Post-Crisis

Crisis on Infinite Earths finale spoilers. Major ones. But also naked Kate.

Kate jerked upright, panting. The last thing she remembered, she was on a barren, rocky landscape and staring up at the birth of a universe, the next... She looked around. She was crashing in the Kane household spare room by the look of it. That was certainly different.

Carefully, she stretched out, then stood up, still a little unsteady. Okay, it looked as though she was back home, and things were... normal?

She glanced down, and her cheeks warmed slightly. Okay, sleeping nude, pretty normal, even if she normally wouldn't have been bold enough to do that when staying over. Still, it made sense. She straightened, and reached for her phone.

New messages. She still felt a little woozy, but at least it gave her something to focus on. No one was screaming about red skies so that was probably a plus. And last night... huh, Kara? Why was, no forget that, how was Kara texting her? She wasn't aware her phone could receive messages from other Earths.

She clicked it curiously, then nearly dropped her phone. Okay. That was a nude. And apparently it was part of a conversation where...

She scrolled up, cheeks reddening. Well they had created a new universe, maybe this was it? She could remember the old, but then she'd been there when this new one had been born. Maybe that'd explain why she was pretty sure her tattoos were slightly different, and was that one a Supergirl symbol?

Hastily she backed out of those texts, sitting up. It sounded like she probably wanted to go reconnect with the others. She got to her feet and glanced around the room.

Damn it, the trouble with being dropped into another Kate's life was that she had no idea where she'd left her clothes. Quickly she slipped into Mary's room, borrowing a few vaguely decent-looking articles to put on. That would cover her until getting to the cave.

She hurried out. Batwoman would be a better fit than Kate Kane for talking to Supergirl.

She biked, helmet on, as quickly as she could, before rushing down to the Batcave, not passing anyone. She descended. Like normal, Luke was sitting at the computers, idly typing away like nothing cataclysmic had happened.

Well, until he turned, then he almost jumped out of his chair.

"Kate!" he said. he ran closer. "Kate! What are you doing!? What if someone saw?"

"Er... huh?" Kate said, confused.

"Your clothes!" Luke said.

She looked at him, baffled. Then jerked back when he reached for her jacket.

"Hey, it was your idea, not mine!" Luke said.

"What are you talking about?!" Kate said.

"You know!"

"Do you think I'd be acting like this if I did know?!" Kate said. She took a deep breath. "Okay, pretend the universe got rebooted last night and I'm a Kate from a different world."

"What?"

"Just do it," she said. "What's the big deal? I just needed to change."

"Well, yeah, but... your secret identity," Luke said. "You decided you wanted to make extra sure no one would ever suspect Kate Kane of being Batwoman."

"So..."

Luke moved back to his desk, opened Google, and typed in her name, before clicking over to images. Kate did a double take.

She knew most of the settings. That was her at that event with her family, Jacob, Mary, Catherine, and even Sophie on guard. That one was the opening of her real estate firm. That one was just her visiting the Crows...

And in each and every one, she was stark naked. Every inch of her, every intimate part, every tattoo bare. More notably, across the middle of her back she'd apparently gotten another tattoo that read 'Nudist Pride.' Kate stared. Then swallowed.

"What... what?" she managed to stay, flushing.

And that was just the first screen of search results. Somehow she knew there'd be an awful lot more.

"Your secret identity," Luke said. "If everyone thinks Kate Kane hates wearing clothes, there's no way she'd put on a costume to be Batwoman. It was your idea! It's worked pretty well so far, no one suspects. Sophie wondered, but decided it was too out there to imagine you in an outfit."

Kate stared.

The version of her on this new prime Earth had decided what?!

She'd just wanted to check on the others... and maybe that was easier, she'd be Batwoman after all, Batwoman could get dressed, but what was she meant to do after that?

Awkwardly, she started to lift up her shirt, stopping just short of her breasts on the front but baring more of her back, nervously angling herself and looking over her shoulder to see its reflection in a nearby surface. Sure enough, the same tattoo marked her.

This was real. The world expected her to be... and if she didn't go along, who knew what they'd think? Especially with Batwoman suspicions and impersonations going around.

"Kate?" Luke said.

"I... I need to be Batwoman," Kate said. "I'll just... process all that later. Much later."