Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 424 STATELY

The Haunt had passed out as soon as I grabbed him. Flying through the night of Gotham there was a lot to unpack. No Batman in the city meant there was a vacuum for crime fighters. I was fairly certain Batman was the main vigilante in Gotham, but maybe this hero was this world’s version of Robin or something. 

His outfit looked pretty badass. A little beat up, the skull shaped helmet made him very distinct. The rest of the suit honestly looked like Batman’s. Some kind of carbon fiber mixed with steel there was the outline of pecs and abs in the front. Heavy but damn durable, it was mostly black and very very dark gray. 

Confused on where to go from there I could feel that the Haunt was okay, just tired. I flew to my suite across town. Having left my window open when I left earlier, I dragged my fellow vigilante inside and threw him on an ottoman. No real damage besides some small cuts, I didn’t use my Spark. Instead I turned to my fancy new laptop. 

By fancy I meant it was about a decade older than I remembered from my world. Basically crap, I had left the suite as it downloaded what it needed to. Now that it was done setting up, I began to search through the internet, as Batman would have wanted. 

First I looked up The Haunt. Still a rather new vigilante, there were only a few sightings of him. Robberies thwarted here and there, some shady photographs taken, there was very little information on the still asleep crime fighter. He was apparently looking into Joker and his Jesters though. That meant he was doing good, but lacked experience. 

I studied the suit again. A makeshift utility belt on, there appeared to be some recording devices, maybe a grappling gun, and what looked like webbing under the arms. Maybe for gliding. Still unsure what to make of him, I wondered if he had potential. Perhaps there was a way to make my time go more quickly while I waited for my six month probation to end. I didn’t plan on sticking around Gotham forever, and it would be nice to know the place would be safe if there was no Batman. 

“Fucking doesn’t make sense,” I said. “Gotham is Batman, and Batman is Gotham.” I turned back to the computer and began to look for the information that was bugging me. The year was 2010, and the Wayne’s were killed 22 years ago. Just a little bit of time before I was thrown in the slammer. Luckily the information was readily available, and it wasn’t long until my questions were answered. I read the first article aloud, disbelieving what was different in this world. 

“Thomas and Bruce Wayne were gunned down December 23rd, 1988,” I mumbled in disbelief. “The Wayne’s had been leaving a play. Walking through an alley to their car, a man walked into the alley and threatened them with a gun. When Thomas Wayne made a move for the gun, he was killed. Rather than leave witnesses, the mugger was aiming his gun at the pregnant Martha Wayne, but Bruce, their ten year old son, stepped in the way. The mugger soon fled the alley, leaving Martha alone. Distraught by the event she went into labor in that very alley. By the time police and paramedics arrived, Willow Wayne was born in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve. What the absolute fuck.” The article didn’t say that part, but I couldn’t help it. “That is fucking dark as shit.” 

The article continued on about the crime of the city and how the event caused a major shift in the stance on attacks. Proving yet again why killing the rich wasn’t profitable for criminals, so they better stick to the lower classes. I brought up more articles as I scoured the information I could. 

Martha Wayne became a recluse after the death of her son and husband. Willow Wayne didn’t appear in any articles whatsoever, but there were pictures of her playing in sports in school as she grew up. A new article was recently published about her returning to Gotham after her studies overseas were finished. The article came out a few months ago…around the same time as The Haunt showed up in the city. 

“Are you freakin serious?” I mumbled as I turned around slowly in my chair. I studied the still asleep Haunt on my ottoman. The bodysuit they were in was obviously male, but as I studied the body with my Observation Haki, there was a glaring obvious fact that they had no dick. “My god, what is wrong with this family?” I asked. As I studied her more, the distinction became obvious. Wrapping around the breasts, the small figure. I had merely assumed it was a young guy, but no, this was a woman under the mask. 

I stood up, considering taking off her mask. But I didn’t need to. My gut was telling me this was Willow Wayne. I never would have taken off Batman’s mask, and I figured I might as well give the same courtesy to his sister. 

“Let’s fucking get you home, ghost girl,” I said. Standing up, I moved closer to her. Her Haki shifted slightly but I ignored it. As my hands moved under her head and knees to princess carry her she jerked up. Punching at me, my hands moved lightning quick, grabbing her hand.

“It’s alright,” I said, staring at her in the black makeup covered eyes. “It’s going to be alright.” She breathed in and out heavily through her nose, then her eyes fluttered and she passed out again. “Goddang, this poor freakin family.” Picking her up, she felt lighter now that I wasn’t forced to carry a dude. Walking to the window I jumped out and headed to the stately Wayne Manor on the outskirts of town. 

The city was still wide awake. Gun shots going off somewhere, I ignored them as I flew to the West side of town. I hadn’t investigated it when I flew in but there was a large neighborhood for the rich and famous of Gotham. A few miles outside of the bustling and crime ridden city was the rich neighborhood. Vast tracts of land around each mansion worthy home, there were a few dozen, safe and sound from the lowlifes of the city. With their own guards at the only road leading into the neighborhood. I flew over them to find the Wayne Manor way at the back. 

