Author's Note: After taking some time for both myself and other writing projects, I decided now was an appropriate time to get to what I teased at the very end of Infinity Crisis: Glimpses. That's right, the time has come to begin Season 2! Some things will be the same, others will be wholly unique. I have a lot of interesting (and unexpected) worlds in the IC multiverse to show you, and they will come in due time. But before we get to any of that, let's set the stage and see who it'll be doing the "glimpsing" this time instead of the Earth-199999 Doctor Strange. Here we go...
Earth-712
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Two figures stood alone in the middle of an inner city street, several feet apart. Usually, this street was busy with traffic both motorized and otherwise, but that had changed only a short while ago. A large variety of common objects had suddenly moved all at once without being touched at all, causing a panic. Signs, cars, lampposts, garbage and recycling bins, random litter and even broken squares of pavement floated in the air. This had been enough to draw the attention of one of the two, who promptly ran to Oklahoma to resolve the matter.
"This has already gone on long enough!" he stared down his old foe.
He was a boyishly handsome and exceptionally fit Thai man with bristly, windswept black hair. He was clad in a light gray bodysuit with thin light green segments with thinner black outlines along his chest, shoulders, wrists, and ankles. He also wore black goggles with translucent green lenses and a black belt. On the backside of the jumpsuit was a blocky letter 'B' which as black with a light green outline and stylized to have speed lines on its left.
The Blur - Real Name: Supachai Saetiao - Birthplace: Bangkok, Thailand - Affiliation: Squadron Supreme (Founding Member) - Physiology: Enhanced Human (Source Undetermined) - Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Speed, Agility, Endurance, and Senses
"It's over, Blur!" the cause of the chaos exclaimed. "I've already set up the scene of my victory!"
They were a youthful white British-Dutch American man with chestnut brown hair in a spiky buzz cut and small stud piercings on his left eyebrow and his right ear, two each. His irises were an unnatural blue-purple evocative of theater blacklights. He was dressed in a form fitting but comfortable black t-shirt that showed off his healthy arms, faded black jeans, and black tennis shoes. His right hand had glowing lines along it that were a similar color as his eyes.
Stagehand - Real Name: Rutger Rigby Jr. - Birthplace: Gopher Square, MN - Affiliation: Institute of Evil (Reserve Member, Largely Independent) - Physiology: Cybernetically and Mystically Enhanced Human - Powers and Abilities: Telekinesis and Limited Invisibility/Cloaking
Stagehand used his telekinetic powers to make several of the scattered objects he had willed into the air hurl themselves at the Blur, who instinctively moved quickly to avoid getting struck. He bounded off the hood of a taxi cab headed towards him, propelling himself in Stagehand's direction with a clenched fist. Stagehand summoned a folding table that he hadn't sent towards the Blur and blocked the lauded speedster's punch with it, before making it begin to crumple up and twist around his arm. The Blur pulled away before it could encase his arm and landed on the blacktop.
"Rutger, listen to me! Hear me out!" Blur made it a point to use his usual opponents' actual names when trying to talk them down. "Just because you aren't normal doesn't mean half to be a public menace! With your abilities, any theater would hire you to help on its sets!"
"Don't you think I already tried that, dude?! It didn't work!" Stagehand shouted. He lifted himself above the buildings. "None of the real stars want a superhuman stealing the spotlight! So now all the world's a stage for me to dress up my way!"
"So what? Are you going to force Oklahoma the state to look like 'Oklahoma!' on Broadway then?" Blur questioned from the street below.
"No…but that's actually a funny idea!" Stagehand smiled. It was a genuine smile, like he was genuinely amused. "I can't believe I didn't think of that! Kudos, bro!"
"Enough!" a woman's voice rang out.
The Blur and Stagehand looked to see a person teleport onto the scene in a flash of yellow light. She was a glamorous blonde wearing a strapless dark green leotard and an open white coat and pumps. It was Arcanna, the Blur's Squadron Supreme teammate and the current primary magical protector of their Earth. She pointed a finger up at Stagehand and a thin beam of yellow energy shot out towards him.
"What the-?!" Stagehand gasped. The magical energy struck his hand and he felt his powers stop working. "Eeeeeek!"
Stagehand was falling from above, unable to catch himself. The Blur caught him safely before he could hit the ground before setting him down gently.
"Th…Thank you…" Stagehand hugged himself.
"You're welcome, Rutger," Blur grinned. He looked at Arcanna. "Thanks for the assist, Arcanna."
"I figured there was a reason you hadn't shown up." Arcanna flipped her hair over her shoulder.
"I was on my way, but then I heard he was causing trouble," Blur gestured down at Stagehand. "How long should his powers be disabled?"
"It was a weak impromptu spell, so I'd say roughly two hours. Maybe three." Arcanna answered. "I'll give you however long you need to wrap things up."
"You know me well enough to know it'll only take a moment." Blur remarked.
He picked Stagehand up in his arms, causing his semi-frequent opponent to become flustered and red faced. The Blur rushed away at great speed, leaving Arcanna standing there alone. She used her magic to undo the damage that Stagehand had caused, such as making the broken sidewalk squares go back to where they belonged. After only three minutes of her waiting, her fleet footed comrade returned, with Stagehand nowhere to be seen.
"Passed him along to the right people," Blur said. "Would you still like my help?"
"Of course, Supachai. Come." Arcanna waved her hand, summoning a twirling portal.
"After you." Blur motioned.
The two walked into the portal. It was not a passageway to another one of the diverse array of parallel worlds in the sprawling Multiverse, but to another place on their very own Earth.
