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Dec. 6th, 2010 02:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kat8chaTitle: Batboost
Author: Kat8cha
Fandom: DCU (Justice League: Generation Lost)
Characters: Booster, Batman (Bruce)
Rating: PG for excessive Generalness
Summary: Booster's tired, Bruce needs information, and Rip Hunter (off screen) has kittens.
A/N: Not as funny as it sounds.
Booster was awake when the transmission came through. He was sitting with his knees drawn up in the bulky computer chair of yet another old JLI embassy watching news stream across several computer screens. Everyone was avoiding him now and he honestly understood why. Bea and Tora had their own matters to work out, Tora's newly remembered family for one, Gavril was still recovering from the fight with Bea, and Jaime was… well, he was probably feeling uncomfortable about Nate. About leaving Nate there to face Magog.
Booster was still pissed about that, so he could understand Jaime's discomfort. It was one of the reasons he was sitting (brooding) watching the news. Chicago's explosion was a big headline, as was Captain Atom's murder of Magog.
Booster wondered what everyone else saw as they watched the videos. How had those even gotten out before Nate went supernova anyhow? Tired, he rested his forehead against his drawn up knees and almost didn't hear the quiet 'beep' that notified whoever was on duty that there was an incoming call.
He hesitated before he reached out and pressed the button to accept the call. It could be Max, calling to taunt him, or the League, calling to tell him they were under arrest. Booster was pretty sure that wasn't it though.
Of course, Booster had certainly not expected Batman's face to fill the screen. His feet dropped to the floor and he flinched before he could summon up a smarmy smile. "Batman!" Because of course, Grayson would call to talk to him about his actions. It only took another second of staring and Batman's stony silence for Booster's smile to fade and realization to take over. Bruce? "Batman?"
"Booster." Booster's shoulders drop slightly, definitely Bruce's voice.
It's the first contact since Bruce's return and it's been even longer for Booster than Bruce. Time travel, it's strange. Booster's wanted to call him up half a dozen times (a day) since the whole Max thing started. But Bruce wasn't in the right time at the beginning and once he had returned to the right time there was the whole mess of his own life to focus on. And Booster had been swept up in Time Master business as well as fighting Max, he hasn't had the time to check in on Bruce.
Pun not intended.
"I, are you calling to tell us to hand ourselves in and that it'd be easier that way?" Booster glances around the room. No Skeets, and the door's closed. He'll probably have about five seconds warning before anyone walks into the room. Why should it matter though? Bruce probably knows who is here.
"No," There's a thin hint of amusement to Bruce's voice, a hint that only someone who had worked with him for years would be able to hear. It was a hint that Booster used to hear more when Batman worked with the JLI because apparently their bumbling amused even the great Batman. "None of you were ever good at taking orders anyway."
"That's us." Booster puffed his chest briefly before he let it deflate. "I guess you heard about Chicago."
"I did." Batman, Bruce, nodded his head. "But it is not why I called." A pause and Booster wonders if he is just imagining the sounds of bats flying in the background. He can see a lot of the cave over Batman's shoulders, there's no Alfred, or Robin around. Robins, Booster supposes, because there's more than two now. "Booster, what can you tell me about Max?"
It's a question which shocks Booster because… well, he hadn't thought that Bruce would remember. He hadn't considered the implications of Bruce being brought back from a time before the mindwipe, after the mindwipe. The point of time when he had left to rescue Bruce had been before the mindwipe in his timeline and he had gone back to that point of time with Rip shortly after. He hadn't known about Max then. "What do you want to know?" Booster cleared his throat. "Actually, what do you remember?"
"Maxwell Lord IV, a businessman who headed the Justice League International," Bruce lists Max's history to Booster and it is almost enough to make Booster cry. If he and Bruce were in the same room he would have hugged him. When Bruce reaches the point where he mentions Max killing Ted Booster has to look away and blink furiously.
Ted's noble sacrifice turning into a selfish… a selfish action was what sat the worst with Booster.
