My name is Dick Grayson, and I'm a vigilante. After teaming up with a dark knight for a time, I decided it was time I became my own man, and find my own city to protect. And while I can normally protect my city on my own, sometimes I'll need help. Good thing that in this strange world of mine… I'm not alone.
-Outside of Bludhaven-
A mustachioed man let out a large yawn as he struggled to keep his eyes on the headlight lit road in front of him. The air conditioning was set to warm to counter the cool air outside, and the stuffy air combined with his tight and slightly sweaty guard uniform to lull him to a state of drowsiness.
"Hey Mario, wake up, man!" a man wearing the same uniform said to his right. "You're driving this thing, aren't you? Wake up 'fore you get us both killed!"
"Sorry Chris, but the air's real stuffy," Mario sleepily replied.
"Then crank open a window!"
"I wish I could. If only these armored cars Gotham National Bank allowed us to."
"Wait, for real? We can't even roll down the windows?"
"Have you even tried?"
Chris did as his partner suggested and looked for a way to roll down the windows of the armored car they were in, only to find that there was no such button.
"Huh, that's weird," he remarked.
"Safety over convenience, buddy. These windows are bullet proof, but we can't roll 'em down for stuffy nights like tonight."
"Then why don't you turn the AC to cool then?" Chris sighed.
"You do it man."
"Wha- why me?"
"Cuz I gotta keep my eyes on the road."
Shaking his head and grumbling slightly, Chris began fiddling with the AC controls, while Mario kept his eyes open. He saw that they were approaching a tunnel, and figured that they must be nearing their destination: Bludhaven, or more specifically, the Gotham National Bank main branch in Bludhaven. He was beginning to think of what he'd do when he got to the hotel that GNB rented out for them when his eyes were attracted to something else: a green clad figure in a hood standing right in front of the entrance to the tunnel.
Annoyed, Mario began honking at the fool to get out of the way. "C'mon idiot! What- are you trying to get yourself killed?" Mario complained.
As quickly as the blink of an eye, the figure produced a bow and, in rapid succession, shot five arrows, blowing out the tires and causing an explosion underneath the armored truck that sent it into the air, rolling around until it finally came to a stop on the outside of the road, it's passengers wounded and barely conscious.
Having made his move, the green-clad figure walked over to the back of the armored car, picking up bags full of cash. As he walked back the way he came, an inverted Mario took a glance at the man's leather suit. "H-hey… I know… you…" he muttered. "You're that guy… from Starling… The Arr… uh…"
Unable to keep his consciousness, Mario passed out as the man smiled. Carrying his bounty, the hooded man walked into the tunnel and disappeared.
What everyone involved was unaware of was that the tunnel entrance held a video camera- a camera that captured the whole tale. Shocked tunnel management members forwarded the horrific scene to the BPD. Soon, local Bludhaven news outlets picked up on the story and got their own hands on the footage. And by the time Dick Grayson woke up from his night's sleep, he turned on the TV to the morning news and almost dropped the gallon of milk that was in his hand as his sleepy eyes were jolted wide awake by the caption underneath the footage of an emerald archer shooting at an armored car: ARROW ALIVE- STEALS FROM ARMORED CAR.
-X-
The day was all a blur to Dick. Though he went through the routines of his day job, his mind was preoccupied by the disturbing news from that morning. Of course, he had heard from Barbara what had transpired in Starling City, but he thought that Oliver Queen was driving off into the sunset with Felicity Smoak- what was he doing suiting up in the Arrow suit and committing crime?
Dick tried to think of as many possible explanations for the situation as he possibly could, ranging from amnesia to an imposter. What he really wanted to avoid was the explanation that it was indeed Oliver Queen under the hood, and that he had turned to committing crime instead of fighting it. Because if that was truly what had occurred… he'd need to take him down, for everyone's sake.
