Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following Characters ...
EPILOGUE
"Sweetie, you should already be asleep by now…" As she hears his voice, Chris doesn't answer, but just turns her head in his direction, annoyed, tempted to show him her middle finger, and he, standing crossed arms and lifted eyebrows, knows it too, that's the reason he looks at her a little sceptical.
"Hope you know I'm working for you – she turns again to her screens, numbers and formulae filling them, running, able to be seen and understood just by her and her tecnarchic powers – besides, it's not like I sleep that much. – she pauses again, taking a deep breath. – especially here. This is supposed to be home but… - As she closes her crying eyes, he reaches for her, and, kneeing at her back, chin on her white hair, he puts his hands on her shoulders, a gesture she automatically answers to, putting her right on his one – God, Roy, I'm sorry. I shouldn't go on and on about how I miss them, while you are trapped here. If there's someone who's the right to whine about it, that's you."
"Like I don't know that you've always felt more at easy with us – he grins, looking at the screens, trying to understand what's going on, on them, letting go of her and standing at her side, again crossed arms - seriously, Chris, you should sleep. I know you'll find a way to send us back home. I miss Lian and Donna, but I know they are safe and have each other, and plenty of others. so, please…"
"Roy, seriously, I don't need to sleep. My connection to the Core of the force keeps me up, it's like receiving energy from an eternal and infinite smithy… technically speaking, I'm no longer in need of food, I eat just because I don't want you all to be at unease when you're around me…." She tries to complain, as he forces her to leave her seat and, putting an arm around her shoulders, guide her outside the control room, as she mentally shouts down the power, knowing too well that, if there's someone she can't hop to win against, that are Clint and, especially, Roy: she has always felt a strong connection with him, the first time she met him she thought it was because he remembered her of Clint, but, with the years, after these long months passed into each other company… he understands her. He understands how she feels, and how she felt when she was younger, and he understands her relationship with Tony, because, somehow, it mirrors the one he had with Ollie; young, alone, and lost, filling the void of their hearths with something that wasn't the love of a family: for Roy, it was the drug, for Chris, playing the role of the cruel spy, pretending to be cold and careless.
"Like I could be at easy around you, the very incarnation of creation… just Hal could stand the thought of staying with you! – he grins again – the only thing I don't get is why you haven't told them about your new powers and you being you-know-who…"
"Look, look, look… the two lovebirds…- as they hear the half-drunken voice, they turn, seeing at their backs a smoking Pete Wisdom – guess now I know why you put me down, love. Found someone younger, I see. Didn't know you were that much into fresh meal, I thought you were into older men, Lady Blackdragon… guess I didn't know you that well, then."
Pete thinks you're my new boy-toy… I can't believe it! He dares to…."May I remember you that you were the one who broke up with me?"she goes closer to him, a voice full of rage and hate, as Roy keeps keeping her for her shoulders, scared about what she could do to the poor man.
"Actually, I didn't. you did, honey" Pete remarks, the same voice as her.
"Right, sorry, it's true – she turns to Roy to explain – it's true, he didn't break up with me, I did, the poor man just had repetitively sex with a woman that happened to not being me in our bed. We can't blame that on him, right?"
As she turns, she leaves, mad, full of rage, as full of tears of rage are her dark eyes, and she almost runs, hurrying herself up to be the more far away possible from him.
"You – Roy says as he turns to follow her, pointing a finger at him – you don't get to hurt my little girl"
"She isn't your little girl. At least, according to you two."
"I don't like her in that way, you idiot, but Chris is the only family I have, and if she'll suffer because of you, because of your presence here…"
"Didn't know you've switched sex, Marion. Or, wait, are you Tony? Make my compliments to your surgeon!"
"You know, Wisdom, I thought Clint – he says, calling the other archer by simply name, something that Pete had never been allowed to, like to underline the distance there's between the former British spy and Chris and her friends - was exaggerating, but, man, he was right, you're simply a bastard. You hurt her and you dare to blame her because she told you that you two were through? You're not worthy my time."
