A/N: Ha, I said Dick.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or DC.

Chapter 2 - Ain't that a Sidekick in the Head?

3:39 P.M.

March 5, 2016

Wayne Manor, outside Gotham City

A luxurious deep red sports car slowly drove into the entrance to the Wayne Manor. Said manor had been the symbol of elegance in the crime ridden town of Gotham City. The red sports car seamlessly blended in with the fleet of expensive foreign vehicles as it parked. Wayne Manor was surrounded by a vast expanse of perfectly green grass dotted by brightly colored flowers. The engine shut off and the car door slid upwards, letting out its driver. The man was dressed in a black suit with a dark blue dress shirt and wore a pair of sunglasses, keeping his eyes a secret. Nightwing had taken on his secret identity as mild-mannered Dick Grayson.

Dick left his car and stepped up to the large, extravagant doors of the manor. He rang the door's unnecessarily decorated doorbell and awaited the manor's butler. The faint sound of rapid footsteps came from behind the door, getting louder as each second passed. The front door slowly opened inwards, "Hey there!" A high pitched voice screamed out.

Dick looked straight ahead, expecting to see Alfred, the manor's butler, "Uh..." Dick quickly glanced left, then right.

"Down here!" The voice replied to his confused, this time sounding slightly irritated.

Dick looked downwards, spotting a very young boy who was also in a full suit, "Oh!" Dick cleared out his initial confusion, "Are you Tim?" He asked with a hint of disappointment.

"Tim? No, silly, I'm Damian," The young boy introduced himself and let out a hand.

Dick followed the gesture, shaking Damian's hand. He was surprised at how strong the kid was, he didn't look more than five, "Dick," He introduced himself as well, releasing his hand, "Are you one of Tim's friends?"

"Yeah, since he works for my dad, I guess we get along," Damian explained.

Dick furrowed a brow, "Wait, your dad?"

Damian shook his head rapidly, "Yeah, my dad's Bruce Wayne!" He said excitedly.

"Oh, he has a kid too?" Dick mumbled under his breathe, "I'm going to kill the hermit."

"What?" Damian picked up on Dick's murmuring.

"Nothing," Dick said, not wanting Damian to hear him, "Hey, do you know where Tim is?" Dick crouched to get on Damian's eye level. Damian nodded, taking Dick's hand and tugged the former boy wonder behind him without a word. Damian sprinted through the manor's many winding corridors and hallways, passing priceless paintings and sculptures.

"C'mon, hurry up!" Damian looked back at Dick who was awkwardly slouched over as he let Damian tug him by his arm. It seemed as if the young boy wanted to kill him as he ripped Dick through several sharp turns in the manor's halls.

"So, Damian, do you know what your father does?" Dick asked as he was continually tugged with no rest.

Damian continued to speed through the manor at an alarming rate, "Yeah, he's a billionaire! I think he builds stuff," He responded, Dick took note of Damian's naivety to his father's alter-ego.

"Do you by chance know what he builds?" Dick continued the innocent conversation, it was best to leave a child this young out of his secret world.

Damian thought back to previous talks with his adored father, "Yeah, he says he builds things that keep America safe," Damian replied. The way he said it was odd, however. Dick couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was a hint of attitude, "But I know he makes weapons. The kind that hurt people," Ah, there it was.

Wayne Enterprises had a history in making weapons for the military. These were not mere rifles and cannons, however, they were more advanced weapons such as cybernetics. Its only true rival being the equally as successful LexCorp, "Well, that's the price of peace, Damian."

"But what if the bad guys take them?" Damian asked, still leading Dick through the mansion.

Dick thought about this problem, but it didn't seem very likely. Then again, the world was going into chaos-mode all of sudden, "Then we destroy them," Dick said, not really thinking about sugar-coating his words.

Damian pondered his words, silently thinking them over, "Oh, we're here!" Damian suddenly stopped causing Dick to shoot over the child and land face first in the clear, glass door.

