Daily Planet --- Rooftop(#310RJnh)

        A rather sparse, gravel-topped roof gives little to see it seems,
until one approaches the buildings raised edges, and looks out over the
grandeur of the city. Almost all of the city can be seen from this roof,
including Centennial Park and the waterfront harbor, with a little bit of
effort. Dominating much of this roof is a large golden globe, with a band
about it and the words 'Daily Planet' embossed on it. Several cigarette
butts litter the roof in areas, especially one corner, and a few candy
wrappers get caught by an errant breeze every so often and rattle about as
well.

Well, some things don't change much. In spite of the threatening snow
clouds and the biting cold wind, Lois Lane can be found often on top of
hte Daliy Planet building. Perhaps watching for a red and blue blur... or
perhaps just watching. Her face is turned into the wind, her cheeks pink
from the cold, and her hands are shoved deep in her pockets as she looks
skyward. She seems lost in thought.

Running up the sides of buildings is a nasty habit - but it gets you where
you wanna go, assuming you wanna go up to the top of a building. Fairly
suddenly, the Flash is leaning against the ledge behind Lois, silently,
waiting for Kon. If the lady spots him, she spots him - otherwise, he'll
let his friend have the grand entrance. Can't help being fast.

Grand entrances are for the childish, or those who wish to impress
enemies. Kon-El is neither. Instead, he just flies toward the Planet,
looking for Clark Kent and hoping that there won't be a new Superboy here.
As he comes over the top of the globe and begins to slowly land, he looks
to Lois and a small smile comes to his lips. Before his feet actually
touch the ground, he speaks. "Hello, Lois... It's been a while..."

Lois turns, puzzled for a moment by the deep voice, echoing exactly the
words he spoke to her the night before. "It's only been hou....." Her
voice trails off, and her blue eyes dart from Kon to Flash and back. For a
split second, fear is visible in her eyes. She has no way of knowing if
you two are good or bad ,and she's been burned too often not to question
that almost immediately. "Do I want to know," she asks mildly as she
recovers from the instant of shock and hides the fear.

"Probably not, Miss Lane," responds the Flash to the open question,
pushing himself off from the wall. "It's nothing atrocious, though." His
voice is calm, even. "We're looking for Clark - he might have some sort of
solution for us." He doesn't -sound- like Wally...he sounds more like
Barry, actually. And that costume...but Barry is dead. He's been dead for
years.

Kon-El's eyes barely leave Lois, but they do flick over to Bart for a
quick moment before settling back down on the woman once more. "I'm afraid
we can't tell you, Lois. Not before we find out what happened ourselves...
Just.. There's no reason to be afraid, Lois. We're not here to hurt you."
That's why he's staying back and away from the woman. He knows what
happened, back then. Back then where he finds himself, that is. "Trust me.
We just need to find Clark. Hopefully he can help us out a bit in this..."

Lois is very confused by the shift in voices. She knows Wally, in passing.
And that's not Wally.... what the....??? Her eyes flit from Flash back to
Kon, her expression carefully neutral. Kon wouldn't just give away Clark's
identity. "I'm afraid Clark's out on assignment. If you need an
investigator, I'd be happy to help....." Mostly, anyway. If you two were
planning on hurting her, you'd have done it already. There's nothing she
could have done about it. She relaxes a bit more.

The Flash shakes his head, crossing his arms. "No...as much as the offer's
appreciated, I don't think investigation would help that much trying to
figure out how to reverse...whatever it is that happened," he says
apologetically. He glances at Kon-El for a second, then sighs slightly.
"Had you checked the Fortress yet?"

Kon-El nods first to Bart, as he knows he can quickly answer that
question. "Yeah, he wasn't there. We'll find him... Just take a while..."
Turning back to Lois, the Kid sighs and shakes his head. "Lois... You
might want to sit down... You see, that's not Barry, or Wally... That's
Bart. Impulse. And, well, as you may have guessed, I'm Kon-El. We're
from.. we're from the future. A future where everyone knows who Superman
is." Or rather was, but that's a can of worms that Kon would rather not
get into right now. "So, if you know where he is, we could really use his
help..."

Lois frowns visibly and puts her hand up in a classic "stop" gesture.
"Hold it right there." If there's one thing she's always been, even when
she and Clark are on the outs, it's protective of his identity. So far as
she knows, Kon should be the *only* one who knows the location of the
Fortress and Clark's alternate identity... but Flash - whichever Flash
this one is - knows way too much. Clark has entrusted *very* few people
with his human identity. She listens as Kon speaks, and leans against the
ledge behind her. Trying to assimilate that, she blurts out he first thing
that comes to her mind - "Why would he let it become public knowledge?"

