Chapter Text
Dick remembers the old days like they were just two steps behind him, a shadow of his own body. Trailing him, latching onto his back even in the dead of night, even when his eyes are closed and the world is silent around him. He remembers his first day the sidekicks got together and formed a team, with all the covert missions, the break-ins, breakouts and everything else in between. Everything kept getting bigger— the team, the missions, the dreams. And then everything came crashing down.
They grew up. Dick went on to the Watchtower with the League, Zatanna joined, the rest stayed. Then, they grew apart. First he grew apart from the original team, then Zatanna, then Barbara, and then the rest of the Justice League. Bruce understood what he had to go through, the fact that he needed time on his own. I found comfort in solitude, Dick. You will too. But it’s been three years and comfort was still nowhere to be found. Somewhere along the way he realized that he would never be Bruce. Never be the same type of lone-wolf type that can stick it out in the face of adversity.
He’s faced different types of adversities along the way, sure. Bad guys. Criminals. Secret organizations. Took them all down in one fell swoop. But even then, he’s never truly suffered. Not the same way he did when—
Thunder crackles in the background, and the rain pours down harder. Dick walks faster up the stairs to his apartment block and watches the lightning strike a puddle right behind him. Might as well hit him, he thinks.
He carries the bag of groceries in one hand, fumbling with his keys in the other. Everything is slippery, even the door handle won’t turn properly when he finally gets his hands on it. Perks of coming in through the back door: no one’s there to watch you when you fuck up.
He finally manages to get inside, drops all the bags on the kitchen table and picks up the unopened letters lying on the floor. Bills. Bills. Promotion letter from a Mexican diner. More bills. A letter from Tim. He smiles to himself, the boy insists on writing letters for Christ’s sake. He’s meant to be on no-contact with anyone from the league since the Romani mission that almost killed him, but of course Tim, being Tim, discovered his nesting grounds and decided to write fortnightly letters to him.
Dick was a little suspicious at first (and shocked), but he’d recognize that immaculate handwriting anywhere. He also missed having people to talk to, running his mouth to criminals and random shopkeepers just isn’t the same as talking to what used to be his family.
Dickie-dear,
Just wanted to fill you in on what’s been going on. We’ve been taking trips to the Arctic pole ever since we’ve discovered fluctuating magnetic activity at the poles, with the League going down south. We’re trying to investigate if any of our dimensional-transfer tech has been interfering with this, Bruce wouldn’t be happy if he discovered that he’s fucked up the earth. It’s cold. I keep trying to get Conner to cuddle me at night but he goes on long walks into the mountains in a t-shirt to ‘breathe in the world’. In other words, he’s happy here and we’re doing well. M’gann misses you. Her mind-link has been getting weaker recently, with our thoughts spilling over onto each other occasionally. She won’t tell us what’s wrong. I don’t think she knows, either. Hope you’re doing well in Paris. And I know I’ve been saying this for two years now but the mansion’s always open. Bruce knows where you are, but he pretends he doesn’t. Damian keeps on trying to find out. You need to meet him soon. Before he gets big enough to take down the both of us. Stay safe, Dick. I know what you’ve been up to. Don’t do anything stupid.
Love,
Timmy
Huh. Don’t do anything stupid, says the guy who’s sneaking behind his teammates’ backs to keep in contact with a fugitive. He smiles a little at the way Tim signs with ‘Love’, as if any of the Batkids were raised to be openly affectionate. He slides the letter back into its envelope and leaves it at the table for a reply some other day.
He is curious about the situation at the poles, though. It isn’t like Bruce to miscalculate the side-effects of his own tech, especially one of such a large magnitude. He decides to look into it further on his computer. Looks like it’s going to be a night of drilling through physics. If only… if only Wally was here, he’d love doing the research. Hell, he’d get it done in about five minutes and everything would be solved. Everything would be fine if Wally—
Stop it, Dick. He’s not here. He’s never coming back.
