Disclaimer: Do not own, will not steal, do not sue, do not kill.
Rating: PG-13 for one naughty word and a bit of innuendo.
Summary: Batman finds a young woman with amazing power. How will this affect the team? I suck at summaries- just read, okay?
Midnight on the streets of Gotham was quiet, uneventful. The air was cool, yet balmy and Batman shivered slightly, more of an involuntary reaction than an actual response to cold. Over his ever-present uniform, he was wearing dark khakis and a Gotham Knights sweatshirt with a hood, pulled up to cover his mask. There was no way he wanted to be recognized in this part of town at this hour, and in this outfit he resembled no more than a heavily muscled college kid.
He was walking back to the Batplane, hidden on the other side of town, enjoying both the silence and the crisp night air. The darkness had always been his favorite time of day.
Batman shook the cobwebs out of his head and quickened his steps, eager to get back to the Batplane and the Watchtower. He'd spent the evening with Robin and the rest of the Teen Titans, and after an impromptu pizza feast, had played video games with them late into the night.
He stared down at his Rolex and sighed. Nearly twelve-thirty, and he'd wasted his evening on pizza and games with a bunch of overhyper teenagers. "Flash must be rubbing off on me," he muttered. There were important matters pending at his own HQ. What the hell had he been thinking? "I must be possessed," he muttered.
It had been fun, though. To say that Dick had been shocked when Batman arrived at the door of the mighty T would be the understatement of the year- the Bat wasn't exactly the type to make social calls. Even Batman had to admit he'd had a good time- and the kids had even invited him to stay the night. He'd been touched, but refused politely- besides the fact that he'd been shirking his duties all evening, only God could truly say what was on Robin's sofabed.
He quickened his steps, eager to get back to the Watchtower and to his clean, warm bed and room. If he was lucky, tomorrow would be a light day so he could sleep in, and then work on some..
"NO!"
A horrified scream pierced the night air.
Batman froze, on alert at once. Trying to pinpoint the exact location of the sound, he rotated slowly.
"Stop! PLEASE! Oh, God..." as the noise increased, it became clear that it was coming from a small alley about fifty feet away. As the noise became more clear, he began to hear what clearly was a struggle.
Batman began to run towards the sound, feeling underneath his sweatshirt for his rappelling cord. It turned out he didn't need it, however. He burst into the alley, gasping for breath, holding on to the wall for support. Curse Robin and his damned pizza...
He ducked around the corner, blinking rapidly as he came under a streetlight.
"What the- !"
He took in the whole ugly scene in an instant.
A skinny teenager, dressed in baggy sweatpants, a knit Gotham Knights cap, and a bulky down jacket was screaming. He was desperately trying to fight off a burly man who was apparently trying to force a hand down inside the boy's sweats. "No money in your pocket, hunh? Got something for me here then, kid?" he was hissing. "I'll teach you how to behave, you little-"
Batman waited to hear no more. Grabbing a couple of Batdarts in either hand, he crept up behind the man, lips curled in anger and disgust. When he was finished with this freak..
Just as he reached them, the man succeeded in ripping the boy's clothing. Batman sprang to action, but to his surprise, the boy let out a raw, primal scream and leaped into the air, suspended as if on a cable, face distorted in rage and fear. He lifted both fists, and a glow seemed to come from underneath his skin, burning brighter and brighter with each inch his fists were lifted. Batman lowered his darts, awed.
The boy then brought his fists down, slamming them against the man's head, jolting his body with what seemed like an enormous surge of electricity. Batman himself had to leap back, curling into a ball to protect himself from the fiery backlash. He hit the ground just in time to see the boy's attacker give a horrified grimace, ride the wave of electricity, jerk three times, and then thump to the pavement, body charred and smoking.
Batman reached for his darts, prepared to defend himself if necessary, but no attack came. He uncurled himself and stood cautiously, uncovering his eyes.
The boy was pressed against the wall, staring in obvious horror at his attacker's fast-swelling carcass. He began to shake, looking at his hands in fear.
Batman approached the boy slowly. When his dark, hooded face emerged form the shadows, the boy clambered to his feet, staring at Batman with huge, dark eyes made all the more enormous with fear. "I..you.." he was shaking violently.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Batman said soothingly, even as his mind raced. Who was this kid? Was he a villain? Where'd he get such power?
