Disclaimer: If wishes were copyrights, i'd be rich. Unfortunately I'm only making ends meet. DC owns everything here but the story.

I have been duly reprimanded for being a bit cocky last time. Been quite a few years since high school so I really did't even remember what age I was when I was a freshman (14, summer baby). Thanks to everyone who's from the east coast and teaches, I'll be sure to correct everything after the full story is out. =) Grammar and spelling errors are all I'll correct immediately.

Anywho, besides feeling like an idiot, here's the next segment. Still kinda stuck at one point with the 'getting the league out of the mountain' part later on, so suggestions would be great. leaguer kidnapping and turfwar are so far the best ideas I've gotten from people. any others or how to mix it all up would be dandy. Remember, it can't be aliens and it has to be an easy fix for them

Now enjoy this next part, and how I mention in two more cast members who won't make appearances here. =P

Without Me

Ch. 9 – Revelations

It was nearly eleven that night before the League came back to the mountain for another meeting. Robin was still working on geometry problems and it was becoming quite apparent he had to think harder for math than any other subject. Smart as this kid was, any adult could see it was through hard work and not natural talent. This kid was no quitter, hence why he studied several grades beyond his age group.

Superman was the one to call Flash away from the kid, and both encouraged the kid to head to bed. Robin looked over his sunglasses at the two, then looked at the time. "Wow. Didn't realize it was that late."

"You really need to eat dinner too," Flash insisted. Just then the kid's stomach growled.

"He hasn't eaten?" Superman stared in shock at the boy. He was a growing child, it was late at night, and he hadn't eaten yet?

Robin shrugged. "Too busy thinking about other things. Any clues on how to send me home?"

The boy's eyes were barely visible, but it was clear he was almost begging for a yes. Sadly the kryptonian shook his head. "Not yet. We're still going over the data and—"

Robin hopped over the back of the couch and headed to the fridge in response. He had his answer. "I see. Well running back through where I exited didn't work either. Maybe you could get Zatara or Jason Blood to look in on it."

Both men stared at the kid and his brave face. They could tell it was forced, Flash more than Superman. They remembered the kid's screams the previous night, and despite the kid's efforts, the man of steel heard the kid's sobs before he passed out. Like Batman, Robin was not one to show weakness, even in front of friends.

"We'll call them if what we have doesn't pan out," Superman insisted. Robin peaked his head out of the fridge, giving him a knowing look over his glasses.

"Batman's orders huh?" Superman shrugged in response. The boy sighed, shaking his head. "Ignore them. I need to get home asap. Any resource is better than 'just science for now' reasoning. I'm not exactly Black Casebook material anyway."

Superman couldn't help but to smirk. "You really know Batman don't you."

"Better than most. Don't you guys have a meeting to get to?" Robin went back into the fridge, taking out different pieces to make a sandwich. "I'll be good and go to bed in the hour. Just need to digest this stuff first."

Flash looked up at Superman for a moment and shrugged. The boy had proven he'd stay where they could find him at the least. He hadn't attacked Flash once during the day, and he had answered every question he'd asked the kid, in detail. Plus he spent hours just sitting on the couch studying. Far as the speedster could tell, Robin was a good kid and would do what he said.

"Promise you'll go straight to bed?" Superman checked.

Robin seemed to laugh at the idea. "Straight to, no. After a few other things you'd approve of, sure. And I'll try not to scream too loudly tonight."

The Leaguers exchanged looks then glanced to the boy before leaving the room. "G'night Clark. Night Barry," was barely heard by the two men as they headed toward the meeting.

First thing the League founders covered was Robin. Everyone seemed to gather round Flash as he made his report. He told them of Robin's good behavior and of how friendly he acted. He reported on his amazing acrobatic skills (which still scared him, thinking of the risks the kid took) and his hard working intelligence. Then he told them of the boy's team and their missions, comparing them to what the League had encountered this past year.

Nearly everyone was in shock when they heard about Red Tornado and how he possibly saved the world. Hearing the possibility of Kent Nelson's death also saddened them. Many mysteries were solved, but the biggest shock came when Flash looked to Superman and told him cautiously about Cadmus and Superboy.

"I have a…" The man of steel gaped at Flash, caught between many emotions. It had already been confirmed that kryptonian and human DNA were too different for there to be children. Bizzaro was a clear failure in cloning him, and Kal-El as the only one of his kind. Besides, he loved Lois. He couldn't look at another woman, even if she was (by the slimmest of chances) physically compatible with him.

A fully functioning, teenage clone of Superman was probably the closest he'd ever get to having a child of his own.

But at the same time, being told you had a child all the sudden would always be a shock to whomever heard it. A clone, that was even more troublesome. What kind of kid could this possibly be? What could possibly go wrong with it? Would it be able to do all the things he could? How in heaven's name did Cadmus even manage to make him?

So many overwhelming questions filled Superman's mind, to the point he had to sit down to take it in. Flash just watched over him with concern. "Now I know why he said to keep it on the down low."

"Congrats on being a dad Clark!" Hal's attempt at lighting the mood fell short of its mark.

