This is the first half of "Misplaced". I split it for several reasons, one being that I want to see if you guys can figure out what's going on with Dick. Another reason is that I haven't finished the other half and I really wanted to update.
Also, I love all your reviews and questions and I am reading them, I'm just refusing to answer or respond to most on the grounds that I'll probably spoil something that happens later.
Things in / \ are people talking via communicator. I was originally going to just italicize it but I didn't want it getting confused with the flashbacks.
I hope you enjoy!
"Did you get everything?" He heard his mentor ask M'gann as he shifted anxiously. Conner and M'gann had just arrived back at the Cave via bioship and he was there to help unpack the boxes they had arrived with, which contained new training equipment for ones that were outdated or broken.
"Everything on your list, Batman," The Martian told him as she levitated two boxes, "plus groceries." She added, placing the box down.
"Cookie fixins?" Wally asked excitedly as he peered into the box of food.
"Snickerdoodles."
"Babe," Wally looked up dreamily, "you rock my world."
He made his way over to a crate, cutting open the tape on it easily with a birdarang. He was anxious by being around so many people who had perished during the simulation. Bla- Dinah had told him he should try to do it more and get used to it, but he was still uneasy.
Kaldur came over to rip the lid off of the crate when he finished with the tape. He gave him a nod and a small "Thanks." without meeting his eyes.
He carefully unpacked the box, when he heard a crash and a familiar voice yell "DAD!"
He spun, his birdarang in his hand and ready to throw, but there was no enemy.
There wasn't any adults either.
The box Zatara had been lifting was on the ground in pieces, its contents spilling out. His eyes traveled to the source of the shout. Zatanna.
His breathing picked up. Zatanna was there, not as Doctor Fate and Batman and the other Leaguers were gone.
Gone.
"We are Earth's heroes now." Kaldur said firmly.
"Then what are we waiting for, a theme song?" Conner asked, irritable and itching to get into the action.
"A strategy. Earth's weapons are ineffective, and it has been made tragically clear a direct attack will not succeed."
He took a mental breath, calming himself slightly. This could not - was not - another simulation. He would never agree to that, and neither would Batman or Black Canary.
Just as he managed to get his breathing under control, a sharp pain stabbed him in the stomach. He let out a cry of pain, clutching his stomach as he fell to his knees. He was aware of some people yelling and talking, and he could make out blurry figures that were his teammates.
Then the scene changed. It was small and quick, but it was there. He wasn't looking at the Team (and Zatanna), but rather Batman, Red Tornado, and Zatara. It was blurry, but he could definitely make out their figures. He squeezed his eyes shut, before opening them to see his Team looming over him.
He closed his eyes again, not feeling strong enough to look at all of them in the eyes. "What...happened?" he groaned.
"I dunno, they just disappeared and then you just collapsed." Wally informed him, "Dude, you okay?"
"I have a killer headache." He admitted, standing up and opening his eyes. "But other than that I'm fine." He looked around the room, "The real question is: Where is the League?"
He tried to ignore the girl working with him. Zatanna was easier, yet harder to deal with than the others.
He had decided to hang back and coordinate from the Cave while trying to find a way to bring back the adults. It was just his luck that Zatanna had made the decision to stay with him in case he collapsed again.
"Kid Flash: What's your status?" He asked, setting up a comm. link with the young speedster. Pretend like you're talking to Bart. He told himself as he forced away the memories. He couldn't afford to freeze up now.
/We've set up a refugee center at the high school gym. Any luck with-\
"No." He him off, knowing and not wanting to hear the end of that sentence. "I can't reach the Batcave, the Hall of Justice or the Watch-" He cut himself off, reminding himself that Zatanna didn't know about the orbiting satellite yet, "Or any adult hero. Even Ar- Red Arrow." He quickly corrected himself once more.
/I guess we're on our own. Kid Flash out.\ He severed the comm. link.
"Traditional media is offline," He stiffened at her voice. How long had he heard it without Nabu speaking with her? "but kids worldwide are all posting the same thing. Every adult eighteen or older has...disappeared. The sorcery necessary to pull this off?" He felt her eyes on the back of his head, "Scary big."
