It’s been three weeks since Bruce and Alfred pursued after Dr. Kinsolving and her kidnappers. In their absence, Tim strained to juggle his duties to the Titans and Gotham. Fortunately, he needn’t worry about the homicidal duo that once wreaked havoc in the manor in the early mornings. Talia had taken Damian before Kinsolving’s kidnap, but he wasn’t sure what happened to Terry.
Bruce’s email went as far to tell him that Terry would be occupied until his return. While Tim was more than capable of figuring out what was occupied the boy with his nearly unrivaled detective skills, he was hindered by the lack of time he has in doing so. He would just have to take Bruce’s word for now until he returned.
Yet, on his next visit to the titans he heard Beyond’s name mentioned quite a few times. When he asked, all hands pointed towards Conner who was rambled giddily. He was finally over his bout of paranoid insanity.
“Conner?” Bart repeated as he button mashed the controller with his tongue sticking out. “I think he’s on the roof with Krypto—YAHOO!”
The screen flashed player one wins as the green changeling groaned.
Bart dropped the control as he went through his victory dance. “In your face Garfield!”
“REMATCH! Tim distracted us!” The changeling argued.
“Ha! I still kicked your sorry butt with Tim talking to us!” Bart said shaking his red covered behind at Garfield.
Tim shook his head in amusement as he left the two to their games. With all his patrol work, he couldn’t indulge himself in such luxuries. He was hoping to catch up with his lost hours of sleep, but the mention of Terry caught his curiosity. With a quick trek up the roof, he found Conner seated at the edge with Krypto by his side.
“Hey Tim!” Conner greeted with a grin as he glanced back, he must’ve heard the door.
“Not going to run from me this time?” Tim joked as he walked over and plopped down next to him at the edge.
“Beyond said I’m off the hook this time.” He said brightly as he scratched Krypto’s ears.
“You spoke with him?” Tim asked.
“Yeah… Surprisingly, he was the one that called to tell me he’s not going to.”
“… He called?” Tim said in surprise. “How did he get your number?”
Conner grinned. “He’s Beyond. Nothing can elude him for long.”
“… I don’t get you.” Tim murmured as he stared at the setting sun.
“What do you mean?” Conner asked curiously.
“You’re terrified to death of what he can do to you… but at the same time, you trust him blindly.”
“It’s not blindly.” He countered gently. Tim glanced at him at the corner of his eye. “It’s more of a mutual agreement between us.”
“Mutual agreement?”
Conner snorted. “I’m not stupid Tim, I know when he’s using me.”
“If you know, then why—”
“It’s a mutual agreement.” He repeated. “I have the strength and brawn and he has the tactical mind and training. A give-take sort of thing you know.”
Tim remained quiet as Conner continued.
“In Cadmus, the first thing that greeted me when I woke up was Galatea driving a fist into my head with enough force to kill any normal person. The scientists, technicians, whoever that was on Project XIII only cared if I was successful or not. Beyond knew who I was the instant he saw me in the cafeteria … But he was…” He trailed off.
“He was?” Tim encouraged him gently.
“I wouldn’t use the word caring to describe him, but that is probably the best way I can say it. Knowing him, he probably has over a hundred different ways to make me a slave to his every word.”
“Kinky much?” Tim joked, but Conner didn’t laugh.
“He could have done it, but he didn’t.” He muttered. “When we broke out of Cadmus, he could have framed me up and left me there while he ran. Instead, he planned for both of us to leave. And when we separated, he directed me to Metropolis to pa, who could do something to keep me out of Cadmus’s reach.”
“… It doesn’t seem like he got much from how you’re putting it.”
Conner laughed. “No, he got exactly what he wanted.”
“How?” Tim frowned.
“I’m the first and only successful Superman clone and the last of the sentient projects.” He chirped. “I’m supposed to be part of their arsenal against the Justice League, but since we ran, you can imagine the chaos.”
