Author's notes: So, the 12th Doctor and Clara arrived in the last seconds of last chapter. Their timeline is somewhere in the Series 8, I don't know where, but from what we have seen of the shootings of Series 8, Clara is wearing that suit and tie.
And in this chapter it is revealed why there are three Batmen in this story's cover. Remember to check the cast list on my profile when you are through reading this chapter.
Trinity
''What do you mean closed?''
''CLOSED!'' The Doctor said walking forwards with his hand extended to the sky. ''I specifically remember closing this crack and sealing it with the other ones! But look at this one now. It's leaking.''
Not making the Doctor aware of their presense yet, Jack, Gordon and Gwen looked up to where the grey haired old man was pointing. In the sky where the Rift usually was hovering undetected, it was starting to show itself clearer to the naked eye with something red leaking out of it, like blood from a wound.
''Doctor?'' Jack finally said, causing different emotions to sprung from those standing.
''Capn' Jack Harkness!'' The Doctor said pleasently surprised in scottich accent and beamed to shake hands. ''It's been so long. Over thousand years. And Commissioner, how is Gotham?''
''Who-''Gordon was about to ask.
''The Doctor!'' the Doctor said patting his chest. ''Remember the Nightmare Child at the Narrows and the final days of Bane's Revolution. It was me and Clara who brought Batman back to lead you and your men to victory!''
''Clara?'' Gordon said confused and looked at the brunette who had also exited from the blue box. ''The Impossible Girl?''
''Yeah, that's me,'' Clara said rather awkwardly. ''Nice to see you too, Commissioner.''
''Hang on!'' Jack said when he saw Clara. ''I might forget a little girl from a graveyard, but a ghost of-''
''Later!'' The Doctor said turning back to the Rift and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. ''What is that and when did it first start goming out?!''
''Just now,'' Kate Stewart said walking out of the floating smoke and dust cleaning herself. ''Hello, Doctor. New face, I assume?''
''Not here to talk about the face,'' the Doctor said still pointing the sonic at the Rift. ''What happened here?''
''Well, that is a long story,'' Gwen said going to cheak the damage.
The Doctor and Clara were filled up on how Lobo had stormed in through the Rift to their universe, wreacked havoc in Gotham and just stormed out with Batman. The Doctor listened with sharp ears, all while pointing the sonic screwdriver at the Rift and analyzing the red substance leaking from it. Clara's face reacted to the events as they were told and then looked at the leaking Rift. When they had heard everything, the Doctor put the sonic back under his coat.
''Well, what is it?'' Clara asked about the analysis.
''Don't know yet, Clara. Until I do, I need to check something. Jack, Commissioner, you come with with us,'' The Doctor said snapping his fingers and opened the TARDIS doors. ''Lethbridge-Stewart, keep watch here until I'm back get back.''
As the TARDIS faded away from the Bay, Kate called in reinforcements and medical crews for the wounded. After they had arrived and Gwen was taking command of the newly arrived UNIT soldiers, there was another
BOOM!
Gwen and the UNIT soldiers reacted by pointing their weapons at the five people walking out of the Boomtube.
''Well, shoot me now,'' Gordon said entering the TARDIS behind the Doctor and Clara. ''Of course it had to be bigger on the inside.''
''The bookcases are new,'' Jack said seeing the new interior. ''And all these stairs.''
''Please, the stair have always been here,'' the Doctor said working on the console and put the sonic in it. ''I'll have the analysis run while we go to Hereafter.''
''Where?'' Jack asked, looking at the Doctor skeptically as the TARDIS begun to leave.
''To a planet we left Batman after Bane's Revolution and our detour in the Antimatter Universe,'' Clara answered. ''It's actually a nice place.''
''Alright, let's get some things cleared!'' Gordon said joining the Doctor by the console. ''Are you the same young man I met a year ago during Bane's revolution when Batman returned?''
''900 years to me, give or take,'' the Doctor replied.
''And that same doctor nine years ago when Batman first appeared?''
''I was actually 900 years old then,'' was the Doctor's response.
''Some day to stop smoking,'' Gordon said shaking his head as the TARDIS landed.
The passengers stepped out to a pier which had been almost destroyed, but not as badly as in Gotham. The boards had been shot, some boxes and barrels had been squashed and couple of pier's shops had been shot. There was also some kind of ambulances present and some medical beds for the people wounded.
