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It might have been more fitting were it a dark and stormy night - or, indeed, were it a grey and slightly drizzled one. However, it being Broxton, Oklahoma, in a summer of record temperatures, it was for the most part just bright, dry, and terrifically hot.
But at the moment, such things as the weather had no part in the place of the young god Loki's residence. Magic had long ensured a pleasant domicile, but more than that, Loki's attention was taken by the completion of the contraption that occupied most of what should have been the sitting room. Its parts had been difficult to acquire, moreso for the necessary secrecy than their rarity. For some reason, people tended to be disapproving of the ideas of young Loki.
Loki poked at the blue box with a spark of magic. It came alive with a hum.
And then, for it seemed to be the Done Thing in these situations according to the Midgardian lore, Loki cackled.
(After all, if Loki did say so himself, it was a rather pleasing job he had done.)
A flourish, a showman's bow. "Tada!" Loki did go, to his accomplishment's sole witness.
The witness's - Leah's - single blink was long, slow, and judging.
"It is a machine, for the traveling of space and time with a vworp vworp! And it is more spacious on the inside," said Loki, when he was unable to wait any longer for further prompting. (To be fair, no further prompting would have come.) "You may now call me 'Doctor.'"
Another slow blink. "You are not a doctor," Leah said.
"But I have the machine of traveling space and time!"
The flat gaze was response enough to that. Loki decided to ignore it and move on.
"Hmph. Well, anyone knows the Doctor must have a Companion. I suppose you will do in a pinch, even if you are a grumpy killer of fun."
"As usual, you are being ridiculous." But she stood, nonetheless.
"Just come aboard the box, Leah."
And so Leah was pushed aboard, where she sat as she took in her surroundings. Loki would continue to clamber on and off for several minutes, each time bringing back stranger and more nonsensical things. Finally though, it seemed the last of the luggage had been gathered, for Loki ran out no more, and did start pressing buttons and pulling levers willy-nilly.
His hand was nary an inch from a particularly great button when his entire frame froze. "Oh! I almost forgot!" young Loki exclaimed. Loki rushed out of the blue box, skidding over to the table where a plain-looking cardboard box sat. From its innards, he pulled out a red fez, which he dusted off before plopping it on his head. "There. Now we can embark on our adventure."
And so the last button was pushed, and Loki and Leah went whooshing through time and space and the Great Beyond.
("Where are we going?"
"Wherever we are meant to!"
"...You don't know, do you?")
------
Bart was a superhero. Bart was a superhero who ran very fast, so this was why, when he heard a loud noise like something crashing, he went speeding toward the sound on his quick little feet.
Otherwise, he might have driven very fast toward the sound. Or flew, if he were one of those types of metas instead.
Either way, eventually, he would have found his way to the blue box, the object gently smoking and conspicuous where it'd landed smack dab in the flatland that was the Great Plains.
Bart, being Bart, darted right up to the door and knocked.
No one answered, but when Bart pressed his ear to the door, he could hear faint but furious conversation of which he could, perhaps, guess one word in five. So intently was he listening that he didn't realise the conversation was growing louder - and so it was that when the door opened, he fell inward with it.
"Look, Companion Leah! We're not in Kansas any more!" said one of the box's passengers, who did not seem to even notice he'd stepped right over Bart as he rushed to look outside.
The other passenger, presumably the aforementioned Companion Leah, was more sedate in her journey to the entryway. "We were not in Kansas in the first place."
Except! Bart realised. They were both wrong. Bart raised one arm and flailed it about madly, remaining flopped on the floor as he did so. Both of the box people turned to look at him.
"Actually," Bart said, after a bit more wild waving, "you're in Kansas right now. Pretty sure. Do you want me to check--" Zipped away. Back. "Yup, Kansas. Are you guys aliens? You wear an awful lot of green. Sort of like the Green Lanterns. Or Piper! Or Green Arrow. Hey, are you superheros? Oh no, what if you're supervillains. Then I'd have to defeat you. You're not supervillains, right? Hi." A breath. "I'm Impulse." He beamed.
"Look, Leah! It is a native Midgardian from this time and space! And he says we are in Kansas! And did you see how fast he went! Hail and well met, fine fellow, I am Loki, and I am not a supervillain. (Truly.) Tell me, what is the date of this day of splendour?"
Bart told them. And then he offered to show them around.
------
In Gotham, both of the Cave's occupants were hit with a sudden sense of unease. Never ones to go on gut instinct, they shook it off, though they never were quite as relaxed the rest of the afternoon.
They really should have paid more attention. Checked in with people.
At the very least, then they might have been mentally prepared for what followed.