Writer's Note: Remember all my talk in the explanation about retcons and such? Well dear readers, due to certain events, you will now get to witness a retcon first hand! Hopefully I will be able to alter the details so it goes on the wall of fame rather then the blooper reel.
And for readers of the original source material, I apologize if my additions or modifications cause you confusion, but I accidentally called Superboy-Prime stupid and he punched the crystal wall a few extra times and…well, you see the results. Again, my thanks to those who came before me and laid the ground I am hopefully not about to desecrate.
Mystery.
In our lives, it is as an essential part as breathing. When there's none of it, the more alert wonder why, rather then enjoy the clarity. In a way, it is more important then any codename or defining battle is for who, and what, we are.
As a superhero, mystery is forever intertwined with you. The first of our breed were not called superheroes or metahumans, but mystery men (also masked men, but you know what I mean). Their act of wearing a disguise, of hiding who they were, having a secret identity, of casting a shadow across a mirror…it was set in stone long before Superman began leaping tall buildings in a single bound.
And in a way, mystery is part of the appeal of the life. What's going to happen next? Will our next foe be a superhuman assassin or a wacky witch who came from a pie? Will a midget with immense reality altering powers show up to make our lives interesting, or will it simply be a sociopathic punk with a machine gun and a chip on his shoulder? The future is murky for all, but for a hero, part of that murkiness could almost be seen as a thrill. There's never a dull moment.
But…mystery is not a catch-all and end-all. You don't always see it as a whole. Sometimes you just see aspects of it. And not all of them are good.
And perhaps the worst is mystery's bastard child, confusion.
Nothing good comes of confusion. While mystery, the unknown, can be looked upon with awe or anticipation, nothing but trouble can come from the unknown of confusion. Confusion blots your mind, scrambles your senses, and slows thought. It can cost you time. It can cost you dearly. It can cost you everything.
In times of peace, even during 'typical' superhero events like battling villains, mystery is generally thought to be the stronger force. But in times of crisis…confusion reigns.
If you need yet more reason why confusion is always bad, look at war. War is mass confusion, an atmosphere where it breeds faster then anywhere. Casualties in war often have less to do with lack of skill or bravery then the battlefield itself. You can train all you want, be good at it, even seem gifted at it…but those are all skills learned under a mantle of sense. In war, sense can vanish within seconds. Explosions can produce smoke and dust that quickly reduce your field of vision to near nothing. You become surrounded by terrible noise. And the one thing movies had yet to replicate is the horrific smell that comes from war, the stench of death and destruction. In such an environment, sense can vanish on the wind. You can suddenly have no idea which way the enemy is, where the shots are coming from, if the man next to you is your buddy or someone preparing to stick a knife in your ribs. In that confusion comes fear. And in that fear can come tragedy. There's a reason we need the term 'friendly fire'. And 'fog of war'.
Outside of being used as a weapon against an enemy, nothing good comes from confusion. And it's not an easy weapon to wield, at that.
And even the best of us are prone to it.
My name is Noel Collins, my codename is Savior, and I am a member of the Teen Titans. And the world has gone to hell.
And due to my part, I think I may know why.
The actions of the Flashes, the wielders of the extradimensional energy known as the Speed Force, had ensured that the battlefield was strewn simply with wreckage, not bodies of innocents who could not defend themselves. A good thing, considering the power of the foe they had battled, a foe so mighty that none of the heroes assembled could stand against him, even harm him, for all their efforts. In the end, The Flashes had done the only thing they could: grabbed Superboy-Prime and ran off with him, disappearing into the Speed Force. An act that, according to Jay Garrick, had either destroyed or sealed the energy field away: it was gone, leaving Garrick powerless. Of all the Flashes, as well as Elijah Versaw, he had been the only one not to go all the way, and hence the only one to return, as far as Noel could tell. It appeared the speedsters had made the ultimate sacrifice to stop Superboy-Prime, before he could destroy more of Keystone City.
Keystone City? Wait wait, I thought the battle took place in Smallville!The answer is, you're right. And you're wrong. As was I. I thought the battle took place completely in Smallville too. Things were so chaotic, I never noticed us making the transfer.
Do you think I have no reason to speak of the dangers of confusion? Believe me, this is just the beginning. When you don't notice you're switching cities, things are really bad.
