Chapter 5: Mercy Me

© Eldric 2014

Metropolis

“…found the robbers wrapped in webbing outside the police precinct with a note attached, and I quote, ‘Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Girl’,” Ellen Starr made her report from in front of the precinct into the camera Mayday Parker held.  “It would seem that Spider-Girl is looking for a place where she’ll be appreciated.  And I appreciate my bandits, thugs, and robbers neatly gift-wrapped for the police. Don’t you?”  Ellen smiled warmly into the camera.  “This is Ellen Starr, Star Reporter for WLEX news, reporting.”

 “And we’re off the air,” Mayday commented as she lowered the camera.  “I have to ask…don’t you feel a little funny when you report stories like this?” 

Ellen gazed around the vicinity.  Convinced their conversation would be private, she responded.

“A little bit, but I really didn’t lie about anything,” Ellen explained.  “You do have such exquisite gift wrapping skills.”  She chuckled, before she shrugged.  “That’s one of the challenges of a dual identity.  It’s very difficult to report on yourself without bias—you’ll never be completely successful, but it’s what you have to try your best to do…even when your alter ego screws up.” 

RISING STARR

Smallville, Kansas

Ellen flew towards the old Kent farm.  In her past life on Earth-2, she had never met John and Mary Kent, who had raised Kal-L, her Clark Kent.  They had passed on years before she met Clark.  In Otherverse, she had stayed with the Martha Kent of that world; it had almost driven her completely mad.  A farm girl, she was not.

Still, she felt a sense of obligation to the memory of this world’s Superman to at least see what was left of the place.

And what was left of the place was almost nothing.  Ellen landed where the house had once been, but between the Phantom Zoners and souvenir seekers, there was literally nothing left…no house, no barn, not even the tunnels that Superman had used to sneak in and out of the house…not even the remainders of the septic tank.

Ellen felt repulsed by the idea that anyone would steal a septic tank, just because it had belonged to the Kent family.  She hoped they had stolen it for parts.

She mused that it had been almost twenty years since the Zoners had struck.  If Lanie Kent, the daughter of this Clark and Lois, had survived, she would have been in her mid-twenties.  That thought sobered Ellen; her physical body appeared no older than Lanie would have been.

In a way, Ellen was not a replacement for Superman, but for his daughter.  She didn’t know why, but that thought gave her a sudden chill.

RISING STARR

Ellen landed at the Fortress of Solitude, entering quickly and re-securing the door.  Gazing at the mirror of the bedroom within the rooms she used as her separate quarters, she stared at her face.  She had the ability to slightly alter her features; her Clark had used that ability to alter his features as Clark Kent just enough that Clark and Superman appeared to be two different people.

Ellen had done the same thing when she created ‘Ellen Starr, Star Reporter’.  Ellen’s features were slightly more slender than Brandy’s, but just slightly.  That and the darker red hair color had been just enough to make the two appear as different people. 

“Computer, simulate the appearance of Lanie Kent at the age of twenty,” Ellen commanded.

She gazed at that image and her own; while they were not identical, they were similar enough that the family resemblance would be undeniable. 

“How odd,” Ellen observed, “I look the way I’ve always wanted to…did Lois choose her daughter’s appearance?  Did Kent base my appearance on Lanie’s?  And why am I getting stronger the longer I am here?  My Clark’s power was never based on sunlight…but I can feel it charging my cells.”

She manipulated the computer’s controls, asking it to research a question: “am I a clone of Lanie Kent?”

Finally, the computer responded.

“You have gene sequences that do not appear in any member of the Superman family.  You have no human genes, but you have a sequence of genes that appear similar to a metagene.  However, there is no way to validate this information.”

Great…

RISING STARR

Constellation of Sagittarius

“I appreciate you coming out to check on me,” Barbara Gordon walked through the halls of the Darkstar ship Survival with Ellen.  This ship was a headquarters vessel, much larger than the ship that Arisia Rrab commanded.  There were several thousand members of the Darkstar teams on this vessel, the vast majority of which were not Darkstar warriors.  In most fleets, the work performed on this particular ship would have taken place planet-side.  But Manhunter confrontations had forced the Darkstars to move all capabilities aboard ship, where they would not be so easily attacked.

“Certainly,” Ellen replied as Barbara guided her into a private area in the observation lounge and ordered drinks.

