4248/ZZGU: On another elseworld

ZZGU: On another elseworld
Date of Scene:	29 November 2020
Location:	(alt Earth) Metropolis
Synopsis:	Siobhan sees first hand what happens when ZZGU conquers a world. She meets another version of Kara Zor-El and finds an unlikely ally who betrays her at the last moment.
Cast of Characters:	Kara Danvers, Siobhan Smythe

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Kara Danvers has posed:
"Catch me if you can," Kara says with a laugh and takes off in to the sky. Wearing all black armor, black cape, black boots, black hair. She is definitely Kara Zor-El, just not the Kara Zor-El that Siobhan knows. She does not wear the symbol of her family upon her chest nor her cape. She is not Supergirl, that much is evident as she turns mid-air in the sky and her eyes glow red hot. She shoots a 'playful' burst of heat vision back down at Siobhan and then turns and keeps flying over Metropolis.

It is then that Siobhan can see.. a gigantic slug like creature covered in tentacles and eyes and beaks writhing and squirming across the land. It is as big as a small city and it makes an alien howling like sound. The psychic oppression is significantly stronger on this side of the portal. It eats even at Silver Banshee's mind simply saying over and over ~mine.. love.. mine.. love~. It is like an uncountably big swarm of little minds.

Metropolis itself is barely recognisable. The city is in ruins. Between fighting ZZGU itself, fighting amongst its followers and the resulting decay as time has gone by. Skyscrapers have toppled, chunks are blown out. Debris fills the streets and no one dares walk outside during the day. For all this, it is strange to see plant life has been taking over, green everywhere. Trees growing out of side walks. The bright blue sky beams down upon the Kryptonian flying above the ruins.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A growl of anger comes from Silver Banshee when she watches this imposter fly off. She realizes she has lost the portal but she was rather upset by the arrival of such a person as this Kara. The thing, this slug is behind it and the Banshee is, in many ways, covetus. She wants everything and that influences Siobhan to a degree. It twists at her core and what the Banshee wants is to feed. What Siobhan wants is her friends and the combination makes it so she jealously guards what is hers. When the evil Kara takes off, she flies after her, gasping and dodging the incoming beams of energy before blinking as she looks where they went and then back at Kara.

"What is this madness?!" She asks and then turns to look at the slug briefly, only to take in the sight of the city destroyed. THe ruins of a once proud creation now reduced to not but destruction and growth. She then stares at the slug thing, that monstrous thing and for no other reason than to pry its mind from hers, she unleahes a horrible scream at it. She's far too away from it to cause any damage but screams all the same.

It is then that she turns back to look for where Kara went. Her dark form tensed in rage and hunger. This entire situation has her on edge for more reasons than one and worse, this thing won't stop. It won't shut up and behind it, there's a hideous laughter as the being that lives within Siobhan seems to find this situation all the more humorous even as it works to still the chanting.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara hovers in the air and watches with interest as Siobhan screams loudly toward ZZGU. The notion of attacking it seems utterly pointless from her perspective. Her hands go to her hips in that iconic pose often attributed to Superman and Supergirl. But her eyebrow is cocked as if to suggest that Siobhan hasn't been here very long. Which she hasn't.

It's then that the otherworldly girl of steel charges back at Siobhan with fist out in front of her for a sucker punch to the stomach. She actually laughs and turns around in the air, grabbing Siobhan by the arm and tossing her down toward the ground.

"Oh you're a slow one. This is going to be fun," she says in Kryptonian.

Behind, a piece of building crumbles away and topples to the ground where Kara had only just shot her heat vision. There is something malevolent about this Kara Zor-El. She so flippantly uses the powers that the real Kara Zor-El is petrified of accidentally abusing.

It is closer to ground level that evidence of what can only be described as 'really big versions of Kara's crystals' can be found. They are three to four stories tall, very thick, spearing out of the ground at odd angles. Those tiny little crystals that Kara uses for her science, but much much bigger. They are all black though, unlike the clear ones Kara uses. They seem to spear through parts of buildings and create unnatural looking caves.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
The woman blinks as she spots the charging alien at the last moment and is slammed into. She gasps in both surprise and pain before she is grabbed and deftly thrown. She careens through the air, slamming into the ground and gasping again as she hits. She stares in disbelief up at the incoming Kryptonian and then looks over as buildings fall. Slowly she presses herself up to her feet, staring down at herself in more disbelief. She knew she was tough but not taking hits from Supergirl tough.

