Time takes a cigarette …
Earth 2
The city barely showed its scars, but they were still there just below the surface. Such resilience humans have to come back from one tragedy after another. The stories were wrong, we aren't the children of Adam, we're the children of Job. We'll suffer any lose, any pain, any humiliation, all for that hope of an elusive reward. Hope, that vague notion that things will get better against all evidence to the contrary. That's the essence of the human spirit. That's what separates us from the beasts of the fields and is why we survive and continue on.
Terry Sloan exhaled, letting the smoke drift off into the metropolitan night sky. He stood on the penthouse balcony of the high rise looking over the city that in his mind was just one of many he'd saved. Yes, sacrifices had been made, but sometimes you have to destroy a few villages to save a community. Only a true visionary like himself understood this. Then again, he was the smartest man in the world, so there were not visionaries quite like him.
In the desperate struggle to win the war with Apokolips, Terry had pushed further and further beyond the veil of time, space and any concept of reality. What he saw out there most would say drove him crazy, but he would counter that it gave him clarity of vision. He would reshape his world and make it over again. A second Genesis was in the making, except this time it wasn't God that was behind it, but Terry.
Let there be light.
He launched the weapons that lit up the sky as they destroyed whole cities and wiped out countless infected human beings.
Terry saw the light was good.
Next he separated the earth from the sky, the night from day.
With the other Wonders help, Terry destroyed all the towers that connected his world to Apokolips. There would be no more reinforcements. Yes, Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman had died but they became martyrs to Terry's new world.
More killing was necessary before his world could start anew and Terry went about doing it. The countries of the world banded together, becoming one nation under a groove, Terry's groove. Oh, he was labeled a mass murderer, a monster and a war criminal by the small minds that couldn't understand his clarity of vision. He wasn't concerned; he had a world to rebuild from the ashes. If he went down in history as a monster, so be it, they would never understand all he'd done for them. Maybe in a hundred years they would be able to see the full scope of what he'd accomplished, but he doubted it.
He took a final drag off is cigarette and flicked it over the edge. Terry watched it for a moment as it drifted down towards the street and then checked his watch again. She should be arriving any moment now. Everything was ready. Anomalies always crop up and must be dealt with. Just like the original story, there were always snakes in the garden; hold over's from the time before. Everyone knows what happens if you allow them to infect your new world. Terry Sloan wasn't about to allow that to happen.
Even without looking at his watch, he knew it was time. He still checked, more out of habit than anything else. One of the snakes had arrived.
Helena had been watching the skyscraper for almost an hour. The message had been short and to the point. It simply said, 'Helena Wayne, Michael Holt's life is in danger. Tell no one and come alone. If you don't, he'll be dead when you arrive.' It gave the penthouse of this building as the address. She thought of telling Karen immediately, but years of training from her father kicked in. It was obviously a trap, but she would play by the rules until she found out who was behind it and what they wanted. Saving Michael's life was the top priority.
It didn't mean she was just going to waltz in the front door. Both her parents would roll over in their graves at the very thought. Leaning on skills handed down from her mother, Helena cased the building, finding every exit, every alarm and every camera. She knew the building backwards and forwards before she even thought about entering. She also had several escape routes in mind as she headed in.
The bedroom was the most vulnerable spot. She silently opened one of the windows and slipped inside. Part of her expected an alarm to immediately sound, but there was nothing. It was as if whoever set this up wanted her to get in. This raised warning bells from both her parents in her mind. It was definitely a trap. Helena's senses were on high as she moved towards the living room.
She saw Michael immediately. He had been set out like some prized art object in the middle of the room. He was wrapped in some sort of mesh and wiring. Small circles dotted the mess. As she moved closer she saw he'd been badly beaten. Bruises covered his face and exposed skin. She could see blood pooling below him. His mouth was gagged, but his eyes were still open. She went to free him immediately, but the sound of the glass door opening made her turn. Instinctively she fired her crossbow. It hit nothing. A man stepped inside and smiled at her. She knew him.
Terry had run over this confrontation several times in his mind. Opening the sliding glass door, he paused for a beat and then stepped back, letting the arrow whiz by harmlessly. So predictable he thought with a smile.
