CH: 7 City of Crime

Two Days Later…

Venturing into the so-called city, Gotham, felt akin to navigating the untamed wilderness. Label it a city, but in reality, it rivaled the perils of a dense forest. Here, the dangers transcended mere natural predators, with metallic and fleshy monstrosities posing intelligence and greater threats than any carnivorous creature. If you believe otherwise, perhaps a visit to a nearby psychiatrist is in order.

Today was a special event as from all the thugs I took money from I heard something very special.

The real gold of yesterday was finding the location of the bar with no name. Honestly, I didn't want to go to Selina's place as I wasn't even sure if it even exists, but I also knew it was the only place that wasn't run by Cobble Pots where I could get connections and work.

Perched on the roof of a building I sat overlooking the tin roof bar, which had no name on the front of the establishment. Chuckling to myself, I jumped down onto the fire escape, then made my way out of the alley and across the street.

The music was bumping and the night hadn't even descended on Gotham yet. Pulling my hoodie up over my head, With a touch I pulled a Jedi mind trick on the bouncer at the front and walked into the bar. Settling my way into a seat at the bar, I ordered myself a rum and coke. And he just looked at me for a second before completely ignoring the fact I was just a little person in his eyes but with a nod he the glass of rum and coke, I slid the bartender his cash and relaxed my mind and began my second test of abilities to be more than just being a matter manipulator which I am.

Charles Xavier was noted to have a { trust me } telepathic field around himself. If memories served, that was how he was able to gain so many people on his side. The best way I can figure that a field like that would work, would be a reverse of the Jedi mind trick with a positivity twist.

With a smile on my lips, I ordered a pitcher of ale, then made my way towards the corner of the bar with a few guys huddled in a corner.

Anyone with half an eyeball could tell that they were planning a heist the same heist I heard from little birdy. And I didn't need my powers to sniff that out. Within moments I was among the group and in on the play that they had going down tonight. Move some guns and get some money, and I get a cool ten percent because I'm the new guy.

I am sure they were setting me up in case cops came they would just ditch me and put all the blame on me. It was pretty easy to do after all I wasn't even half of their size. By all means I could be the best scapegoat in the world and anyone with little intelligence could deduce that

That sounded good to me because they may have outsmarted me, but I outsmarted their outsmarting! I plan to take the whole payout of fifty thousand and erase their memories of the event.

This was far too early for me to be running into Black Mask or maybe even some Superhero themselves. Even if I wanted to avoid the two, there was no need for me to be on my back foot. I'm a Doom after all, and Doom shall stand above in this new world even if it isn't Marvel.

With myself implanted in their minds, I left for a store to get myself a balaclava to cover my identity. Funny enough almost every store sold balaclavas but I guess I could mark that up to this being Gotham. With my mask procured, I went about acting like a victim once more to rob unsuspecting thugs.

Before the time for the heist, I ran into more than fifteen different gunmen, and damn was that surprising for me. The tenth one was able to get a shot off in my general direction, and I was surprised that my reflexes were able to react fast enough to dodge the bullet matrix style, even though it wasn't going to hit me.

Logically I knew that I needed to take my time and learn my powers, but I also knew I needed the money and a few hundred dollars here and there, taking my sweet time, was not going to cut it. So this had to be seen through till the end. To better her life so she doesn't have to go around at night.

Doom Shall Not Fail.

The crates in the back of the truck all had large labels with the name of TedCorp, and it reminded me to make a mental note to remove the bald asshole once I get the chance. Within my hands, though I was holding an old school Kalashnikov AK-47 with a few attachments that meant nothing to me at the moment. My mind was focused, and I was ready to spring on these unsuspecting goons.

As the guys hopped out of the truck before me, I pulled up the rear and helped offload the goods. With the last crate down, I took a look around me and found that we were in some type of warehouse in Gotham. With the smell in the air though it was easy to know we were by the docks.

The moment that I thought that the night was oddly silent, I heard signs of weapons fire in the distance. That sound oddly calmed my nerves because I knew Batman would have to go and deal with whatever that was going on. There was a niggle at the edges of my mind that snapped my attention back around as I felt the arrival of our guests.

The van was black and nondescript just like the clunker that we drove here and that was a shame. No extra muscle in case they had to drive in a getaway, or they could be going for the stay under the radar type of deal which still wouldn't help if Bruce wanted to locate them. Putting my thoughts aside, I took two steps back so that I had everyone within my sights and spread my senses to encompass the warehouse.