"And now I hear he is back." Bruce tapped at a few buttons in front of him, no doubt bringing things up on the Batcomputers screen. "There was a manhunt for him, and news casts, then things suddenly stop." Another few taps. "Dick mentions in his files that you came to talk to him about a 'Max Lord' that they could find no reference of, and yet, I still have the files on my computer."
"Max… there was this thing." Booster waves a hand. "When we had the manhunt. He had it all planned. He distracted everyone and then he hid out in the New York embassy and set off this giant…" Booster pushes his goggles off of his face and rubs at the bridge of his nose. "I'm not even sure how to describe it. He used his ability to push people to make everyone forget about him." Booster sighed and looked into Batman's cowl. He understood the reasons for it but wished he would take it down so he could look at Bruce's face. "Any evidence of his existence gets… warped so they can't see it. Because we were at the epicenter Fire, Ice, Captain Atom and I remember him. Rocket Red is along for the ride, and the Scarab and Skeets remember because they're A.I.s."
It was hard to gauge Bruce's emotions but he looked… angry, angrier than usual. "What does Max know about my death?"
It took Booster aback. What did Max… Oh. "As far as I know he doesn't have access to the Batcomputer, and the files he was able to steal from us are pretty outdated. He had access to Checkmate… but I don't think even they knew the whole story." Booster licked his lips. "The false Bruce Wayne probably tricked him anyway. I don't think he'd realize you were ever gone, or that you're back."
Batman nodded and Booster felt… well, he didn't feel useless for once. "Thank you, Michael." And then Bruce did peel back the cowl. "I know how tough it can be to continue fighting when the world has turned against you. You, and the rest of the Justice League International have done a great job." And then the transmission was cut off. It left Booster feeling conflicted as emotions tumbled around inside of his chest.
On the one hand, Bruce had acknowledged him. It made him feel proud, and sad, every time it happened because Ted would have loved it. On the other hand… the Justice League International. Once they had stopped Max (and how could they not win with Batman on their side) he would need to quit and get any praise somehow erased from history or Rip would have kittens.
(Actual live kittens, they'd totally spring from his gut like those creatures in Alien.)
Author: Kat8cha
Fandom: DCU (Justice League: Generation Lost)
Characters: Booster, Batman (Bruce)
Rating: PG for excessive Generalness
Summary: Booster's tired, Bruce needs information, and Rip Hunter (off screen) has kittens.
A/N: Not as funny as it sounds.
Booster was awake when the transmission came through. He was sitting with his knees drawn up in the bulky computer chair of yet another old JLI embassy watching news stream across several computer screens. Everyone was avoiding him now and he honestly understood why. Bea and Tora had their own matters to work out, Tora's newly remembered family for one, Gavril was still recovering from the fight with Bea, and Jaime was… well, he was probably feeling uncomfortable about Nate. About leaving Nate there to face Magog.
Booster was still pissed about that, so he could understand Jaime's discomfort. It was one of the reasons he was sitting (brooding) watching the news. Chicago's explosion was a big headline, as was Captain Atom's murder of Magog.
Booster wondered what everyone else saw as they watched the videos. How had those even gotten out before Nate went supernova anyhow? Tired, he rested his forehead against his drawn up knees and almost didn't hear the quiet 'beep' that notified whoever was on duty that there was an incoming call.
He hesitated before he reached out and pressed the button to accept the call. It could be Max, calling to taunt him, or the League, calling to tell him they were under arrest. Booster was pretty sure that wasn't it though.
Of course, Booster had certainly not expected Batman's face to fill the screen. His feet dropped to the floor and he flinched before he could summon up a smarmy smile. "Batman!" Because of course, Grayson would call to talk to him about his actions. It only took another second of staring and Batman's stony silence for Booster's smile to fade and realization to take over. Bruce? "Batman?"
"Booster." Booster's shoulders drop slightly, definitely Bruce's voice.
It's the first contact since Bruce's return and it's been even longer for Booster than Bruce. Time travel, it's strange. Booster's wanted to call him up half a dozen times (a day) since the whole Max thing started. But Bruce wasn't in the right time at the beginning and once he had returned to the right time there was the whole mess of his own life to focus on. And Booster had been swept up in Time Master business as well as fighting Max, he hasn't had the time to check in on Bruce.
