Post by redsycorax on Nov 29, 2023 4:32:49 GMT
Earth-500's Justice Alliance of America are the metahuman champions of an alternate Earth very much like our own, except in some details. But can they successfully face two nemeses they thought they'd consigned to oblivion?
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EARTH-DUODECILLION:
MULTIMEDIA RELEASE: PEOPLES TERRAN REPUBLIC:
Today, our Quantum Tunneller will master the probability gradient itself and break out of entropy into a new universe. We have styled this new alternate world "Terra- Duodecillion." That's 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, scopers. It is believed that this whole universe is 'non-zoetropic', which means that it is completely uninhabited by any sapient life. Our glorious global Peoples Terran Republic and High Chancellor Drumpf will live in glory for this courageous existential exploit! Wait... what's this... it appears that there are humanoids on this world? But there shouldn't be... this universe is supposed to be completely uninhabited...what...Quantum Tunneller Coms to Terra Central...come in, Terra Central. Come in...no! What are you doing-stop!!! Commander Rodham! No! Stop! AAAARRRRGHHHH >>>>>>
fssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
As they stood amidst the shattered remains of the Quantum Tunneller device, Doctor Chaos picked up a probability matrix crystal and examined it closely. Ignoring the debris and the human remains, she turned to her counterpart, Captain Storm, formerly Hugh of Lincoln, gifted with paranormal abilities akin to those of Captain Thunder and Lightning Girl on Earths 964 and 500, who grinned as he looked down the vortex:
"Success at last, my love."
Doctor Chaos nodded: "I take it that you still want vengeance on William and Isabella Fawcett- as much as I do on my host's accursed sister Quonjurea. Therefore, Earth-500 is our ultimate destination. However, I counsel caution. And prior preparation."
Captain Storm nodded: "I am no longer the impetuous child that I was when I was imprisoned in that empty wasteland. And I have come to trust your wisdom, Queen of Chaos."
Doctor Chaos grinned beneath the Helm of Abun, invisible to her partner in depravity:
"Excellent. Now, Earth-500 belongs to a particular social and technological datum. Supersonic airflight, human interplanetary travel to the Moon, Mars and nearer Jovian and Saturnian satellites, uncrewed probes to the outer planets, international computer mediated communication, imminent mastery of artificial sentience, rudimentary robotics, gender, ethnic and sexual minority equalities, democratic social domination of global affairs. And metahumans, both thaumaturgic and extraterrestrial in origin. I moot that we acquire specific technologies and magical talismans that will enable us to best them from other alternate universes altogether."
Captain Storm acknowledged the wisdom of this: "Given your formidable knowledge of the multiverse, and the logic of this strategy, which other ones did you have in mind?"
"Earth-Hellas. It diverged from the datum when its Alexander the Great didn't die in his younger years but was given enough time to consolidate and construct a Eurasian empire. It had a technological headstart of several centuries and the consequence was it established a global oikoumene, engaged in global discovery and then finally an industrial revolution, internal combustion engines and powered flight and then interplanetary travel and interstellar travel, thousands of years before the datum. Ah. Do you have an objection?"
"I assume that they focused attention on technology as opposed to thaumaturgy?"
"Yes. Which means that we can mask our presence here easily enough, paradoxically. Let us see what devices are available to our scrutiny, Hugh..."
"Earth-Lucifer. Here, thaumaturgy is triumphant, and what's more, Hugh, our preference of thaumaturgy. It diverged from the datum with the "Affair of the Poisons" during the reign of Louis XIV in the seventeenth century. Elsewhere, it was discovered and the perpetrators were executed for 'sorcery'. Here, the satanist coven succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They poisoned Louis XIV and replaced him with his corrupt brother, the Duke of Orleans. The consequence was French dominance over Europe and the end of Christian dominance on that Earth."
"Heh. Ironic, considering that I became "Storm Boy" due to the Catholic carapace of Klingsor the sorceror. I have no time for that pretence now. So, I take it that this will be advantageous against your sister Quonjurea."
"I have no sister." Doctor Chaos intoned sepulchurally.
EARTH-500:
"We're in trouble. There's been a jailbreak on Earth-Duodecillion, the world where we imprisoned Doctor Chaos and Hugh of Lincoln." Superman said, looking up from the Justice Alliance alter-terrestrial emergency sensors.
Captain Thunder and Lightning Girl exchanged worried looks:
"Hugh. I wonder if Klingsor had any role in this?"
