NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31: Picture Memory
Superman:
I can't be sure but somehow, somehow, I know it's the man in the sunglasses. I can't remember exactly why but I know I have to stop him.
"It's you," I say. "Isn't it? I know it's you. I guess we can't call you the man in the sunglasses anymore."
The man, whoever he is, stands back up. He shows Raven and me what's in his hand. It's some sort of circle-shaped device.
"Trust me when I say this," the man says, putting up both of his hands. "We don't have time for a fight. Every minute I don't leave, reality gets that much closer to breaking."
"Breaking," I repeat. "What are you talking about?"
"Let me ask you this," the man says, stepping back. "Do you remember why you started the One Earth Government?"
"Do I remember why I started the One Earth Government," I repeat. "Of course. I remember why. It's because...It's because..."
My mind goes blank as I try to remember why I even started the One Earth Government. It was because something happened. Something happened that made me do it. Something happened because of something I did.
"What did I do?"
As I try to remember, I see flashes of a woman. A beautiful woman with long black hair. She's wearing a purple coat and skirt, and when she smiles, I feel the butterflies in my stomach.
"Lo--Lo--Lois," I say. As I try to remember who Lois is, I drop to my knees screaming. A headache comes on, slamming my head, and I can't concentrate.
"Lois," I repeat, trying to fight through the headache. "I--I know you. You're--You're--"
The Lords of Order:
"Kal-El is remembering," I yell, looking through the portal as Kal-El's memory is quickly re-forming. "We must do something at once!"
"We are trying," the other Lords shout. "But the time orb is losing stability! We cannot hold it and keep Kal-El's memory from coming back!"
"You saw how much the orb shook when we left it for only a few seconds to blast Kara Zor-El! We cannot risk doing that again!"
"Then keep doing what you all are doing," I yell. "I have an idea!"
Putting my fingers to my head, I start to chant a powerful spell.
The Man:
Even without my power, I can see Superman's memories slowly reforming themselves.
"He's remembering," I say. "Come on, Flyboy! Remember! Remember! You were never a genius but you were always one stubborn bastard! Come on! Remember! Remem--"
Now sensing something, I turn to the side and immediately jump back. A golden, glowing Raven throws a displacer orb. Barely dodging it, the displacer orb appears stronger than any of the previous ones. It burns a clear hole in the wall, parts of the wall orange, black, and simmering.
Turning back to Raven as she hovers in the air, she slowly spreads out her arms and the golden glow intensifies.
"Order magic," I say, bringing up my fists. As I do, however, I see the teleporter still in my hands.
"I have to go," I think. I look past the golden Raven and see the glowing cracks. More and more energy is leaking out from them, and it's causing the walls and floors to turn into dust. A few of the soldiers that I fought previously have woken up, only to scream as they fall onto the level beneath us.
"Raven," I say. "Listen to me. Reality is shattering. It's breaking apart. The Lords of Order are responsible! They think they can handle it but they can't! I have to stop them!"
"No," Raven shouts. She sounds different and her voice is echoing. "You will not stop us!"
"Us," I repeat. I then roll my eyes. "Oh. 'Us'."
I shake my head and reach into one of the pockets of my vest armor. Pulling out a smoke pellet, I throw it onto the ground, blanketing the whole room in a thick cloud of green smoke.
"This does nothing against us," the Lords say. "We can still see you. Even in this smoke."
Waving Raven's hand, the Lords push the smoke away. As they do, they reveal me, standing against the wall. When they see me, I raise my head and show them the gas mask I have on. I smile as I see Raven's mouth drop just a little.
"This isn't a smoke screen," I say through the gas mask. "This is knock-out gas. My own formula. Very powerful."
It doesn't take long for Raven to start coughing. She drops to her knees while holding her throat. A few seconds later, she falls to the floor.
"No more distraction," I shout, dropping to a knee. Slamming down the teleporter, I input the code and step back. A portal shoots into the air, hovering just above the teleporter. One by one, members of the Insurgency jump through.
"Sheesh," Firestorm say as they jump through. "What took you so long?"
I slap Firestorm on his burning forehead.
"Ouch," they cry.
"Look around and figure it out yourself," I answer. "I have to go! Can you two handle this?"
I look at John Constantine and Ares as they are the last two to drop in.
"Of course," Constantine says with a nod and a smile. He waves his hand and chants a spell. A few seconds later, a fireball appears in his hand. "Go and do that thing we talk about."
I nod my head and push the deactivation button on the teleporter, shutting down the portal to the hidden base. Once it closed, I reset the portal, setting it to a new destination.
"Remember the plan," I say, looking at Constantine, Ares, and everyone else as they prepare for the incoming fight. "Protect Constantine and Ares the best you can. At least until I can deal with the Lords of Order."
"You are a fool," Ares says. "No one can single-handedly 'deal' with the Lords of Order."
"Yeah," I say. "Screw you too. Anyway, see you soon."
About to jump through the second portal, I hear an ear-splitting scream before we're all knocked off our feet.
"Ahh," I yell as I push Beetle off me.
