What is time to a god...or a goddess for that matter? Yet timing was critical. She had worked long for this one...long and across many scattered realities...to reach this moment!
Through the ether, the supernatural realm of the Gods…the ever present dominion of beings light and dark that spread throughout all the realities…she had roamed, making a subtle suggestion here, a slight alteration there, and only rarely, outright intervention.
The latter she could do only so often or risk the very unraveling of the reality in which she worked.
She had many charges, many responsibilities, in many realities. Responsibilities she had taken on herself and saw to with the utmost attention.
For a mere mortal, for even those that were called Guardians of the Universe, the task before her would have been insurmountable. Yet for one such as she, it was…normal.
At all times her eyes were moving across the galaxies and realities that spread before her, watching, searching.
Yet at times, like now, even as she saw to her other duties, she spared a little more for her…pet projects.
Even as she worked, in various aspects, in other places, she focused closer on the events occurring in one small corner of all the realities.
It had taken years, as the mortals counted time, to bring it altogether. Working through various agents…Like the Starhearts or the Guardians, or even herself.
But now all was in place.
She had, with the ability of the Gods, known what would occur.
She had seen the events racing towards a final conflict…and had made sure she had placed her own players in the game. Now it was time to bring them together…and turn them loose.
She smiled. But first, she had to make sure her players knew what the game was.
She had placed them carefully. Her Kryptonian children and their allies. All with their unique abilities. All with their separate strengths and weaknesses.
Then, the one known as Lord Ian set up shop in the abandoned Citadel at the End of Time. Had she been quicker, he would have been the perfect tool through which to leak the information that had to be divulged. Nevertheless, he would prove a valuable ally to the other players in the months and years to come.
There, the powerful one…Senturia…the dual personality of Jennifer Walters and Arisia Fentara, flashed through the cosmos and the goddess sighed. These mortals placed too much importance on the little things…
And here…here the son of one of her children…Samuel Clark Kent, held tightly to his beloved, the Huntress of his realm, as they relived the memories of their past lives. She had had a hand in that, of course.
And there! She watched with her sister-goddess, Sif, smiling as the young blonde girl hefted Thor’s hammer. And as the girl’s cousin prepared for war. He was far too honorable to leave his adopted land while it was being invaded. No matter. She had always preferred her daughters anyway.
And here…now she smiled. Here was a success story. She had intervened in the life of this one more than was strictly allowed…even for a goddess…and for that she would have to pay…but it had been worth it…and would be again.
She gazed down on the upturned face of Kara Zor-El, smiling as she watched the eyelids close to slits as she pressed her lips to those of ….
Yes…well. The red headed one had been a surprise. There were realities where her influence was…sparse. That had been one such. In those realities, even the gods could be surprised.
Yet she had found a way to bring those of her children that survived in that reality to another and finally to this one…this Multiverse, as the mortals called it.
A large part, to be sure, but a part nevertheless of a larger Continuum. And now the time was ripe….
“NO-O-O-O!”
Kara bolted up in bed, her body shaking and drenched with sweat.
“Kara?” Beside her Rogue rose, instantly alert as she scanned for dangers. Seeing nothing, she placed a hand on the Kara’s back, feeling the wetness and the trembling. “Kara…what’s wrong…what…”
“A nightmare.” Kara breathed, sucking in great gasps of air between sobs. “Oh Rao, they seemed so real.” She rubbed her eyes and swung her feet out over the side of the bed she and Rogue shared and stood, the damp sheet falling away to reveal her finely sculpted, tanned body, glistening with sweat.
For once, the sight of Kara’s body did nothing to arouse Rogue as she looked on in concern. Kara did not often have nightmares! And yet, within the last month, they had become an almost nightly affair. And she had not been alone.
Though Rogue had not mentioned it, her own dreams had been troubled lately. Mere echoes, she believed, from the memories she had inadvertently stolen from Kara so long ago.
She watched as Kara moved to their bathroom, a large affair consisting of the regulation toilet, generous shower, and Jacuzzi bathtub. There were also two vanities, with sinks. One for each of them.
Kara splashed water from her sink on her face and, after leaning on the vanity for a moment, dried off the moist droplets with a hand towel.
“I was back there, again. Fighting the Anti-Monitor. And dying all over again.” She looked through the open doorway towards Rogue. “The same thing as last night…and the night before.”
Returning to the bedroom, she snagged her nearly floor-length robe off the bedpost, shrugged into it, and headed for the door.
Rogue waited for a moment and then followed, quickly tying her own robe closed.
The two made their way to the kitchen…and stopped in their tracks just inside the doorway.
There, at the sink, a tall, older male figure finished filling the coffee pot up with water and set it on the burner.
He then turned and looked at them, his lips lifting ever so slightly in a smile that did not reach his eyes.
“If you tell me where you keep the coffee, I’ll finish this up and we can talk.” Kent Nelson of Alterverse spoke quietly. “Believe me, you are going to need it.”
Continuum Wars
“Let me get this straight.”
Kara sipped her coffee, grimacing at the bitterness. She had never really picked up the taste for the stuff, though both Rogue and Jenny swore by it. And now even Karen was hooked.
She shivered, despite herself, and allowed Rogue to take the lead in the conversation with Kent while she observed, quietly.
Kent had, after finding the coffee, finished setting up the pot and then, while they waited for it to brew, had sidestepped their questions.
When Rogue had demanded how he had gotten into the home without setting off any of the elaborate alarms, all installed by the twins and Tony Stark’s people, he had merely smiled, claiming it to be a trade secret.
Though they had met Kent Nelson on their one and only trip to the Alterverse Reality many months earlier, they had not seen him since. They had known, however, that Jenny had enlisted his aid and Alan Scott’s soon after Darkseid’s abortive attempts to invade both Earth and Oa. The Great Battery of Oa had some how been tainted and she and Arisia, with the aid of Kent and Alan, had discovered the problem and affected a repair.
Of course, Kara and Rogue were busy themselves during that time. Earth had been badly mauled in the invasion attempt and they and the twins, and the re emerging heroes of Earth, had worked non-stop trying to repair the damage. They had also rushed back and forth between Venus and Mars, doing what they could to help the new refugees from two blasted sectors. Of course they had help with that one! Koriand’r was nothing if not responsible. Soon after the settlement, the people of Tamaran had chosen her brother to be their new Monarch. He had accepted, but to the surprise of the people, had stayed in office only long enough to help form a council of worlds. A council that would aid in the smooth relations between the three inhabited planets of the Sol System. He had then installed a council as the Venutian Government, and made certain that laws were in place to ensure that they would be replaced, at the will of the people, during periodic elections. Loosely based on the Earth democratic system.
On Mars, the refugees, mostly from the Graxos system, had developed a similar governmental system and then worked with the representatives from Earth and Venus to begin the process of putting together a system-wide Constitutional Convention.
The Convention had been the brainchild of none other than Lex Luthor and was greeted with mixed feelings by most of the people of Earth. There were many that were still gun-shy when it came to aliens and the thought of joining in an alliance with aliens was more than they could stomach.
