This DCverse is Maddening

(A/N: Here goes a late Christmas Present! Enjoy!)

A brown haired youth could be seen in a small corner of the grandiose library, surrounded on all sides by books and maps of a multitude of kinds. Loose papers etched with sloppy handwriting littered the table adding to the seemingly chaotic mess.

The teen sighed in defeat as he set the down the book, hearing the familiar bell and closing announcement. Quickly, Albert shoved slips of papers into folders and left the books on a neat pile to the side.

‘The things I do for progress.’

Today, he had tried something a bit different than his normal constant stream of reading. And instead decided to actually study the material. So that’s what he did. After taking notes and simplifying the information, it didn’t take long for him to be wholly consumed by the activity. Hours went by without his notice and only now that the bells had wrong, did it shake him out of his stupor. Immediately feeling incredibly mentally drained.

‘All I want to do is eat and sleep right now..’

But it seems life wouldn’t allow it to be. The consistent vibration of his phone told him that he would have plans this evening.

‘We got a match, meet us at the **** bus stop’ – Marceline

He groaned audibly at the text, truly knowing his plans of an early bedtime would be forced back into unreasonable hour territory. Again.

‘Got it.’

Albert sent back, hoping his terse reply would showcase his displeasure at the situation.

‘Why not complete the set of disappointments?”

And pulled up his status sheet.

[Albert Nelson

HP: 20/20

MP: 9/9

SAN: 41/45

LCK: 45/45

IP: 1

Skills:

- Appraise: 25%

- Art/Craft (Photography): 55%

- Disguise: 20%

- Fire Arms (Handgun): 60%

- Library Use: 60%

- Listen: 30%

- Navigate: 16%

- Occult: 35%

- Psychology: 50%

- Spot Hidden: 60%

- Stealth: 41%

Talents:

- Resourceful

- Lucky

Cthulhu Mythos: 0%]

(A/N: People might think that he’s growing incredibly slow. But that’s kind of the point. Skills are incredibly powerful in CoC and Pulp Cthulhu. It’s why skills are generally restricted to 90% due to how they can completely trivialize an encounter. Combat or investigation.)

“Huh?!”

At first confusion caused his mind to short circuit before pain gripped at his heart.

‘All those points, for nothing?!’

Indeed, in just one day of this new method he had increased Navigate up by a full two percent! All without spending a single IP! Joy, anger, regret and depression warred internally.

But all these emotions cooled into stagnant resignation. At least he had a path to follow instead of flailing about wildly.

‘At least it was better I figured this out early, I couldn’t imagine what I might’ve done if I found out years from now.’

He intended to start combining this method with IP in future and soon actually start using it in real life situations. Hiking off trail sounded just about right.

After a brief jog-er-fast-walk, Albert found himself covered in a light sheen of sweat and huffing in such a way that it felt like he would cough up a lung. Silently vowing to start incorporating excerise into his daily routine from this onward.

‘Not like I didn’t vow to do the same in that alley..’

He mused self-deprecatingly, taking in large mouthfuls of precious air.

“There he is!”

A deep voice call out to him, drawing him out of his gasping fish impression. Before him a group of four teenagers meandered their way to his location. One stood tall and imposing, another skinny as a bean pole, one more tall and athletic while the last was short and demure looking.

“H-hey Albert!”

Steve wore faded jeans that looked incredibly baggy on his frame, along with a white t-shirt that had the iconic red and blue ‘S’ on its center.

“Let’s cut to the chase.”

Angeline, the tall blonde girl had on a simple green tracksuit zipped all the way up to her chin.

“We found his son,” Marceline said, fiddling with her sweatpants draw string,” And he agreed to meet with us.”

“Oh no.” Michael crossed his massive arms over his equally large chest,” Tell him everything.”

It didn’t take a genius to tell how upset the tall teen was nor did it take a supernaturally jumped up Psychology skill. Albert noticed the tense atmosphere and the two girl’s suddenly sheepish expressions.

“What happened?”

