The Universe's Mixer

Jesse did the inviting. He was the only one - that Dinah and Dean knew of - who knew everyone who was to be involved in this. The invite also only really went out to Dinah directly. It felt awkward trying to contact Dean to ask him to come along. But he suggested to Dinah that she might want to bring him, since he was right there anyway.

Not knowing, of course, what had happened with the apartment.

He had not gone out to do any do-gooding, and made sure to be rested. Mostly because he didn't want to disappoint Zoe again, and partly because he really did believe that the three of them would draw on him if he fell asleep at the table. He didn't think that Dean would be nice about it, either. There would be no mostaches and goatees from Dean. It would be dicks pointed at his mouth and bad words scrawled across his forehead, and he wasn't sure that Zoe wouldn't be unamused enough to stop it.

They had cooked together, him and Zoe, for the dinner, and it was so easy with the give and take between them that everything was ready in no time. Like clockwork.

Now, all they had to do was wait.

Zoe didn't say anything after she left the conference room; she hadn't even stayed to see if there was indeed an answer. She simply walked out. Perhaps she should have run, but she thought she'd give Jesse a little room to calm down. Just a little.

She caught up quickly though, for all the room she gave him. She didn't touch him until she was at his side, making sure he could see her. The Amazon took his hand, not slowing him down, not stopping him. She walked with him wherever he had thought to go; walking without stopping didn't exactly mean she wouldn't say anything.

"You asked more than one question." It was a small joke, and she was risking making him even angrier. "Don't think you're going to get your answer out here."

The City Hall was chosen because it held a room within it that was big enough to accommodate the droves of people that were sure to come. Plus, being inside space, there were no worries over weather that couldn't be controlled. The people could sit and listen and not have to try to hear past traffic or wind.

Even with the late notice, everything was done well before the scheduled start time, which Thomas was proud of. He was glad that the ones who were born here weren't entirely useless without him around. They were keeping their heads together, doing what needed to be done. Of course, it also could have been the fact that they believed Thomas was who he claimed to be, and with his presence there with them, they felt better about the situation they were currently in.

Thomas looked at the stage. That's where he would be standing, talking to the people he had brought here. He had no doubts that they would be the ones with the questions, the ones who demanded answers. He was ready. He could do this.

He sat in a seat hidden by a curtain, where he could still see the stage and the rows of chairs beyond, and waited.

When she'd moved back to her townhouse, Alfred had sent her home with tupperware containers filled with meals to last about a week. Dinah had finally managed to wash all of those and put them in bags to return to him. She appreciated the butler making sure she was well fed, especially because she'd barely had the energy to order takeout lately.

She'd left a message to let him know she was coming to return the tupperware, but it might not have been received. Whatever the case, Dinah had been expecting to find Bruce, perhaps, at home or to find just Alfred. She certainly hadn't been expecting to find anyone else at the Manor.

She parked her car on the driveway looping in front of the sprawling house and walked up to the door to ring the doorbell. She was planning just a quick visit, though she wouldn't be surprised if Alfred took one look at her and lamented how thin she was as per usual lately.

Rufio crouched on a fire escape over looking one of the busier streets of the City. He'd found it a bit disconcerting when the buildings stopped moving and everybody started setting up routine methods of travel, but everybody else seemed pleased by the change. Still, it felt far too permanent the way it was now. Rufio didn't like it.

The growing boy dangled his legs over the side of the fire escape, leaning through the bars and watching the dull crowds at the end of the work day. Sunset would come very soon, and then he may be more inclined to get up and find something to do, but for now he was content eating a bag of potatoe chips and ocassionally dropping a water balloon on a passerby from the small box sitting next to him. That was always good for a laugh.

It had been a while since Joker revealed himself - Zoe hated thinking about it in that way, but it was apt. Zoe had added wherever Dinah was living with Jake to the patrol route. When the man who was a less connected and possibly just as odd Mr. Universe sent out the memo about Jake's disappearance, Zoe continued to check on Dinah; grief made people do crazy things.