"Merokee told us he was imprisoned in an entropy dimension, unable to summon enough energy to leave it, Bella. It can't be him."
"I'm registering an energy trail leading in there. I think it's some form of quantum tunneling device, which probably explains why the breach occurred. No life signs. At a guess, those two must have killed the exploratory vehicle personnel and made a jail break." Green Lantern said, looking at the grisly surroundings as he scanned it with his power ring.
"I was afraid this day would come, my friends. Satanna... no, I've got to stop thinking about her as my sister, the Helm of Abun destroyed her identity."
Hippolytus laid his hand on her shoulder: "She made her choices, Q. And they were the wrong ones. She made her choice based on her own lust for power, greed and avarice. So don't blame yourself."
"Jose, can you trace their trajectory?"
"There's some interference. No, two divergent forms of it- technological and thaumaturgic. It implies they're adopting some type of dualistic strategy, playing into our strengths and weaknesses."
EARTH-OMEGA:
The two of them walked through the ruins of New York, oblivious to the carnage and gore around them. A desolate wind blew through the shattered remains of the skyscrapers, with signs flickering and buzzing in staccato as the electricity flickered around them. Sightless, a blackhaired Super-Woman swayed, impaled on the edge of a kryptonite precipice. A Batboy lay face down amidst a pool of spreading blood. A Green Lantern was caught within a yellow pyre and still screamed. The most chilling aspect about the conduct of the two figures at the centre of this grisly diorama was their indifference to the slaughter that they had committed mere moments ago, drunk with their own power and sense of entitlement. They were only intent on one another, holding hands and kissing. As they watched, the sun flickered above them, then grotesquely expanded and they wisely retreated to a vista several hundred million miles away. Then, minutes later, the shockwave of the sun's nova hit the desolation of the Earth around it, driving away its atmosphere and then shattering the world itself into charred, blackened and incandescently veined fragments. This was a mere "dress rehearsal". Doctor Chaos and Captain Storm had cold-bloodedly slaughtered the inhabitants of an entire world. If that was indeed the case, what depravity and mass murder would descend on Earth-500 once they made it to that universe?
EARTH-500:
"I'm responsible for this, aren't I, Evelyn?"
Three-Face shook her head: "Willie Fawcett, don't you dare blame yourself for this! I've seen the Crime Syndicate at work on my own alternate Earth. You have standards. You have a deep moral compass and that's one of the things I love about you. Look, you told the Alliance that Hugh- "Captain Storm" - has been carrying on like this for centuries, since Klingsor bestowed his abilities on him. He's a monster. From what else we've seen, he was initially driven by ignorance and hatred for medieval Jews out of his religious fanaticism, and killed thousands on your world as a result. He's your polar opposite. You use your abilities to serve the public good, save lives, acts of mercy and compassion. It's why I love you so much."
Captain Thunder swallowed: "I was powerless to stop nuclear war ravaging Earth-964, Evelyn. I love this world, its beauty, its inclusiveness and its precious diversity. I'd die to defend it."
"Please, don't say that. I know you would, in an instant, but you can stop him. You can do this. Merokee the Shaman chose you for a reason, you and Bella both. And it was a wise choice, given the quality of his champions."
"Evelyn Dent, what did I ever do to win the love of a woman of your courage, determination and wisdom?"
"You were just yourself, Willie. Come back here when you're done. I'll be waiting for you."
"I don't know if I have any real choice in this matter, Pol."
"You defeated her before, Q. You're a disciplined, experienced magus. You can do this."
"She wields the Helm of Abun. That is a talisman of great power."
"And yet, she couldn't withstand you before."
"She's had time to study and discipline herself."
"So have you. Don't lose faith in yourself. Because I never have, my love. You are a guardian of order. Think about it. Satanna could see no other way to become a powerhouse other than sacrificing her individuality and identity by donning that infernal helmet and ceasing to exist. You have choices and experience to rely upon."
"She's slaughtered an entire Earth, without a thought and without any mercy or compassion."
"Don't you see? She wants us to fear her. And consider the absence of morality involved in that sheer omnicide. She may have shown her capabilities but she's also galvanised us to resist her. It's why she and Hugh of Lincoln have to be stopped. Because evil cannot triumph. Because this universe is a shining beacon of hope and love within the multiverse."
