This takes place after Dick fires Tim while Bruce is stuck in time. It is also post-Avengers, but Iron Man 3 never happened.
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Tony Stark's POV, Stark's Home
I was in my workshop, tweaking one of my new suits when Pepper came down. "Hey, Pep!" I said, smiling at her. She rolled her eyes and, then, I noticed the familiar young man standing behind her. "Tim Drake! Didn't expect to see you here! Come for a look at one of the suits?" The kid was great with technology. We met at the last Stark Expo where he'd been showing Wayne Enterprises' newest invention: body armor made from a new compound, similar to adamantium. I'd told him to come stop by sometime and check out some of my stuff. He was one of the few people there that were able to keep up with me as far as physics and technology.
"Actually, Mr. Stark, I didn't." Tim said, looking uncomfortable. Then why is he here?
"I thought I told you to call me Tony!" I said.
Pepper coughed, drawing my attention. "Tim is your new personal assistant."
"Finally realized Stark Industries is funner than Wayne Enterprises? You should've just asked!" I joked.
Tim glanced down then back up at me, no sign of humor on his face. "Actually, there were family issues. I'm out of a job, at the end of the month I'll be out of a place to stay, and I never graduated from high school. Stark Industries was the only company that would hire me and pay me enough that I would be able to stick with one job." Oh, damn.
"Did you spend all your money already?" I asked, shocked. He'd never seemed irresponsible, but you never know with rich kids.
"The money I saved for me, yeah. There is still money in the bank, but I have that set to go to the new rec centers, charities, and groups that help prevent children from entering gangs in Gotham. I'm not going to stop giving to that. They need it more than I do." Tim said firmly. Hmm. Not many people would be willing to keep giving if they were in that situation.
"You could stay here or there are some rooms still intact at Stark Tower, if you want. No commute or anything!" I offered.
Tim shook his head. "Thanks, Tony, but, hopefully, I won't have to take you up on that. I'd feel bad staying here without doing anything in return." Damn selflessness.
"Alright, but, if you change your mind, you're going to see me everyday so just ask." I said.
"Thanks, Tony." Tim said, smiling.
"No problem, kid. Besides, you'll have to deal with me and my every whim from now on!" I said, grinning.
"And no money can pay enough for that." Pepper said, rolling her eyes.
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Captain America's POV, A Month Later, SHEILD Helicarrier
Just when I think nothing can surprise me anymore. Fury called the Avengers back together to face a new threat: the League of Shadow. According to the briefing, the League was a group of assassins lead by Ra's Al Ghul. They've been assassinating people all over the world for centuries, but, it was their recent attempted assassinations of Dr. Betty Ross and Dr. Jane Foster. Both attempts were only foiled by Agents Maria Hill, Clint Barton, and Natasha Romanov. Once Thor had heard of the attempt on Dr. Foster, he'd immediately returned from Asgard and was sitting across from me. Next to him were Clint and Natasha, both talking and joking with each other. Dr. Banner was sitting between me and where Stark will sit – as soon as he gets here!
Finally, Stark walked in through the hallway that lead to the top of the carrier. Wait, who is that?! Behind him, a black haired, teenage boy with a tablet was biting on his lip, nervously. When Stark sat down, the boy stood against the wall behind him. "Sorry, Fury." Agent Hill said when she walked in. "He wouldn't come unless we brought the kid."
"And who is this kid, Stark, and what the hell were you thinking bringing him here?" Fury growled, walking over and glaring at Stark with his one good eye.
"This is my new assistant, Tim." Stark said.
"What is he doing up here?" I asked, trying to put some authority in my voice.
"I told you I shouldn't come, Mr. Stark, I-" the boy – Tim – began.
Stark cut him off. "Tony."
Tim rolled his eyes and I felt like it was a constant argument. "-Tony. I'm not authorized to-"
"Tim, look, you'd be as much as an asset as most of us. Besides, I do stuff I'm not authorized to all the time!" Tim gave Stark a disapproving look. Huh, maybe the kid will be good for him.
"And that's what gets you in trouble." Tim said before turning to Fury. "Look, Mr. Fury, sir, I can leave if you want me to."
"No! He stays or I leave." Stark said. Tim glared at him, but Stark gave him his stubborn look.
"Fine, he can stay. Look, Tim, if you tell anyone anything about this, you'll be arrested, am I clear?" Fury growled, giving his 'death glare'. It's a bit unfair to glare at him like that… and growl. He was willing to leave!
