DISCLAIMER: All recognizable characters belong to DC Comics.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: INVICTUS

So, this probably wasn't what Batman had intended when he sent Jason through the portal. However, the green-eyed Robin had five years of pent up frustration and anger to let out, and Sportsmaster was such an inviting target. Despite the obvious difference of size and age between the two, the first blow to Sportsmaster's face cracked the goalie mask he wore.

The second broke the nose beneath it.

Vaulting over the dazed man lying on the floor again, Jason planted his hands on the computer console and lifted himself over it. As he did so, he twisted his legs around to drive them both into the ribcage of the freaky horned guy that was trying to dislodge the knife in the hard drive. He kicked hard, sending the freak flying back and through several of its little green monkeys and into the wall behind them. It didn't get back up.

He was suddenly flying through the air for a very different reason.

Guardian had come up behind him and grabbed the cape at the base of his neck and flung Jason back over the computer and to the concrete floor. The teen slid for a few feet before bumping into a still recovering Sportsmaster. Lifting himself up, and slamming his elbow into the mercenary's throat for good measure while he was getting up, he watched the golden-helmed guy stalking toward him.

"Do you know what you have done?"

Jason rolled into a series of backward flips to avoid the fists the man swung at him as he was pursued. "Besides pissin' ya off, I'm betting on fyin' the computer ya was usin' to control this gizmo."

"We were trying to save the world!"

"Ya were destroyin' it!"

An anger fueled swing caught Jason in the side which stopped him enough for a leg to hook around his ankles and take him awkwardly to the ground.

With one leg bent beneath him and the other twisted outward, the other Robin couldn't get purchase with his feet to push away from the seething clone as Guardian grabbed him by the throat and started choking him.

"You shouldn't have come through," Guardian snarled, spittle forming at the corner of his mouth before dropping onto Jason's reddening cheeks. "We were going to save your parents, to give you the life with them you should have had! You didn't have to become this! Now two of you have to die!"

He couldn't breathe, but he had been choked out before; been trained for it. Never let it be said that training with the Batman was a pleasant experience.

Jason twisted his torso and hips until the leg pinned beneath him was free. He didn't waste any time driving his knee upward into the crazed Guardian's family jewels.

Eyes widened comically and the grip on Jason's throat slackened enough for him to grab the fingers and pry them away. He pressed his heals into his assailant's gut and kicked back, sending him sliding a few feet away while Guardian was thrown back. With more space between them, the other Robin was able to get to his feet and draw his first weapon.

Three bat-shaped hooks leapt out of the gun to snag on Guardian's costume. With a single flick of his thumb, 50,000 volts surged down the conductive wires and into the man's body. A few seconds later, Guardian was on the ground and not getting back up.

Dropping the expended stun-gun at his feet and walked over to the nearly recovered Sportsmaster. Beneath the cracked mask, Jason could see the man's hesitation. Not sparing a second through, the other Robin slammed the tip of his book into Sportsmaster's temple. The eyes rolled into the back of the head and the body went completely limp.

Looking around at the chaos, some of which he had created, Jason smiled. "Damn, that was fun."

"Hmmph!"

He turned at the sound and let blue eyes meet green. "Don't worry Dickie-bird, I didn't forget about ya. Just let me get 'em secure and I'll be right with ya."

It took several minutes to drag Sportsmaster and Guardian's dead weight over to the metal framework in the center of the room. He left them lying on the ground but put their wrists through the contraption before snapping a pair of bat-cuffs on each of them.

Jason then turned his attention completely to the trapped hero before him. "I don't think I can get ya out of there without hurtin' ya. But the cavalry's gotta be almost here-"

Dick shook his head with as much forcefulness as he could. "Hmmph!"

"All right, just don't say I didn't warn ya." Jason knelt down next to the spider-like claws and started to pull them out of this world's Robin. He had to admit, he was impressed by the kid. He barely made a sound when the needle-like tips were ripping their way back out of his flesh. The eyes were squeezed shut and the nostrils were flaring, but he didn't whimper or cry. Not until the larger razor tipped fingers were pulled out of his thighs.

Jason's skin crawled and his heart ached for his counterpart at the scream that was muffled behind the belt-gag as the first finger was ripped out of where it was buried in the thighbone. While the smaller holes left behind as oozed a little blood, this one all but gushed. Grabbing a hospital grade compress from his utility belt he secured it over the wound, praying the kid wouldn't bleed out.

"I ain't doin' the other one," he told Dick with a slight tremor in his voice. "You can wait for Batman-"

The shake of the head was weaker, but the muscles of the younger protégé's jaw twitched as they tightened and the glare leveled at the Jason was worthy of Batman himself.