"Bet you can't wait to enter in her panties… can't blame you, thought, I couldn't me too. Especially at the beginning, she was so fucking hot when we got to…"
"I'll pretend it was the alcohol, and I'll try to not hate you that much, Wisdom, but meanwhile… stay away from her – Roy says after his right fist meets Pete's face, sending him on the floor, turning to walk in direction of where Chris went to follow the crying girl – and don't believe that just because I'm an archer I can't do hand-to hand combat or use any other kind of weapon… because I do."
"Oh, I'm so scared, kid! Let me get it, you'll hurt me? make me regret that I come here? Damn, you scare the hell out of me! – he sarcastically tells Roy, as he stopped the redhead archer by taking him for a shoulder, forcing him to turn, and reserving him the same treatment, as he, once send the Navajo raised young man on the floor, starts massage his face – don't think I can let you walk away from this, Harper. I'm a man of honour, faithful to my ideals…"
"Faithful? You're the last man who can put the word faithful into a conversation referring to himself!" he says, answering to his comment, as he jumps on him, making the British fall as he goes for his abdomen; once on the floor, the masculine bodies rolls on the cold fabric of the white cerulean pavement, and it's a mess of fists and kicks and bumps and black eyes and broken ribs and hurt muscles, that stops just when they hear it, because, as they hear the almost unnatural cry that follows the explosion, the desperate voice, the scared tone, they know something bad is going on, because she is never scared, and if she is… it means it's bad, and that they have to stop it as soon as they can. Without a word, they jump onto their feet, and run, especially Roy… because if Chris is in troubles, if someone is hurting her… they'll have to deal with him.
"time-out?" Pete suggests, as he covers his respiratory channels to enter into what used to be Chris' quarters at the base, dust and smoke leaving from under the door, coming from the inside.
"just for now – Roy doesn't look at him, but hits with his right shoulder said wooden door, sending it into pieces, and collapsing onto the soil once inside – sorry sweetie, forgot my spare key, hope you don't mind…" he says, almost joking, trying to get a view of the inside, too full of dust and smoke to understand what's going on
"hope you'll not be disappointed, but I dying wasn't in my agenda for today!"
As they her voice, Roy, a little more quite, is almost hit by an unconscious body, a green human-like creature with too many chins that hits the wall near him. Roy? Is that you? You're not hurt, are you? She telepathically asks him, still unable to see with her own eyes, as she turns, like to make the sensation and the contact stronger.
Chris? Can you hear me? what's going on? I heard you cry, I thought you were in danger… who's here? What do they want? He thinks, hoping she'll hear him, since he is thinking hard to her.
"Roy? Run, please! Don't… don't stay here!"
"damn, I can't see a thing… where the hell did I out those damn computer lenses? – Roy says, as he starts to search into the pockets of his "civil clothes" for said pair of instrumentation, that he puts on as soon as he finds them, switching to the infra-red – ok, ok… what the hell is going on?" he says, frantic and worried, in a hurry.
"that one is a War Skrull… well, at least he was before our lovely lady was over with him. I wonder why are they attacking her? She didn't did that much of a damage during the war…"
"They re not all like him - Roy says rays of energy almost hit him and Wisdom – I've seen them on your… on the Extremes files… I think they were referred to something like…the Death Commandos, I think."
go to protect the triad! They'll go after the 3 in 1… they'll go after each keeper of the Power…
"insensate. The death commandos have always been used only to locate and neutralize the Phoenix hosts. They should be after the cuckoos… ehm, the triad, not after Chris, she isn't…"
"She is the Phoenix. White phoenix of the crown, to be more accurate."
"and I'm the Messiah"
" glad to meet you, Jesus"
"I'd know. We used to be together. We used to talk. And, even if she didn't tell me, I'd know. Knowing things is my work."
"listen, Wisdom, it's how I met her. She had been restored to life in my home-world by the Phoenix Force, in order to help us to destroy evil, and she did, but at the end… she ended her up again. She knew something like that was going to happen, so she kept her cosmic powers low and quiet, you get it?- he pauses, bow an arrow in hands ready to hit – besides, it's what she is god at, right? Always keeping secrets, our lovely lady…"
"I don't know if that woman is a genius or a she-devil"
"I know, she is our girl but we like her for this reason, right?" Roy smirks, as he starts to throw arrow to the enemy.