Surprisingly, Tim didn't flinch at the glare but actually seemed to almost smile. "Yes, sir. I'm not stupid. Obviously, none of this is public knowledge and simply stating that I know anything about this would put my life at risk. You don't have to worry about me saying a thing."
"To the issue at hand, then?" Dr. Banner suggested from where he had sat silently across the table.
"Yes, let us figure out a plan to stop these Shadows! They must pay for trying to hurt Jane!" Thor roared. Tim did flinch a bit at that, but didn't seem scared.
I took this as my cue. "Right, so this 'League of Shadows' is an assassin organization that we need to take out. We've figured out that they have bases in Arabia, Korea, Egypt, Italy, Brazil, Canada, Russia, and Congo. Stark, Banner, we'll need you scanning for a chemical signature to find out which is their main base."
"What chemical?" Dr. Banner asked.
"Lazarus. We have a small sample that you can analyze to figure out what you're looking for." I told them. "SHEILD has almost all of the scanners in the world under strict orders to scan for what you tell them to."
"Which ones don't we have?" Stark asked.
"Wayne Enterprises'." Stark tipped his looked at the kid who nodded and walked over to one of the SHEILD computers. He pushed the man's wheelie chair away, ignoring the indignant look, and began typing.
"Stark, what the hell is he-" Fury said, sounding annoyed but tired.
"Shh, just let him do his thing." Fury nodded to the computer tech at the desk Tim had gone to and the man slumped.
"Got it. Wayne Enterprises scanning for a small concentration of Mercury in a large quantity." Tim said, walking back over to his place behind Stark. How the hell…
"And just how do you know how to hack into a company like Wayne Enterprises, that has made weapons and other projects for the government?" Fury asked, angrily. I could see the slight alarm in his eyes.
"Because I'm the one that made those firewalls. I know the only ways to get in and I can do it undetected." Tim said. Wait, he made the security?
"Look Mr. Wayne-" Natasha began. Wayne? I thought he was older… and dead.
"Drake-Wayne but I'm not a Wayne anymore, Miss Romanov." Tim corrected. Anymore?
"Anymore?" Banner asked, apparently sharing my thoughts.
"Family issues. Though I am legally an emancipated adult, I do still, technically, have a guardian who disowned me, fired me, and kicked me out. Therefore, I am no longer a Wayne." Tim said, sounding very formal.
"Oh, I'm sorry…" Banner said, looking at him with sympathy.
"It's not your fault. Besides, I'm actually healthier than I've been in years. No more exhaustion that requires hospitalization, forgetting to eat, I'm not getting sick as often, and, frankly, I'm happier. I may be a bit upset, but, overall, I'm doing great. Now, back to the subject at hand?" Tim suggested. How can he take that so well? Wait, he never answered the other question.
"And why did you set the scanners to look for Mercury?" I asked him.
Tim bit his lip. "Mercury is part of what makes up Lazarus."
"And how do you know that?" Barton asked, suspiciously.
"Wayne Enterprises did some work with Lazarus back when I was in charge." Tim said. I saw Fury in the background, motioning for one of the techs to check that.
"Alright! Well, back to the assassin problem. What do they look like?" Stark asked, looking interested.
"Ninja. They look like ninja." Agent Hill said, almost as if she couldn't believe what she'd seen herself.
"Director." One of the techs handed Fury a piece of paper and we all stopped talking.
"Well, what do you know. Says right here 'No, Mr. Fury. I do not know of any tests done by Wayne Enterprises on Lazarus in the past twenty years. As far as I know, WE has never worked with Lazarus. Signed, Lucious Fox.' Let's try this again, Mr. Drake. Why. Are. You. Looking. For. Mercury?" Fury growled.
Tim's shyness seemed to melt away and, in its place, a clever, analytical, confident attitude replaced it. "Have Tony and Dr. Banner check it; Mercury is in Lazarus."
"And how would you know that?" Fury growled.
"I've studied it."
"With who?"
"With all due respect, sir, it's none of your business. I understand that you don't trust me, but I don't trust you either." Tim said.
"Look, how about Bruce, Tim, and I go to the lab and see if we get any Mercury readings from the Lazarus, alright?" Stark said, getting up. "Let's go." He said, pulling Dr. Banner and Tim, who had turned back into the shy boy he had been before, down the hall behind him.
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Bruce Banner's POV, In the Lab
I kept an eye on Tim out of the corner of my eye. He seems like a nice kid, but I'm just not sure about him. Tony set the Lazarus sample under the microscope and said "JARVIS, look for signs of Mercury."
"Right away, sir." JARVIS replied.
