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Chapter 317: The War of Earth-2
"Ultraman?"
Helena looked at her good friend, Karen, in surprise, then at Orin Vale.
After a few seconds of contemplation, she couldn't help but ask again, "'That' Ultraman?"
"Do you know of a second one?" Karen retorted.
Helena fell silent.
Now she was beginning to understand why Kara had said they wouldn't want to fight the man in front of them.
Although the two of them weren't natives, they weren't exactly newcomers either. They had been stranded on this Earth for quite some time and had heard about the events that had occurred in this world.
For instance, this world's Superman, Batman, and what seemed to be the biggest difference from the world they came from—
—Ultraman.
On Earth-2, Apokolips was a symbol of destruction, the ultimate fear that made every person on the planet tremble. Apokolips had brought an indelible nightmare to Earth-2, and throughout the entire process, they hadn't even seen Darkseid himself behind the scenes.
When Apokolips arrived in this world not long ago, they initially thought the same nightmare was about to befall this place. The two girls were extremely nervous and felt an obligation to stand up and fight for this new world.
However, after they saw the news on television, they set out with the resolve to die—Karen even told her most trusted butler that if she didn't return, the company was hers.
But before they even flew to Deherein, they received a piece of dumbfounding news.
It was already over.
The two girls were stunned.
Wait...
Are we talking about the same Apokolips?
Back on Earth-2, their war with Apokolips lasted for several years, causing widespread devastation, and superheroes died batch after batch. And that was with Steppenwolf leading the charge; after years of fighting the war against Apokolips, they still hadn't even seen what Darkseid looked like.
But over here, in just a short while, before they had even arrived on the scene, they were told it was all over???
It wasn't until later, when they saw a certain Giant of Light pinning down the Dark Lord from Apokolips and pummeling him all the way from Earth into the universe, that the two visitors from another world fell silent.
The same Apokolips, a different Earth. The style of the Apokolips invasion in this world seemed completely different from theirs.
After a long silence, Karen finally voiced a thought.
"Helena, if our world had a Giant of Light like this back then, do you think things would have been different?" she asked, looking at Helena seriously.
"Maybe."
Helena shook her head, indicating she didn't want to continue the topic.
It would make them uncontrollably think of what they had lost.
“...”
"You're not from this world," Orin Vale said slowly, his gaze sweeping over the two girls. "Although you look the same on the surface, your atomic vibrational frequency is different from this world's."
"You found us out." Karen threw up her hands. "That's right, I'm from another world, one that's a bit similar to this one, but with many differences. In fact, it wasn't by choice. We're trapped here. We..."
She stopped abruptly, because she noticed the Huntress's unfriendly glare.
Karen quickly shut her mouth.
She remembered that Helena didn't like answering every question from someone they had just met, especially when he hadn't even asked and she was already spilling everything.
It couldn't be helped; it's in the House of El's genes.
Karen zipped her lips and gestured for Helena to take over.
"I've noticed that you two have been researching quantum tunneling technology, and you might have been targeted by certain people," Orin Vale said. "Coincidentally, I'm also a bit interested in this technology. Perhaps we can help each other."
"Thanks, but I think we can handle it," Helena said.
Orin Vale didn't seem to mind, smiling. "I won't insist then, and I won't disturb you any further. However, while I personally trust you, in principle, you are still visitors from another world—and the most dangerous kind at that. So I might have to file a report with the Justice League when I get back. It's nothing major, just registering you and creating a file in the Watchtower.
You know how it is, Superman is very concerned about which aliens are on Earth. And needless to say, Batman has this obsessive archival collection habit when it comes to supernatural people or things... Oh, by the way, I think Batman might be interested in where the money that mysteriously disappeared from Wayne Enterprises some time ago went."
The two girls' eyes widened upon hearing this.
This sounded like...
Tattling to their parents!?
Especially when Orin Vale mentioned the money from Wayne Enterprises, Helena's heart skipped a beat.
When they first arrived in this world, they had no one to turn to, were penniless, and undocumented. So, Helena hacked into the official systems to create a fake identity for each of them, and while she was at it, she 'borrowed' a few million from this world's father's company as start-up capital.
The Wayne Enterprises systems were practically her own family's; she could hack into them with her eyes closed since she was a child. She thought she had done it perfectly, without a trace, but she never expected to be found out.
In truth, Orin Vale hadn't actually discovered it. It wasn't that he couldn't, but he had better things to do than go around staring at the Wayne family's ledgers. He knew about it because he remembered that the Helena from the comics, when stranded in the main universe, did the exact same thing. Moreover, based on her personality and logic, he deduced there was a high probability Helena would do so.
This Little Bat, you wouldn't want the Old Bat to know you stole money from the family, would you?
When the Karen from Earth-2 arrived on Earth, Superman and Lois were already married, and she grew up in their home. So, although it sounded a bit strange, her cousin and his wife were basically her adoptive parents.
As for Helena, that went without saying. She was a pure Bat-cub, the daughter of Gotham, through and through.
