Earth-99
Gotham
Kara and Kate, wearing civilian clothes, came upon Wayne Manor at night. The grounds were in a state of disrepair as the trees, bushes, and vines were out of control. "The Paragon of Courage seems a little afraid of yard work," Kate remarked.
"Best to allow me to do the talking," Kara said as they came to the door.
Kate knocked on the door and the two waited for someone to answer. When no one did, Kate gave Kara a look. "Mind kicking the door in?"
"That would be rude," Kara said and then gently forced it open. She then closed the door behind them as they walked in.
The two strolled around the empty mansion looking for Bruce. "Hey, Alfred, you're slipping," Kara shouted through the halls. The two then entered a hall featuring statues of various time periods and cultures.
"This is bad-ass," Kara remarked as she saw them all.
Kate looked at an African Zulu warrior statue. "This guy must be the king of the whicker people," she said ignorantly. "And where could this be from?" she pointed out another.
"It's Japanese," a voice from behind said.
"Holy shit!" Kara and Kate said together completely startled by a short, slender, nearly bald man that appeared to be in his sixties.
"How do you know?" Kate asked him.
"Because I bought it in Japan," he said simply.
"And who are you?" Kate demanded.
"Oh, sorry, Bruce Wayne," he said offering his hand to her.
"Kate Kane," Kate said awkwardly shaking his hand.
"Kara Danvers," Kara said more confidently.
"I've read your work. I like it. I like it a lot," Bruce complimented Kara.
"Can I have a grant?" Kara joked.
Bruce chuckled at that. "Amazing what you've done with the place," Kara said to him.
"I know," Bruce nodded. "So, now that we've gotten introductions out of the way, what the fuck are you two doing in my house?"
"Well, it has to do with the multiverse coming to an end," Kara said nonchalantly.
"Oh, the Crisis, right," Bruce nodded unconcernedly."You want to stay for dinner? I can make you two some soup and open a wine bottle if that's alright."
"Sure, sounds great," Kara agreed.
"Yeah, great," Bruce repeated and walked off.
Kara and Kate waited for him to exit. "This guy is fucking weird. He's nothing like my Bruce," Kate said.
"He's a fucking legend is what he is. Just go with it," Kara said to her.
The three of them ended up in a large dining hall with a long table. Bruce was at the end of the table, Kate was at the start of it, and Kara was in the middle. "How's the soup?" Bruce asked softly.
"What?" Kate asked from across the table.
"I said, "How's the soup?'" he repeated himself a little louder.
"Great!" Kate shouted back. "Could you maybe pass the salt?"
"I got it," Kara volunteered, taking the salt shaker from one side of the table to the other.
"Thanks, Kara. It's been hard since Alfred passed," Bruce said appreciatively.
"I am so sorry. In my universe, he's still alive and doing well," Kara said.
"That's good to hear," Bruce said somberly. "So, did you have any difficulty finding the house?"
"No problem at all," Kara assured him.
"Good," Bruce said pleased.
"Do you actually like eating here?" Kate asked bluntly.
"Kate!" Kara hissed.
"It's okay, Kara. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever been in this room before," Bruce said looking around.
"Is he for real?" Kate whispered to Kara.
"Be cool," Kara whispered back to her.
"Do you want to get out of here?" Bruce asked them.
"Yes," Kara smiled.
"Sure, after dinner," Bruce agreed, taking his sweet time with his soup.
Bruce took the two down to the Bat-Cave under Wayne Manor and turned the lights on freaking out the bats. "Paragon of Courage, huh? That's a new one," Bruce said to them.
"Well, you did kick a lot of ass for just being a human," Kara said condescendingly.
"I guess I did," Bruce said thoughtfully.
"So, what's your kill-count, Bruce?" Kara asked.
"To be completely honest with you, I've lost count," Bruce shrugged.
"I thought Batman didn't kill," Kate said naively.
"Well, I should know. I'm Batman," Bruce told her off.
"So, when did you start killing people?" Kate asked shocked and appalled.
"I'd have to say, 1989. Around that time," Bruce recalled.
"Ever thought to not kill people?" Kate asked.
Bruce looked up thoughtfully. "No, can't say I have."
"I don't blame you," Kara said to him.
"So, what do you do these days, Bruce?" Kate asked.
"Well, sometimes I put on charity balls, go to company board meetings, horseback riding, and at night I look for criminals to beat up," Bruce said simply.
"Aren't you a little old for that?" Kate wondered.
"I don't know, maybe," Bruce shrugged.
Kara and Kate looked upon the old Batman costume. It wasn't made of Kevlar or anything special, just smooth rubber. "It's a beauty," Kara complimented.
"So, you want me to put that on and save the multiverse?" Bruce asked sitting down in his chair.
"Yeah, we need you, right now," Kate said urgently.
