A Quick Chat (Vanguard)

[Deleted]

His city was in chaos, and yet Bruce had somehow managed to find time to schedule in a debriefing of an individual. Doctor Fate had radioed in saying that he had acquired the individual known as Vanguard, and it was imperative that the young man be questioned about the situation in Bialya as it was something that the Team and the League was going to have to deal with once he found a cure for the symbiotes. All that he needed was a live sample to work with, and Bruce would be able to come up with a cure in no time.

First, he had to get through the round of twenty questions with the young man. The room that Bruce had set up was very poorly lit with only one overhead light that illuminated a single chair in the middle of the room. He was in a corner awaiting the arrival of the young man who would be teleported in by Doctor Fate, so it would be rather obvious that when he actually needed to focus on the present situation. Until then, Bruce was going over the possible ways that he could get a live specimen to analyze, and most of the ways involved fatally wounding the host.

I’ll have to send Flash’s team after an infected individual. Their skills are the only ones suited for capturing one of these things alive,” he thought to himself. Flash was also the only one that needed something to occupy his time while Bruce planned out a way to get Wally and Kara out of Central City. It was at this moment that Fate’s symbol appeared in the room, which signaled the arrival of Vanguard. Once the young man was in the room, Batman would come out of the shadows so that it was clear who was running this meeting.

”Take a seat. It is time for you to answer some questions.”

[vanguard]

As Vanguard moved through the magical portal that was teleporting him to Batman's location, several thoughts belonging both to him and to Cyan were running through his mind. What's more was that it was nearly impossible to tell which questions were whose. How long did Batman know of him being there in Bialya? Was he concerned with Vanguard's powers or the meta program? Would he be sent back to Bialya when his usefulness had run its course? Was he to be locked in a cell with his energy node removed and a strength inhibitor attached to him for the rest of his life? Was it too late for him to achieve redemption in the eyes of the Justice League? As more questions flowed through his mind, Vanguard reached the other end of the portal and found himself in a rather dark room that was poorly lit with a single chair in the middle of it.

As if on cue, the Batman himself stepped into the light and told Vanguard to have a seat. "Very well." Vanguard responded promptly and carefully sat down. He had half expected there to be restrains coming out floor to hold him to the chair, thanks to his experience in the Bialyan Meta labs.

Switch to thermal vision and look at the rest of the room. He's either got half of the League hiding in the shadows or there are dozens of weapons pointing at you from the shadows. If not, then you can take him with ease. Alone he's no match against you.

No Cyan. I'm not going to attack him even if he is alone. Vanguard thought as he grabbed his helmet and slowly removed it, revealing his curly brown hair, thick yet neatly trimmed beard, and his glowing cyan eyes... which in a dark room like this looked rather creepy. Vanguard set the helmet down on the floor next to him and glanced in Batman's direction. "I take it that this is going to be the first of many talks between the two of us, or at least between me and a member of the League. By the way, if you didn't know it already my name's Alexander Davis." Alex commented.

After glancing in the direction where the magical portal used to be, Alex spoke up again. "If you don't mind me asking... how long did you know of me being in Bialya? I was deleted from their self contained computer network the moment they started to experiment on me so there's no way you could've found out about me through normal means."

[Deleted]

Bruce watched as the young man sat down, and he wondered what Doctor Fate would have to tell him about how Vanguard handled himself. The young man removed his helmet, which was probably a mistake given the current situation. The Dark Knight didn’t know how long this room would still be safe from symbiotes, but he chose not to say anything about that. If they were attacked, then Vanguard would have to react quickly in order to survive, but for now they were in a secure location where they could discuss things of importance. Alas, the young man was the one to initiate the round of questions, which Batman was only going to allow for a few moments.

”Whether or not the rest of the League should interact with you will be found out during this conversation,” said Batman without commenting on the rest of what the young man had said about his name. In his line of work, people who gave that out to quickly were rewarded with people knowing too much about them, but it was another lesson that Vanguard would have to learn on his own. Following his statement, the young man asked another question, but Batman wasn’t going to answer that one as it wasn’t relevant to the topic at hand. It was time for him to take control of the conversation before Vanguard got too carried away by his need for information.

