Chapter One: Cold Beginnings
The Fall of Krypton: Universe 42
The video crackled to life, and the face of a beautiful woman with rich, brown hair and warm eyes filled the screen. Her hair was in disarray and her tear-filled eyes were tainted with pain and fear. A loud crash resonated in the background and the camera shook. The woman sat back to reveal a small dark room. A young, blonde girl threw herself to the woman and clung to her side, silent tears trailing down the child's cheeks.
"Shh, Kara," the woman said soothingly. She held the girl close and rubbed her back. The woman turned her attention back to the screen and bravely took in a deep breath. "My name is Alura." Another crash sounded in the distance, and the camera trembled. "I am," she paused, "I was in charge of the prison Fort Rozz on the planet Krypton."
A loud boom mightily shook the camera, and Kara whimpered.
Alura turned her attention back to the camera. "Krypton is dying. There is no hope for us." Tears began to run down her face, but her resolve never changed. "My husband, Zor-El, is dead."
Kara buried her face into her mother, her body shaking as she sobbed.
Alura swallowed. "He was murdered by General Zod just before the planet began to fall. General Zod knew the planet's end was coming, and he –" a loud crackle startled Alura, and she looked at the ceiling.
Kara looked up, too and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She turned to her mother, fear written on her face.
Alura looked at her daughter before turning to the screen once more. "General Zod and his followers escaped. I am sending this signal as a warning for anyone who receives it. General Zod is evil. He is cruel, ruthless, and absolutely merciless. Do not let him deceive you. Do not let your planet fall as we have let ours."
Something creaked loudly from above, and dust rained down from the ceiling. Alura and Kara clung to each other tightly, while they looked up in fear. Something snapped above them, and Alura shielded her daughter from the collapsing ceiling just before the video cut to static.
Universe 42: Present Day
The man holding an electronic tablet walked quickly down the curved hallways of the enormous Kryptonian cruiser. His gray uniform matched the interior of the ship and the other crewmembers' uniforms even down to the emblem on their chests. The emblem was a pentagon with a curved symbol inside it that looked much similar to a hand-held scythe. The man finally reached the end of the corridor and nodded to the two guards guarding the door. They nodded back in return and stepped aside as the door automatically opened. The man walked inside towards the elevated chair in the center of the room and saluted.
The man sitting in the chair had dark hair and a beard. His eyebrows curved sharply downward, causing him to constantly look angry.
"Speak," he commanded with a deep, authoritative voice.
"Good evening, General Zod," the man holding the tablet addressed.
Zod gave no reply.
He glanced back nervously at the tablet before saying, "We've picked up some very…interesting energy readings, sir."
Zod silently held out his hand, and his inferior quickly handed him the tablet. Zod scrolled down while the other man spoke.
"Those are massive interdimensional and temporal energy readings. The technology to make such a massive reading has to be similar to that of Krypton's at the height of its power."
"Where?" Zod finally spoke.
"…Sir?"
"Where are these readings coming from?"
"A planet the locals refer to as Earth."
"Set a course for Earth," Zod said, handing the tablet back.
The other man took the tablet but paused.
"What is it?" Zod asked impatiently.
"This planet, Earth," the man explained, "it's too primitive to have technology like this."
Zod grabbed the tablet from the man's hands and scrolled through it again. He studied it thoughtfully with piercing, calculating eyes.
"This had to have been a mistake," Zod concluded. "We will infiltrate the planet exactly as we do when we are scouting out a planet to terraform, but limit the search to the vicinity of the energy readings. Also, make sure the scouting team is familiar with Earth's customs. Pinpoint where these readings came from as accurately as possible. I want to know as much as we can about these readings."
"Yes, sir," the man acknowledged before Zod handed him the tablet once more.
"I also need you to order more energy convertors from our closest base. With readings like these, we will be able to power our entire fleet for decades to come."
"Yes, sir," the man confirmed once more before saluting General Zod and leaving the way he came.
O
The orange cat scurried down the twisted alley littered with trash and grime. It jumped up the trash lining the walls and scrambled up the fire escape. Light and warmth and the smell of delicious food spilled out of one of the windows. The feline pounced through the window and landed softly on the wood floor. Another cat with striped gray fur sat a few feet away, cleaning itself. A black cat meowed quietly from atop a nearby counter, and the orange tabby jumped up next to it.
A gloved hand pet the orange cat, and the cat purred in return. A bowl of cat food was placed in front of it, and the tabby looked up fondly at the woman providing the food before eating.
The woman had green eyes and cat-like features. Her curly hair framed her head and her pink lips smiled as she watched the tabby hungrily eat. She picked up a nearby remote and turned on her small television.