"I may have to don the Helm of Nabu to counter what she has become, to become the sorceress supreme and guardian of order in this cosmos, Pol. Perhaps I must. I will not let any of you die in battle. Especially not you, my beloved Hippolytus. She may have been my sister, but she has become the architect of unthinkable devastation and malignancy. The blood of innocents is on her hands. She has to pay for what she has done."
Lightning Girl stared upward at the darkening skies above her as Hawkboy joined her:
"You can do it, Bella. I have faith in you. Hothead or not."
"We make quite a team, don't we, Kator? And you love this world as much as I do, for the same reason."
"Almost the same. Hyathis turned Thanagar into a militaristic dictatorship and exiled Shay and I from it because of our alleged dissidence. You had no choice, but you tried to stop your own Earth committing suicide."
"I won't kill Hugh, but frankly, he needs to be punished for his degeneracy and brutality."
"And you're the woman to do it. Bella Fawcett, Lightning Girl, I love you so much."
"Every good woman needs a good partner to anchor them. You're mine, Kator. Now and always. Never forget that."
+++
"Ready?" Lightning Girl asked, nodding to Captain Thunder and Quonjurea.
"What do you mean? Bella, we face this as a team. All of us." Superwoman exclaimed.
"Mom? It's been wonderful, with you and dad over the last two years. You've given Willie and I your love and acceptance since we arrived here, but you both have Lola to protect." Abruptly, a coruscating yellow light surrounded the remainder of the Justice Alliance.
"Willie, Bella, Quonjurea, don't do this!"
"We can't let any of you join us. It's our responsibility and ours alone."
"Because I couldn't live without you, Pol. And the same goes for Kator and Evelyn. Because they wouldn't hesitate to wantonly slaughter you as a mere psychological expedient to destabilise us."
"I can't get through this. Myccorhizal residue. Tanaka?"
"It's geared to my vibratory capabilities. And it's probably using some Kryptonian vulnerability trait so Kal and Kara can't break through either."
"Goodbye. We love you so much..." And then they were gone as Quonjurea took them aloft.
UNIVERSE-500 INGRESS WHITE HOLE EVENT HORIZON:
And thus, three true heroes rose into the sky, to accelerate toward their mortal nemesis. Hugh of Lincoln let a grim, sadistic expression twist his mouth into a grimace only remotely akin to a flower as he contorted his hands into fists and accelerated forward, intent on destroying the beings that he hated most in the multiverse. Captain Thunder and Lightning Girl closed in on the insane behemoth and prepared to hit him with maximum force. Around their hands, Doctor Chaos and Quonjurea summoned up vast elemental energies and hung back. And then, in an instant, Quonjurea fired her eldritch energies at Captain Storm, instead of the darkmage supreme who was no longer her sister, while Lightning Girl and Captain Thunder shot off their apparent convergence with their nemesis to strike at Doctor Chaos.
"Thunder!"
"Lightning!" In an instant, the Earth's Mightiest Mortals transformed into Bella and Willie Fawcett and then did so, back again. The magical lightning coursed and Doctor Chaos was caught in its bombardment. In an instant, she was struck unconscious. Her magical energies faded away as Quonjurea encased them in a ball of thaumaturgic energy.
"The question is, what can we do with them now? They proved that they can break out of even a closed universe like Universe-500."
"I borrowed something from Dad and Mom's Fortress of Serenity before we decided to do this. Q, would you care to erase the knowledge to exit the Survival Zone from Doc Chaos' mind? And I'm sure Hugh doesn't have the wisdom to do it on his own, regardless of his brute force. Right, here we go..." And in an instant, Captain Storm and Doctor Chaos flickered into insubstantiality and ceased to exist in the third dimension. When they awoke, it would be in an impregnable prison without hope of entry unless it was through their captor's choice."
EPILOGUE:
"Never do that to me again, Willie Fawcett."
"Sorry, Evelyn. However, I did it for you. All of you."
"Come here, gorgeous."
"That was an excellent strategy, though. Taking on each other's enemies." Superman commented.
"Well, Dad, we learnt from the experts."
"I hope those two are going to stay in the Zone, though."
"Hugh doesn't have the mental capacity to do so, he's strictly thug. And Q removed the knowledge how to do so from Doctor Chaos' mind. They will."
And in a dimensional pocket, Satanna Zatara and Hugh of Lincoln stared at the Justice Alliance of America, filled with malice and hatred, yet unable to exercise any of their prodigal power. They both resolved that one day, were they ever able to escape this intangible prison, vengeance would be theirs.
