Mount Etna, Sicily
Freddy was now on the back of Black Adam as they scaled up the mountainside of one of the most active volcanoes in the Mediterranean. "Are you sure this will bring us to the Underworld, Adam?" Freddy asked with a little trepidation as the heat became a little overwhelming. "I'll put it this way, if we don't make it to the gate, we'll probably end up there anyway." The molten ash circling the air made it hard for Freddy to breathe. He still admired Black Adam for putting aside their personal differences to help regain his powers, which had cruelly been taken from him by the Wizard, Shazam. "Adam," he surreptitiously began, "tell me really why you're doing this?" "Because Freddy," he replied, "Isis and I had a lot of time to think when we were petrified…about life, death and all its niceties. And how I have hurt your family despite loving them on so many occasions." "Mary and Billy aren't my family," Freddy rejoined. "Not by blood, but you have grown up with them," Adam warmly returned, "I would consider Osiris and Isis my family before any from my decrepit father, the Pharaoh's myriad children with countless women. I would consider even Shazam himself family before them. And I owe a blood debt to your family for what I did to Billy and Mary's father."
Entering a cave at the top of the mountain, there was a flow without magma at the end of it. The descent seemed bottomless. "Well, dead end," Freddy shrugged. "Not at all," was the optimistic reply from his carrier, "I hope your arms are strong enough for a swim." Before proceeding towards the pit, Adam paused. You are bothered by the heat I take it, Freddy?" "Yeah, but what has that got to do with anything?" the former hero asked quizzically. "Because it's going to get very cold all of a sudden," was Adam's dramatic answer. Without warning, Freddy was then tossed into the pit. For a few seconds, he began screaming for his life only to land in freezing cold water before he knew where he was. The water of the River Styx. On the riverbed he saw an assortment of skulls staring up at him. Living skulls, which turned in his direction. And they were looking unsettlingly hungry. They seemed to move slowly towards him and then he saw skeletal hands emerge from the dust below, obscured until they stirred. At last, they had someone unprotected by Charon. As one grabbed his arm, Freddy yelped only to see a wizened hand descend into the water, grab him by the collar and haul him up onto a miniature dinghy above.
"Adventurers, no sense of occasion as usual," the ferryman better known to legend as Charon scoffed in that dolorous voice of his as he looked Freddy Freeman up and down, "None of ye have the courtesy to come in the front door or sail down the River Lethe. No, it's in through the volcanoes. You're lucky I was passing by, friend, otherwise you'd be food for the carrion." He paused, and realised who he was speaking to. "The queen won't like you're here," he grimly added before returning to silence for a time. The ferryman didn't seem to have a face as the hood of his cloak obscured what might have been in shadow and the wizened hand which had rescued Freddy was now covered up by gauntlets. The whole area seemed to be in a grey mist, but after a time they came upon what looked like the mouth of a cave. "Alright then, pay up," Charon said as they drew to an abrupt halt," Everyone's got to pay the toll to get in here. Even the living." That was when a familiar form descended behind Charon, levitating above the River. "You dare to demand coin from us!" came the regal bellow everyone expected, "I, Black Adam, King of Kahndaq and his stalwart young companion?" Charon flinched at that and began rowing, rapidly. "Sorry, Master Adam, I had no idea you were here. I will alert the dread queen of your arrival."
"Where are we?" Freddy asked Adam as he sat down beside him on the boat. "Hades, of course," his guide replied, "The Underworld. Where we will find Achilles and Atlas." "Why on Earth did you throw me into the pit?" was the indignant question on the young man's lips. "Because I didn't want you to have to fight those." Adam pointed upwards at manticores circling overhead spewing flame. "They protect the secret entrance," he explained, "Had to kill three of them. A direct plunge into the Styx they never notice and they probably would have killed you had you been on my back at the time." "Um, thanks, I guess," Freddy replied with some fear, "There's skeletons down there that seem pretty hungry." "Ah. They are sailors who drowned at sea," Adam answered nonchalantly, "Their bodies were lost and without coin they weren't able to pay Charon. If you're a Hellenist, it pays to keep coin on your person, Freddy. No pun intended. Their fate is to devour the skin of others cursed to be like them. I was sure you could handle yourself against them at least."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"You're welcome.," he stated, standing up and calling to Charon, "Tell me, ferryman, why do you call your ruler a queen?"
"She is a queen. With the death of Lord Ares, and with Hades departed these years, Queen Persephone has taken her late husband's throne at last and rules both Elysium and Tartarus."
"Persephone? At last, a reasonable Olympian who's willing to talk. If you could call any of them reasonable. Hades would have probably concocted some Sisyphean nightmare for us and Ares would have had us perform mindless acts of slaughter. At least Persephone has no perverse fantasies to her divine aspect."
As Adam referenced the mythic king Sisyphus, they distinctly saw a man pushing a boulder up a hill only for it to fall down again. "There he is, the fool we must imagine happy," Adam laughed, but a tinge of sympathy still lingered in his voice to Freddy, "I knew him when he was alive. The old fart was never happy then, pushing rocks is hardly going to improve that condition." Despite all he had seen in his young life, Freddy was still in awe of finally witnessing the Underworld in all its terror. It was every bit as dreadful as Homer had described it in the Odyssey. Throughout the caves they sailed by, Freddy could hear the screams of the damned. Eventually, the boat came to stop at a large palace surrounded by gargoyles and guarded by three gigantic men. The foremost of them must have been King Minos of Crete, who condemned Athenian boys to the Minotaur's labyrinth. He stood before them as Adam hoisted Freddy on his back once more and they exited the dinghy. Charon looked ever so nervous as they got off and decided it was best to warn the two charges, they were facing beings more fearsome than him. "This is the Palace of the Judges, pass through their judgement in order that ye may speak with the Queen of the Damned. They judge both living and dead for their worthiness in all things." Adam gave a scathing look of disregard back at the wizened figure.