He questioned.

“He DID agree to talk..”

The brunette huffed.

“FOR 800 dollars?!”

The giant exclaimed, spinning Albert in a world of shock.

“It’s not that much...”

Angeline looked to the side timidly.

“J-just because your family is well o-off,” Steve said with an out of character look of seriousness lacing every inch of his face,” D-doesn’t mean you s-should let people take a-advantage of you.”

“It was the only way,” The blonde couldn’t keep eye contact with the teen and turned her head to the side,” We need to get this done as fast possible..”

“She’s right,” Marceline came to friends’ defense,” I don’t like the situation but we were put into a bind. Money was the only way to make him willing to talk. Plus besides, the money wasn’t just given to us.”

“What do you mean?”

Albert asked.

“My mom wasn’t willing to just hand out that amount of money,” Angeline explained,” So she loaned it to us and now we’re going to have to work for her for the rest of the summer.”

“Ah..” Michael winced in sympathy,” I’m sorry Lin..”

“It’s not a big deal,” She smiled thinly,” Just enjoy the rest of your guys’ vacation.”

“N-no.” Steve denied,” If it’s a loan, w-we’ll help you pay it b-back.”

“We will?” The giant looked bewildered, before noticing the determined look on the lanky teen’s face and amended his statement,” I mean, we will.”

“But how?”

Marceline inquired.

“I d-don’t know,” He shrugged, pushing his glasses up further on his nose,” We’ll w-work around her h-house or something. She w-won’t say no, especially if we work for cheap.”

“Right.”

Michael didn’t look anywhere as enthused as his leader did, and was probably regretting ever bringing up the issue.

“Well…”Albert interjected, noticing the bus that was beginning to pull up to them,” I don’t mean to interrupt but it seems our ride is here.”

(A/N: I’m not sure if I want to keep this part tbh, I don’t really know how to write drama and this was my first time trying. To me, my dialogue and transitions between scenes feels incredibly clunky. I wanted to give the reader a deeper insight into this group dynamics, as a way to give life to the world. I’ll most likely come back to this scene and rewrite it once I get better at writing dramas.)

It really was awkward to be in the middle of this groups internal squabbling as an outsider. He felt like there was a lot of things left unsaid during that conversation and didn’t get the undertone at all. Frankly, he was glad when the bus arrival had smothered their bickering.

After they found a seat on the bus, the unpleasant silence was shattered by Steve’s voice.

“W-what can you tell us about him?”

“Gerald is dead,” Angeline quickly spoke first,” Has been for almost ten years now.”

“But he had a son,” Marceline added,” So we’ll talk to him instead.”

“Are we sure he’ll know anything?”

Albert questioned.

“He will,” Michael murmured,” It might take some prodding but sometimes, parents odd behavior can be considered normal until you move out and someone asks you.”

The young investigator had to agree on that point, the mind was truly amazing in that regard. Show it something weird enough times it’ll start considering it mundane and just toss it aside. Then when its faced with the facts, all those unconscious defenses come tumbling down revealing the strangeness. Like how some people have knives next to their toilets to help chop up turds, commonly called a ‘poop knife’. (A/N: You’re welcome XD)

“W-what about a spouse?”

Steve inquired, slowly loosing the tension on his shoulders as the conversation went on.

“His wife is still alive,” The blonde informed,” She’s in a retirement home outside of Gotham.”

“The son said he would be willing to meet with us in the evening.”

Marceline mentioned.

“What’s his name?”

“Desmond Berg.”

***********************************************************************************

When the group had finally gotten off the bus, the evening hue engulfed the dilapidated buildings in an orange smog. Garbage practically spilled out of the nearby ally ways. Broken glass, boarded up windows and graffiti. All this combined made Albert glad that he hadn’t wondered to this side of town alone. Else, his body would’ve been found in the middle of the road instead of in an alley.

And judging from how quickly the bus driver hit the gas pedal and zipped out of the neighborhood, he wasn’t the only one feeling that tinge of danger tinged desperation. Looking around the rundown neighborhood, it further solidified his decision to get his hands on some kind of weapon in the future.