Holding up his hand as a signal for Vanguard to stop talking, Bruce began walking in a circle around where the young man was seated. When and how I found out about you is not something that you need to concern yourself with. What you should worry about is telling me everything that you can remember from the time that they took you to the moment that you met Doctor Fate. Aside from that, any questions you might have can wait.” His tone implied that what he had said was not up for discussion, and trying to argue would probably lead to something bad happening.

In truth, Bruce had a spy in the organization that had taken Vanguard, but he had lost contact with him when Vanguard escaped from the group. This left the young man as his only source of information on what was currently happening in the group. ”And I suggest you hurry. The city is a warzone on its good days, and this isn’t one of them.”

[vanguard]

Batman's response to Alex's question about this being the first of many talks between him and a member of the Justice League was actually one that he had expected. The first meeting between people was always the vital one, and most relationships were based off of it. His answers to Batman's questions would most likely be the deciding factor of if he got to be a free man or not. However, what Batman said next in response to Alex's second question wasn't what Alex wanted to hear, though his mouth snapped shut when Batman had held up a hand. Alex thought it was his business to know how long Batman had known about him, but if the man wasn't going to answer his questions then he wasn't going to do it. However, what Batman wanted to know was not going to be easy to tell him.

And it seemed he was going to have a limited amount of time to say it. "Alright. I hope you have a pen to take notes, because that is a lot to go over." Alex stated, then sighed as he thought on where to begin.

Don't tell him anything! Twist what you say! He doesn't deserve to know!

Wrong. He needs to know how to take you down. Alex thought in response to Cyan as he looked down at his feet and started talking as the Caped Crusader circled him. "They didn't take me per say. They had threatened to, but my parents willingly signed me over to the Meta Project so they could see me every now and then in return. I was 8 years old. The project was at first intended to create an army of metas that could keep the Justice League out of Bialya. One of the head doctors by the name of Brad and realized that the cancer inside my head was actually an energy producing node, and he wanted to see if he could duplicate it in the minds of soldier volunteers. Every volunteer died. At the time I had no control over the energy node since it wasn't truly connected to my brain, a result of my Asperger's disorder. Coming up empty, the project was changed to make a simple task force that would answer to Queen Bee alone, and I was to be the first member." Alex began, then paused to take a breath.

"Because of my disorder, they were positive I wouldn't make a good soldier unless I was willing to cooperate, so they actually did allow me to see my parents every now and then. Using a new type of nerve surgery that causes the nerves of the human body to regenerate, a technique that had been invented in that lab, they attached the energy node to my brain and I gained my energy emitting powers. The energy travels along my nerves and is emitted at any nerve ending that is connected to my skin, though my sense of touch decreased as a side effect. They also quickly found out that certain pain killers seemed to make the energy node shut down. Tylenol and Ibuprofen worked the best. However over time the energy pulsing through my body resulted in my muscles becoming denser and I developed super strength, and pain killers don't take my strength away. I also developed a resistance to mind control, which was discovered when they placed some sort of band around my head that was meant to control me... but it was like my thoughts shoved everything it was putting into my head to the side like a battling ram. All the while they had a Bialyan Drill Sargent coming in and forcefully trained me to be a soldier. My Asperger's brain couldn't handle the mental discipline and my sanity slowly started to slip away as a result. If it wasn't for the frequent visits from my parents and them teaching me about my savior in heaven, I'm sure my sanity would've completely left me." Alex stated, but then stopped as a few tears started to roll down his cheeks. He was about to get to the part about the mind control collar that created Cyan... and his parents being slaughtered.

Instead of continuing, he turned to look Batman in the face. "Shall I continue or do you have any questions on what I've said thus far?"

[Deleted]

Bruce could have said that his mind was like a steel trap that didn’t forget anything important or that the entire conversation was being recorded, but that would have been a waste of time that they didn’t have. Naturally, either statement would have been true as Bruce’s mind was trained that way and the League would need confirmation on anything that was said, which mainly came from certain members not trusting his word on things. Those certain members were the ones that usually questioned his command, which made them the most likely candidates for replacing him as the leader of the Justice League if he should ever become incapacitated.

