This DCverse is Maddening

“Hey guys..”

Steve’s voice wavered uneasily in the tense air. Surprising, even with the sudden name drop of one of Gotham’s most infamous clubs his tone cut through easily enough. He had turned to a certain page and froze like a deer in headlights.

Where as before, he had been flipping through baby photos while the rest conversed. But after leaving that section, his eyes locked onto a single photo.

Noticing exactly how shaken the youth was, Albert had leaned in closer to get a better look only to freeze in turn. The continued with the blonde, brunette and giant youth. Expressions full of horror etched themselves onto their faces. Too such a degree that even Desmond started to feel a bit uncomfortable just watching them.

“What got you guys so spooked?”

Without looking up, Angeline rummaged around in her bag and handed him another photo. At first he looked confused until the same horror slowly spread to him too.

But that horror didn’t last long, burning hot anger burned through his veins.

“YOU BASTARD!!”

Albert couldn’t help but agree, the photo that had attracted their attention wasn’t anything malicious or anything. It was just of two people. One male that looked like an older version of Desmond, maybe with a bit more packing around the guts. He wore a sharp tuxedo and his black hair was perfectly combed and swept back. Exposing cold, dead eyes that didn’t match the wild smile on his face. The woman’s dress also wasn’t the cause of their horror and Desmond’s rage. It was just a normal wedding dress, clinging nicely to her body.

A wide smile on her mousy face. Sharp cheek bones slide down her vibrant green eyes. Her black hair was tied up into a tight bun, showcasing a diamond necklace adorning her neck.

‘She looks like Marian…’

The woman had similar features to the assistant teacher, probably not enough for the two to be considered related. But if Albert imagined the woman wearing the same close as Marian did in that photo, there wouldn’t be much of a difference.

A mixture of disgust and triumph filled his heart. Glad that they had found their perp but felted both disgusted with himself for feeling anything positive and at the situation.

‘It wasn’t enough that you killed her, but you had to go and find someone that look like her too?’

“M-maybe it’s a coincidence?” Angeline stammered, in complete opposition to her previous surety,” He c-could have a type?”

In response to that, Steve only pointed at the piece of jewelry pinned to the man’s tuxedo jacket. It was in the shape of a trumpet, announcing it’s presence to the world. Smalls gems lined the perimeter with a single large droplet shaped gem dripping off one of it’s petals. The name of this flower came rushing to the tip of Albert’s lips.

“A Wood Lilly…”

Marceline whispered in dread. That was it. All the information they needed, collected in less than a week. Or more accurately collected over decades. At forty year old mystery solved by a bunch of teenagers. Gotham was truly an awful place.

“Do you recognize this broach?”
Albert risked drawing the attention of the fuming man, but he needed answers. It wasn’t enough that they figured out who was responsible for Marian Gran’s death, they needed that broach. It took Desmond a few breathe in order to calm down enough to get out from ground teeth.

“Yes.” He growled, veins popping,” He was obsessed with that thing. Carefully cleaned it every single damn day. I just assume it was collectible. He only wore it at home. I remember the beating I got for touching it. The first and only time he ever put his hands on me.”

“Do you have it?”

Michael asked, face slowly beginning to return to its normal hue.

“No.” Desmond ground his teeth audibly,” He was so obsessed with it that he wanted it buried with him..”

“S-so..” Steve looked even paler at the next thing they all realized they needed to do.

“How would you feel if someone hypothetically,” Angeline tried to look nonchalant but fail completely due to her nerves,” Dug up his grave?”

“Pissed!” He snarled after a beat, filling them with dread. There would be no way he wouldn’t make the connection if it was found out someone grave robbed his fathers’ grave. Did they really have to make an enemy of this man?

“That I didn’t get to desecrate his grave myself!”

‘What? Atleast finish your sentence before you give us a heartache!’

“So you won’t mind as long as your involved?”

Marceline hedged, not really believing his words.

“Yes.” He nodded,” I’ll be seeing him in hell anyway, might as well start his ass kicking sooner on this side.”

The group let out a collective sigh of relief. They wouldn’t have to run a foul of such a dangerous man after all. The city was dangerous enough without someone gunning for you specifically.

