Crossing the Divide – part 1

There is a place that sits between and separate from the dimensions that are known of. It is a place that is spoken of in whispers amongst the higher intellects of the multiverse, mainly because they know it not as a place of refuge, but as a prison that holds only the most dangerous of prisoners. It is not the fabled Phantom Zone of Kryptonian fame, nor is it the area known to some as the Speed Force.

Indeed, it has no real name to speak of, but from this place one pair of eyes has been watching two of the known dimensions in particular. The owner of this pair of eyes has a plan, a plan for escape, but to do so requires a certain set of circumstances to take place - and for certain people to be moved into places they have never experienced before.

Fortunately, they have agents to work for them, and those agents have laid plans that are about to come to fruition...

Earth-616, New York City

As she stepped out of Avengers Tower, Carol Danvers looked up and down the street and adjusted the large brown shoulder bag she was carrying. It had been some time since she had enjoyed some down time, and as her blonde hair blew in the slight breeze she turned and started to walk downtown, humming quietly to herself as she did so.

As the heroine known to the world as Ms Marvel, she was most normally seen in her blue and red outfit, with thigh high boots encasing her legs, but today in her cream coloured trouser suit and white jumper she looked like any other woman walking down the street, not attracting attention from anyone.

Carol liked the anonymity - after a lifetime trying to live up to her father, and then serving as a super heroine with pride and distinction, she had come to appreciate these small moments of peace, quiet and tranquillity. They were all too rare - and as she heard the scream from the alleyway she was walking past, Carol realised this was not going to be one of those moments.

She ran into the alley, preparing to change, but as her street clothes were replaced by the uniform and identity the world knew her for she was enveloped in a bright light, and the alleyway disappeared from sight - replaced by a bright light.

“What the...” was all Ms Marvel said as she disappeared from sight, the light fading to reveal a second young woman standing there. She was wearing a white short sleeved dress, trimmed in gold with a flowing cape and a gold lightning bolt down her front, and gold knee length boots.

“...am! What the?” was all she said before she was hit by a bolt of lightning from nowhere, that seemed to change her completely as it rendered her unconscious.

New Earth - Fawcett City

“Where is that brother of mine?”

Mary Batson was standing on the corner of Binder and Ordway, tapping her foot impatiently as she looked at her watch. Earlier that morning, she had arranged to meet Billy for lunch, but the time had been over an hour ago, and there was still no sign of him. Mary was wearing a pair of old blue jeans and a blue long sleeved blouse, the legs of the jeans tucked into short black boots.

Looking at her watch again, she shook her head, her shoulder length brown hair moving with her as she caught a glimpse of the woman walking down the other side of the street. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, and was wearing a Grecian style short skirt that hugged her slim body, her blonde hair arranged in tight ringlets around her head.

“Beautia?” Mary said to herself as the woman strode down the street, the heels of her shoes clicking on the sidewalk. “What on earth is she doing out here?”

She walked after her on the opposite side of the road, watching her carefully as she entered the branch of the First American bank, and then crossing over to watch through the window. As she watched the beauty talking to a bank teller, she heard a crash from the alleyway at the side of the building, and walked round to investigate.

Her eyes widened as she saw a machine being used to dismantle the wall, controlled by a girl who was not much older than Mary. She had straight black hair held back by a white band, and was wearing a white lab coat over dark trousers.

“Georgia Sivana!!”

The girl turned and looked at Mary through large bottle top glasses. “Oh goodie - a Marvel brat of my very own,” she said with a laugh, as she turned and pointed a gun at Mary.

The young woman ran forward, calling out as she did so “SHAZ....” Even as she did so, however, and her grab changed to a white and gold dress, a white light enveloped her and took her by surprise.

Georgia could see the look of surprise in Mary Marvel’s eyes as she faded from sight, to be replaced by someone totally different. This woman was taller, and had long blonde hair that flowed over the shoulder of what seemed to be a black swimsuit with a gold lightning bolt on the front. She had a red sash tied round her waist, wore black long gloves and a pair of thigh high black tight leather boots. Her outfit was completed by a black domino mask.

