Lester Finch lay sprawled across the concrete floor, utterly unconscious.
"Alright," Batman stated, his voice a low command. "Let's get him secured."
He produced heavy-duty, high-tensile restraints from his utility belt—magnetic cuffs designed to lock onto meta-human threats. Batwoman and Batgirl moved in, their movements economical and practiced. The cuffs clicked into place, glowing with a faint energy field that would dampen any sudden surge of power, though against his unique invulnerability, their physical restraint was secondary to the chemical sedation.
As they worked, Batwoman's brow furrowed beneath her cowl. "A 'higher being,' Bruce? He wasn't just raving. He truly believed it. What... what could create something like this?" Her gaze flickered from Finch's inert form to Batman.
Batman secured the final cuff, his movements precise. "I'm not sure, Kate," he admitted, his voice grave. "Finch's description of his transformation, his invulnerability, the 'perfection' he felt... it bears a disturbing resemblance to cyborgs description of Azrael fixing the Watchtower." He straightened, surveying the subdued Finch. "If it was him, we'll need to investigate his movements, learn if he has had any involvement" He paused, his gaze hardening. "We have no idea how many more might be affected."
Cassandra, ever silent, moved to the perimeter, her senses still alert for any other threats. She ran a gloved hand over the loading bay door, then glanced back at Finch. Her expression, usually unreadable, held a rare mix of awe and deep concern. She understood the language of violence, and what Finch represented was a new, terrifying dialect.
"Alfred is prepping the batplane now," Batman continued, his gaze drifting to the gaping hole Finch had created. "We'll need to use the containment unit on board to transport him. The Watchtower is the most secure facility available; we'll move him there. Until we understand the full scope of his abilities and what triggered them, he's too dangerous to leave anywhere else."
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The Justice League Watchtower's main cafeteria was, at this late hour, relatively quiet, a hum of distant machinery and soft clatter. Azrael, cloaked in his usual enigmatic silence, savored a perfectly cooked steak, cutting each piece with deliberate, almost ritualistic precision.
Across from him, Cyborg was engrossed in a holographic display while quietly nursing a nutrient paste. Supergirl, a blur of motion even when seated, alternated between her own meal and scrolling through news feeds at super-speed.
"It tastes... nice," Azrael murmured, his voice a low rumble, breaking the quiet.
Cyborg grunted in acknowledgement, not looking up. "The replicators are pretty good these days. Almost as good as the real thing."
Supergirl chuckled, a bright, airy sound. "Almost. Nothing beats a Kansas steak, though."
Azrael merely hummed, a sound that could have meant agreement or disinterest. He continued his meal, his focus absolute, entirely detached from the events he set in motion.
Not far from their table, but within earshot in the open cafeteria, Wonder Woman stood, her stance regal yet concerned with Martian Manhunter at her side. Listening intently were Raven, her aura a subtle shadow of unease, Nightwing, his arms crossed, a familiar detective's frown on his face, Starfire, her emerald eyes wide with curiosity and a touch of apprehension, and Black Canary, her posture tense, hands clasped.
"We're not entirely sure what he is," Wonder
Woman was explaining, her voice low and steady. "He says that he has existed for eternity, and has come here to learn, experience, and understand what it means to live."
Martian Manhunter's eyes glowed faintly, "His abilities are extraordinary. With a single gaze he erased a man from existence only to bring him back moments later." His gaze subtly shifted towards the quiet figure at the other table. "He seems to view the world like a child, in black and white. And he is still very much learning."
Nightwing's frown deepened. "Bruce did mention that, that he's still learning to be human. To understand his emotions." He glanced over. "A being who can rewrite reality feeling emotions for the first time, that's dangerous. I was informed he struggles with why we tolerate anything less than 'perfect.'"
"Precisely," Wonder Woman affirmed. "He doesn't comprehend why we allow imperfections to exist. Why we permit suffering, or why we don't simply 'correct' those who cause chaos or pain. He asks why we don't remove the people who inflict harm, why we try to rehabilitate rather than simply erase them."
Supergirl looked up from her plate, frowning slightly. "Yeah. But... That just means it's up to us to teach him correctly, how to deal with these emotions, with these... concepts. We need to show him right from wrong, the nuances between good and evil, and the value of free will, even its messy parts."
