132 The Bat-Dad #132

Louisiana

Belle Reve

Amanda Waller frowned, barely resisting the urge to gnash her teeth in frustration as she watched the body cam footage cut off as soon Gray appeared.

She turned towards Gorman, who'd been responsible for tracking down Gray, and the look she gave him was enough to make the man stumble backward and fall flat on his ass.

"Someone throw this convict into solitary," Waller Barked as she turned away from the programmer, and it took him several seconds to process her words, shocked as he was.

"N-o, no ple-- please! Anything but solitary! I-I ca-- can still tr-- track him down!" Gorman exclaimed, stuttering as he kicked and flailed while two government agents dragged him away, but his pleas fell on unhearing, unsympathetic ears.

"Now that it's come to this, we have no other choice. I am authorizing operation Brim-Redemption. The target is the heart of Gotham," Waller instructed, unphased by Gorman's screams as she turned to her subordinates.

"But, ma'am... the collateral damage will be astronomical if we unleashed that thing in the center of the city..." one of the subordinates hesitantly argued, trailing at the end of his sentence under Waller's bemused gaze.

"Do it regardless. We have to maintain our roles if we are to continue protecting this country from meta-threats and hostile extraterrestrials. A crime-infested rat den like Gotham is a small price to pay..."

...

Gotham

"Fucking hell..." I cursed under my breath, sighing as I sat on top of one of the Old Wayne Tower's gargoyles, staring in a daze at the railways around the buildings as trains came and went.

It took me an hour of riding around the city on my bike to finally calm down, and that's when the realization finally hit me that I'd crippled those people in my fit of anger and almost killed them.

Fourteen people, fourteen possible wives, husbands, fathers, and mothers, I've changed their lives and those of the ones who care for them for the absolute worst.

Some might argue that they deserved it and were lucky they got to live but were they really? Was living like that truly living? Wouldn't they be better off dead instead of living with a disability and burdening their loved ones?

As much as I hated to admit it, Nightwing was right. Something was wrong with me. Benjamin's chants and breathing exercises weren't doing much to fix it other than quell the symptoms.

I was as susceptible to anger as the next guy in my past life. But it never went beyond cursing at random idiots who'd park too close to my car when I was out or getting into the occasional fistfight every couple of years in a bar or something.

Killing and maiming people was definitely a new thing, and I only started having that problem once I was in this world, right after I got the Mad Scientist class.

It might have been the trauma from dying and waking up in this world, but I was already over it. I'd long accepted this is my world now, which is why I'm working so hard to make it better for myself (mainly) and everyone else.

No. The most likely reason was the system fucking with my head. But, an even more dreadful possibility existed, so eerie in fact I didn't even want to think about it.

Either way, the fault was undoubtedly in my brain, and the only solution was to have someone get in there and find out what. I honestly didn't know If I'd prefer to let the problem fester or let someone rummage inside my head.

"I need to talk to Richard and Ben about this..." I muttered, heaving another sigh as I allowed myself to fall from the gargoyle, retrieving my wire and swinging away.

...

Gotham

The Batcave

"What happened?" Bruce asked as he walked away from the giant supercomputer, leaving Barbra to her work as he noticed Dick walking towards them with a concerned expression.

"I didn't find Mothman. I found the kid instead. He went berserk again, disfigured and crippled a dozen or so people. Waller's people..." Dick explained with a sigh, causing Bruce to frown as the former went on.

"He wasn't done with them either, by the looks of things, but he was in control, barely..." Dick then began explaining the situation in great detail and how he had to fight over a dozen Multiplex clones while waiting for the police to arrive.

"I see. We will leave the authorities to handle the situation," Bruce said, blankly nodding after tentatively listening to Dicks's narration, much to the latter's surprise.

"We can't interfere with Wraith until Waller's trial is over, and even then, we need solid proof to do anything..." Bruce explained as he noticed Dick's surprised expression.

"There was a meta-human among the attackers. Any court would attribute Wrath's use of excessive force as self-defense..." Bruce went on as he returned to supervise Barbra's work. "The judicial system is on his side for now..." he concluded.

"That's not what I'm talking about, Bruce!" Dick said, gnashing his teeth in frustration at his mentor's careless attitude. "The kid needs help, like I needed help, like Jason did! Are you just going to stand there and watch?" he went on, gripping Bruce's shoulder to make the latter face him.

"Bronze Tiger and Richard Dragon..." Bruce calmly said, his expression still blank, seemingly unphased by Dicks outburst. "There's nothing I can do for him that those two can't," he added as he brought up the two martial artists' files on the bat computer.

"I took you in because I knew I could guide you into becoming the man you are today, Dick. The same goes for Jason, even if he still has a long way to go," Bruce continued.

"You two are regular humans, and while I can train you to fight gods. I can't do the opposite," Bruce said, allowing a rare sigh to escape his mouth, albeit lightly.

"I only know to fight them. I can't train or guide those kinds of people," Bruce concluded, regaining his usual, stoic, unbreaking expression that spoke of only devotion to the mission.

"Can't or won't? That's complete bullshit, Bruce, and you know it! At least have the decency to admit it's your goddamned paranoia stopping you!" Dick went on, clearly displeased by his mentor's answer.

"My words were clear, Dick. You are free to interpret them as you wish," Bruce calmly said, shaking his head. "Either way, this conversation is over," he concluded as he turned away from Dick.

"Fine. Be you. But mark my words, Bruce. You keep this up, and you'll soon find yourself all alone," Dick said, suppressing his anger as he turned to leave, stomping his way out of the cave.

Barbra stood at the side, awkwardly watching the student and teacher pair argue, at a loss at what to do or say, so she decided to do and say nothing.

Unable to withstand the awkward atmoshphere, She waited for Dick to leave before excusing herself, leaving Bruce alone in the dark cave to his work, except he wasn't. Not really.

"You know, young master Dick might be your student, but you could learn a thing or two from him, master Bruce," Alfred said, stepping out of a dark corner as he approached Bruce with a tray full of refreshments and snacks.

"Spare me your words of wisdom, Alfred. I need to focus on my work," Bruce said, sighing in exasperation without bothering to face the butler who was having none of it.

"I shall do no such thing not, and what you need is a proper meal," Alfred said as he stopped beside Bruce and put the try on the bat computer's keyboard to keep the latter from his work.

"The mission as you call it is not everything to life. I will not sit by and watch as you let it consume you," Alfred said, mockingly making quotation signs with his hands.

"You might be able to fight gods, but in the end, you are only human, master Bruce," Alfred went on, using Bruce's own words against him, much to the latter's chagrin.

"Humans need to rest, they need to eat and drink, and they need their family and friends..." Alfred continued as he watched Bruce reluctantly reach for the tray and start eating.

"You can't always be right, even if you are most of the time. Sometimes it might be prudent to heed the words of those around you..."

Alfred continued to preach his lecture, and Bruce had no choice but to sit there and listen while eating his food begrudgingly. However, it did not stop him from enjoying the butler's exquisite culinary skills.

...

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