Chapter Summary:
A request is made, blood for blood. A woman's warped mind is exploited. The dead man stalks the beast, chasing off a bug along the way. The spirit returns to gather allies, in preparation to collect what is due.
—=—=—=—=—=—=—=—
Lucian sat on the ground, Maxie leaning against him. His jacket was wrapped around her shoulders, and she was hugging his arm. Around them, darkness reigned, devouring the world in its entirety.
A campfire flickered before them, banishing the shadows and establishing a tiny golden territory. The only sound present was the popping and crackling from the burning wood, trapped moisture escaping violently. The dancing flame casted small, deep shadows on their impassive faces.
They were quiet now that Lucian had answered nearly every question that Maxie had for him. When asked about his powers, he simplified the most obvious ones. General enhanced physique. Boosted regeneration and recovery. Vitality transfer. Energy tendrils. Selective surface adhesion. A storage subspace.
He didn't reveal the deepest truths of his power — not yet. Apart from her not being ready for it, it would have been a chore to explain, especially their origins. Instead, he settled on explaining an on-the-spot theory that he had an adaptive meta-gene. If he needed or craved something enough, his body would try to adapt and make it real.
It was, in part, as close as he could get to the truth without making any world-shattering revelations.
That conversation between them took so long that the sun had fully set on them, and Lucian built a campfire at the bridge at Maxie's request. As for why they didn't return home or to the hospital, it was because neither of them really wanted to.
"I'm still making up for lost time," Maxie reasoned when asked. It seemed that was still disappointed about having to leave the park early on their first date. By that point though, once conversation had exhausted, she was about ready to leave.
Lucian got up and collected their trash into a single bag with assistance from Maxie's phone light. While he was busy with that, she brought up a topic that she had been thinking about since the attack that afternoon.
"Luce. There's a favor I wanna ask..."
"Is it about earlier?"
She gulped. "Y-yeah. It is."
Lucian took the trash bag in one hand and held Maxie's in the other. "Tell me about it on the way."
And so she did.
Maxie gave him everything she could on David along the walk back to the highway.
His little operation was endemic to that one building. The tenants at his top floor were his own men, people who made drugs for him. They lived there rent-free so long as they continued to operate. Their labs took up half of the top floor, and they stored their product in the basement. For added security, David had some thugs who lived nearby on his payroll.
Only the top-floorers were truly loyal to him. These included Pug-face and his little friend, who attacked at the hospital earlier that day.
Aside from wrenching rent from his tenants, David had some of them pushing his poison on the streets. He created this façade of lenience by reducing their rent depending on how much they sold, but what did it really cost them? The lot of his pushers ended up getting hooked themselves. After a while, they only worked to pay David off for overdue rent, and to get their next fix...
The stress of living in those sorts of conditions made that outcome an inevitability. It didn't help that David made them believe that they had no other options.
This was why Connor became what he was. Why Adelaine was forced to do what she did.
Maxie hesitated when she had to bring up her mother. It was subtle, but Lucian noticed. Still, since she seemed determined to give him as much knowledge as she could, she continued.
If a tenant was a woman and didn't want to push David's product, then her only other choice was to use her body instead. Either sell herself to outsiders or entertain David's gang.
Anyone who chose to become private entertainment eventually got goaded or pressured into using David's product. If they sold themselves to outsiders, they still ended up using it somehow or other. Either option they chose always ended the same way.
It was a miracle that Maxie and her siblings had yet to succumb, but that was par for the course — they were rarely ever home. Whenever they did stay there, it was only to spend the night or make use of the meager comforts. They would be away from that place most of the day, even Brodie, despite his disability.
Lucian asked how or why none of the siblings had ever been forced to do the same as the rest of the tenants.
Maxie explained, as David had so smugly proclaimed, that he didn't need them to do anything. They were leverage against their families, and their families were leverage against them. He exploited that little irrational bond between people to keep both sides of a family locked down. As a secondary 'benefit,' David claimed that they were also backup pushers or whores in case his primary moneymakers ever failed or were otherwise eliminated.
Apart from that, Maxie didn't have anything else. She had no knowledge of outside contacts or rivals, anyone with a grudge, or anybody else that owed him.
