The dizziness spells and the almost continuous headache were annoying enough, he thought, as he flew over Metropolis, but these dreams and visions are getting real old real quick. It had started in earnest for him about a week after Kara came to Metropolis. The relatively mild headaches gradually changed. He was now getting savage, unpredictable, super-migraines, which usually came bearing unwanted 'gifts'...dizziness spells and visions of him doing things he never did. In places he never was. He had checked with the Fortress, and then with John. They each checked him out...and both said the same thing:
You're fine.
Yeah, right. Tell that to the...
The dizziness started. He sped down and carefully alighted on a nearby department store roof a second before his world collapsed into pain and insanity.
He was flying through the secret tunnel under his house. He had seen the Legion figurines flashing a high-priority code. He sped through the atmosphere and poured on the speed. And began to spin like a top. Faster and faster. He broke the speed of light with ease and continued his carefully timed acceleration until he figured he stopped at the 30th Century. He turned around and looked at the earth below. His telescopic vision confirmed the proper time. There's the Legion clubhouse, he thought, as he angled down and alighted on their front walk.
"Hey, Superboy. Long time, no see." A young lady dressed in white walked, ghostlike, from the clubhouse wall.
"Hey, Tinya...good to see you, as always. You have any idea what all this is about?"
"Yeah, but not here, Kal. C'mon inside. Brainy's ready to talk your ears off."
Great, he thought. Knowing Querl, it'll take ten minutes to say hello... If I'm LUCKY...
Abruptly, he was out of it, still holding his head.
"Nhhh. Superboy? The Legion? What the hell?"
The throbbing subsided back to a dull roar.
Damn. He thought. Just like the others. It's ME, but I never DID this stuff... Didn't have my full powers 'till my early 20's. I NEVER was Superboy. I didn't have any blinking figurines. I can't break the speed of light. I'm NOT a Legionnaire. Who's Querl?
What, in the name of Rao, is happening to me? He grunted in frustration.
If this turns out to be Dominus's doing, I WILL find a way to kick him to Krypton and back!
He heard screams in the distance, and checked with his telescopic vision.
Damn. Metallo again. When it rains it pours. He got unsteadily to his feet and winced as his migraine kicked into overdrive.
"Oh, THIS is gonna be fun."
A gust of wind, and he was gone.
It was a busy night in Gotham, but that was normal for the ancient city. The criminal element, it's heart, was in overdrive. And he STILL could not get rid of the ever-persistant headache. Nor those damn fantasies that kicked in from time to time. The dizziness, however, was the biggest problem. It was a major distraction. He HATED distractions. They could be lethal. As could a fall from twenty stories up.
He was grappling toward the docks, two days ago, when the dizziness and the fantasy took over his vision and his mind. Instinctively, he tightened his grip on the Bat-Line as it started. Thankfully, when he slammed into the building at twenty miles per hour, it shook him free of the fantasy. He was left with a sore right shoulder, but he was alive. If he were to believe in spirits, he'd say it was his parents helping him.
Get out of it, Bruce...They're DEAD. Have been for thirty two years. Keep focused on the present.
He flipped the communications toggle in the Batmobile, and opened the line to Barbara.
"Barbara, anything?"
"Yeah, I got into their computer system. These people are smarter than usual...Better hackers than usual..."
He smiled slightly. "But they don't have you, do they, chum?"
There was a pause on the other end. "Uh...Bruce...you okay?"
He was all business. "Why do you ask?"
"You just called me 'chum'."
"Oracle, you might want to get some sleep." He reviewed his last sentences. "I said...'But they don't have you, do they?'" He raised his eyebrow under his cowl. "I don't recall calling you...Chum."
In the clocktower, Barbara removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "OKaaay...Never mind. As I was saying, their hackers are funnelling money from the rigged Wayne Industries account, as well as a LexCorp one and two more from Titan Industries."
"Good. No problems?"
"No. I'll update you if anything changes."
"Good. Out." He turned the car around the city and decided to check out East Gotham.
The dizziness returned and the road seemed to spin. He put on the auto driver. "Destination: The Cave!" The computer voice spoke. "Cave. Computing." The migraine felt worse than before. "Nnnhh...Execute." "Cave. Executing."
The fantasy claimed him.
He remembered digging through the file cabinets in the cave.
"Hmmmm...'scratch-rider' and 'trap-artist'...Those are circus terms, if I remember correctly, Dick. Batwoman had to be a circus performer at one point to be familiar with those odd terms, and either performed them or KNEW someone that did so."
"Bruce, I've found the files we have on circus and theatrical people that have passed through Gotham..."
Twenty minutes later, Dick let out a yelp.
"Got it, Bruce! Here!" Smiling, the Boy Wonder handed over the newspaper article. Bruce read the caption over the picture:
"KATHY KANE, Star Trap-Artist and Trick Motorcycle Rider."
Bruce frowned. "Kathy never mentioned to me that she was part of a circus troupe..." He paused, eyes closed, his mind rewinding to the events of the dinner party the previous night, which he had attended as Bruce Wayne.
