Even if Young Justice comes back, I will not own it

Hear the voice of the Bard,
Who present, past, and future, sees;
Whose ears have heard the Holy Word
That walked among the ancient trees

Calling the lapséd soul,
And weeping in the evening dew;
That might control the starry pole,
And fallen, fallen light renew

Gotham City

March 18, 2011 23:23 EST

Tonight was going to be big. It wasn't just that the Young Justice team was finally being deployed on more dangerous and difficult missions after their success on the Watchtower this past New Year's Eve. Or that tonight they were scouring their youngest member's city led by Batman himself. It wasn't often that the Batman let the team into Gotham, much less for something as mundane as patrol, so the opportunity was special in and of itself. The night sky above Gotham seemed to glimmer and, despite all the filth and grime, the city seemed almost magical. There was something special about tonight, they could feel it.

The Team watched as the Dynamic Duo ran just ahead of them, running and jumping off rooftops with such ease that they looked like a part of the city itself. Members of Young Justice exchanged little glances with each other as they watched Batman and Robin balance each other perfectly. One day, they told themselves, their team would have that sort of instinctual rapport as well.

Batman suddenly stopped on the edge of the tall, decorated building while Robin kept going and lightly perched on the head of a gargoyle. The tips of his toes hovered over the edge leading to the street hundreds of feet below but the boy didn't seem bothered by it. He merely cocked a head at his mentor with a barely disguised smile. It was no secret that the nights out in Gotham with the Team were his favorite.

"Are we doing the usual route? Up Morrison Street then heading down Park Row around midnight before hitting the docks?" Robin asked, taking in a lingering view of his city. "I haven't heard anything on the police scanners and it seems pretty quiet out there tonight."

"I agree," Batman nodded curtly. "Let me check in with the League before we conclude the evening's patrol. Following that, we'll reconvene back at the Mountain."

Robin's eyebrows arched as a playful grin appeared on his face. "It'll be too late for any training, so could we all watch a movie after?" Behind him, the Team perked up at the rare thought of a relaxing evening together.

Batman gave him protégé the barest hint of a teasing smile. "That depends entirely on how well you and your team perform on the rest of patrol." Robin grinned and turned to give his friends an eager thumbs up while the Batman addressed his radio. "Batman to Watchtower, is there anything on your end or can we make this an early night?" He asked, giving the boy at his side a subtle glance. For just that one moment, everything was perfect. What followed was something else entirely.

The surrounding area began to quake violently and the air pressure became unbearably heavy. Robin stumbled a bit and was pulled back off the gargoyle and onto the rooftop by Batman before he could fall. Robin didn't have a chance to thank his mentor as the man was already back to his radio. "Batman to Watchtower, we're experiencing some heavy disturbances in Gotham, requesting immediate back-up." He barked into the radio only to growl when static was the only response he received.

"Batman," M'gann said as she floated herself a few feet in the air and watched as the entire city went dark. "I think whatever is happening is coming from over there." She said, trying to keep herself calm when every inch of her was crawling with discomfort. There was something wrong happening over there, someone was breaking down natural laws that should not be tampered with. As much as she wanted to get far, far away from the unsettling sensation, she knew whatever this was needed to be stopped.

The rest of the Team's attention was drawn towards what looked to be midtown Gotham where all the commotion seemed to be originating from. Bright flashes in the sky followed by loud crack of what sounded like thunder that tingled with an electric energy. The air was tense and they knew that nothing good would come of this spectacle.

"Kid Flash, Miss Martian, head to the origin of the disturbance as quickly as you can, get a read on the situation and try to contain whatever is happening if you are able. Robin, Artemis, maintain a perimeter around the area and minimize civilian injuries. Aqualad, Superboy, the two of you will follow me as we catch up to Miss Martian and Kid Flash. I'll keep trying to contact the League. Miss Martian, establish a mental link so the Team can remain in contact." Batman broke in sternly, dictating orders that no one dared to question. With one last one long look at his mentor, Robin took out his grappling gun and disappeared into the night followed quickly by Artemis. The others took that as signal to leave as well.

