Chapter 11)
Happy Harbor, Rhode Island had been one of the last places on Earth which Harry expected to be at this moment in time. Especially to look for a Paragon. Yet, here he was, in a place where Harry doubted anyone would be even remotely aware that the entire multiverse hung in the balance before them.
Yet, here he was, to follow up on a potential, for one of the Paragons. Alia stepped out of the car, along with him, which only was an illusion to prevent anyone from being disturbed by this mysterious man and his companions teleporting in the middle of the town. Lena followed him.
"Thanks for letting me tag along. Honestly, I had to get away from Lex."
Harry figured as much. Given what Kara and Lena told him, Harry doubted that Lena being anywhere near Lex at this moment would be good for her mental health.
"I'm glad to have your help," Harry said. "Because, we might have found a candidate for the Paragon of Humanity."
'Oh?" Lena asked Harry.
"Doctor Karen Beecher," Alia informed. "She worked at Palmertech under Ray Palmer as his lab assistant, because Palmer moved on to other things. And the company fell into the grip of Felicity Smoak."
'Right," Lena commented.
"She's a brilliant woman, single mother who made the most out of her life, despite it potentially falling apart," Harry said. "And she may have finished one of Palmer's projects."
"Yes," Alia agreed. "His Palmer Particle Project."
An entirely original name to be sure, Harry mentally summarized. Regardless, the trio made their way across the street to a nice lab. Which had been one of the few hubs of scientific research in this quaint little Rhode Island town. Harry thought about what brought him here and what he had to do.
So far, things had been quiet since the encounter with Deegan. A bit too quiet for Harry's liking. He knew there would be some kind of a calm before the storm.
"So, how do we convince a careerwoman who is also a single mother to go on this dangerous mission?" Lena asked. "Because, she might have other priorities."
"Yes," Harry agreed. "She could. It's difficult to say what might inspire her."
Difficult, but not impossible. Harry came with scientific proof and data, hoping to appeal to that side of Doctor Beecher. Then, hopefully, the fact all of everything would be in peril would appeal to her maternal instincts. At least that was the idea formulating in Harry's head. It might take some cunning to do so, but Harry felt strongly he could win her into the side.
A beautiful woman with ebony skin dressed in a lab coat, with a casual button up blouse, and a skirt of modest length to give a tiny hint of her legs, hovered over a lab table and frowned when she looked over some reports. No one was the wiser, but she picked up on something stranger.
"Doctor Beecher, there is a Lena Luthor, Alia Potter, and Harry Potter to see you. They say it's urgent."
Karen raised an eyebrow. Urgent, she never heard of three such people in her life, and under normal circumstances, Karen would be very hesitant to let them in. However, under the weird and strange circumstances which were going on, Karen wondered if this was a coincidence that just dropped into her lap.
"Send them in, Miranda."
Miranda nodded and sent the trio in. Karen found herself lost in the green eyes of the young man before her before she cleared her throat.
"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said. "This is my companion, Alia, and this is Lena, one of my lovers."
"Hello, Doctor Beecher," Lena said. "You...may not have heard of me, but I'm a fan of your work and I find it to be rather impressive."
"Thank you," Karen said graciously. "Why don't you take a seat, and you can tell me why you're here?"
Karen pulled out chairs, and Alia, Lena, and Harry sat down in a circle.
"Doctor Beecher, this Earth, along with several other parallel Earth's is in danger," Harry said. "Alia, the readings, please."
Alia put up the readings before Karen. The data regarding the Anti-Matter wave swiping. Karen heard of the multiverse theory, naturally although it was not her era of expertise. The view of the Anti-Matter wave wiping out every single Earth in existence.
"So, that's that strange energy my satellite picked up," Karen said. "We are at the nexus point"
"This Earth is the final one that has to be destroyed before the Anti-Monitor can reshape the universe," Alia explained.
"The Anti-Monitor?" Karen asked.
"He's a Cosmic being," Harry explained. "He's destroyed many Earth', including Lena's home Earth and mine, and he will not stop."
Karen sighed. This sounded bad.
"Is there anyone who can stop him?" Karen asked.
"Well, there are these Paragons," Alia said. "Champions which have the ability to stop the Paragon. Apart, they are extraordinary, but together, they are even more so. With the Paragons being united, they can take him down."
"And you might be the Paragon of Humanity," Harry said.
One could hear a pin drop thanks to the silence in the room. Along with Karen's shock. She looked from Harry, to Alia, to Lena and none of them let on that this was some huge practical joke to mess with her. Nothing about this would be very funny, and there were countless people on countless parallel Earths dying.
"Me?"
"Yes," Harry said. "I've seen what you do to help people, selflessly, and you are the person for the job. Can you come and help us?"
"Sorry, but I can't."
Harry looked at Karen for a long moment. Karen almost regretted shutting him down, but she had to remain firm in this particular instance. Despite the fact she was already feeling guilt about doing this.
"I'm really sorry, that I can't. But, my duty as a mother comes first. After my husband died in the tragedy in Havenrock...I just can't...risk anything. I'm sorry."
Harry understood, he really did. He reached out for Karen and looked her straight in the eye for the next few seconds.
"Your daughter won't have any future in the Anti-Monitor isn't stopped."
