Chapter 2: Into the Fire

Walking through a building filled with grand statues, rare artwork and gawdy designs would normally fill most people with a sense of wonder but for Albert he could only feel as though he was walking to his grave.

In the front, Black Mask confidently strolled, in his white suit, through the clean halls every once and awhile eyeing something that caught his attention before moving on all while a holding a machine gun in the crook of his arm. To his right, a cowering man wore a white button up shirt with a blue overcoat and dark blue dress pants, silently led him through the glorious halls. To either side of Albert, stood a hulking male wearing a gray overcoat and a makeshift black mask with a shotgun in each of their hands. He saw no opportunity where he could escape so he could only follow in step with them.

Before long their silent procession stop at a door that greatly contrasted against the Victorian style the building was trying to go for. The door was a solid sheet of steel with no handle or seam in sight all except for a single finger sized hole on the right side of the door. Seeing this, the employee turned to Black Mask and said,"He needs to put his finger in that hole and reader should open the door."

"Now kid," Black Mask turned towards Albert," If you open this door with no fuss or funny business, you will not be harmed."

As one of the masked goons behind Albert pushed him towards the reader, he focused on his Psychology skill before internally sighing with relief,'At least he isn't lying.'

Putting his pointer finger in the hole, he felt it stop just out of sight and lay on a smooth surface before he felt a slight bit of heat which was followed by a series a beeping. Soon after the door slid open with a small hiss of air, turning towards his men Black Mask ordered,"Watch the kid, our friend here will show us the necessary box."

After taking the employee and four of his men, Black Mask entered the room leaving Albert with the remaining two goons. He eyes dragged to the inside of the room, which to him look completely sterile. Rows and upon rows of stainless steel cabinets lead filled the room, ceiling to floor, all of which had a lock. Before he could take a closer, one of the masked goons shoved him out of the way and sat him down on the floor. Seeing this the other gunman sagged with relief as the door closed," Man I didn't expect that, the boss must not be in a good mood."

The sightly taller goon shot him a cold glare before he practically hissed out," It won't help his mood if he catches you speaking while we're on the job!"

Waving his hand, the sagging goon waved his hand in a bored fashion," Your new, he doesn't care if we talk. As long as it doesn't get in the way of the job. And we're watching a kid, he can't do shit with those noodles he calls arms."

Seeing the wisdom from his seniors words, the taller man slightly sagged after looking over Albert's noodle arms. The shorter male turned to him and asked," How old are you kid?"

"16" Albert's voice blurted out before his mind caught up with his mouth,'16?! I remember I was atleast 26 before I died?!'

"16? Could've swore you look 13 at most, lets hope you hit a grow spurt soon or you won't be able to find a girlfriend anytime soon." The shorter man chortled.

Looking down, Albert thought to himself,'If only you knew how right you are.' Even in his past life he went on few dates and never really had a significant other, hopefully in this life he could change that,' I guess this body already has a backstory, but even so I hope I don't meet anyone who knows this body to well.'

"Why did you come to fancy bank? No offense but you don't look like those uppity people out there." The short man asked.

Shifting about slightly, Albert allow his body's built in backstory to answer for him," I'm here to pick up my inheritance from my grandpa."

Leaning forward a bit the short man's eyes began shine with greed and interest,"What kind of inheritance? Do you think he left you any money or jewelry?"

Feeling the dangerous air beginning to bubble in the surrounding, Albert's hair began to rise into the air," No, if he had anything like that he would've spent it on booze."

"My kind of man! Live short and hard!" he leaned back against the wall, dispelling the menacing air. Albert felt his shoulders slump, he couldn't feel anything coming from his Psychology skill so he believe he wouldn't be harmed by the shorter man in front him.

"What do you think he left you?" The taller man asked with curiosity tinging his voice.

"I don't know maybe his debts? Photos? I'm not really sure, I didn't even know he left me anything until earlier this week."

Hearing this the taller man nodded before they all fell into silence as the heard a single gunshot followed by multiple sets of footsteps from behind the door. Standing up straighter, the two goons watched as Black Mask came out in a much better mood than before caring a small metal box. His eyes locked onto Albert's form, moving his head side to side as if deciding something before he shrugged and said to his men," Don't kill him, he hasn't seen anything."

