Chronos in DC

I was overcome with a feeling of excitement, curiosity and... fear. Yes, for the first time in my life, I felt fear towards a normal person. These characteristics, skills and traits simply cannot leave you indifferent. The Nazis were people. The organisation Amanda Waller works for also consists mainly of ordinary people, but they... they can hardly be called human. Despite this, I still walked towards him to "introduce myself." Was I so crazy that I wanted to attract the attention of someone who "carries out the will of Chaos"?!

It's true what they say in horror films: it's not the killer who's to blame, but the stupid victims who lack even the most basic sense of self-preservation and have no idea how to survive.

His gaze appraisingly sweeps over those present, but the people around him don't want to catch his eye. No one did. Except me. And then he stops at me, the one who was so persistently and slowly walking towards him. The brim of my hat hides the upper half of my face, and only my thin, crooked smile hints at the "masquerade" to come. I think it's always worth starting with something... unexpected!

I took off my hat and, with my eyes slightly open, bowed.

"Hello! My name is Alex Ti. Keeper. I am a very big fan of yours!

"He-he-he, I have many admirers, boy," he said like a kind father, ruffling my hair, and I detected a hint of intrigue in his voice. "So young, and already with such beautiful eyes. Life... right?

It felt like he had read me like a book in a matter of seconds. "You're like a cat sticking its nose into adult business and looking for adventure with its tail between its legs. Brave, fiery eyes that shine so brightly..."

"Actually, I've already killed someone, so I'm not a 'boy' anymore!"

"Killing doesn't make you an adult," he shrugs, slowly circling me and examining me as if I were an exhibit. "After all, a newborn baby can accidentally kill its mother at birth and thus become a 'murderer'. 'A terrible coincidence' is what they'll call it. And above all, adults don't interrupt their elders, which proves once again how young you are. You know the saying? Curiosity killed the cat.

"Yes, but I'm a 'special' cat.

"Every cat wants to believe that. There's one like that, what's her name? Bets was always chasing her around like a cat chasing a mouse! Hmph! Argh! I forgot!" He clapped his hands comically and snorted angrily. "Let's test your specialness!" He took a revolver with a rather long barrel out of his inside pocket and, without a moment's hesitation, pointed it at my head and pulled the trigger. A thin metal stick with a harmless flag with the word "BAAAAM!!!" on it flew out of the barrel of the gun.

"You didn't even blink! Courage or stupidity...? No, judging by your eyes, you were confident. Interesting, interesting," Joker pulled the trigger again, and I caught the projectile that flew out of his gun right next to my eye. Spinning the steel rod between my fingers, I threw it lightly into the wooden wall.

"You know how to impress. It seems that madness makes me predictable," he said with terrible boredom in his voice, shrugged his shoulders, and threw the gun away.

"Fine! I'll play with you later, Alex. Some other time," he said, settling comfortably into the wooden chair that the seated criminal had "kindly" vacated, and putting his feet up on the table, he continued. "Meetings like this imply a very good reason for gathering. After all, you're the one who brought us all here... Black Mask. Would you care to explain to us, a group of very busy people, why?

"I'm tired of one mouse constantly ruining my deals, so I've decided to take extreme measures. I'll give one billion to anyone who can bring me Batman's head.

The Joker laughed. It was terrible, insane, and unbearable to the average ear.

"So much time has passed, and none of you have understood that Bats can't be taken down by a mob. Believe me and my experience. None of you here can do a thing to him!

"And what do you suggest, clown?!"

"I suggest you let me take charge of this bunch of ragged men! I'm not interested in money. You should understand that perfectly well.

"I'll never let some lunatic lead my men!" Penguin exploded at such insolence.

"Ha, who do you think you're talking to, 'Pinky'? I'm talking about Black Mask's guys and... Harvey. You don't mind helping, do you? You want to get rid of Batman once and for all, don't you?

"Batman...! Yes! He has to die! Because of him, I...!

How quickly he was able to win Harvey over. And all this despite the fact that he himself told me that he wanted to shoot me because I looked like him.

