DC: Makenna Wayne

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Bruce spent the entirety of his afternoon and early evening in the bat cave after the element of surprise dropped a bomb on him that morning that started out as a normal text. 

[Jason: Hey Bruce. Are you busy? 

… 

Jason: There’s a girl here that says she’s your daughter.] 

For a moment, he thought it was merely a prank, and he didn’t bother replying to Jason’s text until he received Alfred’s text. 

[Alfred: Master Bruce, you have a lot of explaining to do. Why have you never told me you had a daughter out of wedlock? 

… 

Alfred: …unless you didn’t know.] 

From there, Bruce looked up the surveillance videos on his computer and found that there was indeed a little girl with black hair entering the Wayne Manor. And she came out of nowhere. The gates of the Wayne Manor had no visitors, and yet somehow the little girl stepped into the front of Manor from a blind spot of the cameras with no one else but her and the luggage. 

This had to be some hoax. Or trap. Alfred and Jason could be in very real danger. However, the hidden cameras in the hallway showed that the girl hadn’t left the bedroom once and it was only when Jason came to pick her up for lunch did she come out of the bedroom. 

Throughout the day, she stuck close to Jason, and Bruce decided to wrap things up at work and finally confront this problem waiting for him at home. 

When he arrived there, he went straight to Alfred first, who was preparing dinner. 

“Miss Makenna arrived with a letter just for you. I presume it was written from her mother to you,” he said as he handed the wax sealed letter of some unknown symbol to Bruce. 

Bruce carefully peeled the wax seal and put it away in his pocket for further analysis before he read the letter. 

The letter was too concise, and it didn’t explain much as to who this Camilla was. In fact, Bruce had no idea who this Camilla was, and the way she emphasized in the letter, it is as if he wasn’t supposed to know her or remember her at all. 

The apparent truth came barreling down on Bruce when Makenna entered the kitchen with Jason, and Bruce saw her for the first time. 

It horrified Bruce for a moment as he had thought his mother had come back to life, but in the age of a 10-year-old little girl. 

This Makenna is the spitting image of his mother, Martha Wayne. 

Did that truly make them related? 

His silence must have made the little girl nervous as she suggested taking a paternity test. Bruce discerned that the little girl must have been feeling...guilt? Why guilt? Was it because of the sudden unexpectedness? 

Alfred that sent her away after making an excuse to Bruce. 

Bruce had really no clue what to say. He couldn’t even play his ‘Bruce Wayne’ persona as he was too shocked to react. 

Without a choice left, he took the DNA sample from Alfred and gave him the letter before he retreated to the bat cave. 

And here he was, hours later, with the paternity test ending up being a resounding positive match. 

[Combined Parentage Index (CPI): 159.453 

Probability of Paternity: 99.648%] 

Makenna is undeniably his daughter. 

The doors to the bat cave opened, and Alfred walked in with his dinner tray. 

“The kids had their dinner, Master Bruce, and Master Jason is currently showing her that Nintendo game station that Master Dick gifted to him on his birthday last year,” Alfred began to say as he dropped off the dinner tray on a table. “…Have you finished accepting reality, Master Bruce?” 

Bruce let out a weary sigh, responding to his remark. “I had to be sure, Alfred. Just because she looks like my mother doesn’t mean she’s my daughter. She might have been a cousin.” 

Alfred walked over and checked the results near the bat computer. 

“Ahh, but it says here, she’s definitely your daughter.” 

“I don’t know who Camilla is, Alfred.” Bruce then went straight for the most peculiar mystery that he’s struggling to unravel. “Do you know any woman by the name of Camilla?” 

“Camilla… No. I don’t think you ever mentioned any girl name Camilla that would be so close as to share your bed,” he said. “Master Jason commented that Makenna had just turned 10 a couple of days ago… which means, she was preconceived when you were only 17 or 18…” 

And during that time, Bruce was still honing his skills as a scientist and a martial artist. He had yet to do any sort of crime fighting, and if he did, it was just a hustle on the side. There wasn’t anything so overwhelmingly relevant in his younger years, especially his sexual lifestyle. 

Otherwise, he would have remembered a ‘Camilla’. 

But, just in case, he did do his research, and something did come up on the bat computer. 

10 years ago in Gotham’s Community Hospital, a woman named Camilla Bancroft gave birth to a daughter. Bruce had pulled out a copy of that Birth Certificate, and it showed Makenna Wayne. August 28, 200x. As soon as that certificate was finalized, Camilla escaped the hospital with her baby the following day, disappearing without a trace. 

He started searching for a Camilla Bancroft, and there were only 3 possible matches, but none of them were accurate. The first two matches didn’t match the age. Both women were now in their elderly age and had never left their respective homes. The third match was even stranger as it dated to a wealthy aristocrat’s daughter in the 1700s. 

