Chapter 7: Into Croc's Lair.

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"Barry, Barry, wake up!" Ralph's voice broke through the haze.

I groggily opened my eyes, only to feel the sharp sting of blood dripping down my forehead. "What…?" I muttered, trying to make sense of the wreckage around me. The bus we had been on was destroyed. Killer Croc had thrown a car at it like it was a toy. I never imagined I'd run into him—hell, I hoped I never would. But there he was, in the flesh.

Ralph had managed to pry open a window and drag me out. We stumbled to our feet, surrounded by the chaos. Cars were ablaze, and in the distance, I saw *him*—Batman, locked in a brutal fight with Killer Croc. The Batman costume was the same as the one from *Batman v Superman*. I watched as he dodged Croc's slashes and bite attempts, using his agility to keep just out of reach. He landed some blows—a few punches and kicks to Croc's face—then hurled batarangs to disorient him. But all that seemed to do was enrage the monster. Croc roared, charging at Batman in a frenzy, but the Dark Knight smoothly sidestepped at the last possible second.

Even with blood running down my face, I couldn't help but feel awe. Batman—my favorite superhero—was just a man. No powers. And yet, he stood up to giants like Killer Croc with nothing but his brains, his tech, and his will. I admired him for that. He could've taken the easy way out and killed them. But no—he fought them the hard way.

"Ralph, we need to get those people out of the bus!" I shouted, finally tearing my eyes away from the fight.

Ralph snapped out of his daze. The fire creeping up the bus hadn't registered for him until now. He nodded quickly, too stunned to speak. We climbed up the side of the wrecked bus, yanking open doors and pulling people out as fast as we could. Just as we got the last person to safety, the bus exploded behind us, sending us flying. We hit the ground hard, coughing up smoke and covered in ash, but alive.

"Cough, cough—damn, that was too close," Ralph wheezed, his face smeared with soot. He still hadn't fully processed the fact that we were just a few feet away from a giant, man-eating crocodile.

I didn't answer. My eyes were locked on the battle, watching as Batman and Croc continued their deadly dance. Why was Croc showing up now? I knew his backstory—a rare genetic mutation had twisted him into this reptilian nightmare. He was a man once, but no longer.

And here I was—powerless, no special abilities, just some guy who happened to get caught up in all of this. But if Batman could fight this thing… maybe I could help. Maybe we could do something.

"Ralph, Batman needs our help. He can't do this alone," I said, trying to summon courage despite the terror gripping my chest.

Ralph turned to me, wide-eyed. "Are you insane? How are we supposed to fight that thing?!" His voice was nearly a shout, panic rising in his throat.

"If Batman can face him, so can we," I said, forcing as much confidence into my voice as possible. "He's just a man, Ralph. And if we don't help, who will? The GCPD won't be here for at least ten minutes."

Ralph stared at me for a long moment, then sighed heavily. Slowly, he got to his feet and extended a hand, pulling me up with him. "You're really going up there, aren't you? Whether I come or not."

I gave him a smirk. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Please tell me you have a plan," Ralph muttered, pulling out his sidearm.

"I do, but it means getting close. Really close," I admitted.

He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "And what kind of plan is this? Because I don't think we're in the same weight class as that thing."

I quickly explained how I'd modified a stun gun. I had tweaked it to output enough electricity to incapacitate a beast like Croc. Regular bullets wouldn't even scratch him, but a jolt equivalent to a lightning strike? That might just do the trick.

Ralph stared at me, unimpressed. "So, let me get this straight. You've never tested this?"

"No, but I ran simulations," I said, slightly sheepish. "It'll work. We only have one shot, though, so we have to make it count."

Ralph groaned. "Great. Really feeling confident now."

"Less talking, more doing. I need you to distract him so I can get a clear shot."

Reluctantly, Ralph aimed his gun at Croc. "Hey! You overgrown handbag! The museum called—they want their prehistoric reptile back!"

Croc heard Ralph's taunts and turned his attention away from Batman. His massive, hulking form lumbered toward us, rage in his eyes. Batman, noticing the shift, realized that we were now part of the equation.

While Ralph continued shooting, drawing Croc's ire, I carefully moved behind a row of cars, crouching low. The moment had to be perfect.

Batman, recovering from the blow he'd taken, had been holding his own—barely. He tried to get up, but his movements were sluggish, his ribs likely cracked from Croc's earlier punch. He saw me behind the wreckage, the stun gun aimed at Croc's back. His eyes narrowed. He knew what I was planning.

Croc was almost in position. "If bullets can't stop me, what's a little taser gonna do?" Croc snarled as he stalked forward.

*Now or never.* I squeezed the trigger.

The electric cord struck Croc dead center in his back. "Arghhhhhh!" Croc's roar of pain echoed through the street as the shock coursed through him. The electricity surged, his muscles seizing, his body shaking violently.

And then, with a heavy thud, he collapsed.

I let out a long breath, my hand throbbing from the jolt that fried the gun. "Ow… that hurt more than I thought."

Batman stepped forward, surveying Croc's unconscious form before glancing at me. "Nice work," he said in that deep, gravelly voice of his.

I couldn't help but grin. "Thanks… it was a team effort."

Ralph stumbled over, looking pale but relieved. "We're never doing that again."

I laughed. "Agreed."