More advance chapters on Patreon./Saintbarbido.

  -0-

  The air in the warehouse thied instantly.

  MI6 agents went rigid. Eyes locked onto the teenager who had walked into a death trap with a smirk.

  Damian's gaze flicked to Barton, sharp and unbothered.

  "So…" he tinued, voice zy, dangerous. "Are we doing this, or are you just going to stand there and sweat?"

  The sileretched.

  Then Barton fired.

  Damian moved before the trigger pulled, pivoting as the bullet ripped past him, embedding into a crate. The warehouse exploded into chaos uhe hail of gunfire.

  Wood chips and dust filled the air as every gun tried and failed to tag the shadow weaving in and out of view, with a nimblehat defied their perception.

  "Stop! Hold your fire!" Barton ordered. "Form up! Let him e to us!"

  In respohe MI6 agents verged in a circle, c all their blindspots.

  A mistake. Their target nded right in their middle.

  "Yo."

  Damian called, sending a chill through Barton as he realized, the kid was already iheir defenses.

  "T-"

  Words cut off as Damian moved like a ghost, his bde fshed and caught a throat, warm blood spewing against his fingers.

  He shoved the body into anent, disarming him in the same motion. An enhanced kick broke his nebsp;

  In seds two of them were dead.

  "Fug Brat! He got Jay!" Someone said, pulling the trigger of his automatic rifle.

  Gutled through the warehouse, but Damian was never where they shot.

  He weaved between bullets like he could see them ing—because he could. His body reacted before his mind did, instincts so sharp they bordered on inhuman.

  Sliding through someone's legs, his bde sshed through the groin, leaving the agent impotent and screaming in horrific pain.

  "Stay away!"

  A rifle swung toward him—Damian grabbed the barrel, yahe man forward, and cracked his skull against his knee.

  Barton watched, jaw ched, as his team fell apart in seds.

  Three more rushed him for close bat, guns discarded out of risk of friendly fire.

  Damian dropped low, spun like a cye—his bde biting deep into muscle and bone. One man gurgled, blood spilling from his severed artery. Another screamed before Damian's heel shattered his jaw.

  The st ageated—Damian unched his ko his throat.

  The body dropped.

  Silence.

  Only Barton remained, staring at his dead men and the smiling kid whose white hair was streaked in crimson, blue eyes filled with an evil glee.

  Barton raised his pistol again, hands steady, but Damian could hear the slight tremor in his breath.

  "You should've made your first shot t." Damian said, lig the edge of his bde. Something about the blood excited him.

  Barton fired.

  Damian tilted his head just enough. The bullet whizzed past his ear.

  He closed the distance before Barton could fire again, gripping his wrist and f the gun toward the ceiling—BANG. A sh out.

  Then Damian buried his knife in Barton's gut.

  Barton gasped, his gun falling from limp fingers.

  Damian held him up, twisting the bde. "You shouldn't have betrayed me."

  Barton choked on his own blood."You… were a mistake."

  Damian sidered that."You might be right old man." Then he slit Barton's throat.

  The blood sprayed across the warehouse floor.

  Damiahe gurgling body fall at his feet, his demon like face reflected on the surface of the pool of warm blood.

  For a few seds he stared at his former boss, maybe even friend. Taking a knee, he closed Barton's eyes with a bnk expression on his fabsp;

  Within Damian's heart, there was no pity, s or reservations about his as. As far as he was ed what he did was necessary.

  Barton tried to actively kill him. That's where Damiahe line.

  "Live by the sword, die by the sword." He muttered, getting up to leave.

  Then he heard footsteps.

  Three of them.

  A new preseered the ruined warehouse.

  The first moved with a casual grace, fident but cautious—a dark blue suit, domino mask, sharp blue eyes that had seen too much.

  The sed was tension coiled into a body. Wearing a red, green and yellow e that gleamed uhe dim lights, a number of gadgets strapped to his utility belt, itg for use.

  The third stepped lightly, but Damian could feel her assessing him, processing everything. Yelloe flowing behind her like a fg in the wind.

  Nightwing. Robin. Batgirl.

