(Author's Notes: Chapter 1 was featured in the fic: Midvale, the prequel to Adventures with Supergirl. It's helpful but not mandatory to read chapter 1 before reading chapter 2.)
(Rated I for Immature)
Summer 2007
Just outside Midvale in a field, Kara and Alex Danvers, Lex Luthor, Pete Ross, Vicki Donaghue, and Ryan James sat around in a circle. They had just fought off an interdimensional clown demon and needed time to reflect on what they had experienced. Kara had been caught in the deadlights, three glowing orbs of an incredible malicious power that could become anything it chose to be including a creepy clown. While hypnotized by the deadlights, Kara saw visions of the future.
"I saw all of you there...in the cistern, but we were all older. We were like our parents' ages," Kara said still overwhelmed.
"Am I still bald?" Lex asked jokingly.
"Yeah," Kara nodded sympathetically.
"What about me?" Ryan asked.
Kara gave him a haunted look. "Like now...but taller," she lied.
Alex then stood up. "Swear it. Swear, if It isn't dead, if It ever comes back, we'll come back, too." The others got to their feet and one-by-one swore they would.
IT Chapter 2
Winter 2020
Midvale
Pete Ross was hanging out in his attic listening to the police radio one particular night. "Pete, let's get going. The fair is closing soon," his hot Latina wife nagged.
"I'll be right there, Carla," he shouted down the stairs.
"Just got a report of a body dismembered near the fairgrounds at the Midvale bridge," a female police sergeant radioed in.
"Did you say...dismembered?" a male cop asked slightly alarmed.
"That's affirmative. Chief wants it taped off," the sergeant replied.
"We are all going to get a shit-ton of overtime for this," the male cop said excitedly.
"Just get your ass down there, rookie," the sergeant told him off.
Pete turned off the radio intrigued. "He had ended up being a surgeon at Midvale Hospital. His mother, a former judge, had wanted him to make a name for himself in Metropolis but he had refused. He liked the feel of the town and it was never short of weird-ass killings.
Pete ditched his wife as she went with her friends to the fairgrounds. He went over to the bridge and eyed the ambulance. A man was a little beaten up but was otherwise fine. "These kids attacked us for being gay but then this fucking clown came out of nowhere and killed Adrian," the man said to the cops.
"I don't know. That sounds like bullshit," the cops doubted.
Pete froze as he heard what the witness had said. He noticed a popped red balloon on a bush and saw "Come Home" written in blood on the bridge pillars. "This is some fucked-up shit. I have to call the others," Pete realized.
Los Angeles
Kara was in her fancy trailer next to a studio set working hard on a movie script. She had written down the title of the movie before stopping for a break. A blond woman suddenly entered her trailer. "The director needs you on set," she said delicately.
"Holy shit!" Kara said startled. "Fine, I'll be right there."
"I have to escort you, this time," the woman said awkwardly. Kara had managed to escape the director on numerous occasions whenever he had asked for her.
"Well, okay then," Kara said exiting the trailer.
The two walked over to the WB movie set just as the garage door was about to close on them. Kara took hold of the door and forced it back up as she entered the set. "Alright, what the fuck do you want?" Kara asked the director on a haunted cabin scene.
"Do you have the pages?" he asked her.
"Not yet," Kara replied.
"Miss Danvers, a film needs an ending. You do know that right?" he asked condescendingly.
"Well, we've done just fine without a beginning or a middle section, so I think we can manage," Kara rolled her eyes.
"We're shooting this thing tonight," the director said annoyed.
"Meaning?" Kara wondered.
"I need that fucking script, right now," the director said urgently.
"You can't rush a writer. I should know. I'm a fucking Pultizer-Prize-winning journalist," Kara told him off.
"And you know shit about writing horror scripts," the director said to her. "Look, Kara, I want you to like this movie. I'm on your side."
"You directors always fuck over authors and writers. I write a masterpiece and you then do your own thing. Then, I have to smile as I tell the press how I love your vision. It's bullshit," Kara said bluntly.
"Getting a writing credit because you paid off the producer is also bullshit, especially when I have to do your job," the director shot back.
"I already submitted my ending," Kara told him.
"And it sucked," the director said instantly.
"That's not your call," Kara argued.
"My Oscars beg to differ," the director replied.
"I have Saturn awards," Kara countered.
"No one gives a shit about those," the director said derisively. "Now, give me a fucking ending or I'm going to get the studio involved," the director threatened.
"Yes, Dad," Kara replied obnoxiously as the director walked off. Kara then got a phone call from a number she didn't recognize but was from the Midvale area code. She decided to take the call outside the studio set.
"Sup?" she asked.
"It's Pete," he said.
"Pete who?" Kara wondered.
"Fuck you, Kara. You know who I am," Pete said annoyed.
"Oh yeah, how's my favorite black token friend from Midvale?" Kara asked.
"Kara, you need to come home," Pete said super-serious. "It has come back."
"Well...shit," Kara realized.
Metropolis
Alex was driving like a maniac as she rushed to get to work in downtown Metropolis. As she did, she was having another argument with Kelly. "I keep telling you not to scare me like this," Kelly said alarmed by a new threat Alex had told her about.
"Everything is going to be fine, Kelly," she said to her. A taxi cab suddenly honked at her. "Hey! Dickhead, get off my ass!" Alex shouted at him as he passed her by.
"What if you get shot or worse?" Kelly asked flustered.
"I'm not going to get shot. It's my job to assess risk so please trust me when I tell you I am statistically-speaking more likely to die because I am talking to you on the phone. I have to go. Talk to you soon. Bye," Alex said and then hung up.
Alex frowned as she got another call, this time from Midvale. "Hello, who's this?"
"It's me, Pete," Pete said.
"Pete who?" Alex wondered as she went through a red light. Her car was suddenly hit by a taxi cab.
"You okay?" Pete asked hearing the crash in the background.
"I've been better," Alex muttered as her car was completely disabled in the middle of a busy intersection. "Well...shit."
Paris, France
Vicki went outside a fashion studio and threw up all over the fire-escape ladder. "What the hell? You were fine, five seconds ago," Jeanne said concerned for her. "Who was it? Who called? Vicki, talk to me. The runway is about to start in five minutes."
"I'm fine," Vicki said obviously not fine.
"Sixty seconds," an assistant told her as she went back inside.
"Get her a water," Jeanne ordered the assistant.
"I don't know if I can do this," Vicki said freaked out.
"You got this. This has been your passion project. You can't back out now," Jeanne reminded her.
Vicki took a glass of wine and downed it quickly. "How do I look?" she asked Jeanne.
"Like shit. Your hands are shaking," Jeanne said.
"I can't fuck this up. So many people are depending on me, people's jobs and product lines. These people don't respect me because I'm an American even though I've lived here for ten years," Vicki said completely overwhelmed.
Jeanne gave her a passionate kiss to calm her down. "Whatever happens, you always have me to come back to," she reminded her.
Vicki nodded as she held Jeanne's hands and caressed their wedding rings. "Go out there and show them what an American can do," Jeanne told her.
Vicki nodded and then went on stage to introduce her models. As she saw her models go down the runway with her collection, she could somehow hear the thoughts of the audience. Somehow, she heard their arrogant disappointment at her collection.
"Well...shit," Vicki sighed.
Metropolis
At L Tower, Lena and her board discussed a new construction project. They bickered over retail space opportunities inside the building. "Now, if we put walls up here and here...," a board member suggested.
"It will be like a prison. I should know," Lex Luthor said from a TV monitor placed in the room. He was in the PATRIOT facility near Moscow. "Take down the walls. We need to give people space to congregate, meet, socialize, and while they are there they can shop."
"Nice to see you haven't lost your business edge, Lex," Lena smirked.
"Oh, I lost it alright. I just got it back," Lex smirked and then noticed he was getting a phone call. "Excuse me for a moment," Lex said to the board and turned off his computer.
"Kara," Lex answered.
"I need you to come to America," Kara said urgently.
"I'm a global fugitive. How and why?" Lex asked.
