Disclaimer: not mine

Playing Gotham Knights on PS5, I like it. though I suck at driving, think I've killed a few civilians and many, many, mailboxes, and fire hydrants. So, it's better to stick to grappling and fast travel.

So, how fast would a virus cure work? Online it says antiviral drugs take around 2-3 days to start showing results in a person feeling better?

Chapter 6

Kon was practically holding his breath as Zor removed the injector from Tim. He just sat on the bed, staring as blankly as ever. Didn't it work?

"Tim?" Bruce called softly.

"The anti-viral is at twenty percent spread, give it time," the Lantern said. "It may take several days to begin showing any visible changes. And it won't undo the genetic changes already begun. He is still human, but we do not know how those changes will affect his body going forward. He may be able to survive on the planet now which will mean differences when he returns to Earth."

And then monitors began screaming as Tim collapsed onto the bed, body convulsing.

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Bruce stared in horror as Tim's eyes rolled back in his head, limbs flailing. Medication was swiftly administered, rendering Tim unconscious, the convulsions slowing and then finally stopping. Tim lay limp on the medical bed, the monitor alerts quieting, but not all falling silent. Thankfully, life signs remained strong. "What happened?"

"He had a far stronger reaction than expected. With how deeply the virus has infiltrated his very genetics, we should have realised…"

"We could not foresee such a violent reaction," Zor-El argued. "But it has not endangered his life. Though, the virus appears to have an even stronger hold on his body than we suspected. Even with the antivirus…it is possible they will never fully recover."

"Any recovery has to be better than this," Bruce told him. With the crisis over he moved closer to take a lax hand in his.

What kind of recovery would they have? Surely an increase in brain function, but by how much? Would they be trapped within their bodies, aware but only able to obey? Would he be free of the slavery aspect? Tim was so smart, a better detective than him even, would he lose that?

"Twenty five percent."

Tim's eyelids fluttered slightly and there was a beeping from one of the monitors.

"A slight increase in activity in the temporal lobe, keep talking to him," Zor-El told him.

"It's alright Tim, you're safe son. I know you're confused and probably scared, but you're in good hands. You were infected with a virus but we've given you an antidote, it'll take time to work so you keep fighting."

"Definite shifts in activity in reaction to speech around him. He can hear us, but whether he can understand is unknown."

Slowly, vacant blue eyes opened, staring straight up at the ceiling. Kon moved closer, hovering uncertainly. None of them could say what condition Tim's memory would be in, if he would remember anything that had happened after being infected or even if he'd remember his old life. Had the virus damaged what it had supressed? Either way, the odds were better he'd remember Bruce than anyone else.

He slowly reached out and stroked some longer strands of hair back from Tim's face, seeing a tiny hint of reaction to his touch or was he just imagining it?

"I'm right here son, I won't leave you," he promised.

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Lois kept a close eye on Kon as the search for the cure progressed. He emerged from the lab on the day looking scared and defeated, not that most would be able to see it. "What happened?"

Only Kon and Bruce had been allowed in the lab besides the staff, to try and keep from overwhelming the boy, so they had been stuck waiting for word.

"He…he had a fit or seizure from the drugs," Kon answered, and she drew him into a hug.

"Is he alright?" that had to have been horrible to see.

"The drugs could take days to fully work on him and they don't know if it will fully cure him. They said he probably won't remember any of this, and that should be a good thing but…"

"You want him to remember you," she finished for him, and Kon looked away. "Maybe it would be better if he doesn't, let the two of you start fresh without him having to remember being a slave. You've done your best to treat him respectfully, but you've still had to order him around."

He nodded in understanding but was still upset, not that she could blame him. For the first time, he'd had a companion who wasn't one of them. But if Tim could get his mind back, maybe they'd have a chance at an actual friendship.

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Jason stared at the kid who stood very arrogantly in the sitting room, a single bag, and a katana in a sheath beside him. He could see a lot of Talia in him but…there was also a lot of B as well. What the hell had she done? And to not tell Bruce he had a kid?

He supposed better the boy show up now then after Bruce brought Tim home and he was trying to recover but it still wasn't the best time. Had Talia sent him now because Tim was gone? Did she think he'd just take the kid's place despite Tim legally being a Wayne now? Or was it something else? Had the kid wanted to come meet his dad? Was Ra's making trouble for them? That wouldn't surprise him, what use did a man basically immortal have for a grandkid?

He glanced at Dick who looked a bit lost too.

"Where is father?" Damian demanded, looking between them. "I am here to be with him, not the interlopers."

Okay then. Someone needed an attitude adjustment. "It was all over the news, B is off world for the kids who were taken. Our brother Tim was one of them and they asked for a relative."

