Guest- Thanks. I've been waiting to do that all through the story.
Gordhanx- Yeah, Stephanie's been a character I've been asked about in reviews and PMs. I just wanted to bring her in as a civilian at somepoint but don't know if she'll bcome Spoiler. If she does it'll most likely be in another story.
Airborne3- Yeah, I saw her with the other captives in DtD. Thought that was a nice little cameo for the show.
The Darkman- Nope, but details about them will come later.
Paragon Eight- Thanks. It's after Easter so I thought an egg would be good here. And I can understand why the writers brought Tim and Cassie together, comic history, but I had my money on them doing something with her and Jaime with the tie-in comic series.
Eric- Bone Daddy is an OC I came up with based on the gang of criminals Chris O'Donnell fights in Batman Forever and the Jamacan VooDoo Posse in Predator 2. I needed someone not part of the usual rogue gallery for this that could be seen as small time but could potentially go onto bigger things.
teslaman- Bone Daddy's based on the criminals in Batman Forever Chris fights before becoming Robin and one of the gangs in Predator 2. I originally thought of having The Joker but wanted someone whose more of a small time criminal and not a heavy hitter. Glad you liked him.
Black Victor Cachat- Thanks. I was hoping I did a good enough job with them for what I had planned.
5.
Gotham City
August 21
21:41 UTC
Landing from a wide arcing swing, Batgirl stayed in a kneeling position as she pulled her small phone shaped device from a belt pouch. It was not needed as, out of nowhere, a loud shatter of glass breaking could be heard. A small beep followed, drawing her attention back to the hand held device where she clicked the screen off, flipped it in her hand, and slipped it back into her pouch before taking off in a sprint with her cape flowing behind her.
Within the alley Damian was in, two additional thugs lay on the ground unconscious with another one screaming from having to pull glass out of his side. The injury was the result of attempting to nab the boy from behind only for him to slide through his legs, bust a nearby window in the closest building, and use the shards as projectile weapons. It was here the painted men saw the kid was skilled and was adapt at using any and everything as a weapon.
"Get the brat!" One of the painted thugs yelled to another before shoving him in the direction of Damian.
Stepping up to the boy, a large bellied man with a half yellow skull painted on his face swung a heavy chain above his head. The make-shift weapon came crashing down on the pavement near the boy's foot, who barely managed to get out of the way. Grabbing a Bird-A-Rang from his belt, Damian hurled it at the man's head, nailing him between the eyes and causing him to drop his chain.
Performing a one handed flip, the ninjutsu trained boy took hold of the weapon, dodged an incoming bat, then used the metal links to snare the wielder by the neck and brought him crashing down. He then swung the chain above his head and took down three more incoming thugs by hitting them each in the head in one swipe when he was grabbed from behind and lifted off his feet.
"Play time's over, kid." The painted thug grasping onto Damian all but spat in his face as he and another thug worked to carry the boy over to Bone Daddy.
"Place him on the sacrificial table," Bone Daddy ordered as he held his hands up. "And strap him down tight."
"RRGH, let me go!" Damian yelled as he struggled when he received a hard punch to the jaw.
Slamming him down on the sacrificial table, which was the hood of an abandoned and rotting Lincoln Continental, the painted thugs used a combination of rope and chains to keep him down. Dried blood covered the hood beneath Damian and there was nothing he could do to get free. As he continued to work his way out of his bindings, the thugs crowded around him with a few leaping to the top of the old car for a better view. As they hooped and hollered, they formed a pathway for their leader to carry on his work.
"Foolish child," Bone Daddy said as he stood before him with his hands together as if in prayer. "Don't you know that despite how good you are, sheer numbers will always get the better of you?"
Reaching into his large, wide, hanging sleeves, the voodoo criminal pulled out a nine inch, wavy bladed, dagger and held it above his head. "You fight well, boy child. You will make a most welcome addition to my collection of souls. Once Trigon is finished with you, of course."
