Damian looked at Ben in the interrogation room perplexed, the standard methods were not working. He wasn't uncomfortable in the interrogation room but annoyed. He was annoyed, not scared, not nervous but annoyed and it pissed Damian off. Gritting his teeth Damian entered the interrogation room.
"Damian wait!" Barbara called out but to no avail.
"Oh so you finally decided to show yourself, Robin, you know—"
"Shut up," Damian said coldly "I'm the one asking questions here and your job is to answer them,"
Damian stood before Ben, purposely ignoring the chair across from him to try to create a power dynamic. He stared him down and gauged any interactions.
Still, nothing.
Damian might have underestimated Ben. His composure is something to be respected. He may be taking this seriously after all.
"Um, so how are we doing this staring contest? Because you have a mask... so you have an unfair advantage just saying," Ben said nonchalantly.
Damian wanted to strangle Ben.
"Is this a joke to you?" Damian said with irritation, "You come into my city, thinking you could do whatever you want? What is your aim criminal?"
"Bit weird for you to be this obsessive over this city don't you think?" Ben said nonchalantly, "And what makes you think I'm a criminal, anything you're the criminal here,"
Damian looks affronted by this accusation.
"I tried to talk to you at the warehouse but you knocked me out for no reason, abducted me and that's not even the criminal part! You brought me to this dingy interrogation room that has no AC and you didn't bring a glass of water with you as you came in, I don't know how long I have been in this room but it is hot in here man!"
"Are you done complaining? You whine like a child," Damian stated.
"Well, it takes one to know one," Ben countered with a smug smirk, "Seriously how old are you, kid? I mean I'm not judging, I started quite young myself but I am curious about who sends a kid out with a sword. I mean, you couldn't have that much training, but you're like what? 10 years old?"
"That's enough jokes!" Damian slammed his hands against the table furiously "Who are you and what's your goal here?"
"Did you forget already? My name is Ben Ten—"
"Benjamin Kirby Tennyson," Damian interrupted "A fake alias, That driving license of yours seemed pretty realistic. The funny thing is that if you run your name, your ID or even your city name it doesn't come up in any database nationwide." Damian leaned closer to Ben a predatory glint in his eyes "It honestly is quite an amateur job and to be sure we even checked this picture in your wallet," Damian threw down a picture of Gwen, Grandpa Max and Ben, "But the man I assume to be your grandfather the woman your to be sister—"
"Cousin" Ben countered.
"That's what you're correcting me on?" Damian asks, "You tried so hard, on the looking the part but fell so short. So let me ask you again. What is your goal here and who are you really?"
"Dude my name is Ben Tennyson, no need to full name me and I have not lied from the first time we met, I have a job to do and it seems you're doing part of it so I thought why not ask for a team up? You know this city better than me but you knocked me out and brought me here so I don't think so anymore,"
"And how are you going to escape? I know you use that watch of yours to change your form and as you can see access to it has been denied so you can't use that weapon—"
"It isn't a weapon," Ben interrupted, his vibrant eyes now turning dark, "It's a tool of peace, meant to bring societies closer together,"
Taking note of Ben's sudden change of demeanour Damian decides to push this in hopes of getting any useful information out of him.
"How is it not a weapon? You turn into monsters that defy logic so how is it a tool to bring societies together from the way I see it it's just a tool of mass destruction, hence a weapon." Damian said as smugly as he possibly could.
"First of all aliens not monsters," Ben corrected him.
"So what it doesn't change anything it's still a weapon, you're still turning into a threat," Damian said.
"Well aren't you speciesist," Ben said dryly, "Just because it's not from this planet doesn't make it a threat you're assuming the worst in something you don't understand. Exactly the reason why the watch was made,"
"So how does turning into aliens become a tool for peace then?" Damian asks.
"Ever heard of the saying walk a mile in another person's shoes?" Ben answered, "The creator made the watch with that in mind."
"And who is the creator?"
"None of your business,"
"Even then turning into aliens that have powers makes you a threat therefore it's a weapon,"
"By that logic, a towel is a weapon,"
"What?"
"A towel's main job is to keep you dry right? But you can use it to suffocate someone or strangle them but do we call it a weapon? No, we don't. Therefore the watch isn't a weapon," Ben said defiantly.
Damian couldn't help but agree with Ben slightly despite the situation and convoluted but he couldn't show that.
"Just because you don't understand something," Ben continued "Doesn't justify you treating it with fear and prejudice,"
"It's not prejudice and fear, it's rational and caution," Damian countered "What do you expect?"
"Ask questions, see the best and hope for it,"
"And what? Leave me defenceless?"
