The Inheritors

© Eldric

 

Chapter 23: To Restore a World, Part 1

 

(Editor’s note: this chapter runs concurrent with Chapter 22:

“After the Final Night”)

 

 

The Inheritors’ Universe, Gotham City: the Batcave, mid-day

Selina Kyle, the Catwoman, pored over the Bat computer.  She heard motion from the entrance to the cave.  Given the speed with which it approached her, the sounds it made, and the Bat computer’s lack of concern, Selina addressed the blur.

“Nothing new, Helena.”  She looked up just as her daughter landed on the floor in front of her.  “Stella still isn’t answering her comms.  Hippolyta hasn’t heard from her, either.”

“Where could she have gone?”  Helena Wayne, the Raven, paced with worry.  “This isn’t like her!”

“Helena,” her mother warned, “she has just had her life turned upside down.  Imagine.  She finds that she is really ‘Kara Zor-L, Power Girl’, not Stella the Amazon.”

“In this life, she is Stella.”  Helena frowned.  “And she is my friend.  And always will be, whether she wants to admit it or not!”

“You are the Batman’s daughter, aren’t you?”  Selina smiled.  “To the very end.”

“What?”  Helena puzzled.  “What brought that on?”

“We’ll find her.”  Selina promised.  “We have to.  Part of the Bat’s basic humanity derives from the children of Krypton.  And I won’t have you follow in Thomas’ footsteps.”

“Mother!”  Helena impugned.  “You’ve never been overly fond of Stella before.  Why the change?”

Selina turned to her daughter.  Helena could see the strain in her mother’s eyes as she spoke.

“Bruce, Thomas, and you…all destroyed by the madness that is the House of the Bat.  Bruce…destroyed by his own anger.  The Spectre he may be…but the Bruce I knew, he is not.  Thomas is lost to a madness that I can’t penetrate.  His mind is broken.  There is nothing inside him but hatred.  And you…the fact that you are here at all is a miracle.  But, that is not the body I gave birth to.  You died.  Your true body lies within the remains of a house in Virginia Beach, Virginia.”

“Mother?”

“Helena,” Selina grabbed her daughter tightly and her voice choked, “I still don’t understand the miracle that brought you back to me…more healthy and whole than you were before…and I don’t think I ever really will.”

Helena let her mother continue without interrupting.

“All I know is that when I had less than nothing, you came back to me…my one true miracle…so if you want your friend…then I will move Heaven and Earth to find her…just please don’t leave!!!!”

“Where would I go…”  Helena answered with worry.

 

Four hours later: the Batcave

“Thank you for coming.”  Selina Kyle greeted as Donna touched down with Duncan MacLeod in the garage area of the Batcave.  Glancing around, Selina ensured their conversation would not be overheard.  “I’ve got a bit of a problem that affects all of us.”

“Stella.”  Donna noted.  “We’ve been very concerned about her and, since the party at the satellite, she hasn’t answered our hails.  Not good when our most powerful team members are off planet.”

Duncan pondered.  “From what you tell me, Stella’s power levels are Superman-class.  That, grouped with any remaining mystic protection she may retain from her life as an Amazon, creates a dangerous adversary.”

Donna glared at Duncan with anger…her cheeks flushed red.

“Stella has been my friend and one of my guardians for almost my entire life.  How dare you!”

“But, is she still Stella?”  Selina interrupted with a frown.  “And Helena seems to be changing, as well.  Is this a delayed reaction to her resurrection, or something else?  I…”

“Can you track Helena?”  Donna asked.

“Should be able to…”  Selina answered.  She walked over to the Bat-computer and activated a location sequence.  “Odd.”  A look of worry crossed her brow.  “Her transponder isn’t functioning.”

 

Gotham City, Molly Mayne’s offices

 

The older woman listened to the briefing over her intercom from her front-office staff.  At the same time, she walked towards the window to look out over her city.

“Ma’am, we’ve got a new one to tell you about.  This one is scaring the locals.”

“Most do.”  She stated as she sipped a glass of wine.  “Tell me more.”

“Well, Ma’am,” the voice continued, “they swear that it’s the Batman until it hits them.”

“Thomas?”  Molly inquired.

“No Ma’am.”  The voice continued.  “It’s definitely female.”

“Raven or Catwoman?”  She asked.

“An adult female.”  The voice returned.  “But not apparently a meta.  Just very, very skilled.  She knows exactly what she is doing.”

“Wonderful.”  Molly sipped her wine.  “Maybe the original Bat-Woman has decided to pay us a visit.  Or Bat-Girl.”

“Too young for Kathy Kane.”  The voice answered.  “Wrong shape for Betty Kane, or even the second Batgirl.  And at least as dangerous as Batgirl the second.  If it weren’t for the sex, we’d say the Bat has returned to Gotham.  Almost like his ghost.”

If it were only that simple.  Molly pondered her options.  Bruce Wayne is the Spectre, not just a ghost.  But this just isn’t his style.  And why would he take such an indirect approach?

“Still…” she prompted, “not attacking our people from what I can tell.  Not like the Robin look-alikes.”

“No Ma’am.  But we think only one of those is causing us problems.  We just don’t know which one.”

“For now, just keep an eye out.”  Molly noted.  “Mayne out.”  She walked over to a specialized communications console.  “Gotham to Oracle Prime.  This is Molly.  I need to speak to Babs.”

“This is Barbara.”  Batgirl’s voice answered.  “What’s up Molly?”

“I think your ghost has invaded Gotham.”

“What?”

 

Themyscira; the great library

 

Queen Hippolyta walked in through the huge brass doors at the front of the library, passing by the huge statuary at the front of the hall.  The library would be empty…its staff deployed to the Free Zone to secure the boundaries.  Today, though, she would not be seeking the staff…only an old friend that she could no longer consider a subject but would always consider a sister.  She traveled up the stairs, slowing at the top.

