Spoiler warning: Contains spoilers for The New Batman Adventures and Static Shock seasons 3 and 4.

Suddenly it was difficult for Bruce Wayne to be a normal human too. Batman was able to come in early most nights, and Bruce realized he enjoyed winding down with a game before getting a few hours of sleep. He found himself floating up and down staircases whenever he was home and it was still dark out, which never happened in the daytime. He made a note to himself never to do it in front of Tim or Barbara. But he landed on the ground floor and walked up to them as they waited for him, Tim and Barbara staring at him in shock, but Alfred calmly shuffling a deck of cards.

"What?" Bruce asked.

Tim and Barbara looked at each other and back at Bruce.

"Alfred, did you…?" Barbara asked quietly.

Alfred glanced at Bruce. "I didn't see anything."

"But-."

Barbara gave up with a sigh., but Tim gave Bruce a suspicious look.

Bruce rubbed his hands. "Let's go, I'm ready for a good game of cards."

Bruce found that when he started to get excited during the game he started to float and had to remember to sit down.

In the morning, he heard the paperboy come to the door.

"Alfred, get the paper."

Alfred raised an eyebrow, confused. "Apologies, Master Bruce, the paper hasn't-."

The doorbell rang.

Alfred gave him a look. "Very good, sir."

He went to get the paper and gave it to Bruce.

"Thank you, Alfred."

Bruce cut the string with a claw just as Alfred reached into his suit coat for his pocket knife. Alfred froze as he removed the pocket knife. Bruce sat back and took a sip of his coffee. Alfred gave him a suspicious look.

"Don't you think you should be a little more careful?" Alfred whispered, replacing the pocket knife.

Bruce smiled and held a finger to his lips.

The smile faded when he saw the front cover which prominently displayed a photograph of Batman swooping down on a criminal with his claws spread. Smaller photographs were spread throughout the story, showing the bat-shaped silhouette flying high in the sky and one of him crouching on the side of a building.

"As I said, sir. A little more prudence might be … prudent."

"Don't let Tim and Barbara see this."

"You call that prudence?"

Bruce gave him a look. Alfred gave him a look back, bending over him, the only person who could make the Batman cringe.

"Tell them," Alfred ordered.

He walked away. Bruce cleared his throat as he straightened.

"Very good, sir," Bruce muttered.

Thinking about telling Tim and Barbara made Bruce realize even Alfred knew hardly anything. He took Alfred aside to outline to him everything he knew about his powers, including the fact that his powers were stronger by night and in the Batcave, isolated from the sun. In the day, he had to get a good run and jump to fly, couldn't stand upside-down, and didn't hear as much as loudly. He explained that the cure was going to be ready within the year and his powers were temporary. But he didn't mention the powerful sonic blast.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said as Bruce turned to leave.

"Yes, Alfred?"

"Is that everything you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes, that's all."

"Are you sure."

Bruce narrowed his eyes and Alfred held his gaze.

"The shattered windows, Master Bruce. The misfired sonic weapon? The demolished shop. Not even Clayface could have so completely obliterated that structure."

"It was the Batcall, okay?" Bruce said quietly.

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Batcall?"

"I do it with my voice. I had to test it out with Clayface. I didn't know it was that powerful, I didn't mean to cause that much damage. I won't use it again unless I really need it." Bruce took a step toward Alfred. "Don't … tell … anyone. It's my super secret weapon. If nobody knows about it, then if I need to pull it out in an emergency, the enemy will be caught off guard."

"Hmm.… Very good, sir."

That night, on his way to his room for a few hours of sleep, Bruce heard Tim breathing quietly, hiding around a corner as Bruce approached. He passed unsuspectingly to see what would happen.

Tim kicked his foot toward Bruce's ankle. Bruce jumped aside, but Tim's fist was already coming toward him. He caught the boy's wrist and twisted his arm, but Tim jumped into a backflip. Bruce let go and stepped back to avoid a kick to the face. He lunged back in as Tim whipped around. Suddenly the newspaper of Batman's superpowers was in his face, and he speared straight through it with all five claws. Tim jumped with a gasp and backed away. In all their time fighting crime together, Bruce had never seen Tim so frightened. But it quickly faded into fury.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I was going to."

"When?!"

"Looks like you figured it out just fine, so it doesn't matter anymore." Bruce retracted his claws and the newspaper fell to the floor, five holes bored straight through.

