Having Jean Grey of all people in his head was rare for Tim. Especially when it was for an emergency. She favored talking face to face, or at least through a phone. Only when something went wrong was when she discarded those methods. Though he wasn't usually the first one called, that was reserved for the X-Men.
She needed his help with a mutant that just manifested their mental ability. Unfortunately, they couldn't control it in time and trapped themself in their head. She couldn't ask the Professor due to him recovering from the Apocalypse situation. There weren't any other mutants with the abilities she was looking for available to ask. That left him, a mutant with a powerful mental ability. Psychokinesis, to be exact.
It was when he was nearing the mansion that he could feel the multitude of emotions wash over him. Distress sticking out sharply among the sea positive emotions. He usually had to suppress his ability due to how overwhelming it could be in an area with a large amount of people. Unfortunately, he would have to do his work in the mansion, with almost a hundred students around. He just hoped he could help the mutant without the other student's emotions or thoughts getting in the way. He would rather they do this in a remote area but Jean had said they couldn't risk moving the mutant.
He hopped off his bike after parking it in the garage, getting curious looks from some students and greetings from others, of which he returned, as he walked down the halls of the mansion. He let the muted distress guide him to where the mutant was. He could feel Jean's ability brush against him in greeting and gratefulness and welcomed the warmth it gave him. Her power was distinctive, as scorching as the sun to her enemies and a pleasant hearth to her allies.
He entered the room the mutant was housed in, Jean Grey positioned next to the mutant with her eyes closed in focus, hands on the mutant's temple. Her mind, however, was split between trying to unearth the mutant from their own mind and explaining the situation to him.
The mutant, Elijah Nguyen, had recently manifested his ability. It was thought that he developed minor esper abilities, but he started to display other abilities, such as teleportation and telekinesis. What caused him to be in this state was theorized to be because of his new mental ability, the ability to walk through minds like he and Jean could do. Unfortunately, because of his lack of training on his ability, Elijah trapped himself in his own mind.
Tim sat on the opposite side of Elijah's body and grabbed his hand, vaguely aware of the Professor wheeling into the room as he sunk into Elijah's mind. He filtered through all the thoughts and emotions flowing around him, he needed to focus only on Elijah. Locking on his target, Tim breathed deeply and entered Elijah's mind.
Every mind was different, there were no two same minds. Perhaps similar, but never the same. Elijah's mind was bright yet shadowed at the same time. It reminded him of the galaxy; splotches of black and purple colored the edges of the mind as nonsensical clouds formations floated about, with glowing stars sprinkled throughout. Planets of many sizes and shapes drifted in the background, made of many different hues and shades. If he could describe this scene to anyone, ethereal would be the first word off his tongue.
Tim followed the residue of Jean's power, which appeared as a wispy red trail. He found her near the core of Elijah's mind, in front of a massive swirling nebula. She was in the middle of trying to breach the nebula and pull Elijah out, sending him a strained smile once she saw him. Tim could sense Elijah trapped in that nebula, the distress coming clearer here than anywhere else. Unfortunately for them, it was hard to create an opening, the nebula layering over any small gap Jean made.
He aided Jean in chipping away the defenses of the nebula in a way that wouldn't hurt Elijah, pieces of the nebula floating away as they continued their assault on the barrier. They exchanged small comments as they chipped pieces of the nebula away, asking the other to aim at a certain area. After some time, the nebula looked to be in rough shape, small openings showed slivers of Elijah. Tim reached for him before pausing, feeling something wasn't quite right. He looked at Jean, wondering if she noticed the same thing he did. She nodded, reading his mind quite easily through their intertwined abilities, and looked at the nebula warily.
Suddenly, the nebula darkened and condensed, a black hole taking its place. Any opens that could be seen were now closed, Tim could feel the layers of matter that made up the black hole. It was extremely dense and expanding at an alarming rate, aiming straight for Jean.
Tim heard Jean's startled shout as he shoved her out of the trajectory of the black hole; he knew that if that black hole touched either of them, there would be serious consequences. They should have been more prepared, he thought, a bit upset at himself. He knew this wouldn't be an easy job but he underestimated Elijah's power. Of all the minds he's been through, very few have been able to use their powers while in their own mind. He didn't know why he expected this to be the same. His previous successes had gotten him soft.
The black hole expanded faster than he could move out of the way, his lower body being sucked into it. He tried to stamp down his panic, distantly hearing Jean call his name. Panicking wouldn't do him any good, but he couldn't help it. He could feel parts of his lower body being transported elsewhere, knowing that his lower body was elsewhere yet still being able to feel them was extremely jarring. Was he being teleported while in another's mind? What would happen to his physical body?!
No, this was more than just teleportation! He's been teleported by many different mutants and they didn't feel anything like this. 'It hurts!'
Instinctively, he latched onto Jean and the Professor' minds in order to not be swept away, his pain and fear pouring into them. He could feel the Professor's surprise at suddenly linking minds with him before it hardened into alarm. Jean felt the same, scared and worried at the same time. She grabbed his arms and tugged on them, trying to dislodge him while also avoiding getting sucked into the black hole too.
The Professor created a thin barrier to try and contain the rest of the black hole, the most he could do while weakened, as he and Jean got closer, keeping their grip on him as firm as they could. He had sunk around an inch or two by that point, the black hole up to his abdomen now.
He could feel their grip on him slipping, the suction too strong. If they held on any longer they would also be sucked in, they were dangerously close to the edge of the black hole. He wouldn't let that happen to them, even if it was the last thing he would do. They were precious to him, he couldn't let them get hurt too. Tim threw off their hold on him, apologizing. Their distraught faces the last thing he saw before he was fully submerged, everything going black.
Tim groaned, his head was pounding. He could hear an odd buzzing in the distance along with faint mumbling fading in and out of his hearing range. His mouth was dry, a few smacks of his lips didn't help his tongue stop feeling like sandpaper. 'Where was he?'
The last thing he remembered was being swallowed up by the black hole… He actually didn't expect to make it out in one piece, not to mention in his body. It seemed his body came along while his mind was transported elsewhere.
A harsh kick to his side snapped him out of his daze. He had been laying on the floor, chaos surrounding him. A group of people in obnoxious green suits with question marks crowded around him, various weapons in their hands and ready to strike. One of them asked, "Did we get 'im?"
