3 hours later...
NEOMAGE: Did we lose them?
ZOOM: I hope so.
YUSUKE: What exactly happened?
NEOMAGE: I think my latent authoring powers kicked in at the last moment and eliminated them from the story.
OTHERS: ;
NEOMAGE: What? It's happened before, right?
VOICE: Hey! What about us?
(Looking up, the group sees the three God Monsters)
SLIFER: What're WE supposed to do now?
OBELISK: Yeah, we're bored!
RA: Speak quickly, or else...
NEOMAGE: Go destroy Barney or something.
GOD MONSTERS: Okay! (they all fly off)
NARRATOR: Anywaaaay... "neomage only owns this fanfic, not Justice League or any of the other cartoon shows being portrayed here."
NEOMAGE: Okay! Now, on with the fanfic!
CHAPTER 10
TIME: 12:00 p.m.
PLACE: Wayne Manor, Gotham City
Batman sat thoughtfully at the large computer in the Batcave, looking at the information spread out before him. "Very interesting," he mused. He typed a few things in, and some seconds later more information appeared before him.
"Now, let's see: Kendra Saunders. Date of birth – 1975, no day or month given. Place of birth – Midway City, USA. Hmmm. Height – 5'6'', weight – unavailable. Current occupation – co-director of Midway City Museum. Past occupations – unavailable. Interesting...Eyes, blue; hair, blond. Education..."
"Profiling another criminal, Master Bruce?" Alfred's voice reached him.
"Not a criminal, Alfred; just a woman named Kendra Saunders," the Dark Knight replied.
"The new co-director of Midway City's museum?" Alfred asked with some surprise. "I've read about her quite a few times in the news. Charming young lady, and she really knows her history. Do you intend to ask her out? Perhaps you're reading up so you'll have something to talk about on your date..."
Batman was fully acquainted with Alfred's wry sense of humor, and as usual he managed to ignore it. "This is what interests me about her, Alfred: Aside from the given fact that she was born in 1975, there is absolutely no information about her before the end of 2003. No school records, no medical records, no records of club memberships of any kind, not even a record of her ever having been to a 7-11. Her past is a total blank."
"Perhaps she's in the Witness Protection Program," Alfred suggested.
"I thought of that," said Batman. "I managed to enter the FBI's database and ran a check of the name Kendra Saunders, but there isn't any record of any person having taken that name as part of the Program's protection policy. As far as I'm concerned, nobody's ever even heard of her before now."
Alfred was very surprised. "Then how could she have gotten such an important job if everything about her is a lie?"
"Chances are likely she gave the museum false information about herself," Batman surmised. "What puzzles me is how they didn't run a thorough background check on her before hiring her. It's a strict policy that all businesses adhere to, no questions asked."
"Hmmm...Master Bruce, might I suggest a different search method?"
"Okay. What are you thinking of?"
"Have you checked the FBI's Missing Persons list? Maybe there is a Kendra Saunders, only she has disappeared and this woman has taken her identity."
But the Dark Knight shook his head. "Already did that," he informed the butler. "But the FBI has no record whatsoever of any missing person by that name."
Crestfallen, Alfred asked, "So what will you do then, sir?"
Batman looked levelly at the older man. "Well, the only way to find out who this woman really is, is to get a blood, skin or hair sample from her and compare it to all those that I currently have on file," he replied. "Actually getting the sample will be the tricky part, but it can be done."
Alfred managed to suppress a grin. "Well, don't be a peeping-tom while you're at it, sir." And with that, he left. Batman stared after Alfred in surprise, then chuckled and shook his head.
TIME: 12:25 p.m.
PLACE: A castle outside Metropolis
Savage waited patiently as, one by one, the members of the Secret Society drifted into the room and sat down. Sinestro and Volcana were not with them, but Savage merely smiled when he saw this, as he knew what they were doing: as per Savage's previous instructions, they were hiding in different places on the roof, looking out for any intruder that might try to sneak into the unmonitored spot to eavesdrop on the villainous team.
"Say, where are the fire-girl and the ring-man?" asked Killer Croc.
"They're out doing recon," Savage said coolly. "Don't worry about them. Now, then, to the business at hand. I have a grand master plan that will take effect in less than six hours, but I'll need all of your help to pull it off."
"What do you have in mind?" asked Killer Frost, very interested.
"Well, let me begin by asking one question: How many of you here are familiar with Midway City?" asked Savage.
All the others answered in the affirmative.
"Good," Savage went on. "Now, very recently the city's museum had a giant meteorite placed there by order of STAR Labs, and it's become the attraction of Midway. I've done much research on that meteorite, you see, and have found that it gives off powerful energy."