Karen's expression turned a bit sour and she looked at Harry. She already felt guilty enough about not having the nerve to help.
"Are you trying to guilt trip me?"
"No, just merely giving you perspective on how the important things are affected," Harry said. "But, if that's your decision, that's your decision. I might not have to like it, but I respect it."
Lena and Alia both looked surprised that Harry did not fight this. Karen squirmed a little bit though and was looking at Harry.
"I just thought you would be the right person for the job. Maybe, I'll find someone else. But, there's still time. Think it over, and if you change your mind, take this."
Harry handed Karen a disc-shaped and Karen held it in her hand. She looked at it, staring, wondering what it was.
"Lena, Alia, I believe we have work to do," Harry said.
The three of them left the lab, and left Karen sitting there, flummoxed and looking at the disc. She turned to the computer and brought the data. The data Alia had brought here had been uploaded, and Karen had no idea. She looked surprised, shocked.
It gave her a clearer picture. Perhaps things were not as a grim as they thought they would be.
Karen closed her eyes. Oh, would there be any future? No, she had to be positive, had to find a way around it. There had to be a future.
There had to be a way to stop this without leaving her daughter an orphan.
Harry returned to the complex and came across Diana, who smiled at him.
"Any luck on the Paragon of Humanity?" Diana asked him.
"I've found a potential, and she might join us yet," Harry said. "Give her time, and she'll come around."
"Most people tend to hesitate when dealing with a dangerous situation," Diana remarked. "But, what about the uncertain Paragons?"
"Well, I'm pretty certain that you are the Paragon of Love and Dinah is the Paragon of Honor, as reluctant as she is to admit it," Harry said. "I didn't want to be blinded by my own biases, but looking at the facts, you two are very qualified. That's not to say that J'onn and Barry aren't, and they both have their roles to play in the coming battle, but you are more qualified."
Harry took a few seconds to let this sink in. Diana smiled and nodded.
"I believe you're right, although yes, there are roles to play beyond the Paragons."
The two walked a little bit down the hallway to a training room. Harry knew Dinah, Mia and Sara spent a fair bit of time sparring and blowing off steam. And then when Harry joined them, they blew off steam in an entirely different way.
"Especially since Barry believes he's racing headlong into his demise," Harry said. "Nora showed me the headline. I'm not sure if it's as cut and dry as they say it is."
Especially given the future has changed so many times in this world, Harry could not know.
"I see you as someone who wishes to help everyone, even if there's a part of you who thinks they don't deserve it," Diana said. "But, there's someone out there who thinks they deserve it. And it's not something you can do alone."
"No, not anymore, not this time," Harry agreed.
"Coming to that conclusion is a sobering experience," Diana said. "I remember when I left home a long time ago, to venture out and see my way of the world. I thought I could strike out, without my sisters. I thought that my mother, the Queen, had exaggerated the dangers of the world. And while she learned to appreciate the benefits of the world, there are dangers. But, I fight for the honor of my sisters, and the great warriors who came before me, not just women, but all warriors. They all have their stories to tell. But, knowing that I have a home to come back to, and the fact I want to keep it that way, it gives me perspective."
Harry and Diana crossed passed the doorway and entered the training room.
"I kept getting up in the morning, with the hope that I would find Kara one day. When we were separated, it was rough, because I had hope that I could finally be in a good place in life. My people, they were...well mistakes were made there. No one is perfect, but the worst people always up getting in positions of power."
"Yes, that can be a problem," Diana agreed. "My mother is mostly fair, although she does have her blindspots. I feel that as much as she's taught me, I've taught her some things, and we're both better people because of it."
The seconds passed with Harry and Diana entering the training room. Diana picked up a sword and eyed Harry up.
"So, you know more than magic, right?"
"Yes," Harry said. "I've picked up a few things. It was useful when I lived in a world where most of the enemies I fought were dependent on magic. It's good to have more than that in my toolbox."
"I agree," Diana said.
Harry picked up the sword. Even if Diana ran circles around him, he could still learn something. Failure had been the best teacher for Harry, although he employed its services far too often for his liking. The two circled around each other and they got into a sparring session.
To, Harry's credit, he did not utterly humiliate himself against Diana. And in fact, picked up some confidence and managed to find patterns in Diana's motions, which he could exploit. Which also forced Diana to step up her game, something which she relished.
A scream brought the sparring session to a sudden stop.
"Lost him, how did you lose him?"
The scene Harry came across was Lyla staggering out of the room, and a damaged wall right next to them. A furious Lena stood over Lyla, and Harry stepped into the room.
The room which Lex had been in and he escaped his cage by the looks of him.
"How could you lose him?" Lena asked again.
"He...we underestimated him," Lyla said.
"Which I warned you about," Lena said.
Lena had been fuming. Harry reached over and grabbed her hand right on Lena as if telling her to calm down, because getting stressed out was not going to do any good for anyone.
"We'll find it."
"Mar Novu sent Iris, Clark, Nora, and Lois to find the Paragon of Truth," Lyla told them as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Alia, track Lex's trip."
Alia flashed the line of particles, which opened a portal. A three dimensional image showed Harry what he needed to know.
"Lex has been busy," Harry said.
