by Marv Wolfman
"It's not only a volcano, Perry. I mean that's impossible enough. But it's surrounded by a jungle."
She wished she was in the Planet offices just to see Perry's reactions.
"Yeah, I know. There's no jungles within a continent of here. But, Perry, Crisis on Infinite Earths
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there's no jungles anywhere that look like what I'm seeing. At least there hasn't been for a hundred fifty million years." Bulbous and barrel-stemmed cycads, thick with large pink flowers, pushed up from the mud surrounding the tangle of Williamsonia gymnosperms, prehistoric sequoias, ferns and conifers that grew tall and wild in the same place a food warehouse had been just six hours before. As Lois squinted to see through an ammonia mist past the mottled brown and green stems, she made out a great moss-covered swamp beyond, its lava-encrusted surface peppered with crowns of thick ginkgo leaves. She realized she was looking at a mix and match version of the Mesozoic era, the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods all mashed into one. From above she could hear the trilling shriek of something edging closer. When she looked up through the thick cluster of tall palms, Lois saw a pteranodon, its twenty-five foot wingspan carried it over the forest and toward the city. Okay. I was not expecting that. The palms swayed against the wind, pushed from something inside. A half dozen chicken-sized creatures—Lois didn't know they were called Compsognathus—skittered out of the forest, squawking their way toward 10th Avenue.
"Control yourself, calm down," she reminded herself, aloud and into the phone.
"Lois? Are you there? What's happening? Talk to me." Perry's voice was, as always, deep and bellowing. The first time Lois met him he almost scared her out of her career. It took everything she had to keep her composure and not quit on the spot.
Perry enjoyed harassing newbies. The bad ones would quit while the good ones fought back. Perry White's natural order of selection. It worked every time. Two weeks later Lois was routinely insulting him.
"I'm here, Perry. I'm fine. The dock area seems to have become Jurassic Park, without the concession stands and the nauseatingly cute kids." Lois heard a noise behind her, and turned to what had been 10th Avenue just seconds ago. "Hold on, Perry. Something's going on." Tall, glistening spires unlike anything she had ever seen before phased into view as if a shimmering, magic curtain just parted. The spires were actually hovering above different parts of a great tower, floating freely, not attached to them in any way she could see.
Windows, or perhaps they were portals, slid open and several small vehicles flew out of them. An instant later, the windows sealed up again; its seams so tight Lois was unable to see where the openings had been. 134
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"Perry, what I'm about to tell you is not a joke. To my right is essentially King Kong territory, and to my left is, I don't know, Star Wars. It's like time is collapsing. I'm seeing the past, present and future all at once."
"I know that, Lois. I'm looking down onto 5th street and I'm seeing soldiers there. Revolutionary war soldiers. And no, I'm pretty sure they're not part of a re-enactment. The world's going crazy. Maybe you should get back here."
"You want me to leave?" Lois stared at the panorama of conflicting time periods sweeping past her: A Japanese samurai stumbled into traffic, his sword drawn ready for battle, was suddenly hit by an out of control bus. To her side, a frightened American cowboy was waving his pistol at a confused warrior from Egypt's middle kingdom. In the sky, the pteranodon was joined by a flock of bird-like creatures, from what time period or place they came Lois had no idea.
"Perry, are you insane? I'm taking a cab to mid-town. I can't wait to see what's going on there."
"Lois, don't be foolish. Lois?"
Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, flew their Lockheed Electra past her, possibly en route to their mobius-strip oblivion. Lois flipped her cell phone cover back in place, cutting off the call.
"Like hell I'm going back."
Thirty-seven
In the time of Arthur there were tales of knights gathered from every county, ready to battle the enemy in the name of the King. As I lay back on the grassy hill behind my parent's home, reading from the picture books I so treasured, I always imagined what such a gathering would be like.