"Fond of the melodrama as ever, Charon?"
"Coming from the man who goes by Black Adam."
"Touché, Freddy."
The three judges all looked down on the two men as they exited the boat. "A cripple and an Asiatic king," Minos echoed in all his splendour, "These are the bold adventurers who deign to speak with our most noble queen. What acts have ye done in your life to warrant such an audience?" Teth-Adam stood defiant and unflinching against these figures. "I Black Adam, am King of Kahndaq, caused the Third World War and am the champion of the black element of the magic of the gods. It would be an insult were I toto answer such a question." "And I'm Freddy Freeman," the former Captain Marvel stammered, "I've done some cool things but you've probably never heard about them. We seek an audience with your queen in order to gain her permission to meet with two who have been imprisoned here for millennia."
"My brothers and I don't think a cripple is fit to speak to our lady. Nor a vainglorious dullard."
"Why you insolent—"
"Rhadamanthys, destroy him."
"SHAZAM!" Adam roared. With that incantation, the three judges were all immediately felled by three simultaneous lightning strikes. "Uh, where are my manners," Minos said to Black Adam as he recovered himself, "my brothers and I would be delighted to let the lady Persephone speak with you." Heading through the double doors without hesitation, Adam carried Freddy through a room filled with flowers and beautiful imagery totally unlike what they had seen since entering Hades. At the throne sat a woman with blonde hair, enchantingly beautiful and regal but with a look in her eye which seemed to say that her life was a misery and made Freddy want to embrace her, whilst simultaneously finding her terrifying. "Persephone has a way of enchanting men, boy," Adam whispered, "Almost as well as her sister, Aphrodite. Were it not for Hades and his wily ways she would have lived eternally, barely knowing the meaning of the word underworld. Since Ares' death she must have been given guardianship of her late husband's realm by her father, Zeus. He is a god I am not looking forward to meeting." A chair appeared before Persephone's throne which Adam lowered Freddy into graciously. Despite the goddess' apparent lack of interest since their arrival, Freddy still felt intimidated by what her reaction would be.
"Queen Persephone," he slowly began, "I, Freddy Freeman would beg an audience with you in order to speak with two people who dwell in this place." "And who would they be?" Persephone asked with a voice that seemed sweet but also harsh and full of anguish, laced with the disinterest on her face. She continued to avoid direct eye contact with both men.. "The hero known to the mortal world as Achilles," Freddy replied, "and one of the Titans your parents and their siblings laboured to imprison here, that carries the weight of the world upon his shoulders. That being is called Atlas." "And why would either of you mortals wish to visit men long dead?" she smirked, still not observing either of them. "Because I was once a champion of the great wizard, Shazam," Freddy continued, confidence stirring in his voice, "He who guards the Seven Deadly Sins upon the Rock of Eternity. He has forsaken me without good reason, and my former foe, Black Adam, does not wish to leave me to his darkness. So, he has instead decided to aid me in drawing the power independently from the gods who Shazam serves. Those gods being Solomon, Hercules, Achilles, Zeus, Atlas and Mercury. I have already obtained the wisdom of Solomon, and en route to Mount Olympus to meet with your father and half-brothers, we have come to find the hero and the Titan where they slumber and beg parley with them so that I may obtain their respective powers." Persephone seemed to be fiddling with a pebble in her hand now, but she continued the conversation, disinterest still obvious with every word.
"So long as you do not relieve his burden, I give you both my permission to converse with Atlas. But the warrior Achilles is out of bounds. He has been consigned to the utmost depths of Tartarus for his abandonment of my father since his recent resurrection. He has been given an important charge, even greater than Atlas', which cannot be disturbed."
"And what is that, my lady?"
"To guard my brother, Ares so he does not return to life. Diana of Themyscira slew him not long ago and I have taken his place in ruling our uncle's realm."
"This is ridiculous," Black Adam interrupted, "We would do nothing to sway Achilles from his task or give him an avenue to escape from it. We require his courage in order for Freddy to regain his rightful abilities." "Regardless," Persephone said, "my brother is crafty and it is only with a brute like Achilles that he may be contained. Now go. Atlas dwells above the Pit of Darkness, nine levels below which Achilles guards Ares. You will speak with the Titan only or my manticores will destroy you."
"We haven't got a choice, Adam," Freddy said looking up into his old enemy's eyes, knowing that Persephone's manner belied the fact she held dominion over all things here and could crush them like insects. Adam wished to continue debating the point or fight the goddess if necessary, but realised the boy was not truly surrendering. It was not in the nature of he or his family to ever do such a thing. "Very well," Adam scowled, affecting a disdain for Freddy's reasoning, "For now. When we travel to Olympus we shall see what your father has to say about this, my lady." As they walked away, Freddy whispered in his ear, "If we can convince Atlas to abandon his post and help us fight off any manticores, then we stand a chance of getting to Achilles and Ares in time. All is not yet lost, my friend." "Now that is the wisdom of Solomon in action, young Mr Freeman," Adam smirked.
