Reviews:

Aline1: Depends on a few things. Did Batman go back in time or is there time dilation between the universes? What is Scion in reference to DC? Is he a god of some sort? A cosmic parasite of sorts? A powerful alien? All of the above? Or something else entirely? Because what he is and thus how powerful he is determines how hard it is to get past his dimensional locks on the universes he's inhabited thus shortening or extending the time it would take to get past them or break them down entirely.

0vrLrd71: Fixed most of the issues you pointed out. And thank you for pointing them out! I do genuinely appreciate it. And I misunderstood Triumph's wiki page, that's why I originally included him.

H Max Marius: I did not consider the idea of him being this world's version of Dick Grayson, but that does make some sense in a way. And I genuinely hate using OCs if I can avoid it, and making him Dick Grayson does give me an excuse to avoid OCs. So thank you for the suggestion!

Guest: Don't spam my reviews with excessively long and meaningless reviews again. I've left one up so people can see what I'm referring to if they're curious, but any more will be deleted. Seriously, don't do it again.

BAT Man fan: I was actually considering Jack Slash to take Joker's role as Batman's main antagonist, rather than Joker.

To say Batman was angry was an understatement. He was positively seething after his encounter with the Slaughter House Nine. But he was doing his best to keep it contained.

Unfortunately his anger only got worse when he learned the name of the boy and his parents. Grayson… Richard John Grayson, the son of John and Mary Grayson… The boy was this world's version of Nightwing. Batman had thought the boy looked familiar, but he hadn't expected this. And it made him wonder if this world also had versions of other people from his world. Jason Todd, Joker, Harvey Dent, Ra's and Talia Al Ghul, Diana, Clark, and more. He was going to have to investigate that to find out.

In the meantime, he had come to a decision. Dick was his son. Period. He didn't care if it was a version of him from another reality. And he was going to track down this world's version of Jason Todd and this time he wouldn't let a psychopath like Joker murder him. Assuming his history was relatively similar and he was an orphan in this world too, he would adopt him as well. He wouldn't make the same mistakes here that he had in his own world.

He was currently in the hospital lobby with the current director of the PRT ENE and Challenger. The boy had survived and was currently in surgery, but it had been a very close thing. Had the paramedics arrived any later he would have died despite Batman's best efforts.

"You're considering adopting the boy? Really? No offense but you really don't strike me as the type to want a kid." Challenger asked incredulously.

"Yes, I am." Batman stated simply.

"You are aware that we would then be fully aware of your identity, correct? Also, considering your recent behavior towards criminals I'm not sure you would be the best mentor for him. I strongly believe he would do far better in the Wards." The PRT director stated, giving him a stern look.

"I'm aware, and that fact does make me hesitant to do this. However, I do believe it's for the best even if the PRT becomes aware of my identity. I trust you to follow the Unwritten Rules, especially since I haven't done anything to warrant being arrested or being given a kill order. I wouldn't be teaching him any of my bad habits. I want him to be better than me. I want him to avoid my mistakes, and I can teach him to do that. As arrogant as it sounds, I am also able to teach him to be a hero better than anyone in the PRT." Batman said.

Challenger looked somewhat offended by that. "Oh? How so? You're just a tinker who's only been in the game for two years. What makes you so sure you'd be a better teacher than me or any of the other heroes in the protectorate?"

"I have an I.Q of 250, I have several doctorates in law, multiple fields of engineering and physics, biology, and chemistry, I've mastered 127 styles of martial arts, I can teach him how to use all of his strengths and compensate for or overcome his weaknesses while not needing to rely on his powers, and I can personally make equipment that can compliment his parahuman abilities, whatever they might be. I can give him much higher quality training, a far better education, and equipment on par with almost anything the Protectorate can offer." Batman told the two of them.

Challenger's eyes widened. "Holy shit. Uh… I think we're going to have to update his file, Director. Thinker 2 or 3 on top of his Tinker rating, maybe?"

The PRT director sighed. "Yes, an update is definitely in order if all of that is true. Fuck, now I have more paperwork to do… Ugh… Regardless, there's also the fact that you were present when the Nine murdered his parents and you couldn't save them. With that in mind, there is a chance he might resent you and might not be okay with being adopted by you. So how about a compromise? When he wakes up, we ask him if he's alright with being adopted by you. If he is, you get him. If he's not, we put him in foster care and he joins the Wards."

