The plot may pick up here but that doesn't mean the original source material is mine

Can I see another's woe,
And not be in sorrow too?
Can I see another's grief,
And not seek for kind relief?

Can I see a falling tear,
And not feel my sorrow's share?
Can a father see his child weep
nor be with sorrow filled?

The Watchtower

March 19, 04:03 EST

Batman frowned as he flipped through the report on the boy, on Thomas. He'd done as much work as he possibly could on the street footage. Atom had confirmed that there were high levels of chronal energy being used by the villain, epoch's, suit which theoretically could rip open a portal in space/time lending more credence to the boy's claim. Of course it was hard to dispute when the boy's genetic signature was a match to his own. So in approximately ten years, he had a ten year old son; even Jordan could do that kind of math. So Thomas, or whatever Talia had named him, had probably been born already. And Bruce never knew.

He squeezed the papers in his hand and threw them on the table, mad at the circumstances but mostly mad at himself. He and Talia had a brief, but passionate, affair not too long ago. He remembers the joy he had felt when she'd initially revealed her pregnancy. For a brief moment, Bruce had entertained the idea of marrying Talia, raising their baby together with Dick acting as an overindulgent big brother. But of course Ra's got in the way and Talia made her choice, one that didn't involve Bruce.

So he'd left, like she asked, and took her at her word that she'd miscarried in the firefight. He shouldn't have trusted her, he should have demanded his own examination. At the time, he thought he'd made the right decision. He'd informed only Alfred of short lived romance and the child he'd supposedly lost. They'd both agreed it was best to keep Dick in the dark as it would do nothing but upset him, but now he sees that his mistake has cost another boy dearly.

Batman put the crumpled results away and exited the monitor womb, making his way towards the Zeta tubes. As Superman said, he couldn't avoid the issue anymore. He needed to brief the Team in regards to their captive, speak to Dick privately about who this child was and to Thomas as well about the environment Bruce had unknowingly left him in. He knew an assassin when he saw one, the boy carried himself like every moment was a battle. Thomas had grown up a soldier for the League of Assassins and yet he was allowed to serve as Robin in the future. There was a piece of the puzzle he was missing and it was about time he found it.

"So he finally emerges," he turned to see Black Canary sneering at him through her long lashes. Her posture was tense and angry and Batman was certain that it was because of Thomas. She stalked forward until she was right in front of him. "That boy, your future son, attacked M'Gann. He started choking her without provocation, he could have killed her. So tell me, what made you think letting the child assassin loose was a good idea Mr. World's Greatest Detective?" She mocked. "Your boy didn't even look the slightest bit remorseful for his actions. I've got him locked up in one of the holding cells because you lost control of the situation!" She said, roughly pushing her finger into his chest.

Batman internally groaned, of course once he'd realized the boy's connection to the League of Assassins, he should have assumed the worst and had Thomas contained. He should have acted logically and treated him just like any other suspect, but he'd let his sympathy get the better of him and allowed the his child the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford such a luxury now that Thomas had proven himself to be dangerous.

"You're right Dinah," he answered, using her name as a show of his sincerity. "I made an error in judgement. As I'm sure you can imagine this has been quite a lot to take in. I admit I may not be operating completely free of bias. But if he is demonstrating violent behavior, we had better take precautions and have him stay in the holding cell until further notice."

Canary's face softened ever so slightly and the accusing finger pointed at him turned into a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You're right, you made a mistake but this whole thing has taken us all on a bit of a ride. If I were in your position, I probably would have done the same thing." She sighed, pulling away and turning her back to him. "I just don't know how this happened. I've seen you with Dick, you're so great with him. How did a son of yours become like that?" She asked wearily. He walked past her and began plugging in the coordinates to Mount Justice into the system.

"Because I didn't raise him Dinah, the League of Assassins did." He didn't have to turn to know that surprise was written all over her face. "There are a few key details I'm still unaware of and I believe it's about time we got them." She stepped forward, her expression now carefully schooled as they entered the Zeta tube.

