Reality Crisis

Dinah hadn't seen much of anyone lately, besides Bruce. Even Bruce... well, he was Bruce. There were days when they occupied the same space and yet felt worlds apart. She was starting to get used to that and she accepted that it was part of who he was. Maybe with time, it would change. Or maybe not.

There were days when she needed the space as much as he did. She was still trying to make sense of the vision of a future that she still didn't understand or want. Trying to figure out ways to avoid it. And she couldn't help reflecting on what this world had already changed about her.

Not that it was all bad. It certainly wasn't. There were good things about this world. Good things about the Bruce that had landed in this world.

But for today, she needed to get out and reconnect with some of the others. Clark especially. If anyone could keep an eye out and keep her from stepping too far over the line that shouldn't be crossed, it was Clark.

She had some idea about his usual routes thanks to Bruce's need to keep tabs on everyone. But mostly, she just started to head in the direction of die Festung in the hopes that she would run into a certain Kryptonian.

For now, things were quiet and tranquil. If she had any clue as to what was to come, perhaps she would have stayed closer to the cave or perhaps she still would have headed toward the nearest settlement to help as she could.

Dinah knew that they would need to talk to Erik soon, but she needed a little time to think on her own first. She had a lot to think over. From what to do if Erik kicked Enigma out of Sanctuary to the glimpse she'd had of the future to Selina showing up and setting her sights on Bruce.

A walk could be dangerous in this world, but Dinah needed to risk it. She needed the chance to get out and clear her head. She usually gravitated toward people, but there were times when even she needed her space to think. This was one of those times.

She set out in the morning with a backpack filled with survival supplies, including a large knife to use if she encountered any of the Netvors. Her senses were on high alert as she kept her eyes out for anything that could be a threat-Bane included.

They had seen something or been somewhere different and Bruce didn't understand what they'd seen or where they'd been. It would help if he could at least decide if they'd actually been there or if they had just seen it. There wasn't any way to track if they'd lost time or left the location though since there wasn't anything like security cameras to check and there hadn't been anyone else in the room.

For now it was safer to retreat to the cave and talk it over. Neither he or Dinah said much on the way back which either meant he was rubbing off on her or she had something to say she didn't think he'd want to hear.

On his end he was just thinking too hard about the flash and not enough about the conversation with Lehnsherr. He should be thinking about both but he was fairly sure that the man hadn't been lying and he didn't think he had a lot to worry about with Bane attacking Lehnsherr. It would be very hard to get past someone that paranoids guard.

Once they were back at the cave and everything checked out he put water on to boil so they could at least have something hot to drink.

After the talk with Selina, Dinah and Bruce had finally made it to Sanctuary and requested an audience with Erik. Dinah was tense at the idea of walking into territory that housed the man who had done so much damage to two different Bruces that she knew by now. Any feelings brought up by Selina's arrival were shelved as she focused on keeping her eyes open for any sign of Bane or Scarecrow or anyone else that might pose a threat. She stayed close as they walked through the small town and didn't move away once they were inside alone with Erik. She had her reservations about the man who ran Sanctuary, but that was just heightened now in the face of whom he was allowing to live there. She still saw good in him, particularly in the way he cared for his people and in the fact that he'd been willing to give them a place to stay. That wouldn't be forgotten. And that was the main reason why she thought it was best to see if he knew who Bane was and what he was capable of.

They didn't get much past the niceties of greeting each other before something seemed to happen. Suddenly the room shifted and she was somewhere else entirely, with her brain struggling to keep up.

It appeared to have been a parking garage once, though the cars that were left were vandalized, rusting, and some were buried in ivy or some other plant type growth.

There was something cold and metal in her hands and the coppery smell of blood was thick in the air. Worse still, Dinah looked down and realized she was standing over someone who had bled out from a wound in his chest. She raised her now-shaking hand and realized that the weight in it was a bloodied knife.

What she didn't see was the scar that ran down one side of her face. She also didn't immediately notice the scars on her arms, or the fact that she was dressed in a tank top and light cotton pants instead of bundled up for winter weather. None of that mattered. Not when she couldn't fight the feeling that the man at her feet was dead because of her.

