After a few hours of sleep, Isaac woke up to the sound of water boiling under pressure. The smell filled the apartment. Not even clothed, he wandered into the kitchen. Her slim figure leaned against the counter. Beneath, the city rushed into its morning routine.
Emma was drinking a mug of coffee. She almost let it slip when arms wrapped around her waist. Black hair rested on her shoulder. "Isaac... What's wrong?"
The arm trembled. It was real. "...Nothing." He tightened the embrace. She put her hands on his forearms.
Outside, a yellow bus stopped. Teenagers rushed to the back seats. A man in a black suit hailed a taxi. The coffee in her mug had lost its white vapor.
"You'll be late for school."
"It doesn't matter."
Her toes curled at his words. Despite his recent behavior, Isaac had respected his father's wish about education. Even if his scores weren't the best, he almost never skipped a full school day. She turned around, facing his lowered head. Embracing it in her bosom, she stroked his back and shoulder. "I... Can stay for the day." She whispered.
"Thanks."
Feathers of black haunted his memories. Under his eyelids, for a fraction of a second, a faint circle glowed around his iris. Cheap lavender mixed with cheap beer filled his nose. It wasn't a cold body. It wouldn't crumble under his fingernails. His brain itched.
Around the medical cradle, six human sized parabolic emitters unfolded like metallic petals. A heavy, almost imperceptible frequency vibrated through the cave floor. In the adjacent room, a massive monitor displayed real time data. Blood pressure and hormone levels had slowly lower for hours. But the Layer 112, a red-black waveform remained high.
When they returned to the cave Robin was convulsing, barely conscious until Batman forced past his lips a specific serum. One prepared for extreme toxicity, Flusher v32.
The solution was built on a precise architecture. First, two doses of ascorbic acid, to limit protein degradation and contain the initial wave of oxidative stress. Then, two hundred millidose of sulforaphane, triggering the liver adaptive response at a deeper level against toxins and poisons. Finally, two doses of glutathion, the core of the formula, tasked with supporting cellular repair and neutralizing circulating toxins.
Around this backbone, secondary compounds smoothed out side effects while reinforcing the overall synergy, enabling a faster, more stable response with a shortened activation window.
Batman refused the tea. His eyes tracked the Rage Juice's dissipation rate. Layer 112 lasted thrice longer compared to older reports in databases. He frowned. The closest case was a file named Stradaniya Nathaniel Isaac, and even then, the toxin flushed faster.
Hours and hours later, it wasn't flushed when twice the venom dose would be gone. Batman's jaw tightened. The remaining Layer 112 didn't just circulate. Its toxicity anchored into Robin's tissues, binding to neural and metabolic pathways like a parasitic imprint.
A hand settled on his shoulder. "Master Bruce, I've rescheduled your risk and prediction meeting with the department chief officer to five in the afternoon." Alfred kept his face composed. Panicking wouldn't help nor would be professional.
A faint smile briefly crossed Bruce's face. The wave analysis and serum protocol had shown progress, but it wasn't his last option. Blood transfusion and some prototype molecule sourced from S.T.A.R. Labs, might yield better results.
The day advanced fast as they watched TV, ate together, but spoke little. The dinner barely touched. Isaac watched Emma putting on black shoes. Still shining even after months of use, unlike the new black apron required by her part time job. White top and black bottom was the expected color scheme for the theater.
"Sleep well sweety." Her lips contacted his cheek.
His body tensed, almost standing up. "...You too, mom."
"Silly boy."
Behind the closed door her footsteps creaked before stopping only a few meters away. "...ucking elevator..." Echoed through the wall as Isaac placed the plates in the sink.
She was alive. She had stayed at home.
His phone vibrated. He frowned. Light left the screen. He cleaned off the table, before taking a cold shower and laying on his bed. He kept his gaze on the damaged ceiling, not wanting to see the empty bookcases and the lonely computer on the desk.
No high pitched screaming from above. That nail owner couldn't stop stressing out about the market being taken by Chinese to his half-Japanese wife. His best friend, whenever he slept over, would hit the ceiling with a broom. Fuck him. Isaac's fist clenched. Now, the entire floor was empty like most of the building.
