The Campbell Chronicles
Chapter 16
Nicholas shot across the sky, a shield of wind encasing his body as the world shook. The ground split open, and lava exploded from the cracks. Nicholas world away from the explosions, watching bits of heated ash hit his wind shield.
Despite himself, Nicholas's eyes drifted below. The building shook, falling to the street in large chunks. People ran for cover, their screams drowned out by the shaking of the earth.
His eyes locked on a child standing on the crumbling streets of Black Gotham. Tears streamed down their face as they howled into the air.
Nicholas's heart clenched. He knew that this universe was meant to die, that this multiverse was a place of constant rebirth, but being here in this moment, he couldn't just leave them to their fate.
Sucking in a deep breath, Nicholas dived into the next plume of lava. Heat bathed him through his windshield, instantly turning his skin red. Closing his eyes, his face crumpled with concentration as he drew in the heat around him.
His air shield expanded around him, creating a sphere as shimmering waves flowed into his body.
With the world falling apart, he was limited in the elements he could draw upon. If lucky, he could channel this heat energy to one of his other abilities. If not, rescuing these people just became a lot more complicated.
Obsidian rock began to expand outward within the lava as it cooled.
Cracks echoed as the lava crumbled, revealing Nicholas hovering in the air, his grass toga blackened from the heat of his venture. Keeping his eyes closed, Nicholas reached out with his mind.
Locking onto each mind within the city, Nicholas used heat energy to boost his powers. Translucent spheres sprouted from beneath each person in Gotham. As one, they lifted into the air, and Nicholas ignored their screams as he began flying toward Wanda's location.
–XX –
Wanda knelt on the ground, a layer of red energy covering her body and seeping into the ground. Sweat ran down her form, soaking her clothes.
The earth shook, and Wanda's body twitched, almost dislodging her fingers from the planet.
Her eyes rolled behind her eyelids as the earth split around her, creating a diamond-like shape as the cracks burned red.
In her mind's eye, Wanda saw Hecate's half the world, barely held together with her chaos energy. As she stared at the crumbling half-sphere, specks of white began to appear.
'The people,' she thought sluggishly, feeling their panic through her chaos energy, 'they need help.'
Wanda's eyes snapped open as feet impacted the earth.
Her eyes trailed up from bare feet over a grass toga and settled onto Nicholas Campbell's grim visage. In the periphery of her vision, spheres of pale green energy spread out and settled to the ground around her before fading.
Nicholas knelt before Wanda, staring into her half-lidded, glazed eyes, "Wanda, can you hear me?"
"The people," Wanda slurred, "they…"
She trailed off.
Nicholas cupped Wanda's face, "I can help you, but you need to let me in. Can you do that?"
Wanda's head jerked.
Closing his eyes, Nicholas leaned forward, resting his forehead against Wanda's. Pale green energy flowed from Nicholas's body, crawling over Wanda and mingling with her crimson aura.
–XX –
Barbara Gordon looked around her, her red hair whipping in the wind of the planet's destruction. She could feel the tremble of the earth beneath her bare feet.
For years, she had lived a facsimile of life as an electronic being made of nanite in constant pain after her transformation. Now, she was free, only to watch her planet die.
A man approached her, his dark hair disheveled, his blue eyes only seeing her.
Barbara moved to meet him, her hand rising to cup his face, "Dick."
"Barbara." He whispered, leaning forward.
Their lips met, and for a moment, the world faded away.
For years, they had been in an on-again, off-again relationship, their duties as heroes constantly interfering with their personal lives and ambitions, but at this moment, that was all done; finally, the responsibility was worked on, and they could just be together.
They broke apart, their breath coming in soft pants as they stared at each other.
A sardonic smile spread across Dick's face, "Better late than never, huh."
"Yeah," Barbara leaned into him as Dick wrapped an arm around her.
Together, they turned to look at the two individuals kneeling on the ground a short distance away.
"Who do you think they are?"
"I don't know," Barbara's gaze drifted to the grass growing beneath them, joining the ground together, leaving it the only spot without cracks.
–XX –
Nicholas appeared in a facsimile of the outside world, a short distance from Wanda.
The Auburn-haired woman stood on a section of raised earth, her arms outstretched. Red tendrils of power snaked from her fingers, sinking into the world.
Nicholas knelt and placed his hand on the ground. Closing his eyes, he reached out, feeling Wanda's Mindscape.
This place represents Wanda's desire to save Hecate's half of the world and the people on it. Cracks littered the ground, bleeding crimson energy.
Opening his eyes, Nicholas stood to his feet.
"Wanda," he called, striding toward her.
"Can't stop," the woman whispered, "got to hold it together."
