(Editor’s Note: this chapter immediately follows Chapter 2: Return to Yesterday, and runs simultaneously with Chapter 3: Removing a Pebble, and Chapter 4: Once More, Unto the Breach)
“After the fire, the fire still burns…”
-The Who
Jennifer Gand and Arisia Fentara watched wistfully as Lar Gand departed the satellite for the MHR probability. Not far away, Alanna and Faith Scott waved as Superboy, Kara Gand, and Alan Scott departed with Team Powerhouse. Team Magic had left not much earlier.
It was simple in concept, really. Team Sentinel had to stabilize the post-crisis timeline. And that meant a lot of power—power only the Multiverse Starheart could provide.
Simple in concept. Arisia of Graxos IV recalled what they would be doing next. We provide the power it takes to make this idea work, Kent Nelson and the Rock alter it slightly so that a mystic can handle it, and the Huntress focuses it.
This part of the satellite is almost deserted…Ray Palmer is here, as are the MHR Huntress and Alfred. Faith insisted on bringing the Huntress and Alfred here to answer questions…but I think it was more than that—not that I could blame her. If I found a duplicate of my father, would I want to take chances with his life?
And Jenny, dear Jenny. She still has the strength of the She-Hulk, if not the appearance. The power that Parallax gave her combines with the gamma radiation within her and her own metabolism to provide a continuing fountain of cosmic energy.
And me…never have I felt more like a dead woman walking. If it weren’t for the tremendous amount of energy that either the Starheart or Jenny must provide to keep me alive, I would be dead.
Hal Jordan, I miss you. I miss Lanie and I miss being Helen Jordan. But we seldom choose our fates…we live as best we can and hope we make the decisions that matter.
I love you, Lanie! Please don’t forget me! She turned as Kent Nelson approached her.
“Arisia, our work is a little different than the others. We can’t begin what we have to do until Team Magic is done. Mary will signal the Rock of Eternity when it is time.”
“I understand.” Arisia watched Jenny as she looked out to the window, to the spot in the void where Teams Magic and Powerhouse had disappeared.
There was nothing to watch, really. At Alan Scott’s command, the Great Portal had opened there and closed. Then it had reopened in the MHR universe just as soon as it closed in this universe. Jenny could call it…and was struggling to keep herself from doing just that.
There was nothing to see…but blackest night…
“I’m taking the Scott girls and Dr. Palmer back to the Rock of Eternity.” Kent informed her. “We have some planning we have to do. And I know that your Starheart has its own preparations to make as well. We’ll let you know when it’s time.”
“Thank you.” Arisia nodded. Kent prepared to speak again, but then changed his mind and walked away.
Arisia walked towards Jenny and followed her gaze.
“It’s been one heck of a life.” Arisia mused. “I’ve managed to cheat death for more than fifteen years and raised a daughter who makes me very proud. And now I’ve found you and Lar. At least I am going to die for something I believe in.”
Jenny’s neck snapped as she turned quickly.
“You, too? I thought I was the only one who felt that way. But if we don’t try, billions upon billions of people WILL die.”
“Do you think Lar knows?”
Jenny sighed. “He’s a man, and a Daxamite. I’m sure he doesn’t have a clue. But at least he will be there for our daughter when Reed Richards finds a way to free her from stasis.”
Arisia bowed her head. “Lead poisoning. I am so sorry.”
“I want…I want to see her one last time.” Jenny confided. “Will you come with me?”
“Yes.” Arisia answered. And then only Helena, Alfred, and the satellite staff remained on board.
Faith, Alanna, and Ray Palmer accompanied Kent Nelson to the Rock. An odd place, it did not exist within any one universe or any one dimension. It existed between probabilities and could be accessed through its counterparts within many of the probabilities of this part of the Continuum.
Kent had discovered that within the Continuum there were many Shazam Wizards, each with their own unique Rock of Eternity and their own champions, but they were all still tied to this one.
Some of the Rocks were empty or vacant…Kent would seek worthies to care for them as he could. Some found their wizards on their own.
Still, for Kent’s money, there was only one champion, one Captain Marvel, and she fought today with Team Magic. He wished her God-speed.
The Rock would be vacant…or would it?
