building suddenly evaporating. She was uncertain of what Tom knew and what he didn't. His mind was an enigma to her, a puzzle she tried to solve.
Selina had been wondering why Tom spent so much time at a bar frequented by Gotham's seedier types. She hoped to find some answers when she snuck into his house that night, but all she got were evasive responses and a half-hearted lie. Or so she thought. Him changing the topic the moment she asked about his powers made her question if he was actually telling the truth.
"Well, I didn't find what I was looking for and it'll be morning soon. I should be going now, Tommy. Let's just forget about the fact that I snuck into your house in the middle of the night."
"I don't know if I can forget about that so easily," Tom said with a mischievous grin. "You do look pretty hot in that outfit of yours. I might have to thank you for the view." Selina rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but feel a thrill at Tom's playful banter.
"Um... I knew you were a bit of a flirt, but I had no idea you had such a naughty streak," Selina remarked with a sly smile.
"What can I say? I like to keep things interesting," Tom replied with a playful wink.
Selina laughed, but quickly composed herself. "As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I should probably get going. Thanks for the coffee."
"Fair enough. Just one thing, though," Tom said as Selina stood up to leave. "Next time, could you maybe knock before you break into my place?" Selina smirked. "No promises." She turned the doorknob and stepped out into the night.
Tom smiled as he remembered the look she had on her face before leaving. She always put up a confident and sexy front, but he had caught a glimpse of something new in her. For a brief moment, he had seen a blush on her cheeks before she left his place.
As he poured himself another cup of steaming coffee, he couldn't help but relish the aroma that filled his senses. With the caffeine coursing through his veins, he decided to seize the day and grab his laptop. After all, if he couldn't go back to sleep, he might as well make some progress on his work.
He checked on his website and he noticed the growing absurdity of the requests being made. Some were innocuous enough, but others were creating scientific gadgets that could have been lifted straight from a villain's origin story. He couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Was he inadvertently helping to create future menaces to society?
The idea was both amusing and disturbing. On the one hand, he was proud of the innovative ideas that were being generated. On the other hand, he couldn't shake the feeling that some of these creations might ultimately do more harm than good. But it won't affect him in any way, so he wasn't bothered.
Other requests might render a lot of people jobless, while it might eventually help some people earn a couple bucks. If they were smart enough, they'll make millions off it. All they needed to do was ask the right questions for each idea they had.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." He muttered. Some requests seemed risky, which might potentially result in job loss for certain individuals or industries. But what if the risk is worth the reward? What if asking the right questions could lead to millions in profit?
In a world where opportunity is abundant and success is often found by those who take bold chances, it's crucial to weigh the potential benefits against the potential consequences. After all, the greatest achievements often come from the greatest risks. "So go ahead, ask those tough questions and take that leap of faith. Who knows? You may just find yourself on the path to unimaginable success." He chuckled before taking a sip from his steaming coffee.
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