"I'll think about it," Bruce promised.
"That isn't good enough, damn it," Kate said to him.
"Actually, we're here because I need you to train Kate. She's to be the new Batwoman of Gotham in my universe," Kara interjected.
"What happened to the Batman of your universe?" Bruce asked.
"He's in the process of rebooting," Kara said.
"Ah, I see," Bruce understood.
"Wait...what?" Kate wondered.
"That paragon stuff is bullshit, Kate. It's just a way to get all the heroes out running around," Kara revealed.
"So what is our plan to stop the Anti-Monitor?" Kate asked.
"Me obviously," Kara rolled her eyes. "Once you're trained up, you can come back into the so-called fight."
"What does she already know?" Bruce asked.
"Nothing, zip, nada, shit," Kara replied.
"That's a good place to start," Bruce said pleased.
"So, who taught you?" Kate asked Bruce.
"No one. One terrible stormy night, I decided to be Batman and now I am," Bruce said to her.
"Okay," Kate said weirded out by him.
"Have fun. I'll be back for you later," Kara said walking out of the cave.
Bruce eyed Kate wondering what to make of her. "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" he asked her.
"No," Kate replied taken aback.
"You will," Bruce promised her.
Earth-2
Metropolis
Kara found Alex at the bar drowning away her sorrows. "What's got you down? I saved our Earth like a boss," Kara said to her.
"I'm grateful. You saved all of our lives, yet again. I'm just mad at myself and a little sad," Alex said honestly.
"For what?" Kara asked getting a shot herself.
"Because no matter how many years we've known each other and all the adventures that we have had, you still lie and manipulate me to achieve your ends," Alex said sadly.
"Come on, Alex. It's not your fault," Kara told her.
"Maybe if I had been a better sister, you wouldn't be so fucked up," Alex said bitterly.
"Look, Alex, there's plenty of blame to go around for this. There are my parents, your parents, all the crazy mutant kids at Midvale High I put down, Cat Grant, Hank, James, Winn, Barney, and my Insane family," Kara listed off.
"Why did you clone yourself and why did you hide it from me?" Alex asked bluntly.
"To protect you when I'm gone. I figured that if you knew and saw her around, you would be constantly reminded that I won't always be here. I know I've been a terrible sister to you. If not for our history, you wouldn't even consider me a friend. I just figured, if I cloned myself, you could have the super-sister you deserve," Kara said.
Alex eyed Kara with tears in her eyes. "Why can't you stop being the way you are?"
"Why can't you stop being gay?" Kara shot back.
Alex smiled in spite of herself. "So, she has all your powers but none of your memories. And...you just handed her over to the Russians?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Kara nodded. "But her allegiance isn't just to Russia. It's the whole world."
"Any more secrets?" Alex asked her.
"No," Kara lied.
"Kara, with everything going on, you're not the sister I deserve," Alex shook her head.
"Thanks," Kara said bitterly.
"But you are the sister I need," Alex clarified and gave Kara a hug.
The next morning, Kara eyed all the people under Myriad working on a new weapon out the window. As Supergirl, she listened to Ludwig Beethoven's music. "The design replicates Mon-El's Spirit bomb technique by extracting all the energy from the bio-mass, the land, and the atmosphere into a singularity. If deployed, it could be enough to kill the Anti-Monitor," Brainiac 5 said.
"Bio-mass includes the people?" Kara questioned as she turned off the music.
"Yes, the spirit bomb is more powerful the more lifeforms there are on the planet. Once the spirit bomb has completely extracted all of the energy from the planet's surface, the planet will become lifeless and uninhabitable," Brainiac 5 continued.
Kara watched as Hank led more refugee ships from doomed Earths to Earth-2. "There are now over ten billion humans on the planet with more coming in every hour," Brainiac 5 said.
"Does J'onn know?" Kara asked.
"No," Brainiac 5 said flatly.
"Keep the ships coming. I want as much power as I can get," Kara ordered.
"Of course," Brainiac 5 agreed. "However, we should also consider quality over quantity."
"What do you mean?" Kara asked.
"A mere human has very little spiritual energy. Heroes like Superman and yourself have much higher levels while taking up the same amount of space," Brainiac 5 said.
"Then we should bring all of these heroes here," Kara reasoned.
"I agree," the Monitor interrupted.
Kara eyed the Monitor suspiciously. "The heroes will try to stop what we're doing. Keep them occupied."
"I shall endeavor to do so but the Anti-Monitor is already here," the Monitor said grimly.
The Anti-Monitor fleet suddenly appeared just outside Earth-2's solar system. The immense gravity of the Dyson sphere holding the anti-matter star began to perturb the Ort Cloud throwing asteroids towards the inner solar system or ejecting them entirely. The Dyson sphere deployed metal planetoid stations that proceeded to orbit the massive structure. Swarms of drones orbited the Dyson sphere collecting information on their new target.