He advanced slowly, palms out in front of him to show that he wasn't a threat. He had no desire to be fried to a crisp as this kid's attacker had been. "Who are you?" he asked gently.
"I didn't do it! I mean, I didn't mean to..." the boy pressed his back against the brick, still shivering. He was obviously going into some kind of shock. Sparks were emitting from his fingertips, and Batman stepped back to avoid them. "Who are you working for?"
"I didn't kill him! I didn't mean..he attacked me! It just happened.." the boy broke down in sobs, tears running down his face. He looked straight up into Batman's cold, steely eyes, stopped crying, and slumped to the ground.
"S**t!" Frustrated, Batman indulged in profanity, something he almost never did, and knelt on the ground, taking the boy into his arms. He tilted his head back, looking into his face. It was pale and cool to the touch, but he could see a rapid pulse throbbing in his throat- the kid was still alive, at least.
Placing him on his knees in an attempt to revive him, Batman slapped the boy's cheek lightly, then pulled his knitted cap off his head, trying to see his face. A cascade of thick, dark hair came loose and pooled over his arm.
"You're a girl?" Batman muttered in disbelief. Further examination and an unzipping of her jacket proved her to be not even a girl, but a very slender young woman.
What to do? Batman glanced at the corpse, realizing that it probably would be a good idea to vacate the alley at once. It would not behoove him to be caught with a burnt corpse and an unconscious woman in his arms. He picked her up and walked away without a backward glance, moving towards the Batplane at top speed.
When Batman got back to the Watchtower, it was nearly dawn- Earth time, anyway. He crept into the side door and sneaked into the freight elevator, pressing the number for his personal suite and lab. He shifted his load to his other shoulder, eager to get upstairs. The girl was light, but he had been carrying her for quite some time.
Batman exited into his personal quarters, wondering what he'd do with her. He walked to his bedroom, paused for a moment, and then placed her carefully on his bed. Going to his bathroom and his medicine cabinet, he selected a small, medically sealed packet of smelling salts, broke it open, and held it under her nose. She jerked once, coughed, sputtered, and opened her eyes.
Batman was sitting on the edge of the bed, and she started violently when she saw him, going white. He reached out a restraining hand. "Don't be afraid. I'm the man who rescued you in the alley."
She said nothing.
Batman kept talking in his gentlest tone. "I had to get you out of there before the police came." He paused. "Do you remember what happened?"
The woman ignored the question and sat up, pressing the back of one pale hand to her forehead. "Where am I?" she asked shakily. She couldn't look him in the eye.
Batman bit down his natural impatience and answered quietly. "You can call me Batman, and you're in the Justice League headquarters."
She stiffened, and her eyes once again filled with fear. "The American secret police?" Her voice was tinged with a European-sounding accent- German, maybe? "I have heard of you! You destroyed the Joker."
Batman nodded. "We're not exactly police, but we do work with them, and we'll have to take you in if you don't tell me who you are."
The woman uncrossed her legs, unable to look him directly in the eye. "My name is Katya Fedorcenko," she said, so quietly that he could barely hear her.
"You sound foreign."
"I'm from Russia." She lifted her eyes, and then allowed them to flicker downwards.
"So what are you doing here?"
"I'm a dancer." He had to strain to hear her words. "I was with the Russian ballet, but I came here to tour." She looked up at him beseechingly. Apparently, his threat to call the authorities had made quite an impression on her. "You have to believe me."
"I believe you." Batman sat down on the bed beside her. "That's why I'm curious to know where you got your powers from." He leaned forward, eyes intent.
"I don't know!" she cried, close to losing control again. "It just happened!" she threw her hands up, bringing them down again in frustration. Batman reached out and grasped her wrists, trying to calm her, but was instantly thrown back by what felt like an enormous static shock.
Biting back a groan, he got up with barely a wince and went to his tool drawer, dragging out a pair of heavy elbow-length black electrician's gloves. He pulled them on in one smooth motion and leap back onto his bed, pinning her down with both arms. "Stop it!"
His yelling seemed to do the trick- she froze, heaving underneath him, breathing hard. Her huge, brown eyes were wet.
