Post by Brky2020 on Dec 4, 2018 2:31:24 GMT
Mirrors
An NCIS-1 Story
Chapter 1
Earth-1
--This is ZNN, and we’re interrupting Capitol Hill Today for a major developing story, in which tens of thousands of people are appearing, en masse, throughout the United States through what scientists are saying are ‘interdimensional wormholes’—
--FEMA has arrived here in Times Square and in Queens in the parking lot at Citi Field as thousands of people are making their way—
--the President posted on Facebook and Twitter the following statement: ‘I am following with great interest this extraordinary event and want to reassure all Americans these people are not threats. In fact they are refugees and need our immediate and ongoing assistance. I urge local and state law enforcement and civilian aid organizations to assist FEMA and the National Guard in all 52 states to help these refugees. As President I have access to information on numerous subjects before anyone else, and I did know about this ahead of time. At my discretion, I informed various local, state and federal agencies to be ready, and I’m elated they’re responding as the dedicated professionals they all are. I know you, the American people, have many questions, and I will attempt to answer as many of them as I can at 6 p.m. Eastern time today. Please join me, as I discuss this unusual event and why it is important we reach out to aid these people, our brothers and sisters and, now, our new friends.’—
--GBS affiliate KGSF in San Francisco has just posted an interview with one of the refugees online and is about to air it now on its broadcast feed. There are two things from the interview, which we’ll carry live on the GBS network and GBS News24, that are of interest: one, the refugees claim to be from Earth, and two, they claim to be fleeing from impending nuclear war--
--Wonder Woman had no comment when pushed by a WGDC reporter on the developing situation at RFK—
--Jeff, CBS affiliate WBBM in Chicago is going to air an interview with a refugee who refers to himself as Chicago Cubs left fielder Barry Bonds. Barry Bonds has NEVER played for the Cubs--
--Superman has been seen aiding FEMA and Metropolis PD and state National Guard in distributing food and water to refugees here at Centennial Park and also at the Metro Tech football stadium in Brookline. He ignored reporters from WMTR and the Metropolis Post but did offer a brief comment to Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, which the publication is holding for an eight-page special section that will go to press in ten minutes--
Chapter 1
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Robert F. Kennedy Stadium
Washington, D.C., United States of America
12:42 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
“Boss. We sure as hell ain’t in Kansas anymore.”
Leroy Jethro Gibbs was in no mood to argue the point with Tony DiNozzo, for the stoic ex-Marine was still trying to make sense of his surroundings.
The Special Agent-in-Charge of the Naval Criminal Intelligence Service’s Major Case Response Team stood next to his team’s Senior Special Agent (and his second-in-command) and looked around. They both knew one thing for sure: this was not the Earth they had lived their entire lives on.
“Looks like they’ve set up a giant FEMA camp here at RFK, Boss,” DiNozzo said. Gibbs had already spotted a few volunteers with badges identifying themselves as part of the Federal Emergency Management Association, a federal agency that normally ran point on the U.S. government’s response to natural disasters.
“Tens of thousands of refugees in a stadium calls for FEMA to be there, DiNozzo,” Gibbs said. Both men stood on a platform that they knew to be behind one of the end zones for Washington Redskins games at the stadium. Gibbs held his binoculars up and looked hard at the scoreboard, the video screen, and the advertisements on the other side of the stadium.
“We know one thing, Boss: they sure have another RFK,” DiNozzo said as he looked around the stadium. It was a carbon copy of the stadium he and Gibbs had both watched a game and worked a case in. He waited while Gibbs slowly scanned the stadium with the binoculars before speaking up. “Here’s something you’ll want to know: it’s 2017.”
“You mean 2007.”
“No, Boss. A couple of those FEMA workers said it’s 2017. They didn’t come across as dumb and definitely not the types to get the year wrong…was that thing some sort of time machine too, Boss?”
“I don’t know, Tony. That’s one more question on my already-long list, and I want answers.”
“You and me both, Boss. We’re not going to find them here.”
“Some of them are here, DiNozzo.”
“Probably…you itching to get out of here as much as I am?”
“Yeah. We start by finding out why we’re here, Tony, and not at the Pentagon,” Gibbs replied. “That part I’m still having trouble with.”
“Me too,” DiNozzo said. He and everyone else on the floor of the Pentagon Mall ‘Ring’ complex on their Earth – codenamed Earth-17 – had apparently walked, driven or ridden through two wormholes: the first that took them to this Earth-1, and a second, local wormhole that took them across Washington to RFK Stadium. “Boss, maybe McGee can make heads or tails of this. This is the kind of thing he watches on TV.”
Gibbs had just found the rest of their team – the bulk of the group was on the field, and Special Agent Kate Todd and Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent Tobias Fornell had split off, heading towards the platform where he and DiNozzo were. “He’s probably as much in the dark as we are, DiNozzo.”
“We need to find someone in charge,” DiNozzo replied.
“Ya think?!?”
DiNozzo took that as a sign to start looking. “Great idea, Boss. I’ll go—”
Gibbs grabbed DiNozzo’s upper arm to stop him. “Not yet. Wait.” He nodded towards Kate and Fornell, who both walked past a stadium security officer.
Kate ran ahead of Fornell, getting to Gibbs and DiNozzo several seconds ahead of the older FBI agent. “God, I’m so glad you made it, Gibbs,” she said. “You were the only one missing, and some of us were worried.”
“No need to have been, Kate,” Gibbs said. “Everyone’s accounted for, then?”
“Yeah,” Fornell said as he caught up to the trio. “We need to find who’s in charge here.”
“Either of you have any idea of who that might be?” Gibbs asked.
“Someone’s in charge, but the FEMA people and the volunteers aren’t talking,” Kate said. “I think they’re a bit overwhelmed, anyway.”
“Too many refugees,” Fornell added, gesturing to the mostly full seats across RFK Stadium. Some people were eating boxed lunches, many were drinking bottled water. Many others were pointing towards the Justice League/Redskins advertisement next to the video screen, which was now showing one of the GBS anchors talking with a reporter. “You both saw that Redskins ad up there,” Fornell continued. “Everyone’s looking at it.”
“Who are they?”, Gibbs asked.
