by IronRaven
Yeah. It has been while. But if you thought I was abandoning this, you don't know me very well.
Disclaimer: Batman, Wonder Woman, The Justice League, Teen Titans and related entities, characters and concepts are the property of DC Comics. This continuum was developed by Bruce Timm.
Last time, we got to see that even without her powers, Diana is still every bit Bruce's equal in a fight. And the rest of the team is slowly falling apart, Flash through self doubt, and Clark is halfway to a section-eight. And no one is talking to the kids.
Because of how much this chapter jumps around in location, I'm going to be putting locator tags in each of my separators (---).
--- Elsewhere, Transition 12 days
"MMmmhhmmm... That feels so good."
Bruce pushed his cowl back out of his eyes, before running his fingers through his sweat soaked beard. He wished desperately for a razor- the blasted thing on his face itched. He had never been struck with urge to grow a beard before now. They had reached the floor of the canyon just before sunset last night. The first order of business had to make camp for the night. They had decided to call today a rest day. It had felt good to be someplace warm for the night and let his boots dry out. And now, he was on guard duty.
"Bruce, you don't have to stand watch." Diana ducked her head under the water of the river. A hot spring a few hundred yards upstream from their location, and the water cooled by the run off from the snows at the top of the cliffs. It was a simple matter of moving a few feet to find the perfect temperature. She had scrubbed with the fine sand at the bottom of the river. Even without soap, it was the first bath she'd had in over a week.
"Someone has to, Princess. We don't know if there are any predators around here." He crouched, studying a bush intently. "And I still think this is reckless. You don't know what kind of microbes or parasites might be in that water. This is an alien world."
"We haven't gotten sick yet. And I can't stand my stink any more." She buried her feet deep in the sand, wiggling her toes. "Bruce?"
"Yes, Princess?"
"What kind of guard looks only in one direction?"
--- the Kent farm, Smallville USA, Funeral 5 days
"You really think it is going to make it into space?.. OK, if all of them agree, I'll take their word for it. I'll leave just after dark... Barb! Please, I don't need a plane ticket! I'll see you about 10." Kara Kent set the phone back in its cradle. Stretching, letting her back crack, she smiled up at the ceiling. It was not a happy smile, more of a predatory grimace. She didn't really like what she was about to do, but she had no choice. Clark had gone missing since the funeral for Wonder Woman and Batman. Lois hadn't seen him, he wasn't at his place in Metropolis or the one near the North Pole, and no one could be reached at the Watchtower. By the time the sun shone on the corn, she would know what was wrong with her cousin.
"So you are just going to barge in on him?" Jonathan Kent leaned against the open doorway. He was bothered by the lack of word from Clark, but he seen men in various kinds of grief before. Jonathan knew his son was stronger than normal man, stronger than he himself had been years ago; everyone had a breaking point. But this invasion of Clark's privacy just didn't feel right.
"Uncle, I hope he's ok. But this isn't like him. If he's suffering from shell shock, he needs help, and he can't get it if he is hiding." Kara stepped closer to him, a look of mixed desperation and sadness of her face. "I want to go up there, and have to leave a note to apologies for breaking in while they are away on a mission. I really do. But if that was the case, we'd at least be able to leave a message with the computer. The League has closed itself off from everyone, and the last time anyone saw Clark he wasn't able to stand up by himself."
"Kara's right, Jonathan, and you know it. Something is wrong, Clark needs help. He wasn't himself when he was giving that eulogy. You said as much."
"OK, Martha, ok." Jonathan raised his hands. "Just be careful, Kara. We don't want to loose you, to."
--- Elsewhen, later that same day
Diana followed the riverbanks, several large, rat-like creatures held be her tail in one hand, her javelin in the other. They had been gutted near where she had killed them- no point in attracting scavengers to camp.
In some ways, she new she would miss this place. It was more humid than home, and the jungle was different, but in a way it was the same. Nothing here was packaged and processed and sanitized for her protection. Occasionally, she had had to wonder if living in Masworld had made her soft. Having fresh meat, even if it did come from something that looked like an anorexic, stubby-tailed beaver, said otherwise. They had seen larger life, but all of it beetles of some type; they knew that the mammalian meat was safe to eat here.
