The Outcast: Earth-38
My name is Harrison James Wells and I was one of the leaders of the Resistance. Unfortunately, the Resistance's time had come. Vilgax had attacked our final base. To defeat Vilgax, I had to make a sacrifice. I sent the survivors of the Resistance to another world along with my baby-momma. I intended to die along with Vilgax, but Professor Paradox saved me. He placed me on another Earth in the multiverse, and I am alone once again. Without a reason to go on living, I have no idea what to do. Only one thing is certain, I am still The Outcast.
It had been a few days since Harrison first arrived on whichever Earth he was on. It hadn't taken long for him to determine he was on an alternate Earth. Especially, because there were no indications of invasions that he and the Tennysons stopped. The only invasions that had ever occurred were done by a race called Daxamites. Another piece of evidence was the flying woman he found out was called Supergirl.
Harrison sat in a dive bar and drank for the sake of drinking. He never cared about alcohol before, but after what he went through… all he wanted was to forget. Unfortunately, his Gallifreyan physiology seems to make it nigh impossible to get drunk. That annoyed him greatly, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Hey," said a female voice nearby.
Harrison ignored her and kept drinking. At least, until a woman with long dark hair walked up to him. He didn't even look up at her as he drank. He figured she'd go away if he ignored her long enough. As the minutes went by, she didn't seem intent to leave at all. So, he looked up and couldn't help but admire her beauty.
"What do you want?" Harrison asked, rudely.
"Judging by the ten glasses of beer you consumed," the woman frowned. "I guessed you were down about something. Clearly, I'm right."
"Congratulations," Harrison said, sarcastically as he brought out a cigarette. Yet another thing he avoided until recently.
"Those will kill you, ya know," the woman said, disapprovingly.
"That's the plan," Harrison grunted as he lit it. "Now, answer my damn question."
"I figured you needed a friend," the woman stated, simply. "So, I thought I'd try and befriend you."
"Thanks but no thanks," Harrison said, coldly. "I don't need any friends except for Sam and Cig."
"Suit yourself," the woman said, evenly, as she stood and stomped away.
Harrison inhaled a bit on his cigarette before he stubbed it out in an ashtray and drained his glass. He figured he spent enough time in the bar, so he elected to leave. This is exactly what he did after he left a tip for the bartender. He needed to go find something else to do. Anything other than smoking, drinking, and feeling sorry for himself would do.
In another part of the city…
The blonde flying woman relaxed on her couch as she watched a musical alongside her sister. She had taken off her hero suit and was now in sweatpants, a t-shirt, and nothing else. Her sister also wore relaxing clothes. After they returned from Earth-one last night, they had to focus on work again. Specifically, their world-protecting job at the DEO. Right now, they just wanted to relax.
"Exactly how many times have you seen this since you found out about Imra?" the brunette asked, curiously.
"Maybe five times," the blonde said, half-listening.
"What about your other favorites?" the brunette asked.
"They're good and all," the blonde answered as the movie's end credits began. "However, they don't have the same effect on me as this one."
"Well, now that it's over… again in your case," the brunette said as the blonde headed for the kitchen. "What is next on your day's schedule?"
"I don't have a schedule, Alex," the blonde said, slightly irritated. "Is it so wrong to need a day of laziness?"
"Funny you should ask that, Kara," Alex said, slowly, as she stood. "I asked J'onn the same question, and do you know what he said?"
"No," Kara said, unenthusiastic about what Alex would say next.
"DEO agents aren't allowed to have lazy days," Alex continued. "That goes doubly so for superheroes."
Kara sighed disappointedly because she knew her sister was right. She also knew there was no way to take a day off. Not only does she have a reputation to maintain, but she would never feel right neglecting human lives. With that in mind, she sped into her supergirl outfit. She opened her mouth to speak again, but she heard the sound of a siren in the distance and instinctively flew out of her window inhumanely fast.
Back with Harrison…
Harrison walked through the streets of the city he had come to know as National City. He didn't have a National City on his Earth, as far as he was aware. However, he figured it didn't really matter what city it was. A city was a city on any Earth. True, some can be extremely dangerous while others are the reverse. He picked up a newspaper and saw that once again Supergirl was on the front page.
"Hey, look!" shouted a passerby next to him.
He looked where she was pointing and saw a speeding car. Suddenly, Supergirl was in front of it with her hands on the hood. The criminals immediately got out of their car and fired at her. Naturally, the bullets bounced off. Fortunately, the ricochets weren't dangerous to the onlookers.
"When are you criminals going to learn?" Supergirl laughed. "Guns don't work on me."
Time seemed to slow down as an emerald blast of energy suddenly began to glow from a rooftop. Instinctively, Harrison ducked into an alley and dialed his Megatrix. A golden flash later, he was back in his season 9 Blur appearance. He sped and saw that an emerald blast was headed right for her. A second before it reached her, he stopped right in front of the emerald blast. To his surprise, he felt extreme pain as the laser made contact with him. The laser was so powerful that he got sent back into her. Fortunately, Supergirl had caught him a second before he knocked her to the floor.
"Careful," Supergirl said sternly as she looked around for the shooter.
"I'm sturdier than most," Harrison said as he fell unconscious. "I'll… be… fi…"
Supergirl looked at him curiously and then alarmed as soon as her gaze moved toward his chest area. She quickly took care of the criminal before she picked him up again. Normally she'd wait around and wave to the onlookers for a second. However, she took off into the air with him as she was more interested in interrogating her mysterious savior. In just under five minutes, they had arrived at a building and she had thrown him to the floor.
"Who is that?" an African American man asked, seriously as he walked up to her.
"I don't know, J'onn," Supergirl said. "But he's wearing my family's crest."
"Hmm," J'onn said, thoughtfully. "Think maybe Mon-El would be able to tell us?"
