The Battle Begins

Chapter 2

The dark forest passed slowly beneath her as she soared through the sky.  She felt alive again, full of purpose, ready to embrace whatever the future may bring!

It wasn’t quite coincidence that brought her back to this area.  Two days earlier, a fire had raged through a wooded area to the north of this forest and it was the master of the forest she now flew over that had showed up to battle the fire creature that had been unleashed in those other woods.

Of course, when she and the others had shown up, they had not known who was who and misunderstandings had developed.  She laughed at herself now as she considered the absurdity of that understatement   In any case; she was not too worried about things going wrong in the forest that grew beneath her.  If there had been problems, she felt sure that Ian, the Wizard of the Woods as the folk living in the area had taken to calling the man, would have called for help if he needed it.  Frankly, she didn’t expect that there was much Ian could not handle if he had to.

She still had not settled her feelings for the man.  That she was a close physical image of some one he cared deeply about was chance.  There was no chance that she would be able to be that person.  And right now, she was happy in her relationship with Rogue.  No, the feelings she was dealing with were feelings of trust.  She felt that she could trust him implicitly, yet something within rebelled at the thought of being so trusting.

Despite all that he had shown her, the fact remained that she really knew far less about this Ian than she did about Lara Night.  And yet she still had trouble trusting Lara.  It was not that Lara had ever given her reason and she could not, if pressed, point to any single thing that caused the sense of distrust.

She halted her flight, hovering above the great canopy of trees below, as her own self-honesty forced her to consider.  What had come to mind did not speak well of her, but it was, she supposed, normal.  Jealousy!  Was it possible she was jealous of Lara’s relationship with the Twins?  Or was it possible she was jealous of Lara’s seeming innocence…an innocence she herself would never know again?

She shook her head and allowed her mind to move to other things as she continued her patrol.  She thought now of another of her new allies, Buddy Raines, leader of the Rebels.

After the confrontation with the zombies Lex Luthor had sent against them, almost anti-climatic in that they were so easily defeated (by Lara – Kara grimaced as that nagging self-honesty once again forced her to see the truth), Buddy had ordered up his Second Brigade to occupy the city of Metropolis.

She smiled.   Now that had been an undertaking that had caused and was still causing Buddy headaches.  The people of Metropolis, far from seeing Buddy and his Rebels as liberators, saw them only as oppressors – a role the Rebels found uncomfortable.

“You have to understand.”  Kara had told him. “These people see Lex as their savior.  Take a look around.  They have electricity, running water, gas, and stability.  Lex made sure they had all that.” 

“And he gave them bread and circuses.””  Buddy had growled. “But what about Freedom? What about the ability to protect yourself?  None of those people own guns.  It isn’t allowed.”

“You, of all people, should understand them.”  Kara countered.  “From what you’ve told me, your world had similar people.”

“People willing to give up freedom for safety.  People who just waited around for Big Brother to come back in and make everything better again.”   Buddy spat.  “No, Kara, I said we had people like that.  I never claimed to understand them nor will I ever understand that liberal mindset.” 

And now Buddy had finally decided to give it up.  He would not force people to be free.  He couldn’t.  If they were not willing to fight for their freedom, he’d be damned if he asked any Rebel to fight for them.  So, far to the north of her position now, the 2^nd Brigade of the Rebel Army was already pulling out of Metropolis.  And with them they were taking those few persons that had no desire to remain under Lex’s Rule.  Kara had been surprised to learn that one of the newest Rebel recruits was no other than this world’s Jimmy Olsen.  Another name from the past attached to a person that had never met her or been close friends with her cousin.

And now Kara’s thoughts traveled back to the Fortress and the latest developments there.

The Twins had moved in with little fuss, overjoyed to be allowed to stay.  She had to admit; having them there was…different.  Neither she nor Rogue were used to having teens around all the time.  Yet, at the same time, she could think of nothing else she would want.  Though she had not shown it at the time, she had taken the time to sort out her feelings about the twins almost from the beginning.  She smiled.  Right after Linda had basically told her to grow up.  She had not had children of her own, though this body she wore had given birth to a girl, probably an exact duplicate of the twins.  She still had not given up on the possibility that she might some day find that girl.

“Oh Rao…. Triplets?”  She laughed at the image that formed in her mind.  An image of her and Rogue tearing their hair out as three teen girls ran rampant through the fortress.

And she wouldn’t have it any other way.  She had learned that she loved those girls every bit as much as if they had been her own children.  And she would never be able to fully describe the exultation she felt the first time one of them had called her…Mom.  Of course that was changing now as they became more comfortable to their new lives.  Now, more often than not, they were referring to her as Mama Kara and Rouge became Mama Marie.  Though she had known Rogue’s given name, she had been surprised that she had let the twins know it.  Once a teen knows something, it is not long before the world knows.

She had asked Rogue about it one night as they lay in bed.  Rogue on her back, Kara snuggled next to her, one arm around her body, her head resting on her shoulder.

“I don’t know.”  Rouge had shrugged, running a hand through Kara’s hair.  “I stopped being Marie when I discovered I was a mutant.  Marie was a young, normal girl.  A girl with no special abilities, with no curse that kept her from feeling the touch of some one else’s skin on her own.  Marie would have grown into a woman some one could love, not a freak that could steal your energy and your thoughts.”

“And now?”

“And now I’ve discovered that I am loved, and that I can touch and be touched. And I’ve discovered that I am more in love than I have ever been before.”  She pushed Kara up so that she could look in her face. “Rogue is the super hero.  The Kryptonian that flies through the air, helping people, fighting the bad guys.  That is how the outside world will see me.  But here, in our Fortress, with you, the girls, and our friends, I am just plain Marie.”

Of course the girls had reacted like typical teens when she and Rogue had informed them that, despite all their apparent intelligence, they would continue their studies, working via commlink with the best scientists and teachers in Kandor.  So far, neither had expressed a desire to range far from the Fortress though she knew that would not last long.  Sooner or later the urge to explore this strange, wondrous world would get the better of them.

Ever since their fight in Linda’s world, the two had been working on their empathic link, an ability they had finally revealed to her and Rogue.  They had got a lesson on its ability to escalate their emotions completely out of proportion and now they were learning how to control it, how to keep their feelings to themselves as well as block the feelings of the other.  It was a useful ability, but there would be times feeling what the other felt would be a curse, not a blessing.

Thinking of the twins, Kara smiled.  Not only had they gained the twins, but they had also gained another, possibly temporary member to the team.  Walking through the Fortress two days after moving all the girls’ belongings out of Xavier’s School, Kara had noticed a strange, foul odor drifting from one of the few guest quarters they had constructed.  Not knowing what they would find, though Rogue had professed to having smelled something similar in the past, they had burst into the guest room from which the odor originated.

“Don’t you two know how to knock?”  Kicked back in a chair, his feet propped on the room’s desk, Wolverine waved his burning stogie at them. “You should learn some manners!”

“Logan!”  Rogue had squealed.  Then, to Logan’s discomfort, she had rushed to him and gathered him into a tight hug.

“Careful there. You damned near shattered my ribs!”  He groused, clearly embarrassed by such an open show of affection.  Though the warning was well given.  Despite the fact that his bones were lined with admantium, a virtual indestructible metal, they would still not hold up under the strength of any of these damned Kryptonians.

“Logan, what are you doing here?”  Kara had asked, frowning at the lit cigar and its offensive odor.  If Logan noticed her look, he gave no indication of it.

“Moving in.”  He told her.  He didn’t ask.  He told. “I thought I would wonder around and take a gander at this world of yours.  Besides, I made a promise to those girls of yours that I would help train them.  I keep my word!”

“But what about the X-men?”  Rogue was clearly worried.  Had her leaving the X-Men signaled its eventual disbanding?

“They’ll do fine with out me for awhile.”  Logan waved her concern aside.  “I’m considered to be on extended leave for a time.” He let his feet drop to the floor and stood.  “Now why don’t you two broads show me around this place?”

The twins had been ecstatic to see Logan and soon they were back on the training schedule.

Kara’s thoughts continued to range as she flew on, touching briefly on Lar (after his incident in the future, in which he had been merged with an older version of himself, he had given up on the childish idea of changing his name to Mon El) and Jenny Gand (she still could not believe that the two had already gotten married).  The newlyweds were keeping an eye (she hoped) on a massive army building up in Washington State.  Though they had no proof, it was generally believed that Lex was behind the build up.  She knew that Sherri Penison had left Buddy’s 1^st Brigade and headed north with a team of scouts on a fact finding mission.

Rogue, for her part, was doing PR work, moving around the torn nation, making herself known and letting people know that there was help available, help in the form of Kara and her people and the Rebels.  At the moment she wasn’t all that far away, visiting the small community that had, reluctantly at first, accepted the young Meta Frost-Fire as their protector.

