:
THE MAID OF STEEL
ANNUAL # 2

The Time Trapper had just revealed to her that her jaunt through time had been necessary to prepare her for a great battle against Lord Xenon, the infamous Anti-Monitor in his new form. And then he had asked her to help him with saving the Universe from his arch-foe, telling her that he could reward her greatly before revealing fifteen containers containing people in suspended animation.

Blinking from the overly bright light filling the Time Trapper's lair, Supergirl stared at the only five containers revealed to her.

There were Fred and Sylvia Danvers, Mattie Harcourt, Cutter Sharp, and Dick Malverne. Family and dear friends lost in the destruction of Leesburg. There were others beyond, several of whom Supergirl recognized. But, before she could fully process the identities of the others, the curtains slid shut in front of them.

"Those are my parents! And my friends!" Supergirl attempted to fly toward them, but with a gesture of his hand, the Time Trapper left her frozen in time.

"Indeed they are." The Time Trapper said, "I reached out in the moments before the destruction of Leesburg and plucked them from the time stream-replacing them with their counterparts from my Pocket Universe."

"But, everyone from your Pocket Universe is dead!" Supergirl protested, her mind unwilling to fully grasp that her friends and family might be alive.

"Well, yes and no." The Time Trapper cooed, "I grew tired of my Pocket Universe being a cold dead world. So I rebooted it from scratch. Started over, and this time I didn't prevent all the other heroes from being made. I've rebooted it several times, playing with it as I see fit. It is how I created Hypertime to lock Lord Xenon away until you could be the hero you need to be to destroy him. It also helped me delay the arrival of my own mortal enemy. My opposite number. By manipulating the various Pocket Universe timelines I was able to delay him."

"How many times?" Supergirl asked, feeling cold inside.

The Time Trapper replied, "How many times is insignificant. Know this--the first one was the one you and my Superboy came from. That one is long dead. Another spawned Lord Chaos and the Team Titans. And from one now long replaced and forgotten I pulled Fred and Sylvia Danvers, Cutter Sharp, Mattie Harcourt, and Dick Malverne. In a reality where Linda Danvers was on death row for her role in a series of serial murders along with her demon-lover Buzz. There the Danvers had no hope. Cutter was an empty shell of man-his ex-wife Andy was the final victim of Linda and Buzz. Mattie had watched her best friend turn from a sweet girl into a heart-less butcher. Dick Malverne was in the final stages of cancer-ready to die. They had no hope."

"So, you pulled my friends and family out of reality just before they died and substituted their Pocket Universe counterparts?!" Supergirl felt horror, realizing what the Time Trapper had done.

"Yes. I had to my dear." The Time Trapper said, "I needed your help and needed to have something to offer you."

"If what you need help with is to save the Universe, I would have helped you anyway!" Supergirl shouted.

"Perhaps. But, I like having a little extra insurance." The Time Trapper smiled.

"Who were the others I saw behind that curtain? Several of them looked familiar. I've seen a few of them in records back when I was a Titan."

"Probably. Those others are of no concern of yours right now. They are nothing for you to worry yourself about at this time."

"Don't play games with me." Supergirl said, "Tell me what you need help with. So, I can decide if I want to help."

"Oh, you'll help me. Or your friends and family will spend all of eternity behind that curtain."

"Bastard." Supergirl spat.

Her light blue eyes studied the red curtain covering her family and friends in those containers, along with other people she thought might be Titans. How could she not help him? But, it was making a deal with the devil. Something she was familiar with. She remembered Buzz and the darkness in Linda's soul that had led to the combination of Matrix and Linda. It had taken nearly a year before she had felt like she had made up for even a small measure of the horrors that Linda had inflicted under Buzz's tutelage. Even before merging with Linda, when she'd been with Lex Luthor only to find out he was manipulating her and using her for his own devices. She had experience with dealing with devils. Yet, the Time Trapper was different. He was beyond evil. He was a creature that no one really understood, an entity beyond human comprehension.

But, she had beat evil before. She had defeated Buzz and Lex Luthor. And according to what everyone kept telling her she had kicked the butt of the Anti-Monitor. And she was supposedly going to do it again now that he went by the name of Lord Xenon. The Time Trapper shouldn't be any difficulty.

After several minutes, she finally asked, "What do you need help with?"

"I knew you would come around." The Time Trapper laughed quietly, "Are you ready to begin?"

Supergirl nodded, "Yes. I am. What do I need to do?"

"She's gone."

The Time Trapper turned to the sound of the voice, as a blonde girl stepped out from behind a column where she'd stayed hidden for the entire time Supergirl had been here.

"You didn't intervene at any point." The Time Trapper replied.

"I saw no reason to. Why play good cop and bad cop when you have her friends and family to hold as ransom." The girl's voice was oddly bitter.

"Excellent point." The Time Trapper replied.

"What do you think of her chances?" The girl asked.

"She will not disappoint us." The Time Trapper said thoughtfully.

The girl looked at Supergirl in the crystal ball, a bitter frown twisting her bottom lip.

Supergirl streaked through the air, noting that it had a slightly sweeter smell than the air on her Earth.

"Your adopted Earth." She told herself.

She couldn't really remember what the air back on her Pocket Universe earth had smelled like. So much of her life there had faded. It had never really been hers anyway. She'd been originally imprinted with the memories of the Pocket Universe Lana Lang, but once the Kryptonians had destroyed her form-de-evolving her into a protoplasmic mess she'd lost most of Lana's memories. Only the memories of her times as Supergirl in the Pocket Universe remained completely intact. And those had only been a handful at best, a few skirmishes with the Kryptonian criminals that had not gone well before Luthor had sent her to get Superman. What had the air smelled like there? Had it been this sweet? She somehow doubted it.

She streaked through the sky, over the suburbs and toward the gleaming beacon of New York City in the distance. Supergirl had only gotten a glimpse of the other people in those containment cells in the Time Trapper's lair, but she had recognized at least one of them from her time with the Titans.

As Supergirl flew over the city, she saw Titans Tower in the distance sitting on an island in the center of the Hudson. In her days as a Titan, the Tower had been a memory-destroyed by the Wildebeest Society, but here on this Pocket Universe the Society had obviously never moved against the Titans…. Or at least never destroyed their Tower.

"Halt there!"

The voice brought Supergirl out of her thoughts. Hovering there in front of her, blocking the Tower, was Starfire with bright pink energy glowing around her fists. A green pterodactyl flapped his wings beside her, his attention focused directly on Supergirl.

"Starfire! Changeling! It's me Supergirl."

"There is no Supergirl." Starfire replied, "Not anymore. She's been dead for years."

Supergirl's felt the color drain from her face, "That's not possible."

"Look at her face Kory. She looks shocked." Changeling said.

"I don't care. There is no way she is getting near the Tower. Not after all we've been through. Not right now." Starfire growled, her bright green eyes not leaving Supergirl. Her lips pulled into a snarl. "Not until Donna is out of danger."

"What's wrong with Donna?" Supergirl asked, her heart filling with fear. Her entire mission here rested on saving the Pocket Universe Donna Troy.

"Don't you say her name!" Starfire shouted, hurling a solar bolt at Supergirl. It stung as it struck her skin, but it was hardly going to stop her. She remembered Starfire's bolts as being more powerful than that. "You need to leave!"

"But, I'm here to help Donna Troy! You don't understand!"

"NO! You don't understand!" Starfire screamed at her. "You're not getting close to her. We've lost too many people this year! We're not going to loose Donna too."

"I'm here to help." Supergirl said.