"He's going through different Earths, and murdering their version of Superman," Alia said with a slight tut. "Such a petty child."
Lena would have to agree, and this time, she would cut off Lex's head instead of shooting him, if she got the chance.
"Lex is on Earth-167, and I believe, Nora and the others are there as well," Harry said. "And the Anti-Matter is trickling closer to that."
Lena reached over and holstered a large gun over her shoulder.
"I'm coming with you."
Harry would not argue about her taking a trip for the second. The two entered the portal and went to follow Lex's journey to Earth-167.
"Could this be him?"
Iris West-Allen stepped out of the portal, followed by her daughter, Nora, and Clark Kent and Lois Lane. They walked up to a large stocky looking man, with slightly grey roots in his hair, chopping wood with an axe. Clark recognized this place.
"Is that..."
Before they could take a closer look, they had been frozen in their tracks. Lex Luthor made his way out of the portal.
"Lois," Lex said in acknowledgement. "Should have known that if there was trouble, you would be smack dab in the middle. And you've brought Mr. Kent here as well. You really should stick to covering pet shows, Kent, and not involve yourself."
Nora tried to vibrate her way out of the shield, but she kept getting smacked back. The young speedster could not get out of time, because she had been frozen in time.
"Another Superman, I'm going to kill."
"You can't get away with this!" Clark yelled.
"Mmm, maybe, maybe not."
Lex took another step forward and took a step forward towards the man. He paused.
"On this Earth, Clark Kent is Superman," Lex said. "The more you know."
Naturally, Lex found it absurd that pathetic Clark Kent behind him could ever be Superman. It must have been some trick of the multiverse, where things changed. Alternate Earths and all that.
"May I help you?" Clark-167 asked him.
"Yes, I'm here to kill you."
"And who the hell are you?"
"I'm Lex Luthor."
Clark-167 eyed Lex for a good long minute and chuckled.
"You're not Lex Luthor. And I'll have you know that impersonating the President is a federal crime."
"Very funny, guy," Lex remarked. "But...the book is telling me you're Superman. You can't be Superman. You have no powers...something isn't right."
"I gave up my powers, so I can undertake the greatest responsibility of all."
Lex blinked. Killing this one would not be fun at all. It would be such a simple crime, like killing a puppy dog or stealing forty cakes. Four tens. Which was terrible.
Evil just for the sake of evil, with no greater purpose. Well, Lex was a higher class of criminal than that.
Lex turned around and walked off without another word. The moment he passed through the portal, he was sure that the quartet would be free.
The moment Lex stepped in, the portal spat him back out and caused Lex to fly into the puddle of mud. And then, Harry flew out of the portal, and landed right in front of Lex.
"I don't understand," Lex said. "I can't…."
Lex tried to use the book on Harry, but to no effect. Harry ripped the book out of his hand, and sent Lex flying through the portal back into his cage. Harry pocketed the Book of Destiny, and yes, the power was very tempting to use. Harry reinforced his iron will to avoid using it.
"Clark, you can keep an eye on him, can't you?" Harry asked.
"It would be a pleasure," Clark agreed.
Clark left through the portal, with Lena being sent through as well. Harry would deal with Lex for good when he got back, he needed to make sure everything was okay.
Clark-167 went back to chopping wood, none the wiser of what happened.
"We're invisible to him now," Harry said. "All he knows is that he had an encounter with some strange Lex doppleganger, and they shared banter. And Lex left.
"Right," Lois said.
"So, you're the Harry my daughter just won't shut up about," Iris said.
"And you're Iris, who is Nora's mother," Harry said.
The two moved over, and Iris looked over him, well, Nora did have a good taste in men, she would have to admit that much.
"Mom, you are married, don't forget that," Nora nervously said..
"I knew that Nora, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate things from a purely scientific standpoint," Iris said.
Right, science, Nora chuckled.
"The Paragon is not on this Earth," Harry remarked. "In fact, the Paragon of Truth is not on any Earth."
"Wait, was one of the Paragons already destroyed in the Crisis? Nora asked, alarmed.
"Yeah, what does that mean?" Lois asked.
"No, she was wiped out in a timeline shift before Crisis even occurred," Harry said. "How particularly odd."
This was quite strange indeed.
"Well, we better find the rest of them before something wipes them out too," Lois said.
"I agree."
They had to find the Paragon of Courage. And hope that the Paragon of Humanity would come around, eventually, they hoped.
"So, this one is a wash," Iris said.
"Unfortunately," Harry said. "Forward."
Harry opened a portal and brought them all the way back to base.
"Thank you Clark, you can go now. I'll be meeting with the rest in about five minutes."
Clark did, and walked off. Harry turned to Lex. Lex opened his mouth but Harry silenced him.
"You were warned."
Harry snapped his fingers and Lex had been reduced to nothing but dust particles.
"And to think, one normally needs a gauntlet and a bunch of gems to pull that one off," Alia summarized.
"It had to be done," Lena agreed.
Harry and Lena made their way to the meeting room. Sara, Diana, Dinah, and Kara already arrived there first, and Harry stood by his fellow Paragons. Several of their allies entered the room. Ray, J'onn, and Clark were there, along with Mia, and Nora, and Kate made her way into the room along with them.
