God perception and recruiting professionals

MC's POV

Barry Allen, I've been watching him for some years now.

Totally not creepy.

Always keeping the necessary tabs, and at the slightest sighting of lightning or a cloudy weather I would be in close proximity to him.

There have been many false starts, but I wouldn't give up on trying to get the speedforce.

I remade all the chemicals that would've been splashed on him during the lightning strike.

Just like he did back in flashpoint when he was trying to get his powers back using the electric chair.

"Sir, we finalised the procurement of the companies yourequested." A smooth voice interrupted.

That was my secretary, Felicity.

I like her for her honesty and intelligence.

Did I mention that she's also cute, because she is.

She had long blonde hair that she mostly keeps in a neat bun and a voluptuous figure despite her nerdy attires.

No, I'm not in any kind of relationship with her in any way yet, for now I'd say that I enjoy her presence and she likes working for me.

"Excellent as always, Felicity. I knew I could leave it to you." I smiled turning from the screen.

"It wasn't that hard, I finished it pretty quickly." She said, but immediately began correcting her statement. "N-not that I haven't taken it seriously, it's just that I had already analyzed the acquisitions beforehand."

See, there's her honesty.

"You're indirectly complaining about the workload aren't you." I told her, but before she had the chance of stuttering some excuse I continued with a soft laugh. "I'm joking, Felicity."

I heard her stutter that she was thankful for the trust I placed on her capabilities. "Here are the documents that need your signature." She handed me files that I quickly looked through.

After finalising it all, I handed it back to her.

"That's all of it sir. I'll be taking my leave." She said.

"Take care of yourself Felicity. You're the real MVP and smile more...please." That actually did cause a thin smile on her lips, and a blush on her face.

"See, you look even better when you smile." I complimented her leaving figure.

I could look at her naked form with my X-ray vision but that would be so easy it wouldn't be worth it, I had my honour.

Plus, I actually like the reward gained from hard work.

If I can't even enforce my will to be able to be able to resist such temptation, I would just be another person without discipline or self-control, impulsive.

I turned back to the video feed of Barry's activities being displayed on a screen.

He was in his lab today, he looked visibly frustrated as he kept pacing back and forth.

He did visit his dad earlier, he's probably frustrated at the fact that he still can't find his mom's killer.

I noticed the weather begin to change from a bright sunny into a rapidly darkening thunderstorm.

It has never acted this way before in all my years of watching.

If that doesn't spell unnatural phenomena then I don't know what would.

Immediately leaving the comfort of my office I sped through the air.

Just in time to witness Barry toss out a device through his lab window, breaking the glass.

Rumbles and roars began to occur in the thunder cloud as yellow lightning increasingly flashed from cloud to cloud.

I increased my perception raising it to superhuman levels everything began to slow down giving me more time to observe a bolt of lightning gradually travel from the cloud as it made its way to Barry's lab through the window, before the lightning had the chance to struck him, I swiftly took his place and let the chemicals to soak my form.

As I flew upwards the storming clouds at supersonic speeds, I shouted 'SHAZAM' and called on the equation that would affect reality, the equation that represented such power.

3X2(9YZ)4A

With the mention of each letter and number, the thunderous magical rumblings in the clouds increased, I felt foreign energy respond to my words, I called forth the power and the power answered.

The world slowed to a crawl as a congregation of lightning struck my form, bundles upon bundles of lightning took turns in striking me.

It was actually somewhat painful, and that's a lot coming from me.

It felt like hours when it was actually just seconds.

I felt it course through my innermost being.

I felt the connection to this zone, this Extra-dimensional field of time and energy.

I felt it changing me, I saw it fundamentally changing then charging and empowering my cells with its electricity.

It was rapidly supercharging my bioelectricity and it enhanced my aura.

When I opened my eyes, it was as if time halted and was on the brink of reversing it course.

I already had super perception that enabled me to view things in slow motion relative to others.

But this was different, maybe it was the combination of both the speed Force and my Kryptonian and Shazam superpowers.

