Note: This is it, the final chapter. The end… or rather the beginning. It's taken some time to get here (a LOT more than I anticipated), so I hope this finale works on all levels. I won't go on like some writers, so to get you all the action quicker, all I say is thank you. Please review.
Dedication: Simply to you, the reader.
Facebook: Fanfiction Millma Verse Page.
Episode Twenty-One – The New Justice Society of America.
-Three Weeks Earlier-
Kara was leaving the CatCo office; she had been following Quick and Silver's team up with Kal on the news against a rather tricky meta-human. Official reports were going to leave the Green Lantern out of the limelight though, concentrate on the resident speedsters defeat of Mirror Master. Kara was quite pleased about it all though, she didn't want her cousin outed so soon, and Jesse and Wally were doing great as the new faces of Team Power-Flash, even if she was going to don the cape later, to keep up appearances.
She reacted before she even knew what happened, turning and grabbing the hand that was reaching out to hers, twisting it to near-breaking point, but heard no whimper, no shocked gasp. Turning herself now, it was Kara who gasped as she saw the handsome features, the small smirk and the green outfit. Without thinking, she dragged Kal-El into the closest alleyway before anyone noticed what could have been a strange mugging or kidnaping – she was superfast with her Kryptonian powers, after all.
"What are you doing here?" Kara asked, once she'd checked they weren't going to be overheard or seen – x-ray vision and superior hearing had its benefits.
"I just wanted to check in on my new favourite cousin," Kal-El replied simply, "and I happened to get wind of your friends needing help so... I helped."
"That's not… Look, it's nice to see you Kal, really, but you've been seen a lot more since Christmas – and not even in Central; reports from Gotham, Platinum Flats, Detroit and even Metropolis…" she listed off the cities she'd remembered reports of a Green hero that went through CatCo's system.
"I'm just helping out," Kal shrugged, but didn't meet Kara's eyes at this. She folded her arms, knowing she could be imposing on her older cousin; her this-world alternative was leader of the High Council on Krypton, after all. "Okay, fine… the truth is, I'm covering for a pal. Well, not so much covering as…" he sighed, obviously not sure how to explain what was going on. "Alan Scott, he was a Green Lantern like me who dealt with this sector until he was killed."
"Oh. I'm sorry, Kal," Kara didn't know what else to say as she softened her demeanour. She had not been expecting to hear of a death.
"We're not supposed to expose ourselves to the residents of planets like the earth – you know primitive planets – but the sector I've been covering are used to, and know, the Green Lantern Corps. I'm not that good at keeping myself hidden like Alan was and with all your heroes running around I figured no one would really care and so far, I was right. Hal Jordan used to cover this sector too, but he'd been relocated long before Alan died and is unavailable now… anyway, the point is," he sighed, ploughing on and finally taking a breath, "I'm looking for his replacement, scouring this planet for someone worthy of taking up his ring–"
"You think Wally or Jesse are up for the role?" Kara folded her arms again. This wasn't going to work out well. She couldn't picture Wally or Jesse wanting to become a Green Lantern. To be away from family and friends so often.
"No – you actually," Kal moved forward but Kara tightened her folded arms, defensive.
"Me?" Kara asked raising an eyebrow, but couldn't help but remember Kara Danvers's encounter with a Green Lantern when she was young. How he had told her she could become a Green Lantern one day… but that wasn't even her memory. She'd never pictured herself joining the Corp. She hadn't even believed the Prime Universe had a Corp until a few months prior.
"You have all the qualities the Green Lantern Corp could hope for in a member," Kal tried with a smile. "And if you did join we'd see a lot more of each other. Think of it; this would be your sector. You'd still be protecting Earth."
"Yeah… Look, I love seeing you, but I wouldn't make a good Green Lantern, Kal," Kara countered, surprised as he grinned to this.
"That's what my Kara said when Astra offered her the position…" Kal mused, wondering how alike his two cousins were. He would have to get them to meet someday.
"Astra was…?" Kara said confused. "What about Non?"
"Who's Non?' Kal asked. Kara grinned. Astra had never been with Non in this universe, it seemed. Meaning she'd never gone down the path that ended up in her locked up in Fort Rozz. It was all she could hope for.
"No one," she nevertheless pushed off the subject, but did want to know more while Kal was here. "So, Astra is a Green Lantern?" Kara now asked. She could see her Aunt taking the position to protect Krypton. It also meant she could possibly see her Aunt again.
"Until she died, yes," Kal stated, Kara feeling the pit of her stomach drop away. She pursed her lips now – she had asked too much. Kal knew to get away from the topic though as he went back on to his original idea. "My point is, you would be perfect. You protect this world so brilliantly as Power Girl, but you could have so much more… you could be so much more."
"No," Kara shook her head. "I like my life here, I like being Power Girl, having Barry, working for Cat…"
Kal chuckled despite this, but produced a small coin, he held it out to Kara who was hesitant. "If you change your mind, or if you ever need me… just squeeze that." Kara took the coin, curious now. "But please, think of my offer. I can't cover two sectors for much longer."
"Okay," Kara muttered. "It was nice seeing you again, Kal," she smiled as her cousin pulled her into a hug. She was momentarily surprised at the lack of strength in it, remembering embraces with her cousin in her memories of Superman, but she shrugged this off quickly and a moment later and they separated; he took a step back and vanished in a familiar green light.
-Present Day-
Power Man moved over to the unconscious Kara, but before he could make a move, he found himself flying away from the girl and crashing several feet away.
The Flash had arrived and he had hit Power Man. Hard. But this wasn't going to stop the creation from coming back to attack. "Flash. I'm so glad you could join us!" he called from afar, his chest glowing a bright blue as Barry wasted no time in running at him, anger fuelling his strike. But he found himself flying backward as a jet of blue energy emitted from the villain's chest.
Barry was back on his feet quickly though, wondering exactly how this anti-power heart of Power Man's worked and noticing Power Man was already ready to attack again as his chest glowed once more. He was quick. Barry stood in front of Kara protectively, ready to take on the man though.
"Get out of there!" Cisco shouted in Barry ear, but he ignored this as he moved, about to charge head-on into the beam of energy but something blocked his path.
For a moment, Barry wondered if the gathered crowd had finally stepped in, or if one of Joe's men or women had come in to help, but when the energy blast Power Man had directed was rebounded, Barry caught a glimpse of a woman, metal armour and long hair standing before him, her wrists together in the form of an 'x', a large bracelet on each wrist protecting their owner, almost as if this was a barrier between Power Man and The Flash.
"Get her out of here," the woman turned to look at Barry and he realised who had saved him. It was Wonder Woman. How did she exist on this Earth? He didn't obey though as he charged in front of her. He still only had eyes for Power Man. He had harmed Kara and he was going to pay.
Power Man charged, heading straight for Barry, but again, Wonder Woman intercepted, her shield now out, which the villain stuck at full force. A resulting clang was heard as, again, Power Man was rebounded by Wonder Woman, who this time grabbed Barry and thrust him unceremoniously at Kara's still-unconscious form.
"I said, get her out of here Allen," she stated, surprising Barry that she knew his identity.
"Listen to Xena," Cisco added suddenly in Barry's ear. "Get her back to STAR. We need to get her under the UV lights."
Barry didn't have to think this time, grabbing Kara's limp form and running as Wonder Woman distracted Power Man long enough for Barry to get away. Getting to STAR Labs mere seconds later he put Kara down on a temporary bed Caitlin had set up in the Cortex – the medbay wasn't large enough for three people and instantly Barry's mind was in the rebuild and restructuring Harry and Ray had mentioned. If he went ahead with this, STAR would need a proper medical facility, both for the Labs itself and for the Cortex. They'd have to find the space.
"Who was that?" Caitlin asked as she turned on the lamps around the bed, instantly moving over to a nearby monitor to check over Power Girl's vitals.
"Wonder Woman," Cisco stated before Barry could. "We came across her on Alien Earth that time Kara got her that-Earth's Kara's memories. There's a similar version on Karry Earth I met properly last month, but she looked physically different and her outfit was less… Amazonian-chic," Cisco stated in thought.
"That explains nothing, Cisco. Who is she though?" Caitlin now asked, insistent.
