1950: The Zamboni Girl and the Crystal

1950 AD - Universe M54331Z-B

Donna Winslow attempted the double Axel for what felt like the millionth time. As she leapt off the ice, she could feel her body spin in the air. It was early in the morning, so the bitter wind mixed with the cold emanating from the ice beneath her, biting at what skin she had exposed. She could feel her body getting close. She knew all she had to do was-

"Oof!" Donna screamed as her head slammed into the ice. Lifting her head up and rubbing it painfully, she heard laughter behind her from them.

"Who do you think you are, Donna? Dick Button? Stick to your job working the zamboni." Mary, the leader of the group Donna thought of as "The Flock" skated by, giggling. Her blonde hair flowed behind her as she skated by.

Ice shavings hit Donna in the face. She knew Mary had done so purposefully, but what was she to do? Call her out on it? Mary was the Homecoming Queen. One did not simply walk up to the most popular girl in school and call her out on her horrible behavior. Like so many others, Donna knew the routine: you either joined The Flock or you suffered under her reign. Her secret reign.

All the guys and teachers are so fooled by her! Donna thought bitterly as she picked herself up. If they only knew what kind of a demon she really was! Ugh!

Fighting back tears, Donna skated off the ice and took of her blades. Angry and humiliated, Donna slipped on her shoes and tied the laces of her blades together before throwing them over her shoulder. It was a Saturday and it had only just began. She wasn't going to let Mary ruin her day before it even really started.

As she began to walk home, she noticed several men blocking the road she usually took to her house. They wore fancy suits and sunglasses. Her heart was in her throat as she saw them. She knew who they were. She had seen them on TV and knew what their presence meant. They were SHIELD agents and their being in her hometown of Mariner Bay meant only one thing: it was being targeted by the League of Assassins.

I need to get home immediately! Donna thought to herself in a panic. Mom and Dad will be worried sick. But... ugh! This detour adds like a mile to my way home. I shouldn't have gone out today...

Desperate to get home to her parents, Donna jumped the fence next to her. Her plan was to go from yard to yard, undetected by SHIELD, to get home. She was extremely worried because her family wasn't exactly the most educated of families in the town. In fact, she was the first to make it through to her senior year. She feared that they would get so worried about her being out during an attack on the city that they may keep her home to protect her. She was very close to being able to graduate, and she didn't want to risk her parents getting so afraid that they would get in her way, to protect her.

Still sore from her fall earlier that morning, Donna climbed over each fence very slowly. By the time she had reached her fourth yard, her leg muscles were aching and her head was still hurting from the fall. In fact, her vision began to blur and a headache began. She knew not she was suffering from the effects of a concussion.

"Ugh..." She groaned as she stumbled forward, leaning against a tree in the yard to keep her balance. "I think I'm going to throw up..."

As she felt the contents of her stomach begin to churn, a loud explosion erupted at the fence where she would have been climbing had she not gotten ill. She watched as several SHIELD agents were thrown back, lifeless.

Sobered up quickly, Donna tensed up in fear. She then heard laughter. Snapping out of her shock, she dived into some bushes next to a tool shed that was in the yard. As she peaked out from the bushes, she saw a sight that terrified her more than the explosion had: a man in a purple suit and trenchcoat with matching purple hat. The man had a pale white face, green hair, and a disgustingly hideous grin seemingly etched onto his face. It was the right hand man to the League of Assassins. It was the Joker.

"Ah, isn't that a shame?" Joker asked to the Assassins surrounding him on either side. They all carried weapons ranging from laser guns to simple blades. "They can't play with us anymore. They're broken. Oh, well... Let's go grab that shipment before Ra's wonders why we've been taking so long."

Donna swallowed hard. Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself following the League of Assassins slowly after they left the yard. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her and before she could stop herself, she was hiding beside a parked car as the Joker and his assassins opened an armored car with keys they took from a fallen SHIELD agent. She looked inside and saw some glowing objects in the van.

"The Starlight Crystals! Woo-hoo!" Joker said happily as he spun around in place. "Okay, now. Ra's will be very happy with this. Yes he certainly will!"

"You mean he would've been happy, had you been able to actually give them to him," A deep and mysterious voice said.