"Doesn't matter?! We spent weeks working side-by-side, and you never told me! Why didn't you just tell me!"

"Floating around the house wasn't telling?"

"I didn't know Batman could be such a … coward!"

Bruce glared at him. Maybe that was because he wasn't Batman anymore. Bruce brushed past him.

Tim grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Don't walk away from me! You'll face me! Face me like a real Batman!"

They glared at each other. Bruce didn't have to explain himself to a kid. He jerked his arm out of the boy's grasp and turned away.

"What is this? This is- this is just … pathetic! You're pathetic!"

Bruce stopped. He unsheathed his talons and advanced on Tim, all five claws pointed upward in front of him.

"Do you see this? Do you see this?!"

Tim took a step back before holding his ground, staring at the claws that Bruce held up to the boy's face.

"Look at this!"

Tim stared at the claws centimeters from his face, breathing hard, his muscles tense and ready to spring. Bruce put his other hand on Tim's shoulder, un-clawed, moving his face closer so that the claws were an even distance between both of them. Tim finally looked into his eyes instead of at the claws.

"Maybe I'm just as frightened as you are." He put the claws away and patted Tim's shoulder. "Now go get Barbara."

Tim paused before running off. Bruce walked out to the sitting room. He jumped over the railing and floated to the floor. He heard Tim run down to the Batcave where Barbara was training. Sounds from there were a little muffled with some echo, but clear enough.

"Barb!"

"Yeah, Tim?" Barbara said breathlessly.

"I think Bruce is gonna tell us how he got his-.… Well, you'll find out."

"Got his what? What's going on? Why is everyone being so weird?!"

Bruce heard the two of them moving through the house. They ran into Alfred.

"You know, don't you?" Tim asked.

"Know what, Master Tim?"

"Come on."

Alfred paused. "As you wish."

Bruce looked up when Tim and Barbara came in, followed by Alfred. Bruce motioned to the couch and Tim and Barbara took a seat. Bruce sat opposite them, his elbows on his knees, and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for being so weird. I'm sorry I never told you. Tim … Barbara. Remember … three months ago? Two-and-a-half. Huh, feels a lot longer than that.… When I returned the Big Bang compound to Dakota? There was … an accident. I- I'm a-.…"

Barbara's eyes widened and her brows creased with horror.

"I'm a Meta-Human."

"Bruce.…"

"So … thanks for the push, Tim. Robin's always kept me straight."

"Just don't come near me with those claws again."

"Yeah. Okay."

"Claws?" Barbara questioned.

"Don't worry about it. Alfred can debrief you."

"Pretty sure I saw some … fangs back there, too," Tim said.

"Mm-hm."

"Are you a … are you a vampire?" Tim asked nervously.

"I don't think so. I'd be burned by sunlight and shy away from garlic, wouldn't I? I'm just a bat. I have bat powers, not vampire powers."

"Bat powers?" Barbara asked hesitantly, "Other than flight … what other powers do you have?"

"Alfred. Debrief."

Bruce stood up and walked away, but Alfred stood in his way.

"I believe Master Bruce has the power to tell his partners what he is capable of."

Bruce narrowed his eyes at Alfred before turning and facing them. "Claws, fangs, flight, wall-crawling, super-hearing, night vision, happy?"

Bruce flinched when Alfred slapped his shoulder with a flyswatter. Bruce glared at Alfred and Alfred glared back. Bruce returned his attention to Tim and Barbara.

"I also ... have a Canary Cry. Very powerful, destructive ... beyond the range of normal human hearing, so also silent."

"Now that we all know, are you gonna tell Dick?" Barbara asked.

Bruce looked hard at her. "Don't tell Dick."

"Why not?"

"Just don't."

"You can't bear to face him, can you?" Barbara questioned.

Bruce glared at her.

"You're ashamed. Don't be. It wasn't your fault."

"He won't see it that way."

"He'll have to find out eventually," Tim said.

Bruce glared at him. "Fine! I'll tell him."

"If you're ashamed, sir, if I might ask, why do you continue to use the superpowers?"

"I told you, it's temporary. I got Wayne Enterprises involved in making the antidote to the Big Bang syndrome. We're making good progress. As soon as it's ready, I'll be the first to try it. I just have to wait it out."

"Wait it out? Looks to me like you're surfing on top of the wave, cheering 'cowabunga.' I didn't ask why you still have the superpowers. I asked why you still use the superpowers."