The stranger looked round her, completely taken aback, so as Georgia fired the gun at her the surprise was enough to knock her unconscious.

“Now who are you,” Georgia said as she looked at the unconscious woman. Taking out a cell phone, she dialled a number and said “Father? I need some help...”

Earth-616, New York City.

“mmmmm whppnd?”

Mary slowly opened her eyes to find herself lying on a mattress, in a dimly lit room. She tried moving her arms, only to realise that she was unable to - and more to the point, she did not seem to be able to talk properly. There was something pressing her tongue down to the floor of her mouth, and there was a pulling sensation at the front of her face.

She calmed herself down, allowing herself to fully awaken before taking stock of the situation. The room was stone lined, and lit by natural light coming through some small windows set high up. A cellar of some kind, then.

Looking to her side, she saw that her arms were spread apart above her head, and a further glance helped her to see the ropes tied around her wrist and to the poles at the top of the bed. Lifting her head slightly, she could see her legs were also spread, and she silently thanked the gods that whatever had happened had changed her back to her street clothes.

“All right - I’m in a cellar, and I’m tied to a bed,” she thought to herself, as she tried moving her chin round. “I’d put good odds on there been a cloth in my mouth and tape over it then,” she thought to herself, “some things get very tiring very quickly.”

“Ulrt?”

Mary turned her head again, as she realised she was not alone in the room. There was a chair in the dimly lit corner, and she could see sitting in it a tall, thin girl who was lashed to the seat with yards of rope around her body and legs. Her black leather boots squeaked as she tried to move them, and there was a pad of white tape over her mouth.

She had large blue eyes, that looked back at Mary from the fringe of her long red hair. “Mmrrjnwtsn,” she mumbled, “hhrru?”

New Earth - Fawcett City

Carol slowly opened her eyes to find herself strapped down to a laboratory table. Her wrists were pinioned down with leather straps, as were her ankles, and a bit gag was in her mouth.

“Welcome, stranger,” a high pitched male voice said “to the laboratory of Dr Thaddeus Sivana. I trust your stay will be an unpleasant one...”

Carol closed her eyes. As soon as she was awake, this small, bald, bespectacled man was toast - and then she had a few questions to ask him.

The man who called himself Dr Sivana didn’t see, or didn’t care about, the expression on Carol’s face, as he turned to a small trolley near the table and worked through the instruments. As Carol slowly opened her eyes, she started to pull at the straps holding her down, smiling as she saw the metal fixings slowly give way.

“Now, my dear, you’re going to...” Before he had a chance to do anything else, the wall burst inwards, and Carol saw a tall, well built man standing there is an orange suit, a lightning bolt down the front as he stood with his fists on his waist.

“Oh great,” Dr Sivana said as he rolled his eyes, “I can’t go through just one day without you showing up?”

“Oh come on, Sivana,” he said in a big deep voice, “You know I’ll always be there. Now what are you up to - and who is this you have captive?”

“This? Oh she just dropped out of the sky.”

The man smiled again and walked in, picking up Sivana as he said “Tell me the truth - where did she come from?”

“He is telling the truth,” Carol said as she stood up, “and where am I anyway? And who are you?”

“This is Fawcett City,” the man in red said as he looked at her, “and I thought the beauty pageant was on the other side of town. As for me - I am Captain Marvel.”

Carol looked at him for a few minutes, both the Captain and Sivana wondering what was happening as she started laughing out loud.

From his place of observation, he could tell that his servants had made the first exchange. It made sense for two of the ones known as Marvels to swap places - and better from these dimensions than some others.

He looked elsewhere, at the three flying through the air over their version of Utopia, and smiled to himself. They would have been too much of a handful.

Now, for the next exchange...

Earth-616, Westchester County

“Ms Munroe?”

Ororo Munroe turned and looked at the young man sitting in the front of the class, his pink Mohawk flopping to one side.