A point that was driven home in a very personal way to Lex at a rally in Paris.
Both Kara and Rogue had been there of course, as honored guests and yet also as security.
Yet not even the two Kryptonians could screen everyone that entered and, despite the security provided both by SecPol and Luthor’s personal security teams, someone had been able to smuggle in a high-powered machine gun.
Rogue had been first to react. As Lex began his speech, the Gunman had stepped into the open and leveled the powerful weapon.
Moving faster than an eye could blink, Rogue positioned her self between the gunman and Lex as he open fired. Yet, as fast as she was, she was not fast enough to stop the first two rounds that spat from the short muzzled weapon.
But Mercy had been! Though his wife, Mercy had first been his personal bodyguard. And old habits died hard. The athletic woman had flung herself forward, taking both rounds in her chest.
The impacts were enough to send her sprawling back, knocking Lex to the ground in the process, where he stayed as the security detachment closed in.
The gunman, seeing his target and his opportunity vanish, wasted no time, turning the muzzle of the weapon upward, blowing his own blood and brains over the shocked and stunned rally-goers around him.
And it was then that Zor El’s prediction, many months past, came true. Mercy Luthor discovered the truth!
While everyone milled around, in a state of controlled panic, the First Lady of the United Earth Government, slowly sat up…and curiously explored the wounds in her chest. There was blood of course. Yet as she watched, the two wounds puckered and spat out the spent rounds, allowing them to clatter on the hardwood stage floor. And then the wounds began to close. Within moments, before her own eyes, [and the eyes of the security detachment that thankfully shielded her and Lex from the eyes of the angry, terrified crowd and the ever present eyes of the media], the wounds had closed over…as if they had never been.
Though the story that came out in the papers stated that Mercy Luthor was taking her time healing in seclusion, the truth was harder and much more personally devastating. Mercy had learned that she was not…and had never been…Mercy Graves. She was an artificial construct. A Matrix of protoplasmic goo that Lex Luthor had brought to life after the real Mercy Graves had died…seventeen years earlier!
The truth was hard to face…and until she could face it, she wanted nothing to do with Lex Luthor. So she had fled. Fled to the Fortress of Solitude where she spent her time coming to terms with her true identity…with what she really was.
Kara and Rogue wisely left the System Constitutional Convention and his future with Mercy in Lex’s hands. They, with the twins, had continued their work until a few days earlier. At that time, they had finally made the long-awaited trip to Earth-2.
They had met Lanie Kent and instantly formed a strong bond. Though she knew the truth, Lanie had been overjoyed to discover that she had relations on her father’s side of the family and had instantly adopted Kara and Rogue as Aunts (though they would have been 1st cousins once removed as the Terrans counted it, making the Twins and Lanie 2nd cousins) and the twins as cousins.
There they had learned of the team of heroes that had so recently visited from another reality. Another Kryptonian!
In fact, Lanie’s first impression upon seeing Kara was to mistake her for one of those other visitors…a Daxamite named Kara Gand. They were, Lanie insisted, almost identical!
Kara shook her head and brought her attention back to the conversation.
“…’ve known about the Inheritors’s Universe for some time now.” Kent was saying. “In fact, from the description you’ve given, one of those people that dropped in on your earth-2 could well have been Alanna Scott.”
“And from what we are given to understand.” Kara interrupted, “These…Inheritors left Earth-2 with a guest…Arisia!”
Kent nodded.
“Yes. She was with them. And was there nearly a week.” He looked at Kara, his eyebrows raised. “In fact, she is still there, waiting for Faith Scott to bring her home.”
“Excuse me?” Kara leaned forward, frowning. “If she is there…”
“Kara, we knew that Arisia was dumped in our universe in a temporal? displacement.” Rogue reminded her. “That’s why she’s had to stay here, in our timeline rather than return to her own.” She paused. “And, from what Jenny has told us, the Starheart is blocking her memories.”
“A wise precaution.” Kent put in. “A good way to prevent or at least minimize a temporal paradox. With a partial memory block, she could not reveal things that could not possibly be known at that time!”
Kara considered.
“That means it may be possible that her memory will be restored at any time now.” She mused.
“If so, I am sure Jenny will keep us informed.” Rogue shrugged.
For her own part, Rogue was of two minds about Arisia.
Jenny had approached her soon after taking care of the Great Battery about her problems with the developing relationship with Arisia. Even then Rogue had been able to see the strain between the three of them. Jenny, Lar, and Arisia. Jenny…Earth-born and raised with basic western civilization mores, was having to come to grips with suddenly being cast into a situation she could never have foreseen…had never even contemplated.
Though different marriage arrangements were becoming commonplace on this Earth, the Earth that Jenny came from was different.
To be sure, there were those that were part of multiple arrangements, but those unions were a very tiny minority…A minority so small that the many of the mainstream of society did not even know they existed!
To Jenny…a relationship was between one man and one woman. From her point of view. She had been agile enough to all but throw Kara and Rogue together when it became apparent what their problem had been. And she would be the last to try to say what kind of relationship others should have, but for herself?
Of course, Rogue reflected, she had not been the help Jenny had hoped. There was too little of the Terran in Rogue. Yes, she still retained the memories of being a mutant…she still recalled her past before Kara…but those days seemed more like a dream to her now…a dream of events that had happened to someone else…not her.
She would never totally lose her Terran heritage, but now Rogue identified more and more with her new Kryptonian heritage. And her thought processes, naturally swayed by the absorption of Kara’s powers and memories, were more Kryptonian than anything else.
Rogue had no clue how Lar was handling things. He was probably just as stressed as the other two…and she would not blame him if he told them both to take a flying leap and headed out on his own.
She shook her head.
“If Arisia’s memory resurfaces, Jenny will let us know if there is something we need to know.” She concluded.
“And I’ve been monitoring the Inheritors as well.” Kent continued. “They are going through something strange now as well. Memories they shouldn’t have…but do.” He glanced up as the door to the kitchen swung open to reveal two sleepy eyed teenage girls. Smiling, he stood.
“And these, I presume, are the two rapscallions that absconded with Kira sometime back.” He bowed slightly. “Carrie.” He looked to one girl, causing them all to gasp, before looking to the other. “And Karen.”
“How did you do that?” Kara demanded. She had finally gotten to the point where she could tell the girls apart, but Kent had never laid eyes on them before. How had he correctly identified them?
“Trade secret.” Kent responded, smiling. He motioned the girls forward to join them at the table and shifted his chair to make room.
“Back to my original question.” Rogue was quick to take the opportunity to bring things back on track. “You found something when you helped Jenny cleanse the Great Battery and you are just now finishing your research. So why not go to Jenny?”
“Because, though it will affect Jenny, this will hit much closer to home with the two of you! In any case, Jenny, Lar, and Arisia are already en route here. They should arrive soon. But I wanted to take the opportunity to talk to you first. ” Kent’s smile faded and he locked eyes with Rogue and then turned to look at Kara. “And you are not going to like what I tell you!”
