Chapter Text
Tim flicked his wrist releasing two detonating birdarangs towards the Xytherian that flew towards him as he made his way to the control centre of the main tower. The birdarang imbedded itself into its chest, its faceless grey body blew apart as black blood and limbs decorated the walls. Tim skidded around the corner and threw open the doors in front him. He didn’t look back down the corridor as he slammed the doors closed, even when he heard the echo of enraged screeches coming from the aliens closing in on his location.
He panted, wincing as he applied further pressure to the gaping wound in his abdomen. Shit. He pulled his hand away, cursing as he saw the deep crimson of his own blood coating his gauntlet. Even if he managed to get out, the damage that had been inflicted upon him was going to become a problem. But in the current moment he needed to ignore it, what he needed to do was override the lockdown on the civilians so that Kon, Bart and Cassie could get them and themselves out to safety. That’s all he had to do, everything else can come later.
Something slammed into the closed door behind him, a loud bang reverberating across the metal walls and Tim flinched, the sound pulling him from his thoughts.
He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, hoping his team were okay before continuing forward. He should’ve trusted his gut when this whole mission started and now he knew that there was very probable chance he wasn’t going to make it off this cursed planet.
He ran a hand through his hair, ignoring his blood on his gauntlet seeping through the strand as his vision darkened for a second. He cautiously stepped closer towards the console, eyes flitting over the alien technology before he opened the computer on his gauntlet. He hurriedly connected the exposed cables to his own field computer. The holographic display lighting up before him as his own program began to run, identifying the alien technology, and giving him control of the mainframe within a few seconds.
“Rob, you almost there? We’re in position,” Cassie’s hushed voice came through in his ear and Tim couldn’t help the sigh of relief to know that so far the others were okay.
“In position, just give me a second…” He scrolled through the final bits of data on his screen. Tongue caught between his teeth in concentration as his eyes caught onto what he needed before entering his own code that quickly deactivated the lockdown systems on the civilian sector of the tower, “There, you can get through now but keep an eye out. I don’t see any unusual heat signatures currently but they could still be there,”
“Heard, boss man,” Bart’s chipper voice rang through, and Tim fondly rolled his eyes at the speedster’s antics before he breathed out slowly. The pain in his side, a more prevalent though as he moved to stand up despite how his vision darkened at the corners again.
Tim placed a hand on the wall, trying to balance himself until his legs gave out beneath him. He crumpled to ground, his knees harshly colliding with the floor as his head spun from blood loss. He closed his eyes, willing the dizziness to disappear.
—
“—Rob? Robin? You there?” Kon’s voice cut through the haze. Shit. How long did he close his eyes for? “Tim—”
“Yeah, I’m here, sorry” Tim was still on the floor, a small pool of his own blood collecting on the ground below him. He glanced at the holographic screen still open in front of him and his blood ran cold as he noticed a countdown that had appeared in the corner. He had five minutes, the numbers blinking tauntingly in a bright red light that cast a red glow across Tim’s bloodied face. If he didn’t somehow stop the explosion or at the very least delay it, his team would die.
He glanced to the other screen. Noting the lack of heat signatures outside his only exit, if not for impending explosion he could probably make it to the ship despite his injuries but now he had to get his team, his family, home.
He hurriedly turned back to sort through the data, his mind clearing in adrenaline as Kon’s voice continued on in his ear.
“—we’re coming back for you,”
Tim could stop the clock for thirty seconds before the failsafes in place overrode his code, but he would have to time it with when the Titans where in the air to ensure their safety in case him interfering with the countdown expedited its process.
“—Rob?”
“No,” Tim hurriedly said, his tone harsher than he meant it to be, “I mean, I’ll meet you at the ship, I’m almost there.”
“Roger that, Rob,”
Tim rested his head against the cool metal of the wall as he clicked his com off, the lie having come out easier than he wanted it to. An uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach at that moment as the horrible realisation that he wasn’t going home crawled through his thoughts. His mind racing in the silence that filled the space around him.
He’d never train surf and joke around with Dick again, see Bruce’s rare smile after he had solved a particularly difficult case, eat bat-burgers next Cass while on patrol, enjoying each other’s silent company, or even sit with Alfred after school, sipping tea before he did his homework. He wouldn’t … He wouldn’t get to grow up.
Tim swore beneath his breath before pulling the computer on his gauntlet closer. He might not go home, but Kon, Bart, and Cassie will. He quickly worked through the firewalls in place, ignoring the countdown to the best of his ability as he focused on the task at hand.
With movement in the corner of his eye, Tim turned towards the other screen where he had pulled up the cameras on the ship. The tension in his shoulder slight relieved at the sight of the three safely embarking onto the ship, exhaustion evident in the slump of their shoulder but otherwise okay.
