The Darkest Night
By Neemers
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine.
Five seconds ago:
Kurt felt his head pounding. The sound of sirens was everywhere,
held against a distant backdrop of gunshots. He was too sick to move or even get his eyes to open, so he listened with his other senses. It felt like he had 'ported way, way too far. He could smell gunsmoke, greasy takeout, and a few unidentifiable things that made his stomach feel even worse than before. He realized it was night, not so much by the lack of light against his closed eyelids as by the sense of absolute darkness surrounding him. He reached out with his night senses, searching for something familiar. He found nothing and something felt...off about what he did sense, like the time he walked a little too close to that electromagnet on that science field trip. Not a pleasant feeling. No big deal considering what he had to deal with growing up in a superstitious part of Germany.
He was starting to feel less queasy and all he had to do was call the Institute's toll-free number for a pick-up. He could hide in the darkness and he should be able to move well enough to reach a phone in a few minutes. There were a few men that were running toward him, but he was confident that he would not be seen in the darkness.
"Demon!" one of the men shouted, and he heard a gun cock. That's it. He was dead. How did he get into this mess?
*************************************************************
Three hours ago:
Kurt was walking into the Institute's front foyer when he was stopped by a unique greeting.
"Kurt! My man! How's the grooviest dude on the planet doing?"
[Note to self: Learn who's been teaching Forge modern slang now that Evan's gone and introduce them to the more creative uses of toilet paper. His slang is even weirder now that it spans the decades.]
Please, Please, Please let him not ask about another teleportation experiment. Those lizard things still give me the creeps.
"I was looking through my specs on your porting abilities and-"
"No."
"No?"
"No. Last time your experiment nearly killed me. I never want to see those lizard things again."
"You won't"
I know I'm going to regret this. "Was?"
"You won't. All you need is a power pack to give you a bigger push. Same nearly instantaneous 'port, but longer distances."
[I was going to walk away. I was going to say something I would later regret and walk away.]
"Okay"
[I was right about the regret part. Why did I just say that?]
*************************************************************
Ten minutes ago:
Forge was finishing up with a few last wires when the door opened and Kurt walked in with his backpack stuffed to the max. Forge asked' "Kurt, what are you doing with that?"
"After last time do you honestly expect me to go in unprepated? I'm taking the necessities: food, water, spare clothes, spare holowatch, comics..."
"Comics?"
"Ja, what do you expect me to do if i end up getting stuck in a
universe full of nasal teachers?"
"...Okay...Now just strap this to your front and your ready to go."
Kurt strapped on Forge's device, strapped on his backpack, made sure both were secure, and 'ported. Something was off. He felt himself stretched and felt something else snap into the 'prt with him. Something big, with long sharp claws, greasy blond hair, and the scent of a predator/scavenger. It reeked of hatred and anger at something it called "The Runt." His screams could be heard long after he was gone.
*************************************************************
The Present:
"Demon!" one of the men shouted, and he heard a gun cock. That's it. He was dead. How did he get into this mess? Gunshots rang out, but they weren't aimed at him. Kurt had been shot at enough times to know the difference. He finally managed to pry his eyes open and looked to see what the men were shooting at. He saw...Batman? Okay, now he knew he was dreaming. He had to be dreaming. Batman was just a comic book character. He felt himself safe for the moment. He realized that at the angle he was laying at there was very little chance that either Batman or the gunmen would notice him, so he decided to enjoy the show.
He heard someone land behind him and spun, feeling the world spin with him. He saw a figure in a short yellow cape, green elf boots and a domino mask. Robin. Then he felt the blackness he had been fighting whirl in around him and nearly passed out. He hear voices, as if from a great distance:
"Robin, report"
"It's Nightcrawler! It's really him, but he's just a character on a cartoon show!"
"..."
"We have to help him."
"..."
"we have to help him. You know what would happen if someone else found him. A cage or worse. We have to help him, take him back to the cave. With all the lockdowns you have on it he couldn't get out."
"...get him in the Batmobile."
Kurt felt himself lifted, and then darkness overtook him for good.
When Kurt woke up he found himself on a cot in a cave, with two sandwiches next to him. His backpack and Forge's device were gone,but there was nothing he could do about that now. Food now. Questions later.
He finished eating, then wandered into the central portion of the cave. He found Batman in front of a giant computer. Kurt walked over to where Batman was brooding. His head was still a little fuzzy after his experience so he chose what may have been the worst possible thing to say.
"Bruce, Where's Alfred? I hear he makes the best chocolate chip cookies. Do you think he'd make some for me? Is Dick around? Oh, is that the Batmobile? Can I drive it? What..."
It was at this point that Kurt noticed the glare that Batman was giving him. The one that had been known to make hardened criminals wet their pants. Little wonder that it made Kurt trail off, even in his less that perfect state of mind.
Kurt's brain finally kicked into gear. He had told Batman, who was not exactly known for being the gentlest person on the planet, that he knew who he and his family were. He had freely asked a man he had just met that night if he could use some of the equipment that he was known for being fanatically protective of. He was dead meat.