Although the smile never left Joker's face, it contorted in such a way that the only way Donna could think to describe it would be that he frowned. Hate filled Joker's eyes as he looked around.

"It's him," Joker spat. "Formations, people! Come on! This is what you've been training for!"

Before they could move into formation, a cloud of smoke appeared in the street. With a serene and calmness about him, a figure stepped out of the smoke. He wore what appeared to be gray armor with a jet black cape/cowl. The cowl had two points reminiscent of ears on the top. He did not flinch as he stepped forward, assassins leaping at him to take his Life. Donna watched in awe as he masterfully blocked each blow. He moved with such fluidity that she would have been surprised to know he had broken a sweat.

After the last of the dozen or so assassins had fallen to the concrete, Joker clapped sarcastically. "Oh, yes. I'm so impressed. Come at me, Batman."

The Dark Knight known as the Batman nodded. "As you wish, Joker."

Donna watched from a distance as Joker leapt out of the back of the car, Hyena Spirit surging through him. Batman stood calmly as the Joker landed on him. He simply moved to the side, grabbing Joker by the back of his collar and allowing his momentum to help slam him into the road.

"Is that all you've got!?" Joker asked as he laughed, blood dripping down his mouth.

"No, but it's all I need," Batman replied casually.

Joker looked at him in confusion before looking back at the armored car. Rage was written on his face as he saw it lifted up off the street and carried up and into the air. He sneered as he looked from it back to Batman.

"Seriously? You couldn't come on your own!? You had to bring Superboy!?"

Donna could hear from Batman's voice that he had a smile on his face. "Why so serious, Joker?"

As he said that, Joker began to laugh. Hard. "Was that a joke!? Ah-hahahahaha! You told me a funny! I knew I was getting to you! I knew it! I knew it! Ah-hahaha!"

Batman suddenly had his head perk up. Donna saw him shake his head. "No, Fury. We don't need the Avengers to come. Superboy and I were able to get the Starlight Crystals to safety."

While he said that into his comm device, Superboy landed. He had placed the armored car in a safe location for Stark Industries to collect. He frowned as he stepped forward. "Seriously!? Why are people still calling me Superboy!?"

Joker chuckled as he was still sitting on the ground, Batman holding him by the collar. "Have you seen your face!? Your face is smoother than a baby's bottom!"

"Maybe I should start wearing a mask. I mean, people don't call Flash 'Kid Flash'. They don't call you Batboy. I'm not even in the Teen Titan Initiative!" Superboy protested as he bent down to take Joker.

"I know, I know. Maybe give it a few more years, Kal." Batman said, smirking. "And Joker? You're under-"

Before he could finish, Joker was teleported away. Batman sighed heavily as it occurred.

"Can't say I didn't see that coming. So Stark hasn't found a way yet to block Ra's from teleporting people?" Batman asked.

"No," Superboy answered. "The only facility that can block it is Barry's STAR Labs bunker."

"Shame. Okay. Let's get out of here," Batman said.

Donna stared on as Superboy floated up and behind Batman. Picking him up, she saw Superboy fly away as he carried Batman under him.

That was so groovy! Donna thought happily as she stepped out from behind the car. I can't wait to tell everyone at school. Let's see Mary top that.

As she walked forward, Donna saw something curious on one of the lawns. Bending over close to it, she saw a shiny rock-like object. It was one of the Starlight Crystals.

A smile crept over Donna's face. And now I will have proof of what happened, too!

. . .

The entire weekend Donna spent thinking of how she was going to tell the story of her exploits. She rehearsed in front of the mirror in her room, adding descriptive adverbs and adjectives to the story to flower it up as much as possible. Before going to bed Sunday night after her umpteenth rehearsal, she discovered something: the story seemed to stand on its own two legs. She just needed to tell it like it happened and show the crystal.

Reflecting on that epiphany once again early Monday morning, Donna got her skates ready. Although her job required her to run the zamboni once before she went to school every other day (sharing the responsibility with another girl her age from school), she felt like going on a skate before running the machine. The excitement of the fight was fresh in her mind and she felt like if she didn't get any exercise into her system that her body would explode with fidgeting.