Dick looked through the glass door, seeing Tim lounging on the manor's main balcony. He was sitting on a brown leather suitcase looking out into the rolling hills of outer-Gotham. He looked out of place in the elegant mansion, he was wearing a simply red T-shirt and jeans. His hair was much longer than Dick's, he looked like your average delinquent, to be honest. Dick noticed he had already acquired 'The Glare.' The glare that people that spend long expanses of time with Batman would adopt. It's as if a piece of the Dark Knight would rub off onto his apprentices. Dick had it, Jason had it, and now Tim.

"This is going to be fun..." Dick sarcastically muttered under his breathe before opening the glass door. Tim heard the door's faint creak and instantly spotted the approaching former Robin, "Hey there, Tim," Dick waved his hand as he continued to walk towards Tim.

Tim did not respond, he simply observed Dick. Clear of any suspicions, Tim finally greeted Dick with a simple, "Hey," His voice reminded Dick of himself during his late teens.

Dick slowly shut the glass door, making sure Damian could not hear their conversation, "Nice kid," He said with a slight smirk.

Tim simply nodded, "I'd like to see you say that when you have to live with the twerp," The new boy wonder spat out.

Dick didn't know how to respond to the unexpected comment, "Uh, yeah," He chuckled nervously, "Listen, I'm-"

"Dick Grayson, Nightwing," Tim cut him off nonchalantly, "So, are we going to Jump City or not?" He tilted his head slightly to the side.

"Bruce told you, I presume?"

"No," Tim returned once more to staring at the green hills, "I'm just that good," He added with a smirk unseen by Dick.

The glass door behind the two opened once more, causing the pair to quickly turn to the source of the noise, "Ah, Master Grayson, I was not aware you had arrived," An older man with grayed hair in a tuxedo greeted his former friend. This was Alfred, the Manor's butler and personal friend to Batman and his many sidekicks.

Dick was overjoyed to finally see a familiar face. Alfred had been his mentor and family a decade ago when he was still Robin, "Hey, Alfred!" He greeted his friend out of pure excitement, "I was just about to take Tim to Jump City," Dick explained to the servant.

Alfred furrowed a brow, "And how do you to expect to do this?"

Dick was confused by his question for the answer was quite simple, "Uh, Gotham International."

Alfred let out a friendly chuckle, "You mean the Gotham International that was destroyed during Mammoth's latest rampage?"

"Mammoth? They let that guy out of Arkham?" Dick asked, surprised by the new information.

"Do you really think they let people like him out of Arkham? I swear, even after all of these years, you've still learned nothing," Alfred responded to his question, slightly irritating Dick.

"Well, at least I know it's not worth having to lock all of these freaks up time and time again," Dick countered feeling satisfied with his answer.

"Again, I swear you've learned nothing," Alfred struck the final blow of the conversation. He opened the glass door and stepped back into the manor, "If you're going to take Master Drake, do it now. Master Wayne hates good-byes!" He yelled back to the pair outside.

Dick raised a brow and a smirk inched its way across his face, "Wait, Bruce or Damian?" He asked Alfred.

"I would like to think both," Tim and Dick both smiled at the butler's response.

Dick glanced back to Tim, "You know, he's right, we should get going," Tim nodded in response, sliding off his suitcase, "Do you have everything you need?" Again, Tim responded with a simply nod.

The two silently backtracked through the manor, occasionally getting lost on their way out. Not a single word was uttered. They had successfully bypassed Damian as they made their escape. It was a fairly trivial task to avoid the child as you can easily lose yourself in the mansion if you weren't careful. Dick reopened the elegant main doors and was reunited with his beloved car.

"So, how are we getting to Jump City? Metropolis?" Tim finally spoke up as they walked out into the fresh air.

"Why would we go to Metropolis? There's a perfectly fine airport in Bludhaven," Dick answered with a hint of pride.

Tim thought for a second, "Hey, isn't Bludhaven your town?"

"Yeah, pretty nice place," Dick responded before tossing Tim's luggage into his already full trunk. His trunk contained his costume and various Nightwing-themed tools, weapons, and gadgets.

Tim opened the passenger door to the red sports car, "So, why'd you leave Batman anyways?" This had always been on Tim's mind. Why would someone want to quit being the Caped Crusader's partner in crime? Figurative crime, of course.

Dick was never really asked this question, most people thought it was over some falling out the two had, "I wanted to be my own man, you know? Didn't want to be the 'Boy Wonder' all my life," Dick explained as he climbed into the luxury car.