“A couple of volunteers called them the Justice League,” Kate replied. “Names like Superman. Wonder Woman. Zah-Tana. Red Tornado.”
“Like the people we met on my front porch earlier today,” Gibbs said.
“Yeah,” Kate replied.
“It reminds me of one of the G-Men movies,” DiNozzo added.
“G-Men, DiNutso?”, Fornell said, pronouncing DiNozzo’s last name in his distinct way. “As in the FBI?”
“No, not those G-Men. The G-Men. G-Men, G2, G-Men: Do or Die. Patrick Stewart, Famke Janssen, Hugh Jackman?”
The movie references went over the others’ heads, but DiNozzo pushed his point.
“They’re from Major Comics…ever read The Future Family? The Retaliators? The CrUSAder? Machineman? The Bug – you know, Tobey Maguire as The Bug! You never saw The Bug? The Bug 2? The Bug 3?”
Kate rolled her eyes, while Fornell groaned. Gibbs stared at DiNozzo, but not with his usual ‘get to the point, knock off the nonsense’ manner. “NC.”
“Gibbs?”, she said.
“They remind me of the old National Comics – of a guy named Hyperman. Another comic, Miss America. They were popular when I was growing up.”
“Then everyone started reading Major Comics,” DiNozzo said. “Those people up there aren’t comic-book characters, though. They’re the local heroes.”
“And they’re real,” Fornell added. “Flying men and women. Bullets bouncing off your chest like they’re nothing. Imagine all that power in one human being.”
“Oh God,” Kate said. “If there are superheroes, that means there are supervillains.”
“McGee’s already brought that point up,” Fornell said.
“No use in arguing it right now,” Gibbs said, in the no-nonsense, stern tone the others were well-acquainted with. “We need to find out where we are, who’s in charge, and how to get out of here, after we rejoin the others.”
12:49 p.m. EDT
RFK Stadium field
“Here. Take this,” said the smiling brunette who couldn’t keep herself from gawking at Abby Sciuto while handing over a bottled water and boxed lunch. “It’s not much. They’ll tell you more in an hour.”
“Thanks,” Abby said, taking both the bottle and the box. “Are ‘they’ the people in charge?”
“Yeah,” the young, 20-something brunette replied.
Abby thought she looked a lot like the engineer from that Joss Whedon sci-fi show who McGee liked so much. She almost called the stranger Kaylee twice, and figured she needed a name to put with the person. “Uh, you have a name?”
“Oh yeah. Me,” the woman said, suddenly looking like she had to get somewhere very quickly.
“’Me’?”
“Yea—oh boy. Sorry. Katie.”
“Abby. I have a friend named Katie, too, only we call her Kate—”
“IknowyournameandknowaboutKatetoo—” Katie froze, as if she had just broken a cardinal law of her employer: Don’t Let Them Make You. If the other woman was as sharp as Katie thought she was, then Katie had already been made…for something. “Sorry. Gotta go. Other people to help. Just wait. They’ll make an announcement soon. I promise. Gotta go – bye bye!”
Abby watched as Katie took off in a dead heat towards the main grandstand and thought about running after her. How does she know me and Kate…is she another refugee--
“Abby!”
Only after Ziva shouted in her ear and McGee waved his hands frantically in her face, did Abby tear her attention from the young woman to her two teammates. “Sorry, guys. I got distracted.”
“I’ll say,” McGee replied. “I saw her, too. We thought she was one of these FEMA people—”
“She is, McGee.”
“I saw her talking with you as well,” Ziva added. “I kept my eyes on her but lost her in the crowd. Why would she run? Did she threaten you?”
“Threaten…no. No, no, no. She didn’t threaten me at all. She said she knew me. And Kate. I’ve never met her, McGee, though I can’t speak for Kate.”
“Abigail?”
The trio turned around and saw Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard making his way towards them, stopping a foot away from Abby. “Abigail, I saw the very end of your conversation with that FEMA worker. Is everything alright?”
“Ducky, I don’t know,” Abby replied. “She said she knew me and Kate.”
“Could she perhaps have journeyed over here with the rest of us?”
“No. She said she’s working for FEMA,” Abby said. “It was like she said something she shouldn’t have, got caught, and ran away in a panic.”
“In that type of situation, the person usually becomes a person of interest at the very least, and we pursue them until we catch up with them,” Ziva said. “I lost her in the crowd. That tells me she may be well-trained at evasion.”
“Ziva, you’re not saying she’s a criminal, are you?” McGee replied. “I’m really curious now, but she’s a FEMA worker. If she didn’t threaten Abby, she didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Not ‘wrong’, Timothy,” Ducky added. “So far, she’s only guilty of talking with Abigail; giving her a bottle of water and a box full of food; and prematurely ending a conversation after blurting out she knows two people who, theoretically, she shouldn’t know at all. She’s certainly piqued the curiosity of two trained investigators, a scientist and a humble medical examiner, but she’s committed no crime.”
“I did not mean to suggest she had commited an actual crime,” Ziva said. “I merely meant to suggest that she may be more than a mere ‘FEMA worker’. Much more.”
1:03 p.m. EDT
RFK Stadium Press Box
After flashing her identification badge and name dropping two of her superiors to the DC Metro policemen guarding the entrance to the press box, Katie made her way inside and looked for a suite with a view of the field. She wanted to keep eyes on the ‘suspects’, without them seeing her again – without him seeing her at all.
She pulled out her iCom and began contacting her superior in every possible manner she knew. Facebook poke. Tweet. Instagram. Text message. E-mail, since the federal government still heavily used it.
Katie remembered her superior was old-school – and would have his own iCom, or maybe his Galaxy, with him. The same number went to both devices, and so she called him, as she kept her eyes on the field until she found the people she was looking for.
Oh my God, she thought, as she adjusted her iWear to zoom in on the crowd. They look younger from the last time we saw them, too. Maybe…no…no. No way. She’s there.
They have to be a different group.
If so…what does that MEAN? Is that – are THEY – why the President’s doing what he’s doing?
She heard someone pick up. “Agent Stewart.”
“Marcus. It’s Katie. I’m so, so sorry to bother you. It’s something…something big.”
1:10 p.m. EDT
The White House
Situation Room
The President listened intently to his Secretary of State, Elizabeth McCord, explain the Russian and Chinese government’s positions on the ‘extraordinary event’ that was occurring in their countries, along with virtually every other country on Earth.
