[The cover shows a city hall flying a blue and red striped flag with a
single white star. The scene is dissolving from the lower left, with only
blackness in that corner. In the upper right is the copy, "A Multiverse
DIES!"]

.|. COHERENT COMICS UNINCORPORATED presents ACADEMY OF SUPER-HEROES #119
--X------------------------------------------------------------------------
'|` /|(`| | City of Night Prologue: Heropolis Delenda Est
/-|.)|-| copyright 2012 by Dave Van Domelen
___________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMY OF SUPER-HEROES ROLL CALL

CODENAME REAL NAME POWERS ASSIGNMENT
-------- --------- ------ ----------
Solar Max Jonathan Zachary Spacetime Control AMERICA
"JakZak" Taylor
Meteor Sarah Grant-Taylor Superspeed AMERICA
Poniente Esmeralda Colina Wind Mage AMERICA
Scorch Scott Handleman Pyrokinetic CANADA
Centurion Salvatore Napier Strength, Regeneration MEXICO
Fury Arin Kelsey Concussion Blasts MEXICO
Contact Aaron Zander Psi, Mind-over-Body DIPLOMATIC
Breaker Christina Li Telekinesis DIPLOMATIC
Essay Sara Ana Henderson Gadgeteer VENUS
Peregryn Howard Henderson Jr. Elemental Mage VENUS
Beacon George Sylvester Living Light VENUS
Geode Unknown Living Crystal VENUS
Lightfoot Tom Dodson Velocity Control TRANSIT
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[August 31, 2012 - Everywhere, Another Earth]

While his first and last physical appearance had been over a generation
ago, everyone recognized the face of the ravager of realities, a godlike
entity who had nearly devoured the world in his quest for infinite power,
before being trapped in a shadowy pocket dimension. After all, very few
still alive had met Hitler, but most people would recognize him if he
appeared as a giant vision in the skies.
The world caught its breath for a moment. If he had escaped his prison,
it could well mean the end of everything, especially with the world still
reeling from crises that included an interdimensional invasion, the
resurgence of an ancient god of death, and the demise of the world's foremost
hero.
No one was expecting what happened next, nor did anyone think things
could possibly be made worse than they already seemed.
"I am sorry," the mad god said, casting his gaze downward. "I have
failed, and because of that, everything that is will cease to be."
A billion voices cried out in disbelief. The ravager heard them all,
and replied with infinite sorrow. "Yes, it was an end I sought once,
although I had intended reality to end as part of me. But I did not
realize... I did not KNOW. Once I was forced by my imprisonment to spend
long decades in contemplation, I discovered that I had doomed all that is
when I first absorbed my alternate self and his entire world. It was like a
pinprick in a balloon, a pinprick I foolishly enlarged with every passing
conquest. From my prison I saw what I had done, and worked great magics to
stanch the bleeding wound. It would take centuries to make the repairs
permanent, and then perhaps an eternity to find a new path to the power I
sought."
Then a pause, embarrassed.
"I did not expect a mortal to take advantage of my inattention to steal
away the majority of my remaining power. It was only for a fleeting instant
as I reckon such things, but it was an instant too much. All of the
reflections of this primal reality have started to collapse, the ripples in
the fabric of unreality are calming. One by one the reflections will be
stilled, and when they are all gone, the world will...stop.
"Make such peace as you can. There is no escape, there is no heaven or
hell you will be consigned to. Future, past and present will all cease at
once. It will simply end. And now I will spend my remaining days tending to
the few worshippers I have remaining in my prison."

* * * *

[November 30, 2012 - near Cumberland, Rhode Island, Another Earth]

