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. **** Once upon a time, the world called him SUPERMAN. He was a knight in shining armor, the man of steel, defender of truth, justice, and the American way. He fought for his adopted planet for years, pushing himself to the brink of death... and beyond. And he did all this gladly. His last great battle had pushed him to that brink; and he surely would have died, had it not been for the Batman. His memories were hazy, but he remembered Bruce talking to him, explaining that he had built a copy of the Kryptonian regeneration matrix, but it wasn't an exact duplicate... he wasn't even sure if it could help. It turns out it did work. Too well. Clark had spent the better part of a century in suspended animation in the Batcave, finally clawing his way out of the matrix and into the life of Bruce's eventual successor, Tim Drake. Clark felt a smile creeping over his face; it was a reflex when Tim came to mind. He was almost a mirror opposite to Bruce sometimes, and it was an interesting thing to watch... a Batman whose emotions were open for the world to see. Tim did have his pitfalls; he was more temperamental than Bruce, even though he tried his best to cover it with humor. And if he put a fraction of his natural intelligence to use... Wait. Was that smell what he thought it was? **SNIFF** Yes, it was. Burning flesh. **** BATMAN: DCF #47 **** Written and Directed by Erik Burnham darvey@rocketmail.com **** "Hot Time" [Editor's note, this story runs concurrently with the events seen in Bats #46] **** "Mommy... Mommy...?" It was a child - five, maybe six. She didn't hear Clark land behind her, preoccupied as she was with her mother. Her dead mother - the fire had struck again. The alert went out through police bands - a disease was spreading from ground zero in NYC. Adisease so terrible that it cooked one inside out until they were literally consumed by the flame growing inside them. 100% fatal, and something that had been spreading like - well, like wildfire. Clark could see the gunshot wound - this woman had killed herself. Yet still she burned. And her child... Clark kneeled next to her. He didn't even know what he could do; he'd decided to come to the city to try and help keep the quarantine and get the sick to the hospital should a cure be found in time... A cure that needed to be found in less than a day or this disease would overrun the planet, wiping out all life on earth. Not the best of odds, but if Clark knew anything, it was hope. "Honey?" Clark tried, kneeling so he'd be at eye level with the girl. She turned. "My mommy's sick." "Yes she is," Clark nodded, keeping his tone calm. "I'm here to help you." "Are you a robber? You're wearing a robber mask." "No, I'm not a robber." "Are you Batman?" "No," Clark smiled. "But I'm one of his helpers." "Can you help Mommy?" "I'm afraid I can't." "Can't you do magic? Mommy said Batman was magic." "I can't do that kind of magic, sweetheart." Clark put the back of his hand to the little girl's forehead. He could feel her temperature rising already. "You're sick. I have to get you to a hospital," Clark said. "Mommy said I can't go anywhere with strangers." "Your mommy is... she's dead, honey. Do you know what that means?" "Yes." "And I want to help you." "But you're a stranger." "I'm a friend." Clark held out his hand. "You can call me Kal." **** Mr. October checked the shielding around Gotham. The Justice League had erected it to stall the spreading of the firebrand... It was experimental. And he knew it wouldn't last. At the very least, it helped to intimidate those that were attempting to flee the quarantine. October was free to roam. In his shadow state, he was completely immune to the disease. But he could not retake his human form if he hoped to stay that way. And he couldn't eat in this state. If a cure was not found he was at least given a choice in how he would die: consumed from within by either fire or hunger. October found himself praying for the first time in years. Please, let there be a peaceful resolution. **** Clark felt a little under the weather. He'd dropped the little girl and her mother's corpse off at Mercy Haven and continued on his patrol of the city. So far, he'd gotten a lot of people to the hospital in enough time to get them some semblance of care. He hoped the scientists working on this knew what they were doing... "Ungh!" Clark grunted, falling from the sky. He felt warm all over, like he was flying near a star. He collided with the ground, sweat and concrete flying everywhere on collision. Am I going to die again? He was there for what felt like hours before he saw her. She was slightly blurry. He thought it was a hallucination. It looked a little like... "Lois?" "Alia, actually. Doctor Alia Devin. Do you have any idea what you've done?" Clark's vision cleared. He was still warm, but he could feel his fever lowering. "I've got to get back to..." he started to move, but the good doctor was by his side in less than a second, firmly applying pressure to his shoulder. He could feel it. "You've beaten this, do you realize that?" "Beaten what?" "Firebrand. I came into Gotham to collect some samples and got a reading on you as I was running by. Your immune system is actually... You're not