"You can do it and not be defenceless,"
"And what if they prove to be a threat?"
"A threat to what exactly?"
"The safety of the people!" Damian shouted incredulously.
"And how can you be sure about that?" Ben countered "How can you be sure that you are only saying this because of fear of becoming irrelevant, a blow to your ego, to push an agenda or just because you are scared?"
"That's a ridiculous notion,"
"Dude I've been around the block enough times to know that it's not as ridiculous as it seems,"
Barbara was watching behind the double-sided glass. She knew this wasn't going to go far, Damians getting too invested in this. Too emotional. Like Bruce would but unlike him Damian can't keep himself in check, Damian can't channel that raw emotion into pure unadulterated focus like Bruce can and to be honest she doesn't know she wants that for Damian.
Bruce has made a name for himself as The Batman. The man who only cares about the mission, to most people at least but at a closer look you see the man behind the mask, the sensitive, passionate, sympathetic Bruce Wayne, the man who has put on masks for his entire life, literally and metaphorically.
The only issue is that it leaves Bruce detached at times, and she knows how that affects him and the people around at times and she doesn't want that for Damian.
Then there's Ben. An enigma. A person who knows more than they let on but doesn't divulge that information. Honestly? It's annoying but his arguments kind of make sense and watching him annoy Damian does satisfy that spiteful side of her, not that she would let Damian ever know that and then there's his attitude. It's reminiscent of Dick or Wally's but slightly different. He's more confident than Wally, more casual than Dick and carries an odd wisdom to him that she doesn't see in either of them. She can honestly see how Damian is getting annoyed by him, his personality never meshed well with personalities like Ben, especially not the first time they meet.
However, if Ben is like Dick and Wally a less... abrasive approach may be needed, well it couldn't hurt to try. She walks to the door that leads into the interrogation room and knocks. Telling Damian it's time to switch.
Damian hears the knock and turns back to Ben "This isn't over, I'll be back," he says.
"Can you get me a glass of water when you come back? I'm dying of thirst over here," Ben asks.
Glaring at Ben Damian walks off clearly annoyed and scowl chiselled into his face.
As he reaches the door he spots Barbara and says "I hope you know what you're doing Batgirl,"
"I hope as well Robin," replied Barbara.
Taking a deep breath Barbara walks into the room preparing for what could happen.
"And who are you?" asks Ben.
"The name's Batgirl," says Barbara as she sits down in front of Ben, "I'll be taking over this interrogation now,"
"Why?"
"Because I think you need a different approach from Robin's confrontational nature,"
"So your Batman's daughter or something?"
"Wait, what?" Barbara asks "What makes you say that?"
Ben shrugs his shoulders in response.
"Because your hero name is Batgirl," Ben replied, "Are you not?"
"Well, I'm not. Not Batman's daughter that is. I am Batgirl, to some people,"
"To some people? What does that mean?"
"It's complicated,"
"Yeah, hero names can be a bit of a pain sometimes,"
"Okay enough, getting back on topic. As Robin said your driving license doesn't pull anything up on our records and trust me I checked every record, so where are you truly from?" said Barbara as she leaned in closer but still tried to maintain a friendly and open distance between the two.
"It may be a bit farfetched to you," Ben admittedly nervously.
"Try me,"
"Well, I'm from another Earth,"
"Like another dimension?"
"Exactly like that, you don't seem too surprised by that actually,"
"It's more common than you think around these parts,"
"Oh ok, well that makes things more convenient,"
"So when you told Robin you have a job to do, what did you mean by that?"
"Well, those augments on those guns from that warehouse that tech is originally from my dimension,"
"So you have to bring that tech somehow back to your dimension,"
"Exactly, well either that or just destroy it so it can't be used,"
"You know how much technology from your dimension that you need to find?"
"No, not really, I have a friend who will figure all that stuff out though,"
"And can you contact them?"
"Well no... they're the kind of the person who appears when they're needed,"
"Well, do you know where they are?"
Ben chuckles awkwardly as he says "It's more of a when than a where, but no I don't know where he is,"
"When? What do you mean by that?"
"Like you said it's complicated,"
"Do you have a name for your friend?" Barbara sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Paradox, Professor Paradox,"
"Okay, so that's something. So you're stuck here and don't know for how long?"
Ben deflated slightly as he considered the fact he may be stuck here for days, months even and possibly years. He may not see his family or friends ever again.
"Yeah, that sounds about right," said Ben dejected.
"Sounds like you're in a bit of a pickle," said Barbara.
