I stared at him. My heart wasn't racing. I wasn't scared. I was angry.
"You want to talk?" I said, voice low. "You've had five years to talk to me, Bruce. Instead, you sent the League's heavy hitters to babysit me . You bugged my house. Watched me like an animal. I'm tired of your BS."
Batman didn't flinch. Didn't move. He just stood there, cape shrouding his body..
After a moment, he spoke. "Someone broke into the Bell Tower. We're scanning the system for viruses, trojans, any unauthorized programs. You want to admit to it before I find proof it was you?"
I scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was out flying. Getting some exercise. You know... building stamina."
His cowl tilted slightly, but I could see the suspicion behind his stillness.
Then his voice lowered a degree. "Stay in line, Cain. Your parents raised you better." That did it.
My eyes narrowed, jaw locking. "Don't you dare talk about my parents." My tone hit like a whip, sharp and sudden.
"Yes," I growled, "they did raise me right. For all of fourteen years. Then they vanished. Then you and the League went radio silent. I kept waiting for answers—any answers. Instead, I got surveillance and silence. You all treated me like a ticking time bomb."
I stepped closer.
"So what's the League hiding, huh? Besides wiretaps and spyware? Is it the satellite cannon on the Watchtower? Or maybe…" I leaned in, voice thick with venom. "Maybe you're the reason they disappeared. Did you kill them, Bruce? Just like how you got Jason killed?" "Or your parents?" I added.
The shift was instant.
He stepped forward. Only a half-step, but it changed the whole room. The shadows around him grew darker. The air heavier. His cowl, his presence—it became larger, more oppressive. And somehow… his face looked even more dangerous than before.
He spoke through clenched teeth. "Watch your next words carefully, Cain. Don't speak about things you don't understand." I smirked. "No? I think I understand plenty."
I took a slow breath and recited, deliberately, like a history lesson: "Your parents. Crime Alley. The pearls. The gunman. No name. Just a shadow. You didn't even drive home—you wanted to take the alley because you had just watched The Mark of Zorro. You were pretending to be brave. I know more Bruce what about Jason?"
I paused, mind flashing back.
"He died just after the Tower incident. While I was in the hospital recovering from what Mark, Dina, and Manhunter did to me . I met Jason Todd. Total brat. But I saw it. That desperation. He was always trying to live up to Dick's shoes, even though no one ever said it out loud. And Batman ignored every sign he was breaking. Just kept pushing him forward like a weapon."
Batman's fists were clenched.
"You know what stuck with me?" I asked, stepping closer until we were nearly chest to chest. "He died bloody and broken in a warehouse while trying to find his mom who betrayed him and you let him go alone. And the last thing I know he died broken and truly alone. Then I realized something"
I met his gaze. "The Joker was still alive. You let the murderer of your ward life after what he did because of your precious code" There was silence between us now. Heavy. Charged. Every breath felt like it might shatter the floor. Batman stepped forward—close. Towering just slightly above me. The cowl shadowed his face, but I saw his eyes. And they weren't just cold anymore. They were furious.
"I don't know who told you all that," he said, "or how you know what you know—but you're pushing your luck. Tell me what you did to the Bell Tower computer. Now. Before this gets ugly." I didn't flinch or back down. Instead, I rose. Literally. My feet lifted off the ground as I let my telekinesis carry me upward. Slow, hovering just enough that I was now the one looking down on him.
"Get the hell out of my house," I said coldly, "before I go public. With everything." The tension was nuclear. Then knock at the door. I didn't break eye contact. Didn't say a word. I floated down, still facing him, backing toward the entrance. Every instinct screamed not to turn my back. When I reached the door, I opened it slowly with one hand.
"Cain, what are you doing?" a voice asked.
I turned and saw Barbara standing just outside, dressed in street clothes. Beside her was M'gann, in her human disguise red hair, soft features, and bright green eyes. She gave a small wave. I glanced back over my shoulder.
Batman was gone without a trace. Not a sound was made. Nothing but the faint stir of his absence. My jaw clenched in frustration. "Of course." Barbara stepped inside cautiously. "He was here?" "Yeah," I muttered. "He dropped in. Wanted me to confess something about the Bell Tower break-in. I take it that's why you're both here too?"
Barbara exchanged a look with M'gann, her expression uneasy. "I don't want to assume anything after everything that's happened, but... we needed to talk. After what we saw." M'gann stepped forward, giving a gentle smile. "Hi. I'm—" "I know who you are," I said, and then—without thinking—added in Martian: "Peace between us, M'gann of Ma'aleca'andra.>"
Her eyes widened and Barbara's jaw dropped. I blinked, stunned at my own words. "Wait—what did I just say?" M'gann's eyes glowed faintly green as she instinctively reached out telepathically. I felt the vibration at the back of my skull again and then she gasped.
"I can't read him," she said to Barbara. "It's the same. Just like the intruder at the Bell Tower. Nothing. Silence." Barbara's expression darkened. "Cain... where were you one hour ago?"
I narrowed my eyes. "The same thing I told your boss. Flying. Getting some air." Barbara stepped closer. "This is serious—" "I'm not doing this," I snapped, stepping back and slamming the door shut.
Or at least, I tried to. Because two seconds later. They phased right through the door like it wasn't even there. M'gann floated slightly above the floor. Barbara had her arms crossed now, clearly fed up. I sighed, rubbing my temple. "What is it with people and breaking into my home?"