Random Wren and Young Justice Snippets
Author here: I have several story snippets that I want to include in the story but no time to weave them together yet. So I'm putting them down here for now.
"Alternate Universe, you numbskull's." He yelled, pointing at each of them in turn as he screamed, pointing at each in turn. "Ultraman, last son of Krypton. The peace loving hippy raised in bumfuck Kansas or Nebraska or somewhere equally flat and green by a loving couple living in some commune. The Amazon, Warrior Princess and adopted daughter of the Goddess Artemis or Athena or something. I was always staring at her tits too much to pay attention. But she was always helping women beat up by their boyfriends or marching in a gay equality parade, so she was good in my book. Quicksilver, the fastest woman alive. Daddies little girl who was devastated when her beloved father was killed. Now a crime scene tech looking for the killers. The Green Lantern thing is the same. But you're a black guy, youngest member of the Tuskegee airman until you were kicked out for punching a superior officer. Now you test planes and do tricks in air shows. And you..." He took a step towards Batman, the hate and loathing just dripping off him. "You're not half the man that Red Robin is. Billionaire humanitarian who's parents were murdered in front of him while they were going to their hotel in some third world shit hole that they had been trying to help by opening a hospital there. They were gunned down by some desperate thief after getting lost and having watched some play made by the hospital in gratitude for their generosity. Sound familiar?"
"And you?"
"Don't really seem to have an alternate here. Or I haven't figured it out. I am *not# my world's Green Arrow." Jason wasn't sure why he added that last part. It was about the only one that he could think of off the top of his head that he could remotely equate himself to. Except, he wasn't exactly a hero, was he. He was more something else, something straddling the line. "I'd say Catwoman is the closest. But I was never a thief. Well, I stole but the owners were dead and didn't much care. And my world has a Catwoman too."
**
"Where did you learn how to kick butt like that? It's not everyday someone can beat up Superman."
"Haley's Exotic Animal Show," Wren said. The Young Justice team member's eyes went wide.
Wally piped up, asking, "So you worked with animals. Shoveling... um..." He covered his mouth to giggle and look at Robin who he just knew was just scowling under the mask. "And your family and you grew up there, training the animals and stuff."
Wren's head tilted to the side in a curious expression. "No. I was one of the animals." A chorus of surprise and confusion prompted then to ask what the young sidekick meant. She almost looked at Jason, her hand creeping towards his but just laid by the side, an inch between them. They hadn't gotten to this part of their back story yet and Jason was just as curious to see what she came up with. He kept his gaze stony as he played to the audience. Unsure if this was a mix of lies or parts of truth. "My parents sold me to the show. They needed someone small and defenseless to feed to the dragon. I was supposed to be a feeder fish. They put me in an arena and the crowd would bet on how long it took the dragon to eat me. I killed it." Several members of the team went green. Wren continued with no prompting. "The dragon I killed was very expensive and rare. So to make money off me, they would put me in the arena with lions or bears or wild cats. I could watch how they moved, how they hunted. I could see how their muscles pulled and I could make myself do the same. I was a very popular attraction."
"But your Batman... I mean Red Robin saved you. He found out about Haley's Exotic Animal Show and shut them down."
"No. They're still open, still running. My Justice League has tried finding them but they travel in secret. Setting up in abandoned warehouses, old schools, places you can squat and they have street fights and the animal games. The animals killed are sold off as souvenirs and medicine. A tiger can be worth as much as a quarter million dollars. I was traded with the Guild of Assassins for two pregnant tigresses."
"I got her out of there," Jason interrupted. He knew it was his time to pick up their story. A blend of truth and lies. "I had been Tah-lee-ah ah Gool's special project." He used Wren's strange pronunciation from earlier for the woman's name. "Red Robin had been trying to help me, to show me another way when Tah-lee-ah purchased Wren. I couldn't..." he cut off as he felt Wren's hand wrap into his own.
**
Wren was in the main area they trained in. She was sitting on the mats, holding her knees loosely. A look of joy on her face as she shuffled around and sang. Using different tones and voices, she was singing different folk songs, some times stopping during one to pronounce words slowly. Sometimes after repeating a phrase, she would rock back and forth giggling.
