Superboy's Last Visit to the 30th Century

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Story © Steve Zink

The following story contains characters owned by DC Comics/Warner Bros. It is written as a fanfic parody story not intended to make any use of actual story lines in published books. The story is purely for fun, with no profit to be made by the author.

To any of you who are LSH experts, I am way behind on my reading, and had to make up a lot of details that should have been verified in the comics. Give me a break on detail inaccuracies, okay? SZ



By way of introduction to readers unfamiliar with the DC Comics universe, the Legion of Super Heroes is a band of teenagers in the 30th century, all blessed with powers far in advance of the Earthlings they protect from harm. For the most part, these powers are derived from the planets on which they were raised, and are usually shared by others on those planets, although the teenagers on Earth are the only ones there. As an example, Superboy is originally from the planet Krypton, with immense gravity and a red sun.

On (relatively) low gravity Earth under a yellow sun, he has amazing powers, as I hope almost everybody knows, due to the popularity of Superman over the years. DC used to have a comic book covering Superman's early years as Superboy, and in this book introduced the LSH in the early 60's as a way of expanding Superboy's venue and friends list. He would travel to the 30th century to visit and work with his friends of the LSH, and they would travel to the 20th century via time bubble to visit and work with him in our time period.

Amongst all the foes introduced over the years to oppose the LSH was a group known as the Fatal Five. Its composition remained constant for many years, eventually getting newer members, presumably to reinterest readers, in the 80's. One member who was in the FF almost all the time was a deadly young woman known as the Emerald Empress. She controlled and at the same time was controlled by, a magically powerful entity called the Emerald Eye. Some of the most intriguing LSH stories in the eighties had the Emerald Empress dueling with Supergirl, who also made time travel journeys to visit the LSH. Interestingly enough, Superboy almost never made a visit at the same time Supergirl did, even though with time travel as used in the comic almost anything was possible.

For the purposes of this story, the Fatal Five does not exist, at least not yet. The Emerald Empress has never been heard of by the members of the Legion of Super Heroes. She does not yet exist at the beginning of this story...

* * * * *

Superboy, in his secret identity of Clark Kent, was in his sophomore year of High School. His friend Lana Lang was a classmate in many of the classes he attended. They were both looking forward to summer vacation, with school coming to a close at the end of the current week. Of course, they were looking forward to this vacation for entirely different reasons.

Lana, the daughter of a world famous archeologist, was planning on joining him at a dig he was working on in the Yucatan Peninsula. Clark had far more far-reaching plans. He intended to leave Earth for a good long time to go to another Earth, this one ten centuries into the future. He had a lot of similarly aged friends there, and was eager to see how they were doing and making out in their battles fighting evil in the 30th century.

Lana also had a secret identity, known only to Clark and the other members of the Legion. A few years earlier, during one of the visits some Legion members made to the 20th century, they, along with an alien law enforcement officer, were attempting to bring to justice a criminal who had traversed space and time. Lana had become involved in the fighting, since she had a habit of getting a bit too close to Superboy even when he was in action. In gratitude to Lana for her assistance, the alien gave her a magic ring which allowed her to adopt the shape and abilities of any insect to fight her foes. In this way, Lana was also seen to occasionally visit the Legion in the 30th century, in her identity of Insect Queen.

On the last day of school, Clark, Lana and quite a few other students said their farewells, wishing each other well for the upcoming summer and hopes to see each other again in September. Clark slipped away from the group in the middle of all the hoopla, and when safely out of sight of his friends, changed into his blue and red Superboy costume. Soaring high into the sky, he arced back toward the schoolyard, then made a grand entrance which enthralled all present, especially Lana. She may have liked Clark as a friend, but Superboy, she adored. She was completely unaware that both were the same person, although she had her suspicions that there was some connection.

Superboy announced to all present that he would be leaving them for a short while so that he could go far away to visit friends. With good reason, he was leery of telling his schoolmates about his exploits one thousand years in their future. Time travel was something he had mastered a few years earlier, and he had become so adept at it that he could very easily arrive back in Smallville, 20th century, on the same day he left, with no one noticing he was gone. He wanted to make this trip look like a vacation, so he had every intention of coming back a month later local time, regardless of how long he stayed in the 30th century.

As Superboy was announcing his plans for the summer, Lana looked around for her friend Clark, but didn't see him anywhere. This got her thinking again, but as she neared Superboy, she decided to let it slide for the time being. Getting Superboy's attention, Lana motioned for him to come closer to her. Lana drew her lips near his right ear, even though he'd have been able to hear her whisper from miles away, should it have been necessary. "Superboy," she whispered, "are the friends you're visiting in the 30th century, by any chance?"

"However did you guess, Lana?" he whispered back.

"Would you please take me with you? I can tell my dad I'll visit him later in the summer. I want to have some more adventures with the Legion as Insect Queen!"

"Okay, Lana," said Superboy. "Get your costume and ring ready for a departure tomorrow morning. And don't tell ANYBODY." Lana had just made it unlikely that she could have noticed Clark being gone at the same time as Superboy, but she had other things on her mind by then.

