CHAPTER EIGHT
COAST CITY, CALIFORNIA.
Hal Jordan knelt over the body of Abin Sur, a mysterious purple alien clad in a green suit who lay on the ground gasping for air.
"Hey, listen, we're going to get you to a hospital, okay?" Hal said, trying to keep his voice sounding calm and even. "One… that carries… purple blood," he added under his breath.
"The ring," Abin Sur said softly. He raised his hand aloft. In the center of his palm was a glowing green ring. "It chose you. Take it. Place the ring… in the lantern." He turned his head toward his ship, which had crash-landed in the harbor nearby. The translucent cockpit revealed a lantern inside, the same green hue as the ring and the alien's costume. Hal gently took the ring from Abin's palm. "Place the ring. Speak the oath. Great honor. Responsibility." His voice began to get weaker as he trailed off. His eyes rolled back in his head.
"Hey, breathe, you've gotta breathe, okay?" Hal stammered. "Just breathe, just breathe…"
But it was too late. Abin Sur was dead.
"I know that didn't make a lot of sense just now," came a voice from behind Hal.
Hal stood up and spun around, nearly slipping on the wet grass and loose gravel beneath him.
A few feet away stood an unassuming young man in jeans and a windbreaker. His hair was combed neatly and he wore a pair of glasses. The young man approached awkwardly.
"Who are you?" Hal asked.
"My name's Peter Parker," the young man said, extending his hand for a handshake. Hal was too confused to accept it. He just kept looking back and forth between Peter and the deceased alien on the ground.
"Did you have something to do with this?" Hal asked. "Do you know who this is? What's going on?"
"Like I said, I know it's a lot to take in." Peter realized Hal was not going to accept his handshake, and casually stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm not super clear on it all myself, actually," he said with a slight shrug.
"How did you know I would be here?"
"A friend sent me," Peter said. "Well, a friend that you haven't met yet. But you will."
"Buddy, I gotta be honest, you are really not helping here," Hal said, somewhat exasperated.
"I know. I'm sorry about that," Peter said. "Why don't you go grab the lantern out of the spaceship? Then we can go somewhere and talk."
"About what?"
"The Justice League Avengers."
. . . . . .
NEW MEXICO.
Darcy Lewis pressed the gas pedal down as far as it would go, racing the tech-loaded RV full-tilt toward the atmospheric anomaly against her better judgement. She cast a quick sidewards glance at Jane Foster in the passenger seat, who was downright giddy as she pointed her camcorder at whatever this crazy occurrence was that was forming directly in front of them. Behind her seat, Darcy could hear Erik Selvig adjusting the controls on an array of weather-monitoring instruments.
There was a deafening boom like a crack of thunder, and what looked like a funnel cloud seemed to cascade down from the very heavens in front of them in an instant. Darcy pumped the brakes and pulled the steering wheel hard to one side, causing the RV to skid in an attempt to avoid the storm cloud.
"What are you doing?!" Jane yelled.
"I am not dying for six college credits!" Darcy protested.
Jane grabbed at the steering wheel, trying to divert the RV back toward the storm. Darcy jerked the wheel back, causing the vehicle to careen back and forth wildly.
There was another clap of thunder. If Jane, Darcy, or Erik had looked out the window just then they might have seen a figure descending straight down through the funnel cloud like a piece of debris.
SLAM!
The RV had struck someone. They only got a quick glimpse of the figure. A tall man, with long hair.
Darcy slammed the brakes and brought the vehicle to a full stop.
Jane, Darcy, and Erik all exchanged mortified glances.
The exited the vehicle. The storm had ceased just as suddenly as it had begun. Dust still hung in the air, but besides that there was no evidence of the phenomenon that been raging only moments before.
"I think that was legally your fault," Darcy said, as she and Jane brandished flashlights.
"Get the first aid kit," Jane replied, hurrying over to the body of the man they had just hit. She knelt down beside the unconscious figure. "Do me a favor and don't be dead," she said quietly. "Please." She looked around. There was no one else in sight. No other vehicles. Certainly no houses, buildings, or other signs of civilization anywhere remotely in view. "Where did he come from?" Jane wondered aloud.
Almost in response to her question, they heard something off in the distance. It sounded like a car engine. Jane stood up and squinted, waving her hand in front of her face to try to waft away some of the dust that still lingered. Somewhere on the horizon they saw headlights coming into view.
"Who else knows that we're out here?" Erik asked.
"No one," Jane replied.
"Another storm chaser?" Darcy asked.
"Not likely," Jane said, concern in her voice.
"Someone looking for him?" Erik asked, shining his flashlight on the unconscious figure on the ground.
Jane did not reply.
After a few minutes the vehicle pulled up beside them. To their surprise, it was a Lamborghini Murcielago.
The car door opened, and Bruce Wayne emerged. He casually buttoned his suit jacket as he exited the vehicle.
