Chapter 3
Po'Darro flew his thirty-man vessel, She Ah Vog, into the void near a planet called Gaia. It orbited around the blue world for nearly a day as the navigator, Vo Dax, calculated the size of the portal into the Speed Force. With a few button combinations on his control panel, the Captain created an anomaly in the universe, a gateway that would allow his ship to slip into the Speed Force. The gaping hole opened approximately two thousand miles from Gaia, and the anomaly grew three times larger than the ship; its space on the other side had an orange glow that Po watched closely, and then asked Vo Dax, his younger brother, about the energy's stability.
"Will the gateway hold, Vo Dax?" Po asked as he watched the entity closely. He looked worried because he knew the only way to save his Momma was with the She Ah Vog. The temporal steel on the hull of the ship was the only alloy that could take the pressure of the Speed Force. If the gateway collapsed around the ship, the mission would come to a halt, and saving his Momma would be futile because all the Trilobites would die instantly.
"It will," he said calmly. He walked over to his older brother, and then said, "The She Ah Vog is of your design, and I trust in your knowledge of shipbuilding. We will survive this."
Vo Dax watched Gaia out the window of the ship, and its blue and green glow filled him with joy. He knew Gaia to be the planet where Ptah dropped off the species of Huemonds years earlier; he wanted them to grow strong and become the people the gods dreamed they could be.
"It's such a beautiful planet," Vo Dax said with a smile. "The primitive creatures have almost all died off, and now the Huemonds crawl out of its oceans onto the land to create a new race that will one day take to the stars."
Po sat in his command chair while his sister, Bri Ogden La, stood in front of him ordering the Trilobites throughout the vessel to prepare to enter the Speed Force. She wore a red robe that had a hood on it, and she stood approximately five feet seven inches in height. Most of the Trilobites were less than four feet tall. "Get on point, Vo," Bri Ogden La said, "We all think Gaia is beautiful, but we're preparing to enter the Speed Force."
"I'm ready," Vo said, "Let's do this!"
"Prepare the Trilobites to enter into the Speed Force," Po'Darro ordered.
"Crew, prepare to enter into the Speed Force," she said in her communicator. "She ah vog!" When she said, "She Ah Vog" she was saying "For mother" in the ancient language of the gods as well as the name of the vessel.
"If we die on this mission, then we die for our mother," Po'Darro said, "She ah vog!" He sat back in his command chair, and then said, "Take her into the Speed Force, brother."
"Yes, sir," Vo said.
When the She Ah Vog entered the mysterious Speed Force, the ship began to rattle as the orange glow encompassed the spacecraft. But when it came to Po's vessel, he knew it could take the change in planes. Suddenly, the ship jolted to the right and the occupants flew to the left. It happened so fast that it caught Po off guard, and then once the orange glow engulfed the entire ship, grogginess overtook the crew. "What's happening?" Po asked. "Are not Orion's calculations correct?" The Captain fell onto the ground and tried his best to stay awake, but the change in dimensions was too much for him.
The Phantom appeared hovering over Gaia, and Orion sat at the helm of the ship in her humanoid form. With the technology Ptah built her in the early days, she could download her conscience into a robotic life form or assume a holographic image of her former self. She watched the She Ah Vog as it entered into the Speed Force, and when the ship entered on the celestial plane, the Great Mother walked up behind her as she sat in the command chair. The Great Mother was in her natural form, the form of a Gorgon: snake hair and green skin. Orion sat in the command chair in her holographic form, and her disc was attached to the chest of the hologram. The Great Mother placed her right hand on Orion's shoulder as they watched Po's ship entering the Speed Force.
"You're feeling a certain way, but it's the only solution, Orion," the Great Mother said softly. "If Ptah found out he had children with Ro'Dan, he'd have to kill them. Only gods can have children with gods. It's the law. With them trapped inside the Speed Force, we never have to worry about him finding out about his unwanted offspring."
Orion-in her holographic form of a woman-walked across the room with her arms crossed. She looked down at the floor for a moment and then said, "I love those kids, mother, and to trap them in the Speed Force is just plain wrong. The guilt I feel for giving them bogus entry codes is killing me. Essentially, they are my kids and I betrayed them."