I suppose it's not entirely implausible. Smallville and Keystone are both in Kansas. Are they right next to each other? I'm not sure. But I do know we had three master Speed Force users in Jay Garrick, Wally West, and Bart Allen. In the chaos of battle, they could have tried moving both Superboy-Prime and us…but why Keystone? You would think an empty field would be better.
Or maybe Keystone and Smallville really are closer then I realized. I don't know. All I know is that while the battle started in Smallville and destroyed parts of Smallville, by the time Pantha was tragically murdered we were in Keystone. It ended there. And then it disappeared, taking several of our companions with us.
Even as another Earth appeared in the sky.
Baby steps. In times like these, sometimes that was the only way to function. One small thing at a time.
Noel's small thing at the moment was trying to find Raven, to see how she was doing in her healing efforts…and trying to ignore the carnage around him.
He passed by Gauntlet and Paragon, as Amy bawled over the bodies of John Arcwrite and Wendy Ranberg, aka Evil John and Crazed-Buzz, and Gauntlet, despite the clear pain on his own face, tried to comfort her. Looking at the sight briefly, he was amazed Gauntlet was holding up so well, considering his artifact was a shattered wreck and perhaps broken beyond repair, not to mention he had never thought Gauntlet had the strength of mind to stand up to such tragedy. A weakness that mostly existed in Savior's prejudices, he always knew, though he concealed it from himself.
Noel pondered the nature of glibness and how in certain aspects he was far too weak. For all their disagreements, Rob was a hero, and he'd proven it.
And sadly, Noel thought, if they lived through this and put it behind them, soon Noel would forget that and become annoyed with Rob all over again. It was probably inevitable. He was only human.
And it was being that way, Noel knew, that had set this all off, as he walked on.
He passed by Red Star, who as it turned out survived being frozen by Superboy-Prime…though perhaps that was little comfort to him now: he had been, Noel had heard, good friends with Pantha and Wildebeest, both dead at Superboy-Prime's hands. In typical Russian stoicalness, he was trying not to show his grief…and not succeeding.
Noel walked on, feeling powerless and hating himself for it.
Next up came the Titans East, who were tending to Bumblebee, who had suffered a leg wound of some kind. Speedy was doing the bandaging…while Speedy looked on.
And no, that was not a typo.
Confusion.
It was noted that Speedy was at the battle, with the Titans East. That was true. The thing is…Speedy was also there on HER own. I just didn't notice HER.
Now you're confused. Allow me to explain.
Once, a man named Oliver Queen became a vigilante hero named Green Arrow, and he adopted a boy named Roy Harper as his ward and sidekick, Speedy (named for how quick he was with a bow and arrow). Both had their share of bumps on their respective roads, but in the end Speedy grew up and away from Queen. He changed his name to Arsenal, and went to forge his own path. And for a while, Green Arrow was alone.
Meanwhile, in Star City, Queen's home town, a teenager named Nathaniel Parsons was swiftly showing himself to be an athletic prodigy…and growing an ego to match. He thought the world of himself…until he was about 14.
I'm not privy to the exact circumstances, but somehow Queen and Parsons crossed paths while Queen was in costume, and Queen for some reason completely tore a strip off Parsons. Queen and I may not see eye to eye ideologically, but I can think of a few reasons that Queen did that. Really humiliated him too, from the scraps I've picked up. So what does Parsons do? Change his life? So to speak. He abandons his athletic dreams and turns his focus to learning archery and combat. And he picked it up quicker then anyone realized.
His plan was a bit marred by his family moving away from Star City before Parsons could finish, but he made the best of it. Parsons silenced his critics by beating them, and Nathaniel decided to beat Queen at his own game, as despite having left Queen's back yard, he fashioned himself a very familiar costume…and dubbed himself Speedy. And on he went on his hero path, not so much to do good as to rub it in Oliver's face.
Queen was, to say the least, not pleased. But what could he do, sue Parsons?
So Parsons kept on being Speedy, and since he came first, I suppose we could call him Speedy II. Thing is, he's not an OFFICIAL Speedy. Green Arrow never trained him and gave him a 'stamp of approval'.
Because eventually he did find another ward to train as an archer, a former prostitute named Mia Dearden. And recently, she's hit the 'scene', as it were, as Speedy…an OFFICIAL Speedy. But since she came after Nathaniel, she could be said to be Speedy III. Though in official terms, she's Speedy II, since Nathaniel shouldn't, according to Green Arrow, be Speedy in the first place.
You see what I mean on how dangerous confusion is? Suck it up, because we're not done yet. For the sake of convenience, I will call them by chronological order rather then any 'official' order, so Nathaniel is Speedy II and Mia is Speedy III.