"You picked the wrong day to help." Changeling said, "You should just go to Metropolis and talk to Superman. If the big guy gives you clearance then you can come back and we'll take your help. We've been double-crossed one time too many this year. First Terra. Then Jericho. Then Raven. We're not going to trust some stranger just because you're wearing an S-shield and you look like our dead friend."

Supergirl opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but before he could, an explosion rocked Titan's Tower behind them-shattering all the windows on the top floor and sending glass showering down onto the island and into the Hudson all around them.

"DONNA!" Starfire screamed. She looked at Supergirl, her face filled with rage. "If you have done anything to her you will pay! Stay here with her Gar."

Starfire streaked off, heading toward Titan's Tower.

"Garfield, please I don't know what's going on here. But, I'm here to help. I swear. I know Donna Troy is in there right now, about to give birth. But, someone awful is coming for her son. And I have to stop him from killing the son of Donna Troy!"

"How do you know that?! No one is supposed to know that Donna is pregnant. We've kept it a complete secret. The public thinks that Wonder Girl is just taking time off of the team to help Paradise Island rebuild after Darkseid's last attack."

"I know that because I'm here to help." Supergirl said, "Donna's son is destined to slay a great monarch in the future. And he is coming back from the future to destroy Donna Troy and her unborn child to prevent that!"

"Kory is gonna kill me." Changeling sighed, looking back at the damaged tower. "Follow me Supergirl. We'll figure out who you are later. Just you know this-if you are lying to me and you lay a hand on Donna I'll make sure you pay."

As they flew toward the top level of the Tower, Supergirl found it ironic that Garfield was afraid she was a traitor-when he had been corrupted by Raven and betrayed them during her time as a Titan.

When they reached the tower, Supergirl followed Changeling in, finding herself in a massive medical chamber.

"What is she doing here Garfield?!" Starfire screamed.

"She's here to help. Trust me Kory!"

"I don't trust her!" Starfire said.

"Kory, back off." Nightwing said, stepping up and attempting to restrain Starfire.

Supergirl paid no attention to any of this, her attention on Donna Troy who was writhing in pain on a bed, struggling, fighting pain. As she screamed out in pain, a computer monitor tracking her pulse and heart rate shattered.

"We have to get Donna out of here." Cyborg said, looking up from technical readouts at the console he sat at. Behind him Bumblebee looked over the same readouts.

"Each contraction causes more destruction and we don't know whether or not the destruction will be confined to the Tower, or if it will move out to the city." Bumblebee said.

"Where do we take her?" Nightwing asked. "STAR Labs doesn't have anything better than we have here."

"What about Paradise Island?" Supergirl asked, "Surely they could take care of her."

"Even if the Island of Healing had not been destroyed by Darkseid, Donna wouldn't be welcome." Kid Flash said. Supergirl blinked as she realized that Wally West was under that mask. "Queen Hippolyta exiled her from the island."

"Why would Hippolyta exile her?" Supergirl blinked.

"That is none of your business." Starfire snapped.

Donna Troy screamed out in pain as another contraction tore through her. A light fixture in the ceiling exploded, showering glass down from above.

"Hippolyta had no choice in the matter." Omen sad, brushing several long strands of coppery hair from her brilliant emerald eyes. "It was demanded by the Olympians."

Omen squeezed Donna's hand tightly.

"Why would the gods demand it?"

"Don't tell her anything Omen!" Starfire shouted.

"Starfire…" Omen shook her head, "Supergirl means us no harm. She is here to help. I scanned her the second she entered the room. Although she is not the Supergirl we knew, she is a friend."

Nightwing came up to Supergirl, "Perhaps you care to tell us a little about yourself."

"My name real name is Linda Danvers." Supergirl morphed into her Linda Danvers form, "I'm the adopted daughter of Zor-El and Alura In-Ze of Krypton. And I have the powers of an earth-bound angel. I have been sent here to help save Donna Troy from certain death, because her son is going to be the victor in a great battle against a villain from the future-one who is going to enslave this entire world and destroy all who get in his way. No one will survive the purge. Not Superman. Not Batman. Not Wonder Woman. Not the Titans."

"Who the Hell is this guy?" Cyborg asked.

"His name is Monarch. And supposedly he was once a hero. Then his mind snapped and he turned. Donna Troy's son is going to destroy him in the future. So, he plans on coming back in time and killing Donna before she gives birth to him-to prevent her son's birth." Supergirl said, recounting what the Time Trapper had told her. Remembering eerily similar events in her universe.

"A hero turned traitor." Nightwing's face grew grim. "We've had an experience or two with that."

"Monarch will really kill all of us?" Cyborg asked.

"That's what I've been told." Supergirl said, "I have to stop him."

"We've suffered too many deaths lately." Nightwing said, his voice matching his grim expression. "Ironically, it all started with Supergirl's death."

Supergirl looked at him, "What happened to your Supergirl?"

"She was killed in battle against Doomsday. She intervened, saving Superman from death. She managed to wound Doomsday greatly, so that we could destroy the monster." Nightwing said, "But it cost her life."

"She was a Titan." Starfire said, "The first of us to die."

"And it's been an endless cycle of death since." Cyborg said, "First Terra betrayed us. Selling us out to Deathstroke and the Hive. Aquagirl died while we were being held prisoner."

"Then months later, Jericho was possessed by the wandering spirits of Azarath." Bumblebee said, "He imprisoned us all. My husband, Malcolm-Herald was killed. During the final battle with Jericho and the Azarathian's Kole, Hawk, Dove, and Golden Eagle disappeared. We never found their bodies. And Danny Chase was killed as well. Aqualad was knocked into a coma."

"From which he still hasn't awakened." Kid Flash clenched his fists, "During that Raven lost her mind and killed Magenta-after trying to kill the rest of us."

Supergirl frowned, thinking of the people she'd seen in the containment cylinders in the Time Trappers lair and the list of fallen Titans. She thought about what the Time Trapper had said about how her family had gotten in there-he'd taken their Pocket Universe counterparts and switched them. Did that explain the people she had recognized as Titans in the Time Trappers lair?

"Perhaps I can help stop that cycle. I was sent here to protect Donna Troy from dying." Supergirl said.

Omen continued to hold Donna's hand. Donna had fallen silent, her face covered with sweat. She'd fallen into an uneasy sleep.

"I think Donna is going to give birth soon." Omen said quietly, "The baby's thoughts are growing stronger and stronger by the minute."

"But it's too early. She's only been pregnant six months." Nightwing frowned.

"According to these read-outs, the child's development is at the ninth month." Bumblebee said.

"How is that possible?" Nightwing asked.

"The father is not a mortal Nightwing." Omen said, "Only Donna's mortality prevented the child from being born upon conception."

"Who is the father?" Supergirl asked, frowning. In her Universe, Donna's son Robert had been fathered by her then husband Terry Long.

"Hyperion. The Titan God of the Sun." Omen said quietly, "My mother's husband. He enslaved Donna's heart with a spell, and forced her to love him. At his side, she helped him and the other Titan Gods overthrow Olympus. When the dust settled, and we had freed Olympus along with Wonder Woman and the Amazons, the Olympians released Donna's mind. But, due to her refusal to destroy the child within her womb, the son of Hyperion, Zeus and Hera commanded the Amazons to exile Donna from Paradise Island-and left Donna Troy an orphan once more."

Supergirl frowned, "So then we cannot take her to Paradise Island for the child to be born safely. I know a place that is isolated and safe. Do you guys have a T-Jet?"

"We do, but I do not think it's a good idea to move her." Cyborg said.

Another scream tore from Donna's lips, cracking the floor beneath them.

"The Tower isn't going to take many more hits like that." Bumblebee said, "We should consider moving her."

"And what if one of those contractions come along while we're in the T-Jet and it blows out the engines? Or the gas tank?" Nightwing asked.

