Metropolis

"This is ridiculous," Bruce Wayne muttered through his Matches Malone disguise as he, Cassie Sandsmark and John Constantine walked past the Daily Planet. Constantine was disguised as Sting which had drawn a degree of attention from some people, although to most he looked too obviously cool to be the musician in question. Cassie was wearing her old black wig and glasses from her first disguise as Wonder Girl before she went public with her identity. Her search for Natasha Irons had proved fruitless since the girl had disappeared without a trace not long after she had returned to the present. She still desperately wanted to give the girl the letter her uncle had written for her. Giving up for now, she met up with Bruce and Constantine at the Daily Planet where they had discovered with some difficulty that Lois was already on maternity leave and Clark had taken the next week off for the birth. "We go traipsing around the city in these disguises," Cassie sighed, eyes darting around the place, "And people still pay attention to us." "Hey everyone," a random bystander shouted at Bruce who was wearing a Hawaiian shirt with his Matches Malone moustache, "It's Magnum P.I." "Fuck off, mate," Constantine shouted back. "What the hell's he doing with Johnny Rotten and the girl from the Addams Family?" the ignorant man scratched his head. "Just ignore them," Cassie told Constantine as she sighed wondering about where Natasha could have gotten to, and how prolonging telling her of her uncle's fate only made it harder.

They all eventually got to the Kents apartment building without further incident. In the elevator, Constantine tried to light a smoke and Bruce immediately stubbed it out. "You didn't mind my filthy habit on the Waverider," the occultist asked bitingly, "Why here?" "There was vastly improved air conditioning on that ship," he answered, "And besides…Cassie's a teenager." "I'm eighteen," she scoffed. "Have you smoked before?" queried Bruce. "Cigarettes?" she shook her head, "No." "Keep it that way," the Batman spoke like he was an actor in a government sponsored announcement, "John, stop being a bad influence." "Me, a bad influence?" John laughed as he feigned offence by playfully putting his hand on his chest, "Mr Womaniser here providing such a good example to his two teenagers back home." Bruce didn't even look Constantine in the eye while Wonder Girl snickered. "That's not fair," he eventually replied, "Julie's a friend." "Yeah I've had a lot of 'mates' like her, man," Constantine laughed, "Particularly of the opposite sex and going by the dictionary definition." "Boys and girls can be friends," Cassie said indignantly to the occultist. "Oh, they can, Cass love," he nodded, "But not in this case. She's an ex." "I was wondering why Helena was so happy," Cassie smiled, "Is she already playing matchmaker?" The Batman's stoic demeanour remained unphased despite this interrogation. "Cassandra, I don't ask you about your relationship with Kon-El," he pointedly addressed her, not moving a muscle, "Nor shall you ask about mine with Ms Madison." "Sorry I displayed an interest in your social life, Bruce," she laughed, "I thought we were friends now." "We are," he smiled back at her to disarm the situation, "But that doesn't mean we should have intimate discussions about our lovers in elevators with gossips like Constantine." "I am not-" he said before Cassie looked him in the eye and said, "Oh, take it on the chin." "As I was saying," Batman continued, "I'm not a shoulder to cry on. It's not the kind of thing I like to discuss with others." As Constantine chortled, Wonder Girl pinched the Dark Knight on the cheek.

"Ah, you're a big softie really Bruce."

"He bloody well is," Constantine said, "He just can't admit it. Me, I'm well hard." "No, you're not, John," Cassie interjected. "Nah, I'm not," he shrugged, "But I'm more heartless than either of you." "So heartless that you haven't once betrayed any of us to save your own skin" Wonder Girl looked at him knowingly through her cheeky tone, "Despite the many times you could have when we were time travelling?" "Yeah, well," he avoided eye contact with the Amazon, "I'm doing this for Alec." "The same Alec," Bruce continued, "Who you said and I quote, that you consider ungrateful despite all you had done for him before." "Well, I'm just being the bigger person, aren't I?" Constantine threw his hand up in defeat. "That's hardly heartless," Bruce rebutted as Cassie then pinched Constantine's cheek. "Aw, big Johnny, the softie," she said in a childish voice. "I'm gonna' curse the bloody pair of you if we don't get to the right door in a minute," he pledged with an embarrassed look.

Bruce knocked on the Kents door. Out popped Martha who didn't recognise any of them. "Um, hello," she said bemusedly looking them all up and down, "I think you must have the wrong house." "Martha, you know me," Bruce said enthusiastically. "Um, weren't you on television years ago? " Ma Kent adjusted her glasses, "You solved crimes in Florida or Hawaii. Somewhere hot." "Yeah, and I was in a successful punk band, love," Constantine laughed, trying to play games with the old woman. "Oh, you must be that Robert Plant fellow," she seemed excited, "Jon used to give me so much grief for liking the Zeppelin." "Mrs Kent, it's me," Cassie said taking her wig off. "Cassandra," Martha said hugging her tightly, "You're alive. I can't believe it. Conner said you were—" "He's not Conner," she told the old woman, and saw by the look in her eyes she didn't need to convince her of that, "But Conner is alive. We've been gone a lot longer than you think."

"Well, how's that?"

