Mobius Chair Chronolog Record: Time: The Great Beyond Spatial
Location: The Great Beyond
If a human from the 21st century in a universe that contained
no superhumans ever glimpsed the Great Beyond, they would go mad.
No doubt about it.
In fact, to even enter the Great Beyond, one must be accustomed
to the fantastic...accept it as a mundane, everyday fact of life.
But even those jaded to miracles found the Great Beyond a daunting
sight at first.
"By the Source..." was all Orion of Universe-17 could
say when he flew out of the Boom Tube and into the endless expanse
of the Great Beyond. Above and below him, every sort of being
imaginable floated- either under their own power or on aero discs
or in antigrav chairs or artificial wings or any other number
of flying devices- and studied image-filled screens both large
and small. In the midst of all these figures were two columns
which, like the room, seemed to have no beginning or end. One
was multicoloured, twisted like a braid, and flashing. The other
was still, perfectly circular, and carved of black stone. Dimly,
Orion wondered how none of these people crashed into each other
or the columns.
"It's a monstrously complex feat of organization" a
rich voice from behind him started "But somehow, we manage
it."
Orion turned, startled. It was Metron. Or at least somebody on
an orange Mobius Chair and wearing a blue bodysuit who looked
very much like Metron.
"Are you...are you the one who rescued me from the Anti-Life
army? Where am I?"
"Yes, I am the one who allowed you to escape from Darkseid's
forces. You are in a place known as the Great Beyond. It stands
outside time, outside space...outside the Omniverse itself."
Metron smiled a cold, sardonic smile as he watched Orion's face
turn from shock to confusion. "I can see you're a little
confused. I shouldn't be surprised. None of you Orions were ever
very swift when it came to things like this."
Orion ignored Metron's slight, too overwhelmed to counter it.
"But...but Metron became a Promethean Giant when he made
his final attempt to breach the Source, when we made our last
stand against Darkseid..."
"That was your Metron, the one of the universe we have designated
17 of the Prime multiverse. The kindly oaf who befriended you
and took to Earth music...he was the one who became a Promethean
Giant. I, as you can see, am nothing of the sort. I am the Metron
of universe Sigma, comprised of the remnants of the Prime multiverse."
"Aren't you being a little harsh on the lad?" A bespectacled
white-haired man in a uniform that matched his hair slid up alongside
Metron on what Orion immediately recognised as aero discs. "After
all, he's seen his entire universe subjugated, all of his friends
killed or brainwashed, and now...he's in the Great Beyond, which
is an overwhelming sight for those of us who work here."
"Technician Kent", Metron countered "With all due
respect, with the situation as grim as it is, there is no time
for pleasantries. Only facts."
"P'shaw" Kent grunted as he zoomed towards Orion 17,
hand extended. "There's always time for pleasantries. That's
the sort of thing that separates us from Anti-Life robots. How're
you doing, son? My name's Technician Clark Kent of Universe 32
in the Secondary Multiverse, which is a lot more impressive-sounding
than it actually is. I'm really just a good old boy from Kansas."
Orion, still trying to process everything around him, tentatively
gripped Kent's hand "Pleased to meet you.", he stammered.
"I think it's time Orion met one of the Monitors, Metron
Sigma." Kent gave the academic a warm smile "How's that
for a combination of facts and pleasantries?"
"If you are suggesting that a Monitor brief Orion on his
mission...I am in agreement, Kent." Metron replied with a
curt nod, then looked at Orion. "Follow me."
Moments later, Metron and Orion arrived in at a silver egg-shaped
structure that looked scarcely big enough to house a person, much
less three. Metron flipped a switch on his Mobius Chair. "Metron
Sigma and Orion 17.Prime, requesting an audience with the Monitor."
Within seconds, a portion of the egg slid open, allowing the trio
to enter.
Inside was what looked to be the interior of a mansion from the
late 1900s. Pristine ivory steps, deep red silken curtains over
large plate glass windows, and large, ornate furniture dotted
the enormous room.
"This can't be...what was outside..." Orion gasped.
