Probability 1 - Chapter 22:

The Brainiac War

Part 2: The Gathering Storm (part 1)

 

© Dylan Clearbrook

 

Green Lantern Corps HQ - Oa

“You still do not trust them, do you, Arisia Fentara?”

They were in the Meeting Hall of the Green Lantern Corps Headquarters on Oa, where Jenny, as senior member of Team Sentinel, was receiving a briefing from a group of slightly agitated Guardians.

Arisia, as was her wont when she had to accompany Jenny on these trips to Oa, stood as far from the Guardians as she could get and still be in the same room, ready to walk out as soon as their business was concluded.  Or to back up Jenny should the Guardians prove…obstinate.

She had purposely ignored the approach of the female Guardian known as Shandra.

Though it was nothing strange to her, her trips to the Inheritor’s Universe, her talks with Kara, and trips to other Probabilities within the Multiverse had shown her that the Guardians of both this Probability, known as Probability – 1, and her own home Probability, Probability – 2, were not the norm. Since news out of Probability 3 was scarce, there was no way to know if things were similar there.  In Probabilities 1 and 2, there had never, as in other Probabilities, been a split between the male and female Maltusians, the race from which the Guardians sprang.  In these Probabilities, the females had not withdrawn to become the Zamorans, as they had elsewhere. Of course, she was aware that there had been a split in ages past, after the Man-hunter wars.  That split had not been along sexual lines, but rather philosophical ones.  Leaving two groups with two very different views on how to handle the Universe.  One, was obviously the Guardians.  The other, the Controllers.

Looking at the female Guardian now, Arisia lifted an eyebrow.

“It is Arisia Gand now, Guardian.”  She corrected the blue skinned woman, annoyed by having to point out something that the Guardian should already know.

“Indeed?”  Shandra showed no emotional reaction as she regarded the golden skinned Sentinel.  “In that case, I shall rephrase my question.  You still do not trust them, do you, Arisia Gand?”

Arisia clenched her teeth as she regarded the Guardian.  By all the Gods of Graxos, she hated these visits to Oa.

“I have my reasons, Guardian.”  She had to work to keep her tone civil…and wondered why she bothered.  Glancing back at Jenny, she was grateful the two of them had learned to block their emotions from each other…to some degree.  Judging from the ex-She-Hulk’s stance, she was not happy about whatever it was the Guardians were telling her.  As angry as she was now, she would have just enhanced Jenny’s emotions…and Jenny’s emotions would have made her even angrier.

“Do you truly?” The Guardian regarded her with a thoughtful gaze. “These are not the Guardians of your Universe, Arisia Gand.”

“They were…until the Probability Device split one reality into three.” Arisia countered.

“This is true.” The Guardian admitted. “Yet at that point, what was once one reality became three.  Each different from the original world from which they sprang.  Indeed, research into the matter has brought us to the conclusion that the original world was not truly split…but rather destroyed…and replaced by three different versions of what might have been.”

In spite of herself, Arisia was intrigued by the concept.

“That would explain the different histories, however slight or massive they might be.” She mused. She shook her head and glared back at the Guardian. “But it was before the split that the Guardians failed in their duty.  When the Honor of the Green Lantern Corps was stained by their commanders. “

“Again, this is true.”  The Guardian gestured towards Jenny and the small group of Guardians that were still going over their briefing. “That event is one reason that these Guardians requested that you and Jennifer Walters-Gand come to Oa.”

“Why do you….” Arisia stopped and looked closely at the Guardian before her and then looked back towards those that gathered before Jenny.  Here, in front of her, was the Guardian Shandra…and yet…there in front of Jenny, stood the same Guardian.

“Yes, I am the Guardian Shandra from your Probability, Arisia Gand.”  The Guardian beside her confirmed her suspicions.  “Your refusal to deal with these Guardians is known to them and your input is much needed.”

“And just where the hell were you when I needed you?  When Hal needed you?”  Arisia demanded.

“Again, that error in Judgment is one reason that you are needed.” The Guardian responded.