"Maybe," Supergirl shrugged. "However, he and his wife are focusing their attention on the future ship right now. So, all we got is ourselves."
Suddenly, there was movement as Harrison unsteadily got to his feet. He looked around and gulped slightly. There were armed people all around the room, and most of them had weapons aimed at him. After that emerald blast, he wasn't certain if he was back to full strength. So, he was going to do what he could to keep from being shot… again.
"Who are you?!" Supergirl demanded, acquiring Harrison's attention.
"Answer me!" Supergirl said, angrily as she grabbed him and sped him into a wall when he hesitated.
"My name is Harrison Wells," Harrison replied, staring at her enraged expression.
Normally, Harrison wouldn't answer a stranger's question. However, he figured she had the right to know. He did have the "S" shield on his chest, after all. Besides, right now his mind was focused on not pissing off Supergirl. He had no desire to be a wanted man again. Specifically, the bad kind of wanted.
"Okay, Harrison," Supergirl said, patiently. "Why do you wear my family crest? Also, if you lie to me I might break something."
"What are you going to do if you don't like my answer?" Harrison asked, a little nervously. He had no clue why Supergirl made him nervous.
"I'll definitely break something," Supergirl said, bluntly.
"Fair enough," Harrison said because he would've said the same thing if he was in her position. That resulted in a slight increase of pressure from her fingers, which meant her patience was lessening by the second.
"It'll be easier if I do a little show and tell," Harrison said as he slowly raised his hand toward his belt.
Her eyes widened in surprise as he was enveloped in golden light and then was replaced by the man she saw a few days ago. However, this time he wore normal civilian clothing. Specifically, a black leather jacket with two matte gold stripes on each arm, a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and black running shoes.
"Wow, that's amazing," said a squirrely guy excitedly as he took a few steps forward. "Can I see that tech?"
"Not now, Agent Schott," said J'onn, sternly.
"I didn't mean right now," Agent Schott said, quickly. "I meant once you were done with this guy."
"Well, that explains the name," Supergirl said, calmly. "But how exactly can you transform like that?"
"It's a long story," Harrison said, honestly.
Supergirl narrowed her eyes at Harrison but realized he wasn't lying. While his heartbeats were too abnormal to be useful in lie-detecting, his eyes were practically shouting his honesty. He also had sadness in his eyes. His eyes reminded her of J'onn. She had never seen a Harrison Wells on her Earth before, so there was only one explanation. He was from another Earth.
"You're from a parallel Earth," Supergirl said, slowly.
"You're smart," Harrison replied, impressed. "Smarter than most people I've met."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Supergirl said as she lessened her grip on him. "However, I still don't like you."
"It was a compliment," Harrison confirmed. "Also, I don't like you either. Neither of us gave the other a great first impression, after all. So, shall we try again?"
Supergirl thought for a minute and figured she should give him a chance. With that in mind, she released him. She looked at him quietly as she stepped back. Several agents tensed up a little as they stepped forward. However, the man in charge held up a hand which forced them to halt. Harrison had a feeling this guy wasn't somebody to mess with, and that he was somehow as dangerous as Supergirl.
"Why are you on our earth?" J'onn asked, narrowing his eyes. "Are you the prelude to an invasion?"
"Highly unlikely," Harrison replied, genuinely. "Especially, since I'm dead as far as my Earth's timeline is concerned. Nobody knows I'm here except for the time walker, and he doesn't care about other realities. In fact, he hates them. Too different from what he's used to."
The man looked at Harrison a bit longer before he calmed with evident relief. However, he still wasn't ready to trust him yet. For all he knew, Harrison was playing the long con. Pretending to be friendly and biding his time until the opportune moment. With a gesture, the agents headed for Harrison and escorted him to the cells.
"What do you make of him?" asked Alex as she stared after Harrison. She had arrived at the DEO the second after Kara showed up with Harrison.
"Well, he's not like Harry or Eobard," Supergirl said, thoughtfully. "And he didn't lie to me. Not once. So, I think he can be trusted."
"I'd say it'd be better if we kept him contained for now," J'onn said, decisively. "That way, we can be sure he's not a threat."
"You're the boss, J'onn," Supergirl said as she turned toward the balcony. "Speaking of which, I'm about to be late for a meeting with mine at CatCo."
J'onn nodded as he turned back toward Agent Schott. Alex, however, headed toward the cells. The woman has some questions she really needed to ask at the moment, and she figured now was as good a time as any.
Later, at CatCo…
Kara hurried past desks as fast as her heels would allow her. There's one thing she disliked about being Kara Danvers. It's having to wear heels at work. When she's Supergirl, she gets to wear her much more comfortable boots. In her opinion, heels were the worst… even if they made you look sexier. At least the rest of her civilian outfit was comfortable.
"Sorry I'm late," Kara said as she walked into a big office. "My sister needed my help with something vital."
"It's okay," said a muscled bald African American man. "Now, ideas anyone?"
"How about that new super?" suggested one of the reporters.
"New super?" asked the African American. "What are you talking about?"
"My nephew saw him take a green laser blast intended for Supergirl today," replied the reporter. "What's more is he's wearing her symbol."
"That's interesting," the African American admitted. "However, I can't accept such a story just yet. Get more proof of the guy, and then I'll consider running it."
The reporter looked disappointed, but he wasn't unhappy. In fact, he pretty much expected this. Cat and Snapper always shot down stories when there was a lack of evidence. In fact, Snapper did it much more often. Of course, he has to teach important lessons to his employees. He's still a colossal ass, however. That is one thing everyone can agree with.
"What about you, Kara?" asked the African American. "Any suggestions."
"Not at the moment, no," Kara replied, honestly. "Sorry, James."
