Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville, Arrowverse, DC Extended Universe, DC Animated Universe, DC Comics, or anything pertaining to the mentioned franchises.
Here is the fourth installment of the "Alternate Events" series. This takes place one month after the events of "Doppelganger Troubles and Other Threats", minus the "four months later" scene with DCAU Lex receiving the Book of Destiny from The Monitor.
The first chapter covers the inclusion of Ralph Dibny and adapts elements from The Flash Season 4 episode "Elongated Journey Into The Night".
Chapter 1
Earth-1
It had been a month since the heroes of the various universes fought Doomsday, Ultraman, the Earth-X Nazis, and all the other enemies who had been involved in the destructive battle. Many lives in Central City had been lost that day and dozens of others had been injured, either during Doomsday's rampage or while the Nazi forces had been randomly attacking civilians. Thanks to the hard-working efforts of Superboy, the new Flash, and the rest of what was now called 'Team Super' (the name Conner suggested and Cisco approved of as they agreed that 'Team Superboy' had too many syllables), the city had mostly recovered from what happened.
A few days after Barry moved to Earth-38, Conner and Wally announced to the public that The Flash had retired and the speedster previously known as Kid Flash would step up to become the new Scarlet Speedster. The residents of Central City quickly got used to this change, owing to the fact that Wally had become more competent than he had ever been. Conner's fiancee, Courtney Whitmore, had set aside her duties as Stargirl to focus on a normal life, feeling that Central City was under enough protection between Conner, Wally, and Cisco, though she would help them if a major threat arose. Courtney had gotten a job at the Central City Library, while Conner took a position as a janitor at CCPD and started wearing glasses while at work or anywhere in public to prevent anyone from recognizing him as Superboy.
As for Caitlin and Bart, things between them were going rather well. Their meeting at Jitters on that Saturday, which was followed by a movie, went as planned and the two had hung out again the following Saturday, with Caitlin going to Bart's Earth that time around. From there, Bart had been periodically hopping between his Earth and this one to visit Caitlin, bringing her flowers and/or food, and taking her on trips around the world with his super-speed. Cisco noted that he hadn't seen Caitlin so happy since the day she and Ronnie got married and supported her new relationship with Bart, though Caitlin insisted that she and the Earth-21 speedster were only friends.
Over the last couple of weeks, a couple of new metas had shown up in town. One was Ramsey Deacon, a former computer programmer who nicknamed himself Kilgore and had the ability to manipulate technology, and the other was Becky Sharpe, whom Cisco nicknamed Hazard due to her ability to control luck. Both had been quickly defeated by Conner and Wally and were currently imprisoned in the meta-human wing of Iron Heights.
Due to the fact that neither Deacon nor Sharpe had been living in Central City at the time of the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator explosion four-and-a-half years ago, the team realized that the two must've gained their powers under different circumstances and eventually found out they were on the bus that appeared near the Speed Force portal that Barry and Thawne inadvertently opened during their high-speed battle. Since the portal had contained dark matter, all the bus' passengers were turned into metas upon exposure, though the bus driver hadn't been so lucky and died a few days later. Now the team was working to locate the others who had been on the bus.
"I promised there wasn't a single case I couldn't crack," Ralph Dibny announced as he sat in his office with his back facing his desk. "And a promise made is a promise kept." He swiveled around in his chair to face the redhead woman who was sitting across from him. "Dibny detects..." He set a manila envelope on the desk. "Your husband didn't die in that plane crash, Mrs. Broome."
"He didn't?" the woman asked, incredulously. "Then where is he?"
"Well, that brings us to the difficult part," Ralph said, picking up the envelope and pulling some files from it. "Turns out he got remarried and moved to Minnesota. Has two kids now. Twins." Ralph chuckled as the woman picked up the files and looked at them. "Twins in the twin cities."
As the woman started sobbing, Ralph got up and said, "Oh! Oh, oh, oh, oh, hey, hey..." He went around to the woman to comfort her. "No, no, no, no, no. don't, don't..." He gently grasped her shoulder. "Don't cry for that jerk. He doesn't deserve it. The sun still shines." He then started making gestures with his hand. "The birds, they still chirp. Chirp, chirp. Mrs. Broome, you are a very attractive woman, and you will find someone else." He started massaging the woman's shoulders. "Someone who will hold you. Someone who will wipe away those tears. Do you like shrimp?"
In response, the woman stopped crying and glared at Ralph. She then smacked him across the face hard.
"Ow!" Ralph cried out.
Joe, Wally, and Conner approached the door to the office. On the door read:
Ralph Dibny – Private Investigator.
