The Campbell Chronicles Part Two

Chapter 9

Nicholas Campbell floated curled into a ball at the sun's center, wisps of fire curling around his body. An oval-shaped orb of light glowed near his heart, spreading thick threads of energy throughout his body that traced every limb like the branches of a tree.

From these threads, thinner paths of white snaked their way toward the surface of his skin and pulled in the fire that crawled around his body.

Nicholas's eyes snapped open, yellow irises glowing a bright gold as he slowly turned to stare at Cradle.

–XX –

Alexi, Penelope, Wanda, and Jinks entered the conference room to find Pamela, Bailey, Gaia, Logan, Roslyn, Hazel, Emma, and Forge seated at the table. Alexi moved to the head of the table and placed a hand on the back of the chair before leaning forward, "Thank you for coming on such short notice; I called you all here because I've recently been made aware of a threat not only to Cradle but also to the earth."

Logan leaned back in his chair, picking his teeth with the bone extruded from his finger, "If it's so important, where's the kid."

Penelope, Jinks, Alexi, and Wanda looked at each other.

Wanda opened her mouth to speak but was cut off when the door flew open and banged against the wood-paneled walls.

Nicholas strode into the room, dressed in a gray two-piece suit with a pale blue T-shirt underneath. He ran a hand through his hair and flashed them all a tired smile: "Sorry I'm late. Building that town, city, whatever you want to call it for the Skrulls took more energy than I thought, so I had to go to the sun and recharge."

Logan's nostrils flared, "that explains the smell." He looked at Nicholas, "like ozone and lightning just before it strikes."

"Okay," Nicholas began slowly. "I know I'm late. Where are Scott and Ororo?" He turned to his mother. I heard you say this was a threat to Cradle and Earth. Shouldn't he be here as our security head?"

"I just confirmed Ororo's pregnancy." Emma pushed her glasses up on her face, "so they went home to celebrate."

"We won't bother them then," Nicholas turned to Jinks. "Hello cousin, long time no see. It's good to know you're still alive," he turned back to his mother. Now, what's this threat to Cradle?"

"Jinks," Alexi began gesturing to the green-skinned woman, "recently escaped from a Kryptonian city hidden in the Amazon jungle. It was being run by a government agent named Amanda Waller."

"Amanda was working with scientists Thomas Oscar Morrow, Matthew Thorne, Dabney Donovan, and Anthony Ivo to create an android using Kryptonian technology and alien DNA collected from Cadmus."

"How did that happen?" Hazel Donovan, the head of intelligence, asked. Energy flared around her hands as she molded her psychic energy into a notepad and pen.

Jinks released a breath. "I tried to change Amanda by having her review her life choices while fusing her with the android. I then used a locket made from her husband's remains and pulled his spirit back from the afterlife to be her conscience. However, I underestimated her desire for control."

Removing his bone pick from his mouth, Logan sat up, "So you created a new threat to not only the world but Cradle."

Penelope stepped forward, her mouth open to defend her daughter, but Logan waved his hand, "Relax, I'm just making sure I understand everything; the government does this sort of thing all the time, so we can't judge her too harshly."

Forge stood to his feet from his spot at the far end of the table, "If we help with the city, what's to be done with it? Can we keep the information we recover?"

Jinks bit her lip as she glanced around the room, "Well, as the only Kryptonian I can currently locate, this should really be Superman's decision, but since he doesn't know about the existence of the city, and in forming him would be like informing the rest of the Justice League…"

Pamela raised an eyebrow. "If the government has captured you, how do you know about the Justice League?"

"Just because I've been on ice for 50 years doesn't mean my powers don't work; when someone got close enough to my prison, I copied the knowledge from their minds."

Emma Frost looked at Hazel, "Can you do that?"

Nicholas ran a hand down his face and sighed, "We can decide what to do with the city after we kill Amanda Waller."

Everyone stopped talking and looked at him.

"You want to kill Amanda Waller," Pamela asked.

"She Just gained the power to be a threat to anything she doesn't agree with," Nicholas turned to look at Jinks, "do you know what the original android could do?"

