2015.01.11 - The Fall of the Collector of Cities (Brainiac plot finale)

''Deep Space

The bulk of the universe is made of darkness and nothingness, with small dots of light scattered, usually at such distances that can only be described by enormous spatial units like ‘light years’ or ‘parsecs’.

Here, in deep space, light years from the closest star, there are only some elemental particles and a few hydrogen atoms per cubic mile. The temperature is 10 degrees Kelvin, very close to absolute zero. It is dark as night too, as the light of distant stars barely lightens the purest white.''

The Fornax Galaxy is infamous among the most advanced space faring races. Thousands of years ago an advanced civilization bent space to their wills, going far beyond artificial stargates. A wondrous network of wormholes linked all the stars of their vast nation, making intergalactic travel easy and swift.

Then the galactic civilization collapsed, as happens always, and the wormhole network was left unattended and degenerated in a nightmarish web of space hazards too complex to navigate for most spacefaring races.

Abandoned and avoided by the other galactic civilizations, the Fornax Galaxy is a good hideout for Brainiac, as his incredibly advanced technology allows him to navigate safely here. The Guardians are not so lucky, and only thanks to a combination of Adam's cosmic senses and Knowhere Celestial sensors they have been able to get here. This is where Vril Dox' deep hyperspace tracker has taken them.

Brainiac mothership is perhaps the largest spaceship the heroes have ever seen. A hundred miles long on its longer axis, 150 trillion tons mass (estimated by the Guardian ship's computers). There are many nations on Earth smaller than that. Surrounding the mothership they can see half a dozen 'Skull-ships', the design more familiar to those who have met Brainiac in the past. Those ships are the machines Brainiac usually uses to steal cities. One of them took Kandor, decades ago, despite the advanced technology of Krypton defenses.

"Now at twenty six miles, and no reaction. The cloaking devices are working perfectly," announces Adam. "We will dock in a minute. The first goal is downloading Dox' viral programs in the closest available data-port. I expect the bulk of the ship to be Coluan in design and capabilities, but Brainiac will have integrated the technology of dozens of advanced races. Primary objective is reaching Chronopolis and freeing the city, I can feel the city forcefield still operational inside the ship. Secondary objectives are neutralizing Brainiac permanently, or at least rescuing the captured cities, including Kandor. Any questions?"

One Jennifer-Lynn Hayden has to pause a moment and ponder. Any questions. Does - what the hell am I doing here count? Never in her life has she witnessed such a thing as what is before her. Heck, this entire gathering is more than she can fathom. She feels like a inconsequential speck of dirt attempting to cling to a shoe. The thought causes a brief curve of her lips to come upwards in a smile, before fading just as fast. Any questions. Where do you want her, and how long will she live? *Snort* Jade's mind is a whirlwind of depressing mixed with humor, as she stands next to, perhaps, the only person that might feel similar, one Rachel Summers. Yet, Jade doesn't say a word, just stands there, attempting to look confident, arms crossed, eyes about the size of saucers, it isn't working.

(Inside the ship – Chronopolis) It's been a couple of weeks...and Jack Hawksmoor, tireless, has made good use of them...mapping the cities Brainiac has taken, talking to Kang's people. Making plans...but getting out of this situation? The only way he can think of is to take control of the ship itself. And he's not designed to interface with those systems...but the size the ship is, it might count. Maybe. For right now, he's...been making a list. Recording the cities that have been taken. It's a start. Everything he is, everything he's built to be, wants to get every one of these cities and their inhabitants back to their own planets and worlds. It's not enough just to free Chronopolis. But this is a task he knows he can't handle on his own. He needs a really good hacker, he needs more information about Brainiac himself. He needs allies, and Kang isn't cutting it...not alone.

Two days had passed since Thara was busy with a fire. In those two days, she has spent a lot of time very close to the sun. Her body is very well charged for the things that are coming but you wouldn't tell by looking. She is standing on the bridge, looking out at the skull ships and Brainiac's Mother ship. Her face is pale. The girl known as the Flamebird is terrified. "Ready to go Adam." She turns to the other Kryptonians present. "You are all much more experienced Heroes then I am. Any other day I would be looking to you for knowledge on how to handle things. I've been on that ship before. I've lived there and know what he has on there. Plan on a robotic army. There will also be red solar lamps and the like which can make life miserable for us." She takes a deep breath.

Rachel Summers has been in on this... let's call it an adventure, for want of a better word, from the start. And she still doesn't understand half of what Adam says. That hasn't slowed her down so far, and she's not going to let it intimidate her now. Particularly because it's far too late to back out. She's just going to stick with the tactic she's been using up to this point and brazen it out. In fact, the only slight dent in her (over?) confidence is coming from standing next to Jade. She's not actively scanning the other woman's thoughts, but this close? It's hard not to pick up on her concern. << I've seen you fight. You'll do fine. >> Rachel doesn't look at Jade, the reassuring words just arrive in her head without preamble, and then Rachel's grinning over at Thara. "Won't bother me much. And here I was wondering why you brought me along." She shifts her gaze to Adam and gives him a nod. "Want me to link everyone together?" She asks, tapping her temple for emphasis.

Brainiac’s ship forcefield is down, which is not surprising given the energy drain that would be sustaining it all the time. Also, the ship ‘skin’ seems to be made of a triple layer of intertron. Even a large nuclear device would only cause a small dent.

Fortunately Adam is a wizard, and he can transmute elements. Intertron becomes copper, and the Kryptonians easily tear it open, allowing the small group access into the massive ship. “Chronopolis is just two miles ahead,” announces Adam. Scanning for a data port quickly.