However, the word 'Investigator' had been crossed out with a red marker and written below it was 'Dick'.
The door suddenly opened and the redhead woman stormed out of the office, clearly pissed.
"This is definitely his place," Joe noted.
Ralph was looking into a mirror and massaging his cheek when he heard some knocks on the door.
"Reconsidered, huh?" he asked, as he swiveled around and saw Joe enter the office with Wally and Conner.
"Ralph," Joe greeted.
"Joe West," Ralph replied in surprise as he took in the detective and the two young men with him. "What brings you boys to Casa de Dibny?"
"Were you on the 405 bus a month ago around four P.M.?" Conner asked.
"That's a very specific question," Ralph replied, firmly.
"We found your I.O.U. from the deceased bus driver's personal effects," Joe told him.
"Deceased?" Ralph asked, indifferently. "Hey, that's one less 'U' I owe. What's it to you three?"
"It's important," Wally said.
"It's a simple question," Conner added. "We'd appreciate it if you answer it."
"It sounds like you boys are asking me for a favor," Ralph said. "I smell a mystery."
"It's not a favor, it's information that we need," Conner said.
"And how much is this information worth?" Ralph inquired.
Joe frowned. "Are you shaking us down?"
"Look, Mr. Dibny, the people on that bus were exposed to a dangerous substance," Conner explained.
"Dangerous?" Ralph repeated. "Dangerous like what? Like... Ebola?"
"Were you on the bus or not?" Conner asked, started to lose his patience.
Ralph shook his head. "No."
"Okay," Conner nodded.
Ralph turned to Joe. "By the way, how is your rookie boy Allen doing these days? I heard he quit and left Central City. Must be rough for him knowing that he never had the courage to swallow his pride and face me after what he did." His expression then brightened. "Also, I heard you shacked up with that hot D.A. She got a sister?" As Joe glared at him, Ralph added, "Okay, good luck. All the best."
Joe, Conner, and Wally left the office.
Once the three were out of sight, two men appeared out of a room around the corner and headed towards Ralph's office.
Inside, Ralph heard the door open again. "So what's it worth?" he asked, turning around in his chair, only to gulp at the sight of the two men. "Ah, crap."
"That guy hasn't changed a bit," Joe said, as he, Wally, and Conner walked along the sidewalk.
"What happened between him and Barry?" Wally asked, curious. "He said Barry did something to him?"
"Wait," Conner announced, noticing something from the corner of his eye.
He, Wally, and Joe stopped and turned to look down alleyway. They saw Ralph hanging upside down along the side of the building, his legs abnormally stretched out like rubber from the top of the building, where the two men were dangling him by the ankle, to near the ground, which the rest of his body gently landed on. The two men released Ralph's elongated legs, leaving them to fall messily on the ground.
"I guess he was on that bus," Joe said.
"Clearly," Wally agreed.
"We have to get him to S.T.A.R. Labs," Conner instructed.
(S.T.A.R. Labs)
Ralph was lying on the gurney in the med-bay as Conner, Wally, Joe, and Caitlin stood around him. His legs were still rubbery and stretched out.
"What... what... what's happening to me?!" Ralph wondered, panicking and terrified.
"Just breathe, okay, we're gonna help you," Conner told him.
"I am breathing," Ralph said.
"This guy is definitely a bus meta," Wally said.
"The dark matter has polymerized Dibny's cells," Caitlin explained, looking at the data on the tablet in her hands.
"What the hell is dark matter and why is it in my cells?!" Ralph wondered, still freaking out.
"Basically, the walls of every cell in your body have elasticized, allowing them to stretch like Silly Putty," Caitlin stated.
"I'm Silly Putty?" Ralph asked, incredulously.
Caitlin shook her head. "No."
"Ralph, who were the guys on the roof?" Joe inquired.
"Is that really the issue right now?" Ralph asked, angrily. "Look at me!"
"I just need a sample of your blood," Caitlin said, grabbing Ralph's arm only for it to stretch out.
Caitlin gasped, dropping Ralph's elongated arm on the floor before she accidentally tripped on it.
"Ow!" Ralph cried out.
Caitlin stumbled back against the table behind her, grabbing onto a bottle of power for support. Some of the powder squeezed out towards Ralph, causing him to sneeze.
The others cringed and dropped their jaws in disgust as Ralph's face stretched out, looking disfigured and nauseating.
"Oh, is that my face?" Ralph asked in absolute horror, looking down at his elongated facial features.
Joe turned around and vomited. "Almost five years seeing this stuff, I finally puked."