"I'll take care of the how. You may not remember what happened in Midvale, but you were there and we'll need you," Kara said to him.
"I'm at your service," Lex readily agreed. He then looked out the windows and stared at the night sky and pondered being arrested and put on trial for what his clone had done. "Well...shit."
Midvale
That afternoon, Kara and Alex placed fresh roses at the grave of Ryan James, a foster brother of theirs for six months. He had died of a brain tumor shortly after their confrontation with It. Kara and Alex had done everything within their power to try to save him but it was too late. His ability to read minds was brought on by a malignant tumor that could not be stopped. His death shook the Danvers sisters to their core.
"After all these years, do you still remember the last day he was with us?" Alex asked her.
"Like it were yesterday," Kara said sadly.
"This thing managed to defeat you last time. What if we can't destroy it?" Alex asked seriously.
"That's why I asked a man who doesn't feel fear to join us," Kara said coyly.
"Who?" Alex wondered.
"Your father," Kara replied.
That evening, the group all came together at the Jade of Orient Chinese restaurant in Midvale. Kara entered the restaurant early and looked around for Pete. "Hey," he said to her as she entered the private dining room.
"Holy shit!" Kara said startled.
"Kara, you look good," Pete said giving her a warm hug.
"How are you doing? Still racing?" Kara asked him.
"You bet," Pete smiled. "You know, I didn't know if anyone would show up but, of course, you came," Pete said excitedly.
"Well, of course. I'm a superhero now," Kara smirked.
"Don't I know it. It's been so hard to keep my mouth shut these last couple of years. You are amazing," Pete complimented.
"Stop, what would your wife say?" Kara chuckled.
"Speaking of which, did you ever get married?" Pete asked.
"It's complicated. He's in the future a thousand years from now with my kids," Kara said.
"Congrats. Is he as crazy as you are?" Pete asked.
"He's not crazy, he's Insane," Kara corrected.
"Nice," Pete smiled. "So, how much do you remember about It?"
"Everything," Kara said suddenly serious.
"That's good because we're going to need your firepower," Pete said.
"This isn't some prank, is it?" Kara asked hopefully.
"No," Pete shook his head.
"Shit," Kara realized. "It's going to take us all to take it down."
Alex and Jeremiah then entered the restaurant. "The food is so greasy here. I'm trying to stay in shape," Alex frowned.
"Take it from me, Alex. You can be a fat-ass and still kick ass," he told her.
"Holy shit," Alex said as she saw Pete.
Outside the restaurant, Vicki hesitated to open the door. "Is there a password?" Lex asked her, wearing a black trenchcoat.
Vicki turned around and stared at him. She went up to him and slapped him. "You unleashed that monster that killed Superman. What the fuck happened to you?" she asked him.
"Vicki, I was experimenting with Black Kryptonite and I split myself in two. The Lex that did all those horrible things took my place but he's gone now," Lex explained.
"So, where have you been this entire time?" Vicki doubted.
"Dead," Lex said simply. "Kara used the Black Kryptonite to split me again."
"So, you're not him," Vicki realized. "You're not the Lex that partnered with me at the Talon or helped me get to Paris."
"Not exactly," Lex admitted. "We were all brought here for a reason. We have a mutual enemy with this It. I hope I can find a way to gain your trust."
"If what you're telling me is true, then you already have," Vicki replied and then gave him a cautious hug.
"I see that you're married," Lex remarked of her wedding ring. "Who's the lucky guy?"
"We have a lot to catch up on," Vicki smiled.
The two went inside the restaurant where they met up with the others. Alex turned around and saw Vicki for the first time in over ten years. She was so beautiful with her tan complexion and long dark hair, something she hadn't noticed while they were growing up for some reason.
"Hey, Alex," Vicki said awkwardly.
"Hi," Alex said dumbfounded by her.
Kara and Pete smirked knowingly. "Wait, what the fuck?" Pete wondered as Lex entered the room.
"No, he's cool. He's the good version," Kara reassured him.
"Well, he killed your cousin, not mine," Pete allowed.
"Let's get this started," Jeremiah said impatiently.
They all proceeded to get shots, clinked them, and drank them down. "Wow, Vicki, you got married," Alex noticed her wedding ring.
"Yeah," Vicki said vaguely.
"Are the Frenchmen really as romantic as they're portrayed in the movies?" Alex asked completely oblivious.
"Well...," Vicki said awkwardly.
Kara eyed both of them back-and-forth waiting for the drama to inevitably ensue. "Well, Pete got married," Kara jerked her thumb at him. "And to a woman no-less."
"She's really great. She's a nurse at Midvale General," Pete confirmed.
"And she's got you by the balls," Kara noted.
"No, she doesn't," Pete denied.
"You are completely whipped," Kara insisted.
"So, did you ever get married, Kara?" Vicki asked.
"Yep," Kara said showing her wedding ring.
"He must be crazy," Vicky figured.
"Actually, he's Insane," Alex corrected.
Vicki frowned not understanding the reference. "So, Lex, you're still bald."
"By choice, this time," he said.
"I like it. It looks good on you," Vicki approved.
"I believe we're missing someone. Is Ryan James coming?" Lex asked ignorantly.
There was a long awkward silence. "You really don't remember, do you?" Alex realized.
"Is he...," Lex wondered.
"He's no longer with us," Kara told him.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know...or remember," Lex said flustered.
"Don't beat yourself up. I have trouble remembering things, too," Jeremiah said to him.
"So...did you ever become a doctor, Alex?" Vicki asked.
"I became the doctor, surgeon, actually," Pete said surprising her.
"I work for the FBI," Alex lied.
"It suits you. You were always seeking the truth and busting bad guys. You and Kara were like Lethal Weapon," Vicki smiled.
"So, what do you...do?" Alex asked her.
"I work in fashion in Paris," Vicki answered.
"You must be fluent in French by now," Alex figured.
"Yes but even now Parisians can tell I'm American," Vicki sighed.
"I do notice an accent change," Alex detected.
"I propose a toast...to the Loser's Club," Kara said. They all clinked their beer bottles together. The waitress then brought several plates of food to the table. The group socialized for a few minutes. Pete challenged Jeremiah to an arm-wrestling match and was easily defeated by Jeremiah's cyborg arm.
"So, how's your movie coming along?" Alex asked Kara.
"Well, you know, it's challenging work," Kara lied.
"When is it coming out?" Vicki asked curiously.
"Not sure, yet. I only did it to get on the inside track. I'm working to get a Supergirl movie done," Kara said.
"How interesting. Are you...playing yourself?" Vicki whispered.
"She knows?" Alex asked alarmed.
"I told her shortly after she left for Paris," Kara admitted.
"You made that such a big deal," Alex scolded.
"I'm fine with it. I really am. I mean, everyone has secrets, right?" Vicki allowed.
Kara gave her an amused look realizing Vicki was uncomfortable talking about her sexuality and yet was completely oblivious that Alex shared the same. She eyed them both wondering when the two would figure it out. "So, we all onboard to take out Pennywise?" Pete asked the group.
"Fuck yeah," Kara said instantly.
"How do you know It's back?" Vicki questioned.
"It is no longer after just kids. It is going after adults as well and there is a pattern: They're all LGBT. Somehow, It is able to detect it before they themselves know. A man had his heart eaten at the river the other night, a young girl got her face bit off. It's horrible," Pete detailed.
"Well, we have nothing to worry about, right? I mean, we're all straight, right?" Kara said awkwardly.
Vicki and Alex gave uncomfortable looks not wanting to reveal themselves to each other. "Right, sure," Alex said shaken by the revelation.
"It doesn't matter if we're straight, gay, or whatever. We have to stop It for good. We made an oath," Pete reminded them.
"I think we need to bring in some squads to seek and destroy him. I'll get the FBI down here," Alex said.
"They'll be slaughtered," Jeremiah predicted. "Only you people here have experience with Pennywise. Only we can take him down. This isn't something you shoot or punch. It's spiritual. It's evil."
"Well, it got dark quickly," Kara muttered.
"My fortune cookie only has one word," Lex said cracking one open. "It says 'could'."