''Lobo has definitely been here,'' Jack said as they walked on the pier and observed all the damage.
''Except that this is more controlled damage than in Gotham,'' Gordon said trying to ignore that now he was on another planet. ''We saw Lobo flying on his motorcycle with Batman tied on it. This is where they fought.''
''And this was such a peaceful place,'' Clara said looking at the wounded and saw someone she knew. ''Kairi?''
Kairi woke up on medical beds by the pier. She was one of the few people who had gotten hurt in the giant's rampaging search for Batman. Others treated had gotten their wounds from the fired shots the giant had shot trying to draw Batman out. No causalities, thank Guide for that, just wounded.
''Ow, ow,'' Kairi said sitting up and held her head. ''Sora?''
Sora was pretty much tied up with bandages as Kairi had, but as he had been beaten up more than others, she could see him being taken to the intensive care elsewhere. And seeing no implications that the giant was slain or seeing Batman/Bruce anywhere...
Kairi felt bad. She had been the one who had gone to warn Bruce and Selina about the giant, but also practically called Bruce to come to the pier to fight the giant as Batman. And now that giant had taken Bruce along with him to Guide knows where and beaten Sora to a bad shape. And then Kairi imagined how Selina would blame her about-
''Hello there, Kairi.''
Kairi lifted her head and as a group of people standing in front of her. She saw a man in brown suit and glasses, a man in greyish blue long coat, grey haired man in black coat with red linings, who had just spoken to her and… Clara.
''Clara!'' Kairi said as soon as she recognized her. ''And... Doctor?''
''Yes, new face, you saw it's hologram in Qward'' the Doctor said pointing the sonic screwdriver at Kairi and nodded. ''You will be fine, don't worry. And these two are Captain Jack Harkness and Commissioner James Gordon. Oh, and Jack, don't even start.''
''Kairi,'' Clara said sitting next to her bed, ''what happened here?''
''There was a... giant,'' Kairi said trying to sit up on her bed. ''He wanted Batman... I warned...''
''Easy, easy,'' the Doctor said kneeling next to Kairi's bed and put his hands on her head. ''Calm down. I'll look at it from your mind. If there is something you don't want me to see, imagine a door to block it from me.''
''Ding dong, Lobo again!'' Lobo called out banging his hand once again against the citadel's doors. ''Got another delivery of bastichs coming your way!''
The Master opened the doors and let Lobo in carrying two counterparts of Batman with him. This was actually the first time Lobo was allowed to step inside the citadel. The lounge was a large room with doors to corridors and stairs to other levels of the citadel.
''You want me to take these two somewhere?'' Lobo asked the Master.
''No, the Autons will take care of them,'' the Master said pointing faceless humanoids who took the Batmen to carry away. ''Have you collected the one counterpart from my universe?''
''The fragger in black armor,'' Lobo said pointing at the one Batman in black armor. ''Grey one's from mine.''
''From your universe?'' the Master asked. ''You were not advised to get any counterparts from any unselected universes.''
''Had to improvise when one fragger from the selected ones had gotten himself fragged in Cold War,'' Lobo said lighting a cigarette. ''Almost fragged your bastich when he fought back, so you're welcome by the way.''
The Master shook his head and walked towards the upper levels.
''The Autons will handle the counterparts past this point. Go get the last five of them.''
''Yeah, sure,'' Lobo said watching the Autons carrying the Batmen. ''Where's V-man, by the way?''
''Not your concern!'' the Master said walking away and not looking back to the Main Man.
Lobo flipped at the Master's back and was about to turn to go outside, when he saw a dark figure hiding in one of the corridors. The Main Man recognized it, but resumed to exit from the citadel. Whatever that bastich was going to do, it didn't concern Lobo any way.
Using his telepathic capabilities, the Doctor entered Kairi's mind and accessed her memories. He saw some bits and pieces from her childhood, friendship with Sora that had evolved into a relationship, meeting Batman in Qward and some of the resent events before Lobo attacked Hereafter. Kairi had been on the pier with Sora when an exploading wormhole appeared into the sky.
''An exploding space-time corridor?'' the Doctor said looking in Kairi's memory about Lobo's arrival and how much she had seen Batman fight him. ''Didn't know those were at anyone's control yet.''