She walked towards the areas of the library holding the star charts.  There in the midst of the charts stood a solitary figure.  A woman appeared to be absorbed in the charts and, only occasionally looking upward, towards the ceiling. 

Hippolyta sighed and walked towards her.  If the Queen’s suspicions were correct the woman had heard her robot plane touch down on the runway.  She did not have to worry about the woman fleeing—not that she could possibly hope to catch someone capable of near-light speed.

“So, what should I call you?”  She asked the other.  “Stella?  Kara?  Stranger?  Something else?”

“How about ‘friend’?”  The woman answered as she looked up from the chart.  “That, I hope, I have earned by now.”  She seemed to look through the ceiling.  “Rubble, nothing but rubble.”  She commented.  “Like too much of my life.  Rubble and lies.”

“Stella…”  Hippolyta nudged.

“I’m not even really an Amazon.”  She emphasized.  “I’m the daughter of a Krypton of a reality that no longer exists.  I’m only here because of a fluke.  Miss Krypton of a primordial reality.”

“You’re here because someone respected you enough to ask your help in a fight.”  Hippolyta stated.  “And you’re in a world that desperately needs your help.”

“And what kind of help is that?”  The former Amazon asked.  “Killing?  Maiming?  Destroying?  That’s what I seem best at.  And now I find that everything was an illusion.  You’ve heard the expression: ‘if looks could kill?’  That’s me!  Heat vision.  And if I put the squeeze on a good man?  His head would pop off and keep going until it hit the next continent.”

“Karen….”  She answered.

“What did you call me?”  The other woman asked.

“Karen Starr.”  Hippolyta confirmed.  “What else would I…?  What?  Where did that come from?”

“Interesting.”  Her companion answered.  “Something else is happening and I don’t know what.”

“What do you mean?”  The Queen asked.

“Whatever happened isn’t quite done.  Something I don’t understand, but it should be clear to me.”

“You sound like Margala discussing Rose Canton.”  Hippolyta chided.

“Rose and Thorn.”  The other woman tossed back her blonde hair.  “Something I should remember…something more.”  Shrugging, she smiled at Queen Hippolyta.  “I seem to be having a lot of those types of issues.  Lately, anyway.  I wish I were clearer about who I really am.  What a mess.”

“Speaking as your friend,” Hippolyta replied sincerely, “since I no longer seem to be your sovereign, it would seem to me that the question is ‘who do you want to be’.  “Rather than limits, you appear to have options that most of us could not even imagine.”

“Along with a weakness to magic and Kryptonite I would rather not have.”  The blonde woman sighed.

“And strength in Superman’s class.”  Hippolyta reminded her.  “Diana and Donna came close, but not the rest of us.  And how fast are you?  As fast as the Flashes?  Nice work with the Hulk, by the way.”

“Thank you.”  The blonde appeared to be looking to the heavens again, then back to the Queen.  “Supply ship for Mongul.  The Lanterns got it.”

She turned to face the Hippolyta.

“One of Kara’s memories seems to stand out.  How proud she was to be inducted into the Justice Society of America, to join the ranks of Superman, the Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman.”  She smiled and vanished.  She returned, wearing a white costume with blue gloves and boots and a red cape.

“A bit risqué, don’t you think?”  Hippolyta asked.  “Still, it suits you.”

The blonde chuckled.  “One more fix to make.”  She quickly sewed a familiar symbol onto her costume’s cloak—one she would never have worn before.  “If I am all that is left of his memory…then I will give them reason to wish they had known him.”  As she stared at the symbol, a tear threatened to form in her eyes.  Choking it back, she addressed the surprised Hippolyta.

“I have some thinking to do.  Would you and your robot plane care for a fast trip to the Free Zone?”

Hippolyta nodded affirmatively.

And then the wind blew through an empty library.

 

Huntress Wood

 

“Batcave, this is Oracle.”  Barbara called.  “Selina, are you there?”

“I’m here.”  Selina answered back from the Bat-computer console.  Barbara activated the visual signal.

“Someone just used Helena’s id to hop a ride through our transporters.”  Barbara informed her.  “The DNA scanner freaked.  It said it was Helena, but it wasn’t.  Ray is still off planet, so I can’t get sorted out.  I’ll keep trying.  But I do have just a bit of good news, though.  Hippolyta has seen Stella.  Seems a bit more rational, but has some sorting out to do.”

“Where did the transport go?”  Selina asked with concern.

“Metropolis.”  Barbara answered.  “And I’m getting reports of stolen vehicles from Luthor’s people.”

“Anything else?”  Selina pressed.

“Hippolyta said that Stella said something about ‘Rose and Thorn’, but even Stella doesn’t know what that meant.”

“Gawd.”  Selina answered.  “I wonder if Helena’s body is rejecting her, trying to become the Thorn.  I’ve never seen Faith look like the Thorn…I wonder if she has a Thorn aspect.  Babs, any info on where ‘Helena’ went?  I need to make sure she is OK.”

“I wish I knew.”  Barbara confirmed.  “I’d go with you.”

“Not in your condition.”  Selina warned.  “And, frankly, this world doesn’t need you in costume.  It needs Oracle far more than Batgirl.”

“Maybe it needs both.”  Barbara retorted.

“Then I’ll go dig up Betty Kane.”  Selina suggested.  “Right now, you are Oracle Prime.  Welcome to the world of management.”

“Sucks.”  Barbara replied.

“Get used to it.”  Selina retorted.  “…and find my kid!”

 

Outside Metropolis

 

The blond-haired woman wearing white landed on a mountainside a few miles outside of the city.  Her red cape blew in the breeze behind her.  Scanning the ground below her with X-Ray vision, she sighed, finding what she expected, but not what she hoped.