OK. She was under strain. Her and her mentor had been in a battle to rescue Red Hood and her mentor was still in and out of consciousness but this was just crazy. They had been silent, though it had been mainly because of Red Hood's harsh glares, when she'd sat on the kitchen counter to eat, her feet in the running water in the sink. Megan had made spaghetti and Wren had taken a bowl. The strange side kick had taken a large bowl and put some in her mouth, using her hands, not her fork. She'd sucked off the sauce, celery, tomato chunks, and black olives that Megan had included but had put the noodles back into the bowl, to the side. She ate the whole bowl like that, going back for seconds on the sauce.
They had to stop Wally from eating her left behind bowl of noodles.
"What? She's not eating them and I rinsed them off. I need the calories."
**
Young Justice had been called into the center to hear a briefing on the latest criminal they were going to hunt down. Zsasz with his signiture hatch marks covering some of his body shown on screen. Wren had followed them into the situation room when they were called in. Upon seeing the criminal she'd yelled "Tally-Man!" and giggled.
"Let me guess, he's the tally-man in your universe and he catches criminals?" Robin asked sarcastically. Maybe he was starting to guess that Wren, Red Hood, and Red Robin weren't exactly who they said they were. "And every mark on his body is a criminal he's caught or killed or something?"
Wren's hands twitched, like she was trying to reach out for something. Those twitches were starting to get on Robin's nerves too. The others had teased him about it, saying his girl alternate wasn't just weird, but crazy. Their teasing was getting to be too much. "Me and tally-marked-man play hide and seek on Arkham sometimes. Every time I catch him, I leave a tally mark under his eyes."
"What happens if he catches you?" Superboy said.
"He'll kill me. Cut me up into little, itty, bitty pieces. Sliced, diced, and julienned. I've *never# been caught." Wren had a sadistic, gleeful grin that kind of frightened them a bit. "This one doesn't know me. Oh, please, Mr. Batman, may I go and play?"
Only Robin could see the horrified expression that quickly danced over Batman's face.
**
Wren tilted her head. "We always visit Uncle Bluejay's grave on Remembrance Day. Its the last one we visit."
They argued with Wren, not understanding.
"He usually goes there, sometime that day or the day before or something. He'll drink whatever he can get his hands on then drink himself silly. Last time, he let me try beer." Her nose scrunched up. "I didn't like it."
Red Hood cursed himself. He really needed to keep a closer eye on Wren. She was great at making up stories and back stories and deflecting questions but it was obvious that she hadn't worked undercover this long. He'd caught her humming and chanting on several occasions. She'd steal his jacket again and again, disappearing. It was obvious that she was only holding on by a thread. The stress at keeping this 'cover' and lying to everyone was straining. He'd wanted to get her away from here, back to the simplicity of his life where she wasn't being hounded by questions or under a microscope of the Young Justice team but the big-wigs didn't allow it. Every time they snuck out of the mountain, the Underware Brigade just dragged them back. Red Robin was doing better and had tried to run interference, pointing out and arguing with Batman but was just helpless in the old man's stubbornness. There had been a brief escape with him, Wren, and Red Robin but the strange hero was still too weak and drained from his injuries to continue.
In the end, Red Robin had politely asked the Young Justice team to leave Wren alone, to back off. Pointing out that they were taking advantage of her situation. Red Hood had growled and threatened them. Even going as far as beating the crap out of Robin when his sly questions went to far and upset the girl. Superboy and Kid Flash had interfered and he'd proceeded to kick their asses too but when the rest of them banded together, he'd been out gunned and backed down. Just yelled at them and threatened them as he dragged a distraught Wren, hiding in his coat, away to the silent darkness of the guest bedroom she'd been assigned. He'd stood guard for the hours it took for her to re-emerge.
**
Wren presses her face into Alfred Pennyworth's thigh, making high, distressing keening noises. He tried pulling her up , to comfort her like he does for Dick after a nightmare but she pulled away and made the most distressing noises. So he lets her lean against his leg and cry or whatever she's doing. She'll get to it in her own time. He'd been prepared for her to not be like Dick, after having heard the complaints from the young man but she was so different. Their short meetings over the chest board not enough for him to really tell yet. Could she really be Dick from an alternate dimensions?