One image stood out.
"But...Batwoman DID come from the direction of her house."
Dick smiled. "She has to have a secret area either next to or under her house..." He found the Gotham cave and tunnel charts.
Bruce studied it, and then his face brightened.
"There! The old mine tunnel. Kathy's house is now right over that."
"Bruce, I'm not sure this is a good idea. She DID say that you would expose yourself if you exposed her..."
They were standing in the darkness as the motorcycle came roaring in.
Batman stepped forward. "Good evening, Kathy."
The lithe form in yellow and red dismounted the cycle, with a frown on her face.
"You figured me out. I expected this...You ARE the world's greatest detective." She removed the mask from her face. "But you have given up your OWN identity in the process!"
She hesitated. "I COULD track you down. I have secretly recorded your physical dimensions and weight as soon as you entered my cave."
His face looked worried.
She went over and swung her portrait away from the wall...
"Master Bruce?"
He opened his eyes. He was back in the cave, and he was looking up at a VERY worried Alfred and Tim.
His headache pulsed, and then dialed back to a steady throb.
He smiled shakily and got out of the car.
"Don't worry, Alfred. One of the...headaches kicked in. The Batmobile auto-driver did very well."
Alfred shot a side-glance at a worried Tim.
"I DO believe you should...cease...your nocturnal activities until this...problem passes."
He rested a hand of Alfred's shoulder and smiled. "I have it under control, Alfred...Nothing to worry about." He looked at both of them again. At the concern written clearly across both of their faces.
"Tim?"
"Uhh…Bruce. You're smiling. You DON'T do that. As much as I'd like to say otherwise...It's not you. It's unnerving."
"Agreed, Master Tim. Master Bruce, you may not LOOK ill, but something is quite definitely wrong upstairs. More so than usual. For the past thirty-two years, I could count the number of times you've smiled like that on one hand. Now you've done it twice in as many minutes." He cleared his voice and continued.
"I want you to get yourself checked out. Something is clearly wrong. First, you complained of sporadic headaches. And dizzy spells..." He paused, and then continued dryly. "...Then you play 'chicken' with a building. You are indeed fortunate your grip held."
Tim thought for a second. "Bruce, we have recorded your brain engrams in the past, and have the proper medical scanners here that could prove this conclusively to you now. I've read that no two brain patterns are the same. If that's the case, and you ARE fine, there should be no difference between the old recordings and any new ones...but if they're different..."
Bruce nodded, and then paused, looking at both of them intently. "All right...If it calms you and convinces you that nothing IS wrong that aspirin wouldn't fix, by all means, chum."
His two closest friends looked at each other nervously, wordlessly, and then Tim went to work. Alfred lagged behind.
"Master Bruce, pardon my asking, but what if they DON'T match? If such a thing was happening to Master Dick or Master Tim, you would be adamant about them stopping patrols until they returned to normal. In the interest of safety, the same must apply to you as well."
He stared at them both, musing. Both were loyal beyond question, and either would walk through fire for him. He trusted them and their judgements. Neither was prone to fooling around on a subject like this...
"If they don't match, Alfred, we'll see if Dick can take over for me until we figure out the cause." He gave a small smile. "I don't want to see me spattered all over the streets any more than you do."
It took Tim and Alfred 20 minutes to set up the necessary machines, another 15 for the tests. 30 seconds after that, the computer ran the results through the Crays and posted them on screen.
Physically, aside from the hurt and healing shoulder, he was fine. Top shape. He smiled and toggled to the engram screen. Bruce stared dumbfounded. Close but no cigar. The new engrams were very close to the old, but deviated in a number of key areas. It COULDN'T have been sloppy technique. He was watching them. They both performed the tests perfectly. Apparently, it WAS him. He frowned, and then flipped on the communications link to Barbara. "Oracle, see if you can get through to Dick. Tell him...I need to speak with him urgently."
"Right, Bruce...out." He toggled the link off, and began to type intently on the Crays, calling up 'Net information on headaches...and hallucinations...
Two weeks later, Kara was getting alarmed, watching the news and reading the papers. Kal was very obviously not behaving like himself, getting quite agressive... almost becoming a bully, at least as far as some crooks in Metropolis were concerned. Not even ten minutes ago, there was another live report on GBS. Tina Tilby reported about a group of terrorists that had threatened to bring Metropolis down with 15 well-placed nuke-level explosives, and they were not telling the SCU where they were, nor who they reported to. Frustration was written large on Maggie Sawyer's face.
Until Kal showed up.
He grabbed the leader with a frown...
And with an effortless swing of his arm, flung the leader straight up 50 stories.
And then flew up after him.
The cameras focused in on the two dots as the Man of Steel paced the leader as he fell, screaming like a banshee. The Man of Steel seemed to very calmly ask questions.
The leader ultimately must have relented, because seconds later, Superman had deposited him on the ground in front of Dan Turpin. The leader was shaking so hard he almost couldn't speak, much less be aware of the rather large wet spot now blossoming across the front of his pants.
But he was now MORE than willing to talk!