“They’re not going to war, if you’re worried about that,” McCord said. “The Russian Ambassador wants to know if we’ll share intel or if he should ask his country’s Khundish friends for even more assistance than they’re kindly giving them.”
“I’ll speak with my counterpart in Moscow shortly,” the Commander-in-Chief said, “after I speak to our counterpart in Beijing and to the NATO leaders. Elizabeth, what I need to know from you first, not from ZNN or GBS, is the reaction of some of the more…unstable…countries to this event.”
“Qurac is warehousing their ‘refugees’ in the stadiums they’re using for next year’s World Cup soccer tournament,” McCord said. “Albania tried to send them back, even after the wormhole closed. We’re still trying to get a read on what’s going on Pyongyang.”
“Keep at it, especially with the North Koreans, and if Langley gives you any static, call me personally,” the President replied. “General, we’re still at DEFCON 3?”
“In the Arabian Sea, outside the Korean Peninsula and in the Indian Ocean,” said General Samuel Lane, United States Army and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We’ve got fighters and bombers ready at the South African bases in Bloemspruit and Durban ready to roll, should Grodd decide to use the occasion to provoke the Sudanese or the DRC.”
“Grodd’s made a lot of enemies throughout Africa, Mr. President,” said the Vice-President. “We really could use Solovar.”
“No one can find him,” said Andrew Munsey, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. “Not the Justice League. Not us.”
“Keep looking,” the President said. “We have bigger fish to fry right now, here at home. Caroline, how are things with the refugees?”
“Suprisingly calm, sir,” said Caroline Harp, Director of FEMA. “There were some fights in Los Angeles, Detroit, Atlanta, Omaha, but the refugees helped the National Guard calm the belligerents.”
“’Calm’ them? I have a report” – the President pulled out a sheet from a folder laying in front of him, on the table he and the others in the room sat at – “that says ‘a large man identifying himself as ‘United States Air Force Captain Clifford Zmeck’ nearly beat six gang members to death before being subdued by Guardsmen and SWAT members from the Los Angeles Police Department. There is a Clifford Zmeck we know of who was in the Air Force and is waiting his turn in the chair for rape and murder.”
“Those incidents are, thankfully, few and far between, Mr. President. Most of these people are sweethearts.”
“And how well are we doing at feeding these ‘sweethearts’, Ms. Harp?”
“Your corporation’s agricultural subsidiary has been extremely cooperative at providing food, water and medicine from its farms and its supermarket and pharmaceutical subsidiaries, Mr. President.”
“And they said it was a bad idea for a sitting President to keep his businesses,” the President replied. “Anything else?”
No one spoke. The President rose from his chair, and everyone else stood. “Come with me,” the President said to the Vice-President. “We’ve got business to discuss.”
With the Secret Service shadowing their every move, the President and the Vice-President left the Situation Room and walked briskly towards the Oval Office.
“Any word on my counterpart and his people?”, the President said.
“John Boehner and his people are at Andrews,” said Vice-President Franklin ‘Frank’ Rock. The President of the United States of Earth-17, his family, his staff and some of his Secret Service detail were currently at Joint Base Andrews in nearby Prince George County, Maryland. “They’re being debriefed, and fed, before we transport them here.”
“Remember, he’s a dignitary, and the President of an America. Not this America, and certainly not me. But as a visiting President from another America, he’ll be treated with the respect he deserves. He just led his country through a horrific war, and part of him probably wanted to stay behind.”
“From what he told me on the phone, his detail didn’t give him the option of falling on his sword,” Rock said. “If it had been me, sir, I would have wanted the same.”
“I understand completely, Frank,” said President Alexander ‘Lex’ Luthor. “I want to talk with the other President myself before I go before the cameras. There are other pressing concerns, though, that we need to discuss.”
“The Justice League.”
“No, not them, not now. I’m speaking of the task force my predecessor set up that destroyed her career last summer…”
1:11 p.m. EDT
22,300 miles above Washington, D.C.
The Justice League of America’s satellite headquarters
From the half-mile-long, half-mile-wide facility’s observation room, it was possible to see representations of America’s past, present and future.
One could see the East Coast of the United States on Earth, of course, along with Armstrong City and the U.S. military and scientific bases on the surface of the moon. If the USS Ronald Reagan or the USS Constitution orbital naval carriers were in the area, one could see them, along with the hundreds of other American- and other national military and civilian facilities and ships in orbit. The vast Trump Orbital Plaza above New York City and the SpaceX Orbital Station above Texas were easily visible, as were the USAF and civilian orbital planes (especially PanAm, United and Delta) flying from or to the surface, and the private orbital yachts still available only to multimillionaires and billionaires like Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Donald Trump and Bruce Wayne. If one looked way in the distance, the recently completed Lewis & Clark O’Neil space colony was visible, sitting in the ‘L5’ position relative to the Earth and moon.
Space was a busy place, and even though the Justice League Satellite was closed to the public, that didn’t keep those who could from gawking at the facility. The core of the satellite was a spherical hub with a thick torus around its center, connected to the central sphere by eight thick spokes. No one knew what was inside the facility, except for the glass-encased observation room atop the hub; it was clear the observation room was for decoration only, and the real business of the Justice League was conducted out of sight.
That was the fiction the JLA wanted the world to believe. An elaborate holographic system hid the League’s business on the observation deck from the outside world, whether it was talking strategy around the conference table, or its annual Christmas party or the occasions when it entertained metahumans from alternate realities. The U.S. military and government – not to mention other countries – still hadn’t penetrated the holographic illusion, and considering who was currently in the White House, JLA security was more important than ever.
At the moment, two members of the so-called ‘Satellite League’ – there were two other Leagues currently in operation out of Detroit and Washington, and there was the special forces group labeled the ‘Batman League’ by the Gotham-based media – were standing on the observation desk. Video monitors from every American news channel available – including GBS; ZNN; CBS; NBC/msnbc/CNBC; CNN; FOX/Fox News; CNC; ABC; Bloomberg; CBN News; OneAmerica; Sinclair; and (the mistrusted) LexNews, along with local stations from the Leaguers’ home cities and other major cities like Chicago and Houston – were on floating plasma screens. Smaller monitors, accessing websites from major news organizations (like The New York Times and The Daily Planet) and social media (such as Twitter) were constantly updating. The Leaguers had their own sources for breaking news, but knowing what the mainstream media was saying up to the moment was very helpful in their line of work, and especially given what was happening right now.
