(Editor’s Note: this chapter immediately follows Chapter 3: Removing a Pebble, and Chapter 4: Once More, Unto the Breach, and Chapter 5: Requiem for a Starheart)
“Peter who?”
-Dylan Clearbrook
Kent Nelson studied a hologram that floated above his desk. A nook in his larger study, this served as Kent’s quiet area to do undisturbed research. Not even Diana would disturb him when he worked here.
He preferred to do his most dangerous work here. Fortunately, today’s work was solely reconnaissance and research. In the 24 hours that passed after the re-ignition of the…
Kent’s mind drew a blank. The name…label had been there a moment ago but now it was….
He smiled.
The MHR universe! Kent had discovered many unexpected changes occurring; and here was another. Not only had the positive-matter MHR universes transited into the Multiverse, they were changing from dimensions within a probability into six separate, full-bodied probabilities. And now even people were changing as nature ‘rewired’ information. Team Sentinel had…no, they had not…they had simply been the conduit for the energies needed. Energies needed to nudge six worlds cast off from their former universe, a universe that lived on, totally unaware that six of its alternate realities were missing, into the Multiverse. And now, as nature worked its way, it would not be long before the inhabitants of the Multiverse would forget that the six worlds were new to the Multiverse…they would “remember” them always being there. Only those involved directly in the rescue and relocation would have memories of what had been.
“But then, even they won’t have the full story.” He mused aloud. Those MHR worlds had been alternates. Alternate time lines split away from the main timeline because of the interference of the Fatalist and his Qwardian sponsors. Out there, some where, a single world still existed. A world in which Linda Danvers was still Supergirl…where Crisis had come and gone and Kara Zor-El died. And that world…in some manner he had yet to decipher, was tied directly to…The Realm!
Thought of the Realm brought him back to the present.
He was aware that Team Magic’s battle at the Beginning of Time and Team Powerhouse’s battle in the Anti-Matter universe had been won. Members of both the Inheritors and the Multiverse teams had been injured, but would recover.
As far as Kent knew, there was only one potential fatality: the Multiverse Cosmically-Powered Starheart. He could not sense it, and neither could Arisia.
He wondered if the Starheart had been consumed or, more likely, just de-powered. He would research that as he passed through the Multiverse.
In the last 24 hours, he and Ray Palmer had tried to work through the models of what had happened to the MHR probability. A sorcerer, Kent had been very impressed by some of the similarities between magic and science. Of course, a sufficiently advanced application of either could be mistaken for the other by the uninitiated.
As their investigations continued, Kent understood that several things had been very wrong in his calculations. He had grossly underestimated Ray Palmer and he had grossly underestimated his team.
Kent had brought together two cosmically powered Sentinels, a mystically powered Sentinel-equivalent, and one of the best trackers to ever exist. Their mission had been almost impossible—to restore the past for a reality whose past no longer existed, and re-integrate that reality with five other realities that had been its original past.
There was no easy way to do it. There was no way it could have been done by mere mortals…yet they had done it. Their gambit had been to locate the pattern of the probability from which MHR had split, take as much power as he could find, and use the power to nail down the pattern to stabilize the post-crisis reality. Since no one could conceptualize the whole thing, all they could do was to try to re-enforce the pattern and hope their gambit paid off.
He took a team of people from four different realities and hoped they could work well enough together to make it work. With the exception of Jennifer Gand, none of them were team players, or so he thought.
Instead, Arisia, Alanna, and Faith had worked together and trusted each other. And Arisia and Jennifer Gand trusted each other. And, an unexpected player had taken to the field: the mystic Starheart that protected the Great Portal and powered Jade. But, this time, it had found another focus for its power.
The power drain of the Multiverse Starheart had gone much more easily than Kent had expected. And consumed far more of the Starheart than he had guessed that it would, though he was pretty sure the Multiverse Starheart still existed. It had not been allowed to burn itself completely out, he had discovered…another player had intervened. Jade had confirmed that the Starheart of the Great Portal universe had filtered its power though Faith…finishing the job the Multiverse Starheart started. Pure mystic power, that Starheart’s energy did not have to be filtered by Senturia and the Rock of Eternity before Faith could process it.
Faith had focused a mystic Starheart’s energy once before…when Jade had lost control of Gaea. But in this case, Jade would have been available for the Starheart to focus its power. The fact that Jade was not the focus of the Starheart’s power bothered Kent…something wasn’t right…and then the thought left him as if he had never had it.
He considered that the mystic Starheart interfered just at the point that it had to… It had shut down the Multiverse Starheart, causing Senturia to split, and then channeled a final burst of mystic energy through the Huntress to seal the deal.
An odd thought chilled him…they had never been able to determine what had carried the Inheritors into Alterverse the very first time. Had that mystically-powered Starheart been the…
And then that thought, too, left him, as if it had never been.
Instead, he now considered that his little team had been far more effective than he dreamed.
They had even found it: the pattern; somewhere out in the infinite probabilities, Alanna Scott had found the probability from which the MHR probability had split. Faith’s job was to focus on the pattern Alanna held and push the power outward.
What had he not accounted for? As Kent pondered, the answers hit him: trust, Dinner time conversations, and, of course, the unseen hand. Senturia had trusted the Flameling to control the flow of the power. And the Multiverse Starheart had trusted Senturia. And Faith had trusted Kent when he told her to take as much power as she could. And, then the unseen hand of the Great Portal’s Starheart had trusted her with its gift…another pure blast of almost infinite power!
As a result, far more power had been available than Kent had ever anticipated.
He tapped his fingers on his desk. Usually, with a spell like this, the extra power simply doesn’t get used. I needed all that power because I thought we couldn’t precisely focus the spell. But I underestimated Ray Palmer.
The Flameling knew exactly what to do with all of that power. Instead of a completely unfocused spell, I had a partially focused one. Because this wasn’t about magic, but particle physics. Faith doesn’t have Ray’s understanding of particle physics, but she knew more than I gave her credit for. She didn’t know the details, but she knew enough to radically improve the focus of the spell. Force-fed physics for Dinner for ten years. Poor kid. Kent shook his head and laughed loudly at the thought.
