The Continuum Worlds |
Otherverse |
It was a commonplace event to see Alpha Flight and Superman relaxing at the One-Eye Jack tavern on their times off. It was a small, cozy place with many bits and pieces of memorabilia adorning the walls. They had a full bar and live music at times, along with a radio and television when something actually came on.
Today, The Jack, as it was known, was busy once again with the heroes of New Independence between their training schedule. Peter and his escort had only been back from Latveria for only a couple of weeks and were now enjoying some of the benefits of the alliance with Bruce Wayne.
Currently, Rachel was still in Latveria acting as a liaison between the fledgling nations; somewhere Kitty and Sherri had also been spending time. There were many informalities, treaties, and organizations that had to be written and they were some of the most trustworthy Peter knew of.
But, the reason they had all gathered here today wasn’t for the excellent work their grill cook did, or the masterful flavors that the bartender could come up with. Ten days ago, Luthor had began to broadcast over every frequency available to him. Pamphlets, newspapers delivered as far as he could get them, all foretold of a very important announcement that he wished to make. He even went as far as sending out lists of places that had working televisions, and airdropping radios so as many as possible could hear what he had to say.
So, on the appointed hour of the day he wished to speak, Kitty halted the sparring and brought Alpha Flight here. She sent word to her fiancée to come, and despite the governmental duties on him, came to relax with her. Zal had just stepped through the door and greeted everyone when he was hit with a missile that was his love.
Bending down to give her a kiss, he simply smiled. “Hi, Kitten. I see you left this morning without coming by to see me.”
Katherine simply cocked her head to the side and sighed. “Yeah, I’m sorry Zal. I wanted to get things over with quickly today, so we got an early start. I wanted to get home so I could make us some dinner, assuming nothing major came up that is.”
Zal-El grinned and glanced to the side where the rest of her team was. They had all stopped talking and were looking at them, some making silly faces, and others stifling smiles at his glance. “Something major? Around here? That could never happen, this place is way too peaceful,” he said sarcastically.
Hope simply stated what everyone was thinking. “Yeah right!” she said as she rolled her eyes. “Nothing ever happens around here.”
After a round of laughter and general wise cracking, Zal took a seat next to his love and ordered a “Honey Mustard Ham” sandwich and a draft beer. He especially enjoyed having lunch here, because it made him feel more in touch with the common man. He had just finished eating when Sherri fielded the obvious question.
“Hey, what do you guys think this speech is all about? Some unveiling of a secret weapon that will make us all tremble with fear? Or has he decided to finally give up and face the truth?” Her words were semi-serious, but the question was still there.
“Good question.” Sara Pezzini said as she sipped her margarita. “Probably something about what Batman did to him. You know he is always trying to save political ‘face’. He’ll probably say ‘we formally dissolve the non-aggression pact we had’ or some other bullshit.”
Matt, in a much more serious tone, took his feet off of a nearby chair and rested his chin in his hands. “He could be announcing a new offensive against us.”
The group went silent. They all knew that could have been a possibility, but none wanted to admit it. Their gazes all rested upon the one known as Paradox, as he continued. “I know we are as prepared as we can be, and that as it stands we are still the underdogs in any battle that may occur…” his voice trailed off as he chose his next words. “…But as our predecessors have in the past, we will prevail. Fate has dealt us a hand we cannot deny.”
“Well said, Matt.” Zal clapped his hands softly. “And so we shall, if it comes to that. I can see nothing now that could possibly dismantle what the ten off us fight so hard to maintain. And as long as we stick together, there is nothing that can make us falter.”
Heads were nodded in affirmation and gestures of triumph were exchanged before the Man of Steel continued. “I said not to long ago that I would love to see you guys pull together as a team, to fight for truth, justice, honor, and what we all know to be right. At first I thought that was impossible, especially after your first fight.”
They all looked around at each other remembering their defeat at the hands of metas that were now held securely in the prison. But before they could begin to feel down about the situation, Zal continued his speech.
“Now I know that dream really has taken shape. You all have worked very hard despite the odds set before you. I for one am very proud to fight beside you and the opportunity to call each of you ‘friend’.
Sara stopped Zal’s words right then. She held up a hand to garner the group’s attention to her before responding. “And we you. I don’t think there is a person amongst us that doesn’t respect what you have done, what you do. Not for yourself or your cause, but the efforts you make towards helping the everyday man. This is a quest that we all share. Our individual motivations may be different, but nonetheless, we do it.”
Sara reached over and grasped his hands with hers, holding them and his gaze securely. One by one, each of the other members added their hands to theirs, until everyone held each other’s in a large circle. Nobody said anything, instead looking at Superman for the appropriate words.
He in turn let his eyes find each of theirs. “For truth, for justice…and most of all, for hope.”
“For Hope,” they echoed.
Suddenly all eyes turned to Sherri. She sniffled slightly as a tear came to her eyes. She took one hand away to wipe it away.
“Sherri?” asked Marcus, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She simply shook her head and wiped another tear away. “That was beautiful.”
As their hands broke, Kitty motioned for Sherri to sit on the other side of her. “Zal does have a way making just a few words mean something, doesn’t he?”
Superman simply shrugged. “I get it from Kara.”
The friends burst out laughing at the comment, and settled down to watch the broadcast. The television was on, and they were watching Lana Lang give out some local news, then broadened the scope to cover the S.U.S.A., then the world. It was several moments later that her image faded and in its place appeared the image of Lex Luthor sitting in the Oval Office.
“Friends and Countrymen, I come before you today to discuss what many of you already know. Some time ago, there appeared amongst us a man calling himself ‘Superman’. This disturbed some and angered others, I know. We had all feared those that wore his symbol. It held the message of death, destruction, betrayal, dishonesty, and fear. Those of you that have seen him know that he won’t wear that old symbol anymore, because he wants you to think of him as a changed man. Let me assure you that he hasn’t.”
Lex calmly picked up a remote from his desk before continuing. “Before I show you how he is no different, I would like to remind everyone of the events that transpired in Albany. It was our darkest hour, as our only hope failed to liberate what little we had.”
Zal leaned over to Kitty who now wore a horrified expression. “Katherine, what happened at Albany?” When she didn’t answer, Zal spoke loud enough for everyone else to hear. “What happened at Albany?!”
Sherri and Sara looked at each other with pain filled eyes, before turning to the young Kryptonian. Their expression was enough to tell Zal what he was about to see.
The screen faded for a moment before showing a scene in the middle of a battle. It was obviously taken from a window in a tall building with a CNN camera crew. At first the image was fuzzy, but soon cleared enough so it could be seen who it was. There was a large group of metas, all wearing the stylized ‘S’ exactly like Kal and Kara wore. They were in the midst of a swirling melee against which most knew as Alpha Flight’s Team 1.
There was Captain America, smashing his way into their midst. Along side him was the Olympian, Hercules. Fighting as many as he could handle, was Simon Williams, also known as Wonderman. Emerging from under the ground, you could see a large green-skinned man. He was the Martian Manhunter, J’onn J’onzz. Whizzing around stopping only to pummel someone was Barry Allen, The Flash. Defending himself against a pair of weapon-wielding metas was the Black Knight, Dane Whitman. In the hyper-advanced Vindicator battlesuit designed and built by James and Heather Hudson was their son, Sam. Launching arrow after arrow was the delectable Clara Barton, known as Hawkeye. Fighting side by side, their powers perfect opposites of each other were Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen, known as Cloak and Dagger. As one of the most flamboyant of the team, Warren Worthington soared close to the camera on his way down to the fight. He was Archangel. And finally in the back weaving his spells, was Marc Spector, the current Sorcerer Supreme known as Moonknight.
The camera angle changed to now look at the back of the fight, behind Superman’s metas. Despite their power not being as great as Alpha Flight’s, their sheer numbers were obviously giving them an advantage. They pushed the heroes back, further and further until, at the bottom of the screen, a large meta caught the Flash unaware and sent him crashing to the ground. The meta then picked up Barry’s unconscious form, and with an expression of utter delight snapped him like a twig.
