I'm really, super-duper sorry about the late update. At first it was because I was working on my other story Of Brothers and Circuses, and then some personal stuff came up. I planned to work on this this weekend, but this is literally the first free second I've had. The next update will probably be late as well.
Also, if you feel like Robin/s diagnosis is false, I'm also sorry. I tried to research it and some of the symptoms I included were anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks (the flashbacks aren't like real flashbacks, because in real flashbacks you struggle to breath and cry out and other stuff, but they are a version of flashbacks).
A third thing, I want to thank you for all of the reviews! I'm reading your questions, comments, and wishes, but I can't respond to them in fear I'll give something away. Don't worry though, for all will be answered in time.
Reminder: / and \ mean talking through communicators and loudspeakers and such, while [ and ] mean mindspeak.
I hope you enjoy!
He was officially diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) a few days later.
Dinah said he had probably originally gotten it during the Invasion or sometime after, and it had lingered inside his head during the simulated years and was now showing up in reality. It had been agitated when he woke up and realized that part of his life was fake, That was why he was getting the flashbacks, the nightmares.
That was why he was in the therapy room, where he spent most of his time besides aimlessly walking through the halls of the Cave or training. He had been particularly tempted once to hack into public records and look up Stephanie, Jason, or Damian.
But, in the end, he couldn't.
For one, Stephanie might be off the grid due to her father, Jason would be on the streets, and Damian wouldn't have been born yet.
The real reason was that he couldn't take the answer. If they did exist, they wouldn't be the same people he once knew. If they didn't, then there wasn't a chance they could ever become that person to him.
So he resisted the temptation, spending the day trying to either forget it ever happened or pretend it was all real. He was stuck between those two choices. Two worlds.
Wally's birthday had came and gone, bringing up more unwanted memories and fake smiles. He hated himself for not being able to help his friend enjoy his sixteenth birthday, but it was just too difficult to smile and pretend like everything was okay.
He was tired of pretending. Tired of lying. Tired of smiling like everything was dandy and that nothing was wrong.
Because something was wrong.
/Robin, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian.\ He tensed when he heard Batman's voice over the loudspeaker. /Report for mission briefing.\
He clasped his cape on as he left the room. He had been getting better with moving in it, but preferred to be without it. After he exited however, he way was soon blocked by Black Canary.
"Robin, I just want to make sure you're up for this." She said to him softly, "If you're not ready yet, you don't have to go."
"I have to go." His voice was quiet, "I-I can't keep running forever."
"You're not running." She told him, before leaving the comment alone. "Aqualad's too busy to go on this mission. That will make you leader."
No emotion passed over his face, but he froze. He hadn't lead a team since the Invasion unless you counted patrol in Gotham. He disliked giving orders, and if he ever had to he placed them as suggestions so whoever he was talking to could refuse.
Leader.
"Robin." He felt Black Canary shake him slightly, forcing him out of the grasp of the memory that was about to come up.
"I'll be fine." The lie tumbled out of his mouth before he even registered anything. He knew for a fact that he would be the exact opposite of okay.
Black Canary looked at him for a moment before replying "Okay." In a tone that said that she didn't believe him, "But if anything happens, don't be afraid to call. Nobody would blame you if you had to leave the mission. Don't push yourself unnecessarily, you have nothing to prove."
He gave her a small nod, before moving to make his way to the mission room. His footsteps were silent on the cold floor and he didn't look up until he took his place next to Conner and M'gann, Artemis and Wally coming in a few seconds later.
"Rumaan Harjavti is the democratically-elected leader of Qurac," his mentor started, his gruff voice echoing throughout the Cave as he pulled up several pictures on the holographic computer in the mission room. "Harjavti has been praised as a fair, wise leader, a humanitarian." His eyes flickered to the recording that popped up of Bruce Wayne and Rumaan Harjavti shaking hands.
"Surrre." Wally had a mischievous smile on his face as he turned towards him, "Any friend of Bruce Wayne's." He stage whispered, and he would have glared at the speedster if he hadn't been filled with dread.