The Flash's face sinks into his hands. "I hate time travel," he mutters
fervently. "Listen, Miss Lane, not to sound flippant, but that would be
telling. Even originally - you knew I came from the thirtieth century.
It's not like a lot of records survived, but I knew -some- things...and I
couldn't tell any of them. Why do you think we'd be able to tell anything
now?" He sighs, then looks out over the city. "I'll be right back."
Blurring momentarily, the Flash disappeares.

Kon-El sighs again and rubs his temples. "What do you want me to tell you,
Lois? How do you want me to prove to you that I'm really me?" Something
that only he would know, but something from before he went forward in
time. Then it comes to him and he turns back to Lois, a sad look on his
face. "When I found out about your engagement to Clark, your most recent
one," if he remembers correctly, "at first you thought I was excited,
until he showed up..." Swallowing deeply, lest he lose his voice, he
continues on. "I was angry with him for doing it to you again, and angry
at you for agreeing. That's why I made that comment... That I had seen you
were engaged... again.. Do you remember that?" That's about as good as he
can do. Only he, Lois and Clark himself were there that night. And
hopefully Lois remembers what he's talking about.

Lois scowls toward where Bart was a second ago, and then her expression
changes as she looks back to Kon. It's softer, more full of regret. "Oh,
Kon...." She smiles a little. "I couldn't understand why you were upset. I
guess in some ways, I still don't. I appreciated the fact that you cared
so much, though." She stops and sighs softly. "Damn it... okay. Well,
you've convinced me of that much, but I've known Superman for a lot of
years. He wouldn't just up and tell... there are his parents to consider.
Are your current-time counterparts still here? Or did you swap places
somehow, or were you aged? YOu said you didn't know what happened, but you
must know *some* things. And I'm going to find out one way or another, so
you may as well let me help." She sounds firm - and Kon knows better than
anyone that Lois is worse than a bulldog with a bone when she gets her
teeth into something.

The speedsters are reknown for their timing. Being there when they're
needed most, catching that speeding bullet just before it hits the target,
dancing among the split seconds to make all of the difference int he
world. They also have a habit of arriving just as the important
explainations seem to arise.

"Wow, Metropolis is even cooler than it was before!"

That's the sound of Kid Flash, the lanky teen hero, dressed in his classic
costume of red and yellow, his brown hair waving atop his head as he comes
to a stop. hands on his hips, he grins, looking about, but his eyes come
to rest on his mentor, who came to get him. "You're even faster than I
remember too," but then, in Kid Flash's mind, Barry will *always* be
faster than him, so it's cool. But as he stops and loooks at who's here,
he nods to Superman and then to... Lois Lane? "Ah, hi." . O (Wow! She's
pretty for an old lady!)

"Faster than you...remember? Oh - grife," blinks the Flash, staring at
Wally for a moment. Standard curse of the speedsters - fast as hell from
the neck down, not particularly perceptive otherwise. "There're a few
things we need to talk about - but they can wait for later. In Keystone."

"Superman, Miss Lane, this is Kid Flash. I think...I think you've met," he
says a tad helplessly. "As the Titans were also affected, it seems, it
might be a good idea if they're represented in this endeavour as well." A
beat. "I haven't canvassed the rest of the members of our JLA yet, but I
don't think it's a JLA matter." Looking at Kon-El, he finishes, "I think
it might have affected the old team."

Kon-El smiles warmly at Lois and nods. "I didn't think you did..." Since
the Lois in his time didn't know why, either. Until now. Damn temporal
mechanics. "So will you help us find C.." And then Kid Flash is there.
"Will you help us find who we're looking for?" A his eyes look over to
Wally, he nods to Bart's words. "Possibly. I find it hard to believe that
we found them so close to Titan Tower by coincidence. If only we knew what
happened," he says softly, answering Lois' question, too, of sorts. "Since
we haven't found... us, I suppose we switched, rather than changing...
Think.. Flash.. Do you remember this happening to you .. before?"

