The Watchtower. The base of the first line of defense against
universal scourges, alien megalomaniacs, weapons that predate human
history, and sometimes, smiling fish. Home of the Justice League.
Generally a quiet place. A sedate place. A bastion for the heroes to get
away from it all.
Except for today.
In the Hall of Justice, three teams, and a part of a fourth, had assembled to discuss a very pressing issue. It had been three weeks since the Bat Clan had ridden off into the sunset. Or moonset. Or whatever is appropriate for a family that is definitely night people. Three weeks, and no word. Nothing. Now, it was not unusual for the Batman, or Nightwing, or Robin, or even Oracle to go without contacting anyone for weeks on end. But the fact that all of them were doing so at the same time was troublesome. Everyone agreed on that.
But no one agreed on a response.
"Look, we are superheroes, you guys are the Justice League," yelled Kon-El, pacing the floor. "Why not just send out a search party? It would not be that hard to do. All of us working together, it would take no time."
Superman looked at his cousin and shook his head. "That would be too public Kon, and Batman and his group are not exactly public personages. When the Justice League does anything, it winds up on the front page. We can't compromise Batman's position based on little to no evidence."
Roy Harper shook his head and said, "we do have something. We have no word. For three weeks. Now psycho-Bat, yeah, for him that's par for the course. But Nightwing? He would have sent word."
Dinah Lance nodded her head. "Oracle would never leave me dangling for this long, without some word. Anything. Something is not right."
Superman nodded in consideration. While all of the Justice League knew of Batman's double identity as Bruce Wayne, not everyone in the room did. After a week of not hearing from Batman, Clark Kent had put in a call to stately Wayne Manor, and got no answer from anyone. Including Alfred Pennyworth, the true force behind all things Bat-Clan. If whatever issue had arisen involved him, it was truly a family matter, and all the more reason not to get involved unless invited.
But the absence of the Bat-Clan, with the others was important to remember. Something needed to be done.
Superman posed his plan to his teammates telepathically, while the Titans and Young Justice argued on what to do. Finally Superman cleared his throat, and the room went silently. "We are bound by our promises to our friends to safeguard their cities and keep their secrets, but we are also need to determine if they are in trouble. The League's stature prevents them from looking from running this investigation, and Young Justice, with all deference, is inexperienced. Plus things have a tendency of exploding when they go on missions, which is not what we are looking to do here."
"HEY!" yelled Superboy.
"Shut up Kon," whispered Secret. "Its true."
"That leaves the Titans," concluded Superman. "While the League and Young Justice look over Bludhaven and Gotham, the task of finding our associates fall to you."
"YES!" exclaimed Harper hopping up from his chair. "Now this is what I am talking about! Action! Way to go Big Blue!"
"Um.excuse me. Roy withstanding," said Black Canary, staring at her surrogate son pointedly, "the Titans are a great group to be going after the Bat-Clan, but could I tag along. I know certain things that could come be helpful."
Superman shrugged and said, "Not my call. Troia, you are heading the team. Is it OK?"
Donna Troy nodded her head and said, "Of course. Without Nightwing, and Starfire being off planet, we need all the help we can get. Especially anyone who can babysit Roy."
"What is this, rip on Roy day?" asked Arsenal.
"Everyday is rip on Roy day," stated Garth, otherwise known as Tempest.
Arsenal was about to respond when klaxons went on all over the Watchtower. Intruder Alert. There are 8 intruders on the observation deck. The heroes barreled out of the room, headed to the observation deck. Obviously, the speedsters Flash and Impulse were the first to arrive, to find 7 colorfully clad heroes battling the Watchtower's defenses, while an 8th was in a wheelchair, stuck to the floor due to magnetic fields locking his chair to the floor.
"Watchtower, authorize shutdown. Superman, 44510401." The defenses shut down and the 7 rushed to the aid of their 8th member. After the bald headed man assured the others he was OK, Superman approached the group and continued. "Wolverine? Is that you? Its nice to see you again, but why are you here? Is there another emergency? Is Apocalypse back?"
Wolverine shook his head. "We aren't here to ask for help. We are here to help."
Green Lantern questioned, "help us with what?"
