Really? Mayday Parker swung on her webs through the air, the Parker luck again, Mom’s gonna kill me.
Spider-Girl sped up her web-swinging. Maybe I can get this done, then get home before Mom freaks.
Landing on her feet, she saw the latest host for the Venom Symbiote. Mayday’s father had fought the symbiote at one time…before the Zoners had wiped out almost everyone with a mask. But it had come out of hiding and kept gunning for her.
Its latest host hadn’t offered it much…Miriam Koyle, athlete, but not brilliant, embittered by the same things that embittered everyone else…but fueled by a need for revenge.
Mayday swung down, following Venom’s trail of destruction. Mayday caught up to the most recent Venom after she had torn a door off of a row house.
Great, now what am I going to do, May ducked as the door flew over her head. She used a web shooter to snag the door and spin it back towards Miriam. Miraim rolled over, rising quickly.
“You can’t defeat me, you fool,” Venom charged at her. Mayday jumped up, allowing Venom to pass underneath her. She landed on Venom, kicking her forward.
Mayday would have to separate the woman from the symbiote. She had a sonic whistle, tuned to just the right frequency, attached to her web-shooters. Venom was coming back into range, but as Mayday prepared to use her whistle, her Spider sense activated. Another player had entered the scene, moving quickly towards her. Not an immediate danger, but Venom was moving towards the newcomer as well. And Mayday couldn’t let that happen.
“Miriam,” Mayday called, “you’re under control of an evil alien. You’ve got to fight it! I’m going to try to free you, but you’ve got to help. Otherwise, you’ll do something you regret.”
“Whatever,” Venom replied as she approached the newcomer. “Get the Hell out of my way or I’ll kill you.”
“Seriously?” The newcomer challenged. “New Yorkers have always been stuffy, but you’re a bit much.”
Venom launched to attack the stranger. May launched to protect the stranger until she viewed the stylized Pentagram on the stranger’s chest. Venom wasn’t in Brandy’s class…she simply wasn’t. She swung a fist at the Kryptonian only to be frozen in mid swing. Sunshine sparkled off of the ice crystals that surrounded Venom.
“Spider-Girl,” Brandy called to Mayday, “we have got to find you some nicer playmates.”
“She’s too young!” Mary Jane Parker protested to Brandy. “I lost her father; I won’t lose MayDay.”
May stood on the far side of the room from her mother and Brandy. Heroics had cost them Peter Parker; she had never known her father. But she couldn’t deny her inheritance.
That power had caused nothing but fights between mother and daughter. May wanted to please her mother, but she wanted to make the world a better place.
“Mrs. Parker,” Brandy spoke firmly, but respectfully, “when I wake up in the morning, I’m a Kryptonian. I have the power to actually move the planet if I have to. I can fly into the sun and take a sunbath—I still won’t get a tan, but it’s quite refreshing. And I can hear the flock of pigeons on the street below. And one across the city. And when I wake up tomorrow, nothing will change.”
“And?” Mary Jane challenged.
“When May wakes up tomorrow, she will still be Spider-Girl, costume or no,” Brandy explained, “neither of us can escape who we are. The power just doesn’t go away. We just can’t be ‘normal.’ I know. I’ve tried. It gets boring very quickly.”
Mayday turned away, struggling to keep from responding. That had been their deal—let Brandy talk and don’t interrupt. And Mayday’s spider sense had not been tingling.
“But it will get her killed,” Mary Jane protested. “May and her brother are all I have left of their father.”
“If she has to go out there,” Brandy agreed, “alone and untrained, it likely will get her killed. And right now, that’s what she’s doing. I want to help her to be the best Spider-Girl she can be. And I want her to have backup when she needs it.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Mary Jane retorted, “you’ve never been in real danger…never had to…” Mary Jane’s memories of the Zoners and their demise stilled her tongue. She knew well the Zoners had not been defeated by physical force, but by guile, deception, and their own egos.
Mary Jane struggled to find reasons to protest, but each and every reason sounded hollow, even to her. Mayday would have the chance to learn from the best in the business. Batman and Batwoman would teach her how to diagnose a situation: how to think. And Mayday would learn to function as part of a team.
The Infinity Incorporated Satellite Headquarters: Mayday could hardly believe her eyes. She had heard the rumors, but had never expected what she saw. She had been handed off to Robin, who gave her the grand tour of the facilities.
“So you’re Spider-Girl,” Robin, Ricky Grayson, observed as he shared the view of the planet below with her, “glad you could make it. Bats and Brandy were really worried about you.”
