A World Without Heroes
Chapter 5
An Otherverse/SGPI Crossover
By Jason Froikin
Cities full of hatred, fear and lies
Withered hearts and cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude and
Scoffing at the wise
Can't we raise our eyes and make a start?
Can't we find the minds to lead us
Closer to the Heart?
-A Farewell To KingsRUSH
"Come on, Charlie, we're gonna be late!", Linda insisted. Charlie didn't seem the least bit concerned about being late for her appearance in Metropolis, even though it took Cutter months to set it up.
"Can't I even finish watching this movie?", Charlie asked.
"No, we don't have time."
"Sure we do", Charlie said, "All we have to do is use that wing transporter of yours--"
Linda frowned at Charlie. "You know very well that's not what it's called. And just because I have that ability doesn't mean I should abuse it."
"Abuse it?", Charlie joked, "You barely even use it."
"All right, fine", Linda said, "I just love flying. Sue me."
"Funny you should mention that", Charlie said, "There's this lawyer named Jennifer Walters who keeps leaving messages for you--"
"Not interested", Linda said, "I've never had use for lawyers. Are you ready to go yet?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Supergirl flew high above Leesburg, heading toward Metropolis. As usual, Charlie insisted on tagging along, so she held him in front of her by his waist to keep him from falling.
"Are you going to use your wings?", Charlie nagged.
"All right, all right. If it'll stop your nagging, I'll use them."
In a sudden flash of light and heat, Supergirl's cape quickly but silently took the form of flaming wings, which unfolded gently. As soon as they did, a tunnel of flame opened up ahead of Supergirl and she began heading through it with Charlie.
As soon as she entered the tunnel, however, she noticed something strange. Everything was...green. Supergirl, Charlie, and the tunnel were bathed in emerald green light. She didn't think it was terribly important, and it was too late to stop anyway - she'd be through the tunnel in a second anyway.
The next thing she knew, she saw a green-skinned woman in a Green Lantern costume right in front of her. She braced to protect Charlie from the impact as she crashed right into the woman.
"Hey, watch where you're going!", the woman yelled.
"I...I'm sorry", Supergirl apologized, "I just shunted over here, I couldn't see--"
The woman smiled. "I'm Jennifer Walters", she said, "In this reality I'm She-Hulk and Green Lantern. But you can call me Jen."
"Excuse me", Supergirl said, "Did you just say...'This reality'?"
"Yes, I did", Jen said, "You're from another reality. That's why seeing me as a Green Lantern doesn't make sense to you."
"I...see", Linda said hesitantly as she continued to hold on to Charlie.
"Uh, do you two mind if we land before we talk?", Charlie asked, sheepishly. He was a little afraid of what could happen if Supergirl's attention wandered while she was talking.
A translucent green blanket which came out of nowhere suddenly wrapped itself around Charlie. As soon as it did, Charlie felt like he was gliding on his own, without the help of Supergirl. Supergirl noticed that Charlie felt a little lighter, so she released her grip on him.
"I'm flying!", Charlie yelled.
"Happier now?", Jen asked with a smile.
"Definitely", Charlie said, "This is wonderful!"
Supergirl smiled and watched Charlie as he swished back and forth in the air and spun around, testing his new Green Lantern supplied power of flight. She hoped it was safe, but she decided not to let Charlie get too far away from her, just in case.
"So how did you get to be a Green Lantern?", Supergirl asked.
"Oh, that's a long story", Jen answered as she turned suddenly in the air, "But if you follow me you might just get a better idea of what's going on."
Supergirl looked ahead to see why Jen turned suddenly. She was heading to a huge building painted in frighteningly vivid colors. Supergirl recognized it vaguely, but she just couldn't place the name of it.
"The Fantastic Four headquarters", Jen announced, anticipating Supergirl's next question.
"The what?", Supergirl asked.
Jen laughed. "You'll see", she said, "Our universe isn't as complicated as yours. You'll understand everything soon."
"You think my universe is complicated?" Supergirl watched as Jen started diving toward the roof of the building with Charlie close behind.
As she followed, Supergirl felt a little annoyed that Charlie was getting the hang of flying so quickly that she had to work a little bit to keep up with him.
A second later, all three of them landed on the roof of the building, and the green layer around Charlie vanished.
"Hey!", Charlie whined.
"You won't be needing that now", Jen explained.