So, we shoved enough energy to not only fix the post-crisis reality, but to split MHR into six separate realities with their own separate beginnings of time. And those realities are still saturated with power. I imagine that given enough time, the extra energy will dissipate. In the mean time…they appear to be stable. And that’s just what the Great Portal’s Starheart intended.
Still, I wonder what other effects that unleashing of force has had on the neighboring Continuums and sub-Continuums. As I have time, I will have to investigate further.
Satisfied for the moment with his conclusion, he walked back towards the room that served as an infirmary. On the way, he passed Ray Palmer.
“Never underestimate a physicist.” Kent grumbled as he passed. Intrigued, Ray followed him in. Arisia and Jenny dozed. Kent could sense that neither of them had suffered any undue injuries. They would be fit to travel as soon as they awakened.
Exiting the infirmary, they walked towards the kitchen. As he expected, Faith was making her share of a dent in the Rock’s stores of food. Though not back to full strength, she was recharging quickly. Alanna and Linda were working their way through another awkward conversation. While Alanna had only recently departed Alterverse, the changes in both her powers and appearance had been dramatic: especially in her powered form.
But in her unpowered form, she appeared fully human, for the first time in her life. Kent watched the three of them and noted the dominance of the Scott genes. Many of their differences were in their coloring: Lannie, the blue-eyed blonde; Linda, the brown-haired, brown eyed brunette; and Faith, the green-eyed, raven-haired brunette.
“I feel like I’m walking into someone else’s family reunion.” Ray quipped.
“There are six probabilities that would disagree…Daddy.” Kent snorted.
“Ray?” Faith queried as she eyed Kent with pretended annoyance. “Shall I take Mr. Nelson on a tour of the closest Black Hole I can find? Perhaps he would enjoy a swim.”
“No, thank you.” Kent rejoined. “But…”
“I smell coffee.” Jennifer Gand’s voice echoed from the hallway. “And food.” She entered the room with Arisia trailing her. Alanna scooped up a plate of food for her, while Linda prepared one for Arisia. Two coffee cups filled themselves and flew to land on the table Jenny and Arisia approached.
“Team effort.” Faith chuckled. “Welcome back.”
“Thank you.” Jenny sat down and picked up her coffee. She looked at the others over the rim as she took a sip and then got right to the point. “What the hell is going on?”
Kent pursed his lips.
“We’re going to enter the MHR universe’s Earth-1 Fortress of Solitude, just after we swing through MV-1. As to what HAS happened, I’m still sorting through it. But here is what I THINK happened...”
The MHR Earth-2 Helena Wayne walked the floor of the large conference room with Alfred Beagle.
“I can’t believe that we’ve spent the last day here. No news, no nothing.”
Barbara Gordon-Stark, the MV-1 Batgirl approached with her husband, Tony Stark, she in her two piece Batgirl costume and he firmly ensconced in his Ironman suit…minus the helmet which, at the moment, sat perched on the edge of the communications console.
“If it helps…I know exactly what you mean.”
“It doesn’t.” Helena admitted. “But thank you.”
“And I wouldn’t say nothing has happened.” Tony grimaced and, having witnessed the past twenty-four hours, Helena had to agree.
“Care for a ride?” Linda Kyle called out from behind them as Team Sentinel appeared in the satellite. “Long time, no see, Babs!”
“Tell me about it!” Barbara replied. “Jade, we’ll take you up on that ride in a moment. First though…” She faced Kent,
Not another one…Helena grimaced, her eyes taking in the newcomers. How many of them are there? At least this one calls herself Jade…
“Kent, what the hell is going on?” Babs demanded, unconsciously echoing Jennifer’s earlier question. From her tone, Kent knew that she was not just speaking in terms of MHR.
“What do you mean?” Kent asked, his tone suspicious.
“What do you think I mean?” Babs whirled and started stabbing at buttons on the communications console. Tony moved quickly enough to catch his helmet before Babs could knock it out of her way. “President Luthor is livid.” She looked back over her shoulder and stopped suddenly. “You have no clue what I am talking about, do you?”
“No, I don’t.” Kent admitted. “Why don’t you explain it to me?”
“Tony?” Jenny looked to Babs’ husband.
“It began a few hours after you left, Jen.” Tony explained. He motioned for Babs to continue.
“The Skies started turning colors.” Babs sighed, closing her eyes. “First the red skies…just like I remembered from my…the world Kara and I came from. And then…green. The red simply began to fade to green.”
“Devastating storms hit us all over the place—and the damage isn’t limited to Earth!” Carol Danvers took it up. “Mars and Venus were hit especially hard.” She shook her head and looked at Jenny and Arisia. “Koriand’r is doing what she can, but the damage was incredibly extensive.”
“And not just regular storms.” Startled heads swiveled back to Babs and Kent held up a hand.
“One at a time, please. Barbara, please continue.” His voice was calm, but Babs could sense an underlying urgency, as if this were a delay he did not want.
“Green lightning, Kent.” Babs stated. “The storms were heavily charged and lightning strikes bad…and they were all green!” She pointed at Jenny. “The same color as their energy blasts!”
“That was to be expected.” Kent nodded, looking over at Jenny who merely shrugged. “It seems we were successful in saving the realities. The storms you witnessed were the result of those universes being merged with the Multiverse.”
“It worked then?” Babs demanded, concern over the storms diminished. “All the teams succeeded?”
“They did.” Kent nodded. “We know only that much and that everyone made it out alive. Nothing more. And right now they are waiting for us on what was once MHR Earth-1. But first, can you connect us with Kandor?”
Instead of turning back to the communications console, Babs shook her head. “The Kandorians are gone.” She replied, no emotion in her voice whatsoever: the sign of a true professional dealing with a particularly bitter truth.
