Invasion!
Spit forth from the advancing fleets and the mammoth War World, the fighters scattered, flashing past the formidable barriers that stood between them and the rich planet below.
Those that survived the passage dove into the atmosphere, heedless of the heat of re-entry. A heat that took its toll, incinerating any ship with even a fraction of a gap in its shielding.
Regrouping, the remaining fighters, still a formidable force, made their way towards their various targets.
As anticipated, they focused on the major population centers of the world. The vast empty spaces of farmlands, forests, and jungles were of no interest in this initial strike.
And as they sped towards their targets, the armed forces of the United Earth Government rose to meet them...
Seventeen years ago his parents had died in the first Khund invasion. Too young to fight in that war, he sought to make up for it this time around.
Back then, the Khunds and the evil Kryptonians had caught a world unprepared. This time, the invaders, whoever they might be, would find a world better able to defend itself. And this time…the Kryptonians (albeit different Kryptonians) were on their side!
He was very much aware of what was happening. He knew that Superwoman and Andromeda and their allies were up in orbit, battling it out in space. But he, along with everyone else, knew those heroes, however powerful they might be, would not be able to stop everything.
Mankind had learned a bitter lesson all those years ago. They had learned that they could not let themselves become totally dependent on the super types to safe guard their world. If those heroes failed, Mankind had to be able to stand on its own.
Now mankind was being put to the test once again. In order to intercept all the bombs shot towards the surface, the heroes in space had to let some of the fighters get by. And as the first of those fighters penetrated the atmosphere, the scramble orders had gone out!
While the armed forces of the world did not have the equipment to take the battle to the invaders in space, Lex Luthor had made sure that they did have the technology and resources available to develop state of the art atmospheric fighter craft.
So, as the enemy descended upon the Earth in their tens of thousands, Mankind rose to meet them with their meager thousands of fighters.
They were vastly outnumbered, but that had never stopped mankind in the past and it would not make them quail with fear now!
Lifting out of Miami Florida, his squadron cruised to a respectable height and met the enemy coming down.
What began as an organized squadron quickly fell apart into several individual dogfights that spread further and further apart.
His wingman, a young girl he had once considered dating, had long since taken a nosedive into the ocean. Seeing her chute pop had been a relief and he hoped, for her sake, that the rescue crews would find her quickly. These waters were known to be shark infested.
In this single engagement, he had accounted for five solo kills and several other assists. Now, however, it appeared his luck was running out. Two enemy craft were on his tail and nothing he did would shake them.
Jerking his stick and dropping flaps, he rolled to the left, nosing downward as bright red tracers flashed by his cockpit, the crackling of energy so close he could hear it over the engines of his own craft. And still they followed, matching his moves, bracketing him in laser fire.
He kept his eyes glued to his instruments so that he would not see the world go pin wheeling by. More than one good pilot had gone down because of disorientation caused by trying to watch the spinning vision of land or sea and then sky over and over.
A sharp thump, the acrid smell of burning circuitry, and the sudden roughness of control was all he had time to feel before the ship’s computer, obviously knowing better than he how much damage it could take, tried to activate the ejection sequence.
For the first time he felt real fear when his screen cleared and then displayed large red glowing letters:
AUTO-EJECT MALFUNCTION. PROCEED TO MANUAL EJECT SEQUENCE!
With shaking hands he stripped off his flight gloves, secured the ejection belts, and reached for the manual eject button...
MV1-14
She cringed as the fighter blew apart in the air, the two trailing enemy fighters sweeping through the expanding cloud of wreckage and curving back to rejoin the fight further to the west. No chute appeared in the sky.
“It’s happening again.” She whispered to the golden haired woman with her on the beach. The blonde woman, seeming both young and immeasurably old, stood with her hands on the shoulders of the dark-haired young woman.
“It is.” She agreed. “And we are just as helpless to intervene as we were before.
“It didn’t have to be this way.” The younger woman glared towards the west. Though the actual fighting was out of sight, the flashes from lasers and exploding ships could still be seen. “We could have been ready. We could have been prepared.”
“It is not our way.” The golden-haired woman replied. It was an old argument. An argument not started by this young woman that stood with her, watching the fire in the skies, but by her older sister. And, she knew, she would lose this argument just as she had lost that argument so long ago. And this time, she was not sure that she was on the right side of the argument. Perhaps, all those years ago, if she had relented, perhaps her daughter, formed of the clay of the earth and given life by the very gods, would still live.
“They’re coming back!” She felt the young woman stiffen beneath her hands, felt the urge…no, the NEED…to do something that caused her entire body to go rigid. “They’re making an attack run!”
“Impossible, they can’t….” She trailed off as the evidence of her own eyes put the lie to the words she was about to speak. The alien fighters were, indeed, making an attack run. Not on them, not on the nearly deserted beach, but on the city! A city they should not even be able to see, much less reach with their mundane weaponry. And Themyscira was undefended!
“Come Donna!” Queen Hippolyta ordered as she began to sprint back up the beach. “We have to reach the Temple!”
Donna raced after her mother, letting her take the lead, though she was fully aware that, should it become necessary, she would easily be able to out distance the Queen of the Amazons.
The two fighters made a single pass, their lasers strafing the ground as their bombs and missiles lashed out to send entire buildings crumbling.
Donna cringed as the university sprang into flames that leapt into the now smoke-filled sky.
She started to veer towards the building, hoping beyond hope that she would reach the building in time to save those that had not perished in the initial blast.
“Donna! NO!”
She faltered as Hippolyta called out to her.
“Leave them.” The Queen commanded, continuing her headlong rush towards the center of the city. “We must reach the Temple. It is all that matters now!”
Donna shook her head, not understanding. Yet still she obeyed…in a manner of speaking. Taking to the air she quickly caught up with her mother and scooped her up into her arms, pouring on the speed. If Hippolyta thought getting to the Temple was that important, she would get her there as quickly as possible.
“Donna! Put me down!” Hippolyta ordered. “The alien craft are returning. You must stop them! By Hera, you must stop them!”
Now that was something she could understand.
Easing Hippolyta to the ground, Donna soared up and around to face the incoming fighters, just as they unloaded their second salvo of bombs and missiles.
