Winds of Change

 Chapter 3:

Out of the Abyss

 

© Jake H.

 

 

“Have you gone out of your damn mind?!”

 

Wanda Williams was not a happy camper.  She had been monitoring the conversation that Katherine Pryde had with Batman.  And true to her fiery nature, had confronted him on the news.

 

“Its bad enough that you associate with them, but to invite them to stay for two weeks?  Why?!”

 

Bruce Wayne let her vent her frustrations before he responded. He was well aware of the tensions and reservations she held against several members of the S.U.S.A., but there was no reason for him not to be cordial.  “Wanda, I have one of two responses for you.  A diplomatic one, and a realistic one.  Which would you prefer?”

 

“Both!”

 

“Okay. If you were in my shoes, who would you rather associate with, Luthor or Peter?”  Bruce folded his hands and leaned against the wall.

 

“Peter of course, but that doesn’t include them!  That son-of-a-bitch KILLED MY HUSBAND!”

 

“I’m assuming that you are referring to Superman?”

 

“Yes!”

 

Bruce stood straight and adjusted his gauntlets.  He was going to do an inspection on the front lines and had gotten into costume.  “Wanda, Kal-El was about my best friend.  I knew him for years.  And one thing I can tell you is that is not him.”

 

“What difference does that make?!  He’ll turn on us all if given a chance!”

 

“Has he given us a reason not to trust him?”

 

Wanda was taken aback by the statement.  “You’re taking him at face value?”

 

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”

 

“Yes!  Kal-El!”

 

“Okay.  Let’s assume for a moment that you are right and he is not to be trusted.  First off, do you not trust me enough to have a contingency against him?”

 

Her silence answered for her, but she went ahead and said it.  “You probably do have a plan for killing him.  Go on.”

 

“You and I want peace for this world, Wanda.  Who do you think is more likely to make peace with us, Zal-El or Luthor?”

 

“The lesser of evils…”

 

“Exactly.  Now who else?”

 

“Katherine Pryde.  That bitch can rot in hell for all I care.”

 

“What did she do to you?”  Bruce asked, unsure of why she held animosity towards her old acquaintance.

 

“She sat on her ass and watched as Superman destroyed my friends, my family, my life!  She was too much of a coward to lend them a hand!  Team Three sat at the compound with their thumbs up their…”  Wanda caught herself before she finished the sentence.  There was no reason to reiterate further.

 

“Why did they do that?”

 

“They were following orders.  James had ordered all teams to maintain the security of Canada, leaving the U.S. to be destroyed by that madman!  Team One told him to screw himself and went anyway.  Including their son.”

 

“And died in the process.”

 

“At Superman’s hands!!”  She bellowed.

 

“We have all seen what happened, Wanda.  Now the question is this: do you have irrefutable facts to this or is it all conjecture?”

 

Wanda turned her head in mock thought.  “Hmmm, let me see, they…NEVER SHOWED UP!  How is that for conjecture?”

 

Sometimes it was hard to argue with her logic, as fundamentally flawed as it was.  Bruce took a deep breath and began walking down the hall.  She fell into step beside him and waited for a response.  “Wanda, I’m not keeping you here.  You have had the choice to come or go as you please.  But for the sake of diplomacy, you need to settle this once and for all.  I have spent time with both of the people you mentioned and found them to be trustworthy and dedicated, if a bit young.”

 

“You can’t possibly ask me to…”

 

“You’re right.  I have no leg to stand on if I ask you.  So I must order it.” Bruce said without breaking his pace.

 

“Bruce…!”

 

“I am not about to let our homeland fall in flames because we did not support one side or another!  And we both know that Luthor was the one that brought this down upon us and we both know it was Luthor who grabbed the opportunity to become a god in the eyes of the people of Metropolis!  He attained insurmountable power, got rid of his enemies, and settled in to take over the world!”

 

“Bruce…”

 

“No!  You listen here Wanda!”  Bruce stopped and glared at the mutant.  “I don’t trust them completely either, but as far as I can see right now, they are doing what they can to curb violence and oppression over there.  But I DO trust Sherri, who has been with them since the beginning, observing them.  When they get here, I want you to talk with her and see what she says.”

 

“We have been talking.  The ceremony is about ready.”

 

If the Batman could have looked surprised, he probably would have. “How much power is needed?”

 

“A lot.”

 

“So we’re going to need them anyway, aren’t we?

 

Nodding, Wanda fell back into step as Bruce continued down the corridor.  “I suppose they will be able to help.”

 

“I’m glad we resolved this, Wanda.  And remember…when you do talk with them, give them the benefit of a doubt, all right?”

 

“Yes, my Lord.  I will…try.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Independence…3 days later.

 

Peter held up his glass of champagne and the remaining members of the leadership of the S.U.S.A. did likewise.  Just yesterday they had ceremoniously buried Colonel Hensley and divided up the remainder of his Brigade into those that had had survived relatively intact.  They heaped upon him great honor in the service of justice and laid him to rest, even though the coffin was empty.

 

But today, the commanders of the military, Alpha Flight and their families celebrated their victory at Ft. Raines. Not just any victory, but a decisive one intent on curbing the hostility that Lex Luthor had assembled against them.  It was just hours ago that Lex had sent word to them, requesting a ceasefire for a matter of three weeks. Since Lex was still a man of his word, hostilities ceased on both sides, giving all parties a long needed chance to rest.

 

“So what is the next step, your Majesty?”  Jim Raynor asked.

 

“Well, I would imagine we will consolidate and prepare for the next phase of this war, whenever it may come.”  Peter said as he finished downing the glass that he had.

 

“The Colonels and I will get started as soon as we can.  In the meantime take this time and relax, my Lord.  You have all earned it.”

 

“Will do, General.”  Peter turned to the leader of Alpha Flight who stood by her fiancé.  It hadn’t been easy to find Zal among the rubble, and once again, Sherri was proven right, having to dispel the magic that prevented his healing and suppressed his invulnerability.  When that was done, his wounds closed quickly and his stamina restored.  “What are your plans for the time we’ve been given?”

 

Kitty smiled and held her love close.  “We have all been invited to Doomstad.”

 

Peter placed his glass down and leaned over the table.  “Katherine, why in the world would I want to go to Doomstad to spend this ‘vacation’?”

 

“I thought you might want to attend our wedding, Pete.”

 

The room went silent. All eyes went to the couple. Apparently the secret had been well kept and the pleasant shock hung in the air like a thick smoke.  Expecting Peter to say something, it really didn’t surprise anyone when Sherri spoke her mind.

 

“Well, it’s about time you two.  You have been dodging around that subject for a year now.  I for one was wondering if it was ever going to happen.”

 

Hope stepped forward, giddy as a schoolgirl.  “Hey Kat, do you mind if we do the same?”  Her hand held Brian’s close by.  “We have been looking for the opportunity to do that very thing ourselves.”

 

“I can’t see why not.  Bruce is actually preparing his chapel for a traditional wedding, but Zal and I have decided on a Kryptonian hand fasting.  He will have all that set up just ready for you to use anyway, so be our guest.”

 

“Sounds great, chief.”  Brian remarked with joy.  “Looks like there’s a good party ahead of us.”

 

Alicia Sullivan raised her glass to gather attention.  “Your Majesty, I think it will be okay here without you.  I, Jim, Tom and Steve will be able to handle things here for a couple weeks.  You haven’t stepped back from your duties in years.”