“Error of Judgment.  Is that what you call it?”  Arisia sneered. “Billions of lives lost….because the Guardians could not be bothered to answer the summons of the Sentinel and you call it an error of judgment.”

“The refusal to act was not….”  And for the first time, the Guardian looked uncomfortable…as if she were telling secrets that should not be revealed.  “…an act of Universal agreement.”  Even that much of a vague admission seemed difficult for the female Guardian. 

Having been a Green Lantern and having worked closely with the Guardians, Arisia understood what Shandra was saying.  The Guardians did disagree with each other from time to time…but the instances when they allowed others to see that disagreement were exceedingly rare.  And, by the tortured look on the Guardian’s face, Arisia could tell she wasn’t done yet.

“In fact, the decision not to act was taken by a minority.  Those that received the summons purposely did not inform the other Guardians…until it was too late.”

Arisia was stunned.  She turned to face the Guardian fully.

If this is what the other Guardians were telling Jenny, no wonder they looked agitated.

“Why are you telling me this?”  She shook her head.

She didn’t wait for an answer.  Instead she broke her usual habit and walked to the center of the room to stand beside her team mate. She was not surprised when the Probability Two Shandra moved to stand beside her counterpart from this Probability.

“I take it she filled you in on what these guys have been telling me?”  Jenny asked.  If she was surprised at Arisia’s appearance at her side, she gave no outward indication…though Arisia detected a bit of warm relief flow into her from their link.

“Somewhat.” She nodded sharply towards the Guardians. “Something about a split in their ranks.”  

“Indeed.” A Guardian Arisia did not know confirmed her statement. “Though it has happened in the past, for a Guardian to go…rogue…is extremely unusual.”

“You’re saying a rogue Guardian is responsible for the Corps lack of response 20 years ago?” Jenny asked before Arisia could make a cynical comment.

“Actually, three rogue Guardians.” The unnamed Guardian replied. “Guardian Scar and two followers.”

“And where are these…Rogue Guardians?” Arisia demanded.

“Gone.” Shandra -2 was the one that responded, though the others nodded. “We believe that they fled Oa to Qward before the Probability device was activated.”

“Well, that is one plus.”  Jenny remarked. “That means that they weren’t here to be duplicated when the split occurred.”

“Exactly.” Shandra – 1 said. “Though we believe they returned shortly thereafter, with a corps of Yellow ring bearers from Qward, with the same Sinestro that chased Arisia into our Probability!”  (Author’s Note: See MV1 #9: Refugees part 2)

“And we still have no clue why.”  Arisia hissed.

 “Well, since they didn’t show up here or in Probability 2, I assume they appeared in Probability 3.”  Jenny raised an eyebrow.

“Indeed.” The unnamed Guardian acknowledged. “We believe they are responsible for the barrier that separated Probability 3 from the other two.  A Barrier we initially believed to have been put in place by the Starheart.”

“I could have told you that the Starheart had nothing to do with it.” Arisia snapped.  When everyone, including Jenny just looked at her she sighed. “Okay….I could have told you if I had been willing to talk with you.”  She paused for a moment and then, reluctantly continued. “The Starheart has access to every Probability within the Multiverse…every Probability but Probability-3. It is almost as if that Probability is no longer really part of the Multiverse at all!”

“Since the so-called Continuum War…and we believe your Lord Ian was correct…it would seem that this was but the first battle of the war, not the war itself…we have been able to communicate freely with our counterparts in Probability Two…as well as the Guardians of Probabilities Four and Nine, though we are still unable to contact our counterparts in Probability 3.” Shandra – 1 went on.  “We can now surmise that Scar infiltrated the Great Battery in Probability 3 and thus caused the taint in our Great Battery.”

“Which caused a taint in ours, since our Batteries appeared to be linked.” Shandra 2 put in. She nodded towards Jenny and Arisia. “Apparently whatever you did to cleanse this Battery also cleansed ours.”

 “However, the Guardians from both Probability-1 and Probability-2 have, together, been able to piece together some of what has happened…and been able to ascertain that one of the rogues have, on numerous occasions, been able to slip our Probabilities and access our Batteries.  Rest assured that we have taken measures that such cannot happen again.”