"what the hell are you still doing here? Go! We can't stand a change against them!" Chris screams under a protective telekinetic bubble, that's protecting her from Supernova's attacks.
"Death commandos, enough… she'll not give up… not until she is the only one in danger – Black Cloak says, grinning under his mask, lifting his "cane" in the air, in front of his soldiers – attack the men!"
"go for help, Wisdom! I'll handle them 'till you'll be back!" As B.C. gives the orders, soon two members of the commandos start to attack Roy, who's covering Wisdom's exit the better he can; one called Star-scream uses what once Roy used to call a "canary cry", while another one shots blast of pure solar energy, and, in the same time, Supernova grins, keeping Chris occupied while firing at the mutant.
"what the…- Chris turns to give a quick look at what's happening to Roy, and realises that's it's not two members of the commandos who're attacking him, but three… and the third one is going to hit him in the back, with a spear, and Roy's not seeing it coming – no!" as she screams the word in agony (an agony of the soul, not of the body) she lets her force-field like construct fall, and jumps in direction of Roy, as quick as she can, sending him on the soil, a little distant from where the spear falls, just inches from her semi-unconscious body, but, then, letting the both of them exposed to other attacks… not that the commandos mind it, they don't give a damn about him, they just attacked him in order to get to what they truly wanted, the host… but, if Warrior's pointing his spear at Roy's gut, like now, will serve the cause, they'll not mind.
"let him go… please… he doesn't have to do with me…it's me the one you are after" she is not crying. She never cries, she stands, on her knees, proud, looking in front of her, but at close eyes, like waiting for what's going to come, and ready to accept her punishment, holding strongly the pendant at her neck, falling on her heart, the holo-emphatic crystal she got from Jean when she become the Phoenix's host… or, to be more accurate, the last half of it, the half she brought home with herself once she come back from the battle with the female furies of Darkseid, the half that completes Hal Jordan's one.
Don't be afraid. All will be well, - as silent tears starts to leave her eyes, she hears the sweet voice that once belonged to Jean Grey, talking from a place far away from the one Chris finds herself into, directly into her mind, her soul -you just have to hope for it, Chris. Your love, your faith, your willpower… you're strong. You've always been, but you are realising it just now, through your sacrifice. A sacrifice I'm not going to allow. All will be well, White Phoenix of the Crown, I promise you.
"we're glad you understand how dangerous your very existence is, Starchild… accepting what's going to come, you are making your sufferance and your permanence in this world more brief. Differently from us, you fought with honour, and showed to put the others in front of you… but this is not enough. This is not enough for us to let you live – Black Cloak says as he approaches her, at her back, using his can to tear apart her shirt – and not enough to not suffer, because this is not up to us." As he says so, he opens a little bottle, something that seems to come directly from the 1001 nights, from Cherazade's ancient middle-east faeries, and he empties the whole liquid content on her now naked back, while she fall on the soil, still on her knees, her left open against the cold floor, like to carry her weight, and her right one still around the pendant: she screams, both with her mind and her voice, letting everyone else in the structure knowing her fear, her sufferance.
Meanwhile, elsewhere….
Mrs. Rhodes, Miss Johnson-Stark is in pain…
…the death commandos attacked her but….
She is not allowing anyone to enter in the room. The 3-in-1, still inside Cerebra, mentally say to Jim, occupied in a recalibration bath that's rebooting the structure of the fake body structure he has inherited by Ultimo, learned to control after years and years of training, after the loss of his real body in Santo Marco.
"Oh, damn.." he says as he jumps on his feet and transform the nanites into an armour
We couldn't help her, even if she would let us to…
The death commandos know we used to carry the power, too, if they'll spot us…
They'll come after us, and we can't risk the lives of the people around here.
"damn right, girls"
Mr. wisdom is coming to you and….
"Celeste, is that you, right? What's going on? Why did you stop?" he says as he is already in the air.
She is coming here to end this. She says all will be well.