"I'll give you coordinates to where we're going. I'll fly her there." Supergirl said.

"Not so fast." Starfire said, stepping in front of Donna's bed. "I don't trust you to let you pick Donna up and take off with her. It could be a trap."

"Kory is right you know." Changeling said.

"I sense no malicious intent nor deception in Supergirl's mind." Omen said, "There is no reason to distrust her."

"Never the less." Starfire said, "I'm not just letting her take Donna."

"Fine." Supergirl said, "You carry her and follow me."

"Where are we?" Changeling asked, as they walked through the ice corridors.

"Beats me." Cyborg said, "But, the medical center in there is better than anything we have back at the Tower."

"It's just weird that this is all up in the Arctic." Changeling said, as he and Cyborg entered the medical facility where Donna Troy was hooked up to several machines.

Omen was still at Donna's side, holding her hand. Donna had not experienced any contractions since they'd left the Tower and was now sleeping deeply.

Bumblebee was looking at the monitors, frowning while reading them.

Starfire was not far, watching over Donna.

In the corner of the room, Kid Flash and Nightwing were in conference with Supergirl.

"How could you bring us here?" Nightwing asked, "You know that Superman keeps this place as his private place to get away from the entire world."

"I know that. It was the safest place I could think of." Supergirl said, "There are so many different security monitoring systems here that we should be relatively safe."

"What if this Monarch comes for her? We don't have the raw power here to deal with that threat. You and Cyborg are the two strongest people here." Kid Flash said.

"I'm sure the Justice League could get here pretty quickly if we needed them. Superman is faster than a speeding bullet. Wonder Woman is swifter than Mercury." Supergirl said. "Dick could always call in Batman. And Batman could think circles around Monarch."

"How do you know so much about us?" Kid Flash asked.

"Like how do I know that you're Wally West and he's Dick Grayson?" Supergirl asked.

"Yes." Nightwing's voice was tight.

Supergirl hesitated. Should she tell them that they lived in an alternate reality than she did? That they were a Pocket Universe Earth created at the whim of the Time Trapper for whatever reason the Time Trapper did such things. "Because I just do."

"You're not making it easy to trust you." Nightwing said, "Just because you know our secret identities and how to get to the Fortress of Solitude… it doesn't mean we can trust you. Terra could have sold you our secrets. That little psychopath couldn't be counted on to just sell what she learned to Deathstroke and the Hive. You could be an Azarathian inhabiting Supergirl's dead body. Or Raven could have injected one of those Trigon seeds into your corpse."

"Or I could be telling the truth." Supergirl shook her head, "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. I just need to protect Donna and her son. I was sent here before Monarch's attack so that I could defeat him."

"I don't believe her Nightwing." Kid Flash said.

Supergirl shook her head, "All that matters is that Donna gives birth to her son safely."

Donna Troy gave a shriek, waking from her slumber, sending out a ripple of power that shattered several of the massive icicles in the ceiling. Starfire blasted them into small bits before they could harm anyone.

Supergirl, Nightwing, and Kid Flash rushed to Donna Troy's side.

"Donna?" Nightwing asked, taking her other hand.

"Oh, Dick… it feels like I'm dying." Donna moaned, her hair and face soaked with sweat.

"It's going to be all right Donna. Vic and Karen say you don't have much longer. Just a few more hours. You can make it. You know you can. You're strong."

"It hurts." Donna screamed.

"Nightwing, she's close." Omen said, "She's going to give birth within the hour. I can sense the demi-god's thoughts and they are far more clear. These power surges are from him. He's afraid."

"He should be."

The air in front of the bed where Donna Troy writhed in pain exploded in sparkling light and a tall figure stepped forward, wearing gray and blue body-armor.

"Monarch!" Supergirl screamed.

"Supergirl? I thought you were dead." Monarch said, his blue eyes peering from the eye slits on his helmet.

"You've got me confused with someone else." Supergirl said, flying across the room and slamming into Monarch.

They crashed through several walls, until they were out in open Arctic air.

The Titans were left to look after them.

"What the hell was that?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't know." Nightwing said.

Donna Troy cried out again.

"How much longer before she gives birth?" Nightwing asked Omen.

"Soon. I can't narrow it more than that. Less than an hour. But, other than that… not until the baby is ready." Omen said, grimacing as Donna squeezed her hand tighter. Donna's Amazon strength could break the bones in her hand.

"Well, let's hope Supergirl takes care of whoever that was quickly."

In the air nearly five miles above the Fortress of Solitude, Monarch wrenched himself free of Supergirl's grip.

"That was impressive girl. You were obviously expecting me. But, the element of surprise is all you had. In my past, I killed Superman and Wonder Woman. Both of them are stronger than you ever were." Monarch said, as he fired a bolt of sizzling energy from the gauntlet on his right hand. It struck Supergirl squarely in the chest, causing her to scream in pain.

Monarch laughed, "Yes, I have the power to hurt you Supergirl."

Supergirl hauled off, her fist smashing into Monarch's chest. A small crack appeared in his chest plate.

"Your suit has the power to hurt me. You are just some moron inside it." Supergirl hauled off again, punching him in the chest, causing the crack to grow. A spark of electricity spat out of the crack. "Remove the suit, and there is nothing but moron."

"You obviously don't know who you are dealing with!" Monarch back-handed Supergirl, sending her flying nearly a thousand yards away before she was able to get control and turn away and fly back toward him.

"Who am I dealing with? From what I hear you're some idiot trying to kill a pregnant lady because her son is going to grow up to kick your ass." Supergirl hissed, "Pretty sad if you ask me. Since you can't beat him fairly, you're going to come back through time and kill him before he's even born."

"I can't expect one such a you to understand what the point of all of this is." Monarch replied, firing more energy bolts at Supergirl. "Like Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman and the entire Justice League-as well as the Titans, you only see things in shades of good and evil. You don't realize that if there are no super-heroes, then there are no super-villains. If I rule with an iron fist and allow nothing but Order, then there is no room for Chaos to come creeping in."

Supergirl avoided the bolts.

"Absolute order is no better than absolute chaos." Supergirl replied, firing several TK bolts at Monarch striking him in the same spot where she'd punched his chest-plate.

"That is new. It looks like you've gained new powers since your resurrection." Monarch said, "It does not matter. They will not help you today. It was awful the way you died. We all watched on television as Doomsday killed you. I've re-watched it many times. You should have seen Superman die."

"You bastard!" Supergirl fired several more TK bolts, aiming each of them at the same crack.

"Superman was rattled that easily too. All I had to do was talk about killing Lois Lane. That was all it took." Monarch fired more bolts at Supergirl.

The final one clipped her shoulder, burning through her sleeve.

She screamed, loosing control of her flight.

Supergirl spiraled out of control, hurtling face first to the snowy banks below where she smacked into the ground at nearly three hundred miles per hour.

Monarch flew back toward the Fortress of Solitude.

Supergirl stood, despite the protesting of each muscle in her body. She looked at her shoulder. Her sleeve was completely gone at the shoulder, revealing an angry red burn that throbbed with searing pain.

There was no time to consider her pain.

Supergirl flew toward the Fortress of Solitude.

She found her way quickly to the medical center where she could hear explosions and screams.

When Supergirl came into the room, Donna Troy was screaming in pain, as Starfire fired bolt after bolt at Monarch. Cyborg was wrestling with him, trying to keep him away from Donna Troy-even though both of his legs had been shattered. Changeling had transformed into a giant elephant and was using his trunk to pull at Monarch. Bumblebee flew in the air above them, firing sonic rays from her eye lenses at Monarch.

"Kid Flash! Get Donna out of here!" Nightwing shouted.

