Damian looks down at you in his lap, in the Batmobile. He kept his arms securely around you nothing really new. He was more focused on ou condition right now, the side effects from your powers when you over extended them or pushed them too far. The strain and exhaustion it caused you, no matter what. He knew the two of you should have stopped for a rest, seeing the toil you had put on yourself to get back here to the city faster. Behind his mask and eyes his concern grew, normally when you over extended yourself it took just a few minutes of resting and meditation. Now that wasn't the case, you sort of looked a bit sick but nothing to server, just paler than before. He just reminded himself it would pass, that didn't stop him from tighten his hold on you more. No doubt if you this was your side effect that Richie also felt this way, looking at the dashboard to the little bird nestling there. Just as tired as its owner.
Damian mumbles to himself about the two. Dick who was driving slide his eyes from the road to Damian's hold on you. He grunts irritated by what he saw, enough for Damian to hear him. And to not care really.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer."Damian tells him.
"...Hands where I can see them."Dick said in a threaten subtle tone. Laced with hidden warnings to the boy.
Who couldn't help but smirk quickly before Dick could see, you adjust your position in Damian's lap resting your head more on his shoulder. He didn't mind at all, but Dick did. He kept eyes upon the two.
"Shouldn't you keep your eyes on the road?"Damian tells him.
"I am."
"Sure. She's not sick."Damian tells him, to ease his mind."It's just a side effect, that's all she'll be out of it in no time."
Dick looks down at his cousin, her condition didn't seem to reflect what Damian said or could have been the way he said. He was about to say something when Damian does.
"There's no way your going to pull this off."Damian chaste Dick."Without my help."
"Modest as ever I see."
"I'm more Batman, then you'll ever be."
You moan softly moving again in Damian's arm, then again a few more times. Like you where having a nightmare, you started to cough hard as if you had lack of air. It was back again, that strange feeling from before creeping up on you. Their hand wrapping around your throat, the smell of fire, brimstone and darkness or was it something else. Whatever it was started to feed off your fear, you begin to feel these burning eyes looking down at you with superiority and dominance. Demanding your submission, these malevolent eyes seem to look straight into your soul seeing and sensing your fear. It was like they had their hand in very soul and began to pull at something. Your center. Their grip on it began to crush it, trying to break it. The pain was mild at first but started to become excruciating, you get ready to scream when something. So other sort of essence came to push back this evil force away from you. Their presence was mysterious, yet familiar too. They seem to push the evil presence back, telling you not give in and to wake up. Saying your name, which surprised you, before you could to them they some how managed to push you back. Waking you up or was it the words from Dick who became alert someone was following the Batmobile.
Whatever it was, that strange presence was gone and you felt better for now. Damian realized you had started to come back, which was good if he could say that. He noticed the look in your eyes, the same one you've had before when it first happen. Pinching your brow you for a second to focus and come to your senses.
"What's happening?"you question the two.
"We're being tailed."Damian fills you in."Hang on, your cousin is new to this."
Earning a grunt from Dick. Looking at the screen to the back camera on the Batmobile you see who was following all of you, a lady dressed in batsuit with a red Bat symbol just like Batman's on center of her chest, red long hair on a motorcycle.
"Who is she?"you question out loud.
"We'll find that out soon."Dick tells you.
He does some pretty sharp maneuvers to try and lose her, but she stayed on tightly. Which was pretty impressive, though not enough Dick was able to put some distance between himself and her, it was enough he turns into the alley and parks. Telling you and Damian to get out, which you do though your speed was not on their level since you where still coming back. But it was enough to hide from the woman who came just a few seconds after. Parking her bike she gets off, and scoops out the car. Carefully.
"You've been following me all night, I want to know why?"Dick steps out with Damian and you.
She was a bit startled but hid it pretty well. She kept a straight, stern face on.
"First tell me why you're running around playing Batman?"She demands more so than question, she turns her attention to Damian and yourself. Then back to Dick."I'm guessing Nightwing?"
She guessed right, you couldn't help but not to laugh."Hm, busted."Damian quips to Dick. Making you snicker a bit more, your cousin slides his eyes to you shushing you.
Which you quickly try to conceal your laughter."S-sorry."you clear your throat. And turn your attention upon her bike. Stroking it
"Natural, I think he's more than cable of fooling most people."she comes to his defense. Then quips to Damian."And you're certainly not going to pass as Batman, short stack."
You tired to hold in your laughter on that too, Damian turns around to you trying to climb onto the motorcycle with his scowl. Making you stop."What?"
"Just who's side are you on?"he snips. Turning back to the woman."Who the Hell are you?!"
"Damian, don't be rude."you tell him.
The woman didn't seem to take what Damian said to her offensive."Easy Robin. And can you get off that please."Dick calms him down and tells you.
Which you climb off the motorcycle, slightly pouting the woman smirks at you. Dick turns back to the woman."Tell me what you want and why you've been following me?"
"I just want to make sure."She tells him."You see I was there the night Batman died."
Her news stun the three of you, though you showed it more. The thought of what she said hit you like a sledge hammer, you couldn't believe it or didn't want too. She saw you express it more, clearly telling her you had some close relation with Batman. The look you gave her reminded her of herself when she was younger, from that tragic experience. She gives you a sympathetic look, but pushed that aside telling Dick to follow to the area.