"She's not wrong," Wonder Woman sighed, looking back at her group. "Currently we have no way to contain him if he does decide to wipe us out. Just guesses and speculation. He operates on a logic we barely grasp."
Raven shifted, her voice barely a whisper. "His aura... it's vast. Ancient. But fractured. He's connected to something immense, akin to a god, yet he carries a profound internal conflict. He's not simply a meta-human; he's... something else entirely. A force. And if he believes a fundamental aspect of existence is a flaw..." the implications of her words hung into he air.
Black Canary exhaled slowly. "So, this guy, who's been here for a few days, might be casually rewriting existence on a whim, just because he thinks it's 'imperfect,' and he doesn't understand why we don't do the same?"
"We are saying it is within the realm of possibility," Martian Manhunter clarified. "His abilities are... unconventional. And his presence correlates directly with these inexplicable events. The question remains: what defines a 'flaw' to him? His understanding of 'perfection' could be catastrophic for us."
Starfire's brow furrowed. "Erased beings? Corrected flaws? And he questions our methods of justice? What purpose would such actions serve? It seems so... dangerous for such immense power."
The Justice League members exchanged uneasy glances, the enigma of Azrael deepening with every new piece of information. They had been so engrossed in their discussion, they hadn't realized how intently he had been listening.
At his table, Azrael slowly looked up from his meal, his gaze sweeping over the group. His eyes, usually distant and cold, held a flicker of something new, something almost... curious.
"You... are afraid," he stated, not as a question, but as a simple, undeniable fact. His voice, though still low, carried an unexpected resonance, drawing all eyes to him. "I have been an observer long before existence itself." He paused, his gaze softening slightly, a rare vulnerability showing in the ancient depths of his eyes. "It was... lonely, I guess would be the correct way to put it. I simply wish to understand. To live. To experience like all other beings."
The Justice League members froze, their hushed conversation abruptly silenced by Azrael's unexpected words. All eyes, once subtly observing him, were now fixed directly on the quiet figure at the table. The sudden shift from being the subject of intense speculation to the active participant in their discussion was jarring.
Wonder Woman was the first to recover, her stance softening from concerned inquiry to cautious openness. "Afraid?" she repeated, her voice calm and even. "Of what, Azrael? Of your power?"
Azrael met her gaze, his expression unreadable for a moment before that flicker of vulnerability returned. "Of what you do not comprehend. Of what you cannot control. Of what could... change you." His words were delivered without malice, simply as an observation of their fundamental nature.
Martian Manhunter took a step forward, his psionic presence reaching out, not aggressively, but with an immense, gentle curiosity. "Lonely," J'onn echoed, the word a soft hum in the air. "To exist outside of connection. That is a profound solitude."
Nightwing, ever the pragmatist, narrowed his eyes, though his voice remained steady. "If you've been 'observing' for so long, and you're here to 'understand,' then you must know the difference between right and wrong. Between repairing a system and... erasing a life." His gaze flickered to Cyborg, acknowledging the earlier discussion the two had.
Azrael tilted his head, a gesture almost childlike in its innocence, yet disconcerting given his immense power. "Right. Wrong. These are labels. Concepts. Born of experience. Of consequence. I observed consequences, yes, but felt none. I am... learning the textures of these 'labels' now. The sensation of a 'flaw.' The impulse to 'correct' it." His eyes drifted back to his steak, then to Supergirl. "Like this 'niceness' in the food. Or the 'pain' I sensed when the man was harmed. These are new."
"Man? What man, Dr Watson?" Nightwing stated his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
Azrael gaze settled on him. "No, another. Harmed by others, I just gave him a choice."
Cyborg now more alert than ever, focused on Azrael. "You were in the Watchtower the entire time, how did you get in contact with another man, what choice could you provide him."
"I merely observed the bat fighting in his city." Azraels gaze lifted as if reminiscing, "there i saw a man dying, I saw his desire to live, to get revenge, I offered him power, to allow him to live, to never be hurt again."
J'onn's gaze flickered with recognition, "Lester Finch, the one Batman has been chasing." His expression hardened, "the one who practically resurrected from the dead, and is the main culprit for slaughtering the executives of the Martini Crime Family!"
A sudden, chilling clarity cut through the hum of the cafeteria. The casual atmosphere shattered, replaced by a tense silence that stretched as the Justice League members turned their full, accusatory attention to Azrael.
