CHAPTER 35: UNEXPECTED HELP
Bruce Wayne was sitting in front of his Batcave alone as he liked it. Only this time he wasn't wearing his Batman suit just plain clothing as he was watching the screen on the computer. He was studying recent events looking for anything that might help him but he knew what it was already. The information he had gathered plus a small investigation himself only proved what he had feared.
He had feared this day for over a year but even this was much worse then he had thought it would be. There were a few unexpected factors that even his mind could never have guessed that would happen, he hated it when unknown factors came into play because you never knew how they would effect the outcome and you had to alter all your plans and that could cost you time, lives or something else.
Bruce always did his best to try and stay ahead of the game, sometimes it was the only reason that he had managed to do so well over the years and how he lasted. How he kept on surviving things that other normal people wouldn't have. He never gave up and pushed himself to his limits and beyond and always tried to keep ahead of the others. He used all his skills and knowledge in his battle against crime and it had been a combination that had proved to have worked out many times.
But now with this unexpected turn of events things were now very troubling.
"I see you've heard," Came a slightly cold feminine voice. He knew who it was, he was a bit surprised that she would show up here. She had made it clear that she didn't like him not one bit but with something like this you couldn't let personal issues get in the way.
"Hello Kara," He said to her not taking his eyes off the screen. He could hear her now stepping out of the shadows and saw her reflection in the screen. She looked a bit harder now then when he had last seen her but then again a few years can change a person. She wore a new uniform now, a blue top with long sleeves, and matching skirt with a yellow belt. A longer red cape that went down to her knees, long red boots and she also wore a red headband over her head to keep her slightly longer hair out of her face.
"Don't call me that, you don't have the right," Supergirl told him coldly. "Not after what you and the others did."
Bruce sighed and knew that she had a point. Deep down he knew that they had gone too far but he hadn't seen any other way out of it. He had placed himself into self exile not helping them but he hadn't stopped them either. He looked to his right as saw there the old Batman suit he had worn when he became a Justice Lord. The black and grey suit hung there once a symbol of The Bat, something to take bride in. Now it was a monument to his eternal shame. He hadn't even been in the Batcave since he put the suit here and the others went to jail.
He looked back at the screen of video footage of when the remaining Justice Lords had escaped with the help of that man with the metallic tentacles. He had never seen him before and after running an exhausting search found nothing on the man. But then he wasn't surprised by that.
Supergirl looked at the screen her arms crossed, she had heard of the escape as it was all over the news with the entire world looking for the most dangerous criminals on the entire planet. But she hadn't seen what actually happened, "One of yours?"
"No, never seen him before but then he's not from our world." She looked shocked at him when he had said that and he brought up certain audio files. "Take a look this is what the prison is keeping quiet, I managed to enhance the audio."
She looked to see the one man with many arms talking to them, "Oh please if I wanted you all dead you would be dead, no I'm here to offer you a deal."
"What kind of deal?" Shayera asked him
"The best kind, you see I'm not from this world,"
Kara stiffened a bit, "Please tell me he's not from that other world, the one that defeated you guys. I had a feeling that people in that would want nothing to do with this one especially the Justice Lords?"
He pulled up another section that he had saved, "Just keep watching."
"You're from that other world," Superman stated to him it wasn't a question.
"Yes and no. My name is Doctor Octavius or Dr. Octopus as other like to call me, and I did travel from that world I'm not from it. You see I came from one similar yet very different from that one and this one.
Kara had an idea of what was going on as she watched on as he talked to them and about his plan to use them to deal with the Justice League of that other world. "But how can they be any help? They had their powers stripped?" She asked him but he didn't move or say anything as he just watched. She glared at him and turned back to the screen knowing it was his way of telling her to keep watching.
"Well that's easy…I managed to remake the device that took your powers and I know how to reverse it."
At that Bruce turned it off and Kara got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. 'Oh god…If he gives them back their powers after they are done with that world they will most likely come back here.' She thought to herself. There were barely any heroes left as many were either killed, stripped of their powers or like her had been imprisoned like she had been. If they came back with all their powers there was nothing to stop them from trying to gain control over this world again.
"So what are we going to do?" She asked him.
"We?" Bruce asked her.
She glared at him, "Look I'm not sitting around doing nothing and besides you haven't worn that suit or been out as Batman in over a year. You honestly think you can go up against them and this other guy and not get your ass handed to you?"