Early the next morning, Clark hugged his foster parents, the Kents, and wished them a fond good-bye. They told him to be careful, being worrying parents, even though they knew there was very little that could harm their foster son. He did a lightning quick change, then, as Superboy, zoomed into the tunnel under their house to exit miles away in a field. He made a quick turn to the north, and shortly found himself in the Lang's back yard.

Lana was apparently ready and raring to go. She was already in her costume, consisting of a yellow leotard with black striping on it to resemble a bee, yellow gloves and boots, and a tiny yellow mask covering her eyes. Superboy walked up to her, and said, "I guess you just can't wait, can you Lana? I had expected to take you into the future in your jeans, then have you change at Legion Headquarters."

"I'm just getting ready in case there is a reason to be Insect Queen as soon as we get there. Let's go!"

"Okay, Lana, or should I say, Insect Queen," Superboy said while chuckling, "you're even getting me more excited about going!" He took off his red cape and wrapped it around Lana, who was clutching her duffle bag close to her chest. The cape would prevent the scorching airflow from the hypersonic speed they'd be getting to from harming her. The aura it provided would also trap enough air for her to breathe while they made their brief trip spanning one thousand years.

After what seemed like mere moments, Superboy and his red bundle were seen arcing thru the skies above the United Planets Building in 30th century Metropolis. Slowing to a comparative snail's pace, the Boy of Steel came to a hover over the nearby Headquarters of the Legion of Super Heroes. He slowly let gravity bring he and his precious cargo to the ground, right outside the entrance to what the Legion usually referred to as their clubhouse.

Two Legionnaires who happened to be married were outside and saw him coming. The two then became three, since they were Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel, who split to let one of her selves go inside and bring the good news to the rest of the Legion about their visitor. When Superboy alit, they found to their surprise and glee that they had two visitors, and gladly welcomed Superboy and Insect Queen to their time period.

Duo Damsel and Bouncing Boy escorted Superboy and Insect Queen into the clubhouse, where they were almost bowled over by the onrushing Legionnaires who had been alerted to their arrival by Duo Damsel. Superboy turned to Bouncing Boy and said, "Chuck, how on earth do you keep up with Luornu when she can become two people at the same time?"

"She keeps me hopping," Chuck told him. "I don't even try to keep track of which is which when she does split. Luckily for me, Luornu is satisfied to keep herself in one piece most of the time around the house."

Just then, Ultra Boy took hold of Superboy's right hand and shook it eagerly. "Welcome back, Superboy!" he said. What brings you to our century? And Lana, I'm glad you came along. We're going to be holding membership qualifications in two days, and Insect Queen has been nominated for associate membership in the Legion. We thought for sure you were going to be elected in absentia."

Cosmic Boy, the current Legion leader, gave Insect Queen a hug, then echoed Ultra Boy's sentiment. One by one, Superboy and Insect Queen were welcomed by all the Legionnaires on hand in the clubhouse.

When they'd had a chance to settle in guest quarters, Superboy and Lana made their way to the Legion briefing room, where they told the assembled group what they hoped to do while visiting. Insect Queen said she was planning on working with Chameleon Boy in getting more insects into her memory for future use by having him take on the forms of as many bugs from around the galaxy as he could think of.

Saturn Girl, the team's telepath, added, "I don't mean to pry, Insect Queen, but your thoughts are just blaring another purpose for being here!"

"Okay," said Insect Queen, "I'm also going to try to stay as close to Superboy as I can. I want him to show me around this period so I can better appreciate what there is to see and do."

At this, Superboy blushed, then said, "Well, Lana, I suppose I could give you a guided tour, but I don't know about being with you all the time while we're here. I'm mostly planning on doing some research in the UP Archives. I'm hoping they have some information about the degeneration of Kryptonite, which I found out about the last time I was here."

A long session of who did what then took place, bringing the newcomers up to speed on the events that had taken place since their last visit to the 30th century.

Later that day, Superboy pulled Mon-El aside, and asked him if his cure for lead exposure had worked. Mon-El, you see, came from a planet similar to Superboy's Krypton, but whereas Superboy was vulnerable to fragments of his planet called Kryptonite, and could block Kryptonite radiation with lead, Mon-El was vulnerable to exposure to lead. The situation would have bordered on the ridiculous if Kryptonite had served to shield him from lead, but such was not the case. Superboy and Brainiac 5 had worked out a serum for Mon-El to take which would cure him from lead susceptibility.

"The serum works reasonably well, Superboy," he said. "It lasts for a bit more than a day at a time, but Brainiac thinks he might have a longer lasting formula in the works."

"Could I borrow a bit of that serum, Mon-El? I'm going to see if the references I'm looking for in the UP's databanks will work with the serum to give me immunity to all forms of Kryptonite."

"Sure, Superboy. Wait right here and I'll go get you one of the vials."