Donna hesitated for a brief instant. It had been many years since she had played the hero and now she paused, undecided. Should she try to intercept the missiles or prevent the fighters from firing more?
In a split second she had her answer. She could stop the missiles, but as she did that, the fighters could fire more…and there was no guarantee that she would be able to catch those as well.
With a silent apology to those on the ground who would soon be sent to the gods, she let the missiles fly by and met the first fighter head-on.
The resulting explosion was enough to send the other fighter tumbling. Curving around, her ears ringing and her head spinning, Donna closed in on the second ship.
There was no finesse, no eloquence to her tactics. As she caught the second fighter, she merely doubled her fists and pounded them into the nose section of the craft, sending it spinning down to the ground.
Satisfied, she turned in the air…and froze.
Rising from the center of the city, from the temple area, black acrid smoke bellowed into sky.
Searching frantically, she found Hippolyta unharmed, kneeling in the dirt, her wide eyes staring at the ruins of the Temple as if in disbelief.
“I am sorry, Mother.” Donna whispered as she landed by the stricken woman. When the Queen did not reply she tried again. “They are gone, mother. We can rebuild the Temple.”
“You do not understand.” The Queen whispered, shaking her head. Then she stopped and climbed quickly to her feet. “Perhaps you are right.” She breathed. “Maybe they were not destroyed!”
She raced towards the burning building and, heedless of the falling debris and burning timbers, she pushed her way to the very center of the temple. There, where Donna knew had once been an altar to Hera, they found only a gaping hole in the ground, with dark, dusty steps winding downward into the blackness.
Hippolyta did not even pause. Grabbing a burning stick to act as a torch, she plunged into the opening, Donna on her heels.
“What….” Donna began, stopping when Hippolyta finally came to a halt.
They were in a vast chamber, its crystal walls reflecting and amplifying the light from the dim torch.
There had been five of them, that much was obvious.
The chamber, a perfect hexagon, was domed in the same reflective crystal. The opening through which they had come was set into one of the six walls. On the other five there had been some elaborate fixtures…seals.
Four of the five, it appeared, had been shattered in the initial blast. The fifth and final one was cracked and, as they looked on, continued to crack wider. It would not be long before it, like its sister seals, was broken completely. It seemed, almost, as if something were on the other side of the seal, straining to get out.
“Donna!” Hippolyta turned and grasped her daughter by the arm. “We’re too late. I want you to go back up and gather as many sisters as you can and leave the island. Now!”
Leave the Island?
“I don’t…”
“I know you don’t understand. And we do not have the time now for explanations. You must do as I say. Load one of the old ships with as many of our sisters as you can and leave. You must do this!” She paused. “Find Ariadne. Make sure she is with you if she still lives. Tell her that all but one seal is broken and that one is cracking and will break at any time. She will understand and will explain it to you…after you are will away from the island.”
Donna finally nodded.
“Yes, Mother.” She murmured. “I will take the ship to the coast of Florida and then return….”
“No!” Hippolyta gave her a shake. “You must…not…return! There will be…no need.”
“Mother?”
“Do as I command, Donna.” Hippolyta was firm now. “Or did all your years in Man’s world erase your loyalty to your queen and mother?”
Hurt and stunned by Hippolyta’s words, Donna could only shake her head. It was not a fair question and Donna knew her mother was well aware of it. There was so much of her life in Man’s world that she could not recall. And many of those images she did have made no sense. Images of gods, of other worlds, of marriage and even children of her own! And yet here she was, a mere girl of sixteen years.
“Good.” Hippolyta pulled her close in a fierce hug. “I did not go through Hades and beyond to bring you back to this world only to let you throw yourself away in a battle that is lost before it is even begun! Listen to Ariadne, my daughter. Heed her advice. And remember that you are, no matter what you have gone through, an Amazon and a princess. And remember that I will always love you.” She pushed the young woman away. “Now go. Do not delay for anything. You above all, may the gods forgive me, must escape if no one else.”
Totally confused, Donna stumbled back up the narrow staircase.
She did not have to hunt far to find Ariadne. The Amazon priestess was picking her way through the temple, clearly intent on reaching the point Hippolyta had rushed to.
With a rush of words she relayed the commands of Hippolyta and, as she mentioned the seals, she saw all color drain from the face of the priestess.
“Ariadne, What is it?” Donna demanded. “What are the seals? What….”
“Princess…Did Hippolyta command me to tell you now or wait until we were away?” The priestess demanded. “You must trust your mother…and now you must trust me. There is naught that you can do here now. We must do as the Queen commands.” Her face, soft at first, now turned hard. “But rest assured, Princess, we will return. For that which will soon break free could cast the entire world into shadow.”
The priestess Ariadne, sometimes known as the Sorceress Magala, quickly guided the young woman to the ruined entrance of the temple and bade her to remain. Without waiting for an answer, the priestess plunged back into the smoke filled husk of the building.
Donna waited for several minutes, her eyes tearing from the smoke and the feelings of helplessness that welled up within her.
When the priestess returned, her eyes were haggard, her shoulders drooping.
“We must go.” The priestess snatched her hand and pulled her out into the rubble-strewn street.
“Mother?” Donna planted her feet and, try as she might, Ariadne could not budge her further.
“The Queen will…remain.” She sighed. “She would not be persuaded otherwise.” She took Donna’s face in her hands, forcing her to look her in the eyes. “The Queen knows her duty and will do what is required of her. Can we do any less?”
“I don’t understand.” Donna shook her head but finally allowed the priestess to guide her further from the temple.
“I know you don’t, child.” The woman sighed. “And for that I must apologize. We never saw the need to burden you or your sister with this information. Perhaps we should have. But now is not the time. Now we must make haste. We must get some of the sisters off the island, to be safe. Then we will seek help. Perhaps, if we are swift enough, we will be able to return in time. I will gather those sisters that will come. You must find Cassie! We shall meet at the ship yard.” She added. “Haste, child. Haste and pray to the gods we are in time!”
Below, within the Room of seals, Hippolyta resigned herself to the fate which she had chosen.
