Time for a Change
By Les Bonser
This is a work of non-commercial fan fiction. The characters used in this story remain the trademarked property of their respective owners. No trademark infringement is intended and no profits are made by the author for writing or distribution of this work.
No permission is given to anyone other than the author to archive this on any website. No permission is given to anyone other than the author to repost this on any newsgroup.
Chapter 18
USS Enterprise, in the Beta Quadrant
Superman, Batman, and Catwoman appeared on the transporter platform. Chief O'Brien was still manning the transporter controls. "Ah, another one," O'Brien said. "The captain will be glad to hear that."
"Superman, this is Chief O'Brien," Batman explained. "This is the USS Enterprise. We're about 400 years in the future, but in a different universe."
O'Brien tapped his communicator. "Captain Picard to transporter room 3."
"Acknowledged," Picard's voice came from the communicator.
"This is quite a place," Superman said, looking around.
Batman assumed he could see things the rest of them couldn't.
"Oh," Catwoman said as she grabbed her head. She pulled off the cowl as if it were causing her pain.
"Are you okay, miss?" O'Brien asked.
"It's just a headache," Selina said.
A few minutes later Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher came into the transporter room. Picard instantly fixed on the bare-chested newcomer. As did Doctor Crusher.
"Ah, another recovery," Picard said.
Batman said, "You can call him Superman. He's a team mate of mine."
"Well, Mr. Superman, is it?"
Superman nodded.
"Welcome aboard the Enterprise. I'm Captain Picard. This is Doctor Crusher."
"Batman has told me a little about what's going on," Superman said. Four of us were thrown through time and across dimensions."
"Yes," Picard said. "And it apparently caused some sort of cosmic stress that threatens our universe, your universe, and any number of others."
"Understood," Superman said. "What can we do to fix this?"
Picard was impressed with the forthrightness of this newcomer.
"We're working on it. Our science experts tell us that returning all of you to your own universe will go a long way to repairing the damage. But to do that we have to find all of you. We still have one more to go."
Crusher had her tricorder out and began running it over Superman. "Jean-Luc, you won't believe these readings."
"What is this?" Superman asked.
"It's a medical tricorder," Doctor Crusher explained. "The interaction between your molecules and those of the universe you were in can cause cellular degeneration. I'm just checking to see how you fared from your trip through time and space."
"How'd I do?" Superman wondered.
"I can't tell. Your body is so infused with energy, it's creating too much interference for me to get a decent reading." She showed the tricorder to Captain Picard.
"Indeed," Picard said. He couldn't believe the readings on the tricorder's tiny screen. In some regards, this man standing before him was more powerful than the Enterprise.
"Awww," Selina moaned, slumping to the floor.
Batman and Superman both moved to support her. Doctor Crusher immediately began scanning the other woman.
"What's wrong, doctor?"
"One minute, Jean-Luc," Crusher said tersely. "Has she complained of anything?"
"Headaches," Batman said.
"Someone should have told me."
"Headaches are fairly common in our time," Batman said. "She must not have thought it was anything to worry about."
"Well, it is. She has a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a brain aneurysm. I'll have to operate immediately. Everyone stand back, please." Crusher tapped her communicator. "This is Doctor Crusher. I have a medical emergency. Two to transport to directly to sickbay."
The transporter beam slowly dissolved away both Doctor Crusher and her patient.
Picard tugged down the front of his uniform. It was a nervous habit of his. "Chief?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"Can you see to assigning Superman quarters?"
"Aye, Captain."
Picard turned to his two guests. "We'll schedule a debriefing for 21 hundred hours."
"Of course, Captain," Batman said.
O'Brien lead Superman and Batman out of the transporter room. Picard followed a moment later.
Troi pressed her communicator. "Lieutenant Dax?" she said.
A moment passed. "Dax here."
"This is Counselor Troi. Lieutenant, can you come by my office?" Deanna asked.
"Yes," Dax said.
The young Trill came into Deanna's office a few moments later. "You wanted to see me, Counselor?"
"Yes," Troi said. She gestured to the other woman to sit down. "Please, make yourself comfortable."
"This isn't a counseling session, is it?" Ezri said. "I know Captain Sisko was worrying about how I've been integrating the memories from my previous hosts, but I really think I've done better."
"No, Ezri, it's nothing like that. Actually, I need your help with a counseling case."
"You need *my* help?" Ezri was surprised. She'd only been assigned officially as the counselor on DS9 a couple months ago and had only really had one case.
"Yes," Deanna said. She could sense the apprehension coming from the Trill.
"You seem to have developed a rapport with this individual; more than anyone else, at least," Deanna explained.
