To say that the people of Earth were stunned would be an understatement in the extreme.
In a matter of minutes they had seen Venus and Mars converted from planets incapable of supporting life into worlds ready to accept the influx of life from Earth and the waiting refugee fleets that now ringed both planets.
And as the Terrans sat by their holovision sets, waiting for the latest updates, the people in those fleets prepared to be ferried to the planets.
Soon after Lar had collapsed in the large stateroom, Senturia and the remaining three Guardians, one of which was Shandra, reappeared. All looking extremely weary.
Senturia’s eyes had gone instantly to Lar and the composite woman would have rushed to his side if she had not started swaying on her feet.
“We….” She began…and then her green eyes rolled up in her head as she fell.
Both Rogue and Kara sped towards her, each expecting to catch her. Instead, each found herself holding one part of the combined being that was Senturia. Though she had started her fall as Senturia, by the time the two Kryptonians had reached her, she had split into her composite parts: Jennifer Gand and Arisia Fentara.
The two unconscious women were laid out beside Lar and the
Guardians forced, by
“Now it’s our turn.” Kara stood, looking at those assembled. She paused as the door slid open and Koriand’r entered.
“The fleets are ready. We….” She stopped, seeing the unconscious component parts of the new Team Sentinel.
“Good.” Kara nodded. With the Guardians and Jenny and Lar basically out of it, she knew she had to step up. She thought for a moment and then nodded to herself. “Here’s how we’ll do this.”
She pointed at Katma, Koriand’r, Rogue and the Twins.
“You five will handle Venus while Zal, Kira,
“
“Jennifer Gand recharged our rings shortly before you arrived.” Katma answered, though both nodded. “We should be good for twenty-four Earth hours. After that…” She shrugged. “Let us hope that Jennifer Gand awakens before that time. Otherwise we will have to resort to our Batteries.”
“Which are next to useless right about now, from what I understand.” Kara mused. “Okay. Like I said, the Green Lanterns will distribute the fleet according to Princess Koriand’r’s recommendations while the six of us begin to ferry the ships down to the surfaces of the planets.” She lifted a hand, looking at the twins mostly. “Remember, we have to move fast, but not too fast. This has to be done carefully. Some of these ships are huge and never meant to land. If we move too fast or don’t watch how we support them, as we enter the planetary gravity wells, we may find the ships breaking apart in our hands under their own weight.” She thought for a moment. “Okay, let’s get going.”
As they all filed out, Kara paused by the Guardian Shandra.
“I am not even going to try to pretend that I understand why you did what you did.” She told the little blue woman. “I know you are exhausted. But when you have a little energy back, I need to you find the person named Lex Luthor on Earth; I am sure you know whom I am talking about. Warn him about what is coming. The people of Earth need to know that they’re about to get hit again.”
When the Guardian nodded, Kara followed the others out.
MVE1-13
It went off without a single insurmountable problem.
Koriand’r sorted the ships out and green energy flared as the Lanterns queued them up for transportation to the surface.
Those vehicles designed for planetfall were examined carefully and, if deemed fit, given landing coordinates. Those ships instantly moved out of their respective queues and initiated their own landing sequences. More than half the ships, however, were either found to be unfit to attempt their own landing or were never meant to land at all. These were the ones that the Kryptonians grabbed and began flying down to the surface.
At first, Kara was careful to keep an eye on Kira Jor-El, the Alterverse Supergirl. In a matter of minutes, however, the young woman had proven, to Kara at least, that she was more than capable of performing the necessary tasks. Not once did she try to tackle more than she knew for certain she could handle, never hesitating to call for either her or Zal when she needed an extra pair of hands or two for support.
She was not worried that either of them would run short of oxygen. Like her, Zal did have to breathe occasionally. But Kira…she was different. Her skin appeared to have an unexpected function: photosynthesis. Freed of the atmosphere, Kira’s skin absorbed the more direct sunlight and broke the component parts of the carbon dioxide in her system back to oxygen and carbon, which her system then re-circulated.
The systems of Kara and the others were not so efficient, though even the comparison to an earth whale had been enough to cause Lex to ask questions. The Superman of this world, it seemed, could not function for long in space at all.
What Lex had discovered was simplicity in itself.
Just before leaving the atmosphere, the Kryptonians would unconsciously fill their lungs to capacity, compressing the air tighter and tighter, and the pores in their skin would snap shut, locking in the moisture and oxygen.
Over Venus, Rogue was equally as impressed as she and the twins slid easily into a functioning team, moving the ships down faster working together than they could have working alone.
It was a tedious, time consuming task, however.
The two teams were not even halfway finished when Lar, Jenny, Arisia, and the Guardians rejoined the effort.
Though looking a bit haggard, Jenny smiled as she flew up to hover beside the Maid of Might.
“Shandra delivered your message to Lex.” She said. “And she got a message in return. First, Lex is informing the UEG of the expected arrival of an invasion force.” She shook her head. “He is not sure what they can do about it, though. He says they have very few ships that can be considered war ships.”
“Then we need to tell him to get those ships out of our way.” Kara responded, a bit distracted. She was watching Zal and Kira tackle a particularly large vessel. They were doing everything right…yet even so, something seemed to be going wrong. The vessel started to twist, its hull skewing as the two tried to ease it down into the atmosphere.
She started to moved to help…and stopped as Lar and Arisia jumped in. While Lar added his strength to support the lumbering metal behemoth, Arisia placed a green bubble around the entire structure, holding in the escaping atmosphere.
“If all we have to worry about will be the enemy ships, it’ll make our job easier.” Kara finished, turning back to Jenny.
“Basically what I had Shandra tell him.” Jenny agreed, surprising Kara.
“What?”
The one time green giantess smiled.
“C’mon Kara, you’ve got to let the rest of us think once in a while.”