“Yes, Quentin,” she said with a smile. Her snow white hair was pulled back from her dark skinned face, and she was wearing a white blouse, a long leather skirt and flat boots.

“How much longer have we got for the test,” the boy said, “because I’m bored.”

Before she had a chance to answer the question, a bell rang, and the class of students filed out of the wood panelled room, passing a young dark haired woman as they did so. “Quentin?”

Ororo nodded. “Yes, Kitty - Quentin. I think I need to distress from today’s classes.”

Kitty Pryde nodded in agreement. “The Danger Room is free until Logan needs it at 3. I’ll take you class at 2.”

“Thank you,” Ororo said, “but I feel I need to take a longer, more open break” as she walked from the room, Kitty smiling as she headed for her room on the upper floors of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.

Safe in her room, she stripped from her clothes and joined a black bodysuit, fastening a white sash round her waist with gold clasps at the side. The suit had no arms, but a gold border at the top and a large badge between the tops of her breasts.

She then fastened a black cape to her shoulders, donned a black headdress and allowed her hair to fall freely, then opened the large bay windows that opened over the grounds. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to rise into the air, and become again the Beautiful Windrider, the High Priestess, or as others knew her, Storm.

She rode the air currents over the countryside and the nearby town of Westchester, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her body and the feel of the wind as it flowed past her. Here she was one with nature, and able to calm herself, to reconnect herself, to...

The blast took her completely by surprise, as she felt the electric shock coursing through her body. She barely managed to stop herself from plummeting to the ground, using the currents to allow her to land on her feet in the deserted park, looking round as she did so.

“Who dares attack me,” she called out, but there was no reply. Instead, she heard a thud, and then realised too late that some sort of material had been fired at her, the sheet expanding and wrapping itself round her as it hit her back.

“No,” she whispered, but as the material started to close over her a strange white light enveloped her body, the white blasting out as the sheet finally closed over the body.

“Did it work?” One of the two masked men said as they walked over to the black body shape.

“She’s shrunk, so I guess it did what it was meant to. Come on - she needs to join the others.”

New Earth - Washington DC

Eve Arden left the offices of the CBI, shaking her head at what had just happened. The debriefing of her last mission had been a particular brutal one, and she knew why - the whole mission had, in the words of Sarge Steel, “hit the spinning object with remarkable force.”

Her blonde hair flowed behind her in the strong wind blowing in from the Potomac as she walked towards her car, just wanting to get back to her apartment, soak in a hot bath and put the day behind her. So when she finally got to her apartment complex, and threw her keys on the table by the door, the last thing she needed to hear was the buzzing from a communicator in her handbag.

“Bobo,” she said as she opened the device and put it to her ear, “I have had an incredibly bad day, so this had better be of monumental importance.”

“I wouldn’t call you if it wasn’t toots,” a strange sounding voice said over the device, “Rory and I are on our way over - we’ll be with you in ten. Be ready - we need you.”

“Wonderful,” Eve said as she put the device down, “never a dull moment in my life at the moment.” Making her way to her bedroom, she opened her closet and pressed a hidden button, removing the costume that was hiding behind the panel that slid back.

Ten minutes later, she was standing looking at herself in the mirror. The outfit consisted of a dark blue dress with sleeves that came to just above her elbow and a skirt that reached to just above her knees. There was a lighter blue stripe around the hem of the skirt and her sleeves, while a dark blue girdle and collar completed the design. She was also wearing a pair of short, flat soled lack boots and gloves that covered her hands and lower arms.

“Here we go again,” eve sighed as she closed her eyes and concentrated, a black cloud completely covering her as she stood there. When it cleared, her hair had turned from blonde to the darkest black, and her skin had taken on a chalky white complexion.

Picking up a black eye mask, Eve fixed it over her face, completing her transformation from Eve Arden to the mysterious heroine known only as Nightshade. “Well, if I’m going to spending a night on the town with an ape and a raggedy man,” she said to herself as she heard a noise behind her, and turned round.