The clouds, the wind, the people, the water droplets, everything seemed to have paused.

It was like a super flash time vision.

I understood that my brain's processing power was working at magnificently uncharted levels allowing me to witness time flow at super dilated levels, in short super perception on super steroids.

Maybe I should call it god perception.

The wonderful thing is that I had a godly reaction and reflexes to match it.

This was one of many effects of the speedforce on my biology.

Intense chains of lightning crackled around me as I reached out to stroke a suspended water droplet when I noticed that my body was vibrating at ridiculous levels this was most likely due to the speed of my thoughts and the unconscious use of the speedforce to continually phase through matter.

I had to slow down my thoughts and slowly adapt to my new powers.

The cloud was rapidly dispersing, I flew higher into the atmosphere and made my leave.

I had flown to my pocket dimension palace, and calming myself I was able to draw my abilities under my hold and stabilise myself.

First I have to say that this is undoubtedly unfair, I was Superman with the powers of Shazam and the Flash!

The speedforce being a dimensional energy that allowed one to break the laws of space time and reality.

Yeah that speed Force.

That was damn unfair.

I really did break the lottery of life.

Haha!

Well, it's not like I was handed the powers.

All I got I got through my own hands, through countless hours of planning and simulations.

Mentally exhausting activities and making sure to avoid messing things at each step.

I was confident in my abilities but I wasn't going to start getting arrogant and complacent.

Anything could happen, with all the all powerful beings in the DC verse (Darkseid, antimonitor, parallax) I definitely couldn't be complacent if I wanted to live my life my way.

I may be semi-immortal now.

The speedforce caused my aging to slow even more than it has been.

I would basically look like my young adult self for a very very very long time.

Then coupled with the accelerated healing factor and my Kryptonian based powers, not to mention magic, I'm almost unkillable.

I don't have plot armour, but I do have hax powers.

I didn't need to physically run for the speed force I contained to work.

The speedforce activated even in flight, so I wasn't limited to land like many other speedsters.

The powers came with the speedster package.

Super enhanced speed/reflexes/perception/healing/neural process.

My electrokinesis had evolved many times over, I was already able to toss lighting like Zeus, just imagine how much power I can wield now.

Since the speed force enhanced my physique, which was kryptonian rather than a human's, I could display more powerful abilities without the same amount of strain it would have on a speed force enhanced human.

I also had boosted my electric absorption, that upgrade alone had a very large purpose that I would soon put to the test.

Aerokinesis was the same as well.

But I could do that even before I had the speedforce, with Kryptonian powers and magical ability, now it was just a whole lot easier and more powerful with the increased speed.

Body vibrations and intangibility were a given.

I could manipulate the movement and acceleration of my cells, and even molecules, enabling me to shake and vibrate my whole body or parts of it by willing my cells to do so.

You should have heard my Batman voice, Bruce Wayne would be proud.

I could also distort my image and generate more force behind my actions.

But most of all I could phase my whole body or parts of it through solid matter, ghosts have nothing on me.

Being able to effortlessly make speed mirages was an awesome quirk!

A step further than my magical illusionary clones, I could actually challenge an exact replica of me, and get some level of challenge.

Accelerated metabolism?

I didn't have to eat like a beast, sunlight provided more than enough nutrients for my body.

Time travel?

Not touching that…..yet.

I know, I know, time wraiths and what not.

But wasn't it proven that only speedsters who are reckless and without forethought of how their presence in events could damage the timeline would be hunted down?

I had the super intellect of a super Kryptonian and the wisdom of Solomon to guide me.

I was going to do it right.

I also had better momentum and negation/speed absorption.

That would allow me to suck up the kinetic energy from the atoms of an individual with a single tap.

Oh, this ability was going to be a major pain for bad guys.

I could also use it to absorb the kinetic energy in explosions that would somehow pose a threat to me, or to turn kryptonite radiation into fuel.

To sum it up, I had all the powers a speed force user would have but the powers were more pronounced and powerful due to my biology and magical potential.

And they would all continue to grow with time and usage.