“I’m not that bad…am I?” Kara demanded. She then went on before Jenny could answer. “Don’t answer that! But you said Lex sent a message back…or was that it?”
“No…that wasn’t it.” Jenny was smiling now. “Lex was told to inform you that you missed the wedding.”
“Wedding?” Kara frowned. “Whose wedding?”
“Tony and Babs’ wedding.” Jenny answered.
“Tony and Babs?” Kara could not believe what she was hearing. “Babs? Married?”
“Yep. Tony proposed to her and insisted they go through the ceremony right then and there after she said yes.” Jenny laughed. “Lex said Babs was worried that you would be upset that you weren’t there… But Tony was pretty insistent.”
“She had every right to be worried!” Kara growled. “Damn her.”
“Well, she wasn’t there when you and Rogue got married!” Jenny reminded her.
“Only because we didn’t know she was still alive!” Kara sighed and had to smile. “Well, it was not like I could just drop what I was doing in any case.”
She looked around and, noticing that the others had the situation well in hand, turned her full attention back to Jenny.
“Jenny, about Senturia….”
“I was wondering when you were going to ask.” Jenny’s smile was weary now. “Senturia is not a real person.”
“She seemed real to me!”
“She is real…in that she can exist.” Jenny clarified. “But she is not real in that she has no true sense of self awareness. No sense of…of ‘I’. And I have to say…for that I am grateful. If she had that kind of awareness…then she might not like having her existence ended every time Arisia and I split apart. When we are together as Senturia, I am still me. I still think like me. Yet, at the same time, I am Arisia as well. And I am thinking like Arisia. That’s how I know that it is the same for her. It is that… merged thinking…that is Senturia.”
“And Lar? Where does he fit in all this?” Kara demanded, catching her off guard.
“I’m not quite sure.” Jenny responded, deliberately misunderstanding what Kara was asking. “The Starheart has touched him, that much is obvious. But he can’t wield the Green Flame. We believe that he unintentionally bonded with the Starheart when he tried to interfere the first time Arisia and I merged to form Senturia. He was in the meld for an extremely short time before the Starheart kicked him back out. But obviously it was long enough to mark him.”
“I think the Starheart has got all three of you marked.” Kara said. “And I can’t say that I’m not worried about that. But that is not what I meant, Jenny, and you know it. When the Starheart spoke through Lar, it insinuated that the three of you are mates.”
Jenny regarded her for a moment and then shook her head.
“Kara, I love you to death…but I think this is something I need to talk over with Babs or Rogue.”
“Oh.” Kara looked away. Though she couldn’t be sure, she could guess Jenny’s concerns. She focused her telescopic vision, watching as Zal, Kira, Lar, and Arisia began a final slow descent with their burden.
“Kara,” Jenny started, hesitated, and then started up again. “It’s just that you’re…well…”
“An alien.” Kara finished for her, still watching the descent. “Understandable. Just as alien as Lar…and Arisia.”
“Yes.” Jenny nodded, though Kara was not watching. “An alien. Babs and Rogue…they were raised on earth. In the same kind of society. Yes, I know what Prof X and Jean said about Rogue even thinking in Kryptonian…but still…she still remembers her life before she touched you!”
“And what is it you think they are going to tell you, Jenny?” Kara finally turned back to her. “That your fears are natural? That what the Starheart is pushing you into is unnatural? Evil? Perverted? Is that what you are wanting? Someone to tell you that your preconceived notions and prejudices are acceptable?”
Jenny recoiled from Kara as if she had been struck. Kara, glancing quickly with her telescopic vision towards the planet’s surface caught Arisia react, glancing upwards. Well, there was one theory confirmed.
Turning back to Jenny she shook her head.
“Jenny, I might be Kryptonian…but I have spent enough time among Terrans to know a little bit about how you think.” She said, her voice not quite dripping with sarcasm. She paused, forcing herself to calm a bit. She admitted to herself that Jenny’s refusal to talk to her had hurt. “I spent my formative years in Kryptonian society, Jenny, unlike my cousin. But I was able to emulate Terrans quite easily. I lived among them. I worked, played, and loved, all according to their rules…not the rules of Kryptonian society. Because that is what Kal wanted.”
“It’s just that….” Jenny began and trailed off.
“I think I know what is happening…and I think I know why.” Kara continued when Jenny gave no sign of resuming. “The Starheart is putting together a team, Jenny. Something unique. Two Sentinels that can, for all practical purposes, function independently of the Starheart. Whether it is hedging its bets or simply, in its view, protecting the well being of the both of you, it is making sure that the two of you can function should you be cut off from it. And then there is Lar.” Kara paused and then rushed on before Jenny could cut in. “Remember that the Starheart is even more alien than I am, Jenny. I don’t think it fully comprehends the full ramifications of relationships between us lesser beings. The Starheart saw that you and Lar function well together. So it simply decided to add Arisia to the equation.”
“But it’s wrong!” Jenny clenched her fist.
“This from the woman who practically threw Rogue and me at each other?” Kara lifted an eyebrow. (Author’s note: See “To Save A World”)
“That was different and you know it.” Jenny protested.
“Was it?” Kara tilted her head. “Maybe it was. Because it wasn’t you in the hot seat at the time.”
When Jenny made no response Kara pressed her. She had to wrap this up quickly before the others rejoined them. Jenny would not solve her problem right now, but she had to be able to put it aside to function. Kara knew she was running a risk in even bringing it up right before this crucial battle. But she felt she knew Jenny well enough. Let her grasp it, and then shelve it for a time and it would not fester. She would be able to function…she hoped.
“Why is it wrong, Jenny? Because your culture tells you it is wrong? Have you bothered to discover what Arisia’s culture or Lar’s have to say about it?”
“I don’t have to.” Jenny sighed. “Arisia and I have shared memories twice now. And Lar was with us the first time. I know exactly what their cultures would and would not permit. And I know that neither of them are going to push me…because they know my culture is different.”