Across what he assumed was a warehouse, a man—the ringleader most likely, he was also dressed in the strange green outfit, but it had much higher quality compared to the others—stood on a platform and boasted about his superiority to a person dressed in black. He couldn't afford to be distracted in an unfamiliar setting, he needed to deal with the immediate threats.
Leaping up from his sprawl, Tim aimed for the goon closest to him, kicking him in the privates and kneeing him in the face when he leaned forward in pain. He went down, hard. The others rushed forward after that, clearly aiming to knock him out again. What they wanted with him, he had no idea. He couldn't remember messing with any group dressed in green. Unless he counted the Tankers, but they mostly wore jerseys and hoodies, not low quality suits riddled with question marks. Not to mention, he dealt with the Tankers last year. They wouldn't wait such a long time to suddenly attack him, that wasn't their M.O.
Tim was glad that he had practice with dealing with group attacks, what with him sticking his nose into gang affairs, otherwise he would have struggled fighting this group off. When he tried to get into their heads to finish the fight quickly, however, was when he had trouble. A pounding migraine stopped him from actively using his ability on the group, he could feel blood begin to drip from his nose before one of the goons landed a lucky hit while he was distracted. No using his powers on others anytime soon, then. It hadn't gotten this bad even when he overused his abilities before. An unwanted side effect of the sudden transportation.
Sloppily knocking out the last goon, he hid in a discreet area of the warehouse and wiped his bloody nose, going over his situation. He woke up in an unfamiliar suit after he was taken to an unknown location, he is unable to use his ability on others without pain, and he most likely took over someone's body. The body was different from his own body, this one more toned than his, and larger. If he could tell the age from just its build, then he would guess it was in its early to mid twenties. Tim's body was smaller and leaner, he's only 17 after all. He still had lots of growing to do, he would get taller. Instead of his body coming along with him, he was either shoved into someone else's body or lost his memories after dealing with Elijah. Tim sighed, already sick of the situation he was in.
The small break gave Tim time to look over what he was wearing. The armored suit was predominately black, streaks of yellow traced his under arms. A large gray utility belt wrapped around his waist, going through them revealed a miscellaneous assortment of items and weapons. One condensed bo staff piqued his interest, he could use it if the situation went south. The black cape draped over his body, letting him blend smoothly into the shadows. Twisting the cape around revealed its yellow interior. Odd to have that when the suit was designed for sneaking around.
The person whose body he was inhabiting was obviously a vigilante—he had ruled out the amnesia theory quickly, this body didn't have the scars or beauty marks in places his body would when he peeked under the gloves. If the suit and weapons weren't enough to convince him, then the situation he was in did. Tim wouldn't really consider himself a vigilante anymore, just someone that happened to uncover crimes at times, but it was a bit ironic that he was thrown into the body of one. He did surround himself with vigilantes.
Unfortunately, his options on what to do were limited, he couldn't verify who's body this is without actively using his ability or unmasking himself in an area filled with enemies. Both options weren't very appealing. All he could do for now was act like the person in the body before he could make any more plans. But the pain only flared up when he tried to use it against other people, not himself. It's possible that using his power outwards instead of inwards could have been the problem.
He tested this, trying to contain his power within this body, moving his arm experimentally with his ability. A success, but a minimal amount of pain still remained when he used his ability. It seemed the more he tried to use his ability outside of his body, the more it would hurt. This meant he could check on the original inhabitant of this body. However, this wasn't the time nor place to do that. Doing that would require him to leave this body defenseless, and he obviously couldn't do that. He was still in a hostile environment after all.
He peeked at the scene from behind a large crate, the man in the black armored suit was finishing his battle with the man in the green bowling hat, handcuffing the ringleader's hands behind his back. He heard a small static come from his ear as the man raised a hand to the side of his cowl. A voice spoke, "Black Bird, come in."
Black Bird? That was the body's code name? Seriously? He couldn't really complain though, his code name was Cardinal. Tim answered, "Here."
The voice—the possibility of it being the man dressed in black was high, though there could be another person on this line— simply stated, "Report."
The body he inhabited and the man in black were coworkers, not to mention vigilantes. If fighting criminals in a dimly lit warehouse didn't scream vigilante, then he didn't know what did.
He took a deep breath before he started, hoping to sound like the original, "Disposed of the goons." Tim paused briefly, licking his lower lip before continuing, "I was hit in the head. Most likely suffering from a concussion."
He would need to treat it soon, it was likely what inhibited him from purposefully using his ability outward. Head wounds tended to do that. Though, he could still passively feel the presence and emotions of everyone in the warehouse, whether conscious or not. It was his base ability, just as it was Jean's. It's what they initially bonded over when they first met.
There was a brief pause before the voice uttered, "Meet me at the Batmobile." The line clicked off immediately after.
Batmobile? What— you know what? He won't even think about it. He needs a place to stay and heal from his concussion. Not to mention, figure out what is happening. He also needed to figure out where the original owner of the body went. They could have swapped bodies for all he knew. Or, the original could have been shoved out of the body, which would be…unfortunate. Hopefully, that wasn't the case.
Tim crawled out of his hiding spot and followed after the man, his surprisingly immense presence leading him to a sleek black car. Tim climbed into the car silently, the man in black turning the car on and smoothly rolled into the road. He knew he should be more careful about being taken to a secondary location, but this man was his only lead on whose body he was inhabiting. If it really came down to it, he would subdue him with his ability, whether or not it would hurt.
Tim ran his fingers over the dashboard of the car, feeling for any thin seams he could find. Henry Mccoy would salivate after this car, its engine alone was amazingly quiet and he barely even felt the turns. The inside was even better, there were many buttons, some unlabeled. The radio connected to the polices', he could hear reports rolling in about break ins and missing persons. It was a technological wonder.
Tim focused his attention on the windows, watching the scenery pass by. Instead of being displaced in space, he wondered if he was also displaced in time. Some of the buildings he passed had strange screens covering them, even the gloomy clouds displayed colorful moving advertisements. He had never seen such a thing before, he wondered if it was even 1983 anymore. Would he be able to meet a future version of himself if he searched?
Static crackled in his comm before a higher voice talked, "B, I'm finished over here. How's Baby Bird? You said he had a concussion?"
