Here it is -- and hey! Who'da thunk it? Am I getting back on my weekly series schedule? Who knows. I'm just having fun on this book again! **** The DCFutures FanFiction Group recognizes that Batman and all related characters are property of DC Comics. These stories are written for no profit, but rather a strong desire to peer into the future of the DCU. The stories and concepts presented herein, however, are property of the author. So there. **** BATMAN: DCF #23 **** Written and Directed by Erik Burnham darvey@rocketmail.com With yet more additional editing by the mysterious X... **** BATMAN created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger BATMAN: DCF created by Erik Burnham **** "Of Shoes, and Ships, and Sealing Wax..." **** How was she going to tell him? It was all Shannon Mitchells could think about. She had been involved with Tim Drake, yes. She had moved to Gotham, okay. She had seen him less and less since the move; due mostly to the two of them being either busy, out of town, or both. But still... it had happened. The impossible. How was she going to tell him? **** The Batman was not in a mood to be trifled with. Not in any kind of mood at all. He had been incapacitated... and in truth, didn't even know what had hit him. It had come like a bolt from the blue... the Leaguers, the man in the sharp suit, the devilish smile, the darkness, the dream... Thunder rumbled in the distance. Perfect. **** "Master Clark, are you out of your mind?" Alfred asked, his tone slightly above normal. "You know nothing about this Superman. You know little about yourself. Metropolis is not what it once was." "Alfred, I have to know." Clark answered. "If I don't go back to Metropolis, I never will. What if I'm not who I think I am? What if I'm a misguided clone, or under some kind of mental programming? And if I'm not - who does that make 'Superman'? Alfred... maybe you can't understand what it's like to question your own identity..." "It is torture, sir." Alfred replied in a somber, quiet tone that silenced Clark with it's own level of unforeseen pain. "Then you do understand." "All too well, Master Clark. All too well. But the fact remains, you would be as helpless as a newborn babe in this world. You cannot go alone." "Well, maybe Tim can..." "Master Tim is in no shape to leave this city, sir. I believe the saying goes: 'one who has yet to find himself cannot help another search.'" Alfred paused. "A hideous paraphrasing, but the sentiment is the same." Clark sat down and ran his fingers through his graying hair. "What do you suggest I do then, Alfred?" "Why, take me, Master Clark. Take me." **** It was a cigarette that did him in. Michael Fagan had been meaning to quit for weeks. Had he followed through, he wouldn't have lit up the Marlbren and sent a little glowing message to the heavens: 'I'm here! Notice me.' If he hadn't sent that spark out, chances are the Batman would have remained lost in thought and not swooped down upon Fagen as he tried to mug some poor sop with a broken down vintage roadster from the 2010's. If he hadn't lit up that smoke, there was a chance that he might not be lying, bloodied, in an alley with three cracked ribs, a broken forearm, and a smashed knee. Michael Fagan thought he was going to die when the EMTs the Batman had called in as an afterthought carted him off under the watchful supervision of one of Gotham's finest. But Fagan didn't die. The Batman wasn't in the mood to kill anyone. Not just yet. **** "Interesting technique," The Vigilante said out loud to no one in particular. It had taken him an hour to get into Gotham. A few minutes to set up his floating spy-eyes and send them out, and an hour for one of them to spot the Dark Knight... ...beating the hell out of some mugger. Over and over, the Vigilante watched the brief fight. The Batman swooped down out of nowhere, apparently aided by an airfoil of some sort to break his rate of descent. And then... the beating that he threw the man. Insane. It was methodical; robotic. Almost like a battle-droid... the attack was flawless, efficient, and straightforward. It was over in seconds. The Vigilante smiled. He liked that, at least. The Batman then disappeared; and he did this so quickly the Spy-Eye wasn't able to continue to track him. Minutes later, an ambulance appeared on the scene, apparently called in by the Bat. Was