Kara looked at her for a moment and then shook her head.
“Jenny, I could tell you that your world’s views on some things are not really the norm among galactic societies. But I think you are already beginning to learn that. Yes, I know. It is a huge cultural shock! And yet I could even prove to you that what you consider right and proper in your society are, for all practical purposes, a fairly recent aberration in your own history.” She paused. “Unfortunately we don’t have the time. We both have jobs to do. Do you remember how it was between Rogue and I before we admitted to ourselves what the problem was? Don’t let that happen between the three of you. You say your culture won’t allow you to accept what the Starheart is pushing? Then reject it. But do it soon. Send Arisia back where she came from. But for Rao’s sake, don’t let it drag on and then reject it. You don’t have the luxury of taking a long time to figure out what to do. You talk to Rogue or Babs or whoever the hell you want to…but be sure you talk to Arisia and Lar too. Don’t cut them out of this. This concerns all of you, not just you. Be honest with them. I am sure that Arisia already knows what you are going through…doesn’t she?”
Jenny nodded.
“Ever since we first formed Senturia…we have been able to…feel each other.”
“Full thoughts or just emotions?” Kara pressed.
“Emotions, mostly.” Jenny answered. “Unless we are Senturia. Then there is a full merging of thoughts.”
Kara saw the flicker in Jenny’s eyes and pounced. This was what she was waiting for.
“That scares you, doesn’t it?” She demanded. “You are afraid you are going to lose yourself in that union.”
“Not really.” Jenny denied, and then relented. “I am not naïve enough to believe that we can merge and then come out of it totally unchanged. But I am afraid that what I feel and what I think when we are not Senturia are not truly my feelings or thoughts!”
“And so you fall back and clutch your cultural security blanket.” Kara responded, smiling to take the sting out of her words. She floated closer and placed a hand on Jenny’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Jenny. It’s okay to be uncertain and scared. It is a reasonable and justifiable fear. Jenny, I am not an expert, but even I can see that the more you two merge into Senturia, the more alike the two of you are going to become. No, I don’t think you will lose yourselves. But by the same token, neither of you are going to come out of this unchanged.”
There was no more time to talk as the others approached, yet before they arrived, Kara made Jenny promise to seek out and talk to Rogue or Babs as soon as they had taken care of the current crisis.
Jenny promised, yet even as she did, she felt her heart sink. Kara was right, but she did not know all of it. She would have to figure out what to do quickly, that much was true. But to send Arisia back? That was no longer an option. That ceased to be an option the first time they formed Senturia.
MV1-13
It did not take long to move the last of the refugees to the surfaces of the planets. After that, the heroes worked together to help evacuate the satellites above Earth and through out the system before meeting once again high above the surface of Earth in one of Lex Corps’ stations.
It was a LexCorps station only by right of conquest, having either been built in orbit or moved there by the invading Khunds, seventeen years earlier.
Taken over during the counter attack, the station served for several years as a stop over point between the Earth and the moon. It became obsolete, and all but abandoned, after the first of the O’Neil Colonies were built at L-4 (Author’s note: See here for a full description of an O’Neil Colony and here for an explanation of Lagrange Points in the Earth-Moon system)
The old station was kept in good condition, despite its advanced age and, thanks to a little push from Rogue, was in no danger of falling out of its orbit anytime soon.
With four docking spokes to accommodate large craft and a shuttle bay that could hold and service up to six large shuttles, and housing a permanent crew of three hundred personnel, the old station had been, in its early days, a hub of activity.
“Reminds me of the old JLA satellite.” Kara mused as she looked around. Rogue smiled and, though she could have, resisted the urge to glance through the memories stored in her own mind.
“Kara?”
Kara turned to see Kira, the twins in tow, approaching from the air lock through which they had all entered.
“The girls have recalled something they saw on Apokolips.” The young Alterverse Supergirl said.
“It was in the information we were gleaning from the computer systems right before we used the Boom Tube.” Karen explained.
“That is how they knew that Darkseid was sending a fleet, like the Guardians warned. But the Guardians didn’t tell you all of it.” Kira cut in.
Kara shot a glance towards Shandra and then back to the three girls.
“Well?”
“There are two battle groups.” Carrie summed it up. “The first one, consisting of a single large fleet of ships and the Warworld is coming here. The other battle group, with 5 full fleets, is heading towards Oa!”
Both Green Lanterns sat up and looked towards Shandra. The female Guardian sighed and nodded.
“It is true.” She responded. “Though we do not believe it to be a serious threat.”
“The entire Corps is out of order you don’t consider it serious?” Kara looked at the Guardian as if she had just grown three new heads. “I would hate to see what you do consider serious, then.”
“Kara’s right, Shandra.” Lar spoke up. “They would not be attacking Oa unless they figured they had an edge. That means they know about the condition of the Green Lanterns. And it means they may also have the means of dealing with the Guardians themselves. Or rather they believe they have the means.”
“If they know about the Green Lanterns, then that means they know about the taint in the Great Battery.” Arisia spoke up
Shandra was silent.
Though she had never had many dealings with the Guardians of her own place and time, Kara had come to believe nothing could disturb them. Totally unflappable…detached.
And though Shandra and the other two remaining Guardians tried to put on that appearance, they were failing miserably. They were, indeed worried. They were beings that had seen it all, with life spans that already stretched for billions of years into the past, and yet they still worried. That in itself was enough to concern Kara.
But then, she considered, Jenny had most probably shown them
the memories…the images…stored on the ring Hal
“We had not thought it possible for the
And then Kara figured it out! The Guardians were shaken. Not by events that had occurred…but by their own fallibility!
They had been Guardians for so many ages, wielding immense power; they had long ago forgotten what it was like to fail…to be wrong!
For a moment Kara could almost pity them. Almost. From what she remembered of the Guardians she had known, perhaps being reminded that they weren’t gods and were capable of failure would do them good.
