Disclaimer: not mine

Anyone know how to fix an external hard drive for the PS5? It froze while playing FFXV, had to shut the PS5 down. It now says the USB is damaged, repairs it, but then doesn't register that it exists once the console is on. I've tried everything suggested, unplugging everything and then re-plugging, rebuilding the database in safe mode. Can't reformat the drive in settings since it's not registering it. It does show up when plugged into my Macbook but I can't do anything to is as the laptop claims it's not compatible. The majority of my games are saved on that thing!

Chapter 3

Tim woke slowly, feeling safe and content, and then he realised he was wrapped in familiar arms, able to smell Dick's scent all around him. Dick was breathing evenly but Tim could tell that he was awake.

"Mornin' baby bird," Dick murmured.

"Morning," he returned but then yawned, Dick chuckling.

Dick loosened his grip, moving, and then his morning thermos was being pressed into his hand.

"Did you stay all day?" he asked once he was done, licking his lips to remove any drops.

"Other than a check-up, B brought meals up to me," Dick answered. "Didn't want to leave you."

"Dick…it was fear toxin. I remember what it was like, I know you're not normally scared of me." He curled into Dick, resting his head over his heart. "I wish I didn't remember," he admitted softly, and Dick hugged him tight.

"It wasn't you Tim, I knew it at the time. It was your body yes, but everything that makes you who you are was gone. Your Sire made sure of that, she knew you would never willingly do any of that, that you would have fought her with everything you had if she'd allowed you either memory or the ability to truly think for yourself. The whole time, I focused on getting through to the real you, having that goal made it easier. After Bernard snuck me the lock picks it got better because I knew it was possible for you to remember since he had. When you let go of my hand and wouldn't move away from the warehouse…watching you burn to death… that was worse than anything I went through in there."

Tim clung tighter, closing his eyes against tears, feeling Dick press a kiss to his hair.

"I spent years in therapy Tim, dealing with what happened between us and my guilt for your death. Even with everything she made you do, you were…gentle, other than some malnutrition and muscle loss I was physically better off than anyone expected once they knew what was going on. I am not afraid of you Tim, I've never been. You're my little brother and I love you."

Tim bit back a sob. "I would never do that to you, never," he whispered. "We're brothers! And she made me want…"

"I know," whispered, stroking his hair and back, comforting. "I would have suffered that and more a thousand times over to save you Timmy. I will always try to save you."

Tim moved up to nuzzle at his brothers' throat, Dick tipping his head to the side a little, showing complete trust.

"You can if you want," he murmured, and Tim stiffened slightly. "I trust you Tim, I know you have your feeding under control."

,

He felt Tim stiffen slightly, but he kept his hand at the back of Tim's head, petting his hair, holding his head there. He meant it, he knew Tim had full control of his bloodlust. He didn't think Tim had bitten anyone since his return from the League of Assassins, relying solely on the bags they supplied, and he knew from Bernard that biting was very different to just drinking from a cup, more fulfilling somehow. Bart had let Bernard bite him a few times and apparently a few sips was like drinking several bags worth.

"Dick," Tim's voice was tense, a slight tremor to it, and he wondered how much of his instincts Tim still hid around them.

He'd noticed the change as Tim's memory had returned, assumed that it was because he was remembering and that he'd find a balance. And for the most part he had, except when it came to feeding. He still tried to act mostly human around them, faking breathing, shifting about, things he hadn't done when he first came home and had to relearn. He thought that maybe the fact he didn't spend much time with Bernard, his sole remaining Nestmate wasn't helping either but he couldn't blame Tim for not wanting to see his one-time boyfriend and old schoolmate together.