B responded, "Good job, Nightwing. We're heading to the cave now." Tim mouthed baby bird silently. At least he had something to call this man, but it would be a bit hard finding out what it stood for unless Nightwing let the man's full code name slip. B could be short for anything. He'll have to be careful if he wants to pose as Black Bird. He can't just assume it's only B and Nightwing that will be at this 'cave'. If there's three of them, then there's most likely more vigilantes.
"Tt. He can't even handle some of Riddler's lackeys? As expected of Drake." A high pitched voice huffed. Riddler? The guy in a bowling hat with a question mark, the ringleader? No wonder there were such garish question marks on his goons with such a ridiculous name. He wondered if being tacky was a requirement to be a villain. Some of the villains in his time obviously never heard of fashion, picking the most clashing colors to place on their outfits.
"No real names on the field, Robin." A gravelly voice said, gently scolding Robin. Robin scoffed but stayed silent.
He supposes that the 'Drake' that Robin spoke of was this body's last name. Oddly enough, it was the same as his own. The same last name and a similar build, could it be…? No, there's no way that this could be an alternate world. But, there isn't enough evidence to prove otherwise… He'll keep it at the back of his mind. This concussion was making it hard to think. He would be able to make better decisions without it.
"Thanks Hood, we'll be at the cave soon, B." Nightwing chirped, addressing B in the second half. The line stayed open, the sounds of the city and the vigilante's chatter being able to be heard. Occasionally, sounds of a scuffle were heard.
He was right in that there were more vigilantes, Robin and Hood being two that were referenced during conversations over the line most often. He was a bit concerned about Robin though, he sounded… young. Younger than Tim was when he first started out in the field.
B drove the car into a remote, out of the way path. They passed a wall of ivy that opened up to a large, illuminated cave littered with knick knacks here and there. In the distance, a life sized dinosaur figure stuck out against its dark surroundings, a large card near it. The whole cave was a technological marvel, he had never seen such devices in his world, and he was known for being the heroes' technical support. Well, him and Mccoy. Everything was just so advanced compared to his time. Tim thought he saw a deluxe coffee machine, but he couldn't be sure from this far. He would love for a cup of coffee now.
The car stopped abruptly, jarring Tim out of his observation. His fingers were given a small shock as he exited alongside B. Huh. They should do some work on the car if it's electrocuting people.
B grabbed his shoulders with a quiet "Let's go", steering him to the medical area of the cave, a thin, crisply dressed elderly man already waiting there giving him an unimpressed look.
"This is the third time this month, Master Timothy." The elderly man gestured to the medical bed, obviously intending to check over his concussion. Tim complied silently, wanting to see how this goes. He had no idea what this Tim Drake's—it was just a theory at the moment, gathered from clues he was handed by the other vigilantes. He would be able to confirm it if he could find a place to use his ability and delve into this body's mind—relationship with this man was, though it was obvious he cared about Tim. He could feel the muted worry radiating from him.
The elderly man raised an eyebrow at Tim as he waved a flashlight over Tim's eyes, "No excuse this time?"
Tim just gave him a thin smile, not sure what to say to sound like the body. He had to be careful, mimicking someone's behaviorism was hard when you had no idea how they acted. For all he knew, this Tim's—he would have to call him Drake, it was getting a bit confusing at this point— personality was the complete opposite of his.
It wasn't an answer and the elderly man knew it. When he finished checking up on Tim, he watched Tim pop pain medicine in his mouth and maneuvered him to the locker room, telling him to freshen up since he "smelled like a stable". Tim didn't know if his advanced healing would transfer to this body., but he hoped so. He would like to get rid of his concussion soon and use his ability without harm.
A warning of no patrol for the next two days was thrown over the elderly man's shoulder as he walked away. Tim kept a close eye on the man, watching him exit into an elevator at the other side of the cave before turning back to the showers. That was one way to exit the cave. He would be naive to think that was the only way out. If it were him, he would strategically place multiple exits and entrances around his base.
Tim stripped out of his suit and stepped into the shower. The hot water beat harshly on his body, but he didn't mind. The heat relaxed his muscles and gave him time to think on what to do next. First things first, he needed an isolated area and rest. It was hard being in a possible hostile area and trying to not arouse suspicion. Even more so when there would be at least three more trained vigilantes arriving soon.
After he rested, he could search for something that would connect to the internet. A library would do if he couldn't find that, but that would mean venturing out of the cave without anyone noticing. It shouldn't be too hard, he could be stealthy when he needed to.
Tim stepped out of the showers and grabbed the clothes that were set out for him. It surprised him a little, he hadn't heard anyone nearby. The elderly man was most likely the one who set it out. What a sneaky old man. It was easy to deduce that he was a servant, one highly trusted for him to know of Drake's vigilante identity, and presumably the rest of the vigilantes.
When he reached the mirror, however, he paused. Sitting there in the mirror was a duplicate of his face. He knew from the monitors and the other devices he passed that this place was at least twenty to thirty years into the future, and yet Drake looked not even five years older than him. This could mean that this wasn't the future in the first place but an alternate world. One where Drake was born decades after he had been, and led a completely different life than him. He needs to know what this world is like, ASAP.
He slipped into the simple knitted sweater and flowy black pants set out for him and swiftly set for the elevator exit. He heard the rumble of an engine as the doors were closing. It's a good thing he had made it in time, he didn't want to interact with the other vigilantes when he still didn't know much about how Drake acted. Nor when his main defense was all but useless.
The ride up was quick and he was deposited in an empty office in no time. Quietly walking down the halls, Tim realized that this wasn't a random building that just happened to host vigilantes in its basement, this was a home.
Hand drawn pictures lined the walls and little scribbles littered the doorways. In some rooms, portraits of a smiling family were hung and little trinkets were placed around haphazardly. A well loved wood carving sat on an old fireplace. This was a home, and to many if the pictures could be trusted.
He saw his face in many of the images, showing his growth from a lanky preteen to a slim but healthy young adult. Turning one of the images around, he read the neat handwriting, 'Damian's 11th birthday party.' Another person, based on the difference in handwriting, wrote 'Can't wait for next years!' with a smiley face scribbled next to it.
Passing into one of the halls, he realized that there were decorative door plates adorning the doors. Walking closer, he realized each door was assigned for the people from the images. Of the six doors, he found 'Tim Drake-Wayne' between the rooms of 'Cassandra Wayne' and 'Duke Thomas'. He traced the small purple star decorating the letter 'T' in his first name with his finger.