She barely had time to do a construct before the white light enveloped her, and she saw her room fade from sight, only to be replaced by a glimpse of an open park before darkness enclosed her. The shock of her transfer took her by surprise, before she passed out, as she felt herself being lifted up...

“And I’m telling you, Rag, that she’s just completely disappeared off the map. Not even tall, dark and spooky can find her.”

“Which is why he called in the Shadowpact,” Ragman said as he and Detective Chimp landed on the balcony of Eve’s apartment. Opening the windows, he looked in and said “Eve?”

Nightshade was not there - but there was someone lying on the floor, dressed in a black bodysuit. Her body was enclosed and mummified with band after band of tape, and a band of tape encircled her mouth, trapping her long white hair against the back of her neck.

For her part, Ororo looked at the new arrivals. She had only just come to, and found herself in this state, but these were not what she was expecting. One was a tall man, wearing a hooded cloak and an outfit that covered his entire body, that seemed to be made of rags.

The other was - well, a chimpanzee, wearing a deer stalker, who looked at her and said “Well, toots, you’re not who we were expecting. Now, where’s Nightshade?”

Earth-616, New York City

“Hey - got you some company.”

Mary and the red headed girl looked to the door as it opened, and the two balaclava masked men carried in a third woman. She had her hands behind her back, and bands of rope around her shoulders, stomach, waist, legs and ankles, holding her dark blue and black outfit as firmly as her limbs were. A band of black tape was also wrapped round her mouth, as they sat her on the cellar floor.

As they left, locking the door behind them, the new arrival stirred and opened her eyes, looking round as she did so and then focusing on Mary as she struggled on the bed.

“Mreee?”

“Ntshd? Sthtru?”

He allowed himself a low chuckle as he watched the events unfold. On one world, the right ladies were being gathered and held in the right place, while on another the seeds of confusion were spreading nicely. It was time for the third exchange - and this one was going to really make the ones he wanted out of the way wonder what was happening...

New Earth

“I do not know who this Nightshade you speak of is,” Ororo said as Bobo removed the tape from around her mouth, “I am called Storm. Can you tell me where I am?”

“Washington, doll,” Bobo said, “but something tells me you are not from around these parts. The guy in the rags is Ragman, and I’m Bobo - how about we help you out of this tape and you tell us what happened?”

Ororo nodded and waited as the chimp cut through her bonds with some scissors, before stretching herself out. “Thank you,” she finally said, “I have long conquered my fear of confined spaces, but sometimes... But the last thing I remember is being shot down in the skies over my home in New York. Why am I in Washington - and why have I never heard of you?”

“Both really good questions,” Ragman said, “and you are not the first person to ask them today. Tell me, do you know anyone by the name of Carol Danvers?”

Ororo turned sharply as she heard him speak. “Yes, I know of Carol. Why do you ask?”

“Because before today,” Bobo said as he tipped his deerstalker back, “None of us had. If you’re ready, we want to introduce you to a friend of ours - Carol is with him. We need to fly.”

“Not a problem,” Ororo said as she walked to the open balcony, spread her arms and took to the air. “Great,” Ragman said as he looked up, “We have to use a magic amulet, and she can do it herself.”

“Something tells me we should not get her angry,” Bobo said as they both clasped the amulets they were wearing, and joined Ororo in the sky. “Second star on the right and straight on to morning Doll,” Bobo said as they joined her.

“Call me Doll again and you will regret it,” Ororo said as she looked at the strange pair. “And why are you quoting Barrie?”

“Best way to explain where we’re going,” Bobo said, “Follow us...”

Earth-616

Nightshade paused for a moment, taking in her surroundings and the two women in front of her. The redhead was a stranger, but Mary Batson was an old friend - and where was she anyway? The last thing she had felt was the light, then she woke up inside a black bag, tightly bound and gagged.

Now that they were alone, however, she closed her eyes, allowing her mind to clear fully before concentrating on her hands. As she did so, a black mist appeared and coalesced in her palm, until it looked as if there was an obsidian knife held firmly in her grasp.