She lead everyone to the blown up facility, you walk by Damian look around. You could feel the no sense something that was once here, like an empty shell but in pain and yearning. Along with hate. It was weird, almost mirroring Damian's old emotion, almost besides the emptiness you felt. This detachment, whoever left this imprint scared you no it worried you. Stopping to look out at the water of Gotham sea, this presence just lingered. It was strong and intense. Against your better judgement, you touch the rotting handle of the railing. Something you regretted doing. Because what you felt and saw was to much. A large bulking man wearing some sort of full face bat mask in way. It was just a quick flash, way to much than you could bare. That you semi changed, releasing your grip stumbling back almost losing your balance and would have fallen over the other side if not Damian who quickly saves you.
The others rush over to you, you look down at your hand now seemingly burnt for some reason. This was new, this never happened to you before. Feeling those emotions start to over take you, you quickly start to calm yourself down. Controlling your.
"Is she alright?"the woman became concern.
Damian kind of blocked the others from coming to help you. Refusing their assistance. He looks you over."Are you okay?"
Rubbing your temple you nod your head."Yeah...I'm fine. Just fine."you assure him and stand back up. He guides you until you stood up."So what about Batman?"
You return back to the matter at hand.
"Aren't you a tough cookie."the woman compliments you."Come on."she leads the three of you to edge of the blown off platform."He threw me clear and saved my life. Before I could get back up here, it blew apart."
"And where suppose to believe that?"Damian unconvinced about her story.
"..."You stand there looking over the area. A part of you just couldn't believe he was dead. Not Batman, not someone like him he couldn't be killed that easily. There just had to be more at work here. Wishing you could just single out his emotions, but that never happened unless you where in a close proximity of that person."...Father..."you mumble silently to yourself. Shutting your eyes tightly, thinking of the memories with him.
He came to rescue you along with Dick years ago, he took you out of Hell and brought you place called home. Though he was stand offish at times and distant, he was still kind and loving. That look in his eye, told you he would do whatever he could to protect you. Telling you he was strong. He was one of the strongest people you knew. With him you always felt safe, remember that one night you couldn't sleep when he was out on patrol and because of that you stayed up until in the Batcave, till he came back. That's how you found out, and when he came back you ran to him, hugging him, welcoming him back just as you feel asleep on him.
So what this woman was saying, just couldn't be true. Not at all, he couldn't be dead, he wasn't gone. No he wasn't, not by a long shot...well a least you hoped. Feeling a reassuring hand upon your shoulder, snapping you out of it, you turn around to find the woman. She smiles at you quickly.
"Stay strong."she tells you.
With that she jumps off, using her cape she forms it into a glider and leaves. You couldn't help but be amazed by her, her Independence, her boldness, just everything about her. Still though the idea of Batman...
"Come on, let's go."Dick tells you.
Doing as he said, you follow him and Damian back to the Batmobile. During the ride it was quiet between the three of you. You still sat in Damian's lap and he kept his arms around you, while you held onto Richie who was doing better. You stroke the little guy for comfort. The three of you no doubt thinking about Batman.
"Do you really think he's dead?"Damian speaks the question you and Dick had.
"...I don't know."was Dick's response. Looking straight ahead in deep thought and reflection.
"He can't be dead...someone like Mr. Bruce would-Go down like this."you think about it."He just wouldn't...Right?"
You felt Damian's grip on you tighten, no doubt for comfort and assurance."He's not gone."Dick does his best to assure you.
"You'd like it wouldn't you? If he never came back!"Damian's words came out hostile, spiteful and cruel. Coating his actual feelings."Then you get to keep that suit."
Quickly Dick steps on the breaks hard, stopping the vehicle. You almost jerked forward, but he quickly puts his arm out stopping you from lunging forward, he looks pass you at Damian hard.
"I've struggled for years to get out of Bruce's shadow. To build a life for myself, as far away from his world as possible. And the last thing I want is to be wearing this DAMN thing."he points to the emblem.
You kept quiet wishing you could sink into the shadows. But you understood Dick's feelings, towards Batman/Bruce. Always feeling overshadowed or not able to live up to his expectation. He did struggle trying to separate himself from the man, moving out on his own starting a life of his own. Often feeling his mixed feelings of love and hate for the man, that use to make you sick. Damian, didn't seem to understand or he was just hurt and said what came to his mind, or maybe just jealousy towards Dick. Whatever it was between the two, it connected back to Batman. The tension between the two was enough to suffocate you.
Luckily though it was interrupted by Alfred, who found the information that Dick had asked him. You sigh in relief on Alfred's prefect timing, greeting pleasantly, he does back to you. He brings up the information about the mystery woman, Batwoman aka Katherine Kane. Whom Dick knew and you through pictures Dick showed you of his younger days in the Academy. You remember meeting her once at a Charity Ball, Bruce was hosting. She was kind and funny. She often looked at you sort of affectionate, like you reminded her of someone. This was surprise that she was Batwoman and about her background from what Alfred informed everyone. It was dark, how her, her mother and twin sister where taken hostage. Kate was the only one who survived, and because of that traumatic experience she wasn't the same. Being kicked out of the military, going down a dark path. Making her dangerous from what Batman had on her. This didn't sound the Kate you knew, this one was cold and ruthless, not kind and funny. But then again it was understandable, living through something dark can change a person, you would know that more than anyone.
With that information from Alfred on Batwoman, Dick though it best to call it a night. Which at this point wasn't a bad idea.