"You gave him power?" Wonder Woman's voice, usually a beacon of calm, was sharp with disbelief. "To a man consumed by vengeance? Do you understand the chaos you unleashed in Gotham, Azrael? The lives he took?"
Azrael met her gaze without flinching, his expression still that unsettling blend of ancient wisdom and childlike incomprehension. "He was dying. I gave him a choice to be saved. Is that not what you do? Save. I did not force it upon him but allowed him to choose his own fate. His wish for 'revenge' was a... 'flaw' but I did not remove it. I merely did as you have shown me, choice, freedom, even imperfection."
"That man you so casually saved caused a massacre!" Nightwing's voice rose, a raw edge to it. "Lester Finch isn't some innocent bystander. He's a criminal and you handed him a weapon! Now he's an unstoppable force!"
"And you call that 'understanding life'?" Black Canary's voice vibrated with a controlled fury. "You just enabled a monster!"
Azrael tilted his head, seemingly observing their anger as another new "texture." "I fail to understand, is this not the justice you speak of? To allow others to choose?" His gaze flickered towards Wonder Woman. "Is this not what you did for Lex Luthor and Amanda Waller, allowing them to live even though you know nothing will come of their incarceration? That they will just find new ways to harm others?"
The direct, innocent-yet-devastating question hung in the air, momentarily silencing the League. Azrael had turned their own philosophy back on them, exposing the inherent contradiction in their mercy. Wonder Woman's jaw tightened, her usual certainty momentarily shaken by the alien logic. Martian Manhunter's psionic probe reached out, sensing no malice, only a genuine, if terrifying, attempt at understanding.
"There is a difference, Azrael," Wonder Woman finally stated, her voice regaining its steel, though tinged with weariness. "We save lives. We do not empower those who would take them. We operate within a system, imperfect as it may be, that strives for justice. Luthor and Waller are contained by law, however flawed. Their freedom is not granted by our hand, but by the very framework of a society we protect."
"We offer choice, yes," Martian Manhunter added, his form subtly rippling with the intensity of his argument. "But the choice for good, for redemption. Not the choice to inflict limitless harm. We understand that consequences are complex, not binary. Life is not a simple equation of flaw and fix."
Nightwing interjected, stepping closer. "We try to guide, to heal, to prevent, not to arm a man with a vendetta against an entire city simply because he asked."
Supergirl looked at Azrael, her brow furrowed. "We choose not to be judges of existence, Azrael. We're here to help, to protect. Not to play God with people's lives and abilities just because we see something we think is wrong."
Black Canary exhaled slowly, her frustration palpable. "You did the right thing to save him. But you also empowered him, which we do not do. We try our best to bring justice, not harm. There's a line, Azrael, and you just leaped across it without even seeing it!"
Just as the tension reached its breaking point, a low, powerful hum reverberated through the Watchtower. The distinct roar of the Batplane's engines cut through the chatter, growing louder, closer. An alert flashed across Cyborg's internal display.
"Hold on!" Cyborg exclaimed, his eyes widening as he read the data. "That's Batman's signature! They're... they're docking at Bay 3. And they've got a secure containment unit attached." His gaze snapped back to Azrael, a dawning realization on his face.
Almost on cue, the cafeteria's main doors hissed open. Batman strode in, his cape billowing slightly, followed by Batwoman and Batgirl. Their faces were grim, etched with the weariness of a recent battle.
"League," Batman stated, his voice devoid of usual pleasantries. "We've captured Lester Finch. He's in the specialized containment cell."
His eyes then landed on Azrael, who had returned his attention to his half-eaten steak, seemingly indifferent to the new arrivals. Batman's gaze hardened, a direct, knowing glare that cut through Azrael's detached composure. He knew. He had connected the dots, just as the League now had.
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AN:
Wow this chapter took me a while, it's starting to get to a point where the AI is getting confused with the story so I essentially have to rewrite all the dialogue myself.
You have no idea how many times I had to edit the chapter to stop it from repeating previous issues such as 'correcting' or 'flaws' which azrael has learned from thanks to Kara and Cyborg.
But atleast it's done now, to a point I'm happy with. The chapters will most likely slow down from now on though as it seems like I won't be able to just tell the ai the setting and get a readable novel.
So probably no more 10 chapters in 1 day.