Alarms are silently buzzing all over the huge ship, but not every maintenance corridor or storage room has a killer laser defense system. So far nothing is shooting at the heroes. A couple flying robot drones zoom by, but they are maintenance machines, unarmed, they can only observe.

Power Girl stares at the designs, her attention lifting long enough to get the speech. She nods simply, hardly wanting to be the center of this. The Kryptonian blonde is busy trying to focus, suppress the worry, and the hatred. Usually these thoughts and concerns are buried deep inside Kara Zor-L, this time though no reason to be so controlled. Power Girl has a nice shiny weapon.

With a tilt of her head, Jade's attention turns towards Thara, listening to her speak. The sheer number of over-the-top, powerful individuals in this room is breath taking, to say the least. While Jenny isn't sure what red solar lamps does to them, that is something that she might be able to help with. "I'll do what I can to take the red lighting out, as I see them. If I can." Jade's confident staggers momentarily as she says the last. She has no idea if she can do as she says, but if she can help in that manner, she'll certainly do it! Rachel's mental communication is a comfort, to say the least, allowing Jenny to offer a quiet, response in return, her thoughts broadcasted as best she can. >> Thanks, Rachel. << And for the first time, a genuine smile creeps into Jenny's face. -- And then, all hell breaks loose as things begin, a dark green bubble erupts into place around Jade, energy attacks, she can handle, she can only hope they don't have wood. Two miles ahead is the destination - okay!

Thara sees the all too familiar sights. She came prepared, Turns out a certain being had a few toys stashed on the ship. A couple of Rocket's guns. She happened to snag one before they exited. Rather then use her powers, she fires the weapon at the drones with marksman accuracy. "They are part of the security systems."

With Brainiac's ship breached thanks to Adam's magical assistance, Ursa makes sure to be amongst the first to fly inside, her eyes flaring with menacing red light, primed to bombard all comers with heat rays, "yes, yes, but what is Kandor...?" Sure, there's a mission at hand, and Chronopolis is most certainly a city that needs rescuing, but she's always been very much Krypton-biased. It's in her nature. Firing heat vision at the security drones, she assists Thara in suppressing the security while the heroes take better footing.

Rachel shoots Adam a grin as he transmutes the outer hull and lets the Kryptonians do their thing. << Neat trick. >> She tells him telepathically, then seems to catch fire as a nimbus of telekinetic energy surrounds her and she follows the others inside, briefly reaching out with her telepathy to everyone in the group. << I'm going to be 'listening' so if the comms go down - or you hit trouble - just 'yell'. >> She passes the message on casually enough, but there's an undercurrent of tension in her tone. She's eager to get this started. Once inside the much larger ship, she swats any drones that evade Thara with her telekinesis. Scanning ahead, she gets a muted sense of human minds ahead. "Adam's directions are on the money." She reports.

Karen finds herself running flank for Ursa as the two seem to prioritize the mission a little differently than maybe they should or the brief implied. For now Power Girl will fly, but she holds back on the heat beams, instead using the weapon. (Likely better had she went with the eyes, marksman, no.) Ripping things apart, that she will do. "This place will likely prove a maze." she states in Kryptonian and starts to draw arrows with weapon blasts when there is not something more pressing.

"So amusing to see that the decades have not softened your stubbornness, Kal-El. But what do you hope to gain? It is time to face the truth: You are old and alone, and only I can give you the home you desire so desperately."

The mechanical voice coming from the monitor drones on, breaking down all of the logical reasons that the subject should simply give in and begin working with Brainiac, rather than keep attempting to stop him. From all appearances, the subject is starting to get worn down. With each of his wrists shackled, Kal-El's arms are held up by giant chains. The positioning is clearly meant to be uncomfortable, and it keeps his feet a few inches from the floor.

Nearly a week's worth of gray facial hair has grown out on Kal's face, making him look even older than he usually does. But somehow his hair still remains neatly combed, aside from the one unruly curl that somehow always ends up on his forehead no matter how hard he tries. Although the chains are massive, they are not what is keeping the Man of Steel confined to his cell. The cell is extremely well-lit, with Red Sunlight. But although he is clearly weakened, and his resolve seems to be fading, there is still a spark of defiance left in his blue eyes as he glares up at the monitor in his cell.

"Old? Perhaps. Alone? Maybe. But I'm still going to beat you, because you've overlooked something. Something crucial."

"I'm Superman."

The drones are destroyed in less than a second and Adam nods in approval. The less Brainiac knows about them, the better. Then he finds a data port and punches in a knife-like device. It lightens and whirrs for a few seconds. "Rachel, guide the Kryptonians to Chronopolis. Direct route. These bulkheads shouldn't be able to stand Kryptonian strength."

Then the lights inside of the ship flicker and die. And artificial gravity goes away! "Systems down! Go!" Yells Adam. The lights flicker back in, some of them. A console explodes a few yards from the group. Elsewhere in the ship, Brainiac's voice becomes ugly white noise.

Two miles away, in Chronopolis, Jack can see the 'sky' change color, and Brainiac's containment forcefield banishes. A second later combat alarms flare all over the trapped city. Kang calls him through a communicator about ten seconds later. "Hawksmoor, we have an opening. Brainiac is under attack, we detect systems failing all over the ship. Come to the command and control center."

Rachel grins with satisfaction as a couple of those drones get pancaked against the nearest bulkhead by her telekinesis, but Adam's urgent command captures her attention at once. << On it. >> Rachel replies with assurance, although looking at Ursa and Power Girl go, she's not sure that redirecting them is going to be as easily done as said! Without so much as a by your leave, Rachel links up with the team's minds again. << Hey! Straight line, THIS way! Fast as you can make it! >> And Rachel dumps a mental map of the location of the captured minds she's been sensing right into their brains. << Jade and I will watch your backs, GO! >>

And a moment later...pretty much a moment...Jack steps out of the wall in Kang's command and control. "I saw the forcefield go down. Do you have a plan?" He's got the map of the cities mostly in his head at this point. If Kang's going to bug out, he needs to find somewhere to jump to...because he's not abandoning them until he's SURE he has to. On the other hand, it might be his only ride back to Earth.