"I'm not supposed to lie to my Alfred but you're not mine and there are *rules# about this thing. But its so hard. They keep asking questions and looking at me and I have to keep all the stories straight, which I can but things just go crazy in my head because I've never had to *lie# this long and I can't let them see my eyes because they'll *know# and everything looks funny and tastes funny and I can't *tell# them and they just won't leave me alone and Uncle Bluejay isn't my uncle Bluejay and he frightens me and I want to help him get better so he can be my uncle Bluejay and I can't even *tell him# the truth cause its not the right one and I can't keep *lying.# And its taking too long for Paddy to get better and I want to go *home.# I miss my mom and she's not getting better and I don't want to be an assassin but I *have to# if she's going to get better and I can't even tell *my Alfred# because he'll tell Grandpa B like he did about Uncle Joffrey and how he touched me and made Uncle Joffrey go away and I know that's why I'm supposed to tell Alfred these things because I didn't know it was bad and he fixed it and Watson is supposed to be the new Alfred but he *isn't# cause he's Jason's Alfred and not mine and I *don't know WHAT TO DO!#"
She was rocking, holding onto his leg with an iron grip. She looked up into his face with such trust and affection... no, love. Adoration. That he was taken aback.
"I think you should start at the beginning, little songbird," he said. "But first, lets make a batch of cookies. This sounds like a conversation to be had over fresh baked cookies and milk."
Her face brightened for a moment then she let out a whimper. "There are *rules.# I'm not supposed to talk to you. But, maybe, we could. Um. I usually make Brownies with my Alfred. Brownie Cookies. I can teach you the recipe?"
"I would like that."
So Alfred Pennyworth and Wren made brownie cookies with lots and lots of chocolate and peanut butter and slowly the superhero butler learned that Wren was from not just an alternate time line but also the future and that she was Bruce Wayne's first grandchild. Soon after followed by his second, little baby Mari.
And he had hope for the future.
**
Agent A, or as the young Wren called him, Agent Alpha, walked into the infirmary where they were keeping Red Robin. He went to the camera in the corner and unplugged it. That one was mainly for show. There were others as well as listening devices but he'd already disabled them.
"We're free to talk, Young Master Timothy," he said turning around to face the young man propped up on the bed reading.
"It took me ages to get you to stop calling me that. It seems that I'm going to have to train you out of that habit as well," Tim said with a wry smile.
Alfred raised an eyebrow in doubt. "I can't see that I or any version of my self would ever stop."
Tim snorted. "We fired you. And you retired. You were retired and fired and forbidden from vacuuming the manor ever again and you still called us 'young master.' We were calling Bruce 'old master' and addressing visitors as 'old sir' until we convinced you to stop. We even dragged Wren into the middle of it. Though it stopped being funny when she called a visiting senator 'old sir.' I don't know which was worse, Bruce trying to explain or Wren trying to figure out what she'd done wrong."
"Indeed. It looks like I'm going to have to keep my eye on you, once your counterpart becomes Robin."
"Not really. I was the good Robin. The obedient one. Dick was a terrible influence and I didn't develop a sense of humor until much, much later. Its my friends you'll have to watch out for."
"And Wren."
Tim nodded, setting aside his book. It was nice to joke with this Alfred. The butler was so much like his own. It was hard to imagine any variation of Alfred as being anything other then versions of himself. Stalwart, loving, kind, and wonderful. Even Watson loved him as much as he hated him. But then stepping into the mantle of Agent A and everything connected was going to be overwhelming for the newly named Agent Zed. Tim indicated for Alfred to go on, asking about how much the girl had revealed.
"She told me just enough. That you are from an alternate future time line and that she cannot lie to Alfred, any Alfred. There was something that did concern me but first, could you answer a question. She mentioned something about an Uncle Joffrey disappearing? It was just in passing but it caught my attention."
"A bastard," Tim said as his hands clenched in anger. He had to spit out the words through clenched teeth. "Not her real uncle. She seems to call any male over 20 that she becomes friends with Uncle. Joffrey was her next door neighbor and closet pedofile. Wren didn't even know what he was doing to her was wrong. Bruce... dealt with him."
"Ah. I see. I had worried it was... aherm... Her Alfred was her confessor. It was good that she shared it and that action was taken but I'm afraid that it may have set things back a bit. Wren knows that she doesn't understand things like you or I do which is possibly why you set your Alfred up as her confessor." The young man in the hospital bed nodded his agreement. "But she knows that he will take matters into hand and she's afraid to confide something to him. It took a bit of work and a ruined kitchen but I was able to glean something about a... erm... Sharmoota."
"That would be Talia al Ghul," Tim said, pronouncing it correctly. There was a brief discussion about how Wren sometimes had trouble with words if she read them verses hearing them. Athena was pronounced At-hen-ay by the young sidekick. Tim also had to tell Alfred that the head of the League of Assassins was interested in Wren and that they had made a deal for the child's life.