With a sigh, James adjourned the meeting, but he kept Kara behind a second. He was worried about what that reporter said. Not just because this new super was an unknown, but because he had to save Supergirl. Of course, Supergirl can handle her own. However, there were a lot of things she hadn't come across yet. Things James didn't want to tell her about.
"Is there actually a new Kryptonian in National City?" James asked, quietly.
"It's complicated," Kara said, slowly.
"You know you can tell me, Kara," James urged.
"Yeah, I know," Kara said as she pushed her glasses up. "I just don't fully understand it myself yet."
"Oh," James nodded, understandingly. "Well, let me know when you figure it out?"
"Will do," Kara smiled before a police radio under James's desk activated.
"Armed hostile at the National City Bank!" said a female voice, urgently. "We need back up!"
Kara's smile faded as she recognized the voice. She quickly hurried out of James's office and headed for the elevator. As the doors closed, she ripped open her shirt revealing her S-shield.
Meanwhile, at the DEO…
Harrison sat on his cell's bed as he thought about the past year or so. He had lost everyone he cared about, but because Paradox decided to send him to another Earth. Doctor Paradox could've teleported him to Site B, but he's a stickler about maintaining the timeline. Harrison genuinely wished that Paradox had let him die. It was too painful knowing he had a daughter and would never be able to see her. However, he wasn't suicidal. He figured he'd let himself die another way. Either by old age, which would take several centuries or by getting murdered.
"Detainee," said a feminine voice outside his cell. He looked up to see the short-haired agent, and she had a less than friendly expression.
"I do have a name, you know," Harrison replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Why were you sent here," Agent Danvers asked, bluntly, as if he hadn't spoken.
"To keep living," Harrison said, looking up at her. "Frankly, I wish the time walker had let me die."
"Why would you want to die?" Alex asked, a little surprised.
"Dying is preferable to…" Harrison trailed off. He couldn't finish that sentence. It was still too painful.
"You lost somebody, didn't you?" Alex asked, understandingly. "And you're going through survivor's guilt?"
"Much worse," Harrison said, looking away.
She had tried to see Harrison as a possible threat, but she couldn't. When she looked at him, all she saw was another J'onn. Someone full of pain, and completely alone. Yet, he was a human… wasn't he? Harry was human, and from what she understood… a person could only have a doppelganger of the same species as him/her/it/they/them. Then again, he does have futuristic tech strapped to his wrist.
"What is your intention while you're on this Earth?" Alex asked.
"I don't know yet," Harrison admitted, looking back at her. "I don't have a purpose anymore."
"What was your purpose?" Alex asked.
"First it was protecting my human sister," Harrison said, quietly. "Then avenging her murder at the hands of an alien despot."
"You're not human?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Two Hearts," Harrison nodded, grateful for the change in subject.
"I've never heard of an alien species that have binary vascular systems," Alex said, skeptically.
"Then look at the scans your friends are doing as we speak," Harrison suggested as he lay down and closed his eyes.
Alex stared at him thoughtfully for a few seconds but stayed silent as she walked off. As she walked, Harrison couldn't help but think about his sister. He hadn't thought about her in years, because the last time he saw her… was the day she died. He wasn't able to get to her in time and had to watch Vilgax skewer her with a hard light sword. That was the day he had given up and stopped caring about anything. Of course, that was before Gwen had wormed her way into his heart… to both of their surprises.
Back with Supergirl…
Supergirl saw the firefight and aimed for the nearest criminal. As soon as she reached him, she slowed down and grabbed his gun. The rest of the criminals halted and turned their fire on her. Well, half of them. The others kept firing on the cops. Supergirl rolled her eyes at the stupidity of common criminals. They literally never learn that shooting her is pointless.
"Just stand down, guys," Supergirl advised them as she moved to the next criminal. "It's pointless trying to fight me."
"We're not fighting you, blondie!" sneered a criminal as he pulled out a grenade. "He is."
Suddenly, Supergirl was blasted by emerald energy just as the criminal dropped the grenade. As smoke covered them, Supergirl looked around for her attacker. What she saw made her groan. It was a metallic man covered in a hooded coat. In the middle of his chest was green kryptonite.
"Metallo?" Supergirl complained as she picked herself up. "Again?"
"This is getting old," Supergirl sighed before she had to dodge another emerald blast.
"I'm not Metallo, Kara Zor-El," said Metallo as he took off the hooded coat.
"Then who are you?" Supergirl inquired as the robot stepped toward her.
"Masteria," the robot replied as he raised a palm. "Metallo's successor."
"Did Cadmus make you?" Supergirl asked, but didn't get an answer as Masteria blasted emerald energy. "Guess talking's over."
She blasted twin beams of blue heat vision right at his kryptonite heart. Unfortunately, the energy from the heat vision seemed to be absorbed by the kryptonite heart. That made Masteria's next emerald blast twice as powerful. Not knowing what else to do, she blew freezing breath at him until he was encased in ice. Instinctively, she searched around for any lead. Unfortunately, the nearest source of lead was the DEO. With an aggravated sigh, she grabbed him and flew as fast as she could so J'onn could lock Masteria up.
With Harrison…
As Harrison lay on his cell bed, he traveled through his mind palace. Years ago, he had taught himself to build such a thing after he learned about it on a hit tv show called Sherlock. He had researched it more and was able to use the research to lay the groundwork for his mind palace. Of course, not everyone believes the concept of a mind palace is more than theoretical. Those people have average IQ at most, however.
He came to a stop at a door with the words Sister Theatre written on the wall above. He inhaled once before he headed into the room and searched through the various shelves and file cabinets of memories. His latest memories were blu-ray disks and his earliest were movie reels. The latter is what he searched through until he grabbed one at the back.
