A World
Without Heroes
In a world without heroesThere's nothing to beIt's no place for me -Music From the ElderKISS Chapter 2
As they angled in for a landing on the roof of the Fantastic Four headquarters, Kara could see four figures waiting for them. A quick glance with telescopic vision showed that they were Reed, Dr. Stephen Strange, Prof. Xavier, and Jean Grey. They had not been gone long enough for Reed to have contacted the others and have them arrive by now, so she figured he must have contacted them earlier.
Her glance also showed them bundled against the cold and, with a gasp, she turned her attention back to their ‘guest’. She had not even considered the cold when she and Rogue and taken her out over the city. The woman, though obviously miserably cold, stood in the energy bubble Jenny had created around her, arms spread to steady her against the sides. If she noticed Kara looking, she gave no indication. Instead, her attention was riveted on the streets and pier below.
Despite the wind and the cold, people were still milling about. Some simply to get a breath of fresh air during their lunch period, others gawking at the FF HQ, others pointing in their direction, as if to point out the passage of the heroes to others.
“Come on, people.” Kara called out. “Let’s get our guest back inside and out of this cold.”
“Oh!” Jenny looked startled and glanced at the bubble she had created and was guiding. The woman looked up, startled as warm air rose up to engulf her within the bubble.
The group swooped down, landing lightly before those assembled waiting for them. Jenny gently lowered the bubble to the ground, but kept it intact, as much to keep the woman confined as to keep her warm.
“Prof. X! Jean!” Rogue rushed to her former teammates, hugging first the Prof. and then Jean. Standing somewhat aloof, Kara merely smiled a greeting to the newcomers. She then turned to Reed.
“If you don’t mind, let’s move down to your conference room.” She said. “I didn’t think about the temperature and our guest would be freezing if Jenny weren’t keeping her warm.”
“Good idea.” Reed nodded and led the way to the elevator.
While everyone seated themselves in the conference room, Sue Richards appeared with mugs of hot chocolate for everyone. She also produced a blanket, which she wrapped over the shoulders of the woman.
Once in the conference room, Jenny had allowed the bubble to collapse. She was certain that, should she try anything now, she could be quickly immobilized by just about anyone else in the room.
The woman accepted the blanket gratefully. There was still a look of defiance in her eyes, but she had, it seemed, seen the futility of fighting against the power assembled within the room.
“I’m sorry we took so long in getting here.” Xavier was saying. He looked over at Kara and Rogue, smiling. “We arrived just in time to witness your departure.”
“If I had known you were coming, we would have waited.” Kara replied, looking pointedly at Reed.
“Hmmm well.” Reed cleared his throat, looking a bit embarrassed. He started to go on when both Rogue and Kara tensed. They both stood, Rogue’s head cocked to the side as if listening to something. Kara turned, seemingly looking at the bare wall.
“Sorry people. Gotta go. Be back in a bit, I hope.” She said. She leapt over the conference table and headed for the door. When Rogue and Jenny started to follow she shook her head. “Stay here and take care of our guest.” She told them. “If I get into trouble, believe me, I’ll give a yell.” And she was gone.
At the same moment, both Jean Grey and Professor Xavier stiffened.
“Kara can handle it.” Rogue told them, when they both looked at her moments later.
“Will someone please let those of us without super hearing, x-ray vision or psionics in on the secret?” Jennifer complained.
“The Juggernaut.” Prof. X said in a flat voice. “The rest of the X-Men are going against the Juggernaut. If my guess is correct, Kara heard the destruction, investigated with her vision and has gone to repay a debt.”
“Oh Lord!” Jenny breathed.
“Who is this Juggernaut?” Lar asked, confused.
“My half-brother.” Xavier admitted. “Cain Marko is his real name. Years ago, he came into contact with a mystical gem that invested anyone who touched it with the power of the god Cyttorak. It turned Cain into an unstoppable living engine with the ability to smash through any barrier. It made him immune to pain and injury. In the past, it was enough merely to separate Cain from the gem. Unfortunately, Cain has some how merged with the gem. He’s now powerful than ever.”