"The silver egg is a dimensional doorway that leads to the
Monitor's sanctum. It's something like a Boom Tube" Metron
answered, exasperated. "As you saw, space is at a premium
in the Great Beyond, so rather than station her entire Sanctum
there, the Monitor chose to station the entrance to it there.
The actual Sanctum is in universe 1, Prime multiverse."
"What the gentleman is trying to say", a blond-haired
woman in blue and white armour with a purple cape said as she
descended a staircase "Is that it's bigger on the inside
than it is on the outside. I am the Monitor. Greetings, Orion.
I know this has been a trying period in your life..."
"Trying?!", Orion started angrily, but his anger gave
way to weariness "Yes, incredibly so. And having Metron..."
he cast an angry glance in the academic's direction "or whoever
this is...prattle on about universes and multiverses and numbers
hasn't helped matters."
"You'll forgive Metron Sigma's manner, but to his credit,
he was merely trying to explain who he was and where you were."
The Monitor took Orion's arm and led him to a couch. "Come.
Sit. Relax. Perhaps then you shall come to realise why you are
here."
The exhausted warrior slumped down onto the couch, his torn yellow
and red uniform clinging tightly to him. "I sincerely hope
so, madam."
"As the saying goes, hope springs eternal." Metron smirked.
"Metron, please...you know as well as I do that Orion 17
shows great promise. He may be one of our only defences when the
final battle comes. What he needs now is mercy, sympathy...not
an acid tongue and cold intellect. I would request that you leave
us."
"If it pleases the Monitor, I shall leave to continue my
work." Metron Sigma vanished out of the Sanctum into wherever
his Mobius Chair took him.
The Monitor paced back and forth. "I'm sorry...even the most
pleasant Metrons can be quite off-putting, but Metron Sigma has
a good excuse for being angry. His entire multiverse was collapsed
into one universe. That's why I sent him to recover you, because
he's lived through horrors as immense as the one found in Universe
17, your universe."
Orion rubbed his temples. "Madam, I appreciate your soothing
tone, but you still bombard me with puzzles. Start slowly, and
simply."
The Monitor smiled. "Once upon a time, I was a girl named
Lyla. I was an infant from Earth, and found by a being known only
as the Monitor cast out amongst the waves..."
"The Monitor?" Orion leaned forward, curious. "A
New Genesis Monitor?"
"Not one of your world, but he served a similar function.
Just as your Monitors look over and guard the innocent, the Monitor
I knew looked over a collection of universes, collectively referred
to as a multiverse." Orion's face turned red, but the Monitor
held her palm up. "Don't worry, Orion...you yourself have
encountered beings from two multiversal universes...do you remember
the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America?"*
* The New Gods teamed with the JLA and JSA
in JLA Volume 1, #193-185- Galactic Gregg
"Yes..." Orion rubbed his chin. "The Justice Society
was from...Earth 2."
The Monitor nodded. "The Justice League came from Earth 1,
which was virtually identical to your Earth 17. The only differences
between Earths 1 and 17 previous to 1981 AD were ones relating
to the inhabitants of New Genesis and Apokolips...on Earth 1,
Orion never started wearing your uniform, Jezebelle never existed,
Scott Free never discovered he had godlike powers..."
"So there was also probably an Earth 3, and 4, and so on..."
Orion said, grasping the concept.
"And A and B and so forth." The Monitor added.
"So my New Genesis was part of the same universe as Earth
17, which is why Metron said I was from Universe 17."
The Monitor smiled. "Correct. And Universe 17 was, in turn,
part of the Prime multiverse."
Orion felt a momentary sense of triumph, but then suddenly became
confused again. "But what does this have to do with Lyla,
or the Monitor...come to think of it, aren't you the Monitor?
And what does any of this have to do with me?"
The Monitor walked over to a stony bust of a nearly bald man
with unusual hair braids sweeping backwards from his forehead
and two tufts of hair protruding from either side of his chin
and placed her hand atop it. "I am the Monitor now. After
the original Monitor found me, he transformed me into his Harbinger.
For almost twenty-five years, we waited, watched, and planned
as our enemy, a twisted anti-matter reflection of the Monitor,
schemed to destroy the Multiverse, which he eventually did."