"So...your plan is to break into the museum and steal the meteorite, correct?" said Zoom. "And then...you can use the meteorite as a weapon and have everyone at your mercy."
"You're a smart thinker," Savage commended him. "Yes, that is my plan. But as I said, I will need all the help you can give. Humanite, can you rig a device that'll be big and powerful enough to haul the meteorite away?"
"That depends. How big is the meteorite?" asked Humanite.
"One-quarter the size of a baseball diamond," Savage explained.
Humanite smiled a little. "Then it can be done in three hours, at least. I just need a helicopter in order to do the job justice."
"I already have a helicopter stored downstairs, waiting to be used. It's all gassed up and ready to go," Savage informed him. "All right, everyone. We start the job at six o'clock this evening, just after the museum closes up; and I'll need everyone to play their part well. Come back here in another hour and I'll outline what I have planned for each of you."
As the others assented and then exited the room, from somewhere nearby Savage saw Sinestro and Volcana beckoning to him. He went out through a separate door to face them in the hallway. "What do you have for me?" he asked.
"No sign of any person hiding on the roof, but we found a wire that runs from inside that room to the antenna that's on the highest tower." Sinestro smiled grimly. "It seems to act as part of a transmitter that sends out valuable information to our mystery eavesdropper."
"Then the room WAS bugged," Savage spat angrily. "The question is, just where is the bug?"
"And how do we begin to look for it?" Volcana spoke up.
"Let's do a little searching," said Savage. "Look for anything that seems out of place or unusual."
The three went back into the room and began their search. For nearly half an hour they carefully inspected every piece of furniture, every crack in the wall, every tile on the floor, every painting on the walls, and even the ceiling – but everything appeared copasetic.
"Damn," Volcana grunted in disgust. "Not a thing!"
"Check the fireplace over there," Savage suggested, pointing to a large fireplace whose entrance was carefully grilled. Complying, Sinestro used his ring's energy to remove the grill, then went over and did a thorough search of the ashes. But after a while he admitted to failure.
"They certainly did a good job of hiding it," he remarked.
"Keep searching!" Savage shook his head, determined. "We're not going to give up until we find that thing!"
Volcana shrugged. "I need to get myself a little snack first. Hey Savage, those fruit over there decorations, or are they edible?"
"They're real. Help yourself."
Volcana walked over to a fruit bowl covered with a plastic dish-cover, placed on top of a small cupboard over by the wall next to Savage's wine rack. Removing the cover, she selected a big red apple from the side of the bowl and began to chomp into it. Then suddenly she saw something. Bending over for a closer look, she moved some of the fruit aside and beheld a cluster of grapes at the bottom of the bowl.
"FOUND IT!"
Startled, Savage and Sinestro hurried over to see what Volcana was talking about and were amazed. Buried at the very bottom of the bowl, partially concealed by the grapes, was a small microphone shaped to look just like an actual grape, even painted deep purple to act as camouflage. Gingerly, Savage reached into the bowl and pulled it up – and at its end was a wire, going through the bottom of the bowl and, presumably, into the cupboard, and from there up to the roof.
"Hidden in a bowl of fruit." Sinestro could barely contain his amusement. "Who'd have thought? Volcana, I guess it's a good thing you got hungry, huh?"
"Maybe I'll eat more fruit from now on." Volcana, too, was shaking with laughter.
But Savage was not amused. With fury, he wrenched the microphone from its wire, then threw it to the ground and stamped on it with his heavy boot, crushing it into pieces. "All right," he said coldly, "call the others back in here. We're going to be having a very long conference now."
TIME: 12:35 p.m.
PLACE: Metropolis
Superman, Green Lantern and J'onn were flying toward Metropolis by this time. Suddenly Superman's comm.-link beeped, and he answered it. "Superman here."
Again it was the strange voice. "The Secret Society is planning a heist at the Midway City Museum. They plan to strike at 6:00 this evening. Be there to stop them by that time." Then the line went dead.
"Our mystery friend again?" J'onn asked.
"Yep – and he/she wants us to be in Midway City by six tonight," Superman replied, and then he explained.
"Do you really think we should go?" asked Lantern.
"Why not? This person's info about the Secret Society has been right so far. Who knows – maybe this way, we'll be able to round up the entire group," J'onn reasoned.
Just then Lantern's comm.-link beeped, too. Switching it on, he spoke. "Talk to me."
"It's Diana," came the princess's familiar voice. "Flash and I are still in Midway City, and we've got some interesting information about the sightings of winged people. Can you and the others fly over here?"
