The timeline interwoven with the very fabric of space itself causes the existence of reality as we all know, but much like we don't know much about the cosmos in comparison to what we know about our imminent surroundings we know even less about time. For all the theories we have we still don't have a concrete of how time functions.
But I do.
In simple terms, time is an ever-growing tree. Each option, each possibility, and each what-if contributes to its growth where that variable takes place and if that is true then you can probably assume that multiple timelines exist. You are correct in assuming but that does beg the question what's the original, the prime you may say? Look at the roots of this tree there you will see the prime timeline in its infant stages and if you look up in a straight line you can see where it is, brilliant and radiant as always but I am biased, this is my favourite timeline after all.
The lines coming off the prime timeline? Well, those are the alternate timelines each brilliant and wonderous in their right but sadly lacking in comparison with the original, especially when the original is this. However, this is when we are focusing on one being, adding more people with their trees into the equation makes this a whole lot more confusing and messy but beautiful nonetheless.
How? Well, let's see... following the metaphor I have been using we can say that these respective branches merge at the ends to make new apex for branches to sprout and grow in simple terms, I could tell you more but I don't want to bore you with unnecessary details.
Why am I here? You see that is quite simple, my role is that of arborist and surgeon for this orchard of time and this is only one of the orchards in my care. It is my role to make sure these trees are unharmed from any... trespassing lumberjacks. However, it is my role to prune some branches, maybe do some grafting and in dire situations to fell a tree myself, oh how I hate doing that but if I must for the safety of the entire orchid then I will.
Enough melancholic talk. I never told you why that tree is my favourite, did I? Well simply they gave me my name, after my first was lost when I became this.
My name?
Paradox
Inside a dimly lit cave, alarms sound off as a sleek black car designed for speed and efficiency sits in the centre. On the left, a display of various suits and gadgets with the bat insignia are showcased, each serving different purposes. On the right, hunting trophies such as a giant coin and T-rex serve as décor. In front of the car is a straight road leading deeper into the cave, with faint lights marking the edges. Behind the car, a set of stairs leads up to a large monitor that is causing the alarms and noise. A person, dressed in a bat-inspired suit similar to those in the display but with a feminine figure sits in front of the monitor.
"Bruce? There are alerts of spacial and temporal disturbance coming from the Batcomputer. How did you even set this up? What technology did you use? With Earth technology, this shouldn't even be possible. Did you steal some League technology? Couldn't you have just asked? I'm pretty sure they would have helped," Barbara rambled nervously, seeking information from Bruce.
"Barbara, get to the point," Bruce chastised.
"There are readings that show spacial and temporal folding and ripping. It shows that both are happening," Barbara informed Bruce.
"Where?" Bruce asked.
"Over Central Gotham, near China Town," Barbara informed Bruce.
"I'll investigate once I'm done with this League mission. Who is in the vicinity to investigate?" Bruce asked.
"...Damian," Barbara nervously responded.
"...Tell him to investigate, trail and not engage unless he has no choice. I want whoever or whatever this thing is to have the ability to talk when I get there," Bruce responded before signing off "Batman out."
It was a cloudy night, and the only light came from the moon at its peak. The city was full of various buildings, ranging from small shops to apartment complexes to skyscrapers. Some of them were abandoned and dark, while others were warm and well-used. On the rooftop of one of these buildings, a teenager crouched in the corner, examining the streets below. The streets were busy with cars, but the air was still heavy with fear. The teenager stepped away from the edge and looked around. This was Gotham - alive yet dead. He pulled out a phone-like device and checked the map, following a red marker to his destination.
After scanning the vicinity, he couldn't spot anything unusual. However, as he moved closer to the epicentre, he realized that he was standing on a deserted five-storey edifice. He went up to the roof and came across a hole leading down to the third floor. Upon descending, he found a 4-foot wide and 3-foot deep crater. "Batgirl, can you hear me?" he inquired through his earpiece.
"Loud and clear Damian," Barbara responded.
"First of all it's Robin and I found traces of what potentially caused the disturbance," Damian replied.
"What did you find?" Barbara asked as she rolled her eyes.
"A crater and a hole. The hole begins on a five-story building just north of Chinatown, leading to the crater found on the third floor. The question is why were there no police reports of this at all?" Damian questioned.