Why did he have that color... like Boby? If only Batman...
He jumped off his bed. The window fogged under his breath. Few cars parked on the walkways. Nobody stayed more than a minute. He zoomed in. Behind the trashbin, only rats. A beggar crouched next to the tree bordering the bike parking's edge. Just a motorbike in that whole area.
Without a hint, the streetlight exploded under a shock. A shadow, wide like a giant bat crossed the sky. Cold sweats tainted his back. That shape and speed wasn't unknown. No girl screamed. The camera started recording, only to delete hours long footage empty of anything special.
His eyelids couldn't stay up when the bell announced two in the morning.
Another day in her presence made his chest heavier. She had called the school and the ranger. Even with a real doctor's note, Marcus Hale had visited the home to check and almost throw hands when he saw Isaac stuck on the TV screen. He grunted away when he met Isaac's green eyes.
Emma's back stretched in the dim room. Her night shift was rescheduled later. Tonight they would watch his favorite movie. Her head rested against his shoulder. Her mind went blank for a second. It wasn't as broad as Andrew. But, the posture and height, Isaac had caught up.
A soft glow of the TV displayed a frail young man failed military recruitment. The story continued. Isaac barely breathed. Hundreds of times he had seen those scenes. All was dull.
...
The night had fallen but Steve wasn't accepted by his colleagues in the barrack when Abraham Erskine asked to speak with him alone.
The doctor walked a bit with Steve to calm him down. "Do you want to kill Nazis?" He asked, observing every micro expression on the new recruit.
Steve halted. "Is this a test?" He blinked several times.
"Yes."
Steve waited a moment, gathering his thoughts before responding. "I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies; I don't care where they're from." His voice was calm, but full of conviction.
...
Isaac's heartbeat thudded against his ribs. The left side made him grimace even if it healed. The hero's conviction carved words of fake gold, shining but hollow.
The movie advanced as the main character was selected in the end. The chosen one, born from science to fight evil, was first injected with blue liquid serum then exposed to gamma ray in his experimental coffin. The syringe glowed red for Isaac. His brain pulsed against his skull.
Once, he shared his fantasy of superhuman power to fight evil like Steve to Andrew. Now, he could remember the forced smile on the tired face. A flat response, a loud mimick, all necessary to make a kid happy even if the house loan wasn't paid in time.
Isaac gulped. His memories weren't this clear. Maybe he wasn't listening to them. The scenario followed, new betrayals among a succession of actions and political moves. A hero in the making after the initial propaganda agenda forced him to act according to his principle even if it conflicted with some of his relationships.
...
Steve was struggling with guilt and worry. He felt responsible for what happened to Bucky and fears what could still happen to him now that they are both involved in the war.
Peggy standing only one foot in front of him, stared into his confused eyes. "Tell me, did you truly like your friend? Did you respect him?"
"Yes!" Steve responded surprised.
"Well then, stop blaming yourself! Give your friend the respect of making his own decisions!" Peggy's back straightened as she left the tent.
...
The room felt too small. Isaac's entire body froze. On the captain's best friend head, he saw someone else. A familiar smile followed by an abnormal hand's wave. How could he respect that guy's decisions? The shotgun in hands spreading blood on the school's ground. That wasn't a friend.
The TV screen foze a second, one frame refusing to leave.
"Isaac?" Emma turned her head.
Isaac didn't answer. Her voice drown under the drums in his ears. He knew he had to respond, to not make her worry, but under his skin, it was suffocating. He wished to peel away the flesh tissue and explode. The pressure on his chest aleviated a bit. "...I'm fine." The weight of a forgiveness he could never give drowned his voice.
Emma rested her hand on his arm. No longer focused on the screen, she watched him shutting down more than before. They needed a new city, a new start, far from here. Her back left a bigger mark on the couch. She needed more time. He needed help, one she couldn't offer.
The movie rushed to the end after Steve fought for his friend, for his country, for justice. A noble sacrifice to deviate the weapon of mass destruction, for him to wake up years later in a different time without references. He saved his country for his own.
