Lantern Power, who owns Isabel, asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)
Skylanders belongs to Activision. Lego Batman/DC Comics and all other characters mentioned belong to their respective owners. I own nothing.
A/N: This story is the sequel to "A Start To Making Things Right". :)
Repentance Felt And Shown
A few weeks ago, inside Wayne Manor...
Bruce Wayne, also known as the caped crusader Batman, had just gotten finished with his day-time work as his normal self. He was also pleased because not only had he been able to make a generous donation to the local children's hospital, many of the generous people of Gotham City made donations to help the sick children, something that made the millionaire smile. He liked seeing people doing good deeds like that as opposed to hearing someone like Riddler or Joker making a mess of things.
Alfred was making dinner in the kitchen and Tim Drake, also known as Batman's loyal sidekick Robin, was home from school and had just finished his homework and came downstairs. "How was school, Tim?" Bruce asked.
"It was good for a change," Tim said. "I still get a few pointed stares about living in the famous Wayne Manor and today, one of the football players tried to dump a tray of food on me."
Bruce looked at him. "I hope you didn't retaliate," he said.
"Nah, something even better happened," the young man said. "He reached up so high, he lost his balance and tipped backwards, getting his friend with the food tray instead, which then broke out into a food fight. Some of the students escaped to tell the teachers and principals while the rest of us got out of there." He shuddered. "The lunchroom didn't fare so well, though, and the football coach is suspending both football practice and games until the players clean up the lunch room and repaint it."
Bruce had to chuckle and shake his head. "Well, sounds like they got their just desserts," he said before motioning to the television. "Why don't you pick out something for us to watch before dinner?"
Tim picked up the remote and began surfing the channels, stopping short on one channel when he saw Lex Luthor's and Joker's names. "Bruce," he said, getting the older man's attention as he turned up the volume so they could hear the broadcast.
"Witnesses claim that as the building went up in smoke, four figures suddenly appeared into the street carrying Joker and Lex Luthor, both who had apparently been injured in the fire," said the reporter before they showed the video that some of the witnesses had filmed on their phones.
Bruce and Tim were immediately interested and watched as the video showed Joker and Lex being carried by two figures, one being Vortech and the other being a girl they didn't recognize. "Vortech," Bruce said in shock.
As they continued watching, they saw the girl take out a gem and begin healing Joker. "As this video shows, the girl took time to heal the Joker and Vortech, who is well known in these parts was apparently helping her, even shying away from our cameras when the police and medics arrived to see to Lex and Joker. Even the girl shied away from giving us an interview before she and Vortech left the scene."
Shocked into disbelief, Bruce turned to Tim. "Pause that broadcast," he said and the young man did so at once right before the special phone that Bruce had made to keep in contact with X-PO rang and he answered it. "X-PO, what is it?" He asked, wondering if the robot was calling because something was wrong.
"Batman, Vortech came to Vorton today and he had someone with him, a girl," the robot said.
"I just found out," the millionaire responded, but before he could ask the robot to contact Wyldstyle and Gandalf to come to the mansion, the robot cut him off.
"Well, that was pretty fast for a detective, or do you have a secret super power to read minds through phones?"
Bruce facepalmed. "No, X-PO, I don't have a secret super power," he said patiently, getting an eyebrow raised from Tim, who was looking at him. "Now, can you do us a favor and contact Wyldstyle and Gandalf and bring them here?"
"Will do," the robot agreed.
Bruce hung up and looked at Tim, who instantly nodded and the two suited up fast, telling Alfred an emergency had come up and the faithful butler promised to keep dinner hot for them and cautioned them to be careful as he opened the panel to the secret, soundproof room and Batman and Robin slipped in. Moments later, Wyldstyle and Gandalf, with X-PO right behind them, appeared. "Hey, guys," Wyldstyle greeted.
"Thank you for coming so quickly," Batman said, knowing the two had busy lives.
"Why did you need us here, Caped Crusaders?" Gandalf asked curiously. "X-PO only said it was urgent."
Batman looked at Robin. "Robin, do you have the broadcast?" He asked.
