Hello readers!!! i hope you've all been doing well and I thank you all for enjoying my story so far. i apologize for the chapter delay. i have been busy with school and preparing for finals along with other stuff that's currently going on in my life. i also want to apologize because the chapter will start slowing down since we're reaching the amount that I've already written and need to figure out more content that i like and can be sure you're all entertained. i have no intention of giving up on this story. i love this idea and i have plans for it. any content, events or encounters you could recommend would be very much appreciated.
Let's get on the the story!!!
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The sun rarely seemed to show over Gotham, making it look like the city was in perpetual darkness. Even when the sun did show, there was always the hint of a depressing atmosphere but that can also depend on which part of Gotham a person was in. A person would always look over their shoulders to make sure there wasn't anyone following them because any resident of Gotham knew the danger of walking these streets.
Today was one of those rare sunny days but this time there wasn't a depressing atmosphere. It was actually… peaceful.
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Robinson Park
Sprawling across 300 acres in the heart of Gotham's midtown, Robinson Park stands as the city's Preeminent green space and largest public park. It is a vast urban Oasis that frequently serves as a pivotal, often reclaimed, domain within the urban sprawl. It was one of the very few places residence and families could come to without the fear of something bad happening.
In that exact park, Devin was presently engaged in his routine run along the sidewalk. It had been 2 months since his baptism by fire… or rather by ice against his first supervillain, and event that heralded the start of his grueling tutelage under the watchful eye of Ted Grant.
He controlled his breathing as his heart thumped in his chest from the exertion of running. Each step was measured and made with purpose.
After 14 minutes of running, Devin finally came to a stop. His chest heaved and sweat gleamed off his skin, making his shirt damp. He sat on a bench and allowed his body to rest from the exercise. He grabbed his bottle of water and drank it slowly, allowing the cooling sensation to relax him.
He sat there for the next few minutes and let himself take in his surroundings. The park was vibrant; filled with the chatter of families and the joyous laughter of children playing without a care in the world. Times like these are when people can forget about their worries and focus on what really matters in life.
Once he was done resting, he stretched before moving onto the next part of his training. He then began doing basic strength training such push-ups, sit-ups, squats etc. Once he finished doing that, he got some food before moving on to his… special training.
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Abandoned Warehouse.
Devin stood in the abandoned warehouse that had become his hideout whenever he wanted to use his powers and didn't want to be seen. Right now, he wasn't human but a 12 foot red-skinned four-armed giant with four yellow eyes and muscles like bundled steel cables.
Ever since he began his tutelage under Ted, Devin had been doing his own training to incorporate what he learned from ted into his alien forms. This wasn't just about becoming a competent fighter; this was about building a strong foundation he could stand on. one where he doesn't get in over his head and gets himself killed.
"Let's begin." he said in low-tone, deep and rumbly voice. He got into his own boxing stance. He raised his upper arms in a defensive posture to protect his face and tucked in his lower arms to protect his chest and to also prepare for an attack. This would make him an overwhelming force in a fist fight.
He breathed and shifted his weight. He used his upper right arm to throw a feinting jab, snapping it out quick and sharp. He did the same thing with his upper left arm. He imagined his opponent ducking under his swing and getting into his guard. He put his lower right arm into action and swung with an upper cut.
he began a rhythmic barrage. His top arms worked the head of his imaginary opponent with hooks and uppercuts that followed Ted's flow. Simultaneously, his lower arms stayed tight to his ribs, firing piston-like power shots aimed into the 'kidneys'.
Upper right hook, upper left hook, lower right to the stomach, upper left hook, upper cut with both lower arm and finish with a right hook with both arms.
He was becoming a force of nature because of his four arms and immense strength. He wasn't going to make things easy for his opponent and give them room to breathe, which made him nearly impossible for his opponent to counter.
After doing this for an hour, Devin's body was drenched in sweat. He changed back to human and collapsed on the floor from exhaustion. He breathed heavily and feels his muscles aching now that the training is over.
Devin got off the floor after a few minutes, feeling that he regained some of his strength. he went to the body-length mirror before removing his shirt. Looking at himself in the mirror, Devin could see that he was making some progress. While he was still skinny, there was indeed some muscles definition showing and he couldn't help but feel proud of himself after seeing that his labor is starting to bear fruit.
"Steady progress." Devin said before flexing his biceps and chuckling at himself because he looked like a muscular twig.
