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In English This Time, We're Where!?
Damian would never admit it, but even after he woke up in some wretched freezing box, he was scared as his teeth chattered and he numbly inspected the box he was in. He found what he was looking for fast enough, the blood on it was a sign he guessed.
"Pst!" a voice whispered overhead and he looked up at a vent.
"You awake yet?" a voice demanded, stiffly Damian pulled himself up and looked down the vent and saw Wally's face, his lips were blue.
"Where are we?" Damian chattered.
"The box, they put you in my box, the pannel's loose so if you could just open it, I've been working on the main frame with a cellphone I picked up," Wally chattered and Damian heard the older boy drop. Damian did as he was told and soon the work over took his mind as he ignored the cold and his shivering as his fingers shakily pressed the keys and he watched. The code was complex but suddenly there was a knock. Quickly Damian looked at the coordinates as he shoved the phone back into place and put the panel back as he let his teeth chatter finally.
"28730004, you are new here, so I will explain this slowly," the ginger spectacle wearing man announced and Damian backed away from the man. Though the man was eerily familiar, there was a cold chill in Damian which screamed get away, an instinct he'd never listened to was now fully alert. All shivering ceased. "Disobedience is punished with the box, disruption gets you the box, and if you should irk me greatly, and you serve no more purpose I get to blow you and your little boyfriend up! Now, I can't kill you, yet, but when you are of no more use to my employer you will be eliminated, and nothing will save you. not even Daddy-Bats!
"Understood?" the man sneered gleefully.
"Yes," Damian reluctantly grounded out.
"Good! Let the games begin Batbrat," the man cackled and Damian found himself stumbling into a shower, Wally was a step behind him. They were tossed in and the steaming water turned on which had him just about screaming in agony as she scrambled away from it.
"Don't worry, they need us alive," Wally shivered and chattered as he started stripping and walking into the showers.
"To what end?" Damian shivered.
"Dunno, what'd you learn?" Wally asked lowly.
"I got the coordinates," Damian admitted as he reluctantly entered a steaming shower stall.
"And?" Wally prompted.
"You're not going to believe," Damian stated.
"Dude, where are we? It's not Gotham! Zoe would know if we were!" Wally peeked over the divider.
"The coordinates were -78.14902º N, 4.394228º E," Damian said softly.
"What does that mean in English!?" Wally demanded lowly as he disappeared behind the divider.
"It means were in the middle of Anarctica," Damian spat out and he heard the other boy drop something.
"What?"
"We're not escaping," Damian spat out.
He and Jon would make it, him because of survival training, and Jon because Jon was half Kryptonian. However, he didn't think Wally, or Zoe, or Zoe's sister would survive the world outside of this hiding hole. They really needed someone to come for them, with proper gear, and equipped for the weather. Even he knew that the weather down here was ever changing and cruel. He didn't think Wally, Zoe or Zoe's sister were ready for that.
But this did lead him to a few interesting thoughts about the boxes they used for punishment. Why would you want to generate cold when there was a vast supply just outside? Which meant not all this compound was guarded. He was petting that the prison used that psychological trick on students often. But the point was, not all the compound was under power. If they were smart, and so far they had proven themselves to be worthy adversaries, there was a chance he could slip out the box and knock out the main power source. If he could do that then he could knock out these bombs, because no computers, no deadman switches.
It wasn't much, but it was worth a shot. He was going to need to actually study the charge to know for sure. Which had him forming an idea.
"I might have a way for us to take the school and call for help though," Damian offered.
"Really?"
"Yeah, but it's going to be near impossible, still in?" Damian asked.
"Yeah, anything to get the fuck out of here," Wally said.
"Good, we'll discuss it later," Damian announced hearing foot steps and then there was a guard, the hot water was off and there were towels tossed at him and Wally. Slowly he dried off, feeling stiff and then there was a uniformed dropped in front of him again. Reluctantly he pulled it on as he was marched out of the showers and he found himself being escorted to his quarters again. Jon was curled up in the corner of his bed trembling. The moment the door was shut Damian turned onto Jon.
