trans_9 | Opening Your Eyes [OPEN]

Jean-Paul couldn't stand it. He was too restless, too driven at the moment. There was so much he had to do, so much he needed to finish. And everyone here was holding him back. He wanted them to let him do what he wanted, let him finish the fight like the REAL Batman should.

But, someone had other ideas...

||Jean-Paul Valley, you haven't been kind to your fellow crewmates.|| a voice echoed out.

"What in the...?!" Jean-Paul snapped, watching as tentacles extended out and wrapped around him, peeling his equipment off of him. "NO! THE SUIT! GIVE IT BACK!"

||You taunt and attack everyone you see. I'm afraid I have to take away your belongings until you can start befriending people.|| the voice replied.

"STACY! GIVE IT BACK! GIVE IT BACK!" Jean-Paul said, trying to chase it down, but stopping and dropping to his knees. Without the suit, without the mask, the hold The System had on him was starting to die out.

And, then... it hit him.

"Oh, my lord... what... what have I...?" Jean-Paul muttered. Everything came back to him. All the people he mauled, all of those he left on the brink of death... or actually killed. All while using Batman's name, Batman's visage.

"...I am nothing... I... I was never Batman... never was, never will... I'm nothing..."

With that, he hunched over in sorrow.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This was something he had in no way been looking forward to doing. Jean-Paul's tenure as Batman had been one of the lower points in Bruce's life, and it was a hard fought battle, with both his protegé and his own psyche to reclaim the title.

Jean-Paul ought to be certain of one thing. He has been watched. Watched intently.

Once Stacy has finished with her chiding, Bruce Wayne and not Batman steps out of the darkness.

"The suit doesn't make the man, Jean-Paul."

In another time, another place, this moment would have taken place somewhere else for him. A place almost as symbolic to him as it was to Wayne. Fate had other plans, though and it happened here.

Jean-Paul looked up to see Bruce, having heard what he said.

"That's... ...that's what the other one said." Jean-Paul said. "...I'm sorry... for what I did..."

"The fault is mine," he replies candidly, "I was afraid-- afraid of what I might do without it. Afraid of what it would do to Dick if I gave it to him. I should have helped you, Jean-Paul, not passed on my curse."

He offers his hand to the man who had once been a friend, "Off your knees. Batman doesn't kneel, not for anyone."

Jean-Paul looked up and notice Bruce offering a hand and telling him to get up. If this wasn't a sign, then what was? Reaching up and taking it, he pulled himself up, letting out a sigh.

"...now, what?" Jean-Paul said, rubbing his face. He had a feeling that one of those options would be 'stop being Batman.'

"You're going to get your act together. I'm going to help you." he states bluntly. This wasn't a request. "Training regimens, psychiatric treatment. We're going to ensure that you possess the System, but that it doesn't possess you."

It was going to be a stretch of the first Batman's abilities, but if he didn't do something Valley was most likely going to kill someone. He owes it to the other man, to the people he'd hurt and could potentially hurt. He owes it to himself.

"That, or I put you in a cell."

Jean-Paul looked at Bruce, a bit surprised. The fact that he told him what he was going to do him. Shape up or ship out - and in this case, shipping out equals, most likely, spending the rest of his existence locked up. He was getting another chance. He wasn't going to let that go.

"...alright. When do we begin...?" he said. He probably knew the answer, but right now, he was still too dazed to think of it.

It's got to be a strange day when Bruce's response to that question isn't a resounding 'right effing now'. But strange it was, and though brief, being forcefully ripped from the System like Jean-Paul had just been must have been something of an ordeal.

"When you feel up to it. I'm guessing you might appreciate a chance to sleep on it first."

Valley was the last person Terry wanted to run into - so, of course he came across him in the hallway. Irony is a b****, isn't it? Terry didn't realize it was Valley, though, having never seen him without the armor.

He was just about to ask the sorry-looking, upset man what was wrong, but then he heard what the man was saying. It was about Batman. Any sympathy he was feeling he immediately buried.

"What's your problem?" He said in mock-kindness, dripping with vitriol, as he folded his arms and regarded Valley.

Jean-Paul looked up at Terry, recognizing him. One of the three he attacked out of his System-induced anger.

He let his head drop down again as he spoke. "...'m sorry."

Terry was genuinely surprised by that.

"...what?" He said slowly, still a bit defensive.

"I said... I'm sorry." Jean-Paul said. "I... what I did. What I said. I..." he let out a sigh. "I can't control it. Can't control the System. I let it get a grip on me..."

He let out a sigh. "How many others have I attacked?"

The 'System' thing made not sense to Terry at all. But Valley seemed sincere in his apology.

"Only me, as far as I know," Terry said. "But if I find out you hurt my brothers -" by which he meant the Robins "- well, let's just say I don't care if you mess with me, but if you mess with my new family..." There was some serious anger in his voice, enough that he didn't even have to finish that threat.

Opening Your Eyes [OPEN]

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