Supergirl looked at Charlie and shrugged. "Sorry, Charlie. I don't have the power to give other people flight."
"Come on, guys", Jen said as she opened the door to the stairway, "I'd like you to meet a few people."
Supergirl looked at Charlie as Jen walked ahead of them into the stairway. "Hey, Charlie? I don't think we're in Kansas any more."
As soon as Supergirl entered the meeting room, a look of total shock appeared on her face. "Oh my god, you're--"
"Kara Zor-El", Kara interrupted.
"And I'm Rogue", Rogue added.
Supergirl looked at the small 'S' emblem attached to Rogue's uniform, and then looked down at her own shirt.
"Don't look so surprised, honey", Rogue said with a laugh, "I'm Kara's sister now. It's a long story."
"You're not really related, are you?", Charlie asked.
"Not really", Kara said, "She's made of the same DNA that I am, though. As she said, it's a long story."
"If you want to read about what happened, it's in the archives", a man who just entered the room said, "It's titled 'The Rebirth'."
"This is Reed Richards", Kara said as she indicated toward him with her arm, "And behind him is his wife, Sue."
"Nice to meet you", Supergirl said nervously, "I'd like to read the archives, but I really need to get home."
"You have plenty of time", a man said as he faded into existence next to Supergirl, "All of it, to be exact."
"This is Dr. Strange, trying hard to live up to his name", Kara said as she made a face at him. Strange smiled and bowed in response.
Jen led a large green-skinned, dark-haired man closer to Supergirl - who recognized him immediately as the Hulk. "And this--"
"...Is Bruce Banner", Supergirl interrupted, "At least you never change."
Hulk smiled. "The classics never go out of style, Supergirl."
"So, can anyone tell me why Charlie and I are here?", Supergirl asked as she looked from one person to another.
"Oh, that's simple", Jen said, "I brought you here. We need your help, Supergirl."
"You were a police captain?"
Supergirl's question interrupted a strategy meeting with Reed, Sue, Jen, Kara, Rogue, and a woman named Sherri Penison from...well, somewhere else. Her interruption drew an angry look from Reed, who was in the middle of explaining, in complicated terms, exactly what this 'Otherverse' was. Supergirl, of course, understood none of it.
"I know the police commissioner of Leesburg", Supergirl continued, in spite of the fact that everyone was staring at her.
"May I continue?", Reed asked sarcastically.
"No offense", Supergirl retorted, "But I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I don't think anyone else does either."
Sue snorted as she tried to stifle a laugh. Apparently, she also believed that Reed's scientific explanation of multiple co-existing universes was too complicated for the average person.
"I suppose someone else could explain it better?", Reed challenged.
Kara stood up. "I thought you'd never ask. There are an infinite number of parallel universes created with every choice each of us make. We are aware of only a few of these universes--"
"Probabilities", Reed interrupted.
Without a word, Sue slapped his shoulder to warn him to keep quiet.
"One is ours", Kara continued, "One is yours, and then there is this 'Otherverse'."
Supergirl smiled. "And you scientific types couldn't come up with a better name then 'Otherverse'?"
"I dunno", Jen said, "I think it's pretty cool."
"Earth, in this 'Otherverse'", Reed interrupted loudly, "Is a dark world, filled with war, destruction, and death. This is a world without hope."
Jen turned and looked right at Supergirl. "That's where you come in."
"Me?", Supergirl asked, "Why?"
"Superman informed us of your original mission...at the time of your creation", Jen said, "You were created in a pocket universe for the purpose of rallying peace in a universe devoid of heroes."
"So?"
"We'd like you to do the same here", Sue said.
"Now wait a minute--"
Sherri stood up suddenly and pounded her fists on the table, making a loud noise that startled everyone in the room. Her expression told everyone that she was very upset. "Reed is right. My Earth has no hope."
Sherri looked into Supergirl's eyes with a pleading expression. "I've seen people murdered before my eyes. I've watched whole cities being destroyed. My world is dying, Supergirl. We need you."
Supergirl bit her lip and sighed as she looked around the room - all eyes were on her, waiting for her to make a decision. "Okay. What do I do?"
"Why don't you just call it a transporter?", Charlie asked as Reed talked on and on with pride about the projector, and how it was going to send Supergirl and a small team to this 'Otherverse', and then retrieve them later. "We've all seen Star Trek, so it makes more sense that way."
