Chapter 4
4 June 2013 (just after midnight), Frankfurt Airport, Germany
Sigmore Friedman had no idea how he managed to make it this far.
He also had no idea why or, more accurately how the heck, his passport was valid in a different universe. He understood that it was parallel, but so much stuff was different. Hell, the American President was a badass woman named Emmaline "Mary" Brady, and apparently she wasn't the first one! Which was awesome and all, but back to the main thing, his passport was still totally valid. The real problem was going to be sneaking, well, not really sneaking but bringing the kitten, which was yet unnamed, into the United States. There were a thousand forms and requirements that he had to fill out and forge. He had a no idea if kitten-who-refused-all-the-names-Sigmore-suggested had his shots. Hell, there could be a bunch more shots that didn't exist in his universe the black and white kitten needed or vice versa.
Sigmore let loose the breath he was holding as he entered the airport proper. He had made it this far. Hopefully, the flight to Gotham would go okay, and all would be well. The kitten meowed from his carrier.
"Shh. I can't let you out right now. People have allergies."
"Mew." The kitten pleaded, doing his best to look adorable.
Sigmore sighed. The kitten reminded him of the two kids that had been used in the experiment that had sent him here. Richard and Richard's little brother. He wished he had managed to get a name for the younger one. Or a last name, at least. He wished there was something he could have done for them, but the portal had stopped working a few days after he'd arrived in the alternate universe. It would have been nearly a month ago now. The scientists had been unable to fix it, apparently not knowing the workings of the portal from this side. Sigmore kept the part about Richard silent while being forced to try to get the portal to work, even though he did not know how it worked.
He had slipped away in the middle of the night, freeing a zoo of animals on his way out the door, and luckily hadn't been tracked down yet. Sigmore wasn't sure how long his luck would last, and was taking increasing precautions and paranoia. His plan was to find the Batman or Justice League of this universe, which he really needed more information on, and hopefully to dump the problem on the Bat, while offering his own incredibly limited expertise in hopes of making amends with his conscience. Batman in his universe was a detective genius, highly talented in technology, as far as Sigmore knew. If anyone could figure out how to help Sigmore get back to his universe and save those kids, Batman would be the answer.
"Meow."
"I can't let you out!"
3 June 2013
Dick looked around his new room with dull eyes. It was large, but not too large. The walls were a soft green and two beds were on opposite sides of the room. Barry Allen, but not Wally's Uncle Barry Allen, had watched over the two boys while Thomas Wayne had gone out to the stores. When he got back, the two men had swapped places and Barry had speedily put all the furniture together. Then, the two men had moved the major equipment Dick needed upstairs before moving the boy himself. They had moved Dick fairly quickly so that he wasn't off the IV long. He was still incredibly weak, but it was nice to get out of the Batcave.
Barry babysitting them had been nice. He had brought a variety of toys and board games. Damian loved it. Dick knew, even with how little he'd been awake, that the little kid was incredibly bored with nothing to do but explore the cave or watch his big brother sleep. Television was an almost foreign concept. Damian wanted to try all the games, and Barry was happy to oblige with most of them. They had even included Dick in one of the games, a weird version of Chutes and Ladders, although he fell asleep towards the end.
Dick had been mostly asleep when they started to move him, but woke up more when Thomas dropped him in a bathtub and washed him, extra gentle on his back, before putting the teen in new warm and comfortable clothes. The new clothes still hung a bit big on him, but Dick thought that might be intentional. They were soft enough not to irritate Dick's scarred back. Barry had kept Damian entertained while Dick and Thomas were in the bathroom. Once he was dry, Thomas had set him in the new bed with forest green sheets and a colorful blanket before reconnecting him to the monitors. The IV had been reconnected as soon as he was safely upstairs, so shortly after Thomas had set him down in the bathtub. Then, he had pulled the blanket up to Dick's chin. Seeing Dick's eyes drooping, Thomas left Dick to get some more sleep, while maybe ordering some Flash food for the three.
