Part 2: Undercover
#
"Dr. Zarin?"
The elderly scientist turned around upon hearing the female voice calling his name, rather delighted to see it belonging to a rather beautiful young woman. She was blonde, either natural or one of the better dye jobs he had ever seen, and wore her hair tied back in a loose ponytail. A pair of wire spectacles was balanced on her nose, giving her a cute, academic look. She was dressed somewhere between casual and business attire and had a notepad in her hand, a pen tucked behind her ear.
A reporter, he mused. Definitely one of the prettier ones.
"That is me, my dear," he gave her a small bow. "How can I be of service?"
Samuel Zarin was the chief scientist of S.T.A.R. laboratories meteorological division and quite busy these days. As the premiere research facility in the western world many people had turned to S.T.A.R. to find answers for the strange crimson storms that had cast their shadows over the world just over a week ago. Reporters aplenty had been in and out of the building these last eight days and kept Zarin and his people from properly concentrating on his work.
Not that he would have minded too much if the reporters were all as pretty as this one.
"My name is Karen Kell, reporter for The Daily Planet. I was hoping you had the time to answer a few questions."
"The Planet?" Zarin asked, frowning. "I believe someone from your paper was already here right after the clouds first appeared."
"I know," Kell said, smiling. "That was for the headline news directly after the storm. Now that the initial buzz has faded a bit we want to do a more scientific piece on the whole thing. According to our archives this is the second time such storms have appeared, correct? Unless I'm very much mistaken you were involved in the research back in 1985, too."
Zarin gave her an appreciative look. Not too many reporters had bothered with actually doing their homework on this. Eighteen years ago he had in fact been involved in researching the curious appearance of these crimson storms, though he had not been the chief scientist back then.
"Quite right, Ms. Kell," he said, motioning for her to follow him into his office. It was about time to take a break anyway, so he might as well spend it talking to a nice young lady.
"I'm afraid the Planet's archives did not contain much in the way of information about what you found out back then." Kell sat down on the chair facing his desk as Zarin sat down behind it.
"As much as I would like to blame your archives for that, it is hardly their fault. We did not learn much about the storms back then. Not what caused them, nor whether they might appear again. We did not even get good satellite shots of them. Thankfully today's equipment is a little bit better."
"So did you find out anything?"
Zarin shrugged. "We are still looking over the collected data, actually. There is quite a bit of it and, well, we are able to work a lot faster now that the initial media attention has died down. No offence meant."
"None taken. I know the press can be a bother."
As he went on to explain what little they had found out so far, Dr. Zarin was pleasantly surprised to find that the young woman sitting opposite him had more to herself than her looks. She did not seem put out by any of the scientific jargon he pitched her way and her questions clearly showed that she knew what they were talking about.
The storms, as far as they could tell so far, were the result of some kind of ripple in the space-time continuum, quite possibly caused by a supernova or some other stellar event. Basically it meant that somewhere a tremendous amount of energy had been released and the shockwave had made its way across space to reach the Earth, causing the atmospheric disturbance.
As to what had actually caused this ripple was anyone's guess, though.
"Wouldn't a stellar event the likes of which you described," Kell asked, "be noticed by astronomers? A star going nova, two stars colliding, something like that should have been visible in the skies, right?"
"Yes, but someone would have had to actually look in that direction at the moment. There is quite a bit of sky to watch, Ms. Kell, and even all the telescopes and satellites of the world combined can barely account for about ten percent of it. It is entirely possible that we simply did not notice the event. It is equally possible that it was something that did not produce any visible light. Something like a black hole or such."
Kell made a bit of a face, looking almost frustrated.
"Do you think you will find out what it was?"
Zarin hesitated a moment, then sighed. "I don't actually believe so. The data we have gathered might tell us what kind of event it was or what exactly happened to cause the clouds to turn crimson, but the exact nature of the trigger event? Well, we'd have to be very lucky there."