"The last portal has shut down," a lab-coated scientist looked up from
his terminal. To his left, a Chinese sorceror covered in arcanely glowing
tattoos carefully placed the last strokes on a scroll, using ink formed in
part from the blood of heroes. To his right, a shaman wearing the skin of a
defeated foe chanted to gods who no longer existed, but still had power.
"We're all alone now, all of the other worlds have winked out...or have
become utterly inaccessible, which is about the same thing, as far as we're
concerned."
The mood in the Smith farmhouse was somber. Most of the cities had
fallen to chaos as people gave in to despair and ran rampant, settling old
scores or seeking to gain as much mindless pleasure as possible before the
end. Two hundred or so had been granted sanctuary on the farm, protected by
the monstrous owner of the property and a bizarre mix of his allies and
former enemies.
"This plan gonna work?" the farmer asked. His grandfatherly manner was
at odds with his appearance, mutated by a mix of recreational and
supersoldier drugs brewed up by his worthless grand-nephew in the now-ruined
barn. Green skin, buldging muscles, small horns on his head, and an affinity
for the earth that had only grown over time, all of these things marked him
as being far from the retired farmer he'd been only a few years ago.
"If it doesn't, we won't have long to beat ourselves up over it," a
woman hovering near the ceiling smirked.
"If it doesn't work, Miss Venturi," the scientist shrugged, "You and
Mr. Smith will probably be consumed by the process and won't have to worry
about seeing the end of the world."
The sorceror looked up from his completed scroll. "The Qian-kun Gate will
work. The troll's link to primal Earth and the woman's link to the Sky are
more than sufficient to open the gate. The only question is whether it will
lead anywhere."
"It is important that it not," the shaman interjected. "All places will
soon cease. Even the un-place of banishment where my gods sleep will be
undone. We must reach beyond everywhere that is, can be, and even beyond
what cannot be."
"Even if it works, we'll probably only be able to save the people at the
farm," the scientist warned. "And most of the simulations I've run say we'll
just be shoving everyone into a cosmic garbage disposal anyway."
"Better a tiny chance than no chance, better a handful than none, Doctor
Clancy," Venturi shrugged.
"Eyyyyup," Smith agreed.
"All is in readiness," the sorceror rolled up his scroll and stood.
"The sooner we begin, the better our chances of saving a few pathetic
survivors before everything ceases to be."
"Hey, no need to be so bitter about it, Hsiang," Venturi smiled. "You
guys let everyone think you were bad guys for decades while you prepped to
defeat the god of death, but we won that fight. At least a few people might
remember what you did, and know you were good guys."
Unspoken was the fact that Hsiang, the nameless shaman and Dr. Clancy
would have to stay on the wrong side of the portal. It would require all of
their efforts to keep it open; should even one divert his attention from the
task it would likely collapse. There would be no salvation for the three of
them. The two heroes would probably die as well, their entire beings
consumed to become the gate, but there was maybe a one in three chance that
they'd get spat out the far end once the gate collapsed.
So IF it worked, and IF it went anywhere that people could survive,
Jedediah Zebulon Smith and Sharon Venturi MIGHT still be alive to help the
handful of other, less powerful superhumans protect the refugees from
whatever lay on the other side.
"Could be worse," Sharon smirked. "Could be raining."
"Rain might actually be helpful," Hsiang walked out into the chilly
November afternoon. "But it would more likely snow today...."

* * * *

[December 24, 2026 - Chicago, Illinois Sector]

"Look, I'm just saying, it doesn't pay to make holiday plans around you
guys," Darran shrugged. "In '22 you caught the Template Killer on Christmas
Eve. In '23 there was Kasca's attack here, plus the CSV debuted a few days
after Christmas. '24 was amazingly quiet on Christmas, but now we know
Doublecross was setting up his Paris Mirror about that time. And last year,"
he looked over to where Nancy Balzer was scolding her adopted son, whose face
was smeared with frosting from the double handful of Christmas cookies he'd
crammed into it, "well, it was pretty busy too."
"It's still important we try," JakZak countered the DSHA analyst.
"Really, it's hard to point at any time of year as being reliably quiet for
us. And on a team with as big a mix of faiths and non-faiths as we have," he
glanced from Esmeralda to Arin to Lightfoot and back to Darren, "there's not
a lot of holidays we can really all have in common. We need to feel like
normal people sometimes, and not just soldiers constantly at war. And if
that means offering up a softball pitch to Murphy by holding a Christmas
party, so be it."
As if summoned by the attention, Esmeralda picked up her glass of punch
and headed over to JakZak and Darran. "So, my first Christmas with the
famous Academy of Super-Heroes. What disaster will befall us this year?"
"SEE? SEE?" Darran pointed at the young mage. "It's a Thing. Soon
it'll be a cliche. Now we're going to get a horde of vampire Santas coming
down the chimney tonight, or a floating island full of superintelligent
hamsters, or super plant bombs, or the second coming or TYMYTHY TWYSTYD!"
Esmeralda chuckled. "Ah, for the days when holiday stress just meant
having to deal with family. But in all seriousness, the Solstice is a very
important time, mystically. Even if the gods have largely turned their gaze
away from us, there's so much symbolic magic around this time of year that it
always makes me nervous. Moreso this year."
"Because of the company?" JakZak arched an eyebrow.
"Partially," Esmeralda admitted. "But also...it feels like something is
coming. Like a god, but not. And I'm not certain it's even a bad thing, but
there's so much mystic 'chaff' up this time of year it's hard to tell.
Especially since I'm still growing accustomed to my newly expanded
portfolio."
JakZak nodded. While it was great to have another elemental mage around
on Earth again to replace the exiled Peregryn, no one was completely happy
with the fact that as Poniente, Esmeralda served a semi-divine wind spirit
out of Lakota myth. Eya existed in that uncertain zone between mortal and
divine, much like the spirits ruling China these days did, but what if the
true gods who once associated with him were drawn back to Earth by his
activity? The attention of the gods had nearly destroyed the world a
generation ago, after all...even "good guy" ones like Wakinyan was supposed
to be.
"Merry Christmas," Darran hoisted his mug of mulled cider. "Hope you
survive the experience."

