Author Notes: Thanks for your reviews and suggestions. The following chapters will be a bit longer than the earlier ones. For visual proposes all the inner thoughts of the characters are in italics. Still without beta (and searching for one) so again if you find any typos or grammar mistakes I apologise in advanced.
Chapter 3 –The gamble
Resistance HQ (1 hour later)
By helping them escape from the research centre, Batman took a huge gamble and now he was not sure it will payoff. He was silently observing the woman before him and couldn't stop staring at her. Indeed she was breath-taking beautiful, but that was not the only reason why he was looking at her so intensely behind his white lenses, there was something else, something he could not quite place that made him attracted to her, it was like as if her mere presence have trigger something dorm inside him. He took a deep breath and muster all his self-control to take his eyes away from her and proceeded to ask to non one in particular:
- You want me to believe that you came form an alternative world? – He said with a hint of sarcasm.
- I know is incredible but we are here because someone from this world is coming to our world and is using your technology to destroy our planet - Said the green skin being; J'onn J'onzz was his name, and he claimed to come from Mars.
- Why do you care if you are not from Earth, Martian?
- Earth is my home now.
- Perhaps you are telling the truth or you could be spies and very good liars. I won't risk it. Each of you will take a this pill, it is harmless if you are telling the truth but if you are lying...let's just say we will see right trough it.
Despite the acrid tone in his voice, J'onn could detect that he believed them but was remaining cautious, apparently in all his incarnations Batman was distrustful. He knew this was the nature of Batman, and one of the reasons why he was successful as a member of the justice league. Oddly, the mere fact that this Batman was acting in a similar fashion that the one in his dimension left him feeling more at ease at this place. He knew Batman will not harm them, at least not yet.
He informed that by telepathy to Wally and Diana as he could feel both were restless, although for different reasons; Flash for instance, could not bear stand still for long periods of time, he was a man of action, and he knew they have just a few hours left to find what they were looking for; Diana on the other hand, was restless because of all the scenarios they meet a Batman doppelgänger. J'onn knew that they share a special bond and have deep feelings for each other, not only as friends and colleagues. He was a keen observer and he knew they were in love, although neither of them have vocalise it. In Batman's case it was because he was afraid to lose control and because as he once stated he had lots of issues, and as for Diana, the feeling was so new to her she did not know how to react to it, so both settle for a flirtatious game play, gravitating towards each other each time more closer. "Pity" thought J'onn, "they could be so happy together" but he has decided to respect his friends decisions and never interfere. So he was not surprised when it was Diana and not Wally, the one whom interrupted the pregnant silence in the room:
- We will take that pill and answer your questions, but in return, you will help us - She managed to said that in a way that sounded non-treating but assertive.
Batman gave her one of his famous bat glares, however she did not even flitch. He arced an eyebrow under his cowl."Beautiful and brave" he thought to himself.
- Nightwing and Robin take the others and question them. I will question her – He put his best menacing voice in the last part, but again she seem very calm, almost amused. He did not like that, people where always afraid of him when he used that tone of voice.
Once they left, he devoted his complete attention to her. On the other hand, she was studying him too, her amusing look complete vanished instead her eyes locked on him as if she were trying to read his soul.
- How is that you can fly without any apparent device, or that you can deflect the lasers and bullets with such ease? – The fact that she was able to fly, picked his curiosity, he really wanted to know how she could do that, and for that reason he asked that first, trying to hide his interest and keeping his voice flat.
- The goods have blessed me.
"A religious nuts, great! I guess nobody is perfect, despite the fact she look like a goddess herself. The Gods… flicker beings, I do not believe in them anymore". He tried to stay detached, and press the issue further.
- They give you these powers, just like that? Magic always has a price – He said that coldly.
- Anything they ask in return, I'm willing to give, just to save my world and all those less fortunate– She said vehemently, what she did not say was that price included been at exile and outlive many most of the people she loved in Man's world. She could feel he was still sceptical of her intentions, so she continue to elaborate.
- In my world there are others like me that can fly and have more strength that a normal human being. We along others have form a team and in order try to protect the weak and innocent and defend our world - She added in part because she wanted to make her point clear in order for him to trust her.
He could not help but slightly shake his head at her last retort "Good intentions often don't make the best results", his mind drift to the positron lords "the ones that built those machines thought the robots will protect us and now here we are, victims of their tyranny".
- In my world, the only beings that can do that are robots, and as you can see I am not very fond of them – He said dryly.
- Robots cannot bleed or love, we do.
She seem so sincere and said every word with passion and conviction, it was difficult for him not to believe in her, specially now when she was looking at him directly with her deep warm blue eyes.
- Ok, for argument sake let's say I believe you. Where are these other members of your team? - His paranoid instincts surfaced. "If there are more like her, and they decide to attack Utopia, the positron lords will be the least of my worries".