In the Monitor realm, the Monitor, Kara, and Brainiac 5 eyed the impressive fleet. "We don't have time to finish the weapon or evacuate. We strike now," Kara said forcefully.
"I do not believe that even you can defeat the Anti-Monitor by yourself," the Monitor doubted.
"Can I teleport inside the Dyson sphere?" Kara asked Brainiac 5.
"Too heavily shielded," Brainiac 5 rejected.
"Why is it positioned so far away?" Kara wondered.
"They're just outside the Heliopause, a dense plasma envelope from the sun," Brainiac 5 said.
"A shield to keep would-be heroes from approaching," the Monitor assumed.
"Except me," Kara replied. She then turned to Brainiac 5. "If I don't make it back, send my love to my husband."
"I'll tell him, personally," Brainiac 5 promised.
"You are a great warrior, Kara Zor-El. I hate to lose you," the Monitor frowned.
"One way or another, the war ends here," Kara said to them.
The three then came back to where they were before in Kara's office. Kara and Brainiac 5 went over to the building that housed the massive White Lantern battery. Kara placed her hand inside the battery and collected her ring. Upon putting it on her finger, her uniform became white except for the outline of her crest which remained dark. Kara then strolled with Brainiac 5 to the city square. Alex came out to meet her.
"What are you about to do?" she asked her.
"Just going for an enthusiastic walk," Kara replied.
"You weren't even going to tell me. You're going to fight the Anti-Monitor alone," Alex said upset. "You could die."
Kara came over to her and put her hands on hers. "You want a loving sister and a morally perfect hero. I cannot give you what you seek. I never could. Goodbye."
"Kara!" Alex shouted after her as she flew off.
As she left Earth's atmosphere, Kara created a white energy field around her and then used the ring's powers to warp faster-than-light towards the Anti-Monitor's fleet.
Kara exited the wormhole and went straight for the Dyson sphere. A swarm of drones immediately went after her incinerating themselves as they got close to her shield. The battleships immediately fired at her missing her as she passed them by. The Dyson sphere itself fired unceasingly from its surface. Kara's shield absorbed the beams as she approached. Kara extended her right arm and fired at the Dyson sphere with everything she had. The powerful shields of the Dyson sphere blocked her pure white beam for a few seconds before she was able to penetrate it. The beam then hit the thick armor of the Dyson sphere and turned it molten red. Kara kept it up until she blasted a sizable hole in the Dyson sphere's hull.
With the opening wide enough, Kara flew through the hole and saw the inside of the Dyson sphere. There, she saw cities housing quadrillions of alien beings from all over the anti-matter universe on the surface of the Dyson sphere looking inward. Massive solar panels absorbed the solar radiation of the anti-matter star from the Dyson's sphere's surface. Kara flew straight for the star, her only chance of victory at light-speed. As she did, she passed by several habitable planets orbiting the star while inside the Dyson sphere. In all her years, she had never seen anything quite like it. As she got closer to the star, the planets were less habitable but still used as mining planets. It dawned on her that she was about to kill an entire universe's civilization.
Kara's energy shield protected her as she experienced the star's corona. As she was mere seconds from impacting the star, she increased her prime levels to the maximum. Her goal was to hit the star at light-speed, at full power, and with a matter/anti-matter reaction that would cause the star to go supernova. The resulting explosion would incinerate the planets, blast apart the Dyson sphere, and kill the Anti-Monitor. It would be her end, her glorious end, to take down the Anti-Monitor and end Crisis.
"For my Earth, my country, I do this for you. And yes, even for you, my love," Kara said aloud as she came close to the star's surface.
The Anti-Monitor emerged from a portal and fired a beam from his right index finger into her chest stopping her descent. The star's corona ejections exploded all around them as they hovered above the surface of the star. Kara coughed up blood and struggled against the Anti-Monitor's grip. With his left hand, he summoned her white ring off her finger. As it floated in space, it was incinerated. Kara powered down but remained able to withstand the star's intense heat and brightness.
"You were willing to sacrifice your life to achieve victory. A victory that would snuff out my civilization in an instant and even destroy the Earth of this universe," the Anti-Monitor said thoughtfully.
"In all my years, I have never seen anything like it. Impressive, quite impressive," the Anti-Monitor complimented.
Kara hissed as she struggled against him. Focusing all her power on her eyes, she fired heat vision at him. The Anti-Monitor blocked the heat vision with his left hand and overpowered her with his own beam, blinding her. Kara cried out in pain as her eyes bled.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" she asked him.
"I am not surprised my brother didn't tell you. It's not a story he would want you to know," the Anti-Monitor said as Kara's power began to fade. The star's heat and radiation began to burn Kara's suit and skin.