I pictured hundreds of warriors standing tall before the proud spires of Camelot, swords in hand, their armor shining, their steeds at the ready. These, I knew, would only be the best of the best, the warriors all others aspired to be.
I had wondered how the Monitor, with only a spattering of chosen fighters, could take on an evil that had already destroyed countless worlds. There was no way I could have prepared myself for the truth. The Monitor had originally brought only a handful of fighters to his satellite, but as I stared into the huge room I saw not the dozen plus who had been dispatched throughout time to protect his machines, but nearly a thousand super-powered warriors waiting for battle. For most, their armor wasn't leather and chain mail, but gaudily-colored costumes, many with masks and gloves and flowing capes. Though some held swords, for others their weapons were internal: heat vision, super-strength, mind control, and so much more. I was staring at the greatest assemblage of heroes ever put together. I recognized the JLA, of course. J'onn J'onzz, Hawkman, Zatana, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and the others. They were all here.
Not far from them were the Titans; many of them, like Nightwing, Changeling, Wonder Girl, and even Wally as Kid Flash, began as our teen 136
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partners until they were ready to go off on their own. They teamed up with other new teen heroes like Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Jericho. The Metal Men were elemental robots who possessed not only artificial intelligence but well developed emotions. I'd met Will Magnus, their inventor, at a symposium several years back, but his specialty was so far beyond my realm of knowledge I couldn't follow more than a quarter of what he said. Still, I had read of the Metal Men's exploits and assumed they would be valuable additions here.
There were also hundreds I didn't know, heroes from other Earths, I supposed, or from time periods I never visited. I tried to figure out from their look, speech, and demeanor who they were or at least what they could do, but as soon as I focused on one, I lost them again in the constantly shifting crowd.
The trouble was there were so many of them individuals disappeared like Waldo, blending into a wallpaper of colored costumes. Scattered in the crowd I made out a few members of the Legion of SuperHeroes from Earth's distant future. I'd met Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy before, but they were surrounded by several dozen others I didn't know. Because he was given wide berth, I saw Swamp Thing standing to the side, alone. God knows what a walking sump must smell like. Rising above him, I could make out Plastic Man's head bobbing up and down on a stretched-out twenty foot neck checking over the crowd.
"Hey, who are all these bozos?" he asked. My sentiments exactly.
Across the room from him was one of my dearest friends, Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man. Like Plastic Man, Ralph stretched himself over the crowd, allowing for a better view of the hundreds gathered. Unlike Plas, he couldn't reshape his body into other forms. Iris and I often enjoyed informal dinners with Ralph and his wonderfully funny wife, Sue. Superman of Earth-1, my Superman, was talking with Dr. Light and Metamorpho while Superman-2 told the Batman and Robin of Earth-1 about his battle in Kamandi's future.
Though Robin's jaw was agape with the thought of a post-apocalyptic Earth, Batman's dour expression never changed. Typical. You never knew what he was thinking.
Somewhere in the middle of the room, Doctor Fate, a sorcerer from Earth-2, waited patiently near four rather ordinary looking deep sea divers, the Sea Devils, I heard them tell him. I'd love to know why they had been brought here.
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A knight dressed in golden armor rode astride a winged horse. They hovered ten feet or so above the crowd. I'm sure those directly below him wished the horse would circle elsewhere, over
someone else. Flying horse or not, when you gotta go you gotta go.
If I stared at the crowd long enough I could make out a few cowboys looking confused by what was happening while a handful of soldiers, I think from the second World War, huddled not far from them, equally puzzled, but ready for action.
The people I knew were a literal roll call of heroes, some of the best and most powerful who ever lived. A few had become lifelong friends, people I cherished more as family than co-workers.
But what surprised me most were the so-called villains who mingled with them.
I hated the word "villain."
In many ways it replaced the seriousness of a criminal's evil deeds with comical images culled from melodramatic old movie serials of nasty men in long curling mustaches tying innocent women to convenient railroad Tacks.