There were others, but they weren't entirely there. The movie reels only become intangible when they're beginning to fade. Unfortunately, there isn't anything he can do to stop some of his memories from fading. While his mind can hold infinitely more information than anybody else's, even he has a limit of what he can retain. After he inserted the reel into a movie projector, he sat down and started it.
A young boy's hand grabbed the rungs of ladders as young Harrison climbed into the rafters. As soon as he had reached the top, he turned off the lights with a small device. Young Harrison was inspired by the deluminator from the Harry Potter books when he had built it. At that moment, the sound of small feet could be heard approaching
"Harry!" called a young girl as she entered the barn. "Where are you? Mummy and Daddy are looking for you!"
When nobody answered, the girl continued roaming around the barn. However, she soon gave up when she couldn't find anybody. The young girl just plopped down as she began to sob. As Harrison watched, he frowned at how uncaring he had been back then.
"Why did I do this to her?" Harrison asked himself, unhappily. "Why did I scare her like this?"
Naturally, he didn't get a response. So he had to be content with just watching the rest of the memory. He watched as two other figures walked into the room. One had a cane and the other had a purse. The woman rushed to the young girl to comfort her. The man, however, just stood there as he looked around. He saw that the light switch had been set on, which immediately made him suspicious.
"Harrison James Wells!" shouted the man, angrily. "What have we told you about creating these unnatural devices and going into the rafters?!"
The young boy's hands slid the deluminator into a compartment in his boot. Harrison was amazed at how strong his survival instincts were even back then. The boy slowly descended the ladder, and the man grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and leaned forward. The man had a furious look in his eye. Suddenly, the man violently pushed young Harrison to the ground.
"Daddy, stop!" cried the young girl as the man began to beat young Harrison with his cane.
"Pay attention, Madison!" the man said, coldly. "This is what happens to those that disobey the rules of the house! To those who disobey ME!"
The young girl tried to fight off her mother who held her in place. She desperately wanted to help young Harrison, but she couldn't. She was powerless. Harrison, however, had thought of various ways to defend himself. However, he knew he could survive this if he just laid there. Pretty soon, his bastard of an adoptive father would get tired and quit.
He had never been the father of the year, but he didn't hurt anybody in the family. The beatings began the night he had returned from the last plumbing job he ever did. At least, he had also gotten a tendency to tire quite easily. That's the only reason he didn't go overboard in his abuse of Harrison.
Harrison's adoptive mother wasn't any better, because she never tried to stop him. In fact, she seemed to approve of it. Of course, she wasn't all that intelligent and was the cliche blonde. She must've known that subconsciously because she had hated Harrison ever since the first time he created a device. She was undoubtedly jealous of Harrison's intellect.
"Let's run away," Madison Wells sobbed as she knelt by the beaten form of Harrison. "Go somewhere Mummy and Daddy can't find us."
"We can't take care of ourselves," young Harrison said, weakly, as he rolled onto his back. "We need them."
"But they hurt you every day!" Madison Wells said, almost begging.
"I know, Maddie," Harrison said, kindly and lovingly, as he grabbed her hand. "One day we can leave. However, we have to wait till we're at least fifteen."
Madison reluctantly nodded as she knew Harrison was right. She just hated their situation. She always had. She loved Harrison in a way a sister shouldn't. Of course, she didn't know it at that age. She would only realize her true feelings when she became fifteen. Unfortunately, Harrison never loved her the way she wanted at fifteen years of age and later.
Harrison sighed as he turned off the projector. He put the movie reel away and left the Sister Theatre. Harrison returned to the real world just in time to hear heavy footsteps heading his way. As he sat up, he rubbed the burning sensation from his eyes. Once he did, he realized tears had streamed down his face while watching the memory reel.
Meanwhile, with Supergirl…
Supergirl landed as soon as she reached the DEO and sped Masteria into a cell designed to hold a Kryptonian. Just in time too as the ice covering Masteria shattered as the robot thrust out its arms. Fortunately, there were a couple of agents nearby to help Supergirl out of the cell as she was too near to the Kryptonite.
"Thanks," Supergirl said, relieved as the agents shut the cell door.
"Anytime, Supergirl," said one of the agents.
"You think you can hold me?!" Masteria shouted, angrily as it punched the cell door. "I will de-"
"Shut up," Supergirl said as she turned off the two-way speakers.
She turned and headed away until she saw Agent Schott heading for a detainment cell. Curious, she elected to follow him. Of course, she wanted to go unseen by him for now.
A few minutes later…
Harrison looked up as his cell's force field switched off. The squirrely guy, Agent Schott, entered with a scanner and an iPad. There were two guards right behind him with rifles in their hands. Harrison guessed they were being cautious in case he tried to make a break for it. He had no intention of bolting, but they didn't know that.
"If you'll hold out your left arm, please," Agent Schott said, patiently.
"Sure thing," Harrison complied and waited for the guy to do his thing. After a few minutes, Agent Schott finished his scans and turned to leave. However, he stopped and turned back to Harrison wide-eyed.
"What kind of technology is this?" Agent Schott asked, amazed. "It's beyond anything I've ever seen!"
"It's Galvan technology mixed in with some of my own techs," Harrison replied.
"What's a Galvan?" Agent Schott asked, confusedly.
"It'd be easier to show you," Harrison said. "However, I think that'll have to wait until I'm no longer considered a possible enemy."
"Yeah," Agent Schott said, disappointedly. "That's true."
Harrison opened his mouth to speak, but an alarm blared throughout the base.
"All agents to Cell #1138!" said a voice through the P.A system. "Masteria is escaping!"
"Uh oh," Agent Schott said as the two agents behind him checked their rifles. "That's not good."
"Good luck," Harrison said as he laid back in his bed.
"You're not going to help?" Agent Schott asked, incredulously. "You're literally the most powerful guy in the world! You could take the hostile down easily!"
