On the 16th day of the hero's 16th year
For one single precious held most dear
By the shade of evil with time in his hands
Choices will be made to determine who stands
The hidden hero will be proclaimed
After a fall leaves him heavily maimed
The day's weather will be fought
By winter, summer, and storms a lot
The land of choice is the original spot
Where she died and now lives reborn
In the world of the original's form
The Road to Happiness, The Long One
A/N: Please review!
Characters: Cal (Your "average" mysterious male), Mason (Cal's best and most trustworthy buddy), Kara Danvers (Kara Zor-El, AKA Supergirl), Jason (Kara's Ex), Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Clark Kent (Superman), Lois Lane (Superman's wife), Batman, Bartholomew, Karen (Power-Girl) and more that aren't quite ready to be presented yet. (Lots of characters are Out of Character (OOC), but I try my absolute best to make it as close as I can with the story.)
Chapter 33: Day 12/16, Friday
The Protector watched over the city from a rooftop. He swept the ground below him, listening for any signs of his presence being needed. Without Mason, he had the police radio hooked up to his earpiece in his helmet. He sighed.
"All units, there is an officer down in a firefight on the east side of town, all units available please respond," the police radio said. The Protector sighed and looked east, flying off in that direction. As he grew closer, he saw a police car overturned, on its side, and at least 17 men, armed with guns of various calibers. One officer held her partner, who was bleeding out slowly. The officer held her gun and glanced out the side of the car occasionally and nervously. The Protector hovered in front of the police car, and all the men cocked their weapons.
"Light him up!" one man called out. Without hesitation, all 23 men emptied their clips into him, but The Protector's armor held steady, save a few scratches at the joints, but he was fine all in all. After the loud commotion, The Protector looked around. The men nervously back away slowly. The Protector briefly studied the area, and jumped into action when one man drew a knife.
The Protector swiftly rolled to the nearest person, knocking him out with his first punch. He ran to the next person and kicked off them, sending them into two other people. Landing between a few more attackers, he kicked one in the back of the knee and blocked a punch from another. The Protector slammed the back of his fist into a third man, which caused him to go down with blood rushing from his nose and watery eyes, and elbowed the first man, whom had gotten back up. The first attacker followed the third. The second man looked at him in fear and backed away slowly. The Protector began to follow him, but one attacker with a knife jumped on his back and stabbed him just below the shoulder, where the armored piece ended. The Protector grimanced under his helmet, but made no sound. The Protector grabbed the man's shoulder and threw him into the man in front of him. The Protector turned around to face the rest of the attackers, but saw that most of them had dispersed. One man, with a black mask and white eyes, stood his ground. The Protector studied him for a moment, swiftly blocking and knocking out someone who foolishly tried to attack him from the side. When The Protector turned back to the man standing his ground, he sighed, seeing Bane towering before him. Bane growled. The Protector growled back. Bane smiled under his mask.
"You don't fear me, little man?" Bane asked. The Protector shook his head. "Why not?"
"I've fought bigger," The Protector explained. Bane laughed.
"Spoken like a soldier!" Bane said, laughing. "You know the officer we shot is corrupt? He was threatening single fathers who have next to nothing. Why save such an evil man?" The Protector growled again.
"Life is no one's to take…" The Protector said. "Did you know that officer wasn't alone? Did she have anything to do with this?!" Bane shrugged.
"Probably not, but his sins must be paid for!" Bane demanded. The Protector shook his head.
"Not like this!" The Protector said. "Not like this…" He trailed off, thinking. Bane brought him back to reality.
"Your friend warned me you would be resistant, always standing up for anyone and everyone…" Bane said. The Protector frowned under his helmet.
"My… friend?" The Protector asked. Bane laughed.
"He prefers the term 'bitter rival' I believe," Bane explained. "He calls himself… Chronos… Like the Ancient Greek Titan of time if I recall…" The Protector growled.
"He is not my friend!" The Protector said angrily. 'So this is part of his plan?' Cal thought to himself.
"Enough talk, time to finish you!" Bane said. The Protector motioned for Bane to come at him. Bane grinned and lunged at him. The Protector ducked and slammed his fist into Bane's side, sending him tumbling for a moment. Bane recovered and feinted a swing at him, which he ducked, but Bane kicked him, and The Protector went flying into the upturned police car, denting it. By now, several more police cars had arrived, with nervous officers out of their cars and guns at the ready.