Lois stares at Kid Flash. "Oh... my... god." Her eyes go back to the
'adult' members. She hesitates. "I just saw Superman last night, prior to
a run across town. Metallo was causing some trouble. My partner, Clark,
got a lead on him this morning... it sounded like nothing more than
routine patrol, but I think he was going to try and get a comment on last
night's activities for the column." She's an expert at spinning these
kinds of lies. She's been doing it for a few years now. "I don't know
where precisely they were going to be. I'll leave word, though, in a few
places that I know Superman frequently checks for trouble." She pauses.
"Did you all just wake up like this? What's the last thing you remember
doing and seeing right before you were here?"

Taking his eyes away from Lois' legs, Kid Flash looks up to the woman
speaking and half-smiles. That is before he blinks, shaking his head and
blinks again. "Wait, saw Superman last night, but..." Didn't they show up
here just today and... Kid Flash sighs, looking to Superman. At least who
he *thinks* is Superman. This is all so confusing... But then he's
catching up a second later to the reaction to him, from Lois, and looks
back to her. Arms across his chest he's frowing. What's wrong with him?
He's been a hero for years now, almost two, and people are coming to
respect hima nd everything! Hrmph. The media. He's justified in hiding his
indetity, and he's pondering again in his head why Barry decided to come
out with his. "Well, we just kind of ... showed up here, and Superman,
that's Titans Tower? IS that what you called it? So that *is* your's? Only
it isn't, not exactly, but that's what we should be, well, using?"

Lois . o O (I hate time travel.)

"Ohhh, Valor, more complicated by the second," says Flash, shaking his
head. He reaches up and over, laying a hand on the Planet globe for a
moment, then dropping his arm. "It wasn't so much waking up here as
suddenly finding myself here. And no, I did so much time travel when I was
younger that I can't tell one trip from another. I don't remember this at
all." He suddenly looks at Superman. "How about you? Wasn't this during
the time when you didn't remember anything? Do you remember being totally
bewildered by going to the future or anything? I can only imagine that
that's what happened. We really need to find Ti-- Robin."

Looking at Wally again, Bart winces. This isn't going to be easy, either
way around. But hopefully the kid'll wait until later to ask - or to leap
to more conclusions. "That's the Titans Tower of the pas- uh, present day,
Kid Flash. I think it's safe to assume we're not in the right place. And
this wasn't...I certainly didn't intend to time travel."

"I fell," Kon-El admits, very seriously. He was there, in his own time one
second, and the next he had fallen onto the floor of the Tower. Argh. This
is extremely aggravating. "I didn't I had, I mean, I thought I was all a
dream.. Walking around Metropolis and seeing, well, everything..." Still
can't give all that away, after all. "I thought it was just what I wanted
to see, after getting my memories back... Maybe I was wrong..."

Wait, Barry didn't do a lot of time travel when he was younger because...
Barry wasn't a speedster when he was younger. Barry bcame a speedster when
he was a man, a young man, but still a man. Is that what Barry meant? Kid
Flash turns to look at his mentor, eyes narrowing, wondering, peering...
and Barry *sounds like* Barry, but he sure is talking funny, using odd
phrases and such. Just *what* is going on here? "No, I don't think we're
in Kansas any more at all..." And just how fitting is that.

Shaking his head a little, Kid Flash takes a step or two back, away from
the adults. See, he's used to Batman and Green Arrow giving them grife,
wanting the kids to give the elders time and room to consult. With one
hand on the back of his head, the other dangling at his side, he looks
over the city below him, around him. People are dressed differently,
things look more Star Trek, people have those flippy communicators, cars
look different, sleeker... so he *is* in the future. He could find out
what happens to him, down the road, to Iris, to...

Lois purses her lips and says softly, "For what it's worth, I can help you
place the time frame. Kon just returned from Canada about two weeks ago,
and left me a note a week ago that said he wouldn't be staying with me
longer, he was staying with some friends. He had no memories, and no
powers, as of a week ago when I last heard from him." She pauses. "So,
uhm... what we have here is the grown-up team. But that's not quite right,
either. If you were just swapping places, why would Wally have been
regressed?" She glances at Kid FLash. She recognized him and his voice,
though its a bit different now. "That would mean he came FORWARD in time,
so you've got two teams, potentially, split through two different time
periods besides the current one. Or what's current for me, anyway."

Oogh. No one knew Wally's identity when he was that age. It was so secret
he even dyed his hair. And now Lois's shown she knows it - well, an eye
for an eye. Bart scratches his nose, something he does fairly often, but
god only knows if Barry ever did. "Thanks - yeah, we knew the date, it's
just hard to place what'd been going on when. I don't really recall...but
it's fairly immaterial. We do need to get back - preferably before
anything damages the timeline." Pausing, he tries to make sense of what
happened. Still. He's run through it in his head so many times, but it's
still bizarre. "I think...what are the dominant teams of the day, Lois?
The JLA, the Titans, TMS...Booster Gold's got a team, too, doesn't he? And
the JSA. I think. But the only people so far I've seen affected - I don't
know about you guys, though - were members of the Titans or TMS. Kid
Flash, you probably switched with your modern-day counterpart."

