The Greedy Frog
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DC: The Enchanter Chapter 5
🕑 Added 2023-07-15 08:39:37 +0000 UTCChapter 5: Francium go Boom!
The entire incident greatly disturbed the people, and all they could do was to try and recover from the losses. However, the damage had been done, and it seemed unlikely that the jeweler would be able to recover from such a massive loss.
I could have confronted the Scarecrow right then and there. So why didn't I? It was simple, I didn't want all the attention focused on me.
But just because I didn't want a big spectacle didn't mean I was going to let that guy walk away after stealing seventeen thousand dollars worth of a watch from me. No way, I wasn't letting him off that easily.
Oh, you better believe it.
After all, I hated people who stole from me, especially ones as cowardly as that masked crow.
I quickly left the jewelry shop, and although the owner frantically pressed the panic button, it was going to take a while for the police to arrive.
And hey, this was Gotham we were talking about. This kind of stuff happens all the time, so I expect an even longer delay.
The Scarecrow, that guy, he thrived on causing chaos and frightening people with his gas and smoke tricks.
But there was a solid way to defeat him.
You see, his fear toxins were what made him such a nightmare. So if I could avoid them or if they didn't affect me much...
I wouldn't be too messed up.
That's why I allowed the guy to rob us. I didn't know what the heck was in his toxins. And when I tried to interfere with them, I failed because there were a few unknown elements.
But according to what that guy Marcellus told me, I could neutralize the toxins since I had encountered those elements once.
Thus second time was the charm.
"Scarecrow isn't very good at covering his tracks."
His acids and toxins left marks on the ground, and although they would disappear soon, they left traces for a few minutes.
And that's what allowed me to track him.
With a smile on my face, I muttered, "Found you, Scarecrow."
After all, he was going to be my first opponent, and an enemy I could take on without losing an arm.
…
…
Kate Kane.
The Batwoman.
Kate had always known that Gotham was never a peaceful place.
Drug cartels, murderers, rapists, robbers, petty thieves, and even superpowered villains ran rampant on a daily basis.
But as someone who had donned the Batwoman costume to protect the lives that truly mattered, in contrast to Batman's belief that every life was equal, Kate knew what she was getting into when she chose a life of fighting crime.
"It hasn't been long since Scarecrow robbed the bank, and according to the camera footage, he fled towards the east."
The east was where the overbridge was located, a hotspot for villains to conduct their dealings.
And according to their research, it was under Scarecrow's control.
"Be careful, Kate. We don't know if he acted alone or if there's someone bigger behind him."
A small smile formed on Kate's face upon hearing that.
"Save your worries for Kori, Dick."
She couldn't see him, but she was certain he was shaking his head right now.
"I've got this," she assured him, though he remained concerned.
"If things go south, Young Justice will have your back."
Kate knew that Dick has always been too caring, perhaps that's why Kori and, previously, Barbara fell for him. But his kindness also led him to be alone in the end.
Kind of tragic, but it wasn't Kate's place to interfere.
She had other things to worry about.
Especially...
"I believe I have spotted one of the men who was with Scarecrow."
At her revelation, Grayson became serious.
"Follow him discreetly," he said. "I'll try to gather any information about what's happening in the background."
"Got it."
Kate didn't use a grappling gun or anything that would create too much noise or draw attention, like a glider. Instead, she activated the camouflage feature of the costume that Batman had installed, and the suction feature of her boots allowed her to climb steep surfaces with ease.
Tailing people who didn't have extrasensory gadgets or super-strong senses was easy.
But it was nearly impossible when it came to spying on someone like Superman.
She had been working with Batman for a while now, and she doesn't lie when she tells people that she was still amazed at how the Bat managed to keep track of Superman's every move.
She hoped to learn his secrets one day. Sadly, it seemed highly unlikely.
But for now, her focus was on the man ahead of her.
And her initial assumption was correct; he did head towards the overbridge.
As he reached the location, it was evident that all the participants of the incident were present.
The men whose faces were captured on camera and those whose faces were concealed but had visible features like tattoos and scars were all gathered there.