"Wayne Industries just received another shipment to help increase its science division," the man on the television informed. "Bruce Wayne told us that 'the new equipment should help further advance the company's scientific research tenfold.' Most of the equipment is being shipped to Wayne Industries HQ right here in Gotham. Now, we are switching to live coverage in the Narrows."
A gorgeous blonde woman stood outside of an old, cracked building, holding a comically large microphone.
"It has been almost three weeks since a mysterious explosion nearly destroyed most of the Narrows," she reported. "Efforts have been made mostly by Wayne Industries to provide the people with temporary shelter and food while the rubble is moved away and new housing is being built."
Selina Kyle scoffed and turned off the TV. If this woman knew anything about the Narrows or Bruce Wayne, she'd know nothing was really being done. The Narrows was one of the worst parts of Gotham – and that was saying something. Selina would know since she lived in the Narrows her whole life. She also knew Bruce Wayne. She knew his intentions were probably good, but the new housing was probably much too expensive for anyone living in the Narrows to even afford. The people of the Narrows would remain to live on the streets while the stuffy rich moved in and continued to oppress, bribe, and coerce the poor to do their bidding. Selina hated it.
The clock said it was nearly five in the evening, and Selina finished zipping up her tight leather cat suit. The fabric was well insulated and had thin, light body armor hidden beneath it. A long zipper ran up the front of the black suit, all the way up to the high collar that covered her neck. The sleeves tightly hugged her arms and neatly connected with the matching gloves. The gloves were fierce with long, cat-like nails attached to the fingers. Selina grabbed her mask off the table. It covered her entire head and was held together with leather straps and nails, giving it a steampunk vibe. She securely fastened the cowl to the rest of the suit and pulled down the matching goggles. She took her whip off the table and fastened it to her belt.
Selina opened the window and climbed across the wall and up the nearby fire escape. She reached the roof and paused. The slightly chilly air blew around her as she took in the darkening city.
The sky was tinted pinkish blue in the west, and stars began to sparkle against the black sky in the east. Selina was surrounded by the decaying and crumbling buildings of the Narrows, but the magnificent skyscrapers from the other side of the city shone in glittery, yellow lights, beckoning every lonely child to dream of a better life.
Another gust of chilly wind broke her reverie, and Selina easily bounded across rooftops and gracefully climbed through the Gothamite architecture until she reached one of the many discontinued stores squashed by crime lords and big corporations such as Wayne Industries. Selina silently glided in through a broken window and scaled the stacked crates until she appeared close enough around a ring of men to hear them but stayed far enough in the shadows to remain unseen.
Two-Face paced before the group of men. His disfigured side facing them.
"Did you see they are building a new courthouse? Right over the old one. They can't do that! That was where I was born!"
Two-Face turned so the other side faced his men and began walking in the other direction.
"But rebirth is good," his lighter side countered. "One cannot dwell on the past forever. It is good to move forward and grow."
He turned again.
"No!" Two-Face argued. "They are destroying something important." He paused as he thought it over. "We need to destroy it."
He turned yet again, showing off his good side.
"There is only one way to settle this," he said with finality.
He stopped walking and faced his men, so they could see both sides of him. He pulled out a coin from his pocket.
"Heads we destroy it, tails we move on," he told himself. He flipped the coin, caught it, cupped it in his hand, and turned it over. He looked at the coin for a moment before saying, "Looks like we're destroying a courthouse, boys."
The men cheered, but one of the men cleared his throat tentatively.
Two-Face studied the man a moment. "Yes?"
"We are getting paid for this job, right?" the man asked. "I know times have been a bit tough."
Two-Face glared at the man, rage piercing through his eyes. "That is all your loyalty is to me? Money?"
"It's not as if they're lured here by your charming looks," Catwoman purred from atop the crates.
The men spun around, instantly drawing their weapons.
Catwoman elegantly landed on the ground and approached the men.
"Put your weapons down," Two-Face commanded in annoyance.
The men put their guns away, but continued to stare at her cautiously.
"I'll take care of the money," Catwoman promised as she brushed passed the men.
Two-Face smirked. "I'm glad you chose to help the winning team."
Catwoman gave him a cheeky grin. "I know I good opportunity when I see it." She walked passed Two-Face and back into the darkness. She left through an old, rusted door.
The cool air hit her unexpectedly. It was getting cold soon this season. She began to turn the corner, but felt the prickle of eyes on her. With a trained eye, she searched back through the darkened streets just in time to see a man wearing clothing a bit too dapper to be in this part of town with slicked back brown hair and a golden trench coat disappear around the bend. A shiver ran through her as she slunk back into the darkness.