The Monitor cast her head down. "He corrupted me and forced
me to kill the Monitor. Eventually, I broke free of the Anti-Monitor's
influence and teamed with a large assembly of superheroes to destroy
him, but by then it was too late. The Anti-Monitor had collapsed
the Prime multiverse into a single universe, wiping untold billions
from the face of existence, and for the rest of it's lifespan,
that universe will experience Hypertime storms and numerous recreations.
It will never fully recover from the Anti-Monitor's attack."
"And after you destroyed the Anti-Monitor...?" Orion
asked.
"I explored the recreated universe, which I termed Sigma.
I even lived on Earth Sigma for a while, because even if it wasn't
my Earth 1, it was the closest I was going to get to Earth 1.
I joined a team of super-beings known as the New Guardians, but
following their dissolution, I floated without purpose. Then,
something...I can't explain what...drew me to the Moon of Oa where
the original Monitor came into existence. There, I found a chronicle
he made of his life and origins...where he was in charge of defending
and observing the Prime multiverse, there were other Monitors
and other multiverses that yet existed. Since Sigma lacked a Monitor,
I recreated the Monitor's armour and took on his role at the request
of the other Monitors. A thankless task, in a universe as chaotic
as Sigma..." The Monitor paused and looked down at the bust
mournfully. "It's not even Sigma anymore, it's Zero now.
That's how bad it's become...we have to change it's designation
almost once a decade."
Orion grew impatient. "A tragedy, to be sure. But again,
what does any of that have to do with me?"
The Monitor looked up. "When you left Earth 17, it was dominated
by your father, Darkseid, correct? He had gained control of the
Anti-Life Equation?"
"That is true."
"With all that power at his disposal..." The Monitor
strode over to the couch Orion sat on "Isn't it only a matter
of time until he finds other universes to take over?"
Orion sprang from the couch, muscles tensed "Your multiverses!
Darkseid means to spread Anti-Life to them!"
The Monitor nodded. "He was originally going to dominate
the Prime multiverse, but even he knew that he could not stand
against the Anti-Monitor, and he had no interest in taking over
a fractured, decimated universe like Sigma, so he relocated to
the Secondary multiverse in 1984. By 1988, he ruled the entire
Secondary multiverse. Then, he grew weary of ruling with no challenges
to his power and took the Tertiary multiverse. And so on and so
forth. The multiverses may seem endless, but within 100 years,
Darkseid 17 will rule all of them. This is %99.9 inevitable. No
timeline, dimension, or multiverse is safe."
"No!" Orion cried. "I refuse to accept that! Even
if we fail...we must battle Darkseid! We must!"
"The Monitors agree. That is why we have drafted the Metrons
and their servants the Hourmen to augment the efforts of our Harbingers.
Together, the Metrons, Hourmen, and Harbingers are locating those
that we have calculated have the best chance of defeating Darkseid
17 and his forces. We are gathering them in the Great Beyond,
which is what we call the portion of reality that we have calculated
will escape Darkseid 17's attention until the very end of his
reign of terror. There, survivors of fallen multiverses work for
the Monitors, keeping us updated on Darkseid 17's progress and
training for the final battle against him."
"I am to be part of this army, then?" Orion spun to
face the Monitor.
"Yes."
"And who else...who else will stand alongside me, Monitor?"
Somewhere, across the cosmos, several thousand Mobius Chairs
rode the spaceways, attempting to answer Orion 17's question.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes."
My name is Corona. I am the daughter of New Genesis's greatest
hero and greatest enemy. Today, I meet my father for the first
time. Scott Free, my uncle, holds my hand.
I'm nervous.
"I feel like he might be the only one who can truly understand."
I run my finger the scar across my cheek again. It shouldn't be
a big deal. Thousands of the survivors of the cataclysm that happened
shortly before my birth ended up far more disfigured than I am.
But the difference is, I was born after the cataclysm, and seen
as a bright, beautiful hope for the future. Now, with my face
scarred after all-but-losing a battle to Polaris*,
my countenance and confidence are shattered. If I am one of the
Next Gods- the ones that give hope and inspiration to the survivors-
and I myself am a deformed failure, then what hope can I give
others?