"Time travel, love," Constantine replied as they went inside and sat on the couch, "Mind if I smoke?" "Just while Lois and Clark are out," Ma wagged her finger at the Liverpudlian in faux disapproval, "They've gone for a walk and should be a few minutes." Martha then brought a pot of tea before them all. "So, who are your friends, Cassie?" she asked her younger adopted son's girlfriend. "Batman and the Hellblazer" Wonder Girl replied as she bit into a biscuit. "Oh…Bruce," Martha looked mortified in her embarrassment, "I didn't recognise you. You look…older." "I'm just wearing a disguise, Martha," he winked, "Don't worry." "And you've never met me before, love," Constantine puffed, "But I must say, your tea is even better than Jeeves' back in Gotham." "Thank you, Mr uh," Martha looked at the stranger with bewilderment.

"Constantine. John Constantine."

"Ah, Clark mentioned you before. Said you were a little…uncouth and hard to work with."

"Yeah, sounds about right. You've raised an honest lad there, Mrs K. Oh, speaking of which. Cass? Bruce? Shall I do the honours?"

They both nodded and Constantine placed his hand upon Martha's head and muttered some words in the language of the Endless. "There you are, love," he patted her on the shoulder before sitting back down, "Good as new." "Um, what did you just do?" the elderly lady inquired. "Removed you from Eddie Thawne's influence," he attempted to explain, "It's a long story." "Now, Cassandra, please," Ma Kent looked to the girl with pleading eyes, "What's happened to Conner and Kara?" "Slade Wilson attacked us at Titans Tower," she told her, "Nearly killed them, and took their powers away. We don't know for how long, but Ray Palmer thought it was unlikely they'd come back anytime soon. A few good people died. I think Clark should give this to Natasha Irons if he sees her again." Cassie moved the USB stick Steel had given her down the table. "Natasha?" Ma shook her head, "Why would he do that?" "Because her uncle is dead," Bruce replied, "He died saving all our lives from Parademons. Martha, the future is in terrible danger and unless we get your son's help to stop it, there won't be a world for your grandchildren to grow up in."

"So, things are back to normal then?"

"I…suppose so, yes."

"Well, it was bound to happen eventually."

"Mrs Kent…uh, this is hard for me to say, but when we arrived in the future," Cassie began, "And we met Clark as an old man...He was trying to lead this commune. They all died. Including him. Bruce is here with a letter that future Clark left for him. I know this is a lot to take in…" "I'm Superman's mother, Cassandra," Ma patted her by the hand, "I'm used to this stuff." "Makes one of us," Constantine said, taking a drag on his cigarette, "And I've seen some shite you wouldn't even begin to comprehend, Super-Gran." "But the thing is," Cassie continued, "We're not sure how much power Thawne has over Clark. It could be a lot more than we thought." "I see," Martha sighed, "So you don't want him to know you've dropped by." "Precisely," Bruce said, "We'll let John stay behind and surreptitiously leave spells to protect Clark, Lois and the children. But he's not to know myself and Cassandra came here if at all possible, in case he recognises us. Just to be on the safe side. I want you to tell him when we're gone, that we were here and that he needs to read the letter. John will leave as soon as possible, don't you worry." "I wanted to tell you something else, Martha," Cassie said, taking her hand, "Good news. Hopefully it won't matter for a while, but if we both make it through this, which at this point we can't really say anymore…Conner and I are engaged. We're going to get married."

Martha began sobbing a little bit with tears of joy at that news. "Oh, Cassandra. That's wonderful. After everything you poor youngsters have been through that means so much. But are you not rushing?" "Like we said, a lot more time passed for us than for you," she frowned thinking of the dead kids from her school, "All we had were the team we went through time with and each other. Changes your perspective on life a little." "You mean living a normal life?" Ma asked her. "Absolutely," Wonder Girl smiled. "That it does," Martha nodded, "It's not changed our Clark for the better I'm afraid. I do hope that somehow you can all stop him." "I'm afraid, Martha," Bruce said, putting his hand on the old woman's shoulder, "That will be impossible without Superman. I know it. The whole world knows it. We need him. So, please let Clark take this letter. Make sure he reads it. It might not do any good, but I know it will help him believe again." "I will, Bruce," she promised, "Don't worry."

Not long after that Bruce and Cassie left while Constantine cast a spell into the air of the apartment before leaving. When Clark and Lois arrived back from their walk they inhaled deeply. "New air freshener, Ma?" Clark asked as he took his coat off. "Hmm?" his mother was caught in a world of her own, "Oh, yes, yes. Uh, Clark there was some late mail for you this morning." She handed her son the letter. "Lois, you sit down," she fussed over her daughter-in-law, "I'll put on a pot of tea. You just let Clark read for a bit." Clark was bemused to see that it was his own handwriting on the envelope. And then when he opened the letter and read it, he was even more shocked.

Dear Clark,

Hello, old friend. It has been a long time since I saw you. Or since I've been you, I might say. If Bruce has been successful in getting back to his own time, hopefully this will have reached you before things begin to change for the worse. Before Thawne destroys everything that we believed in and built. That we did. That Superman did. In case you haven't guessed, my name is Kal-El, Brother of Krypton and nominal leader of the World of Tomorrow. In some ways, I am you. But in many ways far more important to me, I am not. Not anymore. I lost the right to be called Superman the day we handed our powers over to Eobard Thawne. The day we betrayed Earth.