"Diana Prince," Barry voiced, letting Caitlin do her stuff as he glanced to a sleeping Powie, still by Jesse's bed. He was glad she was asleep – she would go nuts at Kara being unconscious and Kara was the only one to be able to truly calm her dog.
"Department of meta-human affairs, Diana?" Cisco asked, slightly shocked.
"Must be," Barry muttered. He hadn't had time to think about it while in the field of battle, but now he reflected it seemed obvious. Diana Prince and Wonder Woman were one and the same. He had suspected after coming across her on the other Earths, but had dismissed it until this moment, this Diana being different in her personality trait, and indeed appearance, to the other Wonder Women he had come across. "I had suspected for a while, I mean on the other Earths she had the same powers, somewhat similar looks, the same name – Diana – and even used Wonder Woman as a moniker…" Barry began.
"I don't want to hear about other Earths, Barry, I want to concentrate on this one, the one we're living on. Tell me, why hasn't she been out and about before this?" Caitlin cut Barry off, glancing to the doorway now as Barry and Cisco's eyes followed hers to see the woman in question framed there. "As Wonder Woman, I mean?" She wanted to hear it from Diana, not Barry.
"Because she wanted to keep a low profile," Diana stated in reply, not even explaining how she had got back so quickly. "I apologise," Diana added, still in her Wonder Woman outfit, "but Power Man got away."
"He literally vanished off satellite tracking," Cisco pointed out at this, having been monitoring the battle throughout the conversation.
"He mentioned a Maxi and a Xander before you got there," Caitlin changed tact slightly as eyes remained on Wonder Woman, who moved into the lab and up to the unconscious Kara. All three were hesitant, but given the fact that she'd just revealed her alter-ego to save Kara and Barry's life, it was hardly likely she wanted to harm the currently-weak Kryptonian.
Diana leaned into Kara and whispered something in the other woman's ears. Instantly Kara's eyes fluttered open as she blinked to see Diana over her.
"I know you… I fought White Martians with you." Kara mumbled confusedly as she looked at Diana, who seemed puzzled by this remark herself. It took Kara a moment to realize this was not the same Wonder Woman she had met, however. It was this world's Wonder Woman. "What happened?" Kara groaned, about to sit up but Diana kept her pinned to the spot.
"Barry and I saved you," Diana spoke up as Caitlin moved around to the monitor again.
"You're still very weak, Kara," Caitlin instructed. "You need time to recharge. Whatever Power Man had…"
Kara instantly felt useless, groaning to herself, but Barry was by her side and was crouching by the bed, keeping eye-level with her vehicle form "You're so strong," Barry said, kissing her cheek. "Sometimes everyone needs someone to save them. Don't feel bad." Kara smiled as Barry kissed her again before taking a careful sitting position on the bed. Diana released her surprisingly strong grip on Kara at that point, allowing the Kryptonian to sit up and lean into Barry, who put an arm around her shoulders. "We got to figure out what that stuff was."
"Kryptonite," Kara stated from Barry's shoulder, following Diana with her eyes now as the woman stood back to allow Kara to speak and Caitlin the chance to check her out properly. "A synthetic version of it though, as it's impossible to exist in this universe."
"How so?" Barry asked, curiously.
"Because Kryptonite are the fragments of my home world after it's destruction, eradiated by the dark forces of the universe in its travels from there to here. And as Krypton didn't explode…"
"It couldn't exist as Kryptonite here," Barry concluded with a nod.
"How did he create such a thing though?" Cisco now pointed out.
"He didn't," Kara groaned. "Maxwell Lord and Lex Luthor did. Or Xander Luthor as he's called here."
"Max's business partner," Diana spoke up. "I told you earlier he had new friends…"
"You've been here already?" Barry asked Diana, suddenly shocked.
"Alex and I needed to discuss final arrangements for her leaving," Diana sighed.
"Leaving?!" Kara stood in shock, and instantly regretted it. It felt like she'd been struck in the head with a Kryptonite mallet. Barry eased her back onto the bed.
"Indeed," Diana looked sombrely at Kara now. "ARGUS are opening up a small place in Platinum Flats and have asked her to run it."
"What about here though? Alex is the life and soul of ARGUS in Central," Kara stated, leaning back into Barry again to sooth her head. Barry bit his lip at this, wondering if he should tell the room about Harry and Ray's plans or wait until later.
"Lyla will find someone else," Diana shrugged. "ARGUS are never short of employees."
"Can we back-track a moment?" Caitlin suddenly spoke up, stopping Barry's chance of outing the new STAR Labs plans. "Diana. How…?" Caitlin indicated the outfit. "Wonder Woman?"
"Oh," Diana smiled politely. "I'm an immortal warrior from a magical and unexplored land."
"Right," Cisco now stated, not hiding his confusion. Diana sighed but smiled a little.
"Look up mysterious evens in World War Two," Diana instructed Cisco. "You'll find me. I helped the Justice Society in their heyday too, but moved on to help the world in other ways. I founded and headed the meta-human department. I've been retired as Wonder Woman for a few decades now, but when I saw the attack on Kara, here, I thought I'd dust off the old armour."
"That… well, that explains that," Caitlin stated, not hiding her shock as she exchanged glances with Cisco.
"How did you know my identity as Wonder Woman though?" Diana now asked Caitlin. "I've been retired since before any of you were born."
"We've met your alternatives. On two different Earths," Barry stated as he gently rubbed Kara's arm. "Wasn't a hard leap to you after that."
"Oh. Okay," Diana didn't quite know how to respond to this one, but figured it explained Kara's muttering earlier.
-PowerFlash-
The door to what was once Jesse's rec room before Harry brought their apartment burst open, the only occupant looked up in momentary surprise before melting back into her seat.
"You're leaving?" Kara demanded, leaning against the back of the nearest chair now and was followed by Powie and Wonder Woman. Alex Danvers blinked in confusion at Wonder Woman, but didn't address her as Powie started snarling at her mistress' friend. "Not now, Powie!" Kara snapped and Powie whined, knowing her mistress was upset and wanting to help.
"You need rest," Diana spoke from behind Kara as Powie bowed her head and slunk off to the nearest corner of the room, laying down forlornly as Kara leaned on the arm of a chair.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Alex stood up but Kara batted her away, still upset at her friend.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kara asked, kind-heartedly this time. "I thought we were…"
"Sisters? Friends?" Alex provided curiously, glancing at Wonder Woman again who nodded her head slowly, indicating she would address her appearance once this was over. Alex sighed, knowing how Kara could be at times. She looked like an adult, and mostly acted like it, but it had barely been a year since her creation, and it showed at time. This was one of those times and one of the reason Alex had not mentioned her leaving yet. Besides, she also knew with the memories Kara had from the other world, sometimes their relationship was unclear in her mind. "We're sisters on other worlds, Kara, but here…"
"We're still friends here," Kara implored, "and now you're going to throw that all away to move to Rao-knows-where?"
"That's not how friendship works," Alex responded, leaning forward in her own chair to reach out to Kara. "We'll always be friends, wherever I am, that will never stop, but I need a fresh start – I came here initially to make sure you were okay, and you are. I've done my bit, now you need to work away from me. You don't need me." Alex sighed. "If it makes it any better I was just figuring out how to tell you myself. I wanted you to hear it from me."
"It won't be the same," Kara pouted, meeting Alex's eyes at this, "you're always nearby. Even when I'm at work you're still in the same city."
"I'm not going too far," Alex pointed out smoothly, "Platinum Flats is only an hour or so south of here."
"Which is less than five minutes' flight," Diana spoke up, before confirming, "as Power Girl, not by airplane."
"Diana, what's up with the look?" Alex asked now as Kara sat back contemplatively.
"It's not a look," Diana sighed. "Kara was in danger, Quick and Silver were down and the Flash wasn't yet in Central. I was the only one who could help…"
"You mean you're a meta-human?" Alex stood at this one, waiting for an answer, not having expected that answer.
"Not exactly," Diana sighed, "I've lived for longer than you can contemplate, Alexandra, and have powers given to me by Zeus himself. But I was retired until this moment."
"Right…" Alex sighed, deciding not to question this as Kara looked to the exchange. "What happened?" She now addressed Kara too, knowing she had clearly missed something big and worried she had not been there to help. Clearly Kara had been hurt.