And now she finally thought of herself.  Ever since her meeting with Wonder Woman in Linda’s Probability (see The Twins, Chapter 2), she had made a lot of progress on the road to healing.  She was becoming more comfortable with who she was and what she had become.  No longer did she try to be the young, naïve girl she had once been.  Her experiences had changed her and she was finally coming to terms with those changes.

No longer did the tears come so quickly when she thought of the past.  Now they were taking their place among her memories.  Memories to cherish, but not to control her future.

She smiled as she glanced at her blue-black leather clad arms.  Gone was the Yellow and red costume she had tried in her attempt to run away from the big Red S.  And while she would still occasionally wear her old costume, she now primarily wore the costume that Linda had suggested so long ago.   The leather jacket, over a blue half shirt / tube top which sported the traditional Super symbol; a tight fitting pair of matching leather pants, laced up the sides from the knees to the waist; and a pair of knee high, form fitting boots.  Rogue would occasionally wear a similar costume, though where Kara wore blue, red and yellow, Rogue maintained her affinity for green and yellow.  Kara still smile when she thought of the first time she had seen the Super symbol depicted in green and yellow on Rogue’s regular jumpsuit.  It had looked strange, but it had fit.

As yet, she had not thought of a new name, something that fit her more appropriately than Supergirl.  For the time being, she went by the name of Starfire, in places where an alias was advisable.   For the rest, she simply used Kara.

As she cleared the forest, flying out over open land, her gaze was drawn to a white splotch on a green covered hill.  She activated her telescopic vision and raised her eyebrows.  For a brief moment, she considered contacting Ian to let him know that his forest was being invaded….by a Krypto.  She decided against it.  It was a trivial matter and she was pretty sure that not much went on in those woods that he did not know about.  Besides, she knew Krypto.

She had known since discovering his existence in this world that this Krypto was nothing like the Krypto she had known in the past.  That Krypto could easily have passed for an earth canine, though no one would have been able to say exactly what breed of canine.

This Krypto, on the other hand, would never be able to pass for an earth animal.  Devolved into the shape of his breed’s ancestors, Krypto had a very distinct…alien feel about him.  In appearance, he looked like a workable cross between the ancient Earth Dire Wolves and the pre-historic Saber-toothed Cats.  Add to that the tremendous strength of a Kryptonian animal and you had a very, very dangerous animal.  Of all the Kryptonians on this world, and that was counting Lar as a Kryptonian though technically he was a Daxamite, Krypto was by for the most powerful, Just as an earthly equivalent, were it to exist, would be more powerful than an ordinary Terran.

No, this was not the same animal at all.  There was still, despite all the efforts of the Kandorian scientist to reverse the evolutionary process, too much wild in him.

She sincerely hoped that he did not do too much damage to Ian’s woods.  The thought of the Amberite dealing with Krypto brought a smile to her lips….a smile that faded as a feeling of dread stole over her. 

She paused, hovering in the air, facing towards the southeast, out over the Texas plain. Trouble was coming, she felt, and it was not coming from Washington.  No, what ever was heading their way was coming from the Southeast.  And it would be, she felt, the hardest trial she had faced in Otherverse yet.

With one last glance, she arched out and back over the forest, her blonde hair flowing in the wind, her blue-black leather glistening in the sunlight.  Kara headed back to the Fortress!

For years it had remained hidden, glimpsed occasionally by accident or design, its lush, green covered hills and valleys dotted here and there with elaborate villas and city centers, all of Greek design.

In the very center of the island, easily as big as the Big Island of Hawaii, grand structures arose, temples to the many gods, the royal palace, the Coliseum, yet no structure was as grand as the temple of Athena, built in honor of the patron goddess of the Island’s inhabitants.

It was perhaps glimpses of this grand island that had, in years past, started the legends of Atlantis, for in this world, there was no true Atlantis, no mer-folk or water breathing humans as there were in other worlds.  Or, if they had, or did, exist none yet had produced concrete proof.

It was here, when the power of the Greece was waning and that of Rome was waxing that the goddess Athena had taken heed of the cries of her warrior women, creating for them a place of their own, a place apart from the world of male domination.  An Island where they could live and control their own destinies. A place where the effects of aging were never felt!

For a brief moment that inner voice that tells a person that they are about to do something wrong nagged at the woman’s conscience.  Instantly she squelched that voice, drowning it in the depths of her rage and sorrow. Had the voice been the voice of the Gods she would have done no less…Of late, the Gods had failed her and her people, she would be damned if she bent her knee to any but one.

“So we are agreed?”  The question, spoken with a harshness that seemed at odds with the gentle beauty of the speaker, was tossed out to the council of women gathered before her.  They were all, like her, dressed in the finer robes that denoted their positions in the government that had stood unchallenged for countless years.

There were no vocal responses, but most nodded vigorously, or gave a single, curt nod, as if agree to something which they found necessary but particularly distasteful.

Some, however, gave no indication of their feelings on the matter while an even fewer number openly shook their heads in disagreement.  It was to these that the woman now cast her attention, her eyes narrowing.

“What then?”  She demanded.  “Shall we take this last outrage quietly?  Shall we let this latest blasphemy go unpunished?”

“With all do respect, my queen.”  One of the women answered. “I fail to see how this event is any worse than things that have gone before.”  She held up a hand to forestall interruption, a gesture meant, it was recognized, for the other members of the council rather than the queen.  As it was, it was the Queen that cut in, over riding her argument.

“It is enough.”   She slammed her hand on the council table, jarring the jugs of water and wine and causing the contents of glasses to slosh over the sides. “  They have brought us near to ruin.”

“Which is why we cut ourselves off from them so long ago!”  The dissenter shot back, undaunted by the queen’s show of temper.

“A mistake, it seems.” One of those councilors siding with the queen cut in. “had we not cut ourselves off, but rather conquered and subjugated them, we would not now be in this situation.

“You would rather that we, who desired only freedom insure that freedom by enslaving others?”  The dissenter shot back. “How, then, would we be better than they?”

“They come close to destroying their world, and ours along with it, with their ignorance and their warlike ways!” Another sided with the queen.  The speaker for the nonconformist faction looked at her with astonishment.

“You can condemn their warlike ways while sitting here calling for war upon them?  When they have not attacked us?”

“What do you call this blasphemy, then?”  The Queen demanded.

“Not an attack on us, surely.”  The dissenter responded.  “An attack on the pride of the queen maybe, but not on us.”  The queen blanched.

“You dare!”  She hissed.

“My queen.”  The dissenter sighed. “You have asked our opinion.  I have given mine as well as those of others here. You have never in the past asked for a council of timid yes sayers.  And so we speak our mind.  Yet you know that, if our voice is not heard, or if the vote of the council does go against us, we shall follow the dictates of the majority and the commands of our queen.”  She took a deep breath, and then plunged on.  “My queen, she knew the risks when she left our Isle.  It was her choice.  This, this blasphemy, and I agree that it was a blasphemy, was perpetrated upon her corpse.  Her spirit, the flame of life that was your daughter, had long since joined the with the gods.”  She paused and, seeing no sign that her words were having any effect, sighed and shook her head. “Though I might disagree, I will obey the will of my queen.  So shall we all.”

The queen looked at the woman for a moment and, even though briefly, her countenance softened.

“You are correct that I want councilors who will speak their minds and not just tell me that which I wish to hear.”  She said.  Then her tone hardened. “It is good to hear that you shall obey though you may not agree.  That is all I ask.”  She straightened and looked around. “It is agreed, then.”

“And what of the others?”

The queen turned to regard the small group of women, each in a different colored robe, robes signifying their status as priestesses and seers.

“What others?”  She demanded.  One of the priestesses waved a hand and a globe of light sprang into being above the council table.  Within could be seen many shadowy figures, standing firmly behind six clear figures.  Three blonde women, a read head with a swath of white streaking down the center, a giant, green skinned amazon of a woman, and a single male, his arm curved protectively around the waist of the green skinned one.

“These!”  The priestess intoned. “For they have the power to stop you, my queen.”

“They would not join with us?”  One councilor demanded. “Surely the women would come to our side.  And the male?  What then could he do against them?”

“They will not join with you, my queen.”   The priestess replied, as if it had been the queen that had asked the question.  “They will fight you.”

“Beware these, my queen.”  One of the seeresses spoke up.  “For one among them was known to your daughter, in another time and another place.  She has lived and died and now lives again.”  The seeress paused, as if confused by what her own gifts were showing her. “And this one,” the globe zoomed in to focus on the older blonde, “counted your daughter as among the wise and respected her greatly.”

The queen studied the face closely, finally shaking her head.

“I do not question your words, Seeress, yet I can not see how this person could have known my daughter, unless you speak of a past life.”