"Mine says 'guess'," Vicki said confused
"Let's bring them over here," Alex said going into investigative-mode. All the fortune cookies were cracked open and their messages placed on the table. Alex worked to decipher the message.
"It's a message," Pete said.
"No shit," Alex said flustered as she put the words together in the right order. The group began to argue over the order of the words as Kara simply stared at her message.
"Kara, what the fuck? Give me the last message," Alex said impatiently.
Kara gave it up and flicked away a tear. The message simply said "Ryan."
Alex put his name in the sentence. "Guess Ryan could not cut it," she read aloud.
"That's fucked up," Vicki remarked.
The bowl of fortune cookies began to shake and then one cookie cracked open revealing insect-like creatures with baby heads that immediately began to cry. Another was an eyeball with tentacles. Various weird miniature creatures came out of the fortune cookies and began to crawl around the table. The bowl then filled up with boiling hot soy sauce and flowed over the table. The fish aquarium suddenly featured shrunken human heads.
Alex looked around to see if there were any witnesses. "Kara, fix this," she ordered.
Kara blasted the table with frost breath freezing the weird-ass creatures. They then shattered into shards. "It's not real," Jeremiah said calmly.
"Now, you tell me," Kara said annoyed as the entire table was frozen solid.
"Everything alright?" the waitress asked them.
"Yeah, could we get the check?" Alex asked dryly.
As they left the restaurant, they considered what was going on. "Pennywise is just trying to fuck with us," Alex said to them.
"Vicki," a little boy called her out.
"How do you know my name?" Vicki asked slightly alarmed.
"The fun is just beginning...right?" the kid said.
"Kara, did you pay him to say that?" Alex asked exasperated.
"What? No," Kara said innocently.
"Why would you say that?" Vicki asked the boy.
"He told me to," the boy pointed out Pete.
"Nice," Kara said giving Pete a high-five.
"Is this some kind of fucking joke to you two? People are dead now. There is a demonic clown out there targeting the LGBT. This is some serious shit, guys," Alex scolded them.
"Sorry," Kara and Pete said, looking down and ashamed.
The group then exited the restaurant into the evening air. "So, what's the plan?" Lex asked.
"We stick together and set up a base of operations," Jeremiah told them.
The group assembled at a regular townhouse that had several rooms, a bar, dining room, and kitchen area. It was one of many safe-houses Jeremiah had collected. Kara immediately went to the bar and got herself a drink. Lex came over to the bar to keep her company. "What's wrong?" he asked her.
"Just bad memories, I guess. I have all these powers, yet I couldn't save Ryan," Kara said sadly.
"We all die someday," Lex reminded her.
"I've died before, you've died before, and yet we're still here," Kara said.
"How did Pennywise defeat you last time?" Lex asked.
"His power is equal to that of his opponent. If I fight at full strength, he will match me and kill all of you. That's why I have to reduce my power-level to as low as I can, to become mortal," Kara said and then cut her hand to demonstrate. Kara then flicked her hand healing the cut.
"How did you guys win last time?" Lex asked.
"I was trapped in Pennywise' deadlights until you kissed me. Then, Alex gave It love instead of fear. I don't know if that will work again. The game seems to have changed," Kara said taking another shot. "I knew Ryan was going to die before he did. I knew and I didn't tell Ryan, Alex, or Eliza. I thought I could defy fate."
"You knew Ryan was going to die? What the fuck?" Alex interjected as she entered the bar.
"He had a brain tumor. We all knew he didn't have much time left," Kara said defensively.
"So all that running around you did to find doctors and treatments was just a big joke?" Alex accused.
"Like I was going to allow a vision from some demonic clown make me give up? I did what I could to save him," Kara argued.
"You kept this to yourself. You didn't prepare me or anyone else that there was nothing we could do about it," Alex said tearfully.
"A demonic clown isn't a reliable source," Kara said pissed-off.
"You're always keeping secrets from me. You never told me that Vicki knew your secret for over ten years," Alex pointed out.
"So what?" Kara scoffed. "She was out of your life and you two never saw each other again."
Vicki then went down the stairs and noticed Kara and Alex fighting. "What did I miss?" she asked ignorantly.
Alex shook her head and left the room sulking. As she did, she ran into Pete. "I have to show you something. It's in the weird room."
Pete and Alex went over to Midvale High where so many students had been infected with Kryptonite and then shortly thereafter killed by Kara when they went bad. Pete used an old key and entered the abandoned "weird room." "I remember this place looking a lot bigger before," Alex muttered as she saw it completely disorganized.
"Want a rootbeer?" Pete asked.
"Please," Alex said as she took a glass and took a sip.
"Here's the thing: It wants us here to finish what it started. But It doesn't know that I know," Pete said vaguely.
"Know what?" Alex asked impatiently.
"How to kill It," Pete clarified. "I've read every book, talked to every person in this fucked-up town, anyone that would talk to me and that isn't a long list. I know how It started. It started here," Pete said showing her an ancient Native American urn.
"What am I looking at?" Alex asked as she saw the symbols on it.
"It's an artifact, early 18th century, Native American," he said.
"How did you get it?" Alex wondered.
"I found it...they gave it to me...I stole it," Pete rambled.
"Stole it...from Native Americans? That's fucked up," Alex scolded.
"No worse than your ancestors," Pete shot back.
Alex shrugged at that. "They helped me on my journey. They showed me things. A vision," Pete told her.
"I'm feeling a little weird now, kind of funky. Did you drug my drink?" Alex demanded.
"I need you to see what they showed me, Alex. They live outside of Midvale beyond our reach. They've been there for many years. They're holy men. They took me in, fed me their sacred material, and I got high as fuck. I saw a vision of It arriving like a meteor. I knew one day I would have to make you all see," Pete said.
Alex stared at Pete completely high. "You stole this...thing and then you...drugged me?" Alex asked barely coherent.
"It's a root. Get it, rootbeer. It's like a beer but with a highly hallucinogenic root in it," Pete smirked.
"Why would you do this?" Alex asked outraged.
"To open your eyes," Pete said wide-eyed.
"I don't feel good," Alex admitted barely able to stand.
"I need to you look at this," Pete said showing her the urn.
"I'd rather not," Alex said and then saw a vision of three orbs landing on Earth and then becoming a demonic crow and then a monster that ate children. She then saw Native Americans chanting together and then the three orbs became trapped inside the urn. The vision then ended.
"What the fuck was that?" Alex asked now on the floor.
"It's the way to stop It," Pete told her. "Did you see the ritual?"
"The ritual of truth?" she gasped.
"I knew you would see," Pete said excitedly.
Alex grabbed Pete and punched him to the floor. "I saw the whole fucking thing, Pete. Don't you ever do that to me again!" she yelled at him.
Pete groaned as he got back up. "How are we going to do this ritual?" Alex asked as she cleared her head.
"We have to get everyone else to do it. We have to all get high," Pete told her.
"No, I'll just tell them to do it or I'll threaten to kick their asses," Alex said shaking it off.
"Is this still weird that we had sex in this room?" Pete asked her.
Alex simply stared at him. "I'm over it."
"Good, cool," Pete said awkwardly. "Want some gum?"
Kara sat down as the others questioned her in the bar. "You knew how and when Ryan would die?" Vicki accused outraged.
"Well, not just him, all of us, actually," Kara said nonchalantly.
"The fuck? Why wouldn't you tell us?" Vicki asked.
"Did you really want to go the last ten years knowing when and how you're going to die? I shielded you from that nonsense," Kara said defensively.
"So, did you see Lex's death when his clone killed him?" Vicki asked.
"No, I saw him die here and now. It has come back and It will kill every single one of us whether we're in Midvale or not. We have to stop It or we're all dead," Kara told her.
Pete and Alex then entered the room. "What's going on?" Alex asked.
"Kara is just telling us now that we're all going to die," Vicki said to him.
Alex sighed at that. "Is there anything else...at all...you wish to share with the class?" she asked Kara.
"No, that's it," Kara frowned.
"How does she even know?" Vicki asked confused.
