Rebounds

Kate Bishop woke up with a sense of trepidation. She had no idea at all where she was going to end up this time. It came as a complete shock when she woke and nothing seemed out of place. She forced herself to relax and remain where she was, aware on some level that she was in a bed this time, but the pillow under her head and the blanket around her felt familiar. As she woke fully, she found things were a bit off. The room was well appointed, good quality furniture and the TV she could see was a high end model, but every seemed a bit clunky. Or sturdier than a normal model? It all looked very expensive but tasteful too.

"Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes." A bright, cheerful young female voice sounded and Kate sat up, aware that she wore a nightgown instead of her jeans and T-shirt. "I figured that would get you going. Bathroom is the smaller door."

Kate didn't move from the bed and took another look around. Indeed, two doors hung on different walls. One was smaller than the pother and slightly ajar, showing a bathroom that would not have been out of place in any 5 star motel. Just looking at it, the tub seemed the size of the bed! A knock on the other door had Kate jerking anew. The same young sounding voice spoke again.

"Hey, breakfast will be ready in 5 minutes. You good for that or do I need to hold it?"

"Um…" Kate swallowed hard and shook her head. "I am not hungry."

"Bull." Came from the other. Oddly not antagonistic, more sarcastic, but nice? "I know all about such jaunts as you are experiencing. They are not fun. Whatever reality you wind up in, unless the rules are totally wacko, you need to eat and drink as normal or you get all messed up." The other sighed. "May I come in?"

"Like I can stop you?" Kate tried hard to step on her snide, but it came out anyway.

"Say 'No'." The other was calm. Maybe bit too calm? "You are stressed. I get it. I had a similar thing happen to me a while back. That is why you are here instead of the Dome or Detroit Supermax. If the DSA had their way, you would be in a cell right now. Nope. Not happening."

"DSA?" Kate asked slowly. "I… Um.. Okay. You can come in."

"DSA. Department of Superhuman Affairs." The door opened and a small platinum blonde woman entered. She wasn't a girl no matter her size. She did not stand like a girl despite looking like she should be on a high school cheer leading squad. The outfit she wore was just as bad in some ways. It was clearly a blue and white superhero costume, but not one that Kate had any idea about. Armored, it looked as if it were designed for both form and function. That was something that Kate had sorely missed in some of her own costumes. The oddly elongated star on the chest armor pulled at Kate's memory from somewhere, but she focused on the 'now'. "Hello, I am Hope Corrigan. I am your hostess for the moment."

"Kate Bishop." Kate responded to the courtesy with an instant reply. She slowly shook her head. "From your words, you know what is happening?"

"Some." The other shrugged. "I know who you are, Hawk-Eye." Hope smiled a kind, gentle reassurance. "When I am in full costume, people call me Astra, but here and now? Call me Hope. Come on, you will feel better with a full stomach and maybe a shower. Your clothes are almost done in the laundry."

"Did I appear here?" Kate asked, confused at this sudden mundane.

"No." Hope smiled again, but this time it had an edge to it. "The DSA takes a dim view to extra reality intrusions. Their whole point is security, so that is all they do generally. Historically speaking, they do tend toward the 'extreme overkill' side of things. They have cause, but oh my god, they go way overboard on occasion. Like I say, if you had woken in a Supermax cell, you would not have reacted well. It took some arguing, but I managed to get them to accept this. They don't know where you are for the moment and I am working with some good friends to keep it that way."

"Why?" Kate asked weakly. This woman seemed kind, but hard at the same time.

"Because I have been where you are, a stranger in a strange land that looks, smells and feels so much like home but isn't." Hope replied. "The last thing you need is to get locked up for something that isn't your fault. I don't know all of the specifics, but I do know you cannot control the jumps. Been there, done that." That was pure sour, but not directed at Kate.

"I don't understand." Kate said weakly. "None of this makes any sense!"

"I know." Hope reassured her. "But for right now? You have been neglecting yourself." She turned serious. "That ends now. Get clean. Breakfast is waiting when you are ready."

Kate stared as the woman, or whatever she was, closed the door! For a long moment, Kate stared at the door and then she swung her feet out of the bed. On inspection, she wasn't hurt in any way and the nightgown was of very good quality but as sturdy as everything else in the room. This wasn't a prison, just very solidly built. Odd. Kate gave herself a shake. She did need a shower.

The shower was just as good as everything else in the area. She had no idea anyone made shower heads with so many massage functions and they felt heavenly. She wasn't about to try the Jacuzzi ones though. There were four of them! She did feel better clean and there was a bathrobe on a hook marked with a purple target. Her logo. So, wherever she was, she had been expected? She shook her head and put the robe on. It fit, surprise, surprise.

The other door was open as she walked out into the room. A pile of neatly folded clothes lay on the bed. It was what she had been wearing when she woke up before. Jeans and a T-shirt. The underclothes were hers as well. She pulled everything on quickly, hyperaware that she had to be under surveillance.

