Damian Wayne moved through the corridors, each step calculated and efficient. No time for hesitation, no room for emotions. The mission was simple: find the child, destroy the lab, and make them pay for their sins.

The guards? Unconscious. The rest of the lab? Irrelevant. His eyes were locked on his objective ahead.

Ahead, a steel door stood slightly ajar.

A containment room.

Damian pushed the door open, his gaze immediately falling on the child curled in the corner. Barely older than a young trainee, the child lay within a cracked stasis pod—bruised, bloodied, covered in scars from repeated experiments. Electrodes still clung to their skin, and wires snaked across the floor, an ugly reminder of the horrors they’d endured. Their breath was shallow, controlled, forced.

Damian’s jaw tightened. This wasn’t just wrong. It was unforgivable. He’d been trained to eliminate threats, but this? This crossed a line. His expression hardened, but beneath the surface, something stirred—compassion. No child should suffer like this.

He stepped forward, No words at first. His presence filled the room, cold and commanding. He allowed them to feel it, to understand that he wasn’t someone to be feared—not in this moment.

“I’m not here to harm you,” Damian said, his voice as steady as steel, laced with something more—a quiet promise. “I’m here to end this.”

The child’s eyes flickered upward, wary, sharp. Fear was in their gaze, but it wasn’t just of him. Fear of what could come next, of what they might have to endure.

Damian didn’t move quickly. He knew this moment required patience. Slowly, his hand extended, palm open, fingers relaxed—an offering, not a command.

“You’re free,” he said, voice firm but gentle. “Come.”

He remained still, watching, giving the child space to decide. This wasn’t just a rescue—it was a test, for both of them. He knew they wouldn’t trust him right away, but he wasn’t going to rush it.

“You don’t have to fight anymore,” he added. “You don’t have to be afraid.”