SON OF BATMAN

Since his arrival, Damian had been subtly, yet deliberately, taking shots at the Man of Steel. But for what reason? Did he have something against him? No one could say for certain, though the question lingered in the air, thick with tension and unspoken accusations.

The atmosphere in the Batcave was electric, charged with a potent mix of grief, uncertainty, and barely contained hostility. The loss of Batman hung over them all like a shroud, but it was Damian's presence that truly set everyone on edge.

Damian, however, seemed completely unfazed by the atmosphere he was stirring. His pitch-black eyes, void-like and unsettling, swept across the assembled heroes with cold indifference. The white of his hair, stark against his dark attire, only added to his otherworldly presence.

The jab he had made referred to the events that had unfolded when General Zod and his Kryptonian forces invaded Earth in search of Superman, seeking to transform the planet into a new Krypton. Their arrival had brought destruction on an unprecedented scale. Cities were leveled, lives were lost, and the very future of humanity hung in the balance.

Superman had ultimately thwarted Zod's plans, but not without a cost. The world had witnessed the near extinction of its species, and the impact of that day had rippled across the globe, leaving governments wary and people fearful.

Superman remained silent, his eyes locked on Damian, though the sting of his provocation was undeniable.

The Man of Steel's jaw clenched, a rare display of emotion from the usually composed hero. But as he studied Damian, he could see through the cold exterior and the indifferent expression. Underneath all that, all he saw was sorrow.

The weight of losing a father, a burden Superman knew all too well. He remembered the day he lost Jonathan Kent, how powerless he had felt as the man who had raised him, guided him, and made him the person he was today slipped away. That same grief now lingered in Damian's eyes, despite the boy's attempts to hide it behind sarcasm and indifference. Superman understood that grief all too well, and it made Damian's hostility all the more poignant.

Damian continued, his voice steady and measured, cutting through the tense silence. "Individuals with supernatural abilities who have always been hiding are emerging around the globe. Some of them are trying to do good, some are still hiding, but others... they've let their abilities get to their heads. They're causing havoc, making things worse."

He turned his attention to Aquaman, his tone as cold as ever. "Even Atlantis, which has been considered a fairy tale by humans for the longest time, has started making some ripples in the water."

Aquaman's eyes narrowed slightly, his posture growing a bit more rigid. The grip on his trident tightened imperceptibly. "I've got nothing to do with Atlantis," he replied defensively, his voice firm. "Whatever they're up to, is none of my business."

Damian ignored his statement, his expression remaining neutral, before continuing with his assessment of the world's changing landscape. His words were measured, each syllable dripping with a cold logic that was hard to refute.

"The world is still adjusting to these new changes. The balance of power is shifting, and humanity is struggling to keep up." He paused, letting his words sink in. "People are scared, confused. This... new reality, with gods and monsters, with powers beyond their comprehension, is reshaping everything. Moving hastily, without having a clear view of the full picture, will only spread panic and make things worse."

He looked around the room, his gaze sweeping over the Justice League members. Each hero felt the weight of his stare, a reminder of the responsibility they carried. "So for now, we'll do what we can, with what we have, and wait for things to stabilize and deal with any threats that arise in the meantime."

Damian's words hung in the air, a sobering reminder of the uncertainty ahead. The cave fell silent, save for the distant drip of water and the soft hum of the computer systems.

Wonder Woman was the first to break the silence. She nodded in agreement, understanding the wisdom in his approach. "You're right," she said softly, her voice carrying the weight of centuries. "The world is changing, and we must be careful how we proceed." Her hand unconsciously tightened on her lasso as she continued, "But when the time comes, we must be ready. We've already lost one of our own..." Her voice trailed off, the pain of Bruce's loss still fresh. She took a deep breath before finishing, "When the time comes, we must be ready. We owe it to Bruce."

Aquaman, ever the pragmatist, crossed his arms. "So we sit back and wait for the next apocalypse, huh? Sounds like a solid plan." He said, though his tone lacked its usual bravado. Even the rightful King of Atlantis felt the sting of Batman's absence, the loss of a comrade he had come to respect despite their differences.

