So, there really isn't any excuse for such a long hiatus, but… yeah… excuses. I can't thank the reviewers enough for sticking with this story and I just wanted to bring it up. Thanks so much. ^^

Ok.

As for the story itself let me know how I did, 'cause I'm worried.

Now, onward!

Chapter 15

The power had been cut months ago more than likely. Jason's eyes trembled over the knick knacks that surrounded the room. Dick seemed immediately at home, the other Bats spread through the room, securing it quickly and efficiently. It was a loft like any other typical billionaire brat's would be. All things were fancy, yet dirty. Clothes littered the floor, much like they would for any typical male's bedroom. There was still a sense of organization to the place, though. Everything had its place. The couch was securely in place, looking like it hadn't moved in ages. The clothes were matching in colors, in place where they should be. The lamps were strategically placed to provide the most light… All in place, with purpose. The thought made Jason think about his own place… if he had one.

Their elder brother walked to the far wall, pulling down the hands of a small clock. The wall began to move, slowly at first, then in one giant swoop. The motion resonated with him, reminded him of another grand clock. He shook his head to clear it, but memories were on the horizon. Jason could feel them digging, scratching irritating him until he reached for one – but the memory vanished.

He sighed. If his past was going to return to him fully, he would have to be patient – a quality he seriously doubted that he had ever developed. Focus on the present, Jay.

Jason stood still in the middle of the room, watched his brothers go into the super-special-high-tech room. Dick's apartment was organized, yet chaotic. Clutter was scattered about the room, easily portraying the young bachelor that he was.

All-in-all, he was impressed. Not blown away, but impressed. Dick seemed to have a grasp on who he was outside of the mask he wore at night. That only left Jason to wonder who he was without the Red Hood. Was there a Jason Todd? Or was that man too intricately woven together with his vigilante alter-ego to ever have a significant place in the world?

He touched the small fixtures in the room seeing the flashes again. He got the feeling that not only had he been here before, but that the manor they talked about had many of the same features, which probably meant that the space had taken on aspects of Bruce. Eventually he shook his head and followed the other bats into the hollow space.

Jason had to admit, he was impressed.

The place looked like a congregation of electronics. Computers, cords, monitors, speakers – all in abundance. Jason let out a low whistle, "Pretty impressive."

The family gave him a look, one that seemed to question his sanity.

Tim spoke first, "You have a state of the art system a lot like this, maybe better. Last I knew yours was newly updated with the latest stuff."

Jason made a face somewhere between a grimace and a face of swollen pride. "figures," was all he said aloud though.

Dick turned back to the super computer, flipping out a battery pack that looked older than it should be. "I'm not sure if this will work, but if I can get my system back online we may be able to connect up to the Cave."

"Then scooch. We all know I'm the computer whiz," Tim said with a hint of pride in his voice.

Dick nodded, "I was going to suggest it, even if you hadn't volunteered, dear brother."

Bruce made a sound from the back of the group, bringing the whole family's attention back to the patriarch, "I'll work with you, the defense systems at the cave may be fully online, but I did put in a back door we may be able to use." He paused, looking first at Dick then at Jason and then Damian. "In the meantime you guys will need to get out there. Look for supplies. But…" Bruce gave a meaningful look to each of them individually. "Be careful."

Dick nodded. He looked at Damian. "You, Baby Bat, are staying here."

Damian gave an indignant look, "I'm not a child. My injuries are not severe."

Bruce looked ready to disagree, but Dick spoke first. "I know, but that shoulder needs looking after and we need someone in the main room just in case anyone comes looking."

The boy looked satisfied with the answer, nodding reluctantly. With that settled, Bruce moved to the monitors to stand beside Tim and Damian, who would have to wait for any medical attention. That was their cue. Jason exited the room with Dick in tow.

"All right. What do we need?" Jason whispered. He was thinking aloud, meaning the question to be rhetorical. Dick answered regardless.

"Food for one. Medical supplies in case things go south. If we could get our hands on some police radios… but those are nonessential."

Jason nodded. The older man's face was contorted in deep reflection and for some reason the look was very familiar. He remembered this man. Whether those memories were happy or bittersweet, he couldn't say, but the flashes he was getting had him leaning towards the latter.

Dick smiled at him before crossing the room and pulling open a drawer. Inside was a map of Bludhaven and a pen, both would be useful if they were going to first map out known areas of major damage and second put the clichéd "x marks the spot" on the zones where food and medical supplies might be.

"Let's just hope we can get through this without too much trouble," Dick said worriedly. "We can't afford anyone else getting hurt or we'll never make it back to Gotham. It doesn't help that Bludhaven wasn't exactly 'nice' as far as crime rates go before all this went down," he added.

"If I remember right, the city was sixty percent above average on the violent crime list?" Dick nodded grimly.

