Chapter 26: Kneel Before Her (Panic in the Sky – Epilogue)
Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.
Lex Luthor was sitting in a cell in an orange prison jumpsuit. He had lost quite a bit of weight during his incarceration. The look on his face was unchanged, though. Arrogance! Contempt! An expression that told the entire world that it was a huge concession on his part to even notice its existence.
"Let us not mince words," Luthor told the reporter conducting the interview. "No matter what you might read in the court documents, no matter what the official charges against me are supposed to be, I am actually on trial here for a very different reason. And that reason can be summed up in one word: Superwoman!
"I am on trial because I dared raise a hand against everyone's favorite alien overlord. I dared to resist the benevolent would-be-goddess. I am on trial because I am one of the few people who have realized the truth!"
"And what truth would that be?" the reporter asked, making little effort to disguise his dislike of Luthor.
"The truth is that we have been conquered," Luthor said, looking into the camera. "Oh, not officially, of course. There are no alien armies marching through our cities, no foreign flags flying over our buildings, but make no mistake: we have been conquered. A subtle conquest, no doubt, but a conquest still. Superwoman has positioned herself into a position of authority over the entire world. She decides what is right and wrong, she is accountable to no one, and if anyone dares to speak out against her, they will be arrested on trumped-up charges. She's got the police in her pocket, the United Nations, and even that vigilante, the Batman, is doing her bidding."
"That sounds more like a conspiracy theory than anything else, Mr. Luthor," the reporter said. "And it has little to do with the charges against you, some of them go back long before Superwoman made her debut."
"Of course they do," Luthor replied, rolling his eyes. "I am sure there is also some falsified evidence showing that I stole cookies as a boy or created death rays in high school. And I do not expect any of those brave and upstanding jurors to go against the expressed wishes of our dear beloved heroine, Superwoman. No, I am going to jail, because my crime is unforgivable. I merely hope that, maybe, some people will start thinking for themselves and see this sham for what it is."
He leaned forward, staring into the camera, and folded his hands in front of him. "Mark my words! This is no longer our world. It belongs to Superwoman now! It's only a matter of time before more of her ilk just happen to turn up, like that supposed Amazon Wonder Woman or that little brat Superboy. We are seeing the beginning of a dynasty that will rule our planet for a long time to come, unless we start waking up now and start fighting back!"
He learned back, looking to the side at the blank walls of the cell with a forlorn expression worthy of a movie star. "And who knows? Maybe I will live long enough to see that day. The day when the people will wake up and say: Lex Luthor was right!"
When Kara flew in to help during a flash flood in India, numerous people who spotted her fell to their knees and raised their hands in supplication, cheering for her arrival. This had happened before, it was nothing new, but this time she heard Brainiac's voice in the back of her mind.
In their primitive point of view, you are already close to a goddess!
When civil unrest in China began to turn ugly and a group of unarmed protestors was facing a heavily armed military squad, she dropped out of the sky and told the soldiers to lower their weapons and stand down. To a man, they followed her orders. No bloodshed happened that day.
They follow your directives!
When a super villain called Toyman threatened to blow up half of Metropolis with toy-shaped bombs, she gathered up the explosive devices with super speed and disposed of them in the upper atmosphere. None of the police officers involved so much as questioned her about this, just trusting her to take care of things while they took Toyman into custody.
The humans trust you!
When an opinion research center in the US conducted a nation-wide poll about whom the people would like to see as presidential candidates in the next election, Superwoman appeared as a write-in candidate and received over 20 percent of the vote. A late night comedian mentioned that Superwoman would sadly be unable to accept the nomination, as she had not been born on American soil. Several days later, an online petition to change that law garnered more than 100,000 signatures within a matter of hours.
They will hand over control of their planet to you out of their own free will!
Superwoman's Pal
A column by Lois Lane
As a species, we humans have quite a few bad habits that I hope we will eventually grow out of. One of them, as I am sure most people would agree, is our habit of taking things to extremes. One Arabian-looking guy blows up a car? Naturally, all Arabian-looking people must be terrorists. One white business tycoon molests women in a dressing room? Naturally, all rich white guys must be perverts. Our religion preaches peace and to love thy fellow man? Naturally, all who don't follow our loving god must be put to death, so they can go to hell. The list goes on.
I fear we are currently seeing another example of this very unfortunate habit in relation to my favorite alien superhero / working mom, Superwoman. I am sure many of you remember that, during the last census a few years ago, one of the questions posed was which religion we follow. Now rest easy, conservatives, the majority of Americans still consider themselves Christians of one flavor or another. A record number of Americans called themselves 'Atheists', of course, but that is a different topic entirely. Far more interesting: well over 30,000 Americans used the 'Other' option on the census and wrote 'Superwoman' into the blank field.
