The Inheritors/Alterverse |
Chapter 15:Shadow Crossing, Part 1 |
Alterverse, a small farm in Kansas November 2007
(Editor’s note—AV’s Calendar runs 4 years, 9 months ahead of the rest of the Continuum. This story follows The Inheritors Chapter 14: Breakdown and Alterverse: the Sentinel War, Chapter 3: Blood War.)
On an Indian summer evening, the old man swung on the porch swing with his wife, his companion of more than half a century. They smiled gently to each other. There, nestled between them, slept the young woman they had raised from childhood to adolescence. Although her family had since come to reclaim her, it was this place—their farm—that still called to her heart. The apple of their eye, she had been the child of their winter years. For so many happy years, their only dream had been to provide for her and to leave her the tools and knowledge she would need to tend their farm after they passed on.
A sweet child, she had only wanted a place to be, where she had nothing to fear. But she had come to love them fiercely. They had poured their hearts and their energies into the little waif, hoping she would have a good life—a life she could look back on with pride. The couple provided the morals they hoped would ground her. They had hoped those morals would sustain her throughout her life.
John and Mary Kent swung quietly in the swing. John silently laughed at a stray thought. In his youth, he had dreamed of changing the face of his world. He would do something so extraordinary that all mankind would remember him for it. But as time went by, his ambitions lessened. By the time she entered their lives, the Kents were content. She and hers might remember them and that was enough.
John Kent looked at their little one once more. They had scant time with her now, but he treasured every moment. He wondered if God had enjoyed playing his little game with them. John silently traced the part in the young woman’s dark green hair, where the green skin shown through.
John chuckled gently. He had wanted to change the world. By choosing to raise this child, he had changed the universe. And the universe was not done with them yet.
When their little girl had been stolen from them, they had seemingly died of heartbreak. But their farm had called her back. Those who loved their little Linda had brought their farm back to life. And their shared affection had anchored the Kents to the world of the living.
Not for the first time, John wondered if it had been some force of providence that had brought the Kryptonian family to this farm. It was certainly no coincidence that the young Kryptonian named Kal-El had adopted him as a father image. He hoped he would be able to give the guidance the young Kryptonian would need to grow into adulthood.
He smiled at his wife. Poor little Linda Lee Danvers. Tiny little runt of a child. Who would have ever guessed?
They heard the lightest of steps. Little Kal-El of Krypton stood in front of them. Ready to speak, he instead floated into the air and landed on the little bit of open space on the porch swing to Mary Kent’s left side. Unusual for him, he quietly rocked with them.
All remained quiet for several minutes more. Then, the air seemed to whistle. John hoped that Kal’s sister Kira was returning home. Kira had been avoiding the farm recently—a recent crisis had forced the young woman to euthanize several of her Daxamite friends against her will. A mercy killing, it had saved them from worsening madness and an agonizing death. But it damned her in her own eyes.
But no, this was not her. A male Kryptonian approached.
Kal-El’s eyes widened as the young man landed quietly on their porch. More than six feet tall and still growing, his youthful vitality combined with a muscular build and an unconscious sense of grace and presence. Kal looked at the young man and hoped he was looking at his own future. With a smile, he realized he probably was.
The young man seemed entranced by the group of them. Finally, the sleeping young woman stirred and looked at them and their guest.
“Hi Sam!” She greeted gently. “Welcome to Alterverse!” She smiled at the older couple and Kal. “This is Faith’s boyfriend, Samuel Clark Kent, the Superboy of their Earth.”
Sam reddened. “I’m not Faith’s boyfriend!”
“Then why are you here?” Linda asked mischievously. “Let me guess. Connor dumped Faith and she’s come to see Dad.”
He reddened even more. Then, he turned to Kal. “You must be Kal-El. My Dad was, too!”
“He was?” Kal beamed.
“Yup!” Sam regained his color. “Greatest hero my world has ever known.” He turned to the Kents. “Mr. and Mrs. Kent, I have to admit I’m a little flustered.” Sam pulled out a small photograph from his cape. It could have been Kal and the Kents. “This is a picture of my father and his folks, Jonathan and Martha Kent.”
Alterverse, a railroad wreck, somewhere in Wyoming
Faith Powers Scott stood before the ancient railroad wreck. Shedding her Huntress costume, she shifted into her father’s ‘JSA—The First, the Best!’ sweatshirt and comfortable jeans and boots. Although the air temperature could not have been more than freezing, the Emerald Fire that burned within kept her warm.
Not for the first time, she wondered about the families of the many men who had died in the wreck. She wondered if those families still survived, and if they did, whether they even remembered the men who had died here. After the passing of more than sixty-six years in Alterverse since the derailment, she wondered if only she and this world’s Alan Scott truly cared about this place.
She heard heavy footsteps in the snow behind her. The footsteps were familiar, the same sounds she imagined her father would have made. Indeed, that was why she had come here—because this was a place sacred to them both. She felt his hand on her shoulder.
Alterverse—Smallville
Mary Kent guided Linda into the farmhouse. “Linda! That was rude: teasing a guest before you even introduce him.”
Linda grinned. “If it weren’t true, don’t you think I’d be chasing him across the sky? And be truthful, Aunt Mary, wouldn’t you be tempted, too?”
Mary Kent reddened. “He’s a mite young.”
Linda teased. “That’s Faith’s line. For now, anyway.”
“For now.” Mary agreed. “But just for now.” She surprised herself by giggling. Before she could feel embarrassed, Linda joined her.
Several miles above the Kent farm
Sam played tag with Kal and Krypto.
“Catch me if you can!” Kal fled upward though the atmosphere and towards open space.
Damn! Sam cursed to himself. My Dad couldn’t be in space for more than a few minutes before he had to breathe. We’re not like Kal and his family. Well, maybe I can catch him before he gets too far.
Sam drove upwards through the atmosphere. He accelerated after the fleeing Kal-El. As he departed the atmosphere, his body processed unfiltered sunlight for the first time. He felt himself supercharge. His speed increased and he felt his need to breath vanish. His supercharged skin reflexively activated into active mode—splitting the carbon dioxide in his blood back to carbon and oxygen, and expelling the carbon.
As Kal increased his speed and jumped into Hyperspace, Sam closed the gap and jumped right behind him. Sam caught the giggling Kal just beyond Alpha Centauri. He tagged Kal and headed back for Earth.
Alterverse—Wyoming
“…so then Connor dumped me.” Faith glanced at a casually dressed Alan Scott with bewilderment. “He said he liked me, but that he didn’t think I could ever truly love him. Alan, you’re a man. What was I supposed to say?”
The Sentinel smiled wryly. “I hope we can be friends, someday.”
Her look of disbelief triggered his laughter. “Faith, please don’t take this as an attack. I’ve heard shock, disbelief, and confusion from you. I’ve heard questions about how you should have handled it. But, frankly, I haven’t heard a bit of regret or loss.”
She blurted. “Are you saying I’m heartless?”
He laughed again. “I know you to be many things, but never heartless. Those things you care to do, you do well because you do truly care. It’s your greatest strength.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “You like Connor. He’s likable enough. But you have no emotional investment in that relationship. How could you? You have almost nothing in common. He thinks of bagging a rabbit for dinner. You think of your next trip to Oa.”
“That’s not fair!” She protested. “I haven’t been wielding the Emerald Fire that long!”
He sighed. “But you do wield it. You can’t help it; it’s part of you. You won’t ever be just the Huntress of Huntress Wood again. You belong to your world and your universe. You have already chosen to take on that responsibility.”
“Chosen?” She laughed harshly. “I do what I have to. Maybe Sam will have a choice, but I never have—not really.”
Alan smiled warmly. “Because deep in your soul, you’re a Green Lantern and you know it. And someone has to watch after the Kryptonians!” He chuckled. “Especially when the only one in your universe would rather fly into a light post than take his eyes off of you.”
She blushed green. “Puppy love. He’ll get over it.”
Will he ever really get the opportunity? Alan smiled. You came and you brought Sam. Not Donna and not Dawn. Sam. And you didn’t give it a second thought, did you? “I hope he’ll get to spend some time with Kira before you have to go back. She’s been going through some rough times.” (Elf note: Alterverse, the Sentinel War: Chapter 3: Blood War.)