Now I know you will be sceptical about this letter. So, I will tell you one thing that Bruce Wayne could not possibly know. I will tell him of the tale you have never told anyone. Of how when you first held a piece of Kryptonite in your hands, the pain was so great that you hallucinated seeing a tall man there. A tall man with black hair and blue eyes in blue and red tights. He held your hand and told you not to be afraid. Then you dropped the Kryptonite and walked home to Ma and Pa. Not giving it a second thought. That is a secret I likely by now have taken to my grave. And I know you will too, Clark.

In my time, the world was destroyed by everything Eobard Thawne did. He lost. We lost. The Earth fell. Nothing was ever the same again. I recovered from a fatal accident somehow and had my powers back. But by then it was too late. The world was no more. I made amends by helping people to build a community and live by the ideals of Superman. But this new world is cruel. Once again, I had to see good people die on my watch. I felt weak. I rarely used my powers. I felt guilty about being Superman. I hated myself for letting everyone down. Then Bruce and the others came. Travelling through time. I got to be a father to Conner. Hopefully, he's back with you now too and you can have that chance yourself. For all I know, by the time they all get back, if they get back, something can still be done to stop Thawne. But if not, you should still try your best to make sure my world doesn't happen.

As I write this, the prospect of my friends returning home seems less and likely, and they all seem happy in this new world. Even Bruce, believe it or not. I feel very helpless now, knowing I can do nothing. But you are not helpless, Clark Kent. You are the Last Son of Krypton. The Man of Tomorrow. And there is still a world for you to save. I can only pray that you do get this letter someday, and learn as I did only less harshly, to be Superman again.

Yours sincerely,

Brother Kal

P.S. Tell Lois you love her as soon as you're done reading this

"Who's it from, Smallville?" she asked, only to receive an extra warm hug from her much taller husband, "What's gotten into you, farm boy?" "I love you, Lois Lane," he sobbed. "And I love you, too," she moved a hand to his face to console him, "Who was that letter from?" "Bruce Wayne delivered it," Martha answered her, bringing out some tea, "It's from Clark, in the future." "What?" Lois was dumbstruck as Clark nodded his head. "Ma, Lois, you were right," he sighed, "We need to get Superman back. And I'm gonna' start by publishing that article on Thawne's trafficking. Every detail Jeff gave me is going down on print. I don't care what he tries. The Daily Planet isn't going to shy away from it. And neither is Clark Kent."

Xebel

Thirteen years had gone so fast in Xebel. Atlan had ensured that over all this time Garth and his wife and children had spent here, little to no time had passed in their own dimension. When asking Atlan why he had done this instead of just saving Arthur, Garth had only received the answer that Arthur would need a sufficient army for when he fought Thawne. An army to liberate him in the first place would be nice. Garth had swept to power quickly in Xebel with Atlan and Debbie's help. Debbie had held his hand the whole way through and when he had asked her why, she said, "My father trained me for this, Garth. The day in which Atlantis would rise from the waves and take its place among the nations of the Earth. First, it must make peace with the other dimension. And to do that, the people of Xebel would need a new queen and king to act as stewards until the unity of the crowns. He needed to find you first as all his visions foretold that we would have children together." "So that is why you were so desperate to be with me, Debbie?" Tempest asked his new wife, "Because your father told you to." "It was the original reason," she admitted, "Atlan taught me much wisdom as he taught you once. But…know that I have developed feelings for you, Garth. Mainly feelings of concern, I am afraid. You are a broken man. But I have known that you can be a great hero, even greater than Arthur if you try. I wish to be the rock that puts you firmly in place to be that hero."

"But does it not disturb you…being used just to procreate."

"That's pretty much all Atlan does. Sleeps with women to have children which push the history of our people ever onward. He did with Atlanna, with Marius and with my mother. No doubt we are not the only ones he's done it with."

"But you are not an immortal wizard, Debbie. Nor are you an object."

"What am I then, Garth?"

"You are Debbie Perkins! My wife. I swore to take you as my wife because of how kind you were to me and because Orm told me it would make you happy. Your strength has taught me that maybe in such arrangements love can still be found."

"My father says we must spend a while here ruling. A long while. It would be hard to do that with someone I didn't love."

"Debbie, please…you speak of nothing but duty now. You're more than that. So much more. When we first met you were a wild, young free spirit who wanted to embrace her parents' legacy. What did Atlan do to you?"

"Taught me to embrace duty when it comes forward. Like he did you."

"Well, we're going to be here for a while. So maybe you should be less dutiful and be the free spirit I knew in Orinopolis that showed me an uncommon kindness."

"I am still her. And I get that you want to know me. I love you, Garth. I just want you to love me back, I know that must be hard considering how we were forced together."

"Then I shall love you as you clearly love me, Debbie. For the sake of our own happiness, and that of our children, for once."

They had made this pact not long after arriving in Xebel. Debbie had been here with Atlan in the years since her disappearance with him. Dimension Aqua had been all but leaderless in Mera's absence. Her sister, Hila, had been out committing acts of terrorism in the real world. A small council led a land of anarchy. It had taken Garth a few years to tame it with his magic leading a small band of followers Atlan had given him from the people of the world. Atlan had had a deep and meaningful conversation with Garth one evening early on in the campaign. "Do you remember your parents, Garth?" the wizard inquired. "You know full well I don't, Atlan," Garth replied with derision, "You raised me before I was a teenager when Arthur began taking care of me. My parents were old having me and I was their only child. I mean, for Poseidon's sake, they had been together three decades and were unable to conceive. But then a miracle happened to King Thar and Queen Berra of Shayeris. They had a son. My father was killed by his brother, Slizzath before I was born. And my mother abandoned me due to the superstitions of the Atlanteans about my purple eyes. I never saw her again." Atlan didn't even flinch at all the inaccuracies Garth had told him. "Your mother did not marry your father," he told him drily and without a hint of dishonesty, "And they were not together for three decades. Your father had been married for three decades but his wife could not produce children. He took Berra as a lover. She was never his queen. Berra herself was also already married before her exile from her homeworld."

