Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Monday, October 11, 2010
5:24 pm

Damian and Jon stepped out of the portal from Yggardis into a cave. Their battle with the living planet had been difficult to say the least, but in the end they had triumphed and saved an entire race of people. The wizard Kraklow, who had initially been against them, had turned over a new leaf to help them defeat the planet and revive the inhabitants that had died. Now that he had sent them back to their own dimension they could allow themselves to feel the exhaustion that had been steadily building throughout the course of the final fight.

“It’s so good to be back!” Jon said as he stretched. “When I get home I’m gonna sleep for a week.”

Damian wasn’t surprised that Jon hadn’t noticed yet. Damian had realized they were in the wrong location as soon as he stepped out of the portal. It was definitely not the Batcave. They were in an open area between what looked like a kitchen and living room. There was a large TV and several hallways leading out of the main area to what could possibly be the living quarters. The only things distinguishing it as a cave were the stalactites hanging from the ceiling and the walls made of rock. That damn wizard screwed up, whether intentionally or not, they were not where they were supposed to be.

“This doesn’t look like the Batcave,” Jon said, finally taking notice of his surroundings. “And it’s definitely not Titans Tower either… Where are we?”

“I’m not sure,” Damian said as he removed an electronic device from his utility belt and accessed the GPS. “According to this, we’re under a mountain in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island.”

Jon’s eyes got wide. “Isn’t that where the JLA is based? Why did Kraklow send us here?”

Damian scowled. “Either incompetence or one last practical joke at our expense. If I had to guess, I’d say we trusted an idiot to get us back, though I wouldn’t put it past him being a petty jerk.”

“At least he didn’t send homicidal clay people to turn you into an old man again,” Jon joked.

The glare Damian shot his way in response would have put Batman’s to shame. “Never speak of that again.”

Jon grinned, enjoying that he got under Damian’s skin a little too much. “So how do we get out of here? Gotham and Metropolis aren’t too far away from Rhode Island. I could drop you off before I fly home.”

“Tt, I do not need your help to get back to Gotham,” Damian said as he began scanning the area for a way out.

Suddenly, without warning, alarms started blaring and the lights dimmed to a red hue. Intruder alert. Intruders in the main hall, an electronic voice echoed from all around them.

“Well that doesn’t sound good,” Jon quipped as Damian dropped into a combat stance.

“Just get ready. We have no idea what to expect,” Damian warned.

Jon took his own combat stance and waited. The boys didn’t have to wait long. A yellow blur raced into the room and stopped short in front of the boys. He took one look at them and visibly relaxed. “You’re just kids. How the heck did you get in here?”

“West? What are you doing in that ridiculous yellow costume?” Damian asked, unsure, because the red hair and super speed was a dead giveaway for his older brother’s best friend, but he looked a little shorter than the last time he saw him. Giving someone a heart attack shouldn’t affect their height. Unless that damn wizard sent them back in time…

The speedster’s eyes widened under the mask. Yep, definitely West. Unfortunately, this caused the redhead to tense up and return to a defensive posture. He looked like he could attack them at any second. Hopefully Jon remembered his training.

“Okay, kids. Playtime’s over. Who are you and how did you get in here?”

“He’s Robin and I’m Superboy,” Jon stated proudly. “As for your second question… wizarding mistakes?”

“You really expect me to believe you got in here because of a wizard?” Kid Flash asked skeptically.

“An incompetent wizard,” Damian huffed, staring at the boy in the yellow costume that had just made his appearance. If this is the past, we will have to be very careful about what we say so as to not disrupt the timeline. Grayson didn’t speak to me for a week after the previous incident trying to keep Deathstroke from doing just that, Damian thought to himself. He did what he thought was the only option at the time. It wasn’t his fault West ended up with a pacemaker. Well, maybe it was, but the alternative would have been so much worse. He did what was necessary. Everyone on that team knew the consequences of being a hero. Sometimes people don’t make it out of battle unscathed.

“Oh, come now, West,” Damian chided. “I know for a fact you’ve dealt with wizards before.”

“Stop calling me that!” Wally growled. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I know Robin and Superboy and you are definitely not them.”

Suddenly, the electronic voice from before sounded again as a Stargate-like contraption came online behind the boys. Recognized: Robin B-01, Miss Martian B-05, Superboy B-04, Artemis B-07.

All the boys turned to see Robin, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Artemis enter through the zeta-tube and immediately take up combat stances. Damian and Jon were surrounded.

“Hey, KF. We got the notification the mountain was infiltrated. Got here as soon as we could. You okay?”

“Yeah, Rob,” Wally nodded. “But I’m not sure if these kids have any more clue as to what’s going on than I do. They tell me a wizard sent them here.”

“Who are you?” Conner asked the two newcomers.

Damian studied the black-haired boy with the red Superman symbol on his black t-shirt. He looked like Superman, but he didn’t look all that much like Jon. Or Jon’s mother, Lois, for that matter. Damian began rethinking his time travel theory. “What year is it?” he interrupted before Jon could oblige them with an answer.

“Really? You’re going with the ‘I’m from the future’ routine?” Artemis scoffed.

“You answer my question, I’ll answer yours,” Damian shot back.

“2010,” Robin said. “Now you. Who are you?”

“Well, that’s interesting,” Damian said almost to himself. He was thinking the new Superboy may be explained by the year being in the future. Maybe Jon’s younger brother. But if it was 2010, they did indeed time travel. But this Superboy, the female redhead with the green skin and freckles, and the blonde archer were unknown to him. Damian had been through all of Batman’s files on the hero community and those three just did not exist. So, could this not only be time travel but in an alternate reality as well?

Jon’s eyes had gotten as big as saucers. “Damian,” John whispered. “The year…”

“No names in the field,” Damian whispered back, keeping his eyes trained on the other Robin and Superboy while making sure to be aware of the other young heroes surrounding them.

“The short one’s name is Damian,” Conner said to the others.

Damian glared daggers at Jon.

Jon on the other hand was paying no attention to Damian as all his attention was brought to the boy with his father’s symbol on his chest. “Super-hearing? Are you Kryptonian?” he asked with genuine curiosity.

Now it was Superboy’s turn to glare at Jon. “What do you think?”

“Everyone,” Miss Martian cut in, sensing Superboy’s volatile emotions about to get out of hand. “I think there’s a simple solution to this situation. I can just read their minds and verify their story.”

“No one is going inside my head,” Damian growled.

“Then we’re going to have to detain you until we can figure out what’s going on” Robin threatened. “And we will need your names.”

“You first,” Damian challenged. If this was an alternate reality, who knew if the people confronting them were evil versions of the heroes they knew back home. No, the safest thing to do would be to escape the mountain and find Barry Allen (no, he would not go near Wally this time. If he hurt another version of his brother’s best friend who knew if Richard would ever speak to him again). Yes, he and Jon, between the two of them, could force or coerce Allen into breaking through the dimensional walls and finding their original Earth. That would have to be the plan.

“Superboy,” Damian started. “Follow my lead.”

Robin could see this coming from a mile away. Was it so much to ask for an intruder to just surrender peacefully for once? This little Him imposter was getting on his nerves. He wanted a fight? Oh, he’d get a fight.

Suddenly all hell broke loose. Damian threw down a smoke pellet and attacked, quickly making contact with the closest body, Kid Flash (okay, one punch, but after that no more hurting his brother’s best friend). Damian’s fist connected solidly with the speedster’s nose, snapping his head back and stunning the redhead long enough for him to pull the younger Kryptonian with him toward the consul connected to the zeta tube. He just wouldn’t mention that he broke West’s nose to Richard when he got home. But this was their best bet at an escape right now. Damian would have to hack it and hope it was close enough to systems he was used to to get it to work quickly enough to escape. “Distract them!” Damian shouted to Jon while he grabbed some hacking equipment from his utility belt and got to work on the consul.

Jon didn’t think this was the best course of action. These people seemed okay to him. Sure, they were acting a bit hostile, but he and Dami had magically appeared in their secret base and no one knew what was going on. It was understandable that they would be suspicious. If only Damian wouldn’t be so paranoid all the time. Jon was sure they could have come to a peaceful conclusion to this standoff. But unfortunately the older boy took matters into his own hands and now Jon had no choice but to protect his friend while he got them into even more trouble. It really annoyed him sometimes. But he couldn’t abandon his friend, even when his friend did stupid things.

Jon flew into the air and was almost hit by an arrow shot by the scantily-clad archer. Then out of the smoke jumped the other Superboy. He crashed hard into Jon while punching him in the face and Jon really felt it. It hurt. So the guy had super-strength too. Dang-it, Damian! Jon thought to himself. He just had to go and get us into a fight. Jon saw Superboy coming in for another attack and he panicked, activating his heat vision in the process and hitting Superboy dead-center, sending him hurtling backwards and destroying his shirt.

“How’s that escape route coming, Robin?” Jon shouted to his friend as he saw Superboy beginning to get up from the floor. “I think I just made him mad!”

Damian couldn’t respond as he was tied up in his own battle with this world’s Robin, the blonde archer, and Kid Flash who managed to make it out of the smoke and find him. Jon was not a great distraction. Using his sword, Damian knew he could hold his own against the other Robin, even Robin and the archer, but adding West into the mix (even a slightly injured West) may have been too much even for him. Normally he’d use one of his attackers against the others by redirecting their attacks toward their teammates, but they seem to be too well coordinated for that tactic. Not to mention harming West any more than he already had would likely cause more tension between him and Richard than there already was. Damian had to figure this out and quickly or he may have to admit he was in over his head.

Jon was becoming overwhelmed by Superboy’s barrage of angry fists. He jumped into the air only to be immediately followed by his attacker. He had the ability to fly though where the other boy could only leap great distances. As Superboy’s path into the air stayed in a line, Jon veered out of the way, barely dodging the next assault and flew right into M'gann. The Martian, tired of this senseless fighting and the damage it was doing to her home, decided to put an end to it. She grabbed Jon and entered his mind. He had surprisingly few mental defenses and in moments he was unconscious. Jon fell out of the sky right into Superboy’s arms.

“That’s ENOUGH!” She shouted, eyes glowing red with anger. “Damian! Stand down. Your friend is unconscious and you are outnumbered. We do not want to cause you harm but you will be defeated if you attempt to continue with this escape attempt.”

Damian considered his options for a moment. He was very tempted to keep fighting. He could escape himself and come back for Jon when he found a way home, but looking at his unconscious partner in the hands of an unknown combatant made him pause. If these were evil versions of people he knew, he couldn’t leave Jon with them. He was better off staying with him. They had ended up here together and they’d leave together or not at all. He dropped his katana with a sneer and put his hands up in a lazy gesture.

“Smart boy,” Megan said and Robin proceeded to cuff Damian’s hands behind his back.

Chapter Text

October 11, 2010
8:24 pm

The boys were put in a holding cell together and left to stew while select members of the Team watched them remotely through the cave’s cameras.

“How’s your nose?” Robin asked Kid Flash who was snacking on an extra large bag of chips as he monitored the kids in the holding cell.

“Fine. Set and healed like an hour ago. But, Rob, we need to report this to the League. Whoever these kids are, they’re dangerously good. If the short one wanted to keep fighting, he could probably have taken at least a few of us out before M'gann or someone put him down.”

“I know, man, but we don’t have enough information yet. How did they break in? What do they want? How much do they know? Just how big is the Robin imposter’s ego?” Dick pondered and Wally snickered.

The kids were young, well trained, and seemed to be sticking to their story that a wizard from another dimension dropped them off here. The younger boy, Jon, seemed more concerned that his parents were going to be worried about him not coming home than being detained within Mount Justice. The older (yet shorter) boy, Damian, had a perpetually bad attitude and a glare that could rival Batman’s. He refused to remove his domino mask and whenever he decided to respond to one of their questions he sounded like it was the most annoying thing in the world, like being detained was just a minor inconvenience that he had to suffer through for the time being.

Facial recognition and fingerprinting yielded no results whatsoever so contacting their families was out of the question. But the boy, Jon, was very obviously Kryptonian judging by his powers. “Could Jon be another Cadmus clone?” Dick thought aloud. Superman was having trouble dealing with Conner. Dick didn’t want to have to put yet another kid Superman didn’t want in his path. Conner was amazing and didn’t need the treatment Superman was giving him and neither did this kid.

“He can fly,” Conner said. He had been staring at the boy ever since he had put him in the holding cell. If Conner had heat vision, Dick was sure he would have bore a hole in the monitor bay by now. “And he doesn’t look like Superman enough to be a clone. He seems so… I don’t know…scrawny. And he talks about his family so much I doubt he was grown in a lab like me.”

Currently, the boys were arguing about how much to tell the Team.

“Come on, Damian. What could it hurt to tell them who we are?” Jon asked. “They might even be motivated to help us get home if they know.”

“They’ll know soon enough anyway,” Damian grumbled. “If this Grayson is anything like ours he’ll be running a DNA scan from the genetic material they got off the water bottles they gave us.”

Dick’s head snapped up and his eyes went wide at the mention of his name.

Dick and Wally stared at the monitor in shock. “Dude,” Wally whispered. “He knows who you are.”

“Could they actually be from an alternate Earth?” Dick asked, more to himself than to get an actual answer.

“How do you know it’s Dick?” Jon asked. “Could be Jason, or Tim.”

Now Dick was confused. Who are Jason and Tim?

“I fought him while you were dealing with the angry Superboy and the green girl that knocked you out,” Damian explained. “Nobody fights quite like Grayson. He was using acrobatics and quipping in that frustratingly chipper way he does. It’s definitely him. Or, at least this Earth’s version of him. If it’s 2010 here, he’s a little younger than he was back home in the same year. Which means we may be very young children or not even born yet in this reality.”

“Are the DNA tests complete?” Wally asked. They had actually taken samples from the water bottles. He turned to the computers near the observation monitors and accessed the information. The information had indeed finished processing and the results were not what he expected to see.

Dick saw the look on Wally’s face and quickly joined him at the monitor bay. “What is it?”

There are no known matches in any databases for either of them, but look at this,” Wally said, pointing to a set of DNA markers that seemed to match another set from a different DNA file. “This one is Jon’s.”

Superboy looked at the results. “It’s fifty fifty; half Kryptonian, half human.”

“How can you tell?” Wally asked.

“A lot of random knowledge was put in my head before you pulled me out of my pod at the lab,” Superboy explained. “I guess I learned about genetics while they were force-feeding me information.”

“Wow,” Wally said, studying the Results closely. “Hey Rob, look at this…”

But Robin was distracted by another set of DNA markers on another monitor. It would indicate that Damian’s related to the owner of this DNA. It’s close enough that he could be a son. Dick had a sickening suspicion as to who the other set might belong to.

“Whose DNA is this?” Wally asked about the unknown genetic relative’s match, looking over Dick’s shoulder to see what had so thoroughly distracted him. As he tried to access the file, all that came up was a big red “CLASSIFIED” warning.

“That’s information in the League’s private database. Batman set it up to make sure he’d be able to have an original DNA sample in case anyone in the League went rogue or someone tried to mess with their genetics, made a clone, anything like that,” Dick said as he started hacking into the database to confirm his suspicions. It was easy.

He hacked it in under a minute but what he saw didn’t ease his mind. His brain wasn’t processing the information in front of his face. He looked back at the kid in the holding cell, sitting at the table, looking annoyed and bored. There was no way that little kid with the holier-than-thou look plastered on his smug little face was related to him. It wasn’t possible. Was it?

“Dude, that can’t be right.” Wally looked just as pale as Dick felt.

Dick stood up and marched straight to the holding cell currently housing the imposters Robin and Superboy. Wally followed behind him but stood back to see what his friend would do. Dick threw open the door and stared at the smaller boy. The boy stared back.

“So, the DNA results came back, then?”

“Yeah. They did,” Robin deadpanned. “Is it true? Are you his kid?”

“You saw the results,” Damian challenged as he stood to face the other Robin.

Dick glared his best batglare and Damian glared right back. He had known this was coming since he gave this younger version of his brother a sample of his DNA. He was prepared for the suspicion and the possible hate. He had gone through it before. He could deal with it again. He’d wait until their guards were down and then he and Jon would break out and find a way home. What he wasn’t prepared for was Dick’s next words. “We’re going to figure out how to send you back to your own Earth.”

Damian was taken aback for a moment. That’s it? He just accepted it? He was going to help them? He was going to help them. And then Damian understood why. This Richard was an only child at this point in time. If Damian had been in the same situation he’d want his competition gone too. Well, that worked for him. A tiny little smirk showed through the glare. “You want me gone as much as I want to leave. That...is acceptable.”

Jon beamed. “That’s awesome!” he shouted as he floated into the air. “So when do we start? What do we do?”

Their conversation was cut short as Miss Martian contacted them over comms. “Um, guys. Batman and Superman just arrived through the Zeta-tube. They want to see you.”

“Crap,” Wally said. “They must have been notified when the League DNA database was accessed.”

“It is fine. You should go explain the situation to them,” Damian said in a way that sounded to Dick like resignation. Dick wondered why he looked that way. Shouldn’t he be happy that his father was here? Well, not technically his father, but a version of his father.

“Go ahead,” Conner told his friends. “I’ll stay here with the kids.”

Dick and Wally nodded and locked them back in the holding cell then went to greet the parents.

Damian leaned against the wall and brooded.

“Uh...Dami? You ok?” Jon asked, slightly concerned.

“I am fine.”

“Oh, come on,” Jon scoffed. “It’s your... kind-of almost but not exactly dad. He’ll be just like Dick and want to help once the shock of seeing us wears off.”

Conner cracked a smile. “By the way, thank you for letting me know Robin’s real name. That’s going to provide the team with hours of entertainment once they find out.”

Damian’s head whipped around and he angrily stormed over to Conner as he stood by the doorway. He got in the Super’s face as much as his short stature would allow, but Conner had a good foot on him and didn’t seem very intimidated by the smaller boy’s actions.

“You will tell no one of his identity,” Damian threatened. “Had I known you all didn’t know, I would never have used his name. How was I to know he doesn’t trust his team enough to tell you his identity?!”

“Wow. Easy kid. I was joking. You do know what joking is, right? I’d never tell anyone without his permission. He actually wanted to tell us but Batman wouldn’t let him. And besides, I’m the only person who heard you say it who didn’t already know. Just don’t use it around the team again and he’ll be fine.”

“You’re on a team with Robin but you didn’t know his identity?” Jon asked

“And you know the identities of all the heroes you work with?” Conner shot back defensively.

“Well... I only work with Damian,” Jon explained a little deflated. He wasn’t expecting such a volatile reaction. “I mean, aside from that one time Damian introduced me to the Teen Titans, but that led us into this mess anyway. And Damian says I’m too young to join the team right now (not that he has the final say in that decision).”

“Of course I do, I’m the team leader,” Damian interrupted defensively.

“Oh?” Jon asked innocently. “I thought Starfire was the leader.”

Damian’s fists clenched and he ground his teeth trying to keep himself from punching Jon in the face (a face that would not only not be hurt in the least but would probably break his hand if he did punch it). “That is something that will be remedied upon our return.”

“So how old are you guys anyway?” Conner asked, trying to head off another argument between the boys.

“Ten,” Jon said without hesitation while Damian rolled his eyes for his friend’s insane ability to give up information without thought to the consequences. “How old are you?”

Conner grimaced. “That’s classified.”

Damian smirked. “That’s how you answer a question in enemy territory, Jon.”

“Are you in enemy territory?” Conner asked.

“You tell me,” Damian shot back.

“Come on, guys,” Jon tried to keep the peace. “Do we have to fight and be all broody? I mean, it’s not every day that you run into a kid from an alternate reality who may or may not exist in your own world. Just look at me and Superboy,” Jon turned his attention to Conner. “In this reality I’ve got an awesome, angry big brother.”

“I’m not your big brother,” Conner growled.

“But… you wear the S. You’re super strong. You must be Kryptonian and since dad and Kara are the only Kryptonians left… Did you escape when Krypton blew up too?”

Conner scoffed. This kid really was naive. “No, I’m not from Krypton. And I don’t know anyone named Kara. I’m not your family. When Superman sees you, he’s probably going to treat you like a human being because you’re his kid, even if you are from an alternate reality. When he met me, even though we share DNA, it was… not the warmest reception.”

“Oh, come on,” Jon said with disbelief in his voice and obvious hero worship in his eyes as he thought about his dad. “Superman likes everyone… unless you’re evil. Are you evil?”

“I’m a clone, okay!” Superboy snapped. “And he can hardly stand to be around me. He’s barely said three sentences to me since I was rescued from the facility that created me. Literally! Three!”

That couldn’t be right. Jon’s eyes were wide as saucers. “But… Superman always does the right thing. He’s Superman!”

“Maybe on your Earth, kid. And maybe to everyone else on this Earth. But to me… I don’t know. He doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

Damian barely kept himself from flinching. Superboy’s story hit a little too close to home for his comfort.

“And that’s not for lack of trying to get him to talk to me on my end. I would love to have someone who knows my powers help me learn to use them but he avoids me. There’s no way he’d even be here right now if it weren’t for you.”

Jon was stunned. That doesn’t sound like my dad at all. My dad’s kind to everyone. He didn’t have a clone back on my Earth (unless you counted Jason’s friend Bizarro) but I’m sure if he did he wouldn’t avoid him like Superboy’s describing. What is his name anyway? “Well, when I meet him I’m going to tell him that he shouldn’t treat family like that. Maybe you’re a clone, but that means you have his DNA which means you’re like him and I’m his family so that makes you family too. So what do you want to be called if you don’t like big brother? Clone Dad? Uncle? Cousin?”

Superboy cringed at each new title. “How about we stick with Conner for now? I’m technically younger than you anyway. No titles… But I get to be Superboy while you’re here.”

Jon grinned like he had just opened a present on Christmas morning. “Your Earth, so I think that’s fair… Conner. I like that name.”

Conner couldn’t help but start to like the kid.

“Wait… you look, like, sixteen or something. How are you technically younger than me?” Jon asked, looking thoroughly confused.

Conner shrugged. “Physically, yeah, I’m about sixteen, but I’ve only been living in the world, out of that...cloning pod, for about three months.”

“Oh cool! I’m the big brother!” Jon turned back to Damian. “Hey, Damian! I’m a…” He paused when he noticed his friend was looking a bit sick. “You okay?”

Damian nodded but his features didn’t change.

“Don’t look so down, Dami. Our dads are gonna help us get home when they get here. This is a good thing!”

“You don’t understand, Jon,” Damian groused. “Superman may be willing to help us without investigation just because you are you, but I know my father. His suspicious nature will hinder our ability to get home until he is one hundred percent certain that we don’t present a threat, and that is going to cost us time.”

“Oh, come on. He’s not that bad. The DNA results already showed you’re his kid. What more would he need?”

Damian plopped back down in his seat at the table. “You were not there when I first revealed myself to father on our own Earth. Admittedly, I was not as...domesticated as I am now…”

Jon tried to stifle a laugh but it managed to escape through his nose at a snort which earned him an annoyed glare from his friend.

“But still,” Damian continued, maybe a little quieter than he had previously been, “he had no faith in me. He only saw me as my mother’s son. Someone to infiltrate his family and destroy it from the inside. I worked very hard to gain father’s trust. I am not looking forward to having to do that again.”

Jon stood there stunned. Damian never opened up like that. Ever. “Damian… I… didn’t know.” He was at a loss for words. Then another thought hit him. “Wait...who’s your mom?”

“That’s something I’d like to know as well.” The door had opened while the boys were talking and in the doorway stood the Batman himself. The man was tall, intimidating, and a wall of muscle. He glared down at the boys through the white lenses in his cowl that hid his eyes and gave his enemies nightmares.

Damian stood to meet his father. He wished he were taller and didn’t have to look up at the imposing figure to meet his eyes. Damian steeled himself to address his father then paused. This was Batman. It wouldn’t do to just tell him what was going on. There had to be some spectacle. He could figure it out for himself. Damian removed his mask and looked into his father’s blue eyes with his mother’s green. “Assuming she exists on this Earth it should be fairly obvious.”

Batman took in the child’s eyes and skin tone. Physically, he looked almost exactly like Bruce did in his old baby pictures, except he had a slightly darker complexion with just a hint of middle eastern features courtesy of his mother. Yes, it didn’t take a detective and a DNA test to see that this child was the son of Bruce Wayne and Talía al Ghul. “Of course it had to be her,” Batman said exasperated, more to himself than to anyone in the immediate vicinity.

“Believe me, I would love to have been the child of anyone else. It would have saved us all a lot of heartache,” Damian said bitterly, remembering his mother’s betrayal. Several betrayals.

Batman frowned. He couldn’t be sure this wasn’t an act but the hurt in the boy’s eyes seemed to be genuine.

“Let’s skip the formalities, father, and get right to business,” Damian began. He did not like the emotions thinking of his mother brought up in him. He buried them deep within himself and focused on the problem at hand. “My original plan was to find Barry Allen and… convince him to use the Cosmic Treadmill to get us home. It is a simple solution and the quickest plan to get us out of your reality. We don’t want to be here any more than you want us here so just pop back up to the Watchtower, acquire Allen and his machine, and we can be back home before Lane and Pennyworth ground us again.”

Batman couldn’t say he was stunned very often, but the things that came out of this child’s mouth left him speechless for a fraction of a second. “First of all, you’re going to tell me who gave you the information you have on the League members, second, there’s no such thing as a ‘Cosmic Treadmill,’ (that sounds ridiculous) and third, you’re not going anywhere until you explain exactly who you are, where you come from and what you are doing here so sit down!”

Damian didn’t seem phased at Batman’s interrogation voice but Jon sat down at the table immediately with a gulp. He had never heard Bruce sound so angry, especially when that anger was geared toward him.

“Batman, what is going on?” A familiar voice came from behind Bruce. He stepped aside to reveal the boys. Superman’s eyes immediately went to the young boy sitting at the table. He was tall and thin, nothing like Conner who was all muscle and who was standing near the boy with a protective posture, but that boy was wearing his symbol.

The boy Batman was yelling at was standing defiantly in front of them all, waiting to see what would happen.

“How can you not have a Cosmic Treadmill?” Damian said, throwing up his hands in frustration and completely ignoring the Man of Steel’s entrance.

Jon knew that this wasn’t his dad. He’d been mentally preparing to see Superman since Robin and Kid Flash left the holding cell he was currently stuck in. But it looked just like him and he couldn’t help but feel a little better at seeing the familiar face.

As Batman and Damian traded verbal blows about something ridiculous he’d never even heard of, Superman made his way over to his scowling clone and the little boy beside him.

“Hello Conner,” he said, trying not to show his discomfort.

The boy huffed but acknowledged the greeting and returned it. “Superman.”

“Who’s your friend?” Superman asked cautiously.

“It’s not obvious?” Conner remarked.

“I’m Jon,” Jon introduced himself, attempting to interrupt the severely awkward not-quite conversation the two Supers from this Earth were trying unsuccessfully to start. Wow, Conner wasn’t kidding about his relationship with Superman. I’m going to have to fix that before I leave here, Jon thought to himself. “Jonathan Samuel Kent. It’s nice to meet you.” He stuck his hand out to shake.

“Huh, that’s my last name too,” Conner mused.

Superman looked stunned. This kid had his father’s name. “Who…”

Jon blushed. He knew this person in front of him wasn’t his dad. He knew that he wouldn’t know who he was. But it still hurt to not see the the recognition in his eyes. Batman clearly didn’t explain anything to Superman before he dragged him over to meet them.

“I’m your son. Well, not your son exactly but the you from an alternate reality. My friend and I were sent here by accident after we helped a wizard fight this living planet in another dimension. We totally saved the world. It was awesome. But now we’re stuck here and we need to figure out a way to get back to our own Earth and you should really spend some time with Conner because I’ve known him for like an hour and he’s really cool and I think you’d like him too if you just gave him a chance...sir.”

Conner cracked a grin at the smaller boy’s tirade. He must have said that whole thing in one breath. But he had to give him props for keeping his word and calling Superman out on avoiding him. “Do you need to sit down? You look kind of pale.”

In the monitor bay Robin and Kid Flash were laughing so much they were beginning to get tears in their eyes. “Oh my god, this is amazing!” Kid Flash said through ragged breaths. Jon had just called Superman out on his treatment of Superboy and Damian was actually managing to fluster Batman. Dick was recording the scene for posterity and to show to the team after editing out any information that would reveal anyone’s identity.

They must have watched the show for a good half hour before Roy Harper, in his Red Arrow uniform, showed up at the door to the monitor bay. Although the older redhead was not technically part of the team (much to the dismay of Robin and Kid Flash), he still had a free pass to come and go as he pleased to visit his friends and check up on them from time to time as he tried his hand at solo hero work. “Hey guys, what’s up? Everyone in the cave’s been talking about some kids from another reality.”

“Yeah!” Wally said with a giant grin. “It’s awesome. They totally have Superman and Batman flustered. Bats didn’t let us come with them to the interrogation but we’ve been watching on the monitors and Conner’s in there. Jon wouldn’t let them send him out.”

Roy looked at the monitors and saw Batman and Superman speaking to two young boys. One had a variant of Robin’s red and black uniform except with a hood and green combat boots as well as spiked gauntlets. The other boy wore a zip-up jacket with Superman’s symbol embossed on the front and a red cape attached to the collar in the back.

“Are they like their reality’s version of Robin and Superboy?” Roy asked.

“Yeah,” Robin said. “Apparently on their Earth I’m older and passed the Robin mantle onto him at some point. Can’t see why I would trust my name to that violent little jerk, though. Maybe he’s lying and he just murdered me and stole my identity.”

“Aw, come on, Rob. He’s Batman’s biological kid! If he murdered you, Batman would never have let him take your colors let alone your name.” Wally added enthusiastically.

“Well, either way, I don’t trust him. Let’s just hope Batman can find a way to send them back to wherever they came from soon,” Robin pouted.

“Wait, wait, wait… seriously? Did I hear that right? Batman’s kid?!”

“I know, right!” Robin agreed.

“So who’s the mom?” Roy laughed.

Robin frowned. “Batman figured it out but neither of them seem to want to say it out loud. The kid seems pretty pissed off at her. Actually, his Superboy didn’t seem to know who the mom was either.”

“Huh.” Roy said absently, studying the newcomers through the monitors while unbeknownst to everyone in the room, their conversation was being spied upon.

Ra’s al Ghul sat at his own set of monitors at his compound on Infinity Island. He was very intrigued by the arrival of the two children from an alternate Earth. Especially since the one calling himself Damian seemed to be an older version of his year old grandson. Yes, he would have to find out how this child ended up in his father’s crusade and against the League of Shadows.

He pressed a button on the console and called for his top operative. “Cheshire. I have a job for you.”

Chapter Text

Monday, October 11, 2010
10:45 pm

Damian and Jon had passed Batman’s “interview” and currently had free reign of the cave while the League and the Team began working on figuring out a way to get them back to their own reality.

Since the Cosmic Treadmill didn’t exist on this Earth, Damian was content to let Batman come up with a plan. He would never admit it but he was tired. The whole day had been exhausting; from destroying the genocidal planet Yggardis, to fighting the Team, to dealing with Batman’s paranoia.

Damian knew Batman still didn’t trust him but at least he was willing to let them out of that cramped holding cell. Currently Damian and Jon were enjoying some leftover pizza in the kitchen while various members of the Team tried not to stare.

“So… are they staying here tonight?” Artemis asked.

“They’re gonna take some of the spare living quarters until Batman can figure out a way to send them home,” Robin explained.

“It’s so weird,” Roy said. “You know, knowing who their dads are.”

“Seconded,” Wally agreed as they walked toward the kitchen to meet up with everyone.

“Ah, Harper,” Damian said as he spotted Red Arrow. “I approve of the hatless look.”

“Uh… thanks?” Roy said, grabbing a slice of pepperoni. “I got rid of that stupid Robin Hood getup when I left Green Arrow and started working solo.”

“So, you haven’t discovered your obsession with baseball caps yet…” Damian contemplated sarcastically. He wasn’t sure when Harper had begun wearing the cap or if he even had a hatless phase in his own reality. This Harper seemed a lot more mature than the version Damian knew, despite being younger. Damian could tell, just by the way he spoke and held himself that this Harper was more focused and less… man child.

Harper was Grayson’s friend and he was sure his brother had told him stories of his old Titans days with his version of the former Speedy but he tuned them out more often than not. Damian was beginning to grow frustrated at his lack of knowledge. A lack of information could mean death in the right circumstances.

Damian did remember Richard telling him about Harper’s battle with drug addiction, though. He shot a glance at his exposed arm as he took the pizza out of the box. There were no marks indicating this Harper had the same problem. That was good, but he’d try to mention it to this Richard so he could keep an eye on him in the future. That would help him forgive Damian for his miscalculations in the past, right? That and… he should probably do something nice for the speedster.

As much as he did not want to, he knew his Richard would appreciate his efforts. “And West. I… apologize… for breaking your nose.”

Jon was completely surprised by that. Damian never admitted he was in error and rarely apologized for it.

“No harm Other-Robin. Super speed means speedy healing. As long as I get lots of food to fuel it,” he grinned and grabbed a slice.

“And I apologize for the telepathic attack on Jon,” Miss Martian said as she watched the oven like it was the most important thing in the world. “I promise I didn’t pull anything from your mind except for your first name. At the time I thought that it would be the fastest way to end the fighting.”

“Jon needs to learn to block his thoughts,” Damian said looking directly at the younger boy.

“Oh, come on, Damian!” Jon said in exasperation. “M’gann’s the first telepath I’ve ever met. How was I supposed to block her out?”

“Superman should have prepared you for that before now. I’ll make sure to add it into our future training sessions.”

There was an awkward silence for a minute until the buzzer on the oven went off. With an obvious look of relief, Miss Martian took a batch of cupcakes out of the oven. “Yay! I didn’t burn them this time,” she beamed and began placing them on a cooling rack. “So what am I like on your Earth?” she asked to fill the silence.

“You do not exist… or if you do, I’ve never heard of you. You’re not in any of Batman’s files either. Neither is your Superboy or Artemis,” Damian explained.

“Interesting,” M’gann said to herself and seemed lost in thought as she began frosting the cupcakes. “I wonder if I’m still living on Mars over there.”

“So, do you think it’ll take them long to come up with a way to get us home?” Jon asked through a mouthful of pizza.

“Are you that eager to leave us, kid?” Wally asked, grabbing several slices from the box.

“No!” Jon said quickly, “It’s just, my mom didn’t know I left to help Damian and I know she’s gonna freak out when she realizes we’re missing. I promised her after the last time we snuck out to do hero stuff that I wouldn’t leave again without telling her where I was going.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Wally said. “You can fly, have super strength, invulnerability, and heat vision and your mom still needs to keep tabs on you?”

“Dude, I’m ten years old.”

“And you shouldn’t talk, KF,” Robin piped in with a laugh. “I know your mom gets awfully worried when you work late.”

The others snickered.

Wally stuck out his tongue at them and grabbed another slice.

The Team seemed very nice. Jon liked them. Even Damian seemed to almost smile at times.

The Zeta tube activated. Recognized: Aqualad B-02.

A tall, muscular boy with dark skin and tattoos stepped through and greeted his team. “Hello my friends. I received your message of our extra-dimensional visitors.”

“Ah, Hyde. It’s good to see you exist in this reality as well,” Damian greeted.

Aqualad looked confused. “I believe you have me mistaken for another. We have not met. I am Kaldur’ahm. Aqualad. And you are?”

Interesting. “That is an Atlantean accent,” Damian observed, moving from the kitchen toward Aqualad. “On my Earth your name is Jackson Hyde. You grew up in New Mexico with your mother.”

Kaldur looked saddened. "My parents are not together on your Earth? That is unfortunate.”

Damian frowned, suspiciously. “You've been raised by your father?”

“Of course,” Kaldur said as if nothing was wrong with that.

Damian couldn't fathom Kaldur's father being a good person. There had to be something wrong here. "And your father is..."

“Calvin Durham," the Atlantean said without missing a beat.

There were two possibilities Damian had to consider. Either his father was using an alias, or he was a different person. Either possibility left too many options that Damian didn't like. He’d have to bide his time and observe this ‘Kaldur.’ “My mistake. I have no idea who you are. You simply look like someone I know.” Damian returned to the table and grabbed one last piece of vegetarian pizza. “It’s late. I’m going to retire for the night. Someone show me to my room.”

Dick stood up. He tried not to show it and maybe even succeeded with the people who didn’t know him well enough but Damian could tell he was suspicious.

“Follow me.”

Damian crossed his arms but said nothing and followed Dick away from the kitchen.

Once they were far enough away from the others and close to the living quarters, Dick turned back to Damian and stopped. “What was that back there?”

“Tt. Not that you’d have any idea of a traitor in your midst, but on my Earth his father is evil. You all didn’t seem to think that is the case here so I was merely attempting to follow your advice and not rush into the easiest solution to a problem.”

Now Dick looked angry and confused. “I’ve never given you advice. I’ve barely talked to you. What are you going on about?”

“Well, the advice my Grayson gave me. I know information about Hyde… or Kaldur as you call him here. And instead of exposing him without sufficient proof, I am going to observe and make a determination as to his trustworthiness at a future time.”

“Again I ask: What the hell?” Dick almost literally growled. He looked like he wanted to scream at Damian but held himself in check. “Kaldur’s the most honest person I know. I trust him with my life.”

“Then you’re a fool, Grayson! How can you know for sure that he’s not working for his father right now?”

“How did you know your Kaldur wasn’t? And he’s obviously not working for his evil father because his father’s not evil!”

“I know my Aqualad is no traitor because he did not know who his father was until after he met me and my team.”

“But he knows his dad!” Dick raged internally at the Damian’s odd logic. “He was raised in an Atlantean city and Aquaman himself chose him to be his partner,” Dick defended. He decided to use logic to counter Damian’s argument before he completely blew up at the kid’s stupidity. “How do you know your version is trustworthy?”

“Hyde has proven himself to me. He fought against Black Manta when the time came.”

That caught Dick off guard and he laughed out loud. “His dad’s not Black Manta. Kaldur’s covered my butt in the field more times than I can count. When I couldn’t cut it as team leader, he stepped up and never once rubbed it in my face. That’s all the proof I need to know he would never betray us. So you don’t need to observe anything. He’s my friend. You need to drop it.”

Damian could have sworn he heard that sentence incorrectly and had to replay it in his mind. No, Grayson said it. “You’re not the Team’s leader?” he asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

“No!” Dick said exasperatedly. “I work great with Batman but… I can’t effectively communicate what I want the team to do out in the field… I’m working on it.”

“But my Grayson lead the Teen Titans at your age… I think it was at your age…”

“I’m not that person!” Dick shouted. “And stop using my name in the cave. No one is supposed to know who I am. Now, I don’t know what the other me said to you, but don’t act like you know me just because you know him. Your job is to stay in the cave and wait until the League finds a way to send you back to your reality and then you’re leaving. That’s it.”

“Fine by me,” Damian growled. “Just point me to my room and I will stay out of your life.”

Dick pressed a few buttons on a lock next to the door they stood in front of. “The code is 1940. Don’t forget it.”

Damian glared, contemplated saying something but then thought better of it and turned into the room. The door slid closed behind him. Oh, how he wished that electronic, sliding doors could be slammed.

“I should go see if he’s okay,” Jon whispered to Superboy. They had both heard the argument between Dick and Damian.

“Yeah, we’ll see you in the morning, kid.” Conner smiled and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

The others bid Jon good night as the young Super slipped away towards the living quarters.

“You know,” M'gann whispered so that only Conner could hear, “the role of big brother suits you.” The Martian couldn’t help but smile when Superboy blushed.

Jon passed Dick on his way to find Damian but he looked so mad that Jon thought it was best not to bother him. He focused his hearing and it wasn’t long before he heard the sounds of Damian counting. He walked over to the room and knocked on the door. “Damian? Everything okay?”

Jon only heard more counting from inside the room. Damian was up to ninety-seven. “Come on, Damian. Talk to me.”

“99, 100, 101…”

“Damian!” Jon banged on the door.

Finally the counting stopped. Jon heard Damian moving inside the room and finally the door slid open.

“What, Jon?”

“Can I come in?”

Damian frowned and Jon was afraid he was going to just close the door in his face but he stepped aside and Jon entered the room. He whistled, impressed at the devastation he walked into. Jon looked around the room. It was a mess even though Damian had only been in the room for what couldn’t have been more than five minutes. The desk and bed were overturned and the meager contents of the closet (mostly sweatshirts and pants) were scattered about.

“What were you doing?”

“Push-ups.”

That made Jon feel a little better. At least his friend wasn’t going crazy, randomly counting for no reason. “You want to talk about it?”

“Not particularly.”

“What happened in here?” Jon asked, moving to turn the desk and bed upright again.

“Checking for bugs,” Damian explained. “Which would have been a lot easier if I had my utility belt.”

“Find anything?” Jon asked casually.

“No,” Damian huffed, as if he were disappointed that he didn’t find any listening devices.

“Come on, Damian. Talk to me. What’s going on? You and Dick were arguing. You can be… hard to work with sometimes… but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this. Is it ’cause you’ve been fighting with your brother?”

“That… child is not my brother!” Damian growled.

“I’m not talking about Robin!” Jon said exasperatedly, plopping himself down on the bed. “I’m talking about Nightwing. You used to tell me about him and his adventures all the time. Heck, you snuck over to Bludhaven and almost got killed just to hang out with him.”

“That was a mission.”

“Then Deathstroke shows up and you fire Kid Flash and get even more broody than usual and now you avoid talking about Nightwing like he’s dead, but I know Dick’s not dead so what happened? It’s affecting you and I really need you to be at the top of your game because being stuck in an alternate reality with no way to get home short of the wizard realizing he screwed up… well, it’s terrifying. So talk to me. What happened?”

Damian paced the room as if trying to get his thoughts in order. “West had allowed Deathstroke to take his powers. We had the most dangerous assassin on Earth running amok in the timestream trying to save his son. The only thing to do was use the other West to follow him in and attempt to stop him.”

“Wait. That’s going to get confusing. I know you like calling people by their last name but it might be easier using their first name for this one.”

“Both speedsters are named Wallace. There is no uncomplicated way to relay the information when they’re both involved.”

“They’re both named Wally West?”

“That is correct. They were both named after the same grandfather from what I heard.”

“Okay… then how about teenage Wally and Dick’s friend Wally?”

“I see… Alright. Traitor West had given his Speed Force connection to Deathstroke after the assassin had syphoned as much energy as he could from both Wests, but using ginger West we managed to follow Deathstroke through time.”

Jon let out a frustrated breath but let his friend keep talking.

“We had followed him to the moment he first met the Teen Titans. He was too dangerous to have those powers. I had an idea on how we could sever Deathstroke’s connection to the Speed Force. Grayson was taking too long to come up with a better plan so I did what had to be done.”

Jon’s eyes narrowed. Damian couldn’t help feeling ashamed at his actions though he would never outwardly admit it. He didn’t want to tell him the rest of the story.

“Damian… what did you do?”

Damian hesitated. He knew how Jon was likely to take his next words. He didn’t want to see the look on his face when he realized just what kind of person Damian actually was.

Jon didn’t push Damian to talk. He just sat there, giving him his full attention, waiting patiently for his friend to explain.

Damian figured it would be best to just rip the figurative bandage off quickly and deal with the consequences as they came. If Jon never wanted to speak to him again, he’d just have to deal with that. He really didn’t want to deal with that, but he couldn’t lie about what happened. “...I…” Damian’s throat felt dry and he had to swallow to keep his throat from closing up. “I killed the past’s ginger West.”

Jon stood up, “Damian!” He looked absolutely horrified.

“I just used a technique to stop his heart from functioning. The Stone Palm causes a disruption in a person’s heart rhythm. He was only ‘dead’ for a few seconds! It’s not like I stabbed him or did anything irreparable!”

That didn’t seem to make Jon any happier.

“He was gone just long enough to sever Deathstroke’s connection to the Speed Force!” Damian winced. “If ginger West was dead in the past before Deathstroke took the Speed Force from him then he’d never have it in the first place. Once Wilson was expelled from the timestream I restarted ginger West’s heart. He was fine!”

Jon looked at Damian skeptically and crossed his arms.

“Mostly…”

“What happened?” Jon prompted, channeling his inner Lois Lane. “And how do you even know how to stop someone’s heart and restart it again? Is that like a Bat thing?”

“Grayson told me later that what I did damaged ginger West’s heart” Damian explained, avoiding the second part of Jon’s question. The kid didn’t know about his connection to the League of Shadows or his assassin training and Damian wanted to keep it that way. “After the incident they found out that Wally would need a pacemaker for the rest of his life. And that using his powers could strain his heart enough to kill him.” Damian’s voice was almost a whisper by the end of his story but Jon could hear him clear as day.

“I did what I had to,” Damian continued, trying to justify his actions to Jon, if not to himself. “Deathstroke was too dangerous to be allowed to have those powers for even a second longer.”

“Who are you trying you convince, Damian? Because from where I’m standing, that was a really crappy thing to do (excuse my French),” Jon scolded.

Damian looked angry, upset, confused, and a dozen other emotions all at once. “Richard wouldn’t speak to me for days after the incident. He told me that I was his brother and he loved me but that he needed some time alone to work through some things which I can only interpret as Grayson-speak for ‘I can’t stand to be near you after what you have done.’”

Jon thought he heard Damian sniffle. Though Jon knew Damian would deny it was anything other than allergies.

“So Robin getting mad at you just now was just like a replay of Dick getting angry with you. I can understand how that would make you feel…”

“I don’t like feeling…” Damian interrupted.

Jon waited for Damian to finish his thought but he stayed silent. “Feeling what? Upset?”

“Anything! Feeling emotions sucks! Things were so much easier before…” Damian cut of his train of thought before he said something he knew he’d regret. “Look, I appreciate the impromptu therapy session, Jon, but it is not needed. I have plenty of coping mechanisms I can use to get through this and…”

“What, like doing push-ups 'til you pass out?”

“Among other things. Grayson usually trains when he is upset and I would have gone to the training area, but aside from not knowing where anything is in this damn cave, Grayson is probably there and I do not wish to be in the same room as him right now.”

“Look, Damian. Your brother doesn’t hate you. I’m sure he’s worried sick about you right now. I sure know my mom and dad are probably going crazy not knowing where I am.”

“I never said he hated me. He is family. We are not allowed to hate each other. He just doesn’t want anything to do with me ever again. I destroyed his best friend’s life. Now, I have no one. The Titans are mad at me for firing traitor West, Todd is off with his Outlaws all the time and it’s not like we got along all that well in the first place. Drake is dead and even if he weren’t, we couldn’t stand to be around each other before he got himself blown up (the noble idiot). Father has his crusade and has been spending considerably more time with Selina Kyle than me… Richard was the only one who still made time for me. I know I am not the easiest person to be around. I’m well aware of my inability to socialize easily with people. I believe I made a… mistake… when I damaged West. One that Richard will not be able to forgive me for.”

“That’s not true,” Jon said emphatically. “You’re not the first person to make a mistake and Dick knows that. What you need to do is learn from it and try to do better next time.”

“I’m tired, Jon. I think I’m going to go to bed now.” Damian wasn’t lying. He was ready to pass out and he wasn’t used to having someone to talk to about all the crap in his life that was eating at him. He’d always just stuffed it down and tried to avoid feeling anything. Who knew that dealing with things could leave a person so exhausted?

“Yeah, sure,” Jon sighed and headed for the door. “Good night, Damian.”

“Damian sat on the bed with little grace. He was too tired for anything else. Thank you,” he whispered. He knew Jon would hear it but he didn’t care.

As the door closed behind Jon, he did hear it and it made him smile. Damian saying ‘thank you’ was like finding a shiny Pokemon in the wild. It didn’t happen very often. “Anytime,” he whispered back.

Jon looked around the hallway. Now where the heck is my room? he wondered and sighed, deciding to go track down someone who could give him access to one of the other living quarters. It was getting late and he was getting tired himself. He started walking back toward the kitchen to find someone to help him find his own place to sleep.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
6:00 am

The crowbar went down again and again into soft flesh. The clown wouldn’t stop laughing, even with the extreme pain he was inflicting. Damian would have liked to share this with Todd. It would have been a nice bonding experience, beating the Joker in the same manner that the clown once did to his predecessor (even if the jerk did try and kill him. No matter, it’s not like he’d ever succeed).

“I want the truth now!” Damian shouted as he savagely whipped the crowbar across the Joker’s head, causing a cascade of blood to ooze out of the clown’s broken skin, soiling his green hair and white face.

The damn clown just laid there, curled up on the floor, his arms and feet chained. That sickening grin never left his face, even as he mocked the new Robin. “The truth is… the truth is… I’m using you…”

Damian growled and watched the Joker get to his feet. He was going to relish giving this psycho brain damage. The clown took a step toward Damian.

“Stay where you are!” he commanded, but the Joker took another step. So Damian swung, possibly breaking his orbital bone.

But the Joker didn’t stop coming toward him. Damian had no room to swing as the disgusting clown managed to get right in his face with that sickening, bloody smile. All he could do now was hold him off, the crowbar the only barrier between him and the freak.

“Aow,” the Joker taunted, now seemingly unfazed by the beating that Damian had been giving him. “That’s harsh. And all because my nail polish doesn’t match my eye shadow? You don’t know how tough it can be to get the right shade of poison these days.”

Damian started to feel funny. The world shifted and his body stiffened. For some reason he found what the joker said hilarious, even as his lips curled up in a sickening smile and he started laughing uncontrollably…

“A Robin who brings his own crowbar to the party? You might be the funniest one yet.”

Damian gasped as he opened his eyes, his heart rate skyrocketing. A moment later he realized he had just woken up and that he wasn’t actually in danger… at least from that memory. He looked at the bedside digital clock. It was six in the morning. He had barely slept, refusing to remove his Robin uniform, and due to the frequent nightmares he kept waking throughout the night. He could usually only sleep soundly in a place where he felt safe, and that was only the Manor and Titans Tower in his own world. Seeing that it was finally morning, despite the less than adequate rest, he ventured out of his room to find the gym. He needed to expend the energy and frustration that had been building since last night.

The young Grayson had confiscated his sword and utility belt the night before, but he could go with the classics and use his fists to beat the filling out of a practice dummy. He walked over to the punching bags and began to stretch. After approximately one minute, he turned on the punching bag and attacked it like his life depended on it. Kicks, punches, elbows, and knees flew in a flurry of anger and irritation that had only intensified overnight. After about five minutes of going all-out against the lifeless object Damian got bored and let out a cry of frustration.

“You know, you’re a little bit terrifying, Baby Bat.”

Damian turned around and nearly growled at the unexpected intruder. He must have been more tired than he thought because he hadn’t noticed her approach. Artemis stood by the doorway in full uniform, weapon in hand.

“What do you want?” he asked, anger lacing every word.

“Easy, Little Guy,” Artemis drawled. “I come in peace. Morning’s the best time to practice without hyperactive ninjas and speedsters with bottomless stomachs bothering you.”

“Do not comment on my height. I get enough of that from Jon.”

“True. Three years younger and six inches taller hardly seems fair,” Artemis commented with a smirk.

“Do not patronize me, woman,” Damian said as he gave her his best bat-glare.

“You’re pretty good at that,” she smirked. “Batman’s glare can melt ice though. Keep working on it, kid.”

“Tt.” Damian had no time for this person’s idiocy. He was not one for banter, small-talk, or jokes. He turned back to the punching bag he had been beating up earlier.

“You know,” Artemis continued, undaunted. “I don’t have to do target practice right away and you looked pretty bored with that punching bag. What would you say to a friendly spar?”

Damian considered her offer. It would be nice to punch something that could hit back and Artemis had proven the night before that she could handle herself in a fight. A spar could be just what he needed to work out the frustration he was feeling at being stuck on this different Earth with no way home. “I can’t promise the friendly part,” he said with little emotion, but Artemis noticed an almost imperceptible movement at the corner of his mouth that maybe, just maybe, could have been the start of a smile.

“That’s okay,” she said, walking over to the sparring circle and putting her bow and quiver down on the ground, out of the way. “I’m not your biggest fan either.”

Damian followed her to the circle. She was tall and agile. Probably fast and accurate as well. But she may not be used to fighting a smaller opponent with the combat experience that Damian had. He’d have to be careful but she shouldn’t be too difficult to take down. “So how do you want to do this? First blood?”

“Easy there, tiger,” Artemis laughed. “How about first one to make their opponent’s back hit the ground?”

Damian considered this for a moment then nodded. “That is acceptable. No weapons?”

“Only what you were born with.”

“And what if I was born with a sword in my hands?” Damian smirked.

“I’d say your mom must have had one hell of a painful pregnancy.”

Damian frowned. He wasn’t going to explain to Artemis that his mother created him in an artificial womb. Damian hated banter for a reason. The little assassin had kind of walked into that, but there was no way he was going to start talking about his mother with this girl. Hitting things always made him feel better though. He needed to punch something. Or someone. She’d do for now. “Let’s just fight,” he said with an exasperated sigh.

Artemis took a stance and waited for Damian to make the first move. Damian was intrigued. The way she positioned her body looked vaguely like a fighting form taught in the League of Assassins. Good thing he grew up knowing how to fight in, and counter, that type of combat style. He grinned. Then he attacked.

The kid went from zero to a hundred in an instant. Artemis was prepared for him to take it slow at first, feel out her fighting style, but she barely had time to dodge as he rushed her head on. Immediately limbs were flying. Artemis blocked a flurry of blows and countered with her own only to have the little demon connect with a punch to her side and in the split second it took for her to recover he kicked her feet out from under her. She twisted before her back hit the ground and rolled over her shoulder to her feet. Damian attacked again. She jumped over him as he overcommitted and kicked him forward from behind. He went with the momentum to flip forward and avoid a defeat. He was beginning to enjoy the fight. The girl had some skill (though she was definitely trained by someone who had experience with the League of Assassins).

The two stared each other down. “Not bad, twerp,” Artemis taunted.

“Better than you,” Damian retaliated, receding into his Robin persona. There was no way he was going to allow himself to enjoy spending time with anyone here, least of all this girl who didn’t exist in his world. This match wasn’t supposed to be fun, it was supposed to allow him to release some stress.

Artemis grinned despite his rude tone. She was starting to see the kid in a different light from the night before. That look in his eyes was scarily similar to what she saw in the mirror so often before joining the Team.

Damian pounced once more and the two battled in the middle of the sparring arena so that Damian was able to finally lose himself in the fight. It reminded him of training in Titans Tower, which oddly enough brought him a little bit of comfort in the familiarity. The two were able to spar for a solid ten minutes. They had been going all out and the intensity of the spar was taking its toll. Even so, somewhere in the fight, Damian had relaxed. He had gone from needing to simply punch his stress out to having fun.

Both combatants were growing tired, though, despite both being too stubborn to ever admit it. Despite that, Artemis decided the fight had gone on long enough. She needed to do what she had originally come to the training area for before she had to leave to go to school. The blonde decided to initiate a treaty. “I’d love to keep doing this, pipsqueak, but I really should be getting to target practice before the boys get up.”

“What’s the matter? Tired already?” Damian taunted, trying not to show his heightened breathing while he spoke.

“I could go all day, short stack,” Artemis said, “but I really need to end this, so…” She lunged at the younger boy who was unprepared for the burst of speed. She had caught him off guard and Damian could have kicked himself for assuming she had been fighting at her full potential.

His automatic reflexes took over as she tackled him. Damian’s back hit the mat hard but he rolled through the attack, landing on top of Artemis and pinning her to the ground. “Looks like I win,” he gloated.

“Uh uh,” Artemis shook her head with an amused grin. “We said whoever’s back hits the ground first. I win. You’re strong, kid. I’ll give you that, but I still win.”

“Sorry, Damian, Artemis is right. I’ve got it on the security feed,” Robin said as he entered the training area.

Damian frowned. They were right. He did agree to that. How could he have let himself become so distracted as to forget the rules of a challenge? “Fine,” he growled and punched the ground next to Artemis’ head, immediately getting off of her.

“Damian!” Dick shouted angrily. “What the hell?”

“It’s fine, Robin,” Artemis said quickly, picking herself up off the floor. She didn’t look rattled from the action. “He just got frustrated.”

“You wear that uniform, you can’t allow yourself to get frustrated,” Dick snapped at Damian. “You do and either you, or worse, innocent people get hurt.”

“I can speak for myself,” Damian said angrily to Artemis then turned to Dick. He wanted to punch the inferior copy of his brother. It was like this smaller version of Grayson was looking for any excuse to be angry with him. He wanted his real brother. At least Richard had a legitimate reason to hate him. Damian scowled and stormed out of the training area. “I don’t need to deal with you this early in the morning.”

Dick was furious. The kid had no respect, he was dangerous, and, “He fights like a member of the League of Shadows.”

“So do I,” Artemis countered.

Dick looked at her skeptically.

“Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed. I can’t imagine Batman hasn’t told you about my family situation.”

“You’re different, Arty,” Dick tried to explain.

“How am I different, Rob?” Artemis asked. “You know next to nothing about that kid so how can you possibly compare us?”

Dick frowned. She had him there. He just couldn’t help not liking that little demon that had taken the name his mother gave him.

“Why don’t you talk to him? Get his story?” Artemis prompted. “He might surprise you.”

Dick continued to frown while contemplating her words. “He’s Batman’s bio-kid Arty. What if he exists here? Batman’s already searching for him. What if…” he trailed off, knowing that his fear was unfounded but he couldn’t shake it. It ate at him every moment since he found out who Damian was.

“What if what? Batman has a biological kid so he tosses you aside?” Artemis laughed. Not just a chuckle but a full blown laugh straight from the gut. “Wow, Rob. I didn’t think you thought so little of your mentor.”

Dick was shocked. Her words were like a slap to the face. Of course he didn’t think Batman would do that. He knew Bruce cared about him and would never throw him away. Bruce loved him in his own emotionally constipated way. “I…”

“Listen up, Wonder Bread,” Artemis continued, not waiting for his reply. “I’ve seen how Batman acts around other people and I see how he acts around you. If he’s not your dad, he certainly considers himself something close to it. He clearly cares about you and I don’t understand how you could even consider the possibility of being replaced or whatever it is that’s running through your little troll brain. That’s your baby brother from another reality out there-”

“Well, we’re the same age right now so technically…”

“Shut up and listen.” Artemis did not like being cut off. “He’s clearly hurting. He’s stuck in another universe with familiar people who don’t recognize him. He has one friend with him and from what I’ve been able to observe, he doesn’t trust people enough to make friends easily. So you don’t have to like him, but get the full picture before you make that decision. Don’t just rush to judgement without finding out who he really is. He’s thirteen with League training but he’s also the Robin of his reality. You may want to start with ‘why.’”

“After how I’ve been treating him, you think he even wants to talk to me right now?” Dick asked, resigned. Artemis made a pretty good argument.

“You never know,” Artemis shrugged. “Find a subject that makes him comfortable and start there. See where it goes.”

“You’re right. Thanks. I think I just…”

Artemis smiled. “Any time, kid. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to archery practice before school starts.”

“Ugh, that’s right. It’s Tuesday. Live the dream, Artemis. Stay whelmed!” Robin shouted as he headed out of the training room.

Artemis grinned and waved at him. “Always.”

Damian sat on the couch with a sketch pad he had found lying around in the common area. He was currently drawing Conner’s pet wolf, Wolf, who was lounging about ten feet away on another couch. The giant white animal took up the entire piece of furniture.

He was almost done with the outline of the sketch when Aqualad appeared. The others were giving him a wide berth today so he noticed immediately that Hyde… no, here it was Kaldur, wished to speak with him. He looked up from his drawing. “What?”

Despite the younger boy’s rudeness, Kaldur thought it would be best to open the conversation with a compliment. “You are a talented artist,” he observed.

Damian scoffed, “I‘m well aware.” He frowned and looked over the sketch. It wasn’t quite up to his standards. He was too frustrated to concentrate on anything this morning it seemed.

Kaldur frowned. The boy was severely lacking in social skills. Despite the less than adequate first (and second) impressions, he had gotten some disturbing information from Robin who had told him everything he argued about with the boy the previous night. “I would like to return to the conversation from the other night. You clearly indicated you know something about my heritage. I would like to know the details.”

Damian didn’t want to do this. He revealed too much the night before. But this Kaldur seemed to be the type of person who wouldn’t give up until he got his answers. Hyde was stubborn like that too. And Damian did want to see his reaction to the information he had. It would help him determine if Kaldur was a villain or not.

“Have a seat,” he indicated the space next to him and continued to improve his sketch. Kaldur accepted the invitation and sat down. They stayed there in silence for several minutes before Damian spoke again.

“In my world you have a very different life, but I had the opportunity to meet your parents. Your mother is Xebellian. She really seems to care for you. She hid you from your father your entire life, even though it meant you were both far from water. Your power to control it is quite impressive, though on my world you lack the experience to utilize your abilities to their maximum potential.”

“It is alright,” Kaldur smiled at him reassuringly. “I’m sure the other me will learn everything he needs to in time. But what I truly want to know is why you told Robin my father was Black Manta.”

“Because your father is Black Manta,” Damian rebuffed. “I was there when you met him. He gives my mother a run for her money. I don’t see any physical differences between you and my version of Aqualad, so I must assume that your parentage is the same in this world.”

Kaldur looked skeptical but Damian could see that there was a spark of fear lying under his stoic facade. “Thank you. I will take my leave now. There are some things I must do.” Kaldur walked over to the Zeta-tube and punched in coordinates to Atlantis. In moments he was gone.

“What was that about?” Robin asked, walking over to Damian.

“He wished to confirm what you told him last night. I did. He left,” Damian stated coldly, as if giving a mission debriefing.

Dick was about to start arguing again when Artemis’ words reverberated in his brain. He breathed deeply in a method Batman had taught him to calm himself down when he was angry or upset and asked, “Mind if I join you?” as he sat down next to Damian and looked at what he was doing without waiting for a reply. “That’s a really good sketch.”

Damian eyed him suspiciously. “Who are you and what have you done with Gr...Robin?”

“Did super-serious angry Robin just make a joke?”

Damian glared and Dick decided to try again. “Well, I don’t know a Grobin, but I’m just me, trying to talk to my little brother from another reality. Anything wrong with that?”

“You know, technically we’re the same age.”

“Oh come on, I’ll be older in a couple of months.”

“Still doesn’t make you older than me on this Earth right now. But it is nice to know that you were short too when you were my age,” Damian quipped.

Bingo! Dick thought to himself. Something close to banter. He’s starting to let his guard down. So, just keep going with the brother stuff… “So I take it I hit a growth spurt at some point in the next couple years. Asterous!”

“Asterous?” Damian asked confused.

“Oh,” Dick laughed, forgetting that not everyone was familiar with his unique speaking style. “That’s just something I do. Play with words. If dis-asterous means something bad, then asterous should mean something good, right?”

“Tt,” Damian grinned. “Idiot. That’s not the way the English language works. Even if of all the languages I’ve learned, English is the one that makes the least amount of sense. It takes too much from other languages without reason, but there are observable rules to it.”

“I know, right? Rendezvous is french, kindergarten is German, tsunami is Japanese. It’s like a thief with too many choices at a museum so she just decides to take everything, ” Dick laughed. “When I was learning English as a kid I didn’t think it made sense either. What was your first language?”

“Arabic,” Damian said without thinking and immediately he saw it: the moment the pieces clicked into place and Dick’s jaw dropped.

“Batman and Talia?!” Dick whisper-shouted.

Damian frowned. And here he was having an almost pleasant conversation with this Grayson…

“So that’s why you were so angry with your mom during Batman’s interview. Heck, I hate Talia and I’ve barely had any interaction with her. And that would make you Ra’s’...”

“Yes,” Damian said irritated. “The Demon’s Head is my grandfather. My mother is a horrible person. I’ve already completely cut myself off from that part of my family. Can we please drop this now?”

Dick could tell it was a sore spot for Damian but he was so curious now. “That would explain the League of Shadows fighting style. You must have been raised by your mom, or at least within the League. But if you were raised with Talia and Ra’s, how’d you end up as my replacement?”

“Tt, I wasn’t your replacement. But you did give the title to me so I could be your Robin.”

“Wait, you’re my Robin? Does that mean where you’re from… I’m Batman?”

Damian was not sure if he should have given Grayson even that much information about his own world. “Just until father returned from being… on vacation. Then you were both Batman for a time. Now you’re Nightwing again. And again, that’s just what happened on my Earth. Things here are VERY different. None of that will probably come to pass.”

“I become Batman,” Dick grinned.

That shocked Damian. Richard had never wanted to take on the mantle of Batman. He did so out of obligation. This Richard, though, seemed almost excited at the prospect. “Only until I am capable of taking the title, Grayson. It’s my birthright… assuming I even exist here.”

“Sure, mini-bat,” Dick grinned just as the Zeta-tube lit up.

Recognized Batman-02, Superman-01, Captain Marvel-15.

Damian and Dick looked over to see their father, Superman, and Captain Marvel step through the portal into the cave.

“I just don’t see why we have to be here this early,” Cap was saying. “Aren’t the kids going to school soon anyway? I shouldn’t be needed here until, like, four at the earliest. After they get out of school.”

Batman and Superman looked at the red-clad hero oddly and he immediately got defensive for it. “What? School’s important. People get in trouble for skipping school…”

“Special circumstances,” Superman explained, deciding to ignore the Captain’s… interesting thought process. “We had a couple of unexpected visitors after you left the cave last night. We need to have them checked out on the Watchtower and try and find a way to send them home. It’s an all hands on deck type of situation. Since you’ve volunteered to be the Team’s temporary supervisor, you need to be there today.”

“Oh,” Captain Marvel sounded resigned and maybe a little disappointed. “Okay then.”

“Damian,” Batman turned to the boys on the couch. “You and Jon will be speaking with some of the League at the Watchtower today.”

Damian didn’t need further instructions. He nodded. “Jon is most likely still sleeping. I’ll get him.” He went to run and get his fellow dimensional castaway but realized he didn’t know where the younger boy’s room was. “Um…”

“Come on, I’ll show you where we put him,” Dick offered and led the shorter boy away from his mentor and back toward the living quarters.

Damian pounded on Jon’s door. “Get up, Kent, we have to go to the Watchtower and figure out a way home.”

Jon woke up almost immediately to the angry pounding on his door and looked at the bedside clock. “6:35?! Go away Damian!” He turned over and pressed his pillow over his head, but it did nothing to drown out Damian’s persistent knocking. After a few minutes Jon was fully awake and incredibly annoyed. He stalked over to the door and threw it open. “Do you know what time it is, Damian?”

“Time to go,” Damian deadpanned while Dick snickered behind him.

Jon groaned “Why do you constantly do this to me?” but he put on his uniform without much protest as he followed the boys, zombie-like, back to the Zeta-tube.

Batman and Superman were waiting for them. Superman seemed to light up upon seeing his son from another reality. “Good morning, Jon. How are you?” he asked.

“Tired,” Jon said through a yawn and stretch. “Hi Billy.”

Captain Marvel jolted at the sound of his real name. “What?”

“No names in the field, Jon,” Damian reminded the novice superhero. “The heroes here don’t seem to trust each other enough to share their identities. I doubt they know who Shazam really is.”

“Oh no! Sorry!” he apologized sincerely to the hero who was staring at him with wide, surprised eyes.

“Uh…” Captain Marvel started, eyeing Batman. “It’s okay. Just…” he started to whisper, “please don’t say anything to the League.”

“Only if we can hang out sometime,” Jon smiled and whispered back, knowing not to say too much with his dad able to hear everything anyway. “We can exchange notes on hero stuff! And play videogames!”

“We’ve got a long day ahead of us, kiddo,” Superman said as he tried to change the direction of the conversation. He could understand wanting to keep one’s identity secret. He still hadn’t told anyone but the people he most trusted in the League about who he was in his civilian life. Captain Marvel was maybe the most secretive about who he was out of costume of anyone in the League (well, maybe except for Batman, and even then it would be a tie). “We should probably get going.”

“Okay.” Jon sounded sullen, still guilty about his slip up with Captain Marvel’s name, but Damian seemed eager to get to the Watchtower. He was tapping his foot and everything.

“Let’s go,” Batman commanded.

“Is it alright if I come with?” Robin asked.

Batman frowned. “School starts in an hour.”

Captain Marvel frowned at the reminder.

With that being said, he activated the Zeta-tube and Robin slunk away with a little smirk “Can't blame a guy for trying, right?”

Batman, Superman, Captain Marvel, Damian, and Jon stepped through the portal and instantly found themselves aboard the satellite base known as the Watchtower. Even though both Damian and Jon had been there before on separate occasions, the view of Earth still packed quite a punch. Damian was good at hiding his awe but Jon ran right up to the viewing window and pressed his face to it to get the best view. “I forgot how awesome this place is!”

“Please. It’s just a satellite. Father’s moon base is much more interesting.”

Jon grinned at Damian, not rising to the bait while Damian crossed his arms with the usual scowl on his face. “Fine, this is impressive as well. Can we get going now? I’d like to be back on my own Earth before the end of this century.”

“Yes sir,” Jon said sarcastically as he turned around and mock-saluted his impatient friend.

Damian sighed and rubbed his temples. Why me?

“First thing we need to do is give you both physicals then we’re going to all have a meeting with several league members to try and figure out a way to get you home,” Superman explained to the boys then turned to Billy. “Captain, gather the league in Meeting Room 3. We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“Alright,” Damian said. “Lead the way.”

Batman led the group to the medical bay and introduced them to Doctor Michael Holt.

“Hello boys,” Michael said. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Do you mind if I do an exam, just to make sure there’s nothing we have to worry about regarding your health while you’re here.”

“Mr. Terrific!” Damian shot his hands up into the air in the universal sign of ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ “Of course! My father has been sending him on secret missions in the multiverse. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before. They must be looking for us by now. They probably just can’t find us. We need to figure out how to send some sort of beacon they can recognize to guide them to this specific Earth.”

“Damian,” Jon said gently. “No one saw us get pulled through that portal and the Titans had no indication that Kraklow was involved with reality jumping. There’s no reason they’d be looking through the multiverse for us.”

“You’re going to eat those words, Jon” Damian growled. “My father may not be looking for us here now but when all avenues are expended on our Earth he will look to the multiverse for answers and he will find us. We could help make the search easier from this end!”

“That’s something we can discuss at the meeting,” Batman broke in.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Damian groused, crossing his arms and pouting.

Mr. Terrific shrugged. “Alright. If you boys will follow me, we’ll begin with the eye exam.

“Is it alright if we stay for the results?” Superman asked gently.

“It’s fine by me,” Damian said nonchalantly to Mr. Terrific. “It’s not like you’re not going to be sending them real-time results of the exam anyway.”

Jon shrugged. “I guess. We’re all family, right?”

It was a fairly standard examination. Both boys were at peak physical levels for their age group and Jon was showing strength well beyond what Clark remembered having at his age. It was only when the boys were instructed to take their shirts off for a respiratory test that the adults noticed all of Damian’s scars, the most prominent of which was a nasty but healed gash over his heart.

“What is that?!” Superman asked, disturbed at the sight of what could have been a fatal wound on a child.

“Wow,” Jon piped up. “That had to hurt. What happened?”

Batman gave him a patented Bat-glare and Jon smiled sheepishly. He knew it was impolite among the hero community to ask about scars but Damian’s were really extensive.

Damian looked down at his scar. “That is proof that my father would go to the ends of the Earth and beyond to protect me.”

“That doesn’t look like he protected you very well,” Jon said with a bit of a sickened look on his face.

“Tt, he traveled to another planet and fought through a literal army of gods to save me. This,” Damian pointed to his chest, “is where father implanted a Chaos Shard infused with Darkseid’s Omega Sanction.”

That explanation just earned Damian a blank stare from everyone, including Jon. “The only words I got out of that were your dad and Darkseid. Why do you have something of Darkseid’s in your chest?” Jon asked worriedly.

“Who is Darkseid?” Clark asked.

“You haven’t run into him yet?” Damian looked surprised.

“He’s basically a gigantic, blue, immortal dictator from an extradimensional planet who can shoot omnidirectional lasers from his eyes and hates all life in the universe. Great guy,” Jon said sarcastically. “Just hope he doesn’t exist here.”

“Noted,” Batman said, filing that information away in his brain for later. Nevertheless, he didn’t like seeing so many scars on what was essentially his kid. “But that doesn’t explain why I would put something called a Chaos Shard in my son’s chest. Was it emergency surgery? That scar is…”

Damian smiled a bit at his father’s seeming concern. “The scar’s not from the shard implantation. It’s from a clone my mother created. The clone stabbed me. In the heart. And I died. The Chaos Shard brought me back to life.”

“You died?!” Clark and Jon shouted at the same time while Batman took a moment too long to take another breath.

“Tt, I told you about that the day we met,” Damian reminded Jon.

“I thought you were messing with me!” Jon shouted. “What the heck, Damian?”

“Please, I’m hardly the first Robin to die on the job. Are we done here?” Damian asked Batman with his patented annoyed but bored look.

For the second time in as many days, Bruce was unable to process what he had just heard. Damian had died. His son had died. Even if he wasn’t from this Earth, he knew instinctively that Damian was his, and the idea of him being killed hurt him with an almost physical intensity.

He couldn’t understand how Damian could be so blase about literally dying and he really didn’t like that he said he wasn’t the first Robin to die in his universe. Did that mean that Dick had died? He didn’t know if he could handle something like that happening in any reality. But Damian had mentioned the night before on the tapes he reviewed that Dick was alive and well, going by the name Nightwing on his Earth. Dick was fine, his doppelganger from that other Earth was fine, and Damian was here talking to him, seemingly unfazed by the fact that he had died. That didn’t stop him from worrying, though.

“Just have to check your heart and lungs and then we’re good,” Mr. Terrific was saying as Batman refocused on the boys’ checkup.

“Let’s get on with it, then,” Damian said impatiently.

Mr. Terrific performed the tests and recorded the results. With the exam finally complete, the boys put their shirts back on and followed Batman and Superman to the conference room where they would discuss options on getting them home.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
1:45 pm
The Watchtower

Jon was having trouble staying awake. He was doing his best to follow what everyone was talking about but there was just too much that went over his head. It frustrated him to no end that he couldn’t contribute to the conversation. Someone must have noticed because at the lull between when Damian was insulting Flash for not being able to build a Cosmic Treadmill and when Damian was trying to explain who Booster Gold was and how he might be able to help, despite his incompetent nature, Captain Marvel tapped him on the shoulder and asked him if he was hungry.

Jon actually was pretty hungry so the two snuck out of the conference room with a little wave to Superman to let him know they’d be back soon.

As they walked through the hallways of the Watchtower Jon looked around at all the technology. It was on par, if not a little more advanced than what they had back home. With all the advanced tech, the heroes of this world were sure to be able to figure out a way to get him and Damian back to their Earth. Though from what he was able to interpret from the meeting before he snuck out, no one had any workable idea on what they could do. Jon was starting to worry that this little excursion into the multiverse was going to last a lot longer than he was comfortable with. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Captain Marvel had asked him a question until there was a hand waving in front of his face.

“What?” Jon asked surprised as his eyes snapped to the taller figure.

“We’re here. At the cafeteria,” Billy said. “What do you feel like having?”

“Umm… what’s available? I’m not sure.”

“I’d recommend the chili dogs but the burgers are good too.”

“Those sound good. Uh, a cheeseburger, I guess.”

Captain Marvel grabbed a burger for Jon and himself and the two headed for a table in the back corner of the room. The cafeteria was mostly empty, with the majority of heroes being in the conference room trying to figure out a way to get Jon and Damian home.

“I’m sorry my kind-of-dad made you miss school,” Jon said before taking a bite of his burger. It was actually really good.

Billy shrugged. “Not the first time hero stuff got in the way of my normal life. It’s okay. My uncle knows about what I do. He’s usually cool about covering for me when things like this happen. I just like school, is all. Had a test on Greek mythology today. I’ll have to make it up during lunch and recess tomorrow, which kind of stinks but it’s not the end of the world.”

“Still, that’s a pain. Sorry.”

“Like I said,” Billy reassured him. “No big deal.”

“So, you have an uncle here?” Jon asked after another moment of enjoying the delicious burger.

“I don’t on your Earth? Are my parents still alive there?” he asked hopefully.

Jon, looking guilty, shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. You’re a foster kid. You have a nice family though, from what I hear.”

“Oh…” Billy frowned. He seemed bothered by that bit of knowledge. The two ate in silence for several minutes until Billy asked, “Do you think that’ll happen here? That I’ll lose my uncle and be put in the foster system?”

“No!” Jon said quickly, in a panic. He silently chided himself for giving up too much information about his world and making Billy worry. “You got your powers after that, so since you already have them here I think you’re fine!”

That seemed to make Billy feel better. Jon was desperate to change the current topic so he asked, “What’s it like working with the Justice League?”

That actually did seem to make Billy forget about the worrying revelation from Jon’s Earth. “It’s awesome!” He practically shouted with a giant grin. “We go on all these adventures and fight bad guys and totally get to save the world. It’s so much fun working with everybody here.”

“And having to keep the secret about who you really are doesn’t bother you?”

“Well, sure it does,” Billy said, his frown returning. “But if the League found out I was really ten years old, I don’t think I’d be fighting crime with them for much longer. I’ll tell them eventually. Maybe in like eight to ten years if all goes well.”

Jon laughed. “I don’t know. In my experience, secrets usually come out a lot sooner than you hope they will.”

“Well, I’m going to see how long I can keep this one going. I like being a hero. I don’t want to stop just because some adults think I’m too young to do what I’ve already proven I can do. What did your dad say when you told him you wanted to be a hero?” Billy asked.

Jon thought about it and frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever told him that. I do want to help people but I don’t really think I’m a hero… at least not yet.”

“What are you talking about?” Billy asked, “Didn’t you defeat a whole planet and save the day? That’s totally a Superman-level heroic act.”

“Maybe,” Jon said softly, staring at a grease spot on the table so he wouldn’t have to look Captain Marvel in the eyes. “I saved that planet with Damian but we got stranded here, I’ve done some heroic stuff with my dad, but I’ve also let a super villain manipulate me into turning against him. It was only for, like, twenty minutes, but still… And I accidentally killed my mom’s cat with my heat vision. That’s not what heroes do.”

A thoughtful look came over Billy’s features as he pondered Jon’s statement. “I have a feeling you were trying to do the right thing when that happened, weren’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“You’re still learning, Jon.” Billy was completely channeling his Captain Marvel persona now. “When I started doing this do you think I didn’t mess up? You think your dad didn’t when he started? It’s not going to come easily right away. You’re going to make mistakes, and a lot of them, but you have to keep pushing yourself to be better and never give up.”

Captain Marvel’s words were very similar to what Jon had told Damian the night before. He knew this already, so why was he being so hard on himself? Hearing it from another person, though, did make him feel better.

They had just finished their burgers when Billy got an idea. “Hey, I’ve got an Xbox in my quarters. Halo: Reach just came out and I happen to have a copy,” He said proudly. “Want to play?”

“Oh, heck yes!” Jon said excitedly. His dad didn’t usually let him play video games but… Halo! It was his duty as a kid to play any game in that series.

The two headed out of the cafeteria toward Captain Marvel’s quarters to avoid the meeting for another couple of hours.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
2:57 pm
Gotham Academy

Dick was so bored. Math was too easy and by the end of the day he just had no patience anymore. Wondering about what was going on up on the Watchtower had consumed his concentration during every one of his classes. He couldn’t stop thinking about whether or not the League had figured out a way to send them home yet.

He had finished his worksheet packet in his head within twenty minutes, but to keep up appearances he wrote out all his work and answers in five minute intervals to keep up with the rest of the class while he considered what his patrol route that night might be.

Now he was staring at the clock, watching the seconds countdown to 3:00 when the bell would ring. When it finally did he hurried out of his class and to his homeroom to grab his bag. The second the students were allowed to leave the building he bolted.

“Free!” he shouted as he jumped down the stairs leading out of the building and spotted Alfred in the Rolls Royce. He ran over to the car and dove into the back seat. “Hi Al! How’s it going?”

“Good afternoon Master Dick. It has certainly been a while,” Alfred joked in his dry British way that nevertheless always got a smile from the thirteen-year-old.

Though Dick had only met the man a few years ago, he considered him something of a surrogate grandfather and loved him like family. “Yeah,” he chuckled. “There was an incident at the cave last night and B let me stay over to make sure our uninvited guests didn’t cause any trouble.”

“Oh dear,” the butler said as he took a right out of the pick-up lane and began the drive back to the manor. Well, it was less driving, and more idling in the parking lot as every other kid and their driver attempted a swift escape from the learning establishment.

Dick was used to the slow exit from the school so he settled into the comfy leather seats of the Rolls. “Don’t worry. It was fine. We were all fine.”

“I do hope it wasn’t too much trouble for you, young sir. What kind of uninvited guests were they?”

Dick let out a long suffering sigh. “So, apparently, in another reality, Bruce has a bio-kid. His name’s Damian and, boy, does that suit him.”

If Alfred had been drinking water at that moment Dick was certain he would have spit it all over the windshield just like people did in those old comedy sketches. The look on his face was one Dick would cherish for as long as he lived. He never got to see Alfred lose his composure, even for one magical instant like the one that just occured.

“Am I to assume this child broke into the cave to reveal himself to Master Bruce?” Alfred asked after forcing his features to return to that of the stoic butler.

“No, it was a complete accident,” Dick explained. “He and his friend, who, oh yeah, is Superman’s bio-kid, were, according to them, stranded there by a wizard from another dimension.”

“My goodness,” Alfred said, exhaling slowly. “That must have been quite overwhelming for the boys. Though it would explain the mood Master Bruce was in when he got home last night.”

“Yeah right. The kid’s been perfectly whelmed for as long as he’s been here. He’s a jerk, but I guess I can’t fault him for that with a mom like Talia,” Robin commented. “His friend seems okay though.”

The car continued on in silence for several minutes before Alfred spoke again. “I’d like you to invite those young men to dinner tomorrow night.”

“What? Alfie, no! Why?” It was a gut reaction. Dick was just growing used to the idea of Damian living at Mount Justice, but the thought of him at the manor strained his tolerance. One pleasant conversation did not make them besties and the manor was Dick’s. Damian existed in his hero life. The manor was Dick’s safe place in his civilian one. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for Damian to exist there too.

Alfred gave Dick a reprimanding look through the rear view mirror. “Master Dick, the boys you describe must be going through quite a lot being away from their families. The least I can do is cook them a decent meal. I’d be surprised if that cave of yours has more than Pop Tarts and string cheese.”

“M'gann bakes cupcakes,” Dick said sheepishly.

“Tomorrow night at five o’clock sharp, Master Dick. Let Master Bruce know when you see him at the Cave.” Finally, Alfred managed to pull out onto the street and they were moving at a brisk five miles per hour out of the school zone.

“How do you know I’m going to the Cave tonight?” Dick challenged. He could never understand how Alfred seemed to know exactly what he was planning to do even before he had made up his mind on the matter.

Alfred just smiled at him knowingly through the rearview mirror. That, Master Dick, is a trade secret. You are going, are you not? Or am I mistaken?”

“No,” Dick pouted in defeat and slumped down in his seat, crossing his arms petulantly. “You’re not wrong.”

And on that note, the conversation ended. Dick knew you couldn’t argue with Alfred when he had his mind made up. He was worse than Bruce in that regard but he was the only person who could force Bruce to take care of himself and not overdo the vigilantism, so it was about an even trade.

“Isn’t that your teammate Artemis?” Alfred asked as they passed a tall, blonde girl in a Gotham Academy uniform walking home. “Shall I offer her a ride?”

“Yeah, that’s Artemis,” Dick said glancing out the shaded window of the car. “But ‘Dick Grayson’ can’t offer her a ride. Bruce won’t let me tell her I’m Robin. She knows me as Dick and she kind of can’t stand me. I go out of my way to be a brat around her so she won’t make the connection. It’s stupid, but you know Bruce.”

“Indeed. Don’t worry, Master Dick. Once Master Bruce realizes your friends are trustworthy, he’ll come around.”

“I hope so. I already know I can trust Artemis. She’s gonna be super pissed off when she finds out.”

“Language, Master Dick.”

“Sorry, Alfie,” Dick said with an embarrassed grin on his face.

The car drove on without stopping until it reached the outskirts of Gotham. When they arrived home, Dick flew through his homework, had a snack, and headed down to the Batcave to Zeta to Mount Justice and spend a few hours with his friends before patrol.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
2:45 pm
Gotham Academy

Artemis sat in math class as the final moments of the school day ticked away. She was having trouble with the final questions in her packet and looked around the room to see if she wasn’t the only one. There was Dick Grayson, the freshman who was so smart in math that he was placed in her class and he still looked bored out of his mind. She wouldn’t stoop to asking him for help. He’d probably require her first born child in exchange for it. There was Barbara Gordon, the police commissioner’s daughter and other scholarship kid in this sea of rich jerks. She was Dick’s friend but seemed a lot more down to Earth than the younger boy.

“Hey Barbara?” she whispered to the next desk over and pointed to the problem that was giving her trouble. “Do you have any idea how to do this? I’m plugging in the numbers for the terms but when I check it with the formula I get a different answer from when I factor and solve for zero.”

Barbara smiled and rewrote the problem with zero as the b-term. “The middle terms cancel out so you end up having to plug in zero here, so b is zero and c is four, not the other way around.”

“Thanks, that makes a lot more sense,” Artemis said gratefully. “I really hate quadratics.”

“No problem,” Barbara grinned. “It’s a really common mistake. Don’t let it get to you.”

After getting Barbara’s help, Artemis was able to muddle through the last of her assignment. Just as she completed the final problem the bell went off and the students in the classroom began piling into the hallway. Artemis followed the crowd out of the building and was soon walking through Gotham alone toward the apartment she shared with her mom.

When she was about two blocks away from her destination she was certain that someone was tailing her. Not being one to just lead an enemy to her home, she dropped her bag, pulled a knife from a hidden pocket, and challenged her uninvited guest. “You know, it’s not nice to follow people.”

“Aw, don’t be that way little sister,” a singsong voice came from above. “You’ll hurt my feelings.”

Artemis could feel her heart rate increase as she spotted a nineteen year old girl with jet black hair and grey eyes in a tight fitting, green wrap dress on the fire escape above her. The girl looked nothing like the blonde archer despite the two of them sharing the same set of parents. Her sister took after their mother with her obvious Vietnamese heritage. Artemis on the other hand, with her blonde hair and proficiency with melee weapons, was all her father (as much as she despised sharing any traits with him whatsoever). The older girl descended effortlessly from the fire escape and landed all too silently on the pavement below.

Artemis hadn’t seen her in several months, not since she tried to assassinate a doctor the Team was tasked with protecting. “Jade,” she whispered, unsure if she would be able to defend herself if she chose to attack. She found herself wishing she had her bow and arrows with her. The small knife would do nothing against her sister.

“How have you been?” the older girl asked. “Mom doing okay?”

Artemis frowned. “Why don’t you ask her yourself? She’s only two blocks away.”

Jade shook her head. “After so long… I can’t see her. She’d know I entered the family business. She’d be disappointed. That is, if you haven’t told her already.”

“Why would I tell her you kill people for a living? She never wanted that for us. When she came home after getting out of jail and found out you had run away she was devastated. How could you decide to become… this?”

Jade shrugged. “Like mother like daughter, I guess. When you grow up with two supervillains for parents there’s not a lot of career paths to choose from.”

“And mom lost the use of her legs for it. I found another way. You don’t have to do this,” Artemis said, hoping she didn’t sound too desperate. Despite what her sister had done in the past, she still hoped that she would decide to just call it quits and come home one day.

“But I like what I do,” the assassin said with a cheshire grin. “And the League of Shadows has great employee benefits.”

That got Artemis angry. “Why are you here, Jade?”

“What? I can’t stop by and have a chat with my little sister?”

“Not when the last time you showed up you threatened to expose me to my friends,” Artemis hissed.

Jade raised her arms in mock surrender. “Easy, em gái. I’m just here to talk. I promise.”

Artemis did not believe her. She couldn’t let her guard down, especially when dealing with Jade.

“I can see you don’t believe me,” Jade frowned. “So I’ll drop the act.” The assassin moved only a fraction, but so fast that Artemis could barely react to the needles thrown at her. She managed to deflect one with her knife but the other embedded itself deep in her neck.

“What did you do?” Artemis inwardly panicked as she dropped her knife and quickly yanked the needle from her skin. She knew that Jade’s signature was poisons.

“Relax. It’s just a bit of sodium pentothal with a bit of my own special blend mixed in,” the assassin said reassuringly, but Artemis was anything but reassured.

“Truth serum? Seriously?” Artemis all but screamed.

Jade shrugged. “Your conversational skills suck. I’m just helping you loosen up.”

Artemis’ breath caught in her throat as she watched her sister stalk over to her like a cat that had cornered a mouse and was now playing with it before the kill. Artemis turned to run but found her wrist being held in a strong grip. She looked up into her sister’s eyes with real fear and knew there was no getting out of this.

“You know I’d never hurt you, right?” the assassin reassured her, but Artemis could never be sure. “Now,” Jade said soothingly as she brushed a stray hair back behind Artemis’ ear, “tell me about the boys that showed up at your little clubhouse last night.”

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
5:00 pm
The Watchtower

Jon and Billy’s little video game break had turned into a three hour long marathon. They only stopped playing when they heard a knocking on Billy’s door and realized they had missed the entire meeting and dinner was being served.

Captain Marvel opened the door to his quarters to see an amused looking Superman on the other side. “I am SO sorry!” he apologized for losing track of time but Superman didn’t seem all that upset.

Clark had known where they were and saw that they were having fun. He trusted Captain Marvel; the guy was just a big kid at heart, so he decided to let them be until the meeting had ended. Missing dinner wasn’t an option, though.

When they arrived back at the cafeteria, Jon saw Damian and headed in his direction, but the older boy was livid that Jon would rather be playing video games than helping to come up with solutions to their problem. He stormed out of the cafeteria with his salad, without acknowledging Jon or speaking a word to him, and headed for Batman’s quarters. He locked himself inside when he got there, refusing to open the door until it was time to leave the satellite.

“That other you certainly raised an adorable little monster,” Hawkman teased Batman. Batman only glared in reply and Hawkman got the hint. He stayed far away from the vigilante for the rest of the evening. The Dark Knight made note of the incident, though. Storming off seemed like another one of Damian’s flawed coping mechanisms. The kid, as adorable as he was, needed to talk to someone, and Bruce decided to ask Black Canary for assistance in the matter.

“You okay?” Superman asked Jon as he watched Damian throw his silent tantrum.

“Yeah,” Jon sighed. “It’s best just to let him blow off some steam alone for a bit.” He turned around and stalked over to the food processors, obviously not okay with what had just happened. He wanted to talk to his dad, but the Superman here wasn’t his dad. This Superman might have had the same DNA and similar life experiences, but it wasn’t exact. He didn’t know what it was like to look up at the stars at night with Jon and tell him stories about Krypton and his adventures when he was a kid in Smallville. There was a disconnect somewhere, despite him being so kind and supportive since Jon arrived here with Damian.

Jon wished that Damian would stop being such a jerk, sometimes. He took a basket of fries and a milkshake to a table, but he wasn’t hungry anymore.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
7:09 pm
Mount Justice

Damian and Jon exited the Zeta-tube behind Batman and Superman after a day that was much too long and yielded far too few concrete results. There were so many heroes there who seemed to want to help: Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Flash, Hawkman and Hawkwoman, Mister Terrific, and several others who all seemed to have good intentions but could not come up with a decent plan to save their lives.

The Flash (after scolding Damian for breaking his nephew’s nose) revealed that he had actually thought up a concept for a Cosmic Treadmill several years ago but the project never got off the ground due to the technology required at the time. He did promise to try and give the project another shot when he had figured out the logistics.

Captain Marvel had said he would look into the mystical side of the problem. He knew the wizard that gave him his powers was a good place to start, and maybe he could track down this reality’s version of Kraklow too. Still, despite the hopeful look in Captain Marvel’s eyes, Damian wasn’t confident that Billy would be able to find a useful lead anytime soon. Despite having the Wisdom of Solomon and the body of an adult when accessing his powers, he was inexperienced. Damian could tell this version of Billy was very young. Possibly younger than Jon. He couldn’t have been a hero for very long.

Mr. Terrific had promised that he would look into the interdimensional beacon concept Damian had suggested, but he’d basically have to learn a whole new branch of theoretical physics in the process which would also take time. Despite having the equivalent of multiple degrees, Damian had never learned theoretical physics and so he could not be of any use to the heroes working on this angle of his problem either. He hated having to rely on other people to get him out of a bad situation.

At this point, he would be surprised if he and Jon got home within the next several months. All in all, Damian was feeling defeated, like getting shot on all sides with a barrage of arrows before a sword is shoved through your chest. Ugh! Do not go there! That was three years ago. I’m fine, he silently reminded himself.

Jon stretched. The morning had been so boring, filled with a lot of technobabble he could only follow about a tenth of the time. Damian had kept up just fine, though. Probably a result of all those degrees he had bragged about while spying on him just before their first real mission together (the one that got them both grounded). He sighed. They were so grounded when they got home. At least hanging out with Captain Marvel was fun. Maybe Billy could be his new best friend, because Damian was still giving him the silent treatment.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Jon?” Superman asked, looking worriedly at the small boy standing next to him.

“Yeah,” Jon said quickly, not wanting to show Superman just how uneasy this whole situation had made him. On top of Damian being mad at him, it had finally registered that they might actually be stuck here for a long time. A couple days he could handle. That was an adventure. His parents would understand, maybe be angry at first, but ultimately be proud of him for making it through and returning home unhurt. Any longer than that though… his parents would be worried about him. They were most likely already worried about him. Jon missed them horribly and it had barely been a day here. What if they never found a way home?

His heart skipped a beat as he thought of all the horrible possibilities that the unsuccessful meeting at the Watchtower implied. He may not have as much technical knowledge as Damian, but he could figure out that no one had any idea about what to do to help them in the immediate future. It would take a while if it happened at all. Jon took a deep breath to calm himself down but Superman had heard it. He could never hide anything from his dad.

Superman bent down on a knee so that he was eye-level with his son. He was still trying to wrap his head around that. He didn’t even think he could have children with anyone from Earth but here was the proof staring him in the face. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Damian will come around.”

“I know,” Jon said. “It’s not that. I’m just… I miss my mom and dad. We’re not getting home for a while, are we?”

Superman hugged the small boy before him. It broke his heart to see Jon in so much distress. Jon was hiding it well enough; maybe it was a skill he picked up from Damian, but Superman could tell he was upset, and it hurt him to see his son like that. “You know we’re going to do everything in our power to get you home, right?”

Jon nodded, but he wan’t sure that everything in their power was going to be enough.

Clark saw the Team sitting on the couches watching some movie on the giant television together and suggested, “Why don’t you join the Team for Movie Night and I’ll stop by tomorrow morning before work to give you an update on what’s going on?”

Jon eyed the group. It would be nice to have a movie night with everyone. “Okay,” he said and ran over to join the group. Conner had saved him a seat. He didn’t know why, but that made him feel better. Jon turned back to Damian and motioned for him to join them but Damian turned around to face Batman and Superman instead.

“So, best guess, what are our odds of getting home anytime soon?” Both of the adults frowned and Damian knew his answer. “That bad, huh?”

“Hey, B. How’d today go?” Robin asked with a chipper note to his voice, showing up out of nowhere behind Damian. Damian, to his credit, didn’t flinch.

Robin saw the faces of the three and deflated. “It’s gonna be a while, huh?”

Damian nodded. He was starting to feel sick and wanted to hit something, or someone.

“Well, then you’ll have tomorrow night free to have dinner with me and B,” Robin said, honestly trying to cheer the distraught boy up.

Batman’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Robin, suspecting his little trouble-maker was up to something.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Robin defended. “Penny One gave me explicit instructions to invite him to dinner. Him and Jon. He told me to tell you but I’m sure he’s put it in your day planner already.”

That made Bruce falter. He had gotten several messages from Alfred that day but with the meeting and League Business regarding the boys, he hadn’t had time to check them. “It’s fine, Robin. But it’s time to head home.”

“Yes!” Dick shouted enthusiastically. “I’ve been waiting all day to go on patrol. It’s been soooo boring.”

Somehow, the thought of Dick out on the street tonight didn’t sit well with Batman.

“Robin… I think we’re going to take the night off today.”

Dick’s face fell in disappointment. “What? Why? You never take a night off. Please, can we go out? I kind of need the exercise.”

“We’ll talk about it back at the Cave,” Batman said with a tone that left little room for discussion.

Robin picked up on the unspoken signal not to argue so he turned back toward the team and waved, a little less enthusiastically than he usually would. “Bye, guys. See you later, I guess. And if Artemis or Kaldur show up, tell them that they’re on popcorn duty next week!”

“Will do! See ya later, Rob,” Kid Flash waved from the couch as everyone else said their goodbyes as well. Dick headed over to the Zeta-tube to input the coordinates that would send him and Batman back to the Batcave.

“Damian…” Bruce began before the boy cut him off.

“It’s fine, Batman. I’m fine. Just keep me informed of the progress of our various plans. I’m sure my people are looking for answers as well. Between the two realities I have to believe someone will come up with something.”

“That’s a good attitude to have, Damian,” Bruce said, putting his hand on the boy’s shoulder in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture but it only served to remind Damian that this was not his father and he felt more alone than ever.

The two stood there in awkward silence. Finally, Damian couldn’t take it anymore and shrugged off the hand. “I suppose I will see you tomorrow for dinner then. It’s not like I can say ‘no’ to an invitation from Pennyworth.”

“Right,” Batman said, sounding less than sure about that. The last few times Alfred had tried to get him to sit down for a formal meal some disaster inevitably happened in the City. Bruce was starting to think that dinner at Wayne Manor was some sort of trigger for criminals making stupid decisions. “We’ll see what happens. I’m sure you understand that Gotham is a very busy place and Batman rarely gets to sit down for dinner. If there’s a crisis…”

“Tt. Obviously,” Damian said without a hint of irony. “I wouldn’t expect you to chose family dinner over saving lives. That’s what Gr… Robin is for. I’m perfectly fine dining without you.”

His response threw Bruce for a moment. Damian had sounded like that sort of thing happened a lot. “Damian… Do I, or rather does the other me, miss dinner with you often?”

Damian shrugged. “Fifty-fifty. It’s gotten better since you… he brought me back to life. But lately he’s been slipping back into old habits. We ended up having dessert over at Jon’s house recently… well, I did. Batman doesn't do dessert." he said in mockingly. "Though that incident did end with both of us incapacitated and Jon almost turning evil.” Damian saw the look on Bruce’s face and he felt he had to reassure his not-father. “Like I said, it’s fine. I don’t expect you to put me over Gotham.”

There was so much in that statement Bruce wanted to address: the fact that Damian sounded so unaffected by the missed family time, how the other version of him had been slipping into old habits of not spending time with his son, and what Dick’s role in his life was. Damian had said, when he interviewed him right after he arrived, that Dick was in his twenties and living on his own in Blüdhaven. Did Batman’s alternate-self just use Dick as a babysitter on that other Earth?”

His thoughts were cut short when Robin activated the Zeta tube. “Ready to go, B?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Damian,” he said gently, planning to talk to the boy about this when there was more time and less of an audience. He turned and left the cave through the portal once Damian nodded in understanding and Dick followed closely behind. Superman was the next to leave soon after.

The remaining Robin walked over to the couches where everyone was watching what he now identified as The Incredibles. He sat down next to Jon and whispered, “Sorry…” It was said so softly that only the Kryptonians would be able to hear but Jon didn’t respond. Despite that, Damian did notice that the younger boy seemed to become much less tense. Damian needed to figure out a better way to vent his frustration, preferably one that didn’t involve taking it out on his only friend. He decided that sinking into a movie and forgetting about things for a while was a good place to start.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, October 13, 2010
2:45 am
Gotham City

The lights of high rises and small all-night diners made Gotham City seem so much less foreboding and dangerous than it actually was. The gloom of the streets below the skyscrapers, however, made a perfect camouflage for unsavory characters to go about their illicit business. It allowed Cheshire to glide seamlessly through the most dangerous corners and darkest alleyways. Anyone stupid enough to confront her did not last the night.

She arrived at her destination to meet with a figure cloaked in the shadows that the night and architecture provided. Cheshire made a gesture of respect toward the silhouette and waited for permission to speak.

“How is your sister?” asked an amiable voice from out of the dark.

“Oh, you know. Alive. She’ll have one hell of a hangover in about twelve hours, though.”

“I’m glad the reunion went well. Now, what were you able to find out about the children?”

“They are the Robin and Superboy of their world. The Superboy, Jon, is the biological child of Superman and an unidentified human woman. Luthor may be interested in his genetic profile, but the boy could be useful to you as you proceed. I recommend contacting Luthor soon and coordinating with him before he finds out about the hybrid on his own. The last thing we need right now is the Light interfering in your plans.”

The figure nodded in understanding. “And Damian?”

“Robin is distrustful and seems to have a grudge against the maternal side of his family. He is confirmed to be who we suspected. The boy is focused on getting back to his original Earth with a singular, almost obsessive drive. He and Jon are friends but that friendship can be antagonistic at times. It may be possible to use their opposing personalities to drive a wedge between them. It could be an opportunity to get to him if that’s the option you decide to go with.”

“Very good, Cheshire. I think it is about time I met him.”

“How would you like me to proceed?”

“Get him out in the open, away from the protection of the League. I will contact him when the time is right.”

Cheshire bowed her head with a knowing smile. “I’ll set it up.”

The young assassin disappeared back into the streets. Her contact did the same. It was time to prepare for the upcoming meeting with Damian al Ghul.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010
6:07 am
Mount Justice

Jon woke to the sounds of Damian knocking on his door and calling his name. He looked at the clock, then grabbed it and threw it at the door. The unfortunate appliance practically disintegrated on impact. Damian heard a loud bang on the other side of the door but thought nothing of it as he continued his assault on Jon’s sanity.

It’s too early for this, Dami, Jon thought, practically wanting to cry at the injustice of being woken at this ungodly hour. He called out, “Go away, Damian! It’s six in the morning! How are you even functioning right now?”

Damian smirked. “Training time Jon. We, missed practice due to our unexpected visit to the Watchtower and we need to make up for it.”

“Come on, Damian,” Jon whined. “It’s six in the morning! Let me sleep. We can train later.”

The knocking didn’t stop. Jon put his pillow over his ears but with his super hearing it did nothing to muffle the offensive sound. Finally, Jon admitted he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep anytime soon. Damian was relentless and the ten-year-old was now awake whether he wanted to be or not.

He trudged to the door and opened it, glaring at the older (and shorter) boy. “It is not a good idea to upset a Kryptonian this early in the morning. I will break you.”

Damian almost laughed at that but managed to keep his reaction in check. “The only way you’re going to be able to come close to doing that is if you train with me now, so put on your uniform. I’ll wait. You have five minutes, then I’m assaulting your door again.”

Jon grumbled something under his breath about sadistic best friends and shut the door. Sluggishly he put on his jeans, jacket, and cape and exited his room. “Someday, in the very near future, I will make you pay for this, Damian.”

“Looking forward to it,” the older boy smirked and led his trainee to the sparring arena.

When they arrived, Damian thrust a thick notebook into Jon’s hands. Jon, who was still barely awake, looked blankly at the book. “What is this?”

“I’ve taken the liberty of creating common scenarios we may run into and several countermeasures for each. It will be your job to memorize the—”

“Damian…” Jon interrupted as he leafed through the notebook that was filled with page upon page of writing and diagrams that reminded him of football plays. “When did you make this up? We were at the Watchtower all day yesterday.”

“Last night,” Damian replied as if that were obvious.

The only reason Jon didn’t smack Damian right there was because he wasn’t sure the older boy was awake enough to actually avoid it in time.

“I expect you to memorize the whole book but for now let’s focus on scenario A1. I’ve made sure to take into account how your powers can complement my skills and experience so—”

“No.”

Damian blinked, completely caught off guard by Jon’s deadpan act of defiance.

“Excuse me?”

Jon sighed. “Damian, you’re exhausted.”

“Tt. I’ve worked adequately on less sleep than this.”

“When was the last time you slept?”

“I’ve been micro-napping.”

“Damian,” Jon pushed, again channeling his mom’s uncanny ability to dig the truth out of anyone.

“I’m fine,” Damian insisted.

“No, you’re exhausted. You need to sleep at some point.”

“Rest is for the weak. My father has trained his body to function normally on three hours of sleep a night. I’m sure I’ll be able to manage adequately with less.”

Jon didn’t look impressed. “You’re thirteen, Dami! That’s not healthy. Even Superman needs to sleep. Not to restore energy, but for his mental health, yeah.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not Superman. I don’t need—”

“Look, Damian, you can either go back to bed right now and fall asleep willingly, or I’m going to knock you unconscious and you won’t have a choice in the matter.”

“Tt, you can try!” Damian scoffed. “You may be stronger and faster due to your Kryptonian genes, but I’ve been trained since the day I was born to take down any opponent stupid enough to challenge me.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t been awake for the last forty-eight hours straight,” Jon smirked and cracked his knuckles. “You really want to do this?”

Damian took a fighting stance. “Sure. Entertain me.”

Jon frowned. He was faster than Damian, stronger, heck he could fly and shoot lasers out of his eyes, so why did Damian look so darn confident? But he couldn’t stop now. Damian was like a wolf, he could smell weakness. If Jon backed out now, he’d never live it down. What did Damian know that made him so confident? It was incredibly frustrating. Jon took a breath and resigned himself to whatever the older boy had planned. He hoped it was just bluster as he charged.

Damian knew Jon didn’t want to hurt him so his attacks would be slower and his punches would be pulled. He still braced himself to take one hell of a hit, though. Jon couldn’t move at his top speed or he might kill Damian when he hit him. Damian counted on that as Jon barrelled into him.

He allowed himself to fall backward and clapped both hands over Jon’s ears. On a normal person it would have burst an eardrum but it was just enough to cause disorientation in the younger boy for a moment. Impenetrable skin had nothing to do with the inner ear. Jon was shocked as he felt the sudden change in air pressure that made his head swim. For a moment, it was like his brain reset and without thinking he just stopped to try and clear himself of the odd sensation.

Damian used the sudden daze the attack had brought to his advantage and grabbed Jon’s cape. He pulled it violently over the younger boy’s head, blinding him as he spun behind Jon’s back and grabbed him around the neck. Damian sunk his arms in a strong, rear naked choke and waited for Jon to give up. He knew the choke wouldn’t do any real damage, but using it in tandem with the cape covering Jon’s face allowed Damian to stay securely behind him while his friend was blinded.

The thick cloth material around his head was making it hard to breathe. Jon was frustrated, blind and stuck in Damian’s grip. He acted on instinct and slammed his attacker into the ground. Damian let out an ‘oof’ as he was sandwiched between Jon’s back and the floor, but that was the only sign of discomfort he allowed himself to show.

Being on the ground actually helped Damian to sink the choke in tighter. He locked his arms around Jon’s neck more securely then buried his head in the taller boy’s shoulder blades. Jon couldn’t attack his head blindly and he couldn’t get out of Damian’s grip without severely injuring him. Damian knew Jon wouldn’t risk that, even at the expense of losing the fight. To his credit, Jon did not make it easy for Damian to hold on and he didn’t give up struggling for as long as the older boy was attached to him. After what felt like forever, but was in reality only about thirty seconds of letting the younger boy attempt to break free, Damian let him go.

Jon scrambled away from him and righted his cape. He stared down Damian with his own impression of the Batglare (and the older boy could admit, not out loud of course, that as far as Batglares went, Jon’s wasn’t horrible). “You’re such a jerk.”

Damian held no sympathy. He had warned him. “I bested my mother in combat when I was ten years old. I make it my business to know how to beat anyone who comes up against me.”

“Everyone but the guy who killed you,” Jon said without thinking and immediately regretted it. He had never, in all the time he’d known him, seen Damian with the look of hurt that crossed his face in that instant. The look passed immediately, as if it had never been there at all, but Jon had seen it. He had wounded his friend with that one comment far worse than any physical hit ever could.

“You shouldn’t talk about things you don’t know anything about,” Damian growled.

“Well, you don’t talk about yourself, and when you do you leave out a lot of details, so can you blame me for it?” Jon asked angrily. He was still feeling a little thrown off from the ear clap and subsequent wrestling match. He was angry. Jon couldn’t understand why Damian was being such a jerk, waking him up early, and doing a dirty move like that when he was just trying to help him. He’d need to sleep at some point! It infuriated him, and he still hadn’t completely forgiven Damian for throwing that hissyfit the night before. Jon didn’t notice the energy build up behind his eyes and was just as surprised as Damian when his heat vision activated and shot straight at him.

Damian was too close to Jon to react in time and took the blast straight to his chest armor. It knocked him off his feet and threw him three meters backward. Damian felt the impact in his chest. It was more like getting hit by a car, rather than like being stabbed or burned like he’d always imagined. He didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on it, though. As he hit the ground hard, his head bounced off the tiles of the sparring ring and the world went dark.

“Oh God...” Jon gasped and sped over to the boy lying prone on the floor. “No no no no no! Damian, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to! Don’t die… Please!” He didn’t know what to do once he reached the body. He was afraid to touch him in case it would cause more damage. He listened for a heartbeat. There was one. He let out a relieved breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Damian was alive, but Jon didn’t know how badly he had hurt him. He was about to run and find help when Damian coughed.

“It will take a lot more than that to kill me, Kent. I’m not your cat.” It was a low blow to remind Jon of the biggest mistake he ever made using his powers. He had completely obliterated Goldie, and it was something that Jon still felt guilty about.

Damian’s ribs ached but he pushed himself into a sitting position. When he saw the look on Jon’s face, he could barely keep the guilt from eating at him. The kid looked like he was about to break down and cry. “I’m fine, Jon. Father makes sure all our armor can withstand a shot from heat-vision.”

“You can be a real asshat, you know that Damian?” Jon whispered as he wiped away a few tears that had managed to escape his eyes.

For the second time in as many minutes, Damian was floored. “You swore.”

“Yeah, well, I’m allowed to when we’re trapped in an alternate dimension, right?”

That got both boys giggling a bit as the tension broke and they came down from the anger high they had just been on.

“Right,” Damian said. “Just don’t tell your dad I told you that.”

“It’s probably better advice to avoid the swearing altogether,” a new voice sounded from the doorway.

Both boys looked up at the newcomer dressed in a black leather bustier, high boots, and blue jacket, her wavy blonde hair left loose to frame her face.

“Black Canary,” Damian said and pushed himself off the floor.

“Are you two alright?” she asked the boys.

Jon nodded, trying to covertly wipe the last of the tears from his eyes.

“Good. Why don’t you go to the kitchen and get yourself some breakfast while Damian and I have a short talk.”

“Why do you want to talk to me?” Damian shouted in indignation as if he were defending himself before a punishment was handed down.

“You’re not in trouble. I just want to talk. I’ll be speaking with Jon too once we’re done.”

“Oh,” Damian said, trying to cover for his outburst. “Of course… Why?”

“We can discuss that in my office,” she said with finality. “Jon, I believe Robin has hidden some Lucky Charms in the back of the pantry if you’d like some.”

“Okay…” Jon wouldn’t say no to sugary cereal. “I guess I’ll see you in a little while, Damian,” He waved goodbye a bit unsurely as he passed Black Canary to head to the kitchen.

“Follow me,” the blonde instructed and turned without waiting to see if Damian would follow orders.

Damian debated for a moment whether he should do as he was told. He ultimately decided that she’d get him wherever she wanted to go eventually. It wouldn’t matter that he didn’t want to follow her. Besides, he just wasn’t in the mood for another confrontation this morning.

Her office wasn’t far from the training room. When Damian entered he noticed the cozy atmosphere, dim lighting, potted plants, and a large, comfortable looking green chair. She motioned for him to have a seat but Damian remained where he was. He wasn’t sure what she wanted and prefered not to get too relaxed.

“Your father asked me to speak with you, Damian. He believes you are having some trouble adjusting…”

Oh my god, she’s going to make me talk about my feelings. Damian stopped listening to what she was saying. He refused. She couldn’t make him. He glared and crossed his arms. “You’re a therapist on this Earth?”

“More like a counselor. I’m the team’s primary trainer, but I am available to anyone who feels like they need to talk.” She sat on the couch opposite the chair and motioned for Damian to take his seat.

“I don’t need ‘counseling.’”

Canary was impressed by the utter contempt in the boy’s voice. Batman was right to ask her to make an assessment of his emotional state. He was stubborn and angry, she could tell that right away. “Meeting with me is non-negotiable. You don’t have to talk to me, but it will make the next half-hour a bit less boring. Everything we discuss here will remain confidential. I won’t even speak to Batman about it.”

Damian huffed and flopped down on the chair but made no attempt to start a conversation. Black Canary noted his glare was eerily similar to Batman’s, but that only made sense seeing as he was the Bat’s biological son. That was so weird to think about. Everyone saw Batman as this almost mythical figure that didn’t have the same needs and desires as the rest of the world. It was a shock when he revealed he had adopted Robin but the fact that he had a kid out in the multiverse that shared his DNA almost made him more human in the eyes of the League. Though the same could be said about Superman now that everyone knew about Jon, too.

“I don’t see why I have to do this. This Batman’s not my father. He had no right to ask you to speak with me. I’m not currently doing anything dangerous that would require a mental health check. I’m not even from this Earth. You have no references for my life or experiences. This is pointless.”

“True,” Canary agreed. “You could fill me in on the background information if you think that would help me understand. You’re not going to need to talk to me for any trauma you might deal with from a mission, but you are still in a situation that is… not ideal. You’re far from home, unable to contact anyone you know even though you’re surrounded by people who look exactly like your loved ones. You might want to talk to someone about it.”

“Gee, way to make me feel better,” he spat sarcastically.

“All I’m saying, Damian, is that it’s a lot of pressure to feel like you have to get yourself and your friend home. Sometimes it’s okay to let others help you handle these difficult situations. A thirteen year old shouldn’t have to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders.”

“I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and Jon has shown progress in his survival skills since we first met. Even if we did not end up here and receive the assistance of the Team and the League, we would have figured something out eventually.”

Canary frowned. “Would you prefer we let you go out into the world to fend for yourselves?”

“You won’t even consider that option so the question is pointless. It doesn’t matter what I think we could do on our own.”

Dinah frowned as the kid skillfully avoided answering her question. She decided to try another track and circle back to the current topic when he felt more comfortable. “How many missions have you and Jon been on together?”

Damian sighed, resigning himself to the interrogation. “Three. Our fathers sent us on a survival mission our first time out together. We went up against Kid Amazo (which ended up with our being grounded). Then we got pulled into the living planet fiasco that brought us to this new circle of Hell… Unless you count the incident in Hamilton, but I was incapacitated for most of that… three and a half.”

Alright, that’s a start. “And how did those missions go? Smoothly?”

“Tt, obviously not. Jon’s still a child and barely has full control of his powers. I’ve been Robin for three years and have been training my entire life to do what I do. Jon is useful with his power set but he lacks the experience to use it effectively. I’m trying to train him but he has no discipline.”

“Bruce trained you from birth to be Robin?” Dinah asked, trying to mask the disapproval on her face as she wondered what Damian’s version of Batman could have been thinking.

“Of course not. My father didn’t even know I existed until I was ten. My mother raised me… more or less. There were assistants and tutors and things but she made me to be perfect,” Damian explained. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, “Then after I met my father she decided I wasn’t… I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

That was an interesting response. Dinah made a mental note to come back to that statement when Damian was more ready to talk about it. “We don’t have to discuss anything you don’t want to, but it might be good for you to get these feelings out in the open so you can confront them,” she suggested.

“How much longer are we going to be doing this?”

Dinah checked the clock and looked back to Damian. “Twenty five minutes.”

“And we’re going to be doing this every week?” Damian all but whined.

“For as long as you’re with us,” Dinah confirmed.

“And I can assume you have no idea how long that’s going to be.”

“I promise I will keep you informed of the progress that’s being made, but at the moment I have no more information than you do.”

“This is ridiculous!” Damian shouted and slumped on the chair with his arms crossed. “Father has never required me to go to ‘counseling’ and I don’t need to talk about my feelings. You can’t provide me with any more information about my current problem so what are we even doing here?”

“Some people find it helpful to talk. I’m not forcing you to do anything, Damian, just asking you to consider it. Otherwise we can just sit here for the next twenty minutes.”

“Or I can get up and leave,” Damian challenged and stood up so he could be closer to eye level with the woman sitting on the couch across from him.

Canary stood up as well. “Damian, Batman is worried about you. You may not be on the Team or even from this Earth, but from where I’m standing, you need to talk about all the shit you’ve been through or it’s going to cause problems down the road. I’m not going to force you to do this, but your father wants you to. It will be better if you don’t make me tell him you walked out.”

“Then don’t tell him,” Damian said disdainfully and walked over to the door. He put his hand on the knob but paused for a moment and turned back to Black Canary. “But you can tell that Batman (who by the way, is not my father) that if he wants someone to do something he should set the example and do it himself.”

With that, Damian threw the door open and came face to face with a girl who looked to be about his age. She was tall, with blue eyes and long, straight black hair left loose to fall around her shoulders. She was wearing what looked like a school uniform and in the instant he had before almost crashing into her, his brain told him there was something very familiar about her. Luckily, Damian’s reflexes were good enough to stop short before anyone got a concussion. The girl had her fist raised as if she was just about to knock on the door, but was startled by the sudden opening of it.

“I’m sorry,” she stammered, mere inches away from Damian. “I was hoping to talk to Black Canary. I didn’t know she was in a meeting.”

“She’s not,” Damian said darkly, turning his head to glare at the blonde woman.

“So… you must be the Robin from the alternate reality I’ve been hearing so much about,” she guessed.

“This place has terrible security. What, did the Daily Tattler sneak in here and blab to everyone about the exciting ‘Superboys from Another Reality?’” he exclaimed.

“I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret. I actually heard about it from M’gann,” she said apologetically. “And my dad was at the meeting on the Watchtower yesterday. Giovanni Zatara? Did you meet him?”

Damian shook his head. He vaguely remembered someone there who could have been a Zatara. He had the same fashion sense, with the top hat and dress suit of the classic magician. Wait… “You’re Zatanna Zatara?” he asked disbelievingly.

“That’s right!” she said excitedly and extended her hand to shake. “It’s nice to meet you.

She was way too young to be Zatanna. Zatanna dated his father for a short time when they were teenagers. She couldn’t be as young as Grayson here. Then a thought occurred to him. Damian could have kicked himself for not thinking of it sooner. Zatanna dated John Constantine too. Constantine knew a lot about non-conventional and weird magic. He might be able to help him and Jon get home.

“Why didn’t I think of it before?” He asked himself, no longer paying any attention to Zatanna as he walked by her, headed straight to the Cave’s master computer.

Zatanna watched the short boy rush past her, completely ignoring her offer of friendship. “Wow. Okay…” Zatanna said for lack of anything coherent to remark about the boy’s discourtesy.

Black Canary sighed. “Don’t take it personally, Zatanna. He’s working on it… Maybe. Come in. What was it you wanted to speak with me about?”

Zatanna entered the room and closed the door behind her. She stared Dinah down with a fierce determination that implied she would not be taking ‘no’ for an answer. “I want to join the Team.”

Chapter Text

Wednesday October 13, 2010
7:05 am
Mount Justice

Superman had come by before work to check up on Jon and Damian. He wanted to spend as much time with Jon as he could before they inevitably had to send the boys back to their own Earth.

“How you doing, champ?” he asked as he walked over to the counter Jon was sitting at in the kitchen. The ten-year-old was pushing soggy cereal around in a bowl with his spoon. It didn’t seem like he had eaten much of it at all.

The small boy looked looked like a sad, deflated balloon as he said, “Okay, I guess.”

“You sure about that?” Superman asked concerned about Jon’s obviously unhappy mood.

Jon let out a frustrated breath. “Damian and I had a fight. He’s angry about not being able to go home yet, I think. I don’t know. I mean, I know figuring out a way to send two people to a whole other alternate Earth can’t be easy and it’s only been a couple of days, but he’s not sleeping and getting really intense during training. And then I lost control of my powers again. I think I hurt him…” Jon whispered, staring off into space as the scene in the training room replayed in his mind; Damian taking the full force of his heat vision and flying backwards. He thought he’d killed his best friend. It was still terrifying to think about.

“What do you mean, Jon?” Clark asked gently.

Jon didn’t want to tell him. He’d be disappointed that Jon couldn’t control his powers. What kind of a hero accidentally injures their best friend? He wasn’t even under mind control! He just screwed up.

“Jon?” Superman prompted gently.

Jon sighed. He couldn’t keep secrets from his dad back home. This Superman would find out eventually anyway. Black Canary saw the whole thing. “I got frustrated.”

When Jon didn’t say any more, Clark waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts then prompted him again.“And? It sounds like something a little bigger than that happened.”

Jon frowned. “Damian and I were arguing. He was being a jerk and I didn’t realize what I was doing until he was already on the ground. I lost control. I hurt him. My heat vision just went off and I couldn’t stop it.”

Jon looked like he was doing everything he could not to break down and cry. Superman wanted to comfort the child but he had to get more information first. “Jon, I’m so sorry.” Keeping the worry out of his voice, he asked, “Is Damian alright?”

Jon nodded. “He’s talking with Black Canary right now.” He paused for a moment as if mulling something over in his head, then turned to Superman and asked, “Am I a bad person? I’m trying really hard, but I keep messing up.”

“Oh, Jon,” Clark said softly. “Of course not. You can’t think that way. I haven’t known you for very long, but I know you’re a good person. How long have you had your heat vision?”

“A few weeks,” Jon said miserably.

Superman nodded in understanding. “You can’t expect to master your powers overnight. Do you know that when my heat vision first manifested I almost burned down my parents’ barn?”

That made Jon crack a smile. “Yeah, that happened to my dad too. He’s told me a lot of stories about when he was a kid.” Jon’s face fell again at the memory. It made him miss home.

“Do you think my parents are worried about me right now?” Jon asked sincerely, trying not to freak himself out too badly. Damian had once told him about an alternate reality his father was taken to for a short time. The Superman there had gone crazy after being tricked into killing someone. Damian wouldn’t tell him who, despite Jon’s curiosity and frequent requests for the information. That Superman had taken over the world and turned it into a police state. Jon was still almost a hundred percent sure Damian was just messing with him. He couldn’t imagine a world where Superman was anything other than a symbol of hope. But his dad did get awfully scary that time Damian kidnapped him. Would he get like that with the whole world if Jon didn’t come home soon?

Clark sat down next to Jon so he could be eye-level with the boy. “I’m sure they are, but I also know that they have the full backing of their Justice League, and a Batman who misses his son just as much as they miss you. When a Kent and a Wayne get together to accomplish something there’s no stopping them. I’m sure they’re out there looking for you both right now. And I know you are going to get home. It may not be today or tomorrow, but no one is going to stop trying to find a way to get you boys back to your family.”

Jon nodded but still didn’t seem convinced.

“It’s okay to worry, Jon,” Superman reassured him. “But believe me when I say we’re working hard on finding you and Damian a way home as quickly as possible. Don’t give up hope just yet.”

Jon nodded “Okay. I trust you. I don’t know why I’m so down right now. I’m supposed to be the optimist! Damian is the doom and gloom guy. Maybe I’m starting to get cabin fever. I’ve already explored probably every inch of this cave but I haven’t even seen what the front yard of this place looks like. I haven’t ever been stuck inside for this long before.”

“You got to visit the Watchtower yesterday,” Clark said.

“But that was another small space,” Jon explained. “When we were living on the farm, I could go out into the fields and explore… everything. The world was so big. It’s… a lot smaller here. I haven’t even seen the sun since we arrived.”

“We live on Ma and Pa’s farm in your world?” Superman asked with a bit of a smile.

“Oh no,” Jon explained. “A farm in Hamilton, California.”

“Ah, so I buy my own farm,” Superman figured with a conspiratorial grin. “So, whose is better? Ours or grandma and grandpa’s?”

“I don’t know,” Jon said a little embarrassed. “I’ve never been to the farm in Smallville.”

Superman looked shocked. “What? Why wouldn’t I have ever taken you to the farm? Did ma and pa move to the city or something? I just can’t see them doing that. The farm is everything to them.”

Jon shook his head. “They… passed away before I was born. I’ve never met my grandparents.”

The usually unshakable smile that was a permanent fixture to Superman’s face dropped like a stone. The thought that his parents might not be around in this boy’s reality had never even crossed his mind. He stood up. “Come with me.”

“What? Why?” Jon asked surprised but stood up as he was asked.

“A boy should know his grandparents. And if my ma and pa are the closest thing you have, then I want you to meet them. We’re going to Smallville.”

Jon was stunned. He never in a million years thought he’d ever get the chance to meet his grandparents. “Awesome!” he shouted floating into the air in his excitement. “I’ll get Conner!” Without waiting for a reply he shot off to look for his big-brother figure.

Clark’s stomach flipped. He had completely forgotten about Conner. What was he going to tell his parents about him? Oh hi ma, hi pa, meet my clone who was created to kill or replace me. Yeah, that would go over really well. Clark had told Jon he would try to spend more time with Conner but the betrayal that went hand in hand with his existence was still too new, too raw. He was created with Clark’s stolen DNA. It still felt like a violation. How could he talk about that with his parents?

What was he going to do? He supposed the truth would have to be the best option for now, but he had time to figure it out before they arrived on the farm. Maybe an edited version of the truth? Clark pulled out his cell phone and dialed the familiar number to a farmhouse in Kansas. “Good morning, ma. It’s Clark… Are you and pa busy today?... Mind if I drop by with a couple guests?... Okay, great. We’ll see you in about a half an hour… Love you too. See you soon.”

It didn’t take Jon long to return with Conner. The larger boy was still a bit uncertain around Superman. He didn’t want to make a wrong move and drive him away after Jon had done such a great job of getting him to start acknowledging he existed. “So, what are we doing?” he asked awkwardly.

“We’re gonna meet our grandma and grandpa,” Jon beamed.

Connor looked like he had swallowed a lemon. “What?” he choked out. Conner wanted to be a part of Superman’s life but this was moving a little too fast. What if they didn’t like him? What if he did something stupid and made a bad impression?

Superman seemed to see the boy’s apprehension, such a mirror of his own doubts. It seemed to click then. This kid was like him, whether he wanted it to be true or not. Eventually Clark would have to deal with it. Today was as good as any to take that first step. He put a hand on Conner’s shoulder, hoping it was interpreted as a reassuring gesture. “It’ll be fine, Conner. They’ll love you. I’m sure of it.”

Conner took a deep breath. “Okay.” He looked down at Jon and smiled an unspoken ‘thank you.’

Jon scribbled a quick note to Damian and the three Kryptonians left the Cave through the Zeta-tube to the exit point in Smallville. When they arrived Clark quickly changed into his civilian identity. Conner was shocked at how mild-mannered he looked.

Clark extended his hand to Conner who had never seen his other identity before. “It’s nice to meet you, Conner. Clark Kent.”

Conner looked shocked. “That’s my last name. I swear, I didn’t know!”

Clark smiled. “It’s okay, Conner. I don’t mind. It suits you.”

Jon smiled up at his dad’s doppelgänger. He’d made a lot of progress in growing comfortable around Conner in the past couple days. He could still feel the tension there between them, but at least they were talking. And saying nice things, too.

Conner nodded and waited for his heart rate to slow back down. He had expected Clark to be angry for taking his last name. He was prepared to get defensive and tell him to blame Martian Manhunter for suggesting it, but Clark had just accepted it. That was weird.

“Alright, Kiddos. Time to meet the family.” The three of them got in a car parked by the Zeta-tube that was left for League use but was mostly used by Clark when he couldn’t fly through town. After buckling up, and being teased by the invulnerable boys about it (despite their using the restraints as well), they headed over to the Kent farm.

Jon was about as nervous as Conner looked. These were his grandparents (sure, an alternate reality’s version of them, but them nonetheless). The stories his dad had told him about Jonathan and Martha Kent painted them as heroes, and in a way they kind of were. They raised Superman; Jon and Martha Kent, two humans from rural Kansas. He was even named after his grandfather. What would he say to them when they met?

Jon looked over to Conner and squeezed his hand reassuringly. Conner looked down at Jon and smiled. It was filled with anxiety and nerves, but it made him feel a little better to know that Jon was just as anxious as he was.

Before long they arrived at the farm. Clark got out of the car and motioned for the boys to follow him. They stepped out of the car just in time to see the Kents come out the door of their farmhouse to greet their son.

Clark hugged his mother and then his father. “It’s so good to see you both,” he said with genuine relief.

“You know you can stop by anytime,” Martha reminded him. “It’s a crazy world out there, but we still worry about our son when he’s halfway across the country or saving the planet.”

“So, son, where are these guests we just had to meet today?” Jonathan joked.

Clark turned back to the car and motioned to the boys to come closer. They did and the Kents immediately saw the resemblance between the boys and their son.

“Clark?” Martha asked.

“Ma, pa. I’d like to introduce you to Conner and Jon Kent.”

Martha’s hand went to her mouth in shock and Jonathan just stared at the boys.

“Hi grandma. Hi grandpa,” Jon waved shyly as he watched the older adults stare at him like he was either the most interesting or scariest thing they had ever seen.

“How?” Was the only thing Jonathan could get out of his mouth.

“Why don’t we all head inside and we’ll explain,” Clark suggested.

Glad for a clear indication of what to do, Martha nodded and went over to the boys. She was normally not one to shy away from strangers, but this situation was just so odd. She didn’t know what to make of it. “Why don’t you boys have a seat at the table. I was just putting on some tea. Do you like tea?” she asked as she led Jon and Conner to the house and into the kitchen.

