At his mother's request, he went to his room and changed his clothes, leaving his costume on the bed, seeing as everyone knew him and who he was, there was really no point in hiding it. Before he left, he grabbed his disk and shock vox, although he didn't have the faintest clue as to how the latter could help him. He desperately wanted to talk to Richie though, and having it in his pocket seemed to almost connect them somehow. Richie would know how to get out of this.

He walked into the immaculate downstairs, and grinned at the smell of real food cooking. It had been years since that kind of smell had wafted through the house. He walked into the kitchen to see his mother cooking while watching the news on a small Television on the counter.

"Hey, moms," he grinned at her. "You know, Sharon can't cook." She looked over at him.

"What brought that on?"

"From what I can remember, Sharon has cooked for us off and on for the last several years, and she can't really cook. Man, I'm gonna enjoy this." He sat at the table, and they fell silent. Not knowing what to say, he was half listening to the news when he heard something that made his blood run cold.

"Batman and his young apprentice, Vulture were caught after trying to rob a bank in Gothem City. Fortunately, the ever persistent Joker, always with a few stunts up his sleeves, brought their crimes to at least a temporary halt." For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Virgil couldn't help but just stare at the screen.

"Batman?" He looked over at his mother, who had continued to glance cautiously at him.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked. "Batman's been on Gothem's most wanted list for years." Virgil could only stare incredulously. Talk about a backward dimension.

"I...look, moms, I really don't remember any of this," he looked down. "I know it's hard to believe, but I have a completely different set of memories." She stopped what she was doing, and looked long and hard at her son. Finally, she went back to cooking.

"I believe you, Virgil," she said. "I'm probably dumb and naïve for doing so, but I do. I just don't know how to help you." At that moment, Virgil couldn't have loved his mother any more, and for the first time in several hours, he felt a small glimmer of hope begin to rise in him.

"Thanks, moms," he looked around. Well, he had to start somewhere and at least try and figure out what was going on. "Could you tell me who the local super hero's and…er…super villains are," he asked.

"Well," she looked up for a minute, contemplating. "Let's see...there's Cloak, and Firewall," she paused, obviously trying to remember.

"What do they look like," he asked, taking advantage of the short silence.

"Well, Cloak is like a living shadow, but he still has a secret identity. I have no clue as to how he does it." Virgil closed his eyes and put his hands in his head. He'd been afraid of this. "Firewall is--"

"A guy with red hair that can make fire?" He finished for her. She looked up.

"I see you're beginning to remember."

"No," he sighed. "It's just that those two, as I know them, are two of my worst enemies." He thought for a moment. Why were there two different realities? Was he in a dream? He pinched himself, and almost yelped at the slight pain that he was half expecting not to be there. Could it be that the life he now remembered hadn't existed? But as he thought that, he put his hand on the shock-box in his pocket, and pulled it out. If he had this, it had to be real...right?

"I'll be in the other room, moms," he said, getting up and kissing her cheek. She stared after him, surprised. As he walked out, her face broke into a smile.

When he was in the living room, he turned the shock vox on, and gave it all the juice he could without frying the circuits.

"Rich? Richie, come in," he said loudly, but only received static in response. "Come on, Rich!" he half-wined at the Vox, willing for it to work. He'd been sitting like that for almost 10 minutes calling out his friend's name, when he finally heard the barely audible voice of his best friend.

"Yo, V...what are you doing? Have you gone crazy?" Virgil winced at Richie yelled at him, even if his voice could barely be heard.

"I don't' know, bro," he replied. "Listen Rich--" But Richie cut him off.

"I'm not sure I want to know, but was that really you robbing the bank?" he heard Richie ask.

"Richie, what are you talking about?"

"You, V!" Richie started to yell again, "Taking on a new name and deciding that money was more important than everything else." Virgil stared at the vox for a moment before replying.

"Rich, how could I do that," Virgil asked sadly. "I think I'm in another dimension!"