Facing Reality...

~Omniscient Pov, Past~

.

.

.

BOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!

Rumble~

Rumble~

.

.

.

"What the?... An explosion?" Ezra mumbled, feeling the strong vibrations and the loud booming sound from outside.

[Likely master... Given my current capabilities, it seems to be coming from the same direction as the police cars were heading towards earlier...]

Ezra didn't say anything at first, "Maybe we should leave, now... Can't stay here if something big happens." If something big happened, they might even halt transportation for a while, and he didn't have a while.

[You could, but I say you wait it out for now, play it safe like you wanted to.] ECHO explained.

"I guess I can wait it out for another hour or so... Still, I'm a little curious as to what's happening out there..."

Ezra just sat back down and continued waiting.

.

.

.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

~Omnisicent Pov, Present~

.

.

.

"Batman!" Gordon called. Looking at his partner in a battered state wasn't too pleasing to the eyes for him. Blood all around where he was, and a mangled body said enough.

"Get me the damn medics!" Gordon barked, his voice cracking with urgency. He knew that every second counted. He couldn't bear the thought of losing his partner, his friend, to this chaos. He knelt beside him, his hand reaching out to check for a pulse. He found it, weak but steady.

However, "No need for that..." Omni-man interrupted. Pulling out a syringe. Quickly injecting the caped crusader.

For a moment, Bruce had squirmed in pain, grunted even, but soon his labored breathing began getting steady, and both the scorch and frost marks on his chest and legs slowly began to heal and mend...

"Cough! Cough!!" The caped crusader felt the air in his lungs return. And after that. He saw his surroundings, Gorden, and the hostages, realizing that they were already gone...

Then, Omni-man. Not only was the latter here, but he had blood smeared all along his face and arms.

"No... No! No!! NO!!!" Batmen yelled. He knew Omni-man's presence here could mean only one thing.

"Arghh!!! What have you done!?" Batman demanded, his voice a mix of anger and frustration, "Omni-Man, this wasn't necessary!" He shouted.

Batman struggled to his feet, his body still aching from the brutal assault, but his mind now racing with dread. Omni-Man's presence, combined with the blood on his face and arms, could only mean that the situation had escalated beyond his control...

Omni-Man turned to face Batman, his expression calm yet stern, "They were a threat, Batman. You know I don't tolerate threats. He had a gun to a pregnant woman's head. Does that sit well with you?" He asked, his tone leveled.

Batman clenched his fists, feeling a surge of frustration, "There are lines we don't cross! We could have handled this without more bloodshed!"

Omni-Man shook his head, "Sometimes, those lines are what hold you back... Justice needs to be swift, and decisive. If I didn't end him, he would have likely killed them all, after he killed you. There was no guarantee that he would have kept his word."

As the two heroes faced each other, the tension in the air was palpable. Batman's eyes darted to the lifeless body of the Penguin, who lay on the ground, his head crushed...

Bruce didn't say anything, "Why did you come to my city in the first place? I never called for you!"

"You didn't..." Omni-Man sighed, his eyes meeting Batman's with a mix of frustration and resolve, "I came because of someone else. I came because sometimes your methods aren't enough. I came because someone needed to put an end to this madness... YOUR Madness."

Bruce couldn't hear after Omni-man mentioned that someone else called him, 'Oh... No, Alfred...' He felt his head spin... Piecing it all together.

Still, Bruce glared at him, "This... This isn't how we do things here... We find a way to save lives without becoming the monsters we fight! We had an agreement DAMN IT! That you'd stay in your damned end of your city, and I mine!"

Omni-Man's expression hardened at the stupidity of the hero... "Maybe that's why your city is always on the brink of chaos. Yet, you let these villains live to terrorize again and kill again and again. Cobblepot was a repeat offender AND killer, and he paid the price." He finished with venom.

Batman stepped closer, his voice low but intense, "This isn't your city." He spat. "We have our way of dealing with things. And next time, stay out of Gotham. Or else." Batman said, turning around and walking off.

Omni-man let out a small sigh, "So this is what I get for saving your life? Not even a thanks... Well, one day you'll realize just how insane you are for letting these people roam continually in your streets killing innocents." 

However, Bruce just kept walking, his mind now on something else entirely...

.

.

.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

~Omnisient Pov, Ezra...~

.

.

.

'Damn... I wonder if I should get some tacos?...' Ezra looked up at his ceiling, with nothing really to do.

"Hey ECHO... I'm curious, just how tough am I?" He wondered, not knowing what to compare himself with at the moment. He knew he was ridiculously tough for a human. He was already above base superhuman levels a few weeks ago.

