Kid Eternity

My name is Kid Infinity. My real name? Who cares?

I knew my parents. And I hated every second I was with them. Still, their money did help to buy me anything I wanted – no matter how dangerous it could be. I remember one time – were we on a boat? – when I’d fired a flare gun into the hull just to see what would happen. Three dead, but that didn’t concern me. After all, they couldn’t feel the cold water I’d splashed into.

By the time I was 13, I’d discovered one of my own hidden talents. I loved causing pain. And that’s the only thing I’d found little kids were good for.

Anyway, the last little punk bit me before I was finished. It turned out that the cops had had their eyes on me for a while anyway, and the bite mark on my hand that matched up to the kid’s teeth was the break in the case they needed. I was arrested and convicted pretty quick.

They didn’t try me as an adult, but I wish they had. One night I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and a bunch of guys who’d found out what I was up to caught me and beat me to death. Waah, waah. End of story.

I opened my eyes again and found myself standing at the head of a line. I was quickly ushered inside where some black blobs calling themselves the Lords of Chaos were waiting. They’d give me these powers, and all I had to do was kill this little punk Eternity. Turns out they didn’t like this whole “balance” idea too much.

I said no problem. No little punk’s going to keep me from having my fun. And these powers these Lords of Chaos gave me just add to the possibilities.

“Where are we?” Tomar-Re asked. My motley crew had just appeared in deep space. If it weren’t for Tomar’s power ring and the green bubble that encased us, we all would have been dead. Well, they would have. I’m not sure what would have happened to me, but I would bet it would have been unpleasant.

I quickly looked around. “Perfect. We’re in the perfect spot,” I said. I eyeballed the distance from this galaxy’s yellow sun and smiled.

“How did I do that?” the purple girl asked.

“You’re more powerful than you realize,” I said. I turned. I didn’t want to think of what I was about to do.

“Eternity,” I whispered. As Tomar-Re and the others gaped, Earth shimmered into existence beneath us. The blue-furred man saw me collapsing and caught me.

“Are you all right?” he asked through his heavy German accent.

“No,” I replied weakly. “But this is the only way.” I turned my head to look at Tomar. “Take us down,” I said. “Get us to Gotham.”

Tomar nodded and the green bubble started descending.

We landed and I looked around at the empty city. Deep down I knew that Kid Infinity was screaming toward space at us. It wouldn’t take long for him to find us. I had to hurry.

The purple girl wouldn’t leave my side. She scrutinized me with her wide, pupil-less eyes. “Are you sure you’re all right, sir?” she asked. “Would you like to lie down?”

I started to protest, then my knees buckled. She was the only thing that kept me from pitching forward onto the ground. “Maybe a little while,” I finally conceded. She began helping me toward a nearby building that I had indicated as I instructed Tomar to create a sensor system to warn us when Kid Infinity was approaching. The blue man I also ordered to hide and remain hidden. Then I was helped onto the softest couch I’d ever felt in my life and my eyes slammed shut.

It seemed like only seconds later that Tomar was standing beside me with a worried look on his face. “He’s coming,” he said.

I nodded as the fuzziness faded from my head. “How long?” I asked as I let Tomar help me to my feet. I was still weak.

“Not long enough,” the purple girl said as she walked into the room. “I hope that whatever you have planned is ready.”

“Don’t worry,” I said as I forced a smile. “It’s ready.” I accepted her shoulder as I struggled to my feet. “Let’s head outside. I’d hate for him to have to look for us.”

Kid Infinity slammed into the concrete of the city’s square with a demonic scream. He looked around, studying the deserted streets and started forward. He smiled as he detected Eternity’s power and launched himself into flight again.

“He’s coming,” Tomar said again. The purple girl and blue man were in hiding and awaiting my orders. I smiled. Everything was going according to plan.

The pavement splintered beneath Infinity’s feet as he slammed into the ground. Tomar caught me and steadied me. If he hadn’t, the shockwave would have knocked me to the ground.

Infinity smiled a sick smile at me. “You look well,” he observed. He looked around the skyline. “Was this your plan?” he asked. “Trying to create a new world to hide from me?”

“Not exactly,” I said coolly. “You see, I know a lot of things about history. One thing I discovered once was a story about a lost world. This world had a long history of superheroes.”

Infinity yawned to make a point. “A wonderful story,” he said. “Are you nearly done?” He leaned forward. “I’d hate to kill you before you finish your last words.”