'Mental link established,' Miss Martian mentally stated as the six members of Young Justice and Batman linked up. She bit her lip as she followed behind Wally's speed trail. 'Just be careful guys, whatever this is, it doesn't feel right.' Though much slower, she was able to catch up to Kid Flash and the two of them gazed up at the darkening sky with trepidation.

'Understood Miss Martian, have you and Kid Flash reached your positions yet?' Kaldur answered back as he and Superboy trailed behind Batman heading to the spot where their other teammates were located.

'Uh yeah...' M'gann answered uneasily causing Kid Flash to take over.

'It looks like there's a portal opening up in the sky, about 200 meters up. It's not very big right now, only about a foot wide, but it's growing. It doesn't match the pattern of a Zeta Tube or any other method of spatial teleportation that I know of. Plus, it's like Miss M said, this thing is giving off massive creepy vibes.' Kid paused, 'This is too big for us, we really need to get the rest of the League here.' Wally replied solemnly, this was uncomfortably out of their depth. As much as he wanted to prove himself, he didn't want to ruin things due to their inexperience.

'All forms of communication are currently down in addition to anything requiring power. We're on our own for the moment, the others and I will be there shortly.' Batman responded. 'Robin, Artemis, have you encountered any disturbances in your area?'

'There weren't many people on the streets when, whatever this is, started. It seems everyone else is doing the smart thing and hiding at home.' Artemis answered. 'We're really not doing much good out here,' she said honestly as she landed on the rooftop of a building on the outskirts of the city. From their position, they could see how far reaching the swirling darkness was. It made them want to join their teammates to help with whatever was happening.

'Agreed,' Robin chimed in. 'We can be more useful over there, if I let Artemis use one of my grapples, we can be at your position in a few minutes.'

'No, I need you both to remain where you are. Continue to maintain a perimeter and watch out for any unusual activity. This phenomena is not natural in origin and should something go wrong the two of you could potentially be liabilities. Stay where you are for the moment.' There was a tense silence as the Boy Wonder reeled from subtle insult by his mentor. He'd defeated monsters and aliens and Vandal Savage but his mentor didn't think he could handle a thunderstorm?

'Batman, maybe we can-'

'Stay where you are Robin,' Batman growled as he cut him off. 'You have your orders, don't make me repeat it a third time.' Once again Robin fell silent and, this time, it sounded like he would stay that way. The Team didn't have much time to commiserate for their friend when Superboy interrupted.

'There's something on the other side of that thing. I can hear voices but I can't make out what they're saying. It's too distorted,' Conner said. By this time, he was standing at the top of a nearby building with a clear view of the portal which had grown significantly. Batman and Aqualad were at street level, standing near Kid Flash and Miss Martian as they took in this new development.

Kaldur unleashed his Water-Bearers as he took in the sight as he and Kid Flash readied themselves. 'It is almost large enough for someone to pass through, I suggest we prepare ourselves for a confrontation.' As if this thought was the trigger, the portal suddenly emitted a blinding flash that was so powerful, it disoriented all of the superheroes. Conner gripped his ears as a high pitched tearing sound followed the blast. M'gann too gripped the clothing covering her heart as something within her twisted in discomfort. The rest of the team shook off their dizziness and discomfort as a new voice suddenly appeared far above them from the portal.

"- fun as it's been to play with you Batman, I'm afraid you've run out of time." Above them, hovering just outside of the portal was what appeared to be a man in a futuristic, all white and grey armored suit which seemed to be powering his flight. He had a white helmet on that completely covered his face and light grey belts secured across his chest. He brought his right arm up and tapped something in which caused the portal to start shrinking in size. "I'd say it was nice knowing you but if all goes well, we won't ever have met."

"Aqualad, Superboy, Kid Flash, I need you to immobilize that man in any means necessary. Miss Martian, what can you tell me about that portal? Can you sense anything?"

M'gann, still gripping her chest, looked over to Batman while her friends leapt into action. She shook her head dazedly. "I-I can't get a clear reading on it, it's like there's a tear in reality. It's wrong and unnatural." She swallowed nervously as Batman took a step closer to her and set a steadying hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Martian, you need to focus."

