AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi everyone! Sorry it's been so long. I've honestly lost all track of time. If you want to skip my personal drama just go past this note to read the newest chapter. But I recently got dumped with a debt my mom so kindly left me (she kicked me out when I wasn't able to give her money because I needed to pay a bill off to my college to get my degree) so I've been scrambling to make ends meet. Right now a lot of my time is spent writing to put food on the table. So I apologize for the lack of updates lately.

I'm doing well though! By the end of this year I'll have the debt paid off to start the new year with a fresh start! I've been pursuing my writing career with a lot of vigor and I'm also venturing into doing freelance writing as well. I'm really hoping to get the fics I have on this site finished though. This where I started and gained confidence as a writer. And I have awesome reviewers and readers like you who gave me the motivation to keep pursuing my writing. So, thanks everyone!

Chapter 18

Bruce's nostrils flared when he had smelled the food. He'd eaten without so much as a word of complaint. The food tasted bland on his tongue. He almost choked on the grease dripping from it, but he didn't dare waste any of it. Once he was done he Jason commented on how much he ate. Next offering a drink to Bruce by his elbow. He could tell it was soda by the pop and hiss of a the bubbles as they rushed past the ice to float to the top.

Reaching out Bruce carefully closed his hands around the cup. Bringing it to his lips he drank equally as silently. Waiting for a blow to the back of the head or someone to knock the glass out of his hand. For anyone in the room to start demanding answers right away. Yet, neither Slade nor Jason said a word. If anything they seemed to be deathly silent. Bruce heard Slade get up and move across to the other side of the table. Heard a deep sigh as he settled down in his chair trying to get comfortable.

"Okay, you've eaten. And you've had something to drink. Are you ready to talk?" Jason demanded. Bruce's empty stare seemed to lock on him. Unnerving the young man, but he refused to be cowed. Why did those eyes bother him so much? He had no reason to be afraid or even to cower from it.

"We both know that's a formality. Why bother asking me when you know you could always just beat it out of me?" Bruce asked bluntly.

"Because it's been proven being nice to your prisoners gets them to talk to you more than beating them to a bloody pulp does. If we decided to go the other route then you would just tell us whatever we wanted to hear." Slade answered. He had turned the chair around to watch the interrogation. His arms folded over the back of the chair as he watched the man sitting across from them. Bruce took another sip of his soda seeming to consider his position in all of this.

"Okay. Ask your questions then. Unless you want to hear a very bad joke." Bruce offered. Jason and Slade exchanged glances unused to this sort of conversation.

"Let's hear the joke first." Slade mentioned.

"Alright. Flash told me when Superman and I used to work he finally figured out our strategy."

"What strategy would that be, Bruce?"

"Good cop, Bat cop."

"…."

"That's ridiculously corny." Slade commented. Jason closed his eyes unsure if he should be angry or embarrassed. Bruce had never been a person for bad jokes. Still…it was funny. Only because it was so horrible.

"Okay Bruce. We're going to start with the basics, and then move on up. Understand?" Jason asked. "Just give me straight answers. No explanations unless I ask you for them specifically."

"Understood."

"Is your name Bruce Wayne?"

"Yes."

"You were once the CEO of Wayne Corp, were you not?"

"Yes. I'm the former billionaire."

"Do you have any access to your funds whatsoever?"

"No."

"Where did all that money go to?"

"I'm not sure, but I believe Lex Luthor may have taken all the funds. I never really looked into it."

"Why? Weren't you concerned about your inheritance?"

"I'm more depressed at the fact I lost the house I grew up in. The mansion, remember? Other than that no. I don't truly care about money anymore. Or material possessions."

Jason nodded as he made some notes on a notepad. Of course he was also taping the entire conversation. Slade had bothered him about this part of the interrogation. If he documented the entire thing it would only show proof they had kidnapped the man. Jason had argued back there was a reason for him doing this. He wanted to make sure if he could go back and review the tapes if necessary. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it his way. Besides, if he missed something he would be able to go back and have Bruce tell it to him.

"Okay. Good so far. Do you want some more soda?"

"Yes, please."

Jason poured Bruce some more soda and handed him the cup back. Bruce drank it. He showed no signs of distress or even emotion as he drank. He didn't even seem very concerned he was being held hostage. Tapping the table with the corner of his pen Jason wondered what to ask next. So far his former mentor was cooperating rather well. He had no reason to be angry with him.

"Are you Batman?"

"…"

"Bruce."

"Can you be more specific, please?"

"How? I asked if you were the Batman. Or the man formerly known as Batman?"

"I invented Batman. At one point I did wear the mask and held the title, yes. But as to being him? To answer you truthfully no, I am not him."

Jason and Slade exchanged quizzical glances again, but neither of them said anything. Truthful enough, Jason decided. Bruce seemed to be completely about what he had said. It seemed unfair to press him further. So the former Robin decided to change his tactic. He could tell he was starting to get onto thin ice with Bruce. There had yet to be a reaction from the blind man save for the sudden pause after the last question. He sighed, rubbing his forehead as he tried to figure out the best way to word it. Making a note on his clipboard as he continued his questioning.

"Alright, Bruce. Now I'm going to ask you questions about Superman."

"Why?"

"Look, I'm going easy on here, alright? Do you need anything before we start the next part of the questioning?"

"If you happen to have any water…"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"How long did your captivity with Superman last?"

"To be honest I'm not quite sure. Five years, maybe?"

"Okay. Fair enough. Now, in that time what transpired between you and Superman?"

"At first he treated me like a pet. I was a prisoner, but a well-treated one. I fought back, of course. Tried to figure out the best way to break out. I even tried attacking him in a last ditch effort to escape him.