Rather than wait for Jenny and the others to arrive, after listening to what Kent had to say…Kara and Rogue had quickly dressed and launched themselves towards the old Khund battle station that they and other of the new heroes of Earth had converted into the New Justice League headquarters.
They had barely reached treetop level before they were joined by the twins.
The girls didn’t say a word, but their very attitude spoke volumes. After hearing what Kent had to say, they were not about to let Kara and Rogue roam too far from their sight.
For a time they climbed through the atmosphere and then, as if prearranged, they split, Rogue veering off and picking up speed and adjusting her vibrations, Carrie trailing with determination.
Though she and Karen continued their climb, Kara managed to keep an eye on Rogue until the red-head and her blond tail broke the dimensional barrier, disappearing in the sky. They would, she knew, be appearing, at that exact moment, in the skies above Colorado…of Earth-2.
Kara and Karen continued on to the satellite, pausing only briefly as they cycled in through the airlock to exchange brief greetings with Carol Danvers, the League member on monitor duty, and to inform her to accept guests, before continuing to the meeting room.
Neither Kara nor Karen were particularly surprised to see Kent there waiting for them.
“No, before you ask.” Kent smiled. “Your Ms. Marvel doesn’t even know I’m here now.” A light flickered on the computer console set in to the desk and he shook his head. “Or rather, she didn’t.”
The door to the room slid open and Carol strode in, her face a mask of disbelief….
“How….” She began. Kara waved her quiet.
“Carol, meet Kent Nelson. Magician extraordinaire and basic pain in the ass from Alterverse.” She quipped.
“Alterverse…ah…” Carol nodded. She, along with the other members of the new JLA had been brought up to speed on what Kara had accomplished since they had arrived in Multiverse…including their unintended trip to the Alterverse sector. Carol had also been made aware of their particular origins…including Rogue’s history. It had chilled her, hearing how Rogue had gotten her start…by permanently stealing the memories and powers of the Carol Danvers of her world…and how that Carol had eventually fallen into the depths of the bottle, becoming an alcoholic.
“So what…” she gestured toward Kent, leaving the question implied rather than spoken. Kent merely looked to Kara.
“We’re waiting for Rogue, Carrie, and Lanie to return from Earth-2,” Kara explained, “and Jenny, Lar, and Arisia are coming in as fast as they can.” She paused. “I’ll need you to sit in on this, Carol, but whatever you hear has to stay with us.”
“That doesn’t sound good, Kara.” Carol frowned.
“However it sounds, Ms. Danvers.” Kent spoke up. “However bad it sounds…just remember this. It is so much more worse!”
Continuum Wars
“Hail, hail the gang’s all here!” Lar called out as he led the way into the meeting room, Jenny and Arisia trailing. There were quick hugs all around, not unexpected, considering that it had been months since they had all been together last. And introductions, for Lanie had yet to meet Jenny and Lar… her face brightened at the sight of Arisia.
With Carol seating herself near the computer terminal, to continue her monitoring duty, the rest arranged themselves around the great table and seated themselves.
“So where do we start?” Rogue spoke up when a deep silence settled over the room.
Kent opened his mouth…but it was Arisia that answered first.
“Perhaps we should start with me.” Her voice was soft, in the manner of females of her race. A deep, sensual contralto that seemed both firm and vulnerable at the same time.
Kara looked to her and then to Jenny. The tension was still there…but not as bad as it had been. Well, it was something Jenny had to work out on her own. So long as it didn’t get in the way of her doing her job.
“Your memories.” Kara guessed, watching Jenny nod.
“They started resurfacing the day before yesterday.” Arisia acknowledged.
“We were already on our way here when we got your call.” Lar confided, smiling.
“I thought you got here rather quickly.” Kara nodded and then turned back to Arisia. “Okay then. Let’s start with you.”
“It began when Faith was trying to return me to my…” She gestured towards Lanie “…our timeline. We thought we had gotten to a point where I could take it on my own…but something happened….”
“A temporal ripple.” Kent supplied, nodding as if this were not news to him.
“Yes.” Arisia nodded. “But it was something more.” She shook her head. “It was if, for a brief instant, I was tapped directly into the consciousness of the Starheart.”
“I was under the impression that was impossible!” Rogue leaned forward on the table, her elbows resting on the hard surface, the fingers of her hands intertwined beneath her chin.
“Ordinarily, yes.” Arisia agreed as Jenny nodded. “But this was not an ordinary circumstance. And I think it was intentional. In that brief instant between timelines and times, the Starheart decided to impart a portion of its knowledge to me.”
“Knowledge that could not be revealed until the time sequences were in order. Or close to it.” Kent nodded. “At this moment, Faith is just now preparing to return you to your own universe.”
Again Arisia nodded.
“Quite frankly, I could have lived well enough with out the knowledge it seems to have given me.” She said, her mouth drooping in a stern frown. She looked around at the faces looking at her.
She opened her mouth to speak but never got the chance.
“INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!” The security system, installed by none other than the twin brains sitting on either side of Kara and Rogue, with a little help from Babs Stark and her husband Tony and the people of Lex Corps, shrilled its warning!
Victor took a seat at the head of the table.
“Very well.” He said. “Show me what you’ve learned.”
Stephanie nodded. She concentrated on the twelve candles that sat on the table. Instantaneously the candles were lit. She extinguished them with a thought.
“Very good.” Victor said. “Now use universal power.”
Stephanie smiled. The twelve candles burst into flame. This time, however, the flames took the form of ballerina dancers. Victor nodded, quite pleased with the effect. Then the ballerinas transformed into twelve Chippendale dancers that began a striptease on the candles. Victor raised his left eyebrow. Stephanie shrugged and the flames went out. The twelve candles were now restored as if they had never been lit.
“You have learned well.” Victor replied. “You now have the control you once lacked.”
“I owe it all to you.” She said.
“You underestimate yourself. You would have figured it out.” Victor told her. “I just sped up the process a little.”
Stephanie shook her head. “I don’t think so. If I hadn’t met you I would have never known that my father had given me this power. Much less tried to use it.”
“Are you prepared to attempt a granted power?” Victor asked.
“I’m not sure.” Stephanie said. “What would I ask for?”
“To go home.” Victor said. “You are welcome for as long as you like, but eventually you will have to go back home. You are the Sorceress Supreme of your world. You are needed there.”
“I know.” Stephanie agreed. “But, what if Mordru is there?”
“You should be more than able to handle Mordru now.” Victor told her.
“Who should I call on?” Stephanie asked. “Which entity should I contact?”
“The Vishanti would be the best bet.” Victor replied. “Your father had an arrangement with them. If you wish, you could probably ask them to remove the power your father gave you. I’m sure they would be willing to choose their own champion.”
“No.” Stephanie said. “My father gave me this power for a reason. Though I’m still frightened by the task he left me. Left me without asking, I might add. I still feel like I owe him. I can’t let him down.”
“I thought you would feel that way.” Victor replied.
“So how do I do this?” She asked.
“Allow me to show you.” Victor said.
Victor stepped out of the room and when he returned he was carrying the helm of Nabu. He sat back at the head of the table and placed the helmet on it.
“Please sit next to me.” Victor requested.