"Lex Luthor and Maxwell Lord," Kara sighed; Alex stiffened. She'd heard of Alien Earth's Lex Luthor's troubles with Superman and knew Lord's reputation from this world alone.
"It seems Lord Enterprises and Lu-Co. have teamed up to take down Power Girl and her friends," Diana voiced.
"Lu-Co.?" Kara addressed at the unfamiliar name. "That's Lex's company?"
"Alexander Luthor Senior's, actually," Diana provided, "he retired last year, his son took his place."
"Wonderful…" Kara muttered, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"What did they do though?" Alex asked Kara now.
"They made Kryptonite," Kara sighed. Alex held back at this as she simply muttered 'right' before standing and strolling pass the superhero duo and out of the door; Powie followed her from her spot on the floor as Kara and Diana exchanged glances before moving off after her.
Alex strolled into the Cortex, Barry, Caitlin and Cisco falling suddenly silent as she spoke: "I need information on Anti-Kryptonite devices."
"What?" Cisco and Caitlin asked in unison. Neither had heard of Kryptonite until today.
"Other earths. They're bound to have Anti-Kryptonian devices, able to stop Maxwell and Xander Luthor. I mean they deal with Kryptonite all the time. They must have found some way to counteract it." Kara had to smile at this; Alex was protective of her, sister or not. Maybe things wouldn't be different even with her in a different city, after all.
"It was a creation of Lord and Luthor's which had the Kryptonite, Alex," Kara stated, supported by Diana this time. The pair passed a confused Alex as Diana helped Kara back on the bed with the solar lamps. Power Man had drained her in a way Parasite never could. Powie had solemnly followed her mistress back into the room and whined again at seeing Kara so weak. She took position beside the bed. "I'll be fine Powie," Kara muttered, just able to reach her dog's scalp to stroke.
"So?" Alex asked. "It's using Kryptonite –"
"It isn't," Kara cut her friend off, "it's a synthetic Kryptonite, made by the duo to reverse my various abilities. Sort of like when Lord made Red Kryptonite on Alien Earth. It's Kryptonite but it is not Kryptonite. It mimics Kryptonite, but…"
"It may not be Kryptonite," Caitlin finished, Kara nodding to her. "It could be like bringing a broom to a chainsaw match – we being the ones with the broom, I mean."
"Meaning?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow, unsure of where they were going with this.
"Meaning using another Earth's Anti-Kryptonite devices could have no effect on this Anti-Power stuff," Caitlin surmised. "We need to do this on our own skill, with our own brains and our own ideas. We shouldn't need to trust on other worlds to help save our asses – they certainly don't for us. They don't ask for our help, and we've been good up until now."
"Well said," Ray Palmer was standing in the doorway, half-way in his Atom suit, looking impressed at his girlfriend's words. Caitlin momentarily blushed, but then paled at seeing him, grinning at his compliment. "Which is why we need to out-skill this Power Man."
"Out-skill?" Alex asked, a little lost now.
"Power Girl and The Flash against Power Man isn't even. We need more. This Power Man is stronger, better, more skilled… doesn't he have speed too?" he looked to Cisco at this.
"There was a detection of speed-force during Barry and Diana's confrontation," Cisco confirmed.
"Right. We need all the reinforcements we can get," Ray stated. "A team up."
"You're Raymond Palmer," Diana spoke, surprising Ray as he finally noticed her. Her look was familiar to him, but he couldn't place it yet.
"Yeah. Who are you?" Ray asked.
"Diana Prince. But I'm better known as Wonder Woman… many years previously I met a friend of yours. He was fond of you despite having left you in the future. It didn't make sense until now," Diana spoke.
"Rip Hunter," Ray sighed, knowing what this meant. "Time traveller," he confirmed for Diana.
She nodded. "A fine and upstanding gentleman, even if a bit…"
"Weird?" Ray joked. Diana smiled at this.
"Anyway, are you suggesting what I think you are?" Diana now asked.
"What's that, exactly?" Cisco asked, hand in the air so he wasn't ignored.
"Reform the Society," Ray and Diana said as one, making everyone look at them.
"Wait, what Society?" Barry asked confused.
"The Justice Society," Diana stated at this. "I mentioned it earlier."
"I thought it was the Justice League?" Barry responded, looking bewilderedly to Cisco and Caitlin at this. That was what it was called on Karry after all, and Barry had sort of liked that name.
"On other worlds, may be," Caitlin however responded, "but here it's The Justice Society, it seems. I like it," she smiled at her boyfriend, who moved over and pecked her on the cheek.
"Babe, your skin is like ice…" Ray muttered.
"Must be coming down with something," Caitlin waved him off quickly.
Meanwhile, Kara leaned in to Barry, who had taken up position on the bed next to her. "Should we tell them Mutant Earth has a Justice Society?" She asked him quietly so only he could hear; they had heard about it in their travels after all.
"No," Barry chuckled, shaking his head, remembering it now – he had blocked off a lot of memories from that Earth hop. "Let's not give our Cisco reason to think up a different name for it." Barry chuckled, but knew his friend might just consider other names if he knew another world had used it.
Ray moved away from Caitlin as she decidedly addressed the room, "The Flash, Wonder Woman and The Atom against Power Man?"
"If we're looking for numbers, what about that bat guy in Gotham?" Cisco pointed out, a weird smirk on his face.
"Bat guy?" Barry asked, never having heard of this from Cisco before; Ray looked to Vibe in confusion too.
"Seriously?" Cisco blinked in shock, "Never looked at the STAR Bulletin emails I send out once a month?"
"You have a bulletin?" Barry now asked, equally as shocked. "I never knew that."
"Forget that, what bat guy?" Kara interrupted, her voice a higher pitch than normal as she leaned into Barry. Barry put an arm around Kara feeling her unease for some reason and wanting to comfort her.
"He's a vigilante. Or at least I think he is. I think it's a guy, now I mention it… dresses as a bat, scares the baddies in the city… been going for a few years now. I could Vibe him here… Seriously though? You've never heard of him? I think Dick is a friend…"
"Nightwing?" Barry pulled a face and Kara chuckled at this reference.
"The point is, you need help, I could Vibe to Gotham, grab the bat and bring him back," Cisco sighed, trying his best not to slap Barry now.
"No," Kara spoke up before Barry could, eyes turning to look at her now.
"Cisco has a point and we do need more than Ray, Diana and myself…" Barry muttered now.
"I hate bats. Not too fond of birds either," Kara explained. "We never had creatures that could fly on Krypton, so to see them here…"
"But your memories are fake," Cisco pointed out, "and you were around before you got those memories too."
"They are not fake. They are from someone else's. Look, I just don't like bats okay? It's bad enough when I can see birds in the day, but shrieking black things in the dead of night… and a man to dress up as one? No. No way are we getting him involved." Kara stated forcefully. "Why did you think of this… Batman anyway? We don't know him. We don't know if he would be willing to help. If he can help."
"Oh, err, ever since Nightwing mentioned his friend I did some digging. Been following the bat for a while and mentioned him a few times in the Bulletin, which is why I was surprised you didn't know already," Cisco shrugged it off. They were clearly not going for this Bat vigilante.
"Bat-guy sounds like a dick anyway…" Barry added now, "which speaking of, Dick would be better. He does know us and owe us a favour."
"I don't think we can get Dick. He's a little busy." Cisco stated quickly now, taking Nightwing out of the equation.
"Moving on," Ray spoke up again. "Minus the Batman, we can still have Wonder Woman, The Flash and Atom – Martin and Jax are local so we can get Firestorm involved…"
"Power Girl too!" Kara stated quickly, next to Barry.
"No," Barry countered his own girlfriend, "you need to recharge. Your power-up button thing didn't last long, plus…" he glanced to Cisco who nodded, "you need to contact your cousin."
"Kal?" Kara asked, confused.
"His Green Lantern powers would be highly effective–"
"Especially since we have more trouble right now," Alex cut Barry off, handing her phone to Cisco who's eyes widened before he connected it to the monitors. All in the room turned their eyes to the computer screen now as he pulled up a snapshot of the alert Alex had received: Kara, only with long blonde air, dark grey skin-tight outfit and a black cape was hovering over the familiar, similarly dressed Power Man.
