Chapter One:
The Mysterious Package Arrives

1

Only seconds after an awestruck Mike Wachowski was buzzed by security past its ominous iron gates, the spellbound courier leaned tentatively forward on his delivery van's worn dashboard, casting his mesmerized gaze upwards at the expansive property spread out like some hidden kingdom on the outskirts of Gotham…

Wayne Manor.

It seemed like something out of an old fairy tale, something regal but filled with sharp iron points, a relic of Gotham royalty from a bygone era far removed from his own little world of gridlock and go on the streets of the city they shared.

Parking his delivery van in the visitor's stall before fixing his untucked brown uniform, the courier gathered the sizeable rush-delivery package before making his way along the estate's manicured promenade towards its curving stone stairways. As he climbed the twisting stairs up to Wayne Manor's imposing entrance, Mike Wachowski had the distinct feeling he was being watched, noticing one of the cleverly hidden security cameras following his every move.

Having crested the stairwell only left him feeling exposed to the chill of late autumn air now whispering the cold promise of winter. Halloween had been a week ago and now, glancing up at the creepy stone gargoyles on the mansion's roof, the courier was thankful it was morning. Mike wasn't the superstitious type, but he could see how this place could get pretty spooky at night, even with all those celebrity charity parties Bruce Wayne was known for.

At least, he used to be known for them.

Making his way towards the front entrance, the delivery man suddenly recalled an item on the news last year about Bruce Wayne finding some long-lost son he'd apparently had with some foreign broad years ago. Sure, a lucky billionaire playboy like Wayne was bound to have a few illegitimate kids wandering around. Heck, he probably even had an entire accounting department dedicated to settling his unintended 'affairs' just to keep the little rugrats and their mothers out of the press.

When the courier swung his thick finger upwards towards the ornate doorbell button, he instinctively stepped backwards as one of the large oak doors impatiently swung open, surprised to see no one there until the delivery man tilted his head downwards, eyeing a thin, dark-haired boy standing impatiently in the grand entryway.

The kid was a full foot shorter than Mike Wachowski, and perhaps a third of his weight, but his angry-looking expression still managed to seem somehow menacing as he glared intensely upwards.

"It's about time."

"… Traffic."

"It's Sunday."

"So it is… Anyways, I have a package here for Mr. Damian Wayne… Is your mother or father home?"

"Does it look like they're here?... My father is currently out of the country on business… I'm Damian Wayne, I'll take that."

As the boy quickly took hold of the package, the stunned courier maintained his grip, refusing to let go, even though the kid was now pulling with everything he had. Like gunfighters at high noon, the mismatched pair silently stared at one another, locked in a stalemate of strength and willpower until the larger man broke the tense silence.

"I need a signature for this package… An adult signature."

"Why? This is my package. I ordered it. It's for me. Your job is simply to deliver it. It's delivered."

"As soon as an adult signs for it, it's all yours... Could you get one please?"

But the kid wasn't backing down.

The heavily built courier was now being forced to hold tightly onto the package, struggling to maintain his poise and his grip as he stared down at the diminutive Damian Wayne standing directly opposite him. The kid's own small hands were continually tugging at the hotly contested box as though they were in some strange tug of war.

And although Mike would have loved to let the little brat take the package and just leave, the simple fact of the matter was that someone under eighteen couldn't sign for this type of delivery, no matter how much they wanted to complain about it.

But that didn't stop Damian Wayne.

"Why aren't you letting me take my package? Surely you can't be blind as well as stupid?... If you look closely, you'll see that's my name on this box which means it's for me... I'm also the one who paid a lot of money for your overrated company to deliver this shipment… To me… By noon… TODAY!… So, in light of all these recent revelations, what possible reason could you possibly have to tell me that I'm still unable to receive my own delivery?!"

"Look kid, I'm sorry… But as you can plainly see on this purple sticker here, it says Adult Signature Required. And since this is an International Shipment, I need someone eighteen years or older to sign for it, or else I could be breaking the law… And you ain't eighteen, son… You may not like 'em, but them's the rules… Otherwise I gotta come back later… You're sure there's no adult home?... Maybe a babysitter?"

"Tt! I have never required the services of a babysitter in my life, you lack-witted oaf! Do you have any idea of who I am or what I could do to you?"

"I'll come back tomorrow then."