 

Peter grinned and nodded in agreement.  “Okay, okay.  We’ll go along with it.  When did you want to leave?”

 

Sherri looked at Zal-El for a moment and shrugged.  “Bruce is expecting us by dinner, so if we use a sub-orbital hop like we did last time, we can be there in a matter of minutes.  I have the shield clearance ready to go.”

 

Clapping his hands together, Lord Parker could barely contain himself.  “Then go pack for a vacation, and congratulations on the fine work that everyone has accomplished in the past few months.”

 

As Zal and Kitty were walking back to the apartment building that they and the rest of Alpha Flight shared, they enjoyed each other’s company in silence.  It was only when they walked into Zal’s apartment and heard the panic alarm going off on his terminal did they speak.

 

“What in Rao’s name?” Zal exclaimed as he rushed to see the alert.

 

Kitty looked at her soon to be husband with worry. “What is it, darling?”

 

Zal stood and divested himself of his civilian garb, leaving him in uniform once again.  “Someone has broken into the Fortress.  I have to go check it out.”  He was halfway to his patio door when he turned back.  “Do you want to come?”

 

In a moment, Kitty had also changed into her suit and together they took off into the morning sky.  Wrapping her in his cape to help protect Kitty from the force of his flight, Zal took her into his arms and accelerated instantly to several times the speed of sound, crossing the 850 miles in a matter of minutes.

 

As the couple landed at the door, Zal reached for the panel and allowed the computer to recognize him.  It did so instantly and spoke.  “Intruder alert.  Breach within lower levels of the complex.  Internal Security bypassed.”

 

“Shit. Computer…who bypassed security functions?”

 

“The program Jor-El bypassed security 42 seconds after the breach.”

 

Zal turned to his love and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Be prepared for a fight.  We have something that can hack the Crystal Mind.”

 

“Honey, you really need to learn to trust me a bit more.  I am a big girl and can handle myself.”  Kitty said lovingly.

 

“Sorry, dear. I’ll try.”  Turning back to the door, Zal opened it and entered into the kitchen area.  Nothing seemed to be disturbed until he saw a fresh pot of coffee brewing on the range.

 

Kitty also saw and reached into the sink finding two still-warm mugs multiplied their confusion.  Continuing into the main living area, the sounds of faint voices drifted down the hall from his personal quarters.  Motioning to Kitty that he had located the intruders, they both lifted off the floor and floated quietly down the hall. Just as they were about to charge the room, a very familiar voice called out.

 

“Don’t you even think about charging us, Zal-El!”

 

Opening the door to confirm his suspicions, Superman was quite pleased with the occupants of the room.  “Kara! Rogue!  When did you get here?”  He landed softly on the ground and took his sisters into his arms.

 

“We got here a couple of hours ago.  Since we knew Jor-El had tripped the alarm, it made no sense to try and track you down.”  Kara reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek with Rogue following suit behind her.

 

The red-headed Kryptonian released her adopted brother.  “Yeah, we knew you would come and investigate, so we waited.”

 

Kitty stood back and smiled at the impromptu family reunion before Kara gave her a hug as well.  “How are you doing Katherine?”

 

“Just fine.  But what brings you back to our world?”

 

Kara glanced back at her sister and lover and cringed slightly.  They both knew she would not be happy, but their need was too great not to proceed.  “We came to borrow Zal and Sherri.  We need them for a while.”

 

Kitty laced her fingers together and sat down on the bed. “No.”

 

The two Kryptonian women just stared at the leader of Alpha Flight.  “Katherine, I don’t understand.”  Rogue pleaded.  “We are in a bad way here.  We are talking about inter-probability war.”

 

“Rogue, I am sorry.  We are in the lull in this world’s war right now.  It started months ago and we just got out of a battle just a couple days ago, ourselves.”

 

Kara turned to her lover and shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t matter right this moment anyway. We still need to figure out why we lost contact with Multiverse.” Turning to her brother, Superwoman laid a hand on his shoulder. “Do you know where Sherri is? I think she may be the only one who can tell us what is going on over there.”

 

Katherine grinned as she heard the words. “Sure, Kara. She is going to be in the same place that our wedding preparations are being worked on.”

 

Realization dawned on the two Kryptonian women.  As they glanced at each other, grins spread across their faces.  Kara stood and took Kitty’s hands into her own. “You should have said something.”

 

“So…” Rogue drawled as she addressed her adopted brother. “…You finally broke down and asked her. We were wondering when that would happen.”

 

All of the joy drained out of Superman’s face as he regarded her. “Rogue, who told you that we were that serious? You haven’t been around the both of us that much in quite a while.”

 

“Zal, as smart as you are supposed to be, sometimes you are kinda dense.” Kara said as they all migrated to the living room. “The way you acted around her, the way she acted around you…the pheromones you were putting off made it hard to concentrate at times. It was obvious.”

 

“Okay, okay. So you knew I have loved her for some time now. But that being beside the point, we need to get you ready.”

 

“C’mon,” Kitty said as she led the women to her old room in the fortress.  “You two can borrow some of my normal clothes.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because we have to go to Latveria.”

 

Both women froze in place.  “LATVERIA?!”  They said in unison.

 

Zal came up behind them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.  He caught what his soon-to-be wife was doing and played right into it.  “That’s right.  I figure you two might want to meet Bruce Wayne while you are here.”

 

Kara again stood in shock, her jaw dropping.  Rogue wasn’t any different, knowing who Bruce was in many different dimensions.  “What is Bruce Wayne doing in Latveria?”

 

Kitty almost couldn’t contain herself from laughing, but it was too fun watching their reactions.  “Well, actually he is like the Lord of all Europe right now…oh, and he and Sherri I believe are lovers.  No confirmation on that yet.”

 

“What the hell has been going on here since we left?”

 

Finally unable to contain their laughter, Zal and Kitty broke down, almost collapsing into their arms.  “I’ll explain on the way back to New Independence.  We’ll take it at the best speed Kitty can handle so we have a bit more time to fill you two in.”

 

Several hours later, Kara and Rogue sat in Zal’s den as Sherri briefed them on the bad news. She had sat in a mystical trace while the three Kryptonians along with Peter and Katherine caught up on current events. It took a few moments for Sherri to snap out of such an in-depth spell.

 

“Well, I have good news and bad news,” she said finally.

 

Kara groaned inwardly. “Alright. What’s the bad news?”

 

Sherri downed the snifter of brandy that had been brought before answering. “It looks like you two will have to stay here for about nine or ten days.”

 

Rogue bolted up to her feet at the news. “No, by Rao! We are expecting an invasion within hours! We can’t afford not to be there!”

 

Sherri sighed and pointed at the younger woman. “Rogue, will you relax and sit your butt down? I said I had good news also.”

 

“But she’s right, Sherri. We have to be there,” Kara spoke with concern.

 

“And we all will be,” Fate countered. “You see…there is a bit of a time flux between our two worlds right now. Probably some minor after effect from the Ripple.”

 

“How bad of a time flux?” Katherine asked.

 

“As I said…nine or ten days will pass here in Otherverse…while no more that five or six seconds will pass in the Multiverse. After that, I would say that it will stabilize and there won’t be too much more of this.”

