A World Without Heroes
Chapter 7
An Otherverse/SGPI Crossover
By Jason Froikin
And I cry and no one can hear
Inhale the blinded eyes that see
The chaos bring the pitiful to me
Even though I'm wide awake
I will in blackest night
And I wait for you
It's cold in here, there's no one left
And I wait for you
And nothing stops it happening
And I knew I'd cherish all my misery alone
- Courtney Love (Northern Star)
"Run for it!"
Kara couldn't believe what she was seeing - they were something out of Star Wars, and they were indestructible, even by herself and Rogue. Gigantic two-legged, two-armed metal war machines were baring down on her team, and even her best efforts to stop them were useless. She had a huge head start on Rogue, Mon, and Jen, since she was the furthest from the battle scene when she started flying away from those metal monsters.
"Reed! Reed, get us outta here!", Jen yelled into her headset as she floated above the battlefield, "Can you hear me Reed?"
Kara had to turn away as she watched the giant metal foot of one of the machines stomp on Rogue, crushing her into the hard, dry ground of the torn and burned forest. Another machine snatched Mon as he leaped out of the way of the first one, and slammed him into the ground, wedging him a good six feet under the surface.
"Dammit, Reed! Help us, please!", Jen yelled, on the verge of tears as she watched her team quickly being destroyed by these metal monsters.
Kara just floated in the air a quarter mile away, staring, stunned at what was happening around her. She and Rogue should be able to tear this miserable planet apart, and yet both of them together couldn't defeat a couple of hunks of steel.
Anger filled Kara as she watched the battle before her, as she watched these...metal creations destroying everything around her. Anger at whoever created those metal monsters. Anger at herself, for being unable to save her friends. Unable...or perhaps unwilling.
"There's never anything good on television", Charlie mumbled as he flipped through the stations from Linda's couch. Supergirl was out on some mission or another. Since it was raining, he couldn't go with her - so he decided to hang around her apartment to ask her about it when she returned.
"The Cartoon Network is always good", a soft voice said from behind him.
Charlie wheeled around quickly at those words, expecting to see Supergirl behind him. It wasn't Supergirl - it was another woman. And a man was with her. It took Charlie a few seconds to recognize the woman, but the man's identity was a mystery to him.
"Sue Richards", the woman said, before Charlie had a chance to open his mouth, "And this is Access."
"Wh-What do you want?" Charlie jumped up off of the couch, still a little disoriented at having been torn away from the television so suddenly.
"We're looking for Linda", Sue said, "We need help."
Charlie glanced over at the patio door as he felt a burst of wind enter the apartment. He hung around Linda's apartment often enough to know what that meant.
"What kind of help?" Supergirl stepped into the apartment, carrying the scent of the spring rain with her. She was dripping water all over the carpet.
"Kara's missing", Sue said, as Charlie handed Supergirl a towel, "She vanished after a battle on the Otherverse Earth."
Supergirl looked out from behind the towel as she attempted to dry her hair. "I'm...not so sure I want to go back there."
"But her life may be in danger."
"Kara? In danger?", Supergirl said with an amused smile, "I don't buy it. There has to be something else to this story."
"There is." Sue stepped closer to Supergirl. "She also knocked Rogue and Lar...I mean Mon...unconscious, to prevent them from bringing her to the Fantastic Four headquarters. They're both in pretty bad shape."
Supergirl's smile disappeared. "Wh-What? She actually attacked her friends?"
Sue looked deep into Supergirl's eyes. "She needs help, Supergirl. Only you have the power to give her that help."
Supergirl shook her head. "I can't be the only one--"
"Please, Supergirl", Sue pleaded, "You're her last hope. She really listens to you."
Supergirl stared back into Sue's steady gaze. She could sense that Sue was much more upset then she let on. She could also sense that Sue hadn't told her the entire story. Supergirl then became puzzled as she watched Sue suddenly gasp in surprise.
"What?"
"You...You touched my mind!", Sue exclaimed.
"I did?", Supergirl said as surprise took over her expression as well, "I've always been able to get 'reads' off of people, but I didn't know--"
Sue laughed. "Don't worry, Supergirl. You'd be surprised how many unpracticed psychics I meet."