Superboy grabbed him by the arm as he was turning to leave the room, then said, "Mon-El, do me a favor and don't tell any of the others what I'm hoping to accomplish. If it works, I want this to be a big surprise for them. If it doesn't work, no hopes will have let down other than my own."

Seeing how serious Superboy looked, Mon-El gave him his word that no one else would find out about the experiment. When he returned moments later with the vial, Mon-El handed it to Superboy, who thanked him then took off.

While Lana was busy with Chameleon Boy in learning about new insects, Superboy changed into some less obvious clothes, lent to him a long time ago on his first visit to the 30th century so that he could more easily blend in, without attracting undue attention. He then proceeded to the UP Data Archives, a 30th century computer based version of what he knew in the 20th century as a library. It took him a few hours of digging, but Superboy eventually found the reference he was looking for. It was a data field on a mystical object found three years previously after a battle with the magic maniac, Mordru.

This object was referred to as The Emerald Eye of Ekron. It was reputed to be able to work mystical changes in people. This was just the information Superboy had been looking for. His theory was that a combination of the serum Mon El used and the working of the Emerald Eye could eliminate his susceptibility to Kryptonite, in all its forms. Further reading of the data field revealed to Superboy where the Eye was being held for safekeeping. It was right under his nose the entire time he was with the Legion - the Emerald Eye was locked away in a secure area of Legion HQ!

While Superboy was at the Data Archives, an alert was passed to the LSH about a situation developing on the planet Deros-IV. A giant humanoid with the apparent mind of a child was wreaking havoc on the United Planets mission building, while a madman with an atomic ax sliced easily through whatever metals the natives of the planet tried to put up as shields against the fury of the infantile giant. A third man was busy disassembling the entire spaceport facility with his bare left hand, which appeared to disintegrate whatever it touched upon contact. Another being, this one a cyborg with incredible power in the man-made side of his body, was actually controlling what the infantile giant did, via a mental link.

Every Legionnaire on hand was sent to Deros-IV in an effort to stop the destruction going on there, including Insect Queen. Since Superboy was not on hand, and had not yet been issued a Legion alert band, he knew nothing of the crisis, and was left behind. When Superboy finished his work at the UP Data Archives, he headed for the Legion HQ, thinking of ways to get at the Eye while underway. When he arrived and found the clubhouse empty, Superboy went to the briefing room where he saw a record of the alert which had launched his teammates to a far off Planet. Quickly analyzing the situation, he decided that his teammates should be easily able to handle the situation without his help.

This made it very easy for Superboy to retrieve the Emerald Eye from the restraint it was held in at the clubhouse. He manipulated the stasis box it was held in out of the restraining area, then brought it to the briefing room. With no one else around, this was one of the few rooms in the clubhouse with plenty of room and a high ceiling. Before setting up the Eye, Superboy got out the vial of serum, unsealed it, then poured the contents down his throat. He was keeping his fingers crossed, since there was no documentation on what affect the serum would have on a Kryptonian. He then stripped out of his Superboy costume, to better allow the energy from the Eye to envelop him. From what he'd read in the files, the Eye was activated by the wishes of the person directly under it. Superboy turned off the energy of the stasis box, then watched the Eye float upward.

Edging his way sideways to a position directly underneath the hovering Emerald Eye, Superboy then raised his arms with hands facing up. He then began to mentally chant his mantra, "Free me from Kryptonite, Free me from Kryptonite...", hoping that the mystical Eye would hear his plea. What Superboy's research had failed to tell him was that whereas the Eye was easily capable of doing what he requested, it also had its own agenda.

The Emerald Eye of Ekron was dependent upon a human form to guide it and channel its powers to the fullest extent. It also came from a planet where the predominant life force was a race of magically endowed females who had no need whatsoever for males. The Eye then, finding itself free from captivity for the first time in two years, yearned for a female to guide it. Finding the super powered young male standing below it, with a strange serum starting to course through his body, the Eye bathed him in an eerie green glow, which Superboy thought was the answer to his plea. To a degree, it was. It was more an answer to the Eye's needs, however.

The green energy flowing about his body did indeed wipe out any and all susceptibility to Kryptonite radiation. It also subtly changed the serum flowing through his body. As the serum was absorbed into his system, the DNA in every cell it encountered was modified to the Eye's specifications. Superboy started to feel changes taking place in his body, and made an effort to get out from under the Emerald Eye. To his horror, he found himself immobilized, glued in position bathing in the emerald energy flowing from the Eye. He could feel the organs within his body churning and rearranging. Wondering just what was going on, he looked down when he started to feel a tingling feeling in his crotch.

Shocked, Superboy watched as his penis was slowly sucked into his body, to be replaced by a newly formed slit opening in the crotch. "By Rao!" he exclaimed. "The Eye is turning me into a female!" As he looked on in awe, his waist shrunk considerably, with large rounded hips forming below it. Then a tugging feeling formed on his chest, and a pair of breasts grew from the upper torso, expanding until they blossomed into full rounded shape with large erect nipples.