(Later)
Conner and Wally returned to Ralph's office to fetch an item containing a sample of his DNA that Caitlin would use to stabilize Ralph's cells, restoring his body to normal. The two found a brush they decided to use, only to also discover a bomb hidden in one of the drawers under Ralph's desk. At super-speed, Conner grabbed the bomb, flew out of the office, and flung it into the sky, where it exploded.
He and Wally then returned to S.T.A.R. Labs and delivered the brush to Caitlin, while Joe also returned.
"I pulled the LUDS on Dibny's phone," Joe informed. "There were fifteen phone calls between him and the mayor's office."
"What is this guy doing talking to the mayor?" Wally wondered.
"I'll ask him," Conner said, before heading into the med-bay where Ralph was still on the gurney with his legs and right arm still stretched out.
"Kent, you and the rest of your S.T.A.R. Labs nerds figured out how to put me back together?" Ralph asked.
"We're still working on it," Conner assured him. "Someone just tried to blow up your office."
"Tried?" Ralph asked.
"Superboy saved me and Wally and got the bomb out of there just in time," Conner lied.
Ralph sighed. "There goes my insurance claim."
"Obviously, someone's trying to kill you," Conner pointed out. "Any idea who it may be?"
"Do you know how many people I have pissed off over the years?" Ralph asked. "Angry husbands, angry wives, not exactly dealing with high society taking photos of cheating spouses."
"Then how do you explain the fact that you were talking to the mayor?" Conner asked.
"Who says I am?" Ralph countered.
"According to Joe, your phone records," Conner answered.
"Did... did Detective West get a warrant for that 'cause I know he's all by-the-book," Ralph asked.
"What's your business with Mayor Bellows, Dibny?" Conner demanded.
"Nothing," Ralph answered. "Just call and tell him what a swell job I think he is doing."
"But you called him fifteen times," Conner pointed out.
"Twelve of those were butt dials," Ralph claimed.
"I'm not sure what it is you're up to, but we're gonna find out," Conner said.
Ralph narrowed his eyes. "Now that I think about it, you look very familiar for some reason. I swear I've seen you before, I just can't figure out where."
"Maybe I have one of those faces," Conner said, realizing that Ralph was most likely referring to him as Superboy.
He turned around and left the med-bay.
(CCPD)
Conner was sitting in the waiting area of the police station listening to the conversation between Joe and Mayor Bellows via super-hearing.
"Anthony, you used to be a cop. I'm not talking to the mayor here. It's two cops talking. What's going on with you and Dibny?"
"I, uh, made a mistake."
"Mistake? You mean, like, the kind of mistake you make with a woman who's not your wife?"
"It was only that one time, Joe. I regretted it the moment I did it and I broke it off right away. And then Dibny shows up, and he's got pictures of us, and he threatens to show them to my wife unless I pay him."
"How much?"
"Not enough. All those phone calls, it was him negotiating for a bigger price. I love my family, Joe. Just let me pay him and I'll be done with it."
"No, Anthony, you won't have to do that. I'll help take care of it."
"Thank you, Joe."
Conner had a stunned expression on his face, processing everything he'd just heard. As Joe came out of the office, Conner got up and approached him.
"Did you get all of that?" Joe asked.
Conner nodded. "I heard it all. Dibny has some explaining to do."
(S.T.A.R. Labs)
"Your vitals are fantastic," Caitlin said to Ralph, whose body was now back to normal.
"Good," he told her.
"Ralph," Conner called out as he and Joe entered the cortex. "Care to explain why you're blackmailing the mayor?"
"That's a wild accusation," Ralph retorted.
"We know about the photos, Ralph," Joe said.
"Mayor Bellows told Joe everything," Conner added.
"Hey, I'm not the one who told him to step out on his wife," Ralph remarked.
Conner scoffed. "Seriously? You're blaming the mayor for something you did instead of owning up to your actions?"
"Isn't that a little easy for you to say?" Ralph retorted. "You're clearly doing better than I am with your fancy lab and," he threw a glance at Caitlin, "being close friends with a hot doctor. People like me are just trying to get from one bill to the next. And I wouldn't be living like that if someone I used to work with hadn't cost me my job."
"That doesn't give you the right to extort someone," Conner shot back.
"You cost yourself your job, Ralph," Joe added. "You chose to break the law and cross the line. It's not Barry's fault you got fired. It's yours."
"Of course you would say that, Joe," Ralph snapped, glaring at the older man. "You've always taken Allen's side on this. You guys never understood that I did what I had to do to make sure a guilty man wouldn't get away with killing his wife, and Barry let him go! I was a good cop, I was a good detective! I lost everything."