"Her homeworld?"

"Yes, her homeworld. Dimension Aqua. Now known as Xebel, after one of its great philosopher-kings of old."

"My mother was from Xebel?"

"Yes, and she was royalty. She was forced to marry her first cousin, the King, to keep the bloodline pure. Folly, I say. That incestuous line of thinking nearly led to the extinction of my family until I interceded and sired Orin on Atlanna. Without him, the Atlantean monarchy would have died out, and with no substitute for government, anarchy would have reigned. I could not allow that."

"The world does not need monarchy. My time on the surface taught me that."

"I agree. But Atlantis is a society that has not changed for millennia. Stagnant. It needs a firm hand like Orin's, who defies convention in almost every conceivable way, to rule them in order to bring any positive change. The same goes for Xebel. Look at what they have become without leadership."

Atlan was indeed right. This dimension was filled with corpses from years of civil war since Mera had left. A succession crisis brought about by what was perceived as Mera's treachery and the certain treachery of her twin sister, Hila. His children had wept in fear when they first made their way through these parts of the dimension. "You said my mother married a king here before she came to my world," Tempest asked his mentor, "What was his name?" "Ryus," Atlan told him dispassionately, "And with him she had twin daughters, years before you were born, with red hair." "Mera and Hila," Garth answered before the wizard could finish. "You are catching on quickly, Garth," Atlan smiled. "Mera is my half-sister," Tempest nodded to himself in some disbelief.

"Of course."

"Hmm, she was always like a mother to me. It's hard to see that in any other way."

"Your life and that of your family is far more complex than biological relationship at this point, I think."

"Absolutely."

"Berra fled King Ryus with my aid, you see. Xebel had been run along a breeding programme to create the perfect mage who could conquer our dimension since time immemorial. That would have been you had she remained Ryus' wife and he been your father. To continue the programme, Ryus decided that Mera should marry his first cousin, Nereus to do so. I engineered both your mother's escape from this dimension and Mera's falling in love with my son to prevent either event from occurring."

"How many people's lives do you play with?"

"I largely remained silent for thousands of years, Garth. It took the cries of the beautiful Queen Atlanna to make me realise I needed to intervene."

"Beautiful?"

"I may have lived longer than half your ancestors combined, boy, but my desires are still altogether...human...It helps to wed them to duty."

"Did you always intend for me to marry your daughter?"

"Not at first, but as things progressed it became inevitable. When you and Dolphin were married, I was happy to see you blossom in your love for her. But I could not foresee the actions of the Spectre and Alexander Luthor. It was after myself and Debbie barely survived that, and I lost my grandson, Koryak, that I endeavoured that you should marry Debbie. Likewise, I could not have foreseen the dead rising and taking your life. And so, I became determined to have Debbie wed Orm, loath as I am to permit such incest. Thankfully, you returned and she now had the wisdom and independence to take you as a husband instead."

"So, is that all your daughter is to you? A broodmare."

"Not at all. Like Orin and Orm, she serves a purpose. We are royals, Garth. Our lives are one of duty. Duty to those we swore to protect. I forgot that for a long time, and so did Orin. Orm never really knew it. But Debbie is very much my child. I do want her to be happy. And you being her husband is ideal in more ways than one."

"Why?"

"Because you will give her Xebel and you are a good man. I know you will be good to her, Garth, even if your heart's not in it."

"Give her Xebel? You want me to conquer this place."

"Not conquer. Claim your rightful position as the son of Queen Berra. There are those who have flocked to you already. Should you desire aid in any way, shape or form, I shall provide you with seven warriors from your homeworld myself and Doctor Fate have procured through magic to help defeat Eobard Thawne."

"I guess I don't have a choice."

And so, five years of consolidating his power and staking his claim as the son of Queen Berra became the life of Garth, Debbie and their children. Orin and Tula grew up being told by their tutors and, when he visited, their grandfather, Atlan, of how they were joint children of Atlantis and Xebel, just as any child of Arthur and Mera would be. Garth feared his children would become big-headed because of this, and Orin certainly was. Once the five years were up, Garth confronted in battle, Mera's betrothed, Nereus. Their duel was fierce, but Garth got the better of him. Barely. The army Nereus fought with was enough to overwhelm him, so he called forth Atlan, and the Seven Soldiers of Victory were unleashed into the fray. He was amazed to see the brilliant new fighters he had by his side in the Atom and Doctor Fate, as well as Frankenstein and Steel, who he discovered was the niece of the original. The Spectre put the fear of God into their foes, and Nereus was captured and imprisoned. Garth was crowned King of Xebel and Debbie his queen, with Orin named as Crown Prince. Things were going well for all involved.