“I would hope not.” Arisia snarled. “The more you talk, Guardian, the less faith I have in you, you realize this?”

“I apologize for this, Sentinel.” The Guardian bowed and then straightened. “It has been long since we had traitors within our midst. Though we have safe guarded against others, we never thought to put such security measures in place to restrict another Guardian.”

“However, the fact that such security measures were not already in place has actually proven to be beneficial to us at this time.” Shandra-1 cut in smoothly. “But tracing the movements of the rogues, we have been able to discover that they returned here, to Probability-1, to search for allies.  Allies, I am sorry to say, they did indeed discover.”

She waved a hand and a holographic image of an eerily familiar fleet so space ships appeared in the air above their heads.

“The Hunter-Killer fleet!”  Jenny recognized the ships instantly.

Arisia’s breath hissed through her teeth.   The Hunter-Killer fleet, constructed by the ancient Daxamites, had seemingly disappeared from the Universe at the same time that some one had deposited an anti-matter bomb in Reed Richards Laboratory on Earth. (Author’s note: See MVP1-17: Renewed Acquaintances.)

The tell-tale lights on the consoles buried deep in an underground bunker on Daxam had simply winked out and constant sweeps through quadrant after quadrant by teams of Green lanterns had revealed nothing.  It was as if the fleet had simply ceased to exist.

 “The Hunter-Killer Fleet, controlled by Brainiac.”  Shandra 1 nodded. “However, we are now able to determine that the ‘Brainiac’ that controlled the fleet here in Probablity-1 was not actually the true Brainiac, but rather a splinter of the Brainiac consciousness. The full Brainaic exists and has always existed in Probability-3.  We assume that the rogue transmitted a command from the Full Brainiac to the Splinter Brainiac who, in turn, led the entire fleet into Probability 3 to join with an invasion fleet that has been assembled there.” 

 “So….why call us if Brainiac is stuck in Probability 3?” Arisia demanded.

“Our rogue was not particularly careful about hiding his traces.” The unnamed Guardian spoke up. “In fact, it is almost as if he were doing his best to send us a message.  Very subtly, to be sure.  It is as if he was sure he was being monitored and would suffer if he tried to warn us openly.  From the data that the rogue ‘accidently’ left behind, it is apparent that this Brainiac is acting somewhat out of character. Brainiac has always been subtle about his intentions until he is ready to pounce.  Yet this Brainiac is in no manner trying to hide his intentions.  Now it seems he has thrown caution to the wind. Even now he moves towards the Probability 3 Earth.”

“There is also something a bit more…disconcerting.” Shandra-1 spoke softly. “As we have said, our lines of communication with the Guardians of Probability 3 have been…severed.”

“It would be closer to the truth to say that it is as if such communications never existed!” Shandra-2 grimaced.

“You think Brainiac has wiped out the Probability 3 Guardians and Green Lanterns?” Jenny demanded.

“No.”  Shandra-1 shook her head. “It is as if something has…altered them. We are afraid that, should we go to Probability 3, we will find that the Guardians there are no longer our allies. She seemed to sag where she stood. “We fear that something has caused the history of Probability 3 to be altered...dramatically. We cannot know for sure, but it appears that, despite what we know to have occurred…that, at this point and time, the Green Lantern Corps of Probability 3 has never existed!”

“That is why we made contact with the Starheart when we learned you were investigating temporal anomalies.”

“Oh My God!” Jenny closed her eyes. “The Probability Device is in Probability 3!”

“You think it is shifting reality over there?” Arisia picked up on the train of thought.  For once, both Shandras remained silent.

Jenny thought for a moment and then nodded.

“That would explain a lot.” She sighed. “The inconsistencies we have discovered here?  Khund invasion fleets when the Khund home worlds are just now climbing out of the stone ages they were blasted into by the Daxamites? Entire sectors of space obliterated…with no cause apparent?  These temporal anomalies are being caused by the Probability Device!”

“Ripples.” The Shandras exchanged looks. “The Probability Device is firing off in Probability 3 and we are feeling ripples here.”