"Psychic?", Supergirl asked as she and Charlie walked toward Access, "Huh. I never would have guessed."
"No! Leave me alone!"
A battle raged around Kara, Rogue, and Jen. Explosions were going off all around them, lasers and bullets were grazing each team member every second. Where they were standing, they would have been obliterated long ago if they were normal human beings - and even as super-heroes, the battle was taking it's toll on them.
"Kara." Rogue coughed and a little blood trickled out of her lips, down her chin. "We have to go home. Now!"
"I nearly got everyone killed", Kara yelled as she turned and started walking away, "I cannot return with you. I must stay here."
"You're not making sense!", Mon yelled at Kara.
"Damn it to hell, Kara!", Jen yelled, "If we don't get out of here now, we'll all die! Look, Rogue's bleeding, Mon has some internal injuries, and I'm so short on sleep my hallucinations are taking form thanks to my Green Lantern power!"
"Then go!", Kara yelled back as she angrily lifted Rogue off of the ground and tossed her at the rest of the group, "Go now and leave me!"
When Rogue landed, she didn't get up right away - she'd been knocked unconscious after being thrown by Kara. Jen looked down to see life quickly slipping away from Rogue's body, and consciousness slipping away from Mon. Jen looked up at Kara, as tears started to stream down her face. "I thought I knew you, Kara! I thought you cared!"
"What happened to your shunt ability?", Reed asked as Supergirl, Access, Charlie, and Sue materialized in his lab, "And what's Charlie doing here?"
"He's here to keep an eye on you, Reed", Supergirl joked, "And the last time I shunted into your lab with the flaming wings, you nearly doused me with a fire extinguisher."
Sue laughed, but the scowl on Reed's face proved that he was less then amused. Even more so when he stormed out of the lab.
Supergirl took a quick look around the lab, and immediately noticed Rogue and Lar - for some reason his chart listed him as 'Mon' - lying on some kind of automated hospital beds. One glance at the monitors, and a lot of experience visiting hospitals back home, told her that they were in very bad shape.
"What happened to them?"
"They were caught in a battle", Sue explained, "They were seriously hurt. And Kara's attacking them to avoid coming back here didn't help them one bit."
Supergirl glanced over her shoulder at Reed, who was working at one of his terminals. "I don't think Reed likes me."
Sue smiled. "He likes you just fine. You just infuriate him, because you're not at all like the serious people he usually works with. You're not predictable, and that perplexes him."
Supergirl laughed. "And I suppose you're predictable?"
Sue smiled. "No, actually his first reaction to me was pretty much the same. But he warmed up once we got used to each other."
"When you're a part of a larger group rather then a loner like yourself", Access chimed in, "You tend to give up a little of your individuality."
Supergirl winced at the thought of giving up her individuality. "Why would you want to do that?"
"Cooperation", Access explained, "If we didn't each keep an air of professionalism about us, our personalities would conflict. We'd be fighting instead of working together."
Supergirl shook her head. "I dunno about that. I think cooperation can be found through understanding instead of--"
"Are we going to talk, or find Kara?" Jen burst through the door suddenly. Supergirl could tell that she had changed. Instead of the happy, warm person who greeted her during her last visit, Jen had become a cold, take charge type. She was all business.
"What about our guide, Sherri?", Supergirl asked.
"She's already in Otherverse." Jen turned toward the Projector, expecting Supergirl to follow her.
"You left her there?"
"She'll be fine", Jen said firmly, "It's us and Kara I'm worried about."
As the Projector began humming softly, Supergirl decided that she had to find Kara, for no other reason then to take her out of that hellish version of Earth. If it caused Jen's personality to change so drastically, there's no telling what it had done to Kara.
Jen had 'projected' Supergirl and herself to the top of a hill overlooking what was obviously a battlefield on the Otherverse Earth. It was loud - so loud that Supergirl quickly covered her ears to shield herself from the noise. She took a quick look around, and immediately noticed several large, two-legged, armored, robotic monsters - they looked they were something right out of Star Wars. And worse yet, they each had a large Lexcorp logo on them. Supergirl looked down to notice Sherri lying on her stomach, looking through binoculars.