Ariadne’s arrival had been unlooked for, but a blessing nonetheless.
Though she had balked at first, the priestess had done as commanded and then departed.
Using all the gods given strength she possessed, Hippolyta had grasped the edges of the remaining seal, pulling them together. She could not stop it from cracking, but she could slow it down. But eventually she would tire. Her grip would slacken. Then Ariadne had arrived.
By the time the priestess/sorceress had left, Hippolyta no longer feared tiring. Tire she would, but her grip would not slacken. For Hippolyta had commanded and, plead as she might, Ariadne had obeyed those commands. Now her body, fused to the seal, would be the final barrier. The seal would break, only after Hippolyta’s body had broken!
“I don’t think so!”
Carrie snagged a fighter as it flashed by and twirled, swinging it into three of its companions. Had she the time, she would have given a smirk of satisfaction as the wreckage of all four craft rained down on the countryside below. Time, however, was not something she had in abundance.
After releasing the craft and seeing that it would accomplish what she wanted, she had promptly forgotten it and moved on to the other craft flashing down from the skies.
Moving at super-speed, she was able to intercept most of the waves of fighters that descended upon the east coast. Still, many individual fighters were able to flash by her, raining their death-dealing bombs and lasers on the unsuspecting cities below.
She clamped down on the waves of despair that swept over her, knowing instantly that she was feeling her own and that of her sister as well. Karen, handling the west coast, was feeling the same frustration at not being able to stop them all.
Another wave swooped downward, scattering widely and Carrie grimaced. She would get them all…but not before some of them did some damage.
She rose to meet those she could, taking them out as quickly as possible, before turning to the remainder. She fully expected to see them unloading their ordinance on the cities below. Instead, she watched in surprise as two flared into incandescent gas from twin starbolts shot down from above .
Without a word, the Tamaran Princess Koriand’r curved around and back up, looking for more targets.
Another fighter disintegrated as fire shot from beneath her and Carrie heard a cheerful voice she recognized.
“Is this a private party or can anyone join in?”
She gaped as a fiery figure soared into the sky to join the fight. Though she had not met him in this universe, she had met him in the universe that Rogue and Kara had taken them when they had first been rescued. There, as here, the fiery figure was none other than Johnny Storm…the Human Torch.
Through the link, Karen could feel the sudden relief flowing from Carrie and sourly gave thanks that something was going right for at least one of them.
Below her, large portions San Francisco burned, glaring testimony to the fighters that had eluded her. It gave her little comfort to think that Kara or Rogue, had they been here instead, would have been able to do little better.
She flew through a wing of fighters, her fists held out in front of her, and turned to dive at another wing when two of the five ships flared and exploded, shattered by a blue and yellow figure that flew through them much as she had flown through the last wing.
“Looks like you could use some help.”
Startled, Karen watched as the blond woman in a dark blue and yellow uniform curved around towards her.
“I am called Ms. Marvel.” The woman called out. “Forgive me for saying, but you seem to be a bit young to be Superwoman or Andromeda.”
Karen started to reply but the woman waved it away.
“We can take time for full introductions later.” She said called out. “Let’s take care of business first.”
The strike forces sped toward the ground, relieved that they were not detailed to attack either the west or east coasts of this continent. They had all heard the reports of massive casualties among the fighters at both fields of battle.
The center of this particular continent was not to be a push over either.
Before they could even line up for their attack runs, red and gold ships, the lettering “Stark Enterprises” stenciled on their wings, rose from the ground to meet the invaders. They were, it was quickly noted, led by a flying man in red and gold armor.
Already the fighters of this world had carved a name for themselves in the hall of heroes, yet these fighters took skill and vengeance to the next level, cutting swath after swath through the invaders.
Nightwing had watched with trepidation as the enemy fighters began to swoop down on his city, softening it up for what he knew was soon to follow.
Nor was he to be disappointed.
The landing craft swung low over head, landing several streets over in a heavily bombed section.
And now Nightwing knew that the fight had finally spilled over into his area. They were on the ground…and those on the ground were the ones he could fight.
Swinging into the air, he made his way from building to building, touching just long enough to whip his line back out for another swing.
When he reached the point of the landing, he had to smile. The fools had not even thought to land a good distance from any tall buildings. He could….
The smile faded. He was not the first to arrive at the landing sight. Dressed in a red and yellow costume, a young blonde girl had waded into the offloading soldiers, wreaking havoc amongst the aliens.
Nightwing’s eye narrowed as he caught sight of the soldiers. KHUNDS!
For an instant he was thrust back in time. Seventeen years earlier. He saw a vision of himself, merely a teen then, much younger than the girl that now fought an invading army on the street below.
He shook the vision away and made himself concentrate on the scene below. The girl was good, he had to give her that. But just as obviously she was not all that experienced.
She had waded in with out taking everything into account. Such as the four Khunds that were now raising their weapons. Nightwing had good reason to know that the aliens would not hesitate to kill their own if it meant killing the enemy as well.
All the girl would accomplish would be the death of a few Khund…and her own demise. And a dead hero is, more often than not, a failed hero.
Grimacing, Nightwing made up his mind…
MV1-14
Some honeymoon.
They had gone through the wedding with out a hitch and had been able to spend a few peaceful hours together before Lex Luthor had called with the warning.
The ensuing argument had not been pleasant.
Tony, who had not made an appearance as Ironman for several years, had decided that the time was right for a comeback.
Babs had not had a problem with that. The problem arose when Tony told her, TOLD HER, to make her way to one of the shelters built beneath the great Stark Industries complex.
It was not, she realized later, an attempt to be the manly man but rather natural concern for her safety that had prompted him to speak before thinking.
In the end, he had finally acknowledged that he was not going to be able to stop Babs from doing her part and had even offered to help all he could.
She had accepted in the form of a ride in one of his fighters to Gotham. They had parted with a few hurt feelings, but Babs had to smile, thinking of how good making up would be later.
Once down on the ground in Gotham, she had scoured the city, looking for some trace of Dick.
As much as she might tease him, this Dick Grayson was every bit as good as the Dick she had known in her own world. Better, probably.