“Moi?” Mayday reacted with surprise.
“Sure,” Robin offered, “Bats knew your Dad. He was a really bright guy. Not so disciplined, but bright and really innovative. And Bats thought he deserved better. So he was really determined to do right by you.”
“Right by me?” Mayday replied, “I thought that he was the Dark Knight who frightened everyone into submission.”
“He is every bit of that,” Robin confirmed. “At times, he’s the biggest bully you’ll ever meet. But he doesn’t carry lethal weapons. The Batman doesn’t want anyone to die, on either side. And his teammates come first.”
“How does he get along with Brandy? Her style is so different,” Mayday wondered, turning towards him. “Oil and Water?”
“Don’t kid yourself,” Robin laughed, “she knows what she is and she is deadly competent. No one questions her right to wear the big red ‘S’. She doesn’t have to prove herself to anyone. But Bats has to continually reinforce his image and he does a lot of that through intimidation. So, he lets Brandy manage the public relations for the organization. He enjoys complaining about her pleasant demeanor and she enjoys ignoring him. And my Mom laughs at both of them.”
“Your mom?”
“Batwoman.”
“Success?” Barbara Gordon, the Batwoman, asked Ellen as the Kryptonian stepped into Barbara’s working area. Monitors of on-planet teams displayed along the wall. Batwoman’s cowl lay on her shoulders; she would put it back on if someone who did not know her dual identity entered.
“Easier than I thought,” Ellen admitted. “Mrs. Parker has the same fears for her daughter that Bruce does. I think Bruce is right; Mayday Parker will more than carry her weight in our little group.”
“Project Infinity,” Barbara laughed, “what a weird name. But, it’s non-threatening and that’s all for the best.”
“It’s also not tied to one country,” Ellen emphasized as she gazed at the monitors. “Babs, what’s going on here? The Marvel Twins are somewhere up north…Siberia?”
“Yes, that’s Red Star with them,” Barbara agreed, pointing to the red-haired Russian. “Speed, Strength, and Solar blasts, including red.”
“Good to know,” Ellen nodded as she pointed to a fourth figure. Mary Marvel flew towards that figure, only to be back-handed. She didn’t appear to be harmed, just biding time for Captain Marvel and Red Star to mount a coordinated attack.
The discovery of Mary Marvel had been a lucky accident. Billy Batson had gone to an orphanage for a good-will appearance. After arriving, he had found a private place to call down the lightning. But the lightning had struck twice, leaving a young woman who strongly resembled Captain Marvel wearing a similar costume just outside Billy’s hiding place. A quick conversation had revealed her original identity as Mary Batson…running for her life, she had given a different name to the orphanage.
Fortunately, she had been an even faster study than her brother. Unfortunately for both of them, there had been more than a few ‘Marvel Twin Powers—Activate!’ jokes.
“You fools!” Mongul came into view. More than seven feet tall and yellow, he seemed to possess super speed and strength, as well as a taste for global dominance. “I am Mongul, your new lord and master. If you bow before me, I will kill you quickly!”
“And I thought Spider-Girl needed nicer playmates…” Ellen sighed.
“Seriously?” Mary Marvel reacted to Mongul’s threat. “I don’t know where you think you are, but we’re a little tougher than that. If we survived the Phantom Zone escapees, we’re certainly going to survive you.”
“I tried to be nice,” Mongul lunged for Mary, who sidestepped him, allowing Red Star to blast him with solar energy. Mongul returned Red Star’s fire, stunning the Russian hero.
“He doesn’t seem to fly,” Captain Marvel observed. “I wonder if he has to breathe.”
“Get under him and lift him up?” Mary suggested.
“Yep,” Captain Marvel agreed. “If we move him fast enough, we might keep him off balance.”
“I’ll punch on two, you lift, on three,” Mary tendered.
“One,” Captain Marvel counted as Mary took to the air, aiming for Mongul once more.
“Two!” Mary hit the hulking giant with her full power. Bouncing off of him, the only effect was to divert his attention.
“Three!” Captain Marvel grasped the tyrant’s feet from underneath, pushing him skyward. Mary soon caught up to him and the two of them pushed him high above the Earth.