On 10/11/21 1:30 PM, Dave Van Domelen wrote:

Okay, gonna read all the way thru this and--

> [The cover shows a city hall flying a blue and red striped flag with a
> single white star. The scene is dissolving from the lower left, with only
> blackness in that corner. In the upper right is the copy, "A Multiverse
> DIES!"]

oh no I remember what started this, I'm old X3;;;

> '|` /|(`| | City of Night Prologue: Heropolis Delenda Est

But at least I can appreciate that title now

> /-|.)|-| copyright 2012 by Dave Van Domelen

noooooooooo X3

> The world caught its breath for a moment. If he had escaped his prison,
> it could well mean the end of everything, especially with the world still
> reeling from crises that included an interdimensional invasion, the
> resurgence of an ancient god of death, and the demise of the world's foremost
> hero.
> No one was expecting what happened next, nor did anyone think things
> could possibly be made worse than they already seemed.
> "I am sorry," the mad god said, casting his gaze downward. "I have
> failed, and because of that, everything that is will cease to be."

The pentient world-devourer is a great concept.

> Two hundred or so had been granted sanctuary on the farm, protected by
> the monstrous owner of the property and a bizarre mix of his allies and
> former enemies.

I also enjoy the dancing around trademarks. X3

> "Look, I'm just saying, it doesn't pay to make holiday plans around you
> guys," Darran shrugged. "In '22 you caught the Template Killer on Christmas
> Eve. In '23 there was Kasca's attack here, plus the CSV debuted a few days
> after Christmas. '24 was amazingly quiet on Christmas, but now we know
> Doublecross was setting up his Paris Mirror about that time. And last year,"
> he looked over to where Nancy Balzer was scolding her adopted son, whose face
> was smeared with frosting from the double handful of Christmas cookies he'd
> crammed into it, "well, it was pretty busy too."

Shades of Doctor Who! o3o

> We need to feel like
> normal people sometimes, and not just soldiers constantly at war. And if
> that means offering up a softball pitch to Murphy by holding a Christmas
> party, so be it."

Heck yeah. <3 <3 <3

> "SEE? SEE?" Darran pointed at the young mage. "It's a Thing. Soon
> it'll be a cliche. Now we're going to get a horde of vampire Santas coming
> down the chimney tonight, or a floating island full of superintelligent
> hamsters, or super plant bombs, or the second coming or TYMYTHY TWYSTYD!"

yesssssss :D

> no one was completely happy
> with the fact that as Poniente, Esmeralda served a semi-divine wind spirit
> out of Lakota myth. Eya existed in that uncertain zone between mortal and
> divine, much like the spirits ruling China these days did, but what if the
> true gods who once associated with him were drawn back to Earth by his
> activity? The attention of the gods had nearly destroyed the world a
> generation ago, after all...even "good guy" ones like Wakinyan was supposed
> to be.

Man. In retrospect, the basic concept of the Causality War is... really Western,
huh. o3o

> "Merry Christmas," Darran hoisted his mug of mulled cider. "Hope you
> survive the experience."