“Gone? What do you mean…gone?” Kent demanded.
“You heard me.” Babs pursed her lips and glared at him. “As in, vanished, missing, no longer in the Fortress of Solitude!” She paused. “Their habitat is there, but it is completely empty. The buildings, the people, the animals, everything. All gone. Nothing left but the bottle itself.” She glanced to Jenny and Kent could see that there was something else…some other piece of news that she was holding back. Some other revelation that had nothing to do with what she said next. “The best we have been able to discover is that whatever happened occurred when the storms began.”
“Kent, we need to have the Kryptonians from Team Powerhouse here before we go any further.” Alanna Scott Kyle eyed the image of the habitat. “We can track the Kandorians, but I’ll need a blood relative to use as a focus” Like Kent she could feel that there was something wrong here, something that had nothing to do with the Kandorians, but it was something they, or the Multiverse residents, would have to deal with later—after the full Multiverse team returned.
“I am afraid the Kandorians will have to wait.” Kent considered, looking at Jenny and Arisia with curiosity. “Do either of you feel the Starheart?”
Both Jenny and Arisia hesitated, and then nodded together.
“It’s here.” Jenny replied. “Weak, so very weak. But it survives.”
Carol Danvers began to speak, stopping when Kent raised a hand. The wizard peered at Jenny intently.
“What is it, Jenny?” He demanded in a soft voice. He had seen her eyes glaze over and now she swayed a bit. Arisia reached out with green energy to support her. And Linda and Alanna Kyle both visibly reacted to the difference in Jenny’s presence.
“The Kandorians are safe.” Jenny intoned, her voice strained and seemingly far away. “A promise has been kept.”
Just as quickly, she shook her head, her eyes clearing and then glared at her companions.
“Why is everyone staring at me? We need to get going.” She frowned at Kent. “Come on Wiz, let’s get a move on!”
“What ever happened to respect for your elders?” Kent replied. His tone was teasing, yet Barbara saw the concern behind those wise eyes and for instant those eyes held hers…and she knew that he was aware of what she was hiding…and that he would keep her secret…for now.
“Next stop! Great Portal!” Jade waved her hand and the now empty room’s sensors dimmed the lights.
Alan Scott paced the floor with Mary Marvel and Sherri Pennison.
“Well, at least it will soon be time for us to leave.” Alan noted. “We appear to have been successful and our folks are recovering well.”
“It has been less than a day.” Victor Von Doom strode towards them. “Patience is a virtue.”
“But not one of his.” Mary Marvel responded. “He comes from a world where communication is instant. Ask him about a ‘cell phone’ sometime.”
“Instant communication between inmates?” Victor asked.
“Pretty close.” Alan smiled. “Too close…”
The room erupted in a sea of green as Team Sentinel appeared in its entirety: Kent Nelson, Jennifer Gand, Arisia Fentara, Alanna and Linda Kyle, Ray Palmer, Faith Scott, Princess Diana, Jay Garrick, and Iris Grayson, along with Barbara Gordon-Stark, Tony Stark, Helena Wayne, and Alfred Beagle.
They heard a squeal as the IV Huntress found herself held in the air by a streak of blue and red. As Alanna turned to laugh, she found herself tossed into the air—and her giggling sister floating beside her—as Alan held his girls. Pinned to the wall by Mary Marvel, Jay Garrick could only laugh.
“Young love.” Kent chuckled.
“Rowr…” Diana bit his ear to the chuckles of the audience.
“Thou art a peculiar group of individuals.” Kara Zor-El of the Realm entered the room, supporting Kara Gand. The twins supported Kara Zor-El the elder and Rogue as they slowly made their way in to the room. The remainders of both teams soon followed, with Lar Gand reaching for both Jenny and Arisia. The injured and tired were rapidly seated around a conference table. Barbara quickly made her way to Kara and Rogue.
Kent began to relay status when Kal-El entered with Linda on one arm and Ariella, asleep, cradled in the other
“Can you wait fifteen minutes?” He asked. “I’ll ask for reps from the other worlds. They deserve to hear this.”
“Fifteen minutes when he’s not being picked on?” Faith teased. “You’ve made his day!”
“Careful, Flameling!” Kent warned in jest.
The team had moved to a larger open area in the Fortress. Joined by the MHR Kara Zor-El, the Earth-1 Batman, Wonder Woman and Harbinger, the Earth-2 Superman, Power Girl, Green Lantern, and Jade, the Earth-3 Alexander Luthor, the Earth-4 Captain Atom, the Earth-S Marvel Family, and Uncle Sam of Earth-X, the introductions took much longer than the few minutes allotted.
Again Kent began to give an explanation, hitting all the high points.
“First of all, your Crisis is over. Fortunately for your worlds…and ours…it did not end as it was meant to. In terse sentences he explained what, normally, the outcome would have been. Linda and the young Kara rescued by Team Magic nodded their heads as the points Kent made matched with the history that had been explained to them: their jaws dropping when he went on to explain why that history had diverged.
“So you’re saying that this…ultra-Qward…of yours, was attempting to use this…Crisis you called it?…trying to use this Crisis to alter events in your …sectors, as well as destroy our universes?” The terms and concepts were confusing, but the Superman of Earth-2 was doing his best to cope with them and come to an understanding.
“Exactly.” Kent responded. “Or, to be more precise, the events that created the Inheritors’ Universe and our Multiverse…which, I must say, is a bit different than the Multiverse you were used to. Had Qward succeeded, neither of those two sectors, both born in the final moments of another Crisis, would still exist!” He made a sweeping gesture that took in the Inheritors and the Multiverse crew. “We can’t be certain how that would have affected the Realm or Alterverse, but there are indications that the resulting instability would have allowed Qward greater access to those sectors!
“So you have averted Crisis.” Now Linda Kent spoke up, her voice quavering a bit. “You know that I came to this time…to take Kara’s place. Crisis had to happen…or my world would not exist! Does this mean my world, my friends, and family are gone?”