They both shrugged, looking at one another for help on how to act and what to do. When that failed they turned to Clark who seemed just as lost. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. Too late now, though.

“Now,” Jonathan began. “Why don’t you explain how we suddenly have two grown grandchildren sitting in front of us, son.”

“How do I start…” Clark began, trying to figure out what the best way to explain the boys, especially Conner, to his parents would be.

“How about from the beginning,” Jonathan advised his son gently while Martha took the kettle off the stove and began pouring tea for everyone. Jon and Conner thanked her when they received their cups and even tried to pretend they liked it when they took a sip of the bitter liquid.

Martha laughed and smiled genuinely at the polite young boys. “Oh boys, I love you for trying, but you don’t have to pretend. Clark made the same face when he was a kid trying to convince us he liked his vegetables. Here,” she grabbed some honey from the kitchen table. “Mix some of this in with it. It’ll sweeten it up. It’s local from next door.”

“Thank you,” Conner said as he poured enough honey into the cup to almost make the scalding hot water overflow. Jon grabbed the little glass container after Conner put it down and did the same to his own tea.

“Well, that is just adorable,” Martha commented to herself. “So,” she said as she directed her question to the boys, trying to make them at ease in her home. “Are you brothers?”

“Kind of?” Jon said as he thought about just what their relationship was.

“That sure sounds like a story,” Jonathan said, taking a sip of his own tea. He liked the bitter taste so there was no need to add anything like the boys did.

“It is,” Clark chimed in. “Jon’s from an alternate reality.”

Jon waved at them awkwardly again. He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t just make a coherent sentence around these people.

“Alternate reality?” Jonathan asked.

“Yeah,” Jon tried to explain. “There’s a whole bunch of different Earths all piled on top of one another with tiny changes to what happens to the people living in them. In one reality dad’s pod could have crashed in, say, Russia instead of Kansas, or Lex Luthor could still have hair. There are a billion possibilities. At least, that’s how Damian explained it to me.”

“That was a very good explanation, Jon,” Superman praised.

Jon and Martha had twin looks of surprise etched into their features. That had certainly not been what they were expecting, but then again, they have a son from another planet, so who were they to judge?

“So, what is your reality like?” Martha asked, a bit unsure of herself. Was that even an appropriate question to ask?

“Do dinosaurs roam the Earth and fight giant crab people for dominance?” Jonathan asked his new grandson with a hint of amusement.

“Only on Tuesdays,” Jon laughed. It was funny how one little joke could make someone so much more relaxed.

“And how did you end up in our neck of the woods?” his grandfather asked.

“Well, my Earth isn’t all that different from this one. Just that it’s about eight years ahead in time and some people are a little different. Like, Lex Luthor is a reformed villain and works in the Justice League with dad now. Dad even let him wear the S.”

“That’s the second time you mentioned him,” Conner said. “Who’s Lex Luthor?” He thought he had heard the name before but couldn’t quite place it.

“In this reality, he’s a villain,” Clark said seriously, warning the boys with just his tone that they should not trust the man. “That’s all you have to know. You stay away from him. He may present himself to the public as a philanthropist and a businessman, but he’s evil.”

“Aren’t all businessmen evil?” Jonathan joked.

“Not Bruce Wayne,” Jon defended. “He does loads of good things. Like, on my earth, he donates millions of dollars to charity, and he helps fund the Justice League. Not only that, he teaches all his kids how to… defend themselves.” He wasn’t sure if the Kents knew Bruce was Batman so he decided to keep what he said vague.

“All his kids?” Clark asked. “Not both? There are more than just Dick and Damian?”

“I should really stop talking while I’m ahead,” Jon said, mentally berating himself for yet again giving too much about his own reality away. And he thought he was doing so well just moments before. “Damian’ll kill me.”

“How many kids does Bruce have?” Clark asked gently.

“You have to promise not to tell him. Damian doesn’t want anything influencing his family.”

“Of course,” Clark said. “I’m just curious.”

“Um, so aside from Dick and Dami… Duke’s the most recent, and there’s Jason, Cass… There was Tim but he…”

Jon suddenly looked so sad and they all got the implication.

“That poor man,” Martha whispered, thinking about how much her son’s best friend had lost on this other Earth. They all held silent for a moment, unable to continue with the conversation.

When the silence had gone on long enough, Conner looked to the Kents and noted, “You’re taking this a lot better than I was expecting.”

“Sweetie,” Martha grinned. “You’re talking to the people who found an alien baby out in a cornfield and decided to adopt him. Not a lot shocks us anymore.”

Conner had known that Superman had come to Earth as a baby and grown up among humans, but he had never heard the whole story. “So, you just found a random baby in a spaceship and said, ‘Hey, I think I’ll keep it?’”

“Pretty much,” Jonathan nodded.

“And we still love him to death,” Martha added with a nostalgic smile.

Conner liked these people. They were nice. It took a special kind of crazy to take a Kryptonian in, and these people had it, just like his Team.

“Are you from an alternate reality as well, Conner?” Martha asked innocently.

Conner startled at the question. What was he supposed to say to that? ‘I was grown in a lab to kill or replace your son?’ No. There was no way in hell he was telling them that.

“Ma, pa… Conner is my…”

“Please don’t,” Conner stood up, his eyes pleading with Clark to not tell them. His tea sloshed over the edge of his cup when he moved and it would have burned his hand had he been completely human. Luckily his Kryptonian genes prevented that.

However, it didn’t prevent Martha from rushing over to him with a towel and a look of worry. “Your hand! Are you alright?”

Conner looked down at his hand, confused.

“It should have burned you, man,” Jon piped up helpfully. “It’s alright, grandma. We don’t get injured easily.”

Martha looked at Conner’s hand in shock, expecting to see a second degree burn, but it was like he had just run his hand under tepid tap water. He was fine.

Martha blushed. “Oh my goodness, I’m sorry. You’re Kryptonian, obviously that wouldn’t hurt you. It’s so easy to forget when Clark’s been the only one for so long.” She brushed away a tear from her eye, trying not to be so emotional about the whole thing. “It’s just we’ve been so worried about Clark. He’s been alone his entire life, knowing that he’s the last Kryptonian in the universe. The only people like him are those horrible criminals from the Phantom Zone. But now he has you.”

“And Kara,” Jon interjected and immediately regretted opening his mouth.

“Who’s Kara?” Clark asked.

“You mentioned her before,” Conner added.

Jon wasn’t sure if he should say more or if knowing Kara was out there somewhere trapped in space would just upset Clark. “I don’t know if I should say…” Jon was certain that a version of Supergirl was out here somewhere floating around in space, just like back home, but once he told them about her, he was sure his dad would go out looking for her. That would take away from whatever he was doing to help get him and Damian home. Kara’s ship was going to land on Earth eventually and she was fine in stasis. Was it being selfish that he wanted Superman’s focus to be on getting him home? Probably, but Jon steeled himself and tried to sound reassuring as he said, “You’ll meet her eventually, but I shouldn’t say any more. Spoilers, right?”

“If you say so, Jon. I trust your judgement,” Clark smiled and Jon felt the guilt of his action wash over him like the smell of a stinky gym sock. One problem at a time, he tried to convince himself.

“Who wants some pie?” Martha asked. “I baked it fresh this morning.”

“Ooh! Me!” Jon raised his hand eagerly, grateful for the change of subject.

Martha smiled and brought out plates.

Conner couldn’t believe it. Had he actually managed to avoid the subject of his creation? Did Mrs. Kent offer pie deliberately as a distraction? If she did, she was officially the coolest grandmother ever.

As Martha began cutting into the blueberry filled pastry, Conner began to worry that the conversation would swing back around to him, so he asked Jon a question that had been bothering him since the boy showed up at the Cave. “When did your powers start to manifest?” It was something he was genuinely curious about but hadn’t been able to ask before now. “It’s just, you have strength, flight, heat vision, speed and you’re ten. I can’t even fly yet. I just don’t get it.”

“Um… I dunno,” Jon said as he thought about it. “That’s weird. I would have gotten my powers even earlier but there was some craziness with a super villain and the people in my town…”

“You’ve got to tell us about that,” Conner insisted.

The family continued to talk and bond for several hours and in that whole time the conversation never once returned to the topic of Conner’s origin. He could feel the relief grow more and more as every minute passed without him having to tell what were essentially his grandparents what he actually was. When Martha suggested that Clark take the boys around town and show them the places he used to frequent as a boy, Conner was the first to support the idea.

“I’m definitely in!” Jon agreed excitedly as he helped wash the dishes. Conner, who was drying, looked to Clark to gauge his enthusiasm for the outing. He still wasn’t completely confident that Superman would want to spend time alone with him, even if it was with Jon too, but he didn’t seem terribly disappointed by the thought of spending more of the day together.

Clark had wanted to show the boys his hometown anyway. “I like that idea too,” he agreed. “Come on you two. Let’s get going while people are still at work. Ma, pa, we’ll be back in a few hours.”

“You boys have fun,” Jonathan said, putting his arm around his wife and just committing the sight of his boy with his grandkids to memory.

“Thanks, pa!” With that the three super-powered Kents headed out the door.

Since Conner couldn’t fly, Clark drove the boys to the outskirts of town. They parked on the edge of a cliff that had a gorgeous view of the foliage growing below.

“What is this place?” Jon asked.

Clark took a breath and held it for a moment, as if considering how to answer that very question. “When I was a boy, I used to come here a lot. Back then it was just a dead hole in the ground. All these trees have grown in since. This is one of the scars my home planet left on the Earth after it was destroyed.”

Conner understood first and almost gasped. “Kryptonite?”

“Just a small piece, but it left a large impact,” Clark explained, looking over the mile wide, hundred meter deep impact crater that was slowly being reclaimed by the land. “Come with me,” he instructed the boys as he began climbing down the steep incline.

He stopped at a rocky surface about twenty meters from the top and almost immediately Conner noticed initials carved into the rock. “CK Loves LL? Please tell me that’s not for Lex Luthor,” he risked joking.

“Ha. Ha.” Clark said sarcastically.

“No, I bet it’s mom!” Jon said excitedly. “Have you and mom have known each other since you were kids?” Jon asked.

“Is your mom Lana Lang?” Clark asked curiously.

Jon shook his head. “Of course not. Mom is—”

“No, don’t tell me!” Clark cut him off quickly. “I shouldn’t know anything that might affect my future with her.” It might have been a little late for that, though. There was only one other LL that he could think of spending his life with. Clark looked at the carving with a nostalgic air. “But this… Lana was my boyhood crush. I really thought I was in love with her.”

Conner looked at Clark almost with a new sense of familiarity. He hadn’t ever thought of Superman as someone who had the same girl problems as everyone else. It almost made Conner think of him as someone he could talk to about normal, mundane things like that. Then Conner remembered that Superman didn’t talk to him unless Jon was around. Well, it was a nice idea while it lasted.

“How is aunt Lana doing on this Earth?” Jon asked innocently. “Did she get super powers and become Superwoman here too?”

Clark stared at the ten-year-old dumbstruck. “She what?!”

Damian had been at the computer for hours and could not find a single hit on anyone named John Constantine in this world. Either he was very good at hiding himself or he did not exist here. Both options were unfortunate and Damian being stuck in the cave meant he couldn’t go out into the world to search for him himself. He didn’t have the first clue on how to make an interdimensional beacon either so he’d have to put his trust in Mr. Terrific to do that. Same with the Cosmic Treadmill. Despite having the equivalent of several PhDs, Damian didn’t have the first clue where to start on trying to recreate that piece of technology.

The thirteen year old gave a frustrated huff and began wandering around the cave in search of Jon. Maybe together they would be able to gain some sort of inspiration in regards to fixing their current problem, or at least together they could stave off the boredom while everyone was at school.

A thorough search of the cave yielded no ten year old super being but Damian did find his note:

Dear Dami,
Gone to meet my grandparents. Be back soon\at some point. Get some sleep!
-Jon
P.S. I am not above going to Alfred over this so you’d better do it!

Damian crumpled the note and threw it in the garbage disposal. “That traitor…” Damian grumbled and decided to hack into the security feed to see just how long it took his partner to decide to abandon him. Fifteen minutes later he found himself disappointed to learn that Superman had taken Jon and Conner through the Zeta-tube to Smallville barely ten minutes after arriving, while Damian was still in his pointless meeting with Black Canary.

Damian screamed in frustration and kicked the base of the computer console with his green steel-toe boot.

“Are you alright?” came a voice from the doorway.

Damian looked up to see Zatanna standing there looking worried.

“I’m fine!” Damian growled.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

“I am so done with talking,” Damian muttered.

“I can understand that,” Zatanna said. “A couple days ago I went on my first real mission and my dad will not stop asking me if I’m okay or if I need to talk about my feelings after being in danger, but I’m really fine. Better than fine actually. I’d like to go back into the field in the future. But that might not happen if my dad has any say in it. He’s a little over-protective.”

“My father didn’t want me in the field when I first met him,” Damian confided. “He was afraid I would kill people.”

Zatanna laughed at what she thought was a joke from the younger boy.

“Ridiculous, right?” Damian smiled halfheartedly, remembering a severed head and his father’s anger.

“So you’re from an alternate dimension?” she asked.

Damian nodded.

“What’s it like? Is it very different here?”

Damian shrugged. “It’s similar, but I can’t really say definitively as I haven’t observed anything beyond the confines of this cave and the Watchtower.”

“Ugh,” Zatanna commiserated. “I hate house arrest. When do you get to go out?”

“I’m supposed to have dinner with Batman tonight.”

“Well, that’s cool,” she smiled.

“Have you ever run into a wizard named John Constantine?” Damian asked, abruptly changing the subject.

“Um… no. Why? Who is he?”

Damian sighed as his hopes of finding Constantine died their final death. “No one,” he said disappointedly. “Just someone who might have been able to help me get home.”

“Oh.” Zatanna could feel for the younger boy. He seemed so lonely. “Can I show you something?”

Damian immediately grew suspicious. “What?”

“Come with me,” she said and grabbed his hand.

Damian managed to keep from striking her on reflex and allowed her to lead him out of the room. He had no idea where she was taking him until they turned a corner and ended up in a room filled with odd knickknacks.

“Kid Flash likes to take trophies from each mission.”

“Like a serial killer. Good to know.”

Zatanna laughed. “Or like a total geek. They’re his ‘souvenirs,’” she said, bending her fingers for air quotes. “Anyway, a while back the team tried to help Kent Nelson. He didn’t make it,” she said sadly, “but Wally brought back this.”

The magician removed a golden helmet from the shelf and showed it to Damian. “The helmet of Doctor Fate. The person who wears the helm is possessed by Fate and becomes his host body. You should never put it on, though. The next person who does will never get their life back.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Damian asked sounding slightly annoyed.

“Just saying, Doctor Fate is a Lord of Order. He’s the most powerful magic user on the planet. If we do end up with someone wearing the helmet in the future, he may be able to help you out.”

It was true. She had a good idea, but Damian couldn’t imagine anyone willingly giving up their life to a Lord of Order so this option was not high up on his list of possible solutions to his problem. “Thank you for the idea,” he said anyway.

Zatanna beamed. “See, I knew you couldn’t be as bad as your first impression made you seem.”

Damian huffed but didn’t mind Zatanna’s playful remarks. He could see how she could be one of his father’s oldest friends.

“Well, I have to get back to New York. If dad knew I skipped school to come here I’d be under house arrest until I’m thirty.”

“I did want to ask you…” Damian started, since she brought it up. “Are you actually a teenager or is it like some sort of youth spell?”

Zatanna looked at him, confused. “I’m not quite sure what you’re asking. I’m fourteen.”

“Alright. Nevermind,” Damian said. He believed her. Few people could fake the amount of genuinely surprised confusion that Zatanna seemed to display when he asked his question. “Why did you skip school to come here?” Damian changed the subject.

“I wanted to talk to Canary about helping me convince my dad to let me officially join the Team.”

Damian nodded. He could understand that. “You’ll make a fine addition, I’m sure.”

Zatanna smiled again. “Thanks! I guess I’ll see you around.” She put Doctor Fate’s golden helmet back on the shelf and turned to leave. “Have fun tonight with Batman!” she shouted before running off to Zeta back to New York.

Damian eyed Fate’s helmet one last time before heading out of the Trophy Room himself. He decided to spend the next few hours training. There was nothing better to do.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, October 13, 2010
11:30 am
Smallville, KS

Clark, Conner, and Jon were actually having a really great day. When it became evident that they would not be heading back to Happy Harbor anytime soon, Clark called Conner’s school to excuse him for the day.

Conner was not expecting that. He knew that Batman had set it up so that Superman could act as a legal guardian in an emergency but to do something so mundane as to excuse him from a day of school… well, it was weird, like it was too unimportant for Superman to deal with. Superman fought the world’s greatest threats. But at the same time, that one little call made Conner feel like he might not be so irredeemable in the eyes of his hero.

“Just one more call,” Clark explained cryptically as he dialed another number on his cell. It rang twice before being picked up.

“Hi. It’s Clark Kent… I just wanted to let you know that there’s been a family emergency and I won’t be able to make it in today… yes, I’ll be using a personal day… Yes… Can you let her know?... Great, thank you.”

Clark ended the call and slipped his cellphone back into his pocket. “There. Now we’ve got the whole day. What would you boys like to do?”

Superboy was momentarily stunned. Did he really just say that he would willingly spend the whole day with them? With him?

“Can we see where you went to school?” Jon asked enthusiastically.

“Um… I could go for lunch back at the farmhouse,” Conner added with just the barest hint of uncertainty in his voice. Superman would probably decide to do what Jon wanted but he was getting a bit hungry after the morning of climbing the meteor crater. He really had to learn to fly.

“We can do both,” Clark grinned. How about lunch first and then we’ll head back out to explore the town some more?”

“Sounds good,” Jon said with a wide grin on his face while Conner nodded, a little dumbfounded that his choice of activity was being given priority.

The three were about to head back to the farm when Clark’s phone buzzed. “Just a sec, boys,” Clark said as he took out his phone and hit the accept button. “Hi, Lois! How are you?”

Jon’s heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. It was his mom. Well, not really his mom, but still, that was her voice. It made his stomach twist in knots to hear her and know that she would never recognize him if she saw him. Even so, it still comforted him to hear it.

“Don’t you dare ‘Hi, Lois’ me, Smallville,” Jon heard Lois say on the other end of the line, sounding very angry. “Or did you forget that our piece on the incident in Yellowstone is due today? I’ve spent three days getting all the information I could and you’ve been sneaking off to God knows where for most of our investigation. It definitely wasn’t a natural disaster. There were several Capes involved from what I’ve been able to dig up. Are you even in Wyoming anymore?”

“Actually… There was a family emergency and I had to—”

“Oh my God. Are Jonathan and Martha okay?” She asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

“They’re fine,” Clark said quickly. “I just… some family unexpectedly showed up a couple days ago and—”

“That’s it? You left me to go have a family reunion?”

“Lois,” Clark said patiently. “These kids… they’re from my side of the family.”

“What are you…” Lois began, but after a moment, what Clark said registered clearly. “Oh… really? And they just showed up out of nowhere? How can you be sure?”

“Trust me, I’m sure.”

“Can I meet them?”

Clark hesitated. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Lois.”

“Oh, come on, Smallville! It’s not every day you get to meet mysterious new relatives.”

“It can’t be today, anyway. We’re visiting my parents and—”

“Oh good! I’ll join you. I’ve been wanting to use my frequent flyer miles for a while. We can have dinner together.”

“Lois, I…”

“Please, Clark,” Lois said, much more gently than she had spoken during the entire conversation so far. “I miss you. I haven’t seen your parents in ages and I really want to meet these relatives of yours.”

Clark looked at Jon and Conner, trying to silently ask if they would be okay with him saying yes to her request. Conner didn’t mind meeting someone from Clark’s civilian life so he shrugged and nodded. Jon had a conflicted look on his face. How hard would it be to see his mom here? Finally, the desire to see her, even if she didn’t know him, won out over the potential pain that seeing her might bring. He nodded.

“Okay, Lois. Can you be here for a six o’clock dinner?”

“Booking my flight now. I’ll be there around four thirty. Just send me whatever you wrote so far for the piece. I’ll incorporate it into the article on the plane and email it to Perry. Can you pick me up from the airport?”

“I’ll be there. See you soon.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too.”

The call disconnected.

“Girlfriend?” Conner asked, though it was pretty obvious what the answer was already.

“She doesn’t know, does she? Who you are?” Jon cut in.

“Not yet,” Clark said, conflicted.

“She can handle it, you know.”

Father and son looked out at the open expanse of green filling the massive hole in the Earth.

“I know,” Clark said. “She’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. It just terrifies me to let her into my world. Humans are so fragile. There’s so much more danger when I’m wearing the cape. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost her.”

“Humans are a lot less fragile than you think,” Jon advocated. “Just look at my best friend.”

Conner laughed. “Bat-children may be the exceptions to the rule. But I agree with Jon. It might not be my place to say, but I think she deserves to know the truth. If you love her then you should trust her with who you are.”

Clark smiled. “Thanks boys.” He put a hand on each of their shoulders. “Now, let’s head home for that lunch and let Ma and Pa know they’ll be having some extra guests for dinner.”

1:30 pm
Mount Justice

Damian was bored. He was so bored he almost couldn’t stand it. This was worse than stakeouts, even worse than being stuck in the Batcave when he should be out patrolling. At least those activities served a purpose. This was just tedious, time wasting, horrible, boring, uselessness. There wasn’t nearly enough to do in the Cave with no one there. He refused to speak with Black Canary on principle even though she was there all day keeping an eye on him. If he wasn’t certain she would track him down and tie him up if he stepped outside the cave, he would have hacked the Zeta-tube and gone exploring Happy Harbor hours ago.

He had trained most of the morning, drawn for hours, hacked into the League Database to familiarize himself with this Earth’s villains, and played with Wolf. He became so desperate to relieve the boredom that he even watched a movie. Well, less watched the movie and more contemplated how he would make Jon pay for leaving him alone here while he stared at the ceiling and the movie played in the background because there were no decent movies like ‘Twelve Angry Men’ in the cave, just CGI heavy blockbusters like ‘Avatar.’ In the end he settled for ‘Sherlock Holmes.’

His exhaustion finally overwhelmed him and he fell asleep barely fifteen minutes into the movie. He had desperately needed the rest and even though he never usually fell asleep in public or unfamiliar places, his body didn’t care anymore. It needed a recharge and it was going to get it whether Damian liked it or not.

Eventually, Damian was jolted awake by the sound of the Zeta-tube lighting up to announce Aqualad’s arrival. It was the most exciting thing to happen all day and that made Damian incredibly depressed.

Kaldur stepped out of the portal to a room devoid of all life except for one angry looking Robin staring at him like some child from a horror movie. “Damian, it is good to see you,” he said, attempting pleasantries.

“Aqualad,” Damian nodded. “How did your information-gathering go?”

Kaldur smiled. Of course the kid would have known he went to find as much information as he could to back up his claims. “I had a very informative conversation with my mother and my king. What you told me was indeed true. It was unnerving to find that my heritage is so stained, but Aquaman has reassured me of his trust.”

“That’s good to hear,” Damian said honestly. “Are you here to see the Team? Because they’re all at school.”

“I actually came to speak with Black Canary,” Kaldur explained.

“Ah, yes. My jailer. She is in her office. Spying on me as we speak, no doubt.”

“No, I was expecting Kaldur so I’m here to meet him,” Dinah said patiently, appearing seemingly out of nowhere but playing it off as if she had been standing there the whole time. “I don’t spy on you, Damian. You’re more paranoid than your father.”

Damian cringed. He hadn’t noticed her enter the room and couldn’t tell if it was due to her skill in stealth or his own faculties wasting away due to boredom and being trapped in this useless place. “Paranoia keeps people alive,” he shot back.

Suddenly the Zeta-tube activated again and Roy Harper stepped through.

“Roy!” Dinah lit up upon seeing her pseudo-son.

“Hi Dinah,” he waved at Black Canary through the handful of clothes he was carrying. “How’ve you been? Ollie still being an ass?”

Dinah frowned. “Roy…”

“No, it’s fine. I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to deal with my Arrow issues. I actually like you.”

That at least got her to smile again.

“So,” Roy continued, changing the subject. “I brought some civilian clothes for the new kids since we have no idea how long they’ll be stuck here and they only have their costumes and some sweats to live in.”

“That’s actually really nice of you, Roy,” Dinah grinned.

Damian jumped at the opening in the conversation. “Does this mean I could leave the Cave for a while?”

“While I’m sure you could take care of yourself, Damian, I don’t think leaving right now would be a good idea.”

“Jon got to leave!” Damian said indignantly. “It’s not like I’m going to run away. You all are my best shot at getting home anytime soon.”

“Still,” Dinah explained. “You don’t know this Earth and if something happened out there, we wouldn’t want you to be alone to deal with it. Jon’s with Superman right now so we know he’s in good hands.”

“Then you come with me. I will tolerate a chaperone on this occasion if it will allow me out of this cave.”

Dinah huffed at the little boy’s obstinance. “Damian, I have a meeting. I don’t have time to take you on a field trip right now. Wait a few hours and the team will be out of school. I’ll let them show you around town then.

“I could take him into town for a few hours,” Roy volunteered.

“There,” Damian said smugly. “Harper will accompany me. Problem solved.”

“You sure you want to do this, Roy?” Dinah asked skeptically.

Roy shrugged. “I got nothing else to do until tonight.”

“Okay then,” Dinah said, still not certain that this was the best idea. But she knew Roy was responsible and could protect Damian. She had promised Batman that she would make sure nothing happened to the kid, but the kid looked like he could handle himself based on what she observed of him that day. And now he had Roy to watch his back. They’d be fine. “Just be careful.”

“Dinah,” Roy reassured her. “It’s Happy Harbor, not Gotham. What could possibly happen?”

2:23 pm
Gotham City

Artemis woke up in her own bed feeling like her throat was on fire and her body had been run over by a truck (which after running her over decided to back up and do it again just to add insult to injury). Jade had dosed her with something nasty.

“No…” Artemis gasped and shot up in bed, scrambling out of her room. She nearly ran into her mother as she stumbled out into the living room of the apartment in a tank top and sweatpants she did not remember changing into.

“Artemis!” Paula cried. “What’s going on? Are you alright?”

Artemis looked at the time on the digital display of the microwave. “Have I been asleep all day?” she asked with her voice just slightly higher than normal.

“I tried to wake you for school this morning but you were like a zombie when you came in yesterday. You seemed to have a fever this morning so I let you sleep and let your school know you were sick.”

“I don’t remember that…” Artemis said to herself. “I have to talk to Batman.”

She ran back into her room to pick up her communicator but it wasn’t in any of the places she usually kept it. “Crap.” She’d have to run to the Zeta-tube and teleport directly to the cave to contact anyone. “I’m sorry mom, I have to go.”

“Artemis, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me.” her mother said with worry in her voice.

Artemis forced herself to calm down and took a breath. “It’s okay mom. I just have to go.” She kissed the top of her head as the older woman looked up at her daughter from her wheelchair.

“Please stay safe,” Paula said with a waver in her voice.

Artemis forced a smile to her face. “Always. I love you mom.” With that she turned away to grab her gear from her room. She needed to let the others know that Cheshire was back and that she had information on Damian and Jon.

2:15 pm
Happy Harbor

Damian wasn’t impressed by Happy Harbor. It was too bright, the sea air too clean. He missed Gotham. It might be crime ridden, dirty, and corrupt but it was never boring. And it was home. This place was filled with happy people who were much too trusting.

Currently he and Roy were walking along the pier. Roy was enjoying a hotdog. He had offered to buy Damian one but when Damian refused to ‘partake in eating animal flesh,’ Roy bought him cotton candy instead. It was too sweet for Damian’s taste though, so Roy took it off his hands and happily ate the pure sugar treat as a dessert.

“There must be something you like,” he was saying. “I get that you’re a vegetarian (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but what kind of kid doesn’t like cotton candy?”

“Have you tasted the stuff?” Damian scoffed.

“I’m tasting it right now. And it’s delicious,” Roy teased.

“Our definitions of delicious must not be the same,” Damian quipped.

Roy laughed. “Maybe not, kid, but we should try and find you something for lunch. Want to try a fast food place further into town. They’d have salad I bet.”

“It disturbs me that you are unfamiliar with an establishment that serves salad.”

“Salad won’t do it for me. Gotta keep those calories up for all the energy I expend at night,” he said without thinking just as a group of girls walked passed. It took him a second to realize why they were giggling to each other and covertly pointing at him.

“Harper,” Damian said deadpan. “You’re an idiot.”

Roy shrugged but then he spotted an ice cream parlor. “There’s something you’ll like. Everyone likes ice cream.” Roy pulled Damian by the hand into the shop and ordered two small bowls of whatever the special flavor of the day was. Damian wasn’t paying attention until Roy shoved his to-go bowl into his hands. “Follow me. If you can’t keep up you have to apologize for calling me an idiot. And you can’t drop the bowl.”

Roy ran out of the ice cream parlor without waiting for a confirmation from Damian. Damian, not one to resist a challenge or show an inferior warrior up, followed quickly behind the archer. Roy ran behind the shop and jumped to catch the emergency roof access ladder. The ladder came down and he began climbing one handed to the roof where the shop’s sign was located. Roy had to admit he was impressed that Damian followed him step for step and never fell behind.

Once they were on the roof they used the giant letters of the shop’s name as chairs and began to eat their dessert. The two boys people-watched as the crowds moved like a churning sea below them. They had a beautiful view of the ocean from their vantage point as well. Damian found that he didn’t hate the flavor of ice cream Harper had chosen, but took umbrage at the ridiculous name of Tutti-Frutti. Still, he found himself wishing that he were sharing this moment with Grayson back home instead of the alternate Roy Harper.

“I’m not apologizing,” Damian said when he was almost finished with his bowl. “You’re still an idiot. But you’re tolerable.”

“I’d say he’s more than tolerable,” a sultry female voice said from behind them. Damian didn’t recognize it but he noticed Roy immediately stiffen, his entire body on alert. In one inhumanly quick movement he got off his seat, pulled Damian away, and stepped between him and the owner of that voice.

“Cheshire,” Roy growled.

“Your girlfriend?” Damian asked. He knew from his own world that Harper and Cheshire had dated briefly but he didn’t know much more than that beyond the fact that she was most definitely a villain. He had no context for their relationship in this reality so he prepared himself for a fight. He just wished he had his Robin uniform rather than the sweatshirt and jeans he was required to put on while they wandered around Happy Harbor in daylight. Roy was probably thinking the same thing.

“Not here, little buddy,” Roy said and Damian wasn’t sure if he wouldn’t help Cheshire take Harper down for that remark. “On this Earth she’s a very dangerous criminal and assassin. Stay behind me.”

“Tt. That didn’t stop you from dating her back home,” Robin revealed.

“Seriously?” Roy asked, more annoyed than shocked. “What is wrong with other-me?”

“Aw, what’s wrong, Roy? Don’t you think I’m pretty?” Cheshire taunted, slinking toward the pair with practiced ease.

“Do you remember how to get to the Zeta-tube from here?” Roy asked Damian in a voice just above a whisper.

“Obviously,” Damian said, not sounding the least bit threatened. Either the kid had nerves of steel or he didn’t realize just how much danger they were in right now.

“I’m going to distract her. I want you to make a run for it.”

“Don’t be stupid. You’ll have a much better chance of defeating her if I help you, Harper.”

“Don’t argue,” Roy hissed. “Just do what I say. Tell Canary what happened when you get back to the Cave.”

“You have no weapons. This is not a good plan,” Damian argued anyway.

“That’s so cute,” Cheshire taunted. “Making up a strategy to defeat me? Here’s a hint: you can’t.”

“What do you want, Cheshire?” Roy barked.

“The kid. Though I would enjoy another spar with you. You have some great moves.” Even Damian didn’t miss the double entendre in her voice.

“Like hell I’m handing the kid over,” Roy shouted, moving his position to gain better footing as well as giving Damian the best chance of getting off the roof. Roy would feel a lot more confident if he could be sure Damian would make it to the safety of the Cave.

Roy hoped the kid was as good as he claimed to be because he was about to do something to him that could end very badly. Damian was directly behind him and behind Damian was the roof access ladder. “Remember, I’m going to hold her off. You run like hell.”

“I don’t run, Harper,” Damian said as his muscles tensed, ready to spring him into battle at a moment’s notice.

“You’re going to, and that’s an order!” Roy shouted without looking away from Cheshire. “Now do what I say or… I’m telling your dad!”

Damian took a deep breath, trying to keep his rage from boiling over. “That may be difficult considering my father is in another dimension.”

“Stop being stubborn, you know what I mean,” Roy hissed. “I can hold her off but I need to know you’re okay. I can’t be worrying about you while I fight.”

“You can’t possibly believe that you will…”

While Damian continued talking, Roy tuned him out to focus on the emergency comm in his ear. It was Dinah telling him to bring Damian back to Mount Justice immediately due to a credible threat they were just informed about. Great, he thought frustratedly, that warning would have been helpful about five minutes ago.

Roy was done arguing. He just hoped the little brat didn’t try to climb back up to help him. Cheshire was too close now and it was either this or risk losing the kid. He hoped he was making the right choice as he looked behind him in a quick motion to see exactly where Damian was. Then he kicked him square in the chest hard enough to send him flying off the roof. A heartbeat later he began to fight Cheshire.

Damian regained his faculties only a moment after flying backwards to find there was no longer anything beneath his feet. He twisted in the air and grabbed at the roof access ladder. He barely managed to hold on as the momentum slammed his body into the hard metal rungs. The impact took the air from his lungs and he fell hard the rest of the way to the ground.

“Harper, you idiot!” Damian gasped and forced himself to get to his feet. He felt like his ribs might be bruised. It did not help that it was in the same spot Jon had injured him that morning. But there was no way he was going to leave Harper to fend for himself. He jumped for the ladder when he heard the voice.

“Damian, wait.”

His entire body tensed. There was no doubt who that voice belonged to. He dropped to the ground again, turning in mid air so he could land facing her. He immediately took a defensive fighting stance and glared with an intensity that would make his father proud. “Talia.”

She made no threatening moves toward him, only stared at him as if memorizing his every feature, trying to see into his soul. Damian noticed that she was young here, maybe in her mid twenties. She had the same eyes as his mother back home though; calculating, dangerous.

“What do you want?” Damian growled.

“A mother can’t simply talk with her child?”

“You are NOT my mother.”

Talia frowned. “What happened to you, Damian? What has your father done in that other world to turn you so against me?”

Damian laughed. “Father? He did nothing but give me a family that actually cares about me. But you mother… The things you’ve done have been difficult to forgive.”

“But I’ve done nothing to you, Damian.” Talia crouched, putting herself at Damian’s eye level. She kept her body language passive, almost maternal, but he couldn’t allow himself to let his guard down. “This is the first we’ve met. Look at you. So much like your father. So strong.” She reached out to him but he flinched away.

“Don’t touch me!” Damian struggled to keep his breathing even. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing. I won’t fall for it.”

“What am I doing, my child?”

“Pretending to care about me.” Damian gave her credit for at least acting like she was saddened by his words.

“Damian, my love,” she said calmly, sweetly. “I swear to you, I only wanted to meet you. I will not harm you. I could never harm you.”

Damian got a lump in his throat as he listened to her lies. He wished with all his heart that he could believe her.

“I only ask that you consider a request,” she continued. I would like to know my son. Come home with me. The League has resources and we may be able to help you get back to your world. That is your goal, is it not?”

Damian couldn’t speak. Only his mother could make him react like this. If only she’d move to attack him, he could deal with that, but this caring Talia… he didn’t know how to handle it.

“I’m sorry that that other version of me hurt you so badly,” Talia said and stood up. “Think about my proposal, Damian. I’d like to get to know you and maybe I can make up for a little of what my counterpart has done.”

Damian gave no answer, positive or negative. All he could do was simply stare at her, trying to figure out what her angle was. He knew she wasn’t the Talia he was familiar with, but he couldn’t be certain she wasn’t like her. His mother was manipulative and could say anything to get people to do what she wanted. He didn’t know what to do. “I… don’t have time for this. Harper needs…” he tried his best to sound intimidating despite the deep emotional confusion he was going through. He looked to the roof where Harper was most likely already dead.

“Do not worry about the Harper boy, Damian. Cheshire is only distracting him for me so I can speak with you without interruption. I’ll call her off and I will go, but I do hope you’ll consider my proposal. Take this.” She placed a small device on the ground in front of Damian. “It contacts only me and is untraceable.” She placed another piece next to it. “This is its battery. I know you may not believe me, but I only wish to get to know you. If you decide you’d like to get to know me, or even if you just need to be away from your father for a while, put the pieces of the device together and contact me. I will come to you.”

With that, Talia left, leaving Damian to stare at the pieces of the small device on the ground. He knew he should step on them, break them into small, unrecognizable bits and flush them down a toilet, but there was a tiny part of him that was screaming, telling him that maybe this version of his mother was trustworthy and that maybe she did just want to get to know him with no ulterior motives. He didn’t want to just crush any possible options of getting home and the League of Assassins did have resources. He couldn’t destroy the device, but he would only use it if he absolutely had to. He picked up the tiny pieces, no bigger than a dime, and shoved them in his pocket before he could convince himself that it was a bad idea.

Roy was going to die. He knew this on a very primal level the moment Cheshire kicked him square in the chest with a kick very similar to the one he had used on Damian minutes before. He flew backwards and landed hard on the roof, his back scraping against the sealant. That wouldn’t have been so bad if Cheshire hadn’t immediately followed that fall by jumping onto his chest and sticking a sai into his neck. She didn’t cut him but the tip of the weapon was going to puncture his jugular if he even breathed heavily, so he stayed still to see what she would do. His heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest. It was the waiting that was killing him. Either do it or don’t! Don’t just sit on me and taunt me like this!

“There’s so much I could do to you right now,” she mocked him in that seductive way that made Roy unsure if he wanted to kill her or spend a night with her. He could practically see her sadistic grin behind that white cat mask. “Too bad I have to go. It’s been fun, archer boy. ’Til next time…”

Before Roy could process what was happening, Cheshire had run off the roof and disappeared into the crowds. It didn’t make sense. She had him. She could have killed him, but… “Damian… shit!”

He got up and ran to the edge of the roof where he had kicked Damian. She had to have been distracting him so an accomplice could grab the kid. That was the only reason she would leave like that when she had him so clearly dead to rights. He could have kicked himself for being so stupid. Roy ran to the edge of the roof and peered over the side of the building. As he prepared to jump down and search for the little brat he saw that the boy was still behind the building just staring at the ground.

“Damian?” Roy called as he climbed down the ladder. “You okay?”

The words seemed to snap Damian out of his thoughts. He looked up at Roy who had just landed on the ground in front of him. “You kicked me off the roof,” he said blankly. “But I’m fine.”

“Yeah… sorry about that. Why are you still here? I told you to run.”

“My m…” Damian hesitated. “I was… the fall must have knocked me out for a few moments.”

Roy could see the kid was visibly shaken. “Come on,” he said gently. “Let’s head back to the
Cave.”

Damian nodded. The two walked back to the Zeta-tube access point in silence, Damian thinking about what his mother had said to him and Roy forming a theory about how Cheshire could have possibly tracked them down, how she knew about Damian in the first place. The fact that the League of Shadows might be interested in the kid was frankly disturbing.

Black Canary and Batman were waiting for them when they arrived. Artemis was at the Cave as well, sitting sullenly on the couch, watching the Zeta-tube with a worried expression.

“Report,” Batman demanded the moment they stepped foot in Mount Justice.

Roy spoke first. As much as he hated taking orders from the League, they had to know about this. “I took Damian out to the pier for lunch and to show him around the town. At approximately 2:20 we went for ice cream at the Mason Family ice cream shoppe and climbed to the roof to eat. Five minutes later Cheshire confronted us, demanding I turn Damian over to her. I… sent Damian off the roof, telling him to run straight here but he fell and was knocked out. Luckily I found him safe and we returned here immediately following Cheshire’s retreat.”

Batman glared at Roy then turned to Damian. “You fell?”

Damian’s shoulders tensed. He didn’t want to say anything about Talia but he could not allow the archer to make him sound so incompetent. “Harper kicked me off the roof without warning.”

Roy at least had the good graces to look embarrassedly apologetic at that. “It exacerbated an injury I received to my ribs earlier this morning sparring with Jon and caused me to miss the ladder on my way down. I must have blacked out when I hit the ground,” Damian explained calmly. It wasn’t completely the truth but it would account for the time he spent talking with Talia.

The explanation was seemingly accepted by Batman as he nodded and turned to Black Canary. “Check him over for injuries and make sure he didn’t break anything.”

Dinah would have argued about his tone but she could see it was due to his worry about Damian. She had never seen Batman so fidgety as they waited for the two boys to return, even after getting the comm from Roy that they were okay.

“Come on, Damian. I’ll show you where the medical facilities are.” She looked to Artemis who was still sitting on the couch with a guilt-ridden expression. “You come too. I want to make sure your system is clean of whatever Cheshire drugged you with.”

Damian looked back at Batman for a moment, but followed Black Canary as Artemis did the same.

When the three were out of the room, Batman turned to Red Arrow. “You kicked him off the roof?”

Roy stared back at Batman with a serious look on his face. “Yeah, but that’s the least of our problems right now.” He glanced around the room one last time to ensure they were alone. “What I want to know is how Cheshire knew where we’d be. How did she even know about Damian in the first place? I don’t think there can be any doubt anymore that you have a mole on the Team.”

Chapter Text

Wednesday, October 13, 2010
3:35 pm
Smallville, KS

The day had gone surprisingly well. After lunch Clark had taken Jon and Conner to his high school and told them stories about his time living in Smallville. The boys had actually been very interested in hearing them. After showing them other landmarks in town, Clark and the boys discussed what they were going to tell Lois when she arrived.

“Why don’t you just tell her the truth?” Jon suggested. “Either she’ll figure it out on her own or you’ll tell her eventually. Why keep dealing with the lie?”

Clark sighed. “I am planning on telling her soon, I just… I’m not ready yet, Jon. It needs to be the right time.”

“Oh,” Jon said, sounding dejected. “Okay then.”

“Why can’t tonight be the right time?” Conner asked, feeling like he needed to take Jon’s side for this one. He couldn’t stand to see the kid upset.

“Boys, I will tell her when I’m ready. End of discussion.” Clark said sternly, effectively ending the conversation.

The boys were surprised that Clark was so unwilling to reveal his identity to Lois. Jon seemed especially upset but realized pushing the matter would not help their case. “So what do we tell her then?” asked Jon quietly. “About us?”

It was almost time to head to the airport to pick Lois up. Clark piled the three of them in the car and they came up with a cover story as he took the boys back to his parents’ house. While Clark was at the airport the boys informed the Kents of said cover story and also complained about Clark’s inability to share his secret with Lois.

“How am I supposed to lie to my mom?” Jon worried.

“Remember, it’s not actually your mom,” Conner reminded him, trying to make him feel better about what he was going to have to do later. It didn’t seem to do anything for the smaller boy except make him more anxious, though.

Jonathan sat down with Jon and tried to reassure him. “Jonny, I know it’s not ideal, but you have to think about it from Clark’s point of view. Once he tells Lois who he is, he can never take that back. Giving her that information will not only change Clark’s life, but Lois’ too. You can’t force something like that. You have to trust your dad to make the right decision when he’s ready. Do your best to support him and guide him until he is.”

Jon nodded. He understood, but it didn’t mean he liked it.

Clark and Lois had taken their time getting back to the house. When they finally did arrive, dinner was ready and Jon and Martha Kent were beaming. The whole family was together for the first time.

“Hi everyone,” Clark said a little uncomfortably. He was nervous about Lois being there with Jon and Conner. There were so many things that could potentially go wrong tonight.

Lois immediately spotted the boy’s and walked over to them, “Hi, I’m Lois Lane. It’s nice to meet you. Clark’s told me a lot about you. Let me guess who’s who,” she said playfully. “Conner,” she indicated the older looking boy, “and Jon,” she nodded to the smaller, skinnier boy who was looking at her with wide, honest eyes.

“Hi,” Jon squeaked and automatically held out his hand to shake. It was something his father had taught him and it was his fallback motion when his brain shorted out.

She laughed that gentle, too familiar laugh and bent to his eye level to shake his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Jon. I see you two are Superman fans,” she said as she noticed Jon’s jacket and Conner’s T-shirt with the S-shield emblazoned on the front. Lois put her hand up to her face and stage-whispered conspiratorially, “me too.”

Jon’s throat had decided at that instant to close up and he couldn’t speak so he nodded dumbly but did manage to crack a smile. At the moment, his main focus was on maintaining the cover story. He didn't want to let anything slip in front of this woman who (he had to keep reminding himself) was not his mother. He couldn't do that to Clark or to Connor no matter how awkward it was to treat her as a stranger. In the back of his ribs the homesickness started to well up again.

Lois stood back up and addressed Martha and Jonathan. “And how have you two been? It feels like forever since I’ve been over to see you,” she said as she moved to hug each of Clark’s parents.

“Oh you know,” Martha said coyly. “The farm keeps us busy but we wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Lois took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to recognize the aroma that filled the kitchen. “What is that? It smells delicious.”

“Just some steak and vegetables. The boys helped set the table while Clark was picking you up. They’ve been very helpful. Now, let’s eat before all that delicious food gets cold,” Martha insisted, leading the family to the dining room.

They all sat down at the table. The food looked delicious and Conner was about to grab his fork and knife to dig in when Clark subtly nudged him and shook his head. Conner was confused as to why he couldn’t eat yet when Martha asked Clark to say grace. Conner had never even heard of this custom and tried to follow along as everyone bowed their head and Clark said a few words over the food. When that was over everything seemed to go back to normal and the family began to eat.

“So,” Lois began after putting some vegetables on her plate. “How did you boys meet Clark?”

Jon and Conner glanced at each other, having a silent conversation about who would field the question. Conner saw that Jon looked incredibly uncomfortable so he decided to take it. “One of those DNA analysis websites. You know, they send you a swab, you send back some spit and they tell you who else on the site is a genetic match to you.”

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of those! Clark, I didn’t know you were looking into your birth family,” Lois said, genuinely surprised.

“Right,” Clark said uneasily. “I honestly wasn’t expecting anything to come of it, but the boys were there and we all wanted to meet each other, so here we are.” He hated lying to Lois but the explanation they came up with was the most plausible if the truth wasn’t an option. Still, he had to avert his eyes from Jon who looked so disappointed it hurt. If he was going to make this story believable he couldn’t let his alternate universe ten-year-old guilt trip him.

“And Martha and Jonathan, how do you feel about it?” Lois asked, trying hard not to make her questions sound like they were coming from Lois Lane: Reporter, but from Lois Lane: Interested Girlfriend.

“Oh, we’re thrilled to be able to meet Conner and Jon,” Clark’s father beamed.

“They’re lovely young boys,” Martha added, smiling knowingly at Jon and Conner. “I’m sure their grandparents are very proud of them.”

Conner and Jon both smiled with an embarrassed rosy tinge on their cheeks.

“So, is it your mom or your dad that’s related to Clark?” Lois asked the boys then looked to her boyfriend. “Clark, have you met them yet? Is it an aunt or uncle?”

“I… um…” Clark stammered. He was caught off guard by Lois’ sudden focus. He hadn’t thought of any details about the cover story he and the boys came up with.

Conner watched Clark squirm for a few seconds before deciding to help him out. Despite their rocky start, today was awesome and he wanted to make a good impression. “Our dad is related to Clark,” Conner said, realizing just how easy it was to manipulate the truth. Technically, what he said wasn’t even a lie. He had to bend the truth all the time at school and going on stealth missions with the Team required him to think on his feet. Now, sitting next to Jon who was just pushing his food around his plate with a sad little guilty look, Conner realized that maybe it should be harder to lie with a straight face. He wondered if there might be something wrong with him.

“Oh? What’s he like?” Lois asked.

“Like Clark,” Conner said without missing a beat. He looked at Clark who was smiling awkwardly and pointedly avoiding looking at Jon and his sad puppy-dog eyes. Conner was not helping Jon feel any better but at least he would give him reassuring glances every couple of minutes. Clark’s inability to even acknowledge Jon’s discomfort right now was reminding Conner of all the times Superman would ignore him and avoid him after finding out about his existence. He refused to allow him to do that to Jon.

Lois laughed. “So, was it weird meeting him for the first time?” she asked the boys.

“Honestly,” Conner said thoughtfully. “I had really been looking forward to it, but it was kind of disappointing.”

“Oh?” Lois asked surprised. “What did Clark do? Did he disappear in the middle of a conversation? Because he does that a lot”

Clark laughed nervously, “Not that often.”

Lois looked at him pointedly. “Clark, you do it so often people at the office have a running tally and gamle off of it.”

“Seriously?”

That little exchange actually got Jon to cheer up a bit. He snorted, trying to keep in his laughter.

“But seriously,” Lois continued and returned her attention to Conner, not one to be sidetracked for long. “Why was meeting Clark disappointing?”

Conner could have lied and made something up, but he was too focused on the memory of coming out of that CADMUS facility, seeing the man he had idolized for his entire (albeit short) life, and being completely rejected by him. “Well, when I found out about Clark I researched him and learned a lot about him. He was kind of my hero for a while… Then I met him.”

Clark flinched as if Conner had thrown a punch.

“Clark…” Lois’ eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. “What did you do?”

“It was a shock,” Clark said defensively.

“You completely avoided me until Jon showed up,” Conner snapped.

“Wait. You two didn’t meet Clark at the same time?” Lois asked, wanting to avoid a confrontation at the dinner table but too intrigued to stop prying.

“No,” Conner said more evenly. “I met him first, Jon came later.” At this point he was completely improvising, allowing the real experiences to blend with the fake.

“Clark?” Martha asked worriedly. “Is that true?”

Clark was growing frustrated. “You don’t know the whole story, ma.”

“Please stop,” Jon said softly but he was drowned out by the quickly escalating argument. At least, the human occupants of the house didn’t hear. Clark and Conner heard but were too busy arguing to register that Jon had said anything at all.

“What is so wrong with me that you’ve avoided me like the plague for three months?” Conner was dangerously close to yelling but managed to keep his voice in check for his grandparents. “Don’t try to deny it. I wouldn’t even be here right now if it weren’t for Jon, would I?

“You’ve known about the boys for three months and you only brought them here now?” Martha asked, sounding more and more upset.

“Only Conner! Jon just showed up just a few days ago,” Clark tried to defend himself but it didn’t seem to make anyone feel better. In fact, that statement seemed to make things worse for the Man of Steel.

“Is there something you want to tell me, Clark?” Lois asked in her business voice.

Jon stood up suddenly, his chair scratching loudly against the wooden floor. “Stop it!” he cried more forcefully, refusing to be ignored. “This isn’t how family dinners are supposed to be!”

The desperate shout from the small boy at the table caused everyone to stop and look at Jon. There were so many emotions on everyone’s face; upset, angry, defensive, but not one person was happy. It made Jon want to cry. This was his family. Kind of. But dang it, he was not going to allow his first memory of his grandparents to be one of arguing, and lies, and unkind words.

The entire table stopped to look at him. And then he looked at his m… Lois, and everything kind of hit him all at once. He was trapped in an alternate reality. His family didn’t know him. He had Damian, but aside from that… he was alone. “I’m sorry. This was a bad idea. I shouldn’t… I can’t, I’m sorry.” He just needed a couple minutes by himself to straighten out his thoughts. So, he stopped trying to explain and just ran.

“Jon!” Clark and Conner both shouted and moved to follow. Conner was out of the kitchen in a heartbeat but Clark was paused momentarily by his father’s hand on his arm.

“Lois, would you check on the boys? I’d like to have a word with my son before he goes out there.”

Lois was planning on going after Jon anyway. She wasn’t usually all that good around kids, but she felt an instant connection to the little Superman fan. The whole situation had just left her stunned for a moment. There was definitely something more going on here and she wasn’t going to let this go without an explanation. “You’re not the only one.” She left the dining room in search of Jon and Conner.

When they were alone, the Kents looked disappointedly at their son. “You’ve known Conner for three months?” His mother asked.

“Ma, you have to understand. He came out of nowhere. He… Ma, he’s a clone. Someone cloned me to make a kid powerful enough to kill me. I couldn’t be sure what his intentions were. There was no way I was giving him access to the people I care the most about. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you.”

Clark’s parents were stunned. They couldn’t believe it. What their son had told them shook them greatly. Who could have done that to their little boy? And their grandson! They were outraged and just wanted to comfort Clark, but this wasn’t something that could be easily fixed.

“Clark…” Martha tried to say but her voice broke on the word.

“Oh, Ma. I’m sorry. I never wanted you to have to deal with this…” Clark grimaced and collapsed in a chair.

“I wish you felt like you could have come to us with this, Clark,” Martha said as she ran a comforting hand through his hair. “I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through all this time, all alone. Have you talked to anyone about it?”

Clark shook his head. He even avoided talking to Bruce despite the millionaire's best efforts. He didn’t know why but he felt like he had to deal with this whole Conner situation on his own. “I’ve been trying to figure out what to do, but Conner is complicated. He was right, though. If it wasn’t for Jon basically forcing me to interact with him, I wouldn’t have brought him here. I don’t know enough about him or what CADMUS programmed into him before Robin and the others helped him escape his creators. I couldn’t put you in danger.”

“So you just realized today he wasn’t evil?” His pa asked with an incredulous look in his eyes. He could see how upset this made his son, but despite that, he couldn’t feel like Conner could ever be a threat.

Clark blushed in embarrassment. His father’s gaze could still make him feel like a little kid no matter how old he got. “It’s complicated,” he muttered.

“So uncomplicate it for us, son,” Jonathan coaxed. “We’re really trying to understand.”

“He’s my clone,” Clark reminded them. “That means someone or several someones stole my DNA and created a child without my knowledge or consent. How does that even happen? I’m Superman and I can’t even punch the person responsible for this because I don’t know who did it. Every time I see Conner I’m reminded that someone got to me and it feels… wrong.”

Martha sighed sadly and hugged her son. “Oh Clark. My little boy. Why didn’t you talk to us about this sooner?”

“You don’t deserve to be burdened with all the craziness in my life,” Clark sighed tiredly and sunk into his mother’s embrace.

“Son,” Jonathan chided. “I’d have thought we raised you better than that. This is a family matter and we’re here for you no matter what crazy thing you need to talk about. You know we’re here for you for anything, right?”

Clark nodded, feeling slightly overwhelmed. This was not how he envisioned the night ending up. The three of them sat there silently, just processing everything that had been revealed until finally, Martha decided to speak.

“Now Clark,” she said gently. “I can’t tell you how to feel, especially with everything that’s happened, but I’d like you to remember that Conner had no control over the circumstances of his creation. He’s still a child, looking for someone to care about him. If you’re not ready yet, that’s okay, but I’d like to continue to be able to see him. He’s my grandson,” she smiled gently, reminding her son that the same went for him. He was loved and nothing that happened to him would ever change that.

Clark couldn’t help but laugh a single, tired huff of air. “I have a feeling he’d like that very much.”

Conner found Jon up on top of the house, hugging his knees and staring out at the fields with a blank look in his eyes.

“Jon?” He called up to him. “You okay?”

Jon frowned as he looked down at Conner over the edge of the slanted roof. “I really screwed up in there, didn’t I?” His voice was shaky, like he was doing everything he could to hold his emotions in check.

“Jon, can you come down so we can talk about this?” Conner asked calmly, keeping his voice at a normal speaking level because he knew Jon could hear him.

Jon shook his head and curled back up into himself. “I really screwed up.”

“No you didn’t. If anyone screwed up it was me. I shouldn’t have brought up my issues with your d… with Clark in front of everyone. Please come down. If you don’t, I’ll have to go up, and I can’t be sure I’m not going to damage the roof when I land.”

Jon considered that, but he just couldn’t bring himself to show his face after that outburst. He either took just a little too long to consider his options or Conner got bored of waiting. Jon looked up when he heard a loud thud in front of him and saw Conner crouched in a pile of broken shingles.

“Well, that went about as well as I expected it to…” Conner said, brushing himself off as Jon looked at the scene in horror.

“You’re right. We both screwed up,” Jon whispered. “Dad’s gonna kill us…”

“You wanna talk about it?” Conner asked, sitting down on the roof next to Jon.

Jon huffed and rested his chin on his knees. “I just couldn’t stand it, y’know? I know dad’s not ready to tell mom who he is here, but I’ve never had to hear him lie to her like that. On my Earth, she always just knew. I know there was a time before she found out, but I never really thought about it. How can he lie to her so easily, Con? He’s supposed to love her.”

Conner smiled at Jon’s new nickname for him. He kind of liked it. “I don’t think it’s about whether or not they love each other, Jon.” He tried to figure out his own thoughts on the subject as he spoke. “I think he feels like it’s something that’s necessary; like there’s no choice but to lie.”

“We’ll he’s being dumb. She’s in more danger not having all the information.”

“I know I’m probably the last person that should defend him, and feel free to tell me to shut up at any point, but I’m gonna try and play devil’s advocate here. I do think you’re totally right, but we don’t know any of the life experiences that led him to make his decisions. There had to have been something that would cause him think lying to her was the better option.”

Jon shook his head. “All I wanted to do was shout ‘my dad is Superman and you’re my mom!’ through that entire dinner.”

“You showed great self-control, though,” Conner tried. Jon just looked at him skeptically.

“Listen to me, kid,” Conner said as he put an arm around the smaller boy’s shoulder and pulled him to his side in an effort to console him. “Your parents are going to be fine. Clark will eventually tell her everything and when you are born, they’re going to love the crap out of you.”

Jon choked out a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob as he leaned into Conner’s comforting embrace. “What if I’m not born in this world? What if just by being here I’m destroying my chances of existing?”

“I don’t know a lot about dimensional travel or time travel but if science fiction has taught me anything it's that destiny wants to happen the way it’s intended to and it takes a lot of work to change it,” Conner tried to reassure Jon.

“What about in ‘Back to the Future?’” Jon challenged. “In that, the main character almost erases himself from existence and almost causes a nightmare world where his dad is dead and his mom is held captive by the bad guy.”

“I don’t know about that one,” Conner frowned. “I haven’t seen it yet, but it sounds like that’s using different time travel rules than what you’re dealing with. Even if you aren’t born here, you’ll still go on existing because it’s a different timeline and reality. We’re going to get you back home to your normal life and your real mom and dad no matter what happens in this timeline, whether you’re born here or not.”

“When I get back home, I’m going to break into every illegal cloning lab Damian can track down and I’ll find you.”

Conner laughed at Jon’s non sequitur. “I’m sure you’re gonna kick everyone’s ass, kid.”

“But what if I don’t get the chance? What if I never get home?” Jon whispered fearfully.

“We will get you home no matter what. I promise,” Conner reiterated his earlier promise with such conviction that Jon actually did believe he could keep it. It made the ten year old feel better despite not quite believing the words were true.

“Jon? Conner? Where did those two run off to?” Lois asked herself with a frustrated huff as she came around the side of the house.

The two Superboys looked at each other, trying to decide if they should make their presence known. Conner knew that lying to Lois again would upset Jon, but what else could he do to explain why they were both up on the roof or how they had gotten there?

Luckily, it was at that moment that Clark came around the side of the house to find Lois. He didn’t miss the fact that the boys were up on the roof or that there was a new dent there. “We’re going to have to fix that in the morning, Conner,” he said just above a whisper, knowing that Conner would hear while Lois could not.

“I’ve never patched a roof before!” Conner said in a panic. “I don’t know how.”

“That’s why I said we will do it. But not right now. I need to talk to Lois about something. Can you boys give us a little privacy?”

“I would if I could block you out,” Conner said with an edge of bitterness.

“You haven’t learned to block out peripheral sound?” Clark asked, concerned.

“No one ever taught me,” he responded pointedly. “The closest I can get is using television static to drown out the voices.”

“You can’t block them out?” Jon whispered worriedly “How have you not gone completely insane?”

“It’s mostly when there’s nothing to do. It’s not as bad when I’m focusing on something else, like a mission. I need something to keep my attention though.”

“Tomorrow, I promise I will work with you on that,” Clark said seriously. “I’ll take Lois somewhere else then. You boys head back inside and stay with your grandparents once we’re gone.”

“Where are you going to go?” Jon asked.

“Clark? What are you doing? Did you find the boys?” Jon didn’t get an answer as his alternate universe mother spotted her boyfriend seemingly talking to himself.

Clark sighed. He was going to have to do this with an audience, then. Well, things could be worse, he supposed. “Lois, I wanted to apologize for what happened tonight. The boys… there’s more to it than…” He breathed out a frustrated sigh as he moved toward Lois, taking her hand. “I don’t know why this is so hard…”

“Clark?” Lois asked, looking rather confused but mostly worried. “Take a deep breath, calm down, and just talk to me. Please?”

Her words did what his own mind could not and he did manage to get his thoughts in order. “There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time but the longer I waited, the more difficult it got to tell you, even after we started dating. It actually got worse when we started dating because I trusted you but I was so afraid that you would be hurt because of it and the longer I waited the worse it got until I was at the point where I thought if I told you now after all this time, you’d never forgive me for keeping it from you.”

“Oh my God,” Jon whispered excitedly to Conner, grabbing his arm with enough strength to break the bone of a normal person. “He’s gonna tell her!”

Everyone noticed how much Lois’ heart rate sped up despite her face making no change whatsoever. “Clark? What are you saying?”

“Lois…” Clark said, steeling his nerves, “I’m Superman.”

Lois burst out laughing, as if that were the funniest thing she had heard in her life.

Clark removed his glasses and put both hands on her shoulders, trying to get her to really look at him. “Lois, I’m being serious.”

“I know, Smallville,” Lois said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “I was starting to worry that you were never going to tell me.”

Wait… what? “You knew?”

“Uh, Lois Lane: Ace Investigative Reporter, remember? I figured it out a couple weeks after we started dating. The glasses don’t do much when your girlfriend is actually paying attention to when you disappear and Superman saves the planet from a killer asteroid or alien invaders or—”

He grabbed her by her waist and pulled her toward him into a passionate kiss. He was so relieved that at least one thing had gone well that night. She knew. She had known for a long time and she allowed him the space to work out his insecurities. It was like a great weight was lifted from him knowing that the woman he loved understood him and accepted him.

“So you’ve just let me lie to you for months?” Clark asked after their lips parted and they regained a bit of their faculties. He was still trying to wrap his brain around the new information, this new reality that he had somehow stepped into.

“Technically, it’s been years,” Lois teased, “but I figured you would tell me when you were ready. Although I was beginning to get pretty impatient with you. I understand why you did it, but it still bothered me once I knew for sure. You’re going to have to do something really special to make it up to me.”

Clark kissed her once more, more gentle than before, like a promise. “I will never lie to you ever again.” He said it so sincerely that the only thing she could do was believe him.

“No more secrets?” she prompted.

“No more secrets,” he confirmed with a relieved smile. “I love you, Lois Lane.”

“I love you too, Clark Kent,” she replied, making sure to put emphasis on the name of the man she had fallen in love with, not the unobtainable hero she had been infatuated with for so long.

“Finally!” Jon whooped and cheered, his happiness evident in his voice.

“Get a room you two,” Conner said blithely from the roof. “There are impressionable young minds here.”

Clark laughed. He saw Conner cover Jon’s eyes in a playful, teasing gesture while the ten-year-old struggled to get out of his brother’s hold and see the rest of… when had Clark started thinking of those two as brothers?

“What’s so funny?” Lois asked, looking around for the source of Clark’s amusement.

Clark was about to tell her it was nothing, but he remembered his promise. No more lies or omissions. “The boys are up on the roof. They say we should get a room.”

Lois blushed almost imperceptibly as she looked up to the slanted roof where the two boys sat watching them like it was movie night and they were the main attraction.

“Boys!” she shouted and tried to run to them, her protective instincts kicking in in the heat of the moment, but Clark grabbed her and picked her up in a bridal carry.

“What are you doing? Let me go!” She shouted as he started floating into the air.

“The boys’ll be just fine,” he reassured her then turned his attention to them. “Why don’t you show her you’re okay before we leave?”

Conner nodded and jumped down to the ground with little effort. Jon floated down behind him. Lois looked at them in shock. Were they Kryptonian? “I have a lot of questions.”

“I have a lot of answers. But everything will be easier to explain at the Fortress.”

“What’s the Fortress?” Lois asked, intrigued.

“You’ll see. It’s a bit of a trip but well worth it for the view.”

The boys watched as they ascended into the air and sped off toward the Arctic Circle and the Fortress of Solitude.

Conner looked down at Jon and grinned mischievously. “Well, I’d give it about nine months before your counterpart gets born.”

“What do you… Ew! Don’t put those thoughts in my head, man! Those are my parents!” Jon cried and punched Conner in the arm.

“Make me, little guy,” Conner laughed and leapt high in the air to avoid Jon’s follow-up attack.

Martha and Jonathan Kent watched from the porch with relaxed smiles as two superpowered boys lept and flew through the open fields. It had been so long since the laughter of children had echoed across the farm, bringing a sense of nostalgia and joy to the old couple. Dinner may not have gone perfectly, but disasters can yield the most surprising results. They were happy; as happy as they had been when they found a small boy in an alien spacecraft and created a family all those years ago.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, October 13, 2010
4:23 pm
Wayne Manor

Dick was doing his best to hide the anxiety he was feeling as dinner got closer and closer. He had changed out of his Gotham Academy uniform and did his homework right away out of habit, but then there was nothing to do but wait. Bruce was already at Mount Justice picking up Damian. Dick thought about helping Alfred in the kitchen but his cooking skills topped out at peeling potatoes and toasting bread. He wanted this night to go well and destroying the food before it was served was probably a bad idea. Dick tried playing video games but just couldn’t lose himself in them like he wanted. His mind was focusing too much on other things and he soon found himself turning the console off and heading downstairs.

“Hi Alfie,” Dick said as he entered the kitchen. “How’s it going?”

“Very well, Master Dick. Dinner will be ready in about a half an hour and I believe your father will be arriving with young Master Damian soon.”

“Damian and Jon.”

“What was that?” Alfred asked, distracted by needing to consult his notes on the preparation of the meal.

“Both of them are coming, right? You just said Bruce was coming with Damian but he’s bringing Jon too. You invited them both.”

“Ah,” Alfred understood Dick’s confusion now. “No, there’s been a change of plans. Master Jon will be having dinner with his grandparents tonight. Master Clark has taken him to Smallville so it will just be the three of you, I’m afraid.”

Dick tried to smile in understanding but he was disappointed and couldn’t help it. Despite the talk that he and Damian had earlier, he couldn’t shake the discomfort he had around the little assassin. Dick still couldn’t understand how an alternate version of himself could ever pass on Robin to someone like Damian. Sure, the kid wasn’t as bad as he originally thought, but he was still arrogant, at times downright mean. Robin was supposed to represent hope. He was the one who laughed and cracked jokes. It was Robin who comforted the City’s victims. Robin was light where Batman was darkness. What did it mean that in the future, Robin was the broody, violent one? Dick sunk into one of the kitchen chairs and sighed.

“Would you like to talk about it?” Alfred asked with amusement in his voice.

“No,” Dick said disheartened. “I’ll just go wait for them down in the cave.”

“Very good, sir.”

Dick headed out of the kitchen toward Bruce’s study where the grandfather clock entrance to the Batcave was located. He set it to the hour and minute of Bruce’s parents’ death and the entrance to the Cave was revealed. Dick went down the stairs and straight over to the Batcomputer where he hopped into Bruce’s oversized black-leather spinning-chair.

He didn’t get a chance to use it for its intended purpose (Dick would forever swear on his life that that chair was designed to make thirteen-year-old boys dizzy enough to puke) because the Cave’s Zeta-tube lit up and a moment later Batman came through with Damian. Dick did a double take when the brat came through because he was dressed like a normal human being in a Happy Harbor pullover and jeans.

“What?” Damian challenged him immediately upon realizing Dick was staring.

“Nothing,” Dick replied nonchalantly. “Just never saw you out of uniform before. I was starting to think you’d had it surgically grafted to your skin or something.”

“At least my Robin uniform is not as skin tight as your Nightwing one, Grayson. You’ve really mastered the art of leaving nothing to the imagination.”

“You do realize you’re insulting an entirely different version of me, right?”

“You’ll be the same eventually,” Damian said matter-of-factly. “But to answer your original question; I am forced to discard my uniform when the rules apply. ‘No work clothes in the manor’ necessitated I wear a civilian outfit.”

“So where’d you get it?” Dick asked. He didn’t remember anyone leaving clothes like that at the Cave before.

“Harper brought them for me and Jon today,” Damian replied shortly.

“Why don’t you boys go help Alfred set up for dinner while I change,” Bruce suggested, hoping to keep them both in a good mood. He knew Dick was a little uncomfortable around Damian and Damian’s default emotion was ‘angry ball of pent-up rage.’ He desperately wanted this night to go well for both of them. If anyone could make that happen, it was Alfred.

“Sure,” Dick said as he hopped off the chair and motioned for Damian to follow him. “Come on. I’ll introduce Alfred to you.”

That one statement seemed to cause a visible relaxation of Damian’s posture. “Pennyworth needs no introduction, Grayson.”

Dick smiled and laughed. “True. Okay then, I’ll introduce you to Alfred.” Damian nodded and moved to follow Dick into the manor.

Despite that, Now that Damian was here, in his home, he wasn’t sure that the boy would feel welcome. What if it was too different from what was on his Earth? Would it upset him if he saw his room was just an empty guest room or if the walls didn’t have any photos of him? But Bruce was certain beyond all doubt that Alfred could make Damian feel at home.

Batman watched them until they disappeared through the grandfather clock then removed his cowl and headed toward the Cave’s changing area. He checked the computers on the way. They were in the process of confirming Damian’s counterpart’s existence on this Earth. So far, Talia has been very good at covering her tracks, but there were several suspicious blocks of time where she went completely off the grid. It wasn’t confirmation, but it was very compelling evidence that she could have been pregnant and wanted to keep it from him. Or she could have been planning world domination. You never knew with Talia. Even so, every moment he didn’t know what she was doing and he wasn’t going after her could be another moment she was corrupting his son.

He couldn’t get pulled back into the investigation right now, though. He would miss dinner if he kept up with this. That was out of the question when Damian already expected him to blow the whole thing off. Bruce pried his eyes from the screens and continued his short journey to the changing rooms. He wondered how Damian was handling everything upstairs. What if it was too different from what was on his Earth? Would it upset him if he saw his room was just an empty guest room or if the walls didn’t have any photos of him? No, Bruce couldn’t think like that. He was certain beyond all doubt that Alfred could make Damian feel at home.

Upstairs, Dick led Damian toward the kitchen where he last saw Alfred. The butler was still busy at work preparing the side dishes as the main course spent its last minutes in the oven. Dick cleared his throat to get the old man’s attention.

Alfred looked up to see two boys standing in the entryway and it nearly made him drop the knife he was holding. Standing next to Dick was the spitting image of Bruce as a child. Alfred knew that the young man was supposed to be a blood relation of his surrogate son, but he was unprepared for the physical similarity to be so striking.

“My dear boy…” he said, moving forward to get a better look. “Look at you…”

“I know. Freaky, right? You sure you’re not actually a clone, Damian?” Dick asked.

Damian rolled his eyes.

“My mother puts too much stock in the importance of her family’s genetics to not mix al Ghul blood with father’s.”

“Well, you certainly take after your father, don’t you?” Alfred said, smiling kindly.

“Of course, Pennyworth. I am the only blood-son of Batman. It’s my birthright to carry on father’s legacy.”

Dick took a deep, calming breath. No attacking guests for being pretentious little shits in front of Alfred. He let the comment slide but he’d seriously have to put Damian in his place later on for that one.

Alfred didn’t want anyone following in Bruce’s footsteps. It was bad enough he let Richard out there with him, but now his son was already declaring he would be the next Batman. He smiled in an amused way that hid the ominous feeling he got from the boy’s declaration. “Well, it is very nice to meet you, Master Damian.”

Damian grinned a genuine smile at Alfred’s words. “It is good to see you, Pennyworth.” He wanted so much to hug the old man but held back. This was not his Alfred and he didn’t know what was appropriate with these versions of his family members yet.

Alfred stood back up and looked to the boys expectantly. “Why don’t you two find something to hold your attention until dinner.”

“You don’t need any help?” Damian asked.

“That is kind of you to offer, Master Damian, but I am almost done. If you boys would return in about ten minutes we can begin.”

“You want to see the gym?” Dick asked Damian.

Damian shrugged but didn’t object. Dick took that as Damian-speak for ‘sure’ and led the shorter boy away.

“Remember, dinner will be ready shortly,” Alfred called after them. “I would appreciate you not coming to the table covered in sweat.”

“Sure thing, Alfie!” Dick called back before disappearing into the hallway with Damian.

Bruce, now wearing a yellow shirt and black tie under a tan blazer, came into the kitchen. He greeted Alfred warmly as the delicious smell of whatever he was cooking lingered in the air. “So… you met Damian?”

“He seems a lovely young man, Master Bruce, even if there is a bit of a chip on his shoulder.”

“I know, Alfred,” Bruce said resignedly. “What I’m trying to figure out is if it was Talia or the other me that put it there. He’s been giving hints about his life back on his Earth but he never goes into too much detail.”

“Perhaps that is something you could discuss over dinner tonight,” Alfred suggested. “Assuming there is not another Arkham breakout.”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Bruce said playfully. “The last thing I need right now is to miss this tonight. I think even Dick is beginning to think family dinners are just something television made up to taunt him.”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Alfred reassured him. “Now, if you’ll retrieve the boys from the gym, I will plate the meal.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Bruce said gratefully and headed out of the kitchen.

He walked down the hall and entered the gym just in time to see Dick pull off a flawless quadruple somersault in the air and land light as a cat on the mats below. Bruce gave him a standing ovation. It startled both boys, but Dick quickly saw that it was only Bruce and began to laugh genuinely. He took an exaggerated bow as if he were still the star of Haley’s Circus.

“Thank you, thank you,” He hammed it up. “I’m here all week.”

“Careful, Grayson. On my Earth someone figured out your identity from that move.”

“Really?” Dick asked, intrigued. “Was it a super villain?”

“No,” Damian said lightly, but didn’t elaborate.

“Was it a girl?” Dick asked hopefully.

That got Damian to laugh out loud, his usual stoic persona broken for an instant. “He could probably pass for a girl if we shoved him in a dress and high heels.” He was seriously considering testing out that theory when he got back home, but then he remembered that Drake wouldn’t be there when he got back, if he got back at all. Timothy was dead and there wasn’t even a body left to try and throw into a Lazarus Pit. He wasn’t ever going to see him again. Two years ago he would have been elated at the notion of Drake’s death, but something had changed since then. Damian had changed. His entire outlook on who and what he considered family had changed as well.

Bruce noticed the abrupt change in Damian from the relaxed, happy kid he had been only moments before to quiet and contemplative, almost hurting. “Damian, are you alright?”

The question shook Damian out of his thoughts. “I am fine. Just... thinking about something… And no, I do not want to talk about it.”

“You sure, Damian?” Dick asked, looking concerned. “You do look kinda upset.”

“I am fine, Grayson. I don’t need you mothering me. I got enough of that when we were…” He wanted to say, ‘when we were Batman and Robin together,’ but that might have required him to explain why he and Richard were Batman and Robin which would lead into explaining about his father’s time lost in… well, time. If his father knew about that, he might come to the conclusion that Richard had to raise him for those first months just after his mother left him in Gotham. That time was special and made Damian realize just how important Richard was to him. He did not want to explain any of that to a teenage Grayson.

“Damian?” Bruce asked cautiously, snapping the boy out of his thoughts. “You kind of spaced out there for a minute.”

Damian tsked. He wasn’t in the mood to talk about past events from back home. All it did was make him miss his family more. Despite his complaints, he missed Richard’s constant presence. Since he moved to Blüdhaven Damian had barely seen him at all. It was depressing to think about how, in the past three days, he had spent more time with this thirteen-year-old Grayson than he had in the past three months with his own Richard. He missed him terribly, even before he was trapped in a strange alternate dimension. He tried to dismiss his father’s concern with his default attitude. “I do not ‘space out.’ I was just thinking about how I can convince you to drop your line of questioning.”

Bruce frowned. There was obviously something bothering Damian but the boy was stubborn. He knew he wasn’t going to get any information if he pushed him, though, so he decided to try another approach. Starting their meal might allow Damian to relax and open up a bit more. “Well, dinner is being served, so if you boys can head to the dining room, we can get started. We wouldn’t want to keep Alfred waiting after working so hard to make something that smells so delicious.”

“Oh, asterous!” Dick exclaimed, already understanding what Bruce was trying to do. He acted like nothing was wrong and pulled Damian toward the dining room. “Trust me, Damian. You’re going to love the meal! I picked it out.”

The boys entered the dining room to see the long mahogany table with three plates covered by stainless steel domes. Damian stopped short, his eyes growing wide while his breath hitched, and he fell backwards into Bruce. The Joker had cut off their faces and was going to serve them in some grotesque, Hannibal Lecter parody. When the cover was removed he would see the damage the clown had done, the skin of his face no longer attached to the muscle but staring back at him, eyeless, from a dinner plate.

“Damian, breathe!” Bruce was demanding, holding Damian upright as the boy shook from adrenaline and fear.

Focusing on his father brought him back and he quickly regained his composure. He shoved himself away from the man and tried to hide the embarrassment he felt at allowing something as simple as dinnerware to trigger a panic attack, as brief as it had been. “I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting the domes. We don’t use them anymore at home. Not since…”

Everyone waited patiently for Damian to finish his sentence.

He didn’t want to talk about that particular incident. “Let’s just say that the Joker has a bad sense of humor and leave it at that”

They nodded, not wanting to upset the boy anymore than he already was. “Pennyworth, would you please remove the domes now?”

Alfred wasn’t sure what had upset Damian but the request to remove the domes and his refusal to look at the table gave him an idea. What could the Joker have done to upset the boy that much? He wasn’t sure that he wanted to know. “Right away, sir.” He did as he was asked and once Damian saw that the offending objects were gone, he was able to breathe easier.

Dick and Bruce were looking at him with concern. “I don’t want to talk about that, either.” He walked over to the table calmly, as if nothing had happened, and took a seat. “Please, sit.”

Bruce wanted to press Damian for answers. He had never seen the boy react so violently to anything before. It honestly scared him. But Damian was stubborn; as stubborn as Bruce was. Bruce knew he was not going to get answers from the boy right now. All he could do was sit and maybe Damian would open up eventually.

When everyone was at the table, Bruce finally noticed what Alfred had prepared for dinner. It was a half of a squash, hollowed out and filled with grains and vegetables that were mixed together in some sort of sauce. The presentation was exquisite. The rest of the table held side dishes that were also vegetable and starch based options. “Vegetarian?”

“That was Master Dick’s suggestion, sir,” Alfred said as he came back into the dining room.

“Yeah, Dick said mildly embarrassed. “I noticed that Damian was only eating the vegetable and cheese slices of pizza the night he arrived. Then Wally mentioned he didn’t touch the buffalo wings during movie night. I made an educated guess that he was a vegetarian.”

“Excellent deduction skills, Grayson,” Damian said, actually sounding impressed. “It didn’t cross my mind to inform you of my dietary restrictions when you invited me last night. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Dick said. He had to admit that Damian’s polite words shocked him a little. Maybe it was Alfred’s pseudo-superpower to keep everyone in check in this crazy household that was rubbing off on the demon child.

“Tonight’s entre is maple-glazed stuffed squash. There are also twice baked potatoes and various vegetable sides. Dessert will be apple crumb tart with salted caramel,” Alfred explained. “Enjoy your meal, sirs.”

Alfred began walking back to the kitchen when Damian asked, “Won’t you be joining us, Pennyworth?”

“I must keep an eye on dessert, Master Damian. Besides, it is improper for the butler to have his meals with the family.”

“But you’re more than that!” Damian tried.

Alfred smiled thoughtfully and put a reassuring hand on Damian’s shoulder. “Thank you for the kind words, but I really must decline. Please, enjoy yourselves.” With that, he returned to the kitchen to do whatever it was Alfreds did there.

“It was a valiant attempt, Damian,” Bruce said consolingly.

“Don’t let it get to you,” Dick added. “We’ve been trying to get Alfred to eat with us for years. It’s like a butler propriety thing or something with him.”

“I see.” Damian hoped in the next ten years Alfred would let that propriety slip a little.

The three of them began eating. Damian enjoyed it immensely. Dick and Bruce did too (to their surprise. Neither had considered that a vegetarian option could be that good).

“So, how was your day, Damian?” Dick asked, trying to strike up a conversation. He hated eating in silence.

“Oh, you know,” Damian began. “Typical day in the multiverse. Jon abandoned me, Black Canary tried to get me to talk to her about my feelings, and no, it did not go well,” he said pointedly to Bruce. “I met the Zatanna of this Earth—”

“Zatanna was there?” Dick asked excitedly. “What did she want?”

“She wanted to join the team or something. She spoke to Black Canary then showed me the trophy room.”

Dick’s enthusiasm fell. “So she didn’t mention me at all?” he asked disappointedly.

“No. Why would she?” Damian asked, clueless.

“I just… thought that there might have been something there between us last weekend when we fought the Reds. A spark, y’know?”

What Dick was saying finally clicked in Damian’s brain and he choked on his squash. Bruce quickly slapped him on the back hard enough to dislodge the obstruction and Damian greedily drank the water next to him.

“Are you alright,” Bruce asked.

“That is so wrong,” Damian said, trying to hold back a fit of laughter.

“What do you mean?” Dick asked, sounding confused.

“Nothing,” Damian said quickly. “You with Zatanna is just too disturbing to think about.”

“What? Is she, like, a supervillain or something on your Earth? Why would the idea of me and her be ‘disturbing?’” Dick asked, sounding a bit insulted.

Damian winced. “Ugh, stop talking! I’m sure you would have if you could have, but on my Earth she’s father’s age. And father had some sort of relationship with her when they were teenagers. So that would be… gross. It would be like you dating Catwoman… or mother.” He shuddered at the thought.

This time it was Bruce who almost choked on his dinner. “Wow, okay, moving on. Damian, where do you go to school?” It was kind of a lame question but it was the only thing he could think of to change the subject after that bombshell. Even though in Damian’s reality, Zatanna was Bruce’s age, he could only think of her as Zatara's teenage daughter and it made him incredibly uncomfortable.

Damian couldn’t say he wasn’t slightly pleased at his ability to make this version of his father squirm in awkward silence. It was actually kind of fun. He wondered if Jon was doing the same with Superman.

“Wait wait wait, no. Go back,” Dick demanded. “So if I don’t get together with Zatanna, who do I end up with?”

“I honestly have no idea, Grayson. This isn’t my reality. Just talking to you about this could change your destiny. You might have been meant to end up with Zatanna here but I just made it awkward for you to be around her. I apologize if that’s the case. The idea of you and her just threw me off for a moment.”

“Well, who am I with on your Earth?” Dick asked.

Damian snorted. “Who have you not been with is the question you should be asking.”

“Boys, this isn’t an appropriate topic for the dinner table,” Bruce reprimanded in his Batman voice.

Both boys knew there was no continuing with this particular conversation and stopped talking.

“So what do you like to do for fun, Damian?” Bruce asked, desperately trying to get the conversation back to a safe subject area.

“I enjoy drawing, sparring, and taking care of my animals. Patrol, of course…”

“You have animals?” Dick asked, intrigued. Damian didn’t seem like the type of person to care about tiny, fuzzy things.

“Of course. There’s Titus, Goliath, Alfred, Bat-Cow…” Damian explained proudly, marking each animal with a raised finger.

“Please tell me you did not just call Alfred your pet,” Dick said darkly.

“I did. But I didn’t mean Pennyworth as you are implying. Alfred is my cat.”

“You named your cat after Al?” Dick looked amused.

“It was a great honor for my cat to be named after Pennyworth.”

“I’m sure it was,” Bruce said amusedly. Just wait until Alfred hears about that. “And I let you have a cow?”

“Bat-Cow has been a loyal member of the family since we adopted her.”

“Does having two Alfreds in the house get confusing?” Dick asked, still extremely amused.

“No… unless you’re not paying attention to the context of a conversation.”

“What kind of animal is Titus?” Dick asked, his mind trying to come up with possible pets Damian could have; an alligator, a bear, maybe a raccoon.

“A great dane,” Damian explained. “We also have a German Shepard named Ace, but he’s technically father’s dog.”

“And they all get along? Titus hasn’t tried to chase Alfred up a tree or anything?” Dick snickered at the image in his head.

“No. Goliath keeps everyone in line.”

That sounded ominous.

“And what is Goliath?” Bruce asked.

“My giant, red, fluffy, bat dragon sidekick.”

Dick started laughing hysterically. “That’s awesome. I didn’t think you had a sense of humor, Damian.”

Damian tilted his head in a slightly confused gesture as he looked at Dick. “I don’t understand. It wasn’t a joke. I could draw him for you if you want.”

Dick stopped laughing and just sat there, processing what Damian said. “You seriously have a giant, red, fluffy, bat dragon sidekick?”

Damian nodded.

“That. Is. AWESOME!”

Damian smiled and agreed. “Yes, it is.”

“How do you even meet a bat dragon?” Dick asked.

Damian hesitated, remembering the bloodbath in the labyrinths below Bialya. He had murdered Goliath’s entire family in an attempt to complete his grandfather’s assignment, and yet the little red fluff-ball had helped him escape after his torch had gone out, leaving him trapped in darkness. It was almost like the tiny bat-monster had known how much his soul was screaming out in pain. Goliath had licked the blood of its family from Damian’s face and for the first time since Damian was a small child he had allowed himself to cry.

“I had an interesting childhood,” he said, refusing to elaborate. He didn’t want to talk about any of his time in the League of Assassins.

“Oh, come on, you can’t tell me you have a fluffy bat monster and not give details!” Dick complained. “As your big brother, I demand to know.”

“You’re not pulling the ‘big brother card’ on me. You do that enough in my reality. Besides, we’re the same age. You can’t do that here.”

Dick grinned evilly. “Nope, I’m gonna be fourteen in about three months. So unless you turn fourteen before then, I’m still the big brother.”

Damian frowned. The logic made sense but that didn’t mean he had to agree with it. “Time doesn’t even match up here, Grayson, so your argument is invalid. When I was pulled from my reality it was midsummer. Right now it’s October.”

“So when is your birthday?” Dick asked, challenging him.

Damian set his jaw and glared at the other teenager. “Fine. You win. I just turned thirteen last month.”

“Aww!” Dick cooed. “You just had your birthday? Wish I could have been there. That must have been awesome. Did Bruce throw you a giant party?”

Damian didn’t react like Dick expected he would. He stopped looking him in the eye and seemed to shrink in on himself. Then he got defensive. “I did not require a ‘giant party.’”

Bruce did not like the sound of that. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he asked, “Damian… was my counterpart there for your birthday?”

Damian hesitated. “...You were working. Justice League business. It was more important.”

Bruce wanted to strangle his alternate self. There was no excuse for missing his son’s thirteenth birthday. Bruce couldn’t help himself, he got up and went over to Damian, pulling him into a strong hug. He felt the boy relax for a moment, as if he was going to return the gesture, but then he stiffened once more and pushed himself out of Bruce’s grasp. “Don’t do that! I don’t need your pity.”

“Damian…” Bruce started to say before Dick cut him off in a mix of concern and sadness.

“What about me?” he asked. “I was there, wasn’t I? I had to have been there.”

Damian didn’t look any happier. “You were going through some things at the time. Finding yourself. It was fine though. Pennyworth made me a cake. It was better than my birthdays with mother at least.”

“What did Talia do?” Bruce asked darkly, not sure if he wanted to know but already internally raging at Talia.

“I wanted to meet you. She promised me that if I could beat her in combat on my birthday she would take me to see you. It took me until I was ten.”

“You won a fight with Talia when you were ten?!” Dick said with shock, but not quite disbelief in his voice.

Damian nodded. “Unless she let me win that fight. You can never tell with mother. It was a good present either way. Better than the last gift grandfather sent, at least.”

“Do I even want to ask?” Dick asked, feeling a headache coming on.

“Probably not,” Damian said, completely serious.

As the boys talked, something Damian said had stuck with Bruce. He had assumed Damian might have gotten some training from Talia, but had grown up mostly with him. He definitely wasn’t expecting to hear that Damian had been with him for an even shorter amount of time than Dick had been living at the manor.

“You were with Talia for ten years?” Bruce said, cutting into the boys’ conversation.

Damian froze in the middle of what he was saying and looked at his father like a lost little puppy. It only lasted a moment before that guilt returned to his eyes. “And grandfather…” he whispered. The way he said that seemed to cause a physical ache in Bruce’s heart. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was not pleasant.”

Bruce was doing everything in his power not to get up and hunt down Talia that very moment. He knew he couldn’t though. Damian needed him here right now.

“It’s alright,” Damian said, trying to lighten the mood, knowing he had brought the conversation to a dark place and hoped he hadn’t ruined dinner for Grayson and his father. “I only have to deal with the maternal side of my family on rare occasions nowadays. Father, please sit back down.”

Bruce didn’t want to. He wanted to hug his son again and tell him that he is loved and wanted. But Damian didn’t want that right now. Damian wanted to avoid talking about his past and Bruce was willing to give him that, at least for now.

“So, Grayson, I hear you are a ‘mathlete,’” Damian said, hopeful that that would bring the dinner conversation away from him. He didn’t want to talk about himself anymore.

Dick smiled sadly, understanding why Damian chose to change the subject so abruptly. He didn’t want to push him into talking about his past if it made him so upset. Dick knew how painful memories could be, even years later. “Yeah. I’m a pretty good hacker, too.”

The rest of the dinner managed to pass in more pleasant conversation. As the meal began to wind down, Bruce thought it was safe to bring up one of the more pressing questions he had wanted to ask Damian. It was a gamble. Bruce didn’t want to set him off again. Damian had managed to actually begin to enjoy himself by the end of the meal. With Bruce bringing the conversation back around to him, he wasn’t sure if it would cause the entire night to blow up right there. Even so, he had to risk it. Dinner was almost over and he wasn’t sure when another opportunity to ask this particular question would present itself. It needed to be now, when he was not with any other heroes.

“Damian,” he asked. “You mentioned when we were up on the Watchtower that there were other Robins before you.” Bruce made sure not to bring up the fact that Damian was talking about his death when he mentioned that.

“And?” Damian asked. “You’ll most likely meet them eventually. It’s best to be surprised when it happens.”

“That’s the thing,” Bruce elaborated. “You mentioned that you were not the first Robin to… get hurt on the job. That’s been bothering me.”

“No, I said I was not the first Robin to die on the job.”

“You died?” Dick asked, trying to confirm if what he just heard was true. “Like DIED died? What, did your heart stop for like a minute? Did they need to shock you with a defibrillator?”

Damian shook his head. “No. I was murdered by an adult clone of myself that my mother created. I was dead for several weeks.”

Dick was dumbfounded. How did the kid say that with a straight face? “I call shenanigans.”

“I can show you the scar,” Damian said matter-of-factly. “But it really wouldn’t make a difference. You can believe me or not.”

“Wait…” Dick said suspiciously to Bruce, a new line of thought coming to him. “Is that why you didn’t want me to go out on patrol last night?” Bruce didn’t respond, instead he gave Dick his best ‘I’m not discussing this right now’ look. “Oh my god, it is!” Dick turned back to Damian. “Dude, stop telling him stuff like that! You’re freaking him out!”

“It’s not like any of what I tell him is likely to happen here. It’s an entirely different timeline.”

“But it could,” Bruce defended his decision.

“You can not bench Grayson because a few of us have died in the line of duty,” Damian reprimanded his father. “And besides, most of us came back.”

“You’re not helping!” Dick cried.

“Father, of all the people to take the name of Robin, Grayson is the only one who hasn’t been dead for a long period of time.”

“This is such a weird conversation,” Dick whispered.

“Would you like to elaborate?” Bruce asked, needing more information.

“Not particularly, no,” Damian said petulantly.

“Why not?” Bruce asked calmly. “You’ve been willing to give up information about yourself and several other people’s counterparts from your Earth.”

“I told you about myself because there was no other choice. Everyone else doesn’t matter. They weren’t family. I actually want you to take the others in, though. Despite their incompetence, I have grown to care about my brothers. I could not imagine the Wayne family without them anymore. If you know who they are, things might end up being different here. It’s best to let future events run their course.” Damian briefly considered telling him about Drake’s death, but decided against it. There was no indication the Colony existed in this reality, at least not yet. There was no guarantee that events would unfold like they did on his Earth and the less future knowledge Batman had, the less likely it was to influence his decisions.

Bruce saw the flash of sadness that crossed Damian’s features and he could only guess what the boy was thinking about. He knew he shouldn’t be asking about Damian’s Earth or future events, and in any other scenario he would follow protocol and allow the information to stay buried, but this was his family. He would not allow any children to die under his watch if he could help it.

“Damian,” Bruce pleaded. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt, let alone die. The more information I have, the better prepared I can be to prevent the tragedies you’ve been hinting at when the rest of your brothers come into my life.”

Damian paused and thought about what his father was asking. Was it possible to use his knowledge of his own Earth to prevent future tragedies here? He had been going on the assumption that events would play out similarly to what happened back home, but this reality was quite different. Even though things had been getting better between Todd and the family in his reality, things had gotten a lot worse for Drake. Drake was dead, but if Todd was never murdered by the Joker, then there would be no need for Drake to enter the picture. Saving Todd from the streets was non-negotiable, but perhaps if he told father everything, they could avoid Jason’s death and in doing so avoid Timothy’s death as well. Drake might never enter the family, but that may just have to be the price he paid for his life.

“I…” Damian was about to give his answer when Alfred came through the door with an alarmed look on his face.

“Sir,” he said with urgency. “There’s been a mass breakout at Arkham Asylum.”

Of course there is, Bruce thought to himself. “Alright boys, dinner is over. I’m going out. Stay with Alfred.” He got up from the table and began walking out of the room.

“I’m going with you,” Damian stated matter-of-factly.

“So am I,” Dick said with a conviction that made Bruce want to pull his hair out.

“No,” he stated with finality. “All the major rogues will be out there. It’s too dangerous.”

“Batman needs backup,” Dick argued.

“I can ensure Robin’s safety in the field if that is what you’re worried about,” Damian added.

“Hey, I can ensure your safety,” Dick corrected.

“Either way, you can’t go out there alone. There’s too many villains and you don’t have the network of people to help you like you do eight years from now. Who will help civilians while you’re fighting Killer Croc, or give you a fear gas antidote when you are too high to think straight?”

“Do you even have your uniform?” Bruce tried to reason with him. He couldn’t go out in a Happy Harbor hoodie and jeans.

“You’re totally wearing your costume under the clothes, aren’t you?” Dick laughed.

“Tt, of course,” Damian said, pulling his green mask out of the front pocket of his shirt. “After the incident at the pier today, I’m not taking my uniform off ever again.”

The boys were right, God help him. If he went out to combat all the Arkham inmates at once, even with the help of the GCPD, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to make it out of that war alive. He sighed, admitting defeat. “You two can’t both be Robin out there. It would be too confusing if there’s an emergency and I need to give orders quickly.

“Yes!” Dick shouted in triumph. “My universe. I’m Robin,” he added instantly, staking his claim on the title.

“That makes sense,” Damian conceded. He considered using Nightwing, but wasn’t sure if taking the name before Grayson claimed it would alter things for his future. Ultimately, he decided on using another brother’s title. “I will be Red Hood while I’m here then.”

“Isn’t your hood black?” Dick said.

“No,” Bruce said decisively at the same time Dick asked his question. “You’re not naming yourself after a criminal. It may not have negative connotations where you’re from, but here that name has been used by a long list of villains, including the Joker.”

Damian didn’t want to get into how the name had been repurposed by the second Robin on his Earth so he decided to just go with option two. “In that case, I suppose I could go by Red Robin…”

“Like the restaurant?” Dick asked, confused.

“Ugh! I know! It’s ridiculous. You get used to it after a while but who decides to use such a redundant name, especially when it reminds you immediately of a burger restaurant?”

“You?”

“You know what, I don’t care if it reminds you of criminals. I’ll be Red Hood. Drake can keep his asinine name.”

“Drake?”

“Never mind! Let’s just go!” Damian shouted in frustration. “Use whatever codename you want!”

“I’m totally calling you Red Robin, now. You know that, right?”

Bruce smiled as he watched his boys bicker all the way to the cave. He just hoped the night would not end with either of them hurt, or worse.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, October 13, 2010
8:03 pm
Gotham City

Damian loved the feeling of the wind through his hair as he glided along skyscrapers, held up only by the almost unbreakable tether of his grappling line. He could have shouted for joy as he flew through the city that was not quite his, but close enough to feel like home. It even had Grayson’s inane pre-battle chatter over the comm-link. Some things didn’t change no matter what reality you found yourself stuck in.

“You know what I’ve always wondered? If ‘horrific’ kinda means ‘horrible,’ why doesn’t ‘terrific’ mean ‘terrible?’”

“Another quirk of the language, I suppose,” Damian humored him. He couldn’t blame Grayson for how much he talked when he had that nervous energy before battle. It needed to be released somehow and rambling wasn’t the worst outlet.

They had already gone up against the Ventriloquist, Poison Ivy, and Penguin and returned them to the care of the Gotham City Police Department. Damian settled easily into fighting alongside Robin. Their dynamic was slightly altered, but it felt so natural it almost didn’t matter. Grayson may not have been Batman here, but he had a very similar fighting style to the Grayson of Damian’s Earth. It was like the two of them had been fighting together for years, and in a way they had.

Dick had to admit that Damian had skills. The kid seemed to know exactly what Robin was going to do, even before he did it. It felt the same as when he and Batman fought together. He really must have been Damian’s Batman back on his Earth. There was no way two people got that in-sync that quickly without having practiced together for years. Dick couldn’t quite predict Damian’s actions, but Damian was right there to double-team a villain or take someone down before he had a chance to hit Robin from a blind-spot.

Now that the sun had gone completely and darkness had overtaken the city, Batman, Robin, and Red Robin decided to split up to cover the most area possible. Damian and Dick were taking the high areas, keeping watch for the Arkham inmates. If they noticed anything unusual they were to report the information to Batman who was speeding through the streets in the Batmobile. Driving was faster when searching for the destruction that was a sure sign there was trouble nearby, but the boys had the greater visual range from up above. The police had their hands full tonight and so did the Bats. The boys were backup only, but that didn’t mean they weren’t ready to kick some criminal’s butt.

“So, what am I like on your Earth?” Dick asked Damian through the private channel he had quickly set up on their way out of the Batcave.

“A skilled fighter, inhumanly patient, a master of puns. Honestly, as far as brothers go, you are by far the one I prefer best. But you do have severe commitment issues in regards to your romantic entanglements…”

“Really? I’d have thought I’d be quite the ladies man,” Dick joked.

“Oh, you are. You’ve been with many ladies. You just don’t keep them.”

“Well I’m not going to be like that here,” he said matter-of-factly.There was silence on the line for several minutes. Dick was trying very hard to not ask too many questions about Damian’s world, but his curiosity about his alternate self got the better of him. “Okay, you’ve gotta tell me. I promise I won’t let it influence me. I just really wanna know. Who have I dated? Bats isn’t here so you can’t avoid the topic this time.”

“I could just change back to to the main communications channel. Or turn the comms off entirely,” Damian said in a way that was at the same time nonchalant and mocking.

“B would kill you,” Dick laughed at the insane suggestion. Batman needed to know where they were at all times or he’d tear the city apart looking for them, Arkham breakout or not.

“Knowing the names of your future girlfriends is going to provide you with very little knowledge of your other self or your future. It will only serve to make things more complicated for you in the long run,” Damian said. “Besides, you won’t even know who the majority of the women are.”

“But I might meet them eventually,” Dick reasoned. “And when I do, I’ll know I have a chance.”

“Trust me, you will have no trouble picking up women in the future,” Damian teased, but knew Richard was not going to drop this line of questioning until he got some sort of information. Damian didn’t want to deal with that all night so he decided to break the Prime Directive (Why did Drake have to introduce him to ‘Star Trek?’) and give him a bit of future knowledge that might placate his curiosity. The relationships don’t work out anyway so what harm could it do? “Your most prominent liaisons have been with the Tamaranian princess, Starfire, and the first Batgirl, Barbara Gordon.”

Dick was so shocked he almost missed his landing on one of the rooftops he was currently free-running along. “Babs? Seriously?”

“Honestly, I would have thought you’d be more surprised about the alien princess.”

“But… Babs! And she fights crime with us? Batgirl? My mind is kind of blown right now. Are you just messing with me? You are, aren’t you?!” Dick didn’t know what to make of what Damian had just told him. Could he possibly end up dating his best friend? Would that just end horribly? And then there was the alien princess to think about. He had no idea what a Tamaranian was like. It was a lot to take in. “Just how many kids does B end up worrying about on a nightly basis?”

“Do you really want to know?” Damian asked with a hint in his voice that sounded like, ‘no, you really don’t want to know.’

Dick didn’t respond. He did want to know, but at the same time he really didn’t. When Damian didn’t hear his response he took his silence as the negative.

Damian nodded in approval despite the fact that Dick was nowhere in his line of sight. “That’s a good choice. You shouldn’t know about your own future. I’ve already told you too much as it is. Even if this is an alternate reality. Now, let’s pay attention to the insane killers we’re about to go up against.”

“Sure thing,” Dick grinned. They heard a beep in their earpieces and quickly changed back to their original communications channel.

Batman was speaking. “I’ve just arrived in the area Clayface was last seen in the financial district. It’s pretty bad over here. I want you two to evac the remaining civilians. Stay away from the main fight once he shows up and let me know if you run into any complications.”

“Roger that, B,” Dick confirmed and shot his line toward the destruction downtown.

“I’ll be there shortly,” Damian said and followed Robin to the coordinates Batman had given.

“Remember, you stay together and watch each other’s back. That was the stipulation for coming out tonight. ” Batman ordered. “And both of you stop switching to your private line.”

Busted.

The boys made it to the financial district in record time. The streets were a mess. Cars were tipped over, people stood talking to police or caring for loved ones who were hurt in the attack. Clayface was still at large, seeming to be content with causing the massive amount of destruction that the boys were currently swinging over.

They landed in one of the worst sections of the affected area, where Clayface had partially brought a small building down. People stood around in shock, just waiting for emergency crews to arrive.

“How could he?” Robin seethed. “Clayface has never caused damage on a scale like this before. This has to be at least three entire blocks just completely decimated!”

Damian couldn’t understand it either. He knew Clayface was capable of such destruction, but it never was so random and so devastating. He’d honestly forgotten that Basil was capable of this amount of cruelty. He had been a villain on Damian’s Earth, true, but he was trying to redeem himself. He was so good with Cassandra, teaching her Shakespeare to help her learn to speak and helping out his father after Drake was killed. It almost hurt to see the devastation this version of the same man had brought upon Gotham.

“I’m going to start evacuating the civilians on the street,” Robin said over the comms. “Red, why don’t you see if you can get into the building from above and try to find survivors.”

“Right,” Damian agreed. It was a solid plan, and this was no time to argue. People could be hurt in there. He grappled to the top of the building and found a roof access door. It was locked from the inside so he had no choice but to use a bit of plastic explosive from his utility belt to blow it open. He managed to get inside, but the stairwell had caved in and the amount of explosives he would need to get through that would bring the rest of the building down. Plus, he wasn’t allowed to carry that much on him.

Frustrated, he returned to the rooftop to try and figure out another way inside. He looked around him to see if there were any other entrances. There weren’t. He couldn’t make an entrance from where he was, but what if he could make one in another location? The building had windows and he still had a bit of explosive. He could grapple to a nearby building, see where the cave-in was and set the explosive on a window a floor below. He’d have to take civilians out through the window one at a time, but it could work… assuming there wasn’t an immediate threat from one of the Arkham inmates.

Damian decided to try it. He swung to the nearest building and perched on the roof. He could see it. The cave-in covered the top two floors, but he could make it in through the floor below. He just had to set the charges. Lucky him, he had just enough explosive left to break a window.

He was about to grapple over and start his task when he heard a noise from the other side of the roof. Cautiously, he made his way past the water storage tank over to where he thought the sound was coming from. He was expecting to perhaps find one of the Arkham escapees, or even another vigilante. What he was not expecting was a small boy with a high resolution camera perched at the edge of the roof, looking worriedly out over the city.

No freaking way. Damian had heard stories. They were too ludicrous to be believed, but right in that moment he couldn’t help but believe it. There was the proof right in front of him. Who else would be suicidal enough to go out into the city during an Arkham breakout to take pictures? He turned off his comms before shouting angrily at the small boy. “Are you insane?!”

The sudden break in the night’s silence startled the child enough that he squeaked in surprise and quickly turned around to see who had approached him. To Damian’s horror, the boy took a step backward and caught his heel on the roof’s edge. He pitched backward and screamed in fear as he fell over the edge.

Damian burst toward the child and just barely managed to catch him by his red hoodie. He yanked him back forcing the boy to land hard on the rooftop, narrowly avoiding a messy death on the pavement below. He ripped his jeans and scraped his knee but he was alive. So was his camera. He would have lost it if it hadn’t been securely hanging on a strap around his neck.

The boy looked up at Damian with a curiosity that bordered on cunning. Damian could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he processed what was happening. The shock of almost falling to his death passed unnaturally fast and his deductive intuition took over.

“Does Batman know he’s got a cosplayer following him? You could get killed. You really shouldn’t be out here dressed like that.”

Damian could have smacked the kid for the sheer irony of that statement. “Idiot. This isn’t about me. You need to return to the safety of your home. Now.”

“I don’t want to return to the safety of my home,” the kid said petulantly and snapped a quick picture of Damian scowling. “Besides, I’m perfectly safe up here. I’ve been doing this for almost a year and not even Batman and Robin have spotted me.”

“You’d be saying differently had you decided to use the next building over as your perch, you little stalker.”

The boy looked indignant. “I’m not a stalker!”

“Oh yeah? What would you call a six-year-old who repeatedly sneaks out of his house to take pictures of Batman and Robin?” Damian challenged.

That seemed to catch the kid off guard. He wasn’t expecting the older boy to pick up on why he was on a rooftop at night with a camera. He quickly tried to turn the conversation back around. “First of all, I’m eight. And secondly, how do you know what I’m doing? Are you stalking me?”

“Tt. Like I would ever waste my time like that. Besides, I’m Robin. I know everything.”

“Robin doesn’t have boots like that, or that style mask, or spiked gauntlets, and you have a stockier build than he does. You’re not Robin,” he said in a slightly high pitched, innocent voice.

“Not your Robin,” Damian muttered cynically.

The little boy tilted his head, as if to get a better angle to examine the anomaly that was this new Robin. “The Bats don’t like copycats. If they catch you, you’ll be in big trouble.”

“The Bats are perfectly fine with me out here. I am visiting and working with them until I find a way home.

“Well, you can’t be Robin. There’s already a Robin,” the little boy argued defensively, as if it were a personal insult if Damian took the name. Some things never change no matter what reality I’m in.

“Fine. You can call me Red Robin.” At least in this reality I took his name before he claimed it…

“What kind of a name is Red Robin?” the boy asked with just a hint of derision in his voice. “Who names themself after a burger restaurant?”

“You do you little troll!” Damian shouted in annoyance. “Ugh! Even in an alternate reality you are insufferable!”

The little boy looked terribly confused and now a bit wary. “Are you one of the Arkham patients?”

Yep, Damian was going to kill the kid. He’d brought it on himself.

“I’m only going to tell you this once: Go. Home.” There was no denying the menace in his command. Somehow he managed to convey the seriousness of his instructions because the boy looked at him defiantly for only a moment before nodding, resigned to his fate.

Damian breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t have time to keep arguing and it made him feel better to know that this version of Timothy Drake would not be dying a fiery death tonight.

He watched the eight-year-old head to the fire escape and disappear over the edge of the roof before turning back to the opposite side of the building to continue his rescue efforts.

Unfortunately when he came back around the building’s water tank, he saw that Cheshire and Talia were there waiting for him. He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the women standing there, looking rather bored until he stepped into their line of sight.

“Damian,” Talia smiled at her son.

“What are you doing here?” he asked suspiciously. How did she even know where he was going to be? Unless she’s been tracking him… A cold sense of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. I’m such an idiot… He took the two pieces of the communication device she had left for him out of his utility belt and threw them at her feet violently. “You bugged me?!”

“I’m sorry for the deception, my love, but I needed to see your abilities for myself. What better way to do that than put you against Gotham’s best criminals?” She looked so proud of him. “You’re even more skilled than I could have hoped.”

“You caused the Arkham escape?” Damian said in shocked disbelief, thinking about the traumatized and dead civilians on the streets below. “How could you? All those people!”

Talia frowned at his reaction. She was not expecting him to feel concern for the unavoidable casualties that came from testing him in the way she had chosen. She turned to Cheshire and said, “Leave us.”

Cheshire nodded and disappeared to the other side of the building. Damian used her exit to move his hand to reactivate his comms but Talia saw him and shook her head. “Don’t bother trying to contact your father. He and Robin are busy down below with Clayface and Killer Croc.”

“Both of them?” Damian asked and ran to the side of the building to look down at the ground. Sure enough, Batman and Robin were being tag-teamed by two of Gotham’s most well known criminals. The noise wasn’t enough to carry up to the roof and Damian had stupidly turned off his comms to talk to Drake without risk of being overheard.

“Don’t feel guilty, Damian. Even if you hadn’t turned your earpiece off you wouldn’t have received their calls. They’ve been trying to contact you for the past five minutes but that tracker also allowed me to disable your comms. It’s just you and me right now and I will have your full attention.”

Damian was seething. How dare she put his family in danger? “You’re allowing people out there to be killed just to have a conversation uninterrupted? People are dying! I’m going to help Batman and Robin!” He pulled his grappling gun off his belt when he heard the telltale sound of a sword being unsheathed. He had just enough time to dodge Talia’s strike. Unfortunately that positioned him farther from the edge of the roof. She was keeping him right where she wanted him.

“Damian,” Talia began with a scimitar drawn in front of her. “The people of this city all know the risks of living here.”

Damian drew his own sword. “That doesn’t give you the right to play with people’s lives. People died! They’re dying right now!”

“Don’t be so dramatic. People die all the time.You sound just like your father,” she frowned.

“I’ll take that as a complement,” Damian growled.

“We’ll have to work on that when we get home.”

Damian wasn’t sure if he had heard that right. Did she actually think he was going to go anywhere with her? “You’re delusional.”

“No Damian, I’m your mother and you will do as I say.”

“Like hell I will,” he said as he prepared to fight.

“Oh, I think you will.” Cheshire said from behind him.

Damian whipped around and jumped backwards. His sword arced in a half-finished attack as he tried to keep both women in front of him. Then Damian’s hopes of winning any sort of fight against them died a cruel, painful death. He looked miserably at the small, struggling, eight-year-old Tim Drake in Cheshire’s grip.

Damnit, Drake. Why can’t you ever just do as you’re told?

Damian forced his expression to stay neutral as he watched Cheshire manhandle the small boy with ease. The kid had no chance if she decided to harm him.

“Look who I found trying to spy on a private conversation,” Cheshire said, presenting the boy to Talia. “You know, kid, that’s really rude. Should I teach him some manners?”

“No!” Damian shouted in his most commanding voice. “I will not allow you to harm any more people tonight. You will let that boy go immediately and call off the criminals you’ve allowed into the streets.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Talia said. “You should know once they’re out no one has any control over them.”

Damian did know, but he wished that weren’t the case. “What about the child? You can at least let him go. What can he possibly do? Batman’s almost impossible to find out in the city so he won’t be able to tell him what happened, and I don’t exist on this Earth so the police would be no help. At worst they’d think he’s crazy. There is no need to harm him.” Please, Timothy. Use that brain of yours and understand what I’m telling you to do. When I get you out of this find my father and tell him what happened.

Cheshire didn’t seem to like what Damian was saying. “But he’s seen your face, Talia. At minimum we’d have to take him back to the League and—”

“You will do no such thing!” Damian said angrily and pointed his sword at Cheshire’s head.

Talia noted Damian’s reaction and wondered if this child meant more to him than simply someone he’d wanted to save. She decided to test her theory. “That is acceptable Cheshire. Bring him with us to the plane.”

Cheshire nodded and turned to leave with Tim.

“STOP!” Damian shouted and rushed her.

Cheshire quickly drew a needle and held it to Tim’s neck. The small boy stopped struggling and froze in fear as he felt the unfamiliar sharp object on his skin. This was not how he had expected the night to go. He had always managed to stay out of danger before he met that Robin wannabe. Even so, he felt like the kid was trying to do everything he could to keep him safe. Tim wasn’t sure what the League was, but it sure as heck wasn’t the Justice League and he knew that he didn’t want to be taken there.

Damian stopped short when he saw the poisoned needle next to Timothy’s throat. He also noticed that the boy no longer had the camera from before around his neck. Cheshire didn’t seem to have it either.

“Damian,” Talia said, walking nearer to him, her blade by her side pointed to the ground. “What would you do to protect this boy?”

“What I would do for any other civilian being held by a psychopath, Talia,” Damian growled. He kept Cheshire in his sights, ready to spring at her the moment she even breathed wrong.

Talia didn’t believe him. He cared about that boy somehow. “I’ll make you a proposal, Damian,” she said as she sheathed her sword. “You return with me to Infinity Island and I will leave the child here, alive and unharmed.”

Damian had to consider her offer. He knew what going to Infinity Island would cost him. It would be just as bad as the Year of Blood, he was sure. There was no way he was going to join his mother in the League of Assassins of this Earth, but he couldn’t let Timothy die. If he fought his mother, Cheshire was sure to kill Drake. If Damian managed to fight them both and they didn’t kill Drake, they would take him to the League and turn him into an assassin… either that or he would die from the experience within a week. Damian couldn’t imagine this scrawny boy surviving the type of training he was put through as a child.

“And you won’t retrieve him later on? You will leave him alone for as long as I cooperate?”

Talia inclined her head slightly. “Of course.”

Damian didn’t want to do this. He wanted to stay in Gotham. Hell, even the mountain with the sidekicks would be preferable to returning to his Grandfather’s fortress, but he couldn’t let his brother be harmed. Damian glared hatefully at his mother. “Fine. I accept.” He sheathed his sword.

“Wonderful,” Talia smiled, victorious. “Cheshire. Leave the child and prep the plane for our trip home. Father will want to meet his grandson.”

Cheshire nodded and let go of Tim, returning her poisoned needle to wherever she kept them on her. Tim seemed frozen like a deer in headlights for a moment, not sure if fleeing would cause the predators that had him to give chase. Suddenly he felt a small prick in the back of his neck and everything got very fuzzy very quickly. He was unconscious before he even began to fall.

“NO!” Damian shouted angrily. “What did you do?!” He charged the assassin but before he reached her, she had caught Timothy again and placed him gently on the ground.

“Relax,” Cheshire snapped. “It’s just a sleeping agent. He’ll wake up in a couple hours.”

Damian was not reassured. What if it started to rain? What if one of the Arkham escapees made their way up to this roof? Damian couldn’t even voice his fears in case it would seem like he had anything more than a casual concern for the boy. He had to grudgingly nod and look back to Talia for instructions.

After placing Tim on the ground by the water storage tank, Cheshire left to prepare their transportation to Infinity Island.

Damian continued to glare daggers at his mother. She was just as bad as his own Talia; manipulative, deceitful, self-absorbed. He couldn’t help feeling the sting of yet another betrayal from her. Honestly, he should be used to it by now, so why did it still hurt so much?

Talia put her hand on his shoulder and looked down at him. “Your father has damaged you so much, hasn’t he?”

Damian wanted to hit her. “The only person who has damaged me is you.”

Talia frowned. She had a lot of work ahead of her if she wanted to deprogram her son of his father’s influence. “A boy should be with his mother, Damian. I’m the closest thing to that you have to that right now.”

Damian scoffed. “I’d take Catwoman over you right now, mother.” He said it mockingly, like a strike to the heart, but he couldn’t tell if it hit it’s mark. Talia was a master of keeping her emotions in check.

Talia’s face remained impassive while in her mind she was very much taken aback by her son’s impudence. He couldn’t have been raised by her on his Earth. She would have taught him how to show respect to his betters. Talia was growing quite tired of his bad attitude, but she could teach him respect. “You may not understand right now, but someday you’ll thank me for this, my little warrior. Now come, we have a long flight to Infinity Island. Let’s not keep Cheshire waiting.”

9:54 pm
Smallville, KS

Kid Flash ran through the Smallville Zeta-tube at top speed straight toward the address Robin had given him. It was a small farmhouse in rural Kansas and it was apparently where both Superboys were spending their night. He zipped through the front door without knocking and interrupted the ending of a very intense game of Monopoly. Conner was currently winning by a large margin despite it being his first time playing.

“Whydon’tyouwearyourcommunicator?We’vebeentryingtogetaholdofyouforthepasthour!” Kid Flash spoke at a pace so rapid that it was even difficult for Jon and Conner to follow what he was saying. The older couple in the room didn’t have a chance of understanding what was going on.

“One more time at about half that speed, please,” Jon said to the frustrated speedster.

Kid Flash huffed and repeated. “Dude, we’ve been trying to get in contact with you for the past hour. Why aren’t you wearing your communicator?”

For the first time that day Conner realized he didn’t have his comm in his ear. Jon had grabbed him so suddenly that morning and sprung the whole family bonding outing on him that he didn’t even think of it. “I forgot?”

“Well, things are a mess right now and you both need to come with me!” Wally said with a worried intensity that he rarely showed.

“Is everything alright?” the elder Jonathan asked the newcomer in the bright yellow bodysuit.

“No, everything is not alright!” Wally said frustratedly. Then after a moment he realized he had no idea who the other people in the room were. “I’ve just broken into your house, haven’t I…”

“You did, indeed,” Jonathan nodded, taking the new superpowered child in stride. He turned to Conner and Jon, “Is this one of your friends from that Team you were telling us about?”

“Kid Flash, these are my grandparents, Jonathan and Martha. Jonathan and Martha, this is Kid Flash, also known as Kid Mouth because he doesn’t think before he speaks,” Conner said pointedly.

“And because he eats a TON,” Jon added.

“Hey! I have a high metabolism. I have to eat a lot or I’ll die of starvation! Running faster than the speed of sound burns a lot of calories. Wait, your grandparents? Are they Superman’s parents?!”

“Yes, we are,” Martha smiled. “It’s nice to meet you Kid Flash.”

“I am SO sorry,” Wally said to the couple. “I really do act without thinking sometimes. I’m sorry for barging in, but I really do need to borrow Conner and Jon. It’s seriously an emergency.”

“Is it seriously an emergency?” Conner said skeptically, “Or is this like the time we ran out of Oreos at the Cave?”

“It’s enough of an emergency that Robin gave me the address of Superman’s parents so I could come bring you back!”

That was true. “What’s going on?” Conner asked, now in mission mode.

“Is anyone hurt? Should we try calling Superman to come back?” Jonathan asked with concern.

“No!” Jon quickly shot down the idea. “He just told mom who he is. They need this time together. Besides, there aren’t any phones at the Fortress of Solitude. We can do this ourselves, right?”

“Robin did say to get you two, not Superman, so I guess… Though I do feel like Superman might be a help here.”

“Okay then. Grandma, Grandpa, if dad comes back let him know what’s going on, but we’ll be fine, I’m sure,” Jon said. “Let’s go!”

Conner looked over to the two people he was quickly growing to think of as family. “Would it be okay?”

“It’s not like we could stop you boys anyway,” Jonathan said, a hint of worry showing in his eyes.

“Just promise you’ll stay safe and not take any unnecessary risks,” Martha added.

“We promise,” Jon said sincerely and Conner nodded.

Jonathan and Martha stood up and looked at the boys. They were so young. This was the part they hated. They felt it every time Clark showed up on the news fighting a monster and they hated not knowing what these boys were about to face. But being a hero was in their blood and the Kents couldn’t tell them to not help someone when they had the power and the will to make a difference. Besides, the boys were Kryptonian. Almost nothing could seriously hurt them.

The old couple hugged their grandchildren. “You boys remember your promise. If it gets to be too much, you get out. Protect each other.”

With that the three superpowered boys left the house and headed straight for the Smallville Zeta-tube to teleport to Mount Justice. Robin and the rest of the Team were waiting.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, October 13, 2010
8:48 pm
The Batcave

The Batmobile came speeding into the Batcave and stopped with a screech on the docking circle. The door and roof slid open to reveal a very beat-up looking Robin who popped his head out and cried out in a panic, “Alfred!” He was holding onto an unconscious and bleeding Batman for dear life. To his great relief the butler was there beside him in an instant to help the small teenager pull the hulking body of the Batman out of the car and onto a stretcher. Alfred was proud that Dick had remembered protocol and called ahead to let him know that Bruce was injured. Because of that, the man had everything prepared to treat his injuries and save his life.

“Do not worry, Master Dick,” Alfred reassured him. “Master Bruce has come back with worse injuries than this and pulled through just fine.”

As Alfred began working on Bruce, Dick tried contacting Damian once again. His patience was gone. There was still too much stress and adrenaline rushing through his system to allow him to care that he was shouting angrily into his communication gear. “Red Robin! Where the hell are you? Turn your damn comms on!”

There was, predictably, no response yet again. Dick groaned in frustration. Batman was unconscious and Alfred was busy trying to stop him from bleeding out in the Batcave’s medical bay. Now the burden of command fell to Robin. He couldn’t help with Bruce so his first priority had to be finding Damian.

He took a deep breath to steady himself and changed the frequency of his communication device to Kid Flash’s private channel.

Wally wasn’t patrolling tonight. Most of Central City’s Rogues were daytime bad guys and the Flash had a day job that required he get a good night’s sleep. Because of that, Kid Flash only got calls for night missions when he was working with the Team, so when his communicator buzzed he knew exactly who would be on the other end. “Hey, Rob! How’s it going? The Big Man keeping you from the action again tonight?”

“Wally…”

Wally felt like the floor dropped out from under him when he heard Dick’s voice. His best friend didn’t sound like his usual cheerful self. If he didn’t know any better he would say Dick sounded like he was right on the verge of panic. But Robin didn’t panic so it couldn’t be that. No way. Whatever it was though, it got Wally’s full and undivided attention.

“What happened?”

“I need you to come to the manor. In uniform,” Robin said with a detached tone that caused Wally to start to internally freak out. Robin didn’t usually sound like that unless something was monumentally bad.

“But Batman doesn’t like Metas in his city…”

“Batman’s not conscious right now so I really don’t care what he thinks!” Robin snapped, but he sounded more worried than angry. Then his voice broke and he just sounded lost. “Wally, I need your help. Please.”

“Yeah, man. Anything for you, you know that. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Relief washed over Robin as Wally agreed to help him. He didn’t think he could get through the next few hours by himself. “Thanks, KF. I owe you one. I’ll see you soon.”

It was only about two minutes before the Zeta-tube in the batcave activated and Wally appeared. He was looking just as worried as Dick. “I’m here. Now tell me what’s got you so upset. What happened?”

It was worse than Wally had imagined. Dick looked like he had gone ten rounds with rabid hyenas. He was bloody and his uniform was ripped in several places.

“They were working together,” Dick said, hiding the distress he was feeling fairly well. “They never do that. There was an Arkham breakout. The three of us went out to help get the psychos off the street. It was going fine for a while, then I sent Damian to clear a building that had been damaged by Clayface. I stayed on the ground to guide the civilians out while Batman searched the streets in the Batmobile.”

“Let me guess… he found Clayface and the monster wasn’t happy?”

“More like Clayface ambushed him. I could hear the fight from a street away. He was huge; bigger than I’ve ever seen him before. I sent the remaining bystanders in the opposite direction and tried to call Damian back but he didn’t respond. His comms were either off or jammed somehow.”

“But you and Batman have gone up against Clayface alone before. What happened this time to end so badly?”

“Clayface was working with Killer Croc. One minute we’re doing fine; Batman was about to hit him with the destabilizing agent that would have taken Clayface down in a second. The next thing I know, I’m getting thrown into the side of a building and Killer Croc is about to bite my head off. Batman had to come save me which gave Clayface the opportunity to smash him into the pavement. Croc attacked him while he was down. It was awful, Walls. If it wasn’t for the suit he would have ripped Bruce in half.”

Wally couldn’t stand the haunted look on his best friend’s face and the terror in his voice as he recounted the night’s events. “Is Batman alright? Are you alright?”

“Batman’s getting patched up by Alfred now. He’s unconscious but Al says he’s gonna be fine. I’m not sure if he said that just to keep me from completely breaking down right now but I have to trust him. Wally… I can’t lose Bruce. I already lost my parents. I can’t go through that again. I can’t…”

Wally pulled Dick into the strongest hug he could manage without bothering his wounds. “I know, man. But don’t think that way. He’s the freakin Batman. And he’d never leave you. He’s gonna be fine.”

Dick managed to laugh at that. Wally was right. But he had to finish explaining what was going on so Wally could help him. “Thanks. I’m okay. Most of my injuries are just surface damage. I managed to throw the destabilizing agent on Clayface while he was distracted and then pulled Croc’s attention off of Batman until the police arrived… but he was in really bad shape by then. It’s my fault he’s hurt, Wally. If I hadn’t gotten blindsided by Croc he wouldn’t have had to take his attention off Clayface. And Damian’s still missing. I need to find him. What if Clayface or Killer Croc got to him before they attacked us? Damian could still be out there, hurt or worse.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Help me search the area. Bruce is gonna freak out if Damian’s not here when he wakes up.”

“Yeah, no problem. Just tell me where to go.”

9:15 pm
Gotham City

Kid Flash and Robin stood in the wreckage of what at one time could be called Downtown Gotham. The streets were cordoned off and the people had been cleared out. It looked like the police had managed to effectively deal with the situation Batman and Robin had left them with though. That sent a wave of relief over Robin. He was grateful that despite the corruption on the force, everyone was in agreement that Arkham’s ‘patients’ needed to stay in Arkham.

“Where should we search first?” Kid Flash asked as he surveyed the devastation all around him.

“I sent him up there,” Robin said, pointing to one of the buildings that had major structural damage from the ground. “Let’s check the roof first. Maybe he just got stuck.”

Wally didn’t think Damian was the type of person to just ‘get stuck,’ but he didn’t argue as he grabbed Robin and sped the two of them up the side of the building to the roof.

The two found it unfortunately empty and when they checked the roof access door they noticed exactly what Damian had. There was no way to get into the building from where they were. The building was only a couple of stories tall but Clayface had done a number on it. He was definitely massive when he rampaged through the district.

“He’s not here,” Kid Flash said.

“So where would he have gone once he figured out he couldn’t get in from the roof?” Robin pondered to himself. “He would have tried to find another way in.”

“But there was no other way in. It looked like the police had to cut through the side of the building to get access to it down below,” Kid Flash said.

“So maybe that’s what he was thinking of doing too…” Robin figured. “Based on the roof access door Damian had used small amounts of C4. Maybe he tried to figure out another entry point.”

“And he’d need to see the whole building to do that,” Kid Flash added.

“He went to one of the adjacent buildings,” Robin grinned. “KF, can you use your goggles to zoom in and see if he’s still there on any of them?”

“I’ll try.” Wally said as he lowered his goggles to his eyes and zoomed in as far as the tech would allow. The first two buildings didn’t show anything interesting but the third building he scanned got a hit.

“Oh, there!” he said excitedly and pointed toward the north facing building. There’s a heat signature! It looks to be about his size too. But it’s not moving. He might be unconscious.”

“Kid Flash, you’re my hero,” Robin grinned and grappled to the building. Wally ran to the edge and jumped the gap easily.

The two immediately saw the body by the water tank. It wasn’t Damian. This boy was smaller and had much less muscle. If it weren’t for his clothes the kid would have looked just like one of the homeless of Crime Alley taking a nap. He definitely wasn’t homeless though. Wearing a pair of expensive jeans and a red hoodie, his clothes practically screamed ‘I have money!’ What was he doing out here? He was unconscious and cold, but otherwise looked unharmed. He had a strong pulse so Robin figured it would be okay to try and wake him up.

Dick took some smelling salts out of his utility belt and waved them under the boy’s nose. The kid woke up almost immediately and gagged at the smell before Robin managed to throw them aside.

As Tim regained consciousness, his eyes refused to focus. He could only make out bright colors, and he wondered if he had passed out in front of a traffic light. That didn’t last for long as the colors rapidly reshaped themselves into the solid forms of Robin and Kid Flash. Tim was so shocked he couldn’t even form a coherent thought aside from, Holy moley, Robin is standing right in front of me!

Tim focused on the figure of Robin in black and red. His eyes got as wide as saucers and the only thing he could manage to do in that moment was just stare dumbly up at his hero. He was not hallucinating, but he didn’t seem to be able to think beyond simple statements of fact right now either. It was like his brain needed a moment to reboot when he saw the teenage vigilante. Robin is right in front of me. Did he save me? This is so cool!!!!

“Robin!” he said excitedly once his voice came back to him. If he even registered that Kid Flash was there, no one could tell. He was so starstruck seeing the Boy Wonder up close that Robin was the only thing that the boy could focus on just then.

“Are you alright?” Robin asked, helping the kid sit up.

The boy took a moment to assess himself before nodding and reassuring the heroes he was fine. “Yeah, I think so. That scary lady poked me with something and I just got all fuzzy all of a sudden.”

“What scary lady?” Robin asked. “Can you describe her?”

The boy’s face lit up. “I can do better than that!”