"Can you do something with those?", Jen asked, "They even went to the effort to paint the damned things with some kind of coating. Anything I create to stop them just slides right off."
"Let's see if I can", Supergirl said as she floated off of the ground, "And please watch your language."
Sherri laughed as Supergirl flew out over the battlefield. Jen turned and scowled at her.
Once airborne, Supergirl quickly figured out what the metal monsters' biggest weakness was - they each had a hatch in the top, for the pilot to enter. All she had to do was swoop down on each one, and pull out the pilot. No more monsters.
Supergirl dropped down on top of one of the machines, and quickly discovered that it was protected by high voltage. The electricity hurt, but not enough to stop her. She reached down and tore open the hatch - and quickly realized that the machine was being piloted by a robot, not a human being! She smiled as she realized she no longer had to look out for people's lives while stopping these monsters - they were mechanical, all the way through.
She floated up above the battlefield slowly, and closed her eyes to concentrate. She pictured the large, metal monsters in her mind, and the little robot inside. Her imagination began to draw a small bubble inside each one of the metal monsters - unstable bubbles of immense power. As she opened her eyes, the sound of an explosion and tearing metal filled the countryside. In an instant, all of the robots and their monsters were reduced to a large pile of scrap metal.
"Will that work?", Supergirl asked smugly.
"Wow", Jen whispered, "I knew telekinetic power was...But I never thought--"
"She could probably level a whole city block", Sherri said, "We could put a stop to Luthor's--"
"We're not here for that", Supergirl lectured, "We're here to rescue Kara."
"But if you can free Metropolis--" Sherri's voice trailed off when her eyes were met with an angry glance from Supergirl.
Supergirl immediately felt guilty for scaring Sherri. "Listen, Sherri. I know this is your home, and you'd love for me to save it. I told you, I can't--"
Sherri looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry, Supergirl. I never should have asked. It's just that...I'm afraid for my world. I mean, what will happen to it once the Shard is found? Will it change? Will it vanish into oblivion?"
Supergirl looked at Sherri, and then at Jen, hoping Jen would have the answer. Jen looked away. "I...I don't know, Sherri. But I've been told that as long as the Shard is here, all of our realities are in danger."
Sherri took a step backwards, away from Supergirl. "You're going to destroy my world to save your own."
"No, that's not true." Supergirl reached out toward Sherri's hand.
Sherri pulled her hand out of Supergirl's reach. "You all lied to me!"
"Tell me the truth, Sherri", Jen interrupted, "Do you really like this world all that much?"
"How dare you!", Sherri yelled, "This is my home! It's not some...sacrificial lamb--"
"Sherri, calm down." Supergirl grabbed Sherri's shoulder. She stepped in front of Sherri, and looked steadily into her eyes. "I promise you, I will do my best to keep your world safe."
"Bloody waste of effort if you ask me", Jen volunteered.
"Jen, I asked you to watch your language", Supergirl lectured, "And what's the matter with you, anyway? You've been short with everyone...The last time I met you, you were such a nice person."
"Things change", Jen said, "People change. I've seen things that you've probably never even had nightmares about."
Supergirl smiled, and folded her arms. "Did you ever have a nightmare that literally tossed you out a window?"
"Well...No."
Supergirl began to quietly wonder what was triggering Jen's horrible attitude. She could be battle-weary, but that wouldn't cause a drastic change in personality. That's when she remembered that the Green Lantern of her reality would often use his ring to gather data. When she asked Bruce Wayne about it one day, he told her that it's power caused it to be useful as a high-gain antenna.
"Hand over the ring, Jen", Supergirl said, as she held her hand out in front of her.
"Why?"
"Because the ring is also an antenna", Supergirl explained, "You're acting strange because you're absorbing the energy being transmitted by the Shard."
Jen sighed as she removed the ring and handed it to Supergirl. "Please don't lose it. I can't get another one."
"Hey, wait a minute", Sherri interrupted, "Is it possible that humans could be reacting to the same energy?"
"It's possible", Supergirl said as she began to ponder Sherri's theory, "Maybe that's why this world has so much anger, so much hate. I can feel it all around me, like it's a fog hanging over us all. Maybe that's why Kara is going insane. Her protective nature is conflicting with the anger she's feeling - and she doesn't understand what's happening to her."