"Oh, so now you speak up", Reed said, "You stood in a corner watching us work since the moment you got here, and the first words to come out of your mouth are--"
Reed suddenly found himself lifted off of the ground, as a small hand held him up by his shirt. He was face-to-face with Supergirl, her eyes glowing as an ominous warning.
"Watch it, Reed", Supergirl threatened, "Charlie's a very good friend of mine."
Reed looked at Kara, hoping for some kind of defense, or at least for her to speak to Supergirl on his behalf. Kara had her hand over her mouth, trying hard not to laugh. As far as she could remember, not one of the powerful beings she'd known since she'd been there dared assault Reed, even though he tended to grate on people's nerves.
"Put him down", Charlie said, "You're scaring him."
"I'm so sorry, Reed", Supergirl said as she put Reed back down on the ground and helped him smooth out his shirt, "I...I'm just nervous, and very protective of my friends. I hope you can forgive me."
"No harm done", Reed said as he looked at Supergirl with a little amusement. Her personality perplexed him - all of that power wrapped in a shell that was just so...human. She wasn't a seasoned super-hero, she was simply a young girl with extraordinary abilities.
"So when do we go?", Charlie asked.
"We don't", Supergirl said, "You're staying right here."
"Oh, come on!", Charlie whined.
Supergirl stood in front of Charlie and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Charlie, if you were hurt, and I could have prevented it, I would never forgive myself. Please, wait here. I'll tell you everything that happened when I get back."
"If you make it back", Charlie mumbled.
Supergirl smiled. "I have every intention of coming back. And I'm bringing the entire team back with me."
Supergirl, Kara, Jen, and Sherri stepped into the projector. Supergirl gave a quick thumbs up to Charlie as Reed started adjusting the controls. As the machine activated, Supergirl said, "See you on the other side, Ray!"
Supergirl's cape lit up like a bonfire suddenly and quickly took the shape of wings as Jen and Sherri ducked and ran for cover. Kara and Rogue had already been knocked to the ground by laser blasts, so Supergirl wanted to try and shield Jen and Sherri as best as she could.
"Real smart, Reed!", Sherri growled as dozens of stray laser blasts went past, "I can't believe he dropped us in the middle of a battlefield!"
Suddenly, the firing stopped completely. Sherri and Jen looked up to see Supergirl crush the last laser weapon into a ball. "That's enough of that nonsense."
Supergirl looked around her, and suddenly realized that she was surrounded. Not by people with intent to harm her - with spectators, staring at her! "What...?"
Sherri stood up. "It's your wings, Supergirl. They think you're an agent of heaven." She turned to Jen and Kara, who were standing behind her, confused. "They...think God has ordered an end to their battle."
Supergirl smiled to herself. If these people thought of her as an agent of God, she would have an easy time of convincing them to stop fighting. Only she also worried about whether or not that would be an abuse of her power. She didn't have much time to think, though - the crowd of people who were staring at her suddenly converged on her and began touching her wings.
"What are you people doing?"
"Please, take me", a teen-aged boy said, "Take me to heaven. I don't want to live here anymore."
Supergirl's wings vanished quickly to be replaced by her cape, much to the disappointment of the crowd. She kneeled down in front of the teen, and held his chin. "It's not your time yet. You have your whole life ahead of you."
"I don't want my life", the teen said, "My life is a nightmare. Please, I want to go to heaven, so I can see my mom, my dad, and my sister."
"Listen", Supergirl said, "Your mom, your dad, your sister - they may be in heaven, but what they want the most is for you to live your life here. They want you to enjoy what the Earth has to offer you. Once you're in heaven, you'll never see any of it again."
"We have nothing!", a woman piped up as she pushed her way through the crowd to talk to Supergirl, "Look at our town - destroyed! Our school is gone, our homes are gone. What do we have left on this Earth?"
Supergirl stood up. "You have hope. Each and every one of you. You have the capability to rise above what your planet has become, to make it a better place. You have the capacity to love. Love each other, and you will survive."
Grumbling within the crowd began, as they started to process what Supergirl said. "But what about our homes?", one man yelled above the din.
"Jen, if you please?", Supergirl asked.
Jen floated a few hundred feet off of the ground, and began glowing green. After some loud roaring as bricks, concrete, and mortar began moving around them, the town reconstructed itself in mere minutes. Even the fountain in the center of town began running - they town now had running water. As a last detail, a green dome suddenly flashed into existence over the town and faded away.