Ellen gazed out the window, watching activity below.  The two worlds in view were on a collision course.  The larger one, clearly inhabited, was farther away in a steady orbit.  The second world, a smaller and lifeless asteroid, was on a direct course for the sun.  But that course would cause the destruction of both worlds, as the second world crossed the steady orbit of the first. 

The Darkstars were determined to prevent that that tragedy.  The Survival oversaw a fleet of other vessels, which were attempting change the trajectory of the smaller world.  The fleet of smaller vessels had lined up to fire anchors into the smaller world.

“That’s Clearbrook Six,” Barbara explained as she gazed at the inhabited world.  “A little libertarian in its beliefs and the weather is a bit temperamental, but overall, it’s one of the nicer planets in the vicinity.  That asteroid’s trajectory is the side effect of a battle between the Manhunters and one of the Darkstar vessels.  The Darkstar vessel had just completed a delivery to Clearbrook Six and was exiting the solar system when the Manhunters fired on it.  The Darkstar ship escaped, but returned later to survey damage at the battle scene.  What they found was that the Manhunters’ cannons had struck that asteroid, pushing it out of its orbit.  Unfortunately, its new trajectory aimed it towards the innocent inhabitants of Clearbrook Six.”

Ellen watched as the Darkstar vessels continued to insert anchors into the asteroid, saying nothing as she observed the progress. 

“So, how is Ricky?”  Barbara nudged, pulling Ellen from her reverie.

“Oh,” Ellen blushed, “I don’t know if I should say this, but he’s becoming quite fond of May Parker.”

Barbara nodded slowly.

“I’m not sure how I feel about the Spectacular Spider-Girl,” Barbara grumbled, “I’d prefer someone…”

“…without a metagene,” Ellen finished flatly.  “Seriously, Babs, you of all people should know better.”

“Know better?”  Barbara argued, gazing angrily at Ellen.  “Know better?  All I know is all the problems the rest of us have had to endure because of aliens, meta-genes, and everything else that meant that normal people like me couldn’t defend our home world!”

“I probably deserve some of that,” Ellen remarked, “but not all of it.  You’re right—Krypton’s rejects devastated Earth.  And Project Infinity is assembling the most powerful and promising humans who have displayed a metagene or other sources of superhuman abilities.  But that’s so that we can make sure that they don’t feel isolated by their power, so that they’ll help to protect Earth rather than overrun it.”

“Ellen,” Barbara retorted, “I’ve heard that speech before.  Right now, I’m just not sure I want to believe it.”

Shrugging, Ellen turned to watch the last of the anchors being driven in to the asteroid.

“Those anchors are awful shallow…”

“It’s supposed to be very hard rock,” Barbara countered.  “The engineers have validated the required strength of the vessels and the cables.  The geologists haven’t seen anything unusual.”

“And I’m not a scientist by nature,” Ellen admitted, “just an old news hen.  But I’ve lived through World Wars I and II, the Cold War, the end of my universe, the battle for Otherverse, and the freeing of your world.  I’m well over a hundred years old, even if I look a lot younger.”

“More than a hundred years old?”  Barbara questioned.  “How?”

“My husband, Clark, was immersed in waters called the ‘Stream of Ruthlessness’,” Ellen explained.  “The Justice Society overcame most of the effects immediately, but it left behind a legacy of reduced aging for them and those closest to them.  And I slept in the arms of Clark Kent for generations.  I was more than seventy five years old when I entered Otherverse.  I was almost a hundred on my deathbed.  Project Infinity was founded on my hundredth year of life.”

Ellen drew into herself.  She considered her childhood…riding on horseback because there were so few cars.  They were still a luxury enjoyed by the rich.  She had crossed the oceans on the great ships, before the days of real commercial aviation.  As a newspaper reporter, she had met her world’s Franklin Roosevelt, General Eisenhower, and Adolph Hitler. 

And Clark Kent…spineless worm, or so she had thought, until an extremely powerful spell forced Clark to forget he was Superman.  Lois had fallen in love with the new Clark, without suspecting his dual identity.  But an assassination attempt on his life forced Lois to suspect the truth…Clark was Superman and did not know.

She found a way to restore Clark’s memory…the world needed a Superman and she had grown to love him too much to keep him from his destiny.  She had done her duty…she would leave him to that grand destiny.  She would find work elsewhere, in another city, and curse herself for her sense of responsibility.

He found her, of course, before she could leave, and begged her to stay.  Their discussions that day ranged the gamut, but then she had finally asked him one pointed question.