Thara takes a deep breath and takes off quickly. Not trying to use much superspeed but definitely enough to get moving through a wall or two. Suddenly she stops. Her attention goes to Adam, "Keep going without me. I will catch up. I just heard something. not to mention I feel like something is a going crazy in my head. Trust me, I will be back." With that she charges through another wall in a different direction.

Ursa looks from Thara to Adam, and then Rachel, her instinct is to follow Thara, but seeing how the goal at hand as far as she's concerned is the release of Kandor, she sticks with Rachel's instruction. She has her doubts about whether the other will see to Kandor's release after getting Chronopolis back, so she's loathe to leave it to chance. "Straight line...very well," and Ursa takes to it quite literally. There's no time to be bothered by hearing Rachel in her head right now, speed is key, and she charges directly ahead, ready to destroy whatever dares stand in her way, getting very physical and looking as if she relishes every second.

Kara tried it the one way, using the weapon instead of her own powers fpor the work. Now though the weapon is sluing over her soldier and she follows the example of the other Kryptonin woman. Smash and bash, kicking up her speed and ripping into anything that offers resistance Anything Ursa leave half broken will be laid scrap and hurled at the next moving object or barricade.

The responses on the monitor have started to slow down a bit. Perhaps Brainiac is a bit busy with all of the activity. Or perhaps it's just Superman's imagination. He continues to strain against his bonds, not letting the fact that this has done him no good so far dissuade him. "I have to admit Brainiac, I'm a bit flummoxed. What's the real-"

A sudden shock rocks Kal's cell, as the force of something coming in very fast shakes the prison he's been confined in. Kal's Kryptonian hearing might be dulled by the light of the Red Sun Lamp, but it's not dulled enough to keep him from hearing the trademark 'whoosh.' "Well, Brainiac, maybe I'm not as alone as you thought."

On the other end of the monitor, the figure retorts in an emotionless voice. "Perhaps, Kal-El. But you're still very old."

The bulkheads shatter one after another. Sometimes great power conduits are damaged, and dangerous amounts of electricity or radiation are released. “Jade, shield us, please,” commands Adam. “Rachel, keep contact with Thara if you can”. Halfway to Chronopolis, gravity is restored briefly, fails ten seconds, and then returns at normal. “Looks like the computer attack wasn’t as formidable as Dox expected,” notes Adam. “It is obvious now it won’t give us control of the ship at all. We might have only a few minutes before Brainiac recovers full control.”

Jack finds Chronopolis’ war room is abuzz with activity, many technicians and soldiers still running to their consoles. Kang, however, seems to live here. His armors is up, helmet included, and he is speed-reading reports. “We will disable the containing mechanisms before they can be brought back in line. Main batteries, full power!” He yells to the officers. “Hawksmoor, look at this! Multiple Kryptonian lifeforms are closing quickly. Fascinating. I need to go to greet them.” He turns to one of his lieutenants. “Organize all available anachronauts in incursion companies. The city militia is to handle defense this time.” He heads out, to command a flying platform and meet Karen and Ursa in the air over his city.

Indeed, the women break through a few seconds later. The chamber containing Chronopolis is huge, of course. Kang’s golden palace-tower alone is a mile high, and the time-traveling, high-tech city is large enough to house comfortably a million humans. As the women arrive, they can see blaster batteries firing up, destroying large machines in the ceiling and walls of the chamber.

Without any effort at all, Jade barriers everyone she is able to with green shielding from the radiation. In instances where she is able, the emitting poisonous radiation is negated or stopped up. Jenny doesn't really have time to do much more than that, but she does do as instructed, quickly, and effectively.

"The cavalry," Jack says with a slight smile. And then he touches the wall, quickly reading the location of "flying women" from the city...and falls through the wall, only to emerge on a rooftop as close as possible to the ladies. He has something they probably have a strong desire for, apart from anything else. Something they want.

Suddenly with the force of a tank, Thara plows through a wall right into the bright red solar light. It definitely hits her but her reaction is a bit better then expected. She points the gun, shoots the lamp. "Kal? How in the name of Rao did you wind up here?" Then she realizes that it is not just Kal in the room. "Be with you in a moment, Brainiac." Immediately she goes for he binds that hold the Man of Steel.

It is Jack suddenly emerging close by and her sharp Kryptonian senses to detect his arrival amidst a sypmhony of destruction that has Ursa slowing down for a moment, whirling to face him, "friend or foe?" She asks, giving him benefit of the doubt before attacking seeing as he didn't attack first.

<< THARA! Where the hell are...?! >> Rachel gives up since Thara's already out of sight, Kryptonian super-strength and super-speed to thank for that as she vanishes through a wall. Rachel /could/ keep yelling at her telepathically, but she's pretty sure she's not going to get anywhere. Rachel grits her teeth, and then follows after Ursa and Kara. "Do my best." She replies grimly to Adam, the green of her eyes vanishing in white-hot fire as she uses her telepathy to keep tabs on their two battering rams and Thara at the same time, noting unhappily to herself that the two groups are getting further apart by the moment. Rachel reaches out to Thara again. << Whatever's so damn important, just BE CAREFUL, OK? We can't back you up. >> Annoyance wars with concern in Rachel's mental voice, but her real voice just sounds aggrieved. "It'd be too easy for it to work as advertised, right?" Before she has time to say anything else, they're through, and Chronopolis is before them. "Adam? Next part of the plan?"

