Chapter Text
Tim knew that he should’ve called for backup. He knew he had screwed up when the portal opened behind him, but it had been clear since he stepped foot in the warehouse that he was in over his head.
He had been working this case for a little over a week, and it had led him to a warehouse down by the docks. That should’ve been the first red flag, but most shady shipments end up there. Red flag number two was the assortment of low-level street thugs and assassins. Swords and guns alike were scattered between them, some weapons more visible than others.
The variety was setting off alarm bells, but it wasn’t enough for him to call in for backup. Oracle was assisting the Birds of Prey, Cass was in Hong Kong, Nightwing was still in Blüdhaven for the day, Batman and the demon brat wouldn’t be heading out for patrol in a bit, and tensions still ran high with the Red Hood, so it wouldn’t do any good to poke that hornet's nest over a small fry bust like this. Steph might be open, but it was exam season and Tim didn’t feel the need to bother any of them.
He crept from his current rooftop over to the large side windows of the warehouse. They were grimy, but thermal imaging didn’t need them to be crystal clear. There were four guards with guns by the main entrance, and two guards by the back. There was a person in the center, likely whichever mob boss of the month was stupid enough to try something. They were directing two others with one more person off to the side.
The gunmen would have to go first. They could cause a commotion loud enough that would alert others to Tim’s presence, which would suck. He would use non-lethal force of course, but that meant he could still lose the element of surprise. The rafters it was!
Tim was already at rooftop level, and the windows meant easy access so long as they weren’t rusty. He made it in fairly easily, but a glimpse past the many crates piled relatively high revealed someone he was not excited to see. Ra’s al Ghul was standing in the center of the room.
He was here, in Gotham.
Whatever this shipment was, it was a big deal.
He turned away from the guards. If Ra’s was here, he wanted to know why. They were standing over an opened crate with a gun in it. There was something off about it, so Tim got closer. The person who had been standing off to the side was one of Ra’s ninjas. The other two appeared to just be run-of-the-mill goons, but one was speaking to Ra’s.
“There are two triggers, so it’s very important not to mix them up.” The goon that was talking seemed more likely to be some scientist if they were the one explaining how it worked. “The top one is what’s going to open the portal.” That was enough for Tim to know that this was going to get ugly. It didn’t matter how many protocols Batman could think up, portals would always be unpredictable. If he jumped down now, he’d still have the guards to worry about. But dealing with a portal gun after the fact? This bust was turning into a real pain.
Maybe he could grab all their guns without being noticed? Confusion was better than surprise by itself. There was no point if their guns went off because one of them was startled. He threw a canister of fast-acting knockout gas and moved back towards the center. Ra’s would probably notice that something was wrong, so he’d have to move quickly.
As soon as Tim got back to his previous perch, he heard a body hit the floor. Ra’s snapped his head to the front entrance, eyes alert as the rest of the guards fell.
“It seems like someone doesn’t want me to have any fun.” His stance didn’t change, but the men next to him were now tense and wary of a fight. The goon that had been with the scientist grabbed the gun out of the crate.
“I’ve got a gun and I’m not afraid to use it!” The scientist, jaw gaping, stared at the idiot he had chosen as a bodyguard.
“I don’t think that belongs to you.” Tim had chosen then as the perfect time to drop down and kick the goon in the jaw. He clutched his face and fired at Tim, “Why you little punk.” He missed of course.
Tim looked at where the shot would’ve landed behind him, and it was like peering through a window. On one of the crates, about the size of a doorway, there was a completely different scene happening on the other side. Tim had only stared at the portal for a few seconds, but it was a few seconds too long. The ninja that had been standing beside Ra’s was now right in front of him. He kicked Tim square in the chest and sent him stumbling back. Instead of hitting the crates, he tumbled through the portal.
The goon with the gun charged in after him, and the portal remained open long enough for the ninja to follow. The portal had opened up to a busy street in the middle of the afternoon, where it had been late evening in Gotham when Tim entered the warehouse.
Civilians stopped to stare, some of them taking out their phones to record the vigilante, ninja, and goon. Tim got to his feet and extended his collapsible bo staff. A circle had formed around them outside of a small coffee shop, and the portal was gone.
…
Hidden Grounds Coffee has some of the best brews in Jersey, but it wasn’t a well-known cafe, which is why I was surprised to see a crowd gathered outside the front doors and into the street. I try to push through so I can get to the door, but it feels like a crowded subway station.
“Excuse me.” One guy looks at me for a second, then looks straight back to whatever’s got people so excited. Coffee can wait a minute if people are this focused. I duck and weave my way through the crowd so I can get a better view, sticking close to the sidewalk. I end up right next to the building but at the edge of the crowd. A cheer goes up as some guy in a black and red costume gets a nice hit off on another guy dressed as a ninja.
The costume looks familiar, but I can’t quite place it cause I still can’t see the fight too well. I move up some more, but someone pushes a little and I stumble into the circle. I look up as Red Robin hits the ninja in the shins with his metal staff. It must be some cosplayers doing a stage fight, but that sounded like it hurt. He goes down for a second, and that’s when I notice the guy with the gun. It’s an odd gun with two triggers, and right now it’s aimed at Red Robin, who I’m standing behind. He sees me a few seconds after I see him, then he smirks and changes his aim.
“You seem decent at defense, vigilante, but what about protecting someone other than yourself?” He pulls the lower trigger and a ball of light hits me before Red Robin can do anything.
“No!” He runs to me, but as I lower my arms, nothing seems any different. I feel a little light-headed, but I’m more concerned about the ninja getting back up.
“Behind you!” I shout to Red Robin, who turns back. The guy with the gun hits it against his palm. “Damn stupid gun, why don’t you do anything useful?” He hits it one last time, and this time something happens. It fires, and a glowing rectangle appears on the side of the building next to me. I take a step in front of it, and there’s a darkened alley on the other side.
Turning back to the battle, I see that Red Robin has hit the ninja on the shins, again, and is wrestling the gun from the goon’s hands. “No, this belongs to the boss!” They back up towards me and the mysterious window thing. One final yank, and Red Robin has the gun. For the third time, the ninja is starting to get back up, this time with what looks like throwing knives.
“Get down!” He tackles me through the portal as knives fly through the air where our heads were. I squeeze my eyes shut, cause this sure as hell doesn’t feel like it’s fake. He gets up first, but the only reason I can tell is that the pressure on my chest is gone. Opening my eyes, I reach for my head as I start to stand.
“Ugh, that was pretty intense for a mock battle.” I look around, and the coffee shop has vanished. We’re still on a street, but it’s completely different than before. It still kinda looks like New York, just darker and older. “Two questions,” he looks to me as if realizing that I’m still here. “Where are we, and why are you cosplaying as Red Robin?”
“Cosplay?”
“Yeah? I mean, you’re dressed as Tim Drake. I’m just curious why.”
He feigns indifference. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Did I get it wrong? I thought for sure Tim was the one with the bo staff.”
His eyes narrow as he raises his staff at me. “Who are you and how did you know my name?”