She had felt bad about leaving Bruce behind, but while was a lord of the urban jungle, he just wasn't as quiet as she was here. She smiled, thinking of how he had softened over the past two weeks. While Batman was admirable, Bruce made her feel comfortable. That was something she hadn't been able to have with Hawkgirl, and J'onn, while not a man born of woman, was still an alien. There was just too much different about thier backgrounds. As a princess, Diana knew she would have probably been as rich as Audrey if Thermescara hadn't been hidden away. That kind of life style had it's attraction, even if Audrey's past intensity was intoxicating. But Bruce lived the same kind of life, and he was king of his own domain, or at least of his own corporation. He didn't guzzle the luxury, he just sort of sipped it and basked in its glow. Diana thought that it was a life style she could adapt to, so long as she could maintain her Amazon edge.
A massive insectoid buzzed past her face, ignoring her completely. She shook her head, and looked about. Wrong place and time to daydream. She could see through the thin trees on either side of the water way a thin ribbon of smoke. As she got closer, she thought she could hear humming. Diana frowned- Batman never hummed. But as she got closer, it most certainly was Bruce's voice. Not Batman's, Bruce's; not for the first time, she wondered if they might not be two separate people in the same body. She stopped behind a bush, her eyes widening a little at what she saw. Bruce had made a small, but hot looking fire, and gathered a quantity of wood at one end of a shelter. The latter had been constructed of their capes and light branches. Beside the fire, cradled in a ring of stones, a large cup made from a single leaf was filled with still slightly steaming water. A couple of empty ones where nearby. "Someone has been busy."
Bruce looked up at the sound of her voice. He hadn't heard her, over the other noises of the jungle. His mask and cowl lay on the ground next to where he sat bare chestted, a piece of what look like flint in his hand. "I was about to call your comm. I see you had good hunting."
She set her javelin next to her as she knelt near him. A soaked piece of the wolf hide was on the ground in front of him, littered with bit of rock. She picked up a glistening shard in her fingers, gently testing the edge. "Not bad. Something else you studied?"
He shook his head, before picking up the larger piece of quartz he had been using as a striker. With a spray of sparks, the shape of the flint changed a little. "Public television."
Diana laughed. "Was it something sponsored by the Superhumanite?"
"Nope." He raised his head, grinning. "Luthor got so sick of opera, he made his own donation to them for history and technology programming. Of course, someone made a donation in the Humanite's name to counter Lex's."
"Oh Hera, you didn't. Bruce, that is evil." She turned the shard of flint in her hand a few times, before she found a good grip on it, and began to skin and section on of the things she had caught. "Isn't a risk to make a pot out of a leaf you haven't tested?"
"Didn't react to it when I rubbed it on my skin, and I didn't feel sick building camp, so I'd say it is safe. Stewed rodent of unusual size?"
--- Batcave, later that evening
"They are down at the sub pool, Miss Kara." Alfred moved stiffly. The past few days had been as rough on him as they had on everyone else. He had arranged for Master Bruce to suddenly leave town on a meditational retreat. No, he wasn't able to say were, was what he had to tell those who came looking for him. No, he couldn't say when Master Bruce would be back, sorry. The real trick had been to make it look like he really had left town, at least on paper.
"Alfred, please, just call me Kara. I can find it, thanks." She tossed herself down the stairs, catching the air before the stone caught her, and glide in the direction of much thumping and banging. The sight waiting for her was beyond strange, and she had to giggle for the first time since the funeral.
A space suit hung on a rack, while two others stumbled about, trying to be quiet. A fourth crouched at the workbench, trying to connect a handheld computer to a port on the one on the bench. The cable fell from between the gloved fingers, obviously not for the first time to judge from the way it was snatched from the floor and the faint muttering that leaked through the insulated helmet.
"Is this the Three Stooges?"
The medium tall figure undogged it's visor, flipping it up with a slight hiss. Barbara grinned at her friend. "I'll remember to make fun of you when you try this. Gravity and atmosphere aren't the same thing. Some parts of the Watchtower have one and not the other."
The others removed their helmets to, Robin and Nightwing already in their costumes along with Batgirl, so that they could see how it would feel, look and sound when the time came. Tim tossed the armoured PDA on the bench in disgust as he did so. "Does anyone know if duct tape works in vacuum? The gloves are too clumsy; we can get the cable in, but we can't tighten the screws, so nothing will hold it in place."
"Sounds like you have been thinking this through." Kara glanced at the tiny LED screen on the handheld. "So what is the plan?"