It was at this point that the young man began his tale, and it started out by the boy correcting him about what had happened Regardless of whatever deals may have been made, Batman still saw it as Vanguard being forcibly conscripted into a program that had experimented on him, but yet again there was no point in getting into a discussion on that subject. Then the young man confirmed both of Bruce’s theories on the reason for the group and who was actually running it, but Vanguard’s word alone wouldn’t be enough to bring it all down. No, a covert mission into Bialya would have to be assigned to the team once the current crisis was over.

The next part of the story was even more interesting as it was a technique that Bruce was going to have to steal the information on in order for the rest of the world to utilize it, so he made a quick mental note before re-focusing on the young man. A detailed description of how the boy’s energy powers worked and could be stopped would be added to the update on Vanguard’s file as well as noting that several tests would have to be done to get a reading on Alex’s strength level and energy output, but Bruce would refrain from forcing a test on the young man’s mind to see how resistant it was to telepathy.. It wasn’t a line that he was going to cross even for someone that was once under Queen Bee’s control, but a lie detector test in the form of a Martian screening would be okay. There were actually a lot of tests that needed to be done, but they were more mundane ones that any doctor could do.

It was at this point that the young man stopped talking as he became very emotional, and then he posed a question to Bruce. ”Most of what you have said is confirming my own suspicions, so just continue and if there is anything that you didn’t answer in your story then I will ask.” Bruce could have told Vanguard to keep it together, but that would have probably led to an outburst or something. Of course, he didn’t offer any sympathy either as there was no time to coddle Vanguard. From what he could tell, the story was coming to more recent events which would enlighten Bruce on how useful the young man could be in the future.

[vanguard]

Hearing Batman's response didn't really make Alex feel any better, but then again it wasn't exactly meant to. With that, Alex cleared his throat before continuing. "Well as I said, they were allowing me to see my parents every now and then. They and their three children were Messianic Jewish missionaries before they found themselves stranded in Bialya and had to settle down. Every time they visited me they taught me about God and his love, along with telling me how much they loved me. This led me to think that my energy powers were a gift from God and that they should be used for him... which meant protecting those around me and being an example of God's love. The Meta Project didn't want a person that was a protector that would disobey an order because it went against his personal beliefs... they wanted a killer that would follow every order without question." Alex stated, then paused as he hung his head, more tears streaming down his face.

Enough! You are to say no more!

Alex paid Cyan no heed and started to rub the back of his neck. "So on my 17th birthday, Dr. Brad came into my holding cell carrying a rather odd looking collar. I was restrained and drugged at the time so I wasn't able to stop him from placing it around my neck. I have no idea how it worked... technology, magic, a mixture of the two... I have no idea but the moment it activated... it was like I was shoved into the back seat of my own mind and another personality took over. It... he... called himself Cyan. Cyan is... cruel, took pleasure in slowly torturing people to death, and he was blindingly loyal to Bialya. After that collar was put on my neck, I never saw my family again. For three months I could only watch as he did evil after evil... everything that Brad requested Cyan did, and then some. It was a living nightmare." Alex stated, then looked directly at Batman and pointed at his glowing eyes. "When Cyan is in control, my eyes turn red in color." Alex stated, making it clear that he had removed his helmet for a reason... so Batman would know what to look for. "After three months though Cyan started to complain of headaches. After running a test Brad realized that the collar was making the energy node unstable, and it had to be removed. I thought that was it, no more Cyan..." Alex paused again, only to let to let out a small whimper. "I was wrong. My powers and my Aspergers reacted with the collar, so when it was removed and I was back in control... I could hear Cyan's voice in my head. A piece of him had remained. Brad was over joyed to find this out. After my power had stabilized, the collar was put back on and Cyan was in control again. After three more months and the collar was removed again, a larger piece of Cyan remained in my head. Brad theorized that after wearing the collar long enough, Cyan would completely remain in my head, and then after more time, he might remain in control after the collar is removed." Alex's voice trailed off after that.