Stephanie took the seat next to him. Victor placed his hand on the helm.
“Put your hand here.” He told her. “It will allow you to enter my mind, so that you can see what I’m doing.”
Stephanie reached out and touched the helm. “What are you going to ask for?” She asked.
“I’m going to attempt a divination.” He replied. “I am curious about what you are going to be up to when you return. So I’m going to ask for a prophecy.”
“But I’m going to see it too.” She said. “Won’t seeing my future be dangerous?”
“It doesn’t work like that.” Victor said. “We see images of a possible future. Nothing is written in stone. Not when it comes to divinations.”
Stephanie nodded.
“You are about to enter my mind.” He told her. “I’ll have no control of you. So I request that you stick to the spell. I’d rather you didn’t go searching around in my subconscious. There are things there that I don’t want to know.”
Stephanie smiled. “I want to know how to do this.” She said. “You don’t have to worry.”
“Then let us begin.”
Stephanie closed her eyes and concentrated on Victor. She could feel his thoughts and the power surging through them. Then he began to speak.
“I call upon the Lords of Order. I call upon Nabu, the one who walks among men. I ask knowledge of things not yet passed.”
The images came. They were slow at first. Then they sped up. The images were fast and held no true sequence.
There was a powerful man holding a broken blonde woman in his arms. . . The blonde was then holding another blonde woman similar in appearance. . . The blonde was holding a redhead with a white streak in her hair. . . A giant being, black and evil. . . A tower that was filled with the stench of death. . . A gathering of heroes from different worlds. . . A battle at the beginning of time. . . The universe collapsing in on itself. . . Then, the entire Continuum imploding at the loss ….
There were so many images that the pair could not take them all in. When they released the helm they were both exhausted.
“Was that what you expected?” Stephanie asked.
“No.” Victor replied. “The situation is far more dire than I realized. Wait here, I must contact someone.”
Victor grabbed the helm and put it on. The transformation took place and Dr. Fate now stood before Stephanie.
“Kent.” He said. “I need your help.”
“I saw.” Kent replied. “What do you need?”
“I’d like to speak to the Wizard Argent.” Victor said. “He may have a better handle on the situation. Do you know how to contact him?”
“Not a clue.” Kent answered. “It was only a chance meeting the first time you contacted him.”
“Is there anyone else?”
“Perhaps you should seek those people in your vision.” Kent said. “They know far more than I do.”
Victor removed the helm.
“Who were you speaking to?” Stephanie asked.
“The spirits of the previous Dr. Fates reside in the helm. I was speaking to one of them.”
“What did you find out?” She asked.
“We need to speak to the people in the vision. Did you know any of them?”
“Some of them but not all.” Stephanie confessed.
“Which ones?” Victor asked.
“I saw Kara and Rogue.” She said. “But I didn’t recognize the place they were in.”
“I am certain that you are not the only one who has been traveling to different worlds. We need to contact this Kara and Rogue.” Said Victor. “Do you know them well?”
“Not really.” Stephanie replied. “I do know more than they wanted me to.”
“That will have to do.” Victor said. “This is your chance. Let’s see what you’ve learned.”
“What should I do?” Stephanie asked. “You just said we may not be going back to my home world.”
“Think of it as a summoning spell.” Victor answered. “Only in reverse. Instead of bringing them to us, take us to them.”
“You’re coming with me.”
“Yes.” Victor replied. “Dr. Fate has a role to play in this. I also believe we should bring the Vision along as well.”
At the mention of his name, Dr. Fate’s ghostly android familiar phased through the wall.
“I am at your service.” The Vision said.
“You’re also an eaves dropper.” Said Victor.
“Knowledge is power.” The Vision replied.
“We’ll talk about it later.” Victor said as he pulled on his helmet. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Stephanie looked over nervously.
“I call the Vishanti.” She said. “I call upon the three.”
Stephanie concentrated on the task. She tried her best to emulate Victor’s previous actions. Humbling herself before the greater powers. Knowing that some day she may be required to do a service for this request. As she thought she called out. Searching for Kara and Rogue.
Searching for two wasn’t working. She calmed herself and concentrated on Kara. She would be at the center of this. Then she touched her mind. Only for a second but it was enough. She opened her eyes and was standing in front of Kara. Just not the Kara she was expecting.
The girl that stood in front of her was younger and she was wearing a winged war helm and was carrying a short handled war-hammer. The “S” symbol that was usually on Kara’s chest was now a buckle on this girl’s belt.
“Kara?” Stephanie said.
“My name is Kara.” Said the girl. “Who are you?”
“Don’t you remember me?” Stephanie asked. “What happened? Why are you so young?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” The girl said. “I don’t believe we’ve met. Nor do I believe I’ve met your companions.”
At that moment Stephanie remembered she was not alone. “What’s going on here?” She asked Victor. “And where are we?”
Dr. Fate searched the surroundings. “If I am not mistaken,” Victor said, “we are in Asgard.”
“Yes you are.” Said the girl. “And since I have been appointed as the guardian of Asgard, I must insist you tell me why you are here.”
“Guardian of Asgard?” Stephanie said. “What is…”
“Wait, Stephanie!” Dr. Fate ordered. “There is a protocol that must be observed here.” He turned to the girl. “I am known as Dr. Fate and this is my apprentice, Dr Strange, and this is my familiar, Vision.”
“I am Kara Zor-El, goddess of thunder.” Said the girl.
“She is not Kara Zor-El.” Stephanie replied.
“Actually she is.” Said Fate. “Just not the one you know.”
“So my spell didn’t work.”
“Not the way you wanted it to.” Victor said. “Though I confess I don’t know why. I monitored the spell it should have worked.”
“Excuse me.” Said Kara. “You still haven’t told me why you are here.”
“I believe I can shed some light on that.” Came a voice.
A brunette woman appeared on the field. Adorned in armor, she wore a short sword at her hip.
“Who are you?” Stephanie asked.
“Have you never studied mythology?” Fate said. “This is obviously the Lady Sif.”
“The Norse goddess?” Asked Stephanie.
“Yes.” Said Sif. “That is who I am.”
“You know these three.” Kara said.
“I’ve never met them before.” Sif replied. “Though I did bring them here.”
“You brought us here.” Dr. Fate responded. “Why?”
“I needed to hitch a ride.” Sif said. “In a manner of speaking.”
“You want to go with us?” Asked Dr. Fate.
“Actually I need Kara to go with you.” Sif replied.
“What?” Said Kara.
“What?” Said Stephanie.
“Why?” Asked Dr. Fate.
“The same reason you are here.” Replied Sif. “She has a role to play in this.”
“So the only reason my spell didn’t work is because you interrupted it.” Stephanie said.
“Altered it actually.” Sif returned. “Which was no easy task. You did a very good job with your spell.”
“Is there any reason we shouldn’t continue now?” Fate asked.
“No.” Sif replied. “In fact I’m going to save you a little time.”
With a wave of her hand Asgard was gone. The gentle breeze was now replaced with a blaring alarm.
“INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!”
