The Continuum War 2 |
Kent glanced at the survivors of the Wasteland massacre as they slept. They had fought so valiantly to save the denizens of the Wasteland, but only his away team had survived…well, his away team and one other, who had chosen not to identify himself. The young man looked familiar, but the name would not come to him…old age, Kent guessed.
His entire away team lay sleeping in the infirmary. They had been so animated when they returned from the Wasteland, but then even adrenaline failed them and they slept. Unusual, especially when Kryptonians were involved.
He had almost lost the team. He lost the ability to see into the Wasteland just after the attack on Oa. He had been concerned, but did not have operatives available to follow. And he had been distracted because the Multiverse had gone invisible at the same time. He had three major blind spots at once; Multiverse, Wasteland, and the separate away team he had sent to track the shadow warriors. While he had been able to break through once to get to the Multiverse, it was blocked again. Getting through again would take effort…his first priority…Sorority would be chomping at the bit to get back once the twins awoke.
Alysa’s sudden moan unnerved Kent. He knew she had almost died because he had made a strategic error. He had sent the brightest and the most powerful members of the Sorority to the Wasteland with what he thought was an easy way out. But the situation had become so dire that the team could not reach it. Only fallout from a different disaster had saved the team: the failure of Molly and Linda’s mission.
Before he had tasked Sorority to investigate Wasteland, he had sent Molly and Linda on a scouting mission to track the shadow warriors. They had navigated their way to the Qward probability and entered the negative universe within that probability before things started to go wrong. Molly manifested powers that her daughter, Lannie Scott Kyle West, had never had in her time as a creature of shadows. A blasting power very different from Lannie’s dark force had irritated Nekron enough to pursue them…all the way into the first probability Linda could find, which just happened to be Wasteland. Molly had been so drained that she fell in and out of consciousness. Linda entered Wasteland with Molly at Oa, only stopping long enough to confirm and investigate the final slaughter of the Green Lantern Corps and Guardians at Oa. As an Alterverse Green Lantern in her own right, an automatic signal from Oa automatically interfaced with her ring, the one the Alterverse Guardians had provided.
Once out of Qward and once again at the peak of her power, Linda generated a Boom Tube with ease to take her to the Great Portal’s opening. Fortunately for the Sorority, that Boom Tube opened over Earth, taking the mystic Sentinel within range of their distress signals. Linda had been able to quickly rescue her friends in Sorority, as well as the one other young man who had not identified himself.
Molly had been the first to recover, rebounding almost instantly. Her husband, Edmund, had begun debriefing her.
Once Molly had begun to recover, Linda announced that she needed to spend time with her boyfriend and would be back. Edmund had moved to stop her, but Kent deduced her intent, as she trusted him to. Then she vanished.
Richard Grayson would keep an eye on the girls, freeing Kent to check on Edmund and Molly. They had moved to the entrance of the Rock where Molly floated above Edmund, her hands above her head.
“Like that,” Molly fired another blast of energy. “I don’t feel drained at all, though.”
“You don’t seem to be expending life-force,” Edmund observed. “I’m not convinced that using your powers drained you.”
“What then?” Molly pondered. “Of course, I didn’t seem to lose any of my kick the second time I fired at Nekron.”
“But,” Edmund tapped his chin, “Linda didn’t seem drained at all. Of course, no one else who came out of Wasteland is even conscious.”
“I’ve been remiss,” Kent interrupted. “Molly, I need to teach you how to do a better job of raising your defenses. You did a reasonable job for having no real training. But you were hit by Nekron’s power. Only partially, but you were hit.” He engaged his mystic vision, scanning Molly once more. “You have an extremely powerful life-force. Linda was right; it always stayed strong…just not strong enough to operate at full capacity.” He sighed. “Do you remember anything about Wasteland Earth?”
“Nothing at all,” Molly admitted.
Edmund’s eyes darkened, but Kent noticed that he said nothing, careful not to attract Molly’s attention.
“Guess I was pretty well wiped out,” Molly continued. “Kent, how are the girls doing?”
“Improving steadily,” Kent answered with certainty. “I know what Nekron did. I’ll explain it in full after Linda returns.”
“Why wasn’t Linda affected?” Molly asked before catching Edmund’s expression. “Oh…”
“She never was just our little girl,” Edmund shook his head sadly.
“I must admit, when you invite me to take a trip, it’s never dull,” Daimon Hellstrom gripped his trident as he flew alongside Linda, approaching Wasteland Earth.
“Never took you for the type to enjoy family picnics, Lover,” Linda bantered as they closed in on the beleaguered planet.
“Too true,” Daimon retorted, “but I can assure you my family picnics never had ants.”
“Or Aunts,” Linda teased.