"So we're angry because of where we are?"
"It's not quite that simple", Supergirl said, "But I get the impression that if we stay here long enough, we'll all get Shard poisoning and go insane."
Luck...Instincts, Supergirl thought to herself, are the only things you can depend on when all else seems hopeless. Supergirl's luck took a turn for the better as she cruised the skies over Metropolis, hoping to find Kara by accident. Kara could have been anywhere at all - but for some reason, Supergirl believed she was in Metropolis. Her instincts paid off, as she soon spotted Kara sharing the skies with her.
She looked down at the roof of a familiar hotel, where Jen was waiting with Sherri. She gave them both a thumbs-up, and saw the same returned by Jen. Supergirl then turned, and headed right for Kara.
"Kara!", Supergirl called out when she was close enough to intercept her.
"Leave me alone!"
"Kara, it's me. Linda."
Kara stopped. Her expression changed quickly to sadness, and she bit her lip to keep her emotions in check as Supergirl approached her. Supergirl hugged Kara tightly in midair.
"Linda", Kara whispered as tears began streaming down her face, "You shouldn't have come here. You should have left me."
"Left you?", Linda asked, "Why?"
"I don't deserve to live."
Supergirl let go of Kara and looked deep into her blue eyes. "Of course you deserve to live. I don't want to hear you say otherwise."
"But--"
"Kara", Supergirl lectured, "Look within yourself. You're self-pitying."
Kara closed her eyes and hugged Supergirl again. "I...I can't. I just feel too...sad. I killed...And then when my friends needed me, I...I just froze."
Supergirl held Kara by her shoulders, to look at her face to face. "You may be Kryptonian, Kara, but your heart is human. You're going to make mistakes. You've got to survive those mistakes by doing better the next time."
Tears started streaming from Kara's eyes again as she looked down at the ground sadly.
"Kara, look deep within yourself", Supergirl said, "You don't have to be sad. Something is affecting you--"
Kara's eyes met Supergirl's again as her expression changed to surprise. "The...Shard?"
Supergirl nodded. "Yes. I have to take you home to rest, and get you some help."
"Will...Will you come with me?"
"Sure", Supergirl said with a smile, "I have to make sure you're okay."
Supergirl dropped down to the roof of the hotel, holding Kara's hand, as he fiery wings sprang to life. She was going to get them all back to the Fantastic Four Headquarters as quickly as possible.
"Okay guys, let's--", Supergirl started to say. She paused and turned her head - she thought she heard a voice behind her.
"What is it?", Jen asked. She read Supergirl's body language, and could tell she heard something. "You have super-hearing too?"
"No", Supergirl whispered as she strained to hear the man's voice once again.
"Angel?", the voice whispered, "Please take me home...home to Rao."
"Who are you?", Supergirl asked out loud.
Jen and Kara looked at each other - they didn't expect to see Supergirl talking to herself and were worried that she had become affected by Otherverse in ways they couldn't even fathom.
"It's Kal-El", the voice whispered to Supergirl.
Supergirl turned pale with shock as she looked right at Kara. She could tell that even Kara, with super-hearing, inexplicably couldn't hear what she was hearing.
"I have information to pass along to you", the voice whispered, "Do not be afraid."
Supergirl's eyes grew wide as a jumble of images and feelings that were not her own filled her mind. Horrible images. Horrible feelings. Tears began to fill her eyes as her mind began putting together the pictures.
She collapsed to her hands and knees on the ground as her tears dripped to the ground. "Oh my God...Kal...I understand now."
Kara and Jen looked at each other again. They didn't have a clue what was going on. Finally, Kara decided to ask.
"Linda? Are you...okay?"
Supergirl shook her head 'yes' as she stood up quickly and a flaming tunnel appeared ahead of her. "I'll explain later", she said as she wiped the remaining tears from her face, "For now, Kara, let's get you home safe."
"Jen, call a meeting", Supergirl ordered, as soon as she appeared in Reed's lab with Kara, Jen, and Sherri."
"Now hold on just a minute!", Reed fumed, "I'm in charge here! If anyone calls a meeting, it'll be me!"