this guilt? Standard operating procedure? A matter of keeping up friendly appearances? What other reasons could there be in calling for an ambulance - if the Batman had truly cared for his 'victim', wouldn't he just have been more careful in handling the goods? A little less rough? There were too many questions yet. They needed to be answered before he could become directly involved. So much for that planned trip to Rio, the Vigilante thought. Looks like I'll be here for a while. **** "Take YOU with me?" Clark spat out with the shock of a child who found something unexpected under the Christmas tree. "Alfred, is that... is that even possible?" "Well, technically, yes. I do have the option of downloading myself into a more... pedestrian form of droid. The process is one I've not yet attempted. I've had no real reason to, and in truth, I think... I think I may be a little afraid. One can never be sure what would happen, what with my... unique operating status and all." "Alfred, I can't ask you to do this if you're uncomfortable with it." Clark received no reply. "Alfred?" Clark's enhanced hearing picked up the sound of a door creaking in the west end of the house. In a flash of superhuman speed, Clark was there. "Greetings, Master Clark." Alfred said from his new form. "You'll have to pardon me, I feel a bit... queasy." And on that note, Alfred collapsed into Clark's arms. **** An interesting meeting, Alucard Holmes thought. An interesting meeting indeed. The new Batman - Tim Drake - had impressed him. He was physically superior to all previous attempts. His manner was impeccable. He was a mix of all the right ingredients, plus Dr. Alucard's secret sauce. Tim Drake was the one. But his mind was apparently still a complete mess. He should have recognized Alucard Holmes on sight. The others did. This was an interesting side effect. At the very least, he did respond to his 'code word.' Not to mention the fact that Drake did indeed defeat Carrington in plain combat - an excellent piece of work by any standard, and it saved the League the headache of bringing in the rogue. Drake also managed to outmaneuver the Batgirl - an enigma. Alucard smiled; he got to deal with so few uncertainties in his job he had come to relish them. Surprises were akin to fine jewels to Holmes... some of which were flawed, such as Hourman's impudent strike. (Mental note, the search for a replacement should be undertaken as soon as time permitted it.) And then there was the twin surprises of Batman and Batgirl. Drake had turned out so differently than intended - a puzzle to be solved. Batgirl wasn't one of the League's toys. She was a human being with inborn abilities - but no discernable metagene. Another enigma that elated Alucard to no end. At this very moment, twelve of the League's best technocrats were searching for the origins of the young lady, who was being kept under strict sedation. When they found out how she ticked, she could be recreated. And if that wasn't possible, at the very least, she could be utilized. Another win-win situation for the home team. **** "Kylie do you have any clue what kinda mornin' I've had?" Police commissioner Jon Isaacs' face was bright red from shouting. A half smoked cigarette dangled precipitously from his lips, spewing forth smoke with every breath, every shout that came from Isaacs' mouth. Meaning the room had the rough ambiance of a Scottish bog. "No, sir." That was all Kylie could think of in response. "I got me a call from the League bigwigs. We're being slapped with some kind of charge - tampering with a federal case. They want a head on a platter." "For what?" Kylie spoke up. "We were doing our jobs!" "No ma'am, that's where you're wrong. Our job is to serve and protect the people of Gotham. This guy is one - a meta. Two - a federal refugee. Three - a former Leaguer. That means we call in the Justice League, sit on our thumbs and smile while they do their thing, no matter how much it goes against the grain!" "I'm sorry, sir." "You're also suspended. One month, pending a mandatory IA investigation." "WHAT?" "You went outside the circle, Kylie. You hooked up with the sideshow, and you stepped on the big boys' toes while doin' it. You're lucky they don't take you into custody!" "This isn't fair!" "I'll see you in a month, Kylie." Kylie Roarke screeched in disgust as she stomped out of