"They made the anti-us," Barry muttered angrily.
"Anti-you?" Diana asked raised eyebrow.
"Power Man… he's got the speed-force in him, hasn't he, as well as this anti-power/kryptonite heart and now they have this… bizarre version of Kara! I wonder what her powers are?" Barry stated.
"Bizzaro," Cisco pointed out, a finger in the air. "Bizarre-Kara… Bizzaro."
"Not your best," Kara smirked, remembering the Bizzaro from Alien Earth. How Cat Grant had named her with such similar determination. Weird how the universe worked. It seemed inevitable though that Maxwell Lord of this universe had made his own Bizzaro – he had made the Alien Earth version, after all.
"Okay, Diana, Ray and Barry, you need to stop these two as best you can. I'll get in contact with Firestorm, see if they can help. Kara, you focus on recharging and contacting your cousin while I'll scrounge up two teams to storm Lord Enterprises and Lu-Co to arrest both owners – we can stop this before it gets out of hand," Alex instructed all, surprised when Kara jumped off the bed and sped to her, wrapping her in a hug.
"I'm going to miss you," Kara muttered into Alex's ear, pulling away after a moment.
"And I, you," Alex stated, a faltering smile on her face as the breathed in, addressing the room. "Well Justice Society… time to get to work."
-PowerFlash-
Kara was surprised to find the table and chairs in the Gideon room, but shrugged them off as she moved over to the secret panel located in the wall opposite the entrance. She had put it in here that night, promising never to use it again – she didn't want to be a Green Lantern and didn't want to pull Kal out of his duties as one, but she needed him, and his powers, now more than ever.
The panel slid open and she grabbed the small coin. She had used her solar booster already to confront Alex, but that hadn't lasted, and solar exposure was taking it's time while Power Man's Parasite effect still reigned over her, but if she could claim the dead Lantern's ring, even for half an hour, she could have the power to stop him and Bizzaro, help the New Justice Society. She squeezed the coin.
Kara Zor-El… she heard Kal's voice in her head, faint but clear. It startled her for a moment before she grinned. It seemed this was how the coin worked.
I need you, cousin, she thought back. We all need you.
There was a flash of green light and Kal-El stood next to her in the room, she spinning to grin at him as he took her into a big hug, she grinning into the embrace and forgetting for a moment all of her troubles, her lack of powers. She was just Kara Zor-El with her cousin Kal-El. She was almost upset when he finally broke apart from her.
"Changed your mind?" Kal asked, a genuine smile on his face now.
"No… and yes," Kara stated. "We need your help. There's a powerful nemesis we need your help stopping. He drained me of my powers and I don't know if Atom, The Flash and Wonder Woman are enough."
"Wonder Woman?" Kal cocked his head. "Diana said she had retired."
"You knew…?" Kara blinked in confusion. How could Kal know Wonder Woman? He barely knew Earth.
"Only met her once, but I remember she was a power-house of forces, created by the Gods themselves – or at least god-like beings. So, what's the plan?" he folded his arms this time.
"This nemesis, he's calling himself Power Man and had an ally, Bizzaro. If she's anything like the Bizzaro another version of myself faced, she's literally an anti-Kryptonian, power-wise. Freeze-vision instead of heat-vision, fire-breath instead of freeze-breath, abilities to see through lead, you name it – and I wouldn't put it past her to have a Kryptonite heart too. Maxwell Lord and Xander Luthor would have found a way to shield her from its powers but not anyone else…"
"Sorry… Kryptonite heart?" Kal seemed a little lost, like Cisco and Caitlin, he'd not heard of the word before. He could hazard a guess as to its origin though.
"Not real Kryptonite, a synthetic version," Kara now rambled, not realising Kal was lost already. "Real Kryptonite doesn't really exist here. But this fake one…. It's why… why I'm so weak at the moment. Power Man drained my powers, his anti-power/Kryptonite heart made sure I wouldn't gain them back in time to stop him properly. I need the ring. The one from the dead Lantern. I need your powers to stop these two," Kara was insistent. She knew what she wanted, but she wasn't very delicate in asking for it.
"No," Kal stated, suddenly surprising Kara. "I cannot give you the ring for selfish needs."
"Selfish? How is wanting to protect my city, help my friends, and stop a bad guy selfish? It's actually the exact opposite. If I was being selfish and wanted to protect myself I would not go and let my friends do this one their own." Kara complained.
"But you have no intention of being a Green Lantern for life," Kal said. "You can't just take the ring and use it once and then throw it out."
"But you were offering it to me a few weeks back!" Kara complained, feeling agitated now. She didn't have her powers and Kal was denying her the alternative.
"Once you have that ring, you're a Lantern for life. You don't want that – you've made it clear," Kal explained, "but I can offer you my ring."
"Your ring? But your powers…" Kara felt suddenly winded.
"I haven't been drained by this Kryptonite-stuff. I take off this ring and I get Power Girl's powers. The ring and I are bonded so I can temporarily transfer my abilities to you. It's happened before. In fact, my Kara once used Astra's ring for similar purpose, without taking Astra's place, before suggesting me to the Corp, but back to topic… I always wanted to know what it felt like to be you. I've been curious of what it would be like to be the version of me you know from other worlds," he smirked at her.
"You don't," Kara sighed, "the moment I was free of Duplicate, and when my parallel stepped out of her pod… it's like a migraine of immeasurable proportions. You can see… everything, can hear everything and you could risk freezing or blowing something up with the sudden onslaught of power. It took Kara Danvers a whole teenage-hood to control her abilities and myself a hardcore month or so at a secret ARGUS facility gaining control of everything and even now…"
"Then you'll have to talk me through it," Kal stated defiantly. "You did say at Christmas I was a hero with these powers in alternative realities… this 'Superman' person."
"Yeah, but you were a baby when you – Kal!" Kal had removed his ring as she spoke and dropped it on the floor in front of himself. Kara cautiously picked up the metallic object. It was so small to give someone so much power… and yet Kal still had his Lantern uniform on.
"I'm…" Kal started, before wincing, a hand moving to his head; another to his eyes.
"Listen to my voice Kal. Concentrate on me." Kara insisted, all pretences gone now. Her cousin was getting the Kryptonian powers and she knew how that felt. "If you can harness your Lantern powers, you can do this." She had no choice but to back him up now as she placed a hand on her cousin's arm, a reassuring move Clark Kent has done to Kara when she had first had the ambush of powers all those year past. "Work through the pain, through the confusion, the voices, the x-ray vision and concentrate on me. You were born to be a hero… you can do this."
"Put… on… the ring!" Kal demanded, removing his hand from his eyes so as to look at Kara. His eyes were glowing but he wasn't striking out, wasn't hitting her with his new-found laser-vision. She could tell he was fighting the sudden need to give in to the powers too, to collapse into a pile and go mad.
Kara nodded as she placed the ring on her finger and suddenly gasped. She felt weak no longer. It felt different, odd but not unusual. Her Kryptonian powers may have dulled, but with the ring on they were gone; replaced by something different. She noticed her outfit hadn't changed, too – Kal had said about a temporary transfer or something, this must have been what it meant. She got the power, but they kept their uniforms.
"I'm good," Kal gasped suddenly, standing up again having indeed crumpled to his knees. Kara looked to him, unsure. "We can do this Kara," his voice sounded weak but she could see in his face that he had, somehow, gained control. He really was born to be a superhero. Whether it was Superman or Green Lantern this was his destiny. It would always be his destiny.
"Let's kick some Power-butt," Kara stated, a little cautiously.
-PowerFlash-
Barry, Diana, Ray, and Firestorm had gone to where Power Man and Bizzaro were causing chaos in the city.
"This city is under our protection!" Barry called, standing in front of the group of heroes on the ground while Ray and Firestorm floated overhead.
"Let's see if you can protect it," Power Man retorted, sending out a blast from his anti-power heart. The group scattered to dodge the blast. The Flash used this to distract Bizzaro as Firestorm blasted her from the air. Bizzaro let out a heat breath to counteract the blaze from Firestorm as Diana reached behind her, sword in hand, but Bizzaro barely felt the blade as she turned around, ready to fight the Amazonian woman.
