Disclaimer: not mine
Chapter 3
Tim woke slowly, feeling confused for a few moments by the lack of noise and scents before remembering he had his bedroom on full lockdown for safety…because his clone was in the guest room. He grabbed some clothes and went to shower before taking a deep breath and checking the systems, not attempts at breaching security…movement down in the kitchen. He undid the lockdown and opened the door to smell something cooking, moving silently down the stairs. It was kind of eerie to see Danny moving about the kitchen, cooking. Had he even used half those pans before? He took a deep breath and then stepped more heavily as he moved off the stairs.
Danny looked up at him and smiled shyly, an expression he hadn't seen on his own face since his early days as Robin. "I uh, didn't know what you like so I made a bit of everything." He nervously ran a hand through his messy hair.
Tim took it in, he didn't often eat much at breakfast since he usually ate something post patrol before collapsing into bed. But with no patrol last night…his stomach was making its presence known. "You can cook?" he could do some very simple things but he always burnt bacon.
He'd gotten better in the kitchen since his splenectomy but a lot of that was salads, fruit, and fish. He'd cut most red meat and dairy but did treat himself occasionally, mainly at family meals or galas where there were less options or people didn't know. It helped that Damian was vegetarian so there were always options other than red meat served at the Manor. He'd never told the family about the missing organ; they didn't need to know. Things were better than they had been back then but he still tried to avoid the Manor, he never felt safe with Damian. It was better when Cass was there too, best when both her and Jason were around.
Looking at the various dishes, there was a fruit salad, pancakes made with wholegrain flour and covered in yogurt and berries, poached eggs…
"Wow," he admitted, and Danny looked away, shrugging slightly.
"The Fenton's aren't really good at cooking. Jazz took over once old enough and she's taught me some stuff," he admitted.
Looking at the food, he couldn't help the flash of paranoia that it could be tampered with. But then Danny simply took a bit of everything and flopped down on the couch since Tim had never bothered with a dining table. So, Tim did the same and sat down across from him, carefully watching to make sure he ate each bit first.
"It's good," he offered after eating, and Danny smiled.
"Thanks. You should have Jazz's, it's even better. Do you cook?"
"Not much," he admitted. "And I'm pretty busy too. My boyfriend's better at it," he was known to have a partner though they'd so-far kept Bernard's name and photo from the press.
"Been dating long?" Danny asked, something wistful in his tone.
"A few years. You?"
"Nothing successful. Tried dating a school mate but it didn't work out for a lot of reasons and we don't talk much anymore. I know one of my best friends has a crush but we wouldn't work, we argue too much which is fine for friends but not for more."
Tim nodded in agreement. It was why he and Kon never tried dating, they were way better off as best friends. Sure, they didn't argue much anymore but at the beginning… and if Danny was real, if he wasn't a threat, then he'd be introducing him to Kon ASAP. Though whether he'd tell him or wait to see if he could work it out…
"So now that the Justice League is being informed, what are your plans?" He asked as they were finishing the meal.
Danny shrugged. "Hadn't really planned that far ahead. Figured if Batman knew what was going on since it seemed government backed then I'd end up locked up in a GIW lab somewhere since I'm contaminated and made it out of town past the blockades."
Tim kept his face blank while feeling sick at the idea of being locked in a lab with what he'd dug up on the GIW last night before finally going to sleep. He'd made sure to send it all to Babs to add to the file for B to give the League. He hated not being involved but he was too close to things and he could still do research in the background. If they needed simultaneous strikes then he'd definitely be volunteering though.
And he wanted to find out more about Phantom, he had the feeling Danny knew more, maybe helped him keep out of his parents lab? But he'd have to be careful about what he asked.
"So did you only bring the backpack?" he asked instead.
Danny shook his head. "Left the bags in a locker."
"Okay, I can pick them up, no one should question it given we look alike and they don't pay enough attention to hair over facial features. Best to keep you out of sight till we figure things out. They might have your town blocked off but there's no guarantee they don't have agents everywhere, especially if they realise someone got out."
"And if they try to grab you thinking you're me?"
"Everyone there will laugh at them for trying to take a Wayne."
"And if they shoot first?" Danny asked, staring at him, gaze intensifying. "You don't feel contaminated to me…no more than anyone living in a city with levels like Gotham but that might not stop them. And sure, their weapons don't do as much damage to humans but a hit in the wrong spot will still kill you."
"Are you saying Gotham has high ectoplasm levels?" he asked in concern, and Danny nodded.