"How's that?", Jen said, "I even threw in an automatic shield to respond to attacks."
“How can we thank you?", an old woman asked. For some reason, Supergirl vaguely recognized the woman.
"Simple", Supergirl said, "Live your lives. Spread peace and prosperity around the world. It only takes a small spark to light a fire, people. If you provide a beacon of hope, you will succeed."
As the crowd began heading toward their little proud town, Supergirl looked up at a billboard restored by Jen during her quick rebuild of the town. She froze as she read what it said: "Welcome to Smallville, Kansas."
Kara found Supergirl sitting high up in a tree, a few miles outside of the town they had just saved. She was sitting on a large branch, curled up in a ball and crying.
"What's wrong?", Kara asked as she floated up next to Supergirl.
"Don't you understand where we are?", Supergirl sniffed, "Didn't you read the billboard?"
"Yes", Kara responded calmly, "I knew we were coming here all along. It was my idea, actually."
Supergirl looked at Kara as if she had just been betrayed. "You...knew?"
Kara shook her head 'yes'.
"And that old woman was--."
"Ma Kent", Kara interrupted.
"What about Pa Kent?", Supergirl whispered.
Kara put her hand on Supergirl's shoulder. "He's...dead."
"And...Superman?"
"He was killed by Lex Luthor", Kara responded slowly, "He wasn't such a nice guy on this Earth."
Supergirl looked into Kara's eyes, as an alarm suddenly went off in her mind. "How did Pa Kent die?"
"Killed by Superman."
Supergirl began shaking now, as the gravity of just how different this Earth was began to sink in. This Earth was a scary place. A place where she didn't want to be. This place was hell.
Kara squeezed Supergirl's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"No", Supergirl said sadly, "I want to go home."
"Did you find her?", Rogue asked as Kara landed in front of her. Kara had no idea when Rogue came through the projector, but she decided not to ask.
Kara pointed up in the sky above her, where Supergirl was hovering overhead. "Does that answer your question?"
"Where was she?", Rogue asked.
"Up a tree...literally." Kara looked up at the sky, where Supergirl was still floating. "Come down here, Supergirl."
"I was just thinking", Supergirl responded, as she flew down to the ground and came to rest gently on her feet, "Maybe we should check out Metropolis and Gotham City."
"Gotham City?", Sherri laughed, "There's no Gotham City here."
"What?", Supergirl asked, "Then where does Bruce Wayne live?"
"Bruce Wayne?" Sherri didn't understand. She obviously had no idea who he was.
"Amazing", Supergirl said as she shook her head and started walking away.
"I'm with her", Jen said, "We should check out Metropolis. In every reality I've seen, there's been a Lex Luthor. There's gotta be one--"
Jen stopped when she noticed that Sherri had just turned pale, and was quaking in fear. "What did I say?"
"L-Lex Luthor?", Sherri stuttered, "Oh, no. We're not getting anywhere near him! Nobody sees him!"
"Oh, come on", Supergirl said, "I've dealt with him before. He's heartless, but not necessarily evil."
Sherri stared at Supergirl in disbelief. "Are you nuts? Lex Luthor is responsible for the murder of millions!"
Now it was Supergirl's turn to become pale. "Millions? How? He's just an arms dealer!"
"Was just an arms dealer", Sherri added, "When he stopped making enough money on that, he began raising his own army of robotic warriors--"
Supergirl raised up a hand and turned her head away from Sherri. "I don't want to know any more. Forget Metropolis, what about Leesburg?"
"Leesburg is gone", Sherri said.
"Gone? What do you mean 'gone'?"
"It's vaporized. Too close to one of the nuclear impact zones."
Supergirl sighed. "Metropolis it is, then."
"I'm ready", Kara said, "Let's grab some sky."
Supergirl paused and looked at Kara. "Grab some sky? I haven't heard that one yet."
Rogue tried to stifle a laugh as Kara turned and gave her a dirty look. "I told you those eighties expressions would get you in trouble."
Supergirl took off suddenly, and started heading toward Metropolis. She didn't dare use her shunt power on this version of Earth - no telling where she might end up. The rest of the group followed, Sherri being flown in a small green ball generated by Jen.
"Uh, guys", Jen said in mid-flight, "We've lost contact with Reed somehow."
"So?", Kara asked.
"So, we can't go home until he finds us again."