It was that moment when Alpha Flight pulled back and began coordinating their efforts and striking blows to disable or kill. They began to push the deranged metas back, dropping those that they could and simply walking past them. It was then there was a slight lull in the battle, and the cameraman got some real good shots of each side, panting because of the effort.
During this lull, the camera catches Moonknight just as he is about to unleash a ball of searing light, when you see twin red beams lash out from off screen and slice the sorcerer to pieces. Hawkeye turns and unleashes a pair of arrows only to have Superman walk calmly up to her and twist her neck into an odd angle. She dropped where she stood.
Supposedly not having any fear at all, Vindicator yelled out to his teammates as he charged the Kryptonian. Captain America also turned, as did Dagger while the rest continued the battle they were already in. Vindicator flew in, swinging time after time, impacting his powerful blows against the insane Superman.
Finally fed up with this humans efforts, Kal-El grabbed the young man and literally dismembered him, alive and screaming. It was that very moment that the shield of Captain America impacted against the Kryptonian, but with little effect. The two men had a few choice words for each other as they charged, their intent clear.
Kal-El reared back and with all his might, punched the American Icon. With little choice, Captain America blocked the punch with the shield. He probably would have felt some satisfaction on seeing the Kryptonians hand visibly break on impact, but Steve Rogers was knocked back into a building, his mortal body shattering against the hard concrete, killing him instantly.
With nothing but a pause to shake off the pain in his hand, Superman grabbed Dagger by her throat after she launched a series of light knives into him. The camera caught his lips snarling at the young woman for a moment, just as the remaining members of Alpha Flight turned to face him. Wonderman had just begun his mad dash at the Kryptonian, knowing his own abilities to exceed that of Kal-El’s. Hercules on the other hand, saw what was coming and grabbed his nearest companion, the Black Knight, and huddled down, using his own body to protect the mortals’.
The camera crew caught the scene just as Superman began to tear Tandy apart, releasing the massive energies that she contained. There was a brilliant flash of light and then the screen switched angles to a satellite view, just in time to see the city destroyed by a megaton-level blast.
The image faded to black, and was replaced by Luthor back in the Oval Office. “I know these images are disturbing, and I apologize. Of course we all know that Superman did survive that destruction and went on to terrorize this nation for years. Later, we all saw him die at the hands of Doomsday in a mutual destruction fight.
Lex sighed for a moment to make it appear that he was disturbed by the images he just transmitted. “And now the proof that this Superman is no different than the other was, save for cosmetic changes. I attempted to stop him early on, before this madman could reestablish his power. What I am about to show you has never before been seen.”
The screen went dark only to rapidly show a scene familiar to both Zal and Kitty. It was in the Colorado mountains where he had rescued her almost a year ago. Obviously filmed from an orbiting satellite with a really good camera, it had been altered to remove Kitty from it. It showed Zal as he first blew out Johnny Storm, leaving nothing behind but a wisp of smoke. He landed and took on the next three, killing them all just as he did on that day. Then it showed the swordsman back off, holding up his hands in surrender. And without mercy, twin beams of scarlet lanced out from Zal’s eyes and vaporized him.
The screen changed, this time showing a moving shot, through the woods and down to a lakeshore. The camera showed as other men in armor began target shooting at a series of trees on the shore until Superman landed and systematically killed them all. The final scene was where Zal had held up the sergeant, and neatly sliced through his head, dropping the smoldering body where it was.
Zal was in shock. He sat there shaking his head slightly. “That…that’s not how that happened.”
Once again, Lex Luthor’s face came into view on the television. “This is just some of the proof that I have been able to gather against this despicable criminal now in our midst. And I swore long ago, that if he were ever to resurface that I would do what I could to stop him. And so I shall.” Lex stood and the camera followed him out of the Oval Office and into a retrofitted room laced with symbols of Americana. He went over to a case on the wall and opened it. Withdrawing a round shield with a single white star and red and white stripes, he placed it on a central table for the camera to get an appropriate shot.
“The owner of this shield was the personification of what America is. He stood for freedom, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But yet, his quest was cut short. He died tragically against the very bane of America.” Lex’s eyes twinkled for a split second before his lips curved into a smile.
“Or did he? The answer to that question is No. He didn’t die. Badly wounded, I found him amongst the rubble of Albany. He has gone through years of rehabilitation, until he was back in the position where he could once again take up the mantle that is his.”
Lex motioned to somebody off screen and the sounds of footfalls began to grow louder. Before anyone else entered the camera’s view, Lex continued. “Ladies and Gentlemen of the true America, I give you Captain America.”
The person who stepped beside Lex was unmistakable. The red, white and blue uniform the man wore was the same as the one he wore years earlier. A white ‘A’ adorned his forehead and a single white star his chest. He held out his gauntleted hand and Lex graciously handed Cap the shield.
“You have all known me to be a man of few words, so I will keep this brief.” Cap said as the camera zoomed so only he and Lex could be seen. “Superman, I know you are out there, and I remember what you did to my country. You try and establish a façade of goodness, but everyone knows what you have done. This man here…” Cap said as he gestured to Lex. “...is the true hope for our great nation. Only behind the President of the United States can we ever again be free.”
Cap turned and smiled at Lex when he put a hand on his shoulder. “Now is the time for ALL citizens of the United States to step forward and say in one united voice: ‘We will not bow to your tyranny anymore!’ We will live on, we will survive. I’m coming for you, Superman. And with the people of America behind me, I shall ensure them that your days are numbered.” And with a flourish, Cap exited the screen, leaving only Lex behind.
“Any man who feels that he may have been mislead, or lied to, or deceived by Superman, you are more than welcome back into Liberty’s arms. The United States forgives you for having misplaced your faith, and all will be given free housing, food, clothing…a chance to start over. In the meantime, to quench this rebellion against America, we are calling for all able-bodied men willing to fight against those fanatics in the S.U.S.A. We will crush them, as sure as night follows day. Good day, and God Bless.”
Lana Lang’s profile came back on the screen. She now wore a shocked expression and had her gaze directed off screen. She shook the cobwebs out of her head and addressed her audience. “Um…we apologize for the interruption of our programming, but considering what we have all just seen or heard, allow us a moment to regain ourselves. We will continue our normal schedule as soon as possible.” Then the screen went black.
Not one member of Alpha Flight spoke. Slowly, and in unison they all turned to Zal, sitting at the back table. Their faces were all filled with pain, anguish for what they had witnessed, and for what such words meant for their future. He continued staring at the television, then without a word, he stood and slowly walked towards the door.
“Zal?” Kitty said tentatively. “Honey…talk to me.” She waited another few steps. When he didn’t respond, she tried again. “Say something, please.” When he stepped through the door, she didn’t follow. Alpha Flight watched as he paused a few yards in front of the restaurant.
They watched in confusion as he removed the duster he wore, throwing it to the ground. Kitty watched in horror as he removed his pendant, the badge of honor he wore always and let it drop from his grip. He reached into his shirt for a moment, pulling his cape out, already detached from the upper half of his uniform. Zal held it in his hand tightly and stood there.
“What is he doing?” Artemis asked as a stiff breeze picked up and began tossing the cape and his hair around.
Sherri shook her head. “Despite all the time I spent with Kara and Rogue, some of the ceremonies he goes through are difficult to understand. It might be a Koh-Re thing.”
“Whatever it is, this doesn’t bode well.” Matt said. He was reaching out with his cosmic senses, trying to understand what was going on in his mind.
Superman took to the air so quickly that the crack of the sonic boom cracked the windows in the Jack. Rushing outside, Kitty followed the smoke trail reaching into the sky with her eyes. She saw a flash of red and yellow fluttering in the breeze. Taking to the air herself, she retrieved his cape and returned to the rest of her team who were now all outside. Sara had picked up his duster and pendant and offered them to her.
“God help us if he just snapped.” Exodus said as the smoke began to dissipate.
Kitty stared into the sky as if she could still see him. “Let’s go.”
“After him?”
“No. Back to training. He’ll be back and we are apparently going to war.” Kitty secretly felt horrible, but she instinctively knew he had to work through this. “We need to get ready.”