“Shazam!” They both yelled. The lightning stunned Mongul, while returning the two of them to their mortal forms. “Shazam!” They yelled again as they started to fall, the lightning stunning him even more. Restored, they flew him to the upper reaches of the atmosphere as he began to fight back. Then they reversed course, heading back towards the Earth at full speed. Halfway down, they let him go, slowing their own descent. Mongul appeared to regain full consciousness, reaching for his chest box, attempting to teleport. The teleport succeeded, moving him half a mile sideways, but it did nothing to eliminate his velocity. He slammed into the Earth at full speed, driven a mile into the planet.
It was over…Mongul was done. Captain Marvel flew into the Earth to retrieve the tyrant, flying out seconds later.
Alarms went off in the Project Infinity satellite.
“What’s going on?” Barbara questioned as she tracked the cause of the alarms. “Incursion from outer space…headed for Siberia.”
She realized she was alone. Pulling her cowl back on, she listened for Ellen’s comms.
“Good work, Guys!” The Marvels heard Barbara praise as they helped Red Star sit up. “But you’re about to have extraterrestrial visitors, we think. Brandy is on her way.”
“Great,” Mary fussed. “We do the hard work and…”
“No Man Escapes the Manhunters!” Three nine-foot tall bipeds appeared in front of the Marvels, speaking in unison. “Surrender the prisoner for judgment by the Guardians of Oa.”
“Who are you and what are you doing on our world?” Captain Marvel challenged.
“We do not have to answer your questions,” the front-most of the bipeds warned. “Mongul is a wanted criminal and we will return him to Oa, dead or alive, even if we must terminate you to carry out our mission. Surrender the prisoner.”
“Now look,” Mary argued, “he’s caused damage here, too…”
“Irrelevant.” The trio replied in unison, “surrender the prisoner.”
“It’s all right, Mary,” Ellen landed beside Mary and Captain Marvel. “They’re just following their programming. These are Manhunter androids, unless I miss my guess.”
“Surrender the prisoner,” the androids repeated.
“He’s all yours,” Ellen offered. “But don’t enter our airspace again without permission.”
“Permission is irrelevant,” the androids chanted, “only mission completion is relevant.”
The three androids kneeled down to the fallen tyrant, picking him up by the legs and arms. Jets from their boots propelled them skywards. Soon, they were out of sight.
“Bounty hunter androids?” Captain Marvel questioned.
“No, Captain,” Ellen countered, “something far worse. I know we could have stopped them, but unless I miss my guess, there would have been many, many more behind them.”
“So,” Red Star inquired from where he sat, “they let him roam free, then wait until someone else takes him out. Only then do they claim him?”
“If all you care about is the capture,” Ellen gazed at the Russian, “I guess you do.” She reached a hand out to him, helping him to rise. “No real damage, that’s good,” she commented as she scanned him. “Team, you did very well. But these Manhunter androids are a cat of a different color. This universe just turned out to be a lot uglier than I thought.”
“Frankly Bruce,” Ellen leaned against a rail in the Batcave as the Batman reviewed recordings of the battle, “very few things frighten me…this does.”
“How so?” He watched her with concern, his cowl against his back.
“In my original universe, there was no Oa,” she explained, “the worlds were on their own. We had a magical entity called the ‘Starheart’ that provided power to one of our Justice Society members, who called himself the Green Lantern. He could create energy constructs that would do anything he wanted them to. Very useful against just about anything. So powerful, he could move the world if he needed to.”
“Very powerful, very adaptable,” Bruce nodded, “I can see how that would be a helpful to the cause.”
“The Justice Society had a lot of friends in the counterpart universe we called Earth One,” Ellen explained. “The group called itself the Justice League and one of them was also called ‘Green Lantern.’ His powers worked very much like our Green Lantern, but they were granted by the Guardians of the Universe, a group of demi-gods who oversaw events in the universe from their world of Oa.”
“Big job,” Bruce commented, “that would have required a lot of proxies.”
“At least 3600 of them,” Ellen remembered. “There may have been more sectors, but the Guardians only commissioned Green Lanterns for those 3600.”
“But we didn’t see Green Lanterns today,” Bruce leaned back as he gazed at her. “That’s a different group than the Green Lantern Corps.”
“No,” Ellen agreed. “A predecessor Corps of Android Manhunters had been decommissioned when they destroyed an entire sector of space, believing that ending all life would eliminate crime. Once the Guardians realized what they had done, they decommissioned the Manhunter Corps. The Green Lantern Corps evolved from the first sentients the Guardians commissioned to take up the slack. Not perfect, but a good, stable compromise. Organic creatures die, ensuring that their weapons would turn over, migrating across the space sector, looking for worthy bearers.”