"I fear you may have underestimated the woman's patience. Or her deviousness. She's told Wren that she has a cure for her mother's illness. Wren has kept this secret from you and your Alfred since she believes its her mother's only chance for survival."
The book that had been resting on the bed was thrown across the room with such force the pages broke free of their bindings. After that little outburst, Tim looked for some thing else to throw, to move, to spring into action but he was helpless, hooked up to the machines. He wasn't even well enough to go to the bathroom 3 feet away. All he had left to him was to grab the pillow and scream in frustration at not having caught this before.
"Damn that woman. May the dogs piss on her face in the 7 hells." (Author here: cussing and curses are so much fun from other countries and cultures. I'm useing Arabic for allot in nod to the al Ghul heritage as me finding them amusing. Though I'll stick to Arabic ones, even though I'm sure the Batclan is very multi-cultural. As for Uncle Joffrey... I'm reading Game of Thrones right now and he's turd.) "We've already looked into possible cures. Wren's mother is in the final stages. She doesn't have long and everything we've tried has only prolonged her suffering. Short of putting her into the Lazarus Pit, Wren's mother has months left. Mother and daughter can't spend the remaining time together because of that *woman's# meddling. Even Slade has back off, been reasonable."
Tim threw the pillow across the room and turned sad eyes to Alfred. "Only five people in the world have ever been able to do a quadruple somersault. The Vasquez brothers, Dick Grayson and his mother. And Wren." He pounded his fist against the bed. Alfred had to look to the monitors, worried about the young man's blood pressure. "Wren never wanted to be a super hero. She doesn't have the drive or the passion but she's smart. Scarily smart. I gave Dick a collection of his old circus clips and some ones from his early Robin days, including..." Tim cut himself off. He was about to say the news clip that allowed him to piece together Dick being Robin and Bruce being Batman. "Dick let her watch them and when she asked him to show her his signature move, he did. Not thinking of the consequences again. Sometimes I want to beat him over the head to knock some sense into him. Wren is a mimic. If she can see you do something, she can duplicate it. And she never forgets. The only savings grace is that men's bodies are built differently then women's and she's been having trouble getting it right for her frame. She can only do it under ideal conditions. But she has done a quadruple somersault twice now."
"Alternate Universe, you numbskull's." He yelled, pointing at each of them in turn as he screamed, pointing at each in turn. "Ultraman, last son of Krypton. The peace loving hippy raised in bumfuck Kansas or Nebraska or somewhere equally flat and green by a loving couple living in some commune. The Amazon, Warrior Princess and adopted daughter of the Goddess Artemis or Athena or something. I was always staring at her tits too much to pay attention. But she was always helping women beat up by their boyfriends or marching in a gay equality parade, so she was good in my book. Quicksilver, the fastest woman alive. Daddies little girl who was devastated when her beloved father was killed. Now a crime scene tech looking for the killers. The Green Lantern thing is the same. But you're a black guy, youngest member of the Tuskegee airman until you were kicked out for punching a superior officer. Now you test planes and do tricks in air shows. And you..." He took a step towards Batman, the hate and loathing just dripping off him. "You're not half the man that Red Robin is. Billionaire humanitarian who's parents were murdered in front of him while they were going to their hotel in some third world shit hole that they had been trying to help by opening a hospital there. They were gunned down by some desperate thief after getting lost and having watched some play made by the hospital in gratitude for their generosity. Sound familiar?"
"And you?"
"Don't really seem to have an alternate here. Or I haven't figured it out. I am *not# my world's Green Arrow." Jason wasn't sure why he added that last part. It was about the only one that he could think of off the top of his head that he could remotely equate himself to. Except, he wasn't exactly a hero, was he. He was more something else, something straddling the line. "I'd say Catwoman is the closest. But I was never a thief. Well, I stole but the owners were dead and didn't much care. And my world has a Catwoman too."
**
"Where did you learn how to kick butt like that? It's not everyday someone can beat up Superman."
"Haley's Exotic Animal Show," Wren said. The Young Justice team member's eyes went wide.
Wally piped up, asking, "So you worked with animals. Shoveling... um..." He covered his mouth to giggle and look at Robin who he just knew was just scowling under the mask. "And your family and you grew up there, training the animals and stuff."