The younger man sighed deeply, instinctively reaching for his gun and checking the round. He only had four shots left. If they got into trouble he would need to make each one count. "If I shoot tonight, I'm not going to hesitate to take a kill shot. We can't afford to have anyone get up," He whispered.

For what seemed in his mind to be the first time, Dick didn't argue with him about his methods.

There couldn't be a moral high ground any longer.

…

Computer code was like a whole other language to Tim. It was personal and unique, powerful in its own way – even if it was mostly comprised of simple zeros and ones. It was a language understood by only a small handful of people; those that were fluent could master the world and hold some of the highest paying jobs in the world, if they weren't first caught hacking into something illegal. He had mastered the system at a fairly young age, soaking up any and all information he could and applying it easily to his ever-expanding world. He liked his private universe here, the innate personality a computer offered when it had been cared for and beefed up with enough software to be thoroughly intelligent. And as his fingers flitted over the keyboard he could almost believe that everything was normal. That there weren't psychopathic aliens outside trying to kill everyone he had ever cared about.

Bruce cleared his throat from across the room, cautiously testing Damian's arm for resistance. "It's definitely dislocated," he said, more to himself than to the boys. He breathed out, collecting himself in the way he always had – by pacing uselessly from one side of the room to the other. "I'm going to have to pop it back into place, but I'd rather wait and see if the boys can find any medical supplies…"

Tim caught the unspoken words easily, "if they come back." He was worried about his brothers too. But the computer offered a distraction. The battery hadn't been fully functional, but the spares Dick had hidden away were more than good enough for the job. Getting the computer to link up to the main network, to the Cave's network, had been harder. But not impossible. Once linked, there was only one step left and that was to push through that back door and force the Cave's computer to come online. If what Bruce had said was true, Tim should be able to control the computer. He should be able to revert battery power from the manor through that same back door – a safety feature built into the system a long time ago.

If no one answered when the time came, the bat family could safely assume that the cave was either secure or unattended to. If, however, someone responded, they just had to hope that whoever it was would be on their side. The side of humanity that is.

Tim was knocked away from his thoughts as the door slid open. He relaxed when he saw it had only been Bruce. His father had in his arms the youngest member in their family who had apparently fallen asleep at some point in his musings. "How's he doing?" Tim whispered as Bruce returned from the main area.

The door closed behind him before the older man responded. "Not well. I think the stress is getting to him." The man came close to Tim, a determined spark lighting his eyes. "We have to get back to the cave."

Tim nodded, that was the plan. He certainly understood the need to say it aloud though, it felt good to let hope out. "We'll make it back, Bruce. We have to."

Bruce's eyes narrowed in concentration. He patted Tim on the back, "Why don't you rest now. We're going to need all the strength we can get if we're going to make it through this. And besides," Bruce smiled almost devilishly, "I'm much better at the nocturnal bit than you are."

Tim was about to argue but then stopped himself, noting that he was tired. So he sat up, saying a quiet good night before heading off to the other room.

...

"Roy?" The redhead turned to him with only a slight pause; he stood, mustering his strength.

"I'm not sure what the hell's up with it." He said barely above a whisper, though he knew his former mentor could hear him. No matter how hard he tried, the younger man could not get over seeing Oliver here – without any tension between them, just open companionship. "It was dead for all intents and purposes just a few hours ago, but now…"Roy's face lit up with an idea, a notion coming to him out of the abyss, "Someone must be accessing it from a remote location. Judging by their skill it would have to be someone with foreknowledge of the place meaning –"

"Meaning it must be one of the bats." Oliver finished, stopping when he reached Roy's side.

"… or it's them." Roy turned to see Kori sauntering toward them, a look of disgust plain on her face. "These aliens have cracked nearly every system in the world; they could easily be the culprits here too."

Oliver stared at her, his face drawn in concentration. "Bruce would have the system locked up tight against hackers of any kind, foreign or otherwise. But the aliens shouldn't have any idea that this place," he gestured to the open space of the bat cave, "even exists, especially since the human world had no idea."

"Then what do we do?" Roy asked. He didn't necessarily need direction from the older man, but he found it somewhat comforting to have the option. And falling into old habits with Oliver was way too easy. His eyes were on the man now, waiting for him to decide.

"well. Here goes nothin'." Oliver calmly walked to the console and typed in a few keys, pulling the system completely out of its hibernation. He opened the visual panel and set up a link to whoever the other person was. "Now we wait," He said partly to himself.

"Now we wait," Roy echoed.

…

To be honest it was spectacularly weird to be skulking through the shadows with his little brother again. Dick had always been light on his feet, walking with a degree of grace – something that had been deeply ingrained in him under the trapeze. Anyone that had ever worked with him knew this, often making little jibes at the fact. He didn't care though. He would always be fiercely proud of where he had come from, he would always remember the casual dexterity his parents had strode around with, and he would forever immortalize that memory with his own life and stature. He was the legacy his parents had left behind. As for his brothers, each of them had their own unique stride, one that Dick was able to pick out easily.

