"Cuff them." Commanded Batman's deep, authoritative voice.

Robin bristled as Wonder Woman produced a pair of handcuffs. His eyes narrowed into a deadly glare when he noticed that there was only one pair, meaning that he would be cuffed to Nightwing. There was no way in hell he was going to be stuck with a fidgety, talkative, and altogether irritating man like him.

They needed a plan.

Nightwing didn't seem to notice his concern, choosing to lean against a nearby wall with his arms folded behind his back. "I'd prefer it if you didn't." He said calmly, flashing his most charming smile.

Robin rolled his eyes behind his mask. Did the idiot honestly believe that he could negotiate with the Justice League? He mentally shook his head- Nightwing wasn't that stupid, not on a normal day. Wait, Nightwing had his hand right in front of one of his emergency smoke pellets. Clever.

Batman narrowed his eyes. "Your preferences don't matter here. Until we can be sure that you're telling the truth, you will be kept prisoner." He nodded at Wonder Woman, who slowly approached Nightwing.

Robin knew a lot of things, and it wasn't a secret that Nightwing hated to be confined for long periods of time. The grimace on the elder hero's face confirmed it. Since neither of them wanted to play prisoner any time soon, it looked like they would be making their escape.

The smoke pellet fell, and chaos erupted.

Activating his 'Bat Vision'* on the lenses of his mask (he never knew the technical term for it, he only had Grayson's nickname for it), Robin ran with Nightwing towards the Zeta Tubes, dodging disgruntled heroes as he went. They were a mere five feet away from their destination when they were painfully reminded that Batman also had the same technology.

And by painful, he meant the literal sense of the word.

The Dark Knight suddenly grabbed a fistful of Robin's hood and yanked back, making him stumble. Nightwing spun around and chucked a wingding* right at the vigilante's hand. The man grunted upon impact, and Robin felt his grip loosen. That was all he needed.

In seconds, the two younger heroes were gone.

xXx

"Move," Nightwing pushed Robin into the nearest alley as soon as the Zeta Tube shut off.

"Get off- mph!" A gloved hand pressed against his mouth just as the Tube announced the arrival of the Flash.

"How can someone hide coordinates of the place they're beaming to?" The speedster mumbled to himself as he looked around. "Damn, looks like they're not here. Bat's is gonna kill me..." with that, Flash took off at the speed of sound, going in the opposite direction of the two boys that were hiding.

"And this, my dear Dami, is why we don't rush into battles." Nightwing let go of Robin and ran a hand through his own hair. "Now we're stuck in an alternate universe, we don't know how to get back home, the League is after us, and we have absolutely no where to go. That's just peachy."

Robin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, cheeks burning in embarrassment. "I did not mean to cause this. Should I have known that we were in such danger, I would have listened."

Nightwing smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "Apology accepted."

That was not an apology. "Listen here Grayson, in no way or form did I-"

"Crap, we really need a place to crash. With your arrogance and my hatred of confined spaces, there is no possibility of us hiding in an alley. Also, we don't have anything to change out of. We need to find ourselves an ally..."

"Arrogance? I am not arrogant!"

He was ignored, yet again. "All Justice League members are out. We do have the former sidekicks though. Maybe they'll be kind enough to lend a hand."

Robin was not a big fan of Nightwing's former team. Anytime they came around, all of the man's attention was shifted towards them. It wasn't that he was jealous of course, but it was annoying when Grayson's head wasn't where it was supposed to be. "Perhaps we have other options? There is always the chance that we find a way back to our universe before nightfall."

"I would love it if it was that easy little bro. Chances are, we'll be stuck here until someone from home figures out where we are and brings us back."

Robin narrowed his eyes. "Can't we figure it out from here?"

"Yeah, but that would be difficult. We would need to know what we were hit with, gather equipment that might not exist here, and find people who know what they're doing. Either way, we need allies."

Grayson did have a point. Several, if he was being honest. "-tt- fine, we'll do things your way."

A brilliant smile was sent his way. "Good. If you disobeyed me again, I'd hate to be sent back in time or something. That would really suck."

Robin scowled. "If you are going to tease me, use a wider range of vocabulary. 'Suck' is both informal and unprofessional."

"Isn't teasing itself both informal and unprofessional?"

"... -tt-"

Nightwing grinned. "Okay, we'll check my old teammates first, then our lovely family members. If we can't find anyone after that...I guess we'll be on our own."