#
Kara resisted the urge to groan in frustration. Dr. Zarin was a nice enough man, but of very little help. She had hoped that S.T.A.R. labs would be able to give her some insight into the nature of her arrival here, which she never doubted was connected with the manifestation of the crimson storm clouds. The trigger event, as he called it, was clearly the Crisis, the destruction of so many alternate universes that had somehow passed this world by. She could not exactly tell him that, of course.
What Zarin did not know was that she had already taken a look at the data his people were sifting through even now. At the speeds she was capable of it had taken her only a few minutes to read it all and, even though she was nowhere near the genius Kal was, she had managed to make sense of most of it. Unfortunately none of it told her what she wanted to know: How to recreate this effect and make it take her back home.
That was why she was here now. Creating the identity of Daily Planet reporter Karen Kell had not been that difficult. Earth's computer technology had progressed quite a bit these last eighteen years, but for someone who had grown up in a Kryptonian city it was still backward. Add to that her speed, enabling her to sneak into most public record buildings without anyone noticing, and Karen Kell had been born with very little fuss.
The hardest part had been getting a job at a newspaper, but she had been in luck there. The Planet, the paper that, in her world, was the employer of her cousin, had been looking for a new staff writer for their weekly science insert. With her photographic memory and extensive knowledge Kara had had no trouble acing the interview and getting the job. It also provided her with a much-needed source of income.
She had hoped that the S.T.A.R. scientists might have gained some insights from the data that had escaped her, but it seemed this was not the case. For a moment she considered telling Zarin that the origin of this phenomenon was not a stellar, but rather a dimensional event, but then decided against it. She would not be able to make him believe her unless she revealed what she was, and that was something she did not plan on doing any time soon. This world did not know about the existence of aliens or super beings and the last thing she needed was to cause a worldwide uproar.
Their talk dragged on, but Kara was barely paying attention any longer. She made some notes, enough to write a reasonably accurate article from, and otherwise kept up her smile and charm. Her thoughts, though, were busy elsewhere. S.T.A.R. was the pre-eminent research facility in the world. If they did not know anything then who could she turn to next?
One of the alien races she knew about might hold an answer, being more technologically advanced than humanity. The Thanagarians maybe? Or the Daxamites? Maybe even the Coluans. Brainiac 5's people were supposed to be the smartest guys in the universe, weren't they? If they existed in this universe, that was.
Leaving Earth behind to visit an alien planet was not as easy as it might have been in her own universe, though. She had never memorised a star chart of any kind, knowing that they were readily available at Kal's fortress should she ever need them. Okay, hindsight was always perfect, but she should still have known better than that. It was a neglect that might cost her dearly now.
She almost smiled as she remembered some stories she had read about herself and her abilities. Some people actually thought her telescopic vision allowed her to look to the ends of the universe and back, all of it in real time, of course. She wished it would work that way, then she would have had no trouble locating one of the planets she might find help on. Unfortunately it was not that easy. At the utmost she might strain her senses to focus on a place twenty or so light years away, but even then she would only see what had happened there twenty or so years ago. Physics did not simply cease working, not even for a Kryptonian.
When she finally thanked Dr. Zarin for his time and left she was not even one step closer to finding a solution. Yesterday she had gone over the place she had first appeared in with all of her enhanced senses, but had found nothing helpful. There was a residual trace of energy in the air, a signature she recognized as hailing from matter-anti-matter fusion, but that did not tell her much anything. She had been around a lot of anti- matter just before coming here.
Somewhat discouraged she returned to the small apartment she had rented. It was not much, little more than a medium-sized room with a bed, a small kitchenette, and an adjunct bathroom. She did not plan on a long stay, after all. It might become one despite her plans, of course.
Kara flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out what to do next.
#
It had taken her almost a week to get to Greece, her lack of proper identification preventing her from getting on a plane. She had stowed away on a boat and then on several trains. Not for the first time she wished that she were actually able to fly under her own power instead of just gliding on the winds. It was great for short distances, but crossing an ocean or a continent was not in the cards.