"Yes, Batman," the young hero said, who had rewound the broadcast back thirty seconds before the other three had arrived. "This was on the news just a short moment ago."
Wyldstyle and Gandalf were shocked to see Vortech and the girl, but neither of them had seen the girl before, but noted how she seemed to stick close to Vortech and he seemed equally protective of her. "So this means he came back with help," Wyldstyle said.
"But why?" Gandalf asked in confusion. "And how would he be able to come back?"
"I don't know," Batman admitted, which was rare for the Dark Knight to not understand something. "Could Lex's plan have been a set up for Vortech to make us believe he was pretending to be good? Or could Lex's plan have been completely his and Vortech had nothing to do with it?"
"Most likely Option B," X-PO said. "Vortech came to Vorton with that girl, Isabel, but he did something I didn't expect."
"What?" Wyldstyle asked.
"He apologized for what he had done and asked for forgiveness and a chance to repair our friendship, to which I forgave him and agreed to be friends with him before he and Isabel left."
Batman sighed as nothing was making sense and he looked at his friends. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time," he said.
"No, Batman," Gandalf gently rebuked. "You did the right thing by calling us. This is a mystery we must solve."
"How?" Wyldstyle asked.
"I need you to head back to your dimensions and keep alert," Batman said. "Robin and I are going to Arkham Asylum to get some answers."
Nodding, all three left, going into dimensional rifts that X-PO summoned up and the Caped Crusaders headed down for the Batcave and to the Batmobile.
A few weeks later in Skylands, present time...
Night had fallen in Skylands and both Isabel and Vortech were far away from the Academy, laying down in a grassy field and gazing up at the stars. The brown-haired girl smiled and looked at Vortech. "Your body could easily blend in with the night sky with your translucent/transparent-ish blue body, since you have a bunch of star-like specs all over you," she said thoughtfully.
Vortech chuckled. "That is possible," he admitted.
Suddenly, Isabel gently grabbed him and held him up and over herself, using her emerald's power to help her. Surprised, Vortech blinked, but didn't struggle as he trusted his friend, who grinned. "Yup, I'm right," she said. "But if you took off your helmet, your cape, and your shorts, then you'd really blend in."
He blushed red. "If I do that, I'll be completely...well...nude," he said, whispering the last word.
The Undead Portal Master chuckled. "I'm not telling you that you have to take your clothes off," she said gently. "I'm just saying that if you weren't wearing anything, you would completely blend in with the night sky."
She gently let him down and laid him next to her and he cuddled up to her, one of his hands gently playing with her long, brown hair. "It's been a while since we've gone to the Lego Dimensions," he said after a moment. "Isabel, would you be willing to come with me in the morning to return the Foundation Elements to their worlds?"
"Of course," she said instantly, accepting the offer and gently holding on of his hands in her own. "You won't have to go alone."
Vortech smiled and removed his helmet with his free hand to expose his face and Isabel saw he was smiling at her. "Isabel, you are the most selfless and kind-hearted person I've ever known," he said. "That's why I like about you."
She smiled. "Vortech, do you have a crush on me?" She asked knowingly.
He looked a bit bashful. "Yes, I do have a small crush on you," he said with a blushing face. "But I have respect for your relationship with Rattle Shake and I know you have no intention of cheating on him, something I would never ask you to do."
Isabel gently moved on her side so that she was facing him and gently placed a friendly, affectionate, and compassionate kiss on his lips, closing her eyes as she did so. Vortech took in the kiss and returned it, hugging the young woman and shut his white glowing eyes behind his blue, twinkling eyelids. A moment later, they pulled away gently and Isabel smiled. "Satisfied?" She asked sweetly.
He suddenly, but gently, gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Now I am," he said with a smile, making her smile as she returned his hug and they continued hugging and laying on the grass, falling asleep underneath the stars.
At Wayne Manor, a few weeks ago and a day after the broadcast on the news...
Wyldstyle, Gandalf, and X-PO were back at the mansion to speak with Batman and Robin to see what the Caped Crusaders found in their trip to Arkham Asylum, a dangerous place where the insane criminals of Gotham resided after tangling with the law. It was a place that only the bravest of heroes went to speak to the villains for information.
