Devin lay comfortably on the couch in his hideout. A feeling of satisfaction could be felt in his chest as he thought about his most recent actions.
After making sure Alice got back to her home, he immediately went on the task of finding her kidnapper. Thanks to Wildmutt, he was easily able to locate her abductor. The person who took her from her home was man named Jack Kimmel.
Devin had found him in an apartment that was an hour away from where Alice was being held captive. He used Ghost Freak to discretely enter his home and the way he captured him was comical. Devin, still as Ghost Freak at the time, revealed himself in front of Jack before saying 'boo.'
The result? Jack was so scared he passed out with foam coming out his mouth. It took all of Devin willpower to not burst out laughing.
When Devin looked at Jack's room, he saw a wide PC set-up. Multiple computers and monitors took a huge corner of the room.
Curious, Devin decided to check out the pc desk. On it, he saw a notebook. When he opened it, he saw a list of names and addresses. Some of them had check marks next to them. He had a suspicion of what these addresses could mean but didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet.
Turning into Upgrade, Devin merged with the pc. After he did, his suspicions were confirmed and his glowing circle eye pulsed with anger.
The names and addresses of in the notebook were families that were fairly wealthy. Devin had discovered that this wasn't Jack's first kidnapping. The information displayed his actions going back 5yrs.
Jack had a routine. Each of the addresses listed had a kid. He would discretely stalk the family and memorize their routine. After enough time had passed, he would sneak in under the cover of night and kidnap their child. After getting them to an undisclosed location, he would send a message to the parents about their child and demands to wire money if they wanted to see them again.
The police would get involved and would try to track the phone the message was sent but Jack was a step ahead. The phones he used were discarded phones which meant purchases couldn't be traced back to him. Not to mention he was good with technology because even though police tried to trace the signal, it would only reveal a jumble of locations. In the end, the parents only option was to wire the money, only then would he reveal the location of the child.
With this scheme, Jack accumulated over $4,000,000.
Devin gathered all this information on flash drive that was plugged into the PC. Before detaching himself from the computer, he returned all the money that had been stolen from the families.
Now all he had to deal with was Jack. Seeing no way to get him out without making a scene, he knew only one option. Changing back into Ghost Freak, Devin was about to do something he'd never thought he'd do so soon.
Devin's ectoplasmic form surged into Jack's unconscious body. It was an oily, invasive sensation—like sliding into a suit made of cold, wet wool. When Jack's eyes snapped open, they weren't brown anymore; they were a void of black and purple
Getting up, he was bewildered out how odd it felt being in control of someone's body. It was like it was his but it wasn't his at the same time. Putting that matter aside, Devin left the apartment with the flash drive that would put Jack behind bars.
On his way, Devin just happened to see a police car across the street from an open convenience store. An idea hatched in his mind.
Devin went into the convenience store and stole some chips. While he didn't feel good about stealing, he needed to reason for the police to check Jack without looking suspicious.
The events unfolded as planned, the police caught Jack, arrested him for stealing and brought him back to the station. When they found the flash drive, they were surprised by the information they found on it. That was Devin's que to leave. When he exited Jack's body, Jack showed a confused expression and panicked when he realized he was in a police station.
Before Devin left, he heard a comment from police officer that Jack was looking at some serious jail time. After that, Devin came back to his hideout feeling satisfied that Justice was served.
As Devin lay on his couch, he thought about how he used his powers tonight. While being a hero wasn't on his mind, he couldn't deny the feelings he felt about his actions. Relief at seeing a little girl reunite with her parents and the feeling of pride at bringing a criminal to justice.
---
In the corner of the Gotham Library, Devin sat at a table in one of the corners with books stacked in front of him. His reason for being here was to educate himself on this world's history. Even though he knew he was in DC, he wasn't sure if the history here differed from his own.
As he read, he noticed that the history he knew was all here with the exception of Gotham, Metropolis, Central city, Star city etc. He could've looked this up on his laptop in his wideout but he wanted to get out. Today was surprisingly bright and sunny and this is Gotham for crying out loud.
---
Devin soon found himself a park in the midtown section of Gotham. The park was large and filled with activity. Children played on the playground, fathers and sons played catch, and some families barbequing.
Devin smiled as this was one of the peaceful days people got to see. He took a deep breath, taking in the warm and crisp air before exhaling. He came here today because he wanted to get some exercise. The original Devin was bit on the skinny side weighing 120lbs. He didn't have a consistent meal and they were mostly unhealthy.
Stretching his muscles, he began his light jog around on the concrete path in the park. As he jogged, he made sure to control his breathing so as to not tire himself out quickly. He was starting to feel the increased palpitations of his heart and the burning of his leg muscles. If felt energizing to do something as simple as this.
As he jogged, he heard bits of interesting conversations from people he passed by.
"It was just so unexpected!" a man said enthusiastically. "The money I paid for my son's return when he was kidnapped a year ago was returned to my account last night."
That made Devin's ears perk up.
"Really!?" another said, clearly astonished. "Maybe the perp was caught?"