"I don't know; electrical devices are still operational in this area from my readings. However, there has been an increase in multiple gang activity in this area recently. Maybe they were too scared to call the police in case it was a gang who did it?" Barbara hypothesized. "Aside from the crater and the hole, is there anything else you can find?"
"Let me look," replied Damian as he examined the crater. "There are some non-human tracks that end up being human shoe prints. The shoe prints lead to a window where they stop. This makes less sense the more I find out," Damian said as he looked through the window of another abandoned building and saw something on the outside of the wall.
"Ice? On the side of a building? It's the middle of August" Damian said to himself before turning on his communicator.
"Batgirl, what's the status on Dr Victor Fries?" Damian asked.
"Mr. Freeze? He is still in Arkham," Barbara responded. "Why are you asking?"
"Because I found a trail that could lead me to whatever caused this. I'll contact you once I find this anomaly. Robin out," Damian stated as he shut off his communicator.
"Wait Damian, where is the trail going?" Barbara shouted, but there was no response. "He closed his communicator. He is way too impulsive for this sometimes. How is he Bruce's son?" Barbara complained as she rubbed her eyes.
As Damian approaches a frozen segment of the wall, he uses a grappling gun to move towards it and inspects it closely. Surprised to find ice on the third floor, he wonders how it is connected to the nearby crater. Damian then uses a bird-shaped device to embed into the frozen wall, prompting it to beep and create a small explosion that breaks the wall. To protect himself from debris, he uses his black cloak as cover. Climbing through the newly made hole, Damian examines the rundown building and notices another frozen portion of the wall on the opposite side. With confidence, he detonates the wall using another explosive birdarang and continues to the other side of the building. Seeing another frozen wall, he expresses amusement and grapples onto the roof of the next building to follow the trail of ice, jumping from building to building.
Damian is standing at the end of a roof, feeling frustrated. He has been following an ice trail for 30 minutes, sometimes losing it but managing to find it again. He had heard two civilians discussing a blue moth that can pass through walls, leaving ice where it went, which he thought might be a clue. However, he has not found any continuation of the ice trail or buildings to jump off of to rediscover the trail. Annoyed with himself, he decides to turn back the way he came.
"Stay back! I'm warning you!" a distressed masculine voice cried.
Damian quickly turns and heads towards the source of the noise. He discovers an alleyway where he finds a frightened woman on the ground, holding onto her purse, and a partially frozen person whom he assumes to be a mugger. He approaches the woman and inquires, "Can you tell me what happened here?" The lady, too scared to speak properly, responds shakily with the phrase "Blue moth."
"Go," he tells her to which she runs off. He then turns to face the half-frozen man unsheathing his blade and pointing it at him "You tell me what happened here" Damian ordered.
"Easy man I don't want no trouble," the mugger responds.
"Talk," Damian responds pushing the blade closer to his face.
" 'Aight, 'aight I'll talk," the man begs "You see I was here getting some money"
"By threatening a woman in an alley?" Damian questions.
"No she owed us money," the mugger defends himself.
"Us?" Damian questions as he places the blade on the mugger's neck "Who is us?"
"My gang," the mugger admits terrified "The gang that I am part of, the Red Hawks. We protect small businesses for a price and she was late on a payment so I had to collect the payment, so here I was collecting the payment when this blue moth thing interferes. I thought it was Bats in a new suit the way it swooped down but it wasn't Bats the air became cold when that thing came closer. Not that the air doesn't become cold when Bats is near but that's because it's scary this time though it was cold"
"Get to the point" Damian responds
" 'Aight I will, the thing came close and I'm here thinking that this thing has a death wish so I swing at it only for my arm to go through it and become frozen," the mugger responds "Yes I know it sounds crazy but I 'aint lying, so once that happens I'm scared as hell so I try to back up telling it back up do you know what it does? Nothing! It just stands there a breaths ice on me freezing me like this, then phasing into the ground like some ghost before you came" the mugger admits.
