Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 18:18:46 -0700 (PDT) From: Author James Subject: Trials of a Real Dark Knight 35 Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox. Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros. X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice. Star Wars and all related concepts created by or based on the universe created by George Lucas. Copyright 20th Century Fox, LucasFilms Ltd. and Lucas Books/Ballantine Books. I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered. This story has taken on a life of its own. From its inception a year ago, I had only thought it would last ten chapters maximum. As you can see, it has grown tremendously. Mostly due to readers emailing me and telling me they've enjoyed it or have received help due to certain issues addressed. I've enjoyed writing this story but it would not have been written without men and women reading it and telling me they've enjoyed it. I do hope that you continue to enjoy each new chapter as our hero lives and grows. I have received many emails from people who have enjoyed it and some from those who do not. I would enjoy hearing from you. Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks. authorjames2002@yahoo.com I also have several online messenger services. If you want to chat with me in real time, email me and tell me the services you use and I will tell you my screen name. Chapter 35 Strange Visitor Lance and I went for a walk along the beach in the moonlight. I was so happy at that moment. We had just been married, although U.S. Law still didn't recognize same-sex marriages, and all seemed right in the world. The guys wished us a happy honeymoon before we left for our trip to the island in the Atlantic just off the coast of Florida. Once we arrived on the island, the first order of business was to unpack...not! We had thrown our luggage in the corner and made love to each other. After laying there for a while, Lance wanted to go for a walk, so we did. Which brings me to here. As we walked, we held hands. I would look over at him and see his smiling face, which made me smile. He would look at me and his grin would widen even further. The breeze would wash across my head and I would watch it blow through his hair. I had never been so in-love with him and I could only imagine us spending eternity together. We found a spot and sat in the sand, with me sitting between Lance's legs and leaning up against him. His arms wrapped around me and I felt so safe and secure. The crash of the waves in the ocean only calmed us. Once in awhile, Lance would kiss me on the top of my head or kiss me on my ear or neck. I would bring his hand up to my lips and kiss the back of it, cuddle closer to him and just relax. "I don't ever want this to end," I said to him. "What, the night or the cuddling?" "All of it. But most important, us being together. We've been through too much for it to ever come to an end." "I agree with that." I sat back and felt his warm breath on my neck. I smiled again. In the distance, it looked as if a star were moving. "Look at the shooting star," I pointed out. We watched it for a moment. "That's not a shooting star. There's no fire trail behind it. It looks like it might be a plane." As we watched, the light neared toward us. "Lance, is it..." "Yes, it is!" he answered. We stood up and ran away from the spot. As we ran, I looked back to see the small object crash into the sand. I stopped running and turned around. Lance stopped when he realized I wasn't with him and turned around also. "Eric, what are you doing?" "Look at it. It looks like a small spaceship." "That's crazy. Aliens don't exist." "People never thought mutants existed, but we do. Plus the Amazon women were thought to be myth until I met one last spring." I started walking toward it slowly, cautiously. "Eric, are you sure you should be doing that? What if it blows up? Or maybe there is something inside that will kill you?" "I'll be careful." "Should I call the police or something?" "No. They probably have been notified so they don't need anyone else calling." I walked up to the ship and slowly a hatch opened up. A woman appearing as if she were from Asia climbed out wearing a brown robe, brown boots, and tan colored pants and shirt. She had a large belt around her waist with a metal tube hanging loosely. Her hair was pulled back into a braided ponytail. "Hello?" I said as I neared the strange astronaut. She looked up at me and smiled. "He...hello." "What happened?" "I've been...I need your help. Get my bag out of the...ship. Hurry." I ran over to her ship and grabbed the black bag sitting on the floor. "Get me...to safety." "Lance!" I called out. He ran over as I put the bag over my shoulder. "Help me assist her." We reached down and lifted her off the ground, placing each arm around our