“There’s even a possibility that he has become immortal.” Jean added. “Because he knows of the psionic abilities both Charles and I posses, he wears a helmet like head piece that protects him form psionic attack.”
“So he’s an unstoppable force.” Lar mused, turning his head and activating his x-ray and telescopic visions. “Hmmm. I think we are going to see a living example of what happens when the irresistible force meets the immovable object.”
“We’ve got to get that helmet off him!” Gambit breathed deep, catching his breath. He crouched behind the ruins of what had just moments earlier been a house.
“Look bub,” Wolverine growled. “That helmet ain’t nothing but a magical psi-shield.”
“Logan’s right.” Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops, panted. “Removing the helmet would merely allow others to use psionic abilities against him.”
“And in case ya ain’t noticed,” Logan continued as Scott took a breath. “The Prof and Jean ain’t here.”
“Arg.” Gambit scowled. “They be at the Fantastic Four’s again.” Even after the passage of several months, Gambit could not bring himself to let go of the anger he still felt toward Kara for, as he saw it, taking Rogue away from him.
“Whatever.” Scott threw a glance over at a blue furred figure lying motionless nearby with Jubilee sitting nearby, cradling an obvious broken arm. “But we’ve got to do something. Hank and Jubilee need medical attention.
All three readied themselves and stepped out of the rubble to once again face their target.
The Juggernaut’s helmeted head shook as he saw the heroes approaching.
“I thought you dweebs had gone.” His voice, amplified to near deafening levels, laughed out. “Come little ones. Let’s play some more.”
“Play time’s over, laughing boy!” A new voice called out. Startled, the Juggernaut looked up as a dark blue missile soared out of the sky.
Kara angled her approach and struck with both fists extended. Her thought had been to jar him enough to dislodge that helmet. She thought wrong. Mere inches from the Juggernaut’s body, she ran into a force field and felt herself being thrown backwards.
“I remember you, girlie!” The Juggernaut laughed. As far as she could see, he had not budged or even been effected by her strike. Baring her teeth, she leapt again, this time feet first.
She had intended to strike him at chest level. Instead, a huge hand swung out and swatted her to the ground before she even got close.
“Girlee, you need to give it up.” The Juggernaut’s voice boomed out. He stood there, hands on his hips as he looked down at her. “I’ve taken Thor’s hammer, thrown with all his might, and not felt a thing. What do you think you can do?”
Shaking her head, Kara stumbled to her feet and glared at the Juggernaut. So far she had been pulling her punches, as she often did. She knew that no human could have withstood one of full strength, but perhaps…
“Okay, lard-ass.” She stepped forward, planting her feet firmly. “I’m tired of screwing with you.” She balled her fist and drew back. From what she had seen of this idiot, he was egotistical beyond belief. Secure in the knowledge that nothing could get through his force field. Well, she wasn’t going to try.
“OH, now you’ve got me scared.” The Juggernaut quipped. He stood there, hands on his hips, shaking his helmeted head. “Do you’re worst, girlee. Then it’ll be my turn.”
“Not likely.” Kara breathed as she drew back. She locked the fingers of her hands together and swung! She did not give it everything she had. Some where, deep inside, there was still that deep-seated fear that Kal had instilled within her. A fear of what her strength could do to a normal person. She prayed to Rao that the power she did give the swing would be enough. It was! With a deafening crash that shattered windows and shook the ground, her double fist struck the force field
The force field might keep the Juggernaut from physical harm, but it did nothing to keep his feet on the ground.
The Juggernaut yelped as he felt himself lifted and thrown upward by the force of the blow. Kara had angled her blow for just that reason. As the Juggernaut, yelling and screaming the entire time sailed into the sky, Kara held her breath. She waited until he was a mere speck before letting it out.
“What in the hell…?” Logan had reached her side.
“I couldn’t get through the force field.” Kara explained. “So I used it against him. I planted myself and sent him sailing up. He should hit the upper atmosphere and then start falling back to earth. He should land some where in the northern Atlantic. I think. I don’t think I put enough into it to put him out of the atmosphere and into orbit.” She paused, a thoughtful and somewhat troubled look on her face. “Will that force field keep him supplied with oxygen?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Logan grumbled. In spite of himself, he was impressed. In mere minutes, Kara had diffused a situation that he and the X-men were sure they were going to lose.