"Do you have any idea what it's like? To have your polar opposite slowly pushed into your head? To have it constantly needle at you your every waking hour to erode your will? And give you nightmares every time you sleep that even Trigon would find horrifying? To know that in time he will take over your body, and when that happens you will be slowly deleted from your own mind? I'd face Darksied one on one over this fate." Alex stated as tears ran down his face. "After wearing that collar for 12 months, there was a perfect copy of Cyan's personality in my head. Brad thought that wearing the collar for another few sessions would lead to Cyan taking over my body for good. I... I couldn't allow it. So... I... I pretended to be Cyan after the collar was removed. I did every disgusting thing that Brad had me do to make sure that it was Cyan that was in control. There wasn't a telepath nearby so Cyan couldn't tell anyone that I was faking it. Brad bought my act and gave me this uniform. Brad described the helmet having a poor man's version of X-ray vision, and he wasn't far off." Alex stated while pointing at the emblem of the Wasp's Crown that was on his chest. "After I put on the uniform, I burrowed my way out and ran to my family's home, hoping to get them out of Bialya... only to find it completely destroyed... and my family's unburied bodies among the rubble. Brad showed up as I mourned and said that he ordered their execution around the same time he put the collar around my neck for the first time... and he claimed that their love had been holding me back. He was also carrying a new collar... one that might have been designed to not make my powers unstable so Cyan could wear it non stop."

Alex remained silent for a while as more tears ran down his face. "I... lost it. Brad and his 20 bodyguards all died that day at my hand. God instructs us that everyone is welcome into his kingdom if they turn from their sins and follow him... and I... I... I denied Brad and his guards a chance to repent. What gave me the right to do such a thing? The Bible does say we are free do defend ourselves... but that was revenge, not self-defense." Alex sobbed, then glanced at Batman one last time. "If you're asking yourself if I can be trusted, I'll give you the answer right now. It's a resounding no."' Alex stated before he buried his head into his hands and cried.

[Deleted]

Bruce listened to every word that Vanguard said, and he had already assumed that the tale wasn’t going to have a happy ending. Of course, the aspect of another personality be created and injected into Vanguard was something that would have to be looked into, and if possible Bruce would have to find a way of removing it. This ‘Cyan’ could prose a problem in the future should he regain control of Vanguard’s body, which meant that until the second personality is neutralized that Vanguard would need to be under constant surveillance. Given the current situation, that meant leaving him in Gotham until other arrangements could be made.

The question posed by the young man were merely a rant that Bruce didn’t bother responding to as every answer would have been ‘No’, which was because Batman didn’t have a voice in his head trying to terrorize him. Then again, he really didn’t need one given that most of his life was an actual nightmare, but at least he could block it out. It was around this point that Vanguard revealed that his family’s death had caused him to lose control, which resulted in the death of twenty-one people. An argument could have been made that in fact twenty-two lives were lost if one were to take into account the fact that Vanguard would never be the same, but it would be a waste of words.

As he took in all the information that Vanguard had given him, Batman paced around the room, and then he touched the side of his mask. ”Cave, status report on the situation in the city.”

”Symbiotes seem to be flocking the barricades that keep them out of the rest of the city. I’d estimate that the police force will be overrun within a few hours.”

There was little time to keep this conversation going as every able body person, hero or not, was needed to keep order in the city. This included the emotionally distraught individual before him, so for the sake of Gotham Bruce was going to have to put his faith in the young man who had already admitted that he couldn’t be trusted.

”You are wrong. What you did wasn’t revenge. It was an accident that stemmed from you being unable to control your emotions at that moment, and most every other person on the planet would have experienced a similar result if they had been in your shoes.” He took a moment so that the young man could take in everything that Bruce’s statement entailed, but after a few minutes he decided that it was time to move on to the next part of what needed to be said.