"Guess I am,"
Barabar looked at Ben carefully, she was never as good at Bruce or Damian when it came to reading body language but she was far better at reading emotions in her very professional and definitely biased opinion, and right now she knows Ben is telling the truth but she knows the consequences and the potential blowback from Damian but if she can convince Bruce it all should work out... hopefully.
"...We could help," said Barbara hesitantly.
"Really? Wouldn't the wannabe emo ninja have an issue with that?" asked Ben confused.
"Maybe but he will come around eventually. All we need is an okay from the Big Bat,"
"Right, your not-dad,"
"We are making that a thing,"
"Sorry, I have a habit of making jokes in tense situations,"
Barbara sighs as she pinches the brow of her nose "Look I'm taking a huge risk doing this. Don't make me regret this,"
"Trust me you won't,"
"Stay right there,"
"I wouldn't know where to go if I didn't,"
Barbara rolled her eyes after hearing Ben's poor attempt at a joke as she left the interrogation room. As Barbara leaves Damian grabs and pulls her aside.
"What do you think you're doing?" Damian harshly whispered.
"Getting that manacle off him," Barbara replied.
"But why? He is an unknown, we don't know his motives at all!" Damian argued.
"We do, he hasn't lied to us at all. We both know that I am trying to dig us out of this hole you may have put us in,"
"Are you trying to insinuate that this is my fault!"
"No, I'm not,"
"Then what are you trying to say,"
Barbara sighs, looks at Ben and then back to Damian "Look, we don't know this tech at all and that guy seems like the only one who does and from what we know he wants to help. Heck, he was willing to work with us before you knocked him out! And it still seems like he's still willing to do so,"
"This is a risk," Damian said half-heartedly.
"I know it is," Barbara said.
"You will have to explain to this father when he is back from his League missions,"
"That has dawned on me Robin, but he is gone until the end of the week so that is a problem for us to deal with later,"
"That sounds... terribly irresponsible,"
"It very much is, but I'm trusting my gut here and I truly think that Ben is a good guy,"
Damian stays silent contemplating Barbara's argument and next words.
"You have never been a bad judge of character before let's hope that pattern doesn't end now," Damian relents.
"Thank you," Barbara says while trying to get the key to the manacle, "Uh do you have the keys?"
"No, they should be right there," Damian said as he points to a desk behind Barbara.
"It's not there,"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean it's not there!" Barbara said annoyed, "Did you drop it?"
"Of course not I wouldn't make such a—"
The sound of the door to the interrogation room interrupted Damian. As he and Barbara look back to see the cause of the sound, they see the door slightly opened and from the limited view into the room that has been provided they see a tall figure standing before Ben.
"Oh no," Barbara said.
The air was dead. Tension, dread and apprehensiveness moulded the atmosphere. No one made a move, no one dared to talk as they just watched. The phantom-like being seemed to just suck up all the light in the room and it just stood there in there across the table from Ben. Almost as if light itself is trying to flee from its presence. As if the shadows in the room took the form to confront Ben. There was no way of telling where it started and where it ended with how it melded with the darkness of the room.
The only discerning feature?
Two soulless eyes trying to peer into the green soul before it.
"So... I take it you're Batman?"
A/N
Hey I'm back! Sorry for the delay. I was planning on getting this chapter done by christmas but real life slapped me across the face and then suplexed me into the dirt but 2025 is now here so happy new year even thought I'm 15 days late.
Anyways before onto the promised Q/A session which in hindsight may have not been my smartest move as this story is still new, does not have the following or is updated frequently enough to do something like this just yet. But there is something I have to say, I would like to thank Shinobi360 for being a beta reader/ co-writer or whatever the correct description is as they have been a massive help to me in the work I have done so far, whether that be in giving me thoughts on what I have written and what to potentially include. So once again thank you alot.
Anyways moving onto Q/A which as stated earlier may have been me getting ahead of myself in hindsight.
Huntsman23: Potentially I havn't thought that far ahead yet. I only got this "arc" somewhat thought out.
Kashriramji: I have no idea what you mean by offhand Reboot comment.
Justanotherlesbian5: Only transformations I will use will be the ones we have seen Ben transform in animated canon media, so no aliens from the stage play and no aliens made by fans.
MarcTCL: Yes.
3DJoker: Thats alot of questions and I am using google translate them and will only answer the ones that made sense through the translator in english, sorry if I missed a question you really wanted answering.
No ships are planned.
No use of Kryptonian or Martian DNA is planned.
The comparison may be a thing.
Maybe, I'm not confidant in my ability to write humor but we will see.
Potentially a reference to Generator Rex will be made.
Anyways thats all for now see you in the next one.