"If I may," said the man in the wheelchair. "My name is Charles Xavier, and I lead the X-Men, an organization of which Wolverine is a part. As you know, Wolverine is not much of a public speaker, but I shall endeavor to clarify the situation. A personage of great power, the Living Tribunal, approached us and said that there was a family, very important to your existence that was in great danger. The Tribunal suggested that we could provide aid to them, and repay the debt that we owe to your universe for sending their champions to help us. So my associates were brought here to help."
Superman said, "obviously we are thankful for any help you can provide. But what family are you to help? Which family is in danger?"
Wolverine looked up and grinned, "The Bat's."
Superman hung his head and said, "It is as we feared. If this Tribunal tapped these ladies and gentlemen to help us, then the Batclan is truly in danger, and we should move forward with our plan. It also confirms my fears about the crime rates."
Professor Xavier nodded then inquired, "What can you tell us about the situation."
Superman began reciting the tale to Professor X and the X-Men, while Arsenal admired the new heroes, i.e. the X-Ladies. Approaching one with a white streak in her hair, Arsenal went into the pitch. "Hello beautiful. The name is Arsenal. My specialty is weapons. Used to call me Speedy, cause I am a quickdraw on the field. But with you, babe, I would take my time. What's your story?"
"Hello sugar," said the lady with a cute Southern drawl. "My name is Rogue. I can fly and can bench press a couple tons. I would probably crush that cute little frame."
"Really," asked Roy. "Well I gotta tell you, I am not afraid of strong woman. I have dated them before. I love a challenge."
"Well, 'Speedy,'" continued Rogue, "have you ever dated someone who's kiss could suck the energy right out of you?"
Roy shrugged, "I have dated worse. And I gotta tell you, that kiss thing? Kind of hot."
Rogue turned away, listening intently to the end of Superman's speech. A little too intently. "Our teams have faithfully watched over Gotham and Bludhaven, per our associates' requests, but there has been no criminal activity of significant nature. None. Normally, there are psychopathic clowns, split-personality lawyers, and psychopathic environmentalists. Yet, Gotham and Bludhaven has been restricted to mere pickpocketing, conventional crimes of passion, and thefts. The correlation of the disappearance of the Bat Clan, the drop in supervillain crimes in the area, and your appearance makes me think that there is serious trouble in the horizon."
"Well we will do anything in our power to help, as the League did for our world," said Xavier, flanked by his team, nodding intently. "How can we help?"
"Donna Troy," said Superman nodding to the former Wonder Girl, "will be heading up the search with her team, the Titans. Its up to her."
Donna Troy nodded and began, "we could obviously use the help, since our numbers are limited to seven, with the addition of Black Canary. However, we have a lot of ground to cover in dangerous areas, and if we are to be successful, we need to discern each other's powers and abilities and form as a team. The Titans have been successful in the past, but only through teamwork and knowing each other well. Obviously we can't do that in the limited time we have, but I am going to ask each of you to trust us as we shall endeavor to trust you. Deal?"
Scott Summers stepped forward and answered, "sounds fair. We are all on the same side here, and we will do anything we need to do to get the job done."
As the X-Men and Titans began to acquaint themselves with each other, Roy pulled Black Canary aside and said, "I know you are concerned about Oracle, but honestly, this is just to get yourself honorary status on another team, isn't it? I mean, three is impressive, but four? That has to be some sort of record. Anyway, what do you think about my chances with the X-Men chicks? I am thinking about that Southern Belle, the one named Rogue."
Black Canary shook her head and said, "Roy Harper, you become more like Oliver Queen everyday. Was there something in the water supply? My god, you are insatiable. And by the way, its not my fault that I am so popular that everyone wants me on their team. Its part of my charm."
Donna Troy cleared her throat, after consulting with Professor Xavier and Cyclops concerning on the first step. "As this began in Gotham, so shall we. There are three spots that we need to look at to see what information we can get: The Batcave, home of Batman, The Clocktower, Home of Oracle, and finally the Iceberg Bar, home of Gotham's underworld. Fortunately, due to Batman's membership in the League, we shall be able to enter the Batcave without activating security measures and shall reach the cave through transporters. However, the Clocktower shall have all of its defenses active, and the Iceberg will present us a chilly reception, no pun intended.