"Right, I'll take you to him now, let you get the answers you need." She answered as the tube fired up, she ducked her head slightly. "And for what it's worth Bruce, I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as I am."

Mount Justice

March 19, 05:16 EST

Robin glanced around suspiciously after he reentered the lounge area to find it completely empty, no Leaguers, no Team, no annoying replacement Robin. Maybe they'd found a way to get rid of him already. He smirked at the thought, if only. Wandering over to the kitchen area where he could see the remnants of M'Gann's cooking and, sure enough, there was a tray of sandwiches set neatly in the fridge. Dick grabbed one as he hopped up on the counter. He was feeling a bit calmer now, calm enough to realize that he'd acted like a complete brat earlier, but that heavy ache still remained in his chest. He doubted it would leave until the kid did.

"Hey Bro, you're up!" He smiled and turned as Wally sped over and grabbed three sandwiches for himself.

"I never went to sleep but yeah," Robin said, gesturing to the empty room, "and I'm guessing I missed something." Wally rolled his eyes as he started on his first sandwich, leaning on the counter Robin was sitting on.

"Oh man did you ever. The little twerp starting choking M'Gann out of nowhere. You should've seen Canary's face when she realized the kid was given carte blanche by Batman. Last I heard, she declared him 'League business' and dragged him down to a cell. The rest of us split to catch some sleep, I think we're the only ones awake." Wally paused, setting down his sandwich as he gave his friend a thoughtful look. "Are you okay?"

Robin broke eye contact and instead picked at his uniform. "Yeah, of course." He answered blandly, Wally raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Don't make me pull out real names bro," Wally teased while Dick said nothing and continued to run his hands up and down the lightweight Kevlar. "Come on, you know you can talk to me."

"I know KF," Robin sighed. "It's just been hard seeing Batman with that other kid. It's stupid, I know, but it still hurts." He continued with a shrug, "I'll be fine, I promise, once we get him out of here." He turned and gave his friend a sheepish smile. "So do you forgive me for being a jerk earlier?"

Wally returned the smile and brought up his fist which Robin bumped. "Hey, it's all cool Rob. I can't imagine how I'd feel if Uncle B showed up one day with some wacky speedster kid from the future." Robin chuckled.

"Yeah right, like that will ever happen." The two of them chatted lightly for a while after that, pointedly avoiding the elephant, or time traveling kid from the future in this case, in the room. By the time some of the others began walking in, Dick was feeling much better. Wally just sort of had that effect on people.

"Morning guys! Morning babe!" Wally said, speeding over to give Artemis a quick peck on the cheek before going back to his original spot. She grumbled a bit at his antics but a smile was tugging at her lips anyhow.

"As if there's anything good about being awake this early," she moaned, trying to rub out the sleep in her eyes. Now that she mentioned it, Robin realized, it did seem rather early for everyone to be awake after such a late night. Kaldur was looking around the lounge while Conner wasn't even paying them attention, glaring instead at the door. M'Gann was absent entirely.

"What's going on?" Robin asked, jumping off the counter as he picked up the mood of the others.

"You couldn't hear all the yelling? I thought it was coming from in here but I guess they stopped." Artemis answered, surprised that the boys hadn't heard it. She'd tried to ignore it at first but the commotion had her curious enough to investigate, especially after everything that's been going on.

"They're still going at it," Conner added in suddenly, "it's a couple of League members down in the holding cells with the kid. They're all talking over each other so it's hard to tell what's going on, but the kid keeps demanding to be let out." Kaldur hummed, taking in this new information.

"And I suppose Miss Martian went to see for herself?" The Atlantean asked as Conner nodded curtly, clearly not happy about it.

"How she can still believe in the kid after last night is beyond me," Wally muttered under his breath.

"Wait," Conner interrupted, holding up a hand as he listened intently. "They're leaving him now, but the kid's still talking." He narrowed his eyes, "he says someone's going to die." The rest of them started.

"Woah, is he threatening the Justice League?" Artemis asked incredulously, now much more awake.

Conner shook his head. "I can't tell, but the League's left him alone, I say we find out for ourselves." Kaldur nodded at Superboy's comment.