“They have no idea how many people have walked through those wormholes, Diana,” said Green Lantern. John Stewart was part of what amounted to an intergalactic police corps numbering in the thousands, and the primary (but not only) Lantern assigned to Earth. Stewart, a former architect, was notable as both the first hero to publicly announce his secret identity to the world, and as one of the first African-Americans in a small, mainly Caucasian, clique.
Stewart looked at his ring, which could, in layman’s terms, do just about anything one asked it to do, but had to be recharged every 24 hours and was vulnerable to anything colored yellow (Stewart and the other Lanterns had long ago learned to defend themselves against the likes of yellow power-ring wielders, or individuals armed with yellow-colored bullets). “Those news channels have no idea how many people are down there. They’re talking in terms of five figures, way, way too low.”
“What is your ring saying?”, asked Diana, also known as Wonder Woman. The so-called Ambassador to ‘Man’s World’ from the hidden-until-recently island of Themyscria, Wonder Woman’s uniform bore the colors of the U.S. flag, and the distinct yellow of her people’s kingdom. Among the first of the superheroes to emerge, Wonder Woman was intelligent, beautiful and a powerful force to be reckoned with.
“2,117,066,” Green Lantern said. “I bet the ring isn’t the only one who knows that, either. You think he’ll do the right thing by them, Diana?”
“Luthor? He’ll have to. And to be fair to him – which, given what he know about him, can be quite a challenge – he has been a competent executive so far.”
“So far. Neither of us can trust him as far as we can throw him. And I know neither of them don’t,” Green Lantern said, sticking his thumb out and gesturing behind him.
Wonder Woman turned around and saw two of her long-time friends, and colleagues, walking off the League’s transporters. To the left was Superman, based in Metropolis, who grew up as a human but had long been open about being one of the last survivors of the now-destroyed planet of Krypton. Superman was handsome by all accounts, the most powerful being on Earth, and the sitting President of the United States had topped his list of enemies for years. To the right was the mysterious Batman, who patrolled and protected Gotham as its Dark Knight and Darknight Detective and had been the League’s prime strategist and investigator before splitting recently to form his own group of heroes.
“He’s up to something, Diana,” Superman said. “I can feel it in my gut.”
“I’ve come to the same conclusion,” Batman added. “We need to combine forces.”
“Arthur’s not going to agree,” Wonder Woman replied, speaking of Aquaman, who formed his own League of young heroes who could commit full-time to the organization, and based it in the first city that offered him what he wanted in a headquarters, location and facilities – Detroit, Michigan. “It’ll take a Crisis to get him working with us, again.”
“Arthur won’t turn his back on those folks,” Green Lantern said. "Neither will Luthor."
“No he won’t,” Batman said. “As long as it suits him, and as long as the eyes of the world are on him. Right now, our two groups need to work together.”
“What about the new League in Washington?”, Wonder Woman replied.
“I’m working on that,” Batman replied. “Still vetting Lord.”
“Let me work on that,” Wonder Woman said. “Kal, can you talk to the Titans if we need them?”
“Of course,” Superman said, his attention clearly divided.
“Penny for your thoughts, Kal?” Wonder Woman replied. “Luthor?”
“He’s not the only one I’m worried about,” Superman said. “Earth-17’s begun its nuclear exchange, and it may be over by now—”
“We’re waiting to hear from Captain Comet,” Batman said. “We also have access to the CIA database, from their own agents who are in that universe.”
“Do I want to know how we have access to the CIA database, Batman?”, Green Lantern asked.
The Dark Knight grunted.
“So, Kal, you are concerned about some type of invasion from Earth-1?”, Wonder Woman asked.
“No. The military and governments have that covered. Earthside, in Washington, a team of NCIS agents walked through the wormhole when it opened less than an hour ago—”
“It couldn’t be the team from four years ago that showed up,” Green Lantern said. “It’d have to be their counterparts from Earth-17…damn. You know what kind of ruckus that’s going to stir up?”
“It definitely isn’t the previous team, John,” Wonder Woman replied. “The federal government made certain they would not ever come back and J’onn wiped their memories of our world. The federal government from Earth-Prime has protocols in place so they couldn’t come over, again, and so their world wouldn’t be threatened by him…or by Luthor or any other threat.”
“But if he finds out?”, Green Lantern said.
“When he finds out,” Batman said. “We are talking about a man who is former Mossad and former Task Force X, who double-crossed everyone he worked for. He murdered a team in cold blood, assassinated a sitting President, and was directly responsible for the deaths of over two million people almost 12 years ago. We are talking about a man who neither we nor the United States government can touch right now because he’s been given diplomatic immunity.”
The Arabian Peninsula
Ra’s al Ghul Compound
9:18 p.m. Makkah Saudi Arabia Time / 1:18 p.m. EDT
It is one of the smallest countries on Earth, about 500 meters smaller than Vatican City in Europe – and is perhaps the most watched.
American, Russian, Chinese, British, French, Israeli and Saudi satellites watch the compound constantly. Drones from those and 17 other nations fly – with Saudi permission – nonstop, near the compound, but never over its airspace. To do so would be to provoke the ‘Demon’s Head’ into war.
And, perhaps, to provoke the Son of the Demon into further mayhem.
For almost twelve years, Ari Haswari has sought shelter in the one place that will provide it to him. Ra’s al Ghul is the one man who has never used him, but treated him like family, and Ari has rewarded his loyalty by undergoing periodic one-man missions, eliminating threats to Ra’s.
The Dark Knight has not been one of them, and truth be told, Ari would like nothing than to never go back to America, especially with a death sentence awaiting him.
However…if the news reports are right…a very good reason to leave the compound and risk his freedom has just been granted him.
If they are alive…if they have returned from the grave…his mission is not yet finished.
Ari would deal with Talia, if it came to it, and if necessary he had to knew how to put away the Demon’s Head permanently.
He couldn’t rely on satellite and internet news. He needed to know first-hand if they were alive.