---
Now back in the city, Devin sat at a booth in a famous fast-food establishment. He had been walking down the sidewalk when the savory scent of grease and salt hit him before he could register the familiar mascot on the storefront: Big Belly Burger, an iconic staple of the series he had watched in his past life, rendered in tangible, delicious reality.
"Here ya go, shuga." Came the voice of a waitress with a southern accent that seemed out of place for a city like Gotham. She looked like she was in her early to mid-20s and looked like she'd been working a long shift.
The waitress gently set Devins food on the table in front of him. The meal was simple but Devin looked at it with eyes that sparked with excitement and anticipation. It was a burger that was topped with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and pickles. Next to it was a side of crinkle-cut fries that were seasoned with salt.
"Thank you." Devin said with a grateful smile towards the waitress.
The waitress was a bit caught off guard because his smile actually seemed genuine.
"You're welcome, hun." She responded before getting back to work.
Devin focused his attention on his food. He grabbed the burger and immediately took a bite out of it. His taste buds sang and the combined flavors of the burger met his tongue. This surpassed the burger he had at the hotel in Metropolis.
The buns were lightly toasted with a golden finish.
The patty was incredibly tender and burst with succulent flavor.
The lettuce was refreshing and crispy, the tomato was ripe with savory juiciness and the pickles provided a refreshing crunch.
"No wonder this place is so famous." Devin said inwardly as he continued to eat his food. No burger he had in the past tasted this good.
When he was halfway through the burger, he turned his attention to the fries.
Crunch
He took a bite and they were simply divine.
The fries were piping hot, which was just how he liked them.
The amount of salt on them was perfect, which made them even more enjoyable.
And not to mention the crunch. The feeling and the sound were satisfying to his mouth and ears.
Devin continued to eat the food with gusto. By the time he was done, a satisfied and content smile could be seen on his face.
The waitress, whose name was Anna judging by her nametag, walk to Devins table and showed and amused smile.
"Well, you look like a dead pig in the sunshine, shuga" she mused. "Must've been the best burger you ever had."
"It definitely was." Devin confirmed with a chuckle.
"Want me to bring up ya check or are you look'in to buy anotha?" Anna asked with a small smile.
Devin thought for a moment before answering.
"I'll take another. And can I get it to-go please?"
"Good answer." Anna replied.
"Ya look like you could use it to put some meat on your bones." She joked before putting in his order.
Devin felt no insult at the remark and laughed.
Minutes later, Devin left with a bag that contained his second burger. Before leaving, he left Anna a generous tip of $50 which surprised the waitress. He did so because he could see she was exhausted from working long hours. He wasn't sure what her situation might be, but he wanted to at least do something to ease the burden. Not only that, but she was a very nice employee and she made him laugh.
---
Night came. Gotham was engulfed by twilight, transforming into the gothic jungle where shadows grew longer than the skyscrapers.
In a dark alley, three men with rough expressions were standing over a man who barely had the strength to move. The man on the ground was in a fetal position and shivering from pain and fear. the man had a bloody nose and bruises were covering his body. this man had been on his way home from work when three men suddenly pulled him into an alley and beat him.
"This guy was a bit tough." Mugger 1 remarked, rubbing the part of his cheek where the man landed a punch. "Gotta say, had a strong right hook."
"He just got lucky." Mugger 2 added while his foot was pressing on the man's rib. "Anyways, lets just grab his wallet an get out of here."
"You scare the Bat's gonna come here?" mugger 3 joked before reaching for the man's wallet.
The man tried to struggle but he was too weak an injured to do so.
Just as the men were about to take their prize and walk away, another voice that was masked by a scrambler was heard.
"I'm only going to say this once." The three muggers, including the man who was on the ground, turned their heads towards the end of the alley. They saw a person in dark clothes wearing a black hoody and a ski mask covering his face. "Give the man back his wallet and leave."
The muggers looked at the lone figure with confusion before laughing.
"What the heck do we got here!?" mugger 1 clutched his stomach. "A kid trying to be a hero!?"
"Judging by his height and the fact that he's using some fancy tech to hide his voice, it might be just that!" Mugger 2 added with a mocking grin.
"Best move along, kid." Mugger 3's voice went from laughter to intimidation as he pulled out a knife. "Unless you want to have a really bad night."
The masked person didn't feel intimidated and responded with walking towards the three muggers.
"Your funeral, kid." Mugger 1 responded before gesturing for one of the others to take care of him. Mugger 3 stepped forward with a wild grin while tossing his knife from one hand to the other.