Pausing in front of Wanda, Nicholas rose into the air to stare into her eyes. Like in the outside world, her eyes were glazed, but unlike outside, she was so focused on this task that if he tried to stop her, not only would the world crumble, but she would pass out from exhaustion.
As much as he wanted to let her rest, he would need her chaos power if they were to save these people.
"I know, and we will save them, but remember what I told you outside; you must let me in."
"Let you in," Wanda repeated.
Closing the distance between them, Nicholas laid his hands atop Wanda's.
On instinct, Wanda's fingers closed around his.
Turning his attention to the Mindscape, pale green energy flared from Nicholas's hands, mingling with Wanda's crimson power.
As the two energies spiraled around each other, Nicholas used Wanda's connection to the earth and his connection to nature to pull the planet back together.
Nicholas watched the ground join together in his mind's eye. Grass spread out from the cracks and through the broken soil, their roots stitching the planet together.
Nicholas's stomach dropped, a sensation like going down a hill on a roller coaster at the amount of energy that left his body.
–XX –
Nicholas opened his eyes, his body covered in cold sweat. His arms shook as he lifted them from the ground, and his stomach clenched. It felt like he hadn't eaten in days.
Standing to his feet with a grunt, Nicholas turned to find a red-haired woman and a black-haired man staring at him.
"Hello," Nicholas said with a slight wave as he moved past them.
The redhead stepped in front of him, her green eyes shining with an intense curiosity and a demand for answers behind her glasses. "Who are you?"
"My name is Nicholas Campbell. I come from another earth in the multiverse. I came here so that I could use a unique element formed on your planet to reforge my body because I was sick and dying. The two people who ruled your world, Bruce Wayne and Hecate, did not like me and my friend," he gestured to Wanda, "so they attacked us."
"They are now dead, and your planet is falling apart; my friend and I are trying to save the people before this world breaks apart into the void."
The redhead stepped back, her gaze distant as she processed the information.
The dark-haired man stepped forward, "You killed them?" He asked, his tone full of accusation.
Nicholas stepped past them; his gaze focused on the elemental metal Canyon that separated Batman's half of the world from Hecate's. That area remained the only stable point on the planet for some reason.
"Yes, we did," he glanced back at them, "if it helps, my friend also restored your human forms. Aside from that, you're younger than you should be given the time differences between our earth; we are also trying to save you, so think about that before you do anything."
Dick felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Barbara looking at him. Slowly, she shook her head.
Nicholas stopped before the Canyon and placed a foot on the elemental metal. A pulse through the point of contact gave him a three-dimensional image of the Canyon.
The Elemental Metal Canyon was over a thousand miles long and thirty miles wide.
"The metal could be used to save these people, but the question is, can it be formed fast enough?"
Drawing back his foot, Nicholas closed his eyes. Reaching out with his mind through his connection to Wanda, he formed cocoons around the people on Hecate's half of the planet and pulled them through the earth.
They emerged beside the people from Gotham, screaming as the plant matter withdrew back into the earth.
The people from Gotham jerked back at their sudden appearance and screaming. As the noise faded, the two groups stared at each other, slowly moving forward.
Ignoring the two groups interacting, Nicholas made his way back over to Wanda. Kneeling before her, he stared into her eyes, "Are you with me?"
Wanda slowly raised her head, her eyes heavy with exhaustion, "I'm here."
"Can you use magic?"
Wanda shook her head, "Even with your help, it's taking almost all my energy to hold this half of the planet together."
"Damn!"
"What do you need to get back on your feet?"
"Rest."
"Sorry, we're all out of that right now."
Wanda glared at him.
"What? The planet is falling apart, and we don't have time for you to nap."
The Auburn-haired woman looked away, "I hate it when you're right."
With a sigh, she turned to face him, "The ley line energy of Hecate's half of the planet is still intact, but it's fading fast as the planet dies. Suppose we use the amplification effect of the elemental metal. In that case, we may be able to channel the remaining energy to teleport the people of the planet, but it will require a section of the Canyon to be inscribed with runes and linked to the line energy."
Nicholas rose to his feet, "I'll take care of the inscription of the runes and linking of the Ley lines, but you're going to have to be the one to get them into Trinity's tower."
"We are taking them there?"
"Trinity's tower is a nexus point of the multiverse, meaning it shines like a beacon to those who know how to look for it; she also has portals to other worlds; these people will need a place to live."
"True."
Turning away, Nicholas began making his way back to the Canyon. On his way, he stopped beside the red-haired woman he now knew was Barbara, and the black-haired man, named Richard but called Dick.
He was surprised to find an identical couple standing with them.
"Parallel earth counterparts?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes," the two Barbara's side as one before staring at each other.
"Freaky."
"Tell us about it," said the identical black-haired men beside them.
"Good luck working that out."
"Why are you here?" One of the Barbara's asked.