And on the heels of that thought, the reminder that four of those Guardians, one of which had been Ganthet, had just willingly expended all the energy they had, depleting their very life forces, in a gesture that Kara could only call atonement for another failure…seventeen years earlier.
Seventeen years…the Probability device!
“I know that look, Kara!” Rogue broke the ensuing silence, as she looked hard at her lover. “You’ve got something in that mind of yours. What are you cooking up?”
“Nothing.” Kara shook her head as she answered honestly. She turned to Jenny. “We know that seventeen years ago the Probability device split this timeline into three separate sub-timelines. We call those MV1, 2, and 3. Correct?”
Jenny nodded and Kara went on.
“Lex and his people…and I would assume the Guardians and the
Starheart…have since discovered that the Kryptonians that escaped from the
Phantom Zone were transferred to MV3 when the split occurred. Not the Khunds, just the Kryptonians. They were the only anomaly. Everything else was duplicated! Copied, if you will, in MV2
and MV3.” She looked at the
Guardians. “They weren’t accurate copies, however.” This last was said as she looked towards Lar,
remembering what the Starheart had revealed. “There are differences in all
three. Changes even in
histories that should be exactly alike.
But it is MV3 that is most different.
There things are twisted…reversed.
Including the portion of the Starheart that was
duplicated. Including
the Guardians of Oa…and the Great
“Rao!” It was Zal that spoke up. Since being called to MV1 to help locate the twins, Zal had quickly been brought up to speed on the history of this particular timeline. “I think I see where you are going. These three timelines, because of the way they were created, are tied closely to each other. Far closer than any other reality in this Multiverse.”
“Right.” Kara nodded. She turned back to Shandra. “Could it be possible that someone in MV3 is aware of the thin barriers that divide these three timelines and is using that Great Battery to taint the Batteries in MV1 and MV2?”
“We don’t know that the
“And here is another question.” Rogue cut in. “If Darkseid is attacking here and now…is he also attacking in MV2?”
Arisia visibly stiffened…and then relaxed.
“No…he is not.” She said.
“How can you know for sure?” Rogue demanded, frowning at the golden skinned Sentinel.
“Because I am there, at this time.” Arisia answered. Then it was her turn to frown. “I know I have lived through this date before. I know that I come from your future…but how I arrived here…or what occurred before my arrival…I can’t recall. The memory is there…but it is being blocked.” She looked over at Jenny. “By the Starheart, I would guess.”
“It’s not time for you to remember.” Jenny nodded. She looked towards Kara and smiled weakly. “The Starheart appears to be a big stickler on certain things. It is a firm believer in ‘everything in its proper time and place.’”
“Which means that we probably won’t know the answer to that riddle…or the riddle the Starheart passed on through Lar…until we have reached that point in time.” Kara nodded. “That is fine with me. Let’s deal with this one thing at a time.” She paused to think. “Okay…Here is how we are going to have to work this.” She pointed to Zal, Jenny, Lar, and Arisia. “You four will go to Oa, dropping Kira off on your way.” She gave Kira a stern look, remembering the young Alterverse Kryptonian’s reluctance to be left out of a fight.
While Kira sighed and finally nodded, Arisia looked to Jenny and Lar. Seeing them nod their agreement she nodded as well.
Shandra, however, was not in agreement. Smiling now, despite the worry she felt, she fixed her eyes on Kara.
‘There is no need for such, Kara Zor-El.” She said. “It is true, the Corps is in disarray, but it is something we can…circumvent…temporarily.”
“And just how do you plan on doing that?” Kara demanded.
“The Green Lanterns draw their energy from the Great Battery…We do not.” One of the other Guardians spoke up. “Indeed, the Great Battery draws from us!”
“So you bypass the Battery for a while.” Rogue nodded, putting it together. “You do what Jenny did and power the Lanterns yourself, rather than letting them charge from the Great Battery or their portables.”
“Exactly.” Shandra agreed. “Such a method has its limitations. The Lanterns will not be able to go far from Oa. They will have to remain close enough to be able to reach us for recharging every twenty-four hours. But it is…as you say…better than nothing.”
‘That it is.” Kara smiled. “And I will be willing to bet that Darkseid has not taken that into account.”
“But that fleet is to be painted yellow!” Carrie protested. “The Green Lantern’s will not be able to touch them.”
“Do not be too sure, youngling.” Shandra smiled at the girl. “It is true, their energy will not be able to affect their yellow shielding…but will that shielding withstand being hit by an asteroid? Even if that asteroid were placed in their path by the Lanterns?”
Carrie thought for a moment and then smiled, shaking her head.
“The Lanterns can’t affect them directly, but indirectly….” She trailed off as Shandra’s eyes began to gleam with renewed humor…and determination.
“So what are you suggesting?” Kara asked, impressed despite herself.
“We shall return to Oa now…and prepare. There are many Green Lanterns there. You, and the Sentinels, should protect this world first and then, once this world is safe, we would appreciate the Sentinels coming to Oa. We will then determine what, if anything, can be done to cleanse the Great Battery.”
Shandra and the other Guardians did not wait for Kara to
respond. Instead, they,
Kara sat for a long moment, looking where they had been and then glanced at the others, smiling wryly.
“Well…it seems we have our orders, people. Let’s get ourselves ready.” She paused and looked at Kira. “It also looks like you get your wish.” She told the Alterverse Supergirl. “But if you get hurt…I swear….” She trailed off as Rogue, Jenny, Lar, Zal, and the twins started laughing. Arisia, watching the ease with which these people interacted with each other could only sigh. Such…companionship…was something she had long been without.
“…unacceptable, Qwardian!”