"Before we launch, we try to contact them one last time. If they don't reply, The Watchtower has a blind spot. If we come up from directly under it, along it's axis, it won't be able to see us so long as we don't use the engines." Tim tapped at the keys of the bench computer with a pair of pens, calling the information up on this screen. "There is a personnel airlock here. This area is mostly storage, water and air purification, that kind of thing. The water is pumped, so we aren't sure if there is gravity, but there is certainly air. Override the door from the port on the control panel, and use that access to knock out the interior sensors. The second option is the number four cargo bay here, " he tapped at the keys some more, spinning the image, "and that is listed as being unused. We aren't sure if there is atmosphere there; the entire thing can be used as an airlock, and there is a smaller one leading from it to the rest of the Watchtower."
"Why did they make it so big? You could be a Javelin through those doors." Kara traced the schematic with her finger on the screen. "And a triple airlock. Emergency hanger?"
"Or an exotic environment area. The specs on the walls are pretty odd. Chlorine, fluorine, nothing will react with that space. Bring your own atmosphere, and you can put pretty much any kind of life imaginable in there." Dick shook his head. The only advantage to it is that it is 20 yards from the door we want if we can't get it open for some reason, but we will probably be seen. We might as well use the main hanger bay, but it right next to your cousin's quarters. You said you didn't want to talk to any one before you saw him."
"Right. I'm sick of them not tell us anything about him. I think I'd rather be lied to." Kara crossed her arms tightly. "We need to find Clark first, and then the others."
"Well, before we do that, let's make sure this suit fits you. You could probably get away with a breather, but..." Barbara had shed her suit completely, and was eyeing her friend. "I'm glad you wore shorts, not the skirt."
--- Elsewhen, transition 19 days
Diana cupped her hands around her mouth and whooped, a high-pitched howl. "J'onn! Superman! Flash! Where are you?!"
"We should be able to see them any second now." Batman beat at a thicket of grass-like plants before him with a stick, knocking them down. He looked up as he made sure his cowl and mask were down again, hiding his face. It had been nice to be Bruce with Diana for a while, but now he had be to be his real self. Yesterday, he hadn't called her Princess, or even Diana, just Wonder Woman. He was panting for breath when he switched off with Wonder Woman to clear their path.
It had been several long weeks. He had replayed the scenarios in his head several times, including finding their teammate or mates dead bodies, the two of them the only survivors. It wasn't a bad planet to play Robinson Crusoe on, but he would have preferred one a little less humid. He winced each time a scratch was brushed by the fabric of his armour and the hides of the wolf-things. The past few days had all been alike- beat a path ahead, and if you wanted to watch, the jungle would close up behind them. Stopping would have allowed the jungle to devour them. It was only the tube of stimulants, saved for the last resort, that had kept them going. "Batman to the League. We are right on top of you, give us a signal."
Ahead of him, he saw clear sky from Wonder Woman's last slash with the battered branch. He followed her as she stumbled into the clearing, bare of all vegetation.
The clearing was a gouge in the forest, easily half a mile wide and five long. Only the youngest, smallest growths had begun to return to the soil that had been seared and torn by the once red hot mass. But neither hero noticed as they absorbed what lay before them.
The Watchtower, bent, battered, burned, but still intact.
"Batman!?"
He nearly dropped the flint tipped spear he had been carrying. "We're on Earth."
--- Watchtower, Southern Maintenance Passage #2, Funeral 6 days
They had left their suits in the airlock, they wouldn't be needing them right away. The trick had been to get into a position where they could make a slow boost, and coast to an intercept with the Watchtower from a lower orbit, their burn having been made while their target was half a world away. The had been able to use the personnel lock that they had wanted. Outside, a zip tie through a handhold held the PDA in place. The computers of the Watchtower were able to defend themselves well, but the maintenance access codes hadn't been changed. An attack from on site by an apparently authorized user was something they couldn't deal with.
The four costumed heroes quietly moved down the corridor, listening, watching. Even though League was the goodguys, it was easiest to think of this as sneaking into an unfriendly facility. Nightwing was first, his soft boots silent on the metal deck. Robin was behind him, with Batgirl last. From her position in the middle of the group, Supergirl could move forward or back with equal ease. Robin had volunteered for the rear guard position, but he had been outvoted- Batgirl could throw things over his head if she was behind him. The four had worked this out during their slow crawl to the Watchtower's orbit. They were taking an awfully big assumption that quarters assignments hadn't changed since the plans in Batcave's computer were loaded, but Bruce had been obsessive about maintaining his records. They had each memorized the turns and twists to Clark's cabin.
Nightwing dropped swiftly to one knee at a junction, one hand raised behind him to halt the others. Bruce had trained him, Batgirl and Robin well. He was glad that Supergirl was almost as good, he had heard only the tiniest scrape, not even a fraction as loud as the sound he had heard before them. A female voice, it had to be Hawkgirl.
