Chapter 54 He Owes Me.

(General P.O.V)

"This is a fucking nightmare."

Perry White, chief editor of the Daily Planet muttered to himself as they watched the news feed.

The camera panned wide to show the devastation of the most crime infested cities in Gotham.

"Oh my god."

One of the interns gasped in shock.

"This is getting out of hand."

Whitman one of the longest serving reporters commented. Perry couldn't help but agree.

"Excuse me! Coming through! Perry!"

A voice called out from a far and his best journalist, Lois Lane arrived with documents in hand.

Perry brought his coffee mug to his lips only to find out that it was empty. He sighed, rubbing his chin. Days like this he wondered...

"Perry!"

Lois broke him out of his thoughts. He already knew what she was going to say.

"It's a no, Lois. For starters it's too dangerous and secondly I need you on something else. Let Dane handle this. Speaking of which where is Kent today?"

Perry asked, turning from the news feed to walk towards his office. Lois followed.

'She looks stressed.' He couldn't help but notice.

"I have something for you Perry."

She said the second they were in his office. Then Lois opened the file and Perry stiffened in place.

"I've been doing some digging and one of my contacts led me to something. The explosion that happened in Gotham 4 hours ago, it didn't just leave Gotham a landscape full of rubble, it took down the communications. Arkham Asylum went dark. You know what that means."

Lois told him.

Perry jumped to his feet, heading towards the door.

Outside, he clapped his hands to get attention of everyone in the world space.

"Dane, you're benched. Lane, I want you on the news chopper in 5 minutes. We need to cover this, not just for the story but to ensure people don't get hurt."

(Elsewhere)

The facility had its own source of power, a huge generator kept below the sublevels. The whole place was in lockdown. Or it was supposed to be. The truth was, the inmates had already seized most of the floors.

Only the Control room was left. And from the looks of things, it would hold out for long. At least until reinforcements arrived.

Three guards stood inside the control room, guns trained on the bunker like door. The only way in would be if someone from the inside unlocked it.

"No matter what happens, we are not opening those doors." The Chief Guard, a huge man with long sideburns informed the other two.

There was a bang on the door, one that reverberated across the entire room.

"H-hey...I just had a daughter. what if we let them in? They...they could let us..."

The youngest of the trio, a pale white guard nervously asked.

The Chief Guard was on him, grabbing his shirt with a glare.

"You think any of these animals is that kind?! They will kill us the moment they breach those doors!"

There was a buzz from the intercom.

"Is this thing on?"

A gravelly voice asked. It was oily and carried an undertone of danger that made everyone's back shiver.

"I like to think you can hear me. Otherwise I'd be talking to myself and that's simply insane. Hahahaha."

"That's the...Joker."

The final guard, who was wearing glasses muttered.

"I have a friend here. His name is Bane. And Bane...likes to crush things."

The Joker continued.

There was a heavier blow on the door. A dent appeared on it.

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"Oh Fuck..."

The Chief Guard whispered letting go of his colleague. He walked to the door and spoke into the intercom.

"Let it rest Clown, we are never going to open this door. It's a titanium alloy. Let's see if you can put your money where your mouth is."

He replied in confidence.

"Ooooh I like you. You remind me of a certain Bat dude. Uncompromising with attitude problems. I wanted to make this interesting and in exchange for playing my game...I promise I won't kill you."

The Joker responded.

The other two guards looked at one another.

"I told you clown, it's not happening. Give up and return to your cell. Backup is already on it's way."

The Chief Guard was quick to respond.

"A little Birdie told me that communications are down so..."

The Joker said in a sing songy voice.

"Here's the deal. I will let two out of the three of you live, if you open this door."

His tone went through a sudden change. Now it was gleefully cruel.

"You are cr..."

There was a sudden shot. Something impacted the Chief Guard from the back. He turned around in shock, his mind still struggling to catch up to reality.

"You..."

He bit out, blood flowing up his throat. The pale white guard was standing with a smoking gun, a wild look of disbelief was in his face.

"I...I..."

A second shot rang out and the chief guard's head rocked back.

"Annoying prick, always bossing me around. I've wanted to do that for a while."

The guard in glasses told the other.

(Elsewhere)

Gentleman Ghost was in a bind. True name James Craddock or Gentleman Jim to his close associates oh and Harley, somehow she insisted on being so familiar with him despite only knowing her for a short time.

He had been in the Tin Roof Club on official business. Looking for a new place to call home. His past had caught up with him back in England. Selina had been his contact. And then the explosion had happened and his prospective new home had been destroyed in an instant.

The patrons inside the building had only survived due to the owner's foresight in reinforcing the structure. Still, it had barely endured. The back portion was caved in.