"This blue moth what did it look like?" Damian asked
"It was taller than me and I'm 6 ft tall but it had this crazy hump and these huge ass wings that cover his body like the Bat," the mugger admits
"Anything else," Damian threatened whilst pushing the blade against the mugger's throat
"When his wings were open there was this green belt with a symbol, think it was a green hourglass," the mugger confesses "Look I told you everything I know so can you get me out here please I can't feel my toes"
"I won't but the police will, they will be here in a couple of minutes," said Damian as he sheathed his blade and grappled to a nearby roof.
As Damian turned on his communicator, he asked, "Batgirl, do you copy?" Barbara responded promptly, "Loud and clear, Damian."
"Robin," Damian interrupted.
"Robin," Barbara responded begrudgingly, "You should keep your communicator on at all times so I can assist you. If you continue to act impulsively, you're going to get hurt," she reprimanded Damian.
"I found a lead," Damian said with pride.
"That's great!" Barbara exclaimed. "What did you discover?"
"After questioning some low-life and listening to public chatter, I learned that there's a blue moth in the area that has cryokinesis and can change its density. According to one of the low-lives I interrogated, the moth wears a green belt with an hourglass symbol."
"A blue moth with a belt?" Barbara questioned sceptically. "How does that relate to the crater?"
"I guess that it's an extraterrestrial being with advanced technology or abilities that we haven't seen before," Damian hypothesized.
"Okay. Once Bruce," Barbara said.
"It's Batman," Damien corrected, getting more and more annoyed.
"Fine, Batman," Barbara sighed, rolling her eyes. "When he's back from his mission with the league, I'll ask him to check with the others if they have any information on blue moths with cold powers and density shifting. For now, let's head back to the Batcave and discuss our findings on the blue moth," Barbara suggested.
"Roger that, Robin out," Damien replied, as he headed back to the Batcave.
Back at the Batcave, both Damian and Barbara are facing the Batmonitor that has the map of Central Gotham.
"So the disturbance was found just north of China Town and the place your low-life found the blue moth was within the north-east side of China Town," Barbara stated whilst pointing to various points on the map.
"Correct," Damien responded.
"Any more information about this blue moth that I can put in the computer for an automated search?" Barbara asked.
"Over 6 ft, hunchback and large wings that act as a cloak when not in use," Damien listed.
"Anything else?" Barbara asked as she started typing the information into the computer
"What do you mean? I gave you all the relevant information." Damien asked looking confused towards Barbara
"I know you Damien, I know you have a tendency to ignore details that don't seem relevant it's the reason why Bruce is a better detective" she stated smugly.
"The low-life I interrogated was part of a gang called the Red Hawks, judging by the name and locality of the low-life I would assume that his gang originated from the fracturing of Penguin's gang," Damien stated.
"See useful information," Barbara responded with a slightly condescending tone, "So we have one of the new gangs now, but how does that link with our blue moth?" she asked.
"Inferring from what the low-life said and what we know. It seems the moth was a third party and interfered with the mugging," Damien hypothesised.
"So we potentially have another good guy on our side," Barbara mused.
"Or a threat we know nothing about," Damien stated.
"Looks like you took your father's pessimism and paranoia," Barbara half-heartedly responded.
"If you mean common sense and logic, I'll gladly accept your compliment." Damien responded with a slight smirk, "I'll need to go back to China Town and see if I can find any clues and catch this thing quickly," he said whilst preparing to leave the cave.
"Not so fast Damian," said Barbara as she grabbed Damian's shoulder "You came in contact with extraterrestrial objects, you are having a body scan to see if you're fine," she said whilst dragging Damian.
"I am fine!" Damian indignantly responded, "Father would've gone back out there and caught the moth,"
"No," Barbara corrected " Bruce would have done a full body scan whilst doing research here, where he can be monitored,"
"Fine," Damian pouted, wrestling out of Barbara's grip "I may be compromised by some unknown matter but I am still able to walk by myself towards the medical bay," he huffed walking ahead of Barbara.
"Looks like you also inherited his stubbornness," Barbara muttered as she rolled her eyes, following Damian.
Damian and Barbara approached the medical room in the Batcave. This room stood out from the rest of the cave with its bright white decor and a variety of equipment, including surgical and cleaning tools. The left wall featured a large pod capable of fitting an adult. The pod functioned by scanning individuals in a non-invasive manner and sending reports to a connected monitor.