At the same time, his legs smoothed out and took on a curvy shape while stretching out a few inches. By now, she could no longer be considered a he. Her arms were changing as her legs had, losing muscle tone and becoming smooth and sleek. Her face started to rearrange itself, as if formed of rubber, and when it seemed to have solidified, her hair started to grow wildly, framing her face then cascading down to her waist, and colored green instead of black.

After standing in its thrall for fifteen minutes, the Eye's work was finished. The person who had walked under the Eye earlier was a seventeen-year old black haired male with a muscle bound body standing about 5'7". The person who walked out from under the Eye had waist length green hair and was a female of undetermined age, but appearing to be in her early twenties by human standards. She stood 5'9" in her bare feet, and had what any young male would consider to be the ideal female form.

The Emerald Eye knew what it was doing. Its mistress had to be a commanding presence, and the voluptuous body she now wore would command attention wherever she went. Her mind was also subtly altered, retaining memories of who she'd been, but now having a will to perform utterly evil acts, using her Emerald Eye to create mayhem and destruction.

The newly emerging female stretched out her body, taking into account the shape she now occupied. She then commanded the Eye, "I certainly can't go into action like this. Give me an appropriate costume for our work!" Once again, she stood beneath the Eye, and was bathed for a second time in a green energy bath. When the Eye had finished, she stepped forward. Turning, she reached up to caress the Emerald Eye, and in her new height, leaned over to kiss it.

The Eye's new mistress was dressed in an entirely green costume, with light green leggings, a dark green bodice, light green gloves, dark green thigh high boots with stiletto heels, and a light green choker around her throat. "I may have once been Superboy," she said to no one in particular, "but he is no more. I am now the Emerald Empress! Come to me, my Eye, and join with me in confounding and destroying these young fools who have gone to try and halt the fun those four vagabonds are having on Deros-IV." With that, the Emerald Eye and the person who thought she was controlling it took off at supra-light speed for the faraway planet. Little did the Empress know that every word out of her mouth was put there by the Eye.

Having no need for the super powers her body still commanded, the Emerald Empress and her Eye used its magic to travel to Deros-IV in the blink of an eye, arriving long before the Legion's starships would get there. The first person she came to was Mano, the villain with the atomic fist. The Eye shot out a beam of energy that picked up Mano from where he was set to push his fist into the wall of the United Planets Customs Center, and brought him to a position at the Empress's side.

"I am the Emerald Empress," she told him. "What is your name, and to what end are you and the others wreaking havoc here?"

"I'm known as Mano," he replied. "What gives you the right to take me from my work? We're here to take the United Planets presence on this planet and destroy it. They owe us big time for the treatment they've given us."

The Empress gestured, and Mano dropped to his knees before her. "I am going to show you how I have the right to do what I'm doing, you fool! To show you just how powerful I am," she said, "I'm going to finish your work for you. And while I'm doing that, show your homage to me. Kiss my boots!"

As Mano felt himself forced to bend over and kiss the toes of the Empress' boots, he heard in the background a tremendous crash. When she let him back up, he was astounded to see the Emerald Eye floating back in their direction from the spot where a huge pile of rubble marked the demise of the Customs Center. "You see, Mano," the Empress said. "I have the power to take down the entire planet if necessary. Now, let's go find your cronies. We have a team to form here."

The Eye transported the Empress and Mano to the UP Mission Building. Mano called out to Tharok as he was readying another energy blast from his bionic left arm. "Tharok, stop. Come here, quickly, and get Validus to stop his rampage and join us also. I've got someone you have to meet!" Tharok lowered his arm, made a mental call to his gigantic but infantile friend, then walked over to the pair of newcomers. With his normal hand open and facing the Emerald Empress and the Eye, Mano said, "Meet the Emerald Empress. She is wanting us to join her in a team to work together in taking out the Legion of Super Heroes. I've seen what she and her Emerald Eye can do. They are easily the most powerful part of the team we should join with her in. Trust me, you don't want to get a personal demonstration of her power!"

Just then, the hulking form of Validus came into view, and as Tharok mentally told him to be at ease and follow, he went to the rear of the growing group. The entire group then made their way to the building that the Persuader was razing with his atomic ax. After relating to him the story of the growing team, he willingly fell in.

"Now that I have you all here to listen," the Empress said, "I want you to know that there is a pair of Legion star cruisers rapidly approaching this planet. I propose that we call our little group the Fatal Five, and get set to give them an arrival they will regret!"

The Fatal Five worked quickly to set up what would in 20th century terminology be called an ambush. The two Legion star cruisers were bound to do a sensor scan of the planet as they got closer, and in so doing would discover all the destruction wreaked on the United Planets facilities so far. The Emerald Empress had the others halt all further destruction until the Legionnaires arrived. She had Tharok and Validus wait at the spaceport, while Mano and the Persuader were to wait at the Mission Building. The Empress would wait near the spaceport to alert the others when she and the Eye detected their imminent arrival.