“You didn’t tell me you were bringing guests.” The Alterverse Wonder Woman, Princess Diana of Themyscira stood at the door of the Rock as their small group landed. “Alanna? That is certainly a change. And you must be Ray Palmer…”
Ray Palmer discussed the physics of the situation with Diana. Wonder Woman’s specialties did not include theoretical physics, but she had been grounded in it. And she had access to resources that few could imagine.
“We’ll be back. We’re going to put the Shantar systems to work on this problem. Time for a triple check.” Diana stated just before she disappeared with a startled Dr. Palmer.
“Kids, we have to talk.” Kent addressed them. “This whole thing rests on the whims of the Multiverse Starheart and I trust it as far as I can throw it.”
“Not a statement to inspire confidence.” Faith remarked. “I certainly would have given it the benefit of the doubt.”
Kent smiled. “That’s why you’re the Champion and I’m the Wizard, Kiddo. All I know is that the Sentinels think they are going to die today. And we’re not going to let that happen.”
“No, we’re not.” Alanna added. “But what can we do?”
Faith eyed Kent. “What do you have in mind, oh Keeper of the Wild Magic?”
“I’m not sure, yet.” He admitted. “But we need to have an answer before we bring them here.”
The woman, who had been the She-Hulk, and her companion, who had once been one of the best of the Green Lantern Corps, stood before a small stasis chamber. Inside floated an unborn child.
“I wonder when life begins.” Jenny pondered. “I wonder if she knows that I’m here.”
“I don’t know.” Arisia had to admit. “Our customs are very different. In my world, we believe that we are all part of a greater soul…and that soul knows that you are here and what you will do.”
Jenny nodded with a wry smile. “I like that way of looking at it. Thank you. But now it’s time to return to the satellite. I’d like to leave a message for Lar.”
“I would, too.” Arisia admitted. “I would, too.”
Kent had walked into his library, leaving Faith and Alanna alone in the reception room.
“Faith, we have to talk.” Alanna stated. “We’re about to do something dangerous and I want to make sure you have your head on straight.”
Faith turned to face her and respond. “Lannie, I have done dangerous things before.”
“But this is Crisis,” Alanna remarked, “and you haven’t resolved your own emotions. That makes you dangerous to all of us. And a slip today will kill Jenny and Arisia.”
“I know…” Faith sighed. “I shall do my best. I owe them that.”
“Wrong.” Alanna countered. “You don’t owe anybody anything. Not a damned thing. And you need to understand that. You don’t owe Earth anything, you don’t owe Myrg anything, and you didn’t owe Korugar anything. Nothing.”
“What?” Faith reeled from Alanna’s words. “The Starheart gave me the power so that I would…”
“Ha!” Alanna laughed bitterly. “You still don’t get it. You and everyone else seem to want to think that the creature gave you the power because it loved you and wanted you to carry on for it. That is a load of bull.”
“What?” Faith sputtered. “But I…”
“Honey, you exist for one reason. A debt had to be repaid.” Alanna emphasized. “Look at it from the creature’s point of view…at the Dawn of Time, when everything else was gone, it only existed because Helena made the one decision that mattered.”
“Kiddo, Helena didn’t fail.” Alanna stated. “She didn’t have a chance…against the Anti-Monitor; no one did…not really. He suckered the heroes in and to his surprise Kara did far more damage than he had even dreamed. But he recovered instantly. And even the Starheart didn’t have the power to slow him down. Not until after the Anti-Monitor expended most of his power destroying the positive matter universe through Krona’s portal.”
Faith frowned, but did not interrupt.
“Faith,” Alanna charged, “what would have happened if Helena had stayed with her friends on top of that tower in Gotham and done nothing? What if the Anti-Monitor had had no opposition at the beginning of time? What if?”
“I…” Faith began, but an odd look crossed her countenance. She whispered with stunned realization, “only the evil would have survived…nothing else. Not the Starheart, not…”
“Anything but evil…” Alanna stated. “Just like Qward…Exactly like Qward…Faith, the Starheart loved Jennie-Lynn Hayden, its child. It found that it could not destroy her—it would see to her safety. But you’re here because it owed Helena a debt—the creature knew it would be able to reproduce by fission. Its children would live in so many, many universes. And Helena made that possible.”