Entering, Tim was slightly surprised at how similar it looked to his old room in the mansion. A couple of skateboards hung from a rack and posters lined his walls. A small bookshelf was embedded into the wall, though he couldn't recognize any of the book titles. At the left of the room, a door stood slightly ajar, connecting to a small bathroom. Next to that, a small fridge was shoved into the corner of the room. A corkboard bursting with images of a city's nightlife was mounted next to the single bed. On the bed was a thin rectangular device. Opening it up, it blinked to life, showing a login page.
'A computer? This small?' He hadn't expected to see something like this in a long while. It was a bit exciting actually. He loved the challenge that new technology presented, cracking this computer would be fun. But first, he needed to know about Drake's condition.
Tim settled cross-legged on the bed, taking a deep breath before delving into his mind, guiding his ability inward. He landed in a familiar scene, standing in an icy tundra, colorful green and blue lights decorating the light blue sky. There was snow as far as the eye could see, white flecked mountains rising in the distance, chunks of snow decorated the barren landscape. As nice as it was to return to his own mind, he wouldn't find what he was looking for here. He needed to go deeper.
Tim ventured further, deeper into this body's mind. The scene around him warping, lights and colors flashing by before everything turned pitch black. Distantly, he could hear words he felt he could just make out, but he knew he never would. It was always like this, seeing things you felt you could remember if you had some more time and hearing what you would never understand. Tim had only been here a handful of times, the Professor warning him to not to linger too long or he'll become trapped. The unconscious mind was always dangerous for an esper, though Tim trusted in his strength. Looking for Drake wouldn't be easy, but it wasn't impossible either.
Tim spread out tendrils of his ability, looking for the densest portion of Drake's mind. That's usually where he found people when he was perusing their minds. He felt it when a small tendril bumped into what he was looking for. Tim followed where the tendril lead, finding a small red orb, small enough to cup into his hands. Retracting the rest of his tendrils, he lightly brushed over the red orb.
He was always hesitant to do this part, the orb was a very personal part of Drake, meant for nobody's eyes besides who it belonged to. But he needed to see how Drake was affected by this ordeal. It was dangerous for Drake's body to be housing such a powerful mind like his since he wasn't a mutant. Even for mutants it was dangerous, but even more so for Drake. He was a baseline human and wouldn't be able to safely take the full brunt of Tim's abilities. If Tim hadn't suppressed his power the moment he noticed Drake was human, his powers would have steadily melted Drake's brain. Tim has seen other espers do that when they controlled others bodies and he didn't want to do such a thing to Drake. It would be a horrible experience for both of them.
Tim pushed his power into the top layer of the orb, cautious not to go in too deep. Even if he just skimmed the top layer, it was an invasion of Drake's privacy. He received his feedback quickly, the red orb swirling sluggish, flashes of Drake's thoughts and feelings flowing into him.
It seemed that Drake's mind had immediately gone into shock the moment Tim was shoved into his body and shut down to preserve itself. From what he was getting, Drake wouldn't remain in this state for long, the orb was already more active than it should have been in this situation. He predicts that Drake would wake up in around a day, two at the latest.
Reassured that Drake would be fine, Tim ascended to his own mind, taking the time to relax, if only for a little while. He had quite the day, after all, he deserved a little break. It was only after ten minutes when he noticed it. A shimmering green thread that blended in with the lights in the sky. Tim knew his mind in and out, and that hadn't been there before today. He guarded his mind furiously and would never let anyone but a select few in. He stood up and reached for it, pausing right before he touched it.
What if this was a virus from another mutant, meant to poison his mind? He ruled that out immediately. The only mutants that he's been around recently that would be able to do this were Jean and the Professor, and he didn't believe they would ever try to hurt him.
He had examined his mind only three days before and everything was normal. The only reason this thread could be here was… the dimension travel. This could be a connection to his original body! Tim plucked the string excitedly, only to be violently thrown back to the physical realm. Tim felt lightheaded as he stumbled over to the bathroom and puked his guts out.
Tim gently laid his head on the bowl of the toilet, trying to catch his breath, the cold tile letting him organize his thoughts. He should have expected a negative reaction, he was being too emotional when he decided on messing with it. He should have taken the time to think about it. It wasn't only Tim being hurt, Drake was also in the line of fire. He sighed, he was lucky he suppressed his ability in the nick of time or Drake would have gotten hurt, or worse.
Feeling that he wouldn't expel his stomach once more, Tim stood up shakily and flushed the toilet, heading back to the bedroom. Grabbing a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, he flopped onto the bed, taking a moment to recover. That was really a close call, the civilian lifestyle had really softened him. He would have known better before he took a break from being a vigilante.
A knock sounded at the door, "You okay in there, chum?" A deep voice spoke. He must have been pretty out of it if he couldn't sense B's presence, it was quite distinctive.
"I'm fine, B. Trying to sleep here." Tim pitched his voice, whining pitifully. Just take the bait and leave him alone. He didn't have the energy to deal with any of the vigilantes.
A small laugh seeped through the door, "I'll leave you at it then." Tim heard the faint footsteps recede. He let out a breath. He really wasn't in a state to interact with the others.
After a couple of minutes, Tim sat up, taking a quick sip of his water and grabbing the thin computer. He had a computer to crack and a world to investigate.
Tim subtly observed the family while he idly fiddled with his laptop, across the living room from them. They were spread out around the room, Damian curled up on a couch scribbling away on his sketchbook as Dick chatted away next to him. Bruce sat in an armchair parallel to them, engrossed in a book. Jason was on the other armchair, near the couch Tim was seated on, also sporting a book in his hands.
He relocated himself to the parlor when he realized the family of vigilantes were in here, debating whether or not to entrust the vigilantes with his situation. On one hand, they deserved to know this was happening to Drake, he was their family member. On the other, he didn't truly know them and their capabilities, they could harm him. Even though the nap helped, he still wasn't at full power, not that he could use his full power without hurting Drake. His powers were a layer of protection for him. If they used a power dampener on him, then that protection would be stripped away.
It had become increasingly obvious that the longer he had surfed the web last night that this wasn't his world. This world housed aliens. Aliens! One had even written a book about his late home planet. Not to mention the gods and goddesses, or the existence of magic. This world also had a lot more villains than his, and natural disasters. The list of natural disasters caused because of villains were off the chart. It seemed that the only thing between this world and its demise were the heroes. It was absolutely ridiculous, Tim sighed.
