New York, David Shield's lab, 9:30 p.m....
David Shield was sitting in his lab, his head in his hands.
His thoughts kept wandering to this diabolical woman, this murderer who had killed his wife and saved his life...
This woman who repulsed him but who fascinated him just as much...
And that kiss.... Why hadn't he forgotten it? Why did it haunt him?
He felt like he was going crazy, crazy about.....
"Shiva.... What the hell did you do to me?" he asked anxiously.
The ringing of the phone pulled him out of his monologue and he picked it up with a tired sigh.
"Hello?" he said, wiping his face with his hand.
"Hello David," replied a voice filled with sweet venom.
David almost dropped his phone, his expression was indecipherable. He tried to control the timbre of his voice, which he knew was trembling.
"Shiva?"
"Yes, it's me... You missed me it seems...." Lady Shiva said mockingly.
"Where did you get my number?" asked David in a voice that wanted to be firm.
He heard a little amused laugh and damn him if this laugh did not give him chills...
"Another rhetorical question... You're so cute David..."
"Stop it!" cried David angrily.
"I'm just calling you to listen to your voice and tell you that little Grayson is with me..."
David's eyes widened in horror.....
"Dick.... Oh my god"
"Don't worry, he's in good hands... "
"What are you doing to his grandparents?! Answer me!!" cried David with a visceral fear that gnawed at him.
But it was too late, she had hung up...
"Daddy?" asked Melissa in a small voice as she entered the lab.
David was holding his head with trembling hands, what had happened there?
"Dad! What's going on?" asked Melissa with a grimace of anxiety as she saw her father in this state.
David called several times... But nothing helped, shiva was unreachable....
"Damn! Shiva!" cried David as he left the laboratory under Melissa's eyes, filled with worry.
"Who is Shiva?" she asked herself.
.....
Nebraska.....
A black car was moving on this almost deserted road, Lady Shiva was driving, her eyes fixed on the road while next to her, a phone vibrated with the sounds of repetitive ringing.
Shiva had his eyes fixed on the road, calm, unfazed as David's calls kept echoing in the vehicle.
Lady Shiva sighed with an equal mix of annoyance and amusement.
She stared at the dark-haired boy through the rearview mirror, a look that was both amused and deeply icy.
"David insists.... Do you want to talk to him?" she asked with a smirk.
Dick had his head down before raising it, staring shiva in the eyes, his gaze was indecipherable....
For a few seconds, the green eyes and the gray eyes clashed in a cold duel, then Dick lowered his eyes and stared at the road through the smoked glass.
Shiva analyzed him one last time before focusing on the road again.
*************×********************
Four hours later...
Shiva handed Dick a bag containing a sandwich and a carton of apple juice.
"You must be hungry, right? Eat this, we'll leave in thirty minutes" she ordered curtly. Dick looked at the sandwich for a few seconds and then asked in a soft but coldly distant voice.
"And you?"
A glimmer of amusement flashed through Shiva's eyes as she stared at the boy through the rearview mirror.
"I don't need it... Boy wonder," she said with a condescending smile.
A heavy silence took place, only disturbed by the sounds of Dick's chewing.
********************×***********×***********
A Nebraska road, 12:30 p.m...
"Hello?"
"Dick!! It's you?! Are you okay?!" cried Melissa's voice through the phone.
Dick smiled, he was happy to hear his best friend's voice. He glanced at Lady Shiva who was looking at the sky, her back propped up on her car.
"Dick.... Blue beetle and other heroes went to your grandparents' house and... Are you really sure?" asked Melissa in a knotted voice.
Dick sighed, he could perfectly guess Melissa's expression and it was unbearable to him but he had to do it... He had to change, to become stronger, formidable, he didn't want other people to go through what he had experienced.
He had known for a long time that he would never be a hero by the standards of heroic society.....
He will be the hero he wants to be....
Even if for that, he has to stay with a mercenary and a cold-blooded assassin...
"I promise you I'll be back..." he said firmly.
"Dick...."
"You know, Melissa? When you told me that I would be a symbol too, I wondered which one... Now, I believe I know..."
He heard a noise coming from the sky, he looked up and saw a helicopter approaching.
"I would be a symbol of justice... A vigilante in the shadows who helps anyone in need... With a smile," he says with extraordinary determination.
"We're leaving, boy wonder," Shiva said as she approached Dick.
Dick nodded with extreme seriousness.
"Melissa... When we see each other again, we will be symbols in the making... Greet David for me..."
He had no answer.... Just stifled sobs....
"Goodbye Melissa..." He said sadly as he hung up and handed the phone to Shiva.
"Are you okay, boy wonder?" she asked sarcastically.
"yes" he replied curtly.
They both watched as the helicopter landed in front of them.....
*******************
"Melissa, are you okay?" asked David sadly, hugging his daughter.
Melissa nodded as she parted from her father and wiped away her tears.
"Dick has promised that he will come back, I too must learn and become one of the best scientists in the world to help all those in need... Even without quirk , I'd be the heroine I want to be," she says, her eyes shining with tears and infinite determination.
His father nodded with a smile filled with tenderness and pride.
"You're already stronger than many heroes I know... I know you'll make it and I hope dick will be okay" He said softly.
"Dad? Do you think Wu-san will take good care of Dick? Will he become strong because of her?" asked Melissa, clenching her little fists, which nevertheless possessed an extraordinary strength.
David looked down, uncomfortable...
"I think that..."
A call interrupted their conversation and David picked up his phone.
He spoke for a few minutes with his interlocutor before hanging up and approaching Melissa.
"We're going back to the I-Island the day after tomorrow Melissa, we'll pack our bags and finalize some things, okay?" he said with a tired smile.
Melissa nodded, her face tight.
Krypto rushed into the blonde's room and threw himself on her, licking her face as if to bring her a little comfort.
"Thank you, Krypto," the little girl smiled weakly.
David watched the duo tenderly before discreetly slipping out of the room.
"Dick.... With my inventions and my superstrength, I would be a symbol of hope for all people who need help, heroes and civilians alike. I swear! We will be symbols!" she thought, clenching her fist with determination.
..... ...
Dick looked at the vastness of the sky through the windows of the helicopter.
He clenched his fist, his eyes shining with boundless determination, he knew that the path he was taking was extremely long, tortuous and dark.....
But it doesn't matter if he ends up breaking...
He will become the benevolent shadow, Justice....
He will be the vigilante whose adventures his mother told him about...
He will never succumb to darkness....
It was this promise that would seal their fate... The symbol of hope and the symbol of justice.....
******************
Center of the Universe MHA Rebirth...
In the heart of this new universe, the entity smiles...
"We are entering a new phase..... Let's see what history has in store for us"
Dick Grayson... Melissa Shield.... I can't wait to see you grow up because what fate has in store for you is beyond what you can imagine...
To Be continued...