When they reached the highways, Lucian hailed another cab so he could take Maxie back to the hospital. She called ahead along the way, and her siblings all agreed that West Mercy was safest place to be for the time being. They knew that people were watching over them, and that it would last until Adelaine fully recovered.
Lucian escorted Maxie all the way to her mother's hospital room, and ended up staying for a little bit as well.
There was polite conversation at first, but topics eventually drifted back to what had happened that day. Maxie said no more, so it was mostly Lucian and her siblings talking. When the two eldest made their own concerns known, Lucian finally spoke up about what he was going to do.
"I'm gonna deal with your landlord problem," he announced.
Bailey immediately protested while Brodie and Maxie stayed silent. "This is our business," she insisted. "We'll just find a way out of it. You don't need to get involved."
"I'm doing this one way or another," said Lucian.
She was about to double down, but Maxie got in her way. "I asked him to do this, Bailey."
"Are you serious...?"
"I did. He wants to help, and he can help. Please. It's not just about us right now."
Bailey threw her hands up in frustration. "Alright. Let's say I let you do what you want. What then, are you gonna call your vigilante friend? What if he's busy and doesn't show?"
"I got him on speed dial," said Lucian. "Besides, even if he's not available, I'm no slouch myself."
"Sure..." Bailey wasn't convinced. To her surprise, Brodie supported the statement.
"He's strong. I saw it earlier. He made that bloodstain on the wall."
Her eyes moved to the faded red marks on the white-painted surface, then back to Lucian. "You're serious about this," she stated grimly.
He nodded. "I'm gonna go now. Not much time. Best to strike tonight when their wounds are still fresh."
Nobody stopped him when he stood up, but as he reached the door, Maxie pulled him back. "Come back in one piece," she demanded. Then, after a beat, she pulled him down and left a peck on his lips.
"I've got more waiting for you when you come back."
...
When Lucian left the hospital, he felt eyes on him. It wasn't any ordinary hostile gaze.
When a normal person directed hostility at him, it was usually a bit of a dull pulse in his mind. Like someone throwing a paper ball at the back of his head. From those with training or were otherwise just as capable, it felt more like a firm grip on the back of his neck. Uncomfortable, but otherwise manageable.
This particular pair of eyes made him feel like there was a gun pressed to his skull.
Lucian flared his senses, saturating his body with lifeforce while making sure that none of it visibly leaked out.
'It's coming from above... shit. I can't look at 'em without being obvious.'
He wracked his brain. What could he do about this? His stalker couldn't be Nightwing or Batman. While they were both extremely capable and made his hair stand on end at times, he never felt any real hostility from them. This one felt like one wrong move away from pulling the proverbial trigger.
Then, just as suddenly as it came, the presence disappeared.
'That was fucking ominous.'
[ Just get out of here. You might lose them completely if you hurry. ]
'I know. I'll stick to crowds for now, then head home once I'm sure the coast is clear. Question is, which face do I wear when I go after David?'
Lucian merged into Gotham's busy swarms. He remained alert to anybody that might have been watching, but neither his senses nor his abilities alerted him to anything major since the presence vanished.
He turned down an alley when nobody was paying attention and covered himself in Blackwhip. Emerging from his own darkness as the Manticore, he scaled the tallest vertical surface nearby.
◎ ◉ ◎
Knock, knock, knock...!
Joseph's thick, calloused knuckles rapped against his daughter's bedroom door. "Tammy, baby? You still awake?"
There was rustling inside. Tammy's tiny voice barely penetrated the door. "Still awake, dad."
"You haven't eaten since you got home," he said. "At least have dinner before bed, okay?"
"I will!" She replied. Her voice sounded cheerful, but Joseph knew better. The bags under her eyes and the way she walked listlessly were telling. "Just finishing off a school project," Tammy continued. "I gotta pick up some slack 'cause someone ditched us."
"Alright," he said through the door. He didn't speak loudly, but his voice always carried through. "Join me at the table if you finish soon."
...
Beyond the door, a figure shifted and writhed under soft pink bedsheets. Tammy was watching something on her phone, the audio ever so faintly leaking out of her earbuds. Her body shivered every few seconds, and her pupils were dilated more than normal. She mouthed something over and over the whole time — possibly a name.
This was all that she'd been doing since she got home, besides the occasional break for water or a nap.
