A Future Strange
When the Legion got back to New Metropolis, Kell-El locked himself in an unoccupied bedroom and sat with his head in his hands.
What had just happened?
This wasn't how it went! This wasn't how this had happened!
Kell knew, in the same intrinsic way that he knew he existed, that Brainiac 5 and his teammates were nothing but trouble. He knew that they were the ones to blame for the creation of Imperiex.
But now-
No, he interrupted himself fiercely. I know how it happened. There's- there's just something wrong with them –with the Legion. As usual.
He knew how the galaxy had gotten to the state he knew it to be in the 41st century. K3NT had drilled him in it, to make sure he knew how things had gotten so bad.
"One," Kell muttered to himself. "The Legion fights a menace named Terror Firma."
Attackers from outside the galaxy, made by the United Planet's own folly.
"Two. The Science Police tensions, the explosion of the Time Institute, and the collapse of the Dark Circle cause the Legion to divide its efforts between New Metropolis and the rest of the galaxy."
He'd seen that propensity already. Trying to do everything at once, accomplishing nothing.
"Three. Terror Firma exploits the Legion's folly and threatens Weber's World. The Legion goes to stop the attack and leaves New Metropolis undefended against itself. New Metropolis turns on the Legion."
Oh, what a mistake.
"Four. The Legion learns about the Brainiac history and begins to self-destruct."
Kell was able to breathe easier here. He'd been watching this for nearly six months. That was still the same.
"Five. The Legion ignores Brainiac 5, who conquers the galaxy through trickery and kills his teammates."
The uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach started to return. It had… almost happened that way…
He tried to push it out of his mind and move on.
"Six. The United Planets fall, and people with strong ties to the former Legion hunt down Brainiac 4 and convince her to help them."
He snorted to himself. The Legion's stupidity was clearing communicable. There was no trusting a Brainiac.
"Seven. Brainiac 4 kills her son and takes over rulership of the galaxy for herself. The people who helped instate her arrange her murder. The galaxy falls into utter chaos, creating the climate in which Imperiex was created- because of the Legionnaires."
Kell took a shuddering breath.
He remembered learning all that. He remembered reading the files on it, seeing the physical damage.
It had to have happened.
He'd seen his whole universe self-destruct. But if he, personally, remembered the future as it had happened, then it had to be.
Right?
But the past changed, a little voice said treacherously. It can't be the same.
Kell shoved the thought away, refusing to give it any credibility.
If I still exist, then the future still exists, which means things had to have happened the way I remember them.
But they hadn't.
He shoved himself to his feet and started pacing angrily, mind running in circles.
He existed- but his future didn't- but he remembered it- but things hadn't happened that way- but he couldn't remember them if they hadn't happened-
Kell roared in wordless frustration and threw a small table against the wall. It shattered, showering pieces everywhere.
He sank to his knees and curled up around himself, arms clutched around his churning stomach.
He felt like he was going to be sick.
The backs of his eyes started to burn.
I'm not going to cry I'm not going to cry I'm not going to cry I'm not going to cry-
But he did anyway.
Eventually he managed to force himself to stop and sat on the floor.
I have another warp key that- that he made. I can go home and stop worrying about this.
You won't, the voice inside said. You're too scared.
I am not scared!
Yes you are. You're scared that it won't be the same- that K3NT won't be there when you get back. That the few people you did know in the resistance won't exist. That there will be nothing there, or nothing that you recognize.
Angry again now, Kell smashed one of the chairs left standing oddly in the middle of the floor, the table that accompanied it littering the room in pieces.
And it's your fault, too, the voice continued. You helped. You helped stop Brainiac, even when you knew he won. It's your fault everything you ever knew doesn't exist anymore.
They do exist!
No they don't. You know it's true.
He screamed in frustration and incinerated the other chair before starting to stalk around the room again.
The voice followed him.
Failure. You couldn't even destroy Imperiex. Brainiac had to do that for you. You had a chance with Abel and you didn't take it.