“So… what does Terry do in Cadmus, that he needs you for them to prioritize your escape over his? You called him Beyond, but Lex Luthor and the Green Lantern referred to him as the Voice.”
Conner shrugged. “Reconnaissance, cover ups, detective work, shadow advisor take your pick. He’s not really a field operative. Even Galatea had to take orders from him at some point… My guess is that he’s probably one of the older projects, considering he ages normally.”
“… What can’t this kid do?” Tim asked after a moment of silence, with how Conner praised and respected the strange little kid it was hard to believe such a person exists.
“For one thing, he can’t handle being in school and attacked by fan girls.” Conner chuckled.
“What?” Tim did a double take.
“I guess you’ve been too busy to talk with him huh?” He snickered. “He’s been attending school the past few weeks. Apparently, his dad signed him up before he left.”
“So that’s why.” Tim murmured when he realized why Bruce told him not to worry over the other boy. Even so, a grin spread across his face. “Fan girls you say?”
Conner cracked up laughing before repeating the conversation he had with Beyond days earlier.
o.o.o.o.o
“Mr. Wayne!” Sasha said in surprise when she answered the door. She hadn’t expected the man to return after he disappeared for so many weeks. Especially, not with him standing and walking as if he was never wheelchair bound.
“Sasha.” He greeted as he stepped through the door.
Before his feet touched the ground, she quickly slipped into a stance and attacked. Bruce caught her wrist easily and twisted her arm. She sidestepped in an attempt to twist herself out of his hold, but he forced her into an arm-lock and pinned her to the ground. With practiced ease, he grabbed her other arm and locked it in place with the other restricting all movement. The conflict was over in the matter of seconds.
“Mr. Wayne.” She greeted him again breathlessly and explained. “I didn’t see Alfred.”
“He’s taking some time off.” He replied as he released her and walked into the manor. “My method of rehabilitation was too much for his heart.”
“I see.” She murmured.
“How is Terry?” He asked as they walked through the halls.
“To be blunt sir, I don’t believe that child is yours.” She said.
“Hmm…”
“… You don’t seem… surprised?” She continued.
“How has he been?” He asked.
Sasha clenched her jaw at the question before stiffly answering. “Maybe you should see for yourself.”
Bruce raised a brow as she led him to Tim’s room. He could hear the noise blaring out of the room when they turned the corner. He half expected the source of the noise to be news, but to his surprise, it contained corny dialogue and upbeat background music. It was far from anything he’d imagined Terry watching. Taking a quick stride to the door, he spotted the boy seated at the bed with the phone at his shoulder, a remote in his hand and another hand in the bag of snacks.
“… Terry?” Bruce’s voice caught the boy’s attention despite the rapt concentration he had on the screen.
“I’ll call you back later.” He said to the phone before tossing it aside. He dropped the remote and snacks on the bed. “Dad!” He greeted cheerily with a hint of accent still lingering on his voice.
“I see you’ve been busy while I was away.” He glanced back at the mess on Tim’s bed and the content on the flat screen.
“Just with school and some stuff. American shows are quite peculiar.” He shrugged. “Will you be staying long? Or will you be going off on business again?”
His plan didn’t go as he wished. Terry didn’t trust Sasha. Instead of growing attached to her, he created a wall to distance himself even further. “She knows I’m Batman, you don’t have to act around her.”
Terry stared at him for a moment as he took in the surprised look on Sasha’s face. He dropped the smile and brushed off the crumbs he sprinkled on himself earlier to feign the consumption of unhealthy junk. “It would have been convenient if you mentioned this detail before you left.” He said bluntly.
“I believe you would come to the conclusion that I will not be leaving you with someone that is not aware of the situation.”
“You left ignoring my reasoning and sending me to my room.” Terry retorted.
“And you saw fit to invade Tim’s room while I was away?” Bruce raised a brow.
