After capturing a rampaging Apollo, Batman is convinced to leave the fiery anti-hero in the Martian Manhunter's care. When Andrew escapes, the martian is forced to face the music, and a discussion follows. Apollo's disappearance is not the only trouble on the hero's minds at the moment. People, heroes and villains alike, have been disappearing, changing, reappearing at vastly different times in their lives, and they can no longer ignore it. The situation may be even more dire than they even realize..
This roleplay adaptation was written by Themascura, playing The Martian Manhunter, and Krepta, who plays Batman. If you enjoyed it, come help us write more stories on JLUnited, and don't forget to leave a comment for the authors!
Facing the Music
The Watchtower was silent. Far more quiet than it had been the last few weeks, with Andrew's 'cheerful' presence in the holding chambers. J'onn had almost grown used to the near constant sound of singing, or music, or the quiet chatter of some television program. Now that he was gone, the silence had taken reign once again. Only the scattered items in the cell remained to show that the blonde had even been there.
Worse yet, J'onn had no idea how he'd escaped.
The video footage had been badly disrupted by some kind of energy pulse- nothing he recognized off hand. His leading theory was that it was some kind of temporal anomaly, but he had no way of testing to be certain. The fact was he had no idea where Andrew had gone, or how he had gotten there.
He certainly hoped the blonde had survived whatever means had been used in his 'jail break'. Sadly, he had no way of being certain of that either. All he had in hand to show for his time with the fire-giant were a handful of paintings and a psychological profile.
Hopefully said profile would pacify Batman when he learned of Apollo's escape. Somehow, the Martian doubted it. Perhaps because he was more aware than most of his friend's nature. He was cocerned that the cowled vigilantee would be quite angry with him. As things remained, he couldn't even explain to Batman how the meta-human had gotten away- nor where he was, or why, or any of the tantalizing details that might have soothed the crusader.
Yes, he was going to be quite angry indeed. And worse- disappointed, which was harder to come to terms with than the man's wrath. He could count on the icy edge of his demeanor either way. It was unavoidable.
Back on earth, Bruce hovered at one of the panels attached to the Batcave's massive supercomputer. A scowl of concentration turned his features into a gargoyle like mask illuminated in the cold blue glow of the computer monitor. The sharp, animal like ears atop the man's head completed the ghoulish image. Complex algorithms scrolled across the screen, analyzing the information fed into them from the medical sensors attached to The Batman's temples.
The message from J'onn had been unusual to say the least. He hadn't mentioned many details of why he wanted Bruce to meet him on the Watchtower, and his mental 'voice' had had almost a nervous edge to it. Despite Bruce pressing him for information, J'onn had only insisted that this was something he needed to explain in person. Naturally Bruce had been suspicious.
If it was a trap, it was a poorly laid one. His gut was telling him it wasn't, but he couldn't think of any reason why J'onn would need to be so secretive. Maybe it had something to do with the Watchtower. Or, he realized with a sudden irritation, their prisoner.
Bruce had wanted to send him to one of the few prisons equipped to deal with a metahuman of Andrew's level as soon as possible. The man was dangerous, unstable, and moreso, powerful. Andrew had already proved that he was willing to kill with little hesitation, and it was unlikely that, should they need to, they could surprise the man twice.
J'onn had insisted that he could be helped however, and had asked Bruce as a personal favor to allow him to try. Bruce had reluctantly allowed it, less because he believed in J'onn's rehabilitation techniques, and more because the prison so creatively nick-named, 'The Raft', had several suspicious activities surrounding it as of late. Batman had wanted to check the building and organization out himself before sending Apollo off where his powers might be used for even worse acts.
Unable to find any suspicious readings within his own brainwaves, he detached the electrodes monitoring them and readjusted his mask before activating the console for the teleporter. There was a tingling of extremities and a blurring of his vision, and a moment later Batman was standing in the Watchtower. It didn't take him long to find J'onn. He was standing near an empty cell- the one Andrew had been previously living in. The Martian loomed stoically in front of one of the main control consoles for the containment cells.
Batman was silent, waiting for J'onn to explain. The dark expression on the cowled detective's face, however, spoke a thousand words.
A gentle strain of soft jazz broke the tension of the relative silence of the Watchtower, emitting from the empty cell. The wall opposite of them was filled by a starscape drifting past through wall to floor viewing windows. The Moon and Earth loomed brightly there, hanging in the star studded darkness. J'onn turned to face Batman, and the alien light coming through the windows made him look more somber than even usual.
J'onn knew that Batman more than likely had his suspicions as to why he had been called here with no explanation. Batman was a brilliant mind and an incredible detective. The pieces were no doubt enough for him to already come to some inkling of an idea of what had happened- especially with the empty cell as testament.
"Batman. I appreciate you coming on such short notice." J'onn intoned, his deep voice filling the silence. Batman's expression became nothing short of foreboding. The alien kept his deep red eyes on Batman's face, his arms still by his sides, but his cloak fluttered softly in a breeze that was not present. It's movement defied any kind of logic or reason, not that the ordinary man or woman would have noticed.