Batman suddenly felt a wave of compassion for her. One look into her face proved she probably knew less about her powers than he did- and she was obviously scared to death. He rolled off of her and onto his side, but still held her down by an arm. "You seem to levitate and spark when you become agitated," he said. "Try not to get excited."
She nodded, but tears pooled from her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. "I'm okay now." Her voice trembled, but she already seemed calmer. Batman pulled her to a sitting position. He gave her a moment to wipe her cheeks, then said coolly, "I need to notify my teammates that you're here."
"I can't leave?" she asked timidly.
"I'm afraid not. We need to run some tests and find out what happened to you. It's only to help you." He paused, wondering if he should say what he wanted to say next. "Besides, we're not even on earth anymore."
Her eyes widened, but she didn't seem any more scared- or curious, for that matter. Perhaps she was beginning to trust him. "You need to eat something. What would you like?"
She blinked. "I..."
"Eat chicken soup?"
"I...yes."
Batman nodded briskly and headed for the door. When he reached the landing, he paused and turned, his voice dropping an octave. "Look," he said icily. "Deliberately or not, you committed a federal crime tonight. The Justice League has heavy federal backing and protection. If you don't cooperate with us..." he paused for effect. "I cannot guarantee your safety."
Katya paled and nodded in complete understanding. "Yes, sir," she said in nearly a whisper.
Batman felt a slight twinge of conscience at her obvious fear of him, but he shook it off and strode towards his wardrobe, which was near the door. He rummaged through his many costumes, looking for something. He finally found it and pulled it out of the back, tossing it to her. "You may want to change while I'm gone. Your clothing is filthy."
Katya looked down. Her clothing was encrusted with all the muck and mire of the alley, dirt smears, and blood. Choking down a feeling of nausea, she grabbed the sweatshirt from Batman's hand. It was red, obviously never worn, and had the words "All Hail Flash as God of the Justice League" emblazoned on the front with a bolt of lightning. Her brow creased slightly.
Batman smile sardonically. Who knew the sweatshirt that Flash had given him last Christmas would ever go to any use? "I'll be back in ten minutes. The bathroom is to the left. Drop your dirty things down the hatch for cleaning." He turned and headed for the door, and in a second he was gone.
When the door clicked shut, Katya let out the breath she'd been holding and swung her feet off the side of the bed, heart pounding. She glanced around at the immaculate, starkly Spartan quarters, located the bathroom door and entered. It was just as bare and clean. Stripping off her clothing, she dropped them down the hatch and washed in the basin, drying herself with a thick black towel that hung on the rack.
She pulled the sweatshirt over her head. It hung loosely round her thin frame and reached her knees, but at least it was clean- and dry.
"Batsy!"
She heard a yell on the opposite side of the door, and froze.
"Bats!"
She looked around desperately. Should she hide?
"Guess he's not here," the voice murmured. "Computer! Open doors."
"User not recognized. Access denied."
"Override per code X2KJ17."
Katya plunked down on the bed in a half-hearted attempt to bury herself under the covers. She heard a light, quick tread on the landing and sensed rather than saw a shadow fall over the bed.
"Um, who are you?"
Katya sat up, staring straight into the mask-covered eyes of a man, standing at the foot of Batman's bed. He was young, and dressed from head to toe in a sleek red jumpsuit that clung like a second skin to a slim, muscular frame. His mouth, the only feature she could see, was curved into a bemused frown.
"Look, lady, I don't know how you got here, but you're not allowed to.."
"To do what, Flash?" Batman had suddenly appeared behind him, carrying a tray. "And, if I may ask, how dare you enter my room?"
Flash immediately turned the color of his mask and whirled around. "Um, Batman! What a surprise! I was..that is, I wanted to..I.."
Batman didn't avert his glare. "Yes?"
"Well..." the young man nervously shifted his feet. "I ran out of shaving cream, and GL's makes me break out, you know? And I knew you had that aloe sensitive skin stuff..I wanted to ask you for a bit but you weren't here so I'd thought I'd just duck in and take a bit..then I saw her and thought she was..but she's in your bed, isn't she? And you don't seem that surprised..and she's wearing your....Oh, man. I get it- I'm so sorry, Bats, I never thought.."
"Get out." Batman's voice dripped with ice, and that glare. If looks could kill...
"Sorry, Batman. I just..." Flash made a vague gesture of apology, but another look from Batman sent him skittering for the door. "Um, I think I'll leave now. Nice to meet you!" he yelled to Katya.