Batman ignored Wally as well, "But five days ago, Harjavti allied himself with the dictator of the neighboring nation Bialya, Queen Bee."
"Not a fan." Conner grumbled.
"Few are." Batman didn't miss a step, "But Harjavti suddenly backs Queen Bee's baseless claims that Qurac and Bialya were one nation in ancient times and has announced the countries will reunify in a ceremony in Qurac."
A recording appeared on the screen of Harjavti at the Qurac democratic palace in the country's capital, Dhabar. "After the ceremony, I will step down as president so that our rightful monarch, Queen Bee, may rule." He narrowed his eyes at the large image of Queen Bee with a dove (the symbol of peace, which was ironic) in the background. Harjavti was going over the top to announce his sudden loyalty to Queen Bee.
The footage switched to Queen Bee in the Royal Palace at Al-Qawiyah (the capital of Bialya)."I laud President Harjavti for unifying our peoples, and I will gladly come to Qurac to be granted sole leader of our nations." Queen Bee said, smiling for the cameras, but he could tell even through the footage that she had something to do with from her facial expressions and body language.
"And the Quracics are okay with this?" Wally asked, slightly indignant.
"Hardly." Batman told him, bringing up pictures of both peaceful and violent protests, "They're well aware of the brutality of Queen Bee's regime, but Harjavti has censored the press, silenced all legitimate protests, and invited the Bialyan military into his country to enforce martial law."
"Queen Bee could be controlling Harjavti." M'gann offered tentatively, "She has the power to enthrall most men."
"And some women." Batman agreed before cutting her idea down, "But not long distance, and we have confirmation she hasn't left Bialya. Something else is at work here. Find out what." A brief look of hesitation crossed over Batman (not that anyone but him would be able to recognize it) before the Dark Knight said, "Robin, you're team leader." He looked up from the ground and gave his mentor a small nod. It's fine. He told him, silently communicating with his eyes in the way they could. I'll be fine.
"Sweet! Premotion!" Wally cheered, and he gave the speedster a hesitant high five.
It's not really going to be that sweet, Wally.
"We're right above the Quraci-Biaylan border." Miss Martian reported as the bioship flew closer the ground in camouflage mode.
"A border that the Biaylans are in the process of ignoring." Kid Flash added, watching as two tanks ran over the fence that marked the border with just over a dozen soldiers. The nearby group of previously grazing wildebeest were startled by the commotion, and began to stampede.
"No opposition." Superboy noted, as the bioship flew in closer, "I guess Harjavti really is in bed with Biayla."
"I wouldn't expect opposition here. It's an animal sanctuary." He noted, before reading closer.
The Logan Animal Sanctuary.
Probably where Garfield Logan aka Beast Boy was.
Yeah, this was not going to be a "sweet" mission by any standards.
"The Logan Animal Sanctuary?" Miss Martian repeated his thoughts out loud, and for a brief moment he toyed with the idea that she read his mind. No, she'd have a different reaction.
"You've heard of it?" He inquired, curious to see what she knew.
Unfortunately, Kid Flash interrupted them. "Guys, the tanks have caused a stampede," He could almost hear Artemis berating the speedster for pointing out the obvious. "with civilians in harm's way!" Okay, didn't realize that last part.
"I see them. Woman and a small boy." Superboy reported, looking out the same window as Kid Flash.
A small boy? Could that be Garfield? It would be before he became Beast Boy, because I think Superboy would have mentioned something about the boy being green.
"We have to help them!" Miss Martian said, and looked at him.
Oh right.
He was the leader.
He pushed away the anxiety and the discomfort. There was no place for that on a mission. "Deploy, but use stealth mode. If the Biaylans know we're here this causes an international incident." He was proud that his voice didn't waver.
They nodded, and Miss Martian sent the first blow by shooting the tanks with the bioship so that they crashed into each other. Using the smoke as a cover, they quickly departed and began taking down the soldiers so fast that they didn't see or know who was attacking.
[Superboy, Miss Martian, the civilians.] He pointed out that the stampede was about to reach the woman and her child.
[On it.] Superboy said, and he leapt into the air to land directly in front of the pair.
