Infinity Crisis Aftermath: Temporal Tete-a-tete
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners. This is just for fun.
This story came to my brain after reading through the Infinity Crisis TV Tropes page. Blame it. Enjoy!
Chronopolis
Chronopolis was a city. A city far more massive and sprawling than any city known to any man in the multiverse. It's location was in a space between spaces, of all times, but none. This city touched every era of every timeline. Its architecture reflected this. It was not uncommon to see a Roman-era Colosseum that featured a Zulu warrior fighting an alien next to a futuristic 3D video arcade whose games were being played by Feudal-era samurai.
In the very center of the city was a large complex, that was the home of a man. Said man stood in an office-like room. He was a powerful-looking man, standing straight with his hands behind his back. He glanced at the wall of screens, showing what appeared to be various people and heroes. His dark brown eyes took in all the details from the screens. He wore a green and purple armored suit. Sitting on the desk was a purple helmet with a built-in blue mask designed to adhere to his facial features.
"Hmmm..." The man thought to himself, rubbing his chin. He looked at one screen, showing what appeared to be Wanda Maximoff sitting in an office talking to Leonard Samson. "Recording #46758." Kang the Conqueror uttered. "Further observation of Earth-199999 has revealed its history has been altered even more. Wanda Maximoff of this timeline has sought psychological healing." (Author's Note: As shown in Infinity Crisis Aftermath: Therapy Session) He nodded. "Good. Another potential dampening on her destructive potential." He then looked at another screen. It showed a brown-haired man lying in a hospital bed. "And now the First Line existed on this Earth as well." (Author's Note: As revealed in Infinity Crisis Aftermath: Celestial Navigation) The conqueror was taken out of his reverie by a beeping noise. "End recording. Come."
The double doors of the room opened up, and a figure walked in. The figure was clearly female, dressed in a figure-hugging gold-and-green suit of armor. The helmet contained a translucent blue visor. The armor vanished in a flash of golden light, revealing a dark-skinned woman with wavy fiery red hair. She wore a yellow military-style uniform with a white shirt and black tie. A blue sash went from her right shoulder to her left hip. Over her brown eyes was a clear visor with a yellow crown-like crest on it that was decorated with thick black curved lines. A smile was on her face, which caused one to form on Kang's. After all, Ravonna Lexus Renslayer was more than just the head of Kang's elite guard, the Anachronauts. She was the love of his life.
"Ravonna. My lady." A smiling Kang walked up to her and took her hands in his. "Your presence and beauty always brings such light." He kissed her hands.
"And I am always happy to see you too, Kang, My Lord." She kissed him. "I wish to inform you, we have a guest."
"Who is it?" He asked.
"Epoch, my Lord." She answered.
A chuckle emerged from Kang's lips. "Ah, Epoch. The self-proclaimed 'Lord of Time'." He nodded. "Let him in."
Ravonna nodded. "At once, my Lord." She left the room. A moment later, she walked back in, followed by a man. His bald head seemed to reflect the overhead light. His face was almost as free of hair as his head, except for a jet black soul patch. He was a slim man, wearing a red tunic with a yellow utility belt. His neck was covered by a red scarf. His outfit was completed by yellow gloves, yellow pants with black stripes down the legs, and red boots. Under his arm was a red helmet with a yellow stripe down the center.
"Kang. My old...frenemy, for lack of a better term." Epoch greeted.
"Ah, Epoch." Kang took a seat behind his desk. "You and I have fought as allies and as nemeses. What brings you to Chronopolis?"
"I do sincerely hope it is a social call." Ravonna sniffed.
"I am not a stupid man. Attacking you here is a suicidal move. And I like living." Epoch answered, taking a seat of his own and placing his helmet on the desk.
"A wise decision." Kang agreed.
"I have to speak to you about something." The time-traveler eyed Ravonna. "I'm not sure if..."
"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say to Ravonna as well." Kang assured, gesturing to her. "She is one of my most trusted generals."
"And I serve my Lord in...other ways as well." Ravonna purred, running a hand across Kang's shoulders.
"Very well." Epoch agreed. "I'm certain that you have noticed...changes in the various timelines."
"Indeed, I have." Kang nodded. "I have been looking into it."
"It seems numerous timelines have been affected, including my own. For example..." Epoch placed a small silver disc the size of a pickle jar lid on the desk. The disk projected an image of Wonder Woman alongside a group of other superheroes. "Do you recognize them?"
"Yes, the Justice Society." Kang nodded. "Your universe did not have one, correct?"
"It was not supposed to." Epoch said. "Wonder Woman debuted during my Earth's World War One, vanished, reappeared again in 1984, vanished a second time, then reappeared and founded the Justice League. The Justice Society was never supposed to exist in my world."
"But there is one in your world now, right?"
"Indeed." Epoch confirmed with a nod. "Now, the historical record shows Wonder Woman founded and led the JSA in World War II. Retired back to Themyscira when the JSA chose to cease their superhero activities in the 1950s as a response to J. Edgar Hoover trying to force them to work for him or he'd paint them as communist agents. That's not supposed to happen."