She began to saw the edge against her wrist bonds, the others watching as she did so. Slowly, carefully, she kept working on the ropes, until giving out a satisfied grunt as they finally parted.

She then worked her arms round and started to saw at the ropes around her upper body, Mary and the other woman watching as she managed to free herself, and then tear the band of black tape from her mouth, a white cloth falling out as she did so.

“I don’t even want to ask what’s happening here,” she said as she looked at the other two, “but I’ll have you free in a moment.” She quickly cut away the ropes around her legs, then stood up and started to free the redhead.

“Hwthbbttm,” Mary protested as Nightshade cut through the ropes.

“No offence, Mary, but you I know,” the pale skinned woman said as she helped the third woman to stand. “Her I needed to free first.” Turning her attention to Mary, she soon had her freed, allowing the young girl to stand up as she pulled the gag from her mouth.

“Thanks,” Mary said, before she called out “SHAZAM!”

“What is that,” the redheaded young woman said, “some sort of war cry?”

Mary looked at the other two, before saying “We’re not in Kansas anymore, are we?”

“I don’t even think we’re on our world anymore,” Nightshade as she looked at Mary. “Forgive us, but where are we and what’s your name?”

“We’re in New York City - I think,” the redhead said as she rubbed her wrists, “and my name is Mary as well - Mary Jane Parker.”

New Earth, Metropolis

“Get a move on Smallville, or we’ll be late for the speech!”

Lois Lane Kent stood impatiently at the office door, tapping her foot as she watched her husband searching through the drawer of his desk. She was wearing a white camisole top, and a cream coloured jacket and skirt outfit. The jacket had short sleeves, while the skirt came half way down her thighs, the slit at the side allowing a glimpse of the top of her well polished burgundy leather knee length boots.

“FOUND IT!” Clark eventually said as he pulled a small tape recorder from the bottom of the drawer. “I don’t trust this modern technology for the job.”

“You can hear a pin drop at the bottom of the Marina Trench, and you need an old tape recorder?”

“Old habits die hard,” Clark said as he pulled down his blue suit jacket, and walked towards the waiting lift with Lois, a few steps behind. As the lift doors closed, Lois turned to him and said “No major disasters that need concern you for the next hour.”

Clark closed his eyes, then said “Not that I know of - apparently the Shadowpact are a little upset about something, but I’m sure they can handle it.”

“Good - last thing I want is you getting mixed up in Magic,” Lois said as she kissed him. “you know how that makes you feel.”

Clark smiled as they stepped out of the lobby into the street and tried to hail a taxi - only to be startled by the sound of gunshots as two masked and armed men ran in front of them.

“Keep back,” one of them said as they grabbed Lois and held a gun to her head, “or I’ll blow her brains out.”

“All right, all right,” Clark said as he raised his hands, “just don’t hurt my wife.” He watched as one of the men pulled the driver out of the cab, and then got behind the wheel, while the second one opened the passenger door and pushed Lois in, saying “Get your face down,” as he slammed the door behind himself. Clark watched as the car drove off at high speed, and then dashed back into the building.

“Hey - that hurts,” Lois called out as she felt the thin plastic zip tie bite into her skin as it was used to pull her wrists together.

“Ah put a sock in it,” her captor said as he pushed a wad of cloth into her mouth, then said “Get us out of here before some supergeek shows up.” He looked through Lois’ bag, shouting out “Hey we got a celebrity,” before he looked at Lois.

Only it wasn’t Lois. It was instead a red headed woman, dressed in a blue jumper, jeans and black leather boots, who was staring back at him.

“What the...” was all he said before the taxi was brought to a halt, and he looked out of the windscreen at the red and blue garbed man standing there...

Earth-616

“Mary Jane Parker,” Mary Batson said slowly, “You’re not related to a guy called Peter Parker, are you?”

“He’s my husband,” Mary Jane said as she looked round the cellar, “and hopefully, he’s looking for me right now. Why?”

“I’ve met him,” Mary said, causing both Nightshade and Mary Jane to look at her. “Well, actually, my other self has met him,” she tried to explain, “In another pl...”