Understanding dawned on the Kryptonian women. This trip had proven to be more valuable that they had originally anticipated. Kara looked at her sister. “Vacation?”

 

Rogue retorted. “Vacation!”

 

“Wedding?” Zal asked.

 

Both women regarded their much larger brother. “We wouldn’t miss it for all the tea in China.”

 

Barely able to hold his straight face, Superman couldn’t help but goad them. “Rogue, there is no tea in China, remember?”

 

As she was about to counter him, the joke hit her and instead of smiling, her eyes narrowed and she stuck out her tongue.

 

Sherri threw up her hands and rolled her eyes. “I swear you three are as bad as toddlers sometimes!”

 

Later that evening, the entire hierarchy of the Southern United States sat around the Batman’s table as they all caught up on past events and introductions. Bruce was glad to be able to host not one but two weddings, and had Alfred begin work on the details. After a couple of hours, and casual conversation later, he was able to field a comment that stunned the entire room.

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I have acquired the means to strip Lex Luthor of his immortality.”

 

Nobody spoke.

 

Peter was the first to gather enough air in his lungs to respond. “Bruce, I haven’t really seen you as a man who would joke about something like this, so please tell me you’re not.”

 

“I’m not joking.  An associate of mine has developed a probability/magical ceremony to unravel the effects of the book that he used in the first place. It will take the better part of a day to complete and will take the participation of most of you—considering the raw power that must be shaped in order to dismantle so powerful a spell.”

 

“So when do you want to do this?”  Kara asked patiently.

 

“Before you have to leave with two of the more powerful people we have available to us, Superwoman.  But well after the weddings and receptions.  I believe the ladies would be most disagreeable to having those times interrupted.

 

“Agreed, Lord Wayne.”

 

Standing, the Batman raised his glass in salute.  “To peace.”

 

The room echoed the gesture.  “To peace.”

 

 

 

 

In the sands of the Sinai desert, the last piece finally came back together. The physical form was now complete after months of grueling torture.  The one that had scattered the pieces had almost destroyed him, but once again, Arakis, the Demigod of Destruction was alive.

 

Omega sat up and looked around.  He lay in the middle of the old military base he had used to ambush the powerful mortals after he had awoken earlier.  His near omniscient mind replayed the events again.  He had made one simple mistake: Arakis underestimated the mortal opposition.  He knew now that would not happen again.

 

The spell that he had infused the boy with had also been dispelled and he was no longer under his control.  Revenge was now the best course of action.  But before he could attack again, he had to feed.  All of his energy had gone into bringing himself back together, so he reached out with his senses and felt the area for any sign of life that he could consume.

 

There, miles to the north he could feel what he needed. It was paltry, but sufficient to start him back on the journey.  As he extended his senses, he halted abruptly. Just beyond his inner sight he could feel the presence of the one that had defeated him…plus more.  The combined life energy was immense, so great that it made his mouth water for a taste. But that is not what attracted his attention.

 

“Olympus.”  The demigod breathed.  “They stir. It will not be long now that the land will once again be roamed by gods.”  Omega smiled evilly and began walking.  “Excellent.  When I draw from their power, I shall be invincible.”

 

Meanwhile, several thousand miles away, Thor rose from his throne.  When his high priest noticed that his god had stirred, he came rushing.

 

“My Lord, what may I do for you?”

Thor looked beyond reality and into the realm that only gods or greater could transcend to.  He watched as Arakis rose and began to feed.  He saw as he began to make his way to his land…the people he protected.  “It is time.”

 

“Time for what, my Lord?”

 

Grabbing Mjolnir from its resting place, the God of Thunder turned his attention to his priest.  “I told you once that my people would need me.  The time has come that I join in battle that cannot be fought by mortal hands, for his power is too great.”

 

The high priest was confused.  “I don’t understand my, Lord.  Whom are you going to fight?”

 

“An old Egyptian god…one even older than I.  I shall stop him as he reaches the isle that you call Crete.  There the clash of the titans shall take place.”

 

The priest knelt at his feet.  “Then we shall pray for you, my Lord.”

 

Exiting the building unceremoniously, Thor stood at the entrance of the makeshift temple and swung his hammer hard.  Instead of releasing it in an attack, he held on and it tore him from the ground, sending him towards his enemy.  Although being a god, he could have easily manifested the ability to fly under his own power, but that type of concentration could not be used at this point. He would need all his power to defeat Omega.

 

Once Omega had finished his meal of the tribe of Bedouins, he looked to the north still, to the lands of the Egyptian’s former slaves, the Jews.  He had seen long before the coming of their god that they would not be held under the sway of their mortal masters for long.  By the time it had happened though, he had been imprisoned by his own clerics and slept though their exodus from those lands.

 

But today Arakis smiled at their fate. They had been struck down by one of Apocalypses’ generals, Pestilence. They were now a sickly lot, not even worthy of making them a meal. Instead, Omega turned to the northwest to an island. There were settlements there, rich animal life as well. He would be able to recover some of his power there, enough to be prepared for the arrival of the gods of the Greeks.

 

Using but a morsel of his newly acquired energy, Omega shifted his physical presence to the southern shores of the island, right in the middle of a group of fishermen getting ready to sail with the tide.  They rightfully cowered in fear and with but a thought, he drained their lives into himself.

 

“Ah…a fine meal indeed,” he cried out as he relished in his depravity.  Extending his senses out, he pinpointed every source of nourishment on the island.  Only then had he sensed the movement in the ethereal plane.  Another god approached from the northwest.  Omega snarled as he detected the amount of power this god had, knowing that for time being, it was greater than the power he currently wielded.

 

Seeing that Thor was intent on attacking him, Arakis stretched out his arms and drew all the surrounding energy he could find.  Man, beast, fish, plant life…even the bacteria in the soil and air, all gave up their life force to fuel the Demigod of Destruction. He had just finished his feeding frenzy when the God of Thunder drew close, landing close to his nemesis.

 

“What have you done?!”  Thor bellowed at the sight of the scoured land.  He had seen depravity before from his brother Loki, but even he was not capable of such atrocity in this magnitude.

 

“Get out of my way Thunder God, unless you wish to feel my power directed at you as well.”  Omega glowed briefly as he readied himself for battle.

 

“Nay! I shall see you thrown from the shore of my home.  These are my people and you shall not have their lives!”  Raising Mjolnir in a threatening manner, Thor took a few steps forward.

 

Omega held out a hand, and with a flick of his wrist, a khopesh appeared in his hand.  “I can just as easily summon a weapon to myself, Thor.  Do not think just because nobody else can wield that hammer, does that make it unique!”

 

“We shall see!”  Thor was never one to mince words when a blow from his mighty hammer could just as easily speak for him.  He swung the weapon in a great arc, a blow ready to smash even the mystic energies of another god.

 

Arakis was no fool in the ways of combat.  He brought his sword of ancient design into a blocking position and allowed Mjolnir to impact it.  As his blade shattered from the impact, both gods were thrown apart from the cataclysmic force of the blow. They recovered quickly, circling each other, until they joined in battle again.

 

 

 

 

Kara had been helping Kitty fit herself in the traditional robes of a Kryptonian wedding. She was more than happy for her brother and soon to be sister-in-law.  She knew that Zal had been putting off this ceremony to make sure that he was not simply grasping at his past with the Katherine Pryde of that alternate universe that she and Rogue had stolen him from.  Just as the thought passed through her mind, her sister and lover stepped into the room.