"Yes, yes, yes, old scars, I know, I know. So... What's your answer? Agree while I'm still in a good mood.

Judging by the way Black Mask stared at him for so long, he clearly had no desire to give him the reins, but given his reputation and experience fighting Batman, he simply didn't have a good candidate for the position of leader of this bunch of thugs and idiots who, apart from the motivation of huge money, had nothing else in their heads.

"All right," was all that came out of his mouth, and he jumped up and headed for his table.

"Then let's not waste any time! This night is going to be a long one!

The Joker's plan was to wear Batman down so he could strike him from behind. Several groups of thugs armed with Thompson submachine guns would take over a few buildings and set up explosives. Our Bats would have no choice but to rush into those buildings. He revealed the location of the bombs to our main character on live television. The final destination was a place simply known as Arkham Asylum. This was a place where mentally unstable and mentally ill people were treated, and it had become a second home for the Joker. All too often, for murder, rape, robbery and so on, he was sent not to prison, but to this very asylum. This was because he was always found to be mentally unstable and insane.

It was here that the Joker unleashed his toy, Harley Quinn. Why did the Joker divide everyone into specific groups? I think the reason lay in his inability to work in a team, his stupidity, and the fact that they would only get in each other's way rather than help each other. The second reason was most likely that he wanted to get rid of the extra crowd so that no one but him and Bats would get in their way.

"Mr. Jay! Who's this cute boy?! Can I keep him?! — Before I could recover, a blonde girl with two pigtails who had been released from her cell grabbed me in her arms.

"No, Harley. How many times do I have to tell you not to take things without my permission?

So now I'm a 'thing', huh?

"In the end, this boy voluntarily decided to participate in this performance as an observer. I'm just curious what role he will choose for himself in the final act.

"Ugh! All right, if you say so, 'Pudding'.

There were only a few of us left. The remaining group consisted of the Joker, Harvey Dent, Harley, his twenty-four clowns, Black Mask, and several dozen guys in black suits. When I asked why Black Mask didn't hire professionals for such a difficult task, such as mercenaries like Deftstrok or Deadshot, for some reason I couldn't understand, these mercenaries didn't make contact and couldn't simply attend his event.

Studying and simply observing the Joker's actions, I couldn't shake the feeling that this... "man" was not insane. Although not quite. Yes, he is unusual, abnormal, but to call him a definite psychopath or madman would be too strong a word. Rather, it feels like he just has his own view of the world, and he simply doesn't care about other people's views. This condition could be called a severe form of post-traumatic stress disorder. However, I don't see any signs that he dislikes what he does.

The main question that tormented me even before I met him was the strange crossed-out name in his character statistics. Essentially, I was able to find the only clue as to who the Joker was originally. Asking him about it would be tantamount to suicide and drawing a lot of attention to myself. I simply couldn't predict his reaction. Maybe I can use this somehow in the future. After all, no one, not even Batman, knows who the Joker really is.

So, where were we...? Oh yes, we were in the infirmary. We checked Batman's progress on a laptop, which was sending us images from one of the people in each group. The Joker had deliberately planted the explosives in such a way that he alone would never be able to save everyone. But he either knew or already suspected that Batman doesn't always work alone. Batgirl flashed on one of Penguin's cameras. Her long red hair convinced me that it was most likely Barbara Gordon, but I have no idea who the current Robin is. He's a little older than me, and he jumps in front of bullets without a moment's hesitation or doubt. I wonder how Batman taught a normal person to dodge bullets?

Although, if you look closely, both the boy and the girl were quick, precise, and always took cover after appearing, only to attack from another angle. And the close contact was like a dance, in the chaos of which the criminals even managed to accidentally shoot each other. There were some particularly stupid criminals who managed to send their partners to the other world in this way, despite the fact that our incredible trio got away with only a couple of bruises, abrasions and scratches with bruises. In short, Heroes - 3, Villains - 0.

The hospital corridor was quite spacious, where I calmly watched our "friendly company" gather in the lobby. I sat quietly on Harley Quinn's lap and, together with her beloved "Pudding," watched the predictable and terrible result of their failed plan on her laptop. To somehow dispel my boredom and Harley's depressed state, I took a couple of cupcakes out of my inventory.

