Cat's Paw 3
Bruce Wayne spun the Batmobile around and headed back towards the Daily Planet parking lot. He slapped the communications console button into active. "Alfred! I'm taking Miss Lane back to downtown Metropolis. Please have the limo ready to pick me up." He directed.
"At once, Master Bruce." Came the gravelly voiced answer. Batman skidded through an intersection, and fired the retro rockets on the base of the car, enabling it to make a nearly impossible right angle turn. He scattered pedestrians, who cursed and shouted at the erratic driving of the sleek automobile.
Bruce had lost any pursuers, save one. As he sped down the alley near the Daily Planet, his car suddenly went airborne! "What the?" Batman exclaimed as the heavily armored car seemed to float aimlessly straight up and over the wall concealing an old cement rooftop. The building was about seven stories high. The car's wheels were still spinning as it touched down on the blacktopped roof.
Immediately, Batman slammed on the brakes, allowing the vehicle to stop on the dime, mere yards away from the other side of the cement roof. Lois was none the wiser, as the bat sleep spray was still in effect. Batman shut down the nuclear powered vehicle, and allowed the reactor to cool.
Bruce stayed in the car's cockpit, and allowed the array of three hundred sixty degree cameras placed at various intervals alongside the bumpers, quarter panels, and hood to view the area for him. Batman gasped as a cute blonde girl stood behind the Batmobile, her arms crossed indignantly.
"You in the car!" She yelled. "Come out with your hands up!" I always wanted to say that, she mused silently. Bruce gawked as the girl began to slowly approach the driver's side door. Batman toyed with the idea of starting up the Batmobile, and faking a ramming run at the girl or the edge of the rooftop, but curiosity got the best of him. The girl seemed unarmed and unthreatening.
He flipped on the access switch, and the bulletproof glass cockpit cover slid backwards into the body of the car. The girl continued her approach. Batman prepared a small nerve gas canister that he'd pried from his utility belt, just in case. If the girl threatened him, she'd be in for a big surprise.
"I know you!" The girl said as she stopped. "You're the Batman of Gotham City! A long way from home, aren't you?" Bruce sat atop the back of the seat, ready to spring into action, but soon realized that if what he guessed were true, any moves would be ineffective. Time to play nice, he mused as his lip curled beneath the cowl. "And you are?" Batman baited, using the voice synthesizer in the mask.
"You can call me Super Girl!" Kara smirked playfully. "Super Girl? That's not very PC, is it?" Batman asked sarcastically as he flipped the top shut on the nerve gas canister. "That seems a bit presumptuous, doesn't it?" Bruce goaded her. "I like it." Kara smiled. "Now, why are you driving like a maniac through my city, and what exactly are you doing here?" Kara suddenly heard a second heartbeat. "First, how did you get my car up here?" Batman countered. "I'm stronger than I look." Kara deadpanned.
Kara used her x-ray vision to view the second occupant of the car, but for the moment, let the mysterious Batman keep his identity private. She clearly understood about the need for secrecy and duality that most of the current superheroes needed. Kara gasped. "You are in big trouble, Batman."
"Why is that?" Bruce toyed with the young superhero. "Because not only were you driving like a lunatic, you've nabbed the Blur's main squeeze." Kara lied convincingly. "The Blur?" Batman played dumb. "Actually, I'm about to start calling him Superman, but we haven't announced that to the press, yet." Kara needled. "You and this Superman are related, then?" Bruce pried, quickly piecing things together.
"Yes, definitely." Kara confirmed. "You'd better let me take Miss Lane to work. When she wakes up, you'd better not be around. She's especially mean when she's been caffeine deprived." Bruce allowed himself a quiet chuckle. "Okay, take her. Then will you let me off this roof?" Batman bargained. "Done." Kara zipped past him, grabbing Lois out of the passenger seat and hefting her on a shoulder.
Bruce gawked at the incredible speed and strength that this Super Girl elicited. He began to become unnerved, a rarity to be sure. Batman's computer like brain sifted through all of the facts and stories that had been told on TV, radio, newspapers, and on line about the Metropolis Blur. He'd seen the recent footage of this Super Girl posing like a celebrity supermodel for any press that wanted a photo op. She certainly wasn't shy. But Bruce marveled that she looked like a normal teenage girl.