"I don't understand," Ezri said. "I haven't really interacted with the Enterprise crew..."
"It's not someone from the Enterprise," Deanna interrupted. "It's Batman."
"Batman?"
"Yes. I can sense his concern for Selina. But I can also sense that he's used to keeping issues tightly bottled up."
"And you think *I* can get him to talk?" Ezri said.
"Well," Deanna said. "You're really the only person he's said more than two words to since he got here. Outside of Superman, that is."
"We talked a little when I showed him his cabin. Well, I talked and he sort of listened. Compared to him, Worf is a regular conversationalist."
Deanna laughed. "Yes, I guess you're right."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned Worf, should I?"
"Why not?"
"Well, I know you two were dating for a while before he left the Enterprise. I thought maybe that it was still painful for you."
"No. Worf and I parted ways on very amicable terms," Deanna explained. "How is Worf? We didn't get much of a chance to talk before we left DS9. How is he handling Jadzia's death."
"Stoically," Ezri scowled. "Just like a good Klingon should." She paused to collect her thoughts. It's funny, she told herself, it's easier talking with Counselor Troi that I would have thought. I guess that's why she's such a good Counselor. "Actually, it was pretty rough for him, but he didn't want to admit it. Of course. I think he was just coming to grips with everything and then I was assigned to the station. At first, he didn't want to have anything to do with me. But we've worked through it and he's now a friend. He's the one that encouraged me to let Julian know how I felt."
"Good," Deanna said. "So what about taking a crack at 'the dark knight'?"
"I'll try," Ezri said, still unsure.
"If it doesn't work out, maybe try talking to Superman. They seem as different as night and day, but at least they share a common world."
"I'll do that."
Ezri stopped by Sick Bay first. Dr. Crusher was still operating on Selina. The duty nurse indicated that the surgery was going well, but she'd know more as soon as the doctor was done.
With that information, Ezri then sought out Batman. She found him in his quarters. She pressed the announcer button. It took a moment for the door to open. "Come in," came the gravely voice.
"Hello, it's me, Lieutenant Dax."
"Yes, Lieutenant?" Batman was seated at the small desk, using the computer terminal to record the events of he and Selina's "away mission." Actually, he was used to this sort of thing; he always kept dictation of his own nightly missions. Sometimes, when things were busy, he'd keep a running dialog from the car. Other times, he'd wait until returning to the cave. He didn't look up as she walked into the room.
"I just wanted to let you know that Dr. Crusher is still operating on Miss Kyle. But the nurse told me everything was going well."
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Batman said, still concentrating on the computer terminal. A moment passed. "Was there something else?" he asked when Dax hadn't left.
"I was just thinking that you might like to talk."
"Why?"
"Well, you're far from home, your friend is in surgery, the universe is going to fall apart. I don't know. I just thought I'd offer. It is my job, you know."
"Yes. You're a counselor," Batman said. "I don't need to talk."
"Well, if you do, I just wanted to let you know that I'm available. Or if you'd be more comfortable with someone with more experience, Counselor Troi is a very good listener."
"No thank you, Lieutenant."
Ezri stood in place, hands on her hips. "You know, we're a lot alike," she said.
Batman finally turned away from the computer terminal and stared at the young Starfleet officer. "I don't think so," he said.
"I do," she said.
"You're a woman, you're from a different universe, and you're not even human. According to the computer information I've been reviewing, you even have a slug in your belly," Batman said. "There's no way we're alike."
"Well, aside from all that," Ezri said. Suddenly, she was beginning to doubt herself. He was so blunt, she thought. "Well, we're not alike in most ways, but we are alike in at least one way."
"Oh?"
"We're both like two people. I mean, I'm Ezri, but I'm also Dax. Two people. You're Batman. And I assume you have some other identity when the cape comes off, right? You're like two people also."
Batman didn't respond, but he also didn't disagree.
Ezri continued, "And we're both outcasts, right? Or at least feel that way. I know I feel that way. I mean, I didn't even want to be bonded with a symbiont. Didn't take the training, didn't plan on it ever happening. But it did. I'm sure you didn't plan on becoming Batman, did you? Something happened that forced you to. I don't know about you, but I don't quite feel like I belong anymore. I'm not like the other bonded Trills, but I do have the symbiont. And I'm not Jadzia, but I'm around all of her friends. It gets a little scary at times, you know? I'm not responsible for her death, but sometimes, when I'm around her friends, and I see the way they look at me, I feel guilty. I can imagine them saying, 'why did Jadzia die and why is Dax now in this little girl'. Do you ever feel guilty about anything?"