Dick gently pressed on Tim's head, pushing him closer to his throat. He heard Tim inhale deeply and then his lips were on Dick's throat. "That's it, it's okay," he whispered, and then sharp fangs sank into his skin. It was different to how he remembered since he was fully conscious and aware. Tim was very careful of his mental abilities and Dick would never ask him to use them on him or anyone, understanding he had a lot of trauma there even if he didn't consciously remember what his Sire had done to him, Tim remembered what he'd done to Dick and others over the years. So there was some pain but it was easy enough to ignore, it wasn't as bad as the first time he'd been fed from by the group, before Tim had become his main visitor in the warehouse.

Tim clung tight to him, instinctive to keep him from pulling away? But Dick kept his body loose, breathing slow and deep, his fingers gently petting Tim's hair still. Just before he figured he'd start feeling lightheaded, he felt Tim licking the wound, sealing it. Tim waited a few seconds before shifting back and Dick knew he'd been licking his lips and teeth clean where Dick couldn't see.

"Are you okay?" Tim asked, studying him.

"Not even lightheaded," Dick assured him, gently ruffling his hair.

Since Tim didn't move in his sleep, he didn't have to worry about bedhead so much anymore. No sleep in his eyes or drool, nothing, he got to wake up looking as fresh as a daisy. So unfair. But the things he'd lost in exchange…

"Well, with donating blood, I guess I'll be wearing the cowl tonight and you'll be relaxing," Tim smirked at him.

Dick mock glared at him but got out of bed, leaving Tim to shower.

,

Bruce was relieved to see Dick and Tim come downstairs together. He'd watched their footage, seen Dick's terror. It had been very easy to realise what the toxin was making him see. And seeing Tim on Dick's footage, even with his face hidden his devastation had been obvious. Strangely Tim didn't go to get his breakfast, instead making sure Dick sat and ate…oh! He hadn't expected that but he supposed it was the best way for Dick to prove to Tim that he trusted him.

He'd need to alter the patrol routes for the night since there was no way Dick was patrolling after letting Tim feed. Tim would insist on taking his place as Batman then, that left Batgirl and Red Hood. Someone was always Red Hood now; the camera inference was still happening and it was on the edges of his territory. So he would pair him with Batgirl, Batman and Kestrel would work individually.

Duke helped at night in emergencies but he was also almost finished with college and patrolled less during the day to focus on his studies. Cass wasn't in Gotham at the moment so that ruled her out. But Supernova and Orioles were available as backup if needed. He preferred them to not take the field in Gotham too often, a Super in the city was likely to push the Rogues to come up with new ideas to handle him.

,

Kon laughed as he chased Bernard across the rooftops. Both were on alert though; they still hadn't found the source of the stange blood like fluid that Tim had found. Fighting Bane with Ber the other night had been fun, the poor guy hadn't been expecting two opponents who could hit so hard.

He knew Dick had been dosed with fear toxin but Tim had handled it. He'd heard Dick's heart racing madly from across the city but they'd been too busy with the fight for him to leave and help. He knew all the bats now, as well as he'd once known Tim's biorhythms. Now, Bernard and Tim could hide from him so easily as long as they didn't speak.

Bernard dodged with a laugh, turning to lunge at him, and Kon caught him around the waist, hovering a few feet in the air. Bernard kissed him, arms around his neck, and Kon kissed back.

,

Tim frowned and then moved cautiously closer. His eyes widened in shock even as he pulled out a sample tube. It looked the same as the 'blood' he had found before. Blood that even the Batcomputer was still struggling to analyse. There was human DNA in it, but they couldn't separate it out enough to run.

This though…this was still wet. Tim took a deep breath, searching for a scent he could track even as he began searching for another spot of blood. He moved silently, calling up all his abilities to move without being noticed. If this was Ra's then the man would get what he deserved for what he'd done to the family over the decades. Tim hadn't killed since leaving the League but he'd make an exception for that bastard. He knew Jason and even Dick agreed with him.

,

He stirred, feeling a cold breath building in his throat, but it didn't fully form, confusing him. If it was someone looking for a fight then he was in serious trouble. He couldn't fight off Boxy at the moment. He needed to move again, struggling to stand, but then he froze. Every hair on his neck was standing on end, he felt…hunted. Something was out there and it wasn't human.