"Where are you going so early, miss?" Donna's mom asked as she saw her daughter appear in the kitchen scavenging for an early morning snack. "You're forty five minutes earlier than usual!"

"I feel like doing a couple of laps around the rink before I resurface it. That's all." Donna replied casually as she found and peeled a banana.

Mr. Winslow frowned. "Are you sure you should be heading out so soon after that big attack on the city, dear?"

Donna swallowed the banana as if it were a rock. Her worse nightmare was becoming a reality. "Oh, Daddy, don't be silly! Superman and Batman already took care of it!"

Mrs. Winslow cocked an eyebrow. "Don't you mean Superboy?"

Donna flashed her parents a smile as she began to leave the kitchen. "I have it on good authority he prefers Superman."

Bolting out as quickly as she could, grabbing her ice skates by her front door, she left the house. Happy she was able to get away before being banned from her life, she made the trip to her ice rink. On the way, she had to cross the street where it had all occurred. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she crossed the street, fond memories fresh in her mind replaying of the amazing event she had witnessed.

Finally arriving at the outdoor ice rink, Donna sat down as she slipped her shoes off and put on her blades. Afraid someone may come by and grab her backpack she left it on. She didn't want anyone snatching her hidden treasure inside: the Starlight Crystal.

On the ice, Donna began to circle the rink as a warm-up for a couple of laps. Feeling the wind against her face felt liberating, as if she could fly. With that thought in mind, she recalled Superboy flying awaying carrying Batman.

How must it feel to fly like that? She thought. It must be amazing. Sheesh, I can't even imagine. I can't even land a double Axel. Granted that's pro level, but still... Hehe...I bet Superboy could do an infinite-Axel!

Her memories from Saturday quickly switched from Superboy's heroic flight to Donna's own humiliating fall. Mary's laughter echoed through her mind. As it did, Donna clenched her jaw. She was going to attempt at a single Axel. She wanted something to boost her confidence.

Being an avid skater who had once dreamed of being an Olympic skater as a young child, she had her fair share of time on the ice, though she could never afford a real trainer due to her parents not having any money. She had taken the job at the rink to get in some free time on the ice. It had become a fun hobby of hers, coming in at time early to skate. One point, several months prior, she had actually landed an Axel rotation. She tried telling others at school about it, but no one believed her. At one point The Flock had come in early after her claims and had taunted Donna to show them what she could do. Unfortunately it seemed as if the Axel was a one time incident where everything had worked out for Donna: upon trying to land the Axel, Donna fell and could not secure the landing. Ever since then, Mary had made a point of making fun of Donna whenever she saw her on the ice.

Feeling the muscles in her leg bunch up, Donna leapt into the air. As she did, she began to spin. She had never felt so confident as she flew through the air. After the first spin, she flew such power in her that she decided to spin again. After a moment, she found herself landing nimbly on the ice, skating in a circle to ease her momentum. As she did, heart racing, she heard clapping. Startled, she spun around.

"That was amazing," The young man said. "Really impressive. I know Dick Button just did a double Axel in the Olympics. If I counted correctly, you just did a quadruple. Are you a pro?"

The girl stared at him wide eyed. She recognized the muscular young man, but the fact she had just accomplished what she thought of as an impossible feat left her mind racing. "Four and a half spins!? Are you serious!?"

He smiled. "Sure am. Nice to meet you, I'm-"

She had a smile from ear to ear as she cut him off. "Bruce Wayne! I know, I've seen you on the news! You're the richest young man in the world!"

Bruce gave her a smile. "I guess my reputation precedes me..."

"What are you doing here in Mariner Bay, though!? You're pretty far from Gotham City," Donna asked, curious.

He smiled. "I'm here on business."

"'Business'? At an old ice rink? This early in the morning?" Donna questioned.

Bruce shrugged. "I'm more of a night person myself, so this is technically late for me. Actually, I had decided recently that I was going to start taking up skating. I have a... um... business rivalby the name of Victor who makes my life very difficult. Learning to ice skate is something I've started to do to be able to level the playing field."

Donna cocked an eyebrow. "Sounds like some weird business if it involves ice skating."

