[Location: Apokolips, outskirts of the Ignis sector: Sphere of No-Form.]

“This is sudden, sister… But this is what you must have meant by me… showing my power…”

Steppenwolf stared placidly at Goodness who was already focused on the next Apokoliptian behind him. Steppenwolf moved away but stopped when he noticed a crescent of military personnel had formed. Even though the Female Furies were not under male command, some of them were in the crowd. Female Furies were utilized by Goodness in long range combat and special ops missions. Whereas the male warriors, commonly referred to as the Legion, where used for brute strength and power. Evidently, both genders were interested in the newly appointed military leader.

“Surely you’ll lead us to victory, o’ strong one. Heh!” Harriet piped up with a giggle.

Gilotina immediately replied with incredulity.

“Ugh! He’s not in charge of us, Harriet! Granny still is.”

“That’s enough from you two. If I am… to lead the Legion to Celestial City, I can assure that it will be completely razed under my command.” Steppenwolf growled, feeling more confident by the second.

Steppenwolf smugly looked towards the ceiling, but his reverie was interrupted by Goodness.

“Stay behind, Steppenwolf. I have quite a bit of warriors to get through, but we need to discuss what you’ll be doing. I’m not going to just let you have free reign of the Legion immediately.”

Steppenwolf bristled when he heard Gilotina snicker. He looked up, ready to talk down to the Fury but she was already walking away. He relaxed his posture, remembering that he was still several ranks above Gilotina even though the position was brand new. Steppenwolf felt lofty mentally, but noticed a row of chairs that beckoned to his physical body. He wasn’t sleeping well lately. And he didn’t know why. Steppenwolf could never fully grasp his dreams, if he had them.

Steppenwolf made his way towards an empty chair, leaving behind the military personnel who were intrigued by him. They must have thought he was going to make a wondrous speech. But since Steppenwolf just ambled away, the warriors whispered to each other in curiosity. Steppenwolf sat down and folded his arms. He lowered his head, closing his eyes while Goodness finished with the combatants left in the arena.

Darkness filtered before his closed eyes like an infinite sea of ebon. And then-

“…Wake up, friend!”

Steppenwolf awoke with a start. Godfrey was crouched before him, looking up with a smile.

“Godfrey!? How long have you been there?”

“Not too long. I’m not going to watch you sleep. That’s weird! But I did want to let you know that Granny has been waiting for you.”

“Oh…”

Steppenwolf glanced around the arena, noticing that it was indeed mostly empty. Several Furies were standing by Goodness with one sitting on a pile of crates. Goodness leaned on the lectern with an impatient look crowding her face. She beckoned to Steppenwolf with her hands upon noticing he was awake. Steppenwolf looked away and coughed nervously.

“…How long have I been asleep?” He asked Godfrey.

Godfrey, who was staring into space, snapped his head back towards Steppenwolf.

“About two hours!”

“…”

Steppenwolf frowned, getting up so he could hear what Goodness had to say. Goodness placed a hand on her hip, motioning faster with the remaining hand.

“Come on, Steppenwolf. I don’t have all day.” She chided from across the arena.

Steppenwolf sauntered over to the lectern. He took closer note of the obsidian crates lying beside Goodness. They came up to her knees and were inscribed in thread with omegas, the symbol of Apokoliptian royalty. Goodness shooed away the Fury sitting on them with a stern look. Then she spoke to Steppenwolf once more while reaching to open one of the containers.

“We will get to what you’ll be doing during the invasion momentarily, but first: Do you know what a Mother Box is?”

∞

Suli stood before her alchemy table. Remnants of a fitful night’s rest clung to her mind in gaping chasms. She didn’t sleep well. The only things scrambling across her mind were memories of Uxas and Chasma. Not sleep. She met Uxas because of Chasma. Chasma had been her friend. But because of Suli’s kindness, Chasma was torn from her and placed in a prestigious position with the Queen’s Guard. That was Uxas’ doing, but Suli couldn’t be upset with him. Uxas said that he did what was best for everyone. Female Furies were not meant to have friends, especially not friends who were commoners. After all, did Suli want to have Chasma executed and then herself?