He scowled at a bitter memory. “Several of her Daxamite friends were doomed by an experiment that we caused. They were dying and there was no hope for a cure. Kira was forced to euthanize them to put them out of their misery. There…”
Alan stopped with surprise. Faith’s eyes had lost their focus. Her skin had taken on a hint of green shading. She hung her head as her features strained against a remembered agony.
Finally, she asked quietly. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No.” Alan answered gently. “Mary is working with her.” Life hasn’t been kind to you, has it?
Hawksbill Peak, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Kira sat on the edge of the overlook. Her duties done for the day, she took the time to reflect on her friends from Daxam. She hoped that time would lessen her pain, but so far, it hadn’t. A cold breeze blew through the night. Invulnerable, she wondered why she still felt the cold.
She looked into the sky once more, just in time to watch a red and blue blur approach from the west. Curious, she focused her telescopic vision.
Sam? What’s he doing here? Kira stood to greet him.
The Inheritor’s Universe—Williamsburg, VA, Free Zone Government Center—February 2003 (Same as Alterverse November 2007)
Dick Grayson walked down the halls of the Inheritor’s government center. He passed Thea, the Amazon scholar. She targeted him with a look of frustration.
“How goes the instruction?” He asked innocently.
“Not well.” She glowered. “I’m supposed to be instructing the three younger residents of the Huntress’ Wood: Faith, Sam, and Dawn. I see Dawn several hours a day, but to do that I have to drag her away from every young male in the vicinity. She has three dozen boyfriends that I can count.”
Dick laughed. “I hear it’s not all that unusual. Ray doesn’t seem too concerned. He says that with Dawn, when she gets down to a dozen boyfriends, he’ll start to worry.” They walked down towards Oliver Queen’s suite of offices.
Thea glowered. “The worst part? Dawn is the honor student. I see Sam sporadically and I haven’t seen Faith here yet. How can I expect to teach them if I can’t even find them?”
“I don’t know.” He answered sympathetically. “But I don’t think they’re avoiding you on purpose. Remember, they aren’t your typical students. Faith’s responsibilities span known space and Sam’s aren’t much less.”
He grinned. “I helped raise Sam. He was never the world’s best student, but he’s more focused than he used to be. Lois says he sees far more than he lets on. I have no doubt that’s true.”
Thea nodded with studied interest. He added. “If you want to gauge Faith’s level of knowledge, you really need to talk to Ray. She has some rather esoteric interests, some of which only make sense for a girl who learned to survive in the wilderness. But I will have to admit that even I still don’t know her all that well. That said, I wonder how many of us would have had the wisdom to make the decisions she’s had to make.”
Thea gazed at Dick with curiosity. “I’ve botched the job, haven’t I? Hippolyta sent me to guide them and I’ve expected to teach them in a standard classroom environment. That might work with Dawn, but not with either Faith or Sam—classroom instruction is just a distraction for them, isn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way.” Dick replied. “But I always have to remember to listen when I deal with them. And I never fail to learn something new.”
“You know,” she confided, “I’ve made a very elementary error. I failed to take into account who and what my students are. And if I’m going to be of value to them, I need to understand more about them.”
“Ask Dawn to take you to the Wood.” Dick advised. “If you want to understand the Huntress, go to the Wood. And Sam’s mother is usually there, too.” And someone else.
Ten minutes later
Dick entered Oliver Queen’s office. He’s come a long way for such a foul-mouthed archer.
Ollie Queen stood arguing with Hippolyta and Steve Trevor, Junior. “Pure efficiency isn’t the most important concept here. We have to maintain civilian control over the military. Otherwise, we’re just as guilty as Luthor!”
“But we have…” Steve realized they had company.
“Don’t stop talking on my account.” Dick smiled. “I just represent the loyal opposition. I’m the guy who tries to keep the metas and the military out of each others’ way.”
Steve Trevor reconsidered. “A very valid point. Ollie, as much as I hate to admit it, you are right: this time. There must be civilian oversight. The military does not exist to serve itself, but the hard part now is trying to find the balance we need.”
Ollie nodded. “And we never get it quite right, kid. We just do the best we can.”
“Oliver, are you feeling all right?” Hippolyta asked with concern. “That almost sounded sympathetic.”
“Yes.” He sighed. “Just responsible. But we’re making good progress. We’ve unified most of the local governments in the area. And our combined military forces still seem to be doing the job, even after you sent half your Amazon troops back.”
“No choice, Oliver.” She retorted. “We still have an active hell-mouth under our Island. And I’ve had to swap several of my warriors for specialists. Thea, as you can guess, is one. I have another on the way to Gotham.”
“Another school teacher?” Ollie asked. “Someone to keep the Batman’s kid in line?”
Hippolyta laughed. “Actually, I took the opposite approach. I felt that Helena would benefit more from something different. She has enough darkness in her life.”
“Something different?” Ollie asked directly. “Which means?”
Hippolyta smiled. “It is certainly a beautiful day, Steve. Don’t you agree?”
Alterverse—Hawksbill Peak—An hour later
Kira almost smiled. “Thanks for listening to me for so long, Sam. It’s hard to find someone who can understand what I’m trying to work through.”
Sam smiled gently. “I try. Believe me, I know how difficult it is to try to handle Kryptonian powers when you didn’t grow up with them. And I’m just starting to learn about the responsibilities that come with them. You did something extremely difficult, because you had to. I hope that when my turn comes, I’ll have your courage.”
Kira smiled affectionately. “I’m sure that you will, Sam.”
“Thank you.” Sam looked into the distance. His distracted expression puzzled her. He requested earnestly. “Kira, I’d like to ask a small favor.”
“After letting me unload like this?” Kira agreed. “Anything!”
“Thanks!” He smiled for a brief second. “Faith has a small graveyard for her family of cats. I know most folks would think that’s nuts, but to Faith, Cat and her descendents were her family. They took her in and they gave her shelter and companionship. Cat taught her how to hunt. Absolutely remarkable for a wild animal with no reason to do what she did.”
Kira looked at him oddly.
“Anyway,” he continued, “I’m a Kryptonian and probably an overly curious one at that. I looked into the graveyard at the mountain lions’ skeletons and I noticed something funny. Several of the necks were not straight. Kira, remember the day we met?”
“Yes.” She answered, clearly puzzled.
“I got a rather nasty surprise later that night.” He frowned. “If you’ll recall, her cat, Bertha, had just passed away. I went back later that evening and looked. Her neck had been snapped.”
“What?” Kira asked with astonishment. “What did she...?
Sam answered calmly. “I was confused. So I looked for Ray Palmer and I told him what I’d found. He told me the strangest thing. He said to me that wild things are born to run free. Mountain lions have their time in the sun, and as long as they can live their lives freely, they are content. But, he said that nature is cruel. Predators rarely die quickly. They come to the point where they can’t hunt any more and begin to slowly starve.”
Touched by the horror, Kira closed her eyes.
Sam spoke gently. “Ray told me that the cat family trusted her more than he would ever understand. They wanted her as their companion during their days under the sun. But when their infirmities doomed them to a lingering death, they returned to her. Because they understood that she loved them too much to let them suffer. Kira, I don’t think I really understood what that meant until today.”
He frowned. “What I did understand was how much it cost her to do that for them.”
“How awful!” Kira sympathized.
Sam nodded agreement. “But, I know Faith. As much as it will pain her—and it will pain her—she will want to help you. I know she’s never had to do kill a human being that way, but euthanising her cats hurts her so much that she won’t talk to me about it. But she knows that you hurt and she knows that you’re important to Lyla and to me, so she will try her best to comfort you. Please understand that she only wants to help.”
“Important to you?” Kira smiled mischievously.
Sam smiled gently. “Best friend I’ll ever have or want.” Then he appeared distracted again. Kira spotted the reason for his distraction and knew he had to leave. Sam held Kira in a bear hug, stepped back, waved, and blasted off into the heavens.
I felt that! Kira marveled. But Sam is from a Post-Crisis universe—Alan told me about those universes. He’s not supposed to be that strong. She found her thoughts interrupted by an approaching green light. Faith descended rapidly from the heavens and touched down.