As the arriving Richard Grayson ascended the familiar stone stairway towards the front entryway of Wayne Manor, he couldn't help but overhear Damian's threats which made both his pace and heart rate quicken. When the athletic young man caught sight of the besieged courier who'd finally reclaimed his package, he also noticed that Bruce's biological son, the pint-sized terror Damian Wayne, had reached out with his hands to take hold of the large man from behind.

Dick decided he'd better intervene before assault charges were laid.

"Good morning. Can I help you with something?"

As Damian's fingers suddenly froze on the verge of gripping the fabric of the driver's collar, each of them turned to the sound of Richard Grayson's cheerful voice as he emerged like a smiling politician on a hotly contested doorstep.

Damian lowered his hands and pursued a different tact.

"Ah, Grayson… Perhaps you can explain to this imbecile who I am."

Dick shot one of his patented nods at the distressed courier in an attempt to diffuse yet another of the tense confrontations which Bruce's newly discovered son always seemed to place himself in…

Like an errant storm cell set loose upon a sea of unsuspecting humanity.

"How about I just sign for your package, Damian."

With a relieved sigh (and a suspicious backwards glance at Damian), Mike Wachowski turned to the recently arrived Richard Grayson and responded to the proposed solution with a tight smile, eager to wash his hands of this cursed package.

"Sure… But I'll need to see some ID, buddy… Secure delivery… Say, do you live here in this mansion?"

As Richard pulled out his driver's license so that the courier could read it, he watched Damian making obscene facial gestures behind the man's back before shooting him a quick 'knock-it-off' glance.

"I grew up here. I'm actually this kid's step-brother... I admit, he can be a bit of a handful at times."

"You don't say."

As Dick signed for Damian's shipment, the original Boy Wonder took note that that the shipping address on the bill of lading was from a company named Argus Corporation located in Tokyo, Japan. And also, that the sole recipient was Damian Wayne. The mystery package was also quite large and sent priority rush, containing some sort of electronic device.

Well, this was getting interesting.

Once the relieved courier had departed, Richard continued to examine the mysterious shipment (much to Damian's chagrin) as the two step-brothers strolled through the Manor's extensive foyer. As Damian's name was listed as the only recipient, Dick was becoming increasingly curious as to just what could be inside this box from halfway around the world.

"I'll take that now, Grayson."

"Sorry, junior... Not until I know what's in it… Let me guess… Laser cannon?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business. And why are you even here? Looking for another loan from father, I expect…"

Dick grimaced a little.

"That's my salary actually... He pays me out of your inheritance… No, I'm only here because Bruce called me yesterday and personally asked me to check in on you... And it's probably a good thing he did… Exactly what were you planning on doing to that driver, anyways?"

"I was simply about to educate him on a basic tenet of customer relations… Namely that the customer is always right… And may know Jiu jitsu."

"Uh-huh… By the way, where's Alfred?... You didn't do anything to him, did you?"

"Tt… In the greenhouse, I expect... And if you must know, this package contains state-of-the-art NerveGear equipment as well as an incredibly limited copy of Sword Art Online... So now that your unsolicited curiosity has been satisfied… Give me my package and get out."

"Sword Art Online? Isn't that the new Virtual Reality game that's all the rage in Japan? I caught something about it on the news last week, people were lining up for blocks… Funny though, I never took you for the gaming type."

That familiar arrogance crept into Damian's blue eyes as though he were poised to deliver yet another lecture as Dick realized he'd made the conversational gaffe of once again assuming that he was talking to a normal person…

"As usual Grayson, your inability to foresee anything beyond your next meal continues to astound even me… The strain on my poor father's back must have been absolutely crippling from all those years of having to carry you around as his so-called partner."

While it was true that Dick had given Batman his fair share of grief over the years, it was nothing compared to the ulcer-inducing misery that this little homicidal maniac had put the Dark Knight through over the course of just the last year alone.

Before Dick had even finished middle school, the child who would become Damian Wayne had been the unexpected result of a one-time tryst between the beautiful daughter of Ra's al Ghul and the Batman, two lost souls bound for one night in some far-off Arabian desert. The unexpected child of their passionate affair had been raised in secrecy by his mother, the mysterious Talia al Ghul.

For ten years, Damian's existence had been kept secret from Bruce until the day when Talia had dropped off the junior assassin like a ticking time bomb onto Bruce's lap, informing the Batman that Damian needed to stay with his father for a time. Days later, Bruce had managed to discover that the centuries-old Ra's al Ghul was once again dead, with Talia focusing on taking the reins to form a new League of Shadows.

