Friends
Written by Amazonia V
Chapter 22:
Superman didn't have a nano-second to think about the strange disappearance of Fanci Webb and Black Star.
The room shifted and shook, changing shape and colour. Superman felt himself being pulled along by an unassailable force. Much as he tried to fight it, he found himself unable to do much more than raise his head.
Colors and shapes changed as he was pulled past them, until he landed with a soft whoosh on what felt like a bed. Disoriented for a moment, Superman used his super-vision to scan the area he was in. At first he registered the room, gleaming white crystalline walls, strangely reminiscent of glass, there was a brightly lit panel that took up most of one wall, with moving pictures. Surprised that he couldn't see more, Superman raised himself on one arm.
"Kal, it's past sunrise. Are you still in bed?" came a familiar woman's voice.
Superman frowned. Surely, he'd heard that voice before?
"Kal," the voice was closer now. "Kal, I'm coming in…"
A slender woman, glorious in midnight black and silver stood framed in the doorway of the room.
Stunned, Superman recognized her instantly. How could he not? He'd seen holographic images of her since he was a teenager and discovered the crystalline recording his Kryptonian parents had made for him.
"Lara? Mother?" was his whispered response.
"Kal, stop behaving as if I've never seen a male form before. I've seen you naked since you were placed in my arms, after being withdrawn from the gestation chamber. And in any case, you're body is much like that of your sire's." the woman continued dispassionately.
Superman looked down at his body now and gasped. He was nude! And in front of his mother! He began grasping for a bed cover to wrap himself in.
A bubbling laugh told him Lara was amused. "Kal," she said, "you've forgotten how to dress." She pressed a button on the wall next to her, and the room was filled with blue and red lights for brief seconds. When the lights had gone, Superman was dressed in a blue and red body suit much like his own uniform, but without a cape.
Relieved, but still unsettled, he walked up to Lara and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Where am I?" he asked her.
Lara's fingers went up to the spot where her eldest son's lips had touched her cheek. "On Krypton, of course. Jor-El and I haven't seen you for a long time now. Ever since you joined the Inter-stellar Science Mission."
"I did?"
"Kal, why are you behaving so lost? You'll feel better when you meet the rest of the family."
"The rest of the family?"
"Your brothers – Kor, Zal and Nom. And of course, the twins – Zara and Tara will be there. It's a victory celebration for you. We can do no less, after you've been elected to the Senate as President. Thanks to your efforts, Krypton has been able to prevent the expected explosion of our planet."
"Krypton hasn't exploded?"
"Kal, you're obviously suffering from space-lag. I suggest a hot lava spa treatment before we meet for lunch. It works wonders on the body and the mind. You'll soon be back in Kryptonian cycles again."
After his mother left the room, Superman walked to the brightly lit LED screen that he had seen. Playing with the controls, he realized it was voice commanded. So he activated it, demanding to see the history of the place he was in, the location….
It was a long time before Superman allowed himself to think again. He was on Planet Krypton. And had obviously grown up on the Planet, which had never exploded. His cousin Kara, was Commander Kara and was an acknowledged strategist in Kryptonian Inter-planetary affairs. He was a Senator, now elected President of the Council of Elders. He was a much respected man on Krypton. And he had a family – a full family. Not just parents, but brothers and sisters.
From his vantage point in Tartarus, Zeus looked into the oracular pond and watched the scenes as they played out. Ares's machinations seemed to be succeeding. Diana's champions would fail. And then all of Olympus as they knew it was doomed.
"They seem to lack the wisdom of their choices, don't they?" asked Athena as she came to stand by his side.
"My hands are bound. Ares has made sure of that. And you, who also holds the war portfolio are imprisoned here with me. Diana has made that pact with Ares, I fear that she will take Otrera's place besides Ares. Her two young heroes have been overcome. One by Aphrodite, the other by Morpheus."
"There are still the other two."
"They fight the Death-raiders valiantly. But they need help or they will succumb."
Athena smiled. Not for nothing was she worshipped for her wisdom.
"If I can get you out of Tartarus and back in Olympus, what will you reward me with?" she asked now.
"If you can do the impossible, stop Ares, restore us all to Olympus, you may have whatever you desire."
"Give me dominion over the heavens and the earths – give me dominion over Olympus."
"My throne is yours, should we be set free. Only leave Ares to me," responded Zeus.
"We have a pact, then."
So saying, Athena stepped away.
On the far-off distant planet, a space bubble, illuminated by a green light, landed unseen by the warriors. Green Lantern stepped out, ready for battle. Using his power ring, he quickly located Fanci Webb and Black Star.
They were lying amidst the bodies of fallen Death-raiders, unconscious. He wanted to make sure that Fanci was all right, but forced himself to create a double stretcher to lift them both into the bubble.
Wishing that he had a womb-pod for both of them, he used his power ring to check for vital signs, then sighed in relief. They were merely sleeping. Exhaustion had worn them out. By the time he returned to Earth, they would be fine.
He used the time to think about Ahprodite. Was she still in bed with the Green Lantern created by his power ring? He hoped his duplicate was giving her a good time, wearying her out. He had had to think quickly, to avoid being trapped by Aphrodite. It had been good for his ego to feel wanted by a Goddess. But too much was at stake. He had Fanci and Black Star safe now.
Next was Superman.