human, are you?" "Not exactly," Clark half-smiled. "Who are you?" "I'm Su- er... nobody. I'm nobody." "Well Mr. Nobody, you may just have the key to saving this planet. How many times in your life do you get to say that?" Clark might have laughed if not for the seriousness of the situation. "You'd best come with me," Dr. Devin followed up. "Time is short." Clark was going to agree when he was swept into the windstream behind a speedster, en route to NYC. He remembered this as an old stunt of Barry Allen's. She must have been literal when she said 'running by.' "I hope you're ready to save the world!" Alia Devin, the Flash, hollered out to her passenger. [THIS STORY WILL BE CONTINUED, COMPLETED, AND EXPANDED IN EVERY WHICH WAY IN THE UPCOMING "FLASH: FIREBRAND FALLING" ONE SHOT BY TOMMY HANCOCK!] **** THE END. **** PREVIEW OF BATMAN #48 **** I know that you folks would be upset without *SOME* Tim in this issue - so here he is, in a special sneak peek of Bats #48! **** "Master Tim," Alfred said. "Have you read the newswire this morning?" "No Alfred," Tim breathed in between reps on the leg press. "I haven't." "Well sir, perhaps you should." "Just show me, Alfred. I don't need the theatrics." One of Alfred's metallic tentacles brought a NewsBoy (portable news delivery unit) to Tim in the Batcave's gym. All of the net services had picked it up: "BATMAN SPREADS VIGILANTE JUSTICE TO SAN FRANCISCO." Tim scanned the article. "They assume him to be a pretender, for now. But your tendency to fight the good fight elsewhere lends some skepticism to that theory." "Right," Tim said, continuing with his exercises. "You know what to do." "Your bags are already packed and ready, sir. I had a flash of foresight." "Good for you Alfred. Arrange for my private jet to be ready in an hour, willya?" "Very good, sir." Alfred lisped in a slightly different manner. "And cut the Vincent Price impression." "You're no fun anymore, sir." SEE THE REST IN BATMAN: DCF #48!!!!!! **** And now that THAT'S out of the way, we have a back-up tale JUST for you! The DCFutures Fanfic Group Presents: DARK in "The Next Thing I Remember..." **** It was... beautiful. "The Dreaming." "What?" Ashley Braye asked, startled. "It's called the Dreaming, this place that you are in." "Why am I here?" Braye turned, now facing the tall man who had been chasing him across the subconscious. "Because you have become a student of the dream Mr. Braye, you've become a dream being. The first to do so by science instead of sorcery for... I don't know how long." "And who are you?" "I'm the one n charge here." "Curiouser and curiouser. You were the one who chased me." "Yes." "Why?" "You're a bastard of science in a world of magic. The subconscious is my domain, and you were a trespasser." "Were?" "I grant you mercy, Ashley Braye. Curiosity dictates this course. You are now free to roam my kingdom. Free, that is, if you do not presume to break my laws." "What are your laws?" "You are not to act directly unless I give you my permission to do so. You may not create, mold, or interact. You may watch. No more." "And if I refuse?" "Your body is dead, Mr. Braye. Your spirit has nowhere to turn if I banish it from my kingdom. Therefore, your existence depends on my good graces. You recall the pain involved when I brought you here. That was nothing." "I see. And what about Drake?" "What about him?" "In his mind: behind the door. What was it? I have to know." "It is not for you." "I have to know! I've been in thousands of minds since the change but I've never seen a mental block like that before! You have to show me - you must!" The beautiful sky grew dark and stormy. "You're making a demand." The dream king said. "You shouldn't be doing that." Braye shouldn't have continued, but his power had made him bold. Sure, it's true that he had been running from this entity for the last... well, who knows. Time had a different meaning where he had been. But this audience had dispelled some of the natural fear of the unknown. Delusions of equality clouded Braye's judgement. "Yes," he said. "I am." "Very well, then. I gave you a chance to earn my respect after your numerous trespasses against me. I gave you a chance to live in a heaven. Remember that." Lightning struck Ashley Braye from the skies of the Dreaming and he found himself back inside the mind of Timothy Drake, being drawn towards the door he had previously been unable to penetrate, this time forced through painfully by the power of the enraged lord of the Dreaming. He saw Drake? No. Not Drake - someone else. "What are you doing here?" They asked. "You're not welcome." "Who are you?" Braye asked. "Why are you here?" "I'm here because I belong. You have five seconds to get out." He turned towards Braye. It was Drake - sort of. Why didn't he look like himself? "Mr. Drake, you know you aren't one to make threats..." "Drake? I. Am. Not. Drake." It approached him. "I... am Batman." **** "What fools these mortals be, right boss?" "Yes, Matthew." Dream looked at the catatonic Ashley Braye, sitting beneath a tree in the center of the kingdom. "Fools indeed." "Still, he got what he wanted, didn't he?" "Most men do, Matthew. The fools just aren't wise enough to know what to want." "Damn but you're deep, boss. They should give you your own show." "Shut