Batman shook his head and handed the tray to Katya. He really needed to develop a better security system. Maybe something that would instantly dissolve the clothing of an intruder...
Batman shook the thoughts out of his head and turned to Katya. "Eat," he urged. "I'll get my teammates together when you're finished and we can begin checking you out." He was looking forward to it- he enjoyed solving puzzles. He sat on a bedside chair, while she obediently sipped the thick brew.
******************************************
Flash, aka Wally West, sped through the hallways and down the stairs of the Watchtower, finally off his shift. And boy, did he have some gossip..
He sped into the kitchen, narrowly missing a cranky-looking Hawkgirl, who was standing there in a tattered-looking uniform, pouring herself a cup of coffee, obviously just back from her latest mission with the Green Lantern. It wasn't like the bitter drinks made from Thangerian herbs that she missed so much, but the stuff was still pretty decent. She calmly sipped, watching Flash attempt to stop himself on the slippery linoleum, then finally stop himself by grabbing the fridge.
"Flash, what is wrong with you?" she asked crossly. "Can't you ever make a normal entrance?"
"Nope." Now he was hopping from foot to foot.
She narrowed her eyes, wondering if it was worth it to go all the way back to her room and retrieve her mace so she could clock him with it. Who the hell was this happy this early in the morning? "Flash, if you don't stop that rocking, I swear, I'll smack you like your mother should have."
Flash was too excited to be daunted, however. "I've got some great gossip, Shy!"
"I don't care." Hawkgirl drained her cup and poured another. "I'm on watch in twenty minutes, despite the fact that I just came back from a mission that nearly resulted in my losing my wings. I am not in the mood for gossip."
"Gossip?" the Green Lantern appeared in the doorway, looking equally tired. The entire top half of his uniform had been ripped clean off, and he was covered with what appeared to be..cat hair. "What gossip?"
"What happened to you guys?" Flash asked, shocked at their appearance.
"A couple cows got loose at a pet show in Metropolis," GL said grimly. He walked over to Shayera, took the coffee cup from her, and downed the rest of her drink in one swig. "They were in heat. They smelled the bulls." He looked into the cup to see if he'd missed any of the precious liquid. "Batman sent us to restore order, may he die from the plague." He handed Hawkgirl the empty cup. "More sugar next time, Shy."
She glared at him, but in her current state of exhaustion could do little more than chuck the coffee cup at his head. He caught it with a beam from his ring.
"Sorry, guys. But I've got some news that'll wake you up!"
"Save it, sucker. I'm headed for the showers." Hawkgirl waved a dismissive hand and headed for the door.
"And I'm right behind you." GL got up as well.
"Batman brought a girl home last night!" he blurted out.
That stopped them in their tracks. They both came back in and sat down. "You're joking," Hawkgirl said. "Batman?" It wasn't unheard of to have women over at the Watchtower- hell, Superman had Lois over at least a couple of times a month- but Batman?
"The one and only." Flash leaned back, pleased with himself.
"Impossible!" This was the GL. "Batman, with a woman? Forgive the language, but the Bat with a girl? It's like birds fuc*ing- no offense, Shy. You just can't picture-"
"I know!" Hawkgirl cut in. "But- did you actually see anything? I mean-"
"I went to Bat's room to get something at around five, Earth time," Flash said, "and this girl was sitting on his bed! Dressed in only a sweatshirt! And her hair was like, totally mussed."
"No way!" Both of them were awake, now.
"I'm telling you."
"What'd she look like?"
Flash shook his head vigorously. "Not like someone I'd expect Batman to go after, lemme tell you that. She's really small and scrawny, and she's got these really big eyes that like, pop out of her face, and..."
"Good morning," Batman's cool voice filled the kitchen.
Startled, the trio whirled around. Flash and Hawkgirl turned scarlet, while the GL turned a very interesting shade of maroon.
"Er..morning, Batman."
Batman's expression didn't change. "We have a meeting in ten minutes, in the main conference room. I expect you all to be there. Put the security systems on robotic watch."
"Okay."
With that, Batman turned on his heel and was gone.
"Think he heard us?" Hawkgirl muttered.
"Who knows?" John said in low tone. "C'mon, let's get ready for that meeting."
