Chapter 1
My eyes open slowly as I wake up. The first thing I see is stars.
Countless stars are in front of me, shining in a vast expanse. A nebula sits in the center of my vision, coloring the black sky purple. It is the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life.
I remain completely still as minutes pass, just looking, noticing the feeling of absolute relaxation, as if I’m floating. I wade my arms in front of my face, and I can feel them moving. They should be right in front of me, and yet I don’t see a thing – the starscape in front of me showing a distinct lack of arms.
I realize that right about now I should be panicking, and yet I feel completely calm. I don’t remember taking any drugs before I fell asleep, but my memories are fuzzy right now, several things seem to be missing. Can psychotropic drugs have effects such as these, hallucinations that vivid and, apparently, paralysis? I’m not sure.
I try to turn around and somehow, it works. I do not push against anything, my point of view simply turns 180 degrees. Two things immediately stand out at me.
First, the earth sits in front of me, a pretty blue and white orb, the sun behind her and to the left. Secondly, I seem to have found where my arms are.
I can now see them against the backdrop of earth and sky. It’s as if someone took a piece of night sky and put it the shape of arms. I move my starry fingers experimentally. I am apparently now made of a black material with lights reminiscent of stars within. I absently notice the distinct lack of panic I still feel at what should be a pretty panic inducing situation.
I try to take a deep breath to help me think, but I don’t seem to be able to – right space. Forgot about that. I do two quick reality checks to see if I’m dreaming, but they come back negative. My working theories right now are:
a) I am as drugged up as it is physically possible to be. If that is the case I hope I have a good trip sitter – I’ve heard that’s a necessity so you don’t do something stupid in that state.
b) I am in a coma, Let’s not think about that one.
c) Some significant assumptions I had about how reality works are incorrect. My current situation reminds me of reports of astral projection. That would appear to be the most tame possibility in that theory. I could also be in a simulation, Matrix style, or something of that nature. I decide to worry about the existential implications later, if and when this seemed more likely.
I decide to go with astral projection for now. I will myself to move forward, similar to how I turned around earlier, and it appears to work, as the earth slowly starts moving closer. I adjust my speed with similar ease and prepare to enter the atmosphere.
--
Unlike a falling star, I do not burn up once I start descending. I can feel how windy it is against what now passes for my skin, but my eyes are unbothered. I also discover that my inability to breathe was not, in fact, caused by being in space. I think I have forgotten how, really, and when I touch my face, I see I have no nostrils, or mouth for that matter. I poke myself in the eye and i just feel a touch, my hand not even obstructing my vision.
I am hovering over the United States (my country of origin seems to be escaping me at the moment, together with some other details like whether I have a family, or any personal relationship at all, so I had decided to head straight down), at an altitude that can be described as “airplane level”, instead of “spaceship level” like before, when I notice something unusual. A swathe of devastation lies directly beneath me, kilometers of forest destroyed as if lines of destruction passed through it, several craters in the area, and sonic booms emitting constantly over it.
I curiously lower my altitude, the voice in the back of my head warning me that I am probably suffering from severe dissociation right now, what if all this is real, this seems dangerous, but fear still eludes me, and caution apparently isn’t strong enough.
I can now make out two beings fighting beneath the afternoon sky. The sonic booms are the sounds of the larger being’s fists as they apparently… break the sound barrier. The second one, a man dressed in bright blue and red, seems to be battered and on the defensive. He diverts and dodges the punches as brilliant red beams of light appear between them and impact the other being. He tries to use the distraction to fly up and away from the creature but it reacts on an instant, a huge spiky fist wrapping around the mans legs and throwing him into a mountain kilometers away, itself jumping after its throw a split second later. They impact the mountain almost at the same time and everything is hidden in dust, but the sound of impacts is unmistakable. I doubt the man is faring so well with the thing on top of him, he had seemed to realize it was stronger than him, to be trying to dodge instead of block.
I stand stock still, finally in something approaching shock, at least mentally (my body seems completely incapable of producing adrenaline so far). There is no mistaking it. Dressed in red and blue, moving faster than sound, emitting heat rays from his eyes. The man was Superman.
This is not helping my dissociation at all.
The mountain cracks.