When the crews opposite us just exited their van, I felt that slight niggle at the edges of my mind again sending me warnings of something of which I should be aware, but I was unable to discern from where the danger was coming. With my razor-sharp focus, I was certain to be ready for anything. I was then presented with two duffle bags filled with cash. The moment to strike was here, all I had to do was bide my time, then vanish with the cash while also wiping the memory of me being here from their minds.

As the money exchanged hands, that was when it happened.

FWIP!

FWIP! FWIP!

FWIP! FWIP! FWIP!

'Swiss'

The bullets came out of nowhere, but that didn't stop it from cleaving two heads off and then going through the chest of two others. With a touch on the ground a wall was raised up in front of me, but sadly I underestimated a bullet fired from a high-end Sniper.

As it tore through the asphalt wall it hit me.

The asphalt wall was able to slow down the bullet well enough that it didn't reach my heart but not before it knocked me over.

A high calibre bullet bigger than a finger tearing through your skin muscles and bones is not a pleasant experience.

Fuck did that hurt a lot when I was younger I had broken my arm going snowboarding, but that was a sharp snap of pain and then numbing, but this was so much worse.

It was like my brain was on fire from the mental strength and reaction speed it needed to slow the bullet, and then the impact felt like two ribs broke. My eyes were blurry and watered, but I refuse to give in now. My hands were clammy, and I wanted to get up and sprint from this place, but with the wet squelching sounds and the falling bodies, I was very aware that the sniper was still out there.

The bullets could have only come from outside and to the south of the warehouse. That was the only place someone could not only get a shot but also see past where the trucks were parked. They will rue the day that they chose to mess with DOOM.

With a quick look around, I had a plan of attack and retreat, now all I needed was for the sniper to come and get their prize. I waited for a minute and then two, but no one was here yet, so with a touch I pulled one of the bodies laying over me as the blood flowed. Then I had the bags of money pulled closer to my location.

Then lately I pulled bullets out of my AK and soon turned a few of them into a few unstable small booms that would blow up upon contact with little heat.

Two more shots fired into someone that tried to crawl away, and that made me very aware that the shooter was still outside. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long because, after five minutes under the cooling corpse, another truck came speeding into the warehouse.

Two goons came out of the truck, and I knew that this was my chance. When the goon with the leather jacket reached for the bag of money in front of me, I launched forward with a jab going for his solar plexus then turned around and threw a bullet boom at the other, and moments it made contact with his skin, it blasted to his chest.

The goon I blasted flew back over fifty feet, and the one that I punched was down and trying to catch the breath that was never going to return. The punch that I sent into his solar plexus wasn't just a simple punch

It had my power behind it, as I crushed his lungs. With another touch on the ground, I pulled the other duffle bag of cash into my hand as I tossed the other over my shoulder and ran for the exit.

There was a pattering above me, and I felt another mind land on the roof above. Putting that aside, for now, I noticed the last person in the van getting out with his gun up to aim at my general direction. Skidding to a halt roughly five feet before the door's exit, I whipped around and sent another bullet boom at my would-be shooter which slammed him into the van behind him. Even from my distance, I heard the crunch of bone-breaking, but I paid him no further attention.

I broke through the back door with a bang and sent myself into a massive leap with the grounds assisted. Out in the night sky, I was greeted with water on the front and the warehouse at my back. With a smile, I dashed along the alley going for a car or person I can Jedi mind trick into giving me their car keys.

Not even ten steps from where I landed, I was greeted with a swooshing sound. The sound sent a shiver down my spine. With a spin, I reflexively slapped both of my hands on a ground crating huge thick walls made of dance asphalt walls which completely stopped RPG rocket that was heading directly for me.

That was a bad choice because I got an explosion to the face.

Everything happened within a split second, the ground broke open beneath me, maybe due to how fragile it became after I pulled walls out of it as I just don't create matter out of my ass it has to come somewhere.

Or was it just the corruption of Gotham that they made rods with less than ideal materials, whatever it may be the ground broke open beneath me but before I dropped, flames tried to lick at my body. There was no thinking, there was no planning; there was only doing and making sure that I didn't die here with the choices I made.