As the sun began to set, Dick left his day job and returned to the loft, still too preoccupied with his thoughts and theories to pay too much mind to the few people walking around the Bloody Haven. When he had arrived at his building, he absent-mindedly shuffled past his landlord, whom he had a genial relationship with. Normally he'd have a short chat with her, but today he was going to be far too busy, and he needed all his attention for the night.
Having reached the loft, he locked the door and anxiously began putting on the Nightwing suit- or at least, the only one that he thought was still unscathed. He ran the flexible material beneath his fingers, feeling the fabric for any signs of tears or bullet holes. When he had confirmed that here were no marks, he then double checked the wiring of the Wayne Tech supply drop mini console attached to the suit's left wrist. Following this, he put on the suit, his boots, and was inspecting the tech of his custom domino mask when he began receiving a call on the communicator he kept in his ear at all times.
Guessing who it would be, he touched his ear and said, "Babs?"
"Going out tonight, Dick?" Barbara asked from the other end.
"When don't I?"
"Good point. I'm guessing you've heard of the big robbery last night? The one that potentially involves Oliver Queen?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna investigate that. I know that what he went through in the League couldn't have been easy, and what his relationships are like now couldn't be as good as they used to thanks to it. But regardless… I need to know that he's still on our side. Has the crime scene been processed already?"
"Surprisingly, yes. Guess your buddies the BPD must be holding this in as high of a priority as you are."
"Great… guess I'll have to pay them a visit then."
"Be careful, Dick. Remember, they don't like you, and they're not afraid to shoot first and ask questions never."
Dick looked at the rest of his Nightwing suits, all strewn about the floor of his bedroom like dirty clothes, except for the fact that they were riddled with knife slashes and bullet holes. He had always been able to evade them in the end, but crime fighting in Bludhaven was becoming more dangerous thanks to his repeated encounters with the BPD, which he somehow was able to do on a consistent basis. The past few weeks certainly hadn't been kind to his suits- that much was for sure.
"Don't worry about it Babs. I'll be careful," Dick reassured her.
"Alright. Good luck, Dick."
She ended the call, and Dick finished his preparations, gathering his escrima sticks and putting them in the holsters on his back, followed by the utility belt that he had retained from his days as Robin, which held all of his essential gadgetry- from zip cables to smoke bombs to his personal mark of Wing Dings. With everything else set, and the moon beginning to rise in the night sky, Dick put on his domino mask, turning on the tech and grinning with the knowledge that everything was all set. With everything ready, Nightwing took a moment to settle himself, before rushing out of his window and ascending to the rooftop.
Having reached the rooftop, he breathed in the fresh night air. Despite the years of being a vigilante, there was always a rush to every night that put a smile on his face. He planned out the route to the BPD in his mask, and then parkoured his way there utilizing the rooftop express. On the way, as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, a flurry of different thoughts passed through his mind, from his plan of attack upon reaching the BPD, to what he would do once he found the Arrow, to when he'd be able to repair the Nightwing suits. He figured that he should also upgrade them… perhaps soon.
At last, he arrived on a rooftop across from the BPD. Cycling through the various modes of his mask and making careful observations of the building, Nightwing stealthily entered the building, navigating his way through the shadows and unmanned entrances until he finally reached his target: the evidence room. Having entered the lockup, he quickly made his way to the computer, going through the write up of the crime scene, before going to the boxes of gathered evidence. He examined these as well, and put them all back before disappearing back into the shadows, right in time before a BPD officer entered the evidence room.
Nightwing made his way back out to the streets, hopping back on the rooftop express with the intent of checking out the crime scene next. As he landed on one rooftop, however, he heard the thwang of an arrow being let loose from a bow. Caught unawares, he could do nothing as the arrow flew past his torso, cutting him slightly. Rolling to a stop, he winced slightly as he looked for the source of the arrow, finding it right in front of him.
"You missed," Nightwing commented.
"That wasn't a miss- that was a warning shot," the red hooded archer retorted.