Making a coughing noise, Bruce turned to face the young man who was crying into his hand, and so he put his hand on the young man’s shoulders. ”Whether you believe what I said or not, there is nothing that either one of us can do about the past, so you have to decide what you are going to do with your future. The world is in need of heroes to rise up and protect it from great threats like the symbiotes, so ask yourself this. Are you going to sit here and cry while the world stands in ruins because of despicable beings like those who took your family away from you or are you going to do something to make sure that what happed to you doesn’t happen to anyone else?”

[vanguard]

Alex was too busy crying to catch Batman contacting someplace called the Cave, but he was still wallowing in his sorrow. Talking about his life brought out the worst of his depression. Every memory of his life was passing through his head like he was watching a film. When he was first taken into the program, all of the surgeries that were preformed on him, the intense training sessions that started to drive him mad, when the collar was put around his neck and Cyan was created... and to top it off the memory of seeing his slaughtered family. He could still remember the smell of rotting flesh mixed with a burnt smell. The memory of that smell was stuck in his head, combined with the memory of burying his family. All he wanted to do right now was to fall over and die.

And you should feel terrible! Look at you! You betrayed all of Bialya by telling Batman this! Death is what you deserve! Oh how I wish I could take you over now and erase you forever! You'll get the fate that's coming to you traitor! I'm going to make sure that you're every moment alive is a living nightmare from now on! You think I've been cruel to you? I haven't even begun to torment you!"

Hearing that Cyan was going to be even worse made Alex cry even more, but the moment that Batman stated that it wasn't out of revenge that he had killed Brad and his men but being unable to control his emotions at the time, Alex looked up in his direction, his eyes red from crying. "So instead of killing out of revenge, I instead lacked the needed self control to stop myself from killing. How does that help at all if there are innocent people in the way of a murderer? A lack of self control is even worse!" Alex spat back with more anger then he intended and buried his head into his hands again.

That was when Batman place a hand on his shoulder and said that neither of them could change the passed. Alex wasn't going to argue that point. Batman continued in saying that this world needed heroes to rise up and face the symbiotes, and that Alex has a choice... to either sit and cry while the world burns around him, or stand up and do something about it so no one else would have to suffer. "If you're looking for a hero, you're looking at the wrong person." Alex stated with a sob and looked down at his helmet. At that moment another memory went through Alex's head, but it was from before he had become part of the Meta Project, when his mother was telling him about his great uncle, who had fought in WW2 and had died during D-day. His mother said that he was what was known as a vanguard, a type of soldier that stepped onto the battlefield first. Normally they were the first to die, but his great uncle loved being a vanguard because by being the first one on the battlefield, it was his job to keep those behind him alive. He was their protector, and he had kept many soldiers alive by fighting as long as he could. While Vanguard was in the Meta Project, he had tried to model himself after his great uncle because he wanted to be a protector too. It was the reason he called himself Vanguard.

However he was now wondering if he was worthy of the title Vanguard. He couldn't be a hero like his great uncle was. He wasn't a protector... he couldn't even protect himself. "But..." Alex stated as he picked up the helmet, wiped off his face, and placed it back on his head. "I might be able to make a difference. Might not be much of one, but I'll do what I can."

[Deleted]

The tears reminded Bruce why his fight against the injustices of the world was so important, but it seemed like a never ending battle. The young man’s response to his statement was filled with anger, which was to be expected given the circumstances. If Vanguard had shown relief, then Bruce would have to worry about what state the boy’s mind was in. ”Does it help that you killed because you couldn’t control yourself instead of because you were angry? No, it doesn’t, and it isn’t supposed to. Losing control is something that can happen to anyone, and when it does you can do one of two things. You can either let it destroy you or you can learn from the mistake and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

Did Bruce expect Alex to make a complete turn around and apply himself into becoming a hero? No. In fact, he really didn’t want the young man to even try until he talked to someone about what happened to him and his family, but times were tough right now so expressing one’s grief would have to wait until the job was done. ”I’m not looking for people who want to call themselves heroes. What I am looking for are people that are willing to help those who can’t help themselves,” stated the Batman. People who just wanted to help were the real definition of a hero, and if he had to guess then he would have had to say that Vanguard could be someone that fit the profile of a hero.

