Moonlight over Gotham
A Batman/Moonstone Fan-fiction
Axel grumbled to himself, "It's too cold to be fixing problems right now." Snow was starting to stick in his spiky, brown hair. He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets and looked around. He looked fairly ordinary, even if his pants were a touch too tight. He was looking out into a busy street at night. It was definitely not a good neighborhood. Several ladies of the night were standing near the street, watching what they considered to be fine entertainment.
A crash resounded from a bar across the road. Another crash was heard, and then a huge burly figure burst through the window, landing lightly. He was wearing a black tank top, and a black and white full skull mask. Black combat pants and combat boots. He spun around, and blocked a kick to his face with his right arm. "Not bad kid. You're almost as good as the big 'A'. Talk more than the guy with the pointy cowl, though." He growled, launching himself in a complex one, two punch.
His opponent blocked his shots casually and then went for a foot sweep. He was wearing a mostly blue and black body suit and a modified domino mask. Gold metallic belts finished off the outfit. "Now you sound just like Batman, always complaining about me talking too much." He paused to dodge a couple of punches, and threw his opponent with a judo throw. "By and by, who's this 'Big A' person, Cross-skull? Hero? Villain? Vengeful spirit? I like to know who's who, and what's what. And sometimes even, when's when!" Nightwing quipped, purposefully messing up his opponents name as he did a quick dodge to the side.
"Captain America? You never heard of him? He's the Boy Scout in charge of the Avengers." Crossbones replied. He slipped out a few daggers and tossed them at figure.
"Whoa!" Nightwing yelped as he ducked the daggers and then caught a foot in his stomach. Nightwing rolled backwards and bounced to his feet. In each of his hands, he held two disks. With a quick toss, he threw them in such a pattern that one of them would hit his target.
Electricity sparked, and stunned Crossbones for just a moment. Nightwing was there and pounded him in several vitals. He finished off his opponent with a huge crescent kick to his face. "Whew, good workout. This guy is really good." Nightwing said as he struggled to get his breath.
Axel took that as his cue, and stepped up. "Um, excuse me, uh, Nightwing. This guy is in the wrong universe, and I need to return him to where he's from." Axel said hesitantly.
"You're kidding right? What are you, some sort of inter-dimensional janitor?" Nightwing said incredulously. He slapped his forehead in consternation.
"Um, yeah, basically. Don't worry, he won't even remember you unless you meet again. Which isn't too likely." Axel conveniently ignored to tell the hapless hero that he wouldn't remember Crossbones either.
"So, where have you guys been fighting? I can't even leave any daggers and odd things like that laying around with anomalous energies. It causes more crossovers." Axel said slowly.
Nightwing snickered. "It'd be easier to ask, 'where haven't we fought'. The docks, downtown, and of course this district. So roughly four miles or so." Nightwing said with a grin.
Axel groaned. He'd have to play a little fast and loose. He'd try to absorb all of the ambient dimensional energies. First, double check to make sure there aren't any more 'Marvels' around. He closed his eyes, sending out unearthly senses. Nothing. It was safe to continue.
He raised his hands, and glowing energy sprang up and returned the wayward villain.
-
Across town a light flashed brilliantly, signaling the arrival of another Marvel above the roofs of an apartment building. Moonstone struggled to control her flight after just appearing in the middle of a city, turning at just the last moment. Her opponent was not so lucky. His body armor absorbed most of the damage, but left him stunned after he struck a wall.
"Well, well, well. I guess that took the fight right out of him." Moonstone said, floating in the air. She reached down, and grabbed the thug with her left hand. With her right hand, she blasted his jet pack.
"Hey, Moon-chick, eat hot energy!" The thug in the battle armor said, just before unloading all of the energy in his plasma rifle into her face. Moonstone screamed in agony clutching her face and dropping the thug. She crumpled to the ground, struggling to stand back up. He stared at her for just a second and then glanced down at his empty rifle. The only thought going through his head was, that shot would have blasted a hole in a tank. A very big tank.
He decided to take the initiative (and the better part of valor) and ran to the edge of the roof. A quick hop, and he was skidding down the fire escape, and reaching for his emergency camouflage poncho. By the time he hit the ground he was nearly invisible. A moment later, he was another shadow in the alley.
Moonstone flew into the alley, a snarl on her delicate features. She hated being made a fool of. Anger seethed within her. Glancing around, she flew higher, trying to find her opponent.
-
Axel, better known to super heroes as Access, raised his glowing hands. An aura grew around him, slowing expanding towards the riverside. It flashed for just a moment more, and then disappeared. With a wave at Nightwing, he stepped into a shimmering portal. The portal disappeared in a moment.
Nightwing just shrugged, and then started to walk into the nearest alley. By the time he got to the roof top, he had already forgotten his fight. So you could imagine his confusion when he got to the Batcave, and couldn't quite remember how he had collected such a large collection of bruises.
-
High above the city, a figure scowled. Something was happening in his city that he didn't understand. Some people would have laughed at such a ridiculous, baseless assumption. But he was one of the best detectives that had been born. You listened to your hunches, understood that sometimes you had to follow your instincts. Those instincts were screaming that something had arrived, and was going to disrupt the delicate balance that held sway over Gotham.
Something that Batman would have to deal with. And with that he leaped into the air, hundreds of feet above the street. He calmly waited for the right moment, and then threw a line at one of the cornices. He swung out over the city. His cape billowed behind him, most of his features hidden in the darkness. Still, he was unmistakable. The dark knight hunted the dark.
-
"Gone. I can't believe it." Moonstone mumbled to herself. Her minutes of searching had revealed nothing of the high tech warrior. He was one the Imperial Forces of America. Just another band of would be world beaters in her book. Just another sign that America was going to pot. Fast.
But they were using innocents, transforming them into superhuman soldiers. Much like her fellow team mate Charcoal. He was a powerful fighter, but he was just a kid. A kid that was almost brain washed into helping take over the U.S. That's where the Thunderbolts came in. They'd decided that the Imperial Forces of America needed to be taken down. And that led to the fight with them. But something had gone wrong. Moonstone was definitely lost.
Where was she? It looked to be a major city, bigger than anything in Colorado. It really didn't look like the West Coast to her. And she didn't recognize anything to make it stand out. Which was odd, because the city had some striking, gothic statues. Definitely enough to make it stick in her memory.
Moonstone zipped down to the street level, heading for a booth that sold newspapers and magazines. She started to glow a little bit, just to give him some warning. The vendor gaped, staring openly as she landed lightly.
"Excuse me, could you tell me what city I'm in? I seem to have lost my way." Moonstone asked in her 'sexy' voice. It usually got results and fairly fast too.
The man didn't respond for a second. He'd never seen this meta-human before. He was sure that he would have remembered one as foxy as her. "Yer in Gotham, ma'am. Are you ah new super-heroine?"
Moonstone froze for just a moment. This wasn't quite the response she was expecting. "Could you tell me where Gotham is? It doesn't sound familiar." She smiled again, hiding her trepidation. The Thunderbolts were amazingly infamous. After all, they had almost succeeded in taking over the world. Only they had stopped themselves. It had resulted in the Thunderbolts being actively hunted by all of the governments of the Earth for 'crimes against humanity.' Even if half the team had turned renegade against Baron Zemo, and destroyed his one chance to take over the world with the bio-modem.
"We're on da East Coast, ma'am. Just south of Metropolis about forty miles." He bobbed a bit, smiling widely. She sure was pretty, wearing a skin tight metallic outfit in gold and dark red. A sculpted gold helmet covered her upper face, letting her blonde hair free. It didn't hurt that she had a figure that most super-models would kill for.
"Um, Metropolis? I'm afraid that doesn't sound familiar either." Moonstone frowned. This wasn't looking good.
"Metropolis? Dat's the home of Superman, the biggest and bestest super-hero of da world." The guy beamed. Everyone knew of Superman.
"Oh boy. I think I'm really lost. Could you tell me the year? And if a group of superheroes known as The Avengers exist? Or ever existed?" Moonstone asked with another smile. After all, the man was being so helpful. And hadn't started to scream for the cops.
They were interrupted by sounds of gunfire just a few hundred feet away. Moonstone spun around, and spotted the disturbance. It looked like some sort of convenience store robbery. Without thinking, she flew at the disturbance. With practiced moves, she smashed in the front window, bars and all.
The scene that greeted her was one found all too common in this day and age. A young man clutched his chest as he slumped up against the wall behind the cash register. A young oriental girl was screaming as one of the robbers put a gun to her head. And then all heads turned towards the front window, which didn't exist anymore.
Perfect! Moonstone smiled for just a single moment, and then unleashed a small fraction of her power. Blinding light encompassed the room, stunning everyone for a minute.
A minute was all she was needed. More than long enough. Gunfire spattered at her as streaked forward. A single punch knocked one out. The second was flung at a wall, and bounced hard. The last one managed to actually shoot her once, following her by sound alone. A futile effort, as the shot ricocheted into the ceiling.
