At thirteen years old, Bruce Wayne was a phantom, traversing the globe with a singular, terrifying efficiency. He was no longer the tragic boy; he was a machine meticulously engineered by the fusion of trauma and meta-knowledge. The System was his drill sergeant, his syllabus, and his most trusted ally.
His latest objective required a blend of advanced chemistry, toxicology, and criminal psychology. The target: Fawcett City, the deceptively sunny home of Captain Marvel, and the temporary base of operations for a renowned, reclusive forensic toxicologist named Dr. Sterling.
Bruce had leased a decommissioned, three-story warehouse near the city's docks. It was large enough to contain his makeshift laboratory and sparring area, and discreet enough to maintain his cover.
> [LOCATION UPDATE: Fawcett City, USA]
> Current Objective: Master Advanced Toxicology and Criminal Psychology.
> Trait Usage: Scientific Focus (Accelerating chemical research) and The Detective (Analyzing psychological profiles).
His days were a structured nightmare. Mornings were spent in his warehouse lab, performing complex chemical syntheses under the guise of an independent science project. He didn't just want to neutralize toxins; he wanted to understand how to create them, how they affected the human mind, and how to weaponize fear—the ultimate preparation for The Joker.
The Analyst and the Anomaly
One rainy afternoon, while Bruce was attempting to perfect a high-concentration synthetic antidote, the door of his secluded warehouse was quietly pushed open.
A young woman stood there, dripping rainwater onto the concrete floor. She looked to be about nineteen or twenty, with fiery red hair and eyes that carried a strange, unnerving shade of green—the color of new growth and deep moss. She wore simple, earth-toned clothing, and carried a worn leather satchel overflowing with botanical texts.
"Hello," she said, her voice soft but direct, like the rustle of leaves. "I apologize for the intrusion. I was tracking a specific genus of rare Epipremnum in this abandoned lot, and I smell... dimethylmercury."
Bruce, instantly on high alert, dropped his beaker and activated The Detective trait.
> [ANOMALY DETECTED: Pamela Isley (Future Poison Ivy)]
> Current Status: Botanical PhD Student. Highly sensitive to chemical pollution.
> Threat Level: Low (Currently Non-Violent).
> Relationship Potential: High (Intellectual/Romantic).
Pamela Isley. In Fawcett City? Years before she moves to Gotham and becomes Ivy, Bruce thought, his heart rate accelerating. This was an unexpected and dangerous deviation from the canon. His System had not alerted him to her location, only her future importance.
"It's a controlled experiment," Bruce lied smoothly, adopting a stern, academic tone. "I'm synthesizing a compound to break down persistent industrial runoff. Who are you?"
"My name is Pamela Isley," she replied, stepping closer, her green eyes fixing on the cluttered lab bench. "And your 'controlled experiment' is emitting a neurotoxin that will kill the root system of everything within a fifty-foot radius. That's not breakdown; that's pollution."
She pointed to a cluster of simple weeds struggling to grow through the cracks in the concrete. They were already showing signs of wilting. "See? Everything is dying. You have to shut this down."
Bruce recognized the genuine passion—the fanaticism—in her voice. This was her defining feature. He decided to leverage his resources and the truth of his identity, slightly veiled.
"My name is Bruce," he said, walking to a concealed air filtration unit. "And this lab is funded by Wayne Applied Sciences. My purpose is to create counter-agents to industrial waste and bio-chemical threats. Not to pollute."
He quickly moved the toxic compound into a secure, neutralized chamber. "You have a remarkable sense of chemical volatility, Ms. Isley. It was impressive. You're a botanist?"
"I am a toxicologist who studies the resilience of the natural world against human stupidity," Pamela corrected sharply. "And I don't believe Wayne Enterprises has ever had an altruistic interest in environmental safety."
"Perhaps my interests are different from the company's," Bruce countered, walking over to a shelf stacked with advanced toxicology books. He pulled down a specific text on rare South American phytotoxins—a book only a specialist would recognize. "Have you ever considered the defensive compounds produced by the Brugmansia genus as a potential basis for a highly potent, non-lethal incapacitating agent?"
Pamela's entire posture shifted. Her defensive suspicion was replaced by pure intellectual fascination. "The scopolamine and atropine ratios... no one uses Brugmansia because the dosage is impossible to control. It's too lethal."
"But if you factor in the neuro-inhibitory effect of a synthesized lipid carrier... the latency changes," Bruce explained, pulling the data directly from the KNOWLEDGE TREE and the newly acquired Scientific Focus trait. "The lethality is reduced, and the targeted neurological effect is amplified. It becomes a perfect, non-lethal deterrent."
Pamela Isley stared at the thirteen-year-old boy in front of her. He spoke with the knowledge of a decades-long specialist, debating the ethical weaponization of natural compounds.
"You are extraordinary, Bruce," Pamela whispered, her green eyes wide. "And terrifying. What exactly are you preparing for?"
