Chapter 38: Bat-Meeting (Part 4)

[Clock - 09:22 | 09:22 AM]

[Calendar - 02/03/2003]

[Location - Croc Kingdom (Name Pending) - Old Gotham, Gotham City, New Jersey]

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"..."

Atlas fiddled with his fingers nervously. He had already located every single bug and hidden camera left behind by the bat, and he marked them with a small X to where they were so Waylon and Pamela could avoid them and know where they were exactly. The reason he was nervous is that he was second guessing his decision to manipulate Bruce's mind... I mean, he would've done it again, but he was still nervous about it, okay!? "...fuck that. I'll deal with the consequences later, even if I have to fight the entire Justice League." He stretched out his arms before turning to look at Waylon who was working out with these big stone blocks that Atlas made for him- today, he will make a palace. Well, he had the idea of making and inverted pyramid on the ceiling, attaching the artificial sun on the pointy end of the pyramid to symbolize the "underworld" region of the kingdom, because he's sure the kingdom will expand to the surface as well.

Once he gets it flying, of course.

"Let's see... I guess I'll deal with Robert first." It's easier to recruit someone who needs his help- Manipulative? Yes, but this is Gotham.

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POV Change

Robert Langston - Man-Bat

[Location: Underground Cave - Blüdhaven, Gotham City]

"Robbie~!" Landing right beside him, the thin and lithe little boy that he had rescued from his own family. The boy was about 5'5, which was small for a Werebat child but large for a 6 year old! "Found ya~!" His long and pointy ears flopped down on his face again, making his shake his head to get them off of his eyes- that was always adorable, no matter what: "Minnie is looking for you~!" His voice- like that of every Werebat -was louder than normal, which always helped with the echolocation, but with normal conversations they had to learn how to whisper so they don't shout everything they wish to say. His arms spread wide as he excitedly asked him to pick him up, and it was quite cute how the skin that made his wings flapped.

"Hello, Gary. What have we talked 'bout? Internal voice is used internally." With a soft chuckle- loud noise, falling stone? Echoed. Footsteps? Footsteps! -he picked up the boy and tensed. "Hold on tight, okay? We're going back to the Hangings." Spreading out his arms, Robert clenched the muscles of his legs and jumped as Gary hanged on his back, which was how they normally flew. Flapping his arms was not always efficient to fly, but it was good to get a great altitude, and although not completely scientifically explainable, he has learned that its good to trust his instincts when it comes to being a Werebat. That's what they're called, at least, by him.

When he was six, he got lost in a tour through one of Gotham's park, and he ended up falling into a hole and being there for hours. Then, someone found him- he was a tall, bat-like human, that helped him. They took him to their cave, where he met more bat humanoids, and they cared for him like he was one of them- they even called him "pup", which he didn't even know back then but that's what bat babies are called. When he was an adult, he still loved bats but believed that his "meeting" of the bat people were just his child mind trying to cope with the fact that he was lost on a cave for six weeks and somehow managed to survive... But then he went to college, got a job as a doctor, and started losing his hearing. He decided to take a gamble and study bats and their hearings, so when he developed this serum that was supposed to heal his ears, he was surprised to find that it permanently awoke within him his own Werebat genes. Nowadays he has come to terms with it, but back then, when the transformation started, he was having side effects. He got more aggressive, he could hear a lot more than he ever wanted to, and he got stronger too... His arms were weirder, he had this flappy skin that connected to his abdomen and he could elongate his own fingers, make skin grow over them, and increase his wingspan by double the size. Normally, his resting wings were used for gliding, but the stretched wings were used for flying.

Don't ask him how it works, he doesn't have the place to research it.

He managed to work out a cure- but to make it, he had to steal things. He was considered a monster, lost his job, and his fiance too! And when he was finally able to make something useful, Batman came. Robert had used his own genes to make another serum to see if he could reverse the process, but when they were fighting near Gotham's reservoir, Batman knocked the serum out of his hands— The serum was diluted thankfully, and thus it had no effect on adults, but children? The way he understood it, his own genes acted like a limiter for the serum, and only awoke the dormant Werebat genes on those who had the Werebat genes in the first place, and that's how he felt responsible for 12 children who were transformed by his serum. Those about the age of 16 were not affected, as far as he was aware. These children were abandoned by their parents or they had run away from home after seeing the monsters they were becoming. Robert found them, and in the process, found this place! There are about 54 Werebats in this cave, there were other caves around Gotham with Werebats in them, but this was the one with the greater amount of Werebats.

Landing on the stone pillar that many Werebats used to land, he gave out Gary for Minnie, another one of the children he rescued (she was thrown out of her own home by her parents who called her a demon), Robert looked down. There, holding a weird floating orb of light, were two men- One he easily recognized as the one and only Killer Croc, and the other man he could not recognize. They were speaking to the oldest Werebat there, and that was Emisha, the kindest person Robert has ever met in his life.