Onboard the lead space cruiser, Brainiac 5 was doing just the scan that the Empress figured the Legion would do. Still one hour out from planetfall, the sensors were showing no sign of current activity, but gave a graphic depiction of the wanton destruction heaped upon the facilities earlier. He recommended to Cosmic Boy that the two cruisers split and go individually to the spaceport and the Mission Building.

"I don't know, Brainy," Cosmic Boy replied. "If the troublemakers are still down there, don't you think we'd be safer staying together?"

Brainiac 5 considered this for a moment, then said, "We had initial word that there were four villains at work down there. There are fourteen of us in the two cruisers. Don't you think we should be able to handle whoever is down there?"

"All right, you've convinced me," said Cosmic Boy. "Our group will go to the spaceport. Have the others go to the Mission Building. Make sure everybody stays in touch to call for help if the situation gets out of hand at either location."

Brainy got word to the other cruiser about the attack plan, then set up a briefing onboard his own cruiser.

Onboard the space cruiser heading for the spaceport were Cosmic Boy, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Insect Queen, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad and his sister Light Lass, and Dream Girl. The other cruiser had as its complement Ultra Boy, Bouncing Boy, Duo Damsel, Princess Projectra, Invisible Kid and Shrinking Violet.

As the first group neared the spaceport, the Emerald Empress got word to Tharok to have he and Validus start doing light destruction to make it look good, and be ready to turn on the Legionnaires as soon as they showed up. She then told the Mission building crew of Mano and Persuader to wait in hiding in the rubble. She was going to try and take down the space cruiser before it could land there.

Cosmic Boy's group set down at the spaceport and, using their Legion flight rings, flew over the facility looking for trouble. Validus was hard to miss, seeing as how he stood just shy of 20' tall. Tharok was a bit harder to spot, but Saturn Girl did a mental scan and found him inside the passenger processing area. Cosmic Boy had Lightning Lad, Brainiac 5 and Saturn Girl go after Validus, then he and the rest went after Tharok.

Saturn Girl did a scan of Validus and was surprised at the lack of self-generated thought she found in him. At the same time, she detected the directions Tharok was giving him. Setting up a mental block, she prevented Tharok from getting through to Validus. The giant momentarily halted, but then fell back into a sort of fail-safe mode and went on a berserker rage destroying anything in his path. Saturn Girl made an effort to shut down his nervous system, and this slowed him down a bit. Lightning Lad hit him with a few well placed electrical bolts, and the shocks stunned him. Brainiac 5 then had Saturn Girl actively insert instructions into Validus. She had him halt, and as Validus stood as if in a daze, Brainiac 5 enveloped him in the force field from his belt.

The others had less luck with Tharok. Cosmic Boy tried right away to influence the metal in the cyborg side of Tharok's body, but found that for some reason he had no affect. Light Lass hit him with her mass affecting power, and at least got him up and out of the building, floating in the air. Insect Queen changed her form to that of a yellow jacket, then stung Tharok in an effort to slow down his nervous system. The cyborg energy he operated on proved impervious to her toxin. Chameleon Boy took on the form of a Rocktarian Gorgon in the hope that the mineral composition of that body would prevail against Tharok's robotic abilities. This, too, proved to be fruitless, as Tharok easily shot through Cham's form. The wounded Chameleon Boy was instructed to return to the space cruiser, then Cosmic Boy got in touch with the Mission Building group to see how they were making out.

He was not pleased with what he heard. Ultra Boy told him that Princess Projectra and Shrinking Violet had both incurred injuries in trying to contend with Mano, and that he and the others were at a standstill trying to contend with the Persuader and his atomic ax. Ultra Boy also mentioned that there was a green haired woman working with Persuader, and that she was using force beams and other seemingly magical abilities with the Emerald Eye. When Cos heard about the Eye, he wondered how it had been freed from the clubhouse, or if it was a new Eye. Cosmic Boy right then and there decided to call off the attack and regroup. Ultra Boy gave him the bad news about their star cruiser, then said he and the others would make their way to the spaceport to join them. Cosmic Boy told him to stay right there and that they would come to pick them up.

With all fourteen Legionnaires crammed into the one space cruiser, it was a crowded trip back to Earth. Discussion of the battles took place, and an analysis made of the group they had faced. Most of the questions were leveled at Ultra Boy's group to get details of the new green haired woman they'd faced. It was decided that she appeared to be impervious to harm, took a leadership role in the battle, and had seemingly unlimited magical abilities using the Eye. Ultra Boy also mentioned that Shrinking Violet had overheard the green haired woman referring to the villains as the Fatal Five.

For the benefit of those who had been fighting Validus and Tharok, Saturn Girl pulled an image of the new female villain from Ultra Boy's memory, then gave it mentally to Princess Projecta, who formed a holographic image for the others to see what she looked like. They were stunned by her awesome beauty, and at the same time, put in a state of shock by the green hair and look of pure evil on her face.

