Avenging Justice:
Two Worlds Collide
Part XVIII
Earth, Delaware, Metropolis
Back in Metropolis, Superman scanned the distance with his x-ray vision. Magneto had just disappeared, and he had been around long enough to recognize a teleportation. Even worse, most of the prisoners had escaped. He had recognized a few of them, all bad characters and very dangerous to the world at large. He went to do a quick circumnavigation of the globe, but stopped.
Below the man who'd come to help him was breathing raggedly. Holding him up was the woman, who still had the deadly metal orbs stuck to her. They had come to help despite the obvious cost it had caused them. He could not leave them like this, so he lowered to the ground, touching down softly.
"What is wrong with him?" Superman asked gently to the distraught Wild Cat.
Despite the tears threatening to fall, she managed a strong voice, "I can't fully explain, not that it'd make any sense. He's really sick, but when he saw you hurt, he had to come."
"I'm sorry," Superman said, but she stopped him.
"Don't, it's just who he is," she explained. "He'd save two worlds at his own expense, just to keep those he loved safe."
Superman smiled at this, "Sounds like a good guy. I've got some friends at Star Labs; they might be able to help him."
The woman tilted her head down, then solemnly nodded. He could tell that she was beginning to lose hope. However, he was going to do what he could for her and the other man. One didn't leave those in need, you did what you could to help them. Being who he was, he had a lot he could do.
Gingerly he picked up the sick man, and then lifted the woman. Then as the X-Men and Iron Man watched, blasted off into the sky. Hope went with him, as even Iron Man solemnly looked on. Jarvis was instantly rerouting pieces of information to give him names of specialists, that might be able to help the young man. Each time, each search came up with the same name, Dr. Stephen Strange.
The X-Men meanwhile took advantage of the attention on Superman's exit to stage their own. Their Blackbird jet blasting through the sky towards home. Professor X was already in touch and congratulating them on a successful mission. The world still feared mutants, but today they had seen a group of mutants stand against another one. The professor could only hope that would be the beginning of a change in opinion, and it didn't hurt to have them fighting alongside Superman.
Lois Lane sat in the helicopter seat, headset on with Jimmy giving her updates from the other reporters on scene. She was on her way to report on the escape from SCU's prison. Maggie Sawyer was already on the phone, giving Lois an update. The Terrorist Magneto had hit them hard. Lois didn't need to be told that, she was already seeing the devastation from the air.
As she landed, Metropolis PD was already gaining control again. Teams were being set up to hunt down the few criminals unaccounted for. That didn't include the ones Maggie had seen disappear with Magneto and Demona. Those were going to take some effort to bring back in, even just to find.
On her tablet, Maggie Sawyer looked over the abilities of escapees. Demona's abilities, minus the mass teleportation, also included above human strength, durability, and weaponized pheromones. She could incite violence, lust, or apathy given enough time to produce them. According to researchers, she also had the capability of producing others. Some theorized possibilities included, greediness, increased levels of envy, Insatiable appetite for food and drink, and intoxicating pride.
The thought of a superhuman that could entice such feelings into anyone made Maggie want another large coffee. It was bad enough when Gotham's nut cases came calling, especially Poison Ivy. She always left a trail of bodies and mutated carnivorous plants, that sometimes talked. Maggie really didn't need to know if a plant had a vicious streak to it, she had enough of that from the criminals she chased.
Some of her detectives had already begun to wipe up blood on the ground. They didn't need some mad scientist getting any of that blood. If for no other reason, than the world didn't need another failed Superman clone. She had her suspicion that Lex Luthor was behind the Bizarro monster a year ago. Luckily, the Man of Steel had been able to find the creature a home all its own.
At Star Labs, several medical specialists met Superman on the roof. They rushed the sick Xander away, with Mara right behind. One of the scientists followed as well, removing the steel spheres, filled with Kryptonite. That left the director with Superman.
Inside the medical staff fell into the organized chaos of any emergency room. Many of the heroes around Metropolis had been in here at some point. Even some visitors from outer space, so this wasn't too far off from a typical day for most of them. What was causing issue, was the man they worked on, was emitting random EMP pulses. That soon leveled off, and they were able to get him stabilized.
Later that night, Mara watched over Xander, keeping an eye on the monitor with his heartbeat. It wasn't normalized yet, but she could swear she could hear the strength in it. The beep came with a loud shriek, with each beat. Slow, but still there, not giving up. She was exhausted, but she wasn't about to leave him. Instead, she held his hand firmly, letting him know she was there.
"Is he doing okay?" Mara turned to find a mild-mannered man standing in the doorway, looing rather sheepish. "I don't mean to intrude, but I was hoping to talk with you. Your friend there has caught the attention of the world."
She laughed, "He has that ability. I'm sorry, what is your name?"
"Miss, you can call me Clark," the man said. "Clark Kent from the Daily Planet."
She grit her teeth, but tried to keep her smile intact, "I appreciate you stopping by, but I don't have any comments for the press."
Clark gave her a farm boy smile, "That's okay, Miss. What I really came here for, was your story. The readers of the Planet want to know more about you both. How you got your abilities, what you stand for, why you risked yourselves today."
Despite her hesitancy, there was something about this man that her trust him. She didn't get any deception from him, though there was something about his smell that was familiar. Instead he put her at ease, disarmed her natural inclination to secrecy. There was a pure earnestness, a curiosity that reminded her of an innocent child. She immediately knew that Xander would like this reporter.