Albert let loose the air stuck in his chest that he wasn't aware he was holding, inwardly glad he didn't go in that room and saw what Black Mask stole. Ignoring the boys relief, he looked at his men and said," Put him back with the others and prepare to get out before the Bats gets here." The taller goon proceeded to grab the him by the arm before dragging him back down the hall. His mind spun as he tried to think of way to see what was stolen, as he got farther and farther away he could feel the failure of the case closing in on him. He didn't know what this 'inheritance key' was but he did know that he did want it, badly. Before he could pull out any of his desperate plans, the room was instantly blanketed in darkness.

The curtains' thick nature allowed a few beams of light into the room, but it was not to accurately see by. The blackening room was instantly met by shocked surprised from everyone in the hallway, guns were raised and waving in the air. Black Mask's voice boomed out, overshadowing his goons panicked exclamations," It's too late, he's here. Ready your weapons, if you see any movement shoot to kill." The goon holding Albert's arm, dropped it and followed his bosses orders. Seeing this as his chance, he fell to the ground before feeling his way on the ground until his hands felt the table he saw earlier. After deftly hiding under like a warrior, he also cowered like one. For sure like a warrior, don't question it, he did not hide under the table like a cowards.

The still hallway was soon broken up by the sound of bone hitting flesh followed by a grunt of pain, gunshots and flashes light filled the area. A figure clothed in black flickered in and out of those flashes of light like a specter during the witching hour. The sounds of bone hitting flesh continued for a few seconds before the room was silent once again, the air was a still as the grave as Black Masks labored breathing and the soft groans of pain reached Albert's ears.

"Come out here you freak!" Black Mask shouted while waving his gun at imaginary sound that filled his ears," I ain't afraid of you!"

Just as instant, the lights soon came back on in a bright flooding stream blinding everyone. Except for one. When Albert's eyes adjusted to the light in the room his sights fell on an iconic sight. A figure stood over the prone Black Mask, covered in dark gray spandex that emphasized his muscular build, a black cowl with iconic bat like ears on top of his head, his billowing cloak fell to the ground, a belt filled with pouches galore and finally the calling card of the man himself laid bare on his chest; a bat. It was the man, the legend himself. Gotham's protector, her Dark Knight. Batman.

Albert's mind froze, it was a bit different from seeing your childhood hero on a tvshow or in a movie or in comic books or in a video game or even seeing someone cosplay as the. Seeing them in person made him realize, no one from earth could ever do Batman justice for they were missing a single thing. His presence. While Black Mask could exude a threatening effort through the use of guns and his appearance, Batman was different. He could instill a sense of awe and dread just from his outline alone, it was if as he has fought the streets of Gotham she has blessed and tempered his aura in turn. He felt tangible, not just how all people are but as if he was more real than everyone else around him, maybe Albert was feeling a sense of hero worship but he couldn't even force himself to care.

His reverence was soon overtaken by a slight greenish hue that caught his peripheries dragging his eyes away, what he saw caused his chest to tightened in terror. The metal box Black Mask once carried, laid wide open on the carpeted ground and in the middle laid a polished emerald gem that painted the hall in its sickening hue. Its look was iconic in all ways, who could ever forgot the one thing on Earth that could harm the Symbol of Hope himself. Kryptonite, a stone from another world with the power to lay a god among men low. The worst possible situation Albert wouldn't want to poke with a 10-foot long pole, anyone peddling or vying for one of these accursed stones was simply asking for trouble.

A dark shadow soon fell over the metal before, in a blink, the emerald stone vanished from sight. Looking up, Albert's eyes locked with the cold stare of the Dark Knight that seemed to produce a sense of pressure by meeting those pupil-less eyes. He couldn't maintain the gaze from a legend and averted his eyes back towards the thugs lying on the ground.

'Not even an hour in this world and I've already seen Batman, now I know why everyone is so walks around eggshell if just being in his presence is enough to shaken me this much. ' Albert silently cursed in his mind.

"Robin to Batman, copy." A radio static-ed from Batman's helm, turning his head to side while pressing his hand to the side of his head, his graveling voice rang out, "Batman to Robin copy, explain your situation, copy."

"Robin to Batman copy, Black Mask's goons are dealt with and the hostages are safe," After a few seconds without receiving a response, a young male voice scoffed,"Ugh...copy."

"Copy that. Black Mask and his men has been apprehended, one surviving hostage on my side." He rasped into the air, glancing over at the boy hiding under the table from the corner of his eye," I will be on my way back, over and out."

Dropping his hand back to his side, he turned his full attention to the cowering boy with the full weight of his gaze before he leaned down and took the him by the arm. After dragging the kid to his feet he looked him dead in the eye demanded," Why did Black Mask take you back here?"

