While I was locked in a staring contest with Batman, my eyes drifted to Robin, Dick Grayson, the kid who'd one day be Nightwing.
"You must be Robin, his sidekick. All Might told me a bit about you. Gotta say, I'm surprised Batman's sidekick is a ten-year-old kid."
"I'm thirteen," Robin shot back.
"Still not much better. My sidekick had to be at least eighteen before stepping in the field. She's fully trained, combat-ready, and has powers. You? I don't sense a single ounce of power in you. You're just a regular kid, running around in the most dangerous city in the world. Honestly, Batman, this might be the most irresponsible thing you've ever done."
Batman's eyes narrowed, his glare sharp enough to cut steel.
"Robin is trained. He's capable, and he's always by my side. Don't worry about him. Besides… we're not here to talk about sidekicks."
"Fine," I said, folding my arms. "Then let's talk about this partnership. How do you want it to work?"
Batman's tone was calm, calculated. "Like you said, the world is changing. Getting more dangerous. This partnership works by helping each other when the situation calls for it. And by sharing information. If one of us finds something that could be a threat, we make sure the other knows so we can plan ahead. That also means if one of us uncovers hidden threats or beings, we put it on the table."
Batman and I locked eyes, neither of us flinching. But I could feel where this conversation was going.
"Okay, I actually like that idea," I said finally.
Batman nodded. "Then we can also share information about each other, just the basics. I can tell you about my gadgets. In return, you can tell me about some of your teammates' abilities."
"Yeah… no. That's where I draw the line," I cut him off. "My teammates' powers and abilities stay with me. I'm not about to hand over their weaknesses to someone who, let's be honest, definitely has a contingency plan ready to take them down."
His eyes narrowed again. "The people you have under your command could be dangerous."
"They are dangerous," I admitted with a shrug. "Haven't you heard what Starlight and Dagger's been doing to criminals? Half of them are stumbling around blind right now. And All Might? One punch from him literally changes the weather. My teammates are dangerous, yeah. But so am I. So are you. The difference is, we know how to hold back. We know how to stop before killing. You don't need to worry about them. They're my responsibility."
Batman's tone dropped lower. "Then answer me this, Arsenal. What happens when you're not around? What happens when, like during the invasion, one of your people goes rogue? With that much power, they could kill a lot of people before anyone stops them."
"First of all," I said firmly, "none of my teammates would ever go rogue and start killing innocents for no reason. Second, if that ever did happen, the rest of the team would stop them. They're strong enough to handle it."
"I've analyzed your team," Batman said coldly. "They're strong, but there are clear gaps in power."
"That's because you've only analyzed the ones who've gone public," I countered.
His brows furrowed. "What?"
"I didn't show the world all of my people. I've got plenty of others. You wouldn't believe some of them if I told you. Look, I know you're cautious of me. Hell, you probably don't even like me. But I'll promise you this, Batman: I'm not here to cause harm. I'm here to save the world. And yeah, our methods are different, but the mission is the same."
Robin tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"Batman's idea of being a hero means never killing. No matter how vile a villain is, no matter how many times they repeat the same atrocities, he holds onto the hope they can change. He saves them again and again with that belief. Me? I can't do that. If I'm facing a true monster, a villain who's killed thousands, and I can't contain them? Then I'll do what has to be done. I'll put them down. That's not plan A. That's last resort. But it's on the table for me and most of my team."
Batman's jaw tightened, his eyes burning with anger. "So you're willing to kill. Not just you, but your entire team."
"Not everyone," I corrected. "Especially not the sidekicks. But yeah, most of us. And there's nothing wrong with that. We don't take life lightly. But when it comes to the vilest monsters? We'll do what needs to be done."
"Everyone can be redeemed," Batman said flatly.
I crossed my arms. "I believe in redemption too. But not everyone deserves it. Some people are too far gone, too monstrous. Keeping them alive, knowing we can't contain them, just puts innocent lives in danger. Look, we're not here to debate morality. We're here to talk about partnership."
His cape shifted as he stepped closer. "Then maybe we can't work together. I'd rather not stand beside someone willing to take lives."
"And I'd rather not stand beside someone too afraid to do what needs to be done!" I snapped. "You let Joker run loose in this city, Batman. How many times has he broken out? How many times has he killed, only for you to lock him up so he can do it all over again? You've trapped Gotham in a cycle of blood and madness."
His voice dropped lower. "I know what Joker has done. But if I cross that line, if I take a life, I may never stop. This city doesn't need another murderer. It needs a protector."
"This city needs a savior," I fired back. "Joker has killed 856 innocent people. Eight hundred fifty-six lives snuffed out while you keep hoping he'll change. And that's not even touching the corruption rotting Gotham from the inside. Don't get me wrong, you've accomplished a lot. You've saved lives, even turned some criminals around. I respect that. But if you want to truly change Gotham, you need to be more. And if you can't carry the burden of ending someone like Joker? Then let me carry it. I'll hold that pain for you.
Because if we worked together, if it was you, me, and Superman—we could do more than save one city. We could create global peace. And if we found others like us? Imagine it, Batman, a team dedicated to saving the world."
His jaw tightened, his eyes sharp as blades. "I can imagine it. And all I see is unchecked power doing whatever it wants, deciding who lives, who dies, and crushing anyone who doesn't agree. That's not peace. That's tyranny."
"That's not what I want," I said.