"Tell me," Kara begged. "What do you want?"
The Anti-Monitor released his hold on her. Immediately, Kara sensed for his energy and tried to grab a hold of him so that the matter/anti-matter reaction would annihilate both of them. The Anti-Monitor easily avoided her strikes as explosions from the star rose around them.
"Why do you continue to fight?" the Anti-Monitor asked. "Is it pride or revenge?" he asked her.
"I fight to win. I fight because I have to win," Kara said to him.
The Anti-Monitor pointed his right index finger at Kara and fired through her heart. Kara was stunned by the attack and immediately lost power. She quickly fell towards the star. The Anti-Monitor created a forcefield around her to stop her descent. "Only in death, can you understand," the Anti-Monitor said as Kara closed her eyes. He then created a portal around Kara disappearing her from view.
At HQ, Brainiac 5 detected a portal opening and closing. "It's Supergirl," he said to the others.
Superman immediately took off as the others waited for news. Superman came upon Kara's body and saw that she was clearly dead. Her uniform was torn and bloody and her skin burned. He looked her over, looking for any chance she could still be alive. Realizing she was gone, he shed tears in anguish. He slowly brought her down to the city square and allowed all the heroes to see her as he carried her body in his arms.
"No, Kara, no!" Alex said grief-stricken.
"I'm sorry, Alex," Superman said to her.
"No, Kara, you can't go. You're invincible. You can't leave me," Alex cried over her.
The Monitor eyed Kara's body and then turned to Brainiac 5. "She was our last hope."
"No, there is another," Brainiac 5 replied without emotion.
At HQ, the Monitor addressed the assembled heroes that included Ray, Sara, Mick, Oliver, Clark, Lois, Alex, and Barry. At the Monitor's side was Lyla as Harbinger. "You have suffered a horrible loss. You all have lost a great hero," the Monitor began.
"The wrong hero," Barry said bitterly.
"I do not disagree," the Monitor allowed. "But you have reasons not to lose hope: seven in fact. Across space and time, exists seven heroes, beings of the purest will that can ultimately defeat the Anti-Monitor and help save the multiverse. They are known as Paragons."
"Paragons? And you're just dropping this on us now?" Barry asked incredulously.
"Yes," the Monitor said unapologetically.
"So, plan B? It's comforting," Barry said bitterly.
"This is not how I saw events unfold but as the Anti-Monitor becomes stronger, my powers grow weaker. We must find all seven Paragons," the Monitor said.
"How about a hint?" Alex asked.
"I have four. Kara Zor-El was the Paragon of Hope," the Monitor began.
"But she died trying to save us all. What hope do we have now?" Oliver asked.
"Only one Kara Zor-El is dead. There is another with her strength," the Monitor said cryptically.
"The one from Earth X, you mean? Yeah, fuck that," Oliver said quickly.
"She could be our last resort," Ray said.
"I will never trust a Nazi like her," Barry said passionately.
"Okay, we get it. We all hate Nazis. Let's try to move this along. There are three others," Lois said reasonably.
"Indeed. Sara Lance is the Paragon of Destiny," the Monitor continued.
"Oh, that makes sense being captain of time travel," Ray agreed.
"The third is a Superman that has suffered a great loss. He is the Paragon of Truth," the Monitor said.
"I'll find him," Clark volunteered.
"I'll go with you," Lois said instantly.
"And the fourth?" Ray asked.
"The other is the Bat of the future that is the Paragon of Courage," the Monitor said vaguely. "On Earth-99, Bruce Wayne has dedicated his life and body to fighting crime," the Monitor said.
"Bruce Wayne is the Dark Knight?" Ray asked dumbfounded.
"Try to keep up," Sara mocked him.
"I'll find Bruce Wayne," Alex volunteered.
"Are you sure you're up to it?" Clark asked, concerned for her.
"Yeah. I have to keep my mind focused on the mission or else I'll fall apart," Alex said sadly.
"We don't know what kind of Batman this one is. Be careful," Clark warned.
Alex looked over a computer showing simulations of what would happen to Earth against several anti-matter torpedos. At some point, the shields would fall and the planet would be destroyed. "I'm sorry for your loss, Alex. She meant a great deal to me as well," Lex said behind her.
Alex twirled around and pointed her pistol at his head. The Monitor was at his side. "Lena killed you," Alex said confused.
"That was a version of me that no longer exists," Lex said vaguely.
Alex fired at his head. The beam stopped midway and then faded. "Even Lex Luthor has a part to play," the Monitor told her.
"You did this? You brought this poisonous snake back?" Alex questioned him.
"I merely brought him here. It was Kara Zor-El that cloned him using the Harun-El," the Monitor explained.
"Another clone? So, you don't remember what you've done, what you put us all through, all the people you murdered?" Alex asked Lex.
"I do not," Lex confirmed.