"I've found one potential," Harry said. "Karen Beecher, a scientist working in Rhode Island. But she's not fully committed, and she is conflicted due to being a single mother."
"Karen, she's a good person," Ray told Harry somberly. "She'll do the right thing, just give her time."
"I know," Harry said. "And there's the matter of the Paragon of Truth. She's lost in the multiverse somewhere."
"Another Earth the Anti-Matter wiped out?" Sara asked. "We didn't get to her in time?"
"No, from a timeline which no longer exists," Harry said.
"Well, you can pull her out into reality like you did me," Nora said.
"Yes, if I could lock onto her," Harry said.
And as much as Harry hated to admit it, locking onto Nora had been a lucky shot. Everything had to align just right, to pull her into the system. And he did so completely by accident. If he had the right focus, and the knowledge on who it was, Harry could do it.
"Well, we'll focus on the others, and save her for last," Kara said.
Good plan and Harry agreed.
"Alia's currently running a trace to the Paragon of Courage," Harry said. "The good news is that the Anti-Monitor is likely going to target this Earth last."
"And there's bad news, there always is," Dinah said.
"Well, it might not be too bad," Clark said.
"He'll be at his strongest," Harry summarized.
"Okay, that's pretty bad," Clark darkly replied.
"But, if we get all of the Paragons before him, we are going to strike," Kara suggested. "If we figure out how to unite for one strike."
"Yeah, something tells me that curb-stomping him with a giant Beebo isn't going to work this time," Sara said.
Everyone other than Ray looked at Sara for a second as if she had lost her mind. Sara sighed.
"Long story."
Harry figured as much. Although he had no clue what the bloody hell a "Beebo" was and wonder if he wanted to know. Still, if Karen came around, and Harry believed that she would.
"What's the deal with Lex?" Clark asked.
"Taken care of," Harry said.
Clark thought about asking, but decided he was better off leaving it at that for now.
"So, how many more Earths do we have between us and the Anti-Monitor?" Mia asked.
"Nineteen," Harry said.
"Eighteen," Alia corrected. "Earth-167 just got hit."
"I...may be able to reconfigure one of Lex's old projects," Lena said. "But, it's a long shot. It might weaken the Anti-Monitor if we can catch him."
At least something good would come out of Lex Luthor.
"Anything will help," Kara agreed. "Let me know if you need any help."
They had a short amount of time. Harry did not sense the Anti-Monitor or his minions Psycho-Pirate or Doctor Destiny anywhere around. Their lack of presence unsettled Harry more than anything.
"So, at least we don't have too many more Earths to narrow down to find this Paragon of Courage," Diana said.
Harry , Kara, and Diana moved over, to go over what they knew about the Paragon of Courage, and also all of the data which they could pull up on the remaining Earths. Which was scattered.
"Yes, proving we can convince this one to help us in time," Kara said.
Kate stepped into the room, seeing what she could do to help out.
"Earth-99, in Gotham City," Harry said. "And here's the location."
Harry brought up an image and Kate's eyes widened.
"Wayne Manor. It can't be, can it?"
"Wait, it's the butler, isn't it?" Kara asked, trying to add a bit of levity to the situation.
As much ass Alfred kicked, that was not who Kate was referring to. She found herself staring and looking at the mansion for a few seconds.
"All of the probables have been women," Kara said. "Other than Harry."
"Well, nothing is perfect," Harry said with a shrug.
"We have to go and see," Kate said. "We can head there, now."
"Looks like we're all going," Diana said.
Kara, Kate, Diana, and Harry all agreed, they were going to take a trip to Earth-99 and see if they can find the Paragon. Could it be Bruce Wayne? It was all possible.
"Thought it could be you for a minute," Kara told Kate.
"Me?" Kate asked. "No, I've barely done anything to deserve that."
"Someday, you will," Harry said. "If you stick around for long enough.
Well, that made Kate feel a lot better, that Harry didn't think she was completely worthy. Granted, that was not what Harry meant, but it felt like that was what he meant.
A second before Harry was about ready to take the trip, a pulse of energy erupted around him. Along with a brisk wind which nearly knocked Harry off his feet. Harry readjusted his footing.
Harry noticed a beautiful dark-haired woman with an olive complexion, dressed in white. A strange looking totem appeared wrapped around her neck. And something about the energy seemed familiar.
"I see the truth," she breathed.
Before Harry could reach out and touch her, a flash of light erupted across the room.
"HARRY!"
A concerned Kara held Harry up by the hand. Harry closed his eyes.
"I saw it," Harry said. "Woman, dark hair, with a totem, she's the Paragon of Truth. But, I can't reach her again."
"You look, you look a bit off,' Kate said.
"Well, I see people who are displaced by reality shifts."
Along with other things. Harry calmed down, not meaning to sound so snippy.. Kara took one hand, and Diana took the other hand. Harry gently pulled away from them.
"I'm fine, really, fine," Harry said. "Okay, fine, I'm really weirded out, but we have a job to do."
Those who knew Harry could tell how dire the situation was, when he actually admitted something was wrong. Regardless, Harry closed his eyes, did not see the woman, although he felt the presence.
Then, without another word, Harry opened up a portal and led Kara, Kate, and Diana straight through Earth-99.
