Chapter 2- Introductions
AN: Yay, chapter 2! What do you think? Fun right? Rember this is the Avengers from the Avengers Assemble cartoon and the Justice League also from the cartoon. So if Falcon seems a little weird, that's why.
Years of training allowed Batman to remain completely still when he woke up in a rush that would have sent a lesser man into a panic. Instead, he forced the instinctive reaction down and took stock of his situation without revealing that he was conscious. He strained to remember what happened. There was an attack on Central City and the League mobilized to fight the creature. During the fight there were a series of bright flashes. Then Batman remembered falling. When he landed he was completely disoriented, worse than any toxin from Scarecrow or Joker. Phantom pain raced across his temples as he recalled not being able to focus eyes or hear through the ringing in his ears. He had stumbled away, intent on finding someplace protected to recover when he felt someone grab his arm. He fought back against the perceived threat. Then… He fought to remember, the haze from before still lingering in his mind. He probably had a concussion. Then others joined the fight. Blind and deaf, he could only remember their fighting styles. There was a martial artist, thin and agile; a distance fighter with projectile weapons that reminded him of that guy from Star City; a big brawler; and someone with energy blasters. There might have been more, but they hadn't engaged directly. He had fought by feel and instinct, acting more like a cornered animal than a trained expert. His reflexes had helped for a time, but fighting blind was never easy even when you trained for it. He needed an escape, so he used a smoke bomb the first chance he sensed and tried to run. Then something happened, an object fell from the sky, knocking Batman off his feet and finally driving him into unconsciousness.
Carefully, Batman cracked open one eye to look around. At first glance, it looked like he was in a hospital, but he quickly dismissed the idea. It looked more like a lab, which was worrisome since he was strapped to the table. By flexing his muscles he determined he had enough give to easily escape. He also noticed he was missing his gauntlets, belt, and boots. His mask was still on, which he was grateful for. He opened his other eye and lifted his head to get a better look around. He saw his belt on the table next to him, laid out like someone had tried to open it, but it looked undisturbed. Stick-on sensors were attached to his arms and chest over his costume, connected to an array of monitors, displaying his vitals which were leveling out to normal. The equipment looked new and very high tech; even beyond what he had in the cave and rivaling the equipment in the Watchtower. He was alone in the room, but he quickly spotted several cameras, so someone was watching him.
Convinced he was in no immediate danger, Batman focused on his physical condition. He felt bruised and fatigued, but that was not unexpected given the circumstance. He could certainly feel the lingering effects of a concussion but it wasn't enough to hinder him now that he was aware of it. Personal inventory finished, it was time to escape and find out where the heck he was.
Using tricks that he learned long ago from an escape artist, he quickly escaped his restraints. He retrieved his gear and immediately put it on. He felt a lot better with the belt back where it belonged. He always felt a little naked without it, not that he was helpless without it, but it was reassuring to have the weight settled around his waist. He looked around again, considering his options. He could just leave, it shouldn't be too hard to disable to the cameras and disappear. Then his gaze landed on the computer counsel. It would be better to get more information before he made his next move.
Batman sat at the desk, exploring the desk top for a moment before pulling a drive from his belt that he put into the nearest port. The program ran automatically, creating a dummy account in the system that he could use to access some of the less secure areas. Luckily most of the security was focused on external rather than internal threats. He took control of the cameras and created a loop of when he was unconscious to give him time to do some research to figure out what the heck happened.
Avengers:
Directly below the medical lab, the Avengers sat around a conference table, trying to figure out where the masked man came from and what to do about him. According to the videos from social media and traffic cameras that Tony dug up, the man had literally appeared from thin air. They also detected a spike of unknown energy at the moment of this grand reveal. Tony was analyzing it now, but it was unlike anything they had ever seen.
"So can you at least tell me it was not the tesseract?" Steve asked, rubbing his eyes. The serum prevented him from having tension headaches, but it felt like he should have one.
"Yes, I can tell you that, cap," Tony said, frantically swiping through screens, charts, and various references. "I can tell you a bunch of things it isn't. It isn't tesseract, not Rainbow Bridge, not those rune stones we dealt with that one time. What I can't tell you is what it is. I can't get a read on it. It seems sort of like magic, but nothing relating to Asgard. I'm also picking up trace elements of gamma radiation, and alpha radiation, and a bunch of other radiations I can't quantify. I'm speechless."
"That's a first," Clint said, tossing a piece of popcorn from a huge bowl that he was sharing with Natasha up so he could catch it in his mouth. "Though isn't that supposed to mean you stop talking?"