Suli raised a questioning finger to her lips. She was attempting to distract herself.

“…Does anyone on Apokolips sleep well?”

She fidgeted for a moment before giving up. She let jittery memories consume everything once again.

∞

Tension strained Suli’s neck in surges of anxiety. She had been secretly communicating with Chasma for months now. They regarded each other as friends: a pact between the classes and castes. But they didn’t meet in person. So, the last time an actual meeting took place was when Suli attempted to sneak into the royal palace. Sometimes Chasma said things that were brutish. These things worried Suli, but Chasma told her that she shouldn’t be concerned with them. There was nothing Suli could do. The life of a Female Fury was full of violence. But this time Suli had to act or Chasma would surely die. And that’s why she was currently trying to find her wounded friend in the Happiness Home.

Chasma had sent a pointed message that made Suli feel sick the moment she received it.

[Chasma1: I’m 2 kind. They’re going 2 kill me this time, Suli Lux.]

Suli was sneaking around for the second time in a place that could rip her to shreds. Suli was using the vent system just like she had with Queen Heggra. This was a skill she was reluctantly getting better at. She somewhat knew the layout of the Happiness Home due to Chasma. And because of that, Suli had an inkling of where Chasma might be. Female Furies who were damaged and considered useless were placed in a boiler room below the complex. If they lived, they could come back and fight the one who hurt them. If they died? Granny Goodness didn’t care. But they weren’t allowed medical care in these circumstances. Chasma had mentioned this upon seeing it happen once. Suli was positive such a horror was happening to Chasma.

Suli looked down through an opening, trying to determine which way she should go to get underground. Suli was evidently still on the ground floor because a carmine carpet and well-lit hall is what she saw. A couple of Furies were walking down the corridor.

“Gosh, I didn’t think they would actually do it… Do you think she’ll live?”

Suli felt around in her dress to make sure the weapon she had bought was secure. She took what Chasma had said about her lack of weapons seriously. Suli didn’t want to kill anyone, so she had bought an old war taser that was floating around the marketplace. She hoped it would be enough to subdue anyone who got in her way. However, Suli knew any Furies she encountered wouldn’t let her live. Suli knew she had to be careful. She didn’t want to use the taser and she didn’t want conflict with some of Apokolips’ hardest warriors.

“I mean, I don’t know? They got her good. That was a lot of blood…”

The two Furies laughed. Suli suddenly felt an urge to use the taser, but she knew that would do more harm than good. But if she could just shock these two for their lack of empathy…

Suli shook her head.

She had to focus on finding Chasma before it was too late. She quietly scooted herself over the opening. She had brought a flashlight and shined it forward, hoping the vent branched soon. It suddenly occurred to Suli that her dress was probably no longer white. Just like the Sphere of No-Form, the vents in the Happiness Home were filthy. Suli tried to look, but it was hard with how cramped everything was. She sighed and looked up. The space opened in front of her, almost enough to stand. The vent did indeed branch. There were two smaller vents going to the right. But it was the open area to the left that interested Suli.

Suli stood slightly with her back hunched over. Her knees hurt. It was a relief to stand, enough if it was in a strange position. She shuffled into the opening, noticing a vertical shaft beneath a fan. She pushed stray hair out of her face. Cool air enveloped her and she peered into the shaft. It went straight down with more industrial fans placed along the sides. At the bottom was a small room. Suli shuddered, hoping the door was unlocked. And that there weren’t any Furies, save for Chasma, on the other side.

It was almost certainly the boiler room.

∞

In the recesses of the royal palace, Yuga Khan was fixated on a luminous object before him.

“You will give it to me this time… And I will extinguish your world.”

To be continued…