The Waverider
At the bar of the Waverider late at night, Bruce Wayne sat in costume reading files that Rip Hunter had prepared on Eobard Thawne. They seemed pretty thorough on the issue of who he was and when he was born. Bred to be intelligent by Bartor Thawne and his wife, Elvira Cobblepot, a Gotham city socialite moved to Central City in a marriage arranged by her father, the Mayor. Both families had been determined that at some point they would have a child who would be President of Earth. Eobard was meant to be that child, but he reacted negatively to how his intelligence was being used by his parents for their own end. Bruce almost felt sorry for him, but then saw how everything seemed to happen so easily for him. Almost too easily. No obstacles ever came in his way in terms of his career. He was the first academic based at the Flash Museum and with no one to challenge him. Bruce knew this was not just luck, Thawne had been interfering in his own timeline as far back as he could. No wonder he was this great anomaly causing so much damage.
"You really are a complete swot aren't you, Brucie?" a voice tinged with smoke said from the entrance to the bar as he stalked towards the booze. "You have an uncanny ability to sneak up on me, Mr Constantine," Bruce answered, not looking up from his study, "Shame that time we fought Deacon Blackfire you didn't utilise it." "Still moody about that one?" the warlock chuckled, "I healed Robin with those hexed leeches, didn't I?" "He had nightmares for weeks," Bruce finished. Constantine took a long drag on his cigarette and smirked. "So, you always wear the costume?," he pestered, trying to get a rise out of the stoic hero, "I haven't seen you with it off yet. You haven't got anything to worry about, I already figured out who you are ages back. You've gotta' admit that Bruce Wayne's butler being the one who patched me up and paid me off was a bit of give away. Only cockney in the town, though what was with that accent?" Batman just ignored Constantine.
"You know, there's something bothering you, Brucie," the amateur psychologist in Constantine emerged now in hopes of a reaction, "You're even more dark and brooding than normal. What's up? Feeling guilty?" "I am, but that's none of your concern, John," was the Dark Knight's level headed reply. "Oh, it's John, now," the wizard laughed, "I feel honoured. On first name terms with the Batman. My guess is you've been a bit harsh on them kids again. Yeah, well, my dad was ten times worse than you so I get that. Told me as soon as I was born that I was an ugly thing that deserved to die for taking his wife and golden boy from him. Prick. Saw him in Hell once and I thought…Yeah, that's good, you fucking belong here." Batman looked up from his notes for the first time in the conversation. "Is it you or I who's in therapy here, John?" he rejoined. "All the best sessions have a bit of both," John shrugged. "Speaking from experience?" Bruce asked taking his mask down to make better eye contact with the occultist. "Yes, experience you could do with," Constantine aimed his hand carrying a cigarette at Bruce's face in gesticulation to punctuate his point. "I've been to psychologists before," was the nonchalant answer he got. "Not since you were a kid," Constantine realised, "Otherwise, you'd be telling them all about who you really are, or it wouldn't work. Maybe I can be your therapist, Brucie?"
"You? Just think about that for a second. John Constantine; vagabond, occultist and shrink."
"Ah, see you're smiling now. I must be the first man not underage and in tights to make you do that in a while."
Bruce wanted to get mad at Constantine for that. He really did. But he just laughed. Laughed like he hadn't in a long time. "Oh, wow, I'm on a roll here," the wizard, cigarette now in mouth, rubbed his hands in glee, "You may as well call me the Scouse Wonder." Bruce gathered himself then. "Why do you care so much about me, John?," he asked, "Why is my wellbeing important to you?" "Because, I've been where've you been too many times," Constantine answered, stubbing his cigarette in a nearby ashtray, levity now replaced with seriousness, "I know what it's like to be thrown in the deep end...drowning with no one to pull you out. I may act like a prick, but I just don't want people to love me because I know I'll hurt them. I've not got many friends who aren't dead because of my shenanigans, you know. And I've got the funniest feeling, you and I have the same disease mate. Drink?" Constantine produced a bottle of scotch from behind the bar and two whiskey glasses. "I don't," Bruce said. "Yeah, you do," Constantine laughed, "You're a playboy, of course you fucking drink." "I pretend to be a lightweight," was Bruce's honest answer. "Well, you're in ship shape, Brucie boy," the Englishman complimented him, "and judging by Rip's calculations we've got a while till we land in the 25th century. Have a couple with me." Constantine poured two glasses and then handed one to Bruce. They raised them in a gesture of comradely greetings. "Cheers, Bats." "Cheers, Hellblazer." They clinked their glasses and summarily drank the alcohol.
"So, what's happened, Brucie? You can tell me, mate, I'm not one of your holier than thou tight wearing friends, I'm not gonna' judge you. Can't be worse than me mucking up my niece's life again and again. Only family I have left is Gemma and she hates my guts. Last time we met she tried to shoot me. I'm trying to build something with Alec and his girl, suppose. I dunno'."
"I…hurt Tim Drake, my son. Red Robin. I was too harsh on him, when he showed restraint. More restraint than I had when I was in similar situations. Two women I was in love with once betrayed my expectations of them again. That and an old friend of mine died because I didn't trust our team. I've been a fool, John. I even walked out of my own son's wedding."
"Hey, that was a cracking spread by the way…Sorry."
"All I know is that when I get home, I'm going to start showing my family I love them again. I'm going to start with Damian."
"But it goes beyond just being nice to them, Bats. Your whole attitude needs to change. Lighten up more. Be a bit less morbid. You're so obsessed with your mum and dad being murdered. I'm not saying don't be the Batman, but when I met you with the first Robin you were nicer. A hell of a lot nicer. Almost pleasant in fact. You need to make things in your life more positive. Remind yourself of the good things by kicking some of the worse habits which keep you dwelling. What's one thing about your life that is unnecessarily morbid?"