"Having consulted with Professor Xavier and Cyclops about the X-Men's abilities, we have decided we are breaking into three teams to cover as much ground as possible, as time is at a premium. Professor X shall lead the team at the Batcave, which will act as our headquarters. Professor X, with the help of Cyborg, Beast, and Damage shall peruse the Batcomputer and the Manor above for any clues regarding where Batman and his family went.
"Cyclops shall lead the team to the Watchtower. Their goal is to impregnate the Tower, to attempt to find Oracle, and failing that, see if there is any evidence to her whereabouts. His team shall be composed of Argent, Iceman, Arsenal, Black Canary and Jesse Quick.
"Finally, I shall lead the team into the Iceberg Bar. I won't lie. It will be dangerous. Our strategy is to overwhelm them with strength and intimidation. Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Tempest, and myself will be the ones who will be the 'shock' force. Jean, I have been told, is a telepath. She will also come along to scan the minds of the bars, to determine what they know, while we shall use other means to determine what they know.
"I like this one already," said Wolverine, "unsheathing his claws."
Troia took one look at the adamantium claws and quickly added, "There will be no killing at the bar, unless it is absolutely necessary. And I don't see that as a possibility. Are we clear? Ok, let's head to the transporter bay."
As the group headed towards the Transporter Bay, Bobby Drake (aka Iceman) approached the white skinned Argent. "Uh, hi, Argent right? I know I am new here, but why the Transporters? Couldn't we take a plane or something? I don't know about you all, but I am kind of squeamish about getting broken up into little pieces and being reassembled."
Argent looked at him strange and said, "But we are on the moon. A transporter shuttle would take forever. This is much faster."
"We are actually on the moon," asked a stunned Iceman. Seeing Argent nod, Drake ran up and said to Professor X and Beast, "Professor! We are actually on the moon. These guys actually have a club house on the moon. This is SOO cool! We need to look into something like this when we get home."
"Yes Bobby, it is cool," agreed the Professor. "And I don't think that this will be the last surprise we shall encounter here. And unfortunately I doubt most of them will be remotely cool."
Except for today.
In the Hall of Justice, three teams, and a part of a fourth, had assembled to discuss a very pressing issue. It had been three weeks since the Bat Clan had ridden off into the sunset. Or moonset. Or whatever is appropriate for a family that is definitely night people. Three weeks, and no word. Nothing. Now, it was not unusual for the Batman, or Nightwing, or Robin, or even Oracle to go without contacting anyone for weeks on end. But the fact that all of them were doing so at the same time was troublesome. Everyone agreed on that.
But no one agreed on a response.
"Look, we are superheroes, you guys are the Justice League," yelled Kon-El, pacing the floor. "Why not just send out a search party? It would not be that hard to do. All of us working together, it would take no time."
Superman looked at his cousin and shook his head. "That would be too public Kon, and Batman and his group are not exactly public personages. When the Justice League does anything, it winds up on the front page. We can't compromise Batman's position based on little to no evidence."
Roy Harper shook his head and said, "we do have something. We have no word. For three weeks. Now psycho-Bat, yeah, for him that's par for the course. But Nightwing? He would have sent word."
Dinah Lance nodded her head. "Oracle would never leave me dangling for this long, without some word. Anything. Something is not right."
Superman nodded in consideration. While all of the Justice League knew of Batman's double identity as Bruce Wayne, not everyone in the room did. After a week of not hearing from Batman, Clark Kent had put in a call to stately Wayne Manor, and got no answer from anyone. Including Alfred Pennyworth, the true force behind all things Bat-Clan. If whatever issue had arisen involved him, it was truly a family matter, and all the more reason not to get involved unless invited.
But the absence of the Bat-Clan, with the others was important to remember. Something needed to be done.
Superman posed his plan to his teammates telepathically, while the Titans and Young Justice argued on what to do. Finally Superman cleared his throat, and the room went silently. "We are bound by our promises to our friends to safeguard their cities and keep their secrets, but we are also need to determine if they are in trouble. The League's stature prevents them from looking from running this investigation, and Young Justice, with all deference, is inexperienced. Plus things have a tendency of exploding when they go on missions, which is not what we are looking to do here."