“Kira,” she began awkwardly, “I…”
Kira interrupted. “You know, it’s a beautiful night, tonight. The woods seem so wonderfully alive and I can see the forest creatures roaming freely.” She smiled warmly. “Sam tells me that the lions of your Wood have taken to you. I’d love to hear about the cat that took you in.”
Faith smiled with relief. She began to recount her first encounters with Cat, the mountain lion that had adopted her.
A more skilled conversationalist than her mother, Kira maneuvered the topics of their discussions. By the end of the evening, Kira had both a new friend and a lighter heart.
The Inheritors’ Universe—The Batcave
Selina checked the Batcave databanks. “Are we in sync again, Lois? I think we’ve trapped almost all of Thomas’ sabotage work.”
“So far, we’re checking out all right.” She heard Lois from the Huntress Wood. “Ray?”
Ray appeared from Selina’s comms device. He grew to full size. “Here, Lois.” His fingers pounded the Bat computer’s keyboard. “Everything checks out so far, but I built several extra firewalls in, just in case.” He frowned at Selina. “Thomas will be back. It’s just a matter of when.”
Selina countered. “We’ll do what we have to.”
“And it still won’t be enough.” Ray rejoined. “Nothing stops the Batman. And Thomas is just a slightly warped mirror of his father.”
“And Helena?” Selina queried.
Ray smiled. “Helena is not the Batman. Whatever destiny she chooses, it will be uniquely her own.” He made more adjustments to the Bat computer software.
“Isn’t that true for all of us?” Selina prodded.
Ray sighed. “Selina, I know what you are. You’re an opportunist with her back against the wall. And I know what Bruce was—a man driven by an anger that he could barely control. And I know what Helena is. I respected Bruce and I respect what you have done with Gotham. But I like and trust Helena. Congratulations Selina, you’ve done what every parent hopes to do: give a child to society that is greater than the sum of its parents.”
Selina’s mind seethed with replies, none of which she could vocalize. An interruption by Alfred saved them both.
“Ms. Kyle, you have a most unusual visitor.” Alfred spoke warmly. Selina stepped away from Ray, who suspected that his life expectancy had just risen by several years. Selina walked around the console to find Alfred chatting with a young, strongly-built, long blond-haired woman. She wore clothes typical for a Gotham winter, although they appeared suspiciously new to Selina. The young woman effused praise for her surroundings.
“What an amazing place this is!” She exclaimed. “So much technology and so well kept! I admire anyone who can do this type of work. My compliments to the person who does this spectacular a job!”
Alfred blushed. Selina strolled towards her. “Can I help you, Miss?”
The young woman responded enthusiastically. “I hope so.” She looked around. “I’ve never seen a cave like this! All of it put to such good use! And all the interesting displays!” She looked over towards one of the Batman’s trophies. “Wow! So well laid out! Can you tell me about it?”
Selina answered cautiously. “Young lady, I might if I had a reason to. First, who are you and what are you doing here?” You do look a little like the Kryptonians. But that’s not all that unusual. So, why do I get chills just looking at you? As if you’ve walked on my grave.
“Well,” the young woman answered, “I don’t really know why I’m here. I think I’m in trouble, as usual, but I can’t really be sure.”
“In trouble?” Selina asked with amusement.
“Well…” the young woman tried to explain, “I’ve been accused of acting before thinking. My sisters may have sent me here to give me a chance to prove it.”
Selina laughed. “Your name?”
“Stella.” The young woman answered with confidence. “Simple, gets the job done.”
Selina nodded. “So, Miss Stella, just what do you do?”
“I teach self defense, as well as offensive maneuvers.” Stella answered. “I’ve been told I’m very good at what I do.”
My, my. Confident, aren’t you? This should be fun! Selina grinned. I promise I won’t hurt her. “En garde!” Selina playfully kicked at the young woman. Suddenly, Stella’s expression went blank. She grabbed Selina’s ankle with one hand and Selina’s thigh with the other. With unexpected speed, Stella reflexively tossed Selina over her head. Selina regained her balance, but still landed hard.
“Oh, no!” Stella gasped. “I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!” She rushed over to Selina and reached down to pull her up. “Are you all right?” As Selina nodded, the girl reached for her hand. A silver bracelet snaked out of Stella’s sleeve behind her wrist. “I really should be more careful!”
Selina grumbled to herself. I know that the Amazons came from the souls of women who were killed before their time. If I could find it in myself to truly dislike her, she would be twice an Amazon! She heard Ray’s laughter behind her. He walked over and reached a hand down to Selina. She allowed the two of them to pull her up. At the same time, Ray recognized the silver bracelet.
“I’m Ray Palmer, Stella. You’ll have to forgive my surprise, but you just don’t strike me as a 3,000 year old woman.”
Stella smiled sheepishly. “I like to think I’ve lived well. I will admit that I’ve been accused of aging many of the other Amazons”.”
Selina grimaced. Hippolyta does nothing without forethought. She chose you for a reason. I wonder what?
Stella admired one of the trophies. “Amazing! This is from outer space!” She smiled gently. “Queen Hippolyta always teases me about having stars in my eyes. She says I probably belong anywhere but Themyscira. So much to learn! I’m so glad that the Queen sent me. I would love to stay here and study these artifacts.”
Selina groaned. I don’t need this woman in my way right now. Not right now! Hippolyta, how could you do this? Time to end this and send Miss Arrogant on her way. “I…”
“… think that can be arranged.” Selina heard behind her. She heard Helena drop from on top of one of the displays to the floor. “Helena Wayne!” The Raven walked towards the Amazon
Stella’s eyes lost focus for a moment. “Weird. I could swear I’ve been here before—and I’ve known you.” She looked at Helena. “You’re younger than you’re supposed to be.” Stella shook her head several times. “I’m sorry, Helena, that was the strangest feeling.”
“Strange?” Helena questioned back.
Stella nodded. “I feel like this is the only place I’ve ever felt at home. But I haven’t been here before.” She looked up at Helena. “Have I?”
Kalik Prime, somewhere in the constellation of Sagittarius
The Green Lantern hung in space, just outside D’galthul’s. Your satisfaction guaranteed, whatever your desire. She smirked. Silly little yellow establishment on a silly yellow world. They think painting their establishment yellow will protect them from me. Never!
She activated her ring. “Kalik Prime, this is the Green Lantern of sector 2753. I seek information.”
She heard laughter on the other end. “Go away Green Lantern, you are not welcome here.”
She repeated. “I seek information, only. Once I have it, I will depart.”
She heard laughter. “Our doors are locked. We cannot open them. You are welcome to try.”
So predictable. She smirked. Why thank you! “Kalik Prime, you obviously have a health and safety issue. So it will be my pleasure to lend a hand!”
She targeted the entrance to the D’galthul’s establishment. Heat vision bore down on the sides of the gigantic doors—huge doors built to allow Hyperspace liners to enter and exit. She burned the doors off their hinges. Approaching the surface of the planet at super speed, she caught the doors before they could fall to the ground. With two mighty heaves, she threw one door, and then the other, hundreds of miles across the surface of the planet.
She marched into the gigantic hangar bay. “I’m so glad I could contribute to the safety of your establishment!” She almost sneered. “Now, I’d like to ask your assistance. I need information, and I need it now!” Her eyes began to glow red again.
A creature she did not recognize appeared to take control. “I am Lither, the security chief of this establishment. This is the second time in the last six months that the Guardians’ agents have attacked us, seeking information. If you do not leave immediately, I will file a formal complaint!”
The Green Lantern answered in a growl, “I seek only that which belongs to me: my family. Tell me how to find them and I will leave peacefully.”
Lither held his ground. “Then seek out the Green Lantern of sector 1417 and her companion Green Lantern. Perhaps her companion will find you less to her taste than me. The creature—I think she was called the Huntress—would have consumed me whole.”
The Green Lantern smirked. “Then I assume that her good taste and your foul stench prevented the occurrence. Very well, I will follow up with the Guardians before I return. But in the meantime, might I suggest that you have your doors repaired? They seem to be malfunctioning.” She vanished at super speed.