 

“Hey, Zal’s outside wanting to know if he can come in.” Rogue handed Kitty the hairpiece that she had been working on all morning, despite her super-speed.

 

“Absolutely not!”  She cried.  “It’s bad luck if the groom sees the dress before the wedding.”

 

Kara giggled at the old Earth superstition.  “Kitty, that’s more of an Earth custom. Plus this is more of a kimono than a dress.”

 

From out in the hall, the three women heard Superman clear his throat.  “Plus darling, I could always just peer through the wall and take a look.”

 

“You just try it buster and I’ll have your sisters beat you senseless!”

 

Kara called out towards the hallway.  “Sounds like a bride’s decision, Zal.  I wouldn’t push her if I were you.”

 

“I won’t.  I was just wondering if you could hold the fort.  I’ve got to run some errands for the wedding, but I shouldn’t be gone more than a half-hour.”

 

Unbeknownst to Zal, the three women stopped and just stared towards the hall. They almost couldn’t believe that he had even mentioned leaving to do work.  “You can’t stand still for anything can you, darling?”

 

“Hey, c’mon.  This has a direct link to the wedding.  It’s not work, but the bride can’t know about it yet, if you catch my meaning.”

 

“Okay, okay. I understand.”  Kitty heard the swish of his cape against the wall as he turned to leave.  She waited for a moment, knowing that he might be slightly embarrassed at saying it in front of his sisters.

 

“Kitten,” he finally said.  “I love you.”

 

“I love you too, baby.”

 

Kara exchanged a knowing glance at her lover, and Rogue grinned.  They both knew they would be happy together and given the time they could participate, would do everything they could to make it perfect for both of them.  “Hey Zal, before you go…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Could you perhaps pick up a gallon of milk on your way back?”  Rogue and Kitty laughed at the little joke as they imagined the look on his face.  “Also we need a loaf of bread and pick up a good movie, something appropriate.”

 

“By Rao, I swear,” they heard him mutter half under his breath as he walked away. “…Of all the people you could have stuck me with for family…”

 

“I heard that!”  Rogue called out, unable to contain her laughter any longer.  The women had a good laugh at his expense and were still exchanging what they each knew about him when the sensitive ears of the Kryptonians heard the thunderclap.

 

Both froze in place until they heard another.  Zeroing in on the direction, they were out of the room in a flash and in the sky towards the sound. It did not take them long to see Zal as he curved his flight path back to meet them.

 

“What was it?”  Kara asked as she approached her adopted brother.

 

Shrugging, Zal continued his flight path, following the echoing sounds as they grew louder and louder.  Rogue and Kara fell into a formation on either side of him.  Soon, they passed the Grecian isles and continued south.  As they approached the island of Crete, they began to feel the shockwaves of the source of the thunderbolts.

 

The three Kryptonians slowed their flight as they noticed the devastation that had occurred.  Nothing was left.  Absolutely nothing.  The ground was bare of any plant, building or mark.  Sand stretched as far as they could see normally. Around the shores of the island the corpses of millions of fish were floating upon the waves.

 

“What’s happened here?”  Rogue asked just before they were all hit with another shockwave.  They ignored the question for a moment and traced the sound back to its source.  When they found it, all three hovered in the air, unsure of what to do next.

 

“Thor,” Rogue said to nobody in particular.

 

“Omega,”  Zal countered.  The women glanced nervously at each other.  Any being that could practically kill a Kryptonian and then survive being disintegrated to come back and fight another god so soon was not to be trifled with.

 

“What do you want to do, Zal?”

 

“We help,” he responded without delay.  “Use your heat vision, it hurts him.”

 

The three dove to aid the God of Thunder but were stopped abruptly by a vaporous manifestation that appeared in front of them.  “Stop.  This fight is not yours.”

 

“What do you mean?”  Kara asked as it formed into the likeness of Thor.  “Do you not need our help?”

 

“As powerful as you are, none of you have the capability to fight Arakis on all the levels that are needed.  Only a god or greater has the ability to damage him, to drive him back.”

 

Superman was taken aback.  He understood now why he had no chance of defeating the monster in the first place even though their fight had seemed even at the time.  But what had him awed was the fact that Matt Brody had stopped Omega.

 

“Paradox,” he whispered.

 

The apparition nodded slowly.  “He is the only one among you with the power to fight one such as Arakis.  He just does not have the ability to perceive the potential within his form yet.”

 

Rogue turned the conversation towards the massive destruction and deceased victims they had seen.  “What happened to the inhabitants here?  The trees, the fish?”

 

“He has consumed their energy to fuel his power.  He is just beginning to realize that he has no chance of winning on my home soil, just as I would have little chance of doing the same on his.  Here we are closely matched, but my followers lend me strength while his diminishes.  He will soon retreat anyway.”

 

“So what can we do?”

 

“You all have a part to play in the events transpiring across many universes.  This is not an isolated event.  The being from Qward attacks where he can, and where he cannot, he manipulates those like Apocalypse to do his bidding.  Henceforth a Continuum-wide War is upon us.  Omega has inadvertently taken the role of an opposing pawn, as I have.”

 

Another shockwave washed over the trio as the physical form of Thor stuck again with his hammer.  Arakis threw a purplish bolt of power over the God of Thunder.  Predictably, the two blows seemed to strike defenses and glance away, as they had since they started the battle.

 

Zal flew around his sisters’ side so he could address the manifestation of the god. “So you are telling me this is nothing more than a chess game?”

 

“Of sorts.  You each have taken on roles of pawns in the game as well, or perhaps knights, or mayhap the King or Queen.”

 

“You mean, even as a god, you don’t know?”  Rogue asked suspiciously.

 

“Only time will tell, offworlder.  Nobody can see past a decision they have yet to make, much less understand the consequences of.  Not even the gods.”

 

Kara turned to her family.  The expression she wore was not a pleasant one.  “This is going deeper than we could have imagined.  These results will play a role in our lives forever. I think I see that now.”

 

“Go back to the home of Lord Wayne.  You shall remain under my protection as long as you are here.  Utilize the rest that you have earned.”

 

Seeing no reason to argue, the Kryptonians turned about and flew back to the north, leaving the gods to duel.

 

On the ground, the realization that he had fought as long as he could pervaded Arakis’ thoughts.  There was no life that he could draw upon to unbalance the battle with the Thunder God, and his foes’ followers were feeding him the needed power to keep him off European soil.

 

It was time to retreat.

 

“This is not over, Thor!  I shall return stronger than ever and we shall see who will have the upper hand then!”

 

“You are welcome to try again, but know that others will wake soon.  Keep to your tomb, Omega.  It is the only place you have.”  The God of Thunder observed the Demigod of Destruction as he faded from the physical world, sending himself back to the shores of Africa through the flow and eddies of the ethereal plane.

 

 

 

 

Sherri sat across from Wanda Williams for the fourteenth hour in a row.  The two women were absolutely essential in this ceremony to rob Lex Luthor of his immortality. Sherri, being the most powerful magic user on the planet at the time had elected to become the channel for the magic that would actually unravel the spell itself.

