Disclaimer: not mine

Running a Kickstarter for my WIP novella. Look for The Girl Made of Stone if you're interested, it's in pre-launch at the moment. Launches mid-January. It's to help pay for professional editing and if it raises extra it'll got for more internal artwork.

Chapter 12

Jason got them checked into the hotel and up to the room. Honestly, he should be surprised but just kind of watched as Danny pushed up to his feet, wavering slightly on his feet but mobile. He sat down on the bed, running a hand through messy black hair.

"So, what are we looking for?" he asked as he sat and began unpacking his gear to check it over.

"An underground base, likely outside the city."

"So how do we find it?"'

"I can track the Lazarus Pit," the teen shrugged slightly before pulling off the shirt Jason had gotten him into for the flights since the one he'd been wearing before had been covered in blood. There was a small, puckered scar on his chest but that was the only indication he'd been shot. He rubbed at the skin, wincing a little, but that was it.

"You can?" he asked, stunned.

Danny looked up at him and blue eyes went green, Jason staggering as he felt something inside him…tug. "You can feel it, can't you?"

"What the hell?" Jason whispered, knowing his own eyes were glowing too.

"You've been in a Pit too."

Too…he'd guessed when he saw Danny's eyes at the dig but knowing a kid had been tossed in one made him mad.

"I died," he admitted. "Came back but was…damaged. The League found me and tossed me in to heal the damage."

Danny nodded. "I'm sorry." He shifted on the bed, looking at the carpet before looking up at him. "I was five," he admitted, and Jason flinched. What monster would put a five-year-old in a Pit?! The League obviously.

"I'd fought honourably and defeated my opponent, but…I was dying, so I got the 'reward' of being thrown in to save my life. Two years later I escaped and made it to the US where I wandered for a bit before being adopted. Ever since then, I've been sensitive to magic, I can sense it. Sensed the magic on Tim after that bastard drugged him and I can sense Pits."

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Technically, he could sense Ectoplasm but they were similar enough he could sense them. "You might be able to as well since you felt that."

He watched as Jason went back to his gear, prepping guns. Danny grabbed his bag and dug out Shade's gear. It was best if he kept his face covered, he did not need Grandfather realising he was alive but…if the distraction was needed to save Tim…he'd do it. And the hood would hide his hair if he went ghost as well. He picked up Tim's bag and dug through his weapons, adding them to his own gear.

His chest ached but his heart was beating. He remembered Pru shooting the Widower and then him, she'd been nice enough to only shoot once and right through the heart. Guess that was her thanks for helping her take the assassin on. Did Tim know? Would they tell him?

They had to find him before anything else could happen. Whatever Grandfather wanted Tim for, it wouldn't be good. And if they put Tim in the Pit…it would heal him but who knew what else it would do to him. He'd never talked to Frostbite about them and now he regretted that, could they do anything to help the side effects? The Pits were different to the ectoplasm in the Realms but it had been a long time since he'd been near one so he wasn't sure how different.

"What was that?" Jason asked, eyeing him.

"You died; you're still connected to death even though you're alive. And you're connected to the Pits as well."

"But you didn't die."

"Not then anyway," Danny shrugged slightly as he checked the comm gear that Tim had set up for him.

"What?"

"Lab accident when I was fourteen. Electrocution is not a nice way to go," he shuddered at the memory. It was easier to talk about to others who had died or had a connection to death than it was to the average person.

"I'm sorry," Jason told him, and Danny nodded.

"You were the second Robin, weren't you? The one Joker…"

"Yeah," he nodded. "How do you know how I died?"

"Batman had ties to the League so I kept an eye on Gotham," Danny shrugged, not admitting exactly why.

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Pru stared at Tim Drake where he lay sedated as the doctors worked to fix the massive damage to his leg. That sword had done far more damage than it should have, even with the poison, more damage than Owens had realised. There were whispers that to heal fully he'd need the Pit. She knew he wasn't going to like that if it happened.

She didn't regret killing the other boy, she didn't. But she knew if Drake found out then she would likely have an enemy for life. Then again, they could use the teen's death to help ensure his aid, blame the Widower for his death. It was unlikely Drake would remember exactly what had been happening at the end there thanks to the poison and blood loss.

Still, something about the dead teen was bothering Owens, he hadn't said what though and they were too busy to discuss it. Z was dead…these Spiders were going to pay.

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Dick sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was relieved to hear that Jason and Danny had made it to Istanbul and apparently the teen was back on his feet. Now they just had to find the base and pray Tim was alive. And with their message had come the intel that they had been in Iraq to retrieve. Dick had sent it on to the Justice League and from the sounds of it, it had been the missing piece they needed to track B through time.