“What do you do when you find the person you love is so much more than you ever could have believed?  When that person has responsibilities to the world that you can never hope to understand?   When that person does things that so change the world, that even the gods cannot deny the impact?”

He considered her words for a moment, before smiling the way that only he could.  He gazed deeply into her eyes and answered.

“Marry her.  And hope she’ll stay with you.”  The sincerity of his words finally overcame her doubts.  She would be his partner for generations.

RISING STARR

“Ellen?”  Barbara roused her from her thoughts, “are you in there, Kiddo?”

“Oh,” Ellen glanced around, gazing back at Barbara.  “Sorry…lost in the past for moment.”

“I have to ask you,” Barbara nudged, “you’re a very pretty young woman, but while I spot a resemblance to Lois Lane, you are obviously distinctly different people.  You once said your original appearance as Lois Lane was very close the Lois of this universe.  Did you have any say on your new appearance?”

Ellen grinned.

“Everyone has an image of the way they wish they looked,” she admitted, staring out the window, “my sister Lucille had the Brandy-colored hair, and the rest of the appearance comes from my wish list—just minor changes to my original appearance.  I wasn’t consulted, but I’m thrilled with the results.”  She flashed her telescopic vision, inspecting the Darkstar anchors, “Babs, if they don’t do this exactly right, that asteroid is either going to split in half or spin out of control.”

“Let me see if I can call someone,” Barbara stepped away, making the contacts that she could as they watched the Darkstar vessels fire their engines.  The vessels appeared to be well in their way to slowing the asteroid down. 

But then, the anchors on the side closest to the planet pulled free, leaving only the anchors on the far side intact.

The effect was to force the asteroid to revolve, dangerously increasing its speed as it hurtled towards the world below.  The remaining Darkstar vessels were forced to disengage before they were pulled to the surface of the now-revolving asteroid.

Barbara’s eyes widened with disbelief…billions of lives on the world below and nothing that anyone could do.  Not even Superman…

But then a flash of red and blue rocketed from the ship.

Ellen?  What do you think you’re doing?   Barbara watched in horror as the asteroid plummeted.

The red and blue flash smashed into the asteroid, drilling into it, quickly disappearing from view.

But as soon as Ellen disappeared, the asteroid began to pick up even more speed, accelerating even faster towards the planet.  Barbara watched in horror until she realized it had begun to change its trajectory…not entirely clear of the planet, but…

You go, Girl!  Barbara could not help but feel a flush of pride as she understood Ellen’s desperate gamble.  The asteroid would not miss the planet, but it would not hit it either.

She watched in open-mouthed amazement as the asteroid tilted and slowed just enough to settle into a stable orbit around Clearbrook Six, becoming a rather sizable moon.  Clearbrook Six, which had never encountered tides before, would have them now.  Babs wondered if the new asteroid would moderate the weather…it probably would induce a much nicer climate. 

So many lives saved…but how?  How had Ellen been able to grab on to an entire asteroid and fight the planet’s gravity long enough to put the asteroid into orbit?  How could she possibly be so powerful?

RISING STARR

“Sorry,” Ellen stepped back towards their table, settling back down.  “May says I need to work on my exits; it’s rude to leave people guessing.  She’s right and I know it.”  She shrugged, “I wish I could have completely cleared the planet, but I had a hard time keeping ahold of the asteroid’s core…what was its name?”

“Cornus amomum, I think,” Barbara replied, shivering suddenly feeling chilled.  “In English, it translates to Rose Willow.  That’s a human-height Silky Dogwood shrub.  Enchanting bloom on Earth, but I’m not sure what the origin is up here,” she recalled, staring blankly at the new moon.

“Babs?  Are you OK?”  Ellen nudged with concern.  Barbara could feel a light touch of heat vision warming her, fighting her chills.

“No,” Barbara answered honestly, “twenty billion lives on Clearbrook Six and we almost killed them all…by all rights should have killed them all...”

“Barbara,” Ellen reached out to touch her, to reassure her, “it’s all right.  It’s a stable orbit.  The sun will consume the solar system before that orbit fails.”

“You don’t understand…”  Barbara still struggled to comprehend what she had just seen, what had to be occurring in the fleet and on the world below.  “Oh my lord, I can’t believe you understand.”

Ellen watched Barbara with concern, waiting for her to finish.