"Well, I keep a memorial to the second Robin…even though he's alive again. But I keep it up to remind myself they're not the same man."
"That's one thing you can change. What about other stuff? What do you do, bar the crimefighting, that makes you feel blue? That might make your lads become brooding arseholes like you."
"I'd be offended if I was talking to anyone else, you know that?"
"Wouldn't have it any other way. Now tell us, what the Hell do you do that's morbid, besides the obvious?"
"Every year I honour my mother and father and leave flowers at the spot they were murdered on their anniversary."
"Death anniversary, I'm guessing. Well, I've a solution to that, Brucie. Make it their wedding anniversary. Show your lads that you're remembering life, not death. If Gemma didn't know how happy I was her grandad was dead, or how messed up my relationship with her mum was, something like that might work for me. But it ain't gonna'. Do us a solid, Bats, and change that. For me. For your old pal, John."
"We're not friends."
"No, but I am basically your shrink now, so cop the fuck on and take a drink."
As the two middle aged men continued their libations, the mind of Rachel Roth burned as she tried to peer into that of her old comrade, Kon-El, the former Superboy, who was still lying comatose from being felled with red sun energy in his team's encounter with Slade Wilson. Seeing his memories of Slade only triggered the trauma in Raven's head of his withstanding her powers in the same skirmish. Shivering slightly, she felt secure once her boyfriend Garfield Logan put his uninjured arm on her shoulder. They had come together as a means of her finally being able to live like a human, by having someone more outgoing and free-natured like him in her life. Future medicine had meant that they would heal quicker physically than they would have in their own time but that was still taking time. Even Mia was still passing out a bit despite her concussion seemingly being cured. All they needed to recover was time. Time which was frustrating the rest of the team, particularly Rip Hunter and his father, the former Booster Gold, who were agonising over finding a way to outfox Eobard Thawne. "I'm sorry, Gar, I can't wake him," Rachel solemnly replied. "Don't tell me you're sorry, he's your friend too," he reassured her, "No need to apologise to me for what you're hurting about as well. He must be in a bad way." "His memories are fading," she said as a solitary tear left her right eye, "He seems trapped in an illusion. Like every day he's living on a farm in Smallville, married to Wonder Girl, with Ma and Pa Kent both alive and Luthor reformed. Then that ends when Deathstroke comes in and murders his children." "Don't tell Cassie that," Gar frowned.
"Tell me what?" a familiar voice spoke as Wonder Girl walked in to see how the patients were doing, "That he's having nightmares?" "The same nightmare, Cassie," Raven replied stoically before Beast Boy could react. "Constantly. It's like his body is trying to cope and find a way to survive, but then he's reminded of how close he came to death because of Slade." "That's…horrible," Cassie replied, maintaining an air of strength to not get upset. "Nightmarish," Gar replied a little tongue in cheek but with every hint of sadness for his friend, "How's Kara doing, Rae?" "She's fine," Raven told him, "actually having a good dream. She's on a team with the Flash and Lex Luthor's sister in some place called National City. Seems fun. I can't alleviate Conner's mind, because he's too strong willed at the moment. Too fixated on his own fantasy, but no matter what I do it always comes back to Slade's attack. Hopefully, he'll wake up soon." Cassie was shedding a little tear in sympathy for her boyfriend. "And Bart?" she asked, changing the subject. "He's alright," Raven said, actually happy to tell her that, "He'll probably wake up before them, but I can't guarantee anything. His wound has healed and there's no chance of permanent injury, just potential muscle atrophy when he arises which he can handle with his healing powers." "Good, well at least he's okay," Cassie genuinely smiled, though there were still some tears in her eyes.
Gar walked up and hugged Wonder Girl. "Rose told us about what you did to stop Deathstroke," he said into her ear, "You really have come a long way...I'm sorry I ever doubted you could be a leader." "Don't worry about it," Wonder Girl laughed, "You were coming from a good place at the time." "Yeah well, I couldn't have been more wrong," Beast Boy sighed, "You're a great leader...better than any of three boys we brought you in with. Don't tell Tim I said that." "Gar, come on," Cassie said looking up into her friend's face, "we're never going to see Tim or anyone else again. This is the end." "You can't think like that, Cass," he half heartedly disputed. "She's right though," Raven said with a solemnity which suggested the end was indeed nigh, "We're part of a crew of time travellers led by two men who have nothing to lose but everything to gain. That and we're anomalies now because we joined them. It'd be hard to imagine any of us going back to our old lives after this, if we do survive whatever dangerous missions Rip and Booster send us on." "Are there any news reports from our time?" Cassie asked, trying to change the subject. "Yeah," Beast Boy told her with a heavy heart, "but you're not gonna' like 'em."
Gar drew up the computer, Gideon, and asked her to show news reports from the week since the attack on Titans Tower. "We were all declared dead, except Kon," he informed her, "He's got someone standing in for him…Someone you're not gonna' want to see...Brace yourself." Gar drew up a report then showing the familiar face and leer of Superboy-Prime standing on a podium before the Washington Monument. "No…no, no, no!" Cassie shouted, losing her cool for the first time since Slade's attack, "That murderer can't tell everyone he's Kon! He can't!" "Hey, Cass, simmer down," Gar told her with genuine concern, "Things are going bad for everyone, the others won't keep believing his lies. Lois and Clark will be on the case, I've no doubt." "Clark's being an idiot, Gar," Wonder Girl scoffed, "Just like you said back at the Tower. He probably gave his power up to Thawne or something."