<"Ye don't even know half of what ye can do, foolish girl.">

The voice inside her head whispers out to her even as she struggles up and staggers a step. Already she's starting to feel better but the sight of those crystals give her pause before she shakes her head slowly, breathing in and out with a bit of pain though why she breathes is unclear. She doesn't need to. She looks then up toward Kara and then floats up off the ground a little.

"Why are ye doin' dis?!" She calls out in Kryptonian to the girl, "What happened to ye? Are you some kind of fake created by dat ting or just a weak imposter who lost all direction?"

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara flies down to the ground and watches with a tilted head once more as Siobhan rises back up and even lifts in to the air a touch. She then grins somewhat wildly that she didn't stay down. There are patches of dried ZZGU icker around the place. The air is cool between the buildings despite the sun being tall in the sky. There is a distinct notion that may be a nuclear weapon was set off over Metropolis at some point in the last thirty years based on scorch marks and the like.

The Kryptonian does a double take as Siobhan speaks in Kryptonian to her. She claps her hands and says, "Oh you speak a real language. In that case I'm going to keep you."

There is a cruel smirk on her face as she rushes in once more with super speed with another blow to the stomach. She's toying with her food. She doesn't stop there though, she spins back around and slams Siobhan to the ground, then hovers over her with a hand upon her chest, pushing ~down~ hard.

Happy smile upon her face as if this were all just another game. "Fake what. Imposter huh? You're talking nonsense toy. I am Kara Zor-El, last of Krypton. Ruler of Earth!," she declares with another almost cackle of a laugh.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
This time, the hit is far less impressive. That punch connects with a prepared stomach and though she's not fully prepared for the throw, she does take it better. Siobhan winces when she is pushed down, shaking her head a little as she looks up at the woman. That skeletal face contorts a little at those words. This is definitely not her Kara or even a proper imposter. This is something else. Someone else. Then there's a hiss of anger from within and it isn't even words that come next.

No. What comes next is magical, loud and deep from within. Almost immediately the banshee unleashes a horrifyingly loud scream at point blank range at this evil Kara. The blast is ear piercing, shrill and even as it finishes, the voice that follows announces itself to all within range.

"I am the Silver Banshee! I am owned by no one!" She then pushes herself back up, shuddering with rage as she does, "I am fear! I am anguish! I. Am. DEATH!"

And then suddenly Siobhan is grabbing her own head, shuddering as she wrestles with that beast within her who so blatantly took offense to the words of Dark Kara.

Kara Danvers has posed:
This Kara Zor-El seems unfettered by principles or morality or fear of the devastation she might bring to the beings around her. Look at the world she has inherited. It is ruined. What few people there are left are hidden away especially from beings like Kara and ZZGU. There is certainly a touch of insanity in this Kara too, most likely due to the prolonged influence of ZZGU itself.

That sudden explosive scream right in to Kara's face causes her at first to wince, then shut her eyes.. a bit of blood dribbles out of her ear and then she stumbles back off of Siobhan. Shaking her head, it is not the taste of power that Siobhan would ever want to have experienced from her friend Kara,.. but Dark Kara doesn't feel such connections.

She shakes her head and her hands make tight fists by her side as 'Silver Banshee' dares to challenge her authority. A snark graces those lips. Siobhan has seen Kara angry before, but a snarl? that is something entirely different.

"You will kneel before Zor-El!," she says and in faster than the blur can even catch up to her, she has pinned Siobhan down again. One hand on her chest, the other pushing her face to the ground, her mouth -away- from her in case she screams again.

Then, her eyes begin to glow red hot once more and she smirks down at Siobhan, "Silver Banshee, death, anguish, whatever you are ~MINE~." Her heat vision blast out and cuts across Siobhan's shoulder carving in her name Kara Zor-El in Kryptonian letters like a branding. "And you will ~OBEY~," she says and unceremoniously flings Siobhan across the street in to the nearest building like she were a ragdoll.

The ground vibrates, her power of flight pushing back against the street and the buildings. Nothing is stable here. Even one of those bit Kryptonian black crystals cracks and snaps off. The air shudders as her hands become fists again and she bright burns slowly through the air toward Siobhan.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
The problem here is that one person has had a lifetime to understand who and what they are. The other has spent a lifetime avoiding it. Siobhan screams again, the ground and Earth shutter with the force as she is burned by this Kara. She is then flung through a building. Flipping and shuddering as she slams into the ground with what might be broken bones in her left arm. It is really hard to tell in her other form. She looks at her arm and winces even as she struggles with this pain and torment. Slowly she looks in the direction of Kara and her eyes go wide.

