Chapter 9 – Vera Lynn
Across Metropolis, another man born in the 20th Century didn't have access to the medical attention Batman was receiving at the Watchtower. Medical attention was really a necessity however as Chronos really required psychological care. The suit which had protected him so adequately from the effects of the teseract during his trip back in time to 1853 had failed during the longer journey forward to the year 2054. While Bruce Wayne, the Batman, had fallen victim to the Temporal Fever and some secondary symptoms of the psychosis which accompanies time-travel, Chronos had experienced a complete psychotic breakdown in the teseract. Pyschotropic drugs were warranted as the psychosis had altered the focus of his once genius level mind from simple greed to one intent on gaining revenge against his enemies: the Justice League.
He'd materialized in Central Park in Metropolis. Despite traveling 50 years into the future from his "base" in 2005, it wasn't difficult to figure out his location. The skyline in Central Park West hadn't changed at all. There were newer high-rise office towers south of his location in Columbus Circle and Mid-Town, but many of the older residential buildings had withstood the test of time. Only the buildings clad in limestone showed any real evidence of aging as the acid from airborne pollutants had weathered the stone in a few places.
Chronos hadn't intended to visit the future. His haste to escape from the League in 1853 had resulted in a simple input error into his computer. In retrospect he was lucky to have escaped at all considering the League had managed to replicate both his time travel machine as well as his temporal displacement equipment which allowed him to travel at hyperspeed relative to the rest of the population.
In normal circumstances, Walker Gabriel probably would have counted his blessings and returned to 2005 in order to resume his crime spree. Unfortunately Walker Gabriel's mind had undergone a dramatic shift. Only Chronos' bloodthirsty desire for revenge against the League remained inside that once brilliant mind. Chronos still possessed enough of his faculties to perform a systems diagnostic, confirming that he'd traveled forward to New Year's Eve, 2054. The diagnostic also revealed the EMP emitted by his plutonium power pack had fried some of the circuitry in his helmet, leaving his time machine inoperative. He still had enough replacement parts and gold ingots to repair the damage to his suit. Even in his newly deranged state, Chronos realized he'd need to locate a suitable hideout to repair the suit as taking it off meant he'd be without means to escape.
As Chronos focused his gaze on a relatively newer office tower in Columbus Circle, escape was the last thing in his mind. He started trudging through the remnants of a Christmas snowfall which had blanketed the park a week before. The office tower was labeled "WayneTech" in neon lights. If it was the same company Chronos knew from earlier in the century, assuming that it had an engineering lab, it wouldbe a great place to restore his suit. It would also make a lovely place for a psychotic to turn a five pound lump of plutonium into a nuclear bomb. He was insane enough to want to turn his backpack into a low yield nuclear bomb, but he wasn't sure if he had enough time to kill everyone in Times Square before they went home. It was going to be close. A maniacal laugh escaped from his mouth as he made the 15-minute walk.
"Happy New Year, Metropolis."
It was 10 p.m.
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Back at the Watchtower, the group of superheroes double-timed their return back to the medical bay as the alarms changed in tone, signaling the patient had regained consciousness.
"The Old Man is tougher than I thought." Terry muttered to Diana as he led the way. Barda was only a half a step behind while Lantern walked next to Dick as the hoverchair couldn't maintain the pace. The team entered the medical bay and found the original Batman (sans the wet cowl he'd removed as it was drenched in sweat) sitting up on the bed. He looked tired but otherwise Bruce was showing a miraculous improvement from being unconscious only minutes before.
"We have to remind ourselves sometimes that he's only a mere mortal." Diana replied to Terry out of the side of her mouth. Then she stepped forward to Bruce, the same expression of concern etched on her face she'd been wearing when they arrived in the future.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, resisting the urge to brush back a lock of his hair drooping over his brow. Instead, she stopped a few inches away from him, resting her hands on the bed as she inspected him closely.