"You can't know tha—"
"Then why is he Superman and not Clark? And is that Donna? What the Hell is Donna doing working with that piece of shit?"
"She probably thinks he's Kon. The article says he spun a little sob story about how you died in his arms, and that the Atlanteans were behind Power Girl's attack."
"What the Hell! That monster has to ruin our lives even more. Fuck! I—I—What about my mom? Is she okay?"
"It says that Dr Helena Sandsmark declined to comment on the disappearance of Wonder Girl or the attack."
"Oh, Hera. I need to talk to her. I need to talk to her now."
"You can't," the authoritative voice of Michael Carter said as he walked into the infirmary, "The news says you're dead, we can't have your mother knowing you're alive, or that will throw things out of joint." "I thought the whole point of this trip was to change history," Cassie spoke back, a defiance in her eyes, that reminded Michael of his own sister. "It is," he calmly but firmly responded, "But carefully, like I explained earlier. You can't just put a stopper on this genie's bottle you've opened by disappearing, Cassie." "I didn't ask to disappear!" she screamed as she smacked Michael in the face. "Probably deserved that," he acquiesced, "I know you're young and probably not used to time travel. I'm being an ass. It's all very simple, Cassandra. Forgive me if I'm trying to let Thawne think things are going okay for him until the last minute. If your mother finds out you're alive, it will only be a matter of time before he does. Then he will hunt all of us down to finish the job. As far as he's concerned, everyone who he can't account for has gone to ground, but you're meant to be dead, by the hands of his assassin. I'm sorry you can't console your loved ones, but considering I saved you and your friends' lives a bit of gratitude wouldn't go amiss."
"I…thank you," she replied through gritted teeth. "You're welcome," he genuinely but guardedly accepted her apology and put his hands on her arms in reassurance, "Be grateful you are alive so you might see your mother again someday. You will see your loved ones again, Cassandra. I swear on mine and my son's life. And know that even if this works Rip and I are probably never gonna' see ours again." Michael then walked out of the infirmary as if nothing had happened. "What did he mean by that?" Cassie said, almost to herself. "He means," Raven said sensing the distressing emotions of their host all too clearly, "that if he makes sure that Thawne never killed his family, then he will become an anomaly. His wife, daughter-in-law and grandson will all live again, which means he and Rip will never have travelled back in time in the first place. He and his son will be forced to continue wandering through time and space, never going home, because they are still home. He's doing this just for the people he loves, not for himself." Cassie hung her head in shame at ever having been angered at the man. She put her hand against Conner's flesh and then saw him seem to speak though his eyes were closed.
"Is he—" "No, it's just a tremor of his trauma," Rachel sadly informed her, "He's not going to wake up." Raven then embraced Cassie warmly. "You're like a walking cauldron of pent up emotions right now, my friend," Raven sighed, "Michael is right. We should do this so Conner might live, and the world we come from. Even if that means your mother must think you're dead." Then the ship buffeted from turbulence. "What the hell is going on?!" the voice of Rose Wilson echoed from down the corridor as they were all thrown to the floor from another buffet. Cassie, Gar and Rachel headed to the bridge where Hal Jordan, Ollie Queen and Bruce Wayne were desperately trying to maintain stability. "What's going on?" Wonder Girl demanded. "It's…it's Krona," Hal said with a sense of dread. Outside the windscreen was a little blue alien who was psionically assaulting the Waverider. "Is there any way we can get out of here?" the former Green Lantern shouted, "Rip?!" Rip Hunter then entered the bridge with pistol in hand. "How the hell did he find us?" he shouted over the din, "We can use the Randomiser but there's no guarantee it will get us where we want to go. We could end up on the other side of the timestream and for all we know Krona will follow us." "But it's our best shot?" the pilot asked. "Yes." Hal then slammed his hand on a big red button and the whole Waverider went white…
DEO, Washington DC
Punch to the gut would usually wind an enemy, but Jason Todd had never sparred with Slade Wilson before. That punch to the gut only earned him an elbow to the face before he could even connect. Jason still impressed Slade though, as he thought faster than most of his previous enemies. Even though it was only sparring, Slade had to have great admiration for the Red Hood. Neither were wearing shirts and were in a sort of tracksuit bottoms suitable for exercise. "So, tell me…since when did Batman have a kid who killed?" the Terminator drolly asked, "I mean apart from that psychotic brat he had with Talia." "I dunno'" Jason replied with defiance, "Maybe since he left that kid to die at the hands of the Joker then didn't even bother avenging his death." "Aw, little Robin still hung up on daddy issues," Deathstroke quipped, "At least Nightwing is over that sort of stuff." Slade then landed a punch in Jason's jaw, but the Red Hood instantly recovered.
"I never claimed to be stable, Deathstroke. Just angry. Really, really angry. But now…I don't know, my anger feels like it's pointless. Like I don't have a target anymore. Sure, the clown's still alive, but I've stopped caring. I had him in my hands and didn't kill him. Just kept taunting Bruce to do it. Don't think I'll seek that clown out again."
"Wise. Even I can't handle the Joker. I like my enemies to be predictable. But in your case, it's obvious you love the clown more than your daddy does."
"How'd you make that out, Long John Silver?"
"The simple fact that you call yourself the Red Hood. If memory serves, that was the clown's nom de guerre before your daddy made him trip into a chemical vat."
"You know a lot of things, Slade."
"Like your old man, I'm more than just a pretty face."
"So, what does Thawne have you doing for him?"
"That's classified, Boy Wonder. You should know your place by now."
"I'm head of Task Force X. I am black ops! I should know everything."
"Well, let's just say he had me do some family business."
