With These Hands

-[Liam]-

He had a meeting coming up. A meeting with Batman, the man hailed as DC universe's greatest detective. 

With prep time, he could come up with effective counter strategies for his opponent. Strategies that relied on information that he could dig up. 

That was why he found the solution to not being caught off guard to be very simple; he had to keep adapting. In which case by the time Batman would find anything useful to try and come up with counter measures, that information would be out of date. 

This was why he found himself sitting in the security room of the Gotham zoo. It was night and it was closed to the public with only the security staff being present. 

The door opened and a security guard walked in, looking bruised despite the padded clothing he was wearing. Through the monitor, he could see more guards unconscious outside. 

"I got it, just like you asked." The man said, handing him a syringe full of red liquid. 

The other man in charge of managing the security cameras didn't react to both of them, nor did he react to the unconscious men clearly in the camera's view. 

Compulsion was proving to be his favorite ability, it was affirmed as he observed his prize. Gorilla blood. 

Though his durability and regenerative ability were greatly enhanced, his physical prowess fell short in comparison. It was enough to deal with street thugs but he was quickly entering the big leagues and he needed to cover his bases. 

Gorillas were one of the most physically powerful creatures in the animal kingdom. He'd decided against merging himself with a full gorilla like he'd done with his other merges. 

Though it worked on intent, he couldn't risk the chance that the mammal's primate instincts and traits could leak into his own. He got lucky with the snake and flatworm. 

Turning to the bruised man, he spoke. "Why don't you and your partner wait outside and guard the entrance. I'll call you in when I'm done."

Without complaint, they exited the room. 

Taking a deep breath, he targeted the blood and himself and triggered the merge. 

It was just like the last time he did it. He didn't feel pain, only his body going through rapid changes. It felt a bit longer this time. 

His muscles tightened and the feeling of strength he'd previously enjoyed was beaten by an even greater power. 

Before he could even describe it, the merge ended, leaving him looking no different, at least from his point of view. 

How he felt on the other hand, was phenomenally different. Pure unbridled strength flowed through his limbs. Despite the only minute increase in their size, the output was more than doubled. His senses also received enhancements. 

Wasting no time, he appraised himself. 

+++++

-[William Anderson]

-[Lifeforce SerpentBeast Sire. A powerful race possessing immense strength, durability and vitality who can live through even the toughest circumstances. A being whose very blood is flooded with vitality, a literal panacea for any who dare to taste. Its powerful fangs can secrete a potent hallucinogenic venom. An awakened metagene granting it some psychic abilities. Those sired by its blood possess a subconscious sense of loyalty.]

+++++

The changes in the description were minor but had a great effect. Clenching his fist, he almost shivered in excitement. 

Careful not to apply too much pressure on the handle, he found that his control hadn't been too compromised as he opened the door. 

"You two can come in now. But first," pausing, he bit into his wrist, his blood trickling out. "Drink." He said to the bruised guard as he brought it to his mouth. 

He wanted to test the whole 'panacea' thing in the description.

Moments later, his wrist closed up but that wasn't the important thing. The bruises on the guard's face visibly healed and after a minute, he was as good as new. 

'Intriguing and dangerous. If someone gets my blood then they'd essentially have healing potions.' He thought with a hum before noticing that a drop of blood spilled on the man's clothes and on the floor. 

With a sigh, he tore it off, leaving a patch in the now ridiculous outfit. Using that piece to wipe the blood on the floor, he tossed it into his inventory. 

He didn't want to leave anything for a certain vigilante to find. 

"You know what, just go and get a brand new uniform." He said in exasperation, ripping the entirety of it from him with a hint of disgust. "Quickly."

That made the man rush away. 

Remembering the unconscious ones outside, he sighed again. 'It's going to be a long night.'

-[Bruce]-

Standing in the batcave, he was suiting up to go and patrol the streets of Gotham. He'd been investigating the threats against the Jones family and with Gordon's help, he might be able to make some progress. 

His other problem was much more delicate to take care of. 

"Master Bruce," Alfred's voice came from the line connected to the manor upstairs. 

"What is it, Alfred? I'm heading out." He asked, putting on his cowl. 

"I'm afraid this is urgent. You have a guest here. Mr Anderson, he says you two have an appointment scheduled." The butler said, as curt as usual. 

His eyes widened before narrowing. "I'm on my way up. Be careful, Alfred." He said before hanging up. 

He practically tore off his Batman suit, slipping into something fitting Bruce Wayne's demeanor. A meaningless gesture seeing as how William knew who he was. 

Upon getting upstairs he found William staring at a portrait of Martha and Thomas Wayne that was hung on the wall. 

"I figured you'd come in your other attire." The boy said, now turning to look at him. 

"What are you doing here?" He ground out with narrowed eyes. 

"You invited yourself into my home the other day so I thought I'd return the favor. After all, we have business to attend to." William said, patting the bag on his back. 

Something was different about him. The way he carried himself was different from the way he did the last time he saw him. It was subtle but it was enough to make him cautious. 

"And what business would that be?" Bruce asked him. 

"You won the auction. Unless you'd prefer that I give it to the runner up, I highly suggest that you stop with the act." William said, surprisingly blunt. 

He was so used to having to look for hidden meanings behind conversations that he expected this to be a very puzzling conversation. 

"So you were behind the auction. Why?" He questioned again. 

"Like I said in our last conversation, not everyone was blessed with wealth. My mother wasn't rich but she pushed herself to make sure we had a roof over our heads." William said, glancing back at the portrait. "I want money. It's not going to bring her back but it'll make life a bit easier to live."

It appeared that his mother was a sore subject for him, seeing how his expression softened minutely. He doubted that William himself even noticed it. 

"Who were the others in the auction? I'm sure they're not happy with losing something so valuable." He said, changing the subject. 

He knew from personal experience that digging deeper into his mother's death wouldn't help here. 

"Just some rich folks here and there."

That was concerning. If he made the cancer cure, it wasn't a stretch to say that he also made this antidote to the toxins. That would be what he used on the Jones family to survive Joker's venom. 

There was also the other side to it. If he was doing this for money, what's to say that he won't make and sell dangerous substances for money as well. 

"I'd like to make you a proposition." Bruce started and, judging by the way William's eyes focused on him, he had his attention. 

"Like you said, I have the money to spend. I would like to hire you. I am often in need of someone with your skill set when up against certain foes." He said, taking a pause for effect before continuing. "Of course, you will be paid for your services."

And it would allow him to see exactly what he was capable of. It would also give him some time to dig deeper into his background for any red flags that he might have missed. 

William had a thoughtful look as the room was silent with only the ticking of the clock ringing through the air. 

After what felt like a full minute, the boy smiled, walking up to him with an extended hand. 

"Then I guess we're in business."