And then the gun didn't move. Through the spots in his eyes, he saw his gun hand (and gun) in her hand. His eyes bulged as he realized she was crushing the gun in his hand. "I'd suggest you let go, unless you want to have a broken hand, too." Moonstone said casually, continuing to crush the gun. He let go as fast as possible and started to run for the door. He had made it about twenty feet when he was struck in the back with an energy bolt that flung him into the side of a car. He slumped into unconsciousness.
Moonstone smiled as she felt the rush of a job well done. Her attention was jerked back to reality by the young girl screaming something in Chinese. She was hugging the wounded clerk desperately, babbling hysterically in Chinese.
Moonstone kneeled next the clerk, and quickly did a field medic type check. He wasn't likely to die, if he received immediate medical help. "He'll be fine, just wait for the ambulance. Once there here, he'll be fine." Moonstone said as soothingly as possible.
"You no understand. Anton is babies father. Need Anton to help raise my baby. He no die. Not die." The young girl started to blubber, holding the young man close. She looked like he was going into shock.
The world seemed to focus in on the girl in Moonstones eyes. Everything else became less important. As in the past, Moonstone started to act without thinking. "Where is the closest hospital? Tell me NOW!" Moonstone demanded.
Shan looked on in terror. The pretty lady was glowing and seemed to be angry. Moonstone reached down and picked up the wounded man and headed for the door. Shan finally understood what she had asked. "Shan know. Hospital only small blocks away. Shan lead you there." Shan stood up, tears in her eyes. The pretty lady wanted to help Shan and Anton.
Moonstone stepped out into the street, and looked over at the scared young girl. Shan pointed in a direction, and started to walk as fast as possible. Moonstone shook her head and then leaped into the air. Snow swirled in behind her as she streaked in the direction. From the air, a lot of buildings look similar. Especially in a big city. Luckily, most hospitals had helicopter pads. She managed to spot it quickly.
Moonstone flew into the emergency room, and yelled out, "I've a gun shot victim here. He needs immediate help!" One of the orderlies pointed towards a gurney and yelled for a nurse. Moonstone put Anton on the gurney and then stepped back to let the medics in to help save his life.
Moonstone stepped back, and sat down suddenly. She wasn't unused to fights and even death, but she was losing control. More and more, she was acting totally driven. Driven by forces she didn't understand. It was almost as if another person was in her, trying to get out. A warrior who had different morals.
She wasn't a nice person. She liked to manipulate people, make them do what she wanted. She wasn't brave, she would flee a battle if it looked like it would go badly for her. Or even her side.
But lately, she hadn't. Or wouldn't. And it was scaring her. Always afterwards, when she thought about it, she would realize that she was becoming someone else. Or maybe something else. And she was sure that it dealt with the dreams that came more and more regularly.
Moonstone realized with a start that she was staring at her fingers on her left hand. Almost unnoticeable, blood from young man named Anton covered her palms .
A cold realization struck her. When would it be her blood spilling out onto the ground? She heard the shriek of someone screaming. It took her a moment to realize that it was herself. Moonstone ran for the exit, knocking over a couple of people on her way the door. She smashed it open, spraying the glass and steel of the sliding door across the road. She took to the air to try and clear her head. She curled into a ball in the air and just floated there.
-
Sergeant Liam massaged the bridge of his nose. Another spandex case. What was wrong with this city that caused some weirdo to throw on some spandex on and try the super set? He never had this problem in Detroit.
At least this one could claim to have actual honest to goodness super powers. He flipped over the report. Supposedly she could fly and was very, very strong.
Liam stepped around the glass that still covered the ground in front of the Blessed Mary's Emergency room doors. With a pen, he tapped the door frame that was twisted and bent. "Hey, Mitchell! Isn't this one of those new bullet proof doors that they installed recently?"
Mitchell was easily at least a foot taller than his oriental friend and partner. With a shock of red hair in a crew cut and glasses, he looked as if he couldn't decide if he was going to be a geek or a jock. He had the muscles of a linebacker. A big linebacker. "Yup. They didn't want a repeat of that massacre when those loony's just walked in and demanded that the doctors fix their friend. Ugly that was. Three people dead."
Liam picked up one of the shard of the glass, easily three inches thick. "I think we can confirm that she is super strong. Probably stronger than Killer Croc, if my guess is right."
"Glad she's on our side, then."
"She's got some issues. We don't need another psychopath on the loose. Even if she thinks she's on our side. We really do not need that sort of help, Mitch."
Mitchell shrugged. There wasn't a lot that they could do. "They want to start cleaning up here. Should we let them?"
"Yeah. We aren't going to get anything else out of this. I'm buying coffee. I owe you for last night."
The two detectives walked out to their car, passing the line of police cars. Liam tossed his clipboard onto the dash and settled in. In moments, they were driving off.
Above them, the shadows watched. What appeared to be one of the gargoyles that littered the city moved and disappeared into the night. It leaped gracefully from roof to roof, until it was over a small convenience store. The lights were on, as the owner made a halfhearted attempt to clean up the mess. Plastic covered the front, holding out the winter cold poorly.
An hour passed and finally the older man stepped out the side entrance and locked the door. He made a show of arming the alarm and locking the door. Batman, always watchful, noted that it was just that. A show. The alarm was not turned on. He waited another five minutes and then landed next to the door.
A few tense minutes of lock-picking and he was inside, out of the cold. Green lenses covered his eyes, illuminating the room in dim luminescence. He prowled around, check the store thoroughly and quickly. Finally his gaze lit up two small holes in the ceiling tile. It was but a moments work to pry two bullets from the ceiling. A cursory examination confirmed what he had thought. Cop killer bullets. Armor piercing rounds were making it onto the streets.
He was going to have to find out who was bringing those into his city. In moments he had slipped outside and became one with the shadows. A large car sat in an alley. Black metal gleamed dully as the engine revved up.
-
Karla Sofen walked down the street, snow crunching under her feet. A mere thought had transformed her 'uniform' into a set of normal clothes, complete with a warm coat. She was all alone, unknown and unwanted.
What was she supposed to do? She didn't have a job, didn't have much money. No place to stay. She felt more alone than she would have thought possible.
A light was suddenly flashed in her eyes from a parked car on the street. "Excuse me, Miss. But it's a little late to be walking around for your health."
Karla noted the police car in the back of her mind. "Sorry, officer." She shrugged to them. "I just don't have any place to go tonight."
Emanuel had a pretty good sense for when people were lying. He'd thought at first that she was a whore, hawking herself on the street. But she'd passed by two possible Johns without a thought. "It's too cold to be out. Why don't you go to the shelter?"
Distaste flashed across her face. "I'm not a transient!"
"Whoa! I didn't say that. But they are there to help people that don't have a home right now," the uniformed cop explained.
Indecision warred within her. He was right. And she was hungry and tired. Slowly she nodded. "I guess I can do that. Where is it?"
"Lucky for you, just a few blocks in the direction you were headed."
"Thanks."
Karla followed his directions, soon ending up at the shelter. She waited in the line to get in, chatting it up with a surprisingly intelligent fellow who was also down on his luck.
-
"So, what sort of experience do you have?" the weasily little man asked. He was wearing a rumpled brown suit.
"I've had psychology schooling and on the job training. I was an intern under Dr. Faustus, but that's been a few years. My records are a bit tied up," Karla said smoothly, adjusting her voice's cadence, setting him at ease. Calming him and trying to get him to trust her. She hadn't used the Voice unaided for quite a while. She had far more useful powers to use.
And it wasn't like she was really lying. Just omitting little details. Like being disbarred from ever practicing again because of her unethical psychological practices in the past. Karla 'harrumphed' to herself silently.
"Well, this normally goes against my better judgement, but I think I'll give you a chance." Dr. Malvin smiled and shook her hand. "Welcome to Arkham asylum. You'll be working the low security wing, helping some of our recovering patients."
"Ah, yes. You'd mentioned that this facility holds some dangerous criminals. Should I be worried?" Karla asked, still adjusting her voice just so.
"The threat is overwhelmingly overrated. We have a crew with top-notch security. We can handle just about anything."
"That's good to hear."
-
Karla opened the door to her dingy apartment and carefully put away her meager groceries. She pushed through the meager pile of newspapers and magazines. One of the local newspapers had a vigilante sighting's column.
She muttered to herself, "I guess it's time to meet this mysterious 'Dark Knight', the Batman." She now felt confident that this was her best chance at getting home. Now that she had something to fall back on and someplace to stay.
Energy flashed, shifting her costume back into existence, its dark red and gold gleamed in the dim light. As easily as a ghost, she walked through the wall and into the crisp night air. In just a few short minutes, she floated high above the police station headquarters. She started to emit light, brighter and brighter. Now it was his move.
-
Commissioner Gordon sat at his desk, tapping his pen when the light appeared. He snapped a quick look over his shoulder, seeing the nearby buildings light up under the bright luminosity. "Bill! What the hell is going on out there?"
"I don't know, Commissioner. It's up above us, in the air!"
