Chapter 12: Judgment

Damian strode through the Bat Cave with long, purposeful steps, his face an unreadable mask. Reaching the central platform, he took off his suit jacket and tossed it aside in a rare display of frustration.

"Damian? What's wrong?" Julia asked, swiveling around in the chair at the Bat Computer, surprise flashing across her face at his tense demeanor.

Damian didn't answer right away. He stood rigidly, fists clenched, staring up at the stalactites dotting the cave ceiling as if hoping they held answers. Finally, he retrieved his phone and connected it to the computer, so that the DNA results were large and unmistakable.

"Sabrina Kyle…is my sister," Damian ground out.

Julia's eyes went wide as she stared up at the damning evidence displayed on the computer screen.

"Bloody hell," she murmured. Looking up at Damian's stormy expression, she asked gently, "Did you have any idea Selina had a child with your father?"

Damian scoffed bitterly, beginning to pace. "Of course not. Their relationship didn't exactly end on the best of terms. They couldn't even get married. Selina disappeared from Gotham years ago. Now her daughter shows up, ingratiating herself with Joseph, spying on him and stealing information? And we don't still don't know for whom."

"Okay now Damian, this isn't the end of the world-"

"This changes everything!" Damian lashed out suddenly, slamming his fist into a nearby rack of equipment, sending it crashing to the floor. "My father's illegitimate child working to undermine Joseph's campaign, working with if not Thorne's killer, then certainly Maroni or Falcone. She's a liability, a wild card interfering with everything!"

Julia rose cautiously, hands raised in a calming gesture as she approached Damian. "We don't know her full story yet. There could be more at play."

Damian whirled on her, eyes blazing. "Her story hardly matters now. If anyone discovered her true lineage…"

He trailed off, the unspoken implications sinking in. If word got out that Bruce Wayne had sired an heir with Catwoman, it could undermine Wayne Enterprises, his family's legacy. Julia saw the thoughts swirling behind Damian's icy eyes.

"What will you do?" she asked softly.

Damian straightened, his expression becoming detached and clinical, a strategist calculating his next move. "Sabrina Kyle cannot remain an unknown variable. I will confront her, and make clear her only option going forward is to stop and join our side. One way or another, she will cease being a threat."

"Who's confronting her? Damian Wayne, or Batman?" Julia asked.

Damian paused, as if he hadn't considered it. Perhaps it didn't even matter anymore. Either way, he was going to solve the Sabrina Kyle problem.

Sabrina Kyle's Apartment - 7 PM

Sabrina was lounging on her bed, her knees raised slightly as she read a book, Gems In The Wild by Raquel Ervin. Her pet cat, a Siamese named Rouge, was curled up comfortably against her. As Sabrina turned a page, Rouge's ears perked up, and her attention shifted towards the living room. The cat softly jumped off the bed and made her way into the living room, before letting out a very loud hiss that caused Sabrina to quickly close the book. She placed the book down and grabbed the pistol hidden under her pillow. Moving off of her bed, she slowly crept to her bedroom doorway. Peering out, she saw the dark silhouette of Batman standing near her now open balcony window, and Rouge standing hissing at his feet.

Sabrina slowly took a few steps out of the bedroom, while leveling her gun at the dark knight. "Batman? What are you doing in my apartment? How did you even find it?"

"I have my ways," Batman growled. "I need to talk to you, here and now…Catwoman."

Sabrina's eyes widened in surprise, but she kept her gun aimed steadily. "I think you have the wrong apartment. I'm no cat burglar."

In a blur, Batman flung a Batarang that knocked the gun from her grasp. He charged forward, grabbing Sabrina in a chokehold and slamming her against the wall. This drew another hiss from Rouge, but the cat didn't seem to bother to do much else.

"I know it's you," Batman said menacingly. "The costume, the skills, you're Selina Kyle's daughter. Did you think I wouldn't uncover the truth?"