Then the young man wiped off his face and stood up, and it was at the point that Vanguard agreed to help out. It was a small step in the right direction, and every little bit helped no matter what he situation. Bruce reached into a pouch on his utility belt and retrieved a small device, and then he held it out to the young man in front of him. ”Put that in you’re ear, and we’ll see where you can start making a difference in someone’s life.” As the young man was most likely fulfilling the request, Bruce turned his head a way and touched the side of his head to open up the frequency to the Cave. ”Activate Comm. Device Number Five and give the location for the closest incident report.”

”Comm. Five is on the grid. There are three active symbiote reports that the police are responding to. One is three blocks north of your location. The second is five blocks east. The final one is three blocks southeast of where you are located.”[/i]

”Dispatch other operatives to the second and the third locations. We will handle the one north of us,” said the Batman before turning back to the young hero. It was time to see if Vanguard was ready for active duty or if the young man was going to have to sit on the bench until arrangements could be made to deal with whatever issues he had. ”Time to go.”

[vanguard]

Vanguard listen carefully to the Caped Crusader as he stated that he wasn't looking for people that called themselves heroes, but for people that were willing to help those who couldn't make a difference. That actually made sense, since there were a lot of self-proclaimed heroes out there that were after fame, pride, or money. They were out there just to make themselves more important, and that was it. There were many soldiers in the Bialyan army that were after the glory and metals that come with being a soldier... they weren't interested in protecting the people around them. However people that just wanted to help those around them never called themselves heroes, they were just trying to do the right thing.

And you have no idea what the right thing is! You should be heading back to Bialya where you belong! That or killing yourself for telling Batman all of this. How can you help those around you when you can't help yourself? You're a failure Alex! Stop trying to be something your not!

That may be true, and I'm betting I'll receive the proper death that a traitor to his country deserves in the near future, but until then I'm doing what I can, and what I can do is do what Batman wants. Alex thought in reply to Cyan and took the ear comm unit that Batman offered him. He had to remove his helmet to put it into his ear, but once it was in place and the Vanguard helmet was back on, he was ready to go. And with the comm unit in his ear, the Bialyan Runaway was able to hear the other end of the line when Batman called for something called Device Number Five.

However when Batman said 'we' will handle the one to the north, Vanguard had assumed that he had meant himself and another member of the Bat family or another member of the Justice League. So when the masked man turned to Vanguard and said it was time to go, the energy manipulator was stunned to realized that Batman had meant the two of them. "Very well. Three blocks north was it?" Alex ask as he turned his head the direction that the thought was north, though it was really looking north-east. "Lead the way. I'm not to familiar with /Gotham. Don't worry, I'll be able to keep up."

[Deleted]

”Correct,” responded Batman. Of course, it was at this moment that Bruce saw that Vanguard was unaware of which way was which, but the young man was close. Instead of correcting the young man’s mistake, Bruce decided that he would just set off in the right direction, and Vanguard would follow like he said. The best way to gain one’s bearings in a new environment was to just dive right into it. Opening a door, Bruce quickly exited the room and stood on the edge of the clock tower, and standing on top of a gargoyle Bruce clicked a button on his belt that de-cloaked the Batplane.

Assuming that Vanguard was behind him, Bruce clicked another button that opened the cockpit of the vehicle, and he quickly jumped in. As Vanguard got accustomed into the vehicle, the veteran hero decided to go over what they were going to do upon arriving at the situation. ”It will take about a minute to arrive at our destination. When we do arrive, our objective is to subdue any and all symbiotes. Leave the evacuating of any civilians to local law enforcement.” This was the easy part of the rules of his plan. What came next would be much harder for someone to hear.

”If you have any ideas about trying to prove yourself by any means, then you had best push them out of your head. If you see an unhosted symbiote coming at you or someone else, then you are to immediately get out of its way. These beings make the host stronger than they originally were, and someone with your abilities could be as devastating as certain members of the League. So getting infected is not an option. Agreed?” His tone was one that said that this was a non-negotiable order, and it was one that Bruce had given to every hero and vigilante under his command.