"Back off, Legolas," Tony snapped. "I'm just saying this is new. I sent Falcon out there to look for any kind of clue and to get me some better readings. Until he brings me something, I've hit a wall."
Steve sighed and, placing his hands on the table, pushed himself to his feet. "So, we don't know what we're up against," he said, taking charge. Tony was starting to talk in circles. "We don't know if the man in our infirmary is a villain or a victim. And we have no way to tell until he wakes up."
"Sir, your guest has regained consciousness," JARVIS announced.
"Perfect timing," Steve said with a smile. "Please bring up the video."
JARVIS instantly complied, pulling up a display of the medical lab. It showed Batman still bound to the table. The AI refreshed the image, but it continued to show the unconscious man bound to the table, which contradicted JARVIS's sensors. The Avengers watched the recording, unaware of the discrepancy, waiting for any sign of movement in vain.
"I see no sense of awakening," Thor pointed out. "Perhaps your computer is mistaken."
"Ha, ha," Hulk teased. He liked making fun of Stark's toys, though he liked JARVIS well enough.
"JARVIS, what are we seeing?" Tony asked, abandoning his research for the new problem. He pulled up a 3-D panel and started to type in midair.
"I'm not certain, sir. My sensors clearly show your guest moving about the lab, but the cameras do not reflect this," the AI answered.
"Wait, this is a feedback loop," Tony exclaimed. "How did he…? What…?" He dissolved into indigent monosyllables and he worked to isolate the violation to his systems.
"Come on, Tony," Steve said, heading decisively for the door. If he couldn't trust JARVIS or the cameras, he would look for himself, the old fashion way. They should have left someone there anyway, but Stark was convinced that JARVIS would be enough. "Let's check it out."
Tony followed, back to typing on his tablet, hurrying to catch up to the Captain. He was frustrated to find a separate presence in his system that somehow had not tripped his alarms. Natasha watched them leave with narrowed eyes. She didn't trust any of this. Quietly, she stood and slipped out the other door to make a call.
Inside the infirmary, Tony stood in disbelief as he took in the empty room. There was no sign of the stranger anywhere. All of the man's gear was gone too, which was not a pleasant thought considering what JARVIS's scans had said was in that belt. Tony had tried to open it, but gave up pretty quickly, focusing on the mystery of the man himself instead. Resolutely, he shook it off and moved to the computer console. It didn't take long for him to purge his system of the invasive program and let JARVIS back into the cameras, but he wasn't sure how it had happened in the first place. It rankled that he didn't know.
"Calm down, Tony," Steve said gently, laying a hand on the genius's shoulder. "Just find out where he went."
"I'm right here," said an ominous voice from a shadowed corner of the room. Tony didn't even remember there being a shadowed corner of the room, which was just freaky.
"Who are you?" Captain America challenged, bringing his shield around in front of him and stepping between the stranger and Tony.
The man held up his hands, keeping them in sight so they could see he wasn't threatening them. "You wouldn't know who I am, but I've been learning about you. Captain America, Steve Rogers, a super soldier from World War II," the man recited dryly. He turned his attention to Tony. "Tony Stark, a billionaire who created a suit to become the hero known as Ironman. I have been reading up on your team, the Avengers."
Tony raised a sardonic eyebrow. "So what?" he said with a shrug. Inside he was seething; he did not appreciate being upstaged, though he had to admit the man's costume was dramatic when he wasn't flailing around like a madman. "You read our bios and then what? We're supposed to trust you?"
The man's eyes narrowed, the only expression they could see. "I would not expect that, but I am prepared to trust you." He paused and his jaw moved as he considered his next words. "Perhaps this would be easier if I explained everything to your entire team."
The man's stoic nature rubbed Stark the wrong way and he really wanted to punch that chiseled jaw. He glanced at Steve who had his arms crossed and his "Captain America face" on. The American icon nodded and waved a hand toward the elevator. It was a tense ride up, but the stranger didn't flinch or make a sound. Tony didn't either but his was more of a childish silence.
"Aw, guys, are we friends now?" Clint asked as the three men entered the conference room. Hawkeye had surrendered his popcorn to Hulk and was now fiddling with one of his arrows, his feet propped up on the table.
Cap glared at the archer until Clint put his feet down before answering. "No, Hawkeye, we are not friends," he said as he led the way to the table. He took his seat at the head of the table and Tony sat down at his left. The stranger remained standing. "We need some answers. Who are you and where did you come from?" Steve ordered.