"Don't just sit there, get a squad to the roof. Now, damn it!"
Gordon and ten officers burst out onto the roof, covering the entire area. Gordon raised his free hand to shade his eyes slightly. "It's that new meta- human, isn't it?"
"Tough to say, but it looks like it."
Gordon took in the situation, looking around at the rooftops. With a frown, he harrumphed. "I'd say she was trying to get someone's attention, wouldn't you?"
"Think she has a grudge against the Bat?" another uniformed officer asked.
"Don't know. I'd say she's got his attention."
Batman would have agreed with the conversation, had he heard it. He held a pair of compact binoculars up to his eyes. She looked bored, even as she looked around for something.
Or someone, he noted to himself wryly.
The binoculars disappeared even as he flung out a new line to swing to a rooftop. He was going to let her see him so that they could start this meeting. Let her think that he was not as good as he really was. A deadly game of bluff. The light suddenly went away, even as he felt her approach at high speeds.
"There you are. Batman." The melodious voice called out, her voice couched to be nonthreatening.
Batman landed easily. She had sharper eyes than he would have suspected. "I am a busy man. What do you want," he said, not even pausing as he continued back towards his patrol route.
"My name is Moonstone. I am stranded here on this Earth." Moonstone easily followed the athletic movements of the vigilante. Flight gave her an advantage in that arena.
"In Gotham. What does this have to do with me?" At least she wasn't glowing anymore.
"You would know who would have the best chance of aiding me on getting home. And you seem to be the main 'superhero' of this city. I thought I'd do the courtesy of dropping in."
Batman landed softly and spun towards her direction. "I don't need more amateurs causing a ruckus in my city."
"I am not an amateur" Moonstone kept her voice steady, her gaze unwavering as she landed.
"You will disrupt things here."
"That can be a good thing," Moonstone countered. "I am just trying to be polite."
"You are unstable."
Karla's lips curled into an angry snarl. "I don't need your permission to be a hero." He didn't even know she'd been a super-villain and he was trying to stop her.
"We will see, won't we?" Batman nearly growled, his eyes narrowed in anger himself.
"I guess we will." Moonstone stepped off of the rooftop, flying low.
-
'That arrogant bastard. He didn't even give me a chance!' Moonstone was furious. Her left hand played with the built in communication device in her helmet. 'Police band. There's always a lot of crime in a city like this.'
She nodded to herself when she finally tracked it down. Back when she'd been a super 'villain' she'd taken the time to know the basic language and code that they used.
"Two Face? What sort of gang name is that?" she muttered to herself. She put on the speed, following the directions of the pursuing officers.
In moments, she was above a car that had two men shooting out the side windows at the pursuing cops. She kept to their blind spot above, until she grabbed the car's top in her iron grip. The metal bent but held as she lifted the wheels off the ground and slowed it down.
Gunshots rang out even as the first cop car pulled in front of the getaway car. The front passenger had reacted quicker than she'd expected. Futilely, but he hadn't known she was bullet proof.
The doors on all of the vehicles popped open on all sides and from all cars. Police and criminals were suddenly staring down each other's barrels for just a second.
Karla blinked in surprise at the strange leader of the criminals. His odd face, twisted and scarred, had a permanent scowl. At least on right side. The other looked quite normal.
Two Face, because that is who it was, was screaming at the officers even as he shot at them. "It's a bad judgement day for you fellows. I'll show you what it means to break procedure and allowing vigilantes to do your work you."
"Right, Two Face!"
'Time to get everyone's attention back on me,' Moonstone thought. Muscles flexed and lifted the car so that it was vertical. She smashed the car six inches into the ground, imbedding it so that it wouldn't fall over.
"Who the hell are you? Come on boys, let's schedule a meeting with miss muscles later!" With that, he turned and ran towards a close by apartment, stepping over the comatose forms of policemen.
"Oh, no you don't!" the gold and red clad Thunderbolt cried out, flashing into the air and blasting the short stairway into rubble with a single white bolt of energy. "And for the record, 'Two Face', my name is Moonstone!"
"Moonstone? What sort of stupid name is that?" yelled out the psychopathic criminal.
"And Two Face is better?" she replied, barreling into his men, knocking them senseless. She touched down on one toe, pirouetting to face him. "Ready to give up?"
"Damn you." He dropped his gun with a clatter, putting his hands behind his head. He'd get this bitch later.
"You have the right to remain silent..." one of the cops started to explain as he walked up, handcuffs at the ready.
That felt good, Moonstone thought as she flew into the sky. I'd almost forgotten what it was like to actually help people again. She twirled as she spun into the sky, a smile affixed to her face. No shadowy government agencies, no ambiguous morals.
Just helping people.
A minute or so later, she drifted along in the air, listening to the police radio. Some sort of problem to the south. About five minutes later she saw what appeared to be a gang war. Multiple different groups shot at each other on the streets for almost ten blocks. Some were in animal masks, others in old style gangster suits, while many were just in normal street punk clothes.
"Right. Where to start?" Moonstone asked herself. With a shrug, she pointed her hand in between two groups that were shooting from two store fronts across the street. She blasted large holes into the ground with thundering force, diverting them from each other.
"Who the heck is that?" one of the men in animal masks asked.
"I don't know and I don't really give a fuck! Blow her away boys!" yelled out the fox masked leader. Following his orders, the rest of his band unloaded with their guns at the figure floating calmly down to the ground. For over a minute they tried to strike her down, to no avail.
"Finished?" A shapely foot tapped impatiently.
Rat mask looked over to his buddies. Fox, parrot and bear glanced back and then ran for the back exit of the store. They barely had time to notice a shadow stepping in their way before skilled fists robbed them of their consciousness.
Nightwing stepped out of the shadows, taking in the gleaming stranger that was wading into another group of gun toting gangsters. They had foolishly tried to leap into hand to hand with her, trying to over power her with bats and knives. She was dissuading them from this by crushing the bats, splintering wood and metal.
"Gal's got some moves," Nightwing noted to himself. Without further ado, he moved at breakneck speed through the shadows, slipping up behind another group. In moments, he was a whirling machine, sending the next group bowling.
BOOOOM! The air shuddered as glass broke, ending the fight for just a second. Guns, knives and clubs disappeared, a barely visible red blur flickering among them. "Nightwing! Good to see you again!" said a scarlet clad speedster, proud lightning bolt emblazoned on his chest.
"Flash? What are you doing here?" Nightwing blinked in surprise.
"He is here to try and stop me, impotent fool," a figure called out confidently from a roof top behind them. Clad in the garb of nineteenth century England, his brutish features were hidden behind a dark beard and wavy hair.
"Vandal Savage? What are you doing here?" Nightwing called out, a stun disk ready in his hand.
"Think of this as revenue generation. Bludhaven had been quite a good source of monetary wealth for this past few decades. But, since you moved here, it's been quite lacking. Blockbuster may think that he's the puppeteer, but he is a doll dancing on my strings."
Incongruous clapping startled them, drawing their attention back to the latest addition to the local hero scene. "Oh, bravo. How typically droll. Villain explains plan and then captures the heroes, putting them into a death trap. Right?"
Vandal's face flushed in anger. How dare she? "You tempt me, woman!"
Moonstone's hands flashed out, blowing the front and floor out from beneath Savage with beams of potent energy. "Really? Oh, and by the way, the name is Moonstone."
The immortal villain groaned from the top of the pile of debris. How dare she do... A wind and blur of red tied him in the blink of an eye. Damn! Then the walls of a police station appeared suddenly about him.
The Flash grinned. "Guess that clipped his wings. Hey, Nightwing, do you need a hand dealing with this riot?"
"Sure, just leave some for me!" Without further ado, the vigilante dashed to the next gun fight, his tunfa at the ready.
A quirky grin sprang into existence on Moonstone's face. With a thought, she was flying herself, beams of light driving the hoods back, distracting them from their gang fight.
In moments, overwhelming super powers had quelled the fighting and rounded up the criminals. The three heroes met up on the battered street just moments later.
How to broach this? No better time than the present. "Nightwing? Flash? I need some... help."
"Sure! Fire away," the scarlet speedster replied.
"I'm not from this dimension. I'm afraid I don't know anyone that could help me."
Nightwing and the Flash exchanged quick glances. "STAR Labs?"
Nightwing nodded. "STAR Labs."
"Um, what?"
"STAR Labs is the premiere scientific establishment. Fairly trustworthy too. They're your best bet." Nightwing grinned suddenly. "Expect them to give a thorough checking first."
"I'll take her over to the nearest one, over in Gotham and give her an introduction," the Flash said, grinning widely.
"Lead on!" Moonstone lifted into the air, flying after the speeding runner.
-
"I'm sorry, but we can't determine any residual extra dimensional energies at all." The lab coated scientist looked perturbed as she filled out a chart on a clip board. On the large computer screen behind her, a list of exotic energies was cataloged. "The energy readings that we do get, seem to say your powers are gravitationally linked, but not extradimensionally related at all."