“Nay, my queen.”  The woman shook her head. “I shall study more on this, yet I see clearly that this one knew your daughter, thought the woman she knew was and was not your daughter.  I shall study this.”

“Also this, my Queen.”  One of the Priestess’s spoke up again. “It is the law that has been law since first Athena gifted us with this island.  It is Her will that Aging not touch us, her favorites, so long as we remain on the island.  It was that gift your daughter forfeited when she left.  It is that gift you will be asking all that follow you in this to renounce!”

There was silence at this piece of news and then the queen shook it off.

“It is of no importance.”  She declared.  “We shall go to war against the world of men, and if these sisters do interfere, then they shall be considered the enemy.  Until then, they shall be as sisters to us.”  She paused. “And of what use is being free of the ravages of time if we are not free from the destructive effects men have had and will have on our world? Begin the preparations.  We shall go forth before the moon is next full.”

“Your pardon, my queen.”  One of the councilors spoke up. “But who shall lead our armies?  Have you given this any thought?”

“I have.”  The queen nodded curtly.  “I shall lead our warriors into battle.”  She declared, causing a stir among the councilors.  “I and my daughter’s daughter.”  She turned. “Donna!  Come here!”

The young dark haired girl stepped forward.  Though dressed in robes, her arms were decorated with the symbols and armbands of a warrior and in her hand she carried a naked blade.  Her eyes shown with barely veiled anger as she stepped up next to the queen and bent her knee, bowing her head.

“The queen commands, I obey.”  She intoned.  Several of the councilors shifted uncomfortably.

Donna Troy was borne of the outside world.  Her foster mother had brought her to the isle when the outside world began to go crazy.  Though all there knew her and knew that, in many ways, her powers were greater than that of her foster mother, there were many that thought her changed since learning of her death.  So filled with rage was she that many feared for her and those that would have to face her in combat.

“We shall lead.”  The queen repeated, looking again at the council, her hand resting lightly on the top of Donna’s head.  “War the outside world would have, then bloody red war we shall give them!  Now go! Prepare!  Gird yourselves for battle.  Paradise Isle goes to war!”

The council cheered, save for those that disagreed and their eyes found each other’s, unaware that the eyes of Donna Troy were upon them.

Smiling savagely, Queen Hippolyota, mother of the woman known to the outside world as Diana Prince, turned and left the council room.  It was time to move!

She was late getting in.  Her tour of the small communities had taken much longer than she had anticipated.  For the most part, the receptions she had received had been cordial.  Of course the people were nervous at first.  To them, the term Meta was synonymous with evil.  And thus far, they had only the example of the young man, Frost-Fire, as an example to the contrary.

Frost-Fire.  Rogue smiled as she remembered the kid’s nervousness.  That he was in awe of her and the others was obvious.  And somewhere, sometime during the past few days, the young man had gotten a glimpse of the Twins.  He had accompanied her on her tour and it seemed every other sentence he uttered was some attempt to get information about them from her.  While she fielded the questions, she had suppressed a smile at the images that formed in her mind…. foremost among them being Kara standing in a doorway wielding a shotgun.

Now, as she descended below the holographic screen that concealed the New Fortress, she paused to drink in the view.  The Fortress bore no resemblance to the one She and Kara had carved out of the Arctic wastes back on her old Earth.  Indeed, to call the structure below a Fortress was doing it a disservice.  Seemingly a series of glass domes, it was stretched out in a semi-circle along the edges of a mountain lake.  Its very design was such that it seemed almost a part of the surrounding terrain, despite its ultra modern look.

Unfortunately, it did not have the natural camouflage of the original Fortress.  It had been a known issue but, before she or Kara could address it, Lara Night, using techniques developed by Reed Richards, had surprised them all by gifting them with a holographic screen that would effectively hide the Fortress.

She descended through the canopy of trees that, had they been much thicker, would have been able to provide a natural screen.  As she touched down, she once again marveled at the design.  It was not something she or Kara could have come with.  It had been Lar’s original idea, together with a tremendous helping hand in the form of Jennifer Walters.  That girl’s wide range of talents continuously surprised them all.

Any one coming upon the Fortress by accident would have no clue that it was the Otherverse Headquarters for Kara and her team.  Instead, they would probably come to the natural conclusion that they had stumbled upon the elaborate dwelling of some Multi Millionaire with too much money and time on their hands.

The glass like domes, made of a material that Kara called Glasteel, were a wonder in themselves.  From the outside, they seemed to be heavily tinted glass, behind which nothing could be seen.  Yet from the inside, the view of the surrounding area was as clear as if there were no glass there at all.

“A little something I remembered from my days with the Legion of Superheroes.”  Kara had told her.  She could not have given the composition of the material, but just the knowledge that it could be done was enough to give Reed Richards the clue he needed.   He had developed the material and then handed it over to Tony Stark. Together, they had copyrighted the process, naming Kara as the primary owner.  The results of this being that Kara realized half the profit from sales of the material while Stark Industries and Reed Richards realized a quarter each.

Kara, being Kara, had made sure a portion of the money was deposited in an account to help Charles Xavier fund his school.  The remainder was funneled back into Stark Industries to help pay for any future expenditures she and the others might have.  Why not?  It was not like they had much use for money in Otherverse.

Rogue stepped into the entrance of the main dome with a sigh of relief.  Despite the short time they had been there, this place was already home and she felt relief and contentment every time she steeped through that door.

Unlike the entrance to the old fortress, this did not boast the same Kryptonian theme. Like much of the more sensitive areas of the Fortress, like the control room or the training rooms, or the Med units, the Trophy Room was situated well below ground; accessible only via mine shafts sunk years ago by miners long dead and gone.  Not a one of the mineshafts were equipped with any type of device to help in descending or ascending.  It was presumed that only persons with the ability to fly would have access to the lower levels. They were simply long, empty fifteen foot by fifteen-foot shafts.  They wouldn’t stop the more ingenious intruders, but they would stop most.

The dome was darkened now.  This late at night, with no emergencies, everyone would probably asleep.  Though she was convinced that Lar and Jenny did very little sleeping in their quarters.

“Late night?”  She fell into a defensive stance instantly at the sound of the rough voice, relaxing as Logan stepped out of the shadows. “Habit.”  He explained.  “I heard someone at the door and…” He motioned towards the shadows hugging the walls.

“What on earth are you doing up?”  Rogue demanded, not even trying to veil the exasperation in her voice.  Wolverine shrugged.

“Strange place. Couldn’t sleep.  Decided to take a look around. See what there is to see.”

“Not much.”  Rogue told him. “Blackhawk and Central City a little to the east, but you won’t find much there.  Place has been virtually deserted for years.  Bums, Hobos, and squatters living there now.”  She shrugged.  “We didn’t choose this location for its nightlife.”  She studied Logan for a few minutes and then drew him into the living area, motioning for him to take a seat in one of the chairs.

“Logan, tell me the truth” She demanded.  “You didn’t come here just because of a promise you made to the girls, did you?”

“Actually, that was my main reason.”  Logan denied.  “But that does not stop me from being curious about this place or about you.”

“Me?”

“Rogue, are you sure this is what you want?  Do you really believe this is where you belong?”  He asked.  He held up a hand to stop her from speaking before he finished. “I know what Prof X and Jean have said.  But I wanted to hear it from you, with out having their psychobabble.”  Rogue hesitated for a moment. 

“Yes, Yes I believe that this is where I belong, Logan.”  She said in a quiet voice. “Where else would I belong?  With the X-Men?”  She shook her head. “Not any more.  Look at me, Logan.  I may not look any different than the Rogue you knew, but the changes are there.  When I was just Mutant Rogue, I was a key part of the X-Men.  We complimented each other.  But now things are different.”

“Too good for us now, is that what yer saying?”  Logan grumped.

“No, Logan.  That’s not it.  But you must admit, that now, I can accomplish things on my own that we, as the X-men, would not have dared try.”  She reached out and touched Logan’s arm with her bare hand. “Do you remember the first time I touched you?  Remember what happened?  That was the old Rogue.  That was the Rogue that could never hope to have a normal, touching relationship.  I’m not that Rogue anymore.  Hell Logan, I’m not even an Earth woman any more.”

“Bullshit.”  Logan snorted.

“Logan.  Listen to me.  Do you hear even the slightest trace of an accent?  No, you don’t.  If you were a Kryptonian, you would.  You would hear what they claim to be an accent common to the southern regions of Krypton.”

“And you got this form touching Kara while you were still a mutant.”   Logan’s tone was definitely skeptical. “Okay.  But what about you and Kara?  Are you sure this thing between you is not because of that?”