O
Small snowflakes began to swirl through the air as Catwoman left the dirty streets and ominous alley-ways of the Narrows and made her way to the nicer area of Gotham. This was where the rich resided. She silently skated across the rooftops of designer clothing stores, expensive restaurants, and exquisite jewelry shops. She stopped at a rooftop on the other side of one of the nicer hotels. Her breath came out in a pale vapor and quickly faded into the night air.
Catwoman drew in a breath before racing across the rooftop and leaping over the gap between this building and the hotel. She clung to the fire escape and lifted her body over it. She climbed upwards until she found the floor she was looking for. She glanced across the building and studied the window five windows down.
She eased onto the slim lip of the nearest window until she was balanced on it. She carefully inched her way to the edge of the window and cautiously rested a foot on the next one. Catwoman slowly climbed across the windows and to the one she needed to enter. Once she reached it, she smoothly opened it and noiselessly entered the large hotel room.
Warmth rushed her and her cheeks immediately flushed, slowly adjusting to the change in temperature. Catwoman closed the window behind her as she walked further into the room.
Black Mask sat at a desk facing away from her, cleaning a hand gun. She crept closer and he tilted his head.
"No need for violence," she reassured.
"Ah, Catwoman," he addressed, turning back to his gun, but Catwoman knew most of his attention was still on her. She walked closer still and rounded the table.
"Have you made a decision on your next move?" Catwoman asked, sliding into the seat across from him.
Black Mask slowly finished polishing his gun before turning his piercing brown eyes to her. Secretly, she had hoped to catch him without his mask off, but it seemed he kept it on all the time. She vaguely wondered if he slept with it on.
"I have not," he finally answered.
Catwoman smirked and watched him carefully study her under his calculating gaze.
"You have an idea," he said more as a statement rather than a question.
"There's a new courthouse being built."
"I heard." His gaze never leaving her for a second.
She returned it. "The first trial will be over sought by Judge Bam-Bam. I don't need to remind you how many times she's put you away."
"No, you do not." A pause. "Go on."
"You mentioned your next move needed to be bold and powerful. Nothing says bold and powerful like taking down the judge that's sentenced you multiple times in a brand new courthouse with top-notch security."
His eyes watched her for a long moment before he finally spoke, "Excellent point, but how will we ever acquire the funds for such a powerful move?"
Catwoman smirked. "Leave it to me."
He gave her a nod before he resumed polishing his gun.
Catwoman inwardly smiled. Now, all she had to do was ensure both he and Two-Face were at the courthouse at the same time. Then, she'd finally rid the two of them by pitting them against each other. She rose from the table with the grace of a ballerina and left the way she came.
O
The snow was coming down harder now. Swirling gusts chilling Catwoman to the bone. She crouched on a rooftop several buildings away from Wayne Industries. That new scientific equipment should fetch a pretty penny. She stood to leave when a flash of gold caught her eye. The same man from earlier with the golden trench coat was walking down the street below her. He walked slowly down the sidewalk as if the cold had no effect on him. Catwoman studied him before he walked into a high-end bar. Something felt off about him that she couldn't place, but she didn't have time to deal with that now.
Catwoman made her way to the Wayne Industries warehouse and hid behind a parked car. A transport truck, no doubt holding the equipment she was going to steal, came slowly through the parking lot. Catwoman slid to the front of the car, and with a well-timed summersault, rolled beneath the transport truck and grabbed onto the bottom. The truck slowly moved forward while she clung its belly. She heard the bay doors to the Wayne Industries warehouse open, and florescent light filled the room.
She waited under the van until she heard the bay doors close before emerging from beneath the truck. She heard the driver's door open, and a man stepped out. With a quick flick of her wrist, she captured the man's hand with her whip and pulled him to her. She grabbed the front of his uniform and pinned him against the truck. He had a buzz cut and pretty features for a deliver man. His icy blue eyes fearlessly glanced over her before returning her gaze.
"Let me guess," he drawled, sarcasm dripping off his voice, , "you're here for my wallet."
She smirked. "Cute."
One thing Catwoman learned from countless battles with Batman was to always be prepared. She grabbed a spare set of handcuffs she stole ages ago from her belt with her free hand and dragged the man over to a nearby railing, his blue eyes never leaving her face. She handcuffed him to the railing and returned his steady gaze with a tight smile and a clear warning behind it.
"If you're good, I won't knock you out," she promised.
"Now, where's the fun in that?" he retorted.
She raised an eyebrow but stepped away.
He made no motion to move.
"Looks like you're a good boy after all," she cooed before turning around and walking over to the delivery truck. She opened it and smiled. The equipment lay in neat little boxes labeled "THIS SIDE UP." Catwoman knew Wayne Industries only bought the best, so only a couple boxes should be enough.
"You know," the man began, and Catwoman instantly regretted not just knocking him out in the first place, "if you're going to rob someone, you need to pay better attention to detail."