The lights go out, and for a brief second things go dark for Superman as his eyes adjust to the new conditions. But his recovery is almost immediate, and he suddenly feels an order of magnitude stronger than he was just a second ago.

With a grunt, he strains against the chains one final time. Only this time, with a bit of help from Thara, they burst with a sound that resonates through the entire prison.

"Brainiac has been acting up again. I figured I'd put a stop to it. But, in retrospect, I think I probably should have called for backup..."

He slowly flexes and stretches his arms, the feeling returning to them quickly. "I'm assuming you brought friends with you, and at least one of them has a plan? Just tell me where to go, and I'll find something to hit."

Next part of the plan was simple. Adam expected Chronopolis to be able to time-jump with Brainiac ship was disabled. Now, he realizes it is not going to be possible. "Their hyperspace generator is still offline, but why?" Spotting Kang, he flies to meet the villain. << Rachel, find out what is Thara doing, please. I need to find out what is going on here. >>

Back at the prison where Superman has just broken free, the screen with Brainiac image lightens up again. "Thara Ak-Var," he announces. "As expected you came back bringing more Kryptonians. And more interesting, you found Colu, I recognize the design of the programs you are using to attack me. It has been a valid effort, but futile. I will overcome them soon, and you will return to Kandor."

Needing the speed of the fighter jet just to keep up, Jenny lets it fade now that the city is in sight and then reach. The protective bubble of green energy continues to surround the emerald skinned figure, as she takes in the sheer enormity of the captured city. Holy Smokes. "Soooo..." The words echo forth, as Jade begins, then clamps her mouth shut again. Asking what next is probably not a good idea, so she'll just offer a raised eyebrow and proceed to chew on her bottom lip. A lot.

<> Thara responds. << I found Superman. Going to get him to the group. >> She looks at Kal and smiles, "Yeah not the best idea to attack this thing on your own. Even Superman needs help sometimes. There is a team here, Peej, Ursa, myself, Adam Warlock, Rachel Summers, Jade... We came for Chronopolis and for.... Kandor." She turns to a monitor and glares at the being that has been the fuel of her nightmares since she was a little girl. "Brainiac, You'll have to kill me before you send me back. We are not animals for you to put in a zoo. No sentient being deserves this!" She looks at Superman, "We need to move, Kal. This way!" She takes off through the wall she had plowed over. <>

Jack turns to the Kryptonian. "Friend. I have something you probably want..." His lips quirk a little. "Ursa, right?" He thinks he's seen her face before, somewhere, on the internet or something. "I'm from Earth, if that helps."

Ursa doesn't look too pleased to be recognized by someone she doesn't recognize, and she just glares at Jack for a moment, before demanding, "what is it that you think I want? If it's information on Kandor, share it now." That has been the one consistent thing she's been focused on since joining on this adventure, the release of Kandor, and if Jack can help, then she would like him. If not, right back to bashing anything remotely animated in the vicinity while working for the release of Chronopolis for the time being.

Rachel just looks at Adam as he as good as admits that - once again - the plan has just gone to hell. "Just once I'd like to have things go ALL our way." She tells him, but by then he's already flying away, and Rachel exchanges a look with Jade and shrugs. "So, we're making it up as we go along now. You get used to it." Rachel speaks with the slightly weary tone of someone who's had to do just that. "Cover me while I look in on Thara?" Rachel asks, before her eyes fade to blank, white heat again, and she projects her consciousness elsewhere...

...and a glowing facsimile of Rachel appears next to Thara just as Thara mentally yells back at her. The projection winces, then its eyes widen almost comically as, stealing from Thara's senses, she sees Superman. << OK, you're forgiven for running off. >> Rachel offers, still sounding surprised, but rallies while Thara is berating Brainiac. As the other woman takes off, Rachel's projection nods. << Glad to hear it. >> She puts in, then vanishes, the eyes of her real body blinking as her mind returns to it. << Adam? Found Thara. Look what SHE found. >> Rachel provides the Quantum Wizard with an image of Superman, and fills him in on Thara's warning. << They're heading our way. How's that improvising going? >>

"I know exactly where Kandor is. Just saying it is going to be tough, though. I could try and draw it, or I could do coordinates with Chronopolis as 0.0?" he offers. He's quite, quite willing to tell her right where it is, apparently. "Jack Hawksmoor," he adds, just so they're even on names.

Karen watches the exchange between Jack and Ursa, still crushing the last robot into recyclables. She moves a little closer to Ursa, and then think th bteer of it, sliding a bit past a ninty degree arc point with the claimed Eathling, Jack. "You sound like you are negotiating, Jack. If you want to get more than a ticket home, I suggest you point and make your pitch quicker. Ursa is not known for patience. I am not on Earth at the moment and not trying to lead by example either." she states as she continues to reduce the clump of metal ever smaller to a more manageable weapon density.

"I would listen to her," Ursa states simply, nodding her head in Karen's direction, it was a very good tip after all. "Kandor has to be saved, anyone standing my path will be eradicated. If there is a Kryptonian city still intact, it will be free...of all threats. Which way then?"

"Kandor? So I WAS right... Can't wait to tell Krypto about this, boy will he be embarrassed for calling me crazy." Perhaps Superman has been under that lamp a bit too long, after all.

But whether his brain has gotten a bit cooked or not, his body seems to be quickly getting back into Kryptonian fighting shape. He's managing to keep up with Thara, though he might need to let her do the heavy lifting for a while.