"HEY!" yelled Superboy.
"Shut up Kon," whispered Secret. "Its true."
"That leaves the Titans," concluded Superman. "While the League and Young Justice look over Bludhaven and Gotham, the task of finding our associates fall to you."
"YES!" exclaimed Harper hopping up from his chair. "Now this is what I am talking about! Action! Way to go Big Blue!"
"Um.excuse me. Roy withstanding," said Black Canary, staring at her surrogate son pointedly, "the Titans are a great group to be going after the Bat-Clan, but could I tag along. I know certain things that could come be helpful."
Superman shrugged and said, "Not my call. Troia, you are heading the team. Is it OK?"
Donna Troy nodded her head and said, "Of course. Without Nightwing, and Starfire being off planet, we need all the help we can get. Especially anyone who can babysit Roy."
"What is this, rip on Roy day?" asked Arsenal.
"Everyday is rip on Roy day," stated Garth, otherwise known as Tempest.
Arsenal was about to respond when klaxons went on all over the Watchtower. Intruder Alert. There are 8 intruders on the observation deck. The heroes barreled out of the room, headed to the observation deck. Obviously, the speedsters Flash and Impulse were the first to arrive, to find 7 colorfully clad heroes battling the Watchtower's defenses, while an 8th was in a wheelchair, stuck to the floor due to magnetic fields locking his chair to the floor.
"Watchtower, authorize shutdown. Superman, 44510401." The defenses shut down and the 7 rushed to the aid of their 8th member. After the bald headed man assured the others he was OK, Superman approached the group and continued. "Wolverine? Is that you? Its nice to see you again, but why are you here? Is there another emergency? Is Apocalypse back?"
Wolverine shook his head. "We aren't here to ask for help. We are here to help."
Green Lantern questioned, "help us with what?"
"If I may," said the man in the wheelchair. "My name is Charles Xavier, and I lead the X-Men, an organization of which Wolverine is a part. As you know, Wolverine is not much of a public speaker, but I shall endeavor to clarify the situation. A personage of great power, the Living Tribunal, approached us and said that there was a family, very important to your existence that was in great danger. The Tribunal suggested that we could provide aid to them, and repay the debt that we owe to your universe for sending their champions to help us. So my associates were brought here to help."
Superman said, "obviously we are thankful for any help you can provide. But what family are you to help? Which family is in danger?"
Wolverine looked up and grinned, "The Bat's."
Superman hung his head and said, "It is as we feared. If this Tribunal tapped these ladies and gentlemen to help us, then the Batclan is truly in danger, and we should move forward with our plan. It also confirms my fears about the crime rates."
Professor Xavier nodded then inquired, "What can you tell us about the situation."
Superman began reciting the tale to Professor X and the X-Men, while Arsenal admired the new heroes, i.e. the X-Ladies. Approaching one with a white streak in her hair, Arsenal went into the pitch. "Hello beautiful. The name is Arsenal. My specialty is weapons. Used to call me Speedy, cause I am a quickdraw on the field. But with you, babe, I would take my time. What's your story?"
"Hello sugar," said the lady with a cute Southern drawl. "My name is Rogue. I can fly and can bench press a couple tons. I would probably crush that cute little frame."
"Really," asked Roy. "Well I gotta tell you, I am not afraid of strong woman. I have dated them before. I love a challenge."
"Well, 'Speedy,'" continued Rogue, "have you ever dated someone who's kiss could suck the energy right out of you?"
Roy shrugged, "I have dated worse. And I gotta tell you, that kiss thing? Kind of hot."
Rogue turned away, listening intently to the end of Superman's speech. A little too intently. "Our teams have faithfully watched over Gotham and Bludhaven, per our associates' requests, but there has been no criminal activity of significant nature. None. Normally, there are psychopathic clowns, split-personality lawyers, and psychopathic environmentalists. Yet, Gotham and Bludhaven has been restricted to mere pickpocketing, conventional crimes of passion, and thefts. The correlation of the disappearance of the Bat Clan, the drop in supervillain crimes in the area, and your appearance makes me think that there is serious trouble in the horizon."