"Agreed, but let's prepare ourselves first, retrieve your gear and meet down in the holding cells in 5 minutes."

Mount Justice Holding Cell

March 19, 04:29 EST

"Alright, we have been very patient with you so far and you have done nothing but challenge us. It's time you started proving your story before we send you to Belle Reve with the other assassins." Superman said sternly into the microphone, watching the small child glare at the one way mirror. He didn't want to do this, didn't want to sit here and interrogate someone who was essentially his nephew, but the boy had left them no choice. Not after his unprovoked attack on Miss Martian. He glanced over at Batman and Canary and knew they were probably thinking the same thing.

"Your skull is as dense as your skin Kryptonian, I have to maintain the time-"

"With the way you've been acting, preserving the time stream should be the least of your worries. If you believe we won't persecute you to the letter of the law just because of your age and relation to me then you are very wrong." Batman interrupted with a growl. The boy's mouth twitched but said nothing, Batman took it as an invitation to continue. "There are some holes in your story we would like to have filled in."

"Well it seems you've already deduced the important bits," Damian replied snarkily.

"Talia al Ghul is your mother and Ra's your grandfather." Batman spoke softly, ignoring the tense looks in his companions' faces. He wasn't much happier about the information. "You were raised from birth with the League of Assassins, training as a warrior for the purpose of one day controlling the organization." Thomas tilted his head, "and it is more than likely that you've completed your training and have already killed dozens, if not more." The boy stood straighter in his chair and gazed hard at the glass.

"You would be correct Father, so what more do you want to know?"

"You were raised away from my influence, that much is evident. What I don't know is how you ended up in that uniform. We can't trust your word that you are a hero in the future given your background and your behavior earlier."

"Mother promised that she would introduce me to my father on the day I bested her in combat, I did so on my tenth birthday." The boy answered stoically, as if he were talking about someone else's life and not his own. "You are correct in that you did not trust me initially, rightfully so. Grandfather had intended for me to act as a spy within your home and, eventually, to destroy you and your partners from within." On the other side of the glass, Bruce closed his eyes for a moment. He already suspected as much but the thought of his own child being used as a weapon against him stung.

"You're implying that the plan changed?" Canary answered, seeing that Batman needed a moment to collect himself after that revelation.

Damian began wringing his fingers in his lap. "As you can imagine, my arrival was not welcomed. The others were insisting I be sent back but Father felt guilty enough to let me stay. I suppose he considered it a kindness but it was insufferable. It was easy to think about destroying you at that time." Damian paused, considering himself.

"But then there was a-a change and it left everyone scrambling like fools. Father was... unavailable and so Grayson stepped up." Damian's eyes softened slightly at the thought of his big brother. "Night- uh Grayson ended up with me. Neither of us was happy about it at first but we made it work. No one wanted or expected me to be a hero but Grayson thought being Robin, having a higher standard to live up to, would help me."

"Did it?" Superman asked after a few moments of silence passed, another few passed before the boy responded.

"He saved my life," Damian said barely above a whisper. "He was patient and taught me what it meant to be a hero. He gave me a purpose when I least deserved it. Through him, I found the courage to renounce the teachings of my mother and grandfather and I'm trying to live up to his example." Damian frowned again, "that's why I need to get back, Gotham needs a Robin as much as it needs a Batman." He said, stalking up to the mirror, willing the adults on the other side to believe him but there was no response. Damian tapped his foot angrily as what felt like an eternity passed but was likely only a few minutes. "Are you even listening?"

"Sorry kid, we just got an update on our villain." Superman added distractedly.

Damian came to attention and put himself right up against the glass. "You found Epoch? Batman and I suspected Epoch was a mercenary for hire before he opened that portal. He may have already gotten to his target." Damian ground out, giving a futile little punch to the glass in aggravation. "That's why you need to let me out, I can assist you. He comes from my time so that makes him my responsibility."

"It seems Atom has picked up his energy signature," Batman said roughly, his voice suddenly serious. "There was a significant amount of chronal energy released in Gotham earlier this morning, in Crime Alley. A local heroin addict was found dead of mysterious circumstances 20 minutes ago. We suspect this villain, Epoch, is responsible."