The first time he had been on patrol with Damian, Dick had taken note of the child's weight and the way he displaced it. His was close to that of a march; determined, harsh, angry, yet light due mainly to his current weight. He always felt that he had something to prove, an inherent pride that he needed to show off. Tim, on the other hand, was altogether different. His strides were intentionally kept quiet. If Dick listened closely, he could hear the younger man correcting his step in a vain attempt to mimic Bruce's precise movements. Jason was different. Jason's footfalls had been intentionally heavy. He made noise for the sake of making noise, especially as he got older. At first Dick assumed it was because of his time on the streets as the boy tried to make himself seem bigger in any way he could – a trait that Dick later took as a sign of his recklessness.

In the circus every step was important, how lightly or otherwise heavily you landed made all the difference. His parents had drilled his attuned senses into him, Bruce had reinforced them. So, when Jason's heavy steps echoed around the small alley, Dick felt a sense of vertigo. It brought him back to the days when Jason had visited as Robin, sailing through the air with Nightwing.

Dick smiled.

Even with incomplete memories, Jason was still Jason.

"If we can get access to the free clinic we can take what we need." Jason said quietly, snapping Dick out of his thoughts.

The older man made a face, something akin to disgust. "We shouldn't have to steal. There are a lot of people in this city that need the medicine and bandages."

"Well, from what I can tell, our family has been putting the city first for a long ass time. I think it's time to cash in those favors."

Dick was only marginally surprised by Jason's logic. He didn't like it, but they honestly had no other choice. Damian needed bandages. Tim needed medicine. The family needed supplies. "We only take what we need."

"'Course."

With that the two fell into a comfortable silence, each deliberately focused on not raising suspicion and skulking around the city to the closest med center. The avoided town centers where cameras would certainly be activated and searching for them, but they were also wary of the dark corners of the city where gangs had more than likely taken up residence. Whatever crime there had been in Bludhaven was intensified now that resources were scarce. The screams that had been a near-constant chorus for Dick when he had been Nightwing had intensified in his absence. Only now there were no police sirens on their way to help. There was no support for anyone anymore. The thought made Dick's heart seize with sadness. His city lay to ruin. He could only hope that with his family's help they could save it.

Jason's right though. Before we can protect the city, we have to save ourselves. Still, something about it didn't quite settle with him. The vigilante in him wanted to fight against injustice and he couldn't do that if he was part of the problem…

The light that came from the clinic was dim, but to Dick it shone brighter than the surrounding buildings. It was a rundown little shack with people walking in and out, reminding Dick too much of a revolving door. Guilt made his stomach sink, but he landed atop the closest apartment with Jason coming to a stop right next to him.

When they were both settled and staring at the med center, Jason laid his hand on Dick's shoulder. "Hey. I…" The young man seemed to consider his words carefully as Dick's blue gaze turned to him, "I keep getting flashes of you, of who you were to me. We weren't…" He seemed to grow frustrated at his own inability to articulate. "We weren't close."

"Yeah." There wasn't much to say beyond that.

Jason nodded, accepting the word. "I just need to know that if things go south, you'll have my back."

His face scrunched up as confusion and sadness mixed together. "Jason, I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

The young man wasn't looking at him now, focusing instead on the clinic. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

Dick rolled his eyes, "Okay, how about I just promise to go down swinging?"

Jason laughed – really laughed – and Dick smiled as the sound filled the air. "Damn straight."

After that, the veil of silence was replaced and the two brothers dropped into the alley across from the place. Their plans dictated that only one of them go into the clinic to gather supplies. The other would remain outside, waiting and watching, so that if anything went wrong – which was a high likelihood – one of them could escape and warn the others. Having someone on lookout would also mean one extra pair of eyes to make sure they weren't followed afterwards.

Shrugging his jacket off and leaving it with Dick, Jason began to walk out of the alleyway. "Gun's in the right zipper pocket. Don't hesitate to use it if you have to," He threw the words haphazardly over his shoulder.

"Hey," The younger man turned around to look him in the eyes, "Be careful, Little Wing."

For a brief moment, Jason's eyes flashed with some emotion, but it was gone before Dick could analyze it. There was a falter in his next step before he could correct it, and then Jason was gone.

SO… ROY HARPER IS HERE! I have never ever written as Roy and I'm not sure how I'm doing – the only comics I've read with him are from the New 52… I'm going to get into Roy's story in the next few chapters as we get closer to the end and from what I've read (thanks wiki and tumblr) his relationship with Oliver is father/son-ish much like the bat boys. So… please let me know how it looks. I'm so worried it sounds forced. ."

I'm considering adding in Conner Hawke in the next chapter, should I attempt it? If I did well with Roy here (even marginally) then I'd like to add drama on that end if possible. Just 'cause I'm an evil little f*cker.

Anywho, thanks if you read this. ^^