Even as she does though, she hears a cracking, shuddering sound in her arm. She looks over in time to see her arm snapping itself slowly back into place. Her eyes go wide. She's never been hurt. Not as the Banshee. Bruised perhaps. Felt some pain. Sure. She's never been hurt.

"What...?" She asks of no one in particular but someone answers all the same. <"Ye don't get it..."> The shuddering voice calls out softly to Siobhan even as she staggers up to her feet, her shoulder already healing from the damage done by those heat rays.

<"Ye're faster...stronger...tougher then ye know..."> The voice whispers to the girl who looks at Kara, staring with disbelief that she's even alive.

"I don't know what ye are...but you won't have me." She isn't sure whether or not she can take this fight. She isn't even sure how to fight. Unfortunately, her entire fighting experience is against weaker opponents and with just rage and flailing. So, she does the only sensible thing. She screams.

This time however, what comes next is a smokey vapor and the girl is just gone.

Much farther away, where she believes the Titans Tower should be, Siobhan will reappear, looking around slowly for any signs of something familiar.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Some worship Superman and Supergirl and Power Girl as if they were gods back on Siobhan's Earth. But none of them have ever seen a Kryptonian behave like this. This raw unadulterated power, unhindered by any cares in the world. The only weakness to a monster like this is Kryptonite, if anyone even knew it existed or could get their hands on it.

Seeing Siobhan wide eyed, hearing that bone pop back in to place, Dark Kara floats forward and raises her hands out to her sides. "I will grind you down until you beg for forgiveness," she says in a weirdly cheery voice, as if this were in fact all just a game to her. "And then I will show you where I buried my people," she adds also in a weirdly cheery voice.

Her hands snap together in a mighty clap, sending a shockwave out that even gets ZZGUs notice. The blast shatters walls around her and buildings crash and crumble down.. but Siobhan has screamed and she is gone. Just in time. ZZGU turns its many eyes toward Dark Kara and she shudders, gripping her head and sobbing, "I'm sorry, I.. it won't happen again.."

The island where the Titan's Tower should be? there isn't any tower at all. There is more of that black crystal though, assembled in to some sort of structure it. Within, silence until the shuffling of a person can be heard. A man, with a long scraggly beard and long hair peeks up from behind a crystal console. Kryptonian symbols floating above it and while Siobhan can read understand them, they are scientific in nature. The man hovers just a little off the ground. He wears all black and upon his chest is the Kryptonian symbol that reads 'Zod'.

He looks to Siobhan with concern and doubt and worry all at the same time.. and most notably, rubs the stump of his missing right arm. "Phantom pains," he says and then stops rubbing it. "You aren't here for me, no one is here for me. You should go before she comes back. This is her place," he says in English. Behind him, what looks like a circular set of rings rests upon a landing plate. A gateway of some kind. "Who are you?," he asks with cautious tones.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A blink has Siobhan stopping when she looks at the various crystals and then she grinds her teeth, a far more hideous sight on someone built like the Silver Banshee. She takes a step forward and then hesitates as she hears Dru-Zod long before seeing him. She stares at the stomp of his arm and then at his face, glaring at him as she awaits an attack or the like.

"I am the Silver Banshee. I do not care whose place this is. I need to know what happened here, and you're goin' to tell me." She starts stompin' toward him, "And if this is where that ghost of Kara comes to roost, den I'm takin' ya away from here so we can talk." She idly manipulates the sound of her voice, grabbing it and pulling it back before it can travel farther than Zod's ears, even pulling his back as well. She allows all other sounds, only trapping her voice and Zod's. Her noises, too.

She might not know much of her powers but one thing she's been doing for years and years is playing with sound. It's a natural thing for her, and the only aspect of her powers she truly enjoys.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Zod lifts up his arm defensively and floats a little back from her. He looks tired and defeated, that much is true. "I cannot leave here. There is no where on this Earth I can go that she cannot find me. How could you not know that?," he asks in genuinely confusion.

He leans against the console and rubs at his stump once more. Staring at the ground. "Well, what is there to say about Kara Zor-El," he says with a sigh. "I thought she would be better than this. But that monster out there, Zed .. something. It filled her mind. Silver Banshee," he says and then offers his hand to her, "Call me Dru. What happened you say? so much... so so much."

He fishes in to his dark robe and takes out a clear crystal. Hold it up and staring at it for a while. "I used to be a general. In the last days of my home world, I fought to save us all... but it was not to be. Then, strange how things orbit some people. It was her father, Zor El, he made a shield around Argo City. We survived, we escaped, we drifted."

He raises an eyebrow and says, "Kara was one of my best students you see. She was going to join the science guild until Krypton exploded.. then she needed to fight, and her mother... well, things became strained and she joined me in the martial guild."