When they were just five feet apart, the masked person placed his hand on the brick wall. What happened next made the men take a step back. The masked person's body began to take the same appearance as the brick he touched.
"Still want to do this?" the masked person asked, giving them a chance to back out.
"What the heck!?" Mugger 2 exclaimed, stepping further away. "A meta-human!?"
Mugger 3, seemingly the dumbest, decided to charge forward with his knife coming down in a downwards strike. The moment the knight hit the masked person's armored skin, the weapon broke, its top half clattering to the ground.
Before the man could react, the masked man grabbed the mugger's arm before sending a controlled palm strike into the man's solar plexus causing the wind to be knock out of him. He then swept the man's legs from under him, resulting in him falling on the ground unconscious.
He turned to the other two muggers.
"So, are you guys going to make the smart decision and surrender or are you going to follow your friend's example?" he asked before enlarging his fist.
Fortunately, the men were smart and raised their hands in surrender.
"Good answered." The masked man said in a satisfied tone.
"Now put your hands and feet together." He instructed and the men did just that. The masked man who was Devin, then placed his hand on a dumpster before his body took on a metallic appearance. he then approached the two men before placing his hands on their whist and using his powers to create cuffs on them. he did the same thing with their feet. Of course, he didn't forget about the one he knocked out.
With the muggers restrained, Devin turned his attention to the injured man. as he moved closer, he receded his armor and raised his hands in a gesture of peace so as to not frighted the man.
"Are you alright?" He asked, his tone concerned. He could see the man's bloody nose and the signs of swelling around his left eye.
"I… I'm… alive." The man said in a pained tone. "But… everything hurts."
Devin clenched his fist in a moment of anger at what these muggers did to this man before finally calming down. the priority was to get this man medical attention.
His body began to shift, becoming velociraptor-like. He was XLR8.
The eyes of the wounded man widened his shock and fear as he tried to move away.
"You don't need to be frightened." Devin said in a calm raspy tone. "I'm going to get you to a hospital."
The man relaxed and allowed himself to be picked up.
"Brace as much as you can. I'll try to go at a steady pace but this is going to be fast." Devin said before his visor came down. in the next moment, he sped out of the alley, tightly holding onto the man. Before he left, he made sure to use his tail to pick up the man's wallet.
---
Gotham General Hospital
The neon sign of Gotham General Hospital didn't even have time to flicker before the air in the ambulance bay shattered.
A high-pitched, mechanical whistle—the sound of air being sheared at subsonic speeds—heralded a blur of black and cobalt blue. One second, the bay was empty; the next, a spindly, prehistoric-looking figure stood at the sliding glass doors.
Devin came to a dead halt, his wheeled feet clicking against the pavement as his kinetic momentum dissipated in a sharp puff of ozone.
In his clawed arms, he held the injured man with surprising gentleness.
"Trauma! I need a medic!" Devin's voice was a frantic, synthesized trill, filtered through the pointed visor of his Kineceleran form.
The automatic doors hissed open as two nurses rushed out, startled by the alien silhouette. They hesitated for a heartbeat; in Gotham, "monsters" usually brought trouble, not patients. but the sight of the bleeding man overrode their fear.
"He's got a suspected concussion and a lateral nasal fracture." Devin said, his words tumbling out with the rapid-fire cadence of his accelerated metabolism. "Get him on a gurney!"
As the nurses took the man, Devin stepped back, his long, whip-like tail twitching with leftover adrenaline. His visor retracted, sliding into the sides of his helmet to reveal his large, green eyes. He was breathing hard, the air around his body shimmering with heat haze.
"Wait!" one of the nurses called out as they wheeled the man inside. "Who are you? We need a statement for the GCPD!"
Devin didn't answer. He couldn't. Two months of Ted Grant's training had taught him the value of an exit. He knew that the longer he stayed, the more likely a certain bat-shaped shadow would find him.
"Just... make sure he's okay." Devin chirped. He snapped his visor back down.
"W…wait." This time, the voice came from the man who was on the gurney. "T… thank you… for saving me."
Devin turned his head to look at the man. even though his face was covered by the visor, somehow the nurse and the man could see that he was smiling. Devin nodded before disappearing in a blue blur.
Now that the injured man was receiving medical treatment, Devin raced back to the alley where the muggers were still bound before super speeding them to the GCPD. He left a note explaining what these men did and instructed them to call the hospital about a recently brought patient.
The cops were definitely shocked when seeing the three men appear out of nowhere.