Batman had dealt with unusual beings before, like the mutant metahumans, Man Bat, Killer Croc, and Bane. He was fortunate that most of Gotham's criminal element were simply dangerous, insane, or eccentric humans. Super Girl was definitely something else. He listened for machine noise, but the young beauty wasn't any form of artificial intelligence that he'd encountered before.
"I'm taking Miss Lane over to the Daily Planet." Kara stated. "After that, I'll be back to get you off the roof, provided you drive more carefully as you leave the city." Super Girl's eyes sparkled. "Wait!" Bruce slid across the sloping hood of the Batmobile, landing on his feet just opposite Kara. This is when he noted that Super Girl was floating! She was literally defying gravity. Bruce's square jaw dropped.
"You're not a human?" Bruce fished. Kara scowled. "Unfortunately not." She replied. "Listen Bats, I don't think this is the time or place for chit chat. In about five minutes, the Metropolis traffic helicopters will be taking to the air. We look decidedly obvious, standing with a car atop a roof."
"What are you?" Batman was shocked. Kara frowned. "I'm a who, not a what, and I'm not from around here." She leapt high above the roof, leveling off, and quickly soared across the alley and upwards toward the Daily Planet's tenth floor. She held Lois by the waist in her left hand, and carefully jammed up the window with her right. This window led to the ladies restroom, not exactly a great place for one of the Daily Planet's star reporters. Kara glanced around making sure the restroom was vacant.
Bruce watched with amazement. In the last few minutes, his whole perception of the world had been turned on its head. Super Girl, and likely the Blur or Superman, were from another planet! That was the only logical explanation. He'd heard rumors of an alien from Mars trapped on a secret Air Force base in Nevada, likely Area 51, perhaps he or they had gotten free! Batman was stunned.
This information brought with it a whole host of new problems, Bruce silently observed. Were these aliens friendly to the United States, and in fact, the world? How many of them were there? Did they all have unusual abilities, like superior strength, speed, and the power of flight? How long had they been here? Did the Shadow Government know that they'd been invaded?
Batman quickly recalled a number of stories from nearby Smallville, where articles in every local paper told of beings with mutated abilities. Were Super Girl and Superman the cause or the creators of these anomalies? Were they part of their species? Before Bruce could speculate further, Kara had returned.
"Ready to go, Batman?" Super Girl asked, as she cautiously approached the caped crusader. "Yes. I have so many questions!" He grumbled. "They'll be answered soon, Batman. Read the Daily Planet this week. I'm not sure when Miss Lane will run the story. By the way, Miss Lane is engaged to Clark Kent, one of her coworkers. She's simply good friends with the Blur, soon to be known as Superman."
"I guessed that." Bruce scowled, as he slid back across the hood of the Batmobile, and leapt into the cockpit. "Will I see you again?" He pressed as Kara neared him, leaning on the thick armored side of the car. "I'm always here, around Metropolis, unless I'm called elsewhere." She replied. Batman committed Kara's small, adolescent looking face to memory. "Drive carefully." She said, smirking.
Bruce forced a thin smile on his face, and pressed the retract button on the Batmobile's canopy. Kara scooped up the heavy black car, and vaulted over the side of the building. She let it down easily in the dark and filthy alley between the Daily Planet building and the other small skyscrapers nearby. She'd already checked the area for any security cameras, finding none.
Kara glanced in every direction, before flying straight up alongside the Daily Planet. She used the multilayered fire escape as a partial cover from the sight of any pedestrians that may have been walking along the main street. Batman watched her soar in amazement, before powering up the vehicle, and driving off towards his rendezvous point with Alfred, his loyal manservant.
Kara again climbed through the window of the ladies restroom, and spun into her Linda Lee Danvers disguise. She piled her fluffy blonde hair high beneath a brunette wig, and donned a simple gray and black ladies business suit, topping the ensemble off with the fake plastic framed glasses.