In an instant, Donna disappeared from the hospital bed, just as a powerful bolt exploded from Monarch's suit obliterating the bed.

Omen barely avoided being incinerated.

Next to Supergirl, Kid Flash came to a stop, Donna cradled in his arms.

"You did a great job of getting him out of here." Kid Flash snapped.

"If you're so fast, why don't you get her out of here and get her somewhere safe." Supergirl replied, "I'll take Monarch."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

Monarch tossed Cyborg aside, sending him spinning out of control and slamming into a wall. He blasted Changeling, causing him to revert to his human form and land in a quivering pile on the floor. He swatted at Bumblebee, knocking her out of the air.

He began moving toward the doorway where Kid Flash was standing with Donna in his arms and Supergirl was waiting.

Supergirl unleashed three TK bolts in rapid succession each one striking Monarch in the chest as Starfire fired at him from behind.

"Get her out of here!" Supergirl told Kid Flash, plunging into battle with Monarch.

She hammered him over and over, punching him in the chest until the chest plate finally cracked.

Monarch backhanded Supergirl sending her flying away.

"Get off of me you pathetic little whelp." Monarch growled.

Electricity poured from the cracked breastplate.

Monarch stood, pulling the divided chest plate away. He wore a skin-tight gray bodysuit underneath it. Starfire choose the opportunity to fire several bolts.

Monarch screamed out in pain.

He spun around, firing a bolt into Starfire-sending her to the floor.

Monarch rushed forward, knocking Supergirl out of the way, pulling Donna from Kid Flash's arms. His eyes emitted a blast that struck Wally directly in the face and sent him to the ice floors.

Monarch turned and faced the Titans and Supergirl who pulled herself to her feet. Donna Troy lay in his arms, writhing in pain.

"Nice try Supergirl." Monarch laughed, "But Donna Troy's son will not be born."

"Put her down!" Nightwing shouted.

"Sorry, Dick. No can do."

Monarch disappeared, taking Donna Troy with him.

"How did he know my name?" Nightwing asked.

"Because he was a hero once." Supergirl said, pulling herself to her feet. "He is destined to kill nearly every hero and villain on the planet. Donna Troy's son will one day become a hero known as Darkstar and lead a new generation of Titans--children of the original Titans to destroy Monarch. It is because of him that Monarch will ultimately be destroyed and Earth will be free again."

"How do you know all of this?" Nightwing asked.

"Because I was sent here to prevent Monarch from killing Donna and her son." Supergirl frowned, "And I think I just failed."

"Do you know who he is? Perhaps if we find him now, as a hero, we can do something to prevent this." Nightwing said.

"I'm not sure." Supergirl said shaking her head. She knew who Monarch had been on her Earth, she did not know who it was on this Pocket Universe. "It's possible it's Hank Hall."

"You mean Hawk?" Omen asked.

"Yes. Hawk. The first one."

"There has only been one Hawk." Nightwing said, frowning. "And Hawk and Dove disappeared during the battle with Jericho. We haven't seen either of them since."

"It's possible that Hawk is Monarch. It's possible he killed Dove and then became Monarch." Supergirl said, trying to remember exactly how it had gone down.

"He could have never killed Dove. He loved Dawn. And she was carrying on the legacy of his brother. Don Hall lost the power to be Dove during the Crisis. A building collapsed on him and he was crippled from the waist down." Starfire said.

"The Crisis?" Supergirl asked, feeling a shiver at the mention of it.

"Yeah. The Crime Syndicate of Qward attacked us, unleashing the shadow demons of Qward upon us. Dove was crippled during the attack. He was saving children." Starfire said.

"It's just possible that Hank Hall is Monarch."

"It's impossible." Omen said, "Hank's eyes were brown and Monarch's are blue."

"We you able to scan him mentally Omen?" Nightwing asked.

"No. His helmet had some sort of block that prevented me from scanning it." Omen replied.

"We have to find her." Supergirl said, "I have to stop him from killing her and her child."

"I can trace her." Omen said. "Her mind patterns and the thoughts of her child are quite powerful right now."

"Tell me where, and I'll go." Supergirl said.

"You aren't going without us." Starfire said, "We will go to the end of the Universe to save Donna if that's what it takes."

"Let's hope we don't have to go that far." Supergirl replied, "I don't think we have much time."

Donna Troy opened her eyes as another contraction ripped through her body. Something about this felt familiar, although she did not know how. The child inside her was pushing and he was ready to greet the world.

In the corner of the room, Monarch watched, his blue eyes staring out from the eye-slots in his helmet.

Donna recognized those eyes, although in her pain she could not place who they belonged to.

"Ah.. Donna Troy. Are you Wonder Girl? Or Troia? Or Darkstar? Who is Donna Troy… this week?" Monarch said, his voice scrambled electronically by his mask. "Or is this one of those weeks where you have no powers."

Donna wanted to ask him what he was talking about. Troia? Darkstar? No powers? It made no sense. She had been Wonder Girl for as long as she'd been back in Man's World-after leaving Paradise Island at thirteen to help Wonder Woman fight crime. At this point, she was probably a little old to be calling herself girl still, but she certainly couldn't take the name Wonder Woman as long as Diana was using it.

But she was in too much pain to point this out to Monarch.

She could sense Omen in her mind, using it as a beacon to lead the Titans and Supergirl to them.

Donna screamed as another contraction ripped through her, not sure who Supergirl was either. Donna had been there when Doomsday had killed Supergirl. She had watched as Doomsday crushed Supergirl's skull and tossed her aside like a rag doll.

Monarch came up to Donna, looking down into her face. His eyes meeting hers.

"I'm going to have to kill you Donna. Your son too. He's too dangerous to let live. Besides, I would rather kill you now than later. I remember when I killed you. During the Meta-Human Purge. You just wouldn't stop fighting. Not after I ripped your arm off, not after I nearly incinerated you. You wouldn't just lay still and die. You had to keep fighting. I had to break your neck, Donna. And it was just too much. To have to do that to you. You were always one of my best friends. And I must admit I always had a huge crush on you."

Donna screamed again, thrashing at him. Her fist connected, knocking Monarch back.

"Wow. That was impressive Donna. Good job. But, I'm a lot stronger now than I was then. And you didn't even kill me then. You failed miserably. I only wish I'd known then you had a son. I would have hunted him down then and there and snapped his neck, before allowing him to find me when he was twenty-one. With the blood of a god running through his veins, along with your courage in his heart, it's no wonder he was destined to destroy me. Luckily, I can see through time now. And I could come back to prevent your son from fulfilling his destiny; kill him before he even leaves your womb."

"Get away from me you bastard!" Donna screamed at him. Another contraction ripped through her, this one causing the lights to explode in the ceiling above them. Glass rained down on them.

"You're going to bring my palace down at this rate." Monarch said his gauntlets glowing brightly with malevolent energy. It bathed the entire room in Hellish purple. "It is time Donna. Time for you and your Robert to die."

The energy churning around Monarch's fists flared as he prepared to fire. He unleashed the energy blasts, only to see Donna disappear in a flash before his eyes just instants before the energy blasts decimated the empty bed.

"NOT AGAIN!" Monarch roared, turning his attention to the direction Kid Flash had taken off in.

Supergirl smashed through the wall, sending a cascading shower of stone down all around Monarch. She slammed into him, pushing him through the opposite wall and out into the cold air of the snow covered mountains of northern Bialya.

"We have to stop meeting like this." Supergirl said, punching Monarch in the gut. He made an "oof" sound as her super-strength nearly ripped through his mostly unprotected stomach. His gray body suit provided some shielding, but nothing that could protect him from a good super-punch. "I'm beginning to think you might have a crush on me Monie."