These people were our enemies, complete with powers they've used to hurt others. They were thieves, murderers and often, to use an overused and equally melodramatic word, evil.
I always thought the word villain was ail-too silly. I wish there was an easy alternative to use. Enemy? Foe? I don't know. Maybe if I say it enough I'll forget how silly it sounds.
So the villains were here, too, apparently ready to join the cause. I didn't know if the Monitor or Lyla controlled them or if they had come on their own, but I knew, in this case, where perhaps a million plus universes had already been destroyed, that we needed all the power we could get. Maybe it would do them some good. I'd like to think they'd see the error of their ways, or something like that.
Okay, so I'm naïve. Comes with the spandex, the oath and the secret decoder ring.
?
Thirty-eight
Lyla and Alex made their way to one of the high perches. Lyla was nervous as she looked over the crowd. "You'll be fine," I heard Alex tell her. "Remember, we're all here for the same reason." He saw Plastic Man roll himself up into a ball and carom off the walls. "Well, maybe not him," Alex added. Lyla laughed. "Thanks," she said. "I needed that."
"Excuse me." Lyla tried to speak over the din, but her voice, cracking with emotion, was barely heard.
Superman-2 flew above the crowd. "Time to settle down, people," he said.
There were very few who commanded the respect or perhaps fear, of both heroes and villains alike, but Superman could. He knew the effect he had on others and continued hovering so they could see him. "We all know what's happening to our worlds," he said. "It's time to figure out what we can do about it."
Blok, a living stone creature and one of the Legion of Super-Heroes, interrupted. "I know what I've seen. But I don't know who's attacking us."
"We'll get to that in a minute," Superman said. "Lyla and Alex will explain everything."
As Superman continued to hover next to them, all eyes turned to Lyla. She acknowledged his help then stepped forward. How to begin, she wondered.
"I don't know how many universes have already been destroyed, but I can tell you only five remain. We also know they've been targeted for destruction. Earth-1 and 2 are next, but the Monitor, a man who I...." Alex took her hand. "Go on. You're doing fine." Crisis on Infinite Earths
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She drew in a deep breath and continued. "The Monitor saved your worlds by bringing them into this limbo dimension. I can assure you the two Earths are safe, but only temporarily. Parts of both universes are beginning to intersect. Eventually they will merge and destroy each other. But we have a plan to prevent that from happening."
I knew that was Superman-2's cue to continue. He floated toward the perch, drawing their attention to him.
"Like some of you," he started, "I was given powers. Like most of you, I realized I got them for a reason and that I had to use what I was to help others."
I saw Superman-2 turn to a cluster of villains with a look that said, "I wouldn't take it kindly if you interrupted." They didn't.
"There's no way to say this casually. We were brought together to save all existence. Whether we can or not, I don't know. Whether you join us in self-interest or not," he glanced at the villains again, "Everyone benefits." I'm sure the others didn't see it, but for an instant his eyes teared over. He covered with a cough, then went on.
"Those who know me know I don't often talk about personal matters. But I have a wife I love and friends I care deeply for, some of them are here, but many of them, not blessed with special abilities, are still at home. I'm sure all of you have people you care about, too. So, please, help us for their sake. We need you. We need all of you. It's the only hope any of us have." As Alex stepped forward to explain to them the origins of the multiverse, I thought of Iris and accepted, perhaps for the first time, that despite all my personal desires, I was being kept here for a different reason than just finding her.
The Monitor said I had a role to play in the crisis. The voices in the speed force seemed to agree. Reluctantly, so did I. Iris, as much as I loved her, would have to wait.
Queen Hippolyta Earth—1
Queen Hippolyta and the Amazons, after centuries of oppression at the hand of man, was led by Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, born of the brow of mighty Zeus, from ancient Greece, past the veil of mists, through cold and threatening seas, to what was supposed to be an island paradise. As promised, for more than three millennia, Themyscira provided the Amazons with welcome shelter and abundant food. Lately, however, Hippolyta had become displeased, not only with life on Themyscira, but with her daughter, Diana. Ever since childhood Diana had resisted her patient teachings, and as an adult, broken the sacred covenant and left Themyscira for Man's world.