“Oh I am sure it has a bit to do with it.”  Rogue answered easily. “After all, I had, and still have, all her memories here.”  She touched her temple. “I know her almost as well as she knows her self.  And to be honest, I think some how, she got part of me.  I’ve discussed that with Jean and the Prof. Though they can't see how that could have happened, they are both convinced that there was some feedback.   That I could not handle the initial in rush of power and memories.  They believe some sort of backwash occurred. Sending some of my memories into her.  Not much, and nothing that she can access like I can her memories, but enough to allow her and I to form a bond closer than either of us have ever known.”  She crouched down by Logan’s chair. “I love her, Logan.  You can't believe the feelings I have just being around her.  And I know that she feels the same.  We are happy together.  The emotions are not faked or forced on us.  They are real.”

“And the twins?”

“Not the same.”  Rogue shook her head.  “The memories I got from Kara were from her, not the buried memories of the clone body she’s in.  Those are the memories that came out when Kara learned that the clone had given birth to a daughter.  But I love them anyway.  As if they were my daughters.  I didn’t need to have a transfer of memories for that.”

Logan studied her upturned face quietly for a long moment.  Then he nodded sharply.

“That’s all I wanted to know.”  He said, finally.  He stood and pulled her to her feet.  “Now you get on to bed.”  He turned back towards the exit with a sigh. “I’m going to see what kind of trouble I can get into.”

Rogue laughed and, after a quick hug and kiss on the check, hurried down the glasteel tunnel towards the smaller dome that she and Kara shared.

“Kara?” Rogue stepped quietly into the darkened room.  Softly she moved to the bed and brushed her hand over the sleeping blonde’s forehead, smiling as those blue eyes flickered open. “I’m back.”  She whispered.  She bent down and kissed her lover gently on the forehead. “You go back to sleep, I’m going to go take a shower.”  She stood and moved into the adjoining shower room and quickly stripped out of her costume.  Though Ian had repaired the damage done to the forest by the fire creature, he had forgotten to get rid of the lingering odor of smoke that hung in the area.  Now her clothes, hair, and body smelled strongly of smoke.

She stepped into the shower, letting the hot water run over her body, soaking her hair, closing her eyes in ecstasy.

“Want me to wash your back?” She opened her eyes to see Kara, her eyes still partly lidded from sleep, peeking around the edge of the shower curtain.

“Always.”  She answered, surprised by the huskiness of her own voice.  Kara smiled and stepped in as Rogue held the curtain open for her.  She let the curtain fall closed as Kara pressed up against her, her mouth pressing upon her own as the steam from the shower rose about them….

Sunlight filtered in though the glasteel walls, bringing kara to at least partial, awareness, her eyes opening onto the glorious vision of snow covered peaks.

Stretching, Kara turned on to her side, propping her head on her head, her elbow resting on her pillow, as she gazed down at the still sleeping Rogue, her hair strewn over her pillow, her face seemingly frozen into a contented smile.

Though they had been together for such a short time, Kara had fallen deeply in love with this woman and that surprised her.  Never before, in the time before the Anti-Monitor, had she ever even considered having a relationship with another woman.  It was not taboo or looked down upon in Kryptonian society as it was among many Earth societies.  Kara had just never felt any inclinations in that direction. 

But now!  Her encounter with Ian had brought that to the front of her thoughts.  She had flown into a rage at the thought of Rogue being hurt and had done her best to kill the guilty party.  Not catch, not hurt.  Kill!  She had wanted to rend him limb from limb!

It was, she knew, partly due to the fact that Rogue was the one anchor to this new life that she could count on.  Sure, there were the twins, but that was different.  This was…more.  She shook her head, smiling to herself.  Even thinking of how angry she had been then could not curb the feeling of happy contentment that filled her now.

“You’re thinking too much.”

Startled, Kara realized she had been staring off into space, unaware that Rogue had open her eyes and was looking back up at her.

“Thinking about you.”  She rallied to answer.

“Good thoughts, I hope.”  Rogue smiled uncertainly.

“Just thinking how much I love you and what I would do if you… if you…”

“Shhhh.”  Rogue put her fingers on Kara’s lips to hush her. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”  She then let her hand travel up around Kara’s neck and pulled her face down to hers. “And I love you too.”

Their kiss lingered until finally Kara broke free and pushed herself up, flushed and breathing heavily.

“Stop that.”  She chided breathlessly.  “Keep that up and we won’t get out of this bed and we’ve got things to do.”

“I know.”  Rogue sighed.  “You know, one of these days I would like to just take a week off and see if the world falls apart with out us.”  She swung her legs over the side of the bed and started to speak again when a loud Klaxon began blaring.  Over the top of the door, a red light flashed furiously. “I guess that answers my question.”  She grumped.

“Problems!”  Kara, racing for the door, was brought up short as Rogue caught her arm and jerked her back.

“Do you plan on going like that?”  Rogue asked, glancing pointedly at Kara’s nakedness.  “I think people would talk.”

“OH!”  Kara grinned sheepishly and moved to the closet.

“What have we got?”  Kara stepped into the main Communications Room of the Fortress, nick named the Bridge by the twins.  She had taken the time to throw on a pair of jeans and a white tube top before racing out the door.  Lar looked up from the console where he was seated and raised an eyebrow at Kara’s disheveled appearance.  Though she could feel the blush that covered her face, Kara stared him down, daring him to say the wrong thing.  Clearly he got the message for he faked a cough and covered his mouth with his hand, hiding his smile.

“An emergency transmission from Kandor.”  Jenny explained, smiling openly.  The smile dipped however, as she continued. “I got here first and gave Zor a buzz.  He told me to sound the alarm and then put me on hold.”

“What’s all this racket?”  Everyone turned to see a bleary eyed Logan step through the sliding doors.  He stopped and then bounced forward as the twins hit him from behind.  Kara didn’t bother asking how he had accomplished getting down the mineshaft.

“Hail hail, the gang’s all here.”  Rogue muttered.  She turned back to Lar.  He was busy making sure all the connections that allowed free flowing communications between the fortress and Kandor were in working order.  They were still working out the occasional bugs that popped up from time to time in the hastily assembled equipment.  He finally nodded his satisfaction and sat back to wait.

It was not a long wait before the main screen sprang to life, showing a very harried Zor El.

“Sorry for the delay, Jennifer.”  He said, and then noticed that he had a bigger audience. “Daughters, girls, Lar.”  He nodded at them all. By Kryptonian custom, Rogue would have been considered a daughter for so long as she had a relationship with Kara.  However, due to her past aid in saving the lives of every living Kandorian, Zor and Allura had officially acknowledged Rogue as a full daughter, no matter what her relationship to Kara.

“Remember what I once asked you about incest?”  Rogue had joked upon learning that she now had the legal right, by Kryptonian standards, to add Zor-El to her name.  It was a bit late since she was already listed as Rogue Zorel in her old Probability.

“What’s the problem, dad?”  Kara demanded, stepping forward.  His eyes widened at her appearance but he answered the question.

“A problem it is, Kara.”  He said.  His picture faded and a map of the southeastern coastline of the United States sprang into view.  “You have an army bearing down on you!”  A line appeared, moving around the tip of Florida and up into the Gulf of Mexico, an arrow resting well west of the City of Houston Texas. “We can’t tell where they came from.  By all our systems could see, it just appeared out here” a circle appeared further out in the Southern Atlantic. “and moved along this line.  We have no idea how they moved as far as they have before we noticed them, however, they have come aground here,” a small circle appeared, highlighting the landing point, “and have progressed inland to here.”  Another circle appeared on the map.  This time, however, it did more than highlight.  This time the area encircled was enlarged. 

“Impossible!”  Kara exclaimed.  “I just came from that area.  There was no army there.”

“They reached that point about an hour ago.”  Zor clarified. “Just south of the city of Smithville.”

“And just south of Ian’s Woods.”  Kara noted.  She didn’t notice the narrowing of Lar’s eyes.

“You think that damn fool has anything to do with this?”  He blurted before thinking.

“No, I don’t.”  Kara shot him a hard look.  He didn’t need to be told verbally that he was being ordered to back off.  While it was understood that he did not like Ian, Kara would expect him to keep his personal feelings under control. He could not be allowed to let his personal feelings for the man to endanger a possible alliance with this powerful man.

“And don’t you let your personal feelings interfere between you and Lara?”  Her own conscience told her.  She grimaced and turned her attention back to the map.

“No,” She repeated herself.  “Look here.”  She traced a line that went through the forest and ended at the community of Memphis…. the Rebel Base Camp.  “They are moving to engage the Rebels!”

“Why would they do that?”  Karen asked.  Intelligent as she and Carrie might be, neither was knowledgeable or experienced in warfare.

“Those Rebels are the largest armed force in the area.”  Logan supplied the answer. “Take out the Rebels and a greater portion of the southern US is left undefended.”

