Ken staggered forward, eyes snapping to the entrance of the alley before he dropped back behind a bin. His heart hammered against his chest like a war drum as sirens echoed through the dark city.
He let out a shaky breath, his right hand tightened around a piece of metal he'd ripped from the drone.
He looked down at it, it was bent, warping from his strength. Ken still didn't fully understand what the laboratory had done to him, but it had made him strong.
And they wanted him back.
His fists clenched, the metal screeching and bending underneath the pressure. His stomach twisted in a constant, ever lasting hunger that never truly disappeared, but Ken ignored it.
He needed to decide where to go now.
He could go back to the shelter, but whoever had just tried to capture him would likely know instantly.
But would they risk that attention?
Attacking a shelter for homeless teenagers sounded like the perfect way to get The Batman's attention.
He spent a while thinking to himself, thinking about his options, and only came to the conclusion that the shelter was the best option.
If anyone came for him…
Ken looked down at his clenched fist, the metal crumpled into a heavy ball.
—-
He eyed the shelter from the depths of a dark alley, his eyes roaming down the shelter and road.
He was looking for signs, anything that would point—
An expensive car.
Ken blinked, his head tilting slightly as he assessed the dark car. It had black tinted windows and it was still running…
Ken stepped back into the shadows of the alley.
His senses sharpened as he took another step back.
That was suspicious, beyond suspicious—
He bumped into something.
His body pounced back, feet skidding back against the concrete as his vibrant red and black kakugan flared to life with panic.
What he saw through the dark night only furthered that panic.
A tall man, if it could even be called that, wearing all black with a large swooping cape that hung from his broad shoulders. Two distinct, iconic spikes poked up from his dark helmet.
Batman.
Ken swallowed, memories of Batman's…reputation running through his head as he took a shaky step back.
In the face of the personification of Gotham's fury he forgot about his strength, his speed, any form of confidence.
But what the man said, surpassed any horrible expectation Ken had.
"You're safe now."
He had said it in a gruff, deep tone, but a tone that was filled to the brim with an odd kindness. Ken had frozen at the words, swallowing as his eyes snapped up to Batman's white lenses.
"W-What?" He asked.
"I want to help you, Ken." The man said.
Ken swallowed again, his hands feeling shaky.
"You…know who I am?" Ken asked in a whisper, memories of his mother, the people…people he'd…eaten playing through his head.
The man in the mask only nodded.
"Ken Cross." He said evenly. "Sixteen, missing for six months. Mother reported you went missing when you went—"
"She—" Ken interrupted, his breath stuttering in his chest at the words. "She reported it?
Silence.
"Yes." The man eventually responded calmly, no judgement or accusation present in his voice. Ken's stomach twisted again, but not in hunger. "I want to help, just listen to me."
But Batman didn't give the boy time to think as he nodded towards the parked car outside of the shelter.
"The car across the street, the plates are cloned with heavy engine and frame modifications." The man began, changing the subject entirely, "They're not your average thug."
"They're looking for me." Ken said, his eyes snapping to the running car.
Batman nodded. "So come with me." The man said, his eyes locked onto the teenager. The man outstretched his hand in offering towards the black haired teenager.
Ken only shook his head.
"You—you don't understand." He said in a shaky tone. "I've got something wrong with me, I—I have to—"
"I know" Batman interrupted. "That's why I want to help you, it's not your fault."
Ken's heart roared in his ears, he couldn't understand why, how any of this was happening.
Did he really understand?
Ken felt his knees wobble as he stepped forward and took the man's hand, his head bowing as finally, someone, anyone, saw him.
—-
The car was…insane.
It was beyond modern, it looked like a rocket ship when Ken got in besides the towering man. He looked out of the windows as they blurred through Gotham's dark streets.
Eventually they got to the outskirts of Gotham, that's when a privacy shield over the windshield activated, Ken not being able to see out of it anymore.
The cockpit was dark, the only light source coming from the dark blue glowing dashboard. The car purred beneath him as they came to gradual stop. Ken couldn't help but feel nervous as his fingers tapped rapidly against his knees.
He could hear…running water?
The privacy shield deactivated.
Ken gasped.
It was a cave, a gothic cathedral with massive limestone pillars reaching into the darkness above. A waterfall thundered nearby Ken looking towards it in shock. Hundreds of bats fluttered above, their chirps filling the cave with a constant static.
A massive assortment of monitors were placed onto a wall, all together it looked bigger than a cinema screen. A dashboard with just as many buttons laid at its feet, glowing buttons lining it.
The doors to the car opened with a hiss.
Ken undid his seatbelt, stepping out in awe.
A large penny, the size of a van, stood upright in the corner of the room. Ken couldn't help but smile, his mind filled with the awe and excitement this place let out in him.
An old man, holding a tray with a singular glass of water approached.
"Master B—" the man cut himself off as if he choked, but continued. "I've prepared the medical wing for you."
The old man was wearing a neat tuxedo, his expression was that of calm professionalism. Batman nodded, but Ken spoke up in confusion.
"Medical wing?" He asked, thinking back to the laboratory.
Had he made a mistake.
"Just for blood tests, to try and find you a cure." Batman quickly clarified to Ken who looked at him in shock.
"Cure?" He asked in overwhelming hope.
—-
Let me know what you guys think!