Adult-FanFiction.org : Comics

The Birthday Present	By : Kip Category: DC Verse Comics > Batman Views: 8478 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Batman series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 32
- 33
- 34
"The Phantom Stranger knows what Evil lurks in the hearts of men." The mysterious cloaked figure announced theatrically, before sweeping away in a swirl of fabric.
“Cheeky bastard,” Moonshadow looked less than impressed, "I'm strictly what you see is what you get." He said firmly. "I don’t lurk."
"Ignore him." Shayera whispered. "Everyone else does."
Wally sidled up and insinuated himself between Moonshadow and Kal. "How are my two favourite guys?" He asked.
"Great." Kal was positively blissful, having finally gotten his own way with something, despite Bruce's complete opposition. It had taken nearly a week of arguing; but Sandy and Kal had presented a united front and given Bruce no choice: Sandy could try out for the Justice League, or at least his alter-ego could.
"So what do I have to do for this test thing?" Moonshadow asked. “Or can’t you tell me?”
"I can tell you that they've spent hours planning it." Kal smiled. Someone caught his attention. "Ah, they're ready for you."
"But what do I have to do?"
"Just walk through this door. There's another door on the far side of the next room, your task is to cross that room and go on through the far door." Superman told him, all business and formality for the moment.
Moonshadow blinked at him in disbelief. "That's all?"

"Well, not quite all. What Kal isn't saying, Moon-dude, is that there will be various people in there whose job it is to try and stop you." Wally advised.
"I don’t want to have to hurt anyone." Moon lost some of the enthusiasm.
"They'll have powers too, Moonshadow, they’ll be experienced fighters and they know what they're doing." Shayera reminded him. "Listen Moon, just get across that room any way you can, and don’t let them stop you."
"But if I wanted to go somewhere I could just make myself be there." Moon protested. “That’s hardly going to give anyone an idea of what I can do, is it?”
"We already explored your abilities pretty thoroughly.” Kal reminded him. “But to pass this test, you have to actually walk through that room."
Moon continued to look unconvinced. "Walk across a room, that isn't much of a test?"

"I think that you'll find it a lot harder than it sounds." Bruce was there, in full Bat-mode. "You have to win against the people you'll meet in there. Take it as read that they won't make it easy for you. You may use any of the abilities at your disposal, Moonshadow; however, you are not allowed to inflict any actual injury on your opponents: that is a condition of the test."
"So I have to stop them without damaging them?" Moon glanced around at his friends. "Can they do what they like to me?"
"Pretty much, yep," Wally patted him on the shoulder, "Sucks doesn’t it?"
"Did all of you have to do the same thing?" Moon asked.
"Mostly," Wally nodded. "Some of us joined early enough on to have proved ourselves in the field; but most of the people here now have done similar tests."
"Okay." Moon stepped over to the door. "I'll give it a go."
"Then we're on people. The entrance test for Moonshadow is now officially in progress." Batman announced. Around the room, heads nodded and knowing looks were exchanged.
Taking a good look at the door Moon frowned. "That's nasty." He said, after a pause.

"Nasty?" Wally frowned. "What's nasty?"
"The metal door knob carries a heavy electrical charge." Moon told him.
Wally immediately looked at Batman. "Why do I have the feeling that bit was your idea?" He said suspiciously.
Batman only shrugged. "Villains don’t play by the rules." He replied.
"Good job I don’t need doorknobs." Moon grinned at his speedy friend. "See you on the other side, Flash?" He asked happily, "This is going to be interesting." In a blink he was gone.
"Where'd he go?" Shayera wasn’t the only person to ask that question.
"He shifted himself inside." Kal stated, peering at the wall. "Well he's past the first hurdle, so I'd better get a move on, I'm fourth in line."
"If he gets that far, then Moon's got to get past Kal too? That's a really tough break." Shayera murmured to Wally. "Do we know who else is in there?"
"Green Lantern's second." Wally didn’t sound happy about that either. "So since he passed the Batman's trial, Moon's facing GL now, then it's J'Onn then Kal and finally Dr Fate."
"Ouch." Shayera winced.
"Yeah. They're being a bit hard on the poor guy." Wally agreed, "Lining up the big hitters."
"If he can't handle himself up here with us, then he isn't going to be able to handle himself in a crisis down there," Batman was still there, and still listening.
"You really are an arsehole when you don’t get your own way, aren't you?" Wally told him tartly.

