The Last Daughter of Krypton - IC

[Varshanka]

Zatanna - Outside her shoppe

Watching from the sidewalk, the demon-hound at her feet Zatanna watched the events unfold before her. When Ceri unleashed the fire extinguisher in her own vehicle she felt the hairs on her neck prickle, for that wasn’t an accidental discharge.

And moments later she felt it. The stirring of shadow. Shadowcrest Manor shared a .. border.. with that place. Like a backyard neighbor. You knew it was there, but never went to borrow a cup of sugar. Not from that place. But when one lived so close, one got a sense of when it was around.

And the hound sent her a sending. A vision of what it saw. And smelled. And Zatanna chilled. Chilled to the bone. The Prince of Shadows was within the vehicle. Or was. He was gone now, but so was Ceri.

It wasn’t easy to fake being HIM. And anyone with enough power, wouldn’t. But the big question was why? Why did he interfere in this situation? How did The Shadow Prince know Ceri?

And even as she was considering these thoughts ad adding HIS presence to the problems, she felt it.

A ripple through the realms.

Her head snapped to the right and she looked. But there were to many buildings for her to see just where THAT was. But it was close. Very close. Shaking she leaned against the wall, looking at the hound at her feet. Her stomach twisted and rolled. Two of them. The Prince of Shadows.. and THAT.

The cards made sense.

A horrific vile sense.

 

[AmenRa]

Her hand flew to her head.

'J'onn, please: t-path to Merick, tell him where I am, to come get me, bring me to Kara. If she's going to be hurting people...

...I can heal them.

Tell Merick I need him.

Please.'

The power of the mind is astounding. The human mind, in its own potential, is precisely potential yet untapped. Power restrained, and in many ways, diluted, for it was true many humans knew not even their own mental powers.

The power of the mind of the Martian Manhunter was nearly unquantifiable. Delirious power, unrestrained, and indeed exceeding human potential and comprehension. Such was the strengths of the Martians.

So when Chloe thought to J'onn her plea for help, the Martian Manhunter replied with a mental smile and a thought of immediate relay. And J'onn J'onzz contacted Merick as she requested, and sent the message she had sent him, quickly, not at the speed of light, but at the speed of thought.

Merick, Chloe sends the following message: 'J'onn, please: t-path to Merick, tell him where I am, to come get me, bring me to Kara. If she's going to be hurting people...

...I can heal them.

Tell Merick I need him.

Please.

We are near the row of old shops in the downtown area of Smallville, near the Smallville Drugs store, he added.

And then the Man from Mars returned his attention to the scene below him in street in time to see the windows of Ceri's car become occluded. Then, he felt an unmistakable presence in or near that car. He nodded his still invisible head to himself, realizing that Wraith had just arrived and taken Ceri away.

Good job.

-----

Var-Sen looked quickly around him. Kara had inquired about the item he carried for her. Surely, she didn't expect him to tell her about it here, where a small crowd of people were gathering.

A glance at Ceri inside her car showed him her face with an almost apologetic look. And then the windows became cloudy and opaque from a fire extinguisher.

Var-Sen's x-ray vision allowed him to watch the scene unfold as Wraith shadowed his way into the car and retrieved Ceri.

Var-Sen turned his attention back to Kara.

"I think it would be more appropriate if we discussed this somewhere colder," he explained to her, his voice low enough so that only she could hear him. "Somewhere North of here, perhaps?"

-----

But there were other beings with super-sensitive hearing about. And J'onn J'onzz had trained his Martian ears to hear the exchange between Kara Zor-El and Var-Sen. As he listened from his vantage point, he heard Var-Sen suggest to Kara they head away from the gathering crowd of curious onlookers to someplace colder, someplace North of here.

Yes, good, good, escort her to the Fortress of Solitude. There we can deal with this in safety, without fear of others getting injured.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Jamie. "You've just been out-soothsayed."

Still reeling from the nameless whatever-it-was that had left after images beneath his eyes, Jamie turned from Barry and made towards the same fire exit, a short ways down the building, from which he'd gained access to the schoolyard.

His head was starting to clear, and he made fierce mental notes to catalogue that sensation later; this wasn't one of the usual fundamental forces of The Universe...

And then, as his green-trainered foot pressed down into the snow...

...the Earth lurched beneath that foot, beneath both his feet, the mug and the pot went flying, he landed on his back in the snow for the second time that morning, his skull was screaming, it was like Damian's booming tube all over again.

He sat up like a shot, throwing off snow, gazing at the crater in the side of the building where one of the ladies' rooms had used to be.

"Stone me," he breathed.

He was on his feet in a heartbeat, he was running, he could run like a Malar out of Hell if he wanted to...

(Granted, he was running from the presence of someone who could run far far faster than that, exponentially geometrically faster, but Jamie wasn't to know that, was he? Not yet.)

...his coat was billowing out behind him as he ran and he bellowed, through gritted teeth: "ALLEN! CALL 911!"

He skidded to the sizzling pockmark in the world that had been the lavatory, everything everything reduced to shards and slag, and it smelled of burning, of burning, of burning on a whole multiplicity of levels, it reeked of burning magic it reeked of burning blood it reeked of geoseismic thermal events it reeked of souls burning burning but not burning burning bright, burning dark, darkly burning souls...