The man nibbles on his bottom lip and says, "That's when we heard the plea for help.. from Kal El, the lost Kryptonian child send to Earth before Krypton was destroyed."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A blink and she tilts her head. She doesn't know a lot about Kara's past. She hasn't been told a ton. This, however, doesn't sound right. It doesn't sound right at all. It sounds different. Especially given Kara has never mentioned a man named Dru to her. At least not in this context. She glares at him, those glowing eyes narrowing, "For one, I didn't say I was givin' ye a choice. Two..." She steps toward him, "I am halting your voice and mine from leavin' dis place. She can hear most tings from here but not us talkin'." She then stares at him.

"All the same, what was dis distress call. Was it about the giant slug monster?"

Kara Danvers has posed:
His eyes look searchingly to the Silver Banshee's very non human appearance. "She'll kill you for this, but if she can't hear us then that gives you.. a chance. Where are you from? where ever it is, you need to go back there."

He raises an eyebrow and dips his head again, "Oh yes. The distress call. Kal El. He was all grown up. We took Argo City to Earth - yes, the giant slug monster. It turns out, the young boy grew up on this planet and acted as its defender. Who knew the El's were so good at fighting. Well, he was ... dead by the time we got here."

He slips the clear crystal in to the console and the visuals change to an Earth news report. "I compiled all I could about this creature and our battles with it." There is a series of short articles about a 'rising new terrorist group', then another about the space shuttle Enterprise in 1981 about its mission to deploy a satellite and 'returning with a strange sample from space'. The next is about Russia and the USA setting off nuclear weapons to fight a growing black blob that was eating whole towns. Each news article shows more footage of the blob and it keeps getting bigger as the years go by.

Then in 2000 the news article shows footage of a new moon arriving. Well, not a moon.. Argo City. A message from the high council to Earth.. Krypton is here to help. There is news footage of more battles. Earth forces and Kryptonian forces working together. There is a mighty battle between them all and ZZGU caught on camera... "This was the day we truly lost," Dru says as he motions to the footage.

"We threw everything we had at it. We cut it, burnt it, froze it, evaporated it, irradiated it.. nothing worked." And then the footage shows it.. the black ooze penetrating the minds of the Kryptonians as they fly around it trying to fight it. One of them, you guess, is Kara. "Like the humans, we too succumbed eventually to its madness. Myself included... even as I stand here talking to you I can feel this maddening love for the monstrosity. This is what happened."

"Kara .. for whatever reason, her biology and Earth's yellow sun were more compatible than the rest of us. We tore each other apart and she came out on top."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Walking over to the holograms, Siobhan stares at it before saying, "I'm already half-dead." She states in that terrible, haunting voice and looks over at him, "Not even sure I really die when I go." She then looks to the image again and then sucks in a hissing breath, "And I hear it...that hideous t'ing. Thinkin' it can talk to me da way it does ot'ers." She laughs softly, "I am no normal mortal." She then grinds her teeth a little.

"Give me dat information. I want all of it." She states and looks at him, "Do it...or I'll show ye dat Kara Zor-El is not de only one who can inflict torment."

A part of her, the part that is Siobhan shudders internally. She doesn't like this side of herself. The side that just wants to give in to the horror that is the Silver Banshee. That wants to use all her tools...and yet, she knows how terrifying she can be. She knows what she is.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Dru flinches a little and floats back again. He stares and then sighs, "Guard it with your life. One day another species may need to fight this thing. They need to know what it can do, how it does it. Earth was not ready for it and we arrived too late to help them. It was already too strong when we got here."

He pulls the crystal out of the console and hands it over. "You had best keep hiding your sound from her. If she hears you, or sees you, or.. anything, she will come for you. Like she did for me." His hand goes to his stump once more and he rubs at his absence of arm.

"Where-ever you go.. good luck to you. I'm not going with you. She is building a portal to another world and I intend to go there before she does. To warn them all. They will listen to Zod, or they will all perish," he says with soft but dramatic tones.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Her eyebrow arches and she looks at him with a tilt of her head, "Another world? I am from another world where dis ting is attacking." She states and nods her head as she looks at him, "Are ye sayin' ye might be da reason dis ting is comin' to my world?" She glares at him and then looks around quickly, listening for sounds that might involve Kara, "If ye are, den I'm leavin' wit' ya." She nods her head even as she holds on to the crystal, "I certainly won't be stayin' here."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Dru-Zod stares at her for a moment and says, "You're from the other Earth then. That makes sense. Why she hasn't ruined you and why the monster hasn't taken your mind yet. It happens to us all eventually. If I could have left this world I would have. And I will."