He got to his feet and raced over to a grate near the roof access door, pulling it open with the excitement that only small children and fanboys can manage when about to show someone something really cool. He reached inside and pulled out a very expensive looking camera. As the boy removed it from its its hidden spot and dusted it off he explained, “I hid this in here when I thought I may have to make a run for it, but I took a picture of them before I did.” He pulled up the digital display and the last picture taken popped up on the screen. It was small but clear as day.

“Oh crap…” Dick whispered. That was Cheshire and Talia al Ghul speaking to Damian. He grabbed the camera from the kid and zoomed in. There was no way to mistake the women in the picture. It was Definitely Cheshire and Talia.

“Do you have any other angles?” he asked the kid as he started scrolling backwards through the camera’s history.

“No! Wait!” the boy squeaked and grabbed for the camera when he realized what Robin was doing.

Robin didn’t see any other pictures of Talia. The next picture back was one of Damian looking annoyed, and the one before that was… “What the hell?”

This kid had a picture of him and Batman fighting a mob of gang members. That had happened like three days ago. He scrolled back again. There was a picture of him grappling through the city. One more picture previous to that one was Batman jumping out of the Batmobile. The timestamp was from over a week ago. There were even more similar photos going back months.

Dick looked horrified. He managed to pry his eyes from the screen to look at the little boy who seemed frozen in the middle of grabbing for the camera. His hand was outstretched but stopped halfway to it when he realized Robin had seen what he didn’t want him to see.

“Who are you?” Robin asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion on the small boy.

“My name?” the kid asked, sounding more than a little panicked. “I… um… it’s… Alvin… Dra...per. Yes, Alvin Draper.”

Kid Flash snorted. “Wow, kid. Want to try that again? You’re an even worse liar than I am. And how is ‘Alvin’ the first name that comes to your mind? Seriously, Alvin?”

Robin elbowed Kid Flash in the side and gave him a look that screamed, ‘be nice to the little kid.’ Wally, to his credit, managed to look chastised, though he didn’t apologize.

The boy blushed with embarrassment and focused on examining his shoes. It was just the first thing that came to mind. He had no idea why. He didn’t want to seem lame in front of Robin’s best friend but no other fake name was coming to him. Why couldn’t he think of a name? Any name but his own! Finally, he gave up and just decided to tell the truth. “Tim…” he mumbled, still looking down at his shoes like they were the most interesting things in the world.

“What was that?” Kid Flash asked while Robin began scrolling through the pictures again.

The kid’s face turned from guilty to defiant and he looked Kid Flash right in the eye. “Tim Drake! And that’s my camera!” he lunged for the little machine in Robin’s hands but the teenager saw it coming from a mile away and moved it out of Tim’s reach.

Tim Drake… why did he feel like he should know that name? “Good attempt, but you’ll have to work on your speed,” Robin said seriously. “And I’m keeping this for a while.”

“You can’t do that!” Tim cried.

“I promise I’ll give it back eventually but I need you to focus now,” Robin said reassuringly as he scrolled back to the picture of Damian. He showed it to Tim and asked, “What happened to him?”

Tim looked at the picture and frowned, trying to think back. Everything from just before he blacked out was still a little fuzzy. Just relax. Robin’s counting on you to help him find the angry cosplayer. You can deal with getting the pictures back later. Just think back to when you met him and replay events step by step…

“Okay…” Tim began staring at the spot on the roof where ‘Red Robin’ had surprised him. “I was over there. I came up to this roof because I know you and Batman don’t usually use it in your patrol route but it’s close enough to get decent pictures of you grappling by and the water tank provides good cover if you do happen to look over here.”

“Kid, why are you taking pictures of Batman and Robin alone on a rooftop at night in Gotham in the first place?” Kid Flash asked.

Tim shrugged. “I’m a fan.” He had hoped that the explanation would be enough. He really was just a fan. It was fun to track down Batman and Robin.

The look on Robin’s face wasn’t impressed or even angry as Tim had always imagined it would be if he were ever caught. He always assumed that Robin would be impressed and Batman would be angry (but also impressed). Well, if he was being honest, he thought he was good enough not to ever be caught in the first place. He did have contingency plans though; play up the scared eight-year-old or threaten them with the hard copies of his pictures. Batman didn’t kill so he could do that without worrying about them just silencing him outright. However, his plans didn’t account for Robin looking worried about him. No one ever looked worried about him. It made him a little uncomfortable to be looked at like that.

“Look, It’s a hobby. The pictures are just for me. I print them out at home and hide them. I’d never betray you or Batman by selling them or anything like that. And besides, you were jumping off of… rooftops when you were just a little older than I am now so you don’t get to judge!”

“He has you there, Rob,” Kid Flash said. “A nine year old fighting crime sets a pretty dangerous precedent. At least he’s sticking to the shadows and just observing.”

Robin glared at his friend. “Not helping, KF.”

“But he’s right,” Tim defended. “I’m not planning on putting on a cape and I’m always careful when I go out. The only reason I was in trouble tonight was because that Robin wannabe ran into me and the two women wanted him to go with them…” He thought for a moment then added as a small addendum. “Though he did save me when the scary woman wanted to take me home with her.”

Robin wanted to throw up. Damian had been taken by Talia al Ghul. Not to mention that there was a tiny child following him and Batman on a nightly basis. “Did they say anything about where they were going?”

Tim seemed to be thinking hard, trying to remember something specific. “I think she mentioned something about an island and his grandfather…”

Dick’s heart sank. “Infinity Island?”

“Yeah!” Tim said excitedly. “That was it!” He saw Robin visibly pale. “What? Is that bad?”

“If you call having to rescue your little brother from the heart of a heavily guarded island swarming with assassins, then yeah, I’d say it’s bad.”

“But you don’t have a brother,” Tim said automatically. Robin saw the moment Tim realized what he had said. “I mean…”

Robin narrowed his eyes at the eight-year-old and cut him off before he could even attempt to talk his way out of that slip-up. “What makes you say that? Really. Don’t lie to me, Tim.”

Tim wanted to cry. It was one thing for Robin to know about the pictures. It was another thing entirely to let him know exactly how much Tim actually knew. “Ah, um… you know…” his face turned a noticeable shade of pink.

“No, I don’t. Explain it to me,” Robin said as gently as he could. He didn’t want to scare the kid into shutting down, but he had begun to feel like this little Tim Drake knew more than he was letting on. Dick had to know how much before he could leave him.

Tim considered telling him everything. Robin was a good guy. He was a hero. He wouldn’t be mad that Tim figured it out, right? He might even invite Tim to hang out sometime when he wasn’t working. It would be nice to have a friend. Then again, Robin might throw him off the roof to protect his identity. No, Robin wouldn’t do that. Especially that. Tim decided to trust him with his story and took a leap of faith. “Four years ago… I was at the circus on the night the Flying Graysons fell.”

Dick’s heart skipped a beat. There was no way…

“I actually met them. My family and I took a picture with them right before the show.”

Dick remembered a little boy sitting on his knee as he knelt for the final picture his family would ever take together. It had been a random encounter before the show and the little boy was so nervous, but his parents tried to put him at ease by introducing him to some of the performers. Dick had promised to do his famous quadruple somersault just for him and he remembered the little boy seemed to light up with happiness at the thought.

“Dick Grayson promised to do his act ’specially for me. I don’t remember the clowns or the animals, or anything else. I just remember waiting for him to go on… And then when he did, I just sat there and watched.”

As Tim told his story, Dick could see it all replay in his mind as if it had just happened a moment ago. April 1, 2006, the worst day of his life. He had swung to the safety of the platform. His mother went first. His father followed. Finally, his aunt Karla, cousin Jon, and uncle Rick. Everyone out on a single trapeze with no net below them. It was the stunt everyone packed the circus tent to see. He was too young to perform it with them so when it happened all he could do was watch in horror, unable to do a thing. The act had been going perfectly when it happened. Their trapeze lines snapped, and they all fell. Dick remembered the sound in vivid detail. He’d never forget it for as long as he lived. His entire family died in an instant, except for his uncle who was left paralyzed for the rest of his life.

“I had nightmares for years afterwards. The only thing that would help me sleep was watching the nightly news believe it or not. I guess having information about what’s going on in the city makes me feel better. But there was one night about nine months ago where someone caught Robin with their phone’s camera. You were in a warehouse fighting Penguin. He was about to shoot Batman in the back but you were on the crossbeams above him and did a perfect quadruple somersault onto his head. It was amazing, even despite the low resolution.” Tim smiled so broadly at the memory that Dick wondered if he might have been exposed to Joker toxin.

“I wanted to confirm my theory so I started sneaking out at night. I followed you as best I could, documenting your patrol routes and figuring out the places to observe you without being seen. I knew Bruce Wayne adopted Dick Grayson. Mr. Wayne’s physical features are very similar to those of Batman. About six months later Robin made his first appearance. Dick Grayson is the only person in the world now who can do the quad. I don’t want to say the rest was easy because you guys really covered your tracks, but if you go in knowing Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are Batman and Robin, well… you can find the clues to prove it. You’re Dick Grayson, I’m sure of it. You are an only child. You don’t have a little brother.”

Robin and Kid Flash stared at the little boy dumbfounded while a series of memories flashed through Dick’s mind and several pieces of a puzzle Dick hadn’t even realized he was building began clicking into place.

“How do you know it’s Dick?” Jon asked. “Could be Jason, or Tim.”

“Careful, Grayson. On my Earth someone figured out your identity from that move.”

“I’ll be Red Hood. Drake can keep his asinine name.”

Robin had to laugh. Of course he’d meet one of the future Robins… a future little brother… the same night Damian gets kidnapped by his mom.

Wally laughed nervously. “You’re crazy kid. Dick Grayson? The rich kid? And Bruce Wayne? He’s a total airhead. There’s no way.”

“Now who’s the bad liar?” Tim said as he looked deviously at Kid Flash.

“That’s some amazing detective work, Tim,” Dick smiled. “I know Batman would be very impressed.”

Tim’s jaw dropped at the same time Wally looked to his best friend with and expression that said, ‘Are you crazy? What the heck are you thinking?!’

Tim couldn’t believe it. Robin had just all but confirmed his theory. Did that mean he trusted him? Or was he just saying that so Tim would trust him before he gave him some sort of memory erasing Bat-juice? That sounded gross.

“Tim,” Dick said with a new determination. “I’m going to have Kid Flash take you home. I need you to promise me you won’t do anything until I talk to you later.” There was so much that Dick wanted to talk to him about. Tim was intelligent and resourceful; Dick knew that from just the five minutes he’d spent with the kid so far. But Damian was in real physical danger right now. Tim would have to wait.

Tim wanted to argue. Robin had his camera and now he was sending him home and that just wasn’t fair. He was very observant, though, and he saw that Robin was serious. He was worried about Red Robin. Dealing with an argumentative eight-year-old right now wasn’t something he needed, so Tim nodded and told himself that Robin wouldn’t lie and everything would be fine.

“KF,” Robin said, focusing his attention on the teenager in yellow. “After you bring Tim home meet me at Mount Justice. I’m calling the team together.”

Kid Flash nodded and scooped the little black haired boy up in his arms. “You ever travel faster than the speed of sound, kid?”

Tim shook his head with a wide-eyed expression that made Kid Flash grin. He didn’t say anything as he sped off with him. Robin figured Kid Flash would eventually remember to ask the kid where he lived as he made his way off of the building and headed for the abandoned phone booth that camouflaged Gotham’s Zeta-tube access point.

9:30 pm
Somewhere over an ocean

“Is father alright,” Damian asked, hoping Talia would at least give him that information before she dropped him off in Hell. He was currently sitting in a plush leather seat across from his mother. They were on a private jet heading straight for his grandfather’s island compound where, on his Earth, he had grown up and learned to kill. And he did kill. He killed and killed and killed until it was as natural as breathing and he felt nothing for it.

“He and Robin survived,” Talia said casually. “Robin used the Batmobile’s autopilot to return them both to the manor for medical treatment.”

“He’s injured.” Damian knew. He didn’t have to phrase it as a question. He couldn’t forgive himself for allowing it to happen.

“It sounded like it” Talia said as she observed her son. “But he’s been incapacitated before and come out stronger in the end. That’s the beauty of your father, Damian. He doesn’t have limits. He gets whatever he wants because he wills it. It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with him. And why my father approves of him as a successor… if only he would change his philosophy just a little.”

“Father will never compromise his values. Never kill. And neither will I,” Damian said with venom in his voice. “Never again.”

“Damian,” Talis sighed, barely keeping the annoyance from her voice. “You can’t expect to be heir to the League of Shadows with that attitude.There are some situations where killing is an unavoidable necessity. Refusing to do so is like fighting with only one arm when the other is perfectly usable.”

Talia was disappointed. Bruce had corrupted her son so much. He had empathy for others and held onto his father’s belief that there was always a way to avoid killing. It seemed to be so ingrained in him at this point that it was like a lifeline he would die without. She had a lot of work ahead of her if she wanted to deprogram her son. His father’s influence was strong in him.

“I don’t want to be the heir to the League of Shadows. And it’s League of Assassins on my Earth.”

“Well that’s… literal,” Talia commented with just a hint of amusement in her voice. “A bit on the nose don’t you think?”

Damian shrugged. “It wasn’t my choice of name.”

The two sat in not quite comfortable silence for a while, Talia looking into the blackness of the night outside her window and Damian glaring at her.

“You should try to get some sleep before we reach the island,” Talia suggested. “Father may want to test you when we arrive and it’s best that you’re rested for it.”

“Grandfather has been testing me my entire life. I’ll be fine.”

Talia frowned and stood up. “Damian, I know you believe the version of me from your own world is a monster, but I’m not that person. You need to start trusting me.”

“Why should I, mother?” He said the last word as if it were an insult. “You’ve already proven to me that you’re almost as bad. Kidnapping, deception, public endangerment. All that’s left is to put a quarter billion dollar bounty on my head and murder me.”

Talia acted without thinking and slapped Damian across the face. He was expecting it and turned his head as the blow came in order to relieve some of the sting.

“Do not lie to me,” Talia seethed. “You can be angry but I will not tolerate disrespect.”

Damian huffed and looked her straight in the eyes as he said, “I’ve never lied to you. You killed me.”

“I would never,” she said with such conviction that Damian could almost believe her. Almost. “Get some sleep Damian.”

“I can’t sleep where I don’t feel safe.”

Talia sighed and kneeled down in front of her son, taking his hand in hers. She pretended that she didn’t notice him flinch from the contact. “I swear to you, while you are with me, you are safe.”

“Do you even hear yourself?” Damian spat, still feeling the sting on his cheek.

Talia sighed. “One day you will understand. Now sleep for me, my love. We have a long journey ahead.”

Damian just had time to feel the prick of one of Cheshire’s needles on his palm before his body felt heavy and he quickly lost consciousness.

9:45 pm
Mount Justice

The command room at Mount Justice was filled with teenage heroes. Robin had put out a call for anyone who was available and everyone showed up. Miss Martian, Artemis, Aqualad, heck even Zatanna snuck out to join them, not to mention Red Arrow. Roy usually ignored the team’s channel, but he came to help tonight, which made Robin feel a little better. The only people that had yet to arrive were Wally, who was on his way after dropping Tim off at home, and the two Superboys.

Jon was at the Kent farm in Smallville and a quick scan of the Zeta-tube logs confirmed that Conner had gone with him. He should have had his comms on but after almost an hour of trying to contact him while everyone was arriving, Dick gave up and contacted Wally instead.

“I need you to run over to the address I’m sending you,” he said as he sent Wally the encrypted address of the Kent farm.

“Kansas? Who do we know in Kansas?” Wally asked confused.

“I need you to pick up Conner and Jon. I’ve been trying Conner’s comms for like an hour and he’s not answering. Get them here ASAP. I don’t want Damian in Talia’s clutches any longer than he has to be. Now hurry. That address I gave you is going to delete itself in about five minutes.”

“I’m at the Zeta now. Be there soon. And… don’t worry, Rob. We’re going to get him back.”

Robin smiled sadly. “I know, KF. Just… hurry.”

Dick didn’t have to wait long for the Zeta-tube to activate and allow three superpowered kids through. Wally was true to his word. It had been barely five minutes since they talked.

“Can someone please tell me what is going on?” Jon said in an overly dramatic fashion.

“Take a seat,” Dick instructed. “I’m about to tell everyone.

Jon looked around for Damian so he could sit next to him but he didn’t see him anywhere. That was weird. Maybe he was waiting to make a dramatic entrance at some point during Dick’s explanation. That was probably it. He took a seat next to Conner and waited like everyone else.

Before Roy took his seat, he went over to Dick and whispered something that caused a visible reaction in him. Jon didn’t mean to eavesdrop but he couldn’t help it. He had heard Roy talking to Robin about a mole on the team and that he shouldn’t tell everyone his whole plan in case someone was feeding information to the enemy. Roy had said he suspected Artemis, M’gann, and Conner! There was no way Conner was a mole. Jon wanted to yell at Roy, but then everyone would know he had been listening to things he shouldn’t, so he held his tongue and glared at the redhead with all his might.

Dick nodded and Roy went to sit down. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Robin activated a display screen on the wall where everyone could see. He had only had about a half hour to work on this briefing and he hoped it was enough. “Thank you, everyone, for coming on such short notice,” he began and pulled up a picture of a young, beautiful woman of Middle Eastern descent with long brown hair and striking green eyes. “This is Talia al Ghul. She is a high ranking member of a clandestine organization known as the League of Shadows. She is also the daughter of the leader of the organization, Ra’s al Ghul, better known as the Demon’s Head. His primary objective is to eliminate what he considers the human surplus who is destroying the planet and taking its resources. The League of Shadows specializes in training assassins to carry out their various objectives, from eco-terrorism to safeguarding magical pools known as Lazarus Pits. Ra’s al Ghul uses these pits to extend his own life and is fiercely protective of them.”

Dick looked around to make sure he had everyone’s undivided attention. He did. “At approximately 8:30 this evening Talia al Ghul and the League assassin known as Cheshire kidnapped Damian from a Gotham rooftop.”

The room exploded into a half-dozen voices asking questions all at once. Jon, for all the questions he had, couldn’t really process what had just been said. Damian wasn’t kidnapped. He couldn’t be. Damian didn’t get kidnapped. He’d beat his kidnappers to within an inch of their lives and then say something demeaning to them just to rub salt in the wound.

Jon realized that Dick was talking again. It sounded like he was answering someone’s question. What was the question? The last thing he did with Damian was fight. He’d almost killed him. Why was it getting so hard to breathe?

Jon felt Conner place his hand gently over his own. He squeezed it reassuringly and whispered to him, “Deep breaths, Jonny. It’s going to be fine. We’ll have him back before the end of the night. I promise.”

Jon felt like he was going to throw up. He squeezed Conner’s hand and blinked back hot tears. Dick was still talking so he tried to focus on that.

“Artemis, are you sure?” he was asking.

The blonde nodded with a determined expression. She stood up and looked everyone in the eye before walking over to the computer displaying Robin’s information. She typed in something and three pictures appeared on screen: Huntress: Retired, Sportsmaster: Active, Cheshire: Active. “I’m telling you this because the League of Shadows is no joke. I’m with you all one hundred percent and I want to be the one to tell you. Hopefully you’ll still trust me afterwards, but I’ll understand if you don’t want me on this mission. I’m leaving it up to you to decide. My mother is Huntress, an ex-con. The rest of my family aren’t even ‘ex.’ My dad’s Sportsmaster, a freelancer for the League of Shadows and Cheshire is my sister.”

The room got incredibly quiet as everyone stared at her.

“That’s why…” Wally started, thinking back to how secretive she had been when she first joined the Team.

“Yeah,” she said, knowing exactly what he was thinking. “I was so desperate to make sure none of you found out…”

“Alright everyone,” Robin said, filling the tense silence Artemis’ confession had left in the air. “We can’t be an effective team if we don’t trust each other. Artemis just told us her big secret. Roy, I’m not entirely sure you’re right about… the thing you mentioned before, but I trust your judgement. I also trust Artemis, Aqualad, Superboy, and everyone else in this room, so let’s take a vote. All in favor of Artemis staying on the rescue mission?”

Every single person in the room raised their hand. Roy wasn’t convinced Artemis was entirely innocent, but he’d rather she be where he could see her and not off on her own, feeding the League of Shadows information on their plans to rescue Damian.

“Well then, I guess we can move on,” Robin said happily. “Any other questions?”

Jon raised his hand and Robin motioned for him to speak. “Why?” Jon asked. “Why would they take him? How did they know he was here and how could he have let himself get taken? He’s… he knows how to defend himself. He wouldn’t let some random woman just take him away.”

Dick frowned. He did not want to tell anyone about Talia’s connection to Damian. He had thought Jon knew already, but thinking back on it, Jon had mentioned not knowing who Damian’s mother was. Damian didn’t even want his best friend knowing his connection to Talia. He wasn’t sure how to answer that without giving away Damian’s secret.

“Robin,” Roy said angrily. “You need to be transparent about this. We can’t go into a rescue mission without knowing all the information. Any detail could mean the difference between life and death for any one of us.”

Dick felt the full weight of Roy’s words. Red Arrow was right. Dick was taking the lead on this operation and it would be on him if anyone got hurt or killed. He didn’t know if he could deal with that on his conscience. He knew Damian would feel betrayed, but he’d rather a betrayed Damian than a dead Damian.

“Talia threatened a civilian, an eight-year-old kid, so Damian went with her in order to protect him. As to why she wants him in the first place… Talia al Ghul is Damian’s mother. I can only guess that when she found out about his arrival on this Earth she wanted to take what she considered hers.”

The room was silent. Everyone was not quite sure how to take that new information.

“That may have been something you would want to lead with,” Roy said angrily. “How do we know the kid didn’t go with her willingly?”

“He didn’t,” Jon said forcefully. “Damian’s mom got him killed. He hates her. He’d never go with her if he had a choice.”

“What do you mean ‘got him killed?’” Miss Martian asked.

“He literally died!” Jon yelled in frustration. “He got better. Now we need to save him so it doesn’t happen again!” Determination and anger was evident in his voice. Now that he had a face to go with Damian’s stories, he was going to make sure that Talia al Ghul would never hurt his friend ever again.

“I believe it would be beneficial to call in the Justice League to help with this,” Kaldur suggested. He was technically the team’s leader but he had no experience whatsoever with the League of Shadows. Dick had at least dealt with them before with Batman. As sparse as his knowledge was, it was more than most people in the room had.

“That’s not a good idea,” Artemis chimed in before Dick had a chance to say the same thing. “The Justice League is big and flashy and handles massive worldwide threats just fine, but the League of Shadows is all about secrets and stealth. They live and breathe the concept of ninja assassin and have the means to vanish at a moment’s notice."

“Exactly,” Dick agreed. “They’ll see the Justice League coming from a mile away and if they do, they’re going to take Damian and hide him away where we will never be able to find him… or worse, they’ll straight out kill him. He may be an al Ghul but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee his safety.”

“This seems like something we should bring the adults in on,” Miss Martian said. “What about just Batman? Or I could contact Uncle J’onn.” The moment she made the suggestion she felt Robin’s emotions spike into worry and anger.

“Batman’s been incapacitated due to something Talia probably orchestrated,” Robin said gravely, his words eliciting more anxiety from the group.

“And if we call in Martian Manhunter we know he’s going to want to inform the Justice League, which is what we do not want,” Artemis added.

“What about Green Arrow?” Kaldur asked. “He does not seem like the type to—”

“Let me cut you off right there,” Roy said. “No.” Then he thought about it for a moment. “Make that hell no. I’m not working with Oliver. Sorry guys, but if you bring him in, I’m out.”

“Red Arrow, we need you on this!” Robin argued. “You’ve been to Infinity Island before. Without you we’d be going in completely blind.”

“Then don’t even think about calling Ollie in on this.”

“We could ask Black Canary,” Zatanna suggested, thinking that the Team’s mentor and trainer might be the best option if they were to call in an adult.

“No again,” Roy said. “I love her like a sister, but she’d call in Green Arrow and then we’re back to me being out. I refuse to work with that…” He paused, about to call Ollie a flurry of colorful words, but remembered that Jon was here and he was ten. It was probably not the best idea to teach him that much new vocabulary tonight. “Jerk.”

“Then we’re doing this on our own,” Dick said assertively.

Jon felt light headed. This was worse than awful. Damian wasn’t going to die. He would find him and save him. He had to.

“We’ve been trained as a stealth team,” Dick continued. “We can find him and get him back before the League of Shadows can mount a defense.”

Kid Flash snorted. “Uh, Rob… I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention but our stealth missions very rarely stay stealthy for very long. In fact, they usually end in explosions. Are you sure we can pull this off?”

“We have to. We can’t afford to screw this up.”

“Then let’s hear the plan,” Jon said with clear determination in his voice. He was going to save Damian no matter what.

Dick nodded, thankful that everyone was putting so much trust in him. He was in charge here but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to lead yet. It didn’t matter though, because the others were deferring to him right now. Dick had to at least act like a leader. He changed the screen to a satellite photo of Infinity Island and began to tell them his plan to rescue his little brother.

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
12:58 am
Approximately 150 kilometers from Infinity Island

Talia al Ghul sat across from Damian, just watching him sleep. She was fascinated by the boy her son would grow up to be. He was strong and intelligent, yet he could not seem to be in her presence without looking at her like she was the last person he wanted to be near. What had his father done to turn him against her so completely?

“Call him off at once… mother,” Damian twitched and mumbled in his sleep.

She thought he was adorable and smiled to herself.

“Call him off…” His breath hitched and he shifted in his seat, still unconscious.

Talia wondered what was going on in Damian’s head. He seemed to be having a nightmare. She contemplated waking him but she thought she had heard somewhere that you shouldn’t wake children from bad dreams. She’d have to look into that at some point. Either way, Damian beat her to the decision when he woke himself up screaming.

He startled Talia so badly she almost didn’t react in time when he lunged for her with a feral cry of rage. She just barely managed to keep him from tearing at her face and knocked him into the aisle of the private jet.

“Talia?” Cheshire called from the cockpit.

“It’s fine!” Talia called back as she fended off her angry thirteen-year-old.

Damian wasn’t fighting rationally. He was disoriented, a being of pure anger, all of which was directed at Talia. The moment he lunged for her again she sidestepped him and threw him to the floor of the plane.

“I hate you!” He screamed as she pinned his arms and settled all her weight on her knee pushing into the small of his back. Damian struggled and screamed as she spoke gently, trying to reassure him that he was safe. He didn’t stop struggling under her until he wore himself out. The only thing he could do was focus on breathing and force himself not to cry.

“Now,” Talia said once she was sure Damian had calmed himself. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“Grayson was wrong. You can hate family.” Damian shuttered and squeezed his eyes shut. “I don’t want to be here.”

Talia frowned and got off of him, believing he was calm enough not to attack her like before. As she helped him get to his feet she noticed how much he was shaking. It was barely perceptible but she could see it.

“Tell me,” she demanded without raising her voice or changing her tone. Even so, Damian knew it was not a request. He had grown up with that voice and the inability to argue with it.

“I had a nightmare. Being here against my will with you must have triggered memories of my death.”

Talia sighed. This again. She was growing tired of trying to convince Damian she would never kill him. “Go into the bathroom and compose yourself. We will be arriving soon.” She let him go and he edged away from her toward the bathroom. He didn’t want to do what she said, if for nothing else than to spite her, but he needed to feel the sting of cold water on his face. His heart was beating too fast and that nightmare… that memory had brought up a lot of anger and hurt he had thought he’d successfully buried deep within himself.

Damian splashed water from the sink in the bathroom on himself and did some calming breathing exercises. When he felt he was back to normal enough to face his mother again he turned to leave. Then he saw that the plane had a small shower installed. Leave it to Talia to require all the amenities.

He knew he shouldn’t use it. He shouldn’t put himself in that position of vulnerability while trapped in a small pressurized space… but he really wanted it. Just five minutes. He’d even lock the door. Not that he didn’t suspect his mother had an override for every part of the plane, but it made him feel better to think he’d have those five minutes of privacy.

The shower was amazing. The heat and water pressure were perfect despite the plumbing being set into a plane. He really did need that to help him de-stress. When his internal clock told him his five minutes were up, he grudgingly turned off the water and stepped out of the small enclosed tinted glass stall. Grabbing the fluffy white towel he had balanced on the sink, he dried himself off quickly and reached for his Robin uniform that he had left on the toilet lid.

It wasn’t there. In its place was a black League of Assassins uniform. Talia must have used all her skill in stealth to switch out the clothing without him noticing. How dare she… Damian seethed.

He threw the towel around his waist and stormed into the cabin of the plane. Talia was standing in the aisle, as if expecting this. What she was not expecting was the patchwork of myriad scars that littered Damian’s chest and arms, with a particularly nasty one right over his heart. Her breath caught in her chest as she took in just how damaged her child actually was. She wondered for the first time if he might not have been lying to her about his death.

“Where is my uniform?!” Damian shouted. He was not in the best position to be making demands, half-naked, thirty-thousand feet in the air, with no back-up, but he didn’t care. She had taken what was his. He wanted it back.

“A Lazarus Pit would have taken care of those scars,” she said, completely ignoring his question. “Why didn’t it heal you completely?”

Damian looked down at his scars, the constant reminders of what he had done to become his mother’s perfect weapon as well as what his father would do to protect him. “You always decided to heal me with cloned organs. You never wanted to put me in the Pit for some reason. Maybe you realized it was a bad idea after Todd went feral. Doesn’t really matter I suppose. After you killed me Grandfather stole my body and tried to revive me with a Lazarus Pit. It didn’t work.”

He decided not to mention that her body was taken as well. Where Damian had not been able to be revived with the Pit, Talia had had a delayed reaction to it. Damian wasn’t sure if it was simply that the particular Lazarus Pit his grandfather used on him at the time was faulty or if he was immune to the Pit’s effects. He was well aware that his grandfather’s training of his mother involved forcing her to fight until she died and then reviving her, only to do it again and again and again as she was growing up. The Pits worked on her before so maybe it was just that that particular one was out of power. Either way, he didn’t want to find out if he could successfully use a Lazarus Pit. Damian was fine going the rest of his life never dealing with that. He supposed he had to be grateful that his mother never subjected him to the fight, die, revive type of training she was put through.

“If the Lazarus Pit had no effect, how is it you’re alive now?” she asked, trying to find fault with his story.

“Father,” Damian said without going into detail. “Maybe I’ll tell you more if you return my uniform.”

Talia did not like to be challenged; especially by a snarky teenager. “I’m holding onto it, Damian.”

“Give it back!” he demanded with all the authority the League of Assassins had hammered into him as a child.

Talia seemed amused by this. She smiled and Damian could practically see the plan forming in her head. “I will return it to you, but not quite yet. Think of it as a reward for good behavior. Now put on the uniform I left for you. You can’t meet your grandfather in a bath towel.”

Damian was livid. No, livid was not even a strong enough word to describe just what he was feeling in that moment. He didn’t have a lot of options though. He could fight her in his towel, but it was highly unlikely he’d win considering he had no armor and Cheshire was in the cockpit ready to back Talia up if need be. He could also be a spiteful little shit and refuse to change. Meeting his grandfather in a bath towel would be pretty funny but would most likely result in a lot of pain, possibly death. No, he couldn’t go with that option. The only thing he could do right now was comply.

“You will regret this, Talia,” he growled and turned to walk back into the bathroom.

“Oh, and Damian,” Talia said, stopping him for a moment to listen. “You will not refer to me as ‘Talia,’ again.”

Damian cringed. He remembered her telling him that before, on his own Earth when he was much younger. “Very well… mother.” He entered the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

1:00 am
Approximately 800 kilometers from Infinity Island

The Team was crammed together in Miss Martian’s bioship heading at breakneck speed toward Infinity Island to rescue Damian.

Dick had taken Roy’s advice and split everyone into three teams with specific purposes: strike, support, and distraction. They’d each gotten a set of instructions that the other two teams knew nothing about. That way, even if there was a mole, the enemy wouldn’t have the entire picture.

The strike team consisted of M’gann, Conner, and Jon; the heavy hitters. It was their job to make it into the interior of the island base where Damian was likely to be kept, then make their way out with him.

The support team would consist of Dick, Wally, and Zatanna. Dick would use his stealth skills to cause chaos as he searched for Damian. While he was doing that, Wally would be speeding through the island as a scout, relaying where the enemy units were and the best way for the strike team to weave their way through the island toward their goal. Zatanna would guard the ship and ensure they had an escape route at the end of the mission.

Artemis, Roy, and Kaldur were in charge of orchestrating distractions and sabotage. Artemis and Roy had the task of breaking into the League’s security and communications control room to keep the League from raising any alarms about their presence. Kaldur would stick to the water and disable the League’s boats to keep any water escape plans they might have impossible.

Dick stared out the window of the bioship into the inky darkness. He wasn’t sure if his plan would work. He wasn’t one hundred percent certain his decision to keep information from the others was the right call either. All he could do at this point was trust in his plan and his teammates.

He looked over to Jon. The ten-year-old was fidgeting in his seat, his knee bouncing anxiously up and down, as if the motion could make the ship move any faster. Dick knew M’gann was going as fast as she could while scanning for the hidden island. Infinity Island was located somewhere in the Caribbean and Roy was the only one who had been there before. He was currently acting as navigator so the Team could make it there without being spotted.

The first part of the plan, ‘get to the island safely,’ was going well but Dick could tell Jon was growing impatient. He wanted to make sure his friend was safe. Dick knew that everyone on the ship wanted the same thing. Damian had the most peculiar ability to get people to care about him despite being the biggest brat Dick had ever met. He had somehow come to think of the demon spawn as his brother, though, and he was going to do everything in his power to get him back.

Miss M, can I talk to you in private? he said over the mind-link that the Team often used on missions.

Of course, M’gann replied.

I need you to allow me to speak with Artemis and Roy so that only we can hear each other.

Done, Miss Martian thought with a smirk. That’s an easy trick. Just think directly to Artemis or Roy or both of them at once and they’ll be the only ones that receive your thoughts. But I may still hear them since I’m the relay point. Is that okay?

Yeah, Dick thought gratefully. I owe you one.

Just happy to help!

Dick turned his thoughts to the archers. Artemis, Roy, I need you to pretend I’m not talking to you right now and not react.

Artemis continued to stare out the window of the bioship as if nothing were happening and Roy continued to stare straight ahead at the blonde who he was keeping a close eye on.

Okay… What’s up short stuff? Artemis asked.

Y’know how last week we found out there might be a mole on the team?

Yeeaahh, she thought, drawing the word out in an effort to get him to elaborate.

Obviously, Roy deadpanned.

Well, there’s no doubt anymore. We definitely have a mole and it’s one of us. There’s no way Talia would have found out about Damian if there wasn’t. I need you both to keep an eye out for anyone acting suspicious once you take the security and communications hub. You should have all the camera feeds on the island in there.

That shouldn’t be a problem, Artemis thought as she nodded her head subtly.

Unless the mole is Artemis, Roy frowned, knowing that Dick knew his suspicions about the blonde already.

Ha. Ha, Artemis thought sarcastically and rolled her eyes. How do I know the mole isn't you? she asked Roy defensively.

Artemis has proven herself to me. I trust her. And Roy, you were the first one to realize there could be a mole in the group. Are you going to be able to work together on this? I’ll rearrange the teams if I need to.

No. We’re okay. Aren’t we Artemis? Roy thought, though it sounded more like a warning than a question to her.

Yeah. Just peachy, she confirmed.

Dick took a deep breath, hoping to whatever deity was out there that he was making the right decision. So if you see anyone acting strange or suspicious, just let me know, okay? I’ve asked Miss M to give us a direct link to each other so if you need to report anything, think of me specifically before you broadcast over the mindlink. Me and Miss M’ll be the only ones who hear.

Miss M and I, Artemis corrected.

What?

Bad grammar, Rob. For shame.

Dick snorted, drawing a confused look from Wally who had been staring at Artemis. Why he was staring at Artemis when he and Miss Martian were meant to be, the speedster couldn’t say. “Rob, you okay?”

“Couldn’t be better, KF.”

1:30 am
Infinity Island

“Ah, Mr. Luthor. I appreciate you coming on such short notice. The teenage heroes will most likely arrive in the next few hours and the kryptonite will be very helpful in incapacitating the Kryptonian children. You could have sent it ahead, though. I didn’t mean to imply you should deliver it yourself.”

Lex Luthor looked calculatingly at Ra’s al Ghul as they stood in what amounted to the man’s throne room on his private island. “I am happy to help out a fellow member of the Light, but you must be aware that I don’t let anyone else handle this rock. It stays in my possession and will return to Metropolis with me when this is over.”

“Of course, of course,” Ra’s said, as if it were a trifle. “I’m sure you are looking forward to seeing your progeny as well.”

Luthor frowned. “I’d hardly call him my progeny. He’s an experiment, nothing more.”

“If you say so,” Ra’s grinned knowingly.

“Just remember,” Luthor said with a hint of malice in his voice. “Let the children think their plan is succeeding. If they know they have no chance it’s going to be difficult to get close enough to use this rock. I have plans and even with Mercy, I’m not looking to fight them.”

Ra’s looked annoyed at the reminder. “I know how to set a trap, Luthor. Really, what do you take me for?”

Lex had a few choice words for the immortal man, but held his tongue. Despite being close to his cyborg bodyguard he was not stupid enough to engage Ra’s al Ghul on his home turf, surrounded by several hundred highly trained assassins.

“Would you like to take your companion and get a little nap in before the fun begins?” Ra’s asked when Luthor didn’t rise to the bait.

Lex looked over at Mercy. The petite brunette was holding a large case and looking ready to kill at a moment’s notice. Despite trusting in her capabilities completely he would not be relaxing while he was here. “All I need is to know where you keep the coffee.”

“Of course.” Ra’s didn’t have to say a word, but a servant appeared and bowed to his guest. “This way, Mr. Luthor. I will show you to the kitchens.”

Luthor had to admit to himself that Ra’s did train his minions well. He motioned for Mercy to follow him and the two allowed the servant to lead them out of Ra’s presence.

It wasn’t long before another servant arrived to inform Ra’s of the news of his daughter’s return.

“Wonderful, send them to me immediately.”

The servant bowed and quickly disappeared from the room.

Infinity Island
1:35 am

Damian refused to leave the bathroom. Upon seeing himself back in a League of Assassins uniform once again he wanted to punch the reflection in the mirror. He knew he shouldn’t but he loathed the sight of himself dressed like that. Even so, shredding his hand right before being trotted out in front of his grandfather, possibly being forced to demonstrate his weapons or fighting skills, was not a good plan. He had to play this smart if he wanted a chance at getting back to Gotham relatively unharmed.

He could do this. He could pretend to be the Heir to the Demon until he got himself out of this mess. He just had to look down on everyone, hurt anyone who challenged him, and somehow convince his grandfather he’d be willing to kill anyone when he had just declared to his mother that he would refuse to do so. Then his grandfather would probably test him. He was so screwed. The plane had just landed on the island. He had no more time to come up with a plan. He would have to go full Grayson and just wing it. And now he was making puns… a good start to channeling the first Robin but still disgraceful. Damnit Grayson…

“Your father wants to see you and Damian right away,” Cheshire’s voice sounded a moment before Damian heard his mother knock on the bathroom door.

“It is time, Damian.”

He made no move to open the door.

Talia sighed. “Would you stop pouting in there? You know I am only doing this for you.”

Damian let out one incredulous laugh. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

Talia wanted to break the door down and teach him that speaking to her like that would not be tolerated. Instead she took a deep, calming breath and decided to explain it to him one more time. She’d rather not allow their interaction to devolve into violence yet again (and right before meeting his grandfather). “The world is a bad place, Damian. You need to accept that you can’t change it with your father’s methods. What he does is put a bandaid on a hemorrhaging wound. Human society needs a fundamental revision in order to survive and you will be there by my side to teach the populace what it needs to learn. Yes, some people will die. That’s unavoidable in any great undertaking, but we will all come out of it better, greater than we were before.”

“No loss of life is acceptable,” Damian muttered tiredly. He had heard his mother’s platitudes before. As a child he took them as gospel. Now, they just made him sick.

Talia wanted her son to leave the bathroom of his own volition but she was growing frustrated from waiting. “Do not force me to come in there, Damian.”

“Let me try,” came Cheshire’s voice. “My little sister gave me a lot of experience with stubborn children growing up.”

“Very well,” Talia said. “You have five minutes.”

Damian exhaled sharply, giving himself one last look in the mirror. I can do this. He turned and watched the door open to reveal Cheshire standing nonchalantly in the entrance. She was holding a data pad of some sort, but turned it off before she spoke a word to him.

“Hey kid,” she said as she took off her mask.

“Hey,” Damian said cautiously.

“You look good,” she said, assessing the League of Shadows uniform he was wearing. It was just like the one she had started out with when she first showed up on Ra’s’ doorstep asking for training. It made her younger self feel powerful, more grown-up. On Damian, it made the teenager seem more like a child than she had ever seen him before.

“It doesn’t feel good,” he said, looking down at the floor. “I want my Robin outfit. I don’t want to be here.”

Cheshire bent down so she could be eye-level with Damian. She spoke to him so softly he had to strain to hear. “Look, kid. I know this sucks. I understand having controlling parents, believe me, I do, but right now you have to keep it together. Do what you’re told and bide your time. If I know my sister and her friends you won’t be here very long anyway.

“Your sister?” Damian asked, just as softly.

“Artemis,” Cheshire said, serious as he’d ever seen her.

Damian thought back to how upset Artemis had seemed earlier that day. “You drugged her.”

Cheshire shrugged. “I did. Sometimes we have to do what we don’t want to do to in order to keep everyone safe in the long run. That’s what you have to do now. If you keep making things difficult for your mother, and especially your grandfather, you might not be around long enough for your friends to stage a rescue. So just suck it up and do what she wants.”

Damian took a shaky breath as he considered what she was saying. She could be completely manipulating him. She certainly said the right things to get Damian to follow his mother’s orders but Cheshire did make a certain amount of sense. He needed to look at this as an undercover mission, that was all. His friends would come for him or he’d find a way out of it on his own, one way or another.

He didn’t have a lot of time to think as Talia walked over to hurry things along. She was getting impatient. Cheshire stood up and replaced her mask, quickly moving out of Talia’s way so she could look at her son. Her eyes moved up and down, taking in the details of the uniform. Finally, she smiled in approval. “Very good. Now come with me.” She began walking to the exit, not bothering to look back to see if Damian would follow. He knew there would be a painful reprimand if he did not.

The night outside the lighted interior of the cabin was pitch dark with only a few torches and strategically placed spotlights to guide the way to the interior of the island. Not that Damian needed them. He’d know his way around this particular island even if he were blindfolded and disoriented.

They walked straight to Ra’s’ main hall. Damian would not think of it as a throne room. That was not something a genocidal, immortal madman should have. He kept his head held high as he strolled in behind his mother, dressed in the black uniform of a League of Shadows assassin. He observed his surroundings as he went, keeping track of how many people were in the room, their location, and where all the exits were.

His grandfather stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by an entourage of assassins and servants. Damian recognized him immediately, along with his right-hand-man, Ubu. Some people were dressed in the traditional clothing of the League while others, higher ranking members (he could only assume, if he were using Cheshire as his primary example), were allowed their own distinct clothing.

“Welcome back, daughter,” Ra’s greeted nonchalantly as he looked past her to focus on Damian. “I see you have successfully obtained the boy. How did he perform?”

“Beyond my expectations, father,” Talia said with something that almost sounded like pride in her voice. Damian simply glared and stared his grandfather down. He would not allow himself to be intimidated.

“Very good. I’d like to see his skills for myself, though.” Ra’s made a small, almost imperceptible gesture and one of his assassins stepped forward while everyone else in the room stepped to the edges to watch the trial.

“Father,” Talia tried, hoping Ra’s would have given him more time to settle in before subjecting Damian to combat trials. “I hardly think this is necessary right now. It’s very late and he was fighting Gotham’s criminals all night. He’s earned a rest.”

“Are you questioning me, daughter?” Ra’s asked in that way that actually seemed to sound like ‘do not question me’ instead.

Talia hesitated as if she wanted to advocate for her son, but ultimately she could not bring herself to argue with her father. “No, of course not,” she said obediently and with reluctance stepped back to join the others at the edge of the room.

Damian, to his credit, did not seem afraid or even surprised at the turn of events. He sighed, resigned to the fact that he would be forced to fight to prove his worth. It was what he had to do every day of his life growing up. He simply sized up his opponent. It wasn’t anyone he knew; just one of the faceless hundreds who shared his grandfather’s ideals. The man had the advantage in height, weight, and weaponry. Not a problem.

He didn’t allow his challenger time to even draw his weapon. In a moment, moving faster than anyone was expecting him to, he had broken the assassin’s wrist and left him reeling in pain on the ground. Damian couldn’t afford to fight any one person for too long. This was ‘prison rules.’ He had to establish his dominance by being the one person no one on the island would ever wanted to attack because attacking him would mean pain for them. He had to be brutal and efficient not only for that reason but because he was not going to kill anyone. If he wanted to stay safe here without being willing to kill, he’d have to show everyone that he could still be a threat even without the need to finish off his adversary.

Ra’s sighed and walked over to the downed assassin holding his wrist. “Disappointing…” he said and casually slid his sword through the man’s heart.

“What the hell?!” Damian shouted, looking surprised and horrified at his grandfather’s actions.

Ra’s turned his disappointed look to Damian as he pulled his sword out of the dead man. The teenager couldn’t seem to take his eyes from the blood dripping off the blade onto the floor. “Please, Damian. I have no tolerance for that level of failure. He wasn’t prepared for your attack and was incapacitated far too quickly. There is no future for anyone with that kind of incompetence in my organization.”

Damian silently berated himself for not considering that his grandfather would respond that way. Now he had yet another person’s blood on his hands. He knew his father and Grayson would tell him that he shouldn’t think like that. He had no control over the actions of other people but he was supposed to be better, think ahead, and save everyone. His grandfather had killed an assassin but that was still a human being. Sometimes he wished he had never allowed Grayson to help him develop a sense of empathy. Things were so much easier when he didn’t care about other people.

Damian wanted to attack Ra’s but he had learned long ago that a one-on-one fight while surrounded by an opponent's allies would never end in victory. This could be an opportunity for Damian to get some information for himself, though. He had been wondering if there was a version of himself in this reality. If not, then he was certain his mother would create one soon. He just had to sound like he already knew and wasn’t just fishing for information.

Damian steeled his features and put on a casual air to hide the fact that he was terrified. His grandfather could use any sign of weakness against him. “Tt. It’s no concern of mine. I just wonder why you would so casually burn your resources like that. The assassin would still have been useful as an expendable practice dummy for my counterpart once he’s old enough.”

Ra’s looked down at Damian, calculating and cruel. He wiped his sword of the blood and returned it to its sheath. “Fair enough.”

It wasn’t a confirmation or denial but Damian seemed to have managed to convince him that he didn’t care. That, at least, was something.

“Another,” Ra’s ordered and a second assassin stepped into the middle of the room. This time Damian made sure to put on a show before defeating his opponent. It was laughably easy but he had allowed himself to be hit once before taking the man down with a strong kick to the face. Once he was face-down on the ground Damian grabbed his wrist and shoulder from behind, pulling the assassin into a kneeling position. He thought about how disappointed his father and brother would be at the brutality he was about to use but at least this assassin would live. He didn’t want his grandfather killing anyone else because of him. It wasn’t that these League of Shadow ninja were unskilled, just that Damian was so much better.

He pulled the man’s arm backward as he slammed his own knee down into the elbow, violently breaking the arm at the joint with a sickening crack. To the assassin’s credit he did not scream out. There was grinding teeth, eyes shut tight, and a groan of pain.

He sneered at the assassin who was cradling his arm on the ground before him. The man was larger than him but Damian managed to put a look of helpless fear in his eyes. That should be enough to appease his grandfather.

Except it was his mother who walked out to him. “Well done, Damian,” she said and handed him a sword.

He took it automatically. “So the next round I’ll be showing my skill with a blade?”

Talia looked at the downed assassin as well. “No, Damian. The battle is won only when the killing stroke is dealt.”

“No weakness, no hesitation, no mercy for fools,” he recited automatically before catching himself and throwing the sword to the ground as if it had burned him. “No!” he shouted. What was the point of killing their own soldiers? He never understood that aspect of his training once he was old enough to understand just what killing someone meant. He still did it. It was expected. It had just never made any sense and he wouldn’t do it again.

Talia frowned once more at his response. “Well, at least I know my counterpart taught you something worthwhile. But you’ll need to get your father’s ideals out of your head if you’re going to survive here, Damian.”

“It is fine, daughter. I’ve seen enough to satisfy my curiosity. He waved for the injured assassin to be removed. “You may take him to his quarters.”

“If I may…” A man to Ra’s left spoke. He was in a unique uniform and Ra’s did not kill him instantly for his interruption so he must have been a high ranking member of the League. Damian thought he might have looked familiar but couldn’t quite recall where he had seen him before today.

“Yes, David?” Ra’s asked, seemingly intrigued.

The man had the barest hint of a smile as he looked at Damian. It was almost as if he was excited about something. “Your grandson is obviously incredibly skilled. I doubt you will find a League assassin capable of taking him down. My daughter has been having the same difficulties. Might I suggest testing them against each other?”

Ra’s seemed to consider this. “Hmm… The One Who Is All against the Son of the Demon… Interesting. I’ll allow it. Call her in.”

Damian didn’t like the sound of that. He didn’t remember anyone called ‘The One Who Is All’ when he was growing up with the League, but he knew they didn’t give titles like that to just anyone. Whoever she was, she was going to be difficult to take down. Damian didn’t like surprises and didn’t like not knowing what was about to happen.

David left the hall only to return several minutes later with a small figure dressed from head to toe in black. Only her dark, yet somehow still innocent, almond eyes could be seen as she looked around the room, much in the same way Damian had when he’d first arrived. She seemed innocuous enough; slight, and small. She was younger than Damian, maybe even younger than Jon, but the way she moved told Damian that she was well trained.

Who was she? Why couldn’t he remember a girl like this in his time with the League of Assassins? She stepped out into the middle of the floor to face him. Something about her seemed so familiar.

Then all hell broke loose. Before he realized what was happening she was attacking. The One Who Is All moved with inhuman speed at Damian, throwing a barrage of punches and kicks to various points on his limbs and torso. It was so fast and fluid that Damian couldn’t even counter with a punch of his own. He took the assault as best he could and focused on defense, but she still managed to strike him in all the right places to make his already sore body scream out in pain. The girl was incredibly frustrating. It was almost like fighting Cassandra back home.

“No…” he whispered, horrified. The realization dawned on him quickly. It wasn’t almost like fighting Cassandra. It was exactly like fighting her; the way he could never hope to get a hit in because she could read his body language as naturally as he could speak. It was literally the only thing she was taught growing up. Her father had isolated her; never spoke to her or let anyone communicate with her. All he did was teach her how to fight and kill and use every type of weapon imaginable. She hadn’t been raised in the League of Assassins though, had she? He felt like he would have remembered if she had. “Cassandra?”

The name caught her off guard and she stopped fighting abruptly. She tilted her head to the side and really looked at him, as if to study him. Damian tried to project that he didn’t want to fight, that he cared about her, but stupid David Cain made it impossible to tell her that with words. Even if he said it, it was doubtful she’d understand. He would have to speak with actions.

Damian turned around and sprang at David Cain, surprising everyone in the room. “You son of a bitch!” he screamed and began fighting the older man. Some people near him began to move forward to help fend off Damian but Ra’s seemed to want to see how this played out. He stopped everyone from interfering with a simple look and one small phrase.

“Let them be.”

“How could you do that to her?!” Damian had managed to throw David into the middle of the floor where he had been fighting Cassandra (Okay, basically getting manhandled by Cassandra) and was currently going for limb strikes, trying to make it so the older man wouldn’t be able to use his arms or legs for a very long time. “She likes to dance, she likes Shakespeare! You took everything from her before she even had a choice!” Damian had always felt protective of Cassandra since she had come into the family. He thought of her as a kindred spirit, being forced into the life of an assassin without knowing the consequences. Seeing her as a small child only strengthened those feelings. As he ripped into Cassandra’s father it was like he was letting out his own frustration with his mother. Combat therapy? That was something he could get behind.

For his part, David was doing a decent job at blocking Damian’s strikes and retaliating even though the size difference was actually working in Damian’s favor. As long as the larger man didn’t manage a strike in a critical spot or grab hold of him, Damian could use his speed to outmaneuver the larger man.

David Cain had no idea what Talia’s son was talking about as he attacked him. This was not how his night was supposed to go. He didn’t need to be fighting some little gremlin not worth his time, no matter who the kid’s grandfather was. He was completely unstable.

Cassandra didn’t understand what was happening as she watched her opponent abandon their fight and attack her father. That was rare for her. She knew her father wanted her to fight the boy, so she did. At first, everything was normal. He acted and reacted exactly as she expected. Then he changed. He stopped being a threat. He told her that he would not fight her and that he was angry with her father. Then he fought her father for her because he was angry for the both of them. She was a stranger to him at first and suddenly she wasn’t. In the space of an instant she had become family to the boy and she had no idea what she did to deserve that distinction.

She watched the boy fight for her. He was challenging her father for her, screaming words, sounds that made no sense but she understood what his actions meant. His body spoke as loud as his screams. He was protecting her. No one had ever protected her before. It made her… happy.

1:45 am
Approximately 200 kilometers from Infinity Island

“I hear him!” Jon said, startling in his seat. He stood up and went to a window as if that could help him hear better. “It’s faint but I can hear Damian screaming. He’s fighting. He’s upset.”

“Are you sure, Jon?” Conner asked. “I don’t hear anything.”

“I know Damian’s voice!” Jon said defensively. “I’m not just making this up or hallucinating or something!”

“We believe you, Jon,” Dick said, calming the younger boy. “What is he saying?”

Jon listened again. It was mostly angry yells but he was saying something about dancing and Shakespeare. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense…”

“But he’s alive and well enough to be yelling at people,” M’gann said, her voice full of hope. She left the ship on autopilot and went over to Jon. “Jon, would you mind if I let everyone hear what you’re hearing?”

Jon was surprised. He didn’t think there was any way that could happen but he was willing to give it a try. He nodded.

“I’m going to add you to the mind link the Team has. We’ll only be able to hear your surface-level thoughts; only what you want us to know. You’ll have to concentrate to let us hear Damian too.”

“Okay,” Jon said. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to do what she said but he wanted to try. He looked into her eyes and a moment later his head felt fuzzy but it cleared up almost instantly.

Do you read me? He heard M’gann’s voice without seeing her lips move. She had just spoken to him telepathically!

“Yeah! I can!” Jon said, his face lighting up with a triumphant smile.

Just think it. You don’t have to talk. We’ll hear. That was Conner.

“Oh!” Jon said, remembering what M’gann had told him. Just concentrate and they’ll hear. Um… can anybody hear me?

Loud and clear, little buddy, Roy thought with a smile.

This is so cool! Jon thought.

It really is, Dick responded. Try listening for Damian again. Let’s see if we can hear him.

Jon concentrated and heard Damian again. It was still faint, but it was enough that he could let the others hear him too. He focused on letting that happen.

You’d better stay down, Cain, or I’m going to cut off your damn arm and beat you to death with it!

Everyone heard that. Zatanna and Kaldur looked unnerved, M’gann and Artemis looked a bit confused. Conner was trying to hold back an amused smile but it was Dick and Roy who filled the tense silence with an explosion of laughter.

“Yep, that’s him alright,” Dick said once he was able to calm down enough to speak.

Jon’s grin got even larger (if that was even possible). “Well then, let’s go get him.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
2:12 am
Infinity Island Living Quarters

Damian was locked in a well furnished room in the north wing of Ra’s’ compound. The wooden walls were almost a foot thick, blocking out most noise, and there were no windows that allowed him to look outside. It was a room built for isolation. He sat on the uncomfortable bed with a headache and black eye. They hurt but they were absolutely worth it to be able to beat the crap out of Cassandra’s psychotic father. He remembered the look in David Cain’s eyes as he realized Damian was ignoring his ‘One Who Is All’ and going completely after him.

The way Cain looked at Cassandra, Damian knew he was telling her to attack but she only stood there observing what Damian would do. Damian had had fought the man to a standstill. He was unrelenting and actually managed to maneuver the adult into the center of the room, keeping him on the defensive while he tried to get his daughter to do her job and fight. It was because he was putting his attention in more than one place that Damian managed to throw Cain off balance. He kicked his feet out from under him and sent the man crashing hard to the floor. He used the second he was stunned from the impact to kick him in his stupid face.

Of course the moment he threatened to cut his arm off and beat him to death with it was when Cain got serious. He stopped trying to get Cassandra to fight and got up himself. The man towered over Damian and when he threw a punch it was meant to hurt. Damian parried the punch and returned one of his own. That was when Cain kneed him in the chest. Damian managed to stay on his feet despite feeling like his sternum had cracked in half but Cain punched again. This time it connected with Damian’s head so hard that even with his arms up to block he was still thrown off his feet.

The larger man probably would have tried to kill him if Cassandra hadn’t intervened. She stepped in front of Damian and refused to move. Cain was furious. He backhanded Cassandra, sending her flying to the side like a discarded toy. Damian didn’t understand why she hadn’t blocked it or avoided the blow altogether. She was skilled enough to do so and she must have seen it coming but she just let him hurt her.

Damian could feel his blood start to boil at the memory. He would not leave here without rescuing Cassandra. It didn’t appear as if she had ever killed anyone before. That was good. If he could get her out of the League of Shadows before she was sent on her first assassination she could avoid all the psychological damage the experience would cause her.

Damian knew, for all of Cassandra’s fighting prowess, she was crippled by self-doubt. Those first lives she took… the only lives she ever took traumatized her. The experience made her believe she was evil, beyond redemption, even though it was her father that ordered her to kill. She hadn’t had a choice. Nevertheless, she had never been able to forgive herself. Now she had to constantly live with the guilt of one unforgivable act she was forced into as a child. It was a situation she should never have had to endure.

She didn’t handle killing as well as Damian had at that age. Where he blindly did as he was told, never bothering to think about his victims after the fact, Cassandra saw the pain and fear and the nothingness that came after. She knew the suffering that killing someone caused, not only in the victim but in their family too. On Damian’s Earth, Cassandra’s first victim had been the mother of the girl who would later become her best friend. It broke her.

Damian got off the bed he was sitting on and began to search the room. There had to be something in there he could use as a weapon. He had only just begun when he heard a noise from outside his door. He looked over to see it slowly open and little Cassandra, still in her League of Shadows uniform, poked her head in. Upon seeing Damian she smiled and entered the room, shutting the door quickly behind her. Once safely inside, she removed her mask and tossed it to the floor without a second thought.

He took in her small frame and battered features. It looked to Damian like David Cain had punished her for disobeying him. His face must have shown his distress because Cassandra shook her head with a calm expression. She knocked her knuckles on her forehead once and kept a smile on her face, trying to tell him she could take it… or she was used to it… that she was alright… or she had a hard head, maybe? Damian was never very good at figuring out what she was trying to say before she learned to speak. It didn’t matter what she was trying to tell him anyway. All Damian could focus on was her missing front tooth. She had not had that gap when they fought earlier in the night. Luckily she was young enough that it was probably a baby tooth but that was no excuse for David Cain’s actions. Damian needed to get his sister out of this place. Before he did that though, he was going to make her father pay dearly for what he’d done to her.

Suddenly, out of nowhere he found himself enveloped in a strong hug from the small girl. He wasn’t expecting it and tensed when he felt her arms go around him, but just as quickly relaxed when he realized what she was doing. He gently put his arms around her in return, feeling relief in the comfort the gesture brought. When she finally pulled away from him Cassandra placed her hand over her heart, then touched the same spot on Damian. That bit of body language, at least, was clear and he understood that she trusted him. He felt like he could trust her too.

She took his hand and pulled gently. Damian didn’t know where she wanted to take him but he allowed her to lead him to the doorway. She guided him to the hallway where he saw two guards unconscious on the floor. Damian smiled at the thought of a tiny Cassandra silently beating the two large, trained men so quickly that they didn’t even have time to raise an alarm. Was she breaking the two of them out?

She continued to pull him further down the corridor. They walked for several minutes, never running into another person along the way. Damian couldn’t help but find that suspicious but he didn’t think Cassandra was leading him into a trap of any kind. They finally arrived at a room at the end of another long hallway. She opened the door and peered in. A moment later she turned around and smiled brightly at Damian, motioning for him to follow her inside.

Damian had to stop in his tracks the moment he entered the room. It was spacious, decorated with traditional Middle Eastern tapestries and League trinkets. There was a large balcony overlooking the sea along with several doors leading to other spaces in the suite. It was in the wrong location in the compound but this was unmistakably his mother’s apartment. His eyes were drawn to the center of the chamber where Cassandra had stopped. She was looking in a small bassinet, the excitement in her almond eyes lighting her face. She beckoned him over with a hand movement.

Damian didn’t like this. He didn’t want to be here in his mother’s room. This place held some of the only good memories of his childhood with her. This was where Talia would tell him stories about his father and Alexander the Great. She would promise him that he would rule the world by her side one day. She made him ox blood soup and they would share a meal together. This was the place Damian never had to worry that someone would attack him out of nowhere in a test of his combat and reflex training. He was able to relax and rest here. The only violence he associated with his mother’s room was his birthday challenges but even those ended with a fond memory as he finally defeated her in combat after years of trying. This room was a place he actually did feel safe. Or… at least he used to. Right now he didn’t feel safe anywhere. He didn’t want his mother finding him here.

He looked into the bassinet but there was nothing there. Cassandra pointed to it and opened her mouth as if to speak but no sound came out. She got a frustrated look on her face before taking a deep breath and humming. There was no tune to it but a light, bell-like voice managed to break out of her underused vocal chords. Upon hearing the sound she smiled in relief and tried again. “Day...me...in.”

Damian was shocked. Cassandra had just spoken. She said his name. “You can talk?”

Cass grinned proudly. “I learn.”

“She’s a wonderful student,” came a familiar voice from behind him. Damian whipped around to see a bald man in traditional dress holding a little bundle in his arms. He had just come from one of the doorways leading further into the suite. The bundle he held was making little whining sounds and fussing in his arms. “Now, now little one. You have to eat so you can become strong like your mother and grandfather.”

The man was a little younger than Damian remembered and a little happier than he had seen in a long time. “Ravi?” Damian asked, trying not to let his voice crack with emotion.

He looked quizzically at Damian. The boy was with Cassandra and she wasn’t treating him like a threat so Ravi didn’t have to worry about being attacked. The thing that puzzled him was the fact that here was another child in a League of Shadows uniform and he had heard nothing about him before. “Why, yes. Miss Cassandra, is this a friend of yours? I’m sorry, I don’t recognize you, young master.”

Damian couldn’t believe it. On his Earth, Ravi had been his caretaker and art tutor during his time with the League. It must be the same in this dimension. Growing up, Damian had never given the man the gratitude and respect he deserved because he was just a servant of the League of Assassins. The man used to love looking at Damian’s paintings. He took care of Goliath when Damian was too busy to do so. Ravi was loyal and a genuinely good person. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.

“It’s alright,” Damian said. “You don’t know me, but I recognize you. Your loyalty to the al Ghuls precedes you.”

Ravi’s smile was blinding. “Thank you… I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

“You can call me Damian,” he said.

That made Ravi smile again, looking down at the baby he held. “You have the same name as Lady Talia’s son.”

Damian’s eyes widened in surprise, though he should have guessed the moment he saw the little human in Ravi’s arms. That was his counterpart right in front of him. Damian’s anxiety was growing stronger by the moment. If anyone caught them in here everyone would be punished. “I do.”

Cassandra pointed at the tiny version of Damian and then at Damian himself, tilting her head slightly as if to ask, ‘Is this you?’

Damian nodded. He knew he existed here now. At least there was that. He wondered if his mother also had her lab on the island. Maybe he could find it and destroy it before he left. If he did that his mother wouldn’t be able to create the Heretic, would she? Maybe he could get Cassandra and his counterpart away from the League before this place destroyed their lives. But would his father want or even be able to raise a baby? Who was he kidding? Pennyworth would be the one saddled with most of the caretaking duties. But to put that burden on him on top of everything he did for Batman and caring for the manor and Grayson… Would it be better to just let events play out for this version of himself as they did back home? There were too many thoughts rolling around in Damian’s head. He needed to think and he didn’t want to consider what might happen to Cassandra and Ravi if Talia found Damian here without permission.

“Afraid,” Cassandra said, putting her hand over his heart again.

“Tt, I’m not afraid,” Damian said defensively but knew his words would mean nothing to her when his body language was probably very clearly telling her otherwise.

“I…” she frowned, trying to remember the sounds she had learned that would make him understand what she was trying to say. “I shield.”

“You protect, Miss Cassandra,” Ravi corrected her gently.

Cass nodded. “I pro-tect.”

“Wonderful!” Ravi beamed. “Simply wonderful, Miss Cassandra. This is the most she’s ever spoken out loud without prompting.”

“Are you teaching her to talk?” Damian asked with clear surprise in his voice. He hadn’t thought the old man would do anything against the wishes of the League.

“He is doing so on my orders.” Talia said as she entered the room from one of the chambers further in the suite. She had changed out of her green and black combat suit and was now wearing form-fitting black pants and a blue halter top. Damian waited for her to punish him for coming here without permission but she said nothing about it. “And Cassandra, I’ve told you you don’t have to incapacitate every guard in the hallway to come here. They have orders to let you through.”

Damian had no idea what his mother’s game was. “You’re… what? Mentoring her?”

Talia walked over to Ravi and took the infant while she addressed Damian. “David Cain’s method of making the ultimate assassin by teaching her literally nothing but combat and survival skills may have been overwhelmingly effective but it will be a severe handicap out in the real world. Right now she’s a blunt instrument where I need a surgical scalpel. Plus, teaching her to speak will piss David off when he finds out. I’m always up for ruining his mood. You did well during your fight tonight, Damian. I’m proud of you.”

Damian couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy at her praise and he hated himself for it. Why did he still respond to her this way even after everything she had done to him? It had to be this place and the moderately good memories it held of his mother. He couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t do this right now.

“I’m going back to my room,” he said and headed away from the three gathered around his child-self. Cassandra looked worried and ran to him, trying to stop him from leaving but he pulled away from her. Somehow she understood that he was angry at himself and not her. He just needed to be away from that room and all the memories and feelings associated with it. He needed time to himself to figure things out.

Damian took one last look back at his old caretaker. “Take good care of the child, Ravi. He’s going to be a handful when he grows up. I’m sorry about that.”

“I’m sure he’ll be a great warrior,” Ravi said, looking fondly at the baby as Talia put him into the bassinet.

“Damian, would you please stay?” Talia asked gently.

Damian shook his head and turned to leave. Without another word he was out the door and heading back down the maze of hallways to his own quarters. Cassandra ran over to Ravi and pulled at his hand with her own as she motioned towards the door.

“It seems as if Cassandra would like you to talk to my son,” Talia said to the servant. “Give it a try.”

Ravi barely managed to hide the surprise Talia’s revelation had brought him. He’d had years of training in keeping any and all emotions hidden beneath the surface (It was safer not to give anything about yourself away while living among assassins). The information that the older Damian was Talia’s son though… There had to be a story behind that. He wanted to ask his mistress for more information but knew better than to question her when she wanted something done. Instead, he bowed and said, “Of course, my lady. I’ll do my best to ease his troubles.”

2:30 am
Infinity Island

“Heads up, people,” Roy said. “We’re coming up on the island now. M’gann, transition to stealth mode and take us in toward the beach on the east side of the island.”

Telepathic communication from here on out, Robin ordered. Everyone understands their assignments? He got a collective nod from the group.

Kid Flash pressed the lightning icon on his chest and his suit shifted from a bright yellow to a classy black.

“Oh cool!” Jon exclaimed as he watched the suit seem to melt from light to dark. “Can I get one of those?”

Kid Flash grinned and ruffled Jon’s hair. “Maybe I’ll talk to my uncle about setting you up with one when we get back home.”

“Sweet!”

Zatanna went over to the window to take a look at the beach they were about to land on. She didn’t see a lot of people there but it wouldn’t do if they were to call in an unidentified flying object.

“Eb diarfa!”

Almost immediately the people on the beach began to evacuate the area.

“What did you do?” Jon asked with an impressed kind of awe in his voice.

Just your basic emotion manipulation spell, Zatanna explained. I’m not really supposed to use those, but it was the best way to get people off the beach and not want to come back for a while.

And don’t forget to use the mind-link, Robin added for Jon’s benefit.

Oh, right. Sorry, Jon thought clearly. He was going to have to get used to the new communication method quickly. Damian was counting on him.

M’gann brought the bioship down to the beach for a landing and opened it up to the cool night air. Alright, we’re down. Stay safe, people.

Kid Flash was the first off the ship, zipping out into the night to scout ahead and let the Team know the safest routes into the interior of the island. Kaldur ran out next, quickly diving into the surf and disappearing below the waves to make his way to the harbor. Everyone else piled out onto the beach after that.

“Raepassid,” Zatanna chanted and the bioship vanished into a pocket dimension.

Dick looked worried. Are you sure you are okay with this? You’ve only been on one mission before and you’re going to be completely alone.

If a person could mentally sigh, Zatanna did it just then. Don’t worry. I’ll stay out of site and make sure we have a clear way out of here when you find Damian. Now go. I’ll be fine. I have magic, remember? Ninja assassins don’t stand a chance.

Right, Dick thought. Just don’t take any unnecessary risks. We’ll be back as soon as we can.

Dick signaled for Artemis and Roy to make their way to their objective and he followed behind.

That just leaves the muscle, M’gann joked. She knew she didn’t look it but there was a reason Robin put her on a team with the Superboys (and it wasn’t because she and Conner were an item).

Let’s go, Jon thought to the others with determination clear in his mind.

Miss Martian, Superboy, and Jon began to make their way to the interior of the island. They had to keep their eyes out for hostile forces until Kid Flash reported where the safest routes were.

They moved fast and silent toward the tree line. It was Miss Martian who noticed the assassins first. Incoming, she warned her teammates. Jon didn’t wait for them to form a plan. He flew through the assassins’ formation in a blur, knocking them over like bowling pins and knocking them out before a sound could be made.

Bravo, Jon, Miss Martian thought.

Yeah, Conner added, sounding impressed. I could barely follow you. That’s some speed.

Jon grinned, glad he could help.

Suddenly Wally’s voice sounded over the mind link. Don’t take the woods by the beach. Too many ninjas. Miss M and the Superboys, make your way up the cliff face. There’s barely any lookouts there right now. Archers and Robin, you should be clear on the service road toward the communications hub.

Y’know, for being so fast, your timing really stinks, KF, Jon teased.

It’s fine, M’gann reassured him. We ran into some League people in the woods but Jon took care of them easily.

Awesome, Kid Flash thought distractedly. I’m making my way toward their base of operations… I think. Might have to dodge some ninjas right now. Stay safe!

Miss Martian looked at her two Kryptonian teammates. We should try to narrow down where Damian’s being kept. Jon, do you think you could listen for him again?

Jon nodded and began to concentrate on hearing Damian’s voice.

2:30 am
Infinity Island Living Quarters

There was a knock on Damian’s door.

“Go away, mother, I am not in the mood to deal with you right now.” He knew he was probably going to get smacked for that but he didn’t even care at the moment. He was so emotionally drained from the last six hours that he wasn’t sure which way was up anymore.

“I find it difficult to believe you would speak to your mother that way, even being angry with her,” Ravi’s voice called clearly through the door.

Damian quickly sat up, surprised to hear that particular voice. He moved swiftly from the bed and opened his door. There was Ravi along with the two (now conscious) guards from when Cassandra had arrived. Apparently, her knocking people out in Talia’s wing of the living quarters was a common enough occurrence that they didn't make a big deal about it.

“May I come in?” the older man asked.

Damian nodded and stepped aside for him. Ravi entered and stood in the center of the room, waiting for Damian to make the next move.

“Did my mother send you?” Damian asked.

“She did.” Ravi nodded.

Damian frowned. “Well, you can tell her that I will not speak with her.”

Ravi frowned. “Lord Damian, I can tell you are not happy with Lady Talia. I’m trying to understand why.”

“Why?” Damian said darkly. “She lied to me, threatened to kidnap an eight-year-old little boy, kidnapped me, and drugged me (in that order). Of course I’m not happy with her.”

“But she is your mother.”

“I can’t be unhappy with my mother?” Damian asked sarcastically.

“Of course you can. All teenage boys are at one point or another,” Ravi almost laughed wistfully. “I only mean to imply that she may have thought, as your mother, that what she was doing was in your best interest.”

Damian huffed and crossed his arms. “Please don’t try to defend her. My best interests would have been to stay with my father in Gotham until he could find a way to get me home. I doubt mother is even thinking about helping me return.”

“May I ask where your home is?”

Damian sighed in exhaustion. “An entirely different dimension; one very similar to this one. Still, there are too many differences to feel like I belong.”

“What kind of differences?” Ravi asked, keeping his shock well hidden. He had originally believed this Damian to be a rapidly aged clone of the child he had been caring for. The man knew his mistress had the technology to create a clone as long as there was enough DNA to work with. Even so, an alternate Earth wasn’t the craziest thing he’d heard of living under the League of Shadows.

“On my Earth you were also my tutor and caregiver growing up. You were the person who taught me how to paint. I don’t think I ever told you how much that meant to me,” Damian whispered.

Ravi couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride at hearing that. He loved art and to be able to pass that onto this boy, Talia’s son, was something he was grateful for. He wanted to be able to do that with the child he was caring for as the boy grew up.

“I wanted to finish a landscape painting before the daylight changed and you went to get me more supplies. It was because of that that you accidentally walked in on my grandfather performing one of his stupid rituals. As you know, that sight is forbidden to anyone but an al Ghul and Ra’s’ closest advisors. The penalty was to take your sight for what you had seen. Talia gave me the choice of saving you by taking the punishment myself, but being a nine-year-old child and selfish… and scared, I let you be blinded.” Damian’s voice cracked on the last word. “You were nothing but good to me my entire life. I don’t deserve your kindness.”

Damian was so lost in his thoughts and memories that he didn’t notice Ravi kneel down in front of him before taking his hand and looking him squarely in the eyes. “Lord Damian, I would never have wanted you to have your sight taken in my place. I’m sure my counterpart feels the same way.”

“But it was my fault you were there,” Damian said as tears threatened to escape the corners of his eyes. “You pleaded with me to save you from your fate and I…” He couldn’t even finish the sentence as he thought back to how callously he had allowed Ravi’s punishment. “I’m ashamed.”

Ravi shook his head. Though the thought of losing his sight terrified him, he clearly saw the regret in Damian’s eyes. Whoever the boy who blinded his counterpart had been, he was not that person now. He was simply a child who was hurting and Ravi could at least try and do something about that. “I gave up my life to the al Ghul family a long time ago. I am willing to take any penalty they feel is required. I am glad you did not take the punishment for me. I’m an old man. You have many wonderful years ahead of you.”

Damian sighed and collapsed on the bed. “How can you be so loyal to them, Ravi? Why do you feel you owe them anything?”

The old caretaker got a far-away look in his eyes and he frowned. Damian rarely ever saw him frowning (despite the mess he made of the man’s life). Still, Ravi decided to tell Damian his story. “My village sat atop a massive oil field. When an American drilling company found out about it they tried to buy the land. It was almost a fair price but my people had lived on that land for generations and we were not inclined to move. When we refused to sell, the company moved to less than legal means to get us off the land. They hired local mercenaries to come and destroy my village and murder its people. I remember they rounded us up and forced us to watch as they began killing the women and children first. My family was one of the last killed before the League of Shadows arrived and brought justice to those murdered that night. My people survived, but I had nothing left, so I pledged my loyalty to your mother. She was not much older than you are at the time but she was there when no one else would come to our aid. Lady Talia had tried to save my wife and children. She was not in time but she saved so many others. My village survived because of her and your grandfather and their army of warriors.”

Damian was having trouble imagining his mother as a hero (or a teenager). “On my Earth, she brainwashed children into attacking heroes and civilians on the streets of Gotham. She allowed me to be murdered in cold blood. I’m sorry but I’m having a hard time reconciling that version of my mother with the one here. This one doesn’t seem as bad but she hasn’t exactly endeared herself to me.”

Ravi’s heart bled for the young boy in front of him. He had already been through so much. “Lord Damian, I promise you, your mother is trying her best. She has never had to raise a teenager before. She’s barely out of her teenage years herself. I’m so sorry the version of her from your Earth was so cruel but that is not this Talia. She may do things that upset you but she does so for good reason. She clearly cares for you and is trying to do what she believes is right.”

Damian huffed. “She’s not raising me. Besides, it doesn’t make her any less of a sociopath.”

Ravi frowned. He understood how much the boy in front of him was hurting. He wanted to do what he could to help him, even if that meant choosing between him and his mistress. She would want him to console her son. “My life belongs to Lady Talia but it also belongs to you, as her son. If the time comes, I will protect you from her.”

“No,” Damian said sadly. “If the time comes, promise me you’ll look out for yourself. I don’t want your blood on my hands again.”

“I can’t promise that, little prince. I’d rather die than see you come to more harm.”

Damian pressed the tips of his fingers roughly over his eyelids, trying desperately to keep from crying. He knew there was going to be no convincing the old man. “Damnit, Ravi. Don’t say that. I’m not worth it.”

2:40 am
Infinity Island Communications Bunker

Artemis and Roy made it to the Communications Hub without being spotted by any League of Shadows assassins. Now the real challenge would begin. They had to make it in and incapacitate the people on duty without anyone raising an alarm. Super-easy right?

Artemis sighed quietly as she contemplated a plan of attack. It didn’t help that Roy apparently didn’t trust her (like, at all).

So what’s the plan, Red? she asked, believing that if she gave him the lead he might feel more at ease around her.

It’s just one small room. I’ve taken it by myself before. I doubt they’ve done much with security since then aside from adding a few extra guards, Roy thought.

Okay, let’s get the surrounding guards then.

The two archers made their way stealthily toward the bunker.

2:50 am
Infinity Island Living Quarters

Robin had made his way to the interior of the island without being spotted. If there was one thing he was good at it was being able to blend into his surroundings and avoid danger. Batman had drilled stealth tactics into him from day one of his training.

He had a feeling the League would be keeping Damian somewhere comfortable. He may be there against his will but he was still an al Ghul in their eyes. All he had to do was find a door that was heavily guarded, call the strike team over, create a distraction for them, and then rescue Damian. Simple, right?

The hallway he was currently in the rafters above was surprisingly empty. He didn’t like that. Things seemed too easy. He didn’t necessarily like ‘easy.’ ‘Easy’ meant someone was setting up a trap. Robin suddenly tensed, his senses trying to pick up anything out of the ordinary. That was when he heard it. Footsteps echoing slow and steady through the empty space. Then the body they belonged to stepped around a corner into view.

Crap. Uh, guys… I may need some backup at my location.

On my way, man, Wally’s voice sounded over the mental-link.

Ra’s al Ghul was walking down the hallway, looking at a datapad and speaking to someone over his comms. “No, daughter. I need my people on the ground tonight. I am sure you and the men I left to guard your wing will be able to keep one unruly teenager in his room for the night.”

Dick’s heart skipped a beat. Was Ra’s talking about Damian? Was he here?

His thoughts were cut short when he noticed Ra’s was standing almost directly below him. He had stopped there for a reason, Robin knew. As stealthy as he was, this was a man who had been training covert assassins for centuries. When he stopped walking Robin was certain the man knew exactly where he was. He had no choice but to drop down and meet him.

Ra’s smirked upon seeing the Boy Wonder. “Ah, Mr. Grayson. So kind of you to drop in for a visit.”

Robin would have been amused that Ra’s had made a pun but there was no mistaking the malice in his eyes. Dick didn’t know why he had some sort of pathological need to antagonize supervillains but before he could force himself to stop, the word vomit was already out. “Look, if this is about Cape Canaveral… I didn’t force you to jump off that tower. If I had known you were going to follow the diamond lens off the edge like a dog after a tennis ball I would never have thrown it. Glad to see you’re doing okay though. I felt kinda bad you were splattered all over the ground like that.”

If there had been malice in Ra’s eyes before, now fury had overtaken every one of his features. He pulled his sword from its sheath. “You insolent little shit. I’m going to send you back to the detective in pieces.”

Robin laughed in the way he reserved for freaking out criminals and villains. “You know, Batman told me to never try to fight you by myself.”

“Good advice…” Ra’s said darkly.

Robin smirked. “Good thing I’m not alone, right?”

The realization dawned on Ra’s a moment too late as Kid Flash sped from behind him and blinded him with his own green cape. The moment’s distraction was all Robin needed to run and land a flying kick to the immortal man’s face, soundly knocking him out.

Wally was breathing hard. He didn’t think he had ever moved that fast before. His adrenaline had spiked when he saw his best friend in front of the leader of the League of Shadows. He did not like the look of that sword so he just acted on instinct. Thank goodness for small mercies. The overconfident supervillain had not seen him coming and Rob took care of the rest.

“I can’t believe that worked!” Wally said with a euphoric chuckle. “Did that seriously work?”

“Apparently.” Robin grinned as he bent down to look at the datapad Ra’s had been holding. He was shocked when he saw a familiar mane of long golden hair. “Is that Artemis?”

He didn’t have time to examine the device further as a giant wall of muscle in the form of a very angry Ubu came hurtling around the corner to aid his master.

“Oh crap!” Kid Flash shouted in surprise and grabbed Robin. He sped them away from the angry bald man before Robin even had a chance to process what was going on.

Robin found himself in a small room with no windows and very little decor, far away from the hallway where he and Kid Flash had been. “KF! What happened? Ubu is going to alert everyone we’re here now!” he raised his hands in frustration only to realize he was still holding the datapad.

“There was no way we were winning against that massive guy, Rob. We didn’t have the element of surprise like we did with Ra’s.”

Robin knew he was right, but Ubu was going to get the word out that they were here, even if Artemis and Roy had taken the communications bunker. Their timeframe to rescue Damian had just shrunk dramatically.

“What’s that?” Kid Flash asked, indicating the data pad in Robin’s hand.

“Ra’s was holding it. It looks like video of Artemis,” Robin explained.

“Creepy,” Kid Flash said, not liking the fact that the old, evil dude was peeping on a fourteen-year-old girl that Wally absolutely did not have any feelings for whatsoever.

“Wait…” Robin said in his ‘this may be bad’ voice. “Is that the communications bunker?”

Wally’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh shit, I think it is.”

The camera panned too fast to be security footage. It looked almost like footage from a GoPro headcam but the images were much more stable and higher resolution. Suddenly Roy’s voice could be heard from the speakers in the datapad. “Okay, that’s the last of them. Good job, Artemis.” The camera turned to face the security monitors. “Now let’s find Damian so we can get out of here.”

Robin panicked and contacted Artemis through their private link. Artemis, I need you to stay calm, okay.

I don’t like the sound of that… Artemis replied.

Just do me a favor and get Red’s attention for a sec, Robin thought as casually as he could.

Artemis frowned. That was an odd request but she did as she was asked without asking questions herself. “Hey, Red Arrow.”

Roy turned from scanning the monitors to look back at Artemis.

On the screen, Robin and Kid Flash watched in horror as Artemis called for Roy’s attention and the camera moved quickly from looking at the security monitors to capturing Artemis’ confused features. Again Roy’s voice came through the datapad’s speakers. “Yeah?”

“Um…” Artemis tried to think of a reason she would need to get his attention. “Anything I can do?”

Roy shook his head.

The image on the small screen Dick and Wally watched rocked quickly from side to side. “Just watch my back while I find the kid.”

Robin’s heart dropped into his stomach as his theory was confirmed. The Team hadn’t been infiltrating the island. The League of Shadows knew they were coming from the moment Roy stepped into the cave at Mount Justice. He was the freaking mole! He was the one who had betrayed the Team. No one even thought to consider him a suspect because he was the most vocal about finding the culprit. It was kind of genius if you thought about it. But why hadn’t the League of Shadows attacked them the moment they arrived? It was something he’d have to ask Roy when there was time; after they rescued Damian.

Okay, Artemis. I’ve just confirmed that Red Arrow is the mole. I need you to secure him. I’m going to send KF to back you up.

You’re joking right? Red Arrow is the mole? I thought he thought I was the mole?

He’s broadcasting images directly to Ra’s al Ghul! It looks like he might have a microcamera in his mask. Just trust me, you need to take him down. We can figure out the details later.

Artemis sighed. Okay. Wish me luck.

“KF, I just told Artemis to apprehend Roy. I need you to go back her up.”

“You gonna be okay?” he asked, looking a little pale himself. He felt like his world had just shattered. One of his best friends was a traitor. There had to be another explanation, but he had seen the evidence with his own eyes!

“Yeah. Make sure Roy doesn’t get out of this. I am going to need to have a very serious talk with him when this is over,” Robin said, his voice implying that it was going to be much more than a ‘talk.’

Kid Flash nodded and headed out to find the bunker. He had no idea where it was located. He’d have to find it fast. He knew the general area where it was supposed to be. He ran.

Artemis pulled her bow and nocked an arrow, pointing it squarely at Red Arrow’s back. “I’m going to need you to step away from the monitors, Red.”

Roy sighed. He straightened up and raised his hands to about head-height. He turned slowly and took a step toward Artemis. “I knew you were the mole.”

Artemis huffed. “You can drop the act. Robin just confirmed that you’re the mole.”

“Bullshit. I’m not the mole!” Roy shouted angrily.

“Look, we can do this the easy way: you can let me put you in restraints—”

“Fuck no.”

“...and we can talk about what’s going on after Robin gets Damian back. Or we can do this the hard way and I’ll have to fight you and you’ll end up in cuffs anyway.”

Roy laughed in disbelief. As if he’d ever get taken down by that Green Arrow wannabe. “Let me tell you how this is going to go down. You’re going to try to restrain me and I’m going to kick your ass, little girl.”

“It’s Robin’s orders…” she said almost sadly.

That seemed to throw Roy for a moment. Had Robin really told her to take him down? Of course not! She was just trying to mess with his head. That got him angry. Faster than Artemis had time to react, he twisted to the side and pushed her bow out of the way. At the same time, with his other hand, he threw a punch to her face.

Artemis managed to drop her bow just in time to block his punch. Suddenly she was in a closed quarters fist fight. Both parties threw fists, knees, and elbows in an effort to subdue the other and Artemis realized she might just be outmatched. She was taking too many hits and landing too few of her own. She thought Kid Flash was supposed to be backing her up. Where the hell was he?!

Red Arrow landed a blow to the side of her head and she staggered, barely managing to stay conscious. She knew the next hit was going to knock her out. Artemis waited for the inevitable, sorry that she couldn’t complete the assignment she was given… But the blow never came. She just heard the sound of her sister’s voice from above her. “Broken Arrow.”

Artemis looked up to see Red Arrow standing passively in the middle of the room. He was staring off into space, not really registering anything. It was unnerving and sent a chill up Artemis’ spine. That’s when she saw Cheshire standing behind him and looking decidedly amused.

“Jade… What did you do? What is this?”

“Hey, little sister. You know, you and your friends just ruined three years of careful planning involving millions of dollars and made dad so angry I think he might have had an aneurysm.” She smiled delightedly at the blonde. “I’m impressed.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
2:50 am
Outside the Infinity Island Living Quarters

M’gann, Conner, and Jon were floating outside the sturdy walls of what appeared to be the island’s apartment complex. M’gann, keeping Conner aloft with her telekinesis, followed Jon as he listened for Damian who had been telling someone some very disturbing things. He sounded so upset. Jon had never heard Damian sound so hopeless before. It honestly scared him. If it wasn’t so important to find him quickly Jon would have stopped listening altogether. The conversation seemed like it was supposed to be private but Jon made the call to keep using his super-hearing in short bursts so he could let Damian keep some of his conversation private, but still be able to eventually find his friend and get him out of there.

He just wished they could move faster. Dealing with all the ninjas in their path would have been a piece of cake if Jon could beat them unconscious like he did when they first got off the bioship. It was too bad M’gann and Conner had thought it would raise less suspicion if there were still assassins around who could respond to regular check-ins from security. They only had to play nice until Artemis and Roy took the communications hub but that meant they had to be stealthy (and being stealthy meant they had to go slow). Jon normally didn’t mind slow but right now it was making him anxious. He wanted to find Damian fast.

Jon listened for his friend once more. He heard the voices of several people but none of them belonged to who he was looking for. Oh no.

He stopped talking, Conner confirmed over the mind-link. I think he’s trying to go to sleep.

No! He can’t! We were just about to find him! Jon thought, clenching his fists in frustration. He never wants to sleep! Why now?

Conner, M’gann suggested. Can you use your infrared vision to see if you can find a smaller-sized body in one of the rooms?

Oh, good idea! Jon thought and activated his own x-ray vision. I’ll check the east and south facing rooms. You two check the north and west ones. If one of us finds him, let the others know.

Sounds like a solid plan, Jon, Conner thought, hiding his amusement. The kid really was adorable. He’d normally get angry at anyone assuming control like that but with Jon it was amusing. The kid wanted his friend back. Conner was okay with following his plan if it made Jon feel a little bit more in control of an admittedly crappy situation. He watched as Jon flew off to check his block of rooms, leaving Conner and M’gann to theirs.

2:57 am
Infinity Island Living Quarters

Ubu had managed to wake his master and Ra’s al Ghul was not happy. He had been the victim of foul play from the fast child and Batman’s protégé. That insult would not stand. “I don’t care what Luthor’s plans are. Alert all my assassins. The entire island! Find the children. I want their bodies at the foot of my throne before sunrise! And tell Luthor if he’s going to do anything he’d better do it now because I am about to rain down a fire on them the likes of which they’ve never seen.”

As Ubu sent out the alert, David Cain came through the hallway. When he saw Ra’s he stopped and bowed.

“David, what are you doing here?” Ra’s asked.

“Looking for my daughter,” he explained. “She’s not supposed to be wandering freely around the compound. Next time I ground her I’m going to have to tie her to chair. She’s getting too good at breaking out of her room.”

“Ah, I see. Check with my daughter. Cassandra sometimes visits her when she’s upset.”

That threw David for a moment. He didn’t think his daughter and Talia had ever even met each other before.

“Thank you, sir. I’ll do that.” He made his way away from the Demon’s Head and toward the west wing of the compound where Talia made her residence.

2:55 am
Infinity Island Communications Hub

“What are you doing here, Jade?” Artemis growled as her eyes flicked to the spot on the floor where her bow had fallen. She felt naked without her weapon (and not in a fun way).

“Saving you, apparently. You’re welcome by the way.”

“Oh, shut up, Jade! You don’t do anything unless it benefits you somehow.”

“True,” Jade conceded. “Altruism is not usually in my best interests but who’s to say helping you right now isn’t something that will benefit me in the long run?”

“Sure. Always looking out for yourself. Just like when you ran away and left me alone for years with dad.”

“Really, Artemis? You’re going to bring that up now? I’ve said I was sorry.”

“You’ve literally never said that,” Artemis deadpanned. “Ever. About anything you’ve done to me.”

“Well, I’m saying it now. Sorry for leaving you to deal with dad by yourself. If it makes you feel any better, Fate has a sick sense of humor. I’m being forced to work with him right now. Did you know that? Yeah, karma’s a bitch.”

Artemis couldn’t disguise the shock of that. She didn’t think Jade would have ever agreed to work with their father under any circumstances. She ran away to stay as far from him as she could (although if she wanted to stay away from him, working under the same megalomaniacal creep their dad sometimes did wasn’t the smartest idea).

Jade walked around Red Arrow to look him in the eyes. He didn’t respond to the movement or even change his breathing pattern despite his close proximity to the assassin.

“What did you do to him?” Artemis asked, feeling a little better now that her sister’s focus was not on her.

“I used his trigger phrase to shut him down and make him susceptible to further subliminal programming.”

Artemis didn’t even know where to begin. “Excuse me? Trigger phrase? Subliminal programming?”

“Take the contacts out and don’t bother putting them back in ever again,” she instructed the blank-faced red-head. He immediately complied, removing his mask and carefully removing a clear contact lens from each eye. When the task was completed, he returned to the passive state he had been in previously.

“What the hell is that?” Artemis asked with a growing dread settling in the pit of her stomach.

“Me covering both of us,” Jade said indifferently. “The contacts have a nanotech camera imbedded the lenses. I can’t go back to my superiors empty-handed so I’m retrieving their technology before my target escapes.”

“What do you mean?” Artemis asked suspiciously.

“Standing orders in the case of our enemies discovering a deep-cover asset is immediate termination of the asset.”

“You mean Red Arrow?!” Artemis squeaked. “You’re not ‘terminating’ anyone, Jade!”

“No, I’m not,” Jade agreed.

That response caused Artemis to pause. She had not been expecting Jade to agree with her. This was entirely new territory in their relationship. Jade wasn’t being antagonistic or attacking her or even taunting her. She seemed almost concerned.

“So if you’re not going to kill him… or me… what are you going to do?” Artemis asked, allowing herself to take a step closer.

Jade took the contacts from Roy’s hand and put them in a small case to hold them. “He has no idea what he is. When he told you he wasn’t the mole, he was telling you what he thought was the honest truth.” She spoke in a commanding voice to the helpless man in front of her. “Disregard all previous objectives. New primary objective: Get Artemis safely through this rescue mission. Once that is done do whatever you want to do with your life, Roy.”

“What is going on, Jade?” Artemis tried again for answers, sounding more frustrated than afraid at this point. “What, are you telling me he’s been brainwashed or something?”

Jade looked at him almost sadly. “Or something…” She seemed to have an idea then. “You’ve got a Martian on your team, right? See if she can remove any residual programing from his mind. I’m not sure how well my commands will stick. Dad was his primary handler. I’m just the backup while Sportsmaster is off doing his… assassinations with sports equipment thing.”

“Won’t dad know you helped Red Arrow escape?” Artemis asked.

“Oh yeah. He’s been monitoring this little operation of Robin’s all night. Saw when you figured out Roy was the mole. He’s already made it very clear that I’m supposed to kill him. But daddy dearest won’t kill me for disobeying. Maybe hurt me a little but nothing new in that. Now that Roy’s been found out, the Light has no use for him. He can’t complete his mission. Doesn’t matter if he’s dead or not at this point. And it’d be a shame to waste that ass.”

Artemis wanted to ask her sister what the Light was but the only sentence that managed to come out of her mouth was, “Oh my god, you like him!”

“No!” Jade sputtered. “I don’t like anyone. I’d just miss his butt.”

“Sure,” she said, clearly disbelieving her sister’s excuse. “You wouldn’t risk your standing with the League of Shadows over a nice butt. You actually care about him. I have to say, I like what love is doing to you.”

“Say that again and I’ll be sending you home to mom without a tongue.”

Artemis grinned. Despite the words, Jade’s threat didn’t sound genuine. It was more like how they used to play supervillain as kids; all bark and no bite. “At least promise me you’ll name your first born girl after me.”

“No.” Jade said like she was speaking to a hyperactive puppy. “And I’m not having a kid with him. Or anyone! What's wrong with you?”

“Maybe just my middle name?” Artemis said, slightly higher pitched than usual. She was having way too much fun teasing her sister about this. “Lian is a nice name, don’t you think?”

Jade sighed and shook her head in defeat. There was no winning with her little sister sometimes. “...I’ll think about it…”

“Yes!” Artemis grinned in delight. She had forgotten how much fun her sister could be when she was acting like an actual human being and not a homicidal psychopath.

Jade’s comms crackled in her ear. It was a direct order from Ra’s al Ghul to every member of the League of Shadows on the island. An order to kill on sight. “Shit.”

“What is it?” Artemis asked, immediately sobering from her all too brief family moment.

“In a couple minutes you’re going to have an army of assassins trying to take you out. My suggestion would be to get out of here as fast as you can. Leave the kid. He’s tough. He can last here. You can try to get him back again later.”

“You know that’s not how this works, Jade.”

Cheshire shrugged. “Your call. Just don’t die, okay?” She jumped to the upper levels of the bunker and disappeared just before Wally finally found them.

“Artemis! Are you alright?” he said with genuine concern in his voice before noticing a still catatonic Roy Harper standing in the middle of the monitor room. “What happened to Red Arrow?”

2:55 am
Outside the Infinity Island Living Quarters

Jon thought he had found him. There was a small figure sitting on a bed, looking down at some sort of electronic device. It had to be Damian. Who else could it be? He was so ecstatic over his discovery that he forgot his plan to call the others and simply smashed right through the wall.

Dick was not expecting to see Cheshire come on the screen of the datapad he was still looking at. Why hadn’t Wally gotten there yet? KF, you need to stop running off before you know where you’re going! Suddenly the wall exploded. Dick jumped off the bed into the farthest corner of the room away from the flying debris and shielded himself with his cape. When the pebbles stopped bouncing off of him he chanced a look at what had caused the sudden chaos and found Jon floating in through the hole he had made. His excited smile faltered as soon as he saw Dick.

“Aw, nuts. I thought you were Damian.”

“A little warning next time!” Dick said frustratedly as the door to the room opened and two League assassins rushed in, weapons drawn. They had completely missed Robin and focused entirely on Jon, swinging their swords at him and connecting at the neck and chest.

Jon had looked like a deer in headlights as the weapons came at him. He didn’t even try to move. Had he been a normal child he would have died in a bloody mess. Luckily, Jon was not a normal child. The ten-year-old looked down at his unscathed body only to find a cut in the emblem on his chest. Looking back up at the assassins he glared angrily. “Uh, you did notice the ‘S’ right? One of you better know how to sew!”

It was at that point that Robin snuck up behind the two men and smashed their heads together, ‘Assassin’s Creed’ style. They dropped like two sacks of highly trained, unconscious, ninja potatoes. “The ‘S’ clearly doesn’t stand for ‘seamstress,’ guys.”

“Nice work, Rob,” Jon said seriously. “Now who’s going to fix my jacket?” he frowned, sticking a finger into the hole the sword had made.

“I’ll lend you Alfred when we get home,” Dick laughed. “He can make anything look like it just came off the rack at Bloomingdale’s.”

“Nice.”

“Where are Miss M and Superboy?” Robin asked as he picked up the datapad he had dropped on the ground when Jon smashed through the wall.

“Oh, right! I was supposed to contact them when I found Damian… I guess I haven’t found him yet, but I’ll see if they’re having any luck on the other side of the building.”

“Crap,” Dick muttered. “The datapad is damaged. I can’t see what’s happening in the security bunker.”

“What’s happening in the security bunker? Are Artemis and Roy okay?”

“I’m not sure.” Artemis? You okay over there? He waited but didn’t hear anything in return. Jon, do you hear anything. Did you get Miss M or Conner? Jon?

Jon’s face was scrunched in concentration that quickly morphed into worry. “Nobody’s talking to me.”

Jon, can you hear me?

Jon didn’t react at all.

“I think the mind-link is down,” Dick guessed. “That doesn’t usually happen unless Miss M gets hurt. Where were they the last time you saw her and Conner?”

“On the west side of the building by the cliffs,” Jon said with worry starting to creep into his voice. “Do you think something happened?”

“I think we should go find them.”

“Jon? Grayson? What are you doing here? Do not tell me that you came to rescue me.”

Both boys turned to the open doorway of the room to find Damian Wayne standing there. He was decked out in a League of Shadows uniform, looking for all intents and purposes like an adorable, angry little assassin child. Jon flew into him and wrapped him in a hug so strong that even the son of Batman had no chance of escaping.

“Damian! You’re here! We finally found you!” Jon cried in relief and happiness.

“Technically, I found you. Now do you mind letting me go? It’s getting a little hard to breathe.”

“Oh! Yeah!” Jon quickly let his friend go and dusted him off. “Sorry. I just can’t believe you’re here! We only had to fight two ninjas. This was the easiest rescue mission ever. Now we can go home!”

“Don’t say that unless you’ve found a way to travel through the multiverse,” Damian said seriously.

“Okay, yeah, but you know what I mean,” Jon pouted. “How did you get away?”

Damian looked frustratedly at Jon and said with as much sarcasm as he could manage, “I didn’t get away. I’m an alien life form wearing Damian’s skin sent to kill you for not recognizing the obvious.”

Jon’s smile dropped and he took a step backwards, “What?”

Damian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I heard you break through the wall, Jon. I think the entire floor did. Luckily most people living in the rooms are out patrolling the island right now and Talia didn’t seem to see fit to call in more guards after Cassandra incapacitated most of the people on duty in this wing tonight.”

“Cassandra? Like, your sister Cassandra?” Jon asked in surprise.

“Albeit a much smaller version of her, but yes. My sister.”

“We have a sister too?!” Dick asked, the shock in his voice only just overshadowing the excitement.

Damian sighed. He supposed there was no way to avoid revealing that fact to Grayson. He refused to leave the island with Cassandra still under David Cain’s control. “Yes. She’s the most skilled fighter any of us have ever come across. You’d do well not to underestimate her.”

Dick laughed. “You know what, I believe it if you say she’s better than you.”

“She’s better than all of us. That includes father.”

Dick smiled. He wanted to meet this Cassandra if Damian was so sure she was as incredible as he said she was. Plus, little sister! That was awesome!

“So we should get going,” Jon said, breaking Dick out of his train of thought. “We still don’t know what happened to Superboy and Miss Martian.”

Dick switched effortlessly back into mission-mode. “You’re right. We’ll head down to the cliffs and see if we can figure out what happened or provide backup if need be. Once Miss M reestablishes the mind-link we can head back to the ship and get the heck out of here. Damian, stay close. I don’t want to lose you now that we’ve finally found you.”

Damian shook his head. “If we are to escape I need to get Cassandra first. I won’t leave without her.” He also needed to figure out if he should take his younger counterpart with him as well.

“Damian, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Come with us while we find Conner and M’gann then we’ll go find Cass afterwards. We shouldn’t split up.”

Damian wanted to argue. Splitting up would save time but he didn’t want to leave Jon or Grayson alone. They would never agree to stick together while Damian was by himself. There was no choice. He would have to go with them and hope Cassandra was still in his mother’s room when he got there.

“Fine. Let’s go find them quickly.”

The three left the compound through the hole in the wall Jon had made and headed toward M’gann and Conner’s last known location.

2:55 am
Outside the Infinity Island Living Quarters: West Wing

“They’re coming this way. Remember, let Mercy and me take on Superboy. Do what you like with the Martian.” Lex Luthor stood just inside the treeline below the north wing of Ra’s’ island compound with Mercy and a small contingent of League assassins. He was disappointed at first when he saw that the dimensional traveler was not with them as Superboy and the Martian girl came floating around the building. Even so, it was only a minor inconvenience and he quickly adjusted his plans to accommodate the new variables. It might even work out better not to have to deal with two Superboys and a Martian at the same time.

The green alien girl and the Superclone were distracted enough by their search for Ra’s’ grandchild that they didn’t notice Mercy take a rather large laser-gun out of the case she was carrying and hand it to Lex. It was the same weapon as the one her arm transformed into, only portable so Lex could have some fun too. Mercy’s right arm folded back to reveal her own laser weapon and point it at the Martian.

“Alright, Mercy,” Lex said with a smug grin. “When you hit the girl let the assassins tire them out. I’ll get Superboy to come to me. Once the Martian is alone, have a bit of fun, but leave her alive for now.”

Mercy nodded but beyond that she showed no emotion. Without hesitation she fired, sending a hot streak of energy through Miss Martian’s shoulder. Miss Martian screamed and lost all concentration as her senses were bombarded with a searing pain. The mind-link to the team shut off, her telekinesis faltered, and she and Conner plummeted a good twenty meters to the ground.

“M’gann!” Conner shouted in horror as he realized what was happening. He grabbed her and pulled her into him as the two rapidly plummeted toward the rocks below. Conner shifted in midair so that he would land on his back and cushion M’gann with his body.

M’gann cried out in pain again as the two of them crashed into the ground just outside the treeline. They had no time to recover as a small army of what looked like high-tech ninjas stormed out and attempted to murder them with swords. Though Conner found it laughable that these assassins would even attempt to harm him with such useless weapons, he wasn’t so sure M’gann would be alright with her current injury. As the bladed weapons came at them he punched the users, knocking most of them out with the strength and speed behind his blows. They were not fast enough to get through his defenses to M’gann who seemed to be their ultimate goal, but they were using the cover of night incredibly effectively. There were a few that managed to slip past him but M’gann managed to use her telekinesis to throw them back.

Conner used his own body to shield her as best he could. He fought off the assassins, breaking blades and bones in the process. Everything was going fine for a while, but he forgot about Murphy’s Law (If something can go wrong, it usually will); particularly the clause that stated: When something is too good to be true, it usually is.This fight was too easy. He should have expected what came next.

“Ah!” he cried as he was hit in the side of the head with the same laser beam that had hurt M’gann at the start of the fight. Conner quickly found himself being stung several times all over his body by the giant laser gun’s blast. Now that most of the assassins were taken care of, he was wide open to be targeted by the weapon. It actually hurt. Conner had to take out the gun-wielder or things were going to get hairy fast.

“M’gann, are you alright enough to deal with the rest of the assassins?” Conner asked. “I need to take out that gun!”

M’gann was still holding her shoulder. For some reason whatever she was hit with was interfering with her ability to heal quickly. She did have her telekinesis though so she figured she should be fine. “Yeah, I’ll be okay. Go.”

Conner nodded and leapt for the individual firing the gun with a cry of rage.

Miss Martian took a cue from her boyfriend and got angry herself. With the considerable power of her mind she grabbed every assassin in her line of sight and hurled them at the treeline, startling the gunner Conner was targeting for a moment. It was enough to allow Superboy to grab the weapon from his attacker. Unfortunately, that was the last thing she saw before someone hit her from behind and she was slammed into unconsciousness.

Lex smiled as he saw Mercy incapacitate the Martian, even as assassins were being thrown at him and an angry Superman clone came barreling toward him. He knew he had won. That was all that mattered. Superboy grabbed the gun from him and Lex said the magic words: “Red Sun.”

3:05 am
Infinity Island Living Quarters: Talia’s Apartment

David Cain knew his daughter had come this way simply from the lack of guards in the hallway he traveled through. He was the one who taught her how to take out security and hide the bodies so others wouldn’t be alerted to an intruder. He looked into various rooms on his way to Talia’s to find several unconscious guards strewn about the floor of the living quarters in the hallway. He made a mental note to teach Cassandra that she’d have to get better at hiding evidence. Talia’s rooms were at the end of the corridor, overlooking the ocean. He now knew his daughter was there with her. When he found out what Talia’s game was he was going to do something unpleasant. She had better not be messing with his kid.

David heard voices from inside the room. It sounded like Talia and her manservant.

“The boy is hurting, Lady Talia, much more than you know. He has so much guilt concerning his time with the League in his home reality.”

“I can help him get over that, Ravi.” Talia’s voice sounded determined. “I just need more time with him. I’ve known him for barely a day.”

There was a hesitant pause before Ravi spoke again. “As you wish, my lady. I will do what I can to support the boy in your plans for him.”

“Very good,” Talia said, sounding pleased. “Now Cassandra, you’d better head back to your room before your father finds you gone and starts looking for you.”

“I will…” The voice was that of a young girl. The accent was odd, more like a child just learning to make the sounds that form words. David knew immediately who the voice belonged to and it made his blood boil. He was going to kill Talia for this. He stormed into the room, slamming the door open with a thunderous crack.

Cassandra jumped at the violent opening of the door.

“Cassandra!” Cain bellowed at her, his eyes filled with rage.

The small girl looked with wide eyes at her father standing there, telling her in the way he stood and breathed and moved that he was more angry than he had ever been in his life. She was shocked at the sight. For all he had done to train her, she had never seen him this way before. It terrified her to see him ‘speak’ to her like that.

Talia stood up, knowing exactly why David seemed so angry. “David…”

“She can talk,” he seethed. “You’re teaching her to talk! You’ve ruined everything!”

“David, you need to calm down.”

“Like hell I need to calm down!” he raged. “She wasn’t supposed to have any information in her head but movement. Body language as a first language! She’d be unstoppable! You’ve ruined everything!”

“Oh, grow up, David!” Talia shouted back. “She’s the only person in the world that speaks that language fluently. Do you know how isolating that is? An assassin needs to be more than just a body with the ability to fight well! So yes, I’m teaching her to speak. Screw your theory!”

The arguing and shouting woke baby Damian and the tiny boy began to fuss inside his bassinet

“You destroyed everything my girl was supposed to become,” David growled through clenched teeth.

“I am the Daughter of the Demon. I will do whatever I please.” Talia turned her head to Ravi and pulled her sword from its sheath. “Take the children into the other room. I need to talk to Mr. Cain about his attitude.”

David seethed at her cavalier response. “Oh, I’d love to, Talia. But no one is going anywhere. You ruined my kid, so I’m gonna kill yours.”

Cassandra’s eyes grew wide and she screamed, “NO!” as her father told her with his movement exactly what he was about to do.

Ravi saw Cain go for the gun he kept holstered on his thigh. There was no way his mistress or he could make it over to the man fast enough to disarm him. There was only one choice he could make. As David pointed the gun at the little figure in the bassinet, Ravi dove in front of it. The explosive sound of the gun’s discharge echoed through the room.

3:00 am
Outside the Infinity Island Living Quarters: West Wing

M’gann awoke with a headache and a throbbing pain in her shoulder. This was not how this rescue mission was supposed to go down. She wanted to go back to sleep and make all the pain go away.

“M’gann, thank goodness.”

“Conner?” she asked as she focused on making the feeling of uncontrolled floating stop. She got the distinct empathic impression that whoever was speaking was worried about her. She could barely see through the night’s darkness.

“He’s fine. We’re more worried about you.”

Oh, okay. She recognized that voice now. Robin. “I’m better,” she lied and forced herself up. M’gann took a deep breath and suddenly the attack came back to her. She had been shot and whatever had hit her had interfered with her shapeshifting enough that she couldn’t heal herself right away. She needed to try again.

“Just give me a second to try and heal,” she requested as she put all of her focus on the wound in her shoulder. Her shapeshifting happened at a cellular level so healing herself should have been easy. It took so much effort and concentration that it left her feeling incredibly drained after she had finished. Even so, she had done it successfully and was already beginning to feel better.

Conner came rushing over to her then and pulled her into a protective hug. He looked no worse for wear. “M’gann, are you alright?”

“I should be asking you the same thing,” she said lightly, pulling back to check him for injuries. “You took a couple hits from that gun on your way over to it.”

Conner looked surprised. “Did I? Everything seemed like a blur. I remember grabbing the gun and the next thing I know, everyone’s gone. I think I might have blacked out.”

“Is that normal?” Jon asked.

M’gann looked behind Superboy and saw Jon and… “Damian! They found you!”

“More like I found them,” Damian corrected.

“Then we can go!” M’gann said with relieved excitement. “Let’s go!”

“Not quite yet,” Robin said apologetically. “Damian needs to take someone with him. We need to find her before we can leave.”

“Oh?” M’gann asked, intrigued. “Did you get a girlfriend in the last few hours?”

“Ew, no!” Damian’s face scrunched up at the thought. “She’s my sister.”

M’gann’s eyes lit up. “Oh, how sweet! Okay, let’s rescue the princess!”

Uh, guys… We have a problem here! Wally’s voice rung clearly in everyone’s head as M’gann reestablished the mind-link.

KF! Robin thought happily, relieved that his friend was okay. What’s your status? What happened with Artemis and Red Arrow?

Well, Red Arrow has apparently had his mind messed with big time. We’ll tell you more about that later. Right now, we have a huge group of assassins converging on our position and we can’t do much except barricade the door and try and keep them out until Red snaps out of whatever it was Cheshire did to him. That’s not a plan that will stay successful for long. Did I mention that there are a LOT of assassins? We need some help… like now.

Dick tried not to show his rising panic to the group. They had to send the team at the Security/Communications Bunker some backup. M’gann, do you think you’re healed enough to help out there?

I should be, she thought.

Good. Kaldur and Superboy, I want you both to head over there as well and provide backup. Damian, Jon and I will go get the girl and rendezvous at the ship when we can.

Kaldur’s voice came through the link. With pleasure. I was getting bored out here. No one has been using the port all night. It seems as if Ra’s has called in every spare body he has to the interior of the island.

I could go help too, Zatanna offered.

No! Dick practically shouted in everyone’s head. Giovanni would murder me if anything happened to you. You just stay on the beach and make sure we have an escape route when we finally have everyone safe.

“Um… why did everyone get quiet all of a sudden?” Damian asked, sounding slightly concerned.

M’gann lightly hit her forehead with the heel of her palm and said, “Hello, Megan!” in a slightly self-deprecating manner. “Damian’s not part of the mind-link yet.”

“A what now?” Damian asked, not liking the sound of that.

“It’s how we communicate on missions without using comms,” Robin explained. “M’gann uses her telepathic ability to network our minds together so we can talk to each other over large distances.”

Damian looked horrified and turned to Jon. “You allowed a telepath into your head? Again!?”

“It’s just the thoughts you want people to hear,” Jon dismissed Damian’s worries. “And Miss Martian would never use her abilities to take advantage of us. You need to stop not trusting people, Damian!”

“I’m not letting a telepath into my mind,” Damian said adamantly.

Jon huffed. “You need to! You wouldn’t go out fighting crime in Gotham without your comms. This isn’t any different!”

“This is incredibly different! It’s giving a telepath access to my mind. That’s like giving a hacker access to your online bank account!”

Jon exhaled with clear frustration. “You do know that Batgirl probably has that information. But she doesn’t use it to bankrupt you because she’s your ally and your friend.”

“Debatable. I don’t do friends very often. But she is family. And she wouldn’t dare to cross father.”

“Well, neither would M’gann!” Jon said with a tone of finality. “And you’re going to need to be connected to the Team if we want to find Cass and get everyone out of here alive.

Damian wanted to argue but Jon made a good point, and while he did not trust anyone easily, he could not see this group of people betraying him. “Fine,” he said grudgingly. “You may connect me to this ‘mind-link.’”

“Yay!” M’gann cooed and accessed Damian’s thoughts. Even with him giving his permission, it was difficult getting through his mental defenses to set up the link. Once she had, though, it was like he’d always been a part of it.

Can you hear me? Jon asked.

Damian looked surprised upon hearing Jon’s voice in his head. Yes… this is… odd.

You mean totally cool and awesome, Jon grinned.

Damian couldn’t help but return the smile. I suppose. Yes, totally cool and awesome.

Great! Miss Martian thought. Now that that’s done, Conner and I will head over to the bunker.

Stay safe, Robin thought and watched M’gann fly herself and Conner up and out of sight.

Okay, Jon. Think you can carry me and Damian back up to the room we found each other in?

There’s no need, Damian thought. Cassandra was last seen in my mother’s room. It has a balcony and will be a better access point than running through the hallways of the compound. Bring us there, the northwest corner where the treeline meets the ocean.

Jon nodded seriously. Are you two ready for this?

Damian still wasn’t sure what he was going to do about his counterpart but he’d deal with that when the time came. He needed to find Cassandra and get her out of this place of death and violence. Yes. Bring us to the room.

I’ve got this, Dick thought, trying to reassure everyone that he had things under control.

Both Robins grabbed onto Jon and he took off into the air.

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
3:05 am
Infinity Island Living Quarters: Talia’s Room

Jon found the balcony almost instantly. There were heavy wooden doors leading to the interior of the room but they wouldn’t be a problem for him. He put Dick and Damian down and strolled over to the barrier, readying himself to break through it like he did with the wall in the room he found Dick in.

He heard the scream and the gun go off just a moment before his fist connected with the door. Jon practically blew it off its hinges as he smashed it open. The scene the three boys walked into was devastating. Cassandra knelt over Ravi’s body with one hand pressed to the wound in his chest and her other arm wrapped protectively around a tiny, crying baby. Her eyes were filled with anguish and unshed tears. Her small hand could not stop the flow of blood.

Talia was in a rage fighting David Cain. She was simultaneously keeping him away from the children while trying to inflict as much pain and suffering on him as she could. She looked like fire and hate incarnate, intent on killing him. He had made an unforgivable mistake in threatening her son’s life. David was making her work for her victory, though. He wasn’t known as one of the League’s best assassins for nothing.

Robin? Is everything okay? I just felt a tidal wave of anger and grief from all three of you. What’s going on over there? M’gann’s voice sounded in Dick’s head. He couldn’t answer. All he could do was watch helplessly as Damian fell apart in front of his eyes.

“No no no no…” Damian kept whispering as he ran to the old man’s side, each repeated word more desperate than the last. He dropped to his knees beside Ravi, quickly pressing his hands over Cassandra’s in a desperate attempt to stanch the flow of blood. It did little to stop the inevitable. Too much dark red fluid was flowing through their fingers. Damian knew it was only a matter of minutes before the old man would be gone.

“Why?” Damian whispered in a panic. “What happened?”

“I know you told me to stay away from the danger, Lord Damian,” Ravi managed to wheeze, his teeth stained red from the blood he was coughing up. “But I couldn’t let that monster murder a baby.”

Damian’s eyes zeroed in on David Cain with murderous intent. He was about to move when he felt the soft touch of the old man’s hand on his cheek.

“It’s alright, Lord Damian. I’m happy I could be the one to save you tonight. I’ve lived a good life. I’m glad I got to see you as the young man that little boy will grow into.”

“No! You scared. Not go! Stay Ravi, please!” Cassandra cried, finally allowing her tears to flow freely. She looked at him and all she could see was the pain and fear. He did try to hide it. It was a good enough lie to convince Damian but no one could ever lie to her. She couldn’t understand voices very well yet but she knew exactly what was happening to him. Every movement, every breath was pain. This was death.

Her father had trained her to create death but he’d never shown her what it actually was. This was what he wanted her to do to people? A person could go insane thinking about it. Cassandra decided in that moment that she would never kill. She would never put someone through the anguish she was feeling in that moment as she watched Ravi fade away.

“Miss Cassandra,” Ravi tried to smile but was becoming too weak to do even that. “I could never fool you, could I?” With the last of his strength he looked both children in the eyes. “Then at least make an old man a promise. Look out for each other. Protect each other.”

Damian couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t really happening. He was supposed to protect everyone. How could he keep screwing up like this? Ravi was dying, waiting for him to make a promise he couldn’t possibly keep. He’d go home eventually and leave Cassandra here, leave baby-him and teenage Grayson. He wanted Ravi to watch that baby grow up without the stain of all his mistakes and that unforgivable decision in the Year of Blood.

Damian looked back to Jon with a pleading look in his eyes. The younger boy had never seen such desperation in his friend before. It scared him to see Damian so vulnerable. Jon could see the old man’s heart slowing and each breath coming with more difficulty. There wasn’t enough time to bring him to the ship or fly him to some sort of hospital. He’d be gone in moments. Jon was doing everything he could not to cry himself. His throat closed as he tried to say it and no sound would come. He managed a sad little shake of his head, his eyes telling Damian that there was nothing he could do.

Damian lost all hope with that one look from Jon. There would be no miracle today. He turned back to Ravi and squeezed his hand. “I promise…”

“Promise,” Cassandra sobbed over the cries of the baby she clung to like a security blanket.

Ravi smiled, breathed deeply one last time, and then he was gone.

Everyone stood there in silence for a moment. Shock and grief seemed to permeate the atmosphere of the room. The only sounds were the crying of Cassandra and the baby and Talia’s fistfight with David Cain.

Robin? M’gann’s voice sounded in Dick’s head once more. What is going on over there? Is Damian okay? I was feeling intense grief and now nothing. I think he cut off his connection to the mind-link.

We have a situation, Miss M, Robin thought quickly. Give me a few minutes and I’ll let you know what’s going on.

Jon took a tentative step toward Damian. His best friend looked lost but he didn’t know what to do to help him. He had never seen someone die before. He had never lost someone right in front of him like Damian just had. “Damian…” he tried to say, but it came out so softly he wasn’t sure his friend had even heard it.

Damian sniffled and wiped his arm across his eyes. It only served to smear more blood over his face. “Not right now, Jon,” Damian said gently and stood up, never taking his eyes from Ravi. The little girl beside him was still crying inconsolably, clutching to the baby she held like she would a teddy bear. Damian simply stood there, eyes blank. Dick wasn’t sure what he was thinking. It was like he had just turned himself off.

Damian calmly walked over to a sword that had been discarded on the ground near him, picked it up, and with a cry of anguish and rage threw himself at David Cain. Ravi was dead. His murderer would pay in blood. Dick knew exactly what Damian was thinking now and he ran to stop his little brother from doing something he’d never be able to come back from.

Ravi’s blood was seeping into Cassandra’s bodysuit at the legs and knees. Jon could tell it was there even though the black fabric was designed to hide such stains. He noticed the baby’s face was spotted with red as well. It broke his heart to see it. He had to get his head in the game but Jon could only watch as Damian calmly took the sword and lunged for the large man who was fighting with Talia.

Talia and David had disarmed each other almost as soon as their fight began and were now going blow for blow with fists and legs. They were evenly matched but David had allowed himself to focus entirely on Talia and didn’t notice Damian until the boy screamed. He turned and managed to just barely avoid the teenager opening his abdomen with Talia’s sword. Damian and Talia began fighting David Cain in tandem. Jon could see Damian’s fighting style in Talia’s movements but Damian brought a sword to the fist fight. He didn’t need fancy fighting moves with a blade against an unarmed opponent. Jon just couldn’t believe he was seeing his friend fighting like that. He looked like he was actually trying to kill him. What was Damian thinking?

The distraught teenager lunged with his sword, throwing David off balance. Talia used the opening to strike him in the temple and he dropped to the floor as if all his muscles decided to stop working at the same time. It only took a moment after that for Damian to hold the tip of his sword to David Cain’s throat.

Robin stopped short, not wanting to spook Damian into going through with what he wanted to do in his grief. Jon floated over and landed in front of Damian, between Dick and Talia. The cries of the children behind him could still be clearly heard by everyone.

“Damian?” Jon said with a slight waver in his voice. “What are you doing?”

Damian looked up at Jon with tears running down his face. “He killed Ravi, Jon. He needs to die.”

Whoever that man on the ground behind him was, he had been important to Damian. Jon had never seen Damian cry before. It terrified him to see his best friend like that. What scared him more, though, was hearing Damian say his killer had to die. “Robin doesn’t kill people. If you kill him, you will never forgive yourself, Dami.”

Damian choked back a sob. “You don’t know anything about me Jon. I’ve killed literally hundreds of people. One more won’t make a difference.”

Jon didn’t know how to process that. Dick looked just as shocked. Talia on the other hand looked like a proud parent on report card day when she heard Damian tell everyone his bodycount. Jon didn’t want to believe it. There had to be more to the story than just, ‘his best friend is a serial killer.’

“Talk to me, Damian. You’ve never killed anyone in all the time I’ve known you. Your mom is an assassin, okay, I can see how you might have been taught to do that while you were with her, but Batman doesn’t kill and neither does Robin. You haven’t killed anyone while you were Robin, right? What you’ve done in the past doesn’t matter. It’s what you decide to do today that’s important.”

Cassandra stood up, still holding baby-Damian. She saw Damian holding a sword to her father’s neck. She was glad. Her father was scared. Her father had taken Ravi away and now he was afraid Damian would make him die. She started walking toward them. The other boys that had come to the room were afraid Damian would kill her father. They didn’t want him to. Cassandra wasn’t sure if she wanted him to or not.

“Damian,” Talia said, not wanting the little Superboy to persuade her child from his decision to kill. “That man is evil. He tried to kill the baby and he murdered Ravi. He deserves to die. Finish him. There is no shame in killing a defeated opponent.”

“That’s not right!” Dick shouted at Talia. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing and be the one that caused Damian to actually go through with killing the guy but he couldn’t let Talia convince Damian to kill someone. “When my family was killed I dreamed about getting revenge. It was all I could think about but when I made this costume and went to fight the criminals of Gotham with Batman I realized I was a symbol. Robin was bigger than my desire for revenge. Robin brings justice, not vengeance. If it was Nightwing standing here instead of me, what would he say right now?”

Damian let out a shaky breath. He would have given anything to see Richard right about now, even if seeing Damian like this would have made him incredibly disappointed. He got Richard’s disappointed face often in their first year together but he hadn’t seen it too much lately. Damian had grown so much as Richard’s partner in crime fighting. He was Robin to Richard’s Batman but he had killed in the uniform. Once. Maya Ducard’s father, Nobody. Every time Damian wore the Robin costume since then, he did so with that memory and the promise to be better. Maya reminded him that when he puts on the uniform he’s doing what his brothers did; fighting the good fight and honoring the legacy of those who came before. The R on his chest wasn’t just a symbol for Robin, it stood for redemption. Robin wouldn’t kill anymore. It didn’t matter that his mother had taken the costume from him. He was Robin whether he was wearing the colors or not and he couldn’t disappoint everyone who had believed in him.

Cassandra watched as Damian let out a deep breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding. His shoulders sagged and he removed the sword from David Cain’s throat. He had made his decision not to kill and she realized she was relieved that he had chosen that path. The atmosphere in the room visibly relaxed. David Cain made a move to get up off the ground but Cassandra was close enough to see what he was about to do and made a move to prevent it. She kicked him in the head. It was not hard enough to kill, but enough to make her feel a little better. Her father crumpled to the floor unconscious.

“Cass!” Jon shouted, thinking the little girl had decided to take matters into her own hands, but then he heard the man’s heartbeat. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Relax,” Damian reassured him, seeing the minute rising and falling of Cain’s chest. “She only kicked him hard enough to knock him out. Cain’s going to be punished for what he did. I’ll make sure of it. He doesn’t get a pass for this. There are worse things than death sometimes and I’ll make sure he starts to experience them with a stint in prison. Maybe Amanda Waller will put him on the Suicide Squad. That would save me time coming up with ways to make his life miserable.”

Dick didn’t even want to know what a ‘Suicide Squad’ was. He was just happy Damian was no longer considering homicide as a viable option.

Talia looked disappointed. “You shouldn’t have let him live, Damian. Why are you so hellbent on upholding your father’s ridiculous rules? I’m not above revenge killings.”

Damian sighed, glad he did not fall to his baser nature. “I am aware, mother. Do not finish him. He’s unconscious. There’s no honor in murdering someone who can’t protect himself. All I need are restraints so we can transport him away from the island safely.”

“I’ve got it,” Robin said, pulling some heavy-duty zip ties from his utility belt and binding David Cain’s arms and legs.

“You’re not leaving the island, Damian.” Talia would not let Batman’s little brat and his friends take her son from her. “You, little Damian, and Cassandra are staying here. The rest of your Junior Justice League may leave, assuming they can get off the island without my father’s men slaughtering them.”

“No, mother,” Damian said, sounding like he just didn’t care anymore. “I’m leaving with Cassandra, baby-Damian, and everyone on the Team… and Ravi. I’m tired. I’m tired of your manipulating my emotions. I’m tired of all the memories that being with you in this place has brought up and I’m tired of not being able to save the people I care about. I failed Ravi once. I’m not going to do it again.”

“What are you talking about, Damian?” Talia said, unamused. She moved toward Cassandra to take back her child but the girl turned from her, as if protecting the baby with her own body. Talia couldn’t believe Cassandra had just done that. She had never outright refused Talia like that before.

“Cassandra,” Talia said ominously, telling her without words that she wanted her child.

The little girl didn’t want anyone else to hold the baby. She had promised Ravi she would protect Damian and that meant both versions of him. She knew she was the best person for the job. She didn’t want to use her skills to kill but she could use them to shield the helpless from harm. With her, baby Damian would be safe.

“I protect,” Cassandra said adamantly.

“Sorry, Talia. Looks like the awesome assassin kid doesn’t want to give up the adorable mini version of Damian,” Dick said as he stepped in front of Cassandra with a defensive posture. He was okay with baby Damian sticking with Cassandra if it meant Talia didn’t get to him. All he could think about was Damian’s stories about how Talia had allowed him to be murdered and how he hinted at her teaching him to kill.

“Mother,” Damian tried to get the conversation back on track, “you are going to give me back my Robin uniform. You’re going to lead me to wherever the Lazarus Pit is located, then we are going to revive Ravi. After that we’re leaving this island, and you, behind. I’m not your weapon anymore.”

“You can’t be serious,” Talia said with a little laugh, forgetting about Cassandra’s insubordination for the moment due to her son’s insane request. “Even if you managed to revive Ravi, my father would hunt him down for the rest for his life. The al Ghuls are the only people allowed to use the Pit.”

“But you’ve broken that rule before, haven’t you Talia?” Dick said calculatingly. “Matthew Hagen. He was your fiance for a hot minute wasn’t he? Until you realized he was just manipulating you into allowing him to use the Pit to cure his cancer.”

Talia was taken aback. She didn’t think the boy would have known about that. She should have guessed her beloved would have found out. Richard probably had access to every file Batman put on his computer. “Yes, but I locked him in there for manipulating me like that. I wanted to kill him with the one thing that could cure him.”

“But instead, ironically, you created a homicidal shape-shifting mud monster.”

“Clayface?” Damian asked? “It wasn’t Basil Karlo on the streets last night?”

“The actor?” Robin snickered. “No.”

Damian couldn’t help but feel a sense of happy relief that Karlo wasn’t Clayface in this reality. He deserved one universe where he got the life he always wanted.

“My father knows I broke the rules once with Matthew,” Talia protested. “If I do it again he will never forgive me.”

“Then we better make sure he never finds out,” Damian said darkly serious. “If he doesn’t know then he has no reason to punish you or hunt down Ravi.”