“And there we probably have the cause of the Ripple that brought you here from Otherverse.” Arisia nodded as understanding came.

Jenny asked Arisia to contact Kara and Rogue and update them and ask for their assistance while she sent a communication to Daxam, asking…demanding…rather, that Lar Gand come to Oa as well.

Arisia sent her communication to Kara and Rogue and turned to see a puzzled, concerned look on Jenny’s face.

“I wasn’t able to get a hold of Lar.” Jenny explained. “The authorities on Daxam simply said that he was unavailable and that Kara would be able to explain.”

“Well, they’ll be on their way soon.”  Arisia told her. “So if there’s anything we…you…need to know, I’m sure they’ll let us…you…know.”

Jenny nodded and forced herself to turn her attention back to the Guardians.

Arisia looked toward the Probability 2 Shandra.

“And you are here why, exactly?” She demanded.

“I am here as a show of solidarity.” The Guardian answered. “We will lend what aid we can in this endeavor.”  She paused and then went on when the Probability One Shandra gave her a look. “Though my purpose here is actually two-fold.  The first is as I have indicated.  The second…”  She looked directly at Arisia.

“Spit it out, Guardian!”  Arisia demanded.

 “The Guardians of this Probability did what they could to repair the damage they had allowed to happen.” The Probability 2 Guardian said.  “We would ask…not demand…ask that we be allowed to do so as well. All we ask is that you come to us when you have finished what you must now do, Arisia of Graxos.”   The Probability 2 Shandra’s voice sounded as if it came from a long distance as she faded from sight. “Please?”

“What the hell is she talking about?” A hand fell on Arisia’s shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her skin.  She turned her head to see Jenny looking slightly irritated, glaring at the other Guardians.

 “It is time to leave the past in the past, Arisia.”  The Probability One Shandra explained, looking at Arisia rather than answering Jenny directly. Seeing where this was going, the other Guardians simply vanished.  “Our Arisia understood this, in time.  We could and did cleanse the yellow radiation from her body.  We could try to make amends for the wrongs done…but she understood that we could not replace her loss.”

“Loss?”  Jenny looked back and forth between Shandra and Arisia.  Some how, she had the feeling that the two were discussing some thing more than the Guardian’s failure to dispatch the Corps when the Sentinel of twenty years ago had called for them.  That Sentinel had been….”O dear god.”  She whispered, looking at her partner as if she had never seen her before.

“Enough.” Arisia made a slashing motion with her hands and turned away from Jenny and Shandra.

“No, Arisia Gand.  It is not enough.” Shandra-2 insisted.

“I am not one of your damned playthings anymore, Guardian!” Arisia whirled around, her face a mask of fury and…..pain.  Jenny was startled to see tears flowing freely from the golden skinned Sentinel’s eyes.  She reached towards her and Arisia backed away. “NO!  Keep away from me!”

“Not this time!” Jenny snarled, leaping forward to grasp her struggling team mate. “What the hell is going on here Arisia?”  Without waiting for an answer, she let her power flow and initiated the process that would merge them as Senturia.

In a single instant, where three individuals had stood, now there was only two.

“Fascinating.” Shandra 1 shook her head.  No matter how many times she witnessed this event, she never failed to be amazed. 

“Nooooo!”  Unlike Senturia’s double toned voice, it was clearly the voice of Arisia that rang throughout the council room as the duo-being fell to her knees.  Shandra-1 knew that, within that single body, two very strong wills were locked in a combat…a battle neither wanted but could obviously no longer be avoided.

“Their timing could have been better.”  She remarked to herself. “There is little time for this.”  She considered briefly what she could do and sent her mind outward, questing, across the known Probabilities.  She found her answer in the Probability those of Earth called Probability 9.  She made contact…and was rewarded by agreement.

Nodding her head she turned her attention back to the mega-Sentinel.  Soon her requested aid would arrive.  She only hoped it helped.  There was a possibility that it could hurt…causing Arisia to snap completely.  When that happened…..

As a precaution, Shandra-1 alerted the other Guardians.  It would take many, if not all, of them working together and tapped directly to the Great Battery to hold Senturia…if she could be held.