"What happened?" he demanded.
"We have to get out of here!" Jon hissed. "There's people from the future and other dimensions here!"
"What?"
"Whoever has us is collecting people who fall into this time and this Earth," Jon stated.
"Waller," Damian growled.
"I don't know, I don't wanna know, I wanna go home!" Jon stated.
"I have an idea, but I need you to use your xray vision and tell me exactly what you see," Damian stated as he grabbed a scrap of paper and pencil.
"Why?" Jon asked.
"I might be able to defuse the bombs in our necks, but I must know what we're dealing with here," he stated firmly and sat on his bed, folded his legs and Jon came over as he looked at his neck intently.
"It's small, like a grain of rice," Jon started and Damian started sketching.
Bruce just stared at Jason and his second son didn't look at them. He was staring at the ground, and Bruce felt a sick.
"What you never exhumed my grave?" Jason laughed bitterly and stood to tower over them. "How I came back doesn't fucking matter, point is I took a bath in the Pits, and she wants it to fix the DNA problem."
"But why you? Oliver Queen, Thea, Sara Lance, hell half the Arrow allies have bathed in the Pit, so why does it have to be you?" Dick shouted and Bruce saw with horror why Waller had settled on his son, and there was a bubbling foreign feeling he hadn't felt since Joker had his child and blew him up. Bruce was seeing red, but slowly he focused on his breathing, his own heart as his hands slowly unclenched.
"Most the people known to take a dip in the Pit are League members, which isn't good for them, or Assassins," Jason stated and the horrid dawning appeared on Dick's face and Stephenie stared at him. "On top of that she's probably thinking to try to use me as an asset so she's not likely to stop."
"She picked you because…" Raven started.
"I'm dead," Jason spat out and Bruce stood. He reached for Jason but stopped himself as he saw the way Jason was glaring at him. Bruce noticed again how young Jason was, and how none of this should be Jason's problem. Jason should be going to school, he should have friends, he should be normal, he should be in frats, and drinking, and being a kid. However, his son was here, he was too young and he held the weight of the world, he was more trained than most his age, and he was good at what he did. Too good. And a mad woman wanted him.
"So, what are you going to do Bruce? Hand me over to Waller, possibly getting the brats back? Or are you going to make them die for a dead man?" Jason sneered as he stalked off and Bruce frowned. He'd figure this out. Raven walked up to him.
"He didn't mean that," she said softly.
"He did," Bruce assured the young empath.
"You two for being so smart are really stupid!" she hissed as she walked after Jason and Bruce sighed.
"We need to find the kids," Victor announced and Bruce turned back to the monitor. The cyborg looked at him and Bruce frowned at the sympathy he saw on the man's face.
"Raven's got Jason, right now we'll work on the kids, the team will work with Donna, and we'll find Damian and Jason wherever they are, then we'll go get them," Victor decided as he sat down.
Bruce grunted but didn't argue as he continued his work. they didn't have too long before Waller's deadline. But knowing Waller that didn't mean anything. The woman was a sociopath, or close to it, and everything she did was to benefit herself. If he handed Jason over (not that he was going to) there was no guarantee that he'd even get Damian and Jon back. And if there was a pissed off Kryptonian family on Earth then there was going to be war and Bruce would have to put Clark down. Not something he wanted to do, but he was capable of doing if called upon.
"Why did it have to be the Pit?" Dick muttered. Bruce lifted his brow at Dick and his eldest sighed as he fell back in his seat.
"Talia kept him because of the Pit no doubt, and Constantine met him because of the Pit, and now Waller wants him because of the Pit. When does it end?" Dick stated.