It smelled, Jamie imagined that Ceri would allude, like the sacrifice of The Prophet Elijah when God had smote it with flame to discredit the paganism of The Philistines.

It smelled of hate.

Recoiling from the burning burning burning in his nostrils, Jamie waved his hand in front of his face and shook his head bitterly, hacking and coughing. "Is everyone all right? Is anyone in there?"

Staggering in through the hole in the wall, Jamie felt mirror-glass crack beneath the insulating rubber of his soles and he quickly checked the shrapnel of the stalls for any signs of life or death. Hurrying to the doorway, he stuck his head out into the milling, panicking crowd.

He inhaled through his nose.

A dark expression festered on his face.

Whatever had done this had made it out.

But with all this noise all this clamour all these spiking adrenal glands, the plaster dust settling in billows...

This was like swimming downstream to escape a bloodhound.

Jamie clawed his hand through his hair and shook his head sharply. "Molto bene," he scowled.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Lex. And others. Machinations.

On her way out Misty passed back by where Erin was located and went up to her and looked upon her sadly.

Erin Hughes sat quietly in her cell, still haggard, still beleagured, still defiant.

And as the door hissed open and Misty walked in, Erin looked up at her, and looked surprised at the kindness on Misty's face. But the surprise quickly gave way to bitterness as she began to translate the sadness into pity...

Clambering to her feet, she pressed her palms to the glass and glared darkly darkly through the pane at her fellow blonde dressed in black.

"Motormouth," she grimaced: "Long time no see."

But there was a flash, not even enunciated in words, just an impression a ghost-circle a shape of gratitude. Normally she went longer between visits than this, and even a visit from Lex' cute little apparent latchkey mentee was better than nada.

She forced a smile as she looked in the girls eyes and projected a thought that it wouldn't be so bad if I would just cooperate a little after all it could help millions.

Erin blinked. And suddenly thought to herself: it wouldn't be so bad if I would just cooperate a little. After all, it could help millions.

She stepped back a bit from the glass and she pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead.

...wait, what?

As Misty left the room, returning to the hall, Erin stared bewilderedly at Misty's back.

I mean. It's not like I'm a cruel person. And... and I really did experience a lot of discomfort from this, maybe... maybe Lex isn't so bad as all that?

She held her head in her hands. Maybe.

She was then met by Lex's driver who lead her back out of the building and into the limo. "Where to Miss Graves?" The driver asked with a smile.

"I think the Talon would be the ideal place to go. I loved going there before my family relocated." She flashed him a smile. "By the way what should I call you?"

Lex Luthor's direct employees were almost universally humourless, but as the young lady graced the driver with a smile, the driver fired a delightedly roguish grin back at her, the kind of smile that spoke of camaraderie, the kind of smile that said these two were going to be friends, that Lex wouldn't saddle Misty with some ice-cold jerk to take care of her.

"The Talon it is," he nodded, adjusting the rearview mirror and drawing the limousine up the long gravel drive. "And you can call me 'Cliff,' Miss Graves. But don't call me 'Cliffy.' Only my mechanic calls me that, and he's a bit, y'know, peevy."

*********​

Lex stood now in the lab beside Emil Hamilton, glancing at the numerous screens. One of those screens now depicted the cloud of gravelly dust as the limo pulled away, and another now depicted Erin Hughes sitting in a corner of her cell looking shell-shocked and introspective, touching her side where the burn scar haunted her still.

"How did it go, do you think?" Emil Hamilton regarded Lex quietly.

Lex smiled faintly, adjusting the feed on one monitor to zoom in on Erin. "It's a good start."

Emil scrutinised his benefactor with his cool blue eyes. "Indeed."

Lex turned and left the room, brimming with icy confidence, with Faustian charisma. "I'm going for a drive. Call me if Miss Hughes asks to speak to me."

Emil's lip quirked. "Very well."

 

[LuckyVic]

Barry was on his way to his class when he heard the explosion. It was the last thing he had expected at a school. When he looked up he saw Jamie's coat flying behind him in his wake as the teacher made his way to the source of the sound.

"ALLEN! CALL 911!"

Barry pulled out his cell and dialed the Sherriff. he relaid all the needed information to the switchboard as he ran behind Jamie, at normal speed, and then hung up.

When he arrived he saw a crowd of curious teenagers gathering. "Alright kids back away if you have class somewhere go there no until you hear something from one of the teachers or the Principal." he said as he went into crowd control mode.

 

[AmenRa]

The Martian Manhunter

Invisible, as he could not be seen by normal humans who would wander below him as he hovered in the air above a Smallville street corner.

But, thoughts could reach him. Yes, even though he was beyond normal sight, thoughts and the power of minds could see him clearly.

Such were the powers of Martians. Such was the reason he had been able to speak to Chloe, to speak to Merrick, and earlier to Damian.

As J'onn J'onzz watched Var-Sen, Kara, and Chloe below, something spoke to him.

It was harsh, it was instantly powerful, and for that same instant, J'onn's mind was so overtaken with this invasive thought that he reverted to the visible spectrum and in the uniform of a Manhunter from Mars.