That brought Dick to now. He had carefully and slowly pushed himself the best he could into a somewhat elevated position and was looking around at his new surroundings. It was much warmer up here than in the cave, but the cave was familiar, even though it carried a sense of wrongness with the lack of souvenirs. This room was new, completely new, and that was jarring. After so many months of the prison, the whitewashed hallways and clothing and dull dorm like walls only brightened by Alex's paints, this room was such a contrast. It was warm. It was welcoming. It was overwhelming, and he wasn't sure how to cope, and honestly felt like crying.
Which was horrible. He had been crying way too much lately. It seemed like all he'd been doing was crying and sleeping. He wanted the silence, liked the silence, but even the silence was oppressive and scary.
"Hey." Dick looked up to see Thomas standing at the door. The man entered. "I know we haven't really had a chance to talk much besides some confirmations of what Damian told me." Dick just watched him.
The man sighed and sat down at the foot of the bed. He took a minute to pick a starting place and Dick took that minute to really study him. He'd figured out that Thomas was Batman here, mostly because the man was in the Batman suit half the time. He'd also figured out Thomas was a very different Batman than Bruce, but the Batcave was too dim and Dick had been too weak to really make out details. The new room was considerably brighter, even with the curtains drawn. While that hurt Dick's eyes a bit after weeks in the Batcave, it also made things easier to see.
"I guess we should start, or start again I suppose, with proper introductions. I'm Thomas Wayne." He looked at Dick expectedly. Dick ducked his head and studied the bedspread. It wasn't tie dye. More blotchy. He traced the stitches. After a minute, he decided.
"Richard."
"Richard?" The man blinked, most likely surprised to hear Dick's voice after so much silence. Dick was surprised too. His voice was stronger than he expected, although still close to a whisper.
"Richard Wayne." He hesitated and then looked up. "Richard John Grayson-Wayne."
"Nice to formally meet you, Richard." Thomas said, smiling at the boy. Dick hesitantly smiled back. Thomas wrapped an arm around him, giving Dick additional support. "Your father would be?"
"Bruce." Dick furrowed his eyebrow. "Dami dit ti?" He shook his head to try to clear it. "Dami… told… you?" He repeated, this time in English. Thomas nodded down at him. "Ugh!" Dick said, his hands flying up to massage his head. "I'm normally better at English!" He growled. "I am normally better at English." He stated each word carefully.
"I think it has to do with your injuries." Thomas replied. "Damian said you spoke many languages and Romani was your first?"
Dick nodded in response.
"Then it will come. You might have to work at it a bit, but it will come. You are adopted, right?"
Dick nodded again.
"I'm sorry for your loss. I hope my son was an adequate guardian, and I hope to be one to you until we can return you to your home." He paused. "However, I do not know how long that will be, especially as it has been a month and there has been no sign of anyone coming after you. For now, we'll have to carve you a spot in life here. Do you understand?"
Dick eyed the covers again, running his fingers along the fabric to get a feel for its softness. "How long we stay here?"
"Until I can find a way through the dimensions to get you home. And until you are fully healed. No grandson of mine, in this universe or any other, will be gallivanting through the multiverse while injured if I get my say."
"Deja did."
"Oh. You know what I mean. Again." Dick smiled. Thomas's teasing smirk became a little more genuine in response. "So, I've talked to my lawyers, and come up with the start of a story, but I want your input to get it as close to the truth as possible. So that you, and especially Damian due to his age, can remember it easily." Dick nodded. "I told them that I had discovered I had a son and had taken in two grandkids, although their father had disappeared in the process."
Dick gave a frown. "Not… abusive…" He huffed out.
"I know, chum, I know." Dick started. "It is something I said?"
"Bruce call me 'chum.'" Dick whispered.
"Oh. Well, I can avoid that if you want."
"Please."
"Alright then." Thomas cleared his throat. "I didn't say he was abusive, although it might have been accidentally implied to begin with. I told them you had been kidnapped and I had saved you from the kidnappers, kind of stretching it because you saved yourselves, and gave you medical attention as I still have my license, I never lost it. Bruce told you I was a surgeon, right?