“His fortress isn’t here, Kara.”  Another woman stepped out of the shadows.  A face truly only familiar to the blonde addressed her.  “This isn’t Earth-2.  It isn’t his world, or any world he would recognize.  There is no Fortress of Solitude here.”

“Helena?”  The blonde answered.  “You don’t exist here.  Do you?”  She scanned her companion.  Late twenties, crossbow, hip high boots.  A cape resembling the Batman’s and a partial mask that cast the shape of the ears of either Batman or Catwoman’s cowl.  And long, raven-colored hair.

“Kara, Uncle Clark isn’t here.”  The other woman stated.  “And Lois isn’t either.  How I wish they were.”

“You’re a ghost.”  The blonde stated.  “You’re here to play with my mind.”  She watched as the wind blew through the other woman’s cape.  The cape caught the wind.  “Who are you, really?”  Her companion’s gaze held firm.

“I am Helena Wayne.  Who else would I be?”  She walked towards the blonde.  Then, just as quickly, she jumped and sat in a tree, overhead.  “And who are you, really?”

The blonde turned away for a moment and looked towards another part of the mountain.

“I am someone who has lived a very long time.  I have known many and have thousands of sisters.  I have lived well, but always had a sense of unreality.  And now that sense of unreality is gone.  But with it went the comfort and sense of belonging I had for so long.”

Helena dropped from the tree.

“Kara…”

“Let me finish.”  The blonde looked back at her.  “And let me guess…when we regained our memories, you started to remember my Helena.”

“Not immediately.”  Helena replied.  “It has become much stronger in the last day or so.  But, I remember everything up to the bitter end.  The last thing I remember was Jennie-Lynn telling me that she had found a replacement to carry her power and that it was me.  Then, it all went black.”

“Your memories end just as Helena became Faith?”  The blonde questioned.  “Very interesting.  Very odd.  It is almost as if the body and soul of Helena Wayne have come back together.”

“You may be right.”  Helena admitted.  “I feel…whole…complete for the first time.”

“Me, too.”  Her companion admitted.  “This is not a coincidence.  Almost as if some cosmic…something has been put right.  I wonder if the Spectre had something to do with it.”

“Likely.”  Helena stared into the clouds.  “I can still shift back to Raven’s form, but this one is more ‘right’.”

“Rose for Raven’s Thorn.”  Her companion observed.  “If Raven is what you’ll call yourself after today.”

“So much gone…such a waste.”  Helena scanned the horizon.  “So much of a struggle for so many, just to survive.  The Batman’s anger drove the House of the Bat.  How is the Batman’s anger is supposed to drive me through this?”

“Not anger, no.”  The former Amazon smiled.  “The wisdom that comes when the anger burns away.  And choosing to make the difference that you can.  And that’s our answer, isn’t it?”

“What?”  Helena asked with confusion.

“The House of the Bat watches over the House of ‘L’ even now.”  The blonde smiled.  Helena watched, not understanding, but trusting that she would.

“A bit more mature than the Power Girl I remember.”  Helena finally broke the silence.  “Not a bad thing.”

“But we are not either of them, Helena.”  The blonde warned.  “We may have their memories and maybe their skills, but we are neither of them.  And we owe them nothing.”

“We can choose to honor their memories.”  Helena countered.  “Kara, they were good people, who made a difference: one worth remembering.”

“Perhaps we can take their legend in a whole new direction.”  The blonde smiled.  “And, perhaps, when all is said and done, they will be proud of us.”  She looked a little farther down the mountain.  “Nice wheels you’ve appropriated.  Harley Davidson?”

“Mr. Luthor’s birthday present to me, even if a little late.”  Helena chuckled.  “I found it at one of his security installations.”

“Then we’ll take it with us.”  The blonde seemed at ease as she activated her comms.  “Batcave, this is Karen Kent, Power Girl.  I’ve got Helena and her newest toy.  We’ll return when we’re ready.”

“Power Girl?”  The intercom crackled with Selina’s annoyed voice.  “Who the Hell are you?”

“A rotten example: one who is going to improve.”  Kara promised.  “Tell Queen Hippolyta, I said ‘Greetings’.  She’ll understand.  PG out.”

 

Two Hours later: Huntress Wood

 

The transporter crackled.  Steven Grant Rogers, Captain America strode from it towards the Oracle console.

“Hello Steve!”  Lois Lane Kent greeted him.  “Come to see Diana?”

“Yep.”  He admitted.  “I still have a lot of sorting out to do and she’s very good at helping me to put things back into perspective.”

“Yes, she is.”  Lois acknowledged.  “Steve, you should know that our teams in the Free-Zone have very much appreciated your efforts.  You’re quite an expert peacemaker.  You have saved lives.”

“That’s a difference I’ve always hoped to make.”  He admitted.  “I just wish it had been on my Earth.”  He shrugged.

“I know.”  Lois’ words calmed him.  “But you’ve been an inspiration here, and you are making a difference here.  Besides, Scooter likes you.”

Steve smiled.

“Who am I to argue with Scooter?  At least she’s out of the Hell-hole Qward dumped us in.”

“And you helped get her out.”  Lois reminded.  “Diana and Scooter are waiting for you.  Scooter is trying to be on her best behavior, so be nice!”

Steve chuckled and smiled as he walked towards the mouth of the cavern.

Lois heard the transporter activate again.  Not expecting more visitors, she turned to view the reception chamber.  Out of it walked the woman she had known as Stella, accompanied by Helena Wayne.  But a Helena Wayne who moved more thoughtfully and deliberately than the one she thought she knew.  And both of them had looks of interest and of contemplation.

