Chapter 44

Gotham, as always, exuded its mysterious gloom. Despite the fact that this city is considered the most criminal in the world, it is still impossible not to mention that it is also one of the most beautiful.

Especially its central part, which is built in the neo-Gothic style. Barbara and I rushed at great speed, and all the way the only thing we could hear was the screeching of the wind.

The Batcycle is capable of accelerating to 500 miles per hour, however, at such a speed, except for the Dark Knight himself, there are only a few who are able to saddle this monster.

Having driven into the city, we stopped in an alley near a tall skyscraper.

"So, are we going up?" asked Batgirl, pulling out the Bathook.

"Wait, are we going to leave the Batcycle right here?"

"Are you afraid it will be stolen? Believe me, no one will touch the equipment that belongs to Batman. A long time ago, several local imbeciles tried to steal the Batmobile. As a result, two lost fingers, and one almost fell into a coma from the shock discharge. Since then, everyone has learned one lesson: stay as far away from things with the bat emblem as possible."

"Yeah... Although, there is nothing surprising in this, I am sure Bruce has stuffed his equipment with such an anti-theft system that everyone in the world is simply bursting with envy. But I still don't want to leave our transport in this dark alley, because we will have to come back for it later."

"What do you suggest?" Barbara leaned against the concrete wall.

"It's simple," I put my hand on the Batcycle, and it evaporated. "You put it in your inventory? You can put even such massive objects there?" the girl began to ask in surprise. "How big an object can you put there?'

"I don't know myself. To be honest, I haven't asked myself this question until now. Hm, I think I should check it in the future."

"Okay, hold on to me, we're going up," said the girl in the mask, launching her hook straight at the roof of the building.

I hugged her and got as close as I could. After all, no one wants to fall from the roof of a skyscraper, right? At least, that was my excuse, if Barbara had focused on it. But to my great surprise, she was not at all against it. And so, we rushed up.

You know, the speed of the Bathook is simply enormous, I would even say very. And this despite the fact that it lifts two people at once. And here we are, standing on the roof of a multi-story building. I looked down and caught my breath. It's a bit high up here... And that's putting it mildly! Damn, one wrong step and certain death.

"Alex, shall we have a little competition?" the girl asked with crazy excitement in her eyes.

"Hey, I'm wearing a mask now, in case you haven't noticed. I put it on so that they wouldn't recognize me, and now you just said my name. Where's the privacy?"

"Oh, oh, my mistake," she said with feigned regret. "So, what should I call you? Have you thought of a superhero name yet?"

"What superhero name?"

"You're wearing a mask now, it's the first step towards becoming a good guy in a cape," Barbara said with a fox-like grin. "And choosing a suitable nickname, as I understand it, is the second."

"In that case, call me Intellectual!" I spread my arms out to the sides, as if wanting to receive a standing ovation.

"Intellectual? You've chosen a rather strange name for yourself. And what is the reason for this? Personally, I doubt that you'll be smarter than most other superheroes. So why?"

"Um, just like that... Agree, it sounds great, Intellectual! I don't know why you should look for a connection and meaning in this name. I liked this word, so I'll be Intellectual! That's it, from now on I've reserved this name for myself. I should notify the superhero association about this as soon as possible!"

"Ha-ha,Good luck with that!" laughed my companion. "Don't forget to register too! Ha…"

My little joke was able to make Batgirl laugh, but if you remember the events that will unfold in the future, it will no longer be funny. The Great Confrontation, when the law on registration of superheroes was passed. Yes, now it sounds stupid, but in the future 117 countries will sign the document - implying the registration of superhumans and control over their activities.

True, I do not know how this event will unfold in this world. After all, this universe is a mixture of DC and Marvel. Personally, I doubt that anyone will be able to force Batman to sign this document. He would rather tap dance than agree to this registration law.

"So how about a competition, Intellectual?" Gordon returned to the original question.

"What competition?"

"Who will be the first to run to the "Wayne Tower"," she blurted out, doing warm-ups.

"You're kidding, right? We are on the outskirts now, and this skyscraper is right in the center of the city. And how do you suppose that we get there, by jumping on roofs? You know, I am not familiar with parkour."

"Parkour is not that difficult in fact. This sport requires physical and mental effort from a person. At first, it will be difficult to make any movements, but soon enough strength and coordination will appear to work out even complex elements. The tracer faces obstacles that seem insurmountable, but gradually he begins to understand that the body can surpass what previously seemed the limit of possibilities. You have excellent physical training, and you have remarkable control to perfectly perform all the necessary movements. Just imagine what you want to do in your head, and direct your body along the right path. Feel every cell, every muscle fiber…."