B19
Defenders of the Earth: This Is Their Side Story
By James
Chapter 19: Convergence
Every Defender had their method of coping. That was what Flash had been told, at least. Jedda liked diving into jungle water. Amy liked flying all around the town.
Flash preferred floating through the depths of space. Here in his cruiser. All by himself. Wearing plain jeans and a loose black shirt.
He had to take a break and get away from it all, given everything that was happening. It honestly pleased him that Dale was back. She was an integral part of his life, a woman who possessed her own piece of his heart. She always had. She always would.
But Dale's return had brought complications. They had to tell their kids about her firstborn child.
April resented them for keeping the secret. Rick had been pensive himself of late.
Then there was the daughter's identity, which made the complications even greater for all.
He also had Sheila to worry about. Did she think she'd have to compete for him?
"Alert. Alert," Dynak exclaimed. "Spacecraft approaching the vicinity."
He rose a bit, glancing around. Then his eyes narrowed as he spotted the ship. "It's Ming!" he bellowed. "That's our jet!" Flash gripped the handles and accelerated.
Ming took off after turning aside.
"Not today, pal," Flash declared. "Forget about getting away from me."
"Chances of reaching the craft are low," Dynak relayed as the chase began. "That ship has double the speed of ours."
Flash leaned forward, gritting his teeth. He hadn't been expecting anything like this. That was why he'd left the best cruiser behind. "Set our thruster power to one-hundred and ten!"
"That is beyond safe velocity."
"Do it!" he said, prepping himself.
Seconds later, he felt the boost — and knew right then that he'd made a mistake. He'd never propelled this fast before. It felt like his bones were about to snap.
He glanced up ahead, looking for Ming. His old enemy was nowhere to be found.
"Warning. Warning," Dynak said. "Deep hole detected at 11 o'clock."
Flash eyed the spot, staring in awe. "That's not a deep hole..."
But what could it be? It looked like a cloud bank of purple and white, a glittering mass permeating the dark.
He tried to evade, and found that he couldn't. There wasn't any time at this level of speed.
He held a hand up as he entered the mass. All of his surroundings were a milky white. Seconds later, he flew outward, seeing the blackness of space again.
"Dynak!" he shouted. "Sixty percent! Lower the thrusters to sixty percent!"
The craft kept burrowing at super speed.
"Dynak!" he bellowed. "Sixty percent!"
The craft pushed on.
Flash reached out and took a lever in hand, doing his best to keep hold of it. He pulled it back. The ship slowed down.
Flash took a breath, glancing about. He couldn't find Ming anywhere he looked.
"Dynak?" he muttered.
She didn't respond. He must have done damage with the burst of speed. Time to head back. Time to go home. He eyed the strange mass in his rear-view screen, then turned to his right and headed straight to Earth.
Monitor — 3:20 pm
He sat the craft down on the landing strip, then walked to the door and put a key card in. The funny thing was, the door stayed shut. It wouldn't budge at all as he fiddled with it.
Flash took a glance at his card again. It didn't look damaged in the very least.
He shrugged a bit, then started to knock. A couple minutes passed before he heard footsteps.
"Hold on," said a voice. A feminine voice. She opened the door.
He froze in place.
"So how did it go?" the blonde girl asked. She ran her gaze over his shirt and jeans. "And why did you switch out of uniform?"
He paused a moment. "Who are you?"
The girl recoiled. "What do you mean?"
He took a brief look at her dark outfit, then settled his stare on her eyes again. "How did you get into Monitor?"
"Dad..." She scowled. "You're acting weird."
"Guys!" A boy with black skin rushed up, clutching a thin laptop as he ran. He sported what appeared to be a big lab coat, along with a clear pair of spectacles. "I think I might have a new breakthrough here. I..." He tripped. The laptop flew.
Moments before it could fall on the floor, it lingered in place, suspended in air.
The blonde girl was holding a hand to her head.
"Thanks a lot, J," the teen boy said, reaching out and pulling the laptop close.
Flash eyed the girl. So she'd done that? The kid had a telekinetic skill.
"Let's meet with the team," the boy told them. "I want to show everybody this at once." He spun and started sprinting down the hall again.