"Wow! What else can you do?!

I'm not that easy to manipulate into telling you the truth, Harley.

"Just let it be our secret, okay?" I asked her with childlike innocence and naivety, holding out my pinky finger for a promise. To be honest, my whisper wasn't particularly quiet enough to make it a real secret. We were just fooling around and didn't see anything serious in the whole situation. Just a normal day in the life of abnormal people.

"I'm a wizard!" I proudly stick out my chest and raise my nose to the ceiling, and then a military knife appears in my right hand as if by magic. "Well... a beginner. I'm just learning, but I'll achieve great success in the future!

"Cool! Can you teach me too?! What else can you do?! Can you...?"

"Sorry, but I can't tell you. I've been sworn to secrecy about our school's secrets.

"So you're from Hogwarts?! Like Harry "Stick"…? "Shokor"? Err! Anyway! Like that boy from that cool film, right?

I would believe in your stupidity and spontaneity. However, I see in your character status the skill "Manipulation" and the profession "Psychologist," so you won't get the truth out of me. I'm sorry.

"Something like that.

"Cool!

Black Mask was nervous and on edge. He wasn't happy with the direction their plan was going and that they were now the sole target of the city's defenders. Just as Batman pulled an earpiece with a microphone out of one of the criminals' ears, he said one sentence in a cold, deep voice.

"I'm coming, Joker...

Black Mask turned to the Joker and pointed his Desert Eagle directly at the Joker's head, who just smiled. Harley Quinn immediately jumped up and also pulled a gun from behind her back, and behind them, each half of this duo pointed their weapons at each other, like in some Western film.

"Calm down. It's too late to back out now. We know he's exhausted and walking straight into our trap, so behave yourself. Soon all your efforts will pay off.

This had an effect on our client. Only Harvey Dent seemed out of place in this whole situation and paid no attention to it. Only he, with his thick, expensive cigar in his mouth and his trusty Thompson submachine gun.

It all started with a power outage at the Arkham Asylum. However, it only lasted a couple of seconds before the building's backup power kicked in, illuminating the room with dim red lights. The front door suddenly exploded and shattered into pieces, and those standing near it were knocked unconscious, their cries echoing across the floor. The rest immediately opened fire on the entrance, but found no one there. There were glass windows in the ceiling of the entrance hall, which also exploded, and the main participants in this masquerade leapt out of them. I considered myself merely a spectator. That is, until Harley and the Joker decided to join in the fun. Gunshots, screams, and powerful blows knocked the criminals to their feet. It all looked like complete chaos. When those who had used weapons were finished off, only two remained standing: Harley and the Joker. And again, watching him, I realise that this whole "plan" was just for this moment. To play this endless game with him again. Harvey lost to the boy, Harley lost to Batgirl, and Bats sent the Joker flying with a final uppercut.

It seems like everything is as it should be. Good has triumphed over evil, right...?

Just for fun, I decided to look up Batman's statistics.

Name: Batman

Real name: Bruce Wayne

Age: 31

Titles: Defender of Gotham, Dark Knight, World's Greatest Detective, One-Man Army, Man on the Edge, Piece of the Order

Race: Human

Class: Universal

Level: 70

Professions: Hero, Billionaire, Enforcer of Order.

Strength: 80

Agility: 80

Luck: 150

Intuition: 250

Willpower: ???" — impossible to calculate

Wisdom: 170

Physical Constitution: 100

Endurance: 100

Charisma: 165

Intelligence: 210

Resilience: 200

Special Abilities: Unbreakable Will, Tactical Analysis, Master of Disguise, Maximum Human Strength/Agility/Reflexes/Speed/Resilience/Endurance, Erudite, Master Detective, Leader, Polyglot, Genius Tactician and Strategist, Master of Escape, Photographic Memory, Tracking, Acrobat, Adaptation, Pure Heart, Great Destiny, Emotional and Physical Control.