"-nd that is our proposal." Even though Werebat have very good hearing (and terrible sight), Robert caught the end of the conversation as he landed right beside Emisha. The old lady could barely glide herself, so when he came to her side, he helped her straighten her back. He made eye contact with the man sitting on Killer Croc's shoulder, only to notice then the lack of legs... Huh, curios? "Ah, hello." He said with just a hint of surprise in his voice, making Robert raise one of his eyebrows: "My name is Atlas, I'm here for a proposal." Normally people would react either scared or disgusted by his appearance, seeing someone not even blink was somewhat surprising- but then again, he was sitting on Killer Croc's shoulder. "I was speaking to your Elder here, and she has asked me some questions... Well, I am of the Croc Kingdom, and alongside my king, I've come to formally invite you and yours to join us."

"...Why?" There must be a reason. Nothing in this life comes for free- Look at him, he has recovered his hearing, and now he is a bat man. "I don't see why you would be so... Kind, to us."

"Well, mostly because I want you, Robert Langston, in my kingdom." Robert froze when he heard his name come out of that guy's mouth: "I trust that you know Waylon?" Patting down at the croc (who rolled his eyes, his tail swaying from side to side) he was sitting on the shoulders of, Atlas- that was his name? Seriously? -opened his hand and a contract seemed to simply appear on it: "Here, I want your help to revive the Homo Beastialis race. I want you, Robert, as our Kingdom's researcher- Imagine the funds you'll receive, and in years to come, you will be praised as the Kingdom's most successful scientist."

"Sweet words, but I don't really trust you." Robert was about to pull the elder back when she stepped on his feet, glaring up at him- this old woman was born a Werebat and would die a Werebat, and she has told him many stories of Werebats and their origins, how they could learn how to scream louder than a Banshee, how they could learn how to hear the truths and lies of the world, how they could hide in the shadows and become one with the darkness... He didn't really believe that. "Ow- Meemaa, why did you do that?" She knows he hurt the foot she just stepped on- she watched him do that! It was kinda ridiculous and a bit embarrassing, but sometimes he still will fall from his stalactite while sleeping upside down, and this time he hurt his foot too. "That's my hurt foot."

"This boy has been speaking to me in Batspeech for the past 15 minutes, Robbie boyo, if he meant us harm he would've done so already- and besides, he's also a sorcerer!" She sounded excited and very happy, which was a surprise- this old bat was one of the grumpiest women he has ever seen in his life! "At least show some respect!" She wacked him again with her floppy ear, making him grumble a bit- Batspeech was the language Werebats speak, it is consistent of low frequencies that humans aren't easily able to hear, and only someone who has been taught by a Werebat could even speak it.

"I can also write and read in Batspeech." With a smile that reached his eyes, Atlas explained: "It is... quite a lost language, seeing as only the Screech Scribes could write on Batspeech because of their magical voices."

"...I can only speak it because of the spellhe casted on me." Waylon- is it weird Robert only learned his name because Atlas told him? He feels like he should've known it, they've met many times before, admittedly to steal things, but that's beyond the point -grumbled out. Why was he grumpy? He looked like he was embarrassed about something and was holding himself back. "...did you have to cast it like that?" His tail stopped moving as he narrowed his eyes and huffed, as if he had just heard something Robert hadn't.

"The proposal is simple: We have a place that can comfortably fit everyone here, we have food for everyone, we have clean water, we have security, we have everything. But we want you guys- All Homo Beastialis, all Werecreatures are of our kingdom..." Atlas looked down at Waylon once more, this time he gripped his neck and smiled: "We want you to be part of Kingdom Beastialis."

Meanwhile, through [Telepathic Bond]:

Atlas: I mean, it's not a bad name! It truly makes everything to be known about us be known in a single phrase- Beastialis, of the beasts. And, well, it might sound a bit like Bestiality, but who is judging? I'm certainly not, I've already had sex with a man who is kinda like a beast, so it's not something I'll judge.

Waylon: ...please, shut up. I'm not good with names, please-

Atlas: It's okay, Way, I still think its a great name for a kingdom, and nobody will call it the kigdom of animal fuckers, or the kingdom of bestiality.

Waylon: ...I hate you.

Atlas: I think at this point we both know that's not true at all.

Waylon: ...When we get back, I'm gonna break you, fuckin' little brat.

Atlas: ...

Waylon: Yeah, and now you stay quiet, huh? Little bitch. Should've-

Atlas: It still doesn't change the fact that it sounds like Bestiality- You know, when you fuck an animal?

Waylon: I'll f-fuck you like an animal.

Atlas: ...it's kinda dorable that when you're embarrassed, you stutter.

Well, Atlas would not be allowed to sleep tonight.