Monarch put his hand against her face, squeezing at her skull even as Supergirl pounded him in the stomach over and over.

"Coming back from the dead has made you cocky. And mouthy. You were a sweet kid before this." Monarch growled before unleashing a tremendous amount of energy directly into Supergirl's face.

She screamed out in horror, as intense pain exploded in her head, while it felt like her face was melting away. She pushed away from Monarch, slipping from his grasp before spiraling away from him.

Supergirl felt strong hands grip her as a giant green pterodactyl lifted her up.

"I gotcha Supie." Changeling said.

"Thanks Gar." She moaned, realizing that her eyes weren't closed. That the energy blast from Monarch had temporarily blinded her. She hoped it was temporary. "Where's Monarch?"

"Starfire is hitting him right now with all she's got." His voice sounded grim, "Although I have to admit that with Donna and Vic benched, we're a little weak as far as dealing with someone like Monarch."

"Have you called the Justice League?" Supergirl asked, the swimming blots of dark color in front of her eyes were lightening into blurry blots of light. "Superman and Wonder Woman… I'm sure Diana would like to kick the butt of the guy who is trying to kill her half-sister."

"Dick put in a call. But the big guns are off world on some mission. We're getting the second stringers. Booster Gold, Guy Gardner, Green Flame, Ice, and Blue Beetle."

"What about Power Girl? Or Captain Atom?"

"Captain Atom was killed last year by Major Force." Changeling asked, "Who's Power Girl?"

"Uh…" Supergirl frowned, "I guess she isn't here yet."

"We called in the Titan reserves too. Not that there are many left. And no one who has that kind of strength." Changeling said, "I'm going to set you down and go help Kory."

"Okay." Supergirl said, "I can't really see yet. But, as soon as I can see again, I'll be there. My vision is coming back."

"Hope to see you soon." Changeling said, setting Supergirl down. She felt her feet sink up to her ankles in snow and could hear Changeling's wings as he flew off to join the fight against Monarch.

Her vision slowly began returning, and she could see the snow and the mountains as well as the vast tapestry of blue sky. There were three dark spots in the sky that had to be Monarch, Starfire, and Changeling.

In the air above her, Starfire hurled starbolt after starbolt at Monarch, only to have him block them.

"You aren't very effective Kory." Monarch said. "You know, I don't remember killing you in the future, when I first become Monarch. Maybe it's because I kill you here… now…"

"I wouldn't count on it." Supergirl said.

Monarch turned his attention to her, his eyes growing large.

Her eyes burned with fire and giant flaming wings flapped behind her.

"What the hell are you?"

"I know it might look like Hell…" Supergirl said, her voice booming. "But really it's a gift from Heaven."

Fire erupted from Supergirl's eyes, bathing Monarch with intense flames and knocking him from the sky.

"Whoa." Changeling said, flapping his wings next to Starfire, who hovered with a look of shock on her face.

"Since when can she do that?" Starfire asked in awe.

"I guess since she came back from the dead." Changeling said, watching as Supergirl flew after Monarch, her flaming wings carrying her down to the area where Monarch had landed between two massive mountains.

"Wings of fire or not, we can't let her fight him alone. He's powerful. I don't think even Superman could take him." Starfire gasped, attempting to catch her breath.

The second Monarch pulled himself to his feet, Supergirl was there to knock him off his feet and back onto the ground. Before he could recover, she began pounding on him, slamming her fist into his chest and face with all her might.

Monarch cried out in pain with each punch to his chest, and with each punch, Supergirl thought that the next blow would make his chest collapse.

Supergirl screamed in pain as the blows began to make the skin of her knuckles split.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" She screamed, stopping for a moment, taking deep ragged breaths, sweat dripping into her eyes and plastering locks of blonde hair to her forehead.

"Since when are you a killer? I thought those who wore the S-shield treasured life more than anyone ever could. You and I chatted many times about the importance of peaceful negotiations and non-aggressive resolutions. About not killing people to stop them from killing. Two wrongs do not make a right after all. I remember me, you, Wonder Woman, and Donna discussing it long into the night." Monarch said, one of his eyes was ruptured. Blood completely filled the white of it.

"You've come to kill Donna Troy and her unborn child. You are a homicidal tyrant who will kill all meta-humans and non-powered heroes and villains in your quest for power." Supergirl said, gazing down into his eyes, "You are going to destroy the Time Trapper, absorb his essence and become the most powerful despot the Universe has ever known. And then you will destroy all of creation so that you can sit at the dawn of the Universe and reshape it as you see fit."

"How is that any different from what the Time Trapper is doing?" Monarch whispered, "He's why you're here. Isn't he? He sent you. You're not the Supergirl who died on this world. You're from another Pocket Universe. One of the ones from before this one. Yes, that explains why you are different." Monarch laughed, his voice rattled by a hacking cough.

"The Time Trapper isn't killing people wholesale."

"How are his manipulations any different? He's wiped people out of existence on a whim. How is that different?"

Supergirl hesitated, looking down into Monarch's eyes, feeling the doubt begin to creep in.

"I don't know if it's different or not." Supergirl said finally, "But you're here to kill Donna and her baby. You must be stopped."

Behind her back, Monarch's hands began to glow with the dark purple energy.

"You think you're being sneaky, but you're not." Supergirl hauled off, punching at his face again.

"Get off me you insolent wench." Monarch roared, blasting Supergirl with all of his energy. It sent her skidding across the ground, slamming into a bank of rocks with a heavy thud that brought a small avalanche of snow and rock down on her, covering her.

The snow and rock exploded as Supergirl punched her way free. Her fiery wings arced out behind her.

"It's going to take more than that to do me in Monarch." Supergirl said, "I'm surprised at you."

"Just as there is with you, there is more to me than just brute force." Monarch growled, a bolt of bright yellow glittering energy shot toward Supergirl enveloping her completely.

The light was so bright, that she had no choice but to close her eyes. When she opened them, she found herself standing atop a strange white fortress made of unusual stone floating in space. Before her, she saw a group of people flying into the fortress.

"Where did Monarch send me?" She wondered aloud.

Supergirl dropped over the side of the fortress and joined the group of people. She recognized several of them, although Wonder Woman's costume was slightly different than she remembered. Toward the front she saw two Supermen and--?! Supergirl did a double take. Next to the young Superman she saw herself. Although she had really bad 80's hair and a red headband.

"Oh lord… I hope that costume isn't in my future." Supergirl groaned. Had Monarch sent her into the future?

"Where are we?" She asked, flying up beside Martian Manhunter.

He did not reply.

"J'onn?" She touched him. He paid no attention to her.

She flew up to Superman and Supergirl.

"Kal?" She called to him. But he didn't even blink.

She studied the face of Supergirl. It was a different Supergirl. It wasn't her. There were slight differences in the face, it was smaller than hers. And this Supergirl had a bit more of an upturn to her nose. A cute little button nose, Supergirl thought.

"Have to admit it Kara, I'm a little worried." Superman said.

"You too? I thought I was the only one." The other Supergirl replied. "My God, what happens if we fail here?"

"I… don't want to think about it." Superman replied.

"Kara?" Supergirl called.

The other Supergirl blinked and looked directly at Supergirl, "Did you hear something Kal?"

"No. It's like a tomb here." Superman said.

The other Supergirl looked at Supergirl for several seconds, then shrugged before turning away.

"She heard me." Supergirl said. "But, she didn't see me. Hmmm… I suppose I'm not really here. Or am just outside of time."

She followed them, watching as the fortress attacked the heroes. She tried to help, but she was unable to effect any change.

Supergirl took to following her doppelganger around, watching this other Supergirl battle selflessly.