“Hey, You!” Kara turned as Gambit strolled up. “Where’s Rogue, woman?” He demanded. With a sigh, Kara started to turn away, then decided against it. Instead she met Gambit halfway.
“She’s at the Fantastic Four Headquarters.” She told him. Then she poked him in the chest with a finger. The force of the poke sent him sprawling. Both Logan and Cyclops tensed as Kara stalked forward. Neither had the slightest idea of what they would be able to do if Kara took it in her head to dismantle Gambit. “And the name is Kara. Miss Zor-El to you, dipshit!” She hauled him to his feet. “Gambit, I don’t give a damn whether you like me or not. But you will be civil or I am afraid that I will have to teach you some manners. I don’t think you would like my teaching methods.” She gave him a shake and dropped him, turning her attention back to Scott and Logan.
“I’ll take these two with me to the FF.” She said, gathering Hank in one arm and Jubilee in the other and leaping up and away.
“Gambit, one of these days that mouth of yours…” Scott said as he watched Kara disappear.
“You should have seen it!” Jubilee was saying as the med units in Reed’s infirmary set her broken arm. Nearby, being tended by other units and Reed personally, Hank was just regaining consciousness.
Kara had sped them back to the FF HQ and taken them straight to the infirmary. She was met halfway there by Rogue and Jenny who took the injured X-men from her.
“Who’s watching our guest?” Kara had asked, looking around for the woman.
“She’s still in the conference room with Lar.” Jenny told her. “Rogue kept an eye on you and when you started back informed everyone that you were bringing injured back with you. Reed, Prof. X and Jean are already in the infirmary setting things up.
“Yeah.” Rogue agreed. She took a moment to squeeze Kara’s arm, as if to assure herself that she was uninjured herself.
“I’m fine.” Kara told her, smiling. She threw her arms around Rogue and Jenny and continued on. “How was our guest reacting?” She asked.
“Curious.” Was Jenny’s reply. “When we left, she and Lar were actually talking.”
Now they stood aside, Kara blushing a bit as Jubilee ranted.
“I mean…wow!” She was saying. “She just zoomed out of the sky and slammed into him. She continued with what Kara had to admit was a pretty accurate description of what had occurred.
“I am sorry that I missed such an extraordinary display.” Hank spoke up from the table on which he was lying. Everyone turned to him, inquiring about how he felt.
“Quite well, considering.” He grimaced. Kara shuddered as the fangs protruded. Anyone unaware or unused to the Beast would be shaking in his or her shoes right about now.
“I wonder,” She mused to herself, “how our guest would react to Hank’s appearance.”
“He’ll be fine.” Reed was saying. “Just a little rest. In fact, he’ll be a hundred percent much sooner than you will be, young lady.” This last was directed at Jubilee. “The med units can knit bones much quicker than standard methods, but you will still need to take it easy for a couple of weeks.”
“Scott and Logan should be here soon to get you.” Prof. Xavier was saying. “I believe that Gambit chose to return to the mansion rather than come here.” This last was said with a sly glance in Kara’s direction. “In any case, since we are here, perhaps we can get on with things. Also, if you would not mind, I would like to run a few tests on you Rogue.”
“Tests?” Rogue frowned. “What kind of tests?”
“Well, we have a bit of concern.” Jean admitted. “Originally, Reed called us in to get a mental evaluation of Lar Gand. But since we have been here and listened to you speak, I think we should check that out as well.”
“What do you mean?” Kara asked. She was obviously concerned.
“You haven’t noticed?” Jean’s eyebrows rose. “But then, perhaps it wouldn’t be as noticeably to you as it is to us.” She nodded in Rogue’s direction. “Ever since she joined us, Rouge has had a very thick Southern accent.” She explained. “Now, in the months since she absorbed your powers, she has lost that accent completely.”
