#jason the swamp | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

flwrkid14 · 6 months ago

Text

Ghosts of Gotham: Tim Drake is a Halfa

Danny wasn’t exactly sure what he expected when he met Gotham’s infamous vigilantes, but “Red Hood smells like death and swamp water had a baby” definitely wasn’t on the list. The moment he stepped into the room, Danny gagged so hard he nearly fell out of the air.

“Holy Ancients,” he wheezed, covering his nose. “What in the name of all things unholy is that?”

Jason, already not thrilled about the random glowing stranger showing up, tilted his helmeted head. “What’s what?”

“That! You! You smell like—oh, man. I can’t even describe it.” Danny waved his hand in front of his face like it might help. “It’s like if ectoplasm went rancid and then you rolled in it for three days straight. Dude, do you know what’s going on with your ecto-situation?”

Jason took a threatening step forward. “You wanna say that again?”

Danny floated higher, clearly not intimidated. “Oh, I’ll say it again. You stink. And not just like regular stink. Like ghost stink. Like, ‘this is a health code violation, and the Ghost Zone is going to fine you’ stink. How are you even standing there right now? Anyone from Amity Park would be side-eyeing you so hard you’d feel it in your soul—what’s left of it, anyway.”

Jason stared, his body language radiating murderous intent. “You are two seconds away from eating pavement, Casper.”

Danny, unbothered, pointed at his own chest. “Excuse me, Phantom. Casper wishes he could pull this look off.”

“Phantom,” Dick interrupted, trying and failing not to laugh, “maybe we could focus on the introductions first?”

Danny gave Jason one last look of pity and floated down. “Fine, fine. But seriously, Big Red, we’re going to have to talk about that. I’ll fix it later. No need to thank me.”

Jason looked ready to commit murder, but Bruce’s glare cut him off before he could say anything.

Once the chaos settled, introductions were exchanged, and things calmed down—relatively speaking. Danny, as it turned out, was impossible to fully calm down. He buzzed around the room like he had endless energy, chatting and throwing out quips that seemed to simultaneously amuse and irritate everyone.

Then Danny’s gaze landed on Red Robin, and everything shifted.

Danny tilted his head, his glowing green eyes narrowing slightly. For a moment, his usual chaos quieted, curiosity taking over. “Huh,” he said softly, almost to himself.

Tim stiffened, his body going taut as though preparing for impact.

Danny floated closer, peering at him with an unnervingly intense expression. “You’re like me.”

Tim’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stepped back, his movements sharp and jerky. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do,” Danny said, and his tone was too soft for the others to hear the shift in it. “You’re like me. You’re—”

Tim’s hand twitched at his side, as though debating whether to reach for something or retreat entirely. “Don’t,” he said sharply, his voice low.

Danny blinked, then realization dawned on his face. “Wait… they don’t know, do they?”

“What don’t we know?” Bruce cut in, his voice sharp with suspicion.

Danny ignored him, his gaze locked on Tim. “Oh, man. I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

Tim’s eyes darted toward Danny, his frown deepening as uncertainty clouded his features. He shifted his weight, his fingers twitching at his sides as if fighting the urge to bolt.

He took a step back, then another, his movements slow and almost imperceptible. His breathing quickened, shallow and uneven, as though the air itself had grown heavier. The space around him seemed to shimmer faintly, a distortion that matched the anxiety rippling across his face.

Danny reached out, concern etched in his expression, but Tim flinched. His lips parted as if to say something, but no words came. Instead, the shimmering intensified, and with each passing second, Tim grew more translucent, his form fading like a mirage under the moon.

By the time Danny blinked, Tim was gone, leaving only a faint disturbance in the air where he had been.

The bats froze, their eyes darting around the room.

“What the hell just happened?” Jason demanded, reaching for his guns. “Where’d he go?”

“Did you do something?” Damian snapped at Danny, his hand already on his katana.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Danny held up his hands, his eyes wide with excitement. “Not me! That was all him! Holy Ancients—he can turn invisible?!” A grin split his face as he practically vibrated in place. “This is awesome! Wait—does he shoot ecto-beams too? Or, oh, what if he’s got some crazy transformation I’ve never even seen before? This just keeps getting better!”

Bruce’s expression darkened. “You need to explain. Now.”

Danny sighed, his excitement fading as realization set in. “Okay, but first, I need to go find him. Because if he’s anything like me, he’s probably freaking out right now. So… bye!”