Now, it had been eight years for Garth since that battle, and Atlan and the Seven Soldiers had returned to the Netherspace, saying they would return when Garth had prepared his army sufficiently to rescue Aquaman from Ocean Master and General Zod. Eight years of harsh militarism came to define Garth's reign. Something he had never wanted but which Atlan insisted was necessary, as Atlantis would need an army to stop Thawne as well. Garth became known as 'Garth the Just' in some circles and others as 'Garth the Iron'. To those who followed him unflinchingly they knew him by the title he had used as a superhero. Garth the Tempest. His children grew into teenagers and his marriage with Debbie, as he had promised her, finally became one of love. He moved on from his dreams of being reunited with Dolphin and Cerdian in Elysium and focused on saving the people he loved who still lived. How could he have known?

A day came when Garth, now with a long black beard and hair stood over his people, wearing a new blue scale outfit and nothing to signify his crown. He was Tempest in every way. "Dad," a fair voice came behind him. He turned to see his daughter, Tula. She had grown into a beautiful young woman, tall for her age, wearing a green armour resembling an Earth bikini, with large blades extending from her shoulders. He had asked her to take a heroic name when she did this. Her brother had taken their mother's old mantle of Deep Blue since he had inherited her blue skin, but Tula went by the name of Typhoon in honour of her father's being already drawn from a weather phenomenon. "My beautiful Tula," Garth said, walking up and kissing her on her dark hair, "How do you fare?" "Grandfather is here," she sighed sadly and Garth's face fell. Atlan had promised to never return until the time was right for New Atlantis to be liberated. Garth had grown somewhat content ruling Xebel with his wife and two children by his side. He felt a selfish anger rise in him knowing that like with Elysium he would be ripped untimely from his own happiness again.

"Dad, are you okay?" Tula asked. "I am fine, my whirlwind," he reassured her, "It is just…your grandfather always brings bad tidings. Tidings which mean our peace will be disturbed. Then again, maybe it is for the best my people live up to what I have trained them to do. I have made them unhappy with this constant preparation for war." "The people love you, Dad," his daughter spoke with the understanding and wisdom he had come to expect of her despite her young age, "They are used to worse than what you have given them. The people know you as a liberator." "Yes, at least by the council," Tempest laughed at himself a tad, "They promote me as something more than I am. What do you think I am, Tula?" "You are my father," the princess replied diplomatically yet from the heart, "A noble and kind man with a heart of gold who has ruled Xebel wisely and justly. I am sure when we finally meet Uncle Arthur, he will be very proud of you."

Atlan then walked in with a young, blonde child who had the eyes of a sage despite the fact he could not have even been ten. Garth recognised him immediately. "AJ? he was stunned." "Dad, who is this boy?" Tula asked. "He's your cousin," he told his daughter, "Arthur and Mera's son. Aquaman of the Netherspace." "I am not Aquaman," the boy said, sounding older than his physical age, "I am his son. And more than anything I want my mother and father to be safe." "And more than anything, my lad," Garth said walking towards him and kneeling down, "They want you in their lives. Has Doctor Fate deactivated the time spell, Atlan?" "Indeed, he has," his father-in-law drawled, "Your majesty." "Good," Garth stood to attention, "Then the armies of Xebel will ride for Orinopolis, and liberate Arthur Curry and the heroes of Atlantis."

Delaware

Chris and Thara had been going from town to town in the area outside Metropolis for days on end. Eventually they arrived at a truck stop and asked for Jamie Harper, giving a general description of the woman from what Lois had told her. Eventually they found a shopkeeper with the right information. "I don't know no Jamie Harper, ma'am," the man informed them, "I do know a Jim Harper lives around these parts. He's one o' them blow-ins from Metropolis. City slickers who feel they need the country air 'cos they can't stand the crowding. Hair's kinda' auburn. Real, shaggy beard. I'd say he's about thirty-five or thereabouts. He comes in about once a fortnight, buys a lot of supplies. He's one of them survivalist woodsmen types. I think he lives about twenty miles up the mountain in that old, log cabin. Not much of a talker but he mentioned working for those Cadmus people once about six months back. Can't remember why." "Thank you, sir," Chris nodded to the gentleman as he and Thara headed outside with the local paper. Their civilian disguises of course involved pairs of glasses. "It's the best lead we have," Thara told him, "Except we're looking for a black woman in her twenties who used to be a cop, not a white guy in his thirties with brown hair." "It's the closest name to Jamie Harper we've got," Chris reminded her, "And we've got to do right by Mon-El. We do owe him."

"Thawne was right about you, lover boy."

"How's that?"

"You really are a bit like Kal-El. Too good to be true."

"You love me really though."

"I do."

As the evening drew in and dusk had long since passed, Chris and Thara climbed the slope of the nearby mountain. It was solitary, with no range nearby which made many suspicious. No one except Superman, Jimmy Olsen and the Newsboy Legion really knew that Darkseid had fashioned it as a base for the Evil Factory when they were trying to rival Project Cadmus. The two lovers flew down to a nearby dune and saw a small log cabin surrounded by barbed wire with an empty rocking chair at the front. There was a pickup truck parked outside. The log cabin didn't seem to have any lights on. Then they felt something. Something that made them feel weak. Kryptonite. As they collapsed in pain, they were both lifted up by a man wearing a Kryptonite ring. "Saw you two flying from my crow's nest," he said, "Figured I'd need this." "You figured right," Chris muttered. "Kryptonians," the man had auburn hair and a red, scraggly beard, "I've worked with a few of your kind before. And since this 'Superman' pretending to be Kon-El is in the Justice League, I can't trust any of your kind if you don't mind."