"What of her appearance in 1984?" Ravonna asked.
"That was altered as well." Epoch said. "That was supposed to be the first time Wonder Woman fought the Cheetah. Now, Barbara Minerva wasn't even born yet! Also, she was supposed to be the only Cheetah. Now she's the second. And that's not all."
"Oh?" Kang said.
"The circumstances of Batman and Superman's first meeting. The Justice League's formation. Those events have all been altered as well."
"You think my Lord had something to do with it?" Ravonna scowled.
"Of course not." Epoch sniffed. "I know your lover. Altering timelines like this? It's not his style." Ravonna looked at Kang, as if she was silently asking permission. Kang gave her a nod.
"One timeline we were watching had its own share of changes as well." The redhead said as she walked to the wall of screens behind Kang. One of the screens seemed to grow in size, showing Will Payton of Earth-199999. "He was not supposed to exist. On his Earth in 1984, an alien prince named Gavyn visited the planet. Being an energy being, he used the corpse of an Earthman named Scott Hayden as his vessel."
"I've heard this story." Epoch recalled. "Hayden recruited his vessel's ex-spouse Jenny-Lynn to help him get off the planet. The two fell in love and conceived a child."
"And on this Earth, the child became a superhero, first active after the Avengers debuted." Kang nodded. "That originally did not happen."
"She-Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the Thunderbolts have emerged earlier on Earth-199999 than they were supposed to." Ravonna added. "The history of Attilan had changed. It was supposed to have been abandoned, with Maximus the lone inhabitant. It would have led to the Inhumans forming a community in Hawaii."
"A...Little Attilan. Kind of like a Chinatown." Epoch deduced. Ravonna nodded.
"But it was altered." The woman continued. "Now, Attilan ended up a neighbor of Honolulu and Maximus was exiled. And during the Dusting, he led a Kree invasion of Hawaii. And that is not all." She pointed at a screen. "This is Captain America of Earth-199999 during World War II." The screen showed Cap and the Howling Commandoes fighting the Nazis in Europe. The screen seemed to glitch for a second, and then it played the footage again. Only this time, Cap and the Commandoes were joined by two other men. One of the men was a blond man in a red uniform. He yelled out a cry of "FLAME ON" as he flew in the air, sheathed in flame as he blasted a tank with the element. The second man appeared to be of Mexican heritage. His ears were pointed, and he wore green shorts with a golden belt, matching bangles and wristbands all decorated in a Mesoamerican theme. His bare feet had small white feathered wings on them. He effortlessly lifted a tank and tossed it into another one, screaming "IMPERIOUS REX".
"Incredible." Epoch said in amazement. "The Invaders."
"Indeed." Kang said. "Our timelines are merely two of many that have undergone major changes."
"I doubt either of us could count how many timelines have undergone these alterations." Epoch sighed. He glanced at one screen, which showed the Ozel Ozlazur Flash and Tana Moon Green Lantern fighting Quicksand and the Blank. (Author's Note: As shown in Infinity Crisis Aftermath: The Brave and the Bold) He jerked his thumb at the screen. "I take it that Earth wasn't supposed to have those."
"No, they were not." Kang said. "The alterations of Attilan's history led to that." Epoch nodded.
"Alterations aside, there's also another problem."
"If you're talking about those loud tin cans, I doubt they're that much of a problem." Kang snorted. "The Doctor has dealt with them in their many forms." (Author's Note: In Batguy01's story Infinity Crisis Aftermath: An Avenging Christmas, it was revealed the Daleks' plan to attack the Multiverse themselves)
"Or those rogue Skrulls." Ravonna added. "We've seen the defenders of various worlds discover them and deal with them, too."
"No." Epoch shook his head grimly. "There is something consuming worlds. A wave of pure white anti-matter. It has destroyed numerous worlds at random. And it's not stopped."
"Such a thing should be no threat to Chronopolis." Kang mused. "The city exists outside of the timestream."
"This anti-matter wave does not seem natural, my Lord." Ravonna said.
Kang nodded in agreement. He steepled his fingers. "Indeed. It is not."
"It clearly is the work of a sentient mind." Epoch said. "So what do we do about it?"
"...I...I doubt there is much we can do at this point." Ravonna admitted.
"You speak with wisdom, my Lady." Kang concurred. "We have no idea who is behind this. But the why is obvious."
"What point is there in the destruction of the Multiverse?!" Epoch exclaimed.
"The point is simple." Kang scowled at his fellow time-traveler. "The point is either out of madness, or to ensure only one timeline can still exist."
"This is not an action of the Time Variance Authority, that's for sure." Ravonna said.
Epoch scoffed. "The TVA. They were a joke in the past, and they only became more of one as their existence continued." Kang looked at some more screens. One showed Madeline Hollister talking with Selena Salazar, and a second showed Meilin Lee and her friends in SHIELD uniforms facing Benny Blacktooth. "Do you think these reality changes and this wall of white are connected?"