Catching myself before I fell into the water below, I created a pad to jump off onto one of the pillars that held up the docks and pier. Jumping from point to point, I was happy that I used to parkour across the college campus back home as I made my way towards what looked like the end of a shoreline.

While I ran, I heard yelling and cursing behind me, but I ignored it all because I was almost free of this situation. What little hope I had, though died inside me as I heard another swosh above, my heart clenched but this time there wasn't an explosion. The none explosion caused me to double-time it because that swooshing sound could only be from one thing, and that would be the something flying overhead.

It took me ten minutes to get to the other side, up the shore, and into the woods. I didn't run home. No, it would have been very stupid of me to do that.

While I was running for my life, I had learned how to keep travelling all earth bender style. How Toph travels fast using earth-banding. I was going to use my powers for all it was worth as I ran through the woods faster than the human eye could track. There was no destination in mind besides leaving this place, and I almost regretted not going for some cheap lulaw hotel somewhere.

All around me there was nothing but trees, I came to a stop and listened for any sign of anyone following and then checked with my higher field of vision within a five hundred feet radius. There was nothing, but I was able to pick up on the bodies of the birds and smaller animals around. Taking a little longer to double-check, I still saw nothing, so turning around I ran keeping up the pace of escape.

For another twenty minutes, I ran and hovered, and within that time, I came up with a plan for how I was going to proceed in the future. Jumping onto the tree like a ninja, I then jumped up above the treeline and looked around for any sign of people. On the third try, I found a road not too far from it. I found a place that I could call a secret base.

At the end of the road, there was an old house that had a greenhouse attached to the back of it. With a quick scan, I found the house devoid of another person, but when I checked it with my extraordinary sense the same sense as how Toph see the world sensing vibrations through the ground, The 'Seismic Senses' I found a warm stove but a cooling body on the ground. The gas lines were cut, and there was a candle-lit in the living room. Damn Gotham held no kind nice for those that drop their guards, with quick mental nudges I flicked out the candle and turned off the gas pipe at the valve behind the stove.

With a sigh, I shoulder the second duffle that I was carrying and made my way to the house. There was no way I could tell the color of the house from the darkness, but I was able to spot the old truck parked out front.

With a touch of my finger, the latches on the door unhooked themselves, and then the door opened to allow me inside. With a kick, the door closed and I tossed the duffle bag onto the table in the living room before I sat down in the recliner that faced the tv.

Everything hurts like it's never hurt before, shit I had no clue how Bruce does it. Then again, he had all that armor, money, and training. I'm a punk that woke up and took the world by storm, but I'm also a Doom, and I shall endure.

Falling into a simple meditation to look myself over, I found broken ribs and lacerations along my thigh and the left side of my abdomen. While I checked myself over, I noticed my body already in the process of healing my wounds. It would appear that I had enhanced healing but not at the same level as that of Logan, but I will be alright with this.

I wanted to see how long it would take to heal naturally but before that with a single touch on my chest I pulled out a 14.5 MM bullet. After all, I didn't want my body to heal while the bullet was still inside.

Releasing the breath I had been holding, I took another deep one only to be greeted with the smell of gas from the stove that was left on. Ignoring the pain in my chest, I raised my hand with a flick on the ground and made a wave that opened all the windows of the house. With another wave, I created a spiral of the air within the kitchen area and forced it outside.

There was no clue who killed the guy in the kitchen or for why, but there is one thing I do know and that they will be back someday. The fact that the firefighters didn't show up here or the explosion that they were hoping for didn't happen will cause someone to come sniffing and get answers.

Making another mental note to get up a perimeter defense, I pulled the balaclava off my face and removed my shirt, allowing my body to get some air. Sitting back down, I summoned the duffle bags to me so I could get a count of the cash: then I need to head out for home before mom gets worried.

With my arms outstretched before me, it was easy to manipulate both duffle bags and then summon the cash out of the said bag. Eventually, I would have to gain control over my abilities allowing me to use it without my hand motions as a crutch, but for now, it is time to count the cash.

With a flick of my wrist, the tv turned on, and the remote was summoned to my side. The TV played in the background as I counted out a total of one hundred and twenty-four thousand. Tomorrow I will also need to get myself a laptop and find some libraries in gotham. For now, it was time to get rid of the body then get some rest.

*****

So did you like the chapter then comment.