Bruce blushed. "Oh, um... well... He likes to take me ice skating on our business outings."

"Ah..." Donna said, feeling surprisingly nonplussed by the fact she was conversing with one of the most powerful men in the world. There was something about that Monday morning that had her feeling absolutely magical. As if anything she did would be a success.

"So, is it okay if I join you? It's six in the morning and-" Bruce began.

"Ah!" Donna yelped. "Six!? I'm gonna be late for school! Sorry, but the rink is closed!"

"Huh?" Bruce wondered aloud. He thought his flirting with her was genuinely working.

"I'm supposed to resurface the ice before my first class starts in fifteen minutes! I work here!" Donna blurted out, trying not to show her embarrassment that she wasn't a professional skater, but merely an employee.

"Then head on to class," Bruce said. "I'll take care of it."

"What!? No! I'll get in trouble! And I can't make you do something like that!" Donna protested.

Bruce flashed her another smile. "I'm Bruce Wayne. You can't make me do anything: I'm choosing to help because I want to. Also, if your supervisor gets upset, I'll just buy this place and give it to you as a gift. Trust me... you'll be fine."

Donna's head was swimming. Is he picking up on me!? Bruce Wayne, the millionaire!? What's going on!?

"Than... thank you! How can I ever repay you!?" Donna gasped as she skated off the ice and sat down near her shoes.

Bruce shrugged. "Oh, I dunno... how about I pick you up for dinner tonight?"

Donna blushed. "Me!? Why!?"

"Because you're not intimidated by me. You seem smart, and you're beautiful," Bruce answered. "I want to get to know you better to see if my first impressions of you are true."

Donna felt like fainting. "I... I ... I..."

Laughing, Bruce reached out his hand and helped her onto her feet. "I really hope your next word is 'accept'."

"You don't even know my name!" Donna blurted out involuntarily.

"It's Donna. Says so on your backpack," Bruce said.

"Well, aren't you quite the detective." Donna said, blushing.

Bruce chuckled. "I've been called that quite a lot. So...?"

"Yes, sure. Do you want to meet here?" Donna asked.

"Sure. How's six?" Bruce asked as he looked her in the eyes.

"Okay. I'll see you then..." Donna said, blushing more than she ever had in her life. Ecstatic, she turned and began sprinting toward school. As she did, she noticed more energy than she ever had. She felt as if she was running faster than she ever had before.

I never knew being asked out on a date got you feeling so good! Donna mused to herself as she ran down the street.

Meanwhile, Bruce couldn't keep his eyes off of her while she raced away. Whistling, he laughed. "Wow, is she athletic. She'd even give Barry Allen a run for his money! Haha!"

Turning around, he looked at the ice rink needing to be resurfaced. The sign on the outdoor rink said it was open to the public after seven in the morning, but he was already in due to Donna having left the fence around the rink unlocked. Sighing as he stared at the zamboni, he shook his head. He had no idea how to run one of those pieces of machinery. He was fairly certain he could learn quickly, but he wasn't in the mood. He pulled out a pocket device and spoke into it.

"This is Bruce Wayne. Redirect call to Professor Charles Xavier, please."

"This is Charles. How may I be of assistance?" The voice came through from the other end.

Bruce smiled as he began to speak back. "I'm going to send you my coordinates. Could I get some assistance from Bobby? I have some ice related problems I think he could help me solve..."

. . .

During lunch, Donna grabbed her food tray and sat at a table, choosing to be alone. She was going through a lot in her mind and was having a hard time processing it. From landing a quadruple Axel, to being asked on a date by the Bruce Wayne, to getting a perfect score on her algebra pop quiz that morning (which subject she normally got a "C" average in), she was very confused. She was concerned that it was a calm before a storm. Things had never gone so well for her, even in such a short matter of time. She was even too preoccupied to brag to her classmates about what had occurred with her on Saturday like she had planned to.

"Watch out!" The captain of the football team and quarterback yelled as he threw a pass in the middle of the cafeteria to his buddy on the other side of the room. He had miscalculated the pass and it went sailing too far to the left. Right at Donna.

Looking up, she saw the pigskin flying toward her. Reaching out one arm, she caught the football midair singlehandedly.

