Epiphany

Philadelphia – 1749

Benjamin Franklin presents his ideas on the lightening rod. What his motivation behind this was, we have no idea. We can speculate, though. For thousands of years lightening was a terror to mankind. It was seen as the Gods or God's judgment on humans. It was divine retribution for our sins or so the religious leaders had always told the followers. Yet even as far back as Ancient Greece, Socrates in the play, The Clouds notes that lightening doesn't seem to care who it strikes, including the temples of the Gods. Maybe Mr. Franklin was thinking of all this or maybe it was as simple as he'd finally saved up enough to buy a house and didn't want it to burn down.

Whatever the reason, what he most certainly didn't know was he was changing the world forever. He was changing fates.

It had been one way for thousands of years, yet with a simple, ingenious device of a rod and some copper wire everything changed. When was the last time you heard any serious religious figure says that the lightening was God's punishment? Remember, I did say serious religious figure.

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat is probably the best-known example of the art theory called Pointillism. Motivated by study in optical and color theory, Seurat contrasted miniature dots of colors that, through optical unification, form a single hue in the viewer's eye. It relies on the brain's perceptual systems actively and pre-consciously attempts to make sense of their input. In other words, our brains try and make sense and order out of what we perceive. All of us try and create order in our world. It's how we are able to function, by recognizing patterns and finding threads of unity in our lives.

This idea leads us to not only see patterns in our visual input, but in other areas as well. It's how we can look at our past and see a pattern or a fate that only becomes clear when looking backwards. It also allows us to project outwards into the future. If A was so in the past and B is so in the present, then C will be the result in the future. It all works very well for the most part until chance is introduced in the equation.

Chance, randomness, chaos upsets all those carefully made plans, all those patterns and order we've made. Look back over the events of your life and for a moment realize how easily they could have been different. Realize how little you really had control over so much. Events as random as your parents moving one street over might have sent you to a different school. Instead of grabbing the first available seat on the bus your first day of school, you take a few more steps and find an empty one. Suddenly the story about how you met your best friend for life that first day on the bus doesn't happen.

Little things can change big things. What appears to be a pattern isn't always a pattern. Because something has always been so, doesn't mean it has to continue being so. Fate or whatever you like to call it, changes. Life is about those changes and how we all deal with them. Life is change.

Hell

Clark had made it through to the highest level. Unlike the classic model, Hell is actually reversed so it gets worse as you climb up not down. This is because Heaven and Hell are linked. You can't have one without the other. The highest level of Hell is the land between the two. What could be worse than seeing Heaven but never being able to get in?

It was a land of one-way mirrors. You can see Heaven but it can't see you. In each of these mirrors you can see a possibility of what Heaven might be like for you, if you were allowed to cross over. You see yourself reunited with family and friends that have been lost. You see yourself falling in love, not with just one person but all the possibilities that might have happened in your life. You see your hopes and dreams come to pass; yet you always remain cut off from all of it by the mirrors. You are alone, forced to watch forever what might have been. This is the worst of Hell and as he looked from one mirror to the next it was becoming all too clear to Clark.

The Watchtower – Medical Bay

Mary screamed in pain, clutching Mordred and Billy's hands. The two were on either side of her, trying to encourage and comfort her. The process had started; the baby was on the way. Hippolyta had stepped in as coach and mother figure for Mary. She could see how scared Mary was and her heart when out to her. Memories of her time came back along with the sadness. She was determined that wasn't going to happen with Mary.

"I-I can't do this,' Mary sobbed. "I can't, I'm not ready!"

'You can, Mary,' Hippolyta replied. "You're strong enough. I know it hurts, but it won't last forever. Focus on the pain and push through it."

"I'm not going anywhere, Mary, I'm right here,' Billy said. "You're no alone."

""You're not alone," Mordred repeated.

Mary had tears in her eyes as she looked from Billy to Mordred to Hippolyta. She realized whether she liked it or not, this was going to happen. Her life had seemed to be stuck in limbo for so long, never growing up, never moving on. Forces outside of her control had dictated who she was and wasn't. Powers were granted to her and hen taken away. She'd never had any say in any of it. Even these latest transformations and been thrust upon her without her agreeing to them. Now thought, she had a choice. She could cling to the past or face the future. The future involved moving on, taking the next step in her life. It was the transition from teenager to adult that everyone eventually has to go through. She could fight it like so many do, choosing to remain the eternal teenager or she could embrace this new stage in her life.