The alarm system was reset and introductions were made. There was, of course, a tearful reunion as Stephanie embraced Kara, Rogue, Lar, Jenny, and the twins and took a brief moment to demonstrate her new found abilities. Afterwards, she had introduced the young Kara and Dr. Fate from the Realm.
A rapid fire six way discussion in Kryptonese quickly followed. Lanie struggled to keep up, her first language being English and Kryptonese a language she had strived to teach herself at the Fortress. The twins had it easier since their mothers had insisted they learn Kryptonese, probably much as Lanie’s father would have had he lived.
“You…rescued me?” Young Kara looked with wonder at the older version of herself.
“We did.” Kara nodded, indicating Rogue and herself. “We found your rocket floating in the void and sent it on its way.” She did not mention finding the phantom zone and survival zone projectors she had also found…and then lost before she and Rogue were hounded out of that reality.
“Be a Supergirl…” The girl looked down at the floor and then looked up. “You wrote those words on my rocket.” Kara nodded and then, tentatively, reached forward and grasped the younger version of herself, pulling her into a hug. She then pushed her out and held her at arms length.
“I did.” She said, smiling. “But I had no idea at the time that you would be hobnobbing with the gods of Asgard!” She looked pointedly at the massive Hammer the girl held. “Unless I miss my guess, that is Moljnir?”
As the Kryptonians talked, Kent Nelson spoke quietly with the Realm Dr. Fate while Jenny and Lar introduced Stephanie to Arisia and brought her up to speed.
After a moment, Kent refocused everyone’s attention back to himself.
“It seems as if our time is even more limited than I first judged.” He told them. He paused and then nodded to himself. “I am afraid that we must move forward. Lar, you should take the Twins and go to Otheverse and bring Zal and…Sherri Pennison I believe is her name, the Otherverse Dr. Fate, here. I, the Dr. Fate of the Realm and Stephanie Strange will return to Alterverse and bring those that we are going to need.” He turned to Kara. “You, Rogue, Jenny, Arisia, Lanie, and young Kara should go to the Inheritor’s Probability and speak with them. If everything goes right, we’ll meet back here.”
(From The Inheritors Chapter 21: Final Crisis: Requiem for the Cat)
Faith sat alone in the satellite’s lounge, quietly pondering the revelations of the evening. She had the satellite to herself and took solace in the quiet darkness—the nocturnal predator’s friend. The only light in the lounge was that cast by the view-screen as it displayed the world spinning below. Kara Gand would stay at the Wood tonight; they would decide Scooter’s future tomorrow.
Faith had jumped Arisia back to her home universe. Although something felt odd about the jump, once Arisia felt the power of the Starheart, she waved Faith away. And, except for John and Katma, the rest of the Inheritors were Earth-bound.
Her still-emerald-hued hand brushed slightly darker emerald-hued hair back from her face. She knew that Sam would come for her if she stayed too late. But for now, her only companion was the swirling mist arising from her cup of coffee. It was well past midnight across the North American continent as she gazed down at the blue-green spinning globe below her, lost in her thoughts. Helena Wayne’s memories came, unbidden.
Helena Wayne had been with the Justice Society as they fought the Thorn for the last time—a battle for Ted Grant’s life. How different the Thorn had been from the woman Faith remembered as Rose. And in the battle that followed with the Golden-age Huntress, Helena had been forced to prove her right to use the name. When she had beaten the first Huntress, Alan Scott declared her the victor.
Alan Scott…Faith smiled…Alan Scott had been Helena Wayne’s friend as well as a fellow member of the Justice Society. And now Faith had a decade of memories of the man who would be her father in this life…
“Care for some company, Flameling?” An unfamiliar woman’s voice spoke behind her.
Faith turned, surprised…and more than a little wary. She knew she was exceedingly difficult to stalk—her heightened senses made that almost impossible for a mortal.
The darkness in the lounge was no problem for Faith, so she held off on using her power to illuminate the area. Wary yes, frightened no.
A woman stepped out of the shadow into the weak light of the view-screen and Faith caught her breath.
She was not a particularly tall woman, yet her very stance seemed to speak of raw, barely harnessed power. It was her green skin and hair, and the uniform so similar to that of Arisia of Multiverse that allowed Faith to deduce her identity.
“Jennifer Gand?” She asked, her tone more than a little curious.
“Guilty as charged.” The woman smiled and allowed a small green glow to form around her body.
Again Faith felt unaccustomed surprise…for Jennifer was not alone…
(End: The Inheritors Chapter 21)
“Let me guess.” Jennifer Walters smiled. “You sent the others away so you could be alone.”
“More like I outlasted them. I needed some time to think.” Faith moved closer. “Forgive me for being rude…but how did you get here?”
“I followed you, in a manner of speaking.” Jenny replied.
“Why?” Faith shook her head. “And followed from where?”
“The Multiverse.” Jenny shrugged. “You were there, you know. Though we call the probability you visited Earth-2.”
Faith froze at the term.
“I see you have heard that term before. Or rather, you think you have.” Jenny motioned for the younger woman to take a seat. “The truth is that you haven’t, you know.”
“What do you mean?” Faith shook her head. “I was there! Back at the Dawn of Time…I….”
“But you weren’t there.” A familiar voice from the shadows corrected. “Neither was Sam, or Stella or Kara. Not even Dawn.”
Faith blinked as a second woman stepped forward out of the shadows. This one she knew: Arisia of Graxos IV, the Sentinel of the Universe where the Inheritors had been recently stranded. It had taken several days before the Huntress could regenerate the power she needed to jump her group back to their home universe. Arisia had joined them for the return trip, but Faith had jumped her to her home universe just before entering the bar.
Beside her stood the young woman she had met a week ago…Lanie Kent.
Lanie nodded a greeting but it was Arisia who spoke.
“For you, it was mere hours ago, Faith. For me, it has been months.” Arisia walked towards the bar. She sniffed the tell-tale aroma of coffee in the air. “Mmmm.” She smiled as Faith poured a mug of coffee. “Thank you!” She took a sip. “Jennifer? Lanie?” Arisia asked as Faith pulled out another mug.
The former She-Hulk began to shake her head “no”, but reconsidered. Arisia had pointedly moved to break the ice. The younger woman followed Arisia’s lead by positioning to pour the coffee—she watched Jennifer with a look of studied interest.
“Yes.” Jennifer answered. “Thank you.” She accepted the poured coffee graciously, if warily. Lanie accepted a cup as well
Looking back and forth between the two women, Faith could sense a…kinship between them…and a tension. She then looked up and behind Jenny, to the three figures still hidden within the shadows.
“Shall I pour two more…Kara Zor-El and Rogue In-Zee?” She inquired politely. The identity of the third seemed to elude her.
“I told you she would figure it out!” Arisia chuckled as the three figures stepped into the light. Two were the ones Faith had named…the third, however, caught Faith’s amazed attention. She was, apparently, Kara Zor-El as well. A younger version. Younger, even, than Lanie! The older women accepted the offer of coffee. The third, after taking a small sip and making a sour face, shook her head. After brief introductions, during which Faith learned that the younger Kara was from a probability the older Kara called The Realm, The older Kara turned the floor back over to Jenny and Arisia.
