Chapter 32:

Super Nova

(Part Three)

© Dylan (Clay) Clearbrook

The Multiverse

T Minus 5 minutes

When the alarms had sounded in the control room, Motherboard had left at a run without bothering to explain to Lex Luthor or Mercy Luthor what was happening. Not waiting for an invitation, the two had simply raced after her. They caught up to her at an elevator and pressed in behind her before she could close the doors.

"What the hell is going on?" Lex demanded. When there was no answer from the green skinned woman, he snapped his fingers in front of her. "Motherboard?"

"Motherboard?" the woman finally turned her attention to him, her expression confused. "My designation is Celia. I am.." She paused and shook her head, her eyes closing. When she reopened them, they were clear and once again Lex could see the intelligence behind them. "I am Motherboard." She stated. "Yes, I am Motherboard."

She looked at Lex and Mercy.

"I must apologize, Mr. President." She said. "It appears that our Multiverse is in a state of flux. For a brief moment there was..a connection.to another reality. A reality in which my.predecessor.Celia still exists.and still serves Lord Ian!"

"And that is what caused you to race to an elevator." Lex frowned and looked at the button Motherboard had pressed. "An elevator to the Lounge?"

"Ah.no." Motherboard shook her head. "The.connection did not occur until after we entered the elevator." She turned to the door as the elevator came to a stop and slid open. "I came here because of this."

Lex stood, open-mouthed, as he took in the multitude of people that now stood around in the lounge..people he knew damned well had left with Kara and Rogue for Probability Three.

The first people he noticed were Tony Stark and his pregnant wife, Barbara. With them was Princess Koriand'r and Ms. Marvel.

There were others as well.and not one of them were looking in the direction of the elevator. Instead, their attention was riveted on the large green woman that stood among them, carrying..

"Kara!" Mercy gasped, pushing through the crowd of heroes until she stood before Senturia and blonde Kryptonian she held.

"Do not come closer, Mercy Luthor." The double toned voice of Senturia warned her. "It is not safe for you."

Mercy needed no other warning for she could already feel the great energies emanating from the Sentinel playing havoc with her body. She felt as if her control over her shape was being lost! She backed away until she was once again at the side of her husband and sighed in relief as control was restored.

Senturia looked at those around her and her gaze locked on Barbara Stark.

No words were spoken, yet all could see Barbara nod as if she were hearing something no one else could. She stepped forward, shaking off Tony's hands as he reached for her to hold her back.

"Everything will be okay, Tony." She said though her eyes never left those of Senturia.

"BABS!" Tony yelled as she reached Senturia and laid a hand first on the forehead of Kara, her hand covering the bloody bandage that covered whatever wound lay beneath. There was only a brief hesitation before she reached out her other hand and wrapped her fingers around the powerful forearm of the emerald mega Sentinel.

"NO!!!!" Tony wailed as Senturia, Kara, and Barbara all faded from site.

Multiverse: Probability 10

Fantastic Four HQ

"Reed Richards. Stephen Strange. Professor Xavier. Your assistance is required."

Both Reed and Stephen spun around at the sound of the odd, triple toned voice the filled the control room.

From his vantage point, Prof. Xavier less surprised, having seen the blonde haired, emerald skinned woman appear in their midst.

Though he had never personally seen her before, he had seen images and heard all about the woman that now stood in the control room. This had to be the composite being known as Senturia!

Two items jumped out at him instantly. The first was the woman she carried in her arms. Kara Zor-El. The second..Senturia was most definitely pregnant!

He tried a tentative mental probe and was not surprised when the composite mega sentinel turned in his direction. He felt a slight resistance and then felt her mental shields lowering. Not completely, but enough for him to get a glimpse.

"Reed, Stephen, it is Jenny and Arisia..but Barbara Gordon is in there as well." He spoke, his eyes never leaving Senturia.

"That would explain the pregnancy." Reed stammered.

"Damn you, get out of the way!" Sue Richards cursed as she pushed between Reed and Stephen, giving them both dark looks before she stepped closer to Senturia.