"That exactly what happened." another chimed in. "I saw the news last night and a man was found arrested for theft and kidnapping. Guy's facing serious jail time."
"Good." The first man said with righteous anger. "My son was scared and had nightmares for a month after he was kidnapped."
"I can breathe a little easier now that the money I was saving for his future has returned." He finished.
Who would've thought Devin would encounter the parent of one of Jack's victims. He was happy that his actions had made a difference in someone's life. With that, Devin continued his jog feeling more motivated. He continued his for a few more minutes. When he finished, the collar of his shirt was dark with sweat.
He sat on the bench to rest and catch his breath. After taking a breather, he spent the next 30 minutes doing light exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jack, and squats.
When Devin was done, he was completely exhausted. He didn't have the strength to continue anymore workouts. After getting a drink of water and sitting down for a bit, he left the park with his destination being the warehouse was slowly becoming his home. By walking, it would take an hour to get back to his hideout. He wasn't in a rush since there was nothing else, he needed to do today. With casual steps, he began making his way home.
---
Almost 30 minutes had passed since Devin began walking back home. His steps were both relaxed and purposeful as he walked past some apartments. He would see some people outside but not many. Most were adults sitting on the steps and chatting with neighbors while few were children playing.
As he turned the corner, his eyes fell on a girl that looked to be around 10 or 11yrs old who was carrying two bags of what looked to be groceries. The bags were large and the girl seemed to be struggling to carry them due to their weight and the fact that she was walking slowly.
Devin watched in shock and disbelief as people passed by the girl who was clearly struggling and not even offering to help.
"What ever happened to human decency?" he muttered with a sigh of frustration. He walked towards the girl. If no one was going to help her, then he would.
"Excuse me." He spoke when he was close enough. The girl turned around upon hearing him. She had blonde hair tied in a ponytail. Her facial features suggested she was of Asian descent. "Do you need help?"
The girl's eyes narrowed and she spoke in a defensive tone.
"I don't need your help!" a second later, one of the bags rips, spilling its contents.
Both were stunned at the unexpected event. The girl's expression quickly turned from shock to frustration.
"Seriously!"
"Yeah. Don't need help at all." Devin said in a sarcastic tone, which caused the girl to glare at him with pure, concentrated spite that would have intimidated a grown man. He paid her glare no mind and picked up the fallen groceries. Once he had all the groceries in his hands, he looked at the girl with kind smile. "Please lead the way."
Reluctantly, she accepted Devin's help and began walking back to her home.
As they silently walked, Devin couldn't help but noticed that the girl seemed… familiar but couldn't place his finger on it. It was like it was on the tip of his tongue and it bugged him.
"My name's Devin by the way." He introduced himself.
"What's yours?' He asked.
The girl stayed silent, seemingly not wanting to engage in conversation. Devin tried to get her to talk but she wouldn't budge.
After a few more minutes, they arrived at her home. It looked like it was a large two-sided apartment with two doors: one for both sides. Entering the door on the left side, Devin and the girl walked past many doors, each one a resident for the person living here.
Once they finally reached the desired door, the girl used her free hand to knock on the door. footsteps could he heard approaching the door. A moment later, the door opened and on the other side was girl who looked to be around Devin's age with olive-colored skin and black hair.
"Artemis." The girl with black hair spoke in soft tone.
Devin was stunned when he heard that name. How did he not notice it sooner?! The girl he helped and was walking with was one of the protagonists of 'Young Justice'.
"Who are you?" the girl's eyes then turned to Devin. Her expression was one of suspicion and intimidation.
Devin felt a shiver run down his spine. Something was telling him this girl was dangerous.
"He helped me with one of the bags ripped, Jade." Artemis muttered, sliding past her sister into the dim apartment.
"Is that so?" The girl now known as Jade asked, her voice still tinged with suspicion.
"Y-yes." Devin stammered before clearing his throat to speak calmy. "I saw her struggling to carry the bag. One of the ripped so I thought it best to lend a hand."
Jade's eyes narrowed before turning back to Artemis, seeking confirmation. The younger girl nodded, emphasizing that Devin was indeed telling the truth.
"Well then, thanks for helping my sister." she said with a still fierce expression.
"No problem." Devin said with a wide smile. "Just did what any could've done."
Jade showed a slightly amused expression before her seriousness returned.
"I suggested you leave now." it wasn't a suggestion, it was a warning. "For your own good."
Devin didn't need a map to know he was standing on the threshold of a house of assassins. Somewhere inside that apartment, Sportsmaster might be cleaning his gear.
"Alright." He said, heeding her warning. In DC, the threats were a lot more serious. As he was about to walk away, he stopped as he forgot to do something. "Name's Devin, by the way. Devin Levin."
"Jade Crock." Jade replied, her gaze unwavering. "Now, go."
"Artemis Crock." Artemis finally introduced herself.
With a friendly wave, Devin left the two girls.
As he continued walking back to his hideout, he couldn't help but feel a sense of shock and awe after meeting two figures from the series.
"Cheshire and Artemis." He muttered to himself. "Who would've thought?"