Dick eventually falls asleep on his table with an empty coffee mug and the blue light of his computer reflecting off his glasses. It’s not until about 9 in the morning when the sunlight starts creeping in, and he starts getting a series of alerts on the computer screen. He jolts out of his seat, leaning forward to examine the map on the screen.
More magnetic activity from the Arctic pole. Dick wants to investigate, but that’s practically impossible all the way from here. He’s survived two years without going back but… the situation seems to be escalating. If Bruce is getting bothered about this, then it must be something. He tries to deny the tiny feelings of excitement simmering on the surface, but he starts getting caught up in thinking about seeing everyone else. M’gann, Tim, Conner, Kaldur? Will Kaldur be there? He’s assuming he would, since the entire place is basically water and ice.
He suits up in his Nightwing gear and starts packing the essentials, weapons and computers. Never really lost touch of his tech skills, even with the lack of resources, being on the run and all. That’s something he can pride himself on. Now, onto basic Arctic gear… He can’t really say that he’s been stocking up on that over the past two years, and without Bruce’s storage supply filled with everything in the world ever, this might be a little difficult. It's a good thing Dick knew a lot of people who owed him favours, one of those being a high-speed jet plane.
-
With a couple of minutes left on the flight, Dick decides to contact Tim through the comm. He's installed his personal software on the plane so he'd be able to do access his contacts without inputting anything manually. This will definitely be a surprise to Tim, hopefully in a good way. Kind of like the call you get when you win the lottery, not that that’s ever happened before, but.
"Heeey Timmy," Dick sings.
"Dick? Holy— is that really you?" Tim yells through the comm. Dick hears the sound of a roaring blizzard behind him. "Hey guys, it's Dick!"
Dick chuckles in response. "Yeah, it’s me, flying right across the Arctic. Just wanted to let you know that I'll be dropping by soon. Hey, by the way, you got any extra polar gear?"
"I can't believe you're coming," Tim laughs, glee spilling through his voice. "And sure, of course we do. Will need to make modifications to keep your Nightwing brand alive though, but that shouldn't be a problem."
"Thanks Tim, you're the best." Dick has always admired Tim’s selflessness, it’s one of his best traits.
The screen in front of him starts beeping. He's in the right area, time to land. He lowers the plane and the view in front of him, large mountains all covered in a thick blanket of white. In the middle, he sees the tents set up by the team, all surrounding what looks to be a giant energy surge coming through the ice. Snow is rolling around in a circular motion in the center of the power surge, he hasn't seen anything like it in years. The last time one of those happened, it didn't end well.
"Yeah, we see your plane, Dickie. Bad timing for you to drop by, actually. Try landing it in the corner of the mountain on the left, you wouldn't want to get sucked into whatever that thing is," Tim says.
"Do you guys know what it actually is?" Dick asks, steering his plane to the side. He sees Tim peeking out from one of the tents and looking up at him.
"Not a clue. Zatanna and Barbara are here trying to read its activity, but there's nothing."
"I'll find out what it is," Dick says. None of this is adding up, but something in the pit of his stomach tells him that it will soon. He isn’t sure if that’s what he really wants.
"You sound just like Bats,” Tim sniggers. Dick takes it anyway.
He manages to land his plane in the right spot, despite it being somewhat of a rough landing. The doors open and Bart comes speeding in before he even manages to take a step out. He's actually been looking forward to this, sort of.
“Heyyy Nightwing! So good to see you again! How have you been? Where have you been? Timmy’s been keeping all sorts of secrets about you, don’t think I didn’t know that you two have been in contact— speedster’s sense! But anyway, so glad you’re back! Lots of weird stuff going around here, and I know you’re probably already used to that but, I mean really weird stuff. Hey, do you wanna check out the blueprints for my new time-travelling machine?” Bart’s smiling up at him with those bright eyes, then starts zipping around his jet to check out the place.