You know what to do- REVIEW!! Next part up soon..
Rating: PG-13 for one naughty word and a bit of innuendo.
Summary: Batman finds a young woman with amazing power. How will this affect the team? I suck at summaries- just read, okay?
Midnight on the streets of Gotham was quiet, uneventful. The air was cool, yet balmy and Batman shivered slightly, more of an involuntary reaction than an actual response to cold. Over his ever-present uniform, he was wearing dark khakis and a Gotham Knights sweatshirt with a hood, pulled up to cover his mask. There was no way he wanted to be recognized in this part of town at this hour, and in this outfit he resembled no more than a heavily muscled college kid.
He was walking back to the Batplane, hidden on the other side of town, enjoying both the silence and the crisp night air. The darkness had always been his favorite time of day.
Batman shook the cobwebs out of his head and quickened his steps, eager to get back to the Batplane and the Watchtower. He'd spent the evening with Robin and the rest of the Teen Titans, and after an impromptu pizza feast, had played video games with them late into the night.
He stared down at his Rolex and sighed. Nearly twelve-thirty, and he'd wasted his evening on pizza and games with a bunch of overhyper teenagers. "Flash must be rubbing off on me," he muttered. There were important matters pending at his own HQ. What the hell had he been thinking? "I must be possessed," he muttered.
It had been fun, though. To say that Dick had been shocked when Batman arrived at the door of the mighty T would be the understatement of the year- the Bat wasn't exactly the type to make social calls. Even Batman had to admit he'd had a good time- and the kids had even invited him to stay the night. He'd been touched, but refused politely- besides the fact that he'd been shirking his duties all evening, only God could truly say what was on Robin's sofabed.
He quickened his steps, eager to get back to the Watchtower and to his clean, warm bed and room. If he was lucky, tomorrow would be a light day so he could sleep in, and then work on some..
"NO!"
A horrified scream pierced the night air.
Batman froze, on alert at once. Trying to pinpoint the exact location of the sound, he rotated slowly.
"Stop! PLEASE! Oh, God..." as the noise increased, it became clear that it was coming from a small alley about fifty feet away. As the noise became more clear, he began to hear what clearly was a struggle.
Batman began to run towards the sound, feeling underneath his sweatshirt for his rappelling cord. It turned out he didn't need it, however. He burst into the alley, gasping for breath, holding on to the wall for support. Curse Robin and his damned pizza...
He ducked around the corner, blinking rapidly as he came under a streetlight.
"What the- !"
He took in the whole ugly scene in an instant.
A skinny teenager, dressed in baggy sweatpants, a knit Gotham Knights cap, and a bulky down jacket was screaming. He was desperately trying to fight off a burly man who was apparently trying to force a hand down inside the boy's sweats. "No money in your pocket, hunh? Got something for me here then, kid?" he was hissing. "I'll teach you how to behave, you little-"
Batman waited to hear no more. Grabbing a couple of Batdarts in either hand, he crept up behind the man, lips curled in anger and disgust. When he was finished with this freak..
Just as he reached them, the man succeeded in ripping the boy's clothing. Batman sprang to action, but to his surprise, the boy let out a raw, primal scream and leaped into the air, suspended as if on a cable, face distorted in rage and fear. He lifted both fists, and a glow seemed to come from underneath his skin, burning brighter and brighter with each inch his fists were lifted. Batman lowered his darts, awed.
The boy then brought his fists down, slamming them against the man's head, jolting his body with what seemed like an enormous surge of electricity. Batman himself had to leap back, curling into a ball to protect himself from the fiery backlash. He hit the ground just in time to see the boy's attacker give a horrified grimace, ride the wave of electricity, jerk three times, and then thump to the pavement, body charred and smoking.
Batman reached for his darts, prepared to defend himself if necessary, but no attack came. He uncurled himself and stood cautiously, uncovering his eyes.
The boy was pressed against the wall, staring in obvious horror at his attacker's fast-swelling carcass. He began to shake, looking at his hands in fear.
Batman approached the boy slowly. When his dark, hooded face emerged form the shadows, the boy clambered to his feet, staring at Batman with huge, dark eyes made all the more enormous with fear. "I..you.." he was shaking violently.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Batman said soothingly, even as his mind raced. Who was this kid? Was he a villain? Where'd he get such power?
