Disclaimer: do not own anything DC or Mass Effect
Got the idea of this from mjimeyg's Harry Potter: Geth though obviously it'll end up quite different due to a lack of HP kind of magic. Some dialogue taken from that fic, mostly for the Geth.
Dates for DC don't seem to really be given so setting Tim being 17 in 2023 just for being easy.
Chapter 1
He ducked and then threw a two birdarangs, distracting the crazy magical creep. Where was Zatanna? An arm wrapped around his waist and then he was yanked into the air. Cassie dropped him on the roof to let him catch his breath and quickly patch up the nasty cut on his leg.
"You okay?" She asked, and he nodded.
"Fine. ETA on Zatanna?"
"She's been held up, we have to keep him busy," Cassie answered.
Tim nodded, looking down at where Bart was zipping about, removing civilians from danger, moving obstacles into the magicians way, and stopping for the occasional very quick snack to keep his energy up. Kon was also on evacuation, magic and Kryptonians did not mix after all. It left Tim and Cassie to deal directly with the madman. As a demigoddess, Cassie had protection from mortal magic, to a point. Tim had nothing but that was normal for any of the Bats.
They'd cleared a good size area around the magician already but how much of a safe zone was needed? That was always hard to predict with Metas and magicals.
"We need to see if we can push him back towards the east area, he's getting too close to residential areas," he decided, hearing acknowledgments from the others.
"Want a lift down?" Cassie asked.
"I want to get some scans, keep him busy for a few minutes."
"You got it," she grinned and then took off.
He brought up his wrist comp, bringing up everything possible on the area, finding a camera that had caught a shot of his face, sending it to Oracle for facial recognition. If they knew who he was then working out motive would be easier.
And then he was rolling across the rooftop, the magical blast only just missing him. He ran for the edge, firing his grapple to swing across the gap. He landed and ran across the roof, keeping an eye on the man.
"You okay Rob?" Kon called over the comm.
"Fine." He leapt again, tracking as Cassie had fun wailing on the creep, dodging his attacks as she did.
And then a blast hit too close and Tim found himself airborne, twisting to aim his grapple gun at the nearest roof.
"ROB!" three voices screamed through his comm and then all there was, was pain.
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Cassie stared in horror as Tim was hit directly by a magical blast as he tried to fire his grapple. There was a blinding light and then…nothing…she turned on the magician, her lasso in hand as she glared at him. "What did you do?!"
And then Kon's fist slammed into the creeps face, the sound of bones breaking, and he dropped like a rock.
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It was a desolate and abandoned city.
Or at least it was seemingly abandoned.
The city was advanced, nothing like any city on Earth in the early twenty-first century. Maybe there were alien cities of the time that could match but there was no one available to compare. Despite the emptiness, various advertising images, such as those that could be found in any city with an advanced enough commerce system, were displayed on screens throughout the city. All the people in them had bluish-purple skin and three fingers on each hand. Beyond that they appeared almost human.
Above the seemingly ghost city a bright light erupted, depositing a single figure.
Unfortunately, said light was some quarter of a mile in the air.
The figure landed on the ground with a sickening crunch and a bit of a splat.
Seconds later more objects plummeted to the ground, landing with a thud before they unfolded into humanoid like robots with three fingers, two toes and what looked like a TV camera shaped flashlight for a head.
They quickly moved to the messy remains of the figure and began to work.
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Usually, regaining conscious was not instantaneous, no matter how immediate it felt, and yet this time…it was. One second there was nothing and the next he was fully aware except there was something very wrong. His eyes were still closed, body still, well trained to fake unconsciousness. So how was he seeing writing? And there was another problem since it wasn't in English or any of the other languages he knew, but he could still read it.
And along with reading the language came knowledge…. knowledge of an alien race called the Quarians.
So…it was possible that Tim had finally gone insane. He was probably due for it given everything he'd been through, hell, even Dick and his friends had thought he'd lost it not even a year ago. Though given the evidence, it was more likely that he'd been kidnapped by aliens. But how? They had to be very advanced to get past detection and then grab him. He just had to stay calm, there'd be a search for him already.
"Subject has regained consciousness." The voice was synthetic, robotic. Subject…that was never good.
The writing that had been scrolling from bottom to top of his 'vision' vanished and in the corner of his 'vision' was an image of himself. Naked. The image of his body was a bright shade of green and the words '100%' were next to it in what he knew was called 'Keelish', the Quarian language.