"she? You mean, Chris? Is this the reason she is fighting them? To protect you?"
No, it's… I can feel her. I sued to be the one more connected to her, I was the one who closed her up into our hearts…I felt her once, and I still feel her… not still, I feel her again.
"jean grey wants to save Chris?"
The phoenix force wants to save her. She says that professor Stark is one of her favourite hosts in the entire multiverse, that she is needed elsewhere… that this is no longer her place to be…
Still the same time, still elsewhere, at a universe of distance…
This night, Hal Jordan isn't sleeping that much. It's been a while since he started having problems with sleeping, but this time, it's different. It's not because he is sleeping in space, in his room at the satellite, It's not just because he misses her presence, Chris' presence, remembering the only night they've shared, the only morning they've woke up together, her loving embrace, her kisses to wake him up… he can't help but feel his bed empty… and his life as well. Truth is, it's the dreams, too. he often has bad dreams. His Dad. Barry. Parallax 1&2. Darkseid and Libra. The death of his friends, the fear for his family. And now he even see her in his dreams. He is scared for her in his dreams, and, as he tries to go to sleep again, he knows it will not be nice, that he'll continue to have nightmares about the only true love of his life again. But what he is seeing… what he is feeling now… it's totally new. And he's not scared. he knows her… and he knows it's not a dream… and for the first time in his life, he feels hope, and he knows that Saint Walker, the guy he met just few months ago, was right: all will end well.
"Hal… are you familiar with the sentence visions come to prepared spirits?" As he looks at the white and warm nothing in front of himself, he knows that or he is in the White Hot Room, or in one of its psychical representations, both places where he has already been. Both times with Chris, of course, since the White Hot Room is the home of the Phoenix Force and Chris is the Phoenix… or at least, she was, the last time he saw her.
"Yes, of course" he smiles, and he'd like to hug the woman in front of him. It's not Chris, of course, but she was one of her closest friends, and maybe she even knows something about her… Jean Grey, whom he has met for just one day in his whole life, someone he'll never forget… the strongest Phoenix of the whole MULTIVERSE, stronger even than Chris. My Chris.
"Then, well, little spirit…prepare yourself." Smiling, she opens her arms, like to invite him to embrace her, but it doesn't make any sense… then he sees it. From her palms, something leaving them… fire. An ocean of fire and flames and glory and passion, in the guise of a bird. A bird of flames. A Phoenix, the "physical" representation of her psychic powers. he knows it's not real, but he knows it's not a dream either. Jean was right (according to Chris she always was), this is a vision, a vision she is giving him, once the flaming birdie reaches his body, and enters in it, in his heart, like to become a part of himself… this is a vision about Chris, about what happened to her, about what the Phoenix Force and the Crown did for her, to thank her for what she did during the war with Libra &Co…. the first time they saw each other, inside the egg, and… and a vision of her, now, protecting Roy… he can't believe it… he found her, or maybe she found him… they are together, and taking care of each other, but something is attacking them…
"Damn – he says to himself as he wakes up, covered with sweat although he has just boxers on and an extremely subtle sheet on his bed, and all the windows are even open, since is already spring, hot spring, in California; without even thinking about it, he closes again his fist, the ringed one, closing the other one around the half of the empathic crystal he has around his neck, the other half of Chris' 0ne, the part she left him when they met for the last time in the White Hot room and he concentrate, focusing on his powers, an emerald light embracing him as his uniform swathes his body like a second skin, shining like a star, or, as Bat once said, "like a damn lighting bug", and he runs, like he was running for his life – damn, you have to be all right, I have to arrive to the site as soon as I can…. - as he flies, for the first time in years, he doesn't let it go, trying to see it clear, the dream and its whole particulars, like to have a tail to where she will be… if I'm right and it really wasn't just a dream, like Jean suggested. If she wasn't a dream…. – tower? Reddy, teleport me to the Hall, now! It's a life or death matter!"
616 reality, Genosha, Extremes headquarters.
