Eliza and Bruce

Leaving that abandoned building, i went to my own apartment without the skull mask on. As usual, everyone in the apartment had a proper sleep schedule so I didn't really have to worry about random encounters.

Opening up my apartment door, I changed my boots and clothing, as they still probably had traces of blood on them. Deciding to dispose of them later, I packed them in a bag of trash.

Next thing, I went to the kitchen. I was ready to show off my culinary skills to those two kids!

...if they hopefully stayed around and didn't run off.

Scratching the plan of cooking up something, I grabbed the pot of chicken soup I had leftover from yesterday, together with the fruit juice cartons I have in case I have some guests over. All the while ignoring the wall of energy drinks I have saved up for myself, kids shouldn't be drinking that stuff. Then again they could be fine? Eh, better not risk one of them having a headache or something. 

Packing the soup, the two fruit cartons and two bowls into one bag, i brought with me the garbage bag filled with evidence as well. 

Heading outside of the apartment, sneakily through the back door, I started making my way back to the place where the kids were. They didn't leave yet right? 

Hopefully they didn't, they're in no state to run anywhere. 

Accelerating my pace a bit, I walked up the same steps I did previously, this time much faster. 

Turning left, I walked to the room where I had left them off. Gently opening the door, I found... 

An empty apartment. 

Looking at the cash those two brats didn't even take with me, I got incredibly annoyed. Where the hell do two kids run off to when they have barely survived so far?

Obviously, I decided to walk to the middle of the room, and open the plastic bag. Putting down the two bowls on the floor, I removed the lid of the pot. 

Taking a serving spoon and gently stirring the soup, the smell started spreading throughout the apartment. 

An odd ten seconds later, I heard a growling coming from one of the doors in the apartment. 

Still stirring the soup, I said in a somewhat obnoxious tone : 

"Ah if only I had someone to share a good meal with, Ah! Would be so much more fun than sitting at home alone! So lamentable, so lamentable, I hop-" 

"We get it!" the girls voice resounded from the aforementioend door. 

With a slow creaking sound, the two kids slowly walked outside the door, drool at the corners of their mouths. 

Looking at Bruce carrying the girl on his back, and both of them being slightly embarassed, i decided to quickly clear the awkwardness in the air. 

"Let's just eat, you can tell me whatever you want to tell me later. Let me do at least this much for you two." I replied, an honest smile on my now maskless face. 

"Why are you revealing your face?" the girl asked, surprised at not being greeted by a hastily made skull mask. 

"Why would I not? This entire area has no CCTV and there's barely anyone living here. I got my place for dirt cheap cause theres barely anyone that wants to move there due to the insane crime rate." I replied while pointing at the ground in front of me. 

Bruce, carrying the girl, obediently let her down there and then sat next to her. 

Like that, I waited for the kids to finish their meal before giving them each a fruit juice. 

"Now then, want to introduce yourselves?" I asked. "Or do you want me to do it first?"

"I'm Eliza, he's Bruce." the girl replied. 

Surprised at her now frank attitude I also introduce myself. 

"John Wesley," pointing at my chest with my thumb, I continued, "I'm a former cop and in the future I will go by the name 'The Dead Man' as I am a vigilante. Now then, can I hear what happened?"

As I said that, both of them seemed to have their mood turn for the worse, and seeing that I tried to change the topic quickly. 

" Of course, if you do-" I got interrupted. 

"We'll tell. " Eliza replied. 

"... If you don't want to then you really shouldn't force yourself, you know? Just give me a basic story or something." I replied. 

"...I had my powers since birth. As mother told me later, she tried to hide the fact that I was a mutant from my father as much as she could. I... I still was exposed due to one of my school friends finding out about that and telling father...

When he found out, he at first started drinking to deal with 'us not being his children'. One night... He came into our room and started beating us, and... And mom heard our screaming...

She ran into our room and tried to stop him, but he pushed her off him... He started hitting her then. Once she stopped breathing... He just ran away and left us there. " tears endlessly flowed from her blue eyes.

"..." I'm going to make sure that monster wearing the disguise of a human suffers. I'll track him down, and when I find him, I'll break him piece by piece, limb by limb. He'll endure unimaginable pain until he begs for death, and even then, I'll make him suffer more, more and more. No one gets away with hurting children like that.

"And we just hid in the dark corners of New York. It wasn't hard for me to steal pocket change or food or similar with my ability. That was until one night, Oswald found out about my ability. He took my brother hostage and threatened me to work for them. I... I refused, and he slit my legs."

Pulling up her torn pants, the slash wound that was on the back of her ankle appeared in my vision. A massive cut that rendered this poor girl incapable of walking.

Sighing, I closed my eyes in regret. He didn't suffer enough, I shouldve made that bastard pay much more than just a beating. I shouldve thrown him into the sewers so the rats would eat him alive.