His eyes widen a touch, "And you can make that happen. You can hide the sound. We can turn the gateway on now and she won't hear it, won't come and stop us." A twitch of a smile dares to grace his lips and he lets out a strained laugh, "We can flee this world."

He furrows his eyebrows and says, "And no, this is not my fault. Earth scientists were working on these gateways for a long time. Ever since the first group made it through, resistance cells all over the planet have been building them. Kara thinks she'll be free if she travels to this other planet. A romantic notion, but I know we're all corrupted now. There is no hope for us."

He turns to the console and says, "If you hide the sound, I will turn it on."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"I can do just dat." She states simply enough and nods her head, "I have to be careful, however. If all sounds stop from dis place, she'll likely notice dat, too." She states and nods her head, "So, ye had better hurry all da same. No tellin' what she might tink or hear based on what I'm doin'. Honestly, no tellin' how any of dis works. Her powers are vast and so is dat weird slug's." She glares at him, "If ye betray me, however...ye'll wish you had lost your mind or been killed."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Dru gets to work quickly touching and motioning to the crystal console before him. The three rings on the platform lift up in to the air and begin to rotate along the three different axis of movement. They start to spin and twist faster and faster. He actually smiles now, his hand stroking his beard as he looks at the blur of motion before them both.

And in a snap, it cracks open a gateway between worlds. Another Earth, near the docks of the Titan's base, but not quite inside of it. Siobhan's Earth. Dru-Zod lifts an eyebrow and steps toward the portal and says, "Well.. betrayal. It is a tricky thing."

With a fast motion he turns and draws a Kryptonian weapon hidden inside his robes and shoots. It sends out a pulse of painful energy to the Silver Banshee. "But I can't have you following me and this gateway only has enough power to send one person. That was going to be Kara, but now it's going to be Dru. I feel sorry for you, really I do.. so long the Silver Banshee..."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Frankly, Zod talks too much. After all, he pulls a line before pulling out his weapon. So, while Siobhan isn't able to dodge, she's able to brace. She winces as the blast hits and she staggers back, screaming which causes her concentration to break. The sound of this place released into the world. In a way, it's her own form of betrayal. Siobhan nearly drops to a knee and then glares up at him.

"Ye should feel sorry for yerself." She then calls out, "Kara Zor-El..." And the words are a whisper on the wind but he can hear it, he can even hear it echoing away right before she vanishes and reappears right before the portal, glaring at him, "Ye're a fool." And she simply steps back into the portal, staring at him with the cold eyes of death.

Kara Danvers has posed:
Dru turns sharply as she disappears and reappears behind him right next to the portal. "No!," he says and holds out his arm seekingly.

The air makes a ~boom~ sound and there she is.. all black and eyes glowing red. She stands undefeatable at the mouth of the cave, then she sees what is about to take place and her eyes widen. "My portal! You fool Zod what have you done!?," Dark Kara exclaims

The trip back through the portal is instant and snaps shut the moment Siobhan is through.. in to the quiet night sky of Metropolis. Large skyscrapers across the bay, the big T-shaped building before her. Home. It smells like home. Things aren't destroyed. There is no gigantic slug monster beating at her brain any more. Quiet. Peaceful. Home.

It does not take long at all for Kara Zor-El to land gently before Siobhan and a look of relief spreads over her face as well as a truly happy smile, "Siobhan! you're back!" Wearing her iconic blue, red and gold.. her shiny blonde hair. This is the real Kara Zor-El, not that monster on the other side. This one approaches for a hug, "I thought we'd lost you, I have been trying to plan a rescue.."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A glare goes to the Dark Kara upon her arrival only for the being known as Silver Banshee to vanish. She then is back to what she believes is home. She stands there, floating mere inches above hte ground before landing and she is about to turn back when Kara arrives and she quickly turns and glares. She stares for a long moment at the woman, foot pushing into the ground, causing a small tremor even as she braces. Then the girl finally breathes out and she turns back into her self, collapsing to the ground with a gasp of pain.

Clenched in her hand is the crystal from the other world and she begins to weep openly even as she drops to her knees and then to her side, catching herself barely with one arm. She shakes her head slowly even as she swallows down the terror of the Banshee. She just happily resigned someone to potential death. It felt good. Too terribly good. Then Kara is coming toward her and she's not sure how to take it. A part of her wants to flinch.

"Kara..." She says softly and then shakes her head a little, letting Kara hug her if she wishes, "I'm not back, Kara." She says softly and shakes her head, "Not all of me..."