And, even when he realized his loss of concentration, and he turned back invisible, the thought reverberated in his mind.

GUILTY!

It had been as if some terrible judgement had been passed by an Almighty power.

The Martian Manhunter shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and turned his attention back to the scene below.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Jamie. "More things in Heaven and Earth... than are dreamed of in our philosophy."

Barry pulled out his cell and dialed the Sherriff. he relaid all the needed information to the switchboard as he ran behind Jamie, at normal speed, and then hung up.

When he arrived he saw a crowd of curious teenagers gathering. "Alright kids back away if you have class somewhere go there no until you hear something from one of the teachers or the Principal." he said as he went into crowd control mode.

Jamie stopped and stared at Barry for a moment, taking in the tall, golden haired figure with the piercing-eyes and the take charge voice.

"Right," he murmured. "Yes. Good. Looking out for the pupils."

"Thank you. That was very... constabulary."

He squinted at Barry, squinted his dark dark eyes. "You ever thought about being a policeman, Allen?"

But then he glanced at the bathroom, what was left of it, and he seemed to switch gears all over again, possibly without a clutch.

The tall thin man with his own hair going grey whipped his coat off of his shoulders and stuffed it into a locker, a little bit at random, the scarf followed after and he slammed the locker shut.

Sweeping into the bathroom again, he dropped to a crouch near the floor and, holding out his left hand with fingers spread, he attempted to concentrate.

His fingers twitched, he gritted his teeth.

"Not anyone I know," he rumbled, "and blimey, I seem to know a lot of people. No hard radiation, no meteoric energies, thank Gordon Bennett."

Straightening suddenly, he turned in a circle, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Could be... could be any number of things. Very strong psychic presence. Impossibly strong. Psychic enough to attempt a molecular reconfiguration but not quite psychic enough to get it right? Matter-energy conversion went wonky, maybe some of it came out antimatter?"

He stuck his tongue out. "Anti-sulphur and anti-brimstone by the taste of it, but that could be a synaesthetic effect, interdimensional phenomena tends to get a bit synaesthetic around the fringes, that's very Fortean."

Jamie whirled to face out at the hallway. "An EMP, too? Really? I mean, what else could have shorted out the smoke detectors, all this plaster in the air, there should be dozens of smoke alarms going off..."

He yanked his mobile out of his pocket. It seemed fine.

He squinted, made a very unsettled face. "A selective-frequency EMP?"

Looking up from his phone, Jamie shook his head at Barry with an expression like a man whose favourite cat has just abandoned him. "I don't know this, Allen. I don't know this at all."

"That's..." he shook his head. "I don't mean to sound arrogant, but that is... rare. When I don't know something. That is... rare."

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Wraith

"This way please. Rose is in my personal chambers. We can talk there."

As I walked to my quarters occasionally people would come by. The women curtsied and went about their business, the two guardsmen in armor saluted, fists over their hearts.

I still wasn't used to it. At least they weren't dropping and bowing like the villagers out in the countryside did. That just made me feel silly.

Eventually I made it up to my quarters. Mellisande was still there. Waiting to see if I had any other instructions.

Smart girl.

"Bring refreshments for three please." I said in Shadowspeak.

"Yes M'Lord." she replied, curtsying and scampering off.

I opened the door and stepped in, shedding my armor as I walked inside. Even without it, I could feel the power inside myself here.

In Shadow, I was so much more than what I was back home, but everything I wanted was on Earth. No amount of power could replace my family and friends.

"OK Mrs. McCrimmon, you rang the emergency evac bell. Whats going on that you needed a rescue for?" I asked. I was still very much aware I was needed in Metropolis, but it may have to wait.

I had more responsibilities than a normal sixteen year old, and I took them very seriously.

 

[LuckyVic]

He squinted at Barry, squinted his dark dark eyes. "You ever thought about being a policeman, Allen?"

But then he glanced at the bathroom, what was left of it, and he seemed to switch gears all over again, possibly without a clutch.

The tall thin man with his own hair going grey whipped his coat off of his shoulders and stuffed it into a locker, a little bit at random, the scarf followed after and he slammed the locker shut.

Sweeping into the bathroom again, he dropped to a crouch near the floor and, holding out his left hand with fingers spread, he attempted to concentrate.

His fingers twitched, he gritted his teeth.

"Not anyone I know," he rumbled, "and blimey, I seem to know a lot of people. No hard radiation, no meteoric energies, thank Gordon Bennett."

Straightening suddenly, he turned in a circle, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Could be... could be any number of things. Very strong psychic presence. Impossibly strong. Psychic enough to attempt a molecular reconfiguration but not quite psychic enough to get it right? Matter-energy conversion went wonky, maybe some of it came out antimatter?"

He stuck his tongue out. "Anti-sulphur and anti-brimstone by the taste of it, but that could be a synaesthetic effect, interdimensional phenomena tends to get a bit synaesthetic around the fringes, that's very Fortean."

Jamie whirled to face out at the hallway. "An EMP, too? Really? I mean, what else could have shorted out the smoke detectors, all this plaster in the air, there should be dozens of smoke alarms going off..."

He yanked his mobile out of his pocket. It seemed fine.