"Right then," Jason didn't like the idea, but he gripped the last metal finger between both fists. "On three. One-" he didn't get to count further as the captive youth took the option from him. With enough mobility returned to his legs, Dick yanks his remaining impaled one hard to the side, tearing the drill-like needle out the bone and muscles.

Shocked at the kid's actions, Jason lost several seconds before he was securing a second compress to the free flowing wound. He hated to admit it, but he could see what was so damn special about Dick Grayson.

The battered boy hung limply, the manacles padlocked to the framework overhead the only thing keeping him upright, panting heavily through his nose. Anyone else should have lost consciousness from the pain and shock, but not Dickie-bird. Not Robin. "Damn," Jason shook his head as an impressed grin turned the corner of his mouth. "Let's get ya down, yeah?"

Holding Robin around his waist, Jason took a laser cutter from his belt and sliced through the padlocked like butter. Dick dropped, all his weight falling onto the older teen that caught him easily. Moving away from the center of the machine, Jason eased Dick to the floor before loosening and removing the belt-gag.

Dick struggled to stay conscious, wanting nothing more to give in to the blackness creeping in around him. He watched the Other retrieve two small vials from his utility belt and uncorked one before holding it to Dick's lips. Recognizing it as one of Batman's concoctions he allowed the antibiotic mixture to trickle down his throat. He coughed, choking on the first fluid he'd had in days.

"Easy," the Other's voice was soothing in its roughness as gloved fingers gently massaged him throat to aid the swallowing. When the coughing passed the second vial was held up. "Nothing but sugar water to ya body absorb the meds; think ya can manage it?"

Dick nodded and despite another coughing fit, with the Other's gentle ministrations he was able to swallow most of it. His tongue moist enough, it darted out to wet his cracked and bloodied lips. When the Other made to move away from him, he reached out and grabbed his arm as much as he could. "Who are you?"

Jason smirked. "Would ya believe I'm ya?"

"One: your tumbles were too rigid; you need to loosen up your core more. And two: my eyes aren't green. Three… I saw you. Before I saw you come through the portal. "

"Ya criticizing my skills, Dickie-Bird?" the Other laughed lightly. "Let's just say I'm what will happen if ever you stop being Robin."

"There's only one thing that would stop be," Dick tried to sit up and only succeeded with Jason's help. "I was dead."

"Mostly, yeah."

Dick groaned as his injuries started to make themselves known. "So he sent you back to stop it."

"Got it in one."

"It's not enough," Dick gasped and shook his head when Jason tried to lay him back down. "No… I can't… not yet."

"Come on, man, ya gonna keel over on me and I would have wasted a perfectly good trip through time!"

"Not… here…" Robin wearily lifted his arm to his face and peeled the domino mask from his face. He looked at Jason without the mask and it floored the other Robin when he saw the complete trust in the younger boy's eyes. "I need you to help me."

.

.

.

.

.

Batman felt his skin start to crawl the moment Superman set them on the roof of the warehouse. The windows had been blown out during the quake, the building supports groaning with the resulted shifting of walls and foundation. It was standing, but only just.

The Dark Knight was moving to the roof access, the door easily ripped off its rusted hinges. The stairs had collapsed, but neither hero was deterred. Batman leapt down, his cape billowing behind him and slowing his decent until he touched down on the top of the crumbled staircases. The door to the main floor was blocked by debris, but Superman lit easily next to him and without a word made a new entrance through the wall.

The interior was a disaster.

Computer consoles were ablaze, smoking filling the room in a haze, support columns tilted precariously, the elevated ceiling has collapsed in several place. Then there were the bodies. Dozens of the little g-gnomes were broken and bloody, and the unconscious form of a horned humanoid lay a few feet from the smoking tower of a large computer terminal.

"Batman?" Superman's surprised tone drew the detective's attention.

The device was still in one piece. It's metal structure apparently the only thing keeping the entire floor above from completely caving in. Mechanical arms reached down from the ceiling, finger-like claws curling up from the floor, blood staining their razor sharp tips, two unconscious bodies lying cuffed to the framework – with very familiar looking cuffs.

But of Robin there was no sign.

"Did he escape?" Clark scanned the area with his x-ray vision quickly. "He's not here."

"Someone else was," Bruce snarled, as he approached a blood stained spot on the floor. He knelt down, picking up two empty vials. He pointed to the stun-gun lying not too far away. "Someone with access to my gear."