Oh, and one final note. This is actually something Nathaniel doesn't know himself, but I do…because unlike a lot of teen heroes, I make it a point to find out these things.
Some people wonder why Nathaniel was able to pick up archery mastery so easily. Well, genes might have something to do with it.
As it turns out, he's the great grandson of an obscure Wild West hero named Roger Parsons…who was known as the Golden Arrow.
Maybe he's more worthy of being Speedy then Ollie gives him credit for…"Well, look who survived. Why am I not surprised?" Bumblebee said.
"From your tone, I gather that none of you were badly hurt."
"So to speak." Aqualad said, glancing at May Y Menos, standing sadly off to the side, not saying a word. Of course: with the Speed Force gone, their power was gone as well. All the wounds of this battle weren't physical.
"Hey, guys." Said a dove as Beast Boy popped down next to the group. "Savior. Everything all right here?"
"In some matters." Savior said.
"Hey, wait a minute. Why are you asking him? She's the one on the ground." Speedy III said.
"Oh…force of habit. Nothing personal Karen."
"None taken. I'm just glad that bastard is gone. He just wouldn't go down." Bumblebee said.
"Yeah…I'm sorry you wasted your blue arrow Mia." Beast Boy said.
"…Blue arrow?" Savior said, raising a brow. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.
"Dude, didn't you see it? How could you MISS it?" Beast Boy said.
"Gar, let's not forget there were dozens of us all running and blasting and flying and it was extremely fast and so chaotic we somehow moved from Smallville to Keystone without me noticing…even I can't see everything."
"Oh…well it happened just as we showed up…"
"GET OFF!"
The power that had erupted from Superboy-Prime's eyes had scattered the heroes, but they had quickly regrouped even amongst the chaos, and pressed their attack, even as the battleground shifted from Smallville to Keystone…
Punches, superfast and superhuman. Bludgeons, both metal and granite. A sword (which broke) and lasers. Then, more punching.
The reaction?
"That doesn't hurt." Superboy-Prime said as he hurled a bus at his attackers, scattering them.
"Argh! How are we supposed to stop him?" Aqualad cursed.
"Time for the blue arrow." Speedy III replied, as she drew said blue arrow and cocked it, even as Beast Boy landed near her, this time as a robin.
"The blue arrow?" He asked.
"I got it from Arsenal for an emergency. He, well, stole it."
"He stole it? From who?" Beast Boy asked, even as STRIPE took another crack at the mad Superboy-Prime.
"No time!"
"Ok, so what is it?" Beast Boy asked, as Superboy-Prime battered Stripe away.
"He called it…" Speedy III said as she drew back the bow. "The Phantom Zone Arrow."
Which flew true.
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Superboy-Prime screamed, as the arrow struck him and grayish energy erupted from it, bathing the nearby heroes in dull light…and then the teen was gone. What remained was what looked like a floating, spinning pane of glass, Superboy-Prime's face reflected in it like a mirror, as he looked out onto the heroes in confusion, his hands pressed up against the 'glass'.
"Where…" He said, as Gar realized. He'd heard about it from message boards.
"You're in the Phantom Zone, freak." He snapped, his voice devoid of his usual good humor.
"This is for criminals! I'm a…I'm a good guy!" Superboy-Prime yelled, as his features twisted into fury once more. "I'm the only real good guy here!"
And he struck the mirror, a blow so strong that the heroes back on the planet Earth could feel it…as a spiderweb of cracks shot across the gray glass, even as everyone goggled at it. This was impossible! The Phantom Zone was inescapable! It had held the worst threats that ever existed! He couldn't, not even HE WAS STRONG ENOUGH…!
"I'M SUPERBOY!"
The panel shattered into thousands of pieces, as a terrible shockwave of power staggered the gathered heroes outside of it…some in more then one way, even as Superboy-Prime made his grand return to Earth, and if possible he was even less happy then before.
Lacking any other option, the heroes again rushed to attack. But this time Superboy-Prime was ready to defend himself better, and he could do it very well…
"…He punched his way…out of the Phantom Zone?" Savior said, his eyes filled with horror. Just how strong had he been? Could such power be…
But he should know. He had a first hand look, even though he hadn't had time to sift through it all.
"Hey man, I was just as surprised as you…but something happened Savior. Something that sheds light on our little information problem." Beast Boy said.
"It does?"