Diana took flight just as Bizzaro leaped, fighting in the air, super-strength against super-strength. Diana threw Bizzaro away from her, and Firestorm hit her with another blast.
As Firestorm and Wonder Woman fought Bizzaro in the air, Atom and Barry took on Power Man on the ground. Barry and Power Man were running around each other; Power Man clearly a speedster, and Barry wondered how long it had been since Luthor and Lord created him, how they had got the speed-force. How had they made Bizzaro, come to think of it? Power Man was fast, on par with Barry already, who was still the fastest speedster in their group.
Ray had shrunken down to miniature and was on the back of Power Man, hoping he could disable whatever allowed Power Man to use his heart as a ray gun. He figured there had to be some type of mechanism to allow it, but it didn't seem so. Ray was thrown off Power Man and into the air, where he resized and shot an energy blast at the other man. Power Man took it with no problem and let off one of his shots at Ray this time.
Barry took the distraction, ready to punch Power Man right in the heart – the only way to take down this guy seemed to be to try to take out the anti-power, but when his hand met the man's chest, he felt a sharp pain and heard a crack. He was then pushed away by a sneering Power Man.
"Not going to take me out that easily," Power Man cried with a smirk, ready to attack the Flash but Ray let out more blasts.
"You okay?" Ray asked.
"I think I broke my hand!" Barry replied, cautiously flexing the hand. He was healing already. "I'll be good. Not out of this fight yet." He ran around Power Man, throwing out a lightning bolt at the villain, and Ray shot at him once more. Power Man seemed a little dinged, but was still fighting.
"This is going to be a long battle," Ray responded, the pair continuing to fight the man.
In the sky, Wonder Woman and Firestorm were having little luck with Bizzaro. They were keeping her at bay, but this one was hard to take down. They had ducked, dived and dodged attacks, almost as much as Bizzaro had – that was when a green light came about, grabbing the girl. They expected it to be Kal, but was surprised to see Kara using the ring. Kal was not far behind her though, and went to punch Bizzaro.
"Power Girl?" Firestorm asked, surprised.
"New and improved," Kara called. "We've got her," Kara added, with a smile.
"We could use Firestorm on this end," Alex voice was heard in the coms, and the fire meta was given a small nod from Kara before he flew away.
"Go help Flash and Atom. This is Kryptonian against anti-Kryptonian," Kara told Wonder Woman as she went back to battle her Bizzaro version. Kal had been punching Bizzaro as the three had talked; the two of them matching strength, but Kal seeming to be a bit stronger already.
Wonder Woman nodded as she went to help the two boys, letting the Kryptonians take the part. Kara used the ring, already knowing the basics. "Just think," Kal cried to Kara. "The ring will do what you want. Just image what you want it to do, and it will do it."
Kara thought, and out of the ring came what looked like a green fist – it was almost comical had it not had so much force in it as it hit into Bizzaro. "That's it!" Kal cheered with a smirk. "I got to say, I like this super-strength."
-PowerFlash-
Alex led the charge into Lord Enterprises. It was late, so the building was minimally staffed now, but she knew Maxwell worked late – after the Red Tornado incident, ARGUS had kept a close eye on the man, so she had gotten good intel on him, but had never officially met him. They stunned the security when they entered the building, indicating the team was to go quietly up the man's office; security had no choice but to let the organisation pass.
"Don't let the man talk," Alex told an agent as they moved up the stairwell, "arrest now, talk later, got it?"
"Yes, ma'am," came the reply.
"Firestorm has agreed to siege the Lu-Co building. Once Luthor and Lord are in custody, then they can both talk as much as they like. Ready?" They had reached Maxwell's office already, Alex indicating her team to take the other side of the door as they paused a moment.
She moved, kicking in the door as she and her officers stormed the large room. "This is ARGUS, keep your hands where…" Alex started, but stopped when it became glaringly obvious that the room was empty. "We're clear," she sighed to herself. "Check the rest of the building..." she turned to her team.
The other agents moved from the room, two staying with Alex as she sighed and lowered her gun, moving over to the desk, finding a laptop closed on the Formica. "Firestorm?" she reached to her coms device. "Report?"
The moment Kara and her Green Lantern cousin had turned up, Firestorm had flown to the Lu-Co building; the corporation didn't have lodgings in Central, with its main tower block several miles away in National City. He didn't have any agents with him either, as the journey to National took him mere seconds, while it would take even the best military helicopters a few minutes; and this needed to be dealt with quickly – they would come, but he needed to stop Luthor first.
Unlike Alex, Firestorm wasted no time in getting straight to the business owner's office, smashing through one the windows as he landed in the spacious room, taking in the décor momentarily before looking to the desk.
He's not here, Stein thought to Jax.
"Report?" Alex's voice came over the specially made coms in the meta's ear as Jax spoke aloud;
"Empty, Agent Danvers," Jax sighed.
Laptop, Jefferson, Stein added in Jax's mind, both turning to look at the desk where a laptop stood open. Cautiously, Firestorm moved over to it and opened it – with control not to melt it, of course.
"Something's happening," Alex's voice came on the intercom. "I have Lord's laptop and it seemed dead for a moment…"
"That would be us," Firestorm spoke. "Luthor left a laptop too… Hang on, are you getting this?"
Words appeared on the screen Firestorm was looking at. He had expected a recorded message or something more sinister from the man Alex had warned him about, but no, it was a simple message:
We will stop the alien and meta threats without you. Until next time. – Luthor and Lord.
"Did you get a message?" Alex asked back as Jax recited it back to her. "Same here… what would it mean?"
If I may…? Stein added in Firestorm's brain as Jax allowed the professor control. "Ms. Danvers, I do believe it means Team Power-Flash, and even the newly reformed Team Legends may have found a worthy adversary. Parasite, Power Man and even this Bizzaro creation will only be the first in a long line of Luthor and Lord creations…"
"Seriously? That old villainy tact? We can easily arrest the duo when they turn up –"
"If they turn back up," Stein still had control of Firestorm and he had already closed the message off and was looking through what he could on the computer. "Luthor and Lord have left the building. They've both left their companies to lesser colleagues on a temporary basis… it seems they've moved on to pastures new."
"In other words, they've gone underground," Alex sighed. "This has been a waste of time."
Unless this is a trap and they've planted a bomb in each building…? Jax now added in thought to Stein.
Oh, how cliché, Stein responded. As art-house theatre as that would be, I seriously doubt they'd destroy their own buildings just to prove a point. The money required for repair alone would take away from this little… project.
"Withdraw, then," Alex sighed, breaking up Firestorm's little monologue. "Meet back at base, or re-join the JSA battle. Up to you. This has been a dead end."
-PowerFlash-
Kal and Kara were still battling Bizzaro. Kara was getting the hang of the ring, and Kal his Kryptonian powers – although his aim with heat vision was a little off, but he had used freeze breath well. He seemed to like the strength the best, liking punching with it. Even if it seemed odd to be punching someone who looked just like Kara. Kara could almost see him in the blue and red of Superman, even though he was in the green and black of the Green Lantern.
"You know it's fun working with you," Kara said with a smiled as they continued to fight.
"I feel the same way, baby cuz," Kal said with a smirk.
On the ground Diana joining in against Power Man had help a lot. The strength and the skills of the Amazonian with Barry's speed and Ray suit was started to wear Power Man out. "Flash!" Wonder Woman called, holding up her sword and Barry knew what she wanted.
Ray was distracting Power Man at that moment. Barry ran off to get some speed behind him and came back with a punch, sending Power Man flying right toward Diana. As he was falling, unable to defend himself, Diana thrust the sword up, stabbed him right in the gut. Seconds later, Diana pulled the sword out, and the three heroes stood together, figuring they had won but Power Man started up to his feet, sheer determination in his battered and bloodied face. Blood was pouring out of his gut too, but the man looked ready to continue the fight.
"What the hell is he thing made of?!" Ray asked, not believing this guy was willing to continue to fight in his condition.
"I don't kn–" Barry stopped as a shimmer of light met his eye behind Power Man – a blue portal was opening! Was another world coming to help them in this battle? What world could come and help them though? The only one he knew with a Vibe was Mutant Earth, and their Vibe didn't seem to know how to open portals yet. Had he figured it out already?