"Sorry," he said. "I usually do my off-roading in my other car."
"Who the hell are you?" Jane demanded incredulously.
"I'm Bruce Wayne," he replied. "And this…" He raised his index finger, seemingly to both point at the sky as well as to say, wait for it. A tall blonde woman in a blue t-shirt and red shorts descended from the sky and landed beside Bruce. "…is Kara Zor-El," he finished.
"Hi," Kara said, giving a sly smirk.
"Did we drop acid and I forgot about it?" Darcy asked.
"Darcy," Jane hissed.
Bruce took a few casual steps toward the unconscious man on the ground. "This is Thor, of Asgard," he said. "Yes, that Thor. Yes, that Asgard," he said, off of Erik Selvig's astonished look. "I wish we had more time to explain, but, we need him. I promise he'll get the best possible medical care. Any damage that your vehicle may have sustained just now will be taken care of as well. I'm sure we can handle all of this without involving the authorities or insurance companies."
"Just what exactly is going on here?" Jane asked.
"We're putting a team together," Bruce replied.
"Who's 'we'?" Selvig asked.
Bruce just grinned. He turned to Kara.
"One other thing," he said. "A hammer. According to the files, it should've landed a few miles east of here. Can you spot it?"
Kara gazed off into the distance. "Looking," she said. Then, after a moment, she gave a quick nod. "Got it," she said. Without another word, she took off into the sky like a rocket, leaving more dust in her wake.
Seconds later, a few miles to the east, Kara came in for a landing in the middle of a huge crater. She landed in a crouched position, fist touching the ground for a moment before raising herself back up to her full height. She confidently strode toward a medieval-looking war hammer that was embedded in the rocky terrain of the desert.
She wrapped her fingers around the handle of the hammer and pulled.
It did not budge.
Kara furrowed her brow and pursed her lips.
She pulled at the hammer a second time. Again, it did not move from its spot embedded in the ground.
Grunting with frustration, Kara planted her feet firmly on either side of the hammer, wrapped both hands around the handle, gritted her teeth and pulled with all her might.
The ground around the hammer shook, and a crack began to spider-web its way up and down the rocky formations that surrounded the crater.
The hammer still did not budge.
"Well, this complicates things," Kara muttered.
. . . . . .
A QUARANTINE FACILITY IN AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION.
Reed Richards and Susan Storm walked purposefully down a hallway inside the highly secure facility. Johnny Storm followed a few feet behind them, wearing nothing but a pink parka that he kept carefully clasped over his private parts.
"It has to be the cloud. It's fundamentally altered our DNA," Sue said, a bit shaken from having inexplicably turned invisible for a few moments while having a drink with Reed in the facility's dining room. Reed had displayed incredible abilities as well, having stretched his arm like elastic to catch a falling wine bottle.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Reed replied. "We need a massive amount of evidence before making that leap."
"Whoa! Guys! Look!" Johnny called out from a few paces behind them.
Reed and Sue stopped and turned to look at Sue's younger sibling.
A flicker of flame was hovering just above Johnny's outstretched fingers. He snapped his fingers and the flame went out. Then he snapped them again and the flame re-appeared.
"Now picture that," Johnny said excitedly. "But everywhere!"
"Kind of like a human torch?" came a voice from behind Reed and Sue.
They all turned to see Tony Stark walking down the hallway, wearing a pair of sunglasses and a blazer that was open just enough to reveal an AC/DC t-shirt underneath.
"Human Torch?" Johnny repeated. He snapped his fingers a few more times. "Yeah! A Human Torch!"
Tony took off his sunglasses dramatically and looked quizzically at Johnny Storm. "Hey, anyone ever tell you that you look a lot like…?" He trailed off. "Nah, forget it," he said, putting the sunglasses back on.
"I'm sorry, who are you, and what are you doing here?" Reed asked. "This is supposed to be a secure facility."
"I'm a little disappointed that you don't recognize me, Dr. Richards. Your work in the field of unstable molecules is unparalleled. And, at least as of very recently, I'm a big fan of your ability to stretch your limbs like silly putty."
"How could you possibly know about that?" Reed asked.
"Trust me, Reed," Tony said. "You and I are going to be very good friends. Great friends, in fact. You might even say… fantastic friends."
There was a loud crash from somewhere else in the facility. It was followed by an anguished bellow that sounded inhuman.
"What was that?" Sue gasped.
"That was a whole other… uh… Thing," Tony said, rubbing his chin nervously. "We might want to go peek in on Benjamin Grimm."
. . . . . .
A CASTLE ON AN UNCHARTED ISLET IN THE NORWEGIAN SEA.
