To those who were residents of Gotham, anything on the news about activity in the city of crime could only be chalked up to bad news, because it was expected of a city that looked like it was literally cursed. Robbery, murder, or just the occasional news of Batman stopping a supervillain and disappearing into the darkness. Who'd expected anything more than that?
Imagine the shock and awe among both residents and non-residents alike when the news exploded with reports of strange creatures protecting and saving the people of Gotham.
---
TV station
The TVs in the store window simultaneously flickered to life, displaying the logo for the Gotham City News. This made some of the passersby stop with curiosity. The screen changed to show a woman ready for the camera, her eyes filled with a reporter's excitement about the information she was about to reveal.
"Good evening." The woman spoke with confident enthusiasm. "This is reporter Vicki Vale, reporting to you live from the Gotham Gazette. For a city that has seen giant crocodiles and men made of clay, you'd think we were hard to surprise. But today, the skyline belongs to something… alien."
A section of the screen changed to show footage of a burning apartment building. The brave firefighters were pulling out the residents as they desperately tried to put out the fire. The camera view shifts upward when someone in the background points to something descending from the sky. Its path wasn't random. The flight path was too deliberate. When it came closer, everyone saw a figure made of fire descending on a stone platform.
"You all remember this one, folks." Vicki spoke, gesturing to the footage. "The same one that turned the heat up on Mr. Freeze."
The footage continued to display the figure jumping off the platform and charging into the building. In the background, the panic voice on the civilians and firefighters could be heard since logic dictates that this would only make the fire worse. However, that turned out not to be the case. Not too long after the figure entered the apartment, the flames that were consuming the building suddenly died. This phenomenon shocked everyone. The remaining residences that were still in the apartment started running out of the building, coughing from the smoke but alive. Behind them came the flaming figure, as if it was making sure everyone got out.
On screen, some people were wary of the creature, but words of gratitude could also be heard from other saved civilians. After making sure the people were ok, the figure stepped back onto its platform which became engulfed in flames. The fire flew off into the distance.
"Talk about an act of heroism." Vicki commented in an amused tone. "Who would've expected to see a being made out of fire put out a fire. Is this another pyro-vigilante or a fire we won't be able to put out?"
The screen changes to show a construction site on the East End. One of the supports on a building that was in the process of being constructed had been compromised, resulting in cracks forming and the structure becoming unstable with meant the crew had to evacuate. The structure was moments from coming down and not all the crew had evacuated yet. Just as all hope seemed lost, something unexpected arrived at the scene. In the distance, the sound of something landing hard on the ground was heard. The camera turned to the source and what everyone saw shocked them. a four-armed red behemoth. The footage showed the behemoth running to the construction site to the damaged support. Everyone watched with awe as the giant raised its four massive arms to the ceiling to keep the structure from collapsing. This allowed the remaining crew members to escape the structure and get a safe distance. Once the giant was sure that everyone was out of harm's way, it didn't just let go of the structure; it used its two lower arms to grab a few nearby support beams before using them to reinforce the collapsing part of the structure. The giant let go, but the structure didn't collapse.
The people cheered and thanked the giant before it super jumped away from the scene.
"Now, that's what I call heavy lifting." Vicki quipped, causing some of the viewers to chuckle.
"It's reported that there were no fatalities in the collapse." She added.
The footage changes to show a robbery at a Gotham National Bank. GCPD arrived on scene but can't enter because the people inside are being held hostage. Not only that but the hostages are wearing explosive vests. The lead robber has stated their demands for the police not to interfere or else the hostages will be blown to kingdom come.
What happened next occurred too fast for the cameras to register. What the cameras showed was a blue blur rushing inside the bank. In an instant, the hostages were outside with their explosive vests removed. Not far from them were the robbers, all restrained with handcuffs.
"Talk about a speedy delivery." Vicki commented with an amused smile. "While it couldn't be seen on screen, the analyst managed to magnify the image so that we could get a clear view."
The screen showed an image that was still blurred but visible enough to identify. What the people saw was a black and blue velociraptor-like creature.
"There you have it, folks. It looks like we have some vigilante heroes in our midst." Vicki continued and the images disappeared. "The question remains: are there more of these creatures? Are they here to stay or are they just passing through? And more importantly, what does Batman think of the new competition? I'm Vicki Vale from GCN. Stay safe, Gotham and stay tuned for more information regarding these creatures."
---
In the sanctity of his apartment, Devin was in one of the rooms of his apartment working on a project. In the room he was in, he stood among discarded PCs and monitors that he got from the junkyard.
His body shifted. His flesh liquefied into a lattice of techno-organic black and green nanites. He was Upgrade.
"Let's get started." He said in an excited digitized tone. His body surged towards the broken equipment, his composition becoming almost liquid as his nanites flowed into the gutted PCs and shattered monitors. Within seconds, the nanites in his body identified every hairline fracture in the glass and every blown capacitor. With a rhythmic pulse of green light, the screens smoothed, the dead pixels reigniting as he bridged the broken connections with his own conductive mass. The 'junk' was no longer broken. It was factory new, humming with steady, synchronized power.