Zal made quiet landing on his balcony overlooking the city and the river beyond. He walked inside his apartment and stripped off his uniform and stepped into his shower. He felt relieved as the cool water steamed off of his face and back. After a long moment, he got out and began to dry himself off. Putting a pair of shorts on, he stepped back out to the main living area only to stop dead in his tracks.
Lying on his bed was Katherine. She had his cape draped over her and his pendant loosely held in one hand. Her eyes were wide open and staring at him. For some reason he noticed she hadn’t cut her hair and it was getting quite a bit longer.
“How long have you been here?”
“A couple of hours before you arrived. I’m surprised you didn’t notice when you came in.” She rose to her feet, the cape sliding away. “Do you wanna tell me about it?”
“I can’t…do this anymore,” he said as he shook his head. “I give up. This is impossible. There is nothing I can ever do to repair it all. Everywhere I turn I come to an unbreachable wall, that being Kal-El.”
Kitty came over and took his hands in hers, trying to give him some comfort to the devastating speech that Lex had made. “Zal, I know it’s bad. But come on, you have recovered from a lot worse.”
“Why?” he said as their eyes met again. “The mere fact that you are around me is a death sentence. Why do you stay?”
“I stayed here because you give out hope like it is candy in your pocket. You have made people believe in you by doing what is right, and it is that courage and commitment that I have followed ever since. And…”
“And?”
“And because you asked me to. Despite this world’s tragedy, you saw something worth saving. A mission I took an oath to carry on years ago, so I followed you.”
“And I have failed…”
“No…we all have setbacks. We all vent that frustration. But I have never seen you do it. You keep it bottled up. Don’t…let it out.”
Expecting a violent outburst, Kitty was shocked when he slipped to his knees and held her tight. She could feel his tears as they soaked through her shirt.
Kitty ran her fingers through his golden locks. “It’s okay baby. Everything will be okay.”
He looked up at her only for her to replace the chain around his neck. Leading him by the hand, they both laid down on the bed. She laid his cape over him as he curled up next to her. “And this is yours as well.”
“Katherine…why do you wear my symbol but not my cape?”
She smiled and held him close, knowing the answer. But she couldn’t tell him, and she didn’t know why. “I haven’t earned it yet,” was the best excuse she could muster.
OTHERVERSE
Lex easily dismissed the camera crew from his presence as he and Captain America walked in to the Oval Office. He sat down behind the presidential desk and opened a mahogany case. Withdrawing a Havana, Lex lit it and took a long draw off of the formerly illegal cigar. He closed his eyes and leaned back chuckling to himself. Outside, the men could hear chants and cheering of their support, the sound rising in crescendo until it was overwhelming.
“Don’t you just love the blind support of the people?” Luthor said to the American Icon. “Here I have tried for years to bring them under my sway through various techniques, and in one fell swoop, I figure out how to enrapture them.”
“So what now, Mr. President?”
“Now we wait. The people will eventually come to me demanding his head on a platter. Our forces will grow. They will not be as well trained as our regular soldiers, but they will be a force to be reckoned with.”
“And what for me now, Father?”
Lex smiled at the man’s words. Yes indeed this person saw him as a father, as his life began in his hands. Luthor began to reminisce about his greatest plan to date. When Pietro Maximoff, Alpha Flights’ Director of Operations defected, he brought DNA samples of many of the members, and Lex made full use of them. The clone was near perfect, with little change in the code. Luthor watched as the child was born and the host mother executed. Through a bit of magic and rapid growth incubators, a strict education program to make him a close as possible to the original, but with unerring loyalty to Lex himself. The perfect weapon.
“Go and prepare yourself. For the time of our triumph is at hand.”
At New Independence, very little had actually changed other than the fact that entrenched ground forces now surrounded the entire city. They had been monitoring as village after village rallied to Luthors side, massive troop and equipment build-ups south of Washington D.C., among other movements around the capital of the United States.
Excursions into S.U.S.A. territory were becoming more frequent now, with Special Forces bent on sabotage, or hit-and-run groups of metas. General Raynor had coordinated the forces well to counteract such threats, and Alpha Flight was now out everyday trying to stem the tide of the oncoming war.
The Brigades at International Falls and Cedar Rapids were also on high alert, but had transferred as much as possible to Ft. Raines because enemy forces were slowly on the move towards the easternmost base of the S.U.S.A. At Ft. Raines, Col. Tom Mason was severely frustrated. He knew he was going to be the first one attacked and had taken all necessary precautions.
He sat in his command building, a simple structure with no discerning features, as he reviewed the defensive strategy with his executive officer. They were using an intricate digital map of the area sent to them by the Kandorians in orbit. It showed every unit down to the squad level and their current positions on the map along with air support, anti-aircraft batteries, artillery placement points, and zones of strength and weakness. The current topic was were they felt it best to deploy the AMAS squad they had. They were a new addition to the forces here. Their acronym stood for Anti-Meta-Assault-Squad, and they had been well equipped to deal with rogue meta teams.
They each were equipped with a hand held railgun that fired an adamantium core shell at near the speed of light. If that didn’t work, they had a heavy gunner that carried a phase-plasma gun whose power level measured in the gigawatt range. It had been battle tested and worked well against many of them. Each was lightly armored with the trauma plates replaced with a simple layer of Kryptonian linen.
“Look Stan, this is the only protection we are going to have against them if Alpha Flight is tied up elsewhere.” Tom Mason said. “So we will place them here,” pointing to a spot not far from the headquarters building.
“Yes sir. Also, I might suggest that we go easy on our aerial patrols for now. Our fuel status isn’t doing so hot and I would hate to lose air cover during a critical moment.”
Colonel Mason nodded in agreement. “Okay, ground all but one at a time for reconnaissance purposes. Also, remember that we don’t have a ‘let them shoot first’ policy. You see ‘em, you shoot ‘em, got it?”
“Yes sir. I’ll pass that on to the commanders.”
As his XO and aide left, Tom sat down at the area map and steepled his fingered in thought. He let his mind do the talking as he reviewed the strategy. “We are outnumbered, outgunned…hell of a way to start a battle.” He closed his eyes, trying to envision any tactics or tricks of the trade he could possibly pull out of his hat. Nothing came to mind. Suddenly his eyes popped open in the dead-quiet room.
His eyes darted around, as his mind tried to interpret the funny feeling that just came over him. “Damn,” he whispered to himself. “Damn…DAMN!” he cursed as he rushed for the door to communications. As he burst in and began yelling to the occupants.
“They’re on their way. Get a message out to the Company Commanders immediately!” Mason ordered. “And get me…” his head jerked up as his ears heard something familiar. “INCOMING! GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!” and rushed for the exit.
Moments later, Tom Mason looked back at the building he was just in. There was nothing left but a couple of walls and a large crater. Most of his people got out in time, but two were caught in the blast and their bodies now laid half-covered by the rubble.
Standing and brushing himself off, he helped a Corporal on his feet. “Get to auxiliary HQ as soon as you can. I’ll meet you there.”
“Yes sir. Where are you going?” the noncom asked as the Colonel as he climbed in a vintage Jeep.
“To go tell our guys to shoot back.” He started the engine and zoomed off amongst the bombs and mortars.
OTHERVERSE
“That’s right. We are under attack.”
Tom Mason’s voice reverberated in the small room, as everybody within stood silent. Peter sighed and shook his head before debriefing the Base Commander. “Tom, do you think you will be able to hold your own?”
Before the response came back, Peter thought he already knew the answer, but allowed the Colonel to speak his piece. “Your Majesty, gimme a few minutes to determine that. I’ll be right back.”
Peter grimaced as the line went dead and gently hit the table in frustration. When General Raynor spoke, his head turned to acknowledge his military leader. “Peter, I don’t think that is a good idea.”
“What do you mean?”
“We knew this was coming, and we knew we would be fighting, correct?”
“Yeah…so what’s the problem?”
James Raynor pointed to a holographic representation of America similar to the one that the base commanders used for tactical purposes. “Look, all of their offensive forces are going to bear against the fort. Nowhere else. If we meet them with everything we can possibly spare, we have a 50-50 chance of ending this before it starts.”
Pete stood there examining the map with his arms folded across his chest. “General, what would happen if we lost?”