"Yes, all right, I'll try aga-" She fell to her knees and gripped her head as the lights above flashed dangerously once more from the now shrinking portal. A cacophony of sounds could be heard from wherever the portal led to before another, smaller figure jumped through before the portal became too small. Up on the rooftops, Aqualad and Superboy watched wide-eyed as the figure shuttered as he passed through the portal, almost as if struck by electricity. The new player, who looked to be more of a boy, hovered briefly in the air before beginning the long fall to the Earth, a bright yellow cape billowing behind them. The figure in white turned in surprise at the falling figure before laughing heartily.

"Oh that was a bad choice little bird but luckily it will be the last one you'll ever make!" The man in white exclaimed before he suddenly started to phase out of sight. "Thank you for giving me one final victory over the Batman!" And then he was simply gone.

But there wasn't any time to react to his sudden disappearance, the kid was still falling and would hit the ground any second. Superboy took a few steps back before running forward and propelling himself off the building. His timing wasn't exact, but he was close enough to grasp at the unconscious kid's cape and pull him close. Superboy shielded the small boy as much as he could when he landed roughly on the street, leaving a decent sized crater in the asphalt.

Above them, the portal blinked out of existence with a loud crack, causing the night sky to return to its normal inky black color. Slowly, the lights of the city began to hesitantly flicker back on while the Team winced slightly as their radios suddenly whined back to life. Kid Flash sped over to join Superboy while Batman helped Miss Martian to her feet as he debriefed the League who was finally able to make contact.

"-we need investigators in Gotham now, get anyone here who has a strong background in interdimensional physics and teleportation." Batman glanced over to Superboy who had uncurled himself around their mysterious figure and looked at him in surprise. Aqualad had rushed from his previous position over to Miss Martian. He hooked her arm around his shoulder and leading her over to where Superboy stood. Robin jumped down from a nearby rooftop, running past his mentor and towards the group without hesitation. Artemis followed closely behind but slowed down to give Batman a sheepish look about disobeying orders before following her younger teammate. The five of them hovered around Superboy who was awkwardly half carrying the child in his arms.

"Also we have a potential suspect in our custody. He appears to be unconscious but we'll be bringing him to the Mountain for interrogation and then I'll be coming back to Gotham. Yes, I'll keep you informed on any further developments." Batman concluded, signing off as he made his way over to the kids who stared up at him in stunned surprise. They parted as he stepped forward and he noticed immediately what had captured their attention.

The boy who had literally dropped out of the sky was young, certainly no older than 11 or 12 but his costume was very distinctive. Lightweight red and black Kevlar covered the boy's small but well-toned frame. His yellow cape lightly dusted the ground as Superboy readjusted his hold. He had coal black hair which was short and spiked and his skin was a dark dusty color. His eyes were obscured behind a domino mask and, most surprising, on his chest was a familiar symbol.

The teens all glanced over to Robin who appeared just as shocked as the rest of them. Like the rest of his teammates, he too looked down at the symbol on his chest which matched the newcomer's exactly. They all turned to Batman who was at a loss as to how to address the unusual situation. It shouldn't be possible and yet this boy's costume appeared to mimic Dick's design and material perfectly.

"So," Kid Flash began awkwardly as all eyes turned to him. "I didn't know you kept spares."

Mount Justice

March 19, 01:08 EST

The ride back to the Mountain was short but it seemed painfully long to is occupants. The five kids were trying their hardest not to stare at the unconscious boy strapped in the back seat. Wally had attempted to start up conversation a few times but it fell flat every time. Batman was flying, not giving the boy in the back a second thought as he went back and forth with the League organizing the investigation and clean-up of Gotham. And Robin just sat there, not looking at anything or anyone in particular but subtly training his eyes on the back of Batman's head.

As long as the plane ride seemed to its occupants, they eventually did land back in Rhode Island which, of course, led to a whole new set of problems. They all turned to look at the small child, his chin resting uncomfortably on his chest after the bumpy landing.

"What are we going to do with him? It's not like he can tell us anything now." Wally noted, gesturing vaguely to the unconscious boy in the chair. M'gann gently floated over and lifted the kid's head until he was in a more comfortable position. She took an extra second to run her fingers through his short hair.

"He's just a kid Wally, we don't want to hurt him. Who knows? He could be our Robin from an alternate universe. I'm sure the people on the other side of the portal are worried sick about him." Artemis opened her mouth to argue but Batman cut her off causing her to sniff lightly.