"Does your glowing friend happen to know where Brainiac's main server is located? If we can take that out, we could probably shut Brainiac down for quite some time. At least long enough for us to free Kandor and whoever else he's got imprisoned here."

"I'm trying to be more accurate. I can point, but it would be easier..." He rummages in his pockets. "Or...okay. That's up. That way's north...it's not, but it'll work for north." He points. "You're heading about thirty miles north north east, about 45 degrees up. Clear enough?" He could be more precise, but that should get them close enough to see it.

"Good idea Kal. I can see." Thara quickly focuses on the link. It's been a bit easier for her lately for some reason... <> She looks at Superman, "Turn here yet and we should be close. If I am hearing right."

"You will return to Kandor," repeats Brainiac to Thara, voice cold and merciless. "But before you do, you will tell me where is Colu." He hears about his 'mainframe' and laughs mechanically. "Fools. Such a weakness would be unavoidable in a smaller ship, but here I have infinite virtual space. I am everywhere!"

Adam is talking with Kang, those with super-hearing will hear about how Brainiac sabotage to the main power source of the city was extensive and impossible to repair while they were dimensionally anchored. So they need another power source. Brainiac’s ship power source. Kang has energy readings he is showing and Adam does not like a bit.

<< Contact everyone, Rachel, >> states Adam. << Hawksmoor too. >> He gives the redhead a few seconds. << Brainiac is using a volitional tesseract as power source for this ship. A ‘cosmic cube’ in the vernacular. Kang wants this device to restore Chronopolis to its correct time and reality. We want that too. Yet we don’t want the tesseract ending in his hands. It would be too dangerous for all time-lines. Nevertheless, I have agreed to recover the device, as taking it would cripple Brainiac’s ship. >>

It's fortunate for Rachel that as soon as Adam says 'contact everyone', she's already linking everyone up. She wouldn't have wanted to try repeating everything he begins saying, mostly because she understands about one word in three. So it's Adam's voice, not hers, that sounds in everyone's minds a few seconds later. And since that doesn't need a great deal of her concentration, Rachel spares a little to guide Thara toward their position. After all, the sooner they're all back together, the sooner they can do... whatever Adam just asked them to do. And she picked up another little tidbit from Jack's brain that she passes on to Ursa and Kara while she's at it. << You wanted Kandor? I have a better map. >> And that location will be fed to their minds as well.

"We have it now," Ursa states, even though it's clear Power Girl would already know about the location of Kandor at about the same time. She'll make a note of thanking Rachel in person when all is said and done. "Let's go free a Kryptonian city," Ursa snaps at Power Girl before speeding up, following the map she got from Rachel, not sparing anything that attempts to block her paths, for all she cares, she'll take it with her if it doesn't break on impact.

"You are right, Brainiac. I will return to Kandor, to liberate it! Just after we pay your core a little visit." Thara looks at Supes and then responds, << Where is the core. We can get to it while you all get to Kandor. >> Suddenly the armored heroine begins emittng a fiery aura. Rachel would definitely sense some serious heat and a very strong presence similar to one she is very familiar with.

Even now Karen can feel herself slowing, faster and faster as the power seeps from her. Still Jack is grabbed, (Or at least at) deal is a deal, even though he likely did not have the opportunity to really state his case. She will take off after Ursa, following the map in her mind as well as the fellow Kryptonian.

Jack wasn't expecting that grab...so he doesn't quite escape it. He does flail a little bit as he's suddenly pulled along by a Kryptonian, but although he has noticeably superhuman strength, it's not like he has a chance of breaking free. Apparently, he's going to Kandor. Which he might have anyway, by his own means.

With his strength returning, Superman is clearly itching to get into the fight. So eager is he, that he simply rockets upward, busting through the roof and heading up, up, and away.

When he has reached enough elevation, he begins scanning the area with his X-Ray Vision, while atuning his senses to listen for... what exactly he's listening for he probably can't say. "Now, if I were ugly and green, and I were going to hide a tesseract, where would I put it?" Floating in place, he does nearly a 45-degree sweep before he locates it. "Aha! Found it." And like a rocket, he's jetting off in the direction of Brainiac's power source.

One of these days one of the veterans will give Rachel a crash-course in important cosmic stuff. All the new Guardians need one! << Volitional, meaning ‘exercise of will’. The tesseract is a cosmic wish-making device. An idiot genie in a cube-shaped bottle. A window of infinite power. Anything the user imagines becomes reality. It is simply too dangerous to be used by mere mortal minds, or even most divinities or lesser cosmic beings, as we can’t control fully our own minds. Brainiac is wise to use it merely as a vast energy source. Or perhaps it is because it might not to work for artificial intelligences. >> Jack and the Kryptonians are also informed of the dilemma.

<< Go for Kandor, Thara. It is what Brainiac expects you to do. >> Maybe it would have been better if one of the Kryptonians would have stayed with them. On the other hand, they are likely going to be Brainiac’s main targets. <>

<< Superman is after the Tesseract. Kandor? You got it. >> Thara responds and suddenly she is gone in a burst of high speed, to catch up with the others. There is a fiery contrail behind her. Suddenly something else speaks through the link. << I am here for my people and by Rao I will rescue them. >> The link between Thara and Rachel would feel on fire by this point. << Brainiac must face justice. >>

Wings of telekinetic fire unfurl as Rachel spreads her arms and takes off toward Adam's location, even as he does his best to explain what's in play to the uninitiated. She's rapidly won over to the conclusion that they're dealing with a Very Bad Thing... and Adam's words about 'divinities and lesser cosmic beings' worry her some. Considering how interested he's been in her link to the Phoenix Force, he'd better not be expecting HER to try to use the blasted thing! And then there's Thara to worry about, too. << Adam? >> Rachel sends privately, after Thara's redirected toward Kandor. << Thara's not exactly /herself/ right now, you know that right? >> She tells their nominal leader, feeding him the impression of the additional presence she felt within the other woman's mind... and then she cuts off the link to Adam as her contact with Thara fills with fire. Rachel grits her teeth, and then plunges into it, looking for Thara and not... whatever else is in there with her. << Thara? Save Kandor, but just make sure it's YOU that comes back, OK? >> And that's all she has time for, as Superman is already heading for the core, and she's finally joined Adam. "Follow the big guy?" She offers, with a smirk.