However, the key player was still missing.
Scarecrow was nowhere to be found.
Initially, Kate was concerned that it might be a trap to lure her out, but that worry seemed unnecessary as one of the men spoke up.
"The Crow is busy dividing the jewels and cash."
They were likely dividing the loot equally among Scarecrow's underlings, not that they had much room to complain. After all, it was the Scarecrow.
"This is more of a pain than I expected..."
There were way more people present than Kate anticipated, a lot more.
She knew that she might have to contact Grayson about this.
Taking them all down, along with the Scarecrow, on her own was just not feasible.
No one would be foolish enough to enter that situation without a proper team.
Well, that's what she wished she could have said...
"Wow, it's a full-on party!"
Someone was foolish enough indeed.
A rather attractive redhead with messy hair and kind of worn out clothes alongside a fresh looking scar on his forehead, walked towards the crowd.
He was a little over six feet, maybe exactly six with a smile that most certainly had hidden motives.
Most of all, Kate was surprised at how young he was, barely in his early twenties and without a care about his safety.
"Who are ya'?"
It seemed Kate wasn't the only one curious about him.
"Me?" He smiled. "I'm just someone trying to retrieve my watch."
Was he drunk?
He didn't appear to be, but he certainly wasn't in his right mind to walk into Scarecrow's territory like that.
"Wha' did ya say, ya punk?" One of the hooded figures bellowed. "Scram before we blow ya freakin' brains out!"
He pointed his gun directly at the man.
This was bad; Kate needed to intervene and save him.
But the man simply laughed. "Not the nicest person, are you?"
He definitely had a death wish.
"Ya fuckin' bastard!" With that, the man pulled the trigger before Kate could react.
She expected them to exchange more words, but she overestimated the robber's patience and underestimated the man's recklessness.
However, something miraculous occurred.
The bullet that was meant to pierce through him shattered and bounced back upon contact with his skin.
"What!" The robbers were just as confused as Kate was.
Nevertheless, they didn't waste time and fired at him one after another.
Yet, the outcome remained unchanged.
"Are these cheap bullets, I assume?" He laughed as the shattered bullets laying on the ground.
Was he a metahuman?
There wasn't any other immediate explanation unless he possessed some sort of ability.
"Damn it!" the robbers roared. "He's a freak!"
"This is bad, Jim," another goon chimed in, "We gotta take care of this joker quick."
"Yeah, before he screws us over," a third goon added, "I ain't messin' around with no freak show."
The man shook his head. "Now now, don't call me that. I'm just a guy looking for his watch."
A watch...
What could a watch hold that would drive him to venture into enemy territory?
Unless it held emotional significance.
Kate wanted to intervene, but she needed to see how this played out.
Dick must be witnessing this, but the audio signal blocker in the area made communication impossible.
Instead of running away after realizing that bullets had no effect, the robbers continued to shoot.
"You guys never learn, do you?" The man sounded disappointed. "But I suppose that's how mobsters are portrayed in stories."
With that, he picked up a rock and smiled.
"Do you know what happens when a piece of francium this size comes into contact with water?"
Francium is an extremely reactive element, but that... that was just an ordinary rock he picked up.
"It causes an explosion, a big one."
Kate was mistaken...
It wasn't an ordinary rock.
The moment the rock landed in a puddle of water, it exploded.
A massive explosion.
"KABOOM!"
The magnitude of the explosion shook the entire area. Forget the robbers; it even destroyed half of the bridge.
"I hope you're watching this, Grayson..."
After obliterating the robbers, he smiled and stared directly at the smoke flying around.
"I see that you've finally noticed what happened."
Realization struck Kate, and her eyes widened.
That explosion was merely a diversion to draw out the main culprit behind the robbery.
"Scarecrow."
The villain didn't appear pleased as he stood there, looking confused.
"I don't believe I know you, do I?"
"You don't, but you have something that belongs to me."
Kate still wondered what was so valuable that he would go to such lengths.
"What?" Scarecrow asked, to which the man replied.
"My watch."