"Is he really a clone or just another version of himself?" Alex asked the Monitor.
"His DNA is identical. As for his soul, I leave that to the philosophers," the Monitor replied.
Alex lowered her pistol at him. "Why did Kara clone you?"
"She came to realize that the Lex you hate was also a clone of the original. The original was split into two people fifteen years ago. The evil clone killed the original and took on his identity. Realizing this, Kara cloned me from the evil twin. She wanted me to be as good as he was evil. She wanted the original Lex back," Lex explained.
"And are you the original now?" Alex asked.
"I don't know. I was put to the test morally and psychologically and I passed them all. Maybe deep down there is still evil lurking. Maybe we all have it. I'm not here for recognition or praise. I will always be a cursed man in the face of the world. But since my creation, I've wanted to do good in the world and do penance for what my predecessor has done," Lex said sincerely.
"Where have you been this whole time?" Alex asked.
"In a Russian basement," Lex replied.
Alex gave him a dumbfounded look. "If he doesn't have the same memories as Lex, then why bring him here?" she asked the Monitor.
"It was a condition for Kara Zor-El's cooperation," the Monitor replied.
"Why am I not surprised?" Alex said tearfully. "Wait, we can use Kara's clone as the Paragon of Hope, right?"
"Unfortunately no. By cloning herself with the Harun-El, the Kara Zor-El of Earth-38 has divided her soul in two. Only the Kara Zor-El of Earth X will do," the Monitor said.
"Yeah, fuck that," Alex disagreed. "Let's just find the other six Paragons first and then deal with Kara." Alex then used her portal gun and disappeared to Earth-99.
Barry, Oliver, and Mia met up. "You got something, Barry?" Oliver asked super-serious.
"We use the Lazerus pit and we bring Kara back," Barry said.
"Is that a real thing?" Mia wondered.
"Don't you lose your humanity or something when you do that?" Oliver recalled.
"Kara had no humanity," Barry reminded him.
"Right, yeah, let's do it. Fuck it," Oliver agreed. "I mean, if there was a chance to bring any hero back, I would. Just never do it to me," Oliver said.
"Deal," Barry promised.
"So, where can we find one of these pits?" Mia asked.
"We need a guide," Barry realized.
"This is some crazy shit. I like it," Oliver smiled giving Barry a fist-bump.
Earth-75
Metropolis
Lois and Clark casually strolled around Metropolis on their way to the Daily Planet building. "Iris just called. She says Lex Luthor is alive and walking around HQ with a portal gun," Lois said nonchalantly.
"This is grave," Clark realized.
"We need to find our Superman before Lex kills him," Lois said urgently.
"As if," Clark said skeptically.
"Lex already killed you, honey. I was there. It sucked," Lois reminded him.
"Okay, getting killed by a rage-monster created by Lex using ancient Kryptonian technology is not the same as Lex killing me," Clark refuted.
"All I know is that at the end of the day, you were dead and he wasn't," Lois pointed out.
Earth-2
Metropolis
At HQ, Constantine took out a piece of Nicorette gum, opened the wrapper, and then placed the gum in his mouth dramatically. He then paused to consider the request he had been given. "My answer is...fuck no."
"It's Supergirl, the most powerful hero the multiverse has ever seen," Mia told him.
"Hate to break it to you, kid, but super-powers aren't a thing in the afterlife. Everyone burns or enjoys heavenly bliss all the same," Constantine said as he chewed his gum.
"Just say the damn spell. We're on a time crunch," Barry said annoyed.
"And I said no," Constantine shot him down.
"Look, I don't want to tell you how to do your job but we need her back or all of God's creation is fucked," Oliver said super-serious.
"Alright," Constantine gave in. "I'm going to need a chair, a bucket of water, and a black cat."
"Is he for serious?" Mia wondered.
"Let's move, people," Oliver ordered.
Barry suddenly appeared with the items Constantine requested. "Thanks," Constantine said sitting in the chair, putting his bare feet in the bucket of water, and holding the cat. "Now, this could get weird."
Earth-167
Smallville
At an ordinary farmhouse, several newspapers were framed on a house wall headlined: "I Slept with Superman, Superman Saved My Ass."
Clark Kent was outside chopping wood with an ax just outside his house near his fence. Clark, Lois, and Iris walked over to him. "I can do that with one bare hand," Clark said confused.
"Well, aren't you the bragger?" Clark Kent stopped his work to notice them.
"You are Clark Kent, right?" Clark asked wanting to make sure.
"So...how can I help you?" Clark Kent asked.
"Yeah, so like, hopefully, you can, like, help us because infinite Earths are being destroyed and there are, like, seven people in the whole multiverse that can stop it," Iris babbled.
"Lex Luthor is going to try to kill you," Lois blurted out.