Everyone looked at Supergirl, to see how she'd react to the news - especially since she reacted so badly to learning about Smallville on this Earth. But Supergirl didn't react at all. She didn't say a word for the rest of the trip to Metropolis.
They landed on the roof of a large hotel in Metropolis. As soon as they did, Sherri's paranoia level went to an all-time high. "We're here. Now what?"
"Oh my God! What on Earth is that?" Those were the first words out of Supergirl's mouth since they left Smallville. She was referring to a troop of heavily armed military troops down the street in a military formation. They all were wearing 'LexCorp' logos. That's when she also noticed that there were no people outside.
"Uh-oh", Sherri whispered.
"Uh-oh, what?", Jen asked.
"We're here after Curfew", Sherri explained, "If we're caught outside in this part of town, we'll be executed. It was one of Lex Luthor's first decrees when he restored order to Metropolis."
Kara stood leaning over the edge of the building, motionless, as she watched the troops going past. Unknown to her companions, she was watching a small boy who was hiding under the sewer grate, hoping the troops wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, Kara lost her patience when the troops hung around longer then she had hoped.
"Kara, no!", Rogue yelled as Kara leaped off of the side of the building. Rogue rushed over to the ledge and dove over too.
"Oh, nuts!", Supergirl mumbled as she raced to the ledge to watch from above.
Kara landed next to the band of troops. They all immediately opened fire on her. Even though they couldn't hurt her, Kara was operating on autopilot, trying to protect both her companions and the child in the sewer the only way she could think of - her eyes quickly glowed a bright red, and a searing beam of laser-precise heat came from her eyes. She made a wide sweep with the beams, slicing all of the troops in half and damaging several surrounding buildings.
Rogue landed a second too late. She looked around for a second, and then said the only thing she could think of. "Kara...Why?"
Kara looked up at Supergirl, who was still standing on top of the building. Supergirl was crying, and shaking her head. All of a sudden, Kara began to understand the gravity of her actions - she let rage take control of her again. She looked down at the sewer grate, and leaned toward the child hiding below. The child looked frightened - of her!
Supergirl leaped off of the building and landed on the ground next to Kara. "We've got to get you home, Kara. This place is getting to you."
"No", Kara said quietly as she hung her head, "It's not."
"It's complicated", Rogue said, "It's something Kara needs to work through on her own."
Supergirl looked angry all of a sudden. "She just killed about a dozen people, Rogue! How can you be so...relaxed about this?"
"Listen!", Sherri chimed in, "Can we save this for later? More troops could still show up, so let's get our mission over with and get outta Metropolis!"
"Okay", Supergirl said as she eyed Kara suspiciously, "But from now on I'll handle any confrontations."
Rogue looked at Kara, expecting another show of rage from her - Kara didn't like having to let someone else handle things. Yet Kara didn't seem to react. She just stood with her head hanging, and quietly followed Supergirl as she walked down the street.
"Kara?", Rogue asked.
Kara just waved Rogue away.
The LexCorp building was the most familiar building Supergirl had seen on this version of Earth so far. She smiled, as she thought to herself that Luthor's tastes don't vary much from one Earth to the next. As usual, it was a huge, imposing, shiny tower, larger then any building in Metropolis. And since he was the unchallenged ruler of Metropolis, it was most likely the tallest by law.
Supergirl stopped in midair and looked at Kara, who still seemed rather depressed. She turned to Rogue, Jen, and Sherri, who was in another little green ball. "Could you guys hang out on the roof for a minute?"
Rogue herded the other members of the team onto the roof, and left Kara and Supergirl. Supergirl led Kara over to the big Lexcorp logo and sat down inside the letter 'L'. Kara sat down next to her.
"Kara, what's wrong?", Supergirl asked, "You've been so outgoing since we arrived in this place, and now you're so...quiet."
Kara shook her head and looked down at the ground. "I let you down, Supergirl. I thought I could be some kind of...role model. Instead you see me as a monster."
Supergirl gave Kara a sympathetic look. "I don't think you're a monster at all. I just wonder what happened to you...why you're holding on to so much anger."
A tear started running down Kara's cheek. "I honestly don't know, Supergirl. I wish my life had more...joy."
"Joy?", Supergirl asked. As Kara turned to look back at her, she could see something. Something hidden deep in Kara's mind, or soul. "You...had a child?"