Now she was almost there, though. Just a short trip left and she would be home. Or the closest thing to it that Princess Diana of Paradise Island, better known in her own world as Wonder Woman, would be able to find in this strange place.
By now she had figured out that this Earth was not the one she knew. The complete lack of superheroes was evidence enough all by itself. There were other factors, like the fact that she seemed to have been moved eighteen years into the future.
Had she found the patience to study the history of this new world Diana might have found some more clues, minor discrepancies in history, but in her current state she found it impossible to remain inactive for long or engage in intellectual exercises. She had arrived in this world as the gods created her, bereft of both clothing and weapons. The magical lasso spun from Hestia's girdle was gone, as were the near indestructible bracelets every Amazon wore. The latter weighed far more heavily on her mind right now than the former.
It was the Amazon's curse. Millennia ago their queen had allowed herself to be seduced and then enslaved by Heracles and been punished for it by their gods. From that day forward the Amazons would always wear the bracelets as a symbol of their past shame. If a man should ever chain them together again they would lose all those powers that set them apart from mankind. If they were removed, as hers now were, it would reduce the Amazon in question to an infuriated animal, depriving her of the tenderness and loving nature that was her usual nature.
Diana had lost her bracelets several times before, enabling her to keep a handle on the boundless fury unleashed within her by the curse, but only just. A week of keeping herself in check had worn her down to a quivering bundle of nerves and she was more than ready to pound anyone who even looked at her funny into the ground. She still had the power to do that. The strength of Heracles, the speed of Hermes, the beauty of Aphrodite, those were gifts she retained even here. As for the wisdom of Athena, well, in her current state she doubted it availed her much.
All attempts at getting home would be jeopardised by her barely leashed anger, just like every innocent person that came into range of her temper. Therefor the first and foremost thing she had to do was get her bracelets back. Even with her mind clouded by fury and rage she realised that the chances of finding her original ones were slim. She had clearly been brought across dimensions by some force far beyond herself. Her bracelets could literally be anywhere, if they still existed at all.
Which left her exactly one option. If this world was anything like her own than it would have a Paradise Island and a race of Amazons. Odds were they would not know her, but as sisters they should be willing to help. Maybe they would have a Princess Diana of their own. Everything was possible. Including, of course, that they had never come into existence at all in this world. Well, at the very least Greek mythology here contained the same stories as it did at home.
Home, she mused, the fury that clouded her mind receding for a moment. She remembered her final moments on the world that, though changed, was still her home. There had been so much confusion. Five worlds had merged into one and many a hero had found that this new Earth no longer held a home for him. Thankfully she had not been one of them, but the horror of the untold billions who had perished or simply been erased from existence had shaken her to the core.
Her marriage to Steve Trevor, the man who had originally caused her to abandon Paradise in favour of man's world, was the sole glimpse of light in that dark time. They had tied the knot in desperation, thinking that the world would end tomorrow. Their sole night together as husband and wife and been laced with the need to celebrate their union while they could, passion mixing with abandon as the anti-matter storms roared outside.
Then the final assault on the Anti-Monitor. They had thought he was dead, destroyed when Doctor Light absorbed the power of Qward's dark sun and redirected it against the armoured form of their enemy. Alexander Luthor had opened the gate to their home universe, had told them all to hurry.
Then the Anti-Monitor had risen again and struck. She remembered blazing light exploding forth from his mouth and then ... nothing. Nothing until she woke up here in this strange new world.
The rage returned and introspective thoughts became a thing of the past. She had reached the Greek coast, now all she needed was a boat. She did not think she had ever gone to the island by boat, always using her invisible jet instead. No such thing here, though, leaving her with no alternative.
Hoping that the magical barrier that prevented the island from being found was in the same place here as in her own world, Diana wasted no time knocking out an unsuspecting Greek fisherman and stealing his boat. She would return it later.