He advanced slowly, palms out in front of him to show that he wasn't a threat. He had no desire to be fried to a crisp as this kid's attacker had been. "Who are you?" he asked gently.
"I didn't do it! I mean, I didn't mean to..." the boy pressed his back against the brick, still shivering. He was obviously going into some kind of shock. Sparks were emitting from his fingertips, and Batman stepped back to avoid them. "Who are you working for?"
"I didn't kill him! I didn't mean..he attacked me! It just happened.." the boy broke down in sobs, tears running down his face. He looked straight up into Batman's cold, steely eyes, stopped crying, and slumped to the ground.
"S**t!" Frustrated, Batman indulged in profanity, something he almost never did, and knelt on the ground, taking the boy into his arms. He tilted his head back, looking into his face. It was pale and cool to the touch, but he could see a rapid pulse throbbing in his throat- the kid was still alive, at least.
Placing him on his knees in an attempt to revive him, Batman slapped the boy's cheek lightly, then pulled his knitted cap off his head, trying to see his face. A cascade of thick, dark hair came loose and pooled over his arm.
"You're a girl?" Batman muttered in disbelief. Further examination and an unzipping of her jacket proved her to be not even a girl, but a very slender young woman.
What to do? Batman glanced at the corpse, realizing that it probably would be a good idea to vacate the alley at once. It would not behoove him to be caught with a burnt corpse and an unconscious woman in his arms. He picked her up and walked away without a backward glance, moving towards the Batplane at top speed.
When Batman got back to the Watchtower, it was nearly dawn- Earth time, anyway. He crept into the side door and sneaked into the freight elevator, pressing the number for his personal suite and lab. He shifted his load to his other shoulder, eager to get upstairs. The girl was light, but he had been carrying her for quite some time.
Batman exited into his personal quarters, wondering what he'd do with her. He walked to his bedroom, paused for a moment, and then placed her carefully on his bed. Going to his bathroom and his medicine cabinet, he selected a small, medically sealed packet of smelling salts, broke it open, and held it under her nose. She jerked once, coughed, sputtered, and opened her eyes.
Batman was sitting on the edge of the bed, and she started violently when she saw him, going white. He reached out a restraining hand. "Don't be afraid. I'm the man who rescued you in the alley."
She said nothing.
Batman kept talking in his gentlest tone. "I had to get you out of there before the police came." He paused. "Do you remember what happened?"
The woman ignored the question and sat up, pressing the back of one pale hand to her forehead. "Where am I?" she asked shakily. She couldn't look him in the eye.
Batman bit down his natural impatience and answered quietly. "You can call me Batman, and you're in the Justice League headquarters."
She stiffened, and her eyes once again filled with fear. "The American secret police?" Her voice was tinged with a European-sounding accent- German, maybe? "I have heard of you! You destroyed the Joker."
Batman nodded. "We're not exactly police, but we do work with them, and we'll have to take you in if you don't tell me who you are."
The woman uncrossed her legs, unable to look him directly in the eye. "My name is Katya Fedorcenko," she said, so quietly that he could barely hear her.
"You sound foreign."
"I'm from Russia." She lifted her eyes, and then allowed them to flicker downwards.
"So what are you doing here?"
"I'm a dancer." He had to strain to hear her words. "I was with the Russian ballet, but I came here to tour." She looked up at him beseechingly. Apparently, his threat to call the authorities had made quite an impression on her. "You have to believe me."
"I believe you." Batman sat down on the bed beside her. "That's why I'm curious to know where you got your powers from." He leaned forward, eyes intent.
"I don't know!" she cried, close to losing control again. "It just happened!" she threw her hands up, bringing them down again in frustration. Batman reached out and grasped her wrists, trying to calm her, but was instantly thrown back by what felt like an enormous static shock.
Biting back a groan, he got up with barely a wince and went to his tool drawer, dragging out a pair of heavy elbow-length black electrician's gloves. He pulled them on in one smooth motion and leap back onto his bed, pinning her down with both arms. "Stop it!"
His yelling seemed to do the trick- she froze, heaving underneath him, breathing hard. Her huge, brown eyes were wet.