“Exactly.”  Kara nodded.  She turned back to the screen as the map faded and Zor’s image reappeared. “Are you wanting us to contact the Rebels?”  She asked her father.

“No.”  Zor shook his head. “Something does not strike me right about this Kara.  Though you haven’t asked, we have been keeping tabs on the small force in Washington.  We get clear numbers on them and even have a good idea of their armament.  Now this new army is something else entirely.  We know they are there.  We can see them.  But only in mass.  We can’t get an accurate count, we can’t get fix on what their tech level is, and we can’t see how they are armed nor can we even attempt to guess as to their intent!”

“An army moving in on the coast of Texas?”  Logan snorted. “Well they damn sure aren’t going to a rodeo or heading to Billy Bob’s in Dallas.”

Zor El looked at the strange man and then back to Kara.

“Besides,” He smiled grimly.  “I don’t believe we need to inform your Rebels, Kara.  They already have a sizeable force moving south, presumably to intercept this unknown.”

“How could they have known?” Jenny was perplexed. Zor shrugged.

“That we can’t answer.  We have no contact with them, but we know that they have nothing in orbit that might give them intelligence-gathering abilities superior than our own.  The fact remains, however, that they know and are already moving.  In fact, it seems they are skirting the edge of that …wooded area.”  The woods still perplexed the Kandorians.  They had watched, via time-lapse views, the two Texas State parks grow and merge.  Zor had instantly ordered a close watch on the other forested areas in the state but so far there was no sign of anything unusual.  Of course, the Sam Houston National Forest was already unusual.  The dark wooded area was now a mixture of modern and prehistoric flora and fauna.  The waterways now choked with ferns and infested with a population of creatures both known and unknown.

“Thanks, Dad.”  Kara spoke, coming to a decision. “We’re on it.  Be sure to keep us informed of any changes.  Fortress out.”

As the screen faded, Lar couldn’t help shaking his head.

“I have to admit it was a good idea to have the Kandorians be our eyes in the sky, Kara.”  He said.

“Yeah, well.  Let’s see if we can put the information they gave us to good use.”  She was standing taller now, once again the leader of the little band of heroes.  Though outwardly unconcerned, Logan could not help but be impressed.  Since first meeting her, Logan had noticed the changes in her as time went by.  Quickly moving from a lost little girl to the proud mother and decisive leader she had become.

“Jenny, I want you on stand by.”  Kara was saying. “Some one needs to keep an eye on those people to the north and I don’t want us all down south if they move and just happen to have metas with them. As was recently pointed out to me, you are easily the most powerful of us so I believe you would be able to handle anything that might be thrown at you until back up arrives.”  She turned to the others as Jenny nodded.  That Jenny was not happy about the decision was understood, yet Kara was aware that Jenny also understood the need for caution.

“Lar, you and Rogue will accompany me.  We’ll head down and see if we can’t get a good look at this army before they lock horns with the Rebs.”

“What about us?”  Kara turned to see two girls, all geared up to be defiant, looking at her.  Her first inclination was to tell them to stay in the Fortress and out of harm’s way.  It took a great effort to squelch that.

“Carrie, Karen, I want you and Logan to head down behind us and link up with the lead element of the Rebs and tell them what is going on.  You are to stay with them and give them aid if they come up against metas.”  She paused and then shook her fingers at them. “You will listen to what Wolverine has to tell you until you reach the Rebs.  At which time you will inform the ranking officer that you are temporarily under his command.”

The twins chewed this over and then nodded acceptance of the orders.

“Okay then, Let’s get going.”  She headed for the door.

“Oh Kara!”  Lar called out. “I would change clothes if I were you…” He smiled evilly “that thin white tube top is…uh…rather revealing.  Every curve and dark spot, if you get my meaning.”  He grunted as Jenny landed a balled fist on his shoulder. 

Though she blushed furiously, Kara gave no indication that she heard.  She did, however, cross her arms over her chest as she stormed out the door.

“Why didn’t you tell me I was showing through?”  Kara demanded quietly of Rogue as the group flew southward. They were keeping the speed down to allow Logan to keep up in the new, air-bike he had brought with him.

“How was I to know you didn’t know what you were wearing?”  Rogue answered.  Then she flew closer  “Besides, I liked what I saw.  Gave me ideas.”

“What kind of ideas?”  Kara smiled as Rogue flew close enough to whisper in her ear what she had been thinking.

Traveling what was the left of the road of the erstwhile United States was not a speedy process.  Weather and time had taken its toll on the unattended roadways, making some virtually impassable.  To their knowledge, only those roads in Rebel held territory, and those roads leading through and around Metropolis, and in small communities around the nation, were in anything even resembling fair condition.  With the exception of Metropolis, the people had pulled together to repair and recondition the roads in their immediate area. In Metropolis, the people had whined and cried until Lex Luthor had gleefully stepped into the role of Big Brother to do it for them.  It was the same in all the larger city centers.  It was an established fact that Liberals congregated more in cites while those of more Conservative or Libertarian tendencies – those who practiced more individualistic lifestyles, those who did not need Big Brother Government to hold their hands, those who did not believe that some other person’s supposed ‘need’ gave them a claim on the products of some one else’s hard work –grouped together in smaller communities.

So it was in these smaller, rural communities that road conditions fared better.  Unfortunately, these small communities did not have the resources to extend their roadwork far.  This meant that, while the small town roads were in fair condition, the long highways and byways between communities were left unattended.

So, what should have been, at most, a trip of mere hours from Memphis, Texas to Smithville, Texas had been slowed to a crawl that had stretched into three days.

The Rebels had moved out of Memphis, three Brigades strong, on what appeared to be nothing but a whim.  Buddy, giving no reason, had simply ordered them out, geared and armed to the max, and then led what, had the roads been better, would have been a headlong rush towards something only he seemed aware of.

“Get the scouts out!”  He had ordered. He had stuck his finger on spot west of Houston on a map. “I want them to start here and then work backwards towards Smithville.  I want them in constant contact…updates every two hours on the hour.  Oh and one more thing.”  He stopped the commanders before they could relay his orders. “Women scouts only.  Don’t ask, just do it.  You’ll understand why when I do.”

And so the scouts, able to travel further and faster on these roads in their smaller vehicles had pulled out, leaving behind column after column of Rebel vehicles trudging painfully slow across the cracked and pitted roadway.

Traveling near the front of the columns (those beneath him, with the help of his own team, had successfully blocked all his attempts to be in the very front), Buddy had ample opportunity to consider everything that had happened since their arrival in this war torn, meta ravaged, and mutant infested world.

They had found a world in ruins, a United States torn asunder, and had jumped right in to help rebuild it.   Rebuild it under their terms, however.  He recalled the meeting he had promoted and hosted some weeks earlier.   Leaders of various communities form all areas of the country had gathered together to discuss ways and means of recovery.  Many leaders had left in a huff rather than give up any of their own authority or because the Rebels flatly rejected their liberalistic/socialistic notions.  Other leaders had stayed and listened and then returned to their communities only to find their people unwilling to live under what they considered the oppressive rules of the Rebels. (How could any right thinking person even consider using one of those big bad guns to shoot a criminal when it is clear that it is not the criminal at fault but the victim.)

And other leaders had left enthusiastic, returning to their communities and successfully establishing a rebel outpost where law and order reigned and the criminal could count his time left alive in the minutes.

“Coming up on the Mirkwoods, General!”

Buddy was drug from his thoughts by his driver’s announcement.

“The what?”

“The Mirkwoods.”  It was Betsy that answered while the driver tried to accomplish the impossible task of dodging potholes. “One of the older sergeants called it that one day and it stuck.”  She took on a puzzled look.  “He also told those around to look it up when he was asked about it. Boss, I have gone over every map and have never come across any reference to the Mirkwoods.”

“You won’t, Betsy.”  Buddy laughed.  “The Mirkwoods is a fictional place written about in a book called the Hobbit.”

“Is that one of your father’s books?”  Rita asked.  “I thought we had copies of all his works.’

“No. No.”  Buddy shook his head. “That was written by J. R. R. Tolkien back in the 1930s and 40s.  I would imagine that the sergeant has a copy and as soon as we can, we need to get it from him and make copies.  It should be required reading in schools.”

“Would that be plagiarism?”  Betsy asked.

“Technically yes.”  Buddy nodded. “Yet I would venture to guess that we don’t have to worry about paying royalties.”  They were starting to skirt the edge of the woods now. “Betsy, make a note.  The Mirkwood (let’s make that official) is totally off limits to Rebels.  We don’t want to antagonize this ‘Wizard of the Woods’ if we don’t have to.  Were he not in there, we would set it aside as a wildlife reserve like we did with the Sam Houston National Forest”

“We know there is something in there, we know that, whatever it is, it is powerful.”  He had told them.  Of course many of them had heard about the so-called Wizard of the Woods, though no one, to their knowledge, had seen this wizard.  They had no idea that Buddy already knew a tremendous amount about the Wizard and had made a decision to leave him be until a formal contact could be made.  He hoped that, rather than an enemy; he could have an ally in this strange woodsman.