“But, by then, all that remained of Helena was her life-force…her bare essence…nothing more than that and the mystic fire that held it together. An essence burned free of the cares and worries of Helena’s life. An essence of living mystic force; ready to begin anew. And the Starheart owed her that new beginning.”
“Heck of a new beginning…” Faith allowed a flicker of flame to play across her palm.
“Yes, it was.” Alanna agreed. “You see, you’re no longer Helena. You’ve grown beyond that. Helena was a brilliant young woman, driven by an outraged sense of justice. More tempered by compassion than her father, but make no mistake: that Huntress was spawned by the murders that took her parents and her father’s parents. But justice has never driven you.”
“What?” Faith answered with surprise. “We live in a world which still suffers the conqueror’s boot. Our people deserve to be free! To chart their own lives! And I want them to have that chance…”
“Exactly.” Alanna grinned as she transformed to her powered form. “‘Welcome to the Huntress’ Wood. This is a magic place. This is where tragedy turns to triumph. And this is where love grows.’ Lois said that. And I’ve certainly experienced the magic of the place.” Alanna’s now six-fingered hand touched the wrist of Faith’s still glowing hand. “And this is the stuff upon which our people’s dreams are made. No, Faith, you’ve evolved far beyond Helena. She was a creature of justice, but this is freedom’s flame.”
Touched, Faith considered Alanna’s words as she slowly withdrew the jet of flame.
“And Faith, everyone who died in Helena’s Crisis lives again, somewhere in this Continuum.” Alanna emphasized. “Even Jennie-Lynn Hayden, Jade, is down there in the universe we hope to save.”
“Helena and her reality deserve to be remembered.” She added. “But don’t think you ‘owe’ anyone. If there is any debt at all, it is owed to you! You do what you do because you choose to do what you think is right. And I should know.” She smiled warmly. “Because I’m the Seeker. And I seek the truth. And now, I have to seek a pattern.”
Alanna vanished.
“Wow…” Kent whistled. “That was Alanna Scott?”
“Call her Lannie.” Faith’s eyes and thoughts focused millions of miles and years away. “She prefers Lannie Kyle. And she is very wise.”
“And I repeat…Wow!” Kent turned back to his library. “Geez…Oh, Faith, when you’re ready come in…we have some spells to discuss.”
Jennifer Gand and Arisia Fentara floated above Venus in their green cocoons. For a moment, they remembered the Arisia Fentara native to that probability: the world below was her tribute. Her people would have their chance on this world…formerly an uninhabitable world, now transformed into a world of life. Jenny pondered whether a moon would be in order…Mars had two companions to introduce tides, but Venus had no tides. Well, that would be one real use for War World…
“The Starheart is grounding the other Sentinels.” Arisia remarked. “It is sending them to the Oas of their separate probabilities.”
“And that means?” Jenny preferred to ask, rather than seek the answers directly.
“The Starheart plans to focus ALL its energy through Senturia.” Arisia warned. “It isn’t holding back anything. Although it tells us that it doesn’t want to hurt us, it won’t be in control…nor will we…”
“Anything we should do to prepare?” Jenny asked. “You’ve done the Sentinel job a lot longer than I have.”
“No.” Arisia stated. “But there are a few messes we can clean up while there is time…” She smiled. “Can you say…‘it’s clobbering time!’?”
“Actually?” Jenny suggested. “I have a better idea. Let’s go back to the Fortress. Maybe Zor-El can give us some advice on how to survive this.”
Puzzled, but pleased, by Jenny’s choice, Arisia followed her back to the Antarctic Fortress.
“We’re back!” Diana called. Ray Palmer followed Wonder Woman back into the Rock, interrupting Kent’s lecture to the girls. “The Shantar confirmed the calculations…although they doubt your sanity.”
“I doubt my sanity!” Kent chuckled as he walked back in to the reception area to greet them. “Dr. Palmer, what does it all mean?”
“I have an odd theory that we need to prepare for.” Ray informed them. “If we are moving as much power through the links as we think, the probability may change addresses…we need to be prepared for that. It might wind up moved within the Multiverse realms.”
“Not a bad thing.” Kent considered. “It would be free from additional interference…a good thing since its boundaries will always be a little weak.”