“Ellen, nobody has that kind of power!”  Barbara rebuked.  “If any of the Zoners had been able to do what you did…”  She shook her head, still shivering.  “Flying across parsecs without stopping to breathe, physically moving worlds: I feel like you’ve lied to us…why do you even need us?”  She glared at Ellen, whose stunned silence was the only response.

Eventually, Ellen found words.

“Babs, power or no, I did the only thing I could do.  I couldn’t just let them die; you know that.   I’m sorry if I’ve frightened you, but what else could I have done?

 “I don’t know,” Barbara confessed.  “Ellen, with all that power, what do you need with the rest of us?  You could do so much without us.”

“And for what?”  Ellen smiled warmly at her friend, reaching to touch Barbara lightly.  “Where would I go?  What would I do?”  As she spoke, Barbara began to relax.  “Babs, I don’t want to be alone in the universe…I’ve done that…I never want to do it again.  And even I can’t do everything at once, nor would I want to.”

Barbara considered Ellen’s words before responding.

“The Darkstars will never leave you alone after this,” Barbara cautioned, “not after that display, not after they figure out what you did.  And Earth will gain even more unwanted attention.”

“Yes,” Ellen leaned back in her chair, “we expect that.  Bruce and I have been planning for this ever since we started up Project Infinity.  The Darkstars have been a pleasant surprise…friendly eyes and ears across known space.  And they are teaching us interstellar battle mechanics and command and control.  This little misadventure gives them even more reason to treat the forces of Earth even more seriously.”

Barbara considered her words before finally nodding.

“I keep forgetting you are very different from Kal-El.  Superman’s focus was almost exclusively on preventing conflict on Earth and protecting Metropolis.  Yours is on Earth’s survival in the universe.  And Project Infinity is your means to that end.”

“And it provides Ricky the opportunity to meet the best of women,” Ellen commented mischievously, “May Parker among them.”

Barbara sighed.

“Well, she works hard for a living and there really isn’t much to dislike about her.  I just have this image of my grandchildren swaying in the breeze in webbing while Mama goes off to fight this or that villain.”

“But isn’t it nice to know she’s there?”  Ellen asked innocently as Barbara searched for an answer.  Finally, Barbara groused.

“You do realize those kids could wind up with two red-heads for mothers-in-law,” she retorted.  “I know where this is going—you want me to admit that she’s the best thing ever to come into his life, arachnid or no.  Just because it’s true, doesn’t mean I have to admit it.”

“All right,” Ellen chuckled, “I’ll tell her you said that.”

“Just don’t tell him,” Barbara demanded, sighing, before becoming more animated.  “Now let’s turn back to your little escapade and what it means for Project Infinity.”

RISING STARR

“I thought about it and Barbara was absolutely correct,” Ellen spoke to the Batman and Charles Xavier, the mystic Dr. Strangefate, in her workroom on the satellite.  “The physics of the situation make no sense.  There should have been no way for me to ‘grab’ the core of the asteroid and affect it, much less move it.  And how did I get the power to move something that big?”

“I can postulate,” Dr. Strangefate advised as he touched her arm and gazed at her face.  “Your Fortress Computer has established that you qualify as a Kryptonian of this universe, but there are additional genetic sequences.  And in your own recollection, your power comes from the Krypton of a universe where the color of the sun has no impact on the amount of power you have—the Kryptonians had powers on their home world.”

“Yes,” Ellen agreed, “correct so far, but I know that I have been charging off of the yellow sun, which is amplifying my powers.”

“I second that observation,” Bruce concluded.  “Your strength is more than physical.  Like every living being you have a bioelectric aura.  And like the Kryptonians of this universe, that aura expands to cover the surface of any object you touch.  It’s the aura that allows you to lift objects without creating stress fractures that would otherwise dent or split the objects you carry.”

“You are no different from our Superman in that respect,” Charles Xavier explained.  “But without a yellow sun charge, he was little more than a normal man.  And that’s where you are different.  You started off with a complete set of powers.  But the part of your DNA that came from Faora Hu-Ul is increasing those powers.  And that’s why you could move the asteroid.”

“Ellen,” Bruce stepped over, touching her on the shoulder, “the day you fought Commander Marvel—that was your baseline—your powers with no solar charge.  Every day you’re under this sun, your power levels increase.  We don’t know what your upper limits are or will be.  We just don’t have the data.”