Supergirl fixed an angry gaze on Reed. Flames were licking the edges of her eyeballs. "Then you call a meeting. I don't care who calls it, there's going to be a meeting!"
Reed sighed, and frowned at Charlie when he heard him laughing. "Okay, fine."
"Did someone say something about a meeting?" Rogue walked into the lab with Sue close behind.
Kara laughed. "It looks like we won't have to call one. Everyone's here."
"Except Dr. Strange", Sue added.
"No, he's here", Supergirl mumbled.
Everyone in the room turned and looked at Supergirl, expecting an explanation for her last statement.
Supergirl looked around and noticed everyone staring at her.
"What? He just told me he's here. He's right behind me, in some other plane of existence."
Sue smiled and shook her head. "That sounds like Strange, all right."
"So why was this meeting called?", Rogue asked.
"To discuss the Otherverse Kal-El", Supergirl answered quickly as she stood up to focus the meeting's attention on herself.
Kara and Rogue looked at each other. "Isn't he dead?", Rogue asked.
"Yes, he is", Supergirl asked, "But somehow his soul is wandering Otherverse Earth. He has some unfinished business."
"Oh, please", Reed interrupted.
"No...No, she's right", Kara said as she looked down at the table, "I...felt his presence once."
Everyone at the meeting turned and looked at Kara. Reed frowned. "Why didn't you mention this earlier?"
Kara sighed. "I...I wasn't sure if it was real."
"What does Kal want?", Jen asked.
Supergirl sat down at the table, clasped her hands, and bowed her head, as if what she was about to say hurt her deeply. "He told me...no, showed me...that Lex Luthor is responsible for what happened to him. For his state of mind, for his death...and for the death of Pa Kent."
As Supergirl looked up slowly, nobody at the table even breathed for several seconds. It seemed more like a month.
"Lex Luthor killed Superman?" Sherri started breathing quickly as she stood up and started pacing around the table. She had to sit down again when she began hyperventilating.
"Are you okay, Sherri?", Reed asked.
"No...No, I'm not!", she fumed, "Lex Luthor is a hero on my world. He stopped a rampaging Superman...a Superman who was going to destroy the world. Why should we trust Superman now?"
Supergirl jumped to her feet as her face became twisted by anger and hurt. "Because he loves us. He loves his planet, and his only wish is to save it from it's imminent destruction."
Tears began streaming from Supergirl's eyes again. She bowed her head in an attempt to stop the others from seeing. "He...He believes he's wandering the Earth as a spirit because he's been punished by Rao for failing."
Kara stared at Supergirl for a few seconds - she could tell Supergirl was a mess, emotionally. Kara turned an angry gaze toward Sherri. "I hope you're happy."
Sherri looked down at the table, to avoid Kara's eyes.
Supergirl glanced at Sherri, and then met eyes with Kara. "He sees what the world around him has become...and he can do nothing to help. Kara, he's in his own personal hell."
Without another word, Kara reached across the meeting table and hugged Supergirl. "In the name of Kal-El", Kara whispered, "I will succeed."
Supergirl didn't even wait for the projector to warm up this time - she made her own way to otherverse, by using her own shunting ability. She knew that Rogue and Kara followed her through - but she didn't care. They would have very little to do.
As Supergirl spotted the LexCorp tower, her cape burst into flames, and became wings of fire which streaked across the sky. Her eyes caught fire as well as she headed right toward the large glass window of Luthor's office like a bullet. Luthor was going to pay for what he'd done.
"Luthor!", Supergirl screamed as she crashed through Lex Luthor's office window, surrounded by a ball of flame. By the time she grabbed Luthor right of out his chair and pinned him to the wall by his throat, the entire office was engulfed in flames from her wings.
Supergirl watched the fear in Luthor's eyes as a someone vastly more powerful then he threatened to either crush or burn him to death. And worse yet, the kryptonite he had stored in his jacket just in case Kara or Rogue came for him was doing nothing to stop Supergirl.
"You deserve to die, Luthor!", Supergirl threatened through clenched teeth, "You are solely responsible for this...hell!"
"Excuse me, flaming angel", a voice from the other end of the room echoed, "You may wish to give your friends some attention."