“The most danger is still to the Sentinels.” Ray informed them as he gazed at the Scotts. “The full power of the Starheart is going to have to focus through them before the two of you can focus it. The creature may intend to shut its power down before they become damaged, but once they draw that power from within MHR…it will be like a fire hose that neither they nor it can control.”
“And what happens when there is more energy than they can focus?” Diana questioned. “What happens when a mortal form is exposed to that amount of cosmic energy?”
No one could offer an answer. Instead, Faith stepped forward and asked another question.
“And what happens if the fire hose runs out of water?” She pondered. “Is it like a game of crack the whip? Do we send them somewhere? Do we drain them dry? Working a spell this big doesn’t allow for precision. I should know. I suspect that’s why the Huntress’ Wood exists.”
“Kent?” Diana asked. “Why aren’t the Sentinels part of this discussion?”
“Competing agendas.” Kent countered. “They will throw themselves away, believing that is what they are supposed to do. They have seen the selfless examples of Kara Zor-El, and from Kara Gand, who is her doppelganger. They have seen that no one gets out alive, but if the battle isn’t fought, the darkest evil wins.”
He closed his eyes.
“I don’t know what happened to Qward. But what if it had its own crisis? What if…?”
“Kara Zor-El did not exist, because someone took her out of the time-stream?” Alanna shuddered. “So, this wasn’t a coincidence.”
“No.” Kent confirmed. “It wasn’t. Not at all.”
“And that’s what Jenny meant, back at our satellite.” Alanna added. “The Karas Zor-El are fated to face some kind of Crisis. Except that it will be Kira Jor-El in Alterverse.”
“Kira Zor-El.” Diana whispered. “It’s legally Zor-El. Jor-El did not live to her birth. And Lyla is a Zor-El. And Kira and Kara are the same name in Kryptonese…they are different pronunciations of the same set of letters. That was Jor-El’s revenge. He named his daughter after the only woman he ever loved.”
“I wonder if that means anything.” Faith pondered. “…if that odd little fact will make a difference in their battle.”
“I don’t know.” Kent shrugged. “Lord Ian probably knows. Lorra knows…but neither of them is talking to me.”
The Green Energy approached the Fortress. Recognizing the source, the Fortress allowed Jenny and Arisia to re-enter.
On the way to the communication console that allowed them to speak to Kandor, Jenny stopped to cheer up the twins’ companion animals…if you could call creatures so intelligent animals.
They both appeared to be descended from a mixture of a cat and dog…but their true ancestors were a primordial Kryptonian animal crossed with Lord Ian’s wolves. They were super-powered in their own right, but some of their powers were…unique.
As Jenny spoke to Fang and Pantha, the two of them calmed at her words and touch, clearly glad to see her.
But then they startled…Both pulled away from Jenny. Agitated, they began to pace and made noises of frustration.
Then, they disappeared.
“What was that all about?” Arisia questioned.
“I don’t know.” Jenny answered with worry. “They must believe the twins are in danger. Maybe we should follow?”
“You know we can’t.” Arisia noted. “We have to channel the Starheart’s power. We are the only ones who can.”
“Aye.” Jenny agreed regretfully. She walked to the Fortress comms console and activated it. “Zor? Are you there?”
“Yes.” His image appeared.
“We’d be grateful for any words of wisdom.”
“Surf.” He answered after careful consideration. “Don’t do…surf. Ride the wave.”
“Surf…” Arisia’s thought was interrupted when their comms activated with a pre-arranged signal from Kent Nelson. “It’s time, Jenny.”
“It’s been fun…” Jenny nodded to Zor-El as they vanished from the fortress.
“May Rao protect you.” But his reply would never reach them.
The two Sentinels flew above the planet towards a location known only by a few. Diving down, they flew towards where an opening awaited them…the opening to the Rock of Eternity.
They followed the beacons Kent left for them to the Rock. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing so much as an odd castle on top of a floating rock. It was much more…it was a nexus for all of the Rocks of Eternity that could connect to it. Many Shazam Wizards were completely unaware of its presence, until they, or their champions had need of it.
The Sentinels approached the Rock of Eternity…but instead of the sterile environs they thought they would find; life and warmth radiated from the castle.