"We'll worry about that later," Batman began, "For now we must treat him as a threat. We need to know where he came from and what his plans are, you are in charge of watching him. Black Canary is on duty for the evening and can assist you if he is too difficult to manage, is that understood?" The teens nodded and Batman directed his attention to his partner. "Are you capable of assisting with this Robin or would you care to return to the Cave." Wally winced while the rest of Young Justice looked around awkwardly, trying not to notice the way Robin's fists clenched.

"No, I am fully capable of fulfilling my duties just like you trained me." Robin replied evenly as he forced himself to relax. Batman merely nodded and stalked off the plane leaving the Team and the mysterious boy alone. Another beat passed before Robin spoke.

"Superboy, grab the kid. There's no way to observe him up close in the holding cells so we'll put him in the lounge for now. We'll all be there to keep an eye an on him plus I've got some cuffs we can put on him until we have more information." He replied before copying his mentor and stalking off the plane. The remaining members exchanged a glance before following him. Conner unbuckled the kid and cradled him clumsily while he trailed behind his friends.

XxX

"So now what? We sit and watch the brat sleep all night?" Wally asked in a bored tone as he stuffed a handful of pretzels into his mouth. The other kids shrugged turning to look over at their guest who was draped on the couch in handcuffs before reforming their little circle. The Mountain had been a mess a half hour ago. The adults ran test after test on the mystery child while dealing with the after effects of the attack on Gotham. Batman had returned to his city almost immediately but had asked Robin to keep him informed of the situation in Happy Harbor. His partner had merely grunted in response. For now, the activity had settled as they waited for the results of the tests and the person of interest to awaken.

"Uncle J'onn said the boy was physically fine, the trip through the portal unprotected just shocked him into unconsciousness. He'll probably wake up soon." M'gann replied helpfully as she began to worry her lip. "Maybe can we take the handcuffs off him? The fact that he came through the portal unprepared plus, well, his uniform should be enough to trust him. And he's just a little kid."

"We cannot let our emotions distract us Miss. Martian, we must continue to exercise caution until we know for sure that this boy is not a danger to us." Kaldur replied stoically, though he too looked uncomfortable at the idea of detaining a child so he continued softly. "Once he wakes up I am sure we will be able to resolve everything peacefully."

"Besides," Wally said with his mouth full before taking a moment to swallow. "Even if he's not a threat he could still tell us about that spooky guy who flew out of the portal. Didn't he mention something about Batman? Could be important." He said, turning to Robin who nodded distractedly when Artemis entered the conversation.

"Yeah, well I don't trust him. There's something wrong with him and I don't just mean falling out of a weird space hole." She shrugged self-consciously. "He's too tense, even asleep. He's got a dangerous edge to him, you can just tell." Conner raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at the kid again while the rest debated with Artemis.

Wolf must have snuck in because he was sitting near the kid giving him a good sniffing. Conner walked over to stop him once Wolf began to nudge the boy's hand with his nose. "Wolf, leave him alone." Conner ordered, stopping just short of the couch but he was close enough to see the kid's face shift subtly under the mask.

"Grayson, not now." The kid muttered just under his breath causing Conner to start slightly. It looked like the kid was waking up, he turned to inform the others when suddenly he was hit hard in the backs of his knees. Normally such a blow wouldn't have any affect on the sturdy half-kryptonian, but he had been caught off guard and, as a result, was thrown to the floor. The Team stopped their discussion to stare as their captive disappeared just as Conner fell to his knees.

"What the- Whoa there!" Wally began only to be cut off as he avoided a batarang aimed at his face but he completely missed the child jumping down from the ceiling and landing on top of him. Wally was pushed to the ground as the kid flipped off the speedster's back and took a moment to glare at the still stunned teens.

"Where am I? What have you done to Batman?" The boy barked in a tone that was far too menacing for such a young sounding voice. He didn't give the Team a chance to respond before the cuffs from his wrists suddenly dropped off and he released a smoke bomb. They coughed for a moment, not used to their Robin's moves being used against them. Robin cursed, reacting just a tad to slow as he reached for the runaway and his fingertips just graced the edges of the yellow cape.