Batman didn't answer her. But he thought about it. Did he feel guilty? Yeah, he felt guilty. About a lot of stuff. He felt guilty about what the Joker did to Barbara Gordon, he felt guilty about what Two-Face did to Dick, he felt guilty about what the Joker did to Jason, he felt guilty about the way he treated Dick by having Jean-Paul fill in as Batman, he felt guilty about what the Joker did to Sarah Essen-Gordon, he felt guilty about the Joker, period. And, mostly, he felt guilty about his parents.
"Yes," he finally said. "Guilt is part of what makes us human." He thought about that. She wasn't human, but she felt guilty. He knew Clark felt guilty about certain things; he wasn't human either. "Maybe guilt is something that separates sentient beings from the animals."
"It is," Ezri said. "The Vulcans proved that scientifically."
"It's a shame we'll be leaving soon," he said. "I'd like to meet these Vulcans and Klingons everyone keeps talking about."
Ezri smiled. "They have had a large influence on the Federation."
"Yes. I've been studying your history," Batman said. "So much of your universe is like mine, but so much is different."
"Some things aren't so different," Ezri said. "The need to talk about things, for one."
"You just don't give up, do you?"
"Do you?"
No, Batman had to admit to himself. He thought for a minute. Perhaps she was right. It was hard to talk to Alfred. Between his own reluctance and Alfred's British reserve, there were some days the two barely said two words to each other. And with everyone, even Dick and Clark, Bruce felt the need to remain aloft. Part of the mystique of Batman was the aloofness.
"No, I don't," he finally told her.
"Well, I don't either."
"Why are you and Counselor Troi so interested in getting into my head?"
"We only want to help," Ezri said. "It's want we do. It's our duty as medical professionals. Is it really any different than you wanting to go on the away mission to find your friends? You felt that was your duty, right?"
"Was it duty that made you accept the symbiont, even when you didn't want to?"
"Yes."
Batman nodded. He could understand that. "Maybe we are more alike than I thought."
Ezri smiled. She felt that she'd finally broken through. "Do you feel guilty about Selina. Her getting hurt, that is?"
"No. That was an accident. She said she landed in some water when she arrived in that universe. She obviously injured herself then. And as I told Dr. Crusher, headaches are common where we come from. Especially when you're trying to work out things like time travel."
Ezri nodded. "That was one the hardest classes I had at the Academy," she said. "Temporal Mechanics 101. Thought I'd never make it through the semester."
"But you did?"
"Yeah. And you're right, it gave me a lot of headaches."
The briefing took place in the conference lounge at the rear of the bridge. Superman and Batman arrived together. Superman had changed into a slacks and knit shirt combo that came from the clothing replicator in his quarters.
Captain Picard, Commander Riker, and Commander La Forge already in the lounge. Introductions were made as the rest of the staff arrived; Doctor Crusher, Tony Stark and Counselor Troi, followed lastly by Commander Data. Stark was wearing his Iron Man armor, helmet in hand.
Commander Data carried a number of metal rods about three foot long.
"Mr. Stark, why are you wearing your armor?" Riker asked. "This is a briefing, not an away mission."
"Commander La Forge asked me to," Stark said.
"La Forge?" Picard asked.
"Actually, it was Data's idea," Geordi said.
Picard was getting impatient. "Mr. Data, please explain."
"Simply a test, sir. We already have a gauge of Mr. Stark's strength while wearing his armor. Batman indicated that Superman was, well, super strong. I thought a demonstration was in order."
Riker chuckled. "Data, I wouldn't have thought you to be the type to engage in a tree-pissing contest."
Deanna frowned. "A tree..."
"I'll explain it later," Crusher said, distaste in her voice.
"It's an old Earth term for a test of manhood," Picard said. "Data, is this really necessary?"
"Not really, sir. But simply as a measure of our allies strength, it might be useful. Similar to a review of the fleet," Data explained.
"Proceed," Picard said. "But quickly."
"These rods are tritanium." For the three guests, Data explained, "The primary alloy used in Starfleet ship construction."
The rods were only the width of a pencil. Data handed two rods to Batman. "Sir, you are, as Doctor Crusher has reminded us, a very strong human. Can you bend these?"
Before Batman had a chance to try, Riker motioned for Data to hand him a pair of the rods as well. The two men stood and tried their best to bend the rods. Neither could. They tried across their chests, behind the backs and over their knees. Any which way they tried, they simply couldn't budge the rods.
Counselor Troi finally reached over and took one of the rods away from Commander Riker. She was afraid he'd strain a muscle or something trying so hard.