When the first landing craft came in on a final approach, she gave up the search and headed straight for the landing sight. If Dick were anywhere around, he would be heading in the same direction.
Swinging from rooftop to rooftop, she quickly covered the distance and lit on the edge of the tallest building adjacent to the landing sight. It only took her a few seconds to locate Nightwing, on a lower roof, and to see what had caught his attention.
Sighing, she swung off again, this time landing lightly beside Dick, only to push off again, sailing free into the air.
“Move it, Dick!” she called out. “You snooze you lose!”
Performing a triple somersault, thus presenting less of a target, she ended with her feet straightened before her. She relaxed them ever so slightly just as she slammed into the first of the weapon wielding Khunds, sending him sprawling into the others.
She hit the ground and rolled, wincing at the slight pain in her left knee. Damn, she should have known better than to try such a long leap.
She sprang to her feet, ignoring the protesting knee and waded in to the Khunds, making her way towards the beleaguered young woman in red and yellow.
“Whoa!”
She checked a swing as Nightwing caught up to her, his hands and feet lashing out to topple Khunds on her left side.
“Was wondering if you were waiting for an invitation!” Babs huffed, focusing her attention to the right.
“I hate being a party crasher.” Nightwing replied, his tone dry. “Bruce felt party crashers were true bores.”
“And he would know.” Babs muttered under her breath. The banter ended as the pair battled their way to the young woman and then, upon reaching her, moved to form a triangle, each at the other’s back.
It may have seemed like an eternity, yet there were only so many Khund that could fit in a landing craft and within moments, the number from this particular craft had been dealt with. Including, thanks to the young woman, the two pilots.
As Nightwing and Batgirl mopped up, the woman had sprinted up the ramp and returned, tossing out the incapacitated pilots.
“Well that was fun.” Babs quipped, looking around at the carnage the three of them had wrought. She looked at the others and gave a sly smile. “Now what do we do for an encore?”
The young woman, despite her bravado during the battle, now seemed shy.
“Perhaps we can start with introductions.” Babs answered her own question. She pointed towards Dick but before she could speak the young woman nodded.
“I know who you are.” She was talking to Dick. “Nightwing. You used to be Robin…until the Batman was killed. I remember…” She looked down at the ground. “I…” She sighed and reached up to pull off the mask she wore. “My name is Bette Kane.”
Babs’ eyebrows rose at the name but she kept silent. In her own world and time, Betty Kane had been the original Batgirl. Looking this Bette over, without her mask, Babs re-evaluated her initial estimate of her age.
At first, she had assumed the girl to be no older than sixteen or seventeen. Now she could see that she was probably closer to twenty. Possibly as old as twenty-three or four. There was no way she could be younger if she had been old enough to remember the Batman.
“I’ve trained for years.” Bette was saying. “I knew someday I would try to convince Nightwing to let me fight with him.” She then looked at Babs. “And then I heard that a new…Bat…had come. A Batgirl. And I knew that I had waited too long.”
Hero worship.
Babs sighed and shook her head. It had been much the same with her and Batman. She glanced at Dick and then nodded to herself, smiling.
“I am Batgirl.” Babs nodded. “We need to talk…later. Right now, we’ve got work to do!”
Turning to Nightwing, she jabbed a finger in his chest.
“Where’s it at?” She demanded.
“What?” Nightwing was bewildered.
“The Batmobile or whatever you’re calling it these days.” Babs sighed.
Shocked, Nightwing wordlessly led the two away from the scene of the battle. The sound of approaching sirens and heavy vehicles told them the Khunds they left behind would be dealt with.
“Where to?” Nightwing asked, his tone sarcastic as he held the passenger door open. “The Stark-Wayne hotel?”
“Just get in.” Babs ordered. “I’m driving.”
Without waiting for permission, Babs vaulted over the hood of the car, landing on the drivers side. She pulled the door open and slid easily behind the wheel. She paused and looked around.
“How do you start this damned thing?” She asked after a quick, frustrating look.
“You don’t.” Nightwing was still standing on the passenger’s side, looking in at her. “It will only start when I am sitting in the driver’s seat and then only after it has checked my heart rate, breath, and retinal patterns.”
“Christ.” Babs pulled herself back out. “What the hell do you do if you are in a hurry?”
She slid into the passenger’s side, after pushing Flamebird in ahead of her. Since the Batmobile was a two-seater, the two of them had to squeeze together while Nightwing settled behind the wheel and went through the start up sequence.
“So where are we going?” He asked again as the engine finally turned over.
“The Batcave!” Babs’ tone left no room for argument.
Had she been any less busy, Lucy Lane would have stared at the numerous monitors that ringed the walls of the WGN Broadcast studio.
Reporters and sister stations all around the world were calling in with reports that could hardly be believed.
With the coming of these new invaders (Lucy had a few unconfirmed reports that there were actually Khunds involved), the people of Earth, instead of rolling over and playing dead, or running in circles, screaming in panic, had pulled together to face the menace.
When the twins had split up, Karen speeding off to the west coast, Lucy had felt a touch of fear. She knew that the girls had to spread out, but still, that meant they would each miss some of the fire being directed at the cities.
She was only thankful that, thanks to some one named Zor-El (the twins had promised to fill her in later), the girls were able to determine that the attacks would try to hit the major population centers. The fighters and landers hitting the countryside or sparsely populated areas would do the invaders little good.
Still, asking two teen girls, no matter how powerful, to protect so many cities around the world, had, in Lucy’s opinion, been ludicrous. But then, she thought, Kara had probably been as aware of that as she. She wasn’t asking the twins to get them all…just to get what they could.
What Kara had not foreseen, nor had anyone else for that matter, was the united, focused, and overwhelming response from the people of Earth. Most notably, the Metas and mutants!
As the fighters started coming down, and all eyes were on two lone teenage girls facing insurmountable odds, heroes who had long since deserted the public eye suddenly resurfaced!
Ironman, The Human Torch, Ms. Marvel, The Green Arrow, the Flash (though there were reports that it was not the same Flash), and others.