Ray Palmer stood at the entrance.
“Ladies?” He gestured them inside. They walked into a reception area that looked both large and small at the same time. Along one side, stood a large buffet table stacked with warm food and plates. Linda Scott Kyle and Iris Grayson greeted them, handed them each a plate, and insisted that they eat before joining the others where the final planning would take place.
A man Arisia had never met before, but whom Jenny identified as Jay Garrick, held the door for them as they took their plates into Kent’s study.
They still felt the presence of the Multiverse Starheart with them. But here, it could not command…only advise. This was outside of its realm. Again, they sensed from it that it would do anything it could to protect them…but they understood there would be danger, regardless.
“Eat.” The Shazam Wizard commanded. “You will need your strength for what we must do.” He chided warmly.
Surrendering to the feeling of hunger they had suppressed, they relented and began to eat.
Requiem for a Starheart
“This is what we have to do.” Kent began. As Jenny and Arisia finished their meals, Diana took their plates, leaving only Kent, Ray, Faith, Alanna, and the two of them in the room. “The Post-Crisis reality is disintegrating forward, from the Beginning of Time. Because its past has now never occurred, it will continue to unravel until it reaches the present…at which time that reality will explode and take the Pre-Crisis reality with it. End result is that if we don’t do this just right, the entire probability will explode, dooming our compatriots within the probability, along with everyone else.”
“And once the probability explodes, it will start a chain reaction…taking out hundreds more viable probabilities. Many of those probabilities will be in the Multiverse.”
“But it may not even end there.” Kent emphasized. “What Qward may intend is to use the explosion to crack open the barriers to the primordial Beginning of Time.”
“Primordial Beginning of Time?” Diana asked. “How? And how would they know?”
“I was captured not long ago.” Faith admitted. “They put me on ice, but they may have taken the time to examine me.”
“And,” Kent warned, “Qward may have determined that she comes from the time before the Beginning of Time of any of the MV/IV universes. She is the spawn of Primordial Time.”
Ray pondered. “What Qward may be trying for is a domino effect. If enough universes blow because of this one…it may unlock the pathways back to the original Primordial Beginning of Time. And Qward may use those pathways to alter the original Big Bang that created all of the MV and IV sectors.”
As they stared at him in shock, Kent interrupted.
“It really is that bad. If we screw this one up…your worlds…your universes may be so altered that we no longer recognize them…if they exist at all. More than likely they would try to kill the Starheart before it restarted the bang. Instead…something else…something evil would spring from that new beginning.”
“Ingenious, really.” Kent noted. “If it succeeds. But we don’t dare let it.”
“No, we don’t. But, we need to get back to the problem at hand…” Ray Palmer interjected, “what Qward did was to project enough power into the probability to force a change to the both current and preceding realities. Since that change was made at a point other than the Beginning of Time, it created the probability bomb. And we have to fix it from the Beginning of Time, or we will only make it worse.”
“So…” Jenny postulated as she gathered her thoughts. “To do that, the Multiverse Starheart is going to pump its power through the many instances of the Rock of Eternity within the Multiverse into the Rock itself and into us.”
“Yes.” Kent agreed. “Faith, Alanna, and I will be just inside the MHR universe. You will focus your power to Faith. She and Alanna will take it from there.”
“She and Alanna?” Arisia asked with peaked curiosity. “Why Alanna?”
“The pattern.” The Seeker answered. “That was my job…to find the probability from which this one split and capture the pattern from which the Post-Crisis reality began.”
“What we have to do…” Kent explained. “Is to overwrite the disintegrating parts of the pattern. If we do it right…we’ll reestablish the past to just where the disintegration ends. This job is extremely ugly because we have to create a past that, by rights, should no longer exist. And then we have to alter that reality to co-exist with its predecessors.”
“So…” Jenny stated, “if we are really good, what we will wind up with is a hybrid probability, with six realities…but only five interconnected—the five pre-crisis worlds. What year will it be?”
Kent chuckled. “They will have the same problem that AV has…our calendar is four years and nine months ahead of everyone else…which is why we use the Inheritors’ calendar when making commitments. But, it will be 2003 in the Post-Crisis world while it is 1985 in the Pre-Crisis worlds.”