Being the gentleman he was, he helped Selina find a way out. And then promptly left. His other option had been Bludhaven, Gotham's neighboring city with the same crime rate. Fortunately or unfortunately, Bludhaven didn't have a Batman.

Jim had flown off, his form invisible to normal eyes but before he could leave Gotham behind...he started seeing them. Shrouds, dark spirits that lead sinful souls to hell. Nasty lot. They would view Jim as an abomination.

He swooped down and hid behind a collapsed sign with the words 'Julio's Tamales.'

Shrouds were one of the few things that could harm him. He needed to wait it out until they passed.

What Jim wasn't excepting was a group to pass right behind him, in his blindspot. He rose up in panic, thinking they were after him.

Gentleman Ghost gaped as the shrouds sped right by him, not even giving him the time of day as they chased after something. Gentleman Ghost grew curious.

Shrouds were far from mindless but they solely existed for one purpose, their job. So to completely ignore a soul like James 'Jim' Craddock was insane.

It made him curious enough to follow after them. The sounds of battle rang out from afar as he arrived within close proximity of the Tin Roof Club.

From there, each meter he cleared in the air became harder.

A heaviness settled on his shoulders. Breathing became hard. What was this? Gentleman Ghost had never felt this way before.

And cresting above the collapsed Skyscraper, Jim saw something truly incredible. The shrouds were floating above a massive snake. No, that's wrong. They were actually hovering around the young man on the snake's back.

His eyes were magnetically pulled to his form. Jim ignored everyone else as he faced...the monster. Because that was what he was. No one else brought out this feeling of awe and fear at the same time. Whoever this person was...he was not human.

The young man stood tall, clad in a leather jacket, black pants, a sheath and a long sword. He cut an impressive figure, his silver hair waving in the air as he pointed at something.

Then the Shrouds in the air moved according to his command. Jim heard it even from the distance. Two words.

"Destroy it."

What happened next was terrifying. The shrouds tore into the Dark Spirit, destroying it completely. The spirit howled but was soon silenced as it was devoured.

Into nothing.

Even the humans next to the boy could feel it without seeing. The ominous air in the surroundings. The young man's eyes were devoid of mercy. He didn't seem to enjoy it. It was... nothing to him.

Gentleman Ghost gulped. Yeah...maybe Bludhaven was a better choice. He sank through the roof.

Unknown to him, Davian could feel him through his Reikaku. He just assumed it was one of Gotham's crazies scurrying about.

(Davian's P.O.V)

Before my widened eyes, the Shrouds made short work of the dark spirit. It's energy was plundered and devoured. They then returned to hover above me. As if they were subservient. Just waiting for my next order.

It was...

I couldn't even describe the feeling of power I got.

"I wish you could see this Chase."

I muttered lowly.

"I can. And what do you think I've been doing all this time?"

Chase unexpectedly spoke up.

"Chase!"

I called out in relief.

Before I could ask him where he'd been. Flashes of images appeared in my head. His memories. And in them...I widened my eyes. So that's how it is. Chase had used one of Chesha Neko's string to grab onto one of the Shrouds and pull it into my inner world. Then he had put up a barrier around it to stop the Shroud from leaving.

All in a bid to understand what they were and why they were so attracted to me. And the answer? Nothing. The only thing Chase could glean from them was that they listened to me. Or rather, they couldn't help it. Something about my powers made them puppets for my use. It wasn't a matter of telling them what to do...they existed for me to control. To use.

I had dominated them without even knowing.

"This is a boon for you my Wielder."

Chase informed me.

It was. But it was also a big problem. Why? The attention it would bring from the mystic community.

I could feel Constantine's eyes at my back. Judging. Trying to understand why and how I could control Shrouds. I didn't want to deal with this now.

A clean Shunpo made me clear the distance between the spot Superman's body had fallen and us in an instant. There was no discharge of excess energy. I had grown faster. And it was all because of the fights. They had forced me into a corner.

'Progress through battles.' I thought, looking down at one of the most powerful beings in the universe. He was beaten. Even surviving him was an achievement. Something to be proud of.

I wasn't proud. Not really. And I was glad for it. Because it meant that I was setting my sights further.

Maybe that was how I could get stronger faster. Training was all well and good but I was the sort of person to thrive in conflict. I could become a mercenary. Take on jobs that would put me up against powerful opponents.

I grabbed the Kryptonite arrow plunged in his side while thinking.

You know that's not such a bad idea. Bronze Tiger owes me.

I pulled out the arrow, the Kryptonian glowing only less bright than my sheath as I placed it above the Man of Steel's chest.

Now, the only thing left is to save Raven.