Lucy shook her head as she read a report out of LA. An explosion, most probably caused by a missile fired from an attack fighter, had all but demolished the Federal Mutant/Meta Incarceration Facility. And while most of the inmates (those that survived) quickly faded away, making their escape while the getting was good, others had remained behind. These had stepped up to stand beside their erstwhile guards and local law officers to fight against the invaders. One report detailed the actions of one Scott Summers. Otherwise known as the notorious, Cyclops. His companions had vanished, yet he had remained behind, leading counter-attack after counter-attack against the landing enemy.
All over the world it was the same. England, Scotland, Australia, China, Japan, Russia, Africa, South America, the list went on and on. And the response was always the same.
Of course they were not always successful. In mute testimony to one failure, pile of rubble and human debris lay strewn where Paris had once stood.
But over all, the news was encouraging. The invaders were not capturing land or people.
Turning, Lucy had to suck in a breath as she faced the few monitors that depicted scenes far above the surface of the Earth.
Though the distances were too great to make out details, the flashing of exploding ships and splashes of green energy that swept through space showed that the battles on Earth would have been far worse if Kara and Rogue and their companions were not out there, stopping what they could before they could even reach the atmosphere.
She was restless, wanting to do something, anything. And yet all she could do was sit…and watch…and wait.
Even before the Batmobile had pulled to a stop, Babs had opened her door and was out, sprinting across the huge cavern towards the massive computer and communications equipment that lined a full wall.
By the time Nightwing and Flamebird had caught up to her she had finished a quick study and was rapidly typing commands into the system.
“What…” Nightwing started, stopping when Babs held up a hand.
“Batgirl to Zor-El…Can you read me? Batgirl to Zor-El…” She stopped and typed again, here eyes intent on the computer screen.
Looking over her shoulder, Nightwing could see that she was trying to pin point a specific frequency.
“Batgirl to Zor-El…Batgirl…”
“This is Zor-El…” A deep voice boomed out of the speakers, and by its tone, the owner of that voice was just as bewildered as Nightwing.
“Zor, this is Babs, Kara’s friend.” Batgirl sighed in obvious relief. “I’m in Gotham City and am now sending you our co-ordinates. Is it possible for you to tie in and keep us informed of enemy activity in our area?”
“Barbara Gordon!” A woman’s voice now. “This is Allura. Zor is already working to tie you in. I know it is not an appropriate time, but congratulations on your wedding.”
“Thanks.” The portion of her face not hidden by her mask turned red.
“Barbara Gordon?” Bette looked up at Nightwing and then, glancing around the Batcave, made her way to an aisle of display cases.
The cases showed several variations of The Batman’s costume, a few variations of Robin’s old costumes, and finally, a smaller costume. The costume worn by Robin’s predecessor: Batgirl.
Looking down at the bottom of the case, Bette read the plaque.
Batgirl
Barbara Gordon
Below that were dates. Her date of birth…and her date of death!
“How….” She turned, noting that Nightwing had come up behind her.
“She is not the Barbara Gordon of this reality.” Nightwing answered honestly. “She comes from a universe like ours. In that universe, there was no invasion seventeen years ago. Batman didn’t die…and Batgirl worked alongside Batman and Robin…and alongside her best friend…Supergirl!”
“Super….” Bette glanced back at the figure still hunched over the keyboard. “She knows Superwoman?”
“Yes.” Nightwing nodded.
“That’s that.”
They both turned as Babs stood and made her way towards them. She noticed the display and then turned to Nightwing.
“You explained who I am?” She asked. When Nightwing nodded she turned to Bette. “I know it is confusing. But you’ll get used to it.” She took a breath.
“Okay, Zor-El and Allura are Kara…Superwoman’s…parents. They live in a city named Kandor in the Antarctic.” She began.
“There are more Kryptonians?” Bette asked, her eyes wide behind her mask. “Then why aren’t they helping us?”
“Because these Kryptonians are just slightly over an inch tall.” Babs told them. She was not, they could tell from her tone, joking. “But they are helping in a way. They are coordinating with Kara and Rogue in orbit and with Karen and Carrie on the east and west coasts.”
“Carrie and Karen?” Nightwing asked.
“Kara’s daughters. But now they have added us to their network and are contacting the various military forces around the world to pull them into the network.” Babs continued. “Now we’ll know where and when the Khund bastards are coming in and we’ll be able to meet them!”
Her first sight of the War World came as somewhat of a relief to Rogue. The memories she had from Kara gave no real indication of its size. That being the case, she had been expecting anything ranging from the size of Earth’s moon to the size of Jupiter. When it made the transit from the Boom Tube behind the rest of the fleet, she almost giggled in relief. The War World was hardly a world at all. Indeed, it was maybe a third the size of Earth’s Moon, at most.
“You have got to be kidding me.” She shook her head as she and Kara darted inward, their ion beams slashing left and right, sweeping fighters and missiles out of existence.
The ion beams were new to Rogue. A little trick Kara had taught her. By combining their various vision abilities in varying degrees they could produce extremely powerful beams.
While not as large as she had feared, the War World was still a formidable size. And yet, simple observation showed that the massive engines required to move the object took up much of the surface of the moonlet turned starcraft. A natural object, never meant to be moved from the orbit of its parent planet, the War World was sluggish in its movements, despite the massive engines.
“Don’t let the size fool you.” Kara’s voice sounded in her ears, thanks to the rings Jenny had given them that allowed them to communicate normally. Rogue wondered for a moment if Kara had developed the ability to read minds. “It may be slow and small, but it packs enough weaponry to incinerate a planet!”
“So we make sure it doesn’t get close enough to use those weapons.” Rogue responded.
“That’s the idea, Girlfriend. That’s the idea.”
MVE1-14
Kira, floating near the orbit of Venus, had watched the incoming fleet and the War World with a calculating eye. Unlike Zal, who had been awed by the sheer number of ships and the War World itself, Kira was used to seeing massive enemy fleets. And now she watched the incoming fleet, shaking her head.
“Stupid.” She muttered. The Kayzik would never be so stupid as to bunch up like these ships were. As she watched, dozens flashed out of existence as Jenny, Lar, and Arisia went to work.
She waited long enough to determine that no ships were going to come in her direction before starting back towards the fun near Earth.