Where is the cube? Kang has the coordinates of the ship man power generator. Very close to the center of the ship. They had only to ask. Precise enough for Adam to teleport in. And none too soon, since the flying, wall-smashing Krytonians suddenly feel the ship coming alive around them. Gravity increases suddenly to Krypton levels, taking part of their power. Forcefield form in their path, reinforcing bulkheads to the point they need to stop to batter them down. Then the robots come, an army of small flying drones armed with blaster weapons arrive first. Jack can feel Kandor and several other cities a few hundred feet ahead, though. They feel strange because the cities have been reduced in size to a small fraction of what they were. Most of the cities are also virtually frozen in time, waiting for the time Brainiac can come up with some unpleasant experiment to inflict on their populations.

Adam hmms when Rachel asks him about Thara. Did he know the young woman was the avatar of a Kryptonian deity? "I know. And it is not surprising the Flamebird is manifesting so strongly now. The destiny of the Kryptonian race is at stake."

A flash of light later and they are miles away from Chronopolis. In a brightly, too brightly illuminated area. Some kind of white flaring device is ahead. And also some robots. "Intruder. Intruder alert at the core!" Scream mechanical alarms. Superman is also heading that way, though, and Brainiac is forced to divers power to three different areas of the ship.

With all the mind conversation going on, Ursa figures so long as she thinks, she will be heard all the same, and so she tries to convey the message to Rachel, << don't worry about Thara, she is in the right place, saving Kandor. >> Never mind that it's pretty much all Ursa cares about at the moment, at least it serves the purpose, as she continues to streak a vicious path along the map, with Power Girl right behind her carrying Jack. This is about to become a very special day for Ursa, or so she thinks.

<< Understood. >> Jack then shudders. << He...can we just turn this bastard *off*? >> He doesn't explain what he's so angry about...and he's kind of Power Girl's semi-prisoner right now anyway. << Put me in Kandor, would you? >>

Something goes tearing past the Peej and Ursa. A being that looks like a burning bird or a dragon? Flames pour off this form as it unleashes hell on a number of robots and goes sailing at one of the forcefields in the way "YOU SHALL NOT STOP THE CHILDREN OF KRYPTON!" The voice sounds partially like Thara's. It is definitely not Thara. Not at the moment. "My love... Come to me. The Children of Krypton need us!" She calls out, with hope that he can hear her.

Rachel's still listening, like she said she would, so she picks up Ursa's thoughts when they're directed at her and she's reassured by her apparent confidence. << OK. Good luck, all of you. >> She makes a hurried reply, because she's talking to Adam at the same time. "You knew? What am I saying, of course you knew. Just tell me this Flamebird isn't the sun-eating, 'I am Fire and Life Incarnate' variety...?" Rachel asks the question hopefully, but she doesn't have much time to ponder any answer, because Adam's just zapped her somewhere else! "Robots are mine!" She tells him, lifting off the deck and flying swiftly forward, grabbing up the first robot she comes across and slamming it into the nearest of its colleagues, before blasting TK-bolts towards the others. Rachel's whole body is burning bright now, rivaling the light from the device, and she's trying her best to keep all the attention on her.

"OK! I will do as you demand.. Krypton is gone, but not completely lost." The nightwing says in communion with Jon-El. "A partnership, you keep your free will, and I get to be with my beloved. Now we must go.. My... OUR people need us.." And with that Jon's eyes open a corona of black flame erupting from his body his eyes glowing like a blacklight the door to the underground chamber of the mansion is blown off it's hinges as a black flaming comet erupts into the sky a tunnel of black flames that looks close to a boom tube opening before Powerboy and then enveloping him and then vanishes. In the Spaceship of Braniac appearing just in front of Ursa and Powergirl the black boomtube opens and Jon-El erupts from it surrounded by the cold umbra he doesn't seem to see Ursa and Powergirl as he takes off his black flames reaching out and curling with the orange flames of Flamebird as he catches up. "I trust we are not too late?" the voice says, both Jon's and not jons at the same time

With security drones popping out of nowhere, Ursa calls out, "Power Girl, you should destroy the scrap metals, I'll clear a path," before utilizing her strength and superspeed, along with her impressive martial training to rip into the barriers, enforced force fields and all. Adding blasts of heat vision interchangeably for good measure, screaming at the top of her lungs to draw out even more of herself. It's likely very much akin to what vikings on berserker rage must have looked like back in the day on Earth, she's ruthless, but at least it's not living creatures in her paths.

As is traditional, dozens of the robots attack Superman in an attempt to slow him down. As is also traditional, they are quickly turned to scrap metal. The recently-bearded Kryptonian streaks toward his goal, taking very little evasive action on his way there. However, he seems to be quickly slowing the closer he gets to his goal.

Linked in with everyone, he does his best to project his thoughts to the group. Fortunately, it's not his first time working with a telepath. Or his five hundred and first.

<< I'm nearing the power source... thing. If there's a big explosion, I probably caused it. >>

Fists stretched out in front of him, he smashes through an obligingly-soft steel wall and into the ship. Looking around with his X-Ray Vision, he quickly gets his bearings. "Alright, Brainiac. What sort of horrible things are you going to send my way this time?"