''But if Lobo is from another universe, he might have gotten it from there,'' Jack said reminding everyone of the fact. ''Lobo told me that someone was paying him to get this, our universe's Batman. If he can travel between universes, who knows what all kinds of technology he could have at his possession.''
''There is also the fact that he was hired to get our Batman,'' Gordon added as the Doctor took his hands off Kairi's head and rose up, ''but can you imagine if he was hired to get other Batmen from other universes as well?''
''Who hired him and what for?'' Clara added to the pile of questions. ''What can you even get done with a number of different versions of someone?''
The Doctor was about to say something about his previous experiences of meeting his past selves, when he saw Selina approaching them with a baby.
''WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE!'' Selina said as if she would have been screaming at Kairi. ''You asked him to become Batman again and now he is-''
''Well, good to see you again,'' the Doctor said looking at the baby Selina was holding. ''And meet you too!''
''Hey,'' Clara said to Selina and waved at her, making her calm down a little.
''When did you get here?'' Selina asked, before noticing the Doctor's new appearance. ''And the hell who are you?''
''I'm the Doctor, just with a new face,'' the Doctor told Selina. ''And watch your language around the little Huntress.''
''Who?''
''The baby you're carrying,'' the Doctor answered pointing the infant. ''She calls herself Huntress, the child of Knight and Thief.''
''What the hell are you talking about?'' Selina asked with a weird out look on her face. ''Her name is Helena.''
''I speak baby,'' the Doctor answered smiling, before turning serious. ''We assume a bounty hunter from another universe was hired to capture our Batman, probably among some unknown number of doppelgangers.''
''That might be what this is about,'' Jack said stepping between Selina and the Doctor with his phone, ''Hey, Captain Jack Harkness, by the way.''
''Stop it!'' the Doctor told Jack with a serious tone. ''What were you about to say?''
''I just got a call from Gwen about the Rift,'' Jack said showing his phone, that the Doctor had long ago turned to work in space-time. ''Lobo might be long gone, but some other people have stepped through it to our world.''
''What people?'' Clara and Selina asked.
''Three men and two women who claim to be coming in peace,'' Jack answered looking at his text messages. ''And according Gwen's last text, they call themselves the Justice League.''
With these news, The Doctor used his psychic paper to discharge Kairi from the paramedics, for her and Selina to join them in their way back to Earth on the TARDIS.
Bruce regained his consciousness as someone pulled him out off a door way of some kind. As he fell to the floor, Bruce felt that he was no longer wearing most of his armor. The gloves, mask, cape and utility belt had been removed and there was some fluid he had been kept before being pulled out.
''Stay down!'' a voice said above Bruce and from the moving shadows on walls, Bruce saw, with his vision slowly returning to focus, that someone was pushing something to where he had himself been pulled out. As soon as whatever it was had been thrown in there, a door was slammed closed and a hand appeared to offer Bruce to be pulled up on his feet.
''I did not believe it myself when I heard it, but now I see it,'' Bruce heard his savior say as he was pulled up and on his feet face to face with his savior, he almost couldn't believe it either. ''It is, an honor to meet you, me.''
Whoever had saved Bruce, had his face so it was like looking at a mirror. There were some differences in facial features, the chin was wider, and the hair was different shade of lighter brown. This man, who had saved Bruce, was like a different version of him, which reminded Bruce of what the giant had spoken about people numbered one to six and he himself was seventh.
This... alternate version of Bruce was wearing a grey textured Batsuit with a yellow emblem holding the symbol of the Bat in the middle his chest, with dark blue combat-boots and boxer shorts over his costume. As with Bruce himself, most of his suit's parts had been removed. The sight of him was confusing at best.
''Um, the same,'' Bruce told his alternative, still trying to accept he was there, and looked around. They were in a corridor in which there were different tubes and wires running through walls and the pod where Bruce had been pulled out off. ''Where are we?''
''I would say, somewhere unknown,'' the alternate Bruce said walking away and gestured Bruce to follow him. ''I managed to escape from my imprisonment thanks to the, electronic life support system in my uniform and then by switching my place with one of those, faceless creatures.''
Bruce returned to his pod and looked what had been put in his place. It truly was a faceless humanoid that looked like a mannequin. He would have stood by longer to wonder about it if the alternate Bruce hadn't called him to follow him again.