MVE1-14
Jenny put thoughts of what she was going to do about Lar and Arisia out of her mind as the ships started pouring out of the Boom Tube. Yet even so, she could not help but notice how the three of them reacted instantly, more like a well oiled machine rather than three individuals, one of whom they had only met mere days earlier.
Arisia moved off to one side, trusting that Jenny would take her flank, and Lar used his super speed, strength, and vision to flash around them, attempting to take out those ships that would inevitably get past the two Sentinels. Yet even so, they were not able to get them all.
The number they missed, however, dwindled quickly as Kira flew in to help Lar, her eyes flashing as she speared ship after ship.
Only after the number of missiles and fighters issuing from the massive battleships and carriers began to diminish did Lar leave Kira to finish up while he, with Jenny and Arisia, moved in to start on the big ships.
MVE1-14
Zal poured on the speed, his form blurring as he flashed in towards Earth and the War World. Though he had never attempted it, Zal was convinced that he could actually move faster than the speed of light, something he knew neither Kara nor Rogue could do.
He had toyed with it in his mind at times, wondering what exactly would happen if he did what, according to Einstein, was impossible.
He knew that Kara and Rogue, simply by altering their vibratory speeds while traveling at near light speeds, could break through time and dimensional barriers or enter Hyperspace. He himself had never attempted it but he was sure he could duplicate those feats. But what would happen if he simply kept moving faster?
He shook the stray thoughts out of his mind and concentrated on the task at hand.
No matter what else they did, they HAD to stop that War World from getting any closer to the Earth. Already it was too close. Even though it was smaller than the moon, it was still large enough that its gravitational pull would already be playing hell with the planet’s surface.
“This is an outrage!”
Staffers and advisors kept silent as the President continued a tirade that had started the instant the first ships began pouring from that…hole…in space and had not abated in the time since.
“It’s a conspiracy!” She screamed, her trilling screech causing others to wince. She rounded on the cabinet members that, along with herself, had been rushed to the depths of the shelters beneath the capital. “I don’t know how…but I will find a way to prove it is all a right wing conspiracy!!!! It’s all Luthor’s fault! Damn that man. Him and those blasted Kryptonian bitches!”
“I find that hard to believe…Madame President.”
She spun glaring at the speaker and bit her lip on the instant retort that threatened to spill out.
Wilson Fisk sat in a comfortable chair, his face calm as he studied her.
“In fact,” he continued in that same calm tone, “I think you will probably find that it will be thanks to Lex Luthor and those…bitches, as you call them…that there will be anything left of this world to govern when all is said and done.”
He gestured towards a wall of monitors that showed news reports from around the world.
“They have, it seems, by their very presence, brought others out of the closet, as it were.”
“Vigilantes!” President Golder hissed. “Neanderthals with no respect for law and order.”
“On the contrary.” Fisk countered, causing the staffers and advisors to gawk…NO ONE contradicted the President…not more than once! “I have seen some of the files SecPol has gathered on many of these…Metas, Mutants, whatever you wish to call them. Most have a deep respect for those laws they consider common-sense laws.” He smiled. “That would leave out most of the laws you and many of those leaning either far to the left or right have fostered off on the people!”
“How dare you!” Golder hissed, her eyes balzing. “You have just lost your job, Mister!”
“I have lost more than that.” Fisk replied, his face looking bleak for the first time. “As have we all!”
“What are you babbling about?” She paused and a puzzled look came over her face. “What is that rumbling?”
Before Fisk could answer one of the aides let out a gasp, pointing a trembling finger at the monitors.
Golder spun, her face growing white as she focused on the monitor that showed the events occurring on the surface in Geneva.
Black smoke and glowing trails of fire erupted from the ground, shooting into the quickly darkening sky. ON the ground itself, rivers of red glowing…LAVA…poured up from beneath the surface. Slowly spreading across the landscape.
“A volcano!” Golder shrieked. She ran towards the shelter’s only exit, intent on flinging the door open and charging out of what could well become a death trap. She screamed again, yanking smoking hands away from the metal door. A door that was already turning a dull red from the heat.
“It is no use.” Fisk, still calm, shook his head. “That door is all that is holding the lava away from us. And it will not….”
Before he could finish the sentence, the door simply melted in place, allowing the lava built up on the other side to flow inward.
Golder had just enough time to utter the beginnings of a scream before the molten river engulfed her.
Lucy closed her eyes momentarily to shield her from the world’s pain.
She was unharmed, safely ensconced within the hardened bunkers beneath the WGN building. Yet the monitors on the walls told stories of immeasurable horror. And yet, even then, the knowledge that those horrors could have been worse…would have been worse…were it not for the heroes working tirelessly to protect their world, was some consolation.
Geneva, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Moscow, Washington, Peking, London, and Belfast? Why in the hell would aliens bomb Belfast?
All gone. Either flattened under the missiles of the invaders, or victims of the violent throes of their own planet as the War World loomed closer.
The missiles had long since stopped coming, yet still the two girls, Carrie and Karen, the daughters of Superwoman, continued to work, doing all they could to save lives. They had, almost from the beginning, seen the senselessness of trying to save property as well, focusing their entire attention on lives.
And still the War World approached.
Lucy spared a glance as the monitors that should be showing the events occurring in space. All snow-covered now, the transmitters in those particular satellites destroyed.
“Ms. Lane!”
She turned her head to see one of her cameramen waving at her, a papers flapping wildly in his hand.
“I have a communication from some one named Zor-El. He wants to tie you into some network. He claims he is Superwoman’s father.” The young man gulped. “That would make him…Superman’s uncle, wouldn’t it?”
“It would indeed.” Lucy murmured. She shook her head. “Connect me with him. NOW!”
She had eluded him…so far.
The distraction of the invasion could not have come at a more opportune time.
The girl, the mutant girl, had refreshed her, and she had fed twice since then, bringing her power levels and appearance to near normal. Near, but not quite.
She was still, she knew, too weak to take on this mysterious spell-caster that had followed her trail. And no amount of feeding off the life energies of these…peasants…was going to raise her to the levels of power she had enjoyed before being trapped within the Citadel at the End of Time. That would take time or a mystical source of energy that she could assimilate instantly.