“Too true,” Daimon agreed as their friendly banter ended. “Those would be the Shadow Warriors you mentioned. I feel something trying to drain my strength. Hmmm…much better.” His trident flared with power. “Quite a boost.”
“…what I figured,” Linda commented. “Daimon, this ain’t no place for heroes.”
“Perfect for us, then,” Daimon agreed. “Salvage the natives, kill anything that gets in our way.”
“War is Hell,” Linda added, “this is worse…even the Son of Satan has a conscience.”
“Not at the moment,” Daimon fired his trident, catching a Shadow Warrior off-guard. “Time for big Linda to come out and play.”
“Yeah…” Linda transformed into her demoness persona. “Does this make me look fat?”
“It makes you look dangerous,” Daimon responded, “and we need every edge.”
“…didn’t answer my question,” she taunted as she gazed into his appreciative eyes. “Oh…have to try this more often.”
They heard no signs of civilization; nothing. Not even the shadow warriors stood watch on the island. Only the mutilated dead remained.
“I knew lots of ‘em,” Linda related as they landed. “Jon Kent…Tony Stark…Steve Rogers…all gone before I got here.” She had transformed back into her mortal form, sweeping her hair over pointed ears that matched Daimon’s. “Now all I can do is bury ‘em and say a few words.”
Daimon watched her with concern, but realized that she was in no way unstable, merely upset. A large hole appeared in the ground as the soil above vanished. All of the bodies rose into the air, descending gently into the hole, before the soil returned to cover them.
“We won’t forget,” Daimon stated with an unusual gentleness.
“Nope,” Linda swallowed, “can’t. Can’t let this happen again. We gotta stop Nekron.”
“Yes, we do,” Daimon agreed. “Nekron destroys universes, eliminating all life. Even my counterparts will begin to fade.” He waited before speaking again. “Beloved, we have to get going. If there are survivors on this planet, every minute will count.”
“Yeah,” Linda agreed, nodding as they both rose. “We need to stop at Chas’ apartment on the way out, too.”
Daimon blasted his trident into a troop of Shadow warriors. They scattered, regathering to charge him. As they massed, he increased the force of his blast, killing the lot of them instantly.
“They’re hunting something,” Daimon noted, “someone’s been able to fight them off.”
“…been doing this wrong,” Linda admitted, rising into the air, “gonna start looking for familiar energy patterns…yeah the shadow warriors found something big…Firestorm matrix…and it ain’t alone.”
“You said that Firestorm is dead,” Daimon remarked.
“If this world worked the way I think,” Linda commented, “I’m looking for Cassie Trevor’s step-mother and a friend.”
“Firehawk?” Daimon recalled, “Lorraine Trevor?”
“Probably Lorraine Reilly, here…got someone backing her up.” Linda pointed west.
“Then let us brighten their day…” Daimon aimed his trident.
-The Sorority-
“They just don’t stop coming!” A young blonde-haired woman fired an energy blast towards a shadow demon, forcing it back.
“You’re doing fine, Katie,” a slightly older woman floated in the air, her hair a mass of blue flame, “you’re buying me time I have to have to recover.”
“So hard…lost my family already,” Katie complained as she fired a blast at incoming shadow demons, this time increasing their weight. “I know they’re dead, Lori…their powers are shifting to me. But I won’t let you down.”
“Just a couple more minutes…” Lorraine Reilly felt her own exhaustion. She had been fortunate to find Katie Power, the youngest, but brightest member of the Power Pack. But their world was dying and Lorraine knew it. And the number of shadow warriors would only increase…they were just buying time…and for what? A miracle from Heaven?
There…the shadow warriors had begun to mass again.
“Whatever happens, Katie,” Lorraine began to power up, “I’m glad you’re the one watching my back.” The next strike would be massive. The sky thickened with inbound shadow warriors.
“To the end, then,” Katie agreed, powering up.
But then the sky brightened; the shadow warriors began to scream, dying by the hundreds, while others fled the vicinity.
“Or not…” Lori intoned as a man with an inverted Pentagram on his chest and a Trident in his hand landed in front of them.
Aware of the image he presented, Daimon kept a respectful distance.
“We are searching for any survivors of this realm,” Daimon explained. “We can only hold them off for brief periods of time; they will regroup.”
“This realm…” Lori choked, “not just this world? What happens to us? What happens to Heaven and Hell?”
“There are other universes better equipped to protect themselves; they offer refuge and an opportunity to carry on the fight,” Daimon explained as he charged his Trident. He fired as a shadow warrior rose though the ground just behind Katie. She heard it scream as it disintegrated. Then Katie and Lori watched with confusion as he fired at them; they soon realized he had set up a protective barrier shielding them from whatever had been draining them; they both felt their strength returning.
