The Search for Kal-El

© The Elves of Alterverse

Chapter 5: Star Light, Star Bright

Tarsus IV

It wasn’t all that large, really.  Not worth a second look.  It was just a bauble.  The Kayzik had tossed it aside.  After all, it could only be of use to its chosen holder.  And the chosen holder’s life force had been stolen.  And her father had been driven mad during the battle.  (Elf note:  The Order of Oa  - Chapter 2: The Parallax incident).  

No sentient hands touched the bauble.  It rolled this way and that.  It blew over a gravestone one last time.  Then it vanished from Tarsus IV.

A Shantar Empire alliance world – Jakeh7

The Green Lanterns dropped out of Hyperspace.  Katma Tui followed Hal Jordan towards a battlefield.

“Hal, what do they expect us to do?  If they want to kill each other, how do we stop them?”

He smiled.

“Katma, large factions on both sides want to sue for peace.  The problem is keeping the planet together long enough to hold the peace talks.”

They flew over a battlefield under sunny skies.  The bright orange sun provided a clear view to both sets of combatants.  They marched towards each other.

Hal Jordan grinned.

“It’s hard to believe that the Corps used to be restricted to cleaning up after natural disasters.  We’re certainly not going to do that here.”

Katma Tui nodded thoughtfully.

“Those days are gone forever.  I shall not miss them.  Shall we do this?”

Hal grinned viciously.

“Together!”

They fired their rings into the atmosphere.  Storm clouds began to gather.  First small amounts of rain fell.  The rain only increased.  Soon it flooded the intended battlefield.  Creatures and armaments washed away.  The troops climbed aboard the few objects heavy enough to resist the deluge. 

The Green Lanterns kept up the pressure.  The combatants left the battlefield with what equipment they could as the rain continued.

Katma Tui smirked.

“I will say this.  I am very surprised there has never been a Terran Green Lantern before now.  You are the most dangerous race of people I have ever met.”

Hal laughed.

“Don’t mind me.  I’m just carrying on my planet’s tradition.”

She scowled.

“So I’ve noticed.  You never do things in a small way.  Between the three Green Lanterns of Earth, you’ve turned the Guardians, the Corps, and the Imperial Senate upside down.  None will ever be the same.”

He grinned.

“But you’re not complaining.”

“No,” she smiled, “I am not.  My service in the Corps has never been so meaningful.  How many people will survive the day because of what we do?  I am glad that ring is bonded to your world.  You do not disappoint.”

Hal kept his grin.

“So, you’ve finally forgiven me?”

She rubbed back of her neck.  (Elf note:  The Order of Oa – Chapter 2).

“Barely.”  She smiled briefly.  “Truthfully, my heart goes out to you.  I know what drove you.  What upset the Corps most was the Guardians’ response.  I think they learned from that little misadventure.  I know I did.”

“Hal, I did read the history of the Hal Jordan who became Parallax.  Our Guardians made the same mistake those Guardians did.  I must admit the potential consequences still terrify me.”

“Katma, they terrify me, too.  I still can’t believe that the Guardians did not even defend themselves.  Jade defied them to stop me.  She, who had been so hurt by that same inflexibility.”

Katma shuddered.

“I think the Guardians have learned.  They operate much differently now.  Perhaps it was all for the best.  Perhaps.”  Katma refocused on Hal.  Katma’s eyes burned with sympathy.  “Hal, we understand what drove you.  Our argument is not with you – it is with the Guardians.  Any one of us could have been driven over the edge by that loss.”

They floated in the air for a few moments more.

“Katma,” Hal asked thoughtfully, “did the Guardians ever recover the Star Sapphire gem?”

“No, Hal, they didn’t.  The Zamarons just shut off the power they broadcast to it.  They haven’t been too anxious to go back there.  No one has gone back since you, Kilowog, and Jade buried her.  Kilowog did mention that the gem was missing, but he did not search for it.  The Zamarons had no interest in tracking it down, so it will remain missing.”

“Hal, why the sudden interest?”

“I don’t know.  I guess I just wonder.  I’ve had odd feelings about the sapphire itself recently.”

He looked down to the battlefield.

“I think we should shut off the waterworks.”

Hyperspace

The bauble burst into Hyperspace.  A single thought drove it.  Only chance…I sense the ring of no power.  Follow ring of no power to the Green Flame of Life.

The Planet Kalix

The old woman dwelled on the memory.  I passed the Star Sapphire to that young woman and it got her killed. (Elf note:  Funeral for a Friend, Chapter 1 and The Order of Oa, Chapter 2).  If I had continued to hold it, the Zamarons would not be free.  But the young woman would be alive.

What bothers me the most is that I feel a corruption in the Sapphire.  I can’t explain it, so I won’t report it again.  The Zamarons found it quite humorous when I reported it the first time.  They just told me to go back to my rest.

I’ve never been one to rest.  Even now.

Landra Tzu found her niece Kizan, the seer, in her study.

“Kizan, do you have any wisdom for me?”

Kizan concentrated.  She spoke.

“It’s a minor thing,

A Guardian’s Ring.

It has no power,

But it shall win the hour.

Take heart!

You have done your part.”

Landra sighed.

Nalyd – Senator Jade Zoldar’s apartments

Alanna walked into her sister’s room.  She spied the power ring resting on its pedestal. 

“Funny little ring,” she smiled, “you do mean so much to her.  Not a bit of power to you, but you do everything else.  Poor little guy.  She blew out your power circuits, but she still refuses to trade you in.  Probably for the best.  All your automatic functions still work.  It’s just the will force you can’t handle.”

She grinned. 

“If the Guardians themselves can’t handle it, how could a little ring be expected to?”

Alanna walked out of the room.

Hyperspace

Find ring of no power.  Follow to the children of darkness and light. 

A tiny gem hurtled through Hyperspace.  As it flew, it lost the remainder of its form.

Jakeh7

Something is wrong.  Hal Jordan barely noticed Katma Tui or the scene below.  Why do I think Alanna Scott is involved?