“It does not…Linda Danvers!”
Kent spun, for it had not been he that had answered. Behind him, on the green energy stage, a figure formed…a small blue humanoid…A Guardian of Oa.
The Guardian nodded briefly to Kent and then let his gaze wander over the assembled heroes.
“Thanks to the efforts of this one,” here he indicated Kent, “and these others,” he quickly pointed out Alanna, Faith, Jenny, and Arisia. Nor did he forget to include Jade and the Alterverse speedsters. “Your world…our Universe…has been saved.”
Linda gasped as the impact of his words registered. This was NOT a Guardian from the Earth-1 universe…but one from her original Post Crisis universe!
At that instant another blue figure appeared…identical to the first.
“It is true.” He nodded to his identical counterpart and then turned to the heroes. “Though five universes are all that remain of the Multiverse we knew…there are now six worlds…six worlds that now appear to be part of a new, larger Multiverse. It also appears that there have been changes among the five original worlds…and there will be more changes to come! Among those changes…memory. With the exception of those of you gathered here, there will be no knowledge that anything has been amiss among these six worlds, or even the worlds of the new Multiverse in which they have been placed. And even you, though you will remember these events, will begin to think of things as they now are and think of things in their present terms.” He stopped and gazed at the MHR Kal-El. “You, Superman. What world is this?”
“Earth-4.” Kal-El answered without hesitation and then caught himself. “I mean…”
“I, and we, know what you meant, Superman…but you were correct in your answer. This is, indeed, Earth-4. Now.”
He paused, as if considering his words while his listeners mulled over this revelation.
“The universe appears to be whole, but entropy has advanced 18 years. The stars have moved by an equal amount. Your astronomers will quickly discover that, though your calendars say it is the year 1985, as you count them, it is actually the year 2003.” Again a pause.
“It also appears that what was once a single universe, separated by dimensional barriers, is now coming apart. Each dimension is drifting away from the others to conform to the physical laws of this new Multiverse, becoming separate interlinked-probabilities, rather than dimensions.”
“And your world, our universe, Linda Danvers.” The first Guardian took up the explanation, “is no different. Its past has been restored and recreated and placed in line with these other five and the rest of the this Multiverse. An interesting development, indeed.”
Linda nodded absently as the term Earth-9 popped into her mind. The new designation for her Earth.
The Guardian turned to look at Kara Zor-El of the Multiverse, raising an eyebrow.
“Do not think that your Multiverse will remain unchanged by this.” He warned. He turned, his gaze picking out the members of Team Sentinel. “What you have done, the actions you have taken to save these six universes will be felt through out your Multiverse. DO not be surprised to find things…different…in the future.”
Kara frowned, looking over at Jenny, but said nothing.
“And you.” The Guardian now looked at Faith and then his gaze fell upon the heroes from the Inheritors Universe. “Do not be surprised to discover some of your ghosts of the past have been laid to rest.”
The second Guardian nodded and then swept his gaze around the room.
“We have all, by your actions, been given another chance…we suggest you make the most of it!”
Then, before any questions could be raised, the two Guardians nodded to each other…and disappeared.
“I think all Guardians, no matter what universe they are from, all go to the same school to learn how to be as vague as possible!” Iris Grayson, the AV Kid Flash, quipped into the silent room.
That brought a smattering of giggles and Kent sighed, stepping back up to take the place the Guardians he taken from him…without so much as a by-your-leave…and started to take questions. Ray Palmer stepped forward to give what explanations he could when Kent was at a loss.
“It’s so hard to believe that my absence caused all of this.” The Earth-4 Kara Zor-El offered as the questions began to wind down. “I mean, I’m just one person.”
“Sometimes,” Kent noted, “one person is all it takes. The right person in the right place.”
“Just remember that you’re never alone.” Kara Gand spoke from her chair. “Who you are and what you do mean that your decisions matter. But having that responsibility doesn’t mean you carry it alone. Or you either, Kal and Kal and Kara.” She faced Kara Zor-El.
“Nor you.” Kara Zor-El the elder replied.
“I’m finding that out.” Kara Gand chuckled, then winced. “Ouch…that hurt.”
The Continuum War
As the crowd of heroes began to break up into smaller groups, each zeroing in on various members of the three teams, Kara Zor-El, the elder, closed her eyes.
“Kara?” Though she herself was in a wheel chair, Rogue’s first thought was of Kara.
“I’m fine.” Kara smiled. “Just tired.”
“I think we are all a bit tired.” Zal chimed in…not sounding tired at all. “It’ll be good to get back home.”
Kara opened her eyes, thinking to make a quip about him just wanting to get back to Kitty. The look on his face, however, froze the comment. He was worried, alright…but not about Kitty…or rather, not just about Kitty.
“Zal, are you going to need help when you get home?” She asked, her voice low.
“OH NO you don’t!”
Kara turned her head to see Stephanie Strange bearing down on their little group.
“You are not going anywhere or doing anything.” The Doctor turned mage snapped. Her eyes left Kara and speared towards Rogue. “And neither are you! In case you have forgotten, Miss high and mighty Kryptonian, you both nearly died!”
“I think that is a bit of an exaggeration.” Kara argued.
“As far as it concerns you…maybe.” Stephanie conceded. “But not where it concerns Rogue!” She stood before them, hands on her hips. “As your doctor, I am ordering both of you to take it easy for at least a month! No worries, no saving the day, no saving the galaxy, nothing! Do you hear me?”
“I don’t recall asking you to be our doctor!” Kara groused.
“You didn’t!” Stephanie smirked. “I was elected!”
“Elected?” Rogue frowned. “Who the hell elected you?”
Her question was answered, not by Stephanie, but by those that moved to stand behind the doctor: Carrie, Karen, Lanie, Jenny, Lar, and even Arisia!
“I think you are out voted, Kara!” Zal actually laughed, seeing the grimace on Kara’s face.
“And just how do you propose to enforce those orders…doctor?” Rogue demanded. To her surprise, Stephanie smiled.