“Sir, what was that?” A junior guard asked Lither.
“I don’t know.” Lither responded emphatically. “And I don’t want to know!”
An ancient antiquities shop in Gotham
Donna leaned against Duncan MacLeod’s counter. Duncan looked through his books while Joe Dawson scowled.
“Donna,” Joe admitted, “my information sources are drying up. I’ve never been in the Watchers’ Councils’ inner circle and my associations with Mac and the rest of you make me even more suspect.”
Donna chuckled. “Well, I guess I can see their point. We aren’t the most circumspect group of people.”
Joe laughed. “Well, true. The Council has known about Themyscira for some time, but has always kept their distance because of the perceived threat. They observed the other metas in the world with interest, but realized that the metas had more pressing matters than the Council. With the exception of Victor Von Doom, the metas were easily observed and trivialized.”
“Until?” Donna asked.
“Oracle.” Joe replied with admiration. “It’s everything the Council fears. Batgirl’s network is reliable, almost impenetrable, extremely well defended, and it has access to power beyond the Council’s wildest dreams. With the addition of Lois Lane and Nightwing, Oracle Prime has become even more deadly accurate in its work. And now the council knows there are immortals at its core.”
Donna nodded. She smiled wryly. “We do tend to outlast many of our problems.” She frowned. “I can’t believe I said that.” Then, Donna shrugged. “Lois said that Rupert Giles is in England continuing his research. We may hear from him, soon. We hope so.”
Duncan leaned back. “The Inheritors turn up in more than a few prophecies. I though it unusual when I kept running across so many of them, but now I see why. Your little group has a bad habit of turning the world upside down.”
She started to respond to his verbal spar when the door slammed open. Selina Kyle breezed in. “I knew I’d find you here!” She walked up to Donna. “I want to know everything you know about Stella—including why your mother sent her to Helena!”
Duncan and Joe shared a concerned look. Sensing the inevitable, Duncan quipped. “I hear Joe’s mother calling me!” He led Joe out of the main part of the store.
Donna watched Selina with amusement. “Fussy kitty.” She chuckled. “Mother sends Helena the one Amazon who should be able to keep up with her without trying to lecture her endlessly? And you dare to bitch?”
Clearly annoyed, Donna answered Selina. “It’s very simple. Stella is brilliant. She has a habit of being overly aggressive, but when you’re dealing with the Batman’s daughter, you damned well better be. But Stella is loyal, faithful, and will never let Helena down.”
Donna smiled. “Stella is a little unique. The original Amazons are the reincarnations of women who died violently. But every Amazon remembers their prior life, except Stella. It’s as if she had no prior life.”
She continued. “But I couldn’t ask for a better friend. She helped to raise Diana, and then she helped to raise me. And she always took the time with us… And when I was so badly wounded, she was there for me… And…”
Donna smiled warmly. “And now I know who she is. She’s a Guardian Angel. Mine. And I do miss her!” Donna walked to the front of the store, opened the door, and took to the sky.
Well, what do you know? Selina smiled. Hippolyta really did send Helena the crown jewels! “Boys!” Selina called. “You can come out now; it’s safe!” Selina chuckled to herself as she bounced out of the door. Now, how am I going to get Donna back out of my cave?
Williamsburg—the Government Center
John Stewart flew in through a second story window. “Well, we got that done.”
“Thanks, John!” Dick looked up the sheath of papers at his desk. “Repairing that bridge probably saved us six months work.”
“Glad to do it.” John sat in front of Dick’s makeshift desk. “The progress you’ve made has been amazing! The military, the civilian forces, and the Amazons are so intent on cooperating.”
“Not to mention the Green Lantern Corps.” Dick emphasized. “Shutting down Darkseid’s supply lines has given us the break we needed to get this area truly organized—not to mention forcing Mongul to abandon his advance in the first place.”
John grinned. “It’s times like this that I’m most proud of the Corps. We’ll keep playing cat and mouse with Darkseid’s supply trains. Some will get through, but not the numbers that Mongul has seen before.”
“That leaves us in status quo.” Dick advocated. “Luthor’s people aren’t anxious to attack us—we act as a buffer state between them and Mongul’s forces to the west and south. And Mongul lost a lot of firepower the day of the battle. It will be a while before he’s ready to attack again.”
“And you’re not a paper tiger.” John approved. “You fought Mongul for this ground and you trashed the ugly yellow bastard fair and square.” He smiled. “I’m glad Faith asked for me to backfill when she decided to take that trip. I’ve been gone too long. Is it true, what I’ve heard about Thomas and Helena?”
Dick nodded. “Thomas is out there somewhere. We hear of scattered trails of dead metas. We will catch him, someday. But Helena is adapting to her new situation. And Hippolyta is sending someone to help.” He chuckled. “She’s decided she doesn’t want Ted gone from here for too long.”
“I’m the one who’s been gone too long.” John glowered. “I’m sorry to hear that Faith and Connor split up.”
“I’m not.” Dick smiled warmly. “Connor has already found other distractions. And Faith…Well, let’s just say our young friend continues to amaze me.”
“That bad?” John asked. “Well, she’s at the point of her life where she’s entitled to a few mistakes.”
“No.” Dick grinned. “I remember when I started chasing Barbara. I was a snot-nosed high school kid and she was a college graduate. Took me a while.”
John watched Dick incredulously. “Faith is cradle-robbing? I didn’t think she was the type.”
Dick chuckled. “No, John. She’s not robbing the cradle, not really. But she’s given Sam Lane something special—the chance to be himself with the one person who has a chance of understanding. And when I see them together, I can’t imagine either of them with anyone else.”
“Do I hear wedding bells?” John found his curiosity piqued. “Katma would love to come!”
Dick laughed. “Not yet. Not for some time. But from such fertile ground, what miracles may grow?”
John considered for a moment. Then he smiled and pulled Dick out of his chair. Opening the window, he pointed to a conversation down below. Dawn Allen chatted with half a dozen men, three of whom were in uniform. None of the young men had any fear of the chatty, friendly, young meta. Connor Hawke joined Dawn’s little group. Then, John pointed to the crowds passing by the buildings.
Across the courtyard from Dawn, Dick and John watched several young women chat about the fashions of the day. They saw several military troops head for the mess halls. And one man stood with a sign in a corner. ‘Metas go home!’ the sign read. Several people chuckled as they passed that sign.
“Never again.” A soldier passed by. “This is their home as much as it is ours.” But he left the protester unmolested.
“I think you have your answer.” John smiled broadly. “And maybe I have mine.”
Oa
Katma Tui landed. Another wasted trip. Either they didn’t know anything about Superman’s disappearance, or they are too afraid of Darkseid to talk to me! Me! The Sweetheart of the Green Lantern Corps! She chuckled to herself. Then, her ring interrupted her thoughts.
Interesting. A request to meet from an old friend. Hmm, I’ll look forward to this. John is off-planet, so we’ll have time to catch up. She activated her ring.
Oa’s moon—five minutes later
Katma spotted her friend on Oa’s only satellite. She smiled as she flew to her friend’s side.
“Kara! Kara Gand! It’s been so long!” She landed next to the other Green Lantern.
The blonde-haired woman approached Katma Tui. Lean and tall, Kara Gand exuded an easy aristocratic grace, although Katma sensed something uneasy about her. “Katma, congratulations! I understand that Korugar has been freed.”
Katma nodded grimly as she watched her friend. “Yes, my people have been freed from Sinestro’s tyranny. But most of my family and friends were assassinated during his reign. I am still trying to make sense of it. I don’t think I will truly ever understand Sinestro’s cruelty.”
Kara nodded. “I am so sorry. But is it true that John Stewart is back? And someone under his tutelage killed Sinestro?”
“Yes!” Katma answered proudly. “The Huntress killed Sinestro with a crossbow bolt.”
“Interesting.” Kara raised an eyebrow. “And what was her price for that endeavor?”
“Maybe revenge and maybe a ring for John.” Katma answered. “Her companion took it off Sinestro’s hand.”
“Odd. This does not make sense.” Kara puzzled. “She has not demanded anything from you? I had heard you took on an odd quest as part of the payback for freeing Korugar.”