He spoke into his ring.

“This is the Green Lantern of Earth.   Requesting any available information on the location of the Star Sapphire gem and the locations of the Shade and Jade.”

The ring spoke back.

“Location of Star Sapphire Gem is unknown.  Senator Zoldar is with Shantar High Command.  The Shade is in the same meeting.”

He considered.

We’ve done our part here.  The Star Sapphire is my problem, not the Corps’.

Katma Tui reappeared.

“Hal, we’ve done all we need to, here.  Something is bothering you.  Take care of it.”

He smiled briefly.  He spoke into his ring.

“This is Green Lantern of Earth to Corps Command.  The situation is under control here.  I’m diverting to Nalyd.  I need to follow a hunch.”

“This is Katma Tui.  I confirm situation.  Request backup when available.”

They heard silence for a few minutes.

“This is Corps Command.  Arkkis Chummuck will divert.  He’s an hour away.  What is the hunch, Hal Jordan?”

“Thanks, Tomar-Re!  It has something to do with the Star Sapphire and the Sentinel’s children.  That’s all I know.  On my way!”

He burst through the atmosphere.  He jumped into Hyperspace.

Earth – the Sentinel’s Lair Infirmary

Alan Scott joined Dr. Jenna and Kent Nelson.

“Congratulations on your latest child.”  Kent guffawed.  “I understand mother and daughter are doing just fine!”

Alan sighed.

“Well, at least I’m not getting lectures about the evils of unwed mothers.”  He grinned.  “And Elise seems to have done quite nicely for such a large healthy baby!”

Kent laughed.

“As much as I’ve teased you, I want you to know that you couldn’t have taken a better approach with Krystal.  I don’t know how she’s going to work things out, but I know she feels she’s got the time and a safe environment.   I just wish I knew who she was.”

Alan startled.

“Isn’t she a clone of Kira Jor-El and Helena Wayne?”

“No, sir.”  Dr. Jenna answered firmly.  “She’s not.”

“What?”  Alan scowled.  “That makes no sense.  How can you tell?”

“It’s all Alanna’s fault.”  Kent teased.  “Not really.  Actually, though, she’s part of what tells us the answer.”

Dr. Jenna shook his head.

“Kent is not wrong.  Let me explain.  There are some basic similarities between Kryptonians, Daxamites, and Humans.  Your family tree and that fact gave us the answer.”

He lit up display panels on a wall.

“Alanna kept a lock of her mother’s hair.  She was kind enough to allow us to examine it.  I have samples from Alanna, Linda, Selina, Helena, Mary, and yourself.  Mary’s contribution has been more important than I expected – your DNA has been slightly altered.”

“I’m not surprised.”  Alan confirmed.  “This body is mortal, but I know the Starheart modified it.”

“Also,” Dr. Jenna continued, “we were fortunate to have sampled Linda’s DNA before she became Jade.”

“Alan,” Kent explained, “we still have no idea what Jade’s DNA is like.  We can’t get through the Starheart’s shields to examine it.  Still, we have what we need.”

Dr. Jenna increased the size of the images in the display panels.

“The problem with cloning is something called ‘genetic drift’.  The genes start to break down after a few generations.”  He pointed to one display.  “These are the genes of Alan Scott.  Notice these points – they are all firm and even in configuration.  No gaps.”

He pointed to another one.

“Very similar here.  This is Mary Batson.”

He pointed to a third.

“Take a long look at this sample.  Almost looks absolutely normal.  Almost.  This is the prize of the lot.  I’ll explain why in a second.”

He pointed to a fourth sample.

“This is Molly Scott.  Notice that her DNA is almost identical to yours.  There are a few minor spots that seem out of alignment, but just a few.  Molly is a first generation clone.”

Alan frowned.

“I don’t think I’m going to like what you’re going to show me next.”

“Probably not.”  Dr. Jenna affirmed.  He pointed to yet another sample.  “This is Alanna.  Note the increase in the discontinuities.  Not anything truly substantial, but the genetic drift has begun.”

“And the other sample was Linda?”  Alan deduced.

“Yes.”  Dr. Jenna pointed back to it.  “She’s the daughter of a clone, but the genetic drift is almost non-existent.  The minor misalignments in Molly’s DNA have almost vanished.  We wouldn’t have found them unless we were intentionally looking for them.  Her DNA is well within in the normal range.  One more generation and the genetic drift would vanish completely.”

Kent sighed.

“Show him Krystal’s DNA.”

Dr. Jenna nodded.

“Here it is.  No genetic drift.  None.  She’s not a clone and she’s not immediately descended from clones.  And there is no trace of Helena Wayne in her DNA.”

Kent confirmed.

“We don’t know who she is.  She’s related to Kira, we think.  We know she isn’t a Daxamite, but that’s about it.”

Daxam – The city of Tylol

Targan waited in the park.  This is not like Captain Marvel.  Usually she’s extremely prompt.  I hope she is still coming.  And I really hope she has word on Kira. 

I wish we could still feel free to use our communications devices to contact the Sentinel’s team.  But we don’t dare – we’ve become too closely watched. 

He felt a wind blow past.  He turned around.  A powerfully built woman faced him.  He pulled out his weapon.  It suddenly felt too hot to hold.  He had to drop it.  She spoke with an odd accent.

“I’m sorry, Targan.  My invulnerability is almost non-existent here.  I don’t want to find out how easily I can be killed.”

He regarded her with suspicion.

“Who are you?”

“I don’t really know.”  She smiled sardonically.  “We’re still trying to sort that out.  But you can call me Krystal.”  She crossed her arms.  “You are Mary’s friend Targan.  Mary is missing.  We’re trying to find her.”

“We?”

“Mary’s family.”  Krystal frowned.  “She’s been acting rather oddly. Now, she has disappeared without a trace.”

He continued to eye her suspiciously.  She cocked an eyebrow.