*See Captain Comet #1 for
more details- 2000 Gregg
"You could be right. In any event, I think this is long-overdue.
It will be difficult, especially at this time in his life, but
if anyone's up to the challenge, it's you." Uncle Scott squeezes
my hand. I look at him, drawing strength from his lined face and
white beard. Like all of the previous Highfathers, he's had to
undergo immense tragedy before coming to know the Source. Yet
here he stands next to me, poised and confident. It's almost as
if I can feel the Source traveling from his Wonder Staff, through
his body, and into mine.
"Thank you, Highfather." I say somberly.
"Are you ready to enter?"
"Yes."
Uncle Scott, still clutching my hand, walked forward and placed
his hand onto a panel on the squat grey structure in front of
us. The door opens and I see my father sitting on a bench in a
light blue room with thin black circles on the walls. I let go
of Uncle Scott's hand and enter the room, giving him one last
glance before I enter the room. He's trying to look poised and
confident, but he just looks worried. The door slides shut, and
then I'm alone with the most important stranger I'll ever meet.
He's dressed exactly the way the legends described him during
his glory days: a red bodysuit, blue trunks, gloves, and boots,
and a silver battle helmet. Unlike his appearance in the legends,
my father has a long beard, almost as red as his uniform, which
in turn is almost as red as my own hair.
"Heh." He snorts. "Did Free send you to taunt
me? Make me atone for my sins?" Father lowers his head and
stars at the ground. "I made a tactical decision. There was
no way we could have won without destroying Apokolips. If the
fates presented me with a second chance, I would have destroyed
Apokolips still."
"No, no..." I say almost gently. "Not at all.
I...I just want advice from you, sir."
He raises his head, intrigued. I feel his eyes on me, sizing
up my 5'8 frame and muscular body, studying my red and yellow
outfit and scarred face. "What is your name, girl?"
"Corona."
"I am Lord Orion of Apokolips. But, if you are here, at
this hellhole in the centre of New Genesis, you must already know
that." he said ruefully. "What else do you want to know,
Corona?"
"How it feels to have a monstrous face that you're ashamed
of."
Orion lept from his bench and pinned me to the wall. "How
dare you speak of my true face!" he growled.
Gasping for breath, I choked out "Look at my face, Orion...let
me pull off my mask and show you..."
He dropped me to the ground with a thud. "Five seconds.
You have five seconds to remove your mask before I kill you!"
Trembling, I tugged off the yellow mask I wore, giving my father
a better view of the huge scar that ran down the left side of
my face. "Look." I implored. "Look!"
My father towered over me. I continued to shake, wondering what
he'd do next.
"Do you have a Mother Box?" he asked.
"Yea--Yes." I answered.
"Deep down, you will always know. You will always know that
you are different, and not shining like the rest of New Genesis.
But Mother Box will also hide your true face from everyone else,
and try to bring peace to your troubled soul. Most of the time,
she'll succeed." he said emotionlessly.
I gasped for air, stunned and confused.
"Why did Free give you access to my prison?"
"He...he felt that you could help me. I was scarred recently
in battle and he felt that with your history, you could help me
come to grips with that fact." I rose to my feet unsteadily,
finally gaining some faint shred of composure.
"So despite the way he feels about my actions, he still
respects me?"
"It's difficult for him, but yes...you are the brothers
of the Pact. Maybe you're not related by blood, but you are related,
and always will be."
Orion returned to his bench, slightly melancholy. "What
are things like on the surface?"
"It's taken a long time...almost my entire lifetime...but
things are almost back to the way things were. A lot of New Gods
left for Earth and other planets, but people like your brother,
Zauriel, and Lightray stayed behind."
"You are young, aren't you?" Orion said. "Were
you alive when Apokolips was destroyed?"
"No...I was born a few years after. I'm 153."
Ironic laughter sprung forth from Orion. "Cosmos, has it
been that long?" His face sunk. "How has history remembered
Orion?"
"You're...you're a very complex figure. Heroic, but tragic.
A genocidal murderer, but a champion of life. A noble monster."