 

MVP1-22

Oa – Probability 9

“You rang?”

The brown haired man, his body outlined by a green glow settled to the ground before the Great Battery, facing the short blue humanoid that stood waiting for him.

“Indeed.”  Ganthet gazed up at the Green Lantern that stood before him, a decidedly un-Guardian like impish grin on his face. “I believe we have finally found a place for you.”

“It’s about time.”  The Green Lantern replied and then clamped his lips shut as the Guardian continued.

“We have received a request for your services.” Ganthet steepled his hands before his face as he floated into the air.  He preferred to look these tall ones in the face rather than looking up as they towered over him. “You are aware, of course, of the unique events that altered our….reality?”

“If you mean the fact that our reality is no longer alone…yes.  A Multiverse of other realities have suddenly sprung into existence.”

“Actually, those other realities, as you call them, already existed.” Ganthet corrected. “We, and six other realities, are the newcomers to this…Multiverse.  Indeed, in the manner of the way they have been labeled, this, our reality, is called Probability 9.”

“Nine?”  The Green Lantern frowned. “Why not One?”

“It is a long story, one which I am sure you will soon get the opportunity to learn.  For now, suffice it to say that these seven…Probabilities…were saved by the actions of heroes from the first two realities of this Multiverse and from other realms within the Continuum in which we now find ourselves.”

“Okay.”  The Green Lantern crossed his arms, looking at the Guardian. “So what are you trying so hard not to tell me, Ganthet?”

“It has been decided that you are to be transferred.”

“Transferred?  What, exactly do you mean by…transferred?”

“As I said, our aid in a small matter was requested by the Guardians of Probability One.”  Ganthet shook his head in clear bemusement. “It was a bit of a…surprise…to be contacted…by a female Oan.”

“You mean the Zamorans are on Oa in this Probability One?”  The Green Lantern asked, clearly surprised himself.

“No…It seems in this Probability One and in Probability Two as well, there was no split in ages past to form Oans and Zomorans.”

“That must make for some lively debates.” The Green Lantern drawled.

“Indeed.” Ganthet brightened.  “And we shall have the opportunity to discover just how lively.”

“We?” The Green Lantern raised an eyebrow.

“Indeed.” Ganthet nodded. “We shall be going there together.”

“Great.”  The Green Lantern sighed. “So when do we go?”

“Soon.  First, there are some things you should know.”

The Green Lantern listened, first with bored indifference and then growing shock, as Ganthet spoke.

 

MVP1-22

Oa – Probability One

“NOO!”

It was the strangest battle she had ever fought.  There were no clear lines of combat, no flashes of energy, no feats of gamma strength.  Simply her mind locked with Arisia’s.

Though merged into the body of Senturia, for the first time, their minds remained separate as Arisia continued to hold herself away from Jenny’s demanding thoughts.

“No….you don’t have the right!”  She wailed as she felt her will falter…wavering ever so slightly. 

“I have every right.” Jenny’s thoughts slammed back at her. “We are a team, and in case you haven’t noticed, we can’t just get up and walk away and say we’re done.  We are stuck with each other….forever.  Damnit, Arisia, you have to trust me!”

“She does trust you, Jennifer Walters-Gand!”

Jenny eased back on her assault.  The voice, a mental voice, had been that of one of the Shandras, intruding itself into schism that had become Senturia’s mind.

“To put it in terms you would understand, she is not quite mentally balanced at the moment.”

“Great…you’re telling me my partner is insane?”  Though it was not a visual picture, for all practical purposes, Jenny saw her self standing over Arisia as she huddled in a corner, her head ducked under her arms.

“No.  But you are not aware of events that occurred. Have you not noticed her some what erratic behavior?  Behavior that has become increasingly erratic since you and she first joined to become Senturia?”  The voice of Shandra gave her no time to answer. “Of course you have not, because you have not had a frame of reference with which to compare her behavior.”

“That doesn’t make sense, Shandra.”  Jenny protested. “I know what she thinks…what she feels…it is the blessing and the curse of Senturia.”