“But I must ask.” Desmond looked the team,” Why do you want to dig that bastard up?”

“We were sent to retrieve the broach..” Angeline confessed, edging around the whole truth,” It was Marian’s.”

“Understandable.” He nodded,” Sister? Brother? Descendant?”

“We can’t tell you that.” Albert cut in, his voice firm,” Just know, it’s someone with some relation to her.”

“Okay little man.” Desmond raised his hands in surrender,” I know how this goes, protect the identity of the client.”

Even if the man was being a bit condescending with his words, he knew exactly how situations like this goes.

‘He probably did some mercenary work then.’

“We want to dig up his grave,” The young investigator continued,” If you could tell us when you’re available, it’ll be much appreciated.”

“Fine,” The man sighed, realizing Albert wouldn’t be taking that obvious provocation,” I can ask Catherine if I could come in a couple hours late on Saturday night.”

They looked at each other, having a hole quite conversation between the lot of them before Marceline turned back to the man.

“That’s alright with us,” She nodded,” Where is he buried at?”

“Definitely not at Gotham Cemetery,” He snorted,” That place is way out of my price range, we buried him near the edge of the city. Mom said the sunsets looked nice there.”
“Then we’re in agreement.” Angeline nodded,” We’ll meet up there late Saturday night.”

“Let me walk you guys out.” The man chuckled darkly,” You’re entrance already caused a bit of a stir, it wouldn’t do for you lot to get mugged..”

***********************************************************************************

It had taken the group almost half an hour for them to get back to their stomping grounds. There was some occasional chattering but most conversations fizzled out soon after it started. Their upcoming grim-task weighed heavily on them. Albert was sure they had done some strange things in order to appease a ghost but this was different. They would have to dig up some guys grave, a murderer’s grave. But still someone’s final resting place to say the least.

Whose to say doing this won’t just create another ghost, hellbent on getting back his obsession through any means necessary. It wasn’t his problem. He wasn’t the medium here. And looking out of the corner of his eye at the short hair girl, she also seem to be lost in indecision.

‘I’ll carry some salt,’ Albert nodded internally,’ Just in care.’

“What should we do next?”

Angeline was the first to break the ice, shattering their contemplative thoughts.

“W-we need to s-scout out the place f-first,” Steve murmured,” And g-get some s-shovels prepared.”

“Aren’t there groundskeepers there?”

Michael asked.

“Most likely,” Marceline answered,” We’ll need to come up with a plan.”

“Any plan we make,” Albert cut in,” Will have to wait until we’ve actually check the place out.”

“True.”

The towering youth nodded in agreement.

“T-then one of us will have go during the d-day and night.” The lanky teen added,” J-just in case the g-grounds keeper c-changes shift.”

“Why not go together?” Michael asked,” Isn’t it horror movie taboo number one to split up like that?”

“If a group of five teens are found anywhere near a cemetery,” The blonde rolled her eyes,” They’ll call the cops, think we’re there to vandalize the place.”

“But we are…”

The giant petulantly murmured.

“I can go during the day.” Marceline volunteered,” If anyone asks, I’m there to visit a loved one.”

Then they all just stood there awkwardly, eyeing each other. Almost prodding the other. It was a few seconds of silence before Albert sighed in exasperation.

“I’ll go at night then..”

“Oh you don’t have too…”

Michael said, trying and failing to hide his own relief.

“A-are you sure?”

Steve asked, worry evident on his face.

“Yeah,” He nodded,” I have something I need to do tomorrow morning anyway, so it fits.”

“What if you don’t mind tell?”

Marceline inquired, curiosity slowly flowing from her and to her friends. And after thinking it over for a breathe, he didn’t see a reason to at-least give them a little tidbit.

“I have a meeting at Gotham National Bank.”

“Wow!” The giant shifted from foot to foot in excitement,” Are you some kind of rich kid or something?”

“No,” He shrugged,” At least I don’t think so.”

“T-that’s the fancy bank,” Steve added,” I h-heard only the r-rich uses that p-place!”

“Is that why you came to Gotham?”

The medium asked, putting two and two together.