Ari Haswari had to return to America.
An NCIS-1 Story
Chapter 1
Earth-1
--This is ZNN, and we’re interrupting Capitol Hill Today for a major developing story, in which tens of thousands of people are appearing, en masse, throughout the United States through what scientists are saying are ‘interdimensional wormholes’—
--FEMA has arrived here in Times Square and in Queens in the parking lot at Citi Field as thousands of people are making their way—
--the President posted on Facebook and Twitter the following statement: ‘I am following with great interest this extraordinary event and want to reassure all Americans these people are not threats. In fact they are refugees and need our immediate and ongoing assistance. I urge local and state law enforcement and civilian aid organizations to assist FEMA and the National Guard in all 52 states to help these refugees. As President I have access to information on numerous subjects before anyone else, and I did know about this ahead of time. At my discretion, I informed various local, state and federal agencies to be ready, and I’m elated they’re responding as the dedicated professionals they all are. I know you, the American people, have many questions, and I will attempt to answer as many of them as I can at 6 p.m. Eastern time today. Please join me, as I discuss this unusual event and why it is important we reach out to aid these people, our brothers and sisters and, now, our new friends.’—
--GBS affiliate KGSF in San Francisco has just posted an interview with one of the refugees online and is about to air it now on its broadcast feed. There are two things from the interview, which we’ll carry live on the GBS network and GBS News24, that are of interest: one, the refugees claim to be from Earth, and two, they claim to be fleeing from impending nuclear war--
--Wonder Woman had no comment when pushed by a WGDC reporter on the developing situation at RFK—
--Jeff, CBS affiliate WBBM in Chicago is going to air an interview with a refugee who refers to himself as Chicago Cubs left fielder Barry Bonds. Barry Bonds has NEVER played for the Cubs--
--Superman has been seen aiding FEMA and Metropolis PD and state National Guard in distributing food and water to refugees here at Centennial Park and also at the Metro Tech football stadium in Brookline. He ignored reporters from WMTR and the Metropolis Post but did offer a brief comment to Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, which the publication is holding for an eight-page special section that will go to press in ten minutes--
Chapter 1
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Robert F. Kennedy Stadium
Washington, D.C., United States of America
12:42 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
“Boss. We sure as hell ain’t in Kansas anymore.”
Leroy Jethro Gibbs was in no mood to argue the point with Tony DiNozzo, for the stoic ex-Marine was still trying to make sense of his surroundings.
The Special Agent-in-Charge of the Naval Criminal Intelligence Service’s Major Case Response Team stood next to his team’s Senior Special Agent (and his second-in-command) and looked around. They both knew one thing for sure: this was not the Earth they had lived their entire lives on.
“Looks like they’ve set up a giant FEMA camp here at RFK, Boss,” DiNozzo said. Gibbs had already spotted a few volunteers with badges identifying themselves as part of the Federal Emergency Management Association, a federal agency that normally ran point on the U.S. government’s response to natural disasters.
“Tens of thousands of refugees in a stadium calls for FEMA to be there, DiNozzo,” Gibbs said. Both men stood on a platform that they knew to be behind one of the end zones for Washington Redskins games at the stadium. Gibbs held his binoculars up and looked hard at the scoreboard, the video screen, and the advertisements on the other side of the stadium.
“We know one thing, Boss: they sure have another RFK,” DiNozzo said as he looked around the stadium. It was a carbon copy of the stadium he and Gibbs had both watched a game and worked a case in. He waited while Gibbs slowly scanned the stadium with the binoculars before speaking up. “Here’s something you’ll want to know: it’s 2017.”
“You mean 2007.”
“No, Boss. A couple of those FEMA workers said it’s 2017. They didn’t come across as dumb and definitely not the types to get the year wrong…was that thing some sort of time machine too, Boss?”
“I don’t know, Tony. That’s one more question on my already-long list, and I want answers.”
“You and me both, Boss. We’re not going to find them here.”
“Some of them are here, DiNozzo.”
“Probably…you itching to get out of here as much as I am?”
“Yeah. We start by finding out why we’re here, Tony, and not at the Pentagon,” Gibbs replied. “That part I’m still having trouble with.”
“Me too,” DiNozzo said. He and everyone else on the floor of the Pentagon Mall ‘Ring’ complex on their Earth – codenamed Earth-17 – had apparently walked, driven or ridden through two wormholes: the first that took them to this Earth-1, and a second, local wormhole that took them across Washington to RFK Stadium. “Boss, maybe McGee can make heads or tails of this. This is the kind of thing he watches on TV.”
Gibbs had just found the rest of their team – the bulk of the group was on the field, and Special Agent Kate Todd and Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent Tobias Fornell had split off, heading towards the platform where he and DiNozzo were. “He’s probably as much in the dark as we are, DiNozzo.”
“We need to find someone in charge,” DiNozzo replied.
“Ya think?!?”
DiNozzo took that as a sign to start looking. “Great idea, Boss. I’ll go—”
Gibbs grabbed DiNozzo’s upper arm to stop him. “Not yet. Wait.” He nodded towards Kate and Fornell, who both walked past a stadium security officer.
Kate ran ahead of Fornell, getting to Gibbs and DiNozzo several seconds ahead of the older FBI agent. “God, I’m so glad you made it, Gibbs,” she said. “You were the only one missing, and some of us were worried.”
“No need to have been, Kate,” Gibbs said. “Everyone’s accounted for, then?”
“Yeah,” Fornell said as he caught up to the trio. “We need to find who’s in charge here.”
“Either of you have any idea of who that might be?” Gibbs asked.
“Someone’s in charge, but the FEMA people and the volunteers aren’t talking,” Kate said. “I think they’re a bit overwhelmed, anyway.”
“Too many refugees,” Fornell added, gesturing to the mostly full seats across RFK Stadium. Some people were eating boxed lunches, many were drinking bottled water. Many others were pointing towards the Justice League/Redskins advertisement next to the video screen, which was now showing one of the GBS anchors talking with a reporter. “You both saw that Redskins ad up there,” Fornell continued. “Everyone’s looking at it.”
“Who are they?”, Gibbs asked.
“A couple of volunteers called them the Justice League,” Kate replied. “Names like Superman. Wonder Woman. Zah-Tana. Red Tornado.”