Bamf! Jade appeared beside Daimon in human form.
“Not finding much else I recognize,” Linda walked towards Lori and Katie. “You, I remember,” she spoke to Katie. “You got a mix of all the Power Pack’s powers…sure not gonna complain about that. And you,” she turned to face Lori Reilly, “…think you got the full Firestorm matrix.”
“Fortunately, I guess,” Lori replied. “More fortunate to have Katie at my back. Not sure what you are doing here, Jade, but we’re glad to see you.”
“Linda…” Daimon hinted.
“I got ‘em,” Linda confirmed as her emerald flame replaced his. “I’ll keep lookin’ here. Good Luck.” Daimon nodded as he vanished. “He’s gonna use the Portals of Hell to look for life on other worlds.” Linda explained. “‘course we don’t know how Hell works here.”
-The Sorority-
Cassie Sandsmark shook herself awake only to find her friends in beds around her with Dick Grayson watching over them all.
“Right on time,” Dick acknowledged as she rose from the bed, picking up her lasso. “Kent said you would recover first.”
“…because my powers are mystic in origin,” Cassie finished for him. “Where is Kent?”
“Off with Linda’s parents, discussing next steps and debugging Molly’s powers,” Dick advised. “How do you feel?”
“Surprisingly normal,” Cassie admitted as she stepped out the door, searching for Kent. After a short walk she found him with Linda’s parents.
“Cassie,” Kent greeted as she approached. “You’re looking much better.”
“I certainly feel better than the Wasteland,” Cassie admitted. “Where is Linda?”
“She said something about spending quality time with her boyfriend,” Molly offered. “She’ll be back soon.”
“Really…” Cassie spoke, with a touch of disdain in her voice. “Kent, you can be such a bastard.”
“Never said I wasn’t,” he admitted to Edmund’s sudden glare.
“Where is she?” Edmund growled, his eyes changing color, “and with whom?”
“She’s in the Wasteland with the Son of Satan,” Cassie spoke with assurance. “I wouldn’t worry too much, though…his father is quite fond of her.”
“His…father…” Molly choked out the words.
“And you were going to tell us, when?” Edmund glared at Kent. “Remember that distrust is extremely dangerous in our business.”
-The Sorority-
Daimon Hellstrom flew through the Hell dimensions of the Wasteland. Nothing…absolutely vacant…not a single tortured soul, not a single demon to greet him.
Of course, he was high on Hell’s hierarchy, so most minor demons would know to avoid him. And freed from the effects of the Kayzik menace, he was far more dangerous than he had ever been before.
Like Linda, much of his strength came from fighting the demon within him. His force of will came from his human half, giving him the discipline of control. Control had come much more easily to her than to him, but she still had the darkness within her. How many shadow warriors had each of them killed? More than a few. And neither he nor Linda had shown the least remorse. He wondered if her Sorority sisters would have felt the same way.
They understood each other…and made remarkably good companions. He would meet her parents after this little adventure…the secret of their relationship had always been poorly kept and would not remain a secret once they returned to Alterverse with survivors.
Truthfully, Daimon had reasons to respect Linda’s parents…but his parentage was more than a little difficult to explain.
No…he had allowed himself to become distracted. Why were the Hell dimensions empty? Even if the living all passed on at once, the Hell dimensions would be full for some time…which meant that Nekron’s attacks came on several different levels…and explained why the departed from so many different universes had been located in Nekron’s domain during Operation Alterverse.
Nekron was stealing the souls of the dead…and their guardians…amazing.
How had he been able to withstand the drain that Nekron placed on the Wasteland? He had not been in the Wasteland for any period of time…perhaps that was the reason.
He flew to what he suspected would be home base of the worst of the demons of this realm.
Even the images of the damned and the methods of their torture had faded. The dimension remained, but so…empty.
Was this realm attacked after the surface dimension, or before?
Questions he would not have known enough to ask even moments before.
“Enough,” Daimon growled. He flew to where he could monitor the portals the Hell dimension could reach. He would look for any allies that could still be saved in the worlds out there.
An energy pattern…easy enough…the energy that powered the Green Lantern Corps. Those batteries could still have some power, and if not the batteries, the rings. Who was stranded so far away that they could not attend the Guardians? Or simply too badly injured to continue the fight?
There…there…and, of course…there. Dying of injuries perhaps, but not dead yet.
-The Sorority-
Where had those creatures come from? What the hell were they?
Arisia Rrab’s injuries were probably mortal. She coughed blood from her lungs. She had a massive wound in her gut; she had been fortunate not to be disemboweled. She had fought the good fight...had nothing left to prove…it was time for the ring to pass on to the next worthy…
But her ring told her of the distress signal from Oa. Forcing herself to rally, she instructed the ring to ask if she could help. No one returned her signal. She forwarded a call out to her closest friends…perhaps they knew something. She suspected there would be no response.