"When it's over," Bruce answered. However his eldest was rising a valid point now. Everyone kept Jason away, everyone wanted to use him, everyone had an agenda with him, and from what little they had pieced together, the only common thread was the Pit. Which was infuriating. But after this, Bruce was exhuming Jason's coffin and he was going to see what Jason was talking about, see if there was a reason for the blessing of his son's life again.
And after all this was done, after everything with Waller was finished. Bruce was going to find a way, he didn't know how, but he was, he was going to find a way to reach Jason himself. Not just hear about him through the demoness. He was going to reach Jason somehow, he was going to get his son home. Also, after this, whether Jason liked it or not, he was going to be time to resurrect him legally again. It was past time Waller left his family alone. And standing in the public's light was the safest route. Jason would be safer in the life of the public. Bruce didn't care if Jason would hate this, he needed his son safe rather than hunted. Also, if Jason was safe, then Bruce could live with being hated.
There was a reason most the people who bathed in the Pit were untouchable, people would notice if they vanished. But as Jason didn't exist no one would notice or believe them. Even the League didn't really believe him or Dick about Jason being alive. No matter, Jason was going to be safe again.
"You know he's never going to ask for help, or forgive you if you hand him to Waller," Dick murmured.
"I'm not handing him over to Waller," Bruce said firmly. He would solve this problem, he would not lose one son for another. His children were not interchangeable, or replaceable, they were his, and he'd never betray them that way, never again. He would not make this mistake twice!
"I'm not either, but Jason thinks you are," Dick Said softly and that hurt far more deeply than Bruce would ever be able to express as he shoved the pain away and worked on finding Damian and Jon.
She stood slowly, assessing the damage she felt on her body, and she whimpered at the voice whispering in an unknown language in her ear. There was a flood of pain which had her gasping as she stumbled and whimpered, clutching the wall she looked up and saw the Enchantress slowly approaching her.
"N-No!" she whimpered. "G-G-Go A-Aw-Away!" she gasped as pain continued relentlessly circulating through her body.
There was a hand on her brow and a smile and June nearly screamed as she felt like she was being ripped apart. Finally it all subsided which had her gasping for air as she felt the Enchantress seep forward, and what was unknown was now heard.
"We will kill the Gem of Scath, we will raise hell, and we shall once again rule this world!" the voice rasped in her head and June felt herself shoved out of her body so she was only helpless to watch there was a surge of power and she watched as the icy wonderland she found herself in boiled red and blues streaked through the reds. There was no stopping the Enchantress, June could feel herself being locked in a glass cage in her own mind as she was forced to watch in horror as her body moved against her will and all the power came to life.
"No!" she screamed as she tried to break the Enchantress' hold but June screamed when she was filled with images of Rick dying.
Kori was staring out at her home world again her hand resting on her abdomen as she pondered the life within her. it was a miracle, and she was excited about this. There was a knock on her door which had her dropping her hand as she turned in time to see her brother walking in. Ryand'r smiled at her.
"How are you today, sister?" he asked.
"I am well, have you heard about Komand'r?" Kori asked.
"I'm afraid not, she has since formed a pact with the Psions and escaped our grasp for the moment," Ryand'r said evenly.
"I have heard the rumors, even on earth, do you believe she is truly plotting to take the throne from you, brother?" Kroi asked nonchanantly. She was concerned for her home world, she was still a Tamaranian Princess, and she had responsibilities. However, she was also disowned from her family since her sister's botched attempt at a wedding, and invasion.
"It is not I who should worry, sister, it is you," Ryand'r said.
"Me? For what reason?" Kori asked.
"She holds a grudge against you for imprisoning her, and for father's wrath, I have heard more rumors about her summoning an army to destroy you than I have heard about her coming for our throne. I believe it is more likely she will come for you first," Ryand'r said.
"I see," Kori dryly replied as she frowned at the thought. She still loved her sister, dearly, however, after all the years, after all the hells, and Kori's escape when Kom did not make hers' had warped her sister. They had survived together, leaned on one another, and Kori could still remember her escape as she was forced to leave Kom behind.