Talia had to admit it did make sense. She didn’t want to let Damian go, but if she did this for him, he might be more willing to listen to her. She might be able to convince him to stay without resorting to the tactics she had been relying on so far. “Alright, fine. I’ll take you to the Pit.”

Damian was shocked. He had thought he’d have to fight her or something just to get her to agree to that. It made him more than a little suspicious. He narrowed his eyes at her and asked, “Why?”

Talia allowed herself to show just the slightest hint of a grin. “Because you’re my son and you asked. Despite what you may think, I want you to be happy. With my father distracted by the rest of your little band of misfits we just may be able to pull off this plan.”

Damian huffed. He knew there was more to it than that. She was just manipulating him again, but fine. If she wanted to play it that way, he wouldn’t say no. He’d deal with her betrayal after he resurrected Ravi and got his family out of danger.

“Good. Then let’s go. Now where have you hidden my suit?”

“At the Lazarus Pit,” Talia revealed. It’s the most secure place on the island. Only an al Ghul can access it.”

“I’m an al Ghul.”

“But you have no idea where it is.”

“Fine!” Damian said angrily. “I’ll take it back when we arrive at the Pit. Now we need to go. The longer we wait the less likely the resurrection will succeed.” Damian walked over to Ravi’s body and gently covered it with a blanket. He picked it up, surprised at how small and frail it felt. “Lead the way, mother.”

The group walked out of the living quarters and down to where the cliffs began. Talia walked over to a jagged outcropping of rocks and pressed her thumb against a particularly sharp looking one, drawing blood. The next moment a doorway in the rockwall slid open and Talia motioned for the group to enter.

Cassandra went first, still holding baby Damian. She refused to give him to anyone. Luckily the little thing had cried himself out and was dozing happily in her arms. Jon walked in after her to make sure she wasn’t ambushed by anything or anyone. He looked at the little baby in her arms. He wished he had a camera. Baby Damian was so tiny and adorable. He could tease teenage Damian forever about it, but now wasn’t the time.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Dick asked Damian as they followed Jon and Cass down the stone steps deeper into the cave-like chamber. “I’ve always heard that using the Lazarus Pit was really bad.”

“Only if done multiple times, like my grandfather uses it. Ravi may suffer an initial bout of Pit-madness but one use shouldn’t adversely affect him. Even one of our brothers was revived with the Pit and he… well, he’s not trying to kill us anymore. He had a much angrier disposition than Ravi to begin with, anyway. Ravi will be fine. I’m sure…”

Robin! M’gann’s voice sounded in Dick’s head suddenly. I know you’ve got things going on with your group but we need you right now.

M’gann! Dick thought, mentally kicking himself for forgetting to contact her once Damian’s crisis was over. How is it going on your end? I’m sorry I ignored you before. We had a crisis over here.

Well we have a crisis over here too! M’gann said stubbornly.

There’s too many of them! Kid Flash broadcast to the rest of the Team. We’re not going to be able to get out of here.

Red Arrow finally ‘woke up’ but it’s like a war zone out here. We couldn’t get everyone out before there were too many assassins amassed at the bunker. We managed to get inside but it’s like the zombie apocalypse out there right now. I’ve never seen so many people dead set on killing us!

Would you be able to fly everyone out? Dick asked

They have arrows. I don’t think I can maneuver around flying projectiles while holding five people. And they could easily follow us to the beach. If they find out where the ship is going to reappear when Zatanna reverses her spell we’re going to be in trouble.

Jon and Damian had reached the bottom of the stairs and looked up at Robin with worried glances. They had heard everything M’gann was reporting.

“Don’t worry,” Dick said. “Do what you need to do. Let me deal with this.”

Damian’s arms were growing tired. When he saw the sarcophagus that housed the waters of the Lazarus Pit he could have cried.

“Is that it?” Jon asked.

Damian nodded. “Can you open it for me?”

Jon walked over to it and opened the heavy lid to reveal the glowing green liquid inside. Damian walked up to the sarcophagus with Ravi’s body and looked in. The sight of the liquid made him feel nauseous. He lowered Ravi into the water.

I may have a plan, M’gann thought to everyone in the mind-link. It’s very illegal back on Mars and I shouldn’t even know how to do it but I figured it out a while ago and I wouldn’t even have suggested it if we weren’t in such mortal danger right now.

M’gann, Dick sounded in her head. Just tell us what the plan is.

It’s not going to be pleasant for anyone but if it works it will give us a couple minutes to make it out, she qualified one last time. What she was about to suggest was not something to be taken lightly.

If it will be better than dying, I’m all for it, Wally thought.

Damian waited for the waters to take effect. He was growing worried when a living, breathing Ravi didn’t emerge immediately. He knew the pit took longer to heal the worse an injury was. He had never resurrected anyone before so he wasn’t sure if this was normal or not.

Suddenly, the unmistakable voice of Ra’s al Ghul sounded from behind him. “Grandson, I have to say I am disappointed in you.”

Damian and Jon whipped around to see the Demon’s Head tower over them from the center of the chamber. Ubu was blocking the only exit from the room and Ra’s held Talia in front of him with a sword to her throat. They couldn’t attack him without risking him killing her.

“Ra’s,” Damian and Dick said almost at the same time.

Cassandra startled at the sight of Ra’s al Ghul holding Talia hostage. He was showing her that he didn’t really want to kill his daughter but he would if he was forced to. Cassandra knew that if she could get behind him she could disarm him with minimal damage to Talia but the baby in her arms prevented her from moving an inch. She didn’t want to draw attention to him and she couldn’t just leave him on the ground. What if a fight broke out after she attacked? Little Damian would be helpless. Cass didn’t know what to do so she waited to see what would happen.

M’gann had no idea that they had just been visited by the leader of the League of Shadows so she continued telling the Team her plan. It’s basically a memory bomb. I will have you relive the worst moment of your life, pulling the experience from your brain and broadcasting it to the entire island. The emotions associated with the memory will be amplified for everyone on the island except for those of us connected by the mind-link. It should be enough to overwhelm the entire League of Shadows… or at least enough of them to let us get out of here safely. I won’t be able to block the visuals to the Team, though. We’re all going to see whatever the memory shows, but it will be more like watching a movie for us. I would offer to use one of my memories but I don’t think any of them are bad enough to incapacitate these people.

“What are you doing here, Ra’s?” Dick growled.

“Ah, Mr. Grayson. Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did to me earlier. I’ll get to you as soon as I deal with my sorry excuse of a family.” He pressed the sword a little harder into Talia’s throat, drawing a thin bead of blood as it began to slice the skin.

Talia gasped as she felt the cut and leaned back further into her father to try and relieve the pressure of the blade on her neck. She didn’t dare speak, didn’t even breathe too deeply, in fear of the blade cutting into her even more. Damian saw that she was scared. She wasn’t even trying to hide it. She had just realized that her father meant to kill her.

Dick had to stop Ra’s. He wasn’t Talia’s biggest fan but he couldn’t let him kill her. M’gann’s plan seemed to be his best option right now if it could take down everyone on the island at once. He knew that most of the kids on the Team wouldn’t have a strong enough bad memory to drop these assassins. He did. Dick wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of revealing his identity to his team this way or going through that trauma all over again but if the memory of the death of his family would save everyone… he was willing to relive it. I have a memory.

Absolutely not! Damian’s voice came through the mind link clear and forceful at the same time he spoke to his grandfather out loud in a bid to buy them some time. “What do you want grandfather?” I know exactly what you are thinking and I will not allow you to relive that!

“I wanted a legacy I could be proud of,” Ra’s said venomously. “Instead I get a daughter and grandson who would betray me for their own petty desires.”

What other choice do we have? Dick argued.

Me, Damian thought determinedly. “That’s a load of crap!” he shouted out loud. “You never wanted a legacy! You wanted a body!” Miss Martian, pull my memory now!

Wait! Jon thought loudly. What about baby-you? Will the memory bomb hurt him? And Cass!

M’gann thought about it. I don’t think it should harm him. He won’t be able to understand what he’s seeing or feeling and babies can bounce back from a lot. We’ll just have to hope Cass is strong enough to handle it since I can’t be there to add her to the mind-link right now.

“Tell her, grandfather. Your backup plan if the Pits ever became ineffective for you.” Besides, we don’t really have a choice, Damian thought. Now, do it!

“I see,” Ra’s said. “So my counterpart has tried that with you already, has he?”

“And failed,” Damian spoke with acid in his voice. “Transferring your consciousness into a new host body… into me. Taking over my body to keep you alive won’t work. My family, even Talia, will never allow it.”

Damian saw the shock of betrayal cross Talia’s features. There wasn’t even the disbelief or denial that usually came with a revelation like that. She must have suspected her father capable of such treacherousness already. It made Damian sad to see her so crushed. He couldn’t help it. He had been hoping that the Ra’s al Ghul of this reality would have had no idea what Damian was talking about. That he was just the slightest bit better than his own grandfather. It was too much to hope for.

M’gann connected to Damian’s mind on a deeper level and found the memory she needed. It was hidden behind some serious protective barriers. Damian’s subconscious did not want him remembering this particular event clearly. It was exactly the kind of memory she needed for the psychic attack. M’gann just hoped Damian would forgive her when it was over. She began to amplify and broadcast it to everyone on the island.

Damian stood at the Batcomputer, listening to the chatter over the comms.

“They got him!”

“We’re too late!”

“They got Batman!” That was Nightwing’s voice. Damian had never heard him sound so panicked.

He scrolled through all the hacked camera feeds he could until he managed to find the scene of chaos down on the streets of Gotham. Batman, his father, had been thrown out of a window from several stories up and was rapidly falling to the ground, unconscious. Damian didn’t see what it was that had defeated his father but he knew that his mother had to be involved when one of her man-bats grabbed him out of the sky and carried him off. The proverbial shit had just hit the fan.

Pennyworth chose that moment to come down into the Cave to check on Damian. His father had put him under house arrest “for his own protection” but he knew, the only way to protect anyone was to be out there with the rest of his family as Robin, fighting alongside them.

“None of this would have happened if we’d been together as Batman and Robin,” Damian complained to the old butler. “But he didn’t want me and now I’m stuck here watching everything fall apart exactly the way I said it would.”

“Your mother is not to be trifled with, it seems, Master Damian,” Alfred said as he too looked into the screens of the Batcomputer.

“No one knows mother better than me. I’ve been doing research. Father thinks I’m going to grow up to destroy the world or some idiotic thing. Well, he’s wrong. Mother has already appointed her successor to do that. When mother cast me out of the al Ghul family after I chose father over her, she made sure that I saw my replacement first. Another baby grown in an artificial womb, just as I was. Another me.”

There was an explosion on the computer screens. Drake had just barely avoided being blown to bits in an old brick high rise.

“Master Timothy?” Alfred said into the comms, a look of worry taking over his features.

“Get to Wayne Tower!” Tim’s voice sounded through the static of the communications channel.

“This is it, Pennyworth. Father’s about to face her contempt on an epic scale.”

The cameras showed Nightwing with Commissioner Gordon. A large mob of kids piled into the rain from out of a bright yellow school bus. Every one of them was saying only one word: Leviathan; Talia’s pet project for world domination. Each child was holding a makeshift weapon they had found in their homes or on the streets. Sticks, hammers, kitchen knives, and anything else they could get their hands on was fair game to use against the heroes of Gotham.

Commissioner Gordon looked helplessly to Nightwing. “They wouldn’t use kids. We can’t… we can’t shoot kids.”

The children charged, screaming in unison, “Leviathan Rises.”

Damian couldn’t sit back and allow this atrocity to stand. His mother was using mind control technology on children. All because she was pissed off at his father. He braced himself against the computer console as he made his decision to disobey Batman. “My mother is far more dangerous than Joker or Catwoman or any of those idiots. She runs a global criminal empire and always gets what she wants! She made a plan to rule the world with him at her side. With me to inherit the empire.”

“And when he rejected her, so did you,” Alfred surmised, looking at the various costumes in the cave’s storage closet.

“I can’t just watch this happen,” Damian said in frustration. “Grayson told me he had to constantly disobey my father when he was Robin. Only I can stop this. All of this is why Batman needs Robin. I want him to know he’s wrong about me.”

Alfred smiled knowingly at the small boy at the computer. “Master Bruce has been wrong before on several occasions.” He held out Damian’s Robin uniform in front of him. “I’ll tell him you overpowered me, sir.”

Damian was surprised Alfred would go against his father’s wishes and help him, but he smiled back at the old man and took the offering gratefully. He wasted no time in changing into the outfit. Damian hacked the security lockdown on the Cave easily, then grabbed a rocket harness and headed out.

The last thing he heard from the butler as he left was, “Your father’s very proud of you, young master Damian. I hope you know that.”

The setting of the memory changed abruptly to Damian blasting through the glass front windows of Wayne Tower as a group of small, rain-drenched, homicidal children chased after him. He did not have the same misgivings about harming children that Jim Gordon did. The quickest way to dispatch the pests was an electric shock from his suit, so he did. Unconscious homicidal children were much easier to deal with.

“Water, plus electricity, plus idiots equals…” He didn’t get to finish that thought as a hail of bullets fired at him from all angles.

Luckily, Grayson had chosen that exact moment to swoop in like the star of his own action movie and barrel into Damian, pushing him out of the way just in time. “What would you do without me?” he quipped while in mid-leap just before they landed behind a concrete structure in the middle of Wayne Tower’s front lobby.

“You’re supposed to be home!” Dick scolded his little brother now that they were safely behind cover. Damian couldn’t even argue or blame him this time. Not only was he breaking his promise to stay in the Cave where it was safe, but he also probably gave Grayson a small heart attack when he almost ended up a human swiss cheese.

“You flew right into a warzone,” Nightwing yelled like the overprotective big brother he was.

“Where I belong,” Damian countered. “This is the result of years of my mother’s accumulating anger. But she is still my mother and maybe I can reach her. This is our last chance to prevent a catastrophe. Are you with me Nightwing? The odds are completely against us.”

“When did we ever let something like that get in our way?” Dick laughed.

Damian looked at him seriously. “So far I’d say you’ve been my favorite partner. We were the best, Richard. No matter what anyone thinks.”

“Hey, we can’t help being great.”

The two charged back into the explosions and bullets that were destroying the Wayne Tower lobby, throwing several smoke pellets to cover their attack. They headed straight toward the elevators with the intent of reaching the top floor where Talia was located, but before they made it, the elevator doors dinged and opened. Out walked a large figure in a white robe and metal gas mask, complete with small bat ears on top. It was unmistakably Damian’s clone, the Heretic.

The boys didn’t stop running to meet him in combat. Instead, they simply knew that they would both use their momentum to punch the thing simultaneously in its stupid face. On most human beings, that would have been a KO. It only served to piss the clone off.

Robin and Nightwing looked up into the one red eye-slit going across its mask and Nightwing realized that this thing would be too much for them to handle. “Robin, get out of here, now!”

The Heretic grabbed Dick by the throat and lifted him into the air. Damian, who was barely taller than the thing’s waist, began punching its midsection and screaming, “Leave him alone! Look at me! Touch him again and I’ll kill you!”

The Heretic tossed Dick aside into a glass display case as if he were nothing. The impact knocked him out cold.

Damian looked around. He was alone now with the thing. His clone. His twin. Leviathan assassins looked down on them from the catwalk above them, bows and guns pointed and ready to fire. Damian would never win against all of them surrounding him on all sides and with the advantage of ranged weapons and the high ground. He had to play this smart.

“Take me to my mother. It’s me she wants.”

The Heretic looked down on Damian. The archers and snipers looked ready to fire until a single gesture from the clone stayed their hands. “My brother, my twin, my rival.” It pulled out a sword and lunged.

Damian jumped to avoid the first strike and grabbed a spear from one of the display cases. “Mother! I know you’re watching somewhere! Stop this! Please!”

The Heretic swung at Damian but he managed to block that blow and the next with his spear. Unfortunately, the third proved to be too much for him as the Heretic stopped using the sword and kicked Damian in the stomach into yet another display case.

“Mother…” Damian coughed, covered in sharp glass shards. “Call off your monster.”

The Heretic turned its back on Damian. Something else had caught its attention. But Damian didn’t have time to think about what that might be. He felt something near his hand. A crossbow. He grinned, despite the pain he was in, and got to one knee. “I promised my father I would never kill again… Tt.” He shot the bolt at the Heretic’s back. It flew true and buried itself deep in the monster’s flesh, just barely missing its heart. He ran up to it while it was still stunned and jump-kicked the bolt further into the thing’s body, then latched onto its back, attacking its head.

“Fall!” he demanded in frustration just before he felt an arrow pierce his shoulder. He screamed out in pain and his grip on the Heretic loosened. It grabbed his leg and swung him around, slamming Damian’s back into its knee. Damian grabbed hold of the bolt he had shot, now sticking out the front of the clone’s chest and broke it. He quickly jammed the pointed piece into the thing’s neck. “Die!”

The battle was intense. Damian wasn’t sure he would be able to come out on top, but a final burst of energy had ensured him his victory. He knew he was the only one who could defeat it now. He’d show his father that he didn’t need saving. He didn’t need to be locked away safe in the Batcave, he needed to be here, fighting for his family.

He kicked the clone again and it finally dropped him but more arrows shot at him from above. He had won and that sad excuse of a copy knew it. That was why the arrows flew, piercing his flesh as they hit their mark. But Damian kept fighting even as the pain became unbearable. He just was losing too much blood, becoming sluggish. His reaction time was getting slower and slower with every second and his vision was blurring in and out.

The Heretic reached down and grabbed Damian by the neck, lifting him easily above his head, just like it had done to Richard at the start of the fight. It wasn’t fair. Damian had tried so hard. The clone was bigger and stronger and had better armor, but the Heretic would have lost if this were a fair fight. He was a pale copy of Damian. No matter what his mother did with her genetic experimentation, she would not be able to make anything as perfect as her true son. She would not allow this to happen. She couldn’t allow it to kill him.

Damian struggled, kicking at the air, gasping through the stranglehold. “Mother,” he choked out. “Call him off!” Damian couldn’t breathe. His mother wouldn’t let him die. She wouldn’t! “Call him off!” he tried to shout but it only came out as a wheezing cough. When he realized she was not going to interfere, he got angry. “Coward,” Damian choked out and spat blood into the facemask of his attacker. At least with the mask he didn’t have to bear to see his own face looking back at him.

Damian was feeling light-headed but he knew he couldn’t stop. He was struggling to breathe but the Heretic wasn’t defeated yet. He couldn’t stop but he knew his limits. It was quickly becoming evident that he couldn’t go on any longer. His body was betraying him, refusing to respond to the commands of his brain.

Father wasn’t there, Grayson was lying unconscious a few meters away, and he was surrounded by assassins but he knew his mother was listening and watching. She was giving orders to the clone. It obeyed her. Despite her putting a bounty on his head, his mother wouldn’t let him be killed. She was always testing him. This, like the bounty, was just another test. His mother would not allow him to die. She would save him.

The Heretic threw Damian headfirst into a wall hard enough to crack it. Damian must have blacked out for a moment after impact because the next thing he knew he was on the floor. He managed to use the wall to help him stand again, thankful that that last hit had not broken his neck. He turned to look at the Heretic who was now looming over him like a shadow of death, sword drawn in front of him.

It spoke then. “The battle is won only when the killing stroke is dealt. No weakness, no hesitation, no mercy for fools.” His mother’s mantra. He had grown up hearing it, learning it, living by it. Now he was going to die because of it.

“Call him off…” Damian pleaded to his mother, his face finally outwardly showing the fear he was feeling.The Heretic walked closer. It was going to kill him. Damian understood this but he didn’t want to die. “Mother… please…” His last word was barely more than a whisper.

Damian had no doubt his mother would save him. She was just waiting for the last second possible to see what he would do to get out of this. She wouldn’t let him die. She couldn’t. She was his mom. He believed in her until the moment the blade of the Heretic’s sword was slammed into his chest. The weapon sliced cleanly through his heart. He died instantly. He died believing in her.

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
3:05 am
Infinity Island Security Bunker

M’gann flew Conner and herself silently through the night sky, straight toward the communications hub of the island. By the time the got to within a mile of the building they could see exactly why Kid Flash had sounded so panicked. There were hundreds of assassins converging on the bunker. From the air they made the land look like a rolling sea beneath them.

M’gann saw Kaldur engaging with a small group of assassins that had broken off from the main body of the mob. She was about to set herself and Superboy down on the ground to help him when she felt an emotional blast of agony from the other group. Robin? M’gann asked the team leader, obviously worried. Is everything okay? I just felt a tidal wave of anger and grief from all three of you. What’s going on over there?

Kaldur was using his water-bearers like swords, knocking down and slicing at the League of Shadows ninjas with skill and grace, but the small group of assassins was turning into a much larger one as the fight was continually drawn out. Kaldur was skilled and well conditioned for combat but even he could not keep up that pace against so many opponents for long. He needed their help. Between Kaldur’s water magic, Superboy’s strength, and M’gann’s telekinesis the group of assailants were eventually left unconscious on the ground. That allowed the three to continue making their way to their stranded teammates. M’gann still hadn’t gotten a response from Robin by the end of the fight. That worried her.

“Thank you for the assistance,” Kaldur said gratefully, slightly out of breath. “They were becoming a slightly larger group than I was comfortable with. These assassins are more skilled than our usual opponents.”

“Robin did warn us they were trained by an immortal psychotic environmentalist,” Conner reminded him.

Kaldur allowed himself to crack a smile at the description. “True enough. Now, how should we attempt to get to the others? The Shadows are not going to let us just wander through their hoard and knock on the door.”

M’gann tried to keep from showing everyone just how worried she was about both of the separated groups. “I can try flying us over them. Nobody ever looks up.”

“You think you can handle two people and yourself in the air?” Conner asked.

“Oh yeah, no problem,” M’gann said more confidently than she felt. She had never tried carrying more than one person but how difficult could it be?

She picked up Superboy and Kaldur with her telekinesis and flew them over to the roof of the bunker. It was a lot easier than she expected it to be. She almost didn’t notice a difference from carrying one person. They were almost safely to the building when a volley of arrows came flying at them from below. M’gann gasped and almost dropped her two passengers but managed to avoid anyone getting skewered. She couldn’t maneuver in the air as easily while holding up two other bodies with her mind. She breathed a sigh of relief when they landed safely on the top of the building.

“They’re going to follow us up here,” Kaldur warned, keeping an eye on the edges of the building.

“Do you see a way in?” Conner asked, looking around. Does anyone know if there’s a way into the bunker from the roof? he asked the rest of the group inside.

Kaldur looked over the side of the building to see the army of assassins within feet of the main entrance. It was too late to go in the front door.

Jade looked like she went toward the roof to leave. She didn’t use the front door at least. There has to be an entrance up there… at least a window or something, Artemis thought back to them.

Your sister was here?! Wally asked with shock and concern. Why didn’t you say that before? Are you okay?

Obviously, Artemis responded dryly (although she was secretly amused at Wally’s concern for her. Jade, she had come to realize, was more bark than bite… At least to the people she cared about).

Conner was getting nervous. They were sitting ducks out there in the open. He had to make sure everyone got inside. I’m not seeing any sort of secret entrance and we don’t have time to look for it. Those assassins are going to come up here any second. Kaldur, cut us a doorway. We’ll use it as a chokepoint and take them one at a time if they try to follow us through.

Kaldur nodded seriously and activated his water-bearers again. He plunged the water-swords into the roof and the reinforced metal split like butter. When three sides of a square opening was cut Conner punched it, pushing the metal downward.

“Let’s go!” he yelled to M’gann and Kaldur. He waited for them to enter the bunker before jumping down into it himself. Once safely inside he pushed the metal back into place as best he could, wishing that he had heat vision so he could weld it closed again.

The moment M’gann entered the bunker she felt another blast of strong emotion from Damian and then, even more terrifying, nothing. She quickly contacted Robin again. Robin? What is going on over there? Is Damian okay? I was feeling intense grief and now nothing. I think he cut off his connection to the mind-link.

We have a situation, Miss M, Robin responded quickly. Give me a few minutes and I’ll let you know what’s going on.

M’gann was getting frustrated at the lack of information, but there was no time to dwell on it. They had to prepare for the assassins.

“Miss M!” Artemis said with clear relief in her voice. “I need you over here. Jade did something to Red Arrow and he’s, like, catatonic right now.”

“Superboy, Aqualad, Kid Flash,” M’gann commanded. “Keep watch on the entrances. Do not let the assassins in here. I need time to look into Red’s mind without interruptions.”

“You got it, beautiful!” Wally said, running between the entrance Conner and Kaldur made and the main entryway, ensuring the locks were holding. Conner continued to keep his attention on the less secure makeshift roof entrance while Kaldur jumped down to ground level to watch the front door.

M’gann floated down to where Red Arrow stood staring off into space. She studied the teenager, not liking what kind of mind-manipulation it would take to so completely shut him down like this. “Did your sister say anything about what she did to him?”

“Just that he had some subliminal programming that he wasn’t aware of,” Artemis said, her eyes darting between the two possible entry points into the bunker, her bow at the ready.

“I’m going to need more time than I have to look into his mind that deeply but I think I can snap him out of the haze he’s in right now.” She looked into Red Arrow’s blank eyes and probed his mind. Almost immediately he blinked and woke up from the catatonia he’d been stuck in.

“M’gann?” he asked in surprise and took a step backward, putting some personal space between him and the Martian girl. “Where did you come from?”

“You’ve been out of it for quite a while. It felt like you were about to come to anyway, but I sped things up a bit.”

Roy looked around the room, his heart dropping into his stomach. It wasn’t just him and Artemis anymore. His brow furrowed in confusion and just the slightest hint of fear. “Did I black out?”

“Have you blacked out before?” Artemis asked.

Roy remembered she had accused him of being the mole, then they had fought, then… nothing. It was a total blank after that. And no, it wasn’t the first time he had blacked out like that either. He had been chasing down Cheshire and Sportsmaster. He managed to confront them and then… his memory blanked. They were gone and he was alone on a rooftop. He hadn’t thought anything of it at the time but now he had to wonder why he wouldn’t have found that disturbing. He should have at least gotten himself checked out by a telepath (hell, even a doctor) but it seemed perfectly fine to him before. Not anymore.

“Yeah…” he said, feeling a little sick to his stomach.

“It’s alright, Red,” M’gann said reassuringly. “We’re going to get all the subliminal programming out of your head once we’re off this island.”

“So it’s true… I am the mole…” Now he really felt like he was going to throw up.

“I’m sorry,” M’gann said as she nodded sadly.

Roy brought his hands up to his head and carded his fingers through his hair in a self-soothing gesture as he tried to process what he knew had to be true. He wanted to deny it but the evidence was all there. Someone… or several someones did something to his mind and he would have eventually betrayed everyone.

“Shit…” he whispered as he squeezed his eyes shut and focused all his energy on just trying to stay standing. The last thing he needed right now was to break down in front of everyone.

All of a sudden he felt thin but strong arms wrap around his torso. He looked down to see the top of a blond head of hair that was tied back in a long ponytail. Artemis was hugging him, even after everything he had done. After he had attacked her.

“It’s alright, Roy. You weren’t in control. When we get away from the army of angry death-ninjas Miss M will fix your brain and everything will be fine. You’re going to get through this.”

And Artemis knew his name now. When the hell did that happen? He gently put his hands on her shoulders and carefully pushed her to arms-length. “Thanks, but it’s probably better not to be near me or let me have a weapon right now.” He tried to hand her his bow and quiver.

Artemis shook her head and waved his gesture off. “Keep them. I’d rather have everyone on deck to fend off the ninja hoard than have to deal with protecting you because you don’t trust yourself.”

“And from what I could tell from a cursory scan of your mind, you were never programed to outright murder any of us except in the event that one of us found out about you and killing was the only way to keep your cover. There’s really no way to do that anymore since everyone knows so I think we’re safe,” M’gann added with an encouraging smile.

Roy’s face fell into an even more horrified expression and he started to shake slightly. “I was going to kill Artemis, wasn’t I?” He said it like a statement, not a question. He knew the answer already.

Artemis put her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. “But you didn’t. I know it wasn’t really you that tried to… and my sister was watching my back apparently so no harm done. Now stop feeling sorry for yourself and help us defend this bunker.” She gave him a playful shove and walked away, hoping that Roy would be able to pull himself together enough to be useful during the inevitable fight that was coming.

“How’s the roof entrance?” Artemis asked Conner.

He grimaced and shook his head. His infrared vision was allowing him to keep track of the action on the roof but he didn’t like what he was seeing. “They’re up there. Maybe fifteen right now, gathered around the hole I made. They’re using some sort of sign language to talk to each other. I haven’t heard a peep out of anyone but I think they’re figuring out the best way to get inside. A coordinated attack simultaneously from above and through the front entrance might be enough to overwhelm us, even with me, M’gann, Kaldur, and Kid Flash using all of our powers.”

“They may not even need to attack,” Kaldur added. “They are at a tactical advantage right now. We have control of their security hub but they most likely have other means of communications that do not rely on the technology in this building. They could coordinate an attack but it is more likely that they will wait. There is no need for a fight when they can keep us here with no food or water to sustain us. We will eventually be too weak to defend ourselves. The League of Shadows can do whatever they like at that point. I suggest we form an exit strategy now while we are strong enough to implement it.”

“Kaldur’s right,” M’gann agreed from near the front door. “We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Superboy, how many assassins do you think are out there right now?”

Conner used his infrared vision and scanned the area. It didn’t look good. “Rough guess… maybe a few hundred?”

Wally looked around the bunker at their group. M’gann, Roy, Artemis, Conner, Kaldur, and himself; six people against a few hundred highly trained assassins. Even with their powers he didn’t like those odds.

M’gann didn’t like those odds either. She needed to coordinate with Robin and was tired of waiting for him to get back to her. Damian had re-established his connection to the mind link and though there was still some very troubling emotions coming from everyone in Robin’s group, it seemed like things were finally stable over there so she tried contacting Robin once more.

Robin! I know you’ve got things going on with your group but we need you right now.

M’gann! Dick thought, responding to her immediately. How is it going on your end? I’m sorry I ignored you before. We had a crisis over here.

Well we have a crisis over here too! M’gann thought, hoping she didn’t sound too petulant.

There’s too many of them! Kid Flash broke into the conversation, trying to let Robin know the situation their group faced. We’re not going to be able to get out of here.

Red Arrow finally ‘woke up’ but it’s like a war zone out here, M’gann thought as she considered just how many assassins were surrounding them. She had just learned about the Alamo in school and did not want this to be the Team’s last stand. We couldn’t get everyone out before there were too many assassins amassed at the bunker. We managed to fight our way inside but it’s like the zombie apocalypse out there right now. I’ve never seen so many people dead set on killing us!

Would you be able to fly everyone out? Dick asked

They have arrows. I don’t think I can maneuver around flying projectiles while holding five people and they could easily follow us to the beach. If they find out where the ship is going to reappear when Zatanna reverses her spell we’re going to be in trouble.

M’gann knew that getting everyone out had to be her first priority but she wasn’t sure what she would be able to do short of something drastic. An idea came to her. It was a bad idea. If she were still on Mars this idea would either get her thrown in prison or hunted down by an angry mob (after they recovered). But she wasn’t on Mars right now.

I may have a plan, she thought to everyone in the mind-link. It’s very illegal on Mars and I shouldn’t even know how to do it but I figured it out a while ago and I wouldn’t even have suggested it if we weren’t in such mortal danger right now.

M’gann, Robin tried to keep her from nervously rambling. Just tell us what the plan is.

It’s not going to be pleasant for anyone but if it works it will give us a couple minutes to make it out, she thought, unsure if she was trying to convince Robin or herself that this was a good idea.

If it will be better than dying, I’m all for it, Wally thought, hoping to reassure her.

“M’gann,” Kaldur said gravely, commanding all the attention in the room with that single word. “We all value your judgement. If you think this plan will work to get us all out unharmed, I support it.”

“Me too,” Conner said with an encouraging nod.

“We all do,” Artemis agreed. “Tell him your idea.”

M’gann smiled, thankful that her teammates would put so much trust in her. She nodded with determination and explained. It’s basically a memory bomb… She went into a long explanation detailing exactly what the attack would entail. She needed to make sure everyone was completely informed about what would happen if they decided to do this. This type of attack was immoral and not something to be taken lightly. It was traumatic not only for the person reliving the memory but for everyone getting hit with the amplified emotions as well.

She wished she had a memory bad enough to affect the assassins. It wasn’t fair asking someone to relive the worst memory of their life but she knew she hadn’t lived through anything horrible enough to take down professional killers. Aside from dealing with some prejudice and discrimination for being a white Martian among the green Martian majority on Mars, M’gann had lived a fairly sheltered life. She had (thankfully) never had to deal with something so traumatic that it would be able to incapacitate an island full of murderers.

I have a memory, Robin said.

Absolutely not! I know exactly what you are thinking and I will not allow you to relive that! Damian’s voice came through the mind link with a determination she had never heard from him before. Damian’s commands usually sounded like he was speaking down to someone. What she had just heard was something more akin to a protective concern.

What other choice do we have? Robin argued.

Me, Damian thought determinedly. Miss Martian, pull my memory now!

Wait! Jon thought loudly. What about baby-you? Will the memory bomb hurt him? And Cass!

M’gann thought about it. She didn’t think that the baby would be affected too badly. Babies were resilient. Cassandra on the other hand… she didn’t know how the little girl would respond. I don’t think it should harm him. He won’t be able to understand what he’s seeing or feeling and babies can bounce back from a lot. We’ll just have to hope Cassandra is strong enough to handle it since I can’t be there to add her to the mind link right now.

Besides, we don’t really have a choice, Damian thought. Now, do it!

M’gann didn’t need to be told again. She was already burrowing into the inner reaches of Damian’s psyche. She found what she was looking for almost immediately. It was buried deep but she accessed it, knowing as soon as she did that this particular memory was going to be devastating. She extended her telepathic reach to every human mind on the island, just enough to transmit the images and emotions and blasted the memory to everyone in range. The only thing to do after that was watch and wait for the fallout.

As the memory began to play it seemed as if every human on the island was thrown into a sudden paralysis. All the senses of every man, woman, and child were overtaken by the images, sounds, and feelings of the events leading to Damian’s death. M’gann knew that watching it was a gross invasion of Damian’s privacy, even with his permission. This was a memory he should never have had to think about again in such detail.

Most humans didn’t have perfect recall because their brains evolved with a mental defense mechanism to keep them sane in the wake of horrible events. Memories faded with time. That didn’t mean the they weren’t still there in a person’s mind, buried deep. She had just accessed something that was never supposed to have seen the light of day again in its true form.

She felt sick just watching it. She wasn’t connected to Damian’s emotions as the flashback played out but it didn’t mean watching what happened to him didn’t affect her. How could it not affect anyone? The kid was ten years old, betrayed by one of the two people he should have been able to rely on unconditionally, and murdered. It was hard to watch but she had to let the entire experience play through to the end.

As the memory finished, everyone in the bunker just looked at each other, too stunned to move. Artemis let out a shuddering breath trying to keep from bursting into tears. Wally looked at her, for once not able to say a thing. He took her hand and gave it a little reassuring squeeze. She looked into his eyes and tried to smile but just couldn’t. Even though she wasn’t hit with the emotions of the memory she still just saw a little kid get murdered.

Roy was hit especially hard by the images he had just seen. He, out of everyone on the Team except for maybe Dick, had spent the most time with Damian since he arrived. He liked the kid. He reminded Roy a lot of himself and it hurt like hell to see him go through that. M’gann had said it would be like watching a movie but this wasn’t a movie. Roy knew that this actually happened and the kid didn’t deserve that. He couldn’t help but feel for Damian.

Kaldur was just barely able to disassociate himself from the emotions he felt as he watched the memory play out. Although what he had seen was horrific, he couldn’t allow it to affect him right now. He had seen death before. The oceans were a dangerous place and he was trained as a warrior in Atlantis. Damian’s death was traumatizing but he knew they had no time to dwell on it. M’gann had said they would only have minutes to escape.

“We should move,” he said.

His words seemed to shake everyone out of their shock.

“Right,” M’gann agreed. “The Shadows will probably be able to get over the emotional shock pretty quick. We need to use the time to get back to the beach.”

“Alright,” Conner nodded, thankful to be able to focus on something other than the images he had just watched. It felt too much like when he was being fed information and training scenarios while imprisoned in his cloning pod at Cadmus. The whole experience made him feel like he was trapped there again, unable to move, forced to live out simulation after simulation, being force-fed information on what the world was like and the best strategies to take down Superman.

He realized that M’gann’s memory bomb wasn’t the same thing. This was watching a kid die… but it felt so similar to what he had ‘grown up’ with. The only reason he wasn’t in a complete rage right now was the knowledge that it was M’gann and not a g-gnome invading his head. He had told her he trusted her and this was probably the only thing that they could do to get everyone out safely. Still, it didn’t feel right. He jumped down to the bunker’s lower level. “Let’s get out of here… get Damian out of here and go home.”

“I’m with Superboy,” Kid Flash agreed.

“Me too,” Roy and Artemis said at almost the same time.

M’gann nodded and made her way over to the front door. She unlocked it and put her hand on the release lever. “Everyone follow me out. When we’re in the open I’ll fly us straight to the beach and meet up with the other group.”

“Speaking of which,” Kaldur said, his face gaining a look of deep concern as a thought came to him. “Why have we not heard from Robin’s group since the memory bomb?”

M’gann’s eyes widened as she realized that she wasn’t in contact with anyone from the other team at the moment. They weren’t even connected to the mind-link anymore. That could only mean a couple of things, none of them particularly good.

Wally picked up on their concern quickly. “I’ll run ahead and back up Rob and his group. You get everyone else to the beach.”

“It might be more than you can handle,” Conner said. “I’ll go with you.”

“Alright,” Kid Flash nodded gratefully. “Aqualad, back-up Miss M and the Arrows. Make sure they get to the beach alright.”

“Of course,” Kaldur nodded.

“What if you two run into trouble?” Artemis asked.

“We’ll call if we need help. It’ll be fine. They’re probably just unconscious,” Wally tried to joke but his attempt at humor did little to lighten the tense situation.

“Alright,” M’gann said as she let out a nervous breath. “Head to the cliffs and stay safe out there. Keep us informed of what’s going on and if you need anything call for backup, you hear me?”

“You know I will,” Wally said seriously and put his goggles on, switching the filter to nightvision.

M’gann opened the door and Wally sped through as fast as his powers allowed him. He was going so fast that the world was in slow motion to him. It surprised him to see that the assassins that had been surrounding them were now all now completely out of it. He didn’t have to worry about his friends. The memory bomb did its job. He looked back to see Conner following at an impressive pace behind him. Wally slowed down slightly to allow the two of them to travel together more easily.

As the boys vanished into the night, M’gann left the bunker and saw the fallout of what her memory bomb had done to the assassins surrounding them. There was still a sea of people but most of them had been overwhelmed by the emotions of fear and despair. People were sitting in the grass, holding their head in their hands, shaking or rocking back and forth. Some had passed out completely. Even fewer were just wandering among the bodies in a daze, trying to process what they had just experienced. No one was paying attention to the fact that a group of teenage heroes had just walked out of the security hub and took to the sky.

It only slightly strained M’gann’s telekinesis to carry three people including herself through the air. As they flew they all saw pockets of isolated groups on the ground. Everyone was acting similarly. People were either completely dazed or had passed out. M’gann had seen Earth movies where young women fainted after an emotional shock but she didn’t think it was a real thing. She’d always just assumed it was something used in cinema for dramatic effect. Apparently she was wrong. It was a real human response to shock.

Suddenly, without warning, M’gann felt like her head was about to split open as she felt panic and fear from Jon crash into her as their mind-link suddenly snapped back into place. She almost dropped her passengers (which wouldn’t have been pleasant for anyone as they were hovering several dozen meters above the ground).

Jon!? Are you okay? She tried to contact him telepathically but all she was getting was an empathic response. Jon was in pain but that was all she could sense.

“What is that?” asked Artemis, looking in the distance… toward the cliffs. What looked like a large red swirling ball of energy was floating in the sky.

M’gann’s heart rate sped up and her stomach did a mid-air somersault as she watched the storm of energy slowly expand. Something was seriously wrong. They were going to need every single person on the team to deal with this.

Zatanna… M’gann reached out through the mind link.

Hey there. Glad you called, Zatanna thought caustically. Thought you’d forgotten about me. I will concede the beach has been pretty entertaining so far. The ninjas Robin was so worried about have been pretty steadily attacking my position.

Why didn’t you say anything?! M’gann asked in a panic. Are you okay?

Duh. Magic remember? I’ve been making my own throne of unconscious ninja bodies while you were all dealing with your own parts of the plan. And by the way, that memory bomb sucked! ‘Watching a movie’ my butt! You could have warned us it was going to be like watching the ending of ‘Titanic.’ And is anyone else noticing the giant ball of swirly red energy in the sky?

Can you make it over to the cliffs? M’gann asked, emotionally exhausted by Zatanna’s chiding.

Sure. No problem. This about that thing in the sky?

Yeah. I think that ‘thing in the sky’ is Jon. She immediately changed course and headed for the cliffs. Whatever was happening, it was going to take the entire team to help. She only hoped they weren’t already too late.

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
3:30 am (Moments after the memory bomb)
Infinity Island Lazarus Pit

Jon had never seen anything so horrible as Damian’s memory of his death (and he had watched shaky camera phone footage of his dad’s fight with Doomsday on YouTube). He had just watched his best friend be impaled and die in first person point of view. Damian’s own mother did nothing to save him. Hell, she had created his murderer. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He wanted to hurt Talia al Ghul. He wanted to take Damian away from here so she could never hurt him again. He just couldn’t shake that experience. It was like simultaneously living it and watching it like a cutscene in a video game. He knew he hadn’t experienced what Damian was feeling, but what about his own emotions? He had experienced his best friend’s death. That had actually happened! Damian always played it off as no big deal but anyone could see the fear and the pain that it caused him in the moment. Jon looked over to Damian to see if he was alright. What he saw broke his heart.

Cassandra was there next to him. She let out a choked sob as the images and emotions finally released their grip on her. All she could manage to do was replay the scene over and over in her head; the fear and anger and sadness. The belief that he would be saved and then dying in such a horrible way made her want to break down right there and scream until she had nothing left in her. Tears rolled silently down her face as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and the small baby she still held in her arms.

“It’s alright, Cass,” Damian choked out. “I’m okay.”

He was shaken. That memory was so much worse than he had remembered it before. He was unprepared for the pain that living through that again had caused. There was so much he would have done differently now with three more years of experience. If he knew then what he knew now, he had no doubt that he would have been able to beat the Heretic. Why did that memory still hurt so much? He had to believe it didn’t matter now. The Heretic was dead. He was alive. Ultimately, he had won. He had to keep telling himself that because if he didn’t he might shatter right there. With Cassandra, Richard, Jon, and his mother there he couldn’t afford to do that. He couldn’t show weakness no matter how powerless he felt. The betrayal, though… that memory had been even worse than the sword through his chest.

Cassandra knew he wanted her to believe he was alright. She didn’t believe him. She could tell he wasn’t anywhere near alright. If he was really okay he wouldn’t be telling her that while shaking. He was holding onto her like she was the only thing that was keeping him from blowing away in a storm. Damian wasn’t comforting her, he was trying to keep himself from completely falling apart. And that was okay. She had seen and felt what he felt in those moments leading to his death. She didn’t understand how he could be alive right now with a memory like that but she didn’t particularly care either. The important thing was that he was alive now. He was her family and she would protect him. She would make sure no one ever hurt him like that again.

Dick heard Damian speak to his little big sister. When he reassured her he was okay, it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself rather than comfort her. Dick had just seen his future… Damian’s past. For all the strength and skill his older counterpart seemed to possess, he was still laid out by that clone so easily. He let his little brother go into combat and it had gotten him killed. What was Nightwing thinking? Dick had been Damian’s Batman. A great Batman he turned out to be… They had lost. He had gotten knocked out and left a ten year old to fend off an army by himself. It didn’t matter that he was wearing the Nightwing uniform. He was Damian’s Batman and he had failed him. Dick felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to cry or beat his fists against the wall and scream in grief and frustration but he couldn’t do that right now. He knew he had to keep it together. His little brother was still here. That horrific memory had happened a long time ago for Damian. Dick promised himself he would never let it happen to the little child Cassandra still clung to. Not in the future. Not while he could do something about it. Never again.

“Well, that was certainly interesting,” Ra’s said to his daughter who was still held against him with a sword to her throat. He didn’t seem phased by the memory bomb at all. The words managed to break Dick out of his thoughts and his head snapped toward the pair. “I honestly didn’t think you had it in you to be so… callous.”

Talia looked like her world had just shattered around her, leaving her bleeding all over from a thousand tiny cuts. She no longer seemed to care that her father was holding a sword to her throat. After witnessing what she had done… no she couldn’t think like that. It was an entirely different person that had betrayed Damian so completely. That was not her! It was an alternate reality’s psychotic, twisted parody. Still, it disgusted Talia to know that there was a version of her out there in the multiverse capable of such an act of cruelty toward her own child. All she could manage to do in that moment was look to her son and think of just how badly her counterpart had failed him. She could no longer deny his claims of her killing him. She had not thought that any version of herself could ever leave her child to die… to even orchestrate the means of his death. And yet here she was being held by her own father with a sword to her throat. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, apparently. She didn’t need Damian’s feelings of betrayal. She had her own right now.

When her father said those words, impressed yet taunting, something shifted and cracked inside her. She no longer cared if attempting to escape from him would likely get her killed. She didn’t think about consequences. She needed to tell her son that she was sorry for what he had been through. She had to make him understand that she would never allow herself to become that person who had hurt him so much. It was a promise she would make to both her children and especially to herself.

Her hand came up and grabbed the blade of Ra's' sword, prying it away from her neck. She flinched as it cut deeply into her palm. At the same time she smashed her head back into her father’s face. It was enough to distract him momentarily and keep him from pulling the blade and slicing through any part of her body. The combination of the shock of her actions and the physical pain managed to throw Ra’s off balance. With a shout of rage Talia broke free from his hold. Despite bleeding from her hand and neck, she managed to kick him hard in the chest. The blow managed to push him a fair distance away from her, back toward the cave’s entrance where Ubu was sitting. The large assassin was still overwhelmed by the memory bomb’s effects and did nothing to help his master.

“How can you not be affected by that?!” Talia screamed. “He’s your grandchild! Your blood!”

Ra’s raised his bloody sword toward her. “You forget how long I’ve lived, daughter. I’ve died countless times and seen countless family killed. You think I haven’t felt what that boy did a hundred times before?! The emotions we all experienced only show me how weak the child actually is.”

Talia shook her head, standing her ground despite having no weapon to defend herself from her father should he decide to attack. “You’re a monster.”

“This surprises you?” Ra’s asked, knowing his daughter couldn’t possibly be that naive. Sometimes monsters were necessary to accomplish the most important machinations.

Of course it didn’t surprise her, but she didn’t think her father was so far gone. She had thought she, at least, was the one person he would never betray. He had always cared about his daughter… at least she thought he did. Her father was one of only two men she had ever loved in her life but she would not allow him to be near her children if his intentions were so horrifically selfish. “Then I’m sorry father but I can’t allow you to be near my son.”

Ra’s smirked. “Is that a challenge, daughter?” He raised his sword into an obvious attack position and stepped toward her. Talia tensed and took a defensive stance in response. She knew it wasn’t impossible to defend herself against her father’s sword as long as she was quick enough. She just didn’t want to find out the hard way that she wasn’t.

Cassandra could see that Ra’s was still only trying to scare Talia. He didn’t want to kill her, just trick her into submitting to him. He wanted her back on his side. Cassandra knew Ra’s was bad and she could read that everyone in the cave was afraid of him in one way or another. Maybe it was because Ra’s wanted Talia to hurt people too. Just like Cassandra’s own father wanted her to kill. If Ra’s wanted Talia to do bad things and make people sad she had to help Talia get away from him. She was about to hand Little Damian over to the other Damian so she could help when a wind blasted through the cave. Jon cried out as the force of it almost knocked everyone off their feet.

“No more!” the Kryptonian boy screamed at Ra’s. He couldn’t take this again. Even though he was not in any way ready to forgive Talia for what she had done to Damian, he would not allow her to be killed by her own father. Everyone had witnessed too much death tonight already. Damian was feeling hurt and angry because of the memory bomb. He didn’t need to be reminded of his own murder yet again by watching his grandfather kill his unarmed mother. Jon couldn’t let Damian be forced to watch Talia be killed in cold blood too. His heart was racing. He felt the same way he did that day the hawk tried to take Goldie. Uncontrollable anger and panic welled up in him but instead of an eye-blast like last time, Jon felt like every cell in his body was on fire and ready to explode. Everything he was feeling began to manifest as an angry red aura swirling violently around him.

Suddenly Jon realized the power he felt running through him was too much. Somehow he knew that if he let it out it would destroy everything around him. He tried to calm down but the energy continued to swirl and his every breath only made the storm increase in strength. His eyes widened in panic as he tried to understand what was going on. He realized this was different than every other time his powers had acted up. Even the incident in Hamilton with Manchester Black wasn’t like this. This had never happened before and trying to keep it all in really hurt.

“This can’t be happening. I’m supposed to have control now. My powers shouldn’t to do this… What’s going on?” he whispered to himself, beginning to feel very afraid of the possibilities.

Damian watched as Jon looked at him with clear alarm in his eyes. The red energy swirled around him with increasing force every second and he didn’t know how to turn it off. Whatever Damian had been feeling before was superseded by the new panic that crashed over him as he realized what was happening.

“Jon!” Damian yelled as he rushed to his feet, all other thoughts immediately pushed to the back of his mind. “Get out of the cave! Now!”

His tone only served to scare Jon more. The ten-year-old wanted to get out like Damian said, he really did, but his mind was starting to get foggy. He couldn’t remember where the exit was. Everything he tried to think and concentrate on just circled back to all the pain he was in trying to keep from letting the power loose. There was only one thing he could think of to do through the haze. He shouted, “Get down!” and shot into the air.

Dick didn’t need to be told twice. He grabbed Damian and Cassandra by their belts and pulled them behind the Lazarus Pit. Talia threw herself behind a pillar while Ra’s launched himself backward into the chamber’s entrance. He landed just beyond where Ubu was still sitting. The large man was only now beginning to come out of his shocked immobility.

Jon screamed in pain as he tried to hold the energy back. It was too much! He flew with all his strength, crashing through the ceiling of the chamber. He needed to get outside. Not getting outside would be really, really bad. With the speed he was moving at and the red hot swirling vortex of power encircling him Jon was able to smash a pathway from the chamber straight through the mountain and out into the night air. He flew as high as he could, the power growing in size and strength, turning into a vortex that was likely to destroy the whole island if he couldn’t hold it back.

He was so scared. He had no idea what to do. All he knew was that something terrible was about to happen. Jon’s mind couldn’t focus on anything except trying to keep the power from escaping. Once he was out in the open air he couldn’t even manage to fly any higher. All his strength of will and concentration went into holding the explosion back, yet the vortex still grew ever larger. Jon screamed in pain, clutching his head with tears in his eyes. “Dad! I don’t know what to do. It hurts so much! HELP ME!”

3:35 am
The Fortress of Solitude

Lois could have spent days in this place and never grown tired. Clark had suggested she head to bed several times in the last few hours. They could always explore more tomorrow. But who had time for tomorrow when there were so many interesting things to see today? She had resigned herself to the fact that she was not getting any sleep tonight the moment the giant, crystal, castle-like structure appeared on the Arctic horizon. The sight took her breath away as Clark flew them to his home away from home.

The enormous door embossed with the S-shield was impressive enough but once she was inside the reporter in her took over. She needed to see everything. There were colossal statues of what she would later learn were Clark’s biological parents, Jor-El and Lara. There was the pod he came to earth in, just large enough for one tiny baby to fit comfortably inside. The Crystal Font was both beautiful and practical; an interactive repository of Kryptonian knowledge for Clark to learn about his heritage. Robot sentinels floated around, protecting the Fortress and doing whatever Clark asked of them. There were so many labs and random rooms for experimenting, training, and testing his abilities safely that the Fortress could have housed a small community comfortably. He even had a gigantic trophy room filled to the brim with relics from his past adventures. Even with all of that, the most exciting place in the fortress had to be the zoo. Clark had saved endangered species from all over the galaxy that for one reason or another were no longer safe on their own planet. He kept them here with him. She had to smile at the fact that the big lug found some kindred spirits to take care of.

Clark had changed into his Superman uniform and was enjoying watching Lois play with the less-dangerous animals in the zoo. She never liked anyone to know but she could be just a big kid at heart. He could have spent the whole night just watching her explore the fortress, enjoying the sense of wonder that seemed to radiate off of her, but his perfect night was shattered when he heard Jon’s cry for help.

Lois noticed Clark’s demeanor change almost immediately. She stopped petting a small, tiger-like creature and stood up. “What’s wrong?”

“Jon’s screaming,” he said as he tried to focus in on the sound, obviously still listening and worrying. “He’s in pain… I’m sorry, Lois. I have to go. Something’s very wrong.”

They still hadn’t talked about Jon and Conner. She had gotten distracted by all the amazing things in the Fortress. If the kids were in trouble she obviously wasn’t going to keep him there though. Lois nodded. “Well… what are you waiting for? Go save the day.”

He nodded gratefully back to her and flew out of the fortress without another word. It wasn’t difficult to track Jon down. He followed the screaming. It seemed to be coming from somewhere in the Caribbean. Clark could only wonder why Jon was in the Caribbean right now when he and Lois had left him in Kansas just a few hours ago. He kept listening to the screaming and flew faster.

3:37 am
Infinity Island Lazarus Pit

Damian woke up to the high pitched wailing only infants were capable of producing. It was the kind of cry that cut through a person’s brain like a rusty serrated knife and forced them to pay attention whether they wanted to or not. It was completely dark in the chamber. All the torches and strategically placed electrical lighting had gone out, leaving him blind to what was around him. But not deaf. Baby-Damian had a set of lungs that could wake the dead. Damian gasped, remembering the reason he was there in the first place. How long had he been unconscious? Had Ravi revived? And Jon… Jon had crashed through the ceiling of the chamber in an attempt to get out. It caused the stone to crumble around them. The support beams gave out and fell, bringing rock and debris with them.

Damian tried to stand but the moment he moved, a searing pain shot up his leg. He wanted to scream but his training (both from his father and the League of Assassins) kicked in. It kept him from expressing the agony he was experiencing but did nothing to dull the feeling. He grimaced but did not cry out. When the shock passed enough that he was certain he could speak without showing any outward sign of discomfort, he called out to see if anyone else was conscious.

“Grayson? Cassandra?” he called into the darkness. When he got no answer he tried again in a much smaller voice “…Mother?”

“Lord Damian?” came a gasping reply. That wasn’t Talia.

“Ravi!” Damian all but shouted, the surprise and relief clearly evident in his voice. Ravi was alive. Damian had brought him back and the knowledge that this one thing had finally gone right pushed him past what his emotional wall could handle. He took a deep shuddering breath and draped his arm over his eyes as tears began to fall freely. He was glad the darkness was their to shield him from anyone seeing him like that.

“Lord Damian, what is going on?” Ravi’s voice echoed through the darkness. “I woke up to the baby screaming. I can’t get to him, I’m soaked from head to foot, I can’t see anything…”

From what Damian could tell, he was approximately ten feet away from the frightened man. “It’s okay Ravi. There’s been a cave-in. We’re in the chamber housing the Lazarus Pit. What is the last thing you remember before waking up? How do you feel?”

There was no response. The only sound in the cave was the wailing of the baby. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Ravi spoke. “So my dying wasn’t just a horrible dream. That really did happen. Lord Damian… you brought me back with the Lazarus Pit?”

Damian had to take a second to compose himself and ensure his next words came out evenly. “Of course I did.”

“Lord Damian… you know you shouldn’t have done that” Ravi said, sounding resigned. “The Demon’s Head knows all. It is a blasphemy for anyone other than an al Ghul to use the Lazarus Pit. Your grandfather will have me killed for defiling the—”

“Stop right there!” Damian said more angrilly than he meant to. “My grandfather is not some all-knowing god-like figure. You did not ‘defile’ anything and I’m going to make sure he and his people can never get to you. Now tell me, how long have you been awake and how do you feel?” Damian hoped the answer would give him an idea of how long he had been unconscious.

“Only a minute or so. When I woke up I was so angry I wanted to lash out at anything I could but there was nothing I could hurt. I couldn’t see. When I realized the baby was crying and needed someone, I managed to calm down a bit. After that I felt more or less alright again. I’m trying to get to him but my way is blocked. There is too much debris.”

“That anger was probably Pit Rage. You’re lucky it passed so quickly. Are you sure you can’t find a way over here, Ravi? I can’t move. My leg is stuck under something. Can you feel around for…” Damian trailed off as he heard a familiar voice abruptly intrude into his mind as clear as an open electronic communications device in his ear.

Damian!

Martian.

Miss Martian, she corrected without missing a beat. We have a problem. Where are you?

Trapped in the cliffs. There’s a hidden chamber that houses the Lazarus Pit but Jon flew through the ceiling and I believe my grandfather may have locked us in here. There’s no light. I can’t see a thing and I’m stuck under some rubble.

Just outside the cliffs Miss Martian breathed a sigh of relief. She had gotten through to someone in Robin’s group. Damian knew Jon the best. He could probably help with the situation in the air. I’m going to direct Superboy and the others to the chamber. Can you show me where the entrance is. Just picture it and we’ll see it.

Damian did what she asked and almost immediately he heard crashing sounds from where he suspected the entrance to the chamber was. The baby began screaming louder.

“It’s alright, little-me. You won’t be stuck here much longer,” Damian shouted to the baby, trying to get it to calm down. The crying was giving him a massive headache.

“Lord Damian, what is happening?” Ravi asked, sounding even more frightened than he had before.

“My teammates have come to rescue us,” Damian explained. His heart beginning to race. The sooner he could get out of this cavern and make sure everyone was alright the better he would feel.

How is Jon? Damian asked M’gann. He was probably drained after what happened to him.

Floating in the air inside what looks like an angry red stormcloud of energy.

Damian’s heart skipped a beat. That wasn’t good. He hasn’t detonated yet?

What do you mean detonated? M’gann asked in a suspiciously high voice for a telepathic projection of her thoughts.

When Jon flew out of the cliff it looked like he was about to set off a Solar Flare. Your Superman has never done that before?

I don’t know… I don’t think so, M’gann thought.

This is the first I’m hearing of it, Kid Flash added.

As am I, Aqualad agreed.

When the Superman of my Earth did it for the first time, he blew a crater in the forest a quarter mile wide. That was without letting any power build up. Jon’s been holding back for several minutes. The power has been building around him for all that time. The explosion is going to be massive when he finally let’s it go. You need to get everyone off the island, as far away as you can!

We’re not leaving any of you behind!

Damian couldn’t help smiling as the voices of everyone on the team outside the cave bombarded his mind. He couldn’t be mad at them for being selfless. He would have done the same if their positions were reversed. That didn’t change the fact that the decision to stay was probably going to get everyone killed.

Just hang in there Damian, M’gann told him. They’re almost through.

“M’gann?”

The groggy sound of Grayson’s voice had never made Damian feel as relieved as it did in that moment.

Robin! M’gann thought. The tension that had been in her tone as she communicated with Damian suddenly vanished. There was a short silence before she contacted them again. At the same time Damian heard the unmistakable sounds of human voices as the rocks blocking the entrance to the chamber were cleared away. Um… guys… I’m going to have to get back to you…

3:39 am
Infinity Island

Superman had been flying for several agonizing minutes when he saw Jon inside the massive storm of red energy above a small island filled with what appeared to be ninjas. The entire Team was there too, including Red Arrow. They were digging a group of people out of a cave-in down below. M’gann was flying level with Jon just outside the maelstrom, looking relieved and concerned all at the same time.

“Miss Martian! What is going on?” Superman shouted above the winds.

Even though M’gann was flying, she seemed to jump at the sound of that familiar voice and turned to see Earth’s mightiest hero floating before her. She was too surprised to even attempt to hide the guilt and shock in her eyes. “Superman!”

“M’gann, what is happening to Jon?” His concern for the boy was evident. He may have been furious at their entire group for sneaking out in the middle of the night for an unsanctioned mission but that was pushed to the back of his mind as he saw how much danger Jon was in.

“I don’t know. Damian says he’s about to release a massive explosion. He’s afraid it’s capable of taking out the entire island. Jon’s been trying to stop it but the energy around him just keeps building. I think the storm is connected to his emotions. I’m trying to calm him down but nothing I do is helping. All his concentration is going into keeping the power from destroying the island but keeping it all in is hurting him and it’s become a massive feedback loop. He’s in so much pain. He needs to let it go but he’s terrified! All he can think about is killing his cat with his heat vision.”

“And do you think if he lets that energy go will it destroy the island?” Superman asked, hoping M’gann had an opinion on the situation.

“Maybe not if he had just detonated when it started but the more he’s holding it back, the more it hurts him and that pain is just making it stronger.”

“I need to get him further away from the island. I’m going in. If Jon can’t control the explosion I’m going to need you to try to deflect as much of the blast away from the cliffs as you can. You can’t let the people trapped in there be buried by any rocks loosened in the shockwave.”

M’gann gasped. “I’ve never tried to use my powers like that! I don’t know if I can.”

“You have to at least try. I don’t know if Jon can hold on for much longer. I’m going to fly him up higher. Hopefully it will be enough that the explosion won’t hit the island.”

M’gann blushed and mentally prepared herself. She knew she had to do this. Even though she didn’t feel confident at all, she squared her shoulders, looked Superman right in the eyes and nodded. “Yes sir. I’ll do everything I can.”

She floated down to the rocks and settled herself on the solid ground. As if on cue, Zatanna appeared out of thin air in front of her. The magician stumbled as if she were drunk and fell into M’gann’s arms.

“Zatanna! Are you alright?” M’gann gasped.

Zatanna righted herself and stepped away, seeming slightly embarrassed as she adjusted her hat and vest. “Sorry about that. I’ve been using a lot of magic tonight. Teleportation spells are especially draining.”

“I hate to ask, but do you think you’d be able to pull off one more trick?”

Zatanna looked unsure of herself, but nodded. “What do you need me to do?”

“Put up a magical barrier to protect the cavern if Jon detonates too close to the island.”

Zatanna looked horrified. “Jon’s going to explode?!”

“No!” M’gann said quickly, then thought for a moment, “Well, kinda… probably… yeah. I’ll explain later, just get ready. Superman’s taking him up now.”

Everyone on the ground watched as Superman flew into the swirling red energy surrounding his son, straight to the center where Jon floated in a fetal position. His eyes were squeezed shut and he held his head in his hands as if it were the only thing keeping him from falling apart.

“Jon!” He shouted and took the little boy in his arms.

The familiar gesture comforted Jon enough that he was able to look up at his father. “Dad?”

“I’m here Jon.”

Those few words were enough to make Jon think that everything might actually turn out okay. “Dad… I can’t stop it. It hurts too much…”

“It’s okay.” He began flying higher into the air at a speed that could rival a spacecraft. “I won’t let you hurt anyone.”

The two continued to ascend faster and faster into the atmosphere. They both could feel the air around them become thinner and yet heavier with the force of Jon’s building power. Jon managed to hold on until they hit the stratosphere. The moment he blacked out, the power that had been building up around him let loose in every direction with the strength of an an atom bomb.

Superman was hit point blank with a devastating blast of energy even he was not prepared for. The explosion sounded like a thunderstorm and the hit from the energy knocked him away with a disorienting blow. He tumbled through the air, unable to think. He felt that he must have blacked out for a moment because the next thing he knew he was falling back toward the Earth. Jon was nowhere in sight. He forced his body to begin flying and scanned the area for the child.

He managed to find him almost immediately, falling headfirst toward the ground at terminal velocity, still unconscious. Putting on a burst of speed, Superman raced toward Jon and caught him in midair. The two spun uncontrollably for a moment before Superman managed to stabilize their fall.

“It’s okay, Jon. I have you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” Superman whispered as he held the unconscious boy protectively in his arms.

As he slowed their descent back to the ground Superman realized that Jon didn’t seem to be hurt, but he was. Clark knew the energy building around Jon was going to have an impact but the reality of that blast was so much more than he was expecting. He could only ever remember a handful of times when he had actually felt injured. What he was currently feeling, now that his adrenaline was ebbing, was ranking up there with his fights against General Zod. All that from one blast?

Superman was beginning to feel weak but he knew everything would be alright if he could just make it back down to the ground with Jon. He found himself staring through tunnel vision. All his focus was going into keeping himself from blacking out and making sure they landed safely on the ground. Clark looked down where everyone was waiting, looking up at him expectantly. He was almost there when he happened to glance toward the forest.

His heart rate spiked again as he saw a group of those ninjas heading from the woods toward their location. He was almost to the ground, so close, he just had to make sure the evil-looking people didn’t get near his kids. He used his heat vision to fell some large trees so they would fall in their way. There, that would buy them some time. Using his heat vision probably wasn’t the best idea in that moment, though. Why was he feeling so dizzy? The last thing he remembered before passing out was the sound of trees falling in the forest.

3:39 am
Lex Luthor’s private plane heading away from Infinity Island

Lex sat in a seat on his private stealth jet as Mercy flew the two of them back to Metropolis. He had had an interesting night to say the least. Even though the Harper asset had been exposed, Lex had done what he needed to do to Superboy. That was really the only reason he had agreed to come to Ra’s’ little shit show in the first place. He didn’t even need to use the Kryptonite he had brought. Though he could have done without the mental attack from the Martian girl. He hadn’t felt anything like the emotions pushed on him that night since he was a small child under the ‘care’ of his father. He was going to have to make sure the Martian received some very special payback for putting him through that.

He was enjoying having a cyborg bodyguard more and more. While the majority of the island’s inhabitants were paralyzed as the death memory played out, Mercy remained unaffected due to implants in her brain specifically designed to neutralize psychic interference. She had carried him all the way from the interior of the island to their waiting plane. A few minutes later, she had run through the pre-flight inspection and taken off. That was when Lex spotted the ball of energy over the island. It was the Kryptonian half-breed from another reality that Ra’s had told him about. Well, Lex certainly wasn’t going to leave without finding out what was going on with that.

Mercy kept the plane well out of range and Lex activated every recording apparatus on the vehicle to document what was happening for later analysis. With night vision binoculars he could just barely make out the kid through the swirling cloud of energy. Then he saw Superman himself grab the boy and rush him into the air like a rocket. Lex didn’t see what happened after that but he saw the explosion and felt the shockwave jostle the plane.

“Whoa!” he yelled out and grabbed for the backrest of a nearby seat as the jet bucked and almost threw him off his feet. “Mercy! Did you see that?! Did that come from the kid?”

Mercy managed to keep them in the air and, maybe due to intuition or luck, Lex managed to find the two figures falling in the night sky. He contemplated his question as he watched the two of them plummet toward the ground. Superman managed to grab the boy and slowed their descent. Lex watched him use his heat vision, then…

“Now that is a beautiful sight…” he laughed. Superman had passed out!

Lex smiled. That certainly was interesting. He suddenly had a multitude of plans running through his head. “Mercy, get me home. I have preparations to make.”

The cyborg nodded and turned the jet so that they were on a heading for Metropolis. As the plane sped through the dark sky Lex leaned back and poured himself some bourbon. Despite everything going wrong for Ra’s, Luthor had found the evening quite successful for his own goals. And then there was that explosion in the sky… Yes, the night had been quite interesting and Lex was going to make the most out of what he had learned.

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
3:38 am
Infinity Island Lazarus Pit

“M’gann?”

The groggy sound of Grayson’s voice had never made Damian feel as relieved as it did in that moment.

Robin! M’gann thought. The tension that had been in her tone as she communicated with Damian suddenly vanished. There was a short silence before she contacted them again. At the same time Damian heard the unmistakable sounds of human voices as the rocks blocking the entrance to the chamber were cleared away. Um… guys… I’m going to have to get back to you…

That was fine with Damian. “Gra… Robin, are you alright?”

“Damian? Yeah, I’m okay. Are you?”

“I may have been pinned under some rubble.”

“Can you get to the baby?” Ravi asked. He had not been able to find a way through whatever was blocking his path.

Dick grunted in the pitch darkness, feeling every bruise and sore muscle from the night as he pulled himself onto his knees. He removed a small flashlight from his utility belt and shined it around the chamber. As the thin beam moved over various objects in the cave like a lighthouse beacon, Damian could see immediately that Jon’s hasty exit had left the chamber in ruins. The Lazarus Pit had been smashed open, its contents spilled all over the chamber floor. Luckily, Ravi had been unharmed during the destruction. The ceiling of the cavern had a large hole in it and many of the support beams had fallen. Debris littered the area. Damian’s leg was stuck under several large stones that had fallen from the ceiling and he didn’t want to think about what the damage there might be.

Robin made his way toward the screaming baby. “Hey little D. You’re okay. It’s okay.” The sounds of high pitched keening slowly died down to a sad constant whimper the moment he picked up the small little human that was Damian’s counterpart.

“I have him,” Dick said. “Cass is here too. She’s alive but still unconscious.”

“Anyone down there?” They all heard a call from above them. It sounded like Conner.

“Tt, obviously,” Damian snarked.

Kid Flash sped into the chamber, relief clear on his face even through his goggles. “Nice to see you too, Demon.”

“Don’t make me break your nose again, West,” Damian bristled, in no mood for the speedster’s antics. “Did you see my grandfather or his servant Ubu on your way down here?”

“No,” Wally said with surprise. “Were they here?”

“They must have made their way out of the cliff entrance at some point while I was unconscious,” Damian said more to himself than Wally.

Conner came down a moment later and looked around at the damage. “You guys look like you’ve been busy.”

“Enough with the small talk,” Damian ordered. “Someone get Ravi to safety and find out if Talia is still alive.”

“I think I can help with that,” came another familiar voice from behind Conner. Artemis removed an arrow from her quiver and scratched the point of it against the cave wall. It lit up like a firecracker. “Flare arrows. Gotta love ’em.”

She walked around the debris as best she could, lighting the area with several more red-tinted flare arrows. Superboy began clearing the debris off of Damian and Kid Flash began helping Ravi out of the cave.

“Wait!” Ravi said before he would allow himself to be moved. “Young man,” he addressed Robin, not knowing his proper name. “Let me take the young Lord Damian out of here. While I have him you can help Miss Cassandra. Please, make sure she gets out without any more injury.”

Dick wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t want to let little Damian out of his sight now that he was finally safe but he couldn’t take care of the baby and Cass at the same time. The little assassin girl was unconscious, though, and she would need the help more. Damian did seem to trust this Ravi guy but his bat-paranoia had kicked in and it still felt wrong letting the baby go.

“Robin,” Damian said from where he was pinned a few feet away. “Stop being indecisive and hand the me over. You can trust Ravi. Focus on helping Cassandra.”

Dick couldn’t really argue with that. If Damian trusted this Ravi with… basically himself, Dick could too. He passed the whimpering baby over to the older man and almost immediately little Damian settled down completely in the familiar arms.

“Hey guys!” Artemis called from near the back of the cave as Kid Flash led Ravi through the debris to the chamber stairs. “I found Talia. She’s okay. Just knocked out. Should I tie her up or something?”

“Don’t bother,” Damian called back. “She knows how to get out of restraints. Just get her to the surface. I’ll talk to her once she wakes up.”

All of a sudden the cave shook violently and more small pieces of debris and dust fell from the ceiling. Moments later everyone heard the sound of an explosion and Little Damian started screaming again.

“Is everyone okay?” Superboy shouted over the wailing baby that he was almost certain was making his eardrums bleed.

Damian’s breath caught in his throat as he realized what must have just happened. “Jon…” He struggled to remove the last of the debris holding him in place, ignoring the stinging pain that shot up his leg with every movement. He needed to get up to the surface and make sure Jon was okay! “Ahh!” he screamed in frustration and pain when the rocks wouldn’t budge.

“Hold on, Damian,” Conner said and started to once again remove the rubble that was pinning the angry little ninja.

“I need to get to the surface!” Damian said as soon as the last of the rocks had been removed. He tried to get up and walk to the chamber entrance but the moment he put weight on his previously pinned leg he felt a sharp pain shoot through his muscles. That was bad. That was very, very bad. But it wasn’t bad enough to keep him from getting outside to make sure Jon was alright. Damian gritted his teeth and limped over to the stairway.

“Easy there,” Conner said and picked the smaller boy up bridal style. “I’ll get you up to the surface. No point injuring yourself more just to keep your pride intact.”

“I’d rather have my pride,” Damian scowled, unsuccessfully trying to push himself out of Conner’s grip. “I am not some feeble child who needs to be pampered because of a stubbed toe!”

“That’s a crush injury, Damian, not a stubbed toe. I’m carrying you up the stairs whether you like it or not,” Conner argued, then added in a much softer voice, “Besides, I want to make sure he’s okay too.”

Damian huffed in frustration and crossed his arms in front of him with a look that was something like a murderous pout. Still, he didn’t say anything else and Conner took that as implied consent. He whisked Damian up the stairs toward the cave entrance.

Damian just wanted to get out of there and make sure Jon was alright. He could endure the humiliation of being carried like that if it meant he reached his destination faster but every time Conner took a step it seemed to Damian like his leg was going to fall off. He felt pain at even the slightest jostle but he kept his face steady and calm. His stoic performance was enough to convince Conner to let him hobble the rest of the way out once they finally got to the secret cliff entrance. Besides, when he made it through the doorway and finally saw what was happening topside, the pain in his leg became the last thing on his mind.

Jon was there floating back down toward the ground, nestled safely in the arms of Superman himself, but something was off about the scene. M’gann was below them with her arms raised, as if to catch them. From off to his left he saw Zatanna stumble. Aqualad caught her and kept her from completely collapsing. Off in the distance, toward the forest, he thought he saw a fire beginning to spread.

Zatanna raised her arms and said a few words that Damian was too tired to try and decipher at that moment. “Tel snainotpyrK hguorht eht dleihs!”

Damian realized Miss Martian was using her telekinesis to guide Jon and Superman down to the ground. Both of them seemed to be unconscious. To make matters worse, Zatanna had just overtaxed herself using that last spell. She was only able to stand because Kaldur was bearing most of her weight, managing to keep her up with an arm around her waist. And just to make this the most FUBAR mission ever, the majority of the League of Shadows assassins who had recovered from the memory bomb were arriving at the cliffs and beginning to surround them.

They seemed to Damian like hungry jungle beasts ready for dinner. The only thing keeping the assassins from attacking was the magical barrier Zatanna had put up between the them and the the small group. The Shadows that tried to walk through found that it was as solid as a brick wall and wrapped completely around the area, connecting with the cliff. There was no way in or out.

“That is a lot of ninjas…” Kid Flash whispered with wide eyes as he stood beside Ravi next to the secret cliff entrance to the Lazarus Pit. Baby Damian whimpered in Ravi’s arms as if in agreement.

Damian didn’t know how long Zatanna’s magic was going to last. Everyone seemed exhausted. He was in no shape to fight and now he had civilians to protect. He knew his grandfather was somewhere on the island watching and directing his assassins to this spot. Damian knew Ra’s’ tactics. If those assassins ever got through the barrier, they’d capture whoever his grandfather wanted kept alive and kill the rest. If they managed to get through, they would have access to two unconscious Kryptonians. He couldn’t allow that to happen but for the first time that night he truly wasn’t sure how to get out of this mess.

“I don’t know what to do,” Damian said, though he was loath to admit defeat.

“Maybe I can help, then.”

Conner turned around to see who the new speaker was but Damian knew the moment she spoke her first word. Talia stood in the entryway of the Lazarus Pit chamber, leaning on Artemis for support.

She let go of the blonde girl and walked over to her son, kneeling in front of him so that they were more or less at eye level to each other. “Remember, Damian. I’ve only ever wanted what is best for you. I’m so sorry I have to do this now after what you’ve just been through. And I swear I’m going to change the name as soon as this is over.” Talia stood back up and walked out to the edge of the magical barrier, a single woman facing a hoard of assassins clad in head-to-toe in black uniforms that covered everything but their eyes.

She took a deep breath. The entire army of Shadows watched and waited for her to speak, everyone on edge and ready to move at a moment’s notice. Talia raised her voice and spoke in her most commanding tone, “Leviathan Rises!”

Conner tried to pretend he didn’t hear the almost inaudible whimper that escaped from Damian’s throat and the look of complete terror that passed across the boy’s face for less than an instant the moment Talia let loose the phrase. What he couldn’t ignore was what happened next among the Shadows. About half of them removed their masks and a clear bubble-like anomaly engulfed them. After that all hell broke loose. Each maskless assassin took out a bladed weapon and murdered another member of the League of Shadows near them without a second thought. It was a bloodbath. Although the first casualties were quick (a severed spine, a slit throat) the assassins were quick to catch on and tried to defend themselves but by then it was too late. The odd thing was, Conner couldn’t hear anything that was going on inside the bubble. He could see people shouting and weapons clashing but it was like someone had hit the mute button on the TV. Talia watched impassively as the assassins who did not reveal their faces were cut down one by one in less than a minute. The people left standing were only those loyal to her. One of the former Shadows (a young girl with dark skin and bleached blonde, short-cropped hair) snapped silently and the bubble popped. Conner could hear bugs chirping among the killers now but that was all.

The children were stunned. It had happened so fast that no one could do anything to stop it. No one could even form a word of protest before it was all over.

“She killed them…” Damian said angrily as he attempted to stalk but really only managed to hobble over to his mother, keeping all his weight on his uninjured leg. “Why did you do that?” The question didn’t come out nearly as scathing as he had meant it to. If anything, it sounded resigned. He was just so tired, he couldn’t even manage to build up the energy to sound upset about her actions.

Talia bent down on one knee so she could be eye level with her son. “Your father warned me a long time ago that I should have a contingency plan for every eventuality. I didn’t think I’d have to use the nuclear option this soon but I’ve been thinking about branching out on my own for a while and doing so now will have the added benefit of keeping my father’s attention on me.”

“You didn’t have to kill them all.”

“And what would you have me do, Damian? Politely request that they not support my father? Ask them nicely not to kill your friends?” Her exhaustion was beginning to show as well. Talia’s normally unflappable calm was giving way to frustration. “You know as well as I do that the League requires complete loyalty from its soldiers. I’m lucky I found as many willing to follow me as I did.”

Damian couldn’t answer her so he just tried to stare her down with the same exasperated look.
“You do realize this is similar to what happened in my timeline? You create Leviathan, go crazy, and kill me.”

“I’m changing the name. I will never—”

Damian shook his head. “The name doesn’t matter! It’s still going to be Leviathan! Don’t you see? Running that stupid organization could be what makes you…” He couldn’t finish.

She knew what he was going to say and the pain in his eyes as he tried to express his fear was killing her. She realized she would truly do anything to protect him and took what he was saying to heart.

“We’re never going to see eye to eye on this, are we?” he asked sadly.

Talia smiled and brushed some dirt from his cheek with her thumb in a surprisingly parental gesture. “You really are so much like your father. I would have given him anything, but I could never give up the Life and that’s all he wanted.”

“I know you can’t. My mother couldn’t. So what happens now?” Damian asked in a voice much smaller than he wanted, avoiding her eyes.

“Now, you all are going to go back to the States and I am going to make sure my father is sufficiently distracted enough not to bother you for a very long time.”

Damian narrowed his eyes. “What are you saying?”

“Damian,” Talia said as if he should have figured that out on his own already. “You do realize what I’ve just done, don’t you? I’ve started a civil war within the League of Shadows. Those loyal to me and those loyal to my father will be fighting until there is one clear Head of the Demon. I intend for that to be me. I love my father, but I will not allow him to harm you. If that means taking over his organization by force, I accept that. The League of Shadows needs a good restructuring anyway. Maybe instead of Leviathan, I’ll rename it the League of Assassins,” she said playfully, trying to ease her son’s worry. It didn’t seem to work.

“Why do you have to take over? Come back with us. I’m sure father would work with you to fix this. You could live at the manor and little Damian could grow up with both of his parents. Use this opportunity to get out!”

“You know I can’t do that,” she shook her head sadly. “Your father and I hold very different views on how to handle situations like this. We’d never be able to work together for any extended period of time.”

Damian let out a frustrated breath. “You can. You just won’t. You always choose yourself over your family. You chose Leviathan over me back home. Now your choosing the League of Shadows over your son. You’re going to become exactly like her if you keep doing this!”

Talia looked saddened by his words. “I don’t know if I will ever understand what possessed her to do what she did but I can promise you, I will never become her.”

“You have no idea what you might be like a decade from now,” Damian argued pragmatically. He wanted so badly to believe her, but he knew that if he did, he may drop his guard around his real mother when he got back home. He couldn’t allow that. She had said similar things to him in the past and always managed to disappoint him. This was a different person than his mother even though she might look exactly the same. She might even mean what she was saying, but she was so much younger. The world hadn’t shaped Talia al Ghul yet. How could he trust anything she said?

“Damian,” she said, looking him straight in the eyes. “I swear on my life that I will never allow myself to turn into that person who has the gaul to call herself your mother then creates a replacement to kill you. I know I’ve only really known you for less than a day but I can already see that you are irreplaceable… That’s why I need to do this. I’m doing it for you and the baby and Ravi and Cassandra.”

“Let’s not split hairs, mother. You’re doing it for yourself. You could leave if you really wanted to.”

“Not if I want you all to live without the threat of constant attack for the rest of your lives. I won’t lie, I am doing this for myself as well, but I know that if I do this your grandfather will be focused on me, not you. That’s the most important thing.”

“So now you’re just tossing us aside?”

“There is no winning with you is there?” Talia said with frustration. “All you wanted before was to get away from me. Now that I’m practically pushing you away you want to stay?”

“Obviously not. I’m just trying to understand this… understand you.”

Talia shook her head. “There’s nothing to understand. If I’m going to pull off a coup d'etat I can’t show weakness or have any attachments for my enemies to exploit. If any of you were to stay with me you’d be targets. That’s all. I’m keeping you safe the best way I know how. I know your father will do everything in his power to keep you safe. I think he said it best last year when we separated for the final time. He told me we couldn’t be together as long as I served my father; ‘This is how it has to be, how it was always meant to happen.’”

“Tt… sounds like him,” Damian said, unable to hide the hint of a smile that appeared on his face.

Talia returned the expression, feeling as if they had just shared a secret only the two of them could understand. “I’m not saying your father and I are going to get back together now that your grandfather and I are at war but If I succeed… when I succeed in taking over the League of Shadows, I will come back to you. Until then, this is how it has to be.”

“By that time I will have gone back to my home dimension,” Damian said without a hint of doubt in his voice. It seemed for a moment that was all he would say to her, until he added in a voice just above a whisper, “...But I do hope you are able to return to my counterpart one day. Please just don’t take him and force him to become your weapon. Get to know him and accept him for whatever he decides to be. It’s so hard for me to trust my mother. I hope you manage to keep your word. Don’t become her.”

“That I can promise you with no reservations,” Talia said taking both of her son’s hands in her own.

“Then remember this moment in a year, or ten years, however long it takes you. If you ask that little boy a question and he doesn’t give you the answer you want, don’t take your anger out on him. Remember he’s your son and he wants to love you but that’s so difficult to do if he can’t feel safe around you.”

Talia remembered the memory bomb. He had said something to Alfred in it about her giving Damian a choice of staying with her or his father. He had chosen his father. That had hurt on a whole other level outside of what emotions she was experiencing through Damian. That version of Talia had not gotten the answer she wanted and it had lead directly to her son’s murder. Talia would remember that. She didn’t think she would ever be able to forget what she saw in that memory for as long as she lived. “I will remember, Damian.”

“I hope you will be a better Talia al Ghul than my mother. You seem like you have the potential to keep that promise. Don’t let him down.”

Talia didn’t want to show affection for her son in front of her followers. It was so dangerous for both of them to admit she cared but she knew this might be the last time she saw this version of her son. She wrapped both arms around Damian and held him tightly.

Damian’s whole body stiffened at the embrace. Talia felt dejected at his response and was about to let him go when she felt his arms wrap around her as well. It was just for a moment but he relaxed and the two of them finally felt like family. Damian pulled away from her almost as quickly as he had returned her hug but there was no malice in the action. He just knew as well as she did that public displays of affection were dangerous.

Damian straightened up and Talia returned to standing at her full height. “Very well, mother. I will hold you to that. Now I think it’s time to go.”

“I think that’s a good idea.” She nodded then turned to Ravi who had been watching the whole exchange along with everyone else. “Ravi… I’m glad you’re alive. Thank you for everything you’ve done for my son. I couldn’t have asked for someone braver or more loyal. I am trusting you with Damian’s life from this point forward.”

Ravi nodded, looking a bit overwhelmed at the praise as Talia continued. “This is not an order but I’m requesting that you go with Damian to Gotham and continue to look out for Cassandra. She still needs to learn so much. She might actually be able to live a decent life if she has you to guide her. I will make sure her father pays for his crimes against both of you.”

“I swear it, Lady Talia,” he said, obviously overwhelmed at her words. Nodding his confirmation, he put the child in its mother’s arms.

“Be a monster for your father,” she whispered to the baby with an devilish grin. “And believe that I will see you again. Remember that your mother loves you.” Talia was never one to show weakness but she suddenly felt like her throat was trying to close up and she knew that if she dragged this out any longer she might actually shed a tear. She couldn’t do that, not in front of her people. She had to end these goodbyes and get on with her coup. Talia returned baby Damian to Ravi and walked away. She had no doubt that she would see him again soon.

To end her goodbyes, Talia looked to Cassandra who had just been taken out of the Lazarus chamber by Robin. She was still unconscious as he held her in his arms. “Is she alright?”

Dick nodded. “Her vitals seem fine. I’m going to give her a more thorough exam once we’re back on the ship. She got pretty banged up during the cave-in.”

Talia understood. She brushed a stray hair out of Cassandra’s face. “Make sure she is taken care of, Richard. She’s special. Cassandra Cain is destined for great things.”

Dick was surprised Talia was being so civil with him. They usually couldn’t be in each other’s presence for fifteen seconds without throwing insults at each other. He supposed this was more important than carrying on that particular tradition though. “Don’t worry, Talia. I’ll make sure Bruce does the right thing. This is my little sister, you know… back in Damian’s reality at least.”

Talia smiled at that. “You know, that actually makes me feel better. You seem like you’d do well in the big brother role. Don’t let her down.”

Dick nodded. He wouldn’t. “Never.”

That made Talia smile. It was small and only for a moment, but it was there. It reminded him of the way Damian smiled sometimes.

Talia squeezed Cassandra’s hand and turned away from them. Looking over to Superman and Jon who were still lying unconscious in the ground. Finally, she addressed Miss Martian. “I need to leave the island. I suggest you do the same quickly. My Shadows will not be able to protect your group once my father realizes what is happening and sends reinforcements.”

“I’ve got it…” Zatanna said groggily, continuing to lean on Kaldur for support. “Pihsoib raeppaer ereh!”

The bioship appeared in front of them, not a scratch on it. It opened the hatch at M’gann’s telepathic command and awaited its passengers.

“Zatanna,” Kaldur said worriedly. “You should not try to use anymore magic tonight. You will pass out again, or worse burn yourself out. Overtaxing your powers like this can have dire consequences.”

“I’m okay,” she said with a cringe of pain from a severe migraine that was settling in her head. Her whole body felt like it was about to give out on her, but she had one more thing she had to do before she allowed herself to rest. “Just one more small spell, then I’m done. Dleihs nwod.”

Immediately the shield dropped and Zatanna collapsed into unconsciousness. Kaldur kept her upright, then lifted her into his arms and carried her to the ship. Robin followed after him with Cassandra. Once the girls were settled, Kaldur poked his head back out and addressed Talia. “By the way, if you leave the island by boat, only use the vessels on the western side of the harbor.”

Talia wasn’t sure about what the Atlantean had done but she was grateful for the warning. The last thing she needed was her escape vehicles malfunctioning as they tried to leave the island. “I think it’s time we all go,” she said as she headed over to her assassins. The group began moving back toward the interior of the island to collect the rest of those loyal to Talia. They needed to leave before her father got wind of what was happening and potentially stop them. She looked back to Damian one last time then vanished into the night.

“I agree,” M’gann said as she picked up Superman and Jon with her telekinesis. “It’s time to go.”

Conner helped Damian into the bioship so that he wouldn’t have to put pressure on his leg as he walked. The rest of the Team followed after them.

M’gann sealed the ship and took it into the air. She wasn’t sure where to take everyone so she just flew in a random direction away from Infinity Island. Should she go back to Mount Justice? Take everyone to the Watchtower? The Watchtower would probably have the equipment to deal with injured Kryptonians.

As if on cue Superman groaned and pushed himself up into a sitting position from where he was lying on the floor of the bioship. “Jon?”

The small boy was still lying unconscious on the floor next to Damian who looked like he had been put through hell. He was sitting with his knee pulled up to his chin, his injured leg sprawled out in front of him, still in his battered League of Shadows uniform. Superman watched him as he stared off into space, unsure if he would be up for questions at the moment. He seemed to intuitively understand that the boy was a victim here but there was so much he needed to know that only Damian would be able to explain.

Damian was having something akin to buyers remorse after allowing everyone to see his death. Now that they were all out of danger, he was allowing himself time to reflect on everything that had happened over the course of the day. Now he couldn’t help but feel like he was being judged by everyone who was still conscious. He liked to believe that what other people thought of him wasn’t worth concerning himself about but there was still that annoying little feeling crawling around like a spider in the back of his mind, telling him it did matter. He could see them every once in a while casting him a sidelong glance, pitying him or debating with themselves if now was a good time to talk to ‘the kid who had died.’

Damian looked up from his position on the floor between Jon and Cass who were still unconscious. He quickly looked around for Ravi, making sure that his resurrection was not some vivid hallucination and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him sitting in a seat toward the back of the bioship, little Damian asleep in his arms. The poor man seemed completely lost among the technology of the ship and the young superheroes surrounding him. And then there was Superman, newly conscious, trying to understand what had happened to Jon, and openly looking at Damian in hopes of answers. He sighed inwardly.

“Over here, Superman,” Damian said with little enthusiasm. “Jon’s fine. He’s just sleeping off the Solar Flare.”

Superman got up and made his way over to Damian, sitting on the other side of Jon. He leaned back against the hull of the ship and allowed himself to relax as he listened to his boy’s heartbeat. “You seem to know quite a bit about what happened.”

Damian frowned, not sure how much to give away. He was quickly realizing why his father had always given him instructions to reveal as little information as possible if he was ever trapped in an alternate dimension. He had always thought that rule was stupid. What happens in other realities had no bearing on his own. He had never considered how the information could affect the people still living in the alternate universe while he was still there, or even after he went home. He would have to be more careful in the future.

This, however, was completely new territory for him. Jon had never shown signs of being able to produce a Solar Flare before and he wanted to make sure his friend would be alright. Damian decided he should tell Superman about the ability in this case. “When you did it for the first time in my dimension you apparently were out cold for several hours. And you lost all your powers for about a day. I wasn’t there at the time… it was early in your career but my father keeps comprehensive notes. He figured out the Flare is an extension of your heat vision.”

“That would explain why it hurt so much when I got hit full force,” Superman chuckled, rubbing the back of his head in an attempt to make light of the situation. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to be on the receiving end of Kryptonian powers.”

Damian breathed a heavy sigh and shook his head slowly. “Just don’t let on that he hurt you, okay? He always feels horrible afterwards when he does that. He told me about this one time you had to hold open some monster’s eye. You used it as a learning opportunity for Jon to practice his aim, telling him to use his laser vision to help you send it back to where it came from. He didn’t have great aim. You had welts for days apparently.” Damian did smile a little at the thought. So sue him, Damian found it hilarious that his best friend could damage Superman. “Then there was that time Manchester Black tricked him into fighting you. He felt so guilty even though he was manipulated by a supervillain. I know I can’t protect him from everything… and I don’t want to. Jon’s been too sheltered his entire life. He needs to learn that bad things happen sometimes. But I don’t want to see him hurt because of this. He feels bad enough about every other time his powers have hurt someone. He’s trying to control them better. He wouldn’t have held off the Solar Flare for as long as he did if he wasn’t trying.”

Superman tried unsuccessfully to keep from grinning. It was too adorable watching the prickly kid he had met only days before actually show concern for his friend. “Don’t worry about that. I wasn’t planning on saying anything to Jon anyway. The poor kid’s had a rough night. It seems like you all have.”

“The understatement of the century, Superman,” Damian said tiredly. “I am ready to go home and sleep for a year.”

“Wow, things must have been bad if a Bat is talking about sleeping,” Clark tried to joke.

Damian just shrugged and leaned back against the hull of the bioship, closing his eyes and waiting for the ride to be over.

Superman used the opportunity to check over the injured children with his x-ray vision. The girl being looked after by Dick had a pretty nasty head wound. He’d have to call in a doctor to check her over and make sure everything was alright. Was Mr. Terrific on call tonight? Then there was Damian’s leg. It wasn’t broken but the muscle had sustained some damage. Zatanna looked to be alright, just suffering from exhaustion. Roy was fine too but he had this haunted look that worried Clark. Just what had the kids been through tonight?

Superman sighed. “Miss Martian, shut the viewing ports and head to the watchtower. I’ll radio ahead and let them know we’re coming.”

M’gann nodded and changed course, the guilt in her body language obvious. She was not looking forward to explaining this unauthorized mission to her uncle.

As Superman called ahead he thought about how Lois was probably going out of her mind with worry about what happened. He’d have to get her some sort of global communications device soon. A hundred other ideas and concerns were running through Clark’s head when he heard Jon’s heartbeat pick up a moment before the little boy sat up with a startled gasp. “Dad?!”

“I’m right here, Jon. We’re all right here. We’re fine. Are you okay?”

Jon looked down at his hands and then back up to his… not his father but close enough in the moment. “Yeah… yeah, I’m okay… Did I hurt anyone?”

Clark’s heart could have broken at the sound of the worry in Jon’s voice. “No, son. You were far away. The island’s going to need new coat of paint but that’s all.”

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Damian said, not bothering to open his eyes. He knew Jon would be okay. The kid was beyond strong whether he knew it or not.

“Damian!” Jon cried, finally noticing his friend beside him and grabbed him in a bear hug. “We won?”

“Of course we won. The good guys always do. Now let go of me. No hugging while on duty.”

Jon gave him a skeptical look. “That’s not a rule.”

“New rule. We all voted while you were unconscious.”

“Why don’t I believe you?” Jon said suspiciously.

“Because Damian’s full of it,” Dick cackled. “Give him as many hugs as you want. Hug him for me, too.”

“Oh no!” Damian said as if scolding a bad puppy. “You do not get to outsource hugs!”

“Then I’m just going to have to give you one myself,” Dick grinned evilly.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Damian said in a threatening voice.

“Oh, I have the feeling that I’m the type of person who would dare,” Dick said lightly, as if Damian’s implied threat meant nothing.

“Careful, I hear he bites,” Jon laughed.

“Oh, come on,” Damian protested, “I was ten!”

“You seriously bit people?” Dick asked, not sure whether to be amused or aghast. He quickly settled on amused.

“I was small and had sharp teeth. Talia raised me, what did you expect?”

“Well, I have impenetrable skin, so biting won’t work on me anyway,” Jon said smugly as he kept Damian in his death-grip of a hug.

Damian sighed and once again just accepted his humiliation. “If I hug you back will you let me go?”

Jon pretended to think about the question for a bit. “Mmmm, maybe.”

“I hate you,” Damian said with the barest hint of a grin and wrapped his arms around his friend. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
6:30 am EST
The Watchtower

“Both the Broca and Wernicke areas of the brain are severely underdeveloped for someone of her age, but the cerebellum, the thalamus, the primary motor cortex… my god, it’s like someone took all the potential for speech and shoved it into the movement centers of her brain.”

Superman stood next to Mister Terrific in the medical bay of the Watchtower, looking at the results of Cassandra’s CAT scans. “From what I understand that’s very close to accurate. Her father wanted a perfect killing machine and thought that raising a little girl to know nothing but survival strategies and martial arts was a good idea.”

Mister Terrific looked disgusted at the thought. “That’s horrible. I can’t even imagine the type of human garbage who could do that. But Cass is young. With a lot of speech therapy and language practice there’s a good chance she could still end up capable of speaking and understanding spoken language perfectly fine.”

“That’s good to hear,” Superman said. “Damian and Robin seem to have become very attached to her.”

“And she to them,” Michael laughed. “She couldn’t stop moving in the CT scanner until Damian started telling her a story through the intercom. It was really cute. I didn’t think the kid had a soft side just going from first impressions. Sure, the story was the Battle of Thermopylae, but still…”

“He is full of surprises,” Superman agreed, thinking about the little mini-bat sleeping in the infirmary.

When the bioship had docked with the Watchtower, the heroes on duty had been ready with medical supplies and prepped the medbay for any possible injuries that Superman had described when he contacted Martian Manhunter. He had found out who was on duty that night and gave J’onn a brief overview of the situation. Superman then requested that Dr. Holt be brought back to the Watchtower to tend to the children and ensure that everyone was cared for.

The man named Ravi had been brought to a spare room and locked in until the Justice League could confirm that he was no threat. Damian berated every adult there, including Superman himself, and vouched for the man personally but there were protocols and no one could just ignore them on the word of a thirteen-year-old. Ravi understood that and reassured Damian and Cassandra that he would be fine and would see them soon.

After that, the kids had filed out of the ship, looking exhausted and worn out. Dick held onto the baby while Jon assisted Cassandra. Damian refused help walking and limped down the ramp. Roy brought Zatanna out of the ship and waited. It was his first trip to the Watchtower. He should have been ecstatic, or at least happy that he was finally there despite the circumstances. Superman wouldn’t even have been surprised if the boy made a comment about the incident on Independence Day when he quit being Green Arrow’s partner. Ollie had told him about the Watchtower and Roy had been so angry that the younger heroes were only given access to the Hall of Justice that he told Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad about the satellite and quit. Despite what Superman thought would happen, the teenager just stood there, holding Zatanna and looking miserable.

The night’s events had left them all drained and in desperate need of sleep so Superman told everyone who wasn’t injured to find a bed and sleep. That was several hours ago. Cassandra, Damian, and Zatanna were brought to the medbay and examined for injuries. Zatanna showed signs of exhaustion but nothing worse than that so Roy brought her to her father’s room to sleep off her magic overuse. He didn’t say a thing the entire time he was there.

Damian was found to have severe bruising all over his right leg but x-rays showed nothing was broken. Conner had managed to get the rocks off him in time to avoid compartment syndrome and the damage to his skin was minimal. The kid was tough. Treatment from the Watchtower’s medical facilities would put him back on his feet in a few days.

Cassandra had only woken up minutes before the bioship docked with the Watchtower. Since she had a head injury, Dr. Holt wanted to check her over immediately. He couldn’t imagine what the little girl had been through and knew she was terrified even though she never made a noise to show it. Superman wouldn’t have suspected how scared she was had he not been able to hear her heart beating faster than a jackrabbit’s.

From a cursory exam, she was found to have a mild concussion. Holt wanted a CT scan, just in case, but the girl took one look at the machine and hid behind Damian, silently refusing to move. It wasn’t until Damian reassured her it was not going to hurt her that she allowed him to lead her to the machine.

“How is Jon doing after the incident?” Michael asked.

“None of the scanners on the Watchtower show anything out of the ordinary about him and Damian seems to think that the Solar Flare was something normal that all Kryptonians are capable of. I just… Damian wasn’t there. He didn’t see what I saw. Jon had just enough control to keep the burst back for a few minutes. He was trying so hard to turn it off but it was like a force of nature, acting independently of Jon’s will. And when the power finally overwhelmed him… the force of the blast was devastating. I don’t want to think about what would have happened to that island if I wasn’t there to get him far enough away before he detonated. Can you imagine if that power presented in a populated area like a city?”

Michael nodded. “I saw the satellite feeds of the explosion. The death toll would be… catastrophic.”

“Catastrophic is an understatement. I need to find out what the trigger was and see if there’s a way for Jon to be able to control it. I’m going to take him to the Fortress of Solitude and put him through some tests with the Kryptonian technology there.”

“That’s a good idea,” Michael said. “It will be good to have at least one mystery solved.”

“What do you mean?” Superman asked.

“Well, you were there. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice that the kids were all acting a little… off when they got here. Everyone was so silent. They didn’t even look like they were using the telepathic link to just keep us out of the loop. They seemed distracted, tense… I think something traumatic happened on that island to make them so reticent and it wasn’t just Jon’s Solar Flare.”

“More than likely,” Superman sighed, thinking about the strained atmosphere on the bioship as they all flew to the Watchtower. “I got to the island towards the end of their little adventure and most of my focus was on Jon. The kids were exhausted by the end of it. I’ll let them get their sleep and we’ll deal with everything else in the morning.”

Mr. Terrific laughed. “It is morning.”

Superman looked at the clocks showing the times in various parts of the world on the monitor he was watching. It had been hours since he left Lois alone at the Fortress. He needed to at least get back to her and let her know what was going on. For that matter, he should probably pay his parents a quick visit and let them know what was going on as well. He would go as soon as Jon woke up. “Let the kids sleep for now. I’ll wake them in a few hours. Hopefully they’ll be up for talking about what happened.”

“I hope so,” Mister Terrific said. “I’ll try contacting Batman again in the meantime. I left a message for him as soon as the bioship docked but I haven’t heard back.”

“Thanks,” Superman said. “Let me know when Batman gets here. I’m going to sit with the kids in Recovery for a while.”

Superman started walking away, heading straight for the medical wing of the Watchtower, leaving Mister Terrific alone to wait for the children’s guardians to arrive.

“It’s alright, I’m quite comfortable. I wish I was able to open a window,” Ravi laughed, “but the accomodations don’t bother me. I have lived in many places over the years. This is a little more high-tech than I’m used to but a room is a room. It serves its purpose.”

J’onn smiled knowingly at the man who sat across from him in the empty sleeping quarters and telepathically accessed the controls for the room’s window. “I suspect opening this window would not be a pleasant experience.”

Ravi looked out through the transparent barrier at a sight that literally took his breath away. He was looking down at the earth. It was a sight he had never in his life expected to experience, yet there it was in front of him, blue and green and white and beautiful.

Ravi and the Martian Manhunter had been having a pleasant conversation for the last hour. J’onn had not intended to interview the man the children had brought back from the League of Shadows so soon but had found the human unable to sleep. Being locked in a windowless room with little to occupy his attention seemed cruel to the Martian so he knocked and asked if Ravi would like some company. The man had seemed delighted with the idea, despite being separated from everyone he’d ever known. It made Ravi feel better to have someone to talk to. He knew of the Martian Manhunter from reputation. Some people in the League of Shadows could be chattier than teenage girls (though those people tended not to last very long).

J’onn could admit that Ravi’s company was rather enjoyable but he sensed Batman was regaining consciousness back on Earth. J’onn knew the man would be heading to the Watchtower soon and he would want to know everything. The Martian decided he had better interview Ravi before Bruce arrived and scared the man to death with his own interrogation.

“I understand that this must be quite overwhelming for you.”

“I have to admit that when I woke up this morning I was not expecting my life to take such a turn,” Ravi said with a tinge of apprehension in his voice. He looked back to the blue orb below him. It wasn’t such a bad turn of events. He was still alive. The children were alright. He couldn’t help but feel like things were going to be okay, even if he was completely overwhelmed by everything that had happened since leaving Infinity Island.

“A common occurrence for many of us, unfortunately. I hear that you have had quite the harrowing night,” J’onn said in his most conversational voice. “Though Damian vouches for you, I would like to interview you to confirm that you do not pose a threat.”

“Of course,” Ravi said, studying the unusual green man. “I would expect nothing less.”

“I must inform you that this would involve a telepathic connection to determine how truthful you are being. Some people are uncomfortable with the prospect of someone else invading their thoughts. What I am asking is if I have permission to read your mind.”

This was a question Ravi was not expecting. It wasn’t even on the radar. He supposed it was possible with the League of Shadows having a pool that literally resurrects people from the dead and the elder Lord Damian coming from an alternate reality. Telepathy should not have been a surprise so he smiled and acted like it wasn’t. “Of course.”

J’onn felt Ravi’s surprise and was impressed at the man’s ability to hide the emotion so well. “I suppose the best place to start would be what your intentions are for the children.”

Ravi couldn’t help but feel hurt by the question even though it was the one he would want to know first if their roles were reversed. The safety of the children was the most important of all possible considerations. “I only want to ensure they are cared for and protected. Damian’s mother charged me with looking after miss Cassandra and Lord Damian. I intend to do everything in my power to do so.”

“And you know who Damian’s father is?”

Ravi nodded. “The Batman.”

“You understand that he is not the kind of person to trust others easily.”

“So Lady Talia has mentioned,” Ravi grinned with amusement as he remembered his mistress’ many rants over the years about the stubborn man she had loved.

J’onn smiled at the memory as well. “You will have to give him time. He will take no chances when it comes to his children but so far I sense no ill-intent from you. Don’t be discouraged by his distrust when you meet him.”

Ravi nodded, thankful to have one adult in his corner. The children’s trust meant a lot but in order to be able to fulfil his duties, he would need to have the support of their guardians. Batman would be a challenge, he knew, but after the night he had, he felt that he could handle any challenge thrown at him.

“Now,” J’onn continued. “I’d like to talk about your time with the League of Shadows…”

6:45 am
The Batcave

Bruce had been awake for less than a minute when Alfred came to him with a message from the Watchtower. His head hurt and he could feel that he had some pretty deep lacerations to his chest but a brief glance over to what remained of his suit told him his injuries could have been a lot worse.

“Master Bruce! It is such a relief to see you awake. You had quite the night. Master Richard was simply beside himself with worry.”

“Dick’s okay?” Bruce asked, his voice filled with relief.

“That depends on what you mean by ‘okay.’ After he brought you back to the Cave and left you in my care he went back out with Master West. Apparently the two of them rounded up every active young hero and invaded Infinity Island.”

Bruce had always prided himself on never reacting emotionally to bad news but the moment he heard that Dick had gone to that island, his his eyes dilated, his heartbeat sped up, and maybe it was just due to the head injury and blood loss from earlier that night but he felt as if the room suddenly flipped beneath him.

“I need to get him,” he said as he pushed himself out of bed, feeling the cuts in his chest with every movement and a groan of pain slipped past his vocal chords before he could stop it. He headed directly for the spare suits before Alfred managed to grab hold of him and support him.

“Master Bruce, please calm down before you pull your stitches. I only meant to imply that the young man’s judgement was impaired when he made the decision to go to Infinity Island. Superman called several hours ago to inform us that both Masters Richard and Damian are fine and are currently being cared for at the Watchtower.”

“Damian was there too?” Bruce asked with obvious concern.

“Apparently that was why Master Richard went to the island in the first place. Miss Talia had taken Damian to the island and with you unconscious, he felt as if taking matters into his own hands was the only option.”

Bruce began putting on one of his spare Batman suits. “How are the children? Was anyone injured? Captured?”

“A few injuries but according to Master Kent, nothing irreparable. Master Damian has a bit of a bruise on his leg. There was a cave-in and a few of the children were trapped in the rubble for a short time. Master Damian has apparently brought back some guests with him. One of which is an infant that also goes by the name Damian.”

That stopped Bruce in his tracks. He looked speechlessly at Alfred who was trying his hardest to suppress a large, happy smile. Batman pulled his cowl down over his head and managed to get the next few words past the lump in his throat. “I’m going to the Watchtower,”

“Very good, sir,” Alfred said and started to head to the stairs leading back into the manor. “I will prepare the boys’ rooms for their return.”

“Thank you, Alfred.” Bruce walked over to the Batcomputer and began inputting coordinates for the Watchtower when the communicator in his headset beeped, indicating an incoming transmission.

Bruce wasn’t expecting a call. The only people who could access his comms were Dick, Damian, Alfred, and the Justice League. Could it be Superman calling to give him an update on the boys? He activated the receiver and waited for whoever was on the other end to speak.

“Hello, Beloved,” Talia’s sultry voice sounded in Bruce’s ear.

“Talia…” he growled, honestly not surprised that she had somehow broken into the frequency he used when fighting crime. “How do you have access to this channel?”

“A bit of subterfuge on my part. Don’t be too mad at Damian for falling for it.”

Bruce sighed in frustration. “You seriously have the nerve to contact me right now? After everything you’ve done tonight. Kidnapping my son, traumatizing him… Were you ever even going to tell me I have a child?”

“Congratulations. It’s a boy,” she said derisively. Bruce was not amused.

“And by the way,” she added, “he’s my child too. I did the majority of the work bringing him into the world. Just because you have control issues does not mean you get to have final say over what happens to him.”

“Isn’t that what you’ve done for the past year?” Bruce asked through gritted teeth as he thought of their last conversation. He had broken up with her. It was August 27, 2009 and she must have just had the baby. She didn’t look it but the timeline made sense if the baby was about a year old. Bruce couldn’t help wondering, if he hadn’t cut ties with her that day would she have told him about Damian?

“Bruce, I am his mother. That’s all I’m going to say on this right now. I really don’t have time to get into an argument. I wouldn’t even be calling if I didn’t know you as well as I do. You’re much too paranoid for your own good and I need you to just listen to me and believe what I’m telling you.” She continued without waiting for a reply. “When you get to your satellite you’re going to be introduced to two people.”

“How do you know about that?”

“Please, Beloved, the fact that I know about the Watchtower is the least of your worries right now. Now listen to me. These two individuals are very important to… Damian. I’m requesting that you allow them to reside in the manor. They are both in need of protection right now and as much as I don’t want to admit it, you are probably their best chance at survival.”

“I’m going to need a few more details than that, Talia.” It was taking all of his willpower to keep his voice even and not to let the conversation devolve into an angry shouting match.

“Ravi and Cassandra. You won’t have to do anything for them other than give them a place to sleep and protect them if my father’s people decide to come after them.”

“Oh, is that all?” Bruce asked in an overtly sarcastic tone. “Do you want to tell me why the League of Shadows will be coming after them?”

“I may have finally taken your advice and broken ties with my father.”

Bruce knew that wasn’t the whole story. She wouldn’t be asking for his help if it were. “And?” he asked with a clear suspicion in his voice.

The pause on Talia’s end of the line that was much too long for Bruce’s liking. “And I may have done it by pitting the Shadows who are loyal to me against those still following my father.”

“You’re attempting a hostile takeover of the League of Shadows?” Bruce asked in disbelief.

“Very hostile,” Talia agreed. “Don’t worry. I didn’t do it for you and I’m not going to ask you to support me in this. I can succeed on my own terms. What I do ask is that you keep three people safe: Ravi, Cassandra, and your infant son. Damian and Richard can help. I’m sure they’ll jump at the opportunity.”

“Talia, you can’t just call me up out of the blue and ask me to take two assassins in.”

“Ravi is harmless. He’s had no League training and lived with us in strictly a caretaker capacity. He has never killed another human being to my knowledge and just last night he jumped in front of a bullet for your son so, honestly, you owe him.”

Bruce didn’t like the sound of that. He needed to get to the Watchtower and find out the full story.

“All I’m asking is that you give two people asylum while my father and I figure out the future of the League. Let them live at the manor and provide them room and board. You won’t even notice they’re there. Cassandra is an adorable nine year old girl. Yes, she was raised within the League, training to be an assassin but she has never killed anyone either and I don’t think she wants to. She is going to need your protection more than anyone. Her father is out in the world right now and he’s going to try and get her back. I’m sure of it.”

“So I’m taking in a kidnapped little girl now?”

“Believe me, she is far better off with you than David Cain.”

Bruce had to take a minute to process that. “Did you really just say David Cain, Talia? One of the League of Shadow’s most lethal assassins, that David Cain? You want me to take in his daughter?”

“Yes,” Talia replied unabashed. “I was going to kill him but by the time I got back to where we had left him tied up, he had escaped. He’s probably planning my demise with my father as we speak and when that’s done, he’s going to track Cassandra down.”

“So you thought putting her in Bruce Wayne’s house was a good way to hide her? The house my family lives in. Do I even want to ask you what you are thinking?”

“I was thinking that her father would find her no matter where I put her so a house filled with do-gooding super heroes would be her best chance!”

Bruce had to admit Talia wasn’t wrong. Dick and Alfred could both handle themselves and the Batcave was better than any panic room in existence. “What about her mother? Should I be expecting a custody battle once word gets out?”

“Lady Shiva wants nothing to do with Cassandra. She was payment to David Cain. That’s all she’ll ever be to her,” Talia said as Bruce noticed a hint of disgust in her voice. “You don’t have to worry about her trying to take her back.”

“Unless Ra’s decides to use her biological ties to the girl to take her back through legal means.”

“You let me worry about that if the situation comes up. In the meantime, just please give them a chance. Your counterpart from Damian’s reality took Cassandra in and it worked out quite well from what I hear.”

Bruce let out an audible sigh and could just imagine what Talia looked like as she heard it; the smug smile lighting up her face because she knew she had gotten to him. “Fine, Talia. Trial basis only. I even suspect that either one of them is working for you to hurt my family, I will hunt you down.”

“Sounds exciting,” she teased, “but you really don’t have to worry. I have much better things to do with my time than send spies and traitors into your house. Now I really must let you go. I have so much to do if I want to successfully oust my father but I’ll keep in touch.”

“Talia, you can’t break into my communications system every time you want to talk.”

“Obviously. I’ll need something much more secure than your Justice League chanel,” she said and Bruce could have sworn in that moment he heard the voice of the truculent little teenager he had met only days ago in her voice. “Now I expect updates on all of Damian’s milestones; first steps, first word, everything. I’m serious about this, Bruce. Make sure there are videos.”

“Talia…” Bruce started, trying to get a word in, but before he could say anything more, she spoke over him.

“I have to go now, Beloved. We’ll speak again soon.”

“Talia!” Bruce tried again but there was silence over the comms. She had disconnected from him. Bruce rubbed at his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He sighed and resigned himself to the fact that he would be hearing from Talia a lot more often.

Bruce took a moment to compose himself and fall back into the impenetrable security of his Batman persona. He had to get to the Watchtower and find out what had happened while he was under sedation getting his chest sewn back together. The Dark Knight keyed in the final coordinates for the Justice League’s orbiting base and watched as the energy filled the Batcave’s Zeta-tube. With a flourish of his cape, he stepped through the portal and disappeared.

6:45 am EST
The Watchtower

The Watchtower Zeta-tubes lit up and a moment later a very angry older gentleman in a top hat came storming through one while Batman stepped through another. Mister Terrific was there to greet them. He had a feeling a lot of people would be stepping through those portals very soon.

“Where is my daughter?” Giovanni Zatara yelled in anger hiding the worry he was feeling for his only child.

“Relax, Giovanni,” Mister Terrific said calmly in an attempt to ease the other man’s mind. “We checked her over when she arrived and aside from some severe exhaustion she’s fine. She’s sleeping it off in your quarters.”

His words seemed to lessen Giovanni’s anxiety but the magician would not be satisfied until he saw his daughter safe and sound. “Thank you, Michael. I’ll be taking Zatanna home now.”

“Of course,” Terrific nodded and watched as Giovanni took his leave.

“Are Robin and Damian in my quarters?” Batman asked, foregoing pleasantries.

“Damian’s in the recovery ward. His leg’s a little banged up but he’s fine. He refused to leave Cassandra and Baby Damian. Robin and Jon stayed with him to keep them company. They pushed the beds together and played cards until they passed out about an hour ago. You should go see them. They’re adorable.”

Batman made a noise that sounded to Mister Terrific like a grunt that meant, ‘You’re right, that sounds like a good idea. Thank you Michael for all you do for the League.” But then again, he wasn’t as fluent as Robin was in Batman’s single syllable communication methods. He watched as Batman headed toward the recovery ward of the medical wing and sighed. The guy was obviously worried sick about his kids. Well, maybe not obviously, but Michael could see it.

On the way to Medical, Bruce ran into Black Canary who was having a heated debate with Green Arrow. “He doesn’t want to see you, Ollie.”

“How can he not want to see me? All I want is to know is if he’s okay. Yeah, we may not be on the best terms right now but I still care about the kid! I saw the security footage of them getting off the bioship. He looked like his puppy just died!”

“Roy doesn’t have a puppy,” Dinah said, unamused.

“You know what I mean!”

“Look, Ollie,” she continued, her voice all business as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “Roy is eighteen now. A legal adult. He asked me specifically not to let you in to see him and I’m going to honor his wishes.”

“Dinah, he’s locked himself in a freaking holding cell! Something is seriously wrong and I want to know what it is!” Oliver shouted, throwing his arms up.

Black Canary stared down her boyfriend and waited until he had stopped ranting before she spoke, calmly and concisely. “Roy put himself in that holding cell for a reason and once he’s ready to talk, I’m sure he will. Right now he feels there is a need to be locked away from everyone and I think it was a mature decision to do so. Now, if you don’t mind, I have business to discuss with Batman. Do not go into the brig while he’s in there, do you hear me?”

Green Arrow huffed, but he did not want to be on Black Canary’s bad side because of this. “Fine,” he said with obvious displeasure, “but when he’s ready to talk, I’m going to be there. He may hate me right now but I haven’t given up on him. I know this is just his angsty teenager phase. He’ll eventually stop hating me and he can only do that if he knows I still give a crap.”

“Really eloquent, Ollie,” Dinah said as she moved to catch up with Batman who had not stopped to eavesdrop on their conversation. “Just try not to make things worse.”

“Should I ask?” Batman questioned with an amused note in his voice.

“Ugh, just Ollie trying too hard again. He’s been trying to get Roy to come back to the family since his blowup on Independence Day. Nothing you have to worry about. So I take it you’ve heard the news,” she said as she fell into step beside him.

“The most important parts,” Bruce said. “Have you spoken with any of the children about what happened yet?”

“They were all pretty exhausted when they got here. We’re going to debrief them later this morning once they’ve woken up. Roy, Damian, and a few others tried to stay up but… it didn’t seem like the right time to me. Damian was too concerned about Ravi and Cassandra, Jon was all about making sure Damian was okay, Richard was focused on the baby, and Roy has been acting a lot less confrontational than he usually does. It’s like he’s just completely shut down. After putting Zatanna in her dad’s room he headed straight for the brig and locked himself inside one of the holding cells. He wouldn’t say why, just that I needed to tell M’gann where he was once she woke up.”

“I have a feeling the children will be telling us quite the story once they’ve woken,” Batman said and nodded.

The two of them arrived at the infirmary and the electronic door slid open to reveal one of the most adorable sights Bruce had ever seen. Dinah took out her phone and snapped a photo immediately as Superman looked up from where he was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. He signaled for them to stay quiet so the kids could get their rest.

In front of them were three beds pushed together. On top of those were four children in what Bruce could only describe as a dogpile. Dick was lying across all three beds, passed out still in his Robin uniform minus the cape. His limbs spread every which way like a human starfish. Damian, wearing shorts and a t-shirt, was sleeping while sitting upright with both legs (one heavily bruised) laying across Dick’s torso as if he were a footrest. A small Asian girl, most likely Cassandra, who was wearing what looked like a miniature League of Shadows uniform, was tucked snuggly under Damian’s arm and using him as a pillow, while Jon was wrapped up like a burrito in a blanket at the end of Damian’s feet next to Dick. Discarded playing cards and junk food wrappers littered the beds.

The thing that took his breath away, though, was a tiny human lying in a makeshift crib about three feet away. Bruce walked over to him and looked for the first time at his son. His heart sped up and felt like it might burst. He wanted to hold him and keep him close forever because this was his kid, just as much as Richard was. Then reality seemed to settle over him like a fog. This was an infant. A sleeping, innocent, tiny person that he could potentially damage as much as Talia could. He had no idea how to raise a baby. What if he messed up his life? A thousand fears and insecurities flashed through his mind as he looked at the little human being in front of him.

Superman silently got up and went over to Bruce, putting his hand reassuringly on his shoulder. He looked up at Superman who motioned his head toward the door. Batman nodded, relieved to have a distraction from the thoughts in his head at that moment. The three of them left the infirmary so they could have a conversation without waking the children.

“Has anyone told you anything yet?” Batman asked Superman.

Superman shook his head. “They were all asleep by the time I got to see them. I’ve just been keeping an eye on them. Everyone on duty tonight has been taking shifts of about an hour each.”

“Thank you,” Batman said, knowing that Dick had a history of nightmares after especially traumatic events and he had a suspicion that Damian might as well. Then there was the baby that probably needed to be constantly watched.

“If you want, I can look after the kids while you tell Batman what you know about the night’s events,” Canary offered.

“I appreciate it, Dinah,” Bruce said. He hated being in the figurative dark. More information gave him an idea on how to handle the situation as it developed. It also just made him feel better to have a little bit of control over the situation back.

“We can talk in one of the conference rooms,” Clark offered and Bruce nodded his assent.

As the two walked away to discuss the events of the night, Bruce called back to Dinah as casually as he could, “Oh, and Canary. Make sure you send me a copy of that picture you just took for my records.”

Dinah’s grin seemed to light up her entire being. It was all she could do to keep from laughing hysterically and she needed that after the last few hours. “Sure Batman. Of course. For your records.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
7:30 am EST
The Watchtower

Good Morning Uncle J’onn, M’gann said telepathically the moment she woke up in her uncle’s quarters on the Watchtower where she had ‘crashed’ for the night (what little there was left of it anyway). She could sense that he was somewhere on the opposite side of the satellite and very interested in getting her account of the night’s events. She honestly didn’t want to tell him the story. The whole rescue mission had been one bad decision after another. So many people in the League of Shadows were killed and a few of her friends had come close to the same fate. Even so, they had accomplished their goal. They had saved Damian. That had to count for something, right?

M’gann sent her memories of the night to her uncle and waited for his response as she made her way out of his room to the Watchtower’s cafeteria for breakfast. None of her friends were there. She could feel them all still sound asleep in various parts of the satellite (well, everyone except for Roy. She could feel his exhaustion, yet she could tell he had not slept at all since arriving at the Watchtower). Still, they were all okay. That was the most important thing to her and she breathed deeply in a sigh of relief.

As she made herself a bagel and poured some orange juice into a glass, her uncle phase-shifted through the floor, rematerializing next to her. “M’gann…”

“Uncle J’onn?” she asked with an uncertainty clear in her voice. She was confused as to why he needed to see her in person when they could just as easily have telepathically communicated. It was her prefered method of communication anyway. Unless… “I’m in trouble for using a memory bomb against the Shadows, aren’t I?”

J’onn could see the guilt in her eyes but not regret. She believed she had had no choice when she considered using the mental attack. Martian Manhunter, though he didn’t condone her choice, could understand why she did it. No, he needed to physically see her because he needed to make sure that what she showed him was true. “M’gann,” he said aloud. “Did you truly affect the entire island with the memory bomb?”

M’gann blushed, her emotions clearly radiating embarrassment and shame. “Yes sir,” she whispered, unable to meet his eyes.

J’onn couldn’t wrap his head around it. Any normal Martian could do what she did, even though to do so was immoral. It was grounds for punishment on his planet because society couldn’t have someone just digging through another Martian’s head and projecting their worst memory into a crowd of unsuspecting people. That wasn’t what made the older Martian take notice of his young niece, though. Most Martians, from the few stories he had heard, could only affect a small area of up to a city block at most. If M’gann could influence everyone on an island of that size, it meant that her telepathic powers were truly formidable. Aside from that, she was young and still developing her telepathy. He could only imagine what she’d be able to do after even a few more short years of practice. She had the potential to be even more powerful than him.

“Thank you, M’gann. That was all I needed to know. You are not in trouble and I understand that you are aware of the significance of your actions.”

I’d never do something like that if there was any other choice, she said telepathically so she could be sure her uncle knew she was being honest.

I know, M’gann, J’onn responded affectionately. Why don’t you bring some food to Red Arrow. I know he wants that programming out of his head as soon as possible. I would have done it myself earlier but I know you wanted to have a part in it. Mr. Harper would feel better with you there as well. Come, we can repair his mind together.

M’gann smiled and nodded, relieved that her uncle had been so understanding.

Roy hadn’t slept well. The bed in his cell was not the most comfortable thing in the world but he’d slept soundly on the hard ground in the middle of the woods before. It wasn’t the accommodations. He wanted whatever the League of Shadows had put in his head gone forever. He didn’t even know when they had done it to him. The whole situation made his skin crawl.

That was why when M’gann and the Martian Manhunter arrived at his holding cell he felt almost like he could breathe easily again. They would fix him. The relief was almost overwhelming. “I want everything they put in my head obliterated.”

M’gann smirked. “Right down to business, I see.” She tapped a few buttons on a control panel by the cell and the door opened. She and her uncle walked inside and Roy faced them expectantly.

“I need to be sure it’s all gone. I can’t live my life knowing there might be another trigger in my brain making me black out and hurt people.”

“I believe we can help with that,” J’onn reassured him.

“Then let’s get this over with.” Roy sounded determined. “Do I have to do anything?”

“Have a seat. Just relax and let us take a look in your brain. We’ll do all the heavy lifting,” M’gann said with a smile, certain that this was going to be a quick fix now that she wasn’t under attack and stressed with keeping the team telepathically connected.

Roy sat back on the bed and immediately felt the slippery feeling of another consciousness bypassing his own. It wasn’t like when he was connected with the Team. This was deeper and yet less intimate. Roy couldn’t see anything the Martians we’re doing in his head, he just knew they were there rooting around (and he suspected that was a simple courtesy on their part. If they didn’t want him to know they were in his head, he probably wouldn’t know).

It wasn’t long before he felt the consciousness slip away and saw M’gann staring at him with a look of concern, as if she had just found out he had a terminal illness or something worse.

She looked to her uncle and it seemed to Roy like they were having a very heated telepathic conversation. He didn’t like being left out, especially when it concerned his brain. “What is it? You were able to get it all out, right? M’gann?”

“Roy…” Martian Manhunter began before M’gann cut him off.

“No. I’ll tell him,” M’gann said in a shaky voice. She sounded to Roy like she was on the verge of tears and that terrified him.

“You couldn’t do it?” Roy asked through the lump that was forming in his throat. He was preparing himself for the worst but there was no way to brace himself for what she said next.

“We removed all traces of subliminal triggers and pre-programmed commands. After Cheshire’s last words to you the programming was pretty benign anyway. You had made sure Artemis got off the island alive. You could do what you want from there. I still removed it and the trigger words.”

She paused. “But?” He prompted. There was always a ‘but’ when people acted like this.

M’gann couldn’t look him in the eyes. “But I can’t remove the memory implants they put in your head. It’s too much. Too many years. Memories are important. We are the sum of our experiences and I’m afraid if I take those you won’t be you anymore.”

“M’gann, what are you saying? They put memories in my head? Years of memories?”

M’gann took another shaky breath. “Roy… it’s practically your entire life. The only memories that are truly yours come from just the last three years.”

Roy was glad he was sitting because he felt like his whole world had just decided to dump him on his ass. M’gann sounded like she was speaking to him under water or from miles away. What was she talking about? What did that mean his only real memories were from the last three years?

“That’s bullshit,” he whispered.

“Roy…” M’gann started.

“No, that’s bullshit!” Roy screamed. “I remember my life! I remember my dad burning to death in that forest fire. I remember Brave Bow teaching me how to shoot. I can still feel the pain of watching him slowly waste away from cancer. I remember the day I met Oliver and the night I put on a uniform and became Speedy. That can’t be fake.” Roy lost energy with each new sentence until he was sitting with his head in his hands, staring at the floor of his cell, just trying to convince himself that everything he had ever known wasn’t a lie. Who the fuck would be so sadistic to give him a life like that if it wasn’t real?

“It is real,” J’onn said, putting his hand reassuringly on the teenager’s shoulder. “It’s just not yours. Whoever did this to you copied the original Roy Harper’s memories and implanted them into you so that you would believe you were him. This isn’t your fault. You are a victim in this and we will find you justice.”

“What are you saying?” Roy asked, terrified of any answer they could give him.

“Roy,” M’gann said gently, sitting beside him and taking his hand in hers. “You’re a clone.”

Conner had fallen asleep in the chair next to the hospital beds Damian, Cassandra, Dick, and Jon were piled on. It was peaceful in the medbay with the white noise of medical equipment humming and children breathing calmly to lull him to sleep. It wasn’t until he heard the door slide open that his subconscious defenses kicked in and he jolted awake, opening his eyes to see Superman entering the room.

His eyes went immediately to Jon, still wrapped up to his neck in a blue blanket. He looked almost like a sort of human caterpillar in a cocoon. “Hi, Superman,” Conner said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. He wasn’t sure how the hero was going to react to him after the events of the night.

Superman looked from Jon to Conner. He didn’t seem angry at all. There might have been a fleeting look of apprehension or anxiety, but it was so brief that Conner couldn’t be entirely sure he saw it.

“You took over watch from Canary?” Clark asked, though the answer was obvious.

“Yeah,” Conner said, keeping his voice as even as he could. He didn’t want to automatically get defensive. Clark was trying to be better, even if it was just to please Jon. He was even attempting a conversation. That was more than he’d ever done before when it was just the two of them (not that there was ever a lot of times when it was just the two of them). Was that day back in August on the bridge with the only one? Possibly. Now that was just depressing.

“I would have thought you would want to find a place to crash for the night.”

Conner shrugged. “Most of the Team took their mentor’s quarters. J’onn told me I could use yours but I decided to explore. Found this place. Told Canary I’d watch the kids. The chair’s comfortable enough.”

“I see…” Superman said with just a hint of awkward embarrassment as he realized Conner didn’t feel comfortable using his room.

“So…” Conner began, trying to continue the conversation but unable to think of anything more to say. The words just petered off into nothingness and he shrugged again, wondering why it was so damn hard to talk to the man in front of him.