Nightwing got up, taking out his escrima sticks as he did so and sizing up his competition. Based on the archer's figure, it was a female smaller than Roy Harper, and the reason he was bringing that up was because she was wearing a suit that heavily resembled his Arsenal suit. He also observed her stance- her absolute calmness, and the confidence with which she held her bow. This wasn't just some kid playing hero and getting a lucky shot- whoever she was, she had training.
"I don't think I caught your name," Nightwing asked, trying to buy some time as he began thinking of strategies to neutralize his new opponent.
"Doesn't matter. I saw you go into that station, and I'm guessing you went in there to look into the Arrow case," she replied. "Give me all the information you got and I won't have to put an arrow in you, mask."
"Look who's talking," Nightwing grinned in response. "I'd be happy to help a fellow mask, but I don't take kindly to people who just waltz into my city and think they can do whatever they want."
"An arrow it is," the red hooded archer replied. Quick as lightning, she drew another arrow and let loose, this time aiming squarely at Nightwing's chest. Anticipating the move, he batted the arrow away with his escrima sticks, before batting away two more in similar fashion. As the red hooded archer tried to draw another arrow, Nightwing quickly rolled out of his stationary position and let loose a Wing Ding as he did so. This forced the red hooded archer on the defensive as Nightwing quickly made his advance, using more Wing Dings as covering fire for his approach. As she used her bow to deflect the projectiles, Nightwing quickly ran up, jumped into the air, and brought his escrima sticks down onto her bow. The two were locked, their eyes staring into each other, before Nightwing broke it with a quick leg sweep.
"I don't want to have to put you down, so just give it up," Nightwing warned. "You're good, but you're not good enough to beat me."
"What if I got some help?" the red hooded archer posited.
Suddenly, a screech came from Nightwing's left, forcing him to cover his ears and close his eyes as he tried to block out the sound that was powerful enough to be messing with the tech in his mask. Eventually, the screeching stopped, and when Nightwing opened his eyes, another woman had joined him, this one wearing a bleach blonde wig and a black leather suit with a choker around her neck.
"Just do as my friend here asks, and I won't have to scream into your ear," the newcomer offered.
"Laurel Lance. Quite the powerful cry you've got there," Nightwing commented as he used his left hand to feign cleaning his ear, all while subtly using his right hand to reach into his belt.
"How do you know her name?" the red hooded archer asked. "Black Canary, do you know who this guy is?"
"No, and that worries me," Black Canary frowned, reaching for police batons behind her back. "How do you know who I am?"
"Not even gonna try to deny it," Nightwing tsk tsked. "You're both definitely green."
"I'm not green enough to put an arrow in you, and we've got you outnumbered two to one," the archer threatened.
"Yeah, but you forgot one thing: I've been doing this since before Oliver Queen got marooned on Lian Yu."
"Wait, wha-"
Before Black Canary could finish her sentence, Nightwing let drop a few pellets from his right hand. The first issued a blinding flash of light that caught the two women by surprise, while the second issued smoke that quickly covered the area. The two women coughed and retched as they waited out the smoke while training their ears to listen for any signs of the masked man's movements. Finally, the smoke had dissipated, and to their surprise he was gone.
"Where… where did he go?" the archer asked.
"Laurel Lance," a voice said. It echoed throughout the rooftop, and came from all directions, confusing the two women and preventing them from trying to locate its source. Thus, they stood back to back, scanning the rooftop for the masked man. "Daughter of police captain Quentin Lance. Currently taking on the mantle of Black Canary in Starling City in the new Team Arrow formed after Oliver Queen departed.
"And judging by your figure and gear, I'd say you, miss red arrowing hood, are Thea Queen, younger sister of Oliver Queen. Taking on the alias of… Red Arrow, maybe? Certainly not Arsenal, since that was Roy Harper's thing."
"Would you just show yourself?" Black Canary asked.
"Alright, alright," Nightwing conceded. Suddenly appearing from out of the shadows, he raised his hands, showing Black Canary's choker and most of Thea Queen's arrows. "I don't want to fight, but I do want an explanation of why you're here."