Dick figured that if Talia al Ghul had intended Damian as nothing more than a distraction to keep Batman out of her private affairs, it had worked like a charm.

While the industrious Bruce Wayne may have created scenarios for countless global emergencies, suddenly becoming the father of a ten-year-old assassin unfortunately hadn't been one of them. Dick tensed as he recalled the chaotic upheaval of violence and destruction their lives had become shortly after Damian's less-than-fortuitous arrival.

The thought suddenly struck him as he wondered if Bruce had arranged this business trip to Japan in order to preserve his own fleeting sanity and get away from Damian for a few days.

But surely, he wouldn't do that to poor Alfred…

Would he?

"I think your father and I made a pretty good team, actually… But speaking of strain, did you ever notice how Bruce only started developing grey hair over this past year?… As I recall, it seemed to be right around the time when you first showed up on his doorstep."

Damian grinned.

"Heh… I admit, my transition to the 'Boy Wonder' has proven difficult for both myself and father… I wasn't trained to be quite so… gentle… Yet, in true heroic fashion, I have come to embrace my father's rather idealistic philosophy of live and let live…

"Which also explains why you're still alive, Grayson."

"Are you seeing that therapist I recommended?"

"Tt… I'm the sanest member of this family by far."

"Let me call Arkham to get a second opinion on that."

"Don't be so obtuse, Grayson... I've researched your academic records and you're not nearly as dense as you pretend to be… My grandfather could make an effective argument that preserving human life at any cost is even more dangerous than allowing our inherent violence to balance humanity's unmitigated growth... Yet my father has shown me the power of hope for our common future... I believe we both owe him an enormous debt of gratitude for that alone."

"We do and trust me; I'm relieved you're following in Bruce's footsteps and not those of your grandfather... So what's the plan with this NerveGear?"

"To play it of course."

Dick paused before deciding to subject himself to yet another round of Damian's barbed insults.

"Alright, I know I'm asking for this… But did the Blue Fairy finally grant Bruce's wish and turn you into a real boy?"

"Tt… Did she grant yours and turn you into a real man?"

"Very funny, junior… But why the game type though?... You don't strike me as the gaming type."

"I'm not… But unlike you, I am a visionary. Have you never truly considered the implications of a full-dive Virtual Reality system upon our society, Grayson? This technology will completely revolutionize our education system, the way we do business, and the way we live. We are on the verge of a major paradigm shift which I fully intend for Wayne Industries to be a part of…

"The ability for a piece of equipment to intercept its user's thoughts and then instantly translate them into a virtual avatar both interacting with its landscape and other people has limitless possibilities. We can recreate ourselves as anything we'd like, anywhere we'd like. And these new worlds will be fully tactile, so incredibly real to our senses that it will be difficult not to believe we're actually there…

"Just think, a shared reality of sight, sound, smell, taste and feel, all created by computer, streamed to our own minds at real-time where we can interact with other connected users. Why read about history when we can experience it firsthand? We could march with Alexander's army across the Anatolian Plateau or debate in the Athenian Senate during the birth of democracy…

"Our minds can develop the muscle memory for techniques which our hands have never experienced. Language barriers can be overcome as computers instantly translate our thoughts into language in this new shared environment. Our world's greatest minds and leaders can all be joined together and openly communicate about creating solutions for our most pressing challenges…

"This shipment is an investment in the future."

"Nice speech… And what does Bruce have to say about all of this?"

"As the CEO of Wayne Industries, he's personally investigating this technology… Due to his advanced years, I expect he moves with more caution than is necessary... Old people usually do."

"It's called experience… Is that why he's off to Japan then?... To check out this NerveGear technology?"

Damian shook his head in exasperation.

"Seriously Grayson, there are days when I expect that my father dressed you up in red, yellow and green to act as nothing more than a human target… In fact, he's probably just as surprised as I am that you've survived this long on nothing more on quick reflexes and dumb luck…

"Yes, he's flying to Japan to discuss this ground-breaking technology with the Argus Corporation executives... The NerveGear also has a number of military training applications, so that's how he's presented it to our shareholders... And in the wrong hands, it could be extremely dangerous… Something he would like to prevent."

Dick smiled slyly at Damian.

"And that's why you arranged for this package's delivery on a Sunday… Because you knew he wouldn't be around... Which means that Bruce has no idea you even have it."