"What information problem?" Speedy II asked.
"Tell you later. Gar, we can't stand around talking. We're trade notes later, and…oh for…" Savior cursed as he ran off. He'd seen something.
You're probably wondering what information problem we're talking about. Well, let's just say that during this crisis, it didn't seem all that important to bring up.
Confusion is worst when you can't see it coming. And something like that happened to us recently.
It started simply: Gar wanted to visit the Doom Patrol, so he started looking into the channels to see where they were…and he got more then he bargained for, as people in the 'pipeline' were calling the Doom Patrol the 'new hero team' on the block.
NEW hero team? They've been around for years! And these are people who KNOW these things, not normal people who only know the big name heroes like Superman or dare I say it, the Teen Titans!
More disturbing, they had no mention of a Beast Boy ever being part of their ranks.
Oh, it got worse. Beast Boy was so confused that he called Robin. Robin decided to check their records…and found that the team we met, well…it didn't match. Instead of Robotman, Negative Man, Elastigirl, and Mento, the team I remember meeting, the last incarnation of the Doom Patrol seemingly consisted of Robotman and three members we'd never heard of called Kid Slick, Fever, and Freak. And on top of that, it listed Elastigirl as being dead.
Of course, records can be garbled or altered…except this strangeness got the REST of us involved, and well…Rob said the Doom Patrol no longer had Mento, it had two new members named Grunt and Nudge, and for some reason he was mad at someone named John Byrne. And Raven said that last she heard of the Doom Patrol it had been handling threats on the far edge of surreal and had members like The Quiz, whose power was she had every power NO ONE has ever heard of, and Danny the Street, which was…a living street. And Robin started talking about someone named Niles Caulder who had lead the Doom Patrol…except Beast Boy, a former member, had no idea who he was.
Confused? Oh yeah, we were. Beast Boy finally went off to find the Doom Patrol…he apparently succeeded, though I only realize that because he showed up with them when we were gathering our forces against Superboy-Prime.
I didn't find out until later that the version he found was apparently Rob's version…and they didn't remember him. At first.
Then Superboy-Prime punched his way out of the Phantom Zone, and according to Gar, well, he had the mother of all flashbacks. It seemed that ALL our versions were correct.
So why the wildly varying knowledge?
I have yet to explain that to him…but I will. I got the information by accident, but it needs to be told.
But for the moment someone else has to be told something…
"NIGEL!" Noel snapped, as he ran up to the alien, who was limping along, holding his wounded area. "For once would you STAY DOWN?"
"Sophie…" Nigel whispered.
"I know. She's missing, and you're worried. And I also know you won't do her any good if you walk around with a wound like that!"
"I'll manage…I have before…Raven did what she could…and…I refuse to stay down when I could be helping others…so just go lecture someone else Noel, I don't have time for it!" Nigel growled, as he staggered along.
"Nigel…"
"I'LL BE FINE!"
"…Ok, ok." Noel said, and ran on, not wanting to fight with Nigel over it. He'd keep an eye on him while he tried to find Raven.
Which he finally did, as she was apparently trying to help one of the other wounded superheroes, Risk, who had been 'lucky' to only be maimed by Superboy-Prime. Risk had superhuman strength, but it was clear that Superboy-Prime's superhuman strength surpassed all the strengths in the group, maybe even put together, and the psychotic 'hero' had mutilated the teen, ripping his right arm off at the shoulder. At the moment, Argent was using her energy plasma powers to try and keep Risk's wound from bleeding out, the boy literally in tears from the pain, as Hotspot and the Joker's Daughter looked on. Raven was trying to fix the wound.
Operative word being trying.
"…Ugghhh…" Raven said, as she lowered her arms and appeared to lose her balance. "I'm sorry…"
"Raven!" Savior said, as he ran over, though Raven straightened herself before he got there. "Are you all right? What's going on?"
"She can't fix him! She apparently used up all her ommphhh on her 'official' friends!" Argent snapped.
"No…no…not that…" Raven said. "Magic…in flux…affecting powers…"
"What? But Raven, you fixed my arms…"
"I did…but…I'm sorry. I'm trying…but the state of magic has been damaged…it must be the Spectre's rampage…UUGGGHHHHH!" Raven gasped, collapsing to the ground holding her head.
"Raven!"
"I'm ok…just…Noel, my powers are becoming unreliable. I helped you, Nigel, a few others…but when I came over here my powers just wouldn't work…"
"I thought they were your birthright."
