[Location: Apokolips, Royal Palace of Yuga Khan and Queen Heggra I.]

“I am not impressed by your actions, Steppenwolf. Do you have anything at all to say for yourself?”

The Queen became strangely quiet after the target of her wrath slipped away. Heggra told Steppenwolf that he was to make himself present at the royal palace. She had done this without a lick of the volcanic rage she spewed everywhere not too long ago. Steppenwolf knew his elder sister was prone to losing her temper, but he felt conflicted with himself. She never screamed at him like that before. Had he done the right thing? Or did he follow Heggra’s example and let his emotions choke his judgement?

And wasn’t it Heggra who told Steppenwolf to push his emotions aside?

Heggra had also never tried to murder a citizen. Steppenwolf was able to deduce that Heggra’s prisoner was the “lowly woman” she had told him about only a day before. The same woman she felt would corrupt Uxas’ sense of duty towards the crown. Steppenwolf hadn’t been worried about Uxas when he was told of the woman. He felt that Uxas had a laser focus on royal affairs. However, the mere thought of Uxas being involved with a woman had obviously made Heggra go ballistic. Steppenwolf felt a sense of incredulity at his sister’s bombastic actions. It just wasn’t how Apokoliptian royalty was meant to behave. They had a whole slew of enlisted personnel to take care of issues such as this, which included Steppenwolf.

Steppenwolf felt bitterness soak through his psyche. Thus far, Heggra had not acknowledged that he had come for her, not the woman.

“Why can’t you see…?”

Heggra screwed up her face and squinted at Steppenwolf.

“I guess you don’t. How peculiar. Anyways, this bothersome episode has at least given me a chance to get you alone because we have some things that need discussing. Are you listening carefully?”

Heggra walked to a vast window against the exterior wall. Turrets scraped the molten sky with their lurid forms outside. Architectural flames dotted various pits strewn across the royal palace, dim light washing Heggra’s form in pallid colors. Steppenwolf stayed near the door where he was encircled by a pool of fluorescent light from a lamp above. Two of Heggra’s Furies from before, Fovea and Wunda, were seated at a marble table in the room’s center in relaxed positions. They knew who Steppenwolf was and thus, did not feel the need to keep up their stiff appearances. The other two Furies were standing guard outside the room. Heggra placed her hands on the windowsill, rhythmically tapping gangled nails against the cool surface.

“One week from now we shall annihilate New Genesis. You do understand what this means, yes?”

“Of… course I do.” Steppenwolf replied.

“When we capture and break the people of New Genesis… No one – absolutely no one – can stand in our way. Every planet we find outside the Fourth World will tremble before Apokolips. You. You, despite your shortcomings, are quite able.”

Heggra turned her head to the side, glancing at Steppenwolf through her peripheral vision.

“We need more worlds. More power and light if Apokolips is to continue surviving.”

“Yes…” Steppenwolf muttered.

“Brother, what I do is none of your concern. Do you hear me? Do you really hear me? You need to stay focused on what you were made for: Battle. I can’t have you bumbling around and prying into what your Queen is doing. Your sole duty is destroying the enemies of Apokolips.”

As usual with the siblings, Heggra lectured and Steppenwolf listened in stony silence. Steppenwolf was careful to listen quietly even if he wanted to say more on the matter, which he did. It was obvious the Queen didn’t care about her brother’s concerns. All she wanted was to make sure New Genesis blistered in the flames of Apokolips. And to take care of her son’s infatuation with that Abyssus woman.

Fovea sat, arms crossed, deaf to everything around her without combat eclipsing her mind. However, Wunda regarded Steppenwolf with a look of acute curiosity. It probably was intriguing to see one of Apokolips’ most apt warrior trainees in such a docile state.

“…During the invasion you must show your power. Show me what you were made to do. And make them bend to your will! It will be crucial for what happens to you afterwards…”

Steppenwolf’s gaze flashed with interest, but he answered with no indication of that.

“Yes, my Queen.”

Heggra began laughing boisterously.

“Perfect! You will not disappoint me surely this time, my brother!”

While Heggra was cackling, robust footsteps pounded down the hallway. The doors flew open and in strode Yuga Khan, unaccompanied by Furies. No one would dare lay a finger on the abyssal King and so, he went everywhere alone. He glanced around the room energetically. His gaze faltered on Steppenwolf momentarily. And then he began to speak with great authority before anyone could say a thing.

“I must talk to the Queen, my great and frightful wife, alone. Out!”

At his command, everyone except for Heggra filed out of the room. Yuga Khan shut and locked the doors behind them with a loud thud. Steppenwolf glanced back for a few seconds before walking away, something he noticed Wunda caught.

∞

Suli Lux sat at a rusted table, thick silence encircling her like gelatin. She was surrounded by vials and flasks, some broken in frustration. She sighed, running her hands through shadowy hair. Suli had slid through an open vent she noticed when the Queen dragged her into the Sphere of No-Form. It wasn’t that difficult with the Queen’s brother making a scene and tossing the Furies everywhere like they were weightless. The filthy vent had been a gamble but Suli managed to find her way back outside. She didn’t encounter anyone out there since the Furies present had all been radioed to deal with the brother.