Sabrina clawed at his arm, gasping for breath. Mustering all her strength, she snapped her head forward, headbutting Batman square in the nose. He stumbled back with a muffled grunt, and Sabrina wasted no time, spinning and landing a vicious roundhouse kick to his chest that sent him crashing into her coffee table.

By the time Batman leapt back to his feet, Sabrina had retrieved her whip from under the bed. She lashed out expertly, the whip cracking inches from Batman's face. He managed to grab hold, yanking Sabrina off balance. In a few swift moves, he had her disarmed and pinned against the wall once more, his forearm pressed ruthlessly across her windpipe.

"Enough games," Batman snarled, his face inches from hers. "You're going to tell me who hired you to infiltrate Dent's campaign."

Sabrina continued to show defiance as she clawed at his arm once more. "Fat chance…I'm more afraid of them than you…"

"Wanna test that?" Batman growled, pressing his forearm even harder into her throat.

Slowly but surely, Sabrina's defiance faded, as did all energy in her eyes as the lack of air began to take its effects. "Alright…it was Falcone.."

Batman eased up fractionally but kept her pinned. "Now tell me...do you know who your father is?"

Confusion flashed across Sabrina's face. "My father? I never knew him. My mother hardly spoke of him."

Releasing her, Batman took a few steps back and turned away. Sabrina fell to her knees, letting out a violent cough. As she rubbed her throat, Rouge closed the distance and began rubbing up against her.

"I'm fine…I'm fine…go in the room," Sabrina commanded. The cat obeyed, but not before giving Batman one last deathly stare. "Now why…why did you ask me about my father?"

After a moment of silence passed, Batman reached into his belt and took out a small bat-shaped device with a screen on it. He tossed the device over his shoulder at Sabrina, who caught it with both hands. She raised an eyebrow in slight confusion, but looked at the device regardless. What was displayed on the screen caused her eyes to widen, and her jaw to drop. She looked up at Batman, then at the screen, and then up at Batman once more. Denial and bewilderment was etched across her face.

"Where did you get this?" she asked. When he didn't answer, Sabrina took a step forward. "Where did you get this? Is this even real? How did you get my-"

She stopped short when Batman reached up to slowly remove his cowl. He dropped the cowl to the floor and turned around to face her, showing the unmistakable face of Damian Wayne.

Sabrina stared in stunned silence, her mind reeling as she struggled to process the image.

"Damian Wayne? You're...you're Batman?" she finally managed.

Damian's expression was grim. "Yes. Bruce Wayne was your father, and that makes you my sister."

Sabrina sank down to sit on the edge of her couch, shaking her head in disbelief.

"But how? My mother never said who my father was. I assumed he was just some random guy she had a fling with back in her wilder days."

Damian crossed his arms. "Your mother had an on-again, off-again relationship with my father. Clearly their last tryst resulted in you."

Sabrina thought back to vague memories of her early childhood. Her mother's pained silences whenever she asked about her dad. The way Selina always seemed to carry an undercurrent of heartache, even during their happy times together. It all started to make sense.

"I can't believe she never told me," Sabrina whispered.

Damian's tone softened slightly. "Selina has always been...complicated. But we have more pressing issues to discuss."

Sabrina looked up at him defensively. "You mean like how you broke into my home and assaulted me? Or how you're Batman, which leaves a lot to be unpacked-"

"I did what was necessary to confirm your identity and allegiance," Damian responded, in a much colder tone. "Now that I know you're my sister, I'm giving you a chance to stop working against Joseph Dent. His vision for Gotham must be fulfilled, and I can't allow you to ruin his campaign."

Sabrina bristled. "Oh, so just because we share some DNA, I'm supposed to drop everything and join your cause?"

"Essentially, yes," Damian replied bluntly. "Anything else would be unwise."

"You don't get to dictate my life," Sabrina shot back. "I'm not just going to abandon the people who depend on me and blow up my livelihood."

