To tame a Demon (english)

Chapter 15: Return?

With two moral preachers breathing down his neck, Bruce sat at his big Batcomputer and just looked at the first section of the ongoing evaluations. There were only external characteristics and first assumptions regarding their functions, but no clear statements yet. Even if he normally did not, due to the lack of information, Bruce read these still vague assumptions carefully.

Possible functions of the individual claws, possible causes for certain behaviors, his main reason was that he could just calm down with the help of the work. Bruce tried to keep up his facade and not to give in to his inner feelings. Not as long as all those present were around him and this monster could continue to threaten their lives. He had to keep a cool head under all circumstances.

It really didn't help that the two behind him were trying to tell him how ethically questionable some of the Batman's methods were.

Bruce turned around in his chair and was about to end this children's circus when he saw a flashing blue spike rise above Damian, who was standing dangerously close to the cage.

The father was still shouting in panic:

"Damian, get away from the cage!"

But the boy seemed to be trapped in a track. Too late, his son's gaze slid up and lingered briefly on the flashing tail spike diagonally above him. Only then did reality catch up with him again, and while the hardened feather tips were already darting down to impale the boy, someone suddenly grabbed him by the collar and Damian could still see the metal floor he had just been standing on being effortlessly pierced.

It was only thanks to Superman's superhuman speed that another disaster was prevented. Seriously, the otherwise so positive man grabbed the stunned boy by his slender shoulders and looked him decisively in the widened eyes:

"Have you gone mad? It could have killed you!"

Clark's initial admonishment, quickly gave way to open astonishment as he noticed how the usually composed Damian could seemingly only stare at him in complete shock and tried to stammer out a response in his chaos of thoughts: "I...it."

Batman's heavy boots echoed loudly through the large cavern as he walked toward the two. Superman noticed, how the slightly trembling boy turn uncertainly to his father in his grasp and then, before his father was even able to say anything, spoke with a voice that was actually an uncharacteristically childlike:

"Father it...it's Richard."

Bruce paused in confusion as he saw so much rare emotion in his son's face and it wasn't until a moment later, that the said words penetrated his thoughts.

Batman's eyes snapped open and Clark and Diana also just looked perplexed to the stunned boy. While Superman's gaze then also slid to Bruce in confusion, trying to find an answer to this situation, the father now addressed his agitated son directly:

"What do you mean it's Richard?"

He saw the youngster squirm out of the Kryptonian's hands and now spoke even more agitated:

"That creature, it has the same face as he does. And that voice recorder...that's Grayson! Look at him closely!"

Bruce didn't know what to say. The words were getting through to him, but he couldn't believe them. Looking for answers, the father complied with his son's request and looked toward the cage.