"The deadlights. She was the only one caught in them," Pete realized. "I know how to stop It. We have to do a tribal ritual, all of us."
"A tribal ritual. That sounds like bullshit. Let's kick this can down the road," Vicki suggested.
"It doesn't work that way. None of us will be alive by the time It comes back again," Kara told her.
"So, in summary, if we don't beat it this cycle we all die," Jeremiah interjected undeterred by the weird-ass shit he was hearing.
"Look, guys, I've seen what Pete and Kara have been talking about and it's all true," Alex said somberly. "If we want this ritual to work, we have to work together."
The Loser's Club walked out of town, into a forest, and finally found an old clubhouse in the trees. Kara recalled Ryan's reaction after she had built it as a seventeen-year-old. "How did you build this?" he asked.
"A little super-speed, heat vision, and inhuman strength," Kara said obviously.
"But when did you build it?" Ryan asked.
"Soon after you entered into our lives. Alex would think it immature. She's too grown up for it," Kara said sadly.
"To never growing up," Ryan smiled at her.
Kara gave him a haunted look but then smiled at him. "Yeah, like Peter Pan."
Alex then came up into the treehouse after them. "What the fuck is this? This is a deathtrap. There's a reason why buildings require codes and permits."
"You're really doing this now?" Kara scowled.
"Maybe it isn't safe," Ryan allowed.
"Fuck safety. If it falls apart, I'll be sure to save you instead of Alex," Kara said annoyed.
"Why are you up here?" Alex asked being a total hater.
"I don't know, maybe to be awesome, have fun, and experience the magic of the outdoors," Kara mocked.
End Flashback
The Losers looked around the old treehouse remembering how it was to be there except for Jeremiah who had left before it had been built and Lex who had no memory of it. Jeremiah and Alex hung out on the balcony. "I wish I had been there to build a treehouse for you in our own yard," he said.
"I didn't really need one. Not with the barn loft," Alex allowed.
"It's not about the treehouse. It's about the memory of building it together. There's so much I wasn't there for," Jeremiah said sadly.
"Hey, Losers, want to float?" a deep voice said from the shadows. Immediately, the entire group was on alert. Kara emerged from the shadows laughing. "Remember when he would say that shit and do his little dance?"
"Kara, no," Alex scolded. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Just trying to add some levity to this shit. I guess I'll go over here and go fuck myself," Kara said walking off.
Alex then found an old coffee can with Ryan's name on it. Cautiously opening it, she found a shower cap. "There would be spiders here...sometimes," Alex explained to the group.
"Great," Vicki said putting her fingers through her long brown hair to make sure there were none hanging out.
"At the end, it was just so...sad," Alex choked up.
"He was old before his time," Vicki recalled.
"I wonder what he would have been all grown-up," Lex considered.
"Probably the way he was as a kid, the best," Kara said softly. "Pete, what are we doing here?"
"The ritual, to perform it, requires a sacrifice. It's artifacts from your past. That's why we're here. These pieces are what you will sacrifice and since Ryan isn't here, we have to do it for him," Pete said grimly.
"Well, I think we just found it," Alex said with the shower cap in her hand.
The group climbed down from the treehouse to discuss their next move. "So, where do we find our artifacts?" Alex asked Pete.
"With all due respect, Pete, this sounds fucking stupid," Kara rolled her eyes.
"That's what the Indian chief said so go with it, alright," Pete said to her. "We need to find our artifacts, alone. That's important. We need to split up. When you do, meet me at the "weird room" tonight."
"If you look at survival scenarios, we do much better as a group," Alex objected.
"Yeah, I agree with the highly-trained FBI agent on this one," Vicki agreed.
"The artifacts won't manifest in your mind unless you're alone to reflect on them," Pete said.
"Yeah, what's the worse that could happen?" Kara scoffed.
Alex muttered all the way back to her old family house that had been sold years ago. "Let's split up and ignore the DEO director. What do I know?" She came to the door and rang the doorbell. An old woman answered the door.
"Yes?" she answered.
"I used to live here growing up. I'm sorry to intrude but I think I may have left something in the house that I need to take back," Alex said vaguely.
"Jeremiah's kid?" she recalled.
"Yep," Alex nodded.
"I'm sorry, dear. It's not my place to tell you this but your father passed away years ago," she said.
"Yeah, well, I got him back," Alex told her.
"That's good. Come right in and make yourself at home," she said. "Let me offer you something to drink."
"I'm good, really," Alex said recalling how Pete drugged her.
"Don't be so damn polite," the old woman scolded her.
Alex gave her an odd look and then walked around the house. She went upstairs to her old room, the room she had shared with Kara for a time. She took a knife to an empty electrical socket and found a lead case she had kept from Kara. As she did, cockroaches came out of the hole. She opened the case and found a picture of Vicki as a teenager, her first real crush.
Alex then met up with the old woman of the house in the dining room. "I'm sorry it's so cold in here," she apologized.
"It's alright," Alex allowed.
"Makes you just want to die but you know what they say about Midvale, no one who dies really stays dead," the old woman said.
"I don't recall that but okay," Alex said weirded out by her.
The old woman then froze up like her mind had gone blank for a few seconds. "But tell me, how's it like being back in Midvale?" she asked.
"It's a little strange, honestly," Alex said dryly.
"Strange? How?" the old woman asked. They then heard a ding in the kitchen. "I was making cookies in the oven before you came. Stay right there."
"I really...shouldn't impose...need to get the fuck out of here," Alex realized.
"No, no, I insist," the old woman ordered and left for the kitchen.
"Is this your family?" Alex asked as she looked over some old photographs.
"My father came here with only fourteen dollars. He joined the circus. I was always Daddy's little girl. What about you?" she asked from the kitchen.
"Well, I was until my adopted sister came into the picture and then he left," Alex said bitterly, oblivious that the old woman was now dancing around the kitchen completely naked.
Suddenly, a grotesque tall corpse of an old woman completely naked ran towards Alex screeching as she did while flailing her arms. Alex immediately took out her pistol and shot her several times. As the corpse fell to the floor, she ran out the front door only to find herself in a hallway back inside the house. She then noticed a man preparing his clown make-up at the end of the hall. With her pistol ready, Alex slowly moved on him.
"You haven't changed anything, yet," Pennywise mocked her as he put on white clown make-up on his face. "Close your eyes, Alex."
"Fuck you," Alex spat.
"Come give Pennywise a loving hug. It'll work just like before," he smiled at her as he formed red lines on his face from his own blood.
Alex went for the door and exited the house freaked out.
Meanwhile, Vicki strolled through town and found the Talon theater abandoned. Sighing, she went inside and found it a complete mess. She remembered all the good times as the coffee shop was full of her highschool friends having fun. People would go on dates and fall in love in her quaint coffee shop. She even remembered how excited people were to see Michael Bay films. Under the desk, Vicki found an old dollar bill taped to the wood. It was the first dollar she had ever made at the Talon and it was still there. Vicki took the dollar and put it in her pocket as her artifact. She then went outside and walked over to a park to think.
The park was unusually busy with cheerleaders, a drama production, and spectators. "Midvale festival is today. Be there," a random guy said giving her a leaflet.
Vicki looked it over and noticed it was instead a funeral notice for herself with her picture on it. The year of death was 2020. "Did you miss me, Vicki?" Pennywise asked from the top of a park statue. He was in his full clown uniform and make-up holding a ridiculous amount of red balloons. The people around them suddenly froze up.
"Because I missed you," Pennywise said. "No one wants to play with the clown anymore," he said sadly. "Play a game, will you. Maybe truth or dare," he antagonized as he floated towards her.
Vicki was scared stiff as she saw the demonic clown approach. "You wouldn't want anyone to pick truth, would you? You wouldn't want anyone to know what you're hiding. I know your secret. Your dirty little secret. I know your secret. Your DIRTY little secret!" he shouted at her as he landed on the ground.
"Should I tell them, Vicki?" he asked.
"This isn't happening. It isn't real," Vicki said closing her eyes. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes only to find Pennywise dancing towards her and violently shaking his head as he screamed at her. "Holy shit!" she said freaked out and ran away.