TO BE CONTINUED
#
"Dr. Zarin?"
The elderly scientist turned around upon hearing the female voice calling his name, rather delighted to see it belonging to a rather beautiful young woman. She was blonde, either natural or one of the better dye jobs he had ever seen, and wore her hair tied back in a loose ponytail. A pair of wire spectacles was balanced on her nose, giving her a cute, academic look. She was dressed somewhere between casual and business attire and had a notepad in her hand, a pen tucked behind her ear.
A reporter, he mused. Definitely one of the prettier ones.
"That is me, my dear," he gave her a small bow. "How can I be of service?"
Samuel Zarin was the chief scientist of S.T.A.R. laboratories meteorological division and quite busy these days. As the premiere research facility in the western world many people had turned to S.T.A.R. to find answers for the strange crimson storms that had cast their shadows over the world just over a week ago. Reporters aplenty had been in and out of the building these last eight days and kept Zarin and his people from properly concentrating on his work.
Not that he would have minded too much if the reporters were all as pretty as this one.
"My name is Karen Kell, reporter for The Daily Planet. I was hoping you had the time to answer a few questions."
"The Planet?" Zarin asked, frowning. "I believe someone from your paper was already here right after the clouds first appeared."
"I know," Kell said, smiling. "That was for the headline news directly after the storm. Now that the initial buzz has faded a bit we want to do a more scientific piece on the whole thing. According to our archives this is the second time such storms have appeared, correct? Unless I'm very much mistaken you were involved in the research back in 1985, too."
Zarin gave her an appreciative look. Not too many reporters had bothered with actually doing their homework on this. Eighteen years ago he had in fact been involved in researching the curious appearance of these crimson storms, though he had not been the chief scientist back then.
"Quite right, Ms. Kell," he said, motioning for her to follow him into his office. It was about time to take a break anyway, so he might as well spend it talking to a nice young lady.
"I'm afraid the Planet's archives did not contain much in the way of information about what you found out back then." Kell sat down on the chair facing his desk as Zarin sat down behind it.
"As much as I would like to blame your archives for that, it is hardly their fault. We did not learn much about the storms back then. Not what caused them, nor whether they might appear again. We did not even get good satellite shots of them. Thankfully today's equipment is a little bit better."
"So did you find out anything?"
Zarin shrugged. "We are still looking over the collected data, actually. There is quite a bit of it and, well, we are able to work a lot faster now that the initial media attention has died down. No offence meant."
"None taken. I know the press can be a bother."
As he went on to explain what little they had found out so far, Dr. Zarin was pleasantly surprised to find that the young woman sitting opposite him had more to herself than her looks. She did not seem put out by any of the scientific jargon he pitched her way and her questions clearly showed that she knew what they were talking about.
The storms, as far as they could tell so far, were the result of some kind of ripple in the space-time continuum, quite possibly caused by a supernova or some other stellar event. Basically it meant that somewhere a tremendous amount of energy had been released and the shockwave had made its way across space to reach the Earth, causing the atmospheric disturbance.
As to what had actually caused this ripple was anyone's guess, though.
"Wouldn't a stellar event the likes of which you described," Kell asked, "be noticed by astronomers? A star going nova, two stars colliding, something like that should have been visible in the skies, right?"
"Yes, but someone would have had to actually look in that direction at the moment. There is quite a bit of sky to watch, Ms. Kell, and even all the telescopes and satellites of the world combined can barely account for about ten percent of it. It is entirely possible that we simply did not notice the event. It is equally possible that it was something that did not produce any visible light. Something like a black hole or such."
Kell made a bit of a face, looking almost frustrated.
"Do you think you will find out what it was?"
Zarin hesitated a moment, then sighed. "I don't actually believe so. The data we have gathered might tell us what kind of event it was or what exactly happened to cause the clouds to turn crimson, but the exact nature of the trigger event? Well, we'd have to be very lucky there."