Doctor Crusher rolled her eyes. "I can't believe the amount of testosterone that's in this room," she said wryly.
Commander Riker still couldn't budge even a single rod. Batman laid one rod on the table and was, with considerable effort, able to bend a single rod slightly.
Stark put on his helmet and let the armor power up fully. He held his hand out. Data held up his own hand and tried bending six of the rods. The room rung with the screeching of the metal rods against each other as they barely were bent. The android seemed dismayed afterward when he noticed the artificial skin was ripped from his fingers by the force of the effort.
Stark once again held out his hand and Data placed another six of the rods in Iron Man's hands. Stark easily bent the rods. Data was impressed, but Geordi was smiling his appreciation of the armor.
Data then handed Stark three thicker rods. "These gauge two rods are equal to four of the gauge one rods," he explained. "But easier to handle."
Stark once again bent the rods easily.
Geordi was nodding his approval. "That's the same as twelve of the smaller rods," he said. "Twice what you were able to barely bend, Data."
"Yes, Geordi, the Iron Man armor is very impressive," Data agreed.
Data pulled out one last rod, a bit thicker than the previous ones, perhaps six centimeters in diameter. "This is gauge three duranium-reinforced tritanium. This is, by Starfleet standards, about four times stronger than three of the gauge two tritanium rods."
Iron Man wasn't able to budge the rod. The room filled with the smell of ozone caused by the miniature electronic motors in the armor trying to move against the unmovable object. Stark finally gave up. He laid the rod down on the table and took off his helmet. He was sweating underneath. "That's got to be comparable to an alloy we have on my world called adamantium. It's considered virtually unbreakable."
During this whole demonstration, Superman had sat quietly, watching. He hated the fact that the show was simply a test of his strength; his natural modesty made him uncomfortable about taking part in such contests of manhood.
He remembered what it was like at Smallville High School. Once when he was about 16, he saw another boy get seriously hurt trying to bench press more than he could handle. The rest of the boys were challenging each other to lift a certain weight. Each would lift it and then they'd add more to the bar and each take turns. After seven or eight increases, the weight was up to nearly 250 pounds. One boy's elbow dislocated just as he'd lifted the weight was almost all the way up; the bar fell back on his chest and seriously bruised the his heart. Only Clark's quick thinking had saved the day. The other boys were petrified by the accident and no one stepped forward to help the injured boy. At first, Clark had assumed he just had an adrenaline rush that enabled him to lift the weight off the injured boy, but later realized it was one of the first instances of his super-strength manifesting itself.
"Captain Picard," he said. "I really don't see how this is useful."
Picard looked intently at this newest guest. "I'm inclined to agree with you. But given the short time frame we have to repair the temporal damage, and the scope of what's at risk, I'm willing to indulge Mr. Data's curiosity. We never know what challenges we have yet ahead of us. Your strength, indeed the strength of each of us, may be useful. If I understand the mission report Batman filed, your unique abilities have already saved the day in ancient Greece."
Superman nodded. "Very well, captain." He stood and took the thickest rod in his hands. He squeezed the rod as hard as he could. The metal barely gave, but it did give slightly. He relaxed his grip and flexed his fingers to make sure the grip he had on the rod was secure. Counselor Troi let out an audible gasp when she saw the finger marks on the rod.
The knit shirt Superman had obtained from the replicator bulged as he flexed. Had it been woven instead of knit, it probably would have burst. The room once again was filled with the unearthly squeal of metal stressed to it's limit by the bending. To a Starfleet officer, it was a sound they normally only heard during a fatal ship battle or warp drive failure. It was a sound no Starfleet captain wanted to hear. And it was a sound few Starfleet captains lived to hear more than once.
The bar bent easily as Superman flexed. He didn't have to leverage over his knee or across his neck and shoulders. He simply held the bar straight out and squeezed down and in with his hands.
All around the table were noticeably impressed. Except for Batman; he'd seen Clark do even more impressive feats.
Superman laid the bar down and took his seat.
"Thank you," Commander Data said. "I don't believe there has been any one in recorded Federation history comparable to you, Superman."
"Well, he is one of a kind," Batman said, dryly.
Picard pulled the front of this tunic down and shifted in his chair. It was a nervous habit the crew jokingly called "the Picard Maneuver." "Yes, well, uh, Dr. Crusher, perhaps you can give us an update on Miss Kyle?"
"Yes, Jean-Luc. We were able to successfully repair the damage caused by the aneurysm. There may be some slight memory loss, but otherwise she'll be up and about in a day or so."