“Let’s just say I’ve learned a few things.” She said, raising a hand, palm up, to display a flame dancing in the palm.
“Alright.” Kara harrumphed, and then turned away, her eyes traveling around the room. She shifted her wheel chair to get a good look and so was ready when the young Kara Zor-El, from the Realm, approached.
“Methinks…” The young girl began and then shook her head. “I think its time for me to go home.” She started again, this time in Kryptonian, without the archaic speech patterns. “I wanted to thank you for saving me…putting my rocket back on course…and for allowing me to join you in this. It has been…informative.” She nodded her head towards Rogue and started to turn.
“Kara.” Kara Zor-El the elder called out in Kryptonian, causing the young girl to turn back. “You are welcome. It was our pleasure and our honor.” She smiled and held out a hand for the younger girl to take and continued in English. “And you were fantastic. You preformed admirably. Proof that you are, indeed, a Supergirl. So when you go back, you show them exactly what that means!”
“I will.” The girl whispered. “I promise!”
As the girl left then, making her way over towards Linda, the Kara Zor-El Team Magic had rescued, the one that was meant for this world, and Kal-El, Kara could feel the sadness in the Realm Kara. She hoped, with all her being, that the young girl would find her cousin…soon.
Around them the groups were beginning to break up and soon Sam, Faith, Alanna, Billy Batson, and Ray Palmer were coming towards them, Sam pushing the wheel chair that Stephanie had confined Kara Gand to…as she had Rogue and herself.
“Getting ready to take off?” Rogue asked.
“Pretty soon.” Sam nodded. He smiled at Faith “Though hard-head here wants to stop by on Earth-2 first.” He paused and got a confused look on his face. “Though I guess it isn’t Earth-2 anymore.”
“Now that would get confusing!” Lanie, the Powergirl of the Multiverse Earth-2 laughed.
“I have no idea how they will do the naming amongst themselves.” Kara Zor-El, the elder, shrugged. “But I imagine that our people will simply add them in behind our Earth-3.”
“That would make it Earth-5, then.” Sam nodded. “Makes sense.”
“And, as Kal-El over there said, this is Earth-4.” Faith stated, receiving nods of confirmation. “I’ve already talked to a few of them and they are already calling their world Earth-5…when they aren’t just calling it Earth.”
“Makes sense.” Sam repeated. “You wouldn’t have a need to number your own world amongst yourselves.”
There were a few more words exchanged and then the group began to head off…except for Kira.
Alan Scott hugged both Kara and Rogue and then turned away.
“C’mon Kira…time to go home.” He called back over his shoulder.
“Aunt Kira?”
Kira stopped, stunned, and turned to see Lanie Kent coming towards her.
“Aunt?” She questioned.
“Well, your father was Jor-El…and you are your Kal-El’s sister…and since I am Kal-El’s daughter…that makes you my aunt…in a way.”
“I think I’m getting a headache.” Rogue quipped behind her, eliciting giggles from Carrie and Karen.
“Right.” Kira smiled, shaking her head. “But can we just stick with Kira? Aunt sounds so…old!”
“Try Mom on, some time.” Kara Gand stage-whispered, earning her a glare.
“Kira…” Lanie nodded, smiling. She stepped forward and took the Alterverse Kira’s hand.. “I just wanted to let you know that you are always welcome to visit my world.”
“Earth-1 has a surplus of Kryptonians.” She continued, jerking her thumb back towards Kara and the others. “And now that I know they are there, it isn’t so bad…I can visit when I want…but you can’t have too much family.” She paused and looked over at Sam. “That goes for you too!”
“Thank you.” Kira finally responded. The offer had taken her off guard…and for some reason…touched something within her. “I have to go home…but I promise…I will think about it…who knows…a vacation now and then might be just what I need.” She shook her head and pulled the younger Powergirl into an embrace. “Niece, I’ll think about it.” She smiled. She then turned away quickly, moving to stand beside Alan.
In moments the heroes of the various worlds departed, until there was only Kara and her crew, and the Earth-4 heroes left.
There was a long silence as Kara looked over the people before her. Kal-El, his wife Linda Kent, their daughter, Ariella, and the younger Kara Zor-El.
“So now what?” Linda broke the silence as Kara’s gaze came back to her.
“It was you…Wasn’t it?” Rogue asked the question that was in Kara’s mind. “You’re older now…but it was you.”
Lar looked back and forth between Linda and Rogue and understanding began to dawn.
“In Otherverse!” He breathed.
“Linda?” Kal-El looked down at his wife, a frown on his face.
“I...I don’t remember.” Linda shook her head. “You seem familiar. I feel I should know you.” She looked at Kara. “Especially you. But I don’t.” She looked up at Kal with worried eyes. “Why can’t I remember?”
“Because those memories were blocked, Linda Danvers!”
Lar spun and twin green energy globes flared to life, engulfing the group in their protective glow as a green and white figure materialized near them.
“Spectre!” Kal grimaced. “What do you know about this?”
As the energy globes faded and Jenny and Arisia relaxed, the Spectre, Jim Corrigan, spread his ghostly hands before him.
“This was not my doing, Superman.” His voice sent chills up and down the spines of everyone present. He turned his empty gaze on Linda. “This was the doing of the Spectre of your world, Linda. Hal Jordan.”
Kal jerked his head towards Linda.
“Hal Jordan, the Spectre?” He demanded.
“It’s a long story.” Linda whispered, her eyes fixed on Jim Corrigan. “Tell me!” She demanded.
“I know only that certain memories were blocked from you when that part of you that was Matrix departed.” The Spectre responded. “Among those, the memories of your visits to Otherverse…and the rescuing of these two young girls!”
Carrie and Karen reacted at that, their eyes widening as they realized they were once again face to face with the woman that had pulled them, a young Kal-El, and Lois Lane from Mordru’s castle in that far distant reality. (Author’s note: See Dylan Clearbrook’s Otherverse story A World Without Heroes!)