Black Cloak opens a little bottle, something that seems to come directly from the 1001 nights, from Cherazade's ancient middle-east faeries, and he empties the whole liquid content on her now naked back, while she fall on the soil, still on her knees, her left open against the cold floor, like to carry her weight, and her right one still around the pendant: she screams, both with her mind and her voice, letting everyone else in the structure knowing her fear, her sufferance… Warrior keeps pointing the spear at his gut, and, as he seems her back like in fire, shining like a star, he hurts himself, taking the point of the weapon in his hands, letting the blood fall and run on his body, on the soil, and sending it away, taking the alien creature by surprise, and he puts himself between his long-time friend and the newfound enemy.
"now that the Starchild has been marked – Black Cloak grins evilly- with the death-mark, the ceremony is over…. We can execute them."
"No…please… let him go… kill me but let him go… , -All will end well the voice says, Jean's voice, as Chris keeps closer the gem, once the whole Commandos is ready to hit them with everything they have, in order to ensure her destruction, s Roy embraces her and whispers the same things Jeans said, and, once Supernova's bolt is about to hit them, the crystal shines like a star, and she screams in agony, knowing it wasn't just her word that's gonna end – No!" and, as she screams, the pendant shines, shining like star, like a guiding light… a light that guides her through her misfortunes, sending her where she truly belongs…
New Earth…
As he is sitting in his civil clothes at the table in the "private" quarter of the hall, the one where only heroes are allowed to, with around himself few of his team-mates, he keeps wondering if it was just a dream or not, like everyone else is doing right now.
"you sure about it, Hal? This Jean Grey showed you both Chris and Roy? They are… - Dinah holds her breath, standing at his back – they are together?"
"what? Together? No, no… - he looks at her, in disbelief, like to prove some kind of point – yes, they were together, but not in that way. He was protecting her… but I don't know by whom… I think someone was trying to hurt her – he closes his hazelnut eyes, as the pendant at his neck shines in his hands - no, wait… someone's hurting them right now. wait… no, I'm wrong again. Someone was trying to hurt them – he grins – everything will end well."
As he says so, what once happened with the lighting road created by the Legion with Wally and his family, it happens again, with the pendant, and, on the soil, like driven by the same pendant, by some kind of twisted but still powerful energy, exactly like the Wests did… against the wall, they see them, Chris and Roy, she is hurt, her clothes are in pieces, her back is fuming, a fresh tattoo emitting the smoke, and he is embracing her, in foetal position, like she was a little child.
"Chris-once she tries to open her eyes, Hal runs towards her, and, taking the white head girl in his arms, he puts his chin on her head, crying- please, sweetie… come back to me…C'mon, Chris… please, I need you…"
"didn't know the afterlife smelt like wild musk and old leather…" she says smiling, trying to leave her spot in his arms, her voice dry, something he not willing to accept or to let her do.
"aftershave and dad's jacket. And you're alive and well" he grins again, as he takes her part of the empathic crystal in his left, looking at it and then at her; as she, closed eyes, puts her right on his hand, closing it around the gem, making it whole again against his half one, she inhales deeply the air, probably understanding what went on in the last minutes of her old life, and he can see her smiling, happy and satisfied. Last time he saw her that happy and satisfied at the same time, was when they… they shared a night together.
"what about…" she tries to tell him.
"Roy's fine" he coddles her, as he turns to look at Roy, who's half unconscious, steady in Dinah and Ollie's arms.
"good – she smiles, satisfied, then she pauses – it's good to be back. And alive.."
he lifts her chin a bit, forcing her to look in his eyes(something she is happy to do, since she keeps smiling), while Jordan smiles and grins, and then he kisses her, sweetly on the lips, quickly, but romantically, full of sentiment.
"guess that was about the whole going out thing…" she tells him with that smile of her, half a grin, to be honest.
"that was about the whole "Christine Antoinette Stark, I love you" thing, Starchild… - he kisses her, tenderly again – this is about surviving, and coming back to me… this is about beginning, and ends."
so.... that's the end of he extremes, at least, from Chris' point of view... and follow her adventures soon in Blackest night: advent of the Phoenix and in of Green Lanterns and Phoenixes, short stories and drabbles about Hal Jorda and Chris Johnson's possible future life together!