"Hello, Helena. Would you like me to call you Batgirl for old time sake or nostalgia?" He asked. "No? Good, we both know you haven't been her in a long time. I like the new look. Huntress, it suits you better."
"Terry? Terry Sloan?"
"Ah, good you remember, that will save us time,' he happily replied.
"What have you done to Michael, Terry? Helena asked.
"I tortured him, of course,' Terry replied.
"Why?"
"No reason other than I wanted to," he informed Helena.
She made a move towards Michael.
"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you,' Terry said. "You see those little circles? Touch one and the others are activated. Some will start to burrow into his flesh, while others will explode. He will die an agonizing death."
"Are you crazy?" She gasped. "He's one of the good guys!"
"Crazy? Really Helena?" Terry said with a pout. "I expect that from the small-minded, but I was so hoping for better from you. As to him being one of the good guys, that's really up to your perspective, I think."
"Release him!" She demanded.
"Or what? You'll shoot me with one of your arrows? Beat me until I do what you want?" He asked. "I think not. If either you or your friend, Karen attempting anything towards me, he dies and so does a few thousand innocent civilians in the city below."
Helena couldn't believe this was happening, When she'd got the voice message about Michael telling her to come here alone, she never imagined something like this. She knew Terry Sloan from her father. Once he had been a good man, a Wonder like the others. He'd fought to save Earth from Apokolips, yet now that she'd returned it seemed five years had changed everything.
Helena had a bad feeling about all of this. She knew how intelligent Terry Sloan was and that made him all the more dangerous. She needed time to figure something out, so she had to keep him talking. From what she remembered, that was one thing he loved, hearing his own voice.
"Why Terry?' She asked again.
He smiled, knowing what she was doing. It didn't matter; he'd been planning on telling her the whole time.
"I wanted your complete attention, Helena" he replied. "I wanted you focused so you could fully understand the clarity of my vision."
Helena willed herself to remain still.
"You have it." She said.
"Good,' he said with a smile. "Would you like something to drink? Wine perhaps? You're twenty-one now, aren't you? "
Helena just shook her head no.
"Are you sure? Okay, well then let's get started with the basics. You and Karen don't belong here."
"This is our home,' she replied.
"No." He said with a shake of his head. "The world you knew died the day the two of you vanished. From its ashes a new world has begun. It's a world with no place for either of you anymore."
"So what? You don't want us back so you torture Michael? That makes no sense." She offered.
"No, no, no,' he replied. "Torturing Mr. Holt as just to punish him, irregardless of you two. As far as you and Karen, well, yes I want you gone, but use your head, Helena, you're already dead remember? Batgirl and Supergirl died heroically helping to save the planet. There's a statue and everything."
"It's a lie,' she stated flatly. "We both know it's a lie."
"But it's a useful one," Terry countered. "People like their martyred heroes dead. Martyrs inspire ordinary people to do great things. Take away the martyrs and you take away the great things. People stop believing and we can't have that."
Terry poured himself a drink and sat down, smiling at Helena. She wanted to attack him, but knew that was the sucker play. He would expect it. She needed to keep him talking, to gather as much information as she could before she acted.
"Liberty Valance."
Terry smiled and clapped.
"Yes, well done, the perfect reference,' he said. "I knew the old man would make sure you had a good head on your shoulders."
"So you want us to disappear and let things go on as they are,' Helena said. "Okay, fine, now let Michael go."
Terry seemed to think about this for a moment.
"Yeah, no, I don't think so."
"I'll give you my word we won't let on that we're alive, Terry."
"Not good enough, Helena,' he replied. "The two of you represent a wild card that I just can't have around. By around, I mean on this planet, in this universe."
"So you want us dead, right? You're going to try and kill us?" She asked. "You lured me here to kill me first?"
"If I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead I assure you,' Terry flatly replied. "You friend Karen might be a little more difficult, but it's been done before, it can happen again. Besides killing is always messy business and I'd like to avoid it in this situation."
"You never had a problem with killing before," Helena pointedly said.