“If you will allow me…” The Spectre stretched forth a hand and, after only the briefest of hesitation, Linda nodded. “Your memory is returned to you, Linda Danvers.”
Linda almost collapsed as the rush of memories threatened to overwhelm her, only her grasp on Kal’s arm keeping her on her feet.
“That makes it three times I owe you.” Kara noted.
“Three?” Kal took his eyes from his wife to look at Kara.
“Three.” Kara nodded, ticking the points off on her fingers. “Helping to rescue the twins, helping me get my head on straight when this body threatened to reject my mind and spirit. The third time I actually owe to another Linda Danvers, who tried to do for me what she tried to do for this young Kara.”
“That is where you are mistaken, Kara Zor-El.” Again the Spectre cut in. “You never met Linda Danvers as a girl. Your rocket was not diverted to her Earth as this Kara’s rocket was.”
“Now wait just one moment.” Rogue frowned up at the Spectre. “You’re full of…crap.” She finished, glancing at Ariella who was looking at her with big brown eyes. “I have those memories. When I stole her memories they were part of them.”
“No.” The Spectre shook his head. “They were not. Those memories were planted…again, by Hal Jordan.”
“Planted?” Rogue shook her head.
“Planted.” The Spectre confirmed. “What good would it do to plant those memories within Kara’s mind if the memories you had did not match?”
“But why?” Kara asked. She seemed more curious than angry. “Why?”
“Perhaps it was believed you needed an added…incentive.” The Spectre actually shrugged. “Fear not. Your memories will be restored and such an invasion will not be allowed in the future.”
With that announcement, the Spectre vanished, leaving a quiet group behind.
Kara took a breath and, with a glare towards Stephanie, struggled out of the wheel chair, gently shaking off the multitude of hands that reached out to help.
“I am not an invalid.” She muttered. She looked back at Linda and drew herself up. “It is time we were on our way.” She said, inwardly wincing at the harshness of her tone. She walked slowly over until she stood before the younger Kara.
“You’re where you are supposed to be.” She said. “Learn from Linda and Kal. Be the new Supergirl for this world. But don’t…” and here she looked over at Kal. “Don’t try to live in their shadows. Be your own person and you will do fine.”
She started to turn and then stood, stunned, as Ariella wriggled from her mother’s grasp to run over and grab her leg.
A smile crossed her face as she gently lifted the little girl. She looked to Linda and then to the younger Kara.
“And teach this one well…someday she’ll take your place as Supergirl!”
She deposited the girl in the young Kara’s arms and began to turn away.
“Kara?”
She stopped as Kal, after a quick glance at his wife and the young Kara stepped forward.
“It’s not my shadow young Kara has to worry about.” He spoke softly in that rich, deep tone that she remembered so well. “You’ve shown her the person she might have been…the person she had been destined to become. That is a lot to live up to!”
“She can do it.” Kara looked him in the eye and then glanced towards the young Kara. “I know what she’s capable of.”
“Yes…I suppose you would.” Kal actually smiled. “Kara, we owe you, all of you and the others that have already left, a debt of gratitude we’ll never be able to repay. But…” he paused and looked to Linda who nodded. “We would like you to consider us your family as well…all of you. And, before you leave…we wondered if you would like to stay and have dinner. We would really like to learn more about you…and your histories.”
Zal started to protest and then he saw the unshed tears in Kara’s eyes and he stilled. Staying for dinner would hurt nothing…and Kara needed this…perhaps now she could lay some of those ghosts in her past to rest. Finally.
“I think that is a good idea…don’t you, Doctor?” He turned to Stephanie, making sure his wink was hidden from the others.
“Oh…yes indeed. She should have something to eat before we head off to Otherverse. Don’t you think so, Rogue?”
“By all means.” The redhead nodded in mock solemnity. “I know that I am absolutely famished…besides, I think I kinda like having the twins push me around in this chair.”
“We don’t mind.” Karen quipped.
“It’s the least we could do for some one of your advanced age!” Carrie added, her voice dripping false sympathy.
Laughter saturated the group as Rogue sputtered and spat and, putting an arm around Kara’s shoulder, Kal led her out of the meeting room.
“One thing I want to know,” he said, the others trailing in behind them, “is how your Kryptonians dealt with Pink Kryptonite.”
“Pink…….”
The Continuum War
Victor von Doom strolled over to Sherri Pennison.
“Looks like it all worked out.” He said. “Perhaps better than I thought it would.”
“You did all right.” She agreed. “I still don’t trust you.”
Victor smiled. “Understood.” He said. Then he looked around the room. “We still have one matter to discuss.”
“Which is?”
“The Amulet of Anubis.” Victor replied.
“Oh.” Sherri said and she handed him the disc.
“No.” Victor replied. “I just wanted to tell you it was yours. The previous owner has given you permission to keep it.”
“Previous owner?”
Then she noticed the silhouette of wizard in white robes behind Victor.
“Will he be joining me as well?” She asked.
“No.” Victor said. “He’s coming with me.”
Victor looked around the room once more until he located Stephanie.
“If you will excuse me.” He said to Sherri before moving over to Stephanie. Stephanie smiled when she saw him approaching.
“I’d like to thank you.” Stephanie said. “For everything.”
“You probably shouldn’t.” Victor replied. “I only taught you for selfish reasons.”
“What selfish reasons?”
Victor smiled. “I received a prophecy right before you came to me. It told me that to defeat Mordru, I needed an item. It also said that the item would be given to me by my apprentice. I assumed that the apprentice was you. It appears I was wrong.”
“What makes you so sure?” Stephanie asked. “We did defeat Mordru after all. Three of them.
“They were not defeated. Just delayed.” Victor replied. “They may never work together again but they are all still out there.”
Stephanie nodded. “I’ll keep my eyes peeled.” She said.
“You do that.” Victor replied and he took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “Lady, it has been a pleasure.”
“Likewise.” Stephanie said.