“Like the people we met on my front porch earlier today,” Gibbs said.
“Yeah,” Kate replied.
“It reminds me of one of the G-Men movies,” DiNozzo added.
“G-Men, DiNutso?”, Fornell said, pronouncing DiNozzo’s last name in his distinct way. “As in the FBI?”
“No, not those G-Men. The G-Men. G-Men, G2, G-Men: Do or Die. Patrick Stewart, Famke Janssen, Hugh Jackman?”
The movie references went over the others’ heads, but DiNozzo pushed his point.
“They’re from Major Comics…ever read The Future Family? The Retaliators? The CrUSAder? Machineman? The Bug – you know, Tobey Maguire as The Bug! You never saw The Bug? The Bug 2? The Bug 3?”
Kate rolled her eyes, while Fornell groaned. Gibbs stared at DiNozzo, but not with his usual ‘get to the point, knock off the nonsense’ manner. “NC.”
“Gibbs?”, she said.
“They remind me of the old National Comics – of a guy named Hyperman. Another comic, Miss America. They were popular when I was growing up.”
“Then everyone started reading Major Comics,” DiNozzo said. “Those people up there aren’t comic-book characters, though. They’re the local heroes.”
“And they’re real,” Fornell added. “Flying men and women. Bullets bouncing off your chest like they’re nothing. Imagine all that power in one human being.”
“Oh God,” Kate said. “If there are superheroes, that means there are supervillains.”
“McGee’s already brought that point up,” Fornell said.
“No use in arguing it right now,” Gibbs said, in the no-nonsense, stern tone the others were well-acquainted with. “We need to find out where we are, who’s in charge, and how to get out of here, after we rejoin the others.”
12:49 p.m. EDT
RFK Stadium field
“Here. Take this,” said the smiling brunette who couldn’t keep herself from gawking at Abby Sciuto while handing over a bottled water and boxed lunch. “It’s not much. They’ll tell you more in an hour.”
“Thanks,” Abby said, taking both the bottle and the box. “Are ‘they’ the people in charge?”
“Yeah,” the young, 20-something brunette replied.
Abby thought she looked a lot like the engineer from that Joss Whedon sci-fi show who McGee liked so much. She almost called the stranger Kaylee twice, and figured she needed a name to put with the person. “Uh, you have a name?”
“Oh yeah. Me,” the woman said, suddenly looking like she had to get somewhere very quickly.
“’Me’?”
“Yea—oh boy. Sorry. Katie.”
“Abby. I have a friend named Katie, too, only we call her Kate—”
“IknowyournameandknowaboutKatetoo—” Katie froze, as if she had just broken a cardinal law of her employer: Don’t Let Them Make You. If the other woman was as sharp as Katie thought she was, then Katie had already been made…for something. “Sorry. Gotta go. Other people to help. Just wait. They’ll make an announcement soon. I promise. Gotta go – bye bye!”
Abby watched as Katie took off in a dead heat towards the main grandstand and thought about running after her. How does she know me and Kate…is she another refugee--
“Abby!”
Only after Ziva shouted in her ear and McGee waved his hands frantically in her face, did Abby tear her attention from the young woman to her two teammates. “Sorry, guys. I got distracted.”
“I’ll say,” McGee replied. “I saw her, too. We thought she was one of these FEMA people—”
“She is, McGee.”
“I saw her talking with you as well,” Ziva added. “I kept my eyes on her but lost her in the crowd. Why would she run? Did she threaten you?”
“Threaten…no. No, no, no. She didn’t threaten me at all. She said she knew me. And Kate. I’ve never met her, McGee, though I can’t speak for Kate.”
“Abigail?”
The trio turned around and saw Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard making his way towards them, stopping a foot away from Abby. “Abigail, I saw the very end of your conversation with that FEMA worker. Is everything alright?”
“Ducky, I don’t know,” Abby replied. “She said she knew me and Kate.”
“Could she perhaps have journeyed over here with the rest of us?”
“No. She said she’s working for FEMA,” Abby said. “It was like she said something she shouldn’t have, got caught, and ran away in a panic.”
“In that type of situation, the person usually becomes a person of interest at the very least, and we pursue them until we catch up with them,” Ziva said. “I lost her in the crowd. That tells me she may be well-trained at evasion.”
“Ziva, you’re not saying she’s a criminal, are you?” McGee replied. “I’m really curious now, but she’s a FEMA worker. If she didn’t threaten Abby, she didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Not ‘wrong’, Timothy,” Ducky added. “So far, she’s only guilty of talking with Abigail; giving her a bottle of water and a box full of food; and prematurely ending a conversation after blurting out she knows two people who, theoretically, she shouldn’t know at all. She’s certainly piqued the curiosity of two trained investigators, a scientist and a humble medical examiner, but she’s committed no crime.”
“I did not mean to suggest she had commited an actual crime,” Ziva said. “I merely meant to suggest that she may be more than a mere ‘FEMA worker’. Much more.”
1:03 p.m. EDT
RFK Stadium Press Box
After flashing her identification badge and name dropping two of her superiors to the DC Metro policemen guarding the entrance to the press box, Katie made her way inside and looked for a suite with a view of the field. She wanted to keep eyes on the ‘suspects’, without them seeing her again – without him seeing her at all.
She pulled out her iCom and began contacting her superior in every possible manner she knew. Facebook poke. Tweet. Instagram. Text message. E-mail, since the federal government still heavily used it.
Katie remembered her superior was old-school – and would have his own iCom, or maybe his Galaxy, with him. The same number went to both devices, and so she called him, as she kept her eyes on the field until she found the people she was looking for.
Oh my God, she thought, as she adjusted her iWear to zoom in on the crowd. They look younger from the last time we saw them, too. Maybe…no…no. No way. She’s there.
They have to be a different group.
If so…what does that MEAN? Is that – are THEY – why the President’s doing what he’s doing?
She heard someone pick up. “Agent Stewart.”
“Marcus. It’s Katie. I’m so, so sorry to bother you. It’s something…something big.”
1:10 p.m. EDT
The White House
Situation Room
The President listened intently to his Secretary of State, Elizabeth McCord, explain the Russian and Chinese government’s positions on the ‘extraordinary event’ that was occurring in their countries, along with virtually every other country on Earth.
