The Grodd here was different from the one in the original timeline. The vicious resentment born of human experimentation had been completely worn away. Now well-traveled and experienced, he regarded humans without hatred and without affection; Earthlings were merely ordinary members of the universe—nothing more.
From Thea's analysis, when this fellow first gained sentience, his mentality was probably equivalent to that of a middle-schooler in the throes of adolescent delusions. The subsequent torture naturally bred thoughts like "the heavens cannot blind my eyes, nor the earth block my will." Had events followed that course, his becoming a villain would have been inevitable.
But now that his horizons had broadened, and with the aliens of this planet treating him like a god, Grodd's temperament had reversed. It was like children who fight without holding grudges—yet if you beat one every day, they might hate you for life.
Grodd was precisely such a case. After being brutally abused by Earthlings, he reached a critical crossroads, only for Thea to intervene at the decisive moment. His pent-up resentment found release, and his psychological scars were gradually soothed by aliens who treated him like an honored ancestor.
"Heh heh."
The gorilla sent Kara an affectionate mental signal and extended a massive hand to shake hers.
"Oh! He can talk to me?"
As if discovering a whole new world, Kara Danvers grabbed Grodd's hand and refused to let go.
Had this been an ordinary Earth girl, she would have fainted on the spot. Kara had no such issues. Kryptonian genetics made her appear innocent, but nothing truly frightened her.
Laughing and playing, she soon began fooling around with Grodd. Ever since leaving Earth, the gorilla's life had consisted of little more than eating and sleeping. The people he encountered were either stern types like Faora, or aliens who cowered at the sight of him. Aside from Thea occasionally teasing him, no one had played with him in a long time.
Now, meeting Kara—an overgrown girl with a still-immature mindset of her own—the two surprisingly got along quite well.
At first, Grodd still harbored some resentment toward Earthlings. But once Kara effortlessly lifted him into the air, he immediately realized that this girl was definitely not human. One girl and one gorilla tossed each other up and down, playing with infectious enthusiasm.
Thea had originally planned to return to Earth. Seeing how well they were getting along, she decided there was no rush. With Grodd's cruelty gone and his personality rapidly veering toward the comedic, his strength was somewhat lower than in the original timeline. For this, Thea was more than happy. Corruption breeds power; redemption tempers it—she had long since made peace with that trade-off.
The three escorted the prisoner back, not returning to Earth until nightfall. Faora gave Kara another round of instructions, telling her to visit the Committee whenever she had time. She didn't demand invincibility—only that Kara receive proper Kryptonian training.
Kara nodded enthusiastically, hurriedly bid them farewell, and shot back home in a blur.
Faora escorted the prisoner back to Fort Rozz. This unfortunate soul would become the first inmate after the fortress resumed operation. As a "grand opening gift," Faora reassigned him to his former cell.
Thea returned alone to her office. Though the room appeared empty, faint distortions caught her eye. Looking more closely, she smiled.
"Uncle J'onn? A rare guest…"
As her words fell, the invisible Martian Manhunter emerged. In less than a tenth of a second, he completed the transition from revealing himself to assuming his disguise again. Thea only glimpsed a flash of green skin before he resumed the appearance he used as Director of the DEO.
"Where did you take Kara?" he demanded.
"Huh? Where?" Thea pretended to think seriously. "By our terminology, it's called Spectre Star, located in Western Universe Sector 1109…"
Seeing Martian Manhunter's eyes widen, she added, "Kara's combat ability is far too weak. You know Faora, right? She's training Kara—not to make her unbeatable, but at least capable of defending herself."
"Kara is fully capable of self-defense," Martian Manhunter retorted. His boundless paternal instincts flared instantly. He treated all cute young girls as his own daughters, and the Danvers sisters ranked highest among them.
Thea curled her lips and transmitted a series of images through their telepathic link—scenes of Kara being pinned to the ground and beaten.
"Take a look at these. She can't even use one-tenth of her power, and you're calling that self-defense? Defend what, exactly?"
Martian Manhunter fell silent. Truthfully, the alien Kara had fought was a one-hit kill in the eyes of both him and Superman. Yet such an enemy had nearly killed her. Kara's combat ability really was lacking.
Thea laid out the facts, reasoned it through, and efficiently ushered the overprotective guardian out of her office.
"Remember to balance work and rest."
"Train reasonably—don't push too hard…"
Even after he left, Martian Manhunter's telepathic reminders continued unabated. Thea could only agree again and again.
Afterward, Kara kept her promise and visited Faora for training every few days. Superman and Martian Manhunter both tried to observe in secret—but were promptly chased off by Faora, who possessed X-ray vision of her own.
Meanwhile, events in the magical world faded like a drop of water into the sea. The Cold Flame Cult withdrew its control zones worldwide, recalling large numbers of subordinates to headquarters in preparation for potential enemies.
On the second day after John Constantine entered the Shadow Labyrinth, he and Zatanna emerged. They escaped more than a day earlier than Thea had expected. Zatanna teleported away immediately, while Constantine went straight to Papa Midnite. After a "cordial and friendly" discussion, Constantine was beaten until both arms were broken and dumped outside by a gang of thugs.
Ordinary citizens would never know that a small-scale battle had taken place in a hidden world, nor that several spellcasters with extraordinary powers had already lost their lives. The magical community—long suppressed by the Cold Flame Cult—was thrown into panic, with rumors spreading in limited circles.
Some claimed someone intended to purge the magical world, and that Cold Flame was merely the first to stick its head out.
Others claimed Cold Flame planned to become collaborators, and that anyone who didn't want to die should hurry up and accept recruitment.
During this period, many organizations received applications from all manner of strange individuals. Most could barely perform party tricks and lived hand-to-mouth lives; their true identities were naturally unimpressive.
Stories circulated of plumbers applying to the FBI and street performers interviewing with the CIA. Most mediocrities were weeded out, but a few genuine talents were retained.
For example, A.R.G.U.S. recruited a volunteer metahuman known as Doctor Mist—a Black man whose entire body was covered with magical arrays, capable of reflecting all magical attacks.
This South African doctor abandoned medicine after his wife's death and turned to magic. Lacking innate talent, he resorted to forbidden techniques to alter his body, forcibly cultivating a mystical version of "returning force upon its sender."
Chato Santana, once severely injured by Thea, had now fully recovered. On Amanda Waller's orders, he unleashed his demonic fire against Doctor Mist. The results were excellent—the flames were reflected back intact. Multiple tests confirmed that while Doctor Mist possessed no offensive power, his ability to reflect energy was nearly perfect.
Amanda Waller grinned from ear to ear. If A.R.G.U.S. weren't a classified organization, she would have raised a recruitment banner in Times Square on the spot.