RISING STARR

Ellen stepped towards her console.  Dr. Strangefate and the Batman had both left the room, leaving her to her research.  She would have to contact Lex Luthor; she needed his expertise, she knew that.  But other questions weighed on her, questions she had not had reason to ask before.

She knew about the deaths of the Superman family.  Lois had been disintegrated in full view of the public.  Superman had been beaten to death and dismembered; his remains had been tossed into the sun.  That left their daughter, Lanie.  The images she had seen were inconclusive…Green Kryptonite, Gold Kryptonite, Red Kryptonite, beatings…what else had been done to the child before she passed on?  And what happened to her remains?  Something was buried, but nothing remained at the site.

She had no idea what cloning capabilities Lex Luthor might have had.  Of course, if Bruce and Charles were correct, her DNA would be the most interesting of all. 

Take a deep breath; don’t get worked up over this; I don’t have to solve this today.  Maybe I’m pushing myself into this; Jimmy being gone really bothers me.  I know I’ll see him in a few days, but I can’t help the feeling he’s not going to want to come back.  And if he’s not here, what am I going to…

Her door chimed, letting her know she had a visitor.  X-Ray vision revealed Mayday Parker.

“Hi May,” Ellen greeted, noting a look of concern in Mayday’s eyes as she approached, “are we late for an appointment?”

“Mama says I’m supposed to haul you home for dinner,” May informed her.  “She says she’s worried about you; you just can’t solve everyone else’s problems without getting to share your own.  And Mama tends to be right.”

Ellen stared at Mayday in stunned silence.  Finally, she nodded with a smile.

“The Kents have nothing on the Parker family,” Ellen replied.

“I hope that’s the compliment I think it is.”  Mayday offered as Ellen nodded.

“Tell Mary Jane that I’m honored,” Ellen added.  “I’ll bring dessert.  I promise chocolate will be involved and I will be there in half an hour.”

“Great!”  Mayday grinned.  “Yay, Chocolate!”  She stepped out of the doorway, heading back to the transporter.

Sometimes I forget…it’s my friends that keep me grounded.  And somehow they know when I need them most of all.

But first, I know this wonderful chocolatier in Paris…She grinned with anticipation.

RISING STARR

“You, you’re Robin’s kid,” Ricky Grayson heard his name being called by an older man.  He turned to see a bald man with a perfectly white head.  The left upper part of his body was violet, the upper right was orange.  One leg was silver and the other the color of wood.  “We haven’t met—I’m Metamorpho.”

“Hey,” Ricky asked, “aren’t you that element man, who can turn into any chemical compound?” 

“That would be me,” Rex Mason stretched while converting his form to hydrogen, “flexible, too.”

“Wow,” Ricky considered the possibilities, “any chemical compound?”

“Almost any,” Rex agreed, “any you can find in the human body…that’s basically anything short of some high-density metals or Kryptonite.”

“Bats mentioned you,” Ricky complimented awkwardly, “said you were really something in your youth.”

“Hey!” Rex protested, “I’m as good as always!  I’m as gorgeous as I ever was!  Ask Bats!”

RISING STARR

The last rays of the Metropolis evening sun shone onto the balcony of the Parker apartment.  Mary Jane Parker and Ellen Starr lounged on the two overstuffed all-weather chairs Mary Jane kept there.  Two cups of tea and the last of their dessert had accompanied them outside.

Mayday had long since departed…the night was young and so was she.  And a little web-swinging did wonders for the figure.

“So,” Mary Jane prodded her guest, “how did you settle on Ellen Starr?”

Ellen smiled at her memories.

“My mother was named Ellen Lane,” she admitted, “Clark’s cousin, Kara Zor-L, who we helped raise, took the name Karen Starr.  So Ellen Starr is a reminder of them both.  And the first part of my mother’s name is a reminder of the House of El, or L in our case.”

“Have you considered a middle name?”  Mary Jane prodded as she took a sip.

“Not seriously,” Ellen replied as she activated her telescopic vision.  Mayday had interrupted a mugging…nothing to be concerned about.  “Either Lois or Joanne would be an obvious choice, maybe Selina or Helena after dear friends, but no…why get more complicated than I have to?”

“There is that,” Mary Jane agreed.  “I have to admit, I like Brandy as a name.  The fact that you are a Superwoman is pretty obvious, especially with the shield.  But, girl, I do have to bitch about that costume.”

“I  know.” Ellen shook her head, “it’s served its purpose, but fashionable it will never be.”