"Cool AI." Tim said, walking around the lab looking at things with his hands behind his back. If he didn't turn his back to us sometimes, I'd think he was hiding something.
"Thanks! JARVIS is one of a kind! He-"
"reminds me of someone I know." Tim interrupted, giving a small, sad smile. "Alfred."
"Isn't that the butler?" Tony asked.
Tim gave a small laugh at that. "Technically, yes, but he was always more of a grandfather-figure. Everyone always thought Bruce was in charge, but Alfred was the real boss." Tim laughed again. "He was as much a part of the family as Bruce or Dick." Tim turned to look at another piece of equipment. "So, what about you, Dr. Banner? I'm a big fan of your research on gamma rays though I am sorry that you aren't the biggest fan of the results." Wait, that's college level stuff… and being able to look at a substance and tell what element is in it is too.
"Thanks, but, I thought you didn't go to college." I said, watching him.
"No, but I read books… lots of books." Tim said, blushing.
"With all the books he read, he could graduate." Tony said.
"You're obviously interested in this stuff, so why didn't you go to college?" I asked.
Tim sighed, looking out the window at the cities below. "Bruce couldn't take it anymore. It was just too much pressure on him. He knew Dick wasn't the business type and Damian was too young, so he asked me. My father, well, birth father, always expected me to take over Drake Industries so he taught me how to run a business and, well, Bruce had taken me in when I had nowhere left to go; he showed me what a family is supposed to be like. With everything he'd done for me, how could I say no?"
"Did he know you didn't want to go into business?" Tony asked, sounding serious for once. Tim just shrugged. "Well-"
Tony got cut off by the scanner. "Traces of Mercury, positive."
"Well, there we go!" Tony hit the button on the communicator Fury put in the lab. "Mercury test positive. Scan for it, Fury." Tony said, smirking.
"Got it, Stark." Fury's voice sounded. "I'll let you know when there's a hit."
"Tony," Tim said very seriously, "call Fury. We're about to get hit." Just like earlier, all shyness had fallen away and he had the appearance of a leader. Tony did what he was told.
"What? By who?" Fury asked.
"Shadows." Tim said, walking over to the communicator. "And it looks like SHEILD has pissed them off." Suddenly, the helicarrier shook violently, causing Stark and I to grab tables to keep ourselves upright. I had to breathe slowly to keep my pulse down. Tim slightly bent his knees, but didn't even put a hand against the wall. "Tony, you know how Cap wanted to know how I knew about the Mercury?"
"Yeah, and you managed to avoid the question, like you always do when you don't want to talk about something." Tony said.
"Because it's part of a bigger secret, but its time you know." Tim said, pulling something out of his shirt. After a second, I realized it was two belts that fit around Tim's shoulders before connecting to the Red Robin symbol in front. "I'm Red Robin." Tim said, putting on the mask he pulled out of his pocket.
"Stark! We need some help!" Fury's voice yelled over the comm., the sound of shooting in the background. Tony hit his bracelet and the Iron Man suit came through the door and put itself on him.
"You guys going to stay here, or…?" Tony trailed off.
"I'll come." Tim said.
"I'll stay here. I don't think it would be a good thing if the big guy-" a dart embedded itself in my neck and I felt my pulse rising. The last thing I saw was Tim knocking out a ninja before the other guy took over.
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Natasha's POV, In the Storage Area
"We have an unknown number of assassins on the ship. An unknown number trying to take the bridge. Any help would be welcomed!" Fury yelled over the comm. links.
I turned and barely dodged a katana. "Hawkeye!" I yelled, warning him. He spun around and blocked another katana with his bow.
"Ninjas? And here I thought they were extinct!" He yelled, grinning.
"Hawkeye, Widow, where are you?" Fury yelled over the comm..
"Busy! Ninja issues!" Clint yelled into his comm. link. Another ninja attacked him, but he jumped to the side and managed to knock the ninja out. "Just don't make ninja like they used to!" More ninja poured out of the shadows and fought us, pushing us until we were back to back.
Suddenly, the ninja moved away and a familiar figure walked towards us, holding a katana. "Talia." I said, acknowledging the woman who taught me many of the skills I used as an assassin.
"Natasha." She replied before attacking. This, I knew was a losing battle. Talia has had over 50 years to perfect her skills. That's where I recognized the name Lazarus from! I was barely able to dodge another blow and see Clint be kicked back to the close combat range where his bow would do no good. A red blur flew into the room and knocked Talia into a wall before going after the ninja.
"About damn time, Stark!" I yelled to him, trying to attack Talia before she recovered. Too late. One blow I didn't see coming left my vision blurred and my head swimming.
