CHAPTER 2: "You're Not Such A Bad Guy"

"You left a bigger mess than usual." A shorter older man a little on the heavy side remarked while watching the Iceberg Lounge band play a classic jazz piece.

"Hmmm, did you say something?" A youth sitting across from the man said while reading the news on his laptop. Apparently, the top story was Lex Burgers going out of business. Why that man thought he needed a fast food chain was beyond him.

'The ego of some of these billionaires... though they do donate a lot to charity... maybe its worth dealing with their inflated self-worths if they dump millions into good causes?' James thought as he continued to read the article.

"You should pay attention when I am talking boy."

Sighing, James closed his laptop. "What is there to talk about, I went to the Blackwaters peeps, and they declared they have a new guy running them, they beat me up, and then I beat them up. That's all there is to this conversation."

A raised eye sporting a distinct monocle gave James a deep-searching look before muttering, "Just like your parents, God help me when you get older."

That did bring a smile to James' face, anything about his parents did that. While he never knew them due to being so young when they died, he always felt that he could remember a smile, a hand through his hair... something. He had decided long ago that it must have been love, a small imprint of how they felt about him. Save for a few pictures and an occasional story from the Boss, James knew very little about his parents. But he did know they loved him, how exactly he knew that he never could describe, he just knew it.

He knew that they both had powers based on what he had been told. And that they had worked as something akin to mercenaries to doctors without borders. Seeing the vast difference between the two occupations he had remarked such to the Boss only to be told rather curtly that's the best he could describe the jobs they did.

Oswald Cobblepot, better known as the Penguin to Gotham, or the Boss to his minions, had served as a sort of guardian for James ever since his parents had died. From a young age, James had a relatively normal life. Or as normal as being raised by a Mafia boss could be. He spent the first years of his childhood at one of the Penguin's tenant buildings in the city. Fairly rundown and in a neighborhood that promised a good stabbing if you were not careful. It was a perfect place to keep the kid hidden. Though James would not learn that till many years later, he always assumed Cobblepot was just being cheap.

He was watched over oddly enough by several different high-end prostitutes who worked for Penguin, though he wouldn't discover their main occupations till he was a teenager they all became aunts to him. CPS would find no fault in how they looked over and raised him. Apparently, Oswald had told them a few details of his parent's death and they had all eaten up the sad orphan story. It also helped he paid them six figures a year to help watch and raise him.

But after a while, it became more than a job for them. James from an early age was a polite if quiet child. He rarely cried or made a fuss and was always quick to help out whenever. He was also a quick study. By age 5 he found his passion in reading and increased his vocabulary and literature abilities rapidly and came out of his shell a little.

At school, the teachers would always remark what a clever boy he was and always so polite. Though he did have one teacher in 3rd grade that for one reason or another seemed to despise teaching and took a particular disliking for young James. The situation got so bad with the teacher berating the boy that James came home one day crying. The teacher had apparently decided to inform the class that James was an orphan and it was obviously because his parents just couldn't stand him. Held by his 'aunts' who tried their best to comfort him, they informed Cobblepot during their monthly reports on James what had been occurring. The next day when James went to class he found a substitute who informed them that their teacher had gone missing and that they would take over for the time being.

For the most part his life was as normal as most of the kids in the slums of Gotham. He went to school, ate dinner every night with a different 'aunt' or sometimes with all of them, got into a few scraps as expected in the slums, made a few friends, made enemies, and lived his life. Though he kept to himself mostly. He liked to be alone, and in truth, his best friends would be his 'aunts.'

He never was hungry, nor did he lack clothes. But his 'aunts' made sure not to spoil him and kept his lifestyle on par with the middle-class families of the slums. All in accordance to Cobblepot's orders, he knew the kid's parents would return from the dead to beat him senseless if he raised a spoiled brat.

Cobblepot was in and out of James' early years very sporadically. James never really got to know Cobblepot till he was 10 when the crime boss came to his birthday party and gave him a remote control car. He caught the famous crime lord by surprise when in his excitement at his gift he ran over and jump up to swing his arms around his neck to hug him for his present. The Penguin, embarrassed by this act of affection patted the boy on the back before setting him down to play with his present.

From then on the Penguin would occasionally take James to the Iceberg Lounge to eat lunch and talk. Their conversations evolved over time to include everything from the latest movies to the politics of the day. A hobby that became common for them when they wanted to relax and not think to hard was to watch movies. Turns out Cobblepot was a bit of a cinesnob, though he preferred what he called classics, most of which were in black and white. James grew to enjoy those films, though his preferences tended to be the more modern era of films, not that he would confess to Cobblepot that fact.

Things changed for everyone though when on his 12th birthday his powers awoke. He was celebrating at the Iceberg Lounge with Cobblepot and his 'aunts' when a migraine unlike any other assaulted his mind. Crying out in pain he held his head and closed his eyes trying desperately to figure out a way to stop the pain. After a moment something seemed to have clicked in his mind because the pain disappeared.