“You said it has been months?” Faith looked back to Arisia. The golden skinned Sentinel explained what had occurred, and where she had spent those months…and where she would most likely spend the rest of her life.
“You said I wasn’t there….” Faith now brought the conversation back full circle.
“Yes…I know.” Arisia nodded. “You have the memories. They are yours…but they aren’t. They belong to a time long past…and to people long gone.”
Faith closed her eyes, gathering herself together. The night had been a strenuous one and she was not really in the mood for guessing games.
“What do you know about it?” Faith demanded, knowing instantly that she had shown more irritation than she had desired to show. She took another sip of her cup of coffee, arose from the chair and moved back to the view screen that gave the illusion that one was looking out a window at the world below.
“What do I know?” Arisia moved to stand beside her. “I know everything now. I know the entire story. At least as far as this sector and the Multiverse are concerned.”
“Multiverse?” Faith frowned as she looked at the woman.
“They are tied together.” Jenny’s voice came from behind her. The ominous tones of her voice caused Faith to turn to her. “If only because of their origins.”
“You mean because of the mistakes we made. So many lives lost, because we couldn’t act more quickly.” Faith tore her eyes away from the woman and looked back at the darkened continent below. Jenny had just reinforced that her actions had affected more lives than she could possibly comprehend!
“Mistakes were made, Faith. Not by Helena, nor any of her team.” Arisia spoke again. “You know that already. Your small team of left-behind heroes did more than universes full of more-powerful champions. No mistakes: only actions—and the only actions that made any difference at all.”
“More difference it seems, than my actions!”
Faith turned at the sound of bitterness in Kara Zor-El’s voice
“And even then, Faith, they were not your actions, but those of the Huntress. Of Helena Wayne. And you are not Helena Wayne! You are no more Helena Wayne than Helena was…Red Sonja!” Arisia continued, as if Kara had not spoken.
Faith swung her head towards the woman with confusion. What on Earth was she talking about? And how on earth would an alien…a woman from Graxos IV…know about Red Sonja?
“That which was the heart of the legendary woman warrior of so long ago…that which was the strength of will of Helena…that which is the core of your own being…they are all the same. The spirit: the soul, if you will.” Arisia smiled at the astonishment in Faith’s features.
“Oh yes. Did you think your life began with Helena? You are not a young soul; you already know that, Faith. Many times have you dared the wheel of life. And each time you have been Life’s Champion! The Eternal Champion! Always appearing when you are most needed. Not unlike a certain female Kryptonian I know.” Arisia smiled with a gentle appreciation, glancing over at the sudden blush that crept across Kara’s features.
“When Jade chose the Huntress as the Champion of Life, she had no idea that she was bestowing a title upon the Huntress that was already her birthright…and had been hers for more lives than could be counted.” Arisia shook her head. “It is for exactly this reason that it is rare that we mortals are allowed to see a perfect picture of our past lives. Because we tend to take the burdens of the past on our present shoulders. You can’t do that Faith. Whatever the Huntress did…what any of them did, has no bearing on you now.”
“Has no bearing?” She let a very small jet of emerald fire play across the palm of her left hand.”
Amused, Jenny lifted an eyebrow. She watched the flame flicker. With a distant look in her eyes, she recited.
“Today, I fight my final fight,
From this mortal coil I must fade.
But for the Mistress of the Emerald Fire,
Death is just a masquerade...”
Jenny noted the look of shock in Faith’s eyes.
“But you have already discovered the truth of this—the hard way.” Her eyes drilled into Faith. “The Starheart intended for you to have that power. Helena earned it. And the Starheart knew that only you could be trusted with it. And you will have need of that gift.”
“And you are here to tell me why.” It was not a question.
“You mean to tell us why, don’t you?”
It was the second time Faith had been surprised in a matter of minutes and the looks of equal surprise on the faces of her…guests…did nothing to comfort her.
She whirled towards the entrance of the bar, her surprise giving away to relief to see her friends. Alanna, Kara Gand…and Sam!
“I hope we’re not disturbing…” Kara Gand scanned the room, her eyes resting first on Arisia. “Arisia, I thought you had gone home?” She asked. She then looked to the green skinned, green haired woman beside the golden skinned Sentinel. “I don’t think we’ve met.” Her eyes continued on, briefly taking in the red head…and freezing on the blond.
“Let me make the introductions this time.” Faith, despite the deep misgivings she was beginning to feel, smiled. “You all already know Arisia, so allow me to introduce Kara Zor-El of The Realm and Jennifer Gand, Rogue In-Zee, and Kara Zor-El of Multiverse….Earth-1. Lanie and Arisia’s Earth is the Multiverse Earth-2.”
The phrase caught her friends’ attention more than the names of the individuals. She quickly introduced the young Kara to Alanna, the others having already met her at one time or another, and continued on.
“And this is Kara Gand of Daxam and…”
Before she could get the last part out, Kara Zor-El, the older, had moved until she stood before Sam, her eyes wide.
“Kal?” She whispered. Here, before her, was the young man she remembered adventuring with in the 31st century with the Legion of Super-heroes. Her cousin….Superboy!
Sam shook his head, understanding. He had talked to Alan Scott enough to know this Kara’s story.
“No.” He said. “I’m Sam Kent. Kal-El was my father.”
“Was?” Kara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. At the mentioning of the name, Kal-El, the younger Kara’s eyes widened and she studied Sam with a renewed intensity. When the older Kara opened them again, she forced a smile. “I am sorry for your loss, Sam. But it always good to meet a relative…so to speak. In my own time and place, Kal was my older cousin. That would make you, in a manner of speaking and as the Terrans classify it, my first cousin once removed. (Author’s note: Though most people think of the child of a first cousin as a second cousin, the correct terminology is as stated above: 1st cousin once removed. That cousin’s child would be a 1st cousin twice removed, etc. Children of 1st cousins are 2nd cousins to each other. Click here for explanation)”
Sam smiled and took the Multiverse Kara’s hand in his own.
Kara then turned and looked…at herself.
“It is kind of…eerie, isn’t it?” Kara Gand ventured with a slight smile after a moment.
“Yes.” Kara Zor-El nodded. “I’ve almost gotten used to seeing younger versions” Here she gave a slight smile towards the younger Kara Zor-El “….but…” she made a motion with her hand to toward Kara G. to indicate that she was not used to seeing some one her exact duplicate.
“This is fascinating, I’m sure. And, Alanna, your new look does suit you.” Rogue’s voice, not quite dripping with sarcasm, cut through the buzz, bringing attention to her. The red head nodded towards Alanna, Sam, and Kara G and then turned towards Arisia and Jenny. “But, I for one am tired of waiting…What in Rao’s name is going on here?”
“You don’t know?” Kara Gand demanded of her double. Kara Zor-El shook her head.
“We’ve been trying to drag it out of these two and Kent Nelson of Alterverse for the better part of several hours now.” She explained. She motioned towards Jenny and Arisia. “They insisted we be here so they would only have to go through it once.”