“Tim’s room is the only other room in the manor that has the equipment to pose as a child.” Terry answered easily. The other room of course, would be Damian’s room. From what Alfred said, Bruce reasoned that Terry wants to keep outsiders from touching Damian’s possessions.
With the two speaking so seriously, Sasha could only watch in stunned silence. The boy’s behavior was extremely different compared to what she seen the past weeks. His mannerisms, his speech and even his facial expressions were nothing like the bratty child she cared for.
“Where’s Alfred?” Terry asked when he noted the old butler was nowhere to been seen.
“… He’s on leave.” Bruce answered.
“For how long?” He asked. To someone raised by Cadmus, on leave could mean many things. Varying from MIAs to KIAs, it was not a term he took lightly.
“Until he feels like returning.” His father’s answer relieved him to the wellbeing of the old butler. He was only on an undetermined length of vacation, rather than six feet under ground.
Terry was disappointed that he won’t be seeing the man anytime soon. “And the doctor?”
He noted the look in his father’s eyes. “Dr. Kinsolving will be recovering from her ordeal with her family.” He answered before turning to leave the room. “Come to the cave after you clean the mess you made in Tim’s room.”
The silent ‘we need to talk’ was left unspoken as Terry answered back. “Of course.” It was obvious to him. Whatever romantic connection his father had with the woman was over. While his father seemed heartbroken, Terry couldn’t help but to be pleased that he has returned to his physical peak. Though, it was questionable to what the man did to recover as such an unimaginable rate.
“Terry.” Sasha spoke up the first time since the father and son started conversing.
“Miss Bordeaux.” He greeted politely. “Please excuse my behavior for the past weeks, had I known earlier, we would not have gone through this façade. The homework for the academy is already completed if you’re here to inquire on the matter. Questions one, thirteen and twenty-one are purposely incorrect.” He said as he grabbed a small hand held vacuum he hid in Tim’s room.
“All this time… you’ve been acting?” She said in disbelief.
“Yes.” Terry answered bluntly. “If there is nothing more Miss Bordeaux, I need to clean Tim’s room before seeing what dad wants.”
“… And the mornings?” She asked weakly.
“I’ll be at the dining room at seven am. There’s no need to retrieve me from my room. I’ll wake up on my own.”
With that, Sasha was lost for words as she left Terry to his cleaning. This revelation was just too much for her. Her opinion of the boy changed completely. She withdraws her comment from weeks earlier. This boy was definitely Bruce’s son.
o.o.o.o.o
An hour later, Terry was down at the cave, prepared to face an evaluation of his performance during his father’s absence. Compliments or scolding, he was ready for either. He was aware there was a miscommunication in the orders from his father, but he should have prepared for it just the same. What he didn’t expect was a heartfelt apology.
“I’m sorry.” Bruce said when he stopped next to him.
“What for?” Terry was confused.
“For putting you through the discomfort of hiding yourself when I promised you had sanctuary.” He answered.
“…” Terry said nothing. He wasn’t sure how to respond.
Noting his pseudo son’s silence, Bruce opted for a change in subject. Unlike Alfred, he had trouble dealing with children. Dick and Jason were the primary examples as Tim was already a teenager when he adopted him.
“I saw your progress report from the academy… Any reason to why you’re purposely doing so poorly when we’re both aware that you’re more than capable to excel in these classes?”
This was a topic Terry was more comfortable with. “Not many people know Bruce Wayne is Batman. Even in Cadmus, your identity is kept secret for the most part. However, if they were to suddenly hear Bruce Wayne having a prodigal child in his care, questions would arise and I’m not looking forward to being in the lime-light for them to fight me.”
“You know I won’t let them take you back.” Bruce noted seriously.
“That doesn’t mean they can’t.” Terry reasoned.
“… You don’t feel safe here.” Bruce concluded.
“…” Terry became quiet again.