I recognize the thing he is fighting as well, of course. Doomsday. I do not remember his story, but I do remember what he is most famous for – killing Superman. He seems well on his way to accomplishing that feat. I realize I am flying at speed towards the site where he is repeatedly bashing Superman’s head against the hard granite of the mountain – well, the previously hard granite.
The little voice that thinks this is all real is screaming at me, what am I doing, I don’t know if I’m actually material yet, if that thing can kill me as simply as breathing, my only powers so far seem to be flying and being very stealthy against the night sky, I should fly away, do some testing, punch some rocks, - but if I can just distract that thing for just a moment I could stop it from killing him, I can't let it kill him, he's Superman! – I concentrate my will on punching when I am finally within distance, just as I do to move, and Doomsday suddenly turns to me just as my fist connects with his lower abdomen.
There is a sound, much more violent than his punches were, and I can see one third of his abdomen flying off in chunks and gray liquid blood as he is blown away, adding another line of devastation to the landscape. He apparently let go of Superman’s head as he lands to my right with a dull thud, as I stare in wonder at my right fist, which is currently surrounded by a weird distortion, as the air around it is a pool into which a stone was thrown, and is gently rippling. With that punch, everything suddenly jumps into focus, seems a lot more real, what am I doing, I am not a projection, I haven’t fought anyone for years, much less a monster-
“What- who did- You need to-” Superman has gotten on his knees and is looking at me with a slightly glassy look in his eyes. I instinctively lean to give him a hand up – and am impacted on the side in the way that I thought it would feel to be hit by a train. A roar comes to my ears, and the world is spinning as I curse myself for being an absolute idiot, you don’t turn away from an opponent, who you actually know to have regenerative abilities, and there is a weird feeling in my side that isn’t pain but is still rather unpleasant, as I manage to come to a stop, up in the sky. I look down at myself and there is a crack in my side that appears to be leaking an inky substance that dissipates in the air.
I look at the ground and don’t have enough time to curse as Doomsday is jumping towards me with a boom. I focus, and the world seems to slow a bit, giving me time to react as he hurtles towards me, hand outstretched for a grab. Unlike me however he has no leverage in the air, no mobility, and I prepare to shift downwards just as he reaches me, focusing as hard as I can on another punch. This focusing thing has seemed to work pretty well on me so far.
I dip out of the reach of his grasping hand just as he gets within range, and my fist connects with his chest. This time the shockwave is world-shattering, the ripples from my punch resonating in the air and reaching the ground, causing it to erupt. More dramatic still is the effect on doomsday. He is split in two as the better part of his ribcage is liquidated, his head, shoulders and arms spinning upwards while the lower part of his body hurtles towards the earth like a bullet.
I suspect I should be feeling exhilarated, but adrenaline apparently still eludes me. I stand still in the air, trying to internalize all this now that there are no immediate threats, when Superman, holding his right side with his arm, slowly flies up to me.
Battered and bruised, his tired smile still holds more charisma than I hold in my entire body.
“Greetings.” He greets me. “I noticed that you tried to help me up before…” he looks around as at the devastation “before you did this. Thank you, by the way. Can you understand me?”
I nod my head.
“Yes.”
“Great. Once again, I appreciate the… help. I have never fought such a powerful opponent before. He handled the League as if we were children, and seemed to be constantly growing stronger. Coming when you did and killing him with just two punches,” his eyes flick at his remains in the center of the devastation. “that was definitely. Impressive.”
I think I spot some wariness in his look, but I can’t be sure. His smile certainly doesn’t waver.
“My name is Superman” he says with an offered hand.
I spot a matte black drone coming closer, and then stop at a distance. If you squint you could maybe say it was bat shaped. Now that I pay attention I see it is not the only one, and there are also other, spherical, gray ones.
I shake his proffered hand “I know. Ah… my name appears to be eluding me at the moment. Sorry. I’m… rather new to all this. I may or may not currently be in shock, or rather, I would probably be in shock if I could. Am I rambling? I have many questions. I may need some help.”
His smile reaches his eyes a bit more, and then he winces and bobs a few meters in the air. “Of course. You are not the first new… metahuman?” He looks at me questioningly. I shrug. “that we have helped. My powers also manifested rather suddenly. I know how jarring it can be at first.” His pain seems to be catching up to him. “Ah… I will have a friend answer your questions, if you don’t mind. I am sure the League would be very interested in speaking with you, but we are… not at the best shape, currently.”