Batman nodded in agreement. "Acceptable. When is he going to wake up?"

"Tomorrow evening at the latest, according to the doctors. We should be able to visit him then but he'll need some time to come to terms with what's happened to his parents. So instead we'll come at noon the day after tomorrow. I would recommend wearing your costume in case he says no." The director told him.

Batman nodded before turning to leave. Before he could make it out the door the director called after him and said, "Batman, a word of warning before you go. Do not try going after the Slaughterhouse Nine on your own. They've killed heroes more powerful than you."

Batman paused to listen to the director's warning. As soon as she stopped talking he continued on his way without a word.

"Think he'll listen?" Challenger asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I don't. When has he ever listened to me or the PRT…?" The director sighed and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure Brockton is about to lose our resident bat-themed cape. The police commissioner is going to be devastated over the loss of his favorite detective, I'm sure. That's another reason I really don't want him adopting that kid, honestly. I don't want the boy losing two fathers in a row in such a short time period to the same people."

Challenger huffed and crossed her arms. "I sure as hell hope he's not that stupid. Since he came around non-parahuman crime rates have dropped and even the parahuman gangs have started behaving a bit more. Especially since he permanently crippled that member of the Teeth after they killed that Ward. If he dies, I feel like the pressure's going to release all at once and all hell will break loose. Then we'll have to clean up the mess."

The Director didn't respond to that, letting the words hang in the air as the two of them continued staring out the door.

The next day, Bruce made all the necessary preparations for Dick to move in, having bought and built a bed, some clothes drawers, a desk, a Wayne Tech computer, and even a nightstand for him earlier that day. He had to have all of that ready in order to be approved to adopt the boy.

With all of that done, he went to his workshop and started working on counter measures for the Slaughterhouse Nine. He would have built a suit of power armor capable of taking on mid tier brutes like Hatchet Face and Crimson, or even high tier brutes like Crawler, but he didn't have the time for that considering the Nine were already active in Brockton. So he was resorting to more desperate measures.

The first thing he was making, he knew he was probably going to have to use, even though he didn't like it. He just had to limit how much he used it or the consequences would not be pleasant.

The second tool he was making… Now that would be a very desperate measure, indeed. Even though he knew the Nine would absolutely deserve it, if he had to use it he would consider it a failure. It was just too dangerous considering the unpredictable consequences to be worth it. Especially in regards to parahumans. The fact he was making them at all already made him feel like a failure. Yet he was not making just one but three separate variants of it, each worse than the last.

But that was the thing. He had failed. Back in that alley when he let Dick's parents die. He had failed this world's version of his adoptive son. And it scared him. He was still scared, he realized. Scared he would fail his son again. Scared that he might end up losing this world's version of Richard before the adoption papers were even finished and there wouldn't be anything he could do about it. That he would be just as helpless to stop it as he had been back in that alley. He. Was. Terrified. And he supposed that was what drove him to such extreme lengths. It was ironic really.

He was also making a P100 respirator reinforced with a metal exterior, which would seal to the rest of his mask, since he was going to have to deal with Nyx and there was a chance he wouldn't be able to get the drop on her again like he had back in the alley. It would make it harder to breathe which would exhaust him faster, but it was worth it to not be knocked out or killed by poison gas. The reason he wanted it made of metal instead of plastic or pure rubber like commercial respirators was so it would be durable enough to survive the fight. It also had the effect of being stab and slash proof and could even survive being chopped by a large meat cleaver, rendering him effectively immune to Jack Slash's knives, his primary means of offense. That said, Jack's power was so weak he was a low priority threat meaning being nigh immune to his only means of attack was just a nice coincidence.

The next day he went back to the hospital where he met Challenger again.

"Alright, Batman. Remember, it's his choice. So don't try to pressure him one way or the other." Challenger told him.

"I won't. The same goes for you." Batman responded.

"Alright then. Come on. He knows we're coming to see him and he's waiting for us." Challenger said, turning and motioning for him to follow.