"That's good news," Superman said. "As I understand it, we all have to be returned to our own universe. It would have been unfortunate if she'd have died before we were able to do so."
It was a thought no one else had wanted to voice, but which they all had thought.
"That would have been most unfortunate," Data said. "We can only speculate on the impact a death of one of the displaced individuals would have. The next time I communicate with the Vulcan Science Academy, I will postulate that question as a hypothetical scenario."
"Thank you, Mr. Data," Picard said. "Our next order of business is to schedule the next away mission. I'd like to retrieve Mr. Bond as soon as we can."
"As would we all," Riker said. "We'll be sending the next team within the hour."
"Very well, Number One. Keep me posted."
Superman and Batman immediately volunteered for the next away mission. They were in the transporter room waiting as Picard and Crusher came in. Superman had changed into a replicated duplicate of his costume, minus the cape, red trunks and yellow belt. The suit hugged his figure enough to avoid any damage--his unique aura would protect the costume. He left off the cape and trunks for fear of accidentally leaving any of this universe's material in another universe and compounding their existing problems.
Picard said, "We've asked Mr. Stark to go on this mission. He'll be here in a moment."
Crusher looked at Batman and said, "You've begun to accumulate some of the cellular deterioration. You're still handling it better than the rest of us, but after what happened with Selina, I'd rather not take any changes. Stark's armor seems to shield him. And as for you," she turned to Superman, "I can only assume that you're durable enough that it won't be a problem. I've got Commander La Forge trying to reprogram a medical tricorder that can read through your body's energy."
Stark walked in with La Forge. Geordi immediately went to the transporter console and began scanning and preparing for the next transport. Stark put his helmet on and made sure the armor was fully powered.
Picard handed Stark a tricorder. Stark handed it back. "Give this one to him," he said, indicating Superman. "Geordi and I did a little field upgrade on the suit. Built in the equivalent of your specially programmed tricorder into my sensor systems.
Geordi tossed something to Iron Man. "Oh, yeah," Iron Man said. "Another little thing we whipped up." He handed the object to Superman. "When they said you were going to be going on this mission, we figured a headset mike would work better than a communicator. Hands-free. My suit is set to the same channel."
Superman nodded and put on the head-set. The wrap-around mike rested along the line of his jaw and ended near his mouth. It was similar to the radio units that the JLA used during field missions. "Fits good. What's so funny?"
Superman had noticed the very small, almost non-existent smile on Batman's face. Only someone that knew the Dark Knight Detective very well could have detected it. "I was just thinking. The man of steel and the man of iron."
"'Man of steel'?" Tony asked.
"It's a nickname the press tagged on me," Superman explained as he and Iron Man mounted the transporter pad.
He and Iron Man soon found themselves materializing on a tropical beach. The island they were on was little more than a volcanic point poking a couple hundred feet above the water's surface. The thin strip of sand they stood on was only a dozen feet wide.
"Where do you suppose we are?" Superman asked.
"Pacific Ocean, if this is Earth," Tony said, his voice altered by the Iron Man helmet. He pointed out to the water. The water was at low tide and a coral reef was evident. "I don't think coral like that grows anywhere else. But I'm only an engineer, not a biologist."
Superman sweep his eyes over the area where Iron Man had pointed. "I agree. Apparently your Earth and my Earth are similar." He turned on the tricorder and activated the scanning program as he'd been shown. "You hear that?"
"No. What is it?" Iron Man said.
"Sounds like engines." Superman turned around and tried to determine what direction the sound was coming from. "There, from over the island," he said. The tricorder was still scanning and he wasn't comfortable enough with the instrument to try using it to find the source of the noise.
Iron Man tuned his audio system to its highest sensitivity and aimed the directional mike built into the helmet toward where Superman had indicated. "I hear it now. Sounds like some sort of aircraft engine, but not a jet."
The two men visually scanned the horizon over the low peak of the island. "There," Superman said, pointing.
"Quite some peepers you've got there," Iron Man said. "I can't see anything."
"Well, it's not like I can count the fleas on a dog's back from the moon or anything like that, but I do seem to see a bit better than most humans."
"So we were told. Uh, I got them." The image of five small specks showed up on Iron Man's heads-up display as his built-in radar picked up what Superman had seen.
"Batman snitched on me, huh?"
"Just being thorough, I guess. We thought knowing more about your powers might help us track you down. Give us something unique to look for. When you're looking for a needle in a really big haystack, it helps to know what the needle looks like."
As the men talked, the five specks got closer. There were airplanes. As they roared overhead, both Iron Man and Superman recognized them. The bent-wing style was very unique.