“Hey Kid—“ Dick almost finishes that with the word Flash, but it just feels wrong, like some type of betrayal almost. “Hey, Bart. Don’t worry, I’ve been alright. I heard about the magnetic activity, any clue as to what it is? We could use a bit of your future insight right now. Also, we can possibly hold off the time-travelling machine for another day if that’s okay.”
“If that’s okay with you, then it’s a-okay with me!” Bart speeds back to him. “Also, from my knowledge, never seen anything like this. Not since Wally, um… you know.”
Dick notices the way Bart slows down his last few words and put a hand on his shoulder. They both walk out to see the rest of the team greeting them. Cassie, Conner, Jamie, Garth, Tim and Rocket are all there.
“Dick!” M’gann yells, levitating towards him and gripping him in a hug. “We’ve missed you so much.”
Bialya. Memories of the team being trapped in the desert with no recollection as to why they were there. Glimpses of Kid Flash and Artemis running through the desert fighting a rampaging Superboy in the dead of night.
He snaps out of it. He feels a pang in his head, but it goes away quickly. Looking up at M’gann, he sees the horror in her face.
“I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. My telepathy has been messing up lately, I’ve asked J’onn for help but he doesn’t know what’s happening either.”
“How long has it been going on for?” Dick asks.
“About a month or two,” M’gann replies. “Ever since the magnetic activity, really.”
“And J’onn hasn’t been affected?”
“Not as far as I know,” M’gann says, face falling. “But enough about me, let’s get you in one of the tents. We need to get you changed.”
“Some people are excited to see you,” Tim says from behind M’gann.
“And who might those people be?”
“Your absolute faves, apart from me of course.” Tim smiles, and Dick just nods slowly in mock appreciation. He walks past Conner, who looks at him with warmth. He looks exactly the same as he did three years ago.
“Hey,” he says quietly. “Good to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back,” Dick chirps. “Everything going well? Tim’s told me about you guys.”
Conner blushes. His eyes start shifting from left to right. “Yeah, that just kind of happened. Is that weird for you? I mean, you guys are practically brothers.”
Dick laughs heartily. “So are we, Conner. I don’t think it gets any weirder than that. I’m glad you two are taking care of each other, though.”
“Yeah, me too.” Dick had missed Conner more than he expected. They never talked much, with Conner being consistently stoic and Dick being focused on The Mission at all times, but they shared a strong type of bond that went beyond words. Maybe it was setting him free from C.A.D.M.U.S all those years ago, but Dick had always noticed how Conner felt as comfortable in his presence as he did in his.
They enter the tent as Tim digs through their stockpile of polar gear. He hasn’t had time to add in those Nightwing colour mods, but that should be fine for now. Dick wouldn’t exactly pride himself in being in an all-white leotard, but hey, if that’s what the job needs. He trudges through the blizzard with the rest of the team to meet Zatanna and Barbara in the middle of the bluish-green energy surge growing through the ice.
“It still looks like it’s contained,” Dick says, examining the center of it. “It’s growing, but its spherical shape is locking it in the ground.”
“Huh. So you’re saying it’s just going to get worse? Wouldn’t want to stick around for that,” Bart retorts.
“It’s good to see you too, boy wonder,” Barbara turns to the side and gives him a little salute. She’s trying to read the magnetic force on her holographic pad, doing all the calculations he used to do.
“Babs,” Dick smiles at her, then nods to Zatanna. “I see she’s a little busy over there.”
He watches Zatanna meditating right beside the energy orb, floating in between the swirling snow and wind with bright, glowing blue eyes. She isn’t chanting any incantations at the moment, but she seems to be deeply focused on something.
“Yeah, she’s on wizard mode at the moment. Been at it a while,” Barbara says.
“I’ve heard that’s not the only thing she’s been at for a while,” Dick smirks, which earns him a solid punch in the stomach.
“Ow,” Dick groans, rubbing his torso.
“Stop it,” Barbara grits. “I forgot how annoying you were.”