"Well, that is fair. I'm Chris by the way."

"And I'm his mate, Thara."

"We say girlfriend here, dear."

"Oh, yeah. Such an impractical word. I mean what about your friends who are girls."

"Wow, your lady really is fresh off the boat...or should I say, ship," the man said as he led them towards the cabin, which was bare. He dropped them both on the ground, and pulled a light switch away. Entering a combination on the keypad behind it, a trapdoor opened leading to a steel-clad entrance. Their captor opened the steel door with his keys. "Gwen, Jamie, we've got company," he said in a warning tone, "Let's see if they're friendly." The man dragged the two Kryptonians down to the cellar below. "This Kryptonite does wonders," he smiled, offering a hand to the boy, "I'm Jim Harper by the way." A black woman carrying a baby with a young blonde-haired girl by her side came up to them. "Jim, that's Nightwing and Flamebird," the woman told him.

"Is it? You trust them then?"

"Yes, now let them go."

"Good to see you, Jamie," Chris thanked her as Jim put the Kryptonite ring in a nearby lead drawer. "I'll leave you all to it, if you're sure, Jamie," Jim asked with a raised eyebrow. "We're fine. Go back to patrol," she said, and her uncle promptly left, "You're both looking good. Last I saw of Thara you were blown up. Though the way I hear it now people are coming back to life out of nowhere." "Yeah, well, you can thank Eddie Thawne for my return," Thara said with a tone denoting regret and suspicion. "I'm sorry about that," Jamie replied with a slight hug. They could see the baby had dark skin like her mother, but a shock of black hair and blue eyes, distinctively showing she was Mon-El's daughter. "Mon never mentioned," Chris began. "Yeah, well he didn't know," she told him, "I only found out not long after he left. Her name's Maya Kent. Mon went by Jonathan Kent when I knew him, so…I thought it appropriate." The blonde girl was shyly by her side. "And this is my cousin, Gwen," she told them, "Jim's girl." "Jim's your uncle?" Chris queried. "Grand-uncle, yeah," Jamie sighed, "It's a long story." "She's gorgeous," Thara noted tousling Gwen's hair while Chris took the infant from Jamie. "I suppose since Mon-El is basically my uncle this makes her my cousin," he said to her mother, not taking his eyes from the child, "She's very beautiful, Jamie. Now, we must get you two to Gotham."

"Gotham? Why? We're safe here."

"Why are you out here?" Thara asked, "All this security seems unnecessary. Did you not want Mon to find the child?" "No, that's not it at all," she sighed, "I'd love for him to meet her. It's just that Thawne is hunting metahumans. And I know she's not exactly metahuman, but she's a hybrid. She hasn't shown any signs yet, but she could have powers like her father. Uncle Jim and I decided to skip town with Gwen and we got to Hub City. I was a cop for a while. Got maternity leave. But not long before she was going to be born, Jim heard about the metahuman kidnappings from Black Lightning. We tried to get to him and the Outsiders, but there was an ambush. We all had to scarper. Uncle Jim took a few knocks and so did some of my friends on the force who tried to protect us. We left town in an old pickup truck and just kept driving until we got to Metropolis. I had Maya here in this cellar with Gwen and Jim looking over me. We keep the radio on, but no internet or anything. Don't want Intergang finding us and selling Maya here as a slave. Or worse. From what Jim tells me, they're taking the babies down to Kansas and bringing them to that weird temple they built over Smallville. No one's ever been inside, but they say it's some kind of labour camp for metahumans. It's horrible."

"We can get you all safely to Gotham though," Chris said, "From what my Mom told us it's safe there. We've been meaning to head that way for a while now. Dad's more than useless at the moment but Batman's building an army. And he's giving a home to anyone who wants it. Trying to get people to come back to the city. They've begun rebuilding the bridges using Wayne Foundation money. Problem is Wayne Enterprises are still out of town. But it doesn't matter. Wayne had millions saved in Batman Inc. and the Wayne Foundation. You, Jim, Gwen and Mia can all have a safe place to stay. If me and Thara found this place, Intergang can't be far behind. Gotham is safe. It's full of heroes right now. Please, come with us." Jamie reluctantly nodded and grabbing Gwen's hand began whispering to her cousin of how everything was going to be alright. Once Jim was informed, he loaded everything in the pickup truck and Chris and Thara lifted it up with all therein and flew in the direction of Gotham City.

Gotham

Garfield Logan woke up scratching at his fur several times in the middle of the night thinking about what Kalibak and the Parademons did to him. Being as empathic as she was, his girlfriend, Rachel Roth, found this very disturbing. "Are you okay?" she would always ask, and his reply would usually be the same. "Yeah," he lied, "Just night terrors about the New Gods. Nothing compared to what happened to you." "Desaad only unleashed my true self," his lover looked away from him. "You can't think like that, Rae," Gar placed her chin in his hand, "That's like me thinking I'm really an animal like they wanted me to." "We won't solve this here tonight, Gar," she said, looking to her hands, "And you know it." "I know," he said kissing her forehead goodnight, "And I'm sorry for waking up." "Never apologise for feeling bad, Gar," she whispered and when she realised he was asleep added, "Or for being here for me."