 

Wanda on the other hand was the key.  Being untouched by the corruption of the shard, she was born with the mutant ability to alter probabilities.  Small changes always did what she wanted, but the larger the change, the more likely that the random factor of probability would pervert her intentions.  Hers was the job to open the way for Sherri’s magic to do its work, but she would need power that was beyond her in order to control the chances that her abilities would not go haywire at the wrong moment.

 

That is where the greed of Dr. Doom had finally found its use.  In the beginning of the last war, Doom had traveled the world collecting great works of art, items of cultural significance, and items of magical power.  The Entropy Rift was one such item. Supposedly first created by Circe thousands of years ago, the deceivingly small amulet was designed to eat the negative energies that she produced when doing what she called ‘vulgar magic’.

 

Now it would do the same, but in a slightly different manner.  Instead of absorbing the negative effects of the spell (considering that the entire purpose was negative), it would eat the negative feedback of Wanda’s power, allowing her to change massive probabilities with no side affects.

 

But there was a problem with the entire scenario, and both women knew it.  They could put aside their feelings of hate for the man who they both now knew was directly responsible for the state of affairs in Otherverse, but Wanda held a long-standing grudge that had to be dealt with.  It was occupying her thoughts way too much and there were times she could not concentrate.

 

“You three are going to have to sit down and talk about it Wanda.”  Sherri said as they paused for a drink of water.  The ceremony was exhausting both mentally and physically and they had barely been out of the room in two days.

 

“I know, I know,” the mutant sighed.  The last thing she wanted to do was confront Zal and Kitty.  “But how do you lay down the feelings of those that persecuted your entire life?  She cost me most of my friends and he…he cost me my family!  My husband, my brother…any chance that I might hold mine and Simon’s child in my arms, to see that child grow.  He took my husband!”

 

Sherri went over and held the mutant close as she wept.  She figured that Wanda had seen things closer than most of the world, being the wife of Wonderman, as she herself was a teacher at James and Heather Hudson’s Alpha Flight compound.  “Wanda, you know as well as I do that Zal-El is not the one who killed Simon.  He wasn’t even in the universe at the time…and neither was Kara or Rogue or any of the rest of them.”

 

“But he is the same man!” she cried.

 

“No…and cut that out.  You know better!”  Sherri tried to take a firmer stance on the subject.  She helped the redhead into a chair and poured her another glass of water.  “You have to be able to face your fears, Wanda.”

 

“That’s why I think I never got put on a team.  I had a lot of problems dealing with fear of what I could possibly do and James thought that could be a liability in the field.”  Wanda took a sip and wiped her eyes of tears.

 

“And I assure you, once you talk with them, you will feel a lot better.”  Sherri said with a warm smile.

 

Wanda’s expression spoke for her.  They rose and left the chamber that had been readied for the ceremony and made their way to Bruce’s office.  He would know where to find the couple and a private place to talk.

 

An hour later the four met in the north tower sunroom, the highest point of the castle that overlooked the entire grounds of the estate and well into Doomstad itself.  As Wanda sat down, she couldn’t bring herself to look Kitty or Zal in the face.  She did however motion Sherri away, who left reluctantly.

 

The Kryptonian and his fiancée were silent as they wondered why Wanda had requested to speak to them alone.  She had been avoiding them as well as she could, and the times she couldn’t, had been most hostile with her words and mannerisms.  He heard her heartbeat racing and could see the beads of sweat begin to form on her brow.  Zal-El felt uncomfortable for the first time when she calmed herself and looked at him.

 

“I’ll start with you, Superman.”

 

“You have my undivided attention, Wanda.”

 

“I have been trying to come to terms with the fact that you are not the man who ripped my life apart.  It has been hard to make that distinction, I’m sure you understand.”

 

Zal forced his features to remain neutral.  He knew that Kara had also had a hard time making that distinction when she had first kidnapped him.  It had taken a while for her to throw it aside completely.  “Yes, I understand all too well.”

 

“I am requesting for you to simply give me time to sort out my emotions on the subject, nothing more. I…I think I can try to put aside the past…if you are willing to give me a little space.”  Zal could tell that she was forcing the words out, either from emotional pain or simply a psychological battle.

 

“I would like to become your friend, Wanda.  There are very few that I want to call my enemy, and most here can agree on those same people.”

 

She didn’t understand why, but that thought made her feel better.  Perhaps it was the fact that he was right.  His enemies and Bruce’s enemies were often one and the same, and they were both working for the same thing…world peace.  Turning to the woman at his side, her heart went a bit colder.  In a way, what Katherine had done was a lot worse that what Kal-El did.

 

“Katherine, we have known each other for many years. I remember the day you joined Alpha Flight and remember having you as a student in my trigonometry class.  I remember when you were selected for Team 3, and I remember being proud of you.”

 

“Thank you, Wanda.”

 

“Don’t thank me. Not until you have heard me out.”  Wanda could feel the tension between them and moved quickly to explain.  “You knew what was taking place in Albany, didn’t you?”

 

Kitty shot a nervous glance at Zal.  “Yes…we did know.  We also knew about what Steve, Hercules, Simon, Clara and Dane were planning to do.”

 

That comment surprised Wanda.  “You knew about the breakaway?”

 

“Of course. I for one agreed with your decision.  America did need its own team.”

 

“Then if you agreed with us, then why couldn’t you have loosened up?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“You knew the odds! You knew they had only a slim chance of stopping them all. Yet you and the rest of your team followed orders and stayed at the complex…and watched as Superman tore Team 1 apart!”  Wanda was almost standing again in a half-rage at just having to relive those memories again.

 

Kitty knew that she didn’t want to provoke her old teacher and kept still and unthreatening.  “You’re right.  We were ordered to stay out of it.  But that’s not where it ended.”

 

Wanda looked down at her fellow mutant before sinking back down in her chair.  “What do you mean?”

 

Kitty sat back and grabbed Zal’s hand tightly. “With a unanimous vote, about half of Team 3 went to help them out, the other half went to help Team 2.  If memory serves correctly, Team 2 was already engaged in battle elsewhere against another group of Superman’s metas.”

 

“You went to help them?”

 

“Yes, Wanda.  We all told James and Heather to stuff it and I personally commandeered a Quinjet.”

 

Wanda’s eyes lit up in amazement. “You were the pilot for that team, I remember now. What happened?”

 

“That’s where my nightmares began.  I tracked something aggressive coming in on radar.  When it struck the fuel pod, the whole craft went down in flames, with everybody on board.  If I hadn’t phased, I would have died along with everyone else.”  She looked up at her love before she continued.  “When I reached the ground, I started looking for survivors.  I had managed to pull Steel from the wreckage.  He was hurt badly...a broken back, but I wasn’t sure.  It was then that I was thrown away from the wreckage.  Once again, if I hadn’t phased, I would have been splattered.”

 

“Who threw you?”

 

“Superman did.”  Kitty looked away from the table, her face belying the pain of having to relive memories like Wanda was now.

 

Zal looked down at his fiancée.  In all the time he had known her, she had never mentioned this once.  Wanda too seemed surprised at the revelation, but motioned for her to go on.

 

“He took perverse pleasure in finishing Steel off in front of me, knowing there was nothing I could do to stop him.  He told me the next time we met that he would ‘end my miserable existence’.  That’s when he left and went to Albany, and the rest is history as they say.”