“Not such a bad scheme,” Bruce considered. “But you said we encountered Manhunter androids, which means they are still acceptable to these Guardians.”
“What frightens me,” Ellen explained, gesturing, “is if they destroyed a Space Sector, these Guardians might have considered it an acceptable loss. Which means we could be dealing with universal overseers with a much different agenda. And if there is a Starheart out there, it might not be our ally.”
“Speculation at this point,” Bruce warned, leaning forward.
“I know,” Ellen agreed, sighing as she pointed towards the screen. “But I also suspect I know why the Manhunters did not engage Mongul directly,” she nodded, “Mongul is completely yellow and the Green Lantern Corps could not act directly against that light frequency.”
“Very odd,” Bruce pondered as he gazed at the androids, “but not unlikely.”
“But I don’t have enough information,” Ellen related, gazing through the ceiling into outer space. “I don’t know how bad this is or what the rules are. And I have to know.”
“Then you’re going to find out…” Analyzing the situation, Bruce produced the obvious conclusion.
“Two years ago, when we first started Project Infinity, I would have hesitated being off planet for so long,” Ellen explained, “but we’ve got a lot more firepower than we used to. The Marvels have come a long way in a short time. Dr. StrangeFate can deal with the mystic threats—not my strong suite anyway.”
“Don’t stay away too long,” Bruce smiled knowingly. “Don’t forget that you were the one chartered by the UN to implement Project Infinity,” he recalled, “and I don’t want the UN to have grounds to revoke the charter.”
“Thanks for your concern,” Ellen replied with a raised eyebrow.
“Anytime,” Bruce replied as he gazed back at his screen, analyzing the Manhunter androids.
“Now to explain this to Jimmy…” And she was gone.
“Not much in the computer databanks,” Jimmy warned Ellen as he searched through Kal-El’s logs on the Fortress Computer. “Of course, Clark didn’t spend much time off planet. Finding transportation was always difficult.”
Ellen nodded as she watched over his shoulder.
“I wonder if he just didn’t know all that much, or whether he was unwilling to transcribe what he knew. A third possibility is that he locked it in such a way that only he could retrieve it.”
“I’d tend to believe that last option,” Jimmy nodded. “There’s a lot we should have been able to find, but never were.”
“I wonder if he had allies we did not know about,” Ellen suggested. “I know he had enemies he never catalogued in a way we could find.” She stepped towards the console, rapidly keying in commands, more quickly than Jimmy could follow. What he heard next resembled a series of rapid squeaks, yelling, and monotones. “He was out there long enough to pick up language training. Interlac, the galactic language spoken at most space ports. I’m going to need it.”
“Any idea how you are going to arrange passage?” Jimmy inquired. “I think Clark had some teleportation equipment, but it jumped him kind of randomly.”
“I’m about to find out how powerful I really am,” Ellen explained. “Kal-L didn’t need transport in outer space and I bet I don’t either. I’m going to find out.”
Now how do I do this again? Ellen floated above the Earth, her super vision tracking the debris from the rockets of the Manhunter craft. Oh, yeah…88 miles an hour and jump to the future…oh wait…I don’t have a DeLorean.
She steeled her will and accelerated above the planetary plane, reaching half-light speed quickly. There it is… She sensed a discontinuity, moving towards it. Once she entered, she realized that the stars had taken on a Doppler shift. If I remember, as long as I enter and exit somewhere other than a red sun, I should be OK.
She reached into her cape, turning on an emergency communicator from Kal-El’s collection. The purpose of the device was to track interstellar communications, especially emergencies. Not that she thought she could get much useful information out of it…it flashed telemetry using the Galactic version of Morse Code.
“In the name of the Guardians of the Universe, surrender your vessel,” Ellen realized that someone was in trouble with the Manhunters, turning her attention to the source of the transmissions. She focused her telescopic vision on the source of the signals; three Manhunter vessels had surrounded a larger, but clearly damaged vessel. It was apparently leaking antimatter fuel—not good.
Ellen changed course, dropping out of Hyperspace not far from the confrontation. I’m not going to get involved…this isn’t my battle. No way…I can’t afford to interfere.
“This is Darkstar vessel Alpha 17,” the damaged vessel broadcast. “We carry innocent passengers. If you will guarantee their safety, we will surrender the vessel and ourselves.”
“There can be no innocents on your vessel,” the Manhunter ship broadcast. “All will be tried and punished equally. Surrender or die.”