"Wally!" Shayera had never seen this side of the normally amiable and eager hero.
"Well, he is." Wally muttered. "Who do you think organised all of this, Shay? Thought up the tests? Chose who S… Moon was going to face?" He glared at the Batman. "Lover boy over there, that's who."
"Flash, if you can't conduct yourself in a professional manner, then maybe you should take a back seat?" Batman wasn’t keen on having any details of his personal life discussed, and most especially not where those who were not in his trusted inner circle might overhear.
"Professional? Like you, you mean?" The speedster wasn’t going to back down now.
"This isn't about me." The gravel tones reminded him.
"Like Hell it isn't!" Wally didn’t flinch. "My guess is that you're hoping that if you lay it on thick enough, he'll back down on the idea of using his abilities and come crawling back to you…"
"Watch what you say, mister!" The Batman wasn’t going to take that from anyone.
"You watch it!" Wally snapped back. "That's what we're supposed to be doing here: watching out for everyone, especially each other. Only you've apparently decided to make this whole thing into a personal point." The slender hero drew himself up to his full height. "Well, if Moon needs somewhere to go he can always use my place. I don’t wimp out on my friends just because they can do things that I can't."

Having arrived in the room, Moon took another glance around; mainly because people expected some sort of indication of physical alertness. The man standing just a short way off was someone whom Moon had seen on numerous occasions.
"Hi Green Lantern." He said pleasantly, recognising John Stewart and acknowledging the man's costumed identity.
"Moonshadow." Green Lantern nodded politely. "So, you think you're ready?"
"Let's find out?" Moon suggested, walking forward.
The green bubble of energy sprang out of John's ring, just as Moon had expected it to. John had very few abilities apart from the capabilities of the ring, and Moon knew it. He also knew the frequency of the ring energy, which meant that he wasn’t going to let it work on him today.
"Shit!" Lantern swore as Moon simply walked out of the bubble and headed onwards across the floor. "Okay, then if you're going to play it that way, I'll have to up the ante." Tearing a section of metal from one of the walls, he sent it flying across the room toward Moon.
Should I turn it back toward him, or just stop it there? Moon watched the panel bearing down on him. Or do something quite different? As he stood there he abruptly remembered the impression that J'Onn the Martian had made on him during their second encounter. Seeing the Martian in his 'usual' form had been strange enough; but watching J'Onn sink his body through the floor had held Sandy spellbound.
If it works for J'Onn it'll work for me…
Adjusting his manifested state, Moon allowed the metal to pass through him. Remaining unsolid, he reached out his mind, accelerated the trajectory of the moving sheet, and pulling the metal from Lantern's grip sent it winging back toward the costumed hero.
By the time that the ring-wielder had recovered from the surprise and regrouped his energy, the sheet was on him.
Moon caused the molecular bonds to soften, wrapping the sagging metal around Green Lantern for good measure. "Sorry, Lantern." He apologised, checking to see that the struggling man was unharmed, and that John had enough breathing space. "But you know how it is?"
"Yeah, sure." John grinned sheepishly. "Well done, Moon. You did good."
Graciously accepting the compliment for what it was, Moon moved on across the apparently empty room.

"Moonshadow." The Martian said in his sombre tones, emerging from the ceiling like a ghost.
"J'Onn." Moon replied.
"With you being able to become as unsolid as I, there would be no purpose in either of us attempting to physically out-fight the other," J'Onn noted. "I propose that instead we have a contest of minds…"
Rather not … Briefly Moon remembered the cold taste of J'Onn's mind. He had found it unsettling; but not repellent. He also recalled the way that J'Onn habitually shielded his mind from the minds of those around him.
J'Onn doesn’t like the touch of stranger's emotions, any more than I like the touch of their skins when I'm purely physical. Flooding him with emotion would take him out of the loop. It was not something that Moon wanted to do; but the possibility was open to him, should the situation ever truly become that desperate. This was not one of those desperate times however, so he had to find another way. He also knew that J'Onn could read that thought too: shielding his thoughts was not one of his additional abilities, and during their early tests this form had proved especially easy for J'Onn to read.
"Yes, that would be my conclusion also." The Martian agreed. "Do you believe that you can out-think me? I am a great deal more practiced with using my abilities in combat than you are with yours."
"Probably not," Moon was faced with a dilemma as he recalled countless occasions on which as Sandy, he had suffered unwanted contact with others, and with people far less disciplined than J'Onn, "But touching me would definitely interfere with your control." He stated to the Martian.
"As it would with yours, were I to actively seek to penetrate your mind." J'Onn responded. "My guess is that I could diffuse you further, or possibly even return you to your more human state?"
"No, you won't be able to do that so easily. It may have taken me a long time to learn how to manifest to my full potential; but being solid like this is as much automatic now as it is conscious." Moon told him.
"So we have a stalemate?"
"No, just an ethical dilemma. Regardless of the rules of the test I don’t want to actually hurt you, J'Onn, and if we touch then it almost certainly will. I suggest that you concede defeat and step aside now."
"You believe that I cannot defeat you without defeating myself in the process?" J'Onn questioned.
Moon waited.
"Perhaps you are correct." J'Onn said, weighing his words with his usual thoroughness. Quite suddenly the long green body shifted, his human shape morphing easily into that of a huge serpent. Wrapping itself around Moon, the snake tightened its grip. The Martian's mental voice rose to a roar of exaltation. "You forgot to defend yourself physically, Moonshadow!"
- 32
- 33
- 34
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Birthday Present