Katma smiled warmly. “No. John had resumed the search for the Terran Superman as a favor to the Huntress. She is close to the son of the Superman. As you may recall, he was a Kryptonian.”
“Who happened to disappear at the same time as my husband, Lar.” Kara growled. “And I do remember that the Kryptonians were rumored to be an off-shoot of our peoples.”
“Yes,” Katma agreed, “but without the fatal Daxamite weakness to lead. That weakness is probably the only reason there aren’t more of you running around the universe.”
“True enough.” Kara agreed. “But the ring protects me from exposure to lead. Still, I wonder why the Guardians chose me, of all people, to be the first Green Lantern from Daxam.”
“I don’t know.” Katma admitted. “Or why they chose me to train you. But it’s not a coincidence.” Katma sighed. “Kara, my dear friend, I’ve known you for too many years to let this conversation continue. Something is horribly wrong. What is it?”
Kara lost her train of thought. “Katma, my children have been taken.” She announced. “I don’t know what’s going on, but all my investigations lead to you and your search for the Terran Superman.”
“Oh no!” Katma gasped. “They couldn’t be on Daxam?”
“I don’t think so.” Kara answered. “I used the ring. It couldn’t find them. Something else is happening.”
Katma sighed. “I don’t know all that much. I do know Darkseid was involved with Superman’s disappearance. We confirmed that when the Huntress and I visited D’galthul’s.” Katma searched her memory. “We only got the information we did because the Huntress and I improvised. She joined me rather unexpectedly and asked if Lither was dinner.” In spite of herself, Katma chuckled at the memory.
“Yuck!” Kara’s look of disgust triggered Katma’s laughter. “I can’t imagine a worse meal. I met the creature when I realigned the doors of their main hangar—the ones they claimed couldn’t open.” She scowled. “I’d like to meet this Huntress of yours. I have the oddest feeling that she and the young Kryptonian are tied to this whole thing.”
Katma nodded. “They are in a different probability at the moment—it’s a probability with a stable, concurrent time-line. But I’ll have the Corps page her as soon as she returns.”
“The Corps?” Kara asked with interest. “I didn’t know the Corps ran Communications Central.”
Katma grinned. “She has a rather unique tie to the Corps. She is a Green Lantern born.”
Kara’s eyebrows rose.
Alterverse—Sentinel’s Lair
Kira led Sam and the Alterverse Dr. Fate, Jeffrey Nelson, into Dr. Jenna’s infirmary. “Dr. Jenna, I’d like you to meet Sam, the Inheritors’ Superboy.”
“Greetings!” The Shantar doctor answered. “What can I do for you?”
Kira answered for him. “Dr. Jenna, I know that you have my files and those of my family. My friend Sam, here, is a Kryptonian from his probability.”
Jeffrey interrupted. “I’ve done a mystic scan of him and I’ve found some ‘peculiarities’. Nothing that I find a real concern, but still quite odd.”
“I prefer to think of myself as unique!” Sam quipped.
Twenty minutes later
Kira walked back to Dr. Jenna’s office with Sam. Inside, Jeffrey Nelson conferred with Dr. Jenna. Garja Jenna sat at a console, pulling reference materials for her father.
The young Shantar woman teased. “Kira, you do love puzzles, don’t you?” She stood and greeted Sam. “Hello, young Superman, I’m Garja Jenna. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Sam smiled. “Not Superman yet, but someday.” He shook her hand and stepped back.
“Well?” Kira asked.
The Shantar doctor sighed. “I have databanks from your entire family. I have DNA from the Lois Lane of this world. I have scrapings of what I believe are genetic samples of Sam’s parents from the small mementos Sam happened to bring with him. All I can say is this is the strangest mess I’ve ever seen.”
He looked at Sam. “I know the story—your DNA was modified to remove most of the human elements. OK, fine. But you have NO human elements in your DNA, period.”
Dr. Jenna activated a display. “This is what your father’s DNA looks like. This is your mother’s. You’re not biologically related to your mother. You’re only distantly related to your father. The closest match I have is Jor-El and Lara of our Krypton. And that’s not a true match.”
He turned to Kira. “You and yours are naturally immune to the Kayzik because Jor-El programmed it into you. And you have an adaptive DNA function that allows you to partially process red sunlight into super powers. But Sam is a different animal.”
“How so?” Sam asked.
Dr. Jenna turned to him. “Kira processes solar energy. Without access to that energy, she reverts to a non-powered mortal. From what you’ve told me, your father was more like a battery. He had to have a certain charge to be super-powered. That meant he could be super-powered under a red sun until he fell below the minimum charge required for him to be super-powered. Sam, your powers more closely resemble Kira’s—with two notable exceptions.”
Dr. Jenna looked thoughtful. “Your cells had to mature before they could process sunlight as Kira’s do. But there is a reason for it. As you’ve grown older, your sensitivity to energy sources has increased. In all light spectrums. Including red.”
“Red?” Sam asked. “But how?”
Dr. Jenna shrugged. He held up a damaged medical instrument. “I tried to unwind a stand of your DNA under red solar lighting. With this instrument, I could unwind Kira’s, but not yours.”
“And Kayzik glamour?” Kira queried.
Dr. Jenna laughed. “He’d think it was quite delicious. He’d process the energy into power.”
“Odd.” Kira offered. “Very odd.”
Jeffrey suggested. “Take him to Krypton. Watch what happens.”
Sam nodded slowly. “I’d like to go.”
“All right.” Kira agreed. “Both Faith and Linda will be here to backstop the Birds of Prey. And I think that Alan isn’t going far today.”
Sam looked at Jeffrey. “You’re holding something back.”
Jeffrey nodded. “Yes. There’s an odd quirk in your DNA that we can’t decipher. I’ve only seen it one other place. And it didn’t make sense then.”
Dr. Jenna scowled. “It isn’t in Donna’s. It isn’t in Dawn Allen’s. But it exists in Faith’s. We find that somewhat troubling. Faith’s DNA has more peculiarities than we can count.”
“But it has the same quirk.” Jeffrey concluded. “Faith’s DNA has odd gaps and unreadable segments in it. We can’t translate pieces of it. But it shares that one very odd peculiarity with yours. And we have no idea what it means.”
Lost in thought, Kira looked at Sam. “Sam, I’d like to ask a favor. I’d like to go to Daxam, first.”
“All right.” He agreed reluctantly.
The Inheritor’s Earth, Huntress Wood
Thea stepped out of the transporter. A dark red-haired woman greeted her. “Hello Thea and welcome. I’m Lois Lane Kent.”
Thea nodded warmly. “Blessings. Thank you for allowing me to come into your home.”
“You’re welcome.” Lois answered slyly. “I hear you seek to understand your truant students.”
Thea smiled confidently. “And to pay my respects.”
Lois nodded. Hippolyta and Donna keep their secrets, don’t they? “Come, let me show you about the place.”
Lois led Thea out of the cave. Thea thought she heard the sound of a mountain lion. She noticed Lois’ odd smile.
“Future in-law.” Lois chuckled. “Wait until you meet the rest of the family.” She led Thea out of the cave and down the winding trail to the old railroad wreck.
Lois gestured towards the rusted train cars. “This is it. This is where it all begins. This is Holy ground.”
Thea pointed to a glowing green lantern settled into a rock. “Is that what I think it is? I heard it was destroyed.”
“This is a magic place.” Lois answered. “This is where tragedy turns to triumph. And this is the place where love grows.”
“How very odd you are.” Thea observed.
“Am I?” Lois smiled confidently. “I guess this place affects even me.” She gestured to the plaque that Dick and Sam had anchored into a rock not many months before.
“In memory of those who died on this train. Their deaths ignited the Emerald Fire.”
“In loving memory of the first Green Lantern of Earth, Alan Scott, who lit the darkness for so many.”
“In loving memory of Rose Canton, the Thorn, who overcame her own darkness to keep the light alive.”
“- Grateful Friends”
Lois felt the wind blow across her. “You know, it’s funny. Sometimes when my son and I argue, I’ll come down here to regain my bearings. So many times, I’ve found him here as well.”