"She will kill you, sister," Ryand'r said.
"She will try," Kori corrected. Far crueler, far worse, far more dangerous had come for her and failed.
"It is time to accept that the Komand'r you call sister is no longer in Komand'r," Ry said firmly.
"I will never give up on her!" Kori hissed to her younger brother as she felt her energy and her fury at the thought slip into her fingers, and her powers flickered. "Komand'r is family, and she should have our support and loyalty even when she is lost."
"She is not lost sister, she never was," Ryand'r stated.
"Get out," Kori hissed.
"You know I speak the truth, or have you grown so soft on earth it's addled your brain?" he demanded.
"Get Out!" she snapped and he flew out of the way when she blasted her fury.
"You cannot save her Koriand'r," Ryand'r stated coldly as he flew out and she felt her hand tremble as she bit her lip and rested her brow on her hands. Ryand'r would never understand, truly understand, he had been the one father had kept safe, kept here, and she and Kom had been sent to hell.
But Kori accepted her luck too, she was lucky to have made it to earth. She was blessed in having met Dick, and Raven, and Victor, and Garfield. She was welcomed, she was loved, she loved in return, and she was safe. But it was only because she left her sister behind she had been lucky. Kom had been forced into being a thief, an outlaw, a threat, and Kori knew it was because of her. Because she hadn't stayed to save her sister.
Kori was never giving up on Kom, never, and she would find a way to save Kom. But it would take time.
For the meantime, Kori would speak to the League, alert them to her sister, and she would protect her family on earth. She would also leave before word of her pregnancy leaked and she would be forced to stay here to birth the 'heir' her brother had yet to sire. Kori would not leave her child here, her child would grow up free and loved on earth.
Sighing she looked at her abdomen where the life was.
"I will let nothing happen to you, no matter what," she whispered as she hugged herself and stood to leave her quarters to tell her team that it was time to leave. She would need to escape now.
She was startled to find herself looking at her father.
"Myand'r," she bowed then as she stepped back.
"Daughter," her father boomed and Kori mentally calculated the fast ways to escape without bringing harm to her own father.
Bruce sighed as he leaned back from his work and pinched his brow in frustration. Waller couldn't hide Damian or Jon for long. He knew his youngest well enough to know the moment Damian could form a plan of escape he'd be gone.
"Waller must have a place secure enough to have built this prison, but secluded enough to not be found," Victor stated.
"Where would she be able to do something like that, and actually have the prison still standing?" Dick grumbled.
"I'm not reading any odd energy signatures on satellites so she must have a natural power source like solar or a dam," Barbara announced. Bruce frowned.
"Could it be in Africa? Lots of wild area out there, and with all the warlords, and shifting politics people might not notice it," Victor offered.
"It'd be a good place to hide in plain sight," Barbara said thoughtfully. Bruce stood as he started pacing and thinking. It wasn't going to be obvious wherever this prison was, it wasn't sanctioned and he knew that WE had had no part in building it because no contract covered it and he didn't work with A.R.G.U.S., mostly for moral reasons. Amanda Waller was morally corrupt and only served herself and her interests. A.R.G.U.S. was just her tool of power.
Bruce scowled.
Wherever she had put this prison it wasn't going to be obvious.
"Barbara, scan for large sources of natural power, focus on solar," he said as he sat at his console again. Solar energy was reliable, and there'd been massive improvements in the field which was why he was now looking for the possibility. If one converted the dome here into a solar collection and then used the power to power the prison then there'd be no need for energy storing. All energy would be being used.
The biggest issue was the size of this proposed dome, if it was really built then even then that was too much power. There'd have to be a place to store the additional energy for later use. He frowned and looked over the proposed plans again as he looked for where they'd possibly put the energy, so far he was seeing a lot of collecting towers, but no storage.
"Bruce," Selina was beside him then and he glanced over at her as he looked back at the screen. "We're going to find him."