“You will always be welcome in my home.” Victor said.
“I’d make you the same offer but my father’s ghost might be hanging around. It might not be pretty.” Stephanie said and she laughed.
Victor made another pass across the room, nodding and shaking hands as he went. The Vision took a position to his right.
“How are we getting home?” The Vision asked.
“Not sure yet. I think we should gather the goddess first. Don’t you?”
The winged war-helm that the girl wore was easy enough to find.
“Are you ready?” Victor asked as he approached her.
“Yes.” She said.
Victor could tell by the look in her eyes that she had changed. She had seen things that she had not been prepared for.
“What method of travel do you suggest, my Lady?” Victor asked. “I suppose I could attempt to conjure a ride home.”
“I have a better idea.” Kara said.
She lifted her hammer and began to swing it in a wide circle. With each swing the circle began to take form and soon a portal opened.
“Could you always do that?” Victor asked.
“As far as I know.” She answered. “I only know how to get to Asgard.”
“That should be sufficient to get us home.” Victor said as they walked through the portal.
As the portal closed behind her Kara noticed that her companions were gone.
“Where did they go?” She asked.
“I sent them home.” Odin said. “We have things to discuss.”
“Like what?” Kara asked.
“The apple.” Odin replied. “You still haven’t eaten it.”
“I’m not sure I want to.” Kara said. “I’m not certain that I want to be an immortal. Not after all that I’ve seen.”
Odin draped his large arm across Kara’s shoulders. “Fair enough.” He said. “You will have to make that decision eventually.”
“I will have to make a lot of decisions eventually.” Kara said and the hammer suddenly felt heavy in her hands. “For now I need to train.”
“I thought you didn’t need to train.” Odin replied.
“That’s what I thought too.”
“Are you sure it’s all right for me to stay here?” The Wraith asked.
“I’m quite certain.” Victor said. “Most wizards would be pleased to have a ghost living in their castle.”
“I’m not a ghost.” The Wraith said. “Not exactly.”
“But if I have any visitors, you are.” Victor said with a wink.
The Wraith smiled. “I think I’m going to like it here.”
In the corner, The Vision was running a diagnostic check on the Castle’s computer systems.
“Just be careful when you pass through the walls.” The Vision warned. “I’d hate to run into you.”
“Will that damage your systems?” The Wraith asked.
“No it just freaks me out.”
“Enough.” Victor said. “I suggest we sit down and have a cup of tea.” He paused as he looked at the Wraith. “Well I’ll have a cup of tea. Then we can we discuss the location of your brothers.”
The Time Keeper sat at the monitor with a scowl. He was no longer wearing his mask nor was he wearing his colored contacts. The Council was gone. Now only he and Jervis Tetch remained and Tetch had been frozen. He never fully trusted the Mad Hatter.
“People coming into my world and leaving it.” He said. “There was a time when I had better control of this universe. It appears that I have been betrayed.”
He switched off the monitor and headed for his private quarters.
“No matter.” He said. “Time bends to my very will. So those that betrayed me will pay. In time.”
As the Time Keeper watched the monitors, other eyes were watching him.
“It is almost time.” Darkseid whispered. “The Time Keeper is without his soldiers, my shock troops are ready. Now all that waits is the alignment of the planets.”
He turned away from the monitor and looked at the small collection of Terran firearms on the table. The Time Keeper had been so easily fooled.
“Nothing stands in my way.” He boasted.
He returned to his monitor and the scene changed. He was now looking at the planet. Its single moon was the only obstruction and it blocked very little of his view. Then there was a tiny disk and then another.
Darkseid focused in on the little nuisance and found that it was a spacecraft. When he pulled back out he saw more. Twenty then thirty then more.
“That’s an invasion force.” He said. “Where did they come from?”
Then his monitor went blank and Darkseid was suddenly blind in that sector of the universe.
He pushed a button that activated his intercom. “Prepare the troops.” He ordered. “We’re going in.”
“It’s time for us to go.” Kent Nelson acknowledged to Alan Scott. Alan nodded as he looked over to the gathering of the younger heroes of the realities represented here. It had been odd to meet another version of himself, not to mention the original Superman—Kal-L. But it was from his other self that Alan would request a favor. Alan approached the Green Lantern and asked the favor. Puzzled for a moment, until the Sentinel pointed to a member of his team, the Green Lantern agreed.
The Alterverse and Inheritors teams and the representatives of what was now Earth-5 said their final good-byes to their counterparts. Alan noted the look of respect that passed between Kent Nelson and Victor Von Doom of the Realm. He suspected that few had ever received that acknowledgement from either of them. He suspected that their collaboration would continue someday…if not soon.
With the Earth-5 Green Lantern in the lead, the Alterverse, Inheritors, and Earth-5 team of heroes made the transit back to Earth-5.
Alan Scott, the Sentinel, stood beside a fresh grave. He watched the Green Lantern hold his own children, Jade and Obsidian, while Ray Palmer and Sam supported Faith. The rest of the combined teams stood a little farther back.
“The Guardian said that the ghosts of the past would be laid to rest.” Alan recalled. “But I wanted to remember this ghost one more time. Such a tragic and troubled ghost, to whom we owe so much. Thank you for allowing us to come.”
“Thank you.” Faith quietly echoed Alan as she looked up to the Green Lantern. “I know your memories are painful and your pain is still fresh.”
“Only a few days ago…Our mother…Rose Canton, the Thorn. She killed herself to save us from her other self.” Jennie-Lynn admitted with a tear. “But I never really knew her.”
“But I did.” Faith smiled. She and Sam walked over to the Green Lantern’s children and spoke quietly.
“You don’t give up, do you?” Alanna cornered the Sentinel with a smile.
“Not now, not ever.” Alan smiled back. “You are my children to watch over. Same reality or no, it doesn’t make you any less mine.”
“Thank you.” Alanna gazed at him.