Bruce glared at him, and Alfred stared intensely back.

"You recognize that Batman would never accept superpowers. You're absolutely right. I'm not Batman anymore. I'm Superbat."

"Superbat? What kind of name is that?" Tim criticized.

"It's terrible!" Bruce agreed, "Disgusting name for a disgusting hero with disgusting powers."

He walked away.

"Then why do you continue to use them?" Alfred asked.

"Because I'm Superbat!"

He jumped and flew up the stairs. He walked down the halls and finally made it to his room. He took a blanket, walked up the wall, and hung upside-down on the ceiling, wrapped up warm and tight for a nap.

Bruce didn't try to stop mindlessly floating whenever he was home and it was dark out. He never left his claws out, but he didn't try to hide them whenever he needed to cut something open. It didn't bother Alfred, but any interaction with Tim or Barbara was awkward. Bruce was glad to have Barbara around to interact with Tim in his place. Tim needed someone younger than Alfred, and Bruce couldn't be there for him. They all tried to pretend the tension wasn't there, but Dick knew something was wrong.

Batman had trained Nightwing well. If he didn't have super-hearing, he might not have heard him coming.

"Fancy meeting you here," Nightwing said.

"Free rooftop, isn't it?" Batman said.

Batman turned to see the black-clad young man with a blue hawk logo and a long, black mullet leaning against the low wall around the edge of the rooftop, dangling a golden, bejeweled goblet from his fingers.

"I just got this priceless chalice from Roxy Rocket. But that high-speed chase through the precarious cityscape really shot my nerves. My hands just won't stop shaking. I probably shouldn't be holding anything important right- oops." He purposefully dropped the chalice over the edge.

Batman glared at him for a moment. He knew Nightwing was forcing him to show his powers. He could have simply shot a grappling hook after it, but there was a chance of damaging it. Batman jumped and dove over the edge. He caught up to the goblet, sparkling and glittering as it fell. He stretched out his hands, carefully caught it, and swerved back up a few feet off the ground. He flew up to Nightwing waiting on the rooftop, his shoulders tense and his fists clenched. Batman hadn't seen him so angry since he'd thrown down his mask and cape and quit being Robin forever.

Batman held the chalice toward him. Nightwing snatched it back.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Nightwing growled quietly.

Batman floated aside to touch down on the roof, but Nightwing stepped into his way.

"Answer me!"

Batman tried floating around him again, but Nightwing stepped into his way again.

"Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?! Do you really think so little of me?! The sudden interest in the cure for Dakota's Bang Babies, refusal to train with us in person, and every little odd behavior and micro-expression, I read you like a book, Batman. You trained me to be the best! And yet you didn't trust me! I wanted to trust you. I really did. I trusted that you were keeping secrets for a good reason, that you knew what you were doing. But you didn't tell me, even after it came out in the news! You're nothing but a coward!" Nightwing put the chalice down emphatically on top of the wall.

They stared at each other in silence for a minute.

"Finished?"

"Explain yourself! Defend yourself!"

"No law that says you can't be angry with me." Batman turned to fly away.

"COWARD!"

Nightwing grabbed his cape, jerked him back, and threw him over his head. Batman flipped and landed on his feet, crouched with one hand on the ground. Nightwing lunged and threw a punch. Batman blocked and weaved.

"Why'd you do it?"

"I didn't. It wasn't my fault."

Batman dodged a lightning-fast spinning kick.

"You went along with it. That makes you just as guilty as whoever did it to you."

Batman decided to keep his feet on the ground and his claws inside as he fought with Nightwing. Neither one could get in a good hit on the other, being too familiar with each other's fighting styles.

"Come on, Batman! Use your superpowers against me! You're stronger than this!"

If he really wanted, Batman could have defeated him without using any powers, but he didn't want to. He stopped fighting and simply dodged and kept his distance.

"Scared you'll hurt me?"

After another pass, Nightwing stopped attacking and they faced each other.

"Face it, Batman! You're a menace!"

"There would be no point in defeating you, although I could do it easily."

"How could you let this happen? How could you let yourself become this?!"

"It was completely against my will! Jim mentioned it to me, and I made it clear to him that he was out of his mind. He used my trust, he manipulated me, and caused me to expose myself to a Meta-Human compound. It's not my fault!"

"But you didn't have to use them. You didn't have to accept it! And you didn't tell me!"