Devin detached from the restored computers. His form shifted again; the Galvanic Mechamorph transformation became smaller. His skin turned grey and his height was barely five inches tall. Now, as Grey Matter, his mind expanded into a hyper-calculated state.
As he took in the sight of the repaired devices, he couldn't help but think how primitive the technology is.
"Crude." Devin squeaked, his voice high-pitched and analytical. "The data transfer rate is limited by 21st-century physics. We'll have to fix that." he grinned.
He scrambled over to the towers, his tiny fingers moving with blurring speed. He wasn't just trying to fix things now; he was redesigning. He used a piece of discarded copper wire to create a series of sub-spatial loops, bypassing the motherboard's original pathways. He had turned pieces of junk into a supercomputer.
Now that it was repaired and recalibrated, it was time to optimize it.
Devin changed back to Upgrade. He flowed back onto the redesigned computer, his nanites following the complex man his Galvan form laid out. His nanites didn't just cover the surface; they bonded with the silicon on a molecular level. The monitors didn't just turn on; they expanded, their frames shifting into liquid metal that projected massive, hard-light holographic interfaces. What used to be junk was now a level 10 supercomputer that floated a few inches off the ground, humming with a low-frequency pulse.
Devin detached from the computer that pulsed with green energy and changed back to human. he had a proud expression as he looked at what he had just created. he made sure its energy couldn't be detected by any scanners.
"This'll make my operations and future projects much easier." Devin said with anticipation and determination. He constructed this computer to help him in the hero gig. He needed to be prepared and he was going to use everything at his disposal.
He tapped a button on the console and the supercomputer began to shift. The level 10 technology compressed, taking the form of an ordinary-looking, palm-sized black cube. He picked it up and held it.
"Easy transportation." Devin chuckled. No one would ever guess that he's carrying a level 10 supercomputer in his pocket.
He looked at his phone and checked the time. It was an hour past noon. He didn't have anything specific planned today and didn't feel like staying inside.
"I think I'll take a stroll around the neighborhood." Devin said before grabbing his jacket and leaving his apartment.
---
The sun sat low over the jagged Gotham skyline, casting long, golden-orange fingers through the narrow gaps between the brownstones. It was a rare moment of aesthetic beauty in a neighborhood usually defined by the color of wet soot.
Devin walked with a steady, measured gait. He wasn't just walking, he was navigating. His eyes scanned the rooftops for silhouettes and checked the darkened recessed doorways of abandoned storefronts. His right hand remained buried in his jacket pocket, his fingers curled around a heavy, industrial-grade steel lug nut he'd salvaged. If things went sideways, one touch was all it took to turn his skin into a weapon.
But for now, the air was still. The only sound was the distant rhythm of the elevated train and the crunch of glass under his sneakers.
As he turned the corner near an old, boarded-up theater, the "peace" of the afternoon met the harsh reality of the city. Slumped against the graffiti-covered brick was a woman. She looked weathered, her coat several sizes too large and stained by the elements. In her hands, she held a piece of ragged cardboard with a simple, desperate plea:
HUNGRY. 2 CHILDREN. ANYTHING HELPS. GOD BLESS.
Huddled beside her were two small children, a boy and a girl. They were unnervingly quiet, their eyes wide and hollow in a way no child's should be. They weren't crying; they were past that stage, settled into the lethargic stillness of true malnutrition.
It hit him with a sharp, cold pang of empathy.
He walked towards the small family, his moral compass set on what he needed to do.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, the woman looked up, her expression guarded, expecting a lecture or a dismissive glance. Instead, Devin pulled his hand away from the steel in his pocket and stepped closer, softening his features.
"Excuse me, Miss." Devin spoke softly so as not to frighten the children. "I was just heading to get myself something to eat. There's a family-owned bodega not far from here. If you're willing to walk with me, I'll be whatever you and your children can carry."
The woman's breath hitched. She looked at her children, then back at Devin, her eyes searching for any signs of deception or ulterior motives. Finding none, she stood up with a shaky effort, clutching her sign like a shield. "You... you don't have to do that, young man."
"I know I don't have to." Devin replied, his smile was warm and genuine. "I'm doing it because I want to and because I believe a little kindness can go a long way."
The woman was taken aback by his words and the conviction with which he spoke them. As someone who lived in Gotham for most of her life, seeing such kindness and humility was like finding a pristine $100 bill at the bottom of a trash can. She looked at her children, whose eyes were flickering with hope and desperation.
"You… you have no idea how you're helping us." the woman spoke, her voice trembling and her eyes filled with unshed tears. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." Devin said with a humble smile and gestured in the direction of the bodega. "Let's go."
They all walked with purpose as they made their way to the establishment to enjoy a meal. Devin's thoughts drifted into the life he had stepped into and his choice to be a hero. Helping this family made him realize something important.
"It's now about stopping the villain and saving the day." He said internally. "It's about how to make the lives of those around us better."
"That's what it means to be a hero."