Otherwise, there was no possible lead on the Camilla Bancroft that he was looking for. It was as if she disappeared off the face of the planet, and everyone had forgotten about her. 

Was there a way to make people forget? Maybe something of the occult? Bruce was not one to believe in the supernatural. He was a man of science, and magic itself could be another science with a different source code that he couldn’t study less he wanted to corrupt the laws of physics that were already matted into his brain. 

Whoever Camilla was, she had left their daughter on Bruce’s doorstep without an explanation. 

“Had Makenna said anything about her mother?” Bruce asked. 

Alfred then answered, “I’ve yet to ask her, but Master Jason told me that Miss Makenna spoke a bit of her situation. That her mother has been neglectful towards her. Miss Makenna grew up in a house with a garden and never left that place for 10 years. Her mother would often disappear, leaving her as young as 4-years-old to fend for herself. The longest she was gone was about six months, according to her. Her mother would come to visit, but she would be gone the following morning. It’s difficult for me to imagine any parent leaving their child behind for long periods of time. Thank heavens, she looks quite healthy, but I would have never expected that she was taking care of herself without the help of an adult.” 

Bruce couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This woman left the girl alone for long periods of time, and the longest was six months?? Even he wasn’t that neglectful of a parent to Dick and Jason. He’s still keeping tabs on Dick even now so far from home. Plus, they would make contact once every two weeks. 

Riiiing! Riiing! 

And just in time. 

Bruce picked up the phone. 

“What is it, Dick?” 

“What is it? What’s this about a long-lost daughter that Jason texted me about? You have a daughter?” 

“...Her name is Makenna. She’s 10-years-old---” 

“She’s ten!? TEN?! You had a ten-year-old daughter that you didn’t know about? Wait. Weren’t you the one who lectured me about protection?” 

Bruce recalled Jason saying the same thing, and he wondered if he should discipline his sons a little more so they wouldn’t be this annoying. 

Regardless, he’ll need to have a proper conversation with his…daughter. 

- 

For two hours after dinner, Jason and I were playing some games on the Nintendo. And me, who hadn’t played games for over ten years now since my death, was elated to be playing video games again. The Villa didn’t have technology, but it did have modern conveniences powered by mana stones. Otherwise, I never touched a computer, a video game, or a cellphone in this life until now. 

“Did you play video games too growing up?” Jason asked. “You don’t seem like a beginner.” 

“My house doesn’t have any technology,” I said, not lying at all. “And this is my first time playing a video game.” 

Technically, in this life. 

Beep! Winner! 

“…Yes!” I cried out with joy when I finally beat Jason in Super Smash Bros. 

“Huh. Good game.” Jason said, seemingly impressed that I finally won a match against him. “Wow, two hours. You really hate losing.” 

“It’s not that I hate losing. It’s that I like winning more.” 

Jason snorted at that before putting down the controller and turning off the Nintendo 64. 

From what I know of the comics, Jason was the representation of Bruce’s rage against the cruel world around them. He was a crime-made-orphan, and he had a lot of aggression and power that Bruce promised he would teach him how to control them. I recalled that it would only be 6 months before he would be ready to be out in the field. I wonder if he was Robin now and currently working as one. 

If so… how long before the Joker would try to kill him? 

Should I get involved? Stop that from ever happening? If so, he’ll never become Red Hood. 

Is it wrong for me to stop a potential future from happening? 

Would it make them weaker if that were to happen? 

“Hey, you okay?” Jason asked, interrupting me from my whirlwind of thoughts. 

“Hmm? Oh yes, I’m fine!” I said. “I think… I think I’m just tired.” 

“Tired, huh? I’ll bet. It’s been a long day for all of us, especially for you,” Jason pointed out. 

No, I think it’s more so for Bruce. I just came, ate, played, and now, I shall sleep. 

“Um… do you think Bruce will be okay?” 

Jason raised a brow. “Uh yeah, why? Are you worried about him kicking you out?” 

“Well, no, I’m not worried about that, and if he was planning to, it’s well within his right to do so,” I said to him, before I properly explained. “I mean, he didn’t ask for me. I think both parents need to have consent on whether or not they want to raise a child. As far as we all know, he didn’t know about me, let alone approved on taking care of me. I just dropped by without notice.” 

The boy wonder gaped at me, like he didn’t believe the words coming out from my mouth. 

“Seriously? You really think he’s going to kick you out?” 

“I mean, I could always go back to where I came from…” I answered hesitantly, uncertain as to why Jason was starting to sound aggravated. 

“…You’re ten-years-old!” he said. “You shouldn’t even be living alone, and didn’t you say your mom wouldn’t be back for another year or two? From how I see it, I don’t think Bruce has much of a choice.” 

Pursing my lips, I hesitated to talk back. “But, I… I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. Also, why are you angry with me?” 

The hell did I do? Why is Jason yelling at me? 

“I’m not angry with you!” 

“You definitely are!” 