Red skies, gunshots and sirens going off in the distance. Not that the police would be much help in a city which was this run down. The sounds of screams in the distance, and Kara caught a glimpse of people burning down buildings, rioting in the streets.
It was hell on Earth. Some hack journalists might call this a peaceful protest, but Kara saw it for what it was. Completely awful and disturbing, anarchy and chaos.
Graffiti lined the walls to some buildings which had obviously been hit with fire damage. A ghastly image of a killer clown eating a bat had been sprayed across the building , with crude looking letters which read "Jokerz Territory" sprayed over it.
"How can Gotham be somehow worse on this Earth?" Kate mumured.
"Let's get this over with," Kara said with a slight shiver.
Finding a Paragon in all of this, would be a feat to say the least. Especially considering this Gotham City appeared to be hell on Earth.
Chapter 12)
Harry, Kara, Kate, and Diana walked up the way to Wayne Manor. It looked like it had seen better days to say the very least. Kate closed her eyes and looked up at it. The vines growing on the gates looked rather alarming and at the same time foreboding.
"Is he even around anymore?" Kate asked.
"I don't know," Diana said. "Maybe it's a deterrent to keep people from visiting."
Despite the slight disrepair Wayne Manor had gone under, one could argue that it still looked like paradise compared to the rest of this Earth's Gotham City. Harry sensed something dark in the air. Something about this world just seemed like some bad things happened and people gave up all hope. And they would not even try and rise up and fight once the Anti-Monitor wave hit it.
"We should step carefully."
Diana, Kara, and Kate all agreed. They had similar uneasy feelings, Harry could tell. The moment they walked a little bit closer, something hovered in the air above them. Several things in fact.
Drones, drones which would intend to fire on them. Diana, Kate, and Kara all braced themselves for a fight. And Harry hated to deprive them of a chance to smash things, but they kind of had to hurry as this particular Earth only had maybe hours left before the Anti-Matter wave hit it.
Harry's wrist whipped forward and caught the drones one by one. They short-circuited the moment Harry connected with a strong pulse of magic vibrating them to the ground. Another pulse of magic blocked any further drones from attacking them.
"Handy," Kara said. "Is there any more?"
"No," Kate said. "The real defenses could be on the inside."
Harry understood that. Those were just the warning shot, and a shot which he disabled. They moved up and in a stunning breach of etiquette, made their way straight to the front door. Harry waved a hand and all of the locks clicked open.
Normally, Harry did not just magic his way through a locked door, unless it was an emergency. Although, this did qualify as one.
At the front door, a large black dog appeared in the entryway. The dog looked at the intruders and began to growl at them, warningly.
"Down Ace."
The familiar to Kate gruff voice caused her to stand in the hallway. Suddenly, an older gentleman who looked like he had lived several full lives, came down the hallway, with the aid of a walking stick. The silver haired, battle scarred old man stared at them.
"Bruce?"
"Kate, Diana," Bruce said gruffly. "Impossible. You're dead...which means either I've been affected by something, or you are from an alternate Earth."
"The Alternate Earth explanation is what you're looking for, Mr. Wayne," Kara said.
"And Supergirl," Bruce said before his eyes locked onto him. "And you are…"
"Harry," Harry told him. "I don't appear to have a counterpart on this Earth. Or any Earth that hasn't been wiped out."
The fact Bruce had not been surprised about the fact there were Earths wiped out, had not been surprising. He leaned against his cane, casually eying them all up.
"Follow me into my study. There have been numerous oddities going on which I'm sure that you could shed more light on."
Time obviously passed differently on this Earth. Even if the mind had still been willing, Bruce had lived a full life, and Kate could see how ravished he was. He had been so old, that Kate saw that Alfred had long since left.
The quartet of travelers made their way into a study. Bruce sat in an easy chair right in front of a very prominent looking bust of William Shakespeare. Ace stepped into position in front of Bruce. Bruce casually petted the dog and turned his eyes towards the group.
"I'm listening."
Kate took a deep breath and summarized the entire Crisis situation. Bruce said nothing, and just stared. One could see the sorrow through his eyes and somehow, the understanding. And the grim acceptance that everyone could come crashing down to an end.
"We're here searching for the Paragon. The Paragon of Courage. One who could help us and…"
"At another time, in another world, it might have been me," Bruce quietly stated. "But, you see the state I'm in. Years of the mission have caught on me. Mistakes have been made. As you can see on the outside."
Bruce indicated his scars and also the cane. One could see he had been through. And that was just the physical toll life has taken on him.
"I've made many mistakes. And I see you alive and well. Along with Diana. It reminds me of the days of the Justice League. Those days are long past, thanks to the mistakes I've made."
"The Justice League?" Kara inquired.
"What happened?" Diana asked.
Bruce leaned on his cane and considered his next statement. It had been almost two decades ago, and yet Bruce remembered it like yesterday.
"When you have powered individuals, you need to have a backup plan in case they go rogue. Protocols, as they were. However, I had been careless, sloppy. I let someone in I shouldn't have, and the protocols fell into the hands of Ra's al Ghul. He twisted them and set six super powered heroes on the world and caused untold destruction. Ra's may have fell at the end, but he did damage and had a lasting legacy with his near apocalypse of 2009."