"Agreed. But we're of the rank of the gods," she said calmly, "The children of Ro'Dan can't exist in the realm of the gods. If not for your interference, Ptah would've found out about his offspring. You did the right thing because if he'd killed those kids, it would have hurt you beyond healing. This is the right course of action."
"What else could I've done?" She asked. "My mind is weakened from his constant mental attacks. If not for his mistress on Thanagar, I would not be able to withstand the power of his mind. Po, Vo, and Bri are my children, and I'd be damned if I let him execute them. Hiding them within the Speed Force is my only option because once he returns, no amount of trickery will stop his prying mind. If they are in the Speed Force, he can't reach them."
"You could just download your mind into a woman of his choosing, and allow him to elevate you to the level of a god," she said, "Why do you resist this?"
"I love Ptah, Mother," she said calmly, "But my need for his approval has passed. I have no desire to rule from the Celestial Kingdom by his side."
"So, you're planning on leaving once we have the Kryptonian problem solve?" The Great Mother asked.
She laughed for a moment. "That's the funny part. I'll never leave Ptah. I love him with all my heart, but he can never settle for me. He takes my mind from the Neuronet, and places it in different women throughout the universe. It's appalling. I will serve him until this shell rust, but he can never have me, only a cheap copy."
Current Time
Pump energized the clubs, activated a new police task force, and opened doors for a new wave of street chemists. After the Guardian obliterated the monster in Little Africa, the people on that side of town quickly picked up the loose vials of the drug and analyzed them at National City University (NCU). Each vial of the dangerous substance came with a digital breakdown of the foreign substance that the chemist followed to the letter; it was so easy to discern that anybody with a basic understanding of chemistry could make the dangerous substance. James had a vial of the drug with him when he arrived at the warehouse across from JJ's apartment. He placed the white substance into an analyzer that he retrieved from the DEO. It allowed for him to scrutinize the substance to see the ingredients. When he analyzed the drug, It placed a unique schematic of the chemical breakdown on the screen, and he knew within a matter of days, the production of the substance would began.
JJ stood on the other side of the room upgrading Vera's suit while James continued to study the drug. When he looked back at the young kid, he said, "This drug will change the face of society. It's worse than crack and heroin combined."
When JJ looked at the chemical breakdown on the screen, he pointed to one of the carbon atoms, and then said, "Change this molecule to a hydrogen and it gives the user the high and the lactation, but makes it virtually impossible to overdose on the substance. This way it becomes a party drug without a high rate of deaths."
"But you're saying there will be deaths?" James asked with a scowl on his visage.
"With the excessive lactation in both men and women and alcohol consumption-and the dancing, I suspect some will die of dehydration," he said, "The drug causes a deep, uncontrolled euphoria that last about eight hours."
Later in the day…
James took the chemical composition for the new drug and gave it to Winn to put on the dark web. He splattered the ingredients all over the web with JJ's warning about the possibility of dehydration and within weeks, people were getting the best high of their lives without overdosing. When it came to the Pump, he knew he couldn't stop the spread of the drug throughout the world, but he thought he could control the overdoses if the people used JJ's formula.
It was August twenty-third of twenty nineteen when James and Lena went to club Ritchie, an upscale dance spot in the south of Metropolis. The age group was twenty-five years and older, and when it came to dance clubs, he liked to party with the older crowds because the twenty-one crowd liked to start fights. When they walked up to the entrance, James showed his black card. Immediately, the bouncer let the couple into the bar, escorted them to a private suite, and they had two waitresses who waited on them the entire night. Lena pulled out her cellphone, held it up to James, and took a quick picture.
"What's that all about?" He asked with a smile. The ambiance of the club was one of high class. In the background played some nice, alternative rock.
"Memories," she said. She placed her phone on the table, and then the waitress came with their drinks. James had his apple martini and Lena drank straight bourbon. "So, tell me something?"
"What's that?" He asked.
"How did you get the footage of the Vulcan?" She asked with a calm disposition. "He basically ordered a major chemical company to pay him money for services rendered. Is that okay?"