He squinted, made a very unsettled face. "A selective-frequency EMP?"

Looking up from his phone, Jamie shook his head at Barry with an expression like a man whose favourite cat has just abandoned him. "I don't know this, Allen. I don't know this at all."

"That's..." he shook his head. "I don't mean to sound arrogant, but that is... rare. When I don't know something. That is... rare."

Barry was still a bit shocked by Jamie's statement about his being a Police officer. As such he hadn't caught the comment about not knowing things being rare. He just assumed that he meant he had no idea what it was. "Ok so you don't know what did this. What about a guess?" Barry asked as he crouched down next to him and looked at the remains and wondered if he could figure out what it was in the lab.

<tags>

 

[ChasNicollette]

Ceri and Rose. Between a rock and a dark place.

"This way please. Rose is in my personal chambers. We can talk there."

There was a little bit of maternal bodyguard instinct snapping against the benefit of the doubt when Ceri heard that sentence.

Personal chambers, isn't it? And how often have yeh taken me daughter to yehr personal chambers?

But she held her tongue, and kept her own counsel; it didn't sit well with Ceri that her daughter could be whisked away to this mystical otherworld at the drop of a diadem, this place where her boyfriend was king and he had a waterbed straight out of Waterdeep, but Ceri knew that they both knew the rules.

Besides. There were more important things to think about at the moment.

As I walked to my quarters occasionally people would come by. The women curtsied and went about their business, the two guardsmen in armor saluted, fists over their hearts.

Ceri mused over the Shadowfolks' obsequiousness. It wasn't fearful, genuflecting obsequiousness. It was just... respectful.

At least he's a good king.

Eventually I made it up to my quarters. Mellisande was still there. Waiting to see if I had any other instructions.

"Bring refreshments for three please." I said in Shadowspeak.

...Ceri knew a lot of languages. She'd had to, with what she'd been raised to become. And she'd once heard dark faeries converse, blue ones that were supposed to be pacifists...

This sounded like their language. Not identical. Perhaps related?

Either way, when Kyle asked, this little girl answered and fled.

I opened the door and stepped in, shedding my armor as I walked inside.

Ceri smiled faintly and followed: Well, that's loads less intimidating.

...though she whistled softly to herself when she saw his chambers.

Rose shot to her feet and darted through from the sitting room, hugging Kyle and then hugging her mother.

"Nice place," Ceri regarded Rose with a sidelong glance, "yehr lad has here."

Rose shrugged. "It's okay. It's not as breezy as the treehouse but at least Greg Arkin's never been here."

Ceri grunted. "Hnh."

"OK Mrs. McCrimmon, you rang the emergency evac bell. Whats going on that you needed a rescue for?" I asked. I was still very much aware I was needed in Metropolis, but it may have to wait.

Crossing her arms over her stomach, Ceri eyed Kyle coolly. "I needed a rescue because Kara's gone off the reservation. I don't know how, I don't know why, but she was superspeeding right near the busiest part of Main Street and none other than Var-Sen showed up to rein her in. I figured with The Professor of Steel on the case, I could keep on making my way to the school, let the Kryptonians sort out their own mess, but Kara plonked her arse on my bonnet and I was stranded."

Rose went pale. "Kara would never--!"

She hesitated. "Wait, did you say Var-Sen was back on Earth?"

Ceri nodded. "She might never, but she has, and yes, he is. Now, knowing you two you're going to want to run straight back out there and help rein Kara in, but keep in mind... I'm not the only one here who's almost been killed by Kryptonians. Maybe Kyle's one of the only ones of us who actually hurt Zod, but that doesn't mean we should be between Kara or Var-Sen if they come to blows. Not only that, but Var-Sen's SUV is in our garage and we can use that to get to Metropolis and get to Kyle's grand-dad, provided Kyle shadow-shifts us there."

Rose's face looked so completely torn. Her best girl friend was in the deepest of poodoo, her favourite extraterrestrial truant officer was in town, and she and Kyle had a serious place to seriously be.

"Choose Your Own Adventure," she mumbled.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Jamie. Guess who's coming to dinner?

"Ok so you don't know what did this. What about a guess?" Barry asked as he crouched down next to him and looked at the remains and wondered if he could figure out what it was in the lab.

Barry crouched beside Jamie, and Jamie crouched back down beside Barry.

"A guess," he mumbled. "I never guess."

He paused, tilted his head, reconsidered somewhat. "Well. Hardly ever."

Squinting his eyes, he licked his finger and held it up in the air between them as though he were orienteering and checking the direction of the wind.

"If I had to," he enunciated slowly, "conjecture, on the other hand..."

He looked at Barry quietly. "I'd think that something came through. From somewhere else. Exchanging places with something that was already here. And it... the thing coming through... couldn't completely manifest. Either not completely, or not for every long. And the resultant backlash was... catastrophic."

Jamie squinted. "Which leaves me to wonder. What did that do to the thing with which it was trying to swap? Can't have been any fun."

 

[TearsoftheWorld]

"I think it would be more appropriate if we discussed this somewhere colder," he explained to her, his voice low enough so that only she could hear him. "Somewhere North of here, perhaps?"

"The Fortress?"