“Your will is strong, Jennifer Walters-Gand, but you were not trained in the use of that will as a Green Lantern.” Shandra countered. “Arisia did receive such training.  Her will was strong.  Indeed, she was one of the strongest willed Green Lanterns to wear the ring.  Only three others were stronger…Tomar-Re, Katma Tui, and Hal Jordan. As strong as you are, Jennifer Walters-Gand, it is the Will of Arisia that gives focus to that power within Senturia!”

“Wait a minute.”  In her mind, Jenny visualized herself backing away slightly from the huddled Arisia. “Hal Jordan was the Sentinel here, not a Green Lantern.”

“At the end, yes.  But not in the beginning.  Before the Starheart offered the power of a Sentinel to Hal Jordan, he was one of ours.  He debated long before he accepted the offer…but accept it he did.  There were, I admit, some ill feelings among some of the Guardians when Hal Jordan returned his ring to the Great Battery and became the vessel for the power of the Starheart.”

“They didn’t like the fact that one of their underlings was suddenly a check on their power.” Jenny put it together.  “The Starheart was making sure that the Guardians did not abuse their power.”  She paused, looking down, figuratively speaking, at her team mate. “But didn’t the Guardians create the Starheart to begin with?”

NO!

Jenny trembled at that deep, base voice.  A voice she was sure that only she and Arisia, here, locked within the mind of Senturia, could hear.

“No.” Shandra’s voice, softer and unaware of the other voice, answered. “I am aware that in most other realities, such is the case.  But here, in what you call Probabilities One, Two, and Three, it was the Starheart that created….us. In a matter of speaking.”

Jenny considered that for a moment.  Before the First Continuum War, One single Starheart had reigned supreme through out the Multiverse.  She shook her head and, standing outside, Shandra saw Senturia’s head move every so slightly.

“That can wait.”  Jenny said. “Let’s get back to Arisia. What the hell has all of this to do with her?”

“With her training, I surmise that Arisia was able to use her will to…block…portions of her mind from Senturia…from you.   You could not see the Love…and resentment.  The feelings of belonging… and yet still being apart.  That is only part of it….but whatever else she is, or was, Arisia was still human.  And I do believe both of you have commented on how the Starheart truly does not understand the workings of human emotions or human relationships.”

“Damnit Shandra, get to the point.” Jenny growled. “I met the Arisia of this Probability and she did not have these problems.”

“Because they wiped her mind!”

Shandra stepped back as the face of Senturia contorted with fury…fury aimed directly at her.

Fists clenched in rage, the mega-Sentinel stalked towards the female Guardian.

“Arisia…Stop!”

Senturia whirled around to see another Guardian to her rear.  Yet it had not been the Guardian that had spoken but the Green Lantern with him.

The fury on Senturia’s face melted as she regarded the newcomers.

“Hal?”

Senturia’s eyes rolled up in her head and she began to fall….yet it was two individuals that hit the floor as Jenny and Arisia separated.

MVP1-22

Jenny woke in what a nurse told her was the Corps Infirmary.   It made sense, she supposed, that the Guardians would have intensive medical facilities on Oa.

While the power of the Guardians was tremendous, they weren’t gods any more than the Starheart was. Though when it came to the latter, she supposed it all depended on your perspective.

While the Guardians could greatly reduce down time due to injuries, they could not, in the case of more serious wounds, do away with down time altogether. So they would need a place to care for those individuals requiring a more lengthy recovery period.

She was in what, in an Earth hospital, would be called a semi-private room.  Her bed being one of two.  The other bed, she saw, held Arisia….still out.

It took her a moment for her brain to make sense of the four figures that stood around Arisia’s bed.  Two of them, she saw, were both Shandra.  One being the female Guardian from this Probability and the other being from Probability Two. 

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as memories of the final seconds before she and Arisia separated flowed into her mind.  In that brief span of time, Arisia’s guard had dropped completely, and Jenny had rushed in, forcing full integration and severing Arisia’s control of Senturia’s body.

Now she took a moment to sort through everything she had learned during that brief time of full merger.