"NO!" The Protector yelled. "STAY BACK! GET OUT OF HERE!" The Protector turned back to face Bane, but Bane's fist slammed into his helmet. The Protector fell to a knee again, dazed. Bane took the opportunity to knee him in the head. The Protector flew a few feet and landed on the ground. He coughed and got to his feet, dazed and staggering. Bane stomped towards him, grinning. The Protector wiped the blood from the bottom of his helmet and faced Bane. Bane grabbed him by the chest, but The Protector pushed him off. Bane growled and grabbed him by the throat. The Protector made a strangled noise, trying to breathe. He tried to pry Bane's hands off, but Bane's grip was too stiff. The Protector's vision began to fade to black, but he wasn't done trying. He kicked up sharply, nailing Bane in the face. Bane let go and stepped back, slightly dazed. The Protector gasped for air, but didn't stop. He ran up to Bane and after a flurry of angry punches, Bane was laying there, nearly unconscious. The Protector quickly placed the handcuffs on him. Bane got to his knees, laughing.
"He said you'd be tough to beat…" Bane said, still laughing. "You didn't seem too strong at a first glance…" The Protector didn't say anything. He walked over to the police officers. He picked up the wounded police officer and immediately flew him to the hospital. As he placed him on the stretcher, The Protector spoke.
"I don't know if Bane was lying when he said you threatened people…" The Protector said. "But if I catch wind that you're still doing that… Bane will be the worst of your problems…" The officer nodded and the ER staff rushed him away. Sighing, The Protector flew back to Bane, who was still kneeling there, and saw Supergirl hovering over him. She wore her new armor proudly.
"Well," Supergirl said, impressed. "You caught Bane without breaking his tube thingy… Wow… That's impressive…" Cal beamed under his helmet. Bane laughed and spit blood from his mouth.
"You two don't fool anyone…" Bane said, laughing. "You two should just get a room!" Bane laughed. Supergirl looked at The Protector.
"You didn't just figure that out did you?" The Protector asked. Bane laughed.
"It's obvious, you two care for each other," Bane said. The Protector's eye's flashed gold so quickly it wasn't even noticeable.
"How did you really know?" The Protector asked, an overwhelming and powerful tone in his voice. Bane shut his eyes and shook his head.
"Chronos told me… He said, 'The Protector and Supergirl care about each other… Use that…'" Bane unwillingly confessed.
"Use that for what?" The Protector asked. Supergirl glanced at him, worried about what Bane was saying. Deep down, Kara wondered why Bane was admitting this suddenly. Bane grunted and shook his head.
"He… wanted me to… use Supergirl… Take her as a hostage…" Bane said, gritting his teeth and trying to stop himself. "But I couldn't because she didn't arrive fast enough…" The Protector sighed.
"Should I take him to our special prison?" Supergirl asked. The Protector flew up and whispered to her.
"Please tell me it's not one big prison for everyone…" he whispered. Supergirl shook her head.
"It's multiple that are all spread out. This week all villains newly caught villains are going to Quadrant 8," Supergirl whispered back. The Protector breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ok, you take him there and we'll talk about this later?" The Protector asked. Supergirl nodded. Cal leaned in and whispered even softer, like a faint breeze on a cloudless day. "I love you…" Kara blushed under her helmet.
"Be thankful no press is here yet!" Kara whispered back. "They'd have a field day with Bane saying that and us being so close…" Cal laughed softly. "I love you too though…" With that, Supergirl picked up Bane and carried him to one of the many special prisons the Justice League had for super criminals. The Protector turned to see a few news vans approaching from down the road. He went to the few officers that were still there.
"News is on their way, say what you like, but I was never here…" The Protector said. "Sound good?" The officers nodded, but one spoke up.
"Thank you…" said the officer. The Protector recognized her as the one trapped and helpless when he first arrived. Like a mouse cornered by a gang of cats… The Protector nodded and another officer grabbed his arm, causing Cal to flinch.
"Protector…" the officer said. "I have a wife and daughter; my daughter is still on the way… Without you here in time… I might not have ever seen them again… I might not have ever seen my daughter… Thank you… but I still have to give you the credit for what you've done…" The Protector shook his head.
