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Dick couldn’t help but vibrate with excitement. Bruce kept shooting him reprimanding looks, but Dick couldn’t help it. He was finally in the Watchtower! They were in space. Dick just wanted to smoosh his face against the glass and stare down at the blue Earth below. Or maybe run around the Watchtower and touch everything. He probably would have done it already, if not for Bruce’s heavy hand on his shoulder, reminding him to behave.
As Dick was trying to visually catalog every part of the Watchtower that he could see, Bruce was talking to Green Arrow – Green Arrow! – about something mission gone wrong. It was so boring, so Dick wasn’t listening, but he wasn’t complaining. If Bruce hadn’t been called in on an emergency to the Watchtower, Dick wouldn’t be here, in space, mere feet away from Green Arrow. Despite Dick’s best efforts, Bruce insisted on keeping Dick as far away from Justice League matters as possible. He’d never even met any of the League, much less go to their base. But Alfred was taking a rare night off, and Bruce refused to let Dick stay home alone, so here they were.
When Bruce let out a sigh and the conversation between him and Green Arrow paused, Dick focused his attention back on his mentor. “Clark,” Bruce said, waving over Superman.
Even distracted by Superman flying over to them, Dick recognized the power move. Bruce knew just about all the Justice League’s identities from his own detective work, and none of them knew his. Reminding Superman of that meant that Bruce was giving a veiled threat. Dick wasn’t sure why, until Bruce said to Superman, voice hard, “Green Arrow needs to me to clean up the mess Green Lantern left in the Lex Corp servers. Could you watch Robin for me?”
It really wasn’t a question. Despite his mentor’s threatening vibe, Dick couldn’t help but stare up at Superman in awe. When he’d first started hearing about superheroes as just a circus kid, Superman had been his favorite. He could fly, and he was an alien, and he was super strong, and he was bright and friendly and so cool.
“Of course,” Superman said. And he was offering his hand to Dick!
When Dick didn’t move, frozen by giddiness, Bruce place his hand on Dick’s back and gently pushed him forward. “I won’t be too long, Robin. Listen to Clark, don’t leave his side, and remember the rules. Clark, he’s now your number one priority.”
Dick obediently took Superman’s hand. Bruce had a long list of rules about what Dick could say and do around other heroes. Bruce had a long list of rules about everything, really, but Dick understood that rules were important. Watching his parents fall to their deaths had given him a clear understanding of his mortality, and Bruce was only trying to keep him safe. Even if it was annoying.
Superman’s hand was large compared to his tiny hand, like Bruce’s was. He knew he’d be safe with him too, despite the way Bruce hesitated before walking off with Green Arrow. Bruce was just paranoid like that.
“Where do you want to go, kiddo?” Superman asked, his eyes crinkling when he smiled. “I could give you a tour, or if you’re hungry, we can go to the cafeteria.”
It took Dick a moment to find words. This was Superman, one of the coolest superheroes ever! “Tour, definitely!” Dick skipped by Superman’s side as Superman lead them away from the large windows. “So are you really an alien?”
+++
The tour of the Watchtower was awesome. One of Bruce’s rules was do not touch, but Dick was happy just gaping at everything and asking Superman a million questions. “Do people really live here? How many people can sleep over at once? How come there’s gravity here? Can the Flash really eat twenty hotdogs at once?”
Superman answered all his questions with a warm smile and friendly tone. Dick really like Superman. He was even cooler in person than on TV! Eventually, though, Dick started feeling sleepy. The League had called Bruce in the middle of what had already been a long patrol, and it’d been a long week at school, full of boring homework. But Dick didn’t want the tour to end. He was finally at the Watchtower, and he didn’t want to waste the opportunity.
Superman eventually caught him trying to muffle a yawn, and insisted they take a break in the training room, where the Flash and Black Canary were sparring. When Dick and Superman walked in and found a bench to sit on, the two barely spared them a glance and continued fighting.
“Flash is helping Canary with her reflexes, and Canary is helping Flash with his hand-to-hand,” Superman told Dick in a low voice. “They’re a good pair – evenly matched.”
“Who’s a good match for you to spar with?” Dick asked curiously. Who could be evenly matched with Superman?
Superman shrugged. “Honestly? Batman probably. He knows every trick in the book and can keep me on my toes, even if he tires after a few hours, but he refuses to spar with me most days. Diana – Wonder Woman – is probably the next best. She can sure pack a punch, but we’re pretty used to each other’s styles.”
“Cool!” Dick said, proud that his mentor was Superman’s favorite sparring partner.
He wasn’t surprised that Bruce didn’t want to practice fighting with the other Leaguers. Bruce didn’t trust anyone, besides Alfred, and maybe Dick, and he wouldn’t want any of them to learn his weaknesses. At the same time, Bruce had their weaknesses carefully catalogued on the Batcomputer. Bruce took paranoia to a whole new level.
He couldn’t tell Superman that though, so he turned back to the fight. The Flash was a blur of motion, but Canary was getting in some hits. Dick found it oddly soothing to watch them, like watching a dance. He felt his eyes slowly drifting shut.