Much like the one from the Christian Bale version of Batman, it was an old manor. Six stories tall, it was in the shape of a block with plenty of gargoyles and angels carved into the stone exterior. A paved road leading up to it, there was an updated garage out back where Willow most likely kept her many vehicles. Or maybe there wasn’t an underground cave system there and she was using it as her Batcave. 

“Not Batcave…” I mumbled. “The Haunt…so Haunted House? No. Graveyard? Uhhh Crypt. Yeah that’s it. Her Crypt.” I nodded in approval of my naming sense and swooped down with the still asleep girl in my arms. I considered just throwing her in bed and leaving it, but I wanted to double check I had the right place. 

Ringing the bell at the front door I waited patiently as an old man came down the stairs. He was using a cane, and obviously needed it as he walked ever so slowly toward the door. When he eventually got there he used an intercom to ask, “Yes?”

“I need a priest,” I quoted. 

“What?” The old man asked. 

“I said I found this girl, and I need a priest. Cornelius something.”

“There’s no Cornelius-” The man said as he opened the door. Then when he saw the woman in my arms his eyes widened, telling me all I needed to know. 

“Hello, Alfred,” I said. “I assume you want this wayward ghost.” The man looked up at me with fear. 

“How do you-” He tried to ask, but I cut him off. 

“Despite how she looks, she is quite heavy in this suit. You mind?” I asked, pointing her head in the direction of the door. 

“My god,” he mumbled, throwing it open. I let myself in. Inside was what I expected. Wood everything, a mix of creepy and high class. The place was dark, but very expensive. The kind of place you would need old money to maintain. 

I turned to Alfred, eyeing his cane. “Do you want to carry her? Or…” I left it open to interpretation. With his limp, I doubted he could handle it. 

“Please,” the old man said hesitantly. Pointing up the stairs I followed him. Pain moving up his leg with each step, it looked like a recent wound. Curious if I could help with my Spark, I studied the pain as I took each step one by one. 

At the second floor he directed me down the hall to a room. Nothing discerning the place to identify it as a girl’s room, I was sure it was one of many that she used. Portraits on walls of the Wayne’s most everywhere, there were none of her. I frowned but laid her on the bed. 

As soon as she was on the bed Alfred was checking her pulse. Pulling a flashlight out of somewhere he checked her eyes and breathing. When he was satisfied she was okay he turned back to me as I studied the room. 

“How did you…”

“Get here? Just a google search away,” I said with a smile. I was still in my hoodie hero costume. Though I was older I couldn’t help but feel like I was younger every day in the body as I trained with it. 

“No…know to come…here?” He mumbled. No accent on him, I was sure he had one, I just couldn’t hear it. I was thankful for that. I always had trouble understanding British accents. 

“She whispered her name,” I decided on. “I found her on the side of the road. I’m sure the young rich and famous all have weird sex things they do to get off. But I didn’t know dressing up was in now a days. But who am I to judge?” I gave him my best smile. He didn’t believe me. “Whatever she was doing, just be glad she is fine. And her secret is safe with me.”

“And why is it safe with you?” He asked. 

“I’m a reformed criminal,” I said with my best smile. “Weston Walker, at your service.” I waved at him. “Now uh, I got my own weird stuff to do yet tonight. Just uh tell the girl to take it easy. Maybe have weird adventures outside the suit for a while. Keep it PG for a bit, you know. I’ll uh…let myself out.” I turned and walked out. Mainly because her Haki was saying she was waking up.

Alfred attended to her rather than going after me, not like he could catch me anyway. I went down the hall and decided to have some fun since the other two occupants were occupied. Extending my Haki outward, I began to search every nook and cranny of the place. 

One weird thing I found about the Wayne’s was Martha became a recluse. Not showing up in the news, or much of anywhere, no one had seen or heard from her in over ten years. I was a little curious if she was inside the mansion. Guiding her daughter to take up the mantle of The Haunt to get revenge for her family. 

As I began my search I noticed that there were many wet walls and secret passages that might lead to a secret hideout, but I couldn’t find the ways to activate the trick to them. Annoyed, I settled on finding more people, but didn’t. Extremely disappointed by my finds for the treasure hunt I did notice more than a few safes but left them alone. 

Curious what to do in this world of DC I left the Wayne manor and checked out the next house. Then the next. Getting a glimpse into the lives of the extremely wealthy of the city I knew I might as well learn everything I could while I was stuck there. 

When I got bored with that I set out to maybe find a cool training spot in the woods. That was when I remembered my quest. 

The quest actually updated my Rift skill. Telling me I could open my subspace from one world to the next. I had hoped that the skill would already allow that since it technically opened another dimension. Since it didn’t, I was happy with the quest. I brought up my Status Screen to study the changes as of yet. 

My Viltrumite form never stronger, I had actual money and options in my worlds. A sub-space that could span worlds it must have been part of my Rift skill. Did that mean my Item Choices were useless now? Curious how that could be, I decided to let it go until I jumped to somewhere else. Whistling as I flew around the city I heard another gunshot. Instead of ignoring it I found a robbery commencing. Cracking my knuckles I put up my hood, ready to get to work.