Well, perhaps she could still help at Oa before her wounds took her.
And, if she were to die alone there, at least she would fall where the rest of the Corps had fallen.
And she was so tired…and the pain…only the ring made it bearable.
Arisia dropped out of Hyperspace just above Oa, careful to avoid the creatures that had destroyed her world. She gazed down at the planet below…no signs of life. The Central Power Battery had been shut down…there was no way to recharge her ring. At least she still had half a day’s charge.
She landed in the middle of what she could only call carnage…so many of her fellow Green Lanterns lay on the ground. She would bury them…the last thing she could do for them.
But first, she had to sit down…just for a minute…gather her strength…just a minute more…
Well, at least she had made it to Oa.
-The Sorority-
The Green Lantern of Sector 1324, T-Cher was a mechanical life-form, not biological. He had been created to teach the children of his predecessor, Brin. But the Guardians had observed that T-Cher fully understood the consequences of the lessons he taught the children. When the Guardians forced Brin to retire, they chose T-Cher as his successor…rare that the Guardians had interfered with the automatic selection process. But T-Cher fulfilled his duties well and taught the newest Green Lanterns how to use their rings…a very different duty from Kilowog’s drill instruction.
The shadow warriors had trapped T-Cher on his home world for the duration of the attack on that world, leaving him unable to travel to Oa. Immune to the worst of the attacks, he fought valiantly. But there were so many…he could not even save the family that had adopted him…the family of Brin.
The battle ended when the leadership of their world triggered a chain reaction…it would destroy their world, but it would take the attacking shadow warriors with it.
The Oan ring had ensured T-Cher’s survival, but the death of his world devastated even him. He took time to mourn before repairing his physical form. He began to search the worlds of his sector, seeking life.
World after world offered nothing but distress signals and charred remains. Worse, Oa did not answer his transmissions. With no other options, a dead power battery, and ten hours of power remaining, T-Cher flew to Oa.
-The Sorority-
Slowly opening her eyes, Arisia glanced at the man with a trident standing over her. A native of Graxos IV, Arisia had no concept of Terran Hell…the man seemed to be doing something…Arisia felt a little stronger and didn’t hurt quite as much. She struggled to focus.
“Don’t do anything to attract attention, not yet,” Daimon Hellstrom warned her. “This world is still not safe for the living and I cannot take you through the paths I travel without killing you. I have done what I could, but the healing arts are not my area of expertise.”
Arisia forced herself to look at her wounds. Still angry, raw, and bleeding, they were no longer open.
“I thank you,” she voiced. “Who are you?”
“I am the fellow traveler of a Green Lantern of another universe,” he answered truthfully. “We are performing a reconnaissance and rescue mission to do what we can before your universe fades. Your universe has been stripped of life on every level. We are attempting to rescue the survivors, but they have been few.”
“How did you find me?” Arisia asked as she struggled to come to terms with his words.
“I searched for ring energy,” Daimon explained. “I only found two still active. If you would please, signal your fellow Green Lantern to come to Oa, but to remain hidden.” He gazed up towards the sky. “My companion is on another world, shielding others. We must trade places before she can attend you. And your situation now requires her expertise, not mine, as you are very much among the living.” He nodded reassurance before vanishing.
-The Sorority-
Arisia opened her eyes again. Another Green Lantern, T-Cher, stood guard over her, while a stranger gazed at her with concern. The stranger wore a variant of a Green Lantern costume with a different symbol, an eight-sided star. But a standard Oan ring anchored onto her right hand.
“You’re lookin’ better,” Linda related as a healing energy broadcast from her left hand. “Have to give Daimon credit…”
“Our situation is indeed dire,” T-Cher explained to Arisia. “Our universe has been attacked by adversaries even the Guardians had little defense against.”
“Mystic threat,” Linda explained. “Most of the big threats to the Continuum are a combination of Cosmic and Mystic forces. The Guardians didn’t do too well against the mystic threat because they weren’t lookin’ for it.”
“May I?” Arisia requested before triggering her ring to contact Linda’s ring for a service record.
“Sure,” Linda grinned, “I sure would. Sorry if it don’t make much sense…”
-The Sorority-
At least the Green Lanterns had died defending Oa had now been buried on Oa, Arisia considered as she gazed at the mass grave. They had taken the time only to separate out Green Lantern Stel’s remains before burying the rest. The Green Lantern of sector 3009 and a native of Grenda, Stel’s race was no more biological than T-Cher…instead a mechanical life-form, the Grendan race. While he gave no current appearance of living, Stel had been ‘killed’ before and returned to existence. Could they do it again? Was he merely unconscious, or truly deceased? The work would keep T-Cher and Arisia busy while Jade ran what she called ‘errands’. Strangely, she had chosen to take the Manhunter remains from the Manhunter battle with her.