Skills: Master of Hand-to-Hand Combat, Master of Cold Weapons, Aviator, Experienced Mechanic, Experienced Driver.

Again, these monster-like characteristics and a huge number of skills and abilities. And he was able to acquire all this in just over thirty years. Seriously?!

And then I noticed how Black Mask, having come to his senses, got up from the floor and, taking careful aim at Barbara's back, fired, and at that moment I stopped time.

I stand directly in the path of the bullet and, after carefully calculating, hold my knife in front of me. Time resumes its normal flow, and I calmly realise that if it weren't for me, she would have either been seriously injured or, in the worst case, had an extra hole in the back of her head because she didn't even have time to react to the shot.

"T-thank you...?" she says uncertainly, thanking me for my help. I smile silently like a fox and shrug my shoulders.

Inside, I realised how I wanted to end all this. Fortunately, our client was already reloading his gun, so it was easy for me to quickly catch up with Black Mask, grab the edge of his shirt, and stab him in the chin with my knife. The blade entered with a squelching, disgusting sound. The body convulsed for a few seconds before I pulled out the blade. A second later, the body fell face down, showing no signs of life.

"No! What have you done?!

Relationship with Batman/Bruce Wayne: -2000 (Criminal), Relationship with Robin/Dick Grayson: -1000 (Criminal), Relationship with Batgirl/Barbara Gordon: -800 (Criminal)

Relationship with the Joker: +100 (Interest), Relationship with Harley Quinn: +100 (Cute Stuffed Toy)

Despite the fact that my actions were entirely well-intentioned, in the eyes of these "heroes" I looked like a crazy criminal.

"You're welcome," I reply casually to Batgirl. "Oh, these 'heroes', imposing their vision of justice and rules on other people. I wonder what they call a police officer who shoots a criminal who was trying to kill an innocent person?

"You could have not killed him.

"I could have," I replied just as casually, pointing the tip of the bloody knife in their direction.

"True, every vicious cycle must come to an end someday. I'm just curious: how many times have you fought him or his gang? Three? Five times? And how many ordinary people would have suffered in the future? You could say I did you a favour by getting rid of him.

+100 reputation for Batgirl and Robin

It's funny that after their reputation improved slightly, their relationship changed from the usual "criminal" to the usual "hostility." It seems that my arguments were taken into consideration, while the big boss clearly wasn't impressed.

"Murder is a crime, and even with good intentions, it is unacceptable," Batman stepped forward. The distance between us is three metres. Batgirl and Robin are busy handcuffing the criminals.

"Then you're even more of a child than I am, Bruce...

He didn't even flinch, while Barbara and Dick simply couldn't remain indifferent to such a revelation.

"Don't interfere. He's dangerous," he ordered them curtly, "I'll deal with him myself," and took up a fighting stance, waiting for me to make the first move. Although, I would have started first anyway. I stopped time again and went behind him. With all my strength, I hit him in the side with my right hand, and his body slowly lifted off the floor and began to levitate slightly in the air. The suit he was wearing was clearly not for show, and every blow to it caused pain in my knuckles. After finishing a series of blows with my bloodied palm, I simply snapped my fingers and...

"Kho...!" Batman's body flew from the centre of the hall, out through the front door, and landed hard on its side against a lamppost.

"I wish I could have seen that," I grinned, walking calmly outside and turning to Bats's partners with a sly smile.

"I wouldn't advise you kids to get involved. Who knows, I might not be able to control myself.

Status: Stunned — that was how the system described their condition. Apparently, they had never seen anything like this before. Funny.

No sooner had I finished speaking and turned around to where Bats should have been lying a couple of seconds ago, than I was hit in the jaw by a powerful uppercut.

"What the...?! How the hell did he recover so quickly?!" — the thought flashed through my mind, but Bats wasn't even going to stop there and launched into a combo like in some kind of fighting game. A series of blows to the chest, a slap to the ears that made my ears ring, a headlock and a knee strike. My head was buzzing and everything around me was blurring. And, staggering slightly, I took his final and famous "Spinning Punch" right to the jaw, which knocked out a couple of my teeth and sent me to the mat.