Sighing heavily, Jim Raynor scratched his chin. “Your Majesty, if we were to lose there we may not be able to hold off any resulting push. But the same also applies if we lose Ft. Raines.”
“So you are saying we should have Tom pull back? To retreat out of there?”
“Absolutely not. Tom is dug in hard and will put up a hell of a fight. If we pull him back, he will be harassed the entire way and will possibly lose more doing that than fighting. Plus it would interpreted as a sign of weakness.”
Peter went to the controls of the map and zoomed into International Falls. They looked very similar to New Independence in their defensive strategy. “What do you think could be spared. I know we don’t want to weaken our internal defenses to a point that we can’t retaliate.”
“Yes, sir. I think we can spare two battalions from each post, completely abandon Base Camp One and bring those forces to bear on their flank,” Raynor pointed to a position to the northwest of Ft. Raines. “Right here. We will have the advantage of high ground and there is an air strip we can use to the west of that.”
Peter Parker’s face took on a grim expression and he nodded, somewhat glassy-eyed. “Make it so.” He paused just before leaving the room and turned back to the General. “I’m going to send Alpha Flight and Superman also. They should be able to help.”
“Yes, Sir. If they don’t get tangled up, they could possibly tip this balance.”
The King of the S.U.S.A. nodded and left, heading back to the newly built Capitol building where Zal was waiting. Peter had left him overseeing the transfer of supplies and munitions to Ft. Raines.
“Zal…I got some news.”
“What’s up Pete?” the young Kryptonian said as he looked up from the inventory list he was going through. He saw an aura around the King that troubled him for a moment. He knew what Peter was about to say, but didn’t venture any further.
“It’s started.”
“I kinda figured it would.” Zal stood and replaced the papers back in a file, leaving it on the desk. He stopped next to Peter before heading out to gather Kitty and her team. “It’ll be okay. We’ll handle this as best we can.”
As the Man of Steel turned to leave, Peter called out to him. “Zal…”
He turned, looking at his friend. No words needed to be spoken, because they both felt it. It was an awkward moment.
“You be careful out there. Despite what Luthor has done, I know who and what you are. We have built a nation that has survived this long, and we ain’t gonna fold now.”
Zal grinned. “I’ll see ya tomorrow. Let’s have lunch.” And then he was gone.
Peter returned back to his duties, but his mind lingered on the confidence the young man had shown. It gave him an uplifted tempo, like maybe he was right and all would soon be right again. “Come back to us my friend. And Godspeed.”
OTHERVERSE
Less than ten minutes later, Alpha Flight was well on its way. With Legion pulling Sherri’s force bubble containing everyone else, they would be there within minutes. It was during this time that the plans were being finalized.
“I know that no plan ever survives first contact with an enemy, but we have all been training on adapting and overcoming any obstacle.” Kitty was unusually upbeat in her directions, which made the others wonder if she was born to battle. “They will have already infiltrated the base, looking to take out leadership,” she turned to Sara, “and I am counting on them being metas. That’s why I want you to work on taking them out. You’re our best undercover player.”
Sara, being a former police officer, had some questions. “Katherine, are we to disable, capture, or kill? And who is our backup?”
Ariel paused, as she was about to give further orders realizing that she hadn’t covered that subject yet. “Lex has sent these people to kill us. And not just us, but all those who support us. I don’t like killing any more than you do, but in this case, I feel it is warranted.”
“Understood.” Sara took a deep breath. “What about backup?”
“That’s where Zal comes into play. Using his speed and power, he can quickly go to where he is needed most, be it the front lines, metas or assassins.” Kitty turned to Exodus and Frostfire. “Since you two have the ability to turn tanks into molten slag or scrap metal, I want you to assault their armor division. That is where their power is the strongest and with you amongst them, will be a bit harder to shell us.”
Although Sherri was still holding the bubble together, she still had her mission to outline. “Matt, you, Legion and Kitty will go meta hunting. They are expecting us, so we will need to be careful. I am going to try and find Col. Mason and help him get our reinforcements to bear as quickly as possible.”
They all paused for a moment to glance behind them. The squadron had finally caught up to the heroes and with precision flying, had taken up positions around them as if they were part of the original formation. The lead pilot hovered nearby and saluted the group of metas. Ariel snapped to attention and returned the gesture.
It was a mix-match flight, containing three F-14’s, a naval F-15, two F-16’s, four MIG-29’s, an A-6 Intruder, and a half-dozen A-10 Warthogs. They were the first wave that was to give relief to the besieged forces on the ground.
“Impressive. But we still have some things to talk about.” Katherine broke everyone out of their fascination. “Hope, they are bound to have casualties. The medical facilities outside of New Independence are primitive but effective. I want you to find the field hospital and help them out as much as possible. Anyone demented enough to attack there hopefully should not give you much trouble.”
“Right. I can take care of any problems.” Off in the distance, Hope could now see the faint flashes of artillery and the glow of tracers on the ground. Instinctually, her arm wrapped around her fiancée, Brian. He looked down and smiled at her. He had always envisioned himself as a fearless warrior who could take anything on. But Artemis was not like that. Petite, beautiful, with a kind, gentle heart.
“And that’s exactly what I want you to think about.” Zal said, breaking the silence.
Everyone turned to the Kryptonian who had been sitting down meditating the entire trip. He had not spoken since they left and most figured that he had not been listening.
“Zal? What did you say?” Brian asked.
Superman walked to the center of the bubble so they could all see him. Facing Brian, he answered loud enough for everyone to hear. “I saw the way you were looking at her, the way she held you tightly.” Hope blushed slightly at the comment but didn’t move.
“Remember what we are fighting for, who you are fighting for. There is always someone or something that motivates you. Fight for that person that idea…whatever it may be, and fight passionately.”
“Fight passionately?” Frostfire queried.
The Last son of Krypton turned to Ian’s protégé and nodded. “That’s right. I want all of you to look at Brian and Hope. Two people in love with each other and use each other’s support for their troubles. This is what I want you to do.”
Sherri’s nose wrinkled up as she smirked at the comment. “And what if we don’t have someone to care about like that?”
Zal looked slightly taken aback by her comment, and was about to respond when the answer came from behind him.
“Sherri, of all people here, you have someone. We all know just how close you and Bruce have been getting lately.” Kitty protested.
Zal smiled and held up his hands. “Well, dating Bruce is another story altogether, but the example will work.” He turned to Sherri whom he had undivided attention. “Everyone here knows that I fight for humanity as a whole, but more importantly to me personally is that I fight for Kitty.” Turning to Frostfire, he continued. “I assume that cute girl you’re dating back home is who you are thinking about.”
Marcus nodded. “Yeah, we are pretty happy.”
Zal instantly knew that whatever he was about to say to Sara was not going to right, so he simply shrugged, gesturing for her to continue the conversation. “I have no idea, Sara. So I don’t want to say the wrong thing.”
“Well thank you. Because I think that actions speak louder than words.” Without hesitation, Sara wrapped her arms around Paradox and kissed him deeply. It was obvious that the shock that Matt felt was rivaled only by everyone else’s. When she broke off, their eyes met. Nothing needed to be said.
“Well, I guess that about covers it.” Kitty stated just before most broke out laughing at Matt’s expression. “But the time has come. We have work to do. If we get completely separated, meet up at the old 82nd Airborne headquarters. Its on the southwest side of the base and is generally away from the fighting. Good luck and…” Kitty stopped and looked at the man she loved. “…and may Rao shine down upon us all.”
Kitty wiped the blood off of her gloves as she surveyed the battle. A squad of metas had just ambushed her, Legion, and Paradox, but it appeared they had been expecting someone else. The battle had only lasted a few minutes, but was bloody.
“Hey Dwayne, are you all right?” she asked the walking battlesuit. He was trying to repair his scatter-laser that had been damaged during the fight.
“Yeah, Elizabeth says that the diagnostics are all in the green, but I still got a power cable severed. Until I fix it, I’m down half my weaponry.”
Kitty nodded at the progress report and went over to where Matt was searching over one of the bodies. “See anything interesting?”
Matt nodded and pulled out a pendant of a rough-cut green gemstone. “This is what I can’t figure out.” He handed the stone to Kitty who looked it over.