The girl followed him, then turned around. "Dad. You coming?"
He stared at her. Why in the world was she calling him that? Something very fishy was happening. He stroked his head, then started to move. Maybe his teammates could help him out.
Flash walked into the meeting room. Phantom and Mandrake were waiting there, as was a boy sporting ebony bangs. He looked like the Phantom, down to his garb — a purple outfit that displayed his arms.
Lothar appeared, stepping inside. He wasn't in his usual type of attire.
Flash stared again. What was all this? Who were the kids sitting in their midst?
"You feeling all right?" Mandrake asked, apparently detecting his nervousness.
"I- -"
"Okay..." said the boy in the coat. Radar appeared on the largest screen, the one that everybody had a clear view of. "This was recorded twenty minutes ago. Something just happened in outer space. I think there's a portal lingering up there — a portal to the world that we call Earth B."
A quick chill bristled through Flash's veins. Everything was starting to make more sense. Was it possible that he'd crossed that bridge? Was he in another dimension now?
Then the girl's phone started sounding off. She watched it a second. Her eyes got wide.
"What's the matter, Jedda?" the Phantom asked.
"My dad is calling..." She looked at Flash. Everybody else in the room did too.
Flash started shaking. "Uh..." he muttered.
Jedda hit a button. "H-Hello?"
"Hey," said a voice on the speaker call — a voice that sounded much like Flash's own.
Lothar rose, pulling a blaster, aiming it directly at Flash's chest. "Show me your hands."
Flash threw both of them up in the air. "Listen, guys. Your theory is right. I think there are multiple Earths out there. I think I flew here inadvertently."
The boy with the spectacles rose as well. "That explains why I saw the signal in space. It can't all be a coincidence." He glanced at Lothar, lifting an arm. "It's okay, Dad."
Lothar paused, then lowered his weapon.
"Thanks, LJ," Flash relayed, dropping his hands by his sides again.
"Jedda?" The voice on the line spoke up. "What's going on?"
She stared at Flash, then eyed the phone. "Everything's all right — at least I think."
"Multiple Earths," LJ said, pointing at several on the video screen. "I think that Flash traveled here from Earth B. Then there's this other, called Earth C. They each have their alternate versions of us." He clicked a remote toward a part of the screen. Earth C faded. A photo appeared — a green-eyed girl sporting long black locks. "From what I can tell, this is Jedda Walker, from Earth C."
Flash made a squint. "She looks a little different from the Jedda I know." She even seemed just a tad spunkier.
LJ nodded. "The Earth C Jedda was fathered by Kurt."
Phantom scowled. "You mean my brother?"
"Not our Kurt. An alternate. I meant the Kurt Walker of the C dimension." His shook his head, smiling a bit. "All of this is really remarkable. I'm seeing so many vast avenues. The Earth D Phantom wed an elegant queen. His daughter has a sister named Rachel there. Earth S is home to some magical girls. Earth H is ruled by the Netherworlders. Then there's an Earth called 2.0."
Flash couldn't help but be fascinated. A part of him wanted to explore the Earths. Before he'd be ready to do that, though, he'd need to return to his very own. "How do I get back home to Earth B?"
LJ rose. "You'll need to be traveling at super speed. That's the only way that you can puncture the portal."
Flash shook a bit. Not again. "I barely survived on the previous trip." If he took a risk like he had before, it was unlikely that his luck would hold.
He rarely ever felt as he did right now. Flash Gordon wasn't used to being afraid.
Mandrake frowned, appearing concerned. "Flash," he murmured, "why don't you stay?"
"For how long?"
"Permanently."
Flash grew quiet. It sounded odd.
Jedda reached out, touching his arm. "Don't make the trip," she pleaded to him. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."
Phantom nodded. "What were you even doing out there, Flash?"
"I..." He squirmed and cast his gaze on the floor. "There were some things going on back home. I kind of just needed to escape them all."
"Maybe it's a sign," Lothar said. "Maybe you were meant to escape for good."
Flash was intrigued as he studied him. The man he knew wouldn't say such things. He wouldn't choose running as the first solution. "Thank you, guys," he said as he stood. "It's really been nice meeting all of you...but I think it's high time that I hit the stars."