"Corsairs," Iron Man said. "This is sometime around World War Two."
"Same on my world," Superman said. "The lead plane had a bunch of Japanese flags painted under the cockpit. Confirmed kills. An ace several times over."
"Yeah, I caught the name. Major G. Boyinton. Mean anything to you?"
"No. But, given the differences between universes aside, there were a lot of men in World War Two that were multiple aces."
"My armor is done scanning. Nothing registering from another universe except us."
"This tricorder is reading the same," Superman said. He alternated watching the US planes receding from view and watching the direction from which they had come. "Uh, oh," he said.
"What now?" Iron Man turned to the direction over the island. A force of at least twenty Japanese Zeros, fighter aircraft, headed in the same direction as the US aircraft.
"Hardly seems fair, now does it?" Superman said.
"No, it doesn't. Those Zeros are lighter. If they catch the Corsairs, they out number them four to one."
"Let's say we even the odds a bit."
"They didn't tell you about the Prime Directive, did they?" Stark asked.
"Batman told me. But that's in the Federation universe, not this one. I'm not saying we kill the Japanese pilots or anything. Just disable them. Give the Americans a fighting chance to get home."
"Heck," Iron Man said. "If they see us flying after them, they'll probably think they're imagining things anyway. I just hope there's not a bunch of gorillas piloting those planes."
"Gorillas?"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you about it after we get back to the Enterprise."
Iron Man walked over to a small outcropping of rock on the sandy beach. Standing on the rock clearing, he stomped his feet to knock all the sand out of his boot jets. "Let's go," he said, lifting slowly into the air as the jets built up thrust.
Superman eased into the air beside him and matched the Golden Avenger's speed as the two headed off after the Zeros.
It only took the two strange visitors to this world barely a minute to catch up with the trailing Japanese aircraft. During their flight, Iron Man had scanned the radio frequency bands and detected the Japanese radio signals used by the planes. His on-board voice translator was able to pick up most of the words and convert them to English.
"They're chasing the Americans because the Americans just took out some sort of secret facility on an island about 100 miles away. They want to stop the Corsairs before they reach the Allied air defenses," Iron Man said over the communicator link to Superman.
"How far is that? How much time do we need to buy them."
"I don't know. The translator built into the armor is having a problem with some of the words. Apparently this universe's Japanese syntax is a little different from my universe."
Iron Man was now pacing three of the Zeros. He was above and slightly behind the planes. The pilots were obviously focused on their own lead plane and didn't see him.
He fired a low-power repulsor blast at each of the planes. The first plane took a hit in the tail rudder. Nothing too major, but enough to require the pilot to drop out of the pursuit. The plane veered off. The other two planes took their hits in the wing. Likewise, not enough damage to down the plane, but enough for them to lower their speed and turn back to base.
Superman used his heat vision to overheat the engines of five of the planes. He then used the heat vision narrowly focused to slice off a few of the planes' wingtips. This disrupted the airworthiness of enough planes that the entire squad gave up chase and headed back to base.
"That ought to do it," Superman said. "And I didn't see any gorillas."
"Good. Let's go home."
The two flew back to the small island and activated the recall device. As they waited the few seconds for the device to connect to the Enterprise and for the transporter beam to find them, Iron Man said, "I'm not telling Captain Picard."
"I won't either," Superman agreed.
New York City
Kara Zor-el, Supergirl, walked calmly behind the older people. They made quite a picture on the streets of New York. The Big Apple had seen many things, but a green-skinned Martian and a barely teen girl with the "S" shield on her chest were still something unique for the majority of Americans. The rest of the group were all dressed more or less conventionally, but since they were obviously with the superheroes, the group as a whole turned heads.
"It happened here, right?" Supergirl asked.
"How did you know?" Dr. Irons asked. He removed his scanner from his coat pocket to confirm that the area was indeed the actual location.
"I can see it," Supergirl said.
"See it?" Jon asked.
"Yes," the teen of steel said. "It's right here. My super-vision shows some sort of...some sort of...hole in space. Right here." She pointed to the exact spot Lois had indicated.
"You shouldn't be able to see it," Dr. Irons said, scanning the area with his device. "Even a Kryptonian shouldn't be able to see the after effects..."
But she can, Jon projected to Dr. Irons and Diana. She's not the same type of Kryptonian as Superman.
Superman is the only survivor of Krypton, Diana thought. And *our* Supergirl is from another universe. So where does *this* Supergirl come from?
"I think I know," Dr. Irons said, out loud. "You're not from this universe, are you child?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," the young Supergirl said. "I just heard on the radio that Superman was missing and I came to help out."