"I then fully depended on Bruce doing everything, even though I kept telling him to run away as Oswald would've gotten bored of tormenting us and instead finished us off for good." she continued, having wiped her tears god knows which time today.

I didn't even know how the hell to reply to that. How the hell do you comfort someone who went through this much... When they're not even an adult. 

Luckily, Bruce suddenly spoke.

" Sir, is it really true that you can make sis walk again?" he asked, faint hope still in his eyes.

"There's... A lot of ways actually. I could just pay a handsome sum to the hospital I was at and they can probably fix you up. Or some people with healing powers with a bit of cash in their pocket wouldn't mind helping either. If all else fails I can turn you into a superhuman that far surpasses human standards. Although it would take a lot of work to get the serum for it, as the people that have it are third rate villains who plan on world domination or something." I replied casually.

It was their turn to be silent. They definetely thought I had a screw or two lose didnt they.

"How do you know about all those methods?" Bruce asked, puzzled.

"Good question! However, I can't answer as I have my sources. All I can say is that they're dependable and risk free."...being the two or three movies I watched and the hearsay from people talking about whatever.

"... You said you wanted to know the locations that are linked to the underground world right? " Eliza said, recalling what I said. 

"That's correct, anything that makes my vigilante work easier would be nice. Illegal guns, places with bad people, all that stuff." 

"Do you have a map of New York, mister? I remember some places." she replied after thinking a bit. 

"Err... I'll be back in 5 minutes again!" leaving those words, I went to the nearest store and bought myself a map of new York, a clean one. 

An odd 6 minutes later, panting from running up the stairs, I got back to the room, the sweat still dripping off my face. 

" Phew, here!" handing her the map, I was ready to see what she had in store for me. She probably knew a thing or two with her invisibility. 

"... A pen? Or something to write?" she replied in a quiet voice, still looking at me who was sweating. 

"Oh right." pausing for a second, i checked my pockets as I was used to carrying a pen. Luckily, I did bring one with myself today, and I handed over the pen to her. 

Over the next 10 minutes she scribbled a detailed map with nearly double the hideouts of gangsters, 7 odd stores that dealt with illegal arms, 3 supervillains gathering places, and other things like warehouses that were used for illegal goods and human trafficking. 

Looking at the map and then comparing it to the one I had, I owed this lass big time as she saved me days, if not entire weeks, of collecting information. 

"This is absolutely amazing" I replied while looking at the details she put in as well, like the amount of people that I would have to deal with and some things like passwords. "I owe you big time, Eliza." 

"Can you promise to be careful when hunting gangsters?" suddenly interrupting my thoughts, she asked with a frown on her face. 

"Huh? Oh don't worry I'll be fine, as long as its two bit crooks and the like they pose no threat to me." I smiled in response, trying to reassure her. 

"And... Please keep in mind this is info I obtained from a year ago. Some of it may be inaccurate..." slightly frowning, she continued. 

"Even this much is a massive help girl, so here's the payment for the map for now." pulling out another thousand bucks I had brought with me, I continued after placing it on the floor. "Now I know this is only fifteen hundred bucks, and I'll give you more later. And also, for every single gangster hideout you provide me info on, I'll give you half of the spoils of war I get from it." 

"Hal... Half?!" shocked, she replied. 

Bruce also had his mouth hanging open on the side. 

"Yup, half, and if I do end up dead you two can probably do something with that money, either to keep yourselves safe or to leave this city." suddenly, turning serious, I continued recalling that this place would be invaded more than just a few times "After all, in the not too distant future, this place would turn into a massive battlefield, a meat grinder like never before seen. So when that happens I want both of you out of here as soon as possible."

"... Okay, I understand." she replied while Bruce just nodded. 

" So what will I be doing? " Bruce asked while I was still looking at the map. 

" Nothing at all. "I replied. 

" Huh? But didn't you say... " he wanted to ask about his work, but I cut him off. 

" Look, I'm not gona send you out to get intel after I saw what happened with Oswald and how you two were treated. Also your sister providing me this map alone is more than enough help for me. So yes take it easy and take care of yourselves." I replied. 

They both nodded after giving it some thought. 

Having a proper map on my hands, I decided i would stock up on another super redhawk or two, that are already untraceable so I won't have to mess with them, and a boat load of bullets. A supply for the future activities I was planning on, so to speak. 

Suddenly, I found this entire thing funny. I saved two kids from gangsters after shooting them in the face, and I wanted to help them to get their lives back together. Was it cause I never had anything like a lucky star come into my first life and make everything turn for the better? Nobody who magically snapped their fingers and fixed everything. Was that what I wanted to do? 

Maybe. I do think... I can be a bit proud of myself, right?