The Campbell Chronicles Part Two

Chapter 14

In a flash of energy that twisted in upon itself, Nicholas, Martian man Hunter, Superman, Cyborg, and the Flash appeared on the platform in the center of Foliage. Eugene Donovan stood slightly behind them, his hands resting on Nicholas's shoulders.

Elaine Lancaster's eyes widened as she saw her husband lying on the ground motionless. She sprinted forward, dropping to her knees at his side, her purple eyes locking on Nicholas, "What happened?"

"Amanda Waller attacked the Hall of Justice, draining Cyborg, Martian man Hunter, the Flash, and Superman of the powers." Breaking eye contact with Elaine, Nicholas reached out with his mind, "Grandma, Emma, you are needed in foliage; we have injured heroes in need of treatment."

Nicholas turned back to Elaine and said, "Some people are on their way to take Flash and the others to the Science Citadel for treatment." Nicholas bent down and scooped Superman into his arms.

Elaine sprang to her feet, pink energy boiling around her. Her eyes flared with power. "What are you doing?"

"Superman's cells are more robust than the others; his powers should return with a concentrated blast of solar energy."

Before Elaine could react, Nicholas turned into a beam of pale blue light and shot into the air.

–XX –

Nicholas shot through the void of space, Superman cradled in his arms as stars twinkled around him.

Immense heat and radiation buffeted him as the sun's orange light caressed his skin.

He had considered opening himself up to his actual body within the sun and following some of the energy it was bathing in to become the man of steel. Still, he could feel his body changing. Part of him feared what he would become and that he would lose himself if he opened up to those changes.

Spinning in the air, Nicholas allowed the man of steel to slip free from his grasp.

As he drifted away, Nicholas grabbed him by the wrist and spun. Nicholas released him when they were nothing more than a blur of color.

The unconscious Kryptonian hurtled towards the sun.

Nicholas watched the man of steel hit the surface of the sun and disappear.

Shifting into a cross-legged position, Nicholas formed a circle with his hands and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled the radiation and heat which bathed his body. From within, a pale blue-white light lit his body.

–XX –

Penelope Campbell sprinted down the halls of the science Citadel, her blonde Bob bouncing as she pulled a gurney containing the mangled remains of Cybor, a.k.a. Victor Ston,e along with him. Herr blonde Bob bounced as she turned a corner and nearly lost control of the gurney.

Righting the gurney, Penelope wheeled Victor over to a green bulb-shaped tank. Spreading her arms wide, the tank split down the middle.

Green tentacles reached out, wrapping around Cyborg's body and gently lifting him into the air. They withdrew, pulling him inside the tank.

Screens flickered to life before Penelope's pale blue eyes.

With a twitch of her fingers, she manipulated the screens, and the tank shifted, transforming into a translucent green-tinged material.

Victor floated inside the tank, his body folded into a fetal position. Bubbles floated within the tank as the electronics of Victor's body began to dissolve, and new bone and tissue began to take their place.

–XX –

Barry Allen, a.k.a. the Flash, lay on a stone slab, his chest slowly rising and falling.

Emma Frost stood over him, holographic screens around her in a half circle.

Alexi Summers entered the top, followed by Arianna Jones, "What do get?"

Emma glanced away from the screens, their light reflecting off her glasses, "According to our records, he gained his powers after being struck by extra-dimensional lightning. The lightning has been forcibly removed from his cells, causing them to rupture."

Arcanna waved her hand, and the Flash's suit disappeared, leaving only his mask and underwear.

Broken blood vessels spread across his body like a spider web. Some were connected to large bruises, while others seemed to vanish.

Alexi moved to stand beside him, red threads blossoming out of the Flash's body as she raised her hands. Her eyes flicked to each thread, looking at their possibilities, "So, what are our treatment options?"

Emma raised a pale blonde eyebrow, "You tell me?"

Alexi raised a hand to her chin, "The way I see it, there are three options. Number one, we give him the Phoenix's rebirth serum to repair the damage to his cells, then use the residual energy in the cells to give him a facsimile of his old powers. Number two, Ariannanand I," she nodded to the woman in question, "work together to open a portal to the speed force with, break off a piece of it, and seal it inside the Flash."

"This would return his powers but make it impossible for him to time travel since he would no longer be connected to the speed force. There's also a chance that doing this could destabilize the speed force, causing a cosmic issue."

"And the third option," Emma asked, her eyes back on the holographic screens.

"He still has a little residual Speed Force within his cells. The first part of the treatment would be to give him the new and improved Phoenix's rebirth serum to repair the damage to his cells. We then called my husband to remove the residual energy from his cells and amplify it using his energy abilities. Once he is amplifying the energy, we use that to repower him."

"That sounds like the safest option. Chances of success?"

"60%"

"Why so low?"

"60% is over half, so it's not that low, but to answer your question by having Samuel absorb and amplify his speed force, there's a chance he could change its frequency, causing it to disperse rather than reconnect to the origin dimension."

Arianna raised a hand. " After Samuel amplifies the energy left in his body, we could open a portal to the speed force and forcibly re-establish the connection."