Brainiac 5 discussed their options with Cosmic Boy, and they decided that some high powered help was called for. Brainy said he could get some more serum for Mon-El and get his super powers working for them, then tried to contact Superboy at the clubhouse. When there was no reply, Brainy suggested they try sending a cross-time alert message to Supergirl in the 20th century. Cosmic Boy agreed that that was an excellent idea, and had Violet at the communications panel set up the cross-time message. Until recently, this message would have had to await their arrival back at the clubhouse, but with the increased need for Superboy and Supergirl, it had been decided to add the capability to the star cruisers. Vi got the message off, and all they could do was hope that she would get it and come as soon as possible.

In the 20th century, Supergirl lived in a period ten years later than Superboy. History had just been changed, however. Originally, Supergirl had rocketed to Earth in her early teens and been taken under care of her cousin, Superman, for training and general upbringing in super power usage. She had been adopted by the Danvers family for a human cover and an earth related upbringing. Now, Superman did not exist. Supergirl had to learn her powers and their usage by herself. This gave her a more headstrong attitude, and the relationship she had with her foster parents was not as cordial. In effect, she was becoming a super brat. When she got the signal from the Legion that they needed her desperately in the 30th century, Supergirl was tempted to ignore it and let them fight their own battles, but gave in to her basic core values and left after saying a quick good-bye to her foster parents.

The Supergirl who had gone forward in time to the 30th century in the past (how's that for a mind twisting thought...) looked a bit different from the one who was embarking on the trip now. In the past, she had a pale blue dress that came down to just above her knees, a thin red belt, a red cape and red flat heeled boots. Her shoulder length blonde hair was styled in a straight form with a flip, and bangs on her forehead.

The new Supergirl was dressed a bit more daringly. She had a light blue leotard with a red miniskirt, knee high red boots with spike heels and a shorter red cape. Her blonde hair was longer, falling to her mid back, and teased to a puffed shape on top. It was held back away from her face by a red headband.

Using the same hypersonic time travel method she had used in the past, Supergirl soon found herself decelerating in a low orbit around the 30th century Earth. She paid no attention to space debris, only watching out for man-made objects and especially for manned vehicles. Her invulnerable form would easily shrug off the stray meteorite she might hit.

Supergirl was totally unprepared for one of the meteors with which she collided, though. This one just happened to be one of the rare pieces of the remains of her long gone home planet, Krypton. This was not Green-Kryptonite, which could weaken and/or kill her, though. This was the much rarer Red-K, which had the odd affect of causing changes to Kryptonians, each piece of Red-K having a totally different effect from the others. This piece that Supergirl collided with formed a twin of her.

The collision had left Supergirl temporarily unconscious, but her new twin was in full control of her senses, and knew right away that she was in every way an exact copy of the original Supergirl. She also knew that she had only 48 hours to live before the Red-K energy caused her to blend back into the original Supergirl. This new copy decided she did not want to fade away. She wanted to live. She also happened to receive a large dose of the original Supergirl's malicious thought patterns. With few if any morals to offset them, this gave the newly created twin a decidedly evil outlook.

While the unconscious Supergirl drifted in orbit, the new girl zipped to the surface of the planet to put together a new costume and make a device that could bleed Red-K energy from her body. With her super speed, it took no time to put together both. Her new costume was entirely black, with a body stocking covering her entire body, a cowl covering her head with the hair tucked into it and the back of the body stocking, a cape clipped to her shoulders, gloves coming past her elbows, and thigh high boots with stiletto heels. The Red-K bleeder was strapped to her left wrist. With all of Supergirl's memories, she knew of the Legion HQ, and proceeded there intending to create havoc.

Finding the clubhouse empty, she was disappointed. She did discover the display in the briefing room showing the havoc being wreaked on Deros-IV. Thinking this was where she would find the Legionnaires, she took off at super speed for Deros-IV. At the rate she was moving, she missed seeing the space cruiser with the Legionnaires onboard just after it came into Earth orbit.

As she came out of superspeed near Deros-IV, she used her supervision to scan for the villains she'd seen on the clubhouse monitors. She found them near the spaceport, along with a female that had not been seen on the monitors. Landing directly in front of them, she put her hands on her hips and took a haughty pose. The Emerald Empress spoke first. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The woman in black strode to a point directly in front of her face and said, "I call myself Satan Girl. I have more than enough powers to wipe you all off the face of this planet. But that's not what I want to do. I want to join you in your havoc, especially if it involves the Legion of Super Heroes. And I'm also looking for a way to drain off some life threatening energy from my body." Satan Girl held up her wrist, pointing out the device she'd constructed.

Emerald Empress looked closely at the energy bleeder, then said, "Satan Girl, if you are indeed looking for ways to play havoc with the Legion, you've come to the right place. We are the Fatal Five. We are at this very moment getting ready to depart this planet and head for Legion HQ on Earth. And I can help you with that energy problem." The Empress summoned the Eye to hover over Satan Girl. "I'm going to have the Eye pull all the energy from your wrist device."