Superman walked over to the pile of kids and smiled, clear amusement in his eyes. “You’ve all had a long night. I need to take Jon for more tests; find out what happened with the Solar Flare.”

“Oh… right. Okay then.”

“I’m taking him to my Fortress of Solitude. You’re welcome to come too,” Clark quickly added.

“Nah, it’s okay. I should stay here,” Conner said, sure that Clark wouldn’t be asking if not for Jon. “Besides, I still need to be debriefed about last night.”

Clark frowned, disappointed by the rejection. “Well, if you change your mind, we’ll be leaving in about ten minutes. I have to wait for someone to take over watching the kids in here. You should think about it. I’d really like to show you around the Fortress.”

Conner could almost believe him. “Alright… I’ll think about it. Do you mind if I go for a walk while you wait?”

Superman smiled. It wasn’t a ‘no’ at least. “Of course not.”

Conner got up and stretched. He hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep but he knew that stretching his legs would do him good. It would at least save him from making more awkward conversation with Superman. He didn’t end up walking very far when he heard voices coming from the brig. It sounded like M’gann and Roy. He made a detour to find out what was happening.

“Roy, you are going to get through this. We’re all here for you, you know that. Why don’t I call Black Canary in. She’s basically your mom, right?” That was M’gann. She sounded frustrated and concerned all at the same time.

“Don’t you get it? How can this be okay? When Dinah finds out… She’s going to hate me. Ollie too. The real Roy is probably out there somewhere waiting for someone to rescue him and for the last three years I’ve been keeping everyone from doing that just by existing!” And that was definitely Roy. He sounded angry and devastated. Conner wasn’t sure if he should interrupt, yet his feet kept carrying him toward the voices.

“But we know now! We’ll find him! Uncle J’onn just left to start researching what could have happened three years ago. We’ll have a place to start looking at least,” M’gann reassured Roy.

“Yeah. That’s great,” he said with a sarcastic tone that was hard to miss. “In the meantime I’ll just figure out who the hell I am. What am I seriously supposed to say to the guy when and if we find him? Hi there, sorry I stole your life. Can I even call myself Roy Harper anymore?”

“You’re still you. It doesn’t matter that you’re a clone. Despite what you started out as, the last three years have made you unique. You are Roy Harper and the fact that you have the same memories as the original Roy doesn’t change anything. Conner’s a clone of Superman but the two of them couldn’t be more different if they tried.”

“Conner’s different!” Roy shouted. “He knew from the moment Rob, KF, and Kaldur busted him out of Cadmus that he’s a clone. They didn’t implant memories into him to make him think he is Superman.”

Conner had gotten to the entrance of the brig to see M’gann and Roy standing in an open holding cell. M’gann turned around with a relieved smile as she sensed him. “Conner!”

“Speak of the devil…” Roy said tiredly and dropped himself unceremoniously onto the bed.

“Did I hear that right?” Conner asked hesitantly. “You’re a clone?”

“Yeah,” Roy said as he bit back a humorless laugh. “We can start a club.”

Conner frowned. He didn’t know Roy well. The teenager didn’t spend a lot of time in the mountain with the Team despite that Robin and Kid Flash couldn’t say enough good things about him. Maybe he had to just get to know the guy. Right now though, he was not inclined to take his shit.

“You’re upset. I’m going to have to agree with M’gann on this one, though. Being a clone doesn’t make you less of a person. You’re still you.”

“And who the hell is that, huh?” Roy asked, challenging Conner with a look. “I thought I was Roy Harper. Turns out I’m a fucking copy of a kid who might be stuck in a cell somewhere, or tortured, or… who knows what?” He couldn’t bring himself to voice the possibility that the original Roy was already dead. “I stole his life. I’m not him. I’m not even human.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Conner growled, his hands curling into fists at his side.

Roy realized he had gone too far. Though he believed it about himself, it wasn’t true for Conner. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Sure it’s not,” Conner said coldly. “Clones aren’t people, right? We can’t say what we mean.”

Roy huffed in frustration. “Conner, I wasn’t talking about you. I’m a little overwhelmed right now, if you hadn’t noticed.”

“Being a clone doesn’t change who you are. It doesn’t make you less of a person.” Conner turned around and stormed out of the brig. His anger was bubbling over and felt like there was a haze in his mind. He knew if he stayed there the brig would end up with a brand new hole in the wall. Or in Roy’s face. Jerk.

“Conner!” M’gann tried to go after him.

Conner turned around and shouted. “Don’t follow me!” Roy’s little identity crisis had just about taken all the self control he had at the moment but seeing the hurt in M’gann’s eyes gave him pause enough to calm himself a little.

I’m sorry, he thought, knowing she would hear him.

Conner, Roy’s hurting right now. His entire identity has just been ripped from him without warning. I should have eased him into the information better. I just…

Stay with him. Help him process his feelings, he suggested, feeling like he needed some time to himself.

But Conner…

I’m fine! he snapped, then took a deep breath to calm down. I promise. That was gentler. I just need some space, okay?

M’gann hadn’t seen Conner this angry since his first month in the cave at Mount Justice. He hadn’t yelled at her like that since then either. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay…

And now Conner felt like a complete asshole. His shoulders sagged and he pulled her into a hug. I’m sorry. They kissed and it was like the tension and anger he was feeling just melted. I’m a jerk.

M’gann smiled. Only sometimes. Conner grinned back at her. Are you going to be alright?

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. Superman invited me to go with Jon to run some tests. I think I’ll take him up on his offer.”

“Alright. I’ll be here when you get back. Hopefully Roy will have calmed down by then. He really didn’t mean it. He’s scared and feeling extremely guilty right now.”

Conner sighed and shook his head slowly. “I know. I just reacted. He hit a sensitive spot for me.”

“You know everyone sees you as a person, right? Even Roy.”

Conner smiled. “What would I do without you?”

“Hmm…” M’gann grinned right back at him and put on a show of pretending to think extremely hard. “You’d probably spend all your time in the mountain, watching static on the TV and learning to brood from Batman. Oh and you’d have absolutely no fun whatsoever.”

Conner sighed dramatically and kissed her on the forehead. “The sad thing is you’re probably right.”

“Then you’d better be nice to me,” she teased and stuck her tongue out at him. “Now go on. Find Superman and tell him to take you on a fun adventure.”

“Yeah,” Conner agreed. “I’d better find him before he leaves without me.”

The two parted. M’gann returned to the brig and contacted Black Canary. She felt that she was not equipped to handle the emotional baggage that she had just saddled Roy with. Conner made his way to the Zeta-tubes and waited for Superman to arrive. He didn’t have to wait long.

Superman walked into the transport room holding Jon who was still wrapped in the blanket from the medbay. The kid was fast asleep, his head resting on his dad’s shoulder. When Superman saw Conner waiting for him, he smiled. If Conner didn’t know any better he would have thought Clark was actually glad to see him.

“That invitation still open?” he asked.

“Of course,” Clark said.

“Mm, da’. I don’ wanna go t’school today,” Jon mumbled into Superman’s shoulder as the Man of Steel shifted him in his grip so he could enter the coordinates to the Fortress of Solitude into the control panel.

“Kid’s dead to the world, huh,” Conner laughed.

“I tried to wake him but he’s a stubborn one,” Clark acknowledged with a lopsided grin as the Zeta-tube activated.

Conner waited for Superman to take Jon through the portal but Clark offered the teenager the first trip. “After you.”

“Uh… thanks…” Conner mumbled and headed through the portal. Clark and Jon followed quickly behind.

Conner didn’t know what to expect when he stepped through the Zeta-tube but it definitely wasn’t this. He was in an enormous chamber made up of some sort of crystal-like material. There wasn’t a lot of color. The whole thing reminded him of some sort of ice-palace from a fairy tale. He was so transfixed by the place that he didn’t even notice Clark and Jon come up behind him. Conner practically jumped out of his skin when Superman put a hand on his shoulder and said, “It’s quite something, isn’t it?”

“It’s… something alright,” he said, still unable to take his eyes off the sparkling walls of the chamber. “Who are they?”

Superman followed Conner’s line of sight to the massive statues of Jor-El and Lara. “Those are my parents. My birth parents. I guess you could say they’re your grandparents.

Conner studied the faces of the Kryptonians and thought he might have been able to see hints of himself in them. “Did you make all this?”

Clark laughed, caught off guard by the question. “No. It was made with Kryptonian crystal technology programmed by Jor-El and sent with me in my pod when I escaped my planet’s explosion as a baby. My father wanted to give me access to my heritage even if he and my mother couldn’t be here with me.”

“So this place taught you about Krypton? Let you know who you are and where you came from?”

“Yes. I can show you the archives later if you’d like to see Krypton for yourself. It’s only through holograms but it’s a window to your heritage… if you’re interested.”

Conner nodded, wide-eyed. “Yeah! I mean… I’d like that. Thank you.”

Clark couldn’t help but feel amused at Conner’s reaction. He was still wary of giving the kid too much information about his private life but he was doing his best to get over it. Conner had already seen the most important secrets Clark had: his family, his civilian identity, and Lois. His thoughts were cut off as Jon started to stir in his arms.

“Dumb ninjas ripped my shirt…” Jon mumbled in his sleep.

“Should we wake him up?” Conner asked.

“No, he’s had a long night. I’ll let him sleep for a little while longer while I take Lois home.”

“She’s still here?” Conner asked, unable to hide his surprise.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to take a detour while Jon was about to explode,” Superman joked.

“Oh… right,” Conner nodded, trying to keep from looking too embarrassed. He hadn’t realized that Clark and Lois had still been at the fortress that late in the night. He really didn’t want to ask about it either. “Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize for anything, Conner,” Superman said seriously, as if trying to make the words real for the younger hero. “Come with me. I’ll put Jon in one of the bedrooms and then I’ll show you how to use the archive. You can play around with that while I take Lois home.”

“Who said anything about going home?” Lois’s voice rang out from one of the hallways leading to the chamber the three Kryptonians were in. She appeared in a t-shirt and sweatpants with a comfortable pair of slippers on her feet, her dark hair pulled back into a messy bun.

Lois noticed Superman looking at her with the cutest dumbly surprised look on his face. “What? You didn’t think I was just going to wait up for you all night like one of those war movie girlfriends, did you? I knew you were coming back. In the meantime I got your robots to make me something comfortable to relax in. You’re the one who told them to follow my orders. That was a dangerous thing to do, Smallville. I could have formed my very own robot army and taken over the world by now considering how long you left me alone here. Lucky for you I decided to take a nap.”

Clark’s dumbstruck look morphed into a beaming smile as Lois monologued and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her. Of course he’d have to wait until Jon was standing on his own two feet before he could do that. “It’s good to see you, Lois.”

She grinned back at him, the happiness covering up the relief she was feeling at seeing that he was alright. She’d never admit it but she had been worried sick not just for Clark but for Jon too. “I’m glad to see that Jon’s okay.”

“No big deal,” Conner said. “The kid just exploded a little. Knocked Clark on his butt.”

Lois bit back a laugh. “Did he now?” Exploded had to be a euphemism for something, right?

“Mom?” Jon mumbled into the blanket he was wrapped in and started to stir in Clark’s arms.

Lois really could have melted at the sight of the ten-year-old calling for his mom in his sleep. “Poor kid. Speaking of which, are we going to talk about these two?” she asked, indicating Conner and Jon.

“We should put Jon to bed,” Conner offered, ready to play interference for this particular subject.

Lois put her hand up and stood her ground. “Nope. This concerns you, Conner, so you should stay and participate in the conversation. Clark told me he was going to give me the truth. I’d like to hear it now.”

“Lois, Jon’s had a really long night…”

Lois glared at the superhero. “I’m not leaving ’til I get answers, Clark. You can tell me, or I can torture it out of you with my army of robots.”

“Mom… don’worry. Save you from… robots…” Jon mumbled and shifted in Clark’s arms, snuggling deeper into his father’s collar.

Lois snorted in amusement. “Okay, that’s adorable. Jon just saved your butt, Smallville… but I honestly would like to know who the boys really are,” she said much more gently as the joke died.

Clark and Conner looked at her, then at each other, then back to Lois, silently thinking the same thing: This was going to be an awkward conversation.

Chapter Text

Thursday, September 14, 2010
The Fortress of Solitude
8:00 am EST

“Jon… wake up, Jon. Jonnnny.”

“Nnnnn, too early, Con… Go’way.” Jon’s brain felt foggy. Conner’s voice sounded like it was so far away that it didn’t seem important to pay much attention.

“Damian’s been waiting for you in the training room for ten minutes. He’s gonna come get you himself if you don’t wake up.”

Jon startled awake. Sleep was nice but at this point he was programmed to jump at the threat of one of Damian’s lectures. The small boy felt himself being held in familiar arms that were strong and comforting, with something soft wrapped around his shoulders. He looked up to see the face of his dad smiling at him with obvious amusement.

“Dad?” He said groggily through a small yawn, trying to stretch but finding his arms stuck in the blanket that he was nestled in.

“Dad?” A female voice squeaked from behind Jon, high and filled with a sort of surprised panic.

Jon watched his dad’s face suddenly morph from amused horrified in the blink of an eye. Clark’s eyes went wide and his head jerked up to look at the owner of the voice: Jon’s mom, Lois Lane. “Mom?”

“Mom?!”

Jon didn’t think he had ever heard his mother’s voice get so high-pitched. That was when he realized where he was and his own expression mimicked that of his father’s. He flew out of Clark’s arms, the blue blanket falling from his shoulders. He was in the Fortress labs, filled with all the Kryptonian testing equipment he wasn’t allowed to play with. He turned in mid-air to see his mom… or his not-mom… Lois, standing there, staring, trying to formulate a coherent thought and unable to say anything because… ‘mom!’ That was the one thing he was not supposed to say in front of her!

“Well… that’s one way to reveal your secret identity,” Conner muttered as he watched the scene unfold, looking rather worried by Lois’ reaction. “Kid, I think you just broke your parents.”

“Okay, stop!” Lois said, her brain finally processing words again. “You,” she pointed at Clark, “explain now.”

“Okay,” Clark said, sounding more like he was making an apology than an explanation. “Obviously you aren’t his mom.”

“Ya think?,” Lois agreed sardonically, her panic ebbing and giving way to something more like confused anger. “I’d definitely remember having a kid!”

“Not you,” Jon said quickly, trying desperately to fix the situation. “Well, kind of. But not you you. A you from a different reality and also kind of in the future. Because I’m from an alternate Earth… alternate dimension? You know what I mean, right?”

Lois’ head was reeling. It was too crazy and yet she found herself immediately accepting Jon’s explanation. This was her life now and she was oddly okay with it. Her boyfriend was an invincible alien and in another universe they have a kid… kids. Was Conner hers too? How did any of this make sense to her?

“My full name is Jonathan Samuel Kent. My mom is Lois Lane-Kent and my dad is Clark Kent.”

Lois’ brain felt like mush. “This is so surreal. We named you after our dads? Really? That is so hokey… and totally something Clark would do,” she added with a wistful smile.

“You don’t like my name?” Jon asked, looking like he was about to cry.

“No!” Lois said quickly, waving her hands in front of her and shaking her head as she tried to clarify what she had just said. “I love hokey! And you’re a great kid! You both are!” she added, looking to Conner. I just wasn’t expecting to find out I have two kids from an alternate future reality. It’s a lot to take in.”

The adorable pout on his face was enough to make Lois want to hug the poor kid and never let him go. She didn’t consider herself the ‘mom-type’ at all. All the implications and follow-up questions of these kids made her mind race. Did that mean in another reality she and Clark were married? If Clark did propose to her now, would it be because he loved her or because he felt like he had to do what an alternate reality’s version of himself decided? Wait, that was stupid. Clark wouldn’t let some other world’s version of himself dictate his life! So they have kids in another reality. Jon’s a cute kid! Conner is angsty but what teenager isn’t? She supposed she wouldn’t mind having a kid of her own someday. She wasn’t ready at this point in her life but eventually… What was raising a kid with superpowers even like? She decided she needed to stop focusing on the word ‘kid.’ She couldn’t start freaking out in front of them. She was supposed to be the adult here!

“It’s actually just one ‘future kid,’” Conner corrected, pulling Lois out of her spiraling thoughts.

“What?” Lois asked, almost missing what Conner had said.

“Jon’s yours. I’m just the unwanted clone. Created right on this version of Earth, too.”

“Conner…” Clark began, trying to deny the idea that he was unwanted.

“It’s fine, Clark,” Conner said, cutting him off with only the slightest hint of bitterness peppering his words. “I get it and I appreciate that you’re trying, but you can’t deny when you first saw me you wanted nothing to do with me.” He turned his attention to Lois and added. “He didn’t know about me.”

Lois was sure she had heard what she heard but still, she had honestly not expected that either. Well, who could honestly expect the world of science fiction to suddenly be her reality? Even so, she found she was quickly adapting to it, because this time Lois was able to quickly compartmentalize the questions in her head and ask them in a calm, rational manner. “Someone cloned you?”

Clark nodded once, slowly, his eyes deadly serious. “It was a shock. I wasn’t ready for it.”

Lois could relate. She wasn’t ready to find out about Jon, but… no… he didn’t. He wouldn’t! “You ran away,” she said, not a question but a statement of fact she didn’t want to believe. When he didn’t deny it she got angry. “Seriously? You’re Superman and you left a superpowered teenager alone to fend for himself.”

Clark was not expecting that and blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. “Batman—”

“Does not have superpowers!” Lois said darkly, crossing her arms and glaring. “Not to mention he shouldn’t have to take care of your kid… your clone… who is a kid. And the fact that I’m saying that sentence with a straight face shows just how weird my life has gotten in the last twenty-four hours!”

“Oh no,” Jon whispered as he floated down to land next to Conner, who couldn’t tell if Jon was amused or terrified. “She’s using her ‘mom voice.’”

“Everything at dinner last night is making so much more sense now,” Lois mused.

“I…” Clark started, not quite sure what to say. He couldn’t tell her how he felt the moment he heard Conner announce that he was his clone. Conner was right in front of him. He wasn’t ready for that talk quite yet.

Somehow Lois could sense how uncomfortable Clark was and she lightened her tone. She knew she had a tendency to come across as a bit intense sometimes. “Clark Kent, you are the most decent, well-meaning person I know. Were you brainwashed or something?”

“Just completely overwhelmed and freaked out,” Clark explained as he looked to his teenage clone. And we’re talking now, so…”

“He still has no idea what to do with me but he doesn’t think I’m evil incarnate ready to body-snatch his life anymore,” Conner finished.

“I never thought that, Conner,” Clark said, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused (or if that’s what Conner really thought, completely ashamed).

“Could’ve fooled me,” Conner said with a nonchalant shrug. “Now want to explain to Jon what it is you need to do to in here? There is a reason we came to the labs, right?”

“Right,” Clark said, looking from Conner to Jon.

“I blew up,” Jon said with a resigned tone. “Now we have to check my DNA, right?”

“He blew up?” Lois asked, sounding horrified.

“He’s fine, obviously,” Conner said quickly, finding that he didn’t want Lois to worry. Pointing at Jon, he added, “but he went through this thing on the island and let off, like, a panicky power blast that knocked Superman out.”

“He knocked you out?” Lois asked Clark, as if for confirmation. She couldn’t believe anything was capable of knocking out Superman, let alone a child. The kid was ten!

Clark smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Which is why I need to run some tests.”

“Do I have to?” Jon whined, throwing his head back dramatically. “Batman already did that back in my reality. It’s so boring sitting still while the scans run.”

Superman looked sympathetically at Jon. “I wish I could just call up your world and get the test results.”

“But you can’t,” Jon pouted. He looked genuinely distraught that he had to sit still for another set of scans.

“Hey, Kid. Don’t look so sad,” Conner said, ruffling Jon’s hair.

“But it’s boring!” Jon whined, knowing full well he wasn’t going to get out of it.

“I’ll be right here keeping you company,” Conner tried.

Jon crossed his arms, his lower lip sticking out just a bit. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you were the one getting scanned.”

Conner sighed. “Fine, what do I need to do?”

Jon looked at him like he was crazy. “Seriously?”

“Sure,” Conner shrugged. “You and me, kid. We can be bored together.”

Jon huffed. “Fine. But you go first. It’s that bed-looking thingy with the doohickey over it.”

Conner looked to Clark for confirmation.

Clark stifled a laugh. “His description is accurate. I don’t see a problem with you getting scanned too. It might even help us figure out what’s going on with your powers.”

Conner stretched. “Well, I’m all for figuring out why I can’t fly yet. Bed-looking thingy with the doohickey it is.” He walked over to it and laid down. “So how long do I have to stay in this?

“About five minutes for a full body scan,” Clark said with just the barest hint of amusement in his voice.

Conner turned his head to stare disbelievingly at Jon. “Seriously?”

Jon looked confused at Conner’s outburst. “What? It’s a long time.”

Conner cocked his head to the side and just glared at him in response.

“It is!”

The Watchtower
9:00 AM EST

He was a Flying Grayson high above the cheering crowd of Haley’s Circus. He loved to be in the air more than anything and his new black costume with the blue bird insignia across the chest looked badass. He was confident and the crowd loved him. He grabbed hold of the trapeze as it swung toward him and rode it out to throw himself in a great flipping arc toward the person swinging out to catch him. That’s when he realized he wasn’t the one flying through the air, waiting to be caught and brought safely to the platform on the other side. He was upside down, hanging from the trapeze, hands outstretched, reaching out to Damian. It should have been so simple. It was a move he could have done in his sleep, but as Damian glided through the air Dick couldn’t reach him. Their fingers brushed for barely a moment and then he watched in horror as his little brother fell.

Dick started screaming and thrashing, knocking Damian and Cassandra awake. Immediately the tiny baby in the crib by the end of the beds began crying, also startled awake unexpectedly by Dick’s nightmare.

“Grayson! Calm down!” Damian shouted, kicking Dick in the stomach lightly with his uninjured leg. “It’s a nightmare! Wake up!”

Dick opened his eyes with a desperate gasp. He was breathing heavily, sweat beading on his skin. He looked around to find himself safe in the nest of bedding he had created the night before. Damian and Cassandra were looking at him with clear concern and the baby was still wailing. Dick wasn’t sure he could be any more embarrassed. Then Batman crashed into the room from the hallway, ready to destroy whoever was frightening his kids. Then Black Canary came in and Dick knew he was never getting out of another counseling session again.

“What happened?” Batman demanded.

“Nightmare,” Damian said at the same time Dick practically shouted, “Nothing!”

Batman glared at Dick. “Would you like to try that again?”

Dick glared right back. “I had a bad dream. Not the first time. I’m good.”

Cassandra had taken Little Damian out of the crib-like structure and had managed to calm him down. The room was quiet enough at that point that everyone could hear her when she said, “Lie. Not good. Scared.”

“Not helping, Cass,” Dick whispered, deflating with every word. He knew Bruce could see through his lie even without Cassandra ratting him out. “Okay, I’m not good, but I will be. I always get over it.”

“The circus?” Bruce asked.

Dick nodded bitterly. “Yeah. Mixed with a splash of completely failing Damian again.”

“You’ve never failed me, Grayson,” Damian said quickly, as if Dick was acting stupid for even entertaining the thought.

“That memory said otherwise,” Dick muttered.

Damian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Grayson, did you not see the entire sequence of events? You saved me from a hail of bullets.

“Then got knocked out and you died for it!”

“That wasn’t even you! Not really,” Damian argued. He was going to have to use the correct pronouns to make sure Grayson understood. “I’ve never felt for a moment that my brother failed me. Not for that. There was almost nothing he could have done to save me. Believe me, my father ran literally hundreds of scenarios. The only way I would have survived was if Alfred had stopped me from leaving the cave in the first place, or if Father managed to get out of the safe my mother had locked him in more quickly and the two of you… them worked perfectly in sync to take down everyone in the room and stopped my evil clone. None of that is on you.”

Damian’s words did not make Dick feel any better. The version of himself Damian was talking about was more experienced than he was, better prepared to handle the situation, and he couldn’t save him. How could Dick hope to protect anyone?

Richard wasn’t cheerful. He wasn’t looking on the bright side. Damian could tell he was stuck on what he saw of his counterpart in the memory. Damian was horrified that he was the cause, yet again, of traumatizing someone he cared about. He needed to make it right but he had no idea how. Social interactions, emotions, comforting people… none of that was a strength of his. He was well aware of it but now he needed those skills to help his brother get over this. He opened his mouth to say something kind but what came out in his panic to make everything better was, “Stop sulking!”

Damian continued shouting when Dick didn’t seem to look any happier. The sudden outburst didn’t manage to make him feel better but it did manage to shock Dick. Damian could see his eyes widen and his breath hitch. “You’re supposed to be the unflappably happy one, damnit! If it weren’t for you I’d still be a sociopathic murderer! Father couldn’t have done that for me. He’s barely hanging on, himself. He couldn’t even work with me after he got back from…” He couldn’t tell them he was lost in time. He had to stop saying things that could alter or influence these people’s lives. “Back. You were the one who made me a decent human being because you were always hopeful, you never gave up on me, and you always saw the best in me, even when I didn’t. Out of all the people who raised me, it was Richard John Grayson who had the biggest impact on my life.”

Dick was speechless. He wasn’t quite sure how to take all that. What was Damian saying? “I raised you?”

Damian realized too late that he had said too much again but he wasn’t quite as upset about it as he should have been. He felt like Richard deserved to know that. He was grateful for everything his brother had done for him. If he had a choice he would never have chosen to become an assassin. Richard taught him that he did have a choice.

“Well, don’t let it go to your head,” Damian said, his words tinged with a fondness Dick hadn’t heard from him before. “It was just until father returned. Richard did everything he could for me. I chose to fight the Heretic. I would have done it whether he was with me or not and I would have died either way. Do not take the blame of that night, Grayson. You’re not my Richard. My Richard feels guilty enough about it for the both of you. Besides,” he added in a much lighter tone, “I doubt this reality’s version of my mother will be making any evil clones of me. She seems to actually give a damn about my well-being. Now, let’s tell Batman all about last night before his need to know every piece of information about everything ever gives him an embolism. That is what you’re here for, I’m assuming.”

Batman responded with an annoyed grunt.

“Don’t worry, Cass,” Dick said, his trademark grin finally starting to reappear. “That’s just how he sounds when he’s amused.”

Cass nodded in agreement. She didn’t need a Bat-translator. She could tell the man that had entered the room was filled with relief, happiness, and love. He did seem a little wary of her though. Because she was holding the baby? He knew she was safe, but there was a part of him that couldn’t trust her because he didn’t know her. She’d have to change that.

Cassandra walked over to the man in the black Kevlar batsuit and smiled, trying to convey that she wasn’t bad. She knew it was difficult for people to understand her sometimes… most of the time. It wasn’t her fault though. Talia had said so and so did Ravi. They weren’t lying either. Cassandra could usually tell when someone was lying.

“Hello,” she said, using one of the first words Ravi had ever taught her.

Batman towered over her and had to look down to meet her eyes. She was used to looking up at people. Being short was only a temporary inconvenience. She was still growing. Cassandra could see the inner conflict of the man. He held himself with a powerful presence, but there were the almost imperceptible ticks and tells that she could see more clearly than most people. He was still uneasy.

Cass held baby Damian with obvious care. She wanted to reassure Batman that everything was alright. She could see him studying her, assessing whether or not she was a threat. He was smart. Even though she was a child she was still dangerous. Most people saw her and immediately dismissed her abilities. Robin had told her that Batman was a good person and Robin didn’t seem to be lying when he said it. She decided she liked this ‘Batman’ and wouldn’t mind staying with him.

Batman knelt down so he could be closer to eye level to the little girl who was trying so hard to show him she wasn’t a threat. Talia had asked him to look after her. He couldn’t trust the kid completely yet, but he could still make her feel welcome. “Hello, Cassandra.”

“You hold Damian,” she offered, putting the little bundle in Batman’s gauntleted arms.

Cass smiled and the boys on the bed snickered at the surprised expression that Batman almost never showed. Having a baby thrust into his arms was not the response he was expecting from the little assassin. It was the first time he had held his child since finding out about him. He felt awkward, unsure of himself, but the moment he looked into Little Damian’s eyes he knew that everything was going to be alright. He wasn’t going to miss this little guy’s childhood and he was determined not to screw it up.

Bruce sighed contentedly and looked up at the surprising little girl. She seemed so genuine that it was difficult to distrust her. He felt comfortable enough in the short amount of time he had known her that he decided to do something that would probably come back to bite him. Then again, she was going to find out who he was sooner or later anyway. He removed his cowl and she saw the truth in his eyes when he said, “Thank you, Cassandra. It’s very nice to meet you. My name is Bruce.”

Canary snapped another photo with her cell phone. Bruce was going to be angry but it was so worth it. Besides, he’d be happy for the pictures in the future.

Cass beamed. She had seen what her actions did for Bruce and it made her feel content… even better. She never realized how good it felt to make someone happy. She had never had the opportunity to make someone feel that way before. Maybe Ravi when she learned a new word, but this was different. She didn’t have the words to describe it, but she liked the feeling.

“So… does this mean that Cass is gonna be my little sister?” Dick asked, not even trying to hide the hope in his voice.

Bruce couldn’t help feeling amused. He was so relieved that his kids were okay that he was putting off the hard questions he was going to have to eventually ask, but he could answer that. “Cassandra and Ravi will be staying at the manor for a while.”

“Ravi too?” Damian asked as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.

Bruce nodded. “Martian Manhunter has already interviewed him and determined him not to be a threat. I trust J’onn’s judgement.” Though obviously there was always room for error, even with a telepath. Bruce would be keeping a close eye on both of the newcomers.

Damian couldn’t believe how different this version of his father was. He had been expecting to argue with him for an hour to even get him to begin considering the possibility of letting Cassandra and Ravi into the manor. Then again, this version was younger, less world-weary. He hadn’t lost anyone yet… and Damian suddenly realized that he hoped this version of his father never had to go through any of it.

“Can I see him?” Damian asked, a slight waver in his voice.

Batman knew J’onn had allowed Ravi out of his room and was currently with him in the dining area. It would probably be alright to take the kids for breakfast. He put the cowl back on. “You’ll need a wheelchair until your leg heals.”

Damian’s face fell. “What?! That’s not fair! I’m fine.”

“You still need to keep your leg elevated,” Bruce explained calmly.

Damian scowled and crossed his arms. “This is completely ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous is you permanently damaging your leg because you were too stubborn to care for it properly,” Bruce countered.

“Tt,” Damian huffed. “Fine. But the dining hall better have waffles.”

Fortress of Solitude
9:30 AM EST

Conner and Jon had grown bored waiting for the results of their scans. Jon recommended they explore the Fortress and, having nothing better to do, Conner followed him. They eventually ventured into one of the many training areas.

“Wow…” Conner said, clearly impressed as he took in the high ceilings and crystalline appearance of the training room. “You think Clark would let us build a movie theater in here?”

Jon’s face lit up at the idea. “That would be awesome! Let’s ask him!”

“Whoa, maybe we ask him for something a little less… huge first. Like a Mercedes.”

“Batman could help. I bet Damian could convince him. We could have movie nights here!”

“Do you seriously have movie nights at the Fortress of Solitude on your Earth?”

Jon’s face fell. “Well, no…”

“But you thought it was a possibility here?”

“It never hurts to ask,” Jon shrugged.

Conner laughed and ruffled Jon’s hair.

“Hey!” Jon protested and tried unsuccessfully to smooth it back into place.

“Don’t bother, kid. You’ve had perpetual bed-head since you woke up.”

Jon frowned, looked at Conner defiantly, and again tried smoothing his ebony locks. “Doesn’t mean I can’t try.”

Conner again tried to muss Jon’s hair, grinning maliciously as the frustrated ten-year-old swatted at his arm and whined, “Con! Stop it!”

“Sorry, kid. Big brother privileges.”

“But I’m technically older than you!”

“Time is relative… and I’m taller,” Conner grinned, catching Jon in a full Nelson as the smaller boy tried to fly out of his reach.

“Ah!” Jon yelled in frustration, his arms pushed up over his head. “No fair!” He was about to shoot them both up into the air when they heard voices. Something that had just been said caught both of their attention. The boys stilled and listened. It was Lois. She was speaking softly but not quietly enough to keep from being overheard by super-hearing if someone was trying to listen in.

“Honestly, I thought you were going to say a broken condom in high school.”

“Really?” Clark’s voice sounded surprised but not scandalized. “What do you think I was like in high school?”

“Well, it’s a lot more plausible than a clone and a kid from the future!”

“And an alternate reality. Honestly, Lois, you don’t have to worry. Nothing he does or we do will affect us or our future.”

“Clark, just knowing he exists has affected our future.”

“Why? I’m not asking you to marry me. I do have a plan for it. I’ve been planning my plan since the first time I saw you. I’ve always known I’m going to eventually ask, but I know you’re not ready right now. So, when you are ready, just know that my proposal will be amazing. It will involve flying because you’ve already told Superman that it’s romantic and it will take your breath away.”

The boys heard only silence for several seconds after Clark’s declaration. Jon could just imagine his mom standing there, staring speechless at his dad.

“What if I propose to you first?” Lois finally said, her voice cracking slightly.

Jon wrinkled his nose. It was never fun to overhear his parents talking all lovey-dovey to each other (and this was the most lovey-dovey of all things. His dad had basically just promised his mom they would get married). Jon didn’t think he was supposed to be overhearing this. It seemed like it should be something private, just between the two of them.

He looked up at Conner who looked uncomfortable as well. “I think we should try to focus on something else.”

“Yeah,” Conner agreed. “Maybe we can find the Archives further into the Fortress.”

“Yeah!” Jon agreed. He liked the idea. The Archives were really interesting. He should have thought of going there first when they started to wander around. The boys were about to leave the training room when Lois’ voice drifted to their ears once more. The moment they heard what she was saying, both of them froze where they stood.

“Well, do you know who did it? How they did it? How does someone clone Superman without him even knowing?” Lois asked.

The conversation had apparently taken a turn while the boys were distracted. Conner wanted to know the answer to her questions as well. He knew next to nothing about himself and it was beginning to be a sore spot for him.

“Cadmus did the cloning but I don’t know who ordered the project. Cloning Kryptonian DNA shouldn’t even be possible. It’s too complex. And I have no idea on that last question,” Clark said, sounding frustrated. “Believe me, I’d like to know the answers too.”

“Well, you can’t keep this from him. He deserves to know, even if it’s painful. I’d want to know if it were me. Besides, you’ve already done a spectacular job at alienating the kid. One more piece of bad news isn’t going to destroy your relationship. Not telling him might, though. That’s a whole other form of betrayal that you’re not going to be able to come back from.”

“I know,” Clark’s voice sounded tired and concerned. “I just don’t know how I’m going to break this to him. He’s been through a lot and I haven’t made things any easier on him.”

Conner and Jon looked worriedly at each other. Clark had stayed at the lab to review the scans. They must have finished and he must have found something bad.

“Is he talking about me?” Conner whispered, his voice just a little more high-pitched than usual.

“It sounds like it,” Jon whispered back, his brow furrowed, thinking deeply about what Superman could have been talking about. “Are you dying?”

“No!” Conner practically shouted, not wanting to even consider the possibility. “Why would you think that?!”

“I don’t know!” Jon panicked. “It was the first thing that came to mind!”

“I really do need to work on that super-hearing with you.”

Both boys looked up to the entrance of the training room to see Superman and Lois standing there, watching them freak out over what they had overheard.

“We were just practicing!” Jon said just a little too loudly. “We weren’t eavesdropping!”

Clark smiled sadly. “It’s okay, Jon. You could hear me. I could hear you. I should have been paying better attention. Conner, we need to talk.”

Conner looked at the Man of Steel with confusion. “My scan results?”

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Jon asked, unable to hide the worry in his voice.

Superman looked uncomfortable. He needed to discuss Conner’s results in private. Whether he shared the information after that was his choice. “I’ve been studying the results of your scans and I found a couple things I think you will want to know about.”

“Am I dying?” Conner asked. He was worried enough to reveal a genuine concern in his tone as he asked.

“No,” Superman almost laughed as he shook his head. It was only for moment before his expression returned to the somber thing it had been when he entered the room. “Nothing like that, but I think this is something you need to know about.”

“Dad?” Jon asked with giant, concerned, puppy-dog eyes. “Is Con okay?”

Clark’s heart clenched inside his chest as he heard the fear in Jon’s voice. Lois saw the turmoil in Clark’s eyes and went to help alleviate his concern. She bent down on one knee to be closer to eye level with the ten-year-old. “Of course, Conner is okay, I promise. Why don’t you come spend some time with me while he and Clark talk?”

Jon looked frightened for the boy he had come to see as something of a big brother. He didn’t want to leave him alone to get potentially devastating news. He knew his dad’s mannerisms and this Superman was practically screaming, ‘I’m about to tell you something you are not going to want to hear!’

Jon was about to protest and clamp onto Conner’s arm like a koala bear when the taller boy put a reassuring hand on Jon’s head. He smiled down at him and whispered, “It’s okay. I promise you’ll be the first person I talk to after Clark tells me what’s going on. Spend some time with your m… Lois.”

“Why don’t I show you the zoo?” Lois suggested with an encouraging smile.

Jon had seen the animals in the Fortress of Solitude on his Earth but he hadn’t gotten around to paying them a visit on this one. He nodded his head and after another moment took Lois’ hand.

“Don’t worry, Jon,” Lois whispered as the two of them made their way out of the training room. “Con’s going to be fine. After we see the animals we can go exploring. There’s no way I’ve seen everything already.”

Jon giggled, already feeling better as he heard his mom’s reassuring voice. “Okay. Have you seen Kandor yet?”

Lois shook her head. “I don’t think I have but I’m sure you’ll be able to show me.”

As the two made their way toward the zoo, Conner noticed Clark’s brow was furrowed and he had a confused look about him. It was different from the concerned look that he had entered the room with.

“What?” Conner asked.

That seemed to snap Clark out of whatever thoughts had been spinning around in his brain. “Nothing,” he said as he began to lead Conner back toward the labs. “Something Jon just said was odd, is all.”

Conner shrugged again. “You can always ask him after you show me how I’m not dying but dealing with something equally as awful.”

“Why do you automatically assume it’s something horrible?” Clark asked nonchalantly, trying not to stress the kid out even more than he already was.

“Come on, Clark. I may not have known you for very long but you have a horrible poker face. I saw how you looked when you asked to talk with me. Even Jon saw it.”

Clark couldn’t argue with that. He wore his emotions on his sleeve (something he needed to work on according to Bruce). “I think it would be better if I showed you.”

They finally arrived back at the labs. Clark guided Conner in and sat him at a bank of monitors. Conner looked at the large crystal displays in front of him. They were showing two sequences of DNA.

“This one is mine and this is Jon’s,” Superman explained, pointing to one of the displays. You can see in these places how the human and Kryptonian DNA blends together on Jon’s scans. It’s fifty-fifty, merged seamlessly.”

Conner could see what Clark was talking about. He wasn’t an expert on genetics by any means but he knew enough to get by. He’d studied it on his own for a while to try and understand his own biology, as a clone.

“Now look at this,” Clark instructed, pointing to another display. “This is yours.”

Conner studied it. He wasn’t quite sure what Clark wanted him to see when suddenly it clicked. His DNA should have been an exact copy of Clark’s but it looked more like Jon’s. “What the hell? Is this real?”

Clark nodded, his hand on Conner’s shoulder, steadying him and providing emotional support.

“This is… I have the same blend in my DNA as Jon does. What does that mean?” Conner asked, sounding distressed.

“I don’t know why they did it, but your DNA is a mix of Kryptonian and human. You’re not completely a clone of me. You’re something else.”

“Huh…” Conner said, accepting the information a lot more calmly than he thought possible. “Well, that wasn’t the bad news I was expecting. When you were talking to Lois you sounded like this was going to be the worst news ever. This, I can live with. I actually feel like this has helped me understand who I am a little bit more.”

Conner was about to leave the labs when he noticed the guilty look on Clark’s face. There was something more that he still wasn’t saying.

“What?” Conner asked suspiciously, bracing himself.

“There’s something else,” Clark said, looking like a dark cloud was descending over everything in the room. He moved his hand over some crystals in front of him and the displays changed. “The computers noticed that there is an anomaly in your DNA. The genetic sequences relating to your growth, aging… It’s like it’s all frozen. My best guess, when the boys broke you out of your cloning pod early, they interrupted something key in your physical development. It may be why you haven’t developed a full set of Kryptonian powers like Jon.”

“Okay, so I just have to wait until they develop naturally, right? I can deal with that.”

“That’s not what I’m saying, Conner,” Clark said sadly.

“Then, what are you saying, Clark?” Conner asked, a touch of annoyance in his voice. He wished Clark would stop beating around the bush and tell him the bad news already. The anticipation was killing him!

“From what the computer told me, you won’t be developing any more powers because you won’t be aging anymore.”

“Excuse me, what?” That had not been what he was expecting to hear.

“I don’t know what happened but breaking you out of the pod early froze your ability to age. Internally you’re fine, completely normal for a Kryptonian/human hybrid clone. Externally…”

Conner had a look of sheer horror on his face as the realization hit him. “I’m going to look sixteen for the rest of my life.”

Clark nodded. “I’m sorry, Conner.”

“Aw, come on!” Conner shouted, standing up and shouting to no one in particular. “Seriously?! I have to be a clone, I get that, but now I can’t even freaking grow up?! What the hell?!”

“I know this is—”

“This sucks!” Conner shouted, as if making the loudest noise possible would somehow make him feel better.

“Conner, I’m here for you, alright,” Clark said, taking the teenager by the arms to steady him. “You aren’t alone in this and you can talk to me. I know I haven’t been there for you in the past but I’m going to change that. I’m here now. You’re not alone.”

Conner tried to calm down but the thought of being sixteen forever like some lame sparkly vampire made him want to vomit. “I think I just need some time alone, Clark,”

Clark gave him the space he needed, saying “Conner, if there’s anything I can do to help you through this…”

Conner shook his head violently and stormed towards the door of the lab. Before he left, though, he paused and turned back to face Superman one last time. “I do have one thing you can do,” he said tiredly, feeling drained from the revelations of the morning.

Clark looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to voice his request.

“Help me find my mom.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, September 14, 2010
The Fortress of Solitude
10:00 a.m. EST

Lois stood on the ground in the Historical Archive of the Fortress of Solitude watching her kid from the future fly around the room searching for what he described as a tiny Kryptonian city in a bottle. Like a ship in a bottle… except real, tiny people lived in it. So far they had had no luck tracking it down.

“It has to be here!” Jon said as he clenched his fists in frustration. “You’re sure you haven’t seen anything like it at all?”

“Maybe it just doesn’t exist in this reality,” she suggested, not wanting to see the discouraged look settle into the little boy’s features.

“There’s no way Kandor doesn’t exist here,” Jon pouted. “It’s Kandor. It’s famous!”

Lois smiled. Ah, the logic of ten-year-olds.

“It’s like saying that Star Wars doesn’t exist,” Jon continued.

“The missile defense system?” Lois asked, tilting her head to the side as if thinking hard.

Jon gasped and looked horrified. “You don’t have Star Wars?”

“Oh no,” Lois said, wincing. “Oh, don’t look like that. Sorry! We absolutely do have Star Wars here. Leia’s my favorite character. I was just trying to make you laugh. Lucy always used to love it when I acted like I didn’t know what she was talking about. I’m sorry, Jon. I guess I’m not used to talking to kids.”

“Oh,” Jon said sheepishly and blushed. “It’s okay. I’m just never sure what’s the same here. This Earth and mine are really similar though. I shouldn’t second guess myself, right?”

Lois let out a relieved breath. “Right. If you mention something we don’t understand, it’s no big deal. You had me worried there for a minute. When you thought there was no Star Wars you made this expression like I had just killed your cat or something.”

The look returned. Except now Jon seemed like he might cry.

“Oh crap. What did I say?” Lois asked in a panic. Babysitting her little sister was never this hard! What was she doing wrong? She had faced down corrupt politicians and didn’t bat an eye while covering citywide supervillain attacks, but this? How was she so bad at talking to her future son? It definitely wasn’t this difficult before she knew who he really was.

Jon shook his head quickly. “No, it’s nothing! You just reminded me of something.” He paused for a moment, debating with himself whether he should continue. “Um… but if you ever do get a cat… make it an indoor cat maybe…”

Lois could put two and two together. The poor kid had probably lost a pet somehow and here she was making insensitive similes. “I’m sorry, Jon. Did something happen to your cat?”

Jon shook his head like his life depended on it. That wasn’t suspicious at all. She was about to press him about it when Clark walked into the room. He was alone.

“Where’s Conner?” Jon asked immediately, relieved for the distraction from his mom’s questions. Still, he was worried about whatever it was his dad had to talk to Conner for.

“He needed some air. I showed him where the front entrance is.”

“How did he take it?” Lois asked with a concern in her voice that Jon didn’t like.

“Is Con okay?” Jon asked. He couldn’t keep the worry from seeping into his own voice.

“Conner’s tough, Jon. He’ll be fine. He just needed some space,” Clark explained.

“But if he’s upset he should be with his family,” Jon argued. “He shouldn’t be by himself.”

“Sometimes people feel better when they’re alone. Especially teenagers,” Clark tried, knowing it was a flimsy excuse but Conner had wanted to be alone and Clark didn’t want to risk making him more upset. He’d already given the kid possibly the worst news of his short life.

“You always know how to talk to people about everything. Why is it so hard for you to talk to Con?” Jon asked the question with such innocence that it threw Clark for a moment. Had Jon asked the question in anger he might have been able to deflect it but Jon sounded like he honestly couldn’t understand why Clark was so awkward around Conner. Clark was at a loss for words. How could he explain it to a kid like Jon?

“Sweetie,” Lois said gently, putting her hand on Jon’s shoulder, “why don’t you go get Conner and see if you can convince him to come back inside while your dad shows me some of the archives.”

Jon was suspicious. He was fairly certain that she was trying to keep him busy so she could talk to his dad without him. His parents would do that sometimes back home if they needed to talk in private. The only thing was, he wanted to make sure Conner was okay so he went with the suggestion. “Okay, but we’ll be back soon so you should finish your conversation quick.” Before Lois or Clark could say anything Jon was out the door, flying to the entrance of the Fortress of Solitude.

“We make a smart kid,” Lois observed with a wistful smile.

Clark couldn’t help but smile along with her. It was true. He knew he would have to send Jon back to his world and his real father as soon as they figured out how to travel through realities, but he was dreading the day that would happen. He had grown attached to the adorable little cinnamon bun. Was it bad that he was jealous of himself for raising such an amazing kid?

“Conner’s a good kid too.” Lois took Clark’s hand and looked up into his impossibly blue eyes.

“I know he is,” Clark said sadly. The fact that Conner wasn’t bad made him feel terrible for avoiding him. Despite that, Clark still couldn’t help but feel reminded of the fact that someone had stolen his DNA every time he looked at the boy… Except that feeling had been lessening over the past few days as he got to know him better. Despite the conditions of Conner’s “birth,” Clark was glad that he was alive. It was the circumstances surrounding Conner’s creation that caused the Man of Steel to lose the ability to think straight.

“You’re both victims in this, Clark. It’ll get easier the more time you spend with him.”

“Lois, I’d hardly call myself a victim.”

Lois squeezed his hand and looked at him sadly. “Clark… you can stand up to bullets and punch a comet out of the sky. Physical pain means nothing to you. You’ve never been good at withstanding emotional pain, though. You can shrug off a lot, but you can get so hurt when you care about something. I adore you for that. You have the biggest heart of anyone on the planet. That’s why I know you love that kid… and why it hurts you so much to be around him. I know I don’t have to say it, but I’m here if you ever want to talk about it… or vent or just be near someone who cares and not say anything at all. I’m here for all of it.”

Clark couldn’t form words. He knew if he tried to say anything he would break down right there in front of her. Instead he simply took Lois in his arms and held her, a silent thank you to the woman who was everything to him. She closed her eyes and listened to his heart beat just a little faster than normal, knowing exactly what he was trying to say.

The Watchtower
10:05 a.m. EST

Damian felt self-conscious as he wheeled himself into the dining hall behind Dick and Cassandra. He hated being stuck in the chair but because of his stupid leg injury he had no choice. Then again, Gordon managed to be one of his father’s most valuable soldiers even after she was paralyzed by the Joker. Then again, Damian’s hacking skills were nowhere near Oracle’s and he just couldn’t get his mother’s voice out of his head: ‘Never show weakness.’

He saw that several tables scattered about the large room were occupied. Harper was there with Artemis and Kid Flash. They were speaking in hushed tones and Damian could tell just from their expressions that the conversation was intense. Then his eyes fell on a table near the back of the room near a large Window overlooking the Earth. There was Ravi, looking almost happy as he chatted with J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter. He was here, safe and healthy… and alive. Damian’s throat closed up as he held back the tears that were trying to escape his eyes. Now that he was no longer in danger, having nothing more pressing to focus on, the reality of Ravi’s situation hit him like a battering ram. Damian had watched him die and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He knew the Lazarus Pit was not the ideal fix for the situation but he couldn’t leave things like that, not for Ravi. He had hurt him so much on his own Earth. Saving him here meant everything to Damian.

Still in his sweats from the night before, Damian wheeled himself over to the table to greet the old man. He could feel Batman’s eyes following his every move but saw that his father had held back by the doorway with Baby Damian. He wondered for a moment why his father was not following behind him to meet Ravi but when he saw Martian Manhunter get up to leave his seat at the table he realized they were letting him have this moment alone. Damian was extremely grateful for it.

Ravi noticed Damian heading toward him and stood up to greet the boy, trying hard not to let his concern show when he saw the wheelchair. “Lord Damian! Are you alright? I was told your injuries at the Pit were not serious.”

“I am fine, Ravi. Just Father being overprotective.” He stood up and could imagine Batman’s disapproving glare from the doorway but he didn’t care. Ravi was alive and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Damian wrapped his arms around Ravi, knowing full well that the older man would be uncomfortable with the public display of affection. He just didn’t care. Damian knew they were in a safe place and he needed the tactile proof that Ravi was really there. He had watched him die right in front of him less than a day ago. The memory brought a shudder to his small frame.

Damian felt Ravi return the hug, tentatively at first, then much stronger. “It’s alright, Lord Damian. I am alright. You saved me.”

“You saved me first,” Damian mumbled, his voice cracking under the emotions he was feeling. He didn’t even care that everyone in the dining hall was watching.

“Ravi!” The light, vibrant voice of a young girl cut through the silence. Cassandra ran over and dive-bombed the two of them, wrapping her small arms around Ravi and Damian with more enthusiasm than she had shown since arriving on the satellite.

“Miss Cassandra,” Ravi said with a loving smile. “I’m so happy to see you are alright.”

Cassandra returned his smile like a ray of sunshine and hopped over to the table he had been sitting at. She placed her breakfast of pancakes (piled high with various berries and soaked in a puddle of syrup) firmly in front of her. When no one immediately joined her at the table the enthusiastic eight-year-old patted the seat next to her, looking up at Ravi and Damian expectantly.

When Ravi noticed the meal she had in front of her, he couldn’t hide the momentary look of concern that passed over his features. He managed to hide it well enough from Damian but Cassandra, as always, noticed right away.

Cassandra tilted her head slightly to the side, trying to figure out why Ravi suddenly looked worried. Was it because of something she did? She noticed his eyes flick from her to her plate of food and suddenly it clicked. He was worried about the food. Was it poisoned? He wasn’t trying to warn her of anything so that couldn’t be it. Still, he was troubled by the food in front of her.

“Do you want?” she asked, trying to get her voice to pitch a little higher at the end of the sentence so it sounded like a question. Talking was so complicated. She knew she had to do it so other people could understand her but it made her exhausted most of the time.

Ravi realized she may have misunderstood his knee-jerk reaction to seeing the pile of food and tried to explain. “No, it is alright, Miss Cassandra. I have already eaten. I’m just worried that your body is not used to so much processed food. It may make you sick.” Ravi knew that her father only let her eat what she hunted and foraged for herself once she had become old enough to do so. He’d often see them in the early mornings returning from the forest on Infinity Island with wild boar or large waterfowl.

“Aw, let her live a little,” Robin spoke up as he appeared seemingly out of nowhere and sat down beside Cassandra. He placed his own breakfast of some sort of sugary cereal with colors that couldn’t possibly be natural on the table. “Once we get home, Alfie will make sure we all eat healthy. He’s probably making up a dietary plan for everyone as we speak. But this is outer space. It’s like international waters. The rules don’t apply here.”

“But it could still make her sick,” Ravi argued politely. “Her location doesn’t change the fact that she’s not used to that type of food.”

“But… look at that masterpiece!” Robin cried, pointing to the mountain of deliciousness in front of Cassandra. “You can’t deny her the experience of eating pancakes for the first time. In outer space! She chose them herself! And it’s not all unhealthy. She put blueberries and strawberries on top!”

“I don’t know why you’re advocating so strongly for this, Grayson,” Damian said. “It’s not like he’s trying to take away your cereal.”

“But they’re her pancakes!” Dick dramatically exclaimed, arms flailing.

“You’re such a drama queen,” Damian grinned, watching his brother perform for the little audience in front of him. Dick just grinned back, enjoying every minute of it.

Cassandra knew Ravi was worried for her but she had tasted odd foods before and her new brother really wanted her to try the pancakes. She liked him exaggerating for her amusement and giggled before taking a bite of her pancakes. They were warm and gooey and tasted like pure happiness. She had never experienced anything like it before.

Everyone watched as Cassandra’s eyes went wide and she gasped, letting out a little whisper, “Whoa…” after she swallowed.

“Told you they were good,” Dick chirped, taking a bit of his own sugary breakfast.

Cassandra wanted pancakes everyday for the rest of her life. “Very good.” She wished she had better words to describe things.

“Well… Just don’t eat too fast, Miss Cassandra,” Ravi said, his apprehension still very visible. He had a bad feeling about her choice of breakfast but when he saw how much she enjoyed the food, any hope of recommending a healthier alternative went out the window.

“Where’s Batman?” Dick asked as he swallowed another spoonful of cereal. “I thought he would have made his dramatic entrance by now. I was fully ready to defend Ravi’s honor from Bat-paranoia.”

“Thank you?” Ravi said, a bit confused.

“I’m sure he would have if he had managed to get ten feet past the doorway.” Damian pointed to where a mass of Justice League members were gathered. Everyone was cooing over Batman’s new baby, keeping him from moving more than a few feet in any direction. Batman seemed overwhelmed by the attention but looked oddly not ridiculous dressed as a giant bat carrying an infant.

Dick took a picture of the scene with the camera embedded in the holo-display on his glove and laughed maniacally. “That is going on display in the Cave.”

Damian sat back down in the wheelchair. The pain in his leg was finally annoying enough that he decided to listen to his body and alleviate the pressure he was not supposed to be putting on his limb. “I’m going to get waffles. If father does manage to make his way over here before I’m back, make sure he plays nice.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Dick saluted.

Damian rolled his eyes and wheeled himself away from the table. He didn’t want to eavesdrop on anyone but as he passed by Roy, Artemis, and Wally he couldn’t help but overhear their loud argument.

“I’m not asking for a lot, Artemis. Just a meeting. A place to start.”

Damian could sense the desperation hidden underneath the annoyance and anger in Roy’s voice.

“I’m not lying, Roy,” Artemis responded with the same tone. “If I knew how to get in touch with her, don’t you think I’d try? She goes by ‘Cheshire’ for a reason. She’s great at disappearing. If she doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be. I don’t know how to contact her. Our best play here is to wait for her to show herself. Once she does that, I’ll set up a meeting.”

“It could be months before she shows up again!” Roy slammed his fist on the table, causing everyone’s dishes to rattle on the table.

“And acting like an entitled little princess is not going to get her to show herself any sooner!” Artemis shouted back, standing up so she could have the momentary advantage of height in the argument.

Roy immediately stood up to meet Artemis’ glare with his own. “I need to know, Artemis! I need to know if he’s alive and I need to know why… why did they do this to me? Him… both of us!”

“Who did what?” Damian asked as he rolled up to the table.

Roy looked down at the chair-bound teenager and glared. “Did you know?”

“Roy,” Wally defended. “Misplaced anger. Come on, man. Damian’s been through a lot.”

“Tt, I don’t need you to defend me, West. What exactly am I supposed to have known?” Damian asked flippantly, unimpressed by Roy’s temper.

“Was Roy Harper cloned on your Earth? You could have said something!”

Damian was taken aback by the question and it showed in his clearly confused expression. “Wait, were you cloned or are you a clone?” he asked, trying to clarify what Roy was talking about. That was definitely not what he was expecting when he made his way over to the table.

“And that answers that question,” Wally mumbled.

Roy looked genuinely shocked that Damian had no idea. “So… your Roy wasn’t ever...”

“Not that I’m aware of… Though, if you’re a clone, it would explain a lot. Your personality is very different than his.” Damian had known plenty of clones in his life. It wasn’t like Harper being one was anything special, just… unexpected.

“Great,” Roy huffed and collapsed back into his chair. “I can’t even get help from the alternate reality future-Robin. This would be so much easier if I had a place to start.”

“Start what?” Damian asked.

“Finding the other Roy,” Wally supplied as if it should have been obvious.

“The original,” Roy nodded. “I’ve been living his life for the past three years and didn’t even know it. The Shadows had me believing I was him for a reason. If I find him, maybe we can figure out what they were trying to do. Besides, I owe it to him to get him out of whatever hole they’re keeping him in.”

“While I think your objectives are noble, you have to consider the possibility that your original has already—”

“Don’t say it,” Roy growled. “He’s not. He can’t be. I don’t know… I just have a feeling. He’s alive and I’m going to find him. I have to. I’m the reason this happened and I owe it to him to get him home”

“You know,” Damian said, not trying to argue, “for some reason I believe you.”

“Really?” Wally and Roy asked at the same time.

Damian shrugged. “I know my version of Roy Harper. As much as I berate him for being a man-child who had the bad luck of becoming my brother’s best friend, he’s something of an eccentric genius. If you are even a fraction like him, I have little doubt you’ll accomplish your goal.” He then added as an afterthought, “But if you ever happen to run into him, this conversation never happened.”

“I’m sorry,” Artemis said with a shake of her head, “I just can’t see Roy as a ‘man-child’ (as you put it). What exactly did your Roy do to deserve that title?”

“Honestly? He’s a literal genius. He created all of Green Arrow’s trick arrows. I will grudgingly admit that he could quite possibly fix or recreate any machine you throw at him… but he’s an imbecile. He and my brother teamed up for a while and he tried to advertise their vigilante services via a billboard that read ‘Rent-a-Bat. Call 555-RED-ARSE.’”

Wally inhaled, unable to keep from letting out a laugh. Unfortunately it made him almost choke on the mouthful of omelette he was shoving into his face-hole at that very moment. Artemis gave him a look that screamed ‘man-child: I see what Damian’s talking about now’ and slapped him hard on the back. Wally coughed gave her a grateful but embarrassed half-smile.

“It was hilarious,” Damian agreed, ignoring the speedster’s near-death experience. “I don’t think he meant it as a joke, though. The number actually worked.”

Roy snorted, trying to stifle a laugh. It was the first time he had felt like laughing in a very long time. “Oh my God, why would Robin let me do that?”

“Wasn’t him,” Damian said, eyeing Dick across the room. The teenager was waving his hands animatedly as he related one of his death-defying adventures with Batman. Damian shook his head amusedly, wondering if Grayson was doing that for Cassandra’s benefit or he was just that enthusiastic. “My other brother.”

“How many brothers do you have?” Wally asked, sounding surprised. “You know before you showed up and I saw that,” he pointed toward where Batman stood with Baby Damian, surrounded by a horde of Justice League members all cooing over the baby, “I wouldn’t have really pictured Batman as the family type. He’s good with Rob, but I couldn’t really picture, like, siblings.”

“Spoilers,” Damian said dryly to hide the fact that he felt a sudden pang of severe homesickness. “I’ve come to realize that giving away too much information about my world might have unforeseen consequences. Stupid anecdotes are probably harmless but general information like that could have lasting effects on those involved.”

Artemis noticed an almost imperceptible change in Damian. She wasn’t sure what it was but he suddenly seemed less enthusiastic about their conversation.

“Okay, but at least tell us what his code name is,” Wally demanded with a wry grin. “I have to know. That’s amazing. RedArse… Roy’s Red Arrow so there’s the ‘Red.’ Your brother’s code name is ‘Arse’ then? Or does it just start with A R S E?”

“I don’t think anyone would willingly just call themselves ‘Arse,’” Artemis said, looking at Wally with a suffering expression. “It has to be either Arsenic or Arsenal.”

Damian gave a non-committal shrug. “I never said my brother was the ‘arse.’ Well, he kind of is.”

“Wait,” Roy said in disbelief, “I’m the ‘arse?’”

“You totally are,” Artemis laughed.

“Sorry, man. I’m with Artemis on this one,” Wally cackled, enjoying the conversation a lot more now that Roy and Artemis weren’t screaming at each other anymore.

“Traitor,” Roy frowned and glowered at Wally, even though the amusement in his eyes was clear as day.

“I can’t say too much,” Damian reiterated. He was trying to be better about keeping anymore information of his world from getting out. He was about to shut the conversation down when a thought popped into his head and he paused. “But I feel that I should tell you one more thing before you go off on your own to hunt down the bad guys.”

Roy nodded, noticing the seriousness that had set into Damian’s voice.

“My Roy has always been very up-front about his faults. He’s told many people his story. It started when he was overwhelmed by the hero business. He turned to alcohol. The alcohol turned into pills and the pills led to needles. It took him a long time to get clean and stay that way.”

Roy forgot to breathe for a moment. Damian’s words felt like getting punched in the gut. “Wait, you’re… you’re saying that on your Earth I’m a… I’m a drug addict?”

“No way,” Wally said with a horrified look. “Roy would never—”

“Recovering drug addict,” Damian cut him off. “My Roy Harper’s been clean for years but as far as I know he was never cloned and is not a clone himself. I’m not saying that you or your original will become one, but you do have the same DNA. It is likely that you may be prone to develop the same coping mechanisms. I don’t want to see you go down that path so I’m telling you this even though I probably shouldn’t. I would be… upset if I found you were going through what my world’s Harper did.”

Roy had to just stare at the kid for a moment, then his expression turned pensive. “I wasn’t even thinking of turning to drugs to deal with this, Damian, but now that you’ve put the thought in my head…”

Damian looked at him in a panic, thinking he had just screwed up again by giving Harper that information. That was when Roy couldn’t hold back his grin anymore and he broke out in laughter. “Oh my God, the look on your face!”

“Harper…” Damian scowled. “That wasn’t funny.”

“What can I say? I need to find humor in this or I’m going to go insane,” Roy said, brushing a tear from his eye. “And your expression when you thought your little speech backfired was priceless. I’m getting the security footage of that moment before I go.”

“When are you leaving?” Damian asked, silently hoping it wouldn’t be too soon.

“Probably after breakfast,” Roy said with a sigh, leaning back in his seat. “I think I need to figure out who I am before I can really get past this. That’s going to mean finding my original.”

“What are you going to do?” Damian asked.

Roy shrugged. “Artemis is going to try and get me in touch with her sister. Eventually.”

Artemis stuck her tongue out at him with an indignant look.

“I figure she’s a good place to start looking,” Roy continued, ignoring her. “She might know something since she was one of my handlers.”

“I could try contacting mother. I don’t know if Cheshire went to her side when the fighting began but if she did, she may be able to help you two get in contact.”

Roy shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, kid, but I don’t want to have to owe a favor to Talia al Ghul. If Artemis can’t contact her sister, I’ll find another way.”

“Very well. Harper, I wish you luck.”

“Thanks,” Roy said, slightly thrown by the fact that Damian was being so civil with him.

“May I offer a suggestion, though?” Damian asked, slightly less confident than he normally spoke.

Roy gestured that it was alright with just the barest hint of suspicion.

“What you’re planning is going to be challenging even with a support system. You can rely on the Team, I’m certain of it,” Artemis and Wally nodded in agreement, “but family is ultimately what’s going to get you through the most difficult times.”

Roy frowned and dropped his eyes. “Thanks for the advice, Damian, but… how am I supposed to face Oliver? I’m the freakin’ pod-person that replaced his kid.”

“Harper,” Damian glared at Roy, “How long have you known Green Arrow?”

“Until today, I thought since I was thirteen, but apparently I’ve only been alive for about three years.”

“So you’ve known him your entire life, and at this point you’ve been with him longer than the original Roy. Don’t you think that counts for something?” Damian asked.

Roy shook his head sadly. “That just makes it worse.”

Damian groaned. “Why is everyone in my life so stubborn?”

“Really, Damian?” Wally challenged disbelievingly. “You really just asked that question? You?”

Damian ignored Wally and looked around the room, trying to see if he could find Green Arrow and force the two stubborn men to talk to each other. He didn’t see him anywhere. “You can’t possibly avoid him forever. The Watchtower is only so big.”

“Which is why Dinah put him on monitor duty so I could have breakfast before I go,” Roy explained.

Damian sighed. “You can’t tell me Canary is complicit in your avoidance tactics.”

“No. She’s recommending I talk to him, but she won’t force me. You know, when I found out I wasn’t going to become a member of the Justice League, I was so angry. It felt like a betrayal and it was easy to blame Green Arrow. It was easy to quit being Speedy. I needed to show him… show everyone I could make it on my own. That I wasn’t just some stupid kid playing hero. Now, with everything that’s happened, I don’t feel angry anymore. I just want to make it up to him. I need to find Roy before I can face him.”

“Stubborn,” Damian deadpanned. “Forget my Harper, you and my brother deserve each other.”

“Love you too, Damian,” Roy said, his voice dripping with snarky sweetness.

“Careful, Harper. I’m not above dragging Green Arrow back here to ruin your day,” Damian threatened as he started to wheel his chair away from the table. He noticed that his father was no longer being bombarded by a mass of superheroes. In fact, his father was no longer in the dining hall at all.

“Where are you going?” Roy called to him suspiciously as he wheeled away.

“Don’t worry, Harper. I’m not going to do anything you wouldn’t want me to,” Damian called over his shoulder.

“That doesn’t reassure me! Don’t go to Ollie!” Roy called from the table.

Damian smirked as he made his way back to his own table. All that talk of home made him wonder where Jon had run off to. He didn’t see him in the dining hall, which was where he expected his friend to be. Not seeing him there made Damian uneasy.

“Have you seen Jon at all?” Damian asked Robin as he approached the table.

Dick thought about it a moment before shaking his head. “No. I don’t think I’ve seen him all morning. But I wouldn’t worry. He’s got to be somewhere on the station, right? Batman probably knows. He left with Little You a few minutes ago when you started to get cranky.”

Damian nodded and looked to Ravi. “Will you be alright for a few more minutes stuck with this showboat?”

Ravi laughed. “Miss Cassandra and I have been quite entertained by Master Richard’s stories.”

“Oh no! Not you too, Ravi,” Dick cried. “I’ve been trying to get Alfred to drop the ‘Master’ bit for ages! Don’t encourage it!”

“Ravi,” Damian said with an evil smirk, “Don’t let Grayson bully you. You and Alfred can gang up on him and call him ‘Master Richard’ if you want.”

“Traitor,” Dick pouted.

Cassandra watched the exchange in fascination. Richard was trying to convey that he was hurt but the amusement he was feeling was obvious to her. He wasn’t really trying to hide it. Damian on the other hand was worried and anxious but trying to show everyone that he was calm and relaxed. She wanted to ask Damian what was wrong but before she could do anything he was wheeling away from the table again and heading for the door. He wanted to do whatever it was he was doing alone. Cassandra was worried about him but she didn’t have the words to voice her concern. She hoped Damian would be alright.

The Fortress of Solitude
10:05 a.m. EST

Conner stood outside the enormous door that lead into the Fortress of Solitude. It was snowing but his Kryptonian genes kept him from feeling the bite of the cold on his skin. Anywhere inside the Fortress felt stifling but seeing the massive, empty expanse before him was helping him calm down after the revelations of the morning.

“Are you okay?” Jon asked as he floated over to Conner. “Dad said you wanted some space but he wouldn’t tell me why.”

Conner closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, letting his breath out slowly and giving himself time to think about how to explain to Jon why he didn’t want to be around Superman right now. If he was being honest with himself he wasn’t entirely sure he could put the reason into words.

“You ever get so overwhelmed that you either need to go off to be by yourself or risk doing or saying something that you can’t take back?”

“Oh, yeah,” Jon said enthusiastically. “There was this kid at Lancaster Elementary… he picked on me constantly. He was such a jerk face but no matter how much crap he talked I couldn’t do anything about it. I wanted to punch his head off, I really did. It was frustrating not being able to just make him shut up.”

Conner watched the horizon line as Jon told his story. The kid always seemed so happy, like a little ray of light no matter how dark the world around him was. It was jarring to hear that he had been bullied.

“Whoever said, ‘Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me,’ was a liar. Words hurt. I’ll take sticks and stones over words any day of the week.”

“What happened?” Conner asked, hoping that the story had a happy ending.

Jon sighed. “Dad found out about it. He talked to me about responsible power use and how I can try diffusing the situation with words. The usual grown-up response to that kind of thing. Then he took me to a junkyard and let me smash stuff ’til I felt better.”

Conner barked out a laugh and shook his head in amused disbelief.

“So the moral of the story is,” Jon said as he made a snowball and chucked it at Conner’s head, “smashing stuff is a great way to help you feel better.”

“Hey!” Conner shouted as the snowball hit him in the side of the head and exploded in a puff of white powder. “That was a cheap shot!”

Jon could see that Con was smiling and was relieved that his gamble had paid off. Conner could have easily shouted at him to go away and leave him alone, but he was laughing as he scooped up a handful of snow and lobbed it at Jon.

Jon took to the air and the two began an epic snowball fight outside the entrance to the Fortress of Solitude. By the time it was over they were both covered in snow and looked more like abominable snow creatures than children.

As they lay collapsed in the snow, staring up at the clear sky, Jon asked Conner what was bothering him. “So what did he tell you?”

“Your dad?”

“He’d only tell me you needed your space.”

Conner wanted to explain everything to Jon but he wasn’t sure the ten-year-old would understand. He gave it a try anyway. “Well, I apparently have two biological parents and also am incapable of aging beyond how I look right now.”

The words struck Jon with an almost physical power. He sat up and stared at Conner in disbelief. “Are you serious? You aren’t really a clone and you never have to grow up?”

Okay… not the response I was expecting, Conner thought to himself. “I don’t get to grow up, Jon. I don’t want to be the only one of my friends who’ll never look old enough to rent a car or get into a bar.”

Jon looked at him like he was crazy. “Why would you need a car when you can drive a spaceship or the Supercycle? And we can’t get drunk so why would you ever want to go to a bar?”

Conner shook his head. He knew Jon wouldn’t understand. “It’s alright Jon. It doesn’t matter. I’m more concerned right now with my other genetic donor. I’m still a clone. The scientists at Cadmus just used human DNA to stabilize my genetic code. At least that’s what Clark says. But that means I have a mom out there somewhere and I have so many questions. Did she know about me? Was she willingly part of project Kr or did they steal her DNA like they did with Clark? If I find her… would she even want me?” Conner’s voice cracked on the last bit of the sentence and he cleared his throat to try and hide it. “I mean, Clark took to me so well when he found out about me.”

“The sarcasm is strong in this one,” Jon said, trying to lighten the mood with a Star Wars reference. He hoped Conner had seen Star Wars.

Conner smiled, but just barely. “I know he’s trying. It’s nice to see that he’s putting in the effort. I just can’t shake the idea that the only reason he’s doing any of it is because of you. If you hadn’t arrived that day, would I be here right now? Would I have met the Kents or Lois?”

Jon looked uncomfortable at the questions Conner was posing. He shrugged, unsure of himself as he said, “Maybe it would have taken a little longer, but I know my dad. He always does the right thing in the end. I’m not sure why he didn’t want to get to know you right away but… I don’t know. He’s my dad. He’s never let me down. I’ve made plenty of mistakes and he’s always been there to pick me up afterwards and tell me everything was going to be alright.”

“It sounds nice to have someone like that,” Conner mused. “I just don’t think I can see myself and Clark having the same relationship that you two do.”

“Why not?” Jon asked innocently, truly confused as to why Conner would think that way.

“It hurt, seeing the person I was created from for the first time and immediately being rejected. Dads don’t do that. At least… they’re not supposed to. I… I don’t know if I can forgive him for that.”

Jon felt something inside him break a little as he listened to the sadness in Conner’s words. His throat felt dry and he remembered something that Damian had told him once. “Forgiveness isn’t forgetting. It’s giving the other person the freedom to make new choices.”

Conner considered those words. He could hold onto his anger and keep blaming Clark for the things he did in the past or he could forgive him and start anew. He didn’t have to forget about the past, but he didn’t have to let it define his present either. “You’re a smart kid, you know that?”

Jon grinned, hiding his embarrassment. “It’s all Damian’s fault. He’s a bad influence on me.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell if you won’t.”

“It’s a deal,” Jon laughed. “Besides, you’re still my brother no matter how you feel about Superman. You want to go back inside now? Dad is showing mom the archives and you haven’t seen the crystal hologram displays of Krypton yet. They’re so cool! It’s like you’re really there!”

The corners of Conner’s mouth raised just the slightest bit as the emotions he was struggling with decided to give him a welcome reprieve. Conner was incredibly grateful he had met this little kid from another reality. He was someone who knew what it was like to be Superboy and accepted him without hesitation. Jon didn’t even realize how much that meant to Conner. “Alright, kid. Lead the way.”

The two stood up and brushed the snow off of themselves. Jon then led Conner back through the crystalline hallways of the Fortress of Solitude. It was easy for him due to the fact that this Fortress had a very similar layout to the one back home. The two walked into the Archives and immediately noticed that there were three people waiting for them. Clark and Lois were standing in front of a man who looked to be about Clark’s age but was dressed in clothes that were straight out of a science fiction movie. They were chatting good-naturedly with each other and Lois was blushing.

“Thank you. That’s kind of you to say,” she said, smiling as she leaned comfortably into Clark. He wrapped his arm around her waist in a motion that seemed natural and familiar to them both.

“And these must be the children,” the man said as he turned around to face the boys.

“Who is this?” Conner asked Clark defensively, ignoring the stranger between them.

“Hi grandpa!” Jon waved.

“Grandpa?” Conner asked skeptically. He looked to Clark for confirmation.

“This is Jor El’s holographic avatar,” Jon explained excitedly as Conner watched Clark nod. “He’s programmed to act and sound exactly like grandpa would have and carries all of Jor El’s memories.”

“That’s correct, Jon,” the hologram said with a kind smile. “I am programmed to respond to and interact with the people around me just as Jor El would have.”

“So this is the same guy as the statue?” Conner asked.

“That’s right,” Clark said, walking over to the boys with Lois. “This is how I learned about my heritage, my birth family. Jor El can tell you anything you want to know about Krypton.”

“Kal El began his education with a family history. Would you like to begin with that as well?” the hologram of Jor El asked.

Before anyone could respond, Clark’s communicator buzzed in his ear. It was Batman’s personal channel. Clark sighed apologetically. “Sorry, I have to take this.” He flew up into the air and exited the room, leaving Jon, Conner, and Lois with the Jor El hologram.

“Is there a particular place you desire to see or any question you would like answered?” Jor El asked.

“Um… can I see one of Krypton’s cities?” Conner asked, a bit of uncertainty creeping into his voice as if he were expecting the hologram to deny his request.

“Of course,” Jor El smiled kindly. The room around them shifted as if by magic, the crystals disappearing to reveal a sprawling metropolis with people going about their daily business. Conner and Lois were left speechless by the realism of it all. Jon practically shook with nervous, excited energy.

“This is Kryptonopolis, the second largest city on planet Krypton. It became the planet’s capital after the alien Brainiac stole the city of Kandor,” Jor El explained.

“An alien stole an entire city?” Conner asked in disbelief.

“That’s right. One night it was there, and in the morning, it and all 100,000 of its residents had disappeared.”

“Isn’t Kandor the city in a bottle you were telling me about?” Lois asked Jon.

“Yeah! Wait… so it’s not here? He asked the hologram.

“I have taken inventory of every item currently in the Fortress of Solitude and the lost city of Kandor is not one of them,” Jor El explained easily.

“Oh,” Jon said. He couldn’t hide the look of disappointment and worry. Not only was he not able to show everyone the bottled city, it was probably still locked away in Braniac’s collection. His dad hadn’t rescued it yet and that meant he couldn’t say anything else about it.

“You okay?” Conner asked.

“Yeah, Con. Just don’t mention Kandor’s in a bottle on Braniac’s ship to my dad. I don’t think that’s something I should have talked about.”

“Kon?” Jor El asked.

“Just a nickname Jon calls me,” Conner said even as he wondered why he was explaining himself to a computer program.

“You know,” Jor El began. “Kon is a Kryptonian name and you are a descendent of the House of El. Would you prefer I refer to you as Kon El?”

“Heck yeah!” Jon said excitedly. “That’s awesome! I don’t even have a Kryptonian name yet. That sounds so great: ‘Kon El.’” Jon said it with his voice lowered, trying to emulate his father’s tone. He was giddy with excitement for Conner until he noticed that Kon wasn’t smiling.

Conner had to think about it. He didn’t understand why but he wanted the name. Somehow having it made him feel connected to Krypton more than even seeing the holographic images in the archives did. It was something that he could call his own, but in taking the name would he be stealing Clark’s heritage? He didn’t think he could make that decision without asking him first.

“Conner?” Jon asked worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

Lois put her hand on Conner’s shoulder, speaking softly to him. “It’s alright Conner. You don’t have to take the name if you don’t want to.”

Conner shook his head. “That’s not it. I do want it but I don’t want to take it without Clark’s permission. Is a Kryptonian name special? I don’t even know. I don’t know anything about Kryptonian culture. It doesn’t seem right to use the name right now without asking Clark if it’s okay with him.”

“Then let’s ask him,” Lois suggested with an encouraging smile. “We can talk to him together, but I already know what he’ll say.”

“I’ll go get him!” Jon added enthusiastically as he rushed out the door to bring his dad back.

“Jon, Wait!” Conner protested but Jon was too far away to hear.

Jon didn’t have to fly far to find his father. Superman was standing with his back to him speaking to someone through his communicator. He didn’t want to eavesdrop again but he heard Batman over the device in his dad’s ear. Batman didn’t sound happy… and he was talking about him.

What about Jon? Batman asked. Have you figured out what caused the detonation? I’m sure Damian’s going to start asking about him soon.

“He’s doing alright,” Clark said, sounding tired and distracted. “The scans were a dead end though. Aside from showing me just what a human-Kryptonian hybrid’s DNA looks like, I haven’t learned anything new about what happened last night. I’m going to have to bring Lois back to Metropolis soon. I’ll bring the boys back with me and drop them off at the Watchtower after that.”

No, Clark, Batman said forcefully. You can’t. It’s too dangerous. If he goes nuclear again the Arctic is the safest place he can be. If that happened on the station he’d kill us all, you know that.

Clark sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know, Bruce, but I’m not kidnapping anyone. If either of them want to leave, I’m not going to force them to stay here. I’ll do my best to encourage the idea but if they want to leave, they can leave.”

Clark, think with your head, not your heart. This is the best option, the only option until we know Jon’s not going to detonate again.

“You think I’m gonna hurt people?” Jon asked, sounding confused and upset. His sudden announcement startled Clark enough that he flinched. He turned around to see Jon floating in front of him, looking devastated.

“Oh, Jon. No,” Superman said, rushing over to the boy and pulling him into a comforting hug. “I know you would do everything in your power to never harm another person. But last night… you didn’t have control and we just wanted to make sure everyone would be safe.

Jon could hear Damian screaming at his father through the communicator. “I tried really hard not to hurt anyone,” he whispered, trying desperately to hold back the tears that were threatening to come out in force.

“Clark, what’s wrong?” Lois shouted, running to see if Jon was alright. Conner was only a moment behind her. The two had decided to go after Jon but didn’t think there was a need to hurry. Now they were regretting that decision as they looked at the little boy who was so upset he was beginning to shake.

“My fault,” Jon whispered again so softly that only Clark and Conner could hear. “I’m sorry. I’m okay.”

The comms had gone silent and a deafening nothingness had settled in among the group.

“I miss Krypto,” Jon said just to fill the uncomfortable silence. He did really miss his dog at that moment.

“Jon?” Conner asked with clear concern in his voice. He had seen Jon upset before but it never got easier. He wanted to protect him, make him feel better, but didn’t know how.

“I’m good,” Jon said in a shaky breath and untangled himself from Clark’s arms. “I don’t know why I’m so upset. It’s stupid,” he continued and rubbed his eyes, unsuccessfully hiding the few tears that had managed to escape. “Is Damian alright?” he asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Clark felt horrible as he looked at Jon who was trying to act like nothing was wrong. He had basically told his child he didn’t trust him and it was obvious the information devastated the boy. “Bruce?” Superman asked while all he wanted to do was just shut his comms off and talk to Jon. “Is everything alright? Damian didn’t sound happy.”

No, Clark. He didn’t, Bruce said, and Clark could almost hear the scowl over his earpiece. You’re going to be having a visitor.

Jon nodded and said quickly, “I’ll go meet him at the Zeta-tube.”

Before anyone could say anything, Jon was zipping down the hallway like a bolt of lightning.

Conner looked disapprovingly at Clark and without saying a word started to run after Jon.

Clark tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling in defeat. “I screwed up, Lois.”

“I could see that, Smallville. That was painfully obvious,” Lois said, crossing her arms and glaring at him with that look he could never argue with. “The question now is what are we going to do to fix it?”

The Watchtower
10:25 a.m.

Damian had been searching the hallways of the Watchtower for too long and he was getting impatient. How far did his father need to go to comfort a fussy baby? He was about to give up and try to locate the main bridge to see if he could use the computers to locate Jon or Batman when he heard his father’s voice. It was low and far less confident than he had ever heard it since arriving on this Earth. It sounded like a one-sided conversation. Either Batman was talking to the voices in his head or, more likely, he was using his communicator. Damian stopped moving and listened.

“Clark, he told Dick that he raised him. I left and Dick had to raise my son on his Earth… No, I haven’t talked to him about it. He’s been open about some things from his past but he clams up when I try to talk to him about that… He did it at dinner last night before everything happened… I know Clark, but what am I supposed to say? I can’t interrogate an already traumatized child and he’s not going to just offer the information to me if I ask for it… I want you to ask Jon. In fact, ask him about everything… I don’t care, Clark. I am tired of guessing based on the bits and pieces Damian lets slip. Every time I hear more about his life on his Earth, the less I want to send him back… He died, Clark! My son died… I don’t care if he’s not from this Earth, he’s still my kid! J’onn showed me M’gann’s memory bomb. It was just the images but I still could barely get through it. It was horrible, Clark… I can’t talk to him about it. He died and I wasn’t there. No version of me was there…”

Damian felt a twinge of guilt as he listened to Batman. He hadn’t wanted to show anyone that memory. Richard was traumatized enough by it, he didn’t need his father thinking his world was some kind of hellscape where children died left and right. He loved his world. He wanted to go back. He wanted his father, the person who, despite his many mistakes and questionable decisions, risked his life and gave up resurrecting his own parents in order to restore Damian. His heart dropped into his stomach as he realized that his father must be going insane back home trying to find him… It had been days since he and Jon found themselves trapped in this reality. Damian’s thoughts were cut off as his father’s tone changed and he continued to talk.

“When are you going to send Conner back to get checked out by J’onn? …You haven’t even discussed it yet? Clark, he’s a Cadmus clone. Odds are that Roy was made there too and if he had programmed instructions in his subconscious, Conner probably does too… You need to at least broach the subject with him… Fine, but just think about what could happen if the boy does have programming. We should have had the telepaths scan his brain weeks ago… I understand he’s had a bad experience with them but he seems to be getting over it pretty well. He’s dating M’gann… You didn’t know?”

That came as a surprise to Damian too, though the concern Conner showed Miss Martian after she was injured on Infinity Island should have been a clue. Damian didn’t usually miss things like that. He decided to blame it on his stress and lack of sleep at the time.

“What about Jon?” Batman continued. “Have you figured out what caused the detonation? I’m sure Damian’s going to start asking about him soon… No, Clark. You can’t. It’s too dangerous. If he goes nuclear again the Arctic is the safest place he can be. If that happened on the station he’d kill us all, you know that… Clark, think with your head, not your heart. This is the best option, the only option until we know Jon’s not going to detonate again.”

Any good will Damian had felt toward this version of his father vanished in an instant. The bastard had sent Jon away, off the station to keep everyone safe from a non-existent threat (as always). Damian was seeing red as he stood up and stormed toward his father’s doppelganger. “You’re quarantining Jon!? What is wrong with you?”

Bruce swung around, still holding tiny Baby Damian, and saw teenage Damian stalking toward him like a violent little storm. “Dami—”

“NO!” Damian practically screamed. All the emotions from the past couple of days (and if he were being honest with himself, the last couple of years) came pouring out all at once. “You don’t get to do that! He’s my responsibility! Not your’s, not that Superman’s, mine! You don’t get to make decisions like that. For either of us!”

“Damian,” Bruce tried again, this time using his Batman voice but Damian completely ignored him and continued to rant.

“What happened last night was a fluke. That had never happened before, even when he was manipulated into thinking his dad blew his mom’s leg off! Last night was my fault. That wouldn’t have happened on a normal day. You have no idea how strong Jon is!”

“That’s what I’m afraid of, damnit! We have no idea what he’s capable of and whether he can control it!” Bruce tried but Damian cut him off again as the infant version of himself started to cry, startled by the sudden onslaught of loud, angry noises.

“You always do this! God, and I thought you might actually be different here. What’s one more decision for someone else, right? Did you put him in cryo-stasis too?”

Bruce couldn’t admit that the thought had cross his mind. Clark would have never gone for it so he didn’t bring it up when he told Superman to bring Jon to the Fortress of Solitude. Wait… ‘too?’ There were several ways to interpret that question. He hoped it wasn’t what he was thinking. Bruce’s brow furrowed as he thought about what Damian was saying, at least the parts he understood. “Wait, Damian. Did your father put you in stasis for some reason?” He couldn’t imagine what would have possessed him to do that to his son if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. The thought horrified him.

Damian glared at him as if he were facing down the Joker. “You had to deal with it all yourself, just like always. You wouldn’t coordinate with us. If you weren’t such a stubborn ass it never would have happened, but no, it was ‘too dangerous’ and you had the brilliant idea of keeping us safe by forcing us out of Gotham. But guess what, Father? We couldn’t leave you to deal with that psycho alone! We lost one fight and you decided to lock us in the Fortress until it was over. It’s not like Bane never crippled you! He broke your freaking back and you came out of it eventually. That’s way worse than being hung. No wonder Jason cant stand you and Tim died! You make shit decisions when you have an emotional investment!”

“Damian that’s enough!” Batman shouted even though all he wanted to do was hug his son and protect him from everything that had ever hurt him. “Do you even hear yourself?”

“I hate you,” Damian growled. “I’m going to see Jon. Do not try to stop me.”

The venom in Damian’s voiced froze Bruce in place for a moment. All he could do was watch his son storm around the corner and disappear, the wailing of the baby echoing through the halls.

Bruce knew he had screwed up. He needed to go after Damian. Taking a step forward, he suddenly paused. Would following him cause more harm than good? With the way Damian was feeling at the moment, he wasn’t sure. The boy was so complicated and Bruce didn’t know how to handle him. Things had been going so well, but like everything in his life, it was one step forward, two steps back. The baby continued to cry and Bruce’s heart broke a little more.

Bruce? Superman said over the comms, is everything alright? Damian didn’t sound happy.

“No, Clark. He didn’t,” Bruce said and scowled. “You’re going to be having a visitor.”

Damian wasn’t even thinking as he raged through the hallways. The pain in his leg was just enough to keep him rational but he really did want to stab something with his sword… which was still confiscated and being held at the Batcave. He wanted to punch his father so badly but how can you punch someone holding a baby? It just made it worse that that baby was himself. Damian decided that he hated dimensional travel.

Without meaning to go there, Damian found himself in front of a doorway marked ‘Command Center.’ That was where Harper said Green Arrow would be. It was also right next to where the Watchtower’s Zeta-tubes were located. At least the universe wanted to help him get off this stupid space station. Before he left, there was something he needed to do, though. He walked into the Command Center.

“Green Arrow, we need to talk.”

Oliver looked up from the consoles he was working at. “Damian? I don’t have time to talk right now. I—”

“Please, you’re just on monitor duty. The computer runs most of it. A blind chipmunk could sit in that chair and be as successful as you are right now,” Damian said, cutting off whatever the older man was about to say. Despite how he was feeling, he couldn’t help but smirk a little as he noticed one of the monitors had a video feed of the cafeteria. The camera was trained on Roy’s table. “I know you’re worried about Harper. Don’t speak, just listen.”

Ollie was about to argue with the teenager. The entitled little brat needed a good kick in the butt, but something held his tongue. Maybe it was because he mentioned Roy, or perhaps it was the look in the kid’s eyes. They were very expressive when they weren’t hidden behind the white lenses of his domino mask.

“The Roy Harper of my world got into some trouble when he was younger. The stress of the hero life got to him and when you found out about it, you basically kicked him out of your life for a long time. The Harper of this world is going through something different but the emotional impact on him will be similar, I’m sure of it. You need to keep him in your life. No matter how much of an ass he can be, you can’t let it get to you. Don’t be like my Oliver. Roy can become a great hero on his own, but he shouldn’t have to. Support him in his plans and see him before he leaves. Don’t be an idiot. Go talk to your son.”

Before Oliver could question him or even try to make sense of anything Damian had said, the boy was gone, marching out the door and toward the Zeta-tubes.

“That kid is so weird,” Ollie muttered to himself and sighed. He didn’t know what Damian was talking about but he got the gist of the lecture. He needed to talk to Roy and make things right between them. Dinah wanted Ollie to give Roy space until he was ready, but Oliver knew the stubborn kid better than anyone. He could leave his post for a few minutes to talk to Roy. As Oliver left the Command Center he saw Damian walk through an activated Zeta-tube. That probably wasn’t a good thing.

Quickly, Oliver activated his comms and accessed Batman’s personal line. “Uh, bats? Do you know where your children are?”

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
Luthorcorp Metropolis Branch
9:20 a.m.

Lex walked into his office with a steaming cup of fresh coffee in his hand and Mercy Graves, his trusty cyborg bodyguard, by his side. It had been an ordinary morning despite the excitement of the previous night.

Sir, the voice of his secretary came over the intercom on his desk. I have a Miss Head on the line for you. I told her you weren’t taking calls but she is rather… insistent.

Lex sighed. “I always hated that alias. Put her through.”

A sultry yet familiar female voice came a moment later from the speaker on his desk. Good morning, Lex. I’m glad to hear you escaped Infinity Island with your life.

“Talia. It’s funny. I was thinking the very opposite about you.”

Flatterer. But I really must keep this conversation short. Coups and civil wars and all. You know how those can get. So much to do. No time to just relax and enjoy the day. Here’s the thing… I’ve run into some complications. Father knew more about my hidden bank accounts than I gave him credit for. I need funding to support my take-over of the League of Shadows.

Lex almost choked on his morning coffee. “And why exactly would I do that for you?”

You and my father have never really cared for one another. It shouldn’t be a burden to you to break with him and support my bid for his seat in the Light.

“And now you’re taking his place in the Light too? Talia, I thought you were smarter than this.”

I am, Talia said, sounding too smug for her own good. With you and a few other supporters backing me, it will be easy to establish my position while keeping the bloodshed to a minimum.

“This won’t work. I’m not backing you,” Lex said curtly. He was getting annoyed that he had to deal with this first thing in the morning.

How about this then? Talia asked, sounding all business. The pretense of a pleasant conversation was gone from her voice entirely. You will back me in my takeover of my father’s assets and support my entry to the Light or I will tell the Justice League all about your alliance with Vandal Savage and the aliens he works with. You think last night was a blow to your operation? Wait until Superman finds out about your little mind control scheme.

“You wouldn’t…” Lex ground his teeth together so hard he couldn’t be sure Talia didn’t hear it over the phone.

There is very little I wouldn’t do to keep my children safe, Talia replied in a calm and even tone. I believe being on the inside of Savage’s group is a better bet than allowing the heroes to fight against what’s coming. They’ve managed to thwart a number invasions in the past but this is going to be something different. I can see that. So what will it be, Lex? Money and support or should I take what I know to Batman right now?

Lex was seething. “You might think I’m the better option right now but I’m going to kill you one day, Talia.”

I have no doubt you will try. Now, let’s discuss the details of our alliance.

The Fortress of Solitude
10:30 a.m. EST

Damian stormed through the Zeta-tube into the Fortress of Solitude, still feeling the rage he had felt from his father’s words. It was like a pressure built up inside him and no matter how much he screamed it just wouldn’t go away. In fact, he was steadily feeling worse the more he thought about what he had done because he knew he had lost control and yet again gave too much away about his own reality. He had told Batman about Drake and Todd. This was exactly what his father always scolded him about; letting his temper get the best of him.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he almost didn’t notice that Jon was standing in front of him the moment he materialized in the Fortress. Damian almost ran headlong into him when he noticed that his friend was barely holding himself together. Damian knew the look. He was probably wearing it himself at that very moment. Conner stood in the doorway, clearly uncomfortable and unsure of how to help.

“Are you okay?” Damian asked, ignoring his own problems for the moment.

Jon nodded but didn’t say anything. Damian took that as a sign that his friend was definitely not okay. The day Jon Kent didn’t want to talk your ear off was definitely a signal of the End Times.

“Did Superman do something stupid?”

Jon couldn’t meet Damian’s eyes so he just quickly shook his head.

Damian didn’t believe him. He was clearly distressed. Since Conner was here with him, the only person who could have made him this upset would have been Superman. “You want to get out of here and go play Cheese Viking at the arcade?”

Jon took a deep, shaky breath, finally looking at his friend. “Yeah.”

Without another word, Damian programmed the Zeta-tube for Gotham. “Are you coming, Kent?” he shouted back to Conner.

Conner looked back down the hallway. Clark and Lois were coming. Probably to talk to Jon about what had happened. Conner didn’t really know what occurred between Jon and Superman but if the kid wanted to go play video games to feel better he would go with him. Conner walked over to the boys and the three of them stepped into the portal.

Clark and Lois arrived only moments later to find an empty room. “They left…” Clark said as if he couldn’t fathom the idea that the boys would do such a thing. A moment later he turned toward the control panel of the circular gateway before them and began typing. “Don’t worry. The Zeta-tube records all usage activity. I’ll find out where they went.”

Lois looked at what she realized was a giant teleportation device and her eyes narrowed at Clark. She crossed her arms and glared. “Clark… are you seriously telling me that instead of flying through the cold of the Arctic we could have just walked through a portal to get here? I mean, the view was beautiful but your body heat could only do so much.”

Clark’s head snapped up and he stared at her like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming sixteen-wheeler. “Um…”

The Watchtower
10:35 a.m. EST

It had been a long time since Damian had made his way out of the dining area, not to mention the fact that Batman and the infant Damian were also missing. Ravi was beginning to grow worried. If anything happened to either of the Damians Talia would be very upset. Ravi excused himself from the table, making Cassandra promise to follow Richard’s instructions if anything happened.

He walked out of the hall and made his way to the many branching passageways that snaked through the enormous space station.

May I ask where it is you are going? sounded a voice in his head. It was the Martian Manhunter. He didn’t seem angry or suspicious but Ravi couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt at having to be asked in the first place. He had almost forgotten that he was still looked upon with suspicion by most of the heroes, even if he had been cleared by the telepath.

I was hoping to see where Lady Talia’s children have run off to, he responded silently, unsure if that was how he was supposed to talk to a voice in his head.

Responding with your thoughts is perfectly fine, J’onn reassured him. Take this route. You will find Batman and the younger Damian. Suddenly, Ravi knew exactly where Little Damian was and how to find him. He silently thanked the Martian, knowing that there was no way he would ever have been able to find the location on his own without wandering aimlessly for hours.

You are welcome, J’onn replied then added with a hint of sadness, almost as an afterthought, Batman truly is doing the best he can.

Ravi thought that statement was odd and out of place as he made his way to the child’s location. It was only once he arrived that he completely understood why the Martian had made the comment. Batman was there, holding Little Damian who was crying uncontrollably. Even though he was in the cowl and black Kevlar, Ravi could see that the man beneath the costume was more than a little overwhelmed.

He hurried over to Batman. “Here, Sir. Let me take the little one for now. There is a certain way he likes to be rocked when he is upset.”

Batman was still thinking about the blow-up Damian had and the information he had let slip. Jason and Tim. He could only assume those were the names of the other Robins he had alluded to before. His brothers. Bruce’s sons. No wonder Jason can’t stand you and Tim died! I hate you. The words kept playing over and over in his mind.

It was only after a few blissful moments of silence that he was able to get out of his own head. Ravi stood there, rocking the baby, able to quiet him so easily, when Bruce couldn’t manage to comfort the infant at all. He hadn’t even spoken to the man yet and here he was, showing vulnerability, letting him take care of his child. It was not how he had expected to meet this person who Damian obviously cared a great deal about.

Bruce sighed and leaned against the wall. “Am I a bad parent?” he asked, looking more worn and tired than he usually allowed himself to show in the presence of others.

Ravi looked up, startled that the Dark Knight would be confiding in him. He hadn’t even said hello to him yet, but maybe Damian’s trust had allowed Batman to trust him as well.

“I honestly could not say one way or the other, Mister… Batman,” Ravi said gently. “I have never seen your parenting abilities. What I have seen is the way Master Richard talks about you. He adores you, that much is obvious. Lord Damian looks up to you as well. It’s subtle but it is definitely there.”

“Damian just told me that he hates me.”

Ravi nodded sagely and smiled at a memory of his own son shouting at him so long ago. “Damian is a teenager, sir. What teenager hasn’t told their parents they hate them at some point in their lives? It doesn’t make it true. It just makes them human.”

“Dick’s never told me he hated me.”

“Dick, from what I can tell, wears his emotions on his sleeve,” Ravi observed. “If he has a problem, I believe he knows he can talk to you about it. Damian was raised in the League of Assassins on his Earth. If it is anything like the League of Shadows here, showing any dissent or airing of grievances would have been… frowned upon. The fact that Damian felt comfortable enough to yell at you shows a great amount of trust.”

“That’s… horrible.” Bruce could understand, nevertheless he found the idea unsettling.

“It is,” Ravi agreed sadly. He shrugged and handed the tiny baby back to Bruce now that he was quiet. “Though, I could be wrong. I have only known the teenage version of this little one for a night. His outburst could have been a defense mechanism. He hurt you before you had the chance to hurt him. He took the first excuse to lash out and try to sever the emotional bond he’s forming with you. Lady Talia did the same with me a lifetime ago. Anger is an easy emotion when one grows up the way they did.”

Bruce took Damian in his arms and cradled him protectively but the change made Little Damian fussy again and the tiny bundle began whining. It wasn’t the full-blown scream-crying he was doing before, but it was still enough to make Bruce question if he was doing something wrong. Ravi seemed to calm Damian down so easily. It wasn’t fair.

“It’s alright,” Ravi reassured him. “Just bounce him lightly like I was doing and he will settle. Lady Talia was always worried she was doing something wrong when she held him but he is just a demanding child. He will calm himself.”

“You’re not a telepath, are you?” Bruce asked, only half-joking. Ravi’s instructions were working like a charm and Damian was settling comfortably in Bruce’s arms.

Ravi smiled and shook his head slowly. “Just someone who has learned some of Lord Damian’s quirks. You will learn them too the more time you spend with him.”

“So how did you deal with Talia? When she was angry with you.”

“A lot of patience. A bit of reminding myself that it’s not good practice to take what children say in anger to heart.”

Bruce couldn’t help feeling reassured by the old man’s words. If Talia had sent him as a spy, someone who came across as non-threatening and could gain his trust easily, she picked the right person. Bruce had planned to be intimidating and warn Ravi that if he did anything to hurt his kids he would regret it, but Bruce was about as positive as he could be that the man in front of him would never harm a child. He was simply a kind old man who was willing to live among assassins in order to protect someone he cared about. He reminded Bruce more of Alfred than anyone from the League of Shadows.

“It’s not just that he told me he hated me…” Bruce continued, feeling slightly less guarded around the old man now. “I’ve been able to put together some of the pieces of information he’s let slip. I take in more children than just Dick, Damian, and Cassandra. Tim and Jason. Apparently I don’t do a very good job of taking care of them.” To put it mildly, he added silently to himself.

Damian’s angry words came back to him like a bullet to the brain. No wonder Jason can’t stand you and Tim died! It was not much more than a passing statement for Damian, used as a weapon to hurt him. Still, the words had seared themselves into his memory. In Damian’s reality he had gotten his kids killed, had forced one son to raise another. What else had that other version of him done? He couldn’t keep himself from grimacing. He didn’t want to think about it anymore so he changed the subject. “Is it true you stepped in front of a bullet for him?”

Ravi looked slightly embarrassed as he answered. “I promised Lord Damian that I would protect him as best I could. Besides, I would never stand by and let a child be murdered. I’ve already lived my life. It was more than a fair trade.”

“No one should ever have to die,” Bruce whispered, sounding far too much like that traumatized child all those years ago surrounded by blood and pearls.

“Everyone dies,” Ravi said kindly, matter-of-factly, as if he were simply giving someone the time. “Dying for someone I care about… it wasn’t a bad way to go.”

Bruce shuddered and spoke with such raw emotion that it was clear to clear to Ravi that he meant every word he said. “Thank you… for saving him.”

“From one father to another,” Ravi said with a smile, looking at the small bundle in Batman’s arms, “there is no need for thanks. Now come. You should spend time with your other son before he grows too old to want your attention. Believe me. You need to cherish this time you have with them. It will be over far too soon.”

Bruce nodded. Damian would be safe at Clark’s for now and there was the very real possibility that if he went after him he would just end up making things worse. He still needed to speak with the Team about the events of the night before. Then there was the matter of getting Cassandra, Ravi, and baby Damian settled into the manor. The two men (and one one tiny baby) headed back toward the dining hall together.

Gotham City
10:40 a.m.

The boys exited out of the Gotham City Zeta-tube. Jon found it incredibly amusing that it was disguised as a phone booth but he just couldn’t bring himself to smile.

“Come on. The arcade is this way,” Damian said, leading them out of the alley and onto the Gotham streets.

The three walked in silence, which was normally fine with Conner but right now he felt like he was at a funeral. Both Damian and Jon looked so sad. Conner had gotten used to Jon’s cheerful voice talking his ear off. Not having it now made him feel like something was out of place.

“So…” he began, trying for nonchalance. Conner was not the greatest at starting up a conversation. He had no idea what was a safe subject right now. As they continued to walk in not-quite-comfortable silence, he let the possibility of small-talk die. All three of them were incredibly relieved when they finally stopped in front of an old store front with the word “ARCADE” written in big, bold letters above the entrance.

Damian and Jon were happy to find that their favorite Gotham City arcade was in business in this reality as well. It only hit them once they arrived that arcade games required money to play.

Damian growled in frustration. “I usually keep emergency cash in my utility belt but that’s buried under the mountain on Infinity Island right now. Could this day get any worse?”

Connor stuck his hand in his pocket and fished out a couple of crumpled ten dollar bills. “Emergency funds,” he smiled. “This has been sitting in my pocket for months.”

Jon, who had just about given up on doing anything fun, looked up gratefully at Conner. “Thanks, Kon.”

At the same time, Damian looked at the money with contempt and huffed, “It will have to do.”

The boys walked into the arcade and their senses were immediately assaulted with the smell of delicious pizza. All three of their stomachs growled in response to the savory cheese they could almost taste on the air.

“Umm… you mind if we order some breakfast pizza first?” Jon asked.

“Pizza actually sounds really good,” Damian conceded as he looked longingly at the small lunch counter at the front of the arcade.

“Good. Because I was buying us pizza whether you liked it or not,” Conner said, walking over to the lunch counter and ordering for the three of them.

The Watchtower
10:45 a.m.

Batman and Ravi had made it almost all the way back to the dining hall without an incident when they ran into Green Arrow and Black Canary arguing in hushed voices in front of the doorway.

“I need to talk to to him, Dinah. I know you just want to protect him and keep him wrapped up safe from the world but I need to see him before he leaves. I can’t let him go with things like they are between us.

Dinah looked uncertain for the first time. She knew she couldn’t keep playing buffer between Ollie and Roy forever. The two would have to talk if Ollie was being this insistent. She just didn’t want to push Roy into something he wasn’t ready for yet. She understood how guilty the boy felt.

“Dinah,” Oliver tried one last time. “If it were anyone but Roy would you still be letting him avoid me?”

Dinah’s shoulders seemed to tense for a fraction of a second. It might not have been obvious to anyone other than Ollie and Bruce but it was all the confirmation Ollie needed. He smirked at her and she glared back at him. Without either of them saying a word, Dinah spun on her heels and stormed into the dining hall. She grabbed Roy by the shirt collar and practically dragged him out of the room without so much as an explanation.

Roy went along with it until he spotted Oliver standing in the doorway. “Dinah, no! What are you doing?”

“Doing what I should have done hours ago,” she muttered as she pulled him along, straight toward Ollie who was watching the display looking far too amused for his own good.

“Ha!” Ollie laughed, unable to help showing the amusement he felt while watching the scene in front of him.

“Oh no, you do not get to laugh at this,” Dinah growled. The moment she got within arms reach she grabbed his earlobe, yanking his head down hard and kind of enjoying the surprised cry of pain that came from him when she did it. Without missing a beat or feeling any sympathy at all, she continued storming into the hallway toward the first empty room she could find. “You two idiots are going to deal with this like mature adults or you’re going to deal with me.”

Baby Damian, who had been silent in Batman’s arms throughout the entire exchange, let out a cheerful little giggle and reached toward Dinah.

“Not a word, B!” Dinah shouted without looking back.

Bruce had to work very hard to keep his jaw from twitching into a smile. “I think it’s time we rejoin the children.”

Ravi looked completely flabbergasted by the scene he had just witnessed. “Ah… yes. That is a very good idea.” They walked back into the dining hall and joined Dick and Cassandra at their table.

“Hey, B!” Dick said happily as the two approached. He looked up at Ravi, trying to figure out if their conversation had involved any threatening remarks.

“Ravi good,” Cassandra said happily, reassuring Dick that everything was alright between the two adults when she noticed his worried glance toward them.

“That’s great, Cass!” Dick responded enthusiastically. He looked past the adults to the doorway. “Where’s Damian?”

Bruce looked down at the baby he was holding.

“You know who I mean,” Dick huffed.

“He went to see Jon at the Fortress of Solitude,” Batman explained, keeping certain details of the events that lead to his departure to himself.”

Cassandra tilted her head slightly, noticing that Bruce wasn’t giving them the whole story, but she didn’t say anything about it, deciding to see how the conversation played out. Bruce’s body language was showing her guilt but nothing indicating that Damian was hurt or in trouble.

“Oh… okay,” Dick said, sounding disappointed. He was hoping to spend more time with Damian after the kid dropped that bomb on him about his counterpart pretty much raising him. He really wanted to know more about that.

It was just at that moment that the Flash, Barry Allen, appeared practically out of nowhere with a huge light-blue bag filled with baby supplies. “Here’re the things you wanted, Batman. He dropped the baby-bag on the table, making the plates and silverware rattle. “Iris says this is the best one the store had. The online reviews are pretty good. I tried to find one in black but this’ll have to do with the time you gave me. I stocked it with formula, bottles, bibs, a couple extra sets of onesies and—”

“Flash,” Batman interrupted. Barry immediately stopped talking. “You did fine. I appreciate you doing this for me.”

“Oh…” Barry said, thrown off by the complement. Usually Batman just showed his gratitude with a look of annoyance or a sound that couldn’t quite be classified as human speech. “Uh… you're welcome. Is there anything else you need?”

“Actually, there is,” Batman said. “I’m going to need you to debrief the Team. I have other responsibilities I need to attend to.”

“Sure,” Barry said without hesitation. “But then I need to get back to the day job.”

That’s fine. Just get their reports and read them the Riot Act. They can’t keep going off on their own unsanctioned missions. Someone’s going to get killed. Between Cadmus, Yellowstone, and now Infinity Island the kids are showing a pattern of behavior we can’t condone. Tell them I’ll disband the Team if it happens again. You need to make that clear to them, Barry. Can you do that?

Of course I can! Barry telepathically sputtered, looking insulted. I’m an adult. I can lay down the law to a bunch of kids.

Dick looked from Batman to the Flash. The two were just staring at each other. Flash looked indignant and Batman had that bored yet perpetually angry look that he always wore while in costume, but Dick recognized the subtle hints of something else going on.

“Are you two having a telepathic conversation?”

Batman looked at Dick. “You didn’t think M’gann was the only one capable of networking a team, did you? Who do you think taught her that trick?”

Dick felt dumb as he realized her Uncle J’onn had probably given her the idea to connect everyone’s minds for radioless communication. It was an incredibly useful trick during their missions.

“You?” Cass asked Batman, not realizing his question was rhetorical.

“Ha!” Dick laughed and almost fell backward out of his chair. “That’s only what he wants you to think.”

“Oh…” Cass said, not quite understanding but feeling reassured by Dick’s amusement.

Batman felt the need to sigh but managed to hold it back. There was too much that needed to be done. “Finish your breakfast, everyone. We’re heading home in ten minutes.”

“Home?” Cass asked, seeming suspicious of the word.

Dick gave her a reassuring smile and lightly squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Cass. You’re gonna love it.”

Gotham City
11:00 a.m.

Damian had gotten the high score on Cheese Viking three times already. He had been debating on a fourth game when his leg started aching again and he decided to sit at one of the small tables for a little while.

Jon had taken over Damian’s game and was currently trying to break through Damian’s lowest score so he could put his own initials in the top three of the high-score screen. It wasn’t going to happen but the kid was giving it his all.

Conner sat down beside Damian and the two watched Jon make a valiant (if ultimately unsuccessful) attempt at the game.

“How are you holding up?” Conner asked Damian, eyeing his leg.

“It’s fine. Just annoying.”

“And you and Batman? I heard you over his comm. You sounded pissed.”

“I was… pissed. Something he did brought up some bad memories. It’s hard to distinguish between the two of them sometimes. He and my father… They’re so similar. I know they’re not technically the same person but at times… I don’t know. It’s hard to remember that in the heat of the moment.”

“What did he do?” Conner asked as Jon growled in frustration at the screen that was flashing ‘GAME OVER’ at him in large red letters. He grabbed the last token the three of them were able to scrounge up after Conner had bought them pizza and shoved it into the arcade cabinet.

“Sometimes he’s a lot more open than my father and it’s so easy to let down my defenses around him. That’s why when he did what he did, I lost it. It was well-intentioned but absolutely unnecessary and stupid. I let it hurt me more than it should have.”

“So your dad back home is closed off, kind of a dick, but tries to show he cares? Yeah, I can relate.” Conner leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, a frown returning to his face.

“It’s not that bad,” Damian defended. “My father is the greatest human fighter on the planet. He has a single-minded drive to eradicate crime in Gotham and he saves the world on a far too regular basis. I have always respected him and I do love him. He just gets… overprotective. He lost his parents when he was young and now his biggest fear is losing someone else that he loves. The fact that he does lose the people he loves far too often only makes it worse.”

“I guess being overprotective is a bit better than being completely ignored,” Conner muttered.

Damian let out a tired breath. “You’re talking about Kent, right? I’m not saying that what he did to you was okay, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t care. He may just need time. The Superman on my world is a genuinely good person. Yours seems pretty similar.”

“That’s what Jon keeps saying,” Conner said, furrowing his brow. “Clark is trying but he wouldn’t be if Jon didn’t keep forcing us to interact. And once you two go back home I’m sure it’s going to be business as usual. I’m okay with being civil with Clark right now but before you two showed up we had a system. He avoided me and I was perpetually angry at him. It worked for both of us. I can’t start to care now when it’s just going to go back to the way things were when Jon leaves. I think it might be better to try and find my other genetic donor. At least then I might be able to get some answers about who I am… Why they made me. Clark says he’ll help but I honestly don’t think either of us even knows where to start looking for answers.”

“Kent might surprise you,” Damian said absently, thinking about his own experiences when he was first introduced to his father. “My father had trouble showing he cared but he’s getting better at it… when he’s not making incredibly bad decisions in his overprotective ferver. A lot of the time he does it because he feels guilty.”

“What do you mean? What could he possibly have to feel guilty about?” Conner asked, surprised that Damian would say that about Batman. The guy seemed to have everything planned and his whole life was in control (at least this world’s version). That was a far cry from the person Damian seemed to be describing.

“Aside from letting all of his children die?” Damian said with a bitter laugh. “My father had a hard time accepting me when I was dropped into his life. I was unwanted, I spat in the face of his morals, and I was a living reminder of his failures.”

Conner didn’t particularly like where this conversation was going but he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to know more. If Damian could get Batman to accept him, maybe he wasn’t a lost cause with Clark. “You couldn’t have been that bad. I’m sure you weren’t ‘unwanted.’”

“Oh, I was,” Damian reassured him, as if it were just a fact in an educational lecture. “I represented his failures; both a failure to protect me from the life Mother gave me growing up in the League of Assassins and also his failure to protect himself from her. Until he got over that, he couldn’t look at me without remembering the fact that Talia… she hurt him. Add that to the fact that I tried to murder my brothers on more than one occasion and you can start to see why I wasn’t the most likable person in my family.”

“Like, literally kill?” Conner asked. He was almost certain that the kid was messing with him, but he could never tell with Damian.

Damian nodded. “That’s why I don’t begrudge my brothers for trying to do the same to me. Well, two of them anyway. Grayson never tried to kill me… unless you count killing with kindness. But it’s fine. We’ve mostly called a truce since Timothy died.”

Conner’s eyes went wide as his brain jumped to conclusions.

“I didn’t kill him,” Damian added quickly. “He got blown up in an entirely unrelated incident.”

“You’re not being very reassuring,” Conner said, unsure about whether Damian was joking or not. He looked at him with confusion.

“Okay, I did cut his grappling line once. And threw him off the dinosaur into the display cases. And tried to… you know what, it doesn’t matter,” Damian stopped talking abruptly, looking a little ill.

Okay… not joking. “You alright?” Conner asked, becoming more than a little worried for him.

“I’m fine!” Damian said, looking like he had just been insulted. “The fact of the matter is that Father was able to forgive me for all that. He literally brought me back from the dead. He could have just left me rotting on Apokolips. I know he cares. I don’t need him to constantly reaffirm that. He lets me be Robin. He forces me to make friends. I’m going to take over both of the family businesses when I’m old enough. Things are good between us now. He can look at me and not be constantly reminded that I’m only here because my mother drugged him and stole his genetic material.”

Conner couldn’t help it. His jaw dropped. Had he just heard what he thought he did? Judging by the surprised look on Damian’s face he did. Had he even meant to reveal that? “Damian?”

“Shut up, Kent!” Damian whispered angrily. He looked like he could have ripped Conner’s head off if he wanted to try. “I’m telling you this in confidence so you are not to repeat it to anyone! Do you understand?”

Conner needed a moment to take in everything Damian had told him. What he had just revealed about himself… it was troubling. Conner had always assumed Superman avoided him because he was made by the bad-guys. Clark hadn’t trusted him without even getting to know him. Considering it the way Damian was implying, though… it was a lot to think about.

“Of course,” Conner said gently. He obviously would never have spoken about it to anyone even if Damian didn’t tell him to keep it to himself. “I know you don’t know me very well, but I’d never betray your confidence. Especially about that.”

Conner could hear Damian’s racing heart slowing back to something of a normal rhythm (though it was still a little high). Damian nodded gratefully.

“Good. The reason I brought that up,” Damian continued, a little softer, a little more careful with his words, “was to illustrate how Clark will be able to get over your origins too. He’ll see you as more than some genetic experiment that was stolen from him without his consent. He just needs time. I feel like you and Superman have a similar relationship to me and my father when we first met. I’m just trying to help you see Superman’s side. I wasn’t able to understand my father until it was explained to me. Well, I had to fill in a lot of the gaps and figure out the euphemisms myself. I’m just saying, with you and Kent, it’s not you. It’s what you represent. He needs to come to terms with that. There’s not a lot you can do but give him time. It’s like when I first met Father. He had some difficulty dealing with me when I first showed up too. It could have been the fact that I was a spoiled, entitled, little asshole at the time but I believe he mostly had such a hard time with me because of the circumstances of my creation. I had Grayson to talk to about it. I suppose you do to, but it’s not really the same, is it? Just saying, if you want to, you can talk to me.”

“You’ve definitely given me some things to think about,” Conner said absently, trying to wrap his brain around everything Damian had just told him. “Damian… about your parents… I’m so sorry.”

“Tt. Don’t be.” Damian crossed his arms, an unconscious defensive gesture, and looked over to see that Jon was still invested in the game he was playing. “My mother grew me in an artificial womb and ensured that I got the best genes from each genetic donor as I developed. Then she kept me hidden from my father for a decade. She also stole my brother’s corpse and reanimated it in the Lazarus Pit so he could be used as a psychological weapon against Batman. She does things like that all the time.”

“Don’t make excuses for her, Damian. That’s horrible. It’s sick,” Conner said in disgust.

“I’m not making excuses,” Damian challenged, staring down the superpowered teenager in front of him. “I’m just telling you what she’s like. I know exactly what kind of person she is so don’t feel like you have to pity me.”

“NO!!!” Jon shouted, throwing his head back dramatically as the ‘GAME OVER’ image blinked on the screen in front of him once again. “I was so close! Just two-hundred more points and I would have made top three!”

“As the saying goes,” Damian said, walking over to Jon, happy for an excuse to end his conversation with Superboy. He put a supportive hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Close only counts in Horseshoes and hand grenades.”

“There should have been hand grenades in Cheese Viking,” Jon pouted, putting his initials in the fourth place high-score slot on the screen. “Well, I’m out of tokens and none of us have any money. Now what do we do?”

“Mind if we have a word?” The boys turned to see Clark and Lois, both in day-clothes, standing in the entryway of the arcade. Clark looked uncomfortable and Lois was obviously concerned.

“Figures,” Conner glared.

“How long have you been here?” Damian snapped.

“Long enough,” Clark said, a concerned look in his eyes despite the casual smile he tried to keep on his face.

“You heard everything, didn’t you?” Damian said, defeated. He already knew the answer. It was freaking Superman. Of course he heard. That wasn’t something he wanted anyone else to know.

“Heard what?” Jon asked confused and looking back and forth from Damian to his parents.

“Nothing,” Clark said, taking a tentative step closer to the boys. “Can we please talk?”

“Tt. Not like we have a choice,” Damian grumbled, looking off to the side, away from everyone.

“There is always a choice, Damian,” Lois said softly. She moved to stand next to Clark. Her presence there was reassuring even if the boys weren’t thrilled that they were there at all.

“I’m okay with talking…” Jon said quietly, looking only at his mother. “There’s a booth in the back over there that might fit everyone.”

“That okay with you boys?” Clark asked Conner and Damian.

Conner shrugged noncommittally and Damian did an amazing imitation of one of Batman’s grunts that probably meant something along the lines of, “Sure. Whatever.”

“Alright then,” Clark said, still sounding far too unsure for the man who was supposed to be Superman. He walked toward the booth and hoped that the boys would follow. He needed to make things right.

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14th, 2010
The Batcave
11:15 a.m.

Batman stepped out of the Zeta-tube with a tiny human cradled in his strong arms. The baby yawned and stretched, not seeming to be bothered at all by the journey. He took the opportunity to text Clark to see if Damian was ready to come home yet. He wasn’t. Bruce had to admit to himself that he was still terrified that Damian was never going to forgive him. He was so out of sorts that when Clark texted him and asked for a favor involving Conner, he immediately responded that he would help him. He didn’t even think about what that could possibly mean. What did Superboy need help with?

Bruce didn’t dwell on it long because he felt ridiculous with the large, blue baby-bag draped over one shoulder while dressed in full Bat-gear. The bag was too big for Dick’s or Cassandra’s small frame and he felt that it was much too heavy for Ravi, so here he was. He was almost certain he was never going to live the image of Daddy-Batman down. He wouldn’t be surprised if screenshots from the security cameras on the Watchtower were already plastered all over the walls.

“Good day, Master Bruce,” Alfred said stoically as he strolled through the cave from the upstairs entrance, breaking Bruce out of his thoughts. “I am happy to see you are still in one piece.”

Bruce smiled and held up baby Damian. “Not for lack of trying on this little guy’s part. I had no idea how much lung capacity a thing this size could have before today.”

The moment Alfred’s eyes fell upon the infant in Bruce’s arms, all his decorum was put aside so he could enjoy the sight of an infant once again within the walls of Wayne Manor. “My goodness, is this the little one I’ve been hearing so much about?” Alfred’s smile made Bruce beam. He wasn’t sure if he had ever seen the old man look so young and joyful. “Just look at the two of you together. If only your parents were here right now, they would be so proud, Master Bruce. You remind me so much of your father right now… Well, sans the bat-ears.”

Bruce couldn’t help but feel warmed by Alfred’s words. He liked to think that his parents would be proud of him and the things he did. Damian would never get to know them but Bruce would keep his parents’ memory alive. Damian would grow up knowing exactly what kind of people Thomas and Martha Wayne were. Damian would be able to think about his grandparents and be proud of them, not haunted by an immortal psychopath.

He dropped the baby-bag and asked, “Would you like to hold him?”

Alfred looked lovingly at little Damian. “Nothing would make me happier.”

Bruce adjusted little Damian in his arms and was about to carefully pass him over when Robin came barreling through the Zeta-tube. “Alfred!” he shouted happily and threw himself into the butler’s arms. “I’ve missed you!”

Alfred returned the hug with a contented smile. “I am truly glad you are safe, Master Dick. I do wish you would refrain from rushing headlong off into danger without telling me though.”

Dick stiffened and blushed with embarrassment. “Alfred… I… You were working on Bruce and I panicked. Damian…”

Alfred shook his head, silencing Dick with a look. “No matter, Master Dick. Excuses are unbecoming. Still, I am relieved to see you are uninjured.”

“Me too,” Dick agreed. He was just glad to be home.

Before anyone could say anything else, Ravi and Cassandra came through the Zeta-tube, one after the other. Both looked uncertain as they took in the sprawling cavern that surrounded them. It was an odd mixture of natural rock formation, technology, and museum that Cassandra wanted to explore immediately.

Alfred looked over to the new arrivals and gave them a welcoming nod. “Hello. You must be Master Ravi and Miss Cassandra. I am Alfred Pennyworth. Anything that you may need during your stay at the manor can be provided for. You have only to ask.”

“Thank you. But please, just Ravi is fine. We are deeply grateful for your hospitality,” Ravi returned with just as much formality as the British butler.

Cassandra looked shyly up at the new person in front of her. She didn’t see any threat in the older man and Batman and Dick obviously cared about him. They both considered him family and that was enough for her to trust him. Cassandra smiled and nodded her head. “Nice to meet you.”

“Wonderful, Miss Cassandra!” Ravi beamed. “Your greeting was very well done.”

“Thank you,” Cassandra replied with the appropriate response to a compliment. She looked up at Ravi, feeling pride in her accomplishment. Even if it was something everyone else around her could do with ease, it was nice to hear the praise. Her father only ever showed her what she was doing wrong.

Alfred looked to Bruce for an explanation of the seemingly odd exchange.

“I learn words,” Cassandra explained as best she could when she saw Alfred’s confusion.

“That’s right,” Bruce said, giving her a reassuring smile before elaborating for Alfred. “Cassandra was raised to understand body language like other people understand speech. She’s only begun learning to speak with words in the last few months so please be patient with her.

“Of course, Master Bruce,” Alfred said, giving his own reassuring smile to the little girl.

Cassandra smiled back, then unsure of what to do, looked over to Batman confused. “I say Batman or Master Bruce?”

Bruce realized in that moment that he had never interacted with Cassandra or Ravi without the cowl on. He removed it, second thoughts be damned, and looked at the two with his own face. “I’m sorry, Cass. My name is Bruce Wayne. When I’m wearing the cape, call me Batman, otherwise you can call me Bruce. That goes for you too, Ravi. Alfred’s insistence on using archaic titles is about all I can handle.”

Ravi smiled and nodded to Bruce. “It is nice to meet the man behind the mask, Mr. Wayne… Bruce. Forgive me, not using honorifics will take some getting used to.”

“Hi, Bruce!” Cassandra grinned. She didn’t follow everything the two men had said but she was able to figure out his name. She was proud of herself for that until a moment later when she started feeling sick to her stomach. She looked at Ravi with panic in her eyes and pulled on his sleeve.

He bent down to meet her gaze and asked concernedly, “Is everything alright, Miss Cassandra?” She shook her head and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. He frowned. “Oh dear.” Ravi turned to Bruce and Alfred. Cassandra could tell that she had made him uncomfortable with her request but she really didn’t feel good and wondered if she maybe shouldn’t have had those pancakes earlier. “May I ask where the lavatories are?”

Dick could see that Cassandra had both arms wrapped around her stomach and immediately wondered if she was feeling sick from the pancakes earlier. A pang of guilt went through him and he shouted, “I’ll take her. Is it okay if I change upstairs?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he took Cass’s hand in his and began leading her up to the manor.

“Just this once,” Bruce shouted to Dick’s retreating form, not quite sure how to handle the situation. He was completely unprepared for a little girl in his house.

“Right! Thanks!” Dick yelled without looking back and disappeared through the Batcave’s entrance with Cassandra.

“I do hope she’s alright,” Alfred said, watching them go.

“Just a bit of a stomach ache,” Ravi reassured him, slightly embarrassed at the implication. “I don’t think she wants anyone with her right now. Maybe I can go make some tea for her.”

“I can prepare that,” Alfred offered.

“Oh… It is no trouble. I’m not so old that I can’t heat water,” Ravi attempted humor, though it was due mostly to him not feeling comfortable being waited upon.

“I must insist I at least show you where everything is in the kitchen,” Alfred reassured him.

“Alright,” Ravi acquiesced after a moment’s hesitation.

“But before we go, might I ask where the elder Master Damian has run off to? Shall we be expecting him soon?”

Bruce evaded the question as much as he could without outright lying to Alfred. “Damian’s blowing off some steam at the Fortress of Solitude right now.”

Gotham City
11:15 a.m.

Clark and Lois had exited the Zeta-tube from the Fortress of Solitude and found themselves in Gotham City. Lois had to admit, the teleportation technology was impressive. She would have to find out if she could get a permanent guest pass to those things.

“So, any idea which way they went?” Lois asked. The kids had quite a head start on the two of them but she knew that if anyone could track them down, Superman would be able to. She just wished the boys hadn’t decided to run away into the most dangerous city in the United States.

Clark had his eyes closed, his head tilted ever so slightly. He was listening, filtering out all the sounds of the city and searching for specific voices and heartbeats. “I can hear them. They’re not far.”

The couple began walking quickly down the city street toward the voices only Clark could hear when Clark’s phone buzzed. He checked it and saw that it was Bruce again.

B.W.: Arrived at the manor. Any luck convincing Damian to come home?

Clark sighed and quickly typed a response. He didn’t want to let Bruce know that his kid had run away, but he knew Damian was fine. He was going to get him right at that moment so it wasn’t a complete lie when he typed his response back to him.

C.K.: He’s still mad but talking to Conner. Will keep u updated.

Clark wanted to ask Bruce for help with Conner’s request to find his mother. He was having trouble figuring out where to even begin looking for her but Bruce did detective work every night of his life. He typed another message before he could talk himself out of it.

C.K.: Have a favor. U b willing to help with detective stuff for Conner today?

B.W.: Sure. Bring him by when you drop off Damian. Thanks.

“Wow,” Clark said aloud. He was genuinely surprised that Batman would be so quick to help… or thank him, especially in a text where the proof was there for anyone to see.

“Is that the same person who has been texting you since Damian showed up? Should I be worried I have a new romantic rival?” Lois teased.

“Only if you think Batman and I were meant to be,” Clark said, giving her an amused, lopsided grin. “It’s Damian’s dad checking in on him.”

Lois had to stop and process that for a moment. “Wait… are you telling me that Damian’s dad is Batman?”

Clark nodded once.

“Ugh!” Lois let out a frustrated yell and punched him playfully. “You’re doing this just to torture me, aren’t you. How many front-page stories did I learn of today? And I can’t publish a single one! You know you owe me for this, Smallville. Big time.”

Clark looked endearingly at her and glanced up into the sky. “Well then, I guess the next time I save you from some supervillain will be a freebie.”

Lois stuck her tongue out at him. “You’d do that anyway. Admit it, you just can’t live without me. I make your life too interesting.”

Clark laughed and pulled her to his side, just to feel her there next to him. “That’s the understatement of the century.”

The two continued their search in comfortable silence until Lois asked, “Do you think we should get a house?” The question was so sudden and caught Clark so off-guard that he very nearly stumbled over his own feet in the middle of a crowd of people passing in the opposite direction.

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to just spring that on you out of nowhere,” Lois blushed. “With Jon and Conner coming into our lives, the idea just kind of latched on and won’t go away. Jon’s probably used to living with his parents and Conner might like a place to live other than that cave the kids use as a base…” She paused, as if debating with herself whether she should voice her next thoughts. She took a deep breath and quickly added, “And it might be a good test to see how we do as parents. We might fail spectacularly, but we seem to do a good job of it in an alternate reality. We might actually be great at it. At least until you’re able to send Jon home. Jon loves you, and Conner’s… talking to you. From what Jon told me, that’s a lot of progress in less than a week. I want to get to know the boys better. You know how I grew up, moving from place to place, never being able to settle or put down roots. I want that for us. The kids should have that too.”

