Normal's Not The Watchword: 1/?
So, I'm still writing Visiting Smallville, I just seem to have a complete block whenever I sit down to write it. This is a Veronica Mars/Smallville crossover. I hope you enjoy it. It takes place near the end of 'Hot Dogs', and is AU after 'Siren'.
Note: In this, Beaver never raped Veronica.
1: Plan Ahead
The boy stood in the centre of the large penthouse, watching as the screens whirred through different blueprints and different maps. Not all penthouses were so expertly equipped with the latest in both Queen and Kane technology, but he supposed it was different if it was the secret hangout of the Justice League.
The other members knew that their first impressions of the boy had been completely wrong - he wasn’t an orphan who lived on the streets and stole from shops. No, he had a home and a family and a school. But they knew he preferred to be with them, not with his father and his brother, nor his stepmother.
They understood him. His family didn’t understand him and they didn’t know his greatest secret. And he doubted that knowing would help.
His ability made it easy for him to lead the double life. He was able to run to Metropolis, Kansas for briefing and then back to Neptune, California before bed.
The Justice League was officially a team of superheroes trying to save the world. Unofficially, it was a small group of people who had never really fit in.
There was The Green Arrow, Star City’s own vigilante and protector of the people. He had no super-power, but he could shoot Borneo on the Daily Planet Globe from Queen Towers. And that took skill.
There was Aquaman, the first of the actual super-heroes, who, when wet, had superstrength and the ability to swim faster than any torpedo. He could also talk to any sort of marine life - from dolphins to starfish. No one knew where his powers came from; some claimed he was the son of someone from the lost city of Atlantis. He claimed he was just weird.
There was Cyborg, once a soldier in Iraq. But Lex Luthor had taken him and implanted him with electrical and mechanical parts. This meant that he was strong, fast and could break into the toughest computer - just as long as it wasn’t alien.
And then there was Watchtower. He couldn’t say she wasn’t of the super-powered persuasion - she had been known to bring people back from death and hack into Kryptonian computers - but no longer. These days, she stayed at distance, bossing people round from behind the computer, ensuring that no one got hurt.
And then there was him. Impulse. Able to run faster than a speeding bullet. Ever since being struck by lightning after being locked outside by his older brother, he had had super-speed, super-stamina…and super-hunger.
Impulse brought another fajita towards his mouth, watching as Watchtower typed furiously and Cyborg stood rigidly next to her.
“What you looking at?” he mumbled through the mouthful, grinning when Watchtower shot him a disgusted look.
“We’ve hacked into Lex’s emails.” Watchtower told him. “We all know that 33.1 has been expanded to encompass the whole world. We’ve rid Metropolis of any facilities, but he seems to have one somewhere in Neptune.”
There was a quiet whirring noise, then Cyborg slumped back into his regular stance, pulling a jack out from his arm.
“It looks like he’s using one of his contacts as a mask.” Cyborg continued. “Someone who may be living over a facility, they might not even know it.”
Impulse rolled his eyes. “I’m sure whoever it is must have heard the screaming.”
“You’d think that.” Watchtower agreed. “But I’m sure that the CEO of LuthorCorp can afford some excellent sound-barriers.”
“We think we’ve found out who Lex’s contact is.” Cyborg said stiffly. “But it’s going to be harder to find the actual facility.”
“I can hunt around.” Impulse volunteered. “I do live there. I know the streets of Neptune like the back of my hand.”
“The contact is Aaron Echolls.” Watchtower read. “Movie star, makes at least 20 million a movie.” Impulse snorted. “Just because you know this, doesn’t mean we all do.” she scolded. “The question is whether he knows Lex is hiding a secret facility in one of his houses or not?”
Impulse grinned, sneaking up behind Watchtower and blowing quickly into her ear. She jumped, looked at him, irritated.
“Do you not like Aaron Echolls?” Impulse laughed. “Or am I just the better man?”
Watchtower laughed. “You’re a boy.” she said, grinning. “And when you spend most of your time with Arrow, Aaron Echolls becomes much less appealing.”
Impulse grimaced slightly, then rolled his eyes when the Green Arrow laid a hand on Watchtower’s shoulder, squeezing slightly.
“Well, you know, I can talk to his son at school, see if he know anything about his father and Lex Luthor.” Watchtower turned to shoot him a grateful look. Impulse raised his eyes to the clock and grimaced. “Well, I gotta run. You know how to reach me.”
The League smiled, and then he was off. When he ran, there was nothing else in the world - just him. The rest of the world blurred by. It made him feel important. Not just one of the members of the justice league, or a shy, sophomore overshadowed by his crude older brother. But it also made him feel lonely. Only one other could run even close to his speed, and although Clark Kent was a decent guy, Impulse didn’t exactly want to spend his whole time with a guy whose trust wavered each time he saw him.
He drew to a stop outside the large mansion he called home, seeing his three family members seated round a large table as they ate. There was his father and his brother, who teased him mercilessly, unaware that he was more than just the youngest member of a wealthy family. And then there was his step-mother, whom he suspected was having an affair. And really, if he was that bothered, he could have found out ages ago. But she wasn’t worth the energy.
With a final burst of speed, he stood just beside the doorway into the dining room. He caught his breath, then stepped inside.
*
Watchtower turned to face the Green Arrow, her eyebrows furrowed as she considered the various ways they could investigate.