“She has?” Kara turned and looked at her friend, here eyes wide with surprise. “Are you sure? I hear it clear when she talks. A deep rich accent…” She paused, a troubled look coming over her face. “From Southern Krypton!”
“So?” Rogue shrugged. “I’m Kryptonian now. What do you expect?”
“Physically, you are.” Reed agreed. “But take this into account. Speech accents are learned traits, not physically inherited.”
“Also consider this.” Kara put in. “There is no possible way that you could pick up a southern Kryptonian accent from me or the people of Kandor. Kandor was a northern city. Any survivors from Southern Krypton survived because they happened to be in Kandor at the time Brainiac shrunk and stole the city.”
“And you’ve started to pick up some Kryptonian oaths, as well.” Reed put his two cents in. “At first, Sue and I thought it was due to your close association with Kara. Now we’re not so sure. In fact, hold still.” He grabbed an instrument and passed it over and around her head a few times.
“An EEG.” He explained. He moved to a computer screen and, after a few moments, called the others over. “The chart on the left shows Rogues brain wave patterns just prior to the procedure which gave her control of her absorption powers.” He pointed now to the chart on the right. “This is the one I just took.”
“They don’t match.” Rogue exclaimed, touching her temple.
“They’re close. But you are right, they don’t match.” He looked at Rogue. “If we relied on brain wave patterns for identification, you would fail the tests, Rogue. With these, you could never prove you are who you say you are. I wonder…” He turned to call up more data on the screen.
“But…but…” Rogue was clearly troubled.
“It’s okay, Rogue.” Jean comforted her. “Charles and I know you are who you say you are and so does everyone here. But something is happening with your mind and Charles and I would like to see if we can discover what it is.”
“Interesting.” Reed called everyone’s attention to the screen again. This time it was split into three separate frames. “The one on the left is the first EEG I showed you. The one on the right is the one I just took. The one in the middle is one I took while she was unconscious after absorbing Kara’s powers.” He used a light pen to illustrate the middle chart. “As you can see, it is different from the other two.”
“It almost appears,” Stephen Strange peered closely, “as if two charts had been superimposed.”
“Exactly.” Reed touched a key. “Now watch.” The outer charts moved inward to merge with the middle chart. “As you can see, with very little difference, they match.” He sat back, with a smile. “What we are seeing is a continuing result of the initial absorption.”
“That still does not explain the accent, Reed.” Jean put in.
“Actually, it does.” Reed stood and walked over to put his hand on Kara’s shoulder. “When Rogue absorbed Kara’s powers, she also absorbed the memories. Though Kara does not have, as she put it, a Southern Kryptonian accent, she has heard it. She knows what it sounds like. It is in her memory.” He now moved to Rogue. “Rogue received those memories. Now, originally, Rouge would absorb powers and memories and those would fade after a bit.”
“Correct.” Xavier nodded. “Yet it has been demonstrated that the ‘victim’ of her absorption is powerless until they fade from Rogue.” He glanced meaningfully at Kara. “Yet Kara has just demonstrated that she retains her powers. According to past history, this should not have been the case.”
“Ah, but then, Rogue had never tried to absorb a Kryptonian before.” Reed looked like a man happy when all the pieces of a puzzle fall into place. “And she had not just undergone an extensive procedure designed to alter her mutant abilities.” He smiled and ruffled Rogue’s hair. “I think, Prof., that when you do your examination, you will find that Kara’s memories, or at least portions of them, are locked within Rogue’s mind. Beyond her ability to access them consciously, yet not beyond the Kryptonian recuperative abilities. The same abilities that changed her to begin with are still at work. We just assumed that, once the physical changes had been completed, that it was all over. I am guessing that the physical aspects were only the easy parts. Now it is working on her thought processes, her mental patterns, etc.”
“In other words,” Kara spoke up, “She is still becoming Kryptonian. And the accent which I hear…”
“Is being picked out of your memories of that accent.” Reed nodded. “But I am afraid that the accent is too faint for us to notice.” He shook his head. “I’m afraid, Rogue, that your nice Southern belle accent is gone for good.”
For a moment Rogue looked disturbed. Then she brightened.