“Yeah,” Albert nodded,” The meeting got pushed back due to...an incident.”

“Oh shit!” Angeline exclaimed, recognition donning on her face,” You were there!”

Now it her turn to get the full attention of the group, causing her to blush and continued with her words.

“You know, the attempted bank robbery from almost two weeks ago?”

“That doesn’t narrow it down,” Michael snorted,” Did you forget what city we live in?”

“The one with..” She looked around the empty streets and leaned in closer, speaking only above a whisper,” Black Mask..”

That name, oh so softly spoken immediately took all the levity out of the conversation. A flash of fear streaked across their eyes before they looked nervously around at the darkening streets. It was like the man’s name was a taboo to speak of. Some not even daring to in their dreams.

“Y-you shouldn’t s-say his name..” Steve scolded, looking incredibly serious,” We d-don’t know if his p-people are nearby.”

“Fine,” She slumped her shoulders in defeat,” I’m sorry, I got too worked up..”

“It’s fine,” Michael kept his head on a swivel,” Just be more careful next time please.”

“I get it.”

The blonde seemed properly chastened.

“Does this mean you’ll be leaving Gotham after your meeting?”

The short haired girl inquired, causing Albert to receive the full attention of the group. Even if the boy wasn’t their friend, he had developed into a bit of an acquaintance over the last week or so.

“Sadly no,” He said morosely,” I have things I need to do here. If I didn’t, Metropolis seems like a good place to stay.”

“Lucky bastards..” The giant kicked a nearby pebble into the streets,” They have their own god..”

“You think Superman is a god?”

Angeline quirked her eyebrow.

“Yeah.” He snorted,” What else do you think he is? He’s fast, strong, durable as hell and he can fly. From history, that’s more than enough for someone to be classified as such..”

“Is he a-”

“No he’s not.” Marceline shook her head,” They checked. No fire at all.”

“I don’t know if that’s relieving or more terrifying..”

The blonde rubbed at her arms.

“We can’t do anything about it,” She shrugged,” Just be glad that he doesn’t have world domination on his mind.”

‘Yet hopefully,’ Albert internally winced. Well aware of the possible future to come. ‘Let’s hope Batman can keep that maniac out of Metropolis..’

“Anyway,” Michael yawned softly,” I’m beat, I’ll see you guys later.”

“S-same,” Steve stretched up towards the dark sky,” C’mon Lin, w-we’ll walk you h-home.”

“You coming Marcy?” The blonde asked,” My mom is cooking brisket tonight.”

“That does some tempting,” She flashed her eyes in Albert’s direction,” But I already have plans tonight.”

“Okay,” The blonde nodded,” The offers open anyway.”

“G-goodnight everyone.”

“G’night.”

“See you guys.”

When the group of three made their way down the grim street, the short haired medium turned her full attention to the youth.

“You look like you have some questions..”

“Yep,” He affirmed,” But go on ahead first.”

“I know how dangerous Gotham is at night..” She continued,” And given how you already had a run in, I’ll provide someone to watch over you as you check the cemetery out.”

“Oh really?” Albert looked a bit taken aback,” That’s appreciated.”

“It’s the least I can do.” Marceline looked a bit relieved,” I would go myself but, ghosts get a lot more active at night. And my gift would go completely haywire around that many.”

“So can I ask whose going to guard me?”

“No.” She smiled slightly, trying to give off a mysterious veneer,” I’ll keep that one a secret.”

‘Not ideal, but I’ll take any form of protection I can get..’

“I do have some questions,” Seeing the same smile on her face, he corrected himself,” Not pertaining to whose going to be my babysitter.”

“Fine,” Marceline huffed, crossing her arms,” Ask away.”

“First question, why was everyone so freaked out when the Iceberg Lounge was mentioned?”

“Of course you wouldn’t know..” She sighed and waved for him to follow her,” I sometimes forget that you’re new to Gotham. I’ll explain. On the surface, there’s nothing wrong with that club. It’s just a place for the rich to mindlessly spend their money. Everything’s on the up and up.”

“I’m hearing a but..”