As the long column of Rebels skirted the edges of the woods, many of the rebels had kept their weapons at hand, tightly gripped, while their eyes constantly tried to pierce the dark undergrowth.  That they were being watched was a feeling they all had.  Yet none could say that what they felt was malicious.  Rather, it seemed, the watchers were curious.  Just how curious had become apparent when Buddy had called a halt to make camp for the night, still within spitting distance of those dark woods. Sentries were doubled and the entire contingent of Rebels settled down to get some much-needed rest.

Corporal John Carrison, one of the younger Rebels to make the transfer from the Old World, had trouble getting to sleep initially.  That, in itself, was unusual.  Though young, Corporal Carrison was a veteran of many battles, having fought for simple survival before joining the Rebels and fought many pitched battles with the Rebels since. And like all experienced soldiers, Carrison had learned to grab food and sleep when ever possible.  Who knew when the next chance of eating or sleeping would come?

Sleep, when it did come, was fitful at first, filled with sudden starts from light dozing, before allowing him to sink into a deep, restful slumber. 

He had twisted and turned in his sleeping bag, trying to find some comfortable position that would allow him to get the rest he needed.  It was only after some time that he was able to drift downward into a dream state, far further than was usual to soldiers in the field…and potentially dangerous.

In his dreams, the morning had dawned bright and clear and he had awoken, to find that the Rebels had moved out, leaving him behind. Cursing a blue streak, he had gathered his things together, fully intending to catch up with his comrades.  A little walking, with full gear, soon showed that he would never catch them by falling their trail.  So it was, with some apprehension that he decided to try to catch up by cutting through the edge of the woods.

Hardly had he entered the woods before he felt the chills running up and down his spine.  His M-16 at port arms, he had quickened his pace.  He wanted nothing more than to get out of these woods.

As he jogged through the woods, in his dream state never once questioning that his progress was unrealistically easy considering the denseness of the woods, he kept his eyes peeled, trying look into each shadow, trying to determine whether or not he was going to be pounced on by some wild animal in the next moment.

It was not until he entered a clearing (in his dream state he ever questioned that he went against all training by boldly jogging out into the middle of a clearing, far from any potential cover), that he caught sight of the first living thing, other than plants, he had seen in these woods.

At first, he thought he had found a child, so small was she, reaching no higher than his chest. Yet, as he neared, walking softly now, his eyes widened.  Dressed in some un familiar material that did more to accent her perfect figure more than it hid it, there was no denying that this was a fully grown woman, her long hair drifting in the breeze that curved down over the tops of the trees to swirl around in the clearing.  The gauze like material of her…clothing…puffing and rippling as she stood, watching him approach.  As he drew nearer, his eyes narrowed in confusion.  He could make out her features better now and, though her figure showed her to be a woman, her face was so filled with innocence as to seem child-like.  Her eyes, slanted in a fashion that could never be mistaken as human, regarded him with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. Her ears, tapering upward into a slight point, even seemed to twitch ever so slightly.

Her eyes rested on his weapon and her small, button nose wrinkled as if in disgust.   So caught up was he in her beauty, Carrison gave no notice as the weapon faded from existence.

Something was wrong!  Even in his sleep, Carrison’s warrior instincts were kicking in, warning him.  With a start, his eyes flew open!   He was still in his sleeping bag, still in the middle of the Rebel camp.  And bending over him, her nose mere inches from his own, was the girl/woman of his dream, her eyes twinkling with mischief and amusement.

“Boo?”

“AAAHHHH!”  Carrison scrambled to exit his sleeping back, while at the same time reaching for his M-16.

“What I want to know is how they got into the camp!”  Rita was storming, her face red with barely suppressed fury.  She was addressing the assembled sentries, each of them looking as if they would rather be anywhere else.   Through out the camp rebels, mostly men, had awakened to be greeted by the sight of the elfin like women regarding them with wide, curious eyes. “Who knows what they could have done!”  Rita continued. “They could have even gotten to the General!”

Buddy smiled as his diminutive bodyguard raked the sentries over the coals.  He wouldn’t interfere, though he was certain that no one, no one human that is, could have kept those dryads out of the camp if they wanted in.  And he was not about to tell Rita about his own encounter with Andaria, the leader of the Dryads.  No one would ever know what she and Buddy had talked about or what had transpired between the two during her short visit.

Now the Rebels had stopped and were digging in just north west of Smithville, the woods at their backs.

“Heads up! Bogies coming in from the north!”

Buddy stepped out of his CP and looked up just as Kara, Rogue, and Lar flashed past overhead.

“I wonder where they’re going.”  Rita said, stepping out beside him.  Both were in full combat gear, weapons at the ready.

“Probably the same place we are.”   Buddy mused aloud.

“Yes sir, they are.”  Buddy and Rita turned as one, Rita falling into a crouch, bringing their weapons to bear. 

To their credit, and to Logan’s embarrassment, the twins instantly interposed their bodies between the weapons and him.  A lesson both had already learned.  Their invulnerable bodies would protect his from any bullets that might fly in their direction.

“You are General Raines, aren’t you?”  Carrie asked.

Buddy and Rita looked at each other. Finally Rita shook her head.

“Twins.”  She said.  “Twins.”

“You are Kara and Rogue’s daughter’s, I take it?”  Buddy asked, stepping forward.  Both girls seemed to be taken aback.   It was the first time anyone had suggested they were Rogue’s daughters, though, in a way, they were.

“They are.”  Logan spoke up, pushing the twins aside so that he could face this Rebel General.

Like two bulls in the same pasture sizing each other up, the men glared at each other.  Each taking the measure of the other.

“Ooohhh!”  Karen clasped her hands and smiled beatifically. “I just love the smell of testosterone!  Its so…. manly!

“Do you think they’ll start pawing the ground and strutting any time soon?”  Carrie asked, her voice completely serious.  Rita smiled and stepped over by the girls while both men, stunned, turned to look at them.

“I’m going to like these two, boss.”  Rita told the startled Rebel Commander.  Buddy quickly got himself together and stuck his hand out, smiling sheepishly.

“Buddy Raines.”  He introduced himself to the burly man standing before him.  He held the hand there until Logan, almost reluctantly it seemed, returned the gesture and the men shook hands.  “And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

“Mom said we were to stay with you.”  Carrie answered, making no effort to disguise the irritation in her voice.

“She also said that we were to consider ourselves under your orders until she says otherwise.”  Karen added, equally disgruntled.  Buddy said nothing, looking to Logan for an explanation.

“Consider it a learning exercise.”  The X-man said. “They learn to take orders and work as a part of a larger team, and you learn how to incorporate…metas, as you call them, into your plans and utilize them effectively.”

“And you?”  Buddy asked the obvious question.  Logan shook his head.

“I’m a loner, but in this case, I go where they go.”  He said.  Buddy considered and then nodded. 

“Rita, take the girls and get them issued with BDU’s and other equipment.”  He ordered. “I don’t think arming them will be necessary.  But I would much rather they were a little less, obvious, shall we say.”  He then turned to the girls.  “That means you are grounded, as of this moment.  Go with Rita and get geared up and then get back here.  You’ll ride with my team.”

As Rita led the girls away, Buddy turned back to Logan.

“That wasn’t all of it, was it?”  He demanded. 

“For the most part, it was.”  Logan hedged. “Personally, I believe Kara wanted them some where relatively safe while she and the others checked things out.”  He started to turn back to his motorcycle and then turned back.  He brought his hands up and grimaced, allowing the razor sharp claws to spring forth and waved them at Buddy. “And they best damned well remain safe!”  He growled.

“They’ll be as safe as any other person in this brigade.”  Buddy replied easily, showing no tendency to back up whatsoever.   He waited till Logan started to turn away again. “Oh, and Logan.”  Once the man had turned back to face him once again, Buddy beckoned to a sergeant. “Go with this sergeant and get issued some BDU’s.” He ordered. “If you are going to be with us, you are going to wear tiger stripe Cammies, just like everyone else.”

The men locked eyes, engaging in a contest of will.  In the end, there was no victor and no loser, just grudging respect on both sides.  Finally Logan nodded and followed the sergeant.

“Now just what the hell am I going to do with them?”  Buddy muttered to himself.  He turned and ducked back inside the CP where his Exec and Company Commanders and the Brigade Commanders of 3^rd and 4^th brigades were waiting.