"I tried being a hero," Harrison grunted. "My reward was to lose everything that mattered to me. Find somebody else to save the day."
"You helped Supergirl earlier," Agent Schott countered.
"And that landed me in here," Harrison growled, angrily. "I won't be making that mistake again."
"Helping people is never a mistake," Agent Schott reasoned.
Harrison elected to just ignore him as he rolled to face the wall. Harrison had no desire to listen to pro-hero crap. Heroes are idiots in his opinion, and he would know. He lost his sister to Vilgax because he played the role of hero, and then again with Gwen and his unborn child. The latter was the last straw.
Unknown to them, Supergirl watched from around the corner. She understood where Harrison was coming from. She had gone through something similar, but she had never abandoned her role as Supergirl. Entirely, because that was the only way to honor her mother's last wish as Kal-El didn't need her protection. With that in mind, she figured she'd talk to Harrison later. After she helps the DEO stop Masteria, of course.
A few seconds later…
Supergirl flew into the hallway and delivered a powerful punch to Masteria's face. As the robot flew backward, she stood straight and glared at the machine. The machine immediately got up and blasted kryptonite-powered lasers repeatedly. Like at the bank, she dodged each blast as she neared the machine. However, before she could the machine sprayed kryptonite mist which instantly weakened her.
"Time for you to die, Supergirl," Masteria said, victoriously, as it stepped forward.
Supergirl was unable to do anything as the robot punched her to the ground. She lay there motionless as Masteria towered over her. A kryptonite blade slid out of the robot's forearm and it prepared to strike. Fortunately, before it could, the robot was sent flying back. Supergirl looked up weakly and saw J'onn standing there with a furious expression.
"You will not kill her!" J'onn growled as he transformed into his martian form.
"The Girl of Steel is already dead," Masteria sneered before it flew up through the ceiling.
J'onn returned to his human form as he knelt next to Supergirl. He looked her over worriedly but knew there was nothing he could say to help her. All he could do was take her to Alex's medical lab. He immediately phased through the building until he arrived and placed her onto a gurney. Alex immediately rushed in to help, but she soon began to realize there was nothing they could do.
With Harrison, in his cell…
Harrison opened his eyes again and looked up in time to see J'onn walking toward his cell. His face was extremely furious, and for a second Harrison thought his eyes had flashed red. Harrison narrowed his eyes a little because he hadn't seen a human with red glowing eyes before. Before he met Ben, he would've assumed he was seeing things. After meeting Ben, his mind had become a bit more open.
"Agent Schott told me that you could've helped fight the hostile!" J'onn said angrily. "And you refused!"
"People in cells don't get to be set free just to offer aid," Harrison said, raising an eyebrow. "Or is that not the case on this Earth?"
"We were just holding you until I was certain if you were a danger or not!" J'onn said, loudly. "Now all you've proven is that you don't care about anything other than yourself!"
"That's not true!" Harrison shouted, angrily. "I have had people that meant everything to me, and now I've lost them!"
"So, it's easier to push people away than form attachments," J'onn said, calming down as he began to realize why Harrison refused to help. "Because anything is better than having to feel the pain of losing a loved one ever again."
"You don't know me," Harrison growled.
"You're right," J'onn concurred. "However, I was where you are at. I lost my daughters and my entire race a thousand years ago. The only one left is my dad, and I don't know how long he has left."
Harrison widened his eyes slightly because he didn't expect that this guy would have lost everything as well. However, J'onn still didn't understand him. Nobody would as far as Harrison knew.
"I don't say this often," Harrison said, quietly. "But you have my sympathies. However, that doesn't mean you know exactly what is going on with me."
"You're right," J'onn agreed again. "Nobody goes through the same things. However, people tend to react in similar ways to others that have a similar situation."
"I wouldn't know," Harrison admitted.
"Supergirl does and she's the closest thing to a daughter I have now," J'onn said, quietly. "I can't bear the thought of losing my family again."
"What could I possibly do to help her now?" Harrison asked, bluntly.
"Are you offering?" J'onn asked, hopeful.
"No," Harrison said, still blunt. "I assumed you were trying to get me to change my mind on my opinion of being a hero."
"You had a daughter, didn't you?" J'onn surmised. "That would be the only reason for you to think I was trying to convince you to help."
"I would've," Harrison said, bitterly, as he sat down. "But then I had to sacrifice myself to save her mother."
"She wasn't born yet?" J'onn asked, confused. "Then how?"
"How do I know I had a daughter?" Harrison finished for him.
"Yeah," J'onn nodded.
Instead of answering, Harrison played the message Professor Paradox gave him. Now, J'onn began to truly understand why Harrison was being this way. It wasn't out of the pain of losing his daughter and lover. It was out of the pain of never getting to see his daughter grow up. That is the worst thing a father or mother could ever have happened to them.
"Are you a threat?" J'onn asked, somberly. "Do I have to keep you locked up?"
"No," Harrison said as he pressed a button on his Megatrix. "Because you're going to keep this hidden from everyone. Nobody should have this power. At least, not until a day when an enemy that is truly unbeatable appears."
Harrison removed the watch as he stood up. J'onn looked at him quietly before he opened the cell door. Without a word, he took the gold watch and Harrison walked past him. Harrison didn't make it two steps, however, because he felt it necessary to at least help Supergirl if he could.
"What condition is Supergirl in?" Harrison asked without turning around.
J'onn immediately escorted him through the DEO until they arrived at Alex's medical lab. Harrison looked at the scans Alex had taken and frowned. It would be easy to use the Megatrix to heal Supergirl. However, if he used it… he's certain he wouldn't give up the Megatrix ever again. So, he had to do it the normal way. With that in mind, he got to work.