The flames and wings vanished as Supergirl turned her head quickly to see a man in heavy armor - a man she didn't recognize at all - holding a glowing green rock in front of Kara and Rogue. They two of them looked very sick.
"I've synthesized Kryptonite which gives off ten times the radiation of the natural kind", the man said, "They'll be dead in a matter of--"
The man was interrupted suddenly as a stream of fire from Supergirl's eyes surrounded him, reducing the Kryptonite rock to a burned pile of dust on the floor.
Supergirl smiled at him. "You were saying?"
By the time the man reached for a weapon on his belt, Supergirl was already inches in front of him, holding him off of the ground by his throat. "Who are you?"
"Dr. Doom", he answered quickly. His gaze never wavered from hers - if he felt intimidated, he didn't want to show it.
Supergirl looked Dr. Doom over quickly. She noted that he had both rocket packs and heavy armor. They both would make it a lot easier to get him to leave.
"Good bye, Dr. Doom", Supergirl grabbed him by his armor with both hands and hurled him out of the window like a large rock. She watched for a few seconds as he sailed over the city for miles.
Supergirl turned and looked at Rogue and Kara. She noticed the horrified expression on Rogue's face. "What's the matter, Rogue?"
"It's just that...um...nobody has ever done that to Dr. Doom."
"Well, there's a first time for everything." Supergirl walked over to Luthor, who had reached his intercom only to discover that it was broken and useless.
"If you're going to kill me", Luthor said defiantly, "Then make it quick."
Supergirl stood and stared into his eyes for a few seconds. "Do you have the Shard, Luthor?"
"Yes", Luthor answered, "But you will never find it."
Supergirl frowned as she grabbed Luthor's shirt and hung him out of the broken window - hundreds of stories above the street. "Where is it?"
"I once fought Superman. You're no more powerful then he is", Luthor said calmly, "I'm not afraid to die anymore. Are you?"
Supergirl looked at Kara and Rogue - they both looked frightened, like they weren't sure what Supergirl would do to Luthor. Supergirl knew a bluff when she heard one. Luthor was bluffing, because he was scared out of his mind.
"You're not worth it", Supergirl said as she tossed Luthor over to the couch in his office. She turned to Kara and Rogue. "Let's go."
Kara stepped forward and grabbed Supergirl's arm. "What about the Shard?"
As soon as Kara touched her arm, Supergirl's flaming wings spring to life once again. Only something was different - they flames were pulling forward, wrapping around Kara, and spreading into the room like a fireplace had gone out of control.
Kara and Supergirl turned as they watched the specks of flame take a faint, transparent form - it was Kal-El.
"Oh, my God", Supergirl whispered.
"The Shard", the glowing form of Kal-El whispered, "You must destroy it, Kara. You must do what I cannot. You must save these people."
Tears streamed down Kara's face. "We can't find it Kal. Lex Luthor has hidden it." She hung her head and turned away from the image of Kal-El. "I...I failed you."
"No!" Kal-El's voice was clearer now, more powerful. "You did not fail. You will not fail. You will succeed Kara. I have faith in you."
With that, Kal's voice faded into the darkness as Supergirl's wings quickly turned back into a cape. Supergirl had just enough time to grab ahold of Kara before she crumpled into a sobbing heap on the carpeted floor of Lex Luthor's office. Supergirl couldn't help but cry herself - she could feel Kara's sense of loss. Kara would now remember losing Kal twice.
Supergirl kneeled down and lifted Kara's chin so her eyes met Kara's. "Kal's right, Kara. You will succeed."
"Supergirl", Rogue interrupted, "Luthor's gone."
"Gone?" Supergirl looked around the office. "No, he's gotta be around somewhere. His office is full of secret--"
Rogue looked at Supergirl. "No...No, he vanished before my eyes."
Supergirl turned suddenly as something caught her eye. Something small, hidden away in the corner of the office. She aimed at telekinetic blast at the object, shattering it into a dozen pieces - as soon as she did, the furniture in the room disappeared.
"Holograms", Supergirl fumed as she clenched her fists in anger, "Luthor was never here. He's playing games with us again!"
Supergirl wanted to go home - but Kara's stubbornness prevented it. Kara decided that they had to find out where Luthor went, so they could find the Shard. Kara was driven now, since she learned the truth about Kal.