Lois looked up at Clark and wasn’t quite sure how he had taken her words. “...I just made things weird, didn’t I?”

Clark looked down, a poignant expression crossed his features. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to give her those roots and a family and everything she ever wanted, but he couldn’t. Not with Jon. The kid was adorable and kind and brave and everything he’d ever hoped his son would be, but Jon wasn’t his. Wasn’t theirs. Not really. “No, Lois. I think I’d love living with you and if you want to because you want to, then we can definitely talk about it. I just don’t want you making any major life decisions based on Jon. He’s here due to forces we know nothing about. He might be here for a while, but we might find a way to send him home tomorrow. Heck, his own parents might find a way to get to him from their side of the multiverse. This is all so unprecedented. I don’t know what to expect and it’s not a good idea to make long-term plans around him.”

“Oh,” Lois frowned. She knew Jon wouldn’t be with them forever, but somehow, not having a timeline to help her prepare for the inevitable gave her an unpleasant knot in her stomach.

Clark really wished they were somewhere private. He could tell that he had made Lois upset.

“Well, what about Conner?” Lois asked, trying not to think about what the future might hold for Jon.

“What about Conner?” Clark asked, slight confusion in his tone. Conner wouldn’t want to live with him and Lois, would he? He had no idea if Conner even wanted to consider him family anymore. Clark knew he had screwed up when the kid was introduced to him all those months ago. He had left him for Batman to sort out and Bruce… gave Conner a cave inside a mountain. Clark understood it made sense for Batman. The Mountain wasn’t being used by the League and the Bat spent most of his time in a cave, but it wasn’t ideal conditions for a superpowered teenager who gets most of his energy from the sun. Clark resigned himself to at least look into getting a bigger apartment. He’d talk to Conner about it when the kid was in a good mood.

Lois pulled Clark out of his spiraling thoughts when she asked, “When you help him find his other parent, will that be it? You’re not just going to leave him with a potentially evil—”

Clark winced and shook his head. “Of course not. I’ll admit I made mistakes with Kon, but he’s stuck with me now. I think I missed my chance to be a parent to him, but I’m not going to let him be alone anymore.”

“You don’t have to be his father, Clark… But you could be a mentor; someone he could talk to about whatever he needs to. I’m sure you could teach him a thing or two about being sixteen with x-ray vision,” Lois laughed.

Clark had to crack a smile at that. “Why Lois, are you implying that I used my powers irresponsibly when I was a teenager?”

“Really? You were never once tempted to sneak a peek into the girls’ changing room in high school?” Lois asked mischievously.

“Would you even believe me if I said no?” He laughed, stopping in front of an old, rundown arcade. Clark was grateful they could cut this line of questioning off. “We’re here.”

“Well then,” Lois said, squaring her shoulders and opening the door, “let’s go be parents.”

Wayne Manor
11:30 a.m.

Bruce had changed from the cape and cowl to his civilian clothes quickly and made his way upstairs. Alfred and Ravi were in the kitchen preparing tea and were having an animated discussion about English versus Middle Eastern teas. Bruce could see that both men were enjoying the conversation. Bruce hadn’t thought of it before, but having Ravi around might be good for Alfred. He didn’t seem to go out much anymore. Maybe he and Ravi would become fast friends. The thought made Bruce almost smile.

He looked over to the living room where Dick and Cassandra were playing with baby Damian who was surrounded by soft baby toys. He looked like he was in heaven, squealing in delight as the two older children played with him. Dick had a stuffed elephant and Cassandra had a cow. The two were making the animals move in front of Damian to the baby’s delight.

For the first time that day he felt like he could finally breathe. It was nice. No one was in danger, no one was screaming. Everyone looked happy. Bruce texted Clark to ask about Damian. It was time for his son to come home. He had just pressed the send button when his thoughts were disturbed by the sound of the doorbell ringing. “I’ll get it,” he called out so Alfred could continue his conversation with Ravi uninterrupted and the kids could keep little Damian occupied. He opened the door to find a young boy standing in front of him. He was small and thin with black hair and was wearing a Gotham Academy Middle School uniform.

“Oh, wow,” the boy said with a surprised look on his face. The poor kid looked like he had just seen a ghost. “Mr. Wayne. I wasn’t expecting you to answer the door. Um… Hello, Mr. Wayne,” the boy said shyly, extending his hand to the much larger man. “I’m Tim Drake. It’s very nice to meet you… um, sir.”

Bruce felt like the world had just been crumpled into a paper ball and stomped on. No wonder Tim died! He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. Was this the Tim that Damian had mentioned? It couldn’t be, could it?

“Um… well,” Tim continued when Bruce made no move to return his greeting. “I let Dick borrow something yesterday and was hoping he was done with it. I’d like to have it back… if that’s okay,” Tim sounded less than confident by the end of his explanation.

“Tim!” Dick’s voice came from behind Bruce. It sounded like a mixture of shock and pleasant surprise. “What are you doing here?” Dick asked, coming to stand beside Bruce in the doorway. “You go to Gotham Academy?”

“The lower school,” Tim said quickly. “I skipped a couple grades. I was hoping to get that thing I lent you last night back.”

“How did you even get here?” Dick asked, looking around for a bike or something. The school was quite a ways away from the manor.

“I live just a couple miles away. It was a short walk. I slept in this morning but I figured you might have done the same considering… last night,” Tim explained, looking up at Bruce’s towering figure. He was jumpy, but that was to be expected after the night he had had.

“Tim,” Dick said seriously. “Are you really okay after… y’know?”

“Oh yeah. I’m fine. Is… um… is your friend okay?”

Dick smiled kindly, realizing Tim was worried about Damian. “He’s alright. Thanks for asking.”

“Dick,” Bruce said, finally making sense of the conversation. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Dick looked up at Bruce. He had almost forgotten he was there. He laughed uncomfortably. “Uh, right. I forgot to mention it this morning when I told you about what happened. This is Tim. Damian and I met him yesterday.”

“Was this before or after dinner?” Bruce asked, already knowing what Dick would say and already feeling a migraine coming on. This was that Tim. The Tim that dies.

“After…” Dick mumbled with a sheepish wince.

“And what did he lend you?” Bruce asked calmly.

“A camera,” Dick mumbled again and looked more guilty than the first time Batman had caught him sneaking out to fight crime without permission.

Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was not how he had expected his morning to go at all. He suddenly felt his phone buzz in his pocket but he couldn’t take the time to check his texts right now. Hopefully it was just Clark telling him Damian was ready to come home. “Come in, Tim.” He stepped aside and the little boy took an uncomfortable step into the manor.

“Am I in trouble?”

Bruce shook his head. “No, Tim. We just need to talk.” He turned his attention to Dick. “I need you to go get his camera.”

“Okay,” Dick whispered and took off with an apologetic look to Tim. He wasn’t quite sure why Bruce was being so calm. That was either really good or horrendously bad. He rushed down to the Zeta-tube and quickly threw on a spare pair of sunglasses in case anyone was at the Cave. A moment later he was stepping through the portal and hoping little Timmy wasn’t having a heart attack as he sat in front of Batman.

Gotham City
11:20 a.m.

“Figures you’d be able to track us down that easily,” Damian observed while avoiding eye-contact with the Man-of-Steel. “I swear if you tell anyone what you heard I will stab you with Kryptonite.”

“Woah, kid! There’s no need for threats,” Lois exclaimed, surprised by the finality in the teenager’s voice.For some reason she had the feeling that, despite how unlikely it was that he could actually find some Kryptonite, it was not an empty threat.

Damian crossed his arms and glared at Superman, ignoring Lois completely. “Do not tell him.” Damian figured Superman was smart enough to understand who he was talking about.

“Just ignore him,” Jon told Lois. “This is Damian. He’s my friend from our Earth. We got sent here together. He has a reputation for being prickly but he’s just a big softy deep down.”

Damian gave Jon the patented Bat-glare but didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to. The temperature in the arcade seemed to drop a couple degrees.

“Deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, DEEP down,” Jon amended.

Clark was already feeling uncomfortable and the heartfelt talk he was planning was not getting off to a great start.

“Well, it’s… nice… to meet you, Damian,” Lois said, smiling despite the murderous vibe she got from the kid. Seriously… she’d interviewed hardened criminals that made her less uneasy than that child.

“Why did you come after us?” Conner asked Clark directly.

“I wouldn’t be a very responsible adult if I just let the three of you run off, now would I?” Clark asked good-naturedly, trying to hide the anxiousness he was feeling. He was glad that the arcade was completely empty save for a single employee stationed at the prize counter and a couple of college kids killing time at the skeeball games. That made sense, though. It was the middle of a school day, after all.

Clark waited for any of the boys to respond but they just sat there in the booth across from him and Lois, looking down at the table, or over at the skeeball players, or at Lois. Not one of them would look Clark in the eye and he had to think he couldn’t blame them.

“You’d also be a responsible adult if you noticed that Jon has been upset all morning and yet there is no smoking crater in the middle of Gotham City,” Damian pointed out sardonically.

Clark frowned. “I never expected Jon to…”

“But you didn’t trust me not to,” Jon whispered, still not looking Superman in the eye.

“You have so much power inside you, Jon, and you’re so young. I just wanted to make sure that there wouldn’t be an accident.”

“The Fortress of Solitude is great to visit but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life there,” Jon said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “I want to go to school and do hero stuff with Damian and help Kon find his mom.”

Conner was staggered by Jon’s words. Out of everything the kid could have said that he wanted to do, helping him with his personal family issues was not one he expected. Jon was always looking out for him and it just made Kon love the little guy even more.

“Oh, sweetie,” Lois said, leaning across the table and taking Jon’s hand in hers. “You have such a good heart. I know you’re going to be able to do everything you want to. We’re not going to keep you locked away at the Fortress, are we, Clark.” She looked at Clark pointedly as if daring him to contradict her.

“Never,” Clark said with what oddly sounded like relief in his voice. “Batman has a tendency to overreact when he comes across something he doesn’t know enough about—”

“Or something he can’t control,” Damian muttered, slouching petulantly in his seat. He was still glaring daggers at Clark who was doing his best to ignore it and keep the conversation positive.

“But he’ll come around,” Clark reassured the boys as best he could. “And for what it’s worth, I agree with him that we need to be careful until we can figure out what triggered your Solar Flare, Jon. I’m not going to lock you away in the Fortress, but I know you’d feel awful if you lost control again and accidentally hurt someone.”

Jon thought about what his father said. “That never happened before. I don’t know why I reacted like that. It was just… a lot all at once. I had just watched Damian die, then his mom and his grandpa were going to kill each other and I just felt really, like, overwhelmed, you know? And then all of a sudden I felt all that energy build up and I just kind of knew that if I let it go it was going to be bad so I got out of there. I tried to do the right thing…”

“You made the best decision you could at the time. You got as far away from people as you could and kept yourself from… exploding,” Clark said while trying to keep his pained expression from showing, “long enough for help to arrive. You did do the right thing, Jon. It all worked out okay and I’m proud of you for staying so strong in such a scary situation. It could have ended a lot worse.”

“You really think so?” Jon asked, feeling the tension and guilt he had been carrying practically melt away with his father’s words.

“We both do,” Lois interjected. “Clark told me about what happened and I have to say, if I were in your position with your abilities when that all went down, I don’t know if I’d have been able to handle it as well as you did.”

“But I almost killed Damian and Little Damian and Dick and Ravi and Damian’s mom and—”

“Jon, you dummy!” Damian said and smacked his friend in the back of the head. “I would much rather be dealing with a sore leg than dead. I’ve already been dead. I don’t recommend it. You made the right decision to get out of there even if it did cause a cave in. I know you would have used the doorway if you could have.”

Jon looked speechlessly at Damian, his eyes wide. “Well… I guess when you put it that way…”

“Can we backtrack for just a second?” Lois asked. “Is Damian being dead like a metaphor for something. Am I missing an inside joke here?”

Damian sighed. “No. I was literally killed. It wasn’t my proudest moment.”

Lois looked to Clark to figure out if she was being punked. The look on his face told her everything she needed to know. The reporter in her wanted so badly to get the story behind that. How does someone come back to life? It was so far from what she was used to dealing with that she had to take a mental step back and just think.

She observed Damian. He still looked angry but there was also a sadness to his features. It wasn’t something he wanted to talk about, that was clear enough. She knew she wasn’t great with kids. She was probably going to say the wrong thing and make someone upset if she tried to gently work the information out of him, so she decided to try humor and see where it led. “So… are you like a ghost or something?” she asked and poked Damian in the arm to see if he was solid.

“That is very unprofessional, Lane.” Damian frowned and put his hand over the spot she had poked.

“Sorry,” she said, apologetically. “I’m still getting used to the idea that my kid from another timeline is a superhero. Now I find out that his best friend could be a ghost-child of some sort. The reporter in me had to know.”

“It’s probably not the best idea to go around poking murderous children who are in a bad mood. Even ghost-murderous children,” Conner grinned, leaning back in the booth and enjoying the very odd turn in the conversation.

“Oh, so like… I poke you and I have seven days left to live?” Lois asked with the hint of a grin.

“More like seven minutes at the rate you’re going,” Damian muttered, trying desperately to hold his tongue and not insult Superman’s girlfriend (and Jon’s mom) in front of them. She was making it exceedingly hard to do so, though.

“Honey, please don’t antagonize him. You’re a grown adult,” Clark pleaded, good-humoredly.

“You’re right,” Lois said, chagrined. “Sorry, Damian. Apparently I have a bad habit of saying the wrong thing around kids.”

Damian huffed and looked away. “Is that why villains throw you off of buildings so often?”

Jon, Clark, and Conner stared at Damian in shock at the rude comment. Before anyone could call Damian out on it, though, Lois began laughing, her entire body shaking with amusement. “You know what? It probably is,” she said as she composed herself and wiped a tear from her eye. “Thanks, Damian. I needed that.”

Damian blushed. “Yes, well. You may want to be more careful in the future. I know Jon would be devastated if anything happened to you.”

Jon snorted, trying to keep in a laugh of his own. “Mom will always do what it takes to get a story, even if it means making bad guys want to throw her off rooftops. Besides, if she played it safe she would have never won the Pulitzer.”

Lois’ eyes went wide and she almost choked on the air she was breathing. “I won the Pulitzer?! I’m going to win the Pulitzer?! Oh my God!”

“Oh crap! You haven’t done that yet?” Jon asked in a guilty panic.

“Nope. But you just made my day with that little tidbit,” she said, grinning from ear to ear and pulling Jon into a massive hug. “Hear that, Clark? Pulitzer.”

Clark smiled knowingly. “Sorry, Lo, but I didn’t need Jon to tell me that you’d get a Pulitzer one day. You’re too good a writer.”

“And too good at getting into trouble,” she grinned. “It’s like fate is dropping the best stories into my lap,” she teased. “Not that I can write about my awesome kid from a future alternate dimension… Jon! What is it? What story do I get it for?”

Jon opened his mouth. He wasn’t going to tell, really, he wasn’t. He was just going to let her know he couldn’t say because it was for her article, The Death of Superman. She had put her heart and soul into that piece of writing and Jon could always see how much she loved his dad every time he read it. It sucked that it had to be for such a sad subject but his dad hadn’t stayed dead for long, so it was all okay in the end.

“Jon!” Damian screamed and tackled him before he could get even a syllable out. The two of them tumbled out of the booth and onto the sticky floor. “Do not say another word!”

“I wasn’t gonna!” Jon whined from underneath Damian.

Damian frowned and stood up, extending his hand to his friend to help him off the floor. “Make sure you don’t let anything else slip.”

“Jeeze, ya didn’t have to tackle me,” Jon frowned, dusting himself off.

“Tt. I wouldn’t have to tackle you if you managed to control yourself better.”

“Me? What about you?! You’ve let plenty slip since you’ve been here! So much that we had to save your sorry butt from the evil side of your family!”

“Boys!” Superman said sternly as he stepped between the fighting friends. “This is not the time. Accidents happen. Now apologize to each other and let’s move on.”

“Sorry,” they both mumbled. It wasn’t the heartfelt hugfest Clark was hoping for but it was enough for the time being. As he herded the boys back into the booth, he felt his phone buzz for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last twenty minutes.

“You might want to check that,” Conner suggested, looking pointedly at Clark. Whoever is texting you seems to be pretty insistent.

“It’s alright,” Clark said, taking out his phone to see text notifications filling up the screen. “It’s Damian’s dad. I already told him I will text him when Damian is ready to go home. He can wait.”

“You should still text him back,” Lois suggested. She only knew that Damian was here because he and the version of his father from this Earth had gotten into some sort of argument. “He’s probably worried sick. Just tell him Damian’s fine and we’ll bring him home soon.”

“What if I don’t want to go home anytime soon?” Damian asked sourly.

“You can’t stay mad at your dad, Damian,” Jon said gently. “I heard what you said to him while he was on comms. Remember what you told me when we first got here? You can be mad at your family but you’re not allowed to hate them.”

“Of course,” Damian said. Remembering his words left a guilty feeling inside him. The Batman of their current Earth may have been similar to his real father but yelling at him for all the mistakes of another person, even if they technically were the same person, wasn’t fair to him.

“Does your dad know you don’t actually hate him?” Jon asked pointedly.

Damian opened his mouth to tell Jon that, of course his father knew that, but the words died before even a sound was uttered. As Damian thought about it, no, he wasn’t sure that this version of his father knew he could never hate him. “Crap…”

“Oh, come on,” Lois said reassuringly, putting a hand on Damian’s shoulder. “It’s your dad. Of course he knows you don’t hate him, no matter what you said.”

Damian looked at her skeptically. “You assume my father is an emotionally healthy adult.”

That was not what Lois was expecting to hear.

“Damian…” Clark frowned, the concern in his eyes was evident. He looked like he was going to say more but Damian did not want to get into another uncomfortable conversation with a Kent.

He cut him off with the one thing he knew would keep the conversation from heading in that direction. “Fine! I’ll go to the manor and tell him I don’t hate him. I’m not apologizing, though.”

Clark seemed surprised at Damian’s sudden acquiescence but was relieved that he could tell Bruce his son would be coming home voluntarily. He smiled down at Damian and said, “I think he’ll be fine with that.”

“Of course he will be. That’s why I’m not going without Jon. My father wants me back so badly, he can deal with the non-existent threat of a ten-year-old blowing up his house.”

Clark huffed with amusement. He had to hand it to Damian, that was one way to win an argument. “Works for me.”

He began texting Bruce back.

C.K.: He’s agreed to come home with one condition. Jon stays with him. He won’t go back without him.

Clark waited for a reply but none came. The boys were getting restless to leave so he hoped for the best and the five of them left the arcade.

A short time later, they were all standing in front of the Gotham City Zeta access point. Lois had been quiet the whole way there. As she watched Jon animatedly describe Damian’s house to Conner, she began thinking about the conversation she and Clark had as they tracked the boys to the arcade.

This isn’t permanent. Jon’s going to go home as soon as they figure out dimensional travel. It might be years but the people from Jon’s world might come for him tomorrow.

It physically hurt to know that she might never get to see that happy little kid again. She had grown far more attached to him in the short time she had known him than she ever expected was possible. It wasn’t fair.

As the boys stood in front of the old phone booth, Lois pulled Clark aside. “I’m going to head back to Metropolis. Don’t worry about me. You keep the boys safe. If I need you, I’ll scream,” she said playfully with a cheeky grin that almost disguised the heartache she was feeling. She didn’t really want to leave, but she knew that if she stayed with them she was going to get more and more attached to Jon. It hurt to think about so she turned her attention to something more permanent. “And you know, when Jon and Damian go home, Conner’s going to need you to be there for him… ”

Conner looked anywhere but at the two of them, pretending he didn’t hear what they were talking about.

Clark nodded, remembering what she had told him right before they confronted the boys in the arcade: You could be a mentor. He could start with that. He realized that being around Conner was becoming less and less awkward for the both of them. Clark did know all about the challenges of growing up with powers… but Conner wouldn’t be growing up. He’d be exactly the same, physically at least, for as long as he lived. It made Clark’s heart ache remembering the anguished, frustrated scream the boy had shouted upon learning that. He wished there was something… anything he could do to help him. He wouldn’t fail him in finding his other genetic donor. Maybe when that happened they would both find answers they desperately needed and they could begin to move past their rough beginnings.

Lois sighed and after a slight hesitation, nodded to Clark, an unspoken promise between the two of them to do all they could for the superpowered children in front of them. “Now don’t let me keep you here. Go. From what I heard, Damian and his dad really need to talk.”

“Lois…”

“Please don’t make this harder than it already is,” she whispered, eyeing the boys.

Clark nodded solemnly and the two of them returned to the boys.

“Lois is going to head back to Metropolis for a while. Why don’t the three of you Zeta to the Batcave and I’ll meet you there once I drop her off,” Clark suggested.

“Clark, I’m fine. It’s a short walk to the office from the Metropolis Zeta access point you told me about,” Lois protested. “I need to stop in and make sure Perry doesn’t think we’ve been kidnapped or killed since yesterday anyway.”

“I should go with you. I haven’t been to the office in a while. I should make sure my desk’s still there,” Clark said.

“I’d feel better if you went with dad,” Jon said and hugged his mom goodbye. “Sorry, Damian’s made me paranoid.”

“Wow… okay. How can I say no to that?” Lois laughed

“I’ll see you three at the manor,” Clark said and the boys nodded.

“Bye boys,” Lois managed to say through a tight throat. “Stay safe.”

Damian walked into the phone booth and set coordinates for the Batcave. Conner entered a moment later and in a flash of light made his own journey to Batman’s base of operations. Jon was the only one left to leave but he looked back at his parents. He saw Lois’ face, looking at him like she was trying to memorize every detail and he somehow knew that this goodbye was going to be for a while. He felt a knot in his chest and couldn’t bring himself to go. Instead of entering the phone booth he ran to them, pulling them into one last final hug goodbye.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Jon whispered.

Lois hugged him back so tight her arms hurt. “It has been amazing to get to know you, Jon. I’m going to miss you so much and I know your mom and dad are doing everything they can to find you. I’m so happy to know that I end up with such a great kid.”

Jon couldn’t help the tears that ran down his face. He missed his mom and dad so much and it was so nice to have them here with him, even if it wasn’t quite the real thing. “I can still come see you, right?” he asked. “If they can’t find me soon?”

“Of course,” Lois said, trying to speak through the tingle in the back of her throat. She swallowed, trying to keep back the tears that she knew were coming. “I would love that. And if you don’t have to leave on short notice, make sure you come see me before you go home. Now get going, kiddo. Damian and Conner are probably wondering what happened to you.”

“Right,” Jon said as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve and took several deliberately deep breathes. The last thing he needed was Damian noticing he had been crying. “Bye mom. Bye dad.” He stepped into the phone booth and in a flash of light, was gone.

Clark put his arms around Lois as she took a shuddering breath. She let herself stay wrapped in his embrace, feeling safe but miserable. She refused to let herself cry. Clark continued to hold her until she managed to compose herself. When she felt alright again, she looked up at him. “I’m okay.”

“Lois… you don’t have to leave. You could spend more time with—”

“No,” she cut him off. “It will hurt too much when he goes home. I’m so grateful you had me meet him, but you have to get him home. If I’m feeling like this after a day, the other me, his real mom has to be going out of her mind right now.”

Clark nodded and kissed her on the top of her head. “I promise. I love you.” He stepped into the phone booth and put in the Metropolis coordinates for Lois. She stepped in and disappeared in a flash of light. Clark did the same a moment later, wondering how both of them would be able to survive Jon returning to his family.

Wayne Manor
11:40 a.m.

Jon didn’t feel well as he stepped into the Batcave. It wasn’t a sick feeling, like when he had a cold or a stomach ache. It was more like little waves of sadness running around just under his skin. He had a feeling that when he said goodbye to his mom, it meant something more to her than she was letting on. He didn’t like his mom looking so upset, but she was trying so hard to hide it that he couldn’t say anything or ask her what was wrong. He left her with his dad, though. His dad could always make his mom smile again. He’d make everything better.

“What took you?” Damian asked with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

“What?” Jon asked innocently. “I can’t say goodbye to my parents?”

Damian’s mind flashed to his own farewell to his mother. He couldn’t really say anything to Jon without coming off as a hypocrite. He just harrumphed and turned toward the main chamber of the Batcave.

“So this is the infamous Batcave, huh?” Conner asked while looking all around him.

“Yeah!” Jon said excitedly. “Over there is where Damian kept me after he kidnapped me the first time we met. And over there is where we had a big fight, but then we made up. And over THERE is where we fought a blob monster and saved both our dads.”

“Okay…” Conner said, spotting the tyrannosaurus and looking at Damian. “And I assume that over there is where you threw your brother into the display cases. That’s a pretty big fall.”

“Yes, well. Like I said. We fight… fought. He put me on his personal hit-list for that one. Doesn’t matter now anyway.”

Suddenly, behind them the Zeta-tube activated and all three boys jumped in surprise. They all turned quickly to see Dick come out of the portal, a small camera in his hands.

“Grayson,” Damian said, a small smile gracing his features. “I thought you would have already been here.”

“I was. I came home with Bruce and everyone but then Tim showed up at the door and I was ordered to get his camera. I have a really bad feeling B’s gonna lose it when he sees the pictures. And Tim might just be a terrified puddle on the floor right now.”

“Drake is here?” Damian asked horrified, beginning to panic. “This is bad. This is epically bad. I told Father that my Timothy died.”

“What? Why would you do that?” Jon shouted. “After all the times you yelled at me for letting something important slip?”

“I was angry. I wanted to hurt him. It was a stupid thing to say. I wasn’t thinking!”

“Well, we need to go up there and make sure Tim never finds out about your Tim. And we need to convince B not to freak out when he sees this!” Dick said, shaking the camera in front of him.

“You could erase the pictures,” Conner suggested.

Dick shook his head dejectedly. “B already knows something’s up with the camera. I’d be grounded for a month if I deleted the pictures. Then he’d find a way to restore them anyway and I’d never see the light of day again.

“Alright,” Damian said and took a breath to calm himself down. “We go up there as a united front. I will somehow convince father that even though Drake is dead on my Earth, that doesn’t mean the same will happen to this version of him. As long as he doesn’t let him be Robin it should be fine.”

“Don’t worry, Damian,” Jon said, patting his friend on the back. “I’m sure as soon as your dad sees me he’s going to freak out over me being in Gotham and forget all about Tim being dead.”

Damian winced. “Well, there’s only one way to find out. One problem at a time.” The four boys began climbing the stairs to the manor.

Unknown Date
Unknown Location
Unknown Time

Timothy Jackson Drake was tired. He was tired of the isolation. He was tired of hoping. The only thing he wanted to do was go home but he knew (at this point he had to accept it) no one was coming for him. The realization made him want to curl into himself and get lost in the void that his life had become. There was no way out so he might as well accept that he was going to live the rest of his life in a cramped cell. His only company: the other poor saps who were unlucky enough to get torn from the jaws of death only to be left in isolation, slowly going insane from the lack of anything to do or see. Even the one person who had managed to make it out was either dead now, or enough of an asshole that he decided not to get a rescue party for the rest of the prisoners here. It’s not like he could ask his warden what happened to the little guy. The crazy cloaked figure with the scar running this place wasn’t the most talkative person, after all.

Since Tim arrived in this place, he often wondered if he had actually died that night. There was no sign that anyone was looking for him. He knew that there were a lot of people watching as the explosive drones dive-bombed his position on the Gotham rooftops. He suspected, even if he wasn’t currently dead, most of those people who watched the scene were probably convinced he was. He just couldn’t give in to the notion that Batman, his mentor, the closest person he had to a father, would have just accepted that he was gone when there wasn’t even a scrap of a body left over. There couldn’t be, because he was here, whole and healthy and slowly losing his mind to the tedium of the days. He had lost track of time and was questioning his sense of self. Maybe he was dead and this was Hell.

No, he couldn’t think like that. He wasn’t dead. This was simply a pocket-reality where an all-powerful super-being decided to drop him because… reasons. Maybe his captor had put a body-double in the wreckage of the building so Bruce really did think he was dead. That would be horrible for him. It would be like Jason and Damian all over again. But even still, when Bruce “died” there was a body and Tim figured out he wasn’t actually dead. Bruce would have realized something similar by now… wouldn’t he?

Tim was alive. He kept saying that to himself, over and over in his mind. Tim was not dead and Batman would figure it out. Bruce was going to find him and get him out of the hellhole he had found himself in. Unless this was actually Hell. Maybe he wasn’t alive. Maybe he did die in a fiery explosion and this was his punishment for putting Damian on his hit-list, or letting his dad be murdered, or… no he needed to stop thinking like that! He was alive! He was sane… He was alone.

Tim couldn’t remember the last time he saw the sun, or even talked to another person. He was so sure when the guy in the cell next to his broke out that that would be it. He would get word to someone and they’d come get everyone out. Because there had to be more people here. He just wasn’t allowed to see them. Or hear them. It was a psychological power-play by his captor. He beat psychological power-plays all the time. It was his best quality. He may not be the fastest, or the strongest, but his mind made him one of the most dangerous teenagers on the planet. If no one was coming for him, he would get himself out of this.

He looked at the miniature computer built into his gauntlet and frowned. Even saving power as much as he could, keeping it powered down until he needed to use it, the device was almost dead. In the few interactions he had had with his captor, he managed to connect his gauntlet to the computers in the prison. After that, it was just a matter of time before he created a backdoor into the system. He had to wait until he had a signal from some other technology in the facility so it had taken time. The connection issues weren’t his only problem either. Once he was able to dig into the code he realized it was so complex that he wasn’t sure he could work through it. Even with the endless hours of isolation and singular drive to free himself from the void he found himself trapped in, he felt like he would never break into the system.

It wasn’t until he remembered the bit of Kryptonian coding theory that he and Batman had deciphered a few years before that he was able to start revising the holding protocols on the cells. Now though, he was working against a clock. It was just a matter of time before the computer on his wrist shut down for good and no amount of hacking was going to convince his captor to charge the thing for him. He was lucky the man hadn’t noticed (or hadn’t cared) that he was wearing it.

Tim suddenly felt a queasy feeling in his stomach. He recognized it from the few times his captor had teleported him to what he could only describe as the interrogation chamber. It was a large room, covered in view-screens, with a high-tech holding cell in the center. Another moment and some severe vertigo later, Tim found himself out of his cell and in the interrogation room. His ears popped and he looked around, trying to notice any changes from the last time he had been brought here. He was held above the floor by two crisscrossing ovals of light. It reminded him of a giant simulation of an atom with himself as the nucleus. The screens were still there, taunting him with images of the outside world and standing in front of him was a man. He wielded a large staff with an imposing, sharp crescent moon-like blade attached to the top and wore a green cloak. His face was perpetually hidden in shadows.

“Good morning, Timothy,” he said without turning from the screens.

Tim glared down at the man’s back. He wanted nothing more than to tear open his cage and rip his face off but he was so close to the computers. The signal was strong and it was the best time to finish his hack of the facility’s operational controls. He couldn’t do that while being violent and angry. He knew he wasn’t here for anything other than his warden’s amusement. This was demeaning, but it was also his chance to get into the security system. He’d never had this strong of a signal before. He just had to be distracting enough to keep him from noticing what he was doing. Tim’s fingers flew over his gauntlet, commanding the computer to silently finish the hack. He prayed that there was enough battery life for his tech to do what he needed it to as he spoke to his captor. “What do you want, Oz?”

Chapter Text

Unknown Date
Unknown Location
Unknown Time

“What do you want, Oz,” Tim growled, looking down on the cloaked figure from his high-tech prison cell. He was waiting for him to reveal his motive for speaking to him. It wasn’t common for his jailer to summon him for a chat.

The being that called himself Mr. Oz turned around and looked up at Timothy, his face was still shrouded in darkness but Tim could see a single glowing red point within the shadowed features. It sent a chill down his spine but he showed no outward signs of discomfort. He couldn’t show weakness; not in front of him.

“You care for your family,” Oz said, a somber tone to his voice.

“Of course I do.” Tim said, keeping his voice even and his responses short. He was trying to assess his captor even as he continued to slowly break into his computer systems.

“Tell me about your younger brother.”

Tim frowned. Of all the questions Oz could have asked him, that wouldn’t have been at the top of his list. “Who?” he asked, playing dumb to see just how much Mr. Oz actually knew. He knew who Tim was but that didn’t necessarily mean he knew about Damian.

“Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t have pulled you from your cell, but certain events have forced me to reevaluate your situation. Now, I want to know what you think of Damian al Ghul Wayne. Son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul. Grandson of Ra’s al Ghul, the Demon’s Head.”

Or… he knew everything which honestly disturbed Tim to no end. “Damian? Why do you want to know about him? Seems like you already know an awful lot.”

“Humor me,” Oz said, a warning in his voice not to play games.

Tim took a deep breath. What could he possibly say about Damian? “First of all, the kid considers himself an only child… or maybe it’s just that he doesn’t think of me as his brother. The only people in the family he likes are Bruce, Dick, and Alfred. Maybe Cass, but he might just be scared of her enough to be polite. We’re barely civil to each other on our good days. He used to constantly try and kill me. He has gotten better though… Now he just settles for insulting me whenever the opportunity presents itself.”

“So you would not describe him as a good influence,” Oz concluded, keeping his voice neutral.

Tim took a minute to think about that. He had seen Damian develop from a complete monster child into a decent enough Robin. Damian had grown a lot in the time Tim had known him but he still had a lot of growing to do. Despite the progress they had made in their relationship as members of the same family and team of vigilantes, Tim still felt a little bitter about the past. “He’s mellowed out a lot since we brought him back from the dead. Yeah, we fight but it’s what all siblings do. He has a tendency to take things to the extreme but he’s a good kid deep down. He just has a lot of baggage to work through.”

Oz seemed to consider his words. “So you forgive him for attacking you all those times and taking your title from you.”

Tim pursed his lips and wondered how Oz even knew about that. The implications that his family had been watched for that long without finding out about it was terrifying. “Why does it matter?” he asked, not liking Oz’s sudden interest in Damian.

“Because how you answer the question is going to help me make a decision regarding the both of you. Now tell me, is he worth forgiving?”

To be honest, Tim was still pretty salty about Dick giving Damian the Robin title without even talking to him about it first. Though now that he had the benefit of time to look back on everything, he could understand (if not necessarily appreciate) what his older brother was trying to do.

“Damian needed Robin more than I did,” Tim defended half-heartedly, using Dick’s own words to explain what he had only recently come to accept. “When I started as Robin I never intended for it to be a permanent thing anyway. I wanted Nightwing to go back to being Batman’s partner. I only put on the cape when he refused. After Jason’s death… Batman was a wreck. If there was no one to look after him he was either going to kill someone or get himself killed. There wasn’t a choice.”

“Interesting… But why did it have to be you who looked after Batman? Why did the responsibility of saving him fall on your shoulders? You were an ordinary teenage boy.”

“Because nobody else would!” Tim said defensively. “I tried to get Dick to go back but he wouldn’t do it. Then he told me I should be Robin… How could I not act? I could fix things nobody else wanted to deal with.”

“And did you?”

Tim took a deep breath in through his nose, trying to keep the frustration he was feeling locked away and compartmentalized. “It’s not that simple.”

“No matter what you do, it’s never enough,” Oz said sadly, more to himself than to his prisoner. Tim wondered if he was speaking from personal experience. The moment passed quickly, though, and Oz turned his full attention back to Tim. “You are an exceptional young man, and I know more than most that being exceptional has a terrible cost. I know what it’s like to carry a world on my shoulders. I… haven’t cared for much I’ve seen on your world, but I have seen myself in you. I’d rather not see you make the same mistakes I did.”

Tim frowned. “I made my choices knowing full well what they could cost me. I don’t regret anything.”

Oz waved his staff at the screens and Tim saw his own face staring back at him, bruised and swollen from the fight against an uncountable amount of explosive drones. It was surveillance footage of him from the battle that had ended with his incarceration in this pocket dimension. Looking at the scene made Tim remember the broken ribs and leg, the bullet wounds that were now healed, reminding him just how long he had been trapped here.

Bruce… Tim listened as the familiar words filled the room. He could hear his labored breaths over the recording. The fear and defeat in his shaking voice was so clear to him that it hurt when Batman answered him back, his words almost pleading.

Don’t say it…

Tim couldn’t help the knot from forming in the back of his throat as he listened to his response, remembering the scene of the hundreds of drones heading straight for him. The second wave. He remembered the words that he said next; the last thing he ever said to Bruce.

Tell them I’m sorry. Tell them how much they all meant to me. Dick, Jason, Damian, Alfred… all of them. Thank you for everything, Bruce. Robin out.

And then came Bruce screaming his name. It made his stomach turn, knowing how much pain was in that scream. He knew Bruce must have reacted that way but he had turned his comms to Stephanie’s private channel so he wouldn’t have to have his father screaming his name be the last thing he heard before he died. Listening to it now almost broke him.

Then his voice came through the speakers again. Steph… can you hear me?

“Stop it,” Tim choked. “Turn it off.” He couldn’t listen to this. Saying goodbye, finally telling Steph he loved her. He didn’t want to think about what his death would have done to her. He wasn’t going to let Oz use that against him.

In his mind he imagined she was riding her motorcycle, trying to get to him in time to help him. He remembered the sound of her voice, so desperate, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be alright. I’m almost there, Tim… I’m almost—”

“Turn it off!” Tim shouted and threw himself against the forcefield keeping him confined in the air above Mr. Oz. It threw him back but thankfully when his ears stopped ringing he wasn’t listening to the recording anymore.

“Timothy,” Oz said darkly, looking up at him. “Don’t you see? It’s not your choices I am concerned about. You were planning to escape the life of a vigilante, go to college, get the girl. You, with all your intelligence and drive, could have done anything you wanted to, but your mentor just couldn’t let you go. You were too good at what you did. It was always just one more mission until your noble sacrifice at the top of Wayne Tower.”

“I chose to stay for as long as I did. Bruce had nothing to do with it,” Tim snapped.

“He had everything to do with it!” Oz shouted back. He was angry now, the calm and stoic facade was quickly slipping away. “You couldn’t leave him without knowing he’d be taken care of. And while you and the rest of your team worked to realize his vision of a Gotham free from crime, he was playing with forces he had no control over and could never fully understand! I had to rip my grandchild away from his home and his family to keep him safe from the chaos that your mentor was about to unleash. Because of that, I have had to watch my son fight for his very existence, unable to intervene.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Is Bruce in danger?”

“Your entire world is in danger, but you shouldn’t concern yourself with that right now. There would be nothing you could do even if I believed sending you back could help the situation in any way.” Oz turned to the screens that were lit up with confusing images of a Gotham bent and broken into something unrecognizable and a giant forge that seemed to have been inactive for years. It looked cold and dark, giving Tim an ominous feeling. “Being trapped in this place is not so bad when you consider the alternative. Batman’s disastrous choices have put the entire multiverse at risk. He is fighting for the survival of the multiverse at the World Forge as we speak, trying to undo the chaos he has put into motion. I am not certain he will succeed.”

“I don’t know who you really are. I don’t know how you know our identities or how you got your hands on this technology, but if my family is in danger, I need to get to them and help them!” Tim began his entreaty calmly but by the end was shouting in frustration. He hated feeling helpless. Being stuck where he was, at the whim of a madman, was not helping his rising panic.

“You’re right, of course,” Oz continued, sounding calmer now. “In the end, family is all we have, isn’t it? Your younger brother managed to follow my grandchild through a portal I intercepted as they left the planet Yggardis. I sent them to an Earth far enough away from your own that it shouldn’t be affected by the invasion of the Dark Multiverse for some time. You might have years to organize a defense.”

“You’re not making any sense! How do you expect me to save anyone when you won’t explain what’s going on? I’m smart but I’m not psychic! What the hell is the Dark Multiverse? Who is attacking my Earth?” Tim looked down on Oz from his floating cage with frustration and anger but noticed something else as his eye caught sight of his wrist-computer. He allowed the barest hint of hope to flare inside him as he realized he had finally managed to create a back-door to the computer systems. He could get out!

Tim acted immediately. Completely on instinct and without planning what to do next, he backflipped out of the energy rings that were no longer holding him in place. Landing in a crouch, he immediately sprung into a flying kick which landed squarely on the side of Oz’s head. He followed it with a low kick to sweep the feet and put him on his back but the man didn’t seem phased in the slightest. Tim was surprised that his attacks hadn’t had their intended effect. He knew he was probably weaker than normal due to his inactivity during his imprisonment. What he was not expecting was to be completely ineffective. Each blow felt like Tim was hitting a brick wall and seemed to hurt him more than it did his opponent.

He had almost broken his hand with his first punch and it was still throbbing as he lunged again and managed to grab the green cloak his captor wore. His intention was to pull the man down and attack the head, disarming him in the process. Control the head, control the body. That was basic combat theory. Not so with this opponent. All Tim managed to do was rip the cloak off of Mr. Oz, revealing an intimidating older man with white hair who looked more annoyed with him than anything else.

He appeared to be a human male in his fifties or sixties but had managed to keep a strong, muscular physique. His left eye was horribly scarred, as if he were burned in a fire. His right eye glowed red, reminding Tim of Superman’s heat-vision just before he shot it at an enemy. All of that wouldn’t have phased him, except when he tore the cloak from Oz’s body he revealed the clothes the older man was wearing underneath. Tim saw the symbol on Oz’s chest, right above his heart, and froze. The shield of the House of El, Superman’s “S,” was clearly visible.

For a moment he couldn’t breathe. There were two possible reasons Oz would be wearing that symbol. One, he was a fan of Superman, but given his penchant for locking away innocent people in an interdimensional prison, he didn’t think that was likely. Option two was that he was Kryptonian, specifically from Superman’s family. Given that he didn’t even flinch when Tim had hit him, that was the most likely explanation. But could it be true? “That crest… You can’t be…”

Oz could see Tim’s mind racing. He had not planned on telling him who he was when their conversation had begun, but the boy was intelligent. He would figure it out even if he said nothing. There wasn’t much point in keeping secrets now anyway. “That’s right. I am Jor-El. Father to Kal-El, known to you as Superman.”

Tim wasn’t sure but he thought that if a mind could break, his was very close to doing so. “Superman’s dad kidnapped me…”

Oz, or rather, Jor-El frowned. “You have no idea, do you? I don’t have the power to rip a person out of their reality the moment before their death. My staff is not that powerful.”

Tim looked at him confused. “If you didn’t do it, then who?”

“You’re not the only prisoner in this place, Timothy. I was once kept here against my will, but I managed to figure out how to rebel in small ways that wouldn’t draw His attention. I tried to save my planet, but in the end, I only managed to save a single person. I was prepared to die along with my world, in my wife’s arms, but He stole that from me, just as He ripped you from your own world. Now history is repeating itself on a massive scale and I am failing again. But I’m done being a passive observer.”

“What? Who put me here? Who are you talking about? Why has He done this?”

Oz shook his head slowly, almost sadly. “It doesn’t matter. The only concern you should have is that His attention is now elsewhere. There is nothing you can do for your world now, so for once do the selfish thing. Don’t try to get back. Tell the heroes of your new home what is coming. All the information you need will be in the files your computer copied as you broke into my systems. Let them handle it. You said yourself that you had never intended to be Robin forever. Take the gift I am giving you and live your life.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Tim argued. “If there’s any chance I can save my home I have to act. You have so much power. How are you not helping them right now? We can go there together. Just teleport us!” Tim was getting desperate. He couldn’t let him send him away to some alternate Earth like a refugee when he could do something for his home right now.

“As I’ve said. I can only interfere so much before His eye turns back to me. I’ve done all I can by pulling my grandson and your brother out of it. Now I’m sending you to them. It’s the best place for you.”

“No! You’re just condemning everyone I care about!” Tim screamed and lunged for Jor-El, even knowing it would do him no good. His body simply acted, attempting anything that would keep him from being sent away. He knew if he could just get ahold of Jor-El’s staff he could get himself home. That was what controlled the interdimensional portals, he was sure of it.

Despite how quickly Tim moved, it was all for nothing as Jor-El raised the staff and a portal formed in front of him. Tim was going too fast and the glowing blue circle of shimmering light was too close. He couldn’t stop in time. Tim tumbled right through it. The last thing he heard before landing on the other side was the voice of Jor-El. “You may not understand this yet, but I am saving you.”

Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wayne Manor
11:35 a.m.

“Hello,” Cassandra said to the newcomer as soon as Dick had run off. She left baby Damian playing with his stuffed animals and walked over to the boy who was very clearly terrified. It was interesting. She could tell it wasn’t fear of bodily harm. No, the boy was more in awe of Bruce than anything else, but he was scared of something. She could see it in the tension of his muscles, his posture, even the set of his shoulders. He reminded her of a small rabbit in the wild, always on guard from predators, ready to move at a moment’s notice.

“Hi,” he whispered, keeping one eye on Bruce. He was being especially guarded, as if doing anything more than small movements and speaking softly would cause some major catastrophe to happen. And yet there was still that reverence mixed with terror in his expression. He was trying to hide it but to Cassandra he might as well have been screaming.

“My name is Cassandra.” She spoke with her voice, while at the same time trying to show him with her body language that she was no threat to him. He was so on edge and so focused on Bruce, though, that she didn’t think he picked up on many of her non-verbal cues.

“I’m Tim. It’s nice to meet you,” he said distractedly, looking around the room at the eclectic collection of people. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Wayne. I didn’t know you had company. I should go. You can tell Dick he can keep the camera. I—”

“Have a seat, Tim,” Bruce said gently, indicating the couch they were standing near.

Tim’s eyes went wide and almost automatically his butt hit the cushions. “Yes sir,” he squeeked. He sat ramrod straight on the couch, looking up at Bruce, not even trying to hide the fear he was feeling now.

Bruce tried to put the boy at ease but Cassandra could see that it was doing very little to help Tim’s anxiety. “Tim… you can relax. I promise you have nothing to worry about. I just want to talk.”

“Right,” the small boy tried to smile but he only became more tense. He was beginning to shake like a leaf in the wind as he sat there, trying not to move while adrenaline flooded through him. Cassandra was getting worried that the boy would faint if he got any more flustered.

Bruce sat on the couch and turned to face Tim. Cassandra noticed that Bruce knew that Tim was uncomfortable but he had no idea how to put him at ease. Tim was so tiny compared to the older man, it was almost funny to see the two of them side by side. Cass wondered if that was the reason he was being so skittish. Maybe Tim just needed someone who wouldn’t be able to fold him in half with his pinky fingers to put him at ease.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Bruce asked awkwardly.

Tim shook his head quickly. “No, thank you.”

Bruce wasn’t sure what else to say as they waited for Dick to return. They both sat there in silence until Bruce tried again to get Tim to open up to him. He didn’t want to scare the boy but he had to know what had happened the previous night. Why would Tim even be out that late? He couldn’t be more than seven or eight. Were his parents working and couldn’t get a sitter so they took him with them? Where were his parents now?

Bruce’s bad feeling about the situation was turning into images of worst case scenarios in his mind the more he thought about things. If Tim was one of Damian’s brothers that meant that Bruce probably adopted him at some point and that meant that something bad had happened to his parents. He had to find out what Tim’s story was. “So you walked here from your house?”

“Yessir.”

“Do your parents know you came here by yourself?”

“Dad’s running the company, mom’s planning their Carribean trip. Mom thinks I took a cab to school.” Tim shrugged. “I’ll call for one when I leave but I liked the walk over here. It was peaceful. Helped me build up the courage to actually ring the doorbell.”

As Cassandra watched the exchange she couldn’t help but notice how sad Tim became when he talked about his parents. For a moment it made him forget about how nervous he was. She didn’t see any sign of fear as he spoke about them, but there was a loneliness there that Cass knew intimately.

“You’re going to the Caribbean? That sounds exciting. Have you been there before?” Bruce asked, sounding interested. He hoped talking to Tim about something in his own life would put the child at ease. Bruce might not read body language as well as Cassandra but he could clearly see that the boy still looked like he was about to jump out of his own skin.

Tim shook his head. “I don’t go on trips. Mom and dad go so they can de-stress and stop fighting for a couple of weeks.” Tim risked a glance over at Bruce. “It’s okay, though!” He quickly supplied when he saw the concerned look on Bruce’s face. “It’s a good thing. I don’t really like to travel anyway and it’s easier to fall asleep when there’s nobody yelling at night. And… and they always send me a postcard so it’s almost like I’m there with them.” Tim’s eyes started to water. Quickly, he turned away from Bruce so he wouldn’t see.

But Bruce did see it, and his heart broke. It was at that moment that he realized that any thoughts he had about keeping Tim at arm’s length were dead. He hesitantly put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, trying to comfort him. Tim tensed under his touch and quickly wiped at his eyes.

Cassandra saw Tim wince almost imperceptibly as he made a short, shuddering breath. He hiccoughed and was very obviously trying to hold back the tears. Watching him do that made her feel uneasy for reasons she couldn’t quite place at that moment, but she knew something was wrong. She could practically feel the color drain from her face as she stared at him. Hold it together, Tim, she tried to say without words, but he wasn’t even looking at her.

He was upset about his parents, that was obvious. Cassandra could relate. He was also afraid Bruce was going to be mad at him. There wasn’t any wasn’t any indication that he was bracing himself for a beating so he wasn’t afraid of Bruce hurting him physically. There was definitely some sort of guilt and a fear of something, though. There were so many tells in his breathing, his subtle reactions to Bruce’s movements, and the positioning of his body that screamed his unease.

Cassandra was sure that as long as he didn’t do something unforgivable, he would be fine. He hadn’t really started crying and was doing well to keep it under control, too. It was understandable that he was so scared. He might not know that Bruce really was a good person. Bruce wouldn’t act the way her father would… would he? Of course he wouldn’t! Cass could prove it, too. She’d show Tim that Bruce was good.

She ran back to baby Damian and picked him up. He had a stuffed cow he was playing with that he wouldn’t let go of, but that was okay. She could work with that. She figured that when Tim saw how happy Bruce was with the baby he wouldn’t be scared anymore. At the very least he wouldn’t want to cry. It was a great plan! She carried Damian over to where Bruce and Tim were and held the baby up to them.

Tim looked… confused. It was better than terrified, though. She counted it as a win as she placed the baby in Bruce’s lap. “Say hello, Damian,” she cooed at the baby, helping the small figure wave his hand at Tim. It looked rather awkward as little Damian refused to let go of his cow and seemed to just be shaking it at Tim with an angry scowl on his chubby cheeks. Bruce seemed amused, at least, but Tim’s eyes went wide with a horrified expression and Cass immediately regretted her decision to get involved. She had done something to upset Tim more and things were about to get so much worse. She had not helped at all. She felt like all the sound around her had dulled and it was getting harder to breathe by the second.

“Oh my God…” Tim gasped and pointed at the baby. “That’s Damian?” His mind was racing. What had those psycho ladies done to him? Dick had said he was fine. This was not fine! “I’m so sorry…” he gasped. Despite not wanting to, the tears came in a torrent and he couldn’t stop himself from beginning to hyperventilate. “This is all my fault!” Tim buried his face in his hands as he started sobbing inconsolably.

“Tim! Calm down. It’s alright. It’s…” Bruce had no idea what to do for the distraught child. He wasn’t even sure why Tim had started crying so suddenly. He looked to Alfred in the kitchen. Thankfully, he and Ravi were already on their way over.

Tim’s sudden outburst had caused Cassandra to stiffen like a deer in the path of an oncoming car. She had no idea what to do either. It was her fault Tim was upset. Tim was going to be punished because he was crying… because she had upset him. She had to make it right, had to show them she would take the blame. Tim was so small. He might not survive punishment.

She grabbed his arm and yanked him off the couch. He made a high-pitched, surprised squeak as she positioned herself between him and Bruce. Little Damian was still on Bruce’s lap. That was good. He wouldn’t try to go through her while he was holding Damian, but Tim was still crying. That wasn’t good. He needed to stop but she didn’t know how to help him.

No one in the League of Shadows ever cried like that. They never cried, period. The only time she could ever remember doing such a thing, her father had beaten her almost to the point of death. At least that was how it had felt at the time. The memory terrified her. An infant like Damian doing that was acceptable, he didn’t know any better, but Tim should know by now, shouldn’t he? Why couldn’t he control himself?

All her mind could do was replay that day. She had gotten hurt and ran crying to her father for comfort. He had taught her that it was not an acceptable response to the pain. That was the day she finally understood what her father wanted from her. He had made her understand that complete silence was what her life would be like; not a sound to escape her lips ever again. It was why it took her so long to begin to feel comfortable using words when Talia and Ravi started teaching her to speak.

She had passed out during that beating. When she came to, her wounds were being dressed by her father as if nothing had happened but the lesson was well learned. It was the last time she ever cried. Cassandra didn’t have the words to explain why they shouldn’t punish Tim for his outburst. She didn’t know how to explain that it was her fault he started crying so it should be her who takes the beating. Maybe if she broke her finger, that would be enough to satisfy them. The knives were in the kitchen. A stab to the leg or arm might do it. But would it be enough for them to ignore Tim?

“Cassandra, sweet child, please see me.”

Cass blinked. The words, spoken so calmly yet with so much emotion, brought her back from her memories and thoughts. Ravi was kneeling in front of her, repeating the words again and again until she heard them.

“Shadows punish,” Cass whispered. It was so hard to speak. For some reason her mouth didn’t want to make the right movements and her throat was painfully dry.

“You are no longer among the Shadows, my girl,” Ravi comforted her. “They can not come here. You are safe. No one will punish you.”

“Not me,” Cass choked out, eyeing Tim who was still sniffling behind her, completely confused. At least he wasn’t sobbing anymore.

Ravi looked at the scared child who Alfred was now tending to. Bruce was still there, in front of them all, holding Damian. Cass knew right away that he was confused and saddened by what she had done. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t angry, like her father would be. By this point she would have been defending herself against the inevitable beating, but Bruce looked like he wasn’t even thinking of doing that. Was it because he was holding Damian? He could have just handed him over to Ravi and gotten on with it.

Without warning Cass found herself enveloped in a hug. Ravi was hugging her. He never showed affection like that. A smile, every so often a pat on the shoulder or a hand on hers was the most he had ever done to comfort her when they lived with the Shadows. Cassandra was so confused. No one was acting as she expected. Her muscles remained coiled tightly, ready to react to any physical threat but no one was showing that they were about to do anything that would harm anyone. It didn’t make sense!

The adrenaline burst that she had gotten the moment before was quickly wearing off and causing her to shake. She was sure Ravi could feel it, yet he just kept holding her, speaking softly to her. Tim was not being taken by any of the other adults and they weren’t beating him in front of her. She didn’t understand anything that was happening and it made her want to start crying herself. Of course, she couldn’t do that. Despite the actions of everyone in the room she still couldn’t feel safe if she allowed herself to do that.

She tried to focus on what Ravi was saying to her but she was too tired to concentrate on understanding the words. It was all just a jumble of noises to her but one word he kept saying over and over within the jumble finally got through. Safe. He was telling her she was safe. He was saying she wouldn’t be harmed and everything in his body language told her that he wasn’t lying. At least, he believed he wasn’t lying.

Then again, looking at Bruce, she saw he was worried for her. He didn’t look like he was angry. He looked like he wanted to comfort her himself but didn’t want to get in Ravi’s way. Cassandra was having trouble processing what was happening so she felt greatly relieved when she heard another familiar voice that brought everyone’s attention to it and away from her.

“I leave you alone for a few hours and you’ve already made Drake cry. Really, Father, I expected better.”

“Damian?!” Tim squeaked in shock upon seeing him. He looked back and forth from the teenager to the infant in Bruce’s arms several times before breaking away from Alfred and sprinting to Damian. He stopped just short of slamming into him and giving him a relieved and much needed hug. The only thing keeping him from doing just that was his parents’ voices in the back of his mind reminding him that hugging a virtual stranger wouldn’t be appropriate. Instead, he just looked questioningly at the older boy clearly there in front of him, completely unharmed. “You’re not a baby!”

“Obviously,” Damian scoffed, looking at Tim with an unimpressed frown. “Why would you think I was?”

Tim’s cheeks flushed and his eyes dropped to the floor. “I just thought, when Cassandra called the baby ‘Damian’ that you had been, like, de-aged or something and it was all my fault because you had gone with those ladies because you were trying to protect me last night.”

“That is …” Damian wanted to say ‘the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard,’ but thinking about what’s happened to him in the past, he really couldn’t say that with a straight face. “Actually a reasonable conclusion to jump to, considering this family. Though I do suggest you ease up on the comic book consumption in the near future, Drake. That kind of thing doesn’t happen very often in the real world.”

“Drake? Oh my gosh, is that Tim?!” Jon gasped from behind Damian and picked Tim up under his arms to get a better look at him. “He’s so tiny!”

“Hey!” Tim cried and tried unsuccessfully to wiggle out of Jon’s grip. “Put me down!”

Jon did so immediately and smiled apologetically. “Sorry. It’s just a shock seeing you like this.”

“Like what?” Tim said defensively. “And who are you?”

“I’m Jon. Nice to meet you, Timmy,” he said with an amused grin.

“It’s Tim. ‘Timmy’ makes me sound like a kid,” Tim corrected, smoothing out the wrinkles in his uniform.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to grow up, Timmy,” Dick said, coming into the room alongside Conner. “It’s not that great from what I’ve seen. Bills, responsibility, who needs that, right?”

“Uh… right.” Tim said unenthusiastically, almost reflexively agreeing with his question.

“Are you alright, Tim?” Conner asked, noticing the still elevated heart rate of the little boy in front of him.

“Who are you?” Tim asked, starting to get overwhelmed by all the new people coming into the room.

“I’m a friend of Dick’s. Conner,” he said as if he were meeting a new person at school rather than a panicking eight-year-old.

The normalcy of the exchange seemed to help Tim calm down as the small boy’s heart rate slowly returned to acceptable levels. Tim looked critically at Conner, taking in his appearance, the way he dressed and the similarity of his features to Superman. Tim saw the Man of Steel enough in magazines, news articles, and television interviews to notice the likeness. The big red ‘S’ on his shirt only worked to confirm Tim’s suspicions.

His eyes went wide as he realized who this person must be. He had heard whispers on the dark web of a Superboy working with Batman’s covert team of young heroes (the covert team Robin happen to be on), but he’d never been able to find much evidence of him. Then again, he was pretty sure he was standing right in front of him. “Can you fly?”

Conner startled at the abrupt question. “What?”

“You’re Superboy, right?” Tim whispered conspiratorially to Conner. “So you can fly, right? That must be so cool!”

“Look, kid, I don’t know who you think I am but—”

“Give it up, Kent,” Damian cut him off. “Drake is annoyingly perceptive. His older self is one of only two people on the planet my grandfather deems worthy of the title ‘Detective.’ He’s figured you out. No use in denying it.”

Tim was a bit confused. He didn’t think he had ever met Damian’s grandfather. What did he mean by ‘his older self?’ That didn’t make any sense. And why did he sound so bitter when he said that?

“Okaaay… well, I wouldn’t really know about flying. I can jump far but flying’s not something I really do,” Conner shrugged, trying not to let the reminder that he would never have all the powers of Superman get to him.

“Can you shoot lasers out of your eyes?” Tim asked curiously.

Conner frowned, “Well… no but—”

“What about—”

“That is enough, Drake,” Damian snapped. He was surprised that the child could be even more annoying than his own world’s teenage version.

Tim stopped asking questions immediately and he once again dropped his eyes to the floor. “Sorry,” he whispered dejectedly.

Damian furrowed his brow. He didn’t expect Tim to just roll over and even apologize. There was usually argument and debate when he tried to tell him what to do. It was disquieting to see him like that.

“Damian.” Bruce said, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “You’re alright.” He looked relieved and stressed all at the same time. Little Damian was in his arms, hitting him with a stuffed cow and whining softly.

Damian had to take a second to hold back the smile that was creeping up on him when he saw his younger counterpart wielding that particular toy. He guessed that it was Grayson’s doing. The boy seemed particularly amused when he had mentioned Batcow at dinner the previous night. Where he found time to find a stuffed cow was anyone’s guess.

“Hello, Father,” Damian said cordially and couldn’t help but notice the young Timothy Drake go white as a sheet at his words.

“That’s your dad?!” Tim squeaked in disbelief.

Damian ignored him and looked around the room. He spotted Alfred looking uncharacteristically disturbed. “Pennyworth, are you ill?”

Alfred smiled reassuringly to the children. “Thank you, Master Damian. Simply caught off guard, is all. Master Tim, are you certain you do not need assistance?”

Tim slowly nodded his head once, as if he wasn’t quite sure himself.

“Then if everyone is alright here, I am going to assist with Miss Cassandra.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Bruce said, not taking his eyes off of the small group that had just entered his living room.

Damian noticed him staring and immediately got defensive. “Don’t start about Jon being here. I’m not leaving him locked away at the Fortress. If you don’t like it, we’ll just stay in Happy Harbor.”

“Damian… I’m just happy you’re alright.”

Damian was ready to argue with whatever his father said but he was not prepared for that. It made him feel similar to the time when he had just been brought back to life and his father hugged him with everything he had. It made him feel safe… and loved.

“Yes… well… Jon is also safe.”

“I’m sure he is,” Bruce nodded, looking almost amused, if not still wary about the explodable child standing in his house.

“Is Cass okay?” Dick asked, drawing everyone’s attention to the fact that she had been brought to the kitchen and was currently curled up on the counter with her knees tucked under her chin. She held a mug of tea in her hands and was staring at the wall while Ravi spoke softly to her and rubbed circles into her back.

“I think I scared her,” Tim said miserably.

Damian had to stifle a mocking laugh. “You? Scare Cassandra? Really Drake, you think too highly of yourself.”

“I didn’t mean to!” Tim snapped, obviously sensitive about the incident. “I started… I was crying, and she freaked out and pulled me behind her and then she looked really nauseous and went all quiet.”

“Cass had a panic attack, Tim,” Bruce explained gently. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“The crying might have actually been the trigger,” Damian said, almost to himself. After a moment, he walked over to the television and began rifling through Bruce’s media library.

“Damian… now isn’t really the time for a movie,” Bruce said.

“Just trust me,” Damian said distractedly as he searched.

“What are you looking for?” Jon asked, using his enhanced vision to see all the videos and DVDs that Bruce owned in an instant.

“Ballet,” Damian said shortly, without explanation.

Jon flew over and slipped a DVD out of the randomly ordered jumble of media. “The Moscow Ballet performs The Nutcracker for your viewing pleasure,” he said with an ironic tone as he handed it to Damian.

“Perfect,” the shorter boy said and slipped the disk into the player.

“Um… why are we watching ballet right now?” Conner asked.

“Because,” Damian said as he grabbed the remote and scrolled through the scene selection until he found Waltz of the Flowers, “ballet is something that Cassandra loves and this particular dance always helps her to calm down when she’s had a bad day. Usually she’s the one that dances but I doubt she’s been exposed to it yet.” He angled the TV toward the kitchen and pressed ‘play.’ “I can’t take her to see a live performance right now, so this is what we’re doing.”

As the music started up and the dancers made their way out onstage in their flowing pink skirts Cass looked up from her cup of tea to see what was going on. The moment her eyes fell on the screen she was entranced. As if she were under a spell, she blindly put the cup down and slid off the counter. Her eyes never left the screen as she walked over to the television.

No one said a word as Cass watched, her awe of the performance clearly evident. She had never seen movement like that, everyone so in synch and joyful. Everything was so precise. Cassandra knew that the women on the screen had put in hours upon hours of work to move so perfectly and in such harmony. The most incredible thing to her, though, was that there was no violence in it at all. It was pure expression through movement. She was overwhelmed in the best way possible.

Cass sat down on the coffee table behind her and could feel the muscles in her body steadily relaxing. She had completely forgotten about her fears from the minutes before and was beginning to believe what Ravi said.

Ravi had been watching Cassandra with interest as she made her way over to a television set that was larger than she was. He sat on the couch in stunned silence as relief washed over him. He could see the little girl visibly relax as she watched the dancers. The very few times she had ever had an episode like that in front of him, it usually took him several hours of reassuring words and actions to help her back to herself. Panic attacks were rare for Cassandra, but he had dealt with them before. It broke his heart to see her like that. Though now that he was watching her with Damian, he had hope that she would eventually get over the traumas of her childhood.

Damian sat next to Cassandra and put his arm gently around her. She rested her head on his arm and finally felt like everything was going to be alright.

“I’ll stay with her,” Damian said, looking back at his father. “You should talk to Drake and Grayson about what’s on the camera.”

“He’s actually a really talented photographer,” Dick said honestly, trying to avoid the main issue of Tim sneaking out at night to take pictures of them for as long as possible.

“Why don’t we discuss this in the kitchen,” Bruce suggested, adjusting little Damian in his arms to try to keep the baby from battering him with his cow plushie.

Dick nodded half-heartedly and looked down at Tim who was starting to look a little sick again. He took Tim’s hand and said, “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”

Tim nodded, feeling a little better from Dick’s reassurance, even though he didn’t quite believe his words. He squeezed his hand and allowed himself to be led out of the living room.

Conner looked around and saw Jon looking up at him wondering what to do now. “Okay…” he said, taking a seat on the couch. “I guess we’ll wait here for Clark and… watch ballet…”

The Watchtower
11:35 a.m.

The remaining members of the Team that were left on the Watchtower gathered in one of the satellite's many conference rooms. The Flash had called them there but had yet to show up himself.

Artemis noticed how small their group had gotten since they had all arrived the night before. Superboy and Jon had gone off with Superman. She was pretty sure Damian and Robin had left with Batman and their new League of Shadows charges. Zatanna’s dad had whisked her away the moment she had woken up from her magic-overuse-recovery-coma and Dinah had kidnapped Roy right in front of them at breakfast. The only people left to come to the meeting were Kaldur, Wally, M’gann, and herself (and she really needed to get home. Her mom was not happy about her missing school this morning due to her unsanctioned overnight adventure).

“Does anyone know why my uncle wants to talk to us?” Wally asked, looking bored. He was the picture of laziness with his legs hanging over an armrest of the chair he was lounging in.

“How should I know? He’s your uncle,” Artemis snarked. She didn’t like not knowing what to expect and was starting to get annoyed that she was wasting time waiting for The Flash to show up after he was so adamant that they all be gathered in this particular room by 11:30 a.m. sharp.

Wally shrugged. “And despite being the fastest man alive, he is perpetually late. I don’t think he’s even physically capable of being on time. He says 11:30, he really means sometime just after 11:30 but definitely before 12. Drives my aunt crazy but I’m pretty much used to it by now.”

“Gee, thanks for the heads-up, Baywatch,” Artemis said sarcastically, the annoyance clear in her voice. She almost felt bad for snapping but she was running on very few hours of sleep and she knew her mom was down on Earth, pissed off that she was missing school (even if the Justice League was partially to blame for that). “If Flash doesn’t want to be on time, I don’t have to sit here and wait. I need to get home before my mom decides to revoke her permission to let me shoot arrows at criminals every night.”

“Artemis,” Kaldur said in the calm manner he usually affected. “Kid Flash has no control over the actions of those around him. You should not blame him for the tardiness of his mentor.”

Artemis blew a stray strand of blond hair out of her face and slouched in her seat. “Whatever. He’s still late. You’d think for someone with the superhuman speed, that would be the one thing he could avoid.”

“You would think…” Wally agreed, looking abashed enough that Artemis really did begin to feel bad for taking her sour mood out on him.

“I think we’re all overtired and still stressed out from last night,” M’gann said with a worried frown. She hadn’t heard from Conner since he left with Superman and was beginning to worry about him. It could be nothing. He might finally be getting those lessons on how to control his super-senses better. Then again, it could be that he hadn’t contacted her because he had an argument with Superman and was now brooding somewhere like Batman. She really hated when he did that. Her friends arguing wasn’t helping her convince herself that option number two wasn’t the most likely scenario.

“Why doesn’t Roy have to be here?” Artemis asked.

“Probably because Black Canary kidnapped him and Green Arrow,” Wally guessed. “I bet, at this very moment, she is forcing them to fight to the death in an attempt to actually get them to hug it out and get over their issues,”

“He’s at the Zeta-tubes,” M’gann said helpfully, scanning the watchtower and finding Roy’s mental signature fairly quickly.

“What?” Artemis said angrily at the same time Wally asked, “He’s leaving?” The two looked at each other then to the doorway. They had the same idea: get to Roy and yell at him about leaving without saying goodbye. Wally was just faster. He scooped Artemis up and sped them to the Zeta-tubes.

Kaldur shook his head. There was no use talking to those two right now. They were worried about Roy. The archer was one of Wally’s best friends and he and Artemis had gotten a lot closer during their last mission as well. Still, it was probably best to go after them.

“Agreed,” M’gann said enthusiastically and hopped to her feet as she sensed Aqualad’s intentions. “We should definitely go after them.”

“One of us should stay here and wait for The Flash,” Kaldur said logically. “It wouldn’t do for him to arrive to an empty room.”

M’gann thought about that for a moment then shrugged. “I don’t sense him very close by yet. We might be able to go and come back before he gets here.”

“Still, it would be better for one of us to stay here. He can move as fast as Superman. I’m sure the moment he is finished with whatever is keeping him, he will be here.”

M’gann frowned, knowing he was right.

“Hey, guys. Sorry I’m late.” Flash sped into the room in a blur of movement and skidded to a halt in front of Kaldur and M’gann. A bundle of papers, poster boards, and even an easel were barely staying in his arms. The presentation materials all had titles like ‘Why It’s Important Not to Sneak Off On Your Own to Fight Ninjas’ and ‘When Your Friends Are Kidnapped, Ask for Help!’ He dropped them on the nearest table with an audible sigh of relief.

Kaldur and M’gann would have jumped had they not both been so used to Wally’s habit of appearing out of nowhere. Instead, they stared openly at the mess of papers and all the low-tech presentation materials scattered in front of them.

Flash didn’t notice, though, as he looked around the room and frowned. “Where are Wally and Artemis?”

“Ican’tbelieveyoutriedtoleavewithoutsayinggoodbye, you jerk!” Wally said the moment he ran himself and Artemis to the Watchtower’s Zeta-tubes. “After everything we’ve been through, you’re just going to run off into the night, never to be heard from again?”

Roy looked in Wally’s direction, much too amused by the sight in front of him as the speedster appeared seemingly out of nowhere with an angry blonde in his arms.

“Put me down!” Artemis growled and shoved herself out of Wally’s grip once he had stopped moving. The sudden jolt forced him to drop her less than gracefully on the floor in front of Roy. The moment her feet hit solid ground she punched Wally square in the shoulder.

He looked at her like he had been betrayed. “You’re supposed to be on my side!”

Artemis crossed her arms and glared at him. “Don’t do that again without asking first.”

Wally thought about her words for a moment. He hadn’t ever thought it was a big deal. Most people were grateful he sped them away from danger without asking first. Then again, Artemis just needed to get to the same place as him. She wasn’t in danger and even if she were, she’d probably be able to get herself out of it without his help. “Sorry,” he said honestly, putting his hands up in a supplicatory gesture. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

Artemis opened her mouth to argue but there was really nothing to argue with. He handled that apology much more maturely than she was expecting. “Well… good. See that it doesn’t.” She turned her attention to Roy after that and the full force of her annoyance was now aimed at the archer. “As for you, I’m with Baywatch on this one. What were you thinking?”

Roy made a choking sound. “Baywatch? Really?”

“Hey, I can’t help it if I look good in a bathing suit,” Wally shrugged.

Artemis just shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking about their first meeting. Despite falling flat on his face, he didn’t look horrible in that bathing suit.

“Anyway!” Artemis interjected, trying to get that thought out of her head, “This is about Roy, not Wally’s trunks. Roy… what the hell?”

Roy looked far too amused for someone in his situation. “Don’t worry, either of you. Dinah made me have a long conversation with Ollie. We almost came to blows but in the end it was good we talked. He can’t leave the city for an extended period right now but he’s going to fund my search for the original Roy… as long as I check in with him every week. And if I don’t he has the go-ahead to hunt me down and drag me back home.”

“And does this agreement have a ‘making sure your friends know you’re alive and okay’ clause? Because I sure as hell would worry about you,” Wally said, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice.

“I’m not good with goodbyes,” Roy said lamely. He knew it wasn’t a good excuse, but he didn’t want to make a big deal of his leaving.

“Not good enough,” Wally pouted. “I’m one of your best friends. Artemis I can see you sneaking away from, but me?!”

“Oh my god you two are like an old married couple,” Artemis sighed in irritation.

Roy was about to defend himself to the blonde when the Zeta-tube behind him came online without warning. The announcement of the traveler that usually came just before a person’s arrival never sounded. The three teenagers barely had time to dodge as a human body came barreling out of the portal and landed on its side, sliding across the shiny, waxed floors and coming to a halt a few feet away from them.

At first glance it looked like Robin. The colors were right but as the shocked heroes took a closer look they noticed that the person lying motionless on the ground was much too tall to be Dick or Damian. He looked to be about Roy’s age and the suit he wore wasn’t exactly like Dick’s. His haircut was different too.

They didn’t know what to expect so their training kicked in and made them move seamlessly into a defensive position. The three immediately shifted from confused and curious to on their guards, treating the strange newcomer as a potential threat. Roy and Artemis drew their bows and Wally readied himself for anything the intruder might be planning. He would not be getting another broken nose this week! He’d learned his lesson from Damian’s unexpected arrival.

The boy on the floor coughed and started to push himself up into a sitting position. “Ugh, that was not a good decision,” he muttered to himself.

“Don’t move!” Roy ordered, his arrow pointed straight at the intruder. “Keep your hands where I can see them!”

The boy stiffened but did as he was told. “Arsenal?”

That one word sent a shockwave through the group.

Wally looked at Roy, remembering the conversation with Damian at breakfast. “Did he just say…”

“There’s no way that’s a coincidence,” Roy mused, allowing his bowstring to relax just a fraction.

“I knew it had to be Arsenal,” Artemis smirked at Roy before turning her attention back to the newcomer. “You here for a kid named Damian?”

Keeping his hands away from his body to show that he had no weapons, the boy slowly got to his feet. He turned around and took his first look at the trio. The one in the middle was definitely Roy Harper, but he was younger and looked a lot more pissed off than Tim ever remembered Roy being. The boy on the right seemed familiar but he couldn’t quite place him. Judging by his costume he was one of Flash’s people. Tim didn’t recognize the girl at all but she looked like she might belong with Green Arrow, judging by her clothes and weapon of choice.

“He did it then,” Tim frowned, thinking of Jor-El’s rambling explanation about what was going on. He hadn’t stood a chance against the Kryptonian and now he was trapped again, not in a dark cell in a pocket dimension but on an Earth that was not his own. He might not be in a prison at the moment but there was still no way home. It was frustrating enough that the look of devastation on his face was evident to the others even through his domino mask.

By this point Roy felt like he was an expert on Robins. This kid had to have been trained by Batman if his costume had anything to say. That made him dangerous even if Roy was almost certain this person was from Damian’s Earth. “Who are you?” he demanded, keeping his guard high.

Tim didn’t want to give up his real name. Bruce had protocols for this type of situation. If you find yourself trapped in an alternate reality and there is a version of Bruce that doesn’t seem too hostile or evil, talk to him first and give no information about yourself or your own reality away… but there was a very real danger to his own Earth right now according to Mister Oz… or rather Jor-El. If there was a time to bend, or even break the rules it was now. He didn’t have time to be mysterious and slowly gain people’s trust over time. Before he did anything, before he even asked about Damian, he needed to find out what was in the data he hacked from the prison.

“My name is Tim Drake and I’m Damian’s brother. I’ll need to speak with Batman eventually but right now what I need is a computer. My world is in danger. I could really use some help.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
11:35 a.m.
The Watchtower

Oliver Queen was back at his station in the Watchtower’s monitor bay. He didn’t consider watching Roy leave to be spying on him. He just wanted to make sure he got safely back to Earth. The kid… no, Roy was an adult now, he had to stop thinking of him like that. That was one of his biggest issues with how Oliver treated him. Roy, a capable adult and hero in his own right. He wanted to track down the original Roy Harper and rescue him if necessary. It was a noble goal, even if Ollie suspected with a heavy heart that it would be a futile one.

He was watching Roy approach the Zeta controls when out of the blue Kid Flash came zipping into view of the cameras with a pissed off Artemis in his arms. Ollie couldn’t help but laugh out loud when the blonde violently removed herself from the redhead’s hold. It reminded him of his early relationship with Dinah. Yeah, those two would definitely be an item before the year was out.

Unfortunately, his amusement didn’t last long. A very short time later the Zeta-tube activated without authorization and an unidentified teenager was thrown onto the floor in front of the trio. Ollie was dumbstruck at the sudden appearance of the boy who was getting to his feet and talking to Roy. A moment later the silent alarms activated, alerting every Justice Leaguer on the Watchtower.

Ollie immediately sent instructions out to the League. “Breach at the Zeta-tubes. I repeat, breach at the Zeta-tubes. Single unidentified male intruder. Don’t know if he’s armed. All available League members get your butts over there!”

In moments Flash was in the doorway and Oliver took off running to back him up. When he got there he found Wonder Woman and Black Canary arriving as well. They all entered the room in a coordinated formation they had practiced dozens of times and immediately heard the unidentified boy speaking to Barry.

“I’d be happy to submit to any tests you think are necessary. Like I said, I’ve been trapped for… probably months at this point. All I want right now is to stay out of enclosed spaces for a while and get a look at the information my computer was able to gather while I was there. Is Batman here?”

Ollie was impressed at the level of calm this kid was able to maintain while being surrounded by the greatest heroes on Earth after breaking into their base of operations. That didn’t mean he believed a word he said. “Batman’s busy right now and he doesn’t need to be bothered until we’ve confirmed your story.”

“Alright,” the boy said, looking to Wonder Woman. “I assume your lasso works the same way in this reality as it does in mine.”

Diana gave the boy an amused half-smile. “And I assume that your version of me also carries the Lasso of Truth.”

“She does,” Tim said, holding out his hand to take the magical lie detector test.

Diana unwound the rope from its spot on her hip and placed the end in Tim’s outstretched hand. By this time most of the heroes on the Watchtower had filtered in and noticed that the situation was under control. They stayed out of the way as they watched the scene unfolding in front of them with curiosity.

“Alright then,” Diana began, “we’ll start with something easy. What is your name and why are you here?”

“As I said before, my name is Tim Drake. I’ve been held against my will in a pocket dimension that I’m pretty sure was similar to the Phantom Zone. Time worked… oddly. I don’t remember ever getting medical treatment but I’m completely recovered from the injuries I had when I first arrived there. The person who was keeping me there, Mr. Oz…” Tim trailed off for a moment, surprised that the Lasso hadn’t made him say ‘Jor-El.’ Maybe it was the fact that he was as much that new identity now, at least to Tim’s mind, as he was the old one. Tim was grateful for it. He didn’t want to be the one to randomly blurt out that Superman’s dad was still alive and insane. “He acted as warden of the place, keeping me and a few others I never had a chance to see trapped there. Then all of a sudden he pulled me out of my cell, asked me some questions about my family, told me my world was in danger, and sent me here to ‘keep me safe.’”

Oliver could hear the bitter anger in those last words. “I’ve got to be honest, kid, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Why would he keep you there and then suddenly let you go out of the blue?”

“He didn’t really seem in his right mind,” Tim said, calmly but Oliver could sense a hint of discomfort in his words. He didn’t know why but he felt the kid was hiding something.

Before he had a chance to voice his suspicions, Diana asked Tim another question. “And why do you think he sent you here? The Watchtower is a highly classified private space station.”

“He has view-screens that can connect him to seemingly anywhere from what I can tell. He knew much more about my family than I’m comfortable with. The surveillance tech was way more advanced than just hacking local cameras. He might be watching us right now for all I know.

No one liked that possibility. “Are you working with him?” Oliver broke into the interrogation. “Or for him? Do we have to worry about you doing something evil?”

Tim had to smile. Oliver May not be as paranoid as Bruce but he asked the right questions. It was the thing that Tim would have asked if their roles were reversed. “No. I had no control over ending up here. I need your help. Why would I try to hurt any of you?”

Oliver gave him a disbelieving look and Tim sighed in frustration, raising the Lasso in front of him so Oliver could clearly see it was securely around his hand and he wasn’t doing anything to try and trick them. “I’m not working with him or for him. I’d be happy if I never had to think about him again, but I doubt that’s going to happen. Batman’s probably going to have me recount my time there to the smallest detail. Honestly, I’m surprised he’s not here by now.”

“He’s not currently on the satellite,” Wonder Woman explained. “We haven’t called him yet.”

“Right,” Flash agreed. “No point interrupting his day until we’re sure you are who you say you are.”

Tim frowned. “Then ask me what you need to so we can get started.”

“Started with what?” Ollie asked. Tim looked at him with confusion and suddenly Ollie felt like he had missed the punchline of a joke.

“What the Justice League does best,” Tim explained. “Save the world.”

12:00 p.m.
Wayne Manor, Gotham

Little Tim Drake watched miserably as Bruce Wayne paced his kitchen and spoke to his mother over a cellular phone. He honestly didn’t know how much Bruce was going to tell her or how she was going to react to the information.

“That’s right, Mrs. Drake… Tim’s a friend of Dick’s from school and came over to return a book he borrowed before calling the cab… He said he enjoyed the walk… He is, indeed… I’d be happy to drive him to school if that’s alright with you. Dick was actually feeling a little under the weather this morning but is much better now. I was going to take him anyway. Adding Tim to the mix won’t be any trouble at all… Thank you, Mrs. Drake… Janet. I’ll be sure to tell him… You as well. Goodbye.” Bruce pushed a button on his phone and finally noticed the text message from Clark, trying to give him a warning about the influx of superkids he was about to, or rather had just received.

He slipped the phone into his pocket with an audible sigh. That had been far too easy. The lie he told Janet Drake was paper thin and yet she seemed to be more than happy to believe it. The worst part was he wasn’t sure if it was because she was alright with her eight-year-old wandering over a mile by himself to visit ‘The Famous Bruce Wayne’ or if she was too distracted with her vacation plans to care. He didn’t like either option. Tim was eight and the son of a very successful CEO. Their parenting style was a kidnapping waiting to happen.

“So, your mom seems nice,” Bruce said, putting on a fake smile as he sat at the table with Dick and Tim. Alfred was holding Little Damian and keeping an eye on both the conversation happening in the kitchen and the group sitting with Cassandra in the living room.

Tim smiled genuinely. “She’s the best.”

Bruce picked up the camera sitting in the middle of the table and and turned it in his hands. “So you like to take pictures?”

“Dad got me that for my birthday last year. It has a great zoom and an even better night vision filter.”

Bruce nodded, turning the camera’s digital display toward him and activating the view screen. What he saw was about what he expected. A picture of Talia and Cheshire, a shot of Damian in his Robin uniform (he’d have to get a copy of that one). Then Bruce saw the next picture, and the next, and the several after that. The timestamps showed him that Tim had been following them for months.

Bruce was stunned. He didn’t know how to feel about it. There were too many thoughts. The main emotions running through him were a sickening fear for Tim’s safety and a disbelief that a child had been following him for so long without him knowing about it. He also had to admit that he was impressed that the boy was able to do what he had done more or less safely. It was a relief knowing he was alive and unharmed even after sneaking out of his house and taking photos of Batman and Robin for months, but Bruce still felt sick thinking about the ‘what ifs’ of the whole situation.

As he examined the photos, Tim started explaining how he had figured out the identity of the most secretive vigilante on the planet. Bruce could honestly say that he was rendered speechless for a moment. He could tell the boy was intelligent but to be able to figure out Batman’s and Robin’s identities at eight-years-old with just the memory of an acrobatic move he had witnessed years before was incredible.

“I assume your parents don’t know about your nightly adventures into Gotham,” Bruce mused.

“No, sir. My room’s on the first floor. My parents don’t check on me after they put me to bed so I sneak out of my window and ride my bike to the city. It only takes about an hour. Speaking of which, I hope my bike’s still where I hid it. Kid Flash brought me home last night. I didn’t think to ask him to go back for my bike.”

Some of the things Damian had mentioned at dinner the night before were beginning to make so much more sense. Timothy was smart and resourceful. It didn’t seem like such a stretch that Bruce would let him become Robin when he was older. Still, he couldn’t help thinking that Tim repeatedly sneaking out was a desperate attempt to get his parents to notice he was gone and do something about it.

“I know what you must think,” Tim said, guessing what Bruce was going to begin the real conversation with, “but until last night I had never gotten that close to a supervillain. I know how to stay out of sight and away from the real danger.”

“Tim, you have to see the risk in what you’ve been doing, especially after last night. What Dick and I do is incredibly dangerous and following us, even as carefully as you do, is going to inevitably lead to someone getting hurt. If a villain were to come across you like Cheshire did, what’s to keep them from hurting you or using you as a hostage to hurt one of us?”

Tim looked like he was about to cry. “Please don’t take this away from me, Mr. Wayne. I promise I won’t get caught again!”

“Tim, it’s not that. We just want you to be safe. Doing what you’ve been doing… you have to see how dangerous it is,” Dick said gently, looking Tim in the eyes. He took Tim’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “Can I make a suggestion?”

Tim nodded, his eyes full of pleading and just a tinge of hope. It nearly shattered Dick to pieces and all he wanted to do was give the poor kid a hug. “Alright, we all know that you following us into Gotham is just not an option, but would you consider maybe hanging out with me and Damian and Cass during the week instead? Cassie just moved here and she doesn’t have any friends yet. I think you two would get along really well.”

“I don’t think Damian likes me very much,” Tim said miserably.

“What are you talking about?” Dick asked in an overly dramatic way. “Damian loves you! He talks about you all the time. He gave himself up to some very bad people to keep you safe.”

“Exactly,” Bruce agreed seriously, hoping that Tim would understand. “That just proves our point. What we do is dangerous, Tim. You don’t want to be the reason one of us gets hurt, do you? But I’d love it if you spent time with us at the manor. What do you think?”

Tim nodded his head, trying to inconspicuously wipe away the water that was welling in his eyes. He knew that they believed they meant what they said. Right at that moment, Robin’s suggestion seemed like the best idea ever. Tim could imagine they might even invite him over again a couple more times after that, but he knew how busy Batman and Robin were. He knew in the back of his mind that it wouldn’t last. He wouldn’t want to be a bother so he wouldn’t try to remind them that he existed and eventually his life would return to what it had always been.

But until that happened he could enjoy having friends, couldn’t he?

“Can I get you anything to drink, Master Tim?” Alfred asked, resuming his buttlering duties now that Cass seemed to be over her panic attack and was happily watching The Nutcracker with Damian, Jon, Conner, and Ravi.

“What kind of coffee do you have?” Tim asked hopefully.

“None that would be good for a growing eight-year-old boy,” Alfred said gently. “Would a cup of tea suffice?”

“Do you have Twinings brand Earl Grey? With lots of honey and a little milk?” Tim asked.

Alfred smiled. “An excellent choice, sir.”

Alfred walked away to begin preparing Tim’s drink. Baby Damian watched the process of steeping the tea with interest, trying at one point to add his cow to the hot water. “Now, now, Young sir, Master Timothy would not like the taste of stuffed cow in his drink.”

Little Damian’s eyes welled and it seemed like he was about to argue in the most effective way possible for an infant when Clark showed up at the manor. He had Zeta’d into the cave and came upstairs, still wearing his civilian clothes. Jon’s excited cry drew the baby’s attention, making him immediately forget about his original grievance.

“Dad!” Jon shouted and flew off the couch, into Clark’s arms as soon as he noticed him enter the room.

“Hey, kiddo,” Clark smiled. “How you holding up?”

“We’ve been watching ballet,” Jon said in his excitement. “It’s actually pretty cool.”

Clark laughed and glanced over at the television where Cassandra was trying to replicate the movements of the women on the screen. Damian, to Clark’s bewilderment, was helping her, holding her hands as she balanced on her toes.

“We’ll have to get you some proper ballet shoes that will support your feet and ankles,” Damian was saying as Cassandra mimicked the movements of the dancers. Clark thought he even saw the beginnings of a proud smile on Damian and couldn’t help but grin himself at the change in the boy’s attitude from earlier that morning.

Conner got up and walked over to Clark. “Everything alright?”

“Of course,” Clark said with a reassuring smile. “How have things been here?”

“Fine. Be careful of the second grader in the kitchen, though. He’s really good at guessing secret identities.”

“What?” Clark asked, genuinely surprised.

“Don’t worry. It’s just Tim,” Jon said, reassuring the two that Tim wasn’t a threat. “He’s Damian’s brother… or this reality’s version of him. He‘s really smart but he would never tell.”

“Is that him in the kitchen with Bruce and Dick?” Clark asked, placing Jon gently back on the floor.

Jon nodded enthusiastically. “Wanna say hi?”

“Might as well,” Clark smiled. “I have some things to discuss with Bruce anyway. Conner, I’d like you to join us. This concerns you.”

For some reason Conner felt like he had just gotten called to the principal’s office. Clark didn’t sound angry or anything, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was in trouble. Despite that, he shrugged and followed Clark to the kitchen, wondering what he could possibly have planned for him.

“Bruce! Long time, no see,” Clark joked as he wandered into the brightly lit room.

“Uncle Clark!” Dick beamed and stood to greet the newcomer.

“Good to see you, Dick. I’m glad everyone is settling in well.” Clark took a moment to look at the unfamiliar little boy sitting with Dick and Bruce at the table. Tim was tiny, with dark, black hair and big, blue eyes. He looked up at Clark with shy curiosity and a nervous energy that made Clark suspect the kid might actually have a suspicion as to who he really is. Clark wasn’t going to be the one to test that theory, though.

Bruce might have been thinking the same thing because he took the moment to bring everyone’s attention back to him. “Clark, meet Tim Drake. Turns out I have neighbors.”

“The property lines are really far away from the houses,” Tim mumbled, almost apologetically.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Tim,” Clark said, smiling at him reassuringly and holding out his hand.

Tim hesitated, just for a moment, then extended his own hand to shake. When Clark let go, Tim looked at his hand like he was shocked it wasn’t broken as he moved his fingers around like octopus tentacles.

“It’s nice to meet you too, sir.”

“Tim,” Bruce continued. “I think it’s about time you head to school. Dick will change into his uniform and go with you. Alfred…”

“I shall bring the car around presently, Master Bruce,” Alfred said. He placed a hot travel mug filled with tea in front of Tim then set Little Damian back in his play area before heading to the garage.

“I really have to go to school today?” Dick said with an expression that screamed of betrayal. “I thought that was just an excuse for Tim’s mom! You can’t be serious. Cass just got here! I have to help her pick out her room and show her where all the best hiding spots are, and—”

“And nothing. Damian will help Cassandra get settled. You don’t get a pass for sneaking out last night,” Bruce chastised.

Dick frowned and stared at Bruce with the biggest puppy-dog eyes he could manage. Bruce glared back at him with his ‘Don’t argue with me. It will not end well for you’ look.

Dick huffed and and raised his arms in surrender. “Okay, fine, you win. I’ll go get changed. Come on, Tim. You can pick out a room while I’m getting ready.”

“Wait, what?” Tim squeaked, his head swiveling back and forth from Dick to Bruce. He couldn’t be sure he had actually heard the words that he thought Dick had said. A room? At Bruce Wayne’s house? He’d known Dick for less than twenty-four hours. That was crazy!

Bruce gave Dick a long-suffering look. “Now’s not really the time for that.”

Dick’s face fell as he thought about it. “You’re right.”

That sounded more normal to Tim. He almost was able to believe he wasn’t in some insane Twilight Zone episode until Dick added, “Tim needs a lot more time to look through all the rooms. He should do it when he comes back after school.”

He turned on his heel and made his way out of the kitchen. Tim watched him go until he was out of sight then looked to Bruce because he was very confused and had no idea what to do. Did Dick really just invite him back after school? He wanted to give him a room? Nothing was making any sense to him.

“It’s okay, Tim. Why don’t you wait for Dick in the living room while I speak with Clark.”

“Okay,” Tim said, relieved to finally have an excuse to get out of the current stressful situation he found himself in. He had not been prepared to meet the Batman this morning and it was throwing off all of his carefully thought-out plans. This was not how he imagined his introduction to the Dark Knight of Gotham would go.

He could just imagine what his lame explanations about his photography and his parents sounded like to the world’s greatest detective. And he had cried in front of him! Tim could have died of embarrassment right there. He cringed as he scooted out of the kitchen, hoping that the whole morning was just a crazy fever dream. He was probably still drugged, lying unconscious on top of that building. At least, he hoped he was because he could seriously die right at that moment with the sorry impression he was sure he made on his hero.

“Cute kid,” Clark observed. “A little high-strung though.”

“According to Damian, I adopt him in the future.” And he dies.

Clark could hear the worry in his friend’s voice. “Which means either something bad happens to his parents or his parents do something bad to him.”

Bruce nodded. “Either way, there’s tragedy in that child’s future. It’s not right.”

“Hey, that was Damian’s history. We’re living in an alternate reality, not his past. Things have a chance to go very different for that little boy,” Clark tried to reassure him.

“I can only hope.” Bruce didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. Gesturing for Clark and Conner to have a seat, he changed the subject, “So what can I do for you two?”

The two Supers sat at the table across from Bruce. Conner looked from Clark to Bruce, waiting to find out what was going on. Bruce waited patiently for Clark to explain as well.

“When I was at the Fortress with the boys I tested their genetic codes. We found something interesting in Conner’s. He has human DNA in him, Bruce. That means there’s another person out there who is…”

“A secondary biological donor,” Bruce finished for him, contemplating the ramifications of that piece of news.

“Yeah…” Clark agreed, looking apologetically toward Conner. “And someone who might want to know they have a really great kid running around in the world.”

Conner’s face flushed bright red and he shifted in his seat, trying to keep a smile from creeping up on him. He mentally chastised himself for succumbing so easily to one moment of praise from Superman.

“As much as I want to help you understand yourself, Conner, I need you to tell me you realize that your second genetic donor may have had something to do directly with Project Kr. They may not be a good person, and you can’t unlearn information you’d rather not know after the fact.”

Conner nodded, looking both uncomfortable and relieved simultaneously. He hadn’t thought Clark would be so willing to act so soon on his promise to help him find his mom. “I know, but I’m willing to risk it. I want to know where I come from. Clark’s been teaching me a little about my Kryptonian side, but if I don’t at least try to find my human parent, I’m…” He paused, realizing what he had just said and looked guiltily toward Clark. “Sorry…”

Clark couldn’t help but feel guilty himself. He never wanted that to be Conner’s reaction to him and it was his own fault for taking so long to get past the fact that the boy was not the people who created him. “It’s okay, Kon. I understand. If you don’t try, you’re always going to wonder.”

Conner nodded, grateful for the understanding.

Bruce leaned back in his chair, observing the resolve in Conner’s eyes. The kid was going to look into this whether Bruce helped him or not, and Bruce knew he could increase his chances of finding something important if he helped. “Alright. We’ll start at the beginning, with Cadmus. I’ll see if I can find the files for Project Kr and hopefully we can get a lead on what to look for next. I’m not promising anything. Last time we tried to get that information we hit a wall, but something new could have surfaced since Cadmus reopened.”

Conner felt like the whole room lit up. Why didn’t he think of starting at Cadmus? Probably because he wanted nothing to do with the place and never wanted to go back there if he could help it, but Batman brought up a good point. Start at the beginning. There must be something there that could give him a clue about who created him.

“What about Dr. Desmond?” Conner asked. “I know the last time we saw him he was a mindless, evil monster and even if he has gotten his intelligence back he probably wouldn’t be willing to tell us anything, but if anyone knows about my creation it would be him.”

Bruce nodded. “I’ll check on his status at Belle Reve Prison. In the meantime—”

Bruce was cut off by an unfamiliar sound coming from his phone. He had hoped he would never have to hear it but then again it was good to have an emergency plan on top of his emergency plans. If the Justice League ever had to reach him and couldn’t contact him through their private communications network, they knew to try his phone. They also knew not to use that option unless it was an absolute emergency.

“What’s wrong?” He asked in his Batman voice as he answered the call.

“Hello, Bruce.”

“Diana…”

“How are your guests settling in?”

Bruce knew Diana well enough that he could tell she wanted to say something important but was trying to ease him into the information. She didn’t usually do that. She was as straightforward as a person could be. That was one of the things he liked best about her. “You don’t have to do this with me, Diana. You used the emergency line. Just tell me what is going on.”

Diana paused for a moment before speaking again. “There’s another one.”

“Another what?” Bruce asked, feeling a sense of dread creeping up on him.

“Another young man from Damian and Jon’s dimension has arrived at the Watchtower. He is asking for you.”

Bruce noticed Clark and Conner both react to the news at the same time with an almost identical expression of surprise. It wasn’t the first time he noticed how alike they looked, despite Conner not sharing all of Clark’s features. He should have realized that the boy was not a standard clone months ago. Now he was behind in the investigation before he even began. But he’d deal with that later. “What has he said?”

“He’s been in an interdimensional prison for months. His world is on the verge of being destroyed. He wants help getting back so he can try to prevent it. His name is Tim Drake.”

No wonder Jason can’t stand you and Tim died.

Bruce stood up. “That’s not possible.”

“Bruce… he willingly went under the influence of my Lasso to prove what he was saying was the truth. He’s been held captive for months. The people who kidnapped him faked his death. He doesn’t know why but he’s been sent here just like Jon and Damian.”

Bruce didn’t want to leave the manor in the first hours of getting home but this didn’t seem like something that could wait. “Give me fifteen minutes.” He hung up and looked over at Damian who was having a conversation with Jon and Tim, blissfully unaware. He had been so sure Tim was dead. It was still possible the boy on the Watchtower was some sort of impostor. Did anything have the power to lie while under the influence of the Lasso of Truth? He couldn’t be sure there wasn’t something out there that could.

Bruce sighed and looked apologetically at the Kents. “Do you mind if we table this conversation for now?”

“Of course,” Clark said in the understanding way he had that could make anything seem like it would turn out alright.

Conner nodded as well, trying to mentally sort through all the information that had come to light that morning.

Bruce indicated his appreciation and made his way back to the living room. Cassandra had discovered that the remote control had a slow motion button and was using it to view the dances on the DVD in as much detail as possible. Bruce managed to catch the tail-end of Damian and Jon’s conversation with Tim.

“You go for the groin… or the eyes… the neck if those two options aren’t available. Any of the squishy bits in the head area are acceptable, really,” Damian was saying while Tim clung to his every word as if it were the most important thing he would ever hear. “Use the webbing between your thumb and index finger and strike with as much force to the neck as you can put behind it. For the eyes, just go for the face with your fingers splayed open. You’re more than likely to hit your target. If you can’t reach the head, the groin is the best target. Just imagine you're kicking a football or a soccer ball. Try to kick them in the head, through their groin, then run.”

“I’ve never played soccer or football,” Tim whispered with a hint of red creeping up his cheeks.

“Isn’t kicking someone between the legs a little, I don’t know, unsportsmanlike?” Jon asked before Damian could make a comment.

“Says the invulnerable child,” Damian sneered. “You play fair all you want, but smaller, non-super powered individuals like Drake need all the advantages they can get. Don’t listen to him, Timothy. If you are attacked by someone bigger and stronger than you, you do whatever you have to in order to stay alive. Go for the groin and eyes. Do it with everything you have because that’s the only way you’re going to have a chance at surviving. Show them that you are even more insane than they are and make them regret their decision to target you. Complying with a criminal’s demands in Gotham will get you killed. The police aren’t reliable and the Bat’s can’t be everywhere at all times (even if we do perpetuate that idea).”

Tim nodded his head vigorously, mentally cataloging all the information Damian was throwing at him. “It makes sense,” he said. “I got poked in the eye by my nanny’s grandkid this one time. It hurt so bad I wanted to die… like not literally but you know what I mean.”

“I wonder if I would get hurt if I got poked in the eye…” Jon mused. His invulnerability had kicked in less than a year ago but he could never remember ever experiencing that particular injury.

Before Damian could offer to test that out, as if on cue, Dick came skipping down the stairs in his school uniform. His dark hair was brushed and wet from a quick shower. “Alfred just pulled the car around front. Ready to go, Tim?” Dick was not that excited to go to school at that moment but he couldn’t keep a smile off his face as he saw his little brothers together in the living room. He had always wanted a big family. He hadn’t expected to get one so soon but everything that had led to him meeting Damian and Tim and Cass was well worth the craziness of the past few days.

Tim’s attention shot from Damian to Dick in an instant and he stood up as if he were a soldier at attention. “Right! Yeah, I’m ready.”

Dick snorted in amusement and ruffled Tim’s hair. “You don’t have to be so formal, kid. Come on. I’ll show you all the cool stuff when we get back.”

“O...okay…” Tim said, allowing himself the same excited grin that Dick had. What could he do? It was infectious.

“Bye Dami, Cass, Jon, Conner—” Dick froze when he said that, a realization hitting him. Why hadn’t he ever thought of it before? It was so obvious! There wasn’t any time right then to go off on a Terminator tangent. They were late enough for school already. But when he got home, boy was he going to be annoying. In his best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice he added, “I’ll be back.”

“Grayson…” Damian muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could never quite understand his brother’s obsession with popular culture. “You’re an idiot.”

“I don’t get it.” Jon said, looking confused and a little embarrassed. He knew there was a joke in there somewhere, he just had no idea what it was.

Tim didn’t get the reference either and was glad he decided not to voice his ignorance. Dick was making a big deal of it as he gasped in mock-horror at Jon’s revelation. “What?! Okay, we need to have a movie night tonight. This blasphemy can not stand.”

“Dick, that movie is not appropriate for a ten-year-old,” Bruce said. “And when did you see it? That’s definitely not on the approved movies list.”

“Please,” Dick scoffed. “I see worse things in the streets of Gotham every week. Unstoppable murder robots aren’t that scary after you’ve faced the Joker.”

“Like Amazo?” Jon asked.

“See? He gets it,” Dick said, as if Jon’s question proved his point.

“Go to school, Dick,” Bruce said, beginning to let his annoyance show. “We can talk about appropriate sleepover movies when you get home.”

Dick’s jaw dropped and he looked hurt. “Are you spying on me and Wally and Roy?”

“No, but you just confirmed my guess as to who showed you that movie.”

“Oh.” Dick blushed. He should have seen that trap coming. Wally and Roy were going to kill him if Batman didn’t severely injure them first. “Well, would you look at the time, we’re running late. Better get to school. We can talk about it when we get back. Sounds good? Awesome. Bye, Bruce!”

“Goodbye, Mr. Wayne. Thank you for having me,” Tim added as Dick pulled him out the door.

Bruce stood there, not really wanting to deal with Dick’s rebellious streak at that moment. He had enough to manage with Damian alone. He’d eventually have to talk to Dick about his penchant for breaking the rules, though, and he was not looking forward to it.

“Ma and Pa didn’t let me watch that movie either,” Clark said, awkwardly patting Bruce on the back in a show of parental solidarity. “Dick’s just testing boundaries. I’ve heard of kids doing a lot worse than watch a movie they weren’t supposed to. You should ask Lois about some of the things her little sister’s done.”

Bruce harrumphed and turned his attention to Damian. “We need to talk.”

Damian looked up at his father. “I’ve only seen the ‘edited for television’ version. Grayson said I couldn’t call myself a teenager until I had seen it.”

Bruce almost smiled. “It’s not about that, Damian. It’s about Tim. Your Tim.”

Damian looked stricken. “If this is about what I said before… I don’t actually hate you. When I said those things… I wasn’t thinking. You’re…”

“Is the Timothy Drake of your reality really dead?” Bruce asked, cutting him off but silently grateful that Damian had said what he did.

“Of course,” Damian said, taken aback. “I wouldn’t lie about something like that. Especially to you.”

“Did you see the body?”

“Of course not,” Damian sneered. “He was completely obliterated by a hundred explosive drones.”

“Are you sure?” Bruce asked, thinking it odd that, even after an attack like that, there would be nothing left. It was the first evidence that the boy’s story might be true. “There had to have been some sort of remains left after the attack.”

“This is awfully morbid, Father, even for you,” Damian frowned, trying to think back to the time of the incident. He wasn’t even there. How was he supposed to know? “I shouldn’t even be talking about this.”

“A teenage boy who is claiming to be the Tim Drake of your reality is waiting for me on the Watchtower as we speak. You knew your Tim. I’d like you to come with me and give me your opinion on whether he’s being genuine. Diana said he passed the Lasso of Truth’s test but you knew Tim best. You might be able to catch a detail I would miss.”

“Wow…” Jon whispered. “Damian… that’s amazing! Tim’s alive! Damian?”

Damian didn’t hear half of what his father said when Jon’s chipper voice brought him back from his thoughts. There was someone on the Watchtower using his dead brother’s identity to get to get to Batman, or maybe even to him and Jon. That would not stand. How dare he? Damian would murder the impostor where he stood for that.

“We will go at once. Jon, stay here and protect Little Me, Ravi, and Cassandra. If you don’t hear from me within two hours, assume the worst.”

Jon thought Damian would look less murderous upon hearing the news that his brother was alive. “Um… okay…”

“Clark,” Bruce added, “Would you mind staying here and looking after everyone until Alfred gets back?”

“Of course,” Clark said, smiling kindly at Ravi and Cassandra.

“Let’s go, Father. We should take the Zeta-beam at once.”

“If there’s an emergency you know how to reach me,” Bruce said to Clark as Damian pulled him by the arm toward the Batcave.

12:30 p.m.
The Watchtower

Oliver had ended up guarding Tim while Diana went to contact Bruce about their new arrival. Tim, if that was his real name, seemed perfectly happy to wait silently for Batman to get there but Oliver was getting antsy as he counted the minutes until the Bat began his interrogation. Something just didn’t feel right about the whole situation but that could just be the famous ‘Bat-paranoia’ rubbing off on him. The kid was being completely cooperative, eating a cheeseburger with the other teenagers who were still on the Watchtower when he arrived.

“Slow down. You’re giving KF a run for his money,” Roy said as he watched Tim practically inhale his meal.

“Sorry,” Tim said sheepishly, putting the burger down for a moment. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I had food in front of me.”

“Didn’t that Mr. Oz guy feed you while you were there?” M’gann asked.

Tim had to think about it. “Honestly… I don’t remember ever eating or drinking anything while I was there. I never even felt hungry. But I must have at some point, right?”

“Not necessarily,” Kaldur mused. “If the pocket dimension was indeed similar to the Phantom Zone, like you hypothesize, then it is unlikely food would have been necessary to keep you alive there.”

“True,” Tim agreed as he picked his burger up and bit into it again.

“We should totally have an eating contest,” Wally suggested.

Artemis smacked him upside the head. “We don’t want to kill the poor kid!”

Then again, the Team seemed to be way too friendly with him for Oliver’s liking. Tim was still a potential threat no matter that Wonder Woman’s magic rope had to say. He was regretting letting Wally talk to him.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Wally said, sounding like he’d had too much sugar. “Tell me something about Damian that only Damian would know. I’ll see if the information pans out and then we’ll know for sure if you are Damian’s Tim or if you’re from, like, another alternate reality… or an evil clone or something”

Artemis elbowed Wally in the side and gave him a pointed look, reminding him that being blunt was not always the best tactic.

“What?” Wally asked indignantly. “It’s a possibility.”

“It’s alright, Artemis,” Tim said with an amused look on his face. “It is a legitimate concern. Honestly, I can’t believe anything Oz told me so Wally’d actually be helping me out by confirming Damian is my Damian as well.”

“See?” Wally said smugly, slapping Tim on the shoulder in triumph. “I can totally come up with good ideas every once in a while.”

“I’ll be sure to tell the papers,” Roy quipped, taking a bite of a chicken tender and enjoying the annoyed look on Ollie’s face as Wally acted like… well Wally. Roy wasn’t in any rush to leave the Watchtower anymore. He wanted to at least see how the reunion between Tim and Damian played out before he left.

“I could always just read your mind and see if your memories match up with Damian’s,” M’gann offered.

“No one is reading my mind,” Tim said more darkly than he meant to.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“No, I’m sorry, M’gann. I didn’t mean to snap. It’s just been a really long day and it’s protocol to not let a telepath mess with your head if you can help it.”

“Of course.” M’gann understood. Very few humans ever wanted their mind read. Damian was the same way.

“Hey kids, good news,” Oliver said, standing up, his finger to his communications device in his ear. “Diana just made the call. Batman and Damian are coming back now.”

Kaldur nodded and turned his attention to Tim. “It would be best to tell us something to test Damian with now before he arrives. We will intercept him and see if he is in fact your brother. It is not a fool-proof test, but it is a decent initial evaluation of your relationship.”

“Okay,” Tim started, thinking about the many stories he had about the monster child that was his little brother. Initially, the stories that came to mind were the many times Damian tried to kill him, but then something else popped into his head. “There was a point pretty early in Damian’s time as Robin. His mom had put a half-billion dollar bounty on his head. Nowhere was safe for him except our home. I don’t know who told him about what happened the night Batman’s parents… well, there was a string of pearls involved and they scattered. Most were retrieved but Dami figured out that one was missed and that it must have fallen into a sewer grate. He snuck out of the house for months and searched for it, narrowing down where it could be. And he eventually found it. Gave it to Br… Batman out of the blue one day. I swear to God, the kid’s a freak of nature. No Fathers Day or birthday present any of us gave him after that could ever come close.”

“Wow,” Artemis said, a slight grin creeping up on her.

“What?” Tim asked, wondering what her thoughtful expression could mean.

“The way you talk about him. That annoyance with just a hint of affection. Either your a hell of an actor or you really are his brother.”

“Can’t I be both?” Tim asked. “I’ve got a stockpile of stories about the little brat. Then again, I’m not really supposed to give that much away, am I? Protocol and all that.”

“Really?” Kaldur asked, surprised. “Damian has kept some things to himself but he and Jon have been very forthcoming about themselves for the most part.”

Tim’s brow furrowed in confusion and quickly morphed into anger. “Are you serious? He knows the rules. What the hell was he thinking?”

“Do you get lost in the multiverse a lot?” Roy asked.

“Not a lot, but it does happen,” Tim shrugged. “Which is why we have protocols. We don’t give information away if we can help it. We’re not supposed to interfere with the natural development of other realities.”

Wally looked around at the other members of the Team who looked just as surprised as he did. “Well, someone needs to remind Dami and Jon of that because they’ve been little chatterboxes since they got here.”

“Where is the impostor?!” Damian shouted with a wild anger in his voice as he stepped out of the Zeta-tube onto the Watchtower.

“Hello, Damian,” Wonder Woman greeted calmly as he and Batman materialized in front of her.

Damian took a deep breath, trying to calm the rage he was feeling. “Hello, Wonder Woman. How are you? Now that the pleasantries are done with, you will take me to that fraud at once. I will not stand for such an obvious play at my sympathies to go unpunished.”

“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better, Damian,” Diana smiled knowingly before turning her attention to Bruce. “He’s waiting with Green Arrow and some of the Team in the dining hall. Would you like me to go with you?”

“That’s alright, Diana. Thank you,” Bruce said diplomatically before guiding Damian away. He could practically feel Diana’s amused eyes boring into his back as they left. Bruce could tell she didn’t consider the newcomer a threat. That didn’t make Damian any less angry.

As they walked through the corridors, Bruce asked, “Assuming this is actually your Timothy Drake, what should I expect when we meet him?”

Damian frowned. All the old insults came to his mind; how Timothy was weak and not worthy of Batman’s affections. That wasn’t really true though and Damian had grown to realize that all the venom he had ever shown toward him was because he had been terrified. Timothy had proven himself time and again to be heroic and a true leader. The only reason Damian had been such a monster to him in the first place was because he had felt threatened by him and his place in the family (not that he would ever admit to that out loud). “If this pretender is like Drake, we have to assume he is extremely intelligent. We can’t underestimate him. He is proficient with a bo-staff and if you let him near a computer he will be able to ruin your life if he desires. Let’s hope your Justice League was smart enough to keep him out of the Watchtower’s systems.”

“Did Dick teach him that?” Batman asked, curiosity lacing his words.

Damian laughed in a single, sharp outburst. “No, my Grayson is an eighty-year-old man trapped in a twenty-something’s body. If he had his way, we’d all still be using flip-phones and dial-up modems. Your Grayson is much more technologically competent. Oracle taught Timothy. And before you ask, no, I will not explain who that is.”

“That’s alright, Damian. We’re here. No maiming. Not even if it’s a fake. We need him conscious to explain why he’s come here. Are you sure you’re up to this?”

“Tt,” Damian scoffed. “Do you even have to ask?”

Batman grunted and fell fully into his Dark Knight persona. That was all the response Damian needed and they entered the dining hall.

The first thing they saw was a group of teenagers huddled around a single table in the otherwise empty room. Green Arrow was watching them from the next table over. As soon as they stepped through the doorway the teenagers all looked up to see who had invaded their space and Damian saw him. The sight made him stop dead in his tracks, as if he had been punched in the gut.

Tim’s mask was off and lying discarded on the table in front of him but he still wore his Red Robin uniform, the very same one he had on the night he died. He looked exactly as Damian remembered. If this was an impostor, they had done their homework. Perhaps it was a shapeshifter. Those would be able to duplicate Timothy’s looks but not his memories.

Damian’s musings came to a screeching halt as Kid Flash sped from the table to him and asked “What was the best present you’ve ever given Batman?”

“Aside from revealing myself to him in the first place?” Damian asked without expecting an answer. He never took his eyes off of the thing that looked like his brother. “His mother’s pearl. It was just before I died.”

Bruce looked at Damian, his heart skipping a beat. Damian had tracked down one of his mother’s pearls. He wanted to hug him and tell him what a good kid he was right there in front of everyone but he knew at this point that Damian had an image he wanted to maintain. Bruce could wait until they got home. Still, the idea of Damian tracking down that particular item choked him up so much he had to take a moment to keep his emotions from showing.

“Huh, guess he passes the first test,” Wally said, smiling back at the group of teenagers.

Tim stood up abruptly and walked around the table. “You told them you died?”

“And why wouldn’t I?” Damian challenged, storming to meet the charlatan impersonating his brother.

“When it comes to time travel and alternate realities, the less we say and do, the better. You know this!”

“What’s wrong with knowing what’s coming?” Damian challenged. “It means we can address it, see around the corner before we get there. Possibly prevent some of the bad things from happening.”

“That’s not for you to decide, Damian!” Tim shouted, and it was so familiar Damian had to take a step back and reassess the situation.

“Drake… is that really you?” Damian whispered, his eyes wide and his body tense. He couldn’t bring himself to believe that this wasn’t some sort of sick ploy by an unknown villain yet.

Tim’s anger dissipated almost in an instant and he grinned, happy and relieved to see the little brat despite their history of animosity. “Yeah. I’m alive. It’s good to see you, kid.”

Damian narrowed his eyes at the teenager. Drake would never willingly say those words to him. He could be some sort of android simulacrum if not a shapeshifter. Maybe a Martian? They feared fire, didn’t they? Damian didn’t have a blowtorch on hand. He’d have to get to the truth the old fashioned way.

“Why aren’t you in your uniform?” Tim asked, noticing the civilian clothes that Damian never wore when he was with Batman.

“Why don’t you stop copying my uniform?” Damian retorted and readied himself to attack.

Tim rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. He was tired of this argument. “Do you really want to get back into that old argument when we’ve just found each other again?”

“The Timothy Drake I know is dead.”

“Hate to break it to you but I’m not.”

“Damian,” Bruce warned, “that’s enough. Timothy, stand down.”

Both boys reacted immediately to Batman’s commands as if it were second nature. Even though a fight wasn’t about to break out anymore, the two boys did continue glaring.

“If you’re really Drake tell me what you did to get back at me for maiming you during our first meeting,” Damian said calmly.

Tim looked at him with an odd expression. “What? When you threw me off the T-Rex or when you almost impaled me on a stalagmite?”

Damian scowled. “I thought you’d have been more skilled at the time. You did train with father AND Lady Shiva after all. It’s not my fault you’re an incompetent fighter. Now think. You created a video. What was on it?”

Tim’s eyes narrowed in thought. He couldn’t remember ever making a video involving Damian.

Damian almost growled at the confused look on Drake’s face. He was very much doubting that this was the real Timothy. “The thing on your cell phone,” he prompted. “You must remember if you’re really who you say you are.”

“My cell…” Tim had no idea what Damian was talking about until it suddenly hit him. “Oh my god, the video? Are you talking about the video where I explain how you’re Deathstroke’s kid and not Bruce’s? How did you end up seeing that?”

Damian’s face clearly showed his shock. No one outside the family (except for Deathstroke and Wintergreen) were supposed to know about that video. For the first time since finding out the news, Damian allowed himself to consider the possibility that this actually was Timothy in front of him. “Someone had to go through your things after you died. Father kept avoiding it and Richard was busy getting settled in Blüdhaven. Todd was refusing to set foot in the manor despite Pennyworth’s repeated invitations to family luncheons. The responsibility fell to me.”

“Oh Damian… You weren’t ever supposed to see that,” Tim said, looking distraught. “It was just so obvious it wasn’t true. You were making me so angry, constantly reminding everyone that you were the ‘blood son’ and the ‘true heir.’ You had just taken Robin from me and I wanted to mess with you somehow; make you question your place. Then the anger passed and I realized that it was a stupid plan. Dami, you look exactly like Bruce. How did you even entertain the idea that that video was real?”

Damian looked indignantly at Tim, his face turning red with embarrassment. “Mother backed you up with a faked paternity test. She even managed to make Deathstroke question whether it was true.”

“That… Dami, I’m so sorry. I never wanted that to happen. You were never supposed to see that video.”

“Well, I did. And it ended up causing Father to fight Deathstroke in the Batcave. We almost lost everything.”

Tim could see the memory had deeply affected Damian. He wished that their default response to each other wasn’t always anger and hurtful words. It was time to change that. “Come here you little monster.” Tim pulled Damian into a hug that was far overdue, expecting to be rejected immediately, but to his surprise Damian leaned into it and reciprocated.

“I kidnapped your friends and restarted the Teen Titans,” Damian said, his words muffled in the armor of Tim’s chestplate.

“It’s alright, Dami. I’m sure you made a great leader. They wouldn’t have stayed with you otherwise.”

“They like me better.”

“Brat.”

“I thought you were dead,” Damian whispered, finally pulling away and looking at Tim to make sure this wasn’t some sort of cruel hallucination.

“Honestly, there were days that I thought I was dead too,” Tim laughed. “But in the end it let me find you so it’s not all bad,” he added, ruffling Damian’s hair.

Damian backed away and fixed his hair. “Do that again, Drake, and you’ll be pulling back a bloody stump.”

“Love you too, Dami,” Tim said, a relieved smile lighting up his face. It only lasted a moment before he remembered why he had called Batman back to the watchtower in the first place. “Well, now that that’s out of the way, I’m afraid it’s back to business. The world’s in danger.”

“As usual,” Damian sighed. “Father, let me introduce you to Timothy Drake, my brother.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 28: Agendas

Thursday, October 14, 2010
12:45 p.m.
LexCorp, Metropolis

Lex Luthor had not been having a very good day at the office. First, he had gotten a phone call from Talia al Ghul herself, asking for his support in the little civil war she had started with her father. Then she had the gaul to threaten exposing the plans of the Light to the Justice League if he didn’t provide her with backing and a promise that none of the Light’s plans involved harming her children (all of them), directly or indirectly. Lex cursed the fact that he had just given Talia his word that he’d leave her kids alone. It frustrated him to no end.

She said she needed cash and soldiers. He had to hand it to her, she was brazen. It was one thing to threaten him personally. He got threats all the time and crushed those who made them under his thousand-dollar shoes. It was a whole other thing to threaten a team of supervillains; especially a team he was a part of. Sometimes, being part of a team was frustrating as hell. No, it was frustrating as hell all the time, but Lex played the long game. He knew that Vandal Savage wouldn’t have put them together unless something big was happening. He needed to be on the inside to survive whatever that was, so he’d endure until the time came that he could betray all the idiots who’d ever crossed him. Talia was at the top of his list.

“Sir, you have Mr. Savage on Line One,” the voice of Lex’s secretary, Linda, sounded over his desk’s intercom.

Lex sighed and massaged his temples. “This should be fun,” he muttered miserably to himself before picking up his phone and pressing the button with the blinking red light that would transfer the call to him.

“Vandal, so good to hear from you,” Lex lied. “What do you need?”

“We have a problem by the name of Talia al Ghul.”

“Word travels fast,” Lex commented. “She just contacted me about backing her takeover of her father’s seat in the Light.”

“Good, then I won’t have to waste any time bringing you up to speed. She hasn’t even been separated from the League of Shadows for twenty-four hours and she’s already causing me headaches. We’ll need to move our assets to more secure locations. As for Talia, I want her dead as soon as possible.”

“I’d love to help you with that, Vandal but there’s only so much I can do if I don’t know where she is. She’ll expose us to the Justice League if I don’t back her coup. You know her relationship with the Bat. She can get that information to them with a phone call. Not to mention, if we do kill her, Ra’s will probably just toss her in a Lazarus Pit.”

“Ra’s can do what he wants with his children. He knows he’ll have to lock her away if he does bring her back. Either way, I won’t have to deal with her. Which brings us to the heart of the matter: I want you to activate Project Kr. With his abilities, he’s the only thing capable of tracking her down right now. Have him dispose of her quickly and with extreme prejudice.”

“Right now?” Lex asked,surprised. “I thought we were waiting until the Starro-tech is ready.”

“Change of plans,” Savage said ominously. “As I’m sure you’ve heard, the Harper asset has been compromised. We’re not getting into the Watchtower through him. I’d say we could replace Red Arrow in the original plan with Superboy but there’s too great a chance that the League will be scanning everyone involved in last night’s debacle for mental tampering and remove your command codes. You completed your programming of Superboy while you were on the island, did you not? Use that to your advantage while you have the chance. Command him to hunt down Talia and kill her. He knows her voice. With the Shields you slipped him last night he shouldn’t have any problem using his powers to their full effect to accomplish his goal. It will be a good test to show our… foreign investors what we are capable of as well.”

Lex didn’t want to use that particular card quite yet, but his hands were tied. Vandal Savage was the only person in the Light who knew what was really going on in the long game. For now, he’d play along and hope that this particular course of action didn’t backfire horribly. “What if I activate him and Superman is with him. He might realize something is wrong.”

“Superman doesn’t give a damn about Superboy. He goes out of his way to avoid the child.”

“Until recently. A young boy from an alternate Earth got dumped on ours and he’s made it his mission to mend their relationship. Superboy won’t be used to a full set of powers. If Superman noticed and tried to stop him, he’d be able to take him down before Project Kr even had a chance to get used to his new abilities. Even if he manages to hold Superman off, somehow, the Shields only work for about an hour. He’d be in a bad position if he ended up in a drawn-out confrontation.”

“Then don’t let him end up in one. I will leave the logistics and fine details to you. Just get it done.”

“We have to be careful about this. We only have one shot to—” The phone clicked off mid-sentence and Lex was left arguing with the air. He slammed the phone down into its cradle and sighed, rubbing his temples to try and stave off a headache. He needed to figure out what to do next… No, he just needed to know where Superman was and make sure that Superboy wasn’t anywhere near him when he was activated. An idea came to his mind. He could afford to lose a defective product if it got him a working one. It wasn’t ideal, but it would serve his purpose well enough. Perhaps it would even have the added bonus of screwing with Superman’s mind even more than the revelation of Superboy had.

He turned to his computer and pulled up his back-door access into Project Cadmus’ control systems. “Good luck, Superman. You’re about to meet your Match.”

12:55 p.m.
Wayne Manor, Gotham

“Do you visit Gotham often?” Ravi asked Clark as he made him a cup of Darjeeling tea. He had just finished preparing finger sandwiches for the children and mashed some bananas for baby Damian as they played together in the living room. It was a relaxing task for Ravi to do before Bruce came back with his newest charge. He hoped he wasn’t overstepping in Alfred’s domain.

“My work takes me all over the world,” Clark explained. “I’ve worked with Bruce a lot in the past and we gradually became friends.”

“That sounds like an interesting story,” Ravi laughed. “Mr. Wayne doesn’t seem like the type to make friends very easily.”

“Nah, he’s a softie once you get past the tough outer shell. He’s always been the suspicious type but if you’re open and can manage to deal with the Bat-paranoia until he trusts you, you’ll have an ally and a friend that would move the world for you. You’d find yourself hard-pressed not to do the same for him too.

Ravi smiled, feeling relieved at Clark’s words. “Thank you, Mr. Kent.”

Clark smiled reassuringly and took a sip of his tea. “Ravi, this is fantastic!”

“Mr. Pennyworth keeps his supply well-stocked, it seems.”

Clark nodded in agreement. He called to the children, “Kon, Jon, it is time for lunch. Turn the TV off and bring Cass and Dami to the kitchen.”

“Food!” Jon shouted happily and grabbed the remote control. It took him a few attempts at button mashing but he managed to turn the DVD player off.

“Mean,” Cassandra pouted, but she was getting hungry so she decided to forgive Jon for now. She picked up baby Dami and headed for the kitchen.

The entertainment system automatically reverted to television when the DVD player turned off, showing an emergency news broadcast. Jon was about to turn the television off when he saw what was being reported. Conner saw it a moment later and looked horrified as he stared at the television.

“Dad?” Jon called, unable to take his eyes off the screen in front of him. “Can you come here for a sec?”

Clark walked into the living room, more calmly than he felt, because as soon as Jon said ‘dad’ in that tone, he knew something was wrong. Seeing what was on the television confirmed his fears.

“This is Cat Grant, reporting live for GBS News. It is chaos here in the nation’s capital. About ten minutes ago, a teenage boy appeared without warning and started wreaking havoc in the streets of DC. The young man seems to have super-strength and has already caused what looks to be several millions of dollars worth of property damage. The most troubling piece of information, though, is that he’s wearing Superman’s symbol. So far, no one has been able to communicate with him and several law enforcement personnel have already been injured in an attempt to stop the destruction.” The concerned-looking blonde woman reported on the events in front of her as she looked out of a helicopter at the ground below. The camera was capturing not only her, but several buildings with smoke drifting from their fractured walls. It just barely managed to capture a lone figure rampaging through an empty street below. Most civilians, thankfully, were smart enough to run away when the trouble started.

“I have to go,” Clark said as calmly as he could manage under the circumstances.

“Mr. Kent,” Ravi asked. He could easily see Clark’s concern as he watched the news report. “What does it mean?”

“Nothing good,” Clark said, almost to himself.

“I’ll go with you,” Conner said, stepping next to Clark to see the television better.

“No,” Clark said, his voice leaving no room for discussion. “I don’t know what this is. Let me handle it. Stay here and look after Ravi and the kids. Contact the Watchtower and let Bruce know what’s going on.”

Conner was about to argue when he recognized one of the buildings that had been damaged in the attack. He gasped as the world seemed to tilt on its axis. It was several moments before he could bring himself to voice the thoughts of betrayal running through his mind. “That… that’s Cadmus Labs. The reporter… she… she said it was a boy wearing your ‘S.’ You don’t think… they wouldn’t… There’s no way… they didn’t make another clone… They shut the program down… They promised…”

Clark put his hands on Conner’s shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. “Whatever it is, I’ll find out. But I need you to stay here. It’s going to be alright, Kon.”

Conner tried to swallow so he could speak but found his throat intolerably dry. He just nodded, as if in a daze. Clark smiled at him gratefully. He couldn’t confront this new threat while worrying about protecting Conner from it at the same time. Clark pulled him into a quick hug, trying to comfort the shell shocked boy, realizing only after the fact that was the first time he had ever done that with him. Conner’s shoulders bunched as if he were bracing for an attack and he didn’t return the gesture, but he didn’t push Clark away either. Clark was alright with that. There would be time to fix what he had with Kon, to make him understand that he was family. He was quickly beginning to really feel like a little brother to Clark and Clark would do anything for the people he cared about. He released Conner and noticed the boy kept looking anywhere but at his face.

“Kon, it will be alright. Now I have to go.”

Conner nodded. “Right… yeah, okay. I’ll call Bruce.”

“Thank you,” Clark said then turned quickly to Jon. “You’ll help Conner hold down the fort?”

Jon smiled and threw his arms around his father’s waist. Clark gladly returned the hug. “I think I can handle it.”

“Oh crap, Clark go!” Conner yelled. He watched helplessly as the person on the ground picked up a car and hurled it at the news helicopter.

Clark only needed a microsecond to see what had caused Conner’s outburst and in an instant he was out the door and flying to the rescue.

“Pull up! Pull up!” Cat screamed as she watched the car rocket toward her, unable to do a thing about the flying projectile. The helicopter tried to pull up and get out of its way but the movement was too slow. The car smashed into the landing gear and got hooked on it. Everyone screamed as the weight of the vehicle was suddenly thrown to one side and the machine began to lose altitude fast.

Miraculously, the camera stayed attached to the cameraman who managed to keep himself inside the helicopter. Cat was not so lucky as her safety harness malfunctioned and snapped open. She was flung from the open hatch. Conner and Jon couldn’t help but see the raw fear in her eyes as she fell.

“Come on, dad. Where are you?” Jon whispered as he watched the scene with undisguised trepidation, unable to look away.

“Come on, Clark. You’ve got this,” Conner added, taking hold of Jon’s hand to comfort him. “He’ll be there in time. Don’t worry.”

Jon squeezed Conner’s hand and prayed that he would be right.