She gestured to the train. “You see, long before there was a Superman, there was the Green Lantern. Just a man, he harnessed unearthly power. Many came after him, but none could deny the importance of what he had done. And as the years went by, Superman and the others displaced him in the skies. But they only followed in Alan Scott’s footsteps. He set the pace.”
Lois smiled gently. “And I was here the day his daughter claimed her birthright. I have seen many things in my life, but that will always be one of the most special. Because that day, the cycle began anew. The return of Troia and the first Kid Flash, the return of John Stewart, and the beginning of the real Superboy all followed the return of the Emerald Fire.
Lois gazed fiercely at Thea. “You see, Mongul has already lost. He just doesn’t know it yet. Right now, he is Luthor’s counterbalance. But humanity is sick of both of them. And when the time comes, they will both be nothing more than a bad memory. Dick will see to that.”
Before Thea could answer, they heard the sound of a mountain lion in distress. A rifle shot rang out. And they heard Charlie launch towards the commotion.
“Come on!” Lois yelled as she ran towards the sounds. They ran towards the edge of the Wood.
They heard a hunter curse from just beyond the mystic Wood. “Stupid animals! This Wood belongs to me now! If I can’t have it, you won’t either.”
“Idiot.” Lois fumed. “He doesn’t understand where he is.”
“Stupid mountain lion.” The hunter taunted. “Where is your protection now?”
At the edge of the forest, they spotted him. He had cornered a mountain cat against the side of the mountain. He cocked his rifle and aimed towards the cornered cougar. Charlie, the protector of the Wood, tensed to lunge from the shadows.
An arrow whistled through the air. It slammed against the rifle and sent it flying from the hunter’s hands. The cornered mountain lion took the opportunity to jump past the hunter.
They heard Charlie growl from his hiding place. And from up above, a familiar woman’s voice rang out. “Depart and never return! This is the Huntress’ Wood. You are not welcome here!”
The hunter reached behind him. He challenged the archer. “And who are you to tell me what to do?”
A second arrow slammed into the hand he had hidden behind his back. He screamed in pain as a pistol clattered against the rock behind him.
“I am Diana.” The woman answered from above. “I was named for Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt. And I defend the Huntress’ Wood.” She notched her bow again. “I will defend it to the last drop of your blood. As I have none of my own, it would seem only fair!” She pulled the bow taut. “Care to join me in the afterlife?”
The hunter screamed and fled, leaving his weapons strewn across the ground. Lois growled as she approached the weapons. Charlie left his hiding place to pace her and sniff the air. As she closed in on the weapons, Charlie roared. They heard the undergrowth rustle.
Lois picked up the weapons and walked back into the Wood with Charlie. He quickly sprang off into the undergrowth.
“Fickle.” Lois teased. “But I have to admit, he does his job well.”
“Indeed.” Diana appeared beside them. “Very well. Welcome to the Wood, Thea.”
“Diana?” Thea asked with shock. “But you’re deceased! And you no longer wear your bracelets.”
Diana smiled warmly as she reached to embrace the Amazon scholar. “But this is the Huntress’ Wood. This is a place of magic. This is where tragedy turns to triumph. And this is where love grows.”
Thea looked at her with surprise. “Forgive me, Princess, but you sound just as odd as Mrs. Kent does.”
Diana laughed. “I guess this place affects even me. Come, let me show you the rest of the Green Lanterns’ Wood. And I will answer as many of your questions as I can.
Alterverse—Daxam—City of Tylol
Kira landed with Sam at the Deadman’s Dare lead sphere. Odd… The sunlight strikes his features differently here.
“Kira?” He asked. “Are you all right?
To her surprise, she saw an image… a man who looked like an older version of Sam—Jor-El and a woman who looked like Lara. Except in her vision, they were married and Sam was their infant. They moved to place the child in a chamber.
“Here my son…Just like your cradle!” Lara placed the child.
“Let’s not get melodramatic!” Jor-El chided. “We’ll follow right away!”
“Who’s getting melodramatic,” she teased, “when you’re the one with the glassy eyes.”
“Must be, er…left over from the solar flare.” He asserted. “I’ll get the computations on teleporting us, Lara…and you can throw the switch if you’d like!”
“Godspeed Kal-El!” Lara flipped the switch. “We love you!”
Jor-El prepared to set the transporter. But there was a madman at the window…
Kira shivered. She swallowed hard. She looked at Sam and saw so many different versions of the same man. Her brother Kal-El, Sam, a middle-aged man, an old man. An image that she imagined had once been the cousin of the Multiverse Kara Zor-El. And now she concentrated on Sam. The legend of so many probabilities lives again.
She knew that a powered Kryptonian could live centuries. But she wondered what those centuries would hold for Sam. And would he even age?
“Kira?” Sam asked with concern. “Can I help?”
Images… so many more images… worlds live, worlds die. Images…And through it all, something that holds it all together…or someone. She couldn’t see. But she suspected that she knew.
She realized that she was an almost perfectly reflected image of him—of the man he would become. She thought of the billions upon billions of lives they would impact with their deeds.
What happened to you, Sam? Who are you, really? No, I know who you are. But, where did you really come from?
“Kira?” Sam worried.
“I’m all right, Sam.” She felt the dark chill of recent days flow out of her. The warmth came back into her soul. “I think I just remembered my place in the universe. And I have a story to tell you.”
He looked at her curiously.
“Seriously Sam, I’m fine.” Kira warmly reassured him. “I can’t undo what I’ve done, but now I can put it in perspective. But I need you to do something for me.”
“What?” He asked, intrigued.
“I’m ready to leave this world.” She announced. “But as we go, could you jump up in the air and yell ‘Up, up, and away?’”
“Well, sure!” He shrugged with a smile. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he jumped up into the sky. “Up, up and away!” He roared as he sped away.
Kira grinned. Damn! Now that’s a Kryptonian! Unable to resist the temptation, she too jumped into the sky. “Up, up and away!” She sped through the atmosphere to join Sam.
And left her nightmares behind.
Alterverse—Mount Everest
Faith knew she would find him there—sitting on the top of the mountain, sorting out his life. Sam sensed her presence and watched her land.
“We must find a better place to meet.” Faith chided. “How about somewhere in the Outback, next time?”
Sam chuckled. “Well, they say that angels come here.” He winked at Faith. “And rather attractive ones at that!”
“Flatterer!” She chided. She lit a small green fire in front of them and wrapped his cape around her.
He put an arm around her and stared into the fire. “Interesting adventures today?”
“Quite!” She answered. “Jay, Alan, and I flew to one of the worlds Alan will have to free before he can free Earth. I met Lar Gand of Daxam there. Interesting man.” She felt Sam tense. “Interesting OLD man, even if he has been restored to youth.” As she expected, Sam relaxed. “He was part of the Daxamite Resistance movement from the beginning. He told us some of the stories of the occupation. Daxam has suffered little physically, but much psychologically.”
“Unlike Krypton.” Sam glowered.
“Unlike Krypton.” She looked up at him. “Sam, what’s wrong?”
“I’ve had a strange day.” His chipper mood deserted him. “Let’s see. First Dr. Jenna told me that I’m not my parents’ child. Then I flew with Kira to Daxam. She told me an odd story that she claimed had something to do with my origin. Then we flew to Krypton. God, that was hard.”
“Hard?” She asked with concern.
“So much lost for nothing.” Sam frowned. “I know the importance of what they did, but the devastation was just horrible.”
He felt her lean against him as she prepared to speak. “I’ve been to our Krypton.” She admitted. “I saw much the same thing, even if our Krypton died a natural death. I’ll take you someday, if you’d like.”
He nodded assent. “Someday. But if Kira and Dr. Jenna are telling the truth, then it isn’t even my Krypton.”
She gripped the hand of the arm that lay around her shoulders. “What led them to that startling conclusion?”
“My power levels are wrong.” He related. “I’m much more powerful than my father and I shouldn’t be. And I’m getting stronger. And Dr. Jenna says my DNA isn’t like either of my parents. It’s closer to Kira’s folks. And I won’t lose my powers under most other colored suns. Weird.”
