ElseWorlds™: Saving James

Chapter 11

By: Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: Refer to chapter 1 for the disclaimer for this entire story.

"You're Dick Grayson, right?"

Dick rubbed the sleep from his eyes and shook his head, trying to see if he suddenly went insane the night before. He almost wished that he drank so he could blame what he was seeing on alcohol. Standing before him in tight denim shorts and a halter-top was a young, buxom woman with deep green eyes.

The eyes matched her skin color.

"I almost want to say 'she-hulk', but something tells me I shouldn't," he said weakly. She laughed, her perfect teeth shining against her skin tone.

"I'm Jennie-Lynn Hayden," she said, holding out her hand.

Dick took it and ran the name through his head. It was familiar enough as was she. He had never dated her (he would have remembered dating a green woman), but he was sure they had met. "Can I come in?" she asked.

He turned and regarded the apartment. He had kept it neat and clean under threat of "a major ass-whipping" by Wally West. "Believe it or not, I'm not in the habit of letting pretty girls in my house."

"You don't remember me, do you? A couple of years ago I did a swimsuit calendar with Kory Anders…"

"Oh, yeah," Dick said with sudden recognition. "You wore the green thong…"

"Yes, and it looked like I was naked and born without the proper equipment," she said rolling her eyes. "Like I've never heard that before."

"Model or not, I'm not sure why I should let you in," Dick told her.

She shook her head. "Do you know how many men dream about me coming to their door?"

"I dated Kory Anders…"

She stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, yeah, tall and big boobs…"

Dick had heard enough. "Exactly what do you want?"

"I would really rather come in and tell you…"

He refused to be budged and she took a deep sigh. Despite himself, he found his eyes wandering to her chest as she did so. She wasn't wearing a bra and old hungers suddenly crept up inside of him. It had been weeks since he and Barbara had put their relationship on hold, all for the benefit little James. It was meant to be a temporary situation until she could sort out her problems with the Joker and he could deal with his new legal dilemmas.

Taking a good look at her, he realized just how pretty she really was. She couldn't have been more than 22, but then he wasn't quite sure how old she was when she started modeling. He seemed to remember she was a photographer as well. Probably skilled in many areas and paid pretty well for all of them.

She noticed his gaze but didn't say anything. He was cute, after all. "I'm from Gotham City. I've been there the past six months trying to get my brother to seek psychological help."

"That concerns me how?"

"My brother is Obsidian."

Dick poured out another cup of coffee and Jennie put a good helping of sugar and cream in the cup. He wondered how she kept her figure and then watched in disbelief as she gobbled down another doughnut. "This is good!"

"Yeah, well you'll find all kinds of food full of sugar here," Dick told her. He had taken a quick shower and come out in his shorts and a Hard Rock Café Gotham City T-shirt. Jennie stuffed more doughnut in her mouth every time she got a glance at his chest bulging through the shirt.

"So, you're Alan Scott's daughter?" he asked, trying to get a better feel for her. He laughed at the thought and she gave him a queer look.

"Yes, my brother and I have the same mother, but she and dad are no longer together." She sipped the coffee. "This is good."

"I have it imported from Brazil special," he replied. "So, what makes you think I can help you out with your brother?"

"I know that you were once Robin and you're probably Nightwing, too, thought I haven't seen you in costume lately," she started. She pushed the coffee away. "My brother thought you were a great inspiration, as did I. You and all of the Teen Titans. I was sorry to see them break up."

Dick nodded. "And you're Jade of Infinity, Inc., correct? I guess we're all super-heroes here." He didn't bother to tell her that he was getting pretty miffed by the way everyone seemed to know his secret identity. "Why doesn't anyone ever put it together that you're her?"

She shrugged. "Maybe they do; I'd say most people don't care. It's you guys in the dark costumes and masks that everyone worries about."

"Like your brother?"

"Todd isn't a bad person, or at least he wasn't growing up," she said, her voice suddenly seeming far away. It was obvious by her expression that her brother's current career choice was weighing heavily on her. "When the team split up a few years back, he was looking for a purpose. Jim Gordon gave it to him."