Then several minutes later the doppelganger Supergirl stopped, looked up and said, her eyes wild with fear, "Kal-El? He needs me!"

She flew off faster than Supergirl knew she had ever flown. She followed her, going deeper and deeper into the imposing fortress. At some point, Supergirl lost her double and found herself lost in the caverns and corridors of the fortress.

She landed, looking around.

The air in front of her began to shimmer.

Alexander Luthor stepped into view, smiling at her. "Hi there."

"Alexander. What are you doing here?"

"I think the real question, is what are you doing here?" Alexander asked.

"Monarch blasted me and I found myself here. Although, I'm not sure where here is."

"This is the Anti-Monitor's fortress. And Monarch has sent you to the death of the first Supergirl." Alexander said, "He wants you to see her die, so that it will intimidate you and you will fall in battle before him after watching yourself die."

"But that isn't me. It's the other Supergirl. The real one. I'm just some pretender." Supergirl replied, "I've been watching her. She faster than I am. She's stronger than I am. She has lots of cool extra powers. Like x-ray vision. Heat vision. Super-breath. Super-hearing. She also has a lot of heart. And sweetness. She's perfect. I can't believe she ever doubts herself the way I doubt myself."

Alexander walked up to her, touching her shoulder. "Linda… you're the real Supergirl. That girl in there-the Other Supergirl as you called her, is you."

"How is that possible?" Supergirl asked him.

"The Crisis changed many things. And Lord Xenon reached in and prevented Zor-El and Alura from having a daughter of their own. So, when Krypton exploded, only Kal-El survived."

"To prevent me."

"Supergirl defeated him once, and she was destined to defeat him again. When he escapes his prison in Hypertime, which he will because no matter how many layers of Hypertime build up around that prison, eventually he will tear through them all, he will return to destroy all existence. And, Supergirl will rise up to destroy him again." Alexander told her. "The spirit of Supergirl could not be prevented by Lord Xenon's manipulations. And in the Time Trapper's first Pocket Universe, Lex Luthor created his Matrix. And Supergirl was reborn. At that point, fate stepped in to shape and mold that Supergirl into the Supergirl that was always supposed to be-and then some."

"So I'm better?"

"You're more powerful even without the x-ray vision, heat vision, or super-ventriloquism."

"Super-ventriloquism? That other Supergirl actually has that power?"

"Yes." Alexander chuckled.

"That's a pretty dumb power." Supergirl said quietly.

Several minutes of silence passed between them.

"Will I die again?" Supergirl asked. "Will I save the world?"

"I don't know that." Alexander smiled sadly, "If I knew that… well, no one knows. All my ability to see into the future stops there. If you were to ask the Time Trapper, he too would be unable to see what happens at that point. The Dawn of Time exists outside of time. As does the Time Trapper. Anything that happens when you and Lord Xenon fight at the Dawn of Time won't effect reality until it happens."

"I think you just confused me." Supergirl groaned.

"Come along Linda. Or do you prefer Kara? Or should I just call you Supergirl?" Alexander said.

"Whichever works for you." Supergirl asked, "Where are we going?"

Alexander took her by the hand. "We're going to go watch your greatest moment and your first death."

"Oh… that's messed up." Supergirl replied.

Alexander led her through corridors until they arrived in a great chamber, just as the other Supergirl threw herself into battle against the Anti-Monitor. She felt tears welling up inside her, knowing that each blow brought the other Supergirl-no, her-closer and close to death.

When the moment came, when the Anti-Monitor released the massive anti-matter blast that did it, Supergirl had already covered her face with her hands and found them wet with tears.

She watched, holding back sobs, Superman and Supergirl's goodbye.

And once they'd left, once the room was empty, Supergirl turned to where Alexander had stood, only to find him gone.

"Touching wasn't it?"

Supergirl turned to the voice, only to find Monarch standing behind her.

"In our Universe, the Crisis was just the Crime Syndicate of Qward trying to overtake our world. Many died in the battle, but it wasn't as epic. As grand. It wasn't the event it was in the real universe. More like a footnote." Monarch said, "You're from that Universe aren't you? You're the Supergirl who came around after the Crisis reshaped. The Matrix Supergirl."

"How do you know about our Universe?"

"I have my ways Supergirl." Monarch said, another blast of light exploded from his hands, enveloping her completely.

Supergirl blinked and found herself standing amid rubble in Metropolis. She could hear explosions and screams in the distance.

"Where am I this time?" She asked, flying toward the sound of the commotion.

As she drew closer, she saw heroes scurrying about. She saw the Titans fighting stone monsters. There were the Outsiders, the first ones that Batman had led, fighting the same monsters. Civilians scurried, heading in every direction as the heroes shouted to them to get clear. She flew faster not even bothing to try and help--remembering her inability to fight any of the creatures in the Anti-Monitor's fortress.

Finding the center of the commotion wasn't especially difficult as the smoke was darkest and flames leaped toward the sky. At the center of the destruction was Doomsday.

Supergirl's heart grew cold.

He slammed Superman into the ground. Blood dripped from the man of steel's nose and several cuts covered his body, leaving his uniform shredded. The monstrous hulk moved over Superman raising his claws to destroy him once and for all.

"NO!" Supergirl shouted.

It was a two-part harmony shout. On the ground another Supergirl flew into view, arcing straight toward Doomsday. This other Supergirl wore a pair of baggy red hot pants and a blue blouse with billowy sleeves and the S-shield over her heart.

"Supergirl!" Wonder Woman shouted from the ground. On her chest a golden eagle glowed under the light of the hellish flames.

Supergirl flew down, sweeping in closer.

"Diana! She's going to die!" Wonder Girl said, "We have to help her!"

"I don't know if we can Donna." Wonder Woman said, unhooking her lasso from her belt. "Get Superman to safety Donna. I'm going to help Supergirl."

Supergirl landed between them, watching as the other Supergirl plunged into battle with Doomsday. Supergirl tore at Doomsday savagely, severing his left arm from his body.

"She fights as though she doesn't care about her own life." Supergirl said aloud, "As though only the lives of others are important."

Supergirl watched in horror as Doomsday's remaining razor edged fist sheared through the flesh of Supergirl's throat. Her scream died in a gurgle as she collapsed to the ground. Her hands gripped her throat attempting to stop the bleeding. Her pale blue eyes flashed red as bolts of heat-vision struck Doomsday directly in the face, burning out his eyes. The other Supergirl fell over.

"NO!" Wonder Woman and Supergirl screamed in unison.

Doomsday reached down, lifting Supergirl up with her head between his hands. With a sickening crunch, he crushed her skull, then tossed her aside.

Wonder Woman looped Doomsday with her lasso, ensnaring him in the glowing rope.

"I COMMAND YOU TO STOP YOU MONSTER!" Wonder Woman shouted, "And held within the golden lasso, you have no choice but to obey!"

"Kara?" Superman said, pulling free from Wonder Girl. He pulled himself to his feet. "Good God! Kara! NOOOOO!!"

Supergirl covered her ears, tears seeping from her eyes, watching as Superman crawled over to the blood covered Supergirl and cradled her in his arms.

"Yet another tragic ending." Monarch said, materializing beside her. "It is your destiny to die."

Supergirl and Monarch stood side by side as the heroes in this tragic past rushed to help Wonder Woman deal with the subdued Doomsday.

"Eventually, everyone dies. It's a natural part of life." Supergirl told him quietly.

"Not me. Not the Time Trapper. I will live forever. And I'll never die. Never. I will live outside of time, with it's ravages never touching me." Monarch said.

"It sounds like a very lonely existence." Supergirl replied. "But, I wouldn't count on it. I'm here to stop you. You will not kill Donna Troy or her baby. And once I prevent that, then you will be stopped by her son. And you'll never steal the Time Trapper's essence and become Extant."

