Chapter 9

Roy Harper's head hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before. He couldn't help but wonder if Cheshire had roofied him during their last encounter.

"Roy? Are you really awake this time or are you just pulling my leg again?" That voice, he knew that voice.

"Wha-"

"Thank god!" Artemis sighed in exhaustion. She was so tired. She hadn't slept in so long.

"What are you doing here?" Roy asked groggily. Where was he? He tried to look around the room.

"Don't sit up-oh you're just going to try anyway. You're hurt pretty bad but Green Arrow thinks-"

"You've got to be effin' kidding me! I'm at Ollie's? Damnit!" Roy shot up in the bed, wincing slightly as his ribs protested. Yeah, he recognized the decor. He was definitely in Ollie's makeshift medical ward.

"Calm down, there's a lot that needs to be explained-"

"Get out of my way. Where are the others? I nees to see Aqualad."

"He's in Atlantis right now. It's just you and I and you need to lie back down. You're injured badly and you're no help to me if you're half dead." Artemis forced him to lie back in bed. "Now listen to me. I don't like you and you don't like me. But right now? Right now we need each other. After we get out of this mess, you can go right back to hating me. Shut up and listen."

Roy glared at the blonde teen but nevertheless sat back. "Go on."

Artemis slowly recounteded everything that had happened while noting the surprise in the older boy's blue eyes.

"An alternate dimension? You all choose to separate in an alternate dimension? Have you lost your mind?" Roy demanded.

"No, I was outvoted. They're with the League though. Clark's on our side, he won't let anything happen-"

"You don't know that! Anything could happen! You're not in contact-"

"No com silence. I think everyone's asleep or distracted right now. I can try to get Robin. Oh and there's something else." Artemis sighed. "We agreed no secrets."

"No secrets, ha! This whole society is built on secrets. I've known Robin since I was fifteen and I still don't know his name." Roy snorted.

"Richard Grayson. He told me to tell you when you woke up." Artemis snarked. "No secrets. We stand together." She repeated.

Roy was in shock and a little disapointed. He'd waited the better part of four years to hear Robin's name and that was it?

"What about you? What secrets do you have?" He asked sarcastically. Sure he knew that she wasn't Ollie's niece but then again, anyone with eyes could see that.

"Cheshire's my sister and Sportsmaster's my dad. That juicy enough for you?" She shuffled uncomfortably. Roy quirked an eyebrow at the new information. He'd sensed a connection between the two girls but hadn't really thought on it.

"Really? You don't look alike." He commented.

"That's it. No 'I knew you were evil'? Nothing?"

"I really don't care, the fact that you and Jade-"

"How do you know my sister's name?" Artemis's eyes narrowed.

"No secrets right?"

"No secrets."

"I've met your sister before." He said cryptically.

"I gathered. She isn't so loose with her name; you must know her pretty well."

"Not well, we just have a mutual agreement. She stops by my city-"

"Are you sleeping with my older sister?" Artemis wanted to choke him.

Roy just shrugged. "No strings attatched."

"You're crazy! She's a murderer, she'll kill you!"

"Nah, then we'd both lose out. I'm hungry, do they have food in this dimension?"

Artemis's eye twitched. God, why was he so infuriating? And Jade of all people? "And just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder."

YJ

"Are you sure you don't need anything, Master Richard." Alfred asked again.

"Really, I'm sure. And Alfred, I don't live here. You don't have to call me 'master'." Robin laughed. "I just needed to finish my paper."

"Well I'm sure we can find something entertaing-"

"Do you have a training room?" Robin asked quickly.

"Why yes. Master Bruce has a room he uses for training. Would you like me to take you there?"

"I know where it is. Two Bruce's think alike. The layout of this house is exactly the same as my Bruce's." Robin said before racing off to the training room. It was almost identical. Some of the gymnastics eqipment had been removed. 'Guess he doesn't have an acrobat to deal with.' Robin shrugged. There was still plenty for him to do.

He pulled off his shirt and went to work.

YJ

"They're the best hot dogs you've ever had right?" Clark laughed. They were sitting on a bench in the park.

"I haven't had many so I don't know." Conner replied blankly. Clark's smile faltered. It was if nothing he said could make the boy smile.

"Well believe me, anymore you have will now seem inferior. Is there anywhere else that you want to see? Metropolis is a big city." He said.

"No thank you, I am not really welcome in this city." Superboy had tries to distance himself from the man but he just wouldn't leave him alone.