I nearly choked on my words, partially because I was afraid of
how he would react, but also because I had a hard time telling
my father what people thought of him.
"And what do you think of Orion, Corona?"
"In all honesty? You're very intimidating. But I think that,
in your own way, you care about the welfare of others."
He nodded. "If I didn't, why would I try to save Apokolips?
Even when I destroyed the planet, it was an act of mercy. There
was no way we could defeat the Bug and Angels, so there was no
point in prolonging the agony of my people. And does history record
that my actions did indeed destroy a great number of Apokolips
and New Genesis' enemies? Was there any other way Forager's forces
could have been defeated? I did not relish killing the people
I had fought so hard to save, nor did I intend for the fragments
of Apokolips to smash into New Genesis. There was simply no other
alternative."
"I understand." I agreed. "But you try telling
that to the thousands who lost their homes and loved ones and
watched as a green, lush world became a grey wasteland."
"What was worse? What happened, or the prospect of ending
up slaves of Forager? Glorious Godfrey? Asmodel? A slow death
in chains or a quick one in victory?"
"You gave them both. People still died slowly of starvation
on New Genesis."
Orion chuckled. "What would you do, young Corona? Engage
in a thousand-year struggle, hoping that eventually your enemies
would be conquered and peace would reign?"
"Why not? That's what Izaya did." I countered.
Orion became silent.
"I...I'm sorry..."
My father shook his head. "Do not ever be sorry for speaking
the truth."
An awkward pause.
"Do you know Lightray?"
"Yes" I said. "Scott Free and Lightray practically
raised me."
Orion laughed forlornly "It doesn't surprise me that they
would care for the offspring of one of my victims. It seems poetic,
in a sense."
I didn't correct him. It just seemed better that way. "Why
do you ask?"
"Once Lightray told me something...it was the first time
he ever saw my true face, without my mask on or a Mother Box disguise
weaved over it. I was angry and embarassed that the thin veneer
of a civilised warrior had been ripped away and exposed as a savage
beast to my closest comrade. When I said 'You saw my true face',
he responded 'I saw scars---both new and old---taken in the cause
of New Genesis'."
"That's wonderful" I said, genuinely touched.
"You see, Corona, the ones who truly care about you will
not care about your physical appearence. And even those who would
scorn you based solely on your physical appearence...they are
no less deserving of your protection and leadership, as long as
they are innocent and peaceful. Does that solve your problem?"
"Yes, I think it does." I said, tears beginning to
well in my eyes. "Holoter off."
At my words, Orion and the entire room vanished, leaving an empty
squat, grey structure. I walked out into New Supertown to find
Uncle Scott waiting for me. "How did it go?", he asked.
I dabbed at the corner of my eyes with my yellow-gloved hands.
I wasn't bawling, but a few tears ran down my eyes. "Well,
I think. He certainly gave me some perspective about my scarring,
and I feel as if I understand him slightly better now."
Uncle Scott nods. "I'm still a little perplexed by one thing:
why did you choose to call up a Holoter simulation of Orion during
his imprisonment, undoubtedly his darkest hour?"
"I picked up a phrase, back on Earth...perhaps you've heard
it yourself...I don't remember it exactly, but I think it goes
something like this: 'In prosperity, our friends know us. In adversity,
we know our friends'. Simply put, if I had met Orion at the time
of the Metropolis Secret War or after he had conquered Apokolips,
I would be talking to a man who was relatively happy and well-adjusted,
at least as well as Orion ever was. Meeting him at his nadir though...now
that would help somebody who felt that they were at their lowest
point, such as me. And it did."
"Interesting." Uncle Scott regarded me. "And of
course, Orion's final sacrifice redeemed him, to a certain extent."
"Yes. The lesson I learned is that even broken people can
become decent in the end. A lesson, which, I do not think would
be as powerful had I talked to a content Orion."
Uncle Scott smiled. "You have your father's battle prowess,
but you're growing to become as intelligent as Lightray."
His smile, as always, made me feel as if the warmth of a thousand
suns was shining on me. "Thank you, Highfather."
Uncle Scott unclasped his Mother Box from his belt and waved
it over my face.