He wanted Bruce back…but he was terrified he was going to have to tell him the price…was Tim's life. And Dick had so much to apologise for to Tim, he wanted his baby bird back. It had taken Babs and Jason to get through to him just how badly he'd been treated him, would he get the chance to make up for it?

Damian was sulking and being highly uncooperative, not used to being told no. He definitely didn't want to start therapy but Dick honestly had no other ideas left. He'd gotten a recommendation from Dinah, not trusting the ones in the city when they tended to lean towards supervillain tendencies and she would know enough of the League of Assassins to pick someone who could protect themselves if Damian lashed out.

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The Red Hood and Shade moved around the outskirts of Istanbul, moving through the shadows, on alert for any sign of Assassins or their base. Their comms were on the same frequency and Hood was impressed by just how good Shade was at blending, though the dark colours of his gear helped. He was surprised Red hadn't talked him into a domino since they allowed for various tech to be built in that could help, but Shade seemed content with his lower face covered and…he had no trouble navigating the dark without any help. Another tick in the meta box.

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He woke to burning pain in his leg, his vision swimming, but slowly a stone ceiling came into focus. But it wasn't the Cave…he was lying on something cold and hard…stone? And then he saw a ninja. He tensed as he took in the green tint to the light, heart rate increasing.

"Calm down Drake," a familiar voice spoke quietly, and then Owens was leaning over him. "Don't try to move, you'll rip your stitches, and they barely got those to hold."

"Ow'ns?" he slurred, mouth dry and tongue heavy.

"Here, sip this water." A cup was pressed to his lips and Tim had to drink, there was nothing he could do if they wanted to drug him.

"Hap'ned?" there…there'd been a fight…working together…

"Z was killed," Owens voice was tight. "You were stabbed in the leg with a poisoned blade. The assassin called himself the Wanderer, he is dead but…so is your companion."

No…not Danny…he struggled to get up and hands held him down. He fought them, he had to find Danny!

"Sedate him!" Someone called and then there was a sting and everything faded away.

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Ra's frowned as he listened to the report on Timothy's condition. It appeared that Pru had acted prematurely in killing his companion. A hostage to ensure his cooperation could have been useful, like all of Bruce's children, he was vulnerable to such actions, for now. His panic had ripped the stitches and the wound was bleeding again. They were struggling to re-seal it and so he sent for his private jet. If Timothy was to be placed within the Pit, then he would need to oversee his recovery personally.

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Shade suddenly froze, eyes scanning the darkness, and then he was pushing Hood back. "Assassins," he breathed, barely audible, but just loud enough for the comm to pick it up.

"We're close then?" Hood asked, he'd turned off the external speakers of his helmet to let him be silent.

Shade nodded and slipped down an alley, Hood following him. He could feel it, the faint hum of the Pit. But the closer they got, the more security there was. He knew some of the methods, but it had been a decade and they had incorporated modern technology. He could go ghost and just avoid it all…but Hood couldn't. He wasn't a halfa, just liminal and even that was oddly twisted up.

Shade spun, twisting to the side, bringing Tim's bō up to block the sword. Hood snarled and drew batarangs, taking aim at the appearing assassins. Shooting would make a lot of noise and there was still housing scattered around, they didn't want the police being called.

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"Master! Two vigilantes have breached the perimeter. One matches the description of the Red Hood but without the red." The kneeling assassin reported.

Ra's frowned, it was not completely unexpected that someone would come looking for Timothy, but he had not expected them so soon. He gave orders for the two to be killed and then sat back as the plane began to descend. Even if they managed to fight through his forces, they would delay them long enough for what needed to happen. By the time they reached Timothy, they would be too late.

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Dick stared at the very quick message from Jason…they'd found the area the Cradle was in and were moving in. He had no way to get to them in time to back them up. Of all times for Kon to be off world. Clark hadn't been able to track Jason since he came back, the Pit and dying had changed his body just enough that Clark would need to re-learn the patterns and he hadn't had the chance yet. Then again, this Cradle was probably protected against Kryptonians which would keep Kon from tracking Tim, could he track his companion? They had to have met in Paris, right?

Ra's would not leave himself vulnerable to the Justice League, he'd make sure they couldn't find his bases or if they did, they'd regret it. If only Bruce was there, he'd know what to do.

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He'd hoped they could sneak in with just a team of two but now, they needed backup. Problem was, who could make it in time? Not the bats. Superboy wasn't around. Superman? One of the Flashes? There was no time and no way Ra's hadn't taken them into account once the Justice League formed with Batman as a founding member. The last thing they needed was a sick Kryptonian. And then he stared in shock as Shade threw his hands out, the temperature plummeting as if Freeze was there, ice shooting across the ground, freezing the ninja.