"Come back and play. Come back and play with the clown!" Pennywise shouted after her.
Kara strolled down the street not giving a fuck that she was interfering with traffic. A car nearly hit her and honked at her. "I'm walking here," Kara told him off.
Kara then noticed an old antique store. The previous owner had been killed by her daughter and had the power to become invisible. Kara easily killed her utilizing her X-ray vision to seek and destroy her. Now, the owner was the actual author of the story. "Can I help you?" Mr. King asked her.
"How about for your next gang-bang scene you make it a little more PG and a lot less 13," Kara mocked.
"I was high on cocaine when I wrote that shit," Mr. King said defensively.
"I don't blame you, I blame your editor and your publisher," Kara assured him.
"So, what do you want?" Mr. King asked impatiently. "Baseball cards, the banjo, the beaver...," he listed off.
"The fucking bike, smartass. That bike is mine," Kara recalled.
"If you want to use that kind of language, take it out in the street," Mr. King lectured.
"Or I could throw you into the street and torch this place," Kara threatened. "I just want to buy the bike."
"Aren't you Kara Danvers, Pultizer-winning journalist and acting CEO of Wayne Enterprises? I dare say you're the most successful person to ever come out of Midvale," Mr. King noted.
"You give me far too little credit," Kara said arrogantly.
"Well, you're the big shot now. If you want it, you can afford it," Mr. King allowed.
"Alright, asshole. How much?" Kara asked.
"Three hundred," Mr. King answered.
"You've got to be shitting me? It's not even worth a tenth of that," Kara raged.
"You can afford it. I'll go get it," Mr. King said.
"Fuck it," Kara muttered as she took three wadded up hundred dollar bills in her pocket and handed it over to him.
"She's all yours. I don't know how fast she'll go, she's got a lot of years on her," Mr. King warned.
"A bike is only as fast as its rider and I'm faster than the devil," Kara smirked as she walked out with the bike.
Kara rode the bike around town and came by the cemetery. Putting the bike aside, she went to Ryan's grave. It was the most unique grave in the cemetery with Ryan and his mother's image engraved on the tombstone from Kara's heat vision. She frowned as she saw Ryan's comic book of Supergirl, the basis of her uniform, at the base of the tombstone. He had made the comic for her just before he died ten years before she revealed herself to the world. She had placed the comic in the Fortress to be preserved forever but somehow it was now here.
Kara picked up the comic book and prepared to leave. "Don't leave me. He's still here. Help me!" a voice from the grave said to her.
"Ryan?" Kara identified.
Kara was about to ram her fist into the grave when she stopped herself just in time. This was Pennywise trying to get her to defile Ryan's grave. "You sick fuck," Kara shook her head and walked out of the cemetery.
As she got back to the street, she saw a boy staring at her that looked exactly like Ryan. "Hi, Kara. See you at the fair," he said to her and then took off on his skateboard.
Lex entered the townhouse and found Alex sulking on the stairs. "What did you see out there?" he asked her.
"Something I wish I hadn't. Something fucked up," Alex said bitterly.
"So, we gather all these artifacts and we kill it. Then, everything goes back to normal?" Lex assumed.
"The world doesn't need a demonic clown to show its true face. I have encountered the worse of humanity, racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia. I've seen greed, pride, all the deadly sins in my line of work and it isn't getting any easier," Alex said.
"Maybe you should hold onto the good stuff. There must be something from the past you don't want to forget," Lex said sitting down next to her.
"I remember how you and Kara made fools of us all with your little games. How everything was one big joke to you two. I remember being so jealous of what you two had. Kara had it all and I had nothing. Nothing except a confusing fantasy in my head," Alex said taking out a photograph of Vicki.
"You loved her?" Lex guessed.
"I didn't know it at the time. It was like there was some kind of mental block that prevented me from exploring it," Alex said confused. "But now, it's all so clear."
"You should tell her how you feel," Lex advised.
"What's the point? She's married and not gay. It'll just be awkward between us. Everyone is married and has kids except me. It's me that's fucked up," Alex realized.
"You're just a little late to the party, but you'll get there," Lex assured her.
Vicki then entered the townhouse. "I'm leaving," she said distressed.
"You can't leave. If we split up, we all die," Alex reminded her.
"I'll take my chances in Paris," Vicki said going up the stairs.
Jeremiah strolled through town looking like a bad-ass with a black leather jacket and shades. He ignored the parade down the street and the townspeople holding balloons. He made his way to the pharmacy to get some pills. He waited patiently for the creepy pharmacist to come over.
"Hook me up with that good shit," Jeremiah ordered.
"Welcome back," the pharmacist smiled looking tired and ancient. "How's the wife?"
"Great, doing just great," Jeremiah said vaguely.
"What's that?" the pharmacist pointed to a mole on Jeremiah's face.
"Just a mole," Jeremiah downplayed.
"It may not be cancer," the pharmacist allowed. "Or it might be."
"If it is, I'll kick its ass," Jeremiah assured him.
"Wait right here. I'll get you something," the pharmacist said.
"Yeah, I don't like to wait," Jeremiah said as he followed the pharmacist into his dark creepy backroom. The pharmacist then was gone, nowhere to be seen. Jeremiah looked around for him and was then suddenly attacked by a diseased zombie.
Keeping his cool, Jeremiah slammed the zombie against the wall and started to choke it out. As he did, he placed his fingers in the zombie's eyes imploding them. The struggling zombie then vomited all over Jeremiah's face and jacket before disappearing.
Jeremiah calmly wiped away the slime from his face. "Well...shit."
At the townhouse, Jeremiah strolled in looking like a mess. "What the hell happened to you?" Alex asked concernedly.
"I found a zombie and I kicked its ass," he summarized and then went upstairs to take a shower and change. Kara also strolled in bring her bike inside the townhouse.
"I got my bike back," Kara grinned.
"We're supposed to be collecting artifacts," Alex scolded.
"And who's to say a bike isn't an artifact?" Kara asked argumentatively.
"It has to fit in that weird-ass urn, genius," Alex reminded her.
"Look, I got mine. What about you?" Kara asked holding up her comic.
"Yeah," Alex said vaguely.
"Where's Lex?" Kara asked.
"He's upstairs trying to convince Vicki not to leave," Alex said. "She's scared and I don't blame her. We're all scared."
"Speak for yourself. I'm having a blast," Kara mocked.
"This is not the time for your shenanigans. I just got attacked by a naked corpse lady...and I saw Pennywise," Alex said seriously.
"No shit?" Kara wondered. "Nothing serious happened to me. I just saw him...I saw Ryan," she said looking away.
"It's fucking with us. We have to stick together," Alex told her giving Kara a hug.
Ryan's skateboard then went down the stairs on its own accord. "See anything?" Alex asked her.
"Nope," Kara said as she scanned the skateboard with her X-ray vision. The skateboard rested on the floor and then blood began to leak from it going up towards the ceiling. Kara advanced on the demonic skateboard and flipped it over. On the other side of the skateboard were words written in blood.
"Won't be there for him this time either," it read.
"What does it mean?" Alex wondered.
"It's Ryan. I must face this...alone," Kara said marching out.
"No, we get the others and we stick together," Alex objected.
"You're all weak as fuck. I'm going to finish this game myself," Kara said storming out of the townhouse.
"Fuck," Alex realized.
Vicki went out the fire escape, to her rental car, and drove off without telling anyone. Meanwhile, Jeremiah had just finished his shower and was in fresh clothes. "There can only be one Jeremiah," a sinister voice said from behind. Jeremiah eyed the corpse of the Joker wearing clown make-up, dirty blond hair, and scars painted red. He looked worse for wear since Kara had killed him ten years ago.
"I got that reference," Jeremiah allowed.
The two proceeded to fight with Joker trying to stab at Jeremiah. The two were both well trained from their military training in combatives but Jeremiah was getting older and Joker was a living corpse. "It's your turn to float, Jeremiah. That's what he said," Joker smiled demonically.
"I've already floated. Wasn't impressed," Jeremiah told him off.