Batman suddenly felt a wave of compassion for her. One look into her face proved she probably knew less about her powers than he did- and she was obviously scared to death. He rolled off of her and onto his side, but still held her down by an arm. "You seem to levitate and spark when you become agitated," he said. "Try not to get excited."
She nodded, but tears pooled from her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. "I'm okay now." Her voice trembled, but she already seemed calmer. Batman pulled her to a sitting position. He gave her a moment to wipe her cheeks, then said coolly, "I need to notify my teammates that you're here."
"I can't leave?" she asked timidly.
"I'm afraid not. We need to run some tests and find out what happened to you. It's only to help you." He paused, wondering if he should say what he wanted to say next. "Besides, we're not even on earth anymore."
Her eyes widened, but she didn't seem any more scared- or curious, for that matter. Perhaps she was beginning to trust him. "You need to eat something. What would you like?"
She blinked. "I..."
"Eat chicken soup?"
"I...yes."
Batman nodded briskly and headed for the door. When he reached the landing, he paused and turned, his voice dropping an octave. "Look," he said icily. "Deliberately or not, you committed a federal crime tonight. The Justice League has heavy federal backing and protection. If you don't cooperate with us..." he paused for effect. "I cannot guarantee your safety."
Katya paled and nodded in complete understanding. "Yes, sir," she said in nearly a whisper.
Batman felt a slight twinge of conscience at her obvious fear of him, but he shook it off and strode towards his wardrobe, which was near the door. He rummaged through his many costumes, looking for something. He finally found it and pulled it out of the back, tossing it to her. "You may want to change while I'm gone. Your clothing is filthy."
Katya looked down. Her clothing was encrusted with all the muck and mire of the alley, dirt smears, and blood. Choking down a feeling of nausea, she grabbed the sweatshirt from Batman's hand. It was red, obviously never worn, and had the words "All Hail Flash as God of the Justice League" emblazoned on the front with a bolt of lightning. Her brow creased slightly.
Batman smile sardonically. Who knew the sweatshirt that Flash had given him last Christmas would ever go to any use? "I'll be back in ten minutes. The bathroom is to the left. Drop your dirty things down the hatch for cleaning." He turned and headed for the door, and in a second he was gone.
When the door clicked shut, Katya let out the breath she'd been holding and swung her feet off the side of the bed, heart pounding. She glanced around at the immaculate, starkly Spartan quarters, located the bathroom door and entered. It was just as bare and clean. Stripping off her clothing, she dropped them down the hatch and washed in the basin, drying herself with a thick black towel that hung on the rack.
She pulled the sweatshirt over her head. It hung loosely round her thin frame and reached her knees, but at least it was clean- and dry.
"Batsy!"
She heard a yell on the opposite side of the door, and froze.
"Bats!"
She looked around desperately. Should she hide?
"Guess he's not here," the voice murmured. "Computer! Open doors."
"User not recognized. Access denied."
"Override per code X2KJ17."
Katya plunked down on the bed in a half-hearted attempt to bury herself under the covers. She heard a light, quick tread on the landing and sensed rather than saw a shadow fall over the bed.
"Um, who are you?"
Katya sat up, staring straight into the mask-covered eyes of a man, standing at the foot of Batman's bed. He was young, and dressed from head to toe in a sleek red jumpsuit that clung like a second skin to a slim, muscular frame. His mouth, the only feature she could see, was curved into a bemused frown.
"Look, lady, I don't know how you got here, but you're not allowed to.."
"To do what, Flash?" Batman had suddenly appeared behind him, carrying a tray. "And, if I may ask, how dare you enter my room?"
Flash immediately turned the color of his mask and whirled around. "Um, Batman! What a surprise! I was..that is, I wanted to..I.."
Batman didn't avert his glare. "Yes?"
"Well..." the young man nervously shifted his feet. "I ran out of shaving cream, and GL's makes me break out, you know? And I knew you had that aloe sensitive skin stuff..I wanted to ask you for a bit but you weren't here so I'd thought I'd just duck in and take a bit..then I saw her and thought she was..but she's in your bed, isn't she? And you don't seem that surprised..and she's wearing your....Oh, man. I get it- I'm so sorry, Bats, I never thought.."
"Get out." Batman's voice dripped with ice, and that glare. If looks could kill...
"Sorry, Batman. I just..." Flash made a vague gesture of apology, but another look from Batman sent him skittering for the door. "Um, I think I'll leave now. Nice to meet you!" he yelled to Katya.