"I know they used some Kryptonian DNA, along with an alien that could regenerate and a bit of my own, but I don't know if that means she would have similar powers or if all of the DNA together would mutate into something else completely."

Nodding, Nicholas turned to Pamela and Gaia, "Can you work together to move the trees out of the way and raise the city from earth? If you do that, we can put it in orbit around the planet."

Pamela shared a look with Gaia before turning to Nicholas, "We could, but it would be noticeable."

He looked at Hazel and asked: "Can you ensure the locals don't remember us moving a giant city?"

"I can, but that won't stop electronics from seeing it rise into the air."

Hazel looked at Forge, "Can we use Cradle's systems to hack into the Earth's satellite system to make sure they don't notice us moving the city?"

"I'll need Arcanna's help, but it's doable."

Alexi nodded, and Pamela asked Roslyn, "Can you help us lift the city."

Roslyn nodded, turning to Logan, "Can you watch Liam?"

"Sure," leaning forward, he kissed her lips.

With that settled, Nicholas clapped his hands, "I think we should get things started."

Everyone stood and began leaving the room, but as Nicholas went to follow, Penelope grabbed him and turned him around. "You are different," she said narrowing her eyes. What's wrong with you?"

Sighing, Nicholas moved to the chair at the head of the table, spun it around, and sat down, "My body is going through a metamorphosis in the sun."

Wanda stared forward into his eyes, "Then how are you here?"

Nicholas raised a hand and made a fist, "I used some of the energy I absorbed from the sun and created a vessel for my mind."

"So," Alexi began, "what does this mean?"

"Until my body is done changing, my powers will be limited," Nicholas said. "Now, come on, we have a city to raise."

–XX –

Nicholas descended into the atmosphere and emerged over the Amazon jungle. Closing his eyes, he reached out with his mind, "Is everyone in position?"

Pamela floated in the air at 8 o'clock, her red hair flowing behind her in the breeze, her emerald eyes glowing with power. "I'm ready," Raising her arms. The sound of creaking wood split the air as trees bent away from the city in a large circle.

At the 4 o'clock position, Gaia spread her arms wide. Dust shot into the air as the ground around the city split, following the path of Pamela's circle.

Gaia's forehead wrinkled in concentration, her lips formed a thin line, and sweat popped on her brow as the earth shifted. Her arms shook as it slowly rose into the air.

Releasing a breath, a layer of pale blue energy covered the earth and the city, holding it together as it rose higher. Stretching out a hand to help his focus, Nicholas reached out with his mind, "Forge, Arcanna, how are things on your end?"

–XX –

Forge stood in a half-circle of holographic screens, staring at the ones and zeros that flowed across them.

Arcanna stood slightly behind Forge, blue-white energy rising from her fingers to connect to the screens.

Ones and zeros flickered, resolving into an image of the Amazon jungle, with the alien city rising into the air.

Forge flicked his fingers, and a green wireframe overlayed the city. With another flick, the town, Pamela, Gaia, and Nicholas disappeared.

"Alright, we're into the world's satellite systems; I have deleted the data of the city rising and the people causing it."

"Roslyn, the city is about to reach the upper atmosphere. Prepare to take it from Nicholas and the others."

–XX –

Thomas Oscar Morrow swayed as the city shook and dust rained from the ceiling, "What's happening?"

Dabney Donovan moved over to a terminal. With a few quick taps on the keyboard, an image of the clear blue sky appeared on a thin glass panel, "The city is rising into the air."

"I can see that," Amanda shouted, veins bulging on her neck and spittle flying from her mouth, "I want to know how it happened."

Moving his hand, Donovan changed the view on the screen, revealing four people forming a pyramid around the city.

Thomas moved to another terminal, and with a few quick keystrokes, the faces of three empty squares side-by-side on another screen ran through different features. "I've identified two of them; one is the supervillain known as Poison Ivy, also known as Pamela Isley. The other is a woman called Roslyn Grey, and there's not much in the system about her."