“They’re not going to war, if you’re worried about that,” McCord said. “The Russian Ambassador wants to know if we’ll share intel or if he should ask his country’s Khundish friends for even more assistance than they’re kindly giving them.”
“I’ll speak with my counterpart in Moscow shortly,” the Commander-in-Chief said, “after I speak to our counterpart in Beijing and to the NATO leaders. Elizabeth, what I need to know from you first, not from ZNN or GBS, is the reaction of some of the more…unstable…countries to this event.”
“Qurac is warehousing their ‘refugees’ in the stadiums they’re using for next year’s World Cup soccer tournament,” McCord said. “Albania tried to send them back, even after the wormhole closed. We’re still trying to get a read on what’s going on Pyongyang.”
“Keep at it, especially with the North Koreans, and if Langley gives you any static, call me personally,” the President replied. “General, we’re still at DEFCON 3?”
“In the Arabian Sea, outside the Korean Peninsula and in the Indian Ocean,” said General Samuel Lane, United States Army and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We’ve got fighters and bombers ready at the South African bases in Bloemspruit and Durban ready to roll, should Grodd decide to use the occasion to provoke the Sudanese or the DRC.”
“Grodd’s made a lot of enemies throughout Africa, Mr. President,” said the Vice-President. “We really could use Solovar.”
“No one can find him,” said Andrew Munsey, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. “Not the Justice League. Not us.”
“Keep looking,” the President said. “We have bigger fish to fry right now, here at home. Caroline, how are things with the refugees?”
“Suprisingly calm, sir,” said Caroline Harp, Director of FEMA. “There were some fights in Los Angeles, Detroit, Atlanta, Omaha, but the refugees helped the National Guard calm the belligerents.”
“’Calm’ them? I have a report” – the President pulled out a sheet from a folder laying in front of him, on the table he and the others in the room sat at – “that says ‘a large man identifying himself as ‘United States Air Force Captain Clifford Zmeck’ nearly beat six gang members to death before being subdued by Guardsmen and SWAT members from the Los Angeles Police Department. There is a Clifford Zmeck we know of who was in the Air Force and is waiting his turn in the chair for rape and murder.”
“Those incidents are, thankfully, few and far between, Mr. President. Most of these people are sweethearts.”
“And how well are we doing at feeding these ‘sweethearts’, Ms. Harp?”
“Your corporation’s agricultural subsidiary has been extremely cooperative at providing food, water and medicine from its farms and its supermarket and pharmaceutical subsidiaries, Mr. President.”
“And they said it was a bad idea for a sitting President to keep his businesses,” the President replied. “Anything else?”
No one spoke. The President rose from his chair, and everyone else stood. “Come with me,” the President said to the Vice-President. “We’ve got business to discuss.”
With the Secret Service shadowing their every move, the President and the Vice-President left the Situation Room and walked briskly towards the Oval Office.
“Any word on my counterpart and his people?”, the President said.
“John Boehner and his people are at Andrews,” said Vice-President Franklin ‘Frank’ Rock. The President of the United States of Earth-17, his family, his staff and some of his Secret Service detail were currently at Joint Base Andrews in nearby Prince George County, Maryland. “They’re being debriefed, and fed, before we transport them here.”
“Remember, he’s a dignitary, and the President of an America. Not this America, and certainly not me. But as a visiting President from another America, he’ll be treated with the respect he deserves. He just led his country through a horrific war, and part of him probably wanted to stay behind.”
“From what he told me on the phone, his detail didn’t give him the option of falling on his sword,” Rock said. “If it had been me, sir, I would have wanted the same.”
“I understand completely, Frank,” said President Alexander ‘Lex’ Luthor. “I want to talk with the other President myself before I go before the cameras. There are other pressing concerns, though, that we need to discuss.”
“The Justice League.”
“No, not them, not now. I’m speaking of the task force my predecessor set up that destroyed her career last summer…”
1:11 p.m. EDT
22,300 miles above Washington, D.C.
The Justice League of America’s satellite headquarters
From the half-mile-long, half-mile-wide facility’s observation room, it was possible to see representations of America’s past, present and future.
One could see the East Coast of the United States on Earth, of course, along with Armstrong City and the U.S. military and scientific bases on the surface of the moon. If the USS Ronald Reagan or the USS Constitution orbital naval carriers were in the area, one could see them, along with the hundreds of other American- and other national military and civilian facilities and ships in orbit. The vast Trump Orbital Plaza above New York City and the SpaceX Orbital Station above Texas were easily visible, as were the USAF and civilian orbital planes (especially PanAm, United and Delta) flying from or to the surface, and the private orbital yachts still available only to multimillionaires and billionaires like Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Donald Trump and Bruce Wayne. If one looked way in the distance, the recently completed Lewis & Clark O’Neil space colony was visible, sitting in the ‘L5’ position relative to the Earth and moon.
Space was a busy place, and even though the Justice League Satellite was closed to the public, that didn’t keep those who could from gawking at the facility. The core of the satellite was a spherical hub with a thick torus around its center, connected to the central sphere by eight thick spokes. No one knew what was inside the facility, except for the glass-encased observation room atop the hub; it was clear the observation room was for decoration only, and the real business of the Justice League was conducted out of sight.
That was the fiction the JLA wanted the world to believe. An elaborate holographic system hid the League’s business on the observation deck from the outside world, whether it was talking strategy around the conference table, or its annual Christmas party or the occasions when it entertained metahumans from alternate realities. The U.S. military and government – not to mention other countries – still hadn’t penetrated the holographic illusion, and considering who was currently in the White House, JLA security was more important than ever.
At the moment, two members of the so-called ‘Satellite League’ – there were two other Leagues currently in operation out of Detroit and Washington, and there was the special forces group labeled the ‘Batman League’ by the Gotham-based media – were standing on the observation desk. Video monitors from every American news channel available – including GBS; ZNN; CBS; NBC/msnbc/CNBC; CNN; FOX/Fox News; CNC; ABC; Bloomberg; CBN News; OneAmerica; Sinclair; and (the mistrusted) LexNews, along with local stations from the Leaguers’ home cities and other major cities like Chicago and Houston – were on floating plasma screens. Smaller monitors, accessing websites from major news organizations (like The New York Times and The Daily Planet) and social media (such as Twitter) were constantly updating. The Leaguers had their own sources for breaking news, but knowing what the mainstream media was saying up to the moment was very helpful in their line of work, and especially given what was happening right now.