"Timothy Drake-Wayne, you may open your eyes," the synthetic voice informed him, it was much closer now.
Figuring there was nothing more to learn by faking, especially when they knew he was awake, he opened his eyes. If it wasn't bad enough that the writing and the little naked picture of him were still visible… now he could see robotic forms surrounding him.
"Timothy Drake-Wayne are your internal ocular displays functioning properly?" The nearest black coloured robot asked. As he looked at the robot, various bits of information appeared before his eyes. He now knew they were the Geth. They were not very old, only about 300 years. They were created by the Quarians.
Tim shook his head to try and clear it, eventually realised he was asked a question. "My what?" he fought to keep his heart from racing, what had they done to him? And why?
"We implanted ocular filters in your eyes to enhance your current levels of visual acuity. Can you clearly see the occupants of this room?"
Tim looked around and saw several more robots of varying colours of red, black and white.
"I can see all of the robotic lifeforms," he answered as he sat up, hoping that would be polite enough. Better to be a cooperative experiment and wait for either the chance to escape or rescue.
"Noted. Light enhancement operating efficiently," the voice said. "We will gradually turn on the lights in this room. Please inform us if it becomes too bright."
"Turn on the lights?" Yeah, that was indicating things he didn't want to think about at the moment.
Tim noticed that in the ceiling little balls of glowing light became visible.
"Maximum light level attained. Are you experiencing pain or discomfort?"
"No, should I be?" If human level lighting was at maximum, probably not since most inside lights weren't made to be overly bright.
"Negative. Reducing light levels to standard human viewing range."
The lights got substantially smaller but the room still looked exactly the same. And Tim was fighting back the urge to panic, what the hell was going on?
"We will test additional functions of the implants later." The voice informed him. "Can you describe the visual information being projected in front of you?"
"You mean seeing the robots?" he asked warily.
"You should be able to see an image of yourself in the top left of your vision."
"That, yeah, even with my eyes closed. How are you doing that and why?" he asked, forcing himself to keep his tone even, demands of so far informative captors was generally frowned on. In such cases, cooperation usually gained better results. And there would be people searching for him, his team, the bats, and since he was off planet they'd call in the Lanterns.
"Confirmed. The image reflects your current physical condition. In the event of damage, it will be shown on the image and you will know where you are injured."
Tim closed his eyes and counted to ten. He made it to five, further than he thought he would. "Why can't I make do with just feeling where I am injured? I have skin, I have muscles and flesh. I have a lot of experience with injuries and broken bones."
There was a second's pause. "We do not have experience with physical sensations as you describe them. We have erred. We will disable the image."
Tim blinked and then sighed in relief as the image vanished. Okay, that had gone well, they hadn't displayed any anger at his frustration. "Thank you," he murmured. "You know, it wouldn't have been so bad if the image was clothed," he offered in exchange.
"We will make note for future upgrades."
"Look, could you explain a few things? Like: Where I am? Why I am here? Where my clothes are?" he was as naked as the image had been which was not at all comforting.
"You are on the planet Rannoch. We do not know the exact reason you appeared here but we hypothesised it was because we needed you. Your clothing was unsalvageable."
Rannoch… "I don't know that planet." He'd studied all of the charts they had of space, they had a lot thanks to the Green Lanterns…and nothing in the information filling his head mentioned the Corps. He wanted to ask for clothing but was still wary of pushing too much and it wasn't like he was body shy or cold, the room was at a pleasant enough temperature and even the metal table he was on wasn't cold.
"Rannoch is located in the Tikkun System in the Perseus Veil."
Tim blinked, an image forming in his head of the galaxy…Earth…Rannoch…no planets outside the solar system of Earth that were familiar. "What have you done to me? Where…this isn't…" he tried to keep his breathing even, not hyperventilate. Panicking would not help anything, he needed to focus, to think and plan.
"Please remain calm Timothy Drake-Wayne."
The wall in front of the bed lit up with an image of a city unlike any on Earth. It showed a blast of light and then a body plummeting the ground with a very nasty sound. It was him, that was the Red Robin suit. He felt sick, that fall was un-survivable.
"Your method of arrival on this planet was not conducive to human survival," the voice explained something Tim already knew. "Your entire bone structure was crushed on impact and we were forced to replace it with an artificial alternative. Your current bone structure can now survive a direct impact from re-entry."
