Summary: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman reveal the best kept secret in the universe.
Author's Note: See Part 1
Acknowledgements: See Part 1
Disclaimer: All the characters are owned by DC Comics and Time/Warner; this is an original story that does not intend to infringe on their copyright. Feedback is welcome!
Copyright: February 2003
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Chapter Three
Day 11353hrs Zulu: JLA Watchtower
Luna
****
After the two Robins disappeared around the corner, a second surveillance camera picked them up. Together, they easily subdued the Riddler. The two boys celebrated with high fives.
"All right!" the younger Robin cried excitedly. "Wait'll I tell Batman! Two birds in the bush can beat one ol' loser villain like the Riddler any day!"
"It's not fair!" the Riddler whined. "Two Bird-boys against one. No one told me there were two of you! You tricked me!"
The GCPD pulled up at this moment. Proud of their capture, the two boys grinned from ear to ear as Lt. Bullock stomped in.
"Put 'er there, partner!" Robin said, holding out his gloved hand. The younger Robin began to reach for it, when he seemed to stumble.
"You okay, kid?" Robin asked worriedly.
The boy shook his head, uncertainly. He brought his hand up to his head. "Feeling...dizzy..." he said, suddenly sounding like a ten-year-old boy. He held his hand out. "M-My h-hand--I-I c-can s-see through it!" He looked up frightened. "W-What's h-happening--?"
Robin watched stunned as the little boy before him began to fade rapidly away. "Robbie! Grab my hand!" he cried, desperately reaching out for the smaller, gloved hand that the younger Robin was holding out to him. Robin closed his fingers around the boy's, but to his shocked dismay, they passed through his hand.
"Help me!" the boy-Robin mouthed, as he slowly faded from existence.
"Robiiiiin!"
But the boy was already gone. In the next moment, Robin's shocked expression changed, becoming oddly blank.
"Where'd the little punk go?" the Riddler asked, confused.
Abruptly, Robin blinked, and without losing a beat, snarled at the captured villain. "Who're you calling a punk?" he asked, grabbing the Riddler by the collar.
"You wouldn't hit a guy in handcuffs, would you?" the Riddler squeaked. Robin released him in disgust and turned him over to Bullock.
"You'll find his stash over by the vault," he said, firing off a jumpline. "Believe it or not, he was going to put the Conundrum Diamond in a safety deposit box for safe keeping."
Bullock glared at the Riddler and shook his head. "Smart move, Einstein," he said. "Too bad for you that the Bat trained that kid."
The Riddler kept crying out, "You don't understand! It wasn't fair! There were two of them! Two against one! No fair!"
"Yeah, yeah, tell it to the judge," Bullock growled as they dragged the protesting villain out the door.
****
Day 11405hrs Zulu: JLA Watchtower
Luna
****
Nightwing stood still, brooding over the images that had just played out before him. Strange. Robin seemed to have forgotten him almost as soon as he disappeared, but the Riddler--?
"Hey, Batboy, did the big, black Bat ground you for failing math?" Arsenal asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Nightwing grinned slightly, grateful for the respite. "No, but it was a close call."
"This is getting us no where!" Aquaman shouted, sounding irritated. He stood, drawing himself to his full height, the picture of a monarch used to being obeyed. "What is the point of this demonstration? What have we learned?"
Black Canary returned to the podium. Batman remained standing next to her.
"Those are good questions, Orin. Let me see if we can answer them." She turned to Nightwing. "Nightwing, do you have any memory of what we just saw?"
Nightwing shook his head.
"I remember sneaking out one school night, but I don't remember anything about the Riddler." He addressed Batman. "It was a case involving Boss Thorpe, I think. He was blackmailing some of Gotham's elected officials. I think you'd confronted him in his office and his goons tried to take you out. I remember they had enough firepower to conduct a coup d'etat."
Batman nodded. "Thorpe's offices used to be located where the Gotham City National Bank stands today," he said. "I remember that case. And the math test."
The rest of the room burst into good-natured laughter. Nightwing grinned sheepishly.
"Hey, I distracted them long enough to save your cape, didn't I?" he asked. Turning thoughtful, Nightwing added, "I remember sneaking in through a window on the upper floor. When I heard the shooting, I hurried to help. But I don't remember anything like what's on that tape."
"Surely this is some sort of fantastic hoax," Aquaman spluttered. "Meeting our future selves--or even our past selves. Preposterous!" He turned to the Atom. "Atom, you are our resident physicist! Tell them how absurd this all is!"