“Kent Nelson?” Alanna demanded. “My Kent Nelson? Of Alterverse?”
“That’s the one.” Rogue answered. “He would be here with us now…in fact he had intended to be here…but something came up and he sent us on while he returned to Alterverse. He’s supposed to meet us back at our satellite when we leave here.”
“Now you have my undivided attention.” Faith’s demeanor had turned serious and she turned to Jenny and Arisia. “Kent is not one to cry wolf.” The others responded to her serious tone, filed in and took seats, their attention also riveted on the two Sentinels.
“I said you did not make the mistakes, but mistakes were made.” Arisia began. “By the Starheart. First by the one that caused…this. And then later, by the Starheart of Multiverse. Mistakes that may have dire consequences for not only the many realities of Multiverse…but your own reality as well.”
Arisia grew silent and her gaze became distant as if she were seeing things far away. She then raised a hand and the room around them darkened.
Those watching, with the exception of Jenny, gasped as an image grew before them.
“This is what happened.” Arisia’s voice reverberated in the darkness.
Spellbound, the watchers could only follow helplessly as the entire event replayed before their eyes. They saw the people the Inheritors had been…and the actions they had taken.
They watched as Arisia revealed the final moments of the Starheart’s existence. And then…a flash of white, followed by many more.
“A new continuum was born that day.” Arisia said. “Cast away from the parent continuum by the Bang that gave it birth. That was not what the Starheart had originally intended. But, for all its power, for all its godlike ability, the Starheart was not all powerful. It was not God! You already know what occurred next. With no Champion at its core, the Starheart could not control the forces it had already set in motion. It had done all it could to assure that this reality…this sector…would exist. But the rest? The creature set free much more power than it had ever conceived of controlling. A being created of purely Mystic energies, the Starheart, on that day, tried to harness both Mystical and Cosmic energies to do its bidding!”
As the assembly watched, they learned what had become of Big Bang the Starheart had launched with its sacrifice.
“Sector after sector sprang into existence as the power ran rampant.” Jenny took up the explanation. “The Starheart’s final, unintentional gift: the accidental byproduct of the Starheart’s gift of love to Jennie-Lynn Hayden and Helena Wayne. This is what happened when it threw caution to the wind and, for the first time in its existence, it listened to that which passed for its heart rather than its intellect. This is what happened when it attempted to wield cosmic and mystic energies side by side.”
“You call them sectors?” Kara Gand asked with amazed curiosity.
“Sectors.” Alanna could hear the amusement in Jenny’s voice, even if she couldn’t see her face. “Kara and her father Zor-El coined the term. Every Continuum is made of Sectors. All alternate versions of each other. Some more alike…some extremely different. This Reality…this universe of the Inheritors, is one such sector. The Multiverse is another…as are Alterverse and The Realm. Each separate, each with its own physical laws, and each with its own methods of managing the alternate realities within its sphere of influence.”
“So,” Kara Gand pondered, “when we visited the Multiverse Earth–2, we were not visiting an alternate version of the universe we currently occupy?”
“You were not.” Jenny confirmed. “You were visiting an alternate version of a world within the Multiverse sector. Though I am not sure, I think it would be safe to say that there are few Sectors within this Continuum that are true multiverses like the Multiverse…”
Kara Gand heard Jenny chuckle and, for a moment, the sound was…inhuman. Her eyes widened as, briefly, Jenny and Arisia seemed to merge into a single being before them and then split apart almost instantly.
“It was kinda hard for me to accept.” Lanie addressed Kara Gand. “I was not even aware that there were alternate realities until you guys showed up…and then to have Kara Zor-El, Rogue, and the Twins pop in…” She shook her head.
“So what did you mean by this universe…this Sector as you call it, and the Multiverse Sector being tied?” Sam asked, getting the conversation back on track.
“Watch.” Jenny responded as the image began to change.
As reality began anew, as worlds upon worlds, reality after reality, were created, and the Starheart, without its human anchor, was ripped apart.
An infinite number of pieces of the Starheart were scattered through most, though not all, of the new Sectors created.
Each fragment retained an unconscious memory that it had been part of the whole…and yet each was a new, unique, adaptable individual. Some parts purely mystical, some, such as the Multiverse Starheart, Cosmic. And some, a strange union of the two energies.
“What became of all but one of those fragments remains a mystery.” Arisia resumed the explanation. “The Multiverse Starheart has no knowledge of what happened to any of the other fragments after that initial split. But now it knows what became of one Sector in which apparently no piece of the consciousness of the original Starheart had been deposited…this Sector.”
“And the Multiverse?” Kara Zor-El asked.
The image shifted again.
Images of sentients began to appear…one at a time…at an ever-increasing speed; a figure would solidify and then blur into another…and another. Kara understood that she was seeing the past champions of the Multiverse. Finally it settled on the figure of Jennifer Gand…the same woman seated at the bar.
The image shifted yet again and around them, they now watched what appeared to be two, distinct but separate, universes.
On the right, scenes displayed that let them know they were seeing the universe…the reality…they occupied now.
On their left…
Kara Zor-El drew in a breath as world after world, probability after probability sprang into existence. This…she knew…was a true Multiverse. And for all of this Multiverse…there had always been but one Starheart. It had champions within most of the different probabilities under its protection, but there was only one Starheart.
“The Starheart of this new Multiverse was weak…and damaged.” Jenny’s voice answered. “It took many millennia before it could wield its power effectively. Even then, it knew it would be much longer before it could hope to protect this new sector well. It knew it could only act in minor ways…for direct release of its power without an intermediary would be disastrous. It would need help…and so, recalling half remembered snippets of history, it decided to create…helpers. And it began on the planet Malthus!”
Kara Gand sucked in a breath and again Jenny paused to laugh.
“Yes, I know. Before the Dawn of Time, the Guardians created the Starheart. In the Multiverse, the Starheart returned the favor…by creating the Guardians.” Jenny hesitated and then continued. “But that was before it was a Multiverse. In the beginning, there was only one world. One reality.”
Jenny paused and though Alanna could not see her face, she had the impression the woman was looking off into space, seeing something only she could see.
“What then occurred in Multiverse, the events that would send time and space spiraling out of control, are not your concern at this time…but it may be that the times coming are a result of those events.” There was the sound of a sigh…a sigh that Alanna could have sworn could never come from a human body…and Jenny continued. “Nevertheless, where there was once only one world, there were now an infinite number of realities. And it does not stop there.”
The scene narrowed to a single earth out of the infinite number that existed within the Multiverse and they gasped as the visions of the recent past unfolded.
A single probability in which Hell had visited Earth in the form of invasion. Faith’s heart went out to those on that Earth; the trials of her own Earth and Myrg evoked her sympathy for that world.
But then…a seeming miracle. A forced division! What had been one Probability amongst an infinite number of Probabilities had split into three!
“Lanie!” Kara Gand breathed as scenes flashed by of one of the Earths. She glanced over at the white faced Power Girl whose face had just flashed up. This, Arisia informed them, was the second world created by the device activated by a madman. This was Multiverse Earth-2. Faith then nodded as the images switched to the first world. It was not their Kara…not the Kara who had been Supergirl in her previous life time. But it was, nonetheless…
Supergirl! Kara Zor-El.