My aura has been enhanced as well.

I don't know how, but I can feel it, becoming more potent and pronounced by the second.

Have you seen paper cut through a solid metal block?

That's what happened when I coated the paper with my aura.

My magical enhanced and technological superior weapons arsenal had just gone up a notch in terms of utility.

Plus the speed force gave me a super enhanced healing factor, and would also make kryptonite and red sun radiation not as effective as it should be on me.

—————————————————————

Floyd Lawton used to share some stories about his past.

One of them was that, as a child, he lived with his mother, father, and sister.

His family was in a constant struggle and was very poor.

One night, when his father was informing his mother the good news that he had gotten a job, the two were gunned down by bullets coming from the next room.

Along with his parents, Floyd's sister was also killed in the hail of gunfire.

After this, Floyd discovered a gun in the next room and began teaching himself to use it.

He would eventually become a very skilled marksman and use his skills as a gun for hire.

However, Will Evans, a man Lawton shared a prison cell with while serving time, heard one that in actuality, Floyd's family was quite wealthy, with an estate just outside of Gothic Metropolis.

Their public image hid the fact that his father, George, was an abusive drunk.

His mother, Genevieve, suffered many beatings from George and took her frustrations out on Floyd and his brother Eddie.

Despite this, Eddie was a great son, good natured and athletic, often taking beatings meant for Floyd.

Eventually, Genevieve had had enough and encouraged Floyd to shoot his father.

Young Floyd scaled a tree and took aim at his father.

His nervousness caused him to flinch.

The shot missed his father but hit Eddie between the eyes, killing him.

Floyd made two promises to himself that night, never to miss again and to kill his father the next time he saw him.

After years of training, Lawton became so skilled with shooting, he became the infamous mercenary Deadshot and had two daughters - Suchin and Zoe.

Before the Court of Shadows was even formed, the crime families battled for control of the Gothic Metropolis underworld.

Any criminal based in the city was invited to pick a side - and Deadshot, having started making a name for himself and wanting to provide for his children, chose the Falcones.

As the crime organizations began to be hunted down by either the cops, who somehow became more organized and efficient, and by some 'weird ass Bogeyman'.

The Falcones were almost begging for food to great houses like the Waynes after their business crumbled into dust.

'But at least they were behind bars.' Floyd thought to himself.

Deadshot was about to search for work outside of Gothic Metropolis when he was approached by the Bogeyman in the flesh.

A very menacing individual, in Floyd's opinion, but a reasonable one as well.

He offered him a job that would pay him well.

For his daughter's future, Deadshot accepted.

Never would have him imagined what he had signed himself up for.

Nothing that he couldn't handle.

But still…

Unexpected.

—————————————————————

When Slade Wilson was sixteen, he joined the US Army, having lied about his age. But proved to be an exceptional soldier, earning decorations for valor in combat.

After serving a stint in Korea, he was later assigned to Camp Washington where he had been promoted to the rank of Major.

In the early 1960s, he met Captain Adeline Kane who was tasked with training young soldiers in new fighting techniques in anticipation of brewing troubles taking place in Vietnam.

Kane was amazed at how skilled Slade was and how quickly he adapted to modern conventions of warfare.

She immediately fell in love with him, and realized that he was without a doubt the most able-bodied combatant she had ever encountered.

She offered to privately train Slade in guerrilla warfare and in less than a year, Slade mastered every fighting form presented to him and was soon promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Six months later, Adeline and Slade Wilson were married as she became pregnant with their first child.

It was at this time that the war in Vietnam began to escalate and Slade was shipped overseas.

At home, Adeline gave birth to their son Grant.

Some time later, Wilson volunteered for a medical experiment designed to stimulate his adrenal gland in the hopes of increasing a soldier's ability to resist truth serums.

The experiment did not go as expected, and Slade fell into a coma.

When he awakened however, he discovered that his brain capacity has vastly been increased, and his strength, durability and agility were increased to near-superhuman levels.

He applied for re-assignment with the Army, but they refused him due to some psychological issues.