“I am sorry, Noble Darkseid.” Sinestro shook his head. He was, he was not afraid to admit, scared to death. But he would be damned if he let this pompous, over powerful fool see that. “But there is nothing that I can do. My people refuse to move until the matter of the Kryptonians and the new Sentinel has been explored. They will commit nothing to this battle.”
“I will not forget this Qwardian.” Darkseid growled. “Darkseid has commanded and his command has been ignored. No, this shall not be forgotten.”
“Sire, if you would simply consider waiting….” Sinestro began.
“I am through with waiting, Qwardian!” Darkseid did not quite growl. “The fleets are ready. They await but my signal and I shall crush both Earth and the Oans within my grasp!”
“And the Kryptonians, Sire?” Sinestro demanded, though he was careful to phrase it as a question. “and the Sentinel?”
Darkseid was quiet for a moment and then turned to look directly at the Qwardian.
The two of them were alone in the throne room. Just minutes earlier, Darkseid had dispatched his military commanders to their respective commands and was preparing to lead the fleet and war world to Earth personally.
“They shall be troublesome. But I shall be triumphant, Qwardian.” He finally answered.
“Of course, Noble Darkseid.” Sinestro dipped his head. At Darkseid’s gesture of dismissal he walked from the throne room.
For a long moment Darkseid thought, glaring at the closed door. Then he raised his voice, knowing that the automatic pick-ups in the room would carry his commands to those for whom they were intended.
“Kalabac! Kanto!”
He did not wait long before the hunched, animal like figure of his son, Kalabac and the pompous Kanto entered the control room at a run, stopping before their fearsome monarch, catching their breaths.
“I have decided to allow the two of you to prove your worthiness.” Darkseid announced. “You, Kalabac, will lead the fleets against Oa. You, Kanto, shall take the Warworld and a single fleet and crush the world called Earth. Should you succeed, you will both have proven yourselves worthy to command my forces in the conquests that will surely follow. Fail me…” He trailed off, seeing no need to state the obvious. With Darkseid, failure was not an option.
“Sire!” Both stood straighter and saluted, turning to run back the way they had come.
Hidden, out of the sight of anyone in front of Darkseid’s massive throne, a small glowing yellow stone flickered and died.
MVE1-13
Sinestro smiled as he entered his quarters. The little spy had done its work.
On Apokolips, Darkseid’s word was law. Never questioned. Or rather, never questioned twice by the same person. He, Sinestro had been the exception. But he began to feel that his…exalted…status was about to come to an end.
Darkseid was, if anything, extremely image conscious. He had put this invasion into motion. To stop it now, even if it was the wisest thing to do, would, in his eyes, appear to be an act of weakness. That he could not do. Darkseid was, however worried. He now believed that, despite his bravado, the outcomes of these twin strikes were not as sure as he had once believed. No, he could not stop the strikes. But he could, without appearing weak, remove himself from the picture. By placing others in charge of the fleets, he could now sit back and claim responsibility for any victories…and plausibly deny responsibility for any defeats.
A shame really. Sinestro thought to himself. Had Darkseid led the Warworld to Earth and suffered a defeat…a defeat that Sinestro was sure to come…it would have meant the end of Darkseid. While he would have liked to see both Earth and Oa fall, the Master would not have seen the removal of Darkseid as a possible future thorn-in-the-side as a loss.
Sinestro took a look around his quarters. This would be his last visit to Apokolips. Or so he hoped. It was time to return to the MV-3 reality and see what could be done to…guide…General Zod and his thugs in the direction the Master wanted them to go. But first…there was something he had to discover…for himself.
The Guardians were gone now, taking with them the two Green
Lanterns,
Those that remained; Kara, Rogue, the twins, Jenny, Lar, Arisia, Kira, Zal, and Koriand’r had moved themselves to a lounge area of the large orbital station, making themselves comfortable while they went over their plans.
“We have gone to a lot of trouble to make sure no pictures of you two have been transmitted to Earth.” Kara was telling Kira and Zal. “These people are really suspicious of Kryptonians. They have every right to be. I don’t want to have to deal with trying to explain who you two are and where you come from. Not just yet at any rate.” She let her eyes rest on the girls. “You two are about to make your debut, however. When the Warworld and that fleet get here, I want the two of you down on the planet. We are not going to be able to catch everything…so I am going to need you two to help the armed forces Earth will probably put up.” She thought for a moment. “In fact, I want you both to leave now. Go to the Daily Planet in Metropolis and find Lucy Lane. Tell her who you are and what’s up. If she has any questions, tell her to talk to Lex. Then I want you both to tie in with your grandfather in Kandor. By now I am sure he has slaved the Kandorian computers into the Fortress computer in the Antarctic. He will be able to keep you up to date on our progress and alert you to any ships that make it past us.” She stopped and pulled both girls to her, hugging them both. “Girls, I know you have both been fighting non-stop, it seems, since you came to us. But this is the life of a Supergirl…or a Powergirl. Are you sure this is what you want?”
Both girls nodded.
“It’s what I have always wanted.” Carrie spoke up. Her voice was thick with emotion. They might not be battling it out in space alongside the others, but neither she nor Karen denied the importance of the tasks Kara had assigned them.
Kara saw the girls to the airlock and watched as they cycled through into space and began their descent to the surface of the planet before returning to the others.
Standing at the entrance to the lounge, seeing them all turn to look at her, as if waiting for orders, she sighed mentally. Had Kal, she wondered, felt this way when he faced the Justice League? The burden of leadership?
Most probably, she answered herself. And then he went on and did what he had to do. Squaring her shoulders she continued into the lounge.
For Lucy Lane, the past two days had been an emotional roller coaster ride.
Starting with the appearance of Jimmy Olsen and his declaration that the hair samples found at scene of the vice-president’s assassination…an assassination no one knew had occurred…were an exact DNA match for a certain Lucy Lane—Reporter..
Of course, when he had told her, the first thing she had done was deny any such possibility.
There was, he had told her, no doubt. There was also no doubt, in his mind at least, that the hair was not hers.