Kara gave Supergirl a tearful, empty look which said everything and nothing at the same time. Supergirl hugged Kara. She knew it wouldn't soothe Kara's deepest feelings, but it would make her feel a little better for the moment.
"Supergirl", Kara whispered, "I have a confession to make...about why I felt so terrible that you were disappointed in me."
"Okay, shoot. It'll just be between you, me, and the giant 'L'."
Kara snickered at Supergirl's joke a little. "After I saw you at work in Smallville, I felt so proud of you. You're like the daughter I never had. When you were upset back there, I felt like you were ashamed of me."
Supergirl smiled. "Kara, I may wear this costume, but I'm someone much different then you--"
"I know", Kara interrupted, "You're not anything like me. But that's why I feel so proud of you. You're everything I wish I could be."
"So why don't you?", Supergirl said, "Anyone can be like me. Well, not an Angel or a super-hero, but anyone can be compassionate and care about other people."
Kara shook her head. "I dunno. I've been through a lot. It's not easy for me to change."
"Change takes time and patience, Kara", Supergirl said, "Just take it one step at a time. I should know, I had to deal with becoming a merged being."
Kara laughed as she squeezed Supergirl's hand. "Thanks, Supergirl."
Supergirl floated off of the giant 'L'. "You can call me Mae if you'd like. Superman and Ma and Pa Kent are the only ones who call me that."
"Okay...Mae", Kara said as she followed Supergirl toward the roof.
As soon as Kara and Supergirl landed on the roof of the LexCorp building, they noticed something strange. They were the only ones on the roof - with the exception of a small boy.
"Wally?", Supergirl asked. She recognized him with his bowler hat, glasses, and baseball bat immediately, "Where is everyone?"
"Who's Wally?", Kara asked.
Wally held his hand out to Kara. "Hi. I'm God."
Kara started laughing hysterically. "I don't think so. I've seen Rao close up."
Wally ignored Kara for a moment and turned to Supergirl. "All of your friends went inside. I see you've decided to visit a different Earth."
"Yes", Supergirl said, "I wanted to try and bring hope to the poor people on this planet."
"I know", Wally said, "But I'm sorry to tell you that you've done more harm then good."
"I have?"
"Yup", Wally continued, "Sometimes you just have to let time take it's course."
"Before I forget", Wally said as he turned to Kara and looked up at her, "You have a second chance at life for a reason. Please don't throw it away, Kara. Oh, and your cousin is still proud of you."
Wally tipped back his bowler hat with his baseball bat and smiled. Kara's expression froze in both fear and surprise as she recognized something in his smile.
"Rao", Kara whispered as Wally turned and walked into the stairway of the LexCorp building.
Kara stared at Supergirl in awe for a few seconds. Supergirl smiled in response. "You get used to that after a while."
"So you are an agent of God? Of Rao?"
Supergirl shrugged. "Who cares. I've got my own problems to deal with."
Kara smiled. "I like your attitude, Mae. You're some kind of angel, and you don't seem to care."
"So?"
"So", Kara said, "If I was an angel, there's so much I'd want to do. I'd want to visit my version of Kal, and--"
"Listen, Kara", Supergirl said, "Being an Earth-born angel sounds great unless you are one. I mean, it's okay, but to tell you the truth it's not as fun as it sounds."
"Oh."
"Disappointed?"
"Well", Kara said as she kicked a few pebbles around on the roof, "Since I heard you were some kind of angel, I thought...maybe...you could talk to Kal for me and see how he's doing."
Supergirl smiled shyly. "Kara, some things are better off left alone."
Kara hung her head. "I...I'm sorry. It was presumptuous of me to ask."
"No, not at all, Kara", Supergirl said as she placed a hand on Kara's shoulder, "I've actually been waiting for you to ask just that."
Kara smiled at Supergirl just before she leaned her head on Supergirl's shoulder and began crying. Supergirl hugged Kara - she knew that in spite of Kara's tough exterior, deep down her emotions were in pieces. Kara cried for a good ten minutes, like a lost soul who had just been given a reason to live.
"Where in the world is Lex Luthor?", Supergirl asked as she looked out the window of his top-floor office. The whole team wandered around the building for a good half hour before realizing that Lex Luthor wasn't there. That was unusual back on her own Earth, where Luthor would almost always be in his office.