Kara noticed something in the bust behind Bruce.
"Kryptonite," Kara said. "You have Kryptonite in the bust."
Despite Harry's shielding, Kara felt a bit uneasy around it.
"It's merely a failsafe," Bruce responded gruffly. "The last Kara Zor-El I knew, she tried to kll me in retaliation because I had to put her cousin down. She gave me a few of these."
Kara swallowed, she could not even imagine. Then again, she remembered the Red Kryptonite and how things could twist in an instant. And her alternate counterpart on Earth-X and how she turned out.. In a different life, with different people finding her, Kara might have been one of the biggest threats and menaces in the world.
"She won't attack you," Harry said. "And if you try and use it, I will."
Not that it mattered, but there was no need for Bruce to know that.
"And I believe you," Bruce told Harry without missing a beat.
The doorway opened, and a very attractive young dark haired woman stepped into the room. The moment she saw the guests, she jumped in surprise. The moment this woman laid her eyes on Kara, she tensed up a little bit and curled her fists.
"Stand down. They're here on a very important mission. One which affects Gotham City. Or Earth itself."
The woman looked across the room and saw two women she only recognized through pictures, Kate and Diana. She did not recognize the man in the room, although she did spend a little bit of time studying him. Although he seemed to be with the Supergirl doppelganger beside her.
"This is Helena, my daughter."
Kate wondered who the mother was. Although, given her knowledge of Bruce's past entanglements and a closer look at Helena, she had an idea. Providing, of course, some of his relationships are.
"Things are getting worse out there," Helena said. "The skies are redder than normal."
"The Anti-Matter wave is approaching," Harry said. 'It will be here within the hour. We have to find the Paragon of Courage...which means it's a damn good thing she just walked through this door."
A half eyebrow had been raised by Helena when she looked at Harry. Kate, Diana, and Kara all gave her the cliffnotes of the Crisis going on.
"So, we are running short on time," Diana explained to her. "Will you help us?"
Helena thought about it. They did have a detailed account of what was going on. And she wanted to believe it, but it was terrifying to think about it. Everything she knew, no matter how flawed, would be disappearing rather soon in a wave of Anti-Matter.
"It has to be her," Diana said.
"I agree," Kara said.
"And if you three think so, you would know best,' Kate said. "Helena, listen, I know that this might seem scary."
"I'm not terrified," Helena said. "I'm not scared. I just find it a little unbelievable. You don't believe this, do you?"
Helena's eyes locked on her father for a good long minute. Bruce looked back at her and nodded.
"Yes. I believe it. And while the mission will be over on this Earth, the mission will continue elsewhere, and this Anti-Monitor will be stopped."
Bruce heaved and then slumped against the chair. His breathing became shallow and Harry looked at him. It appeared to be a race whether or not the Anti-Monitor would get to Bruce first or his own health problems would catch up. He had been marked for death regardless.
"Did you take your medicine today?" Helena asked her father.
"Don't...don't need it, not important right now. And I've grown too dependent on it."
Bruce and Helena entered a staring contest. And despite being so used to that particular look, it did not stop Kate from shuddering.
"I wish to go out on my own terms, and the end happens."
Ace whined and licked his master's hand. Bruce gently stroked the dog's ears.
"You can help us do it," Harry told Helena. "Help us save the Multiverse."
"Yes, you should," Bruce agreed. "Go, before it's too late."
Harry opened up a portal and Helena looked at him. Bruce laid back in the chair, and Helena looked up at the red skies which looked even worse.
Diana, Kate, and Kara passed through the portal. And then Helena went on through, with Ace, at his master's urging, following him through the portal. And then Harry walked through.
"Take good care of them."
"I will."
Bruce watched as this mysterious Harry stepped through the portal. He saved both his daughter and dog from decimation throughout the multiverse. Bruce summoned all of the strength he could to stand up, with his cane and look outside.
A wave of energy erased everything it touched out in the distance. Bruce collapsed back down in the chair, each breath harder than the last.
Bruce stared at the very prominent portrait of his parents which always was in the study.
"It's up to her now."
That was Bruce's final words before he slumped back in his chair. Bruce finally stopped fighting, and went out on his own terms just seconds before the Anti-Matter wave hit and erased everything on Earth-99.
"So, you're the Batwoman of your Earth?"
Helena nodded at Kate's question.
"Yeah, Dad really didn't want me to go down that road," Helena said. "I didn't...he didn't want me to be a part of this. He held off training me for years, and hell, I didn't even know him for years. My mother had a difficult relationship with him, then again, a lot of his relationships were difficult."
"So, he trained you?" Kate asked.
"After he was persistent in doing so," Helena said. "I had to work hard for years, before I felt worthy. There were times where I wanted to give it up, quit, leave it all behind, but I guess I was just as stubborn as both of my parents. It didn't seem worth it at times though.
"There are days like that. It's just inevitable when you feel you can't live up to your parents. But, you can't. You have to make your own legacy."
Harry looked thoughtful, while he petted Ace. Ace had grown somber, as if trying to reconcile the death of his master. The dog's eyes moved forward to try and gauge his own surroundings.