 

“Kitty, I didn’t know that your trusting me was such a leap of faith.”  Superman said finally.

 

Katherine smiled and held his hand tighter.  “Now you know why I was carrying Kryptonite when we first met.  I was scared of you, Zal.  I hope you see why I had a good reason to be.”  She turned back to Wanda who had felt the sudden tension between the couple.  “Wanda, I understand now why you are upset with me.  I could have followed him…I could have helped out…and I would have died.  I can only hope that my actions since I have restarted the team have made up for my indecision at that moment.”

 

Wanda hid her face behind her hands. Miserable, she wanted to scream, to find release and relief.  But at last she had found closure on at least one door of pain in her life.  Sherri had been right…she would feel better after this.  “Kitty, I have to apologize.  I never knew any of that.  I’ve been under the assumption that you survived all these years because you were a traitor to America, either that or a complete coward.  Now I know different.”

 

The two women rose and shook hands. “Wanda, I’ll never let America down, I swear on my life…never.”

 

Not wanting for them to see her emotional state, she motioned for them to head downstairs as she was wiping her eyes.  “Then c’mon.  Let’s go give Luthor back his fear of death.  He has been undefeatable for way too long.”

 

 

 

 

Seven hours later, everyone was absolutely exhausted.  It had taken everything they had to sustain the power levels needed to maintain Wanda’s control over that magnitude of probability.

 

Solitare had succeeded in channeling her psychic power along with Katherine’s, Exodus’, Legion’s and Bruce’s into the Entropy Rift.  Kara, Rogue, and Zal had bombarded it with tight beams of heat vision, and yet the amulet gobbled up the power.

 

The four teenagers that each commanded one of the elements also poured their power into the mix, although it wasn’t as refined as the more experienced members of the group.  Yet their assistance was necessary.

 

Frostfire, and Syren both poured their energy into the small icon of power, while Artemis and Paradox combined their might against the Rift. It wasn’t the point of actually unleashing the power, but having to maintain it as Sherri weaved the magic that would begin the process of unwinding the defenses the immortality spell had erected.  Slight nudges from Wanda also helped, but the hours wore on and on.

 

Every once in a while, one person would have to fall out to rest for a few minutes, but was back and contributing as soon as possible.  The only thing that had gone wrong with the entire process is that with a slip of targets, Sherri had indeed allowed Lex to know exactly what they were doing, and the magicks that were put to bear to counter her efforts were great indeed.  But by the time Lex’s mages had begun to replace the defenses, it was too late.  The final effect was akin to Sherri pulling the stopper from a sink allowing the magic to drain away.  She felt as the competition tried to stem the flow of loss, but she figured they would not be able to hold it in place long.  The spell was broken and now nothing would bring it back.

 

Zal, Kara, and Rogue sat quietly in the arboretum that night.  They were the only ones not completely drained by the ceremony and had not fallen to sleep as soon as it was over.  In fact, they had taken each person to their quarters and laid them down.  Thankfully, their bodies absorbed so much energy from the sun that they were not adversely affected, so they enjoyed the quiet and allowed Alfred to cater to their needs of coffee.

 

“Zal, there has been one thing kinda bothering me between you and Kitty.  I know it’s not really any of my business, but I am concerned for her...and you.”  Rogue broke the long silence of wind through the trees.

 

“What’s that Sis?”

 

“When you were married the first time, how did you and that Kitty…you know…become intimate without your hurting her?”

 

Kara was aghast.  Despite the fact that Kryptonians had less social problems with the subject than humans did, they all still lived amongst them.  “Rogue! That’s none of our business.”

 

“What?  I said that I had no real place asking, I was just curious.  We have a family…what if he wants one?”

 

Superman’s eyebrow raised like Leonard Nimoy’s had done many times in a late 60’s TV show.  “It’s okay Kara.  It doesn’t bother me.  Rogue…I was very careful.  It was difficult to maintain control at times, but it was worth it.”

 

“So you were never able to just let yourself relax and enjoy the moment?  I mean…Kara and I don’t have to fear hurting one another, so it’s a lot more enjoyable.  What are you going to do with Katherine?”

 

Again, Kara was amazed that her brother and her lover were actually having this conversation.  This time, however, she simply remained quiet so as to see where the questions would lead.  Rogue had a good point.  There was little chance that Rogue could hurt her or vice versa when they were intimate, but her brother was a different story.

 

Zal sipped his coffee as he broke into a wolfish grin.  “Kitty’s a bit tougher this go around.  But I will still need to maintain control at all times.  It will again be one of the drawbacks between an interspecies marriage.  Unfortunately, ladies, if you don’t mind, it is getting rather late.  But I enjoyed my little bachelor party with you two.  I’ll see you in the morning.”  And with that he strolled out, shaking his head.

 

Rogue stood and sat next to her lover and leaned back against her. She listened as Zal entered his quarters, undressed and laid down.  In minutes he was fast asleep.  That’s what she had been waiting for.  “Kara…I know it’s not our place to interfere, but I had an idea for a wedding present for the both of them.”

 

Kara’s skepticism could be felt permeating the air.  “What did you have in mind, Rogue?”

 

She listened intently on her lovers plan for a gift that would last them the rest of their lives.  Although it stretched the limits on what one should give at a wedding, it was a sound gift idea.  “Okay. In the morning, you go find two pieces of gold and shape them. I will talk to Sherri about doing the rest.”

 

 

 

 

 

The reception already done for both weddings, Batman and Superman had retired to a changing room to get Zal ready for his wedding at dusk.  Since the ceremony was very private, both during and afterward, it made sense to hold the festivities beforehand rather than try and change the ancient custom.

 

“How do you feel Zal?”

 

“I’m scared.”

 

Batman chuckled at the younger man’s reaction. He had felt the same way when he had married Selina Kyle years ago, and despite the final outcome of that relationship, liked remembering their fondest moments.  It was nearing dusk, the time that they had selected for their ceremony.  Just hours ago, Hope and Brian had tied their matrimonial knot in the castle’s chapel.

 

And even as romantic as that type of wedding was, Bruce admitted that the much more simplistic version that Kryptonians preferred was nothing to balk at.  Although they would entertain guests, as you would see in any other wedding, Zal and Kitty wanted this.

 

“You were married once before, weren’t you?”

 

Superman never looked up from donning the knee high, supple leather boots.  The entire ensemble was done in shimmering white, from the boots to the breeches and the flowing sleeveless overcoat.  Since this was not his first marriage, he wore black trim on the interior of the coat, signifying such.  “Yes, but that was a church wedding like Artemis’ and Exodus’ wedding.  This is something I thought I may never see.”

 

“Are you ready for this?”

 

After a silent moment to ponder the question, Zal looked into the mirror, catching Bruce’s gaze.  It was as if he were looking into his own heart, seeing what lay deep down in the hidden part of his emotions.  “I love her, Bruce.”

 

“All you need is love…everything else will always work out.”

 

Rogue stuck her head in the doorway, peeking at who was inside.  Seeing only those two she came in wearing a similar costume to Zal’s only hers had long sleeves that fit tight over her arms.  “Hey…you about ready?  The sun is almost at the horizon.”