Isaacs' office and into the hall. The commissioner, on the other hand, was left to ruminate on how he'd lost the abilities of two of the best detectives he'd ever seen. Two detectives that both believed in the Batman. Maybe it was time he did something about this. **** It was an unexpected form, to say the least. Clark Kent looked at Alfred now, as the android dressed itse... himself. Alfred's body looked as human as possible, with short brown hair and blue eyes. His 'skin' was ruddy and healthy-looking, as realistic as you could hope for. Alfred's only true giveaway was the fact that he had no genitalia; his body was as featureless as the Ken doll Clark received for his sixth birthday from Lana Lang. "Alfred, how long can you stay... in there?" Clark asked. He was concerned, after all... Alfred had placed himself in the body last night, and then... passed out. He was up and about first thing in the morning, however. "This body, Master Clark, is as self-sufficient as my other. Solar powered in fact. Quite sturdy. Let me know if you should wish to arm-wrestle." It was almost unnerving seeing Alfred like this, Clark thought. He had always had a mental picture of some gentlemanly old English butler, despite the quips Alfred was fond of spouting off. But he looked so... young. "So, Master Clark..." Alfred said, breaking Clark's train of thought. "Shall we take the Jag or the Beetle? I'm partial to the Cadillac myself, but you may not want to travel by an actual road-automobile, considering the distance..." "Aren't we going to wait until Tim comes home?" "Oh, goodness, no. I'm certain he'd try to accompany us, sir... And that would not be in his best interests at this time." Alfred was cut off by the chime of the doorbells. "Monitor," Alfred commanded, bringing a viewscreen on the wall to life. "Front door, section A-7." Shannon Mitchells' face filled the screen. Tearlines were evident on her face, her makeup smeared. "Please go to the garage, Master Clark." Alfred said. "I shall attend Ms. Mitchells." Clark saw Alfred fussing with a control panel as he headed for the garage and heard the Droid bid enter to the young woman. **** Tim Drake wanted no more than a hot shower and a long sleep. It was too early - or was that late? And he was exhausted. Being knocked unconscious really takes a lot out of you. "Any messages for me while I was out, Alfred?" Tim asked as he trotted up the stairs to Wayne Manor, shucking off his Bat-armor as he went. But there was no answer. "Alfred?" Tim continued. Still no reply. "Computer?" Tim ventured. "Acknowledged," a cold voice responded. What was going on here? "What happened to Alfred?" "System temporarily unavailable," the voice replied. What did that mean, temporarily available? "One message in queue." "Play message," Tim said, stepping through the clock entrance to Wayne Manor, grabbing his robe off from the coat rack to his left as he did so. "Acknowledged, playback." "Master Tim!" Alfred's familiar voice rang through the speakers. "I'm sorry we're not here to tell you this in person. Master Clark is feeling a bit of cabin fever; as such I decided to accompany - and protect him - on a little road trip... perhaps a jaunt on over to New York, for cocktails at your friend's bar as well as a nice tour of the city. We will return in two days time, give or take. I've taken the liberty of activating the back-up computer for your convenience, and... at our time of departure, a very distraught Ms. Mitchells was waiting for you in the study. Good day to you, Master Tim!" "End message." Shannon Mitchells? Tim thought as he headed for the study. Did they have a date today? ...Probably not, from the look on her face. No one could be that sorry to see him. "Tim," Shannon said, tears streaming down her face as she melted into his arms. "Tim, I'm... I'm pregnant." **** END! **** NEXT ISSUE: Shannon's announcement - there's more to it than you think! Clark, Al, and Superman? And a trip - at long last - to Arkham Asylum to visit... well, let's not spoil it! **** GOING BATTY **** Letters! Here we go! (Keep 'em coming!) From:g.steele@mailexcite.com To:darvey@rocketmail.com Subject:Just finished BATMAN: DCF #22 Date:Tue, 10 Nov 1998 20:37:55 PST All I got to say is, were you high when you wrote this? I'm still laughing my arse off....Doomsday as a rugrat? Now I've seen it all.... ****Ummmm... no comment.