"Lex? I didn't know the president was in town," Clark Kent said skeptically.
Clark, Lois, and Iris all gave him a WTF look as they suddenly disappeared. "Well, that was weird," Clark Kent shrugged.
Lex then appeared before Clark. "Mr. President, nice of you to stop by," Clark smiled.
"I'm not the Lex you know," Lex replied.
"Oh?" Clark wondered seeing an exact appearance to his own Lex. "What did you do to those people?"
"A being called the Monitor summoned them back to give us a private moment," Lex replied.
"Well, I'm just a guy working on his farm. So, what do you want?" Clark asked.
"To tell you that I'm sorry and to ask for your forgiveness," Lex said to him.
"You've done nothing to me," Clark said.
"No, but maybe I'm responsible, in some way, for all the actions of every Lex in the multiverse. I don't know what the Lex of this universe has done, but I want to make amends for it," Lex said sincerely.
"The Lex of my universe was an asshole. He murdered his father. He swore to keep me in check. He even forced every hero to take off their masks when he became president. But...we patched up things long ago," Clark said.
"You did?" Lex asked curiously.
"The rivalry between us had hurt too many people and there were too many close calls. We nearly destroyed each other. So, we made a deal we both could live with," Clark said.
"What kind of deal?" Lex asked.
"In return for resigning the presidency and stepping down from Luthor Corp, I would give up my powers," Clark said simply. "Ever since, we've been good friends. He lives at the old mansion not too far from here," Clark said.
"You gave up your powers?" Lex asked incredulously. "But you had laser vision, you could fly, you had super strength."
"Peace and friendship are worth more than any superpowers," Clark told him. "Besides, I defeated all of my major villains before I even put the suit on."
"Hey, Clark, the girls want to show you what they've made," Lois said exiting the house.
"I'll be right there," Clark said to her. "Lex even helped us conceive and that's a gift I can never repay."
Lois then noticed Lex. "Hey, Lex, long time no see."
"I should be going," Lex said awkwardly.
"No, stay for a beer," Lois offered.
"Lois, this is Lex from a different universe. He's trying to make amends for the fucked up things our Lex has done here," Clark explained.
"Tall order," Lois smiled.
"I have a long list of Supermans to talk to and I don't have much time left," Lex said to him.
"You're welcome here anytime," Clark said and then shook Lex's hand.
Earth-96
Metropolis
Without missing a beat, Clark, Lois, and Iris waltzed into the Daily Planet not caring if Clark of Earth-167 may have met his demise at the hands of Lex. "Now, this is a newspaper," Lois said impressed.
"I tracked Lex's signal to this universe, so he can't be far," Iris said.
Lois then bumped into Clark Kent. "I'm sorry. You seem so familiar. Have we met before?"
Lois simply gave Clark a look of desire. "Oh, we've done more than meet."
"He looks like Ray Palmer," Iris noted.
"Who?" Clark Kent wondered. "Hey, nice glasses," he complimented Clark.
"Thanks. Do you have a second?" Clark asked.
"I'll ask the boss if I can use her office," Clark Kent said. "What's this about?"
"It's about Lex Luthor," Clark said seriously.
"We better talk now," Clark Kent acknowledged the threat. "Miss Grant, can I use your office for a sec?"
"What the fuck for?" Cat asked annoyed.
"It's Superman-related," Clark Kent said pointing to Clark.
"I want an exclusive," Cat demanded.
"Absolutely, Miss Grant," Clark Kent promised.
Cat eyed Clark with hunger in her eyes and then walked off. "She knows?" Clark asked his counterpart.
"It was the only way I could keep my job," Clark Kent told him. "Well, I don't understand how Lex could come back. He died years ago."
"It's a different Lex than you know," Iris told him.
"What is this? Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Perry White," Lois read off memorial plaques on the wall.
"Lex Luthor created a super-villain called Nuclear Man. He attacked the Daily Planet...and there were losses," Clark Kent said somberly.
"All these people died," Iris realized.
"My friends, my wife, I lost everyone on one terrible day," Clark Kent said.
"I think we found our Paragon of Truth," Clark said.
"We need you to come back with us. I know this sounds completely insane but, like, you might be the key to saving the multiverse," Iris said.
"Actually, it's the least insane thing I've ever heard," Clark Kent said and then suddenly became Superman. "First, we deal with Luthor."
"You won't do it alone," Clark said also becoming Superman.
"We won't let him kill you," Lois assured him.
"Oh, I've moved on from that," Lex said as he casually strolled into the office.
"I killed you once, Luthor. I'll do it again in a heartbeat," Superman(96) said to Lex.
"You misunderstand my intentions. I'm here to make amends," Lex said sincerely.
Superman(96) charged his eyes to vaporize Lex on the spot. "You can't," Superman(38) told him holding his shoulder.