 

Standing and smoothing the wrinkles out of his kimono, Zal strode up to the woman whom he called sister.  Kneeling in front of her, she slipped his pendant over his head and adjusted it so that it lay perfectly over the fold in the overcoat.  She had to admit, Kitty was getting a good deal.  A passing thought raced through Rogue’s mind, wondering how her life would’ve ended up if she were the one marrying him today.

 

As he stood, she smiled at him and gave him a good once over, making sure everything was in place.  She felt his heart beat in his chest and could feel the warmth beneath the robes.  She had never known the touch of a man, but as her mind drifted back to reality, Rogue was pleased that she had chosen the path that she had. She and Kara were inseparable just as she knew Katherine and her brother would soon be.

 

“Let’s go, kid.  You don’t want to be late to your own wedding do you?”

 

“Kid?”  Zal-El looked down at her as they walked to the courtyard that held the gazebo where the ceremony would take place.

 

“Well, you are younger than me…”  Rogue quipped, seeing that she had loosened him up more.

 

Somehow he managed to catch on and laughed softly as they approached Kara who stood under the trellised roof of the gazebo.  She wore a shimmering black gown, the emblem of the House of El emblazoned on the front.  He gawked at the dress for a moment before confronting her about it.

 

“Kara…that’s a council member’s…”

 

She finished the sentence for him.  “…formal dress uniform.  As the oldest of the House of El currently here in Otherverse, and considering that our family has sat on that council for so long, I got permission to wear this from the Kandorians.  They agreed with my logic.”

 

Taken by surprise, the last son of Krypton considered her words and then shrugged, accepting them.  He glanced at Kara’s belt at the pair of long blue ribbons that hung there.  His heart skipped a beat, as he knew what part that would play.  A few moments later, Alfred, who with a glance told the three offworlders that the bride-to-be was ready, ushered all stragglers in the garden out.

 

Katherine Pryde stepped through the archway that led from the castle to the garden.  Her now flowing hair was pinned up by a clear crystal comb, studded with rubies and baby’s breath.  Her kimono was draped over her shoulders and held together loosely by the white sash that she wore.  As with Zal’s, the kimono bore no sleeves, as was required for the ceremony.  The lower edges of the gown came only to the top of her knees, leaving her shapely legs bare.  Her white slippers were laced with ribbon that wound up her legs to the knee.  Her emerald green eyes stood out, highlighted by the ensemble making her appear even more exotic.

 

Rogue could hear Zal gasp at the sheer beauty.  His heart beat faster and breaths came at a quicker pace.  He was impressed.  Seeing his emotions stir from the sight of Kitty made Rogue proud.  She and Kara had worked for days to get it right and now that time was paying off.

 

She strode up to the platform and took Zal’s hand in hers.  They exchanged a knowing glance before kneeling together in front of Kara.  Taking the ribbons from her belt, Kara stretched them out for them both to see.

 

“After this, there is no turning back for either of you.  Since we have only one witness to this joining, there are none to contest it. Shall I continue?”

 

When both bowed in silence, Superwoman had them rise and face one another, their hands intertwining. Handing one ribbon to Rogue, the two Kryptonian women came to either flank of the couple.

 

“Katherine, this is as sacred a day as any in your life.  Do you give yourself to this man as he gives himself to you?  Totally, without reservation or malice, with nothing to hide?”

 

“Completely.”

 

“Then shall your hearts beat together.”  Turning to her brother she began the second portion of the rites.  “And you, Zal-El, hearing her words, seeing the love that she holds for you…do you also give yourself to this woman as she does to you?  Without malice, reservation or anything hidden?”

 

“With all my soul.”

 

“Then with the blessing of Lorra, we now bind you together…”  Starting at their fingertips, Kara and Rogue wound the ribbons around their wrists.  “…therefore binding your hearts, souls, and lives together for all eternity”.  When the wrapping was done, Zal and Kitty knelt together both arms tied together, fingertip to elbow.

 

Kara turned and drew a blade from its sheath.  As she approached the now bound couple, Rogue also went to the table and retrieved a pair of white robes, one with a lining of black, one white. Kara held the blade between them and grasped one pair of their bound hands. Pricking each of their thumbs with the enchanted blade, Kara waited until their blood had intermingled and the wounds closed before speaking.

 

“The binding of body and soul is now complete, as blessed by Lorra.  Do you now wish to be revealed to one another?”

 

Kitty had had some reservations about this part of the procedure.  But with some prodding from Kara, Rogue, and Sherri, had decided to go all the way with the ceremony, as long as they were alone.  Hence the minimum amount of people in the garden for the wedding.

 

Pleased that his bride had chosen a complete ceremony, Zal’s eyes locked with hers as she answered.  “Yes, I am ready.”

 

“As am I,” he answered.

 

Methodically, Kara began to cut away their footwear, tossing the pieces into a basket. Next came her jacket, then his, leaving her with but a skin-tight bodysuit and him with just his breeches. They both inhaled the sweet aroma of each other’s scent. Zal was honestly surprised that Kitty was a comfortable as she was, knowing that in moments they would be skyclad with his sisters looking on.  Perhaps it was the fact that Rogue stood ready with replacement robes, but her warm smile ensured him of her confidence.

 

Kara made the final cut of Zal’s clothing and slid it off of him, leaving him nude in front of his wife. She watched Kitty’s eyes never leave his the entire time she came around to do the same to her.

 

Kitty felt the cool touch of the blade as it sliced into the bodysuit with ease. It took a few extra moments for Kara to complete this cut than Zal’s, but there was a lot more to cut away. As she felt the material slide away from her skin, a slight breeze wafted through her hair, dislodging a strand. Her husband had made no move to see what had been revealed to him, just as she had done.

 

Sheathing the blade, Kara turned to the couple that now stood before her, still tied together at the arms.  Turning back to them, she asked Lorra to bless the union one last time, silently.  “Katherine, you are now of the House of El, and may wear that symbol and cape with pride.  Zal-El, this woman is now yours as you are hers.  Honor each other by continuing the fight for freedom.”  The couple tore their eyes away from each other and settled on Kara as she deviated from the procedure slightly.  “Only this time you will have each others strength to draw from.  Together you will be able to overcome any challenge.”

 

With a nod from Kara, Zal and Kitty flexed together, breaking the blue ribbon.  As it fluttered to the ground, it too was collected and placed in the basket with their clothing.  Rogue placed the first robe around Zal, then Kitty, signifying that the ceremony was over.  As they pulled the cloth around themselves, they embraced in their first kiss as husband and wife.

 

“Before you go…”Rogue went and stood by her lover.  “…We have a gift for you.”

 

“Why didn’t you give it to us at the reception?” Kitty asked.

 

“Because of you, Katherine.  We didn’t want to stress your modesty anymore than we just did.”

 

Holding out her hand, Rogue showed the newlyweds a pair of gold bands, obviously sized for the both of them.  Zal stood confused as she stepped forward, handing one to each of them.  He was about to refute the obvious human custom when his wife beat him to the punch.

 

“Rogue, we don’t need these.  The fact that my name is ‘El’ is enough for us. I married into this family…I want to be treated as a Kryptonian, not a human.”

 

“These are not wedding bands in the traditional sense.”  The redheaded woman explained.  “These are enchanted for a single purpose.”

 

“And that is?”

 

“They have been attuned to each of you.  When you wear it, your powers will be suppressed…strength, speed, everything. I had them made so that when you two want, you don’t have to worry about…incompatibility.”