“The Sentinel did send me.”  Krystal sighed with frustration.  “I can’t believe how heavy the gravity is here.  I can barely fly.  I have to be very careful – the Kayzik can kill me very easily here.  I don’t have the powers under a red sun that I do under any other colored sun.”

Targan looked at her again. 

“Are you a Daxamite or a Kryptonian? If you are, why do you have any?”

She scowled.

“We think I’m Kryptonian.  Why do I have any powers?  Someone altered my genes to protect me from the same mad god that attacked Kira.  He did come after me.  He just didn’t win the battle.”

She turned and looked into the distance.  She spied the Deadman’s Dare.

“That’s your lead orb?  Must have been difficult to erect.”  She walked towards it.

He watched her go.  Targan Jadar took in the profile, the powerful stride, and the confidence.

“Wait!”  He called.  “You don’t have to prove who you are!  I know who you are!”

She stopped.

“What?”

He caught up with her.

“You’re Kiragee’s sister!  You’re more powerfully built than she is, but I can see it in the way you look, the way you move, and that damned self confident attitude.”

“Self confident?”  Krystal smiled in amusement.  “Are we talking about the same person?”

“I wonder, sometimes.”  He walked her over to a bench.  “I’ve had this same conversation with Captain Marvel.  Kiragee could be a real bitch, but she never lacked for confidence.  I just considered her a little ditzy because she charged into things without thinking.”

They sat down.  He pointed into the distance.

“After the Resistance destroyed the Tennan family medical records, they moved the family into the worst part of the city.  That kept them out of the limelight – people don’t focus on those who live in the slums.”

“Targan, this doesn’t make sense.”  Krystal scowled.  “Everything I’ve heard says she couldn’t think for herself.”

Targan nodded.

“That’s why I’ve always had so much of a problem believing Captain Marvel and I were talking about the same person.  It’s just not the Kiragee I know.”

He sighed.

“I once watched Kiragee kill an armed man three times her size.  He didn’t give her any choice.  She didn’t want to kill him, but she wasn’t going to roll over and die.  It took her three seconds.  Afterwards, it didn’t seem to bother her in the least.”

“Krystal, that’s when I became her student.  She’s a professional.”

“Targan, I hear you.  There is something we’re missing here.  We owe it to her to find out what.”

He smiled.

“Thank you, Krystal.  Now, let’s talk about the rest of what brings you here…”

Nylad, Oan Senatorial Offices – Office of the Chief of Staff

Diana sat at her desk in her inner office.  Once again, she adjusted Jade’s schedule.  Sometimes, I wonder why I volunteered for this.  But only sometimes. 

I don’t think I really understood the sheer magnitude of Linda’s responsibilities until I got here.  Despite my words, I had little concept of enormity of what really happens on this world. 

K’rysmma and the rest have been wonderful, but their first duty is to the Corps, not to this.  They also lack the ability to tell the Guardians to take a flying leap!

There is a great deal of posturing here.  Diana chuckled.  Politicians who seek to increase their standing at the expense of others.  They play the game and they play it well. 

Linda is clearly an aberration.  But she is learning the game very quickly.  No mere Green Lantern could maneuver the way she does.  The Guardians chose better than they knew.

I’m glad Alanna is here.  I can trust her.  Krystal is fiercely loyal to Linda, but she’s still got a lot to learn.  Despite that, she is doing far more than we could have expected.  I am troubled by her report from Daxam.  But that is for Kent and Alan to sort out.

Kent.  Diana smiled.  I do miss you.  But I will be back to you when the session ends.  Alan and Elise are right.  My true work is here.

She heard a tap on her door.

“Enter.”

K’ryssma walked into the room.  An elder Shantar male followed.  Diana stood up to her full height.  He smiled as he spoke.

“Princess Diana, I am Karzan.  I lead the Senate.”

Diana stood and bowed.  She rose and lifted an eyebrow.

“I am honored.  Greetings.  How can we serve you, sir?  It is not every day the staff director of a junior senator receives a visit from the Leader of the Senate.”

K’ryssma left the room.  She closed the door.  Diana guided Senator Karzan to a comfortable corner of her office.  They sat down.

He smiled slightly.

“I must admit my own curiosity.  It is not every woman who picks a Warlord up off the ground during an argument.  Did you really throw him fifty yards down the hall?”

Her eyes sparkled.

“Seventy-five yards.  I had it measured.  I did him no harm.”  She grinned.  “We reached our understanding.  He has been remarkably civil ever since!”

Karzan laughed.

“You do understand the game.  That was my one concern.”  He drew in a breath.  “You have entered a very dangerous playing field.  We play the games we do because it is the only way to align resources across the Empire.  The Empire cannot be ruled by the Emperor.  It is ruled by the decisions that the Senate and the Military make.  The Senate formally runs under a strict hierarchy.  Formally, anyway.”

Diana nodded.

“I surmised as much.  And Jade appears to break every rule in your book.  She doesn’t fit the rules, but she’s here.”  She smiled.  “But she only breaks the formal rules, not the real rules.”  Diana added confidently.

He smiled wryly.

“You do understand.  The game isn’t position.  Position is merely a conduit to influence.  And influence is the true power.”

“Senator, I understood that the second we arrived in this solar system.  She called for permission to land.  The Chief of Sector Command welcomed her back.  And they cleared everything from her way.  Everything.”  Shirley Temple’s Revenge!

He chuckled.

“I’ll bet they did!”  He grinned momentarily.  “They are a mite possessive.  And with good reason.  Both of her parent’s families have earned their places.  Her mother’s family has been well established in the military for years.  The Sentinel’s role in the return of the Guardians has become well known.  Of course, so has her role.  We’ve had to work hard to conceal the identity of your home world, but her odd coloring has helped.”

Diana nodded.

“Sir, you didn’t take time out of your busy day just to chat.  How can I help?”

Karzan relaxed.

“I wanted to meet you.  Jade seems to have the utmost confidence in you.  She doesn’t trust blindly.  Not that I’ve ever heard.”

Diana regarded him seriously.