Later…
Supergirl's eyes fluttered open as she came to. After nearly being killed by Masteria, it was a miracle she was still alive. It was fortunate Harrison agreed to help. She pushed herself to a sitting position and looked around. She didn't really remember how she got here, and right now she didn't even remember her name. All she knew was that she was in a safe place, so she could relax.
"Kara!" exclaimed a short-haired woman as she hurried over. "You're awake!"
"Do you know me?" Supergirl frowned, uncertainly. She felt she knew this woman, but she didn't understand how or why.
"Of course I do," Alex said, worriedly, as she came to a stop. "I'm your sister. Do you not remember?"
"No," Kara shook her head, unhappily. "I can't remember anything. I'm only getting instinctual feelings. Specifically, ones that say that I'm safe here and you're trustworthy."
"You erased her mind!" Alex said, angrily, as she aimed her alien blaster at Harrison. "Didn't you?!"
"This was an experimental procedure!" Harrison growled. "There was always going to be a side effect! Just be grateful she is alive!"
"He's right, Alex," J'onn said from nearby. "Besides, I might be able to help her memory recover."
Alex holstered her blaster, but she was still even more worried than before because Kara had never lost her memories before. She didn't really know how to help her, but she figured taking Kara home to Midvale, Utah may work. Reluctantly, she nodded her thanks to Harrison who glared at her. She didn't like this Wells one bit. He was even more of a dick than Harry was when he first joined Team Flash, according to Cisco.
"Come with me, Kara," Alex said, holding out a hand.
"Where are you taking me?" Kara asked, confusedly, as she took Alex's hand.
"Home," Alex said, simply.
Kara didn't really know how to respond to that, but she felt that her home no longer existed. So, Alex must've meant a place that was "like" home. Not knowing what to do, she followed Alex's directions. One of which was to change into civilian clothes. The second was to inform Alex of any odd things that may or may not happen near her. The third would become known after informing Alex of any oddness.
A few hours later, with Harrison…
Harrison wandered through the streets yet again. Now, he was as defenseless as a human. Well, he had his mind. However, it wouldn't be enough to fend off an attacker with super strength. Of course, he had no desire to play the hero anymore for reasons he already stated. He did save Supergirl's life again, but that was his final act of heroics.
As he turned a corner, he widened his eyes in shock. A beautiful dark-haired woman in a lady's business suit walked toward the nearest building. That building had the word CatCo near the roof. The woman he saw looked as his sister would've if she had lived longer than 16 years of age. He didn't even think as he headed right for the building.
When he got inside, he looked around until he saw her get into an elevator. He waited until it arrived at a specific number. Once he saw it, he headed for the nearest elevator and got inside.
I know it isn't her, but I still have to see her up close, Harrison thought as the doors closed. Maybe talking to this woman could help him with what he's going through. He was genuinely tired of this brooding persona he had adopted. He wanted to feel the happiness Madison had given him again. He needed to feel it.
Back with J'onn, at the DEO…
J'onn stood in front of several big-screen monitors as his analysts searched for Masteria. Unfortunately, any avenue they employed to find the homicidal robot failed. Not even the most reliable tactic of scanning for its kryptonite worked. It was as if Masteria was designed to not get caught. That would definitely explain how it was able to escape so quickly.
"Agent Schott," J'onn said, turning toward his most recent employee.
"Yes, sir, J'onn, Hank, Director Henshaw," Agent Schott said, a little nervously, as he typed on his keyboard.
"Get to work on repairing the anti-kryptonite shield," J'onn said as he headed for the balcony. "In the meantime, I'm going to try a different approach to find Masteria."
"Will do," Agent Schott immediately said as he got up from his desk and hurried to the workshop.
J'onn immediately transformed into his Martian form and flew off. While Supergirl was away, somebody had to protect National City after all. Maybe that would draw Masteria out. Maybe it wouldn't. However, there was only one sure way to find out. J'onn also figured he'd employ the Guardian to help take Masteria down once found.
With Harrison…
Harrison stood back as he watched the dark-haired woman talk to a big African American man. This guy, like The Martian, was also bald. However, he wore civilian clothes instead of the required black uniform of the DEO. Suddenly, the window smashed in and everyone jerked their attention toward it. Harrison grimaced because Masteria stood in front of the smashed window.
"Lena Luthor," Masteria said. "You are required."
"By whom?" the dark-haired woman asked, narrowing her eyes.
Instead of answering, Masteria headed for her with an outstretched arm. The African American charged the robot, but Masteria tossed him into the tv screens. Lena Luther tried to get away, but the robot grabbed her and turned back to the doorway. Harrison didn't know what he could do to stop it without the Megatrix, but he searched through his mind until he realized what he had to do.
As Masteria reached the hole, Harrison ran for the robot and jumped toward it as it flew off. Unfortunately, he was only able to wrap his hand on a metallic ankle. Masteria glanced back and snarled once he saw Harrison. It was all Harrison could do to keep his grip on the machine. Frustrated, Masteria rammed Harrison into buildings and cars. Harrison could feel his grip weakening, but there was one thing he had yet to accomplish.
"Don't lose hope," Harrison said to Lena. "I will find you again!"
"Who are you?!" Lena asked, confused and frightened. "And why would you care?"
Instead of answering, Harrison pulled out a knife-like device and stabbed Masteria's leg. Enraged, the machine used his spare leg to kick Harrison's face… hard. As Harrison fell to the busy street below, he saw the metal monster speed up until it vanished from sight completely. Harrison wondered if this was going to be the day he regenerated for the first time. He had no desire to regenerate just yet, but he admitted he might not have a choice in the matter.
Later, with Lena…
Lena Luthor fell to the floor as soon as Masteria dropped her once they arrived in a darkened room. As she looked around, she noticed various hi-tech devices and most of them looked to be weaponry. She stood up and headed for the nearest table, and aimed it at Masteria.