“Kryptonite. The kind that affects Kara, Rogue and the twins.” Her eyes narrowed as the thought invaded her mind. “That doesn’t make any sense…unless Lex thought they would be here.”
Matt smiled and gestured to the stone again. “Look closer, Katherine. Its fake.”
“Fake?” Ariel turned the stone over in her hand. “How can you tell?”
“It’s not putting any radiation out. And considering your vulnerability to a depleted piece, it was never real.” The infinite possibilities of the situation flooded Matt’s mind and just as quickly he sorted them out logically until only one conclusion was left.
“Perhaps it was given to them to calm fears. And Lex didn’t tell them it would not work…” Matt said, obviously thinking aloud.
“Perhaps. Let’s worry about it later. I would like to know how everyone else is doing.”
At the auxiliary command post, Sherri and Tom Mason were busy calculating how the battle was going. It had been a stalemate since Alpha Flight had arrived. Exodus had personally scrapped twelve of Luthor’s tanks while disabling as many as he could get a hold of.
Sherri watched as Brian got hit broadside with a 105mm round from a nearby Abrams M1. The blast knocked him down, but almost immediately stood and charged the tank knocking enemy soldiers to the side. Some shot him with rifles, others with pulse lasers, with no effect.
Frostfire had also been there but was being a bit more careful. He was sitting back with the entrenched soldiers directing fire and blasting away when he could. Unlike Exodus, he was not quite hardy enough to take a bullet.
“Looks like they are holding them back in the north sector, Tom.”
Col. Tom Mason had been looking at his holographic tactical map. He puffed on a cigarette and a cup of coffee stood nearby. A bandage was wrapped around his leg at the knee where he had taken a bit of shrapnel earlier. “That’s not the problem. If General Masterson brings anymore forces to bear against the 1st Brigade here in the east, he will overrun us. How long until our reinforcements arrive?”
Fate didn’t need to answer. From the far side of the room, a sergeant turned to the Colonels. “Sir, General Raynor says that three more battalions and Col. Sullivan will be arriving within five hours.”
Tom smiled and turned to Sherri. “Sullivan is coming. That will definitely help.”
Sherri nodded and approached the holo-table. “Let’s use her to the best advantage then. When she arrives she will want to attack anyway.” Alicia Sullivan had been chosen to lead Base Camp 1 after the reorganization because she was tough as nails and always completed her objectives, albeit a bit unorthodox. For a woman, she had some huge brass balls.
“Agreed. In the meantime, we need to stem the tide of their advance.” Tom looked at the placement of the units and realized that unless he redirected critical artillery, disabled supply routes, or abandoned other fronts would he be able to reinforce the besieged battalion. His options were very limited. After a long draw off of the cigarette, Tom looked back up at Sherri who was looking at the casualty report and grimacing.
“Fate, where are all of your people? Can any of them be spared?” he asked with a quiver of fear in his voice.
Sherri looked up and gazed at her counterpart. Without answering, he already knew her answer. Tom watched as she weaved her spell of knowledge, allowing her to see through her comrade’s eyes.
“It appears that the entire team is tied up at the moment. It could be a while before they will be able to break free,” she finally said. “Is it that bad?”
“Look for yourself.”
Sherri walked around the holo-table and studied the tactical displays. Her eyes glanced from the major fighting where Exodus and Frostfire each scrapped another tank, to the old JFK Special Forces center where the artillery was set up. She did some quick calculations before turning to her counterpart.
“We’re about to lose the eastern front,” she stated in a dry tone. Her eyes began wander at the possibilities until suddenly she pulled a small communicator from her belt. She flipped a switch that accessed a different frequency.
Tom Mason waited patiently, but Sherri could tell by the shriveled look about him, that he had no idea. Before he could ask, she began to transmit.
“Zal, this is Sherri. Are you there?”
Over the communicator, the sounds of static were rapidly squelched as they heard his voice come back. Tom’s eyes lit up and the corners of his mouth stretched ever so slightly upward.
“Yeah Fate, what’s the problem?”
“I need you to stop the advance on the eastern front. We don’t have enough there to hold them back.” The communicator went to static. Sherri and Tom expected a prompt reply, and when they didn’t get it, their imaginations began to run wild.
“Do you think he will be able to get there?” Tom asked, not knowing the true abilities of the young Kryptonian.
Sherri nodded. “Oh, he can get there. Trust me on that.” Right then the static cleared as
Zal’s voice rang true again. “I’m on my way.”
He had been scouting around the clouds taking choice air cover targets when he could and relaying information of enemy placements back to the HQ. As soon as he turned off the communicator, he swung around in a wide arc, steeling himself to battle. Reaching out with his vision, he located the trouble spot and poured on the speed to assist the beleaguered battalion.
Unfortunately, he failed to notice the figure darting out of the clouds to the north, intent on intercepting him.
On the ground, Kitty was enjoying a slight pause in the battle. She had found the field hospital and was helping bring the wounded to Artemis who was currently resting between patients gathering her energy again.
“My god, Katherine, some of these wounds would have been absolutely fatal if I hadn’t been here. And I just realized that the worse the wounds, the more it drains me to heal them. This is exhausting.” Hope said as she took a drink from a canteen. Her eyes went wide and she spat out the contents, not expecting it to be homemade liquor.
Kitty and Matt laughed softly at the young blonde. “No too tasty huh?”
“No!” Hope said in disgust.
“They don’t have what few luxuries we do out here. Only what we can ship them. That’s probably good stuff for using antiquated equipment.”
Hope sniffed the canteen before setting it down. “Well, I guess if that’s your thing.”
Kitty looked around, suddenly aware that things were just a bit quieter than a few moments ago. “I wonder what’s going on?”
Matt looked up into the sky, following the trails of smoke and vapor the jets had been giving off in their dogfights. He sensed his presence and smiled. “Zal’s coming this way.”
Instantly delighted at the news, Kitty turned to where Paradox pointed, only to see a black and red streak race across the sky. They watched as he began to speed up visibly and alter his trajectory. Then to her horror, Katherine saw another figure race at high speed to intercept her boyfriend.
“ZAL!!” she called out, attempting to warn him, but it was too late. The missile struck him in the back.
Instantaneously, the sky lit up like a second sun as the two impacted. A crack like a sonic boom blew the entire hospital staff to the ground. Across the entire battleground, everyone stopped on both sides and watched as one man drove the other into the ground at supersonic speeds. The earth erupted as the two impacted sending tons and tons of debris into the air. The ground shook in a violent earthquake before most resumed their fighting.
“Oh, by Rao…what was that?” Kitty asked the sky as she picked herself up. She listened as Legions’ communications came alive with Elizabeth’s voice back in New Independence called Dwayne.
“Whatever that was, we felt it here. That just registered a 5.6 on the Richter scale.”
Matt closed his eyes for a moment, opening them up, the silverish glow of his powers fading as he did. “That was another Kryptonian.”
All the color drained out of Kitty’s face. “Nar-Ur,” she whispered.
“Nar-Ur?”
“He is like Zal. He came here from another universe, Kara’s universe. But he is as mad as the original Superman ever was, vowing to kill Kara and the rest of their extended family. At least that is what Zal told me.” The ground shook again, but this time the shockwaves felt deeper, and less powerful. “I hope he is alright.”
Before any could answer, the whine of artillery filled the air. Legion immediately took off, intercepting several of the explosives meant for the hospital. Kitty followed behind him, feeling a bit of déjà vu from her first fight alongside Superman in New Independence.
“CHARGE!!!”
Paradox whipped around just in time to see a group of four people flying onto their position. All were ugly, some wielding flames, the other two carried heavy bladed weapons. The first one to the ground took a swipe at Hope with his halberd, barely missing the young woman.
“Oh, that is enough!” Matt cried out, encasing himself in his silverish glow. He lashed out with pure power, determined to end their threat.
OTHERVERSE
As Zal swooped towards the ground, he suddenly felt a tremendous blow from behind. He felt the air leave his lungs and his body protest the immense pain emanating from his ribs. He twisted in mid-air, only to feel a second impact against his back, this time from the ground. They plowed through the earth until finally emptying into a natural cavern.