“And anyone Jade trusts is a potential problem for the Senate leadership.”

Karzan smiled slightly.

“Yes.  As you would expect.  Understand, Diana, the power that comes with the seat she holds.”

Diana answered quickly.

“I have no illusions.  And I know how ill prepared Jade was for the Senate assignment.  She had no intention of keeping the seat.  She never wanted it.  But she did not want to leave under a cloud of disgrace.”  Diana smiled wryly.  “Now, it’s become impossible for her to resign.  And she’s driven by her sense of duty.”

“As are you.”  Karzan affirmed.  “You see this as something that must be done well.  Your primary interest is not an attraction to power.  You interest is that the power be used effectively and well.”

Diana smiled.

“I will not lie.  I have misjudged her in the past.  I have not done the best I could for her or for the peoples that Oa represents.  But I do learn.  And I share a dream with her family.  Someday, I will tell you of a lady who stands in a sea harbor on our world.  She stands for the right of each sentient across the Cosmos to be.  That is also the essential charter of the Guardians.”

Karzan grinned.

“If it wasn’t before, the peoples of the Empire will accept nothing less from them, not now!”

Diana laughed easily.

“No, I expect not.  But where people have no hope, they have no ambition.  And that lessens their capability for war.  Choose to or not, you have a stake in the Guardians’ charter as well.”

Karzan’s eyes narrowed.

“You are no stranger to this game.”

Diana smiled slightly.

“I never said I was.  I simply acknowledged that I had not acted as quickly as I could have.  Your protocol may not be what I am used to, but it is not very different.  Understand Senator, this child is my responsibility.  I will see to it that she has the tools she needs to do the impossible job she has undertaken.  And I will see to it that she receives the respect she deserves for the work she does.  She does this because she feels she has to.  She would rather be out there, somewhere, with her friends in the Green Lantern Corps.”

Karzan smiled earnestly.

“You know, even an old politician has to admit a sense of awe.  One second, she’s a wide-eyed innocent somehow navigating the impossible bureaucracy of the Empire.  The next second, she’s a living god, taking flight to places the rest of us could only imagine.  Sometimes I wonder why she takes us seriously.”

“There is that.”  Diana grinned.  “But her dream is the dream of our people and the promise of the Guardians.  And that deserves the respect of the peoples of the Empire and of the Senate.”

Karzan laughed.

“And I have no doubt that you will remind them of that, if they ever forget.”  He quieted.  “I see that you have no illusions about the task you have taken on.  This is a dangerous job.  There are very dangerous games played here.  No one dares to soil Jade’s reputation, but the rest of us are not immune.  Be careful, Diana of Themyscira.”

Diana nodded seriously.

“I will.  In our world, there is no safety.  There are only those few that you can trust.  Karzan, trust does not come easily to the House of the Wolf.  Even I had to earn it.”

Karzan nodded seriously.

“And I’m sure that you did earn it.  The Sentinel is no fool.  He does not choose to stand on the stage, but I see his touch in everything she does.”  He stood up.  “Diana, welcome to the small group of people that actually runs the Empire.  I am relieved that you seem to have a firm grasp of what we do here.  Many of the senators I have met never will.  Again, be careful.  This is a deadly place.”  He approached the door.  “You can expect to hear from me frequently.  We have a dream to keep alive.”

Diana smiled.

“Thank you for your time, sir.”

Karzan smiled earnestly.

“No.  Thank you.  And welcome to the Imperium!”  Satisfied, he nodded a farewell and was gone.

Nylad Park of Remembrance

Linda sat on an outcropping of rock.  She watched the native wildlife play out its eternal cycle.  Predator stalked prey.  Couples ensured the next generation.  Cubs followed their mothers through the forest.

I’m not alone.  Someone with a protection detail has blocked off the area.  Well, I guess I’ll hear him out.  Sure wouldda preferred a little more time alone.

She heard footfalls on rock behind her.  A young male Shantar climbed up the rock and walked out to her outcropping.  He grinned.

“So you’re the legendary Jade!  I’ve heard what a loyal subject you are to the Empire.  Now here’s your chance to show it.  I’m Prince Dagar.  You may bow before me.”

She looked up at him with disgust.

“Go away.”  She rebuffed him.  “I was here first.”

He howled with laughter.

“Do you have any idea who you are talking to?”

“Sure!”  Linda sighed.  “Prince Dagar.  Third in line for the throne.  With about twenty bodyguards that I can count.  None of whom will save you, if you don’t go away and leave me alone.”

He smiled.  He sat down beside her.

“You don’t know how refreshing that is to hear.  Anyone else on this planet would have trembled in fear at my displeasure.  They scatter just to get out of my way.”

She cocked an eyebrow.

“And how far out of your way would you like to go?   Ever visit Hell?  I can arrange a trip.”

He laughed again.

“But you’re the only person I’ve ever met who has survived the trip.”

She grinned.

“Heaven won’t have me and Hell is afraid I’ll take over.”  She looked at him sideways.  “Someday, I might.  I got friends in real low places.”

He laughed again.

The Oan Senate offices – Office of the Chief of Staff

Krystal paced.

“Diana, I don’t know what else to say.  Targan showed me Kira’s records.  She’s not an innocent.  Did you know she killed ten people before she left Daxam?  No one who didn’t ask for it, but still – that’s not the Kira that Helena Wayne remembered.”

Alanna Scott fidgeted in her chair.

“I knew her longer than just about anyone else.  Dad said she went off with Kosmic and Ms. Marvel.  Once she came back, she seemed to have changed.  He wrote it off to shock – she went through a lot.  Maybe it was something more.”

Diana nodded.

“I’ve passed this all back to Alan.  He’s trying to track down Ms. Marvel and Kosmic.  He hasn’t had much luck.”

Her comms buzzed.  She heard Sector Command.

“We have an inbound Green Lantern.  He’s requesting clearance to land.”

She shrugged.

“Patch him through.” 

They heard Hal Jordan’s voice.