"So, you seemed to know me when we were there?" Kara asked. "Were we friends or something?"
"Yes, or something," Helena said.
Kara could tell there was a bit more to this story than Helena was letting on. But, if she was anything like her father, than the story would not come out.
"So, I suppose we should get you prepared for what is going to come," Harry said. "I think it's time to call the Paragons for a meeting. We still need to find the other one."
The Paragon of Truth, and hope that the Paragon of Humanity would come through and join them. Harry and Helena moved off to have a conversation with each other. Kate, Diana, and Kara followed.
"You okay?" Kara asked.
"Glad it's not me," Kate said. "She seems more together than I am about this."
"Well, she just inherited his ability to mask what she's truly feeling," Diana said.
"You could be it," Harry told Kate. "It's just…."
"She's further along than I am, in her career and more experienced and confident," Kate said. "I understand. I get it. I'll...seriously, I know you'll do great, kid."
"Thanks," Helena said.
Given who her father was, and Kate had a good idea who her mother was, Helena would do great. She would do wonderful.
Kara, Dinah, Sara, Diana, and Helena, and of course, Harry. The Paragons are coming together, slowly, but surely, although Harry did hope that the other two would be found.
And speaking of which, a flash emitted from the corner of Harry's eyes. Karen Beecher landed on the ground. It took a minute to regain her bearings.
"So, you said to use the disc if I needed it," Karen said. "How did it bring me right next to you?"
"Magic," Harry said.
Well, ask a stupid question, Karen mused. Still she realized what she was doing.
"After you left, I did a lot of thinking. And a lot of research. I ran through every little bit of data that I could get my hands on. I hoped against all hope that I could find something that you were missing. That I could find something which you could not. Maybe you and Lena overlooked something, something important, something vital."
Karen whistled in frustration as she recalled all of that painstaking work she did over the past twelve hours, before she came to the unavoidable conclusion.
"But, I couldn't," Karen said. "And I couldn't live with myself if I didn't...if I didn't do this. What kind of world would my daughter live in if the Anti-Monitor succeeded?"
"No world," Dinah remarked grimly. "Because, no matter what age you are, no matter what gender, or background, he will take you out. He does not discriminate. He wiped out everything on my Earth."
"And mine," Kara commented.
"And mine," Helena said.
"And mine as well," Harry said. "Ladies, this is Doctor Karen Beecher, the Paragon of Humanity. Karen, this is Kara Danvers, better known as Supergirl. Sara Lance, the White Canary. Dinah Laurel Lance, the Black Canary. Helena Wayne, Batwoman. And Diana of Themyscira, better known as Wonder Woman."
"A pleasure to meet you, and I really don't have any cool name," Karen said. "How about you?"
"I'm actually in the no codename club," Harry said.
"We really should work on that one," Sara said.
"Although, maybe at another time," Diana suggested.
"We have seven out of eight Paragons," Harry explained to her. "Now that you're joining us."
Karen had to ask the question. She had a feeling their time was running down. Especially as more Earths had been wiped out.
"Have you had any luck finding the last one?" Karen asked them.
"Not yet," Harry admitted. "I know she's out there, but she's just out of reach. We have to reach her now."
Unfortunately, Harry could not just replicate the same circumstances he did to rescue Nora from temporal oblivion. The circumstances had been special and it would be tricky, almost impossible to replicate in a situation like this.
They missed something. They had to know what. The Paragons were going around in circles until they found the final one.
As Harry walked off to clear his head, he bumped into Mar Novu. Harry stared at the figure for a good long time.
"Yes?"
"You should not look at things from a conventional way, Dragon. You should do things in your own unconventional way. And look at the angles which no one else can think of. And when you do that, you will find this one."
Harry thought that even Dumbledore at his most batshit could not be this cryptic. Before, he could say anymore, Mar Novu disappeared into the light.
"Is it just me, or does that guy give you a big headache?"
Mia stepped around the corner, and walked over towards Harry. Harry stared at the same spot which Mar Novu just left.
"Hopefully, so the headache will be over," Harry said.
"Any more Earths attacked?" Mia asked.
"Not since Earth-99," Harry said. "We're down to ten now though, and well, I'm sure whatever his end game for the final Earths are doing, it's not going to be good. And we can't reach him. And we need to find the other Paragon, and soon."
"You will," Mia said. "You have to, I mean. You always win. I don't sleep with losers."
"Well, thanks for the confidence," Harry said.
"And I don't fall in love with them either," Mia said.
She was forever grateful for Kara's generosity. It seemed almost unfair if Kara had just monopolized Harry all to herself. Still, Mia had to prepare for what was to come. While not a Paragon, and Mia was not sure she wanted that responsibility heaved on her shoulders, she still had a very valuable role to play.
Just as Mia and Harry were about to go their separate ways, Nora burst down the hallway, along with Kara right on her tail.
"We can't find Barry anywhere."
'Oh, he's done it, the one thing I didn't want to happen!" Nora shouted. "He's...he's gone off."
"He, has, hasn't he?" Kara asked.
"If you mean Barry's gone off to do something foolishly heroic, then yes, he likely has," Harry remarked. "Mar Novu has told him that the Flash must die to stop the Crisis."
"No!" Nora yelled. "It was all for nothing!"