"But we have no clues", Supergirl said as she, Kara, and Rogue flew high above Metropolis.
"I have instincts", Kara said, "I just know he's somewhere nearby."
Supergirl grabbed Kara's arm to stop her. "Kara, he could be anywhere in the world. He's rich, he doesn't have to be in Metropolis."
Kara froze and stared at Supergirl for a second. "You know where his hideouts are, don't you?"
"On my Earth, yes. But here--" Supergirl shook her head slowly. "I wouldn't know where to begin."
Supergirl just floated in the air for a second as she thought about it for a second. "Superman's fortress."
"What...?" Kara stared at Supergirl for a second. "Of course! Kal's dead, no one's using the place!"
Supergirl smiled. "And it's the most secure place on Earth. What better place for someone like Luthor to hide."
Kara took off toward the skies, with Rogue close behind. Supergirl had to concentrate to keep up with the two of them - they were both powered by both a yellow sun and adrenaline, and were moving much faster then usual. Supergirl was amazed at the speed with which they reached their frozen destination. She'd never flown that fast on her own. She smiled to herself - it was nice to know she was that fast when she really needed to be.
As Supergirl was lost in her own thoughts, she watched Kara fly toward the large structure, intent on crashing her way through - only she promptly bounced right off and landed in the snow. Supergirl thought of asking Kara if she needed help, but quickly decided not to - she knew Kara was very independent, and she didn't want to anger her. Instead, she decided to point something else out that she noticed.
"Kara, take a look. The lock's been tampered with." Supergirl walked up to the entrance door, gripped the foreign metal and pulled as hard as she could. It didn't budge.
"Can't you just zap us inside?", Rogue asked.
"Shunt", Supergirl corrected as she peeked through a small window portal, "It's called a shunt. And yes, now that I can see inside, I can."
Kara stared at the door for a second. "Let's do it."
Supergirl put her hands on Kara's shoulders. "Are you sure you want to do this, Kara? I mean, this place is going to bring back all kinds of memories--"
Rogue suddenly looked worried. "She's right. What if you go...Well, lose you mind--"
"Go crazy again?", Kara interrupted, "No. Not this time. I have to remain strong for Kal."
Supergirl looked over at Rogue sadly as her cape lit ablaze, and began forming a tunnel of flame. She hoped Rogue wouldn't be right. And yet somehow she knew Rogue would be.
"Oh, mighty Rao", Kara whispered as soon as the trio appeared inside Superman's Fortress, "What in hell has Luthor done to this place?"
Supergirl smiled as she looked around. It looked like a comfortable hotel room, rather then the cold steel, ice, and crystal she remembered back from her Earth. Unfortunately, Luthor was no longer around to discuss it with. "I dunno. I think it's kind of comfy."
"Comfy?", Kara growled, "This place is trashed! The computer's shut down, the animals are all gone--"
Supergirl laughed. "I take it you like utilitarian surroundings, like Clark?"
Kara turned an angry gaze at Supergirl for a second.
"I'm sorry, Kara, really", Supergirl said with a shrug, "I'm an artist, form appeals to me more then simple function."
Kara's gaze turned angrier, more determined. "Get out."
Rogue and Supergirl looked at each other for a second.
"Get out! Both of you!"
Supergirl thought about arguing, but something told her Kara was dead serious. She had just enough time to grab Rogue and shunt outside to the snow before the entire fortress collapsed into a pile of debris before her eyes.
"My...God." Supergirl stepped forward, intent on digging through the rubble to see if Kara was okay. She didn't have to - a second later, Kara was walking toward them, brushing dust and snow off of herself.
Kara smiled. "Luthor's running out of hiding places now."
Supergirl couldn't help but smile as she eyed the smoking pile of debris one more time. A memory came flooding back to her, one of a more innocent time in her life. A time when, on her Earth, she destroyed Lex Luthor's hideouts in anger herself.
Rogue looked at Kara and Supergirl, who both seemed rather proud of themselves over the destruction of the Fortress. "Uh, guys...I think it's time we went home."
"I suppose you're right", Supergirl said as flame quickly surrounded them, "We've done enough damage for one day."
End of A World Without Heroes - Chapter Seven.
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