Flashback Chapter 24 End of Infinity
For Batman, the crisis started when, while confronting Joker, Flash appeared in front of him and…disintegrated. He'd gone to Superman about it, but the second encounter in New York had only raised further questions. But now was not the time for them. Now, there was a world or two to save.
Millennia ago, the universe had split, and become a multiverse. Now, antimatter was consuming it. Thousands of worlds had already died, a few leaving a single survivor, but most vanishing without a trace. Two Earths had successfully been isolated, and despite the pockets of other times, were safe, for the moment. But the only way to save them was to reform the original universe from as many fragments as possible.
Which meant the other three surviving Earths would have to merge with the two isolated ones.
"Why can't the Green Lantern Corps help?" GL Alan Scott asked.
"I've been trying, but my ring isn't working," GL John Stewart complained.
"We can send you back, let you see the situation for yourselves," offered Alexander Luthor, refugee from the home of the Crime Syndicate. "If you agree, we can proceed."
The idea was met with murmurs of approval, and moments later, everyone returned home.
"My apologies for calling you, sir, but I felt you really ought to see this," Alfred said.
Batman stared. In the middle of Wayne Manor's ballroom, a large cave entrance had appeared, and its prehistoric residents streamed out, jabbering and waving spears, confused. Most likely the Miagani, the ancient residents of the area.
"B, it's gonna be okay, isn't it?" Robin whispered.
"If we have anything to do with it, it will be," Batman answered his younger son. As reluctant as he always was to trust an unknown, he knew this was beyond him.
Everyone agreed to help in the end, and Harbinger, an immensely powerful woman who'd been prepared all her life for this, dispatched them at random to one of the other three Earths – the home of the Marvel family, the residence of Blue Beetle, the Question, Captain Atom and their comrades, and the world Batman had been sent to, where the Freedom Fighters still fought an unending war with the Nazis.
The people were crazed. Psycho Pirate, emotion manipulator, had been taken by their mysterious foe earlier, and most likely was using his talent, magnified a thousand-fold, to send the people marching to their deaths in the antimatter.
It was a trial to keep them from annihilation.
Batman fought. It was all nerve pinches and dancing around the fallen, trying to prevent anyone from being trampled. It seemed to last an eternity.
He did not know how long it was before Harbinger's image appeared in the antimatter wall. The world seemed to vibrate, but Batman ignored it. Elbow to the throat, twist, two steps left, blast of sedative spray, duck, weave, strike…
And the fight stilled. The antimatter vanished, the trembling stopped. The spell was broken. All five Earths were safe from the antimatter.
Only a dozen or so proceeded with the next mission. The vibrational differences were tearing the Earths apart as they tried to synchronize. The only way to keep them whole until a way could be found to properly merge them was for a team of the most powerful to mount an assault on the base of the Antimonitor, the destroyer who'd claimed thousands of worlds.
They'd succeeded, but at a cost.
"Supergirl was a hero without equal," Batgirl started. Batman listened stoically as his female protégé gave the first eulogy for her now deceased friend. "She will never be forgotten," she finished, and stepped down from the podium.
The next hurdle was unexpected. Alexander Luthor, Harbinger and Pariah, a man who'd accidentally set everything in motion and watched the death of every universe since in penance, were addressing the UN to assure them the continuing time fluxes were contained and they were making plans to solve the problem, when Pariah was drawn to a place of greater danger, and Lex Luthor and Brainiac showed up to announce that they and the other 'supervillains' had taken over the last three Earths to be 'saved', and would destroy everything unless the final Earths surrendered.
Flash – Jay Garrick – and Kid Flash pulled Barry Allen's old cosmic treadmill out and hooked up an extra half-dozen pads. Batman led Robin and the Outsiders onto the pad targeting the home of the Freedom Fighters. Catwoman had got a message through, telling them Ivy and several other plant-y guys (her words) had caught the locals. Unfortunately, Joker had joined them…
It was strangely galling to learn how easy it was to overwhelm Joker with sheer power, but as Spectre had stopped the fight, it wasn't quite enough to convince Batman to relax his no-metas rule. Spectre had also revealed that the Antimonitor was hiding at the dawn of time, where he'd splinter the universe into a multiverse when Krona of Oa used a device to tear open time and observe the beginning of everything. The 'villains' were recruited to stop Krona, while the 'heroes' set off to confront the Antimonitor.
Once again, Flash and Kid Flash prepared the complex devices that would let them travel, but this time, there was argument going on, between Kal-L, the other Superman, and his white-clad Supergirl.
"We promised them, Kal," she insisted. "What does it mean if we back out when they need us most?"
"Kara, I know, but this is more important," Kal-L argued.
"Then let me go alone," she declared. "I will fulfil our promise to them, and you can keep the world together."
"We need everyone we can have."
Batman briefly wondered who they were talking about, but was distracted by the arrival of a miniature Superman, aged maybe fifteen.
"Remember me?" he said to Kal-El. "Superboy. You called my world Earth-Prime? It's gone now. I don't know how I survived, but…I want in with whatever you're doing."
"Glad to have you," Kal-El said warmly.
"You can spare me now," Supergirl appealed to her cousin quietly.
Kal-L sighed. "Okay, Kara, go. Be safe."
Supergirl took off, and a moment later, the Flashes started to run.
AN: Two points. First, this arc is ridiculously difficult to write, because my chosen dramatis personae are almost always on the periphery - which is why it's coming out so disjointed. I promise it'll be different next week, because it'll be completely my own week, and I assure you, it'll be fascinating.
Second, the other Supergirl at the end. I see her costume as being similar to that of Supergirl from the Animated Series. This is important. You should have a better idea of why next week.
Anyway, sorry I'm late. It's probably because this is such a nightmare to write.
Also this week, Black and Red, with action, and Love and Mayhem, featuring...horror and soppiness. Next week, more Flashback, as I think I might have mentioned. More LBV, a popular favourite. And more Death's Avenger, on it's way to becoming a favourite.
Please review. Please?
Katara