"You're the real heroes here…" The Protector said. "You don't have any super powers like me, but you still stand up against villains like Bane… That courage alone is a super power in itself… You don't mention me… I'm no hero… At least, not next to you officers… Have a good night…" The Protector turned to leave, leaving the officers awestruck and in shock. The Protector walked a several feet away and was about to take off when he noticed someone standing. He noticed the man who had stabbed him, standing, grinning, and waving the knife he stabbed him with. The knife wasn't red like blood, but it shone gold. The Protector looked at him, confused and noticing the who the man was. The man was Space, his purple eyes glowing. Grinning evilly, Space outstretched his hand and a glowing ball of energy appeared in it. Eyes wide and realizing what was about to happen, Cal ran forward, trying desperately to get between Space and the officers awaiting the approaching news vans. Space, still grinning, threw the ball at the officers, and Cal pushed himself. The ball grew closer to the officers, and Cal's body became heavier and the distance between him and the ball seemed to stay the same distance away. Cal kept pushing himself, struggling to fight the distorted space. The ball still continued, almost upon the unsuspecting officers.
"NO!" Cal yelled as he threw himself desperately towards the ball of energy.
-Break-
"AH!" Mason yelled as thousands of volt coursed through him. His body seized up, every muscle in his body tensing and aching. After the volts passed, Mason shook a deep, shaky breath. His muscles flared in pain and his vision was blurry. Mason sighed.
"Are you ready to talk?" a voice in the shadows asked. Mason laughed.
"Yeah, uh, I'm pretty sure the weather outside would be nice to see, maybe some exercise while we're at it…" Mason retorted. The voice growled, and Mason's body arched with thousands of volts coursing through him again. After it ended, Mason gasped for air again.
"Try again?" the voice asked. Mason laughed, but didn't say anything. "Who is The Protector?!" the voice demanded. Mason sighed.
"For the THOUSANDTH time, I DON'T KNOW!" Mason yelled. "If I knew I would have told you by now!"
"You do know!" the voice growled angrily. Mason shook his head.
"I… don't…" Mason said. The voice sighed.
"Then I suppose you need a little more time to think about your options…" the voice said. They pressed something and Mason winced in pain as a lesser voltage coursed through him continuously. Mason sighed as he heard the metal door shut behind his kidnapper.
-Break-
Kara picked up her phone and call Cal. After it rang out, Kara hung up, worried. She made sure Bane was locked up, and that took a few hours with all the red tape. Kara sighed, and sat down. She turned on the TV.
"And yet The Protector has still remained unresponsive and no one dares to move him. His armor provides a slight electric shock to anyone who has tried to remove it. A few heroes have dared try as well, with the same results," the reporter was saying. A very steady chopper cam focused on The Protector, who was lying in a small crater on the ground. The reporter touched her earpiece. "I'm hearing now that Batman and Superman have arrived…" By now, Kara had changed and flown off.
Supergirl arrived and landed next to Superman. Superman glanced over, nodding hello. Batman walked over to The Protector, studying him and the crater. Finally, he turned to the other heroes who had gathered: Superman, Supergirl, Huntress, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, and Dr. Fate. He motioned them all to come closer, away from the prying ears of the public.
"So? What happened?" Supergirl asked. Batman signed.
"As far as I can tell, a large white sun, compressed, blew him up. I can't tell the extent of the damage without removing the armor…" Batman said.
"What could possibly have that much energy?" J'onn, the Martian Manhunter asked. Batman thought for a moment.
"Either a large white sun, or a really, REALLY powerful being…" Batman said. Green Arrow smirked at the first part.
"And can Supes x-ray him?" Green Arrow asked. Superman shook his head.
"It's not lead, but whatever it is I can't see through it…" Superman said.
"J'onn?" Batman asked. J'onn shook his head.
"He has better mental protection that I've ever seen before," J'onn said. Batman nodded.
"Dr. Fate?" Batman asked. Dr. Fate shook his head.
"I have tried every possible thing I could think of, and nothing…" Dr. Fate answered.
"Could we use heat vision?" Huntress suggested. Batman shook his head.
"His armor is still intact after that blast, then heat vision isn't going to work," Green Arrow said before Batman could. Batman nodded. They all sighed and glanced at The Protector. Suddenly, Lois Lane spoke up.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Lois Lane asked. They all looked at each other.
