Prologue
"Grayson! No, don't leave me! You said you wouldn't leave me! You promised..." The voice trailed off in a chocked sob.
Nightwing couldn't make out the figure standing over him, his vision blurred. "D-Damian?" He managed to croak. A voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Bruce reminded him not to use names in the field, but Nightwing ignored it.
He was struggling to stay awake. The pain from earlier had faded to numbness. He wasn't sure what was worse.
"Damian, y-" You're supposed to be in bed, he wanted to say, but he choked on the words. He was sent into a painful coughing fit. When it finally stopped he saw blackness at the edges of his vision threatening to overtake him.
Damian was saying something else, his panicked tone echoing in Nightwing's head. He couldn't make out words.
He felt strangely peaceful, knowing he was going to die. He shot a weak smile at his little brother, trying to be reassuring, then let the sleep overcome him, knowing that he would never wake up. The last thing he felt was a vaguely guilty feeling that he was leaving Damian.
He shot awake. For a second his eyes were wide with fear, panic and confusion, then his instincts kicked in and he hid his emotions behind a mask of seriousness. But inside his head there was a storm.
What was happening? Didn't he die? Why was his (dead) team there? He forced himself to calm down. Dick went through the options, like Batman taught him to. Batman, who was dead yet standing there in front of him... He mentally shook his head and focused.
Was this Heaven? No, his teammates looked as confused as he was, and they died long before him. Time travel? He discarded this option too, as he couldn't remember ever living this moment. An illusion then? That seemed like the most logical explanation, but he reminded himself not to jump to conclusions.
His thinking was interrupted by Miss M's exclamation of "You're all alive!". He kept silent. As he listened to Batman's explanation of the failed training exercise he felt horribly numb.
He remembered now. He almost wished he didn't. That was it then? The whole life he built for himself, all the people he met, all the family he lost and gained, it was all fake?
The next realization shocked him out of his numbness. J'onn, M'gann and Wally didn't survive the explosion, he checked. That meant he was the only one who had another life there... And nobody knew.