“It’s a grandmother’s suit,” Mary Jane fussed, “and you’re not anybody’s grandmother.”

“But I’m more than a hundred years old,” Ellen protested.

“No,” Mary Jane rebutted, “Lois Kent was, but you are not.  You have memories of another life-time, but you appear to be no more than twenty two years old in either identity, and frankly, I would have guessed eighteen to twenty.  You haven’t reached your prime…you’re a very attractive young woman, who hasn’t even begun to feel the ravages of age.  Enjoy every minute of it.”

“As Ellen Starr, I do,” Ellen protested.  “But I worry more about Brandy’s image.”

“Honey, when you got it, flaunt it,” Mary Jane retorted.  “And you got it.  You really, really do.  And I’d recommend shifting to Superman’s colors with a short skirt.  You’ve got legs to die for…show off.”

“I’m a world leader…”

“You’re a young woman…and you don’t know who you are, yet.  You are a stew of alien hormones kept under control by a very disciplined mind.  But someday, you have to let those hormones take over…besides, think of all the fun you could have with the intergalactic gossip mongers!”

“I’m a widow,” Ellen argued, “I have a comfortable relationship with Jim Olsen.  I don’t plan on becoming romantically involved with anyone else, and I don’t plan on motherhood.”

“Sure you don’t,” Mary Jane rebutted.  “You will be surprised what can happen, though.  I’ve never found anyone I’ve loved as much as Mayday’s father, but I haven’t always been lonely.  And, frankly, there is a lot of joy in life…someday you, too, may discover the joys of eight little feet scampering up the walls.”

“Mine would be more likely to float out of the crib and give its nanny third degree burns,” Ellen chuckled. 

“Maybe so,” Mary Jane agreed, “but don’t discount the possibility.  Lightning can strike twice.  And you have the power to create your own thunderheads.”

“Ugh.”

RISING STARR

“Still a little hard to adjust,” Rex Mason admitted as he walked through the halls of the satellite with the Batman.  “But it’s great to be back in the game.”

“Your power levels have remained constant,” Bruce counseled.  “I’m not sure you’re aging.”

“Some advantages to being a freak, I guess,” Rex replied, before a flash of red and blue caught his attention.  “What the hell is that?”  Rex Mason pulled the Batman aside, pointing as he caught sight of a ruby-red cape, bearing the symbol of the House of El, approaching.

“Sorry,” Ellen stopped short, turning around to greet them.  “Spider-Girl’s mother told me I looked like someone’s grandmother.  So, I’m experimenting.”

Rex gazed at her new costume; slightly darker versions of the colors that Superman had worn.  But while she wore a top of thigh length red cape with a gold trim, she wore a sleeveless blue body-suit with a short red skirt and red boots and gloves.  The costume exposed her neck and collarbone, but not her chest, which bore the classic big red ‘S’.

Under her skirt, her legs remained bare, except for the boots.  Her long orange-red hair fell against her cape.

Rex lost cohesion, shifting to a gaseous form, becoming invisible.

“Krypton gas,” Ellen remarked, “I’m not sure if that is a compliment.”

“I would think so,” Bruce remarked, smiling slightly.  “If I were Jimmy Olsen, I would be more than a bit concerned.”

RISING STARR

“My examination concurs with what your Project Infinity teammates have theorized.”  Lex Luthor and Ellen rode the elevator back up to his office as he confirmed his testing results.  “You are not yet at the peak of your powers.  What that peak is, I do not know.  But it will take years, maybe decades before you reach that point.  In the meantime, I confirm that you have lost some of your sensitivity to Kryptonite.  It can still kill you easily enough, but it takes more and longer.”

“Not that I object to that at all,” Ellen remarked.  “Although it will cause the Batman angst.  He’s never said anything, but he wants to make sure he knows what to do the next time he faces a rogue Kryptonian.”

“Given your propensity not to make rash decisions, I can see why he would be extremely concerned by the threat you represent.”  Lex nodded as they exited the elevator, stepping towards his office.  He held the door open for her.

“Thank you,” she offered as she stepped inside.  She gazed at a picture of Lex Luthor and Mercy Graves.  Was that a glint of silver sticking out of a long sleeve?  And in another picture, just a couple feet away?  She used her X-Ray vision to scan through the book of photographs he kept in the credenza, just below.