“A fair trade off.” She laughed. “With what I am now, I can live without it.”
The others laughed and started filing out of the infirmary.
“Come on, let’s get back to Lar and our guest.” Kara said, pulling Jenny close as she walked to the door. Over her shoulder she winked at Rogue. “Don’t you let The Prof. or Jean get at any of my secrets, now, ya heah?” She mimicked a southern accent. Rogue stuck her tongue out and then smiled as the door closed behind her.
Night was falling and once again they all sat around the conference table. Jubilee and Hank had long since left with Logan and Scott to return to the school. Both Rogue and Lar had undergone extensive exams by Jean and Xavier as well as exams by Reed and Stephen. They were both determined to be in extremely good health…mentally and physically. As far as Rogue’s accent, Jean and Xavier had proved Reed’s speculation to be correct.
Once they were finished with Rogue and Lar, they had all turned their attention to their ‘guest’. They had carefully informed her of what they wished to do and then waited for her permission before proceeding.
Originally, Reed had balked at this. It had been Kara that had proved to be stubborn when Reed determined that, for the safety of all concerned, the exams take place with or without permission.
“Sorry, Reed.” Kara spoke quietly yet firmly. “As long as this is a free country, I will not allow anyone’s rights to be compromised. She has done nothing wrong other than stumble into a gate, which you left open. She is not a suspect nor is she an immediate threat to anyone’s safety.”
“You can’t know that!” Reed had snapped, clearly irritated. “She could be a walking factory of disease!”
“Could be is not enough reason to trample a person’s rights, Reed.” Kara responded gently. The woman herself had, to Kara’s surprise, ended the argument by agreeing to the examinations.
Her name, they learned, was Sherri Penison. She had been, at one time, a Police Captain in the city of Kansas City, Missouri.
“I resigned my commission the day the super-crooks leveled the white house and killed the president.” She told them. “That’s when I decided that conventional Police tactics would not work against these super powered villains.” She went on to describe the battles between the armed forces of various countries against legions of super-crooks. Sometimes the armies would emerge victorious. More often than not, however, they were slaughtered to the last man.
“Of course the super-crooks weren’t alone.” She shook her head. “Sometimes they fought alongside mega machines from god only know where. At other times, locals would suffer when gangs of crooks and machines and star-people battled it out.” She laid her hands on the table, clenched together so hard the whites of her knuckles showed. “And let’s not forget the animals. It’s like the whole world has gone mad. Dinosaurs…real live dinosaurs. And creatures that no human should ever have to see. Animals mutated beyond recognition.”
“Tell me,” Stephen Strange broke in, watching her reactions. “Were any of the mutations wolves?”
“W-wolves?” Sherri stammered. She looked quickly at Strange then shook her head. “No…not that I know of.” Kara’s eyes narrowed. Sherri might be telling the truth, but she was obviously hiding something. Something neither Jean Grey nor Prof Xavier had been able to discover.
Sherri unclenched her hands and brought them up to rub her eyes as she finished what she was saying before Dr. Strange had interrupted. “And the people, the regular people, have to survive through all this.”
“Actually, “Reed began, hesitantly, “they shouldn’t even be there. In fact, you universe shouldn’t exist at all.”
“What?” Her startled question was echoed by Kara, Rogue and Jenny.
“I’m afraid that this ‘universe’ is not a true universe at all.” Reed explained, apologetically. “It is, in fact a Nexus.” Dr. Strange’s eyebrows rose at this revelation, as did Xavier’s. The rest merely looked confused.
“What do you mean by a Nexus, Reed?” Jean asked.
“Perhaps it would be best for me to explain that.” They all turned at the sound of a new voice. All except Reed, that is. He acted as if this was not unexpected.
Access stepped out of the darkness of a corner and looked around at the faces regarding him.
“What do you know about this, Access?” Xavier questioned.