THE END [3.35 PM, JANUARY 4TH 2024]
++++
EARTH-DUODECILLION:
MULTIMEDIA RELEASE: PEOPLES TERRAN REPUBLIC:
Today, our Quantum Tunneller will master the probability gradient itself and break out of entropy into a new universe. We have styled this new alternate world "Terra- Duodecillion." That's 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, scopers. It is believed that this whole universe is 'non-zoetropic', which means that it is completely uninhabited by any sapient life. Our glorious global Peoples Terran Republic and High Chancellor Drumpf will live in glory for this courageous existential exploit! Wait... what's this... it appears that there are humanoids on this world? But there shouldn't be... this universe is supposed to be completely uninhabited...what...Quantum Tunneller Coms to Terra Central...come in, Terra Central. Come in...no! What are you doing-stop!!! Commander Rodham! No! Stop! AAAARRRRGHHHH >>>>>>
fssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
As they stood amidst the shattered remains of the Quantum Tunneller device, Doctor Chaos picked up a probability matrix crystal and examined it closely. Ignoring the debris and the human remains, she turned to her counterpart, Captain Storm, formerly Hugh of Lincoln, gifted with paranormal abilities akin to those of Captain Thunder and Lightning Girl on Earths 964 and 500, who grinned as he looked down the vortex:
"Success at last, my love."
Doctor Chaos nodded: "I take it that you still want vengeance on William and Isabella Fawcett- as much as I do on my host's accursed sister Quonjurea. Therefore, Earth-500 is our ultimate destination. However, I counsel caution. And prior preparation."
Captain Storm nodded: "I am no longer the impetuous child that I was when I was imprisoned in that empty wasteland. And I have come to trust your wisdom, Queen of Chaos."
Doctor Chaos grinned beneath the Helm of Abun, invisible to her partner in depravity:
"Excellent. Now, Earth-500 belongs to a particular social and technological datum. Supersonic airflight, human interplanetary travel to the Moon, Mars and nearer Jovian and Saturnian satellites, uncrewed probes to the outer planets, international computer mediated communication, imminent mastery of artificial sentience, rudimentary robotics, gender, ethnic and sexual minority equalities, democratic social domination of global affairs. And metahumans, both thaumaturgic and extraterrestrial in origin. I moot that we acquire specific technologies and magical talismans that will enable us to best them from other alternate universes altogether."
Captain Storm acknowledged the wisdom of this: "Given your formidable knowledge of the multiverse, and the logic of this strategy, which other ones did you have in mind?"
"Earth-Hellas. It diverged from the datum when its Alexander the Great didn't die in his younger years but was given enough time to consolidate and construct a Eurasian empire. It had a technological headstart of several centuries and the consequence was it established a global oikoumene, engaged in global discovery and then finally an industrial revolution, internal combustion engines and powered flight and then interplanetary travel and interstellar travel, thousands of years before the datum. Ah. Do you have an objection?"
"I assume that they focused attention on technology as opposed to thaumaturgy?"
"Yes. Which means that we can mask our presence here easily enough, paradoxically. Let us see what devices are available to our scrutiny, Hugh..."
"Earth-Lucifer. Here, thaumaturgy is triumphant, and what's more, Hugh, our preference of thaumaturgy. It diverged from the datum with the "Affair of the Poisons" during the reign of Louis XIV in the seventeenth century. Elsewhere, it was discovered and the perpetrators were executed for 'sorcery'. Here, the satanist coven succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They poisoned Louis XIV and replaced him with his corrupt brother, the Duke of Orleans. The consequence was French dominance over Europe and the end of Christian dominance on that Earth."
"Heh. Ironic, considering that I became "Storm Boy" due to the Catholic carapace of Klingsor the sorceror. I have no time for that pretence now. So, I take it that this will be advantageous against your sister Quonjurea."
"I have no sister." Doctor Chaos intoned sepulchurally.
EARTH-500:
"We're in trouble. There's been a jailbreak on Earth-Duodecillion, the world where we imprisoned Doctor Chaos and Hugh of Lincoln." Superman said, looking up from the Justice Alliance alter-terrestrial emergency sensors.
Captain Thunder and Lightning Girl exchanged worried looks:
"Hugh. I wonder if Klingsor had any role in this?"
"Merokee told us he was imprisoned in an entropy dimension, unable to summon enough energy to leave it, Bella. It can't be him."