Batman opened the door to the room and let Challenger walk in first before following her inside.

"Hey there, Richard." Challenger greeted.

"Dick… Everyone calls me, Dick…" The seven year old boy muttered morosely.

"Alright then, Dick. Do you know why we're here to see you?" Challenger asked.

"Yes… My parents are dead and I guess I'm a parahuman now…" Dick muttered.

Challenger nodded. "That's right. So you have three options. The first is going into foster care and joining the Wards. You could do a lot of good in Brockton Bay and help save other kids from having to go through what you are now. The second choice is that you can go into foster care and become an unaffiliated rogue, meaning you won't be part of the Wards and won't be doing any crime fighting. Or third, Batman here has offered to adopt you, and train you to fight crime with him."

"You want to adopt me?" Dick asked, looking at Batman.

"I do. I know I failed you when I couldn't save your parents, Dick, but that's only part of the reason. I saw that look in your eye when I was putting pressure on your wound. Anger. Hatred. A desire for revenge. I know those feelings all too well." Batman explained.

"What do you know?! M-my parents are dead! I watched those monsters murder them! I heard them scream as they were eaten by those bugs! How… How could you possibly understand what that's like?!" Dick half shouted at him, hot tears pouring from his eyes.

Batman walked over to the bed and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Because the same thing happened to me."

"W-What…?" Dick muttered, looking up at him.

"When I was eight years old, just a year older than you, my parents and I went to go see a movie. I insisted that we walk home instead of driving back. Because of that we ended up getting mugged and I had to watch as our attacker shot and killed both of my parents. I can still remember my father trying to defend us only to be shot in the chest, and I can still hear my mother's screams being cut off by the sound of a gunshot. They weren't eaten by insects, no, but I know exactly what it's like to watch helplessly as your parents are murdered in front of you." Batman said in as sympathetic a tone as he could manage.

"Does… Does it ever go away…? The pain…?" Dick asked.

Batman shook his head. "No. I wish I could say it does, but no… We just learn to deal with the pain and carry on in spite of it… Dick, I'm not going to pressure you into letting me adopt you. If you blame me for letting your parents die and resent me for it, that's fine. I blame myself too. I tried my best but there had to have been something, something I could have done differently to have saved them… So if you want to join the Wards instead of me, that's perfectly fine. But if you do want to be my son I will teach you how to use your powers, how to be a hero. I can give you higher quality training than the Protectorate and equipment on par with anything they can give you, but that's all I can offer. I'm under no illusions that I would be the best father. There's a chance you could have a much better family than me if you joined the Wards. So ultimately, the choice is yours."

As soon as he finished talking, Batman stepped back to stand next to Challenger again. He had tried to be as fair and honest as possible so as to not pressure the boy. Now it was up to him.

Challenger looked at Batman and muttered awkwardly, "So, uh… I guess that was your trigger event, huh?"

"Yes. It was." Batman responded simply. It wasn't a lie. Not really. Bruce Wayne had died with his parents and Batman was born from the blood and death in that cold dark alleyway. So it was indeed his trigger event. Or at least the closest thing he had to one. Though the night Jason died was a close second.

Dick was silent for a few moments, looking down at the blanket covering his legs. Eventually he looked back up at them with a determined look on his face. "Batman… Can you really teach me to fight monsters like the ones who murdered my parents better than the Protectorate?"

"Yes. I can help you learn all the strengths and weaknesses of your powers, how to play to those strengths and weaknesses, and help you learn how best to utilize your powers and in what situations to utilize them without growing to rely on them to win all of your fights as more than a few Protectorate heroes do. Powers are a convenient tool, but that's all they are and is how they should be treated, as a tool. How you use your tools is just as if not more important than the strength of the tool itself. And you have more tools in your arsenal than your powers alone, even if you don't realize it yet, and that's before even receiving any physical weapons I may make you." Batman explained.

"Then, I'll go with you…" Dick told him.

Challenger sighed. "Well, shit… I was seriously hoping the kid would join the Wards… Alright, Batman. Come with me down to the PRT station and we can start getting all of the adoption papers worked out. We prepared them yesterday for either you or another family depending on what he chose."