Not even the date was the same. The day before, in his world, it was mid April, 1983. Here, it was August 2023! He was slingshotted forward in space and time. It was no wonder the technology was so advanced, he really was in the future.
He had searched the family up last night, they were pretty famous vigilantes, especially Bruce. He was affiliated with a worldwide team, the Justice League, as his alter ego Batman, one of the leading members actually. They were composed of nearly a hundred heroes spread across the world, dealing with apocalyptic disasters at least three times each year. Tim was almost jealous of all the heroes in this world before he remembered the world ending disasters they had to deal with. His world only had the X-Men, some individual vigilantes scattered around, and the Brotherhood, which he doesn't think really counts. It technically was a terrorist group, even if they had good intentions.
While the other vigilantes were not as famous, they were still pretty well respected. Apparently, Dick was one of the youngest heroes that debuted, appearing nearly 18 years ago under the title Robin. There were rumored to be three Robins after he graduated to Nightwing. Tim had heard the most recent Robin over the comms last night and was sitting across the room from him, also known as Damian Wayne from what he connected from the photos laying around the mansion and the images of Robin online. His stature, skin color, and hairstyle were very obvious indicators that he was Robin. He was a small thing, not old enough to engage in vigilantism in Tim's opinion. Why the rest of the family let him out was a mystery to Tim.
From what he could find online and encrypted on certain files from the computers in the cave, Drake was the third Robin after the second died. The second Robin being a notorious crime lord, the Red Hood. There was probably history between the vigilantes and the second Robin, Jason Todd, for him to turn into a crime lord after being a vigilante previously. Though it seemed that they had gotten past their differences for him to be allowed on the comms, he was bantering and joking around with the rest. Tim did wonder how he came back from death though.
Many of the other heroes had the same problem of being unable to stay in their graves. Even the civilians couldn't stay dead, mass resurrections bringing them back to life. With magic being common enough in this world, Tim supposed it wasn't too hard to bring people back from the afterlife. Although, Jason's could have been faked. He had died not too long after Batman made connections with the Justice League. With Batman's paranoid nature, Tim doubted he would bring magic users into Jason's death. He would more likely keep it to himself and not concern the Justice League with his personal business.
He found the two women in the images scattered around the mansion to be Cassandra Cain-Wayne and Stephanie Brown, Black Bat and Spoiler respectively. They weren't on patrol yesterday, or if they were, he didn't hear them. He was interested in where Cassandra came from, there weren't any records of her before she was adopted by Bruce.
At some point, Bruce adopted or fostered almost all the vigilantes in Gotham. The four Robins, excluding Damian since he was directly related to Bruce, plus Black Bat were adopted. Signal, or Duke Thomas, became a ward of Bruce after his parents were deemed unfit to raise him. Only Stephanie Brown and Barbara Gordon, the first Batgirl, weren't adopted or fostered, remaining family friends to the Waynes.
Tim settled into another position, making himself slightly more comfortable, and turned his attention back to the laptop, absentmindedly tracking their emotions. While he could have lifted most of the information he found from Drake's mind and made it easier for himself, he didn't want to mess with Drake's mind any further. The situation they were in was unheard of and he wouldn't know how any more meddling would affect Drake.
A new presence lurked closer to the room, Tim doubted anyone else noticed when she entered, she was that silent. If he didn't sense her presence, he wouldn't have noticed either. She sat herself down next to him, her curiosity drifted over to him. He nodded at her in greeting when he caught her eye and refocused on Drake's laptop. There was still a lot he hadn't uncovered. Drake had masterfully set protections to his laptop and cracking them was an interesting experience for Tim.
He felt a poke against his sternum, a question following, "Who are you?"
He froze, turning to Cassandra. He blinked, how had she figured him out already? This was their first meeting. Distantly, he could sense a myriad of confusion saturating the room. The sound of a pencil scratching and pages being flipped stopped.
Cassandra stared at him, face serious. He tentatively brushed his ability against her, feeling her confidence that he wasn't Drake. While he expected to be outed—he didn't think he could really act as Drake without being caught—he didn't think it would be so soon. He thought he would have more time and be the one telling them that he wasn't Drake.
"How did you know?" Tim asked curiously, tilting his head. So far, he hasn't really been around the others, this being his first time, the only exception being Bruce. The others in the room tensed.
"Acting differently. Walking and talking unlike Tim." She parsed out. He hadn't considered his gait to expose him. Then again, there really was nothing he could have done to match how Drake walked.
"This is our first time meeting? When did you see me walking?" He closed the laptop, feeling the alarm radiating from the others.
"The suit records." She answered, a little amused.
"Oh." He should have known that the suits had cameras. If he had a suit, he also would have added any recording equipment he could.
"Who are you?" A deep voice asked. Bruce stood tense a few steps away from him. The man could be stealthy when he wanted, Tim hadn't even heard him move. Behind him, Dick and Damian also stood. Jason's hand was placed in his back pocket, obviously wielding a weapon, observing him with narrowed eyes.
Tim smiled, simply saying, "Tim Drake."
"Bullshit." Jason spat, a gun in hand. Bruce looked displeased at the weapon but said nothing, his eyes darting back to Tim.
"Not lying." Cassandra said quietly. Many looks of surprise were leveled at him and Cassadra.
"I am Tim Drake, just not one you've met before. I suspect dimension travel." Tim explained. A flurry of words and numbers were spat out of Bruce's mouth, none making sense to Tim. It was probably a code, one that a Tim Drake from another world would presumably know. They felt expectant despite their stoic faces. Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't get the answer they wanted.
"Sorry, no idea what that code is supposed to mean." He shrugged. There was a bit of disappointment before it swifty turned into suspicion.
"What did you do to Drake? Where is he?" Damian asked, a furrow in his brow, clenching his fist. He was obviously worried about Drake, he would be concerned too if a stranger took over his sibling's body.
"He's up here, no need to worry." Tim tapped his temple, softening his words for the youngest boy.
"What do you mean by 'up there'? He's still in there?" Jason questioned, palming his gun.
"Yup," Tim answered, popping the p, "Just asleep, for now. He should wake up soon."
"How soon?" Cassandra peered closer, staring at his eyes as if she could see Drake through them.