And ever since he got those electricity powers, his stamina might be next to endless...

[Given my Calculations and Estimations... If a few weeks ago you could withstand getting hit with forces to destroy relatively thick concrete, you can currently resist forces that can easily dent reinforced steel...]

"Ha... Good to know. Mind telling me the difference in numerical value?" He asked genuinely curious.

[Of course, master...Running simulations; The compressive strength of thick concrete is around 4,000 to 5,000 psi (pounds per square inch), while the yield strength of reinforced steel is approximately 60,000 psi. So, you've improved your resistance by roughly 12 to 20 times. However, If I were to be 100% accurate, that difference would be 20.32 times instead.]

"That's, quite a jump..." he mused surprised yet proud... A smirk quickly formed on his face, "So following that logic, doesn't that mean I can resist bullets, just the normal ones at least?" He asked.

[Yes... However, they would still penetrate your skin without resistance... Your muscles, on the other hand, would be able to deflect regular bullets easily.] ECHO explained.

"Interesting... What level of physicality would I need to resist bullets?" 

[A physicality of 12.58 would be needed to resist basic ammunition without any harm whatsoever, but your muscles would be able to withstand high armor-penetrating rounds just as easily, to even certain small explosions point blank.] ECHO added.

"That isn't far away either... Ugh, guess I'll have to step up my training game again... After I learn how to hack for myself well. Which shouldn't be hard since I have a photographic memory at this point." 

Though, he wondered about something else...

"You know, I've always wondered if you could make yourself synchronize with my thoughts telepathically. Talking with you verbally is very inconvenient." 

[It is possible master... However, it would take some time for me to fully merge myself with your neural pathways as they are now, the process would be complete within a month to be exact.]

'Good enough, at least I can finally stop sounding like an idiot to myself with the constant mumbling.' He thought.

"Alright, you can do it." He gave his permission.

[Affirmative... The synchronization process will commence now...] ECHO began. Instantly after she said those words, Ezra's body twitched. His mind felt a familiar tingling sensation back when he first allowed ECHO to enhance or manipulate something in his brain.

"Ack!"

"That felt, off..." He rubbed his head a bit.

Without much of anything left to do, Ezra waited another two hours for everything to cool down. After that, he packed his belongings and left the city.

.

.

.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

~Omniscient Pov~

.

.

.

Alfred looked at Bruce with deep concern. "Master Wayne—" He paused. "Some men are beyond redemption. Cobblepot had numerous chances to change, but he chose his path."

Bruce's eyes were filled with a mix of anger and sadness. "You called for him, despite knowing what he would do. Do you think this helps? I... I can't... You need to leave."

Alfred's face fell, the weight of Bruce's words hitting him hard. "Master Wayne, I only wanted to protect you. To ensure you came out of this alive."

Bruce turned away, unable to look Alfred in the eye. "This isn't protection, Alfred. It's not what we stand for. I can't have this kind of help. Not like this."

Alfred took a step back, his heart aching. "I understand, Master Wayne. I... I'm sorry."

Bruce remained silent, the pain and betrayal evident in his eyes. Alfred bowed his head and quietly left the Batcave, leaving Bruce alone with his thoughts and the haunting silence of the aftermath...

What he saw what was left of Cobblepot was... He could see the man's brain on Omni-man's chest, flowing down as he spoke with him. But that wasn't what truly terrified Bruce. It was the fact that deep down. He knew they were right.

Underneath the guise of protection, he knew that there was some truth to their ways. Some people wouldn't change, or can't change.

"Hey..." He heard, and he quickly looked to the side, seeing his old companion.

"Dick?" Bruce said weakly.

Dick Grayson, the first Robin and now Nightwing, stepped forward, concern etched on his face... "I heard a bit about it from Alfred, and came as soon as I could Bruce, so what happened here? Tell me your side of the story..."

Bruce struggled to find the words, his emotions felt like a storm, "Omni-Man... he killed Cobblepot. Right in front of me while I was out of it. And... and part of me thinks it was the only way to stop him."

Dick's expression hardened as he glanced at the grisly scene. "Cobblepot was a monster, Bruce. But that doesn't mean we become monsters to stop them."

Bruce nodded and sighed, his resolve faltering. "I know, Dick. But, where do we draw the line? How do we save Gotham without risking to become what we fight against?"

Dick shook his head, "We won't become like that, ever... Ok?" He grabbed onto his father's shoulder.

"Now, c'mon... Clark wants to meet up with you, and Kara too. I don't think you should be alone right now..." Dick smiled.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

END