Damian's eyes narrowed. "Don't pretend like you owe Falcone anything."

Sabrina faltered briefly before regaining her defiance. "He paid me fairly for my skills, and has done so for a long time. A girl's reputation is everything, and in this city, you don't wanna burn bridges."

"I'll pay you double whatever Falcone is paying you," Damian said.

Sabrina raised an eyebrow, intrigued but still skeptical. "...To do what?"

"Maintain your position in Falcone's camp, but give him misinformation, while feeding me any useful intel on him. Maroni too, if possible," he explained.

Sabrina considered the offer. She had to admit, the pay raise was extremely enticing, especially if she was able to still get a payday from Falcone while doing so. Still, she wasn't sure she could fully trust Damian.

"How do I know I can trust you? How do I know by the end of this, after you've squeezed everything out of me, you won't just throw me in Blackgate?" she challenged.

Damian met her eyes unflinchingly. "Because we share blood, and I take that seriously."

Sabrina held his gaze, searching for any deception. But she could find none. Finally, she nodded slowly.

"Okay, brother. You have a deal."

Gotham Sewers - 7:33 PM

In the depths of the sewers below Gotham, a small area had been converted into some sort of small base of operations. On the walls were newspaper clippings, photos, maps and other assorted documents, illuminated by a single overhead bulb. On a nearby desk sat a radio that played a broadcast of Rose Thorne's latest anti-vigilante tirade.

"...These unlawful rogues undermine the fine men and women of the GCPD who put their lives on the line each day. With them running loose, we are no better than the criminals they claim to fight.."

A gloved hand reached out to mute the broadcast. Sitting in a nearby chair, facing the wall of assorted documents, the mysterious figure let out a soft chuckle. A tongue darted out through the bandages around his face to lick his lips. He stood from the chair and walked up to the wall, specifically to a picture of Damian Wayne and Bruce Podolsky's meeting with Joseph Dent at Sundollar, taken from a high vantage point.

GCPD Headquarters - 8 PM

The night air was cold and brisk on the rooftop of GCPD headquarters. Joseph Dent paced back and forth, rubbing his hands together for warmth as he awaited Red Hood's arrival. Montoya stood next to the Bat Signal, which was currently shining into the cloudy night sky. After several more minutes passed, Joseph stopped and looked over at Montoya.

"Does it really take this long?" he asked, impatiently.

Montoya took a sip of her coffee as she looked out towards the city.

"Not when it's just Batman or Batwoman, but considering she had to go get Red Hood-"

The sound of boots landing on the roof could be heard, drawing both of their attention. Standing close to the edge of the roof were Red Hood and Batwoman, both regarding Dent and Montoya silently.

"Ah, finally. I have to admit, I was losing hope that you'd show at all," Joseph said.

"I wasn't exactly thrilled when I was told a politician wanted to see me," Red Hood replied gruffly, his modulator disguising his voice.

Batwoman stepped forward, her expression unreadable behind her cowl. "What did you want to discuss, Mr. Dent?"

Joseph crossed his arms. "Please, call me Joseph, and I wanted to talk about the allegations levied at Red Hood." He turned his gaze to the vigilante in question. "Did you kill Dr. Matthew Thorne?"

Red Hood tensed, his hands clenched into fists. "I already told Batman, Batwoman and the cop over there that I didn't!"

"Easy Hood, he's just trying to understand the situation," Batwoman said evenly.

Joseph held up his hands diplomatically. "She's right, I'm not accusing you. I need to know the truth if I'm going to publicly defend you and other vigilantes against Rose's propaganda."

Red Hood seemed to relax marginally at that. "Well I didn't. I didn't kill Falcone's men—the ones at the docks, anyway, and I didn't sabotage your campaign either if that's what you're thinking. If I have something to say, I'll say it and I'll make sure people know it was me. This is all some frame job to put heat on me."