Older than the Supergirl the memories showed her…but it was still her. The woman now seated beside her Kara Gand. This was Earth-1 of that Multiverse.
“This is one of the reasons that we are here.” Jenny stated bluntly, referring to Arisia and herself. She looked directly at Kara Gand. “We needed to know your true origin, Kara Gand. For whatever reason, you, Kara Zor-El of the Multiverse, Kara Zor-El of The Realm, and Kira Jor-El of Alterverse are four different versions of the same person. Each has the interesting distinction of appearing at critical junctions during the life of a universe. While each is the embodiment of the heroic ideal, they each share a common flaw—the ease of which they will lay down their lives for others.”
Jenny glared at the IV Huntress and growled the next words that came from her mouth. “Beware, Flameling. When they die, universes die with them—as you would do well to recall.”
Faith’s eyes flashed at the stinging rebuke.
The scene changed a final time…and this, they knew, was a warning.
For this was Earth-3. And here, they learned, the Starheart was not in control. The device that had created this reality had duplicated the Starheart…a corrupted version. For in this Probability, evil rained supreme.
“Why show us that?” Faith questioned.
“Watch.” Arisia’s voice admonished.
The image zoomed out until what they saw was obviously a representation of the Multiverse. And still the image zoomed out until the Inheritor’s Universe was once again displayed alongside the Multiverse. And still it moved outward. Eventually, both universes were mere pinpoints of light amidst a myriad of pinpoints. The small group understood that they were now seeing a representation of the entire Continuum.
“This is what became of the Huntress’ actions. And the original Starheart’s first…and final…act of love!” Arisia spoke softly. “All of this was unintentionally created by those two acts. This was our original Continuum.”
Faith caught the implication of the past tense.
“Was?”
“Was.” The image zoomed further until another, smaller continuum came into view. “Behold the Continuum of Qward.” Kara Zor-El, the elder version, sucked in a breath as the image enlarged. Arisia turned to the Inheritors. “A Continuum conquered by the Weapon Masters of Qward. No, not the Qwardians of the past you have so recently recalled. Similar…but not the same. For these Qwardians succeeded where those of your past failed.” The image stopped moving. “Yet the Weapon Masters base their power on conquest. Their entire industry is geared for it…for conflict…for war. And their success was very nearly their downfall! With no further campaigns possible, the Weapon Masters had to look elsewhere. They had to find an enemy...a people to go to battle with in order to prevent the splintering of their civilization and the resulting civil war.”
“So they found a way to our Continuum…to our universes!” Sam spat, his anger obvious.
“They found a way to your universe…and to Multiverse…and to the Realm, though their interference there is slight as of yet. For it is they, working through Mordru there…and Darkseid here…who have tried to prepare the way for their invading forces. The Gulag you experienced was one of their cruelest innovations—a relatively low-cost staging area to support attacks by their allies combined with a death-row prison for the most powerful of those their allies conquered. For, while the Qwardians could reach your universe and the Multiverse, the investment in resources was prohibitive. The Qwardians have had to satisfy themselves with working through intermediaries who appeared to share their goals. Until now.”
The image zoomed out yet again.
“The Qwardians sought a way to create a permanent bridge between that Continuum and this one.” Arisia resumed. “There is no telling what they tried…or how they sought to accomplish this feat…but what occurred was not part of their plans.”
Lanie gasped as the Qward Continuum began to pulse and, like small waves expanding outward in a still pond after a pebble has been dropped, massive ripples swept outward.
The ripples passed through their Continuum…and countless others…with no obvious effect. But then, like that wave that hits the shore of the pond and bounces back…a single massive ripple swept back inward.
For the most part, those caught in the Ripple felt nothing, noticed nothing different, despite the massive changes that had occurred. For some, however, the effects of the Ripple were instant and noticeable.
Lanie caught a glimpse of a single world and knew that this was the Otherverse Earth that Kara Zor-El, the Elder, and those who accompanied her, had originally inhabited. The ripple had swept them up and cast them into the Multiverse. Just as the Ripple, a space-time discontinuity, swept through continuum after continuum, pulling pieces and parts of differing probabilities from their original homes to throw them in to a continuum laid waste by or conquered by…Qward.
“The Qwardians got what they wanted.” Arisia announced. “New realities to conquer. But it destabilized Qward as well. It took them some time to recover. But recover they have…to a degree. Well enough to threaten all our realities!”
Arisia turned her back and gazed at the view screen.
“The Multiverse Starheart gave me this knowledge. But it can, at best, only catch glimpses of what occurs beyond the boundaries of the Multiverse. What it has knowledge of and what it has merely guessed, if guess is the correct word, are the barest fragments of the knowledge we will need. But this much we do know. The Ripple that pulled our respective probabilities into this Continuum has also…altered our links to our mutual past…to a degree. We are now tied together, our three probabilities: this, the Multiverse, and The Realm. How Alterverse fits into all of this, the Starheart is not sure.”
She paused. “But it is aware of one thing…another probability…a miniature multiverse…is involved and the Qwardians are bending their will towards it in great strength. The Starheart cannot see what is happening there, but it can tell, quite clearly, that this other, small, multiverse is tied to our probabilities in some drastic manner. And whatever is happening there is already sending ripples of…change…that are beginning to affect our worlds. The affects are minor. Hardly noticeable. But the Starheart fears that this will not remain the case.” Arisia stopped and her gaze firmly rested on Faith, as did Jennifer Gand’s.
We need to know what is going on there.” Arisia finished. “Kent Nelson has more information that he will give us when we return to Multiverse, but as it stands now…Someone…or some group, is going to have to travel to this new…sector…and discover what is happening and why it is affecting us.”
Jenny’s eyes turned to Alanna. “But we have another problem. Even with the combined powers of the Rock of Eternity and the Drs. Fate and control of the Great Portal, we cannot enter.”
Arisia’s eyes remained firmly focused on Faith as she gestured towards Alanna. “We can’t get in. But the Starheart and Kent Nelson are convinced that the two of you can. And Kent claims he knows why.”
“So,” Jenny gazed at them, “we must turn to you. Kent says he will be ready in twelve hours. Be there: the four of you, the Dr. Fate of your reality, and no others.”
“We must leave to make our own preparations.” Arisia concluded. “We will see you in twelve hours.” Before the Inheritors could react, their visitors had vanished.
Kara Gand made one last pass through the bar before retiring for the evening. Tomorrow would bring yet another battle that would take her away from her family. So many years…so little time with her children…and now it had begun again.
Her own daughter would be left in the care of others while she faced battle beside the heroes of this world, heroes young enough to be her children. But, children who had never known the peace she had known on Daxam in a time before Lar Gand…and all of this.
Driving her X-Ray vision downward, she gazed as the first rays of light shone over the Eastern United States—false dawn: the time of day before the sun truly rises.
But even then, as she well knew, another part of the world had begun its relentless, inexorable slide into the darkness of night.