As for the 'project,' it didn't exist. Aleck had already paid off her professors so she could graduate without doing anything. Showing up to uni was all for the sake of appearances. Any professors that couldn't be bought were brought low using blackmail.
Whenever Tammy was alone, she spent every waking moment just mindlessly pleasuring herself. It was a seed of habit planted psionically into her brain when she started dating Aleck in high school, and it was made to overtake her bit by bit over the years. It was now at a point where Aleck's control over her was nigh-unbreakable.
In the middle of her streak of self-abuse, Tammy's phone rang.
It was Aleck's number.
She answered right away, though her hand never left the space between her thighs. If anything, it only started moving faster.
"H-hello, Master~!" She greeted, voice airy. Her tone was overjoyed, calling him that. Tammy was the one to ask if she could do that, and her master agreed because he thought it 'sounded precious.'
"Hello, Miss Watson," Aleck said in response. His slimy, syrupy voice wormed into her ears and melted into her brain, sending tingles scorching across her entire body. "I've got news for you... bad news, but we can make something good out of it if we try."
"Please tell me~!" she squealed, mindful not to be too loud. She didn't want her dad to hear her and possibly ruin the moment — she was so close.
"I just learned something new about Miss Steele's prospective boyfriend," Aleck said.
Tammy sobered up, just a little bit. "You mean Lucian...?" Though she still touched herself, her mind was no longer focused on pleasure.
"The very same." One could picture Aleck nodding as he spoke. "I only learned this on accident. I was researching some businesses around the city and came across something shady. You know Mr. Iñigo Suarez, yes?"
Tammy nodded though Aleck couldn't see her. "I met him when Maxie went out on a date with Lucian," she explained. "He taught me how to cook a few things..."
"Ahh... so that's where you learned those recipes," Aleck mused. "You must stay away from that man, Miss Watson, and Mr. Albrecht by extension. You see, Mr. Suarez is involved with the cartels. He claims to no longer be tied to them when confronted, but I know for sure that he still runs with them to pollute Gotham. He has already roped Mr. Albrecht into his schemes.'
Tammy's hand had stopped moving between her legs altogether. "That...? Master, do you mean he distributes drugs through the deliveries...?"
"I'm afraid that is the case," said Aleck.
Tammy's heated body went cold. If Lucian really was a terrible person, then she couldn't let Maxie be with him! Her dad, Connor, was scum that pushed drugs willingly. She couldn't let her best friend unknowingly be with a man like that. Resolved, she decided to give give this her all and expose that bastard to her bestie and rip her away from him.
'Then, once I've saved her, maybe I can convince her to let my master own her, too! He'll have a full set of seven! Everyone's going to be so happy...'
"Just be wary of him, Miss Watson, and keep an eye out for your friend. I'll call you again when I have an update... or when I simply wish to hear your voice. Take care now, cotton candy..."
"I love you too, Master~!" Tammy whispered into the phone before the call cut off.
Aleck never said those words to her, not directly or out loud, but she knew that he loved her just as much as she did him.
She would do anything for her Master. She guessed there was Maxie too, though she had been demoted to second place in her heart since she gave everything to him.
◎ ◉ ◎
Two helmeted figures chased each other over rooftops, leaping over gaps and weaving through obstacles. They fired guns at each other — one shot blowing blue bullets, and the other let loose some fat white projectiles.
"You know, I'm not very fond of having a stalking rival." Jason loosed a few bullets, harsh cracks tearing through the silent night. He used shock bullets as ammunition, for when someone was too useful to kill on the spot, or when he didn't want to get on Bruce's bad side.
He was on babysitting duty that night, taking his turn after Dick as a favor. The job was only supposed to be watching over Lucian and helping him get out of trouble, and he supposed that he was still doing his job... just not in the way he would've liked.
The enemy's voice came altered through his matte grey helmet. "Can't say I'm very happy with it either..." As he spoke, he kicked off the rooftop, and odd-looking wings spread wide from what looked like a metal backpack. They were translucent, resembled moth wings, and seemed to shimmer even in the absence of direct light.
Jason decided to taunt Killer Moth while giving chase. "Where'd you get your new fairy costume? Did your big sister make it for you?" He hoped to agitate him enough that it turned from a chase into direct confrontation. He would have the advantage there. Then, he could figure out why Drury Walker seemed to be honing in on Lucian's movements.