"Sure! We were gonna come that way anyway," and Lantern outlined the situation to Wonder Woman. "We'll be there in a few," and with that he cut off the signal.
"Well, guys, let's go!" said Superman. And so, the three heroes turned around and flew toward Midway City.
TIME: 12:40 p.m.
PLACE: Midway City Museum, Midway City
The museum curator sighed as he looked fondly about his office. Life was going rather smoothly for him these days, and he really loved how there was relative peace in Midway City. Granted, ever since the Thanagarian invasion of Earth the previous year things had been tense worldwide; even when the winged woman appeared in this city there'd been speculation that she was another Thanagarian, and as a result business had slackened; but now things were going along at a brisk pace.
The curator had to admit that he had it made. All he had to do was ensure the safety and security of both the artifacts and his employees, be there at appropriate times to give interviews, smile for the cameras and take pictures, and once in a while explain about the history of a recently acquired artifact, like the meteorite that the museum had recently acquired from STAR Labs. In addition, his office had a refrigerator, a TV, DVD player, VCR – Yes, he had it made.
Now, as he reached across his desk for the remote so he could watch the ballgame score, he suddenly saw a giant shadow in front of him, a shadow with wide shoulders and points sticking out of its head. Spinning, he came face-to-face with what appeared to be a giant bat on two legs, and he backed off in terror.
"Calm down; I'm not here to hurt you," said Batman calmly.
Recognizing the Dark Knight, the curator relaxed. "Sorry, Batman," he said sheepishly. "I just didn't recognize you in that getup."
Batman glanced down at his costume and remembered that it wasn't the same one that people were accustomed to seeing. "It's something of a fashion statement," he said wryly. "I'm here for some information. Perhaps you can assist me."
"But of course!" said the curator eagerly. "How can I help you?"
"Tell me all you know about one of your employees – Kendra Saunders."
The curator's face clouded. "Well, I'm sorry, but she hasn't been with us very long – only a few months, if I'm not mistaken. Why, has she done something?"
"Hopefully not," said Batman, wanting to reassure the man. "Just need to clear up something, that's all. How do you screen new employees? Do you have them undergo blood tests, background checks and that sort of thing?"
"Of course! It's the policy being enforced nowadays, isn't it?"
"And how did Kendra Saunders check out?"
"Her record was clean, no priors whatsoever...and I have the results of her blood test on file. Here, I'll get it for you." Swiftly the curator headed over to a file cabinet and searched; after a moment he came back to Batman, holding a file jacket. "Here are her records," he announced. "You can keep those; I still have the originals."
Batman leafed through the files before him. "I see...and if I wanted to get a sample of her blood for testing, where would I go?"
"Actually, we store all the blood samples downstairs in a special room. Come with me and I'll get it for you."
Nodding, Batman watched as the curator opened a door not far away from his desk and started his descent down a flight of stairs. Following behind him, the Dark Knight remarked, "Ms. Saunders must make the museum proud, no?"
"Oh, yes, she does," the curator agreed. "Even though she's only been with us a short time, she's already become quite popular. In fact, I strongly suspect that most of the people who come here are here more to see her than to see our exhibits, but as long as the money's coming in, I'm not complaining."
By and by they arrived at what appeared to be a very large walk-in freezer. "I'll probably be better able to endure the temperature in there than you can," Batman told the curator. "Wait here."
He went inside and, activating his thermal vision so he could see, he immediately headed to the section marked S. Searching for the name Saunders, he finally found the drawer he was looking for. Opening it, he found two tubes marked "Blood." Taking a small vial from his utility belt, he took some blood from one of the tubes, then he closed the drawer and came back out. As soon as he was out of the freezer, the curator closed it.
"Thanks," said Batman. "You've been a big help." And with that he went back up the staircase to the curator's office, headed for the window and dived out.
FLASH: It's mine!
ZOOM: No! It's mine, I tell you!
(The two speedsters are fighting over the TV remote)
NEOMAGE: -- Sigh...what am I gonna do with you two?
(There is a knock at the door; Darkseid goes to answer it)
DARKSEID: OO Boss, you'd better come here quick!
(Outside are the three God Monsters, badly beaten)
NEOMAGE: Oo; What the hell happened to you guys?!
SLIFER: Barney was too powerful!
OBELISK: That damn "I Love You" song...I can't get it out of my head...curse you, purple dinosaur...
RA: (laughing crazily) Purple...I see purple every which where...
OTHERS: OO;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
NEOMAGE: This is bad...very bad, indeed...