Although his condition stabilized eventually, depression took hold of him and he was desperate to serve his country.

At this time, Adeline became pregnant with their second child, Joseph.

Unable to further his career in the military, Slade turned towards hunting.

He became a world famous safari hunter and great wealth followed soon after.

Adeline always suspected however that Slade felt unfulfilled.

A few years later, a group of hired mercenaries broke into Wilson's mansion and kidnapped young Joey.

Adeline attempted to fight them off, but a gas grenade prevented her from saving her son.

When Slade discovered what had happened, he knew he could not keep the truth from his wife any longer.

Slade was not only a world famous safari hunter, he was also one of the world's deadliest and most highly sought after assassins - Deathstroke the Terminator.

He promised Adeline that he would save their son.

Together, they flew to Tangier and squared off against a rival mercenary known as the Jackal.

The Jackal wanted Slade to reveal important information relating to a client or else he would have his men kill Joey.

Slade gambled on the idea that he could save his son before the Jackal could give the order.

Unfortunately, Joseph's throat was slashed by one of the criminals before Slade could prevent it, destroying his vocal cords and rendering him mute.

After taking Joseph to the hospital, Slade's wife, enraged at his endangerment of her son, tried to kill Slade by shooting him, but only managed to destroy his right eye.

Afterward, his confidence in his physical abilities was such that he made no secret of his impaired vision, marked by his mask which has a black featureless half covering his lost eye.

Afterward, Slade continued his life as a mercenary, never visiting his family again.

Slade Wilson eventually met Sweet Lili on a search-and-rescue mission a few years after his 'divorce' from Adeline Kane.

His mission was to make sure that Lili escaped war-torn Cambodia safely.

After a love affair with Wilson during their two-week trek to Thailand, Lili gave birth to a daughter whom she named Rose.

Believing it to be in the child's best interest, Lili kept Rose a secret from Wilson.

Lili eventually settled down at a brothel in New York City, and during a time when Deathstroke was injured and a fugitive from the law, Lili took him in and nursed his wounds.

Deathstroke's butler Wintergreen discovered 14-year-old Rose and suspected that she was Deathstroke's daughter.

Years later, Deathstroke's half-brother Wade LaFarge, using the name Ravager, went on a killing spree, trying to kill all of Deathstroke's friends and family.

DeFarge discovered Rose, captured her, and told her that Deathstroke was her father.

Wintergreen and Lili launched a rescue attempt, but Lili was presumed dead after she drove a jeep off a cliff while trying to run over DeFarge.

Wintergreen successfully rescued Rose and escaped.

Rose joined her father, but their relation was strained.

Deathstroke suggested that she become his apprentice, offering DeFarge as her first kill.

Rose accepted and took the name Ravager for herself.

Constantly fearing for her safety after the deaths of two of his sons, he put her through a series of arduous training.

During a particularly dangerous training exercise, Rose was severely injured, her precognitive powers emerged for the first time as she saw images of a dark figure with ashen hair besting her father in a duel.

However, Rose awakened before she could test her powers any further.

After that incident, Deathstroke secretly injected Rose with the same serum that gave him his abilities, and it caused her to suffer from psychosis.

Rose began fearing that her father would disown her.

So to prove her loyalty to him, she gouged out an eye to match his missing eye; thus emulating him.

She wore the same costume and wielded two katana-style swords.

Calling herself a "good girl" but still exhibiting violent behavior with difficulty in reining in her antisocial tendencies.

But their life began changing after Slade Wilson began receiving invitations to join a faction of assassins.

Usually, Rose's father could fend off against hordes of enemies without breaking a sweat.

But these warriors that were insistent on having the legendary Deathstroke amidst their ranks were something else.

They somehow proved to have better fighting skills than both of them combined.

If not for their inhuman capabilities, Ravager was sure that both she and her father wouldn't have lasted that much.

But the shadowy ninjas still came for them, with some of them she swearing had somehow revived from their previous matches.

Suddenly, the waves of ninjas stopped.