#
Kara resisted the urge to groan in frustration. Dr. Zarin was a nice enough man, but of very little help. She had hoped that S.T.A.R. labs would be able to give her some insight into the nature of her arrival here, which she never doubted was connected with the manifestation of the crimson storm clouds. The trigger event, as he called it, was clearly the Crisis, the destruction of so many alternate universes that had somehow passed this world by. She could not exactly tell him that, of course.
What Zarin did not know was that she had already taken a look at the data his people were sifting through even now. At the speeds she was capable of it had taken her only a few minutes to read it all and, even though she was nowhere near the genius Kal was, she had managed to make sense of most of it. Unfortunately none of it told her what she wanted to know: How to recreate this effect and make it take her back home.
That was why she was here now. Creating the identity of Daily Planet reporter Karen Kell had not been that difficult. Earth's computer technology had progressed quite a bit these last eighteen years, but for someone who had grown up in a Kryptonian city it was still backward. Add to that her speed, enabling her to sneak into most public record buildings without anyone noticing, and Karen Kell had been born with very little fuss.
The hardest part had been getting a job at a newspaper, but she had been in luck there. The Planet, the paper that, in her world, was the employer of her cousin, had been looking for a new staff writer for their weekly science insert. With her photographic memory and extensive knowledge Kara had had no trouble acing the interview and getting the job. It also provided her with a much-needed source of income.
She had hoped that the S.T.A.R. scientists might have gained some insights from the data that had escaped her, but it seemed this was not the case. For a moment she considered telling Zarin that the origin of this phenomenon was not a stellar, but rather a dimensional event, but then decided against it. She would not be able to make him believe her unless she revealed what she was, and that was something she did not plan on doing any time soon. This world did not know about the existence of aliens or super beings and the last thing she needed was to cause a worldwide uproar.
Their talk dragged on, but Kara was barely paying attention any longer. She made some notes, enough to write a reasonably accurate article from, and otherwise kept up her smile and charm. Her thoughts, though, were busy elsewhere. S.T.A.R. was the pre-eminent research facility in the world. If they did not know anything then who could she turn to next?
One of the alien races she knew about might hold an answer, being more technologically advanced than humanity. The Thanagarians maybe? Or the Daxamites? Maybe even the Coluans. Brainiac 5's people were supposed to be the smartest guys in the universe, weren't they? If they existed in this universe, that was.
Leaving Earth behind to visit an alien planet was not as easy as it might have been in her own universe, though. She had never memorised a star chart of any kind, knowing that they were readily available at Kal's fortress should she ever need them. Okay, hindsight was always perfect, but she should still have known better than that. It was a neglect that might cost her dearly now.
She almost smiled as she remembered some stories she had read about herself and her abilities. Some people actually thought her telescopic vision allowed her to look to the ends of the universe and back, all of it in real time, of course. She wished it would work that way, then she would have had no trouble locating one of the planets she might find help on. Unfortunately it was not that easy. At the utmost she might strain her senses to focus on a place twenty or so light years away, but even then she would only see what had happened there twenty or so years ago. Physics did not simply cease working, not even for a Kryptonian.
When she finally thanked Dr. Zarin for his time and left she was not even one step closer to finding a solution. Yesterday she had gone over the place she had first appeared in with all of her enhanced senses, but had found nothing helpful. There was a residual trace of energy in the air, a signature she recognized as hailing from matter-anti-matter fusion, but that did not tell her much anything. She had been around a lot of anti- matter just before coming here.
Somewhat discouraged she returned to the small apartment she had rented. It was not much, little more than a medium-sized room with a bed, a small kitchenette, and an adjunct bathroom. She did not plan on a long stay, after all. It might become one despite her plans, of course.
Kara flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out what to do next.
#
It had taken her almost a week to get to Greece, her lack of proper identification preventing her from getting on a plane. She had stowed away on a boat and then on several trains. Not for the first time she wished that she were actually able to fly under her own power instead of just gliding on the winds. It was great for short distances, but crossing an ocean or a continent was not in the cards.