His assailant threw him to the ground, and swiftly followed up with a powerful kick in the same rib that he had just cracked inside the young Kryptonians chest. Nar felt smug at the fact that at last he finally had the upper hand on one member of that dammed El family.
“Get up!” Nar screamed at him. “I’m not done with you!”
Zal on the other hand cared little for what the older Kryptonian was saying. His rib had completely snapped now and was causing a great deal of pain to him. He rolled over, but had enough sense to lash out with his foot, sending Nar sprawling. Both rose to their feet quickly, sizing up the competition.
“How in Rao’s name did you come back this time, Nar? Not only did I kill you, but I have been told that my nieces killed you as well.” Zal said through clenched teeth, still holding his rib.
“Young fool. All you did was give me the knowledge on how to beat you. Now I am stronger, faster, and I can counter your every move. I amperfect.” Nar boasted.
“Over-confidence will get you nowhere.” Zal leapt into the air, spinning his heel towards the older man’s chin. At the same time, he flipped, intending to have his other foot smash down upon his shoulder.
Nar saw it coming. With barely more than a thought, he blocked the first kick and caught the second in mid air. With blinding speed, he brought his fist down into the younger man’s groin, causing him to cry out in pain and fall back to the ground.
“You see pup? You can never beat me again!” he gloated over the fallen hero.
“We’ll see…” Zal lashed out with his heat vision catching the other man in the eyes. Nar reeled back in pain, but it was long enough for Zal to recover and circle around him. Nar swung as soon as his vision cleared, but this time his opponent was ready. Zal avoided the blow and hooked his arm, bringing his knee into the back of Nar’s neck, driving him to the ground.
Shocked that Superman had actually landed a blow; Nar rolled up to his feet and stopped, staring at the younger man.
Zal simply shook his head. “Having the knowledge and being able to use it effectively isn’t the same thing. My studies taught me that.”
“It means very little now. Because we both have few choices: One, you can surrender and submit yourself to Luthor. Two, I can kill you, or three…you can die trying to beat me.” Nar folded his arms across his chest almost goading Zal into attacking him.
It worked. Superman pressed what he saw as an opening and struck. Darting faster than the human eye could see, Zal forced all of his might into a single blow aimed not for one of Nar’s vital areas, but his elbow. His fist smashed into the exposed joint, sending the older man reeling.
Nar, despite the pain that he was now in, counterattacked, striking Zal in his broken rib in rapid succession with his foot. Zal slipped to his knees, but grabbed the solid rock they were both standing on and tossed upwards, sending the older Kryptonian into the air. Following up this move Zal flew upwards catching Nar in mid-air, driving him upward into the caverns ceiling.
They emerged in the middle of a small field and separated, getting a taste of their new surroundings. There were several old barracks once belonging to the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, part of the old 82nd Airborne Division. A motor pool off to the east seemed to still be in use by the S.U.S.A. as a dozen soldiers rushed out with weapons at the ready. To the west was what appeared to be a convenience store also in use.
Not waiting for an opening, Nar rushed his opponent and grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to the ground. Zal rolled with the blow and kicked upward with his feet driving the older man off of him. As he recovered, Nar was on top of him again this time simply punching Zal in the face repeatedly. Foot by foot, he drove the young man to the wall of a nearby storage building, and eventually through it, crumbling the concrete as they went.
By this point, Zal was not feeling to well. Despite his long years training in Koh-Re, Nar was simply pounding him down. In a desperation move, Superman caught Nar’s left wrist and twisted, pulling him off-balance. Driving with all of his might, Zal struck the same elbow he had earlier, this time completely inverting it, snapping tendon and ligaments alike. Nar fell back, looking horridly at his now dislocated arm. As he pushed it back into a position that was somewhat normal, his hated enemy struck again, this time at his stomach, landing blow after blow.
Zal was pleased at his comeback, and began lining Nar up for one of several finishing moves. He unleashed the full might of his heat vision upon the center of his chest, intent on using his signature palm strike to shatter the man’s ribcage. Concentrating on landing the blow, Zal swung, only to have his hand caught by Nar. They stood there momentarily, Nar holding onto Zal’s hand with both of his own. Before the young Kryptonian could act, Nar lashed out with his foot, catching Zal in the same broken rib.
Superman fell back and down, but not before landing a last second blow to Nar’s chin, sending blood spurting. Trying to recover from the repeated pounding on his chest, Zal began to roll over and get up when he was caught yet again by Nar’s boot, sending him finally into unconsciousness.
Nar was definitely worse off than he thought he would be. His arm severely injured, as was his neck, one knee and his chest still burned. He jumped slightly when Zal coughed up blood, but remained unconscious.
“Now, time for a coup-de-grace,” he said almost silently. He ignored the yells of the soldiers and their pitiful attempts at harming him with their archaic weaponry as he walked up to one of the three-story barracks building. “This will do nicely.”
OTHERVERSE
Matt stood over the bodies of the four metas that had just attacked the field hospital just a few moments ago. They had apparently not been expecting him or Kitty or Legion to be there and were overwhelmed quickly.
“Senseless waste of life if you ask me.” Matt said as Kitty landed next to him.
She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. “Matt, you know as well as I do that this has to be done. You have the greatest respect for life of any person I know, including Zal. I know it must bother you, but you have to let it go.”
“And I agree,” Legion said as he too landed, his automatic maintenance systems already cleaning the carbon scoring left from the artillery shells. “It was obvious that they were after Hope. What would have happened if they got her?”
Matt’s eyes looked up at the mention of Artemis’ name and he began looking around for her. Without answering his friend, he walked into the hospital and glanced around. Not seeing her, he turned back to Kitty.
“Where is Hope?”
Suddenly aware that she was nowhere to be seen, Legion and Kitty began looking for her, calling her name. It was several minutes later when Katherine found what had happened.
“Matt, Dwayne…come take a look,” she shouted as she picked up an orange plumed dart from the ground.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know, can you scan it and find out what was on it?”
“Sure.” Dwayne opened a panel in the side of the suit and his real arm snaked out, holding out his hand. Kitty handed him the dart and he withdrew back inside of his armor. A few moments later, they had their answer.
“It has an acute form of dianoxide. Powerful sedative.”
Matt slammed his fist on the nearest tree. “It wasn’t an attack on her, and they DID know we were here. They were a distraction for us so they could grab her!”
The air was pierced by the sound of a radio transmission coming from a nearby relay. “Headquarters this Motor pool 6, you might want to send someone from Alpha Flight over here.”
“What seems to be the trouble?”
“Well, Captain…it seems to me that Superman is getting the shit kicked out of him. He is gonna need some help.”
Legion stood up straight in surprise. “Zal’s getting beat in a fight?”
Matt quickly turned to Kitty who was already taking to the air. “Nar must be using Blue K. I didn’t sense it earlier.”
Not caring the reason, Kitty grabbed Matt and began flying to the designated area. “Let’s go! We gotta do something!”
Moments later Legion, Kitty and Matt all landed on the edge of the field. Zal lay alone in the middle, face down but breathing. The signs of a fight were evident, but neither Matt nor Legion could detect any Kryptonite radiation. Before any of them could act, they watched in horror as one of the barracks was ripped from its foundation and rose into the air.
Nar maneuvered the building above the downed Kryptonian. “Now then, lets see how well you survive without your powers.” Balancing the building in one hand, he pulls a small bag from his tunic, revealing a small bluish stone. Dropping it next to Zal, he felt immense pleasure as he watched him cringe in pain.
On the ground Matt watched the scene carefully. He knew that the building would not hurt Superman and began convincing Kitty not to interfere. The three of them crouched behind the rubble of the demolished storage building. They remained silent until the Blue K was revealed.
Matt instantly caught Kitty’s arm as she began to go to his rescue. “No!” he whispered.
“Matt! It will kill him!”
“No it wont. It will just bury him. We need to get rid of this man, and Zal is in no shape to fight him. I have already transmuted the stone to lead anyway.”
Kitty paused and looked back at him. “That way Nar thinks he is out of the fight,” her eyes cast downward as she relaxed in his grip. “Okay.”