The rest of the terrorists were rounded up in a blink by Kal, and 14 of the bombs were quickly found and defused. Only one was left, and the other terrorists weren't talking...belittling and cursing their leader for being so weak.
Superman smiled grimly, and disappeared with them one at a time...
Needless to say, after outracing, and then playing 'chicken' with a rail whale, one of them, panicked, told him what he needed to know.
He found the last bomb with ten seconds to spare. It was flung into space before it detonated.
"We didn't have TIME to play nice, Kara! They were planning on levelling half of the city!"
She was calm, but her grey eyes crackled with anger. "Kal, YOU were the one that reminded me not all that long ago that with the power we wield we must be careful not to hurt others. You have been complaining about dizziness and visions for weeks now. What if a seizure had taken you while you were following that man down? He may have been in the wrong, but he DID NOT deserve to be treated like that! Nor did the rest of them! How would you like to die that way? Why haven't you had yourself re-checked by a doctor recently?!"
Kal's face hardened. "It's been too busy lately, and I've been managing it just fine. I'm gonna drop by the Steelworks tomorrow, anyway. Kara, you don't understand what it's like to be out there, fighting those morons who just want to kill people!" He paused a second and his face darkened. "They've got to consider me a joke at this point! If Bruce chases them down a dark alley, they run like hell! If it's me, they're more frustrated than afraid! They KNOW I won't do anything nasty anyway! Maybe this will make them think twice."
"Yes, Kal. But is this before or after the one fifty story drop that kills them?"
Clark, disgruntled, with no answer, stared into space.
Lois got up, moved behind him and tried to massage the diamond-hard muscles. "Clark, I hate to take her side...but you really HAVEN'T been acting normal for the past two weeks. The Planet was going nuts again today with questions of your sanity." She went over to the counter and picked up two of the folded newspapers. She placed them in front of him. Both with the same AP photo: A closeup of the leader and Superman, from the chest up, during the decent.
"Daily Star headline: MAKING THE NASTY!" "Daily Planet headline: TAKING IT TO THE STREETS?"
Lois walked to her husband's side, and gently lifted his head up to meet her gaze, brushing the light glaze of sweat from his forehead with her other hand. "Kara has only known you for months...I've known you for YEARS." She gently caressed his cheek with her other hand and continued. "Trust me when I say there's something DEFINITELY wrong...You are emotionally ALL over the map. The people are beginning to worry you are under someone's mental control again."
She paused and ran her manicured fingers through his hair. "You need help. Get Emil. Get John Henry. Get J'onn. Have them check you out... Before you wind up doing something you'll regret later..."
He stood up and walked to the balcony, and stared out the window at the city for two minutes. He hesitated, and then spoke softly with a shaking voice. "The...scary thing is, whatever is causing these...visions...is making me lose track of what I did and didn't do. Two days ago, I...found myself reliving my days as Superboy."
Lois looked at Kara, fear written across both of their faces. "But, Clark, you..."
"I never WAS Superboy. I know. My powers weren't on to any major degree until I was about 24. But when it happened in the vision it...I don't know...It felt right..." He paused, wiped the sweat off his brow, and continued. "In my MIND, I KNEW it never happened..." He hesitated, swaying slightly, and then continued. "...In my HEART, though...I know it did...somehow..."
He stopped and rubbed his temples, wiping his now sweaty hands on his pants. He turned back to the kitchen, dizzy, and then grabbed the wall in an iron grip, crushing plaster and wallboard. Kara stood up and spoke, frightened. "Kal, you better sit down fast...Your heartbeat is beginning to fluctuate wildly."
Since Lois was closer she moved in.
"Yeah, I don't feel so well..."
He staggered, and then collapsed like a sack of meal.
"Clark!" Lois ran to him, tried to lift him up...with little success. Lifting a car would've been easier. She saw a blur of movement out of the corner of her eye, and then watched as Kara appeared at his side and put her hand gently on the crown of his head. She watched as Kara's eyes glowed: Amber, Blue, Gold, White...as she shifted through her vision powers, trying to glean as much info on his condition as she could. She finished, and then lifted him into her arms effortlessly. She put him in the Kent bedroom and closed the door.
"I think...we'd best let him rest." Kara held Lois as she fought back tears. Lois looked into Kara's eyes and noticed the tears and fear there, as well. "Have courage, Lois. We'll figure out what's causing this. He's led a blessed life so far...I don't think Rao will change that now." Lois startled as Kara suddenly disappeared, and then reappeared again, in her dark blue containment suit, Superman's gold belt and buckle around her waist. "I'm going up to the Watchtower, and see if anyone has any ideas on how to help him."
She pressed the hidden button on the buckle. "Diana, Oracle, Batman, J'onn: Could you please meet me on the 'Tower? There's something wrong with..."
Diana's voice came over the miniature speaker. "Superman? Yes, we know, Kara. We're already here. We have...other problems as well. Prepare to beam."
"Ready." A dance of light and she was gone.
And Lois sat on the edge of the bed, praying and worrying over her husband...