Var-Sen might have spoken with softer words meant only for her ears, but Kara didn't seem at all concerned with secrecy. Not everyone needed to know about her and her kind, of course, but if a few stumbled upon her secrets she wouldn't really mind.

It was hard, after all, being a goddess among mortal men and women and not being able to tell anyone. Secrets that big didn't stay secret for very long.

"I don't think so. Right here and right now is fine with--"

Only too late did Kara discover that Ceri was no longer with them. Var-Sen had taken a quick look towards the car just before Ceri had vanished out of sight. Kara turned around and saw that the windows had all been covered up with something, making it so that only someone with exceptional skill and x-ray vision could see inside of it. Getting up from the hood of the car, the daughter of Zor-El moved over towards the driver's door and grabbed at the handle. She didn't just open up the door and look inside... she ripped it off completely and then tossed it aside until it landed almost fifty feet away from her. The ground was torn up from where the discarded door had landed; the metal frame was bent completely out of shape and the glass window shattered into a thousand different pieces.

Ceri couldn't just vanish into thin air. This had been planned.

Straightening up, Kara Zor-El looked around her. Ceri was nowhere to be seen. Whomever had taken her had done so quickly and without leaving any signs of their escape.

Looking over at Var-Sen, Kara glared.

"Where is she?"

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Wraith

"Kara.... off the reservation....." I said in a low voice.


Shit! That was one of my worst fears. In a way Kara was more dangerous than Zod. She knows who and whats important to earth. Knows where the secrets are kept, and if not that then who to strongarm to get them.

She also has access to Kryptonian technology that Zod didn't.


Shit! I wish Bruce was above the radar but he went deep in the rabbit hole and nobody had heard from him since then.

"OK, this is bad. This is way bad..."


At that time the door opened and in walked Mellisande with another girl, Ka'Lizala I believe. They put down a carafe of blue wine from the Singing Mountains, some Atla'Rothe cheese and fresh grimpaw fruit and harvest bread. They also had a comb of greenz honey, a delicacy at this time of year.

"Will that be all M'Lord?" asked Mellisande.

"No, that will be fine. See we are not disturbed." I replied back in Shadowspeak. I then walked over to the table and poured myself a glass, taking a long swallow.

(Alcohol doesn't affect me, but it's the thought that counts.)


I looked over at Rose. I couldn't throw her into a fight with her best friend. It would kill her. I also couldn't let Kara turn into something bad. Something must had caused this, because John and Martha Kent raised their daughter right!

"Rose, Grandpa is going to have to wait." I closed my eyes and let out a stuttering breath. Gramps!

"Kara is more important to the world than my family emergency. I am taking you two home and heading out there to help. I will NOT let her be turned into another Zod!" I said. A rumble of thunder echoed my words, a sure sign I was upset.

I finished my glass and looked at Ceri. I figured she would have something to say, and usually her words needed to be listened to.

 

[AmenRa]

Professor Smith/Dr. Jones

"I think it would be more appropriate if we discussed this somewhere colder," he explained to her, his voice low enough so that only she could hear him. "Somewhere North of here, perhaps?"

"The Fortress?"

Var-Sen might have spoken with softer words meant only for her ears, but Kara didn't seem at all concerned with secrecy. Not everyone needed to know about her and her kind, of course, but if a few stumbled upon her secrets she wouldn't really mind.

It was hard, after all, being a goddess among mortal men and women and not being able to tell anyone. Secrets that big didn't stay secret for very long.

"I don't think so. Right here and right now is fine with--"

Only too late did Kara discover that Ceri was no longer with them. Var-Sen had taken a quick look towards the car just before Ceri had vanished out of sight. Kara turned around and saw that the windows had all been covered up with something, making it so that only someone with exceptional skill and x-ray vision could see inside of it. Getting up from the hood of the car, the daughter of Zor-El moved over towards the driver's door and grabbed at the handle. She didn't just open up the door and look inside... she ripped it off completely and then tossed it aside until it landed almost fifty feet away from her. The ground was torn up from where the discarded door had landed; the metal frame was bent completely out of shape and the glass window shattered into a thousand different pieces.

Ceri couldn't just vanish into thin air. This had been planned.

Straightening up, Kara Zor-El looked around her. Ceri was nowhere to be seen. Whomever had taken her had done so quickly and without leaving any signs of their escape.

Looking over at Var-Sen, Kara glared.

"Where is she?"

"I do not know," the Kryptonian scientist replied, "but where she is at present is not of your concern."

Kara had opened the door, and now Var-Sen was determined to walk through it. The slowly gathering crowd of onlookers were stunned by Kara's display of super strength. Now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag, Var-Sen had to stop this before it got too far out of hand.

"It is obvious the effects of Red Kryptonite under a yellow sun are trully debilitating," he told her. "The ring you wear," he pointed to the class ring, "contains a poison, Kara. You must get rid of it."

Var-Sen edged closer to her. "I know the daughter of my closest friend would never act this way," his voice was low, but edgy, "were there not some outside influence. You have revealed your secrets to those standing around us, Kara Zor-El. Humans have witnessed things they are not ready to see."

