Title: Ironclad (4/?)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966 or http://fanfiction.net/~cyclone
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG.
Spoilers: Up to season four and the Reign of the Supermen.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss and DC Comics. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Sunnydale has a new hero. Sequel to Steel Knight and Shining Armor, Crimson Tears.
Author's Note: Blame Tenhawk and cobra_7422000 for this. With Red & Gold, Tenhawk gave me the idea, and Cobra suggested how I could do it. Also, aside from what's in The Return of Superman, all DC information in this 'fic will be drawn from the Batman/Superman animated series (and possibly modified slightly).
* * *
Buffy glanced at her watch impatiently and frowned. "Where _is_ he? He's late."
"He's Xander," Willow said, curling up against Oz. "He's always late if lives aren't in danger."
Tonight, they were supposed to be carving jack-o'-lanterns, and more importantly, Xander was supposed to have a movie readt. But Xander wasn't there when they arrived -- Willow had had to filch the spare key from its hiding place. That had been a half-hour ago, and still no Xander.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and Xander jogged down into the basement, "Hey, guys! Great news!"
"What?" Buffy asked.
"One," Xander said, holding up the video, "Phantasm. Good thing I double-checked. The idiot at Blockbuster nearly gave me Fantasia. Two, new job."
"Really?" Willow's face lit up. "Where?"
"Check it," Xander grinned, holding up his new ID card. "I now work for Wayne Electronics. They bought out the old CRD place and cleaned it up."
"'Wayne Electronics'?" Willow asked excitedly. "As in, part of Wayne Enterprises?"
"The same," Xander nodded.
"Doing what?"
"Security guard," Xander replied with a shrug. "Sure, it's not much, but I get an ID card, a uniform, and a gun. Not to mention a rather hefty paycheck for someone who's just starting and a _great_ dental plan."
* * *
"Hey, mighty, mighty Alpha Delts. You should think about pledging."
"Oh," Oz interjected. "Xander is a civilian."
"Ah! Townie, huh?" the frat boy said. "Didn't know. He looked so normal. You sure we should let him come to the party, Oz?"
Xander chuckled, "Hey, at least I don't have to call Mommy for my spending cash. Who needs college when you can make money standing around and doing nothing?"
The frat boy bit his lip and frowned, "Say what?"
Xander merely grinned.
The Alpha Delt shook his head as the sound system blared up.
Oz frowned, and Xander cocked an eyebrow, listening carefully. He nodded slowly when he finally picked up on the crackling from the left speaker.
The musician pulled out his pocketknife and knelt to trim the wire.
"Ah!"
Xander turned, "You okay?"
"Yeah. Just cut myself," the werewolf replied, shaking his hand.
And one droplet of blood landed on the symbol on the floor.
* * *
The party was in full swing, and the Alpha Delt that had hassled Xander earlier was leading a girl through the array of horrors. She was blindfolded as he guided her to the next display.
"You guys are sick!" she giggled.
"Here, give me your hand."
He placed her hand in the bowl of peeled grapes, and she flinched, "This is gross."
"Eyeballs, Rachel! They're eyeballs!" he laughed.
Pulling off the blindfold, Rachel looked at her hand... and shrieked.
* * *
Xander spotted Buffy and grinned. Little Red Riding Hood. Classic, and entirely unlike what he would have expected from the Slayer. With a shake of his head, he snuck up to her, leaned over her shoulder, and asked, "Hey, Red. Whatcha got in the basket, little girl?"
She turned, "Weapons."
"Oh."
"Just in case. Superman, Xand? I thought you renounced spandex."
"Hey," he said, "it's insurance. You know, in case we get turned into our costumes again. Who better to have around -- or be -- in that situation than the greatest hero ever?"
"Good point."
They continued to head toward the fraternity house, then waved and greeted Willow and Oz.
"Will," Buffy greeted. "Medieval Will."
"Hail, ye olde... vareletty... thou," Xander sputtered.
"I'm Joan of Arc," the redhead proudly announced. "I figured we had a lot in common, seeing as how... I was almost burned at the stake, and plus she had... that close relationship with God."
Xander looked at Oz, "And you are?"
"Oh," Xander murmured as they continued.
Xander frowned as a pair of commandos stepped out of the bushes. "Huh."
"Nice costumes," Buffy said. "Very stealthy."
"What are they supposed to be?" wondered Willow.
"NATO?" Oz speculated.
* * *
Xander groaned as he picked himself up.
"Well, that went well," he muttered. First, they'd found the frat boy, talking about the weirdness in the building. Then Willow and Buffy had had that argument, and Willow stalked off, Oz right behind her.
And then the floor ate him.
He looked around, and his blood ran cold.
"No way," he murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. "This looks like..."
"Engine City."
He turned toward the voice and found himself face to face... with the Cyborg Superman.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Dun dun DUN!