Clicking a few button on the main console of the Batplane, Bruce plugged in the address to where they were going. Normally, he would have gone with jumping across rooftops and swinging above the streets, but with his new charge needing to be broken in the Caped Crusader felt that it would be best if he had some artillery available in case of the worse scenario. ”Do you have questions? This is the only time that you will get to ask until this is over.”

[vanguard]

When Vanguard had stated that he would follow Batman, the caped crusader didn't need any pushing and quickly started to walk out of the room without a word. Vanguard took the hint and quickly followed the dark knight out the door and found himself at the top of a large clock tower. "Nice ride. Alex stated as the Bat-plane decloaked and the pair climbed into the aircraft. The energy manipulator listened to Batman as he explained what they would be doing, and it was a rather easy plan in short. They handle the symbiotes, the police handle the people. However what came out of Batman's mouth made Vanguard's heart sink. It wasn't the part about the symbiotes that were seeking a host, or the bit about him being as devastating as a member of the Justice League, but when Batman had stated that he needed to get rid of any thoughts of proving himself. "Uh... prove what?" Alex asked while lifting his hands up in a shrug. "There's nothing to prove." Vanguard stated with crossing his arms over his chest and looking out the window.

You're right! There is nothing for you to prove! You're a failure and you know it! The only purpose you have in life was to train your body and then hand it over to me! I am the one with true purpose! I am meant to protect Bialya and answer only to Queen Bee’s call! You have no right to deny me my right to this! I am Cyan, the true son of Bialya! You are but the delivery boy to me and a tool to Batman. As soon as the symbiote crisis is over, you’ll be locked up in a cell with our energy node removed and a strength inhibiter around your neck! You want to do something that people will remember you by though? Then listen you me! You now have a chance to do what no one else has ever had a chance to do before! To take out the Batman! Hold him in his seat and disable his plane. You’ll survive the crash, but he won’t! Kill him, now!

While Vanguard had no intention of killing Batman, his eyes did turn within his helmet to examine the Bat-plane’s controls. When Batman stated that this was going to be one of the few times that he had a chance to ask a question, three quickly came to mind. ”I have three, but I’m sure you’ll only have an answer to one of them. The first is why are these symbiotes taking hosts in the first place, and what’s their goal? Second question is would you like me to capture a symbiote with a host within an energy bubble near the end of this fight so someone can analyze it later? The final question is what’s going to happen to me once this crisis is over? Even if I do, by some miracle, make a difference… I’m still from an enemy nation with a hostile personality in my head which could take over at any moment. It just hasn’t yet because this crisis threatens Bialya too… the rest of the world could burn as far as it cared. I’m a threat, and you know it.” Alex laid out his questions, then awaited Batman’s answers.

[Deleted]

While Vanguard said there was nothing prove, Bruce was still weary about bringing the young man into the fold, but there was not much he could do with someone like this Bialyan until this crisis was over. It was true that he could lock the young man up in a place that he would be unable to escape from, but that would do nothing but show Vanguard that Bruce was just as bad as the people who had killed his family. If anything, he would rather send the young man to a place where he could learn to cope with the losses that he had faced while also learning how to control his powers.

Then came the questions that Bruce said could be asked, and once Vanguard was done speaking the Caped Crusader thought carefully on how to respond to each one. He mainly did this so that when he finally answered all of them they would be at their destination, so there would be no time for any follow up questions that would lead to more questions. Once he believed enough time had passed, Bruce decided it was time to give the young Bialyan what he wanted, which was the answer to these pertinent questions. The first question was relatively easy to answer as the name 'symbiote' explained it all.

"From what scientists and I can tell, these symbiotes need a host in order to do anything. They appear to be nothing more than piles of goo that can move, but lack the ability to get around in an efficient manner as well as the senses that most organisms on our planet have."

The second question was not as easy to answer, but Bruce had managed to come up with something. He personally believed that Vanguard didn't have enough control over his powers to accomplish something like capturing a symbiote as the young man had just lost control before coming to Gotham, and the fact that the mental status of the Bialyan was still in question made the Dark Knight hesitant on whether this idea came from Alex or the persona known as 'Cyan'.