“You mean another Earth,” Mary Jane said as she sat on the bed. “Let me guess - you’re from the one with the big guy in the blue suit and the Dark Knight?”

“That’s correct,” Nightshade said, “but then where are we?”

“A different Earth - with a completely different set of heroes and heroines,” Mary said as she looked at Nightshade. “If we’re going to get out of this, we need to find someone who knows about these things - or hope Billy is aware of what is happening.”

“Well, if I know Billy and my teammates, they’re probably trying to work out what’s happened, so don’t worry, Mary Jane, we’ll...”

The two women turned to see a dark haired woman staring at them, her cream jacket stretched back by whatever was holding her wrists behind her back. she spat the cloth out of her mouth, looked at both of them and said “I told Clark, please let this be a day without Magic...”

New Earth - The Rock of Eternity

The torch light burned brightly as Ororo, and her two guides, walked down the stone passage.

“What did you say this place was called,” she whispered as they did so, “It feels as if there is old magic here.”

“The oldest, Do... Storm,” Ragman said as they entered a large chamber, at one end of which a man and woman were talking. As they came closer, the man looked up and said “Welcome, your majesty. I am Captain Marvel.”

“Ororo?” Carol ran forward and embraced her friend, saying “Do you have any idea what is going on?”

“None whatsoever, but I presume we are on another Earth - the one with Superman and the others?”

“You are,” Captain Marvel said as he walked down from the stone seat. “Forgive the welcome, but it appears my sister is missing.”

“So is Nightshade, Big Cheese,” Bobo said as he leaned against the wall. “We went to her apartment, and this lovely lady was there.”

“so someone is doing a trans-dimensional exchange,” Captain Marvel said, “but why?”

“I have no idea,” a booming voice said, “but whoever it is has my wife.”

“Superman, welcome,” Captain Marvel said, “and you are?”

“Mary Jane?”

“Carol? Ororo? What the hell is going on?”

It amused him to see the confusion that was present in the faces of both sets of captives, but what amused him still more was the feeling that that confusion would only be set to increase.

In order for that to happen, however, more players would need to be brought into the game. The three pairings so far were intriguing - even if they did not realise there was a connection. Now for the fourth...

Earth-616, New York City

From the vantage point on the spire of the cathedral, she looked out over the cityscape, wondering what her next move should be. The cool wind ruffled the white fur lined collar of her catsuit, as well as the tops of her short boots, but she did not feel the chill in the air.

“Felicia.”

She turned and looked at the man hanging upside down beside her, the red mask covering his head and face.

“Nice night for it,” the Black Cat said as she looked at Spiderman, smiling as her white hair blew in the breeze. “So what can I do for you - it sounded urgent.”

“It is,” her friend said as he let go of the webbing he was holding onto, twisting and landing next to her. “Mary Jane has gone missing.”

“Again?”

Spiderman looked at her, and then said “All right, all right - but I mean it. She’s disappeared - in fact nobody can even sense her?”

“Nobody?”

“Logan’s out searching, and Stephen is casting some spells, but a few minutes ago, I got the feeling she had just - gone.”

“It’s happened before, Pete - she’ll come back, don’t worry.”

“She’s my wife - comes with the vows,” he said as he looked at her. “Can you see what your contacts say?”

“I’ll ask around,” Felicia said as she stood up and stretched. “If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks,” Spiderman said as he fired a web at a nearby building, and swung into the night air. Felicia started to make her way along the cityscape, leaping from building to building, the form fitting bodysuit moving as if it was her own skin, until she landed on the ceiling of a brownstone.

“I like Petey, but I still have to earn my keep,” she said to herself as she lowered herself onto the balcony of the top floor, using her claw in her glove to cut a circle in the glass. Pushing the glass in, she reached through and unfastened the window clasp, slipping on and passing through the hanging thin curtains.

“Gotcha!”