"How about you explain-" Thea Queen began to retort, trying to notch one of her remaining arrows when she recognized that her bowstring had somehow been cut.
"I'll explain myself after you," Nightwing responded, grinning.
Knowing that they had been outplayed, Black Canary and Thea Queen put down their weapons. "I don't know how you found out, but yes, I'm Laurel Lance, and that's Thea Queen," Black Canary began. "Though we don't call her Red Arrow- we all call her Speedy."
"Even though I wanted to be called Red Arrow…" Speedy grumbled.
"Oliver's idea?" Nightwing asked.
"Yes," Black Canary confirmed. "We came here because we heard about the news of the Arrow committing a robbery, and we were concerned. The Arrow suit is supposed to be in SCPD lock up, and Oliver was supposed to be driving away into the sunset."
"All understandable," Nightwing nodded. "Now, how come you attacked me?"
"I didn't know who you were, and from my experience, fear is a better way of getting information than asking nicely," Speedy explained.
"Makes sense, though word of advice from one mask to another: don't pick fights with other masks. If you just wanted to investigate this Arrow case, all you had to do was ask," Nightwing smiled, walking back to the two and handing them their respective gears back.
"Wait… it's as easy as that?" Black Canary asked, bewildered.
"Clearly you two are both green," Nightwing chuckled. "The world of masks is larger than just Starling and Central City. If you weren't aware of that before… well, welcome to the club. I'm going back to my loft to analyze the evidence I got from the BPD. You're welcome to join me if you'd like- assuming you can keep up with me on the rooftop express."
"You're being very casual about all this," Speedy pointed out. "I'm beginning to get suspicious of all this. Besides, you still haven't told us who you are."
"Oh right, I almost forgot!" Nightwing apologized. "I'm surprised Roy never told you who I was. I'm Nightwing, and this city- Bludhaven- is my turf."
"Ok… but you still haven't explained why you're being so casual about all this, especially since I did attack you first."
"You two aren't the first people who were unaware of other masks, so I don't blame you. Just follow my lead, and I'll help you two sort out this Arrow case. Now, if you can keep up, I'll be heading back to my loft. And no, I'm not waiting up."
Nightwing flashed a smile, before running at full speed towards another rooftop. Nodding at each other, the two ran after him, trying to follow suit. As they traversed rooftop from rooftop, Nightwing made the occasional glance back at the two and found that they were still keeping pace with him. Meanwhile, in his head, he silently thanked Barbara for all the info she fed him while he had disappeared into the shadows to strategize.
Eventually, the trio had made it all the way back to Nightwing's loft. As they entered through the window, he told them to make themselves comfortable while he set up the analysis equipment. While Nightwing buzzed about in his kitchen, running analysis on some evidence he had procured from the lockup and reading the notes in his mask that had thankfully recovered from Black Canary's Cry, Speedy sat on his couch and began putting in a new string to her bow while Black Canary began making some coffee for the three of them.
Interesting… Nightwing thought to himself. Though the analysis is still being run on all this evidence, it's curious that there were high amounts of silica found all over the crime scene. What's more interesting though is what wasn't found…
"Any progress?" Laurel asked, handing him a mug of coffee.
"Maybe… I might have something. There's-" Dick began, accepting the mug when suddenly the air felt hazy. The three masks knew that something was going on, and immediately tensed up. However, the haziness in the air had disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.
"Well, that was weird," Thea commented.
No sooner had she said this, however, when a new voice to her right asked, "Where… where am I?"
Thea immediately jumped to her left, drawing her bow as Laurel assumed a fighting stance. Dick jumped forward, but stopped when he recognized the man kneeling in front of them. He had a young face and hair not unlike Dick's own. However, he wore a red jacket and blue jeans. Most telling of all was that on the jacket was what seemed to be an S within a shield, like some sort of family crest.
"Clark?" Dick asked, slightly shocked.