He waves the black drone over, and it approaches. A gruff and professional voice comes from within it.
“Superman. Your biometrics indicate you are stable, but may yet pass out. You are not in field condition, and the threat is tentatively considered neutralized.” I look at the lower half of Doomsday’s body again. The wound I first delivered him had seemed to be half healed when he jumped at me. His lower half seems completely inert.
“His upper body?” I speak up. The drone doesn’t turn to me, but answers.
“Lost track of it after it got past Low Earth Orbit. Even if it is still regenerating, the threat didn’t show the capability of flight. That is not, of course, certain, hence “tentatively”. Superman, you should fly to a safe location where you can be treated. In the state you are in, it would be quicker than us dispatching help.”
Superman waves his arm. “You can say “Fortress of Solitude”. It’s not that huge a secret, and I owe a big debt to my friend here. Ah… answer his questions, would you? I want to invite him to speak to the League but that is not currently possible, I don’t think.”
He starts to fly away, and the drone finally turns to me. We regard each other silently, for a while. Apparently, the man speaking through it decides on the blunt approach. “Who are you”
“Ah,” I answer “I know that this doesn’t sound exactly… not suspicious, but I am unable to remember my name, right now.”
“You should pick one, then. I expect the press will want to speak to you soon. This battle has been broadcasted live from all angles.” I sneak a look at the gray drones. “We should also discuss what you should say. What are you?” He continues.
“Until very recently, a human, I think? This… this is all very new.” I hold up my black, literally star spangled arms.
There is another moment of silence.
“Since you also appear ignorant, I expect you will agree to some tests. S.T.A.R. Labs has significant expertise at metahuman tests.”
“Heh.” I chuckle, pointing at the stars in me “Star labs”
The moment of silence is a bit more awkward this time, until he speaks again. “Superman indicated you had some questions.”
“Yeah. First things first, who are you?”
Not that I didn’t have my suspicions. I still wanted to hear him say it.
“I’m Batman.”
Countless stars are in front of me, shining in a vast expanse. A nebula sits in the center of my vision, coloring the black sky purple. It is the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life.
I remain completely still as minutes pass, just looking, noticing the feeling of absolute relaxation, as if I’m floating. I wade my arms in front of my face, and I can feel them moving. They should be right in front of me, and yet I don’t see a thing – the starscape in front of me showing a distinct lack of arms.
I realize that right about now I should be panicking, and yet I feel completely calm. I don’t remember taking any drugs before I fell asleep, but my memories are fuzzy right now, several things seem to be missing. Can psychotropic drugs have effects such as these, hallucinations that vivid and, apparently, paralysis? I’m not sure.
I try to turn around and somehow, it works. I do not push against anything, my point of view simply turns 180 degrees. Two things immediately stand out at me.
First, the earth sits in front of me, a pretty blue and white orb, the sun behind her and to the left. Secondly, I seem to have found where my arms are.
I can now see them against the backdrop of earth and sky. It’s as if someone took a piece of night sky and put it the shape of arms. I move my starry fingers experimentally. I am apparently now made of a black material with lights reminiscent of stars within. I absently notice the distinct lack of panic I still feel at what should be a pretty panic inducing situation.
I try to take a deep breath to help me think, but I don’t seem to be able to – right space. Forgot about that. I do two quick reality checks to see if I’m dreaming, but they come back negative. My working theories right now are:
a) I am as drugged up as it is physically possible to be. If that is the case I hope I have a good trip sitter – I’ve heard that’s a necessity so you don’t do something stupid in that state.
b) I am in a coma, Let’s not think about that one.
c) Some significant assumptions I had about how reality works are incorrect. My current situation reminds me of reports of astral projection. That would appear to be the most tame possibility in that theory. I could also be in a simulation, Matrix style, or something of that nature. I decide to worry about the existential implications later, if and when this seemed more likely.
I decide to go with astral projection for now. I will myself to move forward, similar to how I turned around earlier, and it appears to work, as the earth slowly starts moving closer. I adjust my speed with similar ease and prepare to enter the atmosphere.