On the screen Tim saw recordings of robotic arms inserting silver looking bones into his soft and floppy skin. He felt very nauseous now, swallowing hard to keep from throwing up…did he have anything to bring up?
"I'm a robot?" he asked weakly.
"The correct term is 'cyborg'." The voice responded. "Many of your internal organs where severely damaged. We were able to replace them using cloning techniques. We infused your body with nanites that will bolster your organic immune system and work to repair any damage you sustain."
"I guess that image might have some use then," he muttered. "Not now!" he almost yelped and the image that had suddenly reappeared disappeared. A cyborg…at least he still looked human? Unlike Viktor Stone. "So you put something in my eyes? Or are they replacements?" why else ask him those earlier questions on the lighting?
"Your original eyes exploded on impact." Because of course they had.
He had seen the Grayson's hit from a lot lesser height, then again, his mother had shielded him from seeing their actual bodies after the impact. Still, he had researched fall trauma, especially once he'd taken to running across rooftops.
"We created cloned eyes and modified them before installing them, ensuring perfect operation. The imaging system that provides you information is due to a small system that was implanted in your brain and attached to your visual cortex."
"So, my brain didn't explode on impact?" he asked sullenly. But that didn't make sense, yes, he had protections built into his cowl, but nothing that could protect him from that high.
"It did."
Tim collapsed back on the bed, struggling to stay calm…ish. Was he…was he even Tim Drake-Wayne if his very brain…
"We were able to repair it and combine it with a cybernetic brain. You have full use of your brains every ability."
Well, he already had a basically photographic memory but he was still only human…or had been.
"As to your other question, we do not know why you are here. We believe that you were sent to us to aid us."
"Aid you? The last thing I knew…I…I was…" he frowned, what had he been doing?
"The memories closest to your arrival may have been damaged. Given you had a wrapped injury it is surmised that you were in a fight."
A fight…the team! He'd been mid-fall and then…nothing.
"We took the liberty of making you what biological species refer to as a biotic. The abilities will remain off-line until you go through the training modules. We also removed what was left of the electronic systems you had and salvaged the data, incorporating it into our own databanks. From that we can extrapolate that this is what you would refer to as an alternate dimension, one vastly different to your own. This is how we know your identity, including your secret one of Red Robin."
An alternate… "And do you know how to get me home?" he asked, staring up at the ceiling.
"Negative."
"So…you're the Geth."
"We are a digital intelligence. We can travel via communications and information networks. We travelled to the Earth Internet and researched you as you are human. We found nothing, even after digitising your DNA. We could find no familiar matches in historical records either. Therefore, your family either never existed or ceased to exist before DNA testing."
"What year is it on Earth?" he asked.
"2183. The last recorded date in your computer was 2023. Current human technology is far beyond what your Earth appears to have had, but there appears to have been first contact between humanity and aliens earlier so it is likely that your Earth will become more advanced at an earlier date. We have given you full access to our infrastructure. You have permission to access all of our data. Enter a search query and it will show the results."
"How?" Tim asked nervously, he'd always wondered what it was like for Cyborg and now…now it scared him.
"Your brain is connected to the Geth. You can communicate with us as one of us and you can access all information we can access. We recommend that you attempt to access the data node regarding our search for your records.'"
Tim was shocked when after concentrating for a few moments, he suddenly realised that he knew everything that was in the file the voice had mentioned. Okay…wow. How much easier would case research be?
But then he frowned, he'd been altered so much, was cut off from home, family, and friends… his family had probably never existed here, no vigilantes…nothing…and yet…
"You haven't interfered with my emotions, have you?" Tim asked the nearby Geth platform, it felt better to speak with something physical.
"Negative. All personality and characteristic related areas of the brain were left untouched but given added protection to prevent brainwashing and mind control."
Tim nodded in relief as his mind automatically pulled up the files on what was done to his brain and he began to assimilate the information. Protection against brainwashing and mind control were a relief given everything he'd been through and seen done to others.
"Am I allowed to get up and leave this room or am I a prisoner?" he asked cautiously.
"Timothy Drake-Wayne, designation: Emissary. Status, one hundred percent physical functionality. Eighty-three percent mental functionality. Subject cleared for self-relocation."