She was initially content with the result, but after noticing her father tensing up for the next encounter made her shift her view.

It was then that both Deathstroke and Ravager met the Dark Knight.

"Mister Wilson, I'm disappointed that you have not reconsidered my offer." The masked, armored and hooded figure said with his ghostly voice.

"I've already given my answers. I'm a mercenary, not a minion." Deathstroke replied.

"You see, my organization is on the cusps of reaching new horizons. You and your daughter have earned enough of my respect to the point of finding it a complete waste having to get rid of you." He stopped and removed his hood, revealing his ashen hair. "But my patience has its limits, I would advise you against testing them any further."

Rose gasped recognizing him from her first vision.

However, her father didn't seem convinced of why he should fear the man threatening him. "You've clearly overestimated your own abilities..." Deathstroke grabbed his folding staff from his belt. "...and underestimated mines."

The Dark Knight glanced down to see Deathstroke's musculature shifting his footing in preparation for a strike.

Slade dashed at the masked figure, ready to finish him off in one strike.

Deathstroke might've been quick to lunge compared to most humans, but the Dark Knight's reflexes were enough that he easily sidestepped it and hit him with a quick kick in the back on the follow through.

SLAM!

"Father!" Shouted Rose as she made the same mistake her father had by rushing at the Dark Knight.

But he quickly neutralized her by pinning her to the ground with his kunais.

She would survive since he avoided targeting any vital organs and her physiology was already showing signs of rapid regeneration.

He spun to see Deathstroke steadying himself up against a cracked wall, as the Knight could see Slade's body regenerating in a similar fashion to his daughter.

Although at a faster pace.

Deathstroke roared in rage as he turned to face his opponent again.

Slade initiated the strike again but found his punch blocked and felt an elbow hit him hard in the chest.

The deadly mercenary stumbled backward.

"I am not only offering you money." The Dark Knight said as he landed a kick in the same spot his elbow had connected with earlier. "I offer you a way of becoming stronger and faster."

"You find me lacking?" Slade asked incredulously as he anticipated the next kick and swatted it away to lunge forward and hit his opponent with a punch.

Deathstroke barely registered the instantaneous shot against his armor that backed him up again against a brick wall.

The Knight threw a higher punch that Slade barely ducked, prompting the blow meant for him to shatter some bricks into dust.

"This is not going to end well for you." The Dark Knight said before he landed a knee on Slade's stomach, followed quickly by an uppercut that rocked him backward.

Allowing his opponent to regain his footing, they began to circle one another, awaiting the next attack.

"I'm still waiting for you to prove me wrong." The Dark Knight said.

"You are starting to irk me." Deathstroke rebutted before he moved in to throw a punch that his opponent easily dodged.

The Knight countered with an elbow to the back of his weaker opponent, dislodging his footing once more.

The Knight then swept Slade's feet out from under him with a kick.

Deathstroke crashed hard to the ground but was up in seconds with a roll and on the attack once more.

Deathstroke jumped over his opponent and hit a front kick that would've knocked him backward, if his footing wasn't so well rooted.

Slade moved in only to be met with a response in the form of a jumping knee that broke his mask and made him bite down on his own lip.

He tasted the blood even as his opponent hit a series of lightning fast punches into his sides.

The Dark Knight had easily been capable of targeting the weakest points of his opponent's armor and exploited them.

Slade swung down with his forearm, in an attempt of knocking his foe's strikes away, before grabbing a gun.

He quickly opened fire, but failed to land a single shot.

"I now can see that you indeed lack the strength and speed required to face me." The Dark Knight said as he used an opening to grab Deathstroke by the throat, crushing the gun with his other hand, and used his superior strength to slam the one eyed mercenary to the ground.

He pinned Slade down and had his hidden blade emerge from his gauntlet.

Deathstroke tried to reach for his sword but noticed that it laid on the ground broken into pieces.

"If you are not with me... you are against me." The Dark Knight said quietly as he continued to slowly press his blade forward despite Slade's resistance against him.

