Note: This takes place after war games and after identity crisis #6. Spoiler for those two sagas.
Fall of the Bird Chapter1: Wandering about
Tim was looking at the scenery outside the window. He was looking at it all right, but he wasn't seeing it. His mind was a thousand miles away. Now that he was approaching the city, the scenery was changing more and more, as the trees started to fade in favour of sparse buildings. In a couple more miles, the trees would become sparse and the buildings would gradually become omnipresent.
"Damn, what am I doing here?" thought Tim. "If Bruce knew what I was doing, he'd kill me. No, scratch that, when Bruce will know what I'm doing, he'll kill me. Well screw him; he invented a plan that ended up killing Stephanie and Darla. And now dad. I can't really blame Bruce for dad's death, can I? If he didn't convince me of coming with him that day Boomerang attacked, I could've… No! I'm not going there again."
Tim couldn't see the trees or the buildings anymore. All the shapes his eyes would usually catch on were blurred by the silent tears flowing without restraint from his eyes.
"Two burials in two days are too much for me, especially knowing a third will be "celebrated" tomorrow. Why the hell do people call it "celebrating" anyway? Burying my dad was no damn celebration, it was hell. Maybe Bruce will understand, after all, he did lose his parents too. I have to get away, I just have to."
Tim looked down at the bus tickets in his hands. He bought two of them, not that he needed the two seats all by himself, but he was definitely not in the mood for some idle chitchat wit whomever his sitting neighbor would have been. At first, he didn't know where he would go. He even hesitated between the Ghotham bus terminal and the Gotham airport to make his getaway from. Only remembering he had yet another funeral tomorrow made him choose to take the bus. The first bus was leaving for Keystone, but Tim quickly dismissed the thought of going there. In the mood he was in, he'd probably walk right into the Flash Museum and start trashing every Captain Boomerang related representation. So Tim took the next bus leaving Gotham. Right then, however, the bus driver snapped Tim out of his reverie as he took the microphone and called everyone's attention.
-Attention everyone, we will be arriving to Metropolis shortly. Everyone whose final destination is Metropolis downtown please prepare your belongings and thank you for choosing Lextransport, Lexcorps transportation's division to travel with. Everyone else, there will be a brief pause of fifteen minutes, please prepare you're tickets for verification.
Tim was about to grab his bag when he remembered that he didn't bring anything, not even his costume. If there were trouble in Metropolis, Robin would not interfere. If there was trouble in Gotham, Tim wasn't sure he'd interfere.
As the bus started to work it's way through the streets of the city, Tim tried to ignore the little kid sitting the other side of the alley.
-Mommy, mommy, look, the grown man is crying. Do you think he lost his teddy bear?
-Shush, honey, he can hear you.
Tim
was boiling with what he knew was unjustified rage toward the youngster
for minimizing his pain that way. Damn, he should have bought four
tickets. He wanted to hurt everyone who doesn't understand his pain,
and knowing that he could cripple everyone in the bus without breaking
a sweat, that was a rather scary thought. Eventually, the bus came to a
halt in Metropolis terminal station.
Tim came out after everyone else and wondered where to go. So he just
walked through the streets, taking in the view, forcing his mind to
think of anything else. He looked at his watch; it was 9:00 A.M.,
Steph's funerals would be tomorrow at 6:30 P.M., so he could wait until
noon tomorrow to get back to Gotham. He kept walking for hours and
finally found himself drifting towards suicide slum. Metropolis, the
city of tomorrow, had forgotten that neighborhood into yesterday. Most
buildings here were in ruins, while the only ruin there was outside of
the slums were the ones that used to be the Lextower.
-Help, help! came a voice out of an alley, effectively waking Timothy Drake out of his daydreaming.
-Cry all you want, little lady, in this neighborhood, no one will come. Now get your pants down or I'll do it for you, and it's gonna hurt.
"Oh damn", thought Tim. "Burglars and purse robbers, I can handle, but rapists are the worst kind of scum there is, right there at the top of it with murderers. I didn't come here for this. But then again, if you didn't want to see action tonight, you shouldn't have wandered through Suicide Slum, Timmy. Well, maybe bashing someone's head in the pavement will get my mind off things for a while."
-Come on lady, I don't have all day you know.
The would be rapist was about to hit the lady when a voice came from the street.
-Leave her alone.
Tim could've used the Bat-voice, he was getting quite good at it, but he decided otherwise. When a thug hears the Bat-voice, he sometimes gives up right there, but Tim was more tempted by the thought of hitting that guy.