Thankfully Dinah moved to the Wayne Manor which made checking on her much easier. Zoe didn't feel that she always had to see the woman for herself, just trust Alfred when he reported. Plus, it was easier to explain why the Bat could be seen skulking, not that Zoe would ever say she was skulking, about the Manor.

( On one of the nights the Bat was definitely not skulking... )

Now that he and Zoe were officially an item (something that he was having a sort of hard time getting used to), Jesse wasn't exactly shy about showing up at her place, even when she wasn't there. Sometimes he had food waiting for her, and sometimes it was just him waiting for her, and food came around later.

Tonight he'd had food ready for her, but an hour after her usual return time, he'd started eating it. Then he started reading some really trashing romance novel that he found hidden not-so-neatly under her couch. At first he was only reading it so he could make fun of her for it later, then it got to the point that he couldn't put it down. Before he knew it, it was almost through the whole thing, and all of the dinner was gone.

On top of that, he discovered he'd also lit up a cigarette. It hadn't been too long ago, the thing was still half there. But he'd promised Zoe he wouldn't smoke in her place. In a panic, and not giving any consideration to the fact that with his powers he could just zap the smell away, Jesse was opening windows and spraying whatever he could find that smelled nice around her space when he heard the door open.

Ted was excited to hear from the Mayor and learn if he had a new job or not. He'd managed to keep it from Charlie, to keep from even hinting at it, which wasn't easy. But he didn't want to jinx it. He wanted to be able to go to his friend and say 'Hey! I got a job with the Mayor!' and have it be a complete surprise. Though, since the Mayor was going to use Charlie as a reference, maybe it wasn't going to work out quite like that.

But at least Ted would get to say the confirming words.

He was just leaving his favorite little coffee shop to go home. It was almost dinner time. He was hoping to get to have dinner with his friend and a quiet evening just reading or something along those lines. Maybe they could pop in a movie.

If he'd spoken this aloud, maybe Ted would have had the thought that he and Charlie had become like a married couple. Since he didn't, he wasn't worrying about it at all. Just looking forward to the potential night.

As he turned the corner, he ran into somebody. He backed up and tried to scoot out of the way with a muttered apology, but the guy mimicked his movements. Ted's attention centered, then. The guy was wearing a hooded sweatshirt with his hand in the front pocket, and there seemed to be a heavy bulge there.

Ted sighed.

The bulge - a gun, Ted was sure - was waved at him, and he looked behind. There was an alley there. He was going to be mugged in an alley. That was great. That was really fantastic.

He carefully backed himself into it. He wasn't the kind of guy to fight back. He just hoped this ended with the mugging and didn't get any more serious. If he just did what the man wanted him to do, maybe then he'd get away with his life.

Zee liked to read the personals and want ads over her morning coffee and cereal. What she saw almost made her choke. She recalled them telling her that the Joker had been around, but for some reason that hadn't sunken in as a reality until now. Oh, sure. The ad could be from any number of imposters, but she rather doubted it. There was just a certain...something...that carried through from that crazy bastard that no one could duplicate. She was pretty certain that Batman had seen this, but she had to be positive.

She called the tower and got Jensen to send a message to Batman. Their communications specialist was weird but he didn't goof around when it came to business. She appreciated that, and his discretion. She wanted to meet with Batman. Privately. She'd been avoiding him, but maybe with this gesture from the Joker it was time she faced her ghosts.

She told Jensen to give the address to a certain well known building with the instructions that she would be there. Waiting. Then went to change into her costume and head out. Without her teleportation to rely on this could get interesting getting there.

Jennifer had been in a pretty good mood since her date with Dean. It had devolved pretty severely into one of the most interesting dinners she'd ever had. Then the things after that... well. Interesting wasn't really the right word for that, was it? They'd gotten back to her place, but just barely. Even the mention of a talking cat hadn't deterred him.

To top the evening off, she'd left the torn undergarment in his pocket before he left her place.