"As a matter of fact--" The Atom began, but was interrupted by Nightwing who was addressing Batman. The Flash and Arsenal exchanged rueful glances. It was obvious to them that Nightwing was ignoring the side discussions.
"What about Robin?" Nightwing asked. "Does he remember anything?"
In answer, Robin appeared on a different monitor screen. He looked a little overwhelmed to be addressing the Justice League.
"Um, uh, hi," he stuttered. "Um, Oracle showed me the video with me'n the other Robin. I remember the case. The Riddler had stolen the Conundrum Diamond from the Gotham Museum of Gemology. I trailed him to the Gotham City National Bank." Robin shrugged. "I just remember the chase and the capture." He paused, his eyes narrowing.
"Waitaminute. There is something else. I waited on the roof after I handed him over to Bullock and his boys. As they were dragging him to the squad car, the Riddler said something really strange--"
"'Strange' is the guy's middle name, kid," Nightwing interrupted. "He specializes in mysteries, remember?"
"Yeah, I know that. That's why I dismissed it at the time."
"What did he say?" Batman asked.
Robin shook his head. "Something about two birds in the bush." Robin looked out at them. "It didn't make sense then. Think he remembered something?"
"The tape seems to indicate that," Batman said. "Nightwing, you and Robin. Check it out."
Nightwing nodded. He grabbed Arsenal by the arm on the way out.
"After the 'elders' here are done arguing about the finer points of physics--or when you get bored--head over to Titans Tower and brief the team. I have a feeling we're going to need all the help we can get."
"I'm bored now, Wingman," Arsenal said. "Beat you to the transporters!"
Nightwing grinned and the two Titans hurried towards the JLA transporter chamber.
"Hey! Wait--" The Flash began. "--for me!" He finished the sentence while waving a greeting as the other two arrived at the transporter. Arsenal and Nightwing exchanged chagrinned looks.
****
Day 11430hrs Zulu: JLA Watchtower
Luna
****
Batman looked out at the assembled heroes.
"Westfield conducted some highly dangerous experiments while testing Project Armageddon. It resulted in the temporal displacement you just witnessed--a ten-year-old Robin appearing at a time and place when he existed in his late teens. And with perhaps a single exception, the memory of his appearance wiped clean from those who witnessed it."
"I still believe that what we are discussing are but windmills," Aquaman grumbled, crossing his arms and sitting down. The rest of the JLA remained tactfully silent.
Batman glared at Aquaman and then at the others.
"Perhaps," he said. "But I don't intend to stand still and do nothing. For if Armageddon is capable of tapping into what Westfield calls 'the multi-verse' then setting it off spells the end of all we know." Batman paused to gauge his teammates' reactions.
"Westfield's promised 'Crown of Life'--giving the Earth a rebirth--is a fiction. We will die--period! If Armageddon does indeed result in a massive space/time displacement, then we might be replaced by 'others' who look like us, sound like us, even have our identical DNA." He turned and faced Black Canary, who was standing a little to the side.
"But they won't be us. They'll be someone else. With different lives, different dreams, different--" Chin high, Black Canary held his gaze. The electricity between them seemed to charge the room, obvious to everyone there. Seeing that her eyes were bright with unshed tears, Batman felt his throat catch as they stood without speaking. She smiled up at him holding out her hand to him. Hesitating only briefly, Batman took it in his.
Plastic Man dropped his head on the table with a loud ~thump~! When he looked up, his face was completely flattened. "Why does the Bat-guy always attract the best-lookin' dames?" he muttered in disgust.
Green Lantern stood stock-still, his mouth agape, shocked by the revelations before him. Gliding on an air current, the Atom landed softly on his shoulder.
"Hey, kid," the Mighty Mite spoke amusedly into GL's ear. "Better close it before a fly gets in." GL nodded, his eyes glued to the two senior JLA members. After several tries, he finally closed his mouth. Then, his eyes still wide with disbelief, he turned to the Atom.
"I-I thought she couldn't stand him, Professor," he managed. The Atom smiled benignly.
"Nothing so mysterious about 'Love,' my boy," he said, leaning casually against the younger man's earlobe. "You'll find that it obeys the basic laws of physics." At GL's look of incomprehension, he explained. "Opposites attract."
Superman stepped into the embarrassed silence, clearing his throat. "Diana, Batman, I believe that it's time we let the others know about--"
"Kal!" Wonder Woman interrupted. "Are you certain? What of the danger of such knowledge?"
"Diana, don't you think that Project Armageddon has rendered your point moot?" Batman asked.