Bruce was healed thanks to Peter, but that didn't stop Dinah from sneaking peeks at him as they walked to Sanctuary. She just couldn't get the image of him bleeding, bruised, and broken out of her mind. She knew that this might be a suicide mission, but they needed to talk to Erik and see if the leader of Sanctuary knew who exactly he was housing. They also needed to give him a heads-up about Enigma and Damon being vampires.

Dinah wasn't exactly looking forward to that conversation. She still had to tell Bruce too, come to think of it. There had been so much that had happened since Enigma's change that it had just slipped through the cracks.

"Bruce, there's something that you need to know about Enigma," she said by way of opening the conversation.

Now was as good a time as any, she supposed.

Dinah wasn't sure if it was a good thing that Bruce felt badly enough to let her got to Peter or if she was concerned about that. She hated the idea of leaving him, but there was no other choice. They really did need to get some sort of communication system in place. She'd made sure that Bruce was set up on his mattress and had food, pain pills, and water within his reach.

She maneuvered her ATV carefully over the snow as she left the cave and started to head out. She still wasn't quite sure where she should check for Peter, but Sanctuary would be her first stop.

She didn't know if it would work, but she also tried calling out for Peter in her mind. He was telepathic, after all. Maybe if she just thought loudly enough in his direction.

Or maybe it was a longshot. All the same, she tried thinking his name very loudly.

Aidan had thrown his bag over the wall in order to not raise too much suspicion about his leaving. He didn't want questions asked, and he thought he might be slightly too high profile for Belia to let go of easily. His work in the hospital had surely made him known to her, so while he still hadn't met her face to face, he could feel her eyes.

It wasn't until he was outside himself that Aidan realized night might not be the best time to try to cross the ruins to get to New Troy. He'd only been once, which was a great way to get lost. Adding to that the amount of unknown creatures out there and his lack of knowledge when it came to Netvors and dog packs as to their habits at night, he found himself turning to the fae forest.

He knew there was a settlement within, Sanctuary. There was a chance he'd be able to find help within. Maybe a place to go. The idea of being so close to die Festung sat badly with him, however. Going somewhere where he might relive this entire ordeal in any way didn't appeal to him in the least, either. New Troy was where he needed to go. A place with vampires who didn't hide. A place where he would be mocked for trying to sustain human life instead of accused of taking it actually sounded good. He knew John there, and Pam. He had no idea if their sire, Eric, would accept him, but he had to try.

So the only thing to do was find a place to be for the night. He might have laughed at that, a vampire trying to bed down while the moon was up, if he'd had any trace of humor left in his body. Currently he was sitting in the numb denial phase, his brain refusing to play back the trauma of his encounter with Dean, staunchly refusing to accept that it had actually happened despite the fact that he was standing outside the wall of his home, trying to figure out where to go.

The yellow bag dangling from one hand was heavy not because of the things shoved hastily into it, but because of the meaning it carried. Aidan stood staring at it, unmoving, blanking out entirely to everything around him.

(takes place shortly after the Bruce/Bane confrontation)

The zombies were gone and still, Bruce was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't unusual for him to go off on his own for hours or sometimes days at a time. But it was unusual that he wouldn't check in at some point. Especially after something like the dead rising and declaring war. She was trying not to worry. She really was.

She decided that it was time she checked the cave. There was a good chance that he would be there. He might have lost track of time, or he might have something pressing that needed time alone to deal with. She hoped that was all it was. She didn't worry too much about interrupting whatever quiet time that Bruce might need because she felt a little like it was her job to make sure he didn't retreat too far within himself. Especially when he didn't have Alfred there to keep an eye on him and give him a little bit of company.

The snow was starting to melt so Dinah trudged through a mixture of slush and mud on her way to the cave. By the time she got there, her boots were caked in it, but she was there without incident. Knowing Bruce, he probably knew she was coming by now. If he was there. She was sure he'd set up some sort of alarms for when people were on the perimeter of the cave.

Once she'd gotten past the entry, she headed for the living quarters first.

"Bruce?"

She tried not to think about how much she really hoped to hear an answer. Tried not to think about what might be going on if he wasn't here and wasn't in Sanctuary or anywhere else she'd looked.

(Warning: Adult Content - Sexual Situations)

Enigma stretched her arms over her head, working the kind out of her back from sleeping on the cot in Dinah’s hut, before checking the bandage on her sprained wrist, sighing as she walked through the small area that made up their new home.