He had to turn away, not able to see what happened next, to sneak behind a soldier and knock him out cold with a chop to the nerve cluster on the back of his neck.'
After he placed the soldier near some of his buddies who were retreating so they could collect him, he made his way silently behind the pair to realize, with sinking dread, that that was definitely Beast Boy.
He stared for a second, before asking, "Are you both alright?" just as Kid Flash zoomed next to him, removing his goggles.
Garfield smiled excitedly and turned to his mom, "Mom, mom, mom! We just got saved by Robin and Kid Flash!" That was definitely Garfield.
"You're Robin? That's so cool!" Beast Boy told Tim. "Can you do that trick to disappear randomly? Is your favorite color red - y'know, like a robin? How cool is it to work with Redbird, Batgirl and Nightwing? Are you good at acrobatics? Can you hack really well? Is Gotham really as bad as everyone says?"
Tim looked at him who was standing behind the green changeling with a smirk on his face as the boy rattled out question after question, going on and on how cool it was that he was talking to Robin.
"Help?" Tim mouthed, and Beast Boy was too busy to notice. Tim wasn't the best in social situations, he had noticed. He smiled to himself; perhaps the Team could rectify this.
Nightwing put a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. "Slow down." He told the younger boy, and Tim let out a sigh of relief.
"Then you can ask your questions." He added, before leaving his protégé with that excited, talkative boy. The last thing he saw as he shut the door was Beast Boy resuming, albeit slower than before, and Tim's horror filled face.
"We diverted the Biaylans around the sanctuary." he spoke up, noticing that Garfield was now hugging the oryx that Miss Martian rescued, who had joined them along with Superboy.
"Uh, yeah, coast is clear Miss M. You can decamo now." He was slightly startled when Kid Flash said that to realize that Miss Martian had been camouflaged, and it was just his extensive training that allowed him to see her. Kid Flash probably had sensed her through their link.
Miss Martian removed her hood and became actually visible. "H-hi." She stuttered, and in that moment he realized that the red-haired woman (that was probably Garfield's mother) and Miss Martian looked exactly alike besides the skin tones.
What are you hiding? Miss Martian was a shapeshifter who acted like she knew this woman perfectly, yet Garfield's mother didn't look like she had ever met the martian.
"You may have made things worse." Miss Martian's lookalike said, "Bialyan border crossings are a way of life here. Usually they wreck a few fences and move on. Engaging them might have made us a target."
She was right, of course, but they didn't have an alternative. It was either leave them to be trampled, or risk putting them in a spotlight. It was decision, and he had chosen the latter.
Another thing he didn't like leadership - choices where there might not be a right and a wrong.
"Mom." Garfield whined, "Uncool."
She sighed, "I'm...sorry. I should thank you." She moved over and placed a hand on Garfield's shoulder, "This is my son, Garfield. I'm-"
"Marie Logan." Miss Martian interrupted excitedly, causing all eyes to go to her. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting you in person. Uh, I've…" Miss Martian realized her mistake and hastily attempted to cover it up, "I've admire your stance on animal rights for years." she settled on.
[You've only been on Earth six months.] Superboy pointed out, and Miss Martian quickly looked away, blushing.
Back for a few weeks and the Team is already covered in secrets. Artemis is probably still insecure about Cheshire and Sportsmaster. M'gann is clearly hiding something about Marie - Beast Boy's mother of all people.
And then there is me.
"The boys can bring the animals to the clinic. You and I can - uh - fix your fences." He tuned back into the conversation in time to hear Miss Martian say that.
"Uh, we're not exactly here to-" He started, but was cut off.
"Please Robin." Miss Martian begged, and Garfield asked the same of his mother.
He sighed, exchanging a look with Marie. He didn't want to force a teammate to do something they didn't want to do, or object to them doing something they really wanted to do.
"Fine." He and Marie said simultaneously.
And maybe, just maybe, I can figure out what M'gann is hiding.
I always pictured Garfield as a hyperactive kid who really think heroes are so cool, despite being one himself. The same goes for Captain Marvel - Billy Batson.
Thanks for reading! Constructive criticism will always be appreciated!