She was a little distracted at the moment thinking about it. For an odd reason, she wanted to tell Charlie about it. She wasn't sure why. This seemed like something she should talk to him about, but it didn't matter at all, since he wasn't here. She also wasn't delusional enough to think that it meant there was any kind of relationship between her and Dean now. It was just a fun time.

There was a pile of paperwork on her desk, so she didn't really notice when she sat on that pile while trying to read a report belonging to her partner and ended up sitting on the Bat communicator she'd been given.

It had been a quiet night. Rufio was up in the rafters, staring through a small hole in the ceiling at the stars. He couldn't fly anymore, the pixie dust had worn off, but he wasn't so upset about it. There were fun enough things on the ground. All he was really worried about would be if he saw Megan flying up somewhere and he wouldn't be able to catch up to her.

It was late, far too late for anybody regular and boring to be around when he heard something happening in the back, in the cold room with the carts and moving boxes. He'd painted over some the 'LO' and 'G' letters and dubbed that region of the warehouse "ADIN BAY", but in truth he never really went back there. Just set a few of traps; nets and paint bombs and a few nasty spring traps that were so well hidden Rufio sometimes forgot where they were, and didn't like to go back there without being able to float.

There were big metal doors separating that from his painted, festive piece of Neverland, but right inside the doors of his home the traps were dense it was impossible to make it through without setting off something, by land or by air, and each one was meant to disorient the victim. Once you fell in one even if you managed to free yourself you'd most likely walk straight into another.

( And now there were sounds back there... loud sounds. Harsh sounds. Metal on metal and the big doors were shaking. )

It had been a slow news week for Lois. No, who was she kidding? She had been scooped on all of the big stories ever since she'd arrived here. She'd had a handful of interviews with some fascinating people, but where were the stories? Where was the human interest?

She was either losing her nose for news or the City was conspiring against her, as some might speculate. Either way, Lois was just waiting for the day when she got the axe.

That was, of course, assuming her editor even knew her from all of the other people in the bullpen.

She wasn't going to give up though. That was why she was currently hanging out at one of the trendier restaurants in the City, rumored to be a favorite eatery of the mayor. Despite it being late December, the restaurant, located on the patio in front of one of the City's skyscrapers, was perfectly comfortable. The warm weather normally would have unsettled Lois for the time of the year, but she was too focused on finding that next cover page story.

She supposed that some people might say that you should be careful what you wished for.

There was a rumbling and Lois heard the slight chink of dishes rattling together. She felt the ground shaking, though it didn't exactly feel like an Earthquake. It was too much of a rhythmic pattern for that.

Lois turned as the shaking began to get more intense and she heard the sounds of something very heavy smacking against the pavement.

"You have got to be kidding me," was about all she had time for as a gigantic face turned its attention towards her and then a furry hand swept downward and scooped her up as if she was nothing more than a rag doll.

As the gigantic gorilla-yes, gorilla-started off toward the Wayne Enterprises tower, Lois looked up at it, still in shock.

"No, no no. This is not happening!" she shouted. The shout gave way to a scream as the gorilla reached the tower and grabbed hold of it, beginning to climb upwards.


OOC: open to reactions from all. The JLC will be doing the actual defeating the giant ape but others are welcome to join in with the rescue if you'd like :)

Zoe stared at herself in the mirror. She fixed her hair, then looked at her dress. It had been some time since she cared about someone and how she looked for said someone. She rarely bothered with dressing up; the dinner was already in the oven, remaining warm. It wasn't anything overly fancy, but it was actually something different. A stew with cornbread. It was something more suited to his upbringing perhaps. Yes, she'd taken the time to find out what he might have eaten before he came to the City.

The dress tight in just the right places, hung in others, cut just right to show exactly how female she was. Her hair had been straightened for a slightly different look. She was a woman tonight, and she partially wondered if he would even notice or care about the difference. There was some part of her that wanted to throw it all out and not worry about it.