We're all the heroes in our own drama. Each step forward is filled with drama and risk, yet each of us eventually takes those steps. We may never figure it all out, but by overcoming the fear it makes unsung heroes out of us all.

Mary chose the hero's path.

Apokolips

High above the planet, Darkseid's armada as finally assembled. The time for war was at hand. Below them on the surface the Old Gods and the New fought. Millions would probably die in the chaos, but that was just a footnote to Darkseid. He was the rightful ruler of this age in his mind. All would eventually fall before his feet. His quest of the Anti-Life Equation would be the final piece to his total power.

But first there was a threat to be dealt with. The Golden Goddess could not be allowed to live. Darkseid had learned the lessons of history and his goal was to end it. With the Anti-Life Equation he could make change stop. If they was no change than this universe would always be as it was now. He would be master forever of all time and space. He would not suffer the same fate as all the others before him, as he would in effect stop fate.

This had always been Darkseid's goal, to bring order to chaos. Like a master chess player he was constantly analyzing the board and all the players on it. The Kryptonian had always been the greatest threat, not just because of his strength, but also because of his ability to rally those to his cause. He offered hope, which was the bigger threat to Darkseid than any other. Hope fosters resistance and change. The Kryptonian had been taken off the board, so now was the time to strike. The board was set up perfect for the end game, but then a new piece had been added.

The Golden Goddess from the Second World changed all the angles and dynamics. Her presence on the board would affect so many others the longer it was allowed. She represented chaos mixed into the order he was so close to achieving. She had to be eliminated. Silently he signaled his fleet and the boom tubes began to open.

Hell

Zatanna, Artemis and Lashina began their climb through the levels searching for Superman. The worlds around them shifted and changed for each of them. They were seeing different realities, yet they were only a few feet apart.

For Artemis it was the classic Tartarus of the myths and legends. Zatanna saw her surroundings as if she were in a German Expressionist film like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The sharp, odd angles and shadows seemed to constantly change and shift as she moved through the landscape. Lashina saw Apokolips and the streets of the Lowlies and Hungry Dogs. The lasso tied around each of them caused the illusion to constantly shift and change, fighting against the lasso's ability to show the truth.

"The lasso strips away the lies,' Lashina commented. "We have nothing to fear here, if it is all about lies."

"Don't get overconfident, She-Devil,' Artemis snapped. "We have a long way to go."

"Hey, let's stay focused here. Okay?" Zatanna offered, trying to play peacemaker.

The Watchtower

Bruce, Diana, Jonn, Wally, Dinah, John and Shayera stood in the main conference room preparing for Darkseid's invasion. They were coordinating with every available hero to ready Earth's defenses. If anything Bruce was more grim than usual.

"We know what he's coming for,' Bruce said. "We need get Mary off the station."

"She is not able to move at the moment,' Jonn pointed out.

"Then as soon as she is, we should be ready."

"Darkseid is the main focus,' Diana suggested. "I will lead our strongest members in an assault on him. We need everyone else prepared for the parademons. If we can cut off the head of the snake, the body will follow."

"Mr. Terrific is already in command coordinating our members,' Dinah added. "If Darkseid wants a fight, we're going to give him one."

"Let's hope it's enough,' Bruce grimly said.

The Watchtower – Medical Bay

It was time.

"Push!"

Mary screamed and pushed with all her strength. As the baby started to emerge there was a blinding flash of golden light and Mordred and Billy were thrown back. Hippolyta moved up and took Mary's hand, focused only on her.

"Keep pushing, Mary, you're almost there!"

The room was bathed in golden light. Mary seemed to glow as she continued to push. The modern instruments went haywire, flicking on and off. Finally the lights gave out and the room was illuminated by the golden glow. Hippolyta held Mary's hand and brushed some of the damp locks out of her face.

"You're strong enough, Mary, you can do this." She whispered in Mary's ear.