When I got wind of this, I immediately talked to a few of the people who named 'Superwoman' as their religious view. Most of them, I was glad to discover, did so out of reasons that I can easily identify with. They don't regard Superwoman as a deity or anything, but rather as an example to follow, a teacher, someone who demonstrates how great power should be used responsibly and that helping your fellow beings is one of the noblest things one can do. Being the self-proclaimed greatest Superwoman fan in the world, I could easily see myself as a follower of this 'Superwoman-ism' (and we really need to come up with a better name for it).
Sadly, we humans tend to take things to the extreme. So while most of the people I talked to in regards to naming 'Superwoman' as their religion were reasonable people, there were also some among them that, well, were not. I was not worried, though, as they were few and far between. What does it matter that they are some weirdos out there who regard Superwoman as some kind of celestial messiah? As a mother goddess, who brought her only begotten son into the world? (No, I did not make that last one up, I am sorry to say).
Well, turns out it does matter and maybe it is time to worry. As of last week, the 'Church of Hope', a self-proclaimed charitable organization dedicated to the worship and teachings of Superwoman, has successfully applied for tax-exempt status in Texas. Its members regard Superwoman as an actual goddess, it seems, who has descended from the heavens for the betterment of humankind. It is a sad state of affairs that I actually hope that the people behind this Church are mere conmen and charlatans, interested only in making a quick buck off gullible people. The alternative somehow seems far more ominous.
Speaking as someone who has actually met Superwoman in the flesh – admittedly only once, but I did speak with her and we took a photograph together – I feel more than confident in telling you that she is many things, but a goddess is not one of them. Despite being an alien from another world, she is easily the most human person I have ever met. Friendly, kind, and dedicated to helping others. She is more than worthy of respect, admiration, and emulation, but not of worship. The power she possesses might put her on equal footing with some of the gods of myth, but that does not change who she is on the inside. A hero, an inspiration, and most important of all, someone who is human in all the best ways.
One of the last things to be installed on the Watch Tower was a big round table, which had been Adam's idea. Apparently, he had been a huge fan of the saga of King Arthur as a kid. Five chairs were spaced at equal distances around the table for the five members of the League, each of them adorned with a symbol signifying the person sitting in it (that one had been J'Onn's idea, actually). A sixth chair stood empty in the corner, the symbol of the Green Lantern on its back, in honor of Abin Sur. Kara had insisted on that.
"So we are agreed then?" Batman asked. "I will approach Green Arrow with an invitation for League membership."
The others all nodded. While Green Arrow did not have super powers, much like Batman, he had established himself as a genuine hero during these last few years and while he was more street-level than most of the other members of the team, that, too, might well be an advantage.
They had also briefly discussed Guy Gardner, the new Green Lantern, but had decided to hold off on approaching him for now, given the rather unfavorable impression he had made on Superwoman and Superboy during the incident in India. Hopefully, with a bit more experience under his belt the new hero would mellow some and turn into actual League material. Right now, no one felt comfortable about having him sit in Abin Sur's chair.
"Any more items on the agenda for today?"
Kara had said very little in the meeting so far, which was rather unusual as she was generally regarded as the leader of their team. Today, though, she had left everything to Batman. Her mind had been on other things.
"There is one thing I wanted to talk to all of you about," she finally said, causing the other four to look at her. "Something that has been on my mind since the encounter with Brainiac."
She looked at Adam first. "Adam, of all those present here, you are the only one who doesn't know yet and I think it's way past time to change that. As you already know my name is Kara-El, but I also have a human identity on Earth. My name there is Karen Kent."
Adam smiled at first, happy to be extended this level of trust, but then he frowned. "Karen Kent? As in the CEO of K-Solutions? The world's leading technological development company?"
"Indeed. I created my company as one part of my plan to slowly introduce advanced Kryptonian technology on Earth."
Adam nodded, impressed. "You are certainly succeeding. I've seen some of the designs coming out of K-Solutions and they are brilliant."
"Thank you."
"What has this got to do with Brainiac?" Diana asked, clearly seeing how troubled her friend was.
Kara sighed, looking down. "Brainiac, he... he said that I had already accomplished most of his work for him. That I was ... setting myself up as ruler of Earth in order to transform it into New Krypton."
"That's nonsense, Kara," Diana told her. "That evil machine was only..."