"I'm registering an energy trail leading in there. I think it's some form of quantum tunneling device, which probably explains why the breach occurred. No life signs. At a guess, those two must have killed the exploratory vehicle personnel and made a jail break." Green Lantern said, looking at the grisly surroundings as he scanned it with his power ring.
"I was afraid this day would come, my friends. Satanna... no, I've got to stop thinking about her as my sister, the Helm of Abun destroyed her identity."
Hippolytus laid his hand on her shoulder: "She made her choices, Q. And they were the wrong ones. She made her choice based on her own lust for power, greed and avarice. So don't blame yourself."
"Jose, can you trace their trajectory?"
"There's some interference. No, two divergent forms of it- technological and thaumaturgic. It implies they're adopting some type of dualistic strategy, playing into our strengths and weaknesses."
EARTH-OMEGA:
The two of them walked through the ruins of New York, oblivious to the carnage and gore around them. A desolate wind blew through the shattered remains of the skyscrapers, with signs flickering and buzzing in staccato as the electricity flickered around them. Sightless, a blackhaired Super-Woman swayed, impaled on the edge of a kryptonite precipice. A Batboy lay face down amidst a pool of spreading blood. A Green Lantern was caught within a yellow pyre and still screamed. The most chilling aspect about the conduct of the two figures at the centre of this grisly diorama was their indifference to the slaughter that they had committed mere moments ago, drunk with their own power and sense of entitlement. They were only intent on one another, holding hands and kissing. As they watched, the sun flickered above them, then grotesquely expanded and they wisely retreated to a vista several hundred million miles away. Then, minutes later, the shockwave of the sun's nova hit the desolation of the Earth around it, driving away its atmosphere and then shattering the world itself into charred, blackened and incandescently veined fragments. This was a mere "dress rehearsal". Doctor Chaos and Captain Storm had cold-bloodedly slaughtered the inhabitants of an entire world. If that was indeed the case, what depravity and mass murder would descend on Earth-500 once they made it to that universe?
EARTH-500:
"I'm responsible for this, aren't I, Evelyn?"
Three-Face shook her head: "Willie Fawcett, don't you dare blame yourself for this! I've seen the Crime Syndicate at work on my own alternate Earth. You have standards. You have a deep moral compass and that's one of the things I love about you. Look, you told the Alliance that Hugh- "Captain Storm" - has been carrying on like this for centuries, since Klingsor bestowed his abilities on him. He's a monster. From what else we've seen, he was initially driven by ignorance and hatred for medieval Jews out of his religious fanaticism, and killed thousands on your world as a result. He's your polar opposite. You use your abilities to serve the public good, save lives, acts of mercy and compassion. It's why I love you so much."
Captain Thunder swallowed: "I was powerless to stop nuclear war ravaging Earth-964, Evelyn. I love this world, its beauty, its inclusiveness and its precious diversity. I'd die to defend it."
"Please, don't say that. I know you would, in an instant, but you can stop him. You can do this. Merokee the Shaman chose you for a reason, you and Bella both. And it was a wise choice, given the quality of his champions."
"Evelyn Dent, what did I ever do to win the love of a woman of your courage, determination and wisdom?"
"You were just yourself, Willie. Come back here when you're done. I'll be waiting for you."
"I don't know if I have any real choice in this matter, Pol."
"You defeated her before, Q. You're a disciplined, experienced magus. You can do this."
"She wields the Helm of Abun. That is a talisman of great power."
"And yet, she couldn't withstand you before."
"She's had time to study and discipline herself."
"So have you. Don't lose faith in yourself. Because I never have, my love. You are a guardian of order. Think about it. Satanna could see no other way to become a powerhouse other than sacrificing her individuality and identity by donning that infernal helmet and ceasing to exist. You have choices and experience to rely upon."
"She's slaughtered an entire Earth, without a thought and without any mercy or compassion."
"Don't you see? She wants us to fear her. And consider the absence of morality involved in that sheer omnicide. She may have shown her capabilities but she's also galvanised us to resist her. It's why she and Hugh of Lincoln have to be stopped. Because evil cannot triumph. Because this universe is a shining beacon of hope and love within the multiverse."
"I may have to don the Helm of Nabu to counter what she has become, to become the sorceress supreme and guardian of order in this cosmos, Pol. Perhaps I must. I will not let any of you die in battle. Especially not you, my beloved Hippolytus. She may have been my sister, but she has become the architect of unthinkable devastation and malignancy. The blood of innocents is on her hands. She has to pay for what she has done."