"Yes, the Moonstone. It's bonded to me," Moonstone mused to herself. "So there's nothing, no hint that I'm from anywhere else?"
"And without something, some trace to work from, there's no hope of sending to the correct alternate dimension. I'm sorry."
She stood up from the high tech scanner bed, unable to say anything at all for a long moment. The scientists and technicians around her waited for her to react nervously. The Flash looked up from where he stood in the corner, muscles tensed in readiness.
"Thank you for your candidness. Do... you have any other thoughts or leads?" she asked finally, her voice barely trembling.
"I'm sorry, I don't."
The scarlet speedster appeared next to her. "I may have some ideas. How do I get in contact with you?"
"Ah... I don't have a phone yet." This Flash sure was a friendly sort.
"Hmm." A piece of paper and pen appeared in his hands. "Here's my number. Give me a call in a day or so. I should have the okay to bring you up to the JLA Watchtower. Some of the technology up there is out of the world."
"I appreciate what you are doing."
"Hey, being a hero is more than just stopping the bad guys, you know."
-
"Well, Karla, are you ready for your first day in the security ward?" Dr. Beckman asked.
"Probably not, but I shouldn't have any real problems."
"Or first patient's name is Harvey Dent. He used to be a real top notch citizen, until he was badly scarred. Half of his face is terribly damaged and unrepairable." Dr. Beckman noted the surprised look on his new assistants face. "He goes by the name of Two Face now. A compulsive case, he's unable to make any real decision without a coin, the face side being mutilated. Psychotic, with little or none of morals that he had when he was a district attorney." The doctor opened the door after getting the clearance from the guard on the far side.
"Was he a very vain person?" Karla asked.
"Not really. He appeared to be proud, but nothing untowed."
They entered an observation room. "We don't let him interact directly with anyone. He has shown a tendency to focus his murderous habits on his doctors when he has escaped. It's for our own safety."
"That doesn't really seem to be the correct way to handle a disfigured patient. You have been trying to reconnect him to a normal life, right?" Karla received an affirmative nod. "Is this a strict policy, or can someone volunteer to speak to him face to face?"
"You'd have to get Dr. Arkham's approval before being allowed. You really don't think this is the best way to handle this sort of patient?"
"No. It isolates him, making him feel different, worsening his view of himself. How does he react to therapy masks?"
"You know, I'm not sure if anyone has even tried to get him to wear one." Dr. Beckman cleared his throat and spoke into a microphone. "Harvey? Can you hear me?"
The man sitting at the table wearing a prison uniform and handcuffed to the table barely looked up. "Yeah, Dr. Beckman. Ready to shrink my head today?" he asked defensively.
"I have Mrs. Sofen here with us today. She's a new intern here and looks to be quite promising. She is also going to be helping us out with our understaffing problem."
"So, are we going to go try the cards again?" Harvey's one eyebrow, on the damaged portion of his face, appeared to be perpetually turned down in anger.
"I would like to. Do you dislike being presented with more options other than 'right' or 'wrong'?" Dr. Beckman asked.
Karla held up her hand to let herself intrude. Dr. Beckman nodded curtly. He had no idea why Dr. Arkham thought that she would be so useful.
"Yeah. So what of it?"
"Harvey, this is Karla Sofen. Please call me Karla, if you don't mind." She looked at him through the mirror. "Harvey, why do you mutilate the face on a quarter?"
The undamaged muscles on his face twisted into a smile. Trying to get into my head, are you? "Because it reminds me that I'm ugly."
"Ugly? Or hurt? I understand that you can't have plastic surgery to repair the damage. But why don't you wear a mask like any other burn victim? Dozens of people are disfigured daily. Some far worse than you."
His good eye narrowed. "Ugly. Evil. Masks don't hide anything."
"Why is your damaged face 'evil,' Harvey. It wasn't your fault. You were a victim."
"Yeah. A victim that couldn't be protected by the system."
Karla nodded at that. "So you feel that the system that you used to work within failed you. Failed to protect you."
"Yeah. Really good job of psychoanalysis there."
"Are you vain, Mr. Dent?"
"What sort of question is that?"
"A simple one, I hope."
"A little. I had everything. Looks, a prestigious position and I wasn't hurting for girl friends."
"So why did your face getting so scarred make you snap? You just admitted that looks weren't that important to you. After all, many people get hurt worse far more than you ever have."
Dr. Beckman looked up in surprise. What did she think she was doing?
Two Face's expression was bleak, as bleak as the silence that filled the room. "I didn't say that."
"It sounded like that to me. 'A little vain' was what you said. People that are a little something don't hinge their entire self worth on 'little' things."
"So maybe I'm more vain than I thought."
Karla shook her head, only just barely realizing that he couldn't see her. "No. If your problem were really related to vanity, you wouldn't be able to think about any other thing."
"What does this have to do with my problem?" Two Face snarled.
"Maybe everything. It looks like our time is up for now. I'm going to ask Dr. Beckman if I can be assigned to work with you."
"Don't do me any favors."
Karla turned to look at Dr. Beckman after turning off the microphone. "I have some ideas that I'd like to look into. Do we have a list of family and friends of Harvey's?"
"Some. Why?"
"I think it may aid with this issue he has. So who is next?"
"The grand daddy of the whackos of Arkham. All we know him is by his 'super- villain' name. The Joker. Probably one of the most sick and depraved people you will ever meet." If she didn't crack under one meeting of the Joker, she'd most likely do all right here in Arkham.
Behind the mirror, two large orderlies manhandled a straight jacketed individual into the chair. The pasty faced individual had a sick, overly dramatic smile on. His green hair was disheveled and unkempt.
"Good morning, Joker. How are you doing today?" Dr. Beckman asked.
"Pretty good. Is it a pretty good day for you to die?" the Joker asked, laughing hysterically. He abruptly cut off his laughter. "Someone new today?"
Dr. Beckman tapped the intercom button. "He's just trying to psych you out." He tapped the button again. "So, what are you thinking about today?"
A cunning gleam surfaced in his eyes. "Yes. Someone new, trying to shrink my head. Maybe you'll be another Harlequin. Or maybe just a new toy to play with." He started laughing again. "Children shouldn't be allowed to play with toys. They always break their favorite toys. Smashing them, breaking them. Hahahahahah! Pop goes the weasel. Dr. Beckman, aren't you going to introduce me to my newest toy?"
"Joker, you aren't helping with the session today."
"Don't worry, Doctor. If you like, I'll play stupid later. Must be a broad. Some new intern that you're trying to protect, I bet. Could it be that blonde model that I've heard about from the lowlifes in the regular ward?"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Joker."
"You know, that's always the doctor's problems. That they can't seem to understand that I'm smarter than they are. I can see right through that mirror, you know. I can see your face, sweating in fear. I can tell that you're afraid of me, that I'll see that you're as insane as the cuckoo birds on this side of the looking glass. Oh, you pretend to be sane. But Dr. Joker can see your insanity like it was written on your forehead with markers. Obsession, possession! Passion, patty cakes. Already got the hots for her, eh? Hahahahahaha! Doctors playing in closets of their shadow selves. Skeletons dancing in the darkness. I can see, even if you're too blind!" The Joker started to cackle insanely.
"I think we've gotten enough done for today." Dr. Beckman sighed as he shut off the intercom for the last time. "He's worse than normal. A real madman. We can't even categorize him most of the time. Delusional at times, other times he's as sharp as a tack. Much of his psychosis is wrapped around the Batman. A real morasses of insanity. Probably a lost cause. I've recommended to Dr. Arkham that we up his dosage of drugs until he's nearly insensate. He'd be much safer."
"Is he really that dangerous?" Karla watched as the burly nurses hauled the raving clown out of the room.
"He's the worst of the bunch. He usually kills dozens of people at a time. The only thing saving him from the execution chamber is that he really is insane."
"How... unusual."
"I do have to warn you, he's warped psychologists in the past. Harley Quinn was one of his previous doctors. She flipped out and tries to be his sidekick. A total shame. She was a promising woman in the field. Too bad she cracked under the pressure."
Karla Sofen gave him a cool smile. "I think I'll be fine. You'd be amazed at some of the places I've been to."
-
The large monitors flickered to life in front of Bruce Wayne. He was dressed as the Batman, minus the cape and cowl of course. Different pictures of the same woman appeared on the screen. Her deep red and gold costume reflected the light of the street lamps brightly.
"So this is the newest vigilante of Gotham, eh?" Tim Drake said as he looked over the different screens. "Did she really flip out when she first showed up?"
"Yes. At the Metro Hospital. Something threw her into a blind panic. She crumpled steel and crushed bullet proof plastic without even slowing down. But since then has been somewhat... steady." His brows were furrowed in thought. Who and what was this strange woman. She appeared to be a bit older than the Huntress, so maybe early thirties or so.
"Dick said that she claims to be from some other dimension. STAR Labs took a look at her to try helping her home, but came up empty." Tim slid into the second seat in front of the consoles.
"Yes. But is it truth or fabrication? She could just be trying to validate her 'experience' as a super heroine from her dimension."