“Interesting…” Arisia stated. Then she realized that the Huntress had spoken little since their arrival. “Faith, are you all right? You are very quiet and you were even before Ray dropped the big bombshell.”
Faith glanced at her with a serene smile. “Sorry…I have recalled something that leaves me a bit awe-struck. The quatrain that Jenny quoted back to me…It haunted me…but I have finally remembered the rest. Can your Starheart hear what we say?”
“Yes.” Jenny confirmed. “As long as we are here and the doorways are open, it can sense what happens around us.”
Faith nodded. “And it deserves to know. To know and remember this…this requiem for a Starheart.” A small burst of energy projected from her left hand as they heard another voice…a voice that had not existed since the primordial Beginning of Time.
“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
Though Oblivion awaits me,
I face it unafraid.
For my children will have their futures
In the Infinite destinies we have remade.
And out there in those destinies,
Will my debt to you be repaid.
As the Mistress of the Emerald Fire arises,
To join a new Cycle of Life’s cascade.
Farewell…”
“All that chaos…everything?” Arisia questioned. “That was the way it was supposed to be? The creature spawned by fission? To create the next generation?”
“Yes.” Alanna confirmed. “Remember that its biological needs are far different from ours. But, in doing so, it gave us so much more.”
Jenny smiled. “The MV Starheart…is grateful…it now understands its origins…why…we must do what we do today…in memory…to ensure that the original sacrifice retains its legacy. Thank you.”
Alanna pulled a small ring from her tunic. “Linda wanted me to bring this for luck. It’s hers. She fried the poor thing’s power circuits…but she says that’s not what is important…it’s what it represents.”
Arisia reminisced as Alanna allowed her to hold the ring. “So long ago…but not long at all. Please excuse me...” Instead of the traditional oath she had frequently spoken, this time she spoke her own unique version of the Oath.
“I am chosen over all the rest
I must not fail when put to the test
Come what may,
Come what might,
I am forever the servant of the Lantern's light”
Arisia looked at the ring with an undeniable longing. Sentinel or no, the ring represented her beginning as something…someone of value to others and to herself.
“It was a new beginning for Linda, too.” Alanna acknowledged. “She won’t mind, I promise. In fact, she would be honored.”
Arisia nodded gratefully and placed the ring on her finger. A look of clarity and renewed determination now shone from her eyes.
“Wizard.” Jenny stated. “We are ready.”
“Aye.” Kent agreed. “And it is time.”
Requiem for a Starheart
Jenny and Arisia floated above the Rock of Eternity and waited.
“Arisia…” Jenny began, “if this is the end of our days…then I am glad that we will face them together.”
Arisia smiled. “And isn’t that what love really is?”
Jenny had no time to answer…they had sensed the Starheart’s power leaching towards them…their transition to Senturia was automatic.
Senturia watched and waited for what would occur next. Not far away, Kent seemed to sense…something. He signaled them and they began their trek backward in time, through the Rock of Eternity’s access to its own Beginning of Time.
The Starheart began to focus its power through all of the many Rocks of Eternity in its realm…hundreds? Or hundreds of thousands? Senturia would never know…instead, she thought of Lar Gand, Kara Zor-El, Lanie Kent and the so many other good people she had known.
She knew that by now all of the other Multiverse Sentinels would be grounded and sent to the Oans for protection.
Kent Nelson opened the entry to the Rock’s Beginning of Time. His power then answered a knock at the door…from the MHR universe. As he created a portal, they saw Alanna on the other side. Alanna…and the column of living emerald fire that embraced her.
“You weren’t kidding about the ‘Flameling’ moniker.” Senturia remarked to Kent. Was that Jenny or Arisia’s sense of humor?
“She has to use that form to focus the amount of power you will be providing.” Kent explained. “But she can only focus power in that form, not regenerate it. And she will burn through it quickly.”
Kent flew into the Beginning of Time of the MHR Universe. He cast an odd spell, an impossible spell…but the critical spell. Its sole purpose was to command the Rock of Eternity to slightly alter the Cosmic Power that the Starheart would process through the Rock and the Sentinels so that a being composed entirely of mystic power could control it.
Fortunately it worked.