Lightning Girl stared upward at the darkening skies above her as Hawkboy joined her:
"You can do it, Bella. I have faith in you. Hothead or not."
"We make quite a team, don't we, Kator? And you love this world as much as I do, for the same reason."
"Almost the same. Hyathis turned Thanagar into a militaristic dictatorship and exiled Shay and I from it because of our alleged dissidence. You had no choice, but you tried to stop your own Earth committing suicide."
"I won't kill Hugh, but frankly, he needs to be punished for his degeneracy and brutality."
"And you're the woman to do it. Bella Fawcett, Lightning Girl, I love you so much."
"Every good woman needs a good partner to anchor them. You're mine, Kator. Now and always. Never forget that."
+++
"Ready?" Lightning Girl asked, nodding to Captain Thunder and Quonjurea.
"What do you mean? Bella, we face this as a team. All of us." Superwoman exclaimed.
"Mom? It's been wonderful, with you and dad over the last two years. You've given Willie and I your love and acceptance since we arrived here, but you both have Lola to protect." Abruptly, a coruscating yellow light surrounded the remainder of the Justice Alliance.
"Willie, Bella, Quonjurea, don't do this!"
"We can't let any of you join us. It's our responsibility and ours alone."
"Because I couldn't live without you, Pol. And the same goes for Kator and Evelyn. Because they wouldn't hesitate to wantonly slaughter you as a mere psychological expedient to destabilise us."
"I can't get through this. Myccorhizal residue. Tanaka?"
"It's geared to my vibratory capabilities. And it's probably using some Kryptonian vulnerability trait so Kal and Kara can't break through either."
"Goodbye. We love you so much..." And then they were gone as Quonjurea took them aloft.
UNIVERSE-500 INGRESS WHITE HOLE EVENT HORIZON:
And thus, three true heroes rose into the sky, to accelerate toward their mortal nemesis. Hugh of Lincoln let a grim, sadistic expression twist his mouth into a grimace only remotely akin to a flower as he contorted his hands into fists and accelerated forward, intent on destroying the beings that he hated most in the multiverse. Captain Thunder and Lightning Girl closed in on the insane behemoth and prepared to hit him with maximum force. Around their hands, Doctor Chaos and Quonjurea summoned up vast elemental energies and hung back. And then, in an instant, Quonjurea fired her eldritch energies at Captain Storm, instead of the darkmage supreme who was no longer her sister, while Lightning Girl and Captain Thunder shot off their apparent convergence with their nemesis to strike at Doctor Chaos.
"Thunder!"
"Lightning!" In an instant, the Earth's Mightiest Mortals transformed into Bella and Willie Fawcett and then did so, back again. The magical lightning coursed and Doctor Chaos was caught in its bombardment. In an instant, she was struck unconscious. Her magical energies faded away as Quonjurea encased them in a ball of thaumaturgic energy.
"The question is, what can we do with them now? They proved that they can break out of even a closed universe like Universe-500."
"I borrowed something from Dad and Mom's Fortress of Serenity before we decided to do this. Q, would you care to erase the knowledge to exit the Survival Zone from Doc Chaos' mind? And I'm sure Hugh doesn't have the wisdom to do it on his own, regardless of his brute force. Right, here we go..." And in an instant, Captain Storm and Doctor Chaos flickered into insubstantiality and ceased to exist in the third dimension. When they awoke, it would be in an impregnable prison without hope of entry unless it was through their captor's choice."
EPILOGUE:
"Never do that to me again, Willie Fawcett."
"Sorry, Evelyn. However, I did it for you. All of you."
"Come here, gorgeous."
"That was an excellent strategy, though. Taking on each other's enemies." Superman commented.
"Well, Dad, we learnt from the experts."
"I hope those two are going to stay in the Zone, though."
"Hugh doesn't have the mental capacity to do so, he's strictly thug. And Q removed the knowledge how to do so from Doctor Chaos' mind. They will."
And in a dimensional pocket, Satanna Zatara and Hugh of Lincoln stared at the Justice Alliance of America, filled with malice and hatred, yet unable to exercise any of their prodigal power. They both resolved that one day, were they ever able to escape this intangible prison, vengeance would be theirs.
THE END [3.35 PM, JANUARY 4TH 2024]