He looked at her and he knew that he could use the help. Plus having a friendly face with him might help the others trust him more. He had a pretty good idea that they wouldn't like to see him especially the other him. He looked to where the device was that had led them into the other reality. Bruce still had it set for the other Batcave just in case.
When they had sent the Lords back to this world he had turned it off separating their two worlds. He figured it was best kept here, he should have destroyed it but he just didn't have the heart to do it, just like why he never dismantled the Cave and everything else in here.
Bruce stood up and walked over to the glass case holding the last Batsuit he had made before he retired from it. He didn't feel worthy of it after coming back here and especially with them in jail and him still free. It was only because when they had become the Lords and taken over he went into his cave and pretty much never came out that the world had pretty much forgotten about Batman.
They didn't care about him they only wanted those that had caused the most harm. Now as he looked at the glass seeing his reflection there and wondering what happened to the man that he used to have been? He knew that he had to get them out of there, he knew fist hand just what the people who had once been his friends were capable of. He had to stop them before anymore innocent people were harmed.
"Just give me a few minutes to change and get the machine up and running," he told her as he opened the case for the first time in a year. He heard her leave him for some privacy and he was glad because it wasn't modesty that he was worried about. It was more then something he wanted to bring with him, it was something that he had hoped he would never use but he figured he would need it for this.
And he also knew if she had seen what he had and was bringing then she really wouldn't be happy with him. But unlike her, he could do what she couldn't do if it came right down to it and if he knew Clark, it would come down to a fight to the finish.
-Interrogation Room-
Spider-Man was waiting in the police room with Supergirl with him waiting for the cops to bring in James Blonc who was awaiting trial at the moment. He was still amazed what being part of the Justice League could get you and he had a temptation to see just how many thing he could get by just flashing a JL membership card but now was not the time.
"So…how are we going to do this?" Supergirl asked him, "I mean it's not like he'll admit to anything will he?" She had been filled in on the way here about what Peter feared what was going on and she didn't like it at all. "And are you really sure about all of this? I mean maybe it's just a coincidence about the technology being so similar."
Peter had hoped about that but he didn't think so, "Sorry it would just be too big of one, plus we never figured out how I got to this world. And even though the original League have had a couple of experiences with alternate realities they're not experts or have any technology to deal with it."
That was one of the things they first did when he arrived, tried to find out how he got here but nothing they had turned anything up.
Kara had to admit that Peter made a point so she turned to the matter at hand, "So…How do you plan on getting him to talk? I mean with those times Batman was helping you with your combat skills did he give you a few pointers on interrogation?"
In all honestly Peter hadn't thought that far ahead, and no he didn't get any hints or tips he never thought to ask. Of all the people he had the opportunity to ask he had a guy whose name made certain thugs piss themselves and he never thought of asking anything like that. It just suddenly dawned on Peter, "Ah crap," That he really was an idiot at times.
"I'll take that as a no then."
"Well…it never came up really," Peter scratched the back of his head, "I mean I never really had to do the whole interrogation thing in the police room before now. Usually the cops were too busy trying to either shoot me or arrest me…Or both depending on how their day was going..."
Kara sighed wondering what do to, 'I knew I should have listened to Babes stories more closely on the things Batman had done that she said was cool.' She looked to Peter then wondering if he had any idea on what to do, "So…Do you know anything about this cause I've never really gotten the chance to interrogate someone before. Usually the older guys beat me to it."
"Just…What I know from TV and movies," He answered lamely.
A few minutes later James was brought in by two officers and sat him down in a chair in the room behind the table. He looked at the two there and smirked, "So what's up? You wanted to gloat or something?"
Spider-Man leaned forward, now he could try and sound threatening but in all honestly that usually only worked on low level street scum and even then not all the time. So he just decided to play it a bit cool, "Okay look I just want to know where you got that technology for the arm and who built it for you."
He leaned back and crossed his arms, "Got it off of E-Bay."
It was then that Supergirl in a flash of speed had him suddenly up against the wall with one hand, "You know we really don't got the time for this," She said angrily.
Spider-Man was trying to get her to let him go, "Hold it, we need him at the moment."
James was struggling in her grasp, "Get this crazy blond off of me!" The two officers along with Spider-Man tried to pry her off and it took a moment for her for calm down and let him go. James looked to the two cops, "You guys are just going to let them get away with that?"