He phased through the floor before anyone could stop him.

———

Danny found Tim perched on the edge of Wayne Industries, staring out at the Gotham skyline. He floated over cautiously, his boots touching down softly on the rooftop.

“Hey,” Danny said, his voice quiet. “Mind if I sit?”

Tim didn’t respond, but he didn’t tell him to leave either, so Danny took that as permission. He sat down cross-legged, giving Tim some space.

They stayed like that for a while, the silence heavy but not unbearable.

Finally, Danny broke it. “Okay, so… not to ruin the moment, but can we talk about how you've had to endure Jason’s ecto-stench this entire time? Because seriously, that’s gotta be a health violation. I mean, I'm half-dead, and even I think it’s concerning. Someone needs to dunk him in a pool of purified ectoplasm or something. I’m gonna file a complaint with—”

Tim laughed. It was soft and brief, but it was real.

Danny grinned, leaning back on his hands. “There it is. I knew you had a laugh in there somewhere.”

Tim sighed, his shoulders loosening slightly. “You’re… a lot,” he admitted.

“I know,” Danny said proudly. “But I grow on people. Like mold. Or fungus.”

Tim huffed another laugh, shaking his head. For a moment, the tension eased, and Danny let the silence settle again before speaking more seriously.

“Look,” Danny said, his voice softer, “I’m sorry I outed you like that. I didn’t know. And if they give you crap about it, I’ll personally make their lives miserable. But… you’re not alone in this, okay? I mean, yeah, it sucks. A lot. But you’ve got me now, because there’s no way we’re not becoming best friends now, and I get it.”

Tim looked at him, his eyes glassy but steady. “Thanks,” he said quietly. He hesitated, his gaze dropping to the floor. “Do you really get it? I mean, you know what it’s like to…” His voice trailed off, thick with hesitation.

Danny tilted his head, his tone softer now. “Yeah. I know what it’s like.”

Tim let out a breath, shaky but determined. “I died.. a few months ago.”

Danny blinked but didn’t say anything, giving Tim space to continue.

“Harley—she caught me. Took me, actually. I was gone for weeks. They—she—handed me over to Joker. It was like a… gift. She thought it’d fix their relationship or something, I don’t know.” Tim’s voice faltered, his gaze flickering to the floor as if the memories were too much to hold. “I held out as long as I could. I kept fighting, kept trying to survive, but…”

He shook his head, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “Weeks of it. Beatings. Electrocutions. I don’t even remember the exact moment my heart stopped. I just… wasn’t there anymore.”

Danny stayed quiet, his face a mix of empathy and understanding.

“Harley panicked,” Tim continued, his words tumbling out like a confession. “She thought she’d gone too far, that Joker would kill her next. So she tried shocking me back. Guess she half-suceeded? I only came back halfway.” He gestured at himself vaguely, his hands trembling. “I’m not the same. I’m not… whole.”

Danny nodded slowly. "You’re stuck between," he said, offering the words with quiet reassurance.

Tim nodded, biting his lip. “Yeah. Between.” He paused, looking up at Danny. “I haven’t told anyone because… how do you tell them something like that? How do you tell your family you’re not really alive? That their search was all in vain? That I still died, even though they looked so hard for me? I can’t make them think they failed.” His voice wavered. “They were so scared when they found me…”

Danny stayed with him in the silence, his presence a steady comfort.

Tim exhaled slowly, rubbing his face. “I thought I was weak. I thought if I told them what really happened, they’d think I was broken. And I didn’t want to be a burden.” He looked up at Danny. “I’m still not used to this. Not used to being… like this. I don’t even know how to control it—sometimes I phase through walls, other times I get stuck halfway. And the invisibility thing… I can’t even make it work without disappearing when I get too emotional.”

Danny’s gaze softened with understanding as he leaned in slightly, his voice steady but gentle. He hummed thoughtfully, “It’s a lot to handle all at once.”

Tim's shoulders slumped as he leaned closer to Danny, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to control it, but every time I get close, something goes wrong. And I didn’t want anyone to think I was weak or… freakish, so I kept pretending everything was fine. It was easier that way. Easier than explaining… all this.” He exhaled slowly, the exhaustion in his voice evident. “At least it was… until you showed up.”