Lois quickly surmised that the subject of Krypton would soon be broached.

 

Twenty minutes later, in the dining area

 

Lois stared into the cup of tea she had quickly brewed.  Karen and Helena faced her across the large table hewn of rock that served as the central dining table.  The conversation had taken an unexpected turn, one that stirred both her emotions and her reporter’s instincts—the Fortress of Solitude and Krypton’s repositories of records.

“Faith said that Bruce showed her Kryptonian birth matrices in the rubble of Krypton,” Lois related, “but I don’t know how close they are to being viable.  I do know that Clark believed he had access to almost all Kryptonian knowledge through the Fortress computers.  But even he never broached the subject of gestating those matrices on Earth.  Perhaps another Red Sun world somewhere.  But the thought of having a planet full of Kryptonians with superpowers scared even him.”

“I wonder.”  Karen replied.  “Still, this is all speculation until we can actually examine the Fortress’ records.”

“And that is something I suppose we have put off too long.”  Lois admitted.  “We haven’t been able to communicate with it since Clark…disappeared.  I would suggest waiting until Sam gets back before we try to enter it, though.  The fortress computers’ prime directive should be the protection of Kryptonian life, and the fortress computers would have records of Sam’s DNA—even if it didn’t turn out quite the way they planned.”

“That would make sense.”  Barbara walked towards them from the tunnel that connected the cavern to others.  She pulled a chair to the end of the table and sat down.  “I’ve been curious about the Fortress computer for some time now, but Oracle has had no luck making contact.  And it would make a heck of a lot of sense to have Ray nearby in case something goes wrong—he at least has a basic understanding of how the Fortress defenses should work.”

Lois shivered.

“I wish I knew why the Fortress won’t communicate with us.  Still, maybe I’m just being a worrywart.  Just because my son is Superboy doesn’t mean I don’t worry.”

With a twinkle in her eye, Barbara pretended to shout to the heavens.

“Come home, Sam!  Your mother is worried!”  She pretended to scold.

Right on cue, a burst of wind followed a flash of blue and red into the cavern.  And the heir to Superman’s power stood before them.  Embracing his mother, he addressed them all.

“We’re all back in one piece.”  Sam smiled.  “And I have some real strange stories to tell.”

 

Fortress of Solitude, Antarctica, May, 2003 (six weeks later)

 

The summer sun was no more than a memory.  Two months had passed since the sun had sunk from the horizon—it would warm the North Pole for four and a half more months before returning to the Antarctic continent. 

Although there might have been life near the oceans, the regions near the pole were almost devoid of anything recognizable as life to a human being.  Even in summer, the poles remained remarkably cold and almost uninhabitable for any Terran.

But not for a Kryptonian.

Samuel Clark Kent flew down towards the gold navigation arrow that appeared to be pointing south, towards the pole.  He wondered how many times his father had made this exact same dive.  For a moment, he pondered whether he would have the reach he needed to grasp the key.  His father had been 6’ 3” and had the reach that went with it.

Then Sam chuckled to himself.  He would soon have that full reach.  Just in the last month, a growth spurt had added another inch to his frame.  He now stood at just under his father’s height and was still growing.  The growth spurt had caused more than a few problems—his balance was still a bit off at times.  And, while he still called himself Superboy, the people of Earth weren’t listening.  The world wanted a Superman and they would have one, even if he was still shy of his 17^th birthday. 

His increasing height had caused a few other problems.  Donna had seen Sam with Faith and commented that it was such a waste for the two of them to be together—such a waste of a tall man.  While he and Duncan had looked at each other with bewilderment, Faith had kept her temper—barely.  He sensed bad blood between the two of them, but could never quite figure out the reason.  Fortunately for all of them, Faith and Lannie had an appointment on Myrg that would keep them both away for several days.  Kara Gand had left Earth with them before rendezvousing with Katma Tui.

Sam’s attention turned back the task at hand.  Since his father’s disappearance, no one had attempted to access the Fortress of Solitude.  But now, the time had come to investigate the Fortress and whether it had resources that could prove useful during the coming battles with Darkseid and Mongul.

Sam grabbed the key and lifted it towards the fortress door.  Quickly unlocking and opening the door, he flew the arrow back to its resting place as his three companions entered the fortress.  He joined them in time to hear the fortress computer initiate its identification sequences.  He looked around at the entry foyer.  Sam imagined that it was about half the size of a football field, with computers and automatic defense devices surrounding the entire perimeter.  He joined the group just about midway across the gigantic cavern.

A robotic servitor quickly appeared.

“Mrs. Kent, the fortress welcomes you.”  The fortress door closed quickly.  “Kalix is at your service.  Please hold while I scan your companions for recognition.” 

Sam felt the temperature rise to a steady 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  His mother and Helena Wayne removed their outer winter weather gear.  While Helena retained the resistance to cold weather that came with the ‘Conduit’ physical form, an Antarctic tableau quickly overcame that resistance.  Still, his mother had been far more vulnerable to the cold. 

Their remaining companion, the former Kara Zor-L, smiled quickly and then scanned the fortress with her X-Ray vision.

“Kalix identifies the matrix once designated Samuel Clark Kent.  Kalix must, however, point out an irregularity that has occurred in his genes.  While this is the genetic sequence identified in his birthing matrix, it is not the sequence originally programmed.  Quite amazing.  This replacement genetic sequence was not expected to be fully viable.  Yet, it appears viable indeed.”

Of course not, you pile of junk.  I’m really the physical recreation of the Superboy of a past universe.  Sam thought back to the night in the JLA satellite when He, Faith, ‘Stella’, and Kara Gand had remembered the end of the previous universe and the beginning of this one.  That re-creation had left them all with slightly different power sets than they otherwise would have had as well as memories of a past life.  But the memories had lost most of their emotional impact quickly—except for Karen’s growing desire to research the Fortress.