I closed my eyes as Talia raised her katana for the killing blow. "No!" I heard Clint yell, but there was no way he would make it in time. I waited for the final blow. Instead of the feeling of a katana slicing into my neck, I heard a metallic clang. Opening my eyes, I saw black. Am I dead?
Then, Talia's voice sneered "Timothy."
A familiar yet different voice replied, "Talia." Then the black moved from my vision, letting me see Clint kneeling next to me.
"Tasha?"
"I'm alright. She hit me hard enough for my head to spin, but it's better now." I said. It wasn't completely true: my vision was still a bit blurred and my head was slightly spinning, but it was much better than it had been. The sound of a fight made me look to the other side of the room. A figure in black and red was fighting Talia, who was wearing dark green. "Wait, is that...?" I trailed off, knowing Clint would know who I was talking about.
"Red Robin? Yep. And he's winning." Clint replied, giving me a smile. Talia screamed in fury, ordering the ninja that Stark was still trying to take out, to attack Red Robin. She threw down a smoke bomb and managed to escape. By the time the smoke cleared, Stark and Red Robin had taken out all of the ninja.
"You alright?" Red Robin yelled, looking at me.
"I'll be fine. Hell, give me a minute and I'll be back in the fight." I said, grinning.
"Well I guess we'll see you at the bridge in a minute, then! Fury needs help and Thor and Cap are busy trying to control Hulk." Stark said. Hulk… "Well, let's go fight some more ninja, kid!" He yelled as he flew off. Red Robin just shook his head, mentioned something about Nightwing, and ran after Stark.
"Ninja assassins, vigilantes, Stark's teenaged PA turning up on the helicarrier? What a weird day."
"Clint, you're damn right."
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Fury's POV, On the Bridge
Damn it. All of the agents who weren't dead were crouched behind a desk, gun at the ready. It only helped so much considering the ninja were finding other ways in and some of them had Kevlar on. "Still need that help, Fury?" Stark's arrogant voice asked over the comm.
"Damn straight I do!" I yelled back, shooting a ninja that had come out of the vent. One of them must have gotten to the ventilation system. It was damn near impossible to see anything more than five feet away and the sound of gunfire made it nearly impossible to hear anyone. Hill was sitting next to me, shooting at anything that moved.
Suddenly, the PA system started blaring "Back in Black" and I rolled my eyes, knowing Stark couldn't be far behind. Sure enough, a flying figure flew right over the desk Hill and I were hiding behind and the sound of a fight hit my ears. "Captain, Widow, Hawkeye, anyone, we need the ventilation system back up and running! It's impossible to see with all this smoke!"
"Busy right now, Fury!" Roger's voice said, followed by a loud slam.
"Got it. Widow and I are on it." Barton's voice said. I saw a figure moving quickly and shot at it before Stark flew in front of it.
"He's a friendly!" Stark yelled over the sounds of a fight. Both he and the other figure disappeared. A few minutes later, the ventilation system kicked on and the smoke cleared. The remaining ninja were shot or knocked unconscious. I finally got a good view of the 'friendly' figure. "Red Robin, how the hell did you get up here?" I growled.
"Shouldn't we worry about Hulk first?" Stark asked. Damn him for being right.
I turned and began walking down the hallway. "Thor, Cap, what's Hulk's position?"
"Hanger. And he's very angry!" Rogers yelled over the comm. A loud smash was heard in the background.
"We're en route." I replied, starting to run. Once we got to the hanger, I realized just how right Rodgers was. Thor was hitting him with his hammer, trying to distract him and draw him away from the planes. Then, Thor was thrown through a wall. Damn it.
"Get them to stay out of his view." Red Robin said. Stark began to protest, but Red Robin cut him off. "I've dealt with someone with super-strength, near invulnerability, and anger issues before. I know what I'm doing." Stark nodded and flew over to Captain America, who was leaning against a wall, picking him up and carrying him out of view. Stark flew through the hole Thor made and disappeared.
Red Robin slowly, calmly walked towards Hulk. Hulk roared and acted like he was about to punch him, but Red kept on walking. Once Red got close enough, Hulk roared in his face. "Hey!" Red yelled. He's going to get himself killed! I put my hand on my gun and Cap grabbed his shield. "I haven't done anything to you!"
"Hulk angry!" Hulk yelled, grabbing a plane and throwing it into another. Damn it. Barton's going to be mad: that was his plane.
"Me too, but how would you feel if I roared in your face because I was mad about something you had nothing to do with!" Red yelled back.
"You not normal human! Normal human run! Normal human attack Hulk!"
