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Tim Drake thought the day was going pretty well, and that despite all odds he’d be able to go home and relax after work.
He really should have expected something like this to happen.
In the middle of sorting through an impossibly high pile of paperwork, a strange blue police box materialized, sending papers scattering across the office.
Tim simply sighed and took a drink of his coffee, staring at the papers forlornly. The read and unread piles all mixed together, and Tim was dreading having to read through them all again.
He looked back up at the blue box. He made sure that his staff hidden under the desk was easily accessible, but made no move towards it yet.
Despite what the other members of his family thought, it was usually much better to not go in to any situation with weapons drawn. That didn’t mean he’d let down his guard, though.
The doors opened and revealed a blond man with a cricket uniform stepping out. He surveyed the room with his hands on his hips, not looking incredibly threatening. The man realized Tim was sitting nearby, and he walked towards him with his arm out.
“I’m the Doctor. Do you mind telling me where I am?”
Tim shook the hand, more out of reflex than politeness. “Uh, Wayne Enterprises.”
Unsure just how unaware the man was of his whereabouts, Tim clarified more. “Gotham, New Jersey. USA. Earth.”
“America. Interesting,” the Doctor hummed. “I haven’t been in America for a while.“
Three more people exited the blue box. Tim stared at it curiously, wondering how the four of them could all possibly fit.
“What’s going on this time?” A girl with an Australian accent asked. “I know better than to think we can land somewhere peaceful for a change.”
“Well, it’s Gotham,” Tim shrugged, taking another drink. “There’s always something going on. If it’s not your average gang war or muggings, it’s something to do with a giant crocodile or a lady who controls plants.”
“Those things sound far too strange to be said with such disregard!” The Australian exclaimed. “You aren’t pulling my leg, are you?”
Tim shook his head. “You must be new around here.”
The Doctor looked at Tim curiously. “Is there anything in place to stop such things from happening?”
Tim snorted. “Just a bunch of crazies in costumes. Most of them don’t even have weapons or good armor. They all need a trip to the loony bin, or at least a decent therapist. Especially that Red Robin guy.”
“A small group of humans are able to keep such dangers at bay?” The Doctor looked…proud for some reason. “Such a resilient race, I tell you!”
“Their numbers keep multiplying by the day,” Tim said with a small grin. “It’s hard to keep track of them all. And as for the human part…well, for the most part they’re all completely human.”
“Interesting,” another girl noted. “What else are they?”
At this point, Tim was pretty sure this was a group of extremely curious, but generally harmless, aliens. He’d keep his staff nearby, just in case, but he allowed himself to relax a bit to tell them a portion of the insanity that was his life.
“One of them has some sort of light powers,” explained Tim, as if he didn’t know almost exactly how Duke’s powers worked. “Then in other cities, it gets even crazier. A guy with laser eyes and invulnerable skin, who can also fly and is super strong. Pretty sure he’s some alien.”
“Unsurprising,” a boy grinned smugly at the Australian. “Someone not of Earth can’t be defeated.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” corrected Tim. “He’s pretty easily beaten if you have a specific rock.”
“I must investigate this further,” the Doctor declared. “I’ve never heard of such a thing on Earth before. I hope you won’t mind if the TARDIS stays here for a short while.”
Tim shrugged. “It’s a pretty big office, I didn’t need all that space anyway.”
“It would be pretty useful if you could provide a bit more insight on the matter,” noted the Doctor.
Don’t do it, Tim. You don’t need to get involved in this weird alien exploration. You have papers you need to have read and signed by the end of the month. In only a few hours of working, the entire evening should be free of both WE and Red Robin work. It’s practically your day off.
“Sure, why not?” Tim answered.
The Australian frowned. “Won’t you get in trouble with your boss if you just up and leave in the middle of the day?”
“I don’t think that will be much of a problem since I’m the boss.” Tim smirked, pushing himself out of his chair.
“You?” She asked in surprised.
“Tim Drake, CEO of Wayne Enterprises,” he introduced. “At your service.”
“You just…look a bit young to be CEO.”
“I have a great skincare routine,” Tim deadpanned. “And I’m seventeen.”