“There are some rumors,” She said,” From past customers and/or employees. They say you could buy whatever you wanted there. Drugs. Woman. Men. Weapons. Whatever you wanted as long as you had the cash. They also say there have been some spotting of villains frequenting that lounge. And not just the crazies from Gotham. No one know how the owner can force these people to play nice with each other..”

‘The Penguin..’

“All in all,” The medium continued,” Stay away from that place. Even the Seven warns us away from going there.”

“Is it that dangerous?” Albert asked innocently, knowing damn well how more alike it was to a tiger’s den than an actual club.

“If you’re not strong enough, yes.” She nodded,” But that isn’t the only danger involved. If you’re not careful, you could get wrapped up in someone’s scheme.”

“Is it invite only or…?”

His questioned caused the girl to pause in her stride, looking at him seriously.

“If you want to go,” She carefully stated,” Neither me or my people can go. And if you ever become ignited, neither will you. Any protection will be solely on your shoulders. What do you need from their anyway?”

“A weapon maybe?” He sighed,” I don’t want to be caught flat footed again.”

“The Lounge is way to expensive for you then.” Marceline confidently said,” There are other places you can go for that. I don’t know any trusted sources but I can look into it for you?”

“Nah,” Albert shook his head, not wanting all his contacts to be connected to this mystery of a girl,” You’ve already did me a large enough favor of warning me of from that place.”

“If that’s your wish.” She shrugged,” Do you have any other questions?”

“About the earlier conversation Angeline brought up? I know why you guys were hesitant around saying his name but he’s in jail now?” His thinking process in this was as such, he wanted to figure out how reliable Blackgate was in this world. Sure the justice system was a bit of a joke from what his world could see from these comics. Like really? They won’t execute a mass murderer but they’ll try their hardest to try and convict the man in blue. Ridiculous if anyone were to ask him. In his old world, these villains would’ve been silently dealt with and no one would’ve looked into it. Happened before.

“Even if he’s behind bars,” She warned,” That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have eyes, ears and hands on the outside. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be such a big deal.”

“That’s..” He started,” Not very comforting..”

“What can we do?” Marceline shrugged,” There had been some appeals in recent years to reinstate the death penalty. But it keeps getting pushed back, at least that’s what Lin has told me.”

“Does anyone know why?” Albert started to get a sickening feeling in his gut. All those years of theorizing back home. Arguing between fans and critics. All over a single issue. Why wasn’t there a death penalty in Gotham. From a writer’s point of view, it was to make sure sales stays up and so they can keep using iconic villains. But what in world reason was there? It hadn’t ever been fully explored. Just a veil of mystery.

“She doesn’t know. But whoever is blocking the courts, must be spending ALOT of money.”

That narrowed down the possibilities considerably. There were only few people with that amount of money and give with all to care about the continued existence of literal man eaters.

[Potential Case found!]

[Case Opened: Hands in the Dark

Description: For years, those from another world wondered endlessly on the question as to why there didn’t seem to be a death penalty for even mass murderers. Theories. Speculations maybe. But never any hard proof.

Requirements: Seek and uncover the individuals involved.

Difficulty: -

Rewards: Գ̵̟͂ö̸̮w̴̡͝ɘ̷̼̑ɿ̴̧͠

Consequences: Complete LCK exhaustion]

[Would you like to take on this Case?]

[Y̵͆͜ɘ̷̞̓ƨ̴͔́/No]

The feeling of eyes began to pinprick his skin. A suffocating feeling pressed relentlessly on his lungs, constricting his breathing. Cold sweat dripped. Mouth became more akin to a desert. Muscles tensing. It felt as though the world froze around him, waiting. Watching. Anticipating his decision. Without thinking to hard on his choices, he rejected the case. And immediately those feelings faded away, almost reluctantly. Icy tendrils of dread slipped themselves off of him, their suction cups leaving behind small bruises all over his very being. Almost like a mark. And he knew in that instant, this case would forever be available for him. Always stoking his greed. Taunting him, seducing him. Pawing for his attention.

‘Yeah that’s enough thinking for today...’ Albert hungrily took in the expelled air,’ I am nowhere near ready for that case, only trouble would follow if I dipped my head in that mouse trap..’