"You can't stop me Supergirl. You don't have the backbone." Monarch said.

"I have to stop you. The fate of this world is in the balance." Supergirl replied. "I'll kill you if I have to."

"If you kill me, you'll change that future." Monarch replied, "Don't you see that you're going to do that if you kill me before Robert Troy kills me?"

"I have to prevent you from killing Donna Troy and her son. I'll do whatever it takes." Supergirl said, considering his words.

"You don't have it in you. You're the weaker Supergirl. You're filled with doubt. You question nearly every day what you're doing as Supergirl. When you were just Matrix, you had no real soul. So you weren't sure if you were good enough. When you stole Linda Danver's dying soul, you questioned your ethics. Were you some sort of vampire? When the earth-angel powers manifested you wondered if you were a demon." Monarch said, his voice growling. "You are so afraid."

"It's normal to be afraid. I am very powerful. But, I'm not God. I'm not invincible. I'm not immortal. And from what you've shown me, I'm not immune to death. But, damn it, I'm going to give it all my best." Supergirl replied.

"How? You don't have it in you. You aren't Superman's cousin. You don't have experience with the Legion of Super-Heroes. You never had a real family. You're just a protoplasmic mush with some of Lana Lang's DNA tacked on for the Hell of it and whatever was left of Linda Danvers's soul when you stole it." Monarch said, "I've studied you. As well as the heroes of your Earth. One day when I absorb the Time Trapper's energy and become Extant, I will be the master of the entire Universe and I will make my home at the Dawn of Time."

"You obviously haven't studied enough." Supergirl screamed, "Because I am all of those things. And more."

Supergirl hauled off and punched Monarch.

A crackle of energy exploded all around them and the reality around them came falling down. And again they were between two snowy mountains in Northern Bialya.

"Impressive show of force Supergirl! But you are not the real Supergirl!"

"I AM SUPERGIRL! THE ONE! THE ONLY! AND NO ONE INCLUDING YOU IS GOING TO CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE!" She screamed, her fist connecting with his face.

Supergirl heard the metal of the mask crack at the same time Monarch's neck broke. As the metal bits of mask fell away, Supergirl looked down at an unfamiliar blonde haired boy with one unbloodied blue eye staring out lifelessly. Blood seeped from his mouth, running down the side of his face.

"X'Hal!" Starfire exclaimed, landing beside Supergirl.

"That's Don Hall." Changeling said in complete shock.

"Hank Hall's brother." Supergirl whispered. In the real Universe, Hank had been Monarch before becoming Extant.

"Come on Kara. Let's go find Donna." Changeling said, coming up beside her and patting her on the shoulder.

Supergirl stood slowly, looking down at the dead man in shattered armor. Her hand throbbed with pain, and the curious twisting hinted that she might have broken her wrist with that last punch. Thank god for super-healing.

Back in Titan's Tower, Donna Troy laid in bed, cradling a red-haired son. His blue eyes sparkled with a spark that could only be his divine heritage. Donna looked up, smiling as Supergirl came into the room.

"Hey there!" She exclaimed. Donna smiled brightly, "I see you're wearing a new costume. The one like you used to wear."

Supergirl smiled, "Well, my other one was shredded. And this one is kind of cool and retro. The hot pants and blouse and all. I'm not sure about these slippers yet, but we'll see."

"I like it. It's more practical than a skirt. But not as lame as that blue jumpsuit you were wearing." Donna asked, "Would you like to hold my son?"

"I'd love to." Supergirl smiled, taking the baby. He looked up at Supergirl with his bright blue eyes, which reflected the sun. "His eyes are beautiful."

"He has his father's eyes." Donna said quietly.

Supergirl spent several minutes before handing the baby back. "I just wanted to stop in before I left and say goodbye."

"Must you go so soon? You've only just returned." Donna said, watching Supergirl's expression go from pleasant to sad.

"I'm afraid I don't belong here Donna." Supergirl sighed, "I have to get back to my proper place."

"Have you seen Superman? You should at least visit him before you leave." Donna said, "He misses you. He hasn't been the same since you died. He's been sadder. Darker in some ways. His heart has grown harder."

"It would be unfair to go see him." Supergirl said, "And I was only given enough time to help save you and Robert from Monarch. And well… time has run out."

"I wish you would reconsider." Donna said quietly.

"I'm afraid there is no way." Supergirl said. "I'm going to go now Donna. Take care of yourself. And take care of Robert."

"Farewell Supergirl. Hopefully our paths will cross again." Donna called as Supergirl left the room.

"Hopefully." Supergirl replied, stepping out into the hall.

Starfire, Changeling, Kid Flash, and Nightwing stood there. They walked with her to the roof.

"I can't believe that Don Hall was Monarch." Kid Flash said, "He was always such a pacifist."

"He did change after the Crisis. And after Hank and Dawn disappeared." Nightwing said. "Are you okay Supergirl? Taking a life…"

"I'm fine." Supergirl replied, "It had to be done. I will lose some sleep over it, but he was going to eventually destroy the whole of existence. There was no other choice. Unfortunately." A tear welled up in her eye.

"Take care of yourself." Nightwing said, hugging her.

On the roof, near the T-Jet landing pad, they bid their goodbyes.

Supergirl flew off.

"She wasn't our Supergirl, was she?" Kid Flash asked finally.

"No. She wasn't." Nightwing said, "But she was Supergirl."

"I feel bad for her. She was sad." Starfire said, putting an arm around Nightwing.

"Our Supergirl wasn't sad like that." Changeling said.

"Our Supergirl died at eighteen and never saw much of the real world. Superman kept her protected for much of her life." Nightwing replied, "Our Supergirl lived in a kinder gentler world than we live in. Than she lives in."

"Let's go see how Vic is." Changeling said finally, once Supergirl was nothing more than a dark spot in the sky.

"I miss the good old days." Changeling said, "Back when no one died. And the villains never won."

"Those days are long gone." Nightwing replied.

Supergirl flew away from New York, flying as quickly as she possibly could-heading to the spot where the Time Trapper had opened the portal to allow her access to this universe.

"It's done." Supergirl said to the Time Trapper, after stepping through the portal and finding herself back in his lair. "Monarch is dead. Destroyed."

"Indeed he is." The Time Trapper did not sound altogether pleased. "It is time for me to honor our deal, is it not?"

"It would seem so." Supergirl said. Supergirl stood, waiting for him to do the big reveal-to explain how he was going to double-cross her or reveal the hidden loophole in his promise.

The curtain slid back just far enough to reveal the Danverses, Mattie, Cutter, Craig, and Dick Malverne. The other containers remained unknown, not giving Supergirl a second chance to get a look at them.

Supergirl looked at them, her heart still in her chest as she waited for the Time Trapper to pull the rug out from under her.

The Time Trapper gestured toward the six people and they and their containment chambers disappeared.

"I have sent them back to your time. Your world." The Time Trapper said pleasantly, "You will find them outside of the ruins of Leesburg. You'll find the containment cells are easily unsealed. They will be a big dazed and confused at first; which is completely normal after being frozen in time."

"Thank you Time Trapper." Supergirl said, "Thank you for honoring your word."

"There is no reason I wouldn't." The Time Trapper replied. "You are a smart young woman. Powerful too. I shouldn't like to be your enemy. I will send you back to your proper time now. Just a few moments after Chrysies sent you into the past so as not to create a dangerous paradox that could destroy you."

Before Supergirl could reply, the Time Trapper gestured to Supergirl and she disappeared from the room.