“Kalix identifies another Kryptonian.  Please state identification.”

The former amazon cleared her throat. 

“Power Girl.  My Kryptonian name was Kara Zor-L, without an ‘E’.  I’m Sam’s cousin.  Call me Power Girl, or call me Karen Kent, you pile of junk!”

“‘Karen Kent, you pile of junk.’  What an odd name!”  Kalix retorted.

“I am a Kryptonian.”  Karen Kent stated with annoyance.  “Shall I demonstrate my heat vision, you pile of junk?”

“Kalix agrees to Karen Kent if Karen Kent agrees to Kalix.”  The servitor answered.

They heard a snort, followed by laughter.

“I think he’s got you, Karen.”  Helena Wayne, the Raven chuckled at her friend.

Once again, Sam noted Karen’s costume with appreciation.  Karen had been the most affected by the memories they all regained.  Very different from her appearance as ‘Stella’, her look now was very similar to that of the Earth-2 Power Girl, with subtle differences—the most obvious, the stylized “S” on her cape.  While she had intended to wear the “S” of Kal-L, she realized the confusion the odd symbol would generate and settled on the same “S” that Sam wore.

“Don’t worry, cousin.”  Karen smiled.  “I won’t trash your fortress.”  She eyed Kalix again.  “Yet.”  She turned and scanned the fortress until she realized Kalix had approached Helena.  “Kalix, if you get within two feet of her, I’ll fry you.  Got it?”

“Understood.”  Kalix examined Helena.  “Intriguing energy readings.  He inched closer to Helena.

“Two feet.”  Karen reminded.

“Ah, yes.”  The servitor backed up.  “Partial DNA match with the Batman and his paramour, the Catwoman.  However genetic strains exist that can be traced to neither of them.  How odd.”

“A little mystery is good for the soul.”  Helena smiled warily at the servitor, her eyes narrowing quickly.

In an instant, Sam understood Karen’s behavior.  The servitor was disobeying a confirmed Kryptonian.  Worse, it showed her little respect unless threatened.  That was completely contrary to its programming—or at least what its programming should have been.  And once upon a Power Girl, Karen would have encountered servitors before.  These weren’t the same, but still…

The concern in his mother’s eyes confirmed his suspicions.  While the Fortress’ attention was focused on Karen, Sam guided an almost imperceptible blast of super-breath towards his communicator.  Its purpose?  To open a communications channel back to the Wood—a one-way communications channel.

Sam entrusted his fate to the deceased…Diana of Themyscira.

Huntress Wood

 

Donna walked the trails.  She passed the old railroad wreck and the mountain cats’ graveyard on her way to the small crypt.  The Hall of Heroes, I guess.  Momma, Diana, now Inza Nelson from Fate’s tower, and more coming.

Donna sat outside the crypt on the small bench.  Any other place and I could just sit here alone with my thoughts.  But this is her Wood.  I was flat-out rude to Faith the last time I was here.  I wonder why?  Well, at least she knows who she is.  All I have is my mother’s name and no idea who our family was.  Still, I should be grateful.  I have a life and a family.  So many don’t have even that…

“Penny for your thoughts?”  She heard a familiar voice behind her.  Diana of Themyscira appeared beside her.  Only a momentary slight green flickering betrayed her true non-corporeal status as Diana moved to sit beside Donna.  Changing her mind, she instead sat across from Donna, positioned as if sitting on the ground, but floating 18 inches above it.  She rested her elbows on her knees and her chin on her clasped hands.  “It’s not often I see you here, especially not without Duncan.”

“Diana?”  Donna inquired.  “What happens to you if someone takes the bracelets and lasso?”

Diana laughed.  “You mean, what happens to me when you choose the next Wonder Girl, who could some day become Wonder Woman?  You’re assuming that the talismans are what hold me to this place—that if they are passed on to another, I’ll return to limbo?”

“Yes…”

Diana chuckled gently.  “Donna, I was the second Wonder Woman after Mother.  I filled the role as best as I could.  And I enjoyed being Wonder Woman.  I enjoyed all the good I did.  But that life is done.  It’s time for the next worthy to take on the bracelets.”

“Then have Stella take them.”  Donna suggested.  “She can be Wonder Woman.  Athena knows she is skilled enough and experienced enough to take on the role.  She certainly has the power.  Not to mention that with her boobs, every male in civilization drools over her.”  Donna chuckled cattily.

Diana raised an eyebrow.  “That was never what Wonder Woman stood for.  And you know as well as I that Karen travels a different road now.  Even if we tried to put the bracelets on her wrists, I don’t think they’d stay.  Remember, her own simply disintegrated.  And she isn’t a true Amazon.  She did not die of either abuse or abandonment.  She died when another universe ended.”

“And she is no longer the Stella we knew so well.”  Donna admitted.  “For the first time, she seems to have roots.  She is comfortable with who she is and her role in this world.”

“And you envy her that.”  Diana replied.

“Yes.”

“Just as you envy me my death and my freedom from our Amazon heritage.”  Diana deduced.  “The legacy of Wonder Woman is a burden you have never wanted.  And now you feel it’s been thrust back at you by Karen’s decision to follow her own destiny—a destiny that fits her perfectly.”

“Diana, I never wanted your death.  Wonder Woman was your destiny, not mine.  And I’m not a true Amazon.  I was born of mortal parents and was fortunate to find a home on Themyscira.  But I can’t be Wonder Woman.  I was Wonder Girl and now I’m Troia.  But I’m not really Wonder Woman material.”

Diana smiled as she changed the subject.  “You know, I never realized what fun it would be to be dead.”  She laughed.  “And I have you to thank for it.”