Damian pounded harder on the glass this time, angry that they'd wasted time and, because of it, an innocent was dead. "That's why you have to let me out!" He said, raising his voice, pounding again. "We need to stop him before any more people die. We don't even know his plan, the victim could be someone vitally important to the future. He could be disrupting the timeline."

"There's no need to shout Thomas," Canary interjected. "We're not going to let this case go and we'll catch your bad guy but you're staying put. We can't risk you being a spy for the League of Assassins." She hesitated, "I'm sorry, we'll get you home once we get this guy." Damian growled and pounded harder on the glass.

"Does the name Catherine Todd sound familiar?" Batman asked, watching as the boy's fists dropped from the mirror in shock. "She was 33, a former waitress. She was married to Willis Todd, a low-level criminal with one son, Jason. Early toxicology reports indicate that the level of heroin in her body was near lethal and she'd likely have been dead within a few weeks. We suspect Epoch may have been testing his weaponry to prepare for his real target." The three heroes watched silently as the boy absorbed the data before jumping at the glass without warning.

"You fools! Let me go this instant!" Damian shouted, pounding manically on the glass with something akin to panic written on his face. "You're wrong! He was going after the real target! She must have gotten in the way protecting him." Damian said breathlessly as he pressed his hands flat against the glass. "The real target is the son, Jason Todd. We have to save him. I have to come with you, you won't be able to find him without me!" His mask narrowed as he pounded harder. "You imbeciles, Todd could already be dead!" His voice increasing in volume.

"Calm down," Superman boomed, trying to diffuse the situation but the boy continued to shout.

"We'll go investigate immediately, but you're not going anywhere, especially not like this. Sit down, be quiet and be glad we're not sedating you." Batman growled turning off the microphone and gathering the updates Atom brought in. "Tell Lantern to prep the jet for Gotham. We'll do research on the Todd boy during the flight, but we should look for other inconsistencies in case Thomas is lying." He said, now addressing his fellow heroes.

Even with the microphone turned off, the boy's voice could still be heard. "You're making a mistake! You already lost him once and now you're going to let him be killed all over again!" Black Canary and Superman exchanged glances as they followed Batman out of the room.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Superman asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the flustered reaction from the, up until now, reserved child. There was something more going on here than any of them understood. "Maybe we should-"

"Forget it," Batman interrupted, "He'll be a liability even if he is telling the truth. He's a loose cannon that we cannot afford for such a delicate mission. We'll continue our questioning when we return." He tapped his intercom, "Red Tornado, you and the Team are to keep an eye on the prisoner. No one, and I mean no one, is to leave the Cave. Batman out." So the three heroes continued to down the hallway, ignoring the boy's continuing pleas.

Mount Justice Holding Cell

March 19, 05:11

M'Gann swallowed as she let herself become visible once she was sure the adults had all gone. She'd heard the yelling and had gone to the source to see what was going on. She ran into Conner who tried to stop her but she needed to see for herself. Despite the incident earlier, M'Gann didn't believe Thomas was a danger to them. She floated into the interrogation room where she could see the boy pacing anxiously in the adjacent room. One didn't have to be a telepath to see how upset he was. She hesitantly turned on the microphone and hoped she was making the right choice.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" She asked and watched as he spun to face the glass, coming right up next to it but not touching it. "I'll listen if you want to talk."

"If you're here for an apology you're not getting one," he blurted suddenly. "I attacked instinctively, it's not my fault I believed you to be an adversary."

She smiled warmly, reading in-between his harsh words. "It's okay, I understand Thomas, it was an accident. Now, can you tell me what's upset you? I can't let you out but I might be able to do something." She said cautiously, knowing how close she was getting to disobeying orders.

"There's a boy is downtown Gotham, in Crime Alley, his name is Jason Todd and Epoch is trying to kill him." Damian groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Todd is important in the future, he can't die now. I refuse to let him be killed so mundanely."