"You know him? Who don't you know?" Laurel asked.
"I… I don't know you," the newcomer said with a confused tone. "How do you know my name?"
"This is really weird…" Dick began. "Your name is Clark Kent, right?"
"Yes…"
"But… that can't be. The Clark Kent I know looks older than you, and he doesn't wear that gear."
Getting up to his feet, Clark said in a firm manner, "Look, I don't know who you guys are or where I am. So could someone please fill me in?"
"Sure, as long as you don't do anything rash, Superman."
"Superman?" Laurel and Thea asked.
"Superman? I'm not… that's not who I am," Clark clarified. "I'm guessing by what you guys are wearing that you guys are all vigilantes too- at least, I hope I'm right. Regardless, I'm not Superman… I'm who people call 'The Blur.'"
"Well, aren't we all being chummy here, what with all these secret identities being exchanged and all," Thea commented.
"Never mind that. Clark, could you tell us what year it is, and how you got here?" Dick asked.
Clark took a moment to gather his thoughts, before launching into his story: "Well… I'm still not sure whether I should trust you, so I'll tell you this. I was looking at some alien technology when I was hit with a flash of light, and the next thing I know I'm here."
"Hmm… must've been some Kryptonian tech, I presume?" Dick guessed. Clark nodded.
"Kryptonian? Like from the periodic table of elements?" Laurel asked.
"No. Like Clark said, it's alien. I'll explain that later. But going back to pressing matters: Clark, what year is it?"
"Weird question. It's 2010, isn't it?" Clark answered.
Dick closed his eyes, lost in thought. Meanwhile, Thea piped up, "I'm still not sure who you are, but you're not making any sense. It's not 2010- it's 2015."
Clark looked at the red hooded archer with a confused expression. "No… I'm slightly dizzy, but I'm pretty sure of the date. It's 2010."
"This is all starting to make a bit more sense…" Dick muttered. "Could you tell me something significant and public that's happened recently?"
"Let's see… a few months ago, the US Senate tried to pass the Vigilante Registration Act, and Queen Industries CEO Oliver Queen revealed to the public that he's the Green Arrow. I told him-"
"Wait, what?" Thea suddenly interjected. "What did you just say?"
Though taken slightly aback, Clark repeated, "Oliver Queen revealed to the public that he's the Green Arrow."
"No… no, that's impossible. You've got to be lying- my brother would never do that!" Thea raised her bow, while Clark put his hands out in an effort to calm her down.
"Calm down, Speedy," Dick commented, putting his hand on her arm. "I think I might have an explanation." Reluctantly, Thea put her bow down. Dick began, "You say your name is Clark Kent, and you definitely look like the Clark Kent I know, albeit you're younger-looking. But you also said that it's 2010, that the US Senate tried to pass some Vigilante Registration Act, and that Oliver Queen has revealed that he is the Arrow- all of which don't add up."
"They don't?" Clark asked.
"No. It's 2015, and despite all the vigilantes running around, the US Senate has never tried to pass anything called the Vigilante Registration Act. What's more, our Oliver Queen never revealed to the public that he was a vigilante called Green Arrow. In fact, he's no longer CEO of Queen Industries- Queen Industries was merged into Palmer Technologies. He used to be a vigilante known as The Arrow, but he hung up that mantle and retired."
"That… that doesn't make any sense."
"It does if you're from a different world."
All eyes turned to look at Dick, and everyone thought the same thing: Is this guy nuts?
"What do you mean, different world? Different world, as in different planet?" Clark asked.
"No, different world as in a different version of Earth. There's a principle within theoretical physics that talks about multiple different versions of the same world, with each version sharing similarities but ultimately still holding differences. It explains how you look so much like the Clark Kent I know, but certain events transpired in your world that never happened in ours."
"But that's… that's impossible, isn't it?" Laurel countered. "I mean, isn't that why it's called theoretical?"