With that, a thin green beam shot from the Eye to Satan Girl's wrist. Satan Girl felt the Red-K energy being yanked from her body. She was now whole!

* * * * *

The space cruiser with the Legionnaires onboard came out of orbit and docked at the Space Police facility adjacent to their clubhouse. As they all made their way back to the clubhouse, Lana turned to Cosmic Boy and asked him if he thought they'd be able to find Superboy anytime soon. He told her that they had no way to contact him, since he hadn't been given a communicator. They would just have to wait for him to come back. Then, as they went through the briefing room to get to their individual rooms, Superboy's costume was spotted on the floor by Brainiac 5.

"I guess Superboy must have come back here at some point while we were gone," Brainy said. "I wonder what clothes he might have changed into if his costume is still here in the briefing room, and for that matter, what would he be doing right now?"

"Well, let's just hope he gets in touch with us or comes back to the clubhouse sometime soon," replied Cosmic Boy.

Shrinking Violet then said, "I wonder if Supergirl got the distress signal we sent from the cruiser. Do you think we should resend the message from the clubhouse?"

"No," said Cosmic Boy. "Let's wait a bit and see if she drops in on us."

Cosmic Boy was to see the results of his wishes very soon. Some as he wanted, others as a total shock. Supergirl was about to arrive, in more ways than one, and Superboy was about to come back to the clubhouse, but he wasn't Superboy anymore...

* * * * *

Supergirl came back to a conscious state while just drifting in orbit. She wondered what had happened to cause her temporary loss of consciousness, then headed directly for the Legion clubhouse. No one was outside, so she went directly into the building. Brainiac 5, who in past visits had been slowly but surely getting closer to Supergirl in a loving relationship, saw her first. "Supergirl! You got our message. Welcome back to the 30th century. Wow, your new costume looks great!"

Supergirl gave him a look, then said, "New costume? This has been my costume for quite a while now. And I hope you have a good reason to call me here. I was tempted to stay at home and let you worry about your problems by yourself, but then I figured you must have had a good reason to call for me."

Brainy was a bit taken aback by the attitude she was showing, and puzzled about the costume reference, but said, "We are facing a new team of villains calling themselves the Fatal Five. They gave us a hard time on Deros-IV, and we called for you in the hope that your super powers could help us prevail. With Superboy out of touch for the time being, and Mon-El still limited to brief forays outside the clubhouse, your powers could prove both useful and dearly needed."

"Who's Superboy?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face.

Brainiac 5 put this off as a joke, but shouldn't have.

When he tried to get closer and hug her, he was surprised to see Supergirl backing away. "Watch yourself, Brainiac 5," she said. "I'm not in the mood for any superfluous closeness." This really floored him. Something was definitely different about Supergirl, he decided. He accompanied her, from arm's length, to the interior of the clubhouse where Supergirl's arrival was announced to the rest of the Legion.

She was reintroduced to those on hand, then brought up to speed on the Deros-IV situation. Cosmic Boy then asked her if she would do a quick scan of the city to try and locate Superboy. This she agreed to readily, and took off to begin a supervision and super hearing scan of the city. Her departure from the clubhouse was noted with interest by those monitoring the clubhouse from a space vessel just approaching Earth after a voyage from Deros-IV.

Emerald Empress turned to Satan Girl and said, "Is that the person you told us to keep a watch for?"

Satan Girl nodded, then turned to the Empress and said, "Let me show you why I am looking for her." With that, Satan Girl removed the cowl from her head. Her long blonde hair streamed out over her cape as she swung her head back and forth to free it.

"You, you're her! You're Supergirl!" exclaimed the Empress.

"No," Satan Girl responded. "The energy you bled from my body was the Red Kryptonite energy that made me a duplicate of her when she collided with a Red-K meteor on her approach to Earth. But if you help me to get my hands on her, we will soon have another partner in our vendetta against the Legion."

Tharok then gave his input to the conversation. "I'd like to see you try and grab that Super-bitch. The last time I tangled with her, I ended up put away in the United Planets isolation block at the prison satellite. If it hadn't been for Persuader's ax breaking me out, I'd still be there now."

"Don't you worry, Tharok," said the Empress. "If Satan Girl has the same strengths and powers that Supergirl does, she and I should have no problem getting her into our clutches."

Satan Girl then asked the Emerald Empress, "Is there any way your eye could do a subtle change to my costume?"

"In what way?"

"If we can make my costume to be interwoven with lead, Supergirl won't be able to see through my disguise, and when I'm finished with her, no one will be able to see her, either."

Wondering just what Satan Girl was referring to, the Empress said, "If that's what you want, so be it!" The Emerald Eye glowed, then an aura of green surrounded Satan Girl.

Training her own X-ray vision on her raised hand, Satan Girl saw just a solid shape. "Thank you, Empress," she said. "Now, let's go get Supergirl!"

Supergirl was making yet another pass over the east side of town, looking intently downward in her search for Superboy. Satan Girl flew up beside her, with the Emerald Empress covering her from above and behind. Supergirl caught sight of something with her peripheral vision, and turned her head to the left. She was shocked to see another female, dressed entirely in black, flying beside her.