There was a reason why, after being in this world for so long, they never dared to face the doppelgangers of Superman and Batman on this Earth. In fact, they had been deliberately avoiding them this whole time. The feeling was hard to describe, but they always felt they weren't ready to face them.
Helena narrowed her eyes, meeting his gaze for several seconds.
Then Karen whispered, "Helena, I think... maybe we should cooperate. The project has been stuck for a long time, and now there's some unknown enemy with ill intentions. Maybe it's time to get some outside help..."
Helena pondered for a moment, then finally let out a soft sigh.
"Alright."
"Excellent. We can schedule a meeting sometime to discuss our respective progress on multiversal travel. I have a colleague who's an expert in this field; he might be able to help," Orin Vale said.
He was, of course, referring to the Justice League's go-to guy for all things home and travel, the foremost expert in time-space travel, Barry "I go wherever I want" Allen.
"But for now, let's talk about your world... That ugly thing just now was wearing what looked like Apokoliptian technology," Orin Vale asked. "Have you had dealings with Apokolips?"
At the mention of this topic, both girls' expressions changed slightly, turning somewhat grave.
The two exchanged a glance.
"Of course. We could never forget," Karen said. "Apokolips is our world's nightmare. In fact, we've undoubtedly been dealing with those demons for far longer than you have."
Helena added, "Years ago, they descended from the sky. The heavens were torn open by a rift, and the vortex of a Boom Tube pierced the atmosphere. Earth was nearly torn apart, with enormous chasms that almost reached the Earth's Core scattered across the globe. For years, every giant pit continuously spewed forth flames of ultra-high heat. No one knew what was in the fire pits; not even Superman could withstand those strange flames. All we knew was that Parademons would pour out endlessly from the fire pits. It was like that for years, as if their numbers were infinite."
"Steppenwolf led the invasion. Humanity was forced to dissolve national borders and form the World Army. All the armies of the world and all the superheroes united to resist, but it was still far from enough..."
Karen's expression darkened.
"...Until that day. It was the day the war took a turn, but it was also the day we lost everything."
She bit her lip, as if she couldn't continue.
Helena picked up the story, "Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, the greatest heroes in history whom we called the 'Trinity,' were also the leaders of Earth's resistance. They organized a decisive battle against the command system of Steppenwolf's vast army. They succeeded. The war that had lasted for years finally reached its long-awaited end. The Apokoliptian Army was repelled. We won. But the three of them... all sacrificed themselves there."
(end of chapter)
"Ultraman?"
Helena looked at her good friend, Karen, in surprise, then at Orin Vale.
After a few seconds of contemplation, she couldn't help but ask again, "'That' Ultraman?"
"Do you know of a second one?" Karen retorted.
Helena fell silent.
Now she was beginning to understand why Kara had said they wouldn't want to fight the man in front of them.
Although the two of them weren't natives, they weren't exactly newcomers either. They had been stranded on this Earth for quite some time and had heard about the events that had occurred in this world.
For instance, this world's Superman, Batman, and what seemed to be the biggest difference from the world they came from—
—Ultraman.
On Earth-2, Apokolips was a symbol of destruction, the ultimate fear that made every person on the planet tremble. Apokolips had brought an indelible nightmare to Earth-2, and throughout the entire process, they hadn't even seen Darkseid himself behind the scenes.
When Apokolips arrived in this world not long ago, they initially thought the same nightmare was about to befall this place. The two girls were extremely nervous and felt an obligation to stand up and fight for this new world.
However, after they saw the news on television, they set out with the resolve to die—Karen even told her most trusted butler that if she didn't return, the company was hers.
But before they even flew to Deherein, they received a piece of dumbfounding news.
It was already over.
The two girls were stunned.
Wait...
Are we talking about the same Apokolips?
Back on Earth-2, their war with Apokolips lasted for several years, causing widespread devastation, and superheroes died batch after batch. And that was with Steppenwolf leading the charge; after years of fighting the war against Apokolips, they still hadn't even seen what Darkseid looked like.
But over here, in just a short while, before they had even arrived on the scene, they were told it was all over???
It wasn't until later, when they saw a certain Giant of Light pinning down the Dark Lord from Apokolips and pummeling him all the way from Earth into the universe, that the two visitors from another world fell silent.
The same Apokolips, a different Earth. The style of the Apokolips invasion in this world seemed completely different from theirs.
After a long silence, Karen finally voiced a thought.
"Helena, if our world had a Giant of Light like this back then, do you think things would have been different?" she asked, looking at Helena seriously.
"Maybe."
Helena shook her head, indicating she didn't want to continue the topic.
It would make them uncontrollably think of what they had lost.
“...”
"You're not from this world," Orin Vale said slowly, his gaze sweeping over the two girls. "Although you look the same on the surface, your atomic vibrational frequency is different from this world's."
"You found us out." Karen threw up her hands. "That's right, I'm from another world, one that's a bit similar to this one, but with many differences. In fact, it wasn't by choice. We're trapped here. We..."