He opened another screen and began to remotely start up the ship, closing the doors and sealing his friends in. He felt a tear run down his face beneath the mask as he went back to working on delaying the countdown. The com in his ear beeped at an incoming message, and Tim clicked it back on as he made his way through the final firewall.
“Hey, Rob? You in the medbay?” Kon’s asked and Tim felt the crushing guilt quickly envelop him as he opened his mouth to reply. He could hear the click of the outer hatches locking into place as he remotely activated the thrusters to lift the ship into the air.
“I…” The words caught in his throat. He glanced back at the numbers blinking before him and realised that he was running out of time to get them home safe.
1:42
“Rob? Where are you?” Cassie’s voice came through the line; he could hear the worry in her tone as she quickly caught on to his absence.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “There wasn’t enough time—it was me or you, and I couldn’t do that. You know you’d do the same for me.”
There was brief silence before he heard yelling down the line. He slightly winced at the noise.
“Bart! Set us back down!” Kon’s voice raised in alarm as Cassie cursed.
“I can’t, I’m locked out!” Bart defended and Tim could hear him running from console to console by the sound of static in his ear. “This stupid computer isn’t letting me in!”
“Thank you, guys,” Tim began, everything was set now. Flicking to other screen he pressed the button to pause the timer, so that they had time to get out of range of the planet. “I couldn’t have asked for better team… or better friends.” His voice wavered. “I— I need you to go home. Live. Be the heroes I always knew you to be.”
“No! No, are you stupid? We are not leaving you! Bart depower the ship!” Kon yelled, his words choked in panic.
“I can’t! I’m trying!”
“Tell Bruce…” He stopped. There wasn’t enough time to say what he wanted— no, needed to say. Not to Bruce, not to any of them.
“You guys mean everything to me. Just… just take care of each other, okay?” A small, tired smile ghosted his lips, “You guys are my family. You always were.”
He heard more sounds of protests and panic as Cassie, Bart and Kon tried to turn back to get him. The audio suddenly cut, filled with static as the ship moved out of range and he turned the com off, breathing heavily. He sunk to the floor in defeat, his blood seeping further into the materials of his suit as the countdown flickered and continued.
0:57
He knew Cassie would have hung her head in silent resignation, he could imagine the tears he knew she would be shedding dropping onto her torn uniform. Bart would be panicking, running from console to console trying to get through Tim’s lockout code but failing to do so in time. And Kon? Kon would be running a hand through his hair, tears brimming in his eyes as he paced back and forth.
0:38
He could see them so clearly in is mind, and it was a sick sort of comfort that they would mourn him in his sacrifice. But they would live to see another day because of it. Because of him, and he was content with that knowledge.
0:23
The countdown blinked tauntingly at him; his vision blurring in his blood loss. A laugh bubbled up his throat, blood coating his tongue and he couldn’t help but think of how poetic it was. He was going to die in an explosion just like Jason had. Another Robin dead.
0:18
He hoped his family would be okay. That Cass continued making Gotham safer. That Alfred would stay strong in wake of another death in the family. That Barbara wouldn’t let his death hinder the good work she does as Oracle.
0:13
That Dick would find support and not lock himself away in the knowledge that another boy had died in his uniform.
0:09
That his family wouldn’t let Bruce fall in his grief, that they would follow that request in the videoed letters he had locked away on the Bat-computer in case of his death.
0:05
0:04
0:03
Tim closed his eyes, hanging his head in resignation. He had saved them. They would live.
0:02
“I’m sorry, Bruce.”
0:01
The world fell silent as a bright white light overtook his vision from behind his eyelids. Then there was nothing.
—
It was silent in the hull of the ship as the planet below them exploded in a bright ring of fire. The three heroes stood together, observing what little remnants of the planet flew through space from the force of the explosion. The ship shook in response to the shockwaves that rippled out. No one would have survived that.
Cassie let out a distressed sound as she collapsed to the ground with her head in her hands. She began sobbing, her cries echoing through the chamber in the hull of the ship. Kon slowly turned to Bart who was still. He was never still, his hands silently hovered over the console from where he was trying to get through Tim’s coding. The young teen stared out the panes of glass in the doors behind them, his mouth was slightly agape, and his eyebrows scrunched, creasing his forehead.
Kon couldn’t think straight, his thoughts coming through in incomprehensible pieces. He turned away from the windows depicting the aftermath of the explosion, he couldn’t look at it anymore. Kon ran a hand through his hair trying to get his breathing under control. Tim had sacrificed himself for them. He died. His best friend had died and— and they couldn’t save him..
He couldn’t save him.