The saddened tone to that statement made Robin feel uncomfortable. "We will figure it out. Don't be a pessimist, Grayson. It doesn't suit you."

The man beamed. "I'm glad you care."

"Assume what you will." He looked around "I did not ask before, but where are we?"

"Bludhaven. I'm actually surprised that they have a Zeta Tube here. In our universe, the League didn't put one here until I became he city's hero."

"Hmph. There are many differences between this universe and our own." A sudden idea struck him. "Perhaps we can contact the Grayson of this universe?"

An uneasy look fell onto Nightwing's face. "The League didn't recognize me or the name Robin, so there is no possibility of me being a hero here. Either I was adopted by Mr. Haley or I died in the accident that killed my parents. Either way, we won't be getting any help from myself."

Robin paused. A Richard Grayson that wasn't a hero? The thought itself was unthinkable. Robin couldn't imagine the man doing anything besides leaping off rooftops, cackling, taking on men three times his size, and making lousy jokes. In this universe, he was either dead or a normal acrobatic. He certainly hoped that it was the latter.

Not that he cared or anything.

"Very well. Who shall we start with?"

Nightwing stretched his arms over his head. "I'm thinking we could start with Wally West. He's a genius when it comes to technology, and it wouldn't hurt to have a speedster on our side. If he's anything like our KF, he'll get along with me just fine."

"And if he's not useful?"

The smile wavered. "Then we move on to the next one."

"Dull but manageable. Will we be going to Keystone City?"

Nightwing activated his hologlove and typed in a few quick commands. "Let's see..." He nodded. "Wally West lives in Keystone City. He lives on his own, so this shouldn't have many complications." He deactivated his glove and glanced at the younger hero. "Race you!" He exclaimed before grappling up to the nearest rooftop, cackling.

Robin fumbled for his own grappling hook, eyes narrowed. "That is unfair!" He called out before following. His lips twitched upwards ever so slightly as he followed his adoptive brother through the city. If he was to get stuck in an alternate universe with someone, Grayson wouldn't be the worst.

xXx

"Hello?! Wallace West? We kinda need to speak to you!" Nightwing said in a sing-song voice as the two of them climbed in through an apartment window.

Robin elbowed him. "Quiet. The last thing we need are villains knowing our location!"

Nightwing shrugged. "It's not like anyone here will recognize us. Robin and Nightwing don't exist, remember?"

"-tt-"

The childlike man continued to explore the small home, head tilted in curiosity. He looked almost like a kitten, Robin mused. "This place is worse than my apartment back in our world. Wally should be in college by now, should already be halfway to his dream job at Star Labs. Why would he live in a dump like this?"

"My dream job hasn't been at Star Labs since I was a kid." The two heroes turned and saw a muscular redhaired man standing in the doorway to the kitchen, arms folded over his chest, green eyes narrowed in irritation. "You know my real name, you're wearing Halloween costumes, and you know things about me that you shouldn't. I'd say you're from the Justice League, but they don't let children in. So who are you? Part of the Court?"

"Uh, no." Nightwing rose his hands in a surrendering gesture, smile not leaving his face. "We're not from around here. In fact, we're from a different universe. We were kinda hoping that you would help us get back home."

The redhead snorted after a brief pause. "You two are on something, aren't you?" He rose an eyebrow. "Even if you are from an alternate universe, why would I help you? What's in it for me?"

Robin scowled. "What's in it for you? Is helping two heroes like yourself not a good enough reward?"

"Robin-"

Wally burst into laughter. "Heroes like myself?! Man, that's hilarious. Look kids, go mess with someone else. You're lucky I haven't called security yet."

Nightwing flinched. "You're not a hero?"

"Those idiots who fight to the death in spandex? Nah, that ain't me."

Robin bristled. The Wally West from their universe was definitely annoying, but he was never this disrespectful towards heroes. "You call your own family idiotic? You are the one living in a shitty apartment, drinking your life away." The smell of alcohol was strong, and it didn't take the world's greatest detective to deduce where it originated from.

"Pfft. My so called uncle is no better than the people he tries to put behind bars." The man produced a cigarette and lit it with a match, taking a long drag from it. "Besides, what kind of hero abandons their family when they need them?"

"Barry did something to you?" Nightwing asked in surprise.

"You two sure ask a lot of questions." He breathed out a puff of smoke. "If I were anyone else, you would both be dead, or shipped off to the Court of Owls."