Knock-knock. 

We both stopped short, and the door opened a second later, revealing Bruce. Bruce eyed the two of us. 

He raised a brow. “Is everything alright here?” 

“Oh, yes!” I quickly answered, before Jason could. “Jason and I were just playing a game, and we got bit rowdy. Sorry, sir, if we were too noisy.” 

I could feel Jason looking at me, but I didn’t bother to acknowledge him. Hopefully, he wasn’t going to say a word to Bruce. He didn’t need to know that my mother would be gone for a year. I mean, she’s been gone for six months, I reckon I can hold out on my own for a year or two. And I won’t technically be alone since I’ll be with Villa. 

Bruce studied us a bit longer, but he probably decided to let it go. 

“If you two are done playing, I need to talk with Makenna here. It’s important.” 

“Yeah. We were done playing, and Makenna said she was tired,” Jason pointed out nonchalantly. 

…Is Jason’s personality like this, or did I just make enemies with him? I can’t tell! I’m so sorry! I’m the shameless daughter who invaded this household without so much as a warning! 

“Makenna?” 

“Hmm, oh yes!” 

Quickly, I followed him out of Jason’s bedroom, and we walked down the hall together alone. For a while, there weren’t any words exchanged between us, but I could feel his gaze on me. What should I say? 

“Um… Did you still want that paternity test?” I asked. 

“What? No, that’s no longer necessary,” he said. “I wanted to talk about you starting school on Monday.” 

“...Hm?” 

School?  Me? School? Again? 

“Something wrong?” He asked, glancing down at me with a softer gaze than I expected. Was this his persona as the playboy Bruce Wayne, who’s nice to people? 

I held my hands up. “O-Oh, nothing, it’s just... does that mean I’ll be staying here?” 

“Your staying was never a question,” he said, and then he smiled softly. “Besides, what was I supposed to do with you? Did you really expect me to kick you out of the house and leave you homeless?” 

“...No. That doesn’t sound like you...” 

Honestly, knowing Bruce Wayne and Batman, he’d probably find a way for me to stay somewhere safe and secure if I wasn’t truly his daughter, but since the paternity was no longer needed, I suspect he probably already done his own research and testing. 

“Have you ever been to school, Makenna?” Bruce asked. “Alfred informed that he heard from Jason that you never had the opportunity to leave your home. I’m guessing you were mostly home schooled?” 

“Yes, I was. Self-taught, mostly,” I answered truthfully. “I’m a little nervous going...” 

“There’s nothing for you to be worried about,” he said. “My other son, Dick, used to go there and the school is reputable and fair to all students. They also have a wide variety of elective classes to help foster the talents of other students.” 

I bet, I thought. With all the money Wayne Industries has, Bruce could probably afford to send me to an expensive boarding school halfway around the world. However, he’s not like that, and he’ll keep his family close to him in Gotham if he could. 

“I’ll do my best then.” It was all I could say. 

Then we stopped at the guest room where I was currently staying. 

Bruce then faced me, and then he knelt down to my level. We were at eye-level, and it made me think how Jason might be right. Maybe I’m really short for a ten-year-old, because right now I feel like a toddler with his size towering over me. 

“...Everything will be alright, Makenna,” he said. “You shouldn’t have to worry about a thing. You’re still just a kid. Just get settled here and focus on school, and you let me worry about your mother. Okay?” 

Did he assume I was worried about my mother? Well, maybe a little bit, but seeing that woman on death’s door step a hundred times had me acclimated. 

“...Okay, sir.” I clasped my hands and bowed my head a bit. 

We stood there a moment, staring at the other, and neither not knowing what to say next. When that awkward moment lasted, Bruce stood up and he opened my bedroom door for me. 

“Go ahead and get some sleep, Makenna. It’s been a long day.” 

I smiled, nodding a bit, before answering, “For the both of us, I presume?” 

Bruce blinked and he smiled back at me. “Don’t we know it?” 

This is so out of character for Batman, but I am reminded that this is his person as Bruce Wayne. It really makes me wonder though, which side of the coin is the real deal? Or perhaps, he’s both? Either way, it made me feel safer now being here than earlier in the morning. 

“Good night, um...sir.” 

His brows raised a bit and his smile thinned. “You can just call me Bruce, if you’re not comfortable.” 

“Uh, yes, thank you, Bruce. Good night.” 

“Good night, Makenna.” 

I shut the door and I waited for a little while longer before I heard his footsteps walking away and disappearing down the hall. After a while, I went and plopped right down on the bed, taking a breather. 

So, this it... 

My stomach soon felt queasy as I started to think about all the horrible things that would soon happen in the future: Joker killing Jason, Darkseid invading Earth, Atlantis power struggle, Slade Wilson, Barbara Gordon become paraplegic... 

I don’t even know what universe or version this world is... 

...Do I let nature take its course? 

Or...maybe... 

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