Joseph nodded thoughtfully. "Just as I thought. Rose is clearly twisting the truth for her own agenda. As mayor, I want to work with you, not against you. But the violence has to be reined in."

At that, Red Hood bristled again. "Don't tell me how to do my job. I get results, more than you politicians tend to."

"Hood, he's got a point," Batwoman interjected gently. "Maybe easing up on the lethal force would help improve relations with the GCPD and public."

Montoya shared a glance with Batwoman at the latter half of the statement, but the commissioner remained silent.

"Whose side are you on?" Red Hood snapped.

Batwoman stood her ground. "Yours, that's why I'm telling you this. Work with Joseph, not against him. He wants to help."

Red Hood shook his head and turned away. Batwoman placed a hand on his shoulder. "This could be an opportunity to change things in Gotham, for the better."

After a long, tense moment, Red Hood finally gave a short nod. "Fine. I'll try it your way, for now."

Joseph stepped forward, offering his hand. "Thank you. With the people's support, we can start to clean up this city. Once I'm in office, you can return to doing things how you see fit, as long as you aren't turning the streets into a war zone."

Red Hood eyed his hand but didn't take it. Instead he shot a grappling hook off and zipped into the night. Batwoman offered an apologetic shrug.

"He takes some getting used to."

The Batcave - 8:25 PM

The oppressive darkness of the Batcave engulfed Damian as he sat brooding in front of the glowing Bat Computer screens. Aside from the bats overhead, the only other sign of life was Julia, who slowly approached him from the shadows.

"That was quite the risk you took tonight," she remarked. "Telling Sabrina not only that you're her half-brother, but revealing your identity as Batman on top of it all."

Damian kept his eyes fixed on the monitors. "It was a calculated risk. I needed to impress upon her the gravity of ceasing her campaign sabotage."

Julia crossed her arms. "Calculated, perhaps, but risky nonetheless. What's to stop her from running straight to Falcone and exposing everything?"

"She has no concrete proof of either claim," Damian countered. "And if she did attempt to reveal my identity, she knows I can easily find out where and end the threat permanently."

Julia frowned disapprovingly. "Must you always resort to threats of violence?"

Damian finally turned his chair to face her. "I took a chance bringing her into the fold because we share blood. But she is not family...not yet. My priority is protecting my mission and those who depend on me."

Sighing, Julia relented. "I hope for both your sakes she proves more of an asset than a liability. I witnessed enough of the havoc her mother caused back in the day, and I imagine you did too."

"She won't be a problem," Damian stated firmly. "Either she will accept her place and provide useful intel on Falcone's operations, or she will betray my trust and suffer the consequences. Regardless, I will maintain control of the situation."

Julia studied Damian's hard, uncompromising eyes and knew further argument was futile. She only prayed his faith in Sabrina was justified, and that his harsh methods didn't backfire and drive his newly discovered sister back into the arms of Gotham's underworld.

Joseph dragged his feet up the front steps of his house, exhaustion from the day's events weighing on him. As he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he was greeted by the sound of voices coming from the living room. Curious, he made his way down the hall and was shocked by what he saw.

Sitting on the sofa across from his mother Gilda was none other than Anthony Falcone, sipping coffee casually as if he belonged there. Rage flared inside Joseph and he stormed into the room.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" Joseph demanded.

Gilda looked startled by her son's sudden fury. "Joseph, mind your tone. Mr. Falcone just stopped by to chat."

"Oh I'm sure he did," Joseph spat. He jabbed a finger towards Falcone. "You need to leave. Now."

Falcone held up his hands innocently. "Relax Joseph, I only came to talk. No need for hostility."

Joseph fought to restrain himself, not wanting to frighten his mother. "Mom, please go upstairs. Mr. Falcone was just leaving."

Gilda hesitated, then seeing the fire in her son's eyes, decided not to argue. Once she had retreated upstairs, Joseph whirled on Falcone. "How dare you come into my home. I should have you arrested."