"Don't shatter them and they'll live," Shade stated, voice flat and cold, eyes glowing. But Hood could see the slight tremor to his hands, he didn't like what he'd just done, but he also knew they were running out of time.

Hood stared at them, hesitating, but then pulled his guns and opened fire, Shade moving on without a word. They hadn't reached the base yet, the ninja being sent out to face them and slow them down, which suggested Tim was alive and not in the Pit, they were fighting for time. Unless…they wanted them to die or arrive as Tim was emerging so that Tim would fight them…

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Ra's entered the Cradle, nodding at the man known to all as the White Ghost. "The Detective?"

"Sedated and waiting in the Lazarus Pit room, Master. The surgeons have said either they take his leg or he goes into the Lazarus Water. His struggles when he woke undid their work and worsened the wound. They have however neutralised the poison from the blade, it was a type of spider venom."

That fit with what they had found in the deaths of the other assassins. This Council of Spiders were very enamoured with their theme. He made his way into the depths of the base, taking reports as he did, until he came to the stone 'bed' where Timothy lay.

He was paler than normal due to blood loss and likely the poison. He looked strange as a blond, it did not suite him at all. The Lazarus Pit would restore his body, perhaps that would include returning the natural colour to his hair. Timothy was fit and healthy beyond his injury so would he gain anything else from the Pit? He had done his research, knew of the years of neglect where he had to care for himself. It was very possible that he had not gotten the correct nutrition as a child and there was lasting damage to repair.

He nodded and the guards moved in to strip Timothy down to just the underwear he'd been changed into since his own had been covered in blood. They held Timothy up between them, his head falling forward and Ra's reached out to grip his hair, pulling his head up, seeing his eyelids flicker, the sedatives beginning to wear off.

"Don't worry Detective, the Lazarus Water will restore you to health and help you become more accepting of your new position," he murmured, tracing a pale, cool cheek.

Glassy blue eyes opened, rolling back briefly as the young man tried to wake up. His training had been very thorough when it came to resisting drugs, understandable given he lived in Gotham. It might take another dip or two to ensure he was malleable enough to accept his place within the League, but he would. Believing the Council of Spiders had killed his companion would help.

"Hnnn…." Timothy actually managed to get a hand up to weakly claw at the one he had in his hair.

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He ran flat out through the halls, following the pull of the Lazarus Pit…and the feeling of Tim's vague presence. He was in way too deep with Tim if he could sense him, but at the moment there was no time to think of it, even as he threw a disc, not pausing as the ninja dropped from where it impacted their temple. At the moment, he didn't really care if they were killing the assassins or not, they were keeping him from Tim.

He could feel Hood's rage, the protective anger, and it felt good to fight beside someone else who felt so strongly. It was so different to fighting on his own back in Amity or even when he fought beside Val. Fighting beside Tim was the closest thanks to the fact he had been touched by death over his life, not surprising given he was a vigilante.

They burst into the room lit by green light to see two League members with Tim held up between them and there…there was Ra's…grandfather…his heart began to race, palms sweaty, and he forced his body to shift closer to ghost to control it.

"Let him go Ra's!" Hood yelled.

Tim twitched in reaction to his voice, he was still alive. They'd made it in time.

"My daughter made a mistake with you but Timothy will be a perfect heir, a detective greater than Batman, he just needs some help moving past such limiting viewpoints."

"No," Danny growled, stepping forward.

Two figures started at his presence and he knew it was Owens and Pru, but didn't look their way, his focus on Ra's and Tim.

"And you are?" Ra's stared at him.

Danny took a deep breath and reached up for his mask, to keep Ra's' focus off Tim, he had to do it. "What's the matter Grandfather, don't recognise me?" he asked, feeling Hood jolt beside him as he pulled his mask off and then pushed his hood back to reveal his face. He then reached under his jacket to pull out the sheathed blade.

"Impossible."

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Everything was so fuzzy, his head pounding in time with his heartbeat but slowly the fog began lifting. Fighting…there was fighting…Ra's…he shuddered as the man spoke, unable to work out what he was saying yet. But the hand on his face made him feel sick. What was happening?

"Let him go Ra's!" Jason? What?

He tried to move, but his body was so heavy. Everything was murky…drugs…he'd been drugged…

"No," a familiar voice growled out…Danny…no! They'd kill him…Grandfather?!

Finally, he got his eyes open again, struggling to focus…Danny and Jason standing together…a sword in Danny's hand…the sound of bodies shifting in surprise.

"Impossible," Ra's denied, his grip on Tim's hair loosening.