"She appears to be knows what she's doing."
Axel grumbled to himself, "It's too cold to be fixing problems right now." Snow was starting to stick in his spiky, brown hair. He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets and looked around. He looked fairly ordinary, even if his pants were a touch too tight. He was looking out into a busy street at night. It was definitely not a good neighborhood. Several ladies of the night were standing near the street, watching what they considered to be fine entertainment.
A crash resounded from a bar across the road. Another crash was heard, and then a huge burly figure burst through the window, landing lightly. He was wearing a black tank top, and a black and white full skull mask. Black combat pants and combat boots. He spun around, and blocked a kick to his face with his right arm. "Not bad kid. You're almost as good as the big 'A'. Talk more than the guy with the pointy cowl, though." He growled, launching himself in a complex one, two punch.
His opponent blocked his shots casually and then went for a foot sweep. He was wearing a mostly blue and black body suit and a modified domino mask. Gold metallic belts finished off the outfit. "Now you sound just like Batman, always complaining about me talking too much." He paused to dodge a couple of punches, and threw his opponent with a judo throw. "By and by, who's this 'Big A' person, Cross-skull? Hero? Villain? Vengeful spirit? I like to know who's who, and what's what. And sometimes even, when's when!" Nightwing quipped, purposefully messing up his opponents name as he did a quick dodge to the side.
"Captain America? You never heard of him? He's the Boy Scout in charge of the Avengers." Crossbones replied. He slipped out a few daggers and tossed them at figure.
"Whoa!" Nightwing yelped as he ducked the daggers and then caught a foot in his stomach. Nightwing rolled backwards and bounced to his feet. In each of his hands, he held two disks. With a quick toss, he threw them in such a pattern that one of them would hit his target.
Electricity sparked, and stunned Crossbones for just a moment. Nightwing was there and pounded him in several vitals. He finished off his opponent with a huge crescent kick to his face. "Whew, good workout. This guy is really good." Nightwing said as he struggled to get his breath.
Axel took that as his cue, and stepped up. "Um, excuse me, uh, Nightwing. This guy is in the wrong universe, and I need to return him to where he's from." Axel said hesitantly.
"You're kidding right? What are you, some sort of inter-dimensional janitor?" Nightwing said incredulously. He slapped his forehead in consternation.
"Um, yeah, basically. Don't worry, he won't even remember you unless you meet again. Which isn't too likely." Axel conveniently ignored to tell the hapless hero that he wouldn't remember Crossbones either.
"So, where have you guys been fighting? I can't even leave any daggers and odd things like that laying around with anomalous energies. It causes more crossovers." Axel said slowly.
Nightwing snickered. "It'd be easier to ask, 'where haven't we fought'. The docks, downtown, and of course this district. So roughly four miles or so." Nightwing said with a grin.
Axel groaned. He'd have to play a little fast and loose. He'd try to absorb all of the ambient dimensional energies. First, double check to make sure there aren't any more 'Marvels' around. He closed his eyes, sending out unearthly senses. Nothing. It was safe to continue.
He raised his hands, and glowing energy sprang up and returned the wayward villain.
-
Across town a light flashed brilliantly, signaling the arrival of another Marvel above the roofs of an apartment building. Moonstone struggled to control her flight after just appearing in the middle of a city, turning at just the last moment. Her opponent was not so lucky. His body armor absorbed most of the damage, but left him stunned after he struck a wall.
"Well, well, well. I guess that took the fight right out of him." Moonstone said, floating in the air. She reached down, and grabbed the thug with her left hand. With her right hand, she blasted his jet pack.
"Hey, Moon-chick, eat hot energy!" The thug in the battle armor said, just before unloading all of the energy in his plasma rifle into her face. Moonstone screamed in agony clutching her face and dropping the thug. She crumpled to the ground, struggling to stand back up. He stared at her for just a second and then glanced down at his empty rifle. The only thought going through his head was, that shot would have blasted a hole in a tank. A very big tank.
He decided to take the initiative (and the better part of valor) and ran to the edge of the roof. A quick hop, and he was skidding down the fire escape, and reaching for his emergency camouflage poncho. By the time he hit the ground he was nearly invisible. A moment later, he was another shadow in the alley.
Moonstone flew into the alley, a snarl on her delicate features. She hated being made a fool of. Anger seethed within her. Glancing around, she flew higher, trying to find her opponent.
-
Axel, better known to super heroes as Access, raised his glowing hands. An aura grew around him, slowing expanding towards the riverside. It flashed for just a moment more, and then disappeared. With a wave at Nightwing, he stepped into a shimmering portal. The portal disappeared in a moment.
Nightwing just shrugged, and then started to walk into the nearest alley. By the time he got to the roof top, he had already forgotten his fight. So you could imagine his confusion when he got to the Batcave, and couldn't quite remember how he had collected such a large collection of bruises.
-
High above the city, a figure scowled. Something was happening in his city that he didn't understand. Some people would have laughed at such a ridiculous, baseless assumption. But he was one of the best detectives that had been born. You listened to your hunches, understood that sometimes you had to follow your instincts. Those instincts were screaming that something had arrived, and was going to disrupt the delicate balance that held sway over Gotham.
Something that Batman would have to deal with. And with that he leaped into the air, hundreds of feet above the street. He calmly waited for the right moment, and then threw a line at one of the cornices. He swung out over the city. His cape billowed behind him, most of his features hidden in the darkness. Still, he was unmistakable. The dark knight hunted the dark.
-
"Gone. I can't believe it." Moonstone mumbled to herself. Her minutes of searching had revealed nothing of the high tech warrior. He was one the Imperial Forces of America. Just another band of would be world beaters in her book. Just another sign that America was going to pot. Fast.
But they were using innocents, transforming them into superhuman soldiers. Much like her fellow team mate Charcoal. He was a powerful fighter, but he was just a kid. A kid that was almost brain washed into helping take over the U.S. That's where the Thunderbolts came in. They'd decided that the Imperial Forces of America needed to be taken down. And that led to the fight with them. But something had gone wrong. Moonstone was definitely lost.
Where was she? It looked to be a major city, bigger than anything in Colorado. It really didn't look like the West Coast to her. And she didn't recognize anything to make it stand out. Which was odd, because the city had some striking, gothic statues. Definitely enough to make it stick in her memory.
Moonstone zipped down to the street level, heading for a booth that sold newspapers and magazines. She started to glow a little bit, just to give him some warning. The vendor gaped, staring openly as she landed lightly.
"Excuse me, could you tell me what city I'm in? I seem to have lost my way." Moonstone asked in her 'sexy' voice. It usually got results and fairly fast too.
The man didn't respond for a second. He'd never seen this meta-human before. He was sure that he would have remembered one as foxy as her. "Yer in Gotham, ma'am. Are you ah new super-heroine?"
Moonstone froze for just a moment. This wasn't quite the response she was expecting. "Could you tell me where Gotham is? It doesn't sound familiar." She smiled again, hiding her trepidation. The Thunderbolts were amazingly infamous. After all, they had almost succeeded in taking over the world. Only they had stopped themselves. It had resulted in the Thunderbolts being actively hunted by all of the governments of the Earth for 'crimes against humanity.' Even if half the team had turned renegade against Baron Zemo, and destroyed his one chance to take over the world with the bio-modem.
"We're on da East Coast, ma'am. Just south of Metropolis about forty miles." He bobbed a bit, smiling widely. She sure was pretty, wearing a skin tight metallic outfit in gold and dark red. A sculpted gold helmet covered her upper face, letting her blonde hair free. It didn't hurt that she had a figure that most super-models would kill for.
"Um, Metropolis? I'm afraid that doesn't sound familiar either." Moonstone frowned. This wasn't looking good.
"Metropolis? Dat's the home of Superman, the biggest and bestest super-hero of da world." The guy beamed. Everyone knew of Superman.
"Oh boy. I think I'm really lost. Could you tell me the year? And if a group of superheroes known as The Avengers exist? Or ever existed?" Moonstone asked with another smile. After all, the man was being so helpful. And hadn't started to scream for the cops.
They were interrupted by sounds of gunfire just a few hundred feet away. Moonstone spun around, and spotted the disturbance. It looked like some sort of convenience store robbery. Without thinking, she flew at the disturbance. With practiced moves, she smashed in the front window, bars and all.
The scene that greeted her was one found all too common in this day and age. A young man clutched his chest as he slumped up against the wall behind the cash register. A young oriental girl was screaming as one of the robbers put a gun to her head. And then all heads turned towards the front window, which didn't exist anymore.
Perfect! Moonstone smiled for just a single moment, and then unleashed a small fraction of her power. Blinding light encompassed the room, stunning everyone for a minute.
A minute was all she was needed. More than long enough. Gunfire spattered at her as streaked forward. A single punch knocked one out. The second was flung at a wall, and bounced hard. The last one managed to actually shoot her once, following her by sound alone. A futile effort, as the shot ricocheted into the ceiling.