"Lousy." Bruce admitted, then he surprised himself by reaching over to give her right hand a quick squeeze. He turned to survey the room then did a quick double-take as a woman resembling Diana's twin stood at the foot of the bed. Next to her a black-clad figure stood wearing a bat-suit. The suit loosely resembled a prototype he'd been designing on his computer in the Cave. Bruce shook his head to make sure he was seeing clearly but the images in front of him didn't change.
Bruce looked over to Diana with a look of disgust. "Please tell me that's not us in 50 years…"
The other Batman stepped forward, taking off his cowl in the same motion. An unfamiliar man in his mid-thirties stared defiantly back at Bruce yet the way he stared back revealed that he was well aware of Bruce Wayne's alter ego.
"Bruce, my name is Terry McGuinnis. This is Barda." He motioned towards the Amazon-looking woman behind him. "You don't recognize us because you haven't met us yet in your time. We can get to all of that later. In the meantime, there is somebody here who you might know."
Bruce leaned forward with expectation, then his jaw dropped when Lantern and Dick Grayson approached the bed. Bruce took a quick look at the man in the hoverchair then his face paled a bit when he realized he knew the man sititng in front of him.
"Dick…is that you?" Bruce asked in disbelief as the eyes of the man were unmistakable despite their advancing age.
"How are you Bruce?" his adopted son asked with a grin. "Work through the Temporal Fever?"
"There's a name for that?" Bruce asked gruffly, then stretched his arms over his head, breaking his contact with Diana. "I think I'll live." Bruce settled back onto the bed then took a long, hard look at the hoverchair. "Should I ask?"
Dick thought about the question for a moment, carefully measuring his response. "It's a long story. How was time-travel?"
A corner of Bruce's mouth twitched as he re-lived the schizophrenic battle he'd undergone in the teseract. "It's a long story." He responded with a small grin. Dick peered closer though and thought he saw a twitch of fear in his father's eyes. Knowing Bruce as he did, probing for more information was like sweeping water uphill with a broom. Useless. Sensing Bruce's unease, Dick tried to mollify him a little. "You're not the first one to struggle with time-travel. There's a whole ward at Arkham full of people who went insane when time travel became fashionable in the 30's."
Bruce considered the information for a moment, then his eyes flashed again with their usual intensity as the Bat returned to focus on the mission. Bruce gingerly stepped off the bed, testing his balance and strength while Diana kept a hand on the small of his back lest he collapse again. Satisfied that he could at least walk without falling on his face, Bruce walked to the center of the room with Diana in tow. Gently, he removed her hand from his back then began a series of Tai Chai exercises to test his reflexes. "What's the situation?" he barked as he worked through the movements.
Lantern stepped forward next to Dick while Terry and Barda traded expressions of amusement. 'I told you he was obsessed!' Terry whispered out of earshot of everyone else in the room.
Hearing the trace of a whisper, Lantern frowned over his shoulder at Terry before starting his de-brief. "We're in a new Watchtower in Metropolis. Its New Year's Eve, 2054. Our arrival set off some sort of alarm which your protégé here," he indicated towards Terry, "used to track our location."
"Where's Chronos?" Bruce replied, stealing another glance at Terry and Barda while he worked through the 19th movement in the series of 77 movements indicated for the "Ride Tiger" form.
"No sign of him after he landed in the Park." Terry replied. "I saw your condition on the monitors and figured I'd help you first before it got any worse."
"That was your first mistake." Bruce noted with a grunt. "Can you track him?"
"He headed south out of the Park towards Columbus Circle." Dick noted. "I tried to track him with the cameras but the streets are too crowded with New Year's Eve revelers. Lost him at 81st and Broadway."
Diana stepped forward to command Bruce's attention as he continued with the 39th movement. "Even if we do find him, we still have no means of catching him. He'll just use his time machine to stay one step ahead of us."
"I've been thinking about that." Bruce replied as the sheen of sweat started dripping off his chin. "We could probably fabricate a field dampener which would prevent his time machine from opening the teseract. If there's no door to escape through, we'll have him."