For once Zoe Washburne was making a conscious effort to be something more. Or something different. Now she just had to wait for him to show up.

The preparations for the official formation of the City chapter of the Justice League were set. At least, as set as they could be. Dinah still had her reservations about the person manning the Tower, but the Justice League was needed in the City. She was sure of that. And she thought the City might accept that too. After all, it could very easily have taken away the Clocktower or sent some of them home or done any number of things to get in their way.

She didn't like the idea of the City handpicking their staff either, but Jensen deserved a chance. Dinah would be watching him like a hawk until he proved himself, but for now it was time to at least see how it worked out.

The Clocktower seemed to have grown to accommodate the new team. There was now a second apartment for Jensen and there was an entire subbasement that Dinah either hadn't been aware of or hadn't existed until they'd started planning to get the band back together. The basement had more than enough room for a lab for Hank and a training facility for the rest of them.

Dinah waited in the computer room for everyone to arrive. It shouldn't take Jensen too long since he just lived downstairs at least. And she could only hope that the City allowed everyone else to make it there without much trouble.

So far during her time in the City, Lois had had one story that she'd had to kill to protect those involved. She'd had an interview with a genie. And a few puff pieces. She wasn't exactly blowing the lid off of anything and she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her name above the fold.

She was losing her edge. And honestly, it was starting to really frustrate her.

When she'd found out that Wayne Enterprises was here, that had piqued her interest. Bruce Wayne would make a fascinating interview subject. What she knew about him from back home... well, it wasn't much. Most of his interviews were standard PR-approved statements.

From what she'd heard, he was even harder to get an audience with here.

Which was why she was in full-on pitbull mode when she entered the Wayne Enterprises lobby.

"Of course I have an appointment," she insisted to the secretary. "My editor called. Talked to John in PR."

She glared at the uncooperative secretary, who seemed skeptical of her (admittedly made-up) cover story.

"Look, if you want to be the one responsible for causing drama at the weekly golf game, that's on you. But I have a job to do and I'll just wait right here while you call upstairs to your boss and tell him that Lois Lane with the City Voice is here for her 1pm appointment."

Lois took a seat and crossed her arms, staring pointedly at the secretary.

The secretary let out a long drawn out sigh and then picked up the phone.

Dinah hoped that the Batman would respond to her message. She'd left word with Alfred that she wanted to meet up. She would have told Bruce herself, but so far he'd steered clear of the Manor so completely while she and Jake had been living there. It was a little strange, but she was almost sure that this Batman wasn't her Batman. She didn't know if he was just from an earlier (or maybe even later) time period, or from an alternate reality like Ollie, but she didn't think it was the Bruce that she'd fought alongside during her time in the JLA, or the man that had been a great ally during most of her time in Gotham (though they had had their personality clashes at times)

All the same, whether he was her Batman or not, he'd fought by her side to save Jake, and he'd offered up the manor to allow Jake to recover someplace where he felt safe. She trusted and respected him as much as she did with her Batman back home.

So of course she wanted to extend the offer to join the City's chapter of the Justice League. Which was why she was currently biding her time on a rooftop in the City, hoping that the Bat would show.

Batman kicked, punched, fought with all the might a superhero like Batman had. The suit held up under the abuse, and the Batman kept fighting. How long the Bat fought it was hard to tell, at least by how little the Bat seemed ready to slow down, to give up, to stop taking and giving the beating. It wasn't a fight for life, but it was pretty gorram close. If the Bat could just get to that last one, the last bad guy, things would be okay. The Bat could rest. Maybe ignore the strange laughter that whispered from the darkness.

"Madam." Fists flew through the air without coming into contact. "Madam!" Another swing, and not so much of a miss - a fist hit something hard, unyielding, not at all flesh like.

"Madam!" Finally the voice broke through, and the Bat was no more. Zoe sat up straight, wincing as her whole body ached, especially her hand.