"Probably why the Fenton's were here. They likely left for the same reason the GIW didn't come here, the city is crazy and dangerous."
Tim snorted; well, he couldn't deny that. "The Mayor maybe could have been bribed at first but Commissioner Gordon would have had them escorted out of the city as soon as they tried anything. And he would have reported them to the feds." He stood up and held his hand out.
Danny hesitated but then handed over a locker key, giving him the name and location of the right bus depot.
Tim headed down to his bike to get Danny's things. And while away from Danny he made a call.
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He reached blindly for his phone; he'd only gotten in a while ago. "Someone better be dying," he growled.
"Sorry Jay."
"Tim?" he sat up, running a hand through his hair. "Everything okay?" Tim would never call so early unless it was very important.
"I won't be out on patrol for a bit, something's come up."
And he was obviously trying to avoid saying something. "Tim…are you under duress?" he asked, getting up and ready to grab his gear.
"No Dad, I'm fine," he answered, Jason practically able to hear him rolling his eyes, but he relaxed at the all-clear code. "On my bike." So alone, that was good. "Got a panicked call from Tam…cause it looked like I was in my office."
"She okay?" he liked her, she had spirit.
"Yeah. It's complicated but…I might have a brother?"
"You mean a clone?" Jason growled, hearing the slight shift in Tim's tone. Tim could lie to Batman himself, but Jason wasn't Batman and he had spent a lot of time studying and watching Tim when he'd first come back, planning his attack on the kid. He knew him, probably better than anyone else in the 'family'.
Sure enough, Tim sighed. "He had a lot of files with him, if they're real then he's only four years younger than be but artificially aged to match."
"You pissed someone off that much as a toddler?"
"No, I impressed them that much. A married pair of scientists from the mid-west, they got some hair samples from a function and made Danny. He apparently only just found out and came to find me and let me know. He said he made sure to destroy all DNA samples from either of us and anything that looked like it could be used for cloning. His hair is shorter than mine and his accent's different, other than that we look identically."
"Where is he?"
"My apartment and yes, I had my bedroom on full lockdown overnight. I'm on my way to pick his luggage up from the bus locker. Babs is calling B due to other info Danny brought to light, someone blocked a town calling for help from the League. Danny had to escape a fake government agency lockdown to get here. He was planning to give me the cloning info and then hang out on rooftops looking for a bat to plead for help for his hometown. Which is why I brought him home. No matter what he was made for, his want to help his home is genuine. And we can't just leave people to be tortured and killed."
Jason swore. This clone either had interesting luck or knew exactly how to get to Tim. "I'm coming over, armed." He began grabbing what he'd need.
"As who? Jason Todd's legally dead and he looked me up on the way here if he wasn't prepped for all this. He doesn't seem to know about our nightlife and it's best to keep it that way."
"Who would ever think I'm a dead man?" Jason asked. "I'll claim to be a family friend or something."
"I can't stop you, can I?""
"No, you're too close to this Tim. You…you want him to be legit, to not have known." And he heard the slight shake to Tim's breath after his words. He knew Tim had always longed for a sibling and it had taken too long for Dick to treat him as a brother and then he'd come back, then Damian… sure, the two of them were brothers now but the possibility of someone who shared blood with him? A 'twin'?
"What about Bernard?" he asked, not wanting a civilian to get caught up, even if the kid could fight and fight well.
"Warned him not to come round till I give the all-clear and to use security questions if he sees me."
"Good." Bernard had a good head on his shoulders, he'd be wary if he saw Tim. "I'm on my way."
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Danny sat on the couch, watching the world news, enjoying getting the full program and not the redacted mess the GIW let through. So much was happening that he had no clue about, it was a little scary. He was nervous, if Tim searched his stuff…but that was the beauty of his parents using everyday objects. The only thing that would really get attention was the ecto shots but they were in a locked case and while he was Tim's clone, they didn't have the same right thumb print since Danny had a scar on his so he shouldn't be able to open the case.
He was about to get up and get a drink when the front door opened…but it wasn't Tim, and Danny tensed. He fought back the urge to let his eyes flash green as he felt a roiling mass of something foul, what the hell?
"Hey Timbers," the man called with an easy grin.
"I'm not Tim," Danny answered immediately. "I'm Danny."
"So, where's Tim?" the stranger asked, tone becoming wary.
"Right behind you Jason," Tim answered, and Danny relaxed a bit. "Okay Danny?"
"Yeah, it's been a few years since I've seen unredacted news. A lot's happened that no one back home knows about."