His eyes narrowed. "We must travel to the Fortress, Kara. You must obey my wishes," he explained. He stepped just a little closer. He knew Kara was hearing him, listening to him. He knew the only way to get her to understand him was to break through the Red K influenced haze by making it difficult for her to think clearly. And the most logical way to do this was to make her angrier than she already was.

"Kara!" he spat, "how dare you reveal yourself to these humans! You have disgraced your birthright! You have shamed the House of El!"


-----

J'onn J'onzz shook his head.

Not exactly the way I would have done it, Var-Sen.

But, no matter. I shall do my best.

And he closed his invisible eyes, and he instantly connected with the minds of those gathered along the street corner, watching the scene between the two Kryptonians.

Young and old. Mothers and sons. Fathers and daughters. He knew all of them.

Using mental powers beyond reason, the Martian Manhunter stopped their minds. Not unlike pausing a DVD in mid-scene, J'onn stopped their mental recognition of what they were seeing. And then he backed the scene up, erasing carefully the images, sounds, and feelings of Kara's display of strength. Then, J'onn J'onzz inserted his own images of a clear and empty street corner, save for Ceri's abandoned Saab in the middle of the street.

He pressed the play button, and opened his eyes to see the people in the crowd begin to go about their normal, everyday, human lives.

 

[Varshanka]

Zatanna - The Shadow Realm

Pulling the hell hound back into the shop with her Zatanna had the grace to blink when the ‘girl’ ripped the door off the Saab. Another situation. But this one looked under control, the other one though. That she needed to examine.

Locking the door she whispered a warding, anything less than a nuke wouldn’t break her shoppe. Well, a lot of things less, but it would take a heavy hit, and she’d know it. Moving into the backroom, through the beaded current that parted on it’s own, she looked at her circle. It was good and handing for bringing things here, but she wasn’t doing that.

Stepping to the door that lead into storage she smirked. Doors had all kinds of uses. Going from inside to outside. Outside to inside, one room to another. Flicking her wand out she murmured, arcane energy sparking through her hair. Runes of darkness and shadow rippled in the air, sinking into the wood of the door.

With an air of finality she tugged at her coat tails, making sure they were straight. Good impressions and all.

And she opened the door, stepping out into a smoking smoldering plain of shadow and twilight. Neither day nor night. And she looked up the place that was here. A place that was for all intents and purposes, right next door to her house.

Turning her head she looked. Yep, right there. She could see it, if she looked right. Kinda like looking at a 3-d poster. Her house wasn’t here. Or there. It was kind of a half dimension. Or a doorway. Not one room or the other. Both.

Shrugging she turned and walked towards the manse. And the town around it.

 

[TearsoftheWorld]

I do not know," the Kryptonian scientist replied, "but where she is at present is not of your concern."

"Don't tell me what is and what isn't of concern to me," Kara responded angrily, walking back towards the front of the car while more and more people began crowding the area. They were stunned by what they had seen, and they might have dropped their jaws had not J'onn intervened and cleared their minds, keeping them from seeing the truth.

Kara, meanwhile, had eyes only for the much older Kryptonian in front of her.

"It is obvious the effects of Red Kryptonite under a yellow sun are trully debilitating. The ring you wear contains a poison, Kara. You must get rid of it."

"Get rid of it?" The suggestion seemed so ridiculous to the young teenager. Why?! Why on Earth would she get rid of it? The 'Red Kryptonite' had made everything seem so much clearer. She didn't have to worry anymore. Drawing her hand up towards her chest, Kara toyed with the ring on her finger and treated it as if it were a very delicate object.

"I don't think so. I feel great... and you can't take that away from me. I'm not taking it off."

Var-Sen had moved closer, but Kara was still focused on her ring. She seemed captivated by it, the red meteorite inside mirroring the fire in her eyes.

"I know the daughter of my closest friend would never act this way were there not some outside influence. You have revealed your secrets to those standing around us, Kara Zor-El. Humans have witnessed things they are not ready to see."

"So what?" she asked, looking up as Var-Sen drew even closer.

"We must travel to the Fortress, Kara. You must obey my wishes,"

"No..."

"Kara! How dare you reveal yourself to these humans! You have disgraced your birthright!"

"No... that's not true."

"You have shamed the House of El!"

"Shut up!" Kara yelled, finally losing it and giving in to her anger. "Just shut... UP!"

Kara moved quickly to strike at Var-Sen, drawing one arm back with her fist clenched tightly. She had the power. She finally had the power.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Rose and Ceri. Matthew 5:9.

"Kara.... off the reservation....." I said in a low voice.

Rose nodded glumly, fidgeting with her fingers. "And it's not her first rodeo, either."

"OK, this is bad. This is way bad..."

Ceri nodded as she withdrew to the side of the room. "Truer words."

At that time the door opened and in walked Mellisande with another girl, Ka'Lizala I believe. They put down a carafe of blue wine from the Singing Mountains, some Atla'Rothe cheese and fresh grimpaw fruit and harvest bread. They also had a comb of greenz honey, a delicacy at this time of year.

Rose glanced at the two serving girls, and laughed faintly, desperately to herself. Hot and cold running blue girls.

She recognised some of the stuff on the trays from a dinner Kyle had brought to her house. Her mum had not loved that cheese, but the fruit had been good...