“What?”  Donna responded with shock.

“Your friends offered me a place to be.”  Diana offered.  “A place that could free an immortal trapped in limbo and offer her good work—work that makes a difference.  And I have a little girl who feels secure here.  I do so enjoy watching her grow.”

“Cowbird Kara’s daughter.”  Donna snickered.  “She sure found a good home.  Now, all she has to worry about is Daxamite truant officers.”

Diana’s eyes narrowed.  “Donna, she won’t be returning to Daxam.  In her time, she may become Supergirl and then Superwoman.  But until then, she needs and deserves a place where she can feel secure.  And Kara can’t give her that—not with Darkseid gunning for her and her family as he does.”

Donna shook her head and smiled.  “Pity that Amazons can’t give birth.  You’d have made one heck of a mother.  Scooter is one lucky little girl.”

“Thank you.”  Diana smiled back, absently.  So…Mother still has not told you how tangled our family tree really is.  Dick Grayson knows.  How odd it is that you do not.  It is fortunate you have taken up with the Highlander.  Otherwise, you would likely be pregnant by now.

“Diana?”  Donna pondered.  “Any idea whatever happened to Diana Prince Trevor?  Steve Junior said his mother disappeared about the same time that Hippolyta took me back to Themyscira, back when I was so badly wounded.”

Mother, how dare you!  You promised to tell her!  Diana scowled.  Nothing good can come from keeping that secret.  And Steve Trevor, Senior deserves better from you—his loving wife.

“Diana?”

“Donna, things don’t stay the same.”  Diana roused Donna from her thoughts.  “We can’t live in yesterday.  Wonder Girl was a role you played.  It had its purpose.  But you’re not that person any more.  She died when the Teen Titans ended.”

“Diana, you were born to be Wonder Woman, just like Faith was born to be the Green Lantern.  I wasn’t.”

“Does it really matter?”  Diana asked.  “You’ve earned it.  Admit it or not, you were the Wonder Woman over Newport News.”

“I…”

“Donna.”  Diana stated.  “I’m going to be blunt.  The world doesn’t want a Troia.  The world wants a Wonder Woman.  And it wants you to take the role.  Donna, you’ve earned the title.  Take my bracelets and pass yours on to the next Wonder Girl.”

“I can’t…You’re…”

“Moving on to my next role.”  Diana confirmed.  “I have a place in the scheme of things and I want it.  I…”

“You want me to take the bracelets so that you can disappear and leave me.”  Donna replied, suddenly timid.  “I’ve lost you once.  I can’t bear to lose you again!”

“Donna.”  Diana grasped her hands.  “I am of the Wood.  The talismans do not hold me here; the Wood itself provides my home.  This is my body, all of it!  And my ability to manipulate the Wood grows with every passing day.  Donna, this is my future and it is one I want.  I will be here.  I will not leave you, not again…”

A streak of yellow and red interrupted their conversation.

“Babs needs both of you at Oracle.”  Dawn Allen related.  “Something is happening at the Fortress of Solitude.  And it’s not good.”

Diana vanished.

 

Huntress’ Wood Oracle Console

 

Diana reappeared in the Command Center.  She encountered an obviously pregnant Barbara Gordon manipulating the Oracle console.  Ray Palmer stood to one side and Dawn Allen stood beside him.  Donna quickly trotted through the door. 

“Sam opened his comms, one way.”  Babs related.  “We can hear, but we can’t respond.  But from what we’ve heard, there is something seriously wrong with the Fortress computer.”

“Helena and Lois are with the Kryptonians.”  Ray related.  “Karen is hiding Helena’s Thorn powers, but that will just buy a little time.

“Great time for the Flameling to be gallivanting around the universe.”  Donna groused.  “Is the Fortress expecting interference?”

“We don’t know what it’s thinking.”

“Great.”  Donna replied.  “Ray, if we get in, can you do your stuff?”

“I hope so, Donna.”  Ray responded.  “What information we have on the Fortress is very limited, and most of it is from Lois’ memory.  Clark wasn’t one to share the inner workings of his fortress. 

 

Fortress of Solitude, Antarctica

 

“Back off, Kalix.”  Lois ordered the servitor.  “In the absence of your master, you are bound to obey me.”

“But that is not my programming.”  Kalix admitted.  He began to advance upon Helena.  “This is a meta.  I will have the data my master needs to understand her powers.”

“Your master?”  Helena asked.  “And where is your master?”

“Why, on Apokolips, most…”

Sam vanished with Lois.  The fortress defenses immediately fired on Karen and Helena.  They struggled to target Sam, who was attempting to hide his mother. 

Karen screamed in pain as the Krypotonite laser struck her.  Helena targeted the ceiling to pull a vine, only to find there was no soil in the entry area of the fortress.

The fortress lasers caught Sam, as he struggled to open the door, only to find Kryptonite behind the lead lining.

“Master Darkseid planned quite well.”  Kalix remarked as Lois struggled to pull Sam away from the Kryptonite lasers.  “Mrs. Kent, please prepare to die!”  The Fortress fired directly at her.

 

Huntress’ Wood Oracle Console

 

“We don’t have time to assemble a task force.”  Donna grumbled.  “Let’s do it.”

Donna and Dawn vanished.

Ray prepared to use his controls to pass through the Oracle comms into Donna’s comms once she arrived in the Fortress.

Barbara struggled against her pregnancy to rise.  Diana lifted her chair for her.

“Two months ago, I would have insisted on going.”  Barbara groused.  “Worst case of the flu, I’ve ever had!”

Diana smiled absently and took over the controls.  “Oracle to the Flash.  If you can get to the Fortress of Solitude, we have a situation.  Donna and Dawn are already in route.  Darkseid has corrupted the computer.”

