Infinite DC: The Legend of Cthulhu

Epilogue: The Journey Ahead

            Robin didn't think he'd actually go for it, but she was nonetheless excited to see him crash and burn. She pulled the tally board back out and kept her marker ready, while Steve made his way for Alicia and Maureen's booth. Just as he was prepared to talk the Time Ladies into his ruse, Si walked into the parlor, looking more radiant than the last time he saw her.

            She waved at Steve on her way in, although Steve was too frozen to wave back.

            Immediately, he aborted his master plan, retrieving back to the counter where Robin – grinning ear-to-ear – made five marks on the "Suck" column, bringing the total to a whopping eleven tallies.

            From Alicia and Maureen's booth, Si caught a fleeting glimpse of Robin's board while sitting down. "Any clue what that's all about?" she asked her predecessors.

            Maureen shrugged. "I was too lost in this ice cream to care, luv."

            Moving past it, Si continued, "Thanks for agreeing to meet here. After all that happened at Hogwarts, I figured it only made sense to keep each other updated on the Hierarchy situation."

            "Should we have invited the other Gladiators?" Alicia pondered. "They have just as much right to be here."

            "Can't attract too much attention in one dimension," Maureen said. "Besides, they all know what's goin' on – who and what we're dealing with and how to deal with it. Some of them are doin' the same bit we are this very second."

            "Excellent point," Si acknowledged. "How is everyone at Hogwarts, by the way?"

            Maureen casually scooped up the last few bits of Skittles at the bottom of her cup. "Well, nineteen years have passed on since the Cthulhu squabble, and we've just welcomed the First-Years, including Harry and Ginny's kids – James, Albus, and Lily. They're gonna have one helluva time with Professor Snape."

            "How's Dumbledore?" Si asked.

            "He passed two years prior," Alicia answered. "Newt, Ben, and I were there for the funeral."

            "Minerva McGonagall's the new headmaster," Maureen added, "although everyone heavily campaigned for yours truly to take the job."

            Si and Alicia smiled. These were events that had already taken place from their perspective; and there Maureen was, catching them up. It was the topsy-turvy life of a Time Lord. Sometimes, it helped to be reminded of the past, so that the present could move on to the future.

            Now it was Alicia's turn. Rightfully, Maureen (who had yet to live Alicia's life) asked, "What about our mates from 1929 Louisiana? How're they fairin' in their new surroundings?" She asked because Alicia was the one responsible for taking the Louisiana survivors to the existing reality where the Black Wall Street massacre never happened.

            "They're living better lives in a new 1929 than they were in the old one," Alicia updated, nearly brought to tears. "If only every dimension could be like that one – no bigotry, no violence, no fear. Every one of every race just living peacefully, helping to build a better tomorrow."

            Maureen herself choked up. "Gotta remember to bring lil' Samuel there sometime. He's havin' too much fun with Billy, especially when he's Shazam."

            Good as it was to talk about so much happiness, the three Gladiators couldn't belay the real topic they were there for. "The Hierarchy," Si brought it up. "What do we know about them?"