--
Unlike a falling star, I do not burn up once I start descending. I can feel how windy it is against what now passes for my skin, but my eyes are unbothered. I also discover that my inability to breathe was not, in fact, caused by being in space. I think I have forgotten how, really, and when I touch my face, I see I have no nostrils, or mouth for that matter. I poke myself in the eye and i just feel a touch, my hand not even obstructing my vision.
I am hovering over the United States (my country of origin seems to be escaping me at the moment, together with some other details like whether I have a family, or any personal relationship at all, so I had decided to head straight down), at an altitude that can be described as “airplane level”, instead of “spaceship level” like before, when I notice something unusual. A swathe of devastation lies directly beneath me, kilometers of forest destroyed as if lines of destruction passed through it, several craters in the area, and sonic booms emitting constantly over it.
I curiously lower my altitude, the voice in the back of my head warning me that I am probably suffering from severe dissociation right now, what if all this is real, this seems dangerous, but fear still eludes me, and caution apparently isn’t strong enough.
I can now make out two beings fighting beneath the afternoon sky. The sonic booms are the sounds of the larger being’s fists as they apparently… break the sound barrier. The second one, a man dressed in bright blue and red, seems to be battered and on the defensive. He diverts and dodges the punches as brilliant red beams of light appear between them and impact the other being. He tries to use the distraction to fly up and away from the creature but it reacts on an instant, a huge spiky fist wrapping around the mans legs and throwing him into a mountain kilometers away, itself jumping after its throw a split second later. They impact the mountain almost at the same time and everything is hidden in dust, but the sound of impacts is unmistakable. I doubt the man is faring so well with the thing on top of him, he had seemed to realize it was stronger than him, to be trying to dodge instead of block.
I stand stock still, finally in something approaching shock, at least mentally (my body seems completely incapable of producing adrenaline so far). There is no mistaking it. Dressed in red and blue, moving faster than sound, emitting heat rays from his eyes. The man was Superman.
This is not helping my dissociation at all.
The mountain cracks.
I recognize the thing he is fighting as well, of course. Doomsday. I do not remember his story, but I do remember what he is most famous for – killing Superman. He seems well on his way to accomplishing that feat. I realize I am flying at speed towards the site where he is repeatedly bashing Superman’s head against the hard granite of the mountain – well, the previously hard granite.
The little voice that thinks this is all real is screaming at me, what am I doing, I don’t know if I’m actually material yet, if that thing can kill me as simply as breathing, my only powers so far seem to be flying and being very stealthy against the night sky, I should fly away, do some testing, punch some rocks, - but if I can just distract that thing for just a moment I could stop it from killing him, I can't let it kill him, he's Superman! – I concentrate my will on punching when I am finally within distance, just as I do to move, and Doomsday suddenly turns to me just as my fist connects with his lower abdomen.
There is a sound, much more violent than his punches were, and I can see one third of his abdomen flying off in chunks and gray liquid blood as he is blown away, adding another line of devastation to the landscape. He apparently let go of Superman’s head as he lands to my right with a dull thud, as I stare in wonder at my right fist, which is currently surrounded by a weird distortion, as the air around it is a pool into which a stone was thrown, and is gently rippling. With that punch, everything suddenly jumps into focus, seems a lot more real, what am I doing, I am not a projection, I haven’t fought anyone for years, much less a monster-
“What- who did- You need to-” Superman has gotten on his knees and is looking at me with a slightly glassy look in his eyes. I instinctively lean to give him a hand up – and am impacted on the side in the way that I thought it would feel to be hit by a train. A roar comes to my ears, and the world is spinning as I curse myself for being an absolute idiot, you don’t turn away from an opponent, who you actually know to have regenerative abilities, and there is a weird feeling in my side that isn’t pain but is still rather unpleasant, as I manage to come to a stop, up in the sky. I look down at myself and there is a crack in my side that appears to be leaking an inky substance that dissipates in the air.
I look at the ground and don’t have enough time to curse as Doomsday is jumping towards me with a boom. I focus, and the world seems to slow a bit, giving me time to react as he hurtles towards me, hand outstretched for a grab. Unlike me however he has no leverage in the air, no mobility, and I prepare to shift downwards just as he reaches me, focusing as hard as I can on another punch. This focusing thing has seemed to work pretty well on me so far.