Felicia had no time to respond, before the lights came on, blinding her as the cuffs were fastened around her wrist behind her back. She realised her predicament as the four armed policemen stood in front of her, staring at her with their guns raised.

The detective walked round and looked at her, Felicia’s blue eyes staring at him through her black diamond mask. “So this is the Black Cat,” he finally said, “Take her to the squad car.”

“Well, you can’t win them all,” she said with a sigh as she was led away, wondering how long she would have to wait before she got out of this. She was pushed into the back of the car, offering no resistance as the two uniformed officers got in the front and drove off.

As she sat back, Felicia started to count down as she fiddled with the lock on the cuffs. “Ten... Nine... Eight...”

“Quiet in the back,” the officer said, before the car screeched to a halt. “What the hell...” his colleague said as he was blinded by a bright light for a moment, and then they both looked round.

New Earth, Gotham City

The Robinson Museum was in near darkness as the skylight opened, and the lithe figure dropped to the floor. She looked round, satisfied the guards were elsewhere, and walked over to the main display cases in the Khadakkian exhibit.

“There you are,” she purred as she looked at the emerald cat figures, and slowly reached for a glass cutter.

“You know I cannot allow that, Selina.”

She looked up and saw him there, dark as always, standing tall and strong and brooding.

“No, I suppose you cannot,” she said as she stood back. Batman took a moment to look at her again, in her black leather catsuit, the front pulled slightly down to expose the top of her chest. Her black hair was covered by the usual leather hood, with her goggles covering her eyes, but he always recognised her. “Still, if I told you I was here on a mission from Oracle, would you believe me?”

“Possibly,” Batman said with a smile, “if it wasn’t for the fact I know you’re not. Now, shall we dance or will you come quietly?”

“Spoilsport,” Catwoman said as she stepped back, and then walked over, her hips moving like a snake as she stroked her gloved hand over Batman’s chin. “But you know how much I like to play the game, my dark knight.”

Her smile grew as she threw her knee into his abdomen, and then sprinted off, hearing his footsteps behind her. She jumped for the bottom of the upper gallery, only to land with a soft “Ooof” as a length of leather cord wrapped round her ankles as the batarang spun round.

“Why do you always insist on running, Selina,” Batman said as he walked up to her, as she sat herself up.

“It’s all part of the game,” Catwoman said with a smile as she held her wrists out. Batman reached for something from his utility belt, then stared at his sometime foe as a bright light enveloped her.

“What the....” she said as she disappeared from view, to be replaced by another woman in a black catsuit. This was not Selina - she stood a foot taller, with long white hair, and white fur around the cuffs of her boots and gloves as well as the front of her outfit.

“Seven... Si...” She stopped counting and looked round, then up at the masked man standing over her. “Hmmm - I’m guessing you don’t know me,” she finally said as she looked up at him.

“Reasonable guess - mind telling me who you are, and why you have your wrists cuffed behind you?”

“Hmmm - oh you know how it is. Go to a costume party and...”

“Batman, can you hear me?”

Felicia mouthed “Oh sh...” as Batman said “I am a little busy at the moment. What is it?”

“Just one question - has something unusual just happened?”

Batman looked at Felicity, and then said “You could say that.”

“Meet us at the Justice Hall - and bring your visitor with you. Superman out.”

“You’d better come with me,” Batman said as he helped Felicity to stand, “something seems to have happened.”

“No sh... Sorry, sure,” Felicity said as she walked with him, “but can you remove these cuffs?”

“No.”

Earth-616, New York

“Who the hell are you?”

Selina looked at the two cops, before reaching down and cutting through the cords around her legs.

“I’ll tell you later,” she said as she kicked the door of the car open, and jumped out, running into an alley and climbing to the rooftops. “All right, Selina,” she said to herself as she looked round, “You need a place to hide.”

She ran over the rooftops, stopping at a large townhouse as she saw a light in the cellar - the only visible light. “This might do,” she said as she dropped to the alley floor, crouching down as she looked through the thin window.

“What the hell...” was her thought as she saw the three women in the cellar, recognising one of them instantly...

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