One lesson Arisia had learned from Linda’s files…she would not be going to the nearest market, seeking foodstuffs.
Still…if T-Cher and Arisia could save Stel, that would help, even if just a little bit.
“We have been able to repair Stel’s parts and put them back together.” T-Cher summarized for Arisia. “His power sources are active. Here…this is the last part to go into place.” T-Cher stepped back as they waited.
“Nice thing about not being biological,” Arisia muttered, “you don’t fall apart as quickly as we do after we stop functioning.”
“Which is another reason we have been feared,” T-Cher observed. “There are many who ask whether we are capable of having souls.”
“Caring enough to ask the question…” Arisia started before she saw Stel move.
“Katma!” Stel sat up. “Behind you!”
-The Sorority-
“Want to help?” The Green Lanterns heard Linda’s voice transmit through their rings. The three Green Lanterns used their rings to spot her. Instead, they witnessed a small world approaching Oan space: smaller than the planet, but larger than the moon.
“The Manhunter home world,” T-Cher commented. “Ah…we are coming…” Arisia wondered whether she heard joy in the mechanical voice. As they rose, Arisia realized that the shadow warriors would be massing on Linda’s location. Linda was up to something…Arisia wondered exactly what, before realizing that while Linda was a Green Lantern, she was fully capable of angry revenge. And so was Arisia.
-The Sorority-
Linda blasted a mass of shadow warriors as the surviving Wasteland Green Lanterns joined her. She nodded to them before focusing on their rings.
“That enough?” She asked as her companions’ rings flared with life. Hearing her ring confirm a fresh charge, Arisia nodded.
Linda turned to the Manhunter home world before explaining her strategy.
“We shrink it together,” Linda explained, “then you gotta move it. Once you get it into the portal, let it expand back out. While you’re doin that, I get to keep the shadow warriors off your backs. Then we gotta get outa here.”
“With pleasure,” Stel replied.
“We are ready,” T-Cher confirmed.
“Good,” Linda grinned as her eyes flared red and they all focused on the planet. The world that had caused the death of so many Green Lanterns shrank to the size of a small truck. “Beware my power,” she flared white as her three companions drove their will towards moving the shrunken world.
“Green Lantern’s light,” The three responded in unison. Painful, hard work, they struggled to keep the shrunken planet from Oa’s gravity well. But then they lined up a straight shot to the entry to the portal, using anti-gravity to shield the Manhunter world from the Oan gravity. The three Green Lanterns fired their will into the Manhunter world, shoving it as far into the portal as possible, before letting it go. At the same time, they reversed the effects of the shrinking.
Linda had kept the shadow warriors away…Arisia suspected a
rather large body count of shadow warriors floated in space behind them as Linda
opened a Boom Tube in front of them, depositing them just above the world Linda
referred to as Earth.
-The Sorority-
“Hard to believe we will never see our world again,” Lori commented to Daimon and Katie as the Green Lanterns flew down to join them. They stood at the site of the battle that had claimed the lives of many of the Avengers. Linda made quick introductions before glancing at a large hammer that lay on the ground.
“Always wanted one of these,” Linda remarked as she gazed down at it, “just not at this cost.” As she turned away, the hammer rose from the ground, flying up into her hand, surprising her. “Huh?” She asked before speaking to it, “I will remember. I promise,” as it shrank down so that she could connect it to her belt.
“Everyone ready?” Daimon asked the survivors of the Wasteland Green Lantern Corps and Wasteland Earth. They had gathered what personal effects they could for the survivors and the Sorority members based on Wasteland, as well as other artifacts of value.
“How can we be ready to leave everything we know?” Lori asked earnestly.
“By knowing that our lives have value,” T-Cher offered, “and what we do to face our common threat is the legacy we have to offer those who have been taken from us.”
“Yeah…” Katie Power agreed. “Let’s go.”
-The Sorority-
Carol Danvers glanced at the other survivors of her world. They stood in Kent’s monitoring center with the Green Lanterns, watching as their probability faded into non-existence.
“It’s really all gone…all of it,” Carol whispered to Lori Reilly. “All I have left is a few pictures and my memories.”
“That’s all any of us have left,” Lori nodded slowly. “They’re all gone…everyone…we were the last to make it out alive.”
“Yes,” Arisia agreed. “Nobody left but the shadow warriors we trapped on the way out. May they roast in Hell.” She shook her head sadly as the last remnants of their probability winked out.
-The Sorority-
Alysa Wayne watched the twins in action, sorting through the data that Kent’s monitoring systems could provide. Because it was mystical in origin, the data was hard to convert to the way they processed information. But since they were still waiting for Kent to punch through to MVP-1, they had the time.