Pun not intended.
"I, are you calling to tell us to hand ourselves in and that it'd be easier that way?" Booster glances around the room. No Skeets, and the door's closed. He'll probably have about five seconds warning before anyone walks into the room. Why should it matter though? Bruce probably knows who is here.
"No," There's a thin hint of amusement to Bruce's voice, a hint that only someone who had worked with him for years would be able to hear. It was a hint that Booster used to hear more when Batman worked with the JLI because apparently their bumbling amused even the great Batman. "None of you were ever good at taking orders anyway."
"That's us." Booster puffed his chest briefly before he let it deflate. "I guess you heard about Chicago."
"I did." Batman, Bruce, nodded his head. "But it is not why I called." A pause and Booster wonders if he is just imagining the sounds of bats flying in the background. He can see a lot of the cave over Batman's shoulders, there's no Alfred, or Robin around. Robins, Booster supposes, because there's more than two now. "Booster, what can you tell me about Max?"
It's a question which shocks Booster because… well, he hadn't thought that Bruce would remember. He hadn't considered the implications of Bruce being brought back from a time before the mindwipe, after the mindwipe. The point of time when he had left to rescue Bruce had been before the mindwipe in his timeline and he had gone back to that point of time with Rip shortly after. He hadn't known about Max then. "What do you want to know?" Booster cleared his throat. "Actually, what do you remember?"
"Maxwell Lord IV, a businessman who headed the Justice League International," Bruce lists Max's history to Booster and it is almost enough to make Booster cry. If he and Bruce were in the same room he would have hugged him. When Bruce reaches the point where he mentions Max killing Ted Booster has to look away and blink furiously.
Ted's noble sacrifice turning into a selfish… a selfish action was what sat the worst with Booster.
"And now I hear he is back." Bruce tapped at a few buttons in front of him, no doubt bringing things up on the Batcomputers screen. "There was a manhunt for him, and news casts, then things suddenly stop." Another few taps. "Dick mentions in his files that you came to talk to him about a 'Max Lord' that they could find no reference of, and yet, I still have the files on my computer."
"Max… there was this thing." Booster waves a hand. "When we had the manhunt. He had it all planned. He distracted everyone and then he hid out in the New York embassy and set off this giant…" Booster pushes his goggles off of his face and rubs at the bridge of his nose. "I'm not even sure how to describe it. He used his ability to push people to make everyone forget about him." Booster sighed and looked into Batman's cowl. He understood the reasons for it but wished he would take it down so he could look at Bruce's face. "Any evidence of his existence gets… warped so they can't see it. Because we were at the epicenter Fire, Ice, Captain Atom and I remember him. Rocket Red is along for the ride, and the Scarab and Skeets remember because they're A.I.s."
It was hard to gauge Bruce's emotions but he looked… angry, angrier than usual. "What does Max know about my death?"
It took Booster aback. What did Max… Oh. "As far as I know he doesn't have access to the Batcomputer, and the files he was able to steal from us are pretty outdated. He had access to Checkmate… but I don't think even they knew the whole story." Booster licked his lips. "The false Bruce Wayne probably tricked him anyway. I don't think he'd realize you were ever gone, or that you're back."
Batman nodded and Booster felt… well, he didn't feel useless for once. "Thank you, Michael." And then Bruce did peel back the cowl. "I know how tough it can be to continue fighting when the world has turned against you. You, and the rest of the Justice League International have done a great job." And then the transmission was cut off. It left Booster feeling conflicted as emotions tumbled around inside of his chest.
On the one hand, Bruce had acknowledged him. It made him feel proud, and sad, every time it happened because Ted would have loved it. On the other hand… the Justice League International. Once they had stopped Max (and how could they not win with Batman on their side) he would need to quit and get any praise somehow erased from history or Rip would have kittens.
(Actual live kittens, they'd totally spring from his gut like those creatures in Alien.)