“So what are we going to do?” she wondered. “It’s not like we can hire a private investigator, we’re going to have to do it ourselves.”
Arrow nodded, stepping closer to her and pretending he was trying to get a better look at the screens. “I could always go there, but with the people in that area, there are bound to be questions if I appear for no reason.”
Watchtower nodded. “Cyborg, do you have any idea?”
Cyborg turned, then nodded slowly. “Almost all the families in Neptune have children who go to Neptune High. If we could get someone in, someone who people could talk to, we might find out some very interesting things. Impulse did say that Aaron Echolls’ son was there.”
Watchtower nodded. “When you say get someone in, do you mean pretend to be a student or infiltrate the school ranks as a teacher?”
Cyborg laughed. “We’ve already got an inside source. Impulse spends his days at Neptune High, so he’s perfectly situated.”
Watchtower grimaced. “But Impulse may be a great help when we’re at Corto Maltese or Keystone, but Neptune’s his home. His family are there and he may only be able to get a small amount of information without looking suspicious.” She sighed. “There’s a reason he doesn’t want to tell them about his secret. People outside of Smallville, and even some people in Smallville and Metropolis, find it hard to accept the fact that there are people in this world with abilities and it’s not just in the movies. We also can’t expect him to spend his time at school investigating when he has schoolwork to do.”
A beep burst from the computers and everyone glanced up at the screen. Cyborg chuckled. “Perfect.” he muttered. “There is a space open on the staff at Neptune High. They need a substitute journalism teacher.”
Watchtower groaned. “And who better suited for the job then me, ex-reporter at the Daily Planet.” she stated, rolling her eyes.
Cyborg nodded. “Exactly. All we need to do is give you a new identity, make up some credentials and then send you in.” Watchtower nodded. “And I can make it look like…” he paused. “Nellie Bly always existed.”
Watchtower laughed. “I’ve used that name before, and it may have tricked an army officer, but it won’t trick a journalism class.” she told them. “You can’t use a hero of journalism as an alibi if I’m going in to teach journalism.”
Cyborg nodded. “Well, what do you want to be called?”
There was silence for a few minutes before Watchtower grinned determinedly. “Moira White.”
Arrow raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
Watchtower smirked. “Moira after my mom and White after Perry White.”
She watched as Cyborg plugged himself back into the computer and started to fabricate the fake records that she would be using during her undercover mission.
Arrow laid a hand gently on her shoulder, pulling her towards him. “I’m not sure about this.” he murmured. “You don’t do field work, remember.”
Watchtower nodded. “Sometimes, it’s necessary.”
Arrow grimaced. “If we hadn’t lost Canary…” he muttered, remembering the day that Dinah Lance, aka. Black Canary, had decided to leave the Justice League and work alone. “She could have done it, she pretended to be a reporter before.”
Watchtower laughed. “If you had ever suggested that Canary was a better journalist then me…”
“I just don’t want you going there by yourself. It’s miles from Metropolis.” he whispered. “Chloe, I don’t want to see you hurt.”
Chloe looked up at her real name, furrowing her eyebrows with concern. “It’s not too far from Star City, Oliver.” she replied, also using his true name. “And if I’m not mistaken, that’s where you live. And even if he doesn’t want to reveal his secret, I’m sure Impulse would help me if I was in any sort of threatening situation.”
Oliver continued to stare down at her, and Chloe smirked, reaching up to remove the sunglasses he wore when in costume. “I’m going to get there as soon as I have an official reason too.” Oliver murmured, “Maybe some sort of deal with Kane Software.”
He pulled Chloe into a hug, ignoring her surprise. “No need to be this worried.” she told him, glancing over to see if Cyborg had finished making her new identity. “If I’m in that much trouble, Clark is just a scream away.”
Oliver tightened his hold on her, staring down at her, not amused. “Do you think Clark would even consider letting you go to Neptune by yourself?” he stated. “If you call for him, you’ll be back here before you can even blink.”
Chloe giggled, resting her head on his chest and not questioning why he was still hugging her. “It’s going to be strange.” she said softly. “Seeing Impulse in his own home, being called his real name.”
Oliver’s eyes widened comically. “You mean, he’s not called Impulse?”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “No, I mean… you know he calls himself Bart as a way of hiding his true identity from the world, and Impulse is only a codename you forced on him.”
Another silence as Cyborg removed the cable from his arm and started to turn, Chloe and Oliver springing apart.
“Really?” he asked, chuckling. “You think I didn’t see that?” Oliver tensed his jaw as Cyborg continued to speak. “So, Moira White is officially in existence. Studied at Yale, lived in Gotham for a few years as she worked for the Gotham Gazette before moving to Neptune hoping for more sun and less evil crime bosses.”
Chloe rolled her eyes again. “Neptune isn’t the place you make it out to be. I’m sure you’ve heard of the various crimes that happen in Neptune.”
Cyborg nodded. “Yeah. But you’re an innocent reporter moving away from a large city so that you don’t have to handle crime lords and face-paint wearing psychos.”
Chloe grinned, taking the drivers license and ID card he was holding out to her. “And if I want anything…”
Cyborg nodded. “Call me, and I’ll email it right over.” He paused. “Or call Arrow and he’ll buy it.”
Chloe hugged Cyborg quickly and then brushed a kiss over Oliver’s cheek. “I’ll see you.”
Oliver watched as she stepped into the elevator and pulled the grid closed, stopping Oliver from seeing her.