“How’d you become CEO at such a young age?” Asked the Doctor.
“Nepotism.”
The Australian scoffed. “Figures.”
“Ah, I almost forgot to introduce my three companions,” the Doctor smiled. “This is Adric, Nyssa, and-”
“I can introduce myself, thanks,” interrupted the Australian girl. “Tegan Jovanka, unwilling abductee of the Doctor.”
“Tegan,” the Doctor chastised. “Stop telling everyone I kidnapped you.”
“What, you want me to lie?” She huffed. “Either you’re intentionally preventing from returning home, or you’re the worst driver I’ve met in my life.”
“I simply thought a quick stop would be nice before you returned home.”
“You’ve used that excuse for the past four places we visited, Doctor,” Adric pointed out.
The Doctor cleared his throat before purposefully striding towards the office door.
“Yes, well, it’s about time we head out, don’t you think?”
Tegan rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, Doctor.”
“I’ll stay here to keep an eye on the TARDIS,” Nyssa informed. “From what Tim said, this place is quite crime ridden. It would be bad if someone like that got their hands on technology like this.”
“Good idea, Nyssa,” praised the Doctor.
“Wait a second,” Tim said, opening a drawer of his desk.
He took out spare two radios, double checking to make sure they were on the same frequency. He had been tinkering with some of them a few weeks ago, and still had a few extras at his disposal.
While over there, he slipped his retractable staff in the inside pocket of his suit. It was a little heavy, but Tim could manage.
“Here,” he said, handing one of the radios to Nyssa. “If anything happens, just press this button to talk.”
He handed the other radio to the Doctor, who thanked him with a small smile.
They all gathered inside the elevator, where Tim pushed the button for the ground floor. He really should’ve just minded his own business.
When the elevator doors opened, Tim made a quick beeline to the coffee cart where he put some in a to-go cup.
He turned to the others. “Do any of you want anything?”
“What is that?” Adric asked curiously.
“Coffee. The only thing keeping me going at any given point.”
After watching Tim take a few drinks of it, Adric reached over to pour himself a cup. Taking a tentative sip, Adric immediately spit it out with a disgusted look.
“What’s in this?” He asked aghast, setting the cup on the table and stepping back as if it was dangerous.
“Coffee beans and water,” Tim explained. “Some people put cream or sugar in it, but I usually don’t. I prefer as much sugar and caffeine as possible, but I keep forgetting to put in an order to restock it.”
“Doctor, I think the human’s trying to poison us,” Adric grumbled.
“No need to be so dramatic,” the Doctor chuckled, patting Adric’s shoulder.
“Look who’s talking,” Tegan chimed in.
“So,” Tim started, walking out the front door with a quick nod to Tam. “What exactly do you want to see? I mean, you seem curious about all this stuff, but do you really want to see a giant crocodile up close and personal?”
“I doubt it’s much more dangerous than what we seem to run into everywhere we go,” noted Adric.
“It’s a giant crocodile,” repeated Tim. “Regular sized ones are scary enough.”
“Right, of course,” nodded Adric. “…what are crocodiles, again?”
While Tegan tried explaining what crocodiles were, the Doctor walked up closer to Tim.
“All of this strange business with super-powered aliens and mutated animals…,” the Doctor frowned. “I mean no offense to you, but this entire place simply seems…wrong.”
“Well, we are in New Jersey. That’s how it always feels.”
“I have three possible theories, none of which seem very good for my companions and I,” he continued. “One, which is the most unlikely, is that somehow time was changed so drastically that all these occurrences were made possible. Although if this were true, I’m sure the Time Lords would notice and rectify it immediately.”
“The Time Lords, of course,” nodded Tim.
He had no idea what the Doctor was saying, but agreed anyway. Sometimes people in his family got like this; Bruce, Barbara, and Tim himself more often than not.
They’d go over a certain problem with someone else, and even if that other person couldn’t offer any help they’d still be beneficial. Sometimes all you need to get your thoughts in order is to say them all aloud.
“Option two, which is also fairly unlikely,” the Doctor said. “Two planets exist that are almost entirely identical, evolution occurred the same way, and many places were named the same, including the planet itself. The planet also rotates around a star at a similar distance. The only difference is that beings from other planets are more well-known, and feats like controlling plants are possible. Extremely rare, but possible.”
