For a second, the room was completely still.
Then Terra blinked twice, slowly. "…Hell? Like literally Hell? Demons, fire, eternal suffering Hell?"
Max nodded casually. "Yes."
Thena leaned forward. "Does Hell even exist?"
Before Max could answer, Nina spoke first in a dark, ominous tone, and absolutely enjoying herself.
"Oh, it does. It's where all the naughty brats go. And if I recall… you two have been very naughty lately. So you're pretty eligible to end up there."
Thena scoffed. "Yeah right."
Max wiped his mouth with a napkin and set it down. "I'll leave tomorrow morning. You'll probably not even see me go. So while I'm gone, I need you to behave yourselves. All of you."
"Hey,why am I included in this?" Nina asked, pointing at herself.
Max shot her a look.
Nina sighed. "…Fine. I'll behave." She rolled her eyes, defeated.
Max then turned to Thena and Terra. The two immediately stiffened.
"And from now on," Max said, "on weekends, you'll train twice as hard."
"What?! No way!" Thena and Terra protested in perfect synchronization.
"Yes way. I have eyes everywhere," Max warned. "So you'd better not cheat."
He stood and stretched, cracking his neck slightly. "Now… for that massage,my back is still killing me."
Max started walking toward his room. "I'll be waiting. Don't even think about backing out, or there will be consequences… and you know why."
Thena exhaled. "I told you we were being played."
"Let's just get this over with…" Terra muttered, standing up with the weary resignation of someone marching toward certain doom.
---
The sound of jet thrusters echoed through the rainy Gotham night as Pain slowly descended, the air trembling under him. Just as he was inches from touching the ground, his feet morphed back to normal. He landed with a dull, heavy thud.
Hands behind his back, he walked toward the warehouse entrance and pushed the rusted metal door open with his foot. The interior was dim and stale, filled only with scattered wooden crates and, far in the back, a six-by-six steel box,the disguised elevator leading down twenty meters to the real base.
Pain approached it. A panel slid open, revealing a biometric scanner. He raised his hand but stopped as he sensed a shift in the air.
Without looking, Pain caught the fast-moving projectile between two fingers. A dagger.
He dropped the blade and slowly turned.
A man stepped from the shadows, owl mask gleaming, sword strapped across his back.
Talon.
"So glad you could join us, Lord Pain," Talon mocked.
"I do have to applaud your patience," Pain replied. "To think you actually waited two whole hours for me to arrive. You must really have a lot of free time on your hands."
"Oh, trust me, I've waited longer for other things. Much longer," Talon said.
"I see. Then may I ask why my base was attacked?"
"It's just a small favor to someone. Nothing personal. But a man's gotta do what he's gotta do to get what he wants."
Pain exhaled lightly.
"I'm truly being insulted. To think someone would entertain the idea of attacking me just to gain the loyalty of a child. You must think very lowly of me."
"You sure know a lot," Talon replied, tightening his grip, "which is why you will not leave this place alive."
"I think not," Pain said calmly. "But I appreciate the enthusiasm. So bring it on."
"Gladly." Talon spread his arms. "But let's see first if my underestimation of you was justified… or not."
One by one, undead assassins emerged from the shadows. More dropped from the rafters, landing silently. All wore owl-themed masks. All drew swords and sais, forming a semicircle around him.
They charged.
Pain didn't move.
compartments shifted open along his spine.
Fwoom.Fwoom.Fwoom
Missiles ignited and shot outward in a rapid barrage.
The warehouse exploded.
A blinding fireball swallowed it.Talon was launched skyward like a ragdoll, crashing through crates and slamming into the ground with a muffled groan.
His mask fused to his face from the heat. His scalp was burned bald. His leg was gone below the thigh, cauterized by the blast.
As the roaring flames died to crackling embers, Pain stepped out of the collapsing warehouse,untouched, smoke curling behind him.
He walked toward Talon's trembling body. The assassin wheezed harshly, struggling to lift his one remaining arm.
Pain stopped in front of him.
"Things tend to happen very fast," Pain said calmly. "Less than five minutes ago,no,two minutes ago you were spouting arrogant nonsense. And now… look at you. Laying at my feet. I almost want to spare you."
Talon coughed, blood splattering inside his melted mask.
"G-go… to h-hell…"
"Don't worry," Pain replied. "That trip is already scheduled."
A black chakra rod materialized in his hand.
He stabbed it through Talon's skull.