Bruce took a deep breath as he tried to find the right words to deal with this situation. Terry was not like his Robins. If they were bothered by something, they would tell him. Terry on the other hand was raised and taught by Cadmus, protocols and whatnots were ingrained into his mind. Speaking about his needs was not likely on the priority list. What he needed was a normal childhood, which was something Bruce could not offer, but at the same time, no one else was capable of handling him any other way.
“Terry, we already had one misunderstanding.” Bruce started.
“And having another would be counter productive.” Terry finished.
“I’m glad you’re aware of that.” His father gave a wry grin. He found the boy relaxing considerably more when he smiled from the last few times he spoke with him. “But I did tell you that you can tell me anything if you don’t feel comfortable.”
“… I remember.” He said quietly.
“Why don’t you feel safe here then?” Bruce asked patiently.
“…It’s not really here that I feel unsafe…” He started slowly, not looking away from Bruce as he spoke. He studied the man’s reactions with every word he dared to utter. “I don’t want to be left alone.”
The words ‘you’re not alone’ was left unspoken by the two. They both know he wasn’t left unattended. However, at the same time that was how he felt.
“… Can I help you with your patrols?” He decided to ask after seeing there were no looks of disapproval from the man.
“Terry.” Bruce started but the boy quickly interrupted.
“I’m not talking about going out into Gotham at night with you like Robin. I want to help you in the cave with analysis and detective work.” He said before adding an after thought. “Civilian life lacks challenges.”
Bruce paused for a moment to digest his words, if he was a lesser man. He would have laughed at Terry’s confession. The boy was bored. He needed something to occupy his time more so than a boring school life. While he still felt a level of discomfort at the manor, it wasn’t because he was afraid that Bruce can’t protect him, he was afraid of being left behind. He needed to do something to reassure the boy and at the same time give him some semblance of normal life.
“I understand if you don’t trust me to these duties.” Terry spoke again when his father was silent.
“No, it’s not that.” Bruce interrupted at the boy’s quick assumptions. “If you’re bored, I could give you something to do. I’m glad you told me.” Terry felt his heart jump, he wasn’t sure why, but he felt content at that comment. “But let’s wait until tomorrow night. There’s something I would like to do with you tomorrow.”
Terry looked at him with puzzlement. “Tomorrow?”
“You don’t have school tomorrow right?” Bruce asked.
Terry shook his head. “It’s a Saturday. Nothing special is going on at the academy this weekend.”
“Then off to bed.” Bruce said as he got up.
“Will you be patrolling for tonight?” Terry asked as his father placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him towards the stairs.
“Who’s handling the patrol right now?” Bruce asked.
“Nightwing, he gave Robin the night off and told him to rest at the Titan’s tower.” Terry answered reflexively.
“I’ll patrol later.” He said before walking up the stairs with Terry. He could trust Dick with Gotham for a few more hours. From the records he saw on the computer, his wards and Oracle have been managing the city quite well in his absence. There was some minor hindsight on some matters, but he could deal with it later. For now, his attention was for the newest member of the family.
o.o.o.o.o
It was late morning when she decided to pay a visit to the Wayne Manor. She heard Bruce Wayne was injured a while back and that usually meant Batman was injured. With his lack of appearance as the cape crusader the last few weeks it was becoming worrisome. She easily bypassed the bodyguard walking about the grounds.
With a graceful flip and twist into the air, she jumped from tree to tree using a whip as her aide to swing. It took her ten minutes to avoid the security cameras and slink about the shadows before she finally reached the manor. When she got there a ball flew past her vision. Following the object, she was met with the most unexpected sight. A little boy, not even out of primary school, was running about the grounds trying to catch the baseball before returning the ball with his own throw. And receiving on the other side was none other than Bruce Wayne.
She watched in puzzlement, wondering if she was high on catnip. Part of her wanted to go out and check to see if this was a dream, but the other half decided it was probably better for her to return home and go to bed. Bruce and this child looked almost… if she daresay, normal. She shook her head as she turned her heel and left the property. Bruce seemed well, if not a bit odd. Had she stayed longer, she would have heard the exchange of words between Bruce and the boy.