A portal opened up not long after their conversation, in the middle of the road outside. From it exited the entire army of the resistance who had survived the attack by the new Suicide Squad on Joan Garrick's funeral. They needed to report to base immediately. But most of them were very distressed. Particularly Jesse Chambers and her husband, Rick Tyler, who had no idea yet what had become of her mother and their son. "I didn't see her after everything," Jesse said worriedly, "One of them could have gotten her." "It'll be alright," Rick unassuredly attempted to comfort her, "As soon as we get to Batman's place, we're going to contact her home. They'll both be okay." Renee, Kate and Bette limped to Leslie Thompkins' clinic while Freddy Freeman said goodbye to Jay Garrick. "I am glad you got to take Joan to the Rock of Finality, Jay," he told the old stalwart of the Golden Age, "You all should contact Black Adam as soon as possible. He can provide some help in a future fight." "We will," Jay reassured the young man, "Don't worry. And thank you, Freddy, for saving all our lives as well as letting Joan have a respectable send off." "I am afraid all I can do for now is save life," he solemnly said, bowing his head, "Now I must return to my duty. Lord Zeus calls me to his side at Mount Olympus." Captain Marvel then vanished with the portal behind him. Billy and Mary stayed behind, the latter reaching slightly, wanting to comfort Freddy over how pained he must feel at this forced inaction.

"It's so good to have you back, Bart," Jay said putting an arm around his surrogate grandson, "When this is over, we'll have a talk with that grandfather of yours and put everything to rights. Maybe your dad and your aunt aren't beyond salvation." "Thanks Jay," Bart said, looking a little worse for wear since he had been knocked out, "I hope you'll like Rose, by the way. She's my girlfriend." "Yes, you mentioned from your time lost in the vortex," the old man beamed, "I'm sure she's wonderful, Bart." Everyone there eventually made their way to a safe place to stay and report back to the leadership. A leadership for the resistance as opposed to that of the city. The leadership of the Resistance being Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Cassie Sandsmark sitting as a tribunal at Wayne Tower. The three of them met with Jay Garrick and Jefferson Pierce at dawn. "You mean to say," Bruce began, "That Zauriel was able to stop this destruction and that Thawne may or may not have more satellites like this." "Zauriel died," Jeff added, "So that this weapon couldn't be used against the rest of the world. Against Thawne's other enemies. Like yourselves." "He will be honoured with the rest of the fallen when this is all over," Bruce solemnly informed him. "Isn't that a little callous, Bruce?" Jay asked. "A lot of people have died, Jay," Cassie soberly put in, "We're going to have to forestall mourning until then."

"It's not right," Jeff said moving his hand over his head, "A lot of good young people are dead now. Thanks to Thawne." "Yeah, well we can't give up, Jeff," Dick added, "For our kids. I hope your family's okay." "They're fine thanks, Dick," Black Lightning nodded, "They're just fine. By the way…no offence, Dick but why is a former Robin sitting where Superman should be on a Trinity." "Because the Superman Family are all but gone," Bruce defended his position, "And Cassie represents Diana with my blessing. Dick is the closest thing we have to a follower of Superman here who isn't useless." Cassie didn't even flinch when he referred to her boyfriend and his cousin as useless. Conner and Kara were wonderful people, but they weren't as suited to leadership as Clark might be, even with their powers. Maybe Kara if the situation demanded it, but they weren't desperate enough to leave someone untested in charge just yet. "You're welcome to take his place, Jeff," Cassie said in a confrontational manner, "But from what we've heard your covert operations haven't been going too smoothly." "Thawne's gotten clever," he replied.

"Plenty of our enemies are clever, Jefferson," Bruce retorted, "We outsmart them, like always." "Don't give me that, Bruce," the former teacher shook his head, "You should know by now this guy is two steps ahead." "I know," the Dark Knight reminded him, "And that's why I'm glad your team are all here. All we need now are Arthur and Diana and we have an army." "An army?" Jay asked, "You mean we're going to go to war with Thawne." "He's already gone to war with us, Jay," Batman continued, "This is a question of self-defence. We've made Gotham a haven for those who would resist him. A fortress. We're just waiting for him to send his army here and kill us all." "You sure that's his plan?" Jeff queried. "No," their host shook his head, "But it's what I'd do." "No offence, Bruce," Jeff began, "But Thawne's done a lot of things so far not even you saw coming." "I didn't," he conceded, "But someone did. And I'd love to know who." Jeff put his hand out in disbelief to halt the conversation. "Wait, wait, wait," the old teacher laughed, "You think there's some kind of third party at work here?" "I'm certain, Jeff," Bruce replied, "You said Freddy Freeman got his powers restored? But how? How did Thawne not see that coming? Or more importantly, how did Shazam? Maybe it's the Spectre. Personally…I think the Entity is working against Thawne. It likes leaving tasks for heroes. Maybe someone like Freddy is just the champion it needed. Or one of many."

"Have you any evidence?"

"Not a shred. But there are things happening that are beyond his control. And unless it's the Spectre it's got to be the Entity."

"Or something we don't know yet?"

"Well…there is something you two haven't heard about."

"What's that?"