''What was your plan after getting me out?'' Bruce asked after catching up on his alternate again.
''I was hoping that figuring it out were more simple with another me,'' the alternate Bruce said scouting ahead for more faceless creatures behind a corner. ''The effectiveness of our deduction skills should be doubled with multiple point-of-views. What I have found out so far, is that someone has been hired to capture 13 versions of us and that those creatures are called Autons.''
''What is someone going to do with different versions of us?'' Bruce asked looking behind them in case of an ambush.
''Good question, old chum,'' the alternate Bruce said. ''When you were brought here, I saw them bringing another version of us as well. If we hurry, we might save him from been put in deeper coma like you almost were.''
Bruce followed his alternate through the corridors, evading the Autons and eventually got to the next pod holding another version of Bruce. The alternate Bruce signaled Bruce to keep watch while he, using hidden equipment hidden in the pockets of his boxer shorts, tried to open the pod and release the third version of them. Apparently there was a reason for keeping underwear over your clothes.
''So, if I were to see two versions of myself after waking up, how would you react?'' alternate Bruce asked. ''I was in denial after I saw you and this fellow here, but my, call of duty told me that you needed my help. You were confused, but accepted me fairly quickly. How do you assume he will react?''
''One way to find out,'' Bruce said as he saw Autons approaching. ''After we save him, we need to go find our equipment.''
''Agreed,'' alternate Bruce said ready to open the pod. ''We need to put an Auton in his place or his displacement will be discovered.''
''I see one of them coming now,'' Bruce said ready to catch it. ''Wait for it… wait for it… NOW!''
The alternate Bruce opened the pod and pulled the other Bruce out as Bruce push an Auton in his place. This grey armored Bruce rose up on his feet immediately and attacked Bruce, who began to fight/counter his attacks against him.
They didn't actually fight; they assessed each other with every move and observed their similarities and differences. Bruce saw that this version's uniform was almost similar the alternate's with different color motive. It was darker grey with lines running from arms to the body and legs, and the symbol of the Bat was large filling most of his chest. The face of this version had also differences with a strong chin and his hair wasn't brown, but black.
''You're good,'' this new version said with a different voice from Bruce's or his other alternate's while holding his position.
''You're expecting otherwise?'' Bruce asked also holding his position.
This other Bruce shook his head and dropped his defense, with Bruce following the suit. Then he turned to look at the alternate Bruce and back at Bruce. Looking at this another version of himself, Bruce wondered if there was more of Batman in him than Bruce Wayne.
''So,'' the other Bruce said with a deep, authoritative and intimidating voice, while also glaring at them, ''what are we in for?''
Also, the stature he was standing in made him look more like a Batman and he wasn't even wearing his mask.
Author's notes: Surprise to new readers and not a surprise to old readers. Also, This chapter had the preview scene I left in Traveler Among Wizards's After Credits-scene. And what do you assume that red stuff is?
Replies to Reviews:
JasonDragon64: Reminding you about Jenna Dawes being a character owned by Miss Singing in the Rain again. But I'll probably add her to appear again in a 'Meanwhile in Gotham' scene. She is a strong character as I have read about her Prime version. If Miss Singing in the Rain allows, that could happen. And sorry about the PMing again.
Miss Singing in the Rain: Good to hear she was written with the honor and glory she deserves. As JasonDragon64 has asked, is it okay to use her again? I'll send you preview scenes before publishing and ask your approval for it every time.
Gordon thought or suspected about Batman's survival from the bomb, but didn't know for sure. Now he knows for sure. And the official Batman lineup is, with costumes:
1. Lewis Wilson, Batsuit First Appearance.
2. Robert Lowery, Batsuit Silver Age.
3. Adam West, Batsuit his own, but little updated.
4. Michael Keaton, Batsuit Batman Returns.
5. Val Kilmer, Batsuit Troika, from the 1990s.
6. George Clooney, Batsuit Earth-1, the graphic novel.
7. Christian Bale, Batsuit The Dark Knight Rises.
and 8. Ben Affleck, Batsuit Dawn of Justice.
There are some missing from the needed 13, so I might need to come up with some loop holes from the DC Multiverse.
ZILLAFAN: If you are still with us, stay tuned for the next chapter and the inclusion of Justice League.