"We need to retrieve him unharmed but don't hold back on him just because he is a child. Treat him as though you were fighting our own Robin." Aqualad said fanning away the smoke, trying to get the situation back under their control. Artemis helped Wally back to his feet before leaving him with a bow at her ready. Superboy was up on his feet as well and began listening for the brat who'd put him down. M'gann concentrated, trying to locate his thoughts while Robin went high. If this kid was anything like him, he'd search for higher ground to reconvene.

"Robin to Batcave, come in Batcave." Robin smirked a little bit as he successfully located their runaway hidden deep in the upper echelons of the Mountain where few of the other team members even knew existed much less visited. He forced himself to a standstill as he listened to the boy's increasingly more annoyed tone speak into his radio. "Robin to Batcave, Batman what is your position?" The boy growled. "Oracle, can you patch me through to someone, anyone. Hood, Batgirl even Red Robin will due. Come in, where are you? I don't know where I am."

Robin pursed his lips at the quiet way the other kid said the last line. He moved forward just a bit but he obviously wasn't quiet enough as suddenly the other boy was rushing him. "Where have you taken me imposter? Who are you? Clayface? One of Ivy's drones?" The young boy demanded as Robin barely avoided a boot to the face as he started parrying the kid's moves from up in the beams. Below him, he could hear the others rushing to their position.

"Hey, I'm not the imposter here squirt." Robin retorted managing to get a decent kick to the kid's side but was startled when the boy was suddenly airborne in an impressive display of acrobatics. The fancy, and very distinctive, move was so distracting Robin gave his opponent the perfect opportunity to nail him right in the gut. The force of the punch pushed him from the beam though he didn't have a chance to catch himself as M'gann grabbed ahold of him.

"Robin, are you alright?" She, lowering him gently back to the ground. Robin coughed, gripping his now aching abdomen to try and find where their captive had gone off to.

"M'gann, we need to find him. We can't let-" He was cut off by Artemis grunting as she too began engaging with the kid, the two of them moving so fast it was impossible to track individual moves. Kid Flash ran up to intercept but the boy jumped up just in time for Wally to plow into Artemis causing both of them to sprawl onto the floor. Ducking around the fallen heroes, the kid ran full speed towards Superboy.

The older boy made to grab at the smaller boy only for the child to duck and slide between the clone's legs and start up running again. Aqualad brought out his Water-Bearers and managed to push the kid roughly into the wall but he recovered quickly, pushing off the wall and heading for his attacker. Two batarangs knocked the weapons of the Atlantean's hand and a powerful roundhouse kick had Kaldur on his back. All of this happened by the time Miss Martian and Robin touched down on the ground.

"Kid, wait!" Robin said as he struggled to get out his friend's embrace. "M'gann, grab him before he gets away." But his words came too late as the moment the kid was racing towards the door leading to the rest of the mountain, batarangs gripped dangerously in his tiny hands, another figure appeared in the doorway. The boy's would be escape was cut short as he scrambled to a stop just in front of Batman.

The Dark Knight immediately detained the kid by grabbing the kid's wrists but he needn't have bothered. At the sight of Batman, the other boy had gone rigid, his weapons falling to the ground with a quiet clang and staring up at the older vigilante as if he was seeing a ghost. Once Batman had the child detained, he glanced around at Young Justice who were shamefully trying to get to their feet as quickly as possible. They had been swiftly and efficiently taken down by a boy who probably still had baby teeth. There was no way they were avoiding a lecture later on proper handling of prisoners. And training, lots of grueling training.

"Get yourselves together and wait here. Someone will be down to hear your statements shortly and give you any medical attention you need. I'll be in the interrogation room if I need any of you." Batman growled, still holding onto the boy before leading him out of the room. The rest of the Team winced as the door slammed loudly behind him.

Ok, here it is, Innocence and Experience out for everyone to judge and despise. Before anyone asks, the name of the story and the chapter titles come from William Blake's book of poems, Songs of Innocence and Experience. Each chapter will go back and forth between a poem from the Innocent side of poems to the Experienced side. The story is concluded and will be on a fairly regular posting schedule which I haven't decided yet. I hope you enjoy and reviews and comments are appreciated.