“… I don’t see how this is amusing.” Terry commented as he caught the ball one last time and tossed it back to his father.
“Neither do I.” Bruce replied as he caught the ball. He tried making the catch and throw game interesting by making it challenging for Terry to catch and in turn Terry do the same. But once the two gotten used to judging the distance and power of the throws, it lost its initial allure.
It was an attempt at normal life. Since his attempt the night before failed miserably with the bedtime story. Terry was more than familiar with the common stories from studying literature and culture for his investigations for Cadmus. When he suggested Terry to choose the stories he wanted to hear, they were all textbooks. Not the least bit interesting for most people.
“Can I try physical conditioning?” Terry asked as he patted his clothes clean of dirt and grass.
“Nothing too strenuous.” Bruce added as they walked back into the house.
“I’m too young to be handling weights anyway.” Terry reasoned.
“But you can try tumbling and other exercises.” Bruce continued.
Terry gave a shrug before his father’s lips twitch up. He ruffled his hair and placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy blinked in surprise as he glanced up at the older man. A hesitant grin returned.
o.o.o.o.o
Weeks later, Terry was often found sitting at the bat-computer, monitoring his father and Sasha’s patrols around Gotham. Nightwing returned to caring for his own city while Tim returned to the Titans’ active roster. Gotham was left in the hands of Batman and Oracle to manage their respective sectors.
As of now, they were still working on a live video feed to link back to the cave via the cowl, but they only managed static and sound, rather than a solid connection. Though it was likely more convenient for Batman as Terry noticed a small blossoming relationship between his father and Sasha. He doesn’t approve of the relationship with the woman, but he knew better than to voice his opinion on the matter.
Sasha was only a bodyguard. Her skills were mediocre, barely passable compared to what many others. If worse comes to worse, his father would have to protect her instead of her holding out on her own. There were few women among the list that could how their own in a fight and pity none of them were suitable for his father.
He shook his head before grabbing his mug of hot chocolate and sipping its warmth. His father normally stayed out late on his patrols and the cave was too cold for comfort. It would have been nice if Alfred was back, the old butler would make him hot soup and something to eat while he worked. He set the drink aside before he returned to tinkering with a camera in one of the spare cowls.
As he worked on the cowl, he felt a wave of drowsiness hit him. Glancing at the clock, it was already four in the morning. He gave a yawn and tried to return to tinkering, but his eyes slowly drifted close before he slumped over the controls in a quiet snore.
o.o.o.o.o
“We’re going back now.” Batman said into his mouthpiece as he and Sasha stopped a short distance from the Batmobile. “Voice?” He frowned when there was no response. “Voice?”
“Zzz…” He heard the soft breathing on the other side.
“Is something wrong?” Sasha asked.
“Nothing, he just fell asleep.” He replied before the disguise mechanism retreated and the Batmobile opened for them to jump in.
“Well, it’s nearly five in the morning, I’m surprised he lasted this long every night.” Sasha said as she strapped herself in.
Batman said nothing as he started the drive back home. He kept forgetting Terry was still a child, and a child’s physical needs differ greatly from an adult. He would have to implement a bedtime for the boy or he would end up exhausting himself or worse, get sick. When they returned, Terry was still asleep at the computer; even the roar of the Batmobile wasn’t enough to wake him.
“Terry wake up.” Bruce said as he shook the boy’s shoulder gently. “Come on, you’ll sleep better in your bed.” But the boy didn’t wake. A frown crossed his face. Something didn’t feel right.
“Why don’t we just carrying him back to bed? The poor kid’s exhausted.” Sasha said when she came back from changing out of her costume.
“Leave him here for now, I want to check on something.” Bruce said as he draped his cape over Terry and moved to change out of his costume.