Danny reached out, resting a hand on Tim’s arm in a quiet gesture of comfort. “I don’t think you’re a freak. You’re just different, like me. But that doesn’t make you broken. You’re still you.” He paused, meeting Tim’s gaze. “I know what it’s like.. to feel different, freakish, the whole nine yards. For what it’s worth? You're handling it a lot better than I did.”

Tim gave him a tight smile, the first real one in a while. “Thanks. It helps. More than you know.”

———

When they returned to the Batcave, Tim sat down with the others, Danny sticking close by his side. Tim took a deep breath and told them everything—about being captured by Harley, the weeks of torture at the Joker’s hands, the electrocutions that had stopped his heart. About how Harley had panicked and shocked him back to life, halfway. How he wasn’t entirely human anymore.

The family listened, their expressions ranging from horror to guilt to anger. Jason looked ready to kill someone, and Bruce’s usually stoic face betrayed a crack of regret. Tim hesitated as he explained why he hadn’t told them sooner, his voice faltering but honest.

Tim’s voice cracked slightly as he spoke, “I didn’t want you to think you failed… that you searched for me for nothing,"

Danny stayed quiet but stayed close, resting a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “For the record,” he said, glaring at the others, “if any of you give him crap about this, you’re gonna have to deal with me. And trust me, I will make your lives miserable.”

Tim gave him a small, grateful smile. For the first time, he didn’t feel quite so alone.

#tim drake #danny phantom #bruce wayne #jason todd #batfam #brain dead #dead tired #but not exclusively romantic? up for interpretation #tim drake is a halfa #tim’s having an existential crisis #when trauma bonding becomes literal #jason smells like swamp water apparently (I can't imagine the pit smells relatively nice for ghosts)#how fun would it be to see danny teaching tim how to use his powers and taking him to the infinite realms for the first time #this was actually a real hassle to write so I hope you enjoy it

1K notes · View notes

damiensbedtimestoriesau · 3 months ago

Text

Damien's Bedtime Stories #11

It’s been weeks. Damien has let Clark’s lesson settle within him. Yet he still didn’t know if he was ready, he was willing to give it a try, he approached Alfred, Steph, and his father as they surrounded the bat computer discussing something over coffee, Damien approached and minimized several files and opened another. A flash of the time that Damien went solo against Gotham, pre-Oracle, pre-Carrie when Bruce was healing from a shattered spine. He turned to Bruce,

Father, I've made many mistakes over the last few missions. I've been attempting to better myself, but I believe to truly test all your lessons not just in training, not just in isolated events I need to see… how did he put this… the whole city around me, not just a single street. Now I suggest a literal interpretation of that metaphor and allowing me to attempt a solo night protecting Gotham. I know it’s dangerous father and I have failed before but before you speak allow me to remind you that you’re the one who taught me the lesson of trust and not allowing emotion to cloud judgment.

“Damien that's, that's” Bruce stuttered with a tight jaw, caught between impulse and insight before Steph’s arm pressed against his chest, “Bruce let him do it, besides Babs will keep an eye on him as Oracle, and Damien we will make sure she doesn’t intervene unless absolutely necessary if that is an effective compromise”

There was a momentary pause as Damien and his father locked eyes before, “tomorrow night my son, tomorrow night,” Bruce said before muttering under his breath “I can’t believe we’re doing this”

Thank you father Damien said but before he began to walk away, Alfred stopped him.

“Damien I’m proud of you, don’t forget we’re just a call away if you get in too deep. I believe in you, Master Damien.”

Thank you Pennyworth… it’s… it’s appreciated

Damien took that night to prepare, instead of the podao he loaded his gear with something less heavyweight. He took batarangs with him, his grapple, and smoke bombs, the bare minimum or what he considered the bare minimum from the last mission he attempted, but he also researched previous nights, and current unsolved files, and prepared for the possibility of them all, and to add his own flair he added twin sais, something that would reflect his specialty just as well as the podao while being better to lug along with him all night.

When the sun rose Damien slept and when the moon would rise once more so would the son of the Demon and the Bat.

Damien:

I began patrolling on the docks. I knew from my research that there was likely mob activity going down there at some point this week, the trading of weapons. I sat out over a lookout, listening and watching. I was alone that night, and I couldn’t stay still for too long. As I moved around rooftops nearby I stayed tuned into police scanners listening if anywhere else needed more immediate attention, I couldn’t only focus on one part of the city.