Danny? Grandfather…mother was League…father American...just like Damian…but Danny was nothing like…looked like B… blue eyes met his, dark with worry and…fear.

His lips parted, trying to speak. "D'y," he slurred out.

"Hang on Tim, we'll get you out of this," Jason called to him.

He wanted to believe…but he was feeling weaker and weaker…dying…he was dying…

"Keep your eyes open Tim!" Jason barked at him.

He tried, Jason sounded scared beneath the voice modulator…no more dead Robins…Jason said that…Danny…he struggled to look at him, done so much for him…risked everything…

And then he was weightless.

"TIM!" voices screamed, and for a second, he saw Danny, blue eyes wide in horror.

He slammed into something, sinking, and then everything was burning. He gasped and choked, liquid filling his throat and lungs…

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"D'y," Tim's voice was barely audible from where they were, but it was an attempt at his name, he was conscious enough to recognise him.

"Hang on Tim, we'll get you out of this," Jason called to him, guns up and aimed at the assorted assassins.

But Danny could see and sense that Tim was slipping away. He was limp, his leg wrapped in now blood-soaked bandages, breathing becoming more and more laboured, his head lolling.

"Keep your eyes open Tim!" Jason barked at him.

"Let him go, or we'll come and take him," Danny stared at his grandfather, the man who had haunted his nightmares for so long but now, looking at him…he felt no fear. He had faced true Ancients, beings of incredible power, compared to them, Ra's al Ghul was a gnat. He held the sword easily, he may not have trained in League sword techniques in a decade but these days, he trained with Pandora and Fright Knight. They weren't going to be happy he'd missed so many sessions but he had sent word via Wulf as to why he wasn't going to be visiting the Realms for a while.

And then the waiting assassins attacked.

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Jason brought opened fire, spinning to be back-to-back with Danny, shocked at the fact he was trusting the teen at his back. Grandfather…he wasn't just ex-League; he was an al Ghul…the demon brats older brother…half-brother? Unless Talia had a sibling who was his parent making them cousins? Damian had never mentioned a brother, then again it seemed Ra's thought he was dead…so his healing ability must have appeared as a kid but without them knowing.

But deep down he knew…Bruce had another son, this one a lot more pleasant than the younger. It would hurt him to know Talia had kept another child from him. If Danny had run so long ago, why had he not gone to Bruce? Unless…he hadn't known who his father was?

"You're dead! I killed you!" a female voice screamed, and Jason saw the woman he vaguely recognised, like he had the dead assassin in the desert.

Danny didn't answer, just slicing through her gun with his sword before the blade entered her stomach. Kid wasn't pulling his punches. Wound wasn't immediately fatal like most of Jason's shots, but it would be if she didn't get medical treatment fast. Going for knockout blows under the circumstances, while something B and the others would do, was too dangerous with just the two of them and no backup, they had to make sure the ninja wouldn't get back up.

Sheer numbers forced him and Danny apart and then he heard Ra's' voice, glancing over to see him and Danny locked in combat. Damn it! The kid was surely no match for his grandfather.

"All this for the Detective?" the semi-immortal smirked, and Jason spun to see where Tim was being held at the edge of the pit.

He was limp but he seemed to still be breathing, but barely. Ra's made a gesture and the two men moved, tossing Tim back.

"TIM!" he screamed.

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Danny spun, seeing Tim's eyes flutter partially open even as he went airborne, Tim unable to do anything. No! "TIM!" he heard Jason scream as well. Tim's body hit the glowing green waters, sinking fast.

He spun on his grandfather, snarling in rage, eyes glowing. He tapped further into his powers, moving faster, blows stronger, until he slashed his sword deeply across his chest. Shoving him aside he ran for the Pit, but there was no movement. Without a thought, he dove in, transforming as he hit the water.

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Jason stared in horror as Danny dove in after Tim. NO! thankfully, the ninja seemed to panic with Ra's badly injured, moving to get him away since the Pit was currently occupied. Plus, a lot of them were dead or wounded as well. He rushed to the edge of the pool, searching for any sign of either boy. How could he ever tell B?

Surely Danny had taken some wounds in the fight, his own were stinging, so the Pit would heal him…right? But some who went in never came out, dead or alive, and the water had calmed. He couldn't see any sign of either of them, no matter how he looked.

"Danny! Tim!" he yelled, voice echoing in the empty room.

Danny had been in the Pit before, what would a second exposure do to him? He glanced around, if they both came out Pit mad, he was in serious trouble. He didn't have anything strong enough to knock them out right from the Pit and he couldn't kill them.

But they should have surfaced by now. Come on…

TBC…