“Diana?  Something strange is going on.  It involves the Star Sapphire gem.  I’ve felt it.  The previous Star Sapphire also reported it to the Zamarons.”

Diana interrupted.

“Sector control, I’ll vouch for the Green Lantern.”

“Very Good, Ma’am!”  They heard Sector Control provide an arrival vector.

“Thank you Sector Control!”  Hal Jordan responded.

Ten minutes later, Senator Zoldar’s quarters

“I have Jade’s ring.”  Alanna walked in with it.  “She usually doesn’t go too far without it. I think she’s in a park looking for peace and quiet.  What’s so special about this ring?”

“I don’t know.”  Hal answered.  “The previous Star Sapphire heard a prophecy that depended on a Guardian’s ring of no power.  That could be any uncharged ring, but this one is special.  It carries a very slight charge, but it doesn’t have any real power.  It’s probably also lost some of its anti-tamper mechanisms.  Despite that, I know it does what it needs to do for Linda.”

Alanna grinned.

“Provide comms, detection functions, and links to the Guardian’s reference materials.  It is charged – she charges it every morning.”  She took a second look at the ring.  She slapped her comms. 

“Linda, teleport your butt back here!  I need your flame, now!”

Alanna threw the ring into the air.  She hit it with a dark force field.  The dark force surrounded them all.

“Damn!”  She screamed.  “The ring’s been invaded!  Something’s in there!”

Krystal scanned the ring.

“I don’t see any patterns.  But I can tell you that the energy signature is wrong.  It’s not all Oan energy.”  She concentrated.  “Alanna, are you sure we want to shut it down?”

“No, Krys, I’m not.”  Alanna intensified the Dark Force.  “I don’t think we’re being attacked.  But I need something I don’t have for this job.”

“Alanna,” Hal called, “my ring is dead.”

“I know.”  She answered.  “So are most of Krys’ powers.  We’re not in real space-time.  We’re in my shadow.  I don’t dare drop the damn shadow without Linda.  I need her Phoenix powers.”

“Phoenix powers?”  Hal asked.

“Later.”  Alanna scowled.  Move it little sister.  Use that damn brain of yours!  “I have the ring in stasis.”

They smelled brimstone.  The scent quickly faded.  Alanna directed her sister.

“I need your Phoenix energy.  Aim it at the ring.  I’ll control it.”

Jade scowled.  She fired red Phoenix energy towards the ring.  Alanna absorbed it with Dark Force.  She seemed to twist it and change the substance.

“Double it!”

Jade increased her red flame. 

“What are we doing?”

“I don’t know!”  Alanna focused the flame again.  “But that’s never stopped me before!”  She concentrated.  “This is not working.  Aim the flame at me.  Let me be the conduit.”  She prepared for the onslaught of the red flame.

Red flame found itself absorbed by Dark Force.  It focused directly into the ring.  A violet image formed.

“Hallie?”  Hal Jordan asked.  “Is it you?”

“Screw you!”  The image solidified.  “I’m Kira Jor-El.  Now listen you bunch of half wits!”  Kira’s image scanned the assembled heroes.  She spied Krystal.

“You!  Barbara Gordon and I saw you strapped to the table when laughing boy dragged us in.  Who the Hell are you?”

“I don’t know.”  Krystal answered honestly.  “I call myself Krystal.”

“Great, just great!”  Kira fumed.  “Listen, you cretins!  I don’t have much time.  Laughing boy is going to figure out what I’ve done.  Then he’s going to pull me back.  Here’s what I know.  Babs has disappeared.  Her look-alike has shown up instead.  She calls herself Hawkgirl.  I haven’t seen Selina or her daughter.”

“We rescued Selina and Helena.”  Krystal emphasized.  “We’ll come to you.  Tell us how to find you.”

“How the Hell would I know?”  Kira snarled.  “Find me!  Prove that you have some competence after all!”

“How do we find you?”  Diana asked.  “Tell us anything you can!”

“Damn!  Laughing boy has found me! I’m outta here!”  Kira faded.

The Scott sisters increased their power.

Krystal focused into the ring.

“She’s gone!”

“We know.”  Alanna answered.  “Squirt, I need more power.  Let’s do this together!”

Linda smiled through the strain.

“In Brightest Day,”

Linda’s voice faltered.  Alanna took over.

“In Blackest Night,

No evil shall escape my sight.

Let those who worship evil’s might,

Beware my Power.

Beware the child of night.”

A dark mist formed around the ring.  The Star Sapphire formed above it.  An image formed above the Star Sapphire. 

“Hurts.”  Linda complained.  “Not like Green Flame.  Have limits.”

Alanna scowled.

“I know.  And we’re reconstructing a life-force from traces.  Just a little more.  Jordan!  Call to Hallie!  But don’t use your ring!”

“Hallie!”  Hal Jordan yelled.  “Hallie!”

Alanna dropped her Dark Force protection.  They faded back into real space.  She increased her manipulation of her sister’s red flame.

“That’s almost got it!”  Alanna grinned.  “Linda?”  She watched Linda’s flame fade.  Linda fell to the floor.  She vanished.

“Damn!”  Alanna scowled.  “I knew she had limits.”

“What happened to her?” Diana asked with concern.

“Damn it!  I don’t know!  But I can’t stop now.”  Alanna increased her concentration.  “There!  That’s got it!

Krystal scanned the room.  Hal scanned with his ring.

“Call your daughter, Damn you!”  Alanna screamed.

“Hallie!”  Hal Jordan screamed.  A violet flash rewarded him.  A transparent violet being seemed to solidify.

“Daddy?”  Hallie asked.  “What am I doing here?  I’m dead!  I was with Mom and the rest of our family.”

“I don’t know.”  Hal approached his daughter.  “All I know is that I see you in front of me.”  His hand passed through her.

“Alanna?”  Krystal worried.  “I still don’t see any traces of Linda.  What happened?”

They smelled brimstone.  A man with red hair and a trident walked out from it.