"Ahh," Beetle says, holding his head. "Mis oidos. What was that?"
"Not what," I correct, "But who."
There, standing in the doorway to the now crowded infirmary is Black Canary.
"Attention all personnel," Dinah says, speaking into the radio on her shoulder. "Attention all personnel! Intruders in the infirmary! I repeat! Intruders in the infirmary! All available personnel and regimes get here immediately!"
"Bloody hell," Constantine says after getting up. Coming up from behind Constantine, I slap him on the side of the head.
"Ouch. What was that for?"
"Don't swear," I say, closing the portal as I hear dozens and dozens of footsteps.
Kara:
"All available personnel and regimes get here immediately," Dinah screams over the radio.
"Oh no," I say. I turn to Victor and imagine his worried look is the same as mine. "Do you think it's about the man in the sunglasses?"
"Without a doubt," Victor says. He nudges his head. "Come on! Dinah said he was in the infirmary. That's on the floor below us. There's a staircase nearby!"
As Victor starts to walk toward the staircase, I jump into the air and punch an opening in the floor.
"This way is faster," I say, looking at Victor as he stops walking. Jumping and flying through, I turn back to see Victor kneeling at the ledge.
"Sure," he says while examining the opening. "This way is faster. As long as I ain't the one that had to fix it."
Victor falls on through and together, we run toward the infirmary. However, it doesn't take long before we see a mess of One Earth soldiers, betas, and even a few regimes all fighting in the narrow hallway.
"What's going on," Victor yells. He steps back and activates his arm cannon. Aiming it at the crowd, he swings his arm cannon left and right. "Wait! Who do I shoot! Who are we trying to help?"
I turn back toward the mess of soldiers and betas as they all bump against one another. However, despite all bumping into one another, they're all facing one general direction. Looking over the mess, I see some people not in uniform.
I see a man with his head on fire. I see another man with some sort of black and blue armor with wings on his back. I even see a woman with long red hair and some sort of brown armor, the armor looking to be made out of wood.
"I--," I say, trying to force the words out. "I--I know you. I--know all of you."
I see flashes once more. This time, the flashes show me and the people, fighting side-by-side. The man with his head on fire. The man with the black and blue armor. Even the woman with wooden armor. I see myself fighting with them, not against them.
"Help them," I say, tapping Victor on his shoulders and pointing over the soldiers and betas and at the somewhat familiar people. "Shoot at the soldiers and betas."
Victor looks me in the eyes and nods his head.
"Oh boy," Victor says, his arm cannon warming up. "Kara. I really, really hope you're right about this. Otherwise, Superman will have my head."
With his arm cannon powered up, Victor fires at the soldiers and betas. His sonic blast knocks all the soldiers and betas to the floor. As they all fall down, the soldiers in front turn around and look at us.
"M'am," a soldier says before another soldier hits him on the back of his head and knocks him out. That same soldier then ducks underneath another soldier's swing before grabbing and throwing the One Earth soldier into a wall, also knocking him out.
"8-0-88," I read. "Victor! I found him! Cover me!"
Using my super breath, I blow a bunch of soldiers away, clearing a path. As soon as I can, I fly through the mess and toward the fake soldier. Reaching him as he disarms a soldier with a stun stick and then uses the same stun stick to knock out the soldier, I drop down in front of him.
"It's you," I say, staring at the fake soldier. "Isn't it? The man in the sunglasses."
The man, whoever he is, stops when he sees me.
"You...remember me," the man slowly says.
"Not entirely," I answer, putting my fingers to my head. "Just parts and pieces but I do remember enough to know this. I'm not with my cousin. I'm not with Kal-El. I'm with you, and them."
I then point to the other fighters.
"Can you tell me what's going on? I keep seeing flashes and glowing cracks and people that I feel I'm supposed to know but don't. What happened to me?"
"It's not happened to you," the fake soldier says. "It's what happened to the timeline. The Lords of Order tried to re-write it."
"The Lords of Order tried to do what? Wait! Who are the Lords of Order?"
"At the current moment, they're rat bastards. Kara, listen to me. I know this is asking for a lot, especially considering you still don't fully know who I am, but I have to go! I have to stop the Lords of Order before all of reality is destroyed! Can you help us!"
As I look at the fake soldier in his goggles, I begin to sense something. I feel something inside of me. It feels warm and comforting. As I hold my hand over my chest, I see another flash. In this flash, I see a man with sunglasses.
The man with the sunglasses and I are sitting together. We're smiling as we talk. A few seconds later, the man gives me something. It's a picture.
"A picture," I think. "Wait."
Twisting and turning all over, I search my pockets.
"A picture," I repeat. "The picture. The picture! Please! Still have it! Still have it!"
Checking a pocket hidden in my cape, I find the picture. Pulling it out, I look at it. The picture shows a woman and the same man with sunglasses standing side-by-side. As I look at the picture, I begin to remember who the woman is.
"Mom," I say, looking at the woman again. "It's my mother."
I turn toward the fake soldier. No. The man with the sunglasses. No. The Man.
As I look at The Man, I hear something and turn to see Bruce flying inside Batwing.