"Will that be all M'Lord?" asked Mellisande.

"No, that will be fine. See we are not disturbed." I replied back in Shadowspeak. I then walked over to the table and poured myself a glass, taking a long swallow.

Ceri arched an eyebrow. Not that she approved of underage drinking, but she could empathise. Could use a swig m'self.

"Rose, Grandpa is going to have to wait." I closed my eyes and let out a stuttering breath.

Instantly, instantly, Rose's fidgeting fingers flitted to fit within Kyle's. Tearfully, fearfully, she nodded. "Okay. Okay."

"Kara is more important to the world than my family emergency. I am taking you two home and heading out there to help. I will NOT let her be turned into another Zod!" I said. A rumble of thunder echoed my words, a sure sign I was upset.

Ceri glanced skyward, leaning against the stone of the wall, she could feel that rumble in the castle's foundations. He was part and parcel with this place, after all. Top to toe, body and soul.

She'd heard this time and again. But it was a whole different thing to experience it.

I finished my glass and looked at Ceri. I figured she would have something to say, and usually her words needed to be listened to.

"It has been said," Ceri murmured, "that the only way to determine if one is doing the right thing, is to find out which choice is harder."

Rose blinked. Her mum was referencing "Shadowgirls."

(She thought her mum hated "Shadowgirls.")

Ceri pushed away from the wall, and she touched Kyle lightly on the shoulders with all ten fingers. "Is fighting a Kryptonian harder than going straight to your grandfather's side? I'd say yes. Which means you're doing the right thing. And, I think, your grandfather would agree with me, and be proud of yeh."

Ceri paused, and squinted. "She's a switch hitter, but dun watch her hands, watch her shoulders, watch her eyes, they might telegraph if she's throwing a punch and which side, yeh might not have any other warning. She tags yeh with a straight right, yeh won't be standing up again."

Rose mumbled. "He can't go without me."

Ceri arched an eyebrow, swung around to look at her daughter, a silent is that right? on her face.

Rose grimaced, stood up a little taller. "He might be one of the only ones who can hurt her if she goes wrong, but I'm her friend. Maybe I can talk her down."

Ceri smiled faintly. "'Blessed are the peacemakers.'"

"I have to try," Rose demanded.

Ceri scowled. "And if John Smith and Wraith have to beat the 'Atla'Rothe cheese' out of her, yeh want to be there to see that?"

Rose looked away, clawed her hand through her hair, and blew air through her teeth. "I have to try."

 

[AmenRa]

"No... that's not true."

"You have shamed the House of El!"

"Shut up!" Kara yelled, finally losing it and giving in to her anger. "Just shut... UP!"

Kara moved quickly to strike at Var-Sen, drawing one arm back with her fist clenched tightly. She had the power. She finally had the power.

He waited.

He would not raise a hand to the Daughter of Zor-El.

No matter what.

Should she strike him, then he would be stricken, and it would be that.

The power contained within her now, amplified by the effects of the Red Kryptonite, made her dangerous.

Could he stand against her? Possibly. Could he win in a battle against her? That, he did not know.

But, he did know there was one that could. The one that watched them, even now.

And so, Var-Sen of Krypton steeled himself against the punch that was coming from Kara's fist.

 

[TearsoftheWorld]

That Var-Sen did not try to defend himself was not lost on the young Kryptonian, but she did not stop to think about it. He had dared raise his voice to her, barking orders and asking her to do what was right. She was doing what was right... for her. Up until now she had always done what was right for everyone else. Did they ever stop to think how she felt?

Did they even know how hard it was carrying the world on her shoulders?

It didn't matter now.

Kara was finally doing what was right by her, even if she had to wear a ring imbued with Red Kryptonite to do it.

Although Var-Sen had steeled himself, the strength that Kara felt allowed her to reach unprecedented heights even for the young girl. The dirt at her feet was kicked up in a frenzied whirl as she flew up off the ground, and finally she let her clenched fist fly forward, her whole body pushing forward as she punched him squarely in the face. So much anger and rage had been put behind her attack, but it was only a small sliver of the amount of power that lay within her.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Wraith

I looked at Rose. "I don't like it. I do not like it when your in danger." I blew air out in a long sigh. "But you have earned the right to choose your battle the same as me, and I will be at your side backing you up."

I shifted back to my armored form. More thunder rumbled, echoing my troubled thoughts.

"Lets go ladies. I drop you off first Mrs. McCrimmon, then we give Rose a chance to do her thing. If that doesn't work, well, we improvise." I said

Here, in this place, I did not need to touch them. Shadows swirled around the three of us and we emerged in the McCrimmon kitchen. The excess power bled off me in a dark haze until I resumed my normal size and form on Earth.

"Wish us luck." I said, then taking Rose's hand we disappeared, stepping out on the roof of the Talon.

"We should be able to find her from here hon." I said to my partner.

 

[Lunaramblings]

Merick, Chloe sends the following message: 'J'onn, please: t-path to Merick, tell him where I am, to come get me, bring me to Kara. If she's going to be hurting people...

...I can heal them.

Tell Merick I need him.

Please.

We are near the row of old shops in the downtown area of Smallville, near the Smallville Drugs store, he added.