up, Matthew." **** THE END **** NEXT ISSUE: Tim hits San Francisco, the return of Lady Shiva and MUCH more! **** GOING BATTY **** I know this issue was a little light, but... all I can do is say I'm sorry. Tommy had a great idea for a crossover, but it kind of just dropped off to Clark's participation. The bulk of the story will be told in The Flash: Firebrand Falling. I hope Dark's resolution worked for you - Tim returns soon in a story I'm digging the more I think of it! Nick Bryan's Lady Shiva will be going toe-to toe with Bats in the next story, and then it's issue #50! Wow, huh? Let's go to the letters... From Frankie Rodriguez: Hello There: Erik, I must say that you have made a divine creation out of Batman:DCF. The stories are always good. The characters are alive and I feel as if I am right there. Yet, this is the small version of how I feel about the book. When Tim first came onto the scene and lost his father, I felt sorry for him. When Tim first became Batman, I cheered with joy. When Marc Grayson died, my heart sank a little. When Shannon was preganant, My mouth dropped a little. When I found out about the identity of Alucard Holmes,the jaw hit the ground. When Tim found out he was a clone, my eyes near popped out of their sockets. When Tim was about to call Ennis a nigger, I wanted to slug Tim myself. Of course, Ennis beat me to the punch, which made my jaw drop again. When you wrote Tim's journey to Hell to save Alfred, I felt like I wanted to jump in and help him. When you went over Tim's mother's rape, I was enraged. Very few pieces of fiction, whether written or otherwise, have moved me like Batman:DCF has. Oddly enough,DCF has a bunch of titles that do that as well: Infinity Inc., Suicide Squad, Doom Patrol and Black Canary as well all fit into this category for me. Tim is just a character that is alive in many ways in my mind. Now, you #46 was a treat. I found it oddly comforting that Braye returned. Although, Braye's comfort with being a dream being (what else should I call it) was a surprise. But the shocker was what took Braye within Tim's mind. Now that is interesting, to say the least. Tim needs to confront some of his issues head on. Rape isn't easy to write about but I think Tim really needs to deal with that soon or he may just kill a rapist one day. Well, time for some questions. 1. Okay, can we see Catwoman, Batgirl and Robin in Batman DCF #50? 2. Can one of them or another hero, other than Sandman, stay on the book on a semi regular basis? 3. Jon should *not* quit being Commissioner. First off, just cause he has a problem with his leg doesn't mean he should give up. But if he does, who is gonna replace him? 4. Is there any way . . .please, please, please, can we have another issue or 12 or 50 of Inifinity Inc.? Tim as a member of a team was much to appealing to me and I wanted more! Plus, I love Tim's interaction with Guy and Ollie. 5. Okay, why do I have a feeling that Kylie is just a ticking timebomb? Am I close to the truth? 6. Paul is a good cop. He needs some spotlight. Any chance of that soon? 7. Give Clark a new hero name. Please! How about Guardian, Knight or something cool? 8. Any chance that Tim will find a girl that is his equal to the point that he is smitten by her, sort of like Bruce and Selina or Bruce and Talia? Well, that is enough for now. Hopefully, rereading Infinity Inc (needs more issues), Batman, Black Canary and other titles will hold me over till #47 comes out. Thanks a lot for it all Erik. Frankie Rodriguez **** Wow, thanks for the long and thoughtful letter - I appreciate your comments, and thank you for grouping my title with Canary, Squad and the Doom Patrol! Those are all faves of mine as well. On to your questions... 1. I don't have plans to use any of them in #50, however there is a story involving each of these characters planned! 2. Well, I like guest stars and interrelation in the books, but I have to be careful about stuffing folks in! I'll take the matter under consideration, and I KNOW there'll be guest stars aplenty in the future, just not for any regular duration... 3. I have to pull a Busiek here and just say 'wait and see.' Problem with his leg being an understatement, though... 4. Yes. IInc #4 - guest written by Oliver Kiemschies - should be available soon. In the meantime, check out Blackhawks #5, which has a whole bunch of Infinity Inc action! 5. Yes. 6. Yes. 7. Clark is Clark. Or Superman. But we already HAVE a Superman, so... Hmm. 8. Eve Tresser's a pretty close match, isn't she? Anyone else have any thoughts on the matter? **** From the Grey Bard: It's wonderful, intriguing and exciting with innovative characterizations and a wonderful light touch. This is a Batman I never would have expected, yet seems... right somehow. I'm afraid you've spoiled me for whatever "what ifs" DC writes about the future, because yours will always be the *real* Batman 2112 to me. More? Soon? Please? -Grey Bard **** Well, you summed up what I'm trying to go for with light touch. Tim will return full force in Bats #48, which I'm working on now! Hope you enjoy it! **** Apologies to CL Bishop - I know I got a letter, I just accidentally deleted it! One more time, folks - next time: Tim! San Francisco! Lady Shiva! Fighting! And a few surprises! Seeya soon! -E