"What could serve as a dampener?" Barda asked. "Besides, it looks like some of the circuits in the temporal field generators you brought to our future are fried."
Bruce didn't reply as he finished the last of the movements. The exercise had left him exhausted but at least convinced that he wouldn't be a burden to the team. Examining the field generators, he looked over at Dick for an answer. "Cave still there? Engineering Section intact?"
"You betcha." Dick replied. "Should we teleport over?"
"After working through that fever, I'm not sure I want my molecules scrambled up again." Bruce replied with a wry grin. Dick and Terry looked at each other in shock when they saw him smile. "Is there an alternative which will get us there pretty quickly?"
"What should we do to make ourselves useful?" Diana asked, a bit irked that she wasn't invited.
"I'm assuming there are more League members than just you three?" Bruce asked.
"There's a few more." Terry admitted. "I gave them the night off."
"Call them back." Bruce replied, slipping on his own cowl. "Start looking for Chronos on the Upper West Side." Then he looked at the new Batman and Dick Grayson. "We've got work to do."
It was 10:20 p.m.
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The new Batman barked a series of commands into the viewscreen as he flew the Batwing southwest towards Gotham. Most of the Leaguers he summoned on the Comm link opened their mouths to complain about being paged for duty on New Year's Eve, but quickly shut their mouths when they saw his determined expression visible even through the mask.
Bruce, the original Batman and Dick Grayson were crammed uncomfortably into the co-pilot and jump seats, respectively. When Terry showed him the small space allocated for his massive frame, Bruce turned to voice his displeasure, however his protégé quickly silenced him "Deal with it. You designed it in 2045…maybe next time you'll remember to account for passengers."
As they sliced through the cloud cover at 4,000 feet, Bruce found himself uncomfortably under the gaze of Dick Grayson. Dick averted his gaze for a moment, then grinned. 'I can't believe at my age that he still has the ability to intimidate me' then resumed a close study of his adopted father.
"What are you looking at?" Bruce snarled.
"A kinder, gentler Bruce Wayne than I remembered." Dick replied, a twinkle evident in his eye.
"How so?" Bruce asked gruffly.
"I saw you holding Diana's hand." Dick teased. "She seemed to like it."
"I haven't quite been myself these past few days." Bruce admitted, his face reddening with embarrassment behind the cowl. Then he decided to change the subject again. "How long to Gotham?"
"ETA five minutes." Terry replied, then decided to ask about the encryption of the Chronos file. He and Dick spent the next two minutes de-briefing Bruce about the 'Temporal Paradox Warning' on the file, arguing that whatever the risks, it made sense to open the file. Bruce wasn't so easily convinced however. Terry was about to continue the argument for opening the file when a realization suddenly struck him. He pounded his fist on the console in frustration before he turned to Dick in the co-pilot seat.
"How could we have been so stupid?" he asked.
"What are you talking about?" Dick replied with an uneasy glance.
"Warhawk! Warhawk is going to meet his father and we didn't tell him in advance." Terry replied, cursing himself for the omission. A series of lights went off in front of him, signaling the descent to the Batcave.
"Any other surprises you want to let me in on?" Bruce asked with a touch of concern evident in his voice. "I noticed there weren't any members from my League present at the Tower."
"Come to think about that." Dick replied as Terry glanced over at him. "There are some things we might need to tell you. First one being that NONE of the original League members are alive in 2054."
Bruce absorbed that piece of information carefully before considering the possibilities of altering their present. Ultimately, he realized the possibility of a paradox already existed. "I'll trust your discretion about revealing our future. If there's something I need to know, think about whether it might jeopardize your futures before you verbalize it."
"Agreed." Dick noted. Next to him, Terry remained silent as he piloted the vehicle into the Cave.
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Diana and Lantern waited patiently with Barda at the assembly area next to the transporter as the League members arrived one by one. Clad in an ice-blue dress complete with a plunging neckline which revealed a substantial amount of cleavage, Aquagirl arrived first. She frowned when she saw the two newcomers, recognizing the Green Lantern outfit but not the Amazon. Barda started explaining the emergency but Aquagirl interrupted her before she could begin. "Let me change into my uniform while you wait for the others," she suggested. "Then you'll only have to tell the story once."