"You made a wrong move bringing me to your armory," Lena said, darkly, before she squeezed the trigger.
Unfortunately, the weapon didn't do anything useful at all. All it did was make a slight whir that ended with a grinding click. She looked down at the weapon, shocked, as she hadn't expected that at all. She quickly became afraid as she looked back up at Masteria. To her surprise, Masteria didn't do anything at all. In fact, the machine just stood there.
"Long time no see, sis," said a familiar voice behind Lena.
Slowly, Lena turned around to see Alexander "Lex" Luthor standing there. To her surprise, he still had his hair and it was orange. He did have his beard, however… even though it was just like ginger. Albeit darker ginger than his hair. Lena backed up a couple of steps involuntarily, because to her knowledge… Lex was still in prison.
At the DEO, with Harrison…
Harrison sat with an icepack pressed to his face. J'onn had caught him a second before he went splat on the ground. Naturally, he took Harrison back to the DEO to question him. Not as a suspect, but more like a witness. That is what he was, after all. A witness to Lena Luthor's abduction.
"I thought you were abandoning the hero's life?" J'onn asked back in his human form as he sat down and held out a soda.
"Maybe I was wrong to try," Harrison replied bitterly.
"So, what exactly happened at CatCo," J'onn asked. "For that matter, why were you even there?"
"Lena's my sister's doppelganger," Harrison replied, reluctantly. "Or, rather she would've been if my sister had lived long enough."
J'onn immediately realized and understood Harrison's reasons for entering CatCo. He would've done the same thing if he was on a parallel Earth and saw his daughters' doppelgangers. However, that still didn't explain what happened when Masteria attacked. That is what he needed to know more than why Harrison was there.
"Masteria smashed through the window," Harrison continued a minute later. "Some bald African American tried to help Lena when the machine grabbed her. He was rewarded with getting swatted away into some monitors."
"Where do you come in?" J'onn asked as he processed the info.
"I instinctively hurried over and leaped toward the machine," Harrison answered quietly. "I only managed to grab onto its ankle. Fortunately, I did as I was several feet above the sidewalk. The machine flew around trying to get me off, and even through buildings. However, I would not let go. For a while at least."
J'onn sat there thinking as Harrison leaned back with his eyes closed. After a while, J'onn stood up and left Harrison alone. Harrison figured he had gone to find Lena himself, but the martian surprisingly returned. This time, he had something in his hand. Harrison raised an eyebrow when he looked up at him.
"For this mission, I'm authorizing you as a consultant," J'onn said, simply, as he handed Harrison the small box. "I'm only doing so because I know you will go after Lena with or without us."
"I'd much prefer to work alone," Harrison said, dryly.
"Without your device, you won't stand a chance," J'onn said bluntly.
Harrison regarded J'onn for a few seconds and immediately determined that accepting the consultant position was non-negotiable. Harrison knew he could rescue Lena from that robot even without the Megatrix. However, Harrison didn't feel like arguing so he accepted the box. When he opened it, he saw a badge reading Consultant.
Back with Lena…
Lena kept staring at Lex without speaking, which vastly irritated him. Especially, because she was reminding him of his idiot ally Tessmacher. She had zero smarts while Lena was almost as smart as him. As he stepped down toward her, he held up an arm and pressed a button.
"There," Lex said, as Masteria powered down. "Now you have nothing to be threatened by."
"You think I'm threatened by a machine?" Lena asked, incredulously. "If so, then you're not my brother. He may be an evil son of a bitch, but he isn't stupid. He knows I don't fear machines. They fear me!"
As she said that last sentence, she pressed a button on her wristwatch. Suddenly, a wave of energy blasted in a wide radius. Lex suddenly stiffened as he stepped forward. While Lex fell, Lena bolted for Masteria. While she could run, she knew the EMP wouldn't last long. Especially, if this man was truly Lex.
"You're definitely Lena," Lex said from behind her. "Only she would plan for anything like this."
Lena slowly turned around and saw Lex standing there with a remote control in his right hand. She looked between him and the other Lex and widened her eyes in realization. She stared back at him just as he pressed the remote and the power turned back on. Even Masterio activated and turned around to grab Lena.
"You planned for this," Lena said as she struggled to free herself from the machine's grasp.
"As always, you're a master of stating the obvious," Lex said, rolling his eyes as he pocketed the remote and grabbed a syringe.
"What do you want with me?!" Lena demanded as Lex turned toward her. "Why did you have your machine abduct me?!"
"I want to help you," Lex replied, genuinely. "I want to ensure you'll always be protected. That's why I had Masteria bring you here."
"Protected from what?" Lena asked, confusedly.
"The vile monsters you call your friends," Lex said, his voice rising. "The Kryptonians!"
"I am in no danger from them!" Lena said, angrily. "The only one I've ever been in danger from is you, Lex!"
"As smart as you are," Lex said disappointedly. "You still don't see it, do you?"
"See what?" Lena asked, confusedly.
"I'm not your Lex," Lex replied, simply. "I came here from another Earth. Your Kryptonian girlfriend knows it as Earth-X."
Lena didn't know what to say to that. She knew of the multiverse theory, but it had never been proven to be real. Lex actually having hair and being ginger is the only reason she's considering the possibility. However, she wasn't ready to believe it just yet. She needed more proof.
"Now, sis," Lex said as he lightly pressed the syringe, and some glowing green liquid squirted out. "This is probably going to hurt."
"However," Lex continued as he pressed the needle into her forearm. "It's for your own-"
Lex stopped everything and looked around slowly. Standing in the doorway was a man. Lena widened her eyes in recognition before she stared at him confusedly. She still didn't know who he was, but Lex seemed to know him. She didn't say anything, however, as Lex might inadvertently inject her with the liquid kryptonite.
