Chapter Twelve: Time and Time Again
The Doctor: There are fixed points throughout time where things must stay exactly the way they are. This is not one of them. This is an opportunity! Whatever happens here will create its own timeline, its own reality, a temporal tipping point. The future revolves around you, here, now, so do good!
Harpy regained consciousness awhile later. The first thing she noticed was that she was inside one of the more intact buildings. The second thing she noticed was a woman. She looked like Violet. If Violet would ever wear a gray military style jacket and pants, and if her eyes were purple instead of blue. Harpy knew that the woman was also hiding a pair of white wings. It was her Mother, Dahlia Adler, who had died when Harpy was five.
"Oh good, you're awake!" Dahlia exclaimed.
"I treated your wing the best I could. You know I wasn't expecting to see another Adler out here, and"
"Tempus Zeit Chrónos." Harpy interrupted.
Dahlia blinked in surprise. She thought for a moment, trying to figure out where she had heard the phrase before. Her eyes widened in shock as she remembered.
"Y-you're a… a time traveler." she stuttered out.
Harpy nodded. "Someone changed the outcome of this war. My friends and I came here to change it back."
"I'm here gathering information on the war. I was very surprised when I first saw a war wheel. They look like modified Sontaran technology." Dahlia said.
"That was what I thought when I saw them… except…" Harpy paused and got a thoughtful look on her face.
"Except?" Dahlia pushed.
"Except the only way to get Sontaran technology here form it's home dimension, would be through the gate." Harpy finished.
"You don't think there's a traitor, do you?" Dahlia asked in a worried tone.
"Even if there is that person is in the future right now. We need to focus what's going on now." Harpy said.
"Yeah. Oh! I never told you my name did I?" Dahlia said sheepishly.
"I'm-"
"Dahlia. I know." Harpy interjected coldly.
"Oh right. Time travel. Um…" Dahlia looked at Harpy with a worried expression.
"I know you can't give me your name, but what should I call you?" she asked.
"Harpy."
Dahlia nodded. "Right, so, Harpy, what are we going to do?" she asked.
Harpy glared at her. "What do you mean "What are we going to do?"" she growled.
Dahlia looked surprised. "You're injured! You can't honestly expect to do whatever it is you plan on doing by yourself!" she exclaimed.
Harpy and Dahlia glared at each other for a moment.
"First thing we need to do is get out of this town." Harpy finally said.
"I could probably fly us both out." Dahlia suggested. Harpy gave her a flat look.
"We'd both be shot down as soon as they spotted us. We'll have to go on foot." she stated.
After an hour of darting between buildings and hiding behind piles of rubble Harpy and Dahlia finally made it out of town. They found an abandoned jeep and Harpy was in the process of hotwiring it.
"Alright, so the nearest Axis factory is really heavily guarded. Are you sure you want to go there?" Dahlia asked as she reviewed her coded notes.
"If it heavily guarded then there's something worth blowing up there. We're going." Harpy stated as she fiddled with some wires.
Dahlia frowned. "It will take awhile to get there by car. How's your wing?" she asked.
"Better then before, but I don't want to risk straining it unless I have to." Harpy answered.
"But we'll have to take the roads, we'll be seen." Dahlia protested.
"If we're seen I'll take care of it. Don't worry." Almost as soon as Harpy was done talking the jeep started. Harp grinned in a manic way.
"Now we're in business!" she exclaimed.
Dahlia was driving. Harpy had wanted to but since Dahlia was the one who knew where the factory was… Anyway, despite Dahlia's fears, so far the drive had been pretty boring.
Harpy had spent the ride looking anywhere but at Dahlia.
"What did I do to make you hate me?" Dahlia asked.
"We just met, you haven't done anything." Harpy sighed.
"The me in the future, what did she… I do?" Dahlia pressed.
Harpy glared. "Nothing."
"I must have done something for you to-"
Harpy interrupted Dahlia's protest. "You did nothing, and people suffered."
"Oh… Why though? Why would I sit by and allow people to suffer?" Dahlia said in a distressed tone.
"You refused to recognize that there was a problem." Harpy stated sadly.
"What happened in the end?" Dahlia whispered.
"I can't tell you that." Harpy declared firmly.
"But…" Dahlia began to protest.
"I can't tell you. Spoilers." Harpy said.
Uncomfortable silence… even more uncomfortable silence…
"There's a checkpoint up ahead." Dahlia commented.
"I see it." Harpy answered as she calculated how long it would be before they were in range.
"Should I stop?" Dahlia asked. The Germans at the checkpoint had spotted them.
Harpy titled her head to the side. "No."
"But they have guns." Dahlia said with worry in her voice. The Germans had indeed pulled out their weapons and were shouting things.
"Not for much longer." Harpy muttered. She gathered energy in her hands, then fired a blast the blew up the blockade. The German soldiers went diving out of the way of the blast. A second shot took care of the guard station.
"And that takes care of that." Harpy said as they sped away from the checkpoint.