"What is wrong with Kara?" She demanded. She did not wait for a reply as she examined the bandage wrapped around her forehead. The bandage was now soaked with blood. She pushed back between Reed and Stephen and slapped a control on a panel.

"Ben, have you checked out the Med-bay yet?" She called into the air.

"Christ, Sue, I just left the control room. I haven't even got there yet?" Ben's aggrieved voice came through on the panel.

"Then don't bother.we can't wait." Sue informed him. She turned and walked back to Senturia, looking up into her face.

"Jenny knows where our Med Bay is." She said. "Can you take us there?" She laid a hand on Senturia's arm as the emerald woman nodded and they faded from sight.

"Sue!" Reed exclaimed, lurching forward.

"It is okay, Reed." Xaiver said. "They are in the Med-Bay. All four of them."

"Four?" Stephen glanced at Xavier. The Professor nodded, turning his hover chair and heading for the door.

"Yes, Barbara Gordon has separated from the Composite being and is assisting Sue with Kara." He paused at the door and looked back over his shoulder. "I caught a glimpse of what the problem might be.and if I am correct, we will be needed. I suggest we hurry, gentlemen." He started forward and then stopped again. "I should caution you. While that is, indeed Jennifer and Arisia in their composite form, I got the distinct impression that their combined consciousness that usually guides Senturia is not in control. I believe we will discover that the Multiverse Starheart has taken direct control over its Avatar!"

When they arrived at the med bay, with Reed and Stephen helping a still groggy Johnny Storm, they found both Barbara and Sue hovering over a bed in which they had placed the unconscious Kara and Ben standing as close as he dared to Senturia.

For her part, Senturia's attention seemed to be fixated on Kara.

While Reed and Stephen helped Johnny into another bed and Reed administered a sedative after a brief examination, Stephen contemplated Kara. Xavier, with Jean Grey beside him, moved closer to the bed containing Kara.

"There is a..disconnect." Jean whispered as she allowed her mind to touch the mind of the unconscious Kryptonian.

"I thought as much." Xavier nodded. "Whatever happened has caused a partial separation of the spirit and body."

"It is more than that." Sue announced. She picked up a syringe and plunged it into Kara's arm. She looked around, making sure that everyone saw the significance in that action. Kara was no longer invulnerable! Drawing a small amount of blood into a capsule which she then handed off to her husband.

Reed took the capsule and inserted it into an analyzer that would run every test available and place a magnified image of the blood cells up on a screen.

"Hmmm." Reed studied the image and read the data being displayed beneath it. "Physically, she appears to have reverted to the state that body was in when we first found her." He pointed out the slight yellow glow that surrounded the cells. "This is the yellow kryptonite that I cleansed from her body." He turned and looked at Senturia. "There is no way that could have just spontaneously returned."

"Perhaps it was not spontaneous." Stephen mused as he still gazed at Kara. "Recall what we just witnessed at that old Hospital where we first found her."

"We saw images of ourselves.." Reed spoke softly then turned to Stephen. "We saw images of ourselves.moving in reverse!"

"Reverse." Jean frowned and looked at Senturia. "If Kara is in this state...Senturia, where is Rogue?"

"Rogue is safe and, though powerless at the moment, is unchanged."

It was not Senturia that responded.

Jean turned to look at Barbara Gordon as she straightened up from where she had been reapplying a bandage over the gash in Kara's forehead. She placed a hand to the small of her back and grimaced.

Seeing the grimace, Sue took her firmly by the arm and guided her to a chair.

"Sit." She commanded. She ran a sensor that resembled a medical device from an old science fiction TV show over Barbara and frowned. "According to this.you are in labor!" She accused.

"Probably so." Barbara agreed. She jerked a thumb towards Senturia. "She's keeping it in check for the moment. She assured me that I would not give birth until she returned me to Probability One. Personally, I can't wait. I'm more than ready to get this little girl out of my body and into my arms!"

"Little girl?" Sue frowned. "Babs, you do know that you are carrying triplets?"