"As a matter of fact, I made it myself!" Killer Moth fired cocoon shots over his shoulder, the new formula exploding into oversized swirling cobwebs on impact.
Jason intercepted the shots with his own firearms, making them explode prematurely while weaving out of the way. "Tell me why you're stalking him!"
"It's just work, Little Red! You know how bounty jobs are." Killer Moth plucked round objects off of his belt as his flight accelerated. He hurled them all haphazardly over his shoulder, carpet-bombing Red Hood with cocoon grenades.
Jason cut through the sticky silk nets that exploded before him, all too wide to go around. He used a katana strapped to his back that Damian had given him, barely managing to squeeze his way through the gap.
He tried to shoot at Killer Moth's flight pack with his shock rounds, but the movement pattern was too erratic for his bulky and unstable shots. By the time he got his regular gun out, the target was already gone.
"Tsk... Should've just used regular bullets."
Panting, he checked the HUD provided by his helmet. It showed Lucian in an alley, courtesy of a pigeon drone that Tim and Barbara collaborated on. Its camera could zoom in so far that the Manticore's keen senses didn't seem to pick up on its presence.
"Well, we know that Killer Moth's out now..."
He sent a ping to the rest, updating them on the Lucian situation before giving chase again.
'I should keep my distance this time. I swear he felt me watching earlier. Whatever his meta-gene did to his body, it made it go really hot...'
◎ ◉ ◎
Lucian decided to resurrect the Phantom while mulling things over along the way. He didn't want the Manticore returning to the burned building — that would have painted a terrible precedent. Connor had already been arrested after all, and if he returned there as his main alter ego, it would not make for a pretty picture. As far as the wider city was concerned, the place was just a normal apartment building.
'The cops, too... they never did do an investigation on that building, did they? Must've collected a big fucking paycheck from David. Explains the vindictive attack today.'
Along the way home, he made a detour towards a certain alleyway. Dropping into the gap between buildings, he landed on the ground right before a rusted wrought iron fence.
Hanging off of one of the branched spikes was a familiar white mask. It was covered in a thin layer of dust, but was otherwise untouched.
'Hey there, little buddy. Sorry for discarding you — I really shouldn't have let go, just in case...'
As he grasped the mask's surface, he assigned it to his secondary loadout, banishing it from reality. Well, just to make sure, he wrapped Blackwhip around it first.
'Gotta set up a pattern.'
Once he had done that, he returned to swinging between buildings and beelined for the squatting zone.
There, he took some things he needed. Old black cargo pants that Iñigo included in his care package — he swapped that out for whatever he had in his secondary loadout. There was a black hoodie in there, thicker and rougher. He swapped it out for the navy blue one that he had, because he might just end up bloodying it.
'Time for some new gloves and boots...'
His next stops had him purchasing full black gloves to cover his fingerprints, and all-black work boots so he didn't have to use his usual pair. He had plans for those.
The last step before heading out was matching infusions to his current setup. Penny could diffuse and infuse equipment on the fly, so she could also do that while swapping loadouts.
Mask of Fear matched both his cowl and white mask. Tiger Climbing Gear was matched to both sets of gloves and boots. Cloak of Distortion was now assigned to both his Manticore jacket and the beat-up black hoodie.
Pulling up his virtual notes, Lucian checked an address. It was the very same one that Gomez had written down for him. He took a good chunk of whatever money he had left and hoped it would be enough to hire them. If it wasn't, then he would try to negotiate labor for labor.
'I'll wrap up with Strike Back before the sun rises.'
—=—=—=—=—=—=—=—
[A/N]: I... return.
Bit of a vent: this chapter was a different kind of hell from the last ones.
Those ones, I just had trouble writing.
This one... hoo boy, this one's a whole different animal.
I managed to "complete" this chapter in four-ish days, give or take, but then I realized that the tone wasn't right. There was either too much or too little, or I went too far with some scenes, or not far enough. I was wandering, and my build was so wack that I had to start over.
So I started over.
Then I fucked it up.
A g a i n .
And then I started over, and now we're here.
Hey, at least I managed to post this relatively on time.
If I made any mistakes, this wasn't beta'd! Pls pls tell me so I can fix, I literally just finished writing this today and made a single pass to make sure I didn't make any glaring errors.
See y'all next week! Lucian's finna do some research when we return.