Once Supergirl was gone, the blonde woman came out again from her hiding place behind the columns. She walked over to the crystal ball in the center of the room, gazing into it's smooth surface and watching as it replayed the final battle between Supergirl and Monarch.

She rewatched Supergirl's fist smash into Monarch's face, shattering the mask to reveal Don Hall beneath.

"So, she killed Monarch. A lot of good it did." She said glumly, her violet eyes darkening a shade. "Time and reality in your Pocket Universe has already shifted again. Don Hall is now torn apart by shadow demons during that reality's version of the Crisis. Yet Monarch still exists. And he is still waiting to destroy you and absorb you and become Extant."

"Indeed." The Time Trapper said, "But Monarch is no longer Don Hall of my Pocket Universe. Now, he's someone else. And he is weaker because of it. And now that the time ripples have gone through, changing reality it has created another thousand reality layers in Hypertime, and locks Lord Xenon farther and farther away from the real Universe. Each time I reboot my Pocket Universe, or manipulate the time line there or manipulate time in the 30th Century, it locks Lord Xenon's prison outside of time down deeper and deeper within Hypertime. Making it harder for him to escape, and giving our dear Supergirl more time to get ready for him."

"Who is Monarch now?" The girl asked, frowning.

"That would be revealing too much my dear." The Time Trapper laughed. "Be content in knowing that Supergirl's part in this drama has come to an end for now. The time to enlist the next hero draws near. And that hero will help me defeat Monarch. And reality will shift again, and Monarch will become someone else. And each time, he grows weaker and weaker. And there will be more layers of Hypertime. And once I'm done, Monarch be easily destroyed and no threat to me. Or to you."

She closed her eyes, remembering the image the Time Trapper had shown her in the crystal ball-of Monarch killing her, just before he'd pulled her from her reality and replaced her with her own Pocket Universe alternate self.

"Who is the next hero?" She asked.

"Oh, you'll see." The Time Trapper laughed, "You'll see."

She looked at him quietly, not replying. Wondering if she would ever be able to leave this place. Or would she spend all of eternity here, hiding from Monarch so that he couldn't destroy her or her world?

"You will all pay now!" Supergirl heard Chryseis shout, and she could feel the tour group's fear multiple behind her. Jocelyn was in her line of site, and the poor woman was balled up like a baby trembling. Craig Morris was in her arms, bleeding. She needed to get him to a hospital so he could be saved. But, she couldn't leave everyone at the mercy of this awful Amazon-wannabe. Perhaps she could stop Chryseis. Maybe if she moved quickly, she could stop the gold-armor clad girl and then get Craig to the hospital. But, time was running out. There was so much blood pouring from Craig's wound. How to do decide? Craig's life or the life of everyone else in the tour group.

"I'm so sorry," Supergirl whispered to Craig, even though the voice sounded more like Linda than Supergirl. She began lowering him to the ground, hoping that she could pull it all together quick enough to take Chryseis out. Chryseis raised her spear in front of her, pointing it's tip at Supergirl and Craig, "You have troubled the will of Chryseis for the last time mortal! Let the Portal of Passing remove you from my sight forever!"

Light burst from the spear, spreading outward, streaking toward Supergirl and Craig. She tried to move out of the way, but it was useless. A portal of light consumed her and Craig. The light faded, revealing nothing there.

Jocelyn Rogers blinked her eyes, unable to believe what she'd just seen. They'd been seconds from being saved by Supergirl, who was going to get Craig to the hospital before he died. She really had. And now she was gone.

"Vanished," Chryseis giggled gleefully, "Your savior has vanished from the face of the Earth, never to trouble anyone again! Now..." Her lips twisted into a demented smile, "we shall see what there is to be seen."

With her spear held in front of her, Chryseis marched toward the museum's front entrance that insane grin on her face.

There was a brilliant flash of light in front of her, and from the light, Supergirl flew out wearing red hot pants and a billowy blue blouse with the S-shield over her heart. Her cape flared out around her, held in place by a red choker on her neck. Her blonde hair danced like gold fire behind her.

"Chryseis! It's been an eternity!" Supergirl wasted no time in pulling the spear from the pseudo-Amazon's hand.

"GIVE ME THAT BACK!" Chryseis screamed. "IT'S MINE!"

"My, my. You're a stingy one." Supergirl said, flying away from Chryseis, heading toward the entrance. "If you want your spear back so badly you should come and get it."

"GIVE ME MY SPEAR!" Chryseis said, pushing off the ground with her feet and leaping after Supergirl.

"I see you're able to leap tall buildings with a single-bound." Supergirl said, bursting through the entrance to the Midway Museum of Art and History and into the overly bright morning. "How Golden Age. I learned all about the Golden Age. Do you realize you send me back to the 1940's? There were Nazis. Definitely not cool."

"I'm going to rip your head off girl!" Chryseis said, "You will feel the true wrath of an Amazon!"

"You're no Amazon." Supergirl said, flying up into the sky, landing on top of the Midway City Finance Tower.

Chryseis landed beside her, the soles of her boots creating small fissure cracks in the roof beneath her feet.

"I am Chryseis! Amazon born! My armor was forged by the best Amazonian blacksmith!" Her hands clenched into fists.

"I know Amazons. You're no Amazon. If you were an Amazon, shouldn't you be on Paradise Island with Wonder Woman?" Supergirl asked.

"I am from another tribe. My Amazons left with Antiope after we freed ourselves from Heracles. And when Antiope fell in love with Theseus, more of us fled. It was unbearable to believe our queen could forgive that man for all of his injustices against us. Later he killed her, and proved us right." Chryseis raged.

"No offense, but you were just some armed robber until you put that armor on." Supergirl said, "There is no way you're an Amazon."

"INFIDEL!" Chryseis shrieked, leaping toward Supergirl.

Supergirl stepped aside at the last moment, and Chryseis landed on her face-sending more cracks out from where she smacked.

"This spear," Supergirl twirled the spear like a baton, "And that armor…you put them on, and the next thing you know, voila you're an Amazon warrior and you're blasting me back to the 1940's. Interesting. Right after you wished me away."

Chryseis pulled herself to her feet, "GIVE ME MY SPEAR!"

"You sound like a spoiled brat. And a sore loser. And you know what I would do if you were playing a game?" Supergirl asked, pointing the spear at Chryseis.

Chryseis's eyes widened in fear.

"I would take away your toys and just send you to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars." Supergirl said.

A glowing arc of white light exploded from the spear, enveloping Chryseis. When the light faded, the Amazonian armor laid empty.

"I hope that worked." Supergirl said quietly, "And that I didn't send her to the bottom of the ocean. Now, let's see if this works…"

Closing her eyes, Supergirl pointed the spear directly in front of her.

"Bring back Craig." She whispered, concentrating all her thoughts and energy into the one thought.

The light exploded again and when it faded, Craig was laying on the roof, in the hospital gown she'd last seen him in back in the 1940's and with an IV drip next to him.

"Oh, thank Rao!" Supergirl sighed, relief filling her. "OK, let's try one more thing…"

"Heal Craig. Heal." Supergirl said concentrating again with all of her might.

Again, a bright sparkling light exploded from the spear and enveloped Craig. Once it faded he sat, scratching his head and blinking.

"What happened?" He asked, tugging at the hospital gown and looking up at Supergirl uncertainly. "It feels like I've been asleep forever. Why are you dressed like that?"

Supergirl rushed over, giving him a big hug.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." She laughed. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "I've got to go. I have somewhere to be."

Supergirl flew off into the afternoon, leaving Craig Morris confused as to how he was going to get down from the top of the Midway City Finance Tower.

"Leesburg! Here I come!" Supergirl exclaimed, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes and into the corners of her jubilant smile.

THE END