"I'm not aware of the exact details of what happened between you and Barry, but I do know Barry and I'm sure whatever he did that led to you getting fired wasn't out of ill will or spite," Conner said.
"Maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do," Ralph suggested.
"Actually, I'm willing to bet that I know him better than you," Conner countered, since it was obvious that Ralph didn't know that Barry had been the first Flash. "In any case, we're not gonna let you go through with your plans."
"Mayor's got plenty of money," Ralph pointed out. "He can afford to spare a little. Consider it the pension your good buddy Barry Allen cost me."
"You claim you were a good cop, but a good cop wouldn't resort to blackmailing someone," Conner said, firmly. "Think about that before you make your decision and know that, if you make the wrong one, I will stop you."
"I'd like to see you try," Ralph challenged.
"Only if you give me a reason," Conner said, before pausing for a moment. "I don't think you're a bad person, Ralph, but you can definitely be better than you are. Anyone can change, trust me."
"I'm perfectly fine as I am," Ralph said, before storming off.
(Later, West house)
Joe and Wally were in the living room sitting on the couch with Cecile, who was holding the sleeping Jenna in her arms.
That was when the doorbell rang.
"I got it," Joe said, as he got up and went to the door.
He opened it, revealing what appeared to be two cops standing on the other side. In reality, they were the same men who had dangled Ralph over the building.
"Detective West," one of the 'cops' greeted.
Joe frowned, recognizing them. "Aren't you two on the mayor's detail?"
"Sorry to bother you at home, but dispatch just radioed," the 'cop' explained. "Captain Singh needs you down at the station ASAP."
"All right," Joe nodded.
As he turned around, the two men pulled out guns and one of them pointed his weapon at Joe.
"Joe!" Cecile cried out in horror.
"Dad!" Wally cried out at the same time.
As the 'cop' fired at Joe, Wally wasted no time getting up and catching the bullet meant for his father. He then crossed the two men's arms in a position that caused them to inadvertently deck each other unconscious.
"That never gets old," Joe commented, referring to his son's move against the men.
"What's going on, Joe?" Cecile asked, horrified. "Did the mayor just send those men to kill you?"
"It looks that way," Joe replied.
"Good thing I was here or things could've been messy," Wally pointed out.
"Dibny's next," Joe said in realization.
(Conner and Courtney's apartment)
The two were sitting at the table in the kitchen eating sandwiches.
"So this Ralph guy has the power to stretch like Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four?" Courtney asked, after Conner had brought her up to speed on everything that had been going on.
"Pretty much," Conner nodded. "Not that Ralph knows how to use his powers yet."
"I'm sure you'll make a great teacher," Courtney said with a smile. "Think he'll end up joining the team?"
"I don't know, Court," Conner answered. "I guess that depends on how he decides to use his powers."
"You're worried he might become an enemy?" Courtney asked.
"I hope not," Conner said. "Ralph may be a bit abrasive and misguided, but he's ultimately well-intentioned." With a smile, he asked, "How was your day today?"
"Definitely not as exciting as yours," Courtney answered. "Not that I don't like my job at the library."
"Well, enjoy your 'lack of excitement' while you can," Conner told her. "We never what could happen."
"You're right," Courtney agreed.
As Conner felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, he took it out and looked at the screen. "The mayor just tried to have Joe killed. He's going after Ralph next. I have to go, Court."
"I'll be waiting," Courtney said.
"I know," Conner said, before giving her a quick kiss on the lips and speeding off.
Ralph was standing in an alleyway with a manila envelope in his hand. He turned around to face Mayor Bellows, who was holding a briefcase.
"You lost weight," Bellows noted.
"Lap-band surgery," Ralph lied, as he and the mayor approached each other.
"Since killing you didn't work out, what we agreed upon," Bellows said, opening the briefcase to show Ralph the money inside. "200K. Let me have the photographs."
"Here's the pictures," Ralph said, holding the envelope out hesitantly as Bellows took it and held out the briefcase. "Keep the money."
Bellows frowned in disbelief. "What?"
"I take it back," Ralph decided.
"Take it back?" Bellows repeated, incredulously.
"I take my blackmail back," Ralph clarified.
"Is this some kind of a trick?" Bellows wondered, glancing around.
"I'm not dirty," Ralph stated, glaring at the mayor. "And I don't want any part of this anymore." He started to walk away, but stopped after a moment and turned back to Bellows. "And don't you forget, I can tie you to that bomb you had your goons plant in my office, so if you don't walk away, I will go to the cops."
"That's still blackmail," Bellows pointed out.
"No, it's not," Ralph said.
