EPILOGUE
Brian Richards' salvage team was dispatched to retrieve an unidentified spacecraft entering the Martian sector. It had been two weeks since an attack from earth, so he felt a bit easier about it. His ship had docked with the larger one, his crew gaining access through a hatch at the top. They were dressed in the standard issue spacesuit, protecting them from any harmful substances.
Once inside, they immediately picked up a life sign with their sensors.
"I've got a bite", Murphy said
"Where's the line to?" Richards asked.
Murphy, followed by his four crew members, walked towards the prisoner quarters of the ship.
Murphy pointed with his finger, silently saying 'in that room'.
Richards walked up to the keypad next to the door, prying off the cover with his old fashioned crowbar.
"You still got that thing?" Skip said from behind.
"Whatever works, eh?"
Richards spliced the wires until the door shot open, causing the five salvagers to jump back. Regaining his composure, Richards looked at Skip.
"Skip, you're up."
Skip entered the room with his plasma rifle pointed straight, the light at the end of if illuminating the room.
Skip turned to Richards holding up his left index finger, implying 'one', then made a fist and moved it downwards to imply the person was knocked out.
Richards nodded and motioned for Skip to enter. Skip walked in cautiously as the person lying on the ground was covered by a blanket. Skip walked to its side and knelt down, bringing his right hand down to remove the blanket. He grasped the blanket and moved it off of the guy slowly. But the blanket would move anymore once slid off of the guy's shoulder.
Skip looked down and covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
"The hell is so funny?" Richards said coming behind him.
"Sir, you're not gonna believe this one", Skip said as she put the light on the guy on the ground.
Richards did laugh.
"Some whack job in a Batman costume? Are they friggin' kidding me?"
Richards motioned for the team to disperse throughout the ship, to salvage what they could.
"Should I get the first aid gear?" Skip asked.
Richards looked down at the guy, wondering where the hell he came from.
"Yeah", Richards said. "And get someone from the Counsel on the horn; tell them they may wanna see this. It'd be a cold day on earth before anyone would believe this one"
Skip shouldered his weapon and began to walk out of the room.
Richards, removing his helmut, continued to look down at the guy in the Batman costume, wondering where he got it. He reached for his pack of cigarettes, feeling the need to think about this one over some whiskey later. He puffed as he lit, still looking down.
"I guess I'm gonna end up looking like you tonight, huh pal?"
Richards turned to walk away.
"I sure as shit hope I…"
He heard a quick move behind him; he turned around to see the guy in the Batman costume standing over him, by six inches.
"Who are you?" the guy growled at Richards.
"I…I'm…" Richards was lost in his mind, his cigarette falling from his mouth.
"I won't ask again…" the guy now said.
Richards was scared out of his mind right now, this guy was putting the fear of God into him. And he couldn't move…
The guy looked down at his patch on his spacesuit.
"What does that stand for?"
The guy was referring to the letters on Richards patch.
"Wayne…Defense", Richards wanted to puke out.
The Batman eyes shot wide open.
"Hey Richards, where the hell did'ya…"
Skip was cut off at the sight of the Batman holding Richards by the collar. Skip activated the comlink in his ear.
"Mayday, mayday, this is Wayne Defense Salvage Team code 3245, we are engaged by a…"
Skip was again cut off, this time by a flying disc thrown by that Batman guy. Skip fell to the ground unconscious, Richards even more scared.
Batman took care of the crew quickly, even managed to find a crew member who wore his size. He had the spacesuit on as he boarded their ship, as they were not going to be needing it. He quickly took off the spacesuit as he entered the cockpit of the salvage ship. He looked over the controls quickly, noticing that they were very similar to that of the Javelin's
He sat down in the pilot seat, ready to take off. The moment he sat down, a red alert sounded inside the ship. The auto pilot quickly engaged, detaching from the original ship he had been inside of, now heading into a specific direction.
Batman tried to find away to override the controls, but to no avail. He looked up to see out of the windshield of the ship, noticing the direction he was headed for.
It was Mars.
The closer the ship got to the red planet, the more he began to see small ships in the distance.
Batman tried to make sense of all of this, but he couldn't even think of anything remotely within reason. He readied himself incase he was boarded, but the communicator aboard the ship, and the one still in his ear, switched on.
"This is Wayne Defense of The Mars, prepare to be boarded."
Batman turned to the ships console for some sort of answer; a map, a coordinate, anything. The main screen had a touch display, easy enough for him to operate. He brought up a map of Mars, hoping to get an idea of the situation. The map that came on showed countless cities covering the surface of Mars.
"Impossible…"
He then looked to the top right corner of the screen.
"Earth date: March 12th, 204…"
Batman shot his head up in disbelief, and looked down at the screen again.. That date on the screen couldn't be right, but then he put all of the pieces together:
Slade being the Batman of the future, coming into the past, changing the course of history, abducting him into deep space…
Batman raised his head as two ships surrounded him and was beginning to dock with his.
Then it all made perfect sense.