She sighed in annoyance. She definitely should have knocked him out. Next time she sees another pretty face she won't hesitate.
"I know what I'm doing," she replied, grabbing two boxes from the truck. "This isn't my first robbery."
"And it's not mine either."
She jerked her head up to see the "delivery" man walking towards her. She was about to set the boxes down when he pulled out a gun.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned.
Catwoman didn't listen, and in one fluid motion, set the boxes down and reached for her whip. She was too slow. A loud bang reverberated throughout the concrete warehouse. Pain exploded in her hand and she yelped. She looked down to see blood covering her hand. He had shot her hand.
He was suddenly upon her, and she attempted to kick him, but he ducked and managed to grab her injured hand. He led her over to the railing and, to add insult to injury, handcuffed her with her own handcuffs.
She glared at him as he handcuffed her to the railing. "You'll regret this," she vowed.
"It's nothing personal," he returned.
"Why didn't you just shoot me in the beginning?" she asked.
He shrugged before sweeping a curious eye over her. "I wanted to see what your plan was." He turned to leave.
"You said I needed to pay attention to detail," she said, and he paused.
He turned back to her. "Yes, I did."
"If you're so good at details, why didn't you just take the whole truck?"
He smirked as if he knew something she didn't. "I am good at details. Every Wayne Industries truck is tracked. If this truck didn't make it to the warehouse, they'd be suspicious, and they'd know where I was." He paused before adding, "Besides, I only need one thing." He walked back over to the truck, his eyes scanning the inside before settling on something. He quickly stepped inside and emerged a second later with a tiny box.
"That's it?" Catwoman asked.
"That's it," he confirmed. He walked over to the main door before giving her a smug smile that she answered with a heated glare. "See you around, Catwoman."
The door thudded closed as he left, and Catwoman glared at the door a few more seconds as if that did any good before turning her attention to the handcuffs. She knew she had to hurry before she would be discovered. It didn't take her long to get out of them, but it was extremely painful due to her wounded hand. The handcuffs finally clattered to the floor, and she rushed to the truck, grabbing the two boxes she had taken earlier before hurrying out the door.
The snowfall swirled around her, and any trace of the thief had been displaced by the cold wind. Catwoman tucked the boxes under her injured arm and placed her bleeding hand against her stomach in an attempt to stop the bleeding. She knew she wouldn't make it back to her apartment tonight, so she quickly began to make her way over to one of her emergency places she had just in case for a scenario like this. As she was passing through an alley, she saw the man in the golden trench coat standing in the middle of the sidewalk.
He looked as if he was watching his children at the park or an interesting movie. It was eerie, and Catwoman couldn't see what he was staring at. There was nothing there. Something was wrong about this man, but the persistent pain in her hand stopped any further speculation.
Catwoman navigated the snow-covered streets until she found one of her emergency safe-havens. It was nestled behind an ornate restaurant in an abandoned tenement. She walked up the front steps and pushed open the heavy doors, her hand severely aching now. The doors closed behind her with a heavy boom, and she quickly walked upstairs towards the room she had prepared.
It was cold as she walked down the hallway on the third floor, her breath visible in the cold air around her. She finally reached her room and opened the door. She set the boxes down on the nearby table and headed straight towards the bathroom. Catwoman tentatively peeled off her glove and bit back a cry as pulled it off over her wound. She turned on the sink and was thankful that there was still running water. That was a bonus about Gotham's city council never keeping things up-to-date; there was running water in a building that had been abandoned ages ago.
This wasn't Selina's first battle wound, and it wouldn't be her last. She efficiently cleaned her wound with a practiced hand and cursed the mysterious man who shot her the whole time. She knew she should have been more careful, but it was massively inconvenient that he'd shot her dominant hand.
After she cleaned her hand and prepared for bed, she laid down on the mattress in the corner of the room, bundled in a hoard of blankets.
Selina stared at the ceiling, feeling exhaustion tugging at her body, but her mind refused to let her sleep. She shouldn't have been shot – bested even – by a stranger. She should have just knocked him out. She was better than this. Selina knew she had to let this go, but something about him kept eating at her. Not only that, she was unnerved by that strange man in the golden trench coat.
He clearly didn't belong. He stuck out like a sore thumb just like a tourist, but he seemed off. Selina was accustomed to things being out of the ordinary. She lived in Gotham. She knew the mentally disturbed when she saw them. This man didn't seem disturbed. He just seemed off. She couldn't name exactly what it was.
With these conflicting thoughts swirling in her head, it took Selina too long to fall asleep, but she eventually did. Even then, her dreams were filled with golden clad men hanging in the shadows, and the icy blue eyes of the man from the warehouse.