Batman had thought it was hopeless to reason with the people closest to him, but the conversation with Tim had worked out. Batman flew at Nightwing. He backflipped acrobatically, but Batman caught his throat in mid-air and slammed him to the ground. He unsheathed his claws beside Nightwing's face.

"Yes, Nightwing, I'm a menace! Maybe I'm just as frightened about it as you."

Nightwing laughed. "You think I'm scared of you?"

Nightwing kicked him in the stomach with both feet, throwing him off. Batman growled and floated back, clenching his teeth.

"You're pathetic. And you're weak! You gave in to the temptation!"

"What do you expect me to do?! Nothing?! Languish in bed for months, waiting for the cure?"

"You could've not used them! It's already too late. When-… if that cure is ready, you won't be strong enough to let go of this power."

"You try suddenly being granted the power of flight, walking on walls, super-hearing. I can hear everything. Every gunshot, every cry for help. And I can do something about it. As long as it's temporary, I should use them to help. And it is temporary."

"I thought I knew you. I looked up to you. I didn't care if you were a hero, you were my hero. But as I grow up I continually find myself disgusted. You lost my respect for you as a father a long time ago. Today, you lost my respect for you as a hero." Nightwing turned and walked away.

Maybe Nightwing was right. Batman couldn't help feeling overwhelmed, and he knew he'd never said it before.

"Nightwing."

Nightwing didn't stop.

"I'm proud of you."

Nightwing turned and ran at him with a furious yell. Batman flew off the edge of the roof. Nightwing leaped after him, spreading his gliding suit. Nightwing stayed on his tail for a moment, but he could only glide down and Batman flew up. Nightwing shot a grappling hook at Batman, but he spun and dodged.

"Is this what you use your great powers for?" Nightwing taunted, gliding below him and unable to reach him. "Running away? Running away from yourself? Running away from everything you used to believe in?!"

Batman kept flying while Nightwing found a place to land.

"I know you can hear me! And guess what? You can run and run and run, you can even fly, but you can never escape your shame!"

Batman floated through a hole in the roof of an abandoned warehouse. Run-down, clown-themed machinery and old, unused trap ideas cluttered a corner, the rest of the corners full of musty boxes and rotting boards. Batman drifted silently down behind a man with pasty skin, green hair, and a purple suit, who was bent over a desk with a blueprint and a white pencil.

The Joker sat up and put his pencil down. "I knew you'd be coming to see me, Batsy. Saved the best for last, eh? Well, what are you waiting for? Use those superpowers against me. A mere, hapless human. We don't stand a chance against your unnatural powers."

"I'm here to give you a chance, Joker. Whatever you're planning … don't."

Joker stood and faced him. "Don't kid yourself! That's my job! You're here to scare me like all the others. To threaten me. To show me how much more powerful you are than me, to intimidate me, to frighten me into submission. Well it won't work."

Joker walked right up to Batman, but Batman didn't move, until their noses were almost touching.

"Because I know you, Batsy." Joker poked Batman's logo. "You're not the superhero type. You can't bear it. Every moment that you flaunt your power you hate yourself. Every time you use the threat of superpowers to intimidate … a part of you dies." The Joker giggled. "You know the funniest joke of all? Everything you despise in a hero, you're slowly becoming by your own actions. The only problem is … I didn't think of it first."

They glared at each other, neither willing to back down. The Joker was right. Batman had planned on brandishing some claws, maybe even smiling at a joke and showing some fangs, but he couldn't use his power to intimidate or it would only prove the Joker's point.

Joker grabbed Batman's hand and looked it over. "I don't see any claws. They said you have claws. Will you show me your claws? Please, please, pretty please with a cherry bomb on top? Don't you get a headache standing upside-down all the time? Can you really hear me every time I laugh? I've heard of the grim, fanged, Batman smile, it sounds delightful! Would you show it to me? Come on, Batsy, give us a smile."

Batman spread his cape and flew straight up, ripping his arm out of Joker's grasp. The Joker's infuriating cackle followed him into the night sky.

Batman was disappointed that his scare tactic didn't seem to work. After personally intimidating each of his most prominent enemies, they still seemed unable to resist committing crimes. Even Two-Face was frightened, but he just couldn't help himself. It didn't matter. They were all relatively easy to stop. Batman didn't need help and he was never in serious trouble. Even the Joker's newest convoluted scheme was dealt with easily. The only difficulty was having to listen to the clown's spot-on taunting.