"Yes, it is," Bellows told him. "You're telling me if I don't give you this money, you won't go to the cops."
"Okay, fine," Ralph said. "I am blackmailing you into not being blackmailed."
"So we're good then?" Bellows asked.
"Yeah, we're good," Ralph answered.
Bellows pulled out a gun and fired.
As the bullet hit Ralph's forehead, the back of his head stretched out before stretching back in. Ralph pressed his nose and sneezed, causing the bullet to fly out of the nostril and into his hand.
"Bullet booger," Ralph commented. "Super-gross."
Bellows stared at him in shock, about to fire again. However, the gun suddenly became unbearably hot, forcing Bellows to drop it with a cry of pain. The mayor looked up to see Superboy hovering in the air, the Boy of Steel's eyes glowing reddish-orange.
Then, a red streak with yellow lightning appeared as Wally, clad in his new red suit, sped Ralph away from Bellows.
"It's over, Mr. Mayor," Conner announced, descending to the ground.
Wally and Ralph walked up next to Conner, the latter staring in shock at the half-Kryptonian.
"Wait, you're Superboy?" Ralph asked Conner in amazement.
"That's right, Ralph," Conner admitted.
"That's why you looked familiar," Ralph said in realization. "I can't believe I didn't figure that out."
"It's okay," Conner told him. "It happens more often than you would think."
Wally punched Bellows in the face, knocking him out. "That's for trying to kill my dad!"
(S.T.A.R. Labs)
Conner entered the cortex, where Caitlin and Cisco, the latter having just returned from Earth-21, were sitting at the computers.
"Cisco, hey," Conner greeted. "How is Tess? Is she..."
"Fully repaired and even better than she was before," Cisco answered.
Conner smirked. "Better, huh?"
"Thanks to the omni-directional, self-maintaining, sub-atomic personal shield, or force field for short, that Winn, Harry, and I installed, Tess' android body is now capable of absorbing a lot of the impact of blows from even someone as strong as a Kryptonian, making it much harder, but not impossible, to destroy her again," Cisco explained. "Also, her tornado powers are even stronger and, with Lena's added nano-tech, she no longer needs her watch to change between her human and android forms. She just has to think about it and bam."
"Awesome," Conner grinned. "Thank you so much for helping revive Tess."
"Don't mention it, it's what friends are for," Cisco said.
"Yeah," Conner nodded in agreement.
"So, what did I miss this time?" Cisco asked. "Did you guys find another bus meta?"
"We did actually," Caitlin answered. "His name is Ralph Dibny."
"Speaking of Ralph, I need to go talk to him," Conner said.
Ralph was sitting on the couch in his office when Conner entered.
"Hey, Ralph," Conner greeted, closing the door behind him.
Ralph frowned. "Kent? What are you doing here?"
"First, call me Conner," Conner said. "Secondly, I'm here to offer you an opportunity."
"An opportunity? You mean a job?" Ralph asked, intrigued.
"You could say that," Conner nodded.
Ralph eagerly stood up. "How much does this job pay?"
"Unfortunately, it's not the type of job where you get a paycheck," Conner told him.
Ralph's face fell in disappointment. "What, seriously? Then the deal is off. I'm not gonna accept a job that doesn't pay me. I need something that's gonna help me get by. You know, pay the bills."
"Just hear me out and let me explain exactly what it is I'm proposing first before you make your decision," Conner urged.
Ralph folded his arms against his chest. "All right, I'm listening."
"You have powers, Ralph," Conner began. "With those powers, you can make a real difference in the world. My team and I can help you control your powers and get the hang of them. We can train you."
"Train me?" Ralph asked, intrigued. "For what?"
"To do what Wally and I do," Conner answered. "You were a detective once, Ralph, and that job allowed you to help people. Now you can help people again, but in a different way. You can be a hero."
"A hero, huh?" Ralph asked.
"It's not gonna be easy all the time, but it'll be worth your while for sure," Conner said. "What do you say?"
Ralph thought about it for a moment. "Do I get a cool superhero name?"
"How does Plastic Man sound?" Conner suggested.
"I think that's the dumbest name I've ever heard," Ralph said.
"I'm sure my friend Cisco will come up with a better name for you," Conner said.
"Maybe it's better that way," Ralph said.
"It's completely up to you," Conner said. "If you don't want to accept my offer, I'll understand."
In response, Ralph held out his hand and stretched it towards Conner, who then shook it.
"Can you start tomorrow?" Conner asked.
"Sure," Ralph nodded. "I'll be there."
"Good, see you tomorrow," Conner said, before leaving the office.