“Lannie,” he replied, using the name she preferred for the first time, “I want you to know how proud of you I am. I can’t begin to understand everything you’ve been through, but you made a lot of difference for a lot of people. And you did it flawlessly.”
Looking into his eyes, she found an acceptance she never allowed herself to find before.
“I still want to meet this Wally West of yours.” He warned.
“Sure.” She answered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Just as soon as I’ll be sure he’s safe around you.” She teased. “But not yet.”
Beside them, Kent Nelson gestured quietly, deliberately not calling attention to his actions. A small tombstone quietly arose from the ground.
“Rose Canton.
She loved her children
More than life itself.”
A giggle off to the side distracted them. Jennie-Lynn and Faith now wore identically green coloring and Jennie-Lynn had Faith’s left-hand glove.
“I’ve got one, too.” Jennie-Lynn showed Sam the birthmark in her left hand’s palm—a green sun with eight extensions. “It’s just that hers only shows up when she’s green. But you don’t get to be a Green Lantern without a ring, Sweetie!”
“Spare me.” Faith replied with pretended indignation and retrieved her glove. Turning, she spotted the grave marker. “Kent, it’s beautiful!”
“Oh my!” Jennie-Lynn echoed, her eyes threatening tears.
“Perhaps she’ll rest a little easier.” He replied with a rare gentleness.
“What…” The Green Lantern started with confusion as a vine erupted from the ground. Full of thorns, a white rose capped the end.
In answer to the confused looks, the Sentinel shrugged and smiled to the Green Lantern. “Don’t forget. Your children and their power are your FIRST responsibility. Never forget that. Even in her insanity, she did not.”
“Very wise.” The Green Lantern acknowledged. “I will keep an eye on them.”
“Do more than that.” The Sentinel warned. “In thirty years, no one will remember Gotham Broadcasting. But everyone will remember them.” He pointed to Jade and Obsidian. “When your kids have enough power to core the planet, a Christmas card isn’t guidance enough.”
The Green Lantern nodded thoughtfully. In a moment, he wandered towards his children.
“A little hard on him, don’t you think?” Kent nudged.
“I never knew my daughter, Molly Scott Kyle.” Alan replied angrily. “And Faith never knew her father. Frankly, I envy this Green Lantern more than you will ever know. And I want his children to have the guidance they deserve.”
“And they will have it.” The booming voice assured him; the booming voice of legend; the first Superman: Kal-L. “And so will my cousin Kara, whether she wants it or not!”
“I can take care of myself!” Power Girl replied.
“Kara,” he replied, “the one thing I have learned today is that there are things that are bigger than both of us. We can only get through them together.”
“Inspirational,” Kara Gand interjected as she approached them, “isn’t he? I know the type.”
“More than a bit.” Kara Zor-L acknowledged as she edged closer to her cousin. “Usually.”
He gazed at the two Kryptonian women with confusion.
“Plan to keep him?” Kara Gand teased.
“If he behaves himself.” Kara Zor-L laughed. “But only if.”
Kal-L’s relationship with his much younger cousin had always been strained…rocketed to Earth at the same time, she had arrived much later and much younger in age. He had grown used to her defense mechanisms, as she distanced herself from him to establish her own identity.
But her arm was around his waist. Perhaps another ghost had been laid to rest.
“Well…” Kara Zor-L laughed. “Maybe even if he doesn’t.”
Kal-L wrapped his arm around his cousin. Somehow, somewhere, he wondered if Zor-L and Allura were smiling today. Certainly Rao and Lorra would be.
“Tell you what.” Helena Wayne approached from the other side and hugged him loosely from the other side. “If you need help to keep him in line, you’ll have as much as you need.” She kissed Superman’s cheek.
“Helena, he seems insufferably pleased with himself.” Kara Zor-L noted.
“Doesn’t he realize he’s outnumbered?” Helena asked.
“Somehow,” Kara Zor-L teased, “I don’t think he’s figured it out yet.”
Strike one ghost. Maybe more than one. Kara Gand noted with pleasure as Kal-L broke out in warm laughter.
The machinery that maintained the zoo and kept Kandor alive droned on. No other sound, save the occasional squawk of a zoo animal broke the silence.
Footfalls sounded across the floor, but footfalls no mortal could hear, as a goddess approached the sleeping Kandorians.
A city of Kryptonians, rescued from the brink of oblivion, along with the rest of their universe…their Multiverse…now a part of a much larger Multiverse.
Lorra looked down upon her precious cargo…a city full of her children. And…someday…enough children to seed a new Krypton.
But not tonight.
Satisfied, Lorra stepped back and stood in the darkness, silently watching the dim lights of the city.
Her proxies had won the day today…performing even beyond her wildest hopes…her own children and those who were children of other gods…gods who had done their best to aid without being discovered.
Of course, she considered ruefully, at least such an ally had made a point of being discovered at the same time Rao had made his move…a rumor reached her that a Qwardian god in another reality had been found with his throat slashed and ripped out. In time he would recover, but his new-found fear of Terran feline goddesses would not soon depart.
And Rao’s action had been hidden by the attack.
Other hands now moved their pieces on the board. For now, their next gambits would be elsewhere, on other battlefields, giving these realities a chance to heal…with their precious cargoes safe.
Lorra considered Rao’s inspired action: the merging of the shadows of Kara Zor-El into something more, something that could fight the Anti-Monitor. Lorra wondered how Rao had come to pick that gambit.
No matter. The gambit had worked and gone far to undo the damage that had been done to countless realities, countless times.
But this conflict was not over. This had merely been the opening move in what would be a long, ugly, protracted war…a war her children would be forced to fight for as long as necessary!
Wherever the enemy turned…it would find her children…in the Multiverse, the Alterverse, the Otherverse, the Inheritors’ Universe and The Realm and in many other realities. Her children and their allies would be there to meet them.
The final outcome was beyond even her sight, such things being the providence of a far higher power. There would be losses and victories…but one thing she was certain of…Wherever the enemy appeared…it would find her children of the House of El…leading the charge against them!
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.