"Were you two fighting?" Tim continued to attack Dick with an arsenal of questions.

Dick shook his head and turned on the cars engine, "No, I simply felt my time as Robin was over."

The car finally drove out of the manor grounds, finding its way in the beautiful countryside, "How do you know when your time is over?" Tim asked, breaking the silence once more.

"You just do," Dick answered as he continued their drive to Bludhaven, "Some day, you'll do the same."

"Nah, being Robin is way too cool," Tim denied Dick's statement, "I wouldn't want work on my own."

"You say that now. Listen kid, I was once like you...," Dick stopped in his tracks, remembering Green Lantern's talk before.

"I'm serious," Tim's tone got increasingly sterner. Dick nodded with fake acceptance. Even if Tim didn't know it, he will leave Batman. You can't be the Boy Wonder if you're in your late twenties.

4:23 P.M.

March 5, 2016

Mojave Desert, NV

"Ugh... Wha..." Superman started to stir, his vision tried to clear itself as he moved slightly about, "Wh-what's going o-on?" He was able to make out the basic beige coloring of the supposed room.

"Why don't you tell me?" Superman recognized that voice. General Eiling. His voice instantly restored Superman man's vision and senses. He discovered he was simply sitting in his office, much like a middle school delinquent. The room was extremely bland with only his large wooden desk providing decoration. The room was completely windowless, Superman had no idea how long he had been unconscious.

Superman checked to see if he was restrained at all. To his surprise, he was completely free, "Where's the girl?" He weakly asked the general while still trying to make sense of things.

Eiling sighed, "She's fine, you don't have to worry," He reassured the man of steel, "Now, what happened? Why is their a Kryptonian crash landing on my base?" Eiling repeated.

"Where did you take her?" Superman asked, squinting his eyes in an attempt to intimidate the general.

General Eiling sank back further into his chair, "I'm the one asking questions, Superman."

Superman slammed his fist on the arm of the chair, breaking it, "Tell me where the damn girl is!" He yelled in a fit of unreasonable rage.

"You know I have to pay for that," Eiling calmly joked, motioning to the now broken chair.

"Do you think this is a game?" Superman stood up, towering over Eiling.

"No, but if it was I'd be winning," Eiling smirked, "Now, are you going to answer me now?" Superman turned his head in response, staying silent, "What happened, Superman?" Eiling persisted, his voice getting more commanding.

Superman's shoulders dropped as he realized he was fighting a losing battle. He gently sat back into his chair, "I'm not sure. All I know is the girl is definitely Kryptonian."

"Yeah, we already know this," Eiling said, tapping his fingers on his desk impatiently, "Do you know who she is?"

Superman shook his head, "No, I was a child when I left Krypton. Whoever that is must have been stuck in space for quite a few years before landing here," Superman hypothesised, Eiling nodded his head in agreement.

"She doesn't take kindly to my soldiers, she attacked them on sight. Maybe she's a criminal," Eiling said causing Superman to furrow a brow.

"How do you expect someone to act after they've been alone in space for years on end?" Superman asked, sticking up for his fellow alien.

"Reasonable," Eiling simply responded.

Superman let out a quick chuckle, "Good luck."

"Superman, come in. Superman, come in," The man of steel subtly jumped from the sudden interruption. Superman pulled out his JLA communicator which was being contacted by none other than the Flash.

"I have to take this," Superman announced to Eiling who shook it off, "Hello?" He spoke towards the screen.

"Hey there big guy, I kind of need your help," Flash said, the scenery behind him was blurred by his rapid movement, "So, Mammoth's out again." He informed his friend nonchalantly.

"Don't you ever call to say 'hi'?" Superman joked.

"I thought I was the smart-ass," Flash whined, "Your going to need to find another Justice League if you're going to keep that up."

Superman shook his head, "Fine, sorry, what do you need, honey?"

"Everyone else is busy, and I don't think our rag-tag group can hold him off," Flash explained, dodging an incoming car.

"How is everyone else busy?" Superman asked surprised.

Flash stayed silent for a moment, "I dunno."

Superman's face became emotionless, " I was the first one you call, wasn't I?" He deadpanned.