His thoughts of alternative Flashes, Supergirls and Vibes joining in to help were dashed when a familiar zombie-like figure flew from the portal. "Oh no," Barry groaned as even Power Man turned to look at the distraction, "not now!"
"Flash… dead…" Black Flash cried, making eyes go to Barry as the figure sped towards them.
Barry was ready to run, figuring he would have to do this chase again and somehow escape, but he didn't have to. Black Flash took hold of a stunned Power Man and sped forward, opening another blue portal, the two disappearing as the portal closed behind them. The three glanced to one another, looking at where Power Man and Black Flash had disappeared from, no one sure what to say.
Barry was the one who finally broke the silence. "Did Zoom just help us?" He asked looking around at his two comrades.
"I think so man," Ray said, unsure himself about what had just happened, not even been let in on the true fate of Zoom or this Black Flash's connection to the second evil speedster.
Meanwhile in the air the two Kryptonians had taken a lead in their fight, none paying attention to what had happened below. Kara had a green energy force around Bizarro, trapping her in the green light. She was struggling though, making it hard for Kara to hold, but Kal was there in seconds, hitting Bizzaro.
"Let go!" Kal told Kara, and Kara dropped the green light. Kal took hold of the weakened Bizzaro and sped right towards the floor, throwing her against the pavement and then punching her again. She finally lost consciousness as Kara landed beside the pair, feeling sickened now at the damage she and Kal had inflicted on her double. Bizzaro's face was cracked, just like her Alien Earth counterpart, reminding Kara of a delicate porcelain doll, forever broken.
"Nice job Kal," Kara said however, pulling his attention away from the other girl.
"You too, cousin," Kal said, standing up now and looking to her. "Are you sure you don't want the ring? We make a great team."
"We always have," Kara said, hugging him and kissing his cheek. "You sure you can't just transfer here full time?"
"I could, but it would mean leaving Krypton," Kal said cautiously, and Kara decided not to say anything about that. She couldn't ask her cousin to leave his home planet permanently. "What do I do with her?" Kal picked up Bizzaro as he asked this.
"I'll take her," Diana said, and Kal nodded, giving the woman over to Diana. "It's nice to see you again," Diana winked at Kal as she flew away with Bizzaro.
Kal watched her go as Kara noticed Barry, standing still and staring into space – he was still looking at where the second portal had been, but she hadn't noticed its appearance, so didn't know. She and Ray switched positions though; Atom going to talk to Kal, while Kara moved to Barry cautiously.
"This was a win, you know?" Kara said, slipping her hand in his. Barry just nodded. "What's wrong?" Kara could sense his mind racing, his thoughts wandering.
"For so long I have worked alone," Barry said quietly now. "Two whole years struggling on my own. The Flash verses the world… Why didn't we do this before? Why did we not make a team before?"
"You didn't have Wonder Woman before," Kara pointed out, "or Kal… or me," she leaned into him at this, a little playful.
"I did have Atom, Firestorm and Green Arrow though," Barry finally looked around to her, their hands still clasped together. "There are so many more out there, too," he shook his head. "We were just so… stubborn – our city, our problem. We didn't want to ask for help. We did not want a team, but I look at Karry Universe and from what you said and what I saw, their League is a well-oiled machine. I see Mutant Earth, with their own Justice Society – I'd forgotten that until you mentioned it earlier, you know. Even Alien Earth's Supergirl works with the DEO and her own cousin, and now Flash and Kid Flash are there. The same with SuperEarth with the DEO and Astra."
"What are you getting at?" Kara sighed, moving in front of him, so they were face-to-face.
"We're far behind them. We need to catch up." Barry sighed.
"We will." Kara leaned in, their foreheads meeting for a moment as Barry chuckled. She leaned in to kiss him properly. They had learned a lot from their Earth hopping, and Barry had learned more than he had ever suspected, wanted more than he ever realized. This was a new beginning though. He was done with the solo act.
-PowerFlash-
She didn't want to take off the ring, but knew Kal needed it back. The power of the Lantern Corp had been incredible, overwhelming almost, and had helped stop Bizzaro, and even Power Man in the end, but all things had an end, and she needed to give Kal her final thoughts to his offer, after all.
They arrived back at STAR Labs first, entering the Cortex together. Kara reluctantly removed the ring, instantly feeling her temporary powers drain as she passed it silently back to her cousin, who was more than thankful to put it on as they both stopped in the entrance of the Cortex. Iris was there, with a familiar brunette. Kara couldn't place where she'd seen the woman before, but by the look of annoyance on Cisco's face, it was clear she wasn't exactly welcome.
"Miss West?" Kara asked, keeping up a pretence as she moved over to her friend. "What do we owe this pleasure?"
"You can drop the act, Miss Wells," the brunette spoke before Iris could; the latter having an anguished look on her face. "Lois Lane, Daily Planet – I'm here to talk to your friend," she glanced over the shocked Kara's shoulder to Kal-El behind her. "If I may…?" she added, moving passed Kara anyway, to a slightly shocked Kal, who felt suddenly ambushed as Lois, pen and paper ready, "Lois Lane, Daily Planet." She reintroduced herself. "So, what do you go by?"
"Kal-El, of the house of El," Kal said, a little confused as to what was going on. He'd never been interviewed before. "But I am a Green Lantern if that's what you mean?"
"Green Lantern. Hmmm. Not a bad name. How do you have these powers?" Lois asked, clearly in reporter mode, not noticing Kal's confusion.
"I was chosen by the Green Lantern Corp.," Kal said, deciding to go with fact as he added on a more personal note, "and may I say, I have been to many planets and many places and even on my home world I have seen very few women as beautiful as you."
"Oh… well…" Lois was taken aback as she looked up with a smile, finally noticing the man herself. "You're not bad looking too." She had to admit, Kal was a handsome man, and it had been a while since she had allowed another man to grab her affections. Ever since Richard White, she had made walls that she hadn't dropped for anyone. Her mind was having trouble coming up with another question now, though. "So, um… what was…? Oh yeah, home world. You're an alien?"
"A Kryptonian," Kal answered.
"You look human," Lois said, getting back on track.
"My species were around first. You look Kryptonian," Kal countered with a small smirk. "So, Lois Lane, Daily Planet. Tell me a little about you. It's only fair since you were asking about me…" Lois smiled.
Meanwhile Kara had taken Iris aside, keeping an eye on the two. "Iris?" Kara asked warningly.
"I'm sorry, Kara. Cat threw her on me this morning, and idol or not, she's a bit high-maintenance," Iris sighed.
"How did she know who I was?" Kara asked stunned. "Did you tell her?"
"No, I didn't know she knew until she said it," Iris said. "I was just as surprised as you – honest."
Kara looked at Iris and knew she was telling the truth, but then she smirked. "She's Lois Lane. She doesn't need a reason," Kara said.
"But this is good, right? Kal-El and Lois Lane… Lois and Clark?" Iris said, having heard of the other world.
"He's not Clark Kent in this universe – he barely knows human customs, let alone… that stuff," Kara glanced back at the pair who seemed to be heavily flirting with each other now
"You have a son?" Kal was enquiring with a smile. "I always wanted children, but never found the time."
"He's a great boy," Lois replied, and Kara couldn't help but smile as she heard this.
"Maybe Lois and Kal are meant for each other," she sighed to herself with a smile, seeing the instant chemistry as Iris giggled at this.
A red blur announced the arrival of Barry; he barely had time to register the oddity of an unfamiliar face in base before Cisco jumped at him and dragged him over to Caitlin, still looking over the unconscious Wally and Jesse.
"How are they?" Kara sighed, deciding to move pass the oddity that was Lois and Kal and directing her attention at the sleeping speedsters. Powie lay by Jesse's feet, but was awake, glaring at Lois from her spot but for once, not growling. Kara smirked at her pet. Maybe she was finally calming down?
"The same as earlier. I haven't really had the chance, what with Lois…" Iris began.
"It's fine," Kara pulled Iris into an impromptu hug, both stressed over injured siblings, "they'll pull through, and I'm sorry…" she released Iris from the hug, "I reacted badly to Lois. I should have known, Cat did ask me about Kal yesterday but I didn't give her any information."
"Where were you today? I had to cover you like you did for me yesterday…" Iris muttered.