"But you won't do either." Grayson smiled, though it lacked its usual brightness. "For someone against heroism, you're a pretty nice guy."

"Hm. Nice and heroic are two totally different things. I for one don't like the whole killing thing, but the League thinks it's absolutely necessary. They'll murder anyone who has a three star crime rate and above. Those who fight against them or get in the way are killed too. They're no better than the lunatics they hunt down..."

Robin scowled in response. Who did he think he was, accusing the League of such things?! "The Justice League would never resort to murder! Batman would make sure of that!"

Another snort. "Batman? He's arguably the worst of them all. The moment that his sidekick died, his morality crumbled, and he became a vicious killer. He won't even grant anyone a quick death. It's always drawn out- broken bones, missing teeth, punctured organs...Yeah, never get caught by the Bat."

All color drained from Nightwing's face. "Bats...He would never do such a thing." He took in a deep breath. "Not ours, anyways. You have to believe us Walls. In my universe, we're best friends. You were Kid Flash and eventually the Flash. We were part of a young superhero covert team, us and a couple of others."

"I think I'd remember if I was in a stupid-hero squad." Wally tilted his head. "But you do have an innocent air around you. Can't find that around here unless you're a child. There is a small possibility that you're telling the truth..." he shrugged. "Eh, what the hell, I'll believe ya. If you turn traitor and kill me, it's not like I'll be living much longer anyways."

Nightwing's eyebrows came together at the last statement, but he didn't comment. "So, will you help us?"

Wally shrugged. "I'll look into it. It would be helpful if you showed me how you got here."

"Well...about that..."

xXx

The two men sat in the grimy living room for hours, exchanging notes on their universes- heroes, major events, laws, history, and villains. The amount of information they were able to get from Wally was overwhelming.

First, this universe was a world of chaos. The US government was overpowered by a man named Bane in late 1980s, and it was agreed that the country would be purely democratic, with the people creating the laws themselves. Things were fine at first, but the justice system soon crumbled. Crime sprees erupted from everywhere, and just like the government itself, the newly created Judicial System was destroyed. The only form of justice left came in the form of the League, who were as corrupt as they come.

The citizens eventually pleaded for assistance from the other countries. The United States's allies claimed that they would do what they could, but with every other country fighting to control their own governments, the Americans were left to fight their own battle. Eventually, citizens grew impatient and decided to lock themselves into solitude. Trade ports were closed, money was burned, tourists were tortured and killed, and all communications were turned off. There was no more media, cell phones, computers, anything. Anyone caught using any of those would be executed by the Court of Owls, who were the enforcers of their own twisted laws. If Grayson had been caught digging up West's files, he would've had the entire Court after him.

After years of this kind of violence, it was no wonder that crime became a game...

That wasn't the only major difference between the universes. Almost every person that both Robin and Nightwing knew are not who they are supposed to be. Damian was barely able to keep track of the disturbing differences in each person.

Take Roy Harper for example. Instead of being taken in by Green Arrow after an archery tournament, Harper never showed up. Instead, he was mugged by a couple of nameless thugs, who disfigured his face with their daggers. When Harper saw his reflection, it drove him over the edge of insanity. Driven by vengeance, Harper began to collect all sorts of daggers so that if he were to find his muggers, he would put them through the same hell he did. He called himself Arsenal- a nod towards the variety of weapons at his disposal.

Next was M'gann M'orzz. There were absolutely no records of any Martian females on Earth, but it was possible that she was disguising herself as an ordinary human. However, there also weren't aregistered shape shifters on Earth besides Martian Manhunter. If M'gann was on the planet, she was staying low and keeping her head down.

Damian felt his stomach twist at the look of utter despair that fell onto Grayson's face when they were told about Connor Kent, aka Superboy. In this universe, Superboy didn't have an Earth name. Hell, he didn't have anything. Without the Team to rescue him in this world, he was brainwashed by Cadmus and molded into the ultimate weapon. When the Light was taken down by the Court, Superboy managed to escape and create havoc in Gotham. When the League caught him, they weren't very happy. Batman was especially furious, going as far as murdering him with Kryptonite.

There were others, of course. Artemis didn't have a team to go to, so her father managed to corrupt her and turn her into an assassin. When the Light was taken down, she simply switched sides and allied herself with the Court. She ended up calling herself Tigress.