“Okay, gentlemen.”  He started, taking his place at the front of the group. Betsy, his communications aide, had set up a map to which Buddy now referred. “We are here.”  He used a pointer to indicate a point just north of Smithville. There were several glances towards the marked up areas on the map that showed where once two state parks had existed, now one huge forest flourished.

“The 4^th Brigade will remain at this point and spread out to form a defensive wall. That’ll keep our asses covered just in case.”  He stopped as Rita and the Twins entered and motioned for them to remain standing near the back. He then looked to his Exec. “Jim, you have the latest scout reports, let’s hear them.”

The Exec of 1^st brigade nodded and stood, facing the assembled officers and non-coms.

“Wherever the General got his information,” he paused, giving Buddy a sidelong glance, “it was correct.  A large force of unknowns, acting in extreme hostile manner, landed on the coast and promptly moved in a northeasterly direction.  Where this force originated, we don’t know.  We do know what their tactics have been since landing, however.  They make their way around the larger population centers and march right through the smaller ones.”  He cleared his throat. “It is the belief of the scouts that they are aware of us and are preparing to meet us a few miles south of our current location.”

“What do we know of this force?”  One Company Commander asked.  The Exec looked again and Buddy and then shrugged.

“The General was correct in demanding that only female scouts be sent out on this.”  He finally answered, obviously perplexed. “It seems our invaders consist of warrior women.  Amazons, to be exact.”

“Amazons?”  The Commanders looked at each other in astonishment. “We’re not talking a bunch of dyke punks, I take it.”

“No.”  Everyone looked as Buddy spoke up.  “Get that out of your minds right now.”  He continued. “We are not dealing with criminals, terrorists, or punks this time around.  These women are a bona-fide army.  As such, rules of warfare will be adhered to…unless they first decide to ignore them.”

“And if they do?”   Was the expected question.

“Then its time to get down and dirty.”  He held up a finger. “Pass it on to your troops, this is not a usual situation.  If any of these…ladies…surrender, they are to be treated according to the rules of war regarding the treatment of prisoners.  Is that understood?”  Buddy waited until everyone had answered in the assent before  signaling the Exec to continue.

“Right.”  The exec nodded and went on. “Our Scouts tell us they are about two brigades in strength and are armed with short range weapons of unfamiliar design and…” he shrugged, “swords.

As the briefing continued, Buddy let his mind wonder, already formulating plans for their eventual meeting with these Amazons.

“Do you see what I see?”  Lar was looking down on the assembled amazons, using telescopic vision, as he, Kara, and Rogue circled high above the encampment.

“Unfortunately, I think I do.”  Kara grumbled.

“Okay, how about letting me in on the secret.’  Rogue demanded.  Though she could see what the others saw, she did not have the frame of reference they did.  They obviously were seeing something they recognized and, while she could eventually access those memories she had from Kara, it would take too long.

“Those are Amazons, Love.”  Kara answered. “From Paradise Isle.  A magical place separated from the rest of the male dominated world by magic.”

“Which tells me a whole hell of a lot.”  Rogue was getting a bit exasperated.   “Why are they here and what is their beef with us?”

“I don’t imagine they have a beef with us.”  Kara answered. “You see, Wonder Woman was the daughter of their Queen.  So I imagine that is why they are here.”

“Wonder woman?  OH!”  Rogue’s eyes grew wide. “The one that Lex Luthor reanimated as a zombie!”

“That’s the one.”  Lar nodded. “I would wager they saw that as a defilement and have decided to do something about it.”

“Do something?”  Rogue gave Lar a perplexed look. “Do what?  Lara already took care of that problem.”

“Probably not according to their way of thinking.”  Kara took a breath.  “Okay, let’s go see if we can stop this before it goes any further.”  She hesitated and looked at Lar.  “Mon, you stay up here and keep us in sight.  I imagine they well be a lot easier to deal with if there are no men about.”

“You got it.”  Lar agreed. “But expect me down there if you run into any trouble!”

Kara nodded and motioned for Rogue to follow her down.

“They approach, My Queen.”  One of the Queen’s Guards called out. Like the rest of the guard, she was heavily armed and armored.  Each carrying a spear and a sword in addition to a rifle like apparatus that was carried at port arms.

Hippolyota, Donna Troy at her side, stood and watched, apparently unimpressed, as the two flying women swooped down to land lightly.  That they understood the gravity of the situation was clear, as they had chosen to touch down at a distance that could not be mistaken as a possible attack.  Then, observing proper decorum, they approached, the blond woman in the lead, and asked permission to approach the Queen for reason of parley.  Hippolyota nodded solemnly, silently granting the requested permission.

“Your Majesty.”  Kara bowed before the Queen but did not, to the disgruntlement of many of the guard, bend her knee to the monarch. “If I may be so bold, why have you led your army from Paradise Island?  What enemy has so offended you that requires such an invasion?”

“I believe you know full well what has called us forth.”  The Queen replied shortly. “You, I am given to understand, are the one called Supergirl.  This other is unknown to me.”

“Though once I wore the name Supergirl, that name is now worn by one of my daughters.”  Kara replied, her voice and tone sounding stiff even to her own ears. “For now I am simply Kara and this..” She paused and looked at the Queen and then took the plunge. “.. this is my friend, my warrior-sister, and my lover, Rogue!”  If Rogue was surprised by this open admission, she did not show it as she bowed.  Like Kara, she refused to bend her knee.

The queen regarded the two women for a long moment before turning to enter a large pavilion erected for her.

“Come.”  She told them.  “We shall speak in comfort and with less,” and for the first time she smiled, “pomp and circumstance.’

“It is time the men of this world were taught a lesson.” The Queen told them once they were seated.  Both Kara and Rogue had checked the place out with x-ray vision, making sure the tent was not lined with lead, thus insuring that Mon would not lose sight of them.  Now they were seated on Greek style couches, transported with the army to insure that the queen’s comfort was well maintained.

“Forgive me your Majesty.”  Rogue spoke for the first time, drawing on Kara’s example for addressing the Monarch, “The lesson of death and destruction?  Or perhaps the lesson of fear and uncertainty?  In either case, I think they have had lessons enough.  As have the women and the children.”

“In truth, they have not!”   Hippolyota fumed. At her side, Donna nodded her agreement with her foster-grandmother, her eyes smoldering with hatred.  “They must be taught what it is to arouse the anger of the Amazons!”

Hippolyota leaned forward, her eyes glittering as she regarded the super women seated before her.  A servant hurried forward and quickly refilled the Queen’s cup and then scurried away.  Kara watched the servant with interest, more than willing to let Rogue take the lead for a moment.

“There is no need for us to fight, however.”  The Queen was saying. “We do not make war on children, nor do we make war on sisters, unless those sisters openly side with the men against us.”

“What are you suggesting?”  Rogue demanded, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“That you join with us.”  The Queen was quick to pounce. “Surely you must see that with your power, nothing could stand against us.  We should have this war quickly over and peace returned.”

“At what price?”  Kara spoke for the first time.  She indicated the servant girl. She was not of Mediterranean descent, like a majority of the amazons.  Instead, she seemed to be pure European Caucasian and scared to death. “Don’t you have enough slaves?”  Kara’s tone was harsh now, not at all tinged with the respect with which she had earlier addressed the monarch.  She stood, noting with a slight smile that Rogue rose to her feet at almost the same instant. “Is this what Diana would have wanted?”

“Don’t talk about my mother!”  The young woman with the queen stepped forward now, her hand gripped tightly on the sheathed blade she wore.

“Be quiet, Donna.”  Kara snapped, though her eyes never left those of the Queen.  Startled at being addressed by name by this woman whom she had never met, Donna subsided.

“So the Seeress was correct.”  The Queen took on a thoughtful look.  “You did know my daughter, as it seems you also know my grand daughter.”

“Not really.”  Kara denied. “I knew Wonder Woman in another time and place.  I looked up to her.”  Seeing the look of confusion, Kara tried to clarify a bit. “Where I came from, your daughter was a great heroine, to both men and women.  They called her Wonder Woman.”  She finally turned to Donna. “And Donna was her adopted daughter, a girl with powers of her own.  She took the name of Wonder Girl.”  She smiled slightly at the memory. “There was even a time when she and I could have vied for the same man.”

“This makes no sense.”  The Queen stated, trying to digest all this information. “To my eyes, you look to be younger than my daughter, but not as young as Donna!”

“Time runs different in different places.”  Rogue cut in before Kara could answer. “But that is not the issue here.”

“You are quite right.”  The queen drew herself up. “I have stated what it is that we shall do.  War there shall be.”  She held up a hand before either Kara or Rogue could respond. “Yet this does not mean that there must be war between us.  I see no conflict that lies between us.  I do not ask for your aide in this battle.  I simply ask that you not side against us.”

