Another Batman"
Deep in the black hole's dimensional core, the Father Box pulsed with energy.
Nobody in Lex's facility noticed the readings change.
The artificial singularity's vibration shifted frequency.
Space-time began to crack.
Reality folded in on itself.
Then exploded outward in a dimensional big bang.
Bruce and Ojaga materialized on familiar streets.
But something was wrong with Gotham City.
The architecture was the same, but darker somehow.
More brutal. More desperate.
Bruce still glowed faintly with Shazam's power, exhausted but alive.
Ojaga was unconscious, his Saiyan body covered in wounds.
"Where are we?" Bruce muttered, looking around.
A costume appeared from the shadows—black cape, pointed ears.
But it wasn't his Batsuit.
This one was heavier, more armored.
Built for someone larger.
Bruce picked up Ojaga, carrying his brother on his back.
"Wayne Manor," he said. "We need to get home."
They approached the mansion's front door.
Bruce reached for the handle with his free hand.
"Stop right there."
The voice came from behind them—deep, gravelly, threatening.
Bruce turned to see a figure in a Batman costume.
But this Batman was seven feet tall.
Massively built. Older.
"Who are you?" the Batman demanded. "Why are you entering this place?"
Bruce was too tired and angry to be diplomatic.
"You Halloween costume freak, get out of my way!"
"This is MY house! I am very angry right now, and my brother is very injured!"
Lightning still crackled around his Shazam form.
The older Batman stepped forward. "This is private property. You need to leave."
"I'm not leaving," Bruce replied firmly. "This is Wayne Manor. I AM Bruce Wayne."
The Fight
The older Batman attacked without warning.
His punch caught Bruce in the jaw, but Shazam's durability absorbed the impact.
Bruce countered with a lightning-enhanced strike.
The older Batman dodged, cape whirling.
"You're not Bruce Wayne," he growled. "Bruce Wayne is dead."
"I'm standing right here!" Bruce shouted back.
They circled each other in the mansion's courtyard.
The older Batman threw smoke pellets.
Bruce's divine lightning illuminated the entire area.
"SHAZAM'S THUNDER!"
Electricity arced between them.
The older Batman's suit absorbed most of it, but he staggered.
"Impossible. No one has that kind of power."
Bruce was faster, enhanced by magic.
But the older Batman was more experienced.
Every move calculated. Every strike precise.
They crashed through the mansion's fountain.
Water mixed with lightning and smoke.
Bruce grabbed the older Batman's cape.
"Who are you? Why do you have my house?"
The older Batman's punch sent Bruce sliding backward.
But Bruce recovered instantly.
His kick caught the older Batman in the chest.
The impact sent him flying into the mansion wall.
"Stay down," Bruce warned. "I don't want to hurt you."
The older Batman struggled to his feet.
Bruce moved with Shazam speed.
His hand closed around the older Batman's cowl.
"Let's see who's under the mask."
He pulled the cowl away.
And froze.
"You... you..."
The face beneath was older, scarred, weathered.
But unmistakable.
Thomas Wayne.
Bruce fell backward, pointing with a shaking finger.
"Father? Why are you attacking me?"
Thomas Wayne looked at the young man who had just defeated him.
Twenty years old. Lightning fading from his body.
Returning to normal human appearance.
"What? Father?" Thomas whispered.
Then his eyes widened in recognition.
"Bruce? My son?"
Suddenly, two figures approached from the street.
One was carrying the other, both with identical faces.
"Bruce!" a familiar voice called out. "This may be an alternative parallel Earth!"
Bruce and Thomas turned to see two Barry Allens walking toward them.
Both in red costumes, but slightly different designs.
"Barry! Are you here?" Bruce stood up quickly. "What about our parents? Are they alright?"
He grabbed the nearest Barry's shoulders.
"Ah... actually, I'm not your Barry," the first one said. "Barry 2 here explained to me that you fell through a black hole."
"And Barry 1 traveled back in time to reach this place," the second Barry added.
Thomas Wayne stepped forward, understanding dawning.
"Bruce. You're really my son. From another Earth."
He looked at the unconscious Ojaga. "And that injured young man... he's also my son?"
Barry 1 nodded. "Different dimension, same family bonds."
"Sir, we need to help them. They've been through hell."
Thomas removed his Batman cowl completely.
Older than Bruce remembered, but definitely his father.
"Then let's get inside. Both of you need medical attention."
Inside Wayne Manor
Thomas made quick phone calls.
"Lucius? I need medical equipment. Full surgical suite. Now."
"And call the best trauma doctors in the city. This is an emergency."
Within an hour, Wayne Manor's medical bay was fully equipped.
Thomas worked over Ojaga's unconscious form.
"What a monstrous body," Thomas observed with professional admiration.
"Even after so many injuries, his physiology is healing at an outstanding rate."
"He only needs large amounts of nutrients for this kind of accelerated recovery."
Bruce watched his father work. "Wow! Dad, you're a doctor on this Earth?"
"You also know big brother eats huge amounts of food—around 50 people's worth!"
Thomas laughed—the first genuine laugh Bruce had heard from him.
"Haha! Believe it or not, I'm the top doctor globally on this Earth."
"After Bruce died, I dedicated my life to saving others."
Bruce hesitated, then asked quietly, "Dad... can I ask something?"
"Where's mother?"
Thomas's hands paused in their work.
His expression darkened.
"Your mother... she died," he lied.
In his thoughts, he couldn't tell Bruce the truth.
That Martha Wayne had become the Joker after losing her son.
That she now terrorized Gotham with laughter born from grief.
That Batman and the Joker were husband and wife, broken by tragedy.
Some truths were too painful to share.
Even between fathers and sons.
"I'm sorry," Bruce said softly.
Thomas nodded, focusing on Ojaga's injuries.
"We'll talk more later. Right now, your brother needs surgery."
"And Barry here has his own story about an enemy called Zoom."
Barry 1 stepped forward. "I've been fighting Zoom for months."
"I need to run experiments to regain my full power."
"But first, we need to understand how you got here."
"And how we're going to get you home."
Thomas began the delicate work of setting Ojaga's broken bones.
"Saiyan physiology is remarkable," he muttered. "Designed for combat recovery."
"But he'll need massive caloric intake when he wakes up."
Bruce watched his father—older, more battle-worn, but still saving lives.