"That doesn't make a lick of sense, Slade."
"You're not a detective like him, then."
"Was never my forte. He made my replacement out to be better than him though."
"Replacement? Huh, where have I heard that one before? And Red Robin is a good detective, not to mention when he joined, he wasn't screaming out for a father figure."
"So, you're saying I am?"
"No kid your age talks to an old man this candidly unless they want a daddy. That and you remind me of my ones. You know if my son, Grant, were to find out his sister he never met had his mantle as the Ravager he'd probably have the exact same attitude as you. Hmm. I suppose he did."
"Your point being?"
"You don't want to be a remorseless psychopath like my boy was, Jason. I may be a father, but I'm only blind in one eye. Love your family and do right by them like I've tried to do."
"Tried and failed."
"True, but at least I made the effort. Never said I was Father of the Year but I'd walk through Tartarus for them, and they wouldn't appreciate it. All I'm saying is, maybe you shouldn't hate your family as much as you say you do."
"I'm getting family guidance from a fucking assassin who put his sword through one of his kids' backs and drugged the other one up so much she cut her eye out? Thanks, Slade. I think I'll p—" With that moment of arrogance, Jason found himself floored by the Terminator as he delivered two fingers into his enemy's eyes, a foot in the Adam's Apple and a fist in the back of the head. "That's game, Jason. Now listen to your elders, and don't be an asshole all your life. You've got a team to run now. So, treat them better than you do your kid brother!"
"He's—Pfleh—he's not my brother!"
"He is whether you like it or not, Red Hood. Now go play dress up as the Joker with Catman, I'm through with this."
Sector 666
The small Rannian ship docked with the larger Tamaranean vessel taken from Sol Bogdanus. Alanna and Aleea Strange ran through the airlock straight into the arms of Adam Strange. Being protected by Green Lantern Kyle Rayner was helping the ship make their way to Mi'ran on a much smoother course. Now they could pick up Adam's wife and child who had barely escaped Rann with their lives. Lobo even seemed touched at how sweet the little reunion was. Ryand'r had decided to give up his bedroom for them, but it seemed pointless with less than a day to go till they reached Merand'r's father's coordinates. Kory and Merand'r sat at the bridge as they passed swathes of dead planets. "It's hard to believe everything that happened to this part of space, isn't it, Princess?" he said with a great air of solemnity, "Almost as if life rebelled against itself. An entire sector of space, just gone, with only five people left alive. Five people full of hate and with lifespans near eternal. Long enough to get their vengeance. Have you ever wondered why that happened?"
"We know why. Krona hacked into the Manhunters and loosed them on Sector 666 as an act of rebellion against his people's ambivalent oversight of the universe."
"That sounds like something out of a school history textbook, little one. Not very poetic. No, this happened because when we try to control the universe it fights back. The Guardians tried with the Manhunters, and they butchered this sector. They've tried again with their lanterns, and now a War of Light rages across the skies and the dead rose across the entire universe not too long ago because of it. What kind of monstrosity are we seeing, Princess? This is a monument to all of our inevitable fates. Where powerful beings like those blue fools try to order us around, and we all get butchered because they failed."
"The way you're trying to put this, Merand'r, one would swear you didn't know what you were seeing either?"
"Ha. You know what, Princess, not even X'hal herself could tell me what happened here and let it make sense."
"Are we far from the planet?"
"We're here."
"There's nothing there, Merand'r."
"Didn't you listen to my father? It's hidden." Merand'r then parked the ship slightly, turning off all engines and heading down to the cargo bay. He put his hand against a scanning piece of software and opened the airlock despite warnings from the computer. Lobo screamed at him then. "Ya' stupid fragging bastiche there's no air!" Starfire then held him back. "Lobo, please. Merand'r knows what he is doing." The airlock opened and there was no sudden discharge into the vacuum for anyone as Merand'r simply walked out and began talking to what appeared to be a large orange obelisk of symbols, standing still with gravity around him in deep space. "I am Merand'r, Commander of the Royal Guard of Tamaran, Sworn Custodian of the Hybrid Madonna so that she may finally meet her child. The reunion of our saviours must occur." The obelisk clicked to itself for a moment before suddenly shining a bright orange as Merand'r displayed his father's tattoo. "Come on out!" he shouted to the assembled people behind him, before turning to Kory, "Welcome to your new home, my queen."
Starfire and the others went out of the airlock with the utmost trepidation and then followed Merand'r through what was the obelisk as he cautiously beckoned them forward. "Welcome to your new home, my friends," he told them all, "Welcome to Mi'ran. Or as it is known in the tongues of more primitive species…Heaven." A large planet appeared before them with the eaves of dusk settling over lush, green, verdant plains dotted with lakes and rivers. On the horizon, was a large city gleaming like it was on the end of the Yellow Brick Road, but it was golden rather than emerald. Beneath their feet, a floating disc seemed to move everyone in the direction of the city.
"This is…fragging weird," Lobo said immediately before he got sick over the side prompting Adam and Ryand'r to laugh. "This is how it was described in our people's legends," Ryan spoke in awe, "The golden city across a land of nothing but green." Many species of animals seemed to fly around them or run beneath them, which resembled Earth ones such as rabbits and pterodactyls. But then they flew over a large landscape which was dotted with graves and charred buildings. The original colony which Thyggadrond'r had spoken of that the Psions had destroyed. Koriand'r wept a solitary tear, and Lobo uncharacteristically put his hand on her shoulder out of compassion. Adam held Aleea and Alanna close to him to remind himself how lucky he was to have a family. Ryand'r uttered a small prayer to X'hal in memory of his kinsmen who had fallen on this world. Merand'r then lowered the disc into the city which was as magnificent within as it had been without. Except the city was now evidently alive with life, with many Tamaranean families relaxing in comfort or doing all manner of recreational activities.