Kara glared at him, "No offence but how exactly would they stop me?" That pretty much froze everyone in the room and then walked up to James who backed away a bit. "Now you're going to tell us everything because let me tell you something, dropping part of a building on my boyfriend is something that really pisses me off!"
By then everyone was looking at Spider-Man and one of the cops leaned over, "She really your girlfriend?" The man whispered to the costumed man.
"Oh yeah."
"Damn…And I thought my wife was scary when she was mad."
"Oh trust me you should see her in the morning without her coffee," Peter said back to him.
Now James had a choice, he hadn't known about their relationship and so now he was face to face with the Spider's pissed off girlfriend who could snap him like a twig and not to mention if me mentioned Lex Luthor at all he was a dead man. 'Oh yeah…I'm so screwed,' He thought to himself. 'Wait a minute they only want to know about the tech, so if I talk about only that screwy Doc then maybe I can get out of this with my skin intact.'
Spider-Man decided to step in, "Look I already know about Octavius," He smiled under his mask seeing the surprise on the thief's face. "Oh don't look so surprised the Doc and me go way back and I know his handy work. I just want to know why he gave you those things."
"Before I really decided that I can get it out of you faster by sending your head through the wall," Supergirl said crossing her arms.
"Okay, just keep your crazy girlfriend away from me okay!" James composed himself, "All I know is that he wanted someone to steal some stuff and to be sure it couldn't be traced back to him," He told them all he knew the location of where in Metropolis that he had been, a few items that he stole but he kept Lex out of it. In fact he told them quite plainly that it was all Doc Ock and that was it.
He hoped this would keep him safe from Lex and being in jail meant that the Doctor had to go through all of the security to get to him that was if he knew which prison to look so at the moment he was actually kind of safer in prison at the moment. By the end of it Peter felt like he wanted to throw up, mainly because he had the proof that Doc Ock one of his worst enemies was now in this world too. It just didn't seem fair, he had been having such a good life up until now and then fate decided to screw with him again.
As James was led away Peter just signed as he thought about all the implications this made and that Doc Ock also knew who he was. He had been here for sometime and most likely had known that he was in this world too. Peter was also knew it was a sure bet that Doc Ock was planning something nasty for him too.
He felt a gentle touch on his arm, "Hey you okay?"
"I...Don't know, I thought I left all that crap behind me in the other world but now…"
"It's okay you don't have to go through this alone anymore remember?" She offered him and that did brighten Peter up. Normally Peter would be on his own and now there was literally a whole army of superheroes that he could call upon to help him out.
"Thanks…By then way nice 'bad cop' action there," Peter smiled.
She grinned at him, "Thanks, I was afraid I was going over the top but I see that the classics still work."
-Watchtower-
Diana had just teleported up to the Watchtower as she took a second to take it in. It was much different then the one she had been on but there were still men and women in uniforms at least, that was still familiar to her. She stepped off the pad and made her way down the main corridor. Her J'onn had ripped out all the information needed like the layout and passcodes and then implanted that in her mind.
So far the others were waiting for the next phase but first she needed to take care of something. She walked down the halls seeing a few faces nod to her and say hello. She didn't know them all in fact most were strangers but she politely nodded back or just said 'hello' in return. It was best not to stand out in this little operation of hers.
First thing was first was a trip to check up on this world's J'onn. He wasn't on duty most likely called away for something and that fit in just perfectly for her. She had taken a few things along with her during the transport and now she just had to find out where he was but she had an idea on how to get him to her easily enough.
She eventually found her way to the prison level and no one even bothered to stop her or look at her twice and why would they? She was Wonder Woman one of the original seven members of the League. Diana had to admit that this was very easy and lucky that no one that really knew her were around. The original League members would most likely be away from the Tower all but J'onn it would seem and the other two, one in the infirmary and the other in her cell.
She found the cell she was looking for easily enough being the only one in use. She opened the door and saw Shayera stand up. "What's going on?" Shayera was a bit confused as to why she was here since they weren't exactly on good terms anymore so her visit was unexpected.
"We have some new information about what happened," Diana told her sounding honest.
"What? Then what is it?" The winged woman demanded to know she hadn't known anything else since she had been put in here and it was driving her nuts.