Chasity, Carrie, and Karen had all recovered shortly after Cassie. Alysa had been the last by far to wake up; the Rock’s systems had poured yellow solar energy into the other three, speeding their recovery. The twins tried to make sense of what they had seen, analyzing the energy readings Kent had been able to track: a steady decrease in various types of energy, followed by a steep drop at the end, just before Linda and her companions had left. And then the energy levels remained at almost nothing, until the probability vanished.
Alysa disliked dealing with mystic threats; science was so much easier to understand; the rules were almost immutable. Even the Cosmic-powered Senturia followed the rules Alysa and the Kryptonians understood. She was so used to thinking of Cassie and Linda as cosmic-powered heroes with a different power source and that had almost been the death of all of them. Cassie had access to the mystics of Themyscira; she knew more than Alysa had ever allowed her to put into practice. And Linda…enough said.
Alysa realized that because her team was so heavily tilted towards the Kryptonians, their strategies and solution sets focused on what the big ‘K’s had to offer. She and Cassie mimicked their fighting styles for the most part, leaving Linda to try to make sense of the strategy. Linda came through when she could figure out how to execute…which wasn’t always.
-The Sorority-
“We have to talk,” Edmund Kyle had tracked Linda down, finally cornering her.
“…didn’t figure you’d like Daimon,” Linda crossed her arms defensively. “Got my own demons…demon.”
“Which is where your sense of right and wrong comes from…not to mention your sense of revenge,” Edmund grinned wolfishly.
“Huh?” Linda responded, lowering her defenses, but keeping her arms crossed.
“You and me,” Edmund added, “we get stuck with the work no one else can do, ‘cause someone has to do it. And we do it well, so we keep getting stuck with more of it. I thought I was done and had earned my eternal reward…instead, I wound up here stuck with more of it.”
Linda chuckled, nodding.
“The hard part is,” Edmund continued, “there’s no rule book for us to follow. We make it up as we go along and hope we’ve made the right moves. I’m the one who got the Phoenix involved in your life…still wondering about that move.”
“…ain’t complaining…at least not that much,” Linda admitted, pointing to her eyes. “No wrinkles!” She grinned.
“Watch out for your friends, kiddo,” he added. “Because they’re intellectually gifted, they see and process everything by the rules they understand. And I couldn’t hope to keep up with them.”
“…feel like such an outsider sometimes,” Linda admitted, “like they think I’m a Swiss Army knife. Think Cassie feels the same way.”
“Kiddo,” Edmund assured her, “the mystic arts are a science of their own. And Kent admits that you spend quite a bit of time learning and researching. It’s just that when you do something big…your intensive planning isn’t always obvious to the outsider. And that’s something your teammates need to understand…you have honed your skills and tools over the years. And you need to communicate more with them, so they understand why your approaches are sound. I would say ‘it ain’t rocket science’, but it is just as complex.”
“Huh!” Linda responded with amazement at her father’s words, “who’d a thunk?”
“And now I have to go scrape your mother off the ceiling,” he added, “won’t be the first time.” He reached over to give Linda a quick hug before stepping away.
“Good Luck with Mama,” Linda offered, “better luck with Kent!”
“Thanks!” He replied, “I’ll need both!”
-The Sorority-
“Here’s what happened,” Edmund Kyle stood in front of the sorority sisters, Kent Nelson, Richard Grayson, and Molly Kyle. “Based on what Daimon explained, Nekron staged an offensive against the Wasteland on several levels. The attack actually started against the non-surface dimensions of the Wasteland, draining the levels of Hell before moving to the surface world. But it had indeed moved to the surface world before you arrived, well before the shadow warriors attacked.”
“How do you know that?” Cassie questioned.
“The Guardians and Green Lantern Corps couldn’t handle the Manhunters?” Kent leaned back as he spoke. “That was the red flag. The Manhunters were androids, not affected by Nekron’s power, so they seemed so much more powerful in comparison. If I had been able to see in to the Wasteland, I would have been able to see the problem. But I have another problem…someone is blocking me.”
“So the shadow creatures probably weren’t as powerful as we thought,” Alysa concluded. “We were just much, much weaker. By the time we got to Earth, we were lucky to still have the power to be conscious.”
“Not that extreme,” Edmund related, “but close.”
“What about what happened to me?” Molly asked.
“Puberty,” Karen wise-cracked.
“Puberty?” Molly eyed Karen with disdain.
“Had it not been for the Kayzik presence,” Kent explained, “you would have seen these powers much earlier. They are a variant of what we saw with Lannie, but not quite the same. Yes, you were drained by Nekron, but not nearly as much as the others. We still need to work on your mystic shields…this won’t be your last mission.”