"I had your stomach bug," Kara winked. "I needed time away from the office, I knew Cat wouldn't give me the day off so it seemed a good solution."
"Lucky Lois was around, or else Cat would have been fuming. Be careful tomorrow." Iris muttered as Kara nodded.
In the meantime, Barry, Caitlin and Cisco had been in discussion. Barry had told them Harry and Ray's offer earlier and Caitlin and Cisco had seemed dubious at first, but now they'd had time to process and discuss it amongst themselves, they knew what they wanted to do. Barry had to take the lead though; the building was his after all.
"Harry?" Barry called to the man, who had greeted Ray and Diana's return as Firestorm separated in the entrance and Stein moved off to talk to Alex before Jax could even get his balance.
"Allen," Harry smiled pleasantly at the trio; Caitlin and Cisco just behind Barry.
"We want to do it," Barry stated simply. "Re-open STAR with yours and Ray's plans."
"But we need pay rises," Cisco spoke up, "and Caitlin needs a nurse or something."
"If I'm dealing with Team Power-Flash and the JSA now, the medical wing needs expanding and I need someone else to help take off the stress; especially if I'm not around to treat others," Caitlin stated, not quite meeting Harry's eye.
"Deal." Harry smiled widely. "STAR will need a medical facility regardless. I shall talk to Mr. Palmer now. Get the ball rolling."
-PowerFlash-
Oliver Queen had caught the team-up on the television while still in his office. Even if they had asked he wouldn't have been able to help this time around – he had been the Mayor of Starling for almost a year now and the good news kept on coming… Diggle was free. It had been stressful, what with John giving in to his own guilt at being broken out by Olly, but for once the law had worked in their favour. Military corruption had been the main contender in the trial and now all corners of the military were being subjugated for such acts of misconception.
Nevertheless, Olly felt the need to train now. To release some pressure. He had headed to the Arrow HQ below the very building he worked in, his mind still on Diggle's trial, when he stopped, feeling winded.
A woman stood alone, her back facing him as she looked at the mannequins holding the various suits of Team Arrow – old and new. She must have heard him as she turned her blonde head to look at him, smiling.
"Hi Olly," was all she needed to say.
"Laurel," Oliver breathed, barely believing his luck as her face fell at the name and something clicked in his head. Laurel was dead. They couldn't bring her back. Which meant… "Dinah?" he corrected himself, remembering the clone Quentin had made in which he had helped bestow memories on.
"Yeah," she sighed. "Only…"
"What?" Oliver asked, all pretences gone as he moved over to the woman, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Something was up. He may not know Dinah, but he knew her face and he knew when something was troubling that face.
"How do you do it?" Dinah asked, not meeting Oliver's eyes as she spoke.
"Do what?" Olly tried to grasp at straws.
"The whole dual-identity thing. How do you be Oliver Queen, the Mayor of Starling, and the Green Arrow all in one day?" she asked.
"I… I just do. I don't know, I have experience. Five years of it, sort of. Why?" He was generally concerned for the woman.
"This whole Dinah/Laurel business," she pulled away from his grasp. "I don't know where to draw the line… where Laurel ends and Dinah should begin."
"I'm not following?" Oliver tried, not understanding what she meant.
"My memories, the ones you, Sara, Thea, Nyssa and dad gave me. Recently… my mind's been reversing them, been confusing them from a perspective I never had, I shouldn't have," This time she looked at Olly, but her look was torturous.
"You're getting Laurel's memories?" Olly concluded.
"No, of course not, they're gone where no-one can claim them, but at the same time… It's difficult to process, the images of yourself from someone else's perspective so my mind'svbeen concocting self-perspectives, my own thoughts and feelings to what I've been told I went through like…" she stared into Oliver's eyes at this point, "our first date – or, rather, Laurel and yours. I see it from her perspective now, I feel her nerves, her worries. Was the dress good? How much should I drink? Would we kiss at the end of it…?"
"Dinah… that was over ten years ago," Oliver pointed out.
"I know, but it feels so real, it feels like I'm her, that she's me and I don't want to fight it. I can't fight it. I was destined to… I don't know, to be her, from the moment you gave me those memories. The human mind…" she waved her hand in an excuse, not wanting to waft on.
"So, what, you want to be her now?" Oliver stiffened at this, "you want Laurel not to be dead, to be her, because –"
"I know, Oliver, she's dead. I'm not her. I'm meant to be her long-lost twin after all, but I can't be Dinah Lance any more. I honestly can't. I must be true to who I am, to what you all made me. I have to be Laurel Lance," the newly-titled Laurel groaned.
"I'm not stopping you," Olly stated simply. "But, what do your mom and dad think? Quentin and the Dinah Senior?"
"Like I'm their daughter returned from the dead. It happened with Sara, why not me – her," Laurel muttered, glancing down now in worry. "It's not healthy for them."
"It's their coping mechanism though," Oliver muttered, Laurel chancing a glance to him. "It may be unhealthy, but if it's keeping them happy…"
"I suppose," Laurel sighed.
"Why come here though? Why travel half-way across America just to ask me how I handle identities?" Oliver now asked, but Laurel turned from him instead, to look at the mannequin holding the original Laurel's Black Canary outfit
"How did she handle the buckles?" Laurel chuckled, Oliver raising his eyebrows, silent. "I took that from her too. The Black Canary, I mean. Mom made me a new outfit though, more… colorful and less, dominatrix compared to this but still… Oliver, I'm leaving," she turned to Oliver, he shaking his head suddenly as if to bat away flies. "Sara, Alex and myself, we've agreed. ARGUS wants to set up shop outside of Starling and Central; there's a new-ish city in California – Platinum Flats – and we're thinking of going there."
"Okay…?" Oliver stated, a little unsure of what was expected of him. "And why tell me face-to-face?"
"Because… god this sounds stupid," Laurel forced herself to move closer to Olly now, to look him in the eye as she said this. "Because I love you, Oliver Queen, and I needed to know, before I made this decision… what should I do?"
Oliver couldn't deny he wasn't shocked by this outcry, but she had mentioned his and Laurel's first date, he should have seen this coming, and he oddly had his answer prepared for her. "You need time to be you before you let anyone else into your life, Laurel Lance," it was weird saying it, but he supposed he had to get used to calling her that now, "especially a guy who made the worst possible boyfriend for both your namesake, and Felicity Smoak."
"So, you don't…?" Laurel tried to keep herself poised at this.
"I'm not saying that. I'm saying you should go to Platinum Flats, find your Laurel Lance and Black Canary before you jump at other chances. It would do you good," he moved a hand to her chin as he spoke, and as she smiled ever so slightly at this, he leaned in and kissed her. Just a peck on the lips but it was enough, and it was familiar to him. It was nice, even. He pulled back. "If you want my blessing, you have it, Miss Lance – and so does Sara," he gave her a wink at this. "I can't wait to see you two kicking ass on the news. Hell, maybe I can even work it into a speech for the city."
"I'd like that." Laurel smiled. "And thanks… for everything. Say hi to Felicity and Thea for me..."
-PowerFlash-
Jesse's eyes fluttered open. She felt like she'd been hit by a truck and then run over by a bulldozer, and was somehow still alive. She moved her head slightly and regretted it as sharp white pain shot through her neck and straight to her brain, causing herself to cry out. There was movement and through the haze she could just make out Kara and Harry looking down at her.
"Vitals are still steady," Caitlin's voice could be heard. "The speed-force is kicking in. It will take time, like when Zoom broke Barry's back but she'll be fine."
"What about Wally?" Joe's voice could be heard, and Jesse could make him out in her peripheral vision.
"He got a more bigger blast of Parasite's radiation, but he's improving," Caitlin responded.
"He'll be fine dad, I know it," Iris's voice punctuated the conversation.
"Jesse?" Harry now added. "Honey?"
"Dad…" Jesse croaked. With every waking moment things were getting clearer and the pain was subsiding.
"My Jesse Quick," Harry added; she could hear him tearing up.
"Please don't, dad… I'm… good," Jesse turned her head to see him properly and he smiled a watery smile as Kara stood off just behind him. "Did we stop Parasite?"