"That's one way to look at it," Green Arrow started. "First Bats has a kid from an alternate reality and now Supes. Who's next?"

Flash gave GA a glance. "Did I mention in his world you, I and Aquaman have sidekicks? And you've had two of them."

Dinah found it hard not to laugh at the archer's shocked face. It was enough of a reaction to end Batman's glare of death at the man when he said 'Bats had a kid'. Flash hid his smile when he thought of the relationship Canary and GA had in Robin's world. The kid left little out.

"So, once things are settled with Robin," Flash concluded, "we go after Superboy, right? I mean, we can't just leave him down there can we?"

"I've had my suspicions on Cadmus," Batman reminded them. "It'd be a good idea to look in on them at the least."

"And while we investigate," Hal concluded, "Supes can take custody of his son!"

Superman gaped at him, still not at terms at the concept of a child of his own. "How long until Robin can go home? 'Cause I'm not ready for a Superboy just yet."

"Scans and data are inconclusive at the moment." Batman turned to the computer screen again, showing what little he had learned. "Far as I can tell, there's no direct path back to his world."

"Ah, so he's not a very good clone." Batman gave Hal a quick glare, which the space cop ignored and grinned at.

"No, he isn't."

"And not an alien either."

"Nope."

"Then he's not a threat?" Hal concluded, obviously pushing a point he brought up the previous night.

"He's a liability." Batman continued to type on the computer. "You're still watching him tomorrow."

Hal gave a frustrated glare to the Bat's back. "But I've got a date!"

"I've got a possible family crisis I never even heard about until today Hal." Flash gave his friend an exasperated sigh. "The least you could do is watch out for the kid for one day. He's pretty low maintenance. Imagine all the things you can learn from him."

"Not really that interested in other world Batman secrets," Hal interjected. "Boring!"

"Then just watch the kid do his routines in the gym. You'll be leaping out of your skin after the first half hour."

The space cop eyed his friend for a moment. "Does the kid spar?"

Flash looked up in thought. "He didn't ask… oh. He mentioned not doing something more dangerous until I was less freaked out, but didn't tell me what."

"Holding out on a fight." Hal crossed his arms, a little amused. "Are you sure this is Batman's kid?"

"Point of the matter," Batman interjected, a growl in his voice, "is it will take more time to send the boy home than we thought. There's even the possibility he's here to stay."

Every Leaguer looked at Batman before looking at each other. They knew the kid wanted to go home. He needed to go home. But if everything indicated the kid was stuck there, what were they going to do with him? They couldn't keep him in the mountain, could they? Robin was a liability, no doubt about that. He knew who they were, he knew his way around the cave, and he knew how to press everyone's buttons, for good or for ill. But he was still a kid.

"Um," Superman started, "Robin mentioned calling up Zatara or Jason Blood. Maybe we should—"

"If we can't find a solution by the end of tomorrow," Batman growled, "I'll call them myself."

They all nodded. What Batman with his science couldn't do, he'd stow his pride and let magic take a shot at it. They had to get this kid home, no matter what.

The dark knight gave them a moment of silence as he changed screens on the computer. It was back to Kord Industries and the possible maniacal plot between Theodore Kord and Lex Luthor. What happen in Rhelasia was still on the man's mind. "Back to Kord and Luthor. I found a hidden program underneath his website. His computer systems are almost impenetrable, but there is a backdoor. We just have to unlock it."

"And you haven't yet because…" Green Arrow emphasized his question with his hands.

"Because no algorithm I've tried has worked." The Bat glared at the screen. "Kord's security password isn't one I'd think of. I've tried his parents' names and birthdates, his schools, other family members, teacher's names, products he's patented, everything I can think of. What I need are possible passwords."

"So we're here to give out ideas?" Hal clarified.

"Pretty much."

Everyone but Batman and Superman exchanged glances. Superman was still thinking of the possibility of having a kid at Cadmus, and it continued to floor him. The rest shrugged. As much as they wanted to get back to their homes and catch the rest of the Belle Reve escapees, they knew if they couldn't crack this tonight, Batman would continue to bring it up until they did.

So they guessed. All of them. "Tried his dog?" "What about an old girlfriend's name?" "Maybe the place he first worked." "His mother's maiden name?" "A favorite book?" "A movie actor?" "42!" "How about colors?"

They bounced ideas off and on each other, trying and failing to figure out what could possibly be a password Batman would never guess. Before they knew it, it was two am and they'd run out of ideas. Even Superman, after finally joining in, gave up. Everyone's heads hurt from thinking over and over again what could possibly be the password.

"I give," Flash muttered. He was tired, and frankly he wanted to see his wife before work tomorrow. "There's just too many possibilities. There's gotta be another way to look in on this guy."

"Did you try 'scarab'?"

Everyone stopped and stared at Robin. For some reason he was still awake. A coke was in one hand and the books he was borrowing were pinned against his chest with the other. He looked every bit like a high school student if it weren't for his sunglasses indoors at night. He seemed to be raising an eyebrow behind them. "Last I knew, he always used variations on the word 'scarab'."

"Variations?" Diana asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Flash demanded. Superman also looked upset about the boy being there.