Kon wasn’t a stranger to death. It came with the business. He saw death most weeks, he saw the bloodied corpses of civilians from the attacks of supervillains, he had seen other heroes collapse under a fist. But it never felt like this. This emptiness that crawled up his spine. That clawed at his heart and crushed his lungs in its grip. It never felt like this.
He hadn’t truly thought about the mortality of himself before, let alone his friends. Let alone Tim. Tim, who seemed untouchable, holding his own against super-powered heroes with ease. So much so that people assumed he was a meta because that was just how good he is.
Was. How good he was.
He couldn’t breathe. Kon collapsed to the ground next to Cassie, one hand still in his hair as he pressed his back against the wall. She was still crying, her hands cradling her head as she took in sharp pointed breaths. Kon instinctively put an arm around her, and she immediately fell into his embrace. He numbly tightened his grip around her as she continued to cry staring at the floor unblinking as he tried to process his thoughts.
A sudden weight pressed against his side, interrupting the anguished whirlwind of thoughts inside his head. Bart had moved from his position at the console, leaning his head on Kon’s shoulder. When had he moved? Kon pressed his face into the mop of hair, letting silent tears fall. He wrapped them all in a layer of his TTK, hoping the blanket weight would be some sort of cold comfort in the wake of leaving Tim behind.
Kon didn’t know how long they clung to each other, deep in the embrace of grief. Cassie’s sobs had slipped into silent tears. No one spoke. Kon leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.
—-
He awoke to alarms blaring, flashes of eerie red coating the cabin in an bloody light. Bart was already speeding around the console, flicking switches and pressing buttons in quick succession. Cassie stood the side near the computer, shuffling through frequencies.
“What’s going on?” Kon asked, wincing as he hauled his stiff body off the floor and made his way towards Cassie, careful not to disrupt the speedster as he raced around the hull of the ship.
“The ship was damaged in our landing on the Xytherian planet. It’s not going to make it to earth unless we call the Lantern Corps before the ship powers down,” Cassie’s tone was painstakingly neutral as she answered, not glancing away from the computer for a second. “We’re running on fumes, it could be moments before we shut down for good.”
Kon looked down and noticed her shaking hands skittering across the keyboard.
“Cassie, take a break,” Kon ordered, attempting to pry her away from the console. Cassie’s brief moment of resistance broke as her gaze shifted up to meet his, eyes swollen and red. Kon sucked in a sharp breath as he caught sight of a deep, ugly gash on her side, revealed as she moved her arm and tucked her tangled hair behind her ear. He couldn’t imagine that he would look much better at this moment. “Go to the med bay, you’re bleeding.”
“I’m fine! I need to do this,” She snapped, meeting his own anguished gaze, before glancing away guiltily and stepping back. “Sorry, I— I understand. I’ll go to the med bay, I’ll be shortly.”
Kon watched her walk away, dragging her feet as she slowly made her way to the med bay. He refocused his attention on the computer screen before fiddling with the frequency. Shuffling through various streams before a bright green light flashed in front of him.
“Identifier: TT511920, requesting assistance. Ship compromised.” He held his breath as he followed the script, praying that there would be some response. When no one answered, he repeated the request, pausing for a few seconds before starting the process again as his hopes began to sink.
“TT511920, request heard. Identifier Response: LC7185514. Coordinates?” Kon breathed a sigh of relief as the voice crackled through the main speakers of the ship.
“Coordinates are unsure, main terminal system is down. We are somewhere in the Xytherian Sector closing in on earth.” Bart responded before Kon could, having stilled next to him the moment the voice rang through. Bart’s forehead creased in worry as his eyes darted back towards the console and Kon belatedly realised that this was the first time he had heard Bart speak since the explosion. For someone who never stopped talking or joking, it was an unwelcome change.
“Someone of the Lantern Corp will find and escort you. Stay in position.” Bart nodded bleakly despite not being able to be seen and flicked a switch. The red flashing stopped as Kon heard the hum of the generators power down. The only light illuminating the room was now the strips of LED along the walls.
“This is so moded,” Bart muttered, his knuckles gone a painful white from his grip on the edge of the console. “I— He’s really gone, isn’t he?”
Bart turned back to him at the question, and in that moment Kon saw how young Bart really was. The fourteen-year-old stared back at him, tears brimming in his eyes. In lieu of answering, Kon stepped forward and pulled Bart into a hug, the young teen beginning to shake in his embrace.
“We will make sure to honour him every day of our lives, he won’t be forgotten.” Kon whispered, barely audible, but he knew Bart could hear him. “He— he sacrificed himself for us, we owe him that.”
“The corp’s is here,” Cassie interrupted nodding towards the window as she walked up behind the pair. Kon turned to look and saw an alien in a glowing green suit close in on the ship.
They were going home. But they all carried the hollow weight of someone who would never stand beside them again.