"I'm not normal and neither are you. That doesn't mean we should be attacked, but people fear anyone they don't understand. I know you're not the monster people are afraid you become. If someone attacks me, I attack right back, and so did you. Now, I would appreciate it if you would stop smashing planes and try to calm down." My mouth dropped in amazement as Hulk sat down and seemed to calm down. A quick look told me Rodgers was amazed too. "There. Now please try to calm down so we can talk about this and work something out."
"Hulk angry! People attack Hulk!" Hulk roared.
"And why does people attacking you make you angry?" Red Robin asked. Is he stupid? No one likes to be attacked!
"People try to hurt Hulk!"
"Do you know why?"
"No!"
"Because they are afraid that you will attack them."
"Hulk no try to attack them!" Hulk yelled, sounding angry again.
"Well, maybe if you wouldn't yell and sound angry all the time, maybe they'd realize you won't attack them!" Red Robin yelled right back. "Your reason for attacking them is their reason for attacking you! Yelling and roaring and smashing gets nothing accomplished!" Red Robin took a deep breath, calming down some. "If you don't want to be attacked, don't make it seem like you are going to attack. Try to calm down. I know you're smart, definitely above the level of what I am trying to tell you."
"Hulk understands." Hulk said, sounding sad.
"Good. I hope we can get along now, Hulk." Red said, giving a small smile.
"Tiny human Hulk's friend!" Hulk yelled.
"Yes, Hulk. Friends." Red said.
I was still frozen in shock. Rodgers' mouth was still hanging open in shock. It took a few minutes before we got over our shock and Hulk calmed down enough to turn into Dr. Banner. Stark whistled as he flew back in, followed by Thor. "Well, kid, you manage to surprise me, yet again! This ever going to end?"
"Probably not."
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Tim's POV, A Few Hours Later, In the Lab
"So, you're Tim Drake… and Red Robin." Hawkeye said slowly, still processing the information.
I sighed. "Yes."
"I do not understand! You are a hero! Why do you let others know you by a different name?! Do you not want credit for your heroic deeds?!" Thor yelled, hurting my ears.
"Everyone can be killed. I go by a different name so that the villains won't try to kill the people I care about." I told him.
"Then, Batman's…" Director Fury trailed off.
"Not my identity to tell." I finished for him. Fury nodded and gave me a knowing look.
"Wait, so, what's the whole, real reason you were fired and kicked out? I know you said family issues, but what family issues?" Tony asked. I know he's concerned, but I don't want to be called crazy again… but, knowing Tony, he'd help.
"He thought I was crazy."
"Told you you'd fit right in!" Tony yelled as soon as I finished.
"Why?" Captain Rogers asked.
"Dick tried to throw me in Arkham. He thinks I'm crazy and, maybe he's right, but I think that Bruce could be alive but the rest of the world thinks he's dead. He wouldn't even look at the evidence I gathered. I need to try to find Bruce because, right now, I just – I can't – I can't lose him too. Not right now." To my horror, I felt tears fall down my face. I quickly wiped them away and turned my head down and to the side. "I need someone and, if he were here, he'd understand. We were close – alike in a lot of ways. He'd understand why I need someone. I've just lost too much and too many this year; friends, family, reasons to live." I wiped the tears away again. "Tony, if you hadn't hired me, I probably wouldn't be alive right now. I would've just given up."
Tony walked over and hugged me. "Well, let's take a look at the evidence!" I grabbed my tablet off of the table and handed it to Tony. He looked over it, eyes looking surprised. "Time travel?" I nodded. He just shrugged and went back to reading. Once he was finished, he handed it to Dr. Banner. "Looks legit. Let's get Bruce back!... I can't believe I just said that." I smiled at him. Pretty much everyone knew Tony hated Bruce and Bruce hated Tony. Some millionaire competition, probably.
Dr. Banner was reading over my equations, giving small nods here and there. "I think you're right. I probably shouldn't travel to most of these places – they seem dangerous and we don't want the other guy coming out – but, if you need tech support or equations run or anything, just send them to me."
Clint and Natasha looked at each other before Clint smiled and said, "As long as we aren't on a mission, we'll help anytime. Just let us know if you need help!"
"I'll help when I can." Captain Rogers said.
"I must return to Asgard but you may call on me when you are in need!" Thor yelled.
"Ask us if you need help, and we might help." Fury said.
"Thanks." I said, smiling. "Well, let's get to work!" I leaned over to Tony's computer and began plugging in my equations.
"You got it, kid."
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The End! Wow, this was a lot longer than I thought it would be…