Sequel to "Following Instructions" Disclaimers: Characters belong to DC Comics, borrowed for fun not profit. Guppy by Chicago The tide of the battle was turning. Not long now and the weird lizardy alienish all-too-powerful something-or-others from across time, space and the 17th dimension would be vanquished from Earth. Of course, Batman knew precisely who they were dealing with, and how to defeat them, but in the back of his mind, all the JLA foes would remain weird lizardy alienish all-too-powerful something-or-others from across time, space and the 17th dimension. Even if they didn't look remotely like lizards. As he launched a couple more batarangs laden with compressed neon, Tim Drake found himself wondering how Bruce Wayne had tolerated it at all. The JLA wasn't exactly a team. It worked together all right, and long familiarity meant that the members knew when to stay out of each other's way, in life and in combat. They watched each other's backs, which was exactly what was about to create a major disaster. Batman somersaulted to avoid a flailing tail as he activated the transponder system that would sieve the enemy back to across the 17th dimension and give it reason to think twice about a return trip. As he did so, though, he saw Aquaman making an urgent stab at a creature which seemed poised to shred Plasticman. Perfectly appropriate, except that in his distraction, Aquaman had become a target himself. In less than a second, Batman had calculated his options and went for the only one which would assuredly take the heat off Aquaman long enough for him to rescue Plasticman. He shouted, "Aquaman, YOUR BACK!" The shout had the desired effect of distracting the threatening monster, attracting Superman's attention, and allowing Aquaman to get clear. It also had an undesired side effect. Tim Drake was swift. He was nimble. Relatively speaking, he was in much better shape to dodge this kind of creature than his mentor. He was not fast enough. His eyes barely had time to register the tail that swept through the air before it smashed into his chest, flinging him out of its path and out of consciousness. *** "-was he thinking? He could've been killed by that -" "Enough," a voice silenced, and Tim felt a slow smile growing on his face despite the gasping ache of his chest. "I'm only mostly dead," he quipped with a wheezing breath. He felt a firm hand on his shoulder, and the same voice cautioned, "Batman." Tim's eyes fluttered open beneath the cowl in sudden realization. Batman didn't joke. And there was still one member of the JLA who didn't know... "That is NOT Bruce Wayne," a cold voice pointed out into the silence that had fallen over the group. Well, he knew now, Tim reflected. He pushed his hands against the ground and tried to raise himself upright. J'onn's arm slipped under his shoulders and helped him sit even as the Martian chastised his teammate. "Orin, let it go." Now seated, Tim looked around the assembled team. Wonder Woman knelt beside him, looking at him with worried eyes. Superman stood a short distance back, observing the team. Further off, Green Lantern and the Flash were working on clean up in the aftermath of the ended battle, while Plasticman was helpfully shaping himself into a seatback for Batman to lean against. "Thanks, Plasticman," Tim murmured, still struggling for breath. J'onn stood and approached the angry Atlantean. "Orin, Batman just saved you from serious harm," he reminded him. Aquaman stared fiercely at his teammate. "You *knew*," he spit. "You *knew* and yet you let that sanctimonious surface dweller send in a substitute-" "That's enough, Aquaman," Superman intoned. Aquaman just shot the Man of Steel an irritated look. "You all knew, didn't you? This just became another 'mock the guy from the ocean' thing, didn't it?" "Yes, we knew," J'onn affirmed, his tone neutral. "But if, after all this time, you would think that I would -" "*You* wouldn't," Aquaman agreed. He brushed past his teammate to stalk up to Batman. "And I don't think *you* would either," he said to the recovering hero. "I thank you for the assist, but this team is built on trust -" "Aquaman, stop!" Wonder Woman ordered. "It's not a team at all," Tim muttered under the distraction. He didn't mutter softly enough. "What was that?" Aquaman bellowed. "You are a fine one to talk about teams, an interloper, some emissary of -" "Of Batman," Tim said levelly, meeting Aquaman's fierce glare. "Don't- *don't* - tell me about sanctimonious superheroes, either. My chest hurts and I'm not in the mood." Aquaman blinked, his nostrils flaring with his fury. He spun. "Who IS this insubordinate little -" "Orin!" J'onn barked, stopping Aquaman's tirade. Accepting Wonder Woman's arm, Tim rose to his feet, standing still for a moment while his head stopped spinning. Then he straightened, throwing his best Batman glare in Aquaman's direction. Wonder Woman and Plasticman both stepped back. "You ask who I am," Tim began. "For your purposes, I am Batman and have been for several months." Seeing he had Aquaman's attention, he reached his hands for his cowl. Plasticman, sensing what was coming, hastily formed himself into a privacy screen. The odds were slim that anyone would see them on this just emptied battlefield, but there was no sense taking chances. "But because I know this won't be resolved until you know," Tim continued, pushing back the cowl, "my name is Tim Drake." He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you," he added. Aquaman ignored the outstretched hand, his expression apoplectic. "I've spent the last *several months* listening to this - this GUPPY!" he spluttered. "This *guppy*," Tim replied, his tone cold, "just saved *your* piscatorial ass." One decided motion resettled the cowl, and the Batman turned on heel and walked away. At a safe distance, he sent a remote signal, transporting himself back to the Watchtower before any of the other JLA members had a chance to notice his hint of a smile. Bruce was going to *love* this one. -end-