He struggled to his feet but then fell back. He wasn't healing, why wasn't he healing? He was so tired.

,

Tim landed on the ledge, glancing around, spotting the little spots of green fluid. And…there! He slipped into the abandoned building, the scent so much stronger now, strong enough to follow. He did so, finding that whoever, whatever, he was tracking had tried to hide the bleeding.

He found a door and carefully pushed it open, wincing when it squeaked. The room was dark…except for a pair of glowing green eyes. He tensed, hearing a soft hiss of warning, a sound he had never heard from Jason but from other vampires. And yet…there! A heartbeat, but far too slow to be healthy.

"Hello?" he called softly, glad he was dressed as Blackbird and didn't have to act like Batman or Red Hood. "It's alright, I won't hurt you."

Even with his eyesight, the figure pressed into the corner was difficult to make out and he switched the vision mode on his mask. Thermal showed the person was colder than they should be, not vampire cold, but hypothermic.

"I'm Blackbird, I work with Batman. I have medical supplies, can I come closer?" Whoever this was, they were not acting like someone from the League would, even injured. But they appeared to be the source of the liquid. Had they been exposed to a Lazarus Pit outside of Ra's' control? He knew some existed but they were very rare.

The figure pressed into the wall more and Tim heard a soft, pained whimper. They smelt…strange to him, definitely not a vampire though. But there was something off about them, something that didn't seem quite human.

"Can I come closer? I promise, I won't hurt you," Tim called, keeping his voice soft and gentle. "Let's make it a little easier to see in here, alright?" He changed the setting again so he didn't blind himself and then drew out one of the emergency light sticks and snapped it to activate it.

Finally, he could see the other. They looked about the same physical age but the stranger was a mess. Looking him over, Tim felt sick. What had been done to him? Lank black and white hair fell about a too thin face dominated by the glowing eyes.

"Can you understand me?" he asked gently. If they had been through what he suspected, there was no guarantee they retained any ability to comprehend, and he might not even speak English, they could be from anywhere.

To his relief, the other jerked their head in a nod, eyes fixed on him. Slowly, Tim reached for his medical supplies, showing them to him.

"Let me help you?"

Glowing eyes darted between Tim's face and the supplies and he could practically feel the terror radiating off him, could smell it.

"Is there something I can call you? You're name or something else?"

The other just kept staring at him, then his lips parted and all that came out was a soft whimper.

"Would you like some water?" he offered, he always carried at least one sealed bottle for emergency use for the others or victims. He pulled the bottle out, making sure he could see it was sealed.

A hesitant, trembling hand reached out before pulling back but then reached out again. Tim carefully placed the bottle in his hand, gently curling shaking fingers around it.

He heard his comm crackle and sae them flinch, enhanced senses? He quickly triple clicked it to let Oracle know that he was fine but busy. "Just another bat checking on me, I've turned it off now. It's just you and me."

The other finally got the cap off, sniffing at the water before taking a careful sip. At least they could drink water, other than that he only had blood on him.

"You're actively bleeding, can I at least wrap the wounds?"

To his relief, the other boy nodded nervously. Tim moved as slowly as he could, carefully placing gauze pads over the wounds he could see and then wrapping the bandages. He stopped every time the other tensed or whimpered in pain. He was shocked to find a soft purr coming from himself but it seemed to be doing the job, his patient slowly slumping against the wall, eyelids drooping.

"Don't go to sleep on me," he murmured. "You've lost a lot of blood."

,

This…this was the one who gave him the feeling of being hunted. A vigilante. He didn't know this one but the main ones known from Gotham were Batman and Robin. He was terrified, he couldn't defend himself, couldn't fight. But…their voice was soft, gentle and then he began making an almost familiar sound. He couldn't help it as exhaustion sank deep into his body, causing him to slump.