"Not really. You've seen The Flash and have met the S.T.A.R.S. Labs team, haven't you, Black Canary? Given the existence of The Flash, is it really so hard to believe that something like this would exist?"
"Admittedly, no," Laurel conceded.
"Of course, that's all my guess. We should probably talk to the S.T.A.R.S. Labs team for further details on this," Dick said. Turning then to Clark, he introduced himself, saying, "Anyway, you've introduced yourself, so now I'll introduce myself. I'm the vigilante known as Nightwing, and you're currently in my loft in the lovely city of Bludhaven." Gesturing then to the others, he continued, "This one with the Dolly Parton wig is Black Canary, and this one with the red hood is Speedy." Dick then walked up to Clark, extending his hand out. Though still slightly on guard, Clark lowered his defenses and shook his hand. Following suit, Laurel shook hands with the newcomer, with Thea rounding up the meetings.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Thea apologized.
"It's alright- we were all confused," Clark assured her.
"No, it's not just that. Ollie- Oliver Queen is my brother," Thea explained.
"Ah… I see," Clark responded. "The Oliver Queen I know doesn't have a sister."
"Oh," Thea said softly.
Suddenly realizing what he just said, Clark began to answer swiftly, when Dick interjected, "Like I said, this Clark is from an alternate version of Earth. It's definitely possible that where he's from, Oliver Queen didn't have a sister. Still, that's the Oliver Queen from his world. Your Oliver Queen is still your older brother, and that's what's important."
Dick was about to check on the analysis he was running when he heard the familiar beeping of his comms device. Pressing his ear, he said, "Hello?"
"We've got a problem," Barbara's voice said from the other end.
"Yeah we do," Dick replied. "We might have a timey-wimey, spacey-wacey problem on our hands."
"Timey-wimey…? Never mind. I've been scanning through the camera feeds in Bludhaven, and I just spotted an emerald archer outside of the main tunnel leading into the city. I also checked some bank manifests, and it looks like Gotham National Bank sent another armored car to Bludhaven. Looks like whoever this guy is, he's back, and you've got to mobilize, Dick."
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Dick nodded. "Understood, Barb. I'll send you the analysis I was running on some evidence I "borrowed" from the BPD. Could you tell me the results later?"
"No problem."
"Thanks. I'll notify my super friends here, and we'll be on our way."
"Hurry up, Dick- you need to catch this guy."
"I know." Dick touched his ear once more, ending the call. Turning to the other vigilantes gathered around him, Dick announced, "That was my friend. It seems that the man who's dressed up in the Arrow suit is waiting outside of Bludhaven for another armored car. I'm heading out there to put a stop to him. Coming along?"
"You don't even have to ask me," Thea answered, resolute.
"I'm in as well," Laurel nodded.
"I'm not exactly sure what's going on… but if you guys need help, I can provide some," Clark added.
Well, this is gonna be fun. "Alright, we need to haul ass now. Let's go!" Just like before, Nightwing flashed a grin and flew out his window, this time landing on the ground and ripping off a sheet to his left, revealing his sleek, black motorcycle. As he revved up the engines, Black Canary and Speedy ran downstairs and, after Speedy hotwired a nearby parked car, drove off with Black Canary driving. Nightwing caught up to them and as the two made their way down the street, Nightwing in his Wingcycle to Black Canary and Speedy's left, Nightwing momentarily turned his head to his left and saw Clark Kent running next to him.
Guess that's why he's called the Blur, Nightwing thought to himself. Together, the four vigilantes rode on in search of their target: the Arrow.
A/N: Hey everybody! BKA37 here. I was hard pressed to get this out in time, and there's still more to this story that I haven't been able to work on yet, so enjoy Part 1 of "Flarrowing", which is admittedly more Arrow-crossovery than The Flash-crossovery. I'll wrap it up next time Part 2 of "Flarrowing", which features ANOTHER special guest. Until then, let me know what you think of this episode! Did you like the sudden appearance of the Clark Kent from "Smallville"?