“He says to the woman with the strangest DNA of all.” Faith reminded him. “Dr. Jenna just shakes his head when he sees me coming.”
He chuckled. “He says there’s a minor quirk somewhere that only we share. Together, forever.” He grinned.
“Pulease!” She chided. “I have enough problems. How do I tell all my young men that the Kryptonian who keeps following me around is getting even more powerful?”
“And who followed whom here tonight?” He laughed.
“Only because someone keeps scaring all my young men off!” Faith feigned innocence. “I wonder who it could be?”
Sam laughed again.
Two hundred yards away, hidden by a veil of Emerald Fire
“When are those two going to get serious?” Iris asked Linda. “This is no fun.”
“Coulda fooled me!” Linda chided. “Your binoculars are sure getting a serious workout.”
“Well,” Iris determined, “looks like they’re not serious after all. All they do is talk. And they’ll talk all night. OK, it looks like it’s time to take this situation in hand. If she doesn’t want him, I sure do. You don’t see a side of beef like that every day.”
“What do you have in mind?” Linda asked with anticipation.
“Well,” Iris snickered, “with a little help, this is what I’d like to do…”
The following morning, the Sentinel’s Lair, just outside the cafeteria
“Okay,” Iris confirmed, “you know the deal. They’ll have breakfast together. Signal me when she approaches and she’ll get to watch Sam get his first real kiss!”
“Ready!” Linda walked to her assigned post.
Iris heard heavy footsteps behind her. She watched for Linda’s signal. Linda’s hand came down and Iris advanced on Sam.
Linda felt a rush of air. She found herself outside the Lair, suspended in midair and facing Iris. Sam had one of them under each arm. He put them down, but did not let go of them.
“Cute. Stupid, but cute.” He admonished. “Did you really think I was that naive?”
“Well,” Iris flirted, “seriously in need of a real woman.”
Sam laughed harshly. “And you think you qualify? Listen Iris, I’m not stupid. I know that I’m attractive to women. I’ve been beating them off with a stick since I was twelve.”
“But,” Linda interjected, “you said that they didn’t know you were…”
“Superboy?” Sam chuckled wryly. “Ladies, when you look like I do that’s not what’s on their minds. But I’m more than a side of beef. Or at least I like to think so.”
He let them go. “Neither of you have a clue, do you?” They shook their heads. “I’ve had more women than I can count try to take advantage of me because I was attractive. And many of those who did know tried to take advantage of me because I was the son of Superman and the heir to his power.”
“I think I understand, a little.” Linda admitted. “As Jade I have more admirers than I know what to do with. And it’s because I’m Jade.”
“You do have a brain in there, somewhere!” Sam marveled. “Now consider my life! Every woman I ever met wanted something from me, either because of my appearance or my ancestry.”
He smiled. “It got so bad I made up tales to just tell myself that someone might actually like me for me. But then as I grew older, the Oracle of our world began to watch over me very carefully. Someone I never met saw to it that I had what I needed the most.” He smiled warmly at a memory. “Even hijacked a Kryptonian translation text for me from Lex Luthor’s museum. I was touched. Oracle never seemed to want anything, just to make sure I was OK.”
He recalled with a smile. “I used to tell myself if I could meet one person who cared as much about me as the Oracle, then my life would have been worthwhile. Pretty selfish for the son of Superman, right? To actually want something for himself?”
Iris advocated, “Hey when you look as good as I…” Linda clamped her hand over Iris’ mouth.
“Please…” Linda requested.
“I don’t know why I’m telling you this.” Sam sighed. “I had lots of friends, I guess. That helped. But I always felt alone, until I found myself at Huntress’ Wood. Faith was so different from anyone I ever met. She cared about me, but more than that, she really liked me for me—not who I was supposed to be. I’ll admit that I tried some really stupid stunts to get her attention. But that was before the Emerald Fire claimed her.” He smiled sweetly. “But even then, she has always made time for me. She never had expectations of me, but she truly cared and she has always been proud of what I accomplished.”
He looked earnestly at Linda. “Faith is the only person I’ve ever really trusted. And then I found out she was the Oracle of my childhood. She didn’t want me to know because she wasn’t…”
He smiled sweetly. Then he whispered. “Rao, what a life, to have such a person in it.” He walked away from them. He breathed in sharply and then he vanished skyward.
As he disappeared from view, Linda sensed a flicker of Emerald Fire wafting away from them.
“What was that? Iris asked with confusion.
“For once, shut up Iris.” Linda warned. “We just did something real stupid and now we have to figure out how to clean it up!”
“Why?” Iris asked. “He’s not upset.”
“He isn’t.” Linda agreed. “That’s not the problem.” She tapped her comms. “Jade to Sentinel. I just screwed up big time and I need your advice…”
Alterverse—Wyoming—the train wreck
Alan found Faith sitting in front of the rusting train cars.
“Some days,” she complained, “I’m really, really stupid. You know, I’ll admit sometimes I haven’t taken him very seriously. It’s hard to take someone seriously when he trips over his feet in front of you.” She sighed. “He’s come such a long way in just a short time. He’s really going to be something, isn’t he?”
“Yes.” Alan agreed. “He is. But you’ve always known that.”
She spoke with exasperation. “It’s hard to believe he has much more experience with the opposite sex than I do!” She sighed again. “He’s so much younger than I am. But I spent so many years in that damned forest of mine.”
“Faith,” he countered, “I wouldn’t call running for his life from the female sex ‘experience’. More like a never-ending horror show.”
Faith appeared to ignore Alan. “And everything I’ve tried to hide from him, he already knows. I am such a fool.”
“Then you’re a magnificent fool.” Alan sat down beside her. “Would that we could all be such fools.”
Faith gaped at him with astonishment. “Surely you jest!”
Alan laughed. “Not at all.” He rose and sat down in front of her. “This isn’t easy for you, is it Faith?”
“No.” She answered earnestly.
He frowned. “Faith, is there someone you can really talk to about this? Someone you know you can really trust?”
Faith looked at him and then the ground. Alan heard the strain in her voice. “It’s not something I feel comfortable talking to Dawn or Donna about. Dawn has male friends by the hundreds and Donna? I don’t know. She seems so much more mature than I am. I’m not sure she could relate to something as foolish as this.”
“I mean,” Faith continued, “I can’t even carry on a decent relationship. I sure ran poor Connor off.”
“Of course you did.” Alan grinned. “Connor didn’t stand a chance and everyone but you seemed to know it.”
“What?” Faith challenged. “I never did anything I shouldn’t have.”
“Faith.” Alan smiled warmly. “Did you ever read a book titled ‘Pygmalion’ or see a tape of a play called ‘My Fair Lady.’?”
Faith nodded with a wry smile. “I hardly think I would make a suitable Eliza Doolittle. I’m too quirky and self-absorbed.”
“No.” Alan chuckled. “You’re Professor Higgins, who put his whole heart and soul into Eliza Doolittle, only to come to realize that he had fallen in love with his own creation.”
“Surely you jest?” She retorted once more, but with much less confidence.
He chuckled warmly. “Sweetheart, how do you expect him to react? You’ve spent the last six years looking out for him. And long before he knew that, he had already decided that you were the most special person he had ever met. Once he discovered you were the part of Oracle that had watched over him so closely, he knew how much you truly cared. And you’ve never, ever given him reason to believe otherwise. Neither Sam nor anyone else for that matter.”
Faith stared at the ground again. “Sam deserves the very best, not someone like me. He’s someone special and he’s going to follow in his father’s footsteps. He’s going to be the best of the best. But I only exist because of my mother’s deception.”
Alan barely contained a rueful chuckle. He sat beside Faith and spoke seriously. “You know, I recently had to admit that I had lost my perspective on my children and my world. I’ve felt guilty about that and I should have. But at least now I know it’s a family failing.”
Faith’s accent asserted itself. “What are you on about?”
“Faith.” He smiled warmly. “His father is only a receding memory to the peoples of your world. Sam has never met the man and he is not Sam’s first inspiration; Sam has made that very clear. Sam follows in the footsteps of his hero, someone he believes in.”