"Father is not his relative," Damian sneered.

"Sorry, but he is. Not only is Tim our adopted brother, but he is Bruce's cousin by blood. You will need to have a DNA test to prove you are Bruce's since the timing in no way adds up, he hasn't seen Talia in at least twelve years," Dick told him.

"You dare suggest mother would lie?" he began to reach for his sword.

"Talia al Ghul? Hell yeah," Jason sneered. She'd done her best to fill his head with lies after all. "The League of Assassins can't be trusted and is full of monsters."

The kid snarled and threw himself at Jason who grabbed him and pinned him to the ground as the boy shouted, mostly in Arabic. He had quit the vocabulary.

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Soft…warm…noise…voices?...that one…knew it…it…it…B?

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"Approaching fifty percent," Zor-El announced as Bruce re-entered the lab.

He nodded and walked to where Tim was lying, still hooked up to all the equipment, picking his hand up. "Good morning sweetheart," he murmured.

And then Tim's eyes slowly opened, hazy but…

"Tim?" he called gently.

Tim's gaze shifted slightly towards him from the ceiling.

"It's alright, I'm here. You're safe, no one will hurt you. Can you try to squeeze my hand?" he made sure he asked rather than tell him to do it, wanting to see if he could respond. "He moved his fingers!" Bruce called out.

Zor-El moved in to check on Tim. "Brain activity has increased in all areas."

"He can hear us?" Bruce asked.

"He should be able to hear you, there is no guarantee how much he can comprehend," the scientist warned.

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All jumbled…noises…bright lights…white…so much…touch…someone…B…it was B…

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Tim blinked slowly at him, eyes glassy but no longer so vacant.

"Can I move him?" Bruce asked.

"Just don't dislodge the sensors."

Bruce moved to sit on the edge of the bed and then carefully lifted Tim, settling him in his lap, his head resting against Bruce's shoulder. "I'm here Tim," he murmured, stroking his hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

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Dick collapsed on his bed, exhausted. He'd run the tests and sent the sample to the Watchtower just to be sure but so far….it seemed Damian really was Bruce's son. What the hell had Talia been telling him though? Hearing him spout out how he would take Tim's place as the "one true Robin" had made him mad. Robin was his, his mother's name for him. Bruce had passed it on to Jay but Dick had come around to him wearing his colours. And Tim had chosen for himself, had taken it to save them. It had been so easy to see that Tim was kind of born to be Robin.

With his attitude, there was no way Damian would ever be Robin. Tim…Tim would come home and either take the role back up or help choose his successor.

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Kon approached the bed nervously, finding Tim staring up at the ceiling like normal. "Tim?" he called softly and Tim responded, trying to look at him. "Can…can you understand me?" They didn't know if he could still understand Kryptonian or not. He hesitantly touched Tim's hand. "I don't know if you remember me, my name is Kon."

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Master? Here? Where…B?...No B? Noise…talk? Couldn't…could…

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Kon saw the flicker of confusion in Tim's eyes, figuring he couldn't understand. He carefully took Tim's hand and smiled softly at him. He squeezed Tim's hand gently, rubbing the back of his hand with his thumb. He sat carefully on the edge of the bed, still holding Tim's hand. He slowly reached out with his other hand to brush Tim's hair off his face. It had taken forever to grow but then once it did, it had really grown. He checked the monitor Zor had set up to show the current spread level, sixty five percent. And then he felt the slightest movement, looking down to see Tim's head had moved slightly, into his touch. The confusion had faded from his eyes, they looked mostly blank again, but that was okay. He was definitely becoming more aware and more often.

"Please Tim," he whispered, "please get better." Even if Tim didn't remember him or didn't want to know him, he just wanted Tim to be free.

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Cassie leant against Bart as they watched the stars, something they used to do with Tim after hard missions. She missed him so much but at least they knew he was alive and safe. Bruce had gone to him, no one would be able to stop Batman from protecting his son. The thought of their brilliant Robin reduced to a mindless slave made her feel sick. She prayed that something could be done to help him and the other kids.

"I miss him," Bart whispered, and she hugged him tight.

"I know, me too."

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Kal smiled at Tim who just stared through him. "Hello Tim," he greeted before moving on to speak with his Uncle.

They had to work out how to get the cure to the other children on Krypton who had gone to others. He was concerned for the two bought by the House of Zod, they were a harsh family, had they treated them well? It was best to wait to see how far Tim progressed with the cure they had before reaching out to potentially hostile 'owners'. He may need another dose or they might need to alter the cure to increase its effectiveness. Once sure it worked well, they would help Oa to spread it out to the other children that had been found. Keeping it all quiet from the Council was not easy but it was worth the trouble for the sake of innocent children. They had not asked to be kidnapped, taken into space, and sold to the highest bidder.