Robin shrugged. "Wasn't tired. Late dinners and all that. But yeah, Ted likes to switch it around in his firewalls, at least on his site. Leet, semi-leet, caps, varying caps, punctuations, putting azure in between letters, changed languages, things like that. But always 'scarab'. At least that's how it is back home."

They still stared at him in shock, then Batman jerked around and put 'scarab' and it's variations into the password decoding program. Within two tries they were in. Flash turned on Robin, infuriated. "Why didn't you tell us about him before?"

The boy shrugged again. "Didn't think he'd be an issue. What, did he disappear or something?"

If it weren't for the obvious innocence in his inquiry, they would have believed the kid purposely withheld information for his own benefit. But Robin continued to look at them in curiosity. He honestly had no idea what they were talking about earlier on Theodore Kord.

"Kord has been quite active," Batman responded, typing quickly. There were several layers of protection to dig through, but now he had an idea what to use, going through each one was child's play.

"Then why are you checking up on him?" Robin seemed to be getting more and more confused. "Is his uncle coming up in your cases or has Hub been attacked lately? I don't remember anything like that back home but…"

"He's working with Luthor." Superman walked over to the boy, slightly exasperated. Did he need to be taken to bed to get some rest?

Robin was taken back, slightly confused. "Ooookaaay… So he's doing some undercover corporate work, big whoop. Since Wayne Tech isn't an option and Queen Industries doesn't have the resources Luthor needs, Ted's probably the only option you've got."

"Undercover corporate…" Diana wondered, exchanging glances with others.

"Wait, you're calling him Ted?" Hal stepped forward, voicing a thought the others hadn't quite caught.

"Um… yeah. Been calling him that since…" The boy stopped, realization coming to his face. He gave a frustrated sigh. "Forgot. Different world."

He shook his head, mentally chiding himself while the others exchanged glances. Superman placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's late. You're tired and confused."

"Yeah I am," Robin admitted. "Forgot for a moment what was going on."

"You should go to bed."

"And you should trust Blue Beetle."

Everyone stopped. Even Batman's fingers froze. They stared at him in shock. The boy looked over his sunglasses to them, proving how serious he was. "Ted Kord is Blue Beetle. His old teacher, Dan Garret, was the first Blue Beetle, and when he died because of his uncle, Ted took his place. Couldn't figure out how to use the scarab, so he trained himself to be a hero and made awesome gadgets to make up for it.

"He's a bit of a genius. I've never been able to crack his other systems. I only know his password because of a guess Tim made when I was hunting him down to get his autograph two Christmases ago. Tim really wanted it, and I wanted to make his Christmas. Figured out he was Ted Kord when I followed the money and designs back to him in Hub. He was so impressed with my detective skills, he gave me two copies. Timmy loved it."

Everyone continued to stare at the kid, stunned at his story. Hal was the one who spoke first. "Wait, you figured out Blue Beetle's ID, to get someone a Christmas present?"

Robin shrugged sheepishly, looking away. "Timmy's a really cute kid."

"Drake?" Batman asked quickly. Robin nodded. Everyone else stared between them, baffled.

"Our neighbors. I baby-sit Tim on occasion. He's a die-hard Blue Beetle fan." Everyone else still gaped at him, but Batman turned back around to the computer, making his way through the firewalls. Robin felt like he had to explain a bit more. "He's six. Besides, I told my Batman what I did and frankly he was impressed. At least I think so. Think he convinced Ted to join up on the reserves shortly after."

"Unbelievable." Half the League founder's jaws were wide open at his explanation.

"Yeeeeaaahhh…." Robin looked around the room at the baffled adults and felt his face redden. Embarrassed, he looked at the ground and turned toward the hallway to get to his room. "I think I'll go to bed now before I say anything more embarrassing. Night."

The kid almost ran out of the room, everyone but Batman's eyes on him. It was almost endearing how he responded to their amazement. This boy was a wonder, through and through. With one moment, he could break a case wide open. Even Batman seemed to be second guessing their current course of action. Unbelievable.

A/N: LOL! don't really know how Ted Kord joined the League Reserves or how anyone got his ID, so I made it up! Tim really is a Blue Beetle fan, or at least that was what I read somewhere online. Liked him before he knew who Batman was. And since I've already written in 'Bird-sitting' that Tim and Dick are already close, I had to do something fun with that. =P

Honestly, i think the reason Clark didn't accept Conner right away was because of the shock. I read other stories where he has to warm up to the idea, because when a kid is just thrown at you out of the blue, it's kinda scary. What I know for certain is by Infinite Crisis, Clark and Conner have a close relationship. They didn't start close in the comics; I mean, Superboy copyrighted the Superman name while he was "dead". Fun times.

And like how Clark had thrown a 16 year old clone at him, this bats was thrown a freshman (okay, not sure if he's 14 or 13 here. Until they pass November in the show, I won't know and keep his age ambiguous in everything between his two possible birth dates), Orin a mysterious teen, and GA two angsty teenagers. I'm sure both J'onn and Barry can handle what they've learned easily enough. It's just fun seeing these guys react. XD