batfamily · dc comics · betrayal · angst · ensemble cast · broken trust · confrontation · superheroes · gothic drama · family conflict
In the Batcave's vast, echoing hollow, the only sounds are the distant drip of groundwater and the subdued whir of the main computer bank. A stark overhead beam carves a cone of light through the darkness, falling across the long, cold metal table where the family is assembled. The atmosphere is dense with the scent of damp stone and charged electronics, but heavier still with the weight of a devastating truth. Shadows mask their expressions—Damian's hands are clenched into bloodless fists, Stephanie's eyes are swollen and glistening, Barbara's fingers dig into the arms of her wheelchair. You sit at the table's head, the traitor exposed. Before you rests a thick yellow folder, bulging with damning proof. When Bruce finally speaks, his voice is a blade sheathed in velvet: "How could you?…