And then the gun didn't move. Through the spots in his eyes, he saw his gun hand (and gun) in her hand. His eyes bulged as he realized she was crushing the gun in his hand. "I'd suggest you let go, unless you want to have a broken hand, too." Moonstone said casually, continuing to crush the gun. He let go as fast as possible and started to run for the door. He had made it about twenty feet when he was struck in the back with an energy bolt that flung him into the side of a car. He slumped into unconsciousness.
Moonstone smiled as she felt the rush of a job well done. Her attention was jerked back to reality by the young girl screaming something in Chinese. She was hugging the wounded clerk desperately, babbling hysterically in Chinese.
Moonstone kneeled next the clerk, and quickly did a field medic type check. He wasn't likely to die, if he received immediate medical help. "He'll be fine, just wait for the ambulance. Once there here, he'll be fine." Moonstone said as soothingly as possible.
"You no understand. Anton is babies father. Need Anton to help raise my baby. He no die. Not die." The young girl started to blubber, holding the young man close. She looked like he was going into shock.
The world seemed to focus in on the girl in Moonstones eyes. Everything else became less important. As in the past, Moonstone started to act without thinking. "Where is the closest hospital? Tell me NOW!" Moonstone demanded.
Shan looked on in terror. The pretty lady was glowing and seemed to be angry. Moonstone reached down and picked up the wounded man and headed for the door. Shan finally understood what she had asked. "Shan know. Hospital only small blocks away. Shan lead you there." Shan stood up, tears in her eyes. The pretty lady wanted to help Shan and Anton.
Moonstone stepped out into the street, and looked over at the scared young girl. Shan pointed in a direction, and started to walk as fast as possible. Moonstone shook her head and then leaped into the air. Snow swirled in behind her as she streaked in the direction. From the air, a lot of buildings look similar. Especially in a big city. Luckily, most hospitals had helicopter pads. She managed to spot it quickly.
Moonstone flew into the emergency room, and yelled out, "I've a gun shot victim here. He needs immediate help!" One of the orderlies pointed towards a gurney and yelled for a nurse. Moonstone put Anton on the gurney and then stepped back to let the medics in to help save his life.
Moonstone stepped back, and sat down suddenly. She wasn't unused to fights and even death, but she was losing control. More and more, she was acting totally driven. Driven by forces she didn't understand. It was almost as if another person was in her, trying to get out. A warrior who had different morals.
She wasn't a nice person. She liked to manipulate people, make them do what she wanted. She wasn't brave, she would flee a battle if it looked like it would go badly for her. Or even her side.
But lately, she hadn't. Or wouldn't. And it was scaring her. Always afterwards, when she thought about it, she would realize that she was becoming someone else. Or maybe something else. And she was sure that it dealt with the dreams that came more and more regularly.
Moonstone realized with a start that she was staring at her fingers on her left hand. Almost unnoticeable, blood from young man named Anton covered her palms .
A cold realization struck her. When would it be her blood spilling out onto the ground? She heard the shriek of someone screaming. It took her a moment to realize that it was herself. Moonstone ran for the exit, knocking over a couple of people on her way the door. She smashed it open, spraying the glass and steel of the sliding door across the road. She took to the air to try and clear her head. She curled into a ball in the air and just floated there.
-
Sergeant Liam massaged the bridge of his nose. Another spandex case. What was wrong with this city that caused some weirdo to throw on some spandex on and try the super set? He never had this problem in Detroit.
At least this one could claim to have actual honest to goodness super powers. He flipped over the report. Supposedly she could fly and was very, very strong.
Liam stepped around the glass that still covered the ground in front of the Blessed Mary's Emergency room doors. With a pen, he tapped the door frame that was twisted and bent. "Hey, Mitchell! Isn't this one of those new bullet proof doors that they installed recently?"
Mitchell was easily at least a foot taller than his oriental friend and partner. With a shock of red hair in a crew cut and glasses, he looked as if he couldn't decide if he was going to be a geek or a jock. He had the muscles of a linebacker. A big linebacker. "Yup. They didn't want a repeat of that massacre when those loony's just walked in and demanded that the doctors fix their friend. Ugly that was. Three people dead."
Liam picked up one of the shard of the glass, easily three inches thick. "I think we can confirm that she is super strong. Probably stronger than Killer Croc, if my guess is right."
"Glad she's on our side, then."
"She's got some issues. We don't need another psychopath on the loose. Even if she thinks she's on our side. We really do not need that sort of help, Mitch."
Mitchell shrugged. There wasn't a lot that they could do. "They want to start cleaning up here. Should we let them?"
"Yeah. We aren't going to get anything else out of this. I'm buying coffee. I owe you for last night."
The two detectives walked out to their car, passing the line of police cars. Liam tossed his clipboard onto the dash and settled in. In moments, they were driving off.
Above them, the shadows watched. What appeared to be one of the gargoyles that littered the city moved and disappeared into the night. It leaped gracefully from roof to roof, until it was over a small convenience store. The lights were on, as the owner made a halfhearted attempt to clean up the mess. Plastic covered the front, holding out the winter cold poorly.
An hour passed and finally the older man stepped out the side entrance and locked the door. He made a show of arming the alarm and locking the door. Batman, always watchful, noted that it was just that. A show. The alarm was not turned on. He waited another five minutes and then landed next to the door.
A few tense minutes of lock-picking and he was inside, out of the cold. Green lenses covered his eyes, illuminating the room in dim luminescence. He prowled around, check the store thoroughly and quickly. Finally his gaze lit up two small holes in the ceiling tile. It was but a moments work to pry two bullets from the ceiling. A cursory examination confirmed what he had thought. Cop killer bullets. Armor piercing rounds were making it onto the streets.
He was going to have to find out who was bringing those into his city. In moments he had slipped outside and became one with the shadows. A large car sat in an alley. Black metal gleamed dully as the engine revved up.
-
Karla Sofen walked down the street, snow crunching under her feet. A mere thought had transformed her 'uniform' into a set of normal clothes, complete with a warm coat. She was all alone, unknown and unwanted.
What was she supposed to do? She didn't have a job, didn't have much money. No place to stay. She felt more alone than she would have thought possible.
A light was suddenly flashed in her eyes from a parked car on the street. "Excuse me, Miss. But it's a little late to be walking around for your health."
Karla noted the police car in the back of her mind. "Sorry, officer." She shrugged to them. "I just don't have any place to go tonight."
Emanuel had a pretty good sense for when people were lying. He'd thought at first that she was a whore, hawking herself on the street. But she'd passed by two possible Johns without a thought. "It's too cold to be out. Why don't you go to the shelter?"
Distaste flashed across her face. "I'm not a transient!"
"Whoa! I didn't say that. But they are there to help people that don't have a home right now," the uniformed cop explained.
Indecision warred within her. He was right. And she was hungry and tired. Slowly she nodded. "I guess I can do that. Where is it?"
"Lucky for you, just a few blocks in the direction you were headed."
"Thanks."
Karla followed his directions, soon ending up at the shelter. She waited in the line to get in, chatting it up with a surprisingly intelligent fellow who was also down on his luck.
-
"So, what sort of experience do you have?" the weasily little man asked. He was wearing a rumpled brown suit.
"I've had psychology schooling and on the job training. I was an intern under Dr. Faustus, but that's been a few years. My records are a bit tied up," Karla said smoothly, adjusting her voice's cadence, setting him at ease. Calming him and trying to get him to trust her. She hadn't used the Voice unaided for quite a while. She had far more useful powers to use.
And it wasn't like she was really lying. Just omitting little details. Like being disbarred from ever practicing again because of her unethical psychological practices in the past. Karla 'harrumphed' to herself silently.
"Well, this normally goes against my better judgement, but I think I'll give you a chance." Dr. Malvin smiled and shook her hand. "Welcome to Arkham asylum. You'll be working the low security wing, helping some of our recovering patients."
"Ah, yes. You'd mentioned that this facility holds some dangerous criminals. Should I be worried?" Karla asked, still adjusting her voice just so.
"The threat is overwhelmingly overrated. We have a crew with top-notch security. We can handle just about anything."
"That's good to hear."
-
Karla opened the door to her dingy apartment and carefully put away her meager groceries. She pushed through the meager pile of newspapers and magazines. One of the local newspapers had a vigilante sighting's column.
She muttered to herself, "I guess it's time to meet this mysterious 'Dark Knight', the Batman." She now felt confident that this was her best chance at getting home. Now that she had something to fall back on and someplace to stay.
Energy flashed, shifting her costume back into existence, its dark red and gold gleamed in the dim light. As easily as a ghost, she walked through the wall and into the crisp night air. In just a few short minutes, she floated high above the police station headquarters. She started to emit light, brighter and brighter. Now it was his move.
-
Commissioner Gordon sat at his desk, tapping his pen when the light appeared. He snapped a quick look over his shoulder, seeing the nearby buildings light up under the bright luminosity. "Bill! What the hell is going on out there?"
"I don't know, Commissioner. It's up above us, in the air!"
"Don't just sit there, get a squad to the roof. Now, damn it!"