“On it.”  He responded.  They could hear wind behind him.

 

Fortress of Solitude, Antarctica

 

Helena Wayne moved at meta-speed.  Firing her grappling line into the ceiling of the cavern, she ran while it deployed, scooping up Lois Kent as she did.

“Sorry for the rough ride.”  The Raven admitted as her line retracted, taking them above the line of fire of the lasers. 

They stared down, only to watch the Kryptonians turn a deeper shade of green.

“Raven to Oracle.”  She opened her comms fully.  “Help!  Priority alert!”

The Atom shot out of her comms, holding his finger to his lips: warning them not to acknowledge his presence.  He leaped and dropped to microscopic size, disappearing quickly into the Fortress inner workings.

A red and yellow blur appeared to enter the Fortress, before being targeted by a laser.  It appeared to vanish, only to be replaced by a woman dressed in black.  Donna flew towards Karen and used her bracelets to reflect the Kryptonite laser.

The yellow and red blur returned, followed by a red blur.  They aimed for the unconscious Kryptonians, who then vanished from the floor of the fortress.  Donna flew towards the fortress computer, reflecting the streams of lasers as she did.

“Fortress has been compromised.  Initiating auto-destruct sequence.”  The servitor announced.

“Atom needs comms out!”  Helena warned as she used her grappling gear to lower Lois to the floor.  “We just need a way out.”

“Working on it.”  Donna yelled as the fortress began another barrage of laser attacks.  “Wally?”

“Moving.”  Wally called back.  “Head for the door.”

The three of them ran for the entrance area as Donna reflected the continuing barrage of laser fire.

“Deleting data stores.”  Kalix called out.  “Auto-destruct sequence entering final stages.”

The fortress door creaked and began to crack.  The fortress lasers immediately turned towards the door and opened fire.

 

Outside the Fortress

 

The fortress had surprised Sam once; he would not give it another opportunity.  Yanking the door open with strength that was just beginning to return, he immediately dropped below the fortress’ line of fire.

The open door was all that the Flashes needed.  They quickly retrieved Helena and Lois and their cold weather gear, stopping just long enough for the Atom to jump through their comms back to the Woods.

The Flashes brought Helena and Lois to the same plateau were Sam stood and Karen was beginning to rise.

“We couldn’t vibrate you through the walls.”  Wally stated to Lois.  “It would have killed you.  It almost killed them.”  He pointed to Sam and Karen.  But Sam’s eyes glowed red.

“Low intensity.”  Sam explained to Lois and Helena.  “Just enough to warm up your clothing.  And not a bit…DOWN!”

The overhead sky filled with exploding debris.  Sam protected his mother and Karen protected the Raven from the debris falling towards them.  The Flashes headed back to the Fortress, vibrating to allow the debris to flow through them, while Donna followed them, deflecting debris.

Sam and Karen flew their passengers out of the line of fire as Donna flew into the fortress.  She landed just behind the Flashes at the Fortress entrance.

“No way, I’m going in there.”  Dawn remarked as they watched the flames lick through the cavern.  “Ray?”  She called into her comms.  “Are you all right?”

He immediately emerged from her comms device.  “Couldn’t be better.”  Looking at the destruction in front of him, he remarked.  “Geez.  Unbelievable.”  Pulling out a gauge he frowned.  “Don’t get any closer.  There’s a lot of radioactivity in there.  That’s real bad stuff.”  Ray looked up at the fortress cavern.  “I shut down a big part of the computer’s memory before it blew, but I don’t know what shape it’s in.  I’ll need expert help to decode it, I think.  Maybe the Batman’s computers will know what to make of it.”

“You mean, you’re actually going to spend time in the Batcave with my mother?”  Raven chuckled before turning to scan the Fortress with her equipment.  “I remember the last time.  If Karen hadn’t accidentally flattened my mother, one of you would have killed the other!”

“Maybe I can access the Bat-computer remotely.”  Ray smiled.  “We need to get out of here and lick our wounds.  In a couple of days this won’t be so much of a hot zone.  Let’s drop a few bugs and head for home.”

Agreeing, Sam and Karen flew to the entrance with Lois and Helena.  Lois sighed.

“We had such happy times here.  And now there is nothing left of it.  Nothing of Clark’s legacy.”

“I’m more concerned about Darkseid’s.”  Karen noted.  “There was a real reason the fortress blew up.  There were things he did not want us to find.  I wonder what they were?”

“He tried to kill us with it.”  Sam noted.  “That wasn’t enough?”

“No.”  Karen replied.  “It isn’t.  That was a half-hearted attempt to kill us.  Almost accidental.”

“I agree.”  Lois stated.  “Kalix was almost silly in his stupidity.  Karen, you’re right.  Something else was going on.”

“Granted.”  Sam acknowledged.  “But there doesn’t seem to be much going on at the moment.”  His X-Ray vision scanned the fortress.

“I concur.”  Karen agreed.  “Still more than a bit concerned though.”

“Agreed.”  Sam answered.  “But I have a nagging suspicion that whatever the Fortress computer was supposed to do, it has already done.”

“Interesting that Darkseid did not have Mongul hunt you down, just to make sure you weren’t a threat.”  Karen remarked to Sam.

“I think he tried.”  Lois countered.  “But Dick was even better than we gave him credit for.  And remember, Oracle grew increasingly involved in hiding us as time went by.”

Sam smiled.  “There is that.”

“I just wonder if that’s all there was to it.”  Karen pondered.  “Why would the Fortress have thought your matrix was not viable?  How would it have known?”

“Now you’ve got me worried.”  Sam admitted.  “Seriously worried.”

“You should be.”  Karen confirmed as she walked back into the fortress.  “I sure as Hell am.”