"In around a day or so. Maybe two." Tim leaned back, Cassandra was getting too close for comfort.
"Why did you take over Tim's body?" Bruce spoke again in a demanding tone.
"You're saying that as if I wanted to be here, surrounded by strangers." Tim deadpanned, he was getting a little irritated. He knows that Bruce is just protective over Drake but he couldn't stand his tone. He had an itch to rebel whenever he was being bossed around. A soft caress against his arm made him pause, Cassandra looking at him urgingly, feeling her desire for a peaceful encounter and the love she felt for her family.
He pursed his lips, taking a breath to calm down. This interrogation would get worse if he was agitated. He knew how annoying he could get when he was spiteful.
"Strangers?" Dick asked, surprised. In fact, the others all emitted surprise even if it didn't show on their faces. He knew that they encountered versions of themselves from other dimensions, what with the code, but was it so surprising that he had never met versions of them before?
"I've never met any of you before. Why's that so surprising?" Tim crossed his arms, leaning slightly harder on the cushion behind him.
"The other Drakes that came here before you all knew of us." Damian responded with a huff. Jason and Dick hummed in agreement. "How long have you been in Drake's body?"
"It's only been a day. I woke up in the middle of the fight with the Riddler." He replied.
"How did you get here?" Bruce said, stepping closer to Tim. Tim frowned, not liking his accusatory tone. The urge to bite back flared but a small nudge from Cassandra reminded him to calm down. He always did have a bit of a temper.
"How do I know you're trustworthy?" Tim replied. He wouldn't tell them anything unless he knew he could trust them. Even if they were vigilantes, that didn't mean they were reliable. He's come across many vigilantes who didn't have the best characters. He didn't have enough time to gauge their personalities before he was caught.
"You're in our brother's body. We can't attack you without also hurting him." Jason answered bluntly. He made a compelling argument, but it wasn't enough.
"And if I find a way out? You'll hurt me then?" Tim narrowed his eyes.
"No, we won't. We are heroes—well, vigilantes technically—but we help people. While we can't prove anything at this moment, you'll just have to take our word for it." Dick responded, a bit forcefully though softening out at the end, staring imploringly at Tim.
That's true, there wasn't much they could do right now that would make him trust them. But he still had his reservations about them. "I've met heroes who weren't such good people, so that's not really as good of a point you think it is."
If he declined to share why he was in Drake's body, worst case scenario, they would attack him and he would be outnumbered. If he did trust them, he could receive the resources to get home. They did have connections to a team that resided in all parts of the world.
Tim thought over his options for a moment, thinking on which choice he was willing to take. He looked at Cassandra, she quietly looked back at him, waiting for him to make his decision. He would just have to take a leap of faith, Tim sighed.
"Coming here was an accident." Tim revealed, deciding to only explain the barebones of his situation. "This—" he gestured to Drake's body, "—was the result of a mutant unable to control his ability."
"Mutant?" Bruce asked, his voice lowering. The shift in his presence was almost tangible with how quickly it changed.
"Someone who possesses the x-gene. It gives them powers." Bruce's face relaxed a smidge, his presence lightening some.
"That is just a meta." Damian said, his eyebrow raising. "His ability is to travel between dimensions, then?"
"Most likely. This is the first time he's done this. He'd been having issues with his abilities before this happened. It's why I was even there, to help him with his abilities." Tim answered.
"Abilities, plural? How many does he have?" Jason finally dropped his gun, leaning towards Tim. The others seemed curious too. Was it that surprising that Elijah had multiple abilities?
"Yes? He has—" Tim paused, counting them on his fingers before he spoke,"—around four? Five? And those are just the ones we know about. He only manifested them recently, so the lack of control isn't surprising." He looked up from his fingers, surprise and apprehension clouding the air of the room. Tim tilted his head slightly, confused at their reactions. Sure, a mutant with that many abilities isn't common, but they aren't rare either. Maybe that was different in this world?
"We? Who else is there?" Jason raised his eyebrow.
"The school…" Tim began hesitantly, he wasn't really sure if he wanted to expose it, but then again, it was in another dimension. They would have a hard time accessing it to begin with, not mention the X-Men protecting it."It's for protecting and teaching mutants about their abilities. It also serves as a regular school as well."
"Did you attend?" Cassandra asked at the same time Dick said, "Protecting them from what?"
"I graduated some time ago." Tim addressed Cassandra before focusing on Dick, "And there are a lot of Anti-Mutant groups around. That happens when the public's first exposure to mutants was one trying to murder the president."
"They tried to murder the president?! Why?"
"Beats me." Tim shrugged. "I was just a kid then."
"How did he pull you into this dimension? And why were you asked to help him?" Dick steered the subject back on track.
"He trapped himself in his mind and I was the only other person available to help him. Simple as that." Tim spoke haltingly. "Are we done with the 20 questions? I need to find a way back home."
"What do you mean by—?" Damian started before getting cut off.
"We have to run some tests. Follow me." Bruce said abruptly, standing up and walking out of the door. The others stood up too, Cassandra skipping over to Damian and guiding him forward, a scowl on his face. It was a reasonable request, he would also want to test what the effects were if someone possessed his family member's body. He followed the group, Jason walking behind him.
"Sooo…" Dick started, slowing down to walk level with him as he swung his arms. "You really never met us?"
"No, I haven't. Should I have?" Tim snarked, staring straight ahead. That was the second time he was asked that question. Were they really that surprised that an alternate version of Drake never met them? The multiverse was infinite, there were bound to be versions of himself that haven't encountered them.
Dick laughed at that, waving his arms in denial. Behind him, Jason snorted quietly, murmuring something under his breath.
"How old are you anyways?" Dick asked.
"Seventeen, why?" Tim glanced over, slightly curious on where this was going.
"Just curious." Dick answered casually. "Our Tim is twenty." Tim had guessed Drake was around that age range, but it was nice to get a confirmation.
The group arrived at the office with the entrance to the cave, swinging the clock open and shuffling down the stairs. Even if it wasn't his first time looking at it, the cave still looked amazing. The stalagmites shimmered in the dim lightning, the rustle of bats flying between them could be heard.