"And your money?" Superman held up a large metallic case and clicked it open, showing Batman the contents. "That's a lot of cash."

"At least two million," Batman stood up and walked to the case, lifting a few of the stacks of bills. "There are stock bonds here too; all Wayne-tech and worth several more million."

"Where's Rob?"

The World's Finest looked to the entrance Superman had created and to the youths that stepped through. Artemis was in the lead, her eyes quickly taking in the room before they fell to Sportsmaster. Her face hardened and she stalked toward the subdued mercenary.

Roy caught her arm. "Later."

Martian Manhunter phased through the wall next to his niece. "The League has been notified and many are on their way to Gotham."

Batman growled but did not respond. "Robin's gone."

"Gone?" M'gann squeaked, eyes filling with tears.

"Not here," Superman clarified before they had a wailing Martian on their hands. "He was gone by the time we got here."

"He escaped?" Superboy asked, eyes looking anywhere but at Superman.

"With help," a new voice sounded around them.

Looking around it was Wally that spotted the yellow cape. "Rob!" He flashed over to his friend only to stop a few feet from him. "You're not Robin!"

"Oh, but I am." Jason smirked as their bewildered expressions but quickly lost the mirth when he saw Batman stalking toward him.

"Where is he?" the Dark Knight roared, reminiscent of his own Batman, sending a chill down his spine.

The Other Robin jumped back and out of the enraged father's reach. "He's safe! I shouldn't be here, but he wanted me to tell ya-"

Despite being able to stay one step away from Batman, Jason wasn't quick enough to avoid Superman. The Man of Steel carefully but securely grabbed his arms and held them behind his back. Batman was standing in front of them an instant later. "Where. Is. He."

"I promise ya," Jason licked his lips, recognizing the chance he was taking with his next words. "Dick Grayson is safe."

The stunned faces were enough to tell him he had only a few seconds before they tore into him without prejudice.

"Okay, here's the deal. I'm from about six years in the future. One where Dickie-bird-" he gulped under Batman's intensified glare, "- where Robin didn't survive the Quake. He wasn't the only one. Millions died when the backlash from the time portal collapsin' sent Long Island into the Atlantic. I came back to change it, to stop Dick and as many as I could from dyin'!"

"You expect us to believe that?" Red Arrow snapped.

Ignoring everyone else, Jason let his eyes lock with those of Batman. "Tell me I'm lyin'."

The silence was heavy. One minute passed, then two. Then, "Let him go."

Jason sighed his relief when Superman's unbreakable hold let go of his wrists.

"So where is he?" Miss Martian asked tentatively. "If you're suppose to save him, why isn't he here?"

"I told you, he's safe." Jason reached beneath his belt and held out a domino mask to Batman. "In about one minute, a nine year old run-away is going to seek shelter in a partially collapsed building in Crime Alley. Inside, he is going to find the kidnapped Richard Grayson. Robin needs to be rescued from here, unless ya want the big guns who hired Sportsmaster and Guardian figurin' out exactly who Robin and the rest of ya are. Robin needs to be seen, beat up and bleeding, coming out of this warehouse the same time Dick is being rescued by some beat cop who's going to be a house hold name by tomorrow morning. And, hey, what do ya know: there's a Robin willin' and able to pull it off with none but us the wiser."

Batman took the mask from him and gripped it in his fist. "This was his idea."

The other Robin smirked. "Ya know it. He also said ya need to go home for when Gordon calls.

"I'm needed in Gotham," Bruce objected, though they all could hear his need to go after his son. "The people need to see the Batman."

Jason threw his hands up in the air. "That kid is riskin' his life to protect his secrets – your secrets! Someone else can play Batman while ya play the part ya meant to!"

"Uncle J'onn!" M'gann exclaimed bubbly.

Shifting slowly, Martian Manhunter was readily replaced by a near exact duplicate of the Batman. "I will not be able to maintain this form for long."

"Long enough to ensure he's seen," Superman latched on to the idea and turned to face the true Batman. "I can get you back to the mansion, and be back to help in seconds. The rest of the League will be arriving and we'll have more than enough bodies to help with the search and rescue."

"But what about Robin?" Artemis shook her head, distrust still burning in her eyes. "We're just going to leave him to be found by chance?"

"It won't be chance," Jason snapped. "The kid's probably found 'im by now. There's a rookie cop, name John Blake, that looks out for the kid. He's on his way through the alley to check on him. They'll have Dick's discovery on the wire in the next five minutes."

"How can you be so sure?" Superboy growled.

"Because in my time, John came looking for me the night of the Quake."