Gordon and ten officers burst out onto the roof, covering the entire area. Gordon raised his free hand to shade his eyes slightly. "It's that new meta- human, isn't it?"
"Tough to say, but it looks like it."
Gordon took in the situation, looking around at the rooftops. With a frown, he harrumphed. "I'd say she was trying to get someone's attention, wouldn't you?"
"Think she has a grudge against the Bat?" another uniformed officer asked.
"Don't know. I'd say she's got his attention."
Batman would have agreed with the conversation, had he heard it. He held a pair of compact binoculars up to his eyes. She looked bored, even as she looked around for something.
Or someone, he noted to himself wryly.
The binoculars disappeared even as he flung out a new line to swing to a rooftop. He was going to let her see him so that they could start this meeting. Let her think that he was not as good as he really was. A deadly game of bluff. The light suddenly went away, even as he felt her approach at high speeds.
"There you are. Batman." The melodious voice called out, her voice couched to be nonthreatening.
Batman landed easily. She had sharper eyes than he would have suspected. "I am a busy man. What do you want," he said, not even pausing as he continued back towards his patrol route.
"My name is Moonstone. I am stranded here on this Earth." Moonstone easily followed the athletic movements of the vigilante. Flight gave her an advantage in that arena.
"In Gotham. What does this have to do with me?" At least she wasn't glowing anymore.
"You would know who would have the best chance of aiding me on getting home. And you seem to be the main 'superhero' of this city. I thought I'd do the courtesy of dropping in."
Batman landed softly and spun towards her direction. "I don't need more amateurs causing a ruckus in my city."
"I am not an amateur" Moonstone kept her voice steady, her gaze unwavering as she landed.
"You will disrupt things here."
"That can be a good thing," Moonstone countered. "I am just trying to be polite."
"You are unstable."
Karla's lips curled into an angry snarl. "I don't need your permission to be a hero." He didn't even know she'd been a super-villain and he was trying to stop her.
"We will see, won't we?" Batman nearly growled, his eyes narrowed in anger himself.
"I guess we will." Moonstone stepped off of the rooftop, flying low.
-
'That arrogant bastard. He didn't even give me a chance!' Moonstone was furious. Her left hand played with the built in communication device in her helmet. 'Police band. There's always a lot of crime in a city like this.'
She nodded to herself when she finally tracked it down. Back when she'd been a super 'villain' she'd taken the time to know the basic language and code that they used.
"Two Face? What sort of gang name is that?" she muttered to herself. She put on the speed, following the directions of the pursuing officers.
In moments, she was above a car that had two men shooting out the side windows at the pursuing cops. She kept to their blind spot above, until she grabbed the car's top in her iron grip. The metal bent but held as she lifted the wheels off the ground and slowed it down.
Gunshots rang out even as the first cop car pulled in front of the getaway car. The front passenger had reacted quicker than she'd expected. Futilely, but he hadn't known she was bullet proof.
The doors on all of the vehicles popped open on all sides and from all cars. Police and criminals were suddenly staring down each other's barrels for just a second.
Karla blinked in surprise at the strange leader of the criminals. His odd face, twisted and scarred, had a permanent scowl. At least on right side. The other looked quite normal.
Two Face, because that is who it was, was screaming at the officers even as he shot at them. "It's a bad judgement day for you fellows. I'll show you what it means to break procedure and allowing vigilantes to do your work you."
"Right, Two Face!"
'Time to get everyone's attention back on me,' Moonstone thought. Muscles flexed and lifted the car so that it was vertical. She smashed the car six inches into the ground, imbedding it so that it wouldn't fall over.
"Who the hell are you? Come on boys, let's schedule a meeting with miss muscles later!" With that, he turned and ran towards a close by apartment, stepping over the comatose forms of policemen.
"Oh, no you don't!" the gold and red clad Thunderbolt cried out, flashing into the air and blasting the short stairway into rubble with a single white bolt of energy. "And for the record, 'Two Face', my name is Moonstone!"
"Moonstone? What sort of stupid name is that?" yelled out the psychopathic criminal.
"And Two Face is better?" she replied, barreling into his men, knocking them senseless. She touched down on one toe, pirouetting to face him. "Ready to give up?"
"Damn you." He dropped his gun with a clatter, putting his hands behind his head. He'd get this bitch later.
"You have the right to remain silent..." one of the cops started to explain as he walked up, handcuffs at the ready.
That felt good, Moonstone thought as she flew into the sky. I'd almost forgotten what it was like to actually help people again. She twirled as she spun into the sky, a smile affixed to her face. No shadowy government agencies, no ambiguous morals.
Just helping people.
A minute or so later, she drifted along in the air, listening to the police radio. Some sort of problem to the south. About five minutes later she saw what appeared to be a gang war. Multiple different groups shot at each other on the streets for almost ten blocks. Some were in animal masks, others in old style gangster suits, while many were just in normal street punk clothes.
"Right. Where to start?" Moonstone asked herself. With a shrug, she pointed her hand in between two groups that were shooting from two store fronts across the street. She blasted large holes into the ground with thundering force, diverting them from each other.
"Who the heck is that?" one of the men in animal masks asked.
"I don't know and I don't really give a fuck! Blow her away boys!" yelled out the fox masked leader. Following his orders, the rest of his band unloaded with their guns at the figure floating calmly down to the ground. For over a minute they tried to strike her down, to no avail.
"Finished?" A shapely foot tapped impatiently.
Rat mask looked over to his buddies. Fox, parrot and bear glanced back and then ran for the back exit of the store. They barely had time to notice a shadow stepping in their way before skilled fists robbed them of their consciousness.
Nightwing stepped out of the shadows, taking in the gleaming stranger that was wading into another group of gun toting gangsters. They had foolishly tried to leap into hand to hand with her, trying to over power her with bats and knives. She was dissuading them from this by crushing the bats, splintering wood and metal.
"Gal's got some moves," Nightwing noted to himself. Without further ado, he moved at breakneck speed through the shadows, slipping up behind another group. In moments, he was a whirling machine, sending the next group bowling.
BOOOOM! The air shuddered as glass broke, ending the fight for just a second. Guns, knives and clubs disappeared, a barely visible red blur flickering among them. "Nightwing! Good to see you again!" said a scarlet clad speedster, proud lightning bolt emblazoned on his chest.
"Flash? What are you doing here?" Nightwing blinked in surprise.
"He is here to try and stop me, impotent fool," a figure called out confidently from a roof top behind them. Clad in the garb of nineteenth century England, his brutish features were hidden behind a dark beard and wavy hair.
"Vandal Savage? What are you doing here?" Nightwing called out, a stun disk ready in his hand.
"Think of this as revenue generation. Bludhaven had been quite a good source of monetary wealth for this past few decades. But, since you moved here, it's been quite lacking. Blockbuster may think that he's the puppeteer, but he is a doll dancing on my strings."
Incongruous clapping startled them, drawing their attention back to the latest addition to the local hero scene. "Oh, bravo. How typically droll. Villain explains plan and then captures the heroes, putting them into a death trap. Right?"
Vandal's face flushed in anger. How dare she? "You tempt me, woman!"
Moonstone's hands flashed out, blowing the front and floor out from beneath Savage with beams of potent energy. "Really? Oh, and by the way, the name is Moonstone."
The immortal villain groaned from the top of the pile of debris. How dare she do... A wind and blur of red tied him in the blink of an eye. Damn! Then the walls of a police station appeared suddenly about him.
The Flash grinned. "Guess that clipped his wings. Hey, Nightwing, do you need a hand dealing with this riot?"
"Sure, just leave some for me!" Without further ado, the vigilante dashed to the next gun fight, his tunfa at the ready.
A quirky grin sprang into existence on Moonstone's face. With a thought, she was flying herself, beams of light driving the hoods back, distracting them from their gang fight.
In moments, overwhelming super powers had quelled the fighting and rounded up the criminals. The three heroes met up on the battered street just moments later.
How to broach this? No better time than the present. "Nightwing? Flash? I need some... help."
"Sure! Fire away," the scarlet speedster replied.
"I'm not from this dimension. I'm afraid I don't know anyone that could help me."
Nightwing and the Flash exchanged quick glances. "STAR Labs?"
Nightwing nodded. "STAR Labs."
"Um, what?"
"STAR Labs is the premiere scientific establishment. Fairly trustworthy too. They're your best bet." Nightwing grinned suddenly. "Expect them to give a thorough checking first."
"I'll take her over to the nearest one, over in Gotham and give her an introduction," the Flash said, grinning widely.
"Lead on!" Moonstone lifted into the air, flying after the speeding runner.
-
"I'm sorry, but we can't determine any residual extra dimensional energies at all." The lab coated scientist looked perturbed as she filled out a chart on a clip board. On the large computer screen behind her, a list of exotic energies was cataloged. "The energy readings that we do get, seem to say your powers are gravitationally linked, but not extradimensionally related at all."
"Yes, the Moonstone. It's bonded to me," Moonstone mused to herself. "So there's nothing, no hint that I'm from anywhere else?"