Emma left for her nightshift adventure, more hunched over than yesterday. Her shadow exited the street under Isaac increasing black bags at his bedroom's windows. The night advanced. Even after a cold shower and laying on the floor, he couldn't lower his body's temperature. At normal temperature, he was burning inside.
Days after days, the limit authorized by the doctor's note got closer. Tonight was the last day. Underground, the air smelled of leather and disinfectant as alcohol in tissue swiped the stretched surface. A phone's alarm echoed at the same time the door opened.
The newcomer's redhead made Isaac clench his fist.
"Done crying already, princess?"
"Silas..."
Silas got closer, one envelope with photos in hand. "Here."
The clowns gathering in the park were taken in different angles from atop of a building, another one from under the bridge. Hyena chasing some fat clown in blue stride tshirt hid most of a smaller one, but the visible head showed a familiar eyepatch on a tired face.
Fingers tore the edges of the photo. Of course he was alive. Isaac's breath speeded up. He didn't forget. "We?"
Silas shook his head. Another photo in hand, this time near the university district. A green-haired woman kissing a professor at the corner of the photo, but circled in red. "Get your stuff." He said, stepping back to the surface.
The woman's joy and the professor smile, none of them were familiar to Isaac. He had no idea of who they were, nor why Silas needed him for her. Should he go? Did he have a choice? He did. He chose it.
Standing in place for ten seconds, Isaac cleaned up the punching bag before going home. With twelve kilos on his torso, he didn't slow down and jumped behind Silas as the motorbike escaped the street. On the seat behind, Isaac's index moved like pressing a trigger he couldn't bring himself to achieve.
Near the campus, two monks in brown robe bowed to Silas as they parked the motorbike. Silas nodded and followed their footsteps. None of them were familiar face. Isaac walked closer to Silas. Hands in pockets, he weighed the taser on his left one and the gun in his other one. Would he use the last one? He hoped not.
They entered the east side dormitory where another four monks awaited. The group advanced less than a meter when a hand grabbed a monk, crashing him agains a pillar. The body stayed glued to the ground. Bulging muscles swelled up in the arm of a thin frame punching away the closest monk.
Flying over three meter then monk coughed red and stayed still on the impact zone.
At the same time, the four other monks stepped back, surrounding the green-haired woman. They didn't attack but keep their distance. One hit from that arm and they would join their collapsed colleagues. Silas advanced slowly while Isaac stayed away.
"Silas..." Isaac's breath accelerated. The arm wasn't normal. A shiver ran through him, a new meta. He held his gun with both hands, but Silas stayed silent.
In the center of the formation, the woman feinted to the left side as if she wanted to leave through the east side entrance. One monk took the bait as he couldn't stop his side step in time. She slapped his head. The hood tore away as his face hit the ground.
Her muscles twitched, larger than a second ago.
Silas stepped in, keeping two meters range. His toes curled under the tension. "Rebecca. Your seed is magnificient, so why?" He said, voice almost whispering.
"Why? You're asking me?" The muscles in her hand contracted. "Just, look at me bastard." Her arm raised to the sky. "I've never asked for that!"
Eyes never left the woman big arm. He took a deep breath. "Nothing is free." He made a small gest with one hand behind his back.
Rebecca face contorted. "Dogshit." She slammed her palm against the ground. The asphalt trembled, leaving a scar growing toward Silas who jumped away.
Isaac retreated three steps, aiming at the woman's chest, but didn't pull on the trigger. His index locked in position. What was he doing here? Why did Silas hide a no sign?
Silas avoided another strike as monk tanked the hit in his place. "Calm down Rebecca." His face stayed neutral, but the corner of his mouth barely lifted up. The other three monks behind Rebecca held each a syringe. He needed a distraction. "Remember Steve?"
Rebecca screamed. She rushed forward, crossing the distance to Silas's position in a single leap.
Silas noticed Isaac on the side. For a heartbeat, his pupil dilated. "No!" He shouted. "Don't kill! Isaac!"
Locked in position and half pressing the trigger, Isaac's hands reacted at the last moment, lowering the barrel angle. The straight line to Rebecca's chest pointed toward her liver as she jumped in the air, knee impacting Silas's face.
Fire burst from the barrel.