"I get where your powers come from," Dick said, pointing to the power pulse birthmark on her palm. Her powers were nearly exactly like those of her father. "I just don't get Obsidian's."

"My heritage is strange to explain…"

Dick couldn't help but laugh out loud as he moved over to the small television in the kitchen. He wanted to catch the news before he headed out to talk with his lawyer. The lawsuits against him from the two police officers had been dropped thanks to large cash settlements, but he still faced criminal charges and the Joker's lawyer's lawsuit. "Try being raised by the Batman!"

She said nothing for a moment. "Is he dead? I mean, I've heard all of the rumors about him; you never know what to believe."

"Bruce is fine; he's living in Greece with his girlfriend. He refused to change his methods and the criminals knew it. He also didn't want to be fighting with the police in Gotham City." Dick adjusted the sound and noticed that the scrolling bar at the bottom indicated that there was an emergency in Metropolis.

When he didn't respond to Jennie's cough, she got up to see what he was looking at. The news footage, coming from a WGBS news chopper, indicated that the picture was live. Jennie saw several military vehicles burning and she guessed they were National Guard units. It looked like a war zone.

"What is it?" she asked.

He shook his head. "They haven't said, only that Metropolis is under attack and the Justice League has been called in." As if on cue, the familiar sight of the Bug, the flying insect-like craft of the Blue Beetle, came swooping in under the smoke being raised from a forest fire. Behind the Bug came a red-haired man in a leather jacket and cowboy boots.

"Gardner," Jennie commented, not pleased but what she saw. Guy Gardner was considered a fallen Green Lantern after having been kicked out of the Green Lantern Corps by Hal Jordan, the man who had succeeded her father. The Green Lantern Corps were a universal police force that represented order and justice; Guy Gardner had never fit that mold. After he had been removed from the Corps, he had traveled to another universe to secure the power ring of Sinestro; anything to remain in the spotlight.

"I know; it's hard to believe he's a hero," Dick said as he leaned in close. The camera was focusing on Gardner as he streaked down towards a man-shaped mountain of a creature. The monster, for there was no other word to describe it, reached out and grabbed the hero, holding him by the throat. The speed of the monster was incredible.

Over the next hour, they watched in horror as the monster, named Doomsday by the media, trashed the entire Justice League and anyone else who dared to stand up to it. By the time Superman had come to stop it, billions of dollars of damage had been done.

The sight of his old friend and the shining example of heroism made Dick feel better. He was sure that the Man of Steel, whom he was now trusting with protecting Barbara, would be able to handle the monster no problem. Dick turned down the volume and returned his attention to Jennie, who was hanging up her cell phone. "That was Todd; Gordon won't allow him to go to Metropolis to help."

"It sounds to me like your brother knows exactly what he's doing; maybe you're worrying too much. I may not agree with the Oracle Group, but they are legally deputized law enforcement officers," Dick told her.

Jennie shook her head and he got a whiff of her perfume. She really was beautiful. "The Oracle Group are killers; Todd never…"

"Those deaths were ruled justified; believe me, I checked them out. There's not a hint of corruption," Dick told her. He moved back over to the table and sat down. "Anyway, I've got too many legal problems now to be of any use."

She shook her head and reached out instinctively to grab his hand. "No! You and the Batman are heroes to a lot of us. You had no powers and yet you always triumphed. You never deviated from the law, never took matters into your own hands. You have no idea how much respect that garners."

"And we couldn't protect the people that meant the most to us," Dick responded, not bothering to pull his hand back. It wasn't the romantic kind of grab; she wasn't flirting but simply trying to get a point across.

In a way, it seemed funny to him that a younger hero was approaching him for advice. Growing up, he and the other male members of the Teen Titans had always gone to Donna Troy, Wonder Girl, for advice. In his wildest dreams, he never imagined himself in such a role.

"I know what happened to Ms. Gordon, though I'm not exactly sure what her relationship was to you…"

"We were involved…"

"Still, you didn't kill the Joker…"

Dick pulled his hand away. "No, I just beat the snot out of him in a courtroom."