Albert was momentary flummoxed,' Does he think I was working with Black Mask?!' Straightening his back slight he answered from a slightly dry throat," He needed me to open that vault door behind you."

"So you went with him voluntarily?" Batman questioned pushed," Multiple people are dead and you just followed behind him?"

That question caused Albert's head to real back,' Am I….being interrogated right now?!'

"It was either go with him willingly," he started with heat rising in his chest,"Or you wouldn't have found me in one piece."

As if the answer was satisfactory, Batman eased off a bit," Then why do you have a safety security box? From what I can tell, you don't seem to match this bank's clientele."

"I was called a couple of days ago by the lawyer who handled my grandpa's will and he told me I was to come to this bank sometime within the year to pick up my inheritance," Albert took some time to compose himself with deep breathes," I was suppose to meet Mrs. Halton an hour ago, so I was just sitting in the waiting room when everything went down."

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't grasp anything from this caped crusader in front of him. Not with Spot Hidden, Listen, or Psychology; they all just seem to bounce off the enigma in human form, and he didn't even want to know how much Luck he would have spend in order to break through Batman's defenses. And then what? There was no way for him to using any of it to his advantage. He was stronger, faster, smarter and wiser than Albert could ever achieve. Blackmail him with secret identity? That would be foolishness of the highest degree, he would be knocked unconscious and interrogated until he spill any and all secret he might hold. And he didn't want to know how the Dark Knight would react to learning that he was a comic book character. Just the mere thought of that conversation sent a shiver down his spine.

"You will be required to give the police a statement before you can leave, stay out of trouble." After saying that, Batman whipped his cape to side before he walked back towards the groaning gangsters. Taking that for the dismissal it was, Albert scurried back to the lobby with whirling thoughts. The entire situations didn't make sense to him, Black Mask would normally avoid Superman like the plague. He didn't know why the crime lord wanted to get his hands on Kryptonite but he had the feeling that he would soon find out in the coming weeks or months. Hopefully whenever that plan comes to fruition it wouldn't have anything to do with him.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that the walk to the lobby didn't take long at all, from all around police man and woman rumbled around like honey bees slapping cuffs on crooks and taking down people's statements.

All the masked gunman were then escorted out of the building with lowered heads, and hunched shoulders. People spoke in loud voices while gesturing wildly to tired looking cops who could only nod while taking down notes, some cops were beginning to cordon off the area and sheets were soon placed over the deceased and yellow police tape was layered over the area. Off to the side a women dressed in a blue blue suit stood talking to a hulking man in a brown trench coat with a crooked tie affixed to his neck. The middle aged man had a head full of salt and pepper hair, a jealousy inducing brown mustache and large glasses hanging on his face. Crows' feet etched themselves into the corner of his blue eyes under which heavy bags laid. One of the only "good" cops of Gotham, Jim Gordon or Commissioner Gordon.

'God,' Albert groused,' That mustache must be a pain to maintain.'

As if Gordon could sense his corvettes gaze, his eye turned towards Albert before motioning him over to the duo. Not seeing a reason to keep the man wait, he briskly walked over to the two. Stopping just outside their area he waited to be addressed, as the suited woman next Jim yammered on,"…..I was on my lunch break, thank God for that, and when I came back I saw my building being surrounded by the police!"

"Mrs. Holton, I am sorry to cut this short but I do need to take his boys statement." His voice held not even an ounce of pity before waving Albert forward,"What's your name son?"

"Albert Nelson sir."

Nodding his head, Jim began to write in a notepad," I'm going to need your statement…"

"Wait! Your my 3:30?" Mrs. Holton's voice screeched out.

"Yes ma'am." Albert winced slightly at her exclamation.

"Ma'am," Gordon glared," After I talk to Mr. Nelson here, you can talk to him all you want but not now."

After telling the trenched figure before his story again, who in turn nodded before saying to Albert," Okay that's all I required, if you need anything please talk to one of the officers around and they'll answer any questions you might have."

"You will have to come back another time especially after all this mess," Mrs. Hoton huffed," I will be sure to push forward your appointment to the earliest possible time I can."

"When can I be expected to receive an appointment?" Albert couldn't help but ask with a sinking gut.

"The earliest I can receive you will be in two week," Seeing his mouth open in disbelief she pushed forward," You have to understand Mr. Nelson, I am a very busy woman and with this incident we'll have to close the building for at-least a week."

Albert could tell how exasperated she was with this situation and could only nod at her quickly departing back before that pit in his stomach became something more after his back story's memories was made readily apparent.

'Where am I suppose to stay?!'