Spitting at Bone Daddy's face, Damian refused to stop trying to get free.
"Lord Trigon, accept our sacrifice in your most holy name, and may the Bone Hounds be granted seats at your table of everlasting-"
"It's Batman!"
Looking up where the shouting thug was pointing, every member of the Bone Hounds saw a back figure with its cape held out to mimic a large bat. Before an of them could move, it dove off the roof and took down two thugs unfortunate enough not to clear out in time. Standing on the chests of the two painted gang members, the individual dropped the cape from around them, revealing a sleek feminine body.
"It's not Batman!" one thug shouted.
"It's the Batgirl!" another one added.
"No it's not, it's a new one," a third added his two cents.
Lowering the blade he held, Bone Daddy silenced his underlings. "It does not matter who she is. One more sacrifice will please our future lord and master. Bring her to me. The one who does so will be my right hand."
Charging forward, the members of the Bone Hounds were dead centered on bringing the new arrival down. A quick and powerful backwards spinning roundhouse took four of them out in one blow. Backflipping away, Batgirl planted her feet on another thug's shoulders and lifted herself up to where she had her shins on is trap muscles. A hard shot to the face later had him reeling before she gripped his head roughly, lifted herself into the air, then slammed the back of his head down onto the pavement.
Moving faster than the thugs were ready for, batgirl brought out three Bat-A-Rangs and hurled them at a group of incoming gang members. Each projectile exploded in a cloud of gas rendering those who breathed it in, seven to be exact, unconscious.
"Got her!" Grabbing her from behind, one of the painted thugs bear hugged the female bat and lifted her her off the ground. A headbutt to his nose freed her enough to land an elbow before firing a grapple-line to the rooftops and zipping away just as three more thugs collided from trying to rush her at once.
As batgirl flew through the air, she flung a Bat-A-Rang to where Damian was tied down and cut the rope binding his left arm. The boy quickly reached for a pocket knife from his belt and cut the remaining ties just as Batgirl landed on the hood of the old car he was on. The two then went back to back and began to hold their ground from the many Bone Hounds.
"I know who you are," Damian said as he nailed a straight push kick to an unfortunate gang member's face, breaking his nose and a few teeth with his steel toed boots. "I know your style, Cain."
Not minding a word he said, Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, performed a sweep to knock another incoming thug to the ground.
"How did you find me?"
Holding up her device, she let Damian take a god look at it then slipped it back into her belt pouch.
"You have a tracer on me?" The young boy dropped several flash pellets to disorient his attackers for a bit. He then caught his bodyguard signaling 'Mother'.
"Mother's idea? I can take care of my self. I don't need you, her, or father to-"
"Batman!" one of the thugs shouted.
Gliding in over the mob fight, Batman brought with him a large swarm of bats. The sheer number of the nocturnal mammals was enough to cause a panic from the gang members as they swatted at he creatures while also being attacked by the Caped Crusader. He was not the only one to arrive as a line of Bone Hounds discovered when they attempted to flee down the alley and were clotheslined by Robin's quarter staff.
Backing up, a lone painted criminal with a Knife tried to get out of sight when a thin, black rope dropped from above and puled him upwards. A smack later, and he fell unconscious to the floor.
"Three heroes, three souls for Lord Trigon," Bone Daddy said as he lowered his stance and held out twin daggers. "Come at me, Batman, and I will add your-UGHFF!"
Landing the underside of his boot to Bone Daddy's face, Batman landed in a kneeling position over him, pulling him up by his collar to get his full attention when the Dark Knight saw he was unconscious for the time being. Moving his hand to his belt buckle, Batman hit a small switch, causing a high pitched frequency to fill the area and send the bats away. The nocturnal animals had served their purpose by causing a distraction and sending the gang members into chaos. Now all there was left was the clean up.
"I had them!" Damian yelled as he ran up to his father and began to hit him. "I didn't need your help! I don't need your help!"