"Shell is watching but she is in privacy mode." Hope's voice came from the door and Kate turned to see the costumed girl standing there. "She knows that you are a mess at the moment and she knows her usual banter would upset you."

"I feel okay." Kate protested, just a little.

"It hasn't hit you yet." Hope replied, her face calm, but underneath lay rage Not directed at Kate, thank goodness. Small this woman might be, but she was clearly not to be messed with. "When it does, you will be madder than hell. You have every right to that."

"What is going on?" Kate all but begged as she folded the robe and set it back on the bed. Then she paused. She started to make the bed, but Hope came in and Kate straightened. The human hero's eyes went huge as the superhero reached into a cupboard and pulled out a fresh sets of sheets!

"I don't like leaving a bed unmade either." Hope grinned and Kate shared it.

"No telling when you will come back so tired you cannot think about anything but slumber, let alone making a bed." Kate pulled the sheets off the bed, careful with her own blanket and pillow. Hope nodded sagely and traded Kate her clean set of sheets for the dirty ones wrapped around the robe. She walked out and Kate made the bed quickly and efficiently. She finished up just as Hope walked back into the room, smiling. "Simple things, right?"

"Yeah. Simple." Hope held out a hand that Kate took. "Someone will be joining us for breakfast and it will be a shock." She made a face. "It was for me when the Lady of Doors told me about this. I made a hell of a mess in getting back to my reality and the repercussions are still being felt across this reality and beyond. That said? We are just here to talk. We are here to help you make sense of this. No rules other than that. No questions from us. No demands. No nothing. Just breakfast and a few answers."

"I have one question." Kate let Hope pull her.

"Shoot." Hope smiled.

"Do my friends know where I am?" Kate asked and she paused as someone else answered.

"Yes." A strong male voice sounded as Hope led Kate into a larger room set up for dining. Kat'e stomach plummeted as she saw the huge man seated at a table set for three. She knew his costume. Everyone who had ever read a comic did! Blue jumpsuit, red cape. Red and orange 'S' image on his chest. At least he didn't have red underwear on the outside like many images she knew. She would have stopped short on recognizing him, but Hope just pulled her gently and Kate went along with it. His cape was wrapped around his lower body, almost like a huge napkin or to get it out of the way to sit. The most recognizable superhuman in Kate's mind nodded to both women. "Call me Clark, please? The other title gets old when I am among friends."

"You are in no danger right now, Kate Bishop." Hope promised as she led Kate to the table. Kate wasn't sure if she could walk straight as hard as her knees were knocking. "You have been through a ringer and it will only get worse. That said? The Avengers were briefed as soon as this happened. They were quite upset."

"Who would blame them?" 'Clark' said with a shrug. Hadn't he ditched his secret identity? Or was Kate behind the times? Duh! Of course she was!

"Well, I bet they reacted like your friends would. The Justice League does not react well to such things happening to its members." Kate let Hope seat her across from the blue suited man and sat herself. Kate hadn't noticed the food on the table, but now, she did and her stomach growled. The spread was impressive, but if it was for the three of them, then understandable.

"So very true. Better eat now before Hope here gets motherly." Clark grinned as Hope stuck her tongue out at her. "We will talk after we have sated ourselves. This is not a conversation to have on an empty stomach."

In short order, the pancakes, bacon and hash browns were gone and Kate was sipping her orange juice, trying not to be too open about gawking at the man across from her. Not that he was human, but he identified with them and fought to defend them. Just as he had for a long, long time. She had so many question and dared not ask any! One did not tug on his cape after all!

"Go on. I don't bite. Ask." The man smiled as Kate flushed.

"Clark, don't push her." Hope warned.

"Hope, she needs to be clearheaded for this." Clark was utterly serious now. "Kate Bishop, you have questions. Now is the time."

"I am…" Kate stammered and then shook her head. "I am bouncing between realities." Both superheros at the table with her nodded. "Will I wind up in yours?"

"Probably not." The man frowned and then shook his head. "There are far too many factors in play for anyone to understand. Even the brainiest of people in my reality are scratching their heads at this mess. That said? There are a lot of people who do not want the chaos that your arrival would cause to happen, for both fair reasons and foul."

"The collateral damage would be extreme if people started fighting over me…" Kate started and paused as both shook their heads. "What?"

"No one would dare touch you." Hope said firmly. "Even the vilest, most self centered of souls would hesitate to touch you."

"True. Darkseid swore off." The man offered and both women stared at him. "Hey, he is a jerk and half but he is not stupid. Angering people like those pulling on Kate is a bad idea even for such as him. They can kill him and make it permanent. Hell, they could kill me!" He shook his head at Kate's stare of disbelief. "Think about it. What are the supervillains, the really big, bad ones, all about?"

"Themselves." Kate said into the sudden silence.

