CHAPTER 2

"But why me?" Dick asked.

"Why not you?" Tathenniel asked. "But admittedly, you do have some special qualities which make you suitable..." He waved his hand and movement in the column began again. The shadowy figures solidified. Dick could see Batman in the batcave and a second person who looked like Superman, but years older. He recognized him. It was Kal-L, the superman from an alternate world who was partnering with Alexander Luthor and Superboy Prime to destroy Earth One in favor of creating Kal-L's perfect Earth Two.

"Bruce...I'm offering you a chance to start over," the old Superman was saying. "None of this is your fault."

"No...," Bruce said in a low voice. "It is."

"Everything you've done, everything you set in motion, is because you felt you couldn't trust the people around you. And you know what? You can't. But on my Earth, it's different." Kal-L glowed with confidence.

"What happens to everyone on this earth when yours comes back?" Batman asked.

"They'll be folded into the historical fabric," Superman said.

Batman turned away. "You mean, they'll die," he said, voice gravelly.

"No. They'll be replaced. Just as everyone on my earth was. But they'll be better. I never lie, Bruce," Superman said earnestly.

Batman looked back over his shoulder. "And what about Dick Grayson?"

"Yes?"

"You said this Earth corrupts everything. Is the Dick Grayson of my Earth a corrupted version of yours?"

Kal-L's face fell and a look of deep regret crossed his features. "No."

"I didn't think so," Batman said and turned around with a kryptonite ring on his finger.

The figures faded into a swirl of color again at Tathenniel's signal. "As you see. Your suitability is glaringly obvious, even to the misguided Kal-L."

"If I'm so perfect, why do you have to kill me?" Dick asked skeptically. "This is hardly a reward for trying to do good during my life."

"True enough. Your life has been one of sacrifice; as your mentor has noted, you often put others before yourself even to your own detriment. Another sacrifice is being demanded of you now, depending on the results of the timeline scan. But in any event, do you dislike being dead? I hope you're noticing that the twinge in your lower back that's been bothering you has disappeared. The air is fresh here, you are surrounded by beauty. You enjoyed greeting your parents. And you do have other friends here." Tathenniel gestured again and Dick saw Stephanie laughing in a swimming pool. Then Clancy drinking in an Irish pub, then he caught a glimpse of...

"Mr. and Mrs. Wayne? Bruce's parents...! They're golfing..."

"Yes, and they've become acquainted with your parents. They met when Bruce Wayne took you in and have been watching over you both for years."

Dick glanced back at his parents, waiting patiently behind him. Deadman stood smiling next to them. "You have to admit, Nightwing, it's a nice place. And this is only Limbo," Deadman said. "Once you're really dead, I understand it only gets better."

Dick turned, feeling guilty at wanting to leave his parents after missing them for so long. "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry...it's just that Bruce needs me. Especially now. I can't abandon him."

John Grayson sighed. "Dick, I understand. Your mother and I have watched your life for years. We know about Batman and Robin and there isn't anyone we could have chosen for your guardian better than Bruce Wayne. He's a good man. But Wayne's mission..."

"Oh, Dick, the danger you've been in," Mary interrupted. "And the hurts you've had," she reached out a hand, touching his shoulder. "Can you blame us for being grateful that you're safe at last?" She gestured toward the pillar, its action frozen. "Do you think we want you to go back to that?"

The picture had frozen at the instant that Batman lunged at Kal-L with the kryptonite ring. "You must know by now, Son, that death isn't the worst thing you can experience." John Grayson asked, walking toward the pillar. "In your life, from the time we died, at eight years old, you've seen and experienced the worst evils that man can do." He frowned deeply. "And some of it was done to you by the villains you two fought. Your Batman hasn't been able to protect you the way I'd have liked. This isn't what I'd planned for my boy."

"We know that he adopted you, Dick," Mary said. "And that's fine with us. He's loved you like a father. But we think that...well, you've suffered enough."

Dick gave them a troubled glance. "You're asking me to choose between my parents. Bruce has loved and supported me since you two were taken from me. I can't tell you how many times I was afraid I'd lose him, too." He gave the pillar a bleak look. "If I lost Bruce...I don't know what I'd do. Sometimes he's like a father and other times he's like the big brother I never had. I can't just leave him all alone like that. I can't..."

Tathenniel shook his head. "You aren't being given a choice, Dick. I am the one who chooses, for the good of the multiverse. Let us continue the timeline review." At a gesture the pictures recommenced.

Dick saw himself at the Titans Tower in San Francisco, putting through a call to everyone he knew, "Repeat! This is Nightwing. Everyone's gathering at Titans Tower. We're going to take on those who're responsible for threatening our home together. This is our last stand. This is it."