"Don't go to sleep on me," Blackbird murmured. "You've lost a lot of blood."

He didn't know the half of it.

,

Babs frowned; Tim had shut off his comm. His trackers were still active though and he hadn't hit the panic button. She checked who was nearby, Jason was Hood tonight and not too far so she called him to let him know Tim was off coms. Better safe than sorry if he needed sudden backup.

,

"D…Da…" the soft stutter took him by surprise and Tim looked up. He carefully pressed the water bottle to the teens lips getting him to take a few more sips. "Da…nn…y."

"Danny," he whispered, smiling gently. "Is whoever did this to you near?" he hated asking but it was necessary, he had to know if there was a fight heading for them. If so, he'd have to call for backup. But Danny tiredly shook his head.

"Alright. Will you let me take you somewhere better? I've got a safehouse not too far away. You could sleep in a bed, have warm food, I'd say a shower but with these injuries it'll be a sponge bath. Clean clothes too."

He didn't like his life signs at all but for all he knew, they were normal for Danny. He seriously doubted he'd consent to Tim calling Leslie though, not when he was wearing a ribbed lab coat. A meta taken for experimentation? The building wasn't secure, too cold and exposed as well. If he wasn't tracked and found then he was at risk of getting very sick.

"Please Danny, let me help you." He carefully wiped some blood from Danny's cheek, surprised when the other leant into his touch slightly. How long since the poor guy had been touched without violence?

Wary green eyes watched him and then slowly, Danny nodded. So Tim detached his cape, wrapping it around him.

Tim smiled and then moved to get an arm under his knees, the other around his back. "I'm going to pick you up now," he warned before standing slowly.

Danny's weight was negligent…far too light for his apparent age. He needed to get him to safety, fast. He moved a bit faster than was probably explainable but even with his suit on, Danny could probably feel that there wasn't much of a difference in their body temperature. Danny was definitely too cold for a healthy human teen. He felt shaking arms trying to cling to him as he ran and he made sure his cape stayed wrapped around the teen.

He made it to the safehouse and carefully settled Danny on the couch before activating the security. Tim then grabbed the full medical kit, towels, and a bowl of warm water with a mild soap. Then he went and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a shirt as well. He set everything up and then knelt down, helping Danny to get free of his cape.

"Do you have any head wounds?" he asked since there was blood on his face, but Danny seemed pretty out of it. "Alright, I'm going to examine you as gently as I can."

He kept talking gently as he began looking Danny over. He froze when he removed the ratty clothing to reveal something that made him feel sick. Someone…someone had Vivisected Danny. He tended all of the wounds and cleaned Danny up as best as he could before dressing him in the clean clothing, piling blankets on top of him to let him rest.

Tim retreated to the bathroom and removed his domino to splash his face with water, clutching the sink, shaking. They would have to find whoever had done this; they had to be stopped. He turned his comm back on, knowing Bab's wasn't going to be happy with him, none of them would.

"Blackbird?" Oracle's voice came through immediately.

"I'm fine Oracle," he knew his voice was tight. "I found the source of the strange blood. It's…a teenager. What they've done to him…" he choked out. "He's terrified and very weak, I managed to get him to trust me enough to give basic first aid. They…they vivisected him." He couldn't throw up but he sure felt like he was going to.

He was met by silence for several long seconds.

"What do you need?" she asked gently.

"Food good for someone recovering, I don't exactly stock it in my safehouses. I don't think he'll let Dr T examine him. The cuts, the torn lab coat…I don't think he'll trust any doctor. But if he gets any worse there might be no choice."

"If you do need her, I'll warn her to leave the coat behind," Oracle promised.

"I think he's either a meta or alien too, I'll take precautions but right now, a kitten could take him out."

"Understood. I'll start digging into labs that might be willing to break the law."

"So, Cadmus and Luthor first?" he managed to tease, and she chuckled.

"I'll call Hood about the food and to take the watch once the sun's up."

"Thanks."

TBC…