The mercenary in desperation threw a headbutt of his own, but it only managed to damage him more than his target though.

"Y-you've won!" Slade finally admitted as his forehead began bleeding with the previous failed attack. "I accept your invitation."

Not knowing exactly what his opponent's expression behind his mouth mask was, Deathstroke could only wait for his and his daughter's life to be spared by the ashen haired assassin.

—————————————————————

A virtual screen showed Patrick Wayne as he showcased his latest commercial project. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Warmachines are advanced mechanical armors. A trillion dollar investment that is sure to prove their worth. It is the culmination of humanity's finest scientific minds directed at a noble purpose." The charismatic man continued. "To guard, patrol and combat. Currently, the Warmachines are more than optimal against internal threats, like terrorists and rogue nations. And soon enough, they will be more than capable of standing their ground against extraordinary threats to humanity."

"Have you and your company possessed prior knowledge concerning the attempted invasion?" A reporter asked. "Or in regards to our supposedly protector, Sentry?"

"Of course not. No, what we did was run calculations. Humanity isn't alone in the universe, we were bound to meet extraterrestrials sooner or later, but the question was, would they be friendly?" He redirected. "And if the answer wasn't good, the following question should be if we would be capable of facing them in equal terms."

"Would the suits' future versions be available to the military?" Another reporter questioned.

"It's possible. But such technology in the wrong hands could easily prove itself capable of decimating an entire nation. No single government can currently be completely trusted with this much power. It would drive an imbalance that would result in catastrophic events."

"But then why should we trust you?" Another reporter added.

"Well, we actually did make the world a better place. Even without these suits of armor. So imagine the things we could and will do with it. We at Wayne Enterprises are proud to continue to be helpful for humanity." He smiled. "And we will always be available when needed."

A thunderous applause sounded through the hall.

"Thank you all."

The virtual screen folded back into the panel as the video feed ended.

(MC's POV)

That was the third gathering where I got to talk about my less advanced suits of armor, which was some months ago.

I went with the 'warmachine' story.

Let's give the people something to believe in, something that's human and native, even if it's totally outdated compared to my latest projects, something that would prove to be strong enough to contend with aliens, and act as a deterrence.

The best visible video of my performance as Sentry was that taken by me, no one knew what truly happened during the fight apart from what I allowed them to see, and what I allowed Lois and Vicky to publish.

As Sentry, I began making some appearances, talking about myself and my motives on TV and the usual drama.

As for Faora.

We've been interacting, frequently talking about krypton and how it was like.

She led me to some storage drives containing images and holos of krypton.

Back to the warmachine armor.

What if someone tries to use them against me?

Haha, that'd be truly ridiculous.

Even if my security measures, by some reason fail to either put the suits under my control or self destruct, I know their strengths and weaknesses.

Besides, even in my regular form, I can tear them apart as if they were made of polystyrene.

And since they aren't shielded against magic, I can just snap my fingers and they would simply disintegrate.

Since the Warmachine would be used sparsely in warzones, I also offered the powered slimmed down exoskeleton for field agents.

My Court of Shadows will also benefit from a more refined version of those stealth armors.

And my improved serums.

You might criticize my judgment with providing earth with any form of technology beyond its own capacity, but I calculated the risks of insurrection, and they don't come close to outweigh the risk of another invasion taking place.

"Company-wide stocks have been soaring since the gala, sir. We are past an all time high, no, we are the highest, there's no room for us to go any higher, without establishing a state." Felicity said scrolling through her tablet. "Boss, you may not own the world, but you're a major shareholder"

"Good one, Felicity." I turned my seat around from facing the clear windows.

I smiled at her, I enjoyed her sense of humor, it's one of her strongest points.

"She isn't wrong, sir." My personal bodyguard replied. "You've accomplished so much in so little time. The boss ought to be pleased with such results."

"It's part of my business to please my associates." I told her, never really tired of playing my roles. "But I must confess to be curious about what progress the newly formed organization has accomplished."

Sandra pondered for a moment, considering which information she was allowed to disclose with me.