The two fought in the bathroom destroying the sink, bashing out the mirror, and spraying blood all over the walls. Joker stabbed Jeremiah to the face hard but was kicked back. "Give me back my knife so I can put a smile on that face of yours," Joker demanded as Jeremiah used the shower curtain as a shield.
Jeremiah then suddenly stabbed Joker to the heart through the shower curtain with his own knife. Jeremiah then kicked him out the window. Joker fell to the street below, smirked as he recovered his knife from his chest, and then drove off in his stolen car.
Jeremiah calmly walked out of the bathroom. "Oh my God!" Alex said of him.
"I could use a first-aid kit," Jeremiah told her.
Kara used her super-speed and arrived at the fairgrounds. She then used her falcon vision to look for Ryan. She finally saw him entering the Hall of Mirrors. Kara sped over there pushing people away from her with her hands. She then came into the entrance where it rotated. Kara's feet stuck to the floor as she calmly walked inside. There, she had to contend with several clown-faced obstacles swinging back-and-forth blocking her path. Kara easily swiped them all down as she continued through.
She then entered the mirror room properly and found the lights flickering. "You're going to have to do better than that, asshole," Kara said to Pennywise.
She then saw Ryan walking around. Kara moved forward only to be blocked by a mirror wall. She punched the mirror wall shattering the glass and went forward. Every time a mirror got in her way, she would shatter it. Kara finally reached Ryan.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her.
"I'm from the government...and I'm here to help," she told him.
"Stop following me," Ryan said to her.
"I'm going to get you out. We're going to make things right, this time," Kara assured him.
Pennywise then appeared licking the mirror with his tongue out. "That's just obnoxious," Kara said unimpressed. Pennywise then stood up and began hitting his head continuously on the mirror wall to get to them, laughing as he did.
Kara waited impatiently for Pennywise to finally burst through the glass. When he did, he extended his jaw and bit hard into Kara spraying blood all over the mirror walls.
Vicki was conflicted as she drove around Midvale. "I should go back. No, fuck those guys. I have fashion shows in Paris I have to do," she said to herself. She then saw a Catholic Church where her boyfriend's funeral had been held. She stopped the car and went inside the empty church. She recalled how the church had been completely packed to celebrate the life of Jake, a Marine that had died in action against terrorists in Indonesia. Kara, Alex, Lex, Pete, and all her other classmates had been there. As she sat there in the pew, a vision of Jake appeared to her in his Marine uniform.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he asked her. "Go back and help your friends."
"I'm too weak and scared. I'm not like you. I'm just a liability," Vicki said to him.
"You're the bravest woman I've ever met. You've faced monsters without any powers or training. You left America and made a life for yourself in a foreign country not knowing the language or what you were doing. You got married...to a woman no-less when it wasn't popular," Jake reminded her smirking at the last part.
"How does that apply to a killer clown?" Vicki asked.
"He's only as powerful as you allow him to be," Jake told her. "Fuck, I wish I could be there with you through this."
"You're still with me, Jake," Vicki said tearfully.
"You know, when I said you better not ever be with another guy besides me, I didn't think you would take it so damn literally," Jake smiled.
Vicki laughed in spite of herself. "Thank you for showing up, Jake."
"Now, you go back and kick this clown's ass," Jake encouraged her and then vanished.
That night at the "weird room" in Midvale High, Pete waited patiently for the group to arrive. He had cleaned up the place putting everything in order. Suddenly, a folder came down and fell on the floor.
"Damn it," Pete said about to pick it up but then stopped himself. He cautiously opened the folder and saw an article on his father's death from chronic alcoholism.
Before he could process his grief, Joker charged him with his knife. "The fuck?" Pete wondered as they slammed into each other. Pete managed to disarm Joker but then got punched to the gut and face sending him to the floor.
Joker chuckled as he picked up his knife. "You know why I like to use a knife? It reveals all the little emotions. So, what are you, Pete? Are you a hero, a coward?"
Joker fell on top of Pete and placed his knife close to his throat. The two struggled briefly until an Indian ax sliced into Joker's skull killing him. "I can't believe I liked that son-of-a-bitch," Vicki muttered.
Alex, Lex, and Jeremiah entered the "weird room" and gave wide-eyed looks as they saw Joker dead on the floor. "You alright?" Alex asked Pete.
"Where's Kara?" Pete asked.
Kara finally made her way out of the Hall of Mirrors bleeding profusely all over her clothes. None of the other fairground patrons seemed to notice her condition. "Kara, where are you?" Pete called her.
"I'm at the fairgrounds getting fucked up. How are you?" Kara said deliriously.
"Just come back to the "weird room" and we can talk about the plan," Pete told her.
"I'm going to kill him myself," Kara said resolved as she centered herself and healed her injuries.
Pete turned to the group. "She's going to fight It alone," he said grimly. "It's about the group. The ritual doesn't work without the group."
"If she's serious about killing Pennywise, there's only one place she would go," Alex said.
"The same place where the ritual has to be performed," Pete said.
"This isn't going to be pleasant, is it?" Lex shook his head.
"Well...shit," Jeremiah sighed.
Kara sped over to the haunted house in Midvale ready to kick ass. Just as she was about to enter the others came by. "I can handle this alone. I don't need anyone else dying on me," Kara said to them.
"Ryan wasn't killed by a villain, an accident, or a natural disaster. He died of a brain tumor and there's nothing we could have done to save him," Alex said to her.
"I have a mind more intelligent than anyone on this planet and hands that could perform micro-surgery. I should have done it myself. I shouldn't have trusted you, weak-ass humans, to do it," Kara said angrily.
"It's in the past," Alex told her.
"I can change the past. I can do whatever the fuck I want," Kara said to her.
"Kara, this thing isn't something you can kill with your powers. It's beyond the physical. You may have all these powers, but your spirit is lacking. I may not be as strong as I used to be, but my spirit is ready for this. Do you understand what I'm telling you?" Jeremiah asked her.
Kara merely nodded. "But I can't let any of you die on me."
"We're doing this together and you will be a team player. That's an order," Jeremiah said to her.
Kara straightened up. "Alright."
"Now, let's kill this fucking clown," Jeremiah told her.
The Losers went inside the haunted house and quickly noticed boiling soy sauce flowing from the walls. "Looks like we have lost the element of surprise," Jeremiah said dryly.
Taking out flashlights, they looked around. "Got anything, Kara?" Alex asked.
"Not a thing," Kara said scanning the house with her X-ray vision.
As they went through the rooms, a door suddenly slammed dividing the group in two. Lex suddenly hissed in pain as Pennywise began to carve letters into his gut. Pete and Alex kept Lex on his feet as he was being supernaturally cut. Eventually, Lex fell to the floor with the words "Home at last" carved into his skin. Alex then looked up and saw Pennywise cutting Lex with his knife in the mirror reflection. Alex then took out her pistol and fired at the mirror shattering it. Lex then felt instant relief as the words on his gut disappeared.
On the other side of the wall, Kara, Jeremiah, and Vicki noticed an old refrigerator shaking.
The refrigerator doors opened showing Ryan's body contorted to look like a pretzel. "It's Ryan," Vicki identified.
"No, it's not. Stay focused," Jeremiah told Kara and Vicki.
Ryan suddenly screamed and then his head came off rolling around on the floor. The three of them dodged the head until it came to a stop. "I'd still be alive if you tried harder," Ryan said to them.
"Don't listen to a damn thing It says," Jeremiah said to them.
"Kara, what's happening to me?" Ryan's head asked them as the right side of his head began to swell unnaturally large and then exploded.
Kara stared at what remained of Ryan's blown-out head. "Kara, listen to me, it's not real," Jeremiah said taking hold of her face.
Kara nodded still shaken by what she had seen. Alex, Pete, and Lex barged into the room. "Is that?" Alex wondered.
"It's nothing. Stay on the mission," Jeremiah told her. "On me, stay closer. Kara, take point. I'll take the rear."
The Losers went down into the basement where they found the well leading to the sewer system. Walking through the sewers, Kara took the lead scanning everything in front of them with her X-ray vision. After a long walk, they found the cistern.