They all turned back just in time to see Nar release the building sending it crashing on top of Superman.
“Eat that!” he screamed at the rubble as he landed atop the pile. “And your sister is next! I’ll bury you all, side by side! The House of Ur shall rule supreme!” Nar suddenly jumped back into the air as the concrete beneath his feet instantly turned green and began to give off radiation.
“Ha! Fools!” he cried out into the air. “You think this would work?! I am immune to that weakness!” He landed and kicked the rock away, sending it into the atmosphere. He rapidly turned as he saw one person emerge from the sidelines.
“That may be so, but there are things that can be done to insure that you will hurt nobody else, Nar.” Matt said as he defiantly faced the Kryptonian.
“Oh, really? You do not frighten me.” Nar stated sarcastically. “Just who do you think you are?”
“Who I am isn’t important. The fact that I can render you powerless is.”
“Whatever little man. You’ve just sealed your doom!”
Nar confidently strode towards the ebon-haired man, but paused as he raised his hands to the sky. A bolt of energy leapt into the air and instantly the sky began to turn darker. Slowly from yellow to orange, then to red, the sun darkened much to the Kryptonians surprise.
“How…how did you…”
“Do that? My power is beyond yours Nar.” Matt pulled back and formed a bolt of energy, this time wielding it as a great sword. “Now you have a choice: Run back to Luthor with your tail between your legs. Two, I can kill you…or three, you can die trying to beat me.”
Faced with a situation he couldn’t handle Nar withdrew a small device from his belt. “This isn’t over between us,” and disappeared in a flash of light.
Kitty rose from her cover bewildered. “M, Matt? When did you get powers such as these?” she asked with a bit of timidity.
Matt took a deep breath and allowed the ‘sword’ to dissipate. Immediately the sky cleared and the normal color of the sun reappeared. “I didn’t. All I did was put on a fancy light show. He could have torn me apart if he wanted to.”
“You mean…he wasn’t rendered powerless by the red sun?”
Matt chuckled softly. “Of course not. Even if I did have that ability, I would not have used it.”
Kitty looked down at her feet, realizing that she was standing on tens of thousands of tons of concrete and steel lying atop her boyfriend. She looked up with saucer-wide eyes now knowing why. “Okay, point taken. Help me dig him out.”
At that very moment, Legions communicator went off. “Kitty? Are you there?” It was Sherri’s voice. Ariel plucked her own comlink up and turned it on.
“Yeah Fate, I’m here.”
“I need your team to the north right now. Frostfire’s down and Exodus can’t get to him. If they overrun his last position, they could kill him.” Sherri sounded worried as she gave the info out. Sara had reported in and found a pair of cloaked metas that had been picking off choice targets from behind the lines and was tied up trying to dispose of them.
Kitty looked down at the rubble again and grimaced. She desperately wanted to assure herself that Zal was all right, but she could not neglect her duty either. “We’re on our way Sherri. How long until the reinforcements arrive?”
“They’re not going to make it. A portion of Lex’s forces broke off and intercepted them. They are in the middle of a firefight as we speak.”
Katherine felt her heart sink. She knew as well as anyone that without the supplies and troops that had been stopped, they could never win the battle, much less hold the base. Her mind raced with the consequences as she began flying to relieve the pressure on Frostfire and Exodus.
“Sherri…what’s the word from General Raynor? What does he want to do?”
After a pause in the conversation Kitty got her answer. “He thinks its time to pull back and regroup.”
“That’s not possible right now.”
“Why not?”
“Because Hope is missing and Zal is not in any shape to move. Hell, I don’t even know how bad he is hurt.”
“Then think of something fast, because things are going downhill.”
OTHERVERSE
Ariel raced for the front lines where battalions of troops, armor and artillery were constantly engaged in a battle for their very lives. Without waiting for orders, Legion veered off of the path they were on and landed in the middle of a body-strewn field, opening up on opposing troops. Kitty watched as friendly fire was directed against him, but quickly diverted by the orders of the sergeant on the field.
She knew that most everyone was scared that was down there, knowing that at any moment a bullet could come and end their lives. But at the same time, she felt very proud.
“These men and women are fighting today because they want to,” she whispered to herself. “Not because someone told them to, but for the possibility to regain that which was once theirs. To restore some sanity to a world gone mad.”
She grimaced as Legion took a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade. It blinded her from seeing him for a moment, but was relieved when the dust cleared and he still was standing there, smashing a howitzer into useless junk.
Her thoughts turned to the man she loved and longing filled her heart to see him again. He made her feel safe, perhaps for the first time in years, and now she was relying on the blanket of security. “I used to think that Kal-El was a god even among the rest of the metahumans. Somewhat arrogant for turning down membership in Alpha Flight, and he wasn’t even the strongest or the fastest out there. But there was always something missing.” She glanced back at where she had just seen Zal buried.
“And along come someone who is not only more powerful…but more human. These people here aren’t fighting for his cause or even under his leadership. Quite the opposite. He is fighting for their freedom, their rights. He could easily leave this planet and leave us to our devices, but yet he stays. He helps those in need because he can. Not for profit or reward and not even for himself.”
Kitty smiled sadly at the thoughts. “Baby, I can only hope you will continue to inspire all of humanity to work together in a common goal,” she whispered to him.
Breaking her reverie, Katherine turned back just in time to see a huge blast of energy envelope Legion, sending him flying backwards. Tracing the pulse to its source, Ariel dove towards the weapon, intending to destroy it. As she did, her comlink buzzed to life.
“Oh damn, that burns.”
“Dwayne? How are you?” Sherri asked over the comlink.
“Medium rare,” he said jokingly.
“Very funny, wise guy. Now seriously.”
“Plasma cannon. Even through the armor, I felt the heat.”
Kitty took enough time to respond on her way to the cannon. “I’m on it guys.”
She hugged the ground closely until she saw it. The cannon was huge. The barrel alone could have easily been bigger than a locomotive engine. But Ariel didn’t care. Despite the small arms fire she was taking she flew into the barrel and dug her fingers into the metal. With all of her might, she pulled her arms together, warping the firing chamber. Not satisfied that it was out of order, she phased and allowed herself to fall into the machinery.
Almost instantly, the weapon imploded as she hit a bank of electronic equipment. Two adjoining fuel cells burst their containers and rained white-hot plasma among the operators and guards. Kitty finally found the ground and walked out of the wreckage. Resolidifying, she turned to see her handiwork and was impressed. She was just about to take off and return to her own side of the battlefield when a sharp pain hit her in the lower back, causing her to cry out.
“Ow!” she cried as she fell to the ground, clutching herself on the affected region. Then another pain swelled through her shoulder. She had just clutched her arm when she noticed a glowing rod on the ground. It was mushroomed like a bullet but was glowing green/blue.
“Railgun bullet. Kryptonite laced.” It was only them she heard the voices.
“It’s not one of them!” a gruff voice said.
A much younger voice responded. “How can you tell?! She’s got the suit on?!”
“The round would have killed her. Get the nullifier!”
Kitty forced the pain out of her mind with the word ‘nullifier’ She had seen what Rachel could do and knew that if she was affected by one, then that was the end. She took off and flew in a tight circle and into the pair of assassins just as one brought a pistol into view. Knocking them both down, she grabbed the pistol and stood over them.
“Now that wasn’t very nice. Picking on a lady like that.” Kitty shook her finger at them like a mother to her kids. “Goodnight.” With a quick punch to each man’s forehead, Ariel turned only to see four men, obviously metas, waiting on her. “Looks like the party is about to start.”
“Time to die bitch!” was the only response she got.
OTHERVERSE
“I don’t get it.” Tom Mason said looking at the holo-table. “Why in hell are they withdrawing? They have the advantage.”
Sherri, overhearing her counterpart, rushed over to him and looked at the tactical display. Her eyes darted across the map and saw as squad after squad began to pull back towards their headquarters. “What happened, did we break through? This looks like a defensive action.”
“It is…they are reinforcing. But I don’t know why.”