"Were you ever successful in your escape attempts?"

"Only once. Later I learned it was his cousin, but another ship from Krypton had crash landed on Earth. Superman went to retrieve the pod and brought it back to his fortress. However, the young woman inside was dead. I'm not sure what the cause of death was. Well, actually…my escape attempt was almost successful. Had I fully succeeded I would have my eyesight right now. It's actually the reason my sight was taken."

"How do you mean, Bruce? Can you please elaborate?"

"As you can imagine Superman was depressed over the death. I believe he felt very alone realizing he was the only Kryptonian alive. There were shards of kryptonite on the young woman's ship. So I grabbed one and followed Superman to his room."

"What did you do then?"

"I took my only chance. I should have killed him. I stabbed him in the side and while he was weak I ran back into his…I suppose you would call his headquarters. Or a computer lab. Anyway, he had a similar pod which he had modified to fit his personal needs."

"What happened next?"

"I stole his spare pod. I climbed in and the pod took off. At first it seemed I was going to be able to escape. I still remember it because it's burned into my memory. The blue sky. I hadn't seen the sky in so long…and the water beneath me. Oh, the ocean! It never looked so glorious."

Bruce said remembering that last patch of blue. Of his excitement he was finally going to be heading home. To return to Alfred, the Batcave, maybe get the Justice League to help him take down Superman. He had been so hopeful in those couple of minutes.

"Then that's when it all came crashing down. I suppose I didn't stab Superman deep enough. Or one of his robots helped him. The next moment suddenly I realize the pod is turning around and going back into the fortress. I tried to get it to turn back around, but it was no use. Not soon after Superman ripped off the top of it. Dragged me out, and then used his heat vision to fry the optic nerves in my eyes." Bruce said reaching up to touch his fluttering eyelids.

"Oh."

Jason had not been expecting to hear that of all things. He glanced at Slade who was equally as silent at this news. Even with his one eye the mercenary touched his good eye. Imagining the burning sensation and just shaking his head at the news. Bruce continued to answer their questions over the next three hours. Pausing in between to use the bathroom or request some type of drink or some food. He declined potato chips when offered, but with prompting from Jason about needing to gain weight the blind man reluctantly agreed. Throughout the entire interrogation Bruce was extremely polite. Answering each question to the best of his ability.

Jason couldn't understand it. Was this the same man who had trained him? Taught him everything he had come to know when he had once been Robin? Bruce made no mention of Jason's past of being the Red Hood. When they had last met had been several years ago. Jason had taken on the Red Hood persona to kill the Joker. Back then Bruce had been Batman. He had defeated Jason easily enough, then had gone to drag Joker back to Arkham Asylum. Still, the man who had won a losing battle put up no kind of a fight now.

"Didn't you once ever contemplate suicide? Just to defeat Superman? You're smarter than this, I know you are!" Jason demanded as they passed the third hour. Slade had since then retreated to the living room supposedly to read. But he could tell the old war veteran was still listening by the way he tilted his head back. So he could catch every word Bruce said.

"I did at times. Don't get me wrong. It was hell. At least for me." Bruce stated quite calmly.

"So why didn't you?"

"First off, it was nearly impossible. One time Superman almost drowned me when he shoved me into a tub full of ice water. He left me in there but one of his robots came to resuscitate me." Bruce answered as if he were describing a game of chess.

"You had no way to outsmart him?"

"You mean use what was at my disposable? Of course I tried too. I reasoned with him. Talked to him. Tried to get him to let me go. But Superman knew me just to well. We had become far to close as friends in the past. And, quite honestly, if it wasn't me who he was keeping there in the end it would have been someone else. You already know who Superman had lined up to replace me, didn't you?" Bruce stated quietly. Jason paused taking in all this information.

"The Flash, wasn't it? Why him?"

"Who knows. From what I gathered they shared a night together and I guess Superman took a liking to him. Why bother playing with a broken toy when you can have a brand new shiny one?"

Shaking his head in disgust the young mercenary pushed away from the table. He ordered Bruce to stay where he was and walked away to open a window. Inhaling the sweet fresh air of the country side as he contemplated what to do next with his prisoner. Honestly, he had not expected to get this far. He had been sure Bruce would defeat him in capturing him. However the blind man had hardly moved from his position. Maybe Bruce didn't move because he had no idea where he was. He supposed his former mentor being blind and broken had its advantages. Yet…there was still just a smallest flicker of the old fire of what had made Bruce Wayne the Batman in there. Nothing more than a glowing ember at this point. But Jason had still caught a glimpse of it lingering in there.

After that the mercenary had made up his mind. He would build Bruce Wayne back up to his former glory. He would figure out some way to resurrect the Batman. Turning around he glared at the man at the table. There had to be some way to build that ember back into the all-consuming inferno that had been the Batman. Not even Dick Grayson could match the original Bruce had been. Not matter what it took, Jason swore to himself, he would wake up Bruce again.

Walking back over he excused Bruce. Telling him to go back to his room to rest. The only question at this point, though, was how? He had the money from Lex Luthor for the supposed "death" of Bruce Wayne. Apparently a bleeding head was all the billionaire needed to see before going back to his other experiments. From what the mercenary had heard last time Lex was attempting to replicate the cloning process he had done with Superboy, but with poor results. Any experiment he began to grow just died in the petri dish.

Well, good. That meant the original clone was still hidden somewhere. No doubt by the Justice League scrambling to find a way to defeat Superman. The entire world was on edge as they waited to see what happened with the hero turned rogue. At this rate, only time would tell if Superman won this second round.