Then a child noticed Kory and pointed towards her. They squealed with delight in saying "The Madonna has come! All hail Queen Koriand'r!" Merand'r looked to her smiling. "This is what your grandmother and my father planned for you, my queen," he spoke with pride, "So that you would one day be the highest of our sovereigns." Kory was overwhelmed at everything that was occurring around her. People seemed to be lining the streets of the luminescent city just to scrape and bow and grovel before her. Then they came to the main palace, where stood a large statue of bronze depicting three figures. Kory could not have failed to recognise two of them if she tried. And they made her feel sick. The statues depicted her and Dick Grayson, in his old discotheque oriented Nightwing costume with his arm around her in a sign of love as they admired a small little girl who seemed to be manipulating light in front of them. Kory felt slightly disgusted that this whole society was built around a life she never had, nor would have. "Hey…Princess, this must be pretty weird for you, huh?" Lobo said, "That these bastiches are building…crap like that." "It is, Lobo," Kory spoke, redolent with disgust, "But I will have words with my grandmother when I see her."
The disc lowered into the palace courtyard below the statue. Three elderly women approached from within and Merand'r knelt and kissed the ring of the first of them. The look in her eye demonstrated someone ancient, but she had fair and beautiful skin and was almost a carbon copy of Koriand'r. It was her grandmother, the High Priestess, Niviath. "My lady, I have successfully escorted your granddaughter here," Merand'r announced as he stood to attention. "Thank you, Merand'r," the woman spoke with a voice showing her true age, "I must sadly assume your father passed before he could fulfil the duty, he pledged to me." "He has passed, my lady, but not before fulfilling his pledge," Merand'r sadly informed her, "He died helping us escape Sol Bogdanus. Your grandchildren and every one of us owe our lives to my father." Carter Hall couldn't believe what he was seeing and decided to whisper with aggravation into the ear of his fellow hero. "Kory, this is monstrous. This whole place is a cult of you. I've known grandparents to be overly affectionate but this is bringing it to a whole new level."
Niviath then walked up to Koriand'r and embraced her. Lobo's lecherous side had to admit he enjoyed watching the two beautiful women embracing in their Tamaranean garb of barely anything at all. Then Niviath gave her granddaughter a long, drawn out, fraternal kiss which made Lobo feel as if he really was in Heaven. He imagined the Tamaranean one would be very emotionally charged like this. Once the kiss was over, Kory smacked her grandmother in the face. "You have made a perverse mockery of my life, grandmother!" she shouted, "Explain yourself!" "Mockery?" the elderly woman replied, perplexed at such a reaction, "Far from it, child. I am merely giving hope to our people that their greatest queen would one day come to them. That statue was built before I even arrived here." "And you expect me to believe that?" Kory scoffed, "He looks exactly like Dick."
"If the statue is that close in resemblance to your lover you have only X'hal to blame. It was a blind architect who designed it, describing it in great detail years before I arrived. I was startled too to see how uncanny the resemblance was to yourself, my dear. And little Mar'i has grown up to be so much like the child in the statue if not even more beautiful."
"Mar'i? Like Mary. Why did you call her that?"
"Well, you asked…before you forgot having her. Said it was in honour of her grandmother. Her father's mother."
"I forgot? I think I am going to be sick."
"This is not sickness, my child. This is your life. Your daughter awaits you within. She has longed to see you for so many moons."
As Niviath reached a hand out to grab her recoiling grandchild, Carter Hall placed his mace on her neck. "Kory is distressed," the old fashioned hero intoned in that deep, imposing voice of his, "I think you had best let her get her bearings else I shall remove your head from your shoulders." Several guards on the ramparts of the courtyard aimed staser guns at Hawkman, and Lobo withdrew his guns with sheer delight. "Alright! Now this is what I'm talking about," the Czarnian shouted. Kyle prepped his GL ring then to create a forcefield around them all as Adam put his head in his hands in dismay. "We can't bring Lobo anywhere, can we?," he said to himself, "Now Hawkman's here too. How wonderful!" Kyle patted him on the shoulder as if to say, 'I get it'. Lobo was peeved they were in Kyle's forcefield now, as he didn't get to shoot anything.
"My child," Niviath said with tears in her eyes, "My mother and her line have been breeding for centuries with the right men to fulfil prophecies. I am sorry if I seem insensitive. This must be hard for you, since you didn't even really have the child. And I am sorry that this has happened, but there is a little girl the sisters and I have been rearing for over a decade with tales of her wonderful mother. The escaped slave heroine who fell in love with a dashingly, handsome man from another planet who was a hero to the people of his world. Of how their love defied the history of his people and made something beautiful. It made her. I cannot apologise enough, my beloved grandchild, for what you have been through. But please, if not for the sake of your grandparent who has longed to see you…and you, my beautiful grandson, Ryand'r…for years, then for the child who has longed to meet you since she first heard tales of you."