The sweat poured down Mary's face as she strained with all her might. Another contraction hit and she screamed through gritted teeth, yet still managed to push. The glow intensified as the child began to emerge. Hippolyta continued to encourage, never stopping her steady stream of words to Mary.

"Just a little more, Mary, just a little more. You can do this, I believe in you. You're strong enough to do this."

The pain was like nothing Mary had ever experienced in her life. She couldn't speak it was too intense, but she didn't give up and kept pushing. This wasn't about powers granted by someone else or knowing her place in the world, this was about new life and giving birth to it. For once this had nothing to do with anyone else, it was all on Mary's shoulders. She was a young woman experiencing childbirth for the first time.

"AAAAAHHHHHAAAA!" She screamed; giving one more push and then the baby arrived. The room was flooded with blinding golden light and then everything was thrust into darkness. An emergency generator kicked in and pale, fluorescent light flickered around the room. Dr. Light stood at the bottom of the bed smiling, holding a baby girl in her arms.

"She's perfect, Mary."

Mary started to cry as she glanced down at her baby. The circumstances of how this happened were forgotten in that moment. Mordred and Billy had finally made it back to their feet and the moved over to Mary to see the child. Hippolyta gave Mary's hand a squeeze in support. Her mind flooded with memories of another birth. It had been the happiest and saddest day of her long life. She watched as Kimiyo brought the baby up and placed it in Mary's arms. Again the memories came to Hippolyta.

This was all interrupted Batman making his presence known at the door.

"What her status?"

"She just had the baby,' Kimiyo replied.

"Good, she needs to be transported off the station as soon as possible."

He turned and was moving down the hallway when Hippolyta called to him. He turned and looked at her.

"Yes?"

"She's in no shape to be moved, Batman,' Hippolyta explained. "She needs rest."

"I'd like to give it to her, but she's safer off the station." Batman replied. "Darkseid's coming and she's most likely the prime target."

"I understand that,' Hippolyta stated. He seemed so cold, so grim it shocked her. "We knew this fight was coming, I'm just suggesting Mary be allowed to rest for a short while."

"If we want to protect her, she has to be moved."

Hippolyta started to explain she understood this, but he interrupted her.

"Ideally I agree with you, Hippolyta, but this is far from an ideal situation. We have a fight coming and it is one we may not win. Our strongest member is missing and Darkseid knows it. People are mostly likely going to die today. I want to make sure Mary isn't one of them."

"People always die in battle, Batman,' Hippolyta sadly replied. "Neither you or I can stop that."

"No, but I can keep trying even if I keep losing,' he dourly replied. "Just have her ready to move."

He turned and headed off. His bleak mood only seemed to grow worse as the day continued. He was a tactician, so he had already worked out several scenarios and in each of them the odds weren't on their side. He had just stepped on the elevator when his phone silently buzzed from his utility belt. Pulling it out, he saw it was a message from Selina. They hadn't spoken much since their return from Japan. He opened the message and saw she had sent a small story from the English language Japanese paper. The headline read, "CRIMELORD TAKEN DOWN!" He did a quick scan of the article. It said a mysterious new vigilante had appeared in Tokyo and had exposed the Yamodo crime family. Police were currently rounding up all the members using the information provided for them. It was the last line that caught Bruce's breath. It was a description of the vigilante. A young woman, pale white skin and jet black hair. It had to be Masami, he thought.

Selina had attached a short message. "Maybe your luck's changing and you can save people."

A smile came to Bruce's lips for the first time in weeks.

Hell

Constantine had told Zatanna that Hell was a lie. He said it was a construct of our imagination, an illusion. Wonder Woman's lasso managed to burn away each new falsehood the threesome faced as they ventured deeper into Hell looking for Superman. What Constantine didn't say was Hell also knew how to adapt. If it can't get to you with lies, it would use a bit of the truth.

Lashina had been so sure there was nothing in the universe worse than where she came from. Apokolips was a living, breathing hell, while this was some sort of fantasy, wonderland meant to punish those souls unfortunate enough to find themselves here.

