Batman didnt move.He was like a statue made of dark matter and bad choices.I was still shaking, my lungs whistling with that green radioactive smoke.Every time I breathed out, a little spark of Green Lantern energy flickered in the air like a dying firefly."I'm waiting," Batman growled.
His voice sounded like a gravel crusher."I... I'm his son," I blurted out.The words felt heavy on my tongue. "Not the 'official' one. Not the heir to JK Holdings. I'm the one he threw in the trash."I saw the Bat's head tilt just a fraction.In the Absolute Universe, Batman isn't some detective in a spandex suit.He's a man who lost everything to the system Grimm built.He hates the name Grimm more than he hates the dark."Grimm doesnt have sons," Batman said, his fist tightening.
"He has experiments. He has assets. Which one are you?""I'm the one who survived," I snapped.My Joker DNA was starting to flare up, making my skin itch.The anxiety was being pushed back by a sudden, jagged needle of spite.
"He thinks he's the peak of this world. He thinks he can just eat people to stay young."I raised my right hand, the Black Hand smoke swirling with the stolen green light."But I can eat him. I can eat everything he built.
"Batman didn't look impressed. He looked like he was calculating how many ribs he had to break to make me stop talking.He stepped forward, the heavy armor on his chest clanking."You're a cannibal," he said.It wasn't a question.
"You ate a piece of Jordan. I saw the residue on your teeth."I flinched.The guilt hit me like a physical punch to the stomach.The memory of the crunch came back, making my stomach churn."I had to!" I shouted, my voice cracking.
"He was going to kill me! He's a radioactive freak, Batman! He's not the hero you think he is!""In this city," Batman said, his voice dropping an octave."Nobody is the hero they think they are."He moved so fast I didn't even see the blur.One second he was ten feet away, the next, his hand was wrapped around my throat.His glove was cold, reinforced with some kind of heavy ceramic.He lifted me off the ground like I weighed nothing.
My Stone Skin flared up, my neck turning into grey marble.But Batman's grip was stronger.He wasn't just using muscle; his suit was powered by some kind of hydraulic hiss."You're a monster, kid," he whispered."Just like your father. The only difference is the coat.""I... I'm trying... to clean!" I wheezed.My right hand started to glow.The Black Hand wanted to strike.It wanted to drain the life out of the Bat.But the "Otaku" part of me the kid who grew up idolizing the Caped Crusader held it back.
I couldn't kill Batman. Even an "Absolute" version of him.Suddenly, the air behind us exploded.A massive, purple-and-black projectile slammed into the brick wall of the alley.The shockwave was so big it knocked Batman off his feet, and I went flying into a dumpster.CLANG.
I groaned, my vision spinning.I looked up and saw a team of men descending from the rooftops on high-speed cables.They weren't cops.They were wearing high-tech tactical gear with the JK Holdings logo on The Grimm-Reapers.Jack Grimm's personal hit-squad."Target spotted," one of them barked into a comm-link.
"The Bastard is with the Bat. Initiate Protocol Zero."They pulled out heavy, oversized rifles that looked like they were powered by miniature suns.Purple beams of energy started tearing up the alleyway."Get down!" Batman roared.He threw a heavy, lead-lined cloak over me just as a beam hit the dumpster.The metal melted instantly, turning into a puddle of glowing slag.
[SYSTEM ALERT: High-Level Threat Detected.]
[Enemy: Grimm-Reaper Squad (Enhanced).]
[Objective: Survive.]
[Note: They have 'Anti-Absolute' rounds. Your Stone Skin won't save you.]"Great," I muttered, crawling out from under the Bat's cloak."Two weeks in this world and I'm already on the Most Wanted list."I looked at Batman.He was already in motion, throwing jagged, heavy batarangs that exploded like grenades.He was fighting four of them at once, his movements brutal and efficient.But there were twenty more coming down the wires.The Hunger started to growl in my gut.It wasn't a choice anymore.
"Hey, Bats!" I yelled, my silver hair whipping in the wind."You want to see why my dad is afraid of me?"I didn't wait for an answer.I let the Joker DNA take over completely.My body snapped and grew, the black trench coat ripping at the seams.
I hit fifteen feet in three seconds.My right arm, wreathed in Black Hand void, turned into a massive, three-fingered claw.My left arm, glowing with the stolen Willpower, formed a jagged green-and-black sword.I roared, a sound that made the Grimm-Reapers pause for a split second.I lunged at the nearest squad member.I didn't just hit him.I absorbed him.
My right hand closed around his head, and the Black Hand energy simply deleted his existence.[Ding! Target Deleted. Gained: 2% Tactical Proficiency.]
[Ding! Target Deleted. Gained: 5% Anti-Energy Resistance.]
Batman was watching me from the shadows.I could feel his gaze cold, analytical, and disgusted.I was a nightmare come to life.A radioactive, cannibalistic Joker-spawn.I turned toward the rest of the squad, my jaw unhinging to reveal rows of needle-teeth."My turn to clean," I rasped.
The fight was a blur of purple light and black blood.I was a whirlwind of violence.The Grimm-Reapers were fast, but I was Absolute.I swiped my green-and-black sword, bisecting two men at the waist.I grabbed another and literally bit his armor off before swallowing his life force.
[Hunger Level: Stabilized.]
[Power Level: Increasing.]
Within five minutes, the alley was silent.The hit-squad was gone.Some were dead, some were... inside me.I stood there, my massive frame hunched over, steam rising from my pale skin.I started to shrink back down, the pain of my bones reforming making me gasp.
I was a mess.My new clothes were ruined.My silver hair was soaked in purple blood.I looked at Batman.He was standing at the end of the alley, his batarangs still in his hand.He didn't attack."You're a weapon," he said.His voice was quiet now.
"A weapon Grimm made but can't control.""I'm a person," I whispered, falling to my knees.The guilt was back, heavier than ever.I had just eaten five more people.Even if they were bad guys, it felt like my soul was being covered in soot.Batman walked up to me.
He didn't offer a hand.He just looked down at me with those white, slit eyes."Grimm is moving his assets to the harbor," Batman said."He's building something. Something that will end Gotham."He turned to walk away."Wait!" I called out."Are you going to kill me?
"Batman stopped.He didn't look back."Not today," he said."Today, you're the distraction I need. Stay alive, Kid. I'll be watching."He vanished into the shadows before I could even blink.I sat there in the silence, surrounded by the smell of blood and death.
I had an apartment. I had a power. And now, I had a temporary truce with a god.