“The best I have been able to come up with is that Katana is a clone. A clone of you. I would also be willing to bet that the clone was created from cells taken from you while you were…incapacitated…after I removed you from Metropolis.”
“You think Lex….” Her voice faded as Jimmy shook his head.
“No, I don’t think it was Lex. I think someone was trying to recreate one of his experiments, though. And since they could not get the original material Lex used, they used the next handy cell samples. Yours.” He explained. “Personally, I would have to say Lena Thurol is or was the culprit. But I could not prove it.” He then fixed Lucy with a hard stare. “But understand. Every single court of law would have to accept that hair as evidence against you…unless that clone is found.”
When asked how he could be so sure it had not been her, he simply smiled.
“Because at the time the assassination occurred, you were doing a live broadcast of an interview with Superwoman and Andromeda here in Metropolis!”
From there the conversation had drifted. There was nothing Lucy could do about the hair at the moment, but she could get other information. Information of a more personal nature.
After Jimmy left, promising to return when he found out anything, Lucy threw herself back into her work…trying to push both Jimmy and the problem of the clone far from her mind.
Now she sat at her desk, preparing for the evening news.
It had, so far, been a busy day, with every news agency around the world scrabbling to be the one that made the big scoop. They all watched footage beamed to earth from both Mars and Venus as the planets were transformed and then refugee fleet dispersed and grounded.
She was pouring over still frames, magnifying them, trying to identify each and every person shown.
There! That had to be Kara…and the ones she had named Lar and Jenny. She had no clue who the two golden skinned women were. And there! That was Rogue and….” She sat forward and adjusted the viewer, enlarging the image. It was a distant shot and magnified to such degree a lot of detail was lost…but enough remained to cause Lucy to grin with triumphant. It was them! The twin girls Kara and Rogue had spoken of!
“Uh….Miss Lane?” Drew’s voice sounded over the intercom…sounding…bewildered?
“What is it Drew?” Lucy activated her end of the intercom and waited.
“Uh…I have two girls here to see you, Miss Lane. They say their mother sent them…”
Before Drew could finish Lucy had jumped from her desk and raced to the door, opening it and motioning for the two girls she had just seen in the still frames to enter.
“Drew, Lock the doors, put up the do not disturb sign, and do NOT mention these girls to anyone until I give the okay. Got that?” She called back over her shoulder.
“Got it, Miss Lane. Mum’s the word!” Drew smiled
As the door closed behind her, Lucy looked over her visitors. They were, if possible, even more nervous than she. Though dressed similarly, in style, the colors were slightly different. Where one had dark blue, the other wore white. Other than that, their uniforms were identical. Just as they, themselves, were identical. No…not identical. One, the girl with the two tone blue, red, and yellow uniform, wore her hair a bit shorter than the girl with the white and blue, red, and yellow uniform.
Shaking her head, Lucy motioned for the girls to take a seat while she moved back around to sit behind her desk.
Once they were seated, both looking extremely uncomfortable, Lucy began.
“Kara told me a bit about you.” She started. She hoped, by revealing that she knew Superwoman’s true name, she could put the girls at ease. She looked them over and then let her eyes rest on the girl with the two-tone blue. “You must be Supergirl.” She turned to the other. “And Powergirl? Correct?”
Both girls nodded and Lucy sighed. These girls had most probably seen and done more things then she could even imagine…and yet here they sat, in her office, looking more like kids sent to the principal’s office than… That was it! They were not adults! No matter what they had done or been through, they were still just teenage girls!
“Okay, let’s take this a little at a time.” She tried to make her tone light and friendly. She stood up from behind her desk and came around, snagging one of the office chairs and spinning it around so that the back faced the girls. She then straddled the seat and rested her arms on the back. “First of all, I am Lucy Lane. But I am sure Kara already told you that or you would not be here.” She thought for a moment and then frowned. “Forgive me for asking…but every thing is okay? Kara and Rogue aren’t in any trouble are they….”
Her question was cut off as a blood-curdling scream sounded from the outer office.
She stood to run to the door…but had barely moved before the twin girls were there, flinging the door open.
“Fang! Pantha! You stop that!” The girl in white scolded.
Coming up behind the girls, Lucy nearly fainted again upon seeing a huge white canine and an equally large feline circling the terrified Drew!
“What….”
“We’re sorry, Miss Lane.” Supergirl apologized. “I guess they sensed we were nervous and decided to check up on us.”
“I see.” Lucy responded in a small voice…then she shook her head. “No I don’t. What exactly are they? They don’t look like any kind of dog or big-cat I have ever seen!”
“Technically they are neither.” Powergirl answered. “They are actually evolved forms of a Kryptonian animal called a Skrall. Their sire….”
“Sire?” Lucy cut in, looking at the animals. “Those things have the same sire?”
“Yes Ma’am.” Supergirl nodded. “Krypton had its versions of canines and felines, but unlike the Earth versions, both were created artificially from the Skrall. The same common ancestor…only the Skrall was not extinct.”
“Their sire was bred with a special type of Terran Wolf where we came from.” Powergirl continued, motioning for the animals to move away from the petrified secretary. “But something went a little wrong. They turned out a bit too intelligent, pure white…and able to shift their shapes. They can take the form of felines, canines, or Skralls.” She pointed towards them. “Those are the forms they take most often. The feline is my companion and her name is Pantha.”
“And his name is Fang.” Supergirl indicated the canine. “They are both a little…over protective…here lately.” She gave the animals a hard look and though she could hear nothing, Lucy had the distinct feeling the girl was giving the animals a command equivalent to ‘Go Home…bad dog!’”
Lucy thought she caught the hint of a smile on Powergirl’s face as she strode into the room to confront the feline.
“Bad Kitty!” She admonished, shaking her finger at the big cat.