“I admit that I am curious about something,” he regained her attention as he gestured towards two comfortable chairs near his desk.  “You’ve mentioned that you have known other versions of me in your time, on your other worlds.  What were they like?”

“I’ve known four,” Ellen admitted, as she sat down.  “The one on my home world was a renegade scientist, but not the greatest threat.  Another one that my husband met was the greatest and only hero on his world.  His son was one of the reasons I survived the destruction of my universe.  But two others I have known were megalomaniacs, almost past the point of redemption.”

“And where do I fit on that spectrum?”

Ellen chuckled.

“You had quite the reputation when I met you: mad scientist, ruthless business man, sometime super villain.  But despite all of that, you’ve never been untruthful to me and you’ve stuck to our agreements.  Truthfully, I know you are no saint, but you’ve seemed to be on the side of the angels more often than not.”

“You’ve offered a better deal than Superman ever did,” Lex remarked.  “And there is a great deal more pragmatism to what you do.  Superman tried to hold everyone to unobtainable ideals.  You focus more on the advantages of cooperation in route to your goals.  You are an old soul who doesn’t worry about your place in the universe.  And that is very telling.”

RISING STARR

“…cloning,” Ellen finally broached the subject with Lex.  “You are a brilliant scientist and if anyone investigated cloning it would be you or someone you knew.”

Lex did not immediately respond.  Ellen refocused her question.

“Do you know if anyone attempted to clone Superman or his daughter Lanie?  I know the Fortress computer defined Lanie Kent’s genome.  Lois Lane could not carry the child; it would have killed her from within the womb.”

“Most likely,” Lex agreed.  “Superman’s parents were lucky indeed to have raised him with few problems.  If he had ever thrown a real tantrum, he could have killed them.  As it was, Superman rigged devices to keep Lanie’s powers from manifesting when he was not available.  Fortunately for them, Lanie’s super strength disappeared without yellow sun rays.”

“But not fortunately for her…”  Ellen responded.

“It would seem so,” Lex replied noncommittally.  Ellen suppressed her reaction, letting his comment pass.

RISING STARR

“I’d like to hear more about Mercy Graves,” Ellen changed the subject.  “I heard you first met her because she was a very effective bodyguard.  Jimmy said she was very strong and very skilled.  He noticed a very slight accent.”

“The daughter of Greek immigrants,” Lex recalled, gazing at his pictures, almost smiling.  “She grew up in some pretty tough neighborhoods.  Expert fighter, but that was just the start.  Over time I realized she was far brighter than she ever let anyone suspect.”

Ellen could feel Lex distance himself from his emotions.  She had no doubt that Lex loved Mercy Graves.  But she had her suspicions about Mercy Graves.  The glint of silver that peaked out of more than one sleeve and the fact that she had never seen a short-sleeved picture of Mercy drove those suspicions.

“What were her parents like?”  Ellen prodded gently. 

“I never met them,” Lex admitted.  “They were long gone before we met and she was an only child.  Still, most of her background checked out.  There were a few gaps, but since she was from the wrong side of the tracks, we expected that.”

“Tell me about the bracelets,” Ellen watched Lex’s eyes rise.  “Never took them off, did she?”

“Why no,” he reacted with surprise.  “She was more than sensitive to any suggestion that she would.”

“I’ll bet,” Ellen exclaimed.  “Did she ever use them against bullets?”

“You know something,” Lex accused.

“I wish I didn’t,” Ellen replied.  “Lex, I need you to tell me the truth about how you lost her.  And I need you to show me the site.”

Lex gazed at Ellen with anger and distain, his emotions in turmoil.

“I don’t want anything disturbed,” he finally responded.  “I lost far too much that day.  I lost her…I lost children.  The Zoners blasted our son apart with heat vision before they went after Mercy and our daughters.”

“Lex,” Ellen stepped over to Lex, touching his shoulder.  “I am so very sorry for what they did.  But if Mercy is what I think she is, everything changes.”

“Is?”  Lex faced her with a disbelieving gaze.

“But what would they want from you?”  Ellen pressed, ignoring his expression.  “What would you be able to do that they couldn’t?”  Her eyes widened as she gazed at him.  “You ducked my question before.  But it has to be cloning.”

“Yes,” Lex finally admitted, “Mercy could not conceive, or so she said.  So, we created children.”

“Except for the one son, the rest were daughters?”

“Yes.”

Ellen sighed.

“How much Kryptonian DNA?”

He glared at her.