"You could have killed him at any time, you and the Batman both, but neither of you wanted to compromise your principles! You're a good man and I know you can do the right thing." Her eyes were beginning to water and she looked away. "My brother isn't evil, but Jim Gordon is. I always assumed that you and the Batman would see that."

"He's not evil…"

She turned back. A single tear was running down her face and he suppressed the urge to dry it for her. "Maybe not, but he's obsessed with revenge against the Joker. The Joker won't do anything, so he's taking it out on everyone else. My brother is falling for all of it. He thinks Jim Gordon basically trained you and Batman. And that bitch…"

"The Huntress?"

"The bitch, I said! She's the worse of them! All she wants to do is find reasons to kill criminals." Her tears were flowing too heavy now and she stopped speaking. Dick went to get her some tissues when he saw the cameras on the television focused on Doomsday and Superman. The two were fighting and striking blows that were making the buildings shake in downtown Metropolis. Dick grabbed his cell phone and dialed Barbara's number.

He couldn't get through and slammed the phone down. "I've got to get to Metropolis," he said silently.

Jennie came up behind him and peered over his shoulder. She gasped at the sight of the unbridled fury and violence as Doomsday and Superman pummeled each other. Dick's eyes were drawn to the scene as well, a morbid curiosity that made him feel six inches tall. He was worried about Barbara, but it was his hero who was in mortal danger.

A thousand thoughts went through his mind as he watched, in utter disbelief, as Superman bled. "Please, God, no," he whispered. Jennie put a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't notice. He could see the pain in Superman's eyes as Doomsday landed an uppercut.

The cell phone rang and Dick slowly put it to his ear. "Master Richard?" Alfred asked when Dick didn't say anything.

"Alf?"

"Sir, I was just calling to inform you that mistress Barbara and master James are safe at the Manor, per master Bruce's instructions." Alfred didn't say anything for a moment, waiting for Dick's response. The faithful butler knew that the young man was no doubt watching the bloody battle on television. "I am sure he will be okay, sir."

"Yeah," Dick said as he hung up the phone and set it down. The punches were coming so fast that it was a blur of motion with sonic booms occurring long after the strikes had connected.  He felt something shaking and he then noticed that Jennie was trembling.

"He can't die…not him…"

Doomsday finally fell and it looked as if he was dead and then Superman wavered, his knees buckling. Dick saw the Man of Steel fall and Lois Lane running to her fallen husband. She grabbed him and propped him up, but she couldn't hold him up. Dick shook his head and started sobbing because he could tell what was going on by the look on her face, that he was dead. He knew that look for it was the same one he had on his face when his parents had been killed.

It was the face of death and mourning. It was a visage of despair and sadness. His heart was breaking because all of the rules were now thrown out the door. The sun always rises in the morning, the grass is always greener on the other side and Superman can never die.

Like a mirror image, Dick sank to his knees and didn't notice that Jennie was already there. She looked over to him and he could see that she was thinking the same things as he was. "He's Superman…"

Dick tried to find soothing words but then realized he didn't want to soothe anyone, but instead wanted to lash out. Several pent up emotions bubbled up, coming out in the tears pouring from his eyes.

He grabbed her and she didn't resist; her eyes telling him that she needed something, anything to make reality bleed away. He kissed her with passion and with determination. She returned it and pushed herself onto him. His strong hands grabbed her by the shoulder and his lips moved to her neck.

They continued, moving from the floor to the table, their clothes tossed away with abandon. The news report continued, running a commentary of death in the background. As the began their coupling, both of them grunted and moaned louder than they normally would, trying to drown out the what they were hearing.

To Dick, it was all a dream, when guilt started to creep into his mind, he forced it out. Superman was dead, it couldn't be real. He tried to convince himself of that when he looked down and saw Jennie writhing underneath him, her breasts bouncing with their rhythm.

Then it finally occurred to him, the insanity of it all. He saw, for the briefest of moments, the world through the eyes of a madman.

Superman had just been killed and he was screwing a green woman on top of a box of doughnuts.

This is what its like when nothing makes sense he told himself.