For now, all he could do is cozy up next to the most dangerous person in their group.

“What are you doing?”

The blonde quirked her eyebrow at the private eyes antics.

“You have something to protect us right?”

It wasn’t hard to see the obvious bulge under her arm, especially with his high Spot Hidden skill.

“Isn’t it suppose to be you who protects us?”

Marceline fluttered her eyes innocently, giving her the appearance of a doe.

“I’m a pursuer of true gender equality.”

He quipped back, ignoring the incredulous glances he got in turn from his statement. Albert was aware of exactly how dangerous this world was and expecting someone’s gender to indicate how dangerous they were was the height of tomfoolery.

“Let’s focus.”

Michael took on a slightly different stance, puffing his chest out and widening his arms out wider. Instantly making himself seem bigger than he normally was.

And off they went, judging from how nobody messed with them as they walked Albert could pretty accurately tell their little ploy had at least somewhat worked. No one bothered them whatsoever, probably scared off by the sheer size of the teen, it wasn’t strange in fact to call him a miniature giant.

‘It’ll be funny or scary depending on what his spark will awaken into..’

“This way.”

Angeline pointed off to side, towards a rundown apartment building. Old faded brick and cracked windows. Rusted and long decayed fire escapes hung limply of the side of the wall. Now that they were closer to their goal, Albert felt as though dozen of malicious eyes had locked their gazes on to the group. He could spot atleast one despair aged person glaring with long dead mercy, their minds fixated on one thing in this moment. Possible continued survival. How many more there were, he didn’t know.

It was like a breathe of fresh relief when they entered the structure, except of course the smell of pungent mildew speared into their sinuses.

‘Yep, that’s mold.’

“Let’s hurry up,” Michael warned, his head facing the closed door,” I don’t think a piece of wood is going to stop them.”

There didn’t have to be a response to the obvious, and they quicken their pace up some creaky stairs. Until eventually, only a single door stood between them and the answers they sought. The obstacle didn’t look out of the ordinary, made of some sort wood painted over with a chipping layer of white. A long overused welcome mat laid at its feet, the ‘W’ practically shredded into an unrecognizable mess.

Just as they were prepared to knock after much silent deliberations, when the choice was taken out of their hands. The door opened and in way stood the embodiment of sin itself. She stood incredibly tall, almost reaching Michael’s towering posture. Her blue intricate dress hugged at the curves and bust that drew the eye. An audible collective followed that realization.

Long, flowing black hair framed sharp cheek bones and a small nose. Her eyebrows and red painted nails were perfectly groomed. Calculating blue eyes stared down at the group of youngsters, the hardness in them swept away any attraction Albert might’ve felt for her. Like a cold front crashing into beach-goers, goosebumps rose across his skin. This was an incredibly dangerous woman and frankly, he was glad her seductive smile wasn’t trained on him.

“Ain’t you a big one..” She purred, eyeing the blushing giant,” How old are you?”

“Umm,” For once, the chatterbox of a teen was flustered and stumbled over his words,” Sixteen ma’am.”

“Ma’am?” The woman quirked her manicured eyebrow,” You’re awfully polite, if you we-”

“Enough Catherine,” A deep voice warned from further inside,” They’re kids.”

“Fine,” She shrugged her shoulders and walked outside. Her presence was enough for them to split like the Red Sea, some of them probably not aware of why they did so. Catherine smirked slightly over her shoulder as she sashayed away,” Think about my offer Des.”

And like a heavy storm, she left uncertainty and anxiety in her wake. With her back to them, it made it readily apparent that the dress she wore was open back exposing the wild array of flowers that spanned everything in sight.

Albert dragged his gaze away from the incarnation of desire and saw Michael’s savior, but judging from the youths’ expression it wasn’t appreciated. The man in the door way had a small scowl on his hard face. Muscled arms, covered in tattoos of their own, laid crossed on his tanned well defined chest. Short black hair with his side shaved really emphasized a square jaw.