"Is this it?" Jeremiah asked Kara.
She nodded as she scanned the entire structure. The cistern was different from before having been flooded. There was an island full of junk in the middle. Alex stayed behind as the others got on the island. "What is it?" Lex asked Alex as she hesitated.
"I thought I heard something," she said looking around with her flashlight.
The old corpse lady suddenly emerged from the water, grabbed a hold of Alex, and took her down below the water. "Everyone stay put. Kara, get her," Jeremiah ordered.
Kara dived into the water creating an explosion of sewer water and then dragged Alex back to the surface. "Thank God," Vicki said upon them both emerging. "Where do we go from here?" Jeremiah asked Pete.
"I think we go under that," Pete said seeing a wooden seal underneath them.
"Kara," Jeremiah motioned.
Kara ripped off the seal and found a deep narrow rocky hole. "What's down there?" Lex asked.
"I don't know. No one does," Pete said apprehensively.
"Kara, survey it," Jeremiah ordered.
Kara dropped down and landed at the bottom. She quickly looked around and found nothing. "Clear," she called up loud enough for them to hear.
"Let's move," Jeremiah said to the group.
The Losers made their way down the hole until Jeremiah, the last one, was down. "That is way too narrow for my liking," Alex said of a small crack in the rock.
Kara's eyes glowed red and then she blasted a human-sized hole in the rock. The Losers then walked into a large open cavern with spiky stalagmites rising from the ground. "This is where It fell," Pete said confidently.
The Losers stepped around finding scores of human bones all over the floor. "So, this has been under Midvale since forever," Vicki said amazed.
"Just a few billion years," Pete corrected.
Water droplets on the stalagmites began to float up. "Look sharp, It knows we're here," Jeremiah told the group.
Pete placed his urn in the center of the stalagmite formation. "It can only be attacked in Its true form. The ritual will show us that."
"What is its true form?" Lex asked curiously.
"It's light, light that must be snuffed out by darkness," Pete said dramatically. Pete then poured lighter fluid into the urn and lit a match creating a small fire inside the urn. "Your artifacts. Place them in the fire."
Kara took out the comic book Ryan had made for her. "Ryan made me this. It's why my uniform looks so goofy and old-fashioned," she said and then placed it in the urn.
"My crack pipe," Jeremiah said placing it in the urn, gaining a surprised, disgusted, concerned look from Alex.
"Something I wish I had the courage to say earlier," Alex said and then burned Viki's photograph before anyone could see what it was.
"This is the first dollar I ever made at the Talon," Vicki said placing the old dollar bill in the fire.
"My first racing medal," Pete said as he tossed it in.
"Do you have any idea how long that will take to burn?" Alex scolded.
"And his crack pipe will? We could all be breathing in crack, right now," Pete said defensively.
Lex then came forth. "Let the past die and start a new," he said as he dropped Kara's engagement ring into the urn.
Kara shed tears as she saw what Lex had done. "He...was always scared of spiders," she said as she dropped Ryan's shower cap into the fire.
"Okay, grab hands," Pete instructed. "The ritual of truth is a battle of wills. The first step was our reunion, the second our tokens, and this is the final step."
The fire then went out in the urn and the cave ceiling opened up like a mouth with dozens of teeth. The three glowing orbs descended upon them. "Don't look at them. Turn light into dark, say it!" Pete said to the others.
The Losers chanted unceasingly until the three glowing orbs were inside the urn. Pete then quickly placed the lid on the urn supposedly trapping It. Just as he did, a red balloon began to expand from the urn. "Is this supposed to happen?" Vicki wondered.
"Keep chanting," Pete said desperately as he could no longer hold the lid down on the urn.
Their chanting was in vain as the red balloon expanded forcing them outside the stalagmite formation. The red balloon became as large as a house and then suddenly popped on the stalagmites. The Losers, except Kara, were stunned by the sudden pop. Eventually, they all regained their hearing.
"Form up," Jeremiah ordered gathering everyone together.
"Pete, did it work?" Vicki asked him.
Alex then pointed her flashlight at the stalagmite formation and saw Pennywise grinning at them. "Did it work, Pete? Did it work?" Tell them why your silly little ritual didn't work. Tell them it was all a ruse."
"What the fuck is he talking about?" Alex demanded of Pete.
"Oh, Pete, you never told them the full story. You didn't want them to know what actually happened to the poor natives," Pennywise chuckled.
"Pete, you really outdid yourself this time," Kara said genuinely impressed.
"They didn't really believe they could kill him. That's why it didn't work," Pete excused.
"You fucking kidding me with this crap?" Alex demanded of him. "I bet you both knew about this. That story about you knowing when we all die is bullshit, isn't it? This was all to just bring us together and keep us here."
"Is that true?" Vicki asked Kara and Pete.
"Everyone...has secrets, don't they? How will your wife feel when you're gone, Vicki," Pennywise smiled sadistically.
"Wait...what?" Alex wondered.
"I married...a woman," Vicki said embarrassed.
Alex was stunned by the revelation. "You mean, that stuff with Kara was real?"
Vicki simply looked away. "Oh, it gets better," Pennywise laughed. "Did you know Kara orchestrated a meta-human to make you believe you were normal for ten years, Alex? It's why you've never felt complete in your life up until now. It's why you never became your true self. It's why Vicki slipped through your fingers."
Alex glared at Kara with tears in her eyes. "Did you really do that? Did you make me think I was straight all these years?"
Kara hesitated to answer. "I...wanted you to feel normal and be happy, Alex. I didn't mean to hurt you or stunt your personal growth."
"How could you? How could you make me live a lie and prevent me from knowing who I really am?" Alex asked angrily.
"What do you mean, slipped through your fingers?" Vicki demanded.
"When we were teens, I felt...feelings for you, Vicki, but I was too afraid to act on them. I pushed you away and didn't even say goodbye to you when you left for Paris," Alex said regretfully.
"Oh, what could have been?" Pennywise mocked them. "Do they all know someone died in one of your races, Pete?"
"Fuck," Pete muttered ashamed of the incident.
"You're all murderers and deviants...like me," Pennywise said to them. "For all these years, I dreamt of you. I craved you. Oh, I missed you! Waiting for this very moment."
Pennywise morphed into a clown spider having six insect-like legs and two arms. He walked outside the stalagmite formation and moved towards the Losers.
"I'm sorry, guys. I really am. I haven't been myself, lately," Pete admitted.
"Time to float!" Pennywise said as he went to stab him.
Kara pushed Pete out of the way before he could be impaled by Pennywise's spiked hand. Pennywise charged the Losers scattering them. They all scrambled to get to cover back towards the cavern exit. Kara punched Pennywise back only to be swatted into the water. Kara then tried to get back to the surface but found it covered in ice. Kara pounded on the ice unable to break free even with her Kryptonian strength. She then found a hole in the ice and swam over to it.
The rest of the Losers retreated further as Pennywise extended his limb like a snake aiming for them. Vicki and Lex became separated from the group and found themselves facing three doors labeled very scary, scary, and not scary at all in red blood.
"Alright, not scary at all," Vicki figured.
"I doubt it's that easy," Lex said to her. He opened the "very scary" door and found it to be a closet. "Not too bad."
A girl, missing the upper half of her body walked towards them. Vicki screamed in terror as Lex quickly closed the door. Vicki went with her first instinct and opened the "not scary at all" door and found herself facing a Pomeranian dog. "Oh, how cute."
"That breed is quite aggressive," Lex remarked.
"How could something so cute and adorable be scary. Let's go," Vicki said naively.
The Pomeranian suddenly morphed into a large canine monster. Vicki closed the door immediately scared out of her wits.
Kara found herself in the basement at the Danvers' old residence only it was flooded. There, she saw Ryan staring at her. "It's your fault what happened. You could have saved me. You failed and I died! Why did I die!" Ryan screamed at her.
"You know what? I've had enough of your shit," Kara said standing up to him. "This is what I believe. I believe you're in a better place while I'm still stuck on this shit-hole of a universe. I believe you are in comfort while I feel the pain of your death every day. So, you can take this blame game of yours and shove it up your ass," Kara said to Ryan and then drowned his ass in the water.