"You... you're done. You won't hurt anyone anymore.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha...!" I laughed, choking on blood. I turn sideways and, spitting blood onto the asphalt, raise myself slightly.

"Impressive, Batman. Extremely... impressive. When the 'time' comes, I'll be better prepared, but until then, don't let yourself get killed, Man-Who-Lost-His-Parents.

It didn't even hurt that much. My body was just burning and refusing to move quickly because of a couple of nasty debuffs.

Debuffs: Mild Concussion, Broken Ribs, Broken Jaw — Full Recovery (23 hours 23 minutes)

Stopping time, I calmly realised that in this state, I definitely couldn't do anything to him. Yes, I could easily kill him right now, but I didn't want to see the terrible consequences of that action. Let's go through the list:

1) He is the Joker's favourite toy. If I kill him, I won't be able to predict his next move. Yes, I could kill both Bats and the Joker, but something tells me that they would be replaced by monsters even more terrifying. After all, they complement each other perfectly. A piece of Order against a piece of Chaos. An eternal conflict that I would only delay for a short time.

2) Thanks to him, this city is under "relative" control, and if I remove him, the criminals of this city will run amok.

3) I respected his achievements and experience. Even with my ability to stop time. He was still much stronger and better than me. He defeated me, and that is the truth. Killing him would not bring me the joy of victory. After all, as the Joker said, "Killing doesn't make me important or grown up."

Holding my sore side, I pushed the manhole cover aside and carefully closed it behind me. The last OD's were over, and slowly walking through this foul-smelling tunnel, I opened my Player Card and headed towards the exit of the city. I think I should leave here as soon as possible, before I run into...

I heard the sound of boots clattering behind me. I smiled quietly, lowering my head. God, he's persistent. I forgot about his "Tracking" skill. I turned to Bats, who was standing calmly with a bruise on his lip and a rumpled suit.

"You're coming with me.

"What if I refuse?

"I can be very persuasive. How do you know who I am? Who are you?

"I... — I pause and decide to tell him the truth. "I'm 'The Player'. I ended up in a rather uncomfortable situation in a laboratory among fanatical and hostile Germans who were conducting experiments on me when I was just a child, but then I got tired of it, killed them all and ran away. The sad story of yet another villain.

"You didn't answer my questions.

"Do you really think I'm just going to give you the answers? You haven't done a single thing to deserve them. You think that because you beat up a thirteen-year-old teenager, he has to be your friend? You don't even know who the Joker is.

"And you... do you?

"Doesn't my appearance give you a clue? We are similar and yet very different. I am the Player, and he is a pawn in the hands of... — I bit my tongue, almost revealing an important detail that would have given him a lot to think about and options for "saving the Joker." Why do I think he wants to save him? If a man like the Joker can be cured of his madness, he will prove to himself and the whole world that even the worst people on Earth deserve a second chance. For this, he is even willing to ignore the victims of their merry games and continue forever. At least, that's what I think.

"Whose 'Pawn' is this?! Answer me! Look how agitated he is. You're losing control because some pathetic little kid is bargaining with you in such a pathetic position and knows something about Him. He may know the key information to his salvation.

"Let's do this... Bruce," I decided to sit down and lean against the cold wall.

"I'll give you a few options for how things could go," I held out my right hand with my index finger extended. "Option one: you take me into custody and send me to prison or a mental hospital, depending on how they decide, and you get practically nothing out of it, while I, in turn, can reveal your little secret to a couple of influential criminals and give them something to think about. Needless to say, Batman's life would be over, and Bruce Wayne's life would turn into a living nightmare." I added my middle finger to my index finger. "Option two: I'll give you a name, and not just any name, but the name of the man behind the Joker mask. And you pretend that I'm not here. There's also a third option. The most brutal one. In order to avoid your fate in the first option, you knock me out, take me to your favourite cave and torture, experiment on and interrogate me until I break. It will be amusing to see the faces of your so-called family when they see what you are capable of doing to a teenager who has a tenuous connection to your eternal enemy.

"I won't do it.