Brian Richards' salvage team was dispatched to retrieve an unidentified spacecraft entering the Martian sector. It had been two weeks since an attack from earth, so he felt a bit easier about it. His ship had docked with the larger one, his crew gaining access through a hatch at the top. They were dressed in the standard issue spacesuit, protecting them from any harmful substances.
Once inside, they immediately picked up a life sign with their sensors.
"I've got a bite", Murphy said
"Where's the line to?" Richards asked.
Murphy, followed by his four crew members, walked towards the prisoner quarters of the ship.
Murphy pointed with his finger, silently saying 'in that room'.
Richards walked up to the keypad next to the door, prying off the cover with his old fashioned crowbar.
"You still got that thing?" Skip said from behind.
"Whatever works, eh?"
Richards spliced the wires until the door shot open, causing the five salvagers to jump back. Regaining his composure, Richards looked at Skip.
"Skip, you're up."
Skip entered the room with his plasma rifle pointed straight, the light at the end of if illuminating the room.
Skip turned to Richards holding up his left index finger, implying 'one', then made a fist and moved it downwards to imply the person was knocked out.
Richards nodded and motioned for Skip to enter. Skip walked in cautiously as the person lying on the ground was covered by a blanket. Skip walked to its side and knelt down, bringing his right hand down to remove the blanket. He grasped the blanket and moved it off of the guy slowly. But the blanket would move anymore once slid off of the guy's shoulder.
Skip looked down and covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
"The hell is so funny?" Richards said coming behind him.
"Sir, you're not gonna believe this one", Skip said as she put the light on the guy on the ground.
Richards did laugh.
"Some whack job in a Batman costume? Are they friggin' kidding me?"
Richards motioned for the team to disperse throughout the ship, to salvage what they could.
"Should I get the first aid gear?" Skip asked.
Richards looked down at the guy, wondering where the hell he came from.
"Yeah", Richards said. "And get someone from the Counsel on the horn; tell them they may wanna see this. It'd be a cold day on earth before anyone would believe this one"
Skip shouldered his weapon and began to walk out of the room.
Richards, removing his helmut, continued to look down at the guy in the Batman costume, wondering where he got it. He reached for his pack of cigarettes, feeling the need to think about this one over some whiskey later. He puffed as he lit, still looking down.
"I guess I'm gonna end up looking like you tonight, huh pal?"
Richards turned to walk away.
"I sure as shit hope I…"
He heard a quick move behind him; he turned around to see the guy in the Batman costume standing over him, by six inches.
"Who are you?" the guy growled at Richards.
"I…I'm…" Richards was lost in his mind, his cigarette falling from his mouth.
"I won't ask again…" the guy now said.
Richards was scared out of his mind right now, this guy was putting the fear of God into him. And he couldn't move…
The guy looked down at his patch on his spacesuit.
"What does that stand for?"
The guy was referring to the letters on Richards patch.
"Wayne…Defense", Richards wanted to puke out.
The Batman eyes shot wide open.
"Hey Richards, where the hell did'ya…"
Skip was cut off at the sight of the Batman holding Richards by the collar. Skip activated the comlink in his ear.
"Mayday, mayday, this is Wayne Defense Salvage Team code 3245, we are engaged by a…"
Skip was again cut off, this time by a flying disc thrown by that Batman guy. Skip fell to the ground unconscious, Richards even more scared.
Batman took care of the crew quickly, even managed to find a crew member who wore his size. He had the spacesuit on as he boarded their ship, as they were not going to be needing it. He quickly took off the spacesuit as he entered the cockpit of the salvage ship. He looked over the controls quickly, noticing that they were very similar to that of the Javelin's
He sat down in the pilot seat, ready to take off. The moment he sat down, a red alert sounded inside the ship. The auto pilot quickly engaged, detaching from the original ship he had been inside of, now heading into a specific direction.
Batman tried to find away to override the controls, but to no avail. He looked up to see out of the windshield of the ship, noticing the direction he was headed for.
It was Mars.
The closer the ship got to the red planet, the more he began to see small ships in the distance.
Batman tried to make sense of all of this, but he couldn't even think of anything remotely within reason. He readied himself incase he was boarded, but the communicator aboard the ship, and the one still in his ear, switched on.
"This is Wayne Defense of The Mars, prepare to be boarded."
Batman turned to the ships console for some sort of answer; a map, a coordinate, anything. The main screen had a touch display, easy enough for him to operate. He brought up a map of Mars, hoping to get an idea of the situation. The map that came on showed countless cities covering the surface of Mars.
"Impossible…"
He then looked to the top right corner of the screen.
"Earth date: March 12th, 204…"
Batman shot his head up in disbelief, and looked down at the screen again.. That date on the screen couldn't be right, but then he put all of the pieces together:
Slade being the Batman of the future, coming into the past, changing the course of history, abducting him into deep space…
Batman raised his head as two ships surrounded him and was beginning to dock with his.
Then it all made perfect sense.