"You blew them up." Dahlia stated, holding the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles went white.
"Yep." Harpy agreed.
"You blew them up." Dahlia repeated.
"Yes." Harpy said.
"Is that what it's like in the future, you just blow people up with no regard for life?" dahlia asked.
"We don't know that they're dead." Harpy pointed out.
"We don't know if they're alive either." Dahlia responded.
"It's a war. People die." Harpy growled.
"I know that, but they shouldn't have to." Dahlia said softly.
Harpy snorted in disbelief. "Some of the deserve to, and the soldiers of World War Two Germany are a good example of that." she snapped.
"They're only following orders." Dahlia defended.
"What kind of excuse is that? "I was only following orders." Didn't you realize that the order was to commit a crime against humanity!" Harpy exclaimed. Silence followed her outburst.
After a few minutes Dahlia finally spoke. "If you were issued an order, and you thought they by following that order you would be committing an act of great evil, what would you do?" she asked.
"I'd like to think that my superiors are good enough people not to issue such an order." Harpy replied.
"And if they aren't as good as you think they are?" Dahlia inquired.
"Then I will fight them, and they will kill me, because there is no way I could defeat them, even one on one… But, at least I'll die knowing that I did the right thing." Harpy stated.
It was late evening when they arrived at the factory. Harpy's wing had healed to the point that she could fly, but it was somewhat painful. The factory was surrounded by woods and both Dahlia and Harpy were crouched in a tree, observing the factory. The factory was heavily guarded.
"What are they building here?" Harpy asked.
Dahlia shrugged. "Don't know. Everything about this place is top secret."
The factory's anti-aircraft cannons began firing. Harpy looked up and saw Superman, Hawkgirl, and a number of red and blue planes.
"You know them?" Dahlia inquired.
Harpy nodded. "Let's go." They both took to the air. Harpy headed for the nearest anti-aircraft cannon and took it out with a fireball. The soldiers manning the cannon dove out of the way.
Superman and Hawkgirl took care of the other cannons. Hawkgirl by smashing one with her mace and Superman by picking up the other and throwing it.
Soldiers armed with guns came. Dahlia knocked them down with a blast of wind that sent them sprawling.
The workers fled the factory just seconds before the planes began bombing it. The factory was soon a pile of rubble. Dahlia and Harpy landed and joined Superman, Hawkgirl, and Flash.
"Good job Flash, you saved all those workers." Superman said.
"But were they building here?" Hawkgirl asked.
"I saw them working on that." Flash stated, pointing at a large metal object. Superman moved a large piece of concrete out of the way so that could get a better look at the object.
"That's a jet engine." Harpy blurted out.
"But this technology is way to advanced." Hawkgirl said.
"So are the war wheels." Harpy muttered.
"It's from the future, and I know how Savage is planning to use it." J'onn said from behind them.
One of the planes landed. The cockpit opened and the pilot addressed them.
"We just intercepted a message from the resistance. Savage has mounted an airborne invasion. He's head for America!" he exclaimed.
"We've gotta warn the good guys. Which way is west?" Flash asked.
"That way. But-" Flash had already sped off. Everyone else took to the sky, heading west.
"Who's your friend?" Superman asked as she flew next to Harpy.
"Dahlia." Harpy answered.
The man of steel looked thoughtful. "That name sounds familiar… didn't Hades-"
"Yes." Harpy interrupted.
"Does she know?" Superman asked.
"No." Harpy replied.
"Are you going to-"
"There's our target." Harpy interjected. She had spotted a number of large black planes that seemed to have them flying wing design of a B-2 bomber, only bigger.
The group began attacking what appeared to be the lead plane. The plane began firing at them. Dahlia unleashed a number of crescent-shaped wind blades at the nearest turret. The attack ripped through the metal and disabled the turret.
Wonder Woman appeared and attacked another plane. There was a brief moment where everyone paused and watched the two planes lose altitude.
"Let's go get them." Superman declared. The League members and Dahlia began dismantling the planes. They tore through wings and stabilizers, smashed through turrets and caused planes to either fall from the sky or explode. A one point Harpy saw her mother unleash a blast of air with the force of and F-5 hurricane. Not to by outdone she blew the wing off one of the planes with a large fireball.
Just when it seemed like they were winning the planes fired their afterburners and sped out of the reach of the League and Dahlia.
"They're getting away!" Hawkgirl exclaimed.
"Maybe not." Superman stated.
The planes were hit with cannon fire. Clouds parted and revealed a fleet of U.S battleships. The ships took out most of the remaining planes. One that to avoid the cannon fire, but soon it began going into a dive.
J'onn got knocked out of the sky by an explosion. Hawkgirl caught him. Then flew over to the falling plane and smashed open the cockpit and pulled out Green Lantern, who was wearing army fatigues. The plane fell into the ocean and the remaining aircraft turned back, causing the sailors to cheer.