Batman nodded and said, "Okay. I'll be seeing you again very soon, Dick."

"See you soon, Batman…" Dick muttered.

Batman and Challenger turned and left the hospital room, leaving the seven year old boy alone with his thoughts.

"I can expect the PRT to keep my identity secret once I sign the papers, correct?" Batman asked, looking over the paperwork back at the PRT station.

"Yeah. Unwritten rules and all that, don't worry. No one in the PRT is going to out you or try to arrest you in your civies, unless you break the unwritten rules yourself or do something worthy of getting a kill order." The PRT Director told him.

"Alright then. I'll hold you to that." Batman said before signing the papers.

The Director's eyes widened in surprise as she read the name on the paper. "Wayne? Bruce Wayne? Wait, wait, wait. Mr. Wayne, I thought you claimed not to be a Tinker. Was that a lie?"

"No. I'm not a Tinker. I'm not a parahuman at all. I don't have a Corona Pollentia. I would be willing to undergo brain scans to prove it and I can explain exactly how all of my technology works and exactly how to replicate it — which I will remind you is impossible for Tinkers — if you plan to press charges for supposed fraudulently selling supposed tinker tech under the guise of non-tinker tech. The PRT just assumed Batman had a Tinker and Thinker rating and I never corrected you. Why would I? It's not like it matters when I can fight parahumans on equal footing without having powers to begin with. And no, even if I sold the PRT exact copies of my equipment it wouldn't make your troopers capable of fighting Parahumans like I do. As I told you, I've mastered 127 martial arts, have an IQ of 250, I bench press 1,000 pounds, and my training regimen would likely kill most people." Batman explained as he continued to fill out the paperwork,

"You can do all of that, yet you still claim to not be a parahuman? Were you enhanced by some biotinker or something?" The PRT director asked.

"No. I wasn't." Batman stated simply.

"And you expect me to just believe you can do all of that naturally?" The Director demanded, sounding quite frustrated.

"Quite frankly, I don't care what you believe, Director. I can undergo any test or examination the PRT can think of, but all of them will only prove that I'm not a parahuman nor do I even have the potential to become a parahuman through a trigger event. So legally I'm not a parahuman, I'm just a human with a genius level intellect, who's in extremely good physical condition, with highly advanced technology, and is one of the best martial artists in the world. I expect you to keep all of this information confidential as well as my secret identity, just so we're clear." Batman told her as he finished signing the papers and set down his pen.

The Director sighed. "Fine… I think we're done here for now. I'll have Richard sign his portion of the papers then get them filed. I assume you already have space in your home for the boy to move in?"

Batman nodded. "Yes. I prepared a room yesterday. It's fully furnished and ready for him. He could move in now, if he didn't need to stay at the hospital for the next couple of days. And I made sure he can adjust or customize it with his personal belongings as he sees fit."

"Alright then. Someone will have to come by to confirm all of that's true and your home really is suitable for him, but if it is then we'll have his belongings moved to your home and he can move in as soon as he's released from the hospital." The director said.

Batman nodded and stood up.

"Before you go, remember what I told you at the hospital the other day? Since you're adopting this boy, it's especially pertinent. Don't try to engage the Slaughterhouse Nine on your own. Don't let Richard lose a second father so soon after losing the first."

"I'm not going to let myself get killed." Batman stated seriously. That didn't mean he was going to just take the director's advice and avoid fighting the Slaughterhouse Nine, however. Those freaks needed to be arrested one way or another.

With that said, he turned and exited the Director's office.

Note: I know the scene with Dick was a bit cliché. Sorry about that.

Anyway, given his trigger event and the glowing hands, I'm thinking Dick is probably going to have either a striker ability or a blaster ability. Possibly with flight since he wanted to save his parents and run away and flight is a pretty common Parahuman ability. I'm also thinking of giving this world's version of Jason Todd an emotional manipulation ability reminiscent of Gallant or Glory Girl, possibly derived from feeling abandoned by his father who never came back and isolated or neglected by his drug addicted mother, maybe triggering after she ODs or something. I mean spreading fear really suits Jason given his whole Red Hood thing. I do consider him the scariest of the Robins, personally. Though I'm open to ideas, if anyone has other power suggestions!