"A world that is far more toxic than you can imagine, Ms. Isley," Bruce replied honestly. "I need to understand the poison to develop the cure. Would you be willing to consult for my private research? On the condition that every compound we analyze must result in a neutralization protocol."
The offer was her deepest passion combined with the resources of Wayne Enterprises, channeled by a genius who challenged her at every turn.
"Only if I get to keep the pure samples for my own studies," Pamela said, extending a hand, a half-smile curling her lips. "I want to see what this world-saving project of yours truly requires."
> [SUB-QUEST COMPLETE: Securing Chemical Expertise.]
> Reward Gained: +30 XP.
> Level Progress: 130/200 XP (Level 5).
> Ally Status: Pamela Isley (Future Poison Ivy) - Scientific Consultant (Chemistry/Toxicology).
Psychology and the Phantom
With Pamela busy analyzing chemical compounds, Bruce turned his attention to the second half of his training: Psychological Warfare. He spent his late nights meticulously analyzing the detailed, encrypted reports sent from the Batcomputer by Alfred.
He created comprehensive profiles of Gotham's emerging rogues, specifically focusing on the precursor incidents of the future Joker. He wasn't studying a criminal mind; he was studying the genesis of chaos.
During one of his late-night profiling sessions, Bruce was interrupted by a sound: the whisper-quiet thud of a specialized boot landing on the wooden floor of the warehouse's second level.
He instantly dropped into a low, defensive stance, all thirteen years of his physical training snapping into lethal focus.
> [THREAT ALERT: High-Level Infiltrator.]
> Threat Level: Severe (Unknown Origin).
> Trait Usage: The Detective (Analyze Threat Profile).
A woman emerged from the shadows. She was lean, dressed in a sleek, dark leather outfit, and her face was concealed by a high collar and dark lenses. She moved with the fluid, coiled grace of a master martial artist.
"You're the Wayne boy," she stated, her voice a low, throaty rasp, carrying an unmistakable sharpness. "You're building something dangerous here. The kind of thing that attracts attention."
Bruce knew her instantly, even without the System's help, though it flashed her profile anyway: Dinah Lance (Black Canary). In her early twenties, likely working freelance intelligence or mercenary work years before she joined the Justice League.
"Who are you?" Bruce demanded, taking a step back toward his defensive position.
"I'm the person who tracks corporate anomalies. A nine-year-old spending millions on non-lethal sonic disruptors and quantum computing in a dark hole in Gotham attracts my kind of interest," she countered, closing the distance with terrifying speed. "I'm here for a look at your Sonic Disruptor schematics."
Bruce had to respond perfectly. He couldn't fight her yet; she was peak human. He had to negotiate.
"The Sonic Disruptor is non-lethal, designed to protect the innocent," Bruce stated, activating his Iron Will trait to suppress any flicker of fear. "My project, Project Prometheus, is about saving the world from the monsters that kill parents in alleys. You're a hero, aren't you? A vigilante."
He pressed the point, drawing on his meta-knowledge. "You specialize in retrieval and protection. I'm guessing you were tracking a chemical threat here and stumbled upon my research."
Dinah Lance paused, surprised. "How do you know that?"
"The Detective knows," Bruce said simply. "I know you're not here for the money. You're here because you think I'm the threat. Let me show you what I'm doing."
Bruce gestured toward the far end of the warehouse, where his sparring equipment was set up, then pointed to a wall covered in detailed psychological charts.
"This is the mind of the man who killed my parents," Bruce lied, pointing to a generic profile he'd constructed. "And these," he pointed to a row of custom-designed heavy bags, "are how I'm learning to hit a fear center without causing permanent damage. My mission is to neutralize, not to kill."
Dinah observed the complex psychological charts and the specialized combat training setup. Her initial threat assessment was overruled by the sheer, heartbreaking dedication of the young boy.
"You're a child, Bruce Wayne," she said, her voice softening slightly.
"I stopped being a child when I saw my parents die," Bruce retorted, his voice filled with cold conviction. "I'm offering you the same thing I offered Ted Grant: an ally in the fight. You have the skills. I have the resources and the intelligence."
Dinah Lance didn't make a deal, but she didn't attack. She stood for a long moment, evaluating him. "Stay out of Gotham, kid. You're not ready."
Then, as quickly as she arrived, she vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only the faintest scent of leather and ozone.
> [EVENT LOGGED: High-Level Threat Encounter (Dinah Lance). Outcome: Negotiation/Deterrence.]
> XP Gained: Threat Management \rightarrow +40 XP.
> Level Progress: 170/200 XP (Level 5).
> Relationship Potential: Dinah Lance (Future Black Canary) - Cautious/Competitive.
Bruce smiled, a genuine flicker of satisfaction. He hadn't just survived; he had made a powerful impression on two crucial future figures. He had secured a chemical expert in Pamela Isley and logged a cautious alliance with the formidable Black Canary.
His training was working. He was building his network, piece by strategic piece. The world tour had just begun, and the seeds of the Bat-Family, and his complicated love life, were already being sown.