"Well, there really isn't much we can do right now," Cyborg spoke up, his human eye reflecting a mix of frustration and resignation. "Darkseid is sealed for now and can't attack for the moment. So unless you want to go to Apokolips, we can only sit back and wait."

Damian stayed silent for a few moments and spoke up, "Well, that's true," he said with a calm tone, "but that's only assuming Darkseid is our only threat out there. And that's a pretty big assumption."

"You mean Darkseid isn't our only enemy out there?" The Flash interjected, panicked, his words coming out in a rush.

Damian turned to him, "What do you think?"

Damian then cast his gaze on the rest of the Justice League before settling on Superman. "It hasn't been long since we discovered that not only are we not alone in the universe but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned"

Damian continued, "With God knows how many civilizations out there, assuming Darkseid could be our only threat is foolish"

A collective shudder seemed to pass through the assembled heroes, the weight of their responsibility growing heavier with each word Damian spoke. Everyone present felt their already bad situation get even worse

Superman, who had remained quiet for most of the exchange, finally spoke up. His voice, usually strong and steady, had a note of vulnerability. "We'll have to try our hardest, Damian," he said, addressing Bruce's son directly. "Bruce... your father believed in us, even when we didn't believe in ourselves. He trusted that we could protect the world. We can't let his death be in vain."

The mention of Bruce's name seemed to hang in the air, a ghostly presence that reminded them all of why they were here. A brief silence followed Superman's words, the weight of the loss settling even deeper into the room. Everyone felt it—the void Bruce Wayne left behind. Each hero stood lost in their own memories of the Dark Knight, the man who had brought them together, who had seen the potential for good in each of them.

Damian stared at Superman for a moment before he spoke, his voice carrying a hint of something almost akin to respect. "Of course, that goes without saying."

Damian then shifted his gaze to his fallen father and continued, his voice softer than before, barely audible in the cavernous space. "Still, not acting hastily doesn't mean staying our hands and not doing anything."

He paused, his eyes never leaving Bruce's body. When he spoke again, there was a steel in his voice that reminded everyone present of the man they had lost. "Putting any other potential threats aside, I have a feeling that, at the very least, Darkseid, sealed as he is, won't let us have any respite of peace," he said, his gaze unwavering.

The members of the Justice League exchanged worried glances, the weight of Damian's words hanging heavily on their shoulders. The reality of their situation began to sink in—they had won a battle, but the war was far from over.

The Flash, sensing the tension, spoke up, his tone lighter in an attempt to break the somber mood. "Well, at least we have some breathing room, right? We're not dealing with an immediate invasion... yet." His attempt at levity fell flat, the gravity of the situation too heavy for even his usual optimism to lift.

Damian nodded, though his gaze remained steely. "For now. But that could change at any moment." His words carried a finality that sent a chill through the assembled heroes.

Superman stepped forward, his cape rustling softly in the still air of the cave. His voice was calm but resolute, carrying the strength that had inspired hope in millions. "Then let's be ready for when it does. We can't predict when Darkseid will return, but when he does, we need to be united."

Damian's eyes narrowed slightly, but he gave a curt nod. He turned toward Cyborg and addressed him, his tone businesslike. "We need to close the gap between our technology and theirs. Apokolips is light-years ahead of us."

Cyborg nodded, understanding the gravity of the task. His cybernetic eye whirred as he processed the challenge ahead. "I'll start working on it. We have some alien tech in our possession... I can reverse-engineer what we have, maybe find a way to level the playing field."

"Good," Damian said, his tone approving. "And while you're at it, see if you can enhance our early warning systems."

Cyborg nodded, already running calculations in his mind. "I'll integrate some of the Apokoliptian tech we recovered. It should give us a significant boost in detection capabilities."

Damian nodded and turned to Aquaman, "And you... If you could get over your mommy issues and get along with Atlantis, it would be a great help in communicating with them"

Aquaman's eyes widened in shock, clearly taken aback by Damian's remark. What shocked Aquaman the most wasn't Damian's choice of words but rather the fact that he knew something so personal. He stood there, momentarily speechless, his grip on his trident tightening. The rest of the League exchanged surprised glances, the tension in the air thickening.