-Who the hell are you?
-Me? I'm Batman, I just forgot my costume.
-Heh, that's funny man. Look, buddy, I don't know who you are, but I'm giving you one chance to walk away unharmed. Take it, said the man, while holding his knife toward Tim.
-You're giving me a chance? And here I was thinking of giving you a chance to get away, but now I think I'm just gona bash your head in.
-Fool, came the respond, as the tall man ran toward the young teenagers with the solid intention of plunging his knife through his neck.
Tim easily dodged the knife and caught the hand holding it and twisted it almost three hundred sixty degrees, making the man drop the item that was giving him courage. Then Tim elbowed the guy directly in the throat, with just enough pressure to make him drop to the ground grasping for all to precious air. Then, without any finesse or martial art whatsoever, Tim simply kicked the thug in the face, broking three teeth and his nose, knocking him unconscious. Then Tim sensed another danger coming up from behind him. He swirled around faster than should be expected and his punch flew out at whomever was trying to sneak up on him. Thankfully, he stopped his punch just before hitting the terrified woman who had came up to thanks her mysterious savior.
"Damn it! Calm yourself!" thought Tim
-Uh, I… uh… thank you. Who are you? , asked the young lady.
-I'm nobody, answered Tim. Can you get back to your home safely?
-Um, well, no actually, I'm kind of lost. You see I'm new to Metropolis. I used to find my way by spotting the Lextower but now that it's destroyed…
-Fine, I'll take you to the ruins of the Lextower and you can find your way from there.
-Could… could you walk me home, please? I'm kind of scared
-Great, that's all I needed, mumbled Tim under his breath, then said louder, all right, lady, follow me.
-Oh, thank you, my name is Melody, what's yours?
-I'm… Alvin, Alvin Draper.
-Well, Alvin, thank you for rescuing me. Where did you learn to fight like this? It was awesome!!
-Ninja camp.
-Oh, wow, that must've been so cool.
Exasperated by the banter, Tim turned around and took a look at the young girl. She was probably around his age, 5"8 and most probably weighted about 120 pounds. She was very attractive with her long blonde hair in a pony tale.
" Just like Steph used to have them when we first started going out. Back when I was still trying to get her out of the Spoiler gig. I should've tried harder. Maybe if I didn't go out with her, she would have quit own her own and still be alive today. Yeah, that's what I should've done; tell her I'd only go out with her if she stopped being Spoiler. And I should've made a bigger effort to see her after she stopped being Robin, be there for her. I could've…"
-Um, hello, are you still there? You seemed so far away for a while and… well, are you all right?
-Oh, yeah, sorry, my mind wandered. Look, here are the remnants of the tower; can you direct yourself from here?
-Yes, but you'll come with me all the way, right? It would make me feel safer.
-Oh, all right, it is getting dark after all.
It was only then that Tim realized it, but it was getting dark. He took a quick glance at his watch and realized that it was 8:00 P.M. He had been walking around Metropolis for eleven hours strait, thinking about his dad, Darla and Steph. And about Captain Boomerang too.
-So, how was ninja camp?
-It was a scamp. A couple days after I arrived, the police came and hauled the instructors away. Seems they were using the camp as a façade to recruit young boys into a burglary gang.
-Wow. That must've been something. So, you went there only a couple of days and got that good at fighting, heh?
-What, oh well…no, I continued training on my own using their lessons afterwards.
-Oh, I see.
"Damn it Tim, get your mask back on", thought Tim to himself. "That's the most important thing to do, especially when you're not actually wearing the mask"
The two teens passed in front of the Daily Planet building and finally stopped in front of a church.
-That's where you live?" asked Tim, " In a church?"
-No, I live on the other side of the street. My dad is a minister. He's working tonight. Com on in, I'll introduce the guy who saved me from being… well, the guy who saved me.
-That's nice , but I really should get going now.
-No, no, I insist Alvin.
With that, Melody took Tim's arm and pulled him inside the church. Tim somehow decided to let himself be pulled in. All his instincts as Robin told him to run away. The girl saw him using his skills and now she was going to brag about it to her father. But Tim did come to Metropolis to get away from it all for a while, even the little voice inside himself that he got used to call Robin.
-How come your dad is a minister? Aren't they supposed to make a vow of abstinence or something?
-That's in the catholic religion, not the protestant. My dad is happily married and I have a little sister, a little brother and a big brother.