- A part of our team is in our world, fighting, but we decided to send another part of the team here to find a way to stop these beings from the source.
- It was a group decision, or do you have a leader? - "Maybe somebody has trick her and make her believe in an idealistic vision". It was a possibility, a far-fetched one, he knew, she didn't look as easily manipulated, if anything, he had noticed that it will be hard for any human being to make her do something she didn't want to.
- We all took part on that decision, for instance I volunteer to come.
- And these friends of yours, just let go to another world, practically unarmed, wearing this suit that barely covers you skin to face a mortal danger? - In spite of his better judgement he felt angry at her friends for risk her life. "What kind of friends are those that doesn't value the life of their team members?", a pawn of guilt reach his insides, "I shouldn't judge, I have sent people to risky missions before".
- They know I can hold my ground - She said that with a smile in her face.
He was sure of that, but didn't answer, he was pondering his options. The pill showed to him that she was telling the truth so far, because if she were lying her skin will be blue by now, courtesy of the chemicals of the pill. Diana on the other hand, had enough of his distrust, so she decided to tell him the only think she thought will make him react, a pledge for help, if he was anything at all like the Batman in her world he will not refuse.
- We need help, your help –She said vehemently.
- What makes you think that I be willing to help you? - He said defensively.
Diana smiled at him "So far he hasn't refuse to help us, I've just need to make him see his own actions speak louder than words".
- You have just save us at the end of the battle. When you save a life, you are responsible for it.
"She has a point there". He felt trap, in every sense of the word, for once she had captivated him and now somehow she had trick him. The feeling unsettle him, and a new fear crept inside him, the fear of bend his will to her. "What is wrong with me, why I let my guard down, why I think I can trust her with my life? " trying to regain his self-control he remain silent for a moment before pressing a button hidden in his cowl and saying:
- Bring the others!
Diana was please her instincts were right and he was as noble as the Batman in her world. A bit more relax, she recall she didn't know how to call him, it was obvious he still have a thing for black, but so far she didn't see any bat symbol engraved in his armour and even as the cowl had something that resemble to pointed ears those were far more small than the ones the Batman in her world used. So she asked him.
- I have answer all your questions and yet you have not told me your name? - She said that with a small smile, for some reason when she was around him, she smile a lot.
- You can call me Batman.
Just in that moment, Flash entered the room, he had heart the last comment.
- That is kind of long, you don't mind if I call you Bats? - He interjected with a cheeky voice. In response he only found himself on the receiving end of one of the deadly bat glares, he froze. "Even in this universe, he finds a way to creep me out".
Once J'onn joined them in the room. Batman decided to go straight to the point, he has decided to help them but he needed more information. So he asked them with his gaze behind the white lenses never to far away from Diana and her beautiful face.
- Do you have any leads to the source of this being? – He asked briskly.
- All we know is that something called Canamera is the key to stop these beings. Does that name mean something to you? - Answered J'onn.
- No - Replied Batman frustrated. He was willing to help them but if this was all the information they can gather, the mission will be far more difficult that he had anticipated.
- We are wasting our time. We only have 24 hours to find an answer before the portal that allows us to connect with our world collapses and if that happens, we could end up trap here or in a limbo – Said Flash with urgency.
- Ok brief me – Said Batman, for once he couldn't agree more with this Flash guy.
- Three months ago different regions in our world started to have a similar problem: a highly contagious virus. It has already dismayed the 40% of the population in the planet in just 3 months and at this rate, it could kill 80% of the population in the next weeks. There is an emergency state in every country in our world, governments are collapsing, the economy is practically non-existent and people are at war everywhere, food is scarce, entire cities are lost and panic is a common state. We are doing the best we can, but the disease is spreading fast, and people are implementing drastic measures such as launching bombs to destroy infected cities - Concluded J'onn.
- What you are describing to me is similar to a disease that perpetrated our world long time ago, a pandemic so strong than nearly ended the entire human race.
- You are all humans so it didn't. What happen?– Said Flash highlighting the obvious.
- Did your people find a cure? – Asked Diana kind of hopeful.
- No. We evacuated the planet and started a new life here. Once we were here, and nobody contracted the disease, the positron lords stop any research for a cure... - He stop talking. He had just reached to an outstanding conclusion "Could it be? No, it's not possible, however sometimes the must improbable is the only logical response..." Flash fake a cough and the sound pull him out of his thoughts, he realised everybody was staring at him, they knew he had found something. The unlikely conclusion seemed more logical by the minute, the more he thought about it the more certain he was, so without hesitation he said:
- You did not travel from another world. You travel from the past.
A/N: Thank you very much for the reviews/favourites/follows!. I'll try to post the next chapters some time this week. I have all the story flesh out, but I'm still in the editing it.