Superman nodded. "He's right. Project Armageddon has let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. Furthermore, Earth's scientists achieved this without our interference. The rules have changed."
Wonder Woman nodded reluctantly.
The Atom spoke up sharply. "What are you three talking about? What's going on?"
Batman held Black Canary's eyes for a long moment. Finally, he spoke. "Hypertime," he said simply. "The cosmos' best-kept, most closely guarded secret--the existence of alternate universes in multiple timelines."
The Atom stood, hands on hips, exuding attitude. "What's so secret about that?" he asked. "We've theorized the existence of multiple universes for years now. What's the big deal?"
"Let's just say that the reasons seemed justified at the time," Superman said. "But now, when our very reality could be threatened--it's time for openness. Otherwise, who we are right now, at this moment, may very well cease to exist."
Batman took a step forward towards the Atom. "And maybe you have a little bit of explaining yourself, Palmer," he said. At the Atom's look of surprise, Batman continued. "It's a little difficult for me to believe that Dr. Ray Palmer, premier physicist whose proven theories of the existence of sub-atomic worlds and considerable expertise in quantum physics, wouldn't have been approached by the United Science League to assist in the development of Project Armageddon."
****
Day 1
1445hrs Zulu: Titans Tower
New York City, NY
****
Nightstar woke with a scream.
"Daddy!" She looked around in a panic. Where was she? Nothing looked familiar. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, trying to find her center like her father taught her...
"~Starshine,~" his quiet voice sounded in her head. "~Find your quiet place...let the storms subside...don't let the storms control you. Mari, you control the storm...~"
Feeling calmed, Nightstar opened her eyes. This time when she surveyed the ground below her, she spotted it. Her distinct emerald eyes widened.
"X'hal! Titans Tower!" she whispered, awed. "But--that's impossible!"
****
Day 1
1445hrs Zulu: Arkham Asylum
Gotham City
****
"I fight like a girl, huh?" Robin asked.
"If the shoe fits--" Nightwing began. "--Hey! Cut it out!" He yelled, laughing as Robin jumped him from behind. Grabbing the younger boy by the wrists, Nightwing easily twisted underneath him and dumped him ignominiously.
"Careful, kid," Nightwing warned dangerously. "I'm not ten years old any more."
Robin gulped and gave a small laugh. "Heh. You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses would you?" he asked, immediately donning the latest addition to his Tim Drake identity. Nightwing's lips twitched in amusement, and he shook his head. Reaching down, he gave Robin a hand up.
"Come on, let's go. Before they lock us up in this loony bin."
Robin looked around fearfully. "I hate this place," he muttered. "Gives me the creeps." Nightwing nodded in agreement.
"The Riddler sure wasn't much help, was he?" Robin asked. "Of course, now one of us has the unpleasant task of explaining to Batman how he escaped right from under our noses.
"We?" Nightwing asked. "He's your partner, kid! Me, I've gotta get to Titans Tower and brief the others on what's going on."
"Oh, that's right. When the going gets tough, the rats leave a sinking ship," Robin shot back, mixing his metaphors.
Nightwing grinned. "Don't worry, kiddo," he said placing his arm around the junior hero's shoulders. "If we're gonna hang, we might as well hang together, as opposed to separately."
Robin nodded, and then began shaking his head. "I don't much like the sound of that--!" On their return trip to the Batmobile, he continued voicing his protests over Nightwing's good-natured ribbing. Later, as they drove through the heavily wooded back roads just outside the Gotham City limits, Robin kept going back to their interview with Edward Nygma, AKA the Riddler...
****
When the two of them entered his padded cell, the Riddler immediately jumped back and cowered in the farthest corner.
"You two!" he shouted. "What do you want with me? Are you here to gang up on me again?" he whimpered.
"Edward," Nightwing said quietly, his voice soothing, "we're not here to hurt you. We only want to ask you a few questions." It was the right thing to say. The Riddler went instantly still, his interest piqued.
"A question? For me?" he asked wonderingly. He turned suspicious eyes on them, his head twitching back and forth. He held his finger to his lips and hissed them to silence. "The walls have ears," he whispered conspiratorially. "They're all listening, trying to discover my secrets."
Nightwing nodded in understanding. He jerked his head to the side, indicating he wanted the Riddler to draw closer. When he complied, Nightwing placed his arm around the villain's shoulders in a remarkable display of camaraderie.