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966 or http://fanfiction.net/~cyclone
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG.
Spoilers: Up to season four and the Reign of the Supermen.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss and DC Comics. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Sunnydale has a new hero. Sequel to Steel Knight and Shining Armor, Crimson Tears.
Author's Note: Blame Tenhawk and cobra_7422000 for this. With Red & Gold, Tenhawk gave me the idea, and Cobra suggested how I could do it. Also, aside from what's in The Return of Superman, all DC information in this 'fic will be drawn from the Batman/Superman animated series (and possibly modified slightly).
* * *
Buffy glanced at her watch impatiently and frowned. "Where _is_ he? He's late."
"He's Xander," Willow said, curling up against Oz. "He's always late if lives aren't in danger."
Tonight, they were supposed to be carving jack-o'-lanterns, and more importantly, Xander was supposed to have a movie readt. But Xander wasn't there when they arrived -- Willow had had to filch the spare key from its hiding place. That had been a half-hour ago, and still no Xander.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and Xander jogged down into the basement, "Hey, guys! Great news!"
"What?" Buffy asked.
"One," Xander said, holding up the video, "Phantasm. Good thing I double-checked. The idiot at Blockbuster nearly gave me Fantasia. Two, new job."
"Really?" Willow's face lit up. "Where?"
"Check it," Xander grinned, holding up his new ID card. "I now work for Wayne Electronics. They bought out the old CRD place and cleaned it up."
"'Wayne Electronics'?" Willow asked excitedly. "As in, part of Wayne Enterprises?"
"The same," Xander nodded.
"Doing what?"
"Security guard," Xander replied with a shrug. "Sure, it's not much, but I get an ID card, a uniform, and a gun. Not to mention a rather hefty paycheck for someone who's just starting and a _great_ dental plan."
* * *
"Hey, mighty, mighty Alpha Delts. You should think about pledging."
"Oh," Oz interjected. "Xander is a civilian."
"Ah! Townie, huh?" the frat boy said. "Didn't know. He looked so normal. You sure we should let him come to the party, Oz?"
Xander chuckled, "Hey, at least I don't have to call Mommy for my spending cash. Who needs college when you can make money standing around and doing nothing?"
The frat boy bit his lip and frowned, "Say what?"
Xander merely grinned.
The Alpha Delt shook his head as the sound system blared up.
Oz frowned, and Xander cocked an eyebrow, listening carefully. He nodded slowly when he finally picked up on the crackling from the left speaker.
The musician pulled out his pocketknife and knelt to trim the wire.
"Ah!"
Xander turned, "You okay?"
"Yeah. Just cut myself," the werewolf replied, shaking his hand.
And one droplet of blood landed on the symbol on the floor.
* * *
The party was in full swing, and the Alpha Delt that had hassled Xander earlier was leading a girl through the array of horrors. She was blindfolded as he guided her to the next display.
"You guys are sick!" she giggled.
"Here, give me your hand."
He placed her hand in the bowl of peeled grapes, and she flinched, "This is gross."
"Eyeballs, Rachel! They're eyeballs!" he laughed.
Pulling off the blindfold, Rachel looked at her hand... and shrieked.
* * *
Xander spotted Buffy and grinned. Little Red Riding Hood. Classic, and entirely unlike what he would have expected from the Slayer. With a shake of his head, he snuck up to her, leaned over her shoulder, and asked, "Hey, Red. Whatcha got in the basket, little girl?"
She turned, "Weapons."
"Oh."
"Just in case. Superman, Xand? I thought you renounced spandex."
"Hey," he said, "it's insurance. You know, in case we get turned into our costumes again. Who better to have around -- or be -- in that situation than the greatest hero ever?"
"Good point."
They continued to head toward the fraternity house, then waved and greeted Willow and Oz.
"Will," Buffy greeted. "Medieval Will."
"Hail, ye olde... vareletty... thou," Xander sputtered.
"I'm Joan of Arc," the redhead proudly announced. "I figured we had a lot in common, seeing as how... I was almost burned at the stake, and plus she had... that close relationship with God."
Xander looked at Oz, "And you are?"
"Oh," Xander murmured as they continued.
Xander frowned as a pair of commandos stepped out of the bushes. "Huh."
"Nice costumes," Buffy said. "Very stealthy."
"What are they supposed to be?" wondered Willow.
"NATO?" Oz speculated.
* * *
Xander groaned as he picked himself up.
"Well, that went well," he muttered. First, they'd found the frat boy, talking about the weirdness in the building. Then Willow and Buffy had had that argument, and Willow stalked off, Oz right behind her.
And then the floor ate him.
He looked around, and his blood ran cold.
"No way," he murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. "This looks like..."
"Engine City."
He turned toward the voice and found himself face to face... with the Cyborg Superman.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Dun dun DUN!