“Come in,” ‘Des’ spoke gruffly,” I gotta go to work in a bit so make it fast.”

He then ushered the group of dazed youths into his apartment, showcasing a small room with a single beat up couch in front of a large television. Clothes, beer bottles, empty cigarette packets laid littered across the floor. The news played with barely a whisper, probably only really used as background noise to fill the silent room. Photos of the man and an older woman hung from the walls and occasionally in frames sitting upright on some tables nearby. On the other end of the room, a single door laid ajar giving them a peak into a dark bedroom. To the side, the kitchen was a clear difference from anything else.

Whereas the rest of the apartment was messy, that room was sparkling clean. The dishes were freshly cleaned and drying in a rack. The faint scent of soap and food filled their noses. The tiled floor positively shined under the ambient evening light.

The muscle bound man then stalked his way over to the window and peaked his head outside.

“Hey you cockroaches!” His deep voice struck out like thunder,” Their with me!”

With that, he turned and gestured for them to take a seat as he leaned his large frame against the window seal.

“What can I do for you kids?” He smiled,” But first…”

“Yep,” Angeline reached into her bag and pulled out a bulging envelope,” Here you go.”

“Much appreciated miss.”

He peeked inside and nodded in agreement at the amount.

“Ask away, but I only have an hour or so.”

“Okay,” The blonde didn’t want or need to mince words,” Tell us about your father.”

Really, with this amount of money there simply wasn’t any reason to hedge or step around certain topics. But with that one request, Desmond’s countenance dropped.

“Why?”

He asked, muscles tensing in readiness.

“We think he was responsible or involved in a murder.”

Angeline quickly added, fingers twitching towards the bulge on her side. For a heartbeat, Albert thought this would devolve into violence and frankly didn’t favor their odds of winning against the bruiser.

“That explains it then.”

He sighed, looking as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The hard lines melted back into his flesh and smoothed out. Confusion filled Albert at the sudden change and judging from the group of teens, he wasn’t alone in this.

“C-could you explain?”

Steve asked.

“I’ve always knew my old man was a bastard,” He shrugged,” I’ll explain but where do you want me to begin?”

“Preferably,” Marceline suggested,” Any strange behavior you noticed growing up.”

“Sure,” Desmond took a deep breathe and continued,” My old man and I never got along. No matter how much my mother tried. I didn’t know why at the time but I felt incredibly wary around him. It didn’t matter how genuine his smile seem to be. How my mother got involved with him, I won’t even pretend to understand. She’s a gentle soul, would frequently just bring spiders and rats out of the house instead of killing them.”

The tattooed man looked into the distance fondly at the mention of his mother, a gentle out of place smile creeping across chapped lips before shake himself out of it. A hard edge entered his tone when he continued.

“I felt this way ever since I could remember and apparently animals could sense it too. Every single pet my mother got, freaked out and ran away from the man. Literally biting and scratching out of either of our arms to strengthen the distance between them and him. Apparently, they could sense that he was bad news. I tried to bring it up to my mother, but she was too blindly in love with the man to see something wasn’t right with him. It caused many arguments between us until eventually when I became eighteen, I immediately joined the military just to get away from them. That time I spent outside of Gotham was probably the best time of my life. I got to travel the world, meet new people and eat foreign food. That’s a little joke if you couldn’t tell. Being deployed overseas is the worst. You never know what’ll happen. One moment you could be talking to your bud, then the next he’s missing half his head. And now you’re stuck in a fire fight.”

Desmond then looked at all of us, a haunted look in his eye at the recollection.

“If any of you plan to serve. Don’t. Unless it’s something you’re REALLY passionate about, don’t use it as a way to run away. Else you’ll see some thing..”

He shook off his morose thoughts and continued with his tale.