Opening his eyes he saw to his shock all the silverware, cups, candles, and cake floating several feet above the table. It was strange, somehow he knew he was the one holding everything, almost like lifting a weight with his arm he could feel the strain. But then something seemed to relax and the strain disappeared, causing all the floating objects and the cake to fall right down on the table.

Everyone was quiet and staring at James. Cobblepot despite chunks of cake scattered on his tux seemed fairly calm, "James, was that you?"

James terrified at the mess he knew he made nodded his head slowly.

"Its about damn time!" Cobblepot said with a grin.

James looked at him confused. What did he mean?

"Listen here boy and listen well." Cobblepot pulled James closer to him. "Your parents had gifts, powers if you will. And it seems they have passed on some of that to you now."

James was shocked, "Powers? They could do what I could do?!?"

Cobblepot paused at that, "Not exactly what you can do, or at least I never saw them do what you did. They had different powers, but you having some definitely came from them."

He leaned back in his chair looking very pleased, "It means we can expect even greater things from you. You can really make your parents proud!"

Proud... if there is one thing James wanted it was to make his parents proud. It did make him wonder if somehow, someway his parents were still with him, helping him. But that was wishful thinking. Still, it comforted him at times when he lay awake at night and wondered about them.

From that day forward he began to practice every chance he had. He quickly learned the word of what he could do, telekinesis. He could move objects with his mind, though the weight of the object did limit him. It would take years for him to be able to lift something heavier than a table. It would take more years for him to find out how to create concussive forces, to finely manipulate objects like fitting a key into a door, and to move objects without having to look at them.

At age 16 he thought he had reached a limit to his power...

Back to the present, James was still smiling at Penguin's remark about his parents.

Penguin rolled his eyes, "I don't know why I put up with you."

James blinked at that, "What?"

"You think the little scuffle you had with Blackwater is gonna be the end of it? War is upon us, we will beat them especially with you helping but we have to do it quickly." At this Penguin leaned forward, "Do you know why?"

James swallowed nervously, "Uhhh, no I am not sure why?"

Penguin gave a delightful sneer, "You will be off to college soon that's why and no!" He cut James' protestations off before they could begin, "You will be going, your mother and father treasured education, the last thing I need is their ghosts to annoy me while I am trying to sleep."

"But I don't want to study anymore!" James moaned. School had never been necessarily hard for him but with his powers kicking in, studying calculus that he would never use in adulthood became even less enticing.

It didn't help that at the age of 14, Cobblepot had decided to take over his extracurricular activities with intense training in a variety of different fields. All to promote his growth.

That training also made studying mitosis in biology class seem less important.

"My time is better spent training my powers and growing in the ranks!" James retorted. "We agreed that with my training I would be able to become a made man eventually."

Penguin then looked distinctly uncomfortable at that moment, "Well that is another thing we need to talk about. After Blackwater is finished you will be finished." He cleared his throat, "With my organization that is."

James leaned back into his chair in shock. What?!?

'Why would he do this?!? Did I do something wrong?!? No wait, I have been helping him since I was 14 he can't just kick me out! Unless this is part of an initiation?' James' thoughts swirled in his head.

"This is not part of an initiation boy," Penguin said with some amusement, he knew the boy well enough to guess what he was thinking.

"No, what this is, is me forcing you out so you can do your own thing, live your own life. Be your own man. Your parents saved my life a few times and I owed them a debt, which eventually turned into a friendship." He said, pausing for a moment to take a drink of his wine before continuing.

"That debt and friendship led me to take you in when they asked. I was fulfilling that, but a part of me also knew that you would be like them... gifted and that I may be able to use you at a future date."

His eyes watched James as he now was giving the Penguin his full attention.

"But then a funny thing happened. I grew to like you boy, despite your taste in movies," he said with a barking laugh getting a sad grin from James

"And in that time we grew to be friends like me and your parents were. And I knew that I could not in good conscience keep you with us when I know your parents would want you to have your own path."

At this point, he sighed, "I hate giving up a useful asset, the doors will always be open for you to return but I think we both know you need this. You need to spread your wings, part of that will be going to college. Hell, you may find that the criminal life is not for you, maybe you are meant to be a doctor, you are smart enough for that. Or maybe you are meant to rob banks every day and then retire on a beach. I don't know, and neither do you."

Penguin stood up, "I know you well enough, it's comforting to keep doing the same. But the life I lead I truly don't think is one for you."

James snorted at that, "Are you saying being a criminal is not meant for me?!? From what you told me of my parents they weren't exactly saints."

"Oh you are right about that," Penguin said dryly, "And I never said I thought you couldn't be a criminal, but my style and yours are not compatible. Maybe one day they will be and you will come to work with us, but until then you need to figure out your own life. One that is not bound by me or your parents."

"That's what they would want the most for you at this point," he said softly. He began making his way to the back of the lounge where his office was.

James stood up, watching the Penguin, Gotham's crime boss, a man most considered without a fiber of moral being walk away.

While still in earshot James said, "You know, for a crime lord.... You're not such a bad guy."