necks to support her weight and began walking toward the hotel. "No...the woods...hurry." We turned and took her into the woods. After making it several feet, we heard the sound of screaming engines. Several blasts rang out and a giant explosion followed. Someone or something wanted this woman dead. We took her to our room and laid her on the couch. I gave her a thorough examination and found no wounds on her body. Then I examined her molecules and found some rather strange DNA differences in her. There were no internal injuries, thank goodness, so we left her to rest after giving her some water. "The party never stops," Lance said after we continued cuddling on the balcony overlooking the ocean. "It never does." "I wonder who she is." "Whoever she is, she isn't from around here. Her DNA is much different than ours." "I hope she doesn't bring us any danger." "It's probably too late to wish that. Unless whoever her attackers are believe they killed her after destroying that thing she crashed in. Once she regains consciousness, we will have to talk to her." Lance nodded and our conversation ended. I sat like that and drifted off to sleep. The following morning, I awoke still laying next to Lance. I turned my head and looked up at him. "Good morning," he said. "You slept soundly." "Good morning to you." I turned my head a little more and kissed him. "How long have you been awake?" "About a half hour." "You should have waked me up. You didn't have to stay here and wait for me." "You looked so at peace. I didn't want to disturb you. Besides, I enjoyed watching you sleep." I smiled at him and stood up. Then I turned around and helped him up. He went into the bathroom and relieved himself. After washing his hands, I went in to do the same. As I washed my hands, Lance came in and closed the door. He had a very flirtatious look on his face. "What is it?" I asked. "We need a shower." I smiled knowing what he meant. We undressed each other and climbed in the shower. As the water ran over our bodies, we took turn lathering each other up and washing each other. We fondled each other for a little bit, too, but never got too much into it. It wasn't a good idea since we had a complete stranger sleeping on our couch and had no idea if she would walk into the bathroom and catch us in the act. When we finished, we climbed out and pulled our clothes out of our bags. We helped each other dress and then went out in our bare feet. After unpacking our things, Lance and I went into the large circular living room. The woman was no longer lying on the couch. Nor was she anywhere to be found. Lance and I looked at each other with concern. "Where could she be?" I asked. Without warning, something came into the room and hit the wall near Lance's head. We dropped to the ground as more and more blasts came through the balcony doorway. To our surprise, the hotel door opened and in came the woman with a yellow laser sword ablaze. As the blasts came through, she blocked them and sent them back out the window. Then she ran out onto the balcony and flipped over the railing. Lance and I looked at each other with surprise. I crawled over to the balcony and peeked my head over the top. The strange visitor ran across the slightly crowded patio heading toward the beach. On the beach were several figures wearing brown armor holding black guns. When they saw the woman, they turned and ran down the beach. I stood followed by Lance, who came up and put his arm around me. "What was that all about?" he asked. "I'm not sure. But I'm going to find out." I turned to face Lance. "We've got to help her." Reluctantly he nodded. I knew how much it bothered him that I was who I was. He wouldn't ask me to change who I was for anything. But it bothered him. I know he wanted to live a normal life with someone, with me. That's why we married. But he knew I was Batman, and a mutant. And I couldn't stand by when I could help. Knowing it was daylight as well as being on my honeymoon, I opted not to change into my Bat-suit. Instead, though, I ran out the door, followed by Lance. He didn't want to sit this one out and I didn't blame him. If someone were going to ruin our honeymoon, he was going to be involved instead of a helpless bystander. We ran through the doors to the patio and across the concrete through the crowd heading in the same direction the woman went. I saw her brown cloak billowing in the wind as she ran toward the brown-clad soldiers. I couldn't tell how many were in front of the woman as her cloak kept the view limited. But we continued to run. In no time, we arrived at the crash site. As Lance and I came upon the woman, she had turned on her yellow laser sword and sliced off an arm of one of the soldiers. She blocked several blasts aimed at her. One of the soldiers turned to Lance and me and pointed the gun. He pulled the trigger and