"Maybe we can talk at one of the vending machines, I think I smell one down the hall," Mara said.
Clark laughed, "Actually I've been here enough, to know they have a small cafeteria just a floor down. It makes a mean coffee cake."
Mara followed him out, already talking a little. Soon she would be telling him a full history of her and Xander, edited of course. She may trust this reporter, but they still had family, friends and others that could be harmed, if she spoke too much. Still, she began to paint a picture of their adventures up till the present. For his credit, Clark let her talk, asking questions when needed. In short, she felt like a new friend had bene found.
Green light flooded Xander's room. The masked man gave off the shape of Batman, if he dressed in emerald green and amethyst blue. The man pointed his right hand at Xander, green energy surrounding the extremely sick man. Behind the cowl, the Green Lantern Keith McCallister was shown the results of his scan. Something was killing this guy.
He saw something pulse, but it wasn't the monitor. A white light pulsed again, and he felt faint as he saw another white light pulse within himself. Steadying himself, he watched as both his body and the other man's began to sync a white pulse of light between them. Even more amazing, that light began to expel itself from the chest of each. Slowly the light began to move closer to one another, swirling around each other like moving stars. Each pulse the got bigger and brighter, each pulse they came closer together.
Brought here by a need, Keith understood who he was looking at. At the World's end, another from another time and place had added his power, to Keith's own. As a Green Lantern, his power was focused through the ring on his right hand, and reinforced by the blue ring on his left hand. The other man's power came from within, and while Keith had been wiped out, apparently this man had fared worse.
"Knight of Will and Hope," a feminine, almost angelic voice said, "it is almost done. I thank you both for carrying a part of me into the world."
The light now was blinding, pierce even through Keith's cowl. He could almost hear a sound that was as old and new as the universe. A sound that no mortal could truly comprehend, and any recreation would be a poor replication. It was both hypnotically pleasing to the ear, and horribly frightening at the same time. Creation and Destruction, something new from something that used to be, and this light was birthing something into the world.
The monitors around Xander began to register a stronger heartbeat, increased pulse and overall a dramatic improvement. He opened his eyes, feeling strength return to him, and feeling himself quickly returning to full strength. IVs and other medical instruments found themselves floating away from him. Before he knew it, he was on his feet, feeling like himself again.
From between them, a young woman, barely eighteen, rose to her full height. Dressed in a white hooded cloak, and a white leotard with thigh high boots, she turned to face both of them. Pulling the hood back, she had medium length white hair that framed her face, and two piercing green eyes. The world flooded her, and for a brief moment she held her breath, before letting it go.
"Thank you both," she spoke, softly at first but gaining strength as she did so. "I am Katara, daughter of Katarn. It seems my father's duties fall upon me now."
"Is he okay?" Keith asked.
Katarn was a Planewalker, one who could travel between worlds and universes. He had fallen in love with the half demon daughter of Trigon, Raven. Using his powers, he had brought her into his world. They both had taken over protecting the realms, and had brought Keith and Xander together to save their worlds.
"They are within me, I have their gifts and memories," Katara said. "It seems they sent me, so that I could live."
Keith felt his heart sink, "They were both good friends, I will miss them terribly."
"Green Lantern McCallister, they were quite fond of you as well," Katara seemed to lose herself in a memory, before coming back. "I need to conserve my strength, but I will see you both again. Thank you once more, and till we meet again."
She disappeared into a blinding snap of light. Keith couldn't hide his sadness. He had been quite close with the two Planewalkers. Now they were gone, another sacrifice, one made to save lives. He knew it was their own choice, but it still hurt. Hope remained though, as their daughter had been sent to this world as its new Planewalker.
She looked like her mother too, almost identical to her. That made him smile, as he had met Raven in both her incarnations. As a Titan, she had been a powerful ally, and then when she had been Ascended, an even more powerful friend. His one consolation, somewhere on this world, his ring detected Raven's biosignature. There was a slim hope that he'd meet her again, and maybe rediscover a friend.
Xander and Keith looked over one another, meeting in person for the first time since the worlds combined. They had a good long conversation, as they swapped memories of what they remembered before. Before they knew it, Mara and the reporter, Clark Kent, were on their way back. Green Lantern McCallister knew it was his time to leave, giving his new friend a quick salute.
He had been gone from his sector long enough, and they both didn't need anyone asking the right questions, at least not yet. The world was better if it didn't realize how close to destruction it had come. It was their gift and burden to remember what was before, what was lost, but also what was gained. He tried to focus on that, that they had gained so much for what little was lost. Still, it was who was lost, that would linger with him.
Back at Star Labs, a very overwhelmed Mara was holding onto Xander, as if she was afraid he'd disappear. To his credit, Clark excused himself for a few minutes, allowing them some privacy. Xander consoled Mara, and told her about what had happened between him and the Green Lantern. Everything, including the birth of Katara, he told her, keeping no secrets between them. She had been there with him through all his trials, and he wasn't about to shut her out now.
Afterwards he agreed to an interview with the reporter. It was a good end to the day. Other trials were on the horizon, but he was willing to let them wait for another day. That night he had her, and he felt like himself again. It was time to live, enjoying the moment and appreciate the little things. He left the Star Labs people a very kind note, thanking them for their assistance. It would be found in the morning, just as the new edition of the Daily Planet hit the web.