"They were…but they weren't as strong as they are now, I'd been improving them through my life…with magical rituals…and it's coming back to me now. During the battle I felt fine…then afterwards I felt drained…and then while helping Nigel I felt fine again, even a bit euphoric…and now my powers aren't working at all. They might come back in a few minutes…or several hours…or not at all."
"Damn." Savior said, as he stood up, looking at the cross non-official Titans. "Ok, ok, hang on…ok. I have an idea, but first I need to ask, did any of you retrieve the arm?"
"You joking?" Joker's Daughter said, as she waved her arm, indicating the mass destruction. Even if they found the limb, the odds of it being re-attachable weren't good.
"Right, probably for the best…" Savior said, as the Shimmer emerged from his hands. "Ok Hotspot, I'm going to need your help here…"
"What are…you going to…" Risk asked/whimpered through clenched teeth.
"Tie off the veins…and then close the wound. Via cauterization." Savior said, as he sent a myriad of strands out. "But don't worry, I'll take your pain for you."
Risk still yelled a few times, but when it was done he was better off then before, being maimed aside, as Noel returned to Raven's side.
"Feeling any better?"
"I couldn't feel his pain. My empathy abilities…it's like they've gone numb." Raven said.
"Right, well we'll worry about that later. We should…"
"Savior!" Savior's communicator squawked: how it had kept from being smashed Savior didn't know.
"Yeah?" Savior said, answering.
"Is Raven with you?"
"Yes…"
"Get her here right now!"
"Robin wait…"
"NOW!"
"Robin won't take no for an answer. Come on." Savior said, as he headed off with Raven, whose step was once again steady, even if her powers seemed to be reduced to the point of non-existence.
And Noel realized with irritation he'd lost Nigel. And come to think of it, where was that girl he had joined with to try and take Superboy-Prime down…
The Flashes' delayed entrance as a united front had come from them wanting to get Keystone City clear of innocents, and hence the streets were deserted for miles…except for one lone soul.
Elijah Versaw walked along, with no destination planned and no idea when he would get one. The world as he knew it was ended. The Speed Force was gone, and hence was his power and abilities. And the Flashes had wondered why he didn't do good deeds: he'd worked himself right out of a job, so to speak. And since it wasn't 'his time and place', he hadn't vanished like Kid and The Flash had, but instead found himself back in Keystone, depowered, alone, and normal.
Maybe once he would have cried. But he'd spent too long hardening his heart against emotion for it now. And so he walked.
Maybe he'd been too used to seeing things 'in the fast lane', but he never noticed the glaive until it came whirling down before him, impaling in the concrete at his feet. Elijah stopped, blinked, and then looked past it at the figure standing down the street, ragged cape flapping in the wind.
Despite it all, Elijah bitterly chuckled.
"Still have one of those? I thought you broke them all in your futile quest to get yourself killed against that monster." Elijah said.
"Futile is a relative word in your tongue."
"Seems pretty accurate here. All you heroes…what did you accomplish? In the end, I had to do your job for you. Again."
"And of course you survived where others did not. What deal with the gods have you made to constantly spare your pitiful life?"
"That's just the thing, isn't it?" Elijah said. "You limit yourself, endlessly letting harm and tragedy come to you in the name of some greater good…while I long ago realized the wretched hypocrisy of such nonsense and cast it off entirely. And for all your supposed nobility, you resent me for it. Why else would you be here? Isn't there a world to save?"
"I suppose, if you put it that way, I am the same as you. Hiding sickening ideas under layers of explanation. But as with yours, perhaps this is needed."
"No, what you need is to get a clue." Elijah snapped back. "I'm nothing like you! You're a fool, the same kind who refused to get out of my way! I never harmed you out of any malice, alien. I harmed you because you got in the way of what had to be done, and you refused to stay out of it. Just like now. Let it go, alien. I will never share your suicidal desire you dress up as heroism. You can't even wear it properly yourself, otherwise you wouldn't be here. So go back to your path to hell or just kill me as I'm sure you wish to, because unlike you, I know the world, and while my place in it may be forever lost to me, my opinions are the same as the ones that made me put you down."
The stone must have already been in Nigel's hand, because in one smooth motion he'd tossed it into Elijah's forehead, causing the mass murderer to stumble back and nearly fall down, clutching his head, not used to being struck. By the time he recovered, Nigel had cross the street and was in front of him. A punch from Nigel, claws carefully turned away, knocked Elijah to the ground, where Nigel reached down and seized him by the front of his costume, lifting him up with one arm, hiding the wince of pain that the motion caused.