  The Batfamily. F*ck.

  Damian wiped the blood from his knife and smiled. "A weling party? I didn't know Gotham was so hospitable."

  Nightwing's stance remained trolled, but his gaze flicked to the bodies.

  "These men. You killed them?"

  Damian arched an eyebrow. "That's usually how this works."

  Robin scoffed, stepping forward. "This guy thinks he's funny."

  "I don't think, Red," Damian said zily. "I know."

  Robin(Tim) flexed his fingers he staff on his utility belt. "Why'd you kill them?"

  "They tried to kill me first. But I was better." Damian shrugged.

  Batgirl's gaze sharpened. "Who are you?"

  Damian studied her, lips quirking. "Cute of you to ask, but if we're being ho? Not important."

  He was leaving Gotham anyossibly forever. But before that...

  He turned his head slightly, not eveending as he studied Nightwing. The resembo some of the old photos back at Wayne's mansion was obvious.

  Iing.

  Robin's patienapped. "Ahe damion."

  Damian sighed. "Rex, Batbaby. Yer issues are showing. Seems to me he didn't take your training as seriously as these two."

  Robin lunged.

  Damian sidestepped effortlessly, grabbed his wrist mid-swing, and smmed him into the floor.

  Tim cursed, twisting to recover, but Damian was on him again, driving a ko his ribs.

  Robin barely rolled away in time, and he gng blow still had him wheezing on the ground.

  Nightwing moved between them instantly.

  "Enough," Nightwing ordered, voice sharp. "Stand down, both of you."

  Robin wiped the blood from his lip. "T- this asshole—"

  "He's not our priority," Nightwing interrupted. His eyes locked onto Damian. "We don't even know who he is."

  Damian stretched. "A here you all are, ag like I'm your problem."

  He was almost ready to walk away.

  Then a dagger flew from a location behind him.

  A sharp, whipping sound that cut through the air before Batgirl cried out, the bde burying itself ihigh.

  Nightwing spun—Robin's eyes went wide.

  "You son of a—"

  Damian didn't move. "That wasn't me."

  Robin wasn't listening.

  He attacked with pure rage, fists flying. Damian frowned as he ducked, twisted, tered, log an arm around Jason's throat and pressing a ko his ribs.

  It would take half a sed to end him.

  Nightwing moved faster than expected—his escrima stick smmed against Damian's wrist, f him to let go.

  They cshed.

  Nightwing was faster than most, experienced in a way few were. Damian dodged, tered, meeting him blow for blow.

  But he was losing ground, surprising him. Despite their almost simir heights and physiques, Nightwing's body was more ditioned, limber and flexible. Almost like a gymnast with a background in martial arts.

  As much as it galled, his only choice was to use his enharength and speed to finish the fight as quickly as he could.

  Then Damian saw it—

  The shadow above them.

  A familiar silhouette, perched in the rafters.

  Batman.

  Damian scoffed, stepping back. It was time to bail. He didn't have time or the skill to deal with Brubsp;

  Nightwiated. "Not gonna finish?"

  Damian smirked. "ime? Not even Daddy Bat will be enough to save you."

  Then he was gone.

  -0-

  Damian washed the blood from his hands iham Bay. The water was cold, numbing, but it didn't bother him.

  Footsteps.

  He didn't turn. "The guilty party finally shows her face."

  "You bme me for the dagger." Shiva said smoothly.

  Damian smirked. "It was your style."

  After their st fight, only someone as skilled as her could have accurately aimed for Batgirl's thigh and miss her artery. Of that he had no doubt.

  She stepped closer. "Yet you don't seem upset by it."

  He didn't answer.

  She tilted her head. "Admit it. You wao fight him. You wao see who was better."

  Damian exhaled sharply.

  "He was better," he admitted.

  Shiva's lips stretched into a small grial rang as she uhed her sword. "Then perhaps this time, you will accept my offer. You don't have a choice."

  Damian rolled his shoulders. "Make me."

  Shiva's smile turned predatory. "I was hoping you would say that."

  Theacked.

  Even if she had to beat him senseless, this diamond in the rough would be hers.