Micron and a new Green Lantern arrived next in succession, also clad in civilian garb. Micron was obviously drunk. He stumbled off the transporter pad, barely stealing a glance at the newcomers before announcing that he was going to the medical bay "for a quick detox."
The new Green Lantern's reaction was shock. Asian by origin, he appeared to still be in his teens however he was completely bald, as if he was a Buddhist monk by origin. He politely bowed in front of John Stewart then held out his hand in greeting. "Kai-Ro, protectorate of Sector 2814." He announced proudly.
John shook his hand with amusement. "John Stewart, protectorate of Sector 2814." He replied with a grin, then his face turned serious. "Do you have a power battery handy? Mine needs a charge."
"Of course." Kai-Ro replied, then showed him down the hallway. "This way."
The two Lanterns had just rounded the corner when Warhawk materialized on the transporter pad. Diana felt Barda's discomfort immediately as Warhawk strode off the pad. At a height of 6'3", Warhawk was easily the most physically imposing member of the group but more than his manner, his aggressive countenance was apparent despite his helmet.
Ignoring Diana, Warhawk approached Barda with a few quick strides. "Why the alarm, Barda?" he growled.
"Warhawk. This is Wonder Woman." Barda offered politely.
"Pleasure to meet you." He barked, then decided that he was probably being a little too harsh, offered his hand.
Diana took it in her own while she took his measure. "Diana" she replied softly.
Warhawk finished shaking hands then returned his attention to Barda. He was about to ask her a question then did a double-take as the new woman's identity dawned on him. "Did you say Wonder Woman?" he asked incredulously.
"They triggered a Temporal Alarm." Barda replied. "Batman…our Batman brought them back here."
"They?" Warhawk responded as he returned his gaze to Diana then searched the rest of the room. "Who is they?"
"Batman…the old Batman and the Lantern of that time…are with her." Barda replied with a wince as she spoke the words.
"The Lantern known as John Stewart?" Warhawk replied dubiously. "As in, my Father?"
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John Stewart and Kai-Ro had just finished topping off their emerald power rings when Barda summoned them over the Video Link mounted in Ro's quarters. "Meet us in the conference room." She instructed. "We have something important to discuss."
John looked at the younger man, still surprised by his account at how he'd been chosen to bear the ring, surprised by the curtness of Barda's message. "What was that about?" he wondered as they left Ro's room and strode towards the conference room.
"We'll see." The younger Lantern replied, then leaned in to whisper. "She's been kind of a pain in the ass lately since she and Batman broke up. We're all hoping they get back together just so she won't be such a royal bitch!"
The doors to the conference room swung open to reveal Barda sitting in the Chairman's seat. Diana was perched next to her in the Vice-Chairman position while Micron and Aquagirl filled in their usual spots. Virgil Hawkins, known as "Static Shock" as a teenager, sat quietly at the end of the table but immediately rose to his feet when he saw John Stewart, the Green Lantern hero he'd worshipped growing up. Despite a slight paunch and loss of hair, John Stewart immediately recognized the older Static, who had resigned to become an associate member, only to be called on in emergencies. They exchanged a quick hug. Stewart was about to ask after him when he sensed some hesitation from his former friend.
"John, I'd love to catch up and find out how you got here but there's a more important introduction I need to make in the meantime." Static stated warmly, then guided him over to a chair occupied by a man who John immediately identified as a Thanagarian.
"John Stewart. I'd like you to meet your son. Warhawk."
John's eyes bugged out in surprise at the news. He looked over at Static to determine whether he was joking but the man's expression was deadly serious. John returned his gaze to the larger man in front of him and quickly appraised him. Warhawk had a few inches on him but had inherited the same chiseled neck and shoulders. Despite the helmet, John could tell Warhawk's skin was lightly toned compared with his own. The wings appeared to be a solid alloy instead of Shayera's downy feathers but her son had inherited the same intensity in his carriage. John still doubted whether the man could be his son until he spied the energy mace dangling from a strap on his hip. The energy mace was unmistakeably Shayera Hol's.