"Heh…heh." Elijah chuckled, much to Nigel's surprise, as a trickle of blood from his forehead ran down his face. "My head should be off its shoulders. You can't even get killing me right."
Nigel settled for tossing Elijah roughly to the ground, knocking the wind out of him.
"Listen to me and listen good human. I do not care for you. I do not care for the humans that hide their own needs as the needs of the masses. I do not care that you feel I am wrong and you are right. I don't care about you, period!" Nigel snapped. "The hate I feel at these times is directed at all humans! Believe me, I am close to being completely done with them!"
"It took you this long?" Elijah wheezed.
Nigel (very lightly, for him) stomped on Elijah's chest, knocking the air from Elijah's lungs again.
"Let me finish." He growled. "You act like I am an idiot for trying, for staying. I stay because I need to, though I admit, there is precious little I can do. But I stay nonetheless. Because I believe you humans are better then my own race. I have to try and believe that." Nigel said. "I want to think that somewhere in there is a spark of good, the one that wanted to make a better world for his mother and himself…the spark that was led so tragically aside."
"You forget, hero. YOU write the tragedies. My breed writes history."
Nigel bore down harder, just above the rib cracking threshold, cutting Elijah off again.
"You want to know what I think, instead of your second guessing or inserting of words in my mouth, Versaw? I was wrong. There isn't a shred of good in you. And that makes you as worthless as the rest. Nothing but sick desires to delude you into a sense of righteousness. You call me nothing, well, I call you a hypocrite. We gave our all for this world, and lost friends because of it, while you just walk around like you own it. But not any more. The Speed Force is gone. You are as worthless as the rest of the 'people' you supposedly rose against. That is YOUR flaw. Empowered, I would kill you, you are far too great a threat otherwise…but you're just a member of the ignorant masses again. Why should I ever bother to pay you any attention, even if you're squirming under my heel…"
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
The punch was inexperienced, which probably saved Nigel from more pain, but it still knocked him right down the street, though he managed to flip and land properly to avoid aggravating his injury.
"You." Nigel said, as Empyrean knelt down next to Elijah, glaring at the alien.
"Her." Elijah replied, and chuckled again. "In the end alien, you just have the words and the power. I have the words, the power…in one form or another…and the intelligence to know how to use it properly. When it all comes down, I may die…but it'll be after you, and it'll be better. But I don't think I will die. That's reserved for your kind."
If Nigel had been fresher, if the situation had been different, he might have tried to find out what kind of hold Elijah had over the superpowered Empyrean, but now…it wasn't worth it. Besides, he probably already knew the answer: Elijah knew all too well how to manipulate weak minds.
"The power?" Nigel snorted disdainfully. "I think not. Because now you need her more then she needs you."
And with a flap of cape, Nigel was gone.
"Elijah, are you all right?" Empyrean asked, her eyes filled with the worry that only an adoring mind could produce. An adoring mind Elijah continually found mystifying.
"Why did you come back?"
"I was afraid…without you…" Empyrean said. "How can I live without you?"
"I'm sure…you'd manage…" Elijah said, as he got up. "But for now…maybe we should find some other place to be."
"Of course Elijah. I'll follow you anywhere."
Yeah, he definitely didn't have to worry about Nigel's words.
…Maybe.
"What's going on?" Savior asked, as he and Raven located Robin, who was kneeling next to Superboy…and holding a portable oxygen mask, while Dr. Mid-Nite gave the Teen of Steel CPR, his 'girlfriend' (Noel was a bit uncertain about their exact relationship) Wonder Girl looking on in great worry.
"I don't know! The battle…it's hurt him somehow! Inside! Raven, we…" Robin said.
"I can't…" Raven said. "My powers…they're not working properly."
"WHAT? NOW?" Robin snapped, while Wonder Girl looked sick.
"Yeah, we seem to be getting a rash of thrice-damned timing issues." Savior said as he tried to help Dr. Mid-Nite with the CPR.
"This is the SECOND time…he went down…I managed to bring him back before, but when I did he got up and attacked that blasted other Superboy again…and well, the results speak for themselves!" Dr. Mid-Nite said through clenched teeth, as he furiously worked on Superboy, Savior trying to help, both by normal CPR and, when that didn't prove effective, by 'inward' CPR aka sticking the Shimmer down Superboy's throat and massaging his heart that way.