The bullet missed her by inches. Rebecca's attention focused on the gunner. The second shot was blocked by her tentacle-like muscles twisting under the skin of that arm. Blood didn't emerge from that wound, when another a twin shot pierced a hole in her hips and upper leg.
She fell on all fours. The three monks jumped on her. The injection filled her blood stream. Silas grunted. His nose back in place. Rebecca's body supported by two monks.
Kneeling next to a motionless monk, Isaac's finger against the throat felt a faint pulse. Some windows lit up in the campus. Siren reverberated from street away. "Let them." Silas patted Isaac shoulder. "We gotta leave, now."
"And them?" A monk raised his voice.
Silas turned his head. He frowned. "Leave first."
The three monks hesitated for a moment, not daring to move one inch. Some students's head popped from windows in the campus. "Move." Silas checked his phone.
The group of three monks lifting Rebecca of the ground jogged away, taking a different direction from where the came from. Silas led the way in the open space as they passed the university laboratory to reach the underground parking next to its northen entrance.
Inside the parking, a white van lighted up. Its trunk was large enough for the original eight member despite some box of bread stored against the interior. Isaac closed the door. The engine roared. In the dark they stayed silent. Rebecca remained unconscious.
Police siren pierced through the van for a fraction of second as the noise moved far away.
The air filled with fresh humidity greeted Isaac opening the door after the van stopped. They arrived at destination, but he couldn't recognize the area. Wood and trees surrounding a lone building half burried under green leaves. Behind, a small track of mud road free of any vegetation seemed to escape for the top of Wayne tower behind a small slope.
Silas adjusted his shirt. "You can go, now."
"But..." The driver monk's voice trailed off. The grey beard trembled. He looked at his two colleagues. They exchanged glances. None spoke more.
Silas put Rebecca on his shoulder. He grimaced. "Do, I, need to repeat?" The tone paused longer on the I.
The driver monk shook his head. "May the old blood bless you." Followed by three old voices.
"May the old blood bless you." Silas made a triangle in the air. "Not you. Stay." His foot bared the path for Isaac. He waited for the van to leave their line of sight. Turning his head to Isaac, he speeded up his phrase. "Make sure nobody break in. It shouldn't be the case. But, I'm counting on you." His shoulder tensed up with the added weight.
Isaac stared into Silas's pupil. Did he see a ring of red? He blinked. "...Kay." He put the gun in his hand once more.
Silas entered the building with Rebecca.
Isaac waited at the entrance.
No sound came through.
His eyelids itched. He fought to keep them open. Why did he follow Silas who was doing who know what there? Isaac gritted his teeth. He knew perfectly why he was there instead of sleeping. His throat was dry. His brain pulsed.
Wind no longer disturbed branches up at the top of the canopy. Some mist came to stick on his face. He exhaled a faint white mist. No bird called each other nor seemed to hunt here, or at least he didn't notice them. Isaac dropped to the ground doing some push up to stay awake.
The slow burn in his arms couldn't shake his loosening focus. He took a walk from the mudroad to the building entrance. Another round. Footstep ahead, it was his or someone else? Why didn't Silas already finish? He pinched his hands.
He didn't know how long he had waited. When the building door opened, Silas saw Isaac with his taser against the skin. Despite the black bags under his eyes, he smiled wide open. "Isaac... You crazy motherfucker."
"Fuck you." Isaac put back the taser in his pocket.
From his angle he saw some red lines traces on the ground inside the building where lay Rebecca in the center before the door closed off. He held his respiration.
"Thanks. I guess." Silas patted Isaac arm. "Can you hear his voice?"
Isaac raised an eyebrow, the left upper cheek twitching.
Silas shook his head. The result seemed to never progress. "Anyway. Don't worry. You are not a chosen one. Not even special." He whispered in Isaac's ears.
Isaac froze up. Air douldn't enter his lung.
"Just... broken."
For a moment Isaac couldn't see anything but white. He exhaled. The gun in hand. One move and maybe...
The white van appeared from the road. Monks descended Silas motorbike from the trunk. "Home or the park?" Silas put on his helmet. Isaac gulped. The day would come in few hour at best. The probability was so low, and yet, he couldn't let it go. He mounted on the backseat. "The park."