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Attack on Drom
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A/N:
You know, it's okay to not be okay. That having anxiety, depression, stress, or conflicting emotions around yourself is not normal and should not be normal, but understand that it is human.
As an evolving society, we face complications and struggles on a daily basis. The people we meet and associate with on a daily basis can all have an impact on our mentality, so we need to look out for those we care about. Especially when they aren't coping.
Don't try to solve their problems or force them to talk to you. It presses them and makes them feel like a burden and that they have to act OK. Instead, listen when they do talk and ensure that you don't, from then on, make them feel like a freak by focusing on what they discussed.
Don't use "why" questions, but instead change them to "what made you feel this way" and/or "how can I help you?". They still ask what you want to know and this lets them express themselves without the confronting feeling of feeling like it is their fault. Because who likes being asked why there's something wrong with them?
This is most definitely boring you and you probably want to get back to the story, but I've been having an off week and felt that maybe someone else is too. So remember that yes, it's hard now, you feel tired and angry with the world. I get it more than you may like to believe. But remember that where there is good and joy, there are tools and mechanisms you can use to retrieve that spark you lost.
It could be: following an idol group, watching dramas, learning how to cook and bake, picking up old hobbies or finding new ones, making art, getting a job you love, perusing education, reading all the books you could ever want.
It may be hard, and I have no right to tell you how to live your life. Nor do I know what it is like. But I hope this might have helped as it helped me once. Remember that every small achievement is still an accomplishment. Going to work, doing your routine, texting a friend, or keeping your room clean. Everything is a step towards something, and you should treat yourself like the biggest winner there is for not giving in.
Sorry for the interruption. I hope you like the chapter.
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For the next few days the villains who joined the fight against the alien threat had become extremely versatile allies. Utilizing all the connections they had among the underworld to gather information on the enemy. Together they became the AAD, Alliance Against Droom. Which in hindsight sounded like it stood for some kind of addiction service.
Everything the alliance did screamed illegal, mainly because it was. From intimidating civilians, torturing and maiming, hacking into government sites, stealing, breaking and entering, ect. But as much as the Bat-family complained, in the end, it was all helpful, and frankly, they wanted to avoid Jocelyn's lecturing. The girl was growing attached to the villains and any petty squabbles between the two sides would be quickly shut down by her mighty fist and heated glare.
Not everyone lived on base with Jocelyn, the base being the warehouse because they still had territories to protect. But as the Drom slowly creeped their ways out of the gutters, it became clear just how integrated into society they had become.
The Penguin had come crashing into the warehouse in near tears with one of his henchmen tied up claiming it had been switched with a Drom. Jocelyn had comforted the man whilst interrogating the Drom spy, the man hollering about how angry he was.
The bats honestly couldn't blame the man, no matter how annoying and despicable he was. Finding out someone among you had been killed and replaced by a murderous alien? Yeah, even they'd probably have a meltdown.
But it wasn't the only instance. One after another, more of the villains would come to the base dragging along numbers of their own or normal-looking civilians. As the swarm of captives grew it became clear that the situation was more out of hand than initially expected.
They were everywhere and anywhere, just waiting for the orders to be given so that they could attack within. It was only because the Drom couldn't change the shape of their pupils and the color of their blood that they could be discovered.
Everyone had a turn at interrogation. Like a bonding exercise, one would take over for another when they got tired. It was to Jocelyn's expectancy that the Drom wouldn't budge, their mouths firmly shut even when their skin was peeled from their flesh.
Heck, even she flinched when she got a papercut.
But, so as to not distress her comrades, she decided to use the experience as a form of training. It disturbed the bats with how excited she had been to literally cut open some of the Drom and give a full anatomy lesson but they were also very intrigued and amazed by how extensive her knowledge was.
She had turned into a mad genius, all in the name of team morale.
From anatomy lessons to one-kill techniques, she taught them all earnestly with a smile. At one stage they even set the Drom free into the forest and had a hide and seek game of who could catch/kill the most.
Yes, incredibly sick and twisted, but honestly, they had nothing better to do than train and prepare themselves for the upcoming endeavors. Plus, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the two sides of Gotham to bond!