"Yes, Alfred?" Thankfully her running on autopilot seemed to give her the semblance of orientation; she could pretend a little she knew where she was and who was talking to her. It wasn't until she actually looked at the workspace before her as well as the rest of her surroundings that she realized she was alone with just the voice of an Alfred coming over a secret comms line.

"You asked that I keep you up to date on-"

"Right, thank you. Just send it to the pad." She knew that there were a few cameras in the Batflat - it wasn't a cave at all even if it was well stocked. She also knew that they were rarely on when she was in her Bat HQ, but she was still hesitant to stretch and yawn, which didn't seem to matter.

"Madam." Zoe had stopped correcting him a while back. "Perhaps you should go home? Or have dinner with one of your friends?" Alfred didn't even sound at all disapproving when he made the next suggestion. "Perhaps Mr. Custer?"

"Perhaps. Thanks for the information, Alfred. I'll go now. Leave what I've been working on as it is. I'll finish it after some business tomorrow." She grabbed her things, making sure she looked as if she'd been spending her time behind a desk not retooling the grappling hook to make it more multipurpose. Or any of the other things she did while in the Batflat. She made sure she grabbed the tablet with the requested information, even tossing it into a leather bag that fit a woman of her standing - it was expensive.

Food, a job, something to keep her mind off the dreams, the anxieties said dreams were bringing. She needed to talk to someone, and at the moment, she wasn't sure who. There was Dinah, but Zoe needed to keep her secret a little longer. Jesse, but she wasn't sure she should keep burdening him with all this. Arthur was definitely not someone she wanted to confide in; he wasn't a bad sort, just not a confidant, not yet anyway. Watson? She decided to get home and get fed, now if she could just talk the City into letting her get home without incident.

Ring ring, at a proper business hour of about 8:30 AM.

( Rufio floated through the tall buildings, silently moving through the air and looking for any signs of trouble. )

The storm hit just as Zoe was about to pull on her night job uniform. At first it seemed like any other bit of rain, but then...She cursed softly, stowing away the Batgear. The suit was useful and probably would keep her safe, yet she really did not want to get caught somewhere in it. Instead, she changed into something more durable than a pair of heels and some designer business suit. Actually, she was rather happy to find something like her old clothes before she came to the City. So, she went out to find her way home, or at least get some idiots off the street. She wasn't considering herself as one of those idiots, just a big damn hero type.

The Wayne building had pretty much emptied out for the evening, and Zoe's suggestion to the right people that they batten down the hatches, get ready for a hell of a storm, had been heard. So, when it was all over, they were ready to start repairs. Windows on various floors were blown out. Research was either destroyed or missing. Experiments were going to have to be repeated. Records had to be found, if they could be. The flooding had been stopped before it hit one of the key server rooms. She probably hadn't needed to say anything to the staff; unlike other people from the City, this lot seemed to have it together. She hoped.

The Amazon never made it home that night. Instead she found herself holed up once more in an empty church building; she wasn't sure if it had been Book's or the one she'd found refuge in during the zombie infestation. It didn't matter. It was a pretty damn good shelter during the storm, and it served as such for more than just the warrior woman. As soon as the storm died down, she crawled out from the small barricade she and the others had made. Zoe made sure they all got out and were on their ways to somewhere safe. She reminded them to be wary; crazy types tended to take advantage after destruction like this, or so her time during the war had suggested.

During the storm, she tried not to think about anything other than those people gathered in the church building with her. She'd make sure they made it. Now that it was over, she called work. Everything seemed okay. Checked on Alfred, again okay - he'd taken stock of her hideout in the Wayne Building, okay too. Nothing broken that couldn't be replaced. Dinah and Jake? Alfred would get back to her on that. All the while there was a nagging inside, and finally she gave in to wonder if she should call Jesse. Zoe never dialed the number. Instead, she got this feeling that he was just fine; she also sent a small curse at that feeling for gorram godlike powers, too. She was smiling at the good news.

So, with the others on their way, she decided to be on her own way, maybe help out any people she could find. She might not be wearing the suit, but that didn't stop her from trying to help and making things right.