Flash shrugged his shoulders, smirking wildly, "Can't go wrong with the best."

"Listen, I'm actually busy right now. Get Wonder Woman or someone," Superman told Flash while moving to shut off the communicator.

"Wonder Woman? Ugh, dude she's like your knockoff," Flash said dryly, "With knockers!" He added.

"Great, I'll let her know you said that," Superman replied.

"Please don't," Flash pleaded.

Superman chuckled and turned off his communicator and put it away. He turned his attention to an irritated Eiling, "Sorry about that," He half-heartedly apologized.

"Are you quite done?" Eiling rested both of his arms on his desk. Suddenly, a blood curdling scream pierced both of their ears. It was undoubtedly the Kryptonian girl's voice. Superman and Eiling both shot up from their seated positions, "Stay here," Eiling sternly commanded.

"Like hell I will," Superman spat back.

"This isn't up for debate," Eiling tried to order the man of steel, only to be shoved out of the hero's way, "Hey! Get back here!" Eiling's shouts fell on deaf ears as Superman walked out of his office.

The fresh air hit Superman's face harder than Chris Brown hits women. I could have probably used a better comparison, but YOLO. So, yea, Superman took a step outside to be greeted by several soldiers pinning down the Kryptonian girl with pieces of weaponized Kryptonite. She had apparently broken out of the steel transportation table she was being carried on.

"Hey! Stop!" Superman protested and rushed over to the scene. The girl was simply lying on the soft Mojave sand as the Kryptonite's effects swept over her.

"Pisses you off when people don't listen to you, doesn't it?" Eiling calmly strolled out of his office-building with his arms folded behind his back. He glanced over to the girl and soldiers, "A shame," He commented.

Superman glared at Eiling with a mix of surprise and hate, "You're treating her like some animal!"

Eiling shook his head, "No, we're treating her like a criminal," Eiling corrected the hero.

Superman glared daggers towards Eiling, who wasn't phased, "Let her go," Superman commanded, clenching his teeth together. Eiling did not respond, "By the authority of the Justice League of America, release this girl."

Eiling laughed at Superman's order, "Do you think that carries any weight nowadays?" Eiling turned to his soldiers whom were now loading the now unconscious Kryptonian girl, "Get her prepped for transport," He ordered his men.

Superman watched as the soldiers lifted her back on to the metal table. He thought of how he could possibly convince Eiling to let her go. You could almost see the light bulb flash over Superman's head as his mind concocted the solution to his predicament. He flew off into the sky, increasing his speed with each passing second. Soon Eiling and his men covered their ears as a loud crack resulting from the break in the Sound Barrier occurred.

Eiling shrugged, guessing he flew away out of rage. He began walking back to his office to finish some paperwork he was working on when the girl arrived. He had to approve of the destruction of certain, older files. He was reading something about a biological serum from World War Two. It was interesting to him to say the least. Again, a loud crack was heard over the base causing Eiling and the other soldiers to look up towards the sky.

It was Superman, who had not been gone for more than ten seconds, that flew over the base. He gently landed near Eiling with a smirk on his face, "Sir, you have a call," One of the office guards stepped out of the building. Eiling raised a brow and turned back to Superman, his smirk grew wider. Eiling nodded slowly and walked inside the building. The faint sound of ringing ended as Eiling picked up the phone.

Superman turned back to the girl who was being moved to another one of the base's many buildings, "Hey, you guys," The soldiers instantly perked up, "I would stop moving her," The soldiers obeyed an let go of the table without hesitation.

Screaming was heard from inside the office. Not screams of fear or pain, they were hate-filled shouts. It sounded as if Eiling was having a fierce debate with whoever was on the other end of the line. The yelling continued for a solid two minutes before Eiling stepped out of his office. He wiped his uniform down to look presentable to his soldiers and Superman, "Boys, let her go," He ordered his men.

"Yes, sir," The soldiers said in sync, releasing the restraints on the table.

Eiling glared at Superman, "Go ahead," He reluctantly summed up the power to let the words escape.

"Gladly," Superman walked over to the table, the soldiers stepped back and filed into Eiling's office building. The hero picked up the girl, carefully cradling her in his arms.

"Wherever you're taking her, make sure it's away from the public," Eiling suggested to Superman.