"And you didn't even think to fake being Tim, so that's a point in your favour," the newcomer, Jason?, said as he moved to take a seat in an armchair.
Danny blinked and then looked at Tim who sighed.
"Danny, this is Jason Todd, my very annoying older brother. Jason, this is Danny Fenton, my…clone." He scrunched his nose slightly and Danny fought the urge to flinch.
It was a lot; it would take time for Tim to work out how he felt about it. And so, what if he didn't want Danny around? He could go anywhere now he was out of Amity Park. Wait…
"Didn't Jason Todd die years ago?" Well, that could explain what he was feeling from the man.
"Coma," Jason answered, shrugging. "Was in hospital as a John Doe. Family knows I'm here but staying legally dead keeps me out of the press."
Yeah…Danny wasn't buying that. If Jason was Tim's older brother and if Tim had been the third Robin…the second Robin had been killed by the Joker. It fit, so two Wayne adoptees which meant the odds were really good that Batman…was Bruce Wayne. And wasn't that a hard thing to get his head around. Which was the mask, the playboy (though that had settled over the years as he took in kids) or the grim crime fighter?
And Jason's reaction, he'd known, but he'd called Danny Tim to see what he'd do. A test. He understood, Tim was wary of him, of why he'd come and why he'd been made. Who wouldn't be? But even without, he'd done more for him than his parents in a long time.
"I got your bags and turned in the key," Tim spoke up, putting Danny's bags down.
"Thanks," Danny smiled and checked them over, yep, Tim had opened them.
All he'd find was clothes, a magazine on space, some food, extra cash, a Fenton Thermos, the case of ecto and some more data he'd stolen from his parents and the GIW over the years to keep their weapons from becoming too dangerous to humans. He hesitated but then held the drives out to Tim.
"Danny?"
"Data from my parents and the GIW, Phantom's run raids on the base and I have a friend who hacks so while he causes chaos saving others…"
"Your friend gets into their systems," Tim finished for him, and Danny nodded.
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Jason watched them interact, it was kind of eerie to see, especially when Tim finished Danny's sentence. Walking in, he could have believed it was Tim he was seeing…if he didn't know his brother so well. It wasn't just the shorter hair and accent, or even the different style of dress, it was the way Danny held himself and that put Jason on edge. Seeing someone who looked so much like his baby brother holding themselves like someone being hunted was not something he liked.
The similarities between them were shocking, even knowing that Danny was Tim's clone. And if he ever got his hands on those doctors… but there were also very obvious differences if you knew Tim and he assumed those that knew Danny would also realise Tim wasn't him. Jason had been with the League long enough to recognise their training in someone and he couldn't see it with this kid. He was as sure as he could be that he wasn't made and sent by Ra's. Luthor was a possibility still, he'd made Kon after all, but he didn't know Tim's id. Then again, it would have been easy to work out once Danny began to grow since Tim had been at the same galas as the man as a child. But surely, he would have done something with that information before now.
Tim had taken the drives and moved off to contact Babs, calling her Oracle to keep the story up that he wasn't a bat. In the meantime, Danny moved to the kitchen to get a drink of juice, offering him a glass and Jason figured he might as well.
"So…"
Danny sighed and sat at the counter. "So, what? Why show up now? Did I know? Am I going to hurt Tim?"
"Are you?" Jason asked.
"No." Intense blue eyes stared into his and Jason was surprised by the force of emotion there. "I didn't know before and I am not going to hurt Tim. Everyone I love is at risk of experimentation and death, this was a last-ditch effort to get out and get help."
And Jason…Jason believed him. He shouldn't but there was something in him that just screamed it was the truth and then it hit him, the Pit was completely silent, sinking deep down as if…as if running away from Danny.
"You died," he whispered, and he heard a thud nearby as Tim sat down too hard.
"What?" Tim demanded.
"Lab accident when I was fourteen. Electrical shock is not something I'd recommend. I'm lucky, I only have an occasionally faulty heart. It could have been a lot worse; they weren't sure I'd ever get feeling back in most of my body. I could have been left blind, with seizures, brain damage…" Danny shrugged slightly.
"Beaten and then blown up," Jason admitted, unable to not say something after hearing what Danny had gone through. And Danny had to recover in a normal manner. He hadn't had a dip in a Lazarus Pit to restore his body.