"Oooooh!" Roared many people in the cafeteria. Clapping and cheers erupted for the sight.

"Nice catch!" The football captain cried out. "I'll just go over there and grab it from you, though. You're a girl and, well... you all know how you gals are at throwing..."

As the cheers turned into laughter (aimed at her just because of her gender), Donna pursed her lips. Standing up, she cocked her arm back and threw the football at the jock as hard as she could. She watched wide eyed and in shock as the ball not only went straight toward him, but hit him square in the chest and caused him to fall onto his back.

"Hey! You can't treat him like that you square!" Mary shouted, stampeding over to Donna with The Flock characteristically tagging along behind her. "How dare you do that to my boyfriend!?"

Donna clenched a fist. "I don't care who he is. He needs to learn some manners."

"Who do you think you are, talking back to me like that!?" Mary shrieked as the cafeteria grew dead silent.

Breathing hard and filled with anger, Donna straightened her posture and looked Mary straight in the eyes. "I'm Donna Winslow. And you need to learn not to talk back to me."

Mary's eyes went wild with fury. "You little twerp!"

Donna watched as Mary thrust her hands out before her to grab at her. She was almost going in slow motion. Easily defending herself, Donna grabbed her by each wrist and and did a shoulder shrug and lifted up. As she did, she watched Mary fly off her feet. Letting go of the bully, Donna saw her flail in midair for a moment ala Wile E. Coyote before she slammed into the hard floor.

After a moment of silence, cheers erupted from the girls in the cafeteria. Not only those watching from their seats, but also from The Flock. Shocked, Donna quickly turned and sprinted out of the cafeteria.

What's happening to me!? She thought as she sprinted onto the football field.

A few feet away, the track and field coach spotted her running in the direction of his team as they practiced. "Hey! You! Get out of the way!"

Before she could think twice, she saw a javelin flying through the air right at her. Throwing her hands out in front of her face, she caught the flying metal rod in between her palms, the tip a mere inch from her nose.

"Holy moly!" The track coach yelled. "Did you all see that!? Hey! You! Get over here! That was amazing!"

Dropping the javelin, Donna turned and booked it out of the field (inadvertently running beside the fastest sprinter in the school and outrunning him as he ran beside her on the track). She stopped in the school parking lot, leaning against the side wall of the school and breathing hard.

How is this happening!? She demanded in thought.

"There she is!" Donna heard someone cry out.

Sighing, she turned around and put her hands up in the air. "Please not right now. I'm really confused right now and-"

"Sorry, little lady. I'm afraid your request will not be fulfilled at the moment."

Frowning, Donna looked up to see who was speaking to her. She gasped as her eyes fell upon a man. He was hideous. And she knew who he was. A truly evil man. He was the head of one of the darkest organizations on Earth: Hydra. His name was Red Skull.

"Ahhh!" Donna screamed as several Hydra agents rushed in from behind him toward her.

Red Skull smiled a horrible smile as she screamed. "My scanners say you have something of value to Ra's al Ghul. If he wants it, then surely it will be of value to me..."

As the Hydra agents rushed forward, Donna screamed. "What is it that I have!?"

"Give us the Starlight Crystal!" Red Skull demanded.

Donna watched as the first two agents of evil reached out to grab her. She got into a fighting stance on instinct and kicked their hands away.

"Don't make me shoot you, kid!"

"Stay away!" Donna cried out. She wanted to give them the crystal in her bag, but she knew that the world was at war with evil. If she gave them what they wanted, she would never be able to live with herself. She'd rather go down fighting than willingly betray mankind.

"You asked for it!" The soldier said as he pointed his gun at Donna. Before he could shoot, though, a batarang flew through the air and knocked it out of his hand.

"Mind if I help, miss?" Batman asked as he landed in front of her, his cape billowing during the descent from the building's roof.

"Not at all..." Donna replied as she backed away.

"Fire!" Red Skull screamed.

"I don't think so." Superboy said as he used his super speed to race around and knock the firearms out of the soldiers hands.

"Stop toying with them," Batman said.

Superboy sighed. "Fine."

Donna watched as Superboy flew forward and knocked out each guard. He then raced ahead to grab Red Skull.