She stopped abruptly, because she noticed the Huntress's unfriendly glare.
Karen quickly shut her mouth.
She remembered that Helena didn't like answering every question from someone they had just met, especially when he hadn't even asked and she was already spilling everything.
It couldn't be helped; it's in the House of El's genes.
Karen zipped her lips and gestured for Helena to take over.
"I've noticed that you two have been researching quantum tunneling technology, and you might have been targeted by certain people," Orin Vale said. "Coincidentally, I'm also a bit interested in this technology. Perhaps we can help each other."
"Thanks, but I think we can handle it," Helena said.
Orin Vale didn't seem to mind, smiling. "I won't insist then, and I won't disturb you any further. However, while I personally trust you, in principle, you are still visitors from another world—and the most dangerous kind at that. So I might have to file a report with the Justice League when I get back. It's nothing major, just registering you and creating a file in the Watchtower.
You know how it is, Superman is very concerned about which aliens are on Earth. And needless to say, Batman has this obsessive archival collection habit when it comes to supernatural people or things... Oh, by the way, I think Batman might be interested in where the money that mysteriously disappeared from Wayne Enterprises some time ago went."
The two girls' eyes widened upon hearing this.
This sounded like...
Tattling to their parents!?
Especially when Orin Vale mentioned the money from Wayne Enterprises, Helena's heart skipped a beat.
When they first arrived in this world, they had no one to turn to, were penniless, and undocumented. So, Helena hacked into the official systems to create a fake identity for each of them, and while she was at it, she 'borrowed' a few million from this world's father's company as start-up capital.
The Wayne Enterprises systems were practically her own family's; she could hack into them with her eyes closed since she was a child. She thought she had done it perfectly, without a trace, but she never expected to be found out.
In truth, Orin Vale hadn't actually discovered it. It wasn't that he couldn't, but he had better things to do than go around staring at the Wayne family's ledgers. He knew about it because he remembered that the Helena from the comics, when stranded in the main universe, did the exact same thing. Moreover, based on her personality and logic, he deduced there was a high probability Helena would do so.
This Little Bat, you wouldn't want the Old Bat to know you stole money from the family, would you?
When the Karen from Earth-2 arrived on Earth, Superman and Lois were already married, and she grew up in their home. So, although it sounded a bit strange, her cousin and his wife were basically her adoptive parents.
As for Helena, that went without saying. She was a pure Bat-cub, the daughter of Gotham, through and through.
There was a reason why, after being in this world for so long, they never dared to face the doppelgangers of Superman and Batman on this Earth. In fact, they had been deliberately avoiding them this whole time. The feeling was hard to describe, but they always felt they weren't ready to face them.
Helena narrowed her eyes, meeting his gaze for several seconds.
Then Karen whispered, "Helena, I think... maybe we should cooperate. The project has been stuck for a long time, and now there's some unknown enemy with ill intentions. Maybe it's time to get some outside help..."
Helena pondered for a moment, then finally let out a soft sigh.
"Alright."
"Excellent. We can schedule a meeting sometime to discuss our respective progress on multiversal travel. I have a colleague who's an expert in this field; he might be able to help," Orin Vale said.
He was, of course, referring to the Justice League's go-to guy for all things home and travel, the foremost expert in time-space travel, Barry "I go wherever I want" Allen.
"But for now, let's talk about your world... That ugly thing just now was wearing what looked like Apokoliptian technology," Orin Vale asked. "Have you had dealings with Apokolips?"
At the mention of this topic, both girls' expressions changed slightly, turning somewhat grave.
The two exchanged a glance.
"Of course. We could never forget," Karen said. "Apokolips is our world's nightmare. In fact, we've undoubtedly been dealing with those demons for far longer than you have."
Helena added, "Years ago, they descended from the sky. The heavens were torn open by a rift, and the vortex of a Boom Tube pierced the atmosphere. Earth was nearly torn apart, with enormous chasms that almost reached the Earth's Core scattered across the globe. For years, every giant pit continuously spewed forth flames of ultra-high heat. No one knew what was in the fire pits; not even Superman could withstand those strange flames. All we knew was that Parademons would pour out endlessly from the fire pits. It was like that for years, as if their numbers were infinite."
"Steppenwolf led the invasion. Humanity was forced to dissolve national borders and form the World Army. All the armies of the world and all the superheroes united to resist, but it was still far from enough..."
Karen's expression darkened.
"...Until that day. It was the day the war took a turn, but it was also the day we lost everything."
She bit her lip, as if she couldn't continue.
Helena picked up the story, "Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, the greatest heroes in history whom we called the 'Trinity,' were also the leaders of Earth's resistance. They organized a decisive battle against the command system of Steppenwolf's vast army. They succeeded. The war that had lasted for years finally reached its long-awaited end. The Apokoliptian Army was repelled. We won. But the three of them... all sacrificed themselves there."
(end of chapter)