“We performed a rescue mission above Zennick Seven,” the damaged vessel reported, “this is encouraged even under Guardian Protocols. We will present evidence of the rescue. The remainder of us will surrender.”
Ellen focused on the Darkstar vessel. In the cargo bay, she detected a small group of similar aliens huddled together, some of them bandaged. No guards surrounded them and they had few belongings, some of them scorched. The ship’s crew appeared to be paramilitary. The commander appeared to be a gold-skinned female elf in a dark red uniform with built-in arms. But the Darkstar vessel was following acceptable protocols.
“You will die,” the Manhunter ships broadcast. They backed off from the Darkstar vessel, charging their weapons.
“What else is new?” Ellen lip read the commander’s response to her crew. “As long as they get credit for a kill…nothing else matters. Charge weapons with anything we’ve got left—we’re not going down without a fight.”
The Manhunters fired their cannon, striking the object in their sights. It detonated, providing the explosion the Manhunters expected. Their mission complete, they left the vicinity to report the kill.
The crew of the Darkstar vessel fired their weapons, striking nothing before realizing the Manhunters were no longer in view. Instead, their ship was now surrounded by asteroids. Alarms came on across the ship, warning of navigation failure. At the same time, the anti-matter leak reported that it had been sealed.
“Wonderful,” the commander remarked. “What the Hell just happened?” She asked her befuddled crew.
“Commander, we have a request to board,” a violet-skinned humanoid interrupted from the security console.
“Manhunter?” The commander questioned.
“I would not think so,” the humanoid countered, “not with that symbol.” He focused on the irregular Pentagram on Ellen’s chest.
“Definitely not Kal-El,” the commander surmised as she gazed at the navigation console, “but we’ve managed to jump half a parsec and we’re nicely shielded from view by that asteroid field. Frankly, I think she’s just being courteous by knocking. Let her in. I’ll go down and try to explain this mess.”
“…Arisia Rrab,” the commander greeted Ellen, “I imagine that we have you to thank for our rescue. Not sure how you pulled it off, but we’re grateful.”
“I’m Brandy,” Ellen returned the greeting. “I didn’t have much time, so I dumped a small asteroid in front of them and did a quick jump into Hyperspace. I figured your shields would hold long enough for a ten-second jump. I melted the tube that was leaking the antimatter—I don’t know your systems well enough to do more.”
“That was better than we could have done,” Arisia complimented, “I have a repair crew going out to take a look. We should be able to make a permanent repair. But I have to ask, where did you get that kind of power? Kal-El was powerful, but not on that order.”
“I started out in a different universe,” Ellen explained. “Where I come from, Kryptonians are just a bit more potent.” She frowned, gazing through the vessel at her patch-work repair before turning back to Arisia. “Now I’d like to make a small request; I’m trying to understand how this universe works. I’ve recently encountered the Manhunters on my adopted world. They waited until two of my associates knocked a would-be tyrant named Mongul unconscious and swooped in to claim the capture. We didn’t think it wise to resist at the time. But I need to understand how this Oa works so that I can deal with them the next time I encounter them.”
Arisia breathed in deeply, before escorting Ellen to a small ready room. She brought up a diagram of a planet with a moon.
“For the record, we weren’t lying about the rescue mission,” Arisia relayed. “The Manhunters had taken out a vessel of innocents because they were in the way of an attack on a pirate vessel. And then they just left the survivors to die. We diverted to provide rescue services. A Manhunter vessel came back to the kill zone long enough to fire on us on our way out. We didn’t realize how bad the damage was until we attempted to jump into Hyperspace. Watching our jump fail, the Manhunters called reinforcements. That’s where you came in.”
“The Manhunters seem to have a real credibility problem,” Ellen surmised.
“The Guardians really don’t care,” Arisia related, “that’s why there is so much resistance to them.” She gazed back to the Hologram. “Let me explain from the beginning. The gods of this universe hate sentient beings…the fewer the better…and they’ll take any action they can to eliminate problems.”
She shifted the hologram, showing an almost empty universe: empty until...
“In the beginning, there was the Starheart, the oldest creature in this universe. Frankly, it would prefer not to share the universe with anyone. We’re all a waste of space. But evolution continued, regardless.”
Arisia focused the hologram on a large planet.