“Lovely,” Molly commented, “just back from the dead and Kent can’t wait to get me killed again!”
“No arguments from us,” Alysa spoke for the Sorority sisters.
“I am not feeling the love…” Kent remarked.
“Don’t worry,” Alysa responded, “our time here is short…we have to go back to MVP-1 to help clean up that mess.”
“Yes,” Kent agreed, “soon enough. I’m working on getting you back…MVP-1 isn’t at its normal address…but once I find it, Linda can punch through and you can get back You, and any of the Wasteland survivors you want to take with you.”
“I’ll let you know,” Alysa stated bluntly.
-The Sorority-
“Linda, I need to talk to you,” Alysa Wayne approached Linda Kyle as the young sorceress lifted Mjolnir above her head.
“Hey, maybe with this I can be an honorary Kryptonian!” Linda announced. “Wait, too late…through Lyla I kinda already am.” She grinned sheepishly.
She is so tiny…what was Kent thinking when he assigned her…Alysa considered.
“…different kind a magic than what I’m used to,” Linda added. “It’s clear that it’s not from the same pantheon of magic that grants Cassie her power, though they’re similar. The magic that drives this weapon is kinda dense…for want of a better term…the twins would probably have the right word.” She flexed the hammer in her hand. “Gotta admire the craftsmanship…real difficult to make a weapon out of uru…love the way it boomerangs!” Linda tossed the hammer down the hall, watching with amusement as it returned to her. “The Dwarves managed to kill off the dinosaurs when they forged this baby!”
Alysa recalled the stories of the hammer and its power, shaking her head…another little mystic toy best left alone…maybe one of the twins…
“Super Thor or Power Thor?” Linda grinned back at her. “Think they’d fight over it?” The light shone off the inscription on the handle: "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor".
Alysa stopped after reading the inscription, gazing at Linda in a new light.
“Sorry,” Linda apologized, “kinda rude…but the intent was too strong to ignore. Usually, I’m smart enough to keep my mouth shut.” Linda gently laid the hammer on the floor. But as she turned to look back at Alysa, the hammer rose off the floor, nudging her hand open. “Oops!” She grinned sheepishly before returning the hammer to her belt. “Aunt Mary always told me not to leave my tools lying around.”
“Probably not,” Alysa agreed.
“Somethin’ wrong?”
“Not with you…but I may castrate Kent.”
“Diana might not be too happy…and she’s been real good to me.”
“Maybe I’ll settle for a lobotomy…”
-The Sorority-
“Can I help you?” Kent asked as Alysa approached, “or are you here just to call me a bastard?”
Alysa stopped dead in her tracks.
“I would prefer to avoid alterations of my anatomy,” Kent added. “It has suffered enough already, thank you.”
“I…” A sudden realization hit Alysa hard, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. “I came here to castigate you…I blamed you…but the fault for Wasteland lies with me.”
“Not for the Manhunter battle,” Kent replied gently. “There was nothing you could have known that would have changed that.”
“No,” Alysa admitted. “That wasn’t where I went wrong…I fought a battle I couldn’t win against a foe I couldn’t defeat. Everyone on that island died because we didn’t just flee the scene. And we already had everything we needed to do that.”
“I am sorry…but yes.” Kent replied with sympathy. “You didn’t need Linda and all her power. You could simply have retreated and taken all your allies with you through the Portal you used to enter Wasteland. You were overwhelmed…you didn’t have the resources to save the planet. No one did. Nothing anyone did, even Linda, changed the outcome for Wasteland. All she did was to remove you from the scene.”
“All those friends we lost…” Alysa felt an extreme chill overtake her. “And what Linda did next, I should have done…select allies who could help perform rescue and reconnaissance.”
“Linda has made her own share of mistakes,” Kent related, “she’s learned the hard way, too.”
“I don’t understand,” Alysa shook her head. “Nothing she did over there seemed to be…” Words failed as she struggled to come to terms with her own biases. “I had always heard Linda was reckless…but everything she did over there, she planned…everything. Just because the others didn’t know their parts, didn’t mean she hadn’t planned. She knew the Green Lanterns would help her because of her service record…they told me they couldn’t refuse her. Everything seemed so neatly choreographed, because it was.”
“Yes,” Kent agreed. “Just because her choice of allies was a little unconventional, doesn’t make it wrong. This version of Linda is not the one who earned the reputation. But she’ll be more than happy to let an adversary think so. But Shirley Temple’s time has been long since over.”
“Shirley Temple,” Alysa smiled slightly as she shook her head.
“As a leader, you can’t not make decisions,” Kent offered gently. “Some will come out well and some will end catastrophically,” he added. “This won’t be the last bad decision you make. The most important thing is to learn from it and to not be afraid to make the next decision.”