Staring down at the boy, Batman let him get his frustrations out. It was not like the kid was hurting him to begin with, seeing as his armor kept the club-like hits to nothing more than dull thumps.
"Rambunctious little chickadee." Descending on a rope, a feminine figure emerged from the shadows once she touched ground. Catwoman, in her sleek, black, curve hugging suit stepped up to a hanging Bone Hound, who was upside down and bound in a cable, and spun him slightly as he moaned. "Isn't this one a little young to be all..."
Stopping in her tracks, the feline anti-heroine looked the new Batgirl over. "Love the new look, but the one piece mask is a little, plain. Don't you think?" When no response was given, Catwoman tugged on the rope she used and hooked it around her whip holster. "Loosen up a little, Batgirl. We don't need two Batmen."
"We will discuss your actions later." Looking down at his son, Batman gave him a stern look, which was immediately returned.
"If I didn't know better, I would peg him as your kid, not sidekick." Going up to The Dark Knight, Catwoman pulled him in close. "Been fun tonight, Bats. Right up to the kiddie parade. Maybe next time we can take on that one eyed girl and her friend without interruption. I am the only bad girl in the city as you well know."
Leaving the vigilante, the feline themed woman made her way to the closest building and gave Batman a come hither look over her shoulder. She then raised her arms into the air and fired a grapple gun, Batman's grapple gun, to the roof and zipped upwards. She then gave a slight wave to the Caped Crusader in the alley before racing of into the night.
"That's not mother," Damian sternly said.
"You're telling me." Turning to look at the new Batgirl, Batman ran his eyes over her carefully. It did not take a detective to see the resemblance to the previous heroine's costume. "And your reason for being out here? I told you two not to head out to Gotham and do something like this."
Batgirl only shrugged.
"Don't you shrug at me young lady. I will deal with you back at the cave as well."
Heading back to the knocked out Bone Daddy, Batman lifted the dark skinned man by his collar, only to be approached by his son again.
"I had this under control," Damian said as is father pulled an ammonia capsule from a belt pouch. "I took care of several criminals and made sure they would never be up to their..."
As Damian continued speaking, Batman made a small hand gesture to Robin who stood quietly by.
"...so with all I have done, I have proven I'm not only capable of taking care of myself, but I am as good, if not better, than any one you have trained and, and...aaaaaannnnnnddddd."
Taking the boy by surprise, Robin activated a sleep pellet under Damian's nose. The effect was immediate as the youth fell to the ground with a thud. "Been waiting to do that."
Staring back at him, Batman waited for an explanation as to why he let his son fall without catching him.
"Oh come on. Like you didn't want him to do that after all he's been saying about us, our friends, and Alfred. No one talks like that to Alfred."
Without a word, Batman turned back to the Blood Hound leader to interrogate him on information he alluded to having by speaking about his connection to the blood cult and mentioning Trigon.
Batcave
August 21
23:17 UTC
Placing his cowl on a table, the maskless Batman began to undo the small latches holding his cape as Damian, now in a white shirt with his pants still on from earlier, slumped in a chair with his arms crossed. The boy's eyes followed his father who seemed to be taking his time removing his suit by going slow and meticulously placing his belt and weapons on a nearby table alongside his cowl.
Almost immediately upon return, Tim removed his Robin mask and avoided the son of Batman on his way to the showers. Not because he was intimidated by the boy, but because Batman ordered him to. The same went for the new Batgirl whose presence was explained by Oracle. She met with the former vigilante in private the moment she returned.
"Care to explain yourself fully?" Bruce asked once he was down to only his armored pants. He stood in front of his son intimidatingly.
"Care to explain that woman whose hands were all over you?" Damian asked with his eyes zeroed in on is father's.
"That is none of your concern. I gave you strict orders to stay here when I am on patrol. Now I tolerated the late night trips into the city, largely due to the fact you were staying out of trouble and had Cassandra-"
"I DON'T NEED A BODYGUARD!" Damian shouted as he leapt to his feet. "I DON'T NEED CAIN, MOTHER, GRANDFATHER, OR ANYONE TO LOOK AFTER ME!"