Jocelyn had been worried that no matter how hard she tried, the two groups wouldn't work together without getting into a fight. It happened often enough that during training and trust exercises they would suddenly bring up past experiences and get into arguments and fistfights.
As mentioned, Jocelyn would usually stop it before it escalated further, but it never eased the tension. This is why she decided to do something drastic and lead them to a small Drom base that had been settled near the warehouse.
The groups had been excited about the upcoming collision. They wanted to show off and prove themselves stronger to the other group. Heroes vs Villains. But Jocelyn had other ideas in mind.
The villains had charged head-on while the bats stuck to the shadows. The Drom fell quickly, having been unprepared and left without orders from their higher force. It wasn't too easy either. The Drom were strong and used instinct alone to attack when they weren't being led.
That is, the group was essentially fighting hungry animals who had been cornered. A very bad mix that left many wounded and bruised. Jocelyn sat back and watched it all unfold. To be fair, she could have handled it on her own, but she wanted to see how they could handle it themselves.
A total of 600+ years of experience is a long time.
She looked expectantly towards Damian when Harley got pinned into a corner. Her bat wrapped in spiked wire had been tossed aside and a needle was pressed against her arm, a very familiar syringe containing a little black bug.
Damian stared at the struggling ex-villain and turned to continue helping his family when he sighed deeply and spun around. In his mind, a villain was always a villain, but that didn't mean he could stand by as someone now on his side got killed. It just didn't sit right after the time they all spent training together.
He stabbed the Drom through the back of its head and flung it off the end of his sword. The Drom slumped down dead, the syringe rolling across the ground. While Damian helped Harley to her feet, Jocelyn destroyed the squirming bug.
"Thanks, little Bat," Harley grinned as she ran away, ruffling his hair as she passed. Damián cursed her out, fixing his messy locks before returning to battle. Jocelyn smiled from her viewpoint above the chaos, glad that at least he didn't try to stab the villain too.
A similar situation happened between Cassandra and Bane when she, unfortunately, couldn't avoid getting injected with a Gu. While paralyzed, Bane carried her on his shoulders until Jocelyn could get close enough to destroy the bug before it could kill her friend.
Cassandra was more than perplexed and a little disturbed at how gentle the burly man had been. But the moment she was in safe hands, he quickly dropped her to the ground and bulldozed several Drom into a flat pancake.
When the fight was won and they finished destroying the base's collection of Gu, they headed back to the warehouse. No one kept quiet, loud cheering and discussing how amazing they had been, praising each other.
"Yoo little blonde, that was a nice combo you used back there!"
"Thanks muscle-head, I liked it when you crushed that alien skull between your hands."
"Red Robin, you looked delicious as always."
"Ra's, I swear to Yllora, I will hack into your accounts and drain all your assets."
"Bwahahahaha, the big scary assassin is being threatened by a little bird."
"Don't laugh, that little bird saved your ass earlier."
Jocelyn and Bruce stood side by side and smiled softly. Leaning at the entrance, they watched everyone interact peacefully. Though the man hated to admit it, the villains had been an amazing help and hadn't used the opportunity to double-cross them. It was actually working.
"You did good, Jocelyn." He leaned down and whispered in her hair. The skin turned red and the hairs on her neck were raised. She turned to look up at him and found his face close to hers.
"We did good, we all did good," she corrected and took his hand in hers to give a reassuring squeeze. She knew he was apprehensive and constantly on alert. He was afraid that their trust would be betrayed and that old habits would die hard. But he was giving this a chance, not just for her, but for Gotham.
"What did you think of the new special move I did, Jocelyn?" Harley's voice called out loudly over the noise. Jocelyn let her hand slip out of Bruce's as she walked to discuss the battle with those interested.
Jocelyn baked a large number of goodies for everyone to share as a reward. The rest of the day was spent giving others feedback on their skills and helping break down what they could do next time.
Comes to show how, in times of need, even the most unlikely of people can become allies.
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A/N: The next few chapters will be short and kind of boring but it's because I'm leaving the big flare till the final battle. Also, as per votes, I will be updating twice a week on a Monday and Thursday.
Word Count: 1,782
Published: 4/02/2022
Edited: 18/02/2022