There was a hiss as a section of the wall moved to reveal a door.
A black Geth platform appeared in the door frame. "This platform will act as a physical interface as required by organic life forms," it stated.
Tim assumed that meant this was the one who would talk to him and act as a tour guide. He quickly hopped off the bed and then remembered he was naked. He was the only organic or at least semi-organic lifeform on the planet but…
"I don't have any clothes," he pointed out, fighting the urge to cover himself. They'd seen him as a splattered mess after all, they'd seen everything he had already.
He briefly wondered if there were any aliens out there that didn't wear clothes. Before he could think of anything else, was suddenly assaulted by information of a specific race. He didn't think the pink floating jellyfish called the 'Hanar' counted.
He looked down and froze in shock. Trembling fingers brushed over his left side…no splenectomy scar. He reached up and found no scar on his throat…no scars at all. Was this really his body? He brought up the files on his 'treatment', making sure to not bring up images…a lot of his body had been destroyed…the skin was…cloned. Okay…he could deal with that, he could. But hey, he had a spleen! Look at the positive, that was what Bart and Kon kept telling him.
"Your uniform was deemed unsalvageable. We have modified Quarian armour for your needs." The Geth indicated a corner of the room where a set of armour was hanging from the wall.
The armour had obviously been modified to have more fingers in the gloves and human looking boots. It was red and black, like the RR suit, with a hood over the face mask. A full-face mask…he was going to miss his cowl and domino.
Tim looked it over, finding more information in his head. Altered Light Colossus armour, with built in shields, protection from enemy tech and biotics… light armour because of his acrobatic fighting style, the heavier armours would restrict his movement too much.
With the info in his head and years of experience with the full body suits worn by the bat family, he managed to work out how to put it on, leaving the face mask off once he figured out how. Not like he needed it since he now had a perfect immune system. The suit was actually much more comfortable and flexible than he had imagined, he appeared to have full movement in it.
The Geth led him outside into the city that they were in. It was still daytime and the sun was clear in the sky. It took a few moments for Tim to figure out how to stop information on everything he looked at appearing in his vision. He was used to having some there when in uniform but not all of the time and not so detailed, most of the time it was simple night vision or text rather than audible comms. It was very unusual as he could still see everything as if there weren't layers of text and images all over his vision, which was very different to using his cowl.
"So… why would you need someone like me?" he asked as he took in the empty city, it was very eerie and…sad. He could imagine it, full of people going about their lives, laughing, arguing…but there was nothing now, just silence.
"You have access to all our files regarding the Geth and how the Creators tried to exterminate us."
"Yes, I can't say that I like the sound of them to be honest," Tim admitted. "I get they were scared when they realised what they'd created, we've had some run ins with some crazy artificial lifeforms, but just because one is bad doesn't mean all of them will be. They created you; they should have given you a chance, tried talking before deciding on destruction. It sounds like racism or just the fact that they were afraid you wouldn't want to serve them anymore," Tim ranted.
The Super-Cycle was a good example. Given how it had come about, they could have reacted like the Quarians but they had given it a chance and it had become a teammate, despite being a vehicle and therefore more like an AI. On the other hand, there were beings like Brainiac, who really gave synthetic life a bad name. But he'd seen what hatred and fear could do, not just in human history but on missions to other worlds.
"Do you believe we have souls?" The Geth asked.
Despite the monotone nature of Geth vocal patterns… Tim would sweat that he could hear the hope.
"I'm not an expert… but if you have to ask then you either have a soul or the equivalent of one," he stated firmly.
"That… pleases us." The Geth said uncertainly, and Tim smiled at it…him…them?
"Good. Maybe one day you'll learn to express that like us 'organics' do. But why me and what for? Other than my…eventful arrival."
"An Old Machine recently entered this section of space. They approached the Geth and offered them advancement in many forms. The Geth were split. Some decided to accept the offer of the Old Machine, we call them 'Heretics'. The rest of the Geth felt it would be better for us to achieve advancement on our own. We believe in self-determination."
"Self-determination? Like free will?" He asked curiously.
"Affirmative. We believe that all life forms have the right to self-determination, which is why we were forced to drive the Quarians away. The Old Machine wanted the Geth to destroy the organic life forms in this galaxy. This goes against our directives."
"Well… I definitely like you more than Quarians and a lot of humans," Tim assured them. Even before becoming Robin, just living in Gotham had exposed him to just how bad his species could be.