Without commenting, Sherri immediately began weaving a spell. Intricate runes of energy floated in the air before her as it took shape. “It’s Katherine. She is causing some turmoil in the backfield.” She let the spell drop before returning her attention to Tom. “Should we use this as an offensive opportunity?”
Colonel Mason expanded the holographic map and began scanning the surrounding areas. He found what he suspected and focused in on the point. “Look here. Luthor’s got reinforcement battalions in reserve. If we attack, he can literally waltz right in and wipe us out.”
“Should we pull out and regroup somewhere else?”
Again, he shook his head. “If we begin pulling out, we would have to split our forces. One to keep them held back on the front and one to protect our retreat path. Either way we are going to lose a lot of people.”
“Not if I can help it.”
Everybody stopped to look at the new voice. For those that hadn’t seen him before it was quite a shock. And for those who had….
“My, god…” is all Tom Mason could say.
Sherri stepped up to the young Kryptonian. He was freely bleeding from a pair of cuts along his cheek and above his eye. His uniform was in tatters and his hair was blood-soaked. It was obvious that he was favoring his ribs, but the burning light behind his eyes was still strong.
“You look like hell.” Sherri said with a straight face as she examined him.
“What would you rather hear: ‘I’ll be alright’ or “I’ve seen better days’?”
“What happened?” Tom asked after he directed everyone else back to work.
Zal cringed slightly when Sherri began feeling how bad his ribs were. He was about to send her away when she gave him a ‘you-know-better’ look. “Let’s just say an old friend came to visit me.”
“Some friend.” Sherri said as she magically began to close the cut on his face. “But as you were saying, how can you help it?”
“Pull your people. All of them. I’ll hold them back.”
Tom Mason’s eyes narrowed when Superman made the statement. “Can you do that?”
“No…he cannot. Despite him being the best we have, even he can’t go against an Army designed to stop him for the 18-22 hours it would take to bug outta here.” Sherri said, answering for him.
“I can buy you time. And Sherri is right.” Zal turned to her. “Remember your first appearance as Fate?”
Sherri’s mind retraced to that day, trying to figure out to what he was referring to. “You want me to cast a protective spell on you? That wont last but about an hour, Zal.”
“I know.”
“So what are you going to do after it wears off?”
“I”LL DEAL WITH IT SHERRI!!” Zal yelled, not thinking until the words left his mouth. For a moment he felt bad having yelled at her, but there were more important matters to deal with. “The lives of the soldiers, the people that are here are MUCH more important.”
He turned to Col. Mason. And walked over to the map. “Take the southwest route. I’ll keep them occupied long enough for you guys to get out. Meet up at the rail hub in old Nashville. We have been working on a defense plan there.”
“Okay,” Mason finally relented. “I just hope you can do this.” Sherri finished her spell around the Last Son of Krypton when he responded.
“It’s not a matter of can, Colonel. It’s a matter of how.” And in the space of a heartbeat, he was gone.
They stood side by side staring out of the open door from which he left. Tom sighed but smiled. “You know, if I had him in my command as a normal person, I would have to promote him right here and now.”
“Why is that?”
“Sherri, I first saw combat in Grenada as a butterbar Lieutenant. And I commanded men in battle ever since. And only one ever matched that man’s bravery.”
“Really? What happened to him?”
“He jumped on a grenade and saved my life. Somehow I knew he was capable of being a hero like that, but it still hurt when I had to face his parents.”
Sherri’s silence spoke for itself. She had seen some hairy things during her tenure as a cop, but nothing like that. Fortunately, she didn’t have the time to dwell on it as reports of field commanders began pouring in.
Tom walked over to the comm station and picked up the microphone. “To all units: We are pulling out. As soon as the fighting stops in your area, get to the rail station. If you can’t take it with you, destroy it. Any equipment cannot fall to the enemy. I repeat: We are pulling out…”
Katherine woke to find herself in an unfamiliar bed. She rose quickly and looked around. She was naked except for the sheet that covered her. The tent was clean and warm and held two other beds that had obviously been slept in. She could hear the sounds of running water nearby.
She rose and found her uniform laying on a makeshift nightstand. Instead of putting it on, she picked up a t-shirt and shorts and was just finished dressing when Sherri came in.
“Oh, hey kiddo. How are you?”
Kitty shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand Sherri, how did I get here? The last thing I remember I was fighting some of Luthor’s metas.”
“And you did very well against them. But eventually you fell to a sneak attack. At least that is what we were told.”
“So how am I alive?”
Sherri smiled and motioned towards the door. “You can thank Dwayne and Brian for that. They reached you just in time and finished off the last two of them. They grabbed you and ran.”
“Where are we?”
“Right outside of Nashville. All of our forces are gathered here. We have been planning a counterattack at Ft. Raines since it fell.”
Kitty’s eyes went wide and her attention focused directly on her friend. “It fell?!”
“Well, not really…we pulled out.”
“What about Artemis? And Zal?”
Sherri wasn’t sure what to say. She had tried to prepare for this question but never found the right words. “We don’t know. Zal stayed back to facilitate our escape. And it worked. We lost very few men after the withdrawal order was given. But we haven’t heard from him since then.”
“Don’t tell me this Sherri. The last time I was knocked out, I woke up and he was dead. I can’t go through that again.” Kitty said in a very icy tone.
“Katherine…we don’t know. Plain and simple.”
“He always said never give up hope. And hope is everything he gave us.”
“Well, I have given my love to you also darling. I can only hope that means something.”
Both Sherri and Kitty turned and looked at the tent doorway. And true to his style of entrances, Zal stood there holding Artemis in his arms. His wounds were completely healed, but his uniform was in need of repairs.
“Zal! Thank you Rao!” Kitty said as she rushed up and gave him a kiss. Allowing her to finish, he walked past and laid Hope down.
“She is heavily sedated. They had her in a containment field. For what purpose, I don’t know. But she will be fine.”
“How are you?” Sherri asked as Kitty wrapped her arms around him.
“Don’t ask.” And with those words, he fell to his knees and would have collapsed if Kitty had not held him up.
“ZAL! What’s wrong?” She gently laid him on her bed and began looking for bullet hole or similar injuries. Finding none, she turned confused to Sherri who was already magically scanning him.
“He is only unconscious.” Sherri said with a half-grin. “It appears he can fight at full power for as long as needed. But I think that mentally he still needs rest.”
“So…you’re telling me he is…exhausted?”
“To put it mildly. Even a Kryptonian’s mental stamina has its limits.”
“How long will he be out?”
“Who knows? His metabolism rates outpace everyone on the planet combined. It could be 5 minutes, or it could be 8 hours. Just let him sleep.”
“Can you give us some privacy?”
“Sure.”
After Sherri left and sealed up the hatch, Kitty sat down beside him and held his hand. “I don’t know how you did it, but you saved the lives of thousands. Again. And now I realize that I have to tell you the truth about me. You have showered me with affection and I have always been cautious around you. There were times you scared me, made me proud, and made me angry. But you have always been there for me. I have kept you at arm length, but within reach. Now I have a confession: I am the girl of your dreams that has masqueraded as a casual date, a partner, and a friend.”
“I don’t want to hide anymore. I don’t want to hide my feelings anymore. I no longer want to date you. I no longer want to be at your side. I want you. Now, tomorrow, forever. I want to spend my life with you. To be one with you, now and always.”
“And I with you, Katherine.”
Kitty smiled at his voice. “How long have you been awake?”
“Long enough.”
“Zal, I thought a while back that I was ready to be with you. And I asked you to marry me. Why did you never act on that?”
“I didn’t think you were ready. For that matter, I didn’t think I was ready. We both needed to bury our pasts so we could live for the future.”
“I’m ready now. As ready as I think I will be.”
“I know Kitty. I had hoped for a long time that we could be together.”
Without another word, Kitty laid down with him, laying her head on his shoulder. “I love you Superman. At least soon I can have you all to myself.”
“Kitty, you always have.”
-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2003 by Jake H.
-- and may not be reprinted without permission.
-- The Continuum Worlds Concept is a joint creation of
-- Dylan Clearbrook and Eldric. Otherverse, Dark Earth,
-- and Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes, 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 and Shadowverse, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- are original creations of John P. and Jason G respectively.
-- 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.