A teenage Kara then entered the basement. "I can't believe I could lose, to fail as you have."
Kara eyed her teenage self. "Shit happens and you just have to deal with it. I know now what I knew back then. It was never my fault," Kara said and then fired heat vision blasting off the right side of her face.
Teenage Kara quickly regenerated from the wound, her eyes glowed yellow, and her teeth were like fangs. She dived into the water taking the real Kara down with her. Kara shot up to the surface and found herself back in the cave again next to Pete.
Alex was transported to a DEO cell but soon thereafter blood started to flow in rapidly. "Think of all the people you've killed in your career, Alex. All the men you failed to save," Pennywise mocked as the blood went past her ankles and up to her knees. Alex banged on the glass cell wall in vain as the blood kept pouring in. Maggie then appeared to her on the other side of the cell.
"You gave us up over children? Where is your child now, Alex? You failed to conceive, failed to adopt, and now what we had is gone. Was it worth it, Alex?" Maggie asked her.
"Shut up! You're not real," Alex closed her eyes.
"You should have stayed with me. You're a fool, Alex," Maggie shook her head at her.
"You're not her. You're not her," Alex shook her head.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah found himself in a pit quickly being covered in dirt. "You were forgotten, Jeremiah. You were abandoned by your family. They never needed you," Pennywise mocked.
"This is some bullshit," Jeremiah muttered as he was completely buried in dirt.
Alex was on the verge of drowning in blood when she imagined Maggie helping her. Maggie took out her pistol and shot out the glass. Immediately, the blood flowed out of the cell and Maggie was gone. Completely soaked in blood, Alex saw her father nearly buried in dirt.
"Dad!" she screamed reaching out to him.
"You're going to lose him for good, this time," Pennywise said in the background.
Alex ignored Pennywise and pulled as hard as she could to bring Jeremiah back to the surface. As she succeeded, they immediately came back to the cave.
Pennywise confronted Pete directly in his spider form. "I know what you are. That's why I'm not afraid of you," Pete said defiantly. Pennywise used one of his arms to snake around Pete's body and placed a blade at his throat.
"Saved so many others but can't save yourself," Pennywise mocked him. Pennywise then opened his mouth wide to consume him whole when a bullet hit his face.
"I believe I can kill monsters," Alex said as she continued to fire her pistol not needing to reload. Pennywise released Pete throwing him against the cavern wall. It then fell backward impaling himself on the stalagmite formation. "That's right, bitch," Alex smirked victoriously.
Pennywise retaliated by opening his mouth wide and trapping Alex in the deadlights. Pennywise then went for the kill extending his spear arm towards Alex. Jeremiah got in the way just in time taking the blow. "No!" Kara shrieked as he fell.
Kara ended her restraint and fired heat vision on Pennywise releasing Alex. The two fought evenly in the cave as the other Losers retreated. "He's hurt really bad," Pete said grimly upon examing the wound.
"You can't die on me now, Dad. Not so soon after I got you back," Alex cried.
"Every moment I had with you was a gift. I'm so proud of you, Alex," Jeremiah said to her.
"Does that mean you finally accept me for who I am?" Alex asked him.
"Let's not get too crazy," Jeremiah smiled.
In the cavern, Kara punched a basketball-sized hole in his gut and blasted his head off with heat vision. Pennywise quickly regenerated his form and swat Kara to the cave floor. As the two fought, it shook the very cave. "I am the destroyer of worlds. You are nothing but a child to me," Pennywise said to her.
Kara eyed the three deadlights above Pennywise and decided to attack It directly by getting in the middle of the three orbiting orbs. Closing her eyes, she went Prime and tried to destroy the orbs. There was a massive explosion that shook the cave. Kara fell to the cave floor a bloody mess with the three rotating orbs still intact. Pennywise laughed at her failure. Green Kryptonite stalagmites suddenly rose to the surface weakening Kara. Pennywise then started stabbing and beating on Kara.
"You deserve this, Kara, for all your killing, lies, and manipulations. Is the game fun now?" Pennywise mocked her.
J'onn J'onzz then emerged from the cave wall and looked over Jeremiah and the rest of the group. "J'onn?" Alex wondered.
"That mother-fucker has one weakness and you didn't even call me," J'onn shook his head.
"What do you mean?" Vicki wondered in awe of him.
"The Green Martians are the children of the great Turtle god, the one entity that can destroy It," J'onn said obviously.
"That sounds like bullshit," Alex doubted.
J'onn put his hand on Jeremiah's gut healing him. "Thanks, old friend," Jeremiah said appreciatively.
"Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to go kill this fucking clown," J'onn said and then entered the cavern.
Pennywise stopped torturing Kara and suddenly turned to J'onn. "Oh, no," he realized.
J'onn calmly walked towards It without fear. Pennywise backed away from J'onn towards the stalagmite formation and began to shrink rapidly. J'onn kept advancing, cornering Pennywise and then tore off his arm. Pennywise ignited fire all around J'onn to keep him away. J'onn phased his hand into Pennywise's chest and tore out his heart. The fire immediately stopped and Pennywise' body began to rot away. J'onn crushed Pennywise's heart and watched as the three orbs began to disappear.
"My hunger...finally ends," Pennywise said as he turned to ash.
Alex ran over to a severely wounded Kara who was sitting back up against the cavern wall. Her clothes were torn and blood-soaked. "Time to go, the cave is collapsing," Alex said to her.
"Just...let me go," Kara said softly.
"The fuck I will. Get on your feet," Alex ordered.
"I've caused too much pain, made too many mistakes," Kara muttered.
"We'll talk about it later," Alex said still pissed with her.
Jeremiah came up to Kara. "We're moving out. That's an order."
Kara stared at him and then groaned as she got back up. With each step, her injuries quickly disappeared. The Losers all successfully got back to the surface as the cave system collapsed. The haunted house then fell apart in a giant sinkhole just as the Losers got out.
Shortly thereafter, the dirty and bloody Losers Club looked over the lake. "So, J'onn could have defeated Pennywise this whole time?" Alex mused. "Kind of made everything we did pointless."
"Did it?" Lex wondered as he considered everything they had gone through.
Kara stood a distance away from the group staring off into space. Vicki went over to Alex. "I realize now the truth about us. We were both afraid to tell each other how we felt. But...it would never have worked out between us. Just because we're both gay doesn't mean we would have been a good fit. I love my life in Paris where I can spend hours at a cafe drawing new clothing designs. You like being in the action taking down bad guys. With Jeanne, I know I never have to worry about her coming home."
"Thanks for telling me," Alex said diplomatically. "I should have been there at the airport to see you off. I'm sorry."
Vicki smiled. "You can see me off when I go back in a few days."
Pete went over to Kara. "I've gone through biology classes, medical school, internships, seminars, and have done all sorts of crazy surgeries. I'm not a brain surgeon, mind you, but there was nothing that could have been done about Ryan."
"I know," Kara said softly. "I've led myself to believe I can do anything and then continually disappoint myself when I fail."
"I can't believe I did all this research and preparation when all it took was a Green Martian," Pete said incredulously.
"Morality is about intentions...or was it consequences? I get those two mixed up," Kara smiled.
"It was nice seeing you, Kara. I love you...in a non-romantic way," Pete said to her.
Kara gave him a hug. "I love you, too, Pete."
Kara and Lex went to the old barn at the Midvale house. Arriving at the top floor, Kara opened a drawer and took out a sealed envelope. "Open it and read it to me, please. I don't think I can," Kara requested.
Lex carefully opened the old envelope and looked over the letter. "Dear Danvers family, I know what this must seem like but it's not a death letter. I lived my whole life afraid. Afraid of what I may leave behind. Don't be. Be who you want to be. If you find someone worth holding onto never let them go. Follow your own path, wherever that takes you. Think of this letter as a promise. This is the promise I'm asking you all to make with me, to each other. An oath. Be true, be brave, stand, believe. Love, Ryan James."
The End