"I'm afraid that the matter is quite urgent." He paused, prevaricating for a moment. The silence grew heavy with Batman's obvious disapproval. Within seconds he forged ahead, knowing that stalling would only irritate his friend more.
"Andrew is gone. I discovered his absence this morning during my typical rounds. He disappeared without triggering any of the alarm systems or damaging his cell in the least. The cameras, while still functional, appear to have been disrupted by some sort of... interference. None of my devices show any kind of technological tampering, nor does the Watchtower at large. There are no signs that anyone entered the Watchtower by any means. Other than the disrupted cameras, it is largely as if nothing happened at all." He waved his large green hand at the cell beside them, where everything was still exactly as he'd found it. Even the entertainment unit still played softly to itself- an old record by Doris Day, if he wasn't mistaken.
"I confess, Batman, I find myself at a loss. I cannot explain to you how this happened. I apologize for my inability." He dropped his hand and lowered his head slightly, real shame and chagrin crossing his alien features.
"It has caught me quite by surprise, which I must also apologize for. I had thought that Andrew was making progress. It is quite possible that he simply managed to deceive me." He lifted his head, face resuming its typical stoic state.
Batman didn't waste much time on berating J'onn for his failure. The Martian would punish himself enough, and it would solve nothing. Instead, he moved over to one of the computer consoles to view the security tapes himself, as well as what ever other data the systems could offer him. Perhaps there were some clues further back, before the incident, where Andrew was communicating with someone somehow. Even the littlest detail could be important.
"I thought he might have an accomplice," he replied grimly. "It's possible who ever it was came for him, though that still doesn't explain how they got through the Watchtower's security. The technology required to do that would have to be... impressive-" He trailed off, letting the evidence speak for itself.
"We should be looking for environmental anomalies- radiation, psiconic echoes, anything. He had to be communicating somehow. Did he mention anyone in your interviews with him?" He needed data to work with if they were going to recover their prisoner before he hurt anyone else. Beyond that, they needed to figure out how Apollo escaped so that they could prevent him from doing it again.
There almost had to be a second party involved, else why not leave at the first opportunity? Unless he wanted something from them, some bit of information- It was possible, but he doubted it. Andrew's intelligence- well, it was clear that whatever organization he belonged to, he was the muscle, not the brains. Still, he had been surprised before, and it was best to consider every option.
"Did he ask you any peculiar questions while he was here?"
"He spoke of another during his time here, but it was unclear how much of this man he remembered- other than the fact that he superficially resembles you." J'onn added. Was it possible that the large blonde had been fooling J'onn, somehow? He didn't want to believe it, but if he had the technology to be pulled seamlessly and without a trace out of the Watchtower, it was entirely possible he had the means to fool his telepathy.
"Other than the man, only his mother and father- whom he currently is estranged from. They do not approve of his orientation. Perhaps there is someone he failed to mention to me. He was a military man for a very long time. Coupled with the military programming given to every 'soldier' there is every possibility he was some kind of sleeper agent, or that he maintained contact with a previous associate." Again, something he didn't want to believe. It was hard enough accepting that his telepathy might have failed him. Adding that he might have been duped by an entire organization left a sour taste in his mouth.
"No. Most of conversation revolved around insistence that his actions were not altogether erroneous and when he would be allowed to leave. On some rare occasions he asked for tools with which to practice surface meditation. Paints, cards, exercise equipment." Perhaps a clue lay in the things he had been asking about. J'onn wracked his brain quietly, beetle brow furrowing as he looked for any potential patterns, anything that stood out.
"I interviewed him a few times in order to compile a psychological profile. I think I can predict what he will do next, and where he will go if he returns to Earth. This is all assuming that he wasn't... removed by some outside force." He'd seen that once, with Bruce. They had been at the annual Wayne Manor Halloween Ball. A tear in the fabric of the universe had opened up and simply swallowed a woman whole... and then disappeared as if it had never been there.
"Or that someone, or something, did not take him for the purpose of killing him." Also possible, with what Andrew had done and seen. He couldn't rule out the possibility some higher government function was tidying up loose ends.
His face worked into a deeper frown, those unusual red eyes staring broodingly at the console in front of Batman. He didn't like any of the potential answers. They all pointed to something that, functionally at least, was far more frightening than Andrew as a lone man, far more unpredictable. And far more dangerous because of those things.
"Are the interview tapes intact?" Batman asked. If they were, he could go over them later, build a better idea of what Apollo's accomplice might look like, what he might be planning. It was possible he had retrieved his partner somehow, but he didn't like the idea of that. The technology it would take to do such a thing so seamlessly was phenomenal.
"Yes, and other than the outage previously described they show no signs of tampering," J'onn assured. He had gathered his cape closely around him again, hiding all but a glimpse of the red belts he wore across his chest. To those familiar with his body language it was a dead give away that he was upset or bothered by the situation. It was as close to truly guarded as his body language got.
"He may be planning on returning to Gotham," Batman suggested. Honestly, he didn't seem too terribly bright. It was possible, even likely that he fully intended on continuing on with the rampage he had been on when Batman had first caught him. "He has unfinished business there, and it's possible that's where Apollo's associate is too."