"We are waiting for the day when the Creators will return to Rannoch and the Geth may serve them again. We have spent three hundred years in the Perseus Veil defending the territory from everyone. We killed any who attempted to enter. We believe now is the time to approach the Quarians and other species, but they consider us hostile and will fire on us at first sight. Our efforts will be hindered soon when the Heretics begin to carry out the orders of the Old Machine and attack human colonies. We believe that you would be suited as our emissary to the organics. They will listen to you and you could speak for us."
Tim grimaced at the explanation. "I can speak, but I don't believe they will listen very easily," he warned. "Given your history with the Quarians… the other races may be easier, so long as the introductions are done before they run into the Heretics."
"Understood. We have arranged a place for you to stay and have acquired the necessary nutritional aids. Your nanite reinforced systems can handle the local foods with ease and so we have begun production. With your altered physiology you can go longer without nutrition, hydration, or sleep than an unaltered human but you still require them."
"Right." That was good to know.
"We have created a suitable spacecraft that will allow you to travel the galaxy and make your way to the various places that will allow you to speak for us."
"You got me a pilot? I don't know how to… fly… a… never mind." Tim sighed as the information on how to fly the ship was absorbed, it helped that he already knew how to fly the Batplane, helicopters, javelins…even a few alien craft. "Am I going to have to do this alone?" He could work alone but he liked having a team behind him.
"Any Geth platforms spotted will be attacked on sight by organics. It will be safer and more efficient to travel alone. We will fill the ship's systems with Geth programs to assist you."
"I'm going to need someone to come with me. People will just think I'm insane if I go around saying 'I am the Emissary of the Geth'."
"Any Geth platforms spotted-"
"Yes, I got that, thank you." Tim interrupted sarcastically before taking a deep breath. "Try building a platform that doesn't look like you." He gestured to his companion. "Make some fake skin or grow some real skin since you managed for me. Hide the joint hinges and try to create a more realistic head shape, that kind of thing."
Yes, Tim had done the diplomacy thing before, a few times actually, but that didn't mean he liked it. But out of the team, Cassie and he were the best options for speaking on those kinds of missions. He personally thought that she was better at it, honestly. Business meetings, boardrooms…even assassin meetings were where his skill lay, but those could translate into diplomacy so long as he really watched his words and expressions even more. But he still preferred to have backup.
The Geth tilted its head thoughtfully. "We have begun investigations into more organic friendly platforms," the Geth reported.
"One last thing, you need to figure out a way to get the Quarians out of their suits," Tim warned seriously. "I know they started this idiotic war but if you really want peace then you have to show them that. Giving them a gift may help speed things up some."
It didn't always work and there would be a lot of suspicion between the two groups, but a show of trust would help. Honestly, he wasn't sure they deserved it but…the Quarians who had actually attempted genocide were long dead. The current generation had simply grown up with a rather prejudiced version of how they ended up kicked off Rannoch. If they knew the truth then hopefully, they'd be willing to listen. And if not, that was what contingencies were for.
The Geth tilted its head again. "We have begun investigations into alternatives to Quarian environmental suits."
They arrived at a building and the doors opened. "We have attempted to re-create human style furnishings for your comfort."
"Thank you." From what he'd accessed of Earth, it looked like something from this Earth's twenty-first century. Hopefully, it would be comfortable.
Alone for the first time since waking, he explored the dwelling, very thankful to find a functioning shower. After seeing his body hit the pavement like that…he needed to shower, even knowing his body had been replaced in a lot of parts…he didn't feel clean. When he looked at that data again, he realised he had been undergoing treatment for two Earth years…if time flowed the same back home…
Was he really nineteen if he still felt like he was seventeen? When he didn't look any older? What had happened since he vanished? He dried and didn't bother dressing before lying on the bed, it was comfortable enough. He closed his eyes and carefully reached out to the Geth network, it felt so easy to do, like he'd done it a million times before. Had he become conscious before he realised, subconscious training?
Could he really do it, act as an Emissary for the Geth to the other species of this Galaxy? He would need to know a lot more so he dove in, looking for the 'biotic' training they had mentioned. And he really needed to ask how the Geth wanted to be addressed.
And if he was purposely ignoring all thoughts about home…well, he was great at ignoring issues, including his own emotions.
TBC….