OnAHiatus
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CHAPTER THIRTY: THE FINAL TEST
🕑 Added 2025-03-07 18:57:10 +0000 UTC“You’re seriously going alone?”
Spoiler’s voice held no anger, just exasperation tinged with something closer to concern. She stood on the rooftop, arms crossed, weight shifted slightly, shoulders rigid. Behind her, Gotham stretched into the night—steel and concrete bathed in neon and shadow, as cold and unyielding as the silence between them.
“Because I can list, like, ten reasons why that’s a terrible idea.”
Taylor finished securing her gear, double-checking the coordinates on the flickering tablet in her hand. Come if you dare.
“I need to know what he wants.”
Spoiler scoffed, her foot tapping against the concrete. “And what, I don’t? We just tore up his weapons drop. Now he’s giving you a personal invite? That doesn’t set off any alarms?”
“I’ll be careful.”
“No. You’ll be alone. And that’s a bad idea.”
Taylor met her gaze. “I can handle myself.”
Spoiler just stared at her for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. “Right. Because that’s always worked out great for everyone who’s ever taken a villain’s invitation.”
Taylor stiffened, but didn’t respond.
Spoiler let the silence hang between them for a beat before sighing. “Look, I get it. You want to handle this your way. But you don’t have to do it alone.”
Taylor adjusted her mask. “I do this, I get answers.”
Spoiler let out a sharp breath. “Great. And while you’re walking into an obvious trap, I get to deal with the fallout of what we pulled at Tricorner.” She tilted her head slightly as sirens began to wail in the distance. “Oracle’s patching me in—Black Mask’s trying to take advantage of Penguin's loss to claim more territory. Someone’s gotta slow them down.”
She took a step back, continuing, “So here’s an idea: let’s handle this first. Then we can deal with whatever game the Calculator’s playing. Preferably not on his terms.”
Taylor hesitated, but shook her head. “The longer I wait, the more control he has. If he wants me to play, I’d rather set the rules.”
At that moment, something unreadable flickered in the slump of Spoiler’s shoulders—anger, worry, or both—she turned, her cape snapping behind her. “Fine. Your call. Just don’t make me say ‘I told you so’ later.”
She fired her grapple and swung away without another word.
Taylor watched the spot where she had been, a pang of something unwelcome settling in her chest.
Then she turned toward the rendezvous point.
. . . . .
The warehouse was empty.
No guards. No signs of a meeting. Just silence, stretching through the abandoned space like a waiting predator.
Taylor moved cautiously, her steps echoing across cracked concrete. The air carried the scent of dust and rust, remnants of an industry long abandoned. And in the center of the room, stark against the emptiness, sat a small, metal case.
She approached, every muscle coiled, ready for anything.
Flipping it open revealed nothing inside except a simple screen, flickering to life as soon as she touched it.
A message.
This is your final test.
Her pulse spiked.
Then—
Boom.
The explosion ripped through the night, distant but unmistakable.
Taylor’s head snapped toward the source—the Narrows.
For half a second, she stood frozen, her mind catching up to the implications. The case, the message, the explosion—it all clicked.
She had never been the target.
Gotham was.
Her stomach twisted. The Calculator hadn’t just been testing her resolve or her skills. He’d been testing her priorities. And now, she had walked straight into a distraction. And the Narrows—crowded, vulnerable, already hanging on by a thread—was paying the price.
The ground beneath her trembled slightly, a faint tremor reaching even here. In the distance, an orange glow bloomed against the skyline, fire licking hungrily at the dark.
Taylor didn’t hesitate. She turned and sprinted from the warehouse, her heart pounding in time with her boots against the pavement.
She didn’t know what she’d find when she got there, but one thing was certain:
Blood must flow.
Comments
OnAHiatus
At a certain point, u just have to accept it as something that comes with long-running content
Disorder
Hard to create new villains, so gotta use the old ones over and over again. That's the problem with having a story that never ends.
OnAHiatus
I think the really troublesome ones are quietly disposed of, but that's just a headcanon. And yeah, DC really has a huge “villain of the week” problem
Disorder
To her frustration though, it's not because of a threat like the endbringers that villains are given more leeway - there are other reasons, but the endbringers is the main one. No, criminals in DC get out thanks to playing the system, where in Worm you either got sent to an inescapable prison or made into a hero.
OnAHiatus
To be fair, she's used to criminals not staying locked up for long or even arrested at all.
Disorder
Another lesson Taylor will learn and won't like at all is how hard it is to deal with crime in Gotham. These guys know how to play the system, so even if their beaten one day, they'll get out the next thanks to a combination of blackmail, political maneuvering and abuse of the law. These guys refuse to stay behind bars, and even if Taylor decided to go for the kill, well, these guys will be sure to strike back extra hard. Unlike Taylor, Gotham criminals will make it personal if someone really tries to deal with them permanently.
OnAHiatus
She will learn the lesson, whether she likes it or not. I'm glad you liked my addition
Disorder
Now we have a reason why Spoiler couldn't go. She had something else to take care of, and Taylor took advantage of that. She didn't want to play by the Calculators rules, but she's doing it anyway. You know, this made me realize that Taylor doesn't understand the crucial difference between Gotham villains and Brockton Bays villains. While the ones at the Bay weren't dumb exactly, they didn't have to put much effort in dealing with the heroes because they knew they had the advantage over them. Can't target one gang without leaving another to attack them. The advantage of a city being filled with more villains then heroes. In Gotham, the criminals learned that they have to set their plans up weeks, even months in advance if they really want to beat the dark knight. Batman is just that good, so they gotta plan for as many contingencies as possible to keep Batman from forcing them to play by his rules. Taylor is learning that the hard way.
OnAHiatus
Yeah, it is a bit out of character. Thanks for pointing that out
Disorder
Thanks. After all, Spoiler made it clear that she would do what she feels is best for the team.
OnAHiatus
Huh, then, I will add a few lines to it later today. Hopefully that will help explain it better
Disorder
Gotta say, Spoiler acted weird there, willing to let Taylor go alone even though she knew it was a bad idea. Kinda need an explanation for that. As for Taylor, well, the test begins. I'm thinking the League is having Calculator do this test to see if Taylor is willing to cross the line and kill to achieve her goals. After all, to be one of them requires more than just skill or strength, but to abandon petty morals for the greater good. I'm afraid Taylor won't dissapoint unless someone stops her from going back to her warlord phase.