It was the hunt for such a source that had led her here, to what the inhabitants of this morbid mudball called the Mile High city. It was that hunt which had led her to a single apartment in a suburb…only to find it empty.
“There was power here.” She murmured as she let her senses flow around the small four-room domicile.
It did not take her long to identify the source of the power and she pulled her senses in, shaking with fear.
HE had been here! HE, whom she had thought trapped forever within an amber amulet in a distant reality!
She calmed herself. Her mind already going over the possibilities. If it were, indeed he, then he would soon take notice of her. There was no way, she knew, that she could hide from him.
And he would come for her…of that there was no doubt. But how would he come for her?
It would, she decided with a resigned sigh, depend totally on her. She could incur his wrath by trying to avoid or flee. Or she could accept that he would find her and seek him out instead. He would be much more likely to take her back under his wing.
This last thought was greeted with a scowl. And yet, what better way to regain the power levels she had lost?
She hunted around the apartment a little more. Picking up objects and letting her power flow through them, trying to determine who this person had been…this person that Mordru had found!
What she discovered startled her! Whatever HE had been after, he had not known what this woman had been, or what she had done! And what she had seen!
With a gleeful little laugh, Glorith brought her power levels up. There was nothing more she could learn here in Denver. She would not move yet, but she had already begun making plans.
Seeing that Jenny, Arisia, and Lar had the fleet well in hand, and that no further fighters or missiles were being launched by the beleaguered ships, Kira turned her attention to the other threat…The War World.
Form her vantage point, using her telescopic vision, she could see Kara and Rogue swatting missiles aside left and right and using their ion beams to take out even more.
Even so, they could not get them all. None of those that made it past the two women made it to their targets, however. Behind them, using his superior speed, Zal zipped back and forth, taking out every one that made it past Kara and Rogue.
He was, Kira could see, straining.
Pouring on the speed, she took up a position to his right and slightly above, effectively cutting down on the volume of space that the Otherverse Superman had to cover.
Zal took time to pause and give her a nod of thanks before resuming his destruction of the city busting spears of death being fired towards the earth.
“Kara, this isn’t getting us anywhere!” Rogue gasped as she backhanded another missile. “Rao knows how many more missiles this thing carries.”
“She’s right, Kara!” Zal chimed in. Like Kara and Rogue, both he and Kira had been furnished with rings from Jenny that would allow them to communicate in the airlessness of space. “And if we don’t get this monster away from the earth, the gravitational disturbances it’s causing will end up doing more damage than these damned missiles would!”
Kara thought furiously and then nodded.
“Alright. You three hold the fort here. I’m going to go in and see if I can’t persuade whoever is in charge that it would be in his best interest to back off!” She called out. She had barely finished talking before she began her dive inward. Only the ring she wore allowed her to hear Rogue’s muffled curses and demands that she be careful.
Zig-zagging to avoid the smaller missiles and lasers that began to fill the void between her and the surface of the War World, Kara flashed downward.
There was, if she remembered correctly, one single…call it a city…on the small planetoid. The rest of the surface consisted of vast battlefields or the massive engines that were utilized to move the small world.
Of course, the heaviest concentration of defensive fire being aimed in her direction came from that single inhabited area. Some one was bound and determined that she was not going to reach her destination.
“Kara! Watch out!”
The bad thing about the rings that allowed them to communicate was that they did not allow one to determine from which direction a voice originated.
In this case, Kara had no time to try to pin point it.
She felt a blow to her side, saw a bright green flash, felt a familiar, sickening tingling, and then saw a red and blue clad figure spinning head over heals.
The figure righted itself and headed back towards her and Kara saw that it was Zal.
“Kryptonite lasers.” He explained as he came up next to her. He smiled briefly, though his eyes burned with barely suppressed fury. “I guess they didn’t count on having a Kryptonian around invulnerable to the Green variety.”
Kara smiled and shook her head, recalling that the Kryptonians from Zal original reality had no weakness against Green Kryptonite. Instead, they reacted much the same when exposed to blue Kryptonite. A substance that, in Kara’s time and reality had affected only the Bizarros.
“Let’s finish this.” She stated and started forward again, only to be stopped by Zal again.
“Hold up, Kara.” He almost whispered. “They’ve stopped!”
So intense had she been on her destination, she had not noticed. Yet Zal was right. The War Worlds was no longer firing missiles towards Earth. Nor was it attempting to blow them out of the sky.
“So some one finally came to their senses.” Kara remarked.
‘That’s what I’m afraid of.” Zal’s brow furrowed and then his eyes widened. “C’mon, We’ve got to get out of here!”
Without waiting for Kara to respond, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled, flying back the way they had come, steadily gaining speed.
Though strong enough to easily break Zal’s grip, Kara was too startled to do anything but allow herself to be towed away from the War World.
The surprise wore off quickly and she began to add resistance to Zal’s momentum, her superior strength slowing him.
“Zal, what are you doing?”
“We’ve got to get out of the vicinity of this thing, Kara.” Zal did not stop applying speed; his face showing the strain as he battled against the drag Kara was applying. “Unless I miss my guess…”
He had no time to finish as a Boom Tube flared open. Kara’s jaw dropped and Zal used the distraction to his advantage, pitting every ounce of his strength against Kara’s to pull them both away from the monster that now turned and began to enter the Tube.
Understanding dawned and Kara reversed her thrust, giving Zal free reign. If anyone could get them out and away from the teleportation effects of the Boom Tube in time, it would be him.
They made it…just barely.
One instant the War World loomed large and threatening. Then next, it was gone, the Boom Tube collapsing behind it. The War World had fled, leaving the fleet of warships that had accompanied it to fend for themselves.
“How…” Kara began, looking at Zal with wonder.
“I would say somebody panicked!” They both turned for it had not been Zal that answered. Wearing huge smiles, Rogue and Kira flew up to hover nearby.
“Panicked?” Kara demanded, confused. Her question was directed to Rogue, for it had been her voice they had heard.