"Okay this has got to-"

"Hey Smallville! I knew you weren't sick, I should report you to human resources.." Lois Lane joked. She had been looking for the reporter.

"Lois? What are you doing here?" He looked from her to Conner then back.

"Didn't you hear what I said? I was looking for you! Who's your friend, the two of you could be twins." Conner studied the woman closely.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Oh, this is my friend Lois Lane. We work together." Clark explained.

"And you are?" Lois stuck out her hand.

"Conner Kent." Lois took note of the last name.

"Cool shirt. You a Superman fan?"

"You could say that." Lois nodded. Clearly the boy wasn't as friendly as his companion. "Well I'm gonna head on. Stay out of trouble Smallville. We'll talk later."

"Yeah Lois, I will."

She waved to the two of them before walking off.

"She seems nice." Conner said.

"Oh yeah. She's an amazing reporter." Clark replied.

"Huh." Conner contemplated the older man. Why was he so different than the one back home?

"What do you want from me?" He finally asked.

"I don't want anything, just to spend time with you. It's nice to have someone to talk to about everything who isn't a part of the League." Clark leaned back against the bench. "You're not much of a talker though. I understand."

"Thank you for trying. The other you never tries to talk to me."

"Well I don't think I can change that." Clark sighed. "But we can definitely try."

YJ

"Master Richard, I must insist you come down from there." Alfred worridly watched the teen jump from bar to bar.

"I told you Alfred, I used to be in the circus. I know what I'm doing." Robin laughed. "I'm not going to hurt myself."

Robin swung around and perched himself on top of one of the bars. "Really, I'm fine." Robin was about to hop down when something went whizzing past his head. "What the-" he turned to see where the projectile had come from. There was nothing behind him.

"It is one of Master Bruces. But he is not here." Alfred plucked the batarang from the wall.

"What? What do you mean it's his?" Robin asked once he was back on the ground.

"It is his exact design. I would know it anywhere. There is a note attached." Alfred unwound the small sheet of paper. "'Stay put, we're coming for you.' Well what does that mean?"

Robin froze. He couldn't believe it, Bruce was looking for him!

"It's my Bruce! I have to call the others!" Robin hurridly turned up his communicater. "Everyone get up!" He shouted.

"Robin?"

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Wally? Artemis? Great, let's wait for the others."

"I'm online." Superboy's voice came through.

"Get to a computer. You need to be able to see this." Robin instructed. Okay. Robin tapped his wrist computer. "Everybody online?"

He was met with a chorus of yea's.

"What's so importent that we all have to be on webcam?" Artemis asked.

"Roy! You're awake!" Wally exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm good. Richard? Really, I was expecting something more romani circus boy." Roy said.

"Yeah well, you get what you get." Robin shrugged. "Okay, brace yourselves. I got a message from Batman."

"Like, which Batman?"

"Our Batman." There was an audible gasp.

"Then we have to get to Gotham right now!" Wally cried. "I'll be there in a flash."

"No. He said specifically to stay put. They're coming for us." Rob stopped him.

"Now? Oh thank god, I don't think I could spend another minute with him." Artemis gestured to Roy.

"Whatever."

"Shut up! Can't you see what's going on here?"

"What?"

"We might be able to leave soon and we have absolutly nothing to report." Dick reminded them.

"What about Roy? What do you remember?" Wally asked.

"I remember going to Cadmus. There's nothing after that." Roy said. "Just a flash of light."

"No. You can't be blank too." Wally wailed. He pulled at his hair.

"It's just all really hazy."

"Hazy? Hazy's a lot better than blank." Robin said. "Hey Roy, close your eyes. There's something that I want to try."

"What for?"

"Just do it."

"Oh! I know what we're doing." M'gann said excitedly.

"Now Roy, I want you to go back to the last thing you remember, we'll build from there." Robin said.

"Sure, okay. I went to Cadmus to look for you guys. Ollie had been hounding me about where you were. I thought I'd check. I went inside and..."

"Okay, you're having trouble remembering. Let's break down your senses. Tell me, what did you hear?" Robin pushed.

"Rats and dripping water. The building was falling to pieces."

"So what did you smell?" M'gann added.

"Mildew. It smelled disgusting."

"So what did you see?" Robin asked carefully. Roy bit his cheek and thought.

"I saw a battlefield. I could see where you guys faught before being sent here." Roy finally said.

