The Best Of Both Worlds A Tale of the Legion of Super-Heroes by Amnesiac 5 (Cary Bateman!)

DISCLAIMER! This is a work of fan fiction and is not intended for profit. I do not own the characters ... DC comics does.

There was a bright flash, Brainiac 5 winced.

"Ow!" He cried, doubling over and clutching his head, "That one hurt!"

"Brainy! Are you alright?" Exclaimed Laurel and Kara in chorus. Both women started towards Brainy to offer solace, then each noticed the other.

"Who the grife are you?" demanded Laurel, as Kara exclaimed "By Rao, who are you?".

Brainy groaned and looked up, "Laurel... !?! Kara... ?!?" He groaned again... more loudly.

"You know this... amazon?" Kara asked icily. Suddenly, for some reason Brainy felt... guilty.

"Who're you calling 'amazon', shorty?" Laurel retorted haughtily glaring down at Kara.

"Shorty?!?"

Brainy was alarmed. He well knew the sheer physical power each woman commanded, he also knew their natures, intimately, fireworks were imminent. This was a bad thing. But still, Brainy was confused. These two woman, he knew them so well... but he'd only ever had one true love. She'd left him to fight the Khunds... no, she had her own life in the 20th century... no, she died saving Superman... no, she left him for Rond... No, no, no that couldn't be right! How could he know both, he hadn't had the time!?! He seemed to have two sets of almost identical but quite distinct memories. He closed his eyes and began to catalogue, compare and differentiate the two. Or at least tried to.

"Will you please be quiet, I am trying to concentrate!" Brainy bellowed at the squabbling Laurel and Kara. It worked, as both woman fell silent, taken aback by Brainy's uncharacteristic outburst, but only briefly.

"Don't use that tone with me, you two-timing snake!" Threatened Laurel.

"You leave him alone, you man-stealing hyper-thyroid ape!" Rallied Kara.

It was useless, Laurel and Kara were beyond reason and about to come to blows. With their super-strength... This was absurd, the whole of creation was on the verge of chaotic breakdown, but still the situation unfolding before his eyes seemed far more important, far more immediate. There was a familiar rushing sound from above, thankful for the distraction Brainy looked skyward to see... >

"Val... or!" His voice died out in mid-cry. Still, the distraction worked, Laurel froze in mid-blow as she and Kara looked skyward.

From the west flew Valor, a familiar red and blue figure in tow while from the east... from the east...

"Oh my god!" Brainy felt a pit open in his stomach, "I must be going mad again."

"Hey, Brainy! Kal and I have finished the adjustments to the time beacon. What's next on the agenda?" Called Valor as they swooped down.

Superboy paused. "Mon, you recognise the... uh... girl with Kara?" he asked uncertainly.

"Sure! That's Laurel... isn't it?"

"Mon, I don't know, I've never seen her before!"

A voice rang out, "Hey, Large Gland, how's it hanging?"

"What the..." muttered Lar.

From the east flew another Supergirl, and another... Superboy? But he was so outrageously dressed, that hair-cut, that cock-sure grin. "Brainy, what's going on...?" cried the real (?) Kal imploringly. "Err..." for once, panic stricken, Brainy was lost for words.

There was a bright flash, Brainy doubled over. There was a hand his shoulder. He briefly considered whether it was safe to look up, then wondered why on Earth it should worry him.

"Brainy, you ok?" It was Rond. Brainy looked up.

"I don't know." He paused before continuing, something seemed to be missing, "Somehow, I feel undefinably sad and yet, strangely... relieved?" he shook his head as though to clear it. For some insane reason the words "narrow escape" rang in his ears.

Oooh, now that was fun! I actually came out in goose-bumps writing that one. This is what it's all about, knocking out something for the pure enjoyment of it, yeah! Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.