Diana gently placed a hand on the other woman, "Take it easy, we've found out who was really behind all of this."
"Who? I have to know," Shayera said eager to know what was going on and who was screwing with her life and put John in the infirmary.
Diana smiled at her but it wasn't a gentle one there was a hint of cruelty to it and it made the other woman pause as she got a bit confused over what she saw, "Oh you know her very well…You see in a sense…it really was you."
Before she asked what in the hell she was talking about Diana, who had palmed a small medical injector into her hand that she had carried with her moved quickly. She gripped the arm tightly with her one hand and with the other jabbed the injector into her flesh. Shayera tried to fight it but had been caught completely off guard and even after she had wrenched her arm free it was too late.
The chemicals worked quickly and in a few seconds she fell to the floor out cold. Diana hid the injector again and tapped her new communicator, "J'onn I need you in the prison cell, I was just talking to Shayera and she suddenly went into fits and just collapsed. I think the other personality is surfacing."
It didn't take long for J'onn to show up. He had been wondering what exactly what this other personality would do when trapped. He was worried that something like this might happen, that the other personality that might be inside of her could either be attacking the dominant mind or was trying to kill Shayera in a way so that it wouldn't be caught.
He looked in the cell and saw Diana there leaning over the prone and motionless body of Shayera, "How long has she been like this?" He asked quickly hoping that maybe the mental block was weakened now for him to try and get through it. If her life was in danger he might have no choice then to go through it.
"I think about five minutes, what's happening J'onn?" She asked him trying to sound concerned about all of this.
"I'm not sure I'll have to take a deeper look to see," J'onn leaned down to examine her wondering what could have caused this when he felt the sting in the back of his neck. "Wha-!" He staggered as he tried to stand but the world was swimming and he fell to the cell floor out cold.
Diana grinned as she placed the small injector away, since her J'onn knew all about Martian body chemistry he also knew the most effective chemical that would knock the out but they didn't want them dead. Not yet anyway, the plan was to strip them of everything they had build and let them watch it burn. She slid out of her bracelet another piece of technology that they had made with the help of Doctor Octopus thanks once again to J'onn.
It was a small disk that she placed on his forehead as it was designed to keep him unconscious as well as block his telepathy. She dragged him to a near by empty cell and shut the door, "One more down," She said to herself. Now all she had to do was to get her J'onn up here and take the place of the one in the cell and the Watchtower would be theirs.
-Later-
In the Batcave, Batman was overlooking the evidence on his computer looking at all the evidence he had of John Stewart's apartment and a few things didn't add up. There was a small damage to the lock like it was picked. But Shayera didn't need to pick that lock she was already in there and most likely had a key.
There was also no sign of his ring too. Now he had searched her place in her city and on the Tower and he hadn't found his ring, it wasn't on her so if she had taken it then where was it? Also why take it in the first place? There was one more thing, he had found a few strands of reddish hair at first he thought they were Shayera's but it turned out they were synthetic. The odd thing was there were trace amounts of her DNA but not a lot like she had been wearing a wig but that didn't make sense.
In fact a lot didn't add up and he was starting to wonder just what was going on here. There was a major piece of the puzzle missing and he couldn't figure out what it was. He was about to turn it off and go on a patrol since that sometimes helped to clear his mind when a light was suddenly in the cave.
Instinct took over as he readied himself and pulled a batarang as the light source looking like a portal or something then a figure he had hoped to never see again stepped out. It what the Justice Lord version of him and oddly enough what looked like what must have been his version of Supergirl.
"What are you doing here?" He demanded of his doppelganger. The light faded as he came forward and now only the three of them were in the room in the darkened cave. Bruce had taken apart and deleted all information about dimensional travel in the hopes that it they had become like the Justice Lords they wouldn't go to some other reality. Although when Peter came he had slightly regretted that but even if he hadn't they would only have been able to send him to that other reality and not his own.
The Justice Lord Batman knew that his other self wouldn't like to see him but this was more important, "Believe me I wouldn't be here unless it was urgent."
Bruce looked at the other and there was only one thing that made sense to him. And now a few of the pieces started to come together, "The Justice Lords are here aren't they?" I wasn't a question and now he faced a new problem but wanted to hear the whole story he got the feeling that there were a few other pieces of information that he would need to know before he acted.
NEXT UP CHAPTER 36: WRATH