"And without something, some trace to work from, there's no hope of sending to the correct alternate dimension. I'm sorry."
She stood up from the high tech scanner bed, unable to say anything at all for a long moment. The scientists and technicians around her waited for her to react nervously. The Flash looked up from where he stood in the corner, muscles tensed in readiness.
"Thank you for your candidness. Do... you have any other thoughts or leads?" she asked finally, her voice barely trembling.
"I'm sorry, I don't."
The scarlet speedster appeared next to her. "I may have some ideas. How do I get in contact with you?"
"Ah... I don't have a phone yet." This Flash sure was a friendly sort.
"Hmm." A piece of paper and pen appeared in his hands. "Here's my number. Give me a call in a day or so. I should have the okay to bring you up to the JLA Watchtower. Some of the technology up there is out of the world."
"I appreciate what you are doing."
"Hey, being a hero is more than just stopping the bad guys, you know."
-
"Well, Karla, are you ready for your first day in the security ward?" Dr. Beckman asked.
"Probably not, but I shouldn't have any real problems."
"Or first patient's name is Harvey Dent. He used to be a real top notch citizen, until he was badly scarred. Half of his face is terribly damaged and unrepairable." Dr. Beckman noted the surprised look on his new assistants face. "He goes by the name of Two Face now. A compulsive case, he's unable to make any real decision without a coin, the face side being mutilated. Psychotic, with little or none of morals that he had when he was a district attorney." The doctor opened the door after getting the clearance from the guard on the far side.
"Was he a very vain person?" Karla asked.
"Not really. He appeared to be proud, but nothing untowed."
They entered an observation room. "We don't let him interact directly with anyone. He has shown a tendency to focus his murderous habits on his doctors when he has escaped. It's for our own safety."
"That doesn't really seem to be the correct way to handle a disfigured patient. You have been trying to reconnect him to a normal life, right?" Karla received an affirmative nod. "Is this a strict policy, or can someone volunteer to speak to him face to face?"
"You'd have to get Dr. Arkham's approval before being allowed. You really don't think this is the best way to handle this sort of patient?"
"No. It isolates him, making him feel different, worsening his view of himself. How does he react to therapy masks?"
"You know, I'm not sure if anyone has even tried to get him to wear one." Dr. Beckman cleared his throat and spoke into a microphone. "Harvey? Can you hear me?"
The man sitting at the table wearing a prison uniform and handcuffed to the table barely looked up. "Yeah, Dr. Beckman. Ready to shrink my head today?" he asked defensively.
"I have Mrs. Sofen here with us today. She's a new intern here and looks to be quite promising. She is also going to be helping us out with our understaffing problem."
"So, are we going to go try the cards again?" Harvey's one eyebrow, on the damaged portion of his face, appeared to be perpetually turned down in anger.
"I would like to. Do you dislike being presented with more options other than 'right' or 'wrong'?" Dr. Beckman asked.
Karla held up her hand to let herself intrude. Dr. Beckman nodded curtly. He had no idea why Dr. Arkham thought that she would be so useful.
"Yeah. So what of it?"
"Harvey, this is Karla Sofen. Please call me Karla, if you don't mind." She looked at him through the mirror. "Harvey, why do you mutilate the face on a quarter?"
The undamaged muscles on his face twisted into a smile. Trying to get into my head, are you? "Because it reminds me that I'm ugly."
"Ugly? Or hurt? I understand that you can't have plastic surgery to repair the damage. But why don't you wear a mask like any other burn victim? Dozens of people are disfigured daily. Some far worse than you."
His good eye narrowed. "Ugly. Evil. Masks don't hide anything."
"Why is your damaged face 'evil,' Harvey. It wasn't your fault. You were a victim."
"Yeah. A victim that couldn't be protected by the system."
Karla nodded at that. "So you feel that the system that you used to work within failed you. Failed to protect you."
"Yeah. Really good job of psychoanalysis there."
"Are you vain, Mr. Dent?"
"What sort of question is that?"
"A simple one, I hope."
"A little. I had everything. Looks, a prestigious position and I wasn't hurting for girl friends."
"So why did your face getting so scarred make you snap? You just admitted that looks weren't that important to you. After all, many people get hurt worse far more than you ever have."
Dr. Beckman looked up in surprise. What did she think she was doing?
Two Face's expression was bleak, as bleak as the silence that filled the room. "I didn't say that."
"It sounded like that to me. 'A little vain' was what you said. People that are a little something don't hinge their entire self worth on 'little' things."
"So maybe I'm more vain than I thought."
Karla shook her head, only just barely realizing that he couldn't see her. "No. If your problem were really related to vanity, you wouldn't be able to think about any other thing."
"What does this have to do with my problem?" Two Face snarled.
"Maybe everything. It looks like our time is up for now. I'm going to ask Dr. Beckman if I can be assigned to work with you."
"Don't do me any favors."
Karla turned to look at Dr. Beckman after turning off the microphone. "I have some ideas that I'd like to look into. Do we have a list of family and friends of Harvey's?"
"Some. Why?"
"I think it may aid with this issue he has. So who is next?"
"The grand daddy of the whackos of Arkham. All we know him is by his 'super- villain' name. The Joker. Probably one of the most sick and depraved people you will ever meet." If she didn't crack under one meeting of the Joker, she'd most likely do all right here in Arkham.
Behind the mirror, two large orderlies manhandled a straight jacketed individual into the chair. The pasty faced individual had a sick, overly dramatic smile on. His green hair was disheveled and unkempt.
"Good morning, Joker. How are you doing today?" Dr. Beckman asked.
"Pretty good. Is it a pretty good day for you to die?" the Joker asked, laughing hysterically. He abruptly cut off his laughter. "Someone new today?"
Dr. Beckman tapped the intercom button. "He's just trying to psych you out." He tapped the button again. "So, what are you thinking about today?"
A cunning gleam surfaced in his eyes. "Yes. Someone new, trying to shrink my head. Maybe you'll be another Harlequin. Or maybe just a new toy to play with." He started laughing again. "Children shouldn't be allowed to play with toys. They always break their favorite toys. Smashing them, breaking them. Hahahahahah! Pop goes the weasel. Dr. Beckman, aren't you going to introduce me to my newest toy?"
"Joker, you aren't helping with the session today."
"Don't worry, Doctor. If you like, I'll play stupid later. Must be a broad. Some new intern that you're trying to protect, I bet. Could it be that blonde model that I've heard about from the lowlifes in the regular ward?"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Joker."
"You know, that's always the doctor's problems. That they can't seem to understand that I'm smarter than they are. I can see right through that mirror, you know. I can see your face, sweating in fear. I can tell that you're afraid of me, that I'll see that you're as insane as the cuckoo birds on this side of the looking glass. Oh, you pretend to be sane. But Dr. Joker can see your insanity like it was written on your forehead with markers. Obsession, possession! Passion, patty cakes. Already got the hots for her, eh? Hahahahahaha! Doctors playing in closets of their shadow selves. Skeletons dancing in the darkness. I can see, even if you're too blind!" The Joker started to cackle insanely.
"I think we've gotten enough done for today." Dr. Beckman sighed as he shut off the intercom for the last time. "He's worse than normal. A real madman. We can't even categorize him most of the time. Delusional at times, other times he's as sharp as a tack. Much of his psychosis is wrapped around the Batman. A real morasses of insanity. Probably a lost cause. I've recommended to Dr. Arkham that we up his dosage of drugs until he's nearly insensate. He'd be much safer."
"Is he really that dangerous?" Karla watched as the burly nurses hauled the raving clown out of the room.
"He's the worst of the bunch. He usually kills dozens of people at a time. The only thing saving him from the execution chamber is that he really is insane."
"How... unusual."
"I do have to warn you, he's warped psychologists in the past. Harley Quinn was one of his previous doctors. She flipped out and tries to be his sidekick. A total shame. She was a promising woman in the field. Too bad she cracked under the pressure."
Karla Sofen gave him a cool smile. "I think I'll be fine. You'd be amazed at some of the places I've been to."
-
The large monitors flickered to life in front of Bruce Wayne. He was dressed as the Batman, minus the cape and cowl of course. Different pictures of the same woman appeared on the screen. Her deep red and gold costume reflected the light of the street lamps brightly.
"So this is the newest vigilante of Gotham, eh?" Tim Drake said as he looked over the different screens. "Did she really flip out when she first showed up?"
"Yes. At the Metro Hospital. Something threw her into a blind panic. She crumpled steel and crushed bullet proof plastic without even slowing down. But since then has been somewhat... steady." His brows were furrowed in thought. Who and what was this strange woman. She appeared to be a bit older than the Huntress, so maybe early thirties or so.
"Dick said that she claims to be from some other dimension. STAR Labs took a look at her to try helping her home, but came up empty." Tim slid into the second seat in front of the consoles.
"Yes. But is it truth or fabrication? She could just be trying to validate her 'experience' as a super heroine from her dimension."
"She appears to be knows what she's doing."