Damian entered the pod whereas Barbara positioned herself at the monitor. The machine whirred to life scanning Damian. 15 minutes later the whirring stopped. The lid of the pod popped allowing Damian to climb out where he joins Barbara.
"So? Anything abnormal?" Damian questioned.
"No, you're perfectly healthy" Barbara replied.
"What did I say? I'm perfectly fine" Damian retorted smugly "I'm going back to China Town to finish what I started" he said walking out of the medical room.
"Damian wait!" called out Barbara.
"What?" asked Damian as he turned to face Barbara.
"If you come across anything that may have came from the moth take a sample of it, so we can examine it," she said.
"Who do you think I am? I am not an amateur, you don't need to tell me to collect a sample. That much is obvious," exclaimed Damian.
"Then why didn't you the first time?" questioned Barbara.
Not wanting to respond, Damian quickly walked out of the room and prepared to go back to China Town. As he was leaving the room Barbara called out "Don't turn off your communicator this time!"
Damian stared over China Town, a conglomeration of Gotham architecture and Chinese influence, both traditional and Americanised. He originally searched the northern part of China Town but slowly made his way towards central China Town. The first thing he noticed when crossing over were the signs, in the northern parts there would be logos of red hawks graffitied on the sides of walls but here a yellow heron of some kind where on the walls.
"A new gang," Damian thought to himself narrowing his eyes. Scanning the vicinity Damian jumped to another building, looking for any criminal activity taking place. "That's odd," he thought "There's no sign of criminal activity but there are definitely signs of a gang here,".
Looking down at an alley he sees two men, a skinny lanky man webbed to a wall and a shorter portly man wearing a leather jacket with a yellow heron on the back trying to remove said webs.
"No one's gonna respect us now man," the skinny man complained
"You? Maybe. Me? Nah I'm not the one webbed to a wall by a blue monkey" the portly man responded "Still think you're lying about the blue monkey," After hearing this Damian made his way closer to two men, unseen and listened in on their conversation.
"Then how do you explain me being webbed to a wall!" the skinny man shouted.
"Dunno'," the portly man said "But I don't appreciate you shouting at me"
"Right, sorry" the nasal voice apologised.
"I'm just stressed man, I was supposed to deliver some goods to the boss. But what am I going to tell him? That I have damaged cargo because of some blue monkey webbing me to a wall? He will ice me!" the skinny man shrieked.
"Why did you even get webbed to a wall?" the portly man asked.
"I don't know man," the skinny man responded "The blue monkey thing just dropped on me and webbed me to a wall breaking the goods and swinging off leaving me here for 30 minutes before you came but he did say something," he mused
"What?" the portly man asked
"That a little birdie told him, he couldn't keep a straight face when he was talking bloody chimp was barely keeping it together," the skinny man said "We may have a rat,"
"A rat?" the portly man said "The boss won't be too happy about that, but how did it know that you were part of the gang, you're not wearing your jacket,"
"I was," the skinny man admitted "The blue monkey stole my jacket before webbing me up and swinging off,"
"It stole your jacket? Why would a blue monkey want a jacket," the portly man asked finally tearing the webs of the other man.
"I don't know," the skinny man said as he reached the ground " I know this may sound stupid, but I think the blue monkey was part of a gang,"
"What makes you say that? the portly man asked.
"You heard about the blue moth from the north?" said the skinny man "The Hawks up there say it had a green hourglass on it,"
"And?" the portly man said
"Well the monkey that jumped was wearing a green harness with a green hourglass as well," the skinny man said.
"What? We have a gang full of rejects now? the portly man said.
"Hey! This is Gotham remember? We have all kinds of psychos here and we had a literal man-bat," the skinny man defended himself
"Man-bat? What you think someone's making a gang full of science experiments?" said the portly man
"Maybe, anyways we need to tell the boss that this happened anyways," said the skinny man "At least The Bat didn't come by,"
"Yeah, we got lucky," said the portly man "Say, where is The Bat?"
" Don't know, don't care" said the skinny man "We better get a move on,"
As the two men walked off Damian threw a tracker at the portly man's jacket, pleased with himself Damian turned and started heading towards the Batcave.