“They have no idea how many people have walked through those wormholes, Diana,” said Green Lantern. John Stewart was part of what amounted to an intergalactic police corps numbering in the thousands, and the primary (but not only) Lantern assigned to Earth. Stewart, a former architect, was notable as both the first hero to publicly announce his secret identity to the world, and as one of the first African-Americans in a small, mainly Caucasian, clique.
Stewart looked at his ring, which could, in layman’s terms, do just about anything one asked it to do, but had to be recharged every 24 hours and was vulnerable to anything colored yellow (Stewart and the other Lanterns had long ago learned to defend themselves against the likes of yellow power-ring wielders, or individuals armed with yellow-colored bullets). “Those news channels have no idea how many people are down there. They’re talking in terms of five figures, way, way too low.”
“What is your ring saying?”, asked Diana, also known as Wonder Woman. The so-called Ambassador to ‘Man’s World’ from the hidden-until-recently island of Themyscria, Wonder Woman’s uniform bore the colors of the U.S. flag, and the distinct yellow of her people’s kingdom. Among the first of the superheroes to emerge, Wonder Woman was intelligent, beautiful and a powerful force to be reckoned with.
“2,117,066,” Green Lantern said. “I bet the ring isn’t the only one who knows that, either. You think he’ll do the right thing by them, Diana?”
“Luthor? He’ll have to. And to be fair to him – which, given what he know about him, can be quite a challenge – he has been a competent executive so far.”
“So far. Neither of us can trust him as far as we can throw him. And I know neither of them don’t,” Green Lantern said, sticking his thumb out and gesturing behind him.
Wonder Woman turned around and saw two of her long-time friends, and colleagues, walking off the League’s transporters. To the left was Superman, based in Metropolis, who grew up as a human but had long been open about being one of the last survivors of the now-destroyed planet of Krypton. Superman was handsome by all accounts, the most powerful being on Earth, and the sitting President of the United States had topped his list of enemies for years. To the right was the mysterious Batman, who patrolled and protected Gotham as its Dark Knight and Darknight Detective and had been the League’s prime strategist and investigator before splitting recently to form his own group of heroes.
“He’s up to something, Diana,” Superman said. “I can feel it in my gut.”
“I’ve come to the same conclusion,” Batman added. “We need to combine forces.”
“Arthur’s not going to agree,” Wonder Woman replied, speaking of Aquaman, who formed his own League of young heroes who could commit full-time to the organization, and based it in the first city that offered him what he wanted in a headquarters, location and facilities – Detroit, Michigan. “It’ll take a Crisis to get him working with us, again.”
“Arthur won’t turn his back on those folks,” Green Lantern said. "Neither will Luthor."
“No he won’t,” Batman said. “As long as it suits him, and as long as the eyes of the world are on him. Right now, our two groups need to work together.”
“What about the new League in Washington?”, Wonder Woman replied.
“I’m working on that,” Batman replied. “Still vetting Lord.”
“Let me work on that,” Wonder Woman said. “Kal, can you talk to the Titans if we need them?”
“Of course,” Superman said, his attention clearly divided.
“Penny for your thoughts, Kal?” Wonder Woman replied. “Luthor?”
“He’s not the only one I’m worried about,” Superman said. “Earth-17’s begun its nuclear exchange, and it may be over by now—”
“We’re waiting to hear from Captain Comet,” Batman said. “We also have access to the CIA database, from their own agents who are in that universe.”
“Do I want to know how we have access to the CIA database, Batman?”, Green Lantern asked.
The Dark Knight grunted.
“So, Kal, you are concerned about some type of invasion from Earth-1?”, Wonder Woman asked.
“No. The military and governments have that covered. Earthside, in Washington, a team of NCIS agents walked through the wormhole when it opened less than an hour ago—”
“It couldn’t be the team from four years ago that showed up,” Green Lantern said. “It’d have to be their counterparts from Earth-17…damn. You know what kind of ruckus that’s going to stir up?”
“It definitely isn’t the previous team, John,” Wonder Woman replied. “The federal government made certain they would not ever come back and J’onn wiped their memories of our world. The federal government from Earth-Prime has protocols in place so they couldn’t come over, again, and so their world wouldn’t be threatened by him…or by Luthor or any other threat.”
“But if he finds out?”, Green Lantern said.
“When he finds out,” Batman said. “We are talking about a man who is former Mossad and former Task Force X, who double-crossed everyone he worked for. He murdered a team in cold blood, assassinated a sitting President, and was directly responsible for the deaths of over two million people almost 12 years ago. We are talking about a man who neither we nor the United States government can touch right now because he’s been given diplomatic immunity.”
The Arabian Peninsula
Ra’s al Ghul Compound
9:18 p.m. Makkah Saudi Arabia Time / 1:18 p.m. EDT
It is one of the smallest countries on Earth, about 500 meters smaller than Vatican City in Europe – and is perhaps the most watched.
American, Russian, Chinese, British, French, Israeli and Saudi satellites watch the compound constantly. Drones from those and 17 other nations fly – with Saudi permission – nonstop, near the compound, but never over its airspace. To do so would be to provoke the ‘Demon’s Head’ into war.
And, perhaps, to provoke the Son of the Demon into further mayhem.
For almost twelve years, Ari Haswari has sought shelter in the one place that will provide it to him. Ra’s al Ghul is the one man who has never used him, but treated him like family, and Ari has rewarded his loyalty by undergoing periodic one-man missions, eliminating threats to Ra’s.
The Dark Knight has not been one of them, and truth be told, Ari would like nothing than to never go back to America, especially with a death sentence awaiting him.
However…if the news reports are right…a very good reason to leave the compound and risk his freedom has just been granted him.
If they are alive…if they have returned from the grave…his mission is not yet finished.
Ari would deal with Talia, if it came to it, and if necessary he had to knew how to put away the Demon’s Head permanently.
He couldn’t rely on satellite and internet news. He needed to know first-hand if they were alive.
Ari Haswari had to return to America.