Wren's head tilted to the side in a curious expression. "No. I was one of the animals." A chorus of surprise and confusion prompted then to ask what the young sidekick meant. She almost looked at Jason, her hand creeping towards his but just laid by the side, an inch between them. They hadn't gotten to this part of their back story yet and Jason was just as curious to see what she came up with. He kept his gaze stony as he played to the audience. Unsure if this was a mix of lies or parts of truth. "My parents sold me to the show. They needed someone small and defenseless to feed to the dragon. I was supposed to be a feeder fish. They put me in an arena and the crowd would bet on how long it took the dragon to eat me. I killed it." Several members of the team went green. Wren continued with no prompting. "The dragon I killed was very expensive and rare. So to make money off me, they would put me in the arena with lions or bears or wild cats. I could watch how they moved, how they hunted. I could see how their muscles pulled and I could make myself do the same. I was a very popular attraction."
"But your Batman... I mean Red Robin saved you. He found out about Haley's Exotic Animal Show and shut them down."
"No. They're still open, still running. My Justice League has tried finding them but they travel in secret. Setting up in abandoned warehouses, old schools, places you can squat and they have street fights and the animal games. The animals killed are sold off as souvenirs and medicine. A tiger can be worth as much as a quarter million dollars. I was traded with the Guild of Assassins for two pregnant tigresses."
"I got her out of there," Jason interrupted. He knew it was his time to pick up their story. A blend of truth and lies. "I had been Tah-lee-ah ah Gool's special project." He used Wren's strange pronunciation from earlier for the woman's name. "Red Robin had been trying to help me, to show me another way when Tah-lee-ah purchased Wren. I couldn't..." he cut off as he felt Wren's hand wrap into his own.
**
Wren was in the main area they trained in. She was sitting on the mats, holding her knees loosely. A look of joy on her face as she shuffled around and sang. Using different tones and voices, she was singing different folk songs, some times stopping during one to pronounce words slowly. Sometimes after repeating a phrase, she would rock back and forth giggling.
OK. She was under strain. Her and her mentor had been in a battle to rescue Red Hood and her mentor was still in and out of consciousness but this was just crazy. They had been silent, though it had been mainly because of Red Hood's harsh glares, when she'd sat on the kitchen counter to eat, her feet in the running water in the sink. Megan had made spaghetti and Wren had taken a bowl. The strange side kick had taken a large bowl and put some in her mouth, using her hands, not her fork. She'd sucked off the sauce, celery, tomato chunks, and black olives that Megan had included but had put the noodles back into the bowl, to the side. She ate the whole bowl like that, going back for seconds on the sauce.
They had to stop Wally from eating her left behind bowl of noodles.
"What? She's not eating them and I rinsed them off. I need the calories."
**
Young Justice had been called into the center to hear a briefing on the latest criminal they were going to hunt down. Zsasz with his signiture hatch marks covering some of his body shown on screen. Wren had followed them into the situation room when they were called in. Upon seeing the criminal she'd yelled "Tally-Man!" and giggled.
"Let me guess, he's the tally-man in your universe and he catches criminals?" Robin asked sarcastically. Maybe he was starting to guess that Wren, Red Hood, and Red Robin weren't exactly who they said they were. "And every mark on his body is a criminal he's caught or killed or something?"
Wren's hands twitched, like she was trying to reach out for something. Those twitches were starting to get on Robin's nerves too. The others had teased him about it, saying his girl alternate wasn't just weird, but crazy. Their teasing was getting to be too much. "Me and tally-marked-man play hide and seek on Arkham sometimes. Every time I catch him, I leave a tally mark under his eyes."
"What happens if he catches you?" Superboy said.
"He'll kill me. Cut me up into little, itty, bitty pieces. Sliced, diced, and julienned. I've *never# been caught." Wren had a sadistic, gleeful grin that kind of frightened them a bit. "This one doesn't know me. Oh, please, Mr. Batman, may I go and play?"
Only Robin could see the horrified expression that quickly danced over Batman's face.
**
Wren tilted her head. "We always visit Uncle Bluejay's grave on Remembrance Day. Its the last one we visit."
They argued with Wren, not understanding.
"He usually goes there, sometime that day or the day before or something. He'll drink whatever he can get his hands on then drink himself silly. Last time, he let me try beer." Her nose scrunched up. "I didn't like it."