"Superman, you're the press-y type…" Green Arrow said, patting him on the shoulder. Superman chuckled and turned to Lois to talk. Batman sighed and looked at The Protector again.
"What can we possibly do?" Supergirl asked. Batman shrugged and shook his head.
"I have no idea… No clue…" Batman admitted.
-Break-
"MEETING! NOW!" Potens boomed, sitting at the head of the table. Within moments, the other beings appeared: Time, Space, Destiny, Karma, Life, Death, both Chaos, and both Orders. Immediately, Potens glared at Space.
"WHAT WAS UNCLEAR ABOUT LEAVING CALLUM ALONE?!" Potens yelled. Everyone flinched. Space couldn't meet his father's eyes. When Space didn't respond, Potens sighed. "Now Callum is on the line between life and death AGAIN!" Life and Death sighed.
"I don't want him," Death said.
"I'll keep him, don't worry," Life said. "But we should probably talk about Mason… He's… slipping away… from me…"
"Mason will stay alive," Potens decided. "As will Callum. Thank you, Life, Death. You are both excused back to work." Life and Death rose, bowed, and disappeared.
"I'm tired of altering his fate," Destiny mentioned.
"Then stop changing it," Time said.
"I'm not going to stop!" Destiny said.
"Cause he's your little baby?" Space taunted.
"Knock it off!" Potens demanded. He turned towards the Chaos and Orders.
"Can we make it simpler for Destiny?" Potens asked. Both Orders, one was male and the other female, looked at each other. Both Chaos did the same.
"Define simpler…" the male Chaos and the female Order said in unison.
"Make his fate less drastic? Or at least change his fate for her?" Potens asked.
"We could alter his fate for her, but we can't keep the same end result from popping back up," the male Order said. The other Chaos and Order nodded in agreement.
"Walter, you're apart of nature, why not let Callum die?" Time asked the male Order. Walter looked at him.
"Because without Callum," Walter started, gesturing to Potens, "The Current would be gone and order would be disrupted…"
"And with him alive, he rocks Order's boat… Which is fun for us…" Veronica said, the female Chaos, biting her lip seductively and looking at Walter as well as taking his hand, who shifted in his seat, uncomfortable.
"Get a room you two!" Karma said jokingly.
"Come on honey, let's show them what we can do without a room," Veronica said, kissing Walter. Walter nervously kissed her back.
"Hold the sex!" Potens ordered. "Let's get back to it, what shall we do with Mason?"
"Save him obviously!" Tiffany, the female Order, said. Her husband, the male Chaos named Mark, looked at her.
"Maybe leave him for a bit longer…" Mark said. "Just a bit… Not long enough to make my baby upset…" He took Tiffany's hand.
"With all this torture, he deserves to live and to be rewarded for his pain and loyalty…" Karma pointed out. Destiny nodded in agreement. Space opened his mouth to talk, but Potens glared at him. Space tried to talk, but no sound came out.
"You don't listen to me, no one gets to listen to you," Potens declared. Time shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Space looked at Time for help.
"I'm not getting you out of this one," Time said. "I can't help you this time…"
"So we allow Mason to be tortured a bit longer, but double his rewards for his loyalty and pain?" Potens negotiated. Everyone nodded in acceptance. "Good, now for his rewards?"
"He's had this eye on a girl from school," Destiny pointed out. "I could arrange a meeting for them in the future…"
"It's called a date," Time pointed out. Destiny rolled her eyes.
"Whatever."
"Well, I'm sorry you haven't been on a date in years!" Time said.
"We have too been on a date within a year!" Karma protested. Destiny put her hand on Karma's.
"We have, Time, but I don't think you have in centuries," Destiny retorted smoothly. Veronica and Mark 'ooh'-ed. Tiffany and Walter cracked slight smiles.
"I don't do dates," Time said casually. "I fuck and leave."
"Explains a lot," Destiny said to Karma, who giggled.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you have commitment issues," Karma said.
"I do not!" Time protested.
"Maybe not when it comes to ATTACKING MY SON!" Destiny yelled. Potens sighed and rubbed his head.
"At least I didn't cheat to have one!" Time insulted. The air around Destiny turned dark green.
"She didn't cheat, you sissy pig!" Karma yelled, the air around her turning orange. "We wanted a child, a natural one! So we vetted people and chose Callum's father!"