Falcone chuckled as he stood up. "On what grounds Mr. District Attorney? Sharing a nice conversation with your lovely mother over coffee?" His amusement faded, replaced by a calculating glint. "I'm here to talk business, Joseph. To discuss your future in this city."

Joseph crossed his arms defiantly. "I know what kind of future you have in mind. Me in your pocket. But that's never going to happen."

"Now, now, let's not be hasty," Falcone admonished. "As mayor, you, me, and Ghost could be quite the team. A triumvirate ruling Gotham, with you as the public face. The city would be ours."

Joseph shook his head in disgust. "I've spent years trying to take you and Maroni down. You think I'll suddenly join you? I'd rather get hit by a bus."

Falcone clicked his tongue. "Temper, Joseph. You know, you remind me of your father." His eyes darted meaningfully to Joseph's pocket. "Have you considered letting chance decide your path?"

Joseph tensed, his hand unconsciously moving to grip the coin in his pocket. "Get out Falcone. Don't ever come near me or my family again."

Falcone held up his hands in mock surrender. "If that's how you want to play it. But remember Joseph, if you hope to get anywhere in Gotham, you need to learn what hands to shake."

With those cryptic parting words, Falcone strolled out the front door, leaving Joseph visibly shaken.

Gotham University - 12 PM

The energy in Gotham University's packed arena was electric as Joseph Dent took the stage to thunderous applause. Damian Wayne stood off to the side, observing with guarded optimism as his friend launched into an impassioned defense of Gotham's vigilantes against Rose Thorne's fear mongering rhetoric.

"The masked heroes who have watched over our city are not the threat!" Joseph declared passionately. "Working hand-in-hand with law enforcement, they have kept us safe from the forces of darkness and chaos for generations! The Batman, from my father's era to today, has been instrumental in taking down organized crime and costumed psychopaths alike. Red Hood's methods may be extreme, but his desire to protect the innocent is just as real."

The crowd roared their support, the students especially vocal, holding signs reading "I Stand With The Heroes" and "Gotham is Bat Country." Joseph fed off their energy, his voice rising powerfully.

"With compassion and vigilance on our side, Gotham has persevered against all odds. Together with our heroes, we will forge ahead into a brighter future!"

Just then, the arena's screens switched abruptly to show the bandaged face of the mysterious killer, much clearer than ever before. Damian's eyes widened as he recognized the look, it was very reminiscent of one of his father's prior enemies: Hush. His electronically disguised voice echoed menacingly through the speakers.

"Do not be deceived by honeyed words. The one you cheer now festers with corruption beneath a noble facade."

Stunned silence gripped the arena as footage rolled showing what appeared to be Damian meeting cordially with Maroni and Falcone, discussing plans to control Gotham under Joseph's mayorship. Murmurs of shock and confusion rippled through the crowd, as Joseph whirled to stare at Damian. His eyes were full of hurt and betrayal. Damian however, seemed just as floored, knowing that the meeting never occurred.

"Joe, listen to me that's not-"

The killer's face returned to the screens. "There is no hiding how deeply the rot spreads. There is no keeping it quiet. Judgment comes swiftly."

Looking up at the arena's scoreboard screen, Damian noticed a figure high up in the rafters. In a blur of motion, he reacted first, shoving Joseph out of harm's way just as a bullet tore through the air towards them. It slammed into Damian's back instead, bringing him crashing down as pandemonium erupted.

Through the terrified masses, Damian glimpsed the killer lowering a sniper rifle in the stands. Then the figure vanished.

Chaos reigned as paramedics swarmed Damian and security flooded the stage. Joseph knelt by his wounded friend, confusion and doubt swirling within him. Damian gripped his hand tightly.

"It wasn't me...you have to trust me..." he rasped through the pain.

Joseph searched Damian's eyes desperately, wanting to believe him but uncertain who to trust as his world crumbled around him.