Arisia’s problem, it appeared was not so much the past but rather the present.

“Can you tell us?”

Jenny opened her eyes to see that the four figures were now standing around her bed.  She glanced over to see that Arisia was still out.

“She is sedated.” One of the Shandras said, interpreting her glance. “She will remain under until…”

“Until I decided to bring her out of it.” Jenny cut in, locking eyes with the speaker. She felt it necessary to remind the Guardians that neither she nor Arisia were under their orders.

“Indeed.”

Jenny turned her head to look at the speaker.  It was the strange Guardian that had appeared with the Green Lantern.  Ganthet.

“Yes, Indeed.” Jenny commented. “Excuse me, but why aren’t you dead?  I saw your lifeless body floating around Mars not too many months ago.”  The Guardian opened his mouth to reply, closing it with a startled snap when Jenny waved him to silence.  “Never mind.  Seeing the company you keep, you have to be from one of the other Probabilities.”  She turned her attention to the Green Lantern but was startled when he spoke first.

“It is good to see you again, Jennifer Walters.”  He lightly touched her hand and Jenny’s eyes widened as the power flowing through her reacted.

“YOU!”  She sat up fully now. “Parallax!”

Hal Jordan shook his head.

“Not any longer.”  He said.  “Now I am just an extra Green Lantern that the Guardians of His Probability don’t know what to do with.” He had thrust a thumb towards Ganthet. “Seems they already had their own Hal Jordon.”

“I don’t understand.”  Jenny looked around.

“This Hal Jordan was, indeed Parallax.” Ganthet confirmed. “Yet Parallax was formed in the Reality that preceded ours.”

Jenny wracked her brain, trying to recall everything Kara had told her about the events of her own reality and everything she had been able to learn about Parallax, the being that had gifted her with a larger portion of his own power.

“One Earth had been formed from five.” She recalled haltingly. “And then that one Earth was…rebooted….when Parallax attempted to turn the clock back and restore the Multiverse.”

“Correct.” Ganthet nodded, encouraging her to continue.

“But here….with the Continuum War…that never happened.”  Jenny was looking at Hal. “The five Crisis Worlds were never merged and the Starheart had to pull some shenanigans to stabilize the post Crisis Earth.”

“I would imagine those had to be some mighty powerful shenanigans, since you basically negated everything that had brought the Post-Crisis Earth into existence.”

“But you were from that negated past.”  Jenny argued. “You shouldn’t even exist.”

“And yet here I am.”  Hal shrugged. He jerked his thumb towards Ganthet again. “Don’t worry, they can’t figure it out either.   Their best guess is that the power of Parallax allowed me to slip through the cracks.  They also think it was your Starheart that stripped the Parallax energy from me and left me lying naked and unconscious next to their Great Battery.”

“Wait a minute.”  Jenny’s eyes flew wide. “If you were the Parallax that gave me my power…and you came from….”  She paused while she figured out which world. “…Probability Nine…then those worlds belonged to the Reality that Kara is from!”

“Not necessarily.” Hal shook his head. “I’ve looked over the information that the Guardians have given me since we’ve been waiting for you to wake up.  There are a lot of similarities, but I can see a lot of differences as well.”  He shrugged again. “Yet I do recall meeting you….and I do recall the death of Superman’s Cousin…Kara Zor-El.”

“While our worlds are not those that your Kara came from.” Ganthet interjected. “We surmise that it is highly likely that, what ever world your Kara came from…Hal Jordan came from that world as well!”

Jenny felt her mind spinning.  A spinning that stopped instantly when one of the Shandras moved slightly, giving her an unobstructed view of the bed holding Arisia.  She turned to the female Guardians and gave them a steely glare.

“She was right….you did wipe the other Arisia’s memories.”

“We did….edit her memories.” One of them spoke. “We felt it would aid in her healing.”

“Aid in her healing…or remove a major source of her hatred for you?”  Jenny countered.  She turned back to Hal. “Have they told you our history?  Have they told you who the Hal Jordan of this Probability was?  Did they tell you how and why he died?”