Kory then stopped weeping and looked to her brother who was also moved to tears, and longed to hold the woman who had given their mother life for the first time in over a decade. Nodding to him, she looked to Kyle and her eyes seemed to say he should lift the forcefield. Lobo recognised this and lowered his guns. As the forcefield lowered, so too did the guns of the guards, and reluctantly, Carter's mace. Ryand'r rushed into his grandmother's arms and wept like a baby. It was quite a precious sight to behold, this little reunion. Niviath wept more than she had at seeing Koriand'r. Merand'r and the two other priestesses then led Kory through the entrance of the courtyard. Kyle seemed a little perturbed. "I don't think everything here is going to go according to plan, everyone. I'm sticking around for a while. Then we'll see if my hunch is correct." "Ya' sure you're not here to pick up some fraggingly gorgeous Tamaranean babes, piggy boy?" Lobo said through inane laughter. "Well, we all know you've only eyes for one of them Lobo," Kyle smirked back at him. Adam, Alanna and Aleea all laughed at that but before Lobo could growl at them, he saw Aleea and lifted her up into his arms, showing he could be a soft touch when he wanted to be.
Through the corridors, Merand'r led Starfire to a room where a door was marked 'Mar'i Grayson'. Kory began crying at the fact they had given her that last name. Merand'r comforted her. "I remember her as a babe," he said with paternal concern, "She is nothing to be afraid of, my queen." "I know…but she…she has been given the name Dick always wanted," Starfire wept, "When we got engaged…he said so much he wanted to name her after his mother if we had a daughter. I said Mar'i was a name in my language, and he cried, saying it would be a beautiful name. But…that was before we were engaged. Was I pregnant having this conversation? I can't remember…" Merand'r stroked the young woman's hair. "My queen, it does not matter," he spoke softly and warmly, his demeanour from when their reunion on Sol Bogdanus shed completely in the face of paradise, "Your child is here now, and as your grandmother says, she has waited many years for this meeting." Kory nodded her head and allowed the old guard to dry her tears before straightening herself up regally. She was a queen now. And she would be there for her child.
Entering the room with Merand'r, Kory could see intricate art all around. The main colour of the room was blue and green, the colours of the Earth. Globes inaccurately displaying Earth's continents hung from the ceiling, whilst a book on the history of Krypton lay beside a children's book on the legend of Nightwing and Flamebird. Hanging as well from the ceiling was a more accurate globe of Tamaran. The original Tamaran, before the Gordanians destroyed it. Kory nearly wept a little remembering her home, as well as the day her parents and so many other people she cared for were taken from her. Then strangely on a far wall of the room there was the symbol of a bat. The symbol had flowers and candles surrounding it above an idol of X'hal. The symbol was an overseer to an altar. There was a small figure with dark hair meditating before the shrine. Candles were lit all around her, and she wore a purple outfit very similar to Komand'r's. Kory reckoned the child must have been about eleven or so, maybe older. But she couldn't see her face. Who was to say this was her or Dick's child? Then the figure turned to see her. Her eyes…her eyes were green like any Tamaraneans' but they had…pupils like a human's. And a warmth in them she had only come across in one individual. Dick Grayson. The girl's father.
"Hello, little one. Niviath tells me your name is Mar'i," Kory stumbled out the words, "I am Koriand'r." "Mom…" "What did you say?" "It's a term from my father's planet for mother," the prepubescent girl spoke matter of factly, "Mom. X'hal tells me he is a kind man and that that is what I would have called you had you raised me on his world." Kory put her hand on her mouth as the little girl stood up and walked towards her. "I know you don't remember me, but I remember you, Mom," the child spoke, her voice sweet and kind like her father's, lacking that Tamaranean fire, "I can't help it, I just can. I never knew Dad, but Gramma tells me that the prophecies say he was a wonderful man, and that on his world he served someone called the Bat. She said that you would love me when you laid eyes upon me. Was she lying?" Kory swept up the little girl in her arms and showered the beautiful thing with kisses. Her daughter. How could she forget her? Somehow, she now had memories of two realities. One where she and Dick were married and she was pregnant, and another where she was never pregnant and she and Dick didn't work out. She knew that the latter was more real than the former. Except that Mar'i standing here was proof the former was just as real. Merand'r smiled as he knew Niviath had been right about the prophecy. Because Koriand'r didn't care for being a great queen no more than the little one cared for being a great hero. They just cared for each other, because they were family. And that was why Komand'r could procreate with all the species in the galaxy in her lust to be the Hybrid Madonna, and never be the true thing. Merand'r then patted Kory on the shoulder and walked out the door behind them.
"You must have so many questions, my little starshine," Kory said as she compassionately cupped the child's head in her hand seeing the tears of joy springing from those beautiful green eyes. "I…feel like I know everything about you, Mom," Mar'i replied, a little nervous about asking personal questions, "Gramma has told me so much. But I would like to know…about my father. What is he like? Is he as great a man as they say? I know you and he are no longer intimate, but…you must still love him." "I do, starshine," Kory told her sincerely, "And he is a fantastic man." "But who is he really?" the child asked with palpable curiosity, "And who is the Bat he serves?" Crying a little, Kory wrapped her little one in her arms as they made their way to the bed and snuggled in a cuddle of demonstrative love. It showed the feeling of more than a decade of separation between them both. In a mirror nearby, the face of Eddie Thawne seemed to glimmer and smirk without either of them noticing. "I will tell you everything about your father," Kory started, "His life began in a very unusual way. At a circus. A circus is a place on his world where people observe animals and people doing strange things. He and his mother and father flew through the sky."
"Like us?"
"No, not like us. More impressively. They can't fly like Tamaraneans can fly, down on Earth. They have to position their bodies right and take leaps of faith."
"And what happened to his Mom and Dad?"
"They…they died. A bad man killed them right in front of your father. But a good man was there that day. A very, good man, who took care of your daddy after that. That man was the Batman."
"And what happened to Dad then?"
"He became a hero. And he still is one today…"