Tim was led to another medical station, this one holding more advanced machinery and equipment, a large screen and processor at the far wall of the room. The group settled near him as he sat down on a medical cot, Bruce shuffling through the cabinets deeper in the room. Damian and Dick sat on the chairs left to the cot, Jason preferring to lean on the wall next to the doorway. Cass claimed the foot of the cot, the closest to him and Bruce.
A brief silence settled over them after Bruce left the room with a look towards Dick, Jason eventually breaking it, "So, kid, how you holding up? I'm sure it's pretty strange, suddenly being in another dimension. What year is it for you anyways, 2020? 2019?"
"It's 1983 where I'm from, not 2023. And I'm fine, I just want to go back home quickly." Tim replied, looking at his feet. He shifted in his cot as he felt the emotions in the room go to suprise.
"Woah, you're ancient." Jason said humorously, a smirk gracing his lips. Tim leveled him with an unamused face. Dick smiled widely, Damian let out an amused huff.
"Old-timer." Cassandra teased, earning her a glare from Tim.
"Are you guys not going to introduce yourselves?" Tim questioned.
"Don't you already know our names?" Jason glanced at Tim, slightly amused.
"I do, but it would be polite, no?" Tim smiled back. The rest of the room had various reactions of amusement, Damian and Cassandra smiling slightly as Jason and Dick laughed.
Dick smiled at Tim before introducing them, "The one in the black turtleneck—," Damian nodded in greeting, "—is Damian. Jason is the one standing." Jason gave a small wave. "Cass is the one sitting next to Damian." She smiled. He rested his hand over his chest and finished with, "And I'm Dick!"
"What about the old man? And B?" Tim tilted his head, curious.
"The 'old man' is Alfred Pennyworth. He is the one who keeps everyone in check." Damian responded. "Father's name is Bruce Wayne." Cassandra signed the name next to him.
Bruce reentered the room, holding an assortment of equipment. Setting them down on the table next to the cot, he held up a small syringe, gesturing for Tim's arm. Tim blanched but complied, ready to get this over with. He only felt a small pinch as the needle entered the crook of his arm, it was removed a few seconds later filled with his blood.
The rest of the tests were quite non-invasive, mostly consisting of scanning him and simple examinations. It was as if he was visiting the doctors. The younger vigilantes kept him company throughout the tests, chatting casually with him from time to time. He wasn't under any illusions that it was for him, they were just monitoring a threat that was in their home. But it was nice, just sitting down and chatting with others for a change. He didn't really have time before that, going from case to case and rarely visiting the mansion. Tim felt a little guilty for that, neglecting his friends in favor of his new job as a detective. He'll have to make it up for them, as soon as he goes back.
Tim noticed that Bruce had repeated some of the tests after a while, coming back to redo his scans after checking over the machine that it was connected to. From what he could tell from his angle, the screens on the machine displayed a large, yellow popup, though he couldn't read what it said. Was there something wrong with the equipment? Or was the residue of Elijah's power messing with the results?
After a glance from Bruce, Dick walked out the room with an excuse of getting a drink for all of them. There was a small surge of determination and affirmation between them that caught him off guard. Tim doubted he would have caught the look shared between them if he couldn't feel their emotion.
When Dick reentered the room, he indeed had drinks, passing around bottles of fruit juice. Tim popped open the cap of his mango juice, taking small sips as he quietly watched the group conversate with each other. The atmosphere in the room was nice, if a bit guarded. He felt a new presence arrive suddenly but dismissed it, believing it to be another vigilante.
"How many of you guys are there, anyways?" Tim wondered. There was just one after the other with them.
"Oh, there's us—" Dick gestured towards the group, "—so that's five already. There's also Duke, Steph, Barbara, Kate, and Luke. So in total, ten."
"Wow, that's… a lot. Just for one city?" What warranted nine vigilantes for only one city?
"Yup. Gotham might be a shithole, but she's all we got." Jason answered gruffly.
The presence Tim had felt earlier came closer until they rounded the corner, entering the room. The presence was draped in a dark robe, ending just above the calf. The hood shadowed their face while the rest of the robes obscured their figure, making it harder for Tim to figure out whether they were male or female. The figure walked over to talk with Bruce, their back to him.
Tim turned towards Dick, silently asking who that was. Dick gave him a strained smile,"This is Raven. She's here to make sure your story is straight."
Tim wasn't really surprised that Dick had called someone to verify his story, he would have done the same. He just wished he was told some time before she arrived.
"So she's also here to interrogate me?" Tim frowned, crossing his arms.
"Not quite, she'll be checking your memories." Dick explained.
"Excuse me?" Tim was slightly offended, they wanted some stranger to poke around in his head? And they didn't even bother telling him ahead of time!
"We couldn't be certain you were speaking truthfully." Dick said apologetically. Even if it was a reasonable reaction, it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. This whole situation sucked. Just to be believed, he had to go through a whole host of tests and follow the instructions of a stranger. Not to mention that said stranger wanted another unknown to shuffle around in his head.
Raven moved to remove her hood, the sight beneath freezing Tim in place. A copy of Jean's face laid under the hood, only small differences setting her apart from Jean. On her pale skin, a jewel was inlaid on Raven's forehead. Her hair and eyes were a deep violet, glowing slightly in the light. He knew that this was a different dimension and that, logically, there would be other versions of his friends. He just hadn't expected to face one so soon. Raven's curiosity grew the longer Tim stared at her.
"You know her or somethin'?" Jason spoke, looking between the two. The other four were also interested in his response.
"Or something. She looks just like my friend." Tim answered as he finally stopped examining Raven's face.
"Is that so?" Raven said, even her voice was similar to Jean's. She walked closer until she stood right in front of him. "I'll be starting now."
She kneeled down, her robes pooling over her lower body as their faces aligned. He felt her ability brush over him before he batted them away. Her abilities felt completely different from Jean's, icy cold to Jean's warmth. The way it flowed differed from Jean's too, Raven's swirled gracefully in nonsensical patterns while Jean's resembled liquid fire. Even if Raven's outer appearance looked like Jean, that didn't mean she was.
She blinked in surprise, likely not knowing he also had a mental ability. He hadn't told the vigilantes so it wasn't too surprising. She should know, as a person with a mental ability, that those with such abilities guard their minds tightly. While it could be strong against outsiders, one good hit would harm the mind.