The caped heroes soon arrived and the three greeted them. "Any luck?" Wyldstyle asked hopefully.
"Last night, Robin and I questioned Lex and Joker. Joker was the one willing to give us answers," Batman said. "Vortech was never involved with any of their plans; it was all their doing. They were planning on using a piece of Vortech's DNA in a machine to locate Vorton so they could reprogram X-PO to become evil. Then use X-PO to trick us into repairing Foundation Prime and the Elements in some way so Lex could rule all of the Dimensions. It seems they must've opened a rift somewhere else and their plans were destroyed by Vortech and his companion before visiting X-PO."
"Speaking of Vorton, I visited Foundation Prime last night," X-PO said, sounding very serious. "The place was restored as if nothing had happened and what's worse, the destroyed remains of the Foundation Elements were gone. I looked everywhere."
"That's not good," Robin said as everyone was worried that the elements were missing and possibly in the wrong hands.
"So with no other information, we don't know where he's hiding so therefore, we can't ask him anything until he returns," Gandalf said.
"I hope Vortech isn't evil anymore and does come back peacefully," Wyldstyle said softly. "Thank you for the update, Batman. I'll be ready if you need me again."
X-PO opened the rift to Wyldstyle's world and she thanked him before jumping into it. Gandalf looked at the Caped Crusaders. "I too hope for that," he said. "If what Joker said is true, then I believe that girl Vortech was with changed his heart and mind to a new path."
"Let's hope that is the case," Batman said.
Gandalf nodded. "Thank you, Batman," he said. "Please, will you and Robin keep me informed of any other updates should they arise?"
"Will do, Gandalf."
Nodding, the wizard jumped into the rift after X-PO had changed the coordinates to Gandalf's world. The robot turned to the Dark Knight. "What do you think, Batman?" He asked.
"I'm not sure whether or not to trust Vortech," he replied. "We need more proof that he has changed." He then had an idea. "X-PO, please contact the other dimensional allies, but bring The Doctor here to the mansion. We have work to do."
"Are you planning on trapping Vortech in a Rift Loop?" The robot asked.
"No, because that girl could free him again," Batman said. "I'm almost certain she's the one that freed him in the first place, given that she has some sort of powers from the broadcast we saw. But we need to put Vortech in a trap where he can't use his powers unless he's released in case his kindness is merely a facade."
"You're right," X-PO said. "Good luck, Caped Crusaders. I'll be back in a bit."
With that, the robot flew the dimensional rift, shutting it behind him.
In Skylands, present time, the morning after...
Vortech quickly drank a bottle full of a very special potion to heal his body. After many years of searching for Foundation Prime and jumping through rifts, it had taken a toll on his body, but the potion was fixing all that as if it had never happened. Swallowing the last mouthful of the potion, he put the bottle down and put on his helmet, grimacing slightly at the taste of the potion. Isabel came into his room, smiling at him. "Are you ready?" She asked gently.
Vortech nodded and opened a rift, hopping into it with Isabel behind him. Before he had drank the potion, they had decided to start with the Scooby-Doo Dimension and work their way backwards to give back the unshrunk Foundation Elements to their proper Dimensions, which they now did, and Vortech even apologized for the trouble that he caused. Thankfully, the inhabitants seemed willing to forgive the former villain and give him another chance, something he was grateful for.
They soon only had four items that needed to be returned: the Palantir, the Treasure Chest, the One Ring and a chunk of Kryptonite. As they were floating through the rift to Wyldstyle's dimension, Vortech gently gripped Isabel's shoulder and she looked to see he had a pensive look on his face. "Isabel, I'm a little nervous about confronting my former enemies," he admitted.
She held his hand. "Vortech, it's okay to be nervous," she said gently. "But don't worry, it'll soon be over and done with."
He nodded. "You're right," he said.
But before he could say anything else, Isabel felt something wrap around her ankle and yank her backwards sharply. "Vortech!" She cried out, gripping his hand, to which he held on as she towed him and they were dragged away. Eventually, they hit against a hard floor, sprawling onto their backs. They lay there for a moment, stunned, before pushing themselves to sit up and Isabel looked around, gasping as she recognized their surroundings. "The TARDIS?" She asked.