"Any idea how long that thing has been next to us?"
"None. J'onn thinks it is the Titan's vessel, but it didn't answer our hail."
The Latern, John Stewart. Nightwing smiled tightly, they had sent their best. When you care enough
"Hey, kids, you might as well come out. We know you are in here."
Robin clenched his teeth together. He hated being called kid. A gloved hand tapped his shoulder gently. Control. Robin took a deep, silent breath, letting it take his frustration with it. He flashed a thumbs up back to Supergirl, thanking her.
Hawkgirl called to them. "This isn't a game, guys. If you are down here, we will find you. Don't make us have to go looking for you."
Batgirl flinched at the soft noise as she slipped the equipment locker open. The plan had been to talk to no one before Superman, and this was the only hiding place in the corridor. Great, full. She continued looking for an alternative passage, along with the others, finding nothing. The one thing that Bruce had left out of the Watchtower was secret passages. Either that, or they hadn't appeared on the plans.
A green glow illuminated the passage theirs crossed. "Robin, I know you are here. It was a cute trick, knocking out the sensors from the airlock's diagnostic port."
All four tensed as the light and footsteps got closer. Three sets of eyes rested on the back of Nightwing's neck. As Batman's heir, Batgirl and Robin accept his leadership for this mission. Supergirl was a less likely to take orders, but she knew good advice when she saw it. So long as she didn't loose her temper.
The footsteps stopped just short of the junction, a whitish-blue glow joining the beam of green light. Silence, no voices. A tiny scrape, like soft fabric brushing the wall of the corridor.
Barb rested a steadying hand on her friend's shoulder, sending her the same silent message that at just been given to Tim.
The white glow shrank to nothing. Footsteps.
Green Lantern, his back to the far side of the passage, held his fist down at his side as he spun into their view. "Not bad. Let's keep it that way, ok?"
With fluid grace, Nightwing stood, his right hand outstretched. "Consider it a resume."
"Where is my cousin?"
--- Elsewhen
When the Wayne Aerospace engineers designed the Watchtower, they had planned for most ever contingency. The Manual hydraulics let them pry open one of the personnel airlocks. Even though the satellite had been down for a while, the emergency power supplies were still charged. According to the computer, it's sensors showed that the fuel cells needed to be refueled, and those would be operable.
The computer showed the same information whenever it was queried about the members of the League:
-Green Lantern LOCATION UNKNOWN
-Hawkgirl LOCATION UNKNOWN
-Flash LOCATION UNKNOWN
-J'onn J'onzz LOCATION UNKNOWN
-Batman LOCATION UNKNOWN
-Batgirl LOCATION UNKNOWN
-Supergirl LOCATION UNKNOWN
"That makes no sense. You are on the list, and so is Batgirl. And where is Superman?"
"That isn't me." With a hand that had the barest hint of a tremor, Bruce traced the image on the screen. He rested his fingertips on the shoulders of the other Batman, and on those of Batgirl. Tracks in the grime on his cheeks showed in the pale light of the panel, between mask and beard. "You knew him as Nightwing, my first student. In my will, I asked him to take over for me."
"Something must have happened to Superman." Diana pressed tapped at the console, looking for any recent messages, but the effects of solar flares and component decay had wiped out any messages waiting for them. Not even their own com signals had been logged, supporting the likelihood that only the beacon remained functional. It had been designed so that any League member could have the Javelin sent to them on autopilot, or to allow the small craft to find the Watch Tower if it had wounded aboard. "He might have been hit by the same thing we were. He might still be out there."
"Or he might have already left, or he hasn't arrived yet. Or he's dead. Or he wasn't hit by Toyman's beam. We don't have what we need to search an entire planet for him. The sun must be near the end of it's life to be shining red. But how far into the future are we?"
A shadow in the girders stirred, a smooth, cultured voice gliding from the darkness. "I can answer that question, Detective."
---
Authors Notes:
I can see it now. The Bruce Wayne Action Figure with REAL Caveman Grip.
As for why they would use an LED display on a space-armoured PDA rather than an LCD one, LCD panels can fail in very high or low pressures. For a nix based item, a command line works just as well, and you can do that easily enough with LEDs. As for input, chorded keys. With enough practice, you can supposedlyexceed 10 characters a second on those things.
"Detective"? Isn't that was Ra'sha G'uld called Batman?
Yeah, it wasn't as good as the earlier chapters. That real life thing again. Sorry