"Fight? We didn't fight anyone!" Wally said.

"Yeah, I can see Artemis's arrows in the walls. There are scorch marks on the floor."

"Okay, that's good. Keep thinking along those lines. Keep pulling." Robin continued.

"And then there's a woman."

"It'd better not be my sister." Artemis scowled.

"No. I would remember that. I don't know who she was. There were others."

"How many others?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, then go back to the woman. Tell us about her." M'gann said. "Perhaps we know of her."

"She was tall, with dark hair and tanned skin. Wait, I do know her. It's on the tip of my tongue."

"Dark hair? Talia al Ghul maybe?" Robin suggested.

"No, not Talia. She was older."

"Older...Queen Bee?" M'gann asked tentatlivly.

"That's it. That's who it was. The woman from Bialya."

"Wait? That's the woman that siced Psimon on us. She let him wipe our memories." Superboy observed.

"Well doesn't that sound familiar?" Aretmis tapped her lip. "But this seems too complex for her. What does she stand to gain by tossing all of us into a seperate dimension?"

"She wasn't alone. Luthor's with her. And Ra's." Roy said.

"Still, none of them have the power to send us here." Aqualad chimed in.

"But I know someone who can. Roy, did you see a creepy guy with greasy black hair and a cat?"

"Yeah. Yeah, he's the one that shot the light at me." Roy recalled.

"Klarion the Witch Boy, remember him?" Wally said. "He could hold his own against Dr. Fate. No doubt he could put us here."

"But why?"

"Who knows and who cares. We need to focus on getting back. We can ask them when we get home." Superboy said.

"What about the children?" M'gann suddenly asked.

"What children?" Roy asked.

"You said they were taking the children." She explained.

"I don't remember that. I think...I think I remember seeing children there but...it's too fuzzy. I'll have to think about it." Roy tried to pull at his memory but he was wiped out.

"You're tired. Go to bed Roy." Artemis put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "He's about to collapse. We're gonna log off now. Just ring us if anything else happens." She said.

"Of course." Robin watched as the others began to sign off.

"Master Richard? Has Master Bruce contacted you?" Alfred had reentered the training facility.

"Hm? No. Should he have?" Robin asked. He stood and turned off his wrist communicator.

"He has not checked in since he went on patrol. I wondered If he had checked with you." Alfred tried to maintain his nervousness. No need to scare the young man.

"What! Oh no." Robin rushed past him. "Where did he hide my costume?"

"Master Richard, I must advise against you going out there alone. This city's villians are-"

"I know. I've faught them before and I've got the scars to prove it. Have a triage unit set up when I get back. He might be injured." Robin pulled on his costume. "I'll be back soon. Who did Bruce say he was going after?"

"Ivy."

YJ

Robin had faced the red headed femme fatale before. She could be downright vicious when she wanted to. Still, it took a lot for her to be able to get the drop on Batman.

He stepped carefully into one of her most imfamous greenhouse hideouuts. He knew the place well.

"-what do you think of my newest serum? Paralyzing isn't it, Batman?" Ivy cackled. "My children will enjoy finally being able to feast on your flesh." Robin reached into his utility belt. Hopefully Batman hadn't taken anything out of it. He quickly found what he was looking for.

Robin crept silently through the green house, his eyes landing on the red haired woman.

"Now or never Grayson, time to prove your worth." He launched two of the ice pellats at her. The woman turned just in time to catch a face full of frost.

"Agh!" She screamed. Robin catapulted himself over her, using her now frozen shoulders as a spring board.

He landed next to Bruce.

"Hey, you look like you could use a hand." He joked as he began to cut the man loose from the vines.

"I told you, I patrol alone." Batman snarled.

"Yeah, and that worked so well." Robin snorted. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the older man. "You know, this isn't the first Tim I've been on patrol. I know what I'm doing." Robin reminded him. "My Batman trusts me."

"I'm not him." Bruce rubbed his wrist as soon as he'd been cut free. He had to hand it to the kid, he had skills.

"Yeah, you definitely aren't." Robin's hand clenched around the note Bruce had sent him. He held onto the hope that his father would find him soon.

YJ

You guys were so demanding of a second chapter that I typed this under the hairdryer. Now you really do have to wait for next week because I'm kind of burned out for the weekend. I'm gonna draw a bit.

P.S. I watched the new episode of YJ! It was fantastic!