"Hello there," remarked Satan Girl. "Can I interest you in a change of scenery?"

Supergirl was more puzzled than alarmed. "Who are you? How is it you're flying along with me, without a Legion flight ring, or any other sign of artificial assist?"

"Silly girl," replied Satan Girl. "That is for me to know and you to find out!"

With that, Satan Girl veered off to the left, and as she'd hoped, Supergirl followed. Supergirl was allowed to close with her, then Satan Girl turned sharply and threw a punch at Supergirl. To her astonishment, Supergirl felt the blow! This got Supergirl really curious. How did this woman have the ability to fly, and seem to have super strength, also?

Supergirl flew around Satan Girl, then from the front, grabbed hold of her. She trained her X-ray vision on the cowl the black clad woman was wearing, in an effort to see her face. She saw nothing. Then, Supergirl felt a slight change in the hold she had, and wondered who held whom.

Satan Girl shouted, "Now, Empress!" A bolt of green erupted from the eye, hitting Supergirl directly in the head. Her body went limp in Satan Girl's hands.

The Emerald Empress, Satan Girl, and the unconscious Supergirl headed back to the spacecraft in which the rest of the Fatal Five were still waiting while in a holding orbit. A large cubicle in the vessel had been prepared earlier, with all decorations removed, and a table with two chairs brought in. The comatose Supergirl was laid on the floor by Satan Girl. Satan Girl then awakened Supergirl, while the Emerald Empress guarded the room to make sure none of the men on board tried to take advantage of the situation.

Supergirl's eyes fluttered open, then went wide when she saw the black clad woman sitting directly in front of her.

"Welcome back to reality, Supergirl," she said. "Earlier, you asked who I was. Here, let me show you." Satan Girl removed her cowl. Supergirl's jaw dropped in awe. "Yes, I'm your double, created by a Red-K meteor with which you had a collision while approaching Earth. You're not going to be helping the Legion very much anymore. Your existence as Supergirl is at an end. Look closely at my eyes. Do you see anything?"

Supergirl peered deeply into her twin's eyes, then said, "No, there is a black void there."

"That's right," said Satan Girl. "Now concentrate on that void. Your eyes are getting tired, aren't they, Supergirl. You want to close your eyes to rest them, but you can't, the void is calling you. The void is now your all, isn't it Supergirl. Your mind is now open to the void. Nod if you can see only the void."

Supergirl's head bobbed slowly up and down. "The void is calling for you, Supergirl," continued Satan Girl, using the super hypnotism ability she knew she and her twin had shared but never before utilized. "The void is drawing you into it. Your identity is being sucked into the void. You no longer have a name. You are searching for an identity. You need something to be, someone to be. Now look at me. You are looking into a mirror. You see yourself, don't you. That is you that you are seeing. Your name is Satan Girl. You have no morals at all in your mental makeup. Let your evil side rule. Nod if you have understood all of this."

The figure in blue nodded once again, still with a totally blank look on her face.

"Good. You may now take off your costume. Put it on the seat you are sitting on." She did as she was told, and removed her costume piece by piece. While she did so, Satan Girl removed her own costume, and laid it out on the table. She then continued her instructions for her twin.

"Satan Girl, your costume is on the table, waiting for you to don it. Don't make it wait any longer."

The ex-Supergirl started to put on the black body stocking, then went though the rest of the costume finishing with the cowl which she pulled down over her head. Meanwhile, her twin was putting on the Supergirl costume. Leaving the new Satan Girl still standing in a trance, the new Supergirl went out of the room. "Now, Empress, we have a way to get into the Legion with ease. With this costume, I will seem to be their Supergirl. But for now, I want another identity to work with. Supergirl is too dangerous to have around the Fatal Five. Can your Eye do a rework of the costume to allow me to change it at will between a new one of its making and the way it looks now?"

"That will be simple," replied the Empress. "Just watch." Another green aura surrounded her. When it faded, another costume similar to Satan Girl's was seen, but instead of black, was gleaming in bright silver. "You are now Metallica," said the Emerald Empress.

Metallica reentered the room. "When you hear me clap my hands, you will awaken and begin your new life, Satan Girl. Nod if you are ready to come out the void." The black cowled head nodded. Metallica clapped her hands.

Satan Girl shook her head, then remarked to Metallica, "I'm sure I should know you, but I can't recall seeing you before. Are you part of the group we've put together with the Fatal Five to destroy the Legion of Superheroes?"

"Yes, indeed, Satan Girl," replied the silver clad figure. "I am Metallica. You and I are the most recent villains to join with the Fatal Five. We are now all set to bring total chaos to the United Planets, and its protectors, the Legion of Super Heroes!"


And so this story comes to an end. This story would have the DC comic universe thrown into an uproar. There would no longer be a Superman. Soon, there would most likely be no Legion of Super Heroes, either...

 

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