"Hello again, Eobard," Lex said, unhappily. "I thought you had gone off to your own Earth's future or something. At least, that's what Leo told me. So, why are you here?"
"My name isn't Eobard," Harrison said as he stepped forward and raised a sidearm. "And I'm here for Lena."
"Why would she matter to you?" Lex asked, confusedly.
"Because she's my sister… on my Earth," Harrison said, looking past Lex toward Lena. "And I'd do ANYTHING for her. Even kill."
"So… you're a Luthor as well?" Lex asked, a little confused but mostly shocked.
"No," Harrison said, bluntly. "My name is Harrison James Wells."
"Oh," Lex said, turning away from him. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to protect our sister."
Lex prepared to inject the kryptonite but halted when Harrison cocked the gun. With a sigh, Lex stepped away from her and withdrew the needle. Suddenly, Masteria pushed Lena to the side and charged Harrison. Lena watched as Harrison stood there. He was completely calm, and then he suddenly morphed into a big green alien and grabbed the machine.
"The martian!" Lex cursed, angrily, as he stared at them. "Of course! Take out the biggest threat and then-"
He couldn't finish his sentence as a man tackled him. He immediately elbowed his attacker and stabbed him with the syringe right into his chest. It was the actual Harrison, and Lex wanted nothing more than to kill him. However, Lex wasn't a killer. That was always his sister who he had no choice but to kill to save the resistance.
"Get away from him," Lena said, darkly, as she picked up a plasma cutter. "I won't let you kill him."
"I told you," Lex said, sternly, without moving. "I'm NOT your Lex."
"You're still a Luthor," Lena said as she squeezed the trigger.
A torrent of white-hot plasma spewed from the nozzle onto Lex. She stopped as soon as Lex began stumbling away due to the flames. She walked over to Harrison and pulled the syringe from his chest. She was shocked at what the martian had said, but she had no doubt the martian was merely echoing Harrison. As she looked into Harrison's eyes, she saw pain and grief. However, she also saw love and loyalty.
Later, at L-Corp…
Lena sat at her desk hard at work, but she didn't make much progress as thoughts of Harrison constantly distracted her. She wasn't sure if she should trust him, but he did save her. Then again, he only knew she was in trouble because he was at CatCo. As she had never seen him before, the only logical conclusion was he had followed her. These facts conflicted so much that she couldn't decide if she should avoid or talk to him.
Fortunately, that choice was taken away as Harrison walked into the room. This time he wore a fancy suit and had his hair combed. Lena sat straight and focused her attention on him, but stayed silent. Harrison also remained silent as he just stood there. Neither of them seemed interested in instigating a conversation, but they both knew it was unavoidable.
"What do you see when you look at me?" Lena finally asked.
"I see the older doppelganger of my sister," Harrison finally replied as he took a few steps. "Yet, you're nothing like her. For example, my sister would've never set a man ablaze."
"Are you judging me?" Lena asked, narrowing her eyes.
"No," Harrison replied, shaking his head. "It's not my place to judge, even if you were my actual sister."
"You're definitely smarter than you look," Lena said, surprisingly unsurprised.
"Ouch," Harrison said, jokingly, as he placed his hands on the chairs opposite her.
"Why are you here?" Lena asked, leaning back. "To torture yourself with my visage?"
"I don't know," Harrison admitted. "At first, I just needed a familiar face. At first, I hoped you'd be able to elicit the same happiness Madison gave me."
"I don't do that," Lena surmised.
"No," Harrison replied, sadly. "When I see you… I hurt. Seeing you is torture because you are what my sister will never be."
"You sure know how to make a girl feel great," Lena said, bitterly.
"I'm sorry, Lena," Harrison said, genuinely.
"You feel guilty," Lena realized as she looked into Harrison's eyes. "You blame yourself for your sister's death."
"And I always will," Harrison nodded.
Lena was beginning to pity Harrison, but she instinctively knew that's not what he needed. What he needed was a reason to exist, so maybe she could give it to him. He did save her life, so doing this would be paying a debt. There was one thing Lena hated more than lies from so-called friends, and that's the feeling of owing anything to anyone.
"Well, you've done what my brother never did," Lena said, eventually.
"What's that?" Harrison asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You've risked your life for mine," Lena said, standing up. "And that makes me think I can trust you, or at the very least begin on that path. So, I'm willing to give you a job."
"What kind of job?" Harrison asked, curiously.
Lena didn't reply, but she did smirk as she headed for the exit. She gestured for him to follow her, and he immediately complied. Harrison, from what she learned from Winn, had a Lex-level intellect if not higher. So, she could use him on a secret project of hers. A project she had trusted with nobody except herself, but he had already proven his loyalty. Helps that she looks like an older version of his deceased sister. For a second, she hated that she was treating him as Lex does his employees. However, she was desperate to get this to work.
Eventually, she led him down into a sub-level that nobody knew about. Here was where her more dangerous and less-than-ethical projects lived. Both ones she was planning and ones she was still working on. However, one was her highest priority at the moment and she needed help with it. Specifically, Harrison's help.
Once they came to a stop, Harrison widened his eyes. Before his eyes was a device he had never thought possible. Well, he had toyed with the concept but never could figure out how to actually build it. Then again, maybe he didn't have the right materials. Kryptonite, for example. Lena clearly did, and he had no doubt she was thinking of using him. Instead, he'd be using her as he wanted to create this for a long time. If they succeed, then they'll be able to alter reality itself and make it how they want.
This reality-altering device will undoubtedly be referenced in Crisis on Infinite Earths. this cliffhanger may even be resolved before the crisis during different fanfic, but don't expect that. Chances are that it won't. If not, I'll probably have its activation be an integral part of the Anti-Monitor's reawakening.