Red Hood cursed himself. He really needed to keep a closer eye on Wren. She was great at making up stories and back stories and deflecting questions but it was obvious that she hadn't worked undercover this long. He'd caught her humming and chanting on several occasions. She'd steal his jacket again and again, disappearing. It was obvious that she was only holding on by a thread. The stress at keeping this 'cover' and lying to everyone was straining. He'd wanted to get her away from here, back to the simplicity of his life where she wasn't being hounded by questions or under a microscope of the Young Justice team but the big-wigs didn't allow it. Every time they snuck out of the mountain, the Underware Brigade just dragged them back. Red Robin was doing better and had tried to run interference, pointing out and arguing with Batman but was just helpless in the old man's stubbornness. There had been a brief escape with him, Wren, and Red Robin but the strange hero was still too weak and drained from his injuries to continue.
In the end, Red Robin had politely asked the Young Justice team to leave Wren alone, to back off. Pointing out that they were taking advantage of her situation. Red Hood had growled and threatened them. Even going as far as beating the crap out of Robin when his sly questions went to far and upset the girl. Superboy and Kid Flash had interfered and he'd proceeded to kick their asses too but when the rest of them banded together, he'd been out gunned and backed down. Just yelled at them and threatened them as he dragged a distraught Wren, hiding in his coat, away to the silent darkness of the guest bedroom she'd been assigned. He'd stood guard for the hours it took for her to re-emerge.
**
Wren presses her face into Alfred Pennyworth's thigh, making high, distressing keening noises. He tried pulling her up , to comfort her like he does for Dick after a nightmare but she pulled away and made the most distressing noises. So he lets her lean against his leg and cry or whatever she's doing. She'll get to it in her own time. He'd been prepared for her to not be like Dick, after having heard the complaints from the young man but she was so different. Their short meetings over the chest board not enough for him to really tell yet. Could she really be Dick from an alternate dimensions?
"I'm not supposed to lie to my Alfred but you're not mine and there are *rules# about this thing. But its so hard. They keep asking questions and looking at me and I have to keep all the stories straight, which I can but things just go crazy in my head because I've never had to *lie# this long and I can't let them see my eyes because they'll *know# and everything looks funny and tastes funny and I can't *tell# them and they just won't leave me alone and Uncle Bluejay isn't my uncle Bluejay and he frightens me and I want to help him get better so he can be my uncle Bluejay and I can't even *tell him# the truth cause its not the right one and I can't keep *lying.# And its taking too long for Paddy to get better and I want to go *home.# I miss my mom and she's not getting better and I don't want to be an assassin but I *have to# if she's going to get better and I can't even tell *my Alfred# because he'll tell Grandpa B like he did about Uncle Joffrey and how he touched me and made Uncle Joffrey go away and I know that's why I'm supposed to tell Alfred these things because I didn't know it was bad and he fixed it and Watson is supposed to be the new Alfred but he *isn't# cause he's Jason's Alfred and not mine and I *don't know WHAT TO DO!#"
She was rocking, holding onto his leg with an iron grip. She looked up into his face with such trust and affection... no, love. Adoration. That he was taken aback.
"I think you should start at the beginning, little songbird," he said. "But first, lets make a batch of cookies. This sounds like a conversation to be had over fresh baked cookies and milk."
Her face brightened for a moment then she let out a whimper. "There are *rules.# I'm not supposed to talk to you. But, maybe, we could. Um. I usually make Brownies with my Alfred. Brownie Cookies. I can teach you the recipe?"
"I would like that."
So Alfred Pennyworth and Wren made brownie cookies with lots and lots of chocolate and peanut butter and slowly the superhero butler learned that Wren was from not just an alternate time line but also the future and that she was Bruce Wayne's first grandchild. Soon after followed by his second, little baby Mari.
And he had hope for the future.
**
Agent A, or as the young Wren called him, Agent Alpha, walked into the infirmary where they were keeping Red Robin. He went to the camera in the corner and unplugged it. That one was mainly for show. There were others as well as listening devices but he'd already disabled them.
"We're free to talk, Young Master Timothy," he said turning around to face the young man propped up on the bed reading.
"It took me ages to get you to stop calling me that. It seems that I'm going to have to train you out of that habit as well," Tim said with a wry smile.
Alfred raised an eyebrow in doubt. "I can't see that I or any version of my self would ever stop."
Tim snorted. "We fired you. And you retired. You were retired and fired and forbidden from vacuuming the manor ever again and you still called us 'young master.' We were calling Bruce 'old master' and addressing visitors as 'old sir' until we convinced you to stop. We even dragged Wren into the middle of it. Though it stopped being funny when she called a visiting senator 'old sir.' I don't know which was worse, Bruce trying to explain or Wren trying to figure out what she'd done wrong."
"Indeed. It looks like I'm going to have to keep my eye on you, once your counterpart becomes Robin."
"Not really. I was the good Robin. The obedient one. Dick was a terrible influence and I didn't develop a sense of humor until much, much later. Its my friends you'll have to watch out for."
"And Wren."
Tim nodded, setting aside his book. It was nice to joke with this Alfred. The butler was so much like his own. It was hard to imagine any variation of Alfred as being anything other then versions of himself. Stalwart, loving, kind, and wonderful. Even Watson loved him as much as he hated him. But then stepping into the mantle of Agent A and everything connected was going to be overwhelming for the newly named Agent Zed. Tim indicated for Alfred to go on, asking about how much the girl had revealed.
"She told me just enough. That you are from an alternate future time line and that she cannot lie to Alfred, any Alfred. There was something that did concern me but first, could you answer a question. She mentioned something about an Uncle Joffrey disappearing? It was just in passing but it caught my attention."
"A bastard," Tim said as his hands clenched in anger. He had to spit out the words through clenched teeth. "Not her real uncle. She seems to call any male over 20 that she becomes friends with Uncle. Joffrey was her next door neighbor and closet pedofile. Wren didn't even know what he was doing to her was wrong. Bruce... dealt with him."
"Ah. I see. I had worried it was... aherm... Her Alfred was her confessor. It was good that she shared it and that action was taken but I'm afraid that it may have set things back a bit. Wren knows that she doesn't understand things like you or I do which is possibly why you set your Alfred up as her confessor." The young man in the hospital bed nodded his agreement. "But she knows that he will take matters into hand and she's afraid to confide something to him. It took a bit of work and a ruined kitchen but I was able to glean something about a... erm... Sharmoota."
"That would be Talia al Ghul," Tim said, pronouncing it correctly. There was a brief discussion about how Wren sometimes had trouble with words if she read them verses hearing them. Athena was pronounced At-hen-ay by the young sidekick. Tim also had to tell Alfred that the head of the League of Assassins was interested in Wren and that they had made a deal for the child's life.
"I fear you may have underestimated the woman's patience. Or her deviousness. She's told Wren that she has a cure for her mother's illness. Wren has kept this secret from you and your Alfred since she believes its her mother's only chance for survival."
The book that had been resting on the bed was thrown across the room with such force the pages broke free of their bindings. After that little outburst, Tim looked for some thing else to throw, to move, to spring into action but he was helpless, hooked up to the machines. He wasn't even well enough to go to the bathroom 3 feet away. All he had left to him was to grab the pillow and scream in frustration at not having caught this before.
"Damn that woman. May the dogs piss on her face in the 7 hells." (Author here: cussing and curses are so much fun from other countries and cultures. I'm useing Arabic for allot in nod to the al Ghul heritage as me finding them amusing. Though I'll stick to Arabic ones, even though I'm sure the Batclan is very multi-cultural. As for Uncle Joffrey... I'm reading Game of Thrones right now and he's turd.) "We've already looked into possible cures. Wren's mother is in the final stages. She doesn't have long and everything we've tried has only prolonged her suffering. Short of putting her into the Lazarus Pit, Wren's mother has months left. Mother and daughter can't spend the remaining time together because of that *woman's# meddling. Even Slade has back off, been reasonable."
Tim threw the pillow across the room and turned sad eyes to Alfred. "Only five people in the world have ever been able to do a quadruple somersault. The Vasquez brothers, Dick Grayson and his mother. And Wren." He pounded his fist against the bed. Alfred had to look to the monitors, worried about the young man's blood pressure. "Wren never wanted to be a super hero. She doesn't have the drive or the passion but she's smart. Scarily smart. I gave Dick a collection of his old circus clips and some ones from his early Robin days, including..." Tim cut himself off. He was about to say the news clip that allowed him to piece together Dick being Robin and Bruce being Batman. "Dick let her watch them and when she asked him to show her his signature move, he did. Not thinking of the consequences again. Sometimes I want to beat him over the head to knock some sense into him. Wren is a mimic. If she can see you do something, she can duplicate it. And she never forgets. The only savings grace is that men's bodies are built differently then women's and she's been having trouble getting it right for her frame. She can only do it under ideal conditions. But she has done a quadruple somersault twice now."