Batman shook his head and handed the tray to Katya. He really needed to develop a better security system. Maybe something that would instantly dissolve the clothing of an intruder...
Batman shook the thoughts out of his head and turned to Katya. "Eat," he urged. "I'll get my teammates together when you're finished and we can begin checking you out." He was looking forward to it- he enjoyed solving puzzles. He sat on a bedside chair, while she obediently sipped the thick brew.
******************************************
Flash, aka Wally West, sped through the hallways and down the stairs of the Watchtower, finally off his shift. And boy, did he have some gossip..
He sped into the kitchen, narrowly missing a cranky-looking Hawkgirl, who was standing there in a tattered-looking uniform, pouring herself a cup of coffee, obviously just back from her latest mission with the Green Lantern. It wasn't like the bitter drinks made from Thangerian herbs that she missed so much, but the stuff was still pretty decent. She calmly sipped, watching Flash attempt to stop himself on the slippery linoleum, then finally stop himself by grabbing the fridge.
"Flash, what is wrong with you?" she asked crossly. "Can't you ever make a normal entrance?"
"Nope." Now he was hopping from foot to foot.
She narrowed her eyes, wondering if it was worth it to go all the way back to her room and retrieve her mace so she could clock him with it. Who the hell was this happy this early in the morning? "Flash, if you don't stop that rocking, I swear, I'll smack you like your mother should have."
Flash was too excited to be daunted, however. "I've got some great gossip, Shy!"
"I don't care." Hawkgirl drained her cup and poured another. "I'm on watch in twenty minutes, despite the fact that I just came back from a mission that nearly resulted in my losing my wings. I am not in the mood for gossip."
"Gossip?" the Green Lantern appeared in the doorway, looking equally tired. The entire top half of his uniform had been ripped clean off, and he was covered with what appeared to be..cat hair. "What gossip?"
"What happened to you guys?" Flash asked, shocked at their appearance.
"A couple cows got loose at a pet show in Metropolis," GL said grimly. He walked over to Shayera, took the coffee cup from her, and downed the rest of her drink in one swig. "They were in heat. They smelled the bulls." He looked into the cup to see if he'd missed any of the precious liquid. "Batman sent us to restore order, may he die from the plague." He handed Hawkgirl the empty cup. "More sugar next time, Shy."
She glared at him, but in her current state of exhaustion could do little more than chuck the coffee cup at his head. He caught it with a beam from his ring.
"Sorry, guys. But I've got some news that'll wake you up!"
"Save it, sucker. I'm headed for the showers." Hawkgirl waved a dismissive hand and headed for the door.
"And I'm right behind you." GL got up as well.
"Batman brought a girl home last night!" he blurted out.
That stopped them in their tracks. They both came back in and sat down. "You're joking," Hawkgirl said. "Batman?" It wasn't unheard of to have women over at the Watchtower- hell, Superman had Lois over at least a couple of times a month- but Batman?
"The one and only." Flash leaned back, pleased with himself.
"Impossible!" This was the GL. "Batman, with a woman? Forgive the language, but the Bat with a girl? It's like birds fuc*ing- no offense, Shy. You just can't picture-"
"I know!" Hawkgirl cut in. "But- did you actually see anything? I mean-"
"I went to Bat's room to get something at around five, Earth time," Flash said, "and this girl was sitting on his bed! Dressed in only a sweatshirt! And her hair was like, totally mussed."
"No way!" Both of them were awake, now.
"I'm telling you."
"What'd she look like?"
Flash shook his head vigorously. "Not like someone I'd expect Batman to go after, lemme tell you that. She's really small and scrawny, and she's got these really big eyes that like, pop out of her face, and..."
"Good morning," Batman's cool voice filled the kitchen.
Startled, the trio whirled around. Flash and Hawkgirl turned scarlet, while the GL turned a very interesting shade of maroon.
"Er..morning, Batman."
Batman's expression didn't change. "We have a meeting in ten minutes, in the main conference room. I expect you all to be there. Put the security systems on robotic watch."
"Okay."
With that, Batman turned on his heel and was gone.
"Think he heard us?" Hawkgirl muttered.
"Who knows?" John said in low tone. "C'mon, let's get ready for that meeting."
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