The inscription I placed on her wasn't targeted to strip her of her free will.

That would defeat the purpose of having someone as skilled as her working for me.

But I still had access to her mind, following her line of thought without hindering it.

"The boss has begun recruiting." Was Sandra's response. "Some high rank targets that had proven unwilling to listen to our agents invitation."

"So he is taking matters into his own hands." I said. "Is there a reason for him not having such a skilled combatant like you besides him."

"I would only slow him down." The Asian woman said with a thoughtful expression. "I'm not sure anyone could keep up with him anyway." She turned to the TV broadcasting images of Sentry. "'The God' certainly would be an exception, but I wouldn't ignore the boss' resourcefulness."

"Fascinating." I replied, confirming the devotion she had for my 'Dark Knight' persona. "Would you be okay if we anticipate my self-defense training? I'm having dinner with my parents tonight."

"I have no problems, sir." Sandra replied. "Since you are a quick learner, let's test all the fighting styles I taught you, especially the one I personally built."

"Sure Sifu." I nodded with my charming smile before turning my head. "Felicity, have you rescheduled my appointments for today?"

"Affirmative boss." She replied while stretching her head over her desk. "Oh, and Messrs. Elliot and Cobblepot have called saying that they accept your invitation for tonight's dinner."

"Excellent."

—————————————————————

During a pleasant meal with his parents and childhood friends, Patrick Wayne began catching up.

"I'm really glad you and mother have enjoyed your voyage around the world." He told his father. "How has been your stay in Europe? Beyond my studies, I haven't had the opportunity of spending enough time touring the big cities."

Thomas Wayne replied with a genuine smile. "Our trip has been full of ups and downs, but we've been lucky to have way more ups than downs. Some of our favorite moments were watching the sunset on the beach in Algarve and walking around Rome trying to take in every detail until finally realizing it was impossible."

Martha nodded her head laughing. "Indeed, although I would say that a lovely coffee shop in Paris really came close of taking the top spot." She then turned to look at Patrick with a provocative smile. "But Lara and Helena did ask about you as we passed by England and Italy. Perhaps studies weren't everything on your mind during your trips."

Oswald laughed out loud while Thomas Elliot elbowed Patrick in a friendly manner. "That's Patrick for you, he taught me everything I know about charming the ladies."

"Sure, whatever you say doctor." Patrick replied with a grin. "But I thought I had Oswald learning how to talk to girls and had you finally focusing on your studies."

"My thoughts exactly." Added Oswald as he drank from his cup.

"Hm, tell me Mr. Elliot, how have been your studies abroad?" Thomas Wayne questioned since the subject was brought up.

"Excellent Mr. Wayne, I've just completed my medical specialization." Thomas Elliot replied as he assumed a prideful posture towards his childhood idol.

Martha Wayne showed happiness for his success. "Your mother has told me you've been through many medical conferences, so I'm sure you aren't lacking knowledge."

Thomas Elliot's smile wavered slightly. "Ah yes, we've been in touch."

While Thomas Wayne began commenting about Elliot's father, Patrick offered to refill Cobblepot's cup and the latter accepted the offer.

"You too Oswald." Thomas Wayne followed with his compliment to Thomas Elliot. "I've gotta say, you've grown into a very capable lad as well."

Oswald nodded his head in respect. "I'm very thankful for the compliment Mr. Wayne. My time in the British army has been more fruitful than I had initially expected." The young Cobblepot turned to Patrick. "But I must confess, Rick here has been an influential figure in my life."

"Likewise." Added Thomas Elliot. "Wayne Enterprises advances in the medical field has been one of the major reasons for my return to Gothic Metropolis."

"And I'm pleased to see how you managed to clean the city." Pointed Oswald. "I can barely recognize the public parks without the piles of trash."

Patrick simply sipped his drink before taking a modest response. "Please, It's just my duty as a respectful and productive citizen." He laughed. "Besides, my family's company did basically all the heavy lifting for me."

"Indeed my son." Martha stated while smiling at him. "But I'm still worried you've been dedicating so much of your time designing weapons."

