When Lightning Strikes!-4 by Lynceus The Lightning returns (finally)!

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Disclaimer: I make no claims to any character or image owned or under copyright by another party, nor do I intend on profiting in any way from their use. The Comics Retcon Universe concept is the creative property of Lilith Langtree.

The Retcon version of The Spectre is not mine either- she belongs to Maggie Finson (a much better author).

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Las Vegas, Nevada

Rhea rose into the air after the girl. The Lightning, huh? I wonder how her powers would interact with mine?

As fate would have it, however, Cosmic Girl wouldn't get that answer tonight, as, without warning, The Lightning jetted off to the east, accompanied by a low rumbling noise. The former physicist couldn't help but exclaim; “How does she do that?”

Shaking her head, she opened up communication with the others. “No luck, she took off like a rocket, and there's no way I can catch her.”

One hour later

“Baka, this was a dumb plan.” I berated myself. I guess it was time to give up and go home. Some superhero I was! How was I going to face Haya, having failed to find any help for her?

“I wouldn't say you failed, not just yet.”

I'd just paused in mid-air for a moment, so you can believe I was surprised to hear another voice up here! I whirled in place, and found myself facing a young woman with very pale skin. She was wearing a green outfit that left very little to the imagination, along with a long green cloak, comlete with a cowl. I shivered, and not from the cold!

“Who...what are you?”

The girl smiled. “I am Death, come to claim your soul!” She laughed before I could even react to that statement. “No, I can't back that up. You may call me The Spectre.”

“The Spectre? Why do you call yourself that?”

The Spectre shrugged her shoulders (a rather fascinating process, really). “It is the name I was given by the one who gave me my powers. Not unlike how you got your name, Ayumi.”

“How...this is a trick, right?”

She shook her head. “No trick. I know quite a bit about you. But I am here to help you. More specifically, your young friend.”

“Haya? I don't understand- how could you help?”

“Perhaps this isn't the best place to discuss these things.” She held out her hand. “Take my hand.”

I wasn't sure why, but I did. Her skin was cool to the touch. There was a strange sensation, and for a moment, I was surrounded by complete blackness. I could see nothing, feel nothing save for The Spectre's hand gripping my own. I screamed, but heard no sound.

And then I was in a small apartment I didn't recognize. I fell to my knees, gasping for breath.

“I'm sorry about that, I always forget how that affects the living.”

I looked up to find that The Spectre had changed. Now she was a living girl, wearing jeans and a tee-shirt. She offered me a hand and helped me up. I was surprised to find she was shorter than I was, something I hadn't noticed before. “So this is the real you?”

“Not..quite. It's complicated. When I'm like this, you can call me Deena. Do you want a drink?”

I nodded. “Gomen..please.”

She grinned and went to the tiny kitchenette, looking in the fridge. “Coke or root beer?”

“Root beer would be fine.” I sat down on her couch, and she brought a pair of drinks. “So explain...you said 'the living'?”

She sat on the couch, facing me. “Yes, that's right. As Deena, I'm a living girl, but I guess you could say I'm sort of a ghost. I died, and was brought back to be The Spectre, the Spirit of Vengeance.”

“Vengeance? Why would you want to help me?”

“It's not just you, it's your friend, Haya. Normally, what people think of as ghosts is nothing more than a strong psychic impression left behind when a person dies. Or something else, that people mistake for a ghost, like an evil spirit or demon. There are real ghosts, but they are quite rare. Your friend, however, is an anomaly. She wasn't supposed to die at all. She would have survived the accident.”

I frowned. “Then why...?”

“We are entering a new age, a new cycle. Old powers that most people don't believe in, such as magic, are coming to fore once again. In this case, necromancy. Someone attempted to claim her soul, which is what caused it to be separated from her body.”

“Claim her soul? A demon?”

Deen shook her head. “Not quite. Just someone who wanted to harness her for power. Haya is an innocent, she has a pure soul. In the wrong hands, she could serve as a source of power, until she became so used-up and twisted that nothing of the girl she was would be left.”

I growled, and the lights flickered dangerously. “I won't let that happen!”