"When myself, Wonder Girl and the others were trapped in time…we saw the New Gods reborn. Mr Miracle and Barda are here with Orion and their children. But it was the evil ones we fought. Kalibak, Desaad, Granny Goodness and the rest. And I fear…they may have resurrected Darkseid in our absence."

"You mean…he's back?" Jeff said his nails digging into the leather of the chair he sat in, remembering how a helmet containing the Anti-Life Equation had been shoved onto his head, turning him into a Justifier. That's not something one forgets so easily. "You see, Jeff," Batman sighed, "I hope it's the Entity because I don't want it to be Darkseid. I really, really don't. For the sake of everyone we care about. I don't want to play into his hands again." Meanwhile, across the other side of town Chris Kent and Thara Ak-Var lowered the pickup truck containing the Harper family down into Park Row. They found themselves being met by Green Arrow and Black Canary, the latter having been crying her eyes out in mourning for Ted Grant the night before. "Um, can we help you?" Ollie asked bemusedly. "Hello, Oliver, Dinah," Chris smiled, "I'm Chris Kent. Clark and Lois' son." "Oh, the boy they took in from the Phantom Zone?" Ollie queried as Dinah nodded, "You're looking…well. Why are you two here?"

"Chris and I wish to join the ranks of the resistance against Thawne. And we've brought some people we swore to someone we cared about that we'd protect with us."

As Thara gestured behind her, Jamie walked out carrying Maya with Jim and Gwen behind her. Ollie and Dinah struggled to recognise her, but she seemed very shocked to see a man flying behind them. Mon-El himself. The father of her child. "Jonathan?" she said with disbelief. Mon-El was likewise shocked. "Hello, Jamie," he spoke bemusedly, "It's…. good to see you. It's been a very long time." "You're telling me," she laughed in disbelief. "No, no…you don't understand," Mon-El was bereft at trying to explain, "For you, it's been a while. For me…it's been a millennium." Jamie began laughing when she looked to Chris and Thara, who were likewise surprised to see Mon, nodding. "I'm afraid it's true, Jamie," Chris said, "We didn't know he was here but…Mon-El leaves the Phantom Zone in the 30th century. He gets cured of his disease and joins a team called the Legion of Super-Heroes. Somehow, the Mon from that time is here now." Mon flew down to Jamie and took Maya from her arms. "Is she mine, Jamie?" he asked genuinely, seeing the bluish black hair and blue eyes contrasting the dark skin. "She's got your eyes anyway," Jamie laughed. She then moved in for a kiss but Mon backed away. "I'm sorry, Jamie, but…I'm happily married in my own time," he sadly informed her, "You'd been dead for hundreds of years, so…"

Jamie did seem upset at hearing that and Mon gave her a hug. "I never forgot you, nor thought I'd ever see you again," he reassured her, "Let alone you'd have my child, but it's so wonderful to see you and her here. What is her name?" "Maya," she nodded, "Maya Kent. I called her that since you said you were a Kent." "And he is," Chris reminded her with all seriousness, wanting Mon to be as much a part of the Kent family as he felt he was. "I know he is, thanks," she smiled to the boy before turning back to Mon, "Do you like her?" "I adore her, Jamie," Mon smiled holding the infant up to his face. "Good," she breathed a sigh of relief, "I was thinking you might not care for her. That you didn't care about me because I'm human." "I don't know what could make you think that, Jamie," Mon said in that cold accent of his, "I am sorry we cannot make more of this." "This wife of yours," Jamie fidgeted, avoiding eye contact, "She must be something." "Tasmia is my world," he sadly affirmed, "And I have a great desire to return to her. I'm sure you'd like her and I'm sure Maya will too." Jamie seemed overcome by her emotions as Jim held her tight. Mon felt a twinge of happiness mixed with regret seeing how this time-crossed relationship had worked out for the worst.

Amanda Waller's Safehouse, Arlington, Virginia

Lex Luthor walked downstairs into the basement of his safehouse with Lucy Lane once she arrived. Thaddeus Sivana was already hard at work on the specimen below them. Someone who would be essential to their cause. "You're certain you have the information you need on Eiling, Lex?" Lucy asked having just given him as much as she could combined with Waller's own info. "Oh, absolutely, Lucy," he nodded, "These accounts will come in very handy, as well as former President Suarez's daughter's medical history. Not to mention all the reports of her husband's activities in public toilets. Oh, politicians and their kin have to be so squeaky clean, don't they? Nation of puritanical perverts. I learned that paradox long ago. Thawne needs to know there's always more dirt beyond the surface level stuff. It's invaluable."

The basement they entered was full of electrical lighting with Sivana watching a tube in front of them made of iron vibrate. "Is he done yet, Thaddeus?" Lex asked. "In a minute, Lex," the scientist barked back in that nasal tone of his, "I'd recommend caution though. Healing a head wound like that even with cybernetics as good as Stone's could leave him…traumatised." "Nothing I can't handle. Let him out," Lex ordered Sivana who reluctantly pressed a button releasing the clamps on the tube. A metallic hand reached out from it. "We can work on skin grafts," Lex noted as an old man with a partly metal head walked out in front of them, "Lucy, say hello to your father." Sam Lane reared his head up and stroked it with his metallic hand in confusion at his own existence. "Where am I?," he asked, a jagged metallic edge to every word, "Lex? Lucy? Ah, I take it the world needs me once more, Mr President."

"Indeed, it does, Samuel. Indeed, it does."