"Yeah." The icon of superheros nodded to her. "I am a hero because I help people. They are villains because they hurt people. That said? I have done things that anyone would call 'villainous' to further a greater good at times. It doesn't make me happy to do so, but it is needed at times."

"Do the job." Hope said quietly and Clark nodded to her. "Not pleasant or fun, but needed. We are heroes because we try and protect others. They are villains because they are all about themselves and to hell with anyone else."

"There are as many motivations as there are people with said motivations but those are the basics, yes." Clark agreed. "There are forces that no one can fight. Not even me."

"Okay. Let me see if I have this straight." Kate spoke slowly ordering her thoughts. "I slipped out of my reality and am bouncing into others." Both of the others at the table nodded. "I seem to remember someone very bad from my reality telling me that I had made a mess?"

Hope and Clark looked at one another and then Clark held out his hands in a helpless gesture.

"I am many things, but I have only dabbled in quantum physics of that nature. From what I was told, yes and no." Clark spoke up when Hope did not. "You made small fractures in your reality to use the teleportation tech as you did. That was damage done." He said carefully. "That said? You falling unconscious and then falling out of your reality was not your doing. Someone did that to you and no one is sure who. Lots of people in lots of places are looking for an answer to that question."

"Aren't there beings who keep such things from happening?" Kate asked the others.

"In each of our realities and outside of them, yes." Hope replied. "Thing is, our realities are not in danger as long as you keep moving."

"Hope…" Clark warned as Kate stared from one to the other.

"She needs to know the truth, Clark." Hope retorted with a growl. "Lying to her, either by omission or not, will only make her mad. She has a brain. Let her use it. Give her the facts."

"I don't want to." Clark said very quietly. "This will hurt you, Kate Bishop. I don't like hurting people."

"Someone is using me." Kate said slowly and both others nodded. "For good or bad?"

"Those are perspectives." Clark said with a sigh as he relaxed and Hope set down something with a clang on the floor. Where had she gotten the huge mallet from? Had she been about to fight Clark? Why? "What is good for me won't be good for you in many ways. In my reality, it is perfectly acceptable to stop criminals by beating them until they cannot fight back. In Hope's?"

"You would be arrested and charged with excessive force, reckless abandon or whatever else the lawyers can concoct." Hope shook her head. "Cops and judges do not like the dark, brooding vigilante types even without excessive collateral damage."

"Funny thing?" Clark grinned. "Bruce doesn't like them either." Both women goggled at him and his grin became a smirk. "Copycats irritate him." His smile fell and he actually shuddered and almost looked scared for a moment! "He gets grumpy."

The Batman grumpy. Nothing else needed to be said about that. Bad.

"Eh… Yeah." Kate swallowed. "I know a couple like that." Just the thought of someone like Wolverine grumpier than usual made lots of people nervous. Or the Punisher? Moon Knight? Ouch!

"The good news, from your point of view is that no one will hinder you or hurt you." Clark shook off his worry and focused on Kate. "Even the most villainous or insane like existing, generally. Everyone else will step on them hard if they try. Good and bad alike."

"So, what am I supposed to do?" Kate asked. "I don't have your power or resilience." She said to the blue suited man who nodded. "I can't fly or shoot death beams. With a bow, I am good, but not in your class."

"We know." Hope reached out to take Kate's nearer hand in a gentle grip. "This will hurt you a great deal and I am sorry for that. If I could take your place, I would in a heartbeat."

"Me too." Clark said quietly.

"What will happen?" Kate asked in a tiny voice.

"No one knows and that scares a lot of people across many realities." Clark heaved a sigh. "Neither of the focal points of this conflict seem to know either."

"Focal points." Kate focused. "Targets?" Her faint hope was squashed as soon as it was birthed.

"They as far beyond my ability to hurt as I am beyond yours. You cannot fight them." Clark was just as quiet as Kate had been. "Fighting them doesn't work. They shift realities if hurt or killed. But now, they are focused on each other and the entire multi-verse is trembling as they finally come to grips with each other. Everyone is worried about the multiverse simply going 'poof'."

"So powerful? But, me? What do they want me for?" Kate asked, confusion rising. Both of the other looked at each other and Kate snapped, finally done with this. "Just tell me! How bad can it get?"

"Very." Hope said with a growl. "Lorinos Orokin is an insane lech. An evil, amoral ass with delusions of godhood. He puts the mad into 'mad scientist' and has no qualms about enslaving people to his will. Then he throws them away when he is done with them or he finds another toy. He had incredible power where he was, but he lost it all and fled into the multiverse. What he wants you for…" She broke off and swallowed hard. "I wish you hadn't told me, Clark."

"I wish I didn't know." Clark agreed.

"Okay. Mad scientist, bad. And the other?" Kate asked. "You said there is another."

Hope didn't speak. Clark Kent did.

"Elizabeth wants you to kill her."

Hope Corrigan, AKA Astra, is the main character of the wonderful 'Wearing the Cape' series by Marion G Harmon. We all know who Clark is, don't we? Neither are my work.