"If Lois saw Superman last night, then he must not be affected, either.
One person, though not the whole JLA. Still, it's a start. No way to
contact Batman, as I'm sure the JLA codes we have won't work in this time,
Flash." Tapping his chin, Kon looks back and forth at the gathered. "Well,
Lois... Looks like we could us an ace reporter... We need you to find out
about everyone we can't easily get to. Anyone you can think of, know
about, or whatever. Nothing extensive, just whether or not they've been
altered, too." Looking to Bart, he motions his head toward Wally. "Don't
you think it's time he knew?" It's bad enough the Titans all think he's
Clark without everyone thinking Bart is Barry, or Jay, or some other
speedster.

Lois watches you guys and says softly, "You have an even bigger problem.
Aside from watching what you say to me or those from this time, you have
to be careful what Wally learns from us, too. The active teams are all
those you listed, yes. Booster's team is the Outsiders." She keeps her
voice low, not wanting to draw Wally in yet herself. "Who do you need? I
can reach more people than you may realize... including Oracle, if need
be. Canary and I are friends, and Superman should know how to contact a
lot of them. But if some of them have been altered and don't remember
anyhting... or don't have their abilities yet or something.... you're
talking about pulling down a rather large roster of some extremely
secretive people and trying to locate them to see if they'v ebeen
altered."

Blinking, Kid Flash turns and is, well, startled to say the least. "You
know... but how? I ..." He reaches up to his hair and touches it. His
first thought: His father is going to kill him. Literally. And Rudolph
likely would, if this were Wally's time, the time he is from. "... my
name?" He frowns, greatly, and instantly his arms go about his waist to
hug to himself. Man, he feels small all of a sudden. But he looks from
Superman to Flash, his worried look increasing. "Tell... tell me what,
Barry?"

"Tell you...what I need to tell you, Wally...how about I tell you now,
instead of waiting until check-in?" Bart sighs and gives Kon a dirty look
- he'd meant to do this on his own terms, but it looks like he won't be
that lucky. "Superman - Miss Lane - Wally and I are going to Keystone. You
have my frequency, Kon. Radio if you need me, all right? Come on, let's
go." The Flash looks to his cousin, then starts off for Keystone. At
Wally-speed.

"We don't *need* anyone. The Flash and I can handle it. I need Superman to
get some info from the Fortress. Stuff I can't get to. Just find out who
else was changed. That will do." Ignoring Bart's look, as this isn't the
time to play too nicie-nice, Kon turns toward the city and folds his arms
across his chest. "Hopefully no one else was altered too severly. As soon
as you find that out, Lois, let me know. I'll be in town."

Watching Flash go... Wally wonders how Barry got to be *that fast*. Is it
his future self? But Barry look about the right age, to what Wally thinks
he should be... But before racing off he turns to look at you both,
wondering still how Lois knows his name. "I... I better hurry up and
follow him. I'm... I'm sorry." For what? That's not clear, likely. But
he's sorry to himself, for having blown his cover, for what that means his
dad will... But before he can complete that thought, he's off and running,
trailing after 'Barry'.

Lois smiles just a little at Wally before he goes. "It'll be all right."
And then her eyes turn to Kon. "So you took the name... I wondered if you
would someday." She sighs faintly, seeing so many echoes of Clark in Kon's
moves. She long ago looked past the resemblance to the person inside, and
it still surprises her that even their mannerisms are different... but the
same. "All right. Is there someplace I can tell Clark to find you when he
pokes his head in? I imagine if you hover about long enough, you'll spot
him for yourself."

"Tell him I'll meet him here at midnight." Sounds almost like a challange.
When the bell tolls twelve... Looking over his shoulder, Kon smiles back
at the woman on the roof, but not a warm smile. It's definately forced.
"Yeah... I took it," is all he'll say about that. "It wa good to see you,
Lois... It's been a while..." Too long a while, and then Kon is gone,
stepping off the roof and flying off.

Tilting her head, Lois is puzzled by the ...bitterness?... she hears. But
you don't give her time to ask... so she says very softly, "It's good to
see you, too, Kon."