Despite herself, Lucy could not wholly contain the instant hysterical giggle that fought to escape.
“It’s not funny!’ Drew all but screeched. She was perched on her desk, shaking with fear.
It took quite a few minutes, but eventually the girls were able to coax the young woman, who could not have been many years older than the twins themselves, down from her desk. By the time Lucy ushered the girls back into her office, Drew was petting and scratching both animals, with one gently butting her with its head when she paid too much attention to the other.
With the ice broken, the girls opened up…perhaps a bit more than they should have.
After introducing themselves, giving their real names, they had proceeded to explain what was going on. Before they could finish, Lucy, her face white as a sheet, was reaching for her phone, dialing up the private number she had for Lex Luthor!
Yet even as fear gripped her, she remained a professional reporter. She would not say a word about the twins until after this crisis had passed. But she would be sure she had holovid crews tailing them. In no time at all, Supergirl and Powergirl would be every bit as famous and as adored as Superwoman and Andromeda! But how on Earth would she explain those…animals?
“…ow what we have to do so let’s get ready!”
Kara finished what she thought of as a little pep talk and rubbed her hands together, noting, as she did, that her palms were sweaty.
“Nervous?” The familiar voice came from behind her and she turned as Rogue’s arms encircled her waist. She sighed and rested her forehead on her lover’s shoulder.
“Like always.” She whispered. “And worried. We are not going to get them all…those are the ones that worry me most.”
“Don’t worry too much.” Rogue told her. “The twins can take care of themselves. Besides, I have a feeling we are going to get some help from others.”
“Others?”
“Kara, we know there are other heroes here. Since we’ve been around, they’ve been keeping a low profile. I think something like this will bring them out into the open.”
“I hope you’re right.”
She straightened and frowned, seeing Arisia eyeing them curiously.
“Rogue…Jenny might…”
“She already has.” The one time mutant smiled. “She told me she wanted to talk after this is over. She wouldn’t go into detail...but I think I think I know what’s eating her.” She brushed her lips over Kara’s and then leaned to whisper into her ear. “You just be careful around that golden skinned hussy!”
“Which one?” Kara couldn’t help but giggle. “I remember the Koriand’r of my world. That woman was…blatant. That’s the only way I can describe it!”
“Hmmm?” Rogue leaned back and pushed Kara out to arms length. “Do I detect a hint of prudishness?”
“Prudishness? Is that even a word?” Kara shook her head. “I know. By Terran standards Kryptonians are amoral. But Tamaranians? They do make Kryptonians look like prudes!”
“And…Arisia’s people?” Rogue asked. She knew she could get the information just by accessing those memories she had taken from Kara but, as usual, she would rather get the information directly from Kara. “By the way, what do they call their planet?”
“Graxos IV.” Kara deadpanned.
“You have got to be joking.” Rogue shook her head.
“Actually, it is a translation.”
Both women turned to see Arisia coming towards them.
“Naturally we have our own name for our world. A name that was adopted long before we knew that our world was the fourth world from the sun in our system.” She continued. She spoke a word in her own language and then smiled. “If you were to come to our world and say the name of your world…in your language…we would translate it as Sol III. To spare everyone confusion.”
Rogue started laughing.
“In other words, that word you just spoke…and the name you call your world actually translates to ‘Earth’!”
“Yes.” Arisia smiled and nodded. It was, Kara noted, the first time she had seen the golden skinned Sentinel smile since they had met. And then the smile faded. “Now these…Graxosians…must learn a new name for their world. Mars!”
“Graxos IV has not been destroyed in your reality?” Kara ventured.
“It had not.” Arisia shook her head and, for the first time, Kara noted the differences between this Arisia and those she had known in the past. Those, including the deceased Arisia native to this reality and the Arisia of Alterverse had warn their hair short. This Arisia differed in that her flaxen hair reached nearly to her waist! “But it has been many years since I have seen…” She looked at Rogue and smiled. “…my Earth.”
By now the others had gathered around, listening. Jenny, Kara noted, most intently of all.
“When the Khunds attacked your Earth, I knew that Hal Jordon, who was then the Sentinel, would need help. I had been a Green Lantern for only a few years. Much of that time considered an exile by my own people.” Arisia went on, the words seeming to pour out. “I knew he had Superman here but something within me would not let me ignore the need of these people. So I disobeyed orders and entered this sector without clearance. Hal Jordan was already dead.” She paused for a moment.
“After it was over, after I resigned from the Corps and the Starheart…adopted me…I stayed on Earth, helping where I could, helping to raise Superman’s daughter, Lanie. But even there I was not truly welcome. I had to disguise myself. On that world, unlike what Jennifer Gand tells me of this one, the technology of the Khunds was not examined and put to use. And on that Earth, those who are obvious aliens are…looked on with suspicion. Tolerated, but never truly accepted.”
As Kara watched, the cool, calm façade that Arisia had obviously built up over the years seemed to crumble. And for a brief moment, she could see the bleakness…the vast emptiness…that blanketed her very being. Arisia was not, she believed, dealing with the current events any better than Jenny. And yet, despite the inner turmoil both Jenny and Lar must be feeling, they both moved closer to her. There was not conscious effort on their part. It was just a natural closing of ranks to support one of their own.
Arisia’s mood even seemed to shift when Jenny went so far as to put a hand on her shoulder, the green energy flaring briefly between them.
“Now isn’t this interesting!”
Kara whirled, crouching instinctively into a battle stance, ready to combat whatever might be incoming.
Her lips pulled back in a vicious snarl at the sight of a figure, softly outlined in a glow of yellow, standing in the center of the lounge.
“Sinestro!” She hissed, taking one step towards the figure who, in turn, appeared completely unconcerned.
“Don’t bother, Kara.” Jenny stopped her. “He’s only a hologram. Though he has to be near to be broadcasting so clearly.”