"Considering how little we actually know about this, we can't be sure." Ravonna frowned.
"Indeed." Kang nodded. "But if there's one thing I have learned about the multiverse, is that it abhors vacuums."
"I take it you're not talking about vacuum cleaners." Epoch smirked at his own joke. Ravonna facepalmed.
"...no."
"Just making sure."
"The multiverse also likes balance. Whatever is altering these timelines doesn't realize that."
"It is strange, though." Ravonna said. "These changes are really random. It's like whoever is doing it is just...messing around. Altering these timelines, then destroying them? It makes no sense."
"There are other possibilities." Kang suggested. "That these alterations are in response to the antimatter wave. That maybe these changes are an attempt to provide more defenses for the multiverse against this wave. Or that there are separate forces behind the alterations and the destruction."
"Some of the Earths that have been destroyed had multitudes of mystery people/champions/superheroes of their own." Epoch pointed out. He gestured towards a screen showing the Fugitive Doctor, Jake Wildfire, Jubilee, and Clint Barton emerging from her TARDIS onto Earth-D. "See this boy here?" He pointed at Jake. "His Earth, Earth-472006, had more superheroes than cockroaches. It was dealing with a massive crisis of its own when the antimatter wave hit it." He pointed at Jubilee. "And her Earth, Earth...what designation was that one again?"
Ravonna produced a PDA-like device from her jacket and used its stylus to tap some commands into. "I believe that one was designated Earth-51989."
"Ah, right." Epoch nodded. "That Earth had a respectable population of super-champions, too. And it fell to the wave as well." He looked at more screens. Two were focused on Earth-199596. One showed Cerina Hollister talking to what appeared to be a teenage girl...who was an anthromorphic mako shark. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she had a red leopard-patterned headband. She wore a sleevless blue leather jacket and jeans with black boots. She also had on a Metallica t-shirt that was stylishly torn to show her abs. A fin poked out of her back.
"Tell your brothers I said hello." Cerina said to the shark girl. She grinned in response and gave a jaunty salute.
"No problem, Mrs. H!" Roxanne "Rox" Bolton answered. The second showed Selena Salazar talking to a young blonde woman with her hair in a short style. The woman wore a orange bodysuit with a blue lightning bolt-stripe down the center, red boots and gloves, small gray sonic cannons on her shoulders, and an emblem of her chest of a blue 6 in a hexagon.
"So...you're from the future?" Selena asked the woman.
"Yup." Megan "Meg" Bennett, aka Rock-1 of the Bionic Six nodded. "We think Dr. Scarab is after something in your era. You know, it's, like, a mega-honor to meet you Skysurfers. The original Skysurfer Strike Force are ultra-LEGENDS in our time!"
Epoch blinked at the screens. "...and now that Earth has their own versions of the Street Sharks and Bionic Six. Wonderful."
"Welcome to the multiverse." Ravonna smirked. Kang looked at one screen, showing Thanos of Earth-199999 snapping his fingers, causing the Dusting.
"This was the event that caused the multiversal dusting." He recalled. "Something about this always bothered me."
"The Infinity Stones can make a being into a god." Epoch snorted. "We all know that."
"...my Lady, you spied on the TVA once. Didn't you mention to me something about the properties of the Stones..."
"I..." The woman's face twisted in thought. "I...believe so, my Lord. The TVA had impounded several versions of the Infinity Stones as..." Her eyes widened. "Outside of their native realities, Infinity Stones or whatever their counterparts were were basically harmless trinkets."
"If that's the case, then how did those Infinity Stones cause the death of half the living beings in the multiverse?!" Epoch asked in horror.
"It looks like we have another mystery on our hands..." Kang scowled. "I do not like this."
"Neither do I, my Lord." Ravonna agreed. "But where do we start?"
Epoch frowned. "I have a bad feeling all this is going to lead to a crisis beyond any being's imagining."
Ravonna Lexus Renslayer first appeared in Avengers #23 (December 1965). Ravonna's armor is a homage to her Terminatrix armor, which first appeared in Avengers Annual #21 (1992).
Epoch, the Lord of Time, first appeared in Justice League of America #10 (March 1962).
The number of Jake Wildfire's native Earth is a reference to April 7, 2006. That was the day RogueFanKC last updated Kingdom Hearts: Mutants of Twilight before deciding to put it on seemingly permanent hiatus.
Jubilee's native Earth was designated "51989" as a nod to the cover date of her first appearance: Uncanny X-Men #244 (May 1989).
The two screens are nods to future things I wanted to do with Earth-199596. I wanted to establish that that Earth also had its own versions of the Street Sharks and Bionic Six. The Earth-199596 Street Sharks would have had an extra member, Roxanne Bolton, who would have been that version of Rox, a metalhead shark girl. And the Bionic Six would have been heroes of the future of that Earth, their bionics being ultimately derived from Selena Salazar's cybernetics.