The masked man looked around the table, his gaze piercing. He assessed each Avenger, staring them in the eyes to gauge their reaction. Tony averted his eyes to his tablet, avoiding a standoff rather than challenging the stranger. Clint met the gaze before shrugging and looking away. Natasha stared down the interloper, assessing him for herself. Steve and Thor didn't avoid the man's gaze, but neither felt the need to challenge him for now. Hulk growled and it was Batman's turn to look away to avoid a challenge. He started to speak when Falcon walked in. The young hero gulped at the tension in the air and hurried to his seat.
"Where I'm from, I'm known as the Batman," the stranger began in a gruff voice, "hero or vigilante depending on who you talk to. I am part of a team of heroes similar to the Avengers. We call ourselves the Justice League."
"Batman?" Clint choked. "Come on! That has to be the lamest name, am I right?"
"Hawkeye," Steve chided. Turning back to Batman, he asked, "Where are you from? How did you get here?"
"Best I can figure from my limited research, I am from an alternate Earth. During a battle with a creature in Central City, there was a flash of light. I woke up disoriented, blind, and in the middle of a fight with you."
"Wasn't much of a fight," Hulk grumped. "You hit your head."
Batman narrowed his eyes at the Gamma giant but refused to rise to the bait. "Something transported me here, and possibly the rest of my team." He pulled his cape around him dramatically and waited for the heroes to process what he told them.
Natasha stood up and approached the Batman. The eyes behind the cowl narrowed but he did not move even as she got within reach. "Just because you claim to be a hero doesn't mean we can trust you," Natasha said. She got in his face, looking for a weakness or a lie, but he just regarded her with wary respect. He wasn't intimidated or turned on by her, which was unusual. She admitted a growing fondness for him. It was obvious he was used to working with powerful women.
"I'm afraid there is nothing I can do about that. But I need to trust you both to find the rest of the Justice League and to return home."
"How many of you are we talking about here?" Natasha asked. She turned her back to him as she walked away. She nodded her approval to her teammates and when she sat down, she saw Batman eyeing her speculatively. She wondered what messages he read in that move. There were several possibilities: that she trusted him not to attack her, that she trusted her team to watch her back, or that she didn't even consider him a threat. All were true.
"The League has 6 other members. They could be anywhere and unlike me, they have super powers."
The Avengers exchanged looks. Six super powered, lost heroes could be quite a problem if left unchecked. Batman, who had no powers, had been bad enough.
"So, we find the lost heroes than figure out how you got here and sling-shot you all home," Tony said decisively. He clapped his hands. "Sounds pretty easy. Where do we start?"
"SHIELD," Clint spoke up first. Natasha shot him a disgusted look. "What? I heard your call earlier. It sounds like Fury has one of your buddies on the helicarrier."
"Which one?" Batman asked, his eyes narrowing.
"We don't know," Natasha admitted after Captain America signaled her to go on. She didn't like being called out like that. She'd get Clint back later. "I called to see if Fury had any intel on our guest and he said had a guest of his own. That's all I know."
"Give me a minute," Tony said giddily, pulling up a holographic screen. "I'm always looking for an excuse to hack into SHIELD." He tapped at the air for a few minutes. "Annnnd, ta-da. SHIELD security cameras are at my disposal. JARVIS, run through and see if you can find a lost hero."
"I think I have something, sir," JARVIS announced immediately, pulling it up so they all could see it. The camera feed showed an unconscious man strapped to a table inside a Hulk Containment Unit. He was wearing a blue and red suit with a red cape and a big S symbol on his chest.
"Impressive color scheme," Clint joked. "You two must have different tailors."
Batman groaned, the most emotion he had shown so far.
"Do you know him?" Steve asked.
"Superman. An alien with super-strength and invulnerability. He's a big boy-scout normally, but if he wakes up strapped to a table, he will not react well." He considered the video feed. "If he is as dazed as I was, then he could destroy whatever compound they are holding him in. I have your only chance at stopping him if he becomes out of control."
"You have super-strength?" Hulk asked innocently, sounding interested for the first time.
"No, I have his weakness. We have to leave now," Batman insisted.
"Fine, don't get your cape in a twist. Come on team, you heard the scary man in the bat-suit," Tony snarked, ignoring Batman's glare. "Let's go steal Fury's bug in a jar."
"Not funny, Stark," Hulk grumbled. He knew that particular jar.
Tony tried to back-track but Sam put his hand over the inventor's mouth. "Come on, Tony. Let's not anger the Hulk or the Batman. Save it for Fury, okay?" he meditated.
Batman ignored the by-play and just strode dramatically out the door, heading to the hanger bay. Which led to the question of how the man knew where it was. Maybe they were underestimating the man, which led to another question: what were his teammates capable of?