Love it. X3 <3

> The weathermen blamed it on the Project
> Winterlight thing. On average it was returning things more or less to
> normal, but weather was always chaotic, and some places were still too cold
> and others too warm. Covering up the Sun for a while and then compensating
> by detonating something or other in orbit might make all the numbers add up
> to normal, but....

Yeah that's relatable. @-@ At least the Cataclysm interrupted the progress of
global warming...

> People started staggering out of the glowing symbol, haggard and looking
> like they'd been walking for days. Some still wore heavy coats which they
> now started to shed, others had tied the coats around their waists or simply
> abandoned any heavier outfits they might have once worn.
> Many were falling to the ground and kissing it, and only the general
> weariness of the crowd seemed to be keeping them from whooping with joy.

Good shit. <3

> The agent was interrupted by a disturbance from inside the main cordon.
> The flying woman was arguing with a group of agents led by one of the
> Marshals, and was gesturing at them as if she expected it to have some
> effect. Surprised that nothing happened, she was quickly subdued by the
> Marshal's shock baton.

Oof. ^^;

> Poniente exchanged a look with the mystic portrait of Peregryn that
> allowed the exiled mage instantaneous communication from Venus, then nodded.
> "Names have power in magic, they are a large part of defining reality. If,
> as you've told us, your reality has ceased to be...then all of the names have
> as well.

Also, the Iron Curtain of Trademark!

> Poniente shrugged, choosing to leave aside the point about population
> density. No need to tell the refugees that they'd come to an Earth with
> barely a third the population of the one they'd left.

Well.

> Jed and I had been mainlining the power of creation
> lately, which was how we could be used to power the gate that brought us
> here."
> "That answers it, then," Peregryn's portrait replied. "You must retain
> a tiny portion of that power, seeds of your old reality linked to your
> spirits. The other superhumans among the refugees...they lost their powers?"
> The medic consulted her compad. "That's the strange thing. While none
> of them trip any of the Tesla Index tests, they do still have powers,
> sometimes. The powers come and go."
> "I reckon they come when Miss Venturi or me 're nearby?" Jed asked. "I
> mean, it'd make sense. If we're all that's left of the wellspring of power
> from our home, then being near us might let some of the others use their
> powers too."

Nice and consistent, makes sense. <3

> "Our reality has been shielded until recently by a powerful barrier
> against interdimensional travel," Peregryn's portrait explained. "Most
> likely, your gateway latched onto the closest spot where the walls between
> realities had weakened enough to allow entry. The year 2012 was nearly in
> the middle of the interdicted era."

That definitely makes sense. @.@v

> I mean, we've had a few nasties come through, like TerraStar, but no
> invading armies."
> This was, of course, when the screaming started.

heeheehee

> "We all died, I tell you!" the screaming now could be made out as
> words. "But R...the ravager lied, hell wasn't destroyed! We're IN IT!"

o.o

> "Not only are Miss Venturi and Mister Smith
> the 'batteries' for the supernatural powers of the other refugees, they are
> in fact the only thing maintaining the reality of their fellows, powered or
> not. If anyone strays too far, they start to lose contact with their own
> reality. It manifests first as a mental dissociation, but in extreme cases
> could result in physical dissolution."

Oofda. D:

> "Technician Dawes, I believe I can tap the remaining spark of your
> native reality's power and use it to bind you all to our reality. It might
> cost the superhumans among you their powers, or it might 'translate' your
> powers into something our universe understands. But it should link your
> spirits to this world and prevent your dissolution," Peregryn said.

Ahhhhh, very good.

> Some more of the analogies should bind in place
> to compensate for missing names...for instance, when you think of your city
> of heroes and villains,

Eh? Ehhhhh? :D

> "You were once a god of death, that much I can
> tell, even if you're not any kind of god I've ever encountered. But that
> puts your power outside the games played by my patroness. Absorbing you
> would give me power that even she cannot detect or counter, diminished as it
> might be.

Oh I love that sort of shit. :3 A crossover meaningfully bringing something new
to the narrative long-term.

> "Ohhhhh yesssss," she whispered, holding the smoke in her lungs as long
> as she could and drawing in the essence of an alien god. It wasn't enough to
> put her on a par with even the greater servants of the gods, but it was quite
> impressive nonetheless.
> And to test it, there was a plan she'd been toying with for months, but
> never seemed to have the resources to enact.
> She had them now.