By Neemers
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine.
Five seconds ago:
Kurt felt his head pounding. The sound of sirens was everywhere,
held against a distant backdrop of gunshots. He was too sick to move or even get his eyes to open, so he listened with his other senses. It felt like he had 'ported way, way too far. He could smell gunsmoke, greasy takeout, and a few unidentifiable things that made his stomach feel even worse than before. He realized it was night, not so much by the lack of light against his closed eyelids as by the sense of absolute darkness surrounding him. He reached out with his night senses, searching for something familiar. He found nothing and something felt...off about what he did sense, like the time he walked a little too close to that electromagnet on that science field trip. Not a pleasant feeling. No big deal considering what he had to deal with growing up in a superstitious part of Germany.
He was starting to feel less queasy and all he had to do was call the Institute's toll-free number for a pick-up. He could hide in the darkness and he should be able to move well enough to reach a phone in a few minutes. There were a few men that were running toward him, but he was confident that he would not be seen in the darkness.
"Demon!" one of the men shouted, and he heard a gun cock. That's it. He was dead. How did he get into this mess?
*************************************************************
Three hours ago:
Kurt was walking into the Institute's front foyer when he was stopped by a unique greeting.
"Kurt! My man! How's the grooviest dude on the planet doing?"
[Note to self: Learn who's been teaching Forge modern slang now that Evan's gone and introduce them to the more creative uses of toilet paper. His slang is even weirder now that it spans the decades.]
Please, Please, Please let him not ask about another teleportation experiment. Those lizard things still give me the creeps.
"I was looking through my specs on your porting abilities and-"
"No."
"No?"
"No. Last time your experiment nearly killed me. I never want to see those lizard things again."
"You won't"
I know I'm going to regret this. "Was?"
"You won't. All you need is a power pack to give you a bigger push. Same nearly instantaneous 'port, but longer distances."
[I was going to walk away. I was going to say something I would later regret and walk away.]
"Okay"
[I was right about the regret part. Why did I just say that?]
*************************************************************
Ten minutes ago:
Forge was finishing up with a few last wires when the door opened and Kurt walked in with his backpack stuffed to the max. Forge asked' "Kurt, what are you doing with that?"
"After last time do you honestly expect me to go in unprepated? I'm taking the necessities: food, water, spare clothes, spare holowatch, comics..."
"Comics?"
"Ja, what do you expect me to do if i end up getting stuck in a
universe full of nasal teachers?"
"...Okay...Now just strap this to your front and your ready to go."
Kurt strapped on Forge's device, strapped on his backpack, made sure both were secure, and 'ported. Something was off. He felt himself stretched and felt something else snap into the 'prt with him. Something big, with long sharp claws, greasy blond hair, and the scent of a predator/scavenger. It reeked of hatred and anger at something it called "The Runt." His screams could be heard long after he was gone.
*************************************************************
The Present:
"Demon!" one of the men shouted, and he heard a gun cock. That's it. He was dead. How did he get into this mess? Gunshots rang out, but they weren't aimed at him. Kurt had been shot at enough times to know the difference. He finally managed to pry his eyes open and looked to see what the men were shooting at. He saw...Batman? Okay, now he knew he was dreaming. He had to be dreaming. Batman was just a comic book character. He felt himself safe for the moment. He realized that at the angle he was laying at there was very little chance that either Batman or the gunmen would notice him, so he decided to enjoy the show.
He heard someone land behind him and spun, feeling the world spin with him. He saw a figure in a short yellow cape, green elf boots and a domino mask. Robin. Then he felt the blackness he had been fighting whirl in around him and nearly passed out. He hear voices, as if from a great distance:
"Robin, report"
"It's Nightcrawler! It's really him, but he's just a character on a cartoon show!"
"..."
"We have to help him."
"..."
"we have to help him. You know what would happen if someone else found him. A cage or worse. We have to help him, take him back to the cave. With all the lockdowns you have on it he couldn't get out."
"...get him in the Batmobile."
Kurt felt himself lifted, and then darkness overtook him for good.
When Kurt woke up he found himself on a cot in a cave, with two sandwiches next to him. His backpack and Forge's device were gone,but there was nothing he could do about that now. Food now. Questions later.
He finished eating, then wandered into the central portion of the cave. He found Batman in front of a giant computer. Kurt walked over to where Batman was brooding. His head was still a little fuzzy after his experience so he chose what may have been the worst possible thing to say.
"Bruce, Where's Alfred? I hear he makes the best chocolate chip cookies. Do you think he'd make some for me? Is Dick around? Oh, is that the Batmobile? Can I drive it? What..."
It was at this point that Kurt noticed the glare that Batman was giving him. The one that had been known to make hardened criminals wet their pants. Little wonder that it made Kurt trail off, even in his less that perfect state of mind.
Kurt's brain finally kicked into gear. He had told Batman, who was not exactly known for being the gentlest person on the planet, that he knew who he and his family were. He had freely asked a man he had just met that night if he could use some of the equipment that he was known for being fanatically protective of. He was dead meat.