“Kent,” Alysa drew a sharp breath, “I know you are right, but you are still a bastard.”
“Too true…I live longer that way.”
-The Sorority-
Kent had almost gathered all the information he needed for Linda to open the Great Portal to MVP-1; they would have to pass above Alterverse Earth to access the Great Portal universe. And they all needed a break. So, a few minutes on Alterverse Earth…Linda brought the Sorority and the Wasteland survivors to an empty field outside San Francisco to enjoy real sunlight before the Sorority team departed for MVP-1. The Sentinel’s Lair would find accommodations for the survivors with no place else to go. The Guardians would welcome the Green Lanterns; the Alterverse Kilowog had met them all with much appreciated power batteries. The Alterverse Green Lantern Corps was still rebuilding; any experienced hands would be welcome. Alysa noted the fondness Kilowog showed for Linda.
“…been good to help rebuild the Corps…so many need so much training,” he added. “But we still owe you an Honor Guard.”
“That was a long time ago,” Linda refuted. “That Jade has been gone a long time…”
“Not that long ago…” Kilowog smiled gently. “I still miss you, kid.”
“And I’ll ask for that Honor Guard again, when it’s time,” she promised.
“I hear you’re doing a much better job of picking your battles,” Kilowog added, “still, I doubt your life is ever dull.”
“I miss you, too, Kilowog.” Alysa watched the sadness in Linda’s eyes as he moved on to talk to the other Green Lanterns.
As the young Sentinel seemed to withdraw into herself, Alysa stepped over to speak to her.
“You haven’t said anything to me about the Wasteland debacle,” Alysa offered, “not even after you had to clean it up yourself.”
“…guess I shouldn’t have stopped at Oa,” Linda deflected.
“Wouldn’t have made much difference,” Alysa rebutted. “I know that now. And I know you weren’t asked before I was selected to lead…the K’s picked me and that was the majority. And like them, I’ve cast every problem in a form that appeals to their logic. And I almost got them killed.”
“Few years ago, I mighta…” Linda started.
“You would have beamed everyone else out and fought until you couldn’t anymore,” Alysa interrupted. “Even that would have been better than what I did. You wouldn’t have fought that battle, but I did and my team followed me, without question. And so many people died because I was…reckless.”
“Not sure what…” Linda began.
“I’m doing it again,” Alyssa shook her head. “I’m not giving you a chance to get two words in because I don’t listen, cut you off, and go listen to what the big K’s have to tell me. Linda, I know Otherverse in the 25th Century and not much else. I am facing threats I don’t understand, fighting battles that are out of my league, and trying to make sense of teammates that are either alien or too different for me to truly comprehend. And I can’t even begin to understand you…I don’t know where to start.”
“That is a good start,” Linda replied with assurance, “better than I expected.” She activated her comms to the Lair. “Hi Selina…please pass on to Kent that I’m pulling my resignation from Sorority. Not sure when I’ll be back.”
“Will do, Cuz,” Selina Kyle Wayne responded. “Be safe out there…”
“Thanks,” Linda related before turning back to a stunned Alysa. “You need to pick your team. My Starheart just got the MVP-1 address from Kent. We gotta get going.”
“Linda stuck with it,” Kent nodded with relief to Edmund. “Good. She had me worried.”
“I hope it works for them,” Edmund related, watching the monitors. “I still wonder what she is up to.”
“Pardon?” Kent replied.
“It’s all in the readings the twins put together,” Edmund explained, “the sudden drop in mystic energy towards the end. I know what she did; I’m just not sure how she did it.”
“You actually have me stumped,” Kent admitted.
“She lifted the Wasteland Starheart and did something with it,” Edmund pointed at the energy data. “Right there…” He chuckled, “not long before she returned to Oa for the last time.”
“Really?” Kent gazed at the data, confirming the energy drop.
“Yup!” Edmund chuckled with pride. “Daddy’s little girl!”
-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2014 by Eldric
-- and may not be reprinted without permission.
-- The Continuum Worlds Concept is a joint creation of
-- Dylan Clearbrook and Eldric. Otherverse, Multiverse,
-- 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.
-- Wasteland, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds, is an original
-- creations of Nomad (Jake H.).
-- The Realm and The Web of Shadows, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- are original creations of John P. and Jason G./ Andrew Shields respectively.
-- DCM: The Merging, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- is an original creation of Chip Caroon and the stories therein remain
-- the property of the respective writers.
-- Some characters in Continuum Worlds stories are original creations
-- of Dylan Clearbrook, Eldric, Michael Liebhart, Jake H., Jason G.,
-- Andrew Shields, Kyle M., Brian, John P., DTO, 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.