"I have and I will," Superman(96) said angrily and then pushed Superman(38) into the wall causing memorial plaques on the wall to fall to the floor.
"You don't' belong here," Superman(96) said to him.
"We're here because we need your help," Superman(38) said to him.
"I couldn't even save my wife or my friends. What use am I?" Superman(96) said bitterly.
"You're the Paragon of Truth," Lois told him.
"I only know one truth: Lex dies," Superman(96) said advancing on Lex.
"Oh boy," Superman(38) realized. The two got into a wrestling hold and then tore off through the window into the city. Lois and Iris went to the window to see the fight.
"Alright, I've assessed the situation and I'm leaving," Lex said exiting through a portal.
The two Supermans fought in the air creating air shockwaves that blasted out skyscraper windows. Superman(96) had the edge in the fight as his rage and grief consumed him. He finally punched Superman(38) back into Cat's office. Arriving shortly thereafter, Superman (96) put the other in a headlock.
"Kal, remember who you are, what you represent. Superman doesn't kill. He doesn't give in to hate. He's full of love," Lois said to him.
"It's too late," Superman(96) said to her.
"It's never too late to do the right thing," Lois said to him.
Superman(96) then dropped Superman(38) to the floor and began to cry. "I'm sorry. I became overwhelmed with hate towards Luthor but also at myself for losing control."
"I just lost my cousin and although she ridiculed, harassed, and mocked me, I realize now how much I have lost without her," Superman(38) said to him. "But if you don't come with us, billions of people will face the same loss you have."
"I'm in," Superman(96) agreed.
Earth-18
North Dakota
Constantine led the heroes to a large cave that had a pool of water. He tasted the water to ensure its purity. "Love the taste of fracking," he muttered.
"Is this going to really work?" Mia asked annoyingly.
"Only one way to find out," Constantine said nonchalantly. "It's not like this is an exact science."
Portals opened as two Supermans, Lois, Iris, Sara, Ray, Mick, Batwoman, Brainiac 5, and the Monitor. Barry and Oliver then emerged with Kara's body. She was now in a white dress and looking peacefully as if sleeping. "Shouldn't Alex be here?" Barry asked looking around.
"There is no time," the Monitor said to him.
"Put the girl in the pool," Constantine instructed.
"If you could do the honors," Oliver asked the two Supermen.
They came over to Kara's body and then walked on the water. They then gently placed Kara in the water. "If I can cheat death, you can, too," Superman(38) said to her.
"She's beautiful," Superman(96) remarked.
The two Supermen then withdrew walking back onto the shore. "I probably should have mentioned that if this works, she'll be a little disoriented," Constantine said dryly.
"Crap," Barry realized.
"Brace yourselves!" Oliver told the group.
The pool suddenly exploded as Kara reemerged from the water. She stood on the water and looked around. Seeing Brainiac 5, she immediately fired heat vision at him. Brainiac 5 was blasted against the cave wall. "Shit," Oliver realized and quickly fired off an arrow at her. The arrow stuck to her dress and shocked her. Kara merely flicked the arrow off.
The two Supermen immediately took control of Kara's limbs. "Kara, we're your family and friends," Superman(38) told her.
Kara cast them off easily and extended out her arm chopping Superman(38) to the chest and kicking Superman(96) across the cave. Barry became the Flash and sped around Kara at super-speed punching her several times a second. Kara ignored him and calmly walked to the edge of the pool. She then snatched Flash to the neck as he ran around her. Lifting him off the ground, she threw him aside where he hit the cave wall.
"Stop her!" Iris shouted at the Monitor.
"I cannot afford to spend my reserves," the Monitor replied. "It is within you all to reason with her."
"This is some bullshit," Mia said as she fired arrow-after-arrow at Kara without result. Mick got in Kara's face and punched her to the face. Kara merely swatted him away. Ray fired energy busts at Kara as the Atom Man. Kara fired heat vision at him dropping him to the cave floor.
Kara advanced on Oliver paying little attention to anyone else. Barry tried another attack only to be punched back where he tumbled across the cave floor. Mia and Oliver became cornered by Kara as she walked towards them. "Mia, if this is how and when I die, I'm okay with it," Oliver said to her.
"No, I'm not losing you, not like this," Mia told him.
"I'll be okay," Oliver told her as he gestured for her to get away from him. She reluctantly moved away.
Kara quickly grabbed Oliver by the throat and turned his head side-to-side as if examining him. A sudden punch forced Kara off of him. Kara quickly recovered and eyed Batwoman at Oliver's side. Her Bat-symbol and knuckles glowed green. "I've been waiting a long time to kick your ass," Batwoman said to her.