It seemed to help as Dr. Mid-Nite reported a pulse, albeit a very weak one.
"What's happening to him?" Wonder Girl asked.
"I don't know…" Dr. Mid-Nite said. "He's not just a clone, he's a hybrid one at that. Who knows what medical problems such beings could exclusively develop?"
"Wonder Girl, you might want to keep your lasso handy. We may need to improvise with it's shock abili…" Savior began
"It won't help you." Wonder Girl said. "Themyscria…it's gone, taken away…and the Olympian Gods have fled this plane of reality as well. My powers, like Raven's…they're failing. I barely managed to muster that offensive spurt against the imposter."
"…Oh great." Savior said sarcastically. "Her powers, your powers, this is a cluster study I could do without!"
Superboy groaned lightly. Wonder Girl knelt by his side and took his hand, whispering soothing words.
"I think, and this is purely speculation, that he may have pushed himself too far in this battle. His body can't absorb sunlight as fast as Superman due to his hybrid nature, and he needs more then he can absorb…so his body is turning on itself. Eating itself for energy."
"So in other words, it's trying to save him by killing him. Go figure." Savior said, as he noticed the heroes were beginning to gather together, some supporting wounded.
"…Wait." Robin said. "I just had an idea."
"In regards to what problem?" Savior asked.
"Superboy…due to his…nature…" Robin said, making vague gestures. Savior stared. "You know, he had TWO donors…and…you know what one did!"
"…Oh! Right! You think because of that…revelation…that a certain…"
"Look if you want to talk freely I can stand over there." Dr. Mid-Nite said. "If you have an idea great, but whatever you're going to do, you better do it fast!"
And so the physician moved away.
"You think Luthor has some trick up his sleeve?" Savior asked.
"He supposedly bred Conner as a weapon against us, it didn't work, but he'd have backup plans if it did and something else happened to him…and I happen to know somewhere which might just have this hypothetical aid."
"Well, you're Robin Tim, I'm sure your hypothesis is firmer then most, but there's more to this then Superboy. When I tried to take the other Superboy down, I linked up to his mind…I accidentally 'downloaded' it."
"What?"
"I have his memories. They're scrambled, but I can fix that…Tim, I have a LOT of vital info in my head now. And no offense, but I can't stop and explain. I have to get it to…"
"Guys." Said a new voice, and Robin and Savior looked up to Mr. Terrific, who looked grim. Well, more grim then before. "I hate to interrupt this conversation, but I just got a report. A bad one."
"About what?" Robin asked.
"…Bludhaven."
And here I was thinking that several fellow heroes dead, others vanished while trying to deal with a godlike, insane teenager, the Speed Force gone, another Earth in the sky, which was swiftly followed by the disappearance of nearly a quarter of our little group, and Raven's powers fluctuating and possibly disappearing was as bad as you could get. Oh yes, and the fact that whatever is happening is so bad that GODS have fled before it, that's a nice little tidbit from Wonder Girl.
And now, Bludhaven.
The Society has crossed the line. This has officially become a war. You can't drop an entity like Chemo on a city and expect anything else.
So many things to do…but I'll do my part.
But part of that has to be giving my information to the proper sources…
"All right." Robin said to the assembled teen heroes, as they were the only ones he could legitimately give orders to. "Here's what we're going to do. Argent and Terra will escort the wounded to the closest hospitals. Scalpel, Viridian, I need for you to get Superboy back to Titans Tower, as fast as possible. Scalpel, don't protest, we need your medical skills! Mia, Cassie, Gar, I need you to come with me. The rest of you, Savior's in charge! Get to Bludhaven! They need help, yesterday!"
"Robin, I really…" Savior said.
"Save it Savior. I'm sorry, but we have to move. No matter what happens, I'll join you guys in Bludhaven. Then we can talk. But not now!" Robin said, as he took out and shot off his grappling hook, swinging off into the distance.
"Damn." Savior said. He hoped Robin had planned right, because later may be too late, as he turned to the group. "Ok look, I know my rep isn't good with you guys, but that doesn't matter! My authority is purely minimal! We just have to get to Bludhaven! Now! Let's go!" Savior said, as he looked at Raven. "How are you?"
"I feel fine. But you'll have to carry me for now."
"Done…whoa. Rob. Are you sure you're good to go like that?" Savior asked, pointing to the shattered Gauntlet, the armor blasted off to expose the inner workings.