“Yep.” The one time mutant nodded. “Look at it from the commander’s point of view. His fleet was being slaughtered by two Sentinels and a Daxamite. And he was facing no less than four Kryptonians.” She shrugged. “And then he tries his ace in the hole, a green kryptonite laser, and discovers it has no effect. End result…one panicked Commander.”
“But that laser would have affected you or me…and maybe even Kira. Zal is the only one we know for sure would be immune to it.”
“I know that, and you know that.” Rogue could hardly stifle her laughter at Kara’s expression. “But I’ll bet you that Commander didn’t know it!”
“It’s about time you wrapped things up over here!”
All four turned to see Jenny and Lar approaching. Behind them, the fleet of ships floated quietly. Using her telescopic vision, Kara could see that Arisia flew among the ships, as if keeping them quiet by her very presence. She shot a questioning look at Lar and Jenny.
“Lar took out the flagship.” Jenny explained. “From what we have learned, it was commanded by someone named Kalabac. But once the flagship was out of the picture, most of the other ships began to signal their surrender.”
“Most?” Zal raised an eyebrow. It had taken him a bit of time to let himself trust Lar, after the Daxamite’s bout with insanity, but now he looked at him with a newfound respect.
“Those that didn’t surrender were…dealt with.” Lar’s tone made it clear that those ships that had chosen to fight on had indeed been dealt with. Permanently.
“So now the System worlds now have a new battle fleet!” Jenny spread her hands.
“The System worlds?” Rogue looked at the Sentinel. “Not the UEG?”
“You think I am going to hand all these toys to the Earth government?” Jenny snorted. “I think dividing it up equally between the Earth, Mars, and Venus would be the best way to keep all three worlds honest!”
“You’re probably right.” Kara agreed, thinking instantly of what President Golder might do with so much firepower.
“So now what?” Kira asked when the silence stretched out.
“Now.” Kara pulled herself up and looked at the young Alterverse Supergirl. “Now Rogue and I will head down and see what we can do to help out on Earth. We’ll send Zal home and…”
“…and you will come with us!” Jenny cut in, looking at the young blonde Kryptonian. “Arisia and I will see to our prisoners and then we are going to find the Great Portal and send you back to Alan Scott before you can get into anymore mischief!”
“ME? Kira’s look of disbelief was priceless. “I’m practically an innocent bystander!” She protested.
Kara, Rogue, and the twins stood with Lex Luthor, Lucy Lane, and Mercy on the balcony of the Luthor’s penthouse apartment, overlooking the lights of the city.
In the darkness, it was thankfully harder to see the damage that had been done.
“It could have been worse.” Lex sighed. He turned towards the Kryptonians, his eyes filled with the pain and horror he had, for the second time in his life witnessed. “And we have you to thank that it was no worse.”
“Don’t count out the others that helped out as well!” Rogue shook her head.
After returning to the planet, she and Kara had dove right in, helping where it was needed and doing what they could to make repairs.
And Lex was right, it could have been much worse.
Still, it was bad. Even as the entire world heaved a sigh of relief at the end of the destruction, it was mourning the loss of its seat of government. For all practical purposes, the United Earth Government had ceased to exist.
“Both the Venutians and the Martians have contacted us, offering their help in rebuilding.” Mercy commented, looking up at the stars. She had used the terms that most people of Earth now used to identify the refugees that had taken possession of the second and fourth planets. “They say it is the least they can do.”
“And they are suggesting the formation of a single system government to take the place of the UEG.” Lucy put in. She shook her head. “If the UEG had barely worked, then how will a United System Government work?”
“We make it work!” Lex ground a fist in to the palm of his other hand. “We don’t give hold out countries a choice. Plain and simple.” He looked at Kara and his eyes were bleak. “We can’t afford to be divided. Not any longer.”
“So what has been done about forming an Earth government?” Kara demanded. “I am assuming that this USG will be made up of a council from all three worlds, but still each world will have to have a local government as well.”
“True.” Lex said, but he declined to comment further.
“Lex has been named the new UEG President.” Lucy spoke quietly. She shook off the gloominess that threatened to overwhelm her and turned to Kara. “So now what are you four going to do?”
“First we’re going to help rebuild.” Kara spoke with authority. “And then I think the four of us need to make a visit to this other Earth. Earth 2! There’s some one there I would like to meet!”
Slowly he made his way through the rubble, his shields fending off the magical wards set around the ruined temple and the island itself.
He had lost his quarry. It was not something that happened often. Yet it did happen on occasion.
Wherever she had gone, he could no longer sense her. Yet he had sensed the intense magical power flowing from this small isle.
Letting that inner sense lead him, he picked his way through the temple and down a set of stairs that looked to have, at one time, been hidden beneath an elaborate altar.
Her face drenched with sweat, Hippolyta once again fought back the waves of despair that threatened to overwhelm her. She could not give up. Not just yet. The despair would lead to death and her death would be all that was needed to allow the final seal to crumble.
“My God!”
Hippolyta’s head jerked up and the sound another human’s voice! A man’s voice! Where no man’s voice had been heard for over five thousand years!
“Who…who…” her voice cracked, her throat parched with thirst.
“Shhhh.” The voice was soothing now. “My name is Kieran, of House Chaunikut and of the House of Amber.”
“You…you must leave here.” Hippolyta gasped, no longer caring that it was a man talking to her.
“Not just yet.” She heard the voice speak, its tone almost gruff now. “I think I can help!”
Though she could not see what occurred behind her, she could see the entire chamber had erupted in a bright white flame!
-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2004 by Dylan Clearbrook
-- Story edited by Eldric
-- and may not be reprinted without permission.
-- The Continuum Worlds Concept is a joint creation of
-- Dylan Clearbrook and Eldric.
-- Otherverse 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 Eldric.
-- The Realm, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- is an original creation of John Philip
-- Some characters in Continuum Worlds stories are original creations
-- of Dylan Clearbrook, Eldric, Michael Liebhart, Jake H., Jason G.,
-- Andrew Shields, Kyle M., Brian, or Jason Froikin and may not
-- be used without express permission of the respective author.
-- All DC characters are property of D.C. Comics.
-- All Marvel characters are property of Marvel Comics.