“I can’t imagine what that’s like. Bringing Conner and Zatanna home to meet Bats. Does he dress up in full costume at the dinner table? I’ve clearly been missing out on a lot.”
“You think you’re so funny, ha-ha.” She leans in closer to him and says, “Bruce absolutely adores her. He gets on well with Conner too. They don’t really speak, just sit there reading books together. Or punch things occasionally. Might do you well to have some bonding time with the big man.”
Just as Dick tries to come up with some form of a retort, a shockwave hits all of them— a giant pulse aimed directly into their minds. Dick's head is throbbing and everything hurts, he falls to the snowy ground along with the rest of the team. His mind can't stay silent, it's as if he can feel everyone's pain. Overlapping, cumulative feelings of every single mind being twisted and stretched to their limits.
"M'gann!" Dick yells, but she's nowhere in sight. He can't even move his head, much less his entire body to go look for her. The flashbacks start again.
This time, she brings back memories of everything. Every single moment they've spent together since the day they met, kind of like what she showed them when the team lost their memories in Bialya. He gets glimpses of everything at once, and it's so heavy its physically weighing down his entire body to the ground. It's not just his memories either; it’s the entire team's. Every interaction M'gann has had with a person, every single moment of suffering, of joy, of mourning rushes through all of their minds at once.
"Sucof ruoy sthguoht!" Zatanna manages to chant, and everything stops.
The memories are replaced with a vague image of a red and yellow storm, similar to the one in the blizzard in front of them. The place appears to be desolate, empty, as if it isn't tethered to any type of land. They're still in M'gann's mind, but this isn't a memory that Dick recognizes. It feels like... more like a telepathic connection. But with who?
"Laever flesruoy!" Zatanna chants again, and this time, a voice replies.
"Let me out!" the voice yells, and Dick's heart drops. No. That can't be who he thought it was. He looks around and everyone's eyes are fixed on him. Even M'gann looks shocked when he finally sees her behind him. She levitates towards the energy source, holding hands with Zatanna in the air.
"Where is he?" Dick yells, unable to contain himself. "Where is he?"
I don't know. Zatanna's trying to locate him within the energy force. She says she feels his energy, but his physical body remains unseen.
Dick feels his chest heaving, like a million tonnes of metal strapped onto his beating, trying heart. Can you see him? M'gann, you have to get him out.
I— I don't know where he is. You're already in my mind, I can only see as much as you can at the moment.
M'gann!
Nightwing! Stop being a complete dick to M'gann. I can feel him in there, and he's alive. He's struggling to come out, but he's still fighting hard.
I could possibly mind-link with him on a stronger level and phase inside the energy sphere, but I'd need to cut off contact with the rest of you.
Everyone looks at M'gann disapprovingly. They all know that that would be too dangerous. What if she gets sucked into the sphere and never comes back? What then? They can't afford to lose another teammate at this point. Not after everything they've sacrificed. Especially not while trying to get Wally back. Her life isn’t a sacrifice for his. Dick knows there's only one thing left to do.
"I'll come with you," he says. "I'll phase in there with you. Zatanna can give me protective cover, but keep me connected to him."
"Like that'll work," Tim scoffs.
"I can talk to him. M'gann's mind may be wide open but the density of information may be too overwhelming for him to read through. He'll recognize me. And if anything goes wrong, I tap out for Zatanna to pull us out of there."
"That's actually not a bad idea," Zatanna says.
"We'll try to stabilize the energy from outside for as long as we can," Rocket says. Dick’s forgotten what it feels like to have a network of support around him, people who have his back no matter what. It feels good. It feels human.
"Thanks guys," Dick replies. He takes a deep breath and holds M'gann's hand. She carries him up and into the pulsing centre.
Alright, we're doing this. Ready? M'gann checks in on him one more time.
More than ever. This isn’t going to be like the last time, he tells himself. He’s going to get him out alive. He’s going to get him back.