But just then I saw two people go out onto the docks, so I went for a closer roof listening in, it could have been anyone but even this early on in the night I needed to listen to my gut, luck be with me, Carrie taught me that.

It was only a mere hour since sundown, as I watched the people I realized it was just a father and his daughter walking home, trying to hurry to get out of the street. I had a sigh of relief, relief that wouldn’t last as the deal that I was there waiting for wasn’t just going down. It was going down mere feet away from the family.

Tim taught me knowledge, I couldn’t intervene without risking their lives, at that point I went through my mind remembering every file I saw I had to come up with my own plan on the fly. As the family approached an alleyway I tossed smoke bombs clouding the mobsters who were just outside of the family’s sight before using my grappling hook to fling myself towards a dumpster kicking it in front of the father and his kid with all the strength I could muster yelling at them to get down before I ran into the smoke, and bullets blasted out from the group of criminals. Yet the metal dumpster kept the two safe enough.

I knocked two of the mobsters out with my fists before dodging bullet fire from another but as he followed me with the muzzle of his gun I saw that he would end up blasting into his accomplice and I was forced to rush in close and grab the hot metal barrel with my hand aiming it lower blasting it into his legs crippling him but saving his partner’s life to maintain mercy even if I wished I could have done less damage, all this before my fist went and met the face of another crazed gunman, the last remaining mobster began to run but fell to the ground as I pinned his pant leg to the dock with a well-aimed batarang throw. I checked on the family, reassured them of their safety, and did my best to comfort the little girl. It was barely dark and I had my first criminal encounter of the night. Tonight would be long.

I moved towards Crime Alley, this territory outside of special nights would be patrolled by either father or the Hood. Tonight it would be my turn.

I knew back at the cave that father and the others were definitely keeping tabs on my progress. Hopefully, my handling of the mobsters made them proud but that wasn’t my concern now, I had to stay alert no matter what.

I peered into the alley staring down every bump, listening closely with one ear, listening to my scanner in the other, so far the only talk tonight was of the mobsters I handled and the statements the family gave on my behalf. That's when I saw them, sitting and laughing, in costume, Kite Man and Condiment King sharing a meal together, hot dogs from that good place downtown. They weren’t up to trouble, it didn’t seem like it at least, I found it strange that they were in costume but they were strange as is and the only real crime they had committed in recent days was dodging outstanding warrants for crimes five or six years old. I wouldn’t engage unless they became trouble. To be fair I found their interaction nice.

I trust that they’ve made actual progress and this wasn’t simply a ruse. I’d rather Condiment King out on the street than someone like Slade. I smirked at their joy, it’s rare to see the good we do long-term.

The scanner went off “Possible bomb threat. All units report” I signaled to Oracle. “Keep an eye on these two, I don’t need help yet, just give me the word if my trust is misplaced” as I rushed towards the location on the scanner.

When I got to the place I found the Penny Plunder bomb strapped to his chest with a deadman’s switch outside a bank demanding 3 million in loose change. The bank wasn’t even open, yet that didn’t matter. The police were evacuating the premises and making a perimeter just in case. I needed an idea, and I had one ‘We can’t let fear control us because fear is how we were born and what we strike,’ fear was the path that needed to be chosen here.

I took the megaphone from the police and before they could even notice I was on top of the bank “HEY!” the Penny Plunder looked up at me “COINS FOR BRAINS THERE IS NO ONE INSIDE, THE MOST YOU’RE THREATENING IS PROPERTY DAMAGE!” I then scoffed at the idea “THOUGH IF YOU DON��T DISARM THE DEVICE NOW I’LL GUARANTEE I WON’T LET YOU HAVE QUICK DEATH OF EXPLODING, Yes Plunder you’ll survive but YOU’D WISH YOU HADN’T! SO DISARM NOW!”

The plunder began panicking not knowing what to do, he was shaking and sweaty, and his face went pale with fear, as he began listening to my commands. My bluff, my reputation, it worked. All because of fear. It worked. When the bomb was removed from his chest and set on the stairs he began running away towards the barricade where he was tackled by every nearby member of the GPD and I assisted in disarming the bomb fully so it wouldn’t go off as we moved it to a safer location. It worked. I can't believe it worked.

The night has certainly been eventful so far, but I’m only getting warmed up, I was ready for anything that could happen next.

I was not ready for what happened next. Hand-to-hand combat with an out-of-control Venom junkie.