“I won't either, Ayumi, that's a promise. I'm hunting the one who did this to her. The good news is that they aren't aware Haya exists. For whatever reason, the binding failed. She was separated from her body, but never felt the compulsion to answer the soul-summons. So now she's trapped here. She can't go back to her body, obviously, but she is also barred from moving on, as it's not yet her time. From what I've been told, Destiny and Death are very particular about that sort of thing.”

“Destiny and Death?”

Deena smiled. “Let's skip that discussion for now. I'm not sure how you'd handle it.”

“So she's trapped here, until she was supposed to die? That's not fair, I thought you said you could help her!”

“Please Ayumi, stay calm. You might destroy my apartment if you get too upset.”

I looked down. “I'm sorry.”

She reached over and put her hand on my shoulder. “It's ok. You're just worried about your friend.”

I nodded. “Ever since I fought Shin...” I frowned. Why was I about to tell her about that?

She smiled warmly. “Sorry, unlike my other self, when I'm Deena, people just want to open up to me. If you need to talk, I'll listen, I promise.”

I thought about it, and started talking.

Later...

“Ayumi, thank you for sharing yourself with me. I understand why you feel the need to help someone, but listen to me. You're not a killer. You did what you did to save lives. Shin had made his choice- his soul was tortured, if anything, you gave him freedom.”

“I can't justify it! If I do, then...I...”

“You'll become a monster? Ayumi, I've been in the same position. And I feel the same way. But as long as you're worried about becoming a monster, you're still human.”

“Am I? Human?”

Deena nodded. “Yes! Very much so. I can feel it, you have a soul.”

“...Kyou's soul.”

“Well, yes. He created you, Ayumi, but his power could only make soulless constructs. He didn't have the power to give you true life. But he was dying, and he wanted you to live. You were his wish for the world. So he gave you a part of himself. So you could live.”

“...you're making that up.”

She stood, and became The Spectre again. “Perhaps you would believe the words from my lips, then?”

“I...people can't just give away their souls!”

“Normally, no, they cannot. There are circumstances where it is allowed. You are not Kyou, but as long as you live, a part of him lives on as well.”

I couldn't bear to look into her eyes. Gone was the kind, empathic Deena. The Spectre was colder. Harsher. But maybe that's what I needed. “I guess I've been stupid, then.”

“To doubt? To question? That is the nature of what it means to be mortal. The moment you stop wondering, you stop learning. And at that point, you might as well be dust.”

I sighed. “Ok. So how do I help Haya?”

“Haya has more power than she realizes. She is more special than anyone could imagine. Though she cannot create a new body for herself, she can live through others.”

I looked up, wondering what she meant by that, when it hit me. “No...you mean possess people?”

“Indeed.”

I frowned. “I don't think she'd want that.”

“For now, no. At some point, however, the desire to live again. Breathe once more. To feel. To not feel so cold. It will overwhelm her, possibly drive her mad.”

“There's no other way?”

“A powerful magician could revive her dead body, perhaps. Or place her soul within the body of someone in a coma, or recently deceased.”

I shivered. It sounded so ghoulish! “Is that what you do? Possess Deena's body?”

The Spectre quirked her lips. “Not exactly. The one who empowered me, allowed me to live through her, so that I would not lose my humanity.”

“Is that Haya's fate? To stop being human?”

“When she died before her time, she ceased to be bound by Destiny. She can follow a new path, perhaps regain her life once more. She needs ties to the living world. Someone to care about her.”

“I..I care about her.”

“And that is why we are having this discussion. You will soon meet the Green Lantern. When you do, it would be best not to mention me. Jade has as strong sense of justice. She has little use for Vengeance...yet.”

Oh no, that didn't sound ominous. Not at all. Before I could ask any questions, however, I found myself back where I had been before. Floating in the air somewhere above the American midwest. As I got my bearings again, I noticed a green light behind me. I turned, and there she was.

“You're a hard person to track down, Lightning. Can I help you?”

I smiled at Jade. “Maybe we can help one another.”

With a nod, Jade held out her hand, and I took it. A green light surrounded us, and we began to fly upwards, towards the stars.

Deena, if you can hear me...thank you.