"Your reign of terror ends- agh!" Superboy cried out, falling to his knees.

Red Skull pulled out a glowing green rock and smiled. "I thought you may be coming. I came prepared with your weakness- Kryptonite!"

"Kal!" Batman screamed, throwing a batarang at the Kryptonite. He sneered as Red Skull caught it with his other hand.

"I've been juicing, Batman," Red Skull said simply. "You'll see that I'm more than enough of a threat for y- oof!"

Suddenly, a giant disc flew through the air and hit Red Skull in the face, sending him flying back. A man in a blue outfit walked slowly toward Superboy to help him up. Donna knew him from the news. It was none other than Captain America.

"Thanks, Cap..." Superboy groaned as he was pulled away from the deadly alien rock.

"Not a problem," Captain America stated. He then looked to Batman. "How about we take Red Skull in now... together?"

Batman shook his head. "Too late. He teleported away."

"Gosh dang it..." Captain America said as he reached for a comm device in his helmet. "Stark? I thought you had the area clear!?"

Tony Stark's voice rang in Captain America's ears. "Sorry, Steve. Jarvis had a break in his firewall."

"That is not true, sir," Jarvis replied. "You did not secure the firewall before we went in."

"Semantics. Whatever. Thing is, he's gone. Mia culpa."

"Okay, Cap out. Hey Br-"

"Batman. There's a civilian." Batman said, pointing to Donna.

"Right. Well, sorry I was late. You know, if we were working together-"

Batman shook his head. "I've said time and time again: I'm not joining the Avengers. I'm not going to take orders from Fury. My team is doing fine on its own."

Captain America nodded. "They are, but imagine what your Justice League could accomplish with help from SHIELD. Please, just... think about it, okay?"

"I did. Answer's no," Batman replied.

"Okay, fine. See you around." Captain America said as he turned and leapt onto the building, running across its roof to his aircraft.

"Thank you..." Donna said.

Batman turned and nodded. "No problem. Do you know why they targeted you?"

"No," Donna found herself saying. She was beginning to put two and two together: She knew that the bad guys wanted the crystal. Ever since she had the crystal, she's had abilities she never had before. She had decided it must have been some effect of the crystal. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to give it up just yet.

"Okay. Superboy? Let's go. Stay safe," Batman said as Superboy got up and flew him away.

Up in the sky, Superboy frowned. "You heard Red Skull, Bruce. She has the Starlight Crystal."

Batman sighed. "Yeah, I heard..."

"Why did we let her go, then?"

"Because, coincidentally, I have a date with her tonight. I want to see what kind of person she really is. If she keeps the crystal a secret, then... well, I guess I have my answer."

Superboy laughed. "That's kind of selfish, Bruce. What if she's attacked again?"

"Don't worry. I got J'onn and Barry watching over her right now," Batman replied.

"This is super weird, dude," Superboy said.

"Yeah, but you know...? That's the benefit of being self-employed. Imagine if we were under SHIELD. We'd never get to do things like this. You and your little crush on Ms. Lang back in Smallville? Never gonna happen with SHIELD."

"I guess you're right, Bruce."

Batman nodded. "I'm handling it. Don't worry. Now, if you could leave me at my hotel, Clark, I have to get ready for a date."

. . .

Donna stood by the ice rink. She looked down at her watch nervously. It was 6:02. Two minutes past when they said they would meet. Donna was freaking out.

Was this all some sort of trick!? Am I the butt of a practical joke...? Yeah, that must be it. There's no way that I could-

"Donna?" Bruce asked.

She turned to see the man standing by his limo, smiling. He wore a very nice looking black tuxedo. It made Donna feel uncomfortable, wearing only her nicest dress she wore to church on Sundays. Due to her low income situation, she looked very dressed down compared to Bruce.

Blushing and embarrassed, she looked down. "Hello, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce was taken aback. "Oh, no! No, no, no! I am not going on a date with you calling me Mr. Wayne! Haha! Come on, Donna. And please call me Bruce. Alfred? Could you take us to the restaurant?"

The man standing at the front of the limo on the driver's side nodded and began to slip into the limo. "As you wish, Master Bruce."