“The worst, I fear.”  Daimon Hellstrom answered. 

Elsewhere – Ares’ Lab

This was too easy!  Ares gloated.  You’re too predictable, Kira.  He looked down at her body on the table.  I’ve had you ensorcelled for more than six months.  I knew exactly what you would do.  He smirked.  You finally broke loose of my spell, just to waste your energy trying to warn them.  Then that green bitch wasted her life force trying to save you and that other worthless twit.  Lovely!  Why fight them directly when I don’t have to? Divide and conquer before the battle!  I’ve won!  Miss Green Genes’ life force isn’t anywhere nearby.

“Father?”  Ms. Marvel interrupted his thoughts.  “Is all proceeding on schedule?”

“Yes, Eris!”  He grinned.  “Jade is gone.  Silly twit gave up her life force.” (Elf note: Eris – Greek Goddess of Strife)

Nylad

“I don’t know what to make of it.”  Daimon glowered.  “She seemed to expend a significant amount of her life force.  Then she vanished.  She isn’t here.  She isn’t in Hell.  And Heaven isn’t talking.”

“Daimon?”  Alanna asked.  “If she had passed beyond, wouldn’t there be a body?”

Daimon looked at her earnestly.

“I though you of all people would understand.  Linda Danvers is dead.  She died during the Final Night.  Only Gaea remains.  Gaea, who believes that she is Linda.” (Elf note:  The Order of Oa, Chapter 4 – Final Night).  Daimon snarled.  “If Gaea has lost the illusion of Linda’s existence, she is probably planning to end this universe.  If the universe ends, we’re all gone!  I knew it was a mistake to trust Linda with a power ring!”  He vanished.

Alanna screamed.

Across the room, Hallie Jordan tried to touch her father.  Her hands passed through him.

“What have you done to me?  What have you people done to me?”  She wailed.  “What have you done?”

Somewhere Else??

Linda shook herself awake.  She found herself floating in an unfamiliar void.  She felt weak.

“Gaea?”  Linda felt for her attachment to the woman of Green Flame.

 “Yes?”  Gaea manifested as a flaming twin of Linda.

“Am I dead?”

Her other self smiled.

“In a way, little one.  But only in a way.  The Starheart of the Kayzik home universe disintegrated your original body.” (Elf note:  The Order of Oa – Chapter 4 – The Final Night.)

Linda’s eyes widened.

“What?”

Her other self’s eyes narrowed.

“You do not fully understand your nature.  The Starheart of that universe destroyed your physical form.  It almost truly ended your existence.  In the midst of all that devastation, I was barely able to find enough of your life force to reassemble.  But once I found that much of your life force, it regenerated your physical form.  That’s why you were unconscious for so long.  Your life force had to regenerate so much of itself.”

“Huh?”  Linda gaped.

“Yes.”  Gaea continued.  “Linda, you are Phoenix incarnate.  The red flame you release as Phoenix is part of your life force.  Even if you expend almost your entire life force, in time it would recharge on its own and restore you.  That is the nature of Phoenix.  But it is not the nature of Jade.”

“Why is there a difference, Gaea?”  Linda asked with curiosity.

“Linda, your life force is extremely powerful.  So powerful that it can contain the part of me that must be contained.  But if you go through the cycle of renewal, you momentarily cease to have physical form.  And in that briefest instant, I will be released in my totality.  Remember, I am not native to this probability.  The complete release of my power would severely damage this probability’s balance of Chaos and Order.”

Gaea held Linda’s gaze.

“The Starheart of the Kayzik home probability did force my release with your destruction.  But I could not damage that probability any more than it had already been damaged.  Instead, I immediately recombined with you.  In the same instant I did that, I used the Great Portal to exit the probability.  We cut it close – I barely kept us together as we exited the Portal.”

“To put this in perspective, Linda – we were out of that probability within five seconds of the explosion and I still just barely survived it.”

“You barely survived?”  Linda’s eyes widened.

“Barely.”  Gaea confirmed.  “Even I am not infinite.  There are limits to my power.  But even so, the release of all my power would be absolutely catastrophic to the sentients of this probability.   That leads us to the current situation.”

“Current situation?”  Linda’s eyes glazed.

“Yes.”  Her other self continued.  “If you expend too much of your life force, I will be freed even without your death.  That was why I was forced to bring you here.  The sustained drain you experienced has cost more of your life force than I could allow.  If you ever awaken here again, it will be for the same reason.  I cannot ever allow your life force to fail to contain me.”

“That is part of the price you pay for my power.  Your native Phoenix abilities have been somewhat curtailed.  You’ve noticed that you can now only teleport a few miles.  The psychic abilities you share with your sister are not much affected and I make up for most of your other losses.  But you do not provide the power for those abilities – I do.”

Linda nodded.

“You may be the genie in the bottle, but I’m still the bottle.”

Her other self smiled warmly.

“Yup!  The future champion of the Chocolate Ice Cream!  I brought you to this particular area of limbo because time runs so quickly here.  I wanted you to have a chance to recover without losing too much time in the real world.”

“Linda, there is one more thing I must say.  Alanna did not restore the fragments of Hallie Jordan’s life force.  She recreated them.  Alanna used your power to raise the dead.  And she almost forced my release to do it.”

Nylad – Jade’s Quarters

Daimon aimed his trident at Hallie Jordan.

“This is your fault!  Gaea has gone mad because of you!”  He fired his trident.

Alanna Scott absorbed the soulfire with Dark Force.

“You twit!” Daimon yelled at Alanna.  “Only your silly sister is more wretched than you!”

“Daimon!”  Alanna yelled.  “This isn’t like you!”

Diana grabbed Daimon’s trident. 

“Fool!” He screamed.  “I control the trident.”  Diana felt the trident heat up.  “Now, I will kill you!”

Hal Jordan aimed his ring at Daimon and fired.  Daimon screamed.  He snatched the trident back and prepared to fire.  A fist of steel reached for the trident before Daimon could fire it.  Despite the soulfire surging through it, Krystal held it tightly.