Talon's body twitched twice, then went still as Pain yanked the rod out of his chest. The flames from the burning debris hissed and died as the rain doused them.
Yeah,he was tired of pointless fights. Fighting someone orders of magnitude weaker than him got boring very fast, and worse, it made him reveal too much. That wasn't good at all, not with the Dark Knight on his tail.
Sure, he'd win if they fought. Without doubt. But the problem was that Batman was too smart. He might actually deduce his connection to Max… or worse, bring backup. And without proper preparation,which included kryptonite,Pain would be cooked.
He shook off his thoughts and turned to leave when a voice cut through the rain.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Pain turned to see Robin standing before him or rather.....Damian.
"Home, of course," Pain replied calmly. "Or rather, back to my comfy throne in Nanda Parbat. You should go home too and forget about your grandfather. Forget about Nanda Parbat. I've even released your mother and aunt from duty. A courtesy. This is the only warning you'll be getting."
"I'm not going anywhere without your head," Damian snarled, charging with his sword drawn.
Pain sighed as Damian swung. He caught the blade with one hand and yanked it forward along with Damian, seized him by the neck, and tossed him aside. Damian flipped midair and skidded to a stop, already preparing to charge again.
but three batarangs landed in front of him, halting his advance.
Damian looked to the side to see Batman approaching.
"What are you doing here?" Damian muttered, not taking his eyes off Pain.
"Now is not the time," Batman said quietly. His gaze shifted to Pain. "Who are you?"
"Me?" Pain tilted his head. "I'm nobody."
"What do you want with the president?" Batman asked.
"That's a question," Pain said, sounding amused. "But I simply don't feel like answering it. I'm sure you'll figure it out in time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my leave."
He dropped a smoke bomb.
FWOOOM.
White smoke engulfed the place.
When the smoke cleared, Pain was nowhere to be seen. Batman didn't bother searching for him,he knew better that he was probably gone. Instead, he slowly approached the charred corpse on the wet pavement.
The body was burnt, a leg missing and the skull pierced clean through by something somethingcircular. A quiet exhale slipped from Batman's mask.
The man was unmistakably dead.
"Who is he?"
"Talon," Damian said.
"And who does he work for?"
"I don't know."
Batman turned his head just enough to look at Damian, jaw tightening. "He's the one you went to for help. Which means his death falls upon you."
Damian shrugged. "I thought he would help me,but he was weak. Didn't even take that long for him to fall."
Batman rose slowly… dangerously slowly.
"Damian."
The boy didn't respond,just crossed his arms, chin tilted up in arrogance, waiting for the inevitable lecture.
"You think this is strength?" Batman asked, voice low but rumbling. "You think being able to say someone was 'weak' makes you powerful?"
"I'm not responsible for his incompetence," Damian muttered. "If he couldn't handle the heat, he shouldn't have stepped into the fire."
Batman took a step toward him.
Damian didn't back down,but his jaw tightened.
"This," Batman said, sweeping an arm toward the corpse, "is what you're becoming. A child so eager to reclaim the League that you don't care who you drag into the crossfire. You're colluding with assassins now. You're involving killers. And for what?"
Damian's fists clenched.
Batman continued. "To be exactly what your grandfather wants you to be?"
"I am nothing like him," Damian snapped instantly.
"Really?" Batman barked, anger finally breaking through the controlled facade. "Because all you think about is taking back the League. Becoming the leader of murderers. Becoming the weapon Ra's al Ghul has tried to mold you into since birth."
"Yes!" Damian snapped, his voice cracking with raw frustration. "I'm tired of you trying to force me to be something I'm clearly not!"
Batman stiffened.
Damian pushed forward, jabbing a finger at his father. "I was raised to be an assassin. To kill without hesitation. To strike first, end the threat, move on. And all you've been doing is holding me back"
"Talon may not have been much," Damian continued, voice dripping contempt, "but he clearly saw something in me that you don't."
He took a step back, arms wide in challenge.
"Besides seeing a misguided child in need of your cliché moral lectures."
A muscle in Batman's cheek twitched.
Damian looked at him,really looked at him,for a moment. And whatever he searched for in his father's expression… he didn't find it.
His lips curled downward in something like disappointment.
Then Damian turned sharply on his heel.
And walked away.
Batman didn't move.
He watched the boy's silhouette disappear into the rain.
For a long moment, Bruce just stood there silently.
Then, almost under his breath:
"…Damian…"
But his son didn't turn back and just vanished into Gotham's shadows.
Leaving Batman alone in the rain
End of Chapter.