"Edward, now you and I both know that you're the smartest guy in this place, right?" He spoke in low, conspiratorial tones. The Riddler looked at him with wide eyes, clearly excited at someone finally realizing his greatness. He nodded emphatically, his head bobbing strangely on his pencil-thin neck.
"You know?" he asked excitedly, his voice high with emotion.
"Of course, I know, Edward," Nightwing said reassuringly. "When I was kid, I remember how much I hated it when you were on a new crime spree."
The Riddler's eyes snapped at the word 'hated.' He looked ready to pull away, but Nightwing laid a soothing hand on his arm.
"Because your riddles always drove me nuts," he finished, looking around the place meaningfully. They both laughed at the joke. "I thought you were the smartest villain of all. Smarter than Two-Face, more brilliant than the Scarecrow, sharper than the Penguin, and--" Nightwing chuckled softly. "--don't get me started on the Joker. I mean, can you say 'loser'?"
The Riddler clasped his hands together in glee.
"Yes!" he agreed. "Yesyesyesyesyesyes!" He danced merrily around the cell, and then skipped gleefully back to Nightwing. "You've made me so unbelievably happy. You don't know what this means to me! To be appreciated by the enemy--no offense intended, Batboy!"
Nightwing just smiled, showing that no offense was taken. The Riddler looked at him, smiling almost tenderly.
"Now how can I help you and junior there?" he asked.
"Two years ago--the Conundrum Diamond heist. Remember that?" he asked.
Riddler threw his arms up in annoyance. "Remember it? Why do you think I'm in this joint? They didn't even bother with a jury trial--they just returned me and tacked on an additional ninety-nine years to my sentence." He crossed his arms, looking extremely put out.
"His Honor said that by the time I was finally released, I'd be too enfeebled to solve any more puzzles, much less devise them." He smiled secretly. "But I know something they don't know..." he added cagily.
Nightwing's expression remained unreadable, but his heart rate jumped suddenly. "And what would that be, Edward?" he asked.
The Riddler shook his head and started prancing, waving his forefinger in a 'no-no' sign. "Uh-uh-uh-uh-uhhhh--!" he sing-songed. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."
Nightwing and Robin exchanged glances. "Well, you're not being fair, Edward," Nightwing said, pleasantly. "I mean, a brilliant guy like you. What possible chance could we have in a mind contest against you? At least give us a hint--a riddle!"
The Riddler beamed at the compliment; however, the next instant, he became enraged and ran back to the corner of his cage. "No!" he yelled. "You're all the same. You just want my secrets. Well, I won't share. This time the riddle is the greatest riddle of all time. And before you can answer it, you'll have to figure out the question!"
With that the Riddler curled up in his padded corner again, refusing to respond to any more queries. Nightwing looked at Robin and resignedly jerked his head towards the door.
The interview was over.
They met Dr. Burton outside the Riddler's cell. The director of Arkham Asylum was shaking his head. The three of them started walking towards the exit.
"Poor, deluded soul," Burton murmured. "He's been like this since he was brought back two years ago. He goes through moments of lucidity, as he did for you, then he succumbs to his psychosis." Burton shrugged helplessly. "It's as if he's two people sometimes--yet, Edward has never been diagnosed as suffering from multiple personalities. Megalomania, yes--split personality, no."
"Great! As if Two-Face weren't enough," Robin grumbled.
"Dr. Burton!" The three turned towards a wildly gesticulating orderly. "He's gone, sir! Edward Nygma is missing from his cell!"
"But he was just there--!" Burton protested.
They ran back to the cell. Sure enough, it was empty. Nightwing stood posed with one hand rubbing the back of his head. It was a habit from childhood that he affected whenever he was truly stumped. He looked at Robin. His surprise was mirrored on the Boy Wonder's face.
Dr. Burton immediately sent out the alarm. An Arkham Asylum escapee, especially one as dangerous as the Riddler, had to be reported to the local authorities as soon as it was discovered.
"Let's go," Nightwing said curtly.
Robin nodded and they started walking rapidly down the eerie corridors, taking long, pace-eating strides. As they moved, the sounds of maniacal laughter rang along the walls, seemingly following them. The Joker announcing his residence, Robin knew. He swallowed and hurried to keep up with Nightwing.
Robin couldn't get out of this place fast enough.
"Hey, handsome," a sultry voice called out. Robin turned. The voice came from a darkened cell. He touched a special point on his mask, immediately activating the Starlite scopes. Poison Ivy stood in the dark, beckoning to him, her lips blowing kisses.