"Not really." Barbara shook her head. "Thanks to her," again indicating the silent Senturia. "It seems the first time I accidently merged with them changed my body a bit." She rubbed a hand over her belly. "For a brief moment in Probability Three, I met a young girl from the future that came from a world that will be founded by this little girl here. She will be the first of the Tri-bodied. Humans that are able to split themselves into three distinct bodies at will!"

"You said Rogue was safe?" Jean brought the topic back to her concern.

"She is." Barbara nodded. "While I was joined with Senturia, I saw what had happened. Rogue is in a ship that has been purposely trapped in a wormhole. I and others were on that ship when it entered the Wormhole..then something went wrong and I and a lot of others suddenly found ourselves back on the JLA satellite back in Probability One. Moments later Senturia appeared with Kara.and told me to come with her. That part I still haven't figured out."

"Because you were close to Kara and you come from the same Reality." Stephen put it together. "At least the same reality that her spirit came from. We determined long ago that this clone body came from a different reality.which is what led to the original problems of rejection."

"I might have been close to the Kara Zor-El of my reality. Hell we were like sisters." Barbara shook her head. "But all the turmoil that she went through changed her. She stopped being the Kara I knew the instant the Anti-Monitor killed her and her spirit was trapped in limbo. Though there is still a bond between us, it is not as strong as it was before that! If she wanted someone with a strong bond with Kara, she should have brought Rogue!"

"Jenny appears to agree with you." Xavier spoke up. When everyone turned to look at him, he nodded towards Senturia. "Like I told Reed and Stephen earlier, neither Jenny nor Arisia are in control of Senturia at the moment. The Multiverse Starheart, or a fragment of it, has taken control and Jenny and Arisia are just along for the ride. It opened up its mental shields enough for me to sense both Jenny and Arisa.and both of them are trying to get the consciousness in control to listen to them." He gave a sad smile. "It seems, even now, that Consciousness still has difficulties understanding the relationships of us lesser beings."

Senturia finally turned her gaze away from Kara and looked at Xavier. She gave a slight nod.and faded from site.

"Where did she go?" Reed demanded.

"I imagine she will not be gone long." Xavier replied. "I believe Jenny finally got through to the Starheart and she has gone to retrieve Rogue."

Multiverse: Probability 10

Fantastic Four HQ

(a few hours later)

"I've cleansed the yellow Kryptonite from her cells again." Reed announced in a weary tone much later.

He and the others were gathered in a conference room, though Senturia still stood vigil over Kara in the Med bay and Rogue had refused to leave her side.

"Her Kryptonian abilities have returned and her natural healing abilities are reasserting themselves." He continued and then stopped, looking at Stephen Strange.

"Her spirit and body are no longer an issue." Stephen took up the explanation. "It appears that, once the kryptonite was neutralized in Reed's machine, Senturia bathed her in some form of energy that has..transformed her. To put it bluntly, once the kryptonite was gone, she transformed the body. For all practical purposes, that is no longer a clone body that is housing the spirit of the original Kara Zor-El."

"Stephen is correct." Reed nodded. "I ran test after test.and there is nothing that would tell me that this body is not the one she was born with!"

"I don't understand." Barbara Stark shook her head. She was seated at the table with everyone else.but pushed back because of her swollen belly. "If she could do that, why didn't Senturia just fix whatever was wrong to begin with?"

"Now that, I believe I can answer." Reed nodded towards Prof. Xavier. "Charles was correct, I believe, when he said that the composite consciousness of Jenny and Arisia was not in control of Senturia. But I don't think he was entirely correct in exactly who IS in control." He steepled his fingers in front of him, as he leaned his elbows on the table. "If that were simply Senturia, then she could not have done what was done to Kara at all. As powerful as Senturia may be, she just doesn't have that kind of..godlike.power. Since Jenny received her new abilities, and since our world was pulled into this Multiverse, I have attempted to learn all I could about Starhearts and Green Lanterns. It appears that a majority of both Starhearts and Green Lanterns fall into two major categories: Cosmic powered and Magic powered. There are some that are combinations or that fall into completely separate categories, but these are the main two. Jenny's power is cosmic in nature, as are the Multiverse Starheart and a majority of the Multiverse Green Lanterns." He paused and looked around. "As was the tainted shard in Otherverse that Jenny purified."