I don’t think anyone could say they were ready for him tackling them out of nowhere. Yet I knew I needed to improvise before I lost more than just one of my front teeth from an out of nowhere blow that sent me reeling with pain.

I did my best to dodge, noticing how unbalanced my opponent's stance was I planned to knock them over. I was then punched in the face and was starting to see stars, but I persevered. I stepped back and spat out blood, waving my hand towards myself. “Give me your best shot.” he charged forward and I ascended into the sky with a leap as the junkie broke their fist against the wall and I ducked down sweeping the legs, persistent as ever. Yet on the floor, he grabbed onto my arm pulling me forward and dislocating my shoulder but as I went down I saw a tube running into his spine and I stabbed my sai into it, venom pouring to the floor, his muscle began to shrink as he went fetal and I popped my shoulder back into socket.

As I regained my footing, I helped him up and sent him to a rehab center. He wasn’t a villain but a victim of Bane’s territory, and the sellers he had, not simply a bad guy. It wasn’t fully his fault that he attacked. I just hope he actually lets them help him. I hope that's the hard part of the night but I still got 6 or 7 more hours to go. That fight did a number on me.

For the next few hours I patrolled alleys and rooftops, no words from Oracle seemed like I was right to trust those two earlier, it seemed the rest of the night might be quiet. That was until I saw someone riding on a large green and purple metallic drone in the distance followed close behind by two matching ones. I followed them from a distance, seeing what they were up to.

Eventually, I crossed back over Crime Alley and then I followed it to the docks, and from there the outskirts. As I followed it into a cave beneath a rocky cliff, partly filled with still ocean water and partly filled with moss and roots. I followed it deeper in, all the way to a door that seemed like it hadn’t been opened in centuries sealed with the sigil of an owl. The man on the drones forced the door open and out forth swirled pure energy from the inside as if a burst of super-powered wind, and then he went in. I followed quietly, stealthy behind him into a very dark room that felt like something fit for both a ball and a ritual sacrifice, ordained with several statues of people in owl masks with an array of weapons, the swirling energy occasionally lit the place up in a hue of green or blue. When the room lit up I saw now who the man was. Luthor. The last time I faced him, I barely escaped with my life and he managed to escape trial altogether.

I equipped my sais and approached quietly, not making a noise. Alfred told me to be unique, that was his lesson to me, what made me different then the other bats was the fact I was a trained assassin, master of shadow, it would be near impossible for him to notice my quiet step. As I prepared to attack Luthor pressed his palm against an owl symbol entangled in moss and before he could inspect it more thoroughly and before I could attack we were both knocked back by something he had awakened and angered.

The Swamp Thing.

He attacked us both and Luthor, now noticing me scoffed at my presence “What do you think you're doing here boy!? Trying to foil my plan!”

“This is my city baldie!” I shot back,

“Baldie!? You braaaa-!” he screamed as he was cut off by Swamp Thing’s attacks before his drones tore through the vines freeing their master.

“You shall harm the green no longer, leave the sacred swamp or face the wrath of Swamp Thing!” shouted the beast as its barely visible eyes darted at Lex and the polluted water flowing in through the cave’s entrance. The monster then turned to me trying to crush me as I rolled out of the way of its gnarly branched foot.

I attempted to attack, blasting it with batarangs that ignited in flame at a click of a button but it seemed to just make it more angry as it continued to attack us both. We both continued attacking butting heads, at one point even colliding together, it wasn’t working. Soon Swamp Thing had destroyed both his Drones and was cornering in on Luthor. I hate the playboy but in my instinct, I saved him tackling him to the side to his shock and bewilderment.

“Why’d you do that boy!”

“Shut up and listen” I protested “we can win this but you have to listen to me!” I pointed at the ground “you see that sai over there, defend yourself if he charges but try to keep your distance, work on getting one of the drones running, I’ll take him on in quick rush attacks while I call for backup do you understand me!”

“I can’t believe I’m taking orders from an overgrown toddler, but if it keeps me alive I suppose we have an alliance!” he scoffed.