Harry threw his arms around Nora and gave her a calming hug. Kara wrapped her arms around her a little bit and pulled her, a little bit closer and kissed Nora reassuringly on the cheek.
"The thing about Prophecy is they never are clear what they truly mean," Harry said. "I can't tell you, the Flash is going to come out of this fine. But, I can't tell you that he's doomed one hundred percent either."
They entered a spot whrtr Harry's death abilities were too clouded to really be of any use. Death herself had been overwhelmed and Harry could feel her pain from the beyond.
It was time for Harry to take Mar Novu's advice. The conventional roads to find and locate the eighth Paragon had not worked. It was time for Harry to do something completely reckless and absurd, that in the end would somehow work.
The Book of Destiny felt like hot fire in Harry's hand when he put it down on the table. The moment he looked at it, Harry realized that just because he understood what it was more than most, it did not mean it would not have an effect on him. Harry casually ran a finger down the book to scan it.
Alia put herself on the side, next to Harry. She assisted him in a scan and they both came up with similar conclusions.
"Rewriting reality at such a cosmic level is dangerous," Alia said. "Not impossible."
"But not advised."
Yes, very much not advised. Harry looked at the book. No wonder this book drove Deegan to madness. Lex might have been okay after using it, had Harry not snapped him from reality. A process which used a whole lot of magic and left Harry drained for a time afterwards, but he only did so because Lex threatened Kara directly.
"There are other uses for this book than alteration," Alia explained.
"I know," Harry said. "And let's face it, fixing what's been altered already is a lot easier than rewriting a new reality over the top of this one."
Yes, although a dangerous road to go down into. Foresight could be useful and also could be dangerous as everything else. Harry put his hand on the edge of the book and tried to locate that particular reality. However, all Harry achieved by doing that, was a major headache and a bad hair day.
Kara walked behind Harry and sat next to him.
"I think our new recruits are settling in well," Kara told him. "Helena's been a bit more at ease especially after we were bonded."
Yes, Harry bonded with the Paragons which he had not had a chance to earlier. Diana, Karen, and Helena all got some time with Harry, both alone and with others. And now all of the Paragons had been intertwined in a deeper level. Something which Harry would not be comfortable with doing had they not been all women.
But, perhaps Harry was getting off topic. Those were encounters which Harry could refocus on in a different time.
"You two were involved with being more than friends," Harry said.
"I figured as much."
Kara could feel the book, but did not dare get too close. Harry was right, the tempting was there.
Suddenly, a tingle erupted in the back of Harry's head. He became disconnected from the book.
"I know now what I need to do."
"Do...do you?" Kara asked him.
"Yes," Harry confirmed. "But, it's going to be a real trip to get it done."
Harry stared at the Ressurection Stone with a glint in his eye.
Harry brewed himself a very special tea. One with enough chemical assistance to stone a normal person out of their gourd for weeks. But, Harry could handle it, even though it would be a trip. And this was very conventional indeed.
"So, you're really going to drink that?" Kara asked.
"Yes," Harry said. "Down the Rabbit Hole I go."
Harry downed the tea and he entered a cyclone of pure fuckery which sucked him down. Harry saw an entire scope of the multiverse, along with several worlds which had been erased. And then timelines, oh so many timelines which had been altered. Many because of Barry running through the timeline, and some due to alterations made by the Legends. And others for other people messing around the time stream. And yes, there was a lot of Anti-Matter
A large demonic white rabbit appeared in front of Harry and moved down the trail. The White Rabbit stopped and turned around to face Harry.
"Tick tock, Dragon. Tick tock. Time is a construct, for it will manipulate you if you do not manipulate it."
Nothing made sense. Which meant to Harry's drug-addled brain, it made perfect sense.
Some timelines reeked of Anti-Matter energy, while others hand similar energy to what Nora had on her, when he pulled her out of the portal.
"Oh, you're here."
Harry turned and saw the same woman dressed in white he encountered previously. The same totem which hung from her body. She dressed in white with sandals covering her gorgeous feet.
"You're here. You need to warn Sara. Warn her that something is very wrong. There's a wolf in the hen house. I don't know how much longer I have before I'm sucked into the vortex with the rest of it, but someone in that complex, they've been influenced by the Anti-Monitor."
"You...just who…."
"As long as they have her power they will be a step ahead," she said. "You have to find her and take her off of the board."
Harry's mind flickered between different realities and the woman faded in and out.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Zari…"
Boom followed by a cackle, and Harry had been launched out of the room. He came head over heels. Numerous realities, thoughts, just plowed into Harry's head. He saw millions of different outcomes.
But, only one course of action assured a successful outcome.
"I know, I know, I know!" Harry cackled.
"Get the blue vial," Alia told Kara.
Kara did as she was told and moved over. She poured the vial down Harry's mouth. Sanity and clarity returned to Harry, although he had been left with a slight headache.
"Her name is Zari, we need to find a woman which the Anti-Monitor is using to predict our every move, and the Anti-Monitor corrupted someone."
"Who is…."
"I don't know," Harry said. "Zari told me to tell Sara, so...maybe Sara knew her before the timeline was altered."
Harry's mind pieced together what happened and he had to call an all Paragon meeting.