+++
Dick startled awake as the floor jolted. Superman had an arm around him in an instant, keeping him steady. The lights began flickering. Flash and Black Canary had paused their fight and were looking around.
Superman active his communicator in his ear. “What’s our status?” He listened a moment. He grimaced and glanced over at Dick. “Of all days – Alright. I’ll let them know.”
“Superman,” Flash said. “What’s happening?”
“We’re under attack,” Superman said. “Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow are holding the first wave back, while J’onn is checking out their ship.”
The Flash crossed his arms over his chest and looked unimpressed. “Again? Don’t they ever learn?”
“Flash, make sure all the onboard Leaguers are awake and get at least a few of them on them on each floor. Canary, contact Earth and let them know our situation. We shouldn’t need reinforcements, but they should be ready just in case,” Superman said, standing. He kept a reassuring hand on Dick’s shoulder. “Batman’s in charge.”
“Sure thing. What about you, big guy?” Flash asked.
Superman gently squeezed Dick’s shoulder. “Batman told me to keep Robin safe. Unless things escalate, I’ll be hiding with him.”
“I can fight too!” Dick said stubbornly.
All three adults looked at Dick. Dick resisted the urge to squirm. “If he’s trained by the Bat, he probably can,” Canary said. “A bit young, though.”
The Flash snorted. “A bit young?”
Superman was shaking his head. “No. Batman specifically told me to keep you safe.”
Dick scowled. Canary and Flash left the room. Canary offered him a sympathetic glance over her shoulder. “But that’s not fair!” he said. “I fight with Batman all the time in Gotham.”
Superman sighed and knelt to look Dick directly in the eye. “I know that you’re a good fighter, Robin. You’d probably be a lot of help. But Batman lets you fight in Gotham when he’s by your side. He knows your limits and when to pull you out. It’s harder for him to protect you here, with an unfamiliar enemy.”
“I guess,” Dick said dejectedly. He knew there was no way to convince Superman, especially after Bruce had given the order.
Superman stood up again and grinned wryly. “Besides, if you get even a bruise while you’re under my watch, he’ll kill me. Think of it as a favor to me not to engage.”
Dick wanted to argue that Batman was used to him getting bruises and scrapes, but then he remembered the threatening way that Bruce had treated Superman before handing Dick over to him, and Bruce’s reluctance at exposing Dick to the League. Dick of course knew that Bruce cared, but Bruce usually only showed subtly. Dick didn’t want Bruce to hurt Superman, but he felt warm inside at this indirect show of affection. So, he didn’t complain as Superman quietly ushered him out of the training room.
He could hear the faint sounds of fighting out in the main hallway, but Superman firmly guided him in the other direction. They turned down a narrow hallway evenly lined with doors. Superman opened one of the doors on the far end of the hallway and gestured Dick to go in. The room had a bed and had a connecting bathroom. There was a screen all wall that looked like a pseudo-window. It showed the same view of Earth Dick had seen earlier. “What is this room?” Dick asked.
“Most of the League members don’t have permanent room in the Watchtower,” Superman explained. “So, when they need to stay over for whatever reason, we have a bunch of these rooms available. We should be safe here.”
Dick plopped down on the bed, hugging his knees to his chest, and tried to not pout. This was so not how he expected to spend his time in the Watchtower. Superman sat next to him. “Do you want to hear about Kryptonian mythology?”
If Kryptonian mythology was anything like the Greek mythology he had learned about in school, he’d be bored senseless soon, but he didn’t want to say no to Superman. “Sure,” he said, trying to sound interested.
Pretty soon, though, he was hanging onto Superman’s every word as he talked about the adventures of Nightwing and Flamebird. Kryptonian mythology was so much better than what the ancient Greeks had to offer. Superman had just finished the part about Nightwing’s banishment when something pounded against the door.
Superman stared intently at the door, probably using his x-ray vision. “Two of the intruders have found us,” Superman said in a low voice. He stood. “Hide behind the bed and stay hidden, okay? I’ll take care of them.”
Dick nodded and ducked behind the bed, his back to the wall. From the small gap underneath the bed, Dick could see up to Superman’s knees. The steel door flew off its hinges, and Superman batted it aside like it was nothing. Dick watched as two pairs of bare purple feet with no toes stomped in. There was a high-pitched screech from one of the intruders as Superman attacked. It was hard to follow the action from his vantage point, but one of the purple aliens fell unconscious to the floor, so Superman must be winning.
Dick listened attentively to the sounds of Superman’s fists hitting the remaining purple alien. He wished he could join in. He’d never fought an alien before. Suddenly, the purple alien that Dick thought was out of the fight moved, and Superman was slammed to the ground. Dick’s eyes widened. How had they hurt Superman?
Dick watched in horror as the two purple aliens reached down to lift Superman’s body. “Leave him alone!” Dick shouted, jumping out of his hiding spot.