It took no more than a moment for him to don on his normal wear before he and Sasha went up to the manor. Everything was quiet as he expected, but something felt horribly wrong. He and Sasha made a quick check through the manor until he caught a faint scent of blood from his room. The door was open with a figure lying on the ground with a puddle of blood around it.
“Vesper.” He whispered in horror as he slammed the door open and lifted the woman from the ground. “Vesper! VESPER!” He shook her trying to get a response from the woman, but she was already dead.
“OPEN UP WAYNE! WE KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!” A loud speaker shouted from outside, searchlights crept through the windows as the sound of helicopters blared alongside it.
“Bruce!” Sasha shouted but he wasn’t paying attention anymore.
The only thing he saw was the dead body of Vesper Fairchild, a former love interest. The only thing he heard was the pulsing of his own heart. And the only thought in his mind was why did this happen?
“Bruce!” Sasha shouted again as the police came into the room armed to the teeth. They quickly ripped Vesper from his arms and cuffed him and Sasha.
How did this happen? Why did it happen? One question after another went through his mind as he tried to come up with an answer. It was all his fault. It was his fault that she died, his fault she was targeted, and his fault for involving her.
“Bruce!” Dick grabbed onto the bars of his cell later that morning, he must’ve rushed back to Gotham when he heard the news. Judging by the time, he was there three hours since his arrest at six. “What happened?”
“…” He said nothing.
“Come on! I know you didn’t do it! Just tell me what can I do to help!” Dick begged.
Dick’s voice slowly faded as he lost himself in those questions again. It was his fault, his fault to be able to do nothing as Bruce Wayne.
“Master Bruce.” Alfred’s voice broke through in the evening. It was twelve hours since his arrest. “I came back as soon as I heard the news from Miss Gordon and Master Dick… Are you all right?” He asked worriedly.
“… It was my fault Alfred.” He whispered.
“Master Bruce.” The old butler sighed sadly, but soon his voice became silent to his ears as well.
Bruce Wayne was useless. Bruce Wayne couldn’t do anything to protect those he cared for. Bruce Wayne shouldn’t exist. An hour past midnight, Bruce Wayne had escaped his prison. He would be Bruce Wayne no longer. The man was not worth living.
He was vengeance, he was the night, he was Batman.
By the time he returned to the manor and avoided all the police situated on the property, a third of the night was already over. It wasn’t until he saw the small figure at the computer that he’d even remember that his newest son was amidst this whole mess.
“Terry.” His voice echoed in the cave.
“Hmm?” The boy sat up rubbing his eye, trying to shake off the cobwebs of sleep. “Oh, you’re back!” He said almost happily. “I must have dozed off…” He frowned at his own comment before shaking his head. “Where’s Miss Bordeaux?”
“Watch the news.” Bruce said simply before turning his heel to leave.
Terry looked puzzled for a moment before he quickly turned on a news station on the bat-computer. The words Murder at Wayne Manor streaked across the screen as he listened to the anchorman recited what has happened during the day he apparently slept through. From the arrest to his break out just hours earlier, Terry’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the screen. It was obvious to him that his father was framed. If the man wanted to kill someone, he wouldn’t be so stupid to kill said person in his own home, much less killing with a gun. He recognized the woman Vesper Fairchild as one of his father’s past love interests. He had a full file on the woman, from where she was born to where she normally goes about. He could have easily killed the woman anywhere else.
What bothered him the most was that he slept through everything. From training in Cadmus and his time on the streets, he was a light sleeper. Even when Bane attacked, his exhaustion resulted an eight-hour sleep at most. With that noted, he was unconscious for nearly twenty-four hours. Glancing at his cold mug of hot chocolate briefly, he took the cup towards the lab spread. There was something foul going about and he was going to make sure he left nothing unturned in his wake.
The culprit made a severe mistake.
He left him alive… and Terry will make him pay dearly.
No one frames his father and gets away with it.
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