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Tim…he was Tim…B was there…and…others? Who…what… gentle hands lifting, fingers in hair…soft voice…him…blue eyed boy…Master? Warm…gentle.

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Kon cradled Tim against his chest, seeing the flickers of awareness, the more frequent blinking. He was at almost eight five percent now but there had been little change except for the increased periods of awareness and occasional finger twitches. Would it take until the anti-virus spread fully through his body? Brain activity had increased but had remained the same for two days now. Was this as good as it would get?

He talked to Tim softly, keeping his voice calm and gentle. Even if Tim couldn't understand him, he could try to be a comforting presence.

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Zor-El checked the readings and then went to examine Tim, explaining what he was doing as he did, not wanting to scare him. Blue eyes tracked him vaguely but the boy gave no indication that he could understand. With the rate of spread, he should be at one hundred percent by morning. There had been little change in some time which was concerning. Had the cure not worked? They might need to start all over again which was frustrating, they'd been so sure they had the cure.

And he was aware more often, even if they didn't know the level of that awareness. He did seem to recognise his father at times though which was good. It made him feel better about sending the boy back to his home even if he didn't continue to approve since the presence of family could help him consciously fight for more.

"Fight child," he murmured. "Fight to come back to your family."

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Jason tossed his towel down, stretching to cool down from his work out, glancing over at where Dick was working. So far, they'd kept the brat out of the cave but the fit he'd thrown when it had come out that Jason was currently working as Batman… he was a spoiled, arrogant, little brat. He was very violent too but thankfully his size worked against him, yes, he was strong and well trained for his age but he was no match for either of them. Even Alfie was able to handle the demon, no one threatened Alfred.

But he was worried about B's return with Tim. Tim would likely be very vulnerable even if fully cured of the virus. If Damian lashed out at him, would he be able to defend himself? He knew Dick and Alfred were worried about that too. The kid needed a de-programmer or something but neither of them had the authority to do that, it'd need Bruce acknowledging him as his son. Had Talia thought that through at all, what if he got sick while Bruce was off world? Social services would step in immediately. Leslie did a lot for them but she'd draw the line at treating Damian and keeping it quiet when he had no legal guardian and was so messed up.

They'd have to get a message to Bruce through Hal, not the way anyone should find out they have a test tube pre-teen with anger issues. It did make him wonder if the brat had ever had a green swim though. With his naturally green eyes even if he did get the colour shift it wouldn't be obvious.

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The machine had indicated one hundred percent an hour ago but none of them wanted to wake Tim. While he was asleep, they could imagine he'd wake up and be fine even though they knew it was unlikely. The scientists had made it clear, even with the anti-viral fully through his system, it still had to fight the virus and that thing had a very strong hold on Tim's body, even with his own immune system still fighting.

Slowly, blue eyes opened, blinking. A dazed glance moved across them, not fully focused but he seemed aware. He didn't move, didn't speak, but his eyes moved if sluggishly.

"Tim?" Bruce called, and the dazed gaze shifted to him so he could hear, had he recognised his name or just reacted to the sound? And then Tim swallowed, lips parting, and the room went dead silent, everyone waiting to see if he could or would speak. He'd spoken in response to Kon ordering him to but could he speak now?

He moved closer and carefully took Tim's hand. "Can you understand me?" he asked, begging anyone who would listen for the answer to be yes.

Tim's fingers twitched against his and he blinked slowly but…deliberately, once…twice. Bruce laughed and squeezed his hand in return.

"Two blinks for yes," he grinned, unable to hold back his joy. Tim had taken a bad hit to the throat in his second year as Robin, had been told not to speak for a few days and had decided to drive them nuts by blinking rather than signing. Alfred had found it very amusing but Bruce hadn't, at the time.

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B…Bruce...Bat…? The noises made more sense, talking. He was Tim. A hand squeezed his and he tried…blinked…blink again…B happy? Good, that good. Where? Home? Not home…bright and white…home dark.

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"A definite increase in brain activity," Zor murmured. "Not anywhere near the levels of the scans of humans we were given, but far better than the first we took of him." He then raised his voice. "Keep communication simple, he likely cannot understand anything complex at the moment."

Bruce's flinch at that was obvious to Kon but Tim didn't seem to notice. It made sense, the man had said Tim was very smart, so the idea that he couldn't understand anything beyond simple words and sentences would be hard to deal with. But they could work on that, right?

TBC….