“This is Planet Malthus. The Starheart went there to hand pick a group of sentients that shared its views. They migrated to this world,” the image changed, “Oa. The Starheart chartered them to keep order in the universe, which they have done, extremely well. They’ve destroyed any society that might have become a threat. I suspect they had a lot to do with Krypton’s explosion. They were certainly content to allow the Phantom Zoners to ravage Earth.” The scene changed to the ongoing destruction caused by the Phantom Zoners. “We know the Zoners killed Kal-El and his family. We were just helpless to do anything about it.”
“How did you know Kal-El?” Ellen asked.
“The Starheart will occasionally pick a champion of its own, exclusive of the Guardians. It is usually a pretty despicable creature who enjoys wanton slaughter in the name of order. And this one did…his name was Sinestro. He created a world of War and captured sentients, just to make examples of them. Kal-El and Maxima of Almerac were two such beings.”
She displayed an image of Maxima.
“Attractive female humanoid, heiress to the throne of Almerac” Arisia continued. “When Kal-El’s turn to face Sinestro, Maxima offered him a deal. If he would mate with her, she would escape from her cage and enter the ring at the same time Sinestro targeted him, forcing Sinestro to split his concentration. Kal-El really didn’t have much of a choice. He kept his part of the bargain and Maxima kept hers. While Sinestro focused on Kal-El, Maxima killed him.”
“What happened to Maxima?” Ellen inquired. “Any sign of a pregnancy?”
“Maxima dropped out of sight,” Arisia explained. “She did not want the Manhunters to come after her, or to take their vengeance on Almerac because she had returned home. We just don’t know where she went.” She sighed, gazing back up at Ellen. “I have to admit that Kal-El got caught because he was helping us,” Arisia added. “So now I have to explain who we Darkstars are and what we do.”
“And that would be?” Ellen prodded.
“At one point, the Manhunters destroyed an entire sector, 666. All life was extinguished, except for a handful of survivors. Most of the Guardians felt that was an acceptable cost of doing business, and no real loss to the universe.”
“I was afraid you were going to tell me that.” Ellen replied as Arisia nodded. “Trillions of lives expendable…how tragic.”
“But a small contingent of Guardians balked and left Oa,” Arisia continued. “They became the Controllers and they sponsored sentients to frustrate the Manhunters; over time we’ve evolved into the Darkstars. Over the years, we’ve developed allies, whose participation we keep as secret as we can. You’ll note there are few recording devices on our vessel. We would have suicided before surrendering to the Manhunters, but we were hoping to protect the people we rescued. Alas, the Manhunters stayed true to form.”
Arisia activated another hologram.
“This is a ‘Guardian’.” She presented an image of a humanoid with a large head with electronics integrated into its skull. The eyes, ears, and mouth had been replaced by electronic components and most of the skull had been replaced by electronic interface devices. The being appeared to be integrated fully into a recessed cavity; no movement seemed possible. “A Guardian’s life force is extremely strong; energy is siphoned from them to power the central battery on Oa that sources the Manhunter weapons.”
“Not much of a life,” Ellen commented.
“We wonder, sometimes, if they’re battling the Starheart for ultimate control,” Arisia suggested. “But probably not. In either case, I’d agree with you. I wonder if the Guardian has any soul left.”
“I can’t argue with your sentiment,” Ellen agreed.
“By the way,” Arisia handed Ellen a small device, “you might want this. It should unlock Kal-El’s notes about us. He used a similar key to encrypt them.”
“What did you think of the Kryptonian?” The purple-skinned humanoid asked Arisia. Their repairs were now complete and they were underway, deciding where to drop off their passengers.
Arisia thought hard before answering.
“I think she is a catalyst,” Arisia finally answered. “She is far more powerful than Kal-El, and much wiser. And, I think, when she comes into conflict with the Guardians, she can count on support from the Darkstars. We just have to figure out how best to provide it.”
“I confirmed what the Darkstars told me with the Fortress Systems,” Ellen explained to Jimmy, Bruce, and Barbara. “The key they made for my use will only work for me, as Clark’s would only work for him. I’m assuming his was destroyed, but I have no proof of that.”
“Have you rekeyed the files to eliminate Clark’s access?” Bruce questioned.
“To the extent that I could,” Ellen agreed.
“What worries me,” Jimmy leaned forward against the table, putting his weight on his elbows, “was that Clark kept this particular secret, even from those of us closest to him.”
“Wouldn’t you?” Barbara asked.
“No,” Bruce disagreed, “this is too important…Clark set us up without a chance to plan our defenses. And Clark gave the Guardians reason to put Earth out of commission. So, as much as it pains me to say this, we’ll have to brief Buddy Raines and Lex Luthor.”