Dick nodded.
"Yeah. I wasn't absolutely certain if all your injuries came from the kidnapping, so I didn't mention them beyond saying you were seriously injured. Your dad is missing, currently, most likely searching for you two, so that gives an out for when we get you home or if he appears here. We might have some trouble from my ex-wife, but if we keep it low, we should be alright. Is the story alright?"
Dick considered it. "Where kidnappers?"
"They got away. I was too focused on you two to worry about them."
"Can't be Grayson here. Might be… nother…"
"Gotcha. Then you can just be Richard Wayne, if that's alright."
"Tati Wayne?"
"You want to be Tati Wayne? That's a bit of an odd name, but-"
"No! Tati ni father. Was Tati here Wayne?"
"Uh. That's a good point. Wayne is a common enough name that I might not have found you by now though. Yeah. You were Wayne before. It should be okay."
"Where from?"
"Hmm. I'll have to think about that one. What about Chicago? Do you know enough about Chicago?"
"Yes. Okay."
"Any more questions, Richard?"
"No. Story good."
"Gotcha." Thomas brushed a hand through Dick's hair. "The lawyers will want to talk to you, but we should have it all squared away in a week or two. Maybe three if the press finds out too soon." Dick shrugged. He felt really tired. "I'm going to get my friend Leslie to look you and Damian over sometime in the coming days. She's better at pediatrics, kids, and I think you should be seen by a second set of eyes for proprietor's sake. Probably let her in on the truth so that she knows what to look for. Don't worry. She's trustworthy."
"Leslie Thompkins?"
"Yeah. You know her?"
"Mmm. Our doctor. Bruce trust her."
"Good. Good to know. I'll need to find you a speech therapist, too. She should have a good recommendation. That should help get you talking again and in one language. It's summer, so we don't need to worry about school for now. What grade are you in anyways?"
"Was Freshman. Dami start. Dami need to start."
"Hmm. Birthdays?"
"Mine. March 23, 1999. Dami… No know? I no know? Ugh, I donno. He four. I fourteen."
"Take a deep breath. In. And Out. In. And Out. Good. Don't get frustrated. It'll come."
"Difficile." Dick whined.
"I'll get on that speech therapist for you. For now, rest." He helped Dick lay back against the pillows and brushed a hand through the boy's hair. "I'm going to go make you some soup." A horrified expression crossed Dick's face. "Hey! My soup isn't that bad!" There was a small bit of apology in the boy's visage.
"Bruce scary kitchen. Alfred say non."
"Bruce was scary in the kitchen and Alfred made him stay out?"
"Yes."
"Well, I'd like to think I am better than Bruce. You've been eating my soup for the last few weeks, you know." Dick looked properly chastised. Thomas gave him one last pat. "Rest. I'll bring soup up in a half hour."
7 June 2013
Damian watched as the pretty blond lady took some x-rays of his ankle. The stuff didn't hurt. She just covered him with some heavy vest and made him laid down with his foot in this machine. She pushed a few buttons and then there was a whirling noise, and some lights, and then it was over. She was friendly, yabbering on about this and that, looking him over and then tapping his knee with a rubber hammer. But she turned out to be a trickster! She was telling him some story about some other kid and then she poked him in the arm with a needle! Naturally, as needles are terrible things that made Dick collapse, Damian had gotten upset and ran and hid behind Not-Batman. But then Not-Batman had moved out of the way and tried to push him towards the nasty blond lady.
Damian followed the best course of action at that point and bolted from the room with a cry. He raced up the stairs and into his and Dick's room. Dick looked at the kid weirdly when Damian scrambled over the teenager and hid under the covers.
Not-Batman and the nasty blond lady came in a moment later. Not-Batman ran a hand over his face, spotting the lump on the other side of Dick.
"Richard, we're trying to give Damian his vaccines. Can you give us a hand, please?"