"Calm down," Bruce said sternly.
"I CAN'T CALM DOWN! NOT WHEN EVERYONE CHOOSES TO TREAT ME LIKE A HELPLESS CHILD!"
Letting out a breath, Bruce shifted his jaw back and forth before nodding. "Computer, access and play file Wayne, Damian, two, three, zero, four."
At his word, the Batcomputer came to life and played a video on a sleeping Damian. The boy was napping on one of the couches in the library clutching a pillow tight while lying on his side. Around the forty-five second mark, the boy kicked out, knocking over a pillow near his feet. The audio then played back what he said and clarified it. Among the light moans and his breathing, he called out for his mother.
"Freeze playback." The image froze in place at Bruce's command. "I can understand your need for independence. I can also understand your need to prove your abilities. But I will and always will see you as a child because you come from me. My child."
Kneeling down, the elder Wayne placed a hand on the younger one's shoulder. "When I was around your age, I lost both of my parents to a criminal in a senseless robbery. As strong as I wanted to be, I was still only a child. Over time, I grew to understand if I had tried to prevent what happened, I would not be here. I would not be the man I am today and certainly, not what criminals fear. You, like me at that age, need to understand what it's like to be a kid. You have extraordinary skills, skills that will one day surpass mine, but if you continue living like this, living like an adult in this city when you are not, you will never get to see half of the things I've seen or experienced."
Standing, Bruce kept his hand on his son's shoulder. "You still have your parents. You still have me. I only look out for you because I love you, the same reason Alfred looked out for me growing up. He still does actually. You had a close call tonight. Don't deny it. That is why we work as a team. You want to follow in my footsteps? You want to go out there with me? I have no problem with that. But it will be under my rules, my terms. You will train until I say you can join me, just as I have done with Dick, Barbara, Jason, and Tim. Understand?"
Keeping the stern look on his face, Damian still refused to back down. "Grandfather said-"
"Your grandfather is a homicidal, genocidal madman who wats to destroy all of humanity and send the world back to the time before it was populated. Your mother has even shown concern at what he's doing, which is the reason she sent you here. So you would be safe."
"Yo...she didn't leave me here because I'm a failure?"
"What?"
"I've, I've seen offspring of the Shadows being cast out for failing at what is expected of them. I was not supposed to know what would happen, but...I just thought-"
"You are where you belong. Your mother wants what's best for you, and so do I. She knows what would happen if you stayed with The Shadows and it's not a life she wants for you."
Moving to place both hands on his son's shoulders, Bruce gripped him reassuringly. "You are my son. You are from the best part of me. And I will do anything to keep you safe. That includes making sure you have the one thing I never did, a childhood."
Looking down, Damian clinched his fists. They shook slightly as he sniffed. He then moved in and hugged his father tight.
Metropolis
August 22
00:01 UTC
Walking down the hallway of an underground laboratory, Lex Luthor and several scientists journeyed past long lines of locked doors, arriving in a central chamber housing large generators and numerous computers. Going on about their work, the group of technicians stationed there monitored computer screens on a single subject in the center of the room.
"And how are things down here?" Lex asked the lead lab tech.
"Very well, Mister Luthor," a young woman answered as she showed him a clipboard with the most recent readings. "The subject is coming along just fine with no complications what-so-ever."
"Very good." Flipping through a few pages, Lex grinned at the results. "And what of Metallo? Are the last adjustments ready?"
"Yes sir. He is at the specifications you have deemed us to get him to and downstairs in his charging station ready to be deployed."
"Very good. I will need him in the coming days. As for this one, keep me posted. I want to know every last detail."
"Yes sir. I will provide daily reports myself."
Looking at the mass of electronics in front of him, Lex let out a smug grin before turning around to plan the next phase.