"Beats me", Rogue said as she eyed Kara. She noticed that Kara had been clinging closer to Supergirl then herself since the moment they arrived there. She felt a little jealous, even though she also noticed that it seemed to be more of an artificial mother-daughter relationship. The part that bothered her most was that it was unhealthy - she knew that the minute Supergirl went back home, Kara would be a basket case again.
"Well, Luthor's not that important", Supergirl said, "We'll take our message of peace to the streets."
"Let's take the quick way", Kara said as she lifted Lex Luthor's stainless steel desk like it were made of cardboard and tossed it through the plate glass window.
Supergirl was just about to ask why they didn't just use the balcony door - but then she noticed there was none! The Lex Luthor on her Earth must have had one installed just so she and Superman could enter without breaking any glass!
The team landed on the street a second later. They purposely landed on a busy street to have a large crowd to talk to. As soon as they did, all activity on the street stopped, and some people ran or drove away quickly. Those who didn't leave seemed very angry.
"Wh-What's going on?", Supergirl asked Sherri, hoping to get some guidance from a native of this world.
Sherri pointed at Supergirl's shirt. "You're wearing his colors."
"Who's?"
"Superman's", Sherri said, "He was a bad guy, remember? He nearly destroyed Metropolis!"
As an empty can of Coke bounced off of Supergirl's shoulder, she frowned at Sherri. "Thanks for telling me that now!"
Within only a few seconds, the whole team was being pelted by rocks, cans, bricks - anything the angry crowd could pick up and throw at the team. Through the flood of debris, Supergirl spotted a large television screen over a nearby park. Lex Luthor was on television! He was warning the people of Metropolis about 'another alien' come to destroy their city, and telling them it was their civic duty to destroy her.
Supergirl's cape erupted in flames, and molded into the appearance of wings quickly. She floated a few feet off of the ground. "Listen to me, all of you! I'm not who you think I am!"
While Supergirl was busy talking, a dark car with tinted windows drove past playing loud music. Back on her Earth, they were called 'gang-bangers'. They usually handled drive-by shootings for gangs. She focused on the car and started moving to intercept it.
The car did something unexpected - it swerved away from Supergirl, and plowed right over Sherri, who was ducking to avoid gunfire from snipers up above.
"No!", Supergirl yelled. She punched right through the car window, and grabbed the 'B' pillar, causing the entire frame of the car to bend as she swung it around and slammed it into a building. The occupants were unconscious, but still alive.
Only the crowd interpreted that as an act of aggression. Supergirl heard what she could only describe as a battle cry as the angry crowd began charging them, pelting them with even more debris. The team was about to be crushed by an angry mob.
Supergirl looked quickly over at Kara. She could see Kara's eyes glowing, and rage was apparent in her body language. She just knew that Kara was going to kill again - and afterward, she would regret it again. Supergirl grabbed Kara with one arm, and Sherri with the other.
"Everyone back to Luthor's office!", she yelled as she rose up alongside the building rapidly, both trying to keep the angry, thrashing Kara out of trouble and keep Sherri from dying.
"How dare you!", Kara yelled at Supergirl once they arrived in Luthor's office, "How dare you embarrass me like that, carry me up here like a rag doll!"
Rogue flinched with every syllable. Kara's clenched fists and teeth, narrowed eyes, and deepened voice told her that Kara was extremely angry. She was bracing for a fight between Kara and Supergirl.
"I did it for your own good", Supergirl said in a calm, steady voice, "It would have done us all no good if you fought the crowd. Look what happened to Sherri, even before we made any move. It could have been much worse."
"I could have handled them", Kara fumed, "You just didn't give me the chance!"
"Yes, you could have", Supergirl said, "But then what? What would you have accomplished? You would have hurt more people, adding to the guilt you already feel, Kara."
"Uh, guys?", Jen interrupted, "Sherri's dead."
Kara and Rogue raced over to look at Sherri. Supergirl didn't - instead, she stood and sadly looked out of the broken window of Luthor's office, watching a riot in progress below. This place was so frightening to her. It was like people's good nature had been replaced by hate, and evil. Everything she believed about humanity meant nothing here. This was truly another Earth.
Supergirl turned around, and was the first to spot a woman in a dark robe enter the office. The woman looked rather young, but had long, pure white hair. She recognized the woman as someone she'd seen before on her own Earth.
"Twilight", Supergirl whispered.
The woman froze and started at Supergirl, as if she couldn't understand what Supergirl was saying.
