Father and Son: No Lies This Time."
The night was quiet again, though the lawn still carried scorch marks from Toothless's warning shots.
Batman stood in the yard, cape billowing behind him, staring down the last unconscious assassin.
Damian wiped dust from his hands.
Neither spoke for ten seconds.
Then…
Batman (cold, controlled):
"Why are assassins targeting you, Damian?"
Damian exhaled through his nose.
He didn't tense.
He didn't deflect.
He didn't lie.
For the first time, he simply answered.
Damian:
"Because I'm building something."
Bruce's eyes narrowed.
Batman:
"…What something?"
Damian crossed his arms.
Damian:
"A cyberware implant.
A highly advanced one.
It slows down time for the user—enhancing reaction speed, increasing combat precision, and massively boosting combat effectiveness."
Batman blinked.
For once, Damian's words contained no walls, no tricks, no hidden meanings.
Just blunt truth.
It startled Bruce more than assassins did.
Batman:
"You're being… honest?"
Damian:
"…I realized I don't need to lie about this.
You invent things all the time.
This isn't abnormal. Not for us."
Bruce said nothing, but a subtle shift in his posture—shoulders relaxing half an inch—was telling.
THE METAL
But Batman was not done.
Batman:
"What about the alloy I found in the Batcave?
The one even my scanners couldn't identify."
Damian nodded, unsurprised.
Damian:
"Gronckle Iron.
You remember the ten bars I gave you?
I melted them down and fused them with several stabilizer metals to build the Sandevistan frame."
Batman's eyes narrowed again.
But this time…
Not in suspicion.
In intrigue.
Batman:
"And this device… what happens when you finish it?"
Damian said it casually.
Like he was talking about buying milk.
Damian:
"Actually, I was planning to sell it to you.
For three to four million dollars."
Batman froze.
"…I'm sorry?"
Damian:
"You're the only one responsible enough to own the prototype.
And I need the money to fund a few projects."
Bruce stared for a long moment.
There was no deception.
No hesitation.
No hidden motives.
Damian was simply telling the truth.
WHEN WILL IT BE READY?
Batman:
"When?"
Damian:
"One week. Two at the most."
Batman nodded slowly.
No argument.
No interrogation.
No lecture.
Just acceptance.
Batman:
"…Very well."
BATMAN'S FIRST MOMENT OF RELAXATION IN MONTHS
Back in the Batcave, Bruce placed the alloy sample into the analyzer.
The readings came back exactly as Damian said:
Gronckle Iron base
Fused micro-metals
Unknown molecular structure consistent with the bars Damian gifted him
Bruce actually leaned back in his chair.
A tiny breath escaped him.
Relief.
Real relief.
His son wasn't lying.
His son wasn't hiding something dangerous.
His son was… building technology.
Real technology.
And telling the truth about it.
THE BAT-FAMILY'S REACTION
Later that night, the Bat-Family assembled in the Cave:
Nightwing eating chips
Red Hood leaning on a pillar
Tim typing on the holographic keyboard
Cassandra sitting quietly
Barbara projected on a screen
Bruce told them:
Batman:
"Damian told me the truth.
About the metal.
About the device he's making."
Everything stopped.
Nightwing dropped his chips.
Nightwing:
"He WHAT?"
Red Hood laughed so loud it echoed.
Red Hood:
"No way.
No way that demon spawn admitted something without being cornered."
Tim almost fell out of his chair.
Red Robin:
"Holy crap—Damian didn't lie?
About tech?
This is historic. Someone write this down."
Barbara actually smiled.
Oracle:
"If Damian's building new technology, I want specs."
Cassandra nodded approvingly.
Cassandra:
"He trusts us."
Jason elbowed Dick.
Red Hood:
"I'm just shocked he didn't charge Bruce twenty million."
Damian entered the room without a word, brushing past Jason.
Damian:
"I heard that."
Jason smirked.
Red Hood:
"So what is it, kid?
Some kind of Bat-speed-boost thing?"
Damian didn't break stride.
Damian:
"Sandevistan.
Time-slowing combat enhancer.
Prototype is nearly complete."
Everyone froze.
Every single one.
Nightwing blinked three times.
Jason muttered,
"Okay that's actually cool—"
Tim nearly leapt from his chair.
Barbara's eyes widened.
Cassandra tilted her head, impressed.
And Batman?
Batman looked at his son with something rare—
Pride.
Trust.
And the beginning of true partnership.