I dip out of the reach of his grasping hand just as he gets within range, and my fist connects with his chest. This time the shockwave is world-shattering, the ripples from my punch resonating in the air and reaching the ground, causing it to erupt. More dramatic still is the effect on doomsday. He is split in two as the better part of his ribcage is liquidated, his head, shoulders and arms spinning upwards while the lower part of his body hurtles towards the earth like a bullet.
I suspect I should be feeling exhilarated, but adrenaline apparently still eludes me. I stand still in the air, trying to internalize all this now that there are no immediate threats, when Superman, holding his right side with his arm, slowly flies up to me.
Battered and bruised, his tired smile still holds more charisma than I hold in my entire body.
“Greetings.” He greets me. “I noticed that you tried to help me up before…” he looks around as at the devastation “before you did this. Thank you, by the way. Can you understand me?”
I nod my head.
“Yes.”
“Great. Once again, I appreciate the… help. I have never fought such a powerful opponent before. He handled the League as if we were children, and seemed to be constantly growing stronger. Coming when you did and killing him with just two punches,” his eyes flick at his remains in the center of the devastation. “that was definitely. Impressive.”
I think I spot some wariness in his look, but I can’t be sure. His smile certainly doesn’t waver.
“My name is Superman” he says with an offered hand.
I spot a matte black drone coming closer, and then stop at a distance. If you squint you could maybe say it was bat shaped. Now that I pay attention I see it is not the only one, and there are also other, spherical, gray ones.
I shake his proffered hand “I know. Ah… my name appears to be eluding me at the moment. Sorry. I’m… rather new to all this. I may or may not currently be in shock, or rather, I would probably be in shock if I could. Am I rambling? I have many questions. I may need some help.”
His smile reaches his eyes a bit more, and then he winces and bobs a few meters in the air. “Of course. You are not the first new… metahuman?” He looks at me questioningly. I shrug. “that we have helped. My powers also manifested rather suddenly. I know how jarring it can be at first.” His pain seems to be catching up to him. “Ah… I will have a friend answer your questions, if you don’t mind. I am sure the League would be very interested in speaking with you, but we are… not at the best shape, currently.”
He waves the black drone over, and it approaches. A gruff and professional voice comes from within it.
“Superman. Your biometrics indicate you are stable, but may yet pass out. You are not in field condition, and the threat is tentatively considered neutralized.” I look at the lower half of Doomsday’s body again. The wound I first delivered him had seemed to be half healed when he jumped at me. His lower half seems completely inert.
“His upper body?” I speak up. The drone doesn’t turn to me, but answers.
“Lost track of it after it got past Low Earth Orbit. Even if it is still regenerating, the threat didn’t show the capability of flight. That is not, of course, certain, hence “tentatively”. Superman, you should fly to a safe location where you can be treated. In the state you are in, it would be quicker than us dispatching help.”
Superman waves his arm. “You can say “Fortress of Solitude”. It’s not that huge a secret, and I owe a big debt to my friend here. Ah… answer his questions, would you? I want to invite him to speak to the League but that is not currently possible, I don’t think.”
He starts to fly away, and the drone finally turns to me. We regard each other silently, for a while. Apparently, the man speaking through it decides on the blunt approach. “Who are you”
“Ah,” I answer “I know that this doesn’t sound exactly… not suspicious, but I am unable to remember my name, right now.”
“You should pick one, then. I expect the press will want to speak to you soon. This battle has been broadcasted live from all angles.” I sneak a look at the gray drones. “We should also discuss what you should say. What are you?” He continues.
“Until very recently, a human, I think? This… this is all very new.” I hold up my black, literally star spangled arms.
There is another moment of silence.
“Since you also appear ignorant, I expect you will agree to some tests. S.T.A.R. Labs has significant expertise at metahuman tests.”
“Heh.” I chuckle, pointing at the stars in me “Star labs”
The moment of silence is a bit more awkward this time, until he speaks again. “Superman indicated you had some questions.”
“Yeah. First things first, who are you?”
Not that I didn’t have my suspicions. I still wanted to hear him say it.
“I’m Batman.”
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