Donna slowly made her way to Bruce. He beamed as she made her way over to him. Opening the door, he motioned for her to enter.

"Wow. I've never been in one of these before!" She stammered as she climbed in. "It's so spacious... for a car."

Bruce slipped in and nodded. "It sure is."

As the car began to move, Bruce looked over at Donna, sitting to his left against the window. "So... have you always lived in Mariner Bay?"

She nodded. "Born and raised."

"Okay. Cool, cool. And what's the closest university to here? Is that the one you go to?" Bruce asked.

Donna blushed. "I'm a senior in high school."

Swallowing hard, Bruce nodded. "Oh, okay... wow. You look a lot older. How old are you?"

"Eighteen," Donna answered to Bruce's relief.

"Ah. When's your birthday?"

"August. I'm one of the older ones in my grade. How about you, Bruce? How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen," He answered.

"Wow. I knew you were young, but... How do you feel being in charge of your own corporation at such a young age!?"

Bruce smiled. "Really good. Really good. You know how all teens tend to feel the need to rebel against 'the man', even though in the end we're probably just getting ourselves into trouble? Well, I am my own man. Yeah, I get into a lot of trouble at times, but that's why I have Alfred around. He helps keep me grounded."

"So he's more than just your butler?" Donna asked, curious about Bruce's family dynamic. She knew not to mention his parents. Even though she was very young when it happened, everyone knew about the passing away of Bruce's parents one night in an alley. It was a very sad event, but one that seemed to have molded Bruce into the business tycoon he had become.

"Alfred!? Oh, yeah! I don't even really think of him as a butler. He's more like my hip uncle who likes to help me out. Oh, and I pay him quite handsomely, too." Bruce said, adding in the last part with a smile.

"So, what is the most powerful man under twenty doing here in Mariner Bay, asking a girl like me out on a date?" Donna questioned, smiling as she did.

Bruce shrugged. "Classified business transaction. I have some artifacts in the area I'm making sure a business rival doesn't take. I've secured them all but one, actually."

"Oh, well since it's classified, I'll just wish you the best of luck in securing the final part to your business," Donna replied.

Bruce nodded. He was trying to decide how best to prod Donna, to see what he intent with the Starlight Crystal was. He felt sad his date had to become business, since he had truly just asked her beforehand not knowing she would be involved in the debacle SHIELD had caused by letting Joker so close to the crystals.

"Thank you kindly, madame." Bruce said with a wink. "Now, more about you... How long have you been skating like that. I'm not kidding: you should be training and competing at the professional level. I've never seen anyone land a triple Axel, let alone a quadruple."

Donna swallowed hard. She knew it was due to the Starlight Crystal. She hadn't thought that anything related to it would be brought up in the conversation. What she didn't know was that Bruce had asked that purposefully. After having done some research and investigating into what a man working for SHIELD named Dr. Bruce Banner had found out about the Starlight Crystal, Bruce had discovered that the crystal reacted with certain people, thought he knew not how the crystal "picked" who it would work for. Those who were "picked" had heightened senses and abilities, leading the Starlight Crystals to be listed in the SHIELD archives in the category for "Enhanced Beings".

"I... Well, I started practicing when I was a little girl," Donna replied.

Bruce kept an unphased look on his face, but he was disappointed. There had been something about her countenance... a sort of light about her that had drawn him to her when they first met. After his parents had lost their lives, he felt that he continually lived in a spiral to darkness. He had been hoping she could've been someone to which he could cling onto, to be a beacon for light. Apparently she was just like him, though: someone harboring secrets.

"Well, that practice sure has paid off. I'm very impressed! It must have taken a lot of dedication and hard work." Bruce answered, smiling eagerly as he did.

A tinge of guilt hit Donna. She was never one to take credit for something she did not do. Sighing, she looked up at Bruce. "Actually, there's something I need to tell you about what you saw this morning..."

Bruce immediately brightened up. "Oh, really?" He was very hopeful that she would end up being the kind of person he had initially thought she was.

Sighing again, Donna reached into her purse. Bruce sighed in relief as she pulled out the Starlight Crystal.