Now she was almost there, though. Just a short trip left and she would be home. Or the closest thing to it that Princess Diana of Paradise Island, better known in her own world as Wonder Woman, would be able to find in this strange place.
By now she had figured out that this Earth was not the one she knew. The complete lack of superheroes was evidence enough all by itself. There were other factors, like the fact that she seemed to have been moved eighteen years into the future.
Had she found the patience to study the history of this new world Diana might have found some more clues, minor discrepancies in history, but in her current state she found it impossible to remain inactive for long or engage in intellectual exercises. She had arrived in this world as the gods created her, bereft of both clothing and weapons. The magical lasso spun from Hestia's girdle was gone, as were the near indestructible bracelets every Amazon wore. The latter weighed far more heavily on her mind right now than the former.
It was the Amazon's curse. Millennia ago their queen had allowed herself to be seduced and then enslaved by Heracles and been punished for it by their gods. From that day forward the Amazons would always wear the bracelets as a symbol of their past shame. If a man should ever chain them together again they would lose all those powers that set them apart from mankind. If they were removed, as hers now were, it would reduce the Amazon in question to an infuriated animal, depriving her of the tenderness and loving nature that was her usual nature.
Diana had lost her bracelets several times before, enabling her to keep a handle on the boundless fury unleashed within her by the curse, but only just. A week of keeping herself in check had worn her down to a quivering bundle of nerves and she was more than ready to pound anyone who even looked at her funny into the ground. She still had the power to do that. The strength of Heracles, the speed of Hermes, the beauty of Aphrodite, those were gifts she retained even here. As for the wisdom of Athena, well, in her current state she doubted it availed her much.
All attempts at getting home would be jeopardised by her barely leashed anger, just like every innocent person that came into range of her temper. Therefor the first and foremost thing she had to do was get her bracelets back. Even with her mind clouded by fury and rage she realised that the chances of finding her original ones were slim. She had clearly been brought across dimensions by some force far beyond herself. Her bracelets could literally be anywhere, if they still existed at all.
Which left her exactly one option. If this world was anything like her own than it would have a Paradise Island and a race of Amazons. Odds were they would not know her, but as sisters they should be willing to help. Maybe they would have a Princess Diana of their own. Everything was possible. Including, of course, that they had never come into existence at all in this world. Well, at the very least Greek mythology here contained the same stories as it did at home.
Home, she mused, the fury that clouded her mind receding for a moment. She remembered her final moments on the world that, though changed, was still her home. There had been so much confusion. Five worlds had merged into one and many a hero had found that this new Earth no longer held a home for him. Thankfully she had not been one of them, but the horror of the untold billions who had perished or simply been erased from existence had shaken her to the core.
Her marriage to Steve Trevor, the man who had originally caused her to abandon Paradise in favour of man's world, was the sole glimpse of light in that dark time. They had tied the knot in desperation, thinking that the world would end tomorrow. Their sole night together as husband and wife and been laced with the need to celebrate their union while they could, passion mixing with abandon as the anti-matter storms roared outside.
Then the final assault on the Anti-Monitor. They had thought he was dead, destroyed when Doctor Light absorbed the power of Qward's dark sun and redirected it against the armoured form of their enemy. Alexander Luthor had opened the gate to their home universe, had told them all to hurry.
Then the Anti-Monitor had risen again and struck. She remembered blazing light exploding forth from his mouth and then ... nothing. Nothing until she woke up here in this strange new world.
The rage returned and introspective thoughts became a thing of the past. She had reached the Greek coast, now all she needed was a boat. She did not think she had ever gone to the island by boat, always using her invisible jet instead. No such thing here, though, leaving her with no alternative.
Hoping that the magical barrier that prevented the island from being found was in the same place here as in her own world, Diana wasted no time knocking out an unsuspecting Greek fisherman and stealing his boat. She would return it later.
TO BE CONTINUED