"I know," Bruce said. They would find Damian, but the question was if they'd find him before Waller killed him or brainwashed him.
"Bruce he knows you're coming for him," Selina assured.
"Waller has my son and Clark's son, in exchange for them, she wants my other son," Bruce said grimly. "And Jason thinks he's going to be handed over to that woman so I can get Damian and Jon back."
"Bruce, he doesn't…" Selina started.
"You saw the way he looked at us," Bruce murmured. "He expects to be handed over to Waller, by us."
"Bruce, he doesn't," Dick started and then sighed. "He shouldn't."
"But he does, and I'm not giving him to Waller," Bruce said. The way Jason looked, he had expected, fully expected to be handed over to Waller, no questions no arguments, no fight, just be handed off and Damian and Jon returned. And it was seeing that look in Jason's eyes which had hurt so fucking bad that it had broken his normally well-constructed shields. Every emotion he had had when he'd taken Jason in had come roaring in full force, and Jason had stood there ready to be given to the enemy. Jason had never been an easy child to begin with, never trusting anyone, always doing everything on his own, with full force. Jason had a soft heart though, a kindness in him which was guarded carefully. And in the short time Bruce had taken the boy in before his death that kindness had shown itself.
Bruce still saw the kindness in the man, it came out on occasions when no one was looking. The very little he'd seen of Jason in the Tower was a stranger, however there were moments he was the boy Bruce remembered. Even in the House of Mystery he could be the boy Bruce remembered. But the man was a stranger, a dangerous stranger who was expecting betrayal. And that hurt Bruce more than any fight he'd had with Dick, any distance Tim would lay down between them, any misunderstanding between him and Damian, and any screw up he had with the other kids. Jason expected betrayal and that had been a knife in his heart.
"He expects me to trade him," Bruce said and Selina's hand was in his.
"No he doesn't," she started.
"He does, but I'm not handing him over to Waller, even if I have to lock him up in the Manor," Bruce growled.
"Guys, touching family feelings later, there's more files here, and notes," Victor said and Bruce looked at the screen. There were files being pulled up, names, numbers, and these weren't just kids anymore. Bruce frowned as he reached for the keys and tapped a few to pull up more information.
"This isn't…" Dick started.
"It is," Bruce said softly. "It's just not common."
"Are we going to need to talk to Barry?" Dick asked.
"Not yet," Bruce said. He wasn't as versed in the multiverse theory like Barry was, however this was concerning. He was looking at several files: Power Girl, a.k.a Kara Kal-El, Earth-2; Alcatraz, a.k.a. Cortez, Earth-45; Comeback, Zack Harkness, Earth-29; Michael Jon Carter, time traveler, 2449; Ethan Cobblepot, Gotham; Wallace Rudolph West, Central City; Zoe Lawton, Gotham; Suchin Lawton, Gotham; and there were hundreds more.
"She's collecting other Earths heroes and villains," Dick muttered. Bruce just stared as he typed swiftly.
"Why?" Barbara asked.
"I am not reading anything about the why," Victor said evenly. Bruce knew why, these were her pawns should the Justice League turn against earth. And he stared at every file of a person snatched from their home Earth.
According to his clock it was nearly four in the morning when Jon finished describing the bomb in detail and approved of Damian's drawing. Damian just stared at the schematics he had and then tucked it under his pillow as he stretched out on his bed and Jon did the same.
"Think we're going to die here?" Jon asked.
"No."
"Can you disable the bomb?" Jon asked.
"Not yet, but I will," Damian replied as he stared at his ceiling. This was an odd world, an odd situation, and he didn't even have a way to get around this problem. Antarctica. The most hostile enviorment on earth and he was stuck there, with no proper gear, and no proper plans. They would break out, but it wasn't going to be easy. He was hoping to organize a take over. If he could hack the bombs then there was a chance they could stand up and survive. The only leverage he was aware of JGJ having was the bombs, as far as he could tell none of the guards had superpowers. However, this would require further observations. For now he was going to sleep, get up and discuss this with Jon, Wally, and Zoe in the morning. There would be a plan.