Kara attempted to scan her costume but was blocked by the lead. She then fired heat vision at her. Batwoman held up her armband to deflect it into the cave wall. Batwoman then leaped up and kicked Kara to the ground. Kara quickly kicked Batwoman away. The brawl went full force as Kara and Batwoman traded blows. The normal humans in the cave had to close their ears as the air shockwaves from their blows echoed off the cave walls. The two slammed through the cave's stalagmites tearing them apart. Batwoman fired her rope gun pinning Kara's limbs. She snapped off the rope easily. Batwoman then cocked her fist back and punched Kara hard to the gut dropping her to her knees. Batwoman then punched her to the ground stunning her.
Kara gave Batwoman a look of amazement and began babbling in Kryptonian. Getting to her feet, Kara wrung her head as her memories started returning to her. Batwoman kept her distance as Kara clutched her hair and shook her head. She started to cry, then laugh, and then glare angrily.
"He's not here. Where is he?" Kara shrieked in Kryptonian and then thrashed at Batwoman. With a solid uppercut, Batwoman took Kara back to the ground.
Kryptonite darts suddenly hit Kara to the chest. Batwoman turned around and saw a damaged Brainiac 5 with his right arm and side blown off. Kara then passed out.
Constantine eyed the scene with a stoic expression. "I think my work here is done," he said.
Earth-2
Metropolis
Superman(96) walked over to Lex. "The Lex Luthor of my universe hurt me beyond measure, but it's not your fault. His sins do not carry onto you. I'm sorry."
"I should have known of our history before trying to meet you. To a fresh start," Lex said shaking Superman's hand.
"We now have our four Paragons," the Monitor said pleased.
"Wait...where?" Batwoman wondered.
"You found the Paragon of Truth, right here. As for the Paragon of Courage, she is also in this room. It is you, the Bat of the future," the Monitor said of Batwoman.
"You've definitely earned it taking on Kara like that on your own," Superman(38) agreed.
"I can confirm it," Ray said looking at his computer.
"So, there you have it," the Monitor smiled.
Alex entered Kara's prison cell. Green Kryptonite rays flooded the room as a precaution. Kara sat in her cell bored. "So, I know the Paragon quest is bullshit, just something to recruit heroes to Earth-2 and keep us occupied. So, what are you really planning?" Alex demanded.
"When this is all over, you're going to want plausible deniability," Kara replied.
"Back to your old self, I see," Alex realized bitterly.
"Are you going to expose me?" Kara asked standing up.
"What did you see when you fought the Anti-Monitor? How did you lose?" Alex deflected.
"It wasn't even a fight," Kara turned away embarrassed. "He is as powerful to me as I am to Superman, maybe even more so."
"So, there's no hope?" Alex asked.
"Against the Anti-Monitor? No," Kara replied.
Alex touched the control panel and released Kara from her forcefield cell. "So, you're just having a little fun at our expense before we all die."
"Would you prefer Myriad?" Kara asked.
"I found James and Kelly working as janitors sweeping and mopping floors. And it wasn't just them, it was Asians, Latinos, and Arabs all doing lower-level tasks," Alex accused.
"Is there a question?" Kara mocked.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Alex asked her. "How could you do that to James and my girlfriend?"
Kara twitched at that hiding her disgust. "A mere oversight."
Brainiac 5 then entered the room. "Welcome back to the ranks of the living," he said completely fixed.
"Remove James and Kelly Olsen from the Myriad program," Kara ordered.
"Done," Brainiac 5 said quickly working on his tablet.
"Satisfied?" Kara asked Alex.
"Kara, you're evil but I guess that's what we need, right now. Maybe, what we need to fight evil is another kind of evil," Alex glared at her.
"You've seen nothing yet," Kara replied.
Alex gave her a disgusted look and exited the room. Kara then eyed Brainiac 5. "Stop the transports to Earth-2. We have a new plan."
"I would be delighted to hear it," Brainiac 5 replied.
Lena sulked in her office as she worked on energy usage for the trans-matter portal. There was a knock on the door. "It's open," she said.
Lex then came in. Lena stood up and backed away startled. "It's okay," Lex said putting his hands up.
"You're dead," Lena said horrified by his appearance.
"Lena, we have a lot to catch up on," Lex began.
Author's Notes: The Batman of Earth-99 is the Michael Keaton version. The CW Crisis version of Bruce Wayne was really disrespectful to the character. In hindsight, making Kate the Paragon of Courage is now a sick joke with her dead or exiled from the show. As I always say, you don't uplift a new hero by tearing down an old one. Kara's death is a reference to the Crisis comic where she is killed directly by the Anti-Monitor. I decided to give me ending to Smallville (TV) that finally brings closure to that series. I found it amusingly cute to have good Lex attempt to make amends resulting in chaos wherever he goes. As per usual, Kara messes with the Arrowverse heroes by sending them on an irrelevant quest. The last two parts have been building up some plot twists that will eventually explain some confusing elements.