Warhawk extended his hand in greeting. "Father, I trust I find you well?"
The man's intonation flooded John's ears, as if spoken by a masculine version of Shayera. He automatically extended his hand and Warhawk took it firmly in his own grasp. "You find me very well, Warhawk. This whole thing is news to me, however so you're going to have to let me catch my bearings for a moment."
Warhawk only bowed then ushered John Stewart to a chair at the table then sat down next to him. Kai-Ro completed the circle then Barda began a de-brief. Warhawk and John Stewart largely ignored her as they each looked for similarities in their appearances while the rest of the people at the table traded bemused glances.
It was 11:10p.m..
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The timing of arriving in the future on New Year's Eve had been a stroke of luck, but to the now psychotic Chronos, he was convinced that more than anything, it was just another example of his brilliance. The streets were full of drunken revelers making their way south to Times Square. While most wore winter coats and hats, some revelers had opted for zany outfits resembling a second-coming of Halloween. So many revelers were wearing strange outfits it was possible for a man wearing a helmet, armor and a backpack full of plutonium to stroll down Broadway without being accosted by the police.
He turned left on 77th Street heading east and a block later arrived at the front entrance to the WayneTech building. He pounded on the front door, waving excitedly to a bored security guard who'd drawn the short-straw for guard duty that evening. The guard glanced at his security monitor to see if there was anything amiss then slowly ambled over to the doorway. He pressed the speaker button to shoo the costumed reveler away but the man paid him no attention, continuing to bang on the glass door. Chronos motioned like he had to pee then clasped his hands, begging the guard to show him mercy.
Exasperated at the reveler's persistence, the guard finally produced his keys to unlock the door. He kept his eyes on the costumed man to ensure there would be no foul play as he unlocked the door, but even his eyes weren't fast enough to account for the shoulder mounted laser which flipped upright as soon as the door was open. A millisecond later, a laser beam sliced through the guard's carotid artery.
As the blood gushed from his neck, the guard tried to call for backup, but the blood drowned out his last gasp. The guard slumped to the floor, exhaling his last breath as the blood pooled beneath him. Chronos towed the dead body behind the guard station then sat down at the computer. He ran a quick search of the building directory to determine which lab would likely contain the engineering equipment and tools he'd need to accomplish his objective. Chronos made his way up to the 78th story a few moments later courtesy of the master key stolen from the security guard. It was the first time Chronos had administered a gruesome death, but it wasn't the last time he intended to kill that evening.
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The Batwing touched down on the designated landing spot in the Cave. Terry hopped out first and retrieved Dick's hoverchair from a storage trunk mounted in the fuselage. Bruce loaded his now elder son into the chair then the three of them made their way to the computer. The station was in the same location but upgraded four times since he'd last sat at the chair. Bruce's initial inclination was to sit down then he remembered he was intruding on this Batman's turf and waved him into the chair.
"Pull up a diagram for a magnetic field big enough to generate 1,000 Newton's per second." He commanded as Terry slipped into the chair.
Dick looked at Bruce with dismay. "1,000 Newton's? A magnet that big would have to weigh twenty tons…"
"Thirty, at least." Bruce interrupted. "I'm assuming Barda and Diana are strong enough to lift it if they work together."
"Well, they can lift it," Terry agreed from his chair, "But lifting it and moving it around fast enough to catch Chronos is a different story."
"Two lantern rings could move it around pretty quickly if the Amazons can support most of the weight." Bruce shot back. "If we set up an ambush he can't resist, like more gold or another Van Gogh, he'll show up soon enough. Besides, do you have a better idea?"
"The Amazons?" Terry replied with a smirk. "That's a little presumptuous, don't you think?"
Bruce looked over at Dick in the hoverchair. "What's his problem?"