**** Date:Wed, 11 Nov 1998 20:31:08 -0500 To: darvey@rocketmail.com From:Matthew Subject:bATMAN #22 It was nice to get a follow up so quick. Will we see any more of the dream sequence of the baby Doomsday. It could lead into something very real. If Batgirl is human she must be someone's daughter. HMMM... we'll see. When do we get to see a full blown cover for an issue? Maybe Dcf could advertise upcoming issues with covers available in Fanzing. Well till next time, keep your spandex washed. Matthew ****The baby Doomsday was just some weird image that Tim had floating around in his mind that just happened to surface in this dream. As to the actual story, I wanted a really bizarre feel - and no other DC villain could have worked half as well. Batgirl is someone's daughter, of course. But I doubt her parentage will be of any interest to anyone... as to a cover, #25 will definitely have a full-blown cover.**** From:"Matthew Bevilacqua" mbj@gis.net To:darvey@rocketmail.com Subject:Re: Bats #22 Date:Thu, 12 Nov 1998 17:44:32 -0500 Good job on da book, I suppose I better try to write these letters more often ("Save The DCF!"-a little dramatic). Well, a great job again, and I gotta enjoy this book's trademark humorous weirdness(I need a trademark.) One problem- I don't mind a funny Batman, or even an old Super-Maybe-Guy in the 'Cave on occasion but I do mind the increasing Super-elements in the book- despite Baby-Immortal-Death-Machine's story potential, this is a Batman book. Not a Superman book. Well, thanks for the book, Matt:)hew (another long story..) "Mmmm.. invisible cola.." ****Correction; this is a Batman DCF book. Batman DCF has Clark in his supporting cast - so super elements will creep in every now and again. I'm against having Tim be sterilized to any outside influence... it would make it less fun, and too many opportunities would be lost. Baby Doomsday - something that was floating around in my - and thus Tim's - mind was the only villain that could have worked in the context of the hallucination. Hallucination, not story. Heh. Moving on, Tim will be fairly alone in Gotham as Clark AND Alfred journey to Metropolis to finally unravel the mystery of the Supermen! At any rate; there are interesting plots aplenty coming up in this book... all you have to do is think of (our) Joker and the Silence of the Lambs. How's that?**** From:Bat3000@aol.com Date:Fri, 13 Nov 1998 02:22:19 EST To:darvey@rocketmail.com Subject:the bat a short while ago, i had gotten an e-mail that you folks were wondering if anybody read this stuff, and just wanted to say thanks for putting this stuff out there. you've done some cool things with the bat, better then just cool in fact. these characters have really taken shape. hated the idea of a laughing batman when this first came out but tim grows on you, and you've had him grow as a character. now he's three dimensional in a way thats extemely rare, even when compared to the original legends this stuff is based on. the whole run with the suicide squad was fantastic. everything about having clark there is AMAZING. alfred is a blast. the nightwing stuff is a lot of fun, and overall, find i really look forward to seeing more of tim and where he's going. keep up the good work, and thanks ****No, thank you - this is perhaps the finest collection of compliments I've ever received... when you take a concept that people DON'T like (a funny Bat) and can actually make it work - it's a major rush. I love writing this book, and still can't believe it's turned out so well! I'm glad you like Clark and Alfred - and I hope you enjoy their road trip. I'm sure Jason and Tony appreciate your comments re: Nightwing and the Squad... and lastly, I'm glad you're coming back... 'cause I got some really interesting stuff on deck for Tim.**** THE LAST FEW PARAGRAPHS OF THIS ISSUE WERE WRITTEN TO THE FOLLOWING CDS/SONGS: REEL BIG FISH - WHY DO THEY ROCK SO HARD? BLUES TRAVELER - STRAIGHT ON 'TIL MORNING THE TIME/LIFE "BEST OF ROCK" 6 CD SET (WAY TOO MANY SONGS TO LIST!) SINGLES - SOUNDTRACK THE WATERBOY SOUNDTRACK JEWEL - SPIRIT DEAN MARTIN - THE CAPITOL COLLECTOR'S SERIES I KID YOU NOT. And with that, I bid you adieu until next time! -Erik VISIT GOTHAM: http://www.geocities.com/area51/chamber/9727/gotham.html VISIT THE DCF DISCUSSION BOARD: http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?id=6074