Half an hour later, he boarded his craft, then powered it on and flew off into space. The glittering cloud appeared right up ahead. "Let's do this, buddy," he said to himself, bracing his frame as he reached for a knob. He turned the speed up to one-hundred and ten — then clung to the handles as hard as he could.
It seemed even worse than it'd been before. The whole craft shook quite violently.
"You're gonna make it... You're gonna make it..."
The craft flew straight into the cloud of white. Seconds later, he exited.
Flash pulled a lever, slowing the ship. He took a long breath, then headed toward Earth.
When he arrived back at Monitor, he found that nobody was present there. The same could be said about Mandrake's place. "Please tell me that I flew to the right dimension."
Flash drove home, and entered his house. There was one way to be sure of things. He turned his phone on and gave Dale a call.
"Hello?" she said.
"Dale!" He sighed. "Are you all right? You weren't at home."
"I'm in Rainbrook, hanging with Veena."
"Good," he uttered, deeply relieved.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah," he muttered. "Something strange happened."
Sheila walked in.
"I'll tell you later on. Talk to you soon." He hung the phone up.
She frowned a tad. "What did you need to call Dale about?"
Flash stepped over, grinning at her. "I had to make sure that I'm where I belong."
She looked confused.
"I definitely am." He pulled her close, and the two embraced.
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Chapters
Volume I
As the New Rebellion rages across Mongo and Earth, Jedda and Krotan unite against Ming — and find themselves pursued by one of his ships.
2: Mongo Is Burning — Part 1
Desperate to end the battles, Krotan and Jedda, who have fallen in love, agree to a politically driven wedding — which Rick opposes.
3: Mongo Is Burning — Part 2
Despite growing opposition to the wedding, Jedda and Krotan remain firm in their decision.
Rick observes Amy venting, then ends up on a wild ride.
Amy visits her ailing foster mother, only to realize that she's fallen into a trap.
Rick and Amy take May to the Netherworld, where an invasion has begun.
Against the wishes of Rick and others, Amy makes a bargain with Damian Dark.
While the Defenders scramble to catch up with Amy, another battle occurs in the Netherworld.
Volume II
Flash sets out to free Ming, who has vital information regarding an impending attack.
Lothar and April move to counter an assassination attempt.
The team hurries to prevent LJ and Rick from carrying out an assault on another planet.
The Royal Five converge to counter a group of outlaws who've abducted Castra's husband.
Despite Castra's objections, Hadea grows tempted to remain on Mongo and take over as queen.
Kshin and LJ suspect that Veena is planning to bring her father back.
The Gordons arrive at Dale's grave.
Castra and her relatives vie for the position of queen on Mongo.
Volume III
Dale reveals the identity of her first child.
Veena uses her powers to help others.
Flash gets a startling surprise while chasing Ming.
20: The Princess Makes Her Move
In Dimension K, Ming weds his ambitious stepdaughter Hadea.
A visitor arrives from Dimension Y, intent on taking Dale back with her.
Duffy attempts to bond with Dale, who learns of a portal to another dimension.
After arriving on Earth K, the duo find themselves captured by Queen Hadea, who tasks Dale with a mission.
Now a mother of four, Dale attempts to help ease tensions between April and Duffy.
Rick learns that Duffy might have another special ability.
Volume IV
After using her seer to avert a grim future, the Hadea of Earth K believes herself unbeatable.
April receives a visit from her aunt, Commander Abigail Gordon, who seeks her help on a mission.
Amy confronts her mother Cathleen, who is attempting to conquer Earth P.
On Earth C, Agent Kristina Graf seeks members for a new defense team.
April and Duffy are approached by Kent Madden's daughter Clare, who claims to need their help.
Sheila reflects on her choices.
32: Parental Guidance Required
Duffy develops an unexpected bond.
The Defenders are challenged inside Monitor.
In response to the recent assault, Abby and Dale take action against Madden.
Duffy begins acclimating to life on Earth B.
Krotan receives comfort from Jedda in the midst of a new matter.
Amy seeks to help an old friend.
Hadea and Jedda bond on Earth H in the series finale.
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