Conner Kent opened his eyes, immediately feeling cold in the air. He bolted awake, finding that he was on the floor of a large cage in a darkened room.
"Jon? Chris?" Conner asked as he got to his feet, tilting his neck to get the stiffness out from laying in the same position for who knows how long. "Clark?"
"Oh, good, you're awake," a feminine, yet manly voice said from the darkness. The large form of Granny Goodness soon approached, coming into what little light there was to be had. "I feared my precious new child was dead. Not that you won't die horribly at some point, but if you died in there, you wouldn't get to suffer. All children love to suffer for their dear old Granny, don't they? Yes, yes they do."
"Where the hell am I?" Conner asked. If he only had his powers, he'd already be out of this cage and on his way to freedom.
"Why, you're on Apokalips, dear boy," Granny Goodness said with a devilish smile. "And you are very fortunate, for you've been left in the care of your dear old Granny Goodness. And Granny takes very good care of her children. Very good care, indeed."
"Jon? Chris?" Conner asked as he got to his feet, tilting his neck to get the stiffness out from laying in the same position for who knows how long. "Clark?"
"Oh, good, you're awake," a feminine, yet manly voice said from the darkness. The large form of Granny Goodness soon approached, coming into what little light there was to be had. "I feared my precious new child was dead. Not that you won't die horribly at some point, but if you died in there, you wouldn't get to suffer. All children love to suffer for their dear old Granny, don't they? Yes, yes they do."
"Where the hell am I?" Conner asked. If he only had his powers, he'd already be out of this cage and on his way to freedom.
"Why, you're on Apokalips, dear boy," Granny Goodness said with a devilish smile. "And you are very fortunate, for you've been left in the care of your dear old Granny Goodness. And Granny takes very good care of her children. Very good care, indeed."
ISSUE #20 (July 2019)
Written by Tobias Christopher Featuring: |
"ROAD TRIP"Earth
The Fortress of Solitude "Chris, I need you to take care of Lois and Kara while I get Jon and Conner," Superman said as he opened a secure vault with a retinal scan. "I won't be gone long." "You're right, you won't be gone long, because I'm coming," Chris told him. "Jon and Conner are my brothers, I want to help save them." "Same goes for me," Kara told him. "I'm coming, too." "Jon's my baby, I'm not letting you kick Darkseid's butt without me." Lois said as she put on a cybernetic suit that would enhance her strength, something Superman had made for her in case the Fortress ever came under siege and she needed to fight back against whatever threat was there and he wasn't around. As Superman pulled a Boom Tube generator out of the vault, something he'd acquired during one of his fights with Doomsday, he stared at his family. He knew there was no arguing with Lois, and he didn't know what to expect on Apokalips once he got there. "No matter what happens, we stick together when we get there," Superman ordered. "No one strays or goes off mission. Our job is to get Jon and Conner back home safely, everything else is low priority, understand? Once we get there, we watch each other's backs. No showboating, Chris. Kara, you stick close to me. Is everyone ready?" "Don't you want to put on a shirt, first?" Kara asked, looking at Chris, who still had the 'S' shield painted on his bare chest. "Nah, I'm good, besides if Zod's bedime stories are true," Chris explained, with 'bedime stories' meaning 'Zod would beat me every night until I passed out'. "Then Apokalips is scorching hot due to the fire pits." Superman opened the Boom Tube and led the way to saving his family. On Apokalips, Dessad was monitoring activity from Earth in his personal lab. "My Lord, a Boom Tube has opened on Earth," Desaad said. "Superman is on his way here." "Distract him," Darkseid ordered in a calm tone. "I am not ready for his arrival yet. Make sure he ends up somewhere... comfortable." "Others are with him, Sire." "Then, by all means, make sure their trip ends safely. I have one final preparation to make before I am ready to negotiate with Superman. I only require him, do with the others what you will." "Remember, stick together!" Superman shouted as the group stepped into the Boom Tube, which started shaking and tossing everyone every which way. "Dad!" Power Boy shouted. "Chris!" Lois shouted as she fell in another direction. "Clark, what's happening!?" "I don't know!" Superman shouted, finding everyone was getting further apart. "Lois! I can't see you, where are you?" Darkness fell upon the Kent family, until a Boom Tube opened and Superman fell into a grassy field in the brightly lit world of New Genesis. Picking himself up, Superman found himself at