Hippolyta gazed out her chamber window toward the churning waters crashing against the island's high cliffs. On a normal day watching that would have revitalized her, reminding her of their journey here and her people's long life in paradise.
This past week, however, the once inviting blue sky was painted in threatening shades of red. The waters now threatened to rise above the cliffs and crash their way through the city.
In the Senate chambers, a hundred voices demanded that she not only abandon her long-held policies that kept the Amazons safe from the wars of man, but that she also join their former enemies in battle. What made it worse was that it was Diana who led her subjects in rebellion. Hippolyta wasn't sure how to react to change. Athena's promise of peace and prosperity was supposed to have lasted forever.
"Enough," Hippolyta said to herself. "Man's problems are not ours. That is why we chose to live here, away from our tormentors." Diana stood in front of the crowd and stared at the high balcony. She Crisis on Infinite Earths
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could make out the doorway and beyond it, obscured by shadows, Hippolyta standing alone in her bed chamber, refusing to step into the sunlight. It was as if hiding there could help her avoid direct confrontation.
"Mother, please hear us out. We can no longer stand alone. What threatens the world also threatens us."
Hippolyta turned again to the ocean, keeping her gaze low to avoid the blood sky. "Mother." Diana was now hovering next to her, floating on the air currents. "I know how hard this is for you. You've fought so long to keep us safe...."
"And you want to abandon it all? Diana, once they know we're here, they'll hunt us all over again. But what do you care? You're one of them now."
Diana lowered herself to the balcony and stood next to her mother. "No. I've never stopped being an Amazon. But we can't afford to be alone any more. I think you know that, too."
Hippolyta turned to her daughter, her eyes as red and raw as the sky.
"You're an Amazon? Diana, look at yourself. You call yourself Wonder Woman now. You live with our enemies. You slave for them. And now you want us to surrender to them."
"No. I want you to fight alongside them. This isn't the old times, mother. The Gods no longer control...."
"That's the problem, Diana. The Gods knew to abandon Man. Why can't you accept their wisdom?"
Diana looked at her mother. "If Earth dies, the Amazons will die wit
h it. Please help us."
Hippolyta wanted to reach out to her daughter, to put her arms around her again as she had when Diana was a child. She wanted to comfort her, to assure her that everything would be all right. But this time she could not. The red sky frightened her. The oceans were unrestrained in their violence. Thousands of sea birds cawed wildly and flew frantically from something unseen to something unknown. Things, Hippolyta knew, were not right.
She turned to Diana, her head low, her eyes closed. "You came here for nothing. These are not our problems. You left us, now solve them without us."
She could hear her daughter start to speak, but then stop. A moment later she heard a whooshing sound and opened her eyes already knowing she was alone.
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She looked onto the plaza to see it empty of Amazon warriors. They were following her daughter into battle. So be it, she thought. It has begun. As Zeus killed Cronus, his father and youngest of the Titan Gods, as the child always rises to replace the parent, it was only right that Diana stood against her mother to lead their people into war.
This was the rite of passage.
"Athena, grant me knowledge," she cried out. "Have I lost more than a daughter this day?"
If Athena was listening, she didn't answer.
Perhaps, Hippolyta thought, this was the will of the Gods: Man and Amazon destined to perish together at the end of time. She fell to her knees and, thinking of the daughter she still loved so deeply and missed so much, she cried.
Thirty-nine
eactions.
What interested me most about Alex's talk was not what he said R but everyone's reactions to him.
The concept that the universe had originally been one and then, at the very dawn of time, split into a multiverse of universes separated by the merest of temporal frequencies, was a stretch for many to understand. But the idea that to save our worlds we had to make the multiverse one again, was incomprehensible.