"And we need you to find it's source." Because the technology here is so outdated and we don't have Doctor Fate.
"How am I-" She started, but he cut her off once more.
Steeling himself, he pulled up some old (or maybe it was recent, he couldn't tell anymore) security footage. "I pulled this footage. It's your dad helping us locate Wotan and the Injustice League." His eyes traveled to the Joker, reminding himself that the psychopath was alive in this world. The clown had been killed in the Invasion when he took the chaos as a cover for his escape from Arkham Asylum. That was, at least, what they assumed when he went missing and never stirred up any more trouble. It had been a relief in a way; he didn't believe that he could take on the clown every time he escaped without Batman being there.
On the screen, Zatara raised his hands in front of a holographic map of the world. "Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!" (Locate epicenter of sorcery!) The man yelled. "There." he said as the map began blinking on the location of the Injustice League.
"But the - the words, that's only part of it." She stammered, making him flinch slightly as she walked up behind him. "The rest takes training and - Robin, I'm just not on Zatara's level."
He turned, making himself imagine that she had somehow gotten the helmet off. This was Zatanna. He knew Zatanna. She was a League member with him. She was his friend. A fellow survivor.
"I know it's hard," He said, his voice adopting the sympathetic yet encouraging tone that Dinah used with him during therapy. He gave her a small smile, "but try to stay whelmed." The word seemed foreign on his lips. He hadn't used his made up words in years. "We'll find you dad, Batman, all of them. That's what we do."
The young magician gave him a nod and a smile, not realizing that he was trying to convince himself as well that everything was going to turn out okay.
Zatanna left to prepare herself for the locator spell, and he distracted himself on the computer before Wally and Kaldur came to put out an official message to the world. He had to distract himself. He couldn't think about what Jason, or Tim, or Stephanie, or Damian would be doing right now. Was Damian even born yet? Did any of them - besides Tim, who was his neighbor - even exist?
"Recognized: Aqualad, B02. Kid Flash, B03." The computer announced.
The arrival of his two friends shook him out of his thoughts. "Everything's ready." He reported. "We are a go for streaming in ten. Get into position."
The three positioned themselves in the center of the hangar. A high-pitched beep sounded, signaling that the recording process had started.
"Attention, children and teenagers of Earth. I am Aqualad. These are my friends, Robin and Kid Flash." Aqualad introduced calmly.
"We are using Justice League tech to cast and stream to every TV, radio, computer, and smartphone on the planet." He explained, making his voice as calm and emotionless as his Atlantean friend. The technology would automatically translate their message into the language the majority of the population spoke in a designated area.
"We know you must be scared and angry. We know, with your parents missing, there is a temptation to run wild. But please, stay calm." Kid Flash seriously told the world.
"We will find a way to bring the adults back." Aqualad assured, "But for now, the oldest among you must step up."
"Take care of your younger siblings. Take care of kids who have no one." He tried to not flinch at the reminder of his old family. Of his fake life.
"Protect them." Kid Flash urged.
"It is up to you." Aqualad finished. "Please, help in any way you can."
A low-pitched beep sounded and the link was cut. The three heroes then glanced at each other in a hopeless way, like What do we do now?
When the other two departed the hanger, he was left alone with his memories.
A thought occurred to him, and he realized that - simulation or no stimulation - he was the most experienced. He could remember poring over books of spells for hours to see if there was a way to free Zatanna, only to be disappointed in the end. Disappointment surged through him; he should be better than this!
He clenched his fists and looked down. He opened his mouth to say something, when the pain from earlier shot through him once more. He bit his lip as he slowly sunk to the floor, hugging himself.
His vision wavered once more, and he could see Batman and Zatara walking out of the room seemingly discussing something. It was blurry, before suddenly becoming clear for a moment.
He let out a muffled cry of pain and his lip bled from biting it. He clenched his eyes shut and used a breathing technique to calm himself (something that he had been doing far too often) before reopening them. He was back in the empty hanger, hunched over on the floor.
He stood on shaky legs with his head pounding in tune with his heartbeat.
What's happening to me?