Cassandra, who had handed baby Dami over to Ravi so she could watch what was going on, took hold of Jon’s other hand and squeezed gently. She wanted him to know that she was there for him too. She could see Jon’s anxiety as if it were a physical thing and wanted to help him. She saw the fear of the reporter as well and understood that there was no saving her, but Jon and Conner’s dad was fast. He might just make it in time.

When Superman did make it in time, the tension in the air dissipated like a cool breeze and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Jon most of all. He had been holding his breath and hadn’t even realized it.

They didn’t see what happened due to the camera hanging on the cameraman and not being held up and pointed at anything while the helicopter was going down. They heard a lot of panicked screaming during the action but didn’t get to really see anything until the cameraman recovered and shot the aftermath. Cat, a little ruffled but no worse for wear, was ever the professional. She tried to ask Superman for an interview but he recommended they get far away from the area while he dealt with the threat then flew away faster than a speeding bullet.

“You held onto the camera?” Cat asked, shocked when she finally noticed her cameraman and pilot safe and sound. “I could kiss you!”

“Uh, we’re still live, Miss Grant,” the cameraman said.

“Darn right, we are. Well, come on. We’ve got a fight to film,” the young reporter said enthusiastically before heading in the direction Superman flew toward. “Lois Lane, eat your heart out.”

“Miss Grant, I really don’t think that’s a good idea…” The camera panned to the ruined helicopter that was now lying on its side on the ground. It was mangled beyond repair and obviously no one who was inside would have survived the crash had Superman not gotten there in time.

“I was just saved from the jaws of death moments before I was going to be a puddle of goop on the pavement. Right now, I don’t care about good ideas. I care about reporting the news. Now get over here. We’ll stay as far back and out of sight as we can.”

They rounded the corner and immediately were too close for comfort to the action. Superman was thrown into the building across the street from them. His assailant screamed in rage and was about to attack him again when his attention was caught in the reflective metal of a nearby building.

“Zoom in,” Cat whispered, and the camera focused further in on the boy. He wore a white suit, much like the one Conner was found in when first freed from his pod at Cadmus, except the front was ripped, exposing the skin of his chest. The boy growled, as if the very sight of himself angered him. Then he did something no one was expecting. Heat vision shot from his eyes and using the metal as a reflective surface, like a laser on a mirror, bounced it back at himself, searing a crude facsimile of Superman’s “S” and shield into his flesh.

“Don’t!” Superman shouted, realizing too late what the feral boy was doing as he slowly approached from behind him.

The shout startled the boy. He snarled and turned around, giving Conner a clear view of his face. He took a step back, releasing Jon’s hand to cover his own mouth in shock. The boy on the television looked identical to himself, the only difference being his eyes. The sclera were black instead of white and the irises were a strikingly bright blue.

Jon saw something different. In the reflection on the building, the symbol the boy burned into himself looked like an S, but on his actual body, the image was reversed. Jon stared in horror as he realized what the boy was.

“Bizzaro…” Or, at least this reality’s version of him. He was different than the Bizzaro that hung out with the Outlaws, the team that Damian’s Brother, Jason, lead. He wasn’t really all that similar to the original Bizzaro that his dad had fought so many years ago, either. It didn’t quite fit, but it was close. The Bizarros on Jon’s version of Earth had generally been benign, wanting to do good and be a hero. They just thought in opposites and believed that being a hero meant knocking down buildings and stranding kittens in trees. This was a weird, murderous, angry Bizzaro and Jon just wanted his dad to figure out a way to stop him from hurting people quickly so he could come back where it was safe. He had a very bad feeling about what was going on.

Suddenly, without warning, all four Kryptonians felt a spike of pain pass through their head, like a reaction to nails on a chalkboard. They all heard a familiar voice. It only said one phrase, “Aut vincere, aut mori,” and then the sound was gone, as if it was never there to begin with. The whole incident lasted no more than five seconds but it was painful, like a concentrated migraine at the base of the skull.

As soon as the transmission ended the boy on the television screamed once again in rage and attacked Superman. Jon looked up at Conner, the fear evident on his face. “Kon, what should we do? Dad’s…”

Jon suddenly felt himself yanked by the arm away from Conner. “Cass? What the heck?” he asked in surprise as he found she had put herself between the two Kryptonians. Jon looked around the room and found himself alone with just Conner and Cass.

While the boys were hearing Lex’s signal Cass had noticed things that any other person would not have. She couldn’t hear what they did but she knew they were all hearing something she did not. She saw the way all four Kryptonians reacted to it, but only Conner seemed to change on a fundamental level when it was over. His posture changed, his breathing did too. That in and of itself wouldn’t have made her pause, but as she continued to observe him, she noticed he was too still, too… doll-like. It was something she couldn’t describe that made her feel uneasy. She was always taught to trust her instincts and she had to do that now.

Something wasn’t right with Conner. It was like he was someone else entirely. She wasn’t sure if she could trust that person, so she did the only thing she could in the moment. She signaled for Ravi to take the baby and go somewhere safe. He looked confused at first, but it wasn’t the first time he’d had to respond to her silent instructions. He quickly realized that she was telling him there was danger. His first priority was to protect the baby. He wasn’t sure what the danger was but Cassandra never looked the way she did at that moment unless there was a serious threat. He wanted her to go too, but she had to make sure baby Dami and Jon weren’t attacked. Jon was Damian’s best friend after all. She couldn’t let his best friend be hurt. And baby Dami couldn’t even hold a sword yet, let alone defend himself from someone with super-strength. Ravi wouldn’t be able to defend himself either, not against Conner. Ravi would take Dami and call for help while Cass and Jon distracted Conner.

“Something wrong…” Cass said, keeping her eyes locked on Conner who still hadn’t moved.

“Yeah,” Jon agreed. “My dad’s fighting another super-clone and needs our help.”

“Conner is…” she grew frustrated with herself, struggling to find the words. “Not… here.”

“What are you talking about? He’s right there in front of you!” Jon protested, beginning to be a little freaked out by how Cass was acting. “Kon, tell her!”

Conner didn’t respond. He did however, remove a thin container from his back pocket. It reminded Jon of a fancy cigar case. It gave him a bad feeling.

“Kon?” He said, this time much less sure of himself.

Again, Conner didn’t respond. He opened the case and removed what looked to Jon like a large sticker in the shape of Superman’s symbol. It was only after he placed it on his bicep that he finally seemed to notice Jon. He returned the case to his pocket and said, “I have to go. Father needs me.”

“But he told us to stay here…” Jon said weakly, honestly wanting to go and help Superman himself but knowing someone needed to stay with Cass, baby Dami, and Ravi in case the League of Shadows tracked them down. “And since when do you call dad ‘Father?’ That’s Damian’s shtick.”

Conner didn’t respond. He just started walking toward the front door.

“Don’t go,” Cass said and moved from Jon to place herself in between Conner and the doorway. “Think, Conner. You do not want this.”

Conner didn’t even slow down. Cass knew that she had two options, move out of the way, or try and make him stay. Jon was confused about what was happening. He didn’t realize yet that Conner wasn’t really Conner right now. Cass knew Conner was dangerous. She had seen video of the Superboy in the League of Shadows, but this unresponsive, blank… thing in front of her was telling her nothing, and that was the scariest thing she had ever encountered. Most people were screaming at her with their actions and subtle tells that even they didn’t realize they had. Up until the news broadcast Conner had been just as loud. Now, he was… nothing. Empty. She had no idea what he was going to do.

“Kon,” Jon said, grabbing Conner’s arm when he saw that he was about to walk right through Cass whether she moved or not. It happened so suddenly that neither of the children were prepared for it. The moment Jon’s hand touched Conner’s arm, the larger boy moved with unimaginable speed. Conner turned and grabbed Jon’s wrist. Before Jon even knew what was happening, he found himself on the Wayne’s front lawn, his shoulder aching like he had never felt before.

He watched as Conner calmly walked through the front door and noticed that there was a large hole in the front of the house. That was when he realized Conner had thrown him through the wall.

“Kon!” he shouted as the taller boy looked up into the sky at the yellow sun.

Cass came running out onto the lawn through the hole Jon had made, keeping a good distance from Conner. She made a bee-line for the injured ten-year-old. “You hurt.”

“I’m okay,” Jon said, as he tried to push himself up, but gasped in pain as he felt like a knife was digging into his shoulder joint. He cried out and Cass knew immediately that his shoulder had been dislocated.

“Not okay,” she frowned.

Jon was about to fight through the pain and argue with her when he saw Conner rise slowly off the ground. He was flying. Jon stared with his mouth wide open at the sight. Conner wasn’t supposed to be able to fly. How was he doing it now?

“Need to fix,” Cass said.

“My arm is fine, Cass, I told you.”

“Need to fix Conner,” Cass huffed. “A moment. After he hurt you. I saw. Terror. Regret. Just a moment, then gone. Kon is still here, but trapped. You need to… wake him.”

“Wait, are you saying he’s under, like, mind control or something?”

Cass nodded. “He does not want to hurt.”

“Okay, I’m going to follow him and try to snap him out of it. Get Ravi and Dami and try to contact Bruce. Let him know what’s going on.”

Despite how much his shoulder ached, Jon channeled his inner-Damian and pushed through the pain. He stood up and shot into the air after Conner.

“Kon!” He yelled as he caught up, keeping a fair distance between them. Conner did not acknowledge him. Jon was frustrated to the point of tears. He didn’t know how to get through to him and he felt like he was failing his brother. “Kon! Look at me! Please!”

Conner continued to fly. It was only after several minutes of following him and trying to think through the screaming pain in his shoulder that Jon noticed they were heading toward Metropolis. They were not heading toward Superman. Jon flew in front of Conner and turned to face him, keeping his distance, he yelled over the wind. “This isn’t the way to dad! He’s in D.C., not Metropolis!”

And still, Conner gave him no indication that he had even heard what Jon said.

Jon screamed, as if it could fix the exasperation and helplessness he was feeling. Conner flew past him. Jon took several deep breaths to get his rising anxiety under control and once again followed his brother. He had to figure out some way to get his attention, to make him stop. He didn’t have time to think and wonder where in Metropolis Connor was headed.

1:05 p.m.
The Watchtower

The Team and the League had given Bruce and Damian time to speak with Tim about what he had been through in Mr. Oz’s prison while his gauntlet’s computer uploaded to a secure, isolated server on the Watchtower for decryption. Damian had wandered off but Batman was monitoring everything and making sure there were no hidden bugs trying to sneak in through the code. Tim had proven who he was, but it didn’t mean he hadn’t been compromised during his time in captivity.

“...So then I charged at him. There wasn’t much I could do at that point. I was tired and desperate. It was a stupid decision on my part. He opened up a portal in front of me and I ended up here. I wish I had gotten a hold of his staff. Oz’s ability to move through the multiverse is tech-based, not a superpower or anything like that. That’s good for me. If I had gotten my hands on it I could have used it to get home. His staff is like a multiverse remote control. He can go anywhere he wants from that base. He can spy on anyone, see anything. Hopefully my computer was able to copy the information I need to do the same thing so I can get to my Earth and try to help with whatever disaster’s going on over there. Still, I got a lot of information from his systems. We might be able to reverse-engineer something that will be able to help get us home,” Tim explained as he input passwords and security codes into his computer so it would decrypt what he had managed to hack at the prison.

“I’m impressed with how well you’ve been handling all this,” Bruce said as he studied the teenager who was unmistakably the older version of the little boy he had met earlier that day. The physical resemblance was startling but even his mannerisms reminded Bruce of little Tim. The way he considered everything before he spoke, the little tilt of his head when he was thinking, it was uncanny.

“It was just someone faking my death and imprisoning me for a few months. No big deal. Bruce would have figured it out eventually,” Tim said, as if it were the most mundane thing in the world.

“Does that kind of thing happen a lot on your Earth?” Bruce asked, his eyebrow rising.

“Multiverse travel is pretty rare but not unheard of. Bruce would have figured it out.” Tim shrugged, unsure if he was trying to convince Batman or himself of that fact.

The two lapsed into an awkward silence.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Bruce asked.

Tim looked confused. “I’ve already told you everything.

“You gave a very concise debrief, but that’s not what I’m asking. Do you want to talk about what happened to you. Not as a debrief, but just to get your feelings out and start processing everything. It doesn’t even have to be with me. Dinah is trained for that sort of thing and keeps everything told to her strictly confidential. I know this must be very confusing, getting dropped into another reality, not being able to go home and being cut off from your family and friends.”

Tim shook his head. “I’m fine. I don’t need to talk about it. It’s over. We can all move on.”

“Tim,” Bruce began, “I know I’m not your Batman, but I want you to know that you can trust me.”

“I don’t need to talk about it,” Tim reiterated calmly and continued typing. “Bruce wouldn’t.”

Bruce felt like he had just been punched in the gut, even as the boy in front of him continued to work, oblivious to what he had implied. It made him incredibly sad to see how much his own actions could negatively impact his children.

He put a hand on Tim’s, stopping the boy from typing for a moment. “You don’t have to be like me. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t handle emotions well. Batman is not someone you should be emulating in that regard.”

“You are different. My Bruce wouldn’t even admit to that. He buries his pain, yeah. But that’s just… Batman. It’s not the healthiest coping mechanism but it works for him. It works well enough for the rest of us too.”

Bruce sighed and let go of Tim’s hand. He decided then and there that it was time to book himself a meeting with Dinah. He would have to lead by example in order to help fix his kids’ emotional issues. Bruce knew that Tim would benefit from talking to someone. Damian would too, even if his first attempt went badly. He wasn’t going to give up on the suggestion. Maybe he could ask Alfred to try convincing them.

Tim seemed uncomfortable by the direction their conversation had found itself going. Thankfully, Damian broke the tension as he entered the room with a steaming cup of coffee in each hand.

“Damian, you are my new favorite person!” Tim exclaimed, spinning in his chair and getting up to meet his brother halfway across the room. He relieved him of one of the hot beverages and inhaled the bitter aroma. It was like a comforting blanket to him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had tasted coffee but it must have been before he was kidnapped. That was far too long.

“I understand you were not given much in terms of sustenance during your captivity,” Damian said. “I couldn’t remember how you take your coffee so I had to guess. That one you are holding is a macchiato with two extra shots of espresso and whole milk.”

“Who are you and what have you done with the little demon?” Tim asked, taking a sip of the delicious beverage. It burned his mouth but he didn’t care one bit. “It’s not poisoned, is it?”

Damian scowled. “I am well past the point of feeling the need to murder you, Drake. And poison is a coward’s method. If I were to make an attempt on your life, you would know it. This is my peace offering. You will do well to accept it and be grateful.”

“Oh, I am,” Tim said seriously. “Keep this up and I’ll forgive you for stabbing me.”

“Which time?” Damian asked.

Tim smiled and took another sip of his coffee, humming in appreciation.

Bruce watched the exchange with a morbid sense of curiosity and just a dash of consternation at the fact that the two boys could talk so casually about murdering Tim. He was going to have one hell of a talk with his other self when they figured out a way to get the boys home. At this point, he wondered if it was even in their best interest to send them home at all.

“Damian,” Bruce said, eyeing the second cup in Damian’s hand. “I appreciate the gesture, but I don’t need a coffee right now.”

“Tt. Who said this one was for you?” Damian asked.

“You’re too young to be drinking coffee,” Bruce warned.

“I’m not weak enough to need a stimulant to stay awake,” Damian retorted, eyeing Tim as the older boy finished his coffee. Damian gave him the second cup. “Dry cappuccino.”

Tim looked like he was about to cry tears of joy. “You know what, I’m not even going to get mad at that. Seriously, kid. I’m forgiving you for one stabbing.”

Before Damian had a chance to make a snarky comment or for Bruce to ask just how many times Damian had stabbed Tim, the computer began beeping.

“Yes!” Tim cried and quickly made his way back to the chair he had been using before.

“What is it?” Damian asked. There was a hopeful urgency in his voice that no one in the room could miss.

“The first tier of decryption is done. I have access to some of the less guarded information my computer was able to pull from Oz’s systems.” Tim’s fingers danced across the keyboard as he opened file after file. “Hmm… Most of it seems to be pictures and video files… but there are identification keys for various dimensions… and these here indicate they’re from our Earth. Yes!”

Tim clicked on a random file. There was no way to tell what was on it because each file had only a random number code to identify it. He hoped they were in chronological order. That would make things so much easier for him. The file he opened was a thirty second video of Jon. He seemed out of his mind with anger and was fighting Superman in the skies above a small farm community.

The look on Damian’s face told the other two that he knew exactly what was going on. “This happened about a month ago. Manchester Black manipulated him. That wasn’t his fault. He was forced to watch is mother lose her leg (it was a telepathic projection, but still was real to him at the time) and then Black put this gross oily stuff on him and it screwed with his mind.”

“And he didn’t go supernova?” Bruce asked, relieved that it now seemed that it would take only the most extreme conditions to cause Jon’s Solar Flare ability to surface.

“Last night was the first time he had ever done that,” Damian confirmed.

“Let’s try a different file,” Tim suggested, closing out the video and choosing another file closer to the bottom of the list. This one was a series of still photographs showing something that couldn’t possibly be Tim’s Earth, yet the identification key clearly indicated that it was.

“What in the world?” Bruce said to himself as he viewed the odd images.

Damian tried and failed to make sense of everything on the screen as well. “Why is Richard cosplaying as Jon Snow?”

As far as Tim could tell, there were about a half-dozen evil versions of Batman running around causing chaos. There was a Flash-like Batman, a Batman that looked like he was crossed with Doomsday, and even a Green Lantern Batman and what looked like a female version of Bruce who got her fashion sense from Pirates of the Caribbean. There were several pictures of Dick with a sword, in what did indeed look like Game of Thrones cosplay, fighting demonic looking children dressed as Robin. Then there was an image that made his blood turn to ice.

“I’m not really sure what I’m looking at,” Tim whispered, a chill running down his spine. “I need to get back to my Earth as soon as I can.”

“What is that?” Damian asked, his breath hitching as he zeroed in on the image that Tim was staring at.

“That’s not the Joker,” Bruce growled, identifying the familiar features of the thing in the image, even through the pale face and rictus smile. The eyes were completely hidden by a spiked visor that went completely around its head but he could tell. Seeing a version of himself like that made him feel physically ill and Bruce had to stand up and look away to stop the sensation of spiders crawling all over his skin.

Tim closed out the images and stood up as well. He took several deep breaths as he tried to keep calm, knowing that panicking would do him no good. His stupid body, however, had other plans. “This isn’t happening. This can’t be real. I have to go back. I have to help stop this.”

“Drake, what was that?” Damian demanded, his voice angry but his eyes betrayed how terrified he was.

Tim gasped as everything Oz had said to him was starting to make sense. “He said our world was a lost cause. That he sent us here to save us. From that… Is anyone even still alive?”

“Don’t even think that, Drake!” Damian shouted. “Of course Father and Richard are alive. Todd probably is too. There’s no doubt Cassandra is. We just have to—”

“That was Batman as the Joker, Dami!” Tim shouted, startling Damian into silence. “You know what that amount of intelligence and that amount of crazy could do together.”

“You said Oz told you Father is still out there. He’ll find a way to stop it all. If we can get back there and help, it will be even easier for him.”

Tim felt drained. He didn’t want to argue that it wasn’t that simple. The pictures, though… they didn’t show an Earth where the heroes were winning.

Suddenly, Bruce’s suit sent him an alert from the manor. “What now?” He groaned as he pulled up the information on the heads-up display in his lenses. The information being fed to him was worse than he thought. The Batcave had just gone into lockdown and the front of his house had been blown open from the inside. He connected to the Batcave’s computer system through his suit. “Alfred?”

“No. It’s Ravi, Mr. Wayne. I have little Damian with me but Cassandra and the boys are still upstairs. Something’s wrong.”

“Where is Clark?” Bruce asked.

“He had to save a reporter in Washington. There wasn’t any time to wait. Then Cassandra told me to take the baby and get somewhere secure. The clock was still open so I went back to the cave to try and contact you but it went into lockdown moments after I entered. I don’t know what’s going on upstairs.”

“Stay put for now. You’re in the safest place you can be. I’ll make sure Cass and the boys are alright.” Bruce turned to Tim and Damian. “I have to go. There’s been an attack at the manor.”

“Jon?” Damian asked.

“It’s unclear what happened right now. I need you to stay with Tim while I investigate.”

“You mean stay on the Watchtower,” Damian said angrily. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Damian, you don’t have any armor. I’m not bringing you to a possible combat zone in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.”

“Timothy has armor. He’ll make sure I’m safe.”

Tim’s eyes widened at Damian’s statement. He would have thought he’d be Damian’s last pick for a bodyguard. The kid had not stopped surprising him since their reunion. “I could do that…”

“I can’t let Tim off the Watchtower right now,” Bruce explained.

“The decryption program should be able to run itself at this point,” Tim said, knowing that wasn’t what Batman was keeping him there for. He just didn’t want to have the ‘I’m really not an enemy’ argument right now.

Bruce breathed in heavily through his nose and gave himself a three-count. “Pull up news reports from Washington.”

“State or D.C.?” Tim asked, moving toward another set of computers that had access to the internet. He quickly accessed both before Bruce told him which one. He found what he was looking for immediately. “Wow. D.C. it is…”

The three looked at the screen as Superman battled what looked like Conner in the streets of the Capital. Batman had a feeling the boy Clark was fighting was not Conner, but he looked almost identical. He was livid. Cadmus had said they had stopped their cloning program when Superboy was set free. He was going to head straight to Cadmus and put them out of business as soon as he made sure everyone at his house was safe.

Tim didn’t know why but the scene on the monitors made him start to panic. His heart rate sped up and his throat constricted. He knew Clark had that fight handled but it was the person he was fighting that was causing him so much anxiety. He had never seen the kid before but he seemed so familiar and watching him get beat up was causing Tim to stress. The more he thought about it the more his head hurt.

“I need to go. Now. Tim, I’m going to put you in charge of Damian’s safety while you’re here. Damian, if you don’t listen to him, you are grounded for a year. No new suit.”

“You’re making me a new suit?” Damian asked, his eyes wide with shock.

Bruce didn’t answer. He just frowned and turned to leave for the Zeta-beams, his cape flourishing behind him.

1:15 p.m.
Metropolis

“Okay, Kon. I’m tired, my shoulder feels like it’s going to fall off, and I’m sick of you ignoring me. I know you’re being, like, mind-controlled and stuff right now but can you do me a solid and just STOP?!”

Conner flew on, as if Jon were not even there, a ghost trying desperately to communicate with the living who could not perceive it. By this point the two were well within the Metropolis city limits and Jon could see the Daily Planet, LexCorp Tower, and Centennial Park. Jon noticed that the familiar giant statue of his dad with the eagle wasn’t anywhere in the park’s boundaries. It was yet another reminder that this was not his Earth and he was very much alone without Damian backing him up. He wished his dad were here to help him figure out what to do to help Conner.

Jon might have been able to knock Conner unconscious and bring him back to the manor, but every time he tried moving his injured arm he felt like he would pass out from the pain. He had a bad feeling that Conner had dislocated it. He knew his dad would want him to use his brain rather than his fists anyway. The thing was, his brain was in panic mode right now and wasn’t doing a lot to help him figure out how to solve this little problem.

Okay, Jon thought to himself. Kon is heading somewhere specific. If I keep out of sight and just follow him I am likely to find out who is controlling him… or at least find out why he’s being controlled and stop him from doing anything he’ll regret later. I’ll give my dad twenty more minutes with Bizarro Conner and then try calling for help. It’s not a great plan, but it’s the only one I’ve got right now… I wish Damian was here.

Jon flew higher and let Conner get a good distance ahead of him, but he never let him out of his sight. It wasn’t long before he realized where Conner was heading and he felt his stomach drop into his feet. “That’s definitely not where dad is…”

Conner landed on the roof of LexCorp Tower in front of an expectant Lex Luthor and Mercy Graves.

“Well, it’s good to know the programming I added on Infinity Island took hold without any issues. Welcome home, Superboy.”

“Thank you, Father. It’s good to be home. Awaiting orders.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
1:00 p.m.
The Daily Planet, Metropolis

Lois Lane sat at her desk on the thirtieth floor of the Daily Planet building in downtown Metropolis. She had been looking into Project Cadmus since Clark had dropped her off. She may have only known Conner for about twenty-four hours but he was Clark’s sort-of kid/little brother. She had to admit, learning about him from Clark on the trip back to Metropolis that day had been interesting, but one piece of information just wouldn’t stop bothering her. He had been created at Cadmus Labs.

She had been investigating Cadmus on and off for the past year but even though something didn’t sit right with her about it, she could never pull up enough dirt to write anything worthwhile on the organization. Now that she knew about their illegal cloning and genetic modification projects, she had more than enough to publish a scathing exposé (keeping out key information about certain minors, of course). Still, she needed to have more than just Superman as her source.

She started with the emergency crews that responded to the Cadmus fire and later the building’s collapse from the fight with Blockbuster. That led to an interview with a confidential informant she had at Belle Reve regarding the former scientist-turned-monster, Dr. Desmond. Now she was looking into Cadmus’ financials. It had been a very productive morning. There had to be funding for the projects coming from somewhere and that would hopefully lead her to whoever stole her boyfriend’s DNA. Ultimately, that was what she really wanted to know. She wanted to take down whoever had hurt the people she cared about. It might be a massive conflict of interest, but she had to do it. It didn’t feel right to pass it off to someone who didn’t see all the angles. Besides, if Clark could write articles about Superman from time to time, she could do this without feeling guilty.

The last time she dredged through Cadmus’ public records and researched the sea of unfamiliar names, Lois was left frustrated and empty-handed. This time, however, there was a name that definitely had not been on the lists before. She was certain it had everything to do with what had happened to Clark and Conner. The new Chairman of the Board for Project Cadmus was none other than Lex Luthor. Her heart sank. Despite his proclivities for dirty-dealing, Luthor was a businessman first and foremost. He never just took on a roll like “Chairman of the Board” unless he’d been involved in a company for a long time. He stayed in the background unless he was confident enough in the business to connect himself to it publicly.

She had to follow that lead and see just how involved Luthor had been. If she could prove that psychopath had anything to do with the illegal cloning going on in Project Cadmus, she could deal a heavy blow to Lex’s reputation, his corporation, and expose him to the public as the villain that he was. She could do it in a way that Superman wasn’t capable of while he and Lex were constantly at each other’s throats. Lois decided that she had to meet with a specific contact of hers; one she saved for special circumstances like the one she found herself in now. He was one of only a handful of people in the world who was willing and capable enough to hack into LexCorp and find its connection to Cadmus. Luckily, her hacktivist was willing to share what he found with the press.

She immediately pulled out her phone and texted him for an emergency meeting. She didn’t have to wait for long for a reply with a location. The seasoned reporter chuckled in amusement as she saw the address of a parking garage downtown. Ever since Watergate, parking garages were so cliche. Nevertheless, her contact enjoyed his classic spy drama and she always let him pick the location. She realized she had to leave right at that moment if there was any chance of her getting through the subway and making it there on time. Lois locked down her computer and grabbed her keys. It was not unusual for her to rush out of the office as if it were on fire so no one paid her any attention as she bolted out the door toward the elevators.

1:15
Washington D.C.

“I just want to talk. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Superman was beyond frustrated. He didn’t want to hurt the teenager in front of him but the boy only seemed to have one setting: Destroy Everything In Sight. He had asked that same question in a dozen different languages, including Kryptonian, and nothing seemed to get through to him.

The boy screamed and lunged for Superman who narrowly avoided another pummeling by taking to the air. The boy looked up at him with those strange eyes and leapt. His jump was just as fast and powerful as what Kon was capable of but Superman was still able to avoid it. Unfortunately, where Conner would have started traveling back to the ground at the top of his jump, this boy stayed floating in the air.

Clark was speechless for a moment, watching Conner’s twin fly. It was shaky and unstable flying, but still flight. The boy was a quick learner, unfortunately. Clark could have used the time he was adjusting to the new type of movement to take him down, but he got the hang of it all too quickly. The boy shot at Superman like a bullet, punching him through the nearest building and out the other side onto the street below.

“Superman!” a familiar voice shouted. Clark looked to his left to see Guardian racing toward him in full uniform. Clark breathed a sigh of relief as he got to his feet. He was actually glad to see the other hero. As the head of Cadmus’ D.C. branch, Guardian would know what was going on.

“Did this kid come from Cadmus?” Superman shouted as the other man made his way over to him.

“He did, but we had no idea he was down there. Must have been another one of Dr. Desmond’s off-the-books projects. His stasis pod just opened randomly and he punched his way out of the facility from the sub-basements.”

“Do you know how we can calm him down?” Superman asked.

Guardian shook his head. “No, but if we can get him back in a pod, he’ll be asleep and not destroying things. It’ll give us time to figure it out without risking the kid demolishing the city.”

Superman didn’t like the idea but the boy was giving him little choice. While Superman stood there talking to Guardian, the angry, dark-haired teenager was destroying everything in his path. “Alright, for now, we’ll go with that plan. Do you have a pod with you or am I going to have to wrestle the kid back to Cadmus?”

Guardian frowned. “He damaged most of the available portable pods we had on his way out of the facility. But his original stasis chamber is intact. We’ll have to get him back to Cadmus and down about twenty stories, though.”

Superman sighed. “Really? That easy? Give me a challenge, why don’t you?”

Guardian grinned. “I didn’t know Superman could do sarcasm.”

“I can do a lot of things,” Clark said before jumping into the air and flying back to the boy who was using his newfound heat vision to cleave a building in half. Superman punched him and shouted, “Stop this, now! There are people in there!”

The boy yelled another war-cry and attacked him again. Superman dodged and hit him in the back with heat vision but that only served to piss the kid off more. He returned the attack with a blast of heat vision of his own. It missed Superman and destroyed the wall of the building the boy had just been attacking. Clark could hear the panicked cries of the people inside. They didn’t deserve this. They were just trying to go about their daily lives.

Clark couldn’t understand it. The boy was like a one-man wrecking crew and when he wasn’t fighting him, he was doing his damnedest to bring down the city. Superman saw the building about to collapse and realized he wasn’t going to be able to do this alone. There were too many civilians and the boy was targeting them. Did he know that Clark would put their safety above fighting him?

“This is ridiculous,” Superman growled then shouted to Guardian. “Distract the boy!”

He didn’t wait to see what the younger man would do. Clark may have felt a little bit guilty to be putting Guardian in that much of a one-sided fight, but he had to get the people out before the building fell. He put on a burst of inhuman speed and entered the burning, metal and glass structure. Using his enhanced vision and hearing, he located every civilian who hadn’t managed to evacuate before the fighting got intense. There were fifty-two people across fourteen floors. Superman took a nanosecond to formulate a plan and flew through one of the glass walls that had been shattered during the fighting in the street.

He went for the people in the most immediate danger first. There were two young women, most likely interns, trapped on a staircase that was on fire. They couldn’t go down due to the flames and the door to the roof was locked. Smoke was quickly rising and even covering their mouths with their sleeves and staying low to the ground, the girls were inhaling an unhealthy amount. Superman heard the panicked screams and banging on the roof access door. He wasted no time in flying through the flames to grab hold of them.

“Don’t worry, I have you,” he reassured the young adults in each arm. The girls were speechless, having never thought they’d ever be in need of rescue, especially by Superman himself. The Man of Steel kicked down the locked door and was flying the girls to safety before the influx of oxygen to the stairwell caused the area they were just in to erupt in a fireball.

Superman quickly found an emergency crew on the outskirts of the chaos and dropped the girls off with the EMTs, explaining that they had been trapped in a smoke filled stairwell before rushing back to the office building for more people.

The next group he found was a crowd of four people who had been in a closed meeting and didn't realize that there was a fight between superhumans going on just outside their building until it was too late to evacuate. Superman could see them huddled together in one of the building’s interior offices. What they didn’t realize was that a fire was raging just beneath them and was slowly eating away at the floor they were standing on. It was only moments before one of them noticed something was wrong.

“Do you smell something burning?” an older gentleman asked, bringing everyone’s attention to the fact that their hiding space was no longer safe.

“Oh my God! Is the building on fire?!” one of the younger associates asked in a panic.

“The building can’t be on fire!” an older woman argued against the idea. “Alarms would be going off.”

“If the building’s emergency alarms were damaged in the fighting, they might not. You saw what that kid did to the lower levels! There are freaking laser marks cutting the tenth floor in half!”

The youngest person in the room, a man in his late twenties, felt the floor and paled. “The floor is hot,” he whispered in a shaky voice.

Clark flew to the door and knocked. “Don’t be alarmed, I’m coming in,” he called and easily opened the locked door, abruptly cutting off the group’s arguing.

They all stared at him with big doe-eyes as he entered. “Superman! Thank heavens!” The older man breathed a sigh of relief.

“I have to work fast,” Superman explained. “This floor is about ready to collapse.” He looked around the room. The floor was indeed beginning to bubble and crack. There was no time to waste. In a motion too fast for anyone to see he had cleared a giant, mahogany desk of everything on top of it and said, “Everyone aboard.”

The group looked at each other and then to Superman like he was crazy. Superman didn’t have time to argue and gave his most reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ve done this before.”

Without waiting for a response, he used his massive strength and speed to carve a path out of the building through the walls. When he returned, he found the four helping the older man onto the desk and taking their own places on it soon after.

“Now, hang on,” Superman said as he lifted the desk and flew out of the building with it and the terrified people. They all screamed at the initial movement, but Superman held the desk incredibly steady so that even so high up in the air and without anything strapping them to the desk, they didn’t feel like they were going to be hurt.

“Ha!” cried the older man, seeming to enjoy the ride. “Just like a ski lift!”

Despite the older man’s enjoyment, Superman could hear the rapid heartbeats of his passengers. As he flew them to the same place where he dropped the interns off, he reassured them that he would never let them fall. Though most of his passengers had a death-grip on the desk and each other, they felt reassured by the hero’s words.

It went like that for several more trips. Clark saved people from falling debris, a collapsing staircase, and even pulled an elevator filled with seven terrified people in suits right out through the roof of the building. It took him longer than he would have liked but he managed to get everyone left in the burning office building out to the paramedics beyond the fight-zone.

After dropping off the last of the civilians, Superman returned to the area to find Guardian managing to keep the feral boy occupied. The helmeted hero looked more than a little banged up from his efforts but he was doing an impressive job of distracting him. Superman rejoined the fight and took the attention off of the other man who was in desperate need of a break.

The boy would not let up. Clark realized that if he wanted to get him back to Cadmus anytime soon with minimal property damage and threat to human life, he was going to need help; more help than even Guardian could give. As he dodged another attack he activated his comms.

“Watchtower, Superman here. Requesting assistance.”

1:15 p.m.
LexCorp, Metropolis

Crap, crap, crap, crap crapcrapcrap! It was the only word Jon could think as he floated high above LexCorp Tower, watching Conner land in front of Mercy Graves and Lex Luthor. That would have been bad enough, but then Conner had called Lex ‘Father.’ Jon was seeing pieces of a puzzle he really didn’t want to connect. He was furious. Lex Luthor was evil and he was using Conner’s search for his family as a way to manipulate him. Jon wondered how Lex could possibly know Conner was looking. He didn’t even consider the possibility that Lex might actually be Conner’s dad because that would be ridiculous. Superman was their dad. Lex was just evil. His dad had warned him. On both Earths his dad had warned him. Lex Luthor was not to be trusted. Lex Luthor was a bad guy. Just because he was trying out being a hero on Jon’s Earth did not mean he was doing the same thing here. And even on Jon’s Earth his dad didn’t completely trust him.

Jon needed to get down to the roof and stop this whole, horrific series of events. He’d bring Kon back kicking and screaming if he had to, and he’d do it single-handedly, because his left arm was still pretty useless. Then he could ask Miss Martian to fix Kon’s brain and this would all end up okay. It had to.

Jon was brought out of his spiraling thoughts as he heard Lex give Conner his instructions. “I need you to hunt down Talia al Ghul and kill her as well as anyone who might try to defend her.”

“Where should I begin looking?” Conner asked, as emotionless as any well-trained soldier.

“That’s what I activated you for. She’s in the wind. Use your enhanced hearing. Listen for her voice. Scour the planet if you have to, just find her and go get her. If you feel your powers starting to fade, use another Shield. Get it done today and keep it discreet.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Like hell he was going to let Lex Luthor turn his brother into an assassin! And he especially wasn’t going to let him kill his best friend’s mom! Even if she was an assassin herself…

He flew down to the roof like an anvil in a cartoon, causing the structure to buckle under his landing. He touched down rather spectacularly, if he had to judge his entrance, but that was where everything began to go wrong. For one thing, he had not thought ahead about what to say once he did show himself. Lex Luthor looked him up and down, entirely unsurprised and unimpressed. Jon tried to stare him down and say something heroic. Unfortunately whatever cool superhero thing he might have planned on saying to make the villain see the error of his ways had fled his mind completely.

“Well well, the infamous Superboy from an alternate reality. Come to save the clone, have you?”

“Let him go, Luthor. I won’t let you turn him into a killer,” Jon said darkly, glaring at Lex with as much intimidation as he could portray. He wasn’t feeling very confident. This was Lex Luthor after all. He had been his dad’s greatest enemy. Jon couldn’t underestimate him, even if the man didn’t have superpowers.

Lex smirked like an amused parent who thought what their kid said was just adorable. “Is that so? And what exactly will you do to stop him? I won’t reverse my order.”

Jon’s hands clenched into fists. “I could stop you. You’re not even in your Warsuit.”

“True,” Lex said with mock-contemplation in his voice, “but that still wouldn’t solve your problem of him.” Luthor nodded his head toward Conner. “Superboy, restrain the intruder.”

Jon turned just in time to see Conner coming at him with superspeed. Before he could even brace for the impact, the larger boy slammed his hand into Jon’s throat, smashing him into the ground. Jon tried to gasp for breath as the impact shook his entire body but Conner was holding him so tightly that he couldn’t even inhale. He struggled under Conner’s grip, clawing at his hand in a panic. Nothing he did eased the other boy’s grip at all.

“Good job, son,” Lex smiled evilly before turning his attention to Mercy. “Get me a mobile stasis-pod from the research labs. I’ve got plans for this one.”

Mercy nodded and headed back into the building from the roof access door.

Jon continued to struggle, but now it was more for air than to get out of Conner’s hold. Lex seemed to understand this and either took pity on Jon or didn’t want him passing out just yet. Jon was pretty sure it was the latter reason. “Superboy, ease your grip a bit. Can’t you see the poor child is struggling to breathe?”

Conner loosened his hold just enough for Jon to gasp in relief, coughing and wheezing as his throat and lungs adjusted to the release of pressure from his windpipe. He didn’t miss the smug tone in Luthor’s voice as he gave his command and the instantaneous compliance from Conner.

“Don’t be sad, little Superboy,” Lex taunted, walking around Jon and looking him over like a discerning customer at a fish market. “You’re going to be used for a very worthy cause. Kryptonian DNA is notoriously difficult for human science to read. When Project Kr, here, was created, the gaps in the sequences were bridged with human DNA, robbing him of his full Kryptonian powers. No flight, no heat vision, etcetera. The Shield patch he’s wearing suppresses the human parts of his DNA so he can access his full Kryptonian power set. But you, you were born with the same mix of DNA, a Kryptonian-human hybrid, and yet you have no problem using all of your father’s abilities, and even some destructively new ones. Studying you will allow me to create an even better supersoldier on the third try.”

Jon glared, wanting to use his heat vision right through Luthor’s bald head, but knowing that he could never really do that. No matter what Luthor did to him, Jon was not a killer.

“You won’t!” Jon shouted and winced in pain. His throat hurt when he talked, probably from the choking.

Luthor smiled his wolfish smile and bent down as close to Jon as he could without being within reach of him. “It seems like I already have. Superboy is mine and you’re about to become my favorite little test subject. There’s not a lot of room for interpretation there.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Jon said in a gravelly voice, trying to keep his rising fear at bay and use his smarts to get out of the situation he found himself in. He tried appealing to Luthor’s better nature. “On my Earth you work with my dad. You were a bad guy but you want to be better; be a hero. Heck, you were even the President of the United States for a little while! You can be a good person, Mr. Luthor, I know it!”

Lex frowned. “My alternate self sounds like an idiot. Though I do like the sound of President Luthor.”

Jon winced. He really shouldn’t be giving this Luthor any ideas.

“Here’s what you don’t seem to understand: Superman is capable of destroying the world on a whim. He could sneeze the wrong way and take out half of Metropolis. Hell, you had a temper tantrum last night and almost wiped Infinity Island off the map and you’re only half-Kryptonian. I can’t have that kind of power out there. Not unless it works for me. I commissioned Project Kr so there would be a controllable Superman deterrent. Now I find out that the greatest living weapon on the planet can make his own little nuclear bomb that’s even more powerful than he is. So yes, I do have to do this. I have to get rid of you and I have to get rid of him. When that’s done, I can be the good guy. I’ll cure cancer, end hunger, do everything needed to fix this world, but I can’t do that until Superman has been dealt with.”

Jon never really understood why Lex Luthor didn’t like his dad. He still didn’t. His dad had only ever helped people his entire life. Yeah, Jon could use some more practice with the hero stuff, but he would never hurt anyone either. Luthor was being dumb because he was just an angry, mean, bald, old man and Jon refused to let him experiment on him for his evil plans. The half-Kryptonian was becoming angrier by the second. He refused to lie there while Lex Luthor threatened to kill him and his dad and brainwash Conner.

“Sorry to say this, sir, but that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. And I’ve grown up in a world where people run around blindfolded through traffic and eat Tide Pods for fun. You don’t have to kill Superman to cure cancer and fix the world’s food shortages. The fact that you could do all that and you won’t until you murder my dad just makes you a selfish, sociopathic asshole.” Jon would probably get in trouble for swearing, but Luthor really deserved to be sworn at in that moment.

Luthor frowned and turned to Conner. “Superboy, I’m done with him. Continue to crush his throat. If he shows any signs of exploding like he did last night, kill him.”

“Yes, father.”

Jon felt the pressure on his throat increase immediately and he got scared. He wished he hadn’t and that he had better control of his powers, but his heat vision activated. He was looking right at Conner when it happened and the blast hit him squarely in the face. Conner shouted in pain and blocked the blast with his hands, only realizing a half-second later that he was no longer holding Jon down.

Purely on instinct Jon shot into the sky like a bullet, guilty that he had hurt Conner but thankful to finally be out of his grasp. His reprieve didn’t last long, though. Almost immediately he heard Luthor shout, “Get him! And don’t cause a scene! The last thing I need is Superman coming back here to save the city from more rampaging superchildren. Project Match won’t keep him busy for long.”

Conner was coming after him, that same blank expression on his face, but his eyes lighting up with red. Jon dodged as Kon shot heat vision straight at him. It would have hit him squarely in the chest if he hadn’t moved. This wasn’t good. Jon flew like a bullet from a rifle further into the city, trying to keep an eye on Conner and his new abilities at the same time.

Conner sped after him. He managed to keep pace but struggled to make any contact, even with his heat vision due to Jon’s mid-air acrobatics. The smaller boy did everything he could to stay ahead of Conner and not get hit by his new powers. Changing altitude and velocity, and zigzagging in every direction was exhausting but highly effective. Jon was going to have to get Damian something really nice for all those times he forced him to practice flying. The training was certainly proving useful right about now.

1:20 p.m.
Metropolis

Lois had just gotten out of her secret meeting with her hacker friend, Jack Marshal. He was very excited about the opportunity to go after LexCorp and bring their shady dealings out into the open. The man was extremely good at what he did but LexCorp was notorious for their cybersecurity. Even so, this was the reason he needed to attempt to start digging through their systems. She hoped he would find something worthwhile for his trouble.

She was passing an electronics store on her way back to the office when she noticed a group of people gathered around the televisions that were set up in the display window at the entrance. They were there to let everyone see the picture quality of the new models for sale but Lois didn’t care about that. She only cared about the news program showing live footage from Washington D.C. where Superman was fighting a teenager in a white bodysuit.

“What’s going on?” She asked a college-age boy who was watching the television with an expression that was more appropriate for someone viewing an action movie than a news program.

“Story just broke. You missed a crazy on-air rescue. GBS was on location filming a puff-piece about some boat race when this super-teenager comes rampaging through the streets, causing chaos. Cat Grant has her chopper diverted to the scene of all the destruction when the kid throws a car at them. A freaking car! Superman got to them just in time. It was crazy! And now the whole Justice League is there helping him take that kid down and rescuing people and this is so awesome!”

Lois watched the screen in front of her as they showed Superman in the middle of a fight with a boy that had more than a passing resemblance to Conner. Every time Superman used a power against the boy, it seemed to teach him how to use that ability himself. Still, Lois could see the goal was not to hurt the boy, but to talk to him. Superman was on the defensive, only using his powers when absolutely necessary to defend himself or an unlucky civilian trapped in the crossfire.

The boy had been burned by heat vision and punched hard enough that it left bruises, yet Superman could not get him to calm down and stop attacking. Both words and fists were ineffectual. It was like the only thing the teenager knew was a perpetual state of violence. Clark needed to figure out how to calm him down without killing him. He dodged another barrage of punches and vaulted into the air. The boy took to the sky after him, not giving him a second’s reprieve. The news camera followed the fight as best it could and Lois sprinted for The Daily Planet building.

1:20 p.m.
The Watchtower

Tim directed satellite surveillance on Washington D.C. and accessed any security camera footage he could hack from where he was. He quickly found what he was searching for. Tim couldn’t help feeling that this was all so horribly familiar. A Superboy out of his mind with rage, attacking heroes in Washington was, for some reason, causing his anxiety to shoot through the roof.

“I don’t care about Superman’s fight in Washington,” Damian growled. “Where is Jon?”

“I’m not sure. Bruce has a blackout zone for all satellites around the manor,” Tim said as he continued hacking into the Watchtower’s systems and accessing the Justice League’s surveillance tech. He would have done so earlier but there was always a Leaguer with him to make sure he didn’t do something similar to what he was doing right at that moment.

Tim hacked into security cameras in the surrounding areas in Gotham but without some facial recognition software it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The older teen sighed in frustration, then he got an idea. “How’s social media on this Earth?”

Damian looked at Tim like he had gone crazy. “How should I know? I haven’t touched a smartphone since I arrived in this backwards reality.”

“Well,” Tim said, pulling up various social media sites on his screen, Jon’s probably fine. Maybe he sneezed and that’s why the alarms at the manor went off. But if he is in trouble, which he most likely isn’t, someone would probably mention something on… oh.”

“Oh, what?” Damian demanded. “Timothy?”

Tim didn’t respond, but pulled up his satellite feeds again and aimed them at Metropolis.

“Drake! I demand you tell me what you have found! Is it Jon? Is he alright?”

“I managed to get a few hits on Tweeter about two flying kids in Metropolis. Look.”

“That’s Jon!” Damian shouted, pushing Tim out of his chair and taking control of the keyboard so he could zoom in on the scene in the city. “And Conner… is flying? That doesn’t make sense. Why are Jon and Conner fighting? How is Conner flying?”

Damian’s panicked question provoked an overly-defensive response from Tim. “How should I know? I don’t even know who Conner is!”

“The one fighting Jon in the skies above Metropolis, obviously,” Damian said with all the irritation a teenager was capable of injecting into a sentence.

“So, what? He’s like this reality’s version of Superboy? Clark’s kid?” Tim asked.

“Superman’s clone,” Damian clarified.

Tim felt another headache coming on. It all seemed too familiar. He looked back at the screen, knowing there was something he was missing, he just couldn’t get his brain to connect the dots. Tim heard Damian’s sharp intake of breath as the spy satellite zoomed in on the two Superboys fighting in the air.

“What is it?” he asked. “What do you see?”

“Jon’s hurt. He can’t use his left arm. Look at them. Conner keeps targeting that side but Jon’s not blocking. When he does he uses his right arm.”

Tim nodded, impressed with Damian’s observational skills. “He’s keeping his right side to his opponent. I think his shoulder is dislocated. Look how it’s slightly out of alignment with the right side arm.” Tim’s own arm began to throb with phantom sympathy pains. He ran his left hand over his right arm. “It’s Luthor.”

“What?”

“This is all Lex Luthor,” Tim said with the certainty of a master detective who had just figured out a particularly difficult case. “Don’t ask me how I know. I don’t know how. I just know. This is Luthor’s fault.”

Damian got a murderous look in his eyes that Tim knew all too well. He was glad it wasn’t directed at him this time. “We’ll use the Zeta-tubes. Come, Timothy. We’ll need to raid the weapons stored in Father’s room before we go. I’ll need a grappling gun and a mask.”

Tim stood there dumbfounded but ran after Damian as the younger boy didn’t wait for him before marching out of the office they were using. “What exactly are you planning to do, Damian? They’re not going to just let us steal equipment and leave the Watchtower to go rescue your friend. We should call Bruce or tell Wonder Woman or something. Those are two Kryptonians fighting over Metropolis. What do you think you can possibly do to stop them?”

“I don’t have to stop them,” Damian said, as he led Tim through the winding corridors of the Watchtower. “You said this was Luthor’s doing. I’m going to stop him.”

Tim sighed in frustration as Damian stopped in front of an unmarked door and accessed what turned out to be Batman’s room during his shifts on the Watchtower. The boys entered and Damian went directly to the closet. He pulled out two grappling guns, a spare utility belt, and what looked like one of Dick’s early Robin dominoes from the closet. It all made Tim realize that Damian was not going to drop his plan to go rescue Jon anytime soon. He had to try and make the kid see reason.

“We are not going after Lex Luthor!” Tim demanded. “I don’t even know why I said that. I don’t know that for sure. I’m probably way off base.” Even as he said it, he felt like it was a lie. He was certain Lex was the cause of the Kent kids fighting above Metropolis.

“Don’t second-guess yourself, Drake. As much as I am loathe to admit it, I would trust a hunch from you over the empirical evidence of literally anyone else. You were the only person who realized Father had been lost in the timestream three years ago. You are certain that Luthor is to blame. I can tell… and I believe you.”

Tim had to take a second to process that. Three years ago he had to fight tooth and nail to get anyone to believe him about Bruce being alive. It was not a time he liked to think about. Dick didn’t believe him and gave the Robin title to Damian without even asking him how he felt about it. Damian would insult him or try to kill him whenever they were within a hundred yards of each other. Jason was still in his ‘kill everyone’ Pit Madness phase. It was a time when Tim had never felt more alone. Hearing Damian now say that Tim was right and that he believed him meant a lot more to him than he had expected it would. It started to heal something deep inside him that had been broken for a long time.

“Th… thanks, Dami,” Tim stuttered.

“Don’t go getting sentimental on me, Drake. Savor the compliment. You’ll not be getting many from me in the future, I’m sure.”

Tim couldn’t help but smile. “Love you too, brat.”

Damian passed a third grappling gun to Tim. “Just in case.”

Tim hooked the device to his belt. “Damian, this is insane. You don’t even have a suit.”

Damian placed the domino mask over his eyes and relaxed into the familiar feeling of protection it gave him. “I don’t need armor to take out Lex Luthor. Besides, you’re all the backup I need. You won’t let any harm come to me, will you, Timothy?” It wasn’t a question. It was a challenge.

“Running off against Bruce’s orders is what got you killed three years ago. We’re not leaving the Watchtower. And you were told to do what I say.” Tim dug in his heels and gave Damian a look that told him he was serious.

“Robins can break the rules when it’s important to do so. Richard taught me that. He taught you that too,” Damian challenged.

Tim couldn’t argue with that. He huffed in frustration and followed his little brother back out into the maze-like corridors of the Watchtower. “We’re still not leaving.”

Damian shrugged and continued walking toward the Zeta-tubes. “We’ll see.”

1:30 p.m.
Metropolis

“Mommy, look! Up there! It’s a little Superman! And another Superman, too!” The little girl pulled against her mother’s arm before the entrance to the subway, pointing up into the sky. Lois turned and looked up just in time to see what could only be Jon and Conner jetting across the sky, weaving in and out of the surrounding buildings.

“What the hell are they doing?” Lois said out loud, confused as to why Jon and Conner were in Metropolis in the first place. She thought Clark had taken them to Batman’s house. As the little girl’s mother gasped in fear and picked her up to hail a cab out of the area, Lois abandoned her plans of getting back to the Daily Planet in order to find out what was going on with the boys. She had a bad feeling. Clark was fighting a kid who looked like Conner in D.C. and now it looked like Conner and Jon were playing a game of super-tag through the streets of Metropolis. Wasn’t Conner not supposed to be able to fly? Something just didn’t feel right and she needed to make sure her kids were okay.

She saw them circling back above the skyscrapers, Jon still just ahead of Conner. She needed to get their attention before they flew out of sight. Lois put her pinkies in her mouth and blew out an ear-splitting whistle that not only startled everyone on the street but caused Jon to stop in midair and spot her immediately. If she had been able to see that far away, she would have noticed Jon go pale with surprise and fear when he realized where the whistle had come from.

Lois breathed a sigh of relief… which lasted only about a second and a half as Conner smashed into Jon and punched him out of the sky. The smaller boy looked like a ragdoll as he took the hit and tumbled through the air. Lois screamed in shock as she watched him crash into the street, leaving a crater in his wake. It wasn’t even a second before Conner smashed into him and began punching the smaller boy deeper and deeper into the ground.

“Conner, stop!” Lois shouted and ran toward the boys, not thinking about how incredibly dangerous, not to mention stupid, it was sprinting into a battle zone involving two superpowered individuals.

Jon knew enough to cover his head with his good arm when Conner landed and began beating on him. The blows hurt much more than anything Damian had ever put him through in training. Still, Damian’s training was giving him a fighting chance. Jon timed the blows and in the microsecond between one fist and the next, Jon shot his hand up into Conner’s face. His fingers connected with an eye and Conner reared back, shutting his eyes tight and shouting in pain. Jon used the moment to blast Conner off of him with heat vision and fly once more into the air.

Conner growled in frustration and took off after him. The two fought in the air, each connecting blow sounding like a thunderclap above Metropolis. The few people still in the area on the ground were all looking into the sky as if the world around them had stopped.

Conner shot a blast of heat vision at Jon. The smaller boy dodged but was caught off-balance when Conner put on a burst of speed and bashed him in the face. Jon once again hurtled toward the ground, crashing into the street much too close to the people watching. The last of the bystanders who had stuck around realized that it was time to evacuate the area. While everyone ran screaming away from the fight, Lois sprinted toward Jon as if her life depended on it.

Conner was flying at the dazed boy, shooting through the air like a missile straight for him. He shot his heat vision and Jon screamed in pain as it connected with his chest, burning his jacket where the Superman symbol was prominently displayed. The sound of Jon in pain only caused Lois to pick up speed. Subconsciously she knew that what she was doing was possibly the most suicidal thing she had ever attempted, but right at that moment she didn’t care. She needed to make this stop and she was acting on pure instinct and adrenaline to do it.

Conner was getting closer to smashing into Jon by the second but Lois was almost there. “Kon, stop!” She screamed and dove in between the boys. She watched for a horrifying millisecond as Conner continued barreling toward her like she wasn’t even there. She held her breath, fully expecting to die at that moment, knowing there was nothing she could physically do to stop him from flying right through her to get to Jon. She didn’t look away, staring Conner down while he flew toward her with glowing, red eyes as if he were a demon from hell. She’d be a liar if she said she wasn’t terrified in that moment.

Conner pulled his fist back, about to collide with her frail, human body like a speeding train. Lois instinctively flinched and closed her eyes, bracing for the impact that would likely shatter her into an unrecognizable mess. The moment came, she heard Jon scream, “Mom!” in pure terror, and then… nothing.

Nothing happened. She opened her eyes, cautiously, not quite sure what to expect. Conner was floating there in front of her, his fist centimeters from her face, but there was no heat vision primed in his eyes anymore. He was breathing heavily, looking more confused than anything else.

Conner dropped the remaining few feet to the ground, and dropped to his knees. “Oh my god,” he whispered, sounding like he couldn’t quite comprehend what was going on. He just sat there in the rubble, staring at his hand that was slowly managing to unclench. He took a deep, shaky breath and looked up at her. “Lois?”

“Conner?” Lois asked carefully, not daring to look away from him even though she wanted desperately to turn around and check on Jon. She didn’t have to worry about him. A moment later, the tiny figure of a punch-drunk ten-year-old, half-Kryptonian child stumbled in front of her to put himself between her and Conner.

“Lois… Jon… I’m so sorry… I…” Conner couldn’t put into words the depth of how sorry he was. He didn’t understand how he could have obeyed Lex Luthor like that. He had hurt Jon. He could have killed him and Lois. It was unforgivable.

“Kon?” Jon asked, cautiously. “Are you… you again?”

Conner swallowed, flexing his hand as if trying to ensure that he was truly in control of it. “I remember everything. Why was I doing that? I was going to kill you. Both of you!” He stood up and backed away from them as if just being near another living person could harm them.

“You were being controlled by Lex Luthor!” Jon tried desperately to explain and not spook Conner in the process. “You broke out of the mind control on your own. Kon, that’s… amazing!”

Conner shook his head and looked terrified and furious at the same time. “That son of a… ugh! How the hell could he do that to me? I’ll kill him!”

“You’re not killing Lex Luthor, no matter how much of a bastard he is,” Lois said calmly, though secretly, she wouldn’t mind Lex being killed by a falling rock or accidental chemical explosion. “You’re not a killer. Don’t let Lex turn you into one.”

Conner sneered and shouted, “He doesn’t get to screw with my mind like that! Just look at what I did to Jon!”

“I’m okay, really!” Jon lied, feeling a sting in his shoulder every time he inhaled too deeply. He was pretty sure he was missing a tooth too, but he wasn’t going to mention that. Hopefully it was only one of his baby teeth.

“I’m calling Superman,” Lois said and started digging through her purse for the communicator Clark had given her for emergencies only hours earlier.

“You can’t!” Conner and Jon said at the same time.

“Dad might still be fighting Bizzaro Kon!” Jon explained.

“I don’t care,” Lois said, finally finding what she was looking for and sticking the tiny piece of technology into her ear.

“He won't forgive me for this. I just confirmed everything he was afraid of about me,” Conner said, his expression pained, full of remorse. “I can’t let Lex get away with this. I have to go.” He took off into the air without another word and didn’t look back.

“Kon, wait!” Jon shouted and flew after him.

“Boys, no!” Lois called out, but all she could do was watch them fly away. “When this is over you both are so grounded!”

1:30
The Watchtower

Damian and Tim arrived at the Zeta-tubes just in time to see Artemis say goodbye to Green Arrow and Miss Martian before stepping through the device to return to her home in Gotham City.

M’gann noticed them first. “Oh, hi guys,” she said cheerfully. “You just missed the team. We wanted to say goodbye but someone,” she eyed Green Arrow, “said we had been here long enough and needed to get back home.”

“There’s a situation in D.C.,” Ollie defended. “Practically every available Leaguer went to help. We couldn’t keep an eye on you here and honestly, Artemis’ mom is scary. When she says she wants her daughter back, you don’t argue.”

“What about you?” Tim asked M’gann nonchalantly. “You heading home?”

“Yes,” M’gann smiled, “but not through the Zetas. I’m going to pilot the Bioship back.”

“And what brings you boys to the Zeta-tubes today,” Ollie asked casually, even though his suspicion was obvious. “In masks and utility belts no less.”

Damian spoke first. “The skirmish in Washington has distracted you from more important matters elsewhere. Jon and Conner are in Metropolis right now being forced to fight to the death by Lex Luthor and you are standing in my way. So step aside, peasant!”

“Whoa, slow down, small fry,” Ollie said, entirely confused. “You’re going to have to explain yourself a little better than that.”

Tim sighed and shook his head, amused by Damian’s ability to revert to his spoiled assassin prince persona when he was upset. He stepped in front of Damian and offered Ollie a more coherent explanation of why they were there. “We found reports on some social media sites of two superpowered children fighting in Metropolis. The images look like Jon and Conner. Has Batman contacted you about the damage at his home? Are they still there?”

That made Ollie pause. “No. He hasn’t mentioned it. Let me find out.”

Green Arrow turned around to give himself a bit of privacy as he called Batman over the comms. While he wasn’t paying as much attention to the kids, M’gann whispered to the boys, “What happened to Conner?”

“Not sure yet, but he’s definitely fighting Jon in Metropolis. I checked with the Watchtower’s satellite feeds,” Tim explained. “Damian wanted to go to Metropolis through the Zeta-tubes and try to save them.”

“It’s Lex Luthor,” Damian added. “He’s done something to him.”

M’gann looked like she was going to be sick. “Come with me.”

“Hold on, Bats, I’ve got an emergency comm coming through to the Watchtower. I’ll call you back,” Ollie said, a moment after Batman confirmed that neither Jon nor Conner were at the manor and that, according to his newest houseguest, Conner had attacked Jon and flown away. Ollie transferred the incoming call to his personal comms. “Green Arrow here.”

“I thought this was an emergency line to Superman,” came a woman’s voice.

“It’s the emergency line to the Watchtower… who is this?” Ollie asked of the unfamiliar voice. He knew the way every person in the League sounded over comms and this was not any of them.

“Lois Lane. I need to talk to Superman right away.”

Oliver knew who Lois Lane was and what her relationship to Superman was. He was going to give the big, blue boy scout so much grief over this. Giving his girlfriend the ability to call him at work was a major step-up in their relationship status. “He’s a little busy at the moment. Can I take a message?”

“No, you can’t take a message!” Lois said angrily. “I need to talk to him now! It’s going to take too long to explain to you and time is a factor here. If someone gets hurt because you wouldn’t let me contact someone who can help, it’s going to be on your head! And I will spend the rest of my life making you remember that!”

Green Arrow had heard stories about Lois Lane but he didn’t not realize just how terrifying she could be. No wonder his friends talk about her like she’s the Boogieman… woman. He had enough to deal with and really did not need to be on her shit-list right now. “Wow. Okay. You do know he’s in the middle of a dangerous situation and contacting him could be distracting, right?”

Lois took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down and keep her temper in check. “Sorry, That was rude. I’m just a little stressed out right now. Lex Luthor brainwashed one of my kids. I could just scream for Superman but I do know what he’s doing right now. I’d like to explain the situation before he rushes over here. This is important. Please transfer me. I have no idea how to use these earpieces.” The words she spoke sounded a lot more calm, but explaining what was going on made Ollie see red. Lex Luthor had brainwashed a kid. That was low, even for him… And since when did Lois Lane have a kid? Then again, it didn’t really matter.

“Hold please.” Oliver sent her call directly to Superman. He breathed in deeply and exhaled while silently counting to three. This day, he was sure, was going to give him an aneurysm. Feeling he had composed himself enough to look like the responsible adult that he was, he turned back around to face the kids. Unfortunately, there was no one in the room with him when he did.

Oliver groaned and silently cursed whoever it was that put him on monitor/babysitting duty that day. “Watchtower, locate Miss Martian,” he said out loud.

The Watchtower’s automated response system replied, “Miss Martian is no longer on the Watchtower. She and two males left aboard the Bioship approximately six point eight seconds ago.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Oliver shouted to the empty room, his frustration obvious. He accessed his comms once again and contacted the Bioship directly. “M’gann M’orzz. I don’t know what you’re thinking right now but you had better turn that ship around right now!”

Miss Martian responded immediately, knowing that his call was going to come. “Sorry, Green Arrow. I can’t do that. Conner and Jon are in trouble and I can’t wait around trying to convince you to let us go help them.”

“You are not seriously doing this after the stunt you pulled last night! Turn it around or you are off the team, M’gann! I know Conner and Jon are in trouble. I’ll get someone there to help them. Damian doesn’t even have armor. Do you really want to bring down Batman’s wrath on you for this?”

Damian’s voice came through the channel. “Do not try to stop us, Queen. I have kidnapped the Martian and commandeered her ship in order to rescue Jon. I will take full responsibility for my actions when we return.”

“Oh, come on! You don’t really expect me to believe that, do you, kid?”

“I told you that wouldn’t work. 'A' for effort, though,” came Tim’s amused voice in the background.

There was a pause, then M’gann spoke again, her voice wavering only slightly. “I have to do this. I’m sorry.”

The line went dead. Oliver tried to contact her again but she had either turned off her comms or was flat out ignoring him. Either way, he had a problem. He turned his communicator to the private channel Dinah reserved for him when they needed to talk privately.

“A little busy, GA.” The familiar voice of Black Canary sounded reassuring to Oliver, even though Dinah herself was obviously stressed out and in the middle of a fight. “Safely getting an angry clone to go back to his home is not the easiest thing I’ve ever done. And now Superman is trying to speed up the process which is pissing the clone off even more… What did you do?”

“Pretty Bird! I’m insulted. I call you and you immediately assume I have a problem?”

Dinah sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s… a stressful situation right now. What’s going on, Ollie?”

“Um… I have a problem.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
1:35 p.m.
Metropolis

“You can’t just go rushing in without a plan!” Jon said as the two Kent children flew toward LexCorp Tower. “This is Lex Luthor we’re talking about.”

“I have a plan,” Conner growled. “I’m going to find out what he knows about me, then I’m going to break his legs. Not necessarily in that order.”

“Oh my god, you sound like a Gotham mafia boss,” Jon snorted.

“Well, what do you suggest?” Conner snapped, still feeling unfettered rage toward Lex Luthor for hijacking his mind. He felt guilty and used but despite his desire to break Luthor into a million tiny fragments of what was once a human being, he still needed to find out what he knew first. It might be his only chance to get the truth.

“Play this smart… maybe we should wait for dad,” Jon suggested. “He’s dealt with Lex lots of times before.”

“Clark and I are… We’re just starting to understand each other, Jon,” Conner argued. “Before you got here, he could barely be in the same room as me without being obviously uncomfortable. He didn’t trust me, and for good reason apparently. Luthor made me into his freaking puppet and I hurt you.”

“That wasn’t you,” Jon said with so much conviction that Conner almost had to believe him. “And you broke out of his control when it really counted. That is what dad’s going to see; someone who was strong enough to do the right thing when Luthor was doing everything he could to manipulate you.”

“You don’t get it!” Conner snapped, only to immediately feel guilty when he saw Jon flinch. He reined in his anger and tried again. “When I heard those words back at the manor it was like a switch flipped in my head. I didn’t care about you or the team or anything other than getting to Lex and finding out what he wanted me to do for him. When he told me to hurt you, I didn’t give it a second thought. All that mattered was that I did exactly what he told me to do. I wanted him to be proud of me.” Conner shuddered involuntarily at the memory. “And it’s not just that, Jon. Didn’t you hear what I was calling him?”

Jon frowned. “He is not your dad. That had to be part of the brainwashing to make you easier to control.”

“It didn’t feel that way,” Conner whispered, looking guilty. “It felt true. So before I see Clark again, I have to talk to Luthor. I need to know. I need to look him in the eye and ask him if…”

“Does it even matter?” Jon yelled angrily. “Luthor’s a jerk! Even if he is the other half of you, you’re half Superman too, just like me. You’re a good person and Luthor doesn’t deserve to lick the dirt off your boots!”

“I still have to know for sure. I’m sorry, Jon. I can’t let this go.” Conner turned in the air and jetted forward with such a sudden burst of speed that he created a sonic boom. Jon shouted in frustration and took off after him. He had to make Conner see reason.

It only took Jon a minute to catch up to him but by the time he did, Conner was landing on the roof of LexCorp Tower once again. In front of him were Lex Luthor and Mercy Graves, who had returned with the portable stasis pod. Jon stopped in midair to keep himself out of Lex’s visual range. It was too late to stop Conner from doing this stupid thing. All Jon could do now was back Kon up if he needed it. He grimaced and started flying down to the rooftop, hoping that his mom had managed to let his dad know what was going on. If all went well, Superman’s battle with Konzarro was over and he could come help. Unfortunately, judging by their luck so far today, it was pretty unlikely. He had a bad feeling that they were on their own.

1:37 p.m.
Washington D.C.

Superman had to admit he wouldn’t have been able to do this alone with so little damage to the city. “You all know that you’re the best team ever, right?” He said over the comms as he dodged another blow from the Camus clone. Even for someone who writes for a living, he found it difficult to properly express his admiration for the people he was lucky enough to call his friends. After requesting assistance, the available heroes that were on the Watchtower at the time had immediately transported down to aid him. They always had his back, no matter what the situation.

“It takes a village,” Wonder Woman said, using a colloquialism she had recently heard.

“I’m pretty sure that phrase is supposed to refer to raising a child, not defending a city against a destructive, teenage superclone,” Flash laughed, amused despite the dire situation.

Diana shrugged and leapt in front of the clone, forcing him to scream in anger and alter his course. He had learned several minutes ago that she was not one to pull her punches and seemed to want to avoid another direct confrontation with her.

It had taken a coordinated effort to contain the boy who had been terrorizing Washington D.C., but they were managing it. Superman, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman kept him busy while Flash, Black Canary, and Guardian helped the civilians who had gotten caught in the crossfire, cooperating with police and emergency personnel in the process. The team was slowly making progress, safely herding the boy back toward Cadmus. Superman had been sure everything would turn out fine, then Lois had called to tell him about what was happening in Metropolis. The moment he had heard that Conner and Jon were in trouble it became harder to focus on the task at hand.

“J’onn, how are you doing on telepathically communicating with the boy?” Clark asked, hoping that if they could just talk to him, they might be able to end this confrontation peacefully and quickly.

Martian Manhunter was using his telepathic abilities to influence the boy to return to Cadmus. At the same time he was trying to get an understanding of why he was acting so violent. “I am sorry, Superman. His mind is consumed by rage. There is no part of him that grasps rational thought, at least in the state he is currently in.”

There was a pervasive sense of dread that Clark just couldn’t shake. All he wanted to do was fly at full speed toward Metropolis and help the boys. Still, he knew he couldn’t leave his team to handle the clone, not until he was safely back in stasis. It was so frustrating. Superman was supposed to be able to handle anything and yet again he was letting people down. He couldn’t communicate with this new clone. As much as it stung, he had to admit that putting the boy back in stasis until they could figure out how to help him was the only option at this point. He was just too violent.

Superman needed to end this fight as soon as possible. They had a plan to contain the clone and it was almost complete. He just had to see it through to the end, then he could make sure Kon and Jon were safe. Jon looked up to his dad so much. Clark wanted more than anything to live up to the boy’s vision of him. He wanted to be better for Conner too. He knew he had screwed up with him. Failing him again wasn’t an option.

“Superman,” J’onn said, feeling the intensity of Clark’s emotions, “I notice you have been distracted since your private call. We can handle things from here. It seems that you have more pressing matters to attend to.”

Clark didn’t want to leave his teammates with such an unpredictable problem, but he wanted so badly to take J’onn up on his offer. “I can’t just leave you,” he protested and pushed harder toward the enormous Cadmus facility. He was so close now he could see the hole in the front where the door had once been.

Anytime the clone tried to escape, Superman and Wonder Woman were there to force him in the direction of Cadmus. If he tried to attack, they’d fight back, still pushing him further and further toward the research facility. For some reason, the closer they got to Cadmus Labs, the easier it was to deal with him. It was as if his mind was growing foggier and foggier the closer to the building they got.

“Is the kid getting tired?” Superman wondered. He didn’t think it was fatigue but he still knew so little about Kryptonian clones. “J’onn, are you doing this?”

“I have been in telepathic contact with some of the beings living at Cadmus,” J’onn explained. “They are helping me calm the boy’s mind and guide him back to his stasis pod. He will not be a danger for very much longer.” Despite J’onn’s words, the boy was putting up a fight, even as he was becoming more lethargic with every mile.

“Go, Kal,” Diana agreed. “We can take it from here.”

Clark was torn. He didn’t want to leave his friends but he wanted to help Kon and Jon even more. In the end, he had to trust that his team could handle themselves without him. “Thank you,” Superman said, giving everyone a grateful look before he flew off into the sky.

He didn’t get a mile before his comms went off and Black Canary’s voice sounded in his ear. “Superman?”

“Go ahead, Dinah. What’s happening? Do you need me to come back?”

“No,” she said quickly, “but you will need to know you’re probably going to be having some uninvited guests in your rescue party.”

1:40 p.m.
Space

“We’ll arrive in Metropolis in about five minutes,” M’gann told Damian and Tim before giving her full attention to the younger Robin. “Damian, you need to promise me you won’t leave this ship when we get there. I know you’re fully capable of handling yourself but if anything were to happen to you while we do this, your family would never forgive me. It hasn’t even been a day since Infinity Island and I’m sure your leg isn’t fully healed yet.”

Tim had noticed that Damian was favoring one leg over the other just slightly but didn’t think the injury had been that recent. “What happened?” He asked, trying to keep the concern out of his voice. He knew Damian would get defensive if he sounded like he genuinely cared about his health.

Damian shrugged. “A rock fell on it.”

“You were in a cave-in,” M’gann clarified, her voice a mixture of exasperation and reproval.

“So it was a really big rock,” Damian shrugged as if it were no big deal.

Tim shook his head slowly and the younger boy couldn’t tell if it was in amusement or frustration.

“Just promise me you’ll stay in the ship when we get there,” M’gann pushed.

Damian responded diplomatically. “I will take it under advisement.”

“No you won’t,” Tim said, his expression stern. “You’ll stay here and you won’t argue with us about it.”

“Tt,” Damian scowled. “If I need to go down there to save Jon, I will. It’s not like you could do anything to stop me, even with my very minor injury that barely bothers me.”

Tim made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat, trying not to let the smaller boy bait him.

M’gann could sense an argument starting. The last thing she needed was the brothers at each other’s throats right before they were going into a mission. “So Tim,” she said, trying to change the subject and deescalate the situation. “How’d you figure out it was Lex Luthor behind this?”

Tim frowned and blushed slightly. “Well…”

“He just knows,” Damian jumped in defensively.

M’gann’s smile dropped and she went a little pale. “Wait… ‘he just knows’ as in ‘it’s a secret,’ or are you telling me that I just defied the Justice League and am risking Batman’s wrath… on a hunch?”

“It’s… not just a hunch,” Tim tried to explain. “I don’t have any proof but I know it like it’s a fact. I’ve never been so sure of anything.”

“Guys!” Her voice rose so high in her panic that the word came out as an angry squeak. “Are you serious?!”

“Calm down. It will be fine.” Damian tried to sound reassuring but his voice came out more as a command, which just served to piss the Martian girl off.

“I’m risking a lot to do this! Are Conner and Jon even really in danger?”

“I wouldn’t lie about that,” Tim said so seriously that M’gann couldn’t help but believe him. Still, she was risking a lot to help them like this. Hearing that Conner was in trouble sometimes made her forget to think logically.

She took a deep breath and tried to figure out how Tim was so sure that even she, with all her telepathic abilities, thought he had proof instead of just a feeling about what was happening. She needed to figure this out and there was only one way she knew of to do that in the time that they had. As much as she liked Tim and Damian, there was no way she was defying Batman based on a hunch. “Let me read your mind.”

“What?” Tim asked, surprised at the sudden question.

“I want to make sure that you’re right about this and not being subconsciously manipulated by Mr. Oz or something. I’ve known you for like an hour, Damian for a couple of days. I just disobeyed a direct order from Green Arrow to help you save Conner and Jon but for all I know you could be using me as a means of escaping the Watchtower. Voices can lie. Minds can too but it’s more difficult and I can usually tell when they try. So let me in to check or I will turn this ship around right now.”

Tim liked M’gann’s assertive side but he wasn’t wild about the idea of her poking around in his head. She wasn’t giving him much of a choice, though, if they wanted to get to Earth in time. It’s what he would have done if their roles were reversed. He looked to Damian, who was the only person on the ship capable of telling him if this was a good idea.

“I am as opposed to telepaths as you are,” Damian said as he noticed Tim’s subtle questioning glance, “but M’orzz has proven herself a trustworthy ally.”

Tim figured that Damian’s endorsement was about as good a recommendation as anyone could get (unless of course the little monster was setting him up, but Tim didn’t think Damian would do that to him… at least not at the moment). Tim nodded to M’gann. “Okay. Do it.”

M’gann breathed a sigh of relief. She had been holding her breath, hoping that the boys wouldn’t fight with her on this request. She wanted to trust that they knew what they were doing but there was so much on the line for her. If this mission went bad, she would be lucky if Martian Manhunter just exiled her from the planet Earth. That was not going to happen. Earth was amazing and she refused to let anyone send her back to Mars to face the prejudices there alone. M’gann’s eyes began to glow and she connected to Tim’s mind.

Immediately she could feel that Tim was completely and unwaveringly certain about Conner being in danger and that Lex Luthor was responsible. It was odd, though. She knew what a suspicion felt like and she knew conviction. There was nothing in Tim’s mind that would lead him to the conclusion that Luthor specifically was behind Conner’s strange behavior but there was something about the feeling that made M’gann want to dig deeper. There had to be a reason why Tim was so convinced that Luthor was behind this. She didn’t want to find out after they got to LexCorp that Tim’s mind was being manipulated to put his allies exactly where some villain wanted them.

M’gann dove deeper into Tim’s mind until she recognized that she had arrived where he stored his memories. She didn’t have a lot of practice wandering through other people’s memories but between her experiences with Damian and Roy, she felt she could navigate Tim’s mind carefully enough to leave him his privacy while still finding out what was triggering that certainty he was feeling. It was a rare thing that strong emotions didn’t tie back to specific memories, conscious or unconscious. M’gann had a feeling she would find her answers there.

As she investigated Tim’s mind, M’gann found herself becoming more and more impressed with how organized it was. Damian’s memory of his death had been behind a barrier in his mind. It was neglected and pushed to the darkest corner of a long hallway filled with doorways of every shape and size. It was not a door he opened often, that was obvious. Roy’s memories on the other hand were all uniform, right at the surface of his mind. It reminded M’gann of a manufactured town with every house built the same way, looking no different from one another except for the color. It was a dead giveaway that his memories were implanted into his mind.

Tim’s mind was very different from Damian’s and Roy’s. It was like a palace, with large, gilded hallways and ornately carved doors. She knew exactly what kind of memory was behind each door just by walking past it. She opened a door to a good memory and saw Tim with his team from back home, The Titans. There were a lot of heroes she’d never heard of; Wonder Girl, Beast Boy, Starfire, and so many more. It was clear to her that Tim loved his friends and they cared about him just as much.

M’gann shut the door. As nice a feeling that memory provided, it wouldn’t be alright for her to watch it. She had already gleaned too much information about his personal life. No, she was looking for the source of his certainty and it wasn’t there. M’gann tried other doors, noticing that each engraving on them represented the memory held within the room they led to. As she got deeper into Tim’s mind and further down the hallway she noticed that the doorways began to look more and more in disrepair. Some of the intricate designs were vandalized, as if someone had taken a sword or a giant set of claws to them.

She tried opening several of the damaged doorways only to find each one locked. It was also getting more difficult to see the carvings. The further down the hallway she progressed, the less light there was to see by. She started to get an uneasy feeling, like she was in a dangerous place and something was watching her, stalking her.

M’gann looked deeper into the darkness. Creepy didn't even begin to describe it. It was as if the place was intentionally making her feel uncomfortable. She’d never come across a space like this in someone’s mind before. It was so tempting to turn back. She shouldn’t be here anyway. It wasn’t right to intrude in Tim’s mind this far, but she could feel it. The source of his confidence about the fact that Lex Luthor was harming Conner was right here. She could almost reach out and touch it. If only she could open one more door… M’gann reached out into the inky blackness in front of her.

Suddenly a large silver object sailed by her head so close that she could feel the break in the air from it’s passing. M’gann gasped and fell backward. It was a good thing that she did because a moment later the object sailed back around and sliced through the air exactly where her head would have been had she not fallen on her butt. Immediately her brain shifted into survival mode and she scrambled up to her feet. Remembering Black Canary’s training, she put herself into a defensive combat stance and searched for whatever it was that had just attacked her.

She waited for any sound that might indicate where an attack would come from next. Her head snapped to the side at the beginning of the sound of sarcastic clapping. Then she heard a voice. “Good on ya, Green. Gotta say I wasn’t expecting a sheila to come try and break into the kid’s head. Too bad I have ta kill you now.”

It was an older human man with an Australian accent, wielding a silver boomerang in his hand. Odd, but not the oddest mental block she had ever come across. M’gann recognized right away that this was a projection of some past trauma. As if responding to her unasked question, Tim’s mind once again provided M’gann with the information she needed. This apparition was Captain Boomerang, the man who murdered Tim’s father. It was preventing Tim’s conscious mind from getting anywhere near the memories stored there in the deep recesses of his subconscious.

It definitely wasn’t a normal mental block, either. Someone had put the simulacrum of his father’s killer there to guard these memories and make sure they’d never be accessed again. Now M’gann knew she was on the right track. All she had to do was kill this… guard dog, so to speak, and she’d have access to all the doors. They’d still be locked but they’d be a lot easier to break into.

Captain Boomerang pulled his hand back to throw his weapon once again. M’gann only had a moment to react. Luckily, breaking another person’s mental blocks was one of the first things her uncle taught her how to do when she lived on Mars. He had told her that most humans don’t have them, and the ones who do may be an enemy or a victim so it was a useful skill to have in an emergency. This definitely counted as an emergency.

Mental blocks usually manifested as walls. Very rarely did they attack you. This one was very aggressive but was much weaker than a wall. It may have been perfect to keep Tim out of his own mind, but M’gann didn’t have the emotional connection Tim did to make this an effective barrier to her, assuming she wasn’t injured by it.

The projection wasn’t making it easy for her though. She hardly had time to think as he threw another silver, knife-like projectile at her. She flew into the air, dodging throw after throw. It was as if the man had an endless supply of boomerangs to chuck at her (and being a mental image, it probably did). M’gann knew she wasn’t going to be able to dodge forever. She had to do something to destroy the projection. One of the boomerangs nicked her in the upper hip and M’gann hissed in pain. She knew she wasn’t actually hurt, but in Tim’s head everything she felt existed to her as it would in the real world. That included pain and death. She had to do something soon or risk being killed by Tim’s brain.

Luckily, since this was in the mind and not the real world, she had more options to fight this thing. She gathered as much psychic energy as she could in the split second it took the manifestation to throw yet another boomerang at her. The energy glowed like a small sun in her hands. With a shout she lifted it over her head and threw it down at Captain Boomerang. The projectile he had thrown stopped in its forward motion and was blown back toward its owner by the force of her attack. The blast was meant to tear through a person’s internal image of brick, concrete, or steel. The mental equivalent of skin and bones that was in front of her barely lasted a heartbeat inside the shockwave of her attack. The bright light of the psychic manifestation lit up the hallway as it devoured Captain Boomerang. It was over in an instant.

M’gann had killed Tim’s mental block. Suddenly the hallway lit up, as if destroying the Australian was the equivalent of flicking a light switch on. M’gann saw dozens of new doors, all vandalized in the same way as before. These doors seemed different, though. They were obviously older, less ornate but more used. The handles were well worn and the floor in front of them was scuffed.

This was it. She felt the source of Tim’s certainty emanating from one door specifically, right in front of her. It was smaller than the others and not one of the more used ones. It didn’t look like Tim opened this one a lot, if at all. Her heart sank as she saw that this door hadn’t been vandalized at all, but a large, angry looking letter “L” had been hastily and sloppily carved into it. No, it was more a rip or tearing of the wood than a carving. To her, it looked like pain, but it was definitely meant to be there, a warning to stay far away.

Too bad M'gann couldn't leave. This was what she had entered Tim’s mind for. She tried the doorknob. It was locked. That was alright, though. She took a deep breath. There wasn’t a lot of time left to be subtle. The doors were all mental projections anyway and she was as strong as she needed to be within a mind. M’gann lifted her foot and kicked it forward into the door. It budged but didn’t open. She kicked the door again. The frame buckled but still the door held its place. She kicked a third time and finally the door swung open. M’gann walked inside and watched the memory.

Tim was standing in what looked like a library or study. He was talking to… M’gann felt her heart stop as her eyes went wide in surprise. That couldn’t be right. It was Conner! But Tim didn’t know Conner. Still, there he was in Tim’s memory, sitting in a fancy, blue armchair. He looked distraught.

“I asked Raven if I had a soul yesterday,” the Conner in Tim’s memory confided.

M’gann could feel Memory Tim’s concern for his friend. He wanted to comfort him. Either that or shake him and tell him that he was being a dumbass for even considering the possibility that he didn’t have a soul. Instead, he simply asked, “What’d she say?”

“Nothing,” Conner huffed and crossed his arms. “She got flustered. Raven got flustered. What’s that mean? I’m a clone, I know that… but do I have a soul?”

“Of course you do,” Tim said matter-of-factly.

“Then what kind of soul is it? Cadmus couldn’t stabilize Kryptonian genetics without human D.N.A. Doing it half-ass was the only way they could figure it out and that human D.N.A…. it’s corrupted. I can feel it, Tim. It belongs to him.”

M’gann wondered who Conner was talking about when the scene skipped like a scratched record and she was dumped further into the memory, disoriented and confused by what she was watching. Conner was attacking a blonde girl, the same girl she had seen in Tim’s happier memories, Wonder Girl. She was dressed in a red Wonder Woman T-shirt that exposed way too much midriff and red pants. Conner had her pinned to a tree with his hands around her throat. She was fully capable of fighting back but she was trying to talk him down instead, hoping that he would recognize her and stop himself.

Tim couldn’t risk Conner hurting her. He rushed toward them and grabbed Conner’s arm, despite knowing he could never match the Kryptonian in strength. Conner turned and grabbed Tim’s right arm, pulling it behind him. He never let up for an instant, even after the audible snap that sent a shockwave of pain through Tim’s entire body like a bomb. M’gann felt his agony as if it were happening to her at that very moment, not someone else in the distant past.

She screamed and almost passed out along with Tim in his memory. The pain was excruciating. She thanked whatever deity that decided to take pity on her when the scene finally glitched again. She found herself dropped into what could only be described as a battlefield. Everything was on fire but the pain in her arm was gone. Tim, now sporting a fancy cast, stood amidst the destruction with his team, his friends, but they did not look happy.

Wonder Girl shouted angrily at him, “Lex Luthor?! When was he going to tell us?!”

“About five minutes before this all went down,” Tim tried to explain.

“I can’t believe you kept this from me,” Wonder Girl growled as she glared daggers at the teen.

A brown haired boy, Bart, who was dressed in something very similar to Wally’s Kid Flash costume spoke up next. “You can’t shut us out. That’s what Batman does. Cassie’s right, Tim. You should’ve told us. I thought we were all friends!”

“We are!” Tim defended. “We never thought… I never thought it’d go this far.”

“So let’s think,” Bart said, seemingly forgetting his anger with Tim. “We know having his genetics doesn’t make him a bad guy. I mean, look at Raven. Her dad’s basically Satan.”

“I appreciate the example, Bart,” came a sarcastic response from a petite figure in a dark blue cloak.

Tim turned around to speak with Nightwing who was there along with Arsenal and a few other heroes. Despite having seen Dick as Nightwing in Damian’s memory the previous night, M’gann could not get over how different he would look when he grows up. If she wasn’t so in love with Conner, she might have considered waiting for… nope, not even going to go there. He was like her little brother. That was just gross. She shook her head and focused again on the conversation happening in front of her.

“Nightwing, you joined the Outsiders because you didn’t want it to get personal but when you’re talking about saving lives, everything you do is personal. Our relationships are important. Bart’s right. We’re not Batman. We’re not the Justice League.”

“I know that,” Dick said with a smoldering intensity that matched the fires blazing around them. M’gann could literally feel the tension between the two.

Then Tim relaxed, just a bit. He could tell that Dick was on his side now. He wouldn’t go after Conner anymore. “He’s my best friend. And he needs help.”

M’gann understood now why Tim was so adamant that Lex Luthor was behind Conner’s violent behavior. He had done the same thing to the Conner of Tim’s Earth. Tim knew Conner! But these memories were all locked away so deeply that it would have been impossible for him to access them on his own. Between the guard-Australian and the locked doors, M’gann was certain someone had manipulated Tim’s mind into forgetting a large portion of his past. Who could do that though? His memories had seemed so complete, she would never have guessed that anything in his past had been altered if she hadn’t wandered this far down into his subconscious.

“Help, Robin?” a sickeningly familiar voice asked from above the group. Everyone looked up to see Lex Luthor in his green, flying Warsuit with Conner hovering beside him. His shirt was ripped in an L across Superman’s shield and his eyes glowed an angry red, despite how empty they seemed. “My son is not the one who needs help. Superboy. KILL.”

M’gann gasped as she saw what Lex Luthor had turned Conner into. He looked like a soulless demon ready to follow any order his master gave him. It terrified her. She needed to get to her Conner and stop this. Suddenly M’gann felt herself thrown back by Tim’s mind in a violent reaction to the memory. She found herself sprawled in the middle of the hallway that made up Tim’s subconscious. Every door around her was wide open. A moment later she was looking out of her own eyes, watching Tim stare back at her, pupils blown wide. His breathing was erratic and a small bead of blood had dripped from his nasal cavity to his mouth.

“Tim?” M’gann asked hesitantly, suddenly terrified that she had broken his mind.

“Morse,” Damian screeched in anger and concern, “What did you do?!”

“Nothing!” M’gann shouted back, just as panicked as Damian sounded. “I unlocked a suppressed memory. That’s it! This isn’t a normal reaction to what I did.”

“Drake! Talk to me. Tell me you haven’t been lobotomized. Tim!” Damian shouted, silently praying to every deity he could think of, that he wouldn’t lose his brother again less than a day after his return from the dead.

It all came back. Like a violent flood through his mind, Tim remembered. He couldn’t imagine how he could have possibly forgotten. These memories were such a huge part of his life, it was a mystery how anything made sense without them? He had a team before the Teen Titans; Cassie, Cissie, Secret, Bart, and Conner. Why had all of his memories of them been suppressed? They were his best friends, his first team.

He had met Conner right around the time he met Bart. The three of them formed a grudging partnership in order to deal with a world-altering crisis, but that quickly grew into an inseparable friendship. Everyone who saw them together mentioned how they were the next generation of the Justice League, nicknaming them the Young Justice League. Being kids who didn’t want to have that kind of responsibility foisted upon them, shortened the name of their little group to Young Justice. Tim wiped at his eyes and rubbed the blood from his nose off his face. He looked devastated, his usually stoic facade crumbling under the weight of his recovered knowledge. “How the hell did I forget about my best friends?”

Damian breathed an audible sigh of relief, calming himself after the panic inducing silence from Tim moments before.

M’gann frowned, relieved that she hadn’t accidentally broken the teenager’s mind. She thought hard about a possible answer to his question, even though she was sure it was asked in the rhetorical sense. “I think someone tried to erase your past and altered your memories in order to do it,” M’gann reasoned, considering the possible explanations for all the locked spaces in Tim’s subconscious.

“But, other people would remember, right?” Tim asked, desperate to make sense of everything. “Damian, you remember Kon from back home, you must! Dick dropped you off at Titans Tower to try to help you socialize with other people better. It was while I was off looking for signs that Bruce was still alive. You must remember that! You and Kon couldn’t stand each other.”

“Richard did no such thing,” Damian said adamantly, almost defensively. “I had never seen Conner Kent before Jon and I were stranded here. Jon didn’t know anything about him either, for that matter. You’d think he’d know if his father had a teenage clone running around in the world. And Richard wanted you to have the Teen Titans to yourself, despite my obvious superiority in combat and tactical training. The first time I interacted with them was when I kidnapped them and made myself their leader after you died.”

Tim blinked and stared down at his little brother blankly, trying to process what he had just heard. Slowly, a smile crept up on him and he snorted, trying to keep in a genuinely amused laugh. He couldn’t help it. It was just so completely Damian. It felt like home and it was something he desperately needed right at that moment. “Never change, Dami.”

Damian scowled, feeling like he missed something.

“Have Damian’s memories been altered?” Tim asked. The idea that someone could erase or manipulate the memories of everyone Conner had ever interacted with was terrifying.

“I don’t know,” M’gann said, looking back and forth between the two boys. “I didn’t notice any tampering when I went into his mind for the Memory Bomb. Your connection to your Conner and your other friends may have been so strong that whatever did this to you wasn’t able to fully clean the memories from your mind. They might have only been able to lock the memories in you but completely erased them in other people’s minds. I can check Damian later if it’s alright with him, but that’s going to have to wait. We’re here.”

The three of them looked out of the windows in the ship’s walls. They were about a mile above LexCorp tower. The Bioship activated a viewscreen near its control panel and projected an image of what was going on below them. Conner and Jon were there confronting Lex Luthor.

“Let’s go,” Damian said, walking toward the ship’s control panel. He had watched M’gann pilot it enough at this point that he could at least make it go up and down.

“Wait,” Tim said, studying the images on the screen. “Look. Conner and Jon are together but Jon’s not in distress or anything. It looks like they’re just talking to Lex. We might not even have to go down there. They look like they’re handling themselves okay.”

“But we’re here!” Damian complained. “It’s too late for cold feet, Drake!”

“Damian,” Tim said calmly. “If you were facing Ra’s and you managed to get him talking about his plans, would you want Jon to come flying in, out of nowhere, to ‘save’ you?”

“Of course not. I’d be furious for… I see. Alright. We will stay hidden and observe for now, but the moment it looks like Jon needs assistance, you will not be able to stop me from piloting this ship straight into Lex Luthor’s stupid face.”

Tim smirked. “Sure thing, Dami. As long as you don’t leave the ship.”

“M’orzz, how do you activate the audio to this visual feed?” Damian demanded.

M’gann pressed a series of buttons on the main console and suddenly the ship was flooded with the voices of Conner, Jon, and Lex Luthor. Conner sounded like himself and Jon was acting as his backup in a heated conversation with the millionaire businessman.

“Thank goodness.” M’gann breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Conner’s voice.

Damian collapsed dramatically into a seat in front of the viewscreen, also relieved to hear that things hadn’t escalated beyond a good argument. He began monitoring the exchange, ready to fly into action the moment things began to look like they were starting to go south.

M’gann smiled as she watched the back of Damian’s head sink into the chair’s cushions. “He’s a good kid. He really cares about his friend. And his family.”

“Yeah,” Tim agreed. “But you should have seen him when he first showed up at the Batcave. The social-emotional progress he’s made since we first got him is staggering. I never thought I’d see him with a best friend. Though, I guess it helps that the best friend is literally bulletproof.”

M’gann smirked. Damian certainly had his rough edges but he was a sweetheart deep down.

“Thank you, by the way,”Tim said. “For returning my memories to me. Can you believe I had even forgotten how I met my girlfriend? She punched me in the face with a brick. That was our first interaction.” Tim laughed and smiled at the ridiculous memory, holding it tight in his mind.

M’gann was happy she could help Tim, she really was, but what she saw in his mind was so terrifying it made her physically ill. She thought of Conner and all her anxiety about their situation came rushing back to her. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” Tim said not quite as confidently as he had hoped to sound.

M’gann hesitated for a long time before she was able to gather the courage to ask what she wanted to ask. “I was pushed out of your mind before I saw the end of your memories,” she started. When Tim didn’t immediately shut her down she continued a little more confidently. “Did he… did your Conner… did you get him back?” She didn’t think she could bear the idea of any version of Conner being a slave to Lex Luthor for the rest of his life.

Tim grinned and nodded. “He’s a fighter. He broke Lex’s hold on him. Went away for a while, scared he would hurt one of us again, but you can never keep the Teen Titans apart for long. He came back to us. Your Conner will too.”

“Thanks.” M’gann choked out the word, surprised to find her throat getting tight. She turned away from Tim so he wouldn’t see the tear that was rolling down her cheek. She walked over to the rear of the bioship and pretended to monitor some readouts there.

Tim knew how she was feeling. He remembered the fear of losing his best friend to Lex Luthor’s brainwashing. It was so odd to have those memories back, but good too. They made him feel whole and warm. He didn’t say anything to M’gann, letting her have her space. Tim walked over to sit with Damian and began monitoring the situation below.

1:40 p.m.
Metropolis

“Well, well,” Lex said with an amused look as he watched Conner and Jon descend onto the roof of LexCorp Tower. “It looks like someone broke my programming. I have to say, I’m impressed, but I should have expected that from my progeny. The Luthor mind is far superior to the average human. I’ll have to take that into account for future models.”

Conner growled and lunged at Lex, his feet moving of their own accord. The only thing that stopped him from turning the man into a red stain on the rooftop was Jon’s vice-like grip on his wrist. Conner looked down at the ten-year-old and saw the fear in the child’s eyes. Almost imperceptibly, Jon shook his head in a wordless plea.

Conner had to take a deep breath to calm his nerves. The anger he was feeling was consuming him but he knew he couldn’t let Luthor get to him like that. He was supposed to be the role model, wasn’t he? He needed to just ask his question and get Jon out of there. He glared at Lex but didn’t fight to pull away from the protective ten-year-old. The feel of his hand helped to ground Kon and remind him that he was still one of the good guys and at least one amazing little kid believed in him. No, he wouldn’t be killing Lex Luthor, but he sure as hell could yell at him.

“You sonofabitch. There won’t be a next time! I broke your control.”

“And yet you came right back to me. You even brought me Superman’s child. Face it, son, even without the mind-control, you’re on my side. You always have been.”

Conner stared Lex down with pure hatred in his eyes. “Like hell I am!” he shouted, his disdain for the man in front of him dripping from every word. “You made me almost murder my little brother, you asshole. The only reason I’m not breaking every bone in your body right now is because he doesn’t want me to.”

“I suppose I should be thanking the little genetic mistake, then?” Luthor asked, taunting Conner to attack him.

“Don’t you dare talk about him!” Conner shouted, his eyes glowing red. Mercy immediately raised her arm and transformed it into an energy cannon, ready to protect Lex from the angry Kryptonian boy.

The next thing Conner knew, Jon was floating in front of him with both hands on his shoulders, blocking his view of Lex Luthor and ignoring the threat of Mercy Graves completely. The red light in Connor’s eyes quickly dimmed into nothing and he could think clearly again.

“Calm down, Kon,” Jon whispered. “He’s baiting you. Just ask the question and we can leave. We never have to see him again.”

Conner would have been embarrassed that Jon was handling the situation so much better than he was if it weren’t for the overwhelming anger he was feeling toward the man who had hijacked his mind. He had come to find out if Lex really was what he claimed, but now that he was here in front of him, Conner couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to know. Not if it meant that that man was a part of him.

As if he could read his mind, Jon gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze and brave smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “If he is… y’know, it doesn’t mean anything. You’re still you, no matter who your parents are.”

“I hate to break up the touching pep-talk,” Luthor said, “but I’m getting bored. I assume you came back here for a reason, Superboy. If it’s not to kill me then what do you want?”

Conner thought it was odd how calm Lex was being in the face of two people with the power to crush him with their pinky fingers, but he didn’t have the energy to think about that too much at the moment. Jon was right. He came to ask a question. The sooner he did, the sooner they could leave.

“I have human DNA mixed with the Kryptonian strands. What you’ve been saying… Are you really my father?” Conner’s super hearing zeroed in on Lex’s heartbeat. It was his best way of telling if he was being lied to.

“You don’t notice the family resemblance?” Lex taunted. “Of course I am, son. Honestly, you have much more in common with me than Superman.”

“That’s a lie!” Conner shouted, unwilling to accept that Lex’s heartbeat hadn’t changed the slightest bit.

“Really? Aside from some of your powers, what has he given you? Nothing, not even affection before his real child came along and forced him to acknowledge you. And why? Because big boy blue lives in a world of black and white. You were created by the bad guys so there must be something wrong with you. But we both know life isn’t that clear cut. The real world is full of grays.”

“Superboy! Get away from him!” Superman shouted, appearing out of nowhere. In a blur he was between Conner and Jon and Lex, as if shielding the younger Kryptonians from the man. As soon as he arrived, Mercy stepped in front of Lex, pointing her impressive looking gun-arm directly at the Man of Steel’s chest.

“Dad!” Jon shouted in surprise. He felt immediately relieved that he was there. He would know what to do.

Conner had frozen, unsure of himself. A million thoughts raced through his head. Had Superman heard what Lex had told him? What was he thinking right now? Was this the moment he cut all ties with his unwanted clone?

“Superman!” Lex shouted as he walked around Mercy to get closer to the group of Kryptonians, a sadistic glee in his voice. “Welcome to the party.”

In an instant, Clark eyed the stasis pod waiting patiently for a body near the roof entrance of the building, Mercy Graves with her mechanical arm ready to fire, and Lex, looking like he had just won the Evildoers’ Lottery.

“Are you boys alright?” he asked, turning his attention to Conner and Jon. He didn’t like the look of Jon’s arm and his face was beginning to bruise. Conner couldn’t look him in the eyes. Clark had gotten most of the story from Lois, but it was still hard seeing the aftermath of Conner’s brainwashing firsthand.

Jon put on a brave smile and leaned into Conner, startling the larger boy. “We’re good. Nothing we couldn’t handle.”

“Yeah,” Conner said, looking down at Jon. “He’s a tough kid.”

“How touching,” Luthor said sarcastically. “I’m guessing you’ve dealt with Match. It’s been a good forty-five minutes since the boy was let out of his Cadmus pod. It must have been quite a battle. I hope no one was hurt too badly.”

“Of course it was you,” Superman said, confirming a suspicion he had about the feral boy since the moment Lois called him to tell him what was going on in Metropolis. “You created another clone and destroyed his mind, letting him loose on the city so I’d be distracted when you tried to brainwash Superboy.”

“Bravo,” Lex said sarcastically, clapping slowly in mock-applause. “Points for figuring out that much. But you still don’t have it quite right. Project Match was created first. He’s Superboy’s older brother. Obviously Superboy’s twin was created with pure Kryptonian genetic material. Unfortunately, Dr. Desmond never did figure out how to successfully stabilize the cloned Kryptonian DNA. Match is unstable. Insane. After his failure, Desmond created Project Kr. Version 2.0 came out much better, don’t you think? With the suppression patches he even gets all the abilities of the original with none of the unfortunate side effects… for a short time anyway.”

Luthor’s words made Clark’s heart ache. The boy he had been fighting had also come from his stolen DNA. To make things worse, he might never be able to live a normal life if what Lex said was true. He couldn’t let an insane child with the powers of Superman run wild around the city. He had to hope that Cadmus would somehow find a way to stabilize Match’s DNA and heal his mind. It would be the only way he’d be able to be free someday.

“You’re going to jail, Lex,” Superman said. There was no anger or glee in his voice, just the clear, calm certainty of someone who was tired and over everything they’ve been dealing with.

“Am I?” Lex asked. “On what grounds, Superman?”

“Kidnapping of a minor, unlawful cloning of a sentient person. Being a terrible human being? The list goes on.”

“Let me stop you, right there, Superman. I had no prior knowledge of the cloning experiments happening at Cadmus,” Lex said, not even trying to hide the lie in his voice. It was as if he were acting in a middle school production of ‘Twelve Angry Men.’ He wasn’t trying to trick Superman, he was telling him how he would convince the court of his innocence and there was nothing Superman could do about it. “Imagine my surprise and horror when I found out that Dr. Desmond had used my DNA without my knowledge or consent!”

Superman glared at Lex, knowing exactly what the man was doing. He refused to give him a reaction to that. Still, Lex smiled, almost laughing at the Kryptonian as he continued. “Well, I couldn’t just leave the product of my stolen DNA out in the world to fend for himself, now could I? And you’ve made no claims on the boy. No, all I did was call my son home. It’s your bad parenting that let your brat follow him.”

“Lex, you know that story won’t hold up. Superboy and Dr. Desmond can both refute what you say.”

“Will they, though?” Lex asked as if he already knows the answer. “Desmond is doing time in Belle Reve, true, but has he ever mentioned my involvement in any of his confessions? And Superboy, well, he’s a good kid. Let’s not make this a messy divorce. I’ll take full custody and you can have… let’s see… supervised visitation privileges every other weekend as long as you don’t try to interfere in my business. That should be enough to make it seem like you care about the boy without having to really put any effort into him.”

Clark wanted so badly to punch that smirk right off Luthor’s smug face. Had he been keeping tabs on them this whole time? It made sense if Luthor considered Kon his property. Clark couldn’t let Lex get away with this and he wasn’t about to let him fill Conner’s mind with that kind of thinking, not after it was such a struggle to start healing the damage he had caused to their relationship after their first meeting.

“Like hell, I’m staying with you!” Conner cut in, stepping beside Superman. Mercy adjusted her aim to target Conner in case he did something stupid. “Superman may have been a jerk when he met me, but he never screwed with my mind.”

“You’ll do what I tell you!” Lex snapped. “I’m a Luthor and Luthors always get what they want. Aut vincere, aut mori: Conquer or die. Now be a dear and remove Superman from my roof.”

Clark was amused that Lex would really think that Conner would do anything he told him to. He would have said something snarky to him if Conner hadn’t plowed into him like a linebacker at the same moment. He was a lot stronger than he should have been and Clark couldn’t stop himself and Kon from tumbling off the roof together. Conner punched him with every ounce of strength he had as they were in free fall. Clark was so shocked that he almost forgot to fly.

“Kon, what are you doing?” Superman shouted, finally blocking the blows the teenager was throwing at him. It was eerily similar to his fight with Match in D.C., except where Match was all rage and anger, Conner was blank, perfectly calm as he tried to punch a hole through Superman.

“Kon, stop it!” Jon yelled, pulling Conner’s head back by his hair. He managed to take the clone’s attention off of Superman. Unfortunately he put it all back on himself. Jon yelped as Conner turned in midair and elbowed Jon in the stomach. He turned and followed that up with a punch to the face, sending Jon flying backward in an uncontrolled spin. He would have smashed into the side of LexCorp if Superman hadn’t quickly flown up behind him and caught him like a line drive in a baseball game. The impact sent a spike of pain shooting from Jon’s shoulder, down his arm, and into his fingertips. He bit his tongue to keep from screaming in pain.

“Oh, did I forget to mention?” Luthor said from the roof of the building, knowing that Superman could hear him perfectly. “That trigger phrase can reset Superboy’s mind as many times as I need it to. And in that state he will do whatever I tell him. Come back to the roof, Superboy.”

Conner immediately stopped his attack. Clark and Jon watched with heavy hearts as he flew to the roof, landing by Luthor’s side.

“Kon can fly now?” Clark asked, still looking up.

“It’s the patch on his arm,” Jon told him. “It’s letting him access all of his abilities.”

Clark let go of Jon and looked him straight in the eye, ensuring he realized the seriousness of what Clark was about to say. “Go to your mother. She’s still at the entrance to the subway where you and Conner fought earlier.”

“What? No!” Jon protested. “I’m not leaving Kon or you!”

“You’re hurt. I can’t save Kon if I’m worrying about you too. Luthor’s not your typical bad guy. He’s like Batman. He has back-up plans for his back-up plans and he thinks ten steps ahead. I don’t want you getting caught up in whatever he’s scheming.”

“But—”

“No. This is not a discussion. I’m going up there. You need to leave. I have to know you’re safe, Jon. Promise me you’ll go to Lois”

Jon pouted and made the most adorable angry face Clark had ever seen. “Fine. I’ll leave. But you’d better not get hurt… Or let Kon get hurt.”

“I promise. I’ll get him back. Now go.” Clark flew up towards the roof of LexCorp tower, leaving Jon to do the right thing and keep his word.

Jon flew as fast as he could back toward the area of the city where Kon had pummeled him into the pavement. He was pretty sure he set a new personal best speed record. He looked around and saw Lois helping people out of the subway and speaking with emergency personnel. She was fine. Jon decided that he had done enough to fulfill his promise to Superman. He had left the area and gone to Lois. Now he could go back without feeling guilty (because of course they were going to need his help).

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
1:45 p.m.
Metropolis

Superman landed on the roof of LexCorp Tower, feeling much more confident as he watched Jon speed away out of the corner of his eye. He looked Conner over. The boy didn’t seem to be hurt but he didn’t seem like himself either. There was no spark in his eyes. He reminded Clark more of a soulless robot than the passionate, loyal, caring young man that he had come to know over the course of the week. “Stay there. Alright, Luthor. I’m here. Let’s talk.”

“Yes. Let’s,” Luthor nodded and put a hand on Conner’s shoulder. “As you can see, Superboy is completely under my control.” Lex turned his head to speak directly to Conner. “Superboy, has Superman shirked his responsibility toward you? Is he an unfit parent?”

“Yes, sir,” Conner nodded, sounding like a well-trained soldier. Clark knew the programming was to blame for the quick response, but it still hurt to hear Kon say it… even if part of it was justified. He did pawn Conner off on Bruce and Dinah, leaving the boy to fend for himself at Mount Justice.

“Would you rather live with me from now on?” Luthor asked, knowing exactly how Conner would answer.

“Yes, father,” Conner said automatically, emotionless.

It turned Clark’s stomach to hear Kon call Lex ‘father.’ He had to do something to wake him up, and fast. Lois said that he had broken through his programming when he was about to hurt an innocent person. Clark didn’t want to take the risk that that wouldn’t happen a second time. There had to be something he could do, though.

“Well, there you have it,” Luthor said, reveling in the bitter disgust on Superman’s face.

“Kon, you’re stronger than this. Snap out of it!” Clark tried but got not so much as a flinch from the boy in response. It was like he couldn’t even hear him.

Lex smiled an unrestrained, malevolent grin toward Superman. “Isn’t this fun? I’m having fun. I was going to use him as a prototype for certain parties interested in easily controllable supersoldiers, but this is just too good an opportunity to pass up. You really do care about him, don’t you?”

Superman couldn’t deny it. Over the past few days his wariness toward the young clone had withered away and in its place grew a fierce protectiveness for the boy. Conner had found a spot in Clark’s heart and nothing was going to change that, not even Lex Luthor.

“You know,” Lex continued despite not getting a response from the Man of Steel, “I could never figure out how to hurt you before; the invulnerable Kryptonian, but it’s all so clear now. The best way to hurt you is to hurt the people you love. Hold this for me, son.” Lex removed a small green rock from a pocket inside his lead-lined suit jacket and placed it into Conner’s waiting hand.

Clark felt it the moment Luthor pulled the kryptonite from his suit, like broken glass running through his veins. The piece was so large he was affected even halfway across the roof. It wasn’t enough to be debilitating from that distance, but he could feel it. That much exposure to the kryptonite at a distance was uncomfortable. Conner, on the other hand, was now holding the thing in his hand. Clark could tell that it was hurting him, even if he hadn’t made a sound in protest. The radiation from the kryptonite seeped into Conner’s body, turning his veins black and his skin pale. His expression was quickly turning from blank to pained but still, he made no effort to get rid of the rock.

“Oh no. He doesn’t seem very comfortable, does he?” Luthor mused. “Neither do you, for that matter. Everything okay, Superman?”

“Get it away from him, Luthor! It’s killing him!” Superman demanded through gritted teeth. Every second he stood there he was fighting back the impulse to get even further away from the poisonous rock. Despite his efforts, he was unable to get any closer either. His strength was leaving him and the pain was increasing with each moment he stood his ground. He really hated kryptonite.

Luthor smiled triumphantly. “I could do that. It would be a waste if he died… but no. I don’t think I will. The only way he’s getting away from that kryptonite is if you help him. Son, don’t let Superman take that rock from you. It’s a present.”

“Yes, father,” Conner said through labored breaths, obviously in pain and trying to hide it. He only managed a couple more seconds before collapsing to his knees. Still, he never let go of the green toxin in his hand.

“Can you do it, Superman?” Lex asked, walking away from Conner and moving into Superman’s personal space. He relished the fact that the man could do nothing to him in that moment but feel helpless under Lex’s superior intellect. “You know he’s in pain under the effects of the kryptonite, but you can’t get near him or you’ll feel the effects even more acutely. It hurts, doesn’t it? Even as far away as you are, you can still feel it.”

Lex continued, pretending to ponder the options. “There is a chance that you might be able to get the rock away from him before it kills him. Of course Mercy will shoot you the moment you do. Between the kryptonite poisoning and the energy bolt, it might be difficult for you to survive. But I promise you, I’ll let the boy live. So what’ll it be Superman? Will you give yourself up for him?”

“Okay, go,” Superman said, looking at Lex but not seeming to be talking to him. “You know what?” He added, now with all his attention on Lex and not nearly as anguished as Luthor would have expected him to be under the circumstances. “I think if I really had to, I would. Fortunately for me, I don’t have to make that choice today because that kid has some really good friends.”

Realizing too late that something was wrong, Lex whipped around just in time to see a massive floating object decloak above him, instantly covering the rooftop in shadow. Two figures jumped onto the roof from a hole in the bottom of it. Instantly, Mercy’s right arm transformed and she fired her cannon at a tall teenager who landed a few feet away from her. He was dressed in a costume very similar to Robin’s. The boy was quick, managing to dodge her shot as he threw his own R-shaped weapons back at her. He then pulled out a stick that almost instantly extended into a full-sized bo-staff and lunged at her like a well-trained ninja.

Miss Martian headed straight for Superboy as she flew down from the ship, her eyes glowing. She landed in front of him and tried to pry the kryptonite from his hand but he held it in a death-grip. The only thing she could do was try to compel him to let it go. She knew how much he hated telepathic intrusions into his mind but she didn’t see any other way. M’gann put her hands on either side of his head and stared into his eyes, trying to connect their consciousnesses.

Lex had read the Light’s profiles of all the teenage heroes. He knew Miss Martian would try to override his mind control programming. He couldn’t let her do that so he shouted the first thing that came to mind. “Superboy, get rid of the rock and kill the Martian!”

“No!” Superman shouted as Conner immediately tossed the kryptonite and lunged at M’gann.

As Conner tried to grab her, M’gann fell backwards out of his reach just in time. Luckily for her, his movements were sluggish from the kryptonite poisoning, but he had scared her so much that her heart was racing. She could feel her hands starting to shake from the sudden adrenaline rush flooding her system. Conner let out an angry shout that sounded to M’gann more like a pained cry as his fingers just barely missed her head. He was so similar to what she had seen in Tim’s mind that she couldn’t stand it. Still, she had hope. She had felt his mind when Luthor gave him the kill-command. His body was reacting, but she knew now, without a doubt, that he was fighting it. The sluggish response to attack her wasn’t just due to the kryptonite.

As Conner struggled to his feet, slowly recovering, Superman came to M’gann’s aid. He grabbed the boy in a bear hug from behind and pinned his arms to his sides. The Martian cast a quick, grateful glance to Superman then looked into Conner’s eyes once more. She needed to find where in his brain Lex’s command codes were hiding so she could destroy them.

While Superman and his back-up team were distracted, Lex used the opportunity to escape. Before he could do that, though, he needed to recover his kryptonite. It wasn’t his only piece but it was by far the largest. He wanted that with him in the likely event that Superman tried to follow him. If he could get down to his offices, there was a chance he could spin the situation to his advantage. He could call the authorities and give them his version of events first; telling them that Superboy had attacked him in a misguided effort to prove himself to Superman.

Lex made his way over to the corner of the roof where he had seen Superboy toss the kryptonite. It was a wide open area and Lex should have easily spotted it. To his eternal frustration and annoyance, the rock seemed to have disappeared. The only other place it could have possibly landed was behind the emergency back-up generator. He looked behind him, pleased to see that Mercy was starting to gain the upper hand on the teenager in the Robin costume and Superboy had just smashed the back of his head into Superman’s nose in his efforts to get free from his hold. Satisfied that he had time to continue his search, Lex made his way over to the back-up generator.

“Hold still, Kon!” Superman shouted. That last head-butt almost got him to loosen his grip enough for Conner to escape his hold. His nose still stung even as the boy continued to shout and struggle, trying to get at M’gann in order to carry out Lex’s command. With the kryptonite away from him, his strength was rapidly returning. Clark wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to hold onto him for much longer with the way he was struggling. “M’gann, whatever you’re going to do, do it now!”

M’gann connected her mind to Conner’s. It was so much easier than the first time she had tried. She wasn’t certain but she thought that Conner might be letting her in. His body was struggling against Superman but his mind wasn’t fighting her at all. She realized that he wanted her to get in, even if only subconsciously. He was still there, somewhere locked away in his own mind. She was so relieved that all at once the tension went out of her muscles and in an instant she was floating above a desert inside Conner’s mind. It was the same one where she and Conner had shared their first psychic experience. She saw Conner in front of her, trapped in a stasis pod. He was conscious and banging his fists against the glass in anger and terror.

“Conner!” She shouted and flew over to him. The moment he saw her, his panic seemed to ebb. They looked at each other and M’gann smiled reassuringly at him. She held up a finger, silently asking him to be patient while she figured out how to release him. She walked around the pod once, seeing that it was a standard mind trap used for suppressing a person’s conscious thoughts. With her telekinesis she grabbed hold of either side and pulled, ripping the casing apart.

Conner jumped out and landed next to M’gann. The first thing he did was use his heat vision to blow up the remains of the machine with a scream of rage. It exploded in a satisfying fireball.

M’gann waited for him to say something but he just stood there, breathing heavily and staring at the remains of the pod. “Conner?” She asked, cautiously putting a hand on his arm.

He didn’t move for several tense moments, but finally his breathing calmed and he turned to her with shame in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, M’gann. I should never have gone back. I should have realized…”

M’gann shook her head, realizing immediately that he was feeling guilty about the whole situation. She wanted to smack him for being dumb. There was no way he could have known Lex would be able to brainwash him a second time. “The only person I blame for this is Lex Luthor. And you didn’t hurt me, even when he tried to force you to do it.”

Conner was looking down at his feet, hearing her words but having a hard time accepting them.

“Hey,” she said, putting a finger under his chin and lifting until they were looking at directly at each other. “Do you see me? I’m fine. You scared me, but you know what, even if Superman wasn’t there to grab you, I don’t think you would have done anything. You’re too strong to stay under anyone’s forced control for long.”

Conner gave her a small, sad smile. Her words made him feel better despite the overwhelming guilt he was still facing.

M’gann gave him a quick kiss and hugged him. “That’s the spirit! Now, all we have to do is kill the command codes and you’ll be back to normal.”

Conner looked up toward the sky. M’gann followed his gaze to an enormous red sun floating above them. “That might be more difficult than you think.”

M’gann smiled and laughed. Conner looked at her with confusion. “I don’t know what’s so funny. How do we destroy a sun?”

“We can do it because it’s not really a sun. It’s a projection of your subconscious. Lucky for me, I can help you change that into something a little less… giant ball of fire in the sky.”

“Okay,” Conner nodded. “So what do we do?”

M’gann took his hand. “Believe it’s not a sun. You can make it anything else. Something easily breakable like a piece of paper or—”

Before M’gann had even finished her thought the sun had begun to shrink and morph. As it changed it fell from the sky to form into a completely different shape in front of them. M’gann breathed out a frustrated breath as she saw just what Conner’s sun had turned into.

“This is easily breakable?” she asked incredulously.

“He will be,” Conner said darkly, staring down his mental projection of Lex Luthor.

“Son. What are you doing?” the Luthor simulacrum asked in that patronizing tone the real one sometimes used when dealing with the people he thought below him. “You can’t kill me. Whether you like it or not, I’m a part of you and I always will be. You’re my blood.”

“It’s trying to maintain its hold on you,” M’gann said, squeezing Conner’s hand. “Don’t let it.”

Conner took a deep breath, making sure he was completely in control of himself. He would not do this in anger. He had someone he loved with him and she would make sure he beat this no matter what. That thought, more than anything, gave him the strength he needed to finish it. “That may be true, he said to the mental image, which was still growing smaller and smaller with every word. “But I won’t let you live in my head for the rest of my life. You’re nothing to me.”

The Luthor projection sneered and laughed. “Ha! Keep telling yourself that, son, but you know deep down that you need me. Superman doesn’t want to deal with you. You’re a responsibility he pawned off on anyone who would take you! Once Jon leaves to go back to his Earth do you really think Big Blue will give you a second thought?”

Conner was surprised that the first thought that popped into his head at the question was, “I know he will.” Conner said it so sincerely and with such conviction that the projection faltered and flickered. The surprise on Luthor’s face was downright comical.

Conner grinned and watched the image of Lex Luthor get smaller and smaller. It had gotten so tiny that it was almost difficult to see anymore.

“You did it!” M’gann cried and jumped into the air like a cheerleader.

“Not quite yet,” Conner said, taking a step forward, looking down on the Luthor projection as if it were a bug. “You can’t control me anymore.” With those last words, Conner stepped on the projection. He ground it into the sand with no more remorse than if he were stepping on a cigarette butt, destroying it forever.

Superman could tell the moment Conner regained control of his mind. He gasped and screamed, then became dead weight in Superman’s arms, his head falling forward as he passed out.

M’gann’s eyes lost their glow and she looked up at Superman. “I think we did it.”

Lex stopped short when he came upon yet another masked child. This one was shorter than the rest and only wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt with a ridiculous yellow utility belt wrapped around his waist. The annoying thing about it was that he had the kryptonite. He kept tossing it up and catching it in his right hand in a continuous, lazy pattern.

“Hello, Luthor,” the child said, an evil grin spreading over his face. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Lex sighed in annoyance. He didn’t have time to deal with this. “You have something of mine,” he said, not looking intimidated in the least.

“Oh, this? No. This is mine now,” Damian taunted, catching the rock one final time and slipping it into one of the compartments on his belt.

“Give it here, boy, or you’ll find out quickly that I am not above harming a child.”

Damian laughed out loud at the thought of Lex Luthor harming him in any way, but he quickly went back to that murderous look, knowing full well that Luthor had hurt a child. He would pay dearly for that. “Oh, please, please try. I don’t think they’ll get mad at me for beating the crap out of you if it’s in self defense. And believe me, you are owed a lot of beating. I plan to dislocate your shoulder first, for my friend, then I’m going to smack you for that Kid Amazo bull crap you pulled back on my Earth. I know it wasn’t technically you, but you seem to really need to be smacked. Finally, I think I’ll top it all off with some light brain damage for the Superboy of this Earth.”

Annoying, short, superiority complex. Luthor’s mind hardly had to work at all to connect the dots. “I see. The al Ghul boy. Tell me, Damian, how is your mother?” Lex knew he didn’t stand a chance against anyone trained by the League of Shadows, especially without his power suit or Mercy by his side. The best he could hope to do was turn the boy’s attention to other things and maybe he would gain himself enough of an opening to escape.

Damian’s eyes narrowed. “What do you care?”

“Well, considering the people I work with want her dead… You know, you might be able to warn her. Or better yet, let me go back to my office, I’ll call her myself. Or I could call off her assassins for a time. It would give her enough of a head start to go into hiding.”

Luthor could see Damian hesitate, considering his offer. He just had to make the deal urgent enough. “Better make up your mind fast. My partner’s assassins have been on their way to your mother’s location for the past hour. They’ll start by killing her people but eventually they’ll make it to her. Believe me, son. These people are the best in the world and Talia’s forces were scattered during their escape from Infinity Island last night. She doesn’t have nearly the manpower she needs to fend off our people. The only thing that will save her is my call.”

“Liar.”

The voice came from above Luthor. He looked up to find the smaller Superboy floating above his head, listening to the entire conversation. He did not look happy.

“Don’t listen to him, D. He doesn’t know where your mom is. He was gonna use Kon to find her.”

“So it is unlikely any of his associates know where she is either,” Damian reasoned, giving Luthor a death glare.

Lex had been backed into a metaphorical corner. He had two options now, let Superman take him to the authorities and have the lawyers sort it out, or get beaten to a bloody pulp by two angry pre-teens. Luthor decided to let his lawyers have their day. He’d be able to beat jail time. He always did. He sighed in an overly exaggerated manner and raised his hands head-high. “Well then, it looks like you have me. I’ll go quietly.”

Damian looked disappointed. “Are you sure? You don’t want to resist even a little?”

Luthor rolled his eyes and turned to walk back toward the fighting.

As he approached the center of the action he noticed that things had gotten significantly calmer. The teen in the Robin costume, though he looked like he had been through hell, had Mercy on the ground, binding her hands behind her back. She was unconscious. She was not going to be happy when she woke up. He almost felt bad for the boy. Almost. Superboy was sitting on the ground between Superman and Miss Martian, looking like a sad, broken toy.

“Look who we found,” Damian said as he and Jon led Luthor over to the group.

“You were supposed to stay on the ship!” Tim yelled, running over to Damian to check him for injuries.

“And you were supposed to be halfway across town by now,” Superman said to Jon, who seemed to have just remembered that he had been sent away from the fighting.

“I’m fine!” Damian responded indignantly. “Do not imply that Luthor gave me any trouble. He didn’t even put up a fight.”

“I did leave,” Jon added, trying to save himself from his father’s disappointed look. He hated that look. “I just came back. And it’s a good thing I did or Lex would have totally tricked Robin into letting him go.”

“He would not have!” Damian shouted at his friend.

“Chill, man. If it were my mom, I totally would have considered it too.”

“I wasn’t even considering it!” Damian protested. “I know he’s a liar. I was just waiting for him to give me an excuse to punch him!”

Damian and Jon’s unnecessarily loud conversation brought Conner out of the daze he had been in after M’gann’s psychic brain surgery. He looked over at Lex and immediately his eyes narrowed, glowing red. He pushed himself up off the ground and stormed toward the group, looking ready to murder someone.

It took all of Luthor’s willpower not to flinch or look terrified. As much as he prided himself on always having the upper hand and basically being untouchable, he wasn’t quite sure if, in that instant, Superboy would stand by Superman’s moral code and not kill him right there on the LexCorp roof.

“You!” Conner screamed in pure, unadulterated rage.

“Kon. He’s not worth it. His command code is gone. He can’t do anything anymore,” Superman said calmly, trying to talk Conner down. Despite his reassuring tone, Jon and Damian could hear the almost unnoticeable bit of uncertainty that crept into his words at the very end.

Conner looked angrily at Clark. “After all this?” He whipped his head back toward Lex. “I should throw you into the fucking moon for what you’ve done!”

“Superboy,” Clark warned.

Lex didn’t think Superman would let Superboy actually hurt him, but there was always the possibility that the boy would be faster than his progenitor while he was wearing the active Shield patch. Lex’s heart was hammering inside his chest and he knew that all three Kryptonians could hear it. It irked him to no end that his body would betray him like that. He could lie without missing a beat but there was little he could do about his fight or flight response. Lex couldn’t be sure this was going to end well for him and (though he would never admit it) he was afraid that the boy was going to kill him. He did the only thing he could think of in the moment and tried to shut him down. “Red Son.”

Conner was surprised at the sheer audacity of the man. After everything, he would still try and use a trigger phrase on him. But it didn’t work. He hadn’t blacked out. Superboy paused, caught off guard at not needing to fight Lex’s hold on him. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling just a bit. “That’s what you said to make me lose time on the island, isn’t it?”

Lex’s silence was all the answer he needed. His trigger phrase hadn’t worked. Conner’s smile broadened. “Say the other one.”

“Kon, no!” Superman protested.

“I need to know if the control is really gone,” he said reassuringly, but added silently to M’gann, Be ready to telepathically shut me down if he regains control.

The Martian nodded and Conner prepared himself for the ripping sensation he felt every time Lex put him under his command.

“Aut vincere, aut mori,” Lex said as if he were a child being forced to apologize to someone they hated.

Conner breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. He was fine. The control commands didn’t work anymore. He was free. “You are so lucky that I’m trying to live up to his example and not yours,” he said with a murderous edge to his voice, intimidating the unflappable millionaire despite the meaning behind his words.

Lex could feel his control of the situation slipping from him like water through a sieve. That was unacceptable. Luckily, at that moment, Mercy came to and slipped her bound arms from behind her back, under her legs and over her feet in a single swift movement. It was an impressive feat of flexibility. Once her arms were in front of her, she opened fire on the group.

“Scatter!” Tim shouted as Superman took an energy bolt to the chest.

He was sent flying backwards into Conner and M’gann. The blast left the Man of Steel seeing stars as the three crashed together to the hard surface of the LexCorp roof. “M’gann!” Conner shouted in a panic as he saw the Martian hit her head hard on the ground and was knocked out cold. Mercy continued firing the energy weapon embedded in her arm at the group and Superman instinctively shielded the kids from the blasts with his own body. Every hit sent a sting of pain lancing through him like electricity.

Damian and Jon immediately sprung into action. Damian rushed the temporarily distracted Mercy as Jon shot heat vision at her mechanical arm in an attempt to stop her assault on his family. She dodged and turned her weapon on Damian, firing blindly.

“Damian!” Jon shouted, seeing the blast heading toward his best friend. Jon moved in super-speed but the energy bolt was traveling too fast for him to move Damian out of the way safely. All he could do was get between his best friend and the killing blow. The energy bolt smashed into Jon, hitting him in the head and sending him careening into Damian. Damian cried out in pain as he and Jon crashed to the ground, landing just feet from Lex Luthor.

Damian immediately went on the defensive. He jumped up and lunged at Mercy with a flying kick and a scream of anger. She dodged then grabbed him by the utility belt and slammed him into the ground. Damian cried out in pain, unable to help it as the impact with the ground sent a shockwave through his entire body. He saw Mercy aim her weapon at him and knew he needed to move but his body was being stubborn and decided it needed a second to reboot after that hit.

“No!” Tim cried out and rushed to help fight the cyborg. He came after her with a flurry of punches and kicks. Tim decided not to use his collapsible bo-staff this time around. Mercy knew how to fight but she was lethal at long and midrange with that arm of hers. He had to stay close to her so she couldn’t target him or shoot at him. It was difficult fighting hand-to-hand that close to his opponent but it was more dangerous to put himself in her firing range.

He did manage to take her attention off of Damian, which was the point of fighting her head-on, but after that first round he was not looking forward to doing it again so quickly. Still, Damian managed to pick himself up off the ground while Tim distracted Mercy. That was what mattered to him. He saw Damian get into position to put himself back in the fight so Tim decided to try and end it once and for all. He bent low and rammed into her midsection with his shoulder, sending her backwards into Damian who tripped her as she was attempting to regain her balance from the shove.

