NCIS / West Wing / DC / Hancock / Doctor Who crossover - SERIOUS spoilers for NCIS season 9 episode 200.
Like Zits
Marcus L. Rowland
“What the hell happened?” asked Gibbs, looking around the diner. Everyone else in the room seemed to be frozen in place. To one side a teenager held a gun, which had a trace of flame and smoke around the end of the barrel, also seemingly frozen.
“It’s okay,” said a woman’s voice from behind him.
He snapped his head round, and saw a young-looking Goth, wearing black jeans and a black tank top, a studded leather belt, and black leather boots. Her skin was unusually pale, and she had an ankh on a chain around her neck. She reminded him of Abby.
“We’ve met before,” she added, “but you won’t remember.”
“Who are you?”
“You’ve just been shot. Ever heard of near-death experiences?”
“I have. If you’re saying what I think you are, where’s the scythe?” He felt strangely calm, and wondered why there was no pain.
“Don’t need one. Apart from anything else, this isn’t your time. But you came close enough that it gives me a chance to talk to you.”
“So talk.”
“I have a weird question for you. When you hijacked Air Force One, who was President?”
“Bartlet, of course.”
“Thought so.”
“Let me get this straight; Death is asking me pop history questions?”
“It’s important. How long has Hancock been a superhero?”
“Is that what they call him now? More like a drunken bum. I recall my Dad saying he nearly collided with him during flight training over LA in forty-two, and he’d been around for decades even then.”
“Okay. What year did Superman first arrive on Earth?”
“Some time in the nineties… ninety-six or seven? It feels like he’s been around forever.”
“Batman?”
“He showed up a year or so before Superman came back. Maybe oh-four or oh-five?”
“And Supergirl?”
“The first time in oh-two, I think. A few months after Superman went missing. Then she came back in oh-eight.”
“Thanks.”
“Is that it? Don’t I get an explanation?”
“You wouldn’t find it comforting, and you’ll forget it when time starts up again.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“Okay… a few years back this particular branch of the multiverse was destroyed by a freak time machine accident. It got fixed, but the repair was botched a little. Believe it or not, Hancock and Superman weren’t around before it happened, neither were Batman or Supergirl, although they already existed in some other timelines. Lots of other changes too, ranging from different presidents to a dozen or so cities that never existed before.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Told you that you wouldn’t like it.”
“So why were you asking?”
“Think of it like… like zits. First you get a couple of spots, that’s the sign things are changing. That was Hancock and Superman. Then you got Batman and Supergirl, and a couple more you probably haven’t heard of yet. Give it another few years and there’ll be more superheroes than you can shake a stick at.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
“You think so?” There was sarcasm in her voice. “What are superheroes for?”
“Damned if I know. Causing me problems, mostly.”
“And what else?”
“Dealing with disasters, fighting bad guys? Oh, is that it… If we need more heroes, there will be more things for them to fight?”
“Give the man a kewpie doll. Okay, time’s up, yon need to get back to business.” She vanished with the rustle of invisible wings. Time resumed, and Gibbs instantly forgot her.
end