“You know who I am?” The hologram’s eyes widened slightly. “Interesting indeed. I am afraid, however, that you have the advantage. For I know none of you. In fact, I am quite curious how any of you made your way into this reality, for I am quite sure that none of you are native to it!”
“The same could be said of you!” Jenny stood in front of Kara, causing the Qwardian’s eyes to narrow as he spotted the emblem on her chest. “Ah, you do remember me…good.”
“A Sentinel in this reality. Interesting: I was not aware that one had been chosen.” Sinestro stated bluntly.
“Two in fact.” Jenny retorted as Arisia and Lar stepped up beside her. “But I happen to know that there is no Sinestro here. Katma killed the Sinestro of this reality years ago.”
“And I, I put an end to the Sinestro of my reality when he thought to kidnap my ward.” Arisia spoke up.
“It looks like we’re not the only newcomers to this reality.” Kara drawled, bringing the Qwardian’s eyes back to her.
“Kryptonians.” He remarked. “General Zod will be quite interested to make your acquaintance…whom shall I say he will have the pleasure of meeting?”
“Zod!” Kara started forward and it took the combined effort of Zal and Rogue to restrain her. “You bastard…what do you know about Zod?”
The hologram ignored the question, instead looking around without concern.
“And where, I wonder, are those simply delightful girls who so ungraciously rejected Darkseid’s hospitality?” The hologram’s eyes rested on Kira. “Ah…there is one, at any rate.”
“Enough of this! What is it you want, Sinestro?” Jenny demanded as Green Energy flared around her. “You may not be here in person, but I do wonder how well protected you are against feedback!”
The hologram ‘looked’ at her and shrugged.
“I was merely curious, Sentinel.” The Qwardian responded. “But I will tell you this. I and those I represent are no longer involved with your foe—Darkseid. What he does now is done without our consent or approval.”
“So why tell us?” Kara demanded. “You want us to believe that you have come to a parting of the ways out of the kindness of your hearts?”
“No. I suppose not.” Sinestro smiled. “Actually, our advice was to wait until the new developments…” the hologram gestured, leaving no doubt that they were the developments he discussed, “…could be investigated. Clearly Darkseid should have listened.” The hologram’s smile faded, its face becoming hard. “If it is one thing we have learned, it is how to be patient, Sentinel. We shall meet again. Have no worry of that. But it will be a time and place of our choosing…not yours.”
“I offer this final advice and suggest that you heed it: Go back to where you came from. This affair is not your concern.”
The image faded before anyone could respond.
“Where….” Arisia began, turning naturally to Jenny and Lar. Yet it was Kara that answered.
“MV3.” She spat. “Where the Phantom Zone criminals were sent.” She looked at the others. “Now we know who is behind this…ultimately. The question now is this: After we take care of Darkseid…do we then take care of MV3…or do we wait for their next attempt?”
“We put that off for now.” Rogue cut in with an answer. ‘Let’s deal with what we have. Then we can start thinking about what to do next.”
“Agreed.” Jenny and Lar nodded though Lar himself had turned red in anger at the mention of Zod.
Kara took a deep breath and nodded.
“Okay. Then let’s get to our places. We don’t know how much time we have.”
MV1-13
Zal hovered just above the newly regenerated atmosphere of Mars, waiting.
Mars and Venus and the various stations and colonies scattered through out the system would, it was hoped, be over looked at first. Darkseid would, most probably , boom tube his forces in as close to Earth as possible. Once Earth was reduced, the rest would be simple mop up.
They could not, however guarantee anything. For that reason, Zal had been set to guard Mars while Kira was sent to protect Venus. Both would remain on station until it was absolutely clear that the second and fourth planets were going to be spared at which time they would speed to join the battle at Earth.
The Sentinels and Lar had the task of safeguarding the O’Neil colonies and the Lunar bases.
Kara and Rogue would protect the Earth. Koriand’r, against her better judgment, would, at the first indication that Mars and Venus were to be by passed, drop down into the Earth’s atmosphere and work with the Twins in picking off the vessels they knew were going to make it past Kara and Rogue.
“They are going to get by.” Kara had told them all. “If the War World is coming, Rogue and I will have to concentrate on neutralizing it first. And while we are doing that, ships are going to slip by. As fast as we are, people, we can’t be everywhere at once. So understand that we are not going to be able to stop everything. Nor are those on the planet going to stop everything. There are going to be losses. Our job is to cut those losses as much as possible.”
After the hologram of Sinestro had vanished, they had scattered to their posts …waiting.
It was to be a long wait.
The darkness of space was shattered in a soundless explosion of light as, inward towards Earth, a massive rip was opened. A Boom Tube! At least it looked like what Kara had described as the effect of a Boom Tube.
Zal tensed as the first of the vessels, met by intersecting laser beams from the eyes of Rogue and Kara, created by mixing their x-ray and heat visions to create deadly ionic beams, flared and exploded. And yet still they came.
Pouring from the opening in numbers far beyond the capability of Kara and Rogue to stop they spread out. And behind them, the immense form of the War World!
“Oh great Rao!” Zal muttered. Then, sending a silent prayer to the Kryptonian deities, he launched himself inward, towards the fray!
-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2003 by Dylan Clearbrook
-- and may not be reprinted without permission.
-- The Continuum Worlds Concept is a joint creation of
-- Dylan Clearbrook and
-- and Supergirl’s Multiverse, as depicted in the
-- Continuum Worlds, are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook.
-- Alterverse and The Inheritors, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- are original creations of
-- The Realm and The Web of Shadows, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- are original creations of John P. and Jason G respectively.
-- Some characters in Continuum Worlds stories are original creations
-- of Dylan Clearbrook,
-- Andrew Shields, Kyle M., Brian, or Jason Froikin and may not
-- be used without express permission of the respective author.
-- All DC characters are property of D.C. Comics.
-- All Marvel characters are property of Marvel Comics.