“No one will die here today.”  Krystal spoke calmly, forcefully.  “Not today.”

They heard a voice from the darkness.

“Put it away and leave, Hellspawn.”

Daimon looked into the shadows.

“You!  You will pay for this!”

“Maybe.”  Jade walked out of the shadows.  “But as Krystal said, not today.”

He struggled to aim his trident at her.  She smiled with confidence.  Her hands both flamed green.  His eyes widened.  He vanished. 

Jade’s green flame pierced the Star Sapphire.  She aimed her other hand back at Hallie Jordan.  Hallie solidified.

“What?”

“Jade?”  Alanna asked.  “What happened?”

Linda glared at her.

“You know what happened.  You should have told me.  You nearly released all of Gaea’s power!”

Alanna fumed.

“I did what I had to do.  I brought her back!”

“Yes, you did!”  Linda accused.  “But Hallie Jordan was dead!  Her body was gone and so was her soul.  You disrupted the natural order!”

“And you don’t, little Linda?  Or should I call you Jade, or just Gaea?”

Linda’s eyes burned red with anger.  Her body burned green.

“I am not Gaea.  I contain Gaea.  But my true name is Linda Lee Kyle.  If I were truly Gaea, you would not be here.”  She turned to look at Hallie Jordan.

“Hallie, none of this is your fault.  You have been injured by our thoughtlessness and our foolishness.  We have taken you from your final reward.  Not even Gaea in her madness condones that.  I am sorry.”

Diana walked over to Hallie.  She reached out to touch the Star Sapphire.

“There seems to be some substance, this time.  What did you do?”

“Tell them, Squirt.”  Alanna snarled.  “Tell them all about it.  Tell them what you really are.”  Alanna hesitated.  “I’m sorry, little one, that’s not fair.”  Then she growled.  “Oh, yes it is!”

“Linda?”  Krystal asked with concern.  “Are you all right?”

“No, Krys.”  Linda appeared exhausted.  “She’s right.  I’m dead.  I’m nothing more than a Spectre of the girl who died during the Final Night.  I have fought on too long.  I am returning to Hell, where I belong.”

Terrified, Alanna spun a dark force shield.  She took them out of real space.

“Not while I have my power!”  Alanna screamed.  Dark Force raged.  They felt it grow stronger.  “I won’t lose you now!”  She aimed Dark Force at Linda and fired.  Her Dark Force hit Linda full force.  Linda seemed be surprised.  Then, she wavered.  Then, she disappeared. 

“Linda?”  Alanna panicked.

Diana spun her lasso around Alanna.  She pulled it tight.

“Alanna! Stop this madness!”

“I!  I!”  Alanna seemed to withdraw inside herself. 

She slumped to the ground.

“I…”  She vanished.

“Daddy?”  Hallie wavered.

Hal Jordan flashed his ring at the Star Sapphire.

“Linda tied your energies to the Sapphire.  It’s an anchor.  But that’s all it is.”

Krystal scanned through the Dark Force.

“Where the Hell are we?”

“I have no clue.” Diana answered.  “I’m not sure I want to know.”

Elsewhere

Alanna floated in darkness of the void.  What will Dad say?  What if I tell him that she was dead anyway?  I’m so afraid!  So afraid of what they’ll do to me.  I killed the Champion of Life.  I killed the Keeper of the Starheart.  I killed the Champion of the Green Flame!

She felt the terror grow.  Must fight this!  I’ve allowed myself to grow afraid.  Must fight this off.  She found a strength inside herself that she did not expect.  A stray thought floated through the back of her mind.  How can the Phoenix die? Remember the power of the Phoenix.  Its physical form has always been a manifestation of its flame!  And if I had truly killed her, I would have released Gaea – and that didn’t happen.

Enough.  I’ve had enough.  Something has been at me.  Something malicious. She aimed her Dark Force into herself.  Hurts.  Must be what Linda felt when I took too much power.  She felt things die within herself.  Light that should never have existed faded to black.  She evacuated her body of shadow.  She aged it to death and beyond.  She sensed spells evaporating.  She reversed the aging process and took her body back to one original cell.  She concentrated on the cell.  Once she was sure of what she had seen, she aged the cell back into a body and back into her natural age.  She reclaimed her physical form.  She restarted her examination.

The bubble

“What happened?” Hallie asked.  “Where are we?”

Diana sighed.

“Something is wrong with Alanna.  I think Linda provoked her on purpose.  I don’t know where either of them is now.”

“Alanna didn’t fully block my ring this time.”  Hal concentrated.  “I can try to take us back.”

“No need.”  The Shade reappeared inside the sphere.  “I’ll take you back in a minute.  Linda is up to something, I can tell.  She’s a good actress, but a bit of a ham.  We need to give her a few minutes before we go back to normal space.”

“Is there any truth to what she said?”  Krystal asked.  “Is Linda really dead?  Where did my memories really come from?”

Alanna smiled gently.

“Krys, I could give you a philosophical answer, but I won’t.  The real answer is that it probably doesn’t matter.  Not in this family.  The normal rules just don’t apply.”

Krystal’s eyes lit up.

“E=MC²!  When Energy is infinite, M can be anything!”

Diana grinned.

“Descartes – I think, therefore I am.”

Alanna grinned more viciously.

“More like Heaven won’t have me and Hell’s afraid I’ll take over.”

Outside the Portals of Hell

Jade stood alone.  She made a gesture of warning and intent.  Then she pointed to the portal.

Hell

“Master!”  Hades’ servant groveled.  “We have a problem.  She threatens to destroy the Portal.  Should I contact Daimon?”

“No.”  Hades vanished.

Outside the Portals of Hell

Hades appeared.  Jade’s shields consumed them both.  Hades reinforced her shields.  She crossed her arms and scowled.

“You’ve been hit.  Daimon no longer serves you.”

Hades nodded.

“I know.  Ares grows bold.  How did you know?”

Linda frowned.