"He and Barda having been having some relationship issues lately." Dick observed with a grin.
"I thought I observed some tension between the two of you." Bruce stated wryly. "Didn't I ever tell you not to fish off the company pier?" Terry stared at him silently for a moment, electing not to reply, then initiated a series of commands into the computer to start the production sequence of the magnetic inhibitor. Finished, he spun around in his chair once the computer confirmed his specifications and faced his mentor.
"You did tell me that." Terry replied coldly. "I just didn't listen to you. Especially since you were the one who broke the rule in the first place."
"What are you talking about?" Bruce replied as they walked back to the engineering section. "There's nothing going on between me and Diana, if that's your implication."
"Maybe there should be." Terry replied as he paused at the doorway to engineering, then triggered the entryway with the emitter in his suit. "It probably would turn out a helluva lot better for all of us if you did something about it instead of coming up with excuses."
Bruce turned to face his protégé that he wouldn't meet in his own continuity for another 35 years. "It's pretty complicated." He replied, then looked at Dick for help. His son just shook his head then looked away.
"Why don't you two get started repairing the field generators?" Dick suggested. "I've got something…personal…to attend to."
It was 11:13 p.m.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTBarda finished her de-briefing quickly. It wasn't for a lack of trying but everyone's attention at the table was currently riveted on the Green Lantern known as John Stewart and his son, the Warhawk. Barda pounded her fist on the table to emphasize the necessity for disclosing as little as possible to their visitors regarding their futures, but it was to no avail.
Finally, Barda split them up into teams to search Metropolis. "Lantern-Ro, you and Aquagirl work from the river to 9th Avenues…stay north of Chelsea until told otherwise. Diana, you and I will take Sixth to Ninth avenues from the Park to Chelsea. John Stewart, why don't you and Warhawk take Midtown over to Third Avenue while our Micron and Static take the East side? That should give us plenty of coverage, agreed?"
The attendees nodded their heads in agreement then walked to the launch point on the patio. Lantern-Ro picked up Aquagirl in a plasma bubble then set off to the east while the rest of the teams departed moments later. John raised his ring to encapsulate his son in an energy bubble a moment later but the man raised his hand, declining the favor.
"The wings aren't just for show." Warhawk stated proudly, then powered himself into the air. Lantern shrugged in surprise then joined him in tandem a moment later.
"I was going to ask you…"
"What happened to my wings?" Warhawk finished for him.
Lantern nodded in reply.
"I was born with wings but apparently when you mix Thanagarian DNA with human then the wings get brittle. My fath… Superman ultimately supplemented my wings with this alloy-composite. They used to be something that I attached but a few years back I got sick of taking them off and putting them back on so now they're permanent. They actually allow me to fly faster than a Thanagarian anyway so it's for the best."
Lantern remained quiet for a moment as he observed his son's flight characteristics, then started again. "Did you say Superman was your father?"
"Sorry you heard that. Old habit sort of slipped out." Warhawk replied. "Superman adopted me after you and my mother were killed."
"Your Batman and Dick Grayson wouldn't tell us what happened." Lantern replied with a frown. "Can you at least tell me how old you were?"
"Suffice to say I was pretty young." Warhawk replied. "I really don't have many memories of either of you."
Lantern was about to press his inquiry a little further when Warhawk tapped his communicator to receive mode. John felt at a loss that he wasn't in on the information then Warhawk signed off.
"What it is?" John asked.
"Probably nothing." Warhawk replied. "A guard at Wayne Tech didn't check in at his appointed time. Probably left his post to join the party in Times Square."
"Still worth checking out though." John replied.
"Agreed." Warhawk replied, then the two men dove westwards towards the office building.
It was 11:24 p.m.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTAuthor's Note: This story is turning into a race to complete before the episodes are aired January 22 and January 29th. I hope I complete it before then but if I don't, I'd rather have it with a better ending than turn out some pulp just to meet the deadline. Bear with me as we probably have two or three more chapters to go.
HB