Faith nodded. “Dick has always been…”
Alan roared with laughter. “Now I know it’s a genetic failure!” He chuckled. “You, Linda, and I. Three Generations!”
She stared at him with disbelief.
He smiled gently. “I asked Sam about the day you claimed your power. He told me a part of the story I had never even suspected before. Dawn had told us that you managed to sneak her out of Mongul’s fortress, but even she didn’t know the details of how you did it. Because she didn’t really know and neither did Donna. Dawn was lying unconscious on Mongul’s floor and Donna heard about it long after the fact.”
Then Alan emphasized. “But it was the defining moment of Sam’s life!”
“What?” Her disbelief grew. “It was nothing more than an unplanned attempt to clean up after a failed mission that we should never have launched. Certainly not my brightest move ever.”
Alan laughed. “Sam complained that you glowed so brightly he had to cover his eyes. But what impressed him even more was what you did next. Without even a moment to adjust to your unexpected new power levels and what they meant, you acted. You had the presence of mind to develop an ingenious plan to both rescue Dawn and convince Mongul to blame it on Lex Luthor.”
“Hmmph.” Faith fumed. “Poorly planned, barely executed, and far more flashy than it needed to be.”
Alan smiled warmly. “Was it? Sam thinks otherwise. He watched a young woman go through the most traumatic life change he had ever seen, force herself to come to terms with it in seconds, and hold her fear in check long enough to do something that really mattered.”
Faith smiled warmly. “We got Dawn home safely. That was what mattered.”
Alan nodded. “And that was what puzzled him. You pulled off the most amazing rescue he had ever seen, and you didn’t care. You didn’t care about all of the power raging through you. You only cared about Dawn. Sam didn’t know what to make of it.” Then, he spoke with emphasis. “But Lois did.”
“Lois?” Faith asked.
“Yes,” Alan agreed, “Lois. She told Sam ‘Of all the things you needed to learn, this was the only one I didn’t know how to teach you. But now you understand. That is one powerful meta. But it’s not the power that makes her a hero. It’s who she is.’”
“Lois said that about me?” Faith asked with amazement. “That is indeed a high compliment!”
Alan nodded. “Yes, she did. And it had every bit of the effect she intended.”
He smiled with a touch of wonder. “Sam told me that before that day, all the stories he had heard during his life had been just stories. But for the first time in his life, he understood what the stories really meant. And more, he was forced to look at himself and what he stood for. He slowly began to understand the destiny you share. And he promised himself that he would try to live up to your example.”
Alan watched her work through the meaning of his words.
He spoke earnestly. “Kind of a shock, isn’t it? He may someday inspire billions, but his inspiration isn’t his father, it’s the young woman who did not curse the darkness, but instead dared—dared to be the first small candle in a very dark world—dared to be that tiny green flame burning fiercely in an arctic wind.”
“Now I feel guilty for being short.” She cracked with a slight smile. “Not to mention foolish.”
Despite her words, Alan watched her eyes blaze fire green with comprehension. When she looked up again, he reassured her. “Sweetheart, you know he didn’t lie to you,” Alan insisted, “you just never asked the right questions. And you must admit you’re a bit guilty of not volunteering information, yourself.”
She puzzled for a moment more and then she slowly brightened. Her eyes began to enflame and smolder with more than confidence. Subtly, she began to glow. “I guess I am. A bad habit I need to work on. Perhaps Sam will be willing to help me with it.” She flashed a quick smile. “I understand he has a fondness for magnificent fools.”
And this is it, isn’t it. He smiled back. This is where her heart is. Now she knows it’s what she truly believes in. And that belief combined with all her mystic power is a magic in a league of its own. “Alanna has teased me that she’s related to everyone but the Kryptonians.” He chuckled. “But I think she’ll welcome Sam to the family when it’s time.”
Faith nodded warmly as her glow increased. “Maybe someday. We’ll have to wait and see.” She reached out to squeeze his hands. “Thank you, Alan. I have a lot to think about.” Then she stood to leave. “One small favor? Could you tell Linda I said ‘Thank you?’”
“Linda?” Alan coughed with surprise.
Faith nodded with a smile. “I know that she called you, even though she knew she was going to catch holy Hell for it. That took a lot of guts.” Emerald Fire roared as it launched its mistress into the heavens.
Alan watched her ascend. If there was only one thing I could ever do for you, only one gift I could give you, I’m glad it was this. Be happy, little flameling.
Mt. Everest
From his seat at the peak of the mountain, Sam listened to the whistling wind. Once more, he recalled his confrontation with Iris and Linda. He wondered what had ever driven him to open up to the two of them.
Superboy, the laughing stock. I’m sure that story will spread like wildfire. Gossip always does. Well, soon we’ll be heading home and this will just be a bad memory. It’s not Faith’s way to gossip about things like this. It never was.
But this is so hard! Why couldn’t I be more like Dawn? She has hundreds of young men chasing after her. Instead, I pine for someone who says she doesn’t want me. At least that’s what she says. But she never seems to be very far away from me for very long any more.
He thought of Lorra, the Kryptonian goddess of love and the moon. I feel so screwed up! Lorra, please guide me. I don’t know what to do next!
Sam looked farther down the mountain. He watched two mountain creatures share a cave together. I do envy them.
Then a light in the sky distracted Sam. It took on a distinct Emerald glow. He watched with surprise as the in-bound flash of Emerald Fire struck the ground in front of him. Faith emerged from the vanishing fire with a knowing smile.
“You saw.” He wagered.
“Yes.” She advanced towards him. “And I’ve had time to think about what I saw.”
Stupid, Sam, stupid! He berated himself. Then he realized her flame had not left her. And the whites of her eyes smoldered green.
She smiled confidently, but warmly. The green glow in her eyes spread to her skin. And the light in her eyes shone ever brighter.
For the first time, she sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “And I’ve made a few decisions. First, I’ve decided that I’ve had it with dating Terrans. Too fickle and far too fragile.”
She looked into his eyes with an intensity that fascinated him. He felt her mystically-powered emotions wash over him. The intensity of her emotions both frightened and compelled him. He felt warning bells sound. Then, he looked into her eyes again and felt his fear vanish.
The intensity in those green eyes never wavered. “Second—Faith Kent? Sounds better all the time. But we’ll get there when and if we get there. Some of us need to grow up first, even if you don’t.”
She smiled gently, but the fire in her eyes left little doubt of the Huntress’ intentions. “And in the mean-time, here’s one to grow on.”
Sam had dreamed many times of his first kiss with Faith. He knew that he would have to be very careful not to hurt the petite young woman.
But in his wildest dreams, he had never guessed the spectacular reality: that her unrestrained emotions combined with her mystic power to drive her physical form. The young sorceress was far from fragile.
Sam thought of his father—Clark might have felt Lois’ touch, but never, ever had his father felt the simple joy of caressing a woman with the raw, elemental power that Faith possessed. Sam would never have to fear harming her.
He thought a brief prayer of thanks to Lorra. Then he knew only Emerald Fire.
Elsewhere
Hades stood with Lorra as she turned her gaze from the mountain. He could not miss the fierce pride in her eyes.
“You seem pleased.” Hades prompted.
She smiled brilliantly. “I am.” She began to glow. “I am the Goddess of a world doomed in almost every probability. Hades, I have so few children left. My handfuls of surviving children deserve all the help I can provide.”
Lorra shook her head sadly. “Though so many become legends, most are lonely orphans doomed to travel among lesser mortals. There is so little I can do for them.” Then she smiled proudly as she gestured down to the mountain. “But even with all the horrors this one has faced, with everything he has endured, this young Kal-El has defied all odds to find his own special destiny—a woman both strong and loving enough to rule his heart until the end of all days.”
She beamed. “This is what I live for. Because this time, I really got it right! Damn, I’m good!”
Hades had no reason to disagree.
“And now for Kira.” Lorra grinned with anticipation. “So many men, so little time!”
End—Shadow Crossing, Part 1
-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2003 by Eldric
-- and may not be reprinted without permission.
-- Otherverse and Multiverse, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook
-- Alterverse and The Inheritors and their associated universes, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- are the original creations of Eldric
-- The Realm and Shadowverse, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- are original creations of 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
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