“Quite a bit, actually.” He nodded towards Reed. “Dr. Richards may be correct in saying that this universe is a Nexus. A Nexus is supposed to act as a barrier, a no man’s land, if you will, between a myriad of realities. It does not have a life of its own. It’s only reason for existence is to maintain the separation of realities.” His eye’s fell on Sherri. “Obviously this is no longer the case. This particular Nexus, if that is what it is, has developed a life of it’s own. Complete with a well document history. Yet it has only been in existence since 1985.”
Kara shook her head, looking back and forth between Access and Sherri.
“Excuse me, Access. But there is no way that you are going to convince me Sherri is less than 16 years old.”
“I should hope not.” Sherri put in. “In fact, I will admit to pushing close to forty.”
“Didn’t you hear what I said?” Access looked straight at Kara. “I said that it sprang into existence in 1985, complete with a history.” He pointed to Sherri. “I am certain that, if you ask her, Ms. Penison could give you detailed accounts of events that occurred before 1985. From her perspective, history stretches backwards thousands of years. The Superman of your old reality can say the same thing, Kara. But you know that his history did not exist 16 years ago. Am I correct?”
“You are correct.” Kara replied in emotionless tones. “So you are saying that whatever the Anti-Monitor did back then brought this new universe into existence?”
“Not exactly. It may have had its origins years earlier. But the crisis caused by the Anti-Monitor’s actions, along with other cataclysmic events that occurred afterward in your universe and in other universes the Nexus touches, this one included, have all had an effect on the Nexus.”
“Then Amalgam must have really shook things up.” Stephen Strange mused.
“It did indeed, Dr. Strange.” Access concurred. Now he turned his attention fully upon Jenny. “Yet one other event has had a more lasting, more harmful effect on the Nexus.”
For a moment Jenny looked confused, wondering why he was looking at her. Then she felt a slight throbbing on her finger and looked down to see the ring Hal Jordon had given her glowing. Understanding dawned.
“The destruction of the Great Battery in Kara’s old universe.” She breathed. The others in the room, with the exception of Access and Kara, looked at her without comprehension.
“The source of the Green Lantern’s power.” She explained. She held out her hand to let them see the glowing ring. “Hal gave me this ring. It is not like the ring the current Lantern wears. I don’t need that since Hal infused the energy directly into my body. It’s more like a storage device. It stores the knowledge he gained and contains his entire story. It’s like a recording of his memory.” She took a deep breath. “At one time, Hal was just like any other Green Lantern. He wielded the power of the Great Battery through his ring. When he went insane, he killed other Lanterns and stole their rings, adding their power to his own. Finally, he went after the Great Battery itself. He destroyed the entire Green Lantern Corps, Laid waste to the planet Oa, home of the Guardians, and absorbed the power of the Great Battery. In the process, the Battery was destroyed.”
“And that is where the current problem lies.” Access cut in. “The Nexus is being destroyed from within. Its walls are buckling, allowing more and more seepage.”
“Seepage?” Rogue asked.
“With the walls weakened, it means that it is easier for entities from other universes to cross over into the Nexus. Seepage.” Lar was the one that explained.
“Exactly.” Access nodded. “And it is a portion of the Great Battery that is causing the walls of reality to weaken. Somewhere, in that new universe, on the planet Earth, a malfunctioning fragment of the Battery is acting like a cancer. It’s slowly eating away at the Nexus. And if it weakens much more, those walls are going to break.”
“Not another Amalgam?” Sue Richards moaned.
“Oh no. We wouldn’t be so lucky.” Reed growled. He looked around until he was sure that he had everyone’s attention. “Amalgam was the merger of two realities into one. This will be worse. This will be the sudden collision of a multitude of realities striving to occupy the same space and time.”
“Total, complete destruction.” Stephen Strange finished for Reed.
“Yes.”
“That fragment must be found.” Access stressed. “It must be found and neutralized.”
“Neutralize a portion of the Great Battery?” Kara sounded appalled. “Do you know what you’re asking? I may be powerful, but not that powerful.”
“You may not be.” Access once again turned to Jenny. “But she is!”
“Me?” Jenny shook her head in denial.
“You.” Access smiled. “Who better to send out to fix a problem dealing with the Great Battery than a Green Lantern?”
End of A World Without Heroes - Chapter Two.