"I thought I already told you that I have nothing to do with Atlantis" Aquaman spat out, visibly annoyed by Damian's audacity. But Damian simply shrugged.

Aquaman scowled, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "And since we're on the topic of help, what about you? Are you gonna be any help in the upcoming fight?" Aquaman snapped, "Can you even do anything? I mean, no offense, but do you have any powers?"

The cave fell into a stunned silence, all eyes turning to Damian. The others, though taken aback by Aquaman's outburst, now shared his curiosity. They too wondered about Damian's abilities, especially given his sharp tongue and cold domineering demeanor.

Everyone awaited Damian's response eagerly. He paused, looking around at the expectant faces. Silence permeated the cave until Damian broke it.

"Well," Damian started and nodded towards his father's lifeless body on the table, "I just inherited a shitload of money, so… I'm rich"

There was a beat of silence. The sheer ridiculousness of the situation lingered, clashing with the somber mood of the Batcave. The response left everyone dumbfounded. Flash felt a sense of déjà vu, remembering a similar exchange with Bruce some time ago. The absurdity of the moment hung in the air, a stark contrast to the gravity of their predicament.

Superman couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly.

Though Damian's comment about inheriting a fortune had lightened the mood, the Justice League wasn't fooled. Amusement flickered on their faces, but none of them harbored the slightest doubt about the young man's capabilities.

They all vividly remembered how he had first appeared behind them without a sound, catching even Superman off guard. Despite the Man of Steel's superhuman senses, he hadn't detected Damian's presence until it was too late

Neither had Wonder Woman with her heightened awareness, nor Cyborg's advanced scanning systems. It was clear to them all that Damian Wayne was far from a normal human being.

The fact that he could outmaneuver their collective abilities so effortlessly was enough to keep them on edge. Whatever powers or training he had, they knew better than to underestimate him. They were sure that, at the very least, he was as skilled as Bruce was.

The levity of the mood, as brief as it was, quickly faded. The weight of their true purpose in the Batcave returned—Bruce's death, and the void it left behind.

Damian's expression shifted as his gaze drifted toward his father's lifeless body, the sight of Batman—the man who had been larger than life—now lying still and silent. The banter, the discussions about Darkseid, and the future had been a temporary distraction, but now, with everything settled, the full weight of his father's death came crashing down on him. The walls he had built to keep his emotions at bay crumbled, and the grief he had been holding back began to flood in, raw and overwhelming.

"Well then," Damian muttered quietly, his voice barely above a whisper as he started walking toward Bruce's body. Each step felt heavier than the last, the reality of his loss sinking deeper with every moment. When he reached his father, he stood there for a long moment, staring down at the man who was his father—the man who had been Batman.

The cave fell silent once more, but this time it was a silence of respect, of shared grief. Even those who had been at odds with Damian moments before felt a surge of sympathy for the young man standing before his father's body.

His chest tightened, the grief now too much to hide. "Now that everything else is settled... time to move on to more pressing matters," Damian said softly, his words thick with emotion.

He turned to Grayson, his eyes betraying the sadness he had been holding back. "That cop... the one father has been chummy with over the years. He still around?"

Dick, momentarily caught off guard by the shift, responded, "Commissioner Gordon? Yeah, he's still around."

Damian nodded slowly. "He deserves to know first," he said, his voice thick with emotion. The weight of Batman's death was no longer something abstract—they were now stepping into the cold reality of it.

"Yeah," Dick replied softly, understanding Damian's grief. "I'll let him know."

"First," Damian whispered, more to himself than to anyone else, "we take care of him." The grief in his voice was unmistakable now, the weight of loss dragging him down. "And then… we move on."

As Damian's words hung in the air, a silent understanding passed through the gathered heroes. They had lost more than just a teammate—they had lost a legend, a symbol of hope and justice. But in Damian, they saw a glimmer of that same unyielding spirit that had made Batman a force to be reckoned with.