Of course, J'onn had brought up a good point. Not only had there been the incident at the Wayne Gala, but many of their own allies had vanished without a trace- only to be replaced by different versions of themselves later on, or never to return at all. Luckily, thus far both J'onn and he himself seemed to be immune to what ever was going on, at least for now.
J'onn nodded. "If he is out there, I suspect that this is exactly where he will go. He seems fixated on this 'accomplice.' Obsessed. He seems to believe that he will find this man- whomever he is- near Gotham." He turned back toward the massive monitor, where the city of Gotham was highlighted on a real-time map of the planet. Various news feeds from the city were playing across the monitor at the time, filtering by on a constant roll.
"I spoke to Wally," Batman said abruptly. "He's the Flash now. He's aged about ten years or so."
It spoke for itself. No doubt J'onn would be just as interested to learn about the fate of the Flash as he was. "Still no sign of Barry, but the Speedforce seems to be protecting them somehow. Wally's memories seemed to be intact. We should get him in for a mindscan. Maybe we'll find something we can use."
"I see." J'onn let that fade to silence. He wasn't certain how he felt about that. He considered both Barry and Flash to be his friends, but it was rather unnerving to have them repeatedly appear, disappear, age and de-age. He nodded slowly when Batman recommended they get him in for a mind scan.
"Perhaps it is the speed force. Perhaps the universes are beginning to meld more properly." He wasn't certain how to feel about that, either. On the one hand it would mean (hopefully) fewer disasters and changes. On the other, it reduced the chances that the damage already done could be reversed. It also lent the possibility that 'doubles' would begin to merge themselves, or simply write the less grounded of the pair out of existence. He couldn't truly be certain of anything that would happen. In all his years he had never witnessed anything quite like what was currently effecting the world.
"We'll continue to monitor the area. If he's out there, he won't stay hidden for long," Batman decided, turning away. There wasn't much more they could do at the moment. He would better analyze the room Andrew had stayed in later, but other than that, the trail had gone cold until one of them got a better lead.
"Indeed." J'onn intoned dryly. Andrew was possessed of a flamboyant personality. J'onn wasn't sure the man even understood the concept of 'stealth'. He would, eventually, make himself known. J'onn could only hope that if he did, and he was indeed out there, he would do so in a less violent and murderous way than he had before.
"I have begun keeping logs of my thoughts and findings in the Watchtower Database, Batman. I thought it best to leave a record, in case..." J'onn trailed off, leaving the last half unsaid. He knew Batman would understand what he meant. He also knew Batman would appreciate why he was doing it.
"A good plan," Batman commented grimly. "I've been doing the same. I trust you know where to look should I disappear." While trust wasn't something Batman easily dispensed, and even then, never entirely, J'onn had at least earned enough of it to be allowed freely into his inner sanctum. At this point, he might have been the only one Bruce could trust. What ever was going on with the universe, they had both weathered it so far. He couldn't much say the same for most of the others, not even his own family, at least, not outside of Alfred.
"I do. Or if you... change. I sincerely hope that does not come to pass. I would find myself in great difficulties," J'onn said. He had no illusions about that, "However, I have noticed that certain individuals seem almost immune to the phenomena. I have compiled several short lists of men and women who appear unaffected. Some appear relatively stable, but have serious memory degradation. Others have only minor memory lapses. I, as of yet, have been unable to isolate any patterns that might explain the imperviousness. Perhaps you could take a look at them later. You might find something I overlooked." Batman had an eye for detail that was almost unparalleled, and a superhuman ability to focus for long periods of time.
Batman knew J'onn was just as unsettled as he was. While martian body language was a little harder to read than human body language, it was obvious that his teammate's feelings on the issue were just as uncertain as his own. Neither of them liked it, but neither of them were entirely sure what direction to take on the matter yet either.
"We should also establish a password," he said after a moment's thought. "Something only this version of ourselves would know, just in case." There was no telling, should either one of them be replaced, if they would even be benign. It was better to be safe than sorry, to know for sure who exactly they were dealing with.
"Indeed. Something to do with the tower?" J'onn gestured to the space station they currently stood in. Neither he nor Batman had retained any previous knowledge of this place before running into a previous colleague- whom had since disappeared from the continuum. It stood to reason, in J'onn's mind, at least, that no one else would know of it either.
"Or Alfred." He cracked a small smile, finally breaking the solemn mood that had permeated the room since he had called Batman. It was a little silly, perhaps, but he had felt a little like an apprehensive child waiting for their parent to find out what they had done. Batman had not taken the news nearly as badly as he had envisioned. Clearly J'onn had, once again, underestimated his friend. He reflected ruefully that he had a bad habit of that, and that Batman had an equally bad habit of surprising him.
In either case, J'onn was infinitely glad that he and Batman were of like minds on the subject. It was reassuring to know that a great mind like his was working on the problem. If anyone stood a chance of finding answers, it was Batman. J'onn knew he was privileged to be working with one of the greatest minds of the modern century.
Batman was about to reply when a shock wave rocked the tower, plunging them both into darkness.