Touching her mind with his telepathic powers, he found that it was the one from Batman's half of the world. He pointed to the Canyon of elemental metal, "From what I can see from your thoughts, you are an intelligent woman. I need you to tell me exactly how many people are here with us and how much space the Canyon would need to fit them all."
"You've been reading my thoughts."
"I'm reading everyone's thoughts, a force of habit when around new people."
Both Barbara's glared at him, "Why?" They asked in unison.
"Why do I read your thoughts, or why do I need those numbers?"
"The numbers."
"My friend and I have figured out a way to get you all off this world, but the magic is delicate."
Barbara from Hecate's half of the planet wrinkled her nose. "Magic," she said with disdain.
Barbara looked at her counterpart.
Her face smoothed out, and she nodded.
Both redheads turned to look at Nicholas, "we're on it."
In unison, they began walking away before splitting up. Batman Barbara went to measure the Canyon, while Hecate Barbara started counting people.
Nicholas moved to the Canyon and dropped to his knees. Closing his eyes, he placed his hands on the edge of the Canyon.
The metal began to ripple as he started smoothing out the walls and forming runes in neat lines.
Hours passed as Nicholas worked, shifting the metal into stairs and bench seating when the Barbaras finally gave him the number.
Eventually, Nicholas and Wanda's power waned, and the world began shaking again. Large chunks of the planet fell away. The sky dispersed, forcing Nicholas to create a dome of thick tree branch-like vines with their section of land and generate air from the plants they grew.
Sweat poured down his body as he worked, and veins pressed against his skin from the strain of keeping everything together. Blood began to dribble from his nose as he finished transforming the Canyon.
The final product looked like a giant coffin, which did not inspire faith in the survivors. Every inch of it was covered in runes and shone with white light as Nicholas poured the lay line energy into them.
Sweat soaked his clothes as he stood to his feet. As the planet's crumbling worsened, Nicholas had been forced to pull as much ley line energy as possible into his body.
Staring at the glowing symbols, he hoped it was enough.
As the last of the earth fell outside his branch dome, Nicholas approached Wanda. "So, can you get us out of here?"
The Auburn-haired woman stood to her feet, sweeping her hair out of her face, "I guess we'll find out, won't we."
Together, they made their way over to the Barbaras.
"It's ready."
"Are you sure this is going to work?"
"No, but if it doesn't, we all die together."
"At least you're honest," one of the Richards said.
"I'm too tired to lie," he looked between them, "can either one of you get people moving and seated within the transformed part of the Canyon."
Batman Barbara nodded, "I'm honestly surprised how calm they've been."
"I mixed pheromones with the plant dome's oxygen; it keeps them relaxed, and I could probably ask them to get into the Canyon, but I'm an unknown." He looked between them. "It's better if the request comes from someone they recognize, even if there are two of them now."
The Barbaras gave him the stink eye before turning around and shouting as one, "All right, if you want to live calmly and orderly, go into the Canyon and sit down on the benches provided."
As one people began stampeding toward the Canyon, they almost trampled over each other to get to safety.
Nicholas thrust his hand forward, and pale green energy flashed in the eyes of the people around them as they slowed and calmly began descending the stairs into the cavern.
The quartet of earth doubles looked at him, and Nicholas shrugged, "I guess pheromones can only do so much when it comes to survival instinct."
He winced, "Even if they are quiet on the outside, their minds are screaming with fear and questions,"
A grin split his face, "You four are going to have a lot of work when we get you to a safe planet."
The quartet's eyes widened, "us!"
Nicholas began walking away. "Of course, you four lived on this planet with people; even if I'm saving them, they wouldn't trust me."
The six of them walked down into the coffin-shaped part of the Canyon.
The Barbaras and the Richards sat on the floor in front of the benches, wanting to keep both Nicholas and Wanda in their sight.
Ignoring them, Nicholas flared his will. The cavern shook as metal grew from the sides of the Canyon and sealed them in. The pale light of the runes cast the faces of everyone inside in shadow, and despite their silence, Nicholas could see the fear in the survivor's eyes.
Their little lifeboat shook as the last of the earth fell away; the runes flared as the planet's core destabilized and exploded.
Placing a hand on the wall to steady himself, Nicholas looked at Wanda, "Are you ready?"
Nodding sharply, Wanda placed a finger on one of the runes. A crimson aura flared around her body before sinking into the rune. The runes shimmered with a pink light that spread throughout the vessel.
Wanda's knees gave way, forcing Nicholas to catch her.
–XX –
A silver coffin-shaped vessel floated in a rock and black metal debris field. Heat painted the outside orange as the planet's molten core expanded.
Suddenly, the metal coffin flashed pink and disappeared in a vortex of red energy, pulling in bits of rock and metal behind it.