Deja Vu

Chapter 8

"Oh my gosh that's totally me," Timmy breathes as he holds up the video screen projecting from his gauntlet. "What the heck?!"

"Tim!" Dick exclaims, "how did you find us?"

"Wasn't easy," Red Robin says, smiling slightly. The video doesn't reveal much, showing Tim in costume against a dark background. "Wouldn't have been able to if I hadn't been able to get access to Little Me's outdated tech. Pretty easy to hack your own stuff after all."

"Wow," Timmy says, grin blinding. "I'm awesome in the future."

Jason snorts and shakes his head while Future Tim laughs. "You'll be learning a trick or two in the next few years. But we need to talk about getting you guys back."

"Perfect," Jason says, rubbing his hands together. "I'm betting you have some answers for us."

Tim nods. "Quite a few actually."

"Can we start with how we got here?" Dick asks, mind racing. "Do you know what happened?"

"Hit with a Star Labs machine," Tim says, sounding annoyed. "Some bimbo thought it was a good idea to transfer through Gotham."

Jason puts a hand to his helmet. "They didn't."

"They did," Tim says. "The idiots had to transfer their prototype time manipulator over from Central City to Starling and thought Gotham was their quickest option. They didn't bother to write in their notes what their machine was and they didn't notify Gotham authorities that it was being transferred, so we had no idea until the last second. Obviously it didn't go as they planned."

"Obviously," Dick says, searching his memory. Is that what they'd learned at the briefing he half remembered? How had it gone off the rails? "Where's the machine now? Who tried to steal it?"

"You really don't remember anything," Tim says thoughtfully. "I wondered if that would happen. Honestly, this prototype isn't all that stable. Whoever designed didn't seem to take into account-"

"Timbo, focus," Jason cuts in. "The details."

"Was it one of the regulars?" Dick asks, racking his brain. "Was there a breakout? Would we remember a breakout?"

"Could be Black Mask," Jason says. "He wasn't in Arkham last I remember and he'd have the resources."

"Or maybe Freeze?" Dick says. "Time travel would be right up his alley for curing his wife."

Little Tim's eyes are flicking between the two of them, expression half awe, half bemusement and Older Tim's expression is becoming more and more embarrassed.

"Tim," Bruce says from behind, and both turn to him. He pauses, obviously a little startled, before continuing. "Who was it?"

Timmy looks back at his older self and winces. "Did we make a mistake?"

Tim coughs. "Uh, no it's..." he sighs. "Good news is it's none of the usuals. Bad news... it may have been a couple of... amateurs..."

There's a beat of silence.

"You're telling me," says Jason, voice deadpan. "That we all got bested. And shot into the dang past. By a group of half-beat thugs?"

Oof. That's... frankly embarrassing.

"In our defense," Tim says, sounding defensive. "We didn't expect them to actually fire the thing without knowing what it did, and the truck didn't give much room for maneuvering..."

"Did you just say a truck?" Jason says.

"We fought them in their getaway truck?" Dick asks, smiling slightly as he shakes his head. "Man, I wish I remembered that."