"I don't want to stay here," Jon whispered.
"We're not," Damian stated firmly. They would not be staying here. Somehow, he would get word out and they would be rescued. For now though there was nothing to be done until he could process and plan for this.
"I'm sorry we're in this mess," Jon said.
"This is not our fault," Damian stated firmly. He knew that, he'd seen Waller before he was drugged. This was Waller, and her obsession for his big brother. Damian might not be overly fond of his 'brothers' however, Grayson had told him family was family and you did whatever was needed for family. Damian would figure this out, and he'd keep his family safe. Waller would not get Jason.
"Why do they want us anyway?" Jon asked.
"They want Jason," Damian countered.
"What?" Jon sat up.
"Yes, before we arrived here I… Waller was there, she told me she wanted Jason, it is not about you or I, she is after my brother," Damian said softly.
"He's not going to be happy when he finds out," Jon predicted.
"Probably not, if father even alerts him to this," Damian said.
"Bats would tell him," Jon said uncertainly. Damian wasn't inclined to think so, however, Jason was Jason and probably knew. He wondered how Jason would react to this, he wasn't certain what his second brother would do. Grayson would tear the world apart, Drake would let it play out then destroy it, and he… well, he'd rip apart A.R.G.U.S. but there was no telling what Jason was likely to do.
It was shocking how little he knew about Jason when he thought about it. Everyone only knew what Jason shared which wasn't a lot.
"Damian?" Jon whispered.
"What?" he asked calmly.
"Raven will find us right?" Jon asked.
"Yes," Damian agreed, at the very least Raven would find them, or a telepath would. He would not think his father to neglect all options. But how long until they were found he didn't know. And there was the matter of the bombs.
"We'll get out of this," Damian assured his friend. He wasn't how just yet but they would be getting out of this and it was terrifying to think that they might not. But they would get out. He had to think that to focus. He wasn't some scared little kid. He was an Assassin, he was Robin, he was a Titan, he didn't do scared, and he sure as hell was no kid!
"Good," Jon nodded.
"And we'll make Waller pay for this!" Damian growled.
"Good," Jon agreed and Damian felt a smile split his lips. Antarctica couldn't hold him, and he was going for Waller! This would not stand, he would not let it stand. He was not some pawn to be used at convenience, and he was Damian Wayne, he was an al Ghul, he didn't play the games, he ran them. For now though rest was needed, and then planning. Which was what he was doing as he let his eyes close and he took a deep breath and forced his body to go to sleep. He would need all the rest he could get.
Jason stared out the Manor window, it hadn't changed, it hadn't changed one bit, and that scared and comforted him. He felt her presence behind him and for a long time he just let the silence sit between them. He knew what he needed to do, and he knew what this was going to come to, and God how he hated it. Raven was suddenly beside him again.
"He's not going to give you up," Raven said evenly.
"I wish I believed you," he muttered. "Rae, I need… I need your help."
"What do you need?" she asked. He leaned on the frame and stared out the window. He wasn't thrilled about this, he didn't know if it would work, however, he trusted Raven a hell of a lot more than the Bats right now.
"I've got a plan, but I need to know someone has my back," he said evenly. "I also need to know you can drop me if needed."
Her dark eyes flicked to him and he waited for her answer.
"Yes."
"Kay," he nodded as he took in a shaky breath and closed his eyes.
"So what is your plan?" Raven asked.
"Well, I need a phone," he said calmly. "Not the one you gave me, I don't want it being traced."
"That phone can't be traced."
"True, but I want this call traced," he said evenly.
"Alright," Raven pulled out her phone and handed it to him.
"You're sure?"
"It's just a phone, Red, so what's the plan?"
Moving SUCKS!
Thats all for now folks.
Enjoy Rock Meet Bottom.