"You might believe that," he countered, "but power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. What you're suggesting is dangerous."
I sighed.
"I see we're both stubborn, and we'll probably always be. So let's not get ahead of ourselves. Here's how this partnership will work: we share information on dangerous, world-ending threats. When it's needed, we work together. If one of us calls for help, the other answers. Simple. Easy. Do you agree?"
Batman didn't look happy, but after a pause he raised his hand for a handshake.
"That's something I can work with," he said.
I tilted my head, eyeing his hand. "If I shake that, am I going to feel a tracker being slipped on me again?"
"No," Batman replied without hesitation. "I promised All Might I wouldn't do that, and I keep my word."
I took his hand and shook it firmly. "That's one thing I do like about you, Batman. You're honorable."
We broke the handshake. He gave a small nod, then he and Robin disappeared across the rooftops into the Gotham night.
Psyche stepped closer, her visor glowing faintly. "You really believe we can build a good relationship with that guy? He's stubborn, obsessed with his no-kill rule. One day, he might see you as the enemy."
I turned to her, my voice calm. "I won't lie, Batman has a lot of flaws. But make no mistake, he's a good man. A man on a mission. He's saved lives, turned criminals around. That matters. I'm hoping this partnership will build trust between us, even if we don't see eye to eye. He definitely won't like some of the things I have planned… but I hope one day, he'll understand."
The next day
The next day, I was in the training room with Dani. We'd been at it since five in the morning, it was past ten now. Sweat poured off her, bruises blooming across her arms and ribs, while I hadn't even broken a sweat. No bruises, no ragged breath. Perfectly fine. Naturally, that pissed her off more than anything.
She came at me with a flurry of punches, and I slipped around them like water.
"You know," I said casually, ducking under her swing, "this is probably the most time we've spent together. I know you and Rahne have a pretty solid thing going. How's that relationship working out?"
"Huff, are you seriously, huff, asking me this now?" Dani panted, still trying to tag me.
"What? I'm making conversation. We've been throwing hands for hours. I just wanted to know if you're happy." I side-stepped her jab and flicked a left hook at her gut. She dodged, but not clean—my fist grazed her stomach and sent her dropping to one knee.
"Hey," I said, "your reaction time's getting faster."
She glared up at me. "Do you realize how weird you are? One second you're prying into my love life, the next you're trying to cave my ribs in."
"I won't deny I'm strange. So, are you going to answer, or…?"
She sighed. "We're doing well. That's all I'm willing to say."
"Fair." I offered her a hand up. "You made good progress today. Take a break."
She staggered up, wincing. I tapped her shoulder and let my healing power flow, wiping away the bruises and fatigue. Dani blinked, patting herself down.
"You could've done that the whole time we were sparring. Why didn't you?" she whined, half childish, half adorable.
"Because pain helps us learn and adapt faster. Trust me. I should know." My mind drifted to Thaldris, and the endless century of beatings that forged me.
"Whatever. I'm starving, I'm tired, and I miss my girlfriend. So I'm going to grab food and go cuddle with my little wolf."
"Aww, pet names too. Cute. I really want a girlfriend now."
"Then stop burying yourself in work and actually go on a date. I'm pretty sure I saw at least five of your clones in the lab yesterday." She shot me a look as she headed for the door.
She wasn't wrong. Six clones were in the lab, and three more were out in the world on missions. Maybe I could take a break. Peggy could handle command, and the team wouldn't fall apart without me for a few hours.
Yeah… maybe it was time to check in on a friend. See how Lena was doing.
Lorna POV
We were in the ground-bridge room, gearing up for our mission. I'd been named team leader—something nobody had a problem with… except for one person.
"Seriously, why can't I be the team leader?" Ted complained.
"Because you're an idiot. And Peggy and Ed said it was her," Wanda shot back.
"Plus, she's actually got more field experience than you," Panda added flatly.
"And do you even have a plan?" Pietro asked.
"Yes, actually," Ted said, puffing his chest out.
That caught all of us off guard.
"My plan is simple. Me, Panda, and Ice Bear go in guns blazing. Wanda, you can, I don't know, do something with your weird magic. Speedy Mandalas here saves everyone in the building."
We all stared at him in silence.
"Okay," I said slowly, "and what happens when they start killing prisoners? Or when they unleash powered reinforcements? Or, my personal favorite, when we run into the power dampeners inside the building?"
Ted didn't say a word.
"Exactly what I thought. Now shut up and listen to the actual plan."
He huffed and crossed his arms. Honestly, I should really take that magic shotgun away from him.
"The building's laced with power dampeners, so we won't be able to use our abilities inside. Luckily, Ed designed something for that." I pulled a small device from my pocket. "This little beauty fries the dampeners in sections. Once we're inside, Panda, Ice Bear, and Ted will handle the grunts, you don't have to hold back. Wanda and Pietro, your focus is civilian rescue. Pietro, your speed gets people out before anyone can blink. Wanda, you'll set up a perimeter, close enough to shield them, far enough to stay off the radar."
I looked at Marcos. "You and I are going for the boss. We capture him and pull all the data from the base."
The team nodded, understanding settling in.
"Good. Sage and Peggy will run overwatch in case things go sideways. If you run into someone too strong, you don't play hero, you run and call for backup. Ed don't want anybody dying. That goes for me too. Understood?"
Everyone nodded again, this time with more conviction.