“I’ll take Lex,” Ellen offered. “He’s offered an employment contract to Ellen Starr and I’m almost certain he knows my dual identity. At this point, I am seriously considering his rather generous offer.”
Ellen gazed at the quarters Lex had offered her…a Penthouse suite atop WLEX broadcasting. Far more than a newscaster would normally rate, it provided easy access to the skyways of Metropolis with ample opportunity to avoid easy observation. As many of Ellen’s counterparts preferred that type of access, she could see instant advantage.
She didn’t mind the maid or chef service, either, although there were portions of the suite that would fade from sight unless Ellen or Jimmy was present. The views were simply tremendous.
Lex had pulled out all the stops…she knew she would not walk away from the offer. But she wouldn’t agree just yet.
“Brandy?” She heard her comms activate in a frequency only she could hear. Bruce’s Batman voice broadcast through the device. “We have visitors at the satellite that you need to greet.”
“On my way,” Ellen acknowledged.
As Ellen arrived at the Project Infinity satellite, her telescopic vision confirmed the identity of the Darkstar ship and commander. Arisia Rrab stood waiting with two other humanoids at the airlock, all three in similar Darkstar uniforms. Ellen entered through a private airlock and flew towards Bruce’s location inside the airlock that led to the Darkstar vessel.
“Their ship matched the Darkstar protocols you provided,” Bruce explained in his Batman voice, “the Commander’s name matches the ‘Arisia Rrab’ you mentioned earlier. But I need you to verify before they enter the station.”
She focused her X-Ray and telescopic vision.
“That’s Arisia, but I don’t know the others. I’m not sure what this is about, but I would expect that they want to take their measure of us and to open ongoing communications.”
“From what we saw in Clark’s records,” Bruce confirmed, “I would agree. But are we sure this is a wise move?”
“No,” Ellen admitted, “but turning them away probably isn’t.”
“…Warlord Kreon and Kaylark,” Arisia introduced her companions. “Not exactly human, but close enough to pass, I would think.”
Bruce gazed at the two visitors. Kaylark appeared human, with an acceptable variation of skin tone. Warlord Kreon was missing an eye and a hand. Both losses had been replaced by prosthetics, but the prosthetics were a bit unusual for Earth. Still, minor alterations could be made to the appearance of the prosthetics, to make them appear less unusual. There were no real standards for the devices…they just had to appear less alien.
“I think so,” Bruce related. “They would not be able to speak through a translator on this world, so they would have to learn languages to avoid suspicion.”
“Not a problem, flying rodent man,” Arisia assured. At his odd expression, she asked, “bad translation?”
“Yes,” Ellen agreed. “‘Flying rodent’ should be ‘Bat’. He’s a little sensitive about that.” Ellen endured the Batman’s glare.
“Now,” Bruce inquired, “not to seem modest, but what do you want with our little back-woods planet?”
“We share common enemies,” Warlord Kreon explained. “Your planet is going to attract attention because of the activities of your teams. We want to make sure you are capable of responding to that attention in a survivable manner. And if you cannot avoid battle, we may wish to add resources to your struggle.”
“In either case,” Kaylark added, “we want to make sure that we can share intelligence information and improve communications. We have seen what your little world is capable of…defeating Mongul is no easy feat and neither is outwitting the Manhunter execution squads.”
“I do not want Earth to become a battlefield between the Manhunters and the Darkstars,” Bruce emphasized.
“And we don’t want your world to be wasted,” Kreon emphasized. “You are a brilliant, inventive people and that is what the Guardians fear most. We can disguise our presence on your world and your interactions with us will remain need-to-know only.”
“What we propose,” Arisia explained, “is an exchange. We will dedicate two of our warriors to your world, if you will dedicate two of your personnel to the Darkstars.”
Bruce nodded.
“I believe that can be arranged, but we will need to locate the appropriate volunteers.”
“And just who do you have in mind?” Ellen asked as she left the room with Bruce.
“Barbara and Jim,” Bruce answered without reservation.
“What!”
“Hear me out,” Bruce guided her away from open ears, “I need to separate Ricky and Barbara. This works perfectly—Barbara gets a new challenge that makes a difference to all of us. We’re forced to backfill what she does, so others will have a chance to learn the job.”
“And Jim?”
“Jim will never achieve his full potential in your shadow,” Bruce related. “He cares deeply for you, but he’s never had a chance to be himself away from the shadow of Krypton. And that shadow has cost him far too much.”