"I think he might be right," Kara interrupted her, causing the others to stare at her. She rose from her seat. "I have made detailed plans for the future of Earth for the next century. I intend to have a base built on the moon within the next ten years, a self-sustaining colony within thirty. I plan for humans to create their first interstellar colony in eighty years."
Walking around the table, she continued. "I have made all these plans myself, with no input from anyone else. I have mapped out humanity's future without consulting anyone. It never occurred to me to do so."
No one said anything, so she continued. "While I have no intention of transforming Earth into a replica of my old home world and fully believe that my plans will improve things for everyone, I... cannot deny that I have acted... high-handed. "
There was silence for a few more moments, then Batman spoke up. "Why are you telling us this, Kara?"
She looked around the table, studying the faces of the other four. "I created the Justice League to function as Earth's first line of defense against threats that normal humans would not be able to handle. Since we first came together to defeat one such threat, Mongul, I have come to trust the people in this room with my life. Which is why I would ask you to undertake one more task. Well, maybe it's the same task, really. Keeping the Earth safe from threats. Even if that threat..."
Diana stood up quickly enough that her chair tipped over. "You are talking nonsense, Kara," she said sharply. "You are not a threat to Earth! You never would be!"
"A threat like Mongul? Probably not, but that's not what I'm talking about," Kara retorted. "Some of the most terrible deeds in history have been performed by people who were utterly convinced they were doing what was best for everyone. The saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions didn't come from nothing!"
"You are letting that machine drive you crazy, Kara," Diana insisted.
"It's not nonsense!" Kara said, heatedly. "No one is incorruptible!"
J'Onn stood, making a calming gesture towards both women. "Let's discuss this rationally. I assume you are not asking us to prepare to fight you to the death, Kara," he said in an even voice. "What is it, exactly, that you would ask of the rest of us to soothe your worries?"
Kara breathed in deeply, allowing herself to fall back into her chair. "I need... as corny as that may sound, I need someone to function as my... conscience. I still think I am doing what's best for everyone, but no single person should ever make decisions for everyone else. Someone needs to check over my plans, to... hold me accountable."
She laughed, though it sounded slightly bitter. "I remember reading once that Caesar had a servant whose only job it was to stand behind him during triumphal processions. And when the masses cheered and shouted his name, said servant would lean forward and whisper into his ear, saying: Respice post te, hominem te esse memento. Look behind you and remember, you are only human! There are people on Earth right now who worship me as a goddess! I... I need to make sure that I never, ever start to believe them!"
For a long moment there was silence again, but then Adam stood up, walked over to her, and put his hand on her shoulder. "I think you are the most human of us all, Kara, and I find the very idea that you could ever become a threat laughable. But if you need this for your own peace of mind, then feel free to call me Jiminy Cricket!"
Batman didn't stand up, but simply nodded. "If you need a second set of eyes to check your plans, I will gladly offer mine. You know I won't have any problem telling you when I think you are wrong."
J'Onn simply morphed into his 'Cousin John' appearance and smiled at her, the slightest telepathic touch telling her that he would do whatever she needed doing. Diana reached behind her to pick up her chair, then sat down and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"I still think you are an idiot, sister," she said, though she was smiling while she said it. "And remember, I can still kick your ass should you get any delusions of grandeur."
Kara smiled back. "I am beating you nearly half the time now," she reminded her friend.
"I am going easy on you, that's all."
"Of course!"
Kara looked around, seeing the supportive faces of her friends, and felt some of the tension leaving her body. Brainiac's voice was still there, but sounding fainter now. Maybe Brainiac was right, at least in some ways, but that didn't mean she was going to play by his rules or perform his work. She was doing what she was doing for the betterment of all. And if she should lose sight of that, she had her friends and family to steer her back on the right path.
"I'll get by," she told herself, "with a little help from my friends!"
End Chapter 26
Author's Note: the idea of Superman being worshipped as a deity was often hinted at in the various comic books and of course there is Zack Snyder, who crammed at least half a dozen Jesus metaphors into the Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman. It was never really shown, though, except for a single issue of Action Comics, I believe, where a California cult played a role. Of course said cult was run by Darkseid or something, can't really remember, and everything was resolved within a single issue. I wanted things to be a bit more complicated here. After all, there is an official Jedi religion in real life, so how far-fetched would it really be to think that people would worship a Superwoman that actually existed?
As for the roster of the Justice League, the team will expand soon, I promise. Right now, though, many of the classic members would still be in their teens. Green Arrow, as shown in the classic Justice League comics, always came across as slightly older than the others, so he will join now. Next in line (as in, people who we can reasonably assume to be at least five years older than Clark) would be Hawkman, Elongated Man, possibly the Atom. We'll see how it goes.