"Won't you let me in?" She asked softly. He narrowed his eyes, bundling the protection in his mind tighter. That should be a big enough hint to his answer. Unfortunately he would eventually have to let her in, both to earn the trust of the vigilantes and because he wouldn't be able to use his full power to defend himself against her attempts.
She looked at him apologetically and pushed harder against his mental walls. He resisted her attempts to break into his mind before he spoke, "Wait!" The room paused, the others wondering what he would say. "Shouldn't we agree on what exactly she will look for? Or at least filled me in first?" He directed the last question to Dick who gave him a sheepish smile and scratched his head.
"She'll look for evidence that you were honest about taking over Tim's body and how he's fairing." Bruce responded, stepping closer to the pair of espers. That was reasonable. He was just double checking what Tim told him.
He chewed his lips before spitting out, "Nothing five minutes before I entered this body, got it?"
"Of course." She answered, gently sinking into his mind when he lowered his defenses. Tim also closed his eyes, reappearing in his mindscape, the icy wind picking up as Raven materialized before him. She looked around, giving him a reassuring smile when she turned to him. He could feel the promise to not hurt him emanating from her. Her power swelled as her hands began to glow, spreading her ability in search of his memory of the day before. He guided her ability with his own, bringing her to a cave carved into a distant mountainside.
The cave was dimly lit, snow piling up at the entrance. The center held a clear underground lake which he delved his ability into, the lake's serene surface rippled before changing into his memories of being in Elijah's mind. He knelt down at the edge of the lake, gesturing for Raven to do the same. Once she did, he grabbed her hand and submerged them both into the lake with a shout of surprise from Raven.
Opening his eyes, he saw the scene of him and Jean attacking the nebula together. Raven studied the surrounding scene, weaving her ability into the fabric of the scene, looking for any falsehoods. Once she was satisfied, he saw the exact moment she finally focused on the previous forms of him and Jean, radiating surprise despite her face showing otherwise.
She turned to him, stating surely, "This is the one you mistook me as."
Tim nodded. They looked astonishingly alike and yet were extremely different, down to the way they felt. Jean was a warm ray of sunlight and Raven was an icy shock of water, polar opposites. Raven hummed and turned back to the scene, watching it play out to the point he woke in Drake's body.
"Would you be willing to guide me to Black Bird?" She asked, most likely not wanting to infringe on his mind when he could resist her. It was a common courtesy to ask when in another esper's mind, though he couldn't be sure if it was the same in this world.
"Sure." He said and grabbed her hand again, closing his eyes as they sunk beneath his mindscape. The distant whispering caused him to open his eyes to the pitch black area though he could still see Raven. She seemed unconcerned, most likely having been to the unconscious mind before or assured of her strength. It was probably a bit of both.
Tim pointed to a far off point, "He's over there, you'll know when you see him."
Raven nodded in thanks and sent a wave of her ability in that direction, tilting her head after a moment. He felt her ability recede before she began walking, approaching the red orb after a while. She lightly brushed her fingers over it, doing the same thing he had done the day before. After finding her assessment of Drake's core satisfactory, she faced him, a small smile on her face.
"I'm glad that you are who you say you are." Yeah, so is he, Tim thought sarcastically. Though he did understand where she was coming from. She let out a quiet chuckle, giving him an amused look.
"What is her name?" Raven asked, looking at the memory. Tim looked at Jean's figure, the memory looping back to the beginning.
"Her name was Jean. Jean Grey. She is one of the few people I truly respect."
"Later," Raven began, "Will you tell me about her?"
"If you wish to. I would be willing to get to know you also." He was curious about her and how her life strayed from the one Jean had. She was an alternate of Jean, so had to give her a chance.
Raven agreed before retreating from his mind, the last tendrils going with her. He did one last sweep of his mindscape, noting nothing was off, except the glowing tether to his original body, and exited.
Opening his eyes, he was faced with Drake's family surrounding him and Raven. Raven leaned back, their foreheads no longer touching, and nodded to the family.
"He was being truthful. Black Bird is unconscious but will wake soon." Raven reported. They noticeably relaxed, excluding relief. He felt a small piece of her ability brush against the outer layer of his mind, Raven expressing that she would be by soon. After he nodded in affirmation, she stood, walking over to talk to Dick and Bruce.
"Well, that's out of the way now." Jason said nonchalantly. He detached himself from the wall he was leaning on and sat on the cot, next to Tim. Cassandra laid her feet over Jason's lap with a grin. Jason lightly swatted her feet before ignoring her.
"I would have appreciated a warning." Tim deadpanned.
"We couldn't have you preparing yourself until she came." Damian remarked, eyeing him with interest. He looked better, not quite as tense as before. Tim hummed, looking over to the trio talking at the doorway.
They were clearly at the end of their conversation, Raven splitting away from the pair with a goodbye. She glanced back, making eye contact with him, and waved. After he returned the wave, she vanished with a flash of purple. Huh, Jean definitely couldn't do that. If she did, he was sure he would have heard of it.
Dick and Bruce returned, Dick sitting in the chair next to Damian while Bruce placed the testing equipment to where they were previously, leaning on the chair Dick was sitting on when he was finished.
"So what should we call you? I can't keep call you other-Tim in my head." Dick began, tapping his fingers against his thighs. The others nodded in agreement.
"I don't mind being called by a nickname. I call this Tim 'Drake' after all." Tim replied. He really couldn't care less what they referred to him as.
"Any preferences?" Dick asked, a gleam forming in his eyes.
"None." He saw Damian and Jason grimacing at his answer. Cassandra silently giggled in the background. What was that about?
"How about… Timmykins." Dick cooed teasingly. Tim physically recoiled from that atrocity of a nickname. Suddenly, he understood what their reactions were about.
"No!" Tim quickly shouted. His pride would never recover if was referred to as that. He couldn't even think it, that was how bad it was.
"I thought you had no preferences." Dick blinked innocently as if he didn't say a nickname that curdled his blood. Tim huffed at that, a little amused. Dick was clearly livening up the room, making jokes, even if said jokes sucked.
"Then what about—" Jason joined in on the fun, mirth filling the room.
They spent some time going through options on what Tim would be called, even Bruce and Damian contributed some names. They eventually settled simply on Timmy, though he doubted Jason and Dick would stick to it. They would probably call him a myriad of nicknames. He could admit that he had some fun, spending time with them and debating over the nickname. Perhaps he would enjoy his time with these strange characters during his stay in this world.