Damian Wayne cowered against the wall. He was close to defeat. Very close.
"Call him off mother" cried the youth. But of course, Talia Al Ghul didnt do this. Could she even hear him? If she could, she was most likely relishing in the display; her weak emotional son being put in his place by a genetically perfect one, crying out, begging her to make it stop.
Robin used all of his strength in this fight. It was almost gone. He let one last hit in before Heretic took him by surprise, when the clone thrust his weapon forward through the boys chest, not far from his heart.
The world around Nightwing seemed to slow down when it happened. He saw the movements, but he refused to believe them, refused to accept that Damian could be beaten. Nightwing used the adrenaline from what he had seen to remove the rest of his enemies, to remove the further dangers from Robin.
Damian lay on the ground feeling the hottest pain he had ever endured. Black was falling on the edge of his vision, and he kept spasming. Was this dying? If it was, Damian didnt like it. He felt vulnerable, like anyone could come from anywhere and continue to attack him.
He began to let his eyes flutter, felt his heartbeat slowing down. He felt himself being shifted, saw Batmans terrified face which became darker, and darker, and darker.
Damian woke up an unknown quantity of time later, and lay where he was with his eyes closed. He couldnt feel anything at all, as if he were floating off the ground. But this was a good sign for Damian. It meant that one of his idiots had saved him, taken him back to his home, and patched him up. This thought didnt remove his worry though. His lack of senses was too unreal...
"I know you're awake kid." Said an unknown voice from... somewhere near him.
Damians eyes became wide and he sat up intending to search for the source of the voice, but stopped when he saw where he was.
This was in a place with no walls, no roof, and no floor. It was white everywhere. He seemed to be floating, but couldnt tell if he really was. Damian himself was completely naked.
The boy saw a man near him, or was he far away. Damian couldnt tell. The stranger was a young, tall, thin white man with black hair shaved at the sides and thick and combed to the left on the top of his head. He had a small beard and moustache in the same colour. He had piercing blue-white eyes Damian had never seen on someone who wasnt blind. He had tattoos on his neck, wore jeans with a White tee-shirt, and nike shoes.
Damian was about to ask this guy where the hell his father was, and why he was naked, and why he had kidnapped him, but instead asked "who are you?"
Damian was surprised at the words that had come pouring out of his own mouth, but didnt say anything else until the man replied.
"My name is Adam. And you are Damian Wayne. You know, in all of my years here, I have never ever seen a clone through these parts. You really are special."
"... where am I?" Asked Damian. This time he had meant to ask this.
"Well, there are many different things people call it. Some would call it limbo, others would call it atonement. Some may say flagellation, or maceration, or lustration. My favourite name for it however, is purgatory."
Damian thought this over for a few moments. Purgatory... "so you mean"
"Why yes dear boy. You are dead!"
Damian knew he should have been shocked or furious. But instead he felt apathetic to this news. He had so many more questions.
"Where did you come from? How long have you been here?" Asked damian. This didnt affect him, but he was so curious.
"I was the first person to die. I was left here to guide other dead souls when their time came. Ive been here for billions of years, and ive spoken to every dead human or animal to pass by."
Damian looked at Adam curiously, before the man continued talking, knowing what was on Damians mind.
"ive been here so long and delt with so many people. I spoke to your adopted brother a few years ago. Jason Todd. I was so surprised to see him again months later, but passing by to get back to Earth." Adam wiped a tear away from his own eye as if this was a hilarious. "I have the ability to change anything about me that I want; clothes, features, skin. How do I look? Snazzy right? A majority of men these days wear this get up. I dunno. I like it."
There was a pregnant pause for some unknown amount of time.
"so I can go back? Jason did..." added Damian. Adam shook his head.
"Jason didnt go back by his own will. He was forced into life again."
Damian considered this, and asked "how long have i been dead?"
Adam pondered this for a moment before replying "two months. By Earth time anyway."
Again, Damian felt he should have been furious, but didnt have the emotion to show. He felt that he somehow already knew the answer to everything he was asking. There was again silence for an unknown amount of time, before Damian asked another question.
"so what happens now?"
Adam clapped his hands together with a smile on his face. "Well Damian, now you get one wish."
This lit up Damians face. Adam continued.
"of course there are a few rules and considerations i need to read out to you. Then after the wish is fulfilled, you move on. Please dont ask me where to, i just take the orders. Its the big man upstairs that decides all that stuff."
Adam paused, let the information sink in, and continued.
"so the rules are as follows: first of all, you cant wish to return your own or anothers life as it was before you died. You may return as a different life, but it cannot be human, and you cannot have your memories from this life." again he paused. Damian saw this rule as what some religions would call 'reincarnation.' "second of all, you cannot wish for me to injure or kill a living being. Third of all, from the beginning of your wish's commencement, you have until someone truely misses you for your wish to end."
Damian considered these rules. "how long do i have to decide what my wish is?" he asked.
Adam laughed at this. "you can take an eternity if you need it... But you dont need an eternity. I can see it in your eyes. You have already decided."
Damian smiled at this. He had decided, yes.
Damian walked towards his fathers bed. He was something like a ghost, but he was more solid. Bruce Wayne was on the left side of his king size bed, alone. His breathing was steady. Damian looked around the room briefly, and saw a small shrine dedicated to himself on the bedside table. There were photographs of the whole family lining the walls. Half of Bruce Waynes bedroom was completely dedicated to his family.
The ghost walked towards his father and reached a hand out to him. He paused when he was mere centimetres away from his shoulder. What if he was sent away immediately because his dad missed him? 'fuck it.' thought Damian. 'i want to talk to him.' and he let his hand fall to the older mans shoulder. Bruce woke immediately, startled by the cold sensation on his back. He sat up prepared to fight the intruder, but stopped dead when he saw his son next to him.
"...Damian?" whispered Bruce.
"its me father." replied Damian. And Bruce pulled his son into a rediculously tight embrace which startled the boy, but Damian responded to the hug straight away. Bruce was crying into Damians shoulder, and Damian was crying into Bruces.
"i love you Damian. I missed you so much! But i knew you werent really dead. Not really." said Bruce. Damian replied "I love you too Dad." and the two stayed like that for an unknown quantity of time which seemed like eternity then, but like 2 seconds an hour later. In reality the pair were like this for maybe 3 minutes before there was a knock on the door. Dick Grayson put his head in the door and asked "Bruce? Is everything alright?"
Bruce didnt shift in his position when he said "Damian." and Damians eyes went wide as he began to fade. Dick couldn't see him. The second Damians name was said, an air of mourning surrounded Dick.
"father, im sorry i died... But i know ill see you again. Thankyou for making my life so wonderful." and the memory was gone. Because that was all damian was now. A memory.
Dick turned on the light and saw Bruce sitting up in his bed, staring at the shrine he had made.
"he was here dick. Damian was in my room." said Bruce almost pleading.
Dick looked a little awkward. "Bruce... Damians gone. It was just a dream."
"i know that hes gone. But he came back. It couldnt have been a dream... It felt so real. It was real."
Dick moved into the room and took the space damian had been occupying moments ago. Then he hugged bruce, but it didnt seem to last as long as it had with damian. Or as short. it was similar, but so much less meaningful to Bruce. He had hugged his biological son that night. Had cried with him. He just knew it.
Damian found himself back in purgatory, but this time there was noone else around. Suddenly, as if it had always been there, a ball of light appeared before damians eyes. He moved towards it, and he followed it into eternity.