Amanda moved forward, her hands folded behind her back, her muscles pressing against the black skintight suit as she stared at the other two faces. She pointed to the green-haired male, "His name is Nicholas. He stopped my operations before," her face twisted into a frown. "But how did he know about the city?"

Matthew Thorne moved to stand beside Thomas, "The obvious answer is whatever was in that ice told him."

Dabney Donovan glanced at Amanda, the light reflecting off his round black glasses, "We're about to reach the upper atmosphere."

Amanda's hand twitched as she instinctively reached for the detonator to explode the bombs in their skulls, only for her hand to meet the side of her skintight suit. Cursing, she glared at the three of them, "Set the city to explode, teleport out, and we'll regroup later."

Suddenly, the screens winked out and went dark.

Moments later, the lights cut off.

"what's happening?"

"Someone has hacked the systems," Thomas answered, "we're locked out."

With a scream, Amanda shot into the air.

Crossing her arms over her head, she blasted through the ceiling.

Thomas Oscar Morrow, Dabney Donovan, Anthony Ivo, and Matthew Thorne looked at each other.

Matthew Thorne reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver sphere, "Meet me in Gotham, and I will remove the bombs from your skulls."

"Why Gotham?" Dabney Donovan asked, rolling his sphere along his fingers.

"I have an old lab set up there." Clenching his hand into a fist, Matthew Thorne disappeared in a flash of light.

Sharing one last look, the others followed.

–XX –

Nicholas flinched as something slammed through his energy barrier.

"Amanda just left the city."

Amanda curved the wind whipping around her body as she angled herself towards Poison Ivy. With a flex of her muscles, she shot towards the eco-terrorist.

Nicholas blurred forward, appearing before Pamela as Waller drove her fist forward. Her fist slammed into his chest, driving him back.

Pamela flew out from behind Nicholas and began circling the city to join up with Gaia. As she flew, she mentally reached out to Roslyn. "Roslyn, prepare to lift the city, Nicholas has engaged Waller."

Roslyn shot down from the sky, her body burning with a white aura. Stopping just above the city's tallest point, she spread her arms wide. The white aura around her body transformed into hundreds of translucent white chains.

The chains shot down, fastening around the city in a diamond-like pattern.

Roslyn grunted as the weight of the city began to pull her down, her blonde hair flowing out behind her as she gritted her teeth.

White fire burst from her back, transforming into majestic wings.

With a force of will, they began frantically flapping, generating incredible heat.

A scream split the air as the city slowly began to rise.

–XX –

Nicholas clapped his left hand around Amanda's wrist, a smile spreading across his face.

"How does it feel to become the very thing you hated?"

"Shut up!" On instinct, Amanda opened her hand, fingers splayed.

Nicholas's eyes widened as energy began swirling from his body and into Amanda's palm.

Wisps of pale blue energy began to crawl across her body.

Raising both feet, Nicholas slammed them into Waller's chest, sending her shooting backward as he released her wrist.

'Forge, note; Amanda Waller can now absorb energy.'

Breathing in through his nose, Nicholas reached out, grabbing hydrogen and oxygen particles and slamming them together. Tornadoes twisted into existence around Waller, driving her toward the earth.

Swinging his fist upward, earthen limbs shot from the ground, slamming into Amanda Waller's body and sending her high into the sky once more.

Breathing out, Nicholas twisted the air around him while absorbing its heat.

The Arctic wind swept over Amanda Waller, chilling her skin as it wrapped around her, creating a condensed sphere of cold. Her body began to shake as it fought to stay warm, but she knew she was losing the fight. Her thoughts were becoming sluggish.

Nicholas flicked his fingers, adding water to the sphere.

In an instant, Amanda Waller was encased in a ball of ice.

Nicholas shot downward, his body becoming energy as he fought to get beneath the orb and catch it. Just as he reached the underside of the sphere, a flaming circle appeared beneath it.

There was no way to slow the sphere, and he was unwilling to enter a strange portal. Nicholas pulled away from the sphere, watching it disappear in the circle of flames.

A wave of heat and the smell of brimstone filled Nicholas's senses as the portal faded.