"It might not be pretty any more, but it still works. You're not keeping me away from Bludhaven, Noel. John and Wendy…"
"I know. Oh, and Rob?"
"Yeah?"
"You were right."
"About what?'
"About a lot of things I never would have believed. We can talk later. Let's go!" Savior said, as the teens made haste to a city that dearly needed them.
When I linked with Superboy-Prime, I accidentally read his mind. Learned his motivations. Found out the majority of the plan that has brought us to this point.
And unlike him, I have an outsider's perspective. I can look at the memories and what he saw, and realize just how he was manipulated into what he did. It does not excuse the deeds, but at least I know the man behind the curtain.
Alexander Luthor Jr.
Before my time, there was a Crisis, like now…a Crisis in which more happened then even the smartest of us realized. And one of the key players was Alexander Luthor Jr, the last survivor of a long gone world, who proved himself to be a great hero in the face of the greatest threat the world I know ever faced. For that, he and a few others were seemingly rewarded with paradise.
As it turned out, it was anything but.
Human beings are not by their nature selfless creatures. Heroes, by their nature, go against that grain. And if you test that abnormality, if it were, too much, even the best of us can crack.
Especially in the paradise Alex Luthor made. Time gathered like a nexus, creating a limbo where no time passed. Instead, it gathered, to be watched, over and over again. So to speak. It's hard to watch what never happened. Especially when what IS happening seems so terrible.
The futures Alex and Superboy-Prime never had. The tragedies of our last decade, so concentrated in number. For Superboy-Prime, only the memories of his past remained as a soother, mixed in with the terrible memory of the end of the family and his world. For Alex Luthor, not even memories remained: only his birth, rapid growth, and destiny in the Crisis.
I suppose in a way, I can't blame them. Exposed to the same set of circumstances, I might have done the same.
But it doesn't change the fact that they're wrong.
Maybe our world is dark. But Alexander Luthor's dream of a perfect world is false. A perfect world cannot exist. It is simply not in our nature. In his quest to get one, Alexander may destroy everything I know, to find he has created nothing but oblivion in the end.
And Superboy-Prime…terrible. A child with the powers of a god, without the intellectual or emotional maturity to understand the circumstances of his survival…and clearly manipulated by Alex Luthor as well. Both warped, in different ways. Both equally dangerous.
But it was the hands of Superboy-Prime that started it all, as his rage finally unleashed itself in the paradise…and in the release of his power, he unknowingly aggravated the problem.
I saw just how great his might was…but with his memories, I realize it was more then even I could think of in my worst nightmares. Blows so strong, that when they struck against the crystal wall that showed them our past, our time, our future…he somehow ALTERED it.
Somehow, by venting his anger in that nexus of time, Superboy-Prime caused time and reality to flux and shift around us, creating paradoxes and errors. They are surely the cause of our clashing information on the Doom Patrol, as well as god knows how many other changes, alterations, and reversals that only some of us noticed. It's also why Gar had that flashback when he was standing near Superboy-Prime when he punched his way free of the Phantom Zone: a similar effect happened to him, except instead of altering his memories it barraged him with all of them.
He could alter time and space with blows…
He may be why I exist.
Or why my mother died.
Or…
They thought our world was too dark. I have to wonder how much the darkness was increased with Superboy-Prime's misplaced fury.
Superboy-Prime is gone now. I hope and pray he's gone.
But Alex Luthor remains, and his plans are coming to fruition. And I shudder to think of what I know from Superboy-Prime's memories…and what I don't know that Alex Luthor surely kept from him.
When I can, I will pass this information to those who can use it most. And if I can, I will play a role in reversing all Alexander has put into motion, for his mad dream of a perfect Earth.
Superboy-Prime said we were false heroes, and believed us unworthy of the life we chose, because we were not saints like him. His youth kept him from understanding that he was not a saint, nor were we all sinners. His situation damned him.
But Alex Luthor…while blind in his own ways, he understood better. He was a hero. He saved us all.
And now he seeks to destroy us all.
So many shifting attitudes, so many pools of knowledge…it's just so confusing, isn't it?
Maybe so.
But I know what I think.
I will stop him, in any way I can. Even if my role is as minor as Alex's compassion for us.
He believes us to be little more the devils. We are not devils. We are merely human.
You have forgotten that, Alexander Luthor. In us, and yourself.
You have become the devil in all these details.
And believe you me, for what you did, there will be hell to pay.
Next: War of the Worlds!