Senturia felt herself charge with power…more power than she had ever imagined could exist. As she positioned herself in the doorway between the two universes, she was consumed by light of a brilliance she could not conceive. Nothing, nothing could she do except expel the power as quickly as she could...into the living fire in the other realm. She felt her vision deteriorate and fade and kept on pushing…brightest day…brightest day…that meant something…but she could not spare the strength to remember.
The living fire on the other side grew in power and brilliance. Kent Nelson raised his shields to their maximum…and another shield of green energy formed around him…
Plan B. Senturia mused through increasing pain. A good planner always has Plan B. Jerk.
The light began to brighten around Alanna Scott Kyle. Touching her, it seemed to be looking for…something. The pattern. And then, it found it.
The light surrounding Alanna grew ever more brilliant—a reservoir of power, it grew until it could grow no more. And then, with an explosion, the Big Bang began anew. And the infinite power of the flames of creation burned outward…outward from the past…into the disintegrating reality of the MHR Post-Crisis timeline.
Senturia felt the power flow through her increase…the power flow actually seemed to be weakening the almost omnipotent Multiverse Starheart…still…the drain continued. The pillar of fire drew the power from her…in rhythmic waves…and then Senturia remembered the advice of Zor-El. Surf…Ride the waves. Concentrating on Zor-El’s advice, the pain became almost bearable.
She knew that somewhere, and somewhen, histories that had faded from the timeline would now begin again…the Maltusians would now journey to Oa once more…Senturia could sense the beginnings of images.
Senturia began to lose her identity to the time-stream that she touched through the flow of power…yet the power drain escalated.
Senturia screamed. She wondered if anyone could hear. And if they could hear…was there any relief for the pain?
The pillar of fire exercised absolute control over the amount of power it drew from her. Senturia’s pain was the utmost she could endure without losing consciousness…for if she passed out…the power flow would end.
Through the waves of pain, Senturia could sense the will force metering the flow of power that it drew from her…and struggling with itself not to draw more…Senturia was not the only one in pain…but she was beyond caring about such details.
Senturia felt the Starheart’s power ripping through her—more and more every second.
And then…finally…there was no more power to be drained…and Senturia blacked out and found herself hurtling towards…
Towards…
Requiem for a Starheart
The living pillar of fire sensed the end of the cosmic force. Exhausted, it began to shift to a more human form to recharge its own internal power.
But before the living pillar of flame could reclaim its humanity, another, more familiar source of power channeled through it. Reflexively, the living fire refocused the new power on the now reignited Big Bang. For seconds more, the mystic force poured through her. And, just as suddenly, it stopped, as if it had accomplished its goal.
Unprepared for the sudden onset and just as sudden ending of the second power source, the living flame appeared to burn out and collapsed…spent.
Immediately, the Seeker caught the semi-conscious form and brought it within her own shields.
But Senturia had vanished into the time-stream.
“Now, Jade!” Alanna heard Kent Nelson. “Move!”
The younger Mistress of the Emerald Fire vanished into the time-stream with two riders…The AV Flash and Kid Flash. Through the time-stream they moved…and moved forward.
Plans B, C, and D. Kent had pondered several variables he could not control. Would Senturia be able to retain her position between the Rock and MHR? And if not, where would she go? One answer—into the future of MHR. And she had to be removed before she altered that future. So now Plan C activated.
Although young, Linda Scott Kyle had the power to do what had to be done…if she and the Flashes could reach Senturia in time.
But, for now, the older Mistress of the Emerald Fire was beginning to stir. A look of pain crossed her features as Alanna held her.
“Power level?” Alanna asked quietly.
“About twenty-five percent.” Faith admitted as she slowly solidified into her most human form to regenerate. “Second power source force-fed me…took me by surprise…mystic…wasn’t braced for it. But I think I’m just drained, but not really damaged. Where is Senturia?”
“I don’t know.” Kent admitted. “Linda and the Flashes are in the time-stream, searching for her/them. How do you feel?”
“Like I ate a Starheart.” Faith grimaced.
“You did.” Kent stated. “That is exactly what you did. And then some...”
She stared at him with shock.
Requiem for a Starheart
Flashing through the time-stream, Jay Garrick and Iris Grayson added their power to Linda Kyle’s. The Flashes and Jade forged ahead, while watching the Big Bang unfold behind them.