"There is another team handling the acquisition of a symbiote, but if they fail at it then we can see if you won't be of use in that area in the future. For now, focus on the task of keeping the symbiotes at bay."

The final question was probably the most difficult to answer as it really wasnn't important, but it was something that could cause major problems if it wasn't answered correctly. Every word of what Vanguard said was true, and Bruce knew that Vanguard was a potential threat with that other personality in his head.

"Your fate will be decided by the League, but you are right. You are a potential threat to those around you, but so are a lot of heroes. It is possible that your other persona will take over without any warning, but for now you are in control of your body and powers. Now, you can sit there and wonder what you are going to do when this situation is resolved, or you can focus your mind on the task at hand."

The Batplane stopped moving forward and hovered over the area below where Gotham's police force was trying to evacuate people while holding off the symbiotes. There was only time for one more question, and it was going to come from the Batman.

"Now what is it going to be?"

[vanguard]

After Vanguard had asked Batman the three questions that were on his mind, he noticed that Gotham's vigilante had remained quiet for a moment instead of answering the questions right away. The questions weren't easy to answer, and Alex knew it. There were some questions that were rather hard to answer, and some didn't have answers at all... but Vanguard was hoping to know what Batman knew about the symbiotes... if he knew anything at all. Finally the Caped Crusader answered the first question, and it was what Vanguard had expected. The symbiotes needed a host to move around properly and to have the fives senses that most beings on Earth had. While it was an answer of sorts, it wasn't really what Vanguard was looking for. He was hoping Batman knew why those things came to Earth in the first place. They were clearly intelligent since they had the ability to travel through space... so why pick Earth instead of any where else?

The answer to the second question was more understandable. Someone else was already trying to capture a symbiote so Vanguard didn't need to try to... but he could if that other team failed. Then came the answer to the third question. In truth it wasn't Alex's question, but Cyan's. The fact that the voice in his head had brought it up had gotten the energy manipulator worried so he brought it up. The answer to his question was that the whole league was going to be deciding his fate, though Batman did agree that Vanguard was a threat thanks to Cyan. However, he could either sit there and whine about it, or he could get up and focus on what he had to do right now, which was to hold the line with the symbiotes.

What are you doing?! Break the jet, kill Batman, and head back to Bialya! Or better yet, kill Batman and take his Batplane to Bialya. Now do it!

As if Batman had heard Cyan talking, he asked what it was going to be. "I'm standing my ground against the Symbiotes. I'll worry about my future on my own time." Vanguard stated as he waited for Batman to open the hatch so they could get out of the Batplane and stop the symbiotes here.

[Deleted]

It seemed that the young man was satisfied with his answers, but then again Vanguard might have taken the no time for senseless questions to heart which would have been a first. Either way, the response that Bruce was given was all that he needed to know that it was time to get to work. Clicking a button, the hatch of the Batplane opened to show the scene below them, and it was a pretty one. There were a line of police cars that were blocking the road with several officers hiring non-lethal ammunition, which was slowing the symbiotes down but it was making the process of getting civilians out of the area a little more difficult than it should have been. Well that is what they were there for.

”I’ll jump first and lay down a wave of explosives in the center of the group. You are to land once you find a hole in the group of symbiotes. Once you are on the ground, then you are on your own, but remember to keep from killing any of the hosts. When the civilians are clear, we pull back to the police line and set up a proper barricade to keep the symbiotes out of the area.”

Without waiting for confirmation, Bruce pulled out several Batarangs before leaping from the vehicle and falling toward the ground. Flinging them toward the ground, they exploded as he slowed his descent using his cape, and then he glided into the smoke. Landing on the ground, Bruce began to deliver blows to the closest symbiotes while he waited for Vanguard to join him on the ground. It was time to see just how good Vanguard was in combat, but he would have to catch brief glances. The symbiote attacks were beginning to exhaust the Dark Knight as he almost got taken down by one, but he managed to roll back and fling the alien into one that had been sneaking up on him from behind.