She fell to the ground but scrambled up immediately, preparing to defend herself against Tim’s follow-up attack. Tim jumped over Damian in an attempt to quickly close the distance when Mercy swung her arm around and shot point-blank at Tim’s chest. It felt like everything was moving in slow-motion as he realized that there was no way he could dodge her shot. If he tried to avoid it it would miss him but hit Damian. There was nothing he could do. He was going to die.

“No!” Damian shouted as he looked on helplessly, unable to do anything but watch what was about to happen. Tim had leapt over him to try and deal a final blow to Mercy but in doing so, put himself between Damian and the cyborg. Damian didn’t even have a good angle to throw a batarang at the brunette or time to move out of the line of fire.

Tim was sure he was about to die. He had felt the same way when the swarm of drones all dive-bombed his position before he was teleported to Mr. Oz’s prison, but this time he didn’t think he was going to get any last second, life-saving intervention. He took in what he knew would be his final breath and prepared to feel the horrific, burning pain of an energy blast to his chest.

A sound, like the crack of thunder, exploded to Tim’s left, followed quickly by a strong gust of wind that blew Damian and Mercy off their feet. It was so strong it redirected the arc of Tim’s jump, throwing all three of the combatants to the ground. Everyone was stunned and took a moment to realize what had happened. Tim pushed himself up. He grinned as he saw Conner standing there with his hands in front of him, pressed together after performing a clap so powerful that the shockwave had sent everything in its path flying.

“Well, that was awesome,” Conner mused, looking at his hands, impressed. He didn’t take too long to think about his badass new attack, though. Mercy was still conscious and she was his priority. The silent cyborg was on her feet now, staring down the Kryptonian clone with a murderous stare, raising her weaponized arm toward him.

Conner narrowed his eyes at the brunette, preparing to use his heat vision. Mercy realized he was about to attack and threw herself to the side, out of the way of the destructive lasers she expected to come shooting out of his eyes. They both were left confused when nothing happened.

“What the heck?” Conner said to himself, trying to get the heat-vision to activate again. He had been using it for the past hour, so why wasn’t it working now? He realized what was wrong almost at the same moment Mercy did. The shield patch that had suppressed his human DNA had been used up. Lex had said they would only last a short time. He was back to using his base powerset.

Free from immediate danger, Mercy leveled her arm again at Conner who braced himself to be hit by the blast. At that moment, though, Damian came out of nowhere and threw a batarang at her, forcing her to dodge and abandon her shot.

“Superboy 2! Disable her arm!” Damian shouted

Conner leapt the distance between them. “Why am I Superboy 2? This is my Earth. I should be Superboy 1. Superboy Prime?” He grabbed Mercy’s arm and crushed the artificial limb in his hands.

Mercy sneered at Conner. When she realized her cannon would no longer fire, she attempted to attack him in a last-ditch effort to do her job. Her elbow made contact with his side, a direct hit to his liver. She had perfect aim and the strength of biomechanical enhancements. On a normal human, the blow would have been devastating. Damian could remember throwing up after hits like that but Conner didn’t even flinch.

A moment later, Tim and Damian were both there, clamping handcuffs on her wrists and zip-tying her ankles. “I don’t know why, but I’m really not a fan of the name ‘Superboy Prime,” Tim said as he latched the cuffs securely around Mercy’s wrists. He double checked that they wouldn’t have enough slack for her to escape a second time. Mercy sat on the ground and gave the boys a murderous look.

“Are you both okay?” Conner asked, looking from Damian to Tim.

“Yeah,” Tim smiled while Damian gave a stoic nod.

“Where is Jon?” Damian asked, realizing his friend had not joined them for the entire fight. Not since he took that hit from Mercy’s cannon. Damian paled as he realized he hadn’t even checked on Jon before running headlong into the fight.

His question was answered quickly enough at the sound of Lex Luthor’s voice. “Don’t take another step, Superman!” Lex shouted, holding Jon up in front of him with his forearm across the boy’s throat. Jon seemed to be barely conscious and was having trouble staying on his feet.

“Let go of my kid!” Superman demanded as he stalked menacingly toward Lex. He didn’t get very far before the color seemed to drain out of him. He winced in pain.

“I see we’ve run into a familiar problem,” Lex grinned, revealing the large rock of kryptonite now back in his possession.

Damian checked his utility belt. Several pockets had popped open, probably from when Mercy had grabbed him and thrown him to the ground. The kryptonite he had stored in the belt was gone. “No…” he whispered and looked over at his best friend. This was all his fault. He had to help him!

“Anyone takes another step in my direction and I will kill him,” Lex threatened, pressing the kryptonite into Jon’s chest. He began moving the two of them toward the roof access door.

“Superboy!” Damian shouted, unable to move for fear that Lex would hurt Jon, but he couldn’t just do nothing. “You have to fight it! Don’t let Luthor do this!”

Jon seemed to stir at the sound of Damian’s voice. His clouded eyes became more focused, his legs seemed to find firm ground as he straightened in Lex’s grip. “Dami?” He asked, still sounding a bit groggy.

“No names in the field!” Damian shouted automatically, exasperated at Jon’s inability to follow that most important rule. Then it hit him: Jon didn’t seem to be in pain at all. “Are you okay?” He asked curiously.

Jon looked up to see a very confused Lex Luthor above him, then back at Damian. “Yeah. My head still kind of hurts. I think I got hit with Mercy’s laser arm blast. So cool, but not a fan of getting hit by it. I think I might have a concussion… Can I even get a concussion? Is that a thing for Kryptonians?”

“Maneuver twelve!” Damian shouted hurriedly, as if it were any other day of training.

Jon put his hand on Lex’s forearm, flew up a few feet, and whipped Luthor over his shoulder onto the ground. Lex laid there, more stunned than hurt, all his breath knocked out of him.

“How?” He wheezed, needing to know why the kryptonite wasn’t working on the boy when it was so clearly keeping Superman at bay.

“Whoa,” Jon whispered. “Sorry, Mr. Luthor!” Jon suddenly noticed the kryptonite, still held tight in Lex’s hand despite his sudden impact with the ground. “Wait… is that kryptonite? Should I be feeling sick?”

Damian came storming over to Lex and wrenched the green rock from his hand, placing it safely back in the lead lined pouch of his utility belt. “Maybe you’re immune to kryptonite. You are half human.”

Jon looked excited at the prospect.

“Or you might just be immune to this kryptonite,” Tim said. “Different dimensions vibrate at different frequencies,” he explained, calling up the limited information he had learned about the multiverse from The Flash in the past. “The radiation from this kryptonite might be just different enough that it doesn’t affect your cells like the stuff back home.”

“So I, like, have no weaknesses here?”

“Apparently…” Tim said with a shrug.

“Unless you count energy bolts to the face, other Kryptonians pulling your arm out of its socket, and me getting the upper hand in pretty much all of our training sessions,” Damian said under his breath.

“Cool!” Jon whispered, ignoring Damian’s obvious attempt to get a rise out of him.

“Now that’s just not fair,” Lex coughed out, managing to push himself up onto his knees and finally to his feet. “A Kryptonian with no weaknesses? Don’t tell me you don’t find that terrifying.”

Damian and Tim both shook their heads. “That’s the difference between them and us,” Damian said, kicking Lex in the shin.

“Ow!” The older man cried out in pain and rubbed at the quickly bruising area. “What the hell?!”

“Robin!” Superman scolded. “We don’t kick a man when he’s down.”

“You see that?” Damian asked Luthor. “I have no problem with being spiteful. They know they don’t have that luxury. Anyone who wears that S is a symbol. They inspire people to be better. Don’t get me wrong, there are some asshole Kryptonians out there, but it’s not Superman you should be looking to take down.”

“And what’s to stop them from going rogue one day?” Luthor shouted. “One bad day, one case of mind control, one change of heart and this planet is screwed. I’m trying to save humanity, don’t you see that?”

Damian snorted in derision. “It’s a possibility, but preemptive strikes usually lead to those bad days, not prevent them.”

Tim stepped beside Damian, unable to keep his thoughts to himself. “You’ll be happy the Kryptonians are here in a few years. You don’t want to deal with Doomsday or Darkseid, or any of a hundred other extinction level threats without them. Superman will always be a symbol of hope, he inspires people.”

“Careful, guys,” Conner said, gaining a whole new respect for the symbol he wore on his chest, “you’ll give the big guy an ego. Now let’s get Luthor to the authorities and be done with this.”

Lex sighed, and looked at Conner with such contempt that it stopped him in his tracks. “And I had such high hopes for you. It’s too bad. I’m looking forward to creating version 3.0, though. I learned a lot from this little experiment.”

Conner’s eyes narrowed and he grabbed Lex by the shirt. “You’re not ever making another clone again. You’re going to jail for the rest of your life!”

“Ha!” Lex laughed derisively as he regained some of the composure and self-assurance he was known for. He was now more confident that Superboy wouldn’t punt him into the next city, even if he antagonized him a little. “That’s cute.” He looked over to Superman. “He doesn’t really think I’m going to jail, does he?”

“You are, Luthor,” Superman replied stiffly.

“Oh please. We both know how this works. Why don’t you tell him how this is going to go?” Luthor watched with glee as the Man of Steel glared at him but didn’t respond. “No? Let me explain it to you, then.” He pushed himself back from Superboy. The teenager let him go, curiosity getting the better of his anger. “You’ll bring me to the police, I’ll request my army of lawyers. Stock prices for LexCorp might take a hit for a day or two but we all know people have short memories. I’ll deny the charges and eventually get released. After hosting a few charity events, stock prices will return to normal. In the meantime, I'll be working on Superboy 3.0 with a stronger control mechanism and less of a respect for you,” he finished, looking pointedly at Superman.

“Is he serious?” Superboy asked, disgusted. “After all he’s done, he’s just going to walk away and go back to his normal life, free to do whatever he wants?”

Clark didn’t want to say that was true, but he had dealt with Lex for years. Even with as much evidence as he had, he knew the man had snaked his way out of jail time on even more solid cases in the past. He was right, there was no proof that he had anything to do with the cloning program at Cadmus.

“Superman?” Conner asked, getting a sinking feeling in his gut.

“It’s not outside the realm of possibility,” he said, sounding almost pained by the words. “But I’m not going to let him get away with this. Not this time.”

“This time? So it’s true. He’s just going to get away with what he did to me?”

Lex glared at Superman as he spoke to Conner. “That’s right, Superboy. And believe me, I’m not done with you yet.”

Superman’s eyes narrowed and he only just barely stopped them from lighting up with heat vision. “Is that a threat?”

“Simply a friendly warning,” Lex explained with a smug smile. “You bring me to the police, you’ll have to tell them what I did. That means you will have to explain who and what Superboy is. I’m going to claim him and with a DNA test, he’ll be legally mine for the next two years.”

“Not if you’re in jail. Abusive parents don’t get to keep their kids,” Superman said. He looked livid but Lex knew he didn’t have to fear physical harm from him, no matter how much he provoked the Kryptonian.

“He’s been going on missions with his friends in that little covert team of yours for months now. You think that’s not child endangerment? You’re no more a fit parent than I am. I have very good lawyers, Superman. Do you think I can’t gain custody of my own experiment? I’m sorry, did I say experiment? I meant son.”

“Shut up,” Conner said, oddly calm. “Don’t ever call me that again.”

Lex smiled, ignoring Conner. “You haven’t acknowledged the boy at all since he’s been running free. He knows he’s not wanted, especially since your spectacular rejection of him at the bridge. By the way, great job covering that incident up. Or was that Batman? Still, it’s pretty impressive keeping that many people from talking about a teenager who looks like Superman, can jump the length of a bridge in a single bound, and benchpress a sedan. Even photographs of him were mysteriously erased from all cameras and cellphones at the scene. I have to say, brilliant work. Not even I can so thoroughly invade someone’s privacy.”

Superman remembered the incident like it was yesterday and wished he could forget it. He had been so dismissive of Conner, angry that he existed, and critical of every move he made, but unwilling to teach him how to become better. Conner had just been trying to help him save a busload of kids. He was trying to learn about his own capabilities by working with the one person who knew what it was like, and what did Superman do? He told him to go home, that Conner was too untested and too dangerous to be saving people in his city. Sure, those weren’t the words he used, but that’s what he had meant.

We don’t yet know the limits of your powers.

Well, maybe you could, you know, help me figure that out.

Batman’s got that covered.

Finally, to add insult to injury, Clark had taken a call from Green Arrow and left Conner standing there on the bridge while he went to help with some other crisis that had come up. Looking back on it, to say that he was ashamed of his actions would be an understatement.

“I’m assuming that either Superboy or the Justice League doesn’t want him in the public eye right now,” Lex continued. “You turn me in, that’s exactly where you’ll be putting him. I will make sure that everyone knows about, not only Superboy, but your little team of child soldiers too. You think I’m going to get backlash from the public for my actions? I’d be much more worried about you and yours after this!”

Clark couldn’t hide the anger he was feeling. His fists clenched at his sides and he was finding it very hard to see any good in the vindictive businessman who had done so much to hurt him and his family.

“Or,” Luthor offered, “we could make a deal. I don’t want the bad publicity, you don’t want me to have any legal claim over Superboy. If you give me a pass and we pretend this whole thing was just a big misunderstanding, I’ll relinquish any and all parental rights to Superboy. How does that sound?”

No one spoke for a long time. Conner had to consider the offer. Would Lex really honor the deal he was proposing?

“No,” Superman said, shaking his head. If Conner went forward and brought Lex to the authorities, everything Luthor was threatening would happen. Clark was sure Lex wasn’t lying about his threats to get a DNA test. Luthor might gain legal, parental rights over Conner. Clark couldn’t let that happen, but he couldn’t let Lex manipulate the situation like this either. “Superboy is not a bargaining chip. You’re going to jail, Lex.”

“Wait,” Conner said, cutting Clark off. He did appreciate that Superman was willing to put the Justice League’s reputation on the line for him, but Lex’s threats were real and he couldn’t let him do that. He couldn’t expose the Team and if he were honest, he wasn’t ready yet to be out in the public eye like Superman was. “Just wait a minute. If… if I let you go, I want assurances. You give up your claim to me and keep what you know about the Team to yourself.”

“Done,” Lex said.

At the same time, Superman protested, “Superboy, no. He can’t be trusted.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jon asked.

Conner grimaced. “No, but this will keep everyone safe… at least for the time being. One more thing, Lex.”

“One more,” the bald businessman said with a smug expression. He wasn’t giving Conner any confidence that he was really doing the right thing.

“You destroy any Kryptonian DNA samples you have and promise not to collect any more in the future. Your cloning program is over as of today.”

Luthor’s smile faltered for the briefest of moments but Conner saw it and it made him feel just a tiny bit better.

“Of course,” Lex said. “I assume you’ll want to observe the destruction.”

“I don’t want to have anything to do with you ever again,” Conner said tiredly. The emotional stress of the day was finally catching up to him. “Kal, do you think Martian Manhunter would be able to check in to see if Lex really does what he’s promising?”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t have a problem with it,” Superman said, looking pointedly at Lex and trying not to show how satisfied he felt at the annoyed expression this deal was giving Lex.

“Alright then,” Conner said with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. “We have a deal.”

Clark frowned and pulled Conner away from the group to speak in private. “Make sure this is what you really want, Kon. It’s your call,” Clark said quietly to the younger man. “We don’t have to do this. You can still choose to take him in. We can figure out whatever happens after that.”

“No,” Conner shook his head, still unsure that he was making the right choice. “I’ll let him go this time. I’m sure he’ll give us another chance to stop him soon enough. He’s not getting another pass after this.” Conner took the packet of Shields out of his pocket and threw them to the ground.

Clark nodded. “Alright. Let’s go then.”

As Clark and Conner were talking, Tim walked up to Lex and said, “I’ve got that whole exchange on video. Congratulations. You just made a verbal contract. Don’t go back on your word, Lex. You won’t like what happens if you do.”

“Is that a threat?” Lex growled.

Tim smiled and clapped Lex on the shoulder. “Of course not. Call it, ‘a friendly warning.’” With that he left Lex and Mercy behind.

Conner walked over to the still unconscious M’gann and lifted her into his arms. “Let’s go.” He leapt into the air, through the open hatch of the the Bioship, and landed safely inside. The living machine morphed a row of seats into a couch for Conner to lay M’gann on. She would be fine. Her Ship wouldn’t be acting so calmly if there was something really wrong with her. By the time he turned around, Clark had arrived with Damian and Tim under each arm. Jon flew through the hatch just behind him.

When everyone was safely inside the Bioship, the hatch closed. Clark looked around the cabin and used his x-ray vision to spare one last glimpse at Lex Luthor who was angrily trying to get Mercy out of her bonds. He hoped that their decision today was the right one. “I think it’s time we went home.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
2:40 p.m.
Space

Superman looked out the windows of the Bioship as it left Earth’s atmosphere and headed back to the Watchtower. He had just told his parents that Jon and Conner were alright. Now came the hard part. He clicked a button on his comms and signaled Lois.

“Hello?” a worried voice came clearly through his earpiece.

“Lo? It’s me. Are you alright?”

Clark heard her let out a relieved breath. “I’m fine. The boys?”

Hearing her voice and her reassurance that she was alright allowed him to let the tension he had been feeling drain out of him. He hadn’t realized how worried he had been until he wasn’t anymore. “A little shaken up but no worse for wear, I think. We’re heading back to the Watchtower now to get Jon’s shoulder reset and check for signs of concussion in M’gann.”

“Great,” Lois said as she breathed out a relieved sigh. “And what about Conner? How’s he doing?”

“Kon’s fine. M’gann purged the brainwashing from his mind, but… he made a deal with Lex.”

“What kind of a deal?” Lois asked with a mix of worry and suspicion clear in her voice.

“Basically he and Lex agreed to stay out of each other’s way,” Clark said diplomatically, but then added, much more softly, “I just don’t trust Lex to keep his end of the bargain.”

“I don’t either. Conner and Jon have been through enough,” Lois agreed. “But I’ve got a source looking into Luthor right now. Don’t worry, I didn’t make any type of deal with that scumbag. The minute I get something worth printing he’s going to pay for what he did to those kids. And to you.”

Clark smiled. He had to admit, the idea of Lois making Lex’s life miserable for a little while gave him a guilty sense of satisfaction. “Just make sure you and your source stay safe. We both know what Lex is capable of.”

“Come on, Smallville,” Lois said affectionately. “I’m not a rookie reporter. Lex won’t know what hit him.”

Clark laughed. “You’re right. What was I thinking?”

“So, what’s the plan for later?” Lois asked, her voice suddenly shifting from playful to serious.

“We’re still figuring that out,” Superman said sheepishly. “Once I meet up with Batman I’ll come see you and let you know what’s going on. We’ve been playing things by ear all day.”

“Well, keep me updated, okay?”

“I promise. You’ll know what’s happening as soon as I do.”

“You’d better,” Lois said, the hint of flirtation back in her voice. “You know I love you, right?”

Clark smiled. “Always. I’ll talk to you soon and…” He peered over at the children to see if anyone was eavesdropping, then decided that he didn’t care even if they were. “I love you too.”

He turned his communicator off and looked around the Bioship at the group of kids who he hadn’t managed to protect very well. Luthor was still out there and despite the agreement they had come to, Clark couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the whole thing. He looked over at the brave, traumatized teenagers who were sitting together by the windows. M’gann’s head was resting in Conner’s lap as he absently ran his fingers through her hair, seemingly lost in thought. Jon was dozing, using Conner’s shoulder as a pillow on the other side of him. The Robins were sitting in seats along the opposite wall of the ship, speaking to each other in hushed tones. Clark couldn’t help but smile at the sight, despite the circumstances (everyone was alright after all) and did his best not to listen in on their conversation.

“I’m proud of you,” Tim said, not looking at the younger boy, instead opting to focus his view on the stars outside the viewports. He knew that Damian would take the compliment better if he didn’t pay too much attention to the younger boy’s reactions.

“What are you talking about?” Damian asked halfheartedly. He was beginning to crash from the adrenaline high of the previous few hours.

“You could have killed Lex, or at least beat him beyond recognition. I don’t think anyone would have blamed you. Except, you decided to show restraint and bring him in to face Superman, even after he hurt your friends so much. I just wanted to tell you that I’m impressed with how much you’ve grown since you were first dropped off in our mess of a family. You’re like a whole different person now,” Tim joked, though the words he spoke sent a shiver down his spine in the fraction of a second when they caused him to think, what if he is?

Damian sighed and closed his eyes, thinking about Tim’s words. A year ago he would have taken any compliment the older boy gave as a grievous insult and attacked him, either physically or with words. Today, though, he was just happy to have his brother there, talking to him; his brother who wasn’t dead.

“Well, I have to set a good example for the small versions of Cassandra and myself,” Damian postured. “I wouldn’t want them ending up like me. This is an entirely different reality. They deserve to have a chance at a decent childhood.”

Tim didn’t realize that the Cass and Dami of this world knew Damian. From the sound of it they were young, which made sense. And it sounded like Damian had stepped into the role of big brother to them. He smiled, despite knowing he should probably be chastising the boy for getting so involved with these alternate reality versions of his family. Tim was just glad that Damian had found something to help him quell his League of Assassins programming. Despite everything Dick had done for the kid, that training had never quite been completely scrubbed from his system.

Damian continued, as if he had read Tim’s thoughts. “I remember when I was little and watched my mother and grandfather kill people. I got upset. I remember very clearly that watching people die or be beaten to within an inch of their life disturbed me a lot. Then mother and grandfather would tell me that I shouldn’t be feeling like that. The strong didn’t feel remorse for the weak. I just kept watching them do it over and over and by the time they had me start to do it too, I didn’t feel bad anymore. I don’t think I’ll ever feel bad about hurting people again, at least not in the way I know I should.”

Tim didn’t know what to say to that. Damian had never opened up to him like this before and it was leaving him speechless. Luckily, Damian kept talking and Tim had a few more moments to formulate a response.

“I was going to hurt Luthor. I wanted to. I really wanted to. What I said to him wasn’t an idle threat. But then Jon was there and I didn’t think he would want me to do that to him, no matter how bad Luthor was… Jon reminds me of what normal is supposed to be. When I contemplate giving in to my League training, I always think of what father’s moral code is and adjust my actions based on that. But more than that, I think of what Jon and Richard would think of me if I started killing people again, or maiming them when it isn’t entirely necessary. Father’s gone overboard before; hurting people beyond what he should. You’ve seen it too. It’s why you signed up in the first place. But I can’t be that presence that tempers Batman. That’s not the kind of Robin I am. I’m too damaged. Father is not Richard. I sometimes wonder if he even wants me out there as Robin. He does an adequate job at being my parent, but he rarely wants to go out as Batman and Robin. It can be… frustrating.” Damian sighed, his exhaustion evident in the way he slumped against Tim and spoke so freely. “I’m sorry. I’m rambling.”

“Don’t ever be sorry for talking to me about this stuff, Damian. It’s what family is for,” Tim tried to say lightly, but could feel the seriousness of the truth in his words. “Did you know that your dad has never wanted to go out into Gotham as Batman and Robin for as long as I’ve known him? He’s terrified one of us is going to die out there. After what happened with Jason, he changed. Even as far back as Dick getting shot, he’s only ever let us out there because we’ve forced ourselves into that situation.”

Damian thought about it and it did make sense, but why had his father been willing to work with Richard, Jason, and Timothy, but not himself?

“Besides,” Tim went on, trying to make the younger boy feel a bit better after confiding in him. “You’ve got me, Dick, Cass, Kate, Barbara, Basil, Duke, Jean Paul… even Jason would drop everything and patrol with you if you asked. Now that he’s got most of the Lazarus Pit side effects out of his system he’s actually a pretty decent guy.”

“True. He hasn’t dragged around a duffle bag filled with the decapitated heads of mob bosses in quite a while,” Damian smirked, then suddenly his expression clouded over as he gave more thought to Tim’s words. “But things have changed since you’ve been gone, Timothy,” he said more quietly. “Richard moved to Bludhaven. I barely see him anymore. Father is becoming more involved with Catwoman. He has even less time for me now. I see Pennyworth more than him most days. And Todd… while I know he’s not planning on maiming me again, he seems more comfortable not having anything to do with the family. He always refuses Pennyworth’s invitations to lunch and has thrown himself into his work with the Outlaws. And it isn’t even Harper and the Tameranian. He’s hanging out with a Bizzaro and a redheaded Amazon now. Everything’s changing, and I don’t like it.”

Tim wrapped his arm around Damian’s shoulders and Damian, to Tim’s surprise, leaned into the embrace. “Change usually sucks, but it’s inevitable. It’s part of growing up. I can’t promise that anything in the future is going to be for the better, but I can promise that I’ll always be there to help you deal with it. No matter what happens, you and I will face it together. I’m not going anywhere, Little D. You ever need me, call me and I’ll be there.”

Damian rested his head on Tim’s shoulder. He didn’t say anything in response, but Tim knew, just by that simple act that his little brother was going to take him up on that.

The Bioship arrived at the Watchtower and the eclectic group of Robins, Kryptonians, and a single unconscious Martian came out of the living machine into the docking bay. Conner carried M’gann in his arms, eager to get her and Jon to the Watchtower’s medical facilities.

“Welcome back, rebelling teenagers,” Oliver said as he greeted them. “And Superman.”

“Technically, I was brainwashed,” Conner said with a grimace as Oliver dragged a hovering gurney to the guilt-ridden teenager.

“Well… we did kind of run away from my mom,” Jon chimed in softly as Conner laid M’gann down on the gurney.

“She’s just happy you two are okay,” Superman said, reassuring the boys. “It’s good to see you too, Oliver.”

“Looks like you all have been through hell,” the green-clad archer observed.

“I’ve had worse,” Damian shrugged.

“Well,” Superman said, sidestepping, but still taking note of the younger Robin’s remark, “I think it’s time you all headed to the infirmary. Jon…”

The smallest Kryptonian grimaced. “I know. You’re going to have to put my shoulder back in place.”

“Don’t worry,” Damian reassured him. “The first time is always the worst.”

“Gee, thanks,” Jon said sarcastically. “I feel so much better about this now.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” Jon said miserably and started for the infirmary.

Mr. Terrific was waiting for them when they arrived. Jon took one look at the medical equipment and his mind started racing. He knew his arm was dislocated and he knew that someone was going to need to reset it. He was also pretty certain that that was going to hurt… like, a lot. And he wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep himself from crying… in front of Damian, who already thought he wasn’t ready to do hero stuff with him (despite Jon proving that he could over and over). “You know what, I think I’m ok with living the rest of my life with a dislocated arm.”

“Resetting it really won't be as bad as you think,” Damian tried to reassure him.

“I still really don’t want to do it!” Jon argued, sounding almost panicked.

“Jon, I am so sorry,” Conner said, his anguish and guilt clear to anyone who looked at him.

Jon shook his head. “As far as I’m concerned, Lex Luthor did this to me. I’m still not thrilled about what we have to do to fix it, though.”

Clark knelt down one front of Jon. “I’m sorry you need to go through this, but once it’s over you’re going to feel a lot better.”

“Your dad’s right, Jon,” Mr. Terrific added with a reassuring smile. “The pain won’t last for long, but if you don’t fix it now, you might end up having lasting complications with range of movement in your shoulder and even possibly chronic pain. It’s much better to deal with the pain now than avoid it and let it get worse. I know you’re strong enough to handle it.”

Jon inhaled deeply and shut his eyes tightly, as if that would steal him against the pain. “Okay… Just get it over with,” he said with a shaky voice.

“Superman, have you ever set a dislocated shoulder before?” Terrific asked.

Jon’s eyes popped open and he stared up at the two adults in front of him. “Why can’t you do it? You’re the doctor!”

“But I don’t have super strength, Jon,” he explained gently, almost apologetically.

“Don’t worry,” Superman added. “I have done this before. I’ll make it as quick and painless as possible.”

Even with their reassurances, Jon looked like he was about to throw up. He turned to Damian. “Damian, could you leave for a minute?”

“What? Why?” Damian protested.

“Just, please… I don’t want you here for this.”

“Oh come on, Jon. I—”

“Let’s go, Dami,” Tim cut in, putting his hand on his brother‘s shoulder.

“But—”

Tim motioned his head in the direction of the door and gently led Damian toward it. “It’s okay. Let’s just give them a minute.”

Damian let Tim guide him out but he couldn’t help himself from looking back at Jon’s terrified face. When they were finally out the door Damian allowed himself to question Tim about Jon’s odd request. “What the hell?”

“Damian, Jon looks up to you. Take it from someone who spent his teenage years constantly feeling the need to prove his worth to a Bat, the last thing he wants you to see is him at his most vulnerable.”

“I don’t care about that! I just—” Damian was cut off by a gut-wrenching scream of pain from inside the infirmary. He immediately moved to go back and do something, anything to make his best friend feel better but Tim caught his arm and held him back.

“Don’t go in there until he asks you to come back in.”

Damian ripped his hand away angrily. “Don’t tell me what to do!”

“Stop it,” Tim said calmly, making sure he didn’t let Damian’s outburst fuel another fight between the two of them. “Sometimes, the best way to make someone feel better is to give them space.”

“And sometimes a person needs to be with the people who care about them when they’re scared and hurting!’’

Damian’s words surprised Tim. The kid had really grown up since he’d been gone. He had thought it would be a cold day in hell before Damian Wayne acknowledged that human beings needed each other sometimes. He didn’t hide his shock very well because Damian immediately picked up on the change in his demeanor.

“What?” Damian asked, narrowing his eyes.

Tim sighed and leaned against the wall. “Nothing. You. You’re so different from that little brat I remember trying to kill me every other week. Getting a friend has been good for you. But I can’t help wondering…”

Damian waited for him to go on but Tim didn’t finish the thought.

“Wonder what?” Damian asked, Damian asked suspiciously.

Tim thought for a few more moments, letting the events of the past day play through his mind. “I’m just not sure anymore. I thought the pearl story was a unique enough event that it would prove we’re from the same reality, but some of your memories are different from mine. You don’t remember Kon at all. The only way that happens is if some insanely powerful telepath messed with all of our minds, or more likely, we’re from different realities. What if I’m not your Tim?”

Damian crossed his arms and glared at Tim. “Not this again,” he said with a distinctly annoyed affect to his words. “Don’t you dare think like that. As terrifying as a telepath of that caliber is, it’s the only thing that makes sense. You’re my Timothy Drake. Stop trying to believe otherwise.”

“Us being from different Earths is a legitimate theory,” Tim protested.

“No, it’s not!” Damian snapped. “If that’s true, it means my brother really did die that night and I refuse to believe that! Stop trying to ruin this!”

Nothing the kid had ever said shocked Tim more than Damian’s outburst at that moment. Did he seriously just tell Tim, in not so many words, that he cared that he had died? That he was upset by that fact? Tim’s very capable brain was having trouble coming to terms with the idea. Sure, Damian had called Tim his brother when they were first reunited and he was acting like he cared on the flight back after the fight, but he figured that was a fluke and an adrenaline crash. Damian was just acting the part of the good son for his alternate reality dad. Tim was happy to see Damian, too, of course, but he’d have been happy to see any familiar face after so long in captivity. Why was it so hard for him to believe that the kid might actually care?

“You really feel that way?” Tim asked.

“Of course, you idiot.” Damian wasn’t emotional but Tim could tell he meant what he said. It was just another piece of evidence that this wasn’t an act and the two of them might be able to have a relationship beyond obligatory family lunches (that Jason doesn’t even bother to show up to) and nightly patrols where they tended to stay out of each other’s way.

“We’re a mess, aren’t we?” Tim said, more as a statement than a question.

Damian sighed, “The messiest, but we’re family. Families are usually at least a little screwed up.”

“Understatement of the century,” Tim muttered. “Do you think—”

Before he could say anything more, the door to the infirmary opened once again and Mister Terrific poked his head out. “You can come back in now.”

Damian looked at Tim for a moment before rushing past the doctor into the room.

Tim smirked. “He can be overprotective.”

Terrific smiled back. “I’ve noticed.”

“How’s everyone holding up?” Tim asked.

“M’gann’s head is fine. She hasn’t regained consciousness yet but there’s no sign of a concussion or serious injury. I think she just needed the rest after diving so deep into your mind and bringing Superboy out of his brainwashing. Don’t worry about her. Conner hasn’t left her side since she got here,” he laughed lightheartedly. “Jon’s shoulder is fine, too, after Superman reset it, and Conner’s physical injuries were minimal. I’d say it’s a positive outcome to a particularly bad day.”

Tim shook his head. “This day has been a shitshow.”

“Yeah,” Michael sighed and nodded, agreeing with the teenager despite the positive spin he tried to put on everything. “You don’t have to tell me. But everyone’s healthy and alive. That’s the most important thing. Not to mention, because of you, we now have a multiverse map and a way to contact your home Earth.”

Tim’s eyes went wide in surprise at the sudden new information. “Wait… What?”

Terrific grinned, enjoying that he had managed to surprise the stoic teenager. “You haven’t heard yet. A lot of the information you stole from Mr. Oz finished decrypting while you were out in the field. There was a lot of interesting information there.”

“Are you saying we can contact my home?! Like, right now?” Tim gasped, feeling slightly overwhelmed at the sudden good news.

“As soon as you’re ready. I managed to build an interdimensional communication device a couple days after meeting Damian and Jon but it was useless without a world to focus on. But now that we have that map, well, we can set the signal on a particular Watchtower on any Earth in the multiverse. It’s just a matter of someone answering the call. I figured you, Damian, and Jon would want to be the ones to do the honors.”

Tim felt overwhelmed. After months of being stuck in a prison cell with no hope of ever seeing his family again, here he was, with his little brother, his memories, and the first real hope of getting home. “Now. I’d like to try it now.”

Michael smiled brightly, figuring that would be Tim’s answer. “Let’s get Damian and Jon and give it a go, then.”

The two walked into the medbay to see Jon with his arm in a sling, sitting on a cot with Damian next to him, talking in whispers to each other. Conner was with M’gann, holding the unconscious girl’s hand as he sat at her side, still looking guilty and worried. Superman leaned against the wall by the doorway, watching all the kids with a relieved expression that Tim hadn’t seen on him since coming to this reality.

At the sound of the door sliding open, all eyes zeroed in on Tim and Mister Terrific. “Drake?” Damian asked, looking a bit worried. “Are you alright? You look drunk.”

“And your heart’s beating really fast,” Jon added with a hint of distress in his words.

Tim grinned and said, with a hint of mischief in his voice, “Go ahead. Be that way. I guess I can just call home without you.”

The room got so quiet that all anyone heard for several seconds was the buzzing of the medical equipment in the background. Superman was the first to recover from the shock of what Tim had said. “Tim? What do you mean?” he asked.

“Sorry, Superman,” Mister Terrific said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. “In all the craziness I forgot to tell you.”

“They did it,” Tim interrupted. “They figured out how to contact home.”

“Well, in theory we did,” Terrific clarified. “I haven’t actually tested the tech yet, but I’m pretty sure I can use the multiverse map in your files to find the right dimensional frequency to connect our realities. If communication works, the next step will be creating a doorway between the Earths.”

“Seriously?!” Jon shouted, floating into the air in his excitement.

Damian practically jumped into the air at the same time. “You’re just telling us this now?!”

“I just found out!” Tim shouted in an elated halfhearted argument he was too happy to really put any effort into.

“I was scolding him!” Damian said, pointing at the doctor.

“Honestly, Damian,” Terrific said lightly, “if I had told you all the moment you got off the ship, would any of you have come to the medbay?”

“Of course not!” Damian shouted as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

“And Jon would still have a dislocated shoulder,” Terrific said, as if that would explain everything.

Damian huffed and glared at him. He was still upset at the withholding of the news, but he understood why he had done it. Damian knew as well as anyone how stubborn they could all be.

“Priorities, kid,” Michael said and motioned to the door. “But now that you’re all good to go, how about a little field trip to our new interdimensional communications center.”

“Heck yes!” Jon shouted, so excited that he did a loop in the air. “Kon! Can you believe it? I’m gonna get to go home!”

Conner smiled but there was no real feeling of joy behind it. “That’s great, Jon.”

Jon looked at him, his brow scrunched with concern. He could sense something was wrong but was not quite able to place what it was. “Are you okay?”

Conner tried to put some feeling into his words this time to allay Jon’s distress. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy that the kid was going home. He knew this day would be coming eventually. He just didn’t think it would be this soon. “I’m fine. It’s just been a rough day.”

“You’re telling me,” Jon agreed, but his pure elation drowned out any other emotion he might have been feeling. “But… it’s home!” He turned to Mister Terrific. “Do you think I’ll be able to talk to my mom and dad today?”

“Don’t get too excited just yet, Jon,” Terrific warned. “Like I said, I haven’t tested the tech. I wanted to see if you, Tim, and Damian wanted to be there for it first.”

“Of course we do!” Damian scowled.

“I don’t know who we might be able to contact or how long the connection will hold even if we do manage to stabilize a signal. This is a brand new area of theoretical physics we’re working with right now. It’s going to be a lot of trial and error for a while. But I’ve been in contact with Ray Palmer and a few other scientists working in the field and I think we have a good chance of getting you home soon.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Jon practically shouted with glee. “Let’s go! Let’s try it! Kon, come on. If my dad picks up, I want you to meet him!”

“I would love to meet your dad, Jon, but…” Conner looked over to Superman for help. He didn’t know how to tell Jon he wasn’t ready to lose him yet, that he was hoping that the communications technology didn’t work, just for a little while longer.

“I think Kon should stay with M’gann, at least until she regains consciousness. We wouldn’t want her to wake up alone,” Superman said, understanding exactly how Conner was feeling. He had no time to prepare for the bomb that was just dropped on him either, and the thought of Jon going home so soon was as devastating as it was joyful.

“Oh,” Jon said, sounding clearly disappointed. “Right, that makes sense.”

“Come on, kiddo,” Superman said, holding out a reassuring hand to the ten-year-old. “Let’s go see if we can get you in touch with your family.”

“Okay.” Jon took Superman’s hand, feeling the familiar contours of his fingers close around his much smaller palm. He was elated at the thought of finally being able to go home, so it confused him that Kon and Superman weren’t as excited as he was. It wasn’t like they’d never see each other again, right? Once the dimensional travel technology was built he could come back and visit any time he wanted… as long as his parents said it was okay. Maybe that was it. Maybe they thought his dad wouldn’t like them and wouldn’t let them visit Jon. Well, once he got in touch with his dad, Conner and Superman would see there was nothing to worry about.

The “interdimensional communications center” turned out to be the room that Tim had been using to decrypt the data he had stolen just before escaping Oz’s prison. Mister Terrific led Damian, Jon, Tim, and Superman there. As they entered the familiar surroundings they found Batman staring at several computer screens while he spoke to someone over his communication equipment.

“They’re all fine. I had to wait for Alfred to get back home from dropping Dick off at school. Little Damian and Cassandra are with him and Ravi at the manor. Damian ran off with Tim and Miss Martian to help the Superboys.” Without turning around, Batman beckoned them into the room. “He’s perfectly fine, Talia. Tim kept him safe.”

Tim startled at the casual mention of Talia’s name. Was Talia al Ghul not a murderous, abusive, psychopath in this reality? If she wasn’t, that would make Little Damian’s childhood a hundred times better. He was so stunned that by the time he thought about all the possibilities of how Talia being a decent human being could change Damian’s life, he had missed most of the rest of the call.

“I was watching the whole thing through the satellites and listening through Superman’s comms. They handled themselves very well, but Talia, it’s time to choose a side. You’re playing a very dangerous game right now and no matter how carefully you plan or who you blackmail, in the end you’re putting the kids in danger. Let me help you… No, not like that. Talia, you know I… Talia? Damn it.” She had hung up on him… again. Batman turned around to face Tim and Damian. “Is your Talia al Ghul this infuriating?”

“Uh… I usually deal more with her dad, but she killed her own kid, so I’d say infuriating is putting it kindly,” Tim said with an edge to his voice. The al Ghuls were not a pleasant subject for him. Ra’s had a creepy obsession with him, and Talia, when not running her own terrorist organization, made Damian’s life complicated whenever she got the chance. Tim didn’t like it when people messed with his family.

Tim saw Bruce’s expression clearly change from the calculated indifference he was used to seeing on the man to a pained moment of suppressed rage. Another moment later it was gone and Bruce was back to the stoic hero Tim had grown up admiring.

“Or I could be completely lying. I really shouldn’t talk about it,” Tim said quickly, realizing that anything he said, even just confirming what Damian had already let slip, would be considered influencing an alternate reality.

“Well… You did well out there,” Bruce said, seeing the discomfort the topic brought to Tim and effortlessly changed the subject. He didn’t think any of them wanted to get into a more in depth conversation about Talia just then so he turned his attention to Damian. “And I know you can be overprotective of Jon. I should have predicted you would run off to find him the moment I heard Conner had thrown him through my wall.”

Damian didn’t look apologetic in the least but Tim winced at the thought. “I should have handled him better. I should never have let him leave the Watchtower.”

Jon barked a short, sharp laugh and immediately covered his mouth with his own hand. His eyes went wide with the realization that his outburst was not the best response to Tim’s self-doubt.

“Sorry,” he said apologetically to the older teen, “it’s just… you do know Damian, right? He’s going to do what he wants, no matter what anybody says.”

“That is true,” Damian agreed, nodding sagely.

Batman shook his head but it was more in amusement than denial. “Damian’s a lot like Dick in that way. Can we all just agree to promise never to do it again?”

“So I’m not in trouble?” Damian asked hopefully.

“Oh, no. You are in so much trouble. But your grounding won’t start until we get back to the manor.”

“But you said we did good!” Damian protested, letting his age show a bit.

“And you did. But you’re still very grounded.”

Damian looked indignant. “This is completely unacceptable! This was all Lex Luthor’s doing! Don’t let him win by confining me to the manor. And Timothy just got out of jail. It wouldn’t be fair to lock him up again.”

“I think you might be blowing this a little bit out of proportion, kid,” Tim muttered to the bellicose child. He’d be perfectly fine spending the next week in the manor, even if it wasn’t exactly his manor. It was the next best thing to familiar, safe surroundings if he couldn’t go home right away.

Damian looked at Tim as if he had just been betrayed.

“Sorry, man,” Jon whispered, bumping his shoulder lightly against Damian’s in an effort to show him a bit of solidarity.

Damian crossed his arms and huffed dramatically. “This is not the final word on the matter.”

Batman’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly to the beginnings of a smile in a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moment. To cover for his slip, he quickly turned and looked toward the screens, changing the subject abruptly. “Of course, Damian. Now, Mr. Terrific and I have been monitoring the information from Tim’s computer as it decrypts. I believe that we can use what we’ve found to contact your world.” He typed a series of commands and what looked like a three dimensional map of the universe popped up, except there were many more planets than there should have been and they were all labeled with a specific number.

“Assuming there’s still a world left after this,” Tim said without thinking.

“Don’t give up on your people so quickly,” Bruce chastised gently. “Just because you’re not there to help, doesn’t mean the heroes of your Earth will fail. Believe me, it’s a tough lesson to learn but ultimately everyone is a lot happier when they’re not micromanaged.”

“I’ve gotten that speech from Alfred, Lucius, my high school teachers, and even my team, but I never thought I’d ever hear it from you.”

“Did the message get through, coming from me?” Bruce asked unironically.

Tim shook his head, trying not to smile despite himself. “You are really young here, aren’t you?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call thirty-two old, per se. Now come here, have a look. Your captor seems to have an entire map of the multiverse. Using this, after a bit of study, I believe we’ll be able to come up with something to help you and Damian get home. We think we can use the Zeta-beam technology we already have and configure the multiverse map into its base code. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s definitely possible.”

“That’s great!” Tim said, finally allowing himself to feel a bit hopeful about his chances of getting home.

Superman spoke up for the first time since entering the room. “You know we would never keep any of you here against your wishes, but we’re just not trying to kick you out either. You can stay for as long as you want or need to. All of you.”

“Uh, thanks,” Tim said politely, but couldn’t take his eyes from the screens. Displayed on the monitors was a three-dimensional representation of the multiverse. It reminded Tim of an atom that was packed with a few too many electrons. The center of the circle was labeled “Rock of Eternity” while other circles radiated out from there, each with its own number designation. Near the top of the display was Earth-0, highlighted in blue and highlighted in green at almost the complete opposite end of the model was Earth-16.

“So, this is us,” Mister Terrific said, pointing at Earth-16, “And this,” he pointed at Earth-0, “is your home Earth.”

“We’re so far apart,” Tim frowned, hoping that the distance wouldn’t affect travel or communication.

“That shouldn’t matter too much given our Zeta-beam technology,” Terrific explained. “This map doesn’t quite represent the way the multiverse is structured. The various Earths aren’t technically spread out like this. They’re more layered on top of one another but at different dimensional frequencies, but this map allows for an easy way to see just how far removed each Earth is from one another in that layering. The big problem we were having was pinpointing where in the multiverse to send you once we build a machine that can handle the biomatter transfer.”

Jon was completely lost, but he didn’t need to understand the details of the conversation to find out the most important part of it. Hopefully they could answer that with a simple yes or no. “So we can try contacting our Earth now, right?”

Terrific laughed and smiled as he ruffled Jon’s hair. “We can definitely give it a try.”

“Drake, make the call!” Damian insisted, growing impatient. He didn’t need to know how this all worked as long as it did work.

“Okay!” Tim said with an exaggerated huff of air. He was just as eager to try and contact his Earth as the others were but he wouldn’t have minded learning more about how it all functioned. Some of the technology of Earth-16 was slightly more advanced than that of his own world and he hated wasting any opportunity to learn more about it. He couldn’t disappoint Damian and Jon, though. He could practically see the nervous energy just radiating off the younger boys in their anticipation. He pressed a few keys on the computer console and the Watchtower communications of Earth-16 connected to those of Earth-0.

Earth-0
The Watchtower

“Hey Batman,” Barry Allen, also known as The Flash, looked quizzically at a blinking light on the main communications console of the Watchtower’s control center. “I think I’m getting a spam call.”

Batman, who had been coordinating relief efforts for hours since he got back from the World Forge, battling his evil doppelgänger, and looking for any signs that his family had made it through the most recent crisis alive, was in no mood for anyone’s first-world problems. “Let it go to voicemail then block it,” he groaned with barely suppressed annoyance.

“But the Watchtower shouldn’t be able to get spam in the first place, right?”

That got Bruce’s attention. That should have been the first thing he thought of but the past few days had taken everything he had and he was still going. It had been a long time since he felt this run-down from stress and lack of sleep. Bruce stopped looking through the supply lists on his tablet and moved to see what Barry was talking about.

“That’s weird, right?” Barry asked. “It looks like the message is coming from the Watchtower, but it’s not an internal communication.”

Batman looked at the monitor that was showing what looked at first glance like scrambled code and an ID tag identical to their own Watchtower’s. It’s odd, but then again, odd seems to be the new normal nowadays. Batman entered a few commands into the computer to try and trace the call but the only information he received was that the signal was originating from the Watchtower. No new information there. He was about to throw caution to the wind and just answer it when suddenly the signal stopped.

Earth-16
The Watchtower

“What happened?!” Jon practically screamed, grabbing onto Damian’s arm like it was the only piece of driftwood in a vast ocean.

“The signal cut out,” Mister Terrific theorized. “Don’t worry, we can try again.”

“Did it not work?” Damian asked, trying (and failing) to dislodge Jon from his arm.

“No, it worked,” Bruce said, distractedly, trying to boost the power output so they wouldn’t have the same problem on the second try.

When Batman was finished, Tim breathed a stressed sounding sigh and tried connecting to Earth-0 once more.

Earth-0
The Watchtower

“Batman,” Barry called, sounding freaked out way more than a superhero should ever be. “They’re calling back!”

Batman was at the communications terminal an instant later, looking suspiciously at the signal’s origin. He had been through hell, figuratively and literally, in the past few days, and he wasn’t in the mood for another adventure quite yet, but he had a feeling he needed to find out what this was, that it was important. His gut didn’t usually steer him wrong, so he pressed the connect button and answered the call.

Earth-16
The Watchtower

“They’re connected,” Tim said, almost in disbelief.

“Well, don’t just sit there with your mouth hanging open. Say something!” Damian demanded, trying to keep the tiny kernel of hope and desperation out of his voice.

For a moment, Tim’s mind was a blank. He couldn’t think of a single thing to say. He wasn’t even sure if he was capable of any coherent speech. Luckily, the moment passed, and his mind did a hard shift back into work-mode. “Hello? Watchtower of Earth-0, this is Red Robin, Robin, and Superboy of Earth-0 in communication from Earth-16. Do you copy?”

“Father!” Damian said, pushing Tim aside to get as close to the console as he could. “Batman, this is Robin. If you can hear me, please respond!”

Tim decided not to make a comment on how Damian sounded more like a young kid in that moment than he had ever heard him before. They all waited, hoping to hear back from the other side of the multiverse.

Earth-0
The Watchtower

Static. Despite their best attempts to clear up the signal, all Flash and Batman could hear through the communications array was a garbled mix of static and what might have sounded like very muffled voices, but neither of them could make out what was being said.

“Hello?” Batman asked, trying to hear if he got any type of recognizable response from the sounds coming through the comms.

When he couldn’t hear anything after about a minute, Batman tapped his communicator and called on the one person who might be able to understand the sounds below the signal. “Superman, I’m patching you in on an odd call we’ve just received at the Watchtower. We can’t hear voices but we think someone might be trying to communicate with us. I need you to tell me what you hear.”

“Of course, Batman. Patch it through.” Superman was finally on his way home after several days of fighting nightmare versions of his friends from the dark multiverse and another fourteen hours coordinating rescue and aid to civilians whose lives had been upended by the crisis. His son was still missing along with Damian Wayne and he was beginning to get worried for their safety. The only consolation he had was that the two were probably together and looking out for one another. He had to keep hoping that he would either find them soon, or they’d somehow manage to find their way home.

A moment later, Superman was listening to the strange signal from the Watchtower. At first, he wasn’t sure what to make of it, but then he heard something he was afraid he would never hear again. He stopped flying and floated in the air, pouring all his concentration into listening for the voices masked below the junk noise in the signal and his breath caught in his lungs. It really was there, calling out to anyone who would listen; the voice of his son.

Earth-16
The Watchtower

“Could I give it a try?” Jon asked nervously, his heart hammering in his chest. He wasn’t sure if he could bear the disappointment of not making contact with home, especially if he did nothing to try and help. “I think I heard something.”

“I didn’t,” Damian said frustratedly. Jon gave him an exasperated look and Damian threw up his hands in defeat. “Sorry. Alien/human hybrid with super senses. Right.”

“Jon’s right. I think I heard something, too,” Superman added, giving Jon more confidence to try his hand at the communications array.

Tim got out of his seat and motioned for Jon to sit. “It’s all yours, kid.”

Jon slid into the office chair and leaned toward the receivers. “Um… Hello? Batman? Superman?” he asked hopefully. “Dad? Can anyone hear us? If you’re there, please say something.”

Earth-0
20,000 feet above New York City

“Jon?” Superman gasped, so stunned that it seemed like the entire world froze around him.

“...Dad? Dad, is that you? I can barely hear you!”

“Jon! It’s me! Where are you? Just stay there and I’ll come get you!” There was a sense of desperation tinging his voice only because he could tell that the signal was so fragile. He could barely make out Jon’s words over the static, and even those sounded far away, like he was calling out to him from under water.

“Did you make contact? I don’t hear anything.”

Clark could hear Damian’s voice now too. Just knowing the two of them were together made his anxiety lessen fractionally, but he needed to know where they were before he could breathe easy.

“He’s there! I heard him! He sounds really far away but I heard him!”

“I’m here, Jon!” Clark almost laughed out loud in relief. His son sounded happy and healthy, as if the past few days hadn’t affected him at all. “Are you and Damian alright? Where were you during the invasion?”

“Dad! We’re—”

“Jon?” Superman’s breath caught in his throat as the line went dead. The static was gone. Jon was gone.

He could have fallen from the sky in that moment as he re-lived a sense of dread he hadn’t felt since the time he had been under the influence of the Black Mercy flower. It was like the moment he realized that the life he had thought he had lived on Krypton was nothing but a sweet hallucination designed to keep him passive as the flower fed off his body. He had had a wife and son in that dream and even though he knew they had never lived in the first place, losing them had hurt worse than anything he had ever felt before. It drove him to the point of almost murdering the being that had trapped him in the flower’s grip. Luckily Wonder Woman, Batman, and Robin had been there to keep him from making a horrible mistake.

But this wasn’t the same situation. Jon didn’t sound like he was in trouble, just far away. And Jon was real. Superman closed his eyes and tried to focus his senses. If his son was anywhere on Earth, he’d find him. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t been able to find him the last dozen times he’d tried it. Jon was out there somewhere, looking for him, trying to get home.

He listened for a heartbeat, a voice, anything familiar, but there was nothing. How could there be nothing? He was just talking to him! Superman shouted his frustration into the sky before shooting like a living rocket toward space and the Watchtower. He had to hear the entire call. He had to find his son!

Earth-16
The Watchtower

“No!” Jon cried out as the entire computer system set up in the room shut down in a blink. “What happened? I had him!”

There was chaos behind Jon as the others tried to figure out that exact question.

Mister Terrific was on the floor looking at the wiring while Batman frowned, looking at data as he scrolled through a tablet in his hand. Damian had slammed his fists down on the console and literally growled in frustration as he realized just how close they had been to contacting home. Tim looked at the boys in sympathy, at the same time denying to himself just how high he had gotten his hopes up before they were sent careening back down in a broken, splintered pile at his feet as the computer system crashed.

“The system can’t handle the power it’s taking to connect to an alternate reality,” Batman said.

“So what does that mean?” Damian asked angrily. “Is that it? We’re stuck here?”

Jon looked like he was about to cry from the injustice of it all. He had found his dad. He had talked to him! He thought he was going home.

“No,” Batman said in the authoritative voice he used with panicking civilians. “It just means that we need to build a dedicated system down on Earth where we can connect to a stronger power source. It will take some time, but we will get you home. Don’t worry boys. This is just the first step. We’ve proven that connecting to your world can be done. We were going to have to do this eventually anyway once we figured out how to use a Zetabeam for multiverse travel. That was the next step after initial contact.”

That was true. In the excitement of the moment, all three of the multiverse travelers had forgotten that going home that day was never part of the plan. Damian breathed a little easier now that he knew the next steps. Jon still looked disappointed but had also calmed down significantly.

Tim had a look of determination in his eyes. “Alright, so let’s start building,” the overachiever said, rallying the younger boys to him.

“We can start tomorrow. It’s almost time to start cooking dinner and we need to get home. Alfred will not be happy if we’re late. We have a lot of people with us tonight.”

Damian grabbed Jon’s hand and looked at Superman and Batman as if in challenge. “Jon stays with me.”

Batman frowned, but only for a moment. He was still weary of Jon’s ability to explode, but the kid did seem to manage himself well during his fight in Metropolis, and the last thing Bruce wanted right now was another fight with his… he had to stop thinking of Damian as his. With his doppelgänger’s son.

“Of course, Damian,” he tried to sound reassuring. “Superman, you and Conner are welcome to join us, too. And you, Michael,” he finished, turning to Mister Terrific, whose eyes went wide in shock at the invitation.

“You do family dinner here?” Tim asked with an odd mixture of shock and confusion. “Without Alfred forcing you to be there?”

“Wow, thank you, Batman,” Michael said at the same time, sounding genuinely honored, “but I’d like to get a head start on trying to transfer this setup to the power grid on Earth. Is the facility we talked about before still okay?”

“Yes,” he nodded and handed Mister Terrific the datapad he was holding.

“I can help,” Tim offered, but Batman cut him off.

“Oh no,” Batman said amiably. “Alfred would look at me with his disappointed face if I let you skip out on dinner.”

“And we can’t disappoint Alfred,” the teen said with a lopsided grin. It was nice seeing Bruce this way. Tim had come into the family right after Jason’s death, during a time when Batman was getting more violent and Bruce was severely depressed. Tim had never gotten to see this lighthearted version of the man in front of him. He hoped that this Bruce would never have to go through the things that the Batman of his own world did, but deep down he knew it was unlikely that he would be able to avoid those tragedies, or at least similar ones that would be just as traumatic. So, if Bruce wanted a family dinner, and if it would make Alfred happy, Tim could at least enjoy it while it lasted.

Earth-0
The Watchtower

“Superman, what’s wrong?” Batman asked. His mind flew over countless possibilities, most of them decidedly bleak, for why Superman had sped back to the Watchtower asking to listen to the entire recording of the strange call. He sounded so urgent. Was another invasion coming? Was that transmission a warning? Batman hoped that wasn’t the case because his world had already been through a massive storm of destruction from the dark multiverse and he wasn’t sure if they could handle another crisis so soon after just barely surviving the last.

“It was the boys! Jon and Damian,” Superman said, more serious than Bruce had ever seen him. “They’re trying to contact us.”

Bruce almost broke the tablet he was holding in his shock. He hadn’t seen Damian in days and was beginning to get worried. He hadn’t heard from or seen him at all during the invasion, which, to Batman, was the most worrying of all. That kid would never sit out a fight, especially when the fate of the world was at stake.

“Are they alright? Where are they?” Bruce demanded.

“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Clark said as calmly as the situation was allowing him.

Barry brought up the recording of the call for the two worried fathers. “Here. I’m playing it now.”

The recording played, still sounding like static to Batman and the Flash, but to Superman, who now knew what to listen for, a very surprising voice could be heard over the broadcast.

“Clark?” Batman asked, noticing Superman’s slight intake of breath and widening of the eyes.

“It’s… Bruce, it’s Tim.”

Batman felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He couldn’t breathe for a moment, as if the words had a physical form and were smothering him. “Clark… Don’t lie to me.” It was the only thing he could think to say in the moment. Tim’s death had haunted him every waking hour since it happened. He didn’t think he could survive having this hope yanked away from him if Clark was mistaken. Bruce knew the odds of yet another of his children dying only to be brought back to him. It shouldn’t have happened the first time, let alone four.

“I’ve known Tim since he was fifteen, Bruce. It’s him!”

“How?” Bruce choked out. He had watched Tim sacrifice himself. There was no way he could have survived that explosion!

“I don’t know, but it’s him,” Clark said, with a giant smile as he put a hand on his friend’s kevlar-padded shoulder. “He’s saying that he, Damian, and Jon are trapped on Earth-16. They sound like they’re okay, Bruce. All of them.”

Bruce had to take a moment to process what Clark was saying. His cowl seemed stifling in that moment and he ripped it from his head. In that moment Clark could see the hope, guilt, and elation fighting for dominance in the man’s expression. “We need to go get them.”

Clark nodded in agreement, but had to consider the logistics of such a rescue mission. “Most of our multiverse-travel equipment has been damaged or destroyed. How are we going to travel there?”

“The portal device I built for Mister Terrific to explore other realities for me.”

“That was one of the first things destroyed in the invasion,” Barry said sadly.

“I’ll build another one.”

“How long will that take?” Clark asked hopefully.

Bruce grimaced, realizing only then that it would probably be over a year to get the resources and experts needed to build another device with the capability of opening the multiverse to them. “Too long.”

“We could put in a call to Rip Hunter or maybe the Green Lanterns have something that could help us,” Superman suggested.

“It might work, but Rip’s almost impossible to track down unless he wants to be found and you’ll be tied up for years in Green Lantern red tape, assuming they even agree to help you travel the multiverse in the first place,” Barry said, shooting down yet another idea.

Batman and Superman looked at each other, their minds landing on the same possibility almost at the same moment. They looked pointedly at the Flash.

“What?” Barry asked, getting a bit weirded out by the two of them.

“Have you fixed it?” Bruce asked.

“Fixed?” Barry’s eyes narrowed, trying to think of what he was talking about. It only took him a moment. His eyes widened in recognition. “Oh! No! Batman, we’ve been a little busy, what with the dark multiverse invading and all. And it’s not like I can just go out and order parts for the thing from any old store.”

“Send the schematics to Lucious Fox at Waynetech. He’ll get you any part you need replaced.”

“Well, wait, just… It’s not like that thing handles passengers very well.”

“It worked fine when you took me to that reality where my father was Batman and I died as a child.”

“And then it broke!”

“Barry,” Clark said with such genuine hope in his voice that The Flash knew he would never be able to deny him what he asked for. “Please. Our kids are out there, alone, trying to find us. I want to be able to tell Lois that Jon will be home soon.”

“Okay…” Barry said, not thrilled with the idea of letting Superman and Batman run off with a device capable of altering time and space, but understanding the need for it. “I’ll rebuild it. It’ll take a couple days for your company to get the parts I need, I’m sure, even with a rush order, so in the meantime, let your families know the good news. I’ll remind Superman how to work it when it’s ready to go.”

“Thank you, Barry,” Superman said honestly, the relief evident in his voice.

Barry nodded to him, still not thrilled at the prospect of letting anyone else control the Cosmic Treadmill. Still, if he had to let someone other than himself use it, Superman would be the one he would trust.

Superman waited for a moment, and when silence still stretched out in the aftermath of The Flash’s generosity, Superman cleared his throat to get the attention of one preoccupied Bat.

Bruce’s head snapped up from his phone and the text message he was writing to Dick, Jason, Cassandra, Duke, Barbara, and Alfred

“Oh, yes. Thank you, Barry.” And after a moment more, after he finally pressed the send button to request a full family meeting, Bruce smiled. It wasn’t one of the Batman’s mysterious half-smiles he was so well known for. It was something of genuine hope that he rarely got to feel lately. His sons were alive. They were in a different reality but they were together and unharmed. Bruce didn’t know what he had done to deserve this kind of second… fourth chance, but the crushing sensation of worry that he had been feeling in the back of his mind all week had only now begun to lessen. It wasn’t due to finally driving out the nightmares of the dark multiverse from his world, it was from knowing that soon he would be seeing his children, knowing they were safe.

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
Earth-16
The Watchtower
3:30 p.m.

M’gann woke up just as Conner was getting the news about the “phone call.” She could feel the conflict of emotions running through his mind as he listened to his communicator and responded with a short congratulations to the kids from Earth-0. It hurt her heart to know how sad Conner was behind the upbeat front he was showing the others.

Conner was happy that Jon got to talk to his dad, even if it was only for a moment. Still, he couldn’t shake the disappointment that knowledge also brought to him. It meant he would probably be leaving soon, and he didn’t want the kid to leave. Jon had immediately accepted him, even after learning that he was a clone of his dad. If he considered anyone family, Jon was it, and knowing the kid would be gone soon hurt more than Conner was willing to admit.

“You’re thinking about Jon,” M’gann observed from her recovery bed in the Medbay.

“I thought we established that reading my mind was off limits months ago,” Conner retorted from the chair next to her, too tired to really be upset.

M’gann shook her head a little and sighed. “I don’t have to read your mind to see what you’re worried about, Conner. We’re all going to miss him. And Damian, too.”

“I’m a terrible person,” Conner sighed. “I know he belongs back on his Earth, with his version of Superman and his mom, but I just don’t want him to go. Not yet. I’m not ready to lose him. He really is like a little brother to me.”

“You’re not a terrible person, Conner,” M’gann said gently, taking his hand in hers, comforting him with that simple touch. “He is your brother. Doesn’t matter that he’s from some messed up alternate reality where you don’t exist. That’s who he is. It’s not easy letting go of family. I know. Most of mine’s only a planet away and I miss them every day. But just because he’s going home doesn’t mean he’ll be gone forever. Jon and Damian are part of all our lives now. It would hurt everyone to see them go without having a way to see them again someday. I’m sure everyone on the Team and probably everyone in the Justice League will refuse to give them up before we have a way to allow them to return at some point… or at least a way to talk to them.”

Conner smiled and let out a small, sad laugh. “Yeah. You’re probably right…” He paused as another thought popped into his mind. “Do you think I’ll freak out Jon’s dad too?”

M’gann frowned and squeezed Conner’s hand. “I think it doesn’t matter if you make him uncomfortable or not. You can’t help what was done to you, how you were created, or who you share genetics with. All that really matters is how you live your life and what kind of person you try to be. If he can’t deal with that, that’s on him. You have no control over others, only yourself. So don’t worry about what Jon’s dad might think of you. Jon loves you. The Team loves you…” M’gann paused before she could say I love you. Though she did, she didn’t want to add that to the things Conner had to think about at the moment. There would be time to tell him how she felt. He probably already knew anyway.

“Batman invited me, Jon, and Superman to dinner tonight.”

M’gann smiled so genuinely that Conner couldn’t help but feel the infectious optimism she was projecting. “That’s great!”

“I don’t know… Last time I had dinner with Superman, it ended with me and Jon on the roof of the house.”

M’gann laughed. “Not that bad an outcome for someone who can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Are you going to go?”

“You think it will be awkward?” Conner mused. “I did destroy Batman’s house just this morning.”

“It might be. But Jon is going, I’m assuming, and I don’t think you should pass up any chances you have to spend time with him while you have it. And who knows, maybe you won’t end up on Superman’s roof this time. I’d take that as a win.”

Conner smiled, feeling optimistic for the first time in a while. “Yeah. Me too.” He paused again. “Will you be alright if I leave for a few hours?”

M’gann waved him off. “I’ll be fine. Uncle John will be back soon from his meeting with Cadmus. He’s going to be working closely with them to try to stabilize and rehabilitate Match, the clone that attacked the city while you and Jon were… you know. I’m sure Uncle John will be talking to you and Superman about working with him on that soon.”

Conner wasn’t sure how Clark would take that request, but he would go all in without hesitation. Match was as much his brother as Jon was, and he’d do everything in his power to make sure Cadmus, and especially Lex, couldn’t exploit and imprison him anymore. He was sure that Dubbilex and the other Genomorphs at the lab would help as well. He didn’t quite trust the scientists at Cadmus, but if the Genomorphs were involved, and the Justice League provided oversight, he was sure Match would have the best chance possible to live a normal life… well, as normal a life as a clone of Superman could lead anyway.

“Now go hang out with your little brother,” M’gann shooed him off. “I don’t have to be telepathic to know he wants to see you.”

“Alright, alright,” Conner laughed and stood up, kissing M’gann on the top of her head as she sat in the slightly uncomfortable medical bay bed. “I’ll see you back at the mountain?”

“I’m sure I’ll be able to return to Earth by tomorrow. Keeping a patient for observation after an injury like mine is just standard procedure.”

“Alright. I’ll see you when you get back, then.”

“Good luck, Conner. You’re going to be fine.”

Conner gave her a strained smile, trying to be reassuring but not quite achieving his goal. “Yeah. I hope so.” He let his gaze linger on her for a moment more, then steeled himself to what lay beyond the door, and stepped through it.

Earth-16
3:30 p.m.
Gotham Academy

Dick had invited Tim back to his house after school and Tim’s mother was only too happy to let her child spend time with the son of the wealthiest and most influential man in Gotham. Tim ended the call and slipped his cellphone into his back pocket. “Alright. We’re good to go. Mom said she’d either pick me up in a few hours or have dad do it on his way home from work.” Tim, having never been invited to a friend’s house after school before, was just hoping he didn’t somehow embarrass himself in front of Robin.

“Asterous!” Dick cheered just as Alfred pulled up to the curb by the school. “Hi Alfred!” Dick greeted as the boys hopped into the back of the Morgan AeroMax and buckled up. “Tim’s gonna hang out at the manor for a bit. I hope that’s okay.”

Alfred nodded in that knowing way he always had and began driving the car out of the school’s pick-up loop. “Of course Master Richard, young Master Tim,” Alfred greeted. “Did you boys have a good day at school?”

“It was alright,” Dick said nonchalantly as Tim removed his phone from his pocket, absentmindedly. The boys buckled and Alfred started making his way out of the school’s end of day traffic. Tim opened a news page on the tiny screen out of habit as Dick complained about how he would have rather been helping Damian, Cass, and Little Dami today than dealing with classes that never challenge him. His monologue was cut off when he heard a sharp gasp from Tim. Dick’s attention immediately went to his friend and he saw the boy’s eyes were cartoonishly wide as he stared at the small cell phone. Dick was immediately concerned. “What happened?”

“Something bad,” Tim whispered, handing over his phone to Dick.

Dick read the headline and just barely held back his own gasp of horror. Superboys Fight Over Metropolis. There was a picture of a beaten Jon and enraged-looking Conner in a street that looked like someone had put a particularly large sledgehammer to it. And another of both of them in the air. Dick couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Was Conner flying? Since when could he do that?

Before Dick had the chance to say anything or even process what he was looking at, Alfred spoke in a reassuring tone that made both boys feel like things weren’t as bad as they seemed. “Not to worry,” the old man said, knowing exactly what they must be looking at. “Master Bruce says that the crisis has already been dealt with and that both Masters Conner and Jon are fine.”

“Oh. Good,” Dick said, exhaling a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Well… what happened?”

“I believe it had something to do with Lex Luthor, but Master Bruce has more information than I.”

“Did Bruce say when he would be back?” Dick asked, unable to squash the curiosity and impatience his worry for his friends was causing him.

“As far as I am aware he should be arriving soon via the Zetas. I should warn you though, the manor is currently undergoing renovations so don’t be surprised to find construction crews when we arrive home.”

“Renovations?” Dick asked, wondering what the heck could have happened in the few hours he had been stuck at school. “I don’t remember Bruce saying anything about construction happening today.”

“The damage was quite unexpected,” Alfred said with a knowing smile, “but this is Gotham. When the unexpected happens, we do what we must. Master Bruce has requested to talk to you about today’s events in person once everyone returns from the Watchtower.”

Dick sighed and slumped in his seat, looking over to Tim apologetically. Tim looked back to Dick, his eyes lit up like he had just proven the existence of Santa Claus. “The Watchtower is real?”

Earth-0
3:30 p.m.
Metropolis

Superman had flown from the Watchtower back to Metropolis, but it was Clark Kent who walked into the apartment he shared with his wife and son. It was Clark Kent who found Lois Lane-Kent furiously typing away at her laptop, covering the biggest news story of the century from her kitchen table because the rubble from a battle near the Daily Planet offices was making travel to the building nearly impossible. Even after the denizens of the Dark Multiverse had been sent back to where they had come from, the reminders of their incursion into Earth-0 was still glaringly obvious to anyone still left alive.

At the sound of the door opening, Lois looked up from her laptop. Even after being awake for over a day, hair pulled back and dressed in a ragged t-shirt and jeans, Lois was the most beautiful thing Clark had ever seen. He knew that thought wouldn’t have won him any romance writing awards, but it was true nonetheless.

“Clark?” She stood up and quickly moved to him, worry clear in her eyes.

“Everything’s fine, Lois,” he smiled and hugged her to him. She returned the embrace, allowing herself just that small moment to relax into his touch and believe that things really were alright.

“What’s going on?” she asked, as she looked up into his elated features.

“We found Jon. Well, Jon found us, I guess would be more accurate. But he’s okay. He’s completely fine and we’re going to get him back soon.”

Lois pushed away from Clark, needing the space to see if he was under some sort of mind control or if what he was saying was the honest truth. “You found Jon? Well, where is he?!” she practically screamed before managing to maintain her professional reporter facade.

“Alright, that’s where things get a little weird.”

Lois looked at Clark like he had just said that water was blue and expected her to be amazed. “Clark, we just fought off an invasion from several alternate evil realities. Wherever Jon is, it can’t be as weird as that.”

That statement stopped Clark’s explanation in his tracks and he actually paused to think. For someone who could think faster than the speed of light, it was a little disconcerting to see. “Clark?” Lois asked suspiciously.

“He’s with Damian on an alternate Earth in the multiverse.”

“Is that all?” Lois said, a mix of panic, anger, and disbelief battling for supremacy in her tone. Her posture grew steely and she became deadly serious. “I think you’d better start at the beginning.”

So Clark did.

Earth-16
3:40 p.m.
Wayne Manor

Alfred pulled through the gates of Wayne Manor and drove slowly up the long driveway. Dick and Tim could see the construction crew working on the front of the house as soon as the manor came into view.

“Wow,” Dick whispered, gaping at the damage. “I figured it was bad but I thought we’d fill in a hole, not replace the whole wall.”

“It is not as terrible as it appears,” Alfred reassured him. “Though Master Conner threw Master Jon through the wall, missing the window by quite a margin, both boys are recovering from their ordeal and are due to visit tonight. We have been assured that repairs will be complete by the time they arrive.”

“Conner threw Jon through the wall?!” Dick cried in surprise, not expecting for a moment that that had been the reason behind the damage.

“Under duress,” Alfred amended calmly, attempting to reassure the boys. “And as I’ve said, both Kent children are doing fine now.”

“Wow,” Tim whispered, mesmerized by the view in front of him and imagining how that scene must have played out. “That looks like it caused a lot of damage. And the repairs are almost done. That’s pretty impressive, even for Gotham construction crews.”

“I was actually more impressed that Bruce would willingly invite someone outside the family to dinner… who wasn’t just a dumb blonde there to keep up the billionaire playboy cover, anyway,” Dick commented.

“Manners, Master Dick,” Alfred chided as he pulled around to the back of the house.

“Sorry, Alfred,” Dick said, his shoulders hunching a little in embarrassment.

The boys hopped out of the car and headed to the manor while the grandfatherly butler continued on to the garage where Bruce’s car collection was housed. Dick and Tim sprinted to the house and entered through the back door to the kitchen where they found Ravi with Baby Damian and Cass sitting at the table having a small snack.

“Welcome home, Richard and Timothy,” Ravi said, inclining his head and smiling while Dami reached out happily toward the newcomers, making tiny burbling noises and swinging his cow stuffie around by one of its back legs. Cassandra popped another carrot stick into her mouth and waved to the boys.

“Hi everyone!” Dick said with genuine affection to the newcomers so recently adopted into the family (even if it wasn’t official, Dick knew it was only a matter of time). “How are you settling in?”

“The morning was a bit harrowing,” Ravi said with a serious look, remembering the danger and the aftermath of the Superboy’s attack, “but we have been doing well since then. Thank you for asking.”

“Yeah…” Dick said, eyeing the construction crew working in the next room. “I’m glad everyone’s okay.”

Cassandra smiled at him reassuringly. “Conner and Jon okay?”

This time, when Dick smiled, there was a genuine light that reassured Cassandra before he even spoke. “Yeah. From what I hear, they’re doing fine. And they’re coming to dinner.”

“Yay!” Cass chirped.

Dick made his way over to one of the lesser-used cupboards and rummaged around in the back for a few seconds before pulling some cookies that were stored hidden in a tin from the back of the cupboard. He offered some to Tim and the non-infants sitting at the table. Dami reached out for the new item in his view but Dick kept the cookies out of the little demon’s range. “Sorry, kiddo. These are for people with teeth. But I’ll make sure Alfie makes you some more when you’re old enough.”

“What are these?” Tim asked, taking a cookie delicately from the tin, as if he were afraid Dick would kick him out if he broke the snack. He still couldn’t get over the fact that Robin wanted to be his friend.

“You have to try some of Alfred’s snickerdoodles. They’re amazing, even a couple days old,” Dick explained enthusiastically, completely oblivious to Tim’s anxiety.

Cass snatched a cookie from the tin as well and held it like she didn’t know whether to eat it or keep it as a souvenir. “Thanks you,” she said after a moment. She had never had a snickerdoodle before. She doubted she could even say the word, but she was willing to try anything at least once.

Dick chuckled. “It’s either ‘thanks’ or ‘thank you.’ But don’t worry, words are fun. Stick with me and you’ll be chatting everyone’s ears off by Christmas. Want anything to drink?” Dick asked, going for a bottle of flavored water from the fridge.

“No, thank you,” Tim said and took a bite of his cookie. It was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten. His parents didn’t bake and the housekeeper's homemade cookies didn’t hold a candle to that snickerdoodle. He might have to ask for another one later… That would probably be okay.

Cass bit into hers as well and a huge grin slowly spread across her face. She immediately grabbed another and practically teleported over to Ravi, giving him his own to try. He took it happily, though the joy that he was sure Cassandra was noticing was from his delight at seeing her happy rather than the cookie she had given him. “Thank you, Lady Cassandra. I will treasure it.”

Tim and Dick spent the next few minutes snacking with Cass, Ravi, and Baby Dami until Alfred made his way into the kitchen. When he saw the cookies he gave Dick a familiar reprimanding look. “The snickerdoodles, Master Dick? You know we’ll be having dinner soon.”

“But no one else has ever had them!” Dick protested. “And really, if you didn’t want me eating them before dinner, you need to find a better hiding place for them.

Alfred gave him an exasperated sigh but Dick could tell by the grin he was trying to suppress that Alfred wasn’t really all that upset. “Why don’t we call this your last one for the day,” he suggested, closing the tin and replacing it back into the cupboard.

“Okay,” Dick agreed, shoving the last of his cookie into his mouth. As soon as everyone was done, Dick whisked Tim and Cass upstairs. The hallways were vast and decorated with expensive looking tapestries and paintings. Tim felt his own house didn’t hold a candle to this one wing of Wayne Manor. Dick opened the first door they came to and Tim peered into the large living space decorated with videogames, figurines, and posters, the most prominent of which was the framed “Flying Graysons” advertisement showing Dick and his rather large extended family with a massive trapeze set behind them.

“This is my room,” Dick said before immediately moving to the next door down the hall. “This one is empty right now. Damian might take it, but if you want it it’s still up for grabs.”

Before Tim could figure out what Dick was talking about he had moved across the hall and opened another door revealing an even larger guest bedroom.

“This one is a little bigger but you don’t get as much light in the morning. You and Cass should take a look at all the rooms before you decide though. And I wouldn’t try fighting her for it if you decide you want the same room. I’ve seen her fight. Rock Paper Scissors might not even be safe.”

Tim’s brain seemed to short circuit, not for the first time that day. “You were serious about the room?”

Dick looked back at Tim confused. “Of course. If you ever stay over you’re going to need a room, and we’ve got enough of them that you can just call one yours. Bruce is at the end of the hall but you’re welcome to any of the empty ones. And whenever you want to stay over just say so.”

The two boys, followed closely by Cassandra, made their way down the hallway and looked at each available room. Tim had never really understood what people meant when they described feeling like they were in a dream, but at that moment when he was being offered his own space in Wayne Manor, he got it. “Bruce or Alfred can even pick you up from your house and bring you over,” Dick continued. “You could even come over this weekend if you want. Oh! I could bring you to Mount Justice and introduce you to the rest of the team! They’d love you.”

Tim’s mind glitched yet again at the prospect of meeting the entire Young Justice team. He had been happy just meeting Robin, Superboy, and Kid Flash. The idea of being introduced to everyone, though… He began to wonder if that crazy lady didn’t actually kill him last night and he was in a really good version of the afterlife. “That would be… amazing.”

“Asterous!” Dick exclaimed, looking genuinely happy about Tim’s response. “It’ll be great! We could do a movie night or… Oh! Maybe bowling. It’s hilarious when Conner forgets his strength. It sounds like a thunderstorm exploding.”

Tim was overwhelmed. The idea of hanging out with the Team made him simultaneously exhilarated and terrified. “So… not that I'm not grateful and excited to meet your friends, but… why?”

“Well… you’re family now, just like Cass and Ravi and Dami, and you should meet my friends. And they should meet you.” Dick explained. “Cass, you want to hang out with me and Tim and the rest of the Team this weekend?”

Cass looked up and gave the boys a thumbs up before turning her attention back to the room they were currently standing by. It had frilly curtains and a bed with the fluffiest blanket she had ever seen in her life.

Tim appreciated the sentiment, but he still couldn’t wrap his head around everything that had happened since the previous night. It was beginning to make him paranoid. He knew Batman’s and Robin’s identities so why was Robin now inviting him to meet even more superheroes? Not that he was complaining. It just didn’t make sense to him. “But why?”

“I already told you,” Dick said innocently and shrugged. “You’re family now, and I want my friends to know my family,”

“No, I mean… you’ve known me for less than a day. I was taking pictures of you without your knowledge. Why are you being so nice to me? You should be thinking I’m weird or threatening to put me in jail. I mean, people usually need a while to get to know each other, right? Why am I family?”

Dick hadn’t even thought about it. He was so used to everyone knowing about Damian and the multiverse that he had forgotten that Tim didn’t actually know about where the kid came from or anything he had told them all about. Dick realized much later than he should have that Tim didn’t know anything about the multiverse or the fact that on another Earth he really was family. How was he possibly going to explain that to him?

Luckily, Cass had perfect timing and chose that moment to interrupt their conversation. “I want this one,” she said, jumping on the overstuffed blanket on the Queen sized bed and claiming her space. She left no room for argument from the other boys.

Dick was pretty sure Cass had picked that moment deliberately to distract Tim from his questions and he was thankful for it. He wasn’t quite sure how to explain everything to the eight-year-old just yet. He silently thanked her and she hopped off the bed, giving him a conspiratorial smile in return. She didn’t want Tim to be upset or confused, and it made her happy knowing that she could help and that they all would be part of this family from now on.

“Hey!” Dick said loudly, getting what was, in his opinion, a brilliant idea. “Want to see the Cave?”

Tim’s eyes went wide, and for the second time that afternoon he felt like Dick had just proven the existence of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. “Batman really does have a Batcave?”

Dick’s grin could have given the Joker’s a run for his money. “Oh yeah. He has a Batcave.”

Earth-0
6:48 p.m.
The Batcave

Nightwing, Orphan, Batgirl, and The Signal had all gotten Batman’s emergency meeting request and were waiting for Batman to arrive from the Watchtower to find out what was so important.

“Any idea what this is about?” Batgirl asked Nightwing.

Dick shrugged. “This is the first meeting I’ve been called to since I moved to Bludhaven.”

“What about you, Cass?” Barbara asked, turning away from Dick to look at the quiet teenager. “Or you, Duke? You both live with him. Has he said anything to you?”

Orphan shook her head and The Signal, still only days into his official superhero career, followed suit. “You think he ever tells us anything?” Duke asked.

“I’m assuming Steph and Jason aren’t coming,” Barbara said, noticing the lack of the red-helmeted black sheep of the family and her blonde, delinquent, almost-little-sister who was still in mourning over Tim’s death. “And I know Kate is on the job right now, so she won’t be here.”

Once again Cass shook her head, confirming that the family dynamic hadn’t gotten any better since the last time Barbara had been invited down to the cave.

“Well, where’s Damian? If anyone knows what’s going on, he would.” Barbara said, trying not to let her frustration show. She hated going into one of Bruce’s family meetings blind. It was rare enough that he called them all together in the first place. She should have heard something about what was going on if it was important enough to bring the entire family together. Sometimes she missed the access she had to… well, everything when she was Oracle.

Dick frowned. “I haven’t heard from him in a while.” He had been so busy in Bludhaven that he hadn’t noticed the lack of calls from the littlest member of the Batfamily. If he had to guess, he could imagine it was because he was busy with his new team. “Honestly, I don’t think he’s been around the manor much lately either.” Dick knew that running the Teen Titans could take up a lot of time. He created the team after all. It was very unlike Damian not to at least text him every other day, though. How long had it been since he’d even gotten one of those? Suddenly, Dick had a very bad feeling.

He didn’t get to dwell on it long before the Batmobile arrived, roaring into the Batcave and stopping as if the laws of physics didn’t apply to it. The door opened and Batman stepped out. He looked about as worn down as Dick felt after the emotional and physical beating they had all been through during the Dark Multiverse crisis. Even so, he also had a strength in his movements that made Dick wonder, not for the first time, how the man could take those hits and continue on like an odd version of the Terminator who abhorred guns. That thought made him think of Damian again, and he realized he had missed the entirety of what Bruce had just said to the group. “Sorry, what?”

“Damian and Tim are both alive, but marooned in an alternate reality version of Earth. Clark and I are going to bring them home.”

Dick could almost feel something physically break in him. A typhoon of thoughts, questions, and memories crashed through his mind. “Damian and Tim are both alive?” His voice sounded hollow, even to his own ears, which were ringing a little bit, he thought.

“We’re working on fixing The Flash’s Treadmill. As soon as that’s up and running again—”

“When were we thinking Damian might have been dead?” Dick shouted, cutting his mentor off mid-sentence. Batman glared at Dick for the rude interruption but his eldest son had long ago grown immune to that particular reprimand. “How long has Damian been missing? Were you even planning on telling any of us?”

“Dick,” Batman said, knowing Nightwing was right but too stubborn to say so. “I’m telling you now.”

“That’s not good enough!” Dick sniped, growing angrier. He was livid, but more at himself than at Bruce. He should have known something was wrong. He must be the worst brother on the planet to not have realized that Damian was missing. But Bruce knew and he didn’t say anything to anyone. Again. All Dick’s anger was directed at that one thought for now.

“You wanted your space to set yourself up in Bludhaven.”

“Not if my little brother goes missing! Bruce! I just had to kill an evil little nightmare version of him! What if that had actually been Damian?”

“It wasn’t,” Bruce said without a hint of remorse, remembering the image of the Joker toxin infected children the Batman Who Laughs had brought with him from the Dark Multiverse. He had read the mission report after everything that happened; after he teamed up with the Joker as a last resort to take out that homicidal version of himself. “We all did things we never thought we would ever have to do in order to save the world. That child had ceased to be Damian long before he came to this reality. And I didn’t tell you he was missing because I wasn’t sure he actually was until he didn’t show up to help defend against the invasion from the Dark Multiverse. You know him, Dick! He does what he wants and he can take care of himself. You did the same thing when you were his age. I could never control what you did and when I tried you’d just run away to the Titans.”

Dick almost was able to see Bruce’s side of things, but then he had to go and bring up that. “Seriously, Bruce? You really want to open up that old can of worms right now?”

Cass could see both Dick and Bruce were scared for Damian and hurt by the words they were throwing at each other. It always made her wonder why her father never wanted her to speak when she saw how much more deeply words could harm a person than physical pain ever could.

“Not to diminish the importance of Damian going missing and you not mentioning it,” Barbara cut in, knowing that one of them was going to blow up and storm out rather than talk it out like any other non-emotionally stunted human being, “But did you just say Tim’s alive?”

“Yeah,” Duke agreed, “we know Damian’s okay, now, but how exactly does someone survive an explosion like the one Tim was in?”

Bruce’s expression never changed but he was grateful for the shift in the conversation. “I don’t have a lot of details. I just know Clark heard his voice in the communication we were sent. Tim and Damian are together on another Earth in the multiverse.”

“And we know it was our Tim, and not a doppelganger?” Barbara asked.

“Clark told me it was him.” Bruce’s words left no room for doubt. No one had to question Superman’s hearing or his certainty about what he heard. He wouldn’t have made that claim to Bruce unless he was certain. That allowed everyone in the cave to skip by the disbelief and skepticism they would normally feel at a claim like that and move on right to Hope.

“So when are we going to go get them,” Dick asked, visibly less tense than he had been only a minute before.

“Clark and I will be going as soon as the Cosmic Treadmill is rebuilt. Within a few days.”

“No,” Dick said stubbornly. “Clark, you, and I are going to go get them.”

“Dick,” Bruce said, trying to keep his voice level. “You know what the Treadmill looks like. It’s a single passenger… vehicle. I’m going to have to use a grappling line attached to one of the handles and hope I last the trip, just like last time. I’m not putting you in that position. I won’t lose one child trying to rescue another.”

Dick laughed with an incredulous lilt. “Bruce. I’m not your kid anymore. I’m an adult who goes out every night risking my life and fighting crime just like you do and I should be able to make the decision whether I put my life at risk to help rescue my little brothers. You’re not the only one with a grappling hook and I can hold on just fine.”

Bruce frowned. He knew what Dick was saying made sense, but he would always think of him as his kid and would always want to protect him. It didn’t matter that he chose to follow in Bruce’s footsteps as a vigilante (the one thing he never wanted for any of his children, and the one thing he could never deny them). “We’ll talk about it more once the Treadmill is complete.”

“I don’t trust that you won’t leave in the middle of the night without telling anyone.”

“Dick, you’re being ridiculous!” Batman snapped.

Barbara sighed dramatically and pulled out her phone. “Children. Both of you. At least there’s a quick fix to that particular problem.” She dialed a number and put her phone on speaker. It rang once and Clark Kent’s familiar voice rang out clearly through it.

“Hi Barbara. What can I do for you?”

“Hi Clark. I’m here with Bruce and the family. We’re dealing with a bit of a lack of trust and I was hoping you might be able to help alleviate some of that.”

“Sure. Whatever I can do to help. Hi everyone.”

“Hi Uncle Clark,” Dick said happily as the others greeted Superman with a bit more deference and Bruce just grunted.

“Hi everyone!” came Lois’s voice in the background on the other end of the line.

“Hi Lois!” Dick added with just as much enthusiasm as he had for Superman.

“Hi Lois,” Barbara added with a genuine smile. “Clark, I’d like you to promise that you won’t leave to go get the boys without making sure Bruce speaks with Dick first before you go. Call him right before you leave if you have to.”

“Of course. Not even kryptonite could keep me from it,” Clark laughed good-naturedly.

“And I’ll be his backup,” Lois added sweetly. “Trust me, Bruce won’t go anywhere without that chat, Dick.”

“Thanks, Clark. Thanks, Lois,” Barbara said gratefully.

“Anytime.”

They hung up and Barbara smiled smugly, then turned her attention to Bruce. “There. Problem solved. Now, tell us everything you know about what happened.”

Earth-16
4:25 p.m.
The Batcave

“So as you can see, I have added a lot to the décor in my time with Batman,” Dick said, walking by the more interesting souvenirs he had acquired for the Batcave through the years. “That giant penny took a little convincing but Bruce eventually gave in. My favorite is the T-Rex, though. I mean, who wouldn’t want their own personal giant, carnivorous dinosaur, am I right?”

Little Tim Drake was following behind Dick with stars in his eyes, wishing that he had not had his camera confiscated by Batman earlier that morning. “This may be the single greatest day of my life,” Tim said out loud as he took in the sights, his head swiveling from side to side, not knowing what to focus on first. “And you get to live here!”

Dick laughed. “Well, technically I live upstairs.”

“Still, you get to come down here whenever you want. And you get to go out and fight crime with Batman! You’ve got enough interesting life stories to fill a book and you’re not even out of high school yet.”

Dick shrugged, playing it cool. “It’s not like I could publish my mission reports. And I only go out on the weekends, vacations, and holidays. Bruce and I have an agreement. I can’t let my hero life interfere with school. I don’t sneak out like I did when he first took me in and he won’t handcuff me to the bed every night to make sure I don’t get hurt running around Gotham alone. What he doesn’t realize is I could escape any handcuff he threw at me at this point and escaping the manor is easy once you know where the security monitors are. Besides, I’ve been doing this long enough that I could go out there without his supervision and not get hurt. I know what I’m doing and I know what the costumed villains in Gotham are capable of.”

Dick’s mind flashed briefly to images of an older version of himself in a black and blue suit, reassuring Damian about how much he cared about him. Almost immediately that image caused him to remember Damian’s murder, watching that monster with Damian’s face gut his little brother while he was incapacitated and unable to do anything about it. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear the unwanted memories. M’gann’s Memory Bomb was useful at the time they needed it, but he could do without the memories it left him with.

“Are you okay?” Dick heard Tim’s uncertain voice ask.

Dick forced the memories from his mind and smiled reassuringly to the younger boy. “Yeah. Don’t worry about it. Just a headache coming on. We should probably get back upstairs before Alfred realizes just how much of the manor I’ve shown you and Cass,” Dick said, looking around the Cave. “Speaking of Cass… where’d she go?”

“Cassandra?” Tim shouted, sending a colony of bats scattering into the far reaches of the cave.

The boys did not hear a reply or see any sign of the small girl who had definitely been with them when they entered through the grandfather clock in Bruce’s study.

“Well, that’s not good,” Dick commented, scanning the area for any signs of the wayward eight-year-old. Unfortunately, either she was using her ninja skills to hide exceedingly well, or she fell off a ledge somewhere. Dick was pretty sure it was the former, so he wasn’t panicking quite yet, but he couldn’t leave the Cave without finding her first. To make matters worse, the Batcave’s Zeta-tube decided to activate right at that moment, and Dick knew that he was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Batman, Damian, Jon, and another black-haired boy stepped out of the Zeta-tube into the Batcave. The unfamiliar teen was dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt and carried a bundle of neatly folded clothes that looked suspiciously like Damian’s Robin uniform in his arms. Dick had never seen him before but the tall newcomer looked around with a blank face, as if he were inspecting a familiar location and wasn’t impressed in the least. There was no awe in his eyes like Timmy had when he first walked into the Batcave. And who wouldn’t? It was the BATCAVE for goodness’ sake!

Dick wasn’t sure what to make of this new person and wondered why Batman would bring him into the Cave without at least a blindfold or handcuffs. His thoughts were cut short when Clark, already dressed in a white shirt and red tie with blue suit pants and jacket, and Conner in his usual t-shirt and jeans, stepped through the Zeta-tube a moment later. A tension Dick had not even known he was carrying simply melted away when he saw his friend was safe and not evil and here in the Batcave, also not handcuffed or restrained in any way.

The first thing Tim Drake of Earth-0 noticed when he walked into the Batcave of Earth-16 was that there were some things about it that were just slightly off. The trophy cases weren’t quite as full as they should be and the memorials for fallen family members were non-existent (hopefully they would never have to be erected, but that was wishful thinking and Tim knew it). There was also a tiny version of Dick Grayson and an even tinier black-haired boy who he thought looked very familiar but didn’t really want to guess at who it probably was, standing right in front of him, looking guilty as hell. The only thing keeping Tim from going into shock right then and there was his years of training with the most expressionless superhero in America.

“Conner!” Dick shouted, sounding elated and relieved all at once. Without warning, Dick ran past Tim and tackled Conner in a hug. “I saw you on the news, man! What the heck happened? No one was telling me anything! You can fly now?”

Conner shrugged, embarrassed by the abrupt greeting. “Oh, you know. Lex Luthor, the mastermind behind my creation, had left a set of instructions buried in my subconscious that caused me to lose all sense of who I was and follow an all-consuming need to follow his orders.”

Tim winced.

“He made Conner throw me through the wall,” Jon added helpfully to illustrate Lex Luthor’s evilness.

Dick did a double take at Jon, noticing his arm in a sling. “What?” he asked Jon, shocked at the casual way the kid had talked about his injury at the hands of his best friend. “Are you okay?”

“Oh yeah. No big deal. Kon’s good now and I’ve got a free pass from Damian’s morning training practices for a while,” Jon said, smiling deviously.

Damian huffed an annoyed breath and crossed his arms. “That just means you’ll be pulling doubles for a while after you heal until I believe you’re at an acceptable level of combat competence. And your arm being in a sling doesn’t bar you from studying the training manual I’ve developed for you.”

“Just a typical Thursday,” Conner added as Jon looked at Damian with a horrified expression. “And no, I can’t fly. That was Lex’s doing as well, and I don’t plan on using what he gave me again, even if it can give me access to my full powerset.”

Dick’s face fell. “Conner… that’s…”

“Not asterous… yeah. But I’m okay now. M’gann got it out of my head and we made a deal with Lex to keep him from coming after me again.”

“You made a deal with Lex Luthor?” Dick asked, looking horrified.

“Yeah,” Conner said miserably, sounding like he knew exactly how bad of an idea that was now.

“That’s not… good,” little Tim said, trying to word his sentence as gently as possibly while in his brain he was screaming colorful metaphors about how terrible an idea making any sort of deal with Lex Luthor actually was.

Clark put a comforting hand on Conner’s shoulder. “It’s not the ideal outcome of today’s events, but we’ll deal with the consequences together, whatever they may be.”

Conner smiled half-heartedly but was genuinely grateful for Clark’s support.

Batman and Damian frowned almost simultaneously and in such a similar way that if there were any question about Damian’s parentage, that would have settled it permanently. “We’ll be watching Luthor very closely in the future,” Bruce agreed. “And I suppose I need to watch my kids a bit more closely as well.”

He took one look at Dick and little Tim and they knew they were in trouble. Bruce had known little Tim had returned home with Dick that afternoon, but he hadn’t given him permission to show the boy the Batcave, even if he already knew Bruce’s identity. The last thing he wanted to do was blindside either of the Tim Drakes with their alternate reality counterpart. He hadn’t even told Dick about the older Tim yet.

Dick seemed to instinctively know when his guardian was irritated, as he slowly, guiltily turned from Conner to face Batman. “Hi Bruce. Welcome home!”

“We’ll talk about this later,” Bruce said in a tone that wasn’t quite Batman but wasn’t Bruce either. Dick called it the disappointed dad voice (though never to Bruce’s face).

“Right…” Dick said, uncomfortably returning his attention to little Tim, and then back to the teenagers in the group. “So, who’s the new guy?”

“I have to say, it’s a trip being taller than you for once,” the newcomer said playfully and ruffled Dick’s hair.

Dick wasn’t sure what to say to that as he jumped back out of the teenager’s reach and glared at him. Was he supposed to know this person? The boy certainly seemed familiar with him.

“Nice to meet you, Dick. I’m Damian’s brother, Tim.” The teen smiled and held out his hand to shake.

“No way.” Dick’s face fell and he looked back at the younger boy behind him. He looked back at the teen and immediately to the child again. A couple more head swivels confirmed it. Same eyes, same jaw, same ears. “Seriously?”

“My name’s Tim too,” little Tim said quietly, waving shyly to the newcomer. “Tim Drake. Nice to meet you.”

Dick saw the teen sort of wince and take just a slightly deeper breath than normal, but other than that, didn’t react to little Tim’s declaration. He had to give older Tim props for not completely freaking out. His expression barely changed and he didn’t miss a beat as he waved back at the small boy and smiled awkwardly. “You too, Tim.” He shot a quick look at Batman. “Do you mind if I head upstairs?”

Bruce nodded. “Alfred got you some clothes to wear while you’re staying at the manor. Once you’ve changed I can give you the tour of the house… if you want,” he said, not certain if the teenager even needed a tour, but unable to think of anything else to say. Bruce honestly couldn’t understand how he could be the suave, unflappable, billionaire philanthropist with any business mogul or supermodel, yet when it came to his children… or the alternate reality teenage versions of people who might one day become his children, he lost all coherent thought and the ability to say anything intelligent whatsoever.

Tim gave him a tight smile, looking just as uncomfortable in the awkward silence. “You don’t have to go out of your way. Thanks… for the clothes. I would really like to get into something new.”

“Alright. Alfred knows we’re coming. He can show you to your room… the room you’ll be staying in while you’re here.”

Tim nodded in appreciation. “I’ll see you upstairs.” He headed out of the Cave.

“Let’s go see how Cassandra is doing,” Jon suggested, turning to Conner. “She was really worried about you when you left.”

Conner made a pained face remembering how he had left the manor so many hours before and looked guiltily at Batman. “I’ll find a way to pay for the wall, I promise.”

Batman shook his head. “That wasn’t your fault. If anything, I should be suing Lex for damages, but that’s time, energy, and publicity I’m just not in the mood to expend right now. Besides, it’s already taken care of.”

“What?” Conner asked in disbelief.

“I’ve got contractors on call twenty-four hours a day to deal with collateral damage Batman might cause fighting supervillains. They don’t ask questions and work quickly.”

“So they just rebuilt the front of your house in less than a day?”

“It’s nothing to look at right now, but it’ll keep the cold out. I was planning on remodeling anyway. This just moved up the timeline. They should be finished before dinner starts.”

Dick smiled discreetly, knowing that Bruce had never mentioned remodeling plans, but grateful that he was doing his best to allay Conner’s guilt. He wondered when he had started caring about Conner’s feelings, then shrugged, as he noticed that he didn’t really care about the answer to that question. Bruce having more people he cared about wasn’t necessarily the worst thing that could have happened to him.

“Go ahead upstairs. I’m sure Cassandra is anxious to see that you’re alright.” Batman looked to the top of the T-Rex and raised his voice. “Isn’t that right, Cassandra?”

A tiny head of black hair peaked over the snout of the dinosaur. She grinned and jumped.

“Cass!” Damian shouted, looking more annoyed than worried.

At the same time, Tim got a flashback of Damian throwing him off that exact spot into Jason’s memorial, blood and glass everywhere.

Conner’s heart leapt into his throat as he watched the small body fall from far too high up to land without breaking something. He didn’t think, he simply reacted, his body moving without thought to catch her halfway to the ground.

Cassandra laughed in delight as she practically flew in an arc safely to the ground in Conner’s arms.

“Please don’t ever do that again,” Conner said, feeling like he had just lost a decade of his life.

“Again!”

Conner looked sick at the idea of her putting herself in harm’s way like that again. “Maybe after Batman says you’re old enough to swing between skyscrapers on your own.”

“I can!” Cass said hopefully.

“Not for a few more years at least, Miss Cain,” Batman said gently, internally letting go a sigh of relief that he was sure she saw anyway.

Cassandra pouted but seemed to accept Batman’s judgement, nodding once just to make sure he knew she understood.

“You don’t seem very upset that she just tried to bungee jump without a cord,” Conner scolded.

Batman shrugged. “She had Jon, Damian, me, Clark, and you. If you hadn’t gone for her, one of us would have. We’re not the most traditional safety gear, but she knew exactly what she was doing, didn’t you?” he asked Cass, then said as an aside to no one in particular, “I’ve never been very good at stopping my kids from jumping off of high places.”

Cass smiled brightly and looked up at Conner. “I know you can catch me. You are you now. Thank you. Thanks!”

Conner couldn’t help but smile back at her, more in relief than anything else. “Just don’t make a habit of it, okay?”

Cass nodded and slipped out of Conner’s grasp. “Upstairs now,” she shouted and started leading the way without looking if anyone would follow her.

Conner chuffed a laugh. “Lead the way, kid.” He started following her and looked to Damian and Jon, then Dick and little Tim. “You coming too?”

They all nodded and headed to the main floor of the manor looking much more at ease than Bruce had seen them all day.

As the group headed up the stairs, Clark saw little Tim take one look back at him and Batman and ask Dick, “Was that who I think it was?”

With hopefully no more crises on the horizon, Bruce made his way to the Batcave’s changing room and quickly transformed himself back into Billionaire Single Dad: Bruce Wayne. When he returned to the main area of the Batcave, he found Clark waiting for him.

“Everything alright, Clark?” Bruce asked with a suspicious note to his voice.

Clark smiled. “Everything’s fine. I just wanted to know how you were doing? We made contact with another Earth. It’s… quite frankly, amazing. But it means that the boys will be leaving us soon. I know you’ve grown as attached to Damian as I have to Jon. Our kids love them too.”

Before Clark could say any more, Bruce smiled. “I think that’s the first time you’ve referred to Conner as your kid.”

Clark blushed. “Well, I… You know, we’ve been through a lot. I just…”

Bruce waved off his friend’s stuttering explanation. “I know what you mean. And yes, I’m alright. This has always been the plan. Find their home and return them to it." He allowed himself to sigh. “And of course I’m attached too, but if I know myself, that other Bruce, Damian’s dad, is going to be doing everything in his power to get his boy back as soon as possible. As much as it’s going to hurt to see them go, it’s for the best. Damian and Jon deserve to be with their families. I’d never keep them from their home.”

“I wasn’t implying that you would, Bruce. I’m just saying, if you ever need to talk, I’m here. I know exactly how you feel.”

Bruce nodded without looking Clark in the eye. It was easier to allow his emotions out when he was dressed as Bruce Wayne, but at the end of the day, he was Batman, and it was hard to show vulnerability to anyone, even Superman… especially Superman. “Thanks, Clark,” he said anyway. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Chapter Text

Thursday, October 14, 2010
5:45 p.m.
Wayne Manor - Second Floor

The front of the house wasn’t pretty but it was repaired. As promised, the workers were heading home before dinner began, with a team scheduled to return early the next morning to finish up with the painting and landscaping. At least they wouldn’t have woodland creatures invading the manor in the night.

Anyone under two decades old had been banished to the living room to wait for dinner to begin while Bruce, Clark, Ravi, and Alfred (but mostly Alfred who had to practically be bribed and threatened to allow the other adults to help him) finished up in the kitchen. The kids had offered to help, but there were so many bodies running around in the same area that it was safer to have them just set the table and wait. With everyone helping, the table setting took barely five minutes, so now the majority of children were sitting around a coffee table in the living room playing a rather intense game of Uno while Tim and Damian wandered up the stairway from the main hall to the bedrooms in the south wing of the house. The brothers had needed some time to get reacquainted and everyone was perfectly happy to give them that.

“It’s weird, right?” Damian asked as he and Tim strolled lazily past the giant portraits of long dead Wayne ancestors lining the hallway.

“Totally weird,” Tim agreed, thinking about the much younger versions of himself and Damian just a floor away from them, innocently playing a card game or using a stuffed cow as a teething ring (or maybe little Dami was just practicing his biting skills early. Tim wouldn’t put it past the toddler).

“I really changed things for this reality,” Damian said with a tinge of guilt in his voice.

“You did your best,” Tim commiserated. “Sometimes, there is no right answer. Are you upset that that little version of you won’t grow up under the influence of an evil murder-cult?”

Damian shrugged. “That evil murder-cult made me who I am. Will that even be me when he grows up?”

“Damian,” Tim reassured him. “You are not you because of the evil murder-cult. You’re you despite it. You just gave that little guy a chance to be you without all the trauma that came with your first decade. I don’t think Bruce would be upset with the outcome. And even if the kid ends up with a completely different personality, that won’t change who you are. There’s only one you, no matter how many alternate Earths and Damian doppelgangers are out there in the multiverse.”

Damian blushed and shoved his hands in the pockets of the jeans he was now wearing. “Speaking of the multiverse, Oz never mentioned why he decided to take you captive and make everyone believe you had died a horrible fiery death?” 

“Nothing that made too much sense. Honestly, he didn’t seem all there in the head,” Tim explained, thinking back to his months in captivity. “He seemed… angry, or maybe disappointed. What he did say to me in the short time I managed what you could call a conversation with him, he rambled about… I’m not really sure.” Tim frowned at the memory. “Weird stuff.”

“When we get back home,” Damian mused, “Father will track him down. Then we’ll get answers.”

“He’s Kryptonian, Dami. That might be harder than you think.”

Damian shook his head. “Father has a contingency for all the heroes in the Justice League. If he doesn’t already have one for a rogue Kryptonian with dimensional travel capabilities, he will by the time you’re done debriefing. He will come through.”

Tim looked at his hands, his knuckles scarred from years of combat with Gotham’s worst. He remembered where he started: a boy who believed that Batman was losing his way, who just wanted his hero to be a hero again, not the sad, violent man falling further and further into darkness every night he went out to punish the evil-doers of Gotham. Damian never saw that Batman. The one who failed. The man who had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the pit of despair he had made for himself after Jason died. Tim had done that, and he was glad to have done it. Gotham needed a Batman. He just wondered if anything he tried to do for Bruce had actually stuck. Did any of it matter? 

For a while Bruce had seemed better, then Jason had come back as a murderous lunatic and Talia revealed Damian, also a murderous lunatic at the time. But they both had gotten better… kind of… eventually. Those years had taken their toll on everyone. Tim barely ever saw Bruce smile anymore. Maybe he did with Damian, but Tim wouldn’t know about that. He just wondered if the Batman Damian saw was the Batman that everyone else actually had. 

“Best laid plans…” Tim murmured, letting his mind wander. Sorting through his jumble of old and newly recovered memories was like trying to fit together puzzle pieces warped by water and heat. The picture was there but it didn’t look exactly right. He hoped Damian’s faith in his father never left him. At the same time he wondered when his own faith in the man had begun to disappear. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Damian’s own look of uncertainty bleeding into his features.

“Damian?” Tim asked with a look of concern. “What’s wrong?”

Damian didn’t say anything for a long time but Tim didn’t move, didn’t hurry him. He could sense that his brother needed a little extra time to gather his thoughts. 

Damian looked at the crude drawing of a ballerina that was taped to one of the doors and smiled. “Looks like Cassandra claimed her bedroom.”

“Yeah,” Tim laughed. “Good thing, too. I would have just taken my old room if she hadn’t called dibs.”

Damian looked around and realized that, despite the altered decor of this reality’s Wayne Manor, this would have been the room Tim used back on their own Earth. The realization hit Damian unexpectedly and the good mood he was building faded back into the melancholy of his previous thoughts. “We’ll be leaving soon.”

“Yeah. We finally get to go home,” Tim smiled, feeling the relief that sentence gave him after so long in captivity.

Damian took in a deep breath, as if the extra air would strengthen his resolve to speak about the traitorous thoughts in his head. “I want to go home. I do. I miss Richard and the rest of the family. Even the Teen Titans. They will be falling apart without my guidance, I’m sure… but…”

“You like it here,” Tim said with understanding. “I get it. I mean, look at them. They’re all so… happy.”

“Right?” Damian laughed. “Jon fits in great with everyone. When was the last time our family was like that?”

“Like what? Functional?” Tim asked. “Alfred tries to get us to have family night all the time. We’re just too busy. You know how it is. Gotham’s a mess.”

“But this version of our family manages to make it work,” Damian argued. He started heading back to the stairway to rejoin the group in the living room.

“They’re younger,” Tim shrugged and followed his little brother to the stairs. “And not everyone is here yet. Little me’s still got his parents and Jason’s probably with his mom and maybe even his dad at this point. Gotham’s probably not as bad right now either. They haven’t been through what we have. Jason never died, Bane never broke Bruce’s back, the Court of Owls is either laying low or doesn’t exist here. They don’t have to deal with a lot of the little things we do. They can afford to relax. They should, while they can. And who knows? Maybe if any of that stuff does happen, it won’t be as bad here.”

Damian frowned deeper at that line of reasoning and stopped walking, pausing at the top of the stairway. “But what if things won’t get better no matter what they do for Gotham? What if we leave and things become worse because we’re not here to help?”

“The same could be said about our own Gotham,” Tim said, looking his brother in the eyes with an intensity he usually reserved for Batman or the GCPD. “Think about how much worse things would be without us running around the city at night. I don’t have all the answers, Damian, but… this isn’t our home. Whatever is going to happen will happen and the people who belong here are going to have to just do the best they can. That’s all any of us can do.”

“But couldn’t we just leave them, like, a note or something? Let them know what to watch out for when we’re gone?”

Tim looked like Damian had just asked him to murder a puppy. “Telling your past self what you should watch out for, letting them know things about tomorrow, it’s never a good thing.”

“Then what are we even doing here?” Damian lashed out in frustration. “It can’t just be random! It has to matter! Why would we get dropped into this reality if not to help the people in it?”

Tim’s expression changed. To Damian’s disgust, it had become sympathetic. He turned away from Tim, not sure if he wanted to run to an empty bedroom and lock himself in, or take refuge in the small circle of friends he had made while trapped on this Earth. His indecision caused him to stay exactly where he stood and forced him to listen to what Tim had to say.

“I have to believe that what we do is important. Even if we can only save one person every night, what we do matters to that one person. That is good, and it’s the right thing to do. While we’re here, we should help out, but Damian… you and I being here… Jon too… I think that was Mr. Oz’s doing. The little I was able to figure out from the things he did tell me, he said he was trying to protect Jon from the attack that just happened on our Earth. You just happened to be with him when he did.”

“Why would he? To protect the last Kryptonians? Then why just Jon and not Clark and Kara too?”

Tim hesitated. He wasn’t sure himself and he didn’t know if what the man said about being Clark’s dad was even the slightest bit true. Sure he was Kryptonian, but that didn’t necessarily make him who he claimed to be, so Tim said the only thing he could think of. “I honestly don’t know why he would care, but whatever his reasons, we’re all here now because of them and we have to make the best of it without completely throwing these people’s lives into disarray. We just have to lay low until…”

Tim’s voice trailed off until he completely stopped speaking and distractedly looked toward the stairway. 

“What?” Damian asked, immediately shifting into a defensive posture, ready to defend the people in the house if need be but Tim didn’t say anything. He put up his index finger in front of Damian to signal quiet. Damian stopped talking and listened. There was an unfamiliar voice coming from the main hall where the Uno game was going on, but it didn’t sound threatening, yet Tim was as white as a sheet as he listened.

Tim’s heart rate was dangerously high and his mouth seemed to have lost all moisture as he listened to a voice he thought he’d never have the chance to hear again. He had to be sure, so Tim ran down the stairs leaving Damian completely confused and frustrated. 

Damian had no idea what to think. He just knew that all the blood seemed to drain from his brother’s face. Something had shaken Tim to his core. Did it have to do with what was happening in the main hall? Damian sighed and did the only thing he could do at that moment. He followed Tim and prepared for the worst.

5:45 p.m.
Wayne Manor - Living Room

Cass managed to pick up on how the game was played quickly and the group added an optional rule to say the number and color on the card they placed down or read the directions out loud when a reverse or wild card turned up to help Cass develop her speaking skills.

“Are you staying for dinner?” Dick asked little Tim, placing a card on the pile. “Blue, Seven.”

Tim shook his head. “Dad’s on his way to pick me up soon. He just texted.” He placed a card down. “Blue, Two.”

“Green, two,” Conner said and put down one of his cards.

“Green, Five!” Cass grinned and put her second to last card on the pile. “Uno!”

“Wow,” Jon frowned, looking at his hand of ten cards. “You’re really good at this, Cass.” He didn’t have a single matching number and only one green card. That just didn’t seem fair. He sighed and tossed the only card he could play on the table. “Reverse, green.” 

Cass grinned evilly and placed her final card on the pile. It was a Wild card. 

“No!” Jon whined and threw his remaining cards down on the table. With that, and groans from the losers, everyone followed his lead and threw their own cards down in defeat.

“Congrats, Cass!” Dick said good-naturedly while little Dami giggled in baby-speech from the blanket beside him. “Remind me to never teach you poker.”

“Another game?” Jon asked, shuffling the cards.

“I don’t know if there’ll be enough time,” Dick said, smelling the delicious scents wafting from the kitchen. “But I was thinking, Damian mentioned that his thirteenth birthday was kind of a bust. Would you all be up for throwing him a surprise party before he goes home? We could play party games, have cake, and give Damian some presents that don’t traumatize him for life.”

“I’m in,” Conner said. “I’m sure M’gann would want to bake a cake. I’ll ask her tonight when I go home.”

“I know exactly what to get Damian,” Jon said seriously, nodding his head.

“What… is… birthday?” Cass aked, taking her time to form the words correctly.

Everyone looked sympathetically at the little girl. She knew they were upset for her but didn’t understand why.

“Okay,” Dick amended. “We’re throwing a party for Damian and Cass.”

No one argued and a moment later the bell to the front gate rang. Dick ran to the camera-feed at the door and pressed a button. 

“Mister Drake!” Dick tapped the button that opened the front gates to the manor. “I’ll get Tim and meet you out front.”

“Nonsense,” Jack Drake said amiably through the monitor. “No reason to have you all make an effort for me. I wanted to speak with Bruce anyway.”

Before Dick could argue, Jack was gone from the security screen and driving up to the front entrance of the sprawling mansion.

Dick shrugged and turned back toward Tim. “Your dad’s here.”

Tim sprang up from his seat on the rug. “Okay. I’ll get my coat.” He headed for the coat closet

Moments later, the Drakes’ Mercedes-Benz E-Class pulled up in front of the house and Jack Drake stepped out. He walked to the door and knocked. Dick opened the door and the man stepped inside. “Richard! It’s so good to see you!” he said, as if this weren’t the first time he was meeting the teenager. “Tim’s told me so much about you.”

Dick gave him a winning smile, the one he reserved for strangers at fundraisers, and shook his hand. “Really nice to meet you, Mister Drake.”

“I’m sorry for coming to pick up Tim so late. Long day at the office. You know how it is,” Jack explained. “What happened here?”

Dick looked at the rough patch job the construction crew had done on the house and laughed nervously, saying the first thing that popped into his head. “Oh, you know Gotham. Bane swung by for a quick payday. Luckily our security system was enough to run him off.”

Unable to avoid hearing the conversation at this close proximity to the doorway, Conner winced, both at Dick’s terrible lie and the fact that he was responsible for the damage, mind control or not. 

Jon shook his head and whispered just loud enough for the other boy to hear, “Not your fault.”

Conner tried to smile reassuringly but his guilt about the day was making that very difficult. 

“I’d like to thank Bruce for taking such good care of my boy,” Jack said. “Is he in?”

“Sure. I’ll go get him. Tim’ll be right back. He’s just grabbing his coat.”

“Of course,” Jack smiled amiably. “I’ll just wait here then.”

“Bruce!” Dick called and headed toward the kitchen. He passed the Earth-0’s Tim and Damian on the stairs as he did. 

Tim was staring, frozen on the steps as he looked at the man in the suit by the front door. Damian looked lost, like he had no idea what to do, which was oddly out of character for the little former assassin. Dick had stopped to check if everything was alright with them when Damian’s look of confusion turned into an almost angry glare at Dick. Damian waved him away, silently indicating that he would deal with the problem. Dick shrugged and continued on his path toward the dining room.

“Drake,” Damian whispered and elbowed him in the ribs in hopes of snapping him out of whatever was going on in his head. Thankfully, it worked. Tim stopped staring at the man and looked at Damian. He sat down on the stairs but Tim still couldn’t say anything. He just looked miserable. 

“What is it?” Damian whispered angrily.

Tim tried to explain, but it was like his throat had locked up and all he could do was sit and watch what was going on in the living room like a movie.

Bruce walked by with Dick. Tim knew he noticed him as they passed. Bruce noticed everything. He gave them a questioning look but Damian waved them away again, not wanting to call attention to Tim’s sudden crisis. If Damian knew Tim, whatever was going on in his head would be dealt with quickly. Damian sat down beside Tim and took hold of his hand, squeezing gently. “Just breathe,” he said. Tim nodded and inhaled slowly.

Jack Drake immediately reminded Bruce of the older Tim. Strong features and dark hair seemed to run in the family. “Jack,” Bruce said, slipping seamlessly into his Brucie persona, the billionaire playboy who would rather date the entirety of the Gotham Knights cheerleading team than go out at night punching villains in the face.

“Bruce!” Jack said enthusiastically, moving to greet his neighbor with a handshake. “How are you? I heard about the attack,” he indicated the patch on the front wall. “How are you holding up? It’s not every day that Bane attempts to break into your home.”

Bruce eyed Dick, raising a questioning eyebrow. The teen, who was now standing behind Jack, shrugged helplessly as if to silently say, ‘It was the best I could come up with on short notice.’ 

Bruce sighed, playing into the lie. “It was a scare, but what the wall couldn’t stop, the panic room did. Luckily the security team watching the house was well worth the money I pay for them.”

“That must have been terrifying. I’m glad that Dick was already off to school and no one was hurt. Today has just been crazy with superpeople running amok. Did you hear about the incident in Metropolis?”

Conner and Jon cringed simultaneously at that and tried to discreetly angle themselves out of Jack’s direct line of sight. They would have preferred to be able to leave but moving at that point would have just called more attention to them, so they were stuck at the little table, pretending to play another round of Uno while simultaneously listening to the conversation between Tim’s dad and Batman. Cass, understanding that the moment was tense and that the boys didn’t want attention on them, busied herself with distracting little Damian. 

Little Tim came back into the main hall, already in his coat, and could practically feel the tension in the room. He didn’t know what it was, and luckily his dad seemed totally oblivious to it, but he figured he’d better get his dad out of there before he said something that would make Batman or Robin mad at him. “Hi, dad. We should get home soon. Mom is probably hungry.”

“Of course, kiddo,” Jack said, ruffling Tim’s hair. “Just a few more minutes.” He turned back to Bruce. “I know you have a lot on your plate right now but I was thinking, since we’re neighbors and the kids being friends and all… What would you say to trying out a rideshare or something for getting them to and from school? I know I’d feel a lot better about Tim not taking a cab every morning, especially with the crazies attacking in broad daylight now. I leave for work at an ungodly hour and Janet has anxiety about driving in the city. I could pick them up in the afternoon, it’s just the morning that we have issues with.”

“Of course,” Bruce said amiably, glad that at least one of Tim’s parents seemed to be on the ball. “Alfred and I can set that up with the school tomorrow. I just need your—”

“Excuse me?”

The two men turned their attention to the teen who had spoken. Bruce was surprised to find it was Tim. He looked pale, but determined, as if just interrupting them had been a huge struggle for him. It made Bruce wonder what was going through his mind at that moment.

“Tim!” Little Tim exclaimed happily. He had only met the teenager briefly, but he liked him immediately. He wasn’t sure why. The other Tim had barely said two sentences to him, but he felt familiar somehow, and it made him feel safe. “Dad, this is Tim. We have the same name.”

Jack laughed. “Well, isn’t that something?”

“It’s a common name,” Tim said, trying not to sound choked up. He had an overwhelming urge to throw himself into the man’s arms and tell him how much he missed him. But this man wasn’t his father, he was little Tim’s. There was nothing Tim could do to ever have his own father back.

“Tim’s a friend of the family, staying with us for a few days,” Bruce explained, giving the teen some time to compose himself and gather his thoughts. 

It took everything Tim had not to burst into tears. Instead, he smiled at the man and nodded. “I just wanted to say hello. Tim’s a really good kid. You should be proud.”

Jack beamed and hugged little Tim to his side. “I am.” Little Tim smiled up at his dad and then looked gratefully at Tim. The teenager knew his dad loved him, but when he was a kid, before he met Batman and his dad had been poisoned and spent years in a coma, the man forgot to mention it as much as he should have. Tim knew his dad wasn’t perfect, but he did care about him. He wouldn’t waste an opportunity to remind his younger self that he was loved. Hearing his dad’s voice again was just a bonus.

Bruce wasn’t sure if Tim was going to be able to maintain his composure for much longer and smiled apologetically at Jack. “Sorry to have to cut this short, but Alfred will kill me if I don’t get everyone to the table to eat on time.”

“Of course!” Jack said, completely understanding Bruce’s need to make sure his dinner guests were happy. “I’ll have my secretary contact your people to set up a more formal meeting. Maybe we can bring the kids out some afternoon for lunch, give your butler a day off.”

Bruce smiled one of his best Brucie smiles and nodded. “Sounds great, Jack. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Fantastic,” Jack agreed, then turned to the elder Tim. “It was nice meeting you.”

Tim smiled and nodded, managing to sound almost normal when he said, “It was good to see you too.”

Jack couldn’t help but feel like there was something more to those words but he shrugged off the thought and showed himself out. When the door had shut, Tim collapsed onto the couch and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He started shaking from what could only have been an adrenaline crash and took deep, steadying breaths trying to calm himself down.

Damian sat down beside him, ignoring the worried glances of the others in the room. “Are you alright?”

Tim looked at his little brother and smiled weakly. “Never better, kid.”

Damian frowned. “Somehow I doubt that.”

Tim didn’t answer. He felt dizzy.

“Tim?” Bruce was at his side before he even registered the man walking over to him. “What’s wrong?”

Tim shook his head. 

Clark came in, hearing the concern in everyone’s voice and immediately gave Tim a quick scan to make sure he wasn’t injured. He didn’t see anything physically wrong with him aside from a heavy spike in his heart rate. “What happened?” He asked, looking concerned. 

Before he knew it, Jon was there with a glass of water from the kitchen. Tim took it gratefully and tried a small sip. The water felt cool and refreshing as it went down his throat. Unfortunately, it triggered another memory. It was an old thought, long buried in the back of his mind, but one he had considered many times in his early days with Batman. Tim wondered if his mother had suffered when she had been tricked into drinking poisoned water the day she and his father had almost been rescued in time. But Batman can’t save everyone. Not every time. Tim’s throat became too constricted and he gave up trying to drink any more.

Cass came over to him looking very worried. She took the glass from his hands and placed it on the coffee table they had been playing cards at.

“Damian, what is going on?” Bruce demanded.

“Timothy’s father is dead in our reality,” Damian said softly, finally realizing what had been going through his brother’s head. He was mentally kicking himself for not catching on more quickly.

Dick heard that as he was picking up baby Damian so no one would accidentally step on him in the commotion around the couch. His heart skipped a beat and he looked out the window at the Mercedes just leaving the driveway, a happy little Tim buckled into the back seat, probably telling his dad all about his time at the manor, knowing nothing about the bomb Damian had just dropped about his possible future.

Cass gently took Tim’s hand, trying to tell him she understood how upset he was. She wanted to help him feel better but she was never taught how to do that. Tim did seem to relax a little at the contact, though.

“It’s alright,” Tim managed to say. Hearing Bruce’s voice and Damian’s almost worried tone, along with Cass’s reassuring presence helped him get his physical reaction under control. “I just wasn’t expecting to see… I knew he was probably in this reality but… I just wasn’t mentally prepared to watch my dead dad walk through the door. I’m good now.”

Bruce’s eyes went wide with realization. Well, that answered that question, but he could imagine what Tim was going through right now. He didn’t know if he’d react any differently seeing a version of his own father randomly arriving in his house, not recognizing him. “Why don’t you all head to the table? Tim and I will be there in a minute,” Bruce suggested.

Everyone nodded and quietly headed towards the delicious smells wafting out of the dining room, giving Tim sympathetic looks and small pats on the shoulder as they passed. Damian was the last to stand but stayed near his brother, uncertainty in every movement.

“It’s alright, Dami,” Tim said, giving the boy a tired smile. “I’ll be fine. I just need a minute.”

Damian hesitated, but eventually nodded. “I’ll save you a seat next to me.” He stepped back and headed to the dining room, seeing most of the children still in the manor looking over toward them with concerned expressions. Damian knew Tim wouldn’t want to be the subject of such scrutiny so he focused on diverting everyone else’s attention from the scene.

Bruce sat next to Tim on the couch. After several minutes of sitting there in silence he offered the only words he could to the grieving boy. “Do you want to talk about anything? I promise, it will stay between us.” 

“What changed your mind about me?” he asked, not quite ready to talk about it. “I know you didn’t completely trust me this morning.”

Bruce shrugged easily, reminding Tim of Jason for some reason. He told Tim the only thing he could: the truth. “You almost died today. You put yourself on the line for Damian, and for Jon and Conner. Then I saw how you fought alongside Damian, the way you two coordinated your movements without even trying… that’s not easy to do. I could tell you’d been working together for a very long time. People don’t fight like the two of you do without having an ungodly amount of practice at it, so I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. And Miss Martian said she checked your mind. You’re not being influenced as far as she can tell.”

“Good to know,” Tim said with a slight mocking note to his voice. He knew it was a bad idea to say anything to this Bruce, but the weight of his thoughts were crushing and he needed to let them out or risk drowning in them. He just needed to talk to someone and confiding in Damian was still difficult despite the progress they’d made in the past day. Bruce was there, and sure, it wasn’t his Bruce, but he was so much like him during the good times that Tim couldn’t tell the difference if he didn’t think about it. It had been so long since he was able to talk to anyone about what he wanted but he knew the protocol for being in an alternate reality. He wasn’t ready to break the rules yet, no matter how much he needed to talk about what just happened. “I promise. I’ll talk to someone if I need to. I just can’t talk to you about it. Your own rules. We shouldn’t interfere in other people’s timelines.”

“Does that other me go galivanting around the multiverse a lot?” Bruce joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“You know he doesn’t, otherwise he’d be here now bringing Damian and me home. But he did get…” Tim caught himself before he talked about Bruce’s “lost in time” adventure. “He’s had reasons to create the rules we use. He has a contingency plan for every possible scenario. I won’t interfere here or give anything about your possible future away and he’ll come for us soon now that he knows where we are.”

Tim stood up and finally felt like he was standing on solid ground. “Thank you for listening, though. It… well, it was nice of you. You didn’t have to do that. But it kept Damian from feeling like it was his responsibility. So thank you. I’m ok now. Honestly.”

Bruce looked at Tim like he didn’t believe him.

“I’m serious,” Tim said, putting on his best smile. Even though he didn’t really feel all that happy, he had had a lot of practice perfecting the fake smile, just like Bruce. “Come on, Alfred will be upset if we’re late for dinner.”

Bruce wondered to himself, not for the first time that week, how he ended up with so many hurting kids under his care, and all the things he was going to say to their Bruce when he finally got to meet him. “Alright, Tim. Whatever you want. Just remember, I didn’t make any such rules, so if you need to talk, I’m available. Or I can arrange for you to talk with someone you’d feel more comfortable with. You have a place here for as long as you need, the timeline be damned.”

Tim made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob, but he quickly cleared his throat, trying to cover his emotional slip. “Thanks, Bruce. I appreciate it. I promise, if I need to talk, I’ll let you know.”

Bruce figured that was the best response he was going to get from the teenager so he put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. “I’ll hold you to that,” he only partially joked.

Tim grinned back, again thinking about how young this Bruce seemed compared to his.

“Drake! Pennyworth isn’t going to let any of us eat until you and Father sit at the table. If the food gets cold because of your need for a moment , I’m going to take it out on you the same way Todd takes out his frustration on crime lords.

“You’ve already done the decapitated head in the duffle bag routine,” Tim called back without thinking, easily responding to one of Damian’s classic threats with a smile to remind Damian it was just innocent banter and there were no hard feelings anymore. “It didn’t work out for either of you.” The comeback had been almost automatic, and had he been in his own Wayne Manor on his own Earth, the retort wouldn’t have been anything  special, but then Tim saw the look on Bruce’s face and he realized he had just broken rule #1. His smile fell. “Oh, that didn’t come out right.”

“Heads in duffle bags?” Bruce asked, implying he’d like clarification on that.

“Inside joke,” Tim laughed, trying to play it off as nothing serious. Bruce didn’t look like he was buying it.

“Tim,” Bruce began. “I think you should—”

“Go eat dinner? You’re right. We shouldn’t keep Alfred waiting,” Tim said quickly, a bit embarrassed as he stood up from the couch. He was silently berating himself for allowing himself to slip so easily when it came to Damian’s goading. Before Bruce could argue, Tim was halfway to the dining room.

“This is something I need to know about,” Bruce said, following Tim to the table.