She was regretting agreeing to Di’s plan, finding the lack of entertainment to bore her. On the other hand, she was in close contact with one Bruce Wayne...also known as Batman, so that kind of made up for it.

In a way that totally didn’t as she was having zero luck seducing the man.

Making a face at her own thoughts, she bent backwards, attempting for a back handspring...and promptly collapsing as her injured wrist gave way. One might think her a morn for continually attempting it with the same results, but as her wrist healed, she would get more height, and thus could keep a better track on the injured limb by trying.

Plus, she was just really freaking stubborn.

--

Damon had decided that he would explore this new place that he found himself in just a little. Maybe he’d just into more of those things that himself and Faith had ended up fighting and he would be able to kick some ass. Not that he really wanted them to show up, but it was a bit of a rush fighting them and he was a little bored. He was going exploring after all.

He was making his way through the camp when he heard what sounded like someone falling over in one of the huts. He decided he would go check if the person was alright. ‘What has Elena done to me?’ he thought to himself as he made his way to the hut. There was a time he would have just laughed and walked by, but now things were different. Now he he was different.

He reached the hut. “Hey, you okay in there?” he asked, deciding against just walking in.

( Vampiric Desires )

Dinah hadn't seen Peter since the meeting. It wasn't by design since she'd wanted the chance to talk to him on his own. It was more a matter of getting reverted to the mental age of 13 and trying to find a way to get through to a teenage super-villain. But she was a little worried at how quickly Peter had jumped to killing as a solution for Sylar and she wanted the chance to hear his side of things and get the measure of the man that she had invited to join the team. Someone who chose murder as a first solution didn't quite match with the Peter that she'd met and tapped for the team. She knew that there was more to the story and she hoped to hear it. If nothing else, she hoped that she'd be able to help him consider other options.

She wasn't quite sure which building belonged to Peter so she simply started asking around, looking for the superhuman with more abilities than Superman.

( That is the question... )

The snow had been unexpected. Dinah hated that it was hard to keep track of time in this place. It certainly made one day run into the next. She appreciated, at least, the mark of the change of seasons. It was something normal amidst all of the bizarre in this world. Not to mention that the celebration in the streets was contagious.

Today, she and Bruce were heading back to the cave to check up on things. She did her best to keep her playful mood in check as she walked alongside Bruce. Somehow she doubted he would appreciate that.

All the same, she was currently plotting ways to get him involved in a snowball fight. She still wasn't sure how to spring it on him or what he'd do if she did, but she couldn't quite resist the urge to try.

"So your talk with Enigma went okay?" she asked, hoping to get caught up on what he and the teenager had discussed.

Dinah hadn't had the chance to hear the results of Bruce's talk with Enigma. Since she hadn't seen any sign of bloodshed or injury, she'd assumed that it had gone as well as could be expected. All the same, she thought it was best to talk to the young woman and to make the offer of shelter and assistance.

She would need to talk to Bruce too at some point, but she wanted to make sure that the redhead didn't wander off or find someone willing to pay a price. She was at a crucial period where she could possibly turn things around. This was a new place and the chance for a new start, albeit in a rough and unfriendly world. Dinah would do what she could to help her, but she also planned to do what she could to protect the people of this world from Enigma's ways if she had to. She much preferred the first option though. She was always more inclined to hope for redemption than for a chance to stop and punish people for their wicked deeds.

Dinah looked around the village for Enigma, preparing herself for the talk that might have to follow her offer and the information that Bruce had given.

After the mindtrip that was reverting to being 13 again, Dinah had a lot to deal with. After all, the little mental sidetrip didn’t take care of any of her issues and instead added to the things that she was concerned about. Sylar was still out there, most likely in die Festung. She now had Enigma to keep an eye on. And she was worried about the people who were still in die Festung with Sylar.

She needed to warn someone on the inside about him. But she needed to do it without going behind the city walls. She had to stay out of Sylar’s sight at least until they could all locate him again and find a way to lure him away from people.

Instead, she rode her ATV toward the walls of die Festung and did a couple of passes around the city, keeping an eye out for Fred, Sam, or Dean. Despite the fact that she and Dean hadn’t talked in awhile, she did still trust the hunter enough to let him in on what was going on. At least enough that she hoped he would keep himself and those in the area out of the way. She didn’t think that Dean, Sam, or Fred would be targets but there was the chance that they would get caught in the crossfire and... she didn’t want to think about that possibility. However things had ended between the two of them, she didn’t want to see him hurt.