"My dear, like you I was initially against having our company having a weapon division." Thomas Wayne intervened. "Heh, I've lost count of how many times our late friend Lionel Luthor had tried to convince me otherwise." But he then lighted his Wayne X and showed holographic images of what the media has been constantly broadcasting and covering. "However, recents events have made me understand and be grateful that our dear son is so gifted to provide humanity a chance of fighting with dignity against any hostile alien that lands on our planet."

Oswald spoke up. "Yeah, I can attest that our friends in the UK have no idea of how to deal with that so-called 'god champion of earth'."

"I can understand your reasons." Martha conceded. "But I can't help feeling that it must be stressful having to deal with such disadvantageous conditions." She pointed at foreign images of entire buildings being carried. "These are truly strange times we live in, beings capable of lifting mountains mid flight and summoning lightning must be a real challenge to deal with."

Patrick simply gave his mother a reassuring smile. "Don't worry mother, you know that I thrive most under stress and I'm always up for a real challenge."

"I believe me and Oz can vouch for that." Thomas Elliot stated as Cobblepot nodded in agreement.

Martha showed signs of calming down.

Patrick might have made the Waynes forget that he had come from space, but he still allowed them to be aware of how special he really was.

As the talk continued, they refrained from returning to such delicate matters.

Patrick mentioned he was more than willing to accept his childhood friends for working at his family's company.

The night ended with his friends leaving for their homes and Patrick saying good night to his parents.

As he was about to call it a day, Patrick was surprised to see who had come to visit him.

Arriving in a luxurious car, driven by a butler he recognized very much, a blonde girl with green eyes lowered the vehicle's window to show her face to him. "Hey handsome, are you free for the night?"

Patrick smiled at her. "Gotta say Miss Luthor, if you had invited me this way in our last meeting, I'm sure it would've ended much differently than it did."

Lena scratched her head in embarrassment. "I guess you are right. I was a little carried away with the correct procedures and the recent news did not favor caution." She opened the door for him. "Will you allow me to redeem myself?"

"Still wanting to know if I am single?" Patrick joked recalling their first meeting.

"I've been watching the news lately, Rick my dear. That question has already been answered." She gestured for him to enter the car. "The current one is: how long will you continue that way?"

"You never change do you? Always blunt as a spoon." Patrick laughed as he moved to enter the luxurious car and nodded to Alfred, the chauffeur.

Lena smiled as she planted a big kiss in Patrick's lips. "If I recall correctly, you don't mind going out with a doltish girl."

"That was back then Lady Luthor." Patrick teased her. "Currently I'm a little more selective with what type of person I relate myself with, so I'm afraid your mesmerizing looks won't be all it will take to convince me."

"Your standards sure have increased, my dear Rick." Lena caressed his cheek. "Those ladies that held me in place sure were fierce."

"You have no idea." He chuckled as she gently slapped his shoulder.

After that, they went to enjoy the rest of the night.

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MC's POV

I've been living in a slow world since my latest power up.

I'm very thankful that I could get used to super perception earlier, because if I didn't, I would be living in torture.

Do you know how slow everyone else is in relation to me, to my frame of reference?

The world moves so slow that it is almost hell.

It almost became a perpetual state of torture.

I could be talking with someone and zoom around the world 10 times and still not miss anything.

Thankfully, I knew some restraining spells that would allow me to continue enjoying life, and to value it even more.

But with each passing day I notice that my thought processes, movements and reactions were increasingly becoming faster and faster.

The speedforce was changing and enhancing me more and more.

My cells were evolving and beginning to contain and process even more sunlight faster than before and more efficiently.

I was about to finally become completely self sustainable.

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(05/03/2021)

*Hope the chapter is of your liking. If there's anything that you wish to ask, feel free to do so.

Thanks as always for your attention and please be safe.

If there're any problems with my writing, just point them out and I will correct them as soon as possible.

** Really sorry for the massive delay, my college classes have resumed so I'm having a hard time organizing my time to write my fics. 😓