An hour later, he stood in the silent, empty Titans Tower. "This is it," he said in a low voice. The few responses he'd gotten showed that the Titans were already busy across the planet, saving lives and defending the inhabitants.

He heard a blast of thunder outside and saw a million Earths in the black sky. He ran out under the sky and gulped at the sheer size and number of the glowing planets suspended overhead.

"Nightwing," a familiar voice said and Conner dropped lightly down behind him. "What the hell is going on?"

"The skies are filling up with parallel earths." He looked with gratitude at Conner. If he only had one Titan present, thank goodness it was the most powerful one.

"I can see that," Conner replied, looking up. "How?"

"I'm not exactly sure. But it's got to be connected to the Superboy that attacked you. He was the one who blew up the watchtower and took Martian Manhunter. He was involved in some kind of plan to replace our Earth."

"You know who these psychos are, right?" Conner's fists were flexing.

"Yeah," Dick heard himself say.

"Well, I know where they are." Conner took out a long shard of crystal. Nightwing could see bodies and forms swirling inside it. "Everybody else inside?"

"It's just us," Nightwing said ruefully.

"You gotta be kiddin' me. What do you want to do?" Conner asked.

"What we have to. Let's shut these guys down," Nightwing replied.

The picture shifted and swirled, then focused on Nightwing and Conner, crouched on a snowy glacier overlooking a frozen plain. Rising from it was a tall golden tower blazing with light and energy. Earths clustered above it, popping into existence and then winking out again.

"This is the center, the control-place, from which Alexander Luthor is controlling his project," Tathenniel said calmly. "He literally plucks the earths from the aether, combines them, destroys them. Millions are born and die in a second when he deems them unacceptable...imperfect."

Even though he knew that the edifice had been destroyed, Nightwing could feel his body go still. "Those were my friends, powering that thing." He turned to Tathenniel. "I already know what happened there. Show me Batman."

"Patience, Dick," Tathenniel said. "Your earth was splintered into a multiverse made of thousands of worlds. The earths become weaker and weaker as they are divided. If not reunited quickly, the entire universe would explode into a new big bang, destroying everything. The key to the balance of the whole is..."

"Yeah, I know. Me. Or somebody else." Nightwing said impatiently.

"One life is the turning point," Tathenniel said and the pictures began to move again. "So very much depends on it."

This time, Bruce was in a small metal room, a cramped space surrounded with computer screens. Suddenly, Dick recognized it as the interior of Brother Eye, the spy satellite that Batman had built. He knew that the plague of OMACs had been caused by the rogue satellite, hordes of ordinary people transformed into warrior robots that killed at Brother Eye's command. Somebody had highjacked Brother Eye's programming. He knew that Bruce had planned to fix that, personally.

The screens showed different scenes, of heroes fighting.

"Your friends will fail, Creator," a computer voice spoke softly.

"My friends can take care of themselves," Batman said calmly, unpacking a small toolkit and getting down to business. That feeling was hovering over him again; those he loved were in terrible danger.

"The others on your Earth. Martian Manhunter..."

Batman briefly saw the screens flash with each hero that Brother Eye named.

"...Power Girl..."

Each of a hundred screens suddenly flashed to life. Batman's eyes shifted to the screens, seeing Nightwing in a dozen battles.

"And your favorite...Subject Beta-Grayson, Richard-Nightwing."

If Brother Eye had wanted Batman's attention, he had it now.

"He is only flesh and blood...Against a boy of steel. " Brother Eye's voice carried gloating threat. "Eye wonder...Will you blame yourself for what happens next...?"

Batman felt sweat dripping down his face and off his chin as he watched the Enemy, Superboy Prime, the one who wanted to destroy Earth...

Nightwing and Conner were perched on a tall golden tower, trying to dismantle it, their backs to the OMACs who would try to pull them down. Next to the tower, Alex Luthor in shining golden armor, continued plucking worlds from the sky. As he pulled one down and crushed it, more planets winked out. With a loud, sonic boom, Superboy Prime swooped down against Nightwing, tossing him off the tower. With difficulty, Nightwing landed four stories down on the packed dirt, escrima sticks at the ready. He watched calmly as his death swooped down on him from the sky. He knew how powerful Kal-El, his Superman was. He doubted he'd survive this encounter if he didn't get some backup. He'd seen what Superboy had done to those other heroes; torn limb from limb, heads crushed. He'd always known that a clean death was unlikely for him as long as he stood with Batman, but at least he'd go out fighting.

Superboy Prime gave Nightwing a scornful smile. "Nightwing? Come on now, you actually think you can fight me? All those Titans did, too. Those stupid Titans!" His voice lowered to a malicious whisper. "I wasn't even trying last time..." Eyes glowing the red of hot coals, Superboy Prime launched himself at the insignificant man who stood before him.

Heart in his mouth, Batman's work slowed as he watched Superboy Prime attack his son.