"I still don't if it fits into the larger plan, little girl,' Terry countered. "Don't try and push me. It didn't work when your old man tried it, it won't work for you either."
"Why Terry? Why are you doing all this? You were a good man,' Helena asked.
"I still am in my way," he replied. "I just see things from a different perspective now, a larger perspective."
"Then why?"
"You have no idea, do you?" he said with a sad shake of his head. "The war? The invasion from Apokolips was a mistake. Darkseid was searching for someone; his daughter and Steppenwolf invaded the wrong Earth. All the sacrifices, all the destruction, all of it was because of a mistake. Your father, your mother, Karen's cousin and Diana, all died because of a mistake."
"That-That's not true."
His statement had rocked her. All this time she wanted to believe her father and mother had died for something and he was saying even that was a lie.
"I'm afraid it is, Helena,' Terry patronizingly said. "It was all a simple mistake, Earth 2 instead of Earth 1. This world is closed off from Apokolips' parademons booming in, but they aren't coming again anyway. Poor Steppenwolf is stuck here. He can't go back home and admit his mistake. Darkseid would kill him instantly. The world united because it believed it was necessary to fight off another invasion, an invasion that's never coming. What Darkseid seeks is on the world you just left. That's where the invasion will be next time."
Helena felt like she was collapsing in on herself. Five years they had struggled with one dream in mind, to get back home and make things right again. Even after she had all but given up, Karen hadn't. Finally they made it back and it was all for nothing. It was a mistake, a simple clerical error, 2 instead of 1.
"If-If what you're saying is true, then why all this?" She was still trying to get her head around his revelation.
"Because this world is starting over fresh and there is no place for you and Karen in it,' he replied. "You represent wildcards, anomalies that can upset what is starting to happen. Your friend Karen probably already is planning on attacking Steppenwolf and killing him for his crimes. He deserves it, but if she does attack him, she will have to face his Fury. One of them won't survive that battle. If it's your friend Karen then everyone will know she didn't die when she was supposed to. Steppenwolf will make sure of that. If Fury dies, that throws off everything. She's important for the future of this world."
"She's a killer,' Helena spat back at him. "She works for Steppenwolf and does his bidding."
"She's also Wonder Woman's daughter, she just doesn't know it yet,' he replied. "You see Helena; a new wave of Wonders is starting to happen on this world. They are New Heroes for the coming trials and struggles that will face this world. They will one day band together and form something like the other world's Justice League. Fury will be a centerpiece to that. Lantern, Flash, Hawkgirl are already becoming known to the world at large and others will follow. Inspired from the ashes of your sacrifices they will become this world's champions. Where does your petty need for vengeance stack up with that?"
"Why should I believe anything you say?" Helena asked.
"Because I'm the architect of all of this,' Terry replied with a smile. "I survived when the greatest heroes didn't. This is my world to remaking and I won't allow anything to get in my way."
Terry let this sink in as he took a sip of his drink.
"There is also the matter of your vengeance, Helena,' he continued. "If you and Karen really want it than you have to go back to the world you now belong to, Earth 1 for lack of a better name. The horrors this world suffered won't compare to what will happen on that world. If you want to give your parents deaths any meaning, you need to go back. I give you this chance out of respect for who you and Karen are and who your families are. It's a one time offer, I won't make it again."
"What about Michael?"
"He stays,' Terry flatly said. "He's too clever to let go. Without him, your trip is one way. The technology to get back here is in his head and without him this world is closed off for good. Once you're gone I'll release, him under my supervision of course."
"And if I say no?" Helena asked.
"He dies right now."
"Karen might have something to say about this,' Helena offered.
"That's why you're not going to tell her,' Terry replied. "Steppenwolf will die, I assure you, but only when it serves my purposes. If your friend makes a move on him, I will kill everyone in his country and everyone in another randomly chosen country. Those deaths will be on your head, Helena."
"You are mad," she whispered.
"No, I just have clarity of vision,' he stated. "You have a choice to make. Leave and live full, productive lives, maybe even fall in love and raise families. You two can help save that world that is now your home. Stay and die along with millions of others. It's up to you, Helena to decide."