"Step aside", the woman said as she approached Sherri. Kara, Rogue, and Jen jumped out of the way as a black fog came from the woman's fingers and enveloped both Sherri and herself. Then, just as fast, the fog dissipated - and the woman was gone.
Sherri sat up. "Wh...What's going on?"
"The Twilight of your Earth saved your life", Supergirl answered.
Kara shook her head in disbelief. "I think it's time we all went home. This place is starting to get to all of us."
"It's not getting to me", Jen volunteered.
Supergirl looked around the room at everyone. "Kara's right, this place is getting to us. I'm becoming depressed, Rogue has become silent and sullen, and Kara's become emotionally unstable."
"I hate to tell you this", Rogue pointed out, "But Kara is always emotionally unstable."
"Well", Supergirl said, "I want to go home. Who's with me?"
"But...What about our mission to try and rally these people to peace?", Jen asked.
Supergirl shook her head. "I never thought I'd say this...But the people on this Earth are savages. They'd rather see blood then peace."
Sherri smiled. "I told you so."
"How do we get home?", Jen asked, "Reed hasn't found us yet. It could be weeks before he does."
Without a word, Supergirl's wings of flame burst to life, and began creating a trail to form a sort of tunnel ahead of her. "Who's coming with me?"
Reed stood, hands shaking, in the middle of his lab, holding a fire extinguisher. He was confused and frightened after seeing a huge fireball appear in the lab, and then watching Jen, Sherri, Rogue, Kara, and Supergirl step through it suddenly. Then, just like that, the fireball was gone.
"What's the matter, Reed?", Charlie asked as he calmly sat with his feet on a lab counter, reading 'The Rebirth', "Never seen a shunt before?"
Reed put down the fire extinguisher and scowled at Charlie. "How did you five get back here?"
Supergirl smiled. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Reed."
Reed slowly reached out and touched Supergirl's wings gently. He knew they were made of flame, and yet they didn't burn his hand! They were warm, and comforting.
"Do you mind?", Supergirl said as her wings vanished, leaving her floor length cape.
"I'm sorry", Reed explained, "I was just...curious. How do those work?"
Supergirl shrugged. "God knows."
Reed frowned. He was unhappy with the idea of Supergirl walking around with a strange ability she didn't care to find an explanation for. He was a man of reason, of science. He wanted to see things work out before his eyes.
"Supergirl", Reed said, "How do you deal with a power you don't understand?"
"Faith, Reed", Supergirl replied, "I don't have to understand everything. The world keeps turning whether I understand it or not."
"She's right, you know", Charlie interrupted, "Control what you can, and leave the rest to nature. It'll all work out in the end."
"And what about Otherverse?", Jen asked, "Will things work out there too?"
"Things will work out as they were intended to", Supergirl said as she looked at Dr. Strange, "Just like I was intended to go home, to my own Earth."
"You may go any time you please", Dr. Strange said, "You have possessed that power since you arrived."
Supergirl smiled. "You're right, Dr. Strange. I just didn't realize it until I needed to use it to get back here from Otherverse."
Jen stepped forward quickly and shook Supergirl's hand. "Thanks anyway for the help. At least you saved one town in Otherverse. Maybe that will be a source of inspiration for the people of that Earth."
"I hope so", Supergirl said.
Kara walked up to Supergirl quickly and hugged her so tightly, she lifted Supergirl right off of her feet. "I hope I see you again soon, Mae."
Supergirl returned the hug and smiled again. "Thank you Kara. I'm glad I had the chance to get to know you better."
Supergirl glanced over at the doorway into the room, and spotted Rogue, leaning against the doorway, looking rejected. Supergirl walked over to Rogue, and gave her a hug, catching her by surprise. "Take care of yourself, Rogue. I've never met you before, but I will remember you."
Rogue smiled and returned the hug. "And I thought you didn't like me."
Supergirl grabbed Charlie's hand, and walked to the other end of the room as her cape lit ablaze once again.
"So, did you learn anything interesting in this Otherverse?", Charlie asked.
"Yes", Supergirl said as she walked toward a flaming tunnel with Charlie, "There's no place like home."
End of A World Without Heroes - Chapter Five.
Story written and copyrighted © 2000 by Jason Froikin,
and may not be reprinted without permission.
Supergirl and some other characters are property of D.C. Comics
Certain characters are property of Marvel Comics