Superman walked down the long hallway of the medieval castle that was home to Kent Nelson, a.k.a. Doctor Fate. It didn't seem so long ago that he had come here with Spider-Man and Doctor Stephen Strange, although in many ways it was a lifetime ago. The corridor was lit dimly, illuminated only by the light of a few torches. Portraits of ancient wizards and keepers of wisdom hung on the wall; these old masters seemed to stare at the Man of Steel with a grim and foreboding interest.
At the end of the hallway was tall stone archway which marked the entrance to a high-ceilinged room that was akin to a sanctuary in a church. There was a dais with an ornate throne upon it, and a pillar with a crystal ball.
"Doctor Fate," Superman bellowed. His voice echoed throughout the chamber. Despite the fact that there were no open windows, a gentle breeze caused his cape to flutter slightly.
"Clark Kent," spoke a booming, disembodied voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. Superman could feel a presence in the room with him even though he could see no one.
"No one has called me that in a long time," Superman replied.
"Would you prefer Superman? Or perhaps Kal-El?" There was a plume of smoke and a swirl of air around the dais. After a moment a figure dressed in blue and gold and wearing a helmet and cape appeared from out of the smoke.
"I have to admit that I'm surprised that you know who I am," Superman said. "We've met before, but I didn't think you'd remember. Since then a lot has… changed."
"I do not recall ever meeting you," Doctor Fate said. "But that does not mean that I don't know you. I have had visions. Your coming here was foretold to me."
"Then you know why I'm here."
"Yes. You seek the soul stone."
"I do."
Doctor Fate folded his hands thoughtfully in front of him. "As the custodian of this powerful artifact, I know I ought not to give it to you. And yet… I sense that you have great need of it. And not necessarily for the reason you believe you do."
"Oh?" Superman raised an eyebrow.
"Your soul is in great distress, Superman. It is the spirit of a man divided. You are bifurcated. Split. You are of this world, yet also of another. You are a Kryptonian, yet in many ways you are a human. You are Kal-El, and you are also Clark Kent. You are in this timeline and yet you originated in another. There is a duality about you in almost every sense. There is an old saying: A house divided against itself cannot stand. You, it seems, are a soul divided against itself."
Superman had no response to this. Everything Kent Nelson was saying was true. He felt the conflict within himself, but did not know how to calm it.
Doctor Fate raised one gloved hand. A small pocket-like rift opened in mid-air. Out of the rift floated a shimmering orange gem. The soul stone.
"Step forward," Doctor Fate said.
Superman took a few cautious steps toward Doctor Fate. The orange glow of the gem grew brighter, casting Superman in a golden hue that reflected off his white costume. It felt warm like the sunlight that he drew his powers from. It felt good.
"Doctor, if I may?" Superman asked. "I am not clear on this. What exactly does the soul stone do?"
"In the wrong hands it is a prison for the spirit," Doctor Fate replied. "It can poison a man's soul. Rob them of the essence of who they are. Cripple them from the inside. Sap them of what makes them themselves. In the right hands, however, it is nourishment beyond anything else. It is healing. It rejuvenates, unites, enriches, mends. It can restore a fractured soul. I use it now on you, Superman."
The orange glow grew even brighter, as if someone had thrown open curtains on a sunny day. Superman closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the soul stone envelop him. For a moment, he saw Smallville. Not as it was now, but as it was when he was growing up. The farm. His friends. The innocence of his youth, the kindness of his parents. A hug from Lana. A basketball game with Pete Ross. A cup of coffee with Chloe. All of the things that had made him happy back then, he did not just see, but felt in his heart. He smiled.
After a few moments, the glow faded and he opened his eyes.
"Doctor, I… have never experienced anything quite like that. Thank you," he said. In many ways, even though he was already one of the most powerful beings on the planet, he now felt stronger than ever. He felt whole for the first time in a long time.
"You are most welcome, my friend. But I know you did not come here simply for me to heal your weary spirit. You intend to take the soul stone with you."
"Yes," Superman replied. "If you can truly see the future, then you know why I need it. You know what is coming."
"I do. And that is why, though reluctantly, I agree to give it to you." He paused for a moment. "Hmm. I just had the oddest sensation. In some way that I cannot explain, I know that this is not the first time I have given you the soul stone."
Superman reached out his hand. The soul stone slowly floated from Doctor Fate over to Superman's outstretched hand.
"Doctor Fate," Superman said as the gem hovered just above his palm. "When this is all over… after I've battled Darkseid again… will the world finally be safe?"
"It will be as it always is," Doctor Fate replied. "On the brink. For you know as well as I, that the battle for truth and justice is never-ending."
Superman nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer. He closed his hand around the stone. Its orange hue was still visible between the fingers of his fist.
"One last question," Superman said. "The mind stone. It is the last stone that I need. Do you know where I can find it?"
Doctor Fate considered this carefully for a moment. Then, at length, he answered. "It is at a school in Westchester, New York. Its custodian is one of the world's most powerful telepaths."
Superman's countenance was grim.
"Charles," he said.