As they opened the two big wooden door that led to the main room, Tim froze. The room was beautiful. It was about half the size of a football field and the ceiling was high enough to make you wonder if the artists who drew the magnificent pictures were either brave or stupid for climbing all the way. As awestrucking as the room was, that was not what drew Tim's attention, it was the coffin in the middle of it all. They had entered during the celebration of a funeral.
-Oh, I didn't know my dad was in the middle of a ceremony, murmured Melody. Come with me in the back and try not to make any noise, Alvin.
When Melody turned around, however she saw Alvin stuck there, fixating the coffin with tears running down his cheeks.
-Alvin! Are you all right? Is… is this bringing back memories for you? I'm sorry if I'm prying in your personal life, but you are crying and it doesn't take a genius to see that it's the funeral bringing back something, do you want to talk about it?
-Dad, my dad died, my…my girlfriend too and… and, I'm sorry I have to go.
-Wait, Alvin, wait! We can help you! It's the least I could do.
But it was too late, Tim had already ran away from the church, memories of this last week overwhelming him, his failed attempt at C.P.R. to save Darla, Batman coming to him to tell him Stephanie just died of her injuries and finally finding his father's body with a boomerang in the heart. After a couple minutes of running, he stopped in front of the Daily Planet building. Tears started to flow, but Tim fought against them. Tim ironically stood at the same spot that Superman died a couple years ago while facing Doomsday. After what seemed an eternity of trying to get himself together, not taking any care of the pedestrian stopping to wonder if the kid was all right, his memory shifted back to weeks ago, on top of the Titan's Tower. Batman and Superman had come to ask Conner and him to go after the young toyman and get him to cross on the side of the angels. Superman had taken Robin apart and offered him to look him up if he ever was in Metropolis. Well, Tim was in Metropolis and sure as hell needed help such as Bruce could never offer; someone to listen to him, to really help him do something else then hide the pain behind a mask. That was one of the reason Tim fled Gotham, Bruce was trying to get Robin back in action, "use his tragedies to make himself stronger, better" to paraphrase Bruce. But Tim didn't want to become like Batman, ever.
The good people of Metropolis had started to form a group around the young man that was clumsily trying to hide his sobbing in the middle of the street walk. He didn't answer anyone when they asked him if he was okay. Someone even thought of calling the police or an ambulance, but seeing he wasn't physically hurt, most of them left him alone. They were however startled when they saw him start walking without even giving a look at anyone.
Tim quickly found a bus station where there was a map of the city. He found he was in walkable distance of Sullivan Street, so he went there. After a small search, he finally got to 1938 Sullivan Street, Clark Kent's apartment. He stood there, in front of the apartment building for a couple of minutes, wondering if he should do it. Suddenly, it all seemed so selfish of him, about to knock on the door of the world's greatest hero for nothing then the ease of his mind, all this during a crisis that rocked the universe of all heroes. His thought was cut short when the door opened. An old lady came out of the building and smiled at Tim. He gathered his courage and passed the now opened door, climbed up the stairs and knocked on the door of apartment #121.
-Who's there? came a voice through the door.
-I'm a friend of Clark, I came to see him, is he here right now?
The door opened slightly and Lois peaked through the door. She didn't expect to see a kid on the other side, even less one who seemed to be fighting back tears by the sound of his voice.
-Where do you know Clark from? What's your name and what do you want with Clark?
Lois had just received a threat notice and wasn't about to let her guard down. The last time she opened the door during a crisis, Manchester Black was on the other side and made her pass the most horrifying hours of her life, but for some reason, she wanted to trust the kid.
-I know him from when he has his glasses off, if you catch my meaning, my name is Tim and I want to see Clark because I…I need help, Miss Lane. He…he offered me to come and see him if I was in Metropolis and I am and my dad is dead and I…I don't know what to do. Can I talk to Clark please?
His tone was almost pleading as Tim opened up a lot more than he thought he would, and his eyes started watering again.
The door closed, and Tim heard the locks come off. Lois opened the door and looked at the kid. It wasn't the most prudent thing to do, but her instincts told her it was the right thing to do.
-Clark isn't here right now, but come on in; I'll take care of you as well as I can.
Tim entered the apartment of the world's greatest hero only to crumble to the floor as his emotions finally got the better of him. The door closed on a promise:
-It's going to be all right Tim, It's gona be all right.
To be continued
So, what do you think? Has Robin found a friend to help him in this difficult time? Will there be any more appearances by Melody? Please R&R. This is my very first fic so any constructive criticisms would be welcome. Also please remember that English is only my second language, so please bear with me.