"Well we will do anything in our power to help, as the League did for our world," said Xavier, flanked by his team, nodding intently. "How can we help?"
"Donna Troy," said Superman nodding to the former Wonder Girl, "will be heading up the search with her team, the Titans. Its up to her."
Donna Troy nodded and began, "we could obviously use the help, since our numbers are limited to seven, with the addition of Black Canary. However, we have a lot of ground to cover in dangerous areas, and if we are to be successful, we need to discern each other's powers and abilities and form as a team. The Titans have been successful in the past, but only through teamwork and knowing each other well. Obviously we can't do that in the limited time we have, but I am going to ask each of you to trust us as we shall endeavor to trust you. Deal?"
Scott Summers stepped forward and answered, "sounds fair. We are all on the same side here, and we will do anything we need to do to get the job done."
As the X-Men and Titans began to acquaint themselves with each other, Roy pulled Black Canary aside and said, "I know you are concerned about Oracle, but honestly, this is just to get yourself honorary status on another team, isn't it? I mean, three is impressive, but four? That has to be some sort of record. Anyway, what do you think about my chances with the X-Men chicks? I am thinking about that Southern Belle, the one named Rogue."
Black Canary shook her head and said, "Roy Harper, you become more like Oliver Queen everyday. Was there something in the water supply? My god, you are insatiable. And by the way, its not my fault that I am so popular that everyone wants me on their team. Its part of my charm."
Donna Troy cleared her throat, after consulting with Professor Xavier and Cyclops concerning on the first step. "As this began in Gotham, so shall we. There are three spots that we need to look at to see what information we can get: The Batcave, home of Batman, The Clocktower, Home of Oracle, and finally the Iceberg Bar, home of Gotham's underworld. Fortunately, due to Batman's membership in the League, we shall be able to enter the Batcave without activating security measures and shall reach the cave through transporters. However, the Clocktower shall have all of its defenses active, and the Iceberg will present us a chilly reception, no pun intended.
"Having consulted with Professor Xavier and Cyclops about the X-Men's abilities, we have decided we are breaking into three teams to cover as much ground as possible, as time is at a premium. Professor X shall lead the team at the Batcave, which will act as our headquarters. Professor X, with the help of Cyborg, Beast, and Damage shall peruse the Batcomputer and the Manor above for any clues regarding where Batman and his family went.
"Cyclops shall lead the team to the Watchtower. Their goal is to impregnate the Tower, to attempt to find Oracle, and failing that, see if there is any evidence to her whereabouts. His team shall be composed of Argent, Iceman, Arsenal, Black Canary and Jesse Quick.
"Finally, I shall lead the team into the Iceberg Bar. I won't lie. It will be dangerous. Our strategy is to overwhelm them with strength and intimidation. Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Tempest, and myself will be the ones who will be the 'shock' force. Jean, I have been told, is a telepath. She will also come along to scan the minds of the bars, to determine what they know, while we shall use other means to determine what they know.
"I like this one already," said Wolverine, "unsheathing his claws."
Troia took one look at the adamantium claws and quickly added, "There will be no killing at the bar, unless it is absolutely necessary. And I don't see that as a possibility. Are we clear? Ok, let's head to the transporter bay."
As the group headed towards the Transporter Bay, Bobby Drake (aka Iceman) approached the white skinned Argent. "Uh, hi, Argent right? I know I am new here, but why the Transporters? Couldn't we take a plane or something? I don't know about you all, but I am kind of squeamish about getting broken up into little pieces and being reassembled."
Argent looked at him strange and said, "But we are on the moon. A transporter shuttle would take forever. This is much faster."
"We are actually on the moon," asked a stunned Iceman. Seeing Argent nod, Drake ran up and said to Professor X and Beast, "Professor! We are actually on the moon. These guys actually have a club house on the moon. This is SOO cool! We need to look into something like this when we get home."
"Yes Bobby, it is cool," agreed the Professor. "And I don't think that this will be the last surprise we shall encounter here. And unfortunately I doubt most of them will be remotely cool."