the feet of the Highfather. "Welcome, Kryptonian," Highfather said. "I have all the answers you require to save your children." Power Boy and Supergirl ended up in the furthest reaches of Apokalips, landing in a pile of snow. "Snow? On Apokalips?" Power Boy asked. "On second thought, maybe I should have worn a shirt. You okay, Kara?" Supergirl felt the snow in her hand, wondering what this fascinating substance was and why is was falling from the sky in this strange world. "This is snow?" Supergirl asked. "But it seems so pure. I was told this was a planet of evil." "I'm as confused as you are," Power Boy told her as they stood up. "We have to find Mom and Dad, they can't be far. I just hope Jon and Conner are okay." Lois arrived in the middle of the New Genesis capital of Supertown, gaining looks from the inhabitants. "Now I know how Clark feels whenever this happens to him." Lois said, not sure what move to make next as the people of Supertown gathered around her. Jon moaned as he slowly opened his eyes, finding he was in a warm, comfortable bed. He sat up, seeing a room filled with everything a boy could dream of, ranging from video games to an ice cream bar. "Where am I?" Jon asked, seeing that he'd been dressed in a comfortable pair of blue and red pajamas. "What is this place?" "Why, you're in your palace, Prince Jon," a woman said as she stood in the doorway. She wore a purple cloak and dress with long blue boots. The woman had a seductive voice, one that made Jon feel funny. "And all of these treasures belong to you." "My mom would never let me have an ice cream bar," Jon said as he got up. "Where are my parents? And my brothers?" "Parents? Brothers? All but a dream, my Prince," the woman known as Amazing Grace said. "You are the benevolent ruler of Apokalips. Loved and worshipped by all across the universe for your kind and generous ways." "What? No, that's not right, I'm Jon Kent, and I live on a farm, I have a family and--" "A vivid dream brought on by the poison you ingested," Amazing Grace told him. "A poison from those who seek to stop you from saving your homeworld from death." As she spoke, the New God used her powers of manipulation to confuse the boy into not knowing what was real and what wasn't. "My poor Prince, you've been through so much." "It felt so real." Jon said as he sat back on the bed. "I know," Amazing Grace said putting his head against her chest to comfort him. "But this is reality, my Prince. You rule over many and are despised by those who hate peace and tranquility." Darkseid smirked as he watched boy be manipulated via hidden cameras. New Genesis Superman walked alongside the Highfather in a grassy field, approaching a grave marker. "Bandit was...unique among those here on our world," the Highfather explained. "No one knew where he came from, or why he had been abandoned. But everyone adored him, and his wings were beautiful to behold. His death at the hands of Darkseid cast a gloom over our heads that I'm afraid can never be lifted." "You said that Bandit's death is the reason Darkseid kidnapped my boys?" Superman asked. "Darkseid believes that the death and revival of Apokalips through the sacrifice of two pure souls will enable him to acquire the anti-life equation," the Highfather explained. "He means to manipulate your son into sacrificing himself to the firepits in order to revive his dying planet." "I can't let that happen," Superman said. "I have to get to Apokalips." "I fear what Darkseid has put into motion can not be undone so easily," Highfather told him. "Unless the firepits are reignited, Apokalips will die. And because our two worlds are connected, New Genesis will fall soon after. If Jonathon Kent lives, two worlds will die." TO BE CONTINUED... Sideways Gotham City 50 Years From Now "I can't believe he's gone," Terry McGinnis said as he stared down at the Batman cowl in his hands. He stood in the Batcave where the elderly Bruce Wayne sat at the computer. "I was supposed to protect him." "It's the sacrifice of what we do," Bruce told him. "It isn't pleasant, but it's part of the job." "Do you even care that he's gone?" Terry asked. "Do you even know what he meant to me? That was my little brother, the last real family I had left." "Matthew was a good kid, and he had a huge heart," Bruce told him. "I hate that he got cut down so young, but Gotham still needs you, Terry. You have to move on, it's been six weeks. You need to focus on the people who can still be saved." Terry sighed as he put the cowl on. It was useless to argue with the old man, especially over matters like this. Of course Bruce missed Matt, the two had bonded ever since Matt learned of Terry's secret identity as the new Batman. But the former Batman would never admit it, he'd never admit to having feelings toward anyone. Jumping on his bike, Terry headed out into the city to protect