 

Zal took a step forward.  “You mean we can actually be intimate without fear of me hurting her?”

 

Kara snaked an arm around her lover as the words came from his mouth.  She saw that he was pleased and gave him a wistful grin.  “That’s right. Enjoy, you two.”  In a flash they were gone, leaving the newlyweds in the gazebo.

 

The couple slowly made their way back to their suite, the rings still held in their palms.  The walked with newfound confidence together and silently enjoyed each other’s company.  When they approached the door, he hesitated.

 

“Should I carry you across the threshold?”

 

Not allowing him to answer, she grabbed the front of the robe he was wearing and pulled him inside, closing the door behind him, locking it.  She pulled him down to her and their lips met in a flurry of passion.  When they broke, she let her robe fall open and then to the ground.  She seated the ring on her left hand, allowing him to observe the action.

 

Following suit, Zal placed the ring on his finger.  He felt a tingle of electricity run over his skin.  As his hands reached to the lapels of his robe, Kitty took a step forward and clasped her hands around his.

 

“No, please. I like to unwrap presents myself.” As he lowered his hands to his sides, Kitty pulled the material from over his shoulders, allowing it to fall to the floor. They allowed each other to explore as they lay down on their bed.  Zal noticed a scratch on his arm where she had dug in hard, proving that the rings worked.

 

No words were minced as the newlyweds consummated their marriage, never venturing outside of the suite for days.  But as time wore on, the day came that he and Fate had to leave with Kara and Rogue to help prevent disaster in the Multiverse.

 

 

 

 

 

4 days after the departure of Superman and Fate…

 

Simon Williams landed before the castle gates in Doomstad. He had seen the battle lines in both America and Europe as he sought what he had been looking for…Peter Parker.

 

His first reaction was to go to New Independence to seek out their King…this thorn in Luthor’s side. Only when he had arrived did Simon find out that his former teammate had been appointed the leader of the S.U.S.A., but he wasn’t present.  He had gone and was spending time in Latveria with the Batman.  Upon this knowledge, Wonderman flew to the east, needing a conference with the King.

 

But as he flew deeper and deeper into Europe, encounters with Doombots and battle bots were more common, so he had avoided contact in order to reach his goal.  At the gap in the shield, he was able to get clearance to travel to Doomstad by concealing his metahuman nature.

 

He was let in by an aged man and taken to a sitting area to await both Lords’ arrivals to converse with him.  As they approached, Simon stood and closed the distance with his old friend.

 

“Peter!  It’s good to see you after all this time.  And I’ve heard about the great things you have been doing.”

 

Peter was still in awe of seeing this man…a man whom the world thought had perished long ago.  “Simon…I…don’t now what to say. It’s good to see you as well.” Motioning to his companion, the King of the S.U.S.A. introduced him.  “This is Bruce Wayne…the Batman.”

 

“So…” Simon said as he shook the older man’s hand.  “You are Batman, and the Lord of Europe now. I am curious, but that can wait. I have some urgent news for you Peter.”

 

Peter realized a major misconception had taken place and motioned for the large man to sit.  “Before you do, I have some news for you, Simon.”

 

“By all means…”

 

“Wanda is alive and well and here in the castle.”

 

Simon didn’t move, nor speak. He saw Bruce motion over his shoulder.  A moment later, his butler left the room and started upstairs.  “You’re kidding, right?”

 

When she walked into the room, he stood, just staring at the woman whom he had married long ago…a woman he thought long dead.

 

“Simon!!??”  She shrieked as she saw him.  Rushing to him, Wanda embraced her husband and began to cry softly. His head swiveled to face his benefactors.

 

“Th,thank you. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”  Wonderman held his wife close, no words being able to express the feelings that he was going through right now.

 

Allowing them a few moments of peace and catching up, the four sat back down and began to discuss his appearance and the news he brought.

 

“Look, its true.  Luthor has seriously screwed up.”  Simon said as he stroked his wife’s hair.  “That is not Steve Rogers. I know this for a fact!”

 

“How do you know?”

 

“I cant reveal that right yet.  But I can tell whomever is leading this group of metas you have what the differences are.”

 

It was that moment, that Kitty had rushed into the room, wanting to see her old friend again.  “Simon!”

 

Simon stood at her entrance.  She wore what appeared to be normal clothes, with some type of black bodysuit under them, a symbol not quite visible through the fabric. “Katherine?  God, it’s good to see you.  How are things?”

 

Wanda stood beside her husband.  “Simon, dear. Kitty here has recreated Alpha Flight, with most of the new members here right now.”

 

“That’s fantastic, Kitty!”  He exclaimed.  “So you are the ones that fought that imposter at Ft. Bragg?”

 

“Yes. And it was renamed to Ft. Raines, by the way.”

 

“No difference,”  He said, brushing that part aside “That was not Steve Rogers that you faced. Luthor has corrupted that image of him and made himself a pawn to use against you.”

 

“He is an imposter? I fought him myself and he was no pushover…defeated me easily, Simon.”

 

“There is something I am working on right now that I can’t yet provide details to.  But I will be glad to try and come help against this ‘thing’ if I can.”

 

“If you are working on a project that will help bring about the downfall of Luthor, or supplement the peace that we are trying to attain, don’t worry about it.  We’ll have Zal back in a few days and he should…”

 

Simon held up a hand. “Wait a sec…who is Zal?”

 

“He is the new Superman.”

 

“WHAT??!!”

 

Everyone in the room realized at the same time how much of a mistake that was.  Simon roared with displeasure as he vented his anger.  “What do you mean, new Superman?  IF that piece of shit is back, I’ll kill him myself this time!”

 

Wanda put a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him.  “Honey, he’s not like that at all.”  But apparently Simon wasn’t listening.

 

“Where is he?!  I’ll kill him right here!”

 

Kitty stepped forward.  “Wonderman…he isn’t who you think he is.  He is one of the good guys…”  Kitty revealed the symbol on her chest for him to see.  “And he is my husband.”

 

Simon’s tirade ceased instantly as he closed the distance with Kitty.  “How dare you!  How dare you wear that symbol after what you have seen him do!”

 

“Simon!” Kitty protested. “It’s not like that!”

 

“I’ll teach you where your loyalties should lie.  Grabbing the front of her tunic at the symbol, Simon ripped through the Kryptonian linen, tearing it away from her.  Kitty was forced to cover herself with her arms as he held up the piece of cloth in front of her. He tossed it to the ground and stepped on it.

 

“That’s the only place that symbol deserves to be!  You should be ashamed of yourself!”  Without another word, he stormed to the front door.  Just as he reached it, his wife caught up with him.  He turned to her as he opened the door.

 

“Stay here. I will come get you when the time is right.  In the meantime, tell them this: I will go back to New Independence to destroy this ‘Superman’ soon.  Until then, teach them who the symbol of America truly is.”

 

 

 

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2004 by Jake H

-- and may not be reprinted without permission.

-- The Continuum Worlds Concept is a joint creation of

-- Dylan Clearbrook and Eldric.

-- Otherverse and Multiverse, as depicted in the

-- Continuum Worlds, are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook.

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

-- are original creations of Eldric.

-- The Realm, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- is an original creation of John P

-- Some characters in Continuum Worlds stories are original creations

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

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

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

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

-- All Marvel characters are property of Marvel Comics.