He noticed the tell-tale sign of Damian's cheeks flushing ever so slightly...

Gotcha!

"Simply an oversight… It was supposed to arrive late last week… But rest assured, my customs broker has been fired due to her mishandling of this important shipment."

"First off, you don't have a customs broker or the authority to fire anyone… And thank God for that… But besides the fact you went around Bruce's back to obtain this technology, is it even safe?... Personally, I'm even surprised you were able to import something like this into the country."

Damian quickly regained his smug composure.

"Once again you underestimate my capabilities, Grayson… I understand that no one ever expected a former circus performer to take an active role in father's business... But the irrefutable fact remains that if Wayne Industries is to survive in this new virtual millennium, we need a well-funded, robust division of our company devoted to this revolutionary technology… A division which I intend to personally head in order to lessen the burden on poor Father."

"You're eleven-years-old."

"Which makes me pre-eminently qualified... But don't worry, I'm sure I could offer you a position as a mail clerk… After all, you've displayed a considerable talent for receiving parcels… If not much else."

"Very funny… But don't you think you should actually discuss this whole NerveGear thing with Bruce before you actually plug your brain into it?… At least be responsible enough to wait until he's back."

Damian paused for a moment.

"I would… But the Sword Art Online servers go online at 13:00 Japanese Standard Time today… With the thirteen-hour time zone difference, that means the game will start at two o'clock this morning here in Gotham… I need to be online at that time."

"Which means that you'll have more than enough time to call him before then."

"Fine…"

"Alright, but I would still prefer if you actually waited for Bruce to get back… A few days won't make a difference."

"My time is much more valuable than yours… When Father returns, I have every intention of joining him on patrol… I would go on my own of course, but I gave him my solemn word that I wouldn't while he was away… As such, these three nights are all that I require to gather sufficient first-hand knowledge of this new technology...

"Now, if you'll excuse me Grayson, I need to set this equipment up in my room before my afternoon workout… And don't forget to lock the door on your way out."

An annoyed Dick watched as Damian retrieved his recently-delivered package from the table and then stomped off towards the stairs without so much as another word.

"Sure, I've got to get back to Blüdhaven anyways… CALL HIM!"

"… Tt."

There were times when he really hated that kid.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading Chapter One!

This is an Alternative Universe story rated Teen and up which takes place in the near future… Sunday November 06, 2022 to be exact. Since the events of Sword Art Online (SAO) have a very definitive timeline, I'll be following that narrative's schedule...

To fans who may be unfamiliar with Sword Art Online, don't worry. I'm pretty much rewriting the entire arc so you'll be able to easily follow along. For now, all you need to know is that it's a fantasy-based massive multiplayer online role-playing game where players wear a futuristic helmet called NerveGear which allows them to 'exist' in an imaginary, virtual world by translating their mental commands into their character's actions.

Once we 'dive' into the Sword Art Online portion of the FanFic, I'll be introducing a few new original characters. By allowing Damian to form his own party with mainly original characters, it allows the original SAO first arc to remain relatively unscathed.

For this FanFic, we'll keep it simple: Damian Wayne is the lovechild of Talia al Ghul and Bruce Wayne. He's also the newest Robin. Bruce has been the Batman for around twenty years. Richard 'Dick' Grayson was the original Robin but has since moved out of Wayne Manor to set up in nearby Blüdhaven as its dark defender; Nightwing.

After being shot in the spine by the Joker, the former Batgirl Barbara Gordon has been in a wheelchair for the past five years, utilizing state-of-the-art surveillance and network technology to aid Batman in his continual fight against the forces of evil. As her alter-ego Oracle, she's set up her secret headquarters in the Gotham Clock Tower to provide field support for Batman and his team.

And since we're keeping it simple, I've also left out Jason Todd and Tim Drake. This is primarily Damian's story with Batman added in.

Also, I love to hide little Easter eggs in my stories, especially when I'm naming minor characters like Mike Wachowski… Any guesses where that name is from?... If you guessed 'Mike Wazowski' (the one-eyed green guy) from Pixar's "Monsters, Inc."… Good job!

And finally, I promise to keep this non-cannon work of fiction suitable for Teens and up. If you're comfortable reading the current Batman comics or reading/watching Sword Art Online, you'll have no concerns reading more...

In Our Next Chapter: Bruce Wayne arrives in Tokyo only to later discover some very shocking news…