Batman ignored the Bat Signal every time it painted the sky. When he realized it had been nearly three whole months, he decided to put aside his pride and see if it was serious. He waited until the signal turned off and waited a few minutes longer.

Batman crept across the ceiling, one with the shadows, over Commissioner Gordon's head as he bent over his desk. Batman stood up straight on the ceiling, hiding inside his cape. Gordon looked up and jumped back with a shout, knocking over his chair.

He put a hand over his chest. "Batman! You nearly gave me a heart attack.…"

Batman had to force himself not to smile.

"Haven't seen you since … well-.…" He touched his neck. "I'm glad you're here. I wanted to confirm that my daughter is safe with you."

"Is that why the signal was lit?"

"My daughter, Batman."

"My humanity, Gordon," Batman growled deeply, leaning toward him, his fangs bared.

"You lost your humanity the day you put on that cowl. It's been three months. Months, Batman! I want to see my daughter!"

"I didn't take her. You pushed her away."

Gordon slammed the desk with his fist. "Don't you-!" He sighed and turned away, forcing himself to calm down. "There's an underground drug operation. Something big is going down tomorrow night, but we don't-."

"I know."

Gordon glanced at him. "Thanks to your inhumanity, I presume."

"Ever seen Gotham from above? It's breathtaking. I can take you for a spin, if you like. Or a skydive."

"Now, about my daughter."

"She's safe with me."

"Thank you. I would like her back."

"That's not my decision."

They glared at each other for a moment.

"I also wanted to commend you on doing such a fantastic job keeping criminal activity in check."

"Commend yourself. It had nothing to do with me, my will, or my basic human rights. Remember?"

"Be reasonable, Batman. If I didn't know better I'd say you were enjoying it. I mean, look at you, standing on the ceiling is weird, why are you still doing it if you don't enjoy it? Have you even given it a second thought? Look at the city. Look what you're doing. The streets are cleaner, businesses are safer, and the children, Batman. Children don't have to risk their lives for you."

"You mean your child." Batman dropped down from the ceiling.

"That point is irrelevant."

"Why do I get messed up and she gets locked up? Why doesn't she get superpowers? Then she'll be able to take care of herself! You'll never have to worry about her again! An innocent girl gets locked up but I, the madman, the vigilante, get to go free with superhuman powers?"

"Barbara is a legal citizen and a daughter and is entitled to protection both from the law and from her father, while Batman does not exist in the eyes of the law. Batman has no legal rights."

"So that's how you justify it?! There's a human being under this mask, Jim! Some random unknown citizen, and you took him and changed him into a freak like some kind of guinea pig!"

"Then show us who that human being is."

They glared at each other.

"No? I'm not the bad guy here."

"That's exactly what you are."

"No. There's no villain. Sure, maybe we're being antagonists in each other's stories, but that doesn't make either of us the villain. We just want the same thing done different ways."

"Ignoring human rights and manipulating people into getting what you want … the villain of this story is you. Not the Joker. No, not even the Penguin. It's you. Fortunately for you, I'm not sure that I'm the hero anymore."

"Let's not be enemies. It doesn't have to be this way. Maybe you don't trust me, but I trust you, Batman. You're strong enough to figure this out."

"How's the neck, Jim?"

He turned his head side to side. "Much better. Full range of motion, no more pain."

"Great." He bared his fangs and spoke through his teeth. "I've been looking for something to test these little guys on."

"Go ahead. Threaten me if it makes you feel better. If I didn't expect more intimidation after you got superpowers, I would've been a fool. I know it's not easy, and you're upset, and during this critical stage of adjustment, you might lash out. But I'm not scared of you or your superpowers. You'll get used to it. You'll learn to like it. And one day, you'll thank me."

Batman lunged at him over the desk, claws outstretched. He stopped his hand before he touched Gordon's neck as the commissioner backed away, frightened. Batman growled and turned away, flexing his claws, while Gordon's heavy breathing slowed down. He could give Gordon an autopsy with his bare hands. Why did he have such thoughts? Batarangs could do the same thing. Having knives as part of his body changed something in his brain. He didn't like the thoughts the fangs gave him either.

Gordon calmed down. "See? You're already much better."

Batman slashed the desk with a growl, cape flaring, splinters flying, leaving five long, deep gashes. "I will never thank you for this!"

He shot past Gordon out the window, brushing past him so closely he almost knocked him out the window.