Dick didn't move, eyeing the needles nervously. He shook his head.
"My god, both of you are scared of needles?" Not-Batman asked. Dick gave him a short nod.
"Thomas, can I speak with you outside for a moment?" The nasty blond lady said.
Thomas followed Leslie out into the hallway, cracking the door behind him in case Richard needed him.
"Thomas, what happened to these kids?"
"I told you, they were kidnapped and-"
"No, what happened while they were captive?"
"I… I don't know for sure. I know they've been injured. Richard, at minimum, has been tortured. He has track marks around his wrists and ankles, up and down his arms, and on his chest. And his back, it looks like he was whipped, and then they branded him. Same brand as on Damian. I treated those for infection when they arrived. I had hoped the lessened stress would make him wake up sooner. The only part of Richard I couldn't actually find a recent injury on was his head. But he's having trouble speaking one language at a time and I don't believe white was his original hair color, so there's probably something there too. Invisible or mental."
"And Damian?" Leslie asked.
"I'm clueless." Thomas replied. "He has some track marks too, but only on his upper arms, and nowhere near as many. You've seen his ankle and, like I said, there's a brand on his back. Both of them have a tattoo on their left arm."
"Then their fear of needles is not irrational. Thomas, it looks like they were experimented on." Leslie said.
"Experimented on? Are you sure?"
"Reasonably. I'll want a closer look at both of them, but if I'm right, then you'll want to take both of them to see a psychologist, and we'll have to keep an eye out for anything unusual. You might want them to see a psychologist anyways. They're in a new place and probably more than a little scared."
Thomas grunted, looking back towards the bedroom. They'd been talking in low tones so the boys didn't hear.
"Now, I'm going to go back in there and you're going to come with me." Leslie said. "We're going to have to tell them exactly what's in the shots and why they're important. We'll need to convince them that even if the vaccines make them sick for a little bit, the alternative is much worse. Might be better if we vaccinate Richard first. Little kids tend to follow the lead of someone they trust."
Meanwhile,
Dick slowly and gently pulled the cover off the ball of Damian.
"Hey," Dick said, aiming a smile at his baby brother.
"Hi." Damian replied.
"I know you're scared. I hate needles as much as you do, if not more." He said, speaking slower than he would normally so as to try to control the language switches. When he spoke slow enough, he could mostly limit them down to two or three languages with the occasional word in an additional language. He was mostly using Romani and Arabic, with some English thrown in. All languages Damian spoke. "But vaccines are important. They stop you from getting sick. We're new to this world. We have no immune system for whatever they have here."
"What's an immune system?"
"Your body's defense against sickness. After you get sick once, your body develops, makes, a defense so you don't get it again."
"But I don't wanna get the sharp pointy things in me."
"Me either. But you know what? I already have a needle in me."
"Huh?"
"See." Dick showed Damian the IV tube that was still giving Dick fluids. He didn't really need them anymore, but Thomas hadn't felt comfortable taking him off it yet. It was also dripping in pain medicine, so Dick wasn't inclined to ask for it to go away.
"And you know what." Dick said.
"What?" Damian asked.
"It makes me feel better." Dick whispered, giving him a little nudge.
"But the other needles."
"Made me worse. Because the people were mean." Dick answered at a more normal volume.
"The blond lady is mean."
"Because she tried to poke you with needles?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I bet if you're good, she'll give you a lollipop."
"What's a ле- леденец?"
"A lollipop?"
"Chupete?"
Dick huffed, frustrated. "Lollipop."
"Sucette?"
"Lolli-... Candy."
Silence for a moment. "Bonbons?"
"Ugh…"
A/N
Hi.
Actually got this out sooner than I expected. The last part just flowed.
WhenUniverseCollide drew an adorable picture of Dick and Dami based on The Medium Between on Deviantart. Check it out. :D
whenuniversescollide DOT deviantart DOT com /art/ Dick- and- Dami- 655774801
Remove spaces and replace DOTs with .
Anyhow, please review.