Merick snapped his head around. He hated being thought to. It was... disconcerting. Merick grabbed his bag and his hat off the bench beside him and was gone.

Merick arrived beside Chloe, his arms on her shoulders. However he was no longer the Merick he had been at school. He was sheathed in emerald. He smiled as he touched Chloe's shoulders. "You okay? What the hell's going on? Also, um. I think that Mr. G may have walked in as I swooshed out. Guess I will deal with that when the time comes. So? Catch me up..."

 

[AmenRa]

Kara's strike connected, and Var-Sen flew backwards.

Airborne, the wind knocked out of him, the Kryptonian sailed over the sidewalk and through a brick wall of one of a small flower shop. How he missed the large window in the front of the store was a wonder, but glass meant nothing, neither did brick, because he was pretty much invulnerable.

Still, the punch had hurt.

He tasted blood in his mouth even as he slammed through the bricks and crumpled onto the floor.

- - - -

Damn!

This is not going the way I had hoped.

There was a sonic boom as Martian Manhunter suddenly accelerated past the Mach barrier.

J'onn arrived on the street, fully visible, fully clothed in his Manhunter uniform.

He stood before Kara, looking down at her. His red eyes glowed brightly, even in the daylight, and they bored into her.

"That was uncalled for," he told her. "I had hoped it would not come to this."

And then he moved, faster than possibility, as he wrapped her bodily in an embrace and carried her into the sky.

They flew over fields of corn, heading North.

 

[Lunaramblings]

The Man had come a long, long way. He had risked much. He was amazed at the tech level. "The Barn" was amazing. He had never seen it's match. He walked among the robotics, the armor, the weapons. He toggled threw the computer in the control room. It appeared this place could change configuration, creating new scenarios. Amazing.

"Yeh know son, I do believe you to be trespassin'. This here is private property. Mind explainin' yerself?" Edmund Tennylson stood behind The Man.

"Um. You... weren't supposed to be here."

"I reckon you woulda preferred that. No doubt. But, here I am. I suggest you get to talkin'."

"I... I guarantee it is not what you think. Listen, I came... I came to see it. Myself. It's amazing. I... look I gotta go. Listen... something... someone.... damn it. I can't tell you. Just... be careful."

Without another word, The Man was gone. Edmund stared at the spot The Man stood in.

"One thing I will say about this town... always full o' surprises." Edmund walks to the computer and sits down. He watches the footage of The Man as he materialized in "The Barn". He watches as he trodded through the place, a giddy grin on his face. "Guess I am gonna have to work on the security."

 

[TearsoftheWorld]

Kara touched back down on the ground after her blow had sent Var-Sen reeling into the distance, plowing through brick walls before coming to a stop. The angry Kryptonian female did not have time to savor her first strike. Before she could move she was confronted by none other than the Martian Manhunter. He was in his natural state, clothed in the uniform that set him apart from all the others.

Whereas there were still several Kryptonians left alive, he was truly alone in the universe.

He looked down at her with such intensity that Kara almost forgot what was happening.

"That was uncalled for. I had hoped it would not come to this."

"C-"

Kara was cut off from speaking when he picked her up and carried her off into the distance, flying over the Earth with incredible speed. Trying to fight against J'onn was like trying to fight a tornado with a broom, but Kara struggled nonetheless. She wouldn't be taken anywhere without a fight.

"Let... me... go..."

 

[ChasNicollette]

Rose and Ceri. "Neutron Star Collision."

I looked at Rose. "I don't like it. I do not like it when your in danger." I blew air out in a long sigh. "But you have earned the right to choose your battle the same as me, and I will be at your side backing you up."

"You're damned right I have," Rose nodded firmly.

Ceri smiled a tiny, thin smile. "Language, Rosy."

Rose coughed. "Uh, 'darned.'"

I shifted back to my armored form. More thunder rumbled, echoing my troubled thoughts.

"Lets go ladies. I drop you off first Mrs. McCrimmon, then we give Rose a chance to do her thing. If that doesn't work, well, we improvise." I said

"'No battle plan survives contact with the enemy,'" Ceri mused, quoting Diana of Themyscira.

Shadows swirled around the three of us and we emerged in the McCrimmon kitchen. The excess power bled off me in a dark haze until I resumed my normal size and form on Earth.

Ceri shivered slightly, involuntarily.

Never going to get used to that.

"Wish us luck." I said, then taking Rose's hand we disappeared--

"Pob lwc," Ceri murmured, to the empty space her girl and her girl's boy left behind.

She looked around herself, looked around her kitchen.

A woman's place is in the home, she reflected ironically.

But then she looked in the direction of the garage, in which a properly maintained and arguably luxurious vehicle sat, disused.

Sod it all.

She ran for the front door.

--stepping out on the roof of the Talon.

"We should be able to find her from here hon." I said to my partner.

...the thunder of Kara's punch rolled over the skyline, and for a second Rose thought they were back in Shadow again.

Her head whipped around just in time for her bullet-quick eyes to glimpse the blur of J'onn swooping in and catching Kara up and heading--

--North.

Rose grabbed Wraith by the arm. "The Fortress. Wraith. The Fortress. Now!"