"I've considered every possible option. So, what do you choose?

"Where's the guarantee that everything you're saying is true?

"There aren't any. Maybe everything I've said is a complete lie about knowing something about the Joker, and I'm only saying it to save my own skin. Or maybe I'm just pretending to be all-knowing, when in reality I just pointed my finger at the sky and named your name to see your reaction. After all, with access to such expensive equipment, it's not hard to guess that all of this requires a lot of money. Anyway, it's up to you.

"...You don't talk like a normal child.

I chuckled at his remark and pointed at his hairstyle.

"Have you ever seen normal children with 'that' kind of appearance?! Tick-tock, Bats. Time's running out. Aren't you afraid that while you're with me, the Joker will pull some stunt?

That clearly made him nervous.

"I'll take the second option.

"Fine. I'd like to give you one more warning: if you don't fulfil your part of the bargain and let me go, I promise I'll kill you and everyone you care about. To demonstrate the seriousness of my intentions, I'll give you the names of those people: Alfred, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, and Commissioner Gordon.

"I will keep my word.

"Don't think of me as some kind of lunatic! "Bats!" My slightly mocking tone could have convinced a person otherwise. "I simply trusted one person, and it turned out to cost me my life, so I'm using every option available to me. The city loves you. A shining figure of Good and Justice. True, reputation is one thing, but trust is quite another. There is no trust between us, and I have no idea what you might do to achieve your goal. All right, enough of this. I'll tell you what you so desperately want to know: the Joker used to be called John Doe.

"John... Doe..." he repeated thoughtfully, as if tasting the name.

"Try to find something about this... dead man. Perhaps by finding information about him, you can awaken him from his grave and, by some miracle, bring him back to life. Either way, that's your problem now. I've only given you a hint, nothing more," he said, pausing for a moment before turning his back to me and slowly walking away, causing me to breathe a sigh of relief and shout after him. "By the way, Batman! Please don't tell him I told you, or I'll just... as silly as it sounds... be afraid of his reaction.

"You have some kind of speed magic and you're still afraid of him...?

"Well, it just so happens that the man you're looking for and what he's become are two completely different things. All I can say is that you were right, Bruce. If you kill him, the consequences could be... catastrophic.

"Leave the city and don't let me see you again. After all, you are a criminal.

After that, he disappeared, and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief and continue on my way through the sewers. I didn't want to wait long for my recovery, so I decided to use my stashed dessert to speed things up. A couple of hours later, my paranoia kicked in and I decided to check myself for bugs or listening devices. Batman also has a tendency to be paranoid. After half an hour of thorough searching, I finally found the bug and threw it away. Once my body had more or less returned to normal, I simply decided to order a taxi to take me out of the city to the nearest highway. As soon as I crossed the border, I received an alert.

Your actions in Gotham have been noticed by key figures. You are one of those who managed to kill the head of one of the city's major syndicates and escape the wrath of the city's main criminal threat, Batman. You have shown impressive results and made a name for yourself. 

Mission accomplished!

Reward: +1 level, +20 World Reputation, Item: Body Control (Can only be used once. Reuse: Not possible. Access to Dungeons is now open!

Congratulations, you have reached Level 16!

Gotham

Reputation among Heroes: -500

Reputation among Villains — +510

Total World Reputation — 25

Your current status is Antihero. You tend to do bad things to bad guys.

Now that I have had time to think, I have come to some rather disappointing conclusions. I overestimated my abilities and naively believed that they were enough. It was a painful but necessary lesson that brought me back down to earth. I have to accept the fact that I am weak and have no chance of defeating Batman or the Joker in a direct confrontation without stopping time. This power... intoxicated me. I must not rely on it constantly. After all, who knows: maybe there are people who can resist this effect or even block it altogether? Even the System itself gave me a hint that I was too weak and rewarded me with the only quick way to become strong in my current situation. The System knew right away that I would end up losing in any case, or miraculously surviving future troubles. Now my task is to finally distribute my attribute and skill points, gather all the necessary items for the Dungeon, and test it at my own risk. There is no other choice.

***

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