Fic: The Mentor Thing(Blue Beetle III, Batman)
Title: The Mentor Thing
Fandom: DC Comics
Characters: Blue Beetle III(Jaime Reyes), Batman, Killer Croc
Rating: PG
Words: 1051
Summary: Gotham's a whole different ballgame than El Paso
Author's Notes: Written for perletwo who requested Batman/Jaime interaction in exchange for fulfilling my fanart request here. I hope you enjoy it!
How did this always seem to happen?
Jaime had the most powerful alien weapon in the universe at his disposal, and yet somehow he had managed to get whacked upside the head by a guy who looked like an alligator, stuffed in a trunk, and thrown into Gotham bay.
"Scarab, why didn't you help me out?"
Jaime's scarab beeped loudly.
"You didn't register him as a serious enough threat to attack? He nearly killed me!"
Jaime fired an energy shot at the lid of the trunk and swam out of the hole, water rushing in. The Scarab's aquatic mode switched on, and he glided to the surface. As he reached the shore, an imposing figure loomed over him.
"You told me you could handle it."
Jaime tried to avoid Batman's stern gaze. "I could. He just...got the drop on me, that's all."
"One mistake is all it takes. That armor of yours is the only reason you're still alive right now. Next time it could - "
The Scarab beeped angrily.
"Did it...say something?"
Sheepishly, Jaime scratched the back of his head. "Yeah...he wants you to know that it has a name. Khaji Da. There were also threats made. It's best not to get into it."
Batman eyed Jaime suspiciously as the Scarab calmed down. Whenever metahumans made a visit to Gotham, it never seemed to go well.
"We don't have much time. Croc got away because you got distracted, and we've got to track him down before he disappears again."
Jaime's Scarab beeped a few more times. "Oh, I've got him! He's near the 23rd St. Subway station."
"How did you do that?"
"Oh, Scarab just picked up his DNA sequence when we were fighting, and searched the surrounding five miles for him. Easy!"
"Hm."
As Batman swung towards the subway station and Jaime took to the skies after him, he tried to hide the big grin on his face. Sure, he had just gotten chewed out by Batman. But on the other hand, he had gotten chewed out by Batman. He was working with one of the best. This definitely wasn't on the agenda for his overnight trip to Gotham.
"Why are you in Gotham, Beetle?"
Jaime was snapped out of his thoughts by Batman's voice. "Oh! I'm...uh...just taking care of some personal business. I'm only here for a day or so."
"Ah. Tracking an enemy?"
"No, not really. Actually, I was kind of visiting GSU. You know, application season is coming up, and I want to explore all my options. And it's not like I've got to pay for plane tickets, so I figured I'd - "
"Quiet. We're here."
As the two heroes flew down to the subway station enterance, screams of panic could be heard from inside. He'd dealt with Killer Croc many times before, Batman thought. He was far more worried about the boy working with him. So much power, and the kid was young enough to be checking out colleges. He loved his kids, but the thought of Tim or Cassandra with near-limitless power was terrifying. It wasn't fair to judge Jaime based on that, but the entire situation made him uneasy. And now, the lives of everyone in that station were in their hands.
"Stay back. Don't do anything until I tell you."
Batman swung into the station, with Jaime following him. Killer Croc was looming over an elderly woman.
"Nice ring, lady! Take it off or I take the whole arm!"
"It's over, Waylon. You're going back to Arkham."
With a roar, Croc grabbed the woman and hurled her towards the tracks. Batman leapt forward, pulling her back before she could fall. Before he could get his footing back, however, Killer Croc was on top of him, pushing his head over the edge of the tracks. Batman could see the light of an oncoming train in the distance...
Suddenly, Croc was hit by a massive energy blast knocking him clear across the platform and wrecking several columns along the way. He slumped to the ground unconscious as Jaime sheepishly waved at Batman.
"There wasn't any low-intensity blast you could have used?"
"That...was low-intensity. I just kind of figured, you were about to get hit by a train, and - "
Batman nodded. "Actually, I had figured three ways out of that situation, and was just settling on the best. But I appreciate the effort."
"Yeah...I should really get out of Gotham as soon as humanly possible, shouldn't I?"
"There's a reason every single member of Gotham's heroes undergoes years of training with me, and those that don't usually don't last long. It's not an easy city to protect. You're doing good work in El Paso, and you should keep doing it. But raw power doesn't work in Gotham. You beat these criminals by staying one step ahead of them."
"Yeah, I figured. Look, I'll be gone tomorrow, and - "
"Gotham State University is a world class school. If you do decide to go there, once you have a year's seasoning under your belt...come see me, and we'll talk about getting you ready."
Jaime's eyes went wide. "Wait, so you'd train me Gotham style? Awesome!"
"Trust me, you won't think so after the first day."
"So I'd get to see the Batcave?"
"Not for the first two weeks. Go home, get some sleep, and leave Gotham to me tonight. And don't be so hard on yourself."
"Really?"
"Yes. Ask Robin - that's my job."
Jaime cocked an eyebrow at Batman. "Was that actually a joke?"
There was no response, and Jaime didn't really expect one. Instead, Batman raised his grappling hook, fired, and swung out of view.
"Wow. Robin's never going to believe this."
As Jaime took off into the Gotham night sky, he could see the Bat-signal shining in the distance. Batman's night was just beginning. Gotham was an exciting city, and it needed a hero like Batman to protect it. But right now, he was glad that tomorrow he'd be heading back to El Paso. Maybe one day he'd be ready to be one of Gotham's protectors, but for right now, he was just glad that Scarab's built-in recorders were there to provide proof to Paco and Brenda that he actually had teamed up with Batman.