“They did.”  Hal nodded, his face grim with disapproval. “Quite frankly, I am not surprised that Arisia would be upset with the Guardians and the Corps for their inaction.”

“But they haven’t told you everything, have they?” She pushed her self out of the bed, swinging her legs to the floor.  It was only after she was standing that she had not even thought about clothes.  She was relieved to find she was dressed in what, no matter what world or reality could only be called a hospital gown. She walked over to Arisia’s bed and gently ran her fingers over the sleeping Sentinel’s brow. “Did they tell you why they wanted you to come here?”

“I assumed because of my connection to you.”  Hal looked puzzled…and then agitated when the only Guardian that would meet his eyes was Ganthet. “Obviously I was mistaken.”

“Jennifer Walters-Gand.”  The second Shandra spoke up. “Please, allow us to do for our Arisia what my sisters and brothers of this Probability did for theirs.

“No!”  Jenny barely glanced at her before looking back at Hal. “Bringing you here for me would have done no good.  Quite frankly, only a smidgen of the power that you gave me remains.   I generate my own now.  They brought you here for her.”  Now she looked down at Arisia.

“Sentinel, please.”

Hal Jordan was astonished.  This was as close as he had ever been to hearing a Guardian beg.

“I said no.”  Jenny hissed. “Her memories are hers, good or bad.  You can ask her when I wake her up.”  She glared at Hal. “You knew an Arisia as well, didn’t you?”

“I did.”  Hal nodded, pain flaring in his eyes. “She died some time before I became Parallax.”

“Well, the Hal Jordan of the reality that came before Probabilities One and Two knew Arisia as well.  He knew her well.”  She turned her glare on the female Guardians. “Tell me Shandra, why did Arisia disobey the Guardians?  Why did she rush to Hal’s aid with out permission?”  When the female Guardian’s remained silent she turned back to Hal. “She left her own sector to help Hal protect Earth….and because…”  She took a deep breath. “Because she was his wife!”

Energy flared from her fingers, flowing into Arisia.

“That is not true.” Shandra -2 shook her head. “Arisia was great friends with Hal Jordan…but he was married in Terran fashion to Carol Ferris.”  Shandra 1, wearing a similar look of confusion nodded her agreement with her counter-parts statement. 

“Not according to her memories.” Jenny snarled.

“Jennifer Walters, please wait.” Ganthet spoke up, looking from her, to the now glowing figure of Arisia, to the two female Guardians. “If what you say is true, and what these two say is true, and I have verified it by accessing the Great Battery here, then we have an even greater puzzle.”

Jenny halted the flow of energy as she and the female Guardians turned to look at Ganthet.

“A puzzle, indeed.”  He repeated. “Yet one thing is not a puzzle.  If you are correct…and they are correct, there can only be one conclusion.  This Arisia is NOT the Arisia of Probability 2, no matter what her memories may say.”

 

(Continued in MVP1-23)

To be Continued…….. 

 

 

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2010 by Dylan Clearbrook (Revised/Rewritten 2014)

-- and may not be reprinted without permission.

-- The Continuum Worlds Concept is a joint creation of

-- Dylan Clearbrook and Eldric.  

-- Otherverse, Multiverse, Primalverse. and Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes,

-- as depicted in the Continuum Worlds, are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook.

-- Alterverse, The Inheritors and Rising Starr,  as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- are original creations of Eldric.

-- Wasteland, The Sorority, and Otherverse 2.0,  as depicted in the Continuum Worlds

-- are original creations of Nomad (Jake H.).

-- The Realm and The Web of Shadows, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- are original creations of John P. and Jason G./ Andrew Shields respectively.

 -- DCM: The Merging, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- is an original creation of Chip Caroon and the stories therein remain

-- the property of the respective writers.

 -- Some characters in Continuum Worlds stories are original creations

-- of Dylan Clearbrook, Eldric, Michael Liebhart, Jake H., Jason G.,

-- Andrew Shields, Kyle M., Brian, John P., DTO,  or Jason Froikin and may not

-- be used without express permission of the respective author.

-- All DC characters are property of D.C. Comics.

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