In the past, Kal had often told Kara there were times when, as super powered beings, they could not interfere in the wars between differing factions.

“We are here for all people, Kara, not just the ones in this particular country.”  He had said.  “If we wish to be effective, we must have the trust of the world.  That is one reason why we stay out of politics.  We can not afford to give even the appearance of partiality.”

Now Kara was wondering if this were not one of those cases.  She was wondering if perhaps they should step back and leave this battle to the combatants.

“We can’t do that.”  Rogue answered the question, giving Kara a worried glance. 

“Rogue is correct, Hippolyota.”  There were indrawn hisses at Kara’s use of the Queen’s name rather than her title. There had been hope in the eyes of the on lookers at Kara’s hesitation, but Rogue’s words and the sudden, stubborn set to Kara’s eyes dashed that hope. “This is our world now.  It is time to start rebuilding. Perhaps, at another time, were the world not in the shape it is in, we would step back, interfering only to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction.  Now, we can’t afford to do that.  You are wrong in trying to punish all men for the actions of a few.”

“Then you shall die right now!”  Before the Queen could stop her, Donna leapt forward, her sword in hand, raised high and slashing downward.  Instinctively, Kara tried to twist out of the path of the sword, though more for the sake of Donna’s sword hand than her own hide.  Her instincts saved her life!

The blade descended and though Donna tried to correct her swing, only the tip scraped against Kara’s cheek, tracing a long, thin line of blood from just below her left eye to her jaw line.

Rogue looked at the cut in shock, though no one noticed.  Several of the Queen’s guard had pushed themselves between them and the infuriated Donna Troy.

“Hold!’  The barked command brought everyone’s attention to the Queen. “Enough, Donna. They came in peace to parley; they must be allowed to leave in peace!  You disgrace me with such a cowardly act!”

Though concerned for the paling Kara, Rogue noticed that the young woman seemed to crumble in on herself, the sword dropping from her fingers, as she turned to kneel at the Queen’s feet. 

With out another word, Rogue led Kara out of the pavilion and together they leapt into the sky.

“I was about to come in after you!”  Lar declared.  He had stayed in position, watching and had started downward as the attack occurred.

“Kara’s hurt!”  Rogue exclaimed, noting that the wound was still bleeding freely. “We’ve got to get her back to the Fortress!”

“No.”  Kara shook her head, closing her hand over the cut in a feeble attempt to staunch the flow of blood. “Let’s get to the Rebel camp.  They’ll have medics there that can at least bandage it and stop the bleeding.”

“I though Kryptonians healed fast!”  Rogue griped. “And how did it cut you to begin with?”  She didn’t wait for an answer before answering it herself. “Magic.  The Sword was enchanted!”

“Yes.”  Kara agreed.  “And that is why it is not healing.  Or rather why it is not healing like it should.”

“This is weird.”

Buddy looked over at the medic working on Kara’s cheek.

“What’s weird?”  He asked, peering over the medic’s shoulder as he quickly and efficiently stitched the gash closed.

“This.”  The medic announced.  “Watch.”  He took the curved needle and punched it through the skin along the edge of the gash, bringing it back out the other side and pulling the stitching material through.  He then picked up another needle.  “Now look at this!”  He picked a point away from the gash and jabbed with the needle, exclaiming when the needle bent then broke.  He then resumed stitching.  “I’ve got to hurry this up.  Its already getting tougher to punch through and pretty soon it will be impossible.”

The trio had arrived at the Rebel camp, Rogue yelling at the top of her lungs for a medic. Rita, seeing the problem, had instantly set off at a run to fetch one while Buddy, the Twins, and Logan gathered around.

While they waited, Buddy led Kara into his CP and made her sit.  He produced a compress from his own first aid kit and pressed it to the still bleeding cut.

“So you can be hurt.”  He whispered.

“I never said I couldn’t.”  Kara responded, wincing as the throbbing pain from the cut became more intense.  She caught the eyes of the twins as they stood in the tent entrance.  She was sure they got the message.  Invulnerability was a myth.  Kryptonians could be hurt; it just took a hell of a lot more power to do it.  That or, as the current circumstances showed, magic.

“You’re going to have a scar.”  The medic announced, tying off the final stitch. “Nothing I can do about that.  But it shouldn’t be more then a thin line.”  He stopped talking and watched, open mouthed, as the bleeding came to a complete stop and the cut seemed to fuse together.

Rogue, seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief.

“The healing is finally kicking in.”  She told Kara.  She touched the cheek lightly. “You have more experience than I do with this sort of thing, but I would say it should be completely healed in a matter of hours.”

“It’ll probably take days before it is fully healed.”  Kara corrected.  ‘And the doctor is right.  Though not for any reason he knows.  Had it been an ordinary cut, it would have healed by this evening and there would be no scar.”

“But because it was magic it will leave a scar?”

“Exactly.”  Kara touched the stitched area gingerly, wincing a bit as she applied pressure.

“This isn’t good, Kara.”  Rouge whispered, taking the blonde’s hand.  “The amazons have magic weapons.  How are these Rebels going to stand up to them?  Hell, how are we going to fight them?”

“The amazons themselves are not magical.  Not really.”  Kara explained.  She removed her leather jacket, grimacing at the clearly visible bloodstains. “The Rebels can fight them.  You also have to understand that there are only a limited number of these Amazons.  Their entire population is probably smaller than three of Buddy’s brigades put together.  So the Rebs already have them outnumbered.  I would say that no more than two-thirds of the population of Paradise Island would qualify as warriors.  And finally, the Rebs have something these Amazons don’t.”

“And just what might that be?”  Buddy asked, breaking in on the conversation. “Frankly, the idea that these ladies have weapons that can hurt you people makes me a bit nervous.  So what is it we have that they don’t?  We need every advantage we can get.”

“Experience.”  Kara answered.  “For all their war games and all their posturing, the Amazons of paradise Isle has not had to fight for thousands of years.  In fact, Diana was the only Amazon to legally leave the island in many hundred years.”  She winced again at the dull throb in her check. “The Rebs, on the other hand, from what you have told us, have been fighting battle after battle for years.  Your have seasoned, experienced troops going up again what are basically green soldiers.  Green in that they have had few opportunities to use those warrior skills they try to hone to razor sharpness.”

“So what you’re telling me is that we are facing an army of extremely highly trained personnel, that have never been tested in true battle.”  Buddy summed it up, his fingers stroking his chin thoughtfully. “It would be foolish to underestimate them…” his eyes gleamed and he turned to Betsy.

“Get on the horn to the Company commanders and have them stand down the artillery.”  He ordered. “We’re going to do this the old fashioned Rebel way.”

“You mean down and dirty guerilla action.”  Betsy nodded, her soldier’s smile promising nothing pleasant to the enemy.”

“Right.  I want the companies broke up into five men squads and sent out.  The order of the day is terror.  I want to put the fear of the Rebels in these ladies hearts.”  He turned to a map and pointed. “Here, here and here. I want hit and run tactics all along this line.  Go in, do damage, and get out.  No heroics, no standing and slugging it out.”  He turned to Kara. “It won’t work with them all, but it will demoralize some.”  He paused, frowning and turned back to Betsy. “They are playing it honorable, so we will too.  Med units and non-combatants to be left alone.   Accept surrenders when possible, if not, leave them.  Let’s not kill them out of hand.”  He raised a finger to make a point. “However, the safety of the mission and our people are paramount.  If you cannot take an enemy prisoner or leave her behind with out jeopardizing the mission or our people, knock her out.  If that won’t solve the problem…” he paused again, as if unwilling to utter the next words.  Still, he was the Commander, and with command came decisions that were unpleasant. “…kill her.”

Betsy nodded and returned to her radio equipment to relay the orders.

“You might want to hold off on that!”

Everyone turned as the tent flap was thrown back and Jennifer Walters and Sherrie Penison were escorted in.

“We’ve got problems.”  Jennifer started right in.  Buddy notice that she addressed her remarks directly to Kara, like a soldier reporting to her commander. “Luthor’s on the move!”

Kara locked eyes with Buddy and they both knew that, however bad things might have been, they just got a lot worse.

End of Chapter 2…Chapter 3 is already in the works…Look for it near the end of  January….if not sooner.

Story written and copyrighted © 2001 by Dylan Clearbrook,

and may not be reprinted without permission.

Lara Night and Sharon Holmes are original creations of Strike-Two © 2001 by Jason Froikin

and may not be used without permission.

Karen and Carrie Zorel-Dox are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook

and may not be used without permission.

Ian and Frost-Fire are original creations of Michael Liebhart

and may not be used without permission.

Buddy Raines and Raines’ Rebels are the property of

W.W. Johnstone and Zebra Books.

Supergirl and some other characters are property of D.C. Comics

Certain characters are property of Marvel Comics