Worlds Away

The November air was as cold as Peter thought it would be, and he was grateful for the heaters installed in his suit. He glanced at Jason, Tim, and Cass, praying hoping that nothing would go wrong. The four Bats watched as Harley and Ivy walked up to the building, saying the code word (“Lane’s End”) to whoever was behind the door, and were let in. Tim pulled a device out of his utility belt, offering it to Peter. Peter recognized the little listening device that the others were wearing and shook his head.

“No offense, but I don’t really trust tech over my own senses. Not since…” Peter sucked in a breath. “Nevermind. Just, I’m good, thanks.”

The domino couldn’t mask Tim’s concern (could barely mask anything if you asked Peter), but he didn’t argue and tucked it back into his belt. Peter sucked in a breath and could feel his heart rate increase the second his aunts were out of his sight. He listened intently to the chatter and to the two women’s heartbeats, listening for anything that might go wrong. There were loud, echoing footsteps, and the chatter died down. 

“Welcome, my fellow Cadre members,” Luthor greeted. “And welcome to those who have decided to join our ranks. Thanks to your donations and your efforts, the machine is going along splendidly, and should be complete by the end of this year. In the meantime, there are still magic users left to be captured, though we only have about a hundred left thanks to you and your teammates in other sectors of the world. I truly could not do this without you, friends. With that said, we shall keep you updated and I will see you all next week. The code for next time is ‘junior, not senior.’”

Peter let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as the villains streamed out of the building, idly chatting with one another. The four heroes communicated silently, heading across the rooftops towards Robinson Park. Peter was quiet as he swung, finally landing in front of the greenhouse. The plants opened immediately for him, making Peter smile a little. Peter led the three inside to the couch, where they sat down and waited. 

“You alright, Pete?” Jason asked. 

Peter nodded, letting out a shaky breath. “I just don’t… I don’t want to lose any more aunts, you know?”

“They’re pretty tough, Pete, they can handle themselves.”

“I’m not saying they can’t, I just… I know,” Peter finished lamely, taking off his mask and running his hands through his hair. “I just worry, that’s all.”

Cass rubbed his shoulder soothingly, which Peter melted against. He smiled at her gratefully and stared at the plant walls of the makeshift apartment, memorizing the way the vines twisted and curled around one another. 

“No one suspected a thing,” Harley said, walking through the entrance with Ivy in tow. 

Peter leapt to his feet and engulfed the two women in a hug, which they gladly returned. They broke apart and looked at the three Bats. “You heard all that, right?” Ivy asked.

The four heroes nodded. 

“Good. Then you don’t need a recap. If that’s everything?” Ivy asked, eyebrow raised. 

Harley nudged her girlfriend and shrugged apologetically. “Sorry kiddos, she’s just a little nervous about so many Bats being in her sanctuary.”

“Entirely understandable,” Tim said. “Thank you for this, truly. We’ll be out of your hair now.”

Tim stood and headed out, with Cass and Jason in tow. Peter looked between his aunts and the heroes, sighing as he turned to Ivy. “Are you okay with a bit of company for a while?”

Ivy’s shoulders lowered slightly, smiling at Peter. “If it’s you, always. Don’t feel pressure to stay here, though.”

Peter jogged up to Tim and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll walk you guys out.”

“You’re staying?”

“Just for a bit. I just…” want to get as much time in as possible, in case anything happens. 

Tim smiled understandingly. “I get it. See you in a bit.”

They stopped at the entrance and Peter received hugs from the three, and then they were gone. Peter sped back to his aunts, who he hugged again for good measure. “Think you could help Harley chop some veggies?” Ivy asked. 

Peter nodded and got to work, reveling in the feeling of warmth that came from family, trying to hold it as close as he could.

The lights in the office turned on, and Tim gently spun around in the office chair. “Good evening, Mr. Luthor.”

Lex barked a laugh. “Isn’t this act a bit overdone, Red Robin?”

“Not as overdone as starting yet another supervillain club, Lex.”

Lex furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb, we have footage from one of your little meetings.” Tim broadcasted the camera feed to Lex’s holographic computer, which Tim sent over to play in front of Luthor.

As soon as Luthor walked on stage, Lex jerked his head back, his eyes wide. “Where did you get this?” he demanded.

Tim narrowed his eyes. “You should know, you were there.”

“Don’t you see, you fool?! That’s not me!”

“Then who else could it be, Lex?”

“Hell if I know,” the billionaire snarled. “I don’t know what you think you’re trying to do, but faking evidence is low, even for you.”

“It’s not faked, I assure you.”

“Then what is it? What do you want, money?”

Tim laughed dryly. “I have no need for that. What I want is the truth: why are you doing this again? And why magic users? Is this another ploy to take Superman down? I thought you stopped those.”

“I did!” Lex was just about yelling now. “If no one but me is smart enough to see the danger that man poses, fine! I have things to focus on besides him! That man is not me. ”

Tim narrowed his eyes. The lights in the office flickered, and when they turned back on, the hero was gone, swinging out the open window.

Spider-Man and Red Robin raced through the streets, chasing Scarecrow as the thin man ran into a warehouse. Peter lunged forward, trying to grab the bit of tech from the thin man, only for it to be snatched back by a globular, dripping hand. Peter could hear Tim’s breath hitch as Clayface and Penguin stepped out of the shadows. Penguin smirked nastily and fired a small missile at the pair using his umbrella, which the heroes dove away from. 

Taking a couple bombs from Scarecrow, Clayface launched them at Tim, who landed a solid kick in the chest to Penguin, who squawked and went down. Clayface managed to get ahold of Peter’s foot and started slowly oozing up Peter’s leg as he fought to get away. “Come on, little spider,” he gurgled. “You’ve got an appointment with Lex.”

Peter webbed a nearby rafter and yanked himself out of Clayface, kicking off the excess and shuddering. 

“That’s nasty!” Spider-Man yelled, catching a net that Penguin somehow shot out of his umbrella and tossing it onto Scarecrow. The weighted ends of the trick net magnetized and clung together, securing Scarecrow to the wall of the warehouse.

Red Robin threw a nitrogen pellet at Clayface, who was again trying to reach Peter. The ice froze him in place, and Tim threw a bola at Penguin’s feet, sending the man to the ground once again with a grunt. Peter landed next to Tim, who held out his hand for a high five. Peter returned it solidly.

“Why did they just go after you?” Tim wondered. “Clayface said you had an appointment with Lex.”

Peter sighed and webbed Scarecrow and Penguin to the wall in case they got any ideas. “I don’t know, man. Maybe… Raven said I have a strong magical energy signature around me. Maybe they’re mistaking me for a magic user?”

Tim hummed and pressed a button on his suit, contacting Gordon no doubt. He pulled the tech piece from Scarecrow’s grasp and examined it. Peter joined him and the two studied the piece for a moment. “It looks like the kind of stuff that Dr. Stone used to work on at his lab in New York. Maybe S.T.A.R. Labs were creating something similar?”

“Dr. Stone, that name sounds familiar… Oh!” Peter cocked his head to the side curiously. “Like Cyborg’s last name. Is that Cyborg’s dad?”

Tim nodded. “He worked on interdimensional portals, but had to stop over seven years ago.”

“Why?”

“His wife was killed when a creature came through. It almost killed his son, had he not worked to make Cyborg… well, Cyborg.”

Peter whistled. “Dang, man.”

“I looked into his research years ago, and this looks like his old work.”

“Wonder what Luthor wants with it.”

“I wonder what Luthor wants with you. ”

Peter sighed. “Me too.”