"You've grown since we last met," she said smiling appreciatively. "Shot up like a weed." She slinked over to the transparent titanium wall that separated them. The shadows threw interesting curves at her already well-endowed shape.
"Look where they're keeping me. In a dark cage. Away from sunlight." She suggestively ran her fingers through her long, red hair. "A plant needs light," she pouted. Robin walked up to the see-through wall, mesmerized by her beauty. "Please..." she said, her eyes wide, pleading. "Just a little light?"
Feeling a well of concern wash over him for Poison Ivy's saddened condition, Robin reached over to the right side of the cell, where the light switch was kept. About to flip it, Robin's hand was suddenly clasped in an iron grip.
"You want light? You've got light, babe!" Nightwing said, flicking a lighter in front of them. Poison Ivy screamed and backed away into the darkness.
"Fire! Keep it away from me!" she shrieked in panic.
Robin blinked rapidly, shaking his head vigorously as he tried to clear the cobwebs that had taken hold of him.
"You okay, kid?" Nightwing asked worriedly, pulling Robin away from Poison Ivy's cell. The Boy Wonder nodded, rubbing his eyes.
"What happened?" Robin asked, dazed.
"That happened," Nightwing explained, pointing at the speaker above their heads with his chin. A sign warned all personnel to stay at least five feet away from Poison Ivy's cell. "Even though the life support system into her cell goes through several layers of filters, a tiny amount of her pheromones still manage to escape. Enough to grab you and pull you into her Venus flytrap if you get too close."
"Whew!" Robin said, looking relieved. "Thanks, bro. I owe you one."
"One? By my count you're up to at least a hundred saves--!"
"A hundred?" Robin protested. "In your dreams, Nightwing!"
"Don't take this personally, kid," Nightwing shot back, "but you're probably the last thing I'd want to see in my dreams! Even--" he added with a high falsetto, "--if you have grown like a weed!"
Nightwing ducked easily as Robin took a playful swing at him.
****
Day 11530hrs Zulu: Titans Tower
New York City, NY
****
Nightstar approached Titans Tower with care. She'd reconned New York City as a precaution before attempting to check out the Tower, itself. She'd recognized several of the old landmarks from Grandpa Bruce's history data disks. Somehow she'd crossed through Hypertime.
"But how?" she wondered. The crossover was so dangerous that she'd only done it once before, and only because Rip Hunter had provided the transportation. Had the barriers between the multiple time-streams been torn open somehow? Had she fallen through a tear in the very fabric of time?
And what of Ibn? If her presence in the past somehow altered her own timeline, what then? Would Ibn Al Xu'ffasch cease to exist?
She felt the panic start rising in her throat again. A single tear fell of its own accord and she quickly wiped it, feeling annoyed with herself. She suddenly thought of her father.
"Daddy," she sobbed. "I don't want to lose you." Her father's quiet, reassuring voice echoed soothingly in her mind again.
"~Starshine, I promised you a long time ago that I'd never leave you. And I won't!~" He laughed softly in that self-deprecating way he had. "~At least, not yet~"
Nightstar chuckled, sniffing a little and wiping her eyes.
"Oh, Daddy, you always could make me laugh," she said, smiling. "You and your awful puns!" Feeling strengthened, she turned towards Titans Tower. Whatever had happened to her, she knew that the answers to her questions would be found there.
She thought of Uncle Vic and Uncle Roy. Aunt Donna and Uncle Garth. She smiled suddenly when she remembered Uncle Gar and his silly monkey shines, as he called them. She thought of her godfather, Uncle Wally. She felt the tears threaten once more when she recalled how she'd lost so many of them.
Nightstar's heart tore when she finally allowed herself to think of the one person whose loss hurt the most.
"Mother," she choked. She stopped in midair, hovering uncertainly. The Titans wouldn't know her, of course. She hadn't even been born, and her parents--were they even married, yet? Would they believe her? Help her?
Her father's voice whispered gently in her mind again.
"~The Titans are my family, Starshine. The only family I have, besides you and Grandpa Bruce. They're your family, too. I want you to promise me, Mari, that if anything ever happens to either me or Grandpa Bruce, you'll go straight to them for help~"
He'd picked her up and held her closely to him. She remembered his Daddy scent, a combination of clean soap and aftershave.
Nightstar hugged herself tightly, breathing in the cool night air over New York Harbor, trying to recreate her father's scent in her mind. But it was gone.
"~...if anything happens...you'll go straight to them for help~" his voice whispered.
Nightstar nodded. She knew that whatever happened, she'd be safe--amongst family.
****
End of Chapter Three