What she didn't realize was every race throughout the galaxy had some version of Hell. It was a monomyth that had spread like a virus across the stars. Earth wasn't the first place it reached or the last. Even New Genesis and Apokolips had the stories from the time before and in those the virus resided. She thought she was a New God and beyond all this, but she still believed the stories of the Old Ones she'd heard in her youth.

The lasso had stretched out the further they ventured. Each of them was dealing with a separate yet parallel illusion as they moved up the layers of Hell. Lashina had lost sight of the others. Something had caught her eye and she moved to investigate. The tattered, makeshift shelters were piled on top of each other, with narrow mud covered lanes barely wide enough for one to travel through. It seemed so familiar as she moved amongst the teaming refuse of people. As she moved deeper into its depth, she heard screams in the distance. Moving a little faster, she pushed her way through the crowd that was running in the opposite direction.

Just ahead of her she saw soldiers. They were blasting away, frightening everyone in sight, as they grabbed young captives. Lashina stopped, as the scene seemed so familiar. Out of he corner of her eye she saw a young girl trying to escape, leaping over soldiers and dodging the nets. The girl was tall and thin for her age, yet her natural abilities were already starting to show. Her long black hair thrashed wildly in the air as she dodged and rolled to avoiding the soldiers. It seemed she might escape, but then a whip came out of nowhere and tripped her up. Lashina started to take a step forward but the soldiers were already surrounding the girl.

"NO! Please don't take her! Please!"

Lashina turned to see who was screaming and gasped in horror. It was her mother. Lashina hadn't seen her since the day they took her away to Granny's orphanage. She felt frozen in place as it all came together in her mind. The young girl was her and this was the day she was captured. She heard her younger self plead with them to let her mother alone and she would go with them. The soldiers agreed and then dragged her away. Once her younger self was out of sight a woman stepped out of the shadows. Lashina felt a chill go down her back as she recognized one of the former Furies.

The Fury gave a cold smile as she glanced down at Lashina's mother, who was kneeling and crying. The Fury said nothing, but then she raised her hand and a whip appeared out of nowhere. Lashina seemed to break out of her frozen condition and began running towards her mother.

"NO!" She screamed but it didn't stop the whip. Her mother shrieked in agony as the whips electrical charge overwhelmed her system. Her body danced on the end of the whip for a moment and then crumbled to the ground. By the time Lashina reached her, her mother was dead. The haunting laugh of the Fury echoed in Lashina's ears.

It was as if all the air had been forcibly removed from Lashina's body as she realized what had been done to her. Darkseid and Granny Goodness had turned her into a mirror image of the woman that killed her mother. She had taken part in scenes like this so many times she'd lost count. Suddenly it was her laugh that echoed through the air. It was as if her whip had done the deed, brutally killing her own mother without remorse or anything feeling. She had become the monster her mother had tried to save her from being.

Her legs gave out under her and she slumped down to the ground. Her arms pulled the lifeless body of her mother to her as tears came to her eyes for the first time in she didn't know how long. Lashina was lost, a victim of this Hell and her own arrogance. The lasso hadn't stopped any of it, because it was the truth. That just made it worse.

The Watchtower

Boom tubes opened all around the tower and Darkseid's armada began to pour through. They opened fire on the satellite. Hastily built shields buckled under the onslaught but held against it. A small opening appeared and Diana led a group of heroes out to meet the ships. Supergirl, Power Girl, The Martian Manhunter, Booster Gold and every other hero that could withstand the rigors of space went on the attack.

Darkseid's Flagship

He ordered a scan of the Watchtower as his ships engaged the heroes. There was no sign of the Goddess or the ones that had been touched by her. His sensors began scanning the planet looking for any trace of her. It took several terrifying moments for his crew to find a lock on her location. Smallville. Darkseid gave a rare smile as he remembered this was the Kryptonian's adopted home. How fitting it would be destroyed as he claimed the life of the Golden Goddess and anyone else that tried to protect her.

Leaving half his fleet to attack the Watchtower, Darkseid lead the invasion of Earth.

Smallville

Batman knew this was a gamble, but the Kent farm was isolated enough to hopefully limit the collateral damage to civilians. It might seem like just a rustic farm, but Clark and Kara had made sure they were able to defend it in case the worse every happened. Jonathan and Martha Kent were no longer living, but the defenses were still in place. Kryptonian weapons would meet Darkseid's forces when they arrived.