Superman nodded, "Of course," He flew off with the Kryptonian girl in his arms. Eiling simply shook his head in disapproval.

12:34 A.M.

March 6, 2016

San Diego, CA

"Lorena... Lorena, wake up," A voice called out amidst the complete darkness, "Lorena, wake up. Now!"

"Huh?" Lorena's deep blue eyes snapped open, "Mom? Dad?" She looked around her room in confusion. She was still in bed, her room was perfectly normal. The air was extremely thick, it was hard to move in as she wiggled about. She pushed herself to the ground beside her bed with all of her strength. She felt like she was in a dream, or more accurately, in a nightmare.

"Hello!?" She yelled, but only a small fragment of her sultry voice escaped her mouth. Yup, this was definitely a nightmare.

Lorena struggled to move through her room, the air seemed to be turning solid with each passing moment. She firmly gripped the handle of her bedroom door and slowly opened it. The usually decorated hallway outside of her room was completely stripped, only the wood floor and pristine white walls remained. The air was just as strong in the hallway as in her bedroom. Lorena took a deep breathe and turned to her front door. It was down the right side of the hallway past the living room.

She carefully proceeded down the hallway, her arms extended to touch both walls. Her breathing became more rapid and uneasy as she continued down her house. The air felt like it was stabbing her tanned skin as she pushed along. The house took on an unusual blue tint as she continued to the door. A bright light was shinning through the small window on the upper part of the main door.

"Hurry, check in here," She heard a faint, muffled voice from outside her house. A large crack sounded soon afterward.

Lorena made her way to the living room, which was also completely stripped bare. The door was so close, yet so far away. She gathered the strength to move forward. With each step the door got closer, but her already apparent exhaustion increased. She noticed the curtains floating as if there was no gravity. The fear from this kicked her adrenaline into overdrive. The sudden energy made it slightly easier to walk, but this didn't last very long.

Her breathing was heavier and more desperate than it had ever been her entire life. Lorena just wanted this nightmare to end. She constantly widened her eyes in hopes that she would find herself back in her room in the middle of the night. Lorena's salvation never arrived. Instead, she continued to push herself to the door, each step was almost impossible. The light from her door was slowly fading the closer Lorena got.

"All clear?" The same faint voice from before sounded off.

"Yes, sir," Another voice replied.

Lorena's fear slowly drained as she struggled to hear the two. Judging by the way the two spoke, she gathered that they were military personnel. She finally stepped up the door, she was so close she could touch it. She raised her right arm to grab the handle. Lorena managed to lift it about five inches before it fell back down to her side. It felt as if something was pushing down on her to the point that she could barely stand on her own.

"In here, yes, check in here," The commanding voice spoke once more. It sounded much more closer and clearer than before.

Lorena collapsed onto her knees from the overwhelming pressure. She tried desperately to grasp the handle on the door, but her attempts were in vain. Unbelievably, the pressure began to increase, forcing Lorena to lie on her back. Someone, or something, began to forcibly strike the door from the outside. Lorena's vision began to blur as the rescuers, or possible intruders, finally managed to open a hole in the front door. She began blacking out as she heard the door get busted in from the outsiders.

Lorena picked up the sound of heavy footsteps as they entered her house, "There's one, sir."

"Help me..." She weakly spoke as she fought to keep consciousness.

The footsteps stopped for a brief moment, "It spoke, she's still alive!" The pair rushed over to her. She could barely make out the two of them as they stood over her. One was wearing some sort of knight-like armor, the other was much more muscular and wore what looked like an orange shirt.

"Hurry, take her to the rest of them!" The man in the orange seemed to be in charge.

"Yes, sir," The man in armor took Lorena into his arms and jumped out of the house. Lorena's struggle to stay awake was rapidly failing as they drifted downwards. When she felt the sensation of falling, her eyes instantly snapped open. For a brief moment, Lorena's battle with blacking out was almost nonexistent. As she looked upwards, she saw not the sky, but water instead. She quickly scanned the area, countless houses were sinking to the bottom of the ocean. With her mind driven to the point of passing out, she didn't even try to make sense of this. She never even paid any mind to the fact that she was breathing in water, not air.