Emma's eyes flicked to the holographic screens, her fingers dancing in the air. "That could work," she said, looking at Alexi. I've got the frequency the speed force is currently using. Can your husband mimic that?"

"He should be able to."

Emma turned away from the screen and moved to a nearby cabinet, "Then call him, I'll administer the serum."

–XX –

They stood with Wanda Nelson and Jinks Campbell in a stone room. Blue lines etched into the wall bathed the room in a soft glow as they examined the body of the Martian man Hunte."Do you know how we can restore his abilities?"

Blue lines flared along the egg-shaped bed the Martian lay in, and holographic screens appeared before Thea as she examined the Martian's vital signs. "He's healthy, but Mars has never experienced anything that could take its powers away throughout its history. I think the experience put him in shock."

Jinks reached forward, placing two slender green fingers on the Martian's forehead. The Martian's back arched as energy traveled throughout his body. Withdrawing her hand, Jinks turned to look at the other two women. "They never experienced anything like that because Mars's atmosphere provided a rejuvenating effect."

Wanda's eyes narrowed in thought, "Are you telling me we need to drop him off on Mars? If that would work, what would he already be? Regaining his powers since this planet used to be Mars."

"It did," Jinks inclined her head, "but Cradle is vastly different from the red world."

Wanda turned to Thea, "Do you think this will work?"

"My power is to absorb the planet's history, not clairvoyance," she gestured to Jinks. "She is the one that's half Martian."

"Fair enough." Wanda turned back to Jinks. How do you want to do this?"

"Open a portal to Mars, and I will carry John through."

Closing her eyes, Wanda raised her arms, pressing her palms together before spreading them wide. Behind them, a crimson gash appeared, glowing with a dim light. The wind swirled around the room, flowing towards the gash as the portal pulled oxygen onto the red desert that was Mars.

Wanda spun on her heel and thrust her hand forward; a thin film, covering it momentarily, grew from the portal's edges.

The wind vanished, and Wanda swept her Auburn hair from her face and turned back to the other two, "Sorry about that," she focused on Jinks, "You'll be able to pass right through the barrier I've created over the portal."

Nodding, Jinks turned and slipped her arms underneath John.

Without a word, she lifted him from his temporary bed and turned toward the portal. "If this works, I'll return as soon as he awakens." She walked toward the portal, pausing just before she stepped inside. "If you don't mind, leave this portal open so we can return. Even if his powers are restored, I don't fancy flying back here."

Wanda inclined her head, and with a flick of her hand, a black high-back wooden chair with a dark green cushion rose from the floor. Taking a seat before the portal, she crossed one leg over the other, "I'll wait here unless you send me a message otherwise. Despite nothing living on Mars, I don't want to leave a portal unattended."

–XX –

Superman, a.k.a. Clark Kent, floated inside the sun, fire caressing his body as he journeyed toward the star's core. He bumped into something, and a spark of white energy jumped from the object and coursed through the Kryptonian's body.

The man of steel's eyes snapped open, his blue irises shining with an inner light. His brow scrunched in confusion as he tried to remember what happened. Images flashed through his mind, him flying through the air and smashing into Amanda Waller, wrapping her arms around him, and strength leaving his body.

His heart raced as he recalled Victor's mangled form and Barry's look of horror. He shot out of the sun in a blur of motion, the fire parting around him.

–XX –

Nicholas sat cross-legged before the sun, his hands forming a circle in his lap as energy from the sun condensed in his hands. His hair blew in the breeze created by the energy.

Slowly, he raised his gaze to the sun, just in time to see Superman explode from the ball of fire, flames jumping from his skin. Nicholas raised his hand, creating a translucent cube of blue energy around the man of steel.

"What are you doing?" The Kryptonian demanded, slamming a fist into the cube.

Nicholas winced as the cube shook under the force of the blow. Beads of sweat popped out on his brow as he used the energy as a medium to reinforce the cube with the force the man of steel put in his punch.

"I'm Stopping you from making a fool of yourself. First and foremost, your friends are fin; theyy are on Cradle getting medical treatment. Secondly, you're naked." Nicholas tossed the man of steel the object in his hands.

On instinct, the Kryptonian caught it.

It was a small gold triangular shield. As his hands wrapped around it, the shield melted away.

Bluefish scales grew over the Kryptonian's body, stopping at his ankles. Thick red threads grew from where the suit stopped, forming into boots. A red belt emerged around his waist, with a golden triangular shield in the center.

His chest shimmered as his iconic red and yellow S formed on his chest.

The man of steel looked down at himself as a red cape emerged from his back with a golden S in the center of the same triangular shield that was at his waist and on his chest.

"What is this?"

"I never wanted to terraform the world, or fight for my people, those were responsibilities thrust onto me by circumstance, I wanted to build, the suit you are wearing will store solar energy four times where you are without a yellow sun."

Before Superman could respond, Nicholas stared into the distance, "I believe your comrades are coming to check on your friends."

Superman turned in that direction, "I suppose we need to meet them before they cause an incident."

"You would think Diana would know better than to do that, being an ambassador."

Superman snorted, "She was a warrior Princess before she was an ambassador."