“What we could manage.  In a world ruled by Phantom Zone Criminals, they needed every advantage they could get.”

“Lex,” Ellen responded, “I am not judging you.  And I am sorry to have to broach this topic.  But I need to know what I’m going to be facing.”

“As you wish,” he finally nodded.

RISING STARR

Ellen walked with Lex through rows of cloning vats.  Faora Hu-Ul had not been on the team that had destroyed the facility, so Ellen had no memory of its destruction.  But she had a new appreciation for the damage the Zoners had caused.  Note to self: strand Zoners on a high-gravity, low tech, red sun world.

Bits of human bone lay across the facility, the sole remainder of clones the Zoners had killed before they could be ‘born’.  Ellen activated her telescopic and X-Ray vision as she followed Lex into the family quarters on the other side of the facility.  She spotted the red solar lamps Lex had used to dampen the powers of the clones until they could be trained.  Ellen knew they had not been in use by the timewhen the Zoners had found the facility.  The Zoners would have been running off batteries, but the clones had almost no power at all.

“There,” Lex gestured, a look of pain in his eyes.  “Lex Junior died there, and Mercy and the girls died over there,” he gestured towards a collapsed corner of what had been the family quarters. 

Ellen scanned the rubble, scanning for light frequencies outside the normal ranges.

“How long ago?”

“Fifteen years ago,” Lex recalled, “a decade before you entered this world.”

Ellen shook her head sadly.

“All this, so unnecessary,” she finally spoke.  “I’m so sorry for what they allowed to happen to Lex Junior and to you.”

“They?”

“The Amazon Nation,” Ellen explained as she walked towards the collapse.  “Mercy had orders.  Female clones with every bit of power that could be programmed into them.  She used magic to cover her escape; I can see traces of the energy.”

“And you had no idea the Amazons existed before today?”

“Frankly, I had no reason to try to find them,” Ellen admitted.  “I have no idea where Paradise Island was located on my first Earth and I would have even less idea where to find this one.”

“Or how?” He accused; she could hear the pain in his voice.

“Oh, I’ll find it,” Ellen confidently promised.  “I know the markers to track.”  She pursed her lips.  “There is a tribe of Amazons who may number in the thousands who have done a masterful job of sitting out the occupation of your world.  They had the power to make a real difference, but they chose not to act.  Instead they concealed their motives.  I’d like to know why.”

RISING STARR

Ellen heard a tap on her workroom door.  Gazing through the wall, Ellen spotted Mary Marvel on the other side.  Smiling, she gazed towards the door as she opened it.

“I’ve read through the materials on the Amazons you left for me.”  Mary entered Ellen’s office.  “Aren’t they myths?”

“Oh, no,” Ellen explained, “they are very real.  And we need to make contact as soon as I find out where they are.”

“The Mediterranean or the Atlantic?”  Mary hinted.  “Anywhere else would be a little too far away from Greece.”

“The North Atlantic,” Ellen replied, “not too far from the shipping lanes, but just a bit out of them.  Near a small set of uninhabited volcanic islands, I think.”

“Do you need me to help you find them?”  Mary asked.

“No,” Ellen gazed back at Mary, “I will find them easily enough.  But I need an appropriate emissary.  The Amazons are creations of the Greek gods, which makes you the perfect first-contact ambassador.”

“I’ll need a little time to brush up on my ancient Greek.”

“Me, too, actually.”

RISING STARR

“I admit that I don’t see anything but ocean,” Lex remarked.  On the Project Infinity satellite, he and the Batman stood behind Ellen as they watched Mary Marvel fly across the Atlantic Ocean towards a set of coordinates Ellen had provided.  Ellen changed the view on her monitor. 

“See it now?” Ellen asked.  “The slight violet glow?  It’s in the ultraviolet range.  Here, let me show you the infrared spectrum.”

“Still, nothing there,” Lex offered.

“But it’s a different nothing than the Ultraviolet,” Bruce rebuked.  “Of course, they can’t see in these frequency bands, either.  So there are limits to what they would think to hide.”

“I’m almost there,” Mary Marvel spoke over her comms.  And then she vanished from view.  Ellen turned to gaze through the floor of the satellite.

“I can see a faint outline, but she’s shielded from my view.”  She turned on her microphone.  “Mary?” 

“That communications device is off-line,” appeared on the communications console display.

“Great,” Ellen muttered just before she too vanished.

End—Mercy Me