"I was able to do what I did, apparently, because of this. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mislead you. I... I didn't know until later today that this thing was having any effect on me. I even went and tried to see if I could do any of the things I did without the crystal and, well... it's definitely the crystal helping me."

"Well, Donna. I also have something I want to tell you," Bruce answered.

Donna sighed for what felt like the millionth time that night. "The date is over, right?"

"No! No! It's just that I-" Bruce started. Before he could finish, a loud explosion rocked the limo. "Alfred!? Status!?"

"The League of Assassins, sir. Flash and Martian Manhunter are trying to fend them off, but it appears as if there are... complications, sir," Alfred replied.

Donna stared at Bruce in shock. "Huh!?"

It was then Bruce's turn to sigh. "What complications, Alfred?"

"Reverse Flash and Heat Wave, sir. Heat Wave is staving off Martian Manhunter while Reverse Flash is, well... doing what he can to be a pest to The Flash, sir," Alfred replied matter of factly.

"Do what you need to, Alfred. Get us out of here," Bruce ordered. He then looked to Donna. "Did I ever tell you Alfred was with the CIA?"

Donna looked at Bruce, wide eyed. "Um... no?"

"Activating external lasers," Alfred said. "It seems to be having some sort of effect, sir."

Donna spun around and looked out the window. As she kneeled on the leather seat, she was shocked to see many assassins leaping forward, trying to jump onto the vehicle. Lasers kept hitting them, keeping them off. Before long, though, Donna could hear some on the roof of the car.

"Ahhh!" Donna screamed as a sword stabbed its way through the roof.

Bruce frowned. "Seriously!? I just got this thing fixed up after last time."

"Last time!?" Donna yelped. "Last time!?"

"Alfred?" Bruce asked calmly, ignoring Donna's outburst. "Anything we can do about what's going on up on the roof?"

"Yes, sir. Superboy is coming in right now. And the jets are now fully charged, sir," Alfred replied.

"Jets!? Superboy!?" Donna asked in confusion. "Bruce, what's going on!?"

"The League of Assassins have targeted your crystal, Donna. My friends and I are trying to make sure the crystal stays safe," Bruce answered casually. As he did, screams could be heard from the roof. Superboy had arrived.

"Well, you sure do have some super friends!" Donna said, exasperated. As she did, she suddenly felt the limo rock forward, causing her to fly out of her seat and onto Bruce's lap.

"We are now airborne, sir," Alfred reported. "We are heading to a SHIELD safehouse."

"SHIELD!?" Donna gasped. "You work for SHIELD!?"

"Oh, heavens no." Bruce answered, laughing as Donna made her way back to her seat. "It's just to get us to safety quickly. Ugh... I'm definitely going to hear it from Fury, though..."

"Bruce... Oh, dear. This is all my fault." Donna said, looking down at the Starlight Crystal. "I'm so very sorry."

Bruce paused. "Donna? Leave the crystal with me for now, okay? I... I'll get it back to you."

Donna cocked an eyebrow. "Huh? Why?"

"I have some friends in Central City who may be able to help you mask that thing from the League," Bruce replied. "It's just... I don't know. They belong to me, and you seemed so happy when I saw how it helped enhance you. I don't want to take that away."

"They belong to you!?" Donna gasped.

"Yes. I hired SHIELD to transport them for me. I knew Joker wanted them and figured who better than SHIELD to protect them. How wrong was I, huh? I should've kept in in-house," Bruce said, thinking of the Justice League.

"But... I don't understand..." Donna said. "Why are you helping me like this."

"I like you, Donna. You seem very nice and... I don't know. That crystal only works on some people. It picked you. Perhaps it belongs with you. Just... think of it as a gift for our first date."

Donna, unable to get past her feelings due to her age, giggled. "First date?"

Bruce shot her a smile. "Yes, first. But, before we continue this relationship I hope we can foster, there's something I need to tell you."

Donna gave Bruce a concerned look. "What, Bruce?"

Bruce breathed in deeply, closing his eyes for a moment. Images of his training with Pai Zhua Master Swoop floated in his mind. Battle upon battle against the forces of evil in Gotham City. Nodding, he closed his eyes and looked at Donna.

"I'm Batman."