( Fancy meeting you here )

Since that first kiss, there had been a few more stolen kisses. In spite of all the confusion, that definitely made for a bright spot in her days. Dinah found that she looked forward to time spent with Bruce and kissing. Oh yes, she did like kissing him.

Currently, they had found a little more time for that particular activity. She was happily doing that when everything changed. In an instant, all of the vague memories flooded back almost painfully. She no longer had that lighthearted sensation of a 13 year old in the throes of her first major crush. Instead, there were years of memories-both painful and good, and a whole host of emotional baggage that might make it harder to just throw herself into something with reckless abandon.

All of that aside, she didn't stop mid-kiss. An attraction and feelings of a sort had been building between the man in question and herself for months really. And she wasn't going to complain about this moment in time-even if reality was threatening to creep in and she was sure that he'd push her away once the fog lifted.

For the moment, she simply kept her hands around his waist, where they'd been before things changed. She tried to ignore the creeping headache from the flood of memories that had suddenly returned.

Dinah was having a very bad week so far. She had this explosive scream that she couldn't quite get under control, she was still wandering around in a half-daze as she tried to figure out what was going on, and her parents weren't here. They really really weren't. Neither were her friends or her 'uncles' from the Justice Society or anyone else that would have made her feel safe and might have been able to help her figure out what to do about the superpower that currently cause more damage than good.

Not to mention that she really wanted hot chocolate or pringles or... anything resembling comfort food. This place had none of that.

She wasn't exactly feeling sorry for herself, but she was having a hard time seeing the good in the situation. The only upside at the moment was that it was a little exciting being on her own. She was, for all intents and purposes, an adult. She had the freedom to do whatever she wanted. In theory anyway. Trouble was finding what she wanted to do and doing it.

Dinah let herself into the small hut that she was sharing with Bruce and Effie and looked around to see if anyone else was there.

Dinah kept waiting to wake up from this bizarre dream. She was supposed to be 13, but somehow she looked much older and was in the middle of this bizarre alternate reality life that just... well, it was a little depressing.

All the same, she was determined to just go with it. She didn't have much in the way of fun clothing, which was a shame. She looked... good. Better than she'd ever hoped to look. She had memories of wearing her mom's fishnets in the future and if she could have found them, she'd wear them.

Instead, she was wearing jeans and a tank top and she hit the town-what there was of it. There had to be something to do here. Somewhere to shop, somewhere to eat, maybe get a movie. There had to be something.

Enigma flipped backwards gracefully, the knife that had been thrown at her sailing cleanly over her body and she grinned, moving one f her hands to her boot, grabbing her own knife, releasing it as she landed on her feet and rose up, watching as one of her men had to dive out of the way, before she lashed out with a kick to the side, catching the other man who had surrounded her off guard, licking her lips at the grunt of pain he gave.

As her foot came back down and she stood again, she found herself pressed against a hard body, an arm the size of a tree trunk around her throat, gun pressed to her temple. She swallowed, before trying to wing her legs up and back to catch the man int he groin. There was a noise and she yelped in pain, holding the side of her head, glaring at the man who had shot a paint pellet at her. “Oy!”

“Sorry, boss, but I got ya fair and square,” Thomas pointed out with a shrug.

“Yeah yeah, I’m going to go hit the showers, go check the equipment.” Enigma said as she grabbed her towel and duffle bag, heading for the locker room.

“Ya sure ya don't want me to stand watch at the door?” Brandon said with a smirk, his eyes roaming over the redheaded women's’ scantily clad body.

Enigma paused, making a face at him. “Brandon, I wouldn’t trust you to guard my ass in an empty room. And I need something that isn’t small enough to fit through a pasta strainer.” She turned after that, returning to her path of getting a shower, but nodding to Daniel who moved behind her, standing guard at the door of the locker room...just in case.

( Meanwhile, back at the ranch... )

Dinah and Bruce had found Clark first. It was a good thing they had because a wizard named Carlos had found them, claiming to be sent by Peter. Both the Bat and the Canary had been hesitant to trust his story, but Clark was the human-or Kryptonian, at any rate-lie detector. Clark had been able to reassure them that Carlos was telling the truth, and that Kitty was actually Kitty when they'd run across her on their way into Sanctuary, Magneto's village.