James laughed, and then said, "He cleaned up a major chemical waste site. I think he's right to charge for his services."
"Superman works for free," she said, "So does Supergirl."
"Superman had his chance to clean up the spill, but chose not to do so. The Vulcan said he couldn't tolerate any chemical company poisoning the land. Just because he cleaned up Freeland doesn't liberate Downing Chemical from paying restitution for contaminating the area in the first place. The government might have given Downing a pass, but the Vulcan didn't."
"It's just I know their Financial Officer," she said, "They paid him one hundred and twenty million dollars so far."
"I actually read that," he said, "The Vulcan signed forty million over to Freeland."
"So, you're all for people with abilities making a profit off their abilities?" She asked.
"Why not? We live in a capitalistic society," he said, "He's using his skills to make a living like every other red-blooded American."
Lena set her drink on the table for a moment and James watched her closely. Her face contorted a bit, and then she said, "You seem to take up for the Vulcan quite a bit?"
"He's a good guy," he said calmly. He also thought he was a dick too, but he mostly thought he was a good guy. He was conflicted about the Vulcan. James eventually said after an awkward pause, "Well, overall he's a good guy, but he has dick-like ways."
Lena laughed for a moment. "Had to think about it, huh?" It's like you're not sure."
"He's got his idiosyncrasies," he said, "But he's a young man, the kind of man that you want with you instead of against you." He took a sip of his apple martini when he heard a gunshot vibrate throughout the entire club. Immediately, he grabbed Lena, pushed her out the club, and then the music came to an immediate halt. He then heard a thunderous roar of gunfire and then screams. The superman formula that merged with his DNA increased his rage and anger, and over the last six months, he had more episodes of uncontrollable rage. He pushed a button on his watch and donned the Guardian uniform within half a second.
When he stepped back into the club, he saw three men on either side of the room with sub machine guns pointed at the party goers. One of the men who had a beard that went down to his midsection had bright, scraggly red hair that caught his attention earlier when he walked into the club wearing an overcoat in the middle of the summer. He had an AK-Forty-Seven. At least six of the attendees were on the ground with bullet wounds in their midsections. He knelt down behind the banister near the entrance way and tried his best to compose himself, but the rage in his mind lingered.
"Now! Who else do I have to kill? Put all your money and belongings in this bag," The redheaded man screamed. He held up a black bag for all the people in the club to see. He passed the black bag to one of the party goers and then the guy took off his watch, threw it in the bag, and then his wallet. When he attempted to drop the wallet in the bag, it fell on the floor and then the redheaded guy shot him in the face. It enraged the Guardian so badly that he took off at super speed, ripped off the shooter's arm, and blood flew in every direction. He raced to the rear of the club at lightning speed and then back to the front, decapitating the other two men in the process. There were approximately five hundred people in the club, and they tripped over each other looking for the exits.
The Guardian looked back at the dead gunmen for a moment and knew immediately that he went against his own code of no killing. He couldn't believe what he had done, but he felt like he couldn't control it. The Superman formula was like a cancer in his veins that caused him to lose control. Quickly, he darted out the back of the club into the strong, eighty mile straight winds. He knew it was going to rain in Metropolis, but he didn't expect a heavy thunderstorm. The debris beat against his armor as he watched the straight-line winds tear roofs off the surrounding houses. In the distance, a little over a mile down the street, he could hear the police and ambulance sirens. The night air had a certain, uncomfortable heat and humidity to it. Suddenly, he saw an upside down funnel cloud about three miles away that was headed right for the club. It was like the skinny portion of the funnel cloud touched the skyline, and right where it ended, a spark of light came out of the heavens. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen in his entire life. With the power of the Superman formula, the Guardian took flight into the eye of the storm with the hopes he could break the massive tornado apart. For some reason, he noticed the monster funnel cloud spun in a clockwise motion which was bizarre in the northern hemisphere. Without thinking about it, he entered into the funnel and made an attempt to fly against it. He flew contrary to the direction of the upside down funnel cloud, and within fifteen seconds of his heroic flight, he felt a sonic boom. The force of the explosion caused him to stumble, and he fell into a thick forest of sapphire vegetation.