"Then why is Destiny in his life more than you?" Time asked, remaining calm and relaxed. "I mean, after all that Callum has been through, you'd think he should be in heaven by now!" Karma leapt for his throat, but Potens simply blinked and she was forced to sit.
"I brought him to Kara…" Karma said slowly. "He finds that enough happiness for a lifetime…"
"It's still your job to give credit where credit is due… Just because he thinks his cup is full doesn't mean it actually is…" Time pointed out.
"I used most of his childhood karma to give him that day of peace for him and Kara… Besides, I'm saving up for a rainy day of his…" Karma said. "Because we all know his rainy day is fast approaching…" Everyone looked down or away and nodded somberly.
"It's going to be one hell of a rainy day…" Potens said.
"Why don't we just stop it from happening?" Karma asked. "He's my son too, he's related to ALL of us… Why don't we stop his pain while we can?" No one answered or met Karma's eyes.
"Because he's this millennia's scapegoat…" Destiny said, breaking the silence. Karma looked at her.
"No…" Karma said, her eyes watering. "No…" She turned to Potens. "Why didn't you tell me?!" she screamed, tears beginning to flow. Destiny tried to comfort her, but Karma shrugged her off. "It's not fair!" She looked at the Chaos and Order twins. "Dammit! Change it! Let it be someone else!" she screamed. She slumped in her chair and held her head in her hands, sobbing. "It's not fair…" she whispered. Destiny rubbed her back gently. Potens sighed.
"It doesn't help that you picked him for your side project," Time said. Potens shot him an angry look, but the look softened to sadness.
"You're right, Time," Potens said. "It doesn't help… I never would have chosen him if I had known…" Space spoke up finally.
"Karma is right though… He is family, whether anyone likes it or not…" Space admitted. Time shot him a look. Space shrugged. "I shouldn't have done what I did… WE shouldn't have done what we did…" Time rolled his eyes and sighed.
"You're right," Time confessed. "He should have been left alone by us… We didn't know about the scapegoat part…"
"Now to my final topic," Potens said, breaking the long and somber silence. "Kara…" No one said anything, till Potens continued. "Do we allow her future to continue its course?"
"We have no reason to change hers," Time said. Space agreed.
"But she doesn't need to go about like that…" Tiffany protested.
"She means a lot to Cal," Veronica said, toying with Walter's face sensuously. "It would be a shame to allow their futures to separate them…"
"I agree," Mark said. Walter nodded as well.
"If only one of them even have the chance of living… Let her live…" Karma said quietly.
"She can live for the both of them…" Destiny decided.
"It's five to three, her fate stays," Potens said.
"I declare final balance," Tiffany said. Time sighed.
"Final balance is pointless," Time said. "Each side makes their arguments in a speech and the vote never changes. It's a waste of me!" Destiny and Tiffany glared at him.
"Nevertheless, final balance was declared," Potens said. "We have the rules for a reason. Final arguments begin, 5 votes go first." Veronica stood up and cleared her throat.
"Kara and Cal are currently on course to find themselves on the same fate… Why not allow them to join each other in their sequential fates? They belong together, and if one lives without the other, wouldn't the survivor be devastated beyond repair? They need to either live together, or die together… Let's not let one suffer more than the other…" Veronica explained. She sat down and Tiffany stood up.
"Cal and Kara are the Romeo and Juliet of this century. But if we could change Romeo and Juliet's fates then why wouldn't we? If Romeo died to save Juliet wouldn't we accept that? Time, no pun intended, heals all wounds," Tiffany swallowed hard. "Cal is going to die, and we can't avoid that… But… Kara… She can live… We can let her continue her life… We can let her live for both of them… It's what Cal would want, but the pain of his loss is included… But it's still what Cal would want… Letting her live for them both…" Walter sighed and shook his head.
"Final vote?" Potens asked. "For continuing fate of death?" Mark, Veronica, Time, and Space raised their hands. "For change?" Tiffany, Destiny, and Karma raised their hands. "Walter? Which side are you for?" Walter sighed.
"For change," Walter said finally, glancing at Tiffany and refusing to meet Veronica's offended eyes. Potens sighed.
"So it comes down to me…" Potens said. Everyone looked at him. Destiny and Karma stared in hopefulness. Time and Space watched with raised eyebrows. Veronica, Mark, Tiffany, and Walter all looked on with their breath held. Potens sighed again. "I choose…"