Chapter Text
An easy mission.
It was supposed to be an easy recon on the new supplies that Luther was bringing in to a base in Star city. Coincidentally both the Harpers were busy and it was just a recon mission so they weren't needed that much. They just needed to swipe samples of two different chemical.
He had planned to have Robin with him but Tim gave him one look and suggested that he take some of the Outsiders with him. The obvious wasnt lost on him, Tim thinks he needs to have a 'speedster' with him, the reason why he suggested an over eager Bart, then Bart wanted Jamie to come along and then Gar wanted to tag along as well despite managing his own team.
So thats how they were infiltrating this lab
His team was in position, he gives the signal just as he sees an opening. Impulse speeds in, grabbing a sample with a 'On it!' and some pun Nightwing ignores. It goes all wrong when an alarm starts blazing. He jolts, fingers flying over his computer. He's sure he'd disabled all the alarms. Clearly they expected them here.
"Beast boy, cover the east gate. Blue beetle, with me. Impulse, get the samples back."
He dropped from the rafters like a shadow right over a guard, the high-pitched sizzle of his electrified escrima sticks cutting through the air. He jammed the tip into the guard's neck, the smell of burns filling his lungs as the man slumped silently.
He did a quick headcount, twenty five guards, with a flood of reinforcements slamming against the door. Beast Boy, in full silverback form, roared as he braced his massive shoulders against the frame, body pressed to the closed door, to keep the tide at bay.
The bird throws himself back into the fray. A strike to a temple, a mid-air twist, a kick that sent a gun flying, it was a lethal, familiar dance that made his pulse race. But his eyes were locked on the prize, the glowing blue chemical samples in vials that Impulse had missed in his blur of speed. And through the chaos of the fight, the gun he had kicked smashed a few vials.
"Blue beetle, Keep them away!"
He turns back to kick a guard and then flips over the other, right near the samples. He throws his sparking stick at him, knocking him out.
Making sure to avoid the broken vials on the ground, stepping around them to grab the vials that were left. One would be enough for them to determine its uses.
He opens a zip in his utility belt to secure it, when he hears it, the zzzz of some blast starting. It hits him just as he sees a towering masked man, it theows him back on the opposite wall. His body feels static, as if thousand volts passed through his body.
Blue beetle shoots beams at the ray-guy, giving Nightwing a moment to breathe. He looks down and winces at the sight of broken vial and the liquid on his suit. Oh well, there's no time to take care of that, its the later Nightwing's problem. He gets up and joins the battle.
"Okay, Worst trip ever, even Luther's robots werent this annoying last week, I'd take them over these goons any day. Is everyone intact? Because I'm totally feeling crashed." Impulse complains watching Nightwing type on his holographic computer, the Zeta tubes barely lighting up from his effort. The team was beyong exhausted standing nearbthe Zeta tubes willing it to work. Robin had informed them of a maintenance blackout but that was over and hour ago. It should work after a 'few tweaks' according to Nightwing.
"I’m in one piece, hermanos, but the Scarab is going crazy." Blue beetle retracts the Scarab with a shiver. He could not understand why the scarab was glitching as well. Beast boy was frowning, watchibg Nightwing type away and then looking at the Zeta. He would suggest to use another zeta or crash elsewhere but thats not exactly a tactical plan, so he remains there, letting Nightwing take the lead.
"Almost got the bypass and done."
Nightwing closes his hologram with a smirk and Impulse cheers. "Whoop, now thats crash!" Impulse speeds into the beam.
"RECOGNIZED: D-04 KID FLASH"
That gives Dick a pause, and he feels the guilt build up. The entire mission he referred to the grieving kid as impulse instead of the mantle he was honoring. How much worse can he get? He's already thinking of apologies as he follows after Blue beetle. He barely hears the automated words.
"RECOGNIZED: NIGHTWING B-01-[ERROR—OUT OF TRACKING BOUNDS]"
His feet gave out beneath him and he felt himself falling through a cloud, a very colorful cloud. A kaleidoscope of green, yellow, black and blue burned his vision as he flailed through the cloud. The sharp water vapours shred through kevlar making him hiss.
His comm screamed in a high pitch of static that made his teeth rattle. He manages to take it off and it dissapears between the colors. He was falling too fast and just as he thinks of his last prayers, he hits the ground. The impact of hitting the ground doesnt hurt him like it should, intead the shredded cuts burn like a bitch.
Focus, Grayson. Assess the situation, he told himself, falling back on his Bat-training.
He pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, but the moment he shifted his weight, a sharp deeply unnerving sensation shot through his bones.
Something was fundamentally wrong with his body.
He looked down at his hands. The gloves were his classic material but the blue lines were new, and he felt alien with his weight. He pushed himself to his feet, but his center of gravity was completely thrown off. He staggered back, his boots dragging heavily against the floor.
A quick glance told him that he's in a messy apartment, an assessment of his body reveals no cuts he endured falling through cloud.
He takes a shuddering breath and and walks slowly to the window, pushing back the curtains, he sees his reflection. He looked wrong, the domino mask was blue instead of his classic black. His jaw was more chiseled, with a bruise marring it, which he doesn't remember getting. He stands there frozen.
Where am I?