"But it was never released to the media that Superman was missing," Nightwing pointed out. "Ergo, you couldn't have heard it on the radio."
"You mean this is some sort of mistake?" Supergirl was confused.
"Not a mistake, dear," Diana told the youngster. "Strange things have been happening here. Our universe must be intersecting with yours in some way."
"I agree," said Dr. Irons.
Nightwing's cellular phone rang. He stepped away from the others to answer it.
"Is the whole gang still there?" Oracle asked. She didn't even introduce herself.
"Yes," Nightwing said.
"Something strange is going on."
"Yeah, we've determined that. How weird exactly?"
"The whole world is going crazy. But the big thing, and I do mean big, is the giant T-Rex that's about to eat Staten Island."
"Bye," Nightwing said. "Hey, gang, we're needed. Some big dino is dining on Staten Island."
Diana immediately pulled off her jacket and began unbuttoning her blouse. Several guys on the street stopped walking by and stared at the statuesque beauty. As the double-W emblem of her Wonder Woman costume appeared from under the blouse, the men hurried along.
"My van is parked up the street," Dr. Irons said as he hurried off. "I'll meet you there."
On a youthful impulse, Supergirl launched herself into the sky. The Martian Manhunter took off after her.
Diana turned to Lois as she stepped out of her skirt. "I'm sorry. Duty calls," Wonder Woman said.
"I'm going with you."
"You can't. It might be dangerous."
"I'm a reporter. This sounds like a big story. You can drop me somewhere safe."
"Okay," Diana said, reaching at least a temporary truce with Lois.
The two women were in the air in a split second, following Jon and the ersatz Supergirl.
Nightwing ran after Dr. Irons. "Can I hitch a ride?"
"Sure," Dr. Irons said, running across the street and barely missing getting hit by several taxis.
Nightwing sprung off the hood of one of the taxis and made a three-point landing on the sidewalk near the van. Dr. Irons slid open the side door of the van and crawled in. The door slid shut behind him.
Nightwing opened the front passenger seat. He stole a glance into the back of the van. Dr. Irons was already undressed and partly into his Steel armor. Nightwing ducked down slightly to get out of view; he pulled the fake beard and baseball hat off. In it's place went a mask over his eyes.
Hiding partly behind the passenger door, Nightwing took off the leather jacket and peeled off the tee-shirt. Underneath was his Kevlar and Nomex Nightwing costume. He struggled to pull the jeans off over his boots, but eventually they came off and he threw the jacket, tee-shirt, and jeans into the van.
Nightwing slammed the passenger door shut just as the side door of the van opened and Steel, the armored member of the JLA, stepped out.
Steel was encased in shiny silver armor and carried a large metal hammer. The hammer was actually remotely controlled and when thrown would return to Steel's hand. "Ready?"
"Yeah." Nightwing slid his gloves on. They were both ready for the fight ahead.
Steel reached out his free hand and Nightwing took hold. The next moment, they were flying through the New York sky, propelled by Steel's rockets.
Diana dropped Lois near the base of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, on the Long Island side. The two women stood for a moment and took in the scene before them. New York Harbor had welcomed many newcomers to the United States. Now, beyond the bridge, the entrance to New York Harbor proper, was about to receive it strangest visitor.
A giant monster stood in Lower New York Bay and towered over the lighthouse just off Coney Island. The monster was black, with a smallish Tyrannosaurus type head, and puny arms, but a thick heavy body. The beast's tail and feet were unseen, hidden by the water in which it stood. The monster stood easily 500 feet above the water. Given the depth of the water, Diana estimated that it was easily 600 or 700 feet tall.
Soldiers from the Fort Wadsworth Military Reservation were assembling on the shore on the Bronx side of the harbor. Police from the New York City borough of the Bronx were assembling on this side of the bridge, and those from Staten Island could be seen on the far shore. Coast Guard tugs and even a small cutter were trying to clear the routine water traffic from the vicinity.
High in the air above the bridge, Supergirl and the Martian Manhunter hovered, eyeing the beast. Jon had managed to catch the mysterious young Kryptonian. Although he didn't think she was really Superman's cousin, at least not in this universe, he couldn't allow the teenager to die or injure herself from fighting the monster alone. This sort of a crisis required a coordination of effort.
He reached out with his mind and found Diana's. What in the name of Zeus is that thing? the Amazon asked through the mind link.
I don't know, Jon said.
Wonder Woman was beginning to attract almost as much attention on the shore as the monster was in the bay. A police cruiser pulled up next to where she and Lois stood. A plain clothes police officer hurried out of the passenger side and ran to Diana's side.