Cryptid Island
Have you ever wondered about fantastical creatures? Not the usual fairy tale ones like unicorns and such, but the ones of urban legend you only know as rough sketches and blurry photos? On a mysterious phantom island that changes location one day after another, those mysterious, elusive monsters can be found wandering, though not all of them all of the time. This is an island just as paranormal as the creatures that find themselves climbing its trees and piles of stones and walking along its shore, only to then find themselves sent right back to the places they are purported to live in but a blink of an eye. It is a unique speck on its Earth that can never be fully understood.
"Welcome to Cryptid Island, Supachai!" Arcanna motioned around herself.
Yet that does not mean that no humans have ever been able to find their way to it. Magical portals like the one that Arcanna had used to bring herself and the Blur to it certainly helped with that, of course.
"So this place is where you want to do this?" Blur asked. He scratched the side of his head. "Didn't you tell us this place can have strange beasts pop up at any time?"
"The answer to both of your questions is yes," Arcanna said. She sat down on the beach. "This place is a mystery, my friend. Because of that, it is just short of impossible to be followed here. The cryptids that the island teleports in and out are rarely a threat to me thanks to my magic."
"Except you tend to not be in a trance while glimpsing into other worlds while you're here, which is why you want me around to protect your body. That I understand," the Thai speedster recalled how Arcanna pitched it all to him a few days back. "What I don't get is how this is different from what you usually do."
"In the past, I was looking for Hyperion's 'evil twin' or for worlds I sensed he could emerge on," Arcanna began to explain. "But this is going to be more chaotic and more random. I will be seeing moments in universes that we never visited, but could prove important to know about for unknown reasons. The magical protector of another world did something like this not too long ago. He told me that seeing things he didn't set out to see proved to be…enlightening, in a way. He even saw Amphibian give some Argonite to that Betty girl who he told us about."
"Oh yeah, I remember that!" Blur rubbed his chin. "That was one of the first times you sent any of us to hand the shards out. Tom didn't even have that hologram of that monster ready for Amphibian to bring yet."
"Yes, but back to my point," Arcanna sat down. "By being less systematic, I could learn of potential threats and allies that I wouldn't have otherwise. To that end, I will be using…this."
A great tome with a cover glimmering silver and light purple appeared in her lap.
"The Lighthold? It's been a long time since I've seen anyone use that." Blur noted.
"With this, I will be granted insight into the people and things I see. If I see two people having a conversation, but neither addresses the other by name, I will still learn their names, for example." Arcanna opened the Lighthold. "For that part to work though, I will have to focus as much of my power as I can on being able to understand what I see."
"Don't worry, Arcanna. Even though I won't be seeing what you are, I'll be right here by your side." Blur spoke with confidence.
"It shouldn't be too boring for you, Supachai," Arcanna glanced over at a short but dense rock formation only a short walk away. "After all, any cryptids that appear should make for an interesting sight."
The Blur noticed where she was looking and saw an oddly shaped head pop out from behind the rock formation. The creature had bulging, opaque eyes that were pointed right at them, and lacked a visible mouth. It then ducked away once it saw them looking back at it, but the being's distinctive tendril-like fingers could still be made out resting on the stones.
"That one has been dubbed the Dover Demon, but the 'demon' part is far from accurate, so don't be afraid." Arcanna smiled calmly and looked back down at the Lighthold. "She probably just thinks you're cute."
"She?!" Blur blushed intensely.
"I best be getting started," the beauteous Wizard Supreme opened the Lighthold and allayed all her concerns and doubts. "Thank you again, my friend. I'll see you when I've reached my limit."
Both Arcanna's eyes and the Lighthold gleamed a brilliant white. Arcanna then closed her eyes for a few moments, breathing slowly and deeply. When her inner self willed her eyes open, she found herself standing within a massive, winding hallway. The decor looked both rustic yet opulent, like she was in a well preserved old manor, the ones that had their own names instead of mere addresses.
"How…" Arcanna paused. She looked around. "Comforting. Yes, that's the word."
She strode over to a door. It had a peephole on it and below it was a nickel door tag with a number etched into it. Upon inspecting a handful of more doors, Arcanna realized all the doors had them. Well the doors themselves looked uniform, she felt a unique presence from each. As she should have, for these doors were the borders between different realms of reality, with each peephole being a window that would allow her to glimpse moments from each. It took but a moment for her to realize this for herself.
"But where to begin?" Arcanna wondered. She walked down the seemingly endless hallway, rounding multiple corners that didn't make sense. Even the numbers on the doors didn't follow any particular pattern. Eventually, she came to a stop. "Hmmm…"
She faced a door where the nickel tag read '5282' and gently stroked it before bringing her face closer.
"Well, I have to start somewhere," she mused to herself. "Let's see what knowledge you have to offer me…"
I figured it would be welcome to have Arcanna of the Squadron Supreme be the star of our framing device chapters this time around. In a way, this could be considered a "glimpse" in its own right, as I used it to expand the universe of Earth-712 by introducing its version of Blur, a villain who is his equivalent to the Flash rogue Abra Kadabra, and their very own version of Dinosaur Island in the form of Cryptid Island. To make that a wee bit easier, I decided to copy the character info in bold test that they've used in their stories, so this would drag on too long. I hope you like this tease of what's to come enough to stick around for the coming stories I have for you. The first one should be ready fairly soon. If you paid good attention to the "Season Finale" chapter of Glimpses, you may already have a vague idea of what the first new universe we see will be based on. Anyway, thanks for giving this a click. Whoever or wherever you are, I hope this day can be a nice one for you.