Vigilante and Wildcat had arrived and were helping with the preparations. They both realized they were outclassed by all of this, but they were still heroes and they would do whatever they needed to do. Inside the house, Hippolyta, Billy Batson and Mordred stood guard over Mary and the child. The birth hadn't robbed them of their new powers and they were ready in case something should get through. A war was coming and every hero was willing to do what had to be done to make sure they came out on the winning side.

Hell

Zatanna and Artemis found Lashina crying. She was kneeling on the ground as if she was holding something, yet they didn't see it. They called to her, but she was too far-gone to hear them or reply. As they stood over her, the surroundings different for each of them, they tried to reach her, but it was no use.

"Her arrogance has been her downfall,' Artemis quietly observed.

"We can't leave her," Zatanna replied.

"No, we won't,' Artemis said. "Even a She-Devil from Apokolips like her doesn't deserve to be left in a place like this. We'll have to carry her. Wrap the lasso tighter around her so we can keep going."

Hell – The highest level

Clark's hands were bloody from banging against the mirrors. He tried closing his eyes, but he could still hear them, each possible future where things worked out for him. He tried shutting them all out, but they were so beguiling. Each mirror showed just a glimpse, a fragment of what might have been. He saw himself reunited with Jor-El and Lara on a Krypton that hadn't been destroyed. Kara was there, too. In another he saw himself saving Jonathan Kent from the heart attack that had claimed his life. He was walking in the field with Jonathan and Martha back on the farm.

Still others showed what he believed were possible futures. In one he saw himself and Lois Lane married. Another he was with Diana and still another he was with Hippolyta. Still others showed him with Dinah or surprisingly with Zatanna or Karen or even Lashina. There was one where he was even with Aphrodite, which had never entered his mind before that it was even a possibility. He saw his children, or what might one day be his children. So many possibilities yet they were all out of reach behind the mirrors.

There was nowhere else to go, this was the end of the line. Heaven was closed off to him and as hard as he tried he couldn't breach the barrier. He had thought he'd been through the worst Hell had to offer, but now he knew he was wrong. This, this was far worse than any punishment or torture he'd ever imagined. To see all the possibilities for happiness laid out in front of him, yet not able to touch them was the worst by far. Heaven was closed to him, yet it seemed he would spend eternity looking at it.

As tears began rolling down his face and all hope seemed lost, the Phantom Stranger's words came back to Clark. He was being tested and this was all part of the hero's journey. He was in Hell, but Hell was only an illusion, a lie. Clark looked up at the mirrors and realized this was all false. Heaven and Hell if they existed at all were only places for when you were dead and no hope remained to change anything.

He was still alive.

As long as he was alive there was still hope. He couldn't change the past, but those possible futures were still out there waiting. They were waiting for him to make them reality. For that to happen he needed to overcome any fear or doubt that remained. He couldn't predict the future but he could have a hand in creating it. The yellow sun had given him these great powers, but it was up to him how he uses them. The first step towards that was realizing none of this was real. It all seemed so familiar because he was creating it in his mind. Heaven and Hell existed because he believed in them.

This was not his time for either of them; he still had so much left to do. Even if he were able to breach the mirrors, it would still be a form of surrender. Clark realized that what Darkseid had always been searching for, the Anti-Life Equation was right in front of his eyes. The opposite of life is death. Only in death do you eliminate the possibility of change. This is why Clark always instinctively felt the need to oppose Darkseid and perhaps why Darkseid always saw him as one of his greatest threats. Clark as Superman represented an agent of Life and change, the very opposite of what Darkseid wanted and represented.

Rising to his feet Clark took one last look at all the mirrors. They were so beguiling, so tempting, but they were just illusions. He understood it all now. Unleashing a blast from his eyes he began to destroy all the mirrors. Now that the spell was broke and he'd seen behind the illusion they began to shatter. There was nothing behind them except more emptiness. He turned and lifted off the ground, his power of flight restored. He would descend to the beginning and find his way back to the land of the living.

His fate was still to be decided.