it as the city's hero. The Far Future Matt McGinnis, the future Robin, set his mask on the sand next to him as he washed his face while he stared at his reflection in the lake. It wasn't a very big lake, you could swim across to the other side and back with a few minutes, but the water was clean and the beach was just big enough for a small party. To Matt, It had only been about twelve hours since the battle in Gotham that gone wrong, sending him to the Bleed. He was tired and desperately wanted to sleep, but at the same time he didn't want to risk falling asleep in a strange land. "You okay?" Sideways asked as he sat down next to Robin. He'd taken off the top half of his costume so he could wash up as well, staring at his new friend. Robin noticed that he had a scar over his heart as the hero sat down and dipped his hands into the water. "We're going to get home; it'll probably just take some time." "It's not that," Robin told him as he looked at Sideways, revealing his soulful green eyes. "It's just... it was my fault that I ended up in the Bleed. We were fighting this villain named The Red Shadow. She had a disintegrator ray and was tearing up Gotham, so me and Batman went to stop her. We were on the ropes, but Batman figured out a way to take her down, but he needed me to watch his back, but I didn't do it. I saw some civilians that had stayed behind who were in the crossfire, so I went to get them out of the way. They would have died, but Batman told me to stay put. He didn't see them and I didn't have time to tell him. I left my post to get them to safety and I was hit. Next thing I know, I'm in The Bleed." "You saved those people," Sideways told him. "You did what heroes do. Sometimes you have to do what's right even if it means taking a hit. I'm sure Batman understood that. We're going to get you home and he's going to say the same thing, I know it." "How'd you get the scar?" Robin asked. Sideways looked down at his bare chest and took a deep sigh while he closed his eyes. "Heart transplant when I was 12. Barely made it out of the surgery alive. But that's just the start of the story." Sideways said as he looked up to see Kamandi standing at the top of a hill. "The coast is clear," Kamandi told them. "Sunset is approaching. We'll be able to travel safely under the night sky." "Travel to where?" Robin asked as he put his mask back on over his eyes. "Somewhere safe," Kamandi told them. "Humans are hunted in this time, the Tiger Empire is the dominant race. Humans have been hunted to near extinction since The Great Disaster happened." "The Great Disaster?" Sideways asked as he started putting the top of his costume back on. "What's that?" "I will explain along the way," Kamandi told them. "It will be a long journey." "Matt, why are still hanging around?" Sideways asked while holding his mask in his hand. "We can go back to The Bleed anytime." "I want to know how this Great Disaster happened," Robin told him. "Besides, Kamandi saved our lives. We owe him, maybe we can repay the favor somehow, maybe take him with us?" "Somehow I think this guy would fit into our times about as well as we fit in here." Sideways said as they headed up the hill. As the trio walked the backroads under the night sky, Kamandi told the time-lost teens everything he knew about how the world turned into an animal dominated nightmare. "So, you never really had a childhood?" Sideways asked Kamandi. "You were just thrown into this situation?" "I was brought up to be prepared to survive in this place," Kamandi told them. "If not, I'd have died the instant I stepped outside into this world." "You know, you could always come with us to a better time," Sideways told him. "A world where you didn't have to fight for survival every day. A world where you could just be a normal kid." "I don't wish to be a normal kid," Kamandi told them. "At least not until the Tiger Empire has been vanquished. It's my duty to see this world free. To leave it to make a better life for myself would be cowardly. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I abandoned the people who need me." "He's right," Robin said. "I never thought of it like that. That's why we both need to get home to our times. We have people who need us there, too. I just wish we could repay you for helping us." "Perhaps you can," Kamandi told them. "There is something you can help me with. If we succeed, then that it will be all the repayment I need." "Name it," Sideways told him. "We'll do anything to help you." "There is a small group of humans that need rescuing, prisoners of the Tiger Empire. I can not save them alone. Help me free them and your debt will be repaid." "Deal," Robin said as he extended his hand to shake. Sideways coughed awkwardly as he pulled Kamandi's wrist closer to Robin's so they could shake. "Let's go kick some tiger ass." TO BE CONTINUED... |