 

Two weeks later, Fortress of Solitude

Kara Gand landed at the door of what had been Superman’s fortress.  While most of the computers were little more than debris, Sam and Karen had been able to reestablish the infrastructure of the Fortress.  Dick, Barbara, and Helena assisted Ray with piecing back together what they could of the Kryptonian processing power.  The Myrg Alliance had added a team of trusted scientists, who had proven extremely capable of decoding much of the information remaining in the databanks.  Kryptonian technology had been fairly well known to some of the worlds that had traded with it extensively.

And those worlds had more reasons than most to fear Darkseid.  They sent only their best to aid in the effort—once their safety had been guaranteed by the Empress.

The door remained slightly ajar, saving Kara the trouble of trying to open it.  She could see the scorch marks on the cavern wall where the flames had over-taken most of the cavern.

Ignoring the group of scientists working near the computer, she flew quickly through the rest of the fortress, analyzing the construction and layout and comparing it to her memories.  She found it more familiar than she expected…and more different.  The layouts were similar in some ways, but there was no Kandor and no Interstellar Zoo…and no Krypto.

Finally, she landed where Sam stood with Ray Palmer.

“I brought the parts they asked for.”  Sam explained to Ray.  “I was able to find them among Krypton’s rubble.”

“Quite a trip.”  Kara stated as she landed.  “I had forgotten that you don’t lose your powers under a red sun.”

“His activated in two stages.”  Ray answered.  “The first stage activated at birth, providing just enough power to keep him from exploding on a low-pressure, low-gravity world.”

“Ugh.”  Sam shuddered at the thought.

“The second stage activated at adolescence.”  Ray continued.  “Bringing the rest of his super abilities.  And they are still increasing in power.”

“We were able to recover most of the computer’s data storage.”  Sam changed the subject.  “Hopefully, we’ll have the Fortress systems fully functional within a couple of weeks.  We think we’ll be able to link to what remains of Krypton’s orbiting computer systems to back-fill anything that is missing.”

“Karen seems to be headed towards us.”  Kara noted.  “What’s that in her hand?”

“That,” Ray answered, “is the genetic code for every Kryptonian ever gestated on Krypton—including Kal-El.  Now we just have to figure out what to do with it.”

Power Girl flew to join them, landing softly to protect her cargo.

“Imagine…our genetic heritage on one storage device.”  She held up a small box.  “This is just a copy.  I plan to put it someplace safe while we figure out what to do with it.”

“I have a better idea.”  Kara stated.  “We get a second opinion from the Science Council.”

“Science Council?”  Ray queried.  “Multiverse Earth One or Earth Four?”

“Earth One.”  Kara answered.  “I’ll ask Katma to accompany me.  If the Guardians are willing, then I’ll ask Karik to accompany us, too.  I understand he is showing promise, but he’s as green behind the ears as I was at that stage in my career.  And maybe I’ll take Scooter…it should be a safe trip if Katma can join us.”

“In the mean time, we’ll keep cleaning up the mess.”  Karen sighed.  “The mess we made of the house that Clark built.”

“Ugh.”  Sam rolled his eyes.  “We’ll try to have it presentable some time soon.”

“That we will.”  Ray looked over as another room-sized computer component lit up with power.  One or two remaining servitors activated, but appeared to function normally, assisting with reconstruction and the creation of yet more servitors.

“May Rao protect you.”  Karen smiled at Kara as she held out the box containing the genetic codes.

“May Rao protect all of us.”  Kara countered as she accepted the box.  “Any opinions on what happened?”

“Darkseid used Mongul’s invasion to cover his attack on the Fortress.”  Karen stated.  “He had expert help—the Myrg Alliance scientists confirm that someone who knew what they were doing rifled the databanks.  There were some things they could not get to…but we don’t know what those things were.”

“But it explains why Iris Allen and the Thorn were hunted so…”  Ray acknowledged.  “The Fortress knew what Clark knew…that Iris was pregnant and that the Green Lantern had a daughter by the Thorn.  That’s why Mongul was prepared for Dawn—he knew about her.”

“The Thorn was hunted to a much lesser degree.”  Karen shrugged.  “A minor annoyance at best to Mongul…they knew that the child didn’t have the power ring…Luthor did.  But he didn’t have the battery and he had no way to search for it without Molly Mayne figuring out what he was up to.  Even then…Luthor knew that not just anyone could use the ring—and that he could not.”

“And Sam?”  Ray frowned.  “The coding in the matrix was not viable—or so the Fortress computer thought.  Something had changed it from the original matrix used to impregnate Lois.  So, we caught a break…Darkseid and Mongul had no reason to think that Sam actually existed.”

“And from what we can tell,” Sam interjected, “Darkseid left the Fortress alone after he rifled through it.  It’s been mostly shut down my entire life-time.”

“Which leaves us with the same mystery as before.”  Ray acknowledged.  “Who was the expert?  And just how much knowledge did Darkseid gain from the Fortress?”

“All issues I intend to take up with Zor-El.”  Kara stated.  “We are all too close to this.  There are things we may not be seeing.”

“God speed.”  Ray offered.  Kara took one last look around the Fortress and headed for open space.

 

Four Days Later in the Multiverse-1 Universe: beyond Earth’s moon

 

An emerald flash disappeared as quickly as it appeared.  Faith noted her location with satisfaction and waved back to her companions before vanishing once more.

Kara held Scooter’s hand and smiled at the two Green Lanterns: Katma Tui and Kara’s son, Karik Gand.

Activating communications they hoped would work in the Multiverse, they flew towards Earth, until…

To be continued…

 

 

End—To Restore a World, Part 1

To be continued in the Multiverse Tale:

To Restore a World, Part 2

 

 

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2004 by Eldric

-- and may not be reprinted without permission.