Jay Garrick spotted a body slowing ahead of them. It would soon drop out of the time-stream into reality.
“Senturia?” Jay asked as they caught up to it.
“Jenny!” Linda confirmed. “We got a problem. Senturia split back into Jenny and Arisia.” She reached out with her emerald fire. Gently picking up the unconscious Jenny, they sped up again. “We gotta find Arisia. She doesn’t weigh as much, so she coulda gone a lot farther.”
Their path drew them to a huge planet forming around an ugly red sun. As they watched from within the time-stream, the House of El arose on that world. And, as the world began to destroy itself from internal geologic stresses, a small rocket ship took flight…and then an unconscious form found itself being pulled out of the time-stream into the path of the rocket fleeing the planet’s explosion…the dying planet’s gravity well pulled her until…
“Gotcha!” Iris Grayson crowed as she pulled the unconscious Arisia back into the time-stream. “And back to Mr. Nelson’s house we go!”
And, no longer endangered by Arisia’s unconscious form, the last son of Krypton’s rocket hurtled towards Earth.
Arisia Fentara stirred as she smelled the scent of coffee. Faith Scott’s favorite scent…it warmed Arisia’s soul…if only because it meant that she was safe and where she was supposed to be. But Jenny? What? She struggled to sit up.
“Good day!” The slight accent told her that she had been noticed; that and the bed rising to support her. She opened her eyes to see the warm expressions of the Huntress and the Seeker. Both seemed tired, but in good spirits. Obviously the more fatigued, the Huntress remained seated by the fireplace, near one side of the bed, while Alanna rose to adjust Arisia’s pillow.
Arisia discovered that she was in a room she could only describe as cheery, despite the fact that it was in a castle in the middle of a void. What she rested on was not exactly a Terran bed. More like a gel-filled waterbed for two. Jenny slept soundly on the other side.
“How are your eyes?” Alanna queried.
“Eyes?” Arisia asked. “Fine…why?”
“Kent did some things to heal you after your side trip.” Alanna confided. “It didn’t solve your original problem, but both of you should be as good as new, soon enough.”
“An exceptional team effort, though.” Faith added. “But we may have sucked the Starheart dry. Kent doesn’t sense its presence here.”
“My sister and the Flashes were Kent’s plan ‘C’.” Alanna admitted. “They plucked the two of you out of the time-stream before you could fall into the new reality and alter it. But, we’ve discovered that we really have to start working on Kent.” She chuckled. “He’s beginning to act like Lord Ian.”
“And what happened?” Arisia asked while Jenny began to gently snore. “Did we do it? Will the universes live?”
“We think so.” Kent entered the room. “You now have a new bouncing baby universe within the Multiverse…For now, we’re calling it MV-4. From what we could tell, Team Magic did their bit and the time-lines have stabilized. I don’t yet know what happened with Team Powerhouse. We’ll find out as soon as Jenny awakens and we’re sure she can travel. But I don’t want to head back to MV-1 until we are sure.”
“I feel a little naked…I can’t sense the Starheart at all.” Arisia stated. “I’m draining Jenny for energy.”
“We drained it severely.” Kent answered. “Will it recover? And how long will that take? We won’t know until we’re back in MV.”
“Guess not.” Arisia noted as her eyelids grew heavy.
“But you and Jenny did one Heck of a job.” Kent acknowledged.
“That’s nice…” Arisia smiled and her eyes closed once more.
Story written and copyrighted (C) 2004 by Dylan, John, and Eldric
-- and may not be reprinted without permission.
-- The Continuum Worlds Concept is a joint creation of
-- Dylan Clearbrook and Eldric.-- Otherverse and Multiverse, as depicted in the
-- Continuum Worlds, are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook.
-- Alterverse and The Inheritors, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- are original creations of Eldric.
-- The Realm, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- is an original creation of John P.
-- Some characters in Continuum Worlds stories are original creations
-- of Dylan Clearbrook, Eldric, Michael Liebhart, Jake H., Jason G.,
-- Andrew Shields, Kyle M., Brian, or Jason Froikin and may not
-- be used without express permission of the respective author.
-- All DC characters are property of D.C. Comics.
-- All Marvel characters are property of Marvel Comics.