Suli’s home was in a partial slum of the Abyssus sector. Abyssus was near the Ignis sector, but the two were divided by electrified walls and deep artificial canals. Suli was only able to gain access to Abyssus through an archaic tunnel in one of the empty canals. Not only was there a physical divide between the sectors, but there was a class divide as well. Ignis was meant for those of higher status: warriors, scientists, and others serving the King and Queen. Abyssus and the other sectors were everyone else. And everyone else meant the eighty-five percent of Apokoliptians that were ignored by the elite. Or worse, taken for experiments and other horrific schemes. If the Queen had known what Suli was capable of, she would have been terminated immediately. Suli wouldn’t have been given a fighting chance. And the reason for this was simple.

Suli would be known to her people as a sorceress.

The Queen happened to call her as such out of fury, but it was true. The science of alchemy and elixirs were Suli’s calling. New Gods were all born with super-strength and expanded lifespans, but sometimes the Source granted extra powers. Elites with these powers were generally made into warriors. If a commoner was discovered to have additional powers, one of two things would usually happen. One, they were taken and forced to become a warrior. Two, their powers were extracted, and they faced extermination. Suli wanted to use her metaphoric powers to help her fellow Apokoliptians. This would be considered unacceptable. But Uxas’ love for Suli would almost definitely save her life if he discovered she had been captured. In fact, Suli certainly would have been spared from her previous experience if Uxas had known what his mother planned on doing that day. That was the power of the mighty will of Uxas. Suli knew what he was capable of. She had known this since she met him.

And how did she meet him?

Suli zoned out, letting flecks of light from her equipment merge into one glowing mass as she remembered her past.

∞

Commoners were not allowed at military rallies unless they wanted a death sentence. Suli knew this, of course. But she had never seen the face of the King. Considering all power on Apokolips trickled down from him, Suli wanted to see what she was up against. She had to keep her precious alchemy secret at all costs. Was the King a cruel terror like she pictured in her mind?

“Oh.”

Suli discerned military rallies were usually held in the palace complex unless stated otherwise. The palace was built more like a fortress with iron barricades on all sides. There was a main gateway but Suli wasn’t foolish enough to try sneaking in. She had come knowing there was going to be a rally, but without a concrete plan. However, she knew there had to be other entries. Since the palace was located on an artificial hill above Armagetto, she was able to trace the perimeter while staying in the slums. She had vocalized slightly upon seeing an open corridor penetrating the area she was scouting. There was one of the other entries. And there wasn’t anyone around, not even Parademons!

Suli clasped her hands and stared intensely at the umbral opening. She half expected monstrosities to pour out, alerted to the modest woman peering up from Armagetto. But nothing happened. It seemed like too much of a coincidence. Why would there be an entryway to the royal palace left unguarded? Suli’s ears began ringing.

It was now or never.

∞

Suli was brought back from her recollections when a distinct thought drilled into her mind.

“I’ll… have to tell Uxas what his mother tried to do.”

Her ears began to ring.

∞

Steppenwolf was heading to Vorago. The Queen appeared to be done with him, after all. Steppenwolf’s feelings towards his elder sister were still tart. They would be for a while. Not only had she made it impossible for Steppenwolf to voice his thoughts, she also didn’t mention the woman. Even so, Steppenwolf knew the invasion to New Genesis was an opportunity to get back into his sister’s good graces. He was intrigued by what she had to offer if he proved himself to be a worthy trainee. And maybe then he could find a way to communicate with her again.

“Steppenwolf.”

Steppenwolf halted at the sound of that rimy voice. He moved to face the one who stopped him.

“Hello, Uxas.”

Being the son of the Queen, Uxas was Steppenwolf’s nephew. The younger Apokoliptian had an aloof personality, making it difficult for Steppenwolf to figure out what was going on in his mind. Steppenwolf didn’t even really know if Uxas was willing to tolerate him on a fundamental level. Uxas grinned with one side of his mouth.

“What is the reason for your visit this time?”

“The Queen wanted to discuss the upcoming invasion with me.” Steppenwolf answered.

“Is that so?”

“Yes…”

“That’s all my mother wanted you for?”

“Yes. Uxa-“

“Steppenwolf. The rally. Why did you run off when I was trying to speak to you? I hadn’t seen you in a while. I wanted to ask how your lack of sympathy was aiding you in your training. You’ll certainly be a merciless warrior fit for the Apokoliptian military.”

“I had som-“

“What did my mother want you for, Steppenwolf?”

Disquiet dashed across Steppenwolf’s mind like a meteor. There was no way Uxas could have known what the Queen had tried doing to his woman. She couldn’t have come back into contact with him already. It was too soon. But Uxas seemed to have an uncanny knack for picking up on the nefarious events around him. That’s how it appeared to Steppenwolf. If Uxas found out about his mother’s schemes, turmoil might wreck the innards of the palace. Steppenwolf didn’t want to be the one to cause the disturbance. He wanted to figure out Heggra before he figured out anyone else. Any mention of the woman would shatter that plan.

Steppenwolf let his resolve calcify.

“Uxas, your mother wanted to let me know she has an appropriate position to give me if I do a fearsome job striking down the dogs of New Genesis. I must go back to Sphere of No-Form. I will not… disappoint Apokolips. We will crush New Genesis like the gnat it is.”

Steppenwolf turned on his heel and began walking away, not bothering to turn back. Uxas’ voice floated after him in a feverish echo.

“Don’t disappoint me, Steppenwolf.”

Steppenwolf didn’t plan on disappointing anyone important.

To be continued…