Adam lets Rachel and Jade handle the robotic assault, he needs to dissemble Brainiac containment unit without touching the cube, and that requires all his attention. The room trembles as Superman crashes through Brainiac defenses. “I told you that you had much in common with Thara,” he points out calmly. “Flamebird is one of the Sun god Rao’s daughters, a deity of fire and passion... and mate of the god of the Night,” he adds just as Nightwing teleports in, even if it is miles away.

The combined power of the two gods shatters Brainiac’s forcefields, while Ursa and Power Girl annihilate flight after flight of drones in seconds. More powerful combat units are arriving, but not fast enough. Another wall falls, and before the heroes stands Brainiac collection of cities. Hundreds of bottled, inhabited cities, each from a different world. “ENOUGH!” Booms Brainiac’s voice. “Desist in your foolish attack or I will destroy the cities!”

Meanwhile Rachel and Jade have only minor difficulties in disposing the machines at the core. Very few were combat robots. Those will have come, but they are being massacred by Superman just outside the chamber.

It is a shame in the cosmic balance of things that the only person who will have the home video of this is Brainiac. As the Kryptonian Deities play out there show, Pg gives it a once over, but her focus is clear. The dark haired Ursa cuts a swatch through the barriers and Karen rips the innards out of one robot, tossing Jack inside and propelling him towards the goal of Kandor to give her free hands. One robot smashed, then hurled at another, priority given to pounding cover of the dark haired Kryptonian. On Earth, sworn enemies, here, desperately battling for a shard of their once great planet and its people.

Jack Hawksmoor tucks up inside the robot, apparently unconcerned by this. He's not sure how he's going to get into Kandor, but he'll settle for "in contact with the bottle". That way he should at least be able to let her know rescue is here...and get enough city energy not to get sick. 800 cities. He's not sure how he's going to get them home, but he has to. It's part of who he is. As the robot passes Kandor, he leaps out of it, and ends up next to the bottled city, one hand against it. Hey. The cavalry's here.

The Flamebird smiles to her mate and passionately kisses him. "You are just in time my love." The flames die down but only for a moment. In that moment, Brainiac's voice is heard. The flames ignite once more and begin burning the metal with her own divine fury. "we shall put you under a magnifying glass and scorch you like the pissant you are, foul machine. If you harm either city we will see to it that you and everyone of your ships do not leave this place ever again." The flames of the Flamebird continue working on the new barrier. Rachel blasts another robot to scrap with only a fraction of the power she's holding right now, power that feels somehow like it /wants/ to be used, the flames of the red-gold aura surrounding her brighter and more defined by the moment. She swings around, eyes that are white-hot orbs hunting for another target - and she's disappointed to see Jade deal with the last one by feeding it to... is that a green combine harvester? The sight is ridiculous enough to bring Rachel down from her combat intensity and she grins over at the green woman. "Creative, I like it!" She calls to her, lowering herself back to the deck and walking swiftly across to Adam, resuming the conversation that had been interrupted by the need to scrap robots. "Guess Thara and I should compare notes, then." She says, eyes going to the device they're here for. "Now what?"

Powerboy doesn't speak, returning the kiss he lets go of Thara and just acts, Amazonian and Bat training coupled with full Kryptonian strength and a hint of cosmic power. At full strength having just left earth the teenager holds nothing back, one foot burying in a combat unit as another takes off the head of another, freeze breath hitting a third before dark red, almost purplish heat vision slams into a fourth.

More smashing through walls, more destroying robots, more dramatically-flowing cape.

It isn't long before Superman has made it to the well-protected center of Brainiac's ship. Phaser blasts reflect off of his skin as he rips turrets out of the wall, blasting others with his heat vision. But as quickly as he can destroy Brainiac's robotic constructs, more appear.

Fed up with this, he finally resorts to an old classic: He begins spinning very quickly. Almost immediately, a tornado forms near the center of the ship, turning the area into a storm of wind and shredded scraps of metal.

But as he increases his speed, the storm grows exponentially larger until it's putting stress on the entire ship.

<< Still working on that explosion, guys. Everybody is going to want to stay clear. >>

Ursa continues along with Power Girl to cut a path to Kandor, it is only the booming voice of Brainiac that finally causes her to slow down for a moment, trying to reach in thoughts once more to Rachel, << does he have the capability of destroying the cities? >> She looks towards Power Girl in case she might know better.

Several things happen in very few seconds:

First, Brainiac floods the city chamber with Kryptonite fumes, pretty much giving up the idea of capturing the Kryptonians and just wanting to murder them.

Second, Superman enters the core chamber, leaving behind a hundred broken robots. More are coming, but they will never arrive in time. He also starts spinning.

Third, Adam ruptures the containment chamber and attempts to bubble the cube in a quantum pocket space so he can move it without touching it.

This causes a momentary power failure all over the ship, again. Backup generators take over quickly, but many non-essential features, like artificial gravity, are left offline.

The spell to contain the cube fails because the cube is simply too powerful. Brainiac was using far, far more energy than Adam can hope to generate to keep it chained.

Nevertheless, Adam fails to realize, because he wanted the cube contained. And the cube responds. He also wants to teleport back to Chronopolis. But he also wants to help Thara and the others. The cube responds teleporting Superman, Jade, Rachel and Adam to the room full of cities.

Then Brainiac activates a barrage of anti-intruder energy blasts to kill the newcomers. Adam gets hit in the back and the cube goes flying in zero G. And ends hitting Jack’s chest. It is small, shinny and apparently harmeles.

WHAT IS YOUR WISH, JACK HAWKSMOOR?