Dinah felt a fresh wave of guilt as she realized that Kitty had been attacked, most likely by the same shapeshifter that had attacked her. She'd given Kitty and Piotr's names to the fake Oliver. She would apologize to Kitty later, not that she thought that would cover it. For now, however, they needed to band together and find a way to stop the shapeshifter.

The guards must have known they were coming. Or at least, they'd expected Carlos to bring back people, because the small group had been escorted straight to a building that looked large enough to be used as some sort of meeting hall, yet was on the outskirts of town and seemed to be well-guarded to prevent eavesdroppers she supposed.

Dinah was curious at the prospect of meeting the enigmatic leader of this little outpost. She'd certainly heard her share of rumors about Erik Lensherr, and she was unsure of his motives or of his character. But if he was to work with them on this, then she supposed she would get the chance to see more of who he was and whether or not he could be trusted.

Dinah was somber as they were let into the building. She knew that they were in for the fight of their lives and so she didn't have time for the guilt over her misplaced trust and the fact that she'd risked live because of it.

Bruce's concerns about Oliver weighed heavily on Dinah's mind. Something was off about Oliver, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was perhaps the mismatch between the memories of her world's Oliver and this Oliver, who was from a different world. Maybe it was how turned around she'd been ever since her trip to the City and back. Or maybe there was something to Bruce's worries, whatever it might be.

She hated to admit that Bruce had an annoying way of being right more often than not. But then again, when it came to people, he also tended to be more cynical and didn't trust very easily. She'd proved him wrong with Helena after all.

Whatever the case, she had to talk to Oliver one-on-one. She had to give him that chance to explain further. And she had to take more time to decide for herself if he could be trusted.

----

The attempt on Kitty Pryde had not gone well. Sylar's bruises had healed quickly after she'd moved him, but his ego hadn't quite recovered. He'd never had that much trouble when seeking powers. Ironic that he'd considered her the easiest prey. He'd assumed that he would go after her ability, and then add that to his arsenal before going after the others.

He had changed his face back to Oliver Queen's before his return to die Festung. With Peter still alive, his real face wasn't safe for now. And no doubt the mutant who could walk through walls would run straight to her metal boyfriend so that face was out of the question now too.

He was angry as he paced Oliver Queen's apartment like a caged animal. If he wasn't careful, he would very quickly run out of options. People were too concentrated here. It was much harder to hide, even with his abilities. And those with powers were different from those with powers in his world. Sure, he had known that going into this. But he supposed he had underestimated them all.

It wouldn't happen again.

The knock at his door piqued his interest. A look through the keyhole only further heightened his interest.

He wouldn't make the same mistake with Dinah. Not again.

He beamed as he let her in, a welcoming smile. He accepted the quick hug and only half-listened as she started to ask her questions. He couldn't bring himself to care. Not even a little bit.

The surprise on her face was gratifying when he flung her against the wall and started to cut into her forehead. He was careful, very careful to avoid being in the line of fire for that pesky scream. He wanted it to be sure, but he didn't want to be on the receiving end of it.

Once Clark had sped off, Dinah let herself into the cave. If the Batman was home, she had no doubt that he knew she was here. It was odd to think about the fact that this version of Bruce seemed to trust and like her, according to Clark. Back home, she generally got the feeling that Bruce tolerated her and that there was maybe a small, albeit grudging, amount of trust. It was more here. She was still getting used to it, still separating the two in her mind, but she couldn't deny that Clark was right.

Why or what that might mean was lost on her, but she was glad for it. She was also determined not to push him too far and not to take advantage of that trust.

Getting him to come to die Festung and meet the potential team members wasn't her idea of pushing. Or it might be, but it was also necessary. He needed the chance to meet the people that they would hopefully work with.

Her gait was steady, confident. She was still getting used to her newly healed limbs, but it felt good. There was a part of her that wanted a rematch to the spar earlier-a part that really wanted to test out what she could do now that Peter had healed her. Then again, that match had ended in very... confusing way. She hadn't meant to kiss him, but their lips had touched all the same. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if they hadn't been interrupted, even if she knew she probably shouldn't. Wondering about that too much or even wishing for anything would just make the fact that they were living in very close quarters awkward. No. Better to keep her mind on all of the things that needed to be done and everything going on outside the cave.