A hand manipulates a control panel and a small screen comes to life, displaying an image of her: Kira Nerys, former Intendant of Bajor in the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance, prior to being forced to flee when that sector fell to Terran rebels. By rights she should have been executed or imprisoned for her failures, though she somehow managed to persuade her superiors to give her a lesser punishment, in the form of being demoted to a lowly government position on Izar. But rather than dwindle in misery, she found fortune when she happened one day to cross paths with that world's Cardassian intendant, and her Bajoran beauty caught his eye. Seducing him, she soon married him, taking full advantage of his wealth and power, much to the ire of her Alliance overlords...as well as lesser, but still dangerous, rivals closer to her.

It is one such enemy that covertly observes her now, seething with hatred as they watch Kira Nerys being dressed in her black, slick, figure-hugging bodysuit, similar to the one that she wore in her Terok Nor days, by her husband's Vulcan slaves. At her command the Vulcans leave her chamber, and Kira strolls over to the open window of her chamber to inhale the sweet air before beginning her day. The watcher sees their perfect opportunity; their finger stabs down on a large button. Kira vanishes in a sudden flash of light, leaving the chamber empty.

It is called the Tantalus device, a weapon from the days of the old Terran Empire before its fall. Lost for many long years, it has been recently rediscovered and obtained by the watcher at considerable expense. An ideal means of disposing of threats, its targets are not actually destroyed, but are displaced from time and space, sent on one-way trips to other plains of reality...

OOOOOOOO

Kira feels her body being pelted with liquid as she comes to her senses lying on her side on a wet surface. She cries out in alarm and bolts upright, thinking she is lying in red blood of the type possessed by Bajorans and Terrans. Then she looks around her at the rain hammering down from above, soaking her, and sees it is crimson. It stings slightly as it goes into her eyes, making her wince as she rubs them dry. Getting shakily to her feet and hugging herself against the deluge, she calls out "Where am I? What's going on?"

Needles of fear prick Kira as she squints through the red downpour, seeing she is an alley between buildings, littered with decaying garbage. Could this be Ferenginar, she wonders as she sees the open open onto a street just a few feet ahead. The downpour is starting to ease off, but all is darkness as she walks forward, the heels of her boots clicking loudly on the saturated asphalt. The buildings around her are of stone and brick, many with metal shutters pulled down over their fronts, a few empty, four-wheeled vehicles of some kind parked here and there. Looking up, she sees tall towers rising against the dispersing storm clouds.

Then Kira sees a figure, a humanoid male wearing a wide-brimmed hat and long coat, hurriedly walking down the street in her direction. "You!" she says, approaching and grabbing his arm, noting his startled features appear to be Terran. "What planet is this? Answer me, Terran!"

From beneath his hat the man frowns at her, then his eyes bug out a little as they fix on her nasal ridges. Then he says "My name ain't 'Terran', lady, it's Sid. 'What planet is this?' I ain't got no time for some weirdo freak." Violently he shakes her hand loose, muttering "This burg's weird enough already!" as he dashes off.

"Insolent Terran!" Kira shouts at the man's rapidly receding back. "I'll see you're punished for this!" Scowling, she commences walking, no clear idea of her destination. There must be someone who can help her. A few times the odd motor vehicles drive down the road; Kira tries to hail the occupants, but they ignore her and speed on into the night.

She has not walked for long down these shadowed streets when she notices another ground vehicle, its colors blue and white, slowing down and halting next to her. The driver, yet another Terran male, leans his head out and says "Miss? Are you okay? Do you need any help?"

Desperate, Kira strides over until her face is an inch from his and barks "I am Kira Nerys of Bajor. My husband is the intendant of Izar in the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. I demand to speak to the highest authorities of this planet immediately! Do you understand me?"

At her words and the sight of her ridges, the man looks shocked and bewildered. "Uh...okay, listen, I...I'm gonna take you someplace safe, yeah?" He opens the vehicle door and steps out onto the curb in front of her, gently placing his hand on her shoulder as he continues "It's okay, I'm gonna help you. Now if you'll just get into the car - " That is far as he gets before it is suddenly there: Red eyes blazing, the dark mass swoops down from above on what look to be gigantic leather wings and slams the man to the ground before either he or Kira have time to scream. Kira's voice and limbs are frozen with terror as this new arrival lowers its face to the Terran's throat and blood fountains up from where it bites down. She hears wet, sucking sounds, and the man is just able to gasp out "Batma - -" before he is still and the hideous slobbering stops. She hears the tall figure, wings sprouting from beneath its long, black cape, breathing heavily as it rises. Its head is covered by a black hood adorned on top with two long, thin, straight, antenna-like protuberances. It looks at Kira now, and she whimpers as she sees its mouth with its fangs sharp as those of a mugato, and dripping with the man's blood. She has seen blood before, even at times enjoyed seeing it spilled, but somehow this...this sickens her pagh.

The shadow with eyes like dying stars envelops her, and she screams as her feet leave the ground and she feels the wind tearing by. Kira finds herself lying on her back on what seems to be the roof of a tall structure. The thing, its cape billowing like a black cloud in the breeze, looks down at her, and from it issues a voice: "You...aren't human. I can see that. Neither am I, for that matter...not anymore. What are you doing in Gotham? How did you come to be here?"

It takes a moment for Kira to control her fear enough to speak. "I...I don't know. One minute I was in my home on Izar, the next...I was here. That's all I know, I swear."

"Interesting," the creature murmurs, not moving. "Do you want to know what I am? Back when I was a man, I stood for justice in this city, defended its people from evil. The man I drained back there...I used to aid his kind. But then a new evil came to Gotham: Vampires, lead by their master, Dracula. I destroyed him and his followers, but...his evil had already infected me. Where I once fought predators, I now am a predator, and all in Gotham, good and bad, are my prey. The bloodlust must be satisfied." His orbs blaze as he descends on her, his fangs glint as they meet the skin of her throat. Her blood is alien, but still sweet.

OOOOOOOO

Kira Nerys awakens soon, in darkness. But then, she has always lived in darkness. She thirsts for life and power...as she always has in one way or another. Her red lips part to show her fangs. She and the Batman will feast richly on this world.