"A blue monkey?" Barbara asked "Odd, you sure it's not some meta that looks like a blue monkey,"
"Maybe," Damien responded "But it may be related to the blue moth and if not taking down a gang is always beneficial,"
"If you say so," Barbara said "It's getting late, even by our standards so let us follow this lead tomorrow," Barbara said as she was leaving the cave with Damien alongside her.
"Oh man, I knew that jacket was the wrong size. Oh well it's not like infiltrating a gang will be hard," said a teenager with green eyes "Although with my luck something is bound to go wrong and if it does I'll be more than ready,"
"Ok, so what's the plan?" the teenager mused "Locate the hideout, infiltrate the hideout and kick everyone's ass."
"Now to find their hideout," said the teenager whilst walking " I should probably not wear this gang jacket whilst walking around in... what city am I even in?"
The teenager walked past a small restaurant where he spots an elderly man trying to move some produce into the restaurant from his small car.
"Hey do you need help?" the teenager asked whilst walking up to the man.
The elderly man turns to see the teenager, his face pale at the jacket the teenager has.
"Please don't hurt me, I don't have any money but please don't hurt me!" the elderly man begs.
The teenager scoffs at the remark "Relax man, I'm not gonna hurt you I-"
"Please not my restaurant, I know I'm asking too much but don't take my restaurant it's the only thing I have left!" The elderly man interrupted.
The teenager taken aback by this responded "Relax I just wanna help you, not hurt you or your restaurant,"
"Really? But the jacket," the elderly man points out
"Really," the teenager assures the man "The jacket is not even mine,"
"So you stole a jacket belonging to one of the Yellow Storks?" The man questioned, "Are you trying to get killed?"
"I didn't steal it, I just found it," said the teenager, his left eye twitching.
The elderly man looked at the teenager not believing him. "Well if you want to help, follow me we need to hurry if I want to finish on time to start the next day ready for customers," said the old man whilst turning around
After helping the man move produce into the restaurant and clean the restaurant while being watched by the elderly man. The man walks up to the teenager.
"You're not from around here are you?" he questioned.
"How did you know?" the teenager asked.
"Your eyes," said the old man.
"What?" said the teenager "What's wrong with my eyes"
"There bright, something you don't see often in Gotham and trust me I know I've lived long enough to know," said the old man sitting on a chair "How much am I paying you for this, kid?"
"Oh you don't have to pay at all," the teenager said.
"You're going to be eaten alive in this city kid, go home. This city is mean and sick, only the truly stubborn, crazy or straight-up stupid live here and being kind won't help you. You need to be selfish and smart if you want to survive, being kind won't get you far in the long run especially when you're an outsider, so here take the money and get the hell out of this city,"
"Thanks and all but I don't need your money, I'm going to be staying here for a while so maybe give me a free meal next time I come hear? And tell me where the gang hideout is so I know which area to avoid," said the teenager.
The elderly man scoffs "Your a fast learner, you may survive after all, to the left of here there should be an abandoned storage unit and a warehouse which were used to keep some possessions of the rich that they couldn't keep in their manors or penthouses. It's about a 2-hour walk from here,"
"Jeez that's far," the teenager said.
"That's the point, you will only be near there if you're looking for trouble kid", the elderly man replied pulling out his phone, "Now unless you want to help me cook I suggest you leave kid, its almost opening time,"
"Ok then see you soon Mr?" the teenager asked
"Call me Belmont kid, everyone around here does" Belmont replies.
"Belmont. Cool name, see you soon," the teenager said as he was making his way to the door.
"Kid wait," Belmont said, "It's only proper you tell me your name as well,"
The teenager, now at the door turned around with a smirk on his face and said "Tennyson, Ben Tennyson,"
A/N
Um hey... this is the first time I am doing anything like this so I don't know what I am doing really, so constructive criticism would be appreciated. However on that note, I do not know if I will continue this or not, mainly due to me not knowing if I can keep a consistant upload schedule. With that being said why did I start this if I didn't know if i was going to continue it, mainly because helping fanfic writers with planning gives you the "urge" to do one of your own, you know who you are. This is entirley your fault.
With that being said, hopefully im able to continue this, like I said any constructive feedback is welcomed. See you again hopefully.
Also credit to MiniTennyson for the cover image.