The police officer flashed a badge and introduced himself. "Captain McClane," he said. "My friends call me John." He was medium height, with thinning hair cropped short. He tried smiling at the Amazon Princess. With Diana around, all other women were ignored--Lois didn't mind being nearly invisible. It would make it easier to get the facts.
Steel and Nightwing arrived, landing beside Diana and Lois. "Wow," Nightwing said. He pulled out his radio and had Oracle on the other end in a split second. "Oracle, what is this thing?" he asked.
"I'm watching this live on CNN," Oracle said. "Looks to me like a cross between a stegosaurus and tyrannosaurus, but bigger. No one has any idea where it came from. They are reporting it just showed up about ten minutes ago and has been headed toward shore ever since. CNN is reporting that the Japanese have a legend about something like this, called Gojira. I guess the best English translation would be 'Godzilla'."
Captain McClane overheard the conversation with Oracle. "Godzilla, huh? Well, it fits." He turned back to Wonder Woman. "I'm used to dealing with drug dealers and terrorists. Don't know nothing about giant sea monsters. What are you superheroes going to do?" The emphasis the police captain had placed on the word "superheroes" revealed his cynical nature.
"We're assessing that right now," Diana told him.
"Well, maybe a little less assessing and more ass-kicking," McClane said. "That thing comes much closer, it'll take out Verrazano-Narrows." He pointed to the large bridge towering over them.
McClane's point was obvious. Beyond the bridge was the Statue of Liberty, Governors Island, the NY Coast Guard Station, the Hudson River, and of course, Manhattan.
Just then, the air was split by a deafening roar from the beast. Godzilla reared back its head and shot a plume of plasma far over the harbor.
Jon, you going to be okay? Diana thought across the mental link with the Martian.
I'll be okay, Jon thought back. But we'll all probably want to stay clear of that fire.
Good point, Diana thought. She turned to Nightwing. "Coordinate with Oracle, the military, and the police," she ordered. "Steel, Manhunter, and I will try to get its attention. Lead it back out to sea."
Nightwing nodded agreement. "Good luck," he said.
"And see if Oracle can find Green Lantern. We need a big gun."
With that, she took to the air. Steel rocketed after her. She and the armored engineer met up with Jon in mid-air.
"Supergirl, you stay here," Diana ordered.
"Why?"
"We need someone to guard the bridge. If it gets through us, you're all that stands between it and New York."
The youthful Kryptonian was obviously disappointed. As with all teenagers, the disappointment showed on her face. But she nodded. She hovered in the same spot, intently guarding the Verrazano-Narrows bridge.
Diana hadn't actually intended the teenager to be their last stand. She just didn't want an unknown quantity fighting amongst them. She wondered which was the bigger enigma, the monster before them, or the doppelganger Supergirl.
The three of them flew out to where Godzilla was. Steel flew to the right and Diana to the left. Despite his fear of fire, Jon stayed in front of the monster, trying to get and keep its attention. When Diana and Steel were positioned, Jon concentrated for a moment and used his morphing ability to turn invisible. He wasn't actually invisible, but rather, like a chameleon he blended into his background.
The monster didn't seem to notice Jon. It was intent on the city beyond the bridge.
Steel took the first strike. He let loose with his hammer. He threw it as hard as he could, striking the monster from behind, hoping to turn the beast's attention from New York and back out to sea.
The beast shrugged off the hammer. The magnetic levitation controls in the hammer returned it to its owner.
Diana tried next. Striking with the strength of the ancient Greek gods, the Amazon Princess flew forward and struck the beast under where its ear should have been. Godzilla batted at her with its small arms. Although the arms were small in comparison to Godzilla itself, the arms and the clawed hands at the end of each arm were still the size of a city buses. A glancing blow stunned Wonder Woman and she fell into the cold water far below.
Jon dove into the water to retrieve his teammate as Steel tried once again with the hammer. This time, Godzilla saw it coming and turned his mighty head. The hammer disappeared in a blast of atomic plasma. Seeing that Jon had retrieved Diana from the water, the three headed back toward the bridge. Their first strike had failed and they needed to regroup.
Jon reached out with his mind. Oracle! He thought. Any luck contacting Green Lantern?
No, Oracle responded. "I can't find him," she said, out loud. "I don't know if he's just out of reach or has disappeared like Superman and Batman," Oracle said.
Godzilla turned back to the bridge and took another step forward. McClane ordered the police to fall back and move any civilian observers back as well. He personally tried to herd Lois and Nightwing back from the anchor points of the bridge. When Godzilla hit that bridge, all hell would break loose.