I attacked the Swamp thing with the last of my explosive batarangs before calling into Oracle while on the evasive, “Oracle! Get Red Hood and Catgirl here. Tell Father and Catwoman to find Constantine. Don’t come unless he’s with them. It’s the only way.” I screamed with urgency as I narrowly dodged a blow before breaking off a stone spear from a stature that I improvised as an impractically heavy bow staff to try to keep the beast at bay, “Roger that Robin, they’ll be on there way shortly” shot through my comm before I was slammed back, my belt coming loose and soaking the radio in dark green water, as I continued to fight unknowing if the plan would work, but hoping I saw the big picture enough to survive.

I kept fighting, hitting the beast with everything I could, squishing in what I could only assume was its face with the stone staff before being flung once more, this time into the ceiling falling back hard into the ground with a thud before it changed its direction going towards Lex. I had every reason to let Lex die in my stead, but no matter how much I hated him it was against everything I knew as a bat to leave him to die. I was lucky enough to land next to the other sai, lucky might be generous, really, and just before Swamp Thing could take out Lex, I chucked the blade with precision, pure instinct driving the motion. It spun through the air and lodged deep into the beast’s back, causing it to freeze for just a moment before slowly turning, now reeling toward me, mad.

“YOU WILL NOT HARM THE GREEN!” it shouted, and the whole cave seemed to tremble with it.

It lunged at me, fast and heavy, and just as it was about to bring its full force crashing down, Luthor of all people repaid my favor. One of his drones shot out from behind a crumbling stone column, ramming into Swamp Thing’s side and blasting it off course. The impact sent the creature tumbling into the wall, splintering rock and kicking up dirt. Before it could fully recover, the drone began pelting it with tactical gunfire. It didn’t seem to hurt the thing in any real way, but it was enough to stagger it, to keep it back for a moment and that was all we needed. Jason and Carrie burst in just in time.

“Little bro!” I heard Jason yell. He flung one of my swords that he brought with him toward me, and I caught it mid-air. He was already laying down gunfire, aiming for the soft spots, trying to keep the creature disoriented. Carrie followed in right behind him, lighting up the cave with a barrage of loud, crackling fireworks. They exploded in blinding colors that burst across the moss and bark, disrupting Swamp Thing’s senses even more.

With the four of us, me, Lex, Jason, and Carrie attacking from four angles, we actually stood a chance. Not to win, maybe. But to hold the line. To wait out the clock until Constantine showed his greasy mug.

I slashed at Swamp Thing, keeping low, trying to stay unpredictable, dodging the counterstrikes as best I could. Every time I moved in close, I could feel the heat of the fight in my bones, the sharp sting of bark and thorn against my arms. Still, I kept swinging, closing in more and more with each strike. I didn’t give it time to breathe. None of us did. We pressed from all sides.

We kept at it me striking, Jason shooting, Carrie blasting, Lex coordinating from behind with his drones and slowly, painfully, the fatigue began to set in.

My shoulders ached. My arms were going numb. Every breath felt shorter than the last. But I had to keep going. I had to. Just like Alfred told me. Just like he said my father did when it seemed impossible. You don’t stop. You maintain persistence.

I swung again, teeth clenched, and again and again and then it struck me.

A full-body slam that sent me flying. I crashed into the cave floor and skidded across the stone, gasping, seeing stars, my blade slipping from my grip.

I felt like I was about to collapse right there… but then I heard a voice

“I may not be John Constantine! But Fate’s might may just rival his prowess!” shouted forth the voice of a mysterious glowing man in a golden mask, as I limped to my feet, blood gushing from an open wound.

Father and Selina rushed us out. I could see it in his face, this strange mixture of worry and pride. As I fell into his arms, exhausted and half-conscious, I caught one last glimpse of the fight behind us. The monster's legs were pinned to the ground by glowing chains of magic, cast by the new combatant who had arrived just in time.

Then everything went black.

I woke up in the cave. The air was cool, familiar. The machines hummed around me. Everyone had been hurt in some way, bruised, burned, bandaged. No one escaped unscathed, except for Father and Selina whose only job was to deliver Dr. Fate.

Luthor had been captured, sent off to a much higher security prison than before. They said he’d planned to use science to harness “Gotham’s curse” to twist the city’s darkness into a weapon, kill Superman, and take control of the world.

But in the end, he lost.

When I saw Father again, he didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. There was only pride in his eyes as he held me close. The kind of pride that didn’t need words.

There are no words to describe how I felt about that night. But when I look over Gotham now, I don’t just see 55th Street, or Crime Alley, or the Docks, or the Banking District, or even that cave.

I see the whole of Gotham.

Because I am a Bat.