“It’s cost a lot of people too much,” Ellen remarked.
“Jim needs to not be a sidekick for a while,” Bruce emphasized. “He’s brighter and better than he claims to be. I’ve found that out the hard way. And that’s what we need out there as we’re dealing with the Darkstars—our best and brightest. Ellen, it can’t be you and it can’t be me…but they’re smart and very experienced.”
“All right,” Ellen felt the lump in her throat, “I’ll go talk to Jim.”
“No,” Bruce countered, “let me talk to both of them. If you talk to Jim, he’ll never take the job. And I know what I need to say to Barbara.”
“She’s smothering Ricky, who needs to grow up,” Ellen commented, raising an eyebrow. “She’s too well aware of that.”
“But that doesn’t keep her from being overly protective,” Bruce emphasized.
Ellen walked into Jimmy’s research room on the satellite.
“I hate to say it,” Jimmy recognized her footsteps, “but Bruce is right. I’ve gotten stale.” He turned to face her. “This isn’t about us…it’s about Jimmy Olsen, who needs to live by his wits for a while.” Seeing the sad expression in her eyes, he sought to reassure her. “It’s not like I’m going to run off with some cute alien,” he teased, “I can’t handle the one I’ve got!”
“I wish,” grateful for his compliment, Ellen sat in the chair next to his, “I wish it didn’t have to be like this.”
“It does,” he answered knowingly, “because I am just like you. On my dying day, if someone were to offer me the same choice that was offered to you, I would make exactly the same decision for exactly the same reason. And right now, you don’t need me as much here as you need me out there.”
“I know,” she admitted sadly.
“Besides,” he commented, “Bruce mentioned how fast you can travel. It’s not like Ricky and Barbara…I’m still open for date nights: anywhere, anytime.” He smiled warmly at her.
“That means a lot to me,” Ellen brushed his cheek.
“And I’ve found a fill-in for Mark Joseph.” Jimmy grinned. “Mayday Parker: I understand she has a knack for photography and she needs a day job.”
“Jim,” she reached out to gently hold his head, “I’m not even thinking about that right now.”
“I know…”
“You asked to see me?” Mayday Parker walked into Brandy’s private inner office on the satellite.
“Certainly,” Ellen broadcast several photograph images on the wall. “You seem to have the Parker gift for photography: very well done.”
“Thanks,” Mayday blushed at the compliment.
“You might want to know that Ellen Starr is relocating to Metropolis,” Ellen glanced towards Mayday. “Mr. Mark Joseph, her long-time photographer and cameraman, has taken a sabbatical. She is looking for a replacement photographer/cameraman and will train the right person. But I must warn you that she is quirky, secretive, and can disappear at the drop of a hat.”
“I’ve worked under far worse conditions,” Mayday emphasized. “Not too far from home…wow, what’s the catch? What do I have to do to apply?” As she gazed at Ellen, the gears of her mind began to grind. She swallowed hard, “Jimmy Olsen is Mark Joseph and you are Ellen Starr.”
“The job comes with a three-bedroom apartment located two blocks from WLEX,” Ellen continued, a twinkle in her eye, “and a reasonable weekly compensation…this is after benefits and taxes.”
Mayday’s eyes widened as Ellen showed her the figure.
“We’ll help your Mom find a job, too,” Ellen added. “Lex Luthor is going to profit by having both Brandy and Spider-Girl in Metropolis and I won’t feel guilty if he has to pay a pretty penny for it.”
“I don’t know what to say…”
“Say yes.”
“Yes, thank you very, very much.”
Ricky found Mayday in the observation lounge, staring into space, still trying to process the afternoon’s events. He sat down beside her, watching her, but not interrupting her thoughts.
“I know you’ll miss your Mom,” Mayday offered tentatively.
“Yes,” Ricky admitted.
“How did you know I was down here?”
“Ellen asked me to check on you, said you seemed a little shell-shocked. Since you weren’t in your room, I tracked down your locator.”
Mayday, spooked by the use of Ellen’s name, gazed around the room, realizing that they were alone.
“Things like this just don’t happen to me,” Mayday protested. “We Parkers get kicked in the teeth defending the little guy and we get up and try again. But this…how did I…”
“You guessed the dual identity,” Ricky explained. “That was the interview. And Ellen won a bet with Bats.”
“Mr. Wayne can afford it,” Mayday put her head in her hands.
“And that would be two bets…”
End—Mayday