“Anyway, I came back after being deployed repeatedly for three years and only had one destination on my mind. I didn’t care how uncomfortable the old man made me, that wouldn’t stop me from seeing my mother. She made me my favorite dish that night. But I couldn’t enjoy it. Why you might ask? Because I finally understood something. All these years of wariness and how strange he was finally clicked. He gave off the same feeling as those people. I’m a killer don’t get me wrong, but he felt...different. It’s like how a murderer and a soldier has a slightly different air. One killed because of duty while the other, passion? Anyway after that I decided to keep a closer eye on my mother, realizing exactly how much danger she was in. Apparently I didn’t have to worry. He died three years later. Something about a heart problem. Even after his death, he still caused some problems. My mother fell in on herself and slowly became incapable of taking care of herself. I took care of her on my own for as long as possible, but alas sometime you need the professionals to handle things like this. I put in her in her home outside of Gotham, it nearly took everything I had earned, work in a field I despise and forced me to living in this shit hole.”

“But just seeing a couple times a week is more than worth the price. That was almost eight or nine years ago.”

After his tail, it took them awhile to digest all the information given. Albert could tell the man hadn’t told them everything, but that was a given his time in the military. Given from this information alone, it wasn’t enough for the Marian Gran’s death to be placed at Gerald’s feet. They needed more.

“Do you still have any photos of him?” Albert asked,” Or do you remember him wearing something out of character?”

“Hmmm...” Desmond rubbed his square jaw in thought,” Give me a minute, I do have an album sitting around somewhere..”

Then the large man took a few long strides and entered into the dark bedroom. With him gone, the group began to quietly converse among themselves.

“Do you think he did it?”

Michael inquired.

“I-I don’t know,” Steve replied,” I-it’s likely he was i-involved but we won’t ever k-know what really happened t-that night.”

“If only Mari-” Marceline cut herself off,” Our source could remember, but it’s been so long.”

“I think he did it,” Angeline stated absolutely sure,” If even dogs avoided him like the plague, he has to be bad news!”

“Just because someone is weird doesn’t mean they’re a murderer...” Albert decided to play devil’s advocate in the situation. Even though his thoughts and collected clues were pressing him in a certain direction, he needed to keep an open mind. There could be any degree of twists coming their way.

“True,” The brunette smirked,” Else all of us would be a group of serial killers.”

“I-I resent that.” The lanky teen quipped,” Nothing I d-do is weird.”

“Dude,” The giant looked at his friend in consternation,” You put mayonnaise on your hot dogs.”

“What?” Now it was time for the blonde to look at him in horror,” Really?”

“Wa-”

But they would never hear Steve’s defense as a heavy book was plopped down on the table before them.

“Sorry not sorry to interrupt,” Desmond smirked,” You can look through this.”

“Why did you keep these photos if you didn’t get along with your father?”

Michael questioned while Steve began to flip through the photo album.

“I always go back and forth between burning his photos and keeping them.” He shrugged,” But it comes down to the fact that my mother loves this thing.”

“Do you have anything you want to add to help?”

Angeline prodded, leaving the search to the green eyed teen.

“Just some advice,” The man looked directly at the towering teen,” Stay away from Catherine.”

“Wha?”

“Don’t get me wrong,” He forestalled the coming storm,” She’s trouble. Like really, really bad trouble. Not something you should involve yourself in.”

“Like what if I might ask?”

Albert really wanted know what about this woman made his hair stand on in.

“She’s the manager at the Iceberg Lounge.” He intoned,” My boss for the last five years.”

That name drop caused a the somewhat cheerful countenance to be drained out of them. Albert did know how famous this bar was, but given his memories it was the primary headquarters of one Gotham’s hidden crime boss. Oswald Cobblepot, or better known at ‘The Penguin’. But don’t call him that to his face or else….

Looking at the serious look on Desmond and the pale faces of the teens, he decided to ask them what they knew about the club. It didn’t seem like a good idea at the moment. If that wasn’t bad enough news, Steve broke into the conversation. His face looked clammy and pale as a ghost. Sweat trickled down his brow.

“Hey guys…”