“I know Daimon when he’s human.  I know Daimon when he’s not.  I know the difference.  Daimon never panics.  Until today.”

Hades sighed.

“But you did not come here for this.  There is more.”

“Yep.”  Linda turned away.  “We screwed up.  We disrupted the natural order today.  We reclaimed the dead.  I didn’t understand until it was too late.  I need your advice.”

Hades teased.

“That bit with Elise Zoldar wasn’t violating the natural order?” (Elf note:  The Order of Oa – Chapter 3 – Descent).

Linda glared back.

“We never let Mom’s body die.  I played by the rules.  As long as the body lives, the soul is fair game.”

“And what about you?”  Hades smiled.  “Are you here to cross over?”

Linda frowned.  Then she laughed.

“Gee, this brings back memories!  Memories I’d rather forget.  No, you can guess the Chaos my true death would bring.  All of Gaea’s power would be released.  All of it.  Do you really want to face that?”

“No.”  He grew somber.  “I know what happened in the Kayzik home universe.  Not even Ares would wish that.  Of course, he might think that he does.”

Linda scowled up at him.

“You do want your answer.”  He remarked.  “I do not have one.”  He looked thoughtful.  “Yes, I do.  Follow your instincts.  You will know what to do.”

Linda smiled.

“Not often you give that kind of direct advice.”

“Yes.”  Hades acknowledged.  “But she is in your realm, not mine.  The deed is done.  It cannot be easily undone.”  He turned.  “You are the Champion of Life.  You must guide the living.  I will deal with the remaining consequences.”

“Thank you.”  She answered graciously.  “Hades, I gotta warn you.  Be careful who you trust.  Ares isn’t working alone.  We just found out the hard way.”

He considered.

“A different mystic signature?”

She answered immediately.

“Yep.  Alanna is fighting it, but I had to trick her to face it.  Who ever did it completely missed the key.  That’s the one piece of good news.”

Hades scowled.

“Ares’ children are effective, but not brilliant.  Remember that.”

“I will.”  Her hands burst into flame.  “Wanna make this look good?”  She grinned.  “Let’s give ‘em a real show!”

His eyes sparkled with pleasure.

“I love a good deception.  And Ares will eat this up!”

Their protection dropped.

Jade fired Green Flame at Satan.

“If my time in this realm is over, then I shall rule Hell instead!  You shall be my lackey!”

“You do not have the power, Mortal!”  He fired soulfire.  It forced her back.  She circled around.  The battle continued.

The bubble – not long after

“Ah!  Here she comes!”  Alanna grinned.  They smelled brimstone.

“Where were you?”  Krystal asked.

“Having one Hell of a good time!”  Linda smirked.  “But now, we gotta deal with what we’ve done.”

“Yes.”  Alanna agreed.

They faced Hallie Jordan.  She smiled.

“You really are Linda Kent.  I see that now.  I’m sorry I did not make the connection before.”  She bit her lip.  “I remember the drawing that we found in Mary Kent’s bedroom.  I asked her who it was.  She said it was her daughter.  I know now that it was a drawing of you.  May I ask what decision have you made for me?”

Alanna answered honestly.

“You must make the choice.  Only you can choose the path that is right for you.”

Hallie considered and decided.

“I want to stay, but I have no body.  How can I live?”

Linda giggled.  Alanna smirked.

Green flame tugged at the hidden compartment in Hal Jordan’s ring.  Dark Force surrounded a tiny hair.  A single cell separated from the rest.  The hair returned to the ring.

Alanna held the cell.  Linda energized it.  Alanna guided it and altered it.  A field of light covered both Hallie and the growth.  The light grew and grew.  Then it disappeared.

“What happened to her?”  Hal Jordan asked with worry.  “What happened to Hallie?”

“What?”  Hallie manifested.  “Don’t you see me?  Daddy?”

The following day

Diana sat with Alanna.

“That was an unorthodox solution, to say the least.”

Alanna grinned.

“True.  But it solves a lot of problems.”

“Alanna, she’ll never be able to have a normal life.”

Alanna scoffed.

“What’s normal?  She’s just as normal as the rest of us.”

“Alanna, she’s nothing more than a wraith that can become solid.  You didn’t even leave her the power of the Star Sapphire.”

Alanna glared.

“Yes I did.  She’ll know how to get to it when she has to.  But not until.”  She smiled.  “Understand what I really did.  In astral form she’s immune to just about anything.  If something happens to her in physical form, she reverts to astral form.  And she has a few more capabilities she’ll have to discover.”

Diana smiled with amazement.

“Alanna, I never figured you for a geneticist.”

Alanna grinned.

“I’m not, really.  I just know what gives me my shadow powers and my Dark Force powers.  I learn quickly when I have to.  And I had to.  I had to get it right.  And I didn’t want to leave a mystic signature.  That’s a weakness even I have.”

“Guess I don’t have one.”  Hallie appeared.  “You didn’t spot me!  Toodles!  Astra’s off to New Oa.”  She disappeared.

“Astra?”  Diana chuckled as Hallie vanished.  “It fits.”

“I think so.”  Alanna looked where Astra had disappeared.

Epilogue – Hell

You are not Daimon.  Not really.  Just who are you?  Hades marched down the hall towards his son.  Why would Ares be so interested in Hell?

He sighed.

When the time comes, I may have to really kill you.  When the time comes.  He walked away from Daimon.

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2002 by Eldric

-- and may not be reprinted without permission. 

-- Otherverse and Dark Earth, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook

-- Alterverse, The Realm and Shadowverse, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- are original creations of Eldric, John P. and Jason G respectively.

-- Some characters in Continuum Worlds stories are original

-- creations of Dylan Clearbrook, Michael Liebhart,

-- Jake H., Jason Froikin, Eldric, Jason G, or Andrew Shields and may not

-- be used without express permission of the respective author

-- Supergirl, Lar Gand and other DC characters are property of D.C. Comics

-- Rogue, Jennifer Walters and other Marvel characters are property of Marvel Comics