Kara and Harry chuckled as Jesse moved to positon herself on her elbows, to get a better look at her small family. She cautiously turned her head to look out of the glass pane to see the Cortex and frowned. It looked busy in there. Cisco and Stein seemed to be working quietly on the computers but Alex and Lyla were in deep discussion with Ray Palmer, with a woman who looked like Xena joining in. She also recognised Kara's cousin, in his green outfit, talking animatedly to a woman with brown hair. Her attention was pulled back to her dad and sister. "What happened?"
"Maxwell Lord and Lex Luthor," Kara explained. She had told Jesse of her parallel life, all she knew about the people Superman had faced off and Lex Luthor had been mentioned more than once. Jesse groaned. "They got away, their experiments put up a fight but The Justice Society stopped them."
"Justice Society?" Jesse dropped down to her bed and saw Iris and Joe sitting by Wally's bed, listening in.
"A team up, bigger than Team Power-Flash. 'Protectors of this world' sort of thing," Kara explained, taking a perch on Jesse's bed as Harry took up position next to Jesse on the only chair there.
"Sounds cool. Who was in the team besides yourself, Kal and Xena out there?" Jesse smirked.
"Xena is actually Diana Prince. That woman from the department of meta-human affairs," Harry pointed out.
"Seriously?" Jesse looked to her dad now. "You're pulling me."
"No. She's some sort of powerful immortal made by even more powerful beings. A pre-meta-human, maybe. I want to find out more but the situation is tricky," Harry muttered.
"Because she doesn't want to give him a blood sample," Kara supplied with a chuckle. Harry rolled his eyes at Kara, but Jesse laughed. She was feeling so much better now – the speed-force really was healing her up from Parasite's attack. "And Ray, Firestorm and Barry helped the Justice Society," Kara added in afterthought to Jesse's earlier question.
"Hey, where's Powie? Where's Barry come to think of it?" Jesse asked, suddenly slightly worried for her sister's pet and boyfriend.
"Running laps in the pipeline. Barry needs to cool down and thought it would do Powie some good," Kara stated. "After the way Powie's been…"
"I know what's up with her," Jesse pointed out quickly. She'd been thinking about it since the dog had blown up the couch the other night and had come to a conclusion.
"Cat said I needed to talk to a vet and Powie would need regular check-ups…?" Kara supplied.
"She's pregnant, Kara," Jesse sighed. "Powie's pregnant."
"What?!" Kara jumped from the bed at this. "How?"
"Don't tell me we need to tell you about the birds and the bees?" Harry said with a laugh.
"Oh, someone already took care of that," Caitlin said from her spot, a little glint in her eyes. She had not been told exactly why Kara went Earth hopping last month, but it hadn't been hard to find out – especially since it was her idea in the first place to look up a different Kara for advice. Kara gave Caitlin a little glare.
"I mean… how could she be pregnant?" Kara continued forcefully. "She hasn't been near any dogs and we have no idea if a human dog and her would be compatible," but as she talked her mind was turning. "Oh… wait… no…"
"Krypto's the father," Jesse pointed out, seeing Kara's mind turning as she concluded herself, getting a little annoyed with how long it was taking Kara to get to the only possible answer. "You said they'd been close. Well, they got really close too. She's feeling protective over those she loves, and herself, because she doesn't want harm to come to any of them."
"But…" Kara started.
"You were the one to go there for sex tips, sis – it seems Powie and Krypto already knew what to do," Jesse pointed out with a smirk.
"Wait, what? Sex tips?' Harry asked, not having been let in on this.
Kara sighed as she sat back on the bed, ignoring her adoptive father. "Great…! Well, at least Kal's here. He can take her back to Krypton to get the regular check-ups required as I doubt any of Earth's machines can x-ray a Kryptonian's skin. I know nothing could on Karry Earth for their Kara. She said it was a surprise."
"We'll get through this," Harry sighed, pushing aside his shock and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Although… Kryptonian puppies."
Kara smirked now. "Puppies," she muttered happily to herself as Powie and Barry came in. Powie looked tired as she came up to Kara. "You're going to be a mommy!" Kara hugged her dog, but made sure to be careful. Karry Kara's powers were interrupted due to the pregnancy, so it was a good bet that Powie's would be too.
"Wait, what?" Barry asked. "She's… but…. Krypto." Barry sighed, coning to the conclusion much faster than Kara had. Jesse, Harry and Caitlin chuckled at this.
-PowerFlash-
It was a few months later and Sara was patrolling the streets of Platinum Flats alone. She in fact had the northern sector while Laurel, or rather her clone – Sara had to remind herself – took the western; Alex had the south and east, being the leader of this ARGUS operation. They really needed more members, but they were doing okay as a recently-started operation.
It was weird, being in a whole other city after uprooting from Starling and then Central, but she needed this. They all needed it. Laurel for an identity, herself for the freedom away from previous responsibilities and Alex for a fresh start – hell, even Winn had joined them to just get away from it all. Still, they hadn't gained the city's trust yet, unlike their previous homes, but there was time. They'd only been in the Flat's for a few months and it had taken The Flash almost a year to gain Central's trust, and the Arrow even longer for Starling.
It was a quiet night, at least for her sector – Winn was quiet on the communicator, and she suspected distracted with a TV show or chatting up his new man – but this wasn't for long. A familiar blue rip in the fabric of space opened in front of her, and Sara sighed as she waited for Cisco to come through, wondering if this was Vibe's new way of instant transportation.
She was shocked, however, when a different man appeared. He was lank, tanned, had short cropped hair and the hint of stubble; what was more, he was dressed casually and wore no goggles like Vibe – although there was a resemblance.
"White Canary?" The man asked.
"Dante?" Sara tried. She'd never met Cisco's brother, but had heard he was back in Central. Maybe Cisco and his brother were playing games with her?
"Dant...? No, I am not my uncle," the man replied sharply, causing Sara to do a double-take. "You may call me Echo and I need your help."
"Oh no, I've been through this routine before," Sara held up her hands, "a time-traveller came to recruit me and when push came to shove, he abandoned me for a new team. I'm not going to be put through the wringer again." She moved her bo staff threateningly.
"Not even if the universe is at stake?" Echo asked. "One mission, Sara Lance and that's it. All I ask."
"How do you know my name?" Sara countered sharply.
"I know a lot, Miss. Lance and I know you. You won't back away from a fight – it's in your blood. Ever since the League of Assassins took you in," Echo stated.
"What are the stakes?" Sara asked, not even trying to find out how this man knew her history.
"The Multiverse."
To be continued in… Sliders: A Millma Verse Mission.
POWER GIRL AND THE FLASH WILL RETURN.
And that's it. The end of this season. It's taken a long time to get here, but I hope the pay-off was good for you all!
I'm not doing proper footnotes to this story like I did for SuperEarth, but I do feel I need to address two issues here and now to clear up the timeline and make reading this posthumously a bit easier so, without further ado…
Power Girl and The Flash Mini-Footnotes.
Timeline – to get an idea of this story, from the beginning all the way to this end, please read between the four stories (SuperEarth, Super Double Karry Universe and Power Girl and The Flash) and the two main shows as such…
01. Supergirl – the episode 'Worlds Finest' (season 1, episode 18).
02. SuperEarth – all 3 chapters.
03. Super Double – all 6 chapters.
04. The Flash – the latter half of season 2, from 'Verses Zoom' (episode 18) to 'The Race of His Life' (the finale).
05. Power Girl – Chapters 1 through to 12.
06. Karry Universe – Chapter 51 (When Worlds Collide).
07. Power Girl – Chapters 13 through to 19.
08. Karry Universe – Chapter 65 (Together Again).
09. Power Girl – Chapters 20 and 21 (the finale).
10. Karry Universe – Chapter 73 (Puppy Round Up).
Of course, I hope that Power Girl and The Flash is accessible without looking to other stories and the main show, but to get the full experience, this above guide helps.
Also, the actual timeline of the story… Without plotting out exact dates, most of Power Girl is set in 2016 (the first episode is set directly after the season 2 finale, as an example), with the last 'episode' of the year being Green Christmas, set December 24th 2016. After that we move into 2017, with the last scene of this story specifically set in August 2017.
I hope you've enjoyed this story. Please review your opinions and thoughts on how to make the next story even better, and remember to like mine and CharmedMillie – Karry Master's Facebook page, mentioned at the start of the story!
Sigma out!