The Bat and the Intruder
Obviously, finding the reason why Wanda's subconscious had sent them to another universe wasn't as simple as asking herself a question and waiting for the answer. That mystery would have to wait.
For now, Owen had to come up with a plan to survive in a new world without drawing too much attention. Of course, saying it was easy. Doing it… not so much.
"Fuuu…" Owen let out a long sigh, feeling a presence watching them from outside the window.
Carefully, he pulled the curtain open just a little. His eyes scanned the tall buildings surrounding the place… until they stopped on a figure crouched over a gargoyle. The bat. That guy seemed to have become obsessed with them. Not surprising: a paranoid who could outdo even Nick Fury.
"Wanda, can you use your magic and crush that bat?" Owen asked bluntly, as if the idea of staying unnoticed had already been thrown out the window. What he hated most was having someone constantly searching for his weaknesses.
"Why? Is he an enemy?" Wanda looked at him with clear concern.
"No, but he's annoying."
The witch stared at him, not moving a finger.
"If you don't want to, just say so." Owen smiled, shrugging his shoulders. His hand slid to his back and pulled out two gleaming daggers. "Then wait here. I'm going to have a chat with this universe's Fury."
Calmly, he adjusted his gloves, connected the daggers to their wires, and opened the window, ready to swing across buildings as he always did.
At that moment, he noticed something different in his body. His legs vibrated with a reddish energy that grew stronger by the second.
"Mmm?" Owen looked down, intrigued by the sensation. "Right… Bruce said something about vectors, compressed energy, evolution… I didn't pay attention, but it looks like I've finished my evolution." A smile spread across his face right before he launched himself forward.
The window frame shattered to pieces and, in a crimson flash, Owen vanished.
On the gargoyle, the bat had been observing everything since their first encounter. He saw the man prepare at the window… and then a red flash and an explosion that made him squint. Batman instantly pulled a device from his belt. The red flash cut through the sky at an impossible speed, and even mid-air, Owen propelled himself again, boosting his velocity before landing on the rooftop in front of him.
The impact cracked the ground beneath his boots.
"Wow… that was exciting. Not full flight, but not bad either." Owen looked at his hands, almost amused. "I wonder how lethal my attacks have become now."
Batman didn't answer. At first, he had thought Owen was a criminal or a kidnapper, but his impression changed quickly. What intrigued him most wasn't that Owen had discovered one of his mini drones, but the way he moved. That man wasn't an amateur: he had the precision and instincts of a soldier trained beyond human limits. His presence reminded Batman of his best teachers… only stronger.
And what bothered him even more was how Owen treated everything like a joke.
Batman's instincts didn't fail him: that man wasn't ordinary. He was someone who needed to be watched. Gotham couldn't take the risk.
"I've always been interested in your story," Owen said with mocking calm, staring directly at him. "Obsessive-compulsive, creating contingency plans for every ally, enemy… even your own teammates. Doesn't it get exhausting living like that?"
"You talk as if you knew me." Batman's grave voice resonated sharply.
Owen looked at him, barely smiling. "The last person who created contingencies against me without my permission… lost a ship worth the same as—" his eyes stopped on a large building in the distance, lit up with the name "Wayne Enterprises." "That company."
The bat narrowed his eyes and discreetly pressed a button on his glove, sending a silent signal.
Owen noticed and smiled inwardly. He must have taken it as a threat. This man really was prepared even for the words he heard.
"A headache in a cape," Owen muttered, exhaling in annoyance.
"Who are you, and what do you want here?" Batman asked, his tone sharp.
"None of your business." Owen gathered energy in his legs and vanished, reappearing right in front of him with his palm open, aimed directly at Batman's face.
Batman couldn't keep up with his speed, but he already had another device in hand. He activated it instantly.
Invisible traps around them came to life. Cables shot toward Owen's feet and a sonic screech blasted through the air.
But before they could catch him, Owen moved again and returned to his original spot as if nothing had happened. One of his daggers flew forward, piercing through the sonic trap before returning to his hand.
"Sorry, when someone's this serious, I just feel like messing with them." Owen grinned shamelessly. In that moment, he was clearly different: far from VITAE, from the Avengers, from the military… he no longer had to keep up appearances. Or maybe his evolution had simply freed him further. Either way, he was enjoying the game.
"Don't worry," he said with a relaxed gesture. "We won't stay here even a single day. We're not too fond of places where corruption runs wild, criminals walk in and out through the front door, and fugitives are practically celebrities."
With that last taunt, he walked calmly to the edge of the roof and leapt back toward the hotel. They would have to move again.
Batman followed him with narrowed eyes. His hand touched the belt, deactivating something else, but he never looked away from the man who had just intruded in his city.
…
"Wow, that was fun." Owen stepped through the half-destroyed window with complete nonchalance, as if nothing had happened. In his hand he held several batarangs, spinning one on his finger with a mocking gesture.
"I'm sure with the little I showed, by tomorrow he'll already have dozens of plans to beat me." He smiled calmly, enjoying the thought as if it were nothing more than a game.
Wanda watched him in silence. There was something different about him… freer, lighter than usual.
"Then let's leave this place," Owen said immediately, breaking the pause.
"Where to?" she asked with curiosity.
"I'll go back to my roots," he replied without hesitation. "I prefer places where the fewest superheroes are around. I've already gotten too mixed up with the idiots in our universe… and I don't intend to get tangled with the ones in this one either."
Wanda wanted to point out that those very words were what always dragged him into trouble, even in their own world. But seeing him so relaxed, almost happy, made her hold back. Better to let him enjoy the moment.
"We'd better escape before they charge us for the destruction," Owen added, placing one of the batarangs on the bed as if it were a signature on their way out. Then he peeked through the window and confirmed that Batman had already left. "You can fly, right?" he asked, looking at Wanda.
She hesitated. She ran a hand through her hair and looked away, visibly uncomfortable. "Maybe… maybe it's because you absorbed too much of my chaos energy. My magic is still a little unstable." She said it quietly, almost embarrassed.
Owen raised an eyebrow. He knew it didn't really make sense—the chaos magic came from an almost infinite source, a dimensional battery—but he didn't press her. There were more urgent matters.
He stepped closer to Wanda without warning, and she was startled when she felt him lift her up in his arms, like a princess. Her heart skipped unexpectedly.
With a confident smile, Owen jumped out the window and, using his new abilities, softened the fall with bursts of energy in the air, each leap steadier than the last, until they landed smoothly on the ground. He set her down gently.
"I'm starting to get a better handle on my new power," he said with satisfaction, while Wanda, her cheeks flushed, gave herself a couple of light slaps as if to wake up.
They walked together toward the nearest bus terminal. Of course, this was Gotham, so the trip wasn't exactly peaceful. Through alleys and corners, several criminals tried to mug them—some with rusty knives, others with improvised weapons, and even one lunatic who decided to throw himself at them completely naked.
Owen dealt with them all without breaking stride, knocking them out with precise blows and leaving their bodies sprawled on the pavement. He didn't even interrupt his conversation with Wanda; to him, those encounters were nothing more than routine nuisances in a rotten city.