The two aliens stared at him. Dick stared back. They were completely purple and each had three eyes and tentacles for hair. They were wearing spiky black armor and were holding faintly glowing, green spears. Kryptonite, probably. Only Kryptonite could knock Superman out – but obviously not enough kryptonite to immediately capacitate him.
“Hi?” Dick squeaked.
One of the aliens let out that high-pitched screech again and lunged with the spear. Dick easily dodged and jumped to his feet. “That the best you got?” The taunt came out automatically as Dick dodged another blow.
As much as Dick didn’t want to – this was his first fight with aliens! – one of Bruce’s many procedures dictated that Dick had to run when faced alone against a non-human or meta threat. Dick couldn’t wait to outgrow that rule. The aliens were scary, yeah, but this was one of the coolest fights Dick had ever been in! But Dick had promised to follow all Bruce’s rules to the letter before they’d taken the Zeta tube to the Watchtower, and Dick didn’t like breaking promises. Also, he was probably losing. Two fully grown, warrior aliens versus one human kid, even one with a lot of training, did not bode well for that kid.
Both aliens were blocking Dick’s path to the doorway and to escape. Dick flipped and rolled to avoid another strike. The room was too small to safely use explosives, and they were too close for Dick to effectively use a Batarang. Dick glanced up, thinking. There were a few feet of clearance between the top of the aliens’ heads and the ceiling. He could probably make it.
Dick did a push kick at the closet alien. Predictably, the spear blocked the kick, but it made the alien move back a few inches. Dick used the momentum of the block to land on the bed. Before the aliens could react, Dick ducked into a handspring and then a flip. He soared over the aliens’ heads and landed on his hands in the doorway. He quickly rolled onto his feet. “Bet you can’t catch me!” he taunted over his shoulder, as he sprinted away from the room, down the narrow hallway.
Hey, Bruce said that he had to run away, not that he couldn’t draw aliens away from unconscious superheroes. Dick was so not leaving Superman alone with violent intruders. The aliens took the bait and charged after him. Dick cackled gleefully.
As he approached the main hallway that looped the circumference of the Watchtower, he saw a bunch more of the weird purple aliens, though most of them were on the ground, not moving. Batman, Black Canary, and Green Lantern – Green Lantern! – were fighting the few remaining intruders. “Batman!” Dick shouted, getting his mentor’s attention.
Bruce threw a batarang at one of the aliens following Dick, but the second one had already caught up. Dick felt thick, clammy arms wrap around him and a sharp object – the end of a spear – was pressed to his throat.
“Robin,” Bruce growled, a Batarang in his hand, ready to be thrown.
The alien made a gurgling noise in a language Dick didn’t understand, but the message was clear – attack and he’s dead. This wasn’t the first time Dick had been in this position, but Bruce still looked stiff and furious. Dick’s heart was thudding his chest, but he tried to stay brave for Bruce. He was Robin. He could stay calm. Externally, at least. Bruce would save him. Somehow.
Suddenly, the arm holding the spear against Dick’s throat literally fell off, toppling to the ground, the spear with it. The alien howled in pain, dropping Dick and stumbling back. Dick scrambled to duck behind Batman. Superman came flying in from the narrow hallway, his eyes glowing red, and he used his heat vision again to burn a hole into the intruder’s stomach, knocking him unconscious – or, more likely, dead.
Before Dick could process what just happened, Bruce was in front of him, checking him for injuries. “I’m alright, B,” Dick said earnestly.
He felt about nauseous from the close call and from the dead alien just feet away, but he didn’t want Bruce to know that. Bruce scowled, probably seeing right through him. “Agent A will look you over when we get back to the cave.”
“I’m sorry, Batman,” Superman said from behind Dick. “I tried to hide him, but this one found us somehow. Their spears have kryptonite in them, and I was knocked out.”
“They were after you,” Bruce said, his eyes fixed on Dick’s neck. The alien’s spear had made a small cut. Dick remembered what Superman had said about him getting hurt. He hoped Bruce wouldn’t hold the cut against Superman. “There’s a bounty to catch one of the last Kryptonians. They have telepathic abilities, which is how they were able to locate you here. J’onn has more information.”
Dick looked over his shoulder and saw the guilty look on Superman’s face. “Thanks for saving my life,” Dick said sincerely, hoping it would cheer him up.
Superman just looked more upset. “Your life wouldn’t have been endangered if it weren’t for me.”
“It’s not your fault that some people are jerks,” Dick argued. “Besides, I got to have my first alien fight! Do you know how cool that is?”
All he wanted to do was go home, eat some of Alfred’s cookies, and plaster himself to Bruce’s side, but he hated the idea of Superman beating himself up over this. He flashed Superman a bright grin. Superman looked torn between amusement and horror. “Your first and last fight with an alien,” Bruce said firmly.
Dick turned back to meet Bruce’s eyes and groaned. “This is the last time I’ll get to come to the Watchtower, isn’t it?”
The dark, angry set to Bruce’s face was answer enough.