"It sounded like the League was going to protect him, why do you need to go?" M'Gann said, biting her lip. He could be lying, he could be using her sympathy against her in order to get out of his cell in any way possible. He could be but she didn't believe it.

He sighed and rested his forehead against the glass in frustration. "The League doesn't know him, not like I do. If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be. But Epoch has knowledge from the future, possibly even has means to track Todd. If he dies," Damian closed his eyes, imagining stale cigarette smoke, scuffed leather jackets and bitter, crooked smiles. He clenched his fist, "I'd never forgive myself."

"And I'll never forgive myself if we let the imposter free." M'Gann had been so caught up in the earnestness of Thomas's words that she didn't notice her teammates enter the room. Robin frowned at her, crossing his arms in disappointment. "Come on Meg, you should know better than to believe someone like him. He makes his living spinning lies, he would say just about anything to get out of there."

"I don't think so Robin, I think he means it." M'Gann countered, "Look he apologized for last night, sort of... But I forgive him and this seems really important. He thinks a boy in Gotham is going to be targeted by the villain."

"His mother, Catherine Todd, is already dead because we've been stuck here in Rhode Island." Damian added, not being able to see the members of Young Justice but knowing he had to convince them if they were going to save Todd. "I know you don't trust me, but that's not as important as someone's life. The League is going to try but even they can't find one kid in a city like Gotham."

"And you can?" Artemis interrupted.

"I know how Todd thinks, he's untrained right now but I can imagine how he'd react in this situation." He replied vaguely, not sure how much he should be revealing.

"It sounds like you know this kid pretty well, you must be telling the truth." Robin mocked. "Sorry, no dice, you're not going anywhere unless you actually tell us something." Damian cursed under his breath.

"He's a hero in my time, an important one. I won't give any more details, but Todd's death would completely change the future of both this team and the Justice League. He's sarcastic and uncouth and an annoying presence in my life but I don't know what will happen if he died so soon."

It was a curious thought, how much would Batman's life, and thus his own, change if Todd died now? Batman wouldn't have to grieve for his second son, meaning perhaps Drake wouldn't need to involve himself. It might even be easier for Damian, then it would just be him and Grayson without the other boys around to distract him. His fists clenched, but that was the old Damian talking, he was better than that now, he was Robin.

"You tell me all the time that heroes need to look out for each other. The man I know you will be would never let anyone, much less someone he cares for, die so pointlessly." He turned away and leaned his back up against the glass. "But you're not him so I don't even know why I'm bothering." Damian said, trying to sound aloof but the words felt rough and lonely in his throat.

"My brother is patient, strong and an excellent leader. He thinks using distorted words is funny and that cereal constitutes a proper meal and even though he's invasive and obnoxious, he's always there for me." Damian grunted. "Todd will be somewhere in Crime Alley, he knows those streets and won't leave them. You can probably find a recent photo on the computer too. If you won't accept my word then at least accept my help, because the people waiting for me in the future taught me better than to give up in the face of adversity." He ended, sliding down until he was squatting on the floor, below the window.

He was tired of their judgements, of Grayson's blatant distrust. Maybe once they left, he could try and find a way to escape the cell on his own. He's not sure he'd be able to succeed but he just can't sit here and do nothing. For the first time since he became Robin, he was without a partner to rely on. He heard the microphone click off and he closed his eyes as he imagined the adolescents were laughing at his efforts to convince them. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable news of Todd's demise, but to his surprise, he heard the sound of the cell door opening. He stumbled to his feet where Robin and the others stood with unhappy, but determined, looks on their faces.

"Don't make me regret this brat," Robin said icily before nodding at Damian to follow.

So for those who aren't familiar with comics, the whole ordeal with the conception of Damian comes from Birth of the Demon which is an Elseworlds story where Bruce and Talia have an affair and she becomes pregnant. It's from this story that Morrison drew the idea of Damian and brought (a distorted rape version) into canon. So yeah, that's a thing that happened and the canon for this story. Anyway, yes, here comes actual story plot and maybe even the Team finally making peace with their newest Robin? Stay tuned for the excitement and emotion of chapter five!