The Flamebird continues burning her way to Kandor leaving a mass of destruction in her wake. That is until the gas begins pumping into the room. the Kryptonite, while almost useless on a deity, plays pure havok on the meat suit that is Thara. Her body collapses and she begins writhing in pain.

The black flames vanish like someone flipped a switch Jon falls to the floor as the kryptonite is ingested and breathed in..  he gasps out as he falls to his knees his weakness to Kryptonite compounded by the being he hosts. dropping and writhing as well

<< Over my dead body! >> Jack sends into the link. Right before all of those things happen, right before all hell breaks loose. Gravity blips. Gas flows into the room; gas that doesn't, of course, affect the citywalker one iota. He's not Kryptonian, so he doesn't care. Lasers fly towards him...and a small, innocent looking object hits him in the chest. Reflexively, he catches it. Holds it in his hand for a moment.

Just a little, shiny cube, something utterly unimportant and insignificant. For a moment, he has no idea what it is he's holding. But through all this, he's only had one overriding thought. Protect the cities. Get them home. He's made for that, he *exists* to protect them...and to protect from them, but right now? Right now there are 800 vulnerable entities in this room. As gently as a father to his children, the God of the Cities says two words, "Go home."

And the bottled cities start to...wink out...leaving only the empty bottles. One by one, they disappear...back to their own worlds, their own times, their inhabitants waking as if from a hideous collective nightmare.

Things suddenly start happening very quickly for Rachel Summers. Catching Ursa's question, Rachel's about to pass it on to Adam when she becomes aware of the ship shaking and groaning around her, as Superman bursts in at the center of a tornado of his own making. << Going to have to get back to you! >> Rachel fires back, before diving towards Adam and Jade and throwing up the strongest telekinetic shield around them that she can muster. The destruction Superman is causing is just too indiscriminate... and then she's somewhere else, once again. Getting teleported around this ship without warning is getting disorienting. Rachel looks around, a bit wildly, seeing the effect the gas is having on Thara, then the energy blasts start raining down on them. Between them, Rachel and Jade hurriedly bring up red-gold and green shields... a fraction late. Adam is hit, the cube goes flying, Rachel tracking it with her eyes until Jack catches it... and then the cities start to vanish. Rachel's eyes widen, but she tears herself away from the sight and drops down to check on Adam. She needs him to be OK, if only to ask what the hell's going on!

Thara passes out from the shear amount of pain going through her. The flames go out. The good news, her body is not burned. The bad news, her body is still being harmed by the kryptonite in the air.

Powerboy is soon to follow Thara, weaker to the remnants of his ancestral home Powerboy falls unconscious as well his body limp still wearing his civilian clothes having not even changed into his armor..

“MY CITIES! NOOOOOOO!” Brainiac mechanical voice manages to almost sound anguished.

Adam grimaces, but nods to Rachel. He is tough enough the energy blast didn’t injure him seriously, but it is still quite painful. But there are far more important things to deal with. The cities are vanishing because Jack has the cube!

So far so good, but any second now he could lose control and kill them all. First things first. Kryptonite? That one was quite predictable, which is why he had the spell to turn kryptonite into nitrogen ready to fly. A few gestures and the kryptonite vanishes, freeing the super-people.

Then the cube. He is going to have to risk it. He grabs Jack’s wrist and formulates his own wish. Everything fades to white.

Jack, Superman, Ursa, Rachel, Jade, Thara, Jon and Power Girl are teleported back to the plains of New Mexico where everything started. It is the very same day they left for the Fornax Galaxy. Of Adam there is not a trace.

And Jack has the bottled city of Kandor in his arms. It is almost purring to him, too.

Karen watches as things start to poof from existence. Then the Kryptonite is released. To her fortune, Power Girl is not as far forward. She drops from the air as she starts to retreat.  A meter, maybe two, and she is on her knees.

Then. Earth. A better home, lovely yellow sun light. Kandor is here though. Oh well, maybe sleep it off is not so bad.

799 cities vanish...vanish back to wherever they came from. "Wha..." Jack starts to say, wrapping an arm around the bottle containing the one that remains, right as Adam grabs his wrist. The world turns white, fades out, and then fades back in. He's in the middle of the New Mexican desert, holding the bottled city. He feels fine...not as if he's in the middle of nowhere at all, but that's *probably* Kandor. "They're...all...safe," he says in a whispered voice. "Is everyone alright?" He's aware some kind of poison gas was used. He doesn't quite know why it didn't bother him.

"Adam!" Rachel yells, relieved he's alive but seriously concerned for the others. "If we don't get out of here NOW, half the team is going to..." Die, she doesn't get chance to say, because now she's back in New Mexico. And Adam's not there. Rachel scrambles up to her feet, reaching out telepathically - and finding no trace of the man. "Did we... win?" She sounds pretty unsure. She's back home, apparently the cities were saved, but Adam's gone, the Kryptonians are down... it doesn't quite feel like it.

Epilogue: 2000 years in the future.

Chronopolis is back to its original place and time. And in the topmost floor of Kang’s tower, two men are meeting.

“Here is the tesseract,” says one of the men. “As I promised. I would advise you to never use it unless the very fabric of reality is in danger.”

“You knew very well I would use it, Warlock.” Replies the other man. “But your fears are unfounded. I am Kang, I never lose control of a weapon.”

But Adam shows Kang the cube, and the Conqueror hesitates. “Indeed? This tesseract is defective, it has a crack in the containment shell. Brainiac used it just as a power source because it would be suicidal to use it for anything else. Do not use it, Richards, unless there is no other feasible curse of action.”

Kang picks up the cube, very carefully. “I see... so it will be as you say.”