That was-
The Legion's rubbing off on you. You're losing your edge. Your ideals. Your ability to do what's necessary.
K3NT would be disappointed in you.
That stopped Kell in his tracks.
They would.
He heard the footsteps before the knock, and was opening the door before the person in the hallway managed more than one.
"Kell?" Duo Damsel asked. "Are you okay in here?"
"I'm fine," he said gruffly. "What do you want?"
"We're having a meeting. About what happened."
He stood motionless for a moment.
"What, with everyone?"
She nodded, then stopped.
"Everyone but-"
Kell saw her teeth clench as her eyes skittered away from his face for a second.
"-but Brainy."
His mind spun.
A meeting without Brainiac, to talk and voice opinions- I can still change this. The Legion just has to fall apart. The rest will follow. I'm sure of it.
He pushed past her and started towards the meeting room.
Kell was the first one of out the meeting room.
The Legion was definitely split. He'd been shot down, but everyone else's opinions seemed divided enough without him.
But there were all those ambivalent people-
The Legion was breaking down into two passionate sides. The people trying to balance both would fall into one of the camps soon enough. Intrateam strife would do the rest.
The Legion would fall.
Kell would have done his job. He'd have saved the galaxy-his future, his home.
But a little thread of doubt still tried to insinuate itself into this thoughts.
I've had enough of this!
Using his superspeed, he ran back to his room and took out the warp key. He'd go home and stop all these doubts. He'd step through the portal and be back in 41st century New Metropolis, with everything the way it had been before any of this happened.
When he opened the door, Timber Wolf, Superman, Lightning Lad, and Duo Damsel were standing there waiting for him.
"You're going home now, then?" Superman asked.
Kell looked at him a moment and pushed his way past them into the hallway. He raised the warp key and pushed the button.
Something held him back for a moment. There was a feeling of -anticipation?- in the air.
You're getting sucked in with them again! the voice warned. You don't really want to leave!
You've lived with them for the past year, the other voice insisted. You should at least say something! Think about everything you learned!
Learned? What, about how to lose a war-
Kell fiercely silenced the voices in his head and turned to face the Legionnaires.
"Thank you- for helping me restore the future," he said.
Maybe.
"And-"
Kell fumbled for words. What to say?
"-for making me realize that I'm… more than just my mission."
As soon as he said it, he knew it was true.
I have to be, don't I? There's no more Imperiex.
"That's the point of a team, isn't it?" Superman asked. "Working together. Knowing you're never alone."
Oh, how I wish…
"I… guess I'm more a part of the Legion than I ever realized," Kell finally admitted.
Traitor!
He turned and starting moving towards the portal.
"Then before you go-" Superman called after him.
Kell stopped.
"-we should make it official."
What?
He turned back to see Superman smiling at him.
Well, why not? The little voice said.
You've betrayed everything else, the other voice said bitterly. Why not your sense of friend and foe, too?
He walked out of the portal and left for his induction ceremony.
Kell walked slowly back to the portal, footsteps a bit unsure.
He reached the hallway outside his room and looked at the swirling black-and-purple mass hanging in the air.
Someone was crying.
He looked around, and could just make out a huddled shape in the dim corridor branching off the hallway he was standing in.
"Duo Damsel?" he asked hesitantly.
She moved apart from herself a little ways and, to his shock, Kell saw her third triplicate.
Purple Lu held her newly-returned self close, tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips.
Orange Lu sniffed and wiped her eyes.
"Hey there, Kell," she said, voice a little rough from crying. "Sorry we missed the ceremony."
"It's okay," he said, still staring at White Lu.
Purple Lu hugged her formerly-missing self closer and smiled a bit wider.
"Weren't you going home today?"
Kell blinked a few times, mind spinning.
Brainiac 5 said that if Imperiex could be defeated Duo Damsel would get her other self back- Her other self was destroyed with my home- But she's back-
Slowly, a grin crept across his face until he was smiling wider than he could ever remember doing before.
"Yeah," he said. "Yeah! I am!"
Kell-El turned and lifted off into the portal, headed back to the 41st century.