"Shouldn't we go after them?" Wonder Woman asked.
"I don't think we'll need to." Superman said.
And he was right, because just them the red and blue planes, that Harpy later learned ere the Blackhawks, came and shot down the last of Vandal Savage's aircraft.
"So now what?" Dahlia asked.
"The timeline should be fixed. We need to get back to the portal before it closes so that we can get back to our own time." Harpy said.
At the portal, Harpy was the last to go through.
"You sure I can't know your real name?" Dahlia asked Harpy.
"Spoilers. Sorry." Harpy answered.
Dahlia sighed, then hugged Harpy. Harp stiffened for a moment, then returned the hug.
"I'm sorry. For what happens between us in the future. I'm sorry." Dahlia whispered before pulling away. Harpy sent one last look toward her mother, then entered the portal.
Back in the lab the League got through the portal just before it closed.
"Home sweet home… I hope." Flash said.
"I should have known you'd be here." A familiar voice said from the shadows. The League turned and found Batman, the right Batman, walking toward them.
"The Watchtower's instruments picked up this anomaly a few hours ago."
"Batman! It's really you!" Superman exclaimed and hugged the Dark Knight.
"Anyone got a camera." Harpy whisper to the rest of the League.
"Am I missing something?" Batman questioned.
Superman let go of the Dark Knight. "Sorry it's just that… well it's a long story."
"You're not going to believe what we've been through." Hawkgirl stated.
"Try me." Batman replied.
Ivy was back home. Not her apartment in Gotham, but Spero. Currently she was walking down a hallway. There was wood paneling that stopped halfway up the walls, from there the walls were painted a pleasant cream color. The floor was solid marble. Occasionally Ivy would pass a picture or a door to a room. Ivy kept walking until she got to the large oak doors of the infirmary. The infirmary was only for people who lived and worked in the building. Anyone with severe injuries or illnesses would be taken to the main hospital. The room was longer than it was wide. It had large windows that let in natural light and allowed patients to look out at the gardens. The white beds were all currently empty, but Ivy wasn't here to see a patient, she was here to see a Doctor.
Sitting at a desk next to a large cabinet, writing something on a piece of paper, was a woman who looked about thirty. She had long slivery white hair, forest green eyes, and was wearing a white doctor's coat.
"Lily." Ivy whispered.
The woman, Lily, looked up.
"What did you do to your wing?" she asked, standing up and approaching Ivy.
"What? Nothing. How can you tell something's wrong with my wing?" Ivy questioned in a confused manner.
"It's sticking out slightly, which either means that you're an idiot, which is always a possibility, but I know that you know how to fold your wings up properly, so, as I was saying, your either an idiot or your injured. Or quite possibly an injured idiot." Lily stated.
"Hey!" Ivy protested.
"Well it's true. You lost focus long enough for something to get your wing. You weren't fully aware of the danger around you." Lily responded
"Sit on the bed." she ordered. Ivy complied and sat down on the nearest bed and extended the injured wing, allowing Lily to examine it.
"Our wings are our lifeline. They allow use to attack from a distance, flee when things get dangerous and… and whoever treated your wing before you got here is amazing. It's almost completely healed. It'll be a bit sore for a few days. Who did this?" Lily said.
"Mom did." Ivy muttered.
"What!" Lily exclaimed in an incredulous tone.
"I just got back from World War Two Europe. I met Mom. She hugged me. First time in twenty years that I've gotten a hug from my mother and she didn't even know who I was." Ivy whispered, tears that she had been holding back were now dripping down her face. Lily hugged her.
"I'm sorry." she whispered. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine what your feeling right now, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I can't talk you through this. There's no time for you to get your emotions in check, you need to come with me. Now."
As soon as she was done speaking Lily made Ivy stand up. She grabbed Ivy by the wrist and led her out of the infirmary down the hallway, through several corridors, down two flights of stairs, and down another hallway until they arrived at a large metal door that was covered in dust and cobwebs and looked like it hadn't been touched in years. Lily pressed a button, then flipped a number of switches and the door slowly slid open.
Lily led Ivy into the room. It was full of wooden crates and objects covered in sheets.
"What is this place? Some kind of warehouse?" Ivy asked.
"Yes. This is where we store things that don't make sense. Things that shouldn't exist or that existed to soon. Technology that appears where it should not be and objects that fall out of there universe and into another one. Things that stay the same when history is rewritten when they should have changed." Lily explained.
"What was that last bit?" Ivy asked. Lily turned to her and grinned.
"Oh come on. You don't really think that we have a password for time travelers just as a random precaution did you? It filled a need. People were getting rather tired of explaining the situation and convincing people that the were telling the truth. Of course it doesn't work if you travel to time before the password was developed. But enough on that, we're here because of this!" Lily turned and pulled a sheet off of a huge object. It was a war wheel.
Tempus Zeit Chrónos is actually the same word, time, in three different languages. Latin, German and Greek, in that order, at least according to Google translate.
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