She stood Lois up and walked her out into the nearly deserted hallway, rimmed by rental offices unrelated to the Daily Planet newspaper. Kara guided her to the elevator, and headed down to the eighth floor, which was being remodeled. This would eventually be the location of Lois and Clark's offices one day, most likely after Lois ran the Daily Planet exclusive stories on Clark and Kara.
Super Girl relished the opportunity to reveal herself, and by extension, Kal, to the world. She'd always felt that they could watch over Metropolis and beyond and still remain true to themselves. Kara sat Lois down behind a new, but currently unoccupied desk within a set of partially built cubicle walls. Lois was only now beginning to stir. Kara, in full disguise, hurriedly sped away and picked up a double espresso latte and a cinnamon bear claw pastry to snack on, and returned to the awakening Lois.
Down the street, Batman had driven the Batmobile into a common, paneled, race car trailer, to hide it from the rest of the curious denizens of Metropolis. Alfred had driven the limo with trailer over from Metropolis International Airport. Inside the trailer, Batman donned his Bruce Wayne outfit, a casual blue Polo shirt and black Dockers, and stepped from the trailer's side door.
A few casual pedestrians cast him questionable looks. To play the part, Bruce turned back towards the empty trailer, and thanked the alleged owner loudly for a sneak peek at the new race car. This seemed to satisfy any nosy onlookers. Alfred, meanwhile, had automatically secured the trailer from the limo.
Bruce slid into the backseat of the limo. Alfred pressed the electronically operated window button, enabling them to carry on a reasonably secure conversation. "Master Bruce, you look concerned." He observed. "Were you successfully able to return Miss Lane to her post at the Daily Planet?" Bruce shook his head and gave Alfred that thousand yard stare that so many soldiers seemed to possess after battle.
"No Alfred, I had some help." Batman admitted after a few more seconds of silence. "Help, sir?" He questioned. Bruce relayed the story of the mysterious car chase, Lois Lane, and the equally mysterious encounter with Super Girl. "My word, sir!" Alfred exclaimed. "This changes everything!" Bruce nodded. "That it does, Alfred, that it does."
Just then, the Bat tracker had picked up Selena Kyle's signal. "She's on the move!" Bruce said excitedly. Alfred quickly turned around, and pulled the limo and trailer into traffic, generally following the illusive Catwoman's trail, this time at a more acceptable speed. Bruce's work in Metropolis wasn't done yet.
Back upstairs at the Daily Planet, Lois's eyes fluttered open, as Kara waved the hot, steaming cup of coffee beneath her nostrils. "Ooh! My head! Please tell me that it isn't New Year's Day." She quipped, grabbing her forehead, and letting loose with a long loud yawn. "Kara?" She asked, returning to reality. "Actually, it's Linda, as in Linda Lee Danvers, remember?" Super Girl playfully corrected.
"Right, Linda." Lois sat up straighter waiting for the buzzing bees to stop humming inside her head. By now, some of the construction workers were arriving at the building floor's jobsite post lunch break. "Boy, have I got a story for you." Lois sipped the hot coffee, and grabbed the huge bear claw.
Lois suddenly glanced around the area, and silenced. "Miss Lane, maybe we'd better head back down to the newsroom." Kara said loud enough for the construction workers to hear. "You're right…uh…Linda. Perry will be furious by now." Lois caught onto the act. Kara comfortably played the role of Lois's assistant, helping the wobbly Lois to her feet. "Should I call Mr. Kent?" Kara added to her charade.
"That would be best." Lois took an unsure step forward, careful not to spill the coffee or drop the pastry. Most of the construction workers paid them no mind, other than checking out the women's backsides as they migrated towards the elevator. "Thanks K, I owe you!" Lois said quietly to Kara.
"No problem!" Kara remarked as she pressed the elevator button. "So, you're about to tell me how I got back here after riding around all morning with that lunatic Batman." Lois said curtly, as Kara quickly began the story. Back at the newsroom, Perry White was popping his head into every cubicle on the floor. Lois ducked down behind a nearby cubicle wall, and slid into Clark's area. Just in time! She mused.