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Tim found himself falling back into a chair, staring at Danny and Jason, feeling sick. Even if Danny was an evil clone…he wouldn't wish that on him. He knew the kind of damage high voltage electricity could do to the body. What the hell kind of lab safety did the Fenton's have? That was not a mild shock. How had Jason known Danny had died though?
And then Jason told Danny he died and the very basics of how. He never talked about it. None of them who had died ever talked about it…he hadn't even told them about waking beside the Pit, terrified he'd been put in it and he hadn't even died. Was it something about traumatic injuries or deaths that just made them hard to talk about to people who didn't know.
"I…" he swallowed as they both looked at him. He took a breath and pulled his shirt up, revealing the scar from the Widower, hearing Jason suck in a shocked breath.
"Timmy?" a hesitant hand touched his skin and Tim shivered; the scar was always so sensitive.
"Sword stab…I uh…I don't have a spleen," he admitted. "I nearly…I was overseas, alone…I woke up next to," he couldn't say it, not with Danny there, but he touched under Jason's eye and Jason's eyes went wide in shock and horror.
Jason gripped his chin gently but firmly, searching his eyes. "The Pit?" Jason breathed.
"They made it clear it was an option, came really close. Emergency splenectomy and massive blood transfusion. They kept me sedated for I don't know how long considering I was able to fight when I woke up, might have panicked a bit."
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Danny could hear them, thanks enhanced hearing. He wondered what a Pit was but it must be something bad…if Tim had been near death, was that what brought Jason back? If so then it needed looking into. The feeling had settled some since Jason had arrived, like it was retreating from Danny's presence.
He saw the scar on Tim's side and he knew; that wound had come very, very close to killing him. Now that he could see it, he could sense it, it should have been a mortal blow. With his healing, he'd never had to worry too much about the majority of his wounds and the idea of losing an organ made him feel sick.
He wanted to purge the death energy from the wound, knowing it would make the scar heal more from the angry red line it was. Two lines really, one the sword blow and the other the surgical cut to remove the destroyed organ and likely clean things up. A wound like that would have been nasty and he'd spent enough time at Tucker's over the years to hear murmurs on things like sepsis and what could happen if an organ was ruptured. He'd even snuck a medical text or five since becoming Phantom so he could tend his own wounds as much as possible. He hated asking the others to do it and he needed to be able to help them too when they got hurt trying to help.
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Jason felt Tim shiver as he touched the angry scar. How had he kept anyone from seeing it? Then again…he never changed in the Cave. Bernard had to know, they had to at least make out if not being doing things he would not think about his baby brother doing.
"Sword stab…I uh…I don't have a spleen," Tim admitted shakily. "I nearly…I was overseas, alone…I woke up next to," instead of finishing, his finger touched under Jason's eye and a second later it hit him what he couldn't say with a stranger present
Jason gripped his chin gently but firmly, searching his eyes, for any hint of green in bright blue. "The Pit?" he breathed, terrified for Tim. He was such a loner, would any of them even know if he was struggling with side effects?
"They made it clear it was an option, came really close. Emergency splenectomy and massive blood transfusion. They kept me sedated for I don't know how long considering I was able to fight when I woke up, might have panicked a bit."
Of course, he'd panicked if he woke up next to a Lazarus Pit! Why leave him there once he was healing? Mind games, it was Ra's after all. He would have enjoyed Tim's panic at the thought of having been in there.
Jason pulled Tim forward into his arms, hugging him tightly. They didn't hug much but given the topic, it was needed. "I'm sorry Tim, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't gone completely off the rails before…"
"I know," Tim whispered, hands gripping tight to his shirt.
He really wanted to go, find Dick, and punch him, but that wouldn't help anything.
And then Danny was hesitantly kneeling down, staring at the other side of the scar, because of course it had gone straight through him…if it had hit Tim's spine!... and then he put his hand over it and Tim gasped, jerking in Jason's grip, Danny's eyes narrowing in concentration. What the…and then Jason shifted to be able to see, eyes widening as the scar began to change. When Danny fell back, breathing hard, the scar looked decades old, not just a few years. Not that it had looked a few years old really, it had looked newer than that.
"What…how?" he asked, staring at the clone on the floor in shock even as Tim pulled away enough to look at the front of the scar which matched the back.
"Danny?" Tim stared at him with wide eyes and Danny shifted away from them both, wary and defensive.
Tim wasn't a meta…so how could his clone be? Then again, some people got powers from lab accidents, like certain speedsters, could the electrical shock have given him powers when Tim had none?
TBC…
This chapter had a mind of its own, really not where it was originally meant to go but oh well.