Barbra Gordon became Batgirl in the early years of Batman, but she soon fell in battle. It was her death that sent the Dark Knight into the pits of darkness. The one responsible for her untimely demise just so happened to be the Joker. The first person to die by Batman's hands was the clown himself.

Which meant that they couldn't make this Joker send them back...

Zatanna and Rocket were both missing in this universe. It was unknown if they actually disappeared at one point, or if their fathers did a decent job at hiding them from the hero business. Nightwing stated that it was the latter. Robin knew that he was only hoping.

Finally, there was the 'Bat-family.'

Jason Todd was the easiest to find. Bruce Wayne never adopted him, so he was left on the streets to continue fending for himself. He eventually became one of the greatest crime lords, but something changed his mind a few years ago, and he joined the Resistance* instead. The name he went by was the Red Knight, and he claimed to be the sole protector of children who were forced into crime.

Next was Tim Drake. While Damian never favoured Drake in any way, even he could admit that what happened to him was depressing. When he was only six years old, a couple of Owl members seized his house. His father was apparently guilty of using the internet without granted permission, and his punishment was the execution of him and his family. His son was the first to go.

The Damian Wayne of this universe never existed. Bane overthrowing the government set off a chain reaction that led to the untimely death of Talia Al Ghul. Bruce never met her, and without the two of them being together for reproduction, Damian had no chance of being born. Robin wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. The only reason he became who he was was because Batman taught him how to restrain his murderous instincts. If Batman wasn't above killing here, then...

"Man my head hurts." Grayson muttered from his perch on the worn out couch. "This is so twisted."

Robin stared at him for a long time. To think, in a universe, Grayson was dead. There was no one to butcher the English language, make corny jokes, show off in battle, or smile his brightest grins. No wonder this universe was so messed up. Without a Robin, Batman would succumb to his darkness, the League would fall out of balance, and there would be no one to stop the Court.

Damian never realized how important one person could be in the grand scheme of things.

"You think this is twisted?" Wally put out his cigarette on an armrest. "Your universe sounds like a fairy tale. I mean seriously, you still have television?! I haven't seen one of those since I was three!"

"When we get back, I'll try sending you some stuff." Nightwing tsked and shook his head. "No tv, no video games, no internet...What do you do when you're bored? Eat cereal?"

The redhead snorted. "As if. The only cereal we have is expired Raisin Bran."

Nightwing's eyes widened. "What? What about stuff like Fruit Loops, or Frosted Flakes?" Wally shook his head, and Grayson looked like he was going to lose it. "Please tell me you have Lucky Charms!"

"Haven't seen a box of that since I was a kid."

"...I'm ready to go home now." Grayson fell backwards against the couch with a dramatic sigh. "I can handle being dead. The world being in chaos? No biggie." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "But if I can't get my daily dose of sugary cereal, this won't work out."

Wally stared at him for a long moment. "I haven't seen anything quite like you, kid. It's been a long time since I've heard anyone joke around like that."

"Is that a bad thing?" Grayson countered.

A faint trace of a smile appeared. "Not at all. I might actually say that I like you. Us being best friends? I can deal with that."

The acrobat seemed to relax at those words. Grayson always needed to be accepted, to be liked. It was strange. If someone didn't like him, he'd go out of his way to amend whatever mistake he made. Even villains seemed to favor him over the other heroes.

"So, is there a place we can crash at?"

Wally rose a brow. "I hope you don't mean here. I can barely fit myself in this tiny little place." He shrugged. "As part of the Resistance, I have connections. All you have to do is show up at their place and give them the code. They'll help you from there."

"Sounds easy enough. So who will it be?"

"Hm..." Wally tapped his chin. "It's getting late, so you'll want to hurry over to your destination. There are no open homes in Keystone at this point in time...Wait, I forgot, we have an opening."

"Cool. Where to, oh great Wallace West?"

The speedster looked mildly amused. "We have a group that comes here once a year on their way to Gotham. You'll have to lay low while you travel with them, but I should be able to find a way to keep you informed of what I find."

"Great. Now skip to the part where you tell us where we are going." Robin said, annoyed.

West narrowed his eyes. "Brat. You'll fit right in..." He looked at Grayson. "Ever hear of Haley's Circus?"

Oh boy...

xXx

AN: *Bat-Vision: Infrared Vision

Wingding: Nightwing's version of a Batarang

The Resistance: Group of people fighting against the Court. They want to bring back the old justice system. As a result, they don't kill unless completely justified.

Confused? If you have any questions, I'll answer them. :)