I turned around tackling Lance. "In normal circumstances, this could be fun," he said with a grin. I kissed him on the lips and replied, "I love you." "I know," he answered with a smile. I got up and turned as another blast came my way. I reached my hand out and stopped the blast. Examining it, the blast appeared to be a type of laser bolt. The soldier looked in utter amazement at what I had done. Using my mutation, I caused the heated beam to dissolve before everyone's eyes. The woman, who had watched me, came back to her senses quickly. She spun around and sliced off the head of the dumbfounded soldier. Turning off her sword, she turned to face me. "That is some power you have." "Thanks," I replied. I turned around and helped Lance to his feet. "You're not too bad yourself," I remarked to the woman. "Who are you?" "My name is Kai-El Ski. I have come from a distant place in search of someone." Lance and I both looked over at the wreckage that was once her ship. "You could say that again," Lance muttered. The woman looked at him questioningly. "Who are you looking for?" I asked. "This area is not safe. We must get indoors quickly." I nodded to her and we ran through the woods. Not too far beyond was the street to the small city. The nearest building was a video store. Since it was fairly early in the morning hardly anyone would be inside. A perfect place to hide. We ran inside the store and moved toward the back. "Now who are you searching for?" "Someone who once visited where I come from a long time ago. He claimed to be traveling through time through some mystical force that he had no control over. We have approximated that this is the time and place from which he came. I must find him." "Do you know his name?" Lance asked. Kai-El did not answer. Instead she was gazing past us at the videos behind us. "What is it?" "How can you have such information?" she asked. "It is impossible." "What do you mean?" I asked. Kai-El walked past us to the videos on the wall. I took note we were in the Science Fiction section and the videos she was heading for were the Star Wars movies. Only four had come out at that time, Episodes One, Four, Five and Six, although Episode Two was supposed to come out in about a year. Magazines had already begun publishing released pictures of the movie. "You know of our history," she said as she pulled off Episode One: The Phantom Menace. "This is the famous Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn. And this young boy. He must be the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker." Lance shook his head. I looked over at him and saw his widened eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?" he finally said. "Those are movies and actors fleshing out some guy's imaginary story. It isn't a documentary or historical footage." "You do not understand. This young boy was the Chosen One, prophesied to bring balance to the force. He did, after his son brought him back from the Dark Side. It is amazing that you have this documented as you are so distant from our galaxy and are not as technologically advanced as we." "You mean to tell me, you are from the 'Star Wars' galaxy?" " 'Star Wars'. That is the name given to this time period when the Republic was in turmoil. It lasted for over thirty years." Kai-El looked past us and her eyes widened even more. She walked past us over to a magazine on a rack that had, on the cover, a picture of Hayden Christensen wielding a Lightsaber. "The Chosen One," she muttered. She picked it up and turned the pages. "How did you get this?" "Let me explain," I said. "A man by the name of George Lucas had come up with the idea of a movie set in a distant galaxy. He created a bunch of characters to live in this galaxy. Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, a whole slew of characters to act out this imaginary story. It became successful around thirty years ago and now, because we have the technology to create even more exotic creatures, he made Episode One and is making Episodes Two and Three to complete the story." "This is all true," Kai-El replied holding up the magazine and motioning at the videos. "This actually happened. And the person I seek met him," she pointed to Hayden Christensen, "several months before the Sith Lord was revealed to have control over the Republic Senate." "Who are you and what do you want?" Lance asked. "I am a Jedi Knight in search of the one called Batman." To Be Continued... Now "Star Wars" is entered into the universe. I hope this doesn't make things too unreal. As many of you know, I try to make the story as realistic as possible, especially with the mutants and vampires and such. Just kidding. I don't want to overstep my bounds with adding too much. Let me know what you think of Star Wars being added as well as what the Jedi Knight Kai-El Ski has revealed to Eric and Lance.