I felt Tomar tense beside me and shook my head no. He couldn’t react in any way. “Almost,” I conceded. “You see, this entire world was wiped out years ago. Some of its inhabitants were reborn on the new Earth, but I discovered that I could call their original, unreborn selves. That’s what I’ve done.” I heard the footsteps behind me and smiled.

“Welcome to Earth-Two.”

Seconds later, Earth-Two’s greatest heroes were attacking Infinity. I saw a blue and red blur zip past and attack him. Seconds later, this world’s Wonder Woman, Fury, and Flash had joined the attack. It was only moments after that that more heroes joined the assault. Infinity nearly vanished beneath their onslaught.

“Won’t he kill them?” Tomar asked as I gratefully sat down in a power-ringed chair.

“He can’t,” I said. “He has to focus his power on a single target. There’s too much going on. He’ll have to take them out one by one.”

Sure enough, that was already beginning. Northwind vanished under Infinity’s counterattack. Mr. Terrific and Obsidian soon followed.

“Are you sure about this?” Tomar asked nervously as Robin vanished. I closed my eyes. I had to focus.

“Yes,” I replied. “They just have to beat him until his power level drops low enough.”

”Can they do that?” Tomar asked. “Won’t they just try to capture him?”

”No,” I answered. “On this world metahumans developed earlier than they did on our Earth. Here they started appearing about 1939.” My eyes narrowed. “These heroes have seen the horrors of war firsthand. They fought the Nazis during World War II. These heroes are willing to do what they must in order to protect their world.”

Even as I spoke, it was obvious that these heroes were not holding back. Superman let loose with blows that the normal Earth’s version would never dare unleash against another human being. Wonder Woman fought just as fiercely. Still, I could see hero after hero – Black Canary, then Nuklon now – vanishing.

“They can’t kill him,” Tomar gasped. “He’s too powerful.”

”I know,” I replied. I closed my eyes to concentrate. “That’s why we have my plan.”

“I thought this was your plan,” Tomar said. “Who else can you call back?”

”Nobody,” I replied. “Bringing back this Earth has almost completely drained me.” I opened my eyes. “Don’t worry,” I said.

Tomar began muttering, “You sound like Hal Jordan.” I smiled and closed my eyes again as a blast of energy from Starman’s gravity rod sizzled into Kid Infinity.

I tensed. The last blast had dropped Infinity’s power level. I could feel it. Almost there… Almost… Almost…

Now.

“Now!” I said. Behind me, yellow eyes opened in the shadows. A Cheshire cat-like grin spread below it and the air was filled with the stink of sulfur.

“Guten tag,” the blue man said as he appeared above Infinity. He grabbed hold of my enemy’s head and disappeared again.

He appeared before me and dropped the head before it could bite him. He muttered in German as the purple girl stepped forward. I’d chosen this particular location in space for a reason. It had two stars.

Two portals formed – one beneath the head, and the other beneath the body, which was still fighting. Each portal went to the heart of a different star.

The heroes looked around at the sudden silence. It only took a moment before Superman, well this Earth’s version anyway, came up to me.

“Is it over?” he asked.

I nodded. “For now it is,” I replied. “He may be able to reform himself, but it won’t be easy.”

”What about us?” Superman asked. “What will happen to us?”

I smiled reassuringly. “You’ll go back where you came from.”

“Is Lois still there?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “You will return to the place where your Earth lives on as it always did – free of pain and death.”

Green Lantern had come up to me as well. “If that’s where my son is, then I’m going.” Tomar reformed his bubble around himself, the purple girl, and me. I whispered the word “Eternity” and Earth-Two was gone again, leaving nothing behind but the black void of space.

Hemlock bit back a curse as she heard pounding on her door. “Just a minute!” she snapped as she shoved her chair back from her desk. She ripped the door open and saw me standing on the other side.

“Hi, Hemlock,” I said as I carefully stepped into the apartment. I dropped my suitcase in the middle of the floor before I sagged onto the couch.

“I see you made it back in one piece,” she observed. “So what are you going to do next?”

I smiled. “First I’m going to get some rest, and then we start looking for Mr. Keeper again.”

”What is this? A hotel? You-“ Hemlock stopped as she realized what I’d said. “We? What’s this we nonsense? Unless you’ve got a mouse in your pocket, I don’t see a lot of we in this situation!”

Her ranting didn’t do any good. I was already asleep.

The End...

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