"Correct," a voice answered her and both she and Vortech turned to see The Doctor standing in front of them as he, make that she, shut the double doors to the TARDIS before turning to them. She had hair was short and blonde with green eyes and wore blue high-waisted culottes with yellow braces, a black shirt with a rainbow stripe across it, a lilac-blue coat and brown lace-up boots. Both stunned occupants got up off the floor.
"Doctor, what is going on?" Vortech asked, standing in front of Isabel to shield her.
"Batman gave me orders to locate you if you arrived again and to take you back to the mansion," the now female Doctor replied. "The six people you need to see will be there."
Moving with grace, she now steered the TARDIS into a different rift as the two companions looked at each other and Vortech decided to ask a question that was on his mind. "Doctor, forgive me for probing, but I am curious. How is it that you are a female now since the last time we saw each other, you were a male?" He asked, keeping his tone polite and even so that she wouldn't take it the wrong way.
She actually seemed amused by his question. "I'll answer that question in a different time," she responded lightly to show she wasn't offended by his question. She then looked at her instruments and nodded. "We've arrived at our destination."
Vortech looked at the double doors of the TARDIS and then looked back at Isabel. She nodded with a smile and held out her hand, which he took, gently squeezing her hand before they walked to the doors, opening them and stepping out to find Batman, Wyldstyle, and Gandalf with their friends Robin, Metal Beard, and Frodo along with X-PO. All seven of them were looking very stern as they looked at Vortech.
The former villain and his friend stepped out of the TARDIS with him looking nervous and Isabel still holding his hand in both comfort and support. Giving her a grateful look, he took a deep breath and faced the others, removing his helmet. "Everyone, I am sorry for all the trouble I caused when I was a villain," he said softly, his tone full of remorse and regret. "I want to make up for it all by returning what belongs to you and...I humbly ask you all for forgiveness and wish to be your friend."
The seven looked at each other, unsure about this, but then Wyldstyle, who was a little surprised that the former villain apologized and wanted to make amends, stepped forward. "Do you have the Foundation Elements with you?" She asked, dreading the answer.
"I did," he replied. "But have returned them all but yours to the Dimensions they belong to."
This greatly surprised the others and Isabel felt it a good time to speak. "Vortech asked me to repair the Foundation Elements so that he could return them to you all," she said. "It was all his idea and, seeing that he wanted to make amends, I agreed to help him."
"That is true," Vortech admitted before hanging his head. "I probably would have finished what I started years ago when Isabel freed me months ago from that Rift." He paused and looked at her. "But...she gave me a chance and changed my heart, helping me to become a new person." He smiled. "If it wasn't for this remarkable girl, I wouldn't be who I am today."
Isabel smiled and hugged him lovingly. "I like you better this way, Vortech," she said sincerely.
"So this is the mystery girl that was with you on the broadcast," Gandalf said as he came closer, smiling. "I sense a great power within you, Isabel, along with a heart of good. Always stay true to that."
She nodded as the six heroes accepted Vortech's apology and Isabel gave them their Foundation Elements at normal size. "Thank you all," Vortech said, happy that they accepted his apology and were willing to give him a chance. "I will make sure no one tries to do what I had done years ago and I will come back if you heroes need any help."
The six gladly accepted as Vortech opened a rift back to Skylands, to which he and his friend returned and he closed up the rift before Isabel surprised him by picking him up and walking to the dining area with him in her arms. He let her, not minding at all.
"Do you want to celebrate with fudge chocolate pop tarts?" She asked, playfully tickling his stomach and making him chuckle. "Just like Thor," she continued, teasing him a little before he caught her hand and smiled.
"No pop tarts," he said. "Though a slice of chocolate pie sounds good."
She nodded in agreement and set him down, heading to the kitchen to inquire about a couple slices of chocolate pie as Vortech smiled, happy and content with his new life with Isabel, his first friend and the one who saved him.
But little did he know that his new adventure with Isabel was just only beginning.
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GoldGuardian2418