"I remember that!" Ben Grimm spoke up. "She just pulled all of its energy into her own body and then Kara told her to get rid of it.to release it and form a new Power Battery!" (Author's note: See the Otherverse story: A Worlds Without Heroes, Chapter 11)

"Exactly!" Reed nodded. "At that moment, Jenny was holding all the energy of a cosmic Great Battery. Do you recall what happened just before she released that energy?"

"I do!" Every one jumped and turned towards the entrance to the Conference room to find Rogue standing in the doorway. She gave a small smile and shrugged her shoulders. "Something else I got from Kara.total recall ability." She found an empty chair and seated herself. She looked around at everyone and then settled her eyes on Reed. "Jenny was convinced she could fix everything. She was holding enough energy that she felt she could reboot the Otherverse.the same way Hal Jordan felt he could Reboot his world and recreate the world that existed before Crisis."

"She could have." Reed said. "But would it have been the moral thing to do? No. Hal Jordan did not listen to those who tried to tell him that he was in the wrong; so convinced he was that he was doing the right thing." He paused. "There is our second clue of what is going on here. In that instance, Kara acted as Jenny's conscience! That tells us why Senturia is so fixated on Kara. The fact that she could do nothing until the yellow kryptonite was once again removed from Kara's body tells us who.or what.is in control of Senturia.and it isn't the Multiverse Starheart! The power that Jenny wields.and that of the Multiverse Starheart.are not affected by the color yellow."

"But Green Lanterns, which are powered from the Great Battery, cannot directly manipulate or affect anything colored yellow!" Rogue finished.

"Exactly." Reed nodded. "Whatever is happening in Otherverse has.dislodged.the Great Battery Jenny created. So it returned to the last safe place it knew..to Jenny. That power retains the weakness to yellow and so, while it is in control, Senturia is displaying the same weakness."

"Interesting." Stephen nodded. "While she could not long hold that much energy as Jenny alone, as Senturia she can."

"For a time, perhaps." Xavier spoke up. "But if this is the case, I think we will find that even Senturia will not be able to contain that much energy for an extended period of time."

"So what was once the Shard in Otherverse is in control of Senturia. What does it need with Kara?" Rogue demanded.

"I believe it wants her to act once again as Jenny's Conscience." Reed responded. He looked as if he would continue when Sue called out in alarm. She had been keeping an eye on a monitor that gave her a view of the med bay. She now spun the monitor around so everyone else could see.

On the screen, they could all see Kara and Senturia facing each other.and then Senturia reached out to take Kara's hand..

"OH!" Everyone turned at Barbara's involuntary gasp.and could do nothing as she faded from view in a light green glow. On the monitor they could only see Senturia.

"They are with me now." Senturia's usual double toned voice now sounded as if two other voices had been added. "They will be safe, but there is something that now must be done!" On the screen, Senturia's head moved slightly so that she appeared to be looking through the screen towards Rogue. "Fear not, Rogue. If we are successful, Kara will be returned to you here.as will Jennifer and Arisia. We must go now!"

"IF? What the hell?" Faster than an eye could follow Rogue was out of the room and appearing on the monitor in the med bay.just as Senturia faded from sight."

To be Continued....

-- and may not be reprinted without permission.

-- The Continuum Worlds Concept is a joint creation of

-- Dylan (Clay) Clearbrook and Eldric (Ella).

-- Otherverse, Multiverse, Primalverse. and Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes,

-- as depicted in the Continuum Worlds, are original creations of Dylan (Clay) Clearbrook.

-- Alterverse, The Inheritors and Rising Starr, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- are original creations of Eldric (Ella).

-- Wasteland, The Sorority, and Otherverse Redux, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds

-- are original creations of Nomad (Jake H.).

-- The Realm, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds, is an

-- original creation of John P

-- DCM: The Merging, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- is an original creation of Chip Caroon and the stories therein remain

-- the property of the respective writers.

-- Some characters in Continuum Worlds stories are original creations

-- of Dylan (Clay) Clearbrook, Eldric (Ella), Michael Liebhart, Jake H., Jason G.,

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