Fandom: DC Comics
Characters: Blue Beetle III(Jaime Reyes), Batman, Killer Croc
Rating: PG
Words: 1051
Summary: Gotham's a whole different ballgame than El Paso
Author's Notes: Written for perletwo who requested Batman/Jaime interaction in exchange for fulfilling my fanart request here. I hope you enjoy it!
How did this always seem to happen?
Jaime had the most powerful alien weapon in the universe at his disposal, and yet somehow he had managed to get whacked upside the head by a guy who looked like an alligator, stuffed in a trunk, and thrown into Gotham bay.
"Scarab, why didn't you help me out?"
Jaime's scarab beeped loudly.
"You didn't register him as a serious enough threat to attack? He nearly killed me!"
Jaime fired an energy shot at the lid of the trunk and swam out of the hole, water rushing in. The Scarab's aquatic mode switched on, and he glided to the surface. As he reached the shore, an imposing figure loomed over him.
"You told me you could handle it."
Jaime tried to avoid Batman's stern gaze. "I could. He just...got the drop on me, that's all."
"One mistake is all it takes. That armor of yours is the only reason you're still alive right now. Next time it could - "
The Scarab beeped angrily.
"Did it...say something?"
Sheepishly, Jaime scratched the back of his head. "Yeah...he wants you to know that it has a name. Khaji Da. There were also threats made. It's best not to get into it."
Batman eyed Jaime suspiciously as the Scarab calmed down. Whenever metahumans made a visit to Gotham, it never seemed to go well.
"We don't have much time. Croc got away because you got distracted, and we've got to track him down before he disappears again."
Jaime's Scarab beeped a few more times. "Oh, I've got him! He's near the 23rd St. Subway station."
"How did you do that?"
"Oh, Scarab just picked up his DNA sequence when we were fighting, and searched the surrounding five miles for him. Easy!"
"Hm."
As Batman swung towards the subway station and Jaime took to the skies after him, he tried to hide the big grin on his face. Sure, he had just gotten chewed out by Batman. But on the other hand, he had gotten chewed out by Batman. He was working with one of the best. This definitely wasn't on the agenda for his overnight trip to Gotham.
"Why are you in Gotham, Beetle?"
Jaime was snapped out of his thoughts by Batman's voice. "Oh! I'm...uh...just taking care of some personal business. I'm only here for a day or so."
"Ah. Tracking an enemy?"
"No, not really. Actually, I was kind of visiting GSU. You know, application season is coming up, and I want to explore all my options. And it's not like I've got to pay for plane tickets, so I figured I'd - "
"Quiet. We're here."
As the two heroes flew down to the subway station enterance, screams of panic could be heard from inside. He'd dealt with Killer Croc many times before, Batman thought. He was far more worried about the boy working with him. So much power, and the kid was young enough to be checking out colleges. He loved his kids, but the thought of Tim or Cassandra with near-limitless power was terrifying. It wasn't fair to judge Jaime based on that, but the entire situation made him uneasy. And now, the lives of everyone in that station were in their hands.
"Stay back. Don't do anything until I tell you."
Batman swung into the station, with Jaime following him. Killer Croc was looming over an elderly woman.
"Nice ring, lady! Take it off or I take the whole arm!"
"It's over, Waylon. You're going back to Arkham."
With a roar, Croc grabbed the woman and hurled her towards the tracks. Batman leapt forward, pulling her back before she could fall. Before he could get his footing back, however, Killer Croc was on top of him, pushing his head over the edge of the tracks. Batman could see the light of an oncoming train in the distance...
Suddenly, Croc was hit by a massive energy blast knocking him clear across the platform and wrecking several columns along the way. He slumped to the ground unconscious as Jaime sheepishly waved at Batman.
"There wasn't any low-intensity blast you could have used?"
"That...was low-intensity. I just kind of figured, you were about to get hit by a train, and - "
Batman nodded. "Actually, I had figured three ways out of that situation, and was just settling on the best. But I appreciate the effort."
"Yeah...I should really get out of Gotham as soon as humanly possible, shouldn't I?"
"There's a reason every single member of Gotham's heroes undergoes years of training with me, and those that don't usually don't last long. It's not an easy city to protect. You're doing good work in El Paso, and you should keep doing it. But raw power doesn't work in Gotham. You beat these criminals by staying one step ahead of them."
"Yeah, I figured. Look, I'll be gone tomorrow, and - "
"Gotham State University is a world class school. If you do decide to go there, once you have a year's seasoning under your belt...come see me, and we'll talk about getting you ready."
Jaime's eyes went wide. "Wait, so you'd train me Gotham style? Awesome!"
"Trust me, you won't think so after the first day."
"So I'd get to see the Batcave?"
"Not for the first two weeks. Go home, get some sleep, and leave Gotham to me tonight. And don't be so hard on yourself."
"Really?"
"Yes. Ask Robin - that's my job."
Jaime cocked an eyebrow at Batman. "Was that actually a joke?"
There was no response, and Jaime didn't really expect one. Instead, Batman raised his grappling hook, fired, and swung out of view.
"Wow. Robin's never going to believe this."
As Jaime took off into the Gotham night sky, he could see the Bat-signal shining in the distance. Batman's night was just beginning. Gotham was an exciting city, and it needed a hero like Batman to protect it. But right now, he was glad that tomorrow he'd be heading back to El Paso. Maybe one day he'd be ready to be one of Gotham's protectors, but for right now, he was just glad that Scarab's built-in recorders were there to provide proof to Paco and Brenda that he actually had teamed up with Batman.