Insignificantly evil (DP and Batman crossover)

Blade of truth

Warning ⚠️- torture scene

"What do you mean he never got to prison!" Superman yelled into the tiny phone, his voice wavering. "Do you know how hard is it to capture Phantom? And with such low causality rate?"

The prison warden on the other side of the phone cringed a little. "After the prisoner was delivered, my men took care of him."

"Well someone must have made a mistake." Superman only growled, getting rid of his initial anger.

"There is no way my man would make a mistake. They are highly trained specifically for Phantom, they undergo his imprisonment simulation nearly every day and have special equipment."

"If you're incapable of giving me an explanation for his escape, I'll just ask someone else." The superhero shook his head and hung up.

•••••

The cold metal floor tingled Zephyr's skin. He's been sitting in the corner of his cell for hours now, getting really bored. Why was Jason stalling so much? Did he change his mind? There wasn't much the little boy could entertain himself with. His usual free time activities weren't possible in his green tinted holding cell. He could only imagine the beautiful ice sculptures instead of making them.

It was quiet for another while until faint footsteps filled the little ghost's sensitive ears. He thought nothing about it since this happened every now and then. People just passing by. When the sound got louder instead of fainter, it was a sign that somebody was coming. And the somebody was coming fast.

Zephyr's cell was much brighter than the outside of his prison compartment, making the approaching figure black. There was also no way of telling who was visiting him by their figure because all the heroes looked the same. Tall and muscular.

The figure soon reached the door and started unlocking it. "You're back!" The boy squealed excitedly and leaped forward, but he soon regretted his outburst. His visitor wasn't Jason, it was the man that was asking him all those questions, the one that nearly slit his throat if it wasn't for Bruce. Damian got a little confused by his greeting because the last time he saw him, he made the boy nearly cry.

"Came to refresh your memory a little..." Damian chuckled darkly, giving away a sinister and sadistic vibe. As he was inching forward, the ghost was simultaneously inching backward until his back hit the wall. From there, he could only watch the man in front of him take something shiny from his pocket.

"Please don't hurt me!" Zephyr squealed and brought his hands close to his chest. "I... I don't know what you want." Damian stopped in his tracks and grinned even more.

"Oh, but I'm not going to hurt you. I just came to chat."

"Then why do you hold that thing?" The boy asked, pointing his finger at the shiny peace in the man's hand. Damian uncurled his fist, revealing a small blade.

"It's only for my protection, I don't want to end up like that man." Without any other details, Zephyr knew who he was talking about.

"It wasn't my fault! He grabbed me." He defended himself. The man did him wrong so why does everyone always bring it up and try to lecture him about it?

"I'm not defending the man. In fact, I would do the same in your situation."

"You are not going to lecture me on how killing is bad?" Zephyr asked confused.

"My grandfather  taught me that killing isn't a bad thing." Damian explained. "It's been a part of me since I can remember." The boy finally lifted his gaze from the ground and nodded slightly as a response.

"Do you know why I stopped killing people?" The adult asked and took a step forward. Zephyr again only shook his head in response.

"Because I've met someone, someone who killed people out of boredom. That wouldn't be such a bad thing if he didn't hurt my brother." All the cheerfulness, despite being faked, vanished from Damian's voice. Danny wasn't exactly his type of person, but he was his brother, and brothers protect each other.

"Was his name Danny?" Zephyr asked curiously without the knowledge of the situation he was pulling himself into.

"What do you know about him." Damian asked in an commanding way. He was finally getting some answers that no one could provide him for years.

"Nothing." The ghost spoke and lowered his head. "I know nothing. I've heard his name for the first time today."

"Let's say I don't believe you. What will you do about it?"

"I..."

"Is telling the truth so hard?" He stopped for a while to give the boy his last chance to speak. "It seems the answer is yes, and I can help you with that." Damian made the final step and kneeled down to be at the same level as his future victim.

"I'll slowly move this little blade closer to here..." the adult trailed off while he was finding the best spot. With his index finger, he pointed right above the boy's hip. "When I pierce your skin, no major bleeding will occur. You don't have to worry, I won't touch your kidney. But lets say I'll push the blade deeper, tell me, what happens when I puncture your abdominal aorta?"

Zephyr watched in horror as the man struck his side with inhuman speed. Only the tip of the blade wasn't visible which meant he was going to survive, or at least for now. While he wasn't hurt badly, he tried to wiggle out of Damian's grip, but with no success.

"I wouldn't advise moving for it will expand your injury. My hand is steady, you're causing more problems to yourself." The man's words stilled Zephyr's trashing immediately. Who would want to get hurt more than it was necessary?

"I'm going to ask you the question again. What do you know about Daniel."

"Nothing." Zephyr whimpered, but it soon broke into sobs when the blade dug deeper.

"Still wrong answer."

"No!" The blade was now halfway inside, the cold metal felt freezing against his bared muscle. Maybe he wasn't so cold resistant from the inside as he thought.

"Only about one sixth of an inch is keeping you from a slow death by bleeding out." Damian pointed out and leaned closer to Zephyr's ear. "The truth is the only thing that can save you now. One wrong move and you're dead."

"I swear, I've only heard about him today!" Zephyr shut his eyes tightly, mentally preparing himself for his slow death. Damian wasn't satisfied with the boy's answer, but he didn't want to kill him right away. Instead, he yanked the blade out and did the same thing on the ghost's other side. A scream filled the room, but it was soon muffled by a strong hand.

"Lets try this one last time." The adult growled. He pressed the blade against the space between the boys ribs and tilted it a little. "If I press now, the knife will go right through your muscle and into your heart..."

"No! Please, I want to live!" Zephyr cried out as he tried to push the man away.

"Then answer my question."

"I... I know he had a family... Bruce, Jason and others. I c... can see some of his memories..."

Damian was angry. Those weren't the answers he was looking for. This was bullshit. Angered, he stood up and slashed the boy across his face, leaving a huge gash. "This isn't the last time we see each other."

The only thing Zephyr could feel for a long time was the pain. There was nothing to ease it and no powers to speed his recovery. With the memory of Jason hugging him, the boy submerged into his painless unconsciousness.