Tim made a noise of agreement and sipped his coffee.
“And finally we have option three,” said the Doctor. “This is in fact a different universe all together, and this is an alternate Earth. Which means I somehow found myself in a parallel universe for the second time in a short while. While frankly embarrassing, and possibly difficult to calculate out of, it does seem to make the most sense.”
“Those alternate universes,” tutted Tim. “Too many of those around.”
“Agreed,” the Doctor nodded. “Now I know you said you got your position because of connections, but it had to have been more than that. You can’t be put in place as CEO at seventeen for no reason. So I need your help.”
“I thought I already agreed to help,” said Tim. “That’s why I came with you guys.”
“Well, yes, but I figured I should be more specific on what exactly I need. I need to get a sample of one of these differences. Not a complete alien, but someone on Earth effected by these changes.”
“So, someone with human and alien DNA?” Tim asked.
“Exactly,” confirmed the Doctor. “The DNA could clarify exactly where we are, in theory. Between Adric, Nyssa, and I, I’m sure we can figure out the calculations to get back in no time.”
“I’ve got someone in mind, but I’ll have to call them somewhere more discreet than the middle of the busy street,” informed Tim. “This building up here doesn’t have cameras, but it does have a fire escape almost up to the roof. If you give me a few minutes, I can get that DNA.”
“That’s a lot easier than I thought it would be,” the Doctor smiled. “But I’m not complaining.”
With a nod, Tim climbed up the fire escape on the side of the building. It wasn’t the most comfortable he’s ever been, with his stiff suit and dress shoes on, but he made it work. Using his staff, he was able to push himself up from the top of the fire escape to the roof.
He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. “Kon!”
A few moments later, Superboy himself stood in front of him.
“Tim! Something wrong?”
“No immediate danger currently,” said Tim. “But I do need something real quick.”
“Oh, sure,” Kon grinned, pushing his sunglasses up onto his head. “What is it?”
“Your DNA.”
Kon stared at him for a bit. “This isn’t for any Bat things so you can take me down with some super biological weapon, is it?”
“Nope,” Tim replied. “If I had to defeat you, I’d just use the kryptonite I carry with me everywhere.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a joke or not, but I’m too afraid to ask,” Kon sighed.
Tim, taking that as an agreement, reached over and plucked a hair from Kon’s head.
“Ow!” Kon pouted, rubbing his head. “A warning would’ve been nice!”
“Stop pretending like you even felt it,” Tim huffed, rolling his eyes.
He started walking to the edge of the rooftop, but was quickly caught off guard by Kon grabbing him and flying him down to the alley.
“Kon!” Tim scowled. “You know I hate when you do that!”
“Think of it as payback for whatever you’re doing,” smirked Kon. “I hope you don’t try to make any weird clone babies of me.”
“One of you is enough for me,” Tim declared. “And cloning you didn’t work anyway.”
Leaving Kon standing there in confusion, Tim walked over to the Doctor and produced the hair. “Got that DNA.”
“That was fast,” Tegan commented.
Tim shrugged, placing the hair carefully in one of his inside pockets and sealing it closed. “I’ve got my ways.”
The Doctor, luckily, didn’t ask him more about how he got the hair. “Now that’s all finished, all he have to do is-”
“Doctor!” A staticky voice sounded from the radio.
“Nyssa?” The Doctor replied. “Nyssa, is something wrong?”
“A group with guns broke in to the building,” she urgently explained. “They spread this gas that…uh.”
She broke off into hysterical giggles. “They’re trying to…trying to steal.”
Tim cursed under his breath and grabbed the radio. “Listen to me, Nyssa. Don’t do anything, leave them alone, and find a safe place to stay. These guys somehow got their hands on some Joker Venom. Try avoiding breathing it in as much as you can, and we’ll be there soon.”
Tim ran towards the WE building, the other three on his heels. He shrugged off his suit jacket and tied it around his nose and mouth, and held the collapsed staff in his hands. He reluctantly tossed his coffee in a nearby trash can.
The other three followed his lead in covering their faces.
Tim expanded his staff and kicked open the doors.
A few workers were collapsed on the ground, giggling uncontrollably. Two men with gas masks stood guard by the elevator, and immediately turned to Tim. Tim dove to one side and ran up, smacking them both in the head with the staff.
Once they were out, Tim took one of their gas masks and put it on himself, wrapping his jacket around his waist instead.
Tim went over to a box above the reception desk. “In here are vials of serum for you to administer to everyone down here. I’ll grab one for Nyssa and go upstairs.”
Tim weighed his options and decided to use the elevator. He pressed the button for his office and crouched silently on one of the railings, leaning flat in the corner.
When the doors opened, a couple of guards poked their heads in curiously. Tim made quick work of them, knocking them out before they could draw too much attention.
A few goons were looking at the TARDIS curiously while another was trying to break into the safe by Tim’s desk. Tim dealt with the ones by the TARDIS first.
He swept the legs of the three and caught them by surprise. He knocked one out, but the other two managed to scramble up.
One of them forgot their gun, and so struck out. Tim ducked, causing the first goon to punch the other straight in the face. Taking advantage of the confusion, Tim whacked the standing goon on the head and hit the punched goon, just in case.
The one by the safe took aim, and Tim rolled away from the blue box and hid behind the desk.
When hurried feet scrambled to his left, Tim rolled around the desk the other way. The last goon searched the room for Tim, but wasn’t looking behind him when he got struck from behind.
Tim looked behind the TARDIS, where he found the crouched form of Nyssa. She was gasping for breath in between bouts of laughter. Tim gave her the antidote quickly, and she soon fell unconscious.
The elevator dinged, announcing the arrival of the Doctor and his companions.
“Is Nyssa alright?” Tegan fussed, rushing up to her.
“I gave her the antidote, she’s just resting,” reassured Tim. “She should awake in a few hours without any symptoms. Luckily, the strain of venom these guys and other groups have gotten their hands on have been very diluted and not as harmful as ones from the Joker himself.”
“For a rich kid, you sure know how to fight,” Tegan mused.
“I’ve always had a hobby of going out at night,” Tim shrugged. “Here in Gotham, that’s practically a death sentence unless you can defend yourself. I took a lot of lessons.”
The Doctor picked Nyssa up and turned to Tim. “Do you mind opening the doors for me?”
Tim acquiesced, but was struck dumb,
Inside the police box was a giant control center with hallways branching out. It definitely didn’t seem like all that could fit inside the small box.
“How is it bigger on the inside?” Muttered Tim, trying to make sense of it.
The Doctor beamed as he walked inside. “It was very lovely to meet you, Tim.“
Tim just nodded.
“Good job on fighting all those guys,” Adric said.
“And rescuing Nyssa,” Tegan chimed in.
“Yeah, sure, that too,” Adric replied dismissively. “But the fighting was a lot more impressive.”
“Thanks,” Tim replied with a small chuckle.
They reminded him of himself and Damian, except without the constant death threats and murder attempts. Ah, siblings.
Tegan and Adric followed the Doctor inside, and Tim started to pick up his papers across the floor. The police would arrive shortly, but a few papers could probably be read in that time.
The goons were taken away, Tim claiming that Red Robin swooped in and dealt with them, and the gas was cleared out. Besides a few curious looks, nobody made a comment on the giant blue box in the office.
A few hours later, the Doctor opened the doors and stepped out of the TARDIS.
“We’re all ready to go, now,” he said. “That DNA was a great help, and we should get back to our universe without much of a problem.”
“That’s good to hear,” agreed Tim. “If you ever find yourself in this universe, make sure to stop by.”
“I don’t think that’s very likely to happen, but I’ll keep it in mind.”
The Doctor